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      How bankruptcy helps the coal industry avoid environmental liability Wed, 10th May 2023 18:04:00
     
      Jeff Hoops built Blackjewel into the nation’s sixth largest coal company by acquiring bankrupt mines. When it declared bankruptcy, he pivoted to other ventures, leaving polluted streams and mud-shrouded roads in his wake. Whenever a hard rain fell on Harlan County, Kentucky, the mud, rocks and debris from the Foresters No. 25 mine pounded down the hillside into the community of Wallins Creek. Local residents repeatedly complained about washed-out culverts and mud in their yards. Time after time, county work crews came out after a heavy rain to repair Camp Creek Road, a water line that runs alongside it and a local bridge. The strip mine’s owner, Blackjewel, fixed some problems, but when the rains came again, so did the muddy flooding. Amber Combs, who lived down the hill from Foresters, recalled a day in August 2017 when “the water was rushing down and the yard was a muddy slush pond. It was literally like a river around my house.” Combs complained to Kentucky regulators, who fined Blackjewel $1,300, which it never paid. Overall, under Blackjewel’s ownership, Foresters would run up 17 violations and more than $600,000 in unpaid fines. Founded in 2008 by West Virginia native Jeff Hoops, Blackjewel grew in just a decade to become the sixth-largest coal producer in the U.S., partly by accumulating mines like Foresters that had gone bankrupt. By 2018, it boasted more than 500 mining permits in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Then, in July 2019, Blackjewel stunned the industry by declaring bankruptcy, with claims against it later estimated at $7.5 billion. That December, environmental groups where Blackjewel operated warned the bankruptcy judge that, while he was focusing on what they called the company’s “significant financial mismanagement,” he should also be aware of “severe environmental mismanagement problems.” “Reclamation work, water treatment, and other expenses related to environmental compliance should be approved and prioritized” in the bankruptcy case, the environmental advocates wrote. Kentucky regulators agreed. But, citing longstanding case law, the judge rejected their request. Instead, bankruptcy trustees began divvying up the company’s assets among preferred creditors such as banks and hedge funds. Problems at Foresters and other Blackjewel sites persisted. By mid-2020, there were more than 600 outstanding violations of state mining and reclamation standards at the company’s mines in Kentucky, including 450 since the bankruptcy filing. On top of that, regulators had cited Blackjewel mines for more than 13,000 violations of Kentucky water quality rules, mostly for failing to monitor pollution discharges. The Blackjewel case, still unresolved and nearing its fourth anniversary this July, highlights the environmental toll of what has become a central feature of the coal industry’s business strategy: bankruptcy. Over the past decade, Blackjewel and other coal companies have found two ways to use bankruptcy to their advantage. First, they expanded their holdings by acquiring other companies’ bankrupt mines, which they hoped would turn a temporary profit during upticks in coal prices and production within the industry’s long-term decline. Then they declared bankruptcy themselves, entering an arena where they didn’t have to pay all of their debts, and where environmental liabilities took a back seat to banks and other financial creditors. As more coal companies busted, hundreds of mines cycled through repeated bankruptcies. Some, like Foresters, are no longer producing coal, yet they continue to pollute their communities. first-of-its-kind analysis by ProPublica and Mountain State Spotlight has documented that mines that have gone through multiple bankruptcies also tend to create more environmental damage. By combining data from federal bankruptcy court filings and state regulatory records, we identified mining permits that have been through more than one bankruptcy and compared the number of environmental violations they’d accrued to violations for mines that had not been through bankruptcy. We found that the median number of environmental violations for surface and underground mines that had been through multiple bankruptcies between 2012 and 2022 in Kentucky was almost twice the median number for mines that had not, and 40 percent higher in West Virginia. Blackjewel mines in Kentucky that have gone through multiple bankruptcies had more than twice as many violations as the state median for nonbankrupt mines. Our analysis could not determine if bankruptcy caused the environmental violations or was simply associated with them. Read about our methodology here. The analysis suggests that the bankruptcy system is “keeping mines alive that are not viable and that are struggling to remain in compliance with environmental laws,” said University of Chicago law professor Josh Macey, co-author of a 2019 study on coal bankruptcies. Blackjewel’s founder, Hoops, epitomizes how the story of the coal industry and its barons has become inseparable from bankruptcy. He built his empire on bankrupt mines. Then, as Blackjewel’s liabilities mounted, he began seeking new vistas. In the months before Blackjewel’s bankruptcy, according to court records, he transferred tens of millions of dollars into another company that is building a resort in his native West Virginia, part of a broader effort he has described as a noncoal empire he can leave to his children. Hoops, who declined requests for an in-person or phone interview, said in emailed answers to questions that he didn’t intend for Blackjewel to go bankrupt and that creditors forced him into it. “The model was never to bankrupt the company,” he wrote. “In no way have I benefited from the system.” He added, “I will not recover a cent of my valid claims.” Hoops said that Blackjewel complied with environmental laws and that when violations were issued, it took steps to address them.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/accountability/how-bankruptcy-helps-the-coal-industry-avoid-environmental-liability/
     
         
      German lawmakers mull creating first citizen assembly Wed, 10th May 2023 17:00:00
     
      German lawmakers are considering whether to create the country’s first “citizen assembly” to advise parliament on the issue of food and nutrition German lawmakers considered Wednesday whether to create the country's first “citizen assembly’” to advise parliament on the issue of food and nutrition. Germany's three governing parties back the idea of appointing consultative bodies made up of members of the public selected through a lottery system who would discuss specific topics and provide nonbinding feedback to legislators. But opposition parties have rejected the idea, warning that such citizen assemblies risk undermining the primacy of parliament in Germany's political system. Baerbel Bas, the speaker of the lower house, or Bundestag, said that she views such bodies as a “bridge between citizens and politicians that can provide a fresh perspective and create new confidence in established institutions.” “Everyone should be able to have a say,” Bas told daily Passauer Neue Presse. “We want to better reflect the diversity in our society.” Environmental activists from the group Last Generation have campaigned for the creation of a citizen assembly to address issues surrounding climate change. However, the group argues that proposals drawn up by such a body should at the very least result in bills that lawmakers would then vote on. Similar efforts to create citizen assemblies have taken place in other European countries such as Spain, Finland, Austria, Britain and Ireland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-berlin-germany-bundestag-spain-b2336399.html
     
         
      Yousaf: Just transition away from oil and gas is a moral imperative Wed, 10th May 2023 14:15:00
     
      The Scottish First Minister also said his Government will ‘rise to the challenge’ of decarbonisation. Scotland’s First Minister has said the country has a “moral imperative” to seek a just transition away from fossil fuels. Speaking at the All-Energy Conference in Glasgow on Wednesday, Humza Yousaf stressed the need to move away from oil and gas in a way that limits the economic damage caused to the industry and to the north east of Scotland, where it accounts for a significant number of jobs. He drew a parallel with the Thatcher government’s move away from coal and steel in the 1980s, which caused a spike in unemployment in mining communities. “We are committed to that just transition, not just as a Government policy, but frankly as a moral imperative,” he said. “We’re enthusiastic for it as an economic opportunity and we see making progress towards net-zero as one of the defining missions of the Government.” He went on to say his Government would “rise to the challenge” of decarbonisation. “Decarbonisation on the pace and scale that we need isn’t something that can be easily done, but we’re committed to rising to that challenge, to working with others, whether it’s local government, whether it’s UK Government, whether it’s partners here, whether it’s all of you here in this room,” Mr Yousaf said. “Through all the challenges we face, and the many real financial constraints that we’re under as a Government, I can promise you that there is absolutely no lack of commitment from me as the First Minister, or indeed from the Government that I lead.” The Scottish Government has failed to hit seven of its 11 environmental targets to date, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), while Audit Scotland has said it is not clear what action is being taken to meet the targets. During his 20-minute speech, the First Minister said his Government will allocate £7 million to 32 different green hydrogen projects, as well as calling for action from the UK Government. Mr Yousaf pushed for more subsidies for renewable energy to increase investment, along with a call for UK ministers to address the flaws in the system that transmits energy out of Scotland, speeding up development of the Acorn carbon capture facility in Aberdeen, and at least matching the £500 million just transition fund offered by the Scottish Government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/humza-yousaf-first-minister-audit-scotland-scottish-glasgow-b2336245.html
     
         
      Labor’s hydrogen pledge a ‘great start’ but more needed to become global player, experts say Wed, 10th May 2023 9:52:00
     
      Australian Hydrogen Council welcomes $2bn funding but MP Sophie Scamps calls it ‘a drop in the ocean’ compared with US The Albanese government’s $2bn commitment to nurture a hydrogen industry in Australia has been welcomed by sector experts as a “great start” but one that must be accompanied with a clear strategy for it to have a chance to succeed. The 2023-24 budget, released on Tuesday, earmarked $7.3m in the coming fiscal year for its “hydrogen headstart”, climbing to $151.2m by 2026-27. It also allocated $38.2m to a “Guarantee of Origin scheme” to track and verify the carbon emissions of hydrogen and other products made in Australia and support renewable energy certification. Guy Debelle, a director of Fortescue Future Industries who in February warned of the threat to Australia posed by huge renewable energy subsidies in the US, welcomed the budget commitments as “a great start” on hydrogen, which can be used to power vehicles, generate electricity and power industry. Debelle said making hydrogen in Australia at about $3/kg – the rough forecast for the outcome of the US subsidies – was “in the vicinity” after the budget. FFI is considering five hydrogen projects, four of which are in the US or Europe. But Debelle said the government’s pledge was “clearly helpful” for the firm’s plans for a possible hydrogen production site at Gibson Island, near Brisbane. Chalmers on Wednesday said “hydrogen is a big, big chance for Australia”. “With the Americans piling in so much cash into grants and subsidies that Canadians to Europeans following suit in one way or another, we’re got to work out what is our slice of the action here,” he told the National Press Club. When releasing the federal budget on Tuesday evening, Chalmers: “Hydrogen power means Wollongong, Gladstone and Whyalla can make and export everything from renewable energy to green steel. “Seizing these kinds of industrial and economic opportunities will be the biggest driver and determinant of our future prosperity.” Australia’s relative abundance of solar and wind energy gives Australia the opportunity to be a renewable energy superpower, economists including Ross Garnaut have argued. The University of Sydney’s Prof François Aguey-Zinsou, who is also director of the Australian Association for Hydrogen Energy, said “anybody can produce hydrogen – there’s nothing special about Australia”. Aguey-Zinsou said the nation had “been quite slow in reacting” on hydrogen. While the budget allocation was welcome, “it will take a lot more money for Australia to take a piece of the cake”. He said as Australia currently has no customers for any locally produced hydrogen, nor a clear view as to prioritising any particular part of the supply chain. Storage and distribution for what is particularly leaky gas would be among the challenges, he said. Another problem was the absence of a national strategy, with the states competing for investment, Aguey-Zinsou said. States such as New South Wales may be better off working on the testing and manufacturing technology, leaving the large-scale electrolyser plants for South Australia or the country’s north. Victoria and the commonwealth spent $100m on a venture to produce hydrogen from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley for export to Japan. But as Guardian Australia reported last month, the project may be at risk of failing due to demands for extra subsidies and a lack of willingness from Japanese customers to sign up for long-term deals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/10/budget-labor-hydrogen-pledge-green-energy-renewables
     
         
      US support for nuclear power soars to highest level in a decade Tue, 9th May 2023 18:02:00
     
      A Gallup survey released in late April found that 55 percent of U.S. adults support the use of nuclear power. That’s up four percentage points from last year and reflects the highest level of public support for nuclear energy use in electricity since 2012. The survey found that Republicans are more likely to favor nuclear energy than Democrats, consistent with previous Gallup polls. Experts say that partisan divide is particularly visible at the state level, with more pro-nuclear policies adopted in Republican-controlled states than left-leaning ones. But Democratic support for nuclear energy is on the rise, and advances in nuclear technologies and new federal climate laws could be behind the broader shift in public opinion toward nuclear energy. Nuclear energy has historically been a source of immense controversy. A series of high-profile nuclear accidents and disasters, from Three Mile Island in 1979 to Chernobyl in 1986 to Fukushima in 2011, have raised safety concerns — even though the death toll from fossil fuel power generation far outstrips that of nuclear power generation. Several government nuclear programs have also left behind toxic waste that place disproportionate burdens on Indigenous communities. But nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon emissions, and it’s more consistent and reliable than wind and solar energy, which vary depending on the weather. For these reasons, the Biden administration has identified nuclear energy as a key climate solution to achieve grid stability in a net-zero future. The administration is pushing for the deployment of a new generation of reactors called “advanced nuclear”: a catch-all term for new nuclear reactor models that improve on the safety and efficiency of traditional reactor designs. In a recent report, the Department of Energy found that regardless of how many renewables are deployed, the U.S. will need an additional 200 gigawatts of advanced nuclear power — enough to power about 160 million homes — to reach President Joe Biden’s goal of hitting net-zero emissions by 2050. Gallup has tracked several swings in public opinion since first asking about nuclear in 1994. From 2004 to 2015, a majority of Americans favored nuclear power use, with a high of 62 percent in support in 2010. But in 2016, the survey found a majority opposition to nuclear power for the first time. Gallup speculated that lower gasoline prices that year may have “lessened Americans’ perceptions that energy sources such as nuclear power are needed.” In recent years, views on nuclear power had been evenly divided until the latest poll, conducted between March 1 and 23. The new poll found that 62 percent of Republicans support the use of nuclear power, compared to 46 percent of Democrats. The support from Republicans is likely driven by “a focus on energy independence, supporting innovation, supporting American leadership globally, and supporting American competition with folks like China and Russia specifically in terms of the nuclear space,” said Ryan Norman, senior policy advisor at the center-left think tank Third Way. Matt Bowen, a senior research scholar on nuclear energy at Columbia University, points out that those political differences in public opinion have played out at the state level. As he puts it, conservative states tend to have “a much more supportive environment” for nuclear energy policies.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/energy/us-support-for-nuclear-power-soars-to-highest-level-in-a-decade/
     
         
      Italian oil firm Eni faces lawsuit alleging early knowledge of climate crisis Tue, 9th May 2023 11:57:00
     
      Exclusive: Company accused of ‘lobbying and greenwashing’ for more fossil fuels despite knowing of risks The Italian oil major Eni is facing the country’s first climate lawsuit, with environmental groups alleging the company used “lobbying and greenwashing” to push for more fossil fuels despite having known about the risks its product posed since 1970. Greenpeace Italy and the Italian advocacy group ReCommon aim to build on a similar case targeting the Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands to force Eni to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. “The urgency of taking action against the climate crisis has prompted us to bring the first climate lawsuit in Italy against the country’s largest energy company,” said Matteo Ceruti, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The allegations rest in part on a study Eni commissioned between 1969 and 1970 from its Isvet research centre, which has been shared with the Guardian by the nonprofit climate news service DeSmog. The report made clear that left unchecked, rising fossil fuel use could lead to a climate crisis within just a few decades. “[C]arbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to a recent report by the UN secretary, given the increased use of [fossil fuels], has increased over the last century by an average of 10% worldwide; around the year 2000 this increase could reach 25%, with ‘catastrophic’ consequences on climate,” the report said. Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon have also unearthed a 1978 report produced by Eni’s Tecneco company, which included a projection of how much atmospheric CO2 levels would rise by the turn of the century. “It is assumed that with the increasing consumption of fossil fuels, which began with the Industrial Revolution, the CO2 concentration will reach 375-400 [parts per million or ppm] in the year 2000,” stated the report. “This increase is considered by some scientists as a possible long-term problem, especially since it could change the thermal balance of the atmosphere leading to climate changes with serious consequences for the biosphere.” This prediction would prove to be broadly accurate. Between 1970 and 2000, Earth’s atmospheric CO2 concentration rose from 325ppm to 371ppm. It is now about 420ppm. Further research by DeSmog has shown that Eni’s company magazine Ecos made repeated references to climate change during the late 1980s and 1990s – while running advertising campaigns promoting planet-warming natural gas as a “clean” fuel. Eni did not respond to a request for comment on the documents. The lawsuit will also name two government entities – the ministry of economy and finance, and the development bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti – for the “influence they exercise on Eni”, the writ of summons states. Between them, the ministry and the bank hold the Italian government’s one-third ownership stake in Eni. Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Rome on Tuesday, held on the eve of Eni’s annual general meeting. The groups say they intend to file the suit in the civil court of Rome by 19 May and will request that hearings begin in November. Experts in climate litigation say the documents associated with the Eni case add to a growing body of evidence that oil companies had a clear understanding of the risks posed by burning their products more than half a century ago, but still chose to downplay the dangers and ramp up production of oil and gas. “These findings reinforce and add to the pattern found in previous research: oil majors understood the catastrophic effects their products would have on the world, yet failed to warn the public, concealed their knowledge, denied the problem, and obstructed efforts to solve it,” said Ben Franta, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme. “Like other fossil fuel companies, Eni might ultimately be held accountable in court for this pattern of deception and harm.” With a market capitalisation of nearly $49bn (£39bn), Eni typically appears among the world’s top dozen richest oil companies. In 2022, Eni reported a profit of $14.12bn, up $9.9bn from 2021. The company operates in more than 60 countries and at all levels of the oil and gas sector – from exploration and drilling to petrochemical manufacturing. Eni ranked 24th among global oil and gas majors for cumulative carbon dioxide and methane emissions from 1950 to 2018, according to an analysis by the Climate Accountability Institute. Two landmark climate cases in the Netherlands have raised the Italian campaigners’ hopes that they can use litigation to force companies and governments to rapidly cut climate-heating carbon emissions. In 2019, the Dutch supreme court upheld a lower court ruling siding with the Urgenda Foundation, an environmental group, and ordered the Dutch government to adopt more ambitious targets for reducing emissions. Two years later, The Hague district court ruled in favour of Friends of the Earth Netherlands, Greenpeace Netherlands and other groups that sued Shell to slash its emissions 45% by 2030. Shell has appealed against the ruling. The Italian case also bears a resemblance to a swelling number of consumer fraud lawsuits against big oil by states, cities and municipalities in the US. The supreme court in April declined appeals by Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Suncor Energy to move five of these cases from state to federal courts. In April 2020, the Italian competition authority said it had fined Eni about $5.5m for misleading consumers with “green” claims in a diesel fuel ad campaign. Last year, environmental groups filed a complaint with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an intergovernmental body, alleging that Eni’s plans to increase oil production ran contrary to its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. That case is still pending. Eni said it would prove the new lawsuit was “groundless,” and, if necessary, demonstrate in court that it had taken the correct approach to decarbonisation. “The strategy combines and balances the essential objectives of sustainability, energy security and competitiveness of Italy,” Eni said in a statement. The company added that it reserved the right to take legal action to protect its reputation in response to “repeated defamatory actions” undertaken by ReCommon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/09/italian-oil-firm-eni-lawsuit-alleging-early-knowledge-climate-crisis
     
         
      Saudi oil group Aramco to pay more to state despite profits drop Tue, 9th May 2023 11:56:00
     
      World’s largest energy company’s first-quarter profits fall by 19% to $32bn after dip in oil prices The Saudi government looks likely to reap greater revenues from the state-backed oil group Saudi Aramco despite the company posting a near-20% fall in quarterly profits. The world’s largest oil and gas company said on Tuesday its profits had fallen by 19% in its first quarter compared with a year earlier, to nearly $32bn (£25bn), caused by a drop in oil prices. The fall in profits provides a further sign that the worst of the energy crisis, which has squeezed household budgets, may have passed. The profits still outstrip thenear $22bn recorded in the first quarter of 2021, before the energy crisis began later that year, and was later escalated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Oil prices have subsided from levels seen in 2022, but Aramco’s rivals, including BP and Shell, have posted strong first-quarter performances, helped by their trading divisions which bet that gas prices would fall sharply in early 2023. Oil and gas companies have been repeatedly accused of profiteering at the expense of consumers during the energy crisis. Despite the fall in profits, Aramco’s shares rose 4% after the company said it would introduce performance-linked dividends. The move means Aramco will distribute two forms of payout to shareholders, with a performance-linked dividend on top of a base payout. The company set a target of paying out 50% to 70% of its cashflow each year. Increasing payouts to shareholders would increase revenues for the Saudi government, which holds more than 90% of the stock and draws on the country’s vast desert oil resources as huge source of wealth. Aramco said: “Global crude oil prices declined in the first quarter of 2023 mainly driven by macroeconomic events contributing to market volatility. Aramco believes it is well positioned to withstand fluctuating commodity prices through its low-cost upstream production and strategically integrated downstream operations.” The quarterly profits, marginally bigger than the $31bn made in the final quarter of last year, beat analysts’ expectation and the Aramco chief executive, Amin H Nasser, said the results demonstrated its “continued high reliability”. In March, Aramco reported annual profits of $161bn, claiming it was the highest ever reported by a publicly listed company. Campaigners, concerned over the impact of its operations on the environment and the impact of the cost of living crisis, labelled the profits “shocking”. Nasser said the company was working to reduce its carbon footprint. But he added: “We are also moving forward with our capacity expansion, and our long-term outlook remains unchanged as we believe oil and gas will remain critical components of the global energy mix for the foreseeable future.” Saudi Aramco was floated on the domestic Tadawul market in 2019 after a fierce tussle between stock exchanges around the world to host one of the world’s biggest listings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/09/saudi-oil-group-aramco-profits-dip-oil-prices
     
         
      UN Forum on Forests: 5 things you need to know Mon, 8th May 2023 17:14:00
     
      The sustainable management of the world’s forests takes centre stage at the UN Forum on Forests, which opened on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York. Stakeholders from across the world, from Member States to civil society partners, will gather to discuss this critical planetary resource. Here are 5 key things you need to know: 1. Forests are essential to life on Earth Forests cover 31 per cent of the Earth’s land area, contain over 80 per cent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and store more carbon than the entire atmosphere. "Forests are one of Earth’s most valuable ecosystems,” said Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for UN Economic and Social Affairs, at the opening session of the Forum. “They also form a vital social and safety net from some communities that rely on forests for food and income.” 2. They support our well-being and livelihood More than 1.6 billion people depend on forests for subsistence, livelihood, employment, and income. Some two billion people, roughly one third of the world’s population - and two thirds of households in Africa - still depend on wood fuel for cooking and heating. Woodlands play a critical role in tackling poverty, providing decent work, and promoting gender equality, all essential for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Lachezara Stoeva, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), told the Forum 3. Healthy forests support healthy people Forests and trees provide clean air and water and sustain us regardless of where we live. Zoonotic diseases account for 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases, and they usually occur when natural landscapes, such as forests are cleared. Restoring forests and planting trees are an essential part of an integrated “one health” approach for people, species, and the planet. “Forests offer solutions,” Forum Chair Zéphyrin Maniratanga said, encouraging greater engagement of forest communities in all related processes in climate action in fighting against desertification, land degradation, and climate change. 4. Forests continue to be at risk Every year, we continue to lose 10 million hectares of forests, an area roughly the size of the Republic of Korea. The world’s forests are at risk from illegal or unsustainable logging, forest fires, pollution, disease, pests, fragmentation, and the impacts of climate change, including severe storms and other weather events. 5. Restoring forests holds the key to a sustainable future It is estimated that two billion hectares of degraded land worldwide could potentially be restored. Revitalizing degraded forest is critical for meeting the UN target of increasing global forest area by 3 per cent, in time for the 2030 deadline. Doing so would also help countries create new jobs, prevent soil erosion, protect watersheds, mitigate climate change, and safeguard biodiversity. Given the contributions of sustainably managed forests to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Forest Goals of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF), were conceived based on their linkages with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136442
     
         
      Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C Mon, 8th May 2023 11:25:00
     
      ‘I believe this record will be repeated many times,’ expert says Vietnam broke weather records on Sunday after the temperature in the country’s northern Thanh Hoa province soared to 44.1C. Authorities warned locals against stepping outside during day time, as the mercury surpassed the previous record of 43.4C set in 2019. Experts warned that the climate crisis is exacerbating adverse weather observed in the region. Nguyen Thi Lan, a farmer, told AFP that due to the rapidly increasing temperature, they were forced to begin work earlier than usual. “We have had to finish before 10am to avoid the heat,” she was quoted as saying by the agency. Climate change expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy told AFP that Vietnam’s new record was “worrying in the context of climate change and global warming”. “I believe this record will be repeated many times,” he said. “It confirms that extreme climate models are being proven to be true.” Other countries in southeast Asia have also been observing a sudden spike in temperatures. A town in east Myanmar reported a scorching temperature of 43.8C, the highest in a decade, while Thailand also recorded 44.6C in the western Mak province, according to the BBC. The rapidly escalating temperature in Thailand, ranging from a lower 30C to upper 40C since late March, also drew concern from prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha last month. In neighbouring Laos, the city of Luang Prabang witnessed the temperature rise to 43.5C on Saturday, breaking the previous national record of 42.7C set last month, reported CNN, citing weather historian Maximiliano Herrera. While south and southeast Asia observe temperature spikes in April and May before monsoon showers bring relief, unprecedented heat is becoming more uncomfortably common as the climate crisis intensifies. A 2022 study published by researchers at Harvard University and the University of Washington found dangerous levels of heat plaguing the northern hemisphere are likely to hit most of the world between three and 10 times more often by the turn of the century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/vietnam-highest-temperature-climate-change-heatwave-b2334838.html
     
         
      ‘Lack of vision’: UK green energy projects in limbo as grid struggles to keep pace Mon, 8th May 2023 10:59:00
     
      Clean electricity plans stuck for years because of ‘negligence’ by governments over modernising network, say renewable energy developers “If the government had a consistent well-thought-through vision, this would have been absolutely obvious,” says Harald Överholm. The chief executive of the Swedish solar firm Alight is one of many frustrated renewable energy developers hoping to build green energy projects to power Britain’s homes and businesses with affordable, clean electricity. The catch? These projects could be forced to wait more than a decade for a chance to connect to the UK’s electricity grid, as Britain suffers the longest backlog in Europe. Windfarms, solar arrays, and battery projects are stuck in gridlock for up to 15 years as the UK’s electricity grid struggles to keep pace with the appetite for more clean energy – including a car factory being forced to wait until 2037. The delays threaten to undermine decades of work to attract the investment needed to support the UK’s clean energy ambitions, and risks derailing Britain’s progress towards legally binding climate targets. So how did a country so eager to boost its renewable energy supply fail to foresee this bottleneck? Överholm blames the government for failing to anticipate the upgrades Britain’s electricity grid would require to support a deluge of green projects. “It’s sad when national governments lack that vision.” To date, his company has plans to build a 70MW ground-mounted solar farm, and smaller rooftop solar projects for industrial energy users. There are many opportunities in rooftop solar, he says, but he wouldn’t pursue these further until there is change. “We’re observing what’s going on. For now, it’s hopeless,” he says. Överholm has joined a growing chorus of renewable developers calling for urgent reforms to the queueing system for renewable energy projects while work is undertaken to modernise the grid, from its giant transmission cables to the sprawl of pylons and local distribution networks. David Kipling, the chief executive of On-Site Energy, which develops renewable energy projects for big companies, said demand on the grid was “growing exponentially” with each new corporate sustainability pledge. “The grid just isn’t ready for it. You could argue that it’s negligence,” he says. “[The government has] been speaking about climate action for over a decade now, so you would have to assume that they knew what would be required.” In the past, National Grid – the FTSE 100 company tasked with operating most of the UK’s electricity networks – needed to provide connection points for fewer, larger power plants. Today, a far larger number of small, renewable energy projects are mushrooming up across the UK to meet rising demand for electricity from homes and businesses. The momentum behind new renewable energy developments is expected to build as UK demand for electricity is forecast to rise by about 50% by 2035. Homes are expected to swap gas boilers for electric heat pumps, and combustion engine vehicles for electric cars. Each new renewable energy project requires a new connection point, which in turn require grid reinforcements and more powerful local substations. At the same time, giant offshore windfarms call for big infrastructure investments in transmission to transport electricity from miles off the north-east coast to densely populated areas in the south. The UK has the longest queue to connect to the electricity grid of any country in Europe. There are about 200 gigawatts worth of electricity projects waiting for a grid connection, according to research by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, or enough to power 150m UK homes. Many are speculative applications from projects that are unlikely to move ahead. But the “first come first served” rules of grid connection mean many viable projects that could move ahead at speed are stuck. Kipling says many of the projects he is developing for leading UK companies are caught in this backlog. One big car manufacturer hoping to cut emissions from its factory by connecting a 5MW solar array to its site has been told they would need to wait until 2031, and would need to pay a £9m connection fee. A second car manufacturer seeking a connection for 14MW of solar capacity would need to wait until 2037. “The vast majority of our customers are watching as their sustainability plans are effectively put on hold,” Kipling says. It’s also a drag on economic growth as the UK struggles to tackle its productivity crisis. Another customer, a bakery employing 800 people, has been told it will need to wait until 2027 to connect a 1.5MW solar project to its site. This saddles the company with higher energy costs for the next four years on top of the £2m cost to connect. The energy industry is baying for reform. Earlier this week, MPs on the Commons environmental audit committee opened an inquiry into how to ease the backlog of solar projects waiting to connect to the grid that “could seriously jeopardise net zero Britain”. Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents grid operators, said there was “a real sense of urgency to this challenge. The industry has received 164GW of new connection requests in the year to October 2022 alone. That’s around three times the capacity of our grid today.” The ENA’s suggestion is to adopt a “first ready, first connected” model that would prioritise projects with planning permission and financing in place over projects still in development. Kipling argues that projects that serve big employers – such as manufacturers – should also be given priority. Regardless of how the queue is reformed Överholm says National Grid will require more people and resources to make sense of the backlog. National Grid said it agreed that “significant reform is needed across policy, regulation, and the energy industry to speed up the connections process across all networks. “Collaboration between Ofgem, government and the industry is critical to drive the necessary reform at the pace needed to deliver net zero.” A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said ministers and officials “recognise the challenge of connection delays, and we want to go further and faster”. It has promised an action for grid connections this summer. It can’t come soon enough for renewable energy developers. “No one can hold a project for even two or three years – let alone a decade,” Kipling says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/08/uk-green-energy-projects-in-limbo-as-grid-struggles-to-keep-pace
     
         
      In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived Mon, 8th May 2023 10:29:00
     
      A traffic intersection in Oslo as the sun is setting. A vehicle is turning to the left, one is passing through the intersection on the right and another is stopped. About 80 percent of new-car sales in Norway were electric last year, putting the country at the vanguard of the shift to emissions-free vehicles. About 80 percent of new cars sold in Norway are battery-powered. As a result, the air is cleaner, the streets are quieter and the grid hasn’t collapsed. But problems with unreliable chargers persist. About 110 miles south of Oslo, along a highway lined with pine and birch trees, a shiny fueling station offers a glimpse of a future where electric vehicles rule. Chargers far outnumber gasoline pumps at the service area operated by Circle K, a retail chain that got its start in Texas. During summer weekends, when Oslo residents flee to country cottages, the line to recharge sometimes backs up down the off-ramp. Marit Bergsland, who works at the store, has had to learn how to help frustrated customers connect to chargers in addition to her regular duties flipping burgers and ringing up purchases of salty licorice, a popular treat. “Sometimes we have to give them a coffee to calm down,” she said. Last year, 80 percent of new-car sales in Norway were electric, putting the country at the vanguard of the shift to battery-powered mobility. It has also turned Norway into an observatory for figuring out what the electric vehicle revolution might mean for the environment, workers and life in general. The country will end the sales of internal combustion engine cars in 2025. Norway’s experience suggests that electric vehicles bring benefits without the dire consequences predicted by some critics. There are problems, of course, including unreliable chargers and long waits during periods of high demand. Auto dealers and retailers have had to adapt. The switch has reordered the auto industry, making Tesla the best-selling brand and marginalizing established carmakers like Renault and Fiat. But the air in Oslo, Norway’s capital, is measurably cleaner. The city is also quieter as noisier gasoline and diesel vehicles are scrapped. Oslo’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 30 percent since 2009, yet there has not been mass unemployment among gas station workers and the electrical grid has not collapsed. Some lawmakers and corporate executives portray the fight against climate change as requiring grim sacrifice. “With E.V.s, it’s not like that,” said Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian E.V. Association, which represents owners. “It’s actually something that people embrace.” Norway began promoting electric vehicles in the 1990s to support Think, a homegrown electric vehicle start-up that Ford Motor owned for a few years. Battery-powered vehicles were exempted from value-added and import taxes and from highway tolls. The government also subsidized the construction of fast charging stations, crucial in a country nearly as big as California with just 5.5 million people. The combination of incentives and ubiquitous charging “took away all the friction factors,” said Jim Rowan, the chief executive of Volvo Cars, based in neighboring Sweden. The Rise of Electric Vehicles Leading the Way: About 80% of new cars sold in Norway are battery-powered. The air is cleaner and the grid hasn’t collapsed, but problems with unreliable chargers persist. Design Centers: As automakers shift to electric cars, they are pouring money into facilities intended for creativity and collaboration among design and engineering teams. An Edge for U.S. Brands: American brands like Tesla and General Motors will benefit most from new restrictions on which models qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. That is complicating things for potential buyers. Shanghai Auto Show: The largest auto show in China since before the pandemic had one theme: The dominance of electric vehicles in the world’s largest car market is here to stay. The policies put Norway more than a decade ahead of the United States. The Biden administration aims for 50 percent of new-vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, a milestone Norway passed in 2019. A few feet from a six-lane highway that skirts Oslo’s waterfront, metal pipes jut from the roof of a prefabricated shed. The building measures pollution from the traffic zooming by, a stone's throw from a bicycle path and a marina. Image Electric powered ferries in the Olso harbor. A cyclist is riding a bike in the foreground. Oslo officials say that the shift to electric cars has noticeably reduced the levels of nitrogen oxides, air pollutants that cause smog and asthma.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Levels of nitrogen oxides, byproducts of burning gasoline and diesel that cause smog, asthma and other ailments, have fallen sharply as electric vehicle ownership has risen. “We are on the verge of solving the NOx problem,” said Tobias Wolf, Oslo’s chief engineer for air quality, referring to nitrogen oxides. But there is still a problem where the rubber meets the road. Oslo’s air has unhealthy levels of microscopic particles generated partly by the abrasion of tires and asphalt. Electric vehicles, which account for about one-third of the registered vehicles in the city but a higher proportion of traffic, may even aggravate that problem. “They’re really a lot heavier than internal combustion engine cars, and that means that they are causing more abrasion,” said Mr. Wolf, who, like many Oslo residents, prefers to get around by bicycle. Another persistent problem: Apartment residents say finding a place to plug in their cars remains a challenge. In the basement of an Oslo restaurant recently, local lawmakers and residents gathered to discuss the issue. Image An electric charging station for ferries on the Oslo Fjord, just south of the city. An electric charging station for ferries on the Oslo Fjord, just south of the city.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Sirin Hellvin Stav, Oslo’s vice mayor for environment and transport, said at the event that the city wants to install more public chargers but also reduce the number of cars by a third to make streets safer and free space for walking and cycling. “The goal is to cut emissions, which is why E.V.s are so important, but also to make the city better to live in,” Ms. Stav, a member of the Green Party, said in an interview later. Electric vehicles are part of a broader plan by Oslo to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to almost zero by 2030. All city buses will be electric by the end of the year. Oslo is also targeting construction, the source of more than a quarter of its greenhouse gas emissions. Contractors bidding on public projects have a better chance of winning if they use equipment that runs on electricity or biofuels. At a park in a working-class Oslo neighborhood last month, an excavator scooped out earth for a decorative pond. A thick cable connected the excavator to a power source, driving its electric motor. Later, an electric dump truck hauled away the soil. Normally, the crew would have been required to stop working when the children in a nearby kindergarten napped. But the electric equipment was quiet enough that work could continue. (Children in Norway nap outdoors, weather permitting.) Image Espen Hauge, left, who manages city construction projects, at a site with electric-powered equipment. Espen Hauge, left, who manages city construction projects, at a site with electric-powered equipment.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Espen Hauge, who manages city construction projects, said he was surprised at how quickly contractors substituted hard-to-find electric equipment for diesel machinery. “Some projects that we thought were impossible or very difficult to do zero emission, we still got the tender for zero emission,” he said. Ms. Stav acknowledged what she called the hypocrisy of Norway’s drive to reduce greenhouse gases while producing lots of oil and gas. Fossil-fuel exports generated revenue of $180 billion last year. “We’re exporting that pollution,” Ms. Stav said, noting that her party has called for oil and gas production to be phased out by 2035. But Norway’s government has not pulled back on oil and gas production. “We have several fields in production, or under development, providing energy security to Europe,” Amund Vik, state secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, said in a statement. Elsewhere, Norway’s power grid has held up fine even with more demand for electricity. It helps that the country has abundant hydropower. Even so, electric vehicles have increased the demand for electricity modestly, according to calculations by the E.V. Association, and most owners are charging cars at night, when demand is lower and power is cheaper. Elvia, which supplies electricity to Oslo and the surrounding area, has had to install new substations and transformers in some places, said Anne Nysæther, the company’s managing director. But, she added, “we haven’t seen any issue of the grid collapsing.” Image A dealership executive sitting in the driver’s seat of a green and white Volkswagen ID.Buzz at the Moller Mobility dealership in Oslo. Petter Hellman, the chief executive of Moller Mobility, predicts that traditional brands will regain ground because customers trust them and they have extensive service networks.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Image A mechanic at a Volkswagen dealership stands in front of a white electric car that is hoisted up so it can be repaired. Sindre Dranberg, who has worked at a Volkswagen dealer in Oslo since the 1980s, underwent training to service electric-vehicle batteries.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Nor has there been a rise in unemployment among auto mechanics. Electric vehicles don't need oil changes and require less maintenance than gasoline cars, but they still break down. And there are plenty of gasoline cars that will need maintenance for years. Sindre Dranberg, who has worked at a Volkswagen dealership in Oslo since the 1980s, underwent training to service electric-vehicle batteries. Was it difficult to make the switch? “No,” he said, as he replaced defective cells in a Volkswagen e-Golf. Electric vehicles are creating jobs in other industries. In Fredrikstad, 55 miles south of Oslo, a former steel plant has become a battery recycling center. Workers, including some who worked at the steel plant, dismantle battery packs. A machine then shreds the packs to separate plastic, aluminum and copper from a black mass that contains crucial ingredients such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite. The factory, owned by Hydrovolt, is the first of several the company plans to build in Europe and the United States. So far, there is not much to recycle, but eventually recycled batteries could greatly reduce the need for mining. “If we can take the active material that already is within the product and create new ones, then we create a shortcut,” said Peter Qvarfordt, the chief executive of Hydrovolt, a joint venture of the aluminum producer Norsk Hydro and Northvolt, a battery maker. If anyone has to worry about their jobs, it’s car dealers. The almost complete disappearance of gasoline and diesel vehicles from showrooms has reordered the industry. The Moller Mobility Group has long been Norway’s biggest auto retailer, with sales last year of $3.7 billion and dealerships in Sweden and the Baltic countries. Moller’s Oslo outlet is filled with electric Volkswagens like the ID.4 and the ID.Buzz. There are only a few internal combustion cars. Yet, Tesla is greatly outselling Volkswagen in Norway, grabbing 30 percent of the market compared to 19 percent for Volkswagen and its Skoda and Audi brands, according to the Road Information Council. Sales of electric cars from Chinese companies like BYD and Xpeng are also growing. If that pattern repeats itself elsewhere in Europe and in the United States, some established carmakers might not survive. Image An aerial view of the city of Oslo at night time. The city is lit up and a waterfront is visible in the background. Electric vehicles are part of a broader plan by Oslo to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to almost zero by 2030.Credit...David B. Torch for The New York Times Petter Hellman, the chief executive of Moller Mobility, predicted that traditional brands would regain ground because customers trust them and they have extensive service networks. “But clearly,” he added, “Tesla has shaken the industry.” Circle K, which bought gas stations that had belonged to a Norwegian government-owned oil company, is using the country to learn how to serve electric car owners in the United States and Europe. The chain, now owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard, a company based near Montreal, has more than 9,000 stores in North America. Guro Stordal, a Circle K executive, has the difficult task of developing charging infrastructure that works with dozens of vehicle brands, each with its own software. Electric vehicle owners tend to spend more time at Circle K because charging takes longer than filling a gasoline tank. That’s good for food sales. But gasoline remains an important source of revenue. “We do see it as an opportunity,” Hakon Stiksrud, Circle K's head of global e-mobility, said of electric vehicles. “But if we are not capable of grasping those opportunities, it quickly becomes a threat.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/business/energy-environment/norway-electric-vehicles.html
     
         
      Countries must forge ‘Global Blue Deal’ to protect the ocean: UNCTAD Mon, 8th May 2023 10:11:00
     
      The ocean can provide vast opportunities for developing countries to build more innovative and resilient economies, but climate change, pollution and overfishing threaten the livelihoods of some three billion people who rely on it for food and income. That’s according to the UN Trade and Development body UNCTAD’s Trade and Environment Review 2023, published on Monday, which analyses the world’s $3-6 billion ocean economy, and assesses how human activity and multiple global crises have significantly impacted sectors like fishing, seafood, shipping and coastal tourism. The report, presented at the 3rd UN Trade Forum in Geneva, calls for a global trade and investment “Blue Deal” to sustainably use the ocean - home to 80 per cent of all life. “The ocean economy offers many opportunities. We must strike the right balance between benefitting from the ocean and protecting its resources,” UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said. Opportunity knocks The report highlights two particularly promising sectors for sustainable development – seaweed farming and plastics substitutes. The global market for seaweed has more than tripled in two decades, increasing from $4.5 billion in 2000, to $16.5 billion by 2020. Seaweed doesn’t need fresh water or fertilizer to grow, UNCTAD points out. It can be farmed in many developing countries for food, cosmetics and biofuels, and provides an alternative to plastic. Around 11 million tonnes of plastics flow into the ocean each year. There are many other sustainable materials that could be used to make eco-friendly versions of the straws, food wrapping and other plastic products we consume daily, said UNCTAD. Abundant materials include bamboo, coconut husks, banana plants and agricultural waste. The world traded about $388 billion in plastics substitutes in 2020 – just one third the amount traded in plastics made from fossil fuels. The report calls for governments and businesses to boost funding for the research and development of emerging sustainable sectors in the ocean economy. It urges companies to invest in developing countries to bolster their technology, skills and productive capacities, so both can capitalize on sustainable marine development. Diversify exports Investing in emerging ocean sectors could help developing countries to diversify their ocean exports. The global export value of ocean-based goods, such as seafood and port equipment, and services including shipping and coastal tourism was estimated at $1.3 trillion in 2020. The COVID-19 crisis revealed the potential and resilience of some sectors and the extreme vulnerability of others. Governments, the report says, should include the goal of promoting a diverse and sustainable ocean economy in crisis recovery strategies and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Protect stocks, biodiversity An estimated $35 billion of government subsidies go to fishing activities around the world. A significant share – about $20 billion a year – could contribute to overfishing by enhancing the fishing industry’s capacity through, for example, fuel subsidies or financial incentives to buy bigger boats. With 34 per cent of global fish stocks below levels that are biologically sustainable, the report urges countries to urgently ratify the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted on 17 June last year. The agreement, which is a big step in addressing harmful subsidies, prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, bans support for fishing overfished stocks, and ends subsidies for fishing on the unregulated high seas. It will enter into force when two thirds of the WTO’s 164 members deposit their “instruments of acceptance”. Similarly, the report calls for governments to adopt and ratify the Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement of 4 March this year. Better known as the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, the agreement will create tools for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources and establish internationally protected areas in our ocean. Four sustainable solutions It’s estimated that an investment of $2.8 trillion today in four sustainable ocean solutions – conservation and restoration of mangroves, decarbonization of international shipping, sustainable ocean-based food production and offshore wind production – would yield net benefits of $15.5 trillion by 2050. Without a global Blue Deal, such benefits and the targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, on life below water, will be much harder to reach. “Now is the time to set a new course by investing more in building a sustainable ocean economy,” Mr. Moreno said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136422
     
         
      Climate change: Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C Sun, 7th May 2023 15:37:00
     
      Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44C (111F) - with experts predicting it would soon be surpassed because of climate change. The record was set in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, where officials warned people to stay indoors during the hottest times of the day. Other countries in the region have also been experiencing extremely hot weather. Thailand reported a record-equalling 44.6C in its western Mak province. Meanwhile Myanmar's media reported that a town in the east had recorded 43.8C, the highest temperature for a decade. Both countries experience a hot period before the monsoon season but the intensity of the heat has broken previous records. In Hanoi, climate change expert Nguyen Ngoc Huy told AFP that Vietnam's new record was "worrying" given the "context of climate change and global warming". "I believe this record will be repeated many times," he said. "It confirms that extreme climate models are being proven to be true." The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments make steep cuts to emissions. In Vietnam's central city of Danang, farmer Nguyen Thi Lan told AFP the heat was forcing workers to start earlier than ever and finish by 10:00. Vietnam's previous record temperature of 43.4C was set in central Ha Tinh province four years ago. Further west, the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka recorded its highest temperature since the 1960s while Indian authorities said parts of the country were experiencing temperatures that were three or four degrees above normal. In April, Spain recorded its hottest-ever temperature for that month, hitting 38.8C at Cordoba airport in the south of the country. In March climate scientists said a key global temperature goal was likely to be missed. Governments had previously agreed to act to avoid global temperature rises going above 1.5C. But the world has already warmed by 1.1C and now experts say that it is likely to breach 1.5C in the 2030s. In its report, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said "every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65518528
     
         
      UK solar energy firm offers ‘shared’ scheme that could save £200 a year Sun, 7th May 2023 14:00:00
     
      If you would love to have solar panels but don’t own your home or can’t afford the outlay, how about investing in Britain’s first “shared” solar park that is promising cheaper, zero-carbon electricity, direct to your energy bills for the next 40 years? With two successful community energy schemes already behind it, Ripple Energy is looking for investors for its third: the construction of a 42MW solar park in Derril Water in Devon, not far from the Cornish town of Bude. Once up and running in the summer of 2024, the project, which is being built by one of the world’s largest independent renewable energy companies, RES, will produce enough electricity to power 14,000 homes across Britain. Instead of paying the market rate for their electricity, they will in effect be paying the wholesale cost Ripple says this co-owned venture – which will have about 70,000 panels – will be the first solar park in the UK to share its green electricity among its thousands of owners. Householders can invest as little as £25, although most people will probably want to put in a typical £3,000 to £3,600 – the amount required to buy enough generation capacity to cover up to 120% of their home’s annual electricity consumption. The company says this should result in average savings of at least £200 a year. Instead of paying the market rate for their electricity, they will in effect be paying the wholesale cost – the price the solar park would have got in the market. Of course, a lot depends on what happens to energy prices in the future. Ripple says it has designed the scheme to be similar to a consumer investing in their own rooftop solar panels – except that the panels just happen to be somewhere else in the country. An investment of £3,000 is significantly cheaper than buying your own rooftop solar panels. Home solar system installations start at about £7,000, rising to more than £12,000 if you add a decent battery. As well as those who can’t afford that, the scheme may appeal to people who live in a property where the roof isn’t suitable for solar panels. Sarah Merrick, the founder and chief executive of Ripple Energy, says that by offering consumer ownership, Derril Water solar park “will become a completely different kind of solar park, one owned by the people it supplies low-cost green power to”. She adds: “We want Derril Water to become a blueprint for consumer-owned solar parks around the world. The aim is to create a wave of green energy ownership that enables people to make a real climate impact, as well as stabilising their energy bills. We hope as many as possible become part of this pioneering project.” The firm says the solar park will save 19,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. So how does it all work? Those putting their money in are actually buying shares in a cooperative society, one managed by Ripple. Between now and when the plant starts generating power, the household has to switch to one of the six approved energy suppliers, which include Octopus and E.ON. Provided you have bought enough capacity to meet 100% of your home’s electricity consumption, you should typically save about 20-25% off your electricity bills, it is claimed. This is automatically processed by your supplier, with the lower bills available for the next 40 years. Users are not getting a 100% electricity saving because the non-energy costs, such as the grid charges, taxes and supplier costs, still have to be paid. A typical household investing £3,600 upfront is expected to save at least £8,000 in total (£200 or so a year x 40 years), the firm claims, while at the same time helping the planet, although the actual savings will depend on future electricity prices. The savings rate is set each year. Further energy supply problems such as those following the Russia-Ukraine war would mean bigger savings. Equally, a collapse in prices would result in the opposite.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/may/07/uk-solar-energy-firm-scheme-save-ripple-energy
     
         
      Canadian province of Alberta declares wildfire emergency Sun, 7th May 2023 7:50:00
     
      Alberta has declared a state of emergency after wildfires spread across the western Canadian province, driving nearly 25,000 people from their homes. Faced with more than 100 wildfires, Alberta's Premier Danielle Smith called the situation "unprecedented". Residents of Edson, a town of more than 8,000, were told to leave immediately. Ms Smith said a hot, dry spring had created "so much kindling" and some 122,000 hectares (301,000 acres) had burned so far. Many of the fires are burning out of control, fanned by strong winds. The worst-hit areas include Drayton Valley, about 140km (87 miles) west of the provincial capital Edmonton, and Fox Lake, some 550km north of the city, where 20 homes were consumed by fire. Firefighting helicopters and air tankers have been brought in and the federal government has offered assistance from Ottawa. Edmonton Expo Centre is accommodating more than 1,000 evacuees and in the town of High Level a curling rink is being turned into a temporary shelter. Alberta is a major oil-producing region, but so far oil facilities do not appear to be in immediate danger.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65515446
     
         
      Filipino activists appeal to British banks over region devastated by oil spill Fri, 5th May 2023 19:09:00
     
      Environmentalists from the Philippines urge investors to avoid LNG projects which they say threaten the Verde Island Passage Campaigners from the Philippines have urged British banks not to fund the expansion of fossil fuel use in their country. It follows a huge oil spill that threatened a globally important marine biodiversity hotspot. Filipino environmentalists have travelled to the UK to meet representatives from Barclays, Standard Chartered and HSBC as part of efforts to stop the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants and terminals in and around the Verde Island Passage, a global marine biodiversity hotspot known for its whale sharks, corals, turtles and rich fisheries, which was badly affected by the oil spill this year. In February, the Princess Empress oil tanker sank off the east coast of Mindoro island and released 800,000 litres of heavy industrial oil into the sea. The 75-mile slick devastated hundreds of fishing communities on Mindoro, leaving local people requiring medical treatment. The passage, which connects the South China Sea with busy shipping routes through the archipelago, is the site of increasing LNG activity, with investments from Shell and the San Miguel Corporation, a Philippine conglomerate best known for its beer, in new power plants and LNG terminals. Filipino activists have urged HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered to restrict financing for LNG projects, which they say will only further damage marine life in the area with increased marine traffic. Fr Edwin “Edu” Gariguez, who won the Goldman environmental prize in 2012 for his fight to stop a proposed open-cast nickel mine opening on Mindoro, said: “In the Philippines, Standard Chartered is supporting San Miguel Corporation’s gas plant, which is devastating the Verde Island Passage and wreaking ecological chaos. “Local communities and fisherfolk worry that these projects will be at the expense of [the passage’s] richness and their own livelihoods. We will continue to resist these projects and protect the Verde Island Passage. “Banks would do well to remember that their financing decisions are not made in a vacuum. They have consequences for local communities, who don’t want fossil-fuel gas operations polluting their environment,” he added. Recent data shows that banks and finance institutions are still investing heavily in fossil fuels despite signing up to net-zero pledges. According to the 2023 Banking on Climate Change report, produced by environmental NGOs analysing financial data, Standard Chartered was a leading financier for San Miguel Corporation over the past five years. HSBC and Barclays provided finance to Shell. Avril De Torres, an environmental lawyer who spoke at Standard Chartered’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, said the recent oil spill was an indication of the damage to the area likely to come from more fossil fuels. “We should expect an onslaught of LNG tankers in this area. The government has been grossly inept at containing the oil spill. It still hasn’t been siphoned out. It’s pretty easy to connect the dots,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/05/filipino-activists-appeal-to-british-banks-over-region-devastated-by-oil-spill-aoe
     
         
      Shell looks to sell off its stake in controversial Cambo oilfield Fri, 5th May 2023 19:05:00
     
      Energy firm’s 30% stake in field off Shetlands up for sale amid fierce opposition to new North Sea drilling Shell is hoping to find a buyer for its stake in a controversial oilfield off the Shetland islands that became a key focus for the UK’s anti-fossil fuel campaigners. The oil company still holds a 30% stake in the Cambo oilfield more than a year after it cast the project’s future in doubt by pulling the plug on its investment, blaming a weak economic case and the risk of delay. The plans to develop Cambo, which is the second-largest undeveloped oil and gas discovery in the North Sea, ignited fierce protest from climate campaigners and the threat of a legal challenge if ministers allowed new drilling to go ahead. Simon Roddy, who leads Shell’s upstream business in the UK, said it had reviewed the project and struck a deal with Cambo’s majority owner, Ithaca Energy, to sell off its stake. “We wish Ithaca Energy well in the future development of the field, which will be important to maintain the UK’s energy security and to sustaining domestic production of the fuels that people and businesses need,” Roddy said. Shell wants to sell off the full 30% stake to a new buyer, with the option of selling on a smaller stake and the balance of its working interest sold to Ithaca Energy. If Shell finds a buyer who wants more than 30%, then Ithaca could add a further 19.99% of its own interest to create a working interest of almost 50%. Alan Bruce, the Ithaca CEO, said the Shell agreement was a meaningful step towards developing the Cambo field, which could be “a key asset in helping maintain the UK’s future energy security”. Shell announced in late 2021 it would pull out of any future investment in Cambo in what many climate campaigners had believed would deal a “deathblow” to the project. The oilfield’s prospects were revived last year when Ithaca Energy became the majority owner after paying about $1.5bn (£1.2bn) to buy private-equity backed Siccar Point Energy, the operator of the field.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/05/shell-looks-to-sell-off-its-stake-in-controversial-cambo-oilfield-stake
     
         
      Drought prompts French ban on garden swimming pools Fri, 5th May 2023 17:28:00
     
      Garden swimming pools are to be banned from sale in a part of southern France over worsening water shortages. France's Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Béchu said that Pyrénées-Orientales, which borders Spanish Catalonia, will be officially declared at drought "crisis" level from 10 May. Bans on car-washing, garden-watering and pool-filling will also kick in from the same date. "We need to get out of our culture of abundance," said Mr Bechu. Explaining why authorities had decided to take the step to ban sales of garden pools, he said: "It is to prevent people from being tempted to do what they are in fact not allowed to do anyway - which is to fill them. "The Pyrénées-Orientales is a department that has not known a full day of rain in over a year. When you are in a crisis like this, it is really quite simple: it's drinking water and nothing else. "Climate change is here and now. We need to get out of our culture of abundance. We need to show far more restraint in how we use the resources we have." Warning lights have been flashing in France after a dry winter aggravated the already depleted water tables inherited from 2022. A wet March has provided a welcome partial relief to farmers by moistening soil ahead of planting but underground water levels remain dangerously low, especially around the Mediterranean. Only Brittany and Aquitaine in the south-west are in a relatively safe position. The Pyrénées-Orientales will become the fourth district where the drought is officially at "crisis" level. More than 40 others - amounting to nearly half the country - are already at "alert" or "vigilance" levels, presaging even worse shortages than last year. In parts of the district, aquifer levels are so low that experts fear saline seepage from the sea, which would make tap water undrinkable. Low aquifer levels also mean a higher concentration of pollutants, which could likewise severely damage water quality. President Emmanuel Macron last month announced a nationwide water programme, with promises of investment to curb leaks and increase recycling. He also outlined a "progressive water tariff" under which consumption above a certain quantity - for example, for swimming pools - would be charged at higher rates. Some 2,000 villages and towns are at risk of losing their water supply this year, according to Mr Béchu. Last year, 1,000 municipalities had serious problems, of which some 400 had to be provided with bottles or mobile cisterns. "The war over water triggered by the fall in stocks is a genuine threat to our national cohesion," the minister said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65494306
     
         
      Can Morocco solve Europe’s energy crisis? Thu, 4th May 2023 12:31:00
     
      Morocco has big ambitions to export electricity produced by solar and wind farms to Europe, but should it be prioritising such renewable energy for its home market? "The resources we have here could be one of the big, big answers to European demand," says Moroccan energy entrepreneur Moundir Zniber. Mr Zniber is a passionate man who senses opportunity out of crisis. "I think Morocco represents the best opportunity to get the European continent away from the dependency it has today on Russian gas," he says. Mr Zniber has spent the past 15 years building his company, Gaia Energy, into one of the leaders of a renewable energy revolution in his home country. "Morocco has truly one of the best solar and wind resources in the world combined," he says. "We don't have oil, we don't have natural gas, but we have a potential that is just amazing." The war in Ukraine has catalysed Europe's politicians to increase their efforts to tackle climate change with new sources of clean energy. Morocco hopes to be part of the solution. It is on Europe's doorstep, and has ambitious plans to generate 52% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The hope is that lots of this electricity will be exported via undersea cables to Europe. But at present, the country still has to build many more solar and wind farms. Currently the north African nation of 39 million people depends on imports for 90% of its energy needs, and most of that is from fossil fuels. In 2021, some 80.5% of Morocco's electricity production came from burning coal, gas and oil. By contrast, only 12.4% came from wind power, and 4.4% came from solar. However, Morocco is already making some tangible progress to boost its renewable energy generation, thanks to projects such as the huge Noor-Ouarzazate Solar Complex. With the first phase opening back in 2016, this is now the world's largest concentrated solar power plant. Such facilities use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto central tower "receivers". These contain fluid that is heated by the light, creating steam that spins turbines to generate electricity. At Noor-Ouarzazate the mirrors are now spread over 3,000 hectares (11.6 sq miles). The facility was developed by Saudi Arabian firm ACWA Power, with funding also coming from the World Bank and European Investment Bank. Mr Zniber says that private Moroccan firms like his are now planning to export solar and wind-generated electricity to Europe, and green hydrogen - hydrogen that has been created by renewable energy. He adds that Gaia Energy is developing wind and solar schemes that could meet up to 4% of Germany and Italy's electricity needs. "And in terms of green hydrogen we have six projects our company is developing that could answer 25% of the needs of the EU." Meanwhile, British energy start-up Xlinks has plans to build an undersea electricity cable from Morocco to the UK. Its hope is that Moroccan solar and wind power can provide 8% of the UK's electricity requirements by 2030. Increasing the size of Morocco's solar and wind power generation could help bolster economic growth in the country, according to the World Bank. It has provided millions of dollars of funding for the sectors. The benefits include a decoupling from the "very heavy volatility of the prices of fossil fuels", according to the World Bank's lead economist for the region, Moez Cherif. In a country with an unemployment rate of 11.2%, Mr Cherif adds that it could create as many as 28,000 much needed new jobs each year. He also says it would allow Morocco to "position itself as an industrial hub for investments for exports of green industrial products" such as car manufacturing using renewable energy. Yet the World Bank estimates that it will cost $52bn (£41.6bn) for Morocco to hit its 2030 renewables target, with most of that money having to come from the private sector. The Moroccan government agrees with that. The administration is acutely aware of the potential benefits, and is trying to accelerate the renewable vision first laid out by King Mohammed VI in 2009. Morocco's Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali says some of the slow growth in renewables in the country in recent years has been caused by global factors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65415529
     
         
      Pro-Putin businessman emerges as pick to chair Italy’s biggest energy firm Thu, 4th May 2023 8:11:00
     
      Fears appointing Paolo Scaroni as Enel CEO would undermine US and EU attempts to curb Russian influence An energy industry veteran who nurtured close ties with Vladimir Putin and has criticised sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine has emerged as the frontrunner to chair Italy’s biggest utility company. Paolo Scaroni is the preferred candidate of the ruling coalition government of Giorgia Meloni to chair Enel. Scaroni was CEO of the company, in which the Italian government is the largest shareholder, from 2002-2005 after being nominated by the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi’s, second administration. He went on to become CEO of the energy company Eni, a role he used to orchestrate several big deals with the Kremlin-controlled Gazprom that led to Italy’s reliance on Russian gas. Meloni, who has positioned herself as a staunch Atlanticist and supporter of Ukraine, is believed to have relented to pressure from her junior coalition partners, Berlusconi – a longtime friend of Putin – and Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League, over Scaroni’s nomination. “Meloni tried until the very end to fend off those names but eventually she had to cave in,” said a former senior official at Italy’s finance ministry. “She has been scared about the idea of having Scaroni there because he undermines her own political narrative.” There are fears that Scaroni’s appointment would directly undermine US and European efforts to curb Russian influence and stop Putin’s war in Ukraine, as well as weaken efforts to reduce demand and cap prices on Russian energy exports. “Since the war in Ukraine he has said a price cap on gas is unachievable, and that Italy needs Russian gas for at least another 10 years,” the former treasury official said. “He has also publicly railed against the Russian sanctions. As chairman, he would have sweeping powers to make good on these views. If Scaroni becomes Enel’s next chairman, Putin will have a friend in one of Europe’s most influential companies.” Alan Riley, a geopolitics expert and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, said Scaroni was an unwise pick. While other European countries had struck deals with Gazprom, none were as long or as costly as Italy’s, which left Italy scrambling to diversify energy sources after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “From the point of view of energy security and European consumers, it was an immensely costly mistake, and so do you really want to have the people responsible for getting us into this mess to be back at the top of major European companies?” Riley asked. “The other concern is that they’ll go back to ‘business as usual’ the moment there’s a ceasefire.” Riley said Scaroni’s nomination was a “negative signal” about the direction Italy wanted to take its energy policy and how serious it was about supply diversification. Another controversial nomination is Flavio Cattaneo, the Meloni government’s pick for Enel CEO. In an interview with Il Foglio newspaper in December, Cattaneo criticised Enel’s investments in renewables in the US. Enel shareholders will cast their votes on board appointments on 10 May.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/04/pro-putin-paolo-scaroni-pick-to-chair-italy-energy-firm-enel
     
         
      Northern Territory clears way for fracking to begin in Beetaloo Basin Wed, 3rd May 2023 19:14:00
     
      Environmental groups and scientists say move will have an unacceptable impact on the climate and have called for ban The Northern Territory government says it is satisfied the recommendations of an independent inquiry into fracking have been met, clearing the way for gas production and the expansion of wells across the Beetaloo basin. The NT chief minister, Natasha Fyles, announced Wednesday morning her government was giving a green light for gas production in the region between Katherine and Tennant Creek, a move environment organisations and scientists have warned will have an unacceptable impact on the climate. Wednesday’s announcement means gas companies can apply for production licences and environmental impact assessments. “Along with our world class renewable resources, our highly prospective onshore gas resources will support the energy transition to renewables not only for the Northern Territory, but for Australia and the world,” Fyles said. The territory’s deputy chief minister, Nicole Manison, said “we want nations to be able to decarbonise the economy in a safe and sustainable way and gas will be that important fuel of transition, the onshore gas industry will also be good for the territory’s economy.” Companies will still need to make financial decisions about whether to proceed, but if the Beetaloo did reach full production it could see thousands of wells across the landscape. Analysis by Reputex in 2021 estimated a high production scenario in the Beetaloo could lead to an additional 1.4 billion tonnes of life cycle emissions - which includes emissions from when the gas is sold and used - over 20 years. On Wednesday, 96 scientists published an open letter calling for the Northern Territory government to ban unconventional gas projects because of their effects on the climate. The International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said no new coal and gas projects can proceed if the world is to limit global heating to 1.5C. “This is a profoundly sad day for the Northern Territory. As we look down the barrel of unliveability here in the Northern Territory due to climate change, the Chief Minister has today given the green light for a carbon bomb that will hurtle us towards climate collapse,” Kirsty Howey, the executive director of the Environment Centre NT, said. Environmental groups said that despite the government’s announcement, several of the 135 recommendations from the Pepper inquiry in 2018 had not been fulfilled, which Howey said was a broken promise to Territorians and an “unacceptable capitulation” to the gas industry. They include an expansion of the water trigger, which the Albanese government has proposed but not yet made law, comprehensive assessment of likely cultural impacts of fracking on First Nations people and cultural rights, and provision of “reliable, accessible, trusted and accurate” to Aboriginal people about fracking. They said recommendation 9.8 – which requires the NT and federal governments to ensure there will be no net increase in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Australia from gas projects in the Beetaloo – had also not been met. Traditional owner and chair of the Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation Johnny Wilson said “the government has broken its promise to us that it would implement all recommendations of the Pepper Inquiry before fracking starts”. “Fracking companies are still not listening to the wishes of Traditional Owners who do not want thousands of flaring wells that will destroy our country,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/03/northern-territory-clears-way-for-fracking-to-begin-in-beetaloo-basin
     
         
      New temperature records, food security threats likely as El Niño looms Wed, 3rd May 2023 10:53:00
     
      The development of an El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean this year is more and more likely, with dangerously high temperatures and extreme weather events expected, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday. El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena which WMO describes as “major drivers of the Earth’s climate system”. After a three-year La Niña spell, which is associated with ocean cooling, the world faces an 80 per cent chance of an El Niño event developing between July and September. Tell-tale signs are a warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. With a slightly lesser likelihood, it may develop even earlier. WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas highlighted that, according to the agency’s State of the Global Climate reports, the eight years from 2015 to 2022 were the warmest on record. This was even though for three of those years, “we had a cooling La Niña […] and this acted as a temporary brake on global temperature increase”. The WMO chief also warned that the development of El Niño will “most likely lead to a new spike in global heating and increase the chance of breaking temperature records”. Prepare for El Niño The “very powerful” El Niño event of 2014-2015, combined with greenhouse gas-induced atmosphere warming, resulted in 2016 being the warmest year on record. WMO said that the effects of the upcoming El Niño on global temperatures will likely be most apparent in 2024. Professor Taalas insisted that the world “should prepare” for El Niño, which can trigger more extreme weather and climate events, including severe rainfall and drought, depending on the region. He also stressed the crucial role of early warning services, which can help inform action and avoid the worst impacts of extreme weather. Today, some one hundred countries in the world do not have adequate weather services in place, according to WMO. Flooding or drought, depending on the region WMO says that there is no indication so far of the strength or duration of the upcoming potential El Niño, and that no two El Niño events are the same, which is why close monitoring will be needed to pinpoint the impacts. Still, the agency indicates that El Niño events are “typically associated” with increased rainfall, which can cause flooding, in southern parts of South America, the southern United States, central Asia and the Horn of Africa. While WMO notes it might bring “respite” from the long drought spell in the Horn of Africa, El Niño can also cause “severe droughts” over Australia, Indonesia, and parts of southern Asia. Impact on food security Given the record number of people facing acute food insecurity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said last week that it is “scrutinizing the areas in the globe that are especially vulnerable to El Niño” and supporting countries on risk mitigation. FAO pointed to Southern Africa, Central America and the Caribbean and parts of Asia as areas of particular concern, where many people are already food insecure and “key cropping seasons fall under the typical El Niño weather patterns of drier conditions”. The agency also flagged that major cereal producing and exporting countries, such as Australia, Brazil and South Africa, are among the countries at risk of dry conditions, while on the other hand, excessive rainfall could affect cereal exporters Argentina, Turkey and the United States. Act early to prevent hunger “Early warnings mean that we have to take early and anticipatory action, and we will support our Members in these efforts, to the full extent resources allow,” said Rein Paulsen, head of FAO’s Office for Emergencies and Resilience. The agency stressed that together with other UN entities it has been working for years to develop anticipatory action plans for a number of countries and is ready to “act early, in coordination with governments and partners”, should the forecasts materialize. Timely interventions which can be planned ahead include setting up community seed stores, assessing strategic food reserves and strengthening animal health surveillance.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136312
     
         
      Snowy Hydro 2.0 project hit by delay of up to two years and another cost blowout Wed, 3rd May 2023 5:16:00
     
      Government-owned company pushes earliest start date of pumped hydro project to the second half of 2028 The multibillion-dollar Snowy Hydro 2.0 development, billed as vital to support the transformation of Australia’s east coast electricity grid, will be delayed by up to two years and face another cost blowout. It follows a series of problems with the development, including a tunnel-boring machine becoming stuck about 70 metres below the surface, the collapse of one of the project’s contractors and delays related to Covid-19. In a statement on Wednesday, the federal government-owned company said its management team was “working towards resetting the delivery timeline and budget” for the pumped hydro project. It expected a delay of one or two years, pushing the earliest start date to the second half of 2028 and the completion of all units to the end of 2029. The statement did not include an updated cost. The expected bill for the project had already blown out from $2bn when it was announced by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017 to $5.9bn before the latest delay. Snowy Hydro’s new chief executive, Dennis Barnes, said he was focused on ensuring the company’s major projects were “placed on a realistic and sustainable footing, while maintaining construction progress”. “I am committed to being transparent about our progress and how we are proactively managing the inevitable issues and challenges that arise in a complex project like this,” he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Snowy 2.0 is promised to provide 2 gigawatts of capacity and about 350,000 megawatt hours of large-scale storage to the national electricity market to help backup a system increasingly dominated by solar and wind energy. The finished project would pump water to the highest reservoir in a linked system during periods of cheap electricity and release it when required. The climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, confirmed that the delay could stretch to from the end of 2028 to at least December 2029 before Snowy 2.0 begins operations. “Of course we would hope to have some early progress before then,” he told the Smart Energy Council conference in Sydney. “Of course they’re working very, very hard to make it the earlier part of that [range]. “They’ll be providing further advice to the government later in the year about how they’ve gone.” He added that both Barnes and chairman David Knox had been in Italy recently “resetting the contract with the joint venture partners”. The delay is likely to spark fresh concerns about whether the national electricity market will have enough capacity in place to ensure electricity supply and keep power prices at an affordable level when several ageing coal-fired power plants are due to stop operating later this decade. There is ongoing debate over whether the giant Eraring coal plant in New South Wales should have its life extended beyond its scheduled closure in August 2025. The Albanese government has promised the national grid, which supplies the five eastern states and ACT, will be running on 82% renewable energy by 2030. The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, expressed concerns about the implications of the delay for future energy supplies, adding his government was working with the federal government, the energy regulator and Eraring’s owner, Origin Energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/03/snowy-hydro-20-project-hit-by-delay-of-up-to-two-years-and-another-cost-blowout
     
         
      Australia warned of ‘over-mining’ risk in race to secure minerals needed for clean energy Wed, 3rd May 2023 4:13:00
     
      Research says mining boom to support renewable energy risks ‘significant social and environmental damage’ In the high-stakes quest to break China’s grip over minerals crucial to clean energy technology, Australia risks over-mining while ignoring alternatives such as improved battery recycling, according to a new report. The release of the Jubilee Australia research, which questions mineral demand assumptions and warns against causing unnecessary environmental harm, comes as the federal government prepares a strategy to address China’s dominance of minerals seen as critical to a nation. Jubilee said Australia could be digging up more critical minerals than necessary due to a rush to capitalise on “staggering predictions”. “It is critical that we adopt a smarter and more efficient approach as we look to exploit another resource,” said the report’s lead author, Luke Fletcher. “While the government’s strategy to make Australia a ‘renewable energy superpower’ will validly speed up the transition from a fossil fuel-based export economy, extracting these key transition minerals will cause significant social and environmental damage if we don’t manage it correctly.” Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Critical minerals – such as lithium and copper – and its rare earths subset are used in everything from electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines to smartphones, high-powered magnets and defence technology. China is a large producer of many of those minerals and often dominates the refining processes needed to make them useful. Mining of rare earths, in particular, can generate large volumes of toxic material and processing is complex, giving China a large head start over other other nations. While Australia has large deposits of most minerals, it traditionally sends them offshore for processing. Last month the resources minister, Madeleine King, told a Darwin audience that included key allies and trading partners that China’s position in the market posed a strategic challenge to Australia. “Working together, like-minded partners can build new, diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chains as part of a global hedge against concentration,” she said. The government position represents a green light to the mining sector to pursue projects that produce minerals that go into low-emissions technologies such as electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels, as well as defence applications. There are also government grants available for companies developing mineral processing and manufacturing capabilities. Jubilee questions whether Australia can mine itself out of a climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/04/australia-warned-of-over-mining-risk-in-race-to-secure-minerals-needed-for-clean-energy
     
         
      Climate change: life in ocean ‘twilight zone' at risk from warming Tue, 2nd May 2023 16:29:00
     
      Climate change could dramatically reduce life in the deepest parts of our oceans that are reached by sunlight, scientists warn. Global warming could curtail life in the so-called twilight zone by as much as 40% by the end of the century, according to new research. The twilight zone lies between 200m (656ft) and 1,000m (3,281ft). It teems with life but was home to fewer organisms during warmer periods of Earth's history, researchers found. In research led by the University of Exeter, scientists looked at two warm periods in Earth's past, about 50 million years ago and 15 million years ago, examining records from preserved microscopic shells. They found far fewer organisms lived in the zone during these periods, because bacteria degraded food more quickly, meaning less of it reached the twilight zone from the surface. "The rich variety of twilight zone life evolved in the last few million years, when ocean waters had cooled enough to act rather like a fridge, preserving the food for longer, and improving conditions allowing life to thrive," said Dr Katherine Crichton, from the University of Exeter, who was the lead author of the study. The twilight zone, also known as the disphotic zone, is a vital habitat for marine life. It is too dim for photosynthesis to occur but home to more fish than the rest of the ocean put together, as well as a wide range of life including microbes, plankton and jellies according to the Woods Hole Oceonographic Institution. It also serves a key environmental function as a carbon sink - drawing planet-heating gas out of our atmosphere. The scientists simulated what might be happening in the twilight zone now, and what could happen in future due to climate warming. They said their findings suggested that significant changes may already be underway. "Our study is a first step to finding out how vulnerable this ocean habitat may be to climate warming," said Dr Crichton. "Unless we rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this could lead to the disappearance or extinction of much twilight zone life within 150 years, with effects spanning millennia thereafter."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65460128
     
         
      John Pettigrew: National Grid chief on why the public must not block the charge to net zero Tue, 2nd May 2023 9:18:00
     
      Events of the past year turned the heat up on the energy network, but the man at its helm is unfazed, putting faith in civic duty and turning down the thermostat As a child growing up in a village at the edge of the Welsh valleys outside Cardiff, John Pettigrew was nagged by his parents to switch the lights off whenever he left a room. Now, he’s part of a national effort to slash Britain’s energy use in the face of bills sent soaring by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and resulting concerns about gas and electricity supplies. Despite having collected a total of more than £30m in cumulative pay and benefits in his time as chief executive of National Grid, Pettigrew has not forgotten his parents’ advice. “I’m the same with my family now – making sure the thermostat is turned down a few degrees, doing the sensible things,” he says. “It is the right thing to do from an environmental [and] an affordability perspective. We were very supportive of the government and other bodies advocating for people to do that.” Pettigrew has just ridden out a tense winter, marked by people having to choose between heating and eating and talk of power cuts. Last autumn, National Grid voiced concerns that Britons could experience blackouts as well as wallet-busting bills during the coldest months. We came through the winter remarkably well. The weather was relatively mild As it turned out, worries that Vladimir Putin would halt Russian gas supplies into Europe did not materialise and cold snaps were not prolonged, so the continent’s gas storage caverns could remain well stocked. “We came through the winter remarkably well,” Pettigrew says, in deep Welsh tones. “The weather was relatively mild and when we did see cold periods, the products that we developed were very useful.” Those “products” were new technical tweaks that National Grid added to the formerly monolithic power system: a demand flexibility service, which paid consumers to shift their energy use away from periods of high usage, and contracts to keep coal plants on standby, at a cost of up to £420m. In the end, neither proved essential. The spring weather may be taking its time to arrive, but Pettigrew is already turning his mind to next winter, with plans afoot to expand the flexibility service. But he believes it is still “a bit early” to say whether we should be concerned about supply shortages for next winter, with the quantities of gas imported to Europe in the coming months a major factor. Despite a recent easing in wholesale gas prices, he expects bills to remain above historical highs with “some tension in the system for a couple of years”. Russia’s state-owned gas behemoth, Gazprom, has been busily trolling Europe, claiming that next winter could be harder. Never before has the business of energy, and keeping lights on and homes warm, been as critical, and this previously staid business has been thrust into the public eye. National Grid is a £42bn FTSE 100 company that operates Britain’s power infrastructure, and its assets are split roughly equally on both sides of the Atlantic. In an indicator of its low-carbon direction, 70% of its assets are in electricity, and 30% in gas. Some of National Grid’s responsibilities will be nationalised later this year, when the spin-out of its electricity system operator (ESO) – which ensures that energy supply meets demand – is ratified in legislation. Negotiations on the price the government will pay National Grid for the ESO have yet to begin, Pettigrew says. His desk at National Grid’s grandiose London headquarters overlooks Trafalgar Square. In the distance, down the Mall, we can see marquees being erected in preparation for next weekend’s coronation festivities, as Britain formally enters a new royal era. And Pettigrew, too, is planning his own new chapter for the country – albeit with a tad less pomp and ceremony. It’s more than just looking after some electrical infrastructure: it’s about energy security and affordability, and tackling climate change He is trying to engage the public in the Great Grid Upgrade, the £54bn task of upgrading the pylons and cables connecting offshore wind and solar projects to the electricity network as part of the push for net zero. He faces a battle, with some communities – such as those opposing onshore connections to wind projects in East Anglia – resisting the upheaval of major infrastructure projects. Pettigrew hopes to appeal to a sense of civic duty. “People are going to be asked to host infrastructure, and in a way they’re doing that on behalf of UK plc. It’s really important that they see the grid upgrade in the context of what’s going on across not just in the UK, but globally. It’s more than just looking after some electrical infrastructure: it’s actually about energy security and affordability, and tackling climate change.” But the National Grid has come under fire from the energy industry, where renewables developers claim it has been glacially slow in connecting new projects: some saying it took up to 13 years to get hooked up. These developers hope to gain from the push to decarbonise, as every sector, from heavy industry to electric cars to home heat pumps, drives demand for electricity. Pettigrew says connections are carried out on a first-come, first-served basis. But the 2030 target of delivering 50 gigawatts of offshore wind is fast approaching and he is pressing regulators to be allowed to proactively invest in building links. The amount network companies like his can charge customers for upgrades is regulated by Ofgem – the average household pays just over £300 a year for the cost of the network. “We can’t start any work on the network until someone signs a connection agreement – if we were able to do anticipatory investment we could get ahead of the curve.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/02/national-grid-chief-john-pettigrew-leading-the-charge-towards-net-zero
     
         
      Greenpeace activists held in Belgium after occupying gas terminal Mon, 1st May 2023 14:20:00
     
      Fourteen Greenpeace activists have been held for more than 48 hours after trespassing into and occupying a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium Greenpeace Belgium said it was working for their release. Valerie Del Re, director of Greenpeace Belgium, said: “It’s not our activists, but gas companies like Fluxys who are the criminals in this story. “They continue to invest in new fossil gas infrastructure, which is a disaster for human rights and for the climate. It is impossible to understand why environmental activists would be detained for so long.” On Saturday morning, activists from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK sailed inflatables into the terminal, operated by Fluxys, a Belgium LNG transportation company. They climbed on to the quays used for loading and unloading LNG tankers and displayed a banner reading “Gas kills” while others entered on kayaks. They maintained the occupation for six hours before they were removed by police. Del Re added: “Our non-violent actions of civil disobedience always follow the rule of do-no-harm. They are a legitimate means of opposing practices that threaten all of us. “We applaud the courage of our activists and we are doing all we can to help them in these difficult times.” Greenpeace said the action was to raise awareness of the role of gas operators such as Fluxys in the massive increase in LNG imports to Europe from the US. The environmental protest organisation said it was calling for all new gas infrastructure to be stopped and for a European plan to phase out gas by 2035. According to research by Greenpeace, Europe increased its imports of LNG from the US by 140% in 2022, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Eight new LNG terminals are under construction in the European Union, and plans for a further 38 are under consideration, the group said. Greenpeace’s latest protest comes as climate activist groups have been staging road block protests all over Europe. Just Stop Oil sister groups, all funded by the same US philanthropists, the Climate Emergency Fund, now operate in 11 countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/01/greenpeace-activists-held-in-belgium-after-occupying-gas-terminal
     
         
      Countries urged to take more action against chemical pollution Mon, 1st May 2023 10:55:00
     
      Over 2,000 delegates from around the world gathered at the UN in Geneva on Monday to discuss how best to curb chemical pollution, which has had increasingly dire consequences for health and the environment. Over the course of two weeks of meetings, countries are expected to make progress on adding new so-called “forever chemicals” to the list of toxic substances to be banned or restricted under the Stockholm Convention - the global treaty protecting human health and the environment from long-lasting chemical pollution. They will also seek ways to further regulate the use of chemicals and pesticides under the Rotterdam Convention on hazardous chemicals management; and developing technical guidelines on the sound management of plastic and e-waste under the Basel Convention, on transboundary hazardous waste management. Millions of deaths According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2019, a small number of chemicals for which data are available were estimated to have caused two million deaths, including from heart and respiratory diseases, as well as cancers. Among other important issues, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Stockholm Convention, will discuss the development of compliance procedures and mechanisms, and review a range of recommendations stemming from the second evaluation of the Convention. This will include evaluating the continued use of the insecticide DDT - still in use to control malaria in some countries - based on the report on the work of the DDT expert group; and the report on progress towards the elimination of the toxic organic chemical group, known as PCBs, and the draft strategy to meet the 2025 and 2028 goals to eliminate PCBs, set out in the Stockholm Convention. Waste management Later this month, the international community will come together again in Paris to continue working towards a new, legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution. The sixteenth meeting of the COP to the Basel Convention, will consider the potential adoption of technical guidelines for the environmentally-sound management of plastic waste, as well as persistent organic pollutants. Parties will consider recommendations from the Implementation and Compliance Committee, including progress achieved to reach national reporting targets. An update on the work of partners involved with the Convention, focusing on electronic and electrical waste, plastic waste, and household waste, as well as preventing and combatting illegal trafficking in hazardous and other wastes, will also be presented to the COP. Meanwhile, WHO says that the overall production of chemicals worldwide is on the rise, and sales are projected to almost double from 2017 to 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136242
     
         
      Competitive market to build NSW renewables drives energy price floors to record lows Mon, 1st May 2023 9:21:00
     
      AEMO Services estimates the projects will avert as much as 11m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over a 20-year period Renewable energy companies have promised to build and operate projects for record low minimum power prices in a New South Wales government tender that shows market interest is high. The results of NSW’s first renewable energy tender were released on Monday, kicking off a series of auctions to be held over the next decade as the state transitions from coal-fired power generation. The tender process fosters competition while providing companies and their backers with the confidence to develop projects, as winning bidders are guaranteed a minimum price for energy generation. When energy prices are higher than an undisclosed maximum, the spoils will be shared between the energy companies and the NSW government. Solar panels on suburban rooftops Record renewables help bring down Australia’s energy prices and emissions Read more There were winning bids of less than $35 a megawatt hour for two solar farms and less than $50 a megawatt hour for a windfarm, the auction organiser, Aemo Services, said. These prices are perhaps the lowest for such auctions ever seen in Australia. “The transition to clean renewable energy in NSW is essential and under way,” said the NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe. “This tender has shown how much demand there is to invest in NSW to build renewable energy and it is very welcome that this investment will also support 3,300 jobs over the next 10 years.” The first tender locks in 1.4 gigawatts of new clean energy generation, bringing the total committed so far to 4.1 gigawatts as part of the former Coalition government’s 12 gigawatt target by 2030. This will go some way to replacing the coal-fired power stations dropping out of the market, such as AGL’s Liddell power plant did last week. The new Labor state government has made public its concerns that the looming exit of Origin’s Eraring power station – the nation’s largest – in 2025 could leave the market short of supply in periods of high demand. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The tender also included long-duration renewable energy storage. The winning bidder, RNE Renewables, offered a battery that would supply 50 megawatts for at least eight hours (400 megawatt hours). AEMO Services did not provide the winning bid’s price. Three of the four winning bids were for projects in NSW’s special renewable energy zones, including ACEN Australia’s 720 megawatt solar farm planned for New England and a 400 megawatt solar farm earmarked for the central-west Orana zone, also by ACEN. The battery is in the south-west zone. Goldwind Australia also won for its 275 megawatt Coppabella windfarm in the southern tablelands.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/01/competitive-market-to-build-nsw-renewables-drives-energy-price-floors-to-record-lows
     
         
      As Liddell bites the dust, can NSW supply enough power for a looming El Niño summer peak? Sat, 29th Apr 2023 1:23:00
     
      As coal-fired plants continuing their demise, the largest source of new power every year for the past five has been rooftop solar AGL Energy’s Liddell coal-fired power station in New South Wales closed on Friday, Australia’s first big power plant closure since Hazelwood’s demise in Victoria in 2017. Liddell had been operating at less than half its original 2,000-megawatt capacity for some time. Still, its exit sharpens the focus on the challenges facing not only NSW but also the rest of the national electricity market (Nem). More closures to come Origin Energy’s black coal-fired Eraring power station is scheduled to be the next to shut, with a planned August 2025 closure. The plant, also in NSW, boasts almost 2,900MW of capacity, making it Australia’s largest. Relatively costly coal contracts, though, mean Eraring is not always raring to go. Figure shows the reliability and indicative reliability forecasts, all regions, 2022-23 to 2031-32 Reliability and indicative reliability forecasts across all states are territories, 2022-23 to 2031-32. Photograph: Australian Energy Market Operator NSW’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, legislated by the state Coalition government in 2020, is intended to bridge the gap. It aims to attract at least 12 gigawatts of wind and solar farms and 2GW of long-duration storage by 2030. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup However, the NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, says “the roadmap has already been tested by the delays in Snowy [Hydro’s 2.0 pumped storage project] and the foreshadowed possible closure of Eraring”. Snowy 2.0 is scheduled to be ready by December 2027 but more than a few – including in NSW – expect more delays. Officials say they expect to have sufficient new generation sources to fill the gaps left by Eraring. Early exits by any of the other plants, though, could stretch supplies. “The government’s approach will be to keep the lights on by getting as much renewable energy into operation as soon as possible, accelerating the roadmap where possible and working with coal-fired operators on their transition to ensure there is enough generation for households and businesses,” Sharpe said. Interstate competition NSW relies on Queensland and Victoria for about 10% of its power. Both states, however, have recently accelerated their own renewables rush, particularly in Queensland, a laggard in the decarbonisation shift. One NSW official said geographic spread should moderate the risks. “It’s really unusual in the [Nem] to have a peak demand event in multiple cities at the same time,” he said this week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/29/as-liddell-bites-the-dust-can-nsw-supply-enough-power-for-a-looming-el-nino-summer-peak
     
         
      Father challenges BP at meeting after son's death Thu, 27th Apr 2023 14:04:00
     
      A father whose son died of cancer - which his doctor said was likely caused by gas-flaring from BP's oil fields in Iraq - told the company that "cancer is so common it's like the flu" at its annual meeting. Ali Hussein Julood documented his life for a BBC investigation which found high levels of cancer-linked pollutants in a BP oil field. He died on 21 April of leukaemia. BP said it offered condolences to the family. The father, Hussein Julood, told the BBC that his son's life was sacrificed for the company's record profits. Ali's doctor said that his leukaemia was likely caused by high levels of pollution in the local area. Iraqi communities living close to oil fields, where gas is openly burned, are at elevated risk of leukaemia, a BBC News Arabic investigation revealed. Gas flaring is the "wasteful" burning of gas released in oil drilling, which produces cancer-linked pollutants. In Rumaila, flaring takes place less than 2000m from where he lived, violating Iraqi laws that state it should be at least 10km from people's homes. BP and Eni are major oil companies the BBC identified as working on some of the country's biggest oil exploration areas in south-eastern Iraq. Speaking at BP's annual general meeting via webcam and an interpreter from southern Iraq, Mr Julood spoke in place of his son - who had intended to ask a question himself, but died before he was able to do so. Mr Julood described his situation to the BP board. "From my door, you can see the black smoke from gas flaring 24 hours a day, and you can smell the toxic chemicals from these flares," he said. "Sometimes it's so bad breathing is difficult, and oil rains from the sky...cancer is so common here it's like the flu." Ali had been suffering from the disease since he was 15. People living in some of the world's biggest oil fields in Basra, south-east Iraq - Rumaila, West Qurna, Zubair and Nahran Omar - have long suspected that childhood leukaemia is on the increase, and that flaring is behind it. An official document leaked to the BBC investigation found there was a 20% increase in cancer in this region over the past five years, as gas flaring has increased. Mr Julood explained that Ali's greatest wish was that the gas flaring and pollution would stop. "He loved nature - his favourite place in the world was his garden. And he wished that children could enjoy playing and breathing freely outside," he said. The oil giant said at its annual meeting that it is continuing to reduce flaring at Rumaila. The BBC also found millions of tonnes of undeclared emissions from gas flaring at oil fields where BP, Eni, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell work. On Thursday, some of the UK's biggest pension funds voted against reappointing BP's chairman over a decision to weaken its climate plans, but the majority of shareholders backed Helge Lund. It comes after the energy giant cut back its target to reduce emissions by the end of the decade. As well as the dissenting votes there were also disruptions during the annual meeting from climate protestors. BP said it valued "constructive challenge and engagement". The five pension funds - Nest, the Universities Pension Scheme, LGPS Central, Brunel Pension Partnership and Border to Coast - are concerned that the new targets put BP financially at risk, as the company's fossil fuel projects are likely to lose value as the world moves towards net zero emissions. Nest, one of the five pension funds that voted against the reappointment of Mr Lund, told the BBC that there were concerns over BP's actions on reducing gas flaring, after seeing the BBC documentary Under Poisoned Skies. The five pension funds told the BBC that their vote was a protest against the company's actions. The pension funds have £440m invested in BP, which represents less than 1% of the company's total shares. But they manage the pensions of more than a third of the UK's workers so are an influential voice. Eni said it "strongly rejects any allegation that its own activities are endangering the health of the Iraqi people".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65414431
     
         
      Spain breaks record temperature for April Thu, 27th Apr 2023 14:03:00
     
      Spain recorded its hottest ever temperature for April on Thursday, hitting 38.8C according to the country's meteorological service. The record figure was reached in Cordoba airport in southern Spain just after 15:00 local time (14:00 BST). For days a blistering heatwave has hit the country with temperatures 10-15C warmer than expected for April. It's been driven by a mass of very hot air from Africa, coupled with a slow moving weather system. "This is not normal. Temperatures are completely out of control this year," Cayetano Torres, a spokesman for Spain's meteorological office, told BBC News. Experts were surprised by the scale of the heat experienced across southern Spain in recent days. "This heat event in Spain is absolutely extreme, unprecedented with temperatures never seen before in April. In some locations records are being beaten by a 5C margin, which is something that has happened only a handful of times at weather stations around the world," said Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist who runs an Extreme Temperatures twitter account. Schools will be allowed to adapt their timetables to avoid the worst of the heat. The Madrid underground has trains passing more frequently than usual in order to prevent long waits on the platform, and public swimming pools are expected to open a month earlier than normal. Cristina Linares, a scientist at the Carlos III Health Institute, warned in particular of the impact on the poor. "Poverty is the key factor when it comes to explaining why there are more deaths associated with extreme temperatures. Income is the factor with the closest link to the impact of heat on day-to-day deaths." Heatwaves are also striking many locations globally as climate change exacerbates naturally high temperatures. Unexplained ocean warming alarms scientists North Sea power line to connect wind farms to UK 1903 storm one of windiest to pummel British Isles While parts of Britain are cooler than average right now, the opposite is the case in many regions of Spain. Meteorologists say that a combination of factors is responsible for the exceptional temperatures being seen there this week. Hot weather across North Africa is pushing heat into Europe. A high pressure weather system plus clear skies over the Iberian peninsula are allowing more sunshine to hit the ground, which is already so dry it can't evaporate the heat. The high temperatures come on top of long running drought in many parts of Spain. Reservoirs in the Guadalquivir basin are only at 25% of capacity. This combination is raising the prospect of early forest fires, with the national weather service warning that large swathes of the country would be at risk. Spain saw the most land burned of any country in Europe in 2022. Climate change is very likely playing a role in this heatwave, according to experts in the field. "We know that 2022 was the second warmest year on record for Europe, and it was the warmest summer on record," Dr Samantha Burgess from the Copernicus climate change service told BBC News. "Europe is warming at twice the global rate and we know because there is a higher rate of warming, there's a higher probability of extreme events. And those extreme events include heat waves."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65403381
     
         
      Russia’s Crumbling Gas Exports Thu, 27th Apr 2023 11:57:00
     
      Also, President Yoon’s address to Congress and Australia’s shift on New Zealand. Russian news reports estimate that Russia’s natural gas exports by pipeline could fall as much as 50 percent in volume this year from last year. The drop points to the blow to Russia’s vital gas exports industry since the country invaded Ukraine. Once Europe’s main supplier of natural gas, Russia has been subjected to heavy sanctions from the West since the invasion in February 2022. Europe’s main strategy for reducing dependence on Russian energy — increasing imports of liquefied natural gas from countries like the U.S., coupled with slashing demand — has worked surprisingly well. While Russia has been able to hold its own in the oil market despite embargoes, it is much more difficult to find new customers for gas because it is still mostly transported through fixed pipelines. Russia is likely to see some gain in gas sales to China and Turkey, but evidence is piling up that its natural gas export industry may be steadily disintegrating. Other news about the war: Pope Francis discussed peace efforts with Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, during a private audience at the Vatican. Casualties are mounting on the front lines of the war as Ukrainian forces await heavy artillery from the West ahead of an expected counteroffensive. The editors and publishers of three major American newspapers issued a joint call for Russia to immediately release Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter. Brittney Griner, the American basketball star who was detained in Russia for nearly 10 months last year, spoke with reporters for the first time since her release. Image South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol paid tribute to U.S. efforts in the Korean War in a speech to Congress. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol paid tribute to U.S. efforts in the Korean War in a speech to Congress.Credit...Pete Marovich for The New York Times Yoon addresses the U.S. Congress On the fourth day of his state visit to the U.S., President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea delivered an address to Congress that touched on the need to confront the nuclear threat from North Korea. “There is one regime determined to pursue a wrong path: That is North Korea,” he said. “North Korea’s nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to the peace on the Korean peninsula and beyond.” Yoon also called for increased cooperation between Japan, the U.S. and South Korea to counter North Korea’s nuclear program and promised to actively support reconstruction efforts in Ukraine in the wide-ranging speech, Reuters reported. The address came a day after President Biden agreed to bolster the American nuclear umbrella guarding South Korea and vowed that any nuclear attack by North Korea would “result in the end” of the government in Pyongyang. “American Pie”: One of the lighter moments of Yoon’s visit was during the state dinner at the White House. With some coaxing from Biden, Yoon sang a rendition of “American Pie,” one of his favorite tunes. In case you missed it, here’s a video. Image Two men in dark suits, each with a red poppy on his lapel, surrounded by people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, left, and his counterpart in New Zealand, Chris Hipkins.Credit...Pat Hoelscher/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A reset for Australia and New Zealand Australia and New Zealand often describe each other as close partners, but in recent decades, Australia’s treatment of migrants from New Zealand caused a rift. Now, the new center-left government in Australia, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has taken steps to address the dispute. After years of prodding, Australia announced a streamlined process for New Zealanders living in Australia to gain citizenship after four years. This was a reversal of a 2001 policy that gave New Zealanders in Australia unrestricted work rights, but prevented them from receiving the same protections as permanent residents and citizens. In New Zealand, which is reckoning with a skills shortage and a slowing economy, news of Australia’s shift on immigration raised concerns about more Kiwis being drawn to Australia and its larger economy. An opposition leader, David Seymour, commented that the Australian government had “just done a raid on New Zealand talent.” THE LATEST NEWS Asia Pacific The U.S. consulting firm Bain & Company said its employees in Shanghai were recently questioned by Chinese authorities, in the latest sign of strained economic ties between the U.S. and China. An ex-Harvard professor was sentenced in Boston after being convicted of not disclosing financial ties to China. Around the World Image Soldiers with machine guns riding in a pickup truck. Footage released by a Sudanese paramilitary group purports to show its fighters in Khartoum.Credit...via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Parts of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, have been taken over by a paramilitary force after war broke out almost two weeks ago. Russian pranksters posing as Ukraine’s president seem to have tricked the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, who was caught on video answering questions about the economy. A new study found that climate change has made droughts in East Africa 100 times as likely as they were in the preindustrial era. U.S. News Ron DeSantis, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, made a brief visit to Israel to promote his diplomatic credentials. The U.S. economy grew at a rate of 1.1 percent in the first quarter as consumer spending kept a recession at bay. The writer E. Jean Carroll was cross-examined in a New York court after testifying that Donald J. Trump raped her in the mid 1990s. A Morning Read Image Two people dig in a muddy channel. Flooded fields, which require deep digging to replant, are one challenge farmers face in Malawi.Credit...Khadija Farah for The New York Times Farmers in Malawi, an agrarian nation on the front lines of climate change, have no choice but to be creative. As droughts scorch their soil and storms strike with a vengeance, subsistence farmers are turning to a scrappy, throw-everything-at-the-wall array of innovations to make ends meet. Lives lived: Jerry Springer, the brash U.S. talk show host who mediated tumultuous relationships and family feuds, died at his home in Chicago. He was 79. ARTS AND IDEAS Image Three columns of type are on a black background. Under the first column, titled “0 rounds of training,” are rows of gibberish text; under the second column, titled “500 rounds of training,” the text contains small words; under the third column, titled “30,000 rounds of training,” the text is in full sentences. How does an A.I. learn to write? If you’ve used A.I. chatbots like ChatGPT, you’re probably familiar with the crisp, clear paragraphs the best of these bots can easily spit out. And if you’ve kept up with our extensive A.I. coverage, you might know that large language models work by training on mountains of internet text, repeatedly guessing the next word (or word fragment) and then grading themselves against the real thing. But what does that process actually look like? To demonstrate the notoriously complex inner workings of A.I., we trained six tiny language models, affectionately called BabyGPT, on six iconic texts, including Shakespeare and “Star Trek.” Pick a model (I went with Jane Austen), and watch it start to learn language from scratch in five steps. PLAY, WATCH, EAT What to Cook Image Several slices of yellow Bundt cake, swirled with sections of chocolate, are photographed from overhead on a light gray plate. Credit...David Malosh for The New York Times This marble cake is buttery and not too sweet. What to Listen To These podcasts about fashion examine the place of clothing in pop culture. What to Watch “Love & Death,” based on a true story, examines how a mother turned into a killer. Where to Go How to spend 36 hours in Philadelphia. Now Time to Play Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Home for a hog (three letters). Here are the Wordle and the Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Mariah P.S. Two Times photographers were honored by the World Press Photo awards for their coverage in Southeast Asia. “The Daily” is about India’s rise. We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions to briefing@nytimes.com. Site Index Site Information Navigation © 2023 The New York Times Company NYTCoContact UsAccessibilityWork with usAdvertiseT Brand StudioYour Ad ChoicesPrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceTerms of SaleSite MapHelpSubscriptions
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/briefing/russia-ukraine-yoon-suk-yeol-australia.html
     
         
      UK investment in clean energy transition falls 10%, bucking global trend Thu, 27th Apr 2023 11:22:00
     
      Investment in clean energy and the low-carbon economy fell sharply in the UK last year, even as rival nations were increasing their firepower in the global green race, data shows. The UK’s investment in the energy transition fell by 10%, from $31bn to $28bn, from 2021 to 2022, while similar investment in the US rose by about 24% to $141bn, and in Germany by 17% to $55bn. Across the EU, investment in the energy transition away from fossil fuels rose by $26bn last year, to $180bn, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK’s ‘green day’ has turned into a fossil fuel bonanza – dirty money powers the Sunak government George Monbiot George Monbiot Read more The figures, which cover public and private sector investment, come from research by the House of Commons library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, and appear to show the UK falling behind at a crucial time. The US, through the Inflation Reduction Act, is planning a $369bn expansion of low-carbon efforts, and the EU is similarly pursuing green growth. In the UK, renewable energy generation has been a mixed picture in recent years. Offshore wind has grown substantially, but onshore windfarms have been almost impossible to build in England since the planning laws were changed in 2015, while there has been hesitation over solar farms. The government has also refused to mandate solar panels on the roofs of new buildings. Last month, the government unveiled a raft of measures intended to boost the low-carbon economy. But the announcements were overshadowed as ministers first labelled the measures “green day” then reneged to rebrand it as “energy security day”. There was no new money for the plans, and the centrepiece – investment of £20bn over 20 years in carbon capture and storage technology in the North Sea – was called into doubt by scientists. Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat energy and climate spokesperson and MP for Bath, accused the government of a “dereliction of duty” in failing to focus on the economic opportunities of going green, and to safeguard energy supplies and the climate. She said: “The government’s claims of being world leaders in the energy transition are in tatters. This data lays bare their neglect of our vital net zero goals, and failure to insulate us from the next energy crisis.” She added: “While other nations are facilitating major investment into the key industries of the future, our government is content to sit back and watch them race ahead. The result will be a lack of energy security, higher energy bills, and the continuing failure to hit our climate targets.” The data covers all investment in the energy transition, which includes renewable energy, electric vehicles, electrified heat such as heat pumps, hydrogen, energy storage and carbon capture and storage. Previous data collated by the House of Commons library, up to 2020, focused on renewable energy, so data from before 2020 cannot be directly compared, but it also shows a large fall in the UK’s investment in renewable energy. From 2016, when investment hit $24bn, renewable energy investment fell sharply to just $7.6bn in 2017, according to the research. UK spending on renewables recovered slightly in 2018 to $8.8bn but then slumped again to $5.3bn in 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/27/uk-investment-in-clean-energy-transition-falls-10-bucking-global-trend
     
         
      BP faces green protest over new climate goals Thu, 27th Apr 2023 10:33:00
     
      Some of the UK's biggest pension funds have voted against reappointing BP's chairman over a decision to weaken its climate plans, but the majority of shareholders backed Helge Lund. It comes after the energy giant cut back its target to reduce emissions by the end of the decade. As well as the dissenting votes there were also disruptions during the annual meeting from climate protestors. BP said it valued "constructive challenge and engagement". BP scales back climate targets as profits hit record BP sees biggest profit in 14 years as bills soar The original target to reduce emissions was agreed by shareholders in 2022 and included a promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% to 40% by the end of this decade. But in February, BP announced it was now aiming for a 20% to 30% cut so it could produce more oil and gas and extend the life of existing fossil fuel projects. BP chief executive Bernard Looney said this was in response to increased concerns about energy security following the invasion of Ukraine. The five pension funds told the BBC that their vote against the company's chairman, Helge Lund, was a protest against the company's actions. The pension funds have £440m invested in BP, which represents less than 1% of the company's total shares. But they manage the pensions of more than a third of the UK's workers so are an influential voice. Mr Lund received a majority of more than 90% for re-election during the annual meeting on Thursday. Katharina Lindmeier, senior responsible investment manager at Nest, the government-backed pension fund, told the BBC: "Not only were we disappointed to see the company going back on the targets, but we were also really surprised not to have had any consultation." The five pension funds - Nest, the Universities Pension Scheme, LGPS Central, Brunel Pension Partnership and Border to Coast - are concerned that the new targets put BP financially at risk because the company's fossil fuel projects are likely to lose value as the world moves towards net zero emissions. Nest also told the BBC that there were concerns over BP's actions on reducing gas flaring, after seeing the BBC documentary Under Poisoned Skies. The BBC News investigation showed that BP was one of several major oil companies not declaring emissions from gas flaring at oil fields in Iraq, which produces cancer-linked pollutants. Ali Hussein Julood, who documented his life in Rumaila, Iraq for the documentary, suspected his childhood leukaemia was due to the flaring. He passed away on 21 April after his cancer returned. Ali's father told the board of his son's passing during the AGM, and how despite their efforts, there was still black smoke and gas flaring outside his front door. Mr Looney gave his condolences at the meeting to Ali's family and said: "We are continuing to reduce flaring at Rumaila. We are making progress and it must continue to be made". The pension funds told the BBC they only found out about the change in BP's climate targets via media reports. They then approached BP to ask for a vote on the new targets but BP refused, arguing it was not a material change to the strategy. Patrick O'Hara, director of responsible investment at LGPS Central, told the BBC: "If you change the strategy you should really enter into a dialogue with those that supported you." He said he thought BP's decision was driven by short-term profit considerations rather than the long term sustainability of the company. "Are these strategies science-based if you can flex them based on what the oil and gas price is? We are long-term investors and we expect the company to take a long-term view", he said. The company's profits more than doubled to $27.7bn (£23bn) in 2022, as energy prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. As well as protest voting, there were half a dozen green activists removed from BP's annual meeting of its board and shareholders on Thursday, as they demanded the company "stop drilling" for fossil fuels. The Dutch environmental organisation Follow This also put forward a resolution - supported by the five pension funds - which calls for more aggressive targets on what are known as scope 3 emissions - emissions from the use of its products. BP recommended that shareholders not support this resolution calling it "unclear", "simplistic" and "disruptive". ISS and Glass Lewis are the world's largest investor services and recommended to BP shareholders they advise to oppose the climate resolution. Courteney Keatinge, senior director for ESG research at Glass Lewis, said the company does not see BP's actions to reduce its climate targets as a financial risk because the world will continue to use oil and gas past 2050. "We are not operating under a net zero 2050 scenario, the demand is going to be there [in 2050], people will be flying planes and heating their homes", she said. The resolution only garnered 16.75% of the vote but that was up on 14.9% the same resolution received last year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65385834
     
         
      European Countries Plan To Make The North Sea A Renewable Energy Powerhouse Wed, 26th Apr 2023 11:00:00
     
      This week, 9 countries and the European Commission agreed to a plan to massively increase wind power in the North Sea. The North Sea is bordered by Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the UK. For many decades, the oil and methane gas beneath it have powered many of those countries, but now there is a new kid in town — offshore wind. This week, leaders from those eight nations, joined by leaders from the European Commission and Ireland, converged on Ostend, Belgium, to discuss ways to turn the North Sea into “Europe’s biggest green power plant.” The Guardian reports the nations pledged to multiply the capacity of offshore wind farms in the North Sea by eight times from current levels by 2050. French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the plan together with the prime ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Norway’s prime minister and Britain’s energy security minister also committed to building more wind farms, developing “energy islands” and working on carbon capture projects. “We are unlocking our offshore energy ambitions,” Belgian energy minister, Tinne van der Straeten, said. “Coordination is absolutely essential. If each of the nine countries acts alone, we’ll collectively fail. Planning is at the core of everything.” The nations are struggling to replace the cheap methane gas from Russia that powered much of their economies for decades, and also to reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels as well. The plan is to boost their combined North Sea offshore wind capacity to 120 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050. In a press release, WindEurope said in addition to increasing offshore wind capacity, the nations need to develop the offshore energy grid of the future. Today, offshore wind farms traditionally deliver renewable electricity to only one onshore landing point. To make offshore wind an energy grid for all participants, there will need to be offshore energy islands that serve as interconnection points between countries and deliver their electricity to multiple markets. An interconnected and meshed offshore wind grid will distribute electricity more efficiently, improve supply security, lower the costs for offshore wind and reduce its impact on maritime biodiversity, the industry group said. Supply Chains Needed For Offshore Wind Policy declarations are all well and good, but it takes hardware to turn them into a reality. A group of more than 100 companies which will supply that hardware said in a statement on April 24, “We are a long value chain of wind farm developers and investors, wind turbine, electrolyzer, foundation and other component manufacturers, EPC contractors, vessel operators, ports, transmission system operators, and those who provide the equipment for grid infrastructure. All of these are essential to building, operating and integrating offshore wind in our energy system. “Our industry is not large enough today to deliver the 9 governments’ commitments and meet the rising demand for renewable electricity and renewable hydrogen, not least from energy intensive industry. It needs to grow. We can make up to 7 GW a year of offshore wind today. By the second half of this decade we need to be making over 20 GW a year. We can deliver — we have so far — but there are already bottlenecks in the manufacturing of foundations, cables, substations, key equipment like transformers and switchgear and in the availability of installation, service and other vessels.” In other words, it’s going to take money — a whole lot of money — to make the wind energy pledges agreed to in Ostend this week a reality. WindEurope points out that the expansion of offshore wind must be underpinned by investments in grids and ports. It says Europe needs to double its annual grid investments and channel €9 billion into the modernization and expansion of its port infrastructure by 2030. Financing mechanisms, auction design, industrial policy, and electricity market design all are needed to unlock the investments necessary to make Europe’s offshore wind ambitions a reality. In 2022, not a single offshore wind farm reached final investment decision. Uncoordinated market interventions, price caps, and national clawback measures deterred investments. Governments must restore investor confidence and allowing for a combination of Contracts for Difference, Power Purchase Agreements, and merchant projects in their market design. In other words, the devil is in the details. Above all, WindEurope says, national governments must support the creation of the skills necessary to realize the ambitious goals announced in Ostend. The offshore wind workforce in Europe needs to grow from 80,000 today to 250,000 by 2030. That requirement means creating training and reskilling programs, as well as changes to national school and higher education policies. Sven Utermöhlen, chairman of WindEurope and CEO of RWE Offshore Wind, says: “Europe’s wind power is now needed more than ever. The North Sea Summit represents an important step towards increasing Europe’s energy security by supporting an accelerated development of offshore wind in the North Sea. “For achieving the ambitious offshore wind build out targets, we need to massively ramp up European wind supply chains by target industrial policy measures and adequate support instruments. This needs to be complemented by auction designs fit-for-purpose, taking into account inflation developments for increasing the investment certainty of both manufacturers and developers and thereby, allowing the lowest financing cost. Also important is an accelerated grid build out, so we can maintain the competitiveness of energy-intensive consumers and provide secure and affordable energy for all in Europe.” Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander de Croo, said recent developments meant energy was “more than ever a geopolitical topic,” and that the countries would standardize infrastructure to ensure North Sea wind farms could be built faster and cheaper. Energy Security Energy security is of vital concern to Europe, which has seen its supply of cheap Russian gas cut off with dire consequences for the nations’ economies. Somebody blew up the Nordstream methane pipeline, nobody knows who exactly, and if they do, they are being very quiet about it. Protecting thousands of wind turbines and hundreds of energy islands in the North Sea will not be easy and will require extraordinary cooperation between the countries involved — something that has not always been the case in the area. There have been reports of Russian spy ships in the North Sea recently. Taking a cue from the Americans, the European leaders stressed that the investments needed to make their dream of an offshore wind hub a reality should benefit Europeans first and foremost. That means using components and materials sourced primarily from the 9 member nations. The investment needed to reach the goal of energy independence is estimated at nearly €900 billion. The nations don’t want “you know who” (there are several possible candidates) to siphon most of that money away to advance their own goal of world domination. Fortunately, several European countries are world leaders in making wind turbines, but “you know who” is the biggest manufacturer of energy storage batteries, something an offshore power grid will need in abundance if it has any hope of being successful. NIMBY & The North Sea In Ostend this week, the French delegation said, “Offshore wind energy will probably be the main source of renewable energy production between 2030 and 2050, far ahead of solar energy and land wind farms.” Why would that be? We don’t know for sure, but we can hazard a guess. Wind turbines in the North Sea are out of sight of land. Therefore, they don’t stir up resistance from people who want to save the planet, but only if they don’t have to see solar panels and wind turbines out their windows. That’s right. The war in Ukraine and the threat of massive sea level rise hold no terror for many, like the thought of huge turbine blades whizzing around on the horizon does. If they are all offshore, people can pretend they don’t exist and congratulate themselves for taking meaningful climate action by using renewable energy. There are just some sacrifices people shouldn’t be asked to make — like looking at the solar panels and wind turbines needed to effectively lower emissions from the thermal generation of electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-gas-production-exports-shrink-under-sanctions-pressure-11672070094
     
         
      Climate change: Satellite maps warming impact on global glaciers Wed, 26th Apr 2023 9:35:00
     
      Scientists have obtained their best satellite assessment yet of the status of the world's glaciers. Europe's Cryosat spacecraft tracked the 200,000 or so glaciers on Earth and found they have lost 2,720bn tonnes of ice in 10 years due to climate change. That's equivalent to losing 2% of their bulk in a decade. Monitoring how quickly glaciers are changing is important because millions of people rely on them for drinking water and farming. The world's glaciers are distributed across all latitudes, not just at the poles. A few hundred are routinely measured at ground level - the best way to assess them. But for the vast majority, observation from space is the only way to keep an eye on how they are responding to climate change. It's important that we do that. Like the broader ice sheets, their whiteness reflects sunlight and helps cool the planet. And in many parts of the globe, glaciers also function as critical water reservoirs. More than 20% of the world's population is thought to be dependent in some way on summer melt waters that flow from glaciers - for drinking, for agriculture and to drive hydropower stations. Cryosat is a veteran European Space Agency Earth observer. It carries an instrument called a radar altimeter, which sends down microwave pulses to trace variations in height along the planet's surface - and in particular the changes in elevation of ice fields. This type of instrument works really well when monitoring the gentle undulations in the interior of Antarctica and Greenland. It finds it more tricky to measure the ice that runs across rugged terrain, such as in steep-sided valleys. But advances in data processing have enabled scientists to effectively increase the resolution and robustness of Cryosat's vision so that it can now track developments even in those hard-to-see locations. The study, reported on Wednesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, has applied this approach to the spacecraft's entire data archive to produce a global glacier assessment. The satellite's observations indicate the vast majority - 89% - of the ice loss seen between 2010 and 2020 was due to melting in an ever warmer atmosphere. Only 11% of the loss was the result of glaciers experiencing melting or increased flow because their fronts terminate in warmer ocean or lake waters. Alaska's glaciers have experienced the greatest losses. They've been losing more than 80bn tonnes a year, which equates to about 5% of the total ice volume in the region during the 10-year study period. This is very much an effect of warmer air temperatures. Places where glaciers appear to be eroding and moving faster because their fronts end in warmer waters include the Arctic - at Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago - and in the Russian sectors of the Barents and Kara seas. Increasing ice discharge into the ocean accounts for over 50% of mass loss in these areas. "This is a consequence of what is called the 'Atlantification' of the Arctic," explained Noel Gourmelen from Edinburgh University, UK. "Usually, the surface waters of the Arctic Ocean are cold and fresh, but increasingly in some of these places the surface waters are becoming more salty and warmer as currents move up from the Atlantic. And this means glaciers are dumping more ice into the ocean," he told BBC News. This, of course, will add to sea-level rise which already threatens low-lying communities. Cryosat is an old spacecraft that has worked far beyond its design life. Scientists hope to get a few more years of operation from it but there's a recognition that it could fail any day now. The European Union is planning a long-term satellite series inspired by Cryosat, given the code name currently of Cristal. "What we've shown you can do with Cryosat to measure glaciers worldwide augurs well for the Cristal mission," said Edinburgh colleague Livia Jakob. Ms Jakob, who led the research from her remote sensing company Earthwave, has been discussing its implications in Vienna, Austria, at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly, one of the world's biggest gatherings of Earth scientists.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65399580
     
         
      Labor extends gas price cap to 2025 to protect power bills Wed, 26th Apr 2023 2:26:00
     
      Producers may be allowed to breach limit if they give enforceable promise to deliver minimum level of domestic supply The Albanese government will extend its price cap on wholesale gas prices until at least mid-2025 in an attempt to limit soaring energy costs. It will also offer exemptions for producers in the domestic market if they can deliver enforceable promises to maintain a certain level of supply. The price limit extension is part of the final consultation planned for a mandatory code of conduct for the gas industry, released on Monday. “The gas code will ensure sufficient supply of Australian gas for Australian users at reasonable prices, give producers the certainty they need to invest in supply, and ensure Australia remains a reliable trading partner by allowing LNG producers to meet their export commitments,” the energy minister, Chris Bowen, the resources minister, Madeleine King, and the industry minister, Ed Husic, said in a joint statement. “Coupled with action to cap coal costs for power generators, gas price caps under the Government’s Energy Price Relief Plan nearly halved wholesale energy prices.” However, Bowen’s office said the coal price cap will cease when its 12-month period ends. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The gas industry had objected strongly to the government’s intervention last December when it imposed a $12 per gigajoule price cap for domestic sales. It also set a separate $125/tonne limit on black coal for Queensland and New South Wales, with both caps intended to work to curb the run-up in electricity prices. The size of the effect of the price caps on power prices is contested. While wholesale prices have been lower since December, they typically account for only about a third of users’ bills and those costs are still set to rise as much as a third from July. The government also indicated it was prepared to grant gas companies exemptions under certain conditions – with details of the code to be finalised before the end of June. The $12/GJ gas prices will be assessed by a review to start by 1 July 2025, implying the cap may extend beyond that time. In the meantime it will allow companies that satisfy the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with “court-enforceable supply commitments” to become exempt from the cap. Small producers that direct their supply only to the domestic market will also dodge the cap. The mix of carrots and sticks include giving the ACCC “a strong enforcement regime” for the new gas code. The measures, once introduced, will be reviewed within two years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/26/labor-extends-gas-price-cap-to-2025-to-protect-power-bills
     
         
      Tory former net zero tsar calls for halt to Rosebank North Sea oil project Tue, 25th Apr 2023 15:25:00
     
      The government’s former “net zero tsar” has urged ministers to halt the development of the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea, or risk destroying the UK’s credibility on the climate crisis. Chris Skidmore, the influential Conservative MP who led the review of the UK’s climate goals, writes in the Guardian on Tuesday of his concern that the development could derail net zero. Skidmore told the Guardian: “There is no such thing as a new net zero oilfield. Approving Rosebank would undermine UK claims to climate leadership on the world stage, undermine what the climate science tells us and undermine our efforts to achieve a net zero Britain by mid-century. To enhance our energy security, the government must say no to Rosebank, and instead give the green light to energy efficiency, rooftop solar, onshore wind and other forms of clean energy supply.” Skidmore, a former energy and science minister, is the first Tory MP to openly oppose the Rosebank project. Rosebank is a massive potential North Sea development, three times bigger than the controversial Cambo field that was put on hold more than a year ago. It has the potential to produce 500m barrels of oil, which when burned would emit as much carbon dioxide as running 56 coal-fired power stations for a year. The Observer reported earlier this month that Rosebank would effectively blow the UK’s carbon budget in the next decade, as greenhouse gas emissions from its operations alone – not counting emissions from any oil produced – would exceed the guideline amounts for the oil and gas sector. Skidmore warned that going ahead with Rosebank could therefore be a problem for many UK industries beyond the North Sea, and inhibit the growth of green energy. “Other sectors of the economy, which are already playing their part to reach net zero, would have to cut their emissions further and faster to enable the UK to stay within its carbon budgets. Further, fields such as Rosebank may inhibit the UK’s transition away from fossil fuels due to competition for critical and limited supply chains that both industries share, including ports, vessels and the skilled workforce,” he wrote. A decision on whether Rosebank can go ahead is believed to be imminent, and the government could stop it, though the energy secretary, Grant Shapps, has repeatedly said the decision is not up to him. Equinor, the state-owned Norwegian company behind Rosebank, could receive an estimated £3.75bn of tax breaks and tax-funded incentives towards the estimated £4.1bn cost of the development, owing to loopholes in the government’s windfall tax on North Sea fossil fuels, according to estimates from the campaign group Uplift. About 80% of the fossil fuels produced by Rosebank are likely to be exploited, and the development could turn into a net loss of £100m to the UK taxpayer. A spokesperson from Equinor told the Guardian: “Rosebank is a project that can help counteract the decline in domestic UK oil and gas production. As long as there is a need for oil and gas, we think it is important that we continue to invest in fields that can contribute to energy security with a low carbon footprint, while creating jobs and value for society. In this time of energy crisis, we don’t think it is helpful if western democracies stop developing their resources.” He added that it is estimated by some that the Rosebank project will bring £26.8 billion to the UK through tax payments and investments into the UK economy. Tessa Khan, the founder and executive director of Uplift, said: “Approving Rosebank would be a disaster for Britain. UK taxpayers wouldn’t be any warmer or more secure, but Norway would be a lot richer. Every minute spent talking about Rosebank is a minute not spent scaling up renewables, insulating people’s homes and delivering economic opportunity in green industries for communities across the country.” Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green party are also opposed to Rosebank. Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, said: “When developing Rosebank would mean producing more emissions than 28 low-income countries combined, government approval would be morally obscene. The cross-party message from parliamentarians is clear: we must stop Rosebank.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/25/tory-former-net-zero-tsar-chris-skidmore-calls-for-halt-to-rosebank-north-sea-oil-project
     
         
      Former president of Kiribati backs legal case against Australia over inaction on climate crisis Mon, 24th Apr 2023 14:05:00
     
      Anote Tong says that Australia needs to take responsibility for emissions caused by the export of its fossil fuels A former Pacific Island president has backed a Torres-Strait Islander-led legal case to hold the Australian government accountable for climate crisis inaction. On Monday, Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati, signed a statement of solidarity with Paul Kabai and Pabai Pabai, who have taken the government to court, demanding further emissions reductions in line with science. The two Torres Strait Islander men hail from the Boigu and Saibai communities on two of Australia’s northernmost inhabited islands. Low-lying Saibai is just four kilometres from Papua New Guinea, and both islands are regularly flooded by seawater. The pair are leading a landmark class action on behalf of their island communities, arguing the commonwealth of Australia is acting unlawfully in failing to stop climate change that, if unchecked, will destroy their homelands. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Tong lent his support and said Australia needed to do more to cut emissions. “The Australian government is stepping up with cutting domestic emissions and committing to a zero emission level by 2050, which is good – but of course the real challenge has always been the exported fossil fuels, oil and gas which are essentially a lot more substantial than what would be emitted domestically. So that is the real challenge,” he said. “The [Australian] government sometimes feels that it’s not their problem. It’s the problem of the importing country but nevertheless, it still contributes to global emissions.” Tong backed the case after a week-long visit to the two Indigenous communities. “We find a great deal of similarity with the situation that these people are facing with our own situation in our part of the world,” he said. “Particularly the most vulnerable Pacific island countries with respect to the impacts of climate change. “These peoples, these communities really do not receive any kind of focus.” Kabai said he feared that his culture and community is at risk of being lost if nothing is done to mitigate climate change. “We could lose our culture, our identity, even our own mother land. If we are forced to relocate to a land that land does not belong to us, what will we tell our children of Sabai, of Boigu? It will be lost and we will be climate-change refugees,” Kabai said. Tong served as president of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016, and has meet with global leaders including former US president Barack Obama on climate advocacy. He urged the Australian government to do more to reduce climate change impacts, saying all nations must come together. “It’s not created by any single one country and addressing it requires a collective effort. It’s got to be a global effort,” Tong told Guardian Australia. “The tragedy is that people have not come to the realisation that it’s all of our problems and unless we address it, we might be hitting the tipping point, where climate change will become irreversible. The predictions of doom are not so unrealistic.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/24/former-president-of-kiribati-backs-legal-case-against-australia-over-inaction-on-climate-change
     
         
      Opinion: Nuclear power is a vital part of fighting climate change Mon, 24th Apr 2023 4:01:00
     
      Last week, Germany closed its last three nuclear power plants, becoming nuclear free for the first time in 62 years. While such decisions are rightfully the responsibility of the government and electorate in Germany, it seems to be a premature choice for a world facing a changing climate, driven by humanity’s ravenous consumption of carbon-based fossil fuels. And Germany is not alone. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, many countries began phasing out nuclear power plants, citing issues of nuclear safety and long-term storage of nuclear waste. While these are valid concerns, let’s take a high-level look at energy and the potential role of nuclear power generation. In any conversation about power, we must admit a few things. First is that our technological society requires power to thrive and the need for power is constantly growing. A second consideration is that power generated by burning fossil fuels is indelibly harming our environment. Carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels are heating the planet, with substantial ecological and geopolitical consequences. Taken together, these two facts suggest that humanity needs to find increasing sources of energy which emit a minimum amount of carbon. In 1980, the annual worldwide energy production amounted to about 88,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) and it grew to 176,000 TWh in 2021, doubling in four decades. During those 40 years, the sources of energy have changed only modestly. Fossil fuels supplied 80% of the world’s energy in 1980. In 2021, it was 77%. Nuclear power grew from 2% to 4%. The remainder was generated using traditional biomass and renewable energy, like solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower. The story is not the same worldwide. For example, in Germany a substantial investment in renewables is showing significant returns. When one compares the 1990 annual German power generation to 2022, one sees a modest increase in energy usage: 550 TWh (1990) vs. 570 TWh (2022). However, the sources of energy have changed dramatically. If one compares the 1990 to 2022 percentages, one finds fossil (64% vs. 46%), nuclear (29% vs. 6%) and renewables (6% vs. 44%). The balance is from other sources. Thus, we see that Germany is making significant strides towards a green future. The country is to be congratulated for taking the danger of climate change seriously. However, we see that even as proactive a country as Germany still gets nearly half of their energy from fossil fuels, with nearly half of that carbon-based energy from burning lignite, a particularly inefficient form of fuel. While all fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when burned, when lignite is burned, it releases more carbon dioxide to get the same amount of energy than other fossil fuels do. And even if they hit their goal of 80% of their energy generated by renewables by 2030, that still leaves 20% using fossil fuels. Would not generating that power from carbon-free nuclear power plants be preferable? Opponents of nuclear energy cite safety concerns and cost. By some measures, nuclear power is more expensive than other sources. However, cost comparisons can be tricky. Costs include more than the fuel and staff needed to generate energy. It includes costs to build the power plants and, in the case of carbon-based fuels, it should include the hidden cost of damages from increasingly violent storms caused by a heating planet. In the US, the regulatory process involved in building a nuclear power plant is slow and obstructive. An American plant can take a decade or more to build, while a similar plant in Japan can take five years from starting construction to attaching the plant on the grid. The difference is mostly because of the much longer regulatory review in the US. This is made worse by the fact that American plants often differ from one another. Streamlining the process and adopting a common reactor design can shave construction costs. And, of course, nuclear power plants emit no carbon dioxide and even the carbon emissions necessary to mine the fuel are relatively modest. Solar and wind power are excellent prospects for the future, and we should vigorously pursue them. However, the sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow. These green technologies require energy storage for a rainy day – literally. Nuclear power plants can run day and night, on breezy days and calm ones. Nuclear power generation is not a panacea. It does come with risks. We need to solve the problem of storing nuclear waste. The Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada was a good option, but public outcry shut down the project. Experts agree that the best choice for storing nuclear waste is in an underground facility that is “geologically stable,” which means one not prone to earthquakes or change of any kind. The most radioactive waste decays quickly, although some decay more slowly. The threat is substantially reduced in 100 years, and even more so in 1,000. The Yucca Mountain repository was designed to last even longer. America needs such a facility, and the government and nuclear industry should resume search for a suitable location to store the admittedly hazardous waste that is a byproduct of nuclear power generation. In addition, modern nuclear power plant designs generate less waste than earlier designs and further improvements should be pursued. The one thing we know about humanity is that it will continue to grow, with an associated need for energy. Nuclear power generation should be an important component of humanity’s energy future.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/24/opinions/nuclear-power-germany-vital-climate-change-lincoln/index.html
     
         
      China ramps up coal power despite carbon neutral pledges Mon, 24th Apr 2023 2:50:00
     
      Local governments approved more coal power in first three months of 2023 than all of 2021 Local governments in China approved more new coal power in the first three months of 2023 than in the whole of 2021, according to official documents. The approvals, analysed by Greenpeace, reveal that between January and March this year, at least 20.45 gigawatts of coal power was approved, up from 8.63GW in the same period in 2022. In the whole of 2021, 18GW of coal was approved. A Chinese Communist party (CCP) five-year plan from 2016 had placed a heavy emphasis on reducing the use of coal and developing clean energy sources. In 2020 Xi Jinping, China’s leader, pledged that the country would become carbon neutral by 2060. This prompted an era of reduced coal power approvals as local governments sought to keep their local economies in check with Beijing’s priorities. A rise in coal power approvals came in 2020 when the five-year plan came to an end, as local governments anticipated even tighter restrictions on coal expansion in the next round. But in 2021, China suffered huge power outages, leading to a dramatic shift in the CCP’s energy priorities. In September the price of electricity soared as factories reopened to service global demand as the rest of the world emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic. But the government had capped prices, so many power plants reduced output rather than operated at a loss. China relies on coal for more than half of its energy consumption. As homes in the colder north of the country faced the prospect of a gruelling winter without heat, the government’s rhetoric shifted from reducing coal to prioritising energy security. That resulted in a “myth that if you build more power plants, that will bring more energy security,” said Xie Wenwen, a climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace. The war in Ukraine, which sent global energy prices soaring, was “another huge event that fuelled the energy security narrative”. Campaigners argue that in order to meet China’s growing energy needs, it is not more coal that is needed, but a more flexible grid. A report published this month by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, noted that technologies for storing clean energy “are not yet mature enough to be deployed at the scale considered essential” for China’s plans to expand the use of renewable energy. More than 75% of China’s coal, wind, solar and hydro resources are in the west of the country, while more than 70% of power consumption happens in central and eastern China. Five provinces on the east coast account for nearly two-fifths of China’s total consumption. Policymakers have yet to find a solution for efficiently rebalancing this problem. Still, in the 14th five-year plan, which covers the period until 2025, the government said that more than half of increased energy demands in that period should be covered by renewables. Between 2010 and 2021, renewable generation increased by an average annual rate of 19.2%, primarily from wind and solar power. But last year Xi said that coal would remain a mainstay of China’s energy mix that “would be hard to change in the short term”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/24/china-ramps-up-coal-power-despite-carbon-neutral-pledges
     
         
      Chris Packham calls for ‘every last person who cares’ to join XR Sat, 22nd Apr 2023 23:49:00
     
      Wildlife presenter urges people to join action on climate crisis during mass protest supported by more than 200 organisations The wildlife presenter Chris Packham has made a rallying call for “every last person who cares” about the planet to join Extinction Rebellion after thousands took part in a demonstration on Saturday. The 61-year-old broadcaster spoke to the crowd from a stage close to Parliament Square, Westminster, during the second day of a mass protest the climate group has called The Big One. About 50,000 people are expected to join the action between 21 and 24 April, which has garnered support from more than 200 organisations including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. On Saturday, which is also the 53rd Earth Day, Packham told protesters their “mission” was to “build as wide a community as possible”. He said: “Our planet is in crisis and if we don’t take action then we will not protect that life, which includes us. One thing is clear and that is that we need to step up … We want every last person who cares to get involved because caring is not enough.” Packham commended two Just Stop Oil protesters who were jailed on Friday after scaling the Dartford Crossing Bridge in Kent for “sacrificing” their freedom through the “enormous act of bravery”. Morgan Trowland, 40, was imprisoned for three years over the stunt, while Marcus Decker, 34, was jailed for two years and seven months. In contrast to this protest, The Big One aims to cause minimal disruption so that it is accessible to all. Many activists attended with their children to inspire the next generation to join their ranks. Edwina Lawson, 42, who was at Parliament Square with her children, aged three and six, said XR’s protests were “easier” for families to support than Just Stop Oil, but she felt more radical activists were “very, very brave”. The GP from Tottenham, north London, said: “Like everyone else, I’m really, really concerned that the powers that be are not paying attention to the climate crisis and things are getting worse.” Indicating her children, she said: “They’re the ones who are going to inherit the lack of care that’s being taken now. “I think there’s so much positive that could be done about the energy that we use, and you could create so many jobs through renewables and I think changing energy sources is the number one demand.” Veteran XR protester Jo Clark, 39, also from Tottenham, said she felt “heartened to see so many people come out in support”. Clark, who works in the arts and was holding her one-year-old toddler, said schools were failing to teach children about the climate crisis and she wanted the government to “buck up and deal with it”. She said: “There’s still plenty of opportunity to deal with the climate crisis and it’s not being done by central government in any way, shape or form. “We declared a climate emergency in legislation but there is nothing that’s being done to meet those targets. We’re continuing to licence new gas and oil which is going to continue to drive us over the edge … It is scary, but buck up and deal with it.” Beyond Parliament Square, thousands more activists staged a “die-in” by lying on the pavement at the Mall – aiming to represent the potential future extinction of humanity due to global heating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/22/chris-packham-calls-for-every-last-person-who-cares-to-join-xr
     
         
      ‘Appalling’ Earth Day greenwashing must not detract from message, says protest founder Sat, 22nd Apr 2023 9:10:00
     
      Denis Hayes, who coordinated the first event in 1970, denounces fossil fuel companies that use the event to get positive publicity Corporate greenwashing should not undermine the message behind Earth Day and has nothing to do with its original aims, one of the founders of the annual environmental event has warned. Denis Hayes, the American environmental activist who coordinated the first Earth Day in 1970, denounced the “appalling” environmental messaging by oil, gas and other extractive companies and said he hoped it did not distract attention from the threats posed by the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, which he compared to the threat of nuclear conflict during the cold war. Protests and events have been planned across the globe for this year’s Earth day, with millions of people expected to take part today. Hayes was hired to organise a national teach-in about environmentalism by the US senator Gaylord Nelson while at Harvard in 1970, and helped transform it into the largest environmental movement in history. About 20 million people across the US took part on the first Earth Day on 22 April 1970 and public pressure from the event is credited with ensuring the passing of the 1972 Clean Water Act. It has since become a global movement, with China, the US and the UK among dozens of countries to sign the Paris agreement on the 2016 Earth Day. Speaking to the Guardian, Hayes acknowledged that many companies now use Earth Day as an opportunity for greenwashing, but added that the movement has also encouraged companies to change. “[Earth Day] is abused rather frequently. Of course, it’s particularly upsetting to me when it’s an event that I’ve had something to do with. I take some solace in the fact that I think relatively few people anywhere are motivated to accept the sentiment behind ‘Earth Day at Exxon’. It just doesn’t pass the giggle test,” he said. “In 1970, we were focusing on the fact that schoolchildren were not allowed to go outside for recess because the air was too filthy, that streams that people swam and fished in were no longer accessible because they were laced with poison, and we were spraying everything with pesticides. These were important but more local issues. Now, the big global issues like climate change and the epidemic of extinctions are more in tune with Earth Day, somewhat akin to the threat of thermonuclear war was when I was young,” he said. Corporate green claims are being increasingly scrutinised in the US, EU and the UK, with rules being tightened about what companies can say about the environmental credentials of their products and services. As well as encouraging genuine action to tackle the climate crisis, Earth Day has become a focal point for greenwashing. “As early as 1990 when suddenly we were starting to get a fair amount of prominence once again, we had some of the most appalling clear cutters in the United States trumpeting their environmental credentials,” said Hayes. “We held a press conference to condemn their misuse of the name. In Houston, Enron actually sponsored a big Earth Day festival. It’s appalling but I can’t think of anything to do about it. “It has nothing to do with the original sentiments that we had, or the things that motivate millions of people every year to come out and do something positive for the environment,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/22/appalling-earth-day-greenwashing-a-risk-to-progress-says-protest-founder-aoe
     
         
      ‘Appalling’ Earth Day greenwashing must not detract from message, says protest founder Sat, 22nd Apr 2023 9:10:00
     
      Denis Hayes, who coordinated the first event in 1970, denounces fossil fuel companies that use the event to get positive publicity Corporate greenwashing should not undermine the message behind Earth Day and has nothing to do with its original aims, one of the founders of the annual environmental event has warned. Denis Hayes, the American environmental activist who coordinated the first Earth Day in 1970, denounced the “appalling” environmental messaging by oil, gas and other extractive companies and said he hoped it did not distract attention from the threats posed by the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, which he compared to the threat of nuclear conflict during the cold war. Protests and events have been planned across the globe for this year’s Earth day, with millions of people expected to take part today. Hayes was hired to organise a national teach-in about environmentalism by the US senator Gaylord Nelson while at Harvard in 1970, and helped transform it into the largest environmental movement in history. About 20 million people across the US took part on the first Earth Day on 22 April 1970 and public pressure from the event is credited with ensuring the passing of the 1972 Clean Water Act. It has since become a global movement, with China, the US and the UK among dozens of countries to sign the Paris agreement on the 2016 Earth Day. Speaking to the Guardian, Hayes acknowledged that many companies now use Earth Day as an opportunity for greenwashing, but added that the movement has also encouraged companies to change. “[Earth Day] is abused rather frequently. Of course, it’s particularly upsetting to me when it’s an event that I’ve had something to do with. I take some solace in the fact that I think relatively few people anywhere are motivated to accept the sentiment behind ‘Earth Day at Exxon’. It just doesn’t pass the giggle test,” he said. “In 1970, we were focusing on the fact that schoolchildren were not allowed to go outside for recess because the air was too filthy, that streams that people swam and fished in were no longer accessible because they were laced with poison, and we were spraying everything with pesticides. These were important but more local issues. Now, the big global issues like climate change and the epidemic of extinctions are more in tune with Earth Day, somewhat akin to the threat of thermonuclear war was when I was young,” he said. Corporate green claims are being increasingly scrutinised in the US, EU and the UK, with rules being tightened about what companies can say about the environmental credentials of their products and services. As well as encouraging genuine action to tackle the climate crisis, Earth Day has become a focal point for greenwashing. “As early as 1990 when suddenly we were starting to get a fair amount of prominence once again, we had some of the most appalling clear cutters in the United States trumpeting their environmental credentials,” said Hayes. “We held a press conference to condemn their misuse of the name. In Houston, Enron actually sponsored a big Earth Day festival. It’s appalling but I can’t think of anything to do about it. “It has nothing to do with the original sentiments that we had, or the things that motivate millions of people every year to come out and do something positive for the environment,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/22/appalling-earth-day-greenwashing-a-risk-to-progress-says-protest-founder-aoe
     
         
      How an Arctic snow school aims to respond to climate crisis with Inuit help Fri, 21st Apr 2023 16:12:00
     
      Canadian project plans to strengthen understanding of Arctic environment by drawing on Indigenous knowledge Alexandre Langlois was surprised to learn that snow that has stayed on the ground for a couple days in the Arctic can be heard even before it is felt. Margaret Kanayok, an Inuk elder from Ulukhaktok, an Inuit community in the neighbouring Northwest Territories, had come to speak to a group of scientists who had gathered to attend the world’s first Arctic snow school, being held in Nunavut, Canada. Kanayok was born and raised in an igloo for nearly 12 years of her childhood, and she clearly remembered what playing in snow was like more than five decades ago. Her own elders had often said the snow around them made different sounds, with “pukak” – or snow with bigger grains at the bottom – making a distinctive sound as you walk over it. For Langlois, who researches extreme weather and has spent more than three decades in the snow sciences, this information was revelatory. “This is very important information because that type of grain size and snow layer really scatters our microwave signals and we always need to dig to try and find deeper snow ourselves,” he said in an interview. “This will make our lives a lot easier for the next few years, trying to find those deeper snow layers to measure them.” Langlois, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, set up the snow school with Florent Domine, a professor at Laval University, to bring Indigenous knowledge and western science into conversation with each other. The need to understand how snow reacts to weather inputs grows more urgent as the climate crisis gathers force, but, as Domine says, scientists simply know more about Alpine snow – right in the heart of Europe – than they do about Arctic snow. As a result, much of the data gathered from the Arctic is “punctual in space and time”. In other words, it is collected from specific locations in the Arctic and only at specific times of each year. Langlois said this had created information gaps, because the data is not compiled year-round or across the region, which means that data models are not comprehensive. Langlois added: “There are a lot of snow models in a community that [have not been based on] fieldwork and this is when you get into the field and you realise how complex Arctic snow is. “To understand the complexity and depth, you need to develop snow models for which you need to have the ground-level measurement. To me, it’s critical to see and taste and feel the snow that you are trying to model and retrieve [information about] remotely.” Working at the low Arctic temperatures was a whole new challenge for some of the young researchers who had come to the school. “When you look at the electronics and technology, they’re always saying that working temperatures should be 0-4C,” said Langlois. “But here, sometimes we’re at -40C.” At times, equipment stopped working altogether.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/21/arctic-snow-school-respond-climate-crisis-inuit-help
     
         
      Labor promises to ‘grab this opportunity’ to become renewable energy superpower Fri, 21st Apr 2023 13:51:00
     
      ‘To see this at the heart of government planning is an overwhelming relief,’ Energy Council says, while investors warn of impact from US energy package The Albanese government has promised to “grab this opportunity” to become a renewable energy superpower after holding a high-level roundtable with major banks, financiers and investment managers. The Friday roundtable in Brisbane comes after the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said on Monday that next month’s federal budget would see major investments in “cleaner and cheaper” energy. Chalmers joined more than 30 figures from clean energy and climate, including representatives of investors and superannuation funds with more than $2tn under management. But investors at the Brisbane roundtable warned the US government’s multi-billion dollar package to attract and build clean energy projects risked making it harder to attract finance for projects in Australia. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act is creating a huge clean energy momentum that will drive down costs, but Australia will need to act quickly to take advantage of the shift, investors said. Chalmers said: “the most important part of our strategy to grow the Australian economy is grabbing these opportunities for cleaner and cheaper energy. “The government and the investment community understand that our prospects in this defining decade will be determined by how we manage and maximise this clean energy transformation.” Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads He again signalled a theme of next month’s budget would be clean energy and investments in industry “so Australia can be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the net zero transformation and not the victim of that transformation”. Investors and clean energy groups welcomed the roundtable – which included the climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen – saying it signalled the government’s intent to put a clean energy transition at the front of its economic agenda. After the roundtable, the government said it would create a “sovereign green bonds” program to be rolled out mid-2024 to raise finance for public projects that support Australia’s net zero transformation. Bonds give investors regular interest payments with a promise to return the principal at the end of a fixed term. The government would also co-fund a development phase of an “Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy” – a project to help investors more easily target their funds towards particular kinds of sustainability projects. The government also announced it would expand and upgrade a national energy rating scheme for existing homes “which means people will be able to seek a star rating of their home’s energy performance”, a statement said. An extra $4.3m would go to corporate watchdog Asic to allow it to expand “surveillance and enforcement functions” on businesses making green claims. Concerns were raised during the roundtable that the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act – a US$369bn package of climate measures and incentives passed last year – was making it harder to attract capital to Australia. Anna Freeman, policy director at the Clean Energy Council who attended the roundtable, said: “The IR Act means we are facing some real risks and challenges that we will need to respond to, and the government is alert to that.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/22/labor-promises-to-grab-this-opportunity-to-become-renewable-energy-superpower
     
         
      ‘There’s a lot of posturing’: Europe’s nuclear divide grows as one plant opens and three close Fri, 21st Apr 2023 12:53:00
     
      Europe’s first new plant in 16 years comes on stream in Finland day after Germany pulls plug on last reactors When Europe’s first new nuclear reactor in 16 years came online in Finland, it was hailed by its operator as a “significant addition to clean domestic production” that would “play an important role in the green transition”. The opening last Sunday of the long-delayed Olkiluoto 3 plant, Europe’s largest, means about 40% of Finland’s electricity demand will soon be met by nuclear power, which the government says will boost energy security and help it achieve its carbon neutrality targets. Across the Baltic Sea and just hours before the Finnish plant came on stream, Germany was finally pulling the plug on its last three nuclear power plants, shutting down the steaming towers of Isar II, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II reactors late on Saturday. The environmental group Greenpeace, at the heart of Germany’s long-lived and powerful anti-nuclear movement, organised a party at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. “Finally, nuclear energy belongs to history,” it proclaimed. There are few clearer illustrations of Europe’s nuclear divide. One faction, led by Germany, argues that the costs are too high and the risks – from reactor accidents and toxic waste – are, as the Green environment minister, Steffi Lemke, put it, “ultimately unmanageable”. Another, headed by France, argues equally forcefully that nuclear power is a reliable, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels for electricity, and that phasing it out as Europe tries to meet vital green targets is ecologically damaging and economically senseless. The debate is not new. But with a third of the bloc’s nuclear reactors nearing the end of their original lifespan by 2025, and a legally binding aim of cutting net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030, it is becoming increasingly intense. The energy shock that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which brought an end to cheap gas imports and led Germany to briefly delay closing its last nuclear plants, has only entrenched the divisions. “There’s a lot of posturing,” the centrist MEP Pascal Canfin, who chairs the European parliament’s environment committee, said. “Different member states have made very different choices and have very different positions – and interests. “There’s scope for convergence and compromise. But given the sheer quantity of additional electricity we will need, both sides have to recognise we need every available solution … We have to take the politics and ideology out of this.” According to Eurostat, 25.4% of the EU’s electricity was nuclear generated in 2021, with 100-odd reactors in 13 member states. France, which has 56 operable nuclear reactors, accounting for just over half of that total. The divide across the bloc, though, is stark. If France has the highest share of nuclear in its electricity mix (almost 70%), followed by Slovakia (52.4%) and Belgium (50.6%), others hardly touch it. The Netherlands stands at barely 3%. Germany’s opposition to nuclear goes back a long way; it was the main issue behind the launch of the country’s Green movement. Major accidents at Three Mile Island, Chornobyl and Fukushima reinforced an essentially ideological conviction. Advocates of its “Energiewende” green transition plan note that the 46% share of its electricity generated by renewables is far greater than the share that was produced by nuclear when its phase-out was first announced in 1998. While its plan, aimed at winning long-term public and industry support, will increase fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in the short term (coal is due to be phased out by 2038 or earlier), Germany argues it will also stimulate renewables growth. Immediate energy supply concerns meant public opinion swung against the shutdown last weekend, but polls before the war in Ukraine showed broad support for the principle. Other countries hold similar views. Several have already phased out nuclear, or plan to do so. Italy shut all its plants in 1990, after a 1987 referendum (in a 2011 plebiscite, held weeks after the Fukushima disaster, 94% of voters rejected a government plan to reintroduce nuclear power). Belgium was planning to close the last of its seven reactors by 2025, but recently extended the life of the two newest for a further decade, saying they were “critical to our energy security”. Spain aims to phase out its five active plants by 2035. Other opponents include Portugal, Denmark and Austria – which, along with Luxembourg, is suing the European Commission for classing nuclear energy as a “bridge technology” on the path to net zero, and thus as a “green” investment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/21/europe-nuclear-divide-grows-one-plant-opens-three-close-finland-germany
     
         
      Human, economic, environmental toll of climate change on the rise: WMO Fri, 21st Apr 2023 10:43:00
     
      The relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities around the world last year, compounding threats to people’s lives and livelihoods, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday. WMO latest State of the Global Climate report shows that the last eight years were the eight warmest on record, and that sea level rise and ocean warming hit new highs. Record levels of greenhouse gases caused “planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere”. The organization says its report, released ahead of this year’s Mother Earth Day, echoes UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for “deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius”, as well as “massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis”. WMO Secretary-General, Prof. Petteri Taalas, said that amid rising greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate, “populations worldwide continue to be gravely impacted by extreme weather and climate events”. He stressed that last year, “continuous drought in East Africa, record breaking rainfall in Pakistan and record-breaking heatwaves in China and Europe affected tens of millions, drove food insecurity, boosted mass migration, and cost billions of dollars in loss and damage.” WMO highlights the importance of investing in climate monitoring and early warning systems to help mitigate the humanitarian impacts of extreme weather. The report also points out that today, improved technology makes the transition to renewable energy “cheaper and more accessible than ever”. Warmest years on record The State of the Global Climate report complements the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment report released a month ago, which includes data up to 2020. WMO’s new figures show that global temperatures have continued to rise, making the years 2015 to 2022 the eight warmest ever since regular tracking started in 1850. WMO notes that this was despite three consecutive years of a cooling La Niña climate pattern. WMO says concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide – reached record highs in 2021, which is the latest year for which consolidated data is available, and that there are indications of a continued increase in 2022. Indicators ‘off the charts’ According to the report, “melting of glaciers and sea level rise - which again reached record levels in 2022 - will continue to up to thousands of years”. WMO further highlights that “Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record and the melting of some European glaciers was, literally, off the charts”. Sea level rise, which threatens the existence of coastal communities and sometimes entire countries, has been fuelled not only by melting glaciers and ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica, but also by the expansion of the volume of oceans due to heat. WMO notes that ocean warming has been “particularly high in the past two decades”. Deadly consequences The report examines the many socio-economic impacts of extreme weather, which have wreaked havoc in the lives of the most vulnerable around the world. Five consecutive years of drought in East Africa, in conjunction with other factors such as armed conflict, have brought devastating food insecurity to 20 million people across the region. Extensive flooding in Pakistan caused by severe rainfall in July and August last year killed over 1,700 people, while some 33 million were affected. WMO highlights that total damage and economic losses were assessed at $30 billion, and that by October 2022, around 8 million people had been internally displaced by the floods. The report also notes that in addition to putting scores of people on the move, throughout the year, hazardous climate and weather-related events “worsened conditions” for many of the 95 million people already living in displacement. Threat to ecosystems Environmental impacts of climate change are another focus of the report, which highlights a shift in recurring events in nature, “such as when trees blossom, or birds migrate”. The flowering of cherry trees in Japan has been tracked since the ninth century, and in 2021 the date of the event was the earliest recorded in 1,200 years. As a result of such shifts, entire ecosystems can be upended. WMO notes that spring arrival times of over a hundred European migratory bird species over five decades “show increasing levels of mismatch to other spring events”, such as the moment when trees produce leaves and insects take flight, which are important for bird survival. The report says these mismatches “are likely to have contributed to population decline in some migrant species, particularly those wintering in sub-Saharan Africa”, and to the ongoing destruction of biodiversity.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135852
     
         
      Germany plans to ban installation of most oil and gas heating from 2024 Thu, 20th Apr 2023 16:55:00
     
      Bill due before Bundestag in June would encourage homeowners to switch to renewables Germany plans to ban the installation of most oil and gas heating systems from next year, with proposals approved on Wednesday triggering angry divisions in the cabinet. The radical plans are designed to transform Germany’s heating systems in an attempt to meet net zero emission targets that critics have called unworkable and discriminatory. About half of Germany’s 41m households currently use natural gas heating, and almost a quarter use heating oil. Championed by the economics minister, Robert Habeck of the Greens, the bill is due to come to parliament in June. But the pro-business FDP has lashed out, calling it the equivalent of an “atomic bomb” for Germany and expressing concerns about its effect on the economy, the burden it will put on poorer households and the technical practicalities of implementing it. The FDP’s leader, Christian Lindner, who is also the finance minister, indicated in a protocol note sent to his cabinet colleagues that he was prepared to support the bill only if changes were made. He said he feared the budget needed to carry out the task would in effect blow up Germany’s tight debt control mechanisms. The party’s general secretary, Bijan Djir-Sarai, said the proposal was not practical and would have to be changed. The opposition CDU, which has said it would oppose the bill, has called it a “crowbar reform”, and Jens Spahn, the vice-parliamentary group leader, said his party would “do everything possible to ensure this law doesn’t happen in this form”. Environmentalists have largely welcomed the proposal, with Greenpeace calling it a long overdue milestone. Many experts have said it does not go far enough. Habeck said it was a necessary part of Germany’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2045, and he said the country was lagging behind. “Comparative to other countries who’ve done this earlier, we’re starting late with this,” he said, referring to Nordic countries, which are far less reliant on fossil fuels to heat their homes. He hit back at the criticism from the FDP, saying that “gazing in astonishment at a problem does not make things better”. If the bill is passed in June, it will enact a virtual ban on the installation of gas and oil heating from 2024. It will require almost all newly installed heating systems to run on 65% renewable energy in new as well as old buildings, in which defunct models would need to be replaced. Homeowners will be encouraged to install heat pumps to run on renewable sources of electricity, or to switch to district heating, electric or solar thermal systems. Biomass heat, hydrogen and gas obtained from an approved environmentally friendly source, such as biomethane, will all be encouraged under a programme of subsidy payments of 10-40% for each heating system,. In addition, “Klimabonis” or additional climate bonus payments, will be available in certain cases, for instance if someone voluntarily switches to a more climate-friendly system, regardless of their income. The challenge will be to make these energy sources more readily available. Other questions relate to a shortage of heating engineers – industry estimates a shortfall of 60,000 workers – supply chain problems and lack of technological development. Heat pumps are still thought unsuitable for many older types of houses, for which they require large amounts of electricity to be effective, even as the bigger heating sector providers are working feverishly to improve the systems. Homeowners over the age of 80 will be exempted from having to switch to new systems, as will those who receive social welfare benefits. Germany’s Association of Local Utilities (VKU), which governs municipal infrastructure, urged the government to extend the transition periods, calling the proposed law an “emotional rollercoaster”. A poll by the Forsa Institute showed 78% of Germans were against the plans and 62% expected heating bills to increase as a result of the move to renewables. The scheme is initially expected to cost German taxpayers about €9.16bn a year until 2028, decreasing to €5bn from 2029 as renewable energy expansion and a reduction in the cost of heat pumps because of mass production help to offset costs. It is to be financed from the €180bn Climate and Transformation Fund, into which the money raised from a CO2 emission levy on fossil fuels is paid. A large segment of this fund is already dedicated to building insulation projects to make them more energy efficient, prompting concerns that finances may be tight. Fines of €5,000-€50,000 can be imposed on people failing to abide by the law. The discussion about phasing out gas heating in Germany was the preserve of environment experts until Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which halted gas and oil supplies from Russia and turbo-charged the decision to switch from fossil fuel imports. Last week, Germany turned off the last of its three working nuclear power plants, after decades of discussion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/20/germany-plans-to-ban-installation-of-most-oil-and-gas-heating-from-2024
     
         
      ‘Extremism is not the answer’ when it comes to decarbonisation, says Woodside chief Thu, 20th Apr 2023 15:00:00
     
      CEO Meg O’Neill says developing new supply is necessary to keeping ‘energy affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower carbon future’ Woodside chief executive, Meg O’Neill, says Australia needs new gas developments to protect against an energy shock, and has warned that well-funded protest groups risk choking supplies. The oil and gas company head said Woodside projects were also needed for decarbonisation, with gas used as an alternative to coal for electricity generation as the international community works to meet climate goals. “A vocal minority wants to shut down the industry and the jobs and livelihoods that go with it,” O’Neill said in an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday. “We respect every Australian’s right to express their opinion – and we share the commitment to decarbonisation – but extremism is not the answer. We need confidence in stable regulatory outcomes, or we risk choking our energy industry, impacting both domestic and international supply.” As Australia’s largest oil and gas company, Woodside has long been a focus of fossil fuel protests. But it has also recently attracted more attention from major investors, unhappy with its climate policies. LGIM, one of Europe’s largest asset managers, will vote against the re-election of Woodside’s most senior director, former resources minister Ian Macfarlane, at the company’s annual general meeting late next week. It is citing a “lack of commitment to aligning with the Paris objectives and net zero” for its position, referring to the global framework designed to limit global heating. Investors and climate groups are also seeking more clarity about Woodside’s proposed decarbonisation plans, and want the company to hold itself accountable for scope 3 emissions, representing those produced by its oil and gas customers. O’Neill cited the recent interruptions in energy supplies, exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as evidence of a need to expand operations. “The longer-term answer is development of new supply to keep energy affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower carbon future,” O’Neill said. “But new gas supply and infrastructure cannot just be turned on when a crisis happens. It requires a clear investment framework and regulatory certainty to attract the capital from international markets that is needed for large-scale projects.” O’Neill also referenced concerns recently raised by Japanese energy producer Inpex that Australia risked undermining global security through a decision to “quietly quit” the international gas trade. Japan is heavily reliant on gas supplies from Australia. Climate Energy Finance, a consultancy firm that advocates for reducing emissions, said in a new report that Woodside will expose itself to a multi-billion dollar liability if it progresses plans to expand gas operations in Western Australia’s north-west. “This is a clear commercial signal for Woodside to invest in decarbonisation,” the report said. The forecast liability is tied to the government’s safeguard mechanism, a policy designed to make major industrial and resources companies cut their emissions intensity. Woodside has said it includes a cost of carbon in its business analysis and decision-making. On Wednesday, O’Neill affirmed the company’s support to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution. Woodside has had a troubled relationship with traditional custodians given it has significant industrial operations on the Burrup Peninsula, the site of renowned rock engravings. O’Neill said ongoing developments did not require the removal of Murujuga rock art, a practice it engaged in during past operations. “We did it in a way that was culturally sensitive at the time, but in the light of hindsight, it’s not something we would repeat,” O’Neill said. Indigenous groups, environmentalists and archaeologists opposed Woodside’s actions at the time and unsuccessfully sought a heritage listing to protect the site in 2006.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/19/extremism-is-not-the-answer-when-it-comes-to-decarbonisation-says-woodside-chief
     
         
      Current climate polices 'a death sentence' for the world, warns Guterres Thu, 20th Apr 2023 9:45:00
     
      If governments continue with the same environmental policies currently in place, the world will become 2.8°C hotter by the end of the century, which would be “a death sentence”, warned the UN chief on Thursday. Antonio Guterres was addressing via videolink, the fourth meeting of the Major Economies Forum, convened by the United States President Joe Biden, which is designed to galvanize efforts to keep the global temperature rise of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, within reach – in line with the Paris Agreement. Biggest coffers, biggest emitters “You are the major economies – but also the major emitters. And our world has a major climate challenge before us”, said the Secretary-General in his remarks to world leaders. “Today’s policies would make our world 2.8 degrees hotter by the end of the century. And this is a death sentence.” He said the possibility remains, of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C: “But only if the world takes a quantum leap in climate action. And that depends on you. We need global acceleration through cooperation. And that means rising above disagreements, differences and tensions.” Solidarity Pact He insisted that geopolitical division must not be allowed to torpedo the world’s climate fight, highlighting once again his proposal for a G20 industrialized nations’ Climate Solidarity Pact, where big emitters “make extra efforts to cut emissions; and wealthier countries support emerging economies to achieve this.” He reiterated the need for accelerated action in three areas. First, “net zero deadlines”, calling on developed countries to reach net zero emissions as close as possible, to 2040, while leaders of emerging economies, aim for 2050. “Second, I urge you to accelerate your move away from fossil fuels and towards a fair and just decarbonization of every sector. Renewables can deliver – on access, affordability, and energy security.” ‘Climate justice’ Thirdly, he called for accelerated climate justice, through reforming the international financial system, especially the Multilateral Development Banks, so that climate action and sustainable development can be “turbocharged”. “You have the power to ensure that they leverage their funds to mobilize much more private finance at reasonable cost to developing countries, and that they end all support for fossil fuels”, he told leaders of major economies. “You can pressure them to urgently transition and scale-up their funding to renewables, adaptation, and loss and damage.” He said all developed countries had to deliver on their promises made at previous UN climate change summits, with adaptation funding reaching 50 per cent of all financing, Success or failure 'on your watch' “And the loss and damage fund must be operationalized; and the Green Climate Fund must be replenished”, said Mr. Guterres. He welcomed the proactive approach of countries which have already got involved in the Acceleration Agenda to the Climate Ambition Summit, which will take place in New York in September: “Excellencies…I hope to see you there. Because this final fight for 1.5 degrees will be won or lost on your watch”, the UN chief concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135862
     
         
      Accelerating melt of ice sheets now 'unmistakable' Thu, 20th Apr 2023 9:24:00
     
      If you could shape an ice cube out of all the ice losses from Greenland and Antarctica over the past three decades, it would stand 20km high. An international group of scientists who work with satellite data say the acceleration in the melting of Earth's ice sheets is now unmistakable. They calculate the planet's frozen poles lost 7,560 billion tonnes in mass between 1992 and 2022. Seven of the worst melting years have occurred in the past decade. Mass loss from Greenland and Antarctica is now responsible for a quarter of all sea-level rise. This contribution is five times what it was 30 years ago. The latest assessment comes from the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise, or Imbie. This project, which is supported by the US and European space agencies, issues regular reviews of the state of the planet's ice sheets. This is the third such report, and like the previous studies, it has collated and reviewed all available satellite measurements. It includes the observations from orbit of some 50 spacecraft missions from 1992. That particular year was when orbiting instruments best suited to studying the elevation and velocity of ice started overflying the poles routinely. The 7,560 billion tonnes of ice lost from Greenland and Antarctica during the study period pushed up sea-levels by 21mm. Almost two-thirds (13.5mm) of this was due to melting in Greenland; one-third (7.4mm) was the result of melting in Antarctica. "All this has profound implications for coastal communities around the world and their risk of being exposed to flooding and erosion," said Dr Inès Otosaka from the UK's Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM), who led the latest assessment. "It's really important that we have robust estimates for the future contribution to seal-level rise from the ice sheets so that we can go to these communities and say, 'Yes, we understand what is happening and we can now start to plan mitigations'," she told BBC News. The worst year of melting was in 2019 when the ice sheets lost a combined 612 billion tonnes. Most of this - 444 billion tonnes - was the result of an exceptional heat wave in the Arctic during its summer. Melting in Antarctica has been happening predominantly in its peninsula region - the finger of land that extends towards South America - and in the west of the continent where its ice margin is being eaten away from below by relatively warm ocean waters. Sea-level rise is driven by a number of factors, including the thermal expansion of water in a hotter world; the run-off of meltwaters from glaciers outside the ice sheets; and changes in the amount of water held on the continents. In the early 90s, ice sheet melting accounted for only a small fraction (5.6%) of the total sea-level rise budget. Now, it's responsible for more than a quarter (25.6 %). A five-fold increase. "Accelerating ice sheet losses mean we're looking in the next decade at a marked rise in the rate of sea-level rise," said Prof Andrew Shepherd, from Northumbria University and the founder of Imbie. "In past decades, it's been about 3mm a year. Soon, we will see 4mm, 5mm, 6mm per year; and this will be a big psychological change from what we've been used to."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65317469
     
         
      The world’s biggest banks are still pouring money into fossil fuels Thu, 20th Apr 2023 7:54:00
     
      Banks have pledged to go green, but last year they poured billions of dollars into expanding the capacity of fossil fuel production despite the accelerating climate crisis. Banks provided $673 billion to finance the fossil fuel industry last year, even as oil and gas companies made $4 trillion in profits, according to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, authored by a group of nonprofits including The Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club. While Canadian banks are providing a rising share of the money, US lenders still dominate the market and accounted for 28% of all fossil fuel financing in 2022, said the report. At the top of that list is JPMorgan Chase, the largest funder of fossil fuels cumulatively since the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed in 2016, according to the report. Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America are also among the top five fossil financiers since 2016, the report found. “Major US banks stalled on their net-zero plans and failed to adopt stronger and more robust financing restrictions for companies pushing unsustainable fossil fuel expansion,” said Adele Shraiman, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Fossil-Free Finance Campaign, in a statement. Oil and gas companies have seen skyrocketing growth as the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine sent prices soaring, challenging people’s quality of life and financial stability. The global oil and gas industry’s profits jumped to $4 trillion in 2022, up from an average of $1.5 trillion in recent years, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said in February. High prices have swelled profits for energy companies, leaving them flush with cash. And their shareholders are feeling that windfall thanks to huge stock buyback programs. The record profits come after the world’s 60 largest private banks provided $5.5 trillion in finance for fossil fuels over the past seven years, according to the report. JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Bank of America are all members of the UN’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a group of banks committed to achieving carbon neutrality in their operations by 2050. “By turning their backs on their climate pledges and doubling down on their support for the fossil fuel industry, Wall Street banks are increasing the likelihood of systemic risks to the economy, including a coastal property values collapse, a carbon bubble crash, and insurance market turmoil,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement. A spokesperson from the Net Zero Banking Alliance previously told CNN that comprehensive transitional plans “will require years to plan and execute.” An immediate divestment from existing fossil fuel positions could lead to “extreme market shocks” that could “profoundly impact the world’s most vulnerable people,” the spokesperson added. “We provide financing across the energy sector: supporting energy security, helping clients accelerate their low carbon transition and increasing clean energy financing with a target of $1 trillion for green initiatives by 2030,” Charlotte Powell, head of sustainability communications at JPMorgan told CNN. The Banking on Climate Chaos report, which has been published for 14 years, examines the fossil fuel funding of the 60 largest banks in the world. Its authors also include BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, and Urgewald. Tesla is a victim of the price war it started Tesla helped kick off an EV price war, reports my CNN colleague Chris Isidore. Now, those lower prices are hitting the company’s sales and profits. The automaker earned about 22% less in the first quarter than it did last year and its profits fell even more compared to the third and fourth quarters of 2022. That comes after Tesla cut its prices four times this quarter, and twice this month alone. Even with record car deliveries, the lower prices caused revenue to fall $1.3 billion compared to the fourth quarter. Asked about the future direction of its profit margins, Tesla executives declined to give any guidance. “This is a difficult environment to make a projection like this. There’s a lot of macro uncertainty,” said CFO Zachary Kirkhorn. “There’s also headwinds and tailwinds.” On a call with investors, CEO Elon Musk defended the price cuts, even if it means lower profit margins in the near term. “While we reduced prices considerably in early Q1, it’s worth noting that our operating margin remains among the best in the industry,” he said. “We’ve taken a view that pushing for higher volumes and a larger fleet is the right choice here versus a lower volume and higher margins.” A warning about strong early earnings reports Investors are expecting an earnings recession this quarter. But so far, the companies reporting have largely beaten estimates. That’s lead to some early optimism about how the first quarter may shake out. Those investors should put away their party hats, said Bryan Reilly, a portfolio manager at CIBC Private Wealth US, in a note on Wednesday. “While the first quarter earnings of large cap financials have come in reasonably strong and better than feared, investors should not get a false sense of security from these early reports,” he wrote. “Weakening in retail sales, industrial production, and services as the first quarter progressed has shown that the Fed rate hikes have begun to bite at economic growth. That slower growth coupled with higher costs remaining sticky for most companies has forced a rethinking of the path of corporate profit margins.” And even though companies are beating estimates, they’re not beating by as much as they usually do. S&P 500 companies are surpassing earnings-per-share estimates by 7.9% in aggregate, according to recent FactSet data. That’s below the 5-year average of 8.4%. As of FactSet’s most recent report, the overall earnings decline for S&P 500 companies this quarter is expected to be around 6.5%. That would mark the largest earnings decline since 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/20/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html
     
         
      Green hydrogen could become a vital British industry Wed, 19th Apr 2023 18:59:00
     
      Writing off investment in transitioning the gas sector would repeat the mistake of renewables, writes Andy Prendergast I read your article with interest (Blending hydrogen into gas heating ‘could add almost £200’ to UK bills, 11 April). Hydrogen costs are falling in line with investment, similar to the fall in the cost of wind power over the last decade. The prize of green hydrogen – a truly zero-carbon fuel, cheaply produced using wind power – could be within reach, if we get the investment right. Heat pumps are also unsuited to much of Britain’s outdated housing stock. GMB represents tens of thousands of members in the gas industry. The substitution of hydrogen for natural gas can deliver a just transition in a range of industrial and domestic settings. Writing off such a solution when other countries are investing heavily in the technology threatens the future of those workers’ jobs. The UK risks repeating the mistakes of the renewables programme, when we failed to build up a domestic industrial base, which has left us reliant on imports (many of them from despotic regimes). There is a historic opportunity here to create a new export-led industry that assists with the decarbonisation of our own economy, and we should seize it with both hands.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/19/green-hydrogen-could-become-a-vital-british-industry
     
         
      ‘Extremism is not the answer’ when it comes to decarbonisation, says Woodside chief Wed, 19th Apr 2023 15:00:00
     
      CEO Meg O’Neill says developing new supply is necessary to keeping ‘energy affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower carbon future’ Woodside chief executive, Meg O’Neill, says Australia needs new gas developments to protect against an energy shock, and has warned that well-funded protest groups risk choking supplies. The oil and gas company head said Woodside projects were also needed for decarbonisation, with gas used as an alternative to coal for electricity generation as the international community works to meet climate goals. “A vocal minority wants to shut down the industry and the jobs and livelihoods that go with it,” O’Neill said in an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday. “We respect every Australian’s right to express their opinion – and we share the commitment to decarbonisation – but extremism is not the answer. We need confidence in stable regulatory outcomes, or we risk choking our energy industry, impacting both domestic and international supply.” As Australia’s largest oil and gas company, Woodside has long been a focus of fossil fuel protests. But it has also recently attracted more attention from major investors, unhappy with its climate policies. LGIM, one of Europe’s largest asset managers, will vote against the re-election of Woodside’s most senior director, former resources minister Ian Macfarlane, at the company’s annual general meeting late next week. It is citing a “lack of commitment to aligning with the Paris objectives and net zero” for its position, referring to the global framework designed to limit global heating. Investors and climate groups are also seeking more clarity about Woodside’s proposed decarbonisation plans, and want the company to hold itself accountable for scope 3 emissions, representing those produced by its oil and gas customers. O’Neill cited the recent interruptions in energy supplies, exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as evidence of a need to expand operations. “The longer-term answer is development of new supply to keep energy affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower carbon future,” O’Neill said. “But new gas supply and infrastructure cannot just be turned on when a crisis happens. It requires a clear investment framework and regulatory certainty to attract the capital from international markets that is needed for large-scale projects.” O’Neill also referenced concerns recently raised by Japanese energy producer Inpex that Australia risked undermining global security through a decision to “quietly quit” the international gas trade. Japan is heavily reliant on gas supplies from Australia. Climate Energy Finance, a consultancy firm that advocates for reducing emissions, said in a new report that Woodside will expose itself to a multi-billion dollar liability if it progresses plans to expand gas operations in Western Australia’s north-west. “This is a clear commercial signal for Woodside to invest in decarbonisation,” the report said. The forecast liability is tied to the government’s safeguard mechanism, a policy designed to make major industrial and resources companies cut their emissions intensity. Woodside has said it includes a cost of carbon in its business analysis and decision-making. On Wednesday, O’Neill affirmed the company’s support to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution. Woodside has had a troubled relationship with traditional custodians given it has significant industrial operations on the Burrup Peninsula, the site of renowned rock engravings. O’Neill said ongoing developments did not require the removal of Murujuga rock art, a practice it engaged in during past operations. “We did it in a way that was culturally sensitive at the time, but in the light of hindsight, it’s not something we would repeat,” O’Neill said. Indigenous groups, environmentalists and archaeologists opposed Woodside’s actions at the time and unsuccessfully sought a heritage listing to protect the site in 2006.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/19/extremism-is-not-the-answer-when-it-comes-to-decarbonisation-says-woodside-chief
     
         
      A quarter of Americans live with polluted air, with people of color and those in Western states disproportionately affected, report says Wed, 19th Apr 2023 14:35:00
     
      About 1 in 4 people in the United States – more than 119 million residents – live with air pollution that can hurt their health and shorten their lives, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. People of color are disproportionately affected, as are residents of Western cities. Since President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act in 1970, emissions of outdoor air pollutants have fallen 78%, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. But Wednesday’s 2023 State of the Air report, which focuses on ozone and particle pollution, shows that millions put their health on the line every time they step outside. Cleaner air, but not for all To capture pollution levels at the county level, researchers analyzed data collected by the EPA’s Air Quality System, a repository of ambient air quality data from more than 10,000 monitors. They characterized the hourly average ozone concentration and the 24-hour average particle pollution concentration for 2019-21 at each monitoring site and factored in year-round pollution information from the EPA. There were significant improvements in some areas. Generally, 17.6 million fewer people were breathing unhealthy air than in last year’s report, due largely to falling levels of ozone in some regions. Ozone pollution is the main ingredient in smog. It comes from cars, power plants and refineries. Exposure to ozone can immediately exacerbate asthma symptoms, and people with long-term exposure to higher levels face a significantly higher risk of death from respiratory diseases than those who live with cleaner air. Around 25% more counties got an A grade in the report for lower levels of ozone pollution. Some of that improvement can be attributed to the Clean Air Act, according to Katherine Pruitt, author of the report and the American Lung Association’s national senior director for policy. Emission controls have helped, she said, as has the country’s continuing move away from its reliance on coal for its energy needs. Even something simple as the increase in the number of people who work from home has played a role. “The Biden administration has set themselves a good, strong to do list of things that will help with environmental justice and climate protection,” Pruitt said. “They’re moving kind of slow, though. So we’d like them to pick up the pace.” Despite the progress, not everyone was lucky enough to live in a county with good ozone levels. More than 100 million people live in counties that get an F for ozone smog, the report says. Western and Southwestern cities are the most ozone-polluted, with 10 of the 25 most-polluted cities in California. New York, Chicago and Hartford, Connecticut, were the only three on that list east of the Mississippi River. The five metropolitan areas with the worst ozone pollution are Los Angeles-Long Beach, California; Visalia, California; Bakersfield, California; Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California; and Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona. Problematic particle pollution Particle pollution, the other form of pollution tracked in the report, still seems to be a significant issue for the US. Often hard to see, particle pollution is a mix of solid and liquid droplets that may come in the form of dirt, dust, soot or smoke. Coal- and natural gas-fired power plants create it, as do cars, agriculture, unpaved roads, construction sites and wildfires. Particle pollution is so tiny – 1/20th of a width of a human hair – that it can travel past your body’s usual defenses. Instead of being carried out when you exhale, it can get stuck in your lungs or go into your bloodstream. The particles cause irritation and inflammation and may lead to respiratory problems. Exposure can cause cancer, stroke or heart attack; it could also aggravate asthma, and it has even been associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety, studies show. The new report says the number of people living in counties with failing grades for daily spikes of particle pollution was the highest it has been in a decade. Nearly 64 million live with these kind of unhealthy spikes in counties that get failing grades. One driver of the high amounts of particle pollution are the wildfires that have consumed hundreds of thousands of acres. In 2021 alone, there were 14,407 fires, many in the West, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. There used to be a wildfire season, experts say, but now they happen year-round. Those fires are why the regions with the highest concentrations of air pollution are largely in the West. When the American Lung Association started producing its report in 2004, 106 counties in 30 states got failing grades for daily spikes in particle pollution. Fewer than half were in eight states west of the Rocky Mountains. Today, 111 counties in 19 states got Fs for spikes in particle pollution, and all but eight counties are in the West, the report says. Urban centers in the Rust Belt and the industrialized East had gotten the most failing grades in the early 2000s, but many have cleaned up and now get passing grades. Bakersfield, California, displaced Fresno as the metropolitan area with the worst short-term particle pollution, but Fresno did not suddenly develop cleaner air. That city still had the most-polluted label for year-round particle pollution, tied with Visalia, in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley. Los Angeles is still the city with the worst ozone pollution, according to the report, as it has been for all but one of the years included in the report.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/19/health/state-of-the-air-2023/index.html
     
         
      Climate change: How to be green on a budget Tue, 18th Apr 2023 6:48:00
     
      More than two thirds of people feel "very or somewhat worried" about climate change, according to the latest UK census. But for those on a budget, climate-friendly choices can be harder to afford. The average upfront cost of buying an electric car is about £10,000 more than buying a petrol car, according to price comparison service Uswitch. Dr Michelle Deininger, from Cardiff University, said growing costs could be a barrier to living sustainably. Five hacks to help save money on your food shop People return to make-do-and-mend to save money Repair, reuse, renew: Saving stuff from landfill "When you're on zero-hours contracts or surviving on benefits, it can often feel like you don't have much agency over the choices you make or the things you buy," the humanities lecturer said. So how can you make affordable green choices? Reduce your food waste Around 1.3 billion tonnes of food gets wasted each year, flowing into landfill and producing methane which contributes to the climate crisis. Meal planning can be an affordable way to tackle this. Postgraduate student Rubie Barker, 22, said she plans her meals for the week. "It makes sure I am making the most of the food I buy, but it also keeps costs down," the Cardiff University student said. "We're on limited budgets in a time when everything is getting more expensive. We have to prioritise cost over anything else right now." A range of food waste apps also exist to allow households and businesses to give away surplus food, either for free or at a reduced cost. Buy second hand Darwin Alford, a young entrepreneur and content creator, said charity shops and online marketplaces were another affordable way to make a difference. The 22-year-old, from Grangetown in Cardiff, has built an audience of 14,700 TikTok followers by teaching people how to live more sustainably. "I grew up on a low income. Something that I talk a lot about on TikTok is learning how to un-strip guilt and not overly consume," Ms Alford said. "You can shop more intentionally by listing what you specifically need so you're not tempted to over consume," she added. "Make each item you buy last. Repair it when it's broken." Miss Alford said second-hand fashion apps can also make a great alternative to charity shops. "The beauty of Vinted, Depop and eBay is that you can shop intentionally. It's more accessible for people who can't get to charity shops, and provides more size options," she said. Keep it cool Research by Which UK found washing your laundry on a 40C cotton wash four times a week emitted the same amount of CO2 as driving 230 miles (370 kilometres). Washing your clothes at a lower temperature can reduce environmental damage whilst also saving you money, the consumer body said. But how low can you go? According to the Energy Saving Trust, 30C is the ideal temperature. Washing your clothes at 30C rather than higher temperatures could save about 40% of your energy each year and modern washing powders and detergents are just as effective at this temperature, the Energy Saving Trust said. The Welsh government said it was working to build a "greener" Wales by "supporting a number of ways we can lead healthier and greener lives while living on a budget." "Everyone can be a part of tackling climate change," it said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65275210
     
         
      EU faces legal action after including gas and nuclear in ‘green’ investments guide Tue, 18th Apr 2023 0:03:00
     
      European Commission accused of acting unlawfully in two separate cases bought by environment groups The European Commission is being sued by environmental campaigners over a decision to include gas and nuclear in an EU guide to “green” investments. Two separate legal challenges are being lodged on Tuesday at the European Union’s general court in Luxembourg – one by Greenpeace and another by a coalition including Client Earth and WWF – after the classification of fuels in the so-called taxonomy, a guide for investors intended to channel billions into green technologies. The EU executive, argues Greenpeace, acted unlawfully when it designated gas and nuclear as bridge technologies in the taxonomy, which is intended to help meet the bloc’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Client Earth, along with three other NGOs, is challenging the inclusion of gas, which it says breaks the EU climate law that sets a legally binding target of reaching net zero emissions by the middle of the century. The cases are the latest legal action against the EU’s “taxonomy for environmentally sustainable economic activities”. Last year a lawsuit was launched by Austria and supported by Luxembourg. Eight national and regional Greenpeace organisations including France, Germany and EU office in Brussels are asking the court to rule the inclusion of gas and nuclear invalid. Nina Treu, the executive director of Greenpeace Germany, said: “The taxonomy was meant to be a tool to meet the 1.5C target [on global heating] and make the European Union climate neutral, fostering social and economic restructuring for the European economy by shifting funds. Instead of hindering greenwashing, it has become a tool for greenwashing.” Gas and nuclear had been included because of “politically motivated lobbying”, Treu said. Greenpeace will tell the court that gas cannot be considered a “transition fuel” because any gas-powered plant that comes online today will still be running beyond 2050. The environment group will also say the construction of new nuclear plants – which usually take one to two decades to build in Europe – will delay the move away from coal power, hinder development of renewables, risk accidents and create pollution. “Nuclear is dangerous, expensive, vulnerable to climate change and too slow to stop the climate breakdown,” Treu said. Greenpeace has hired the lawyer Roda Verheyen, who acted for the group in a landmark case that resulted in Germany’s climate protection laws being ruled inadequate by the country’s constitutional court in 2021. Verheyen said the inclusion of gas and nuclear was not in line with the EU’s original taxonomy law. “The European Commission has violated the very idea of the taxonomy regulation. This is especially obvious as including nuclear activities does pose significant harm to the environment, which is expressly prohibited by the regulation.” The lawsuit was “essentially an enforcement claim”, she said. “Observe your own law. Actually carry through with the European green deal,” she said, referring to the EU’s flagship climate plan. The EU taxonomy became law in July 2020, but legislators left important details to be resolved through so-called delegated acts – secondary legislation meant for technical issues that is not subject to the same degree of ministerial and parliamentary oversight. The campaign groups are challenging one of the delegated acts. The separate legal challenge by the coalition including Client Earth and WWF covers the inclusion of gas but not nuclear. Anaïs Berthier at Client Earth said the European Commission had violated a requirement to make science-based policy and broken the EU climate law that required policymakers to carry out checks to ensure all actions by the bloc were consistent with the goal of achieving net zero by 2050. “Labelling fossil gas as ‘sustainable’ is as absurd as it is unlawful,” said the coalition, which also includes the NGOs Transport & Environment and Bund. “It goes against the EU’s own scientific advice and fundamentally undermines the credibility of the EU’s climate action. Fossil gas is not clean, not cheap and not a secure source of energy.” A judgment is expected in 2025, although participants expressed the hope the court would act faster. “There is confusion in the market, because the current law infringes European law,” Verheyen said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/18/eu-faces-legal-action-gas-nuclear-green-investments-guide-european-commission
     
         
      Funding a better future for all: 5 things to know about the Financing for Development Forum Mon, 17th Apr 2023 17:29:00
     
      As the global economy continues to be battered by a series of crises, senior UN officials and government representatives are converging on UN Headquarters in New York, in an attempt to transform the international financial system, and get the internationally-agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development back on track. There are so many conflicts, humanitarian disasters, extreme weather events and economic upheavals taking place in the world, that a new word is being used to describe the current state of affairs: the “polycrisis”. The word appeared in 2022, a year that began with tentative hopes that the global economy would begin to recover from the huge disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was soon dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Amidst all of these competing crises, many countries simply don’t have the resources to invest in recovery, climate action, and sustainable development. This is the challenging environment in which the 2023 Financing for Development (FfD) Forum is taking place at UN Headquarters, between 17 and 20 April, aimed at pushing forward policies to address global developmental issues, from crippling debt, to under-development, and food insecurity. Here are five things to know about this year’s FfD Forum. 1) Why is this year’s Forum important? 2023 is shaping up to be a pivotal time for sustainable development. This year marks the midpoint between 2015, which saw the launch of the Agenda for Sustainable Development, and 2030, the deadline for completion of the Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN is planning to inject fresh momentum towards achieving the Goals at a major SDG Summit in September. However, no progress will be made without significant funding In February, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged that the SDGs are way off track, and launched an SDG Stimulus plan, which calls for richer countries to funnel an extra $500 billion each year towards financing the SDGs. “Investing in the SDGs is both sensible and feasible,” he said. “It is a win-win for the world, as the social and economic rates of return on sustainable development in developing countries is very high.” The Stimulus plan also calls for the international financial system to be transformed, so that the crippling debt burdens of developing countries are reduced, and access to funding is made easier. Making this transformation a reality will be on the agenda of this year’s FfD Forum. 2) What are the main issues? According to the 2023 Financing for sustainable Development Report, the number of people facing acute food insecurity has doubled, compared to pre-pandemic levels (from 135 million in 2019 to a projected 345 million in 2023). The war in Ukraine has led to higher food prices, up 50 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019. The industrialization of least developed countries and many African countries is not progressing as hoped: the 2030 Agenda calls for a doubling of added value from manufacturing in African countries by the end of the decade. That means making and selling more products rather than selling the raw materials to other countries. Significantly, added value actually fell from around 10 per cent of GDP in 2000 to nine per cent in 2021. Debt repayments are also hobbling poorer nations: in 2022, 25 developing countries had to dedicate more than a fifth of their total revenues to servicing public external debt. And gender inequality remains a big drag on development: in 115 countries women cannot run a business the same way as men. 3) Which potential solutions will be discussed? The Forum’s agenda will be based largely on the findings of the 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report, released on 5 April, which calls for stronger tax systems, more private and public investment for sustainable development, and reforms of the international financial system to allow more resources to be raised. The report also argues that massive investments are urgently needed to accelerate transformations in areas such as electricity supply, industry, farming, transportation, and buildings, to bring about a “new green industrial age.” Industrialization is often associated with pollution and waste, but it has historically been an engine for progress. The “green industrialization” proposed in the Report involves supporting low carbon industries, including renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the digital economy, and the development of policies that lead to investment in sustainable activities, whilst reducing the negative environmental impact of industries. There are positive signs that the message is beginning to get through: global spending on the energy transition rose to a record high of $1.1 trillion in 2022, surpassing fossil fuel system investments for the first time ever, and the green economy has become the fifth largest industrial sector by market value, $7.2 trillion in 2021. 4) What are the risks of inaction? The gulf between rich and poor is getting deeper, and, without a complete overhaul of the global economy, it’s expected that 574 million people – nearly seven per cent of the world’s population – will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030. In this scenario, external financing needs for LDCs and other low-income countries are expected to increase from $172 billion to $220 billion in the next four years. Amongst the recommendations is a warning; if the suggested reforms are piecemeal, incomplete, or fail to take the SDGs into account, sustainable development will be unachievable, putting the 2030 Agenda and climate targets out of reach. 5) What comes next? No-one is under any illusion that the task ahead is huge and experts agree that long-term sustainable development will be elusive in contexts where humanitarian crises persist. Ultimately, the UN’s economists want the FfD process to lead to a profound reform of global institutions that better address developing countries’ immediate needs.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135582
     
         
      Renewable energy growth must double to meet Australia’s emission goals, Clean Energy Council says Mon, 17th Apr 2023 15:07:00
     
      More than 35% of Australia’s electricity last year was supplied by wind and solar, up from just under 17% in 2017 Australia’s renewable energy industry is growing at half the pace needed for the sector to meet the Albanese government’s emissions reduction goals, despite the sector having one of its best years, the Clean Energy Council said in its annual report. Last year construction commenced on a record of more than 5,000MW of large-scale wind and solar farms. Work also started on 19 big batteries with 1,380MW/2,004MWh capacity, or almost half as large again as the previous record year in 2021, the council said. Households also joined in the renewables rush, with 310,000 new solar systems with a capacity of 2,700MW added to rooftops. While down on 2021’s record of 3,300MW, the extra capacity increased the share of total renewable energy on rooftops to 25.8%. Renewables supplied 35.9% of Australia’s total electricity generation last year, up from just under 17% in 2017, the report said. While there was a “significant cause for optimism at a time when ageing fossil fuel-based generators are retiring”, the speed of renewables’ advance needed to double to meet the federal government’s 2030 target, said the Clean Energy Council’s chief executive, Kane Thornton. The emissions target implies an 82% reduction in the sector’s pollution compared with 2005 levels. “2022 was a good year for projects under construction but a slower year for projects reaching financial close,” Thornton said. “Whatever way you look at it, we have to accelerate it.” The renewables sector has been buoyed up by a closer alignment of federal and state policy since the election of the Albanese government. But a more interventionist approach by some states into the power sector was creating a new form of uncertainty for investors, he said. Thornton said expanded, extended renewable energy targets would be one way to bolster the industry. The urgency has increased given other nations – particularly the US with its open-ended Inflation Reduction Act – are quickening their investments in clean energy. “The challenge for the government is that we’ve really blown the last 10 years,” Thornton said. “Now we’re really playing catch-up.” The industry will be looking for signs of further federal backing when the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, holds an investor roundtable for the sector on Friday. On Monday Chalmers, who had just returned from meetings in Washington DC with fellow G20 finance ministers, said next month’s budget would contain “the most substantial investment in cleaner and cheaper energy and the future of our industry, I think, that we’ve seen”. “Cleaner and cheaper energy is absolutely central to our growth strategy for the Australian economy,” he said in Canberra. “The whole world is moving in this direction in one way or another; we want to be beneficiaries not victims of what’s happening around the world and that’s why we’re putting such a big emphasis on it.” Large-scale renewable investment reached $6.2bn last year, the council said. But the result was not “a bumper year” for project completions, with two windfarms in Victoria totalling 843MW among the largest projects. Tasmania led the states, with renewables supplying 99.1% of electricity last year, ahead of South Australia’s 71.5% share. New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia all drew about a third of their power from clean energy, while Queensland lagged at 22.6%. For rooftop solar, the second half of 2022 provided a sharp upturn in demand after supply and labour shortages, and poor weather quelled growth in the first six months. Only the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania set installation levels above 2021’s record year. The average size of installed solar systems continues to grow, rising from 8.79kW in 2021 to 8.84kW last year. Thornton said 2023 was expected to be “another strong year” for rooftop solar, noting that projected power cost increases of another 30% in some regions from July will keep “the focus on electricity prices” and spur more consumers to buy panels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/18/renewable-energy-growth-must-double-to-meet-australias-emission-goals-clean-energy-council-says
     
         
      UK ministers review bidding process for funding new renewable energy projects Mon, 17th Apr 2023 12:08:00
     
      Government wants to create more green jobs in response to Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act package Ministers are considering an overhaul of the bidding process to fund new renewable energy projects in an effort to create green jobs, amid Joe Biden’s subsidy race. The government said on Monday it has begun a review of the “contracts for difference” (CfD) scheme, which is used to determine the price of electricity from offshore wind and solar farms, with the aim of adding factors such as how many jobs they create to the regular auctions. The move comes partially in response to the net zero review by the former energy minister Chris Skidmore and amid a global race to provide greater subsidies for renewables projects following Biden’s $369bn (£297bn) Inflation Reduction Act package. Ministers are under pressure to boost the domestic supply chain for renewables projects and speed up Britain’s transition away from fossil fuels with the aim of reaching net zero by 2050. Under the CfD scheme, the government awards 15-year contracts for low-carbon power generation projects such as solar and offshore windfarms. Renewable energy generators bid for contracts to produce electricity, but the government can set a limit on how much capacity it wants in the auctions and can cap how much cash it provides as incentives. The CfD system aims to give investors certainty over the levels of returns they can receive, amid wild swings in the price of power – as witnessed during the energy crisis. Now, officials will examine whether the scheme can be revamped to reward developers that offer undertakings on more than just providing a certain amount of power within an agreed price range. Prices for consumers have consistently fallen as technology to build renewables projects has improved over the past two decades. The government said in a statement that, beyond cost, the reforms could result in “non-price factors” including “supply chain sustainability, addressing skills gaps, innovation and enabling system and grid flexibility” being included in the bidding process. It said developers that invested in long-term supply chains may be able to cut their carbon footprint and train up technicians to work on even larger projects needed in future. The energy minister, Graham Stuart, said the government wanted to “maximise” the potential of the CfD scheme “to improve energy security and ensure renewable energy developers can make the necessary investment in supply chains and innovation”. Adam Berman of the trade body Energy UK welcomed the move and said it could help give investors greater certainty given that “inflation, commodity price increases, and pressure from international competition mean that the UK will have to continue working hard to pull in the investment required to reach our net zero and energy security goals”. Ed Miliband, the shadow net zero secretary, said: “Under the Tories, too many jobs in our renewable industries have been lost overseas. We need to learn from president Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to deliver good jobs in our communities, but this government is refusing to do so. “Labour will seize this opportunity for Britain – creating good jobs, lowering bills and delivering energy security.” Josh Buckland, a partner at consultancy Flint Global and former energy adviser at the business department, said: “Given British consumers ultimately bear the cost of support for green electricity through their bills, its right that government is looking to ensure households get maximum value for what they are paying, including unlocking more investment in UK supply chains.” This year’s auction got under way last month with a budget of £205m to allocate to projects in England, Scotland and Wales, including £35m for emerging technologies such as a geothermal energy and floating offshore wind. The results are expected in late summer or early autumn.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/17/uk-bidding-renewable-energy-green-jobs-joe-biden
     
         
      Don’t let SDGs turn into ‘mirage of what might have been’: UN chief Mon, 17th Apr 2023 10:27:00
     
      UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is turning into a “mirage of what might have been,” at the opening of the Financing for Development Forum (FfD), taking place at UN Headquarters in New York. The Secretary-General pointed to reports showing that, since the pandemic, the richest one percent of people around the world have captured nearly twice as much new wealth as the rest of the world combined. Inequalities within some countries, he said, are regressing towards early 20th Century levels, a time when women did not have the right to vote; and before widespread acceptance of the concept of social protection. The UN’s SDG Stimulus Plan, explained the UN chief, aims to boost investments that will help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), relieve the debt burden of developing countries, and improving access to funding. Mr. Guterres called for Multilateral Development Banks, such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to use their funds to attract more private finance to developing countries, and for Member States to meet their government aid commitments. In the longer term, said the UN chief, the global financial architecture, which “has failed countries at their moment of greatest need,” needs to be comprehensively overhauled, in favour of a system that is “coherent and coordinated, and reflects today’s global economic reality.” Decades of progress reversed: ECOSOC President In her opening statement, Lachezara Stoeva, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), declared that the events of the past year have reversed three decades of progress in poverty reduction. Ms. Stoeva called for immediate measures on debt relief, investment, climate finance, and international tax cooperation, and described the Forum as an opportunity to find bold solutions that meet the scale of financing challenges. “We cannot afford to come up short,” said the ECOSOC president. “Too much is at stake. Without securing the means of implementation, the 2030 Agenda will fall out of reach, with stark consequences for people and planet.” ‘Critical step’ towards transformation: K?rösi Csaba K?rösi, the President of the UN General Assembly, remarked that the decline in global economic growth, rising inflation, and looming debt crisis can be attributed to a lack of a coordinated international response. “It is imperative that we come together as a global community, across all sectors, to tackle these challenges,” said Mr. K?rösi, calling for coordinated efforts, from the public and private sectors, to find solutions to the long-standing structural problems of debt. Mr. K?rösi echoed the UN Secretary-General’s calls for a transformation of international financing, in favour of a new model for sustainable development that ensures developing countries have access to affordable financing. “Development can only be sustainable,” he argued. “Otherwise, at the end of the day, there will be no development.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135712
     
         
      Lords amendment to energy bill may stop new coalmines in England Mon, 17th Apr 2023 1:05:00
     
      Change to bill says opening and licensing of new coalmines by the Coal Authority to be prohibited An amendment to the energy bill currently going through the House of Lords means that it will not be possible to open a new coalmine in England. The amendment may still be reversed in the House of Commons, but it marks the growing frustration of politicians as they press the government to move faster and harder on the climate crisis. Liberal Democrat peers tabled an amendment to the energy bill which decrees that within six months of the energy security act being passed, the secretary of state has to ban the opening or licensing of new coalmines. The vote was won by just three votes at 197-194, after the amendment was backed by Labour and crossbencher peers. The government has recently been criticised for green-lighting a new coalmine in Cumbria, which experts have said would add to the difficulties of meeting the UK’s net zero goals. The amendment reads: “Within six months of the day on which this act is passed, the secretary of state must by regulations prohibit the opening of new coalmines and the licensing of new coalmines by the Coal Authority or its successors.” For the amendment to be removed, the government will have to table another amendment in the Commons to get rid of it. Liberal Democrat spokesperson for energy in the House of Lords, Lord Teverson said: “This is a fantastic win for the Liberal Democrats, with the passage of our amendment stopping this Conservative government from opening new coalmines which tear the UK’s environmental credentials into shreds. “Now we need MPs from all parties to come together to represent the views of the public who want cheaper energy produced by green, clean projects. “At Cop26 in Glasgow, only a year and a half ago, the government proudly announced that it was leading an international effort to end the use of coal. We must hold them to this when the energy bill reaches the House of Commons.” Climate minister Graham Stuart has firmly backed the opening of the Cumbrian coalmine, recently telling the all-party parliamentary group for the environment that he firmly supported it. He said a more nuanced take on fossil fuels is required “rather than viewing all fossil fuels as the spawn of the devil”. The Lords also voted to include a climate mandate for energy regulator Ofgem. Dr Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “Creating a climate mandate for Ofgem really is essential for delivering a cheaper, cleaner, more secure energy system. Too many cheap renewable projects are being held back by the snail’s pace of connection to the relevant networks, flowing from the outdated rules that govern what can and can’t be done. “Should the government wisely choose to accept the changes the Lords have made, the grid and other network companies will be pushed to unlock the full potential of renewable energy. If the Lords have seen this opportunity today, then their vote offers the government a chance to wake up and see the same.” The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been contacted for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/17/lords-amendment-to-energy-bill-may-stop-new-coalmines-in-england
     
         
      Australia climate protest: Rising Tide activists shovel coal off train Sun, 16th Apr 2023 18:55:00
     
      About 50 climate activists have been arrested in the Australian state of New South Wales after protesters climbed on a train carrying coal and began shovelling its cargo out of the wagons. The train was stopped near Newcastle, a major coal export terminal. Protest group Rising Tide said it was demanding the cancellation of all new coal projects. Australia is the world's largest coal exporter, and climate change is a hugely divisive issue there. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. The group posted an image on Twitter showing protesters on and around the halted train. "We have halted coal into the world's biggest coal port, demanding the ALP [ruling Australian Labor Party] heed UN warnings and immediately cancel all new coal projects," it said in the tweet. Rising Tide said in a statement that 20 of the group had climbed onto the train to unload the coal with shovels, while another 30 provided support. Police said 47 activists were charged with "rail corridor offences" and released after being issued with court attendance notices. However, two were charged with malicious damage and one with assaulting a security guard. A really simple guide to climate change Newcastle is described as the world's largest coal export terminal and the largest bulk shipping port on Australia's east coast. Australia's Labor government has pledged to cut the country's carbon emissions by 43% by 2030, but it has not ruled out new fossil fuel projects. It sees a carbon emissions trading scheme known as the "safeguard mechanism" as its main means to reach its target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65292695
     
         
      Germans split as last three nuclear power stations go off grid Sun, 16th Apr 2023 10:56:00
     
      On one side of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Saturday, there was partying: anti-atomic activists celebrated victory in a battle that had lasted 60 years. On the other side of the Gate, there were protests, as demonstrators marched against the closure of Germany's three remaining nuclear power stations. By midnight on Saturday, Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 had all gone offline. At the Brandenburg Gate, where the Wall once divided Cold War Berlin, nuclear energy is an ideological fault-line that splits the country. It is an issue that is emotionally charged like few others. And particularly now as war in Europe again looms large. Both sides accuse each other of irrational ideology. Conservative commentators and politicians say the country is in thrall to Green Party dogma, that scraps domestic nuclear power at a time when cutting Russian energy means rising prices. They accuse the government of increasing reliance on fossil fuels instead of using nuclear, which has lower emissions. "It's a black day for climate protection in Germany," said Jens Spahn, conservative CDU MP, on RTL television earlier this week. Greens and left-wingers argue that it is illogical to cling to nuclear power, which is more expensive than wind or solar. The government argues that keeping the three ageing atomic power stations online would need huge investment — funds that should go into renewable energy sources. It is odd for the CDU to suddenly champion climate protection, say Green Party MPs, given that the conservatives regularly block measures to expand renewable energy infrastructure. Ironically, given the CDU's current fight for nuclear, it was a conservative-led government under Angela Merkel that decided to phase out atomic power after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Her decision was popular with voters, coming on the back of widespread anti-nuclear sentiment sparked by the catastrophe. Cynics suggest that upcoming key regional elections may have influenced her decision. Today, Germany gets almost half of its electricity from renewables - 44% in 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office - and just 6% from atomic power. Green economy minister Robert Habeck predicts that 80% of Germany's electricity will be renewable by 2030 and has pushed through laws to make it quicker and easier to build solar and wind farms. But over the last year, the proportion of renewables has stagnated while CO2 emissions have increased, as Germany has been forced to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) and use more coal instead of Russian gas. This has sparked even some Green voters and anti-nuclear activists to support temporarily extending the lifespan of the last three nuclear power stations. In an article published in Friday's edition of the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, Green Party environment minister Steffi Lemke wrote that Germany was shutting down nuclear because catastrophic accidents can never be ruled out, "whether it be through human error like Chernobyl, natural disasters like Fukushima… or attacks, as Ukraine is suffering because of Russia's war". Germany does not need nuclear, she argues, because renewables are safer, more sustainable, better for the climate and make more economic sense. Despite predictions of shortages and blackouts, Germany produces more energy than it needs, exporting energy to France over the summer, note Green Party leaders pointedly, where nuclear power stations could not operate because of extreme weather. Voters are divided. According to this week's ARD-DeutschlandTrend poll, 59% of Germans are against shutting down atomic energy, with only 34% in favour. Support for nuclear is strongest amongst older and conservative voters. But more detailed questioning reveals a nuanced picture. In a YouGov poll from earlier this week, 65% supported keeping the three remaining nuclear power stations running for now. But only 33% wanted Germany to keep nuclear power indefinitely. In other words, pull the plug - but just not quite yet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65260673
     
         
      The 'ninjas' fighting climate change denial on Twitter Sun, 16th Apr 2023 8:52:00
     
      Secretive internet vigilantes have made it their mission to fight climate change denial on Twitter. But, as a vicious information war rages online, do they risk becoming the very trolls they claim to be targeting? I meet Maria and Arthur at the top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, in a small coastal town in Spain. They ask me not to reveal their real names or their exact whereabouts. Over the years, they have made countless enemies on the internet, and they believe stepping out of the shadows could prove dangerous. "For you to be able to do your work, and not be scared of the consequences, you really have to fly under the radar," Maria tells me. In 2019, she helped set up Team Ninja Trollhunters, a group of 25 people from around the world who came together to fight climate change denial on Twitter. "For me, it was a necessity to show that many things that are being tweeted are wrong," Maria says. Like some of her fellow vigilantes, she has a background in science, which comes in handy when looking through complex research. But, with her blue Snoopy t-shirt, Maria does not immediately strike me as a "ninja" - and neither does her softly spoken partner, Arthur, whom she recruited into the group. "We fought many battles together and we also had a lot of fun," he says. When the group first came together in 2019, part of its time was spent fact-checking false or misleading claims they found on Twitter. The "ninjas" spotted claims going viral and responded to them with links to factual information - academic papers or scientific reports. "But after a couple of months, you realise you don't make an impact because, for most of these people, facts are irrelevant," Maria says. How to talk to a climate denier A really simple guide to climate change It was time to come up with new tactics. The "ninjas" began keeping tabs on prominent Twitter accounts which disputed the basic science of climate change. Whenever those users tweeted something which broke the platform's rules, they would report them. Climate change denial is not forbidden on Twitter, but some other types of content are - like threats, harassment, or hate speech. Until November last year, posting misleading claims about Covid-19 could also lead to tweets being removed or accounts being suspended. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether they get suspended because of Covid-19 misinformation or Nazi symbols," Maria tells me. "When they're gone, they're gone." Thousands of hours of slow, painstaking work paid off - or so the "ninjas" like to believe. They claim that, as a result of their actions, about 600 Twitter accounts promoting climate change denial were suspended. I cannot independently verify this claim. But I have seen links to hundreds of offending tweets that the "ninjas" reported , as well as a detailed list of suspended accounts. One of those accounts was Mike's. He is an Australian engineer with more than 23,000 followers on Twitter - many of whom believe in conspiracy theories. In April last year, his account was permanently suspended from Twitter, after posting an unfounded claim about Covid vaccines. Up until that point, the "ninjas" had been keeping watch on his feed, reporting dozens of his tweets. In a private forum, they added Mike's handle to their list of claimed scalps. "I'm not surprised in the slightest," Mike says. Over the years, he claims to have been repeatedly targeted by groups like this one, which he accuses of "trolling" users like him. The "ninjas" share a set of rules laid out in a document called "The Resistor's Guide to Effective Trollhunting". In it, members are advised "not to engage" with their targets. And yet, by their own admission, each member of the group has their own way of operating. Maria insists she always played by the rules and that she "knew where the line was". But Arthur's methods led to him getting temporarily suspended from Twitter "a couple of times". "When I engaged climate change deniers, I noticed some of them got agitated. So I continued to do it, until the point they showed harassing behaviour [against me], which is not allowed," he told me. "Then you can get rid of them." I suggest to Arthur that his behaviour may not be dissimilar to that of an online troll. "You could say that, because it is partially true," he replies. But I point out to him that, by provoking his targets into crossing a line, he could be causing real-world harm. "I can't see any real-world damage worse than what they are doing," he says. "When they are trying to convince people climate change is a myth, they are inflicting damage upon all of us."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-65114966
     
         
      ‘It buys us time’: Great Salt Lake still at high risk of disappearing after epic snow, scientists warn Sun, 16th Apr 2023 3:48:00
     
      It was only three months ago that nearly three dozen scientists and conservationists sounded the alarm that the Great Salt Lake in Utah faces “unprecedented danger” – unless the state’s lawmakers fast-tracked “emergency measures” to dramatically increase the lake’s inflow by 2024, it would likely disappear in the next five years. Now, after an incredible winter full of rain and snow, there is a glimmer of hope on North America’s largest terminal lake, where water levels had fallen to a record-low last fall amid a historic, climate change-fueled drought across the West. As of Thursday, the snowpack in the Great Salt Lake basin was more than double the average for this time of year. All of this winter’s rain and snow that fell directly into the Great Salt Lake increased the water level there by three feet. And while that “feels like an answer to prayers,” said Benjamin Abbott, a professor of ecology at Brigham Young University and lead author of the January report, experts have cautioned that one good winter is not enough to save the iconic lake. In reality, the precipitation only made up for what was lost to last year’s drought and evaporation. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t substantively change the timeline we described in our January report,” Abbott told CNN. “If we play our cards right and shepherd more of the snowmelt to Great Salt Lake, this could buy us another two years. On the other hand, if we go back to business as usual, we could be back at an all-time low 18 months from now.” To reverse the decline, the Great Salt Lake needs an additional 1 million acre-feet of water – roughly 326 billion gallons – per year, according to the January assessment. Bonnie Baxter, the director of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College and one of the authors of the January report, said the state would “need another five years like this in order to get the system healthy again.” “If I do the math, we got about three feet of direct precipitation that fell into the lake this year, that is fantastic,” Baxter told CNN. “But the last two years, we also lost 2.8 feet in the summer, and we expect to lose that three feet in the desiccating summer. So now, we’re pretty much even, and that’s not a good place to be.” Hoping for a slow recharge Climate change has been making it increasingly difficult for the Great Salt Lake to fully bounce back. As temperatures get warmer, Utah water officials say they have seen evaporation and depletion exceed the amount of water that’s making it into the lake. Now conservationists are preparing for a nail-biting waiting game to see how much more water the lake could receive from snow melt. The melted snow would first need to be diverted to fill up the state’s reservoirs, before officials determine how much water the Great Salt Lake gets, Baxter said. She also added she’s worried about the rate at which the snow is melting, underscoring that it’s important that the snow melts really slowly. As it trickles down the mountains, it should slowly make its way down creeks, recharge the aquifers and eventually fill the lake. “But if it melts really quickly, which is probably going to happen because we have these late snows and now we’re right up against warm temperatures, then you get the water just rushing over the land and not taking time to charge the aquifers and just evaporating off the surface,” she said. “Then it seems counter intuitive, but less water will make it to the lake in that case.” The impacts of the drying Great Salt Lake are already widespread. It threatens critical habitat for endangered species as well as the state’s economy. From the mineral industry to agriculture and recreation, the Great Salt Lake contributes $1.3 billion to the annual economy, according to a state assessment. If the lake continues to dry up, the economic toll would range from $1.7 billion to $2.2 billion each year, the assessment concluded. The rapid drying of the lake bed also exposes toxic dust that threatens human health. Terminal lakes, like the Great Salt Lake, are ones where water can flow into but not out of the basin. And when strong winds blow over a drying lake bed, they kick up tiny particles that can be inhaled and damage the lungs and exacerbate other respiratory illnesses. These pollutants have been linked to health complications such as asthma, heart disease and chronic bronchitis. However, even with the much-anticipated snowmelt, Baxter said it still won’t be enough to save the lake.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/16/us/great-salt-lake-water-level-climate/index.html
     
         
      ‘A new era’: Germany quits nuclear power, closing its final three plants Sat, 15th Apr 2023 11:57:00
     
      Germany’s final three nuclear power plants close their doors on Saturday, marking the end of the country’s nuclear era that has spanned more than six decades. Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany. There are those who want to end reliance on a technology they view as unsustainable, dangerous and a distraction from speeding up renewable energy. But for others, closing down nuclear plants is short-sighted. They see it as turning off the tap on a reliable source of low-carbon energy at a time when drastic cuts to planet-heating pollution are needed. Even as these debates rumble on, and despite last-minute calls to keep the plants online amid an energy crisis, the German government has been steadfast. “The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable,” Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, told CNN. “We are embarking on a new era of energy production,” she said. A plan decades in the making The closure of the three plants – Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim – represents the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago. But its roots are even older. In the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement in Germany emerged. Disparate groups came together to protest new power plants, concerned about the risks posed by the technology and, for some, the link to nuclear weapons. The movement gave birth to the Green Party, which is now part of the governing coalition. Nuclear accidents fueled the opposition: The partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in 1979 and the 1986 catastrophe at Chernobyl that created a cloud of radioactive waste which reached parts of Germany. In 2000, the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants. But when a new government came to power in 2009, it seemed – briefly – as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy. Then Fukushima happened. In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down. For many in Germany, Japan’s worst nuclear disaster was confirmation “that assurances that a nuclear accident of a large scale can’t happen are not credible,” Miranda Schreurs, professor of environment and climate policy at the Technical University of Munich, told CNN. Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel – a physicist who was previously pro-nuclear – made a speech called it an “inconceivable catastrophe for Japan” and a “turning point” for the world. She announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however, provided another plot twist. Fearful of its energy security without Russian gas, the German government delayed its plan to close the final three plants in December 2022. Some urged a rethink. But the government declined, agreeing to keep them running only until April 15. For those in the anti-nuclear movement, it’s a moment of victory. “It is a great achievement for millions of people who have been protesting nuclear in Germany and worldwide for decades,” Paul-Marie Manière, a spokesperson for Greenpeace, told CNN. A polarizing energy For critics of Germany’s policy, however, it’s irrational to turn off a low-carbon source of energy as the impacts of the climate crisis intensify. “We need to keep existing, safe nuclear reactors operating while simultaneously ramping up renewables as fast as possible,” Leah Stokes, a professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told CNN. The big risk, she said, is that fossil fuels fill the energy gap left by nuclear. Reductions in Germany’s nuclear energy since Fukushima have been primarily offset by increases in coal, according to research published last year.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/15/europe/germany-nuclear-phase-out-climate-intl/index.html
     
         
      High costs and uncertainties cast a chill over Britain’s heat pump market Sat, 15th Apr 2023 10:10:00
     
      Cutting carbon emissions in the home is a key part of the UK’s drive to meet net zero climate targets and one of the most promising alternatives to a domestic gas boiler is a heat pump, which uses electricity to channel warmth from the ground or the air into the home. Yet although heat pumps can transform 1 kilowatt of green electricity into 3kW-worth of heat, their benefits have been overshadowed by concerns about cost, and uptake has been low. The government’s aim is to have 600,000 heat pumps a year being installed by 2028. But only 55,000 were fitted in 2021, while 1.5m gas boilers were installed. A £450m scheme offering grants of £5,000 towards the cost of a heat pump was launched last May to a tepid response. Figures released last week by Ofgem show that by the end of March the scheme had only managed to give out slightly more than a third of the grants available for the financial year. It issued just 11,996 vouchers out of the 30,000 available, of which 9,981 were redeemed – equivalent to £50.16m of the £150m of grants on offer annually for the next three years. So why has the UK’s home decarbonisation strategy gone cold and what can be done to restart it? The blame for the “disappointingly low” take-up lies mostly with the government, according to a recent parliamentary report. In a letter to ministers, the House of Lords environment and climate change committee said public awareness of low-carbon heating systems was “very limited” and promotion of the scheme had been “inadequate”. A shortage of installers and “insufficient independent advice” were also hindering take-up, the committee said. Then there is the issue of cost. Even with a £5,000 grant, households still need to pay the balance of the upfront cost of installing a pump, which is on a par with many new boilers and can be too great for households to bear. The technology works best in homes which are well insulated and warmed by wide radiators. This is true of boilers too, but a heat pump is less able to mask an inefficient heating system, meaning extra upgrades costing thousands of pounds may be required before installing the pump itself. The government’s plans to improve energy efficiency and insulation have also been sluggish and widely criticised. Britain sold the fewest heat pumps relative to population size in Europe last year, according to the European Heat Pump Association. Such resistance runs decades deeper than recent concerns over costs and logistics, according to Dave Sowden of energy consultancy Gemserv. “The reason the UK is different from the rest of Europe is that it has got the most dense penetration of the gas network of all European countries and, with that, easy access to gas for heating and cooking,” he says. “Boilers have become really popular in the UK and that is what people have got used to. There is a fear of the unknown, and some of that fear is unfounded.” Britain’s earliest central heating boilers, installed between the 1960s and 1980s, typically ran at very high temperatures. This has set up an expectation that a well functioning heating system should be able to deliver strong blasts of heat on demand, Sowden says. By contrast, a heat pump gently maintains the ambient temperature of a room by using more efficient, lower-temperature top-ups through the day. “People think a heating system isn’t ‘on’ if they touch a radiator and it doesn’t burn their hand,” he says. “But it doesn’t need to be belting out heat to keep a room at a comfortable temperature.” In fact, by running at lower temperatures with more consistency, a heat pump is able to be more efficient and help save households money over its lifetime. “Thinking about the lifetime cost is well understood when we’re talking about cars but it’s not so well understood for heating systems,” Sowden adds. Things may be beginning to change. Jan Rosenow, a director at the Regulatory Assistance Project, an energy thinktank, believes a planned tweak to energy levies could make all the difference. The government plans to shift the collection of green levies from electricity bills to gas bills, which could tip the balance in favour of heat pumps by making relying on gas more expensive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/15/high-costs-and-uncertainties-cast-a-chill-over-britains-heat-pump-market
     
         
      Cyclone Ilsa: Powerful storm hits Western Australia Fri, 14th Apr 2023 16:42:00
     
      A powerful cyclone has hit Western Australia as a category five storm, setting a wind speed record but sparing populated areas from major damage. Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa struck the state close to Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub, just before midnight (17:00 BST). The storm has beendowngraded to category two, but alerts remain in place for some inland communities. The cyclone is the strongest to hit the region in some 14 years. Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Todd Smith said a late south-easterly shift in the storm's path meant that "Port Hedland dodged a bullet last night". Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter described the sound of the wind hitting the town as "very eerie and unusual" and "like a freight train". Officials said the storm was now tracking east, and warned inland communities to stay vigilant. "There are several remote communities and mining operations which are yet to be impacted," WA's Acting Emergency Services Minister Sue Ellery told reporters. One well-known local tavern and caravan park lying right in the path of the storm - the Pardoo roadhouse - suffered "great damage", its owners said on Facebook. But there have so far been no reports of injuries to people and all critical infrastructure was undamaged by the cyclone, the region's fire chief said. "Once we can get crews onto the ground and helicopters in the air... we will move along the coast just to check to see roads and other critical infrastructure," Peter Sutton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Winds of 135.5 miles per hour (218km/h) were recorded on Bedout Island just off the coast as the storm touched down, setting a preliminary 10-minute sustained wind record for Australia. The previous record was 120.5mph (194km/h) - winds that were recorded when Cyclone George slammed into the country in 2007. As Ilsa's very destructive winds move inland, the storm is predicted to weaken further overnight into Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said. As the cyclone approached, Port Hedland residents made last minute preparations by sandbagging and securing homes and businesses, Channel Nine reporter Ezra Holt told the BBC from the town. He added that there were mixed emotions within the town, with some not too fussed, and others more concerned because cyclones this strong are quite rare. Ships, including iron ore carriers, were reportedly moved from the Port Hedland harbour as the storm approached. The last category five cyclone to hit WA was Cyclone Laurence in 2009. Two years earlier, another category five storm, Cyclone George, killed three people as it tore through mining camps just south of Port Hedland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65259342
     
         
      Biden approves Alaska gas exports as critics condemn another ‘carbon bomb’ Fri, 14th Apr 2023 15:52:00
     
      Energy department gives green light to exports from liquefied natural gas program, after Willow project approved last month The Biden administration on Thursday approved exports of liquefied natural gas from the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, a document showed, prompting criticism from environmental groups over the approval of another “carbon bomb”. The US energy department approved Alaska Gasline Development Corp’s (AGDC) project to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement, mainly in Asia. Backers of the roughly $39bn project expect it to be operational by 2030 if it receives the required permits. The project, for which exports were first approved by the administration of Donald Trump, has been strongly opposed by environmental groups. “Joe Biden’s climate presidency is flying off the rails,” said Lukas Ross of Friends of the Earth. Ross pointed out this was the second US approval of a “fossil-fuel mega-project” in as many months. The Biden administration last month approved the ConocoPhillips $7bn Willow oil and gas drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, prompting criticism of Biden’s record on the climate crisis. Alaska LNG includes a liquefaction facility on the Kenai peninsula in southern Alaska and a proposed 807-mile (1,300-km) pipeline to move gas stranded in northern Alaska across the state. Frank Richards, the president of Alaska-owned AGDC, said the company will review the 51-page decision as it develops the project, which he said will “provide Alaskans and US allies with a significant source of low-emissions, responsibly produced energy consistent with international environmental priorities”. The Biden administration undertook an environmental review of Alaska LNG, concluding it has economic and international security benefits and that opponents had failed to show the exports were not in the “public interest”. The Biden administration modified the previous approval to prohibit venting of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide associated with the project into the atmosphere. Earthjustice, an environmental law firm, said the approval of the project cleared the way for additional lawsuits seeking to stop the project. The Biden administration is trying to approve more US LNG exports as it competes with Russia, traditionally one of the world’s largest energy exporters. Critics say the Ukraine conflict is a “false justification” for a rush to natural gas. An expansion of LNG terminals on the Gulf coast would double or even triple current capacity to deliver natural gas, which a report by Climate Action Tracker researchers said would keep carbon emissions above levels needed for net zero. Russia is under pressure from western sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine, and the US has boosted LNG exports to Europe after Moscow cut gas pipeline shipments to the continent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/14/biden-alaska-lng-liquefied-natural-gas-exports
     
         
      The plan to make a giant hot water bottle underground Fri, 14th Apr 2023 9:46:00
     
      During the Cold War the vast caverns beneath the Swedish city of Västerås held a stockpile of oil totalling 300,000 cubic metres. The oil was there in case World War Three broke out and Sweden found itself cut off from international energy supplies. In 1985, as geopolitical tensions began to ease, the caverns were emptied and have remained vacant - until now. Swedish energy company Mälarenergi has embarked on a project to decontaminate the facility and fill it with hot water at temperatures of up to 95C. In essence, they are building a giant underground thermos, which the firm says will be the largest of its kind in Europe. "It's quite damp," says Lisa Granström, acting head of business unit heat and power, describing her last visit to the tunnels, which are in an undisclosed location. "[The caverns are] a lot warmer than you would expect. It smells a little bit oily, still." The storage available is roughly equivalent to 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools and 11 times bigger than the largest above-ground hot water tank that Mälarenergi has nearby, adds Mrs Granström. This type of thermal storage is just one of several ways of caching warmth in the ground for use later. With the rise of renewables and concerns about energy security in Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, some experts argue that we should be making more of below-ground heat storage systems. In the case of Västerås, warmth from the caverns will be sent via heat exchangers to a district heating network, which supplies 98% of the households in the city of 130,000 people. Mälarenergi intends to begin filling the caverns with water by the end of the year. The facility will offer 500MW of district heating power. Where does the heat come from, though? Burning things. The company has a nearby power plant with furnaces for combusting waste or biomass and turning it into electricity or thermal energy. Mrs Granström says that carbon capture technology, which would reduce harmful emissions from the plant, is not yet in place but that her firm is currently considering installing it. The hot water reservoir will allow Mälarenergi to continue heating homes on cold winter days when demand is high, without reducing electricity production at the power plant. Storing heat underground tends to work well because it is very hard for the heat to escape - the ground itself acts as one big insulator. Mrs Granström explains that Mälarenergi's caverns will retain heat for multiple weeks and the system ought to be particularly stable once a few years pass and the temperature of the adjacent ground rises. "Once it's heated, the loss is not that great," she says. "You've heated up the rocks around it." This may chime with Londoners weary of sweaty journeys to and from work on the tube. For decades, heat from people and trains has been warming the clay that surrounds tunnels on the London Underground. So much so, that this clay now has an ambient temperature of between 20C and 25C, making it very difficult to cool down tube carriages and platforms on the network. The project in Västerås is not the first of its kind. In Finland, energy firm Helen began filling a slightly smaller cavern system on the island of Mustikkamaa with hot water back in 2021. The facility is now operational, the company says, and supplies heat to 25,000 one-bedroom apartments all year round. "These cavern solutions being suggested, I think they're great," says Fleur Loveridge at the University of Leeds. "They're just one option, if you like." According to the UK's Coal Authority, a quarter of the British population lives above abandoned coal mines. Significant numbers of these mines are flooded and naturally maintain relatively warm temperatures, roughly around 15C, for example. This mine water could be heated up further, perhaps by a heat pump system, before being distributed along pipes to nearby houses, where it would warm radiators or provide hot water. Such a system could use heat exchangers to heat up a closed water loop so that potential contaminants from the mine water are not passed into the home supply. Prof Loveridge points out that heating accounts for roughly a quarter of the UK's carbon emissions and decarbonizing heating is quite difficult. Millions of households still rely on fossil fuel boilers, for example. "We should be, as a country, utilizing every option we have for thermal energy sources and stores," she says. But there's an alternative to giant thermos flasks underground - what about hot rocky sponges? Matthew Jackson at Imperial College London says that in the UK we might be able to make use of aquifers, porous bodies of rock underground that naturally retain water. It's possible to pump heat - or cold - into large areas of these "sponges" and then take the hot or cold out again via a fluid when required, to warm or cool down dwellings. Such a system could be even more efficient than hot water reservoirs in caverns, Prof Jackson says. Despite numerous aquifer thermal energy storage installations in Europe - there are thousands in the Netherlands, for instance - it remains rare in the UK. "That's a technology which is not that prevalent [here]," says Prof Jackson. "We have 11 installations operational at the moment." One example is the luxury Chelsea Barracks complex in London, which is being redeveloped into a residential and commercial area. Between 2015 and 2018, an aquifer thermal energy storage system was installed by a Belgian company, AGT. Aquifers suitable for this sort of thing are plentiful around the UK, however, and often conveniently located right under cities, notes Prof Jackson. And yet, the UK is arguably falling behind on making use of underground thermal energy resources. "The main barriers to deployment in the UK are not around technical suitability," says Prof Jackson. "They're really around awareness of developers that this is a solution."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65098792
     
         
      Is driving on the left stopping New Zealand reaching its climate goals? Fri, 14th Apr 2023 3:31:00
     
      The country depends overwhelmingly on secondhand cars from Japan, which makes barely any electric vehicles New Zealand has long been known for its high ratio of sheep to people. But really what stands out on various per-capita lists is just how much we love to drive. Exact comparisons are tricky and blurred by tiny countries, but we definitely have one of the highest rates of car ownership in the world, with something like nine cars for every 10 people, and each car driven over 8,000km a year. Given that a fifth of the population are children, this is a strikingly high rate of car ownership – and presents a key challenge to the country’s net zero goals. Getting emissions from transport down will be absolutely essential if New Zealand is going to get anywhere near its target of halving all emissions by 2030. It’s one of the main sectors that the government can really push on, considering our electricity system is already mostly clean and agricultural emissions remain politically impossible to seriously challenge. On paper this shouldn’t be all that difficult. With bountiful clean electricity from an array of hydro dams, electric vehicles should make amazing sense here, with drivers able to save money and the planet at the same time. Just look at Norway – a country of a similar size and population density with its own very clean power grid – where 80% of the cars sold last year were EVs, and 20% of its entire fleet is now clean. Instead, petrol and diesel cars continue to easily outsell EVs, which make up just 1% of the entire fleet. Why so slow? Because we drive on the left. Well, that’s a bit glib. But it is a huge barrier to electrification. As a relatively small market at the bottom of the world with no domestic car manufacturing, New Zealand’s auto industry survives on the whims of bigger players. This is especially the case as we have a big taste for second- and third- and fourth-hand vehicles – the average car in 2018 was 14.1 years old, compared to 8.6 in the UK. There is no real social stigma attached to having an old car and many other ways one can show off wealth. So instead of buying brand new vehicles, many decently middle-class families opt for what is known as “New Zealand new” – cars that are newly imported into the country but have been owned somewhere overseas for a few years. These cars come overwhelmingly from Japan. Japan has a huge domestic car market for right-hand drive cars (meaning the wheel is on the right, but you drive on the left). They are often eager to export old cars thanks to stringent and shifting regulations. Their cars are prized here for their reliability and value, usually arriving in a good state to run for another decade or so without serious issues. This wouldn’t be much of an issue, except for the fact that Japan’s auto industry has massively stumbled on EVs. Japan’s largest carmaker, Toyota, bet big on hybrids and only just started to sell a fully electric car last year, which was subject to embarrassing supply chain issues and even a global recall. Mitsubishi recently made headlines trying to convince people that internal combustion engines were actually cleaner than EVs in many countries. (This is not the case almost anywhere.) You can see how bad it is in their own domestic market: just 2% of all new car sales in Japan were fully electric in the past year, about 10 times smaller than the rate in Europe and China, where cheaper electric cars are exploding in popularity. But unfortunately for New Zealand, folks in China and Europe drive on the right. If just 2% of new cars in Japan are electric right now, that’s not all that many to sell to us five years down the road, when we are supposed to be massively reducing our transport emissions. But driving different cars is not New Zealand’s only option. Public or active transport are even better for the environment. And despite our rugged pastoral self-image, most Kiwis live in a city, and one-third live in Auckland, where the joy of driving is strongly tempered by horrific traffic. Yet public transport is somehow getting worse in major centres, as bus driver shortages cause thousands of cancellations a week. Investment in other public transport is mired in delays and political infighting – I’m 30 and think I’ll be lucky if I get to ride on some type of light rail in New Zealand before retiring. Some type of political accord could help a lot here. Our two main parties reached one on housing density which looks set to drastically increase affordability in the years to come, as the public and private sectors can now rely on policy continuity. A new accord on transport investment seems incredibly unlikely. But it would probably be easier than deciding to drive on the right.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2023/apr/14/is-driving-on-the-left-stopping-new-zealand-reaching-its-climate-goals
     
         
      Yellow dust: Sandstorms bring misery from China to South Korea Thu, 13th Apr 2023 23:44:00
     
      From his high rise office window, Erling Thompson watches the Seoul skyline fade into a yellow-grey cloud as fine dust from sandstorms in China blankets South Korea. On the streets below, people wear face masks and hooded jackets to ride out another dust-covered day that is no less miserable and unhealthy, even if it is expected at this time of the year. Yellow dust is a seasonal ordeal for millions in North Asia, as sandstorms from the Gobi desert that borders China and Mongolia ride springtime winds to reach the Korean peninsula and this year, farther east to Japan. It aggravates air pollution and puts people at greater risk of respiratory disease as the particles are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs. "You don't feel happy. It's like a very bad weather day. You naturally want to be outside on a sunny day. But when the weather is very dirty, you feel depressed and want to stay inside," said the 34-year-old Thompson, who moved from the US to South Korea in 2011 for work. Eom Hyeojung said there appears to be "no realistic way to avoid yellow dust", so she sent her daughter to school anyway despite the health risks. "As it happens so often, like every year, I just let her go. It's sad, but I think it became just a part of our life," said the 40-year-old teacher from Seoul. Han Junghee, a 63-year-old telemarketer, said the sky appeared to be getting murkier by the day so she has been avoiding exercise outdoors. Sandstorms in the region have been increasing in frequency since the 1960s due to rising temperatures and lower precipitation in the Gobi wilderness, Chinese authorities said. This year, sandstorms started bearing down on parts of China in March, causing the skies to turn yellow. In the first two weeks of April alone, there have been four sandstorm and the most recent one left cars, bikes and houses coated in dust. On Chinese social media platform Weibo, a video of a woman sweeping three kilos of dust inside her apartment in Inner Mongolia has gotten three million views. She accidentally left a window open during the sandstorm. A 31-year-old woman in Beijing who doesn't want to be named said she was covered in dust "like a terra cotta warrior" after a brief run outside her house. "Even my bedroom smells like dirt when I go to sleep. We've been quite used to sandstorm weather here in Beijing because it happens every spring. But the wind is too strong this time. I was the unlucky one," she said. A sandstorm on 11 April reduced the towering buildings in Shanghai's Pudong district to mere outlines in the night sky. Twelve provinces were placed under a sandstorm warning the following day. A Shanghai resident said the morning after a sandstorm meant the additional chore of washing down her bike before she could use it. The 30-year-old woman said she wondered how the time bought by more than two years of COVID restrictions failed to produce measures to mitigate the effects of the seasonal sand storms. At the height of the most recent sandstorm, the concentration of fine dust or PM 10 in the Chinese capital was 46.2 times the World Health Organization's guideline value. In Seoul, PM 10 levels were double the government threshold to qualify as very bad for health. In the city of Ulsan, southeast of the capital, it was even higher. The health risk from PM 10 particles is immediate as they are easily inhaled. One particle is smaller in diameter than human hair. As China and South Korea grapple with yellow dust from sandstorms, Thailand, south of the continent, is dealing with its own pollution problem as wildfires and the burning of sugarcane fields blanket the country's northern region in smog. Among the hardest hit is tourist favourite Chiang Mai, where golden temples and lush greenery has been shrouded in thick smoke for weeks. On the week yellow dust blanketed large parts of northeast Asia, Chiang Mai took the dubious distinction of being the world's most polluted city.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65247927
     
         
      ‘I’m all for climate change’: Axel Springer CEO faces heat over leaked messages Thu, 13th Apr 2023 18:47:00
     
      Mathias Döpfner’s reported comments on climate, Muslims and east Germany – and his apparent political manoeuvring – create shock waves The German CEO of Europe’s largest media publisher tried to use his flagship tabloid, Bild, to influence the outcome of Germany’s last election and fed the newspaper his personal views attacking climate change activism, Covid measures and the former chancellor Angela Merkel, leaked messages suggest. The internal chats, emails and text messages published by the German weekly Die Zeit on Wednesday clash with the public presentation of Axel Springer SE’s chief executive, Mathias Döpfner, who recently said he wanted to bring “non-partisan” journalism to a too-polarised US media landscape through his acquisition of the English-language title Politico. In one of the messages quoted verbatim in Die Zeit, from 2017, Döpfner says: “I am all for climate change,” seemingly arguing that human civilisation in periods of warm climate was always “more successful” than during cold-climate periods. “We shouldn’t fight climate change but adjust to it.” The comments are part of a longer message in which Döpfner sums up his foreign policy views as “Free west, fuck the intolerant Muslims and all the other riff-raff.” Döpfner, who holds a 22% share in the Berlin-based company Axel Springer and sits on the board of directors of Netflix, repeatedly voiced his distrust of the population of the formerly socialist states of eastern Germany. “The ossis [east Germans] are either communists or fascists. They don’t do in-between. Disgusting.” In a message from October 2019, the top executive ponders writing an article on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in which he calls for rescinding reunification and turning the former GDR into an “agrarian and production zone with uniform wage payments”. “My mother always said it. The ossis are never going to be democrats.” In a statement uploaded to Axel Springer’s internal message board on Thursday and seen by the Guardian, Döpfner said: “Articles of mine published over four decades show the way I think. I let myself be taken to account for every published word. But out-of-context fragments of texts and conservations cannot be held up as my ‘true way of thinking’.” Referencing the passages on climate change, east Germany and Islam, Döpfner said he believed that “climate change is real and threatening” but that he reserved the right to make fun of some of the reactions to the subject. He said he held “no prejudices” against east Germans or Muslims, but he was concerned about the success of the far right in the east and radical Islam. In its report, Die Zeit said Döpfner’s personal dislike of the GDR-raised ex-chancellor Merkel had put Döpfner on a collision course with Friede Springer, the widow of the company founder Axel and its majority shareholder. While Friede Springer wrote to Bild’s then editor, Julian Reichelt, at the start of the pandemic in 2020 to praise Merkel’s leadership, Döpfner railed against pandemic restrictions brought in by the then chancellor. “That is the end of the market economy,” he wrote after the German parliament passed a historic aid package to shield the economy from coronavirus-related shocks. “And the beginning of 33,” Döpfner added, seemingly a reference to the year Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor and turned Germany into a dictatorship. Messages quoted by Die Zeit also show the publishing executive enthusiastic in his praise for Donald Trump after the January 2020 killing of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani by an American drone strike. “My suggestion. Nobel peace prize for Trump,” one message reads. “And take it away from ibama [sic].” Barack Obama was given the Nobel peace prize in 2009. The publication of the leaked messages comes a year and a half after Döpfner cut ties with the editor of Bild over allegations of sexual misconduct. At the time, the executive presented the issue as a “culture problem” specific to the notoriously pugilistic rightwing tabloid, unconnected to the modern publishing empire. Last September, Döpfner told the Washington Post that through his acquisition of Politico he wanted to “prove that being nonpartisan is actually the more successful positioning”, describing that approach as his “biggest and most contrarian bet”. In Germany, the publication of the leaked texts has sent shock waves through the country’s political circles, not least because Döpfner has long successfully presented himself as something more akin to a public intellectual than a business manager. While his standing as a respectable figure was shaken by the scandal around Julian Reichelt, Döpfner’s former protege at Bild, the fallout was limited. In June last year, Döpfner stepped down as president of the Federation of German Newspaper Publishers. The leaked messages also raise specific questions about close links between the Springer publishing empire – whose flagship titles includes Bild, Die Welt, Business Insider and Politico – and the pro-business Free Democratic party (FDP), a junior partner in Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition government. Citing a dinner with the FDP leader, Christian Lindner, Döpfner repeatedly urged Reichelt as Bild editor to “do more for the FDP” in the run-up to the September 2021 federal elections. “Please strengthen the FDP,” he wrote two days before the vote. “If they do well they can act with such authority in the traffic light [coalition of Social Democrats, Green party and FDP] that it collapses.” Such a collapse, the message intimates, would bring about his preferred outcome of a conservative-led so-called “Jamaica” coalition between Christian Democrats, Greens and FDP. In his statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Döpfner responded to the allegation that he used Bild as a tool to further his own political interests. “In the spirit of freedom and variety of speech I enjoy having arguments – especially with our editors, who are all responsible and self-confident,” he said. “That also explicitly applies to alleged influence taken in regards to the FDP. I am very close to the values of this party. But thank God our journalists won’t let themselves be influenced.” Reichelt has not responded to German media requests on the leaked messages. Die Zeit cited Reichelt’s lawyer questioning the legality of the disciplinary procedure that led to his ousting and announcing his intention to take legal steps against Axel Springer in Germany and the US.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/13/axel-springer-ceo-mathias-dopfner-leaked-messages-reported
     
         
      Coal mine: Legal action mooted over Ffos-y-Fran ongoing opencast mining Thu, 13th Apr 2023 18:46:00
     
      Climate campaigners say they are considering legal action over ongoing coal mining at the UK's largest opencast mine, months after planning permission ran out. Digging for coal at Ffos-y-Fran, near Merthyr Tydfil, was supposed to stop last September after 15 years. The mine's operator has applied for an extension and is waiting on a decision. Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said it would be "inappropriate to comment at this point". Wales has climate duty due to coal past - charity OK to mine 40 million tonnes of coal shameful - MP Will the Cumbrian coal mine threaten the UK's climate goals? Daniel Therkelsen, of campaign group Coal Action Network, told BBC News it was "irrational" that neither the local council nor the Welsh government had stepped in to stop the mine from carrying on past the original deadline of 6 September 2022. He said the mine had in effect granted itself a "de facto" extension for the last eight months, with UK Coal Authority statistics showing that over 100,000 tonnes of coal had been extracted during this time. Local residents and campaigners had repeatedly contacted the local council with pictures and reports of alleged coal mining, he said. "If the application for extension that the company has filed is unsuccessful, then that coal isn't going back into the void - it's been sold, it's gone," Mr Therkelsen said. "We cannot afford that in the midst of a climate crisis and it makes a mockery of the environmental commitments that the current Welsh government has been celebrated for." The company's request for a nine month extension is set to be discussed by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC) planning committee later this month. The firm recently revised its application, seeking permission to continue mining until 31 March 2024. After this date "coal production at Ffos-y-Fran would cease completely", according to a letter sent by the council to interested parties. Plans for a further three years of coaling had previously been floated. 'Without the benefit of planning permission' The Welsh government's coal policy prevents the development of new mines or extensions to existing ones apart from "in wholly exceptional circumstances". Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd argued it qualifies due to its "nationally significant" role in supplying a local source of coal for Tata's Port Talbot steelworks. But it also acknowledged that there are "insufficient funds" set aside to restore the mine back to green hillside for the local community's benefit as originally agreed, and that it needs time to put a revised plan in place. MTCBC said that since the submission of a planning application on 1 September 2022 to extend the life of the existing opencast mine, "it has been brought to the council's attention that coal production has continued at Ffos-y-Fran without the benefit of planning permission". A spokesperson said the determination of the planning application was "the priority for the council". "Any issues pertinent to enforcement" would be taken in light of the decision taken by its planning committee on 26 April, they added. The choice facing the council is either to reject the plans or say they are minded to approve them, in which case they would have to refer up to the Welsh government. A Welsh government spokeswoman said it had issued a direction to the council which prevented it from granting permission unless authorised by Welsh ministers. On the issue of ongoing mining on site, she said: "Local planning authorities have powers to investigate claims of unauthorised development and are responsible, in the first instance, for considering enforcement action". Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said that having "received confirmation that solicitors are involved for the campaigners and proceedings are being contemplated" that it would be "inappropriate to comment at this point".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-65031592
     
         
      UK accused of ‘backward step’ for axing top climate diplomat role Thu, 13th Apr 2023 10:49:00
     
      Exclusive: Previous holder says loss is ‘disappointing’ and damages UK’s ability to spur global climate action The UK government has axed its most senior climate diplomat post, the Guardian can reveal. The last special representative for climate change, Nick Bridge, stood down recently after six years in post and is not being replaced. The special representative was appointed by the foreign secretary and worked at a high diplomatic level to further the UK’s climate goals internationally. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the climate crisis remained of “utmost importance”. But the special representative in post from 2013-17, Prof Sir David King, said: “This is extremely disappointing. It’s a very backward step. I do hope that the government has second thoughts and gets a very strong person into this position.” King said he had made 96 official country visits in the two years before the Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015, enabling the UK government to play a leading role in achieving the deal. “The important thing is that the climate change situation is far, far worse now than it was in 2015,” he said. Tom Burke, a former adviser to the first special representative, John Ashton, who was appointed in 2006, said: “The [loss of the post] will clearly be interpreted everywhere as a reduction in Britain’s political focus on climate change. “The government is strengthening [climate work] inside the structure of the FCDO department, but the fact is that without somebody who’s got the foreign secretary’s approval, and the rank of ambassador more or less, you don’t get access to the key players. So it will limit Britain’s ability to influence other countries on climate change.” Burke, now chair of the thinktank E3G, added: “All of the really difficult problems in dealing with climate change are the politics, not the technology or economics. And in order to make a difference in the politics, you have to have access to the key top-level decision-makers in countries.” An FCDO spokesperson said: “Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government, and to the foreign secretary, and is a central focus of our diplomatic relations on a daily basis. Our resource and senior representation on climate and environment has grown significantly since the creation of the FCDO, and expanded further since the UK’s Cop26 presidency.” The foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said in 2020: “Climate change is a huge global challenge.” He also attended the UN’s climate summit Cop27 in Egypt in November. Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on climate change, said: “The decision to eliminate the special representative is a clear indication that Rishi Sunak refuses to take the climate crisis seriously. Instead of investing in the expertise and leadership necessary to address one of the greatest threats facing our planet, they have chosen once again to bury their heads in the sand. This position must be reinstated immediately.” The Guardian reported in 2018 that the number of full-time officials dedicated to the climate crisis in the Foreign Office had dropped by almost 25% since 2016 under the then foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. The FCDO declined to share the current number of its climate staff. The UK government recently launched a new energy security plan. But critics said it was a missed opportunity full of “half-baked, half-hearted” policies that did not go far enough to power Britain’s climate goals. The plan failed to put the UK on track to meet its international emissions targets under the Paris agreement. The government also published an update of its integrated review on national security, defence, development and foreign policy priorities in March. It said: “The UK’s first thematic priority remains tackling climate change, environmental damage and biodiversity loss given the urgency of making progress before 2030.” Burke said: “Lowering the rank of the UK’s lead official on climate change is hardly a way of making this priority credible at home or abroad.” In 2006, Ashton said on his appointment as the first special representative: “Climate change is a threat to peace and stability. The assets of the foreign policy community worldwide need to be fully engaged in pursuit of climate security.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/13/uk-accused-of-backwards-step-for-axing-top-climate-diplomat-role
     
         
      Australia aims to boost critical minerals processing to hedge against China’s dominance Thu, 13th Apr 2023 5:03:00
     
      Resources minister warns concentration of the market that includes rare earths in China poses a strategic challenge Australia needs to develop processing capabilities that would hedge against China’s dominant position over minerals crucial to clean energy and defence technologies, the resources minister, Madeleine King, said on Thursday. Speaking to a Darwin audience that included key allies and trading partners, King said the concentration of the critical minerals market in China posed a strategic challenge to Australia. “Working together, like-minded partners can build new, diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chains as part of a global hedge against concentration,” King said at an event organised by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a defence thinktank with a hawkish reputation on China. “Diversity, as opposed to concentration, is an intrinsic good and in the interest of all nations.” The comments come ahead of the release of a federal government strategy designed to address China’s dominance of important minerals like rare earths. Rare earth metals, a subset of the larger group of minerals seen as critical to a nation, are used in everything from smartphones and batteries to high-powered magnets. Rare earths also underpin clean energy technologies and are widely used in electronic defence systems. China is a large producer of rare earths and has near complete control over the refining processes needed to make the minerals useful. Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has flagged it will engineer rare earths out of its next-generation fleet amid volatile pricing and disrupted supplies of the key minerals in recent years. King told the audience that included ambassadors from the Netherlands, India and Japan that pandemic-related disruptions to supply chains showed how important it was to have reliable supplies. “These events have shown that market concentration leads to fragility, volatility and unreliability of key materials, like critical minerals and rare earths,” King said. “This creates a strategic challenge for Australia and for our allies and partners.” After tensions between Beijing and Tokyo flared in 2010, China blocked rare earth exports to Japan. King said Australia needed capital to develop mining projects while noting that critical minerals were key inputs into Japan’s advanced manufacturing industry. “Foreign investment from like-minded partners will be crucial to getting Australian projects off the ground,” she said. Contrary to their descriptor, rare earth elements are abundant. However, only a few countries, including Australia, contain deposits large enough to make extraction viable. The mining process can generate large volumes of toxic material and processing is tricky, giving China a large head start over other nations trying to build refining capabilities. Australia has had limited success in building processing capabilities for its vast mineral wealth, with most resources, like iron ore, sent offshore. It is home, however, to two companies, Lynas Rare Earths and Iluka Resources, which are involved in the extraction of critical minerals and are developing or expanding their refining processes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/13/australia-aims-to-boost-critical-minerals-processing-to-hedge-against-chinas-dominance
     
         
      UK still well off track on pledge to cut methane emissions, study says Wed, 12th Apr 2023 15:00:00
     
      The UK is still well off track on meeting its international commitments to cut methane emissions, analysis has shown, despite moves to stop cows from belching out so much of it. Ministers unveiled a host of initiatives to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions in the government’s “green day” of energy announcements more than a week ago, including plans to introduce methane-suppressing feed for livestock from 2025, and to stop biodegradable waste going to landfill from 2028. But these did not go far enough to reduce Britain’s methane emissions by 30% by 2030, the target agreed under the global methane pledge that the UK signed before the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, according to analysis by the Green Alliance thinktank. It found that the government’s policies would cut UK methane output by about 14%, compared with 2020 levels, by 2030. Ministers have rejected one significant measure to cut methane emissions, an immediate ban on routine flaring and venting from gas and oil drilling platforms in the North Sea. The review of the UK’s net zero strategy by the former energy minister Chris Skidmore, as well as parliamentary committees, recommended bringing in such a ban from 2025, but the practice will be allowed to continue until at least 2030. Offshore operators waste enough gas to power more than 750,000 homes a year through flaring and venting, and enough to power at least 100,000 more from undetected leaks. Measures to cut the UK’s methane in line with the pledge and beyond are still possible, according to the Green Alliance. Bringing forward the ban on flaring and venting, forcing landfill operators to capture methane at a higher rate than what escapes from rubbish dumps at present, mending the UK’s existing leaky gas mains at a faster rate, and encouraging a swifter uptake of methane-suppressing feed for livestock could help the country achieve a reduction of more than 40% by 2030. Liam Hardy, of the Green Alliance, said: “Existing measures to tackle UK methane emissions are wholly inadequate, but it’s not too late to turn things around. The government should be able to put forward a plan to cut methane emissions by more than 43%. This would help get us closer to net zero and put the UK in a clear position of leadership ahead of international climate negotiations later this year.” The UK is also falling behind on its overall climate pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to the government’s own analysis. More than 100 countries are now signed up to the global methane pledge. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, with about 80 times the warming effect of carbon dioxide, though it has a shorter life in the atmosphere. Scientific consensus says cutting methane drastically is one of the quickest and surest ways to stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and could help to reduce global temperature rises by as much as 0.5C within a few decades. But global methane emissions are still rising, and many countries have been misreporting their output of the gas. Satellite imaging is allowing a far clearer picture of global emissions than before. The Guardian recently revealed the existence of more than 1,000 “super-emitting” methane sites around the world. The UK government disputed the Green Alliance findings. “This analysis is completely wrong. The UK has adopted early and ambitious measures to tackle methane emissions. Already this means that between 1990 and 2020 UK methane emissions fell by 62% – more than any other OECD country,” a spokesperson said. “We recognise the urgency to do more, which is why we are going further and faster to reduce emissions in line with the net zero strategy and carbon budgets, and the global methane pledge, a global reduction target.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/12/uk-off-track-on-pledge-to-cut-methane-emissions-study-30-per-cent-2030
     
         
      Campaigners call for EU to tax fishing industry to fund decarbonisation Wed, 12th Apr 2023 14:51:00
     
      Report says revenues raised from a gradually imposed fuel tax could be used to transition to low-carbon fisheries The EU lavished up to €15.7bn in fossil fuel subsidies on its fishing industry over the last decade but campaigners are calling for those funds to be redirected towards decarbonisation. Fuel tax exemptions for the fishing industry save so much money that they could pay the salaries of 20,000 fishers every year – or pay for 6,000 new energy reduction and decarbonisation projects, according to an analysis. Europe’s fishing fleet emitted at least 56m tonnes of CO2 between 2010 and 2020, more than twice as much as Malta over the same period, the paper says. But a true figure would be much higher, with studies indicating that practices such as bottom trawling release as much CO2 as the entire aviation industry. Even so, Europe’s fishing vessels – like its aircraft – pay no fuel taxes at present. “Vast sums of money could be put to use for good fisheries performance,” said one of the report’s authors, Dr Laura Elsler. “The data clearly shows that by supporting the biggest emitters, fuel subsidies stand in the way of a transition to low-carbon fisheries.” The EU could generate €681m a year if its fishing fleet was taxed at 33 cents a litre, and €1.4bn if it paid the 67 cents a litre average rate charged to road transport users, the study says. Switching tax streams to fund a decarbonisation push would help the EU “shift from unsustainable and unprofitable fishing to income-supporting and environmentally sound use of public money”, added the report co-author, Dr Maartje Oostdijk, a researcher at the University of Iceland. The EU says it is committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies but an energy tax review under its Green Deal proposes only an ultra-low industry tax rate of 3.6 cents a litre for fishing vessels. Even this tax band – described as “preposterously low” by the study – is being opposed by fishing countries including France, Spain and Cyprus, which want the sector to continue paying no taxes. Daniel Voces de Onaíndi, the director of the Europêche fishing industry association, said EU fishers had cut their greenhouse gas emissions by half since 1990. “We are not waiting for NGOs to initiate this path,” he said. “However, given the lack of alternative propulsion technologies or net zero carbon fuels, fuel oil taxation will not drive any transition to decarbonisation. It will only penalise the sector and even more under the [current] unprecedented fuel prices.” The European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Campaigners say revenues raised from a gradually imposed fuel tax could be used to fund the research and rollout of alternative technologies for fishing boats such as wind-assisted propulsion, batteries and green hydrogen systems. The report also proposes decarbonisation projects to, for example, electrify harbours for shoreside power and provide more fuel-efficient fishing gear that reduces bycatch. “The EU fishing industry faces the dual challenge of climate change and overharvesting,” it says. “Therefore, any investments to reduce carbon emissions must replace – not increase – fishing industry capacity.” Depleted fish populations also cause greater emissions because fishing boats have to sail further out to sea for longer periods to catch the same amount of fish. The US on Tuesday signed up to a World Trade Organization agreement committing to end subsidies for vessels involved in overfishing, or the fishing of species whose conservation status is unknown. Flaminia Tacconi, a fisheries lawyer for the green legal group ClientEarth, said it was true that EU fishing vessels had already reduced their fuel emissions, but only “because there were way too many subsidised boats for far too few fish and the sector had to adjust to reality”. She added: “Keeping these fuel subsidies would be a schizophrenic approach if, on the one hand, you ask the sector to move away from fossil fuels and on the other, you continue to finance them through indirect fossil fuel subsidies.” The report says 17 alternative subsidies – covering issues from safety at sea to protecting aquatic species – could outperform the current fuel subsidy for impact by 188% when measured against environmental, social and economic criteria. Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the Our Fish campaign, which commissioned the report, said: “There are so many other things we can do to support the fishing industry with better social, environmental and economic outcomes. Yet the EU has chosen previously – and the fishing industry continues to support – funding fossil fuel companies instead of its own industry. It doesn’t make sense.” A spokesperson for the European commission said: “It is not accurate for the Report to state that Europe spent up to €15.7bn on fossil fuel subsidies to its fishing fleet in the last decade. Our data indicates that the foregone revenue due to the existing tax exemptions amounts to about €1.14 billion annually. Our proposal to revise the energy taxation directive would end this exemption with a harmonised minimum tax rate, which will help to promote energy savings and the reduction of the dependency on fossil fuels in the fisheries sector – and for the rest of the EU economy.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/12/campaigners-call-for-eu-to-tax-fishing-industry-to-fund-decarbonisation
     
         
      Biden’s new vehicle emissions rules could speed the EV revolution Wed, 12th Apr 2023 14:42:00
     
      Although the global market for electric vehicles has surged over the past decade, EVs still account for only a small percentage of new cars sold in the United States. Since 2014, their domestic market share has risen from around 1 percent to around 6 percent. The Biden administration has far bigger plans for the next eight years: Under a sweeping set of vehicle emissions rules unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, EVs would make up as much as two-thirds of all U.S. car sales by 2031 — a more than tenfold increase from current levels. The EPA’s new pollution standards target conventional passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They set much stricter emission limits for planet-warming gasses like carbon dioxide and methane as well as toxic pollutants like nitrogen oxide. When the vehicle emissions rules take effect, new automobiles will be allowed to spew less than half as much carbon as they can now. A separate set of rules will limit carbon emissions from larger heavy-duty trucks. In theory, auto manufacturers can choose how they achieve compliance, but the EPA believes many of them will opt to manufacture EVs rather than trying to design combustion vehicles that meet the new standards. Automakers like Ford and General Motors have already claimed they plan to phase out production of gasoline-powered cars, but these rules would speed up their timelines. If they work as designed, the regulations would avert the equivalent of more than two full years of current U.S. carbon emissions. But that’s a big “if.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/transportation/biden-epa-vehicle-emissions-rules-electric/
     
         
      ‘Even in the realms of extreme, it’s extreme’: how UK music festivals are planning for freak weather Wed, 12th Apr 2023 8:41:00
     
      Whether waterlogged from flooding or parched and prone to wildfires, festival sites are having to plan for every eventuality – and the costs are substantial Wellies and sun hats are the traditional first guard against the elements at festivals, but this summer they may not be enough to protect revellers. Flood defences, wildfire response teams and satellite weather-monitoring technology are among the ways UK music festivals are adapting to extreme weather events fuelled by the climate crisis. Last summer’s record high temperatures in the UK hit during festival season, and the changing climate has become one of the industry’s biggest challenges, increasing the frequency, severity and likelihood of weather such as heatwaves and thunderstorms. With preparations underway for this year’s festival season, event organisers are increasing their contingency plans to secure their events, at a time of higher costs in labour, energy and insurance. Standon Calling, a 17,000-capacity festival in Hertfordshire, has felt the force of extreme weather in recent years. In 2021, the team were preparing for a dry weekend and performances by Primal Scream and Craig David. “Forecasts weren’t suggesting we were going to get freak weather,” recalls founder Alex Trenchard. “Then we had double the average rainfall for July fall in around three and a half hours. It was extraordinary.” The downpour left almost a third of the site flooded, with bosses forced to cancel the event on the final day. The evacuation was complicated as local access roads had been closed and some attenders had to leave their cars and belongings behind. The following year, they dug flood irrigation trenches across the site – only to face a heatwave. “You’re now preparing for something that, even in the realms of extreme, is at the extreme end,” Trenchard says. We’re going to have to make plans for weather events that we haven’t seen yet, but are now plausible Ric Robins, Met Office Unpredictable weather has been part of preplanning and risk assessment for UK music festivals for decades. The difference now is, bosses can’t look at past patterns to model their plans. “Throughout the world, and in the UK, we’re seeing unprecedented weather events,” says Ric Robins from the Met Office, who has spent 40 years following British weather and works with events to disseminate weather warnings. “We’re going to have to make plans for weather events that we haven’t seen yet, but are now plausible,” he adds. That will be difficult, because most festival sites are under construction by the time they receive accurate data. “It’s around five to seven days [before the event] when the forecast settles down into something you can plan for,” explains Robins. As a result, festival organisers – under scrutiny from local authorities, emergency services and insurance companies – must now prepare in advance for multiple extreme weather scenarios. Jane Healy is responsible for the water and sanitation provisions at festivals such as Glastonbury and Boomtown, a 60,000-capacity festival in Hampshire where, in August 2022, temperatures peaked around 40C. She recalls there was concern about localised drought. To protect festivalgoers’ welfare, the team were trucking in tankers of extra water, trying to keep it cool enough to drink and using it to dampen down dust. “When you haven’t planned for extreme weather, it’s easy to fall back on the old ways,” she says. For example, shipping in plastic bottles of water. “Quick options, like anything in life, aren’t normally the most sustainable. You’ve got to have your contingencies, even if you don’t use them.” These types of weather events mean festivals are scaling up plans every summer. More than half a million people attend Festival Republic’s events each year, such as Reading and Leeds, Wireless and Download. Last year, the organisers saw the damage caused to homes and villages by wildfires and adapted their plans. “We increased fire crew teams and fire appliances,” says group managing director Melvin Benn. “Instead of our fire teams being central, we created hubs so response times would be shorter.” Real-time monitoring is key. “We contract a satellite weather service, which costs an awful lot of money. It gives us literally minute-by-minute anticipation. I’ve used this technology to keep shows going.” All this necessary adaptation comes at a time of budgeting strain for the festival sector. “Issues of climate change affecting festivals aren’t happening on their own,” says Trenchard. “It’s alongside other factors, such as cancellation insurance. The premiums are rising year-on-year because insurers are having to pay out on weather-related claims.” Already this year, record rainfall has meant Laneway festival in Auckland was called off.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/12/freak-weather-affecting-music-festivals-standon-calling
     
         
      Road-building spree will derail UK’s net zero targets, warn campaigners Wed, 12th Apr 2023 6:00:00
     
      Hybrid vehicle pollution and van traffic update adds 26 megatonnes of carbon emissions to Department for Transport decarbonisation plan The UK’s net zero targets will be missed because of a planned “road-building spree” by the Department for Transport, campaigners have said. Officials had to edit the department’s “transport decarbonisation plan” to add 26 megatonnes of carbon emissions because of an oversight regarding polluting hybrid vehicles, and projections for an increase in van traffic. Documents released by the DfT state: “Recent evidence suggests PHEVs [plug-in hybrid electric vehicles] are 3-5 times more polluting in the real world than in test drives. This adjustment raises baseline emissions. Post-Covid car demand has been lowered by 5% to reflect lower levels of commuting. However, the Department for Transport forecasts that HGV and van miles will be higher than that forecast … due to outturn data showing higher van and HGV traffic than previously assumed.” Campaigners also criticised a new policy by the DfT which requires decision-makers to ignore the negative climate impact of road-building and traffic but to give weight to tree planting around schemes as a nature-based solution to climate change. It says an increase in emissions from road schemes is “not a reason to prohibit” their approval. There are 32m cars on the UK’s roads, and they are growing in number and size. Transport is the country’s largest emitting sector and produced 24% of the UK’s total emissions in 2020. Chris Todd, the director of campaign group Transport Action Network, said: “The DfT claims this new policy will ensure transport projects ‘meet environmental targets’. Yet it states that an increase in emissions from road schemes is not ‘reason to prohibit’ or restrict their approval. “With the revised net zero strategy admitting we are off track to meet 2030 targets, ministers are deliberately accelerating us towards runaway climate change. We need the public to tell them to slam the brakes on this road-building spree. Instead, we urgently need world-class public transport and active travel, not world-destroying temperature rises.” Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, said: “For far too long transport policy has been dominated by motoring and road building, with its consequential and largely ignored impact on climate change and air pollution. “Britain’s transport system needs a change of direction with priority given to better public transport and cycling infrastructure instead of more motoring. Billions of pounds are being squandered on more road-building when more pressing needs are vastly underfunded – from rural buses to home insulation.” Dr Doug Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, added: “Any government which, in the middle of a climate emergency, finds itself planning for a major programme of new roads can count itself as a failure.” The government recently blocked the release of the carbon emission figures behind its transport decarbonisation plan. It blocked academics from seeing the figures, which include data on how much car use would have to be reduced in order to reach net zero commitments. Campaigners say meeting these legally binding targets will be possible only with a drastic reduction in motor traffic, which could make many new road projects financially unviable. A DfT spokesperson said: “This is incorrect. We are committed to delivering our net zero ambition and this hasn’t changed since we published our world-leading transport decarbonisation plan. In line with best analytical practice, the department continually reviews its projections and makes changes when appropriate to ensure plans are based on the latest scientific data.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/12/road-building-spree-will-derail-uks-net-zero-targets-warn-campaigners
     
         
      Climate change: Fossil fuel emissions from electricity set to fall - report Wed, 12th Apr 2023 3:10:00
     
      The world will likely use fewer fossil fuels to produce electricity this year in a "turning point" for planet-friendly energy, a new report says. It would be the first ever annual drop in the use of coal, oil and gas to generate electricity, outside of a global recession or pandemic. As a result, fewer warming gases would be released during energy production. The authors attribute the expected change to a boom in renewable energy led mainly by China. Wind and solar now produce 12% of global electricity with enough wind turbines added in 2022 to power almost all of the UK. Renewables are set to meet all growth in demand this year, the study from energy analysts Ember says. Norwegian seafloor holds clue to Antarctic melting Wet wipes ban planned to tackle water pollution World's top court to weigh in on climate change Making electricity is the single biggest contributor to global warming, responsible for over a third of energy-related carbon emissions in 2021. So phasing out coal, oil and gas in this sector is seen as critical in helping the world avoid dangerous levels of climate change. This new study looks at data from countries representing 93% of global electricity demand. This, the fourth edition of Ember's Global Electricity Review, indicates that significant progress is now being made in reducing the role of fossil fuels in power production. The major developments are the continuing rise of solar and wind as economically viable sources of electricity. Around the world, solar grew by 24% last year, enough to meet the annual demands of a country as big as South Africa. Taken together with nuclear and hydropower, clean sources produced 39% of global electricity in 2022. The report finds that electricity produced last year was, in effect, the cleanest ever made. But despite this, carbon emissions from the sector also continued to rise, as coal use edged up. According to the report's authors this is because overall demand for electricity rose, and not all of it was met from clean sources. There were also problems with nuclear and hydro electricity in 2022, with many French reactors offline, and Europe's rivers too low in many places for hydro generation. However the report says that in 2023, the growth of wind and solar will be greater than the rise in demand - and this will start to turn the tide on warming gases. "When you stop adding more fossil fuels to generate your electricity, you start seeing a fall in emissions," said Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, the report's lead author. "This is extremely important in the context of rising electrification, as we have more electric vehicles, more heat pumps, so cleaning the power sector will drive emissions down in other sectors as well." While the fall in fossil fuel emissions in electricity this year is expected to be small, around 0.3%, the authors believe the drop will continue and accelerate in subsequent years. Key to this is a fall off in the use of gas, which fell slightly last year according to the report, with some countries like Brazil seeing a surge in hydro power which reduced their use of gas by 46% in 2022. "We now have reached this next turning point of starting to see a new era of falling fossil fuel power sector emissions. We know that wind and solar are the answer and we've just got to get on with a roadmap for building them as quickly as possible," said Dave Jones, from Ember, one of the report's authors. One significant player impacting the overall trend is China. Around 50% of the global addition of wind power came from China and about 40% of the world's new solar came from from the country that's also the world's biggest use of coal power. "There is a chance that at the rate that China is building wind and solar and all types of clean generation, that they achieve that peak in coal generation earlier than 2025, which would be significant," said Mr Jones. Energy experts acknowledge that curbing fossil fuels in power generation could well be a "turning point", but much more remains to be done. "The earliest peak of coal power generation was in the UK in 1979," said Prof Jessica Jewell from the University of Bergen, who was not involved with the study. "Nevertheless, it took decades to fully phase out coal power, for example the UK still used a bit of coal in 2022, 43 years past the peak. In order to reach clean energy goals we don't have 40 or even 30 years, we need to fully decarbonize electricity in a much shorter time."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65240094
     
         
      Investing in public transport could give economy £50bn annual boost, says TUC Tue, 11th Apr 2023 22:56:00
     
      Radical rise in spending on trains, trams and buses needed to cut car use, reports body representing unions in England and Wales Ministers have been urged to ramp up spending on public transport in England and Wales to tackle the climate emergency, and to unlock a £50bn a year boost to the economy, in a report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The report released by the TUC, a federation representing 48 unions, argues for a radical increase in investment – calling for £18bn more a year to be spent on operating trains, trams and buses to help cut car use by 20%, improve quality of life and boost the UK economy. The TUC said the government’s own net zero strategy had failed to set out how to achieve the “modal shift” from cars that the independent Committee on Climate Change said would be needed – on top of the shift to electric vehicles – if the UK was to reduce carbon emissions by 68% from 1990 levels by the end of the decade, as pledged in the Paris agreement. The TUC plan, produced by the charity Transport for Quality of Life, recommends trebling annual bus subsidies and more than doubling day-to-day rail spending from 2019 levels – bringing public transport budgets roughly up to Covid emergency funding levels on a long-term basis to help people switch from cars to sustainable transport. The TUC also argues for £10bn a year to be invested in infrastructure over the decade, including building HS2 in full, electrifying the entire rail network and guaranteeing an hourly bus service for every village. The report said that investment would boost annual GDP by £52.1bn by 2030 through productivity gains – an estimate based on comparisons with European locations with better public transport provision – and create 140,000 new transport jobs. The TUC’s general secretary, Paul Nowak, said the body was “doing the work that Conservative ministers should have done with their empty and incompetent net zero strategy”. He said: “Everyone knows that we have to cut carbon emissions – and that switching to public transport is a big part of how do it. “Investing in public transport will help us meet net zero targets and reduce the threat of catastrophic climate change. And it creates jobs throughout England and Wales, boosts the economy in every community and improves everyone’s quality of life. “Commuters will have faster and cheaper journeys to work. New connections will bring new businesses to places where people need economic opportunities. We will save lives with cleaner air.” The plan will be launched on Wednesday in Manchester by the TUC, alongside Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, and transport union leaders. It excludes Scotland and London as both have already set out plans to reduce car use and approach net zero targets. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The government’s transport decarbonisation plan is an ambitious and credible pathway to reducing transport emissions. “We’ve electrified 800 miles of rail track in the last six years alone, remain committed to our integrated rail plan and the construction of HS2 will support 29,000 jobs, drive business across the nation and bring transformational benefits to passengers and communities for generations to come.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/11/investing-in-public-transport-could-give-economy-50bn-annual-boost-says-tuc
     
         
      Blending hydrogen into gas heating ‘could add almost £200’ to UK bills Tue, 11th Apr 2023 10:34:00
     
      Campaigners say potential energy plan would leave consumers bearing cost of building hydrogen economy Blending hydrogen into the UK’s gas heating systems could raise consumer bills by almost £200 for an average household, analysis suggests. The blending of natural gas with about 20% hydrogen, for use in home heating systems, is one of the key recommendations by the government’s hydrogen champion, Jane Toogood, in a report to ministers on how to produce and use hydrogen in the UK. But a group of green campaigners, thinktanks and energy companies have written to the energy secretary, Grant Shapps, urging him to reconsider. Analysis by the thinktank E3G shows hydrogen blending could increase the average household’s heating bill by about £192 a year. In the letter, seen by the Guardian, the groups warn that blending hydrogen into the gas supply would require consumers to use more gas, as hydrogen provides less energy than fossil gas when used in this way. “We disagree with the report’s recommendation to stimulate demand for hydrogen through blending and heating,” wrote the groups, led by E3G. “This puts the early costs of building the hydrogen economy on the shoulders of consumers, who will bear the costs of higher energy bills and costs of conversion – on top of the proposed ‘hydrogen levy’ set out in the energy bill. As hydrogen is more expensive than the gas currently used to heat most UK homes, a 20% blend can only raise consumer prices. Raising energy bills during a cost of living crisis is the wrong way to develop industrial demand for hydrogen.” The government is expected to decide this year whether to press ahead with plans for the blending of hydrogen into the UK’s natural gas networks, which could happen as soon as 2025. Ministers are also considering a hydrogen levy on bills to fund its development. The hydrogen champion report calls on the government to “make the strategic decision to support blending of hydrogen into the gas network in 2023 and confirm a ‘minded to’ position on suitable commercial arrangements to support blending”. Hydrogen is being touted as a potentially green fuel, to help the UK meet its goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But campaigners have two concerns: first, that hydrogen should be produced from renewable energy rather than as a byproduct from fossil fuel production; and that some uses being suggested for hydrogen are unsuitable. The government is still considering hydrogen for home heating, because some gas specialists argue it could be used in current boilers without the need for new infrastructure. But a growing number of studies show that hydrogen would be unsuitable, or prohibitively expensive, for heating compared with alternative technologies such as heat pumps. The letter also raises concerns over “hydrogen-ready boilers”. These are essentially the same as existing gas boilers, and the attraction – for the government, and for installers and suppliers – is that they could be used without major changes to the UK’s existing gas heating infrastructure. But experts doubt hydrogen-ready boilers will ever use hydrogen, because hydrogen produces less heat than natural gas, and as sources of green hydrogen are likely to be limited it makes more sense to use that hydrogen for industrial processes where there are few or no green alternatives, than for home heating where heat pumps offer a solution. Along with the E3G thinktank, more than 20 organisations have signed the letter to Shapps, including Friends of the Earth, Fuel Poverty Action and the UK Green Building Council, along with energy companies including Octopus Energy and the Kensa Group, a heat pump supplier. A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “Protecting consumers is a top priority for the government, which is why we have been covering around half of the typical household’s energy bill. Value for money will be a key factor in determining whether to enable the wider rollout of blending on to the gas network. “The government is working closely with Ofgem and industry to explore how hydrogen could be fairly incorporated in bills and any final decision on blending will be made alongside a decision on how best to protect consumers.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/11/blending-hydrogen-gas-heating-add-almost-200-uk-bills
     
         
      World’s deepest offshore wind turbine installed off Scottish coast Tue, 11th Apr 2023 9:35:00
     
      SSE’s Seagreen project will deliver enough energy to power more than 1.6 million homes The world’s deepest offshore wind turbine has been installed almost 17 miles off the coast of Angus as part of Scotland’s biggest offshore windfarm. The Scottish energy company SSE installed the 2,000-tonne turbine foundation at a depth of more than 58 metres (192ft) in the early hours of Easter Sunday as part of the £3bn Seagreen offshore windfarm, which it is developing in partnership with the French oil supermajor Total. The record-breaking foundation will be Seagreen’s 112th turbine, of a total of 114; the project will power the equivalent of 1.6m homes. The 1GW windfarm began generating electricity in August last year and will be fully operational by the summer. Alistair Phillips-Davies, the SSE chief executive, said the installation was a significant step towards completing the project and also showed how the company has been able to “innovate and push the boundaries of technology to power change”. The Seagreen windfarm is part of SSE’s plan to invest £12.5bn by 2026 in projects that can accelerate the UK’s path towards becoming a net zero economy. By the end of the decade SSE, which is developing the world’s largest offshore windfarm at Dogger Bank in the North Sea, plans to invest a total of £24bn in the UK alone. SSE is one of the UK’s biggest renewable energy generators, but has raised its full-year profit forecasts twice for the financial year ending 31 March thanks to the lucrative revenues earned by its gas power plants. “The UK has established itself as the world leader on offshore wind and SSE Renewables is building more offshore wind than anyone on the planet,” Phillips-Davies said. “But we want to do more and now is the time to accelerate if we are to achieve the UK’s target of 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.” Graham Stuart, the minister of state for energy security and net zero, added: “This is another terrific milestone for both Scotland and the UK’s world-leading offshore wind industry. As I saw first-hand last week, Seagreen is making history with the world’s deepest wind turbine foundation which, once operational, will play an invaluable role in powering more of Britain from Britain.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/11/worlds-deepest-offshore-wind-turbine-scottish-coast-sse-seagreen
     
         
      Miami and New Orleans face greater sea-level threat than already feared Mon, 10th Apr 2023 15:54:00
     
      Twin studies reveal that ‘acceleration’ of sea-level rise under way, leaving southern US cities in even greater peril Coastal cities in the southern US, including Miami, Houston and New Orleans, are in even greater peril from sea-level rise than scientists already feared, according to new analysis. What experts are calling a dramatic surge in ocean levels has taken place along the US south-eastern and Gulf of Mexico coastline since 2010, one study suggests, an increase of almost 5in (12.7cm). That “burst”, more than double the global average of 0.17in (0.44cm) per year, is fueling ever more powerful cyclones, including Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida in September and caused more than $113bn of damage – the state’s costliest natural disaster and the third most expensive storm in US history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). The University of Arizona study, published in the Journal of Climate and reported on Monday by the Washington Post, provides an alarming new assessment of a key ingredient of the escalating climate emergency, particularly in popular but vulnerable areas of the US where millions of people live. Existing projections by Nasa show a sea-level rise up to 12in (30cm) by the middle of the century, with longer-range forecasts even more dire. The Gulf region from Texas to Florida, and southern Atlantic seaboard will see most of the change, the agency says. “The entire south-east coast and the Gulf Coast is feeling the impact of the sea-level rise acceleration,” the study’s author Jianjun Yin, professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona, told the Post. “It turns out that the water level associated with Hurricane Ian was the highest on record due to the combined effect of sea-level rise and storm surge.” The threat from rising oceans hangs over numerous centers of heavy population located on, or close to the coast. Miami, and Miami Beach, cities often cited as ground zero for the climate emergency, frequently see flooding during high tides. Property insurance rates throughout Florida, which Noaa says has experienced more than 40% of all US hurricane strikes, have soared in recent years. The two most expensive hurricanes in US history, Katrina in 2005 and Harvey in 2017, ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, respectively, Earlier this month, the Guardian carried an extract from a new book about how Charleston, South Carolina, is facing a “perfect storm” of rising sea levels and racism that leaves the city, in the view of many observers, living on borrowed time. “What is likely to happen in Charleston is likely, absent a substantial shift in attitude, to happen in many other coastal cities around the globe,” wrote Susan Crawford, author of Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm. The Post reported on a second study, published on Monday on nature.com, effectively mirroring the finding of the Arizona analysis that an “acceleration” of sea-level rise was under way. Researchers at Tulane University, New Orleans, also note that the increase in the Gulf and south-eastern region is greater than the global average, a surge of greater than 0.4in per year they say is “unprecedented in at least 120 years”. The study, which says the rise is “amplified by internal climate variabilities”, cites storms such as Katrina, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, that “illustrate that any further increases in the rate of MSL [mean sea-level] rise, particularly rapid ones, threaten the national security of the US and hamper timely adaptation measures.” Human activity in the Gulf region, which the researchers refer to as “vertical land motion” (VLM), has played a role, the study continues. “It is well known that tide gauges in the Gulf of Mexico are subject to significant nonlinear VLM, likely related to oil, gas, or groundwater withdrawal. These nonlinear changes appear predominantly along the western portions of the US Gulf coast (Louisiana and Texas),” it says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/10/sea-level-rise-climate-crisis-miami-new-orleans
     
         
      Climate Change: Global ocean surface temperature highest since records began Sun, 9th Apr 2023 15:22:00
     
      The temperature of the ocean's surface is currently at a record high. New data taken by the US government has found that since the start of April, the average ocean temperature is at around 21.1C. The highest the average temperature has been before is 21C, in 2016. This rise in water temperature will lead to more extreme weather and marine storms, according to climate experts. Unsure about what the words mean? Check out our climate change word buster further down the page. Why is the ocean warming up? The ocean is warming up because the overall temperature of the earth is heating up too. This is because of global warming, caused by an increased amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. When we burn coal, oil and gas, greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, which traps more heat from the sun that it is meant to. This heats up the planet, and the oceans. What effect does a warmer ocean have on the planet? The warmer the ocean, the more likely the planet is to have extreme weather. As the ocean heats up, polar ice caps melt more, leading to an increased amount of water in the sea. This gets picked up into the water cycle, making rain and storms like hurricanes much heavier. A hotter ocean also causes problems for marine wildlife, and causes coral bleaching on tropical reefs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/65224705
     
         
      UK insulation scheme would take 300 years to meet government targets, say critics Sun, 9th Apr 2023 14:57:00
     
      Exclusive: National Energy Action says progress on energy efficiency is too slow and not well targeted at fuel-poor households The government’s home insulation scheme would take 190 years to upgrade the energy efficiency of the UK’s draughty housing stock, and 300 years to meet the government’s own targets to reduce fuel poverty, according to industry calculations. Critics of the Great British Insulation Scheme, which aims to insulate 300,000 homes a year over the next three years, have raised concerns that the plan does not go far enough to reach the 19m UK homes that need better insulation. The Labour party added that it would fail to address the government’s “disastrous record on heating our homes”: the rate of energy efficiency upgrades is 20 times lower than under the last Labour government. The UK Business Council for Sustainable Development has calculated that the pace of the new scheme, announced as part of a wide-ranging energy security strategy last week, would take almost 200 years to reach the homes in need of upgrades. The scheme would take another 100 years to meet the government’s own targets for improving the home energy efficiency of households living in fuel poverty in England alone, according to fuel poverty charity National Energy Action. “We simply don’t have that long to act,” said Jason Longhurst, chair of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development. Matt Copeland, head of policy at National Energy Action, said progress on energy efficiency in the UK had “been far too slow for a decade”, and that the new scheme was “not well targeted at fuel-poor households, who need the most support with their bills”. He added: “Our own analysis from the most recent set of fuel poverty statistics for England found that it will now take approximately 300 years for the government to hit its statutory target for all fuel-poor homes to reach EPC C – far behind the 2030 deadline.” A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said that “strong progress is being made to insulate homes” and that the government does “not recognise this analysis”. Home insulation grants are considered a crucial part of the UK’s plan to become a net-zero-carbon economy by 2050 by making homes more energy-efficient. They would also offer immediate benefits to households by making homes warmer and lowering energy bills. However, the pace of home energy efficiency upgrades has stalled in recent years, leaving almost two-thirds of UK homes in need of better insulation. The number of UK energy efficiency installations, such as insulating lofts and cavity walls, peaked in 2012 at 2.3m, but under the Conservative government, efficiency programmes were slashed, leading to a slump in home upgrades. By 2021, annual installations were 96% lower, at fewer than 100,000. Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero, accused the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, of failing to act despite the sharp rise in home energy bills because of rocketing market prices after the war in Ukraine. “One of the reasons that energy bills are so high is the Conservatives’ disastrous record on heating our homes. Energy efficiency rates are now 20 times lower than under the last Labour government, but Rishi Sunak is failing to act,” he said. The Labour party has put forward plans for a large-scale energy efficiency drive to make sure all of the UK’s 27m homes are properly insulated. If elected to government, Labour would aim to upgrade the energy efficiency of 2m households in the first year of a decade-long £60bn scheme that could save households £400 on bills annually. The party claims that by the end of the decade, 450,000 jobs would be created by installing energy-saving measures such as loft insulation and double glazing, renewable and low carbon technologies. “Labour’s warm homes plan would upgrade the 19m homes that need it, cutting bills and creating thousands of good jobs for electricians and engineers across the country,” Miliband said. A government spokesperson said: “The Great British Insulation Scheme will support the installation of energy efficiency measures to around 300,000 homes. It is in addition to the £6.6bn we have committed in this parliament, and the additional £6bn of investment to 2028, to help cut emissions from homes and buildings.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/09/uk-insulation-scheme-would-take-300-years-to-meet-its-own-targets-say-critics
     
         
      Ukraine to export electricity again after months of Russian attacks Sat, 8th Apr 2023 10:31:00
     
      Ukraine is able to export electricity for the first time in six months as its energy infrastructure recovers from months of repeated Russian attacks. Russia began its lengthy and deliberate assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure last October. It led to power cuts and scheduled blackouts, leaving towns and cities in darkness during winter. Ukraine was forced to stop electricity exports - but will now be able to sell its excess power again. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko signed an executive order authorising the exports, although local customers remain the priority. He said the system had been producing extra capacity for almost two months and that Ukrainians were not facing restrictions. "The most difficult winter has passed," Mr Halushchenko said on Friday. "The next step is to start exporting electricity, which will allow us to attract additional financial resources for the necessary reconstruction of the destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure." He also praised the "titanic work" of engineers and international partners to restore the system. Last month, residents across Ukraine told the BBC that power supplies were becoming more reliable. "The city has transformed," said Inna Shtanko, a young mother in Dnipro. "Finally, street lights are back, and it's no longer scary to walk the city streets." Has Putin’s assault on Ukraine’s power grid failed? From November: Most of Kyiv without power However, the operator of the country's electricity network, Ukrenergo, has warned that Ukraine could not count on Russian attacks stopping. Ukrenergo said on Saturday that Russia has launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at its energy facilities so far during the war. The company described the assault as the largest attempt to destroy a European country's energy system. In cities across Ukraine this winter, some civilians had to use hubs known as "resilience centres" to keep warm during power cuts and freezing temperatures. The hubs provided power and heat, as well as basic supplies like food and medicines. Every one of Ukraine's thermal and hydroelectric power plants has been damaged since Russia began targeting energy infrastructure. Kyiv has also lost control of Europe's biggest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, which is in Russian hands. In June 2022, Ukraine had said it was hoping to bring in €1.5bn (£1.33bn) from electricity exports to the EU - its main export market for energy since the war began - by the end of the year. With a dusting of fresh winter snow settling around us and the crackle of electricity loud in the wires over our heads, Michael runs his gloved fingers over golf ball-sized holes in the crippled hulk of a huge transformer. "Here, and here, and here," he says, as he shows where shrapnel from a Russian missile punctured the transformer's thick sides. Sharp metal fragments of the missile lie on the ground nearby. Along the way, other transformers as big as bungalows are disappearing behind protective cocoons of concrete and sandbags.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65220003
     
         
      ‘Headed off the charts’: world’s ocean surface temperature hits record high Sat, 8th Apr 2023 1:19:00
     
      Scientists warn of more marine heatwaves, leading to increased risk of extreme weather The temperature of the world’s ocean surface has hit an all-time high since satellite records began, leading to marine heatwaves around the globe, according to US government data. Climate scientists said preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) showed the average temperature at the ocean’s surface has been at 21.1C since the start of April – beating the previous high of 21C set in 2016. “The current trajectory looks like it’s headed off the charts, smashing previous records,” said Prof Matthew England, a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales. Three years of La Niña conditions across the vast tropical Pacific have helped suppress temperatures and dampened the effect of rising greenhouse gas emissions. But scientists said heat was now rising to the ocean surface, pointing to a potential El Niño pattern in the tropical Pacific later this year that can increase the risk of extreme weather conditions and further challenge global heat records. Dr Mike McPhaden, a senior research scientist at Noaa, said: “The recent ‘triple dip’ La Niña has come to an end. This prolonged period of cold was tamping down global mean surface temperatures despite the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. “Now that it’s over, we are likely seeing the climate change signal coming through loud and clear.” La Niña periods – characterised by cooling in the central and eastern tropical Pacific and stronger trade winds – have a cooling influence on global temperatures. During El Niño periods, the ocean temperatures in those regions are warmer than usual and global temperatures are pushed up. According to the Noaa data, the second-hottest globally averaged ocean temperatures coincided with El Niño that ran from 2014 to 2016. The data is driven mostly by satellite observations but also verified with measurements from ships and buoys. The data does not include the polar regions. More than 90% of the extra heat caused by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and deforestation has been taken up by the ocean. A study last year said the amount of heat accumulating in the ocean was accelerating and penetrating deeper, providing fuel for extreme weather. England, a co-author of that study, said: “What we are seeing now [with the record sea surface temperatures] is the emergence of a warming signal that more clearly reveals the footprint of our increased interference with the climate system.” Measurements from the top 2km of the ocean show the rapid accumulation of heat in the upper parts of the ocean, particularly since the 1980s. Dr Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist and distinguished scholar at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, said observations showed the heat in the tropical Pacific was extending down to more than 100 metres. He said that heat would have knock-on effects for the atmosphere above, creating more heat, adding energy to weather systems and causing marine heatwaves. Dr Alex Sen Gupta, an associate professor at the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre, said satellites showed that on the ocean surface, temperature rises had been “almost linear” since the 1980s. “What’s been surprising is that the last three years have also been really warm, despite the fact that we’ve had La Niña conditions,” he said. “But it is now warmer still and we are getting what looks like record temperatures.” Sen Gupta is part of an international team of scientists studying marine heatwaves – which are classified by his group as an area of the ocean where temperatures are in the top 10% ever recorded for that time of year for at least five straight days. Current observations show moderate to strong marine heatwaves in several regions, including the southern Indian Ocean, the south Atlantic, off north-west Africa, around New Zealand, off the north-east of Australia and the west of Central America. “It’s unusual to see so many quite extreme marine heatwaves all at the same time,” said Sen Gupta. While marine heatwaves can be driven by local weather conditions, studies have shown they have increased in frequency and intensity as the oceans have warmed – a trend forecast to worsen with human-caused global heating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/08/headed-off-the-charts-worlds-ocean-surface-temperature-hits-record-high?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Flood-hit areas to receive government funding for defences Fri, 7th Apr 2023 15:26:00
     
      Worcestershire, Cumbria and West Yorkshire are among the first areas to receive government funding to improve flood defences. The Frequently Flooded Allowance will provide £26m to improve protection along rivers in the areas. Some communities, including Bewdley, now flood almost annually with climate change cited as a major factor. The government said the funding would be worth £100m and it was investing £5.2bn in flood defences by 2027. "We know only too well the devastating impact that flooding can have on communities and businesses, as we face more extreme weather brought about by climate change," said environment minister Rebecca Pow. "I am determined that we do whatever we can to prevent flooding that affects so many towns and villages across the country." The funding was allocated to areas with 10 or more properties that have been flooded at least twice in the last 10 years. The first round of funding covers 2,300 households and businesses, the government said. Flooding set to worsen, agency warns Towns are in drought but preparing for flooding Anger and 'heartbreak' over repeat flood 'tsunami' Towns along rivers have been particularly affected by flooding brought on by severe storms, such as 2022's Storm Eunice, and more than half of the 53 protection projects are dedicated to managing rivers. Some of the projects will include hard engineering flood defences as well as installing flood doors and barriers for properties, but there will also be natural measures, the government said. There are set to be further announcements of more projects over the coming years. "Increased flooding is just one of the impacts of climate change we are seeing in the UK and around the world," said Caroline Douglass, from the Environment Agency. "Protecting people and communities is our top priority as we look to tackle this challenge. "The funding announced today will help better protect homes and businesses at risk from repeated flood incidents across the country."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-65190639
     
         
      Cop28 president: world needs business mindset to tackle climate crisis Fri, 7th Apr 2023 12:17:00
     
      Exclusive: Sultan Al Jaber aims to use UN talks to set out how private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions The world needs a “business mindset” to tackle the climate crisis, the president of the next UN climate summit has said. Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of the Cop28 summit to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates later this year, said he aimed to use the UN talks to set out how the private sector can limit greenhouse gas emissions and give businesses and governments a clear set of tasks and targets. “We need a major course correction and a massive effort to reignite progress. This cannot be done by governments alone,” Al Jaber told the Guardian in a rare interview, his first with a global newspaper since taking on the Cop28 role. “The scale of the problem requires everyone working in solidarity. We need partnerships, not polarisation, and we need to approach this with a clear-eyed rationale and executable plan of action,” he said. “Cop28 is committed to building on the progress made at Cop26 and Cop27 to inject a business mindset, concrete KPIs [key performance indicators, a cornerstone of most commercial strategies] and an ambitious action-oriented agenda.” Al Jaber, as well as being the UAE minister for industry and advanced technology, is better known as a businessman, chief executive of the UAE national oil company, Adnoc, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas producers, and the founding chief executive of its renewable energy company Masdar. He was a deeply controversial choice to chair these crucial talks, at which governments will assess progress made on cutting greenhouse gas emissions since the 2015 Paris agreement, a process known as the “global stocktake”. They must then try to find ways to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, a target rapidly slipping beyond reach. The conferences have traditionally been dominated by policymakers, ministers and politicians, and civil society activists. Adnoc is planning a massive expansion of oil and gas, the Guardian revealed last week. Climate activists from around the world have attacked Al Jaber for not renouncing his Adnoc role. Romain Ioualalen, the global policy manager at the campaign group Oil Change International, said: “This is a truly breathtaking conflict of interest and is tantamount to putting the head of a tobacco company in charge of negotiating an anti-smoking treaty.” But Al Jaber said no one should prejudge his presidency, as he was committed to safeguarding the 1.5C limit and ensuring that all countries, and the private sector, would act to achieve the massive emissions cuts necessary. He vowed to turn his business background into an asset for the talks, saying that no previous Cop president had come with such entrepreneurial and management experience. He pointed to the UAE’s achievements in renewable energy, overseas development aid, in diversifying beyond oil so that 75% of its GDP was now non-oil based, and said that would enable him to motivate other oil-producing countries to come up with similar plans. “The UAE intends to build this same business case for climate action at Cop28,” he said. “We know we need to engage the private sector fully and unlock the trillions of dollars that are needed. This requires a business plan that outlines key deliverables with concrete KPIs; it requires reliable and sufficient capital, and it requires coordinated collective action.” He wants the private sector to play a significant role at the summit, arguing that companies – including oil and gas firms – will be pivotal to tackling the climate crisis. “The energy sector must work as a partner with other sectors to help decarbonise entire economies,” he said. One longtime attender of Cop summits and adviser to governments said Al Jaber’s plans to take a more businesslike approach to Cop28 were “very much how his mind works”. They said: “I think it works up to a point. But for some issues like adaptation and loss and damage [the key issue of providing funds to rescue countries afflicted by climate breakdown] the business plan analogy may only get you so far.” His plans are unlikely to find favour with climate activists at the talks. Tasneem Essop, the director of Climate Action Network, accused Al Jaber of fundamentally misunderstanding his role, despite having been a longtime member of the UAE’s diplomatic team attending Cops. “This is a UN conference, and a separate process from any engagement with businesses,” she said. “If he wants to convene ‘stakeholders’ and engage with fossil fuel companies, he can do that in his own time. He must do that separately from the UN process.” She said activists were prejudging Al Jaber based on his probable handling of the Cop president role, as an oil industry chief executive, and on his eagerness to engage with business. “There needs to be a firewall between his role as CEO and role as Cop president,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to understand his role as Cop president, and that’s what our prejudgment is based on.” Al Jaber also spoke to the Guardian of the need to invest in new technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS), which some activists are likely to find controversial. “I want to make sure that Cop28 becomes a rallying point for partnerships across every region to commercialise hydrogen production, transportation and industrial use,” he said. CCS technologies have been seen by many climate scientists and experts as a distraction, and one championed by the oil industry to keep its operations going. Al Jaber disagrees, pointing to the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which in its comprehensive report last month noted that carbon capture would be needed in some form, particularly in the likely event of an overshoot of the 1.5C limit. “We also need to exponentially expand carbon capture technologies,” said Al Jaber. “The IPCC has been saying since 2016 that carbon capture is an essential tool for keeping temperature rises in check. Yet there is only 44m tonnes of carbon captured annually. We need to multiply that amount by 30. This is a huge undertaking that is currently just not affordable. We need progressive, smart government regulation and policies to incentivise private investment on an industrial scale.” Al Jaber also called for overhaul of the World Bank and other international financial institutions, a push that could be widely supported before Cop28, as many governments of developed and developing countries and civil society groups are clamouring for fundamental change to the way public financial institutions deal with the climate crisis. David Malpass, the outgoing World Bank president, appointed by Donald Trump in 2019 and accused of being a climate denier, resigned in February. He is being replaced by Ajay Banga, a former banker who is expected to usher in sweeping changes to expand climate finance, to be prefigured at the World Bank spring meetings next week. Both public finance and private will be needed, to shift the global economy to a low-carbon footing, Al Jaber said. “The common threat to all the progress I am talking about is capital,” he said. “Last year $1.4tn was invested in clean technology globally. We need four times that amount. And we need to make sure that investment reaches the most vulnerable communities across the global south. “The bottom line is finance needs to be much more available, accessible and affordable. We need to stop talking about a just transition for the global south, and start delivering.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/07/cop28-president-world-needs-business-mindset-tackle-climate-crisis-sultan-al-jaber?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Caerphilly: Council plans for large solar farm submitted Fri, 7th Apr 2023 0:24:00
     
      A council has submitted plans to develop Wales' largest publicly-owned solar farm. Cwm Ifor solar farm, to be built near Penyrheol, Caerphilly county, is expected to cost between £12m and £16m. It is predicted to generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes and have an operational lifespan of 35 years. The 20 megawatt farm was approved in theory by Caerphilly council cabinet in October 2022. But no decision has been made on whether the council will develop the solar farm itself or sell the project on, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. UK's first hospital powered by its own solar farm Solar plan will harm 'Wales' Amazon' - protesters This is the first time the council has made moves to invest in the energy sector. It hopes the solar farm will support decarbonisation of the local electricity system, as well as provide an opportunity to generate an additional income. The land is privately-owned, so a lease agreement would be made between the owner and the council. Construction is expected to begin in April 2024, if the now-submitted plans are approved next month. The project has been classified as a "development of national significance", meaning the Welsh government will make the final decision on the application. Labour councillor Jamie Pritchard, the council's deputy leader and climate change cabinet member, said: "In 2019, the council declared a climate emergency and has committed to being carbon neutral by 2030. "The solar farm is a very exciting development and just one of a number of innovative initiatives planned by the council to reduce carbon emissions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65198973
     
         
      Phaseout of coal power far too slow to avoid ‘climate chaos’, report finds Thu, 6th Apr 2023 15:37:00
     
      "World needs to stop building new plants and close existing ones at almost five times the current rate to meet Paris agreement goals" The world needs to close coal power plants at almost five times the present rate, as well as stop building new ones, in order to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, according to a report. Global Energy Monitor, a San Francisco-based NGO, said insufficient progress was being made to avoid “climate chaos” and that plans for a sharp increase in the number of coal-fired plants in China would require even steeper cuts to the rest of the global fleet to meet the world’s climate goals. In order to meet the Paris climate agreement, all coal-fired plants need to be closed by 2040 and no new ones can come online. Developed economies are expected to shut their plants a decade earlier than the global phaseout. This will require countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to close 60 gigawatts of coal-power capacity each year until 2030 – about four-and-a-half times the amount recorded last year. Non-OECD countries will need to close 91GW of coal power capacity every year until 2040. The global survey found that although the total amount of existing and planned coal plant capacity outside China fell last year, the phaseout has slowed compared with previous years. China is also preparing to drastically increase its usage of coal, with plans to build enough new plants to more than offset the capacity retired across the US and the EU combined last year. “At this rate, the transition away from existing and new coal isn’t happening fast enough to avoid climate chaos,” said Flora Champenois, the lead author of the report and project manager for Global Energy Monitor’s global coal plant tracker. “The more new coal projects come online, the steeper the cuts and commitments need to be in the future.” Overall, the world’s existing fleet grew by 19.5GW last year, of which more than half was commissioned in China. The country also has plans to increase its coal power capacity by a further 126GW – dwarfing reductions in usage made in developing countries. The US took the global lead in retiring coal power, shutting 13.5GW of capacity last year. In the EU, closures slowed from 14.6GW of capacity in 2021 to 2.2GW in 2022, as the bloc responded to the war in Ukraine driving up the cost of gas-fired power generation. “Progress in retiring coal power plants in rich countries and cancelling new coal power projects in developing countries, despite the gas crunch that shook global energy markets in 2022, is encouraging,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, the lead analyst for the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a thinktank. “Outside of China, the response to the energy crisis was dominated by investment in clean energy. However, that progress urgently needs to be accelerated. China pulled in the opposite direction, sharply increasing planned coal power capacity, showing the need to deploy clean solutions and better enforcement of existing policies that should restrict new coal power projects,” he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/06/coal-power-phaseout-far-to-slow-climate-chaos-china-global
     
         
      Greenhouse gas emissions rose at ‘alarming’ rate last year, US data shows Thu, 6th Apr 2023 14:16:00
     
      Noaa report shows rapid increase in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide Record temperatures, devastating floods and superstorms are causing death and destruction across the planet but humans are failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate emergency, new US data shows. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide – the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity that are the most significant contributors to global heating – continued to increase rapidly during 2022, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Carbon dioxide levels rose by more than two parts per million (ppm) for the 11th consecutive year: the highest sustained rate of CO2 increases since monitoring began 65 years ago. Before 2013, scientists had never recorded three consecutive years of such high CO2 growth. Atmospheric CO2 is now 50% higher than pre-industrial levels. The 2022 methane rise was the fourth-largest since records began in 1983, following record growth in 2021 and 2022, and now stands at an average of 1,912 parts per billion (ppb). Methane is a potent greenhouse gas less abundant than CO2 but which warms the Earth’s atmosphere much faster, and today is responsible for about 25% of the heat trapped by all greenhouse gases. Methane levels in the atmosphere are now more than two and a half times their pre-industrial level. The oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane, which can also cause medical complications, fires and even engine failure leading helicopters to fall out of the sky. Levels of nitrous oxide, the third-most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas, are now 24% higher than pre–industrial levels, following a 1.25ppb rise last year. Fossil fuel-powered vehicles (cars, buses, trucks, farm machinery) are a major source of nitrous oxide, which is harmful to human health and water sources. But the primary culprits behind rising nitrous oxide levels in recent decades have been synthetic fertilisers and livestock manure from industrialised agriculture. “The observations collected by Noaa scientists in 2022 show that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at an alarming pace and will persist in the atmosphere for thousands of years,” said Rick Spinrad, the Noaa administrator. “The time is now to address greenhouse gas pollution and to lower human-caused emissions as we continue to build toward a Climate-Ready Nation.” Scientists have been warning of catastrophic consequences for decades, yet meaningful climate action to cut fossil fuel use and other harmful human activities has been delayed and blocked, in large part due to the influence of industries such as oil and gas, agriculture, defence and automobiles. Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of the world’s leading climate scientists, delivered a “final warning” on rising greenhouse gas emissions that have pushed the world to the brink of irrevocable damage that only swift and drastic action can avert. The stark warning came a week after the Biden administration approved the multi-decade Willow drilling project in Alaska, which will generate millions of additional tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/06/greenhouse-gas-emissions-noaa-report-us-data?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      UK agency has backed billions’ worth of aviation deals since Paris agreement Thu, 6th Apr 2023 12:14:00
     
      Government’s UKEF criticised for ‘locking us all into more carbon emissions for decades to come’ with assistance for the sector A UK government agency has financially supported the high-carbon aviation industry with billions of pounds since the Paris climate agreement was adopted, it can be revealed. The effective subsidy for new airports, aircraft and maintenance comes despite the agency believing the oil-dependent sector is unlikely to begin cutting emissions “materially” before the next decade. UK Export Finance (UKEF), which offers a range of loans, insurance and guarantees to help British companies secure business abroad, ended support for fossil fuel projects two years ago. This key pledge, made by the UK, which hosted the Cop26 climate talks, won praise from green groups. But more than half of the support it has provided since the landmark Paris climate accord was agreed at the end of 2015 has gone to aviation, with Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Boeing and British Airways (BA) taking the lion’s share, according to analysis by DeSmog and the Guardian. Just one of the 62 deals, listed in annual reports, appears to have come with any climate-related conditions attached. The scale of the agency’s exposure to the aviation sector underscores how headline-grabbing pledges to end support for new oil and gas projects are only a partial step towards aligning government policy with net zero targets. Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrats’ climate spokesperson, said: “Getting to net zero needs to be at the heart of any policy decision. We are wasting time we do not have by ignoring this reality and it is having a real, damaging effect on the planet. “The government, by not putting conditions on to contracts that would force high-emitting sectors to decarbonise, are ignoring actions that would help us avoid the grim prospect of missing our climate targets.” Sam Pickard, a research associate at the international development thinktank ODI, called the findings “frustrating”. He said: “UKEF could play an important role in decarbonising UK exports and facilitating a rapid transition to net zero, but its continued support for the expansion of the aviation industry today is instead locking us all into more carbon emissions for decades to come. “Even UKEF know there is no prospect of widespread carbon-neutral flying any time soon, so this is simply driving up oil consumption and carbon emissions in a sector that has continually dodged its climate obligations.” A spokesperson for UKEF said: “UKEF supports British businesses, such as the aerospace sector, to export and grow the economy. During the pandemic, UKEF supported the aviation industry with £7.4bn to safeguard the industry and jobs. “UKEF is working with aerospace customers to help decarbonise the sector. This year we are setting a decarbonisation target for our aviation exposures to help deliver our pledge to net zero transition by 2050. The government has made its commitment to tackling climate change clear. UKEF has provided over £7bn of support for green and sustainable projects since 2019 and continues to put an even greater emphasis on supporting future clean growth exports.” Analysis of annual reports shows UKEF has increased its support for climate-friendly projects since 2020, including a solar farm in Turkey, monorail lines in Egypt, and a loan guarantee to aid the car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover’s transition to electric vehicles. But overall, only 16% of UKEF’s finance since the Paris agreement can be classed as explicitly green, with just 4% going to renewable energy. And although the agency’s latest report does not list any new fossil fuel projects, in line with the government’s pledge, this policy has itself been put in doubt by the news in February that UKEF is backing a petrochemicals plant set to be built in Belgium. The project, which developer Ineos says will be the “greenest” in Europe, will be fed with fracked shale gas from the US and is the subject of a legal challenge by environmental groups. Spain and Italy’s export credit agencies, which signed on to a UK-brokered Cop26 commitment to end public finance for “unabated fossil fuel energy” by the end of last year, are also backing the project. In the seven years since 2016 £18.5bn of UKEF’s nearly £36bn in listed financing has gone to the aerospace sector. Of this, 46% has gone to civil aviation, with BA accounting for £3bn, Airbus £2bn, Boeing £1.7bn and Rolls-Royce £1.3bn. Most of this has been for deals supplying aircraft and engines to passenger airlines in countries including South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Ireland and Israel. Military deals with Qatar, Indonesia and Oman make up 36% of the total, with most of these involving BAE Systems. The largest was a £2.3bn loan to the Qatari government for the purchase of jets from the weapons manufacturer in 2018-19. Scientists have previously warned of a blind spot over military-related emissions, including a “loophole” on reporting them in the Paris agreement. The remaining 18% went to Rolls-Royce, which manufactures civil and military aircraft parts, in unspecified support during the Covid-19 pandemic. The industry body the British Aviation Group states on its website that it works “extremely closely” with the Department for International Trade, within which UKEF sat until recently, when the department was merged with the Department for Business, becoming the Department for Business and Trade. BAG also provides information and support to its members on how to access finance from UKEF. UKEF’s backing for the aviation industry surged during the first two years of the pandemic as flights were grounded, with more than £8bn of finance provided in 2020-21. More than £6bn worth of support was provided in the form of “export development guarantees”, with the government taking on liability for commercial loans, to Rolls-Royce and the airlines BA and easyJet in 2020-21, and a further £1bn to BA last year. Campaigners questioned the use of export finance to prop up BA’s domestic business. Cait Hewitt, the policy director at the Aviation Environment Federation, a nonprofit group, said: “There are so many questions to ask here. What aspect of BA’s operations qualifies as an export in need of government financial support? Why is the airline not able to get this from the private sector? “And how, meanwhile, does bailing out airlines square with UKEF’s commitment to support decarbonisation? Aircraft are powered almost 100% by fossil fuels. Airlines already benefit from paying no duty on their fuel, and most of the emissions from flying attract no carbon costs.” Campaigners had urged the government to make its bailouts conditional upon airlines adopting decarbonisation plans, but were disappointed by the lack of new targets. Only the more recent £1bn loan guarantee to BA came with a “sustainability-related performance clause” designed to push the company in a greener direction. A UKEF spokesperson defended the support as necessary to help the industry weather the pandemic but did not clarify how this clause would require BA to go beyond its existing commitments, which include targeting net zero emissions by 2050. Many economists at the time warned that unconditional airline bailouts would have the lowest economic payoff and highest climate impact among the various stimulus policies being considered. UKEF support for aviation has continued, including an £89m deal with the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer celebrated by the UK government in October. Current efforts to tackle growing aviation emissions, domestically and by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation, have been criticised as inadequate for relying on voluntary pledges by the industry and disputed carbon offsets. Growth in demand has so far outstripped efficiency improvements and the sector contributes an estimated 3.5% of global emissions when warming effects at altitude are taken into account. A recent report by the Royal Society estimated the vast resources that would be needed to replace jet fuel based on current demand. Hydrogen would require double the amount of renewable energy currently being produced in the UK, while “e-fuels” would need five times as much. Up to 68% of UK farmland would be needed to produce enough crop-based biofuels. A report last year found the aviation industry had missed all but one of the climate targets it had set itself since 2000. The British Aviation Group did not respond to requests for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/06/uk-agency-has-backed-billions-worth-of-of-aviation-deals-since-paris-agreement?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      One in eight cases of asthma in US kids caused by gas stove pollution – study Thu, 6th Apr 2023 11:08:00
     
      Emission of toxic chemicals and carcinogens from gas stoves creating indoor pollution worse than car traffic About one in eight cases of asthma in children in the US is due to the pollution given off by cooking on gas stoves, new research has found, amid moves by Joe Biden’s administration to consider the regulation, or even banning, of gas cookers sales to Americans. Around a third of US households have gas stoves in their kitchens, with the gas industry long touting the method as the cleanest and most efficient way to cook food. However, research has repeatedly found the emission of toxic chemicals and carcinogens from gas stoves, even when they are turned off, is creating a miasma of indoor pollution that can be several times worse than the pollution experienced outdoors from car traffic and heavy industry. A new study has now sketched out the risk being posed to children exposed to pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide that spew from the stoves, finding that 12.7% of all current cases of childhood asthma in the US are due to the use of gas stoves. Researchers said that this means that with around 5 million children in the US experiencing asthma, around 650,000 people aged under 18 could be suffering asthma attacks and having to use inhalers because of the presence of gas stoves in their homes. Brady Seals, manager of the carbon free buildings program at RMI who undertook the research with epidemiologists in the US and Australia, said the prevalence of asthma due to gas stoves is similar to the amount of asthma caused by second hand smoking, which she called “eye popping”. Seals added: “We knew this was a problem but we didn’t know how bad. This study shows that if we got rid of gas stoves we would prevent 12.7% of childhood asthma cases, which I think most people would want to do.” The possibility of banning new gas stoves, challenging their entrenched status in millions of American homes, was raised by Richard Trumka, a commissioner at the US consumer product safety commission last month. Trumka said the pollution created by gas stoves is “concerning” and that the commission, which can set standards for consumer products, will consider regulating them this year. “We need to be talking about regulating gas stoves, whether that’s drastically improving emissions or banning gas stoves entirely,” Trumka said. “And I think we ought to keep that possibility of a ban in mind, because it’s a powerful tool in our tool belt and it’s a real possibility here.” It’s a terrible irony that we spend most of our time indoors and yet there are no indoor pollution limits Brady Seals The commission has come under pressure from Democrats to act on gas stoves, with a recent letter from a group of lawmakers, including the US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, calling on the agency to set tough new performance standards for gas appliances and to launch a public education campaign on the dangers of cooking with gas. Seals said it would’ve been “unimaginable” for the federal government to ponder banning gas stoves just a few years ago but said her optimism of such a ban was tempered by the commission’s lack of resources, slow decision making and the lobbying power of the gas industry. A lack of options for low income people, and those who rent, to get rid of their gas stoves is another obstacle, although the Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats last summer, included a rebate of up to $840 for people who buy a new electric induction cooking appliance. This rebate is primarily aimed at propelling the electrification of appliances in the US to move away from fossil fuels that worsen the climate crisis. Places such as New York City have banned gas hookups in new buildings to help accelerate this transition, although other jurisdictions at state level, such as Ohio, Oklahoma and Louisiana, have forbidden local authorities from doing likewise. The new research, which analyzed the risk posed to children from gas emissions and the proportion of houses that have gas stoves, found that having the stoves greatly increased the risk of asthma, confirming previous studies that have looked into the issue in various countries. Last year, researchers at Stanford discovered that levels of nitrogen dioxide emitted from gas stoves and ovens can rise above safe standards set for outdoor pollution by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within just a few minutes, with the problem particularly acute in smaller kitchens. The EPA currently has no standard for safe levels of the pollutant indoors, with the potential health problems posed by gas stoves still largely unknown or overlooked by many people who use them. Using range hoods, opening windows and electrifying aspects of cooking, such as by using an electric kettle to boil water, can all lessen the exposure to the pollution. “I’ve worked on cookstoves my whole career, including people cooking with charcoal in the global south, and up to three years ago I would’ve been shocked if you told me the health impact of gas stoves,” said Seals. “It’s a terrible irony that we spend most of our time indoors and yet there are no indoor pollution limits. There is still a lack of awareness of this problem, hopefully that is changing but it needs to happen at a much quicker speed. It will take a mix of consumer excitement about induction stoves and prices to come down for new stoves. “We switched from coal to gas and this shift to electric will happen too, but it will take some work because our stoves are an appliance everyone interacts with, people feel attached to them.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/us-kids-asthma-gas-stove-pollution
     
         
      What Chicago’s new mayor means for environmental justice Thu, 6th Apr 2023 8:03:00
     
      Brandon Johnson campaigned on promises to make Chicago a leader in sustainability. Brandon Johnson, the newly elected mayor of Chicago who won a tight race on Tuesday, campaigned on crime and education but he also talked about something else: environmental justice. Johnson, 47, a former teacher and union organizer, currently serves as a Cook County commissioner. His campaign promises included making Chicago a leader in sustainability and addressing pollution-burdened neighborhoods in the city. His opponent in the run-off election, Paul Vallas, 69, is the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and ran on a tough-on-crime platform. While environmental activists are cheered by his mayoral win, they and other observers also know the reality. “He’s basically supportive of the environment, particularly equity … but he wasn’t elected on the environment,” said Dick Simpson, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois-Chicago and a former alderman. So progress might depend on one thing: pressure. “I think it’s important to put pressure on the new administration, by climate activists,” said Simpson. “Without vocal, continual pressure by both citizens and aldermen in the city council, it will remain a quite secondary issue.” Communities in Chicago have risen up in recent years to fight back against environmental injustice, with the most recent struggle garnering national attention when residents of the Southeast Side protested against the proposed location of a scrapyard in their already polluted neighborhood. Activists were eventually successful at preventing the move but only after years of actions that included hunger strikes. One of those hunger strikers was Óscar Sanchez, an organizer at the Southeast Environmental Taskforce. “We should be thinking of Brandon as a friend,” he said. “But we also hold our friends accountable.” So activists will be watching to see if Johnson hews to his campaign promises, notably his claim that he would bring back Chicago’s Department of Environment, which was eliminated in 2011 by a previous administration. The current mayor, Lori Lightfoot, also promised to bring back the Department of Environment but failed to deliver. Without that department in place, polluters in Chicago have largely gone unpunished according to a report by Neighbors for Environmental Justice. The local group reviewed data from 20 years and found that after the Department of Environment was shuttered, environmental violations fell by 50 percent and air quality citations fell by 90 percent. In the meantime, Chicago’s air quality has declined. A recent Guardian analysis of air quality data found that Chicago’s South and West sides rank third in the nation for worst air quality in the United States. For Sanchez, these issues of pollution and environmental justice are deeply connected to other issues in the city. “Environmental justice encompasses housing, it encompasses our energy burden, it encompasses our availability to have clean water in our home, it encompasses being able to send our children to school without worrying about diesel trucks,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/politics/new-mayor-chicago-promises-environmental-justice/
     
         
      Businesses in north of England ask ministers for help to hit net zero Thu, 6th Apr 2023 0:13:00
     
      Leaders of Drax, Siemens and others call for green growth to be a priority and ‘regional disparities’ to be closed Business leaders in the north of England have written to the prime minister, chancellor and energy secretary asking for help to reach net zero. Big names including Drax, Siemens, Peel, Manchester airport, the CBI and all 11 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in the north signed a letter urging the government to prioritise green growth in the north. The letter called for a meeting to discuss investment that would close “regional disparities by creating hundreds of thousands of highly skilled new jobs and building healthy, resilient communities”. The north already generated 50% of England’s renewable energy and was decarbonising 13% faster than the country as a whole, the group said. The business leaders signing the open letter were ambitious to go even further, they added, arguing that the north of England could help the UK take advantage of the huge economic opportunity the global transition to net zero represents. A report last year by the 11 LEPs in partnership with Nature North, Transport for the North and the N8 research group found that green investment in the north could unlock £6bn of prosperity. It identified areas that could be further developed, such as offshore wind capabilities in the North Sea and the Mersey Tidal Power project, as well as nature projects such as the Great Northern Forest, which will ultimately plant at least 50m trees across the north of England, and the Great North Bog, an ambitious peatland restoration initiative that will restore nearly 7,000 sq km of upland peat. The business leaders welcomed a £20bn commitment to carbon capture, utilisation and storage outlined in the budget and in the Powering Up Britain policy paper released last week. The paper, setting out how the government would enhance the UK’s energy security and deliver on its net zero commitments, was published by the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which was established in February and is headed up by Grant Shapps. The letter read: “Our region has an industrial heritage like nowhere else in the world. A driving force of the original Industrial Revolution, the north continues to produce innovations that are central to UK competitiveness and are changing the world. Nowhere is this clearer than in green and low-carbon technologies. “Half of all renewable energy generated in England comes from the north. There are exciting plans to use carbon capture and hydrogen to decarbonise our major industrial regions. Although we have traditionally been a large carbon emitter, thanks to these new low carbon opportunities, the region is now decarbonising significantly faster than the UK as a whole.” It added: “Just as the north led national growth in the first Industrial Revolution, and transformed the future of the country, we can and will lead the transition towards low-carbon energy, generating a surplus of secure clean energy and reaping economic rewards. “We have the skills, the desire, and the drive to take this once-in-a-generation opportunity. We are ambitious to capitalise on the huge international demand for the technologies northern business are developing.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/06/businesses-in-north-of-england-ask-ministers-for-help-to-hit-net-zero?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Climate change: Norwegian seafloor holds clue to Antarctic melting Wed, 5th Apr 2023 15:44:00
     
      Antarctica's melting ice sheet could retreat much faster than previously thought, new research suggests. The evidence comes from markings on the seafloor off Norway that record the pull-back of a melting European ice sheet thousands of years ago. Today, the fastest withdrawing glaciers in Antarctica are seen to retreat by up to 30m a day. But if they sped up, the extra melt water would have big implications for sea-level rises around the globe. Ice losses from Antarctica caused by climate change have already pushed up the surface of the world's oceans by nearly 1cm since the 1990s. The researchers found that with the Norwegian sheet, the maximum retreat was more than 600m a day. "This is something we could see if we continue with the upper estimates for temperature rise," explained Dr Christine Batchelor from Newcastle University, UK. "Although, worryingly, when we did the equations to think about what would be needed to instigate such retreat in Antarctica, we actually found there are places where you could get similar pulses of withdrawal even under the basal melt rates we know are happening at the moment," she told BBC News. Scientists track iceberg the size of London Antarctica sea-ice hits new record low Vast glacier at mercy of sea warmth increase Ridges Dr Batchelor and colleagues report their research in this week's edition of the journal Nature. The team has been looking at a great swathe of seafloor off the central Norwegian coast. Twenty thousand years ago, this area was witness to a massive Northern European ice sheet in the process of withdrawal and break-up. The sheet's past existence is written into more than 7,600 parallel, ladder-like ridges that have been sculpted in the seafloor's muddy sediments. These corrugations are less than 2.5m high and are spaced between about 25m and 300m apart. The scientists interpret the ridges to be features that are generated at an ice grounding zone. This is the zone where glacier ice flowing off the land into the ocean becomes buoyant and starts to float. The corrugations are created as the ice at this location repeatedly pats the sediments as the daily tides rise and fall. For the pattern to have been produced and preserved, the ice must have been in retreat (advancing ice would destroy the ridges); and the tidal "clock" therefore gives a rate for this reversal. Sentinel-1 image composite showing the crevassed, fast-flowing terminus of Filcher Ice Shelf, Antarctica, IMAGE SOURCE,COPERNICUS DATA/ESA Image caption, Satellites can map the retreat of Antarctic glaciers but their record is short - just 40 years or so The team's results show the former European ice sheet underwent pulses of rapid retreat at speeds of 55m to 610m per day. Importantly, the fastest rates were observed in places where the seafloor was relatively flat. These are locations where the ice above would tend to be more uniform in thickness and where less melting is required to make the ice float to aid its retreat. Similar corrugations have been detected on the seafloor around Antarctica but the examples are quite limited in extent. The Norwegian study area is vastly greater and so gives a much clearer impression of how quickly ice can go backwards in a warming climate. Today, scientists use satellites to monitor the grounding zones of Antarctica's ocean-terminating glaciers. The spacecraft can trace where the ice is being lifted and lowered on the tides. Map showing size and location of Thwaites glacier The fastest retreat has been observed at Pope Glacier in the west of the continent, where an average rate of 33m a day was measured over a period of 3.5 months in 2017. But Pope is not one of Antarctica's mightier glaciers. Scientists are more interested in behemoths such as Thwaites. This body of ice is the size of Britain and could raise global sea levels by half a metre, were it all to melt. "Four kilometres inland of the current grounding line at Thwaites, there is a conduit-like channel where the seabed is flat. It is the perfect setting for this process of buoyancy-driven retreat," said co-author Dr Frazer Christie of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), Cambridge University, UK. "We're talking about a small area compared with Thwaites' entire drainage basin, but even a short-lived, very rapid retreat will have implications for the future dynamics of the glacier." Drs Batchelor and Christie say their team's observations will fine-tune the computer models that try to forecast Antarctica's destiny in an ever-warming world. At the moment, these models are missing important details of ice behaviour. "But this is why we look into the geological past to tell us what's possible. Yes, we have satellites, but their records are very short - only 40 years or so," commented co-author Prof Julian Dowdeswell, also from SPRI. "Importantly, the geological record is something that has actually happened. It's an 'observation' in the real world, not just in the computer model world," he told BBC News.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65192825
     
         
      ‘Green industrial age’ can be sustainable development breakthrough Wed, 5th Apr 2023 10:59:00
     
      The UN on Wednesday called for a “sustainable industrial transformation” to close the widening development gap between countries, meet ambitious climate targets, and reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Amid growing food and energy crises stoked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an uncertain global economic outlook, and the escalating impacts of climate change, the 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing Sustainable Transformations, says that “urgent, massive investment” is needed to accelerate positive transformation of the electricity supply industry, farming, transportation and construction. There are signs of sustainable growth that could benefit all countries, and create a realistic platform to reach the SDGs, the report suggests, such as the extraordinary expansion in internet use, with over 38,000 new users getting online each hour. Falling further behind “Without the means to invest in sustainable development and transform their energy and food systems, developing countries are falling even further behind," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the foreword to the report. “A two-track world of haves and have-nots holds clear and obvious dangers for every country. We urgently need to rebuild global cooperation and find the solutions to our current crises in multilateral action.” Some of the necessary changes are already taking place, the report highlights. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has spurred investment in global energy transition, which skyrocketed in 2022 to a record $1.1 trillion. Meanwhile, energy transition investments in 2022, were greater than those in the fossil fuel sector, for the first time ever, but these are almost all in China and developed countries, the report states. No money left Most developing countries do not have the resources for investment, unlike their developed counterparts, the report lays bare. Climate change, the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and debt payments up to two times higher than in 2019, have combined to put massive fiscal pressures on most developing countries, limiting the ability to fund transformation. Using post-pandemic spending as a comparison, in developed countries the average was $12,200 per capita - 30 times higher than for developing countries (that’s $410), and 610 times higher than for least developed countries (just $20). ‘We know what to do’: Deputy UN chief “Without delivering a reformed international financial system while scaling up investments in the SDGs, we will not deliver on our shared commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. “The good news is that we know what to do and how to do it. From launching critical transformations in energy, food and education to ushering in a new green industrial and digital age—we all must quicken the pace and leave no one behind.” Where industrialization has traditionally been the growth engine in economic development, the report calls for a “new generation of sustainable industrial policies”, underpinned by integrated national planning, to scale up investments and lay a foundation for the future. 38,000+ people an hour going online There are many opportunities for inclusive growth in the agroindustry, green energy, and manufacturing sectors, the report suggests. The recent rapid uptake in technology points to the possibilities for an equally rapid transition to sustainable industrialization and growth. For example, between 2021 and 2022, 338 million more people used the Internet regularly, an increase of approximately 38,600 additional people every hour. However, manufacturing capacity remains uneven, the data warns. In least developed countries in Africa, manufacturing value added - instead of doubling as the SDG timetable requires - fell from around 10 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) in 2000 to 9 per cent in 2021. It will take targeted policies from governments to build the domestic productive capabilities to achieve low-carbon transitions in order to slow climate change to the necessary pace, create decent jobs, and boost economic growth – all while ensuring gender equality – which is essential for productivity. Prescription for sustainability The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report calls for a combination of strengthening tax systems, enabling more private investment, and scaling up of international public investment and development cooperation. Changes to the international financial architecture are also essential to raise sufficient resources, and escape the shackles of unaffordable debt repayment. As international institutions work to adapt to the rapidly evolving needs of countries, the report warns that if reforms are piecemeal, incomplete, or fail to take the SDGs into account, sustainable development will be unachievable. ‘We have the solutions’ “We have the solutions to avoid a lasting sustainable development divide, and prevent a lost decade for development,” said Li Junhua, head of the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which led the production of the inter-agency report. “We must find the political will to overcome the rising political tensions, splintering of inter-country alliances, and worrying trends towards nationalism and seize the moment now, to urgently invest in our common future.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135367
     
         
      Climate change: Catalonia in grip of worst drought in decades Tue, 4th Apr 2023 10:29:00
     
      In the Sau reservoir, teams in small boats are hard at work hauling out fish with nets. The idea is to remove them before they die and rot in the water, making it unusable for human consumption. The water level has dropped so low here - to below 10% of the reservoir's capacity - that there is already a risk the water will be contaminated by silt. Therefore, while the fish are removed, Sau's remaining water is being emptied downstream to another reservoir. "We are trying to transfer the water as quickly as we can, because the quality right now in the winter was good [but] in the spring it will become really, really bad, and we're trying to extract all the fish we can find there," said Samuel Reyes, director of the Catalan Water Agency (ACA). The Sau reservoir, 100km (about 62 miles) inland from Barcelona, has been supplying water to the city and other towns in the north-eastern region of Catalonia for half a century. But in recent months it has become the most visible symbol of the worst drought this area has seen in living memory. That is because of the now-notorious sight of the 11th Century church of Sant Romà de Sau, which was submerged when the reservoir was created in 1962. In times of abundant rain, the building - situated in the reservoir - sat below the water level, but it now stands several metres above the waterline, surrounded by parched earth. This part of Catalonia has not seen sustained rain in two-and-a-half years. In early March, the reservoir's water level had dropped to 8% of its capacity, down from 55% a year earlier. "I've never seen it so empty," said Agustín Torrent, a 70-year-old man who has lived nearby his whole life and who came to look at the church. "It's sad when you've seen [the reservoir] full before. But that's the way it is. It's climate change and anyone who says it doesn't exist, I don't know what you can say to them." Although Catalonia's situation is particularly worrying much of the country is facing similar challenges, particularly in southern and eastern areas. In mid-March, reservoirs in the Guadalquivir basin of Andalusia averaged 26% of their capacity, one point below the Catalan interior, and in the south-eastern Segura basin they were at 36%. That compared with 83% capacity in parts of the northwest. In March, Spain's meteorological agency AEMET declared that the country as a whole "continues in a situation of meteorological drought which began over a year ago". Not all droughts are caused by climate change, but increased heat in the atmosphere takes more moisture out of the earth, making dry spells worse. The world has warmed by about 1.1C since the beginning of the industrial era and temperatures are expected to keep increasing unless there are drastic cuts to emissions. In Europe, regions like Catalonia - which is situated on the Mediterranean Sea - are particularly exposed, according to Miguel Manzanares, a Barcelona-based meteorologist who studies extreme weather events on the continent. "The Mediterranean area is one of the most vulnerable areas when it comes to climate change," he said, identifying countries such as France, Italy, Greece and those in the Balkans as being at high risk. "The Mediterranean Sea is a closed sea, creating its own atmospheric environment." However, there are other factors which can make droughts worse. In the case of Catalonia, Manzanares said, they include the population of Barcelona and its neighbouring cities, which has risen to more than 5.5 million inhabitants. New restrictions introduced by the Catalan regional government have put strict limits on water use in these areas for washing cars and watering gardens and industrial water usage limits have been cut by 15%. Spain's extensive use of water for agriculture - accounting for 80% of all water use - is another exacerbating factor. The local government has reduced water use for farming by 40%. This new limit is an extra problem for farmers in the Barcelona area like Agustín García Segovia, president of the El Prat agricultural co-operative, who have already been struggling with the lack of rain and unseasonably high temperatures. "If we can't plant as many crops, there will be less product and there will be shortages," he said, standing in a field of artichokes that he is cultivating. "There will be shortages of products both in Spain and abroad," he added. "And this will also be made felt in price rises." The Catalan authorities are insisting that no further restrictions are due to be introduced in the short term. However, as the summer approaches, with high temperatures expected and the extra pressure on water resources that the season's tourism brings, they have acknowledged that they are preparing for the worst. "This is a very critical situation," said Samuel Reyes of the Catalan Water Agency. "This drought in Catalonia is a marathon. The worry is that we are on alert not just for two years or so, but for three or four years."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65129735
     
         
      A nutty solution for cleaner stoves and barbecues Tue, 4th Apr 2023 6:06:00
     
      For Nathan Visser a friendly braai, the word in South Africa for barbecue, is more than a meal - it's a social tonic. "We all got our differences and yet somehow braais seem to mitigate that, where we don't care, we all just get along," he says. He runs a company called BraaiBaas, or barbecue boss in Afrikaans. Its products include an apron with the slogan "stay calm, we're going to braai now" and a hoodie that has a dedicated pocket for a bottle of beer and a handy opener attached. Like many people Mr Visser prefers firewood to cook his meat, rather than charcoal. And you can forget gas, which is often frowned upon in South African barbecue culture. While, in general, he values being mindful of the environment, that does not extend to changing his braai habits. Mr Visser argues that his braai does not burn long enough to do much environmental damage. He doesn't want to switch away from firewood to briquettes that claim to be more sustainable. "I don't want my meat to taste terrible," he jokes. Michael Duncan, the founder of Shisa Eco-briquettes, is keen to prove him wrong. His company is exploiting an abundant source of combustible material in South Africa - macadamia nut shells. The country is the world's biggest producer of macadamia nuts, so there are plenty of shells going spare. Since 2021, Mr Duncan's firm has been taking some of them, compressing them and turning them into briquettes. He says Shisa Eco-briquettes are an environmentally-friendly alternative to charcoal. Often charcoal manufacturing in Africa is small-scale, emits more carbon dioxide (CO2) than it needs to, and contributes to deforestation. Mr Duncan says that his eco-briquettes can protect forests by replacing charcoal and wood with a product completely derived from a waste biomass product. And, according to Mr Duncan, briquettes made from macadamia shells can add to the braai experience. "You have a macadamia nut shell burning, that lets out a wonderful aroma which actually also goes on to the food you're actually cooking, so it gives you a different taste." Mr Duncan plans to expand, particularly into export markets, which he says tend to be less cost-sensitive and particularly value eco-friendly products. Beyond the braai, more environmentally friendly cooking methods could tackle a much bigger problem. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally around 2.4 billion people use inefficient stoves or polluting cooking methods, including kerosene and coal. Breathing the smoke produced from cooking with polluting fuels can lead to heart diseases, stroke, cancers, chronic lung diseases and pneumonia, the WHO report says. Ziwa Hillington is the managing director of Green Bio Energy in Uganda, which makes more efficient cooking stoves and briquettes from waste like charcoal dust, cassava and maize crops. He says those briquettes produce no smoke or soot when burnt, so are a much healthier option. They also help mitigate deforestation. In addition, making the briquettes provides employment. Perhaps the biggest advantage is cost - Mr Hilligton says they can be between 20% and 40% cheaper than charcoal or other cooking fuels. Sylvia Herzog is the director of the Charcoal Project, a non-profit that works to find solutions to the unsustainable production and use of charcoal and other fuels, particularly in sub-Sahara Africa. The charcoal industry is projected to grow at around 3% a year over the next 10-15 years. "Both increase in population and in urbanisation has really driven demand in the less developed world for charcoal," explains Ms Herzog. She says briquettes made from waste from agriculture and other industries offer a cleaner alternative, but only account for a small part of the market. "I think the reality is that charcoal isn't going away anytime soon," she says and thinks that briquettes might be a good stepping stone to cleaner forms of energy. Rachael Kupka, the executive director of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, says it is hard to tell whether eco-friendly briquettes would have a significant impact on local air pollution or human health. "We do know that indoor cooking is responsible for a large portion of the burden of disease from air pollution - and that as a general sector does need to be addressed if we have any hope of reducing the human health impacts of indoor air pollution." Back in Johannesburg, Nathan Visser stresses the positive, and difficult to measure, benefits of cooking on a fire. "I believe braai is like a hidden language that we all speak, yet we don't understand it yet. We all can come around a fire with no issue, no barriers, and just get along."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64821804
     
         
      Just Stop Oil: Climate change pair found guilty over Dartford crossing protest Tue, 4th Apr 2023 1:28:00
     
      Two protesters who scaled the Dartford Crossing bridge have been found guilty of causing a public nuisance. Just Stop Oil activists Morgan Trowland, 40, of Islington, London, and Marcus Decker, 34, of no fixed address, claimed it was a peaceful protest. The trial at Basildon Crown Court heard they scaled to a height of 200ft (60m) on the bridge's cables in October last year. They are due to be sentenced at the same court on 13 April. The crossing linking the M25 over the River Thames between Essex and Kent was closed from 04:00 BST on 17 October until 21:00 the following day. During the trial jurors heard that after scaling the bridge cables they unfurled a Just Stop Oil banned and rigged up hammocks. Prosecutor Adam King told the trial the pair had deliberately tried to cause disruption. He said their actions "caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point." Mr King told jurors: "We're not here to litigate the government's climate change policy." Trowland had said in evidence: "We climbed it [the bridge] to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists." He said the activist group's goal was to get the government to stop licensing oil and gas production. Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody ahead of sentencing and said custodial sentences were being considered. He said: "We're dealing with significant nuisance that's been caused." The pair have spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates' Court on 20 October and face a maximum of 10 years in prison. Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: "Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown. "The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell." He said the verdicts were "quite disappointing". Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a "heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help". Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than £160,000 in earnings. Ch Supt Simon Anslow, who led the force's response to the incident, said: "The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-65176470
     
         
      Making the case for carbon capture and storage Mon, 3rd Apr 2023 17:39:00
     
      Prof Paul Fennell and other environment and energy experts say the argument against CCS technology is incorrect and circular We were surprised to see the negative focus of the article regarding carbon capture and storage (UK government gambles on carbon capture and storage tech despite scientists’ doubts, 30 March). Far from unproven, this group of technologies is being applied on many tens of industrial CO2 capture projects, including two operating offshore (Sleipner and Snohvit), which have been capturing a million tonnes of CO2 a year for 27 years and 15 years respectively. The geography professor quoted in the article as being unaware of any CCS that works should perhaps take a trip to see one. There are a diversity of opinions on the viability of CCS, and scientists are not uniformly doubting – see the Royal Society report from 2022. It is also clear from Emily Shuckburgh and Bob Ward that CCS is imperative, which flows directly from the executive summary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s March 2023 sixth assessment report that mentions “Transition from fossil fuels … To very low carbon fossil fuels with CCS”. The argument against CCS, that it is unproven – aside from being incorrect – is circular. The IPCC says we need it; everyone, including our committee on climate change, agrees we need it for industrial processes. And if it were unproven we should quickly get on with proving it in the UK, while driving up efficiency and decreasing hydrocarbon extraction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/03/making-the-case-for-carbon-capture-and-storage
     
         
      WMO calls for more investment in integrated weather and climate services Mon, 3rd Apr 2023 11:04:00
     
      The global transition to renewable energy will require greater investment in integrated weather and climate services, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday. This investment is critical, including to ensure that energy infrastructure is resilient to climate-related shocks, and to harness the power of energy generated from sources such as the sun and wind, the UN agency said. In this regard, WMO is stepping up its activities to promote tailored weather and climate information, and forecasts, that support the shift from polluting fossil fuels to “green” energy, by 2050. Best examples showcased A recent publication contains guidelines and best examples of integrated weather and climate services from across the globe. It “provides well-timed support for this crucial decade of energy transition to net zero,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas “By enabling WMO Members and their National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, as well as energy sector companies and practitioners, to deliver and use integrated weather and climate services, national strategies on clean and sustainable energy for all can be achieved in a timely and effective manner,” he added. The publication channels the expertise of nearly 50 authors, coordinated by the WMO Study group for Integrated energy services. It was launched during a webinar last week, where speakers highlighted the importance of integrated energy services for building decarbonized and resilient energy systems. ‘Compelling’ energy transition role In her opening remarks, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Elena Manaenkova stressed how the agency has placed great importance on building effective services to key socio-economic sectors, especially energy “In order to limit temperature increase to 1.5° Celsius, energy generation must radically shift from burning fossil fuels to harness renewable sources like wind, solar and hydropower,” she said. “Such renewable sources are modulated by weather and climate patterns, thus indicating that the role of weather water and climate services is compelling for the energy transition,” she added. Transformation and demand WMO noted that the?Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?(IPCC)?recently reported that the past decade was warmer than any period since 125,000 years ago, and that global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase in the last century due to unsustainable use of resources. Some 73 per cent of emissions are?from the energy sector, the agency said, underlining the need for “a deep and rapid energy transformation” to both reduce?emissions and meet growing energy demands.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135302
     
         
      Solar is now viable even in rainy climes – so why aren’t we making hay? Fri, 31st Mar 2023 6:48:00
     
      Government’s reluctance to require panels to be fitted on new homes in England from 2025 remains a puzzle It may seem unlikely with the dark, rainy skies in many parts over the last month, but solar power is now the cheapest way of generating electricity, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In 30 years solar has gone from the most expensive and an unlikely candidate to help save us from the climate crisis to a frontrunner. Among its great advantages is that panels mostly take only a day to install, the electricity can also provide hot water and the surplus can be stored in a battery for later use. With no moving parts maintenance is minimal. For householders who can afford to have panels fitted to existing houses, the saving in heating and lighting bills has been enormous, particularly in the last year following the invasion of Ukraine. It also increased the value of their properties. It therefore remains a puzzle why in England the government is reluctant to require solar panels to be fitted on suitable new homes from 2025 under its “future homes standard”, although final decisions are still awaited. The extra cost for housebuilders would be small and the potential savings for homeowners enormous, also considerably reducing the UK’s need for large new power stations. A large majority of MPs of all parties are in favour, according to a poll, so there is still hope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/mar/31/solar-power-viable-rainy-england-why-not-better-plans-in-place
     
         
      Net zero strategy shows UK will miss 2030 emissions cuts target Thu, 30th Mar 2023 17:51:00
     
      Government admits its policies will achieve only 92% of cuts and experts think that is a ‘generous reading’ The UK government has said it is still on track to meet its international climate commitments under the Paris agreement, as analysis of its energy plans suggested more drastic policies would be needed to make the required carbon cuts. Ministers announced the UK’s revamped net zero strategy on Thursday, with a raft of documents exceeding 1,000 pages, setting out policies on sectors from biomass to solar power, and from electric vehicles to nuclear reactors. It came as Rishi Sunak headed to Oxfordshire to visit a development facility for nuclear fusion, accompanied by Grant Shapps, the energy and net zero secretary. The prime minister said: “People should be really proud of the UK’s track record on all of this. If you look at it, we’ve decarbonised faster than any other major economy. Our carbon emissions have been reduced by over 40%, much more than all the other countries that we compete with.” Shapps later told Sky News: “We all know that electricity can be a big way to decarbonise, but we also know these are big changes. So this is not a sort of rip-out-your-boiler moment. This is a transition over a period of time to get to homes which are heated in a different way and also insulated much better.” The government’s analysis, however, shows that its new policies will meet only 92% of the emissions cuts required and, without further changes, the target will be missed. At the heart of its strategy is the UK’s legally binding requirement to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and its commitment under the Paris agreement to a plan – called a nationally determined contribution, or NDC – to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The 2030 pledge, boasted of as “world-leading” in the run-up to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, is vital to get the UK on track to meet the long-term goal, and will be closely scrutinised by other governments. Within the dense pages of analysis and recommendations, the official assessment of the NDC stood out: “We have quantified emissions savings to deliver 88 megatonnes or 92% of the NDC. We are confident that the delivery of emissions savings by unquantified policies detailed in this package will largely close this gap and the government will bring forward further measures to ensure [it] will meet its international commitments if required.” However, Chris Venables, the head of politics at Green Alliance thinktank, said: “Our analysis shows that even that 92% is a very generous reading. It is hard to celebrate an announcement that says itself it’s not enough. The bottom line is that this plan doesn’t plot a route to net zero. There are only so many times we can claim climate leadership while falling short of our own targets.” Ed Miliband, the shadow climate and net zero secretary, told MPs: “A target for less than seven years’ time, and they [the government] are miles off … all of the policies, all of the hot air, don’t meet the target they promised on the world stage.” A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told the Guardian: “We remain committed to delivering our international commitments, including the 2030 NDC under the Paris agreement which we fully expect to meet. We are on track to deliver our carbon budgets, creating jobs and investment across the UK while reducing emissions. Our carbon budget delivery plan is a dynamic long-term plan for a transition that will take place over the next 15 years, setting us on course to reach net zero by 2050.” Car manufacturers must ensure a proportion of their sales are of electric vehicles – 22% of cars and 10% of vans by 2024 – under a zero emissions vehicle mandate, though campaigners said the proportion had been set too low. About £800m in capital funding is being made available for electric vehicles, and there will be a boost to EV charging infrastructure. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Much of the government’s strategy for continuing with fossil fuel development – with decisions on potential new oil and gas fields imminent – rests on the deployment of technology to capture and store carbon dioxide in geological formations under the North Sea. The government shortlisted eight projects to move ahead in its funding scheme, including one backed by oil giant BP, and expects to make £20bn of investment available over 20 years in CCS. Hydrogen and nuclear The government named 20 new hydrogen projects that are on track to receive a share of £240m, to help the development of a fuel the government sees as central to the UK’s low-carbon future. It comes despite doubts among experts over some of its applications – particularly in home heating – and some of its sources, as fossil fuel companies are looking to hydrogen to allow them to continue drilling. Great British Nuclear will be a new organisation intended to come forward with small nuclear projects that the government believes will be key to its aim of generating a quarter of the UK’s electricity from nuclear by 2050. And some of the gaps and the losers … Onshore wind The government dashed hopes that its new strategy might lift the ban on onshore windfarms in England. The lack of action has frustrated leading academics and green groups because onshore windfarms could begin powering the grid far sooner than nuclear reactors, and would help to reduce energy bills. Dr Daniel Quiggin, ?a s?enior ?r?esearch ?f?ellow? at Chatham House?, ?said onshore wind could bring greater real emissions reductions than removing emissions from the air via carbon capture technology. Grid connections While the government hopes to boost renewable power generation, and nuclear energy, there was little detail on how to solve one of the most pressing problems for the UK’s ageing electricity network. New windfarms and other sources of power, and the battery storage facilities needed to smooth out the intermittency of renewable power, can wait years for the grid connections they need, partly owing to the difficulty of getting planning permission and partly to a lack of grid capacity. Andy Willis, the founder of Kona Energy, said: “Without significant grid connection reform, the vast potential of clean energy development will linger, trapped behind red tape and bureaucratic delays.” Farming There was little reference to agriculture, even though farming and food prices are highly sensitive to energy costs and agriculture is one of the biggest single sources of UK emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was involved in the Whitehall discussions around Thursday’s announcements, but a key land use strategy is not due until the end of June. Then, both the future of farming emissions and the potential for growing trees and restoring landscapes to store carbon – and offset the UK’s remaining emissions by 2050 – will be addressed. Biomass There was drama on the stock market on Thursday as shares in Drax, which operates the UK’s biggest power station burning biomass, fell early on after the government appeared to reject its plea for increased subsidies for a project to capture and store the carbon dioxide from its wood burning. But Drax quickly pointed out that the main decisions on subsidies will follow later, by the end of June, when a biomass strategy is promised. The market confusion arose, the company claimed, because the government had separated its process for supporting hydrogen, gas and CCS projects from its consideration of biomass subsidies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/30/net-zero-strategy-shows-uk-will-miss-2030-emissions-cuts-target
     
         
      UK energy strategy casts doubt on Drax’s carbon capture project Thu, 30th Mar 2023 7:53:00
     
      Shares in turmoil as government’s plan seems to rule out North Yorkshire biomass plant from race for subsidies The energy company Drax will immediately enter talks with the government after its energy strategy cast doubt over its £2bn carbon capture project and plunged the company’s share price into turmoil. The government’s wide-ranging plan to secure Britain’s energy supplies inadvertently raised questions about the future of one of the country’s biggest electricity generators after appearing to rule out the project to capture carbon emissions at the Drax biomass plant in North Yorkshire from the race for subsidies. The company suffered one of the biggest falls on the FTSE 250 as shares tumbled 12% on Thursday morning. However, Drax assured investors that it would enter formal bilateral talks with the government immediately to “move the project forward”. Drax chief executive, Will Gardiner, told investors that the government planned to expand the “Track 1” process later this year, and that its project would be eligible. Funding for the carbon capture project is considered crucial in securing future revenues for Drax beyond 2027 when its existing subsidy for burning wood pellets in its power plant will come to an end. However, a delay in joining the Track 1 process could still leave a funding gap until 2030. The energy security and net zero minister Graham Stuart said in parliament on Thursday that the government “totally understands that we need to work with Drax on a bridging option between 2027 and 2030 and the secretary of state has charged our officials working with Drax on what those options look like”. The share price losses were quickly wiped out, and the stock rose 6% after the assurances. The strategy named eight carbon capture projects in the first track of a government subsidy scheme which could begin trapping and storing carbon emissions from 2027; including three in Teesside and five in the north-west of England and north Wales, but leaving out Drax’s project in the Humber. Ministers are under pressure to cut subsidies for biomass generators amid growing concern that burning wood to generate electricity is far from green and may even increase CO2 emissions. The government also named 20 hydrogen projects which will receive funding awards including three spear-headed by Scottish Power and two for SSE. Drax’s market turmoil emerged as leading business groups criticised the government plan for its lack of clarity and ambition in accelerating Britain’s green industries. The government published multiple policy papers, totalling 1,000 pages, but many of the strategies set out had been previously announced, and much of the government spending had already been committed. “Despite the volume and detail of today’s announcements, there is nothing obvious within these plans which matches the ambition of the US’s Inflation Reduction Act,” said Alexandra Hall-Chen, a policy adviser at the Institute of Directors. “It remains an open question as to whether the UK can offer the incentives for green investment that can sustain it as a leader in the global green economy.” The government’s document deluge includes separate but interconnected plans to secure energy supplies, reduce carbon emissions to net zero, and establish the UK as a leading centre for green finance. The government has launched a consultation on plans to require all large companies with more than 500 employees or £500m in turnover to disclose their plans to reach net zero. Currently the Financial Conduct Authority requires listed companies and large asset owners to disclose their plans, but the government stipulation would level the playing field across the economy to make it easier for investors to make greener decisions. James Fotherby, a policy officer at the Aldersgate Group, described the decision as “encouraging” and urged the government to “provide a clear timetable and further details on the implementation of the sustainability disclosure requirements to tackle greenwashing and inform investors’ financial decisions”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/30/uk-energy-strategy-casts-doubt-on-drax-carbon-capture-project
     
         
      UK government gambles on carbon capture and storage tech despite scientists’ doubts Thu, 30th Mar 2023 0:01:00
     
      Controversial technology is at centre of ‘powering up Britain’ strategy, but critics argue it has ‘little merit’ and ‘delays real cuts in emissions’ The UK government will defy scientific doubts to place a massive bet on technology to capture and store carbon dioxide in undersea caverns, to enable an expansion of oil and gas in the North Sea. Grant Shapps, the energy and net zero secretary, will on Thursday unveil the “powering up Britain” strategy, with carbon capture and storage (CCS) at its heart, during a visit to a nuclear fusion development facility in Oxford. Shapps said the continued production of oil and gas in the North Sea was still necessary, and that the UK had a geological advantage in being able to store most of the carbon likely to be produced in Europe for the next 250 years in the large caverns underneath the North Sea. “Unless you can explain how we can transition [to net zero] without oil and gas, we need oil and gas,” he said. “I am very keen that we fill those cavities with storing carbon. I think there are huge opportunities for us to do that.” Shapps pointed to the £20bn the government is planning to spend over 20 years on developing CCS, which he said would generate new jobs and make the UK a world leader in the technology. Among the 1,000 pages of proposals to be published on Thursday will be boosts for offshore wind, hydrogen, heat pumps and electric vehicles. A green finance strategy, to be set out by the chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, will be aimed at mobilising private-sector money for investments in green industry, and there will be a consultation on carbon border taxes, aimed at penalising the import of high-carbon goods from overseas. But the plans contain no new government spending, and campaigners said they missed out key elements, such as a comprehensive programme of home insulation and a full lifting of the ban on new onshore wind turbines in England. Ministers are also thought to have rejected or modified scores of the 130 policy recommendations made by Tory MP Chris Skidmore in his review of the net-zero strategy, published in January. For instance, oil and gas companies will not be forced to stop flaring, and the ban on sales of new gas boilers from 2035 will not be brought forward. Meanwhile, the government is in the midst of a new licensing round for North Sea oil and gas development, which will run until next June, and oil and gas companies, which have made record profits in recent months, are proposing new developments, encouraged by tax breaks for investment in fossil fuel assets under the windfall tax. Proposals under consideration include a potentially massive new field called Rosebank, which campaigning group Uplift said could receive an effective subsidy of £3.75bn under the windfall tax. Scientists told the Guardian that an overdependence on CCS was ill-advised. More than 700 scientists have written to the prime minister asking him to grant no new oil and gas licences, describing CCS as “yet to be proved at scale”, and the UN secretary-general called on governments last week to stop developing oil and gas. Bob Ward, head of policy at the Grantham Institute, said CCS technology would be needed for certain industries, but that using it to enable the continued use of fossil fuels was a mistake. “What does not make sense is to carry on with further development of new fossil fuel reserves on the assumption that CCS will be available to mop up all the additional emissions. While the costs of CCS will come down, it will make fossil fuel use even more expensive, and it will not eliminate all the risks resulting from the price volatility and energy insecurity of fossil fuels. A successful and competitive economy in the future will be powered by clean and affordable domestic energy, not unreliable and insecure fossils fuels,” he said. “CCS is not required if the government moves to renewables as quickly as possible – especially as I am unaware of any CCS that works,” added Mark Maslin, professor of earth science at UCL. Kevin Anderson, professor of energy and climate at Manchester, said: “When it comes to energy emissions, the claimed prospect of CCS continues its long-established role in supporting the development of the oil and gas industry and in further delaying real cuts in emissions. Given the huge cost, very high-life cycle emissions and appalling record of working as promised, there is little, if any, merit in pursuing CCS as a major plank of UK energy strategy.” Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero at Cambridge University, who organised the letter by scientists, said: “Advancing CCS is important because there are some sectors that are hard to decarbonise which will require it if we are to rapidly reach net zero. However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is clear that the level of greenhouse gas emissions this decade will determine whether temperature rise can be limited to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels]. In that context, the focus of our energy strategy must be on scaling up proven renewable technologies, developing energy storage, supporting energy efficiency and reducing demand.” The government’s plans could also face legal challenge. The “powering up Britain” strategy is in large part a response to a high court ruling last year, when a judge agreed with campaigners that government policies at the time were inadequate to meet the legally binding commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The court ordered a rethink, with a deadline of the end of this month. Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, which led the case, said lawyers would closely examine the documents and return to court if the proposals did not add up. “These plans look half-baked, half-hearted and dangerously lacking ambition,” he warned. “These announcements will do little to boost energy security, lower bills or put us on track to meet climate goals.” Alok Sharma, Tory MP and former president of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, said: “The announcements made are a very welcome step in the right direction and rapid delivery is now vital. However, what we still need to see is that big bazooka moment, commensurate with the scale of the challenge. We cannot afford to wait for the government to set out the UK’s strategic response to green growth initiatives from other nations, like the US Inflation Reduction Act, which is helping to hoover up billions in private-sector investment right now.” This article was amended on 30 March 2023: an earlier version said that carmakers would not be set a target for the proportion of electric vehicles they sell, but the government is currently consulting on this and has not reached a final conclusion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/30/government-gambles-on-carbon-capture-and-storage-tech-despite-scientists-doubts
     
         
      US puts Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico up for auction for oil drilling Wed, 29th Mar 2023 19:58:00
     
      In latest blow to Joe Biden’s reputation as the ‘climate president’, 73.3m acres of the gulf will be offered for fossil fuel extraction An enormous swathe of the Gulf of Mexico, spanning an area the size of Italy, was put up for auction on Wednesday for oil and gas drilling, in the latest blow to Joe Biden’s increasingly frayed reputation on dealing with the climate crisis. The president’s Department of the Interior offered up a vast area of the central and western Gulf, including plunging deep water reaches, for drilling projects that will stretch out over decades, despite scientists’ urgent warnings that fossil fuels must be rapidly phased out if the world is to avoid disastrous global heating. The auctions also come despite Biden’s own pre-election promise to halt all drilling on federal lands and waters. A total of 313 tracts of ocean, spanning 1.6m acres, received high bids during the auction, the administration announced on Wednesday afternoon. There were 32 fossil fuel companies involved in the auction, collectively bidding $309.7m for drilling rights. The amount offered by the federal government was much larger than this, however. The bids will be evaluated by the government in the coming months before leases are issued. In all, 73.3m acres (30m hectares), an area roughly the size of Italy, was made available to drilling companies, less than a month before the 13th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. The sale, known as lease 259, had the potential to extract more than 1bn barrels of oil and 4.4tn cubic feet of gas over the next 50 years, according to the US federal government. The auctions come just two weeks after Biden’s administration approved the controversial Willow project, a drilling endeavor in the remote tundra of Alaska’s arctic that will remove more than 600m barrels of oil over its lifetime, and the two actions have caused major alarm among those in favor of a livable climate, including Biden’s usual allies. “For the first half of his presidency, Joe Biden led on climate with transformative vision but in the second half he seems to be signaling a disastrous climate U-turn,” Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club and a prominent progressive, said. Last summer, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (or IRA), a landmark bill that the president lauded as the “biggest step forward on climate ever”. The sweeping legislation has billions of dollars in support for renewable energy projects and electric car subsidies, but it also included stipulations that large areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska be made available for fossil fuel drilling in order to appease Joe Manchin, a pro-coal Democratic senator and key swing vote. Climate campaigners mostly considered the trade-off to be worthwhile as the resulting emissions cuts should still be large, but the new glut of drilling could wipe out much of the benefits of wind and solar projects over the next decade. “If this continues, all of the good Biden has done for the future will be undone by Biden himself,” said Jealous. “If he’s making a political calculation, he’s making a wrong one. He’s breaking a major promise on drilling and by going back on his word he will inspire many young people to stay at home rather than voting in 2024. His decisions appear to be rooted in the political and economic calculus of the last century, not this one.” The White House has pointed to a series of complicating factors to its climate agenda, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has sped up the construction of oil and gas export terminals in the US, bound for European allies, as well as a closely divided Congress and various legal obstacles. On Friday, Biden said that he was inclined to block the Willow project, only to be told by administration lawyers that ConocoPhillips, the owner of the project lease, would likely sue and win to secure it. “My strong inclination was to disapprove of it across the board but the advice I got from counsel was that if that were the case, I may very well lose,” the president said. The administration has also indicated that the terms of the Inflation Reduction Act also compel the Gulf of Mexico sales, although opponents argue that such a large area did not need to be put up for sale. A separate, even larger, tract of the gulf, known as lease 257, has been enmeshed in a legal battle and the latest lease blocks will also likely end up in court, with a coalition of green groups suing this month to stop it. It’s not been clear how much interest there will be from industry – an auction of leases in December for the Cook Inlet in Alaska yielded just one bid. “These leases were brought back to life by the IRA but there was no legal reason to offer almost the entire Gulf of Mexico to the oil and gas industry,” said George Torgun, an attorney at Earthjustice, which claims the drilling, aside from its climate impacts, will further burden communities of color who live beside polluting refineries along the coast and endanger the Rice’s whale, a species endemic to the gulf with fewer than 50 individuals remaining. “This is locking in decades of fossil fuel use when we should be heading in another direction,” said Torgun. “It’s out of step with what Biden himself has called the existential threat of climate change.” The department of interior’s bureau of ocean energy management, which is overseeing the lease sales, did not respond to a request for comment. The National Ocean Industries Association, a lobby group for offshore drillers, has said that allowing the leases provides a “key component of a national energy strategy that will ensure Americans can continue to have access to fundamental domestic energy that is produced safely, sustainably, and responsibly”. The Earth’s climate system is uncompromising, however. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warned that 3 billion people around the world are already suffering from severe climate impacts and that the world’s temperature will likely rise beyond 1.5C, unleashing much worse misery, within a decade if fossil fuels aren’t radically pared back. “The truth is Earth doesn’t care about politics, it cares about greenhouse gases in atmosphere,” said Alex Ruane, a Nasa climate scientist and lead IPCC author. “Even since the last IPCC report in 2021 we have put a substantial chunk of the carbon budget into the atmosphere. Action and inaction are both choices and at present we are getting closer every day to those temperature targets.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/29/gulf-of-mexico-oil-gas-drilling-joe-biden-auction
     
         
      New cars sold in EU must be zero-emission from 2035 Wed, 29th Mar 2023 12:05:00
     
      Countries in the European Union have approved a landmark law that will ensure all new cars sold from 2035 must have zero emissions. Poland voted against the law, while Italy, Bulgaria and Romania abstained. The agreement was delayed for weeks after Germany called for an exemption for cars running on e-fuels. E-fuels are argued to be carbon neutral because they use captured CO2 emissions to balance out the CO2 released when the fuel is combusted in an engine. The new law had been expected to make it impossible to sell internal combustion engine cars in the EU from 2035. However, the exemption won by Germany will now help those with traditional vehicles - even though e-fuels are not yet produced at scale. The EU will say how sales of e-fuel-only cars can continue later this year. Passenger cars and vans are responsible for about 12% and 2.5% respectively of total EU emissions of CO2, the main greenhouse gas, according to the European Commission. Earlier this month the UN warned that the world was likely to miss a target for limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C. Five things we've learned from UN climate report The new EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, compared to 2021 levels. Germany's late opposition came after EU countries and politicians had already agreed the 2035 phaseout and caused anger among some EU diplomats. "As a matter of principle, we don't like this approach. We think it is not fair," Spanish energy minister Teresa Ribera said, adding that current assessments suggested e-fuels were too expensive to become widely used. Porsche and Ferrari are among the supporters of e-fuels, which they see as a way to avoid their vehicles being weighed down by heavy batteries. But other carmakers including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Ford will use electric vehicles to decarbonise. German transport minister Volker Wissing said Tuesday's agreement would "open up important options for the population towards climate-neutral and affordable mobility". EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans added: "The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions,"
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65105129
     
         
      Crucial Antarctic ocean circulation heading for collapse if planet-warming pollution remains high, scientists warn Wed, 29th Mar 2023 11:07:00
     
      Melting ice in the Antarctic is not just raising sea levels but slowing down the circulation of deep ocean water with vast implications for the global climate and for marine life, a new study warns. Led by scientists from the University of New South Wales and published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the peer-reviewed study modeled the impact of melting Antarctic ice on deep ocean currents that work to flush nutrients from the sea floor to fish near the surface. Three years of computer modeling found the Antarctic overturning circulation – also known as abyssal ocean overturning – is on track to slow 42% by 2050 if the world continues to burn fossil fuels and produce high levels of planet-heating pollution. A slow down is expected to speed up ice melt and potentially end an ocean system that has helped sustain life for thousands of years. “The projections we have make it look like the Antarctic overturning would collapse this century,” said Matthew England, deputy director of the Australian Research Council’s Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, who coordinated the study. “In the past, these overturning circulations changed over the course of 1,000 years or so, and we’re talking about changes within a few decades. So it is pretty dramatic,” he said. Most previous studies have focused on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the system of currents that carry warm water from the tropics into the North Atlantic. The cold, saltier water then sinks and flows south. Its Southern Ocean equivalent is less studied but does an important job moving nutrient-dense water north from Antarctica, past New Zealand and into the North Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean, the report’s authors said in a briefing. The circulation of deep ocean water is considered vital for the health of the sea – and plays an important role in sequestering carbon absorbed from the atmosphere. According to the report, while a slowdown of the AMOC would mean the deep Atlantic Ocean would get colder, the slower circulation of dense water in the Antarctic means the deepest waters of the Southern Ocean will warm up. “One of the concerning things of this slowdown is that there can be feedback to further ocean warming at the base of the ice shelves around Antarctica. And that would lead to more ice melt, reinforcing or amplifying the original change,” England said. How does it work As global temperatures rise, Antarctic ice is expected to melt faster, but that doesn’t mean the circulation of deep water will increase – in fact the opposite, scientists said. In a healthy system, the cold and salty – or dense – consistency of melted Antarctic ice allows it to sink to the deepest layer of the ocean. From there it sweeps north, carrying carbon and higher levels of oxygen than might otherwise be present in water around 4,000 meters deep. As the current moves northward, it agitates deep layers of debris on the ocean floor – remains of decomposing sea life thick with nutrients – that feed the bottom of the food chain, scientists said. In certain areas, mostly south of Australia in the Southern Ocean and in the tropics, this nutrient-rich cold water moves toward the surface in a process called upwelling, distributing the nutrients to higher layers of the ocean, England said. However, Wednesday’s study found that as global temperatures warm, melting sea ice “freshens” the water around Antarctica, diluting its saltiness and raising its temperature, meaning it’s less dense and doesn’t sink to the bottom as efficiently as it once did. The report’s co-author, Steve Rintoul from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, said sea life in waters worldwide rely on nutrients brought back up to the surface, and that the Antarctic overturning is a key component of that upwelling of nutrients. “We know that nutrients exported from the Southern Ocean in other current systems support about three quarters of global phytoplankton production – the base of the food chain,” he said. “We’ve shown that the sinking of dense water near Antarctica will decline by 40% by 2050. And it’ll be sometime between 2050 and 2100 that we start to see the impacts of that on surface productivity.” England added: “People born today are going to be around then. So, it’s certainly stuff that will challenge societies in the future.” Climate change warning The report’s authors say the slowing of the Antarctic ocean overturning has other knock-on effects for the planet – for example, it could shift rain bands in the tropics by as much as 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). “Shut it down completely and you get this reduction of rainfall in one band south of the equator and an increase in the band to the north. So we could see impacts on rainfall in the tropics,” said England. Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its latest report that the impacts of rising global temperatures were more severe than expected. Without immediate and deep changes, the world is hurtling toward increasingly dangerous and irreversible consequences of climate change, it added.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/29/world/antarctic-overturning-collapse-2050-climate-scn-intl-hnk/index.html
     
         
      Climate change: UK risks losing investment in net-zero race, MPs warn Wed, 29th Mar 2023 11:01:00
     
      The UK is at risk of losing jobs and investment in the "net-zero race", senior cross-party MPs have warned. The government is set to announce its revised energy strategy on Thursday. It argues the UK is a "world-leader" in working towards net-zero. But cross-party MPs fear investors - and jobs - could move elsewhere if the strategy is not ambitious enough. A Department for Business and Trade official said the government was having "almost daily" conversations with companies so they know the UK is committed to supporting green technology. What does net zero mean? Can the UK afford its net zero policies? Is the UK on track to meet its climate targets? Why is the government outlining yet another energy and net-zero strategy, when it had one last year? In part, it's out of necessity. In July 2022, the High Court ruled its existing net-zero strategy "unlawful" for not showing how the UK will hit legally binding carbon targets. Ministers also want to produce a plan for how UK net-zero policies can help grow the economy - one of the prime minister's priorities, even if net-zero is not. They also need to respond to a government-commissioned net-zero review by Conservative MP Chris Skidmore. It said the UK was "falling behind" on some climate targets, needed to be more ambitious, and should speed up the rollout of renewable energy, heat pumps, and insulation among other recommendations. Race for net-zero It's not though, I'm told by government insiders, meant to be the UK's response to a huge green subsidies programme in the US yet - that'll come later - which is concerning some climate-watchers in Westminster. Reaching net-zero is often dubbed a "race". Not just against time - with the impacts of climate change becoming more apparent - but economically too. In the US, President Biden has introduced a multi-billion dollar package - the Inflation Reduction Act - to speed up the production of green technology such as solar panels and wind turbines and to subsidise people to make environmentally friendly purchases like electric cars. Billions of dollars are being given to communities who have suffered most from fossil fuel production. Extra tax incentives are also on offer for businesses investing in green jobs and technology in low-income areas. The EU has responded with plans for a Net Zero Industry Act to increase subsidies for green industry. Risk of jobs moving The US's move has vocal critics in the UK government. Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has described it as "protectionist", Energy Secretary Grant Shapps as "dangerous". Some fear it's given the US an unfair competitive advantage, and that it's an attempt to lure high-tech manufacturing companies to the US. Some electric car and wind turbine manufacturers, among others, are already looking to relocate - taking good jobs with them, from areas of the UK that need them. The government claims its existing plans to invest in renewable and nuclear technologies will support up to 480,000 green jobs and secure up to £100bn of private investment by 2030. A Department of Business and Trade official told the BBC Ms Badenoch will bring forward an "Advanced Manufacturing Plan" in the coming months to make the UK a more competitive place for green industries to do business and "one of the best places in the world to manufacture electric vehicles and develop critical supply chain technologies". They added that the government was having daily conversations with companies in this space. The chancellor also said at the budget he'd use his Autumn Statement to "complete our response to the challenges created by the US Inflation Reduction Act". Business 'could go elsewhere from Thursday' But opposition parties, as well as some business leaders, green groups and Conservatives, fear time is running out to respond to the US's ambition. The independent climate think tank E3G said the government's decision not to announce any new public investment or tax breaks for green industry in the Budget was a "disappointment" to UK business. Labour's shadow climate change and net-zero secretary Ed Miliband has argued for a British equivalent of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and a national wealth fund to invest in green technology alongside the private sector. "We need to stop moaning about the IRA and start matching its ambition," he said. Mr Shapps has accused Labour of having a "£28bn plan for borrowing, nothing more". More concerning for the government may be some of the critics in its own ranks. Mr Skidmore, who authored the government's net-zero review, told the BBC: "We have a vanishingly small window to act. There is a net-zero race, there are net-zero markets that will go elsewhere." He added that the "real risk" on Thursday is that if the government does not provide certainty that "demonstrates that this is a place to invest" then "investors will say this doesn't deliver". "From Thursday they will begin to take strategic decision to go elsewhere." Not just about money Thursday is not a "fiscal event" or Budget, so it's not expected new investment will be announced. But Mr Skidmore said this is not just about money, but also demonstrating how welcoming the UK's planning and regulation systems are to green infrastructure. For example, current planning rules make it very hard to build new onshore wind turbines and there are concerns the UK's national grid - electricity network - needs more capacity to accommodate further renewable energy. "Ultimately," he said, "investors will look at what is being proposed and say 'yes this is a country we can do business' or move elsewhere." It's a sentiment echoed by the UK's former COP26 President Alok Sharma, who said: "We are fast approaching a crossroads." The Tory MP added that the US Inflation Reduction Act was attracting billions of dollars of private sector investment in green industries and that the government must set out a meaningful response like financial incentives on Thursday or "we can allow others to win this critical race". He said mixed signals of delayed delivery of policies will "not cut the mustard" for businesses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65110764
     
         
      Swiss court case ties human rights to climate change Wed, 29th Mar 2023 10:02:00
     
      More than 2,000 women are taking the Swiss government to court claiming its policy on climate change is violating their right to life and health. The case is the first time the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will hear a case on the impact of climate change on human rights. It follows six years of unsuccessful battles through the Swiss courts. Temperatures in Switzerland are rising faster than the global average and there are ever more frequent heatwaves. The Swiss women - who call themselves the Club of Climate Seniors and have an average age of 73 - say climate change is putting their human rights, their health and even their lives at risk. Their evidence to the court includes their medical records. They want the ECHR to order Switzerland to work harder at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One of the campaigners, Elisabeth Stern, told the BBC: "Due to climate change, we have more heatwaves and older women suffer more. They die more often during these heatwaves than they otherwise would. "Some people say, why are you complaining, you're going to die anyway. But we don't want to die just because our Swiss government has not been successful in coming up with a decent climate policy." The European Climate and Health Observatory says that projected increases in average temperature are likely to have "serious impacts on public health" across Europe, particularly among elderly people. In the last 20 years, heat-related mortality in people older than 65 in Europe has increased by more than 30%, it says. The Swiss government does not deny that climate change can affect health - but says it cannot be tied specifically to older women's health. If the women are successful, the case could set a precedent for every one of the European court's 46 member states. World temperatures are rising because of human activity, and climate change now threatens every aspect of human life. Temperature rises must slow down if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, according to climate scientists. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100. According to the UN climate body, the IPCC, if global temperature rise cannot be kept within 1.5C, Europe will be vulnerable to flooding caused by extreme rainfall. Extreme temperatures can also increase the risk of wildfires - as seen in Europe last summer. France and Germany recorded about seven times more land burnt between January and the middle of July 2022, compared with the average.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65107800
     
         
      Climate change: England not ready for impact Wed, 29th Mar 2023 9:03:00
     
      England is not ready for the unavoidable impacts of global warming, the government's advisers on climate change say in a new report. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said the government hasn't achieved any of its targets and needed a policy "step change" to avoid loss of life. The CCC reviews the government's adaptation plans - preparations to cope with the effects of global warming. The government said it would take the recommendations into account. Four ways climate change is affecting weather Is the UK getting hotter? What will climate change look like near me? A really simple guide to climate change The committee, also known as the CCC, is an independent group of experts set up to provide the government with advice on the climate crisis. Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the CCC's sub-committee on adaptation, said that the government wasn't taking the issue seriously enough. "The government's lack of urgency on climate resilience is in sharp contrast to the recent experience of this country," she said. Over the last couple of years, England has faced a series of extreme weather events, likely made worse by climate change. Last year was the warmest on record for the UK - temperatures broke 40C for the first time and more than 25,000 wildfires broke out. As well as extreme heat, rainfall has been consistently low for parts of south and southeast England, affecting crop yields. Andrew Blenkiron's 6,000-acre (24 sq km) farm in Thetford, Norfolk saw just 2.4mm of rain in February compared to the local average for that month of 43mm. He has now been forced to cut back on plans to plant potatoes, onions, parsnips and carrots by around a fifth. He said: "Farmers are at the very forefront of climate change on a day-to-day basis... we are used to working with these issues, but we are concerned with the extremes we are now facing." To cope with the impacts of extreme heat Mr Blenkiron has enlarged reservoirs on his farm and shifted harvesting patterns to prevent wildfires. But he said that farmers needed more money from government to implement their climate plans, especially if they involved new infrastructure projects like reservoirs. A UK government spokesperson told the BBC: "We have taken decisive action to improve the UK's climate change resilience - including investing a record £5.2bn into flood defences." The spokesperson said the government would factor in the committee's recommendations to the new National Adaptation Plan, which is expected to be published this summer. The committee said the government needed to consider the resilience of farming systems in other countries. Nearly half of all the food the UK consumes is imported. The CCC said this makes all of the UK's food supply vulnerable to global weather patterns. Already this year supermarkets have placed limits on fruit and vegetable sales after bad weather in North Africa affected supply. The committee has recommended the government require all large food sector companies by law to assess the climate risks to their supply chains. The committee reviewed the government's plans across 12 other areas - from buildings to transport to nature. They found that just five out of the 45 policy areas had fully credible climate change plans and none were making progress to improve climate resilience. The committee commended the government for updating building regulations last year for new domestic properties - requiring developers to take account of overheating. But they said this needed to be extended to cover all existing homes - as 80% of all homes that will be around in 2050 have already been built. As many as 4.6 million homes overheat, according to a recent survey, putting those with existing health conditions like asthma at risk. Internet at risk The report singled out England's internet networks as being woefully unprepared for climate change despite their crucial importance. England's internet networks - made up of hundreds of data centres, and extensive networks of cables and masts - underpin the UK's service-based economy. This infrastructure is already at risk from extreme weather, including heat and strong winds during storms. In November 2021, Storm Arwen left one million British properties without power and internet supply. The committee found "there was no visible plan by the industry or government, to manage long-term risk".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65099546
     
         
      Just Stop Oil: Climate change pair on trial over bridge protest Tue, 28th Mar 2023 12:05:00
     
      Two protesters caused "gridlock for miles around" after they scaled the Dartford Crossing bridge and police closed it to traffic, a trial heard. Just Stop Oil activists Morgan Trowland, 40, of Islington, London, and Marcus Decker, 34, of no fixed address, deny causing a public nuisance. Using climbing equipment they climbed 200ft (60m) up the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge cables, the prosecution said. They then unfurled a protest banner and "rigged up hammocks and stayed there". The bridge linking the M25 over the River Thames between Essex and Kent was closed from 04:00 BST on 17 October until 21:00 the following day, the prosecutor said. "This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point," prosecutor Adam King told Basildon Crown Court in Essex. "Morgan Trowland, while up there, arranged interviews with the press and posted on social media from a Just Stop Oil account. "One post was a video of him setting out the group's demand that the government immediately stop issuing oil licences. "Small businesses lost, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of pounds, people missed loved one's funerals, children were left on the side of the road waiting for buses." Mr King said there may be evidence about climate change and what the defendants "sought to achieve", but he told jurors: "We're not here to litigate the government's climate change policy." He said the pair came down at about 17:30 on 18 October "with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane", but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later. In police body-worn camera footage shown to jurors, the protesters confirmed to attending police that they were there to protest and not for a suicide attempt. Jurors were also shown drone footage of the two men, on the vertical uprights on opposite sides of the bridge, with their hammocks set up and banner displayed. The trial continues.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-65102021
     
         
      How pollution is causing a male fertility crisis Tue, 28th Mar 2023 10:13:00
     
      Sperm quality appears to be declining around the world but is a little discussed cause of infertility. Now scientists are narrowing in on what might be behind the problem. "We can sort you out. No problem. We can help you," the doctor told Jennifer Hannington. Then he turned to her husband, Ciaran, and said: "But there's not much we can do for you." The couple, who live in Yorkshire, England, had been trying for a baby for two years. They knew it could be difficult for them to conceive as Jennifer has polycystic ovarian syndrome, a condition that can affect fertility. What they had not expected was that there were problems on Ciaran's side, too. Tests revealed issues including a low sperm count and low motility (movement) of sperm. Worse, these issues were thought to be harder to treat than Jennifer's – perhaps even impossible. Hannington still remembers his reaction: "Shock. Grief. I was in complete denial. I thought the doctors had got it wrong." He had always known he wanted to be a dad. "I felt like I'd let my wife down." Over the years, his mental health deteriorated. He began to spend more time alone, staying in bed and turning to alcohol for comfort. Then the panic attacks set in. "I hit crisis point," he says. "It was a deep, dark place." Male infertility contributes to approximately half of all cases of infertility and affects 7% of the male population. However, it is much less discussed than female infertility, partly due to the social and cultural taboos surrounding it. For the majority of men with fertility problems, the cause remains unexplained – and stigma means many are suffering in silence. Research suggests the problem may be growing. Factors including pollution have been shown to affect men's fertility, and specifically, sperm quality – with potentially huge consequences for individuals, and entire societies. A hidden fertility crisis? The global population has risen dramatically over the past century. Just 70 years ago – within a human lifetime – there were only 2.5 billion people on Earth. In 2022, the global population hit eight billion. However, the rate of population growth has slowed, mainly due to social and economic factors. Birth rates worldwide are hitting record low levels. Over 50% of the world’s population live in countries with a fertility rate below two children per woman – resulting in populations that without migration will gradually contract. The reasons for this decline in birth rates include positive developments, such as women's greater financial independence and control over their reproductive health. On the other hand, in countries with low fertility rates, many couples would like to have more children than they do, research shows, but they may hold off due to social and economic reasons, such as a lack of support for families. At the same time, there may also be a decline in a different kind of fertility, known as fecundity – meaning, a person's physical ability to produce offspring. In particular, research suggests that the whole spectrum of reproductive problems in men is increasing, including declining sperm counts, decreasing testosterone levels, and increasing rates of erectile dysfunction and testicular cancer. Swimming cells "Sperm are exquisite cells," says Sarah Martins Da Silva, a clinical reader in reproductive medicine at the University of Dundee and a practicing gynaecologist. "They are tiny, they swim, they can survive outside the body. No other cells can do that. They are extraordinarily specialised." Seemingly small changes can have a powerful effect on these highly specialised cells, and especially, their ability to fertilise an egg. The crucial aspects for fertility are their ability to move efficiently (motility), their shape and size (morphology), and how many there are in a given quantity of semen (known as sperm count). They are the aspects that are examined when a man goes for a fertility check. "In general, when you get below 40 million sperm per millilitre of semen, you start to see fertility problems," says Hagai Levine, professor of epidemiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Sperm count, explains Levine, is closely linked to fertility chances. While a higher sperm count does not necessarily mean a higher probability of conception, below the 40 million/ml threshold the probability of conception drops off rapidly. In 2022, Levine and his collaborators published a review of global trends in sperm count. It showed that sperm counts fell on average by 1.2% per year between 1973 to 2018, from 104 to 49 million/ml. From the year 2000, this rate of decline accelerated to more than 2.6% per year. We are facing a public health crisis and we don't know if it's reversible – Hagai Levine Levine argues this acceleration could be down to epigenetic changes, meaning, alterations to the way genes work, caused by environmental or lifestyle factors. A separate review also suggests epigenetics may play a part in changes in sperm, and male infertility. "There are signs that it could be cumulative across generations," he says. The idea that epigenetic changes can be inherited across generations has not been without controversy, but there is evidence suggesting it may be possible. "This [declining sperm count] is a marker of poor health of men, maybe even of mankind," says Levine. "We are facing a public health crisis – and we don't know if it's reversible." Research suggests that male infertility may predict future health problems, though the exact link is not fully understood. One possibility is that certain lifestyle factors could contribute to both infertility, and other health problems. "While the experience of wanting a child and not being able to get pregnant is extraordinarily devastating, this is a much bigger problem," says Da Silva. Individual lifestyle changes may not be enough to halt the decline in sperm quality. Mounting evidence suggests there is a wider, environmental threat: toxic pollutants. A toxic world Rebecca Blanchard, a veterinary teaching associate and researcher at the University of Nottingham, UK, is investigating the effect of environmental chemicals found within the home on male reproductive health. She is using dogs as a sentinel model – a kind of early-warning alarm system for human health. "The dog shares our environment," she says. "It lives in the same household and is exposed to the same chemical contaminants as us. If we look at the dog, we could see what's going on in the human." Her research concentrated on chemicals found in plastics, fire retardants and common household items. Some of these chemicals have been banned, but still linger in the environment or older items (read more about this in BBC Future's story on "forever chemicals"). Her studies have revealed that these chemicals can disrupt our hormonal systems, and harm the fertility of both dogs and men. "We found a reduction in sperm motility in both the human and the dog," says Blanchard. "There was also an increase in the amount of DNA fragmentation." Sperm DNA fragmentation refers to damage or breaks in the genetic material of the sperm. This can have an impact beyond conception: as levels of DNA fragmentation increase, explains Blanchard, so do instances of early-term miscarriages. The findings chime with other research showing the damage to fertility caused by chemicals found in plastics, household medications, in the food chain and in the air. It affects men as well as women and even babies. Black carbon, forever chemicals and phthalates have all been found to reach babies in utero. Climate change may also negatively impact male fertility, with several animal studies suggesting that sperm are especially vulnerable to the effects of increasing temperatures. Heatwaves have been shown to damage sperm in insects, and a similar impact has been observed in humans. A 2022 study found that high ambient temperature – due to global warming, or working in a hot environment – negatively affects sperm quality. Poor diet, stress and alcohol Alongside these environmental factors, individual problems can also harm male fertility, such as a poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, stress, and alcohol and drug use. In recent decades there has been a shift towards people becoming parents later in life – and while women are often reminded about their biological clock, age was thought not to be an issue for male fertility. Now, that idea is changing. An advanced paternal age has been associated with lower sperm quality and reduced fertility. There is a growing call for greater understanding of male infertility and new approaches for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment – as well as an increased awareness of the urgent need to tackle pollution. Meanwhile, is there anything an individual can do to protect or boost their sperm quality? Exercise and a healthier diet may be a good start, since they have been linked to improved sperm quality. Blanchard recommends choosing organic food and plastic products free of BPA (Bisphenol A), a chemical associated with male and female fertility problems. "There are small things that you can do," she says. And, says Hannington, don't suffer in silence. After five years of treatment and three rounds of ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), an IVF technique in which a single sperm is injected into the centre of an egg, he and his wife had two children. For people who have to pay for fertility treatments themselves, such a procedure may however not be affordable. In the US, a single round of IVF can cost upwards of $30,000 (£24,442) and insurance coverage for IVF can depend on the state you live in and who your employer is. And Hannington says he still feels the mental toll of his ordeal. "I'm grateful for my children every day, but you just don't forget," he says. "It will always be part of me."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230327-how-pollution-is-causing-a-male-fertility-crisis?utm_source=bbc-news&utm_medium=right-hand-slot
     
         
      EV: Wales' electric vehicle charging strategy embarrassing - report Tue, 28th Mar 2023 10:11:00
     
      Progress towards getting more electric vehicles on the road in Wales has been described as "embarrassing". A cross-party Senedd committee looked at the Welsh government's plan to develop a network of charging points. The chairman of the committee, Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd, said its strategy had been beset by "broken promises and inadequate progress". The Welsh government said Wales had seen the biggest growth in charger and rapid charger provision across the UK. Fewer than half of the Welsh government's main commitments had been delivered on time, while work on some of the others had only just begun, many months after the deadline, a report by the Senedd's Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee found. How easy is it to drive across Wales in an electric car? Wales fans driving to World Cup in electric car Electric cars: How practical are they in Wales? Electric car drivers 'avoid' parts of Wales It said the lack of progress calls into question the Welsh government's ability to deliver, especially in rural areas where the lack of electricity grid capacity is a significant issue. Its action plan includes setting up a "connections group" to co-ordinate the development of infrastructure, yet the group has never been established. Another proposed group, which would have brought together community organisations to determine the best locations for charging points across the country, was also never created. 'Need to plan ahead' Gwenllian Owen from Llangefni, on Anglesey, took delivery of a new all electric vehicle two weeks ago and got rid of her petrol car. "I think may main worry was: where will I get it charged? How much is it going to cost me to charge it? Especially now the cost of electricity and everything is so high," she said. "It's working out quite well. I'm probably spending around £50 a month to charge it, while my previous car, to fill it up every week-and-a-half to two weeks, that would cost me about £75 to £80 to do that." Asked about the availability of charging points, she said: "There's no doubt about that - there's a need. "It is happening, but it's happening at a slower rate, so there needs to be a lot more investment from the government to ensure that the facilities are there for people when they are travelling. "From north to south Wales, that's a journey I do in a motorhome, but I would really need to plan ahead if I drove down in my electric car because there would be a few stops on the way where I'd need to recharge. "So yes, it's a lot of preparation, but it's part of the excitement, isn't it? "I'm pleased with it. It's quiet, it's clean and I feel I'm doing my bit for the environment." 'Worst in Great Britain' The committee heard evidence from industry experts. Out of the 37,000 public charging devices across the UK, only 2,400 (6.4%) were in Wales, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) told the committee in January. Contacted by the BBC to verify these figures, SMMT said they were approximate figures for the whole of 2022 based on Zap Map data at the time of the hearing. Members of the committee also heard that despite a large growth in the number of chargers over the past few years, in Wales there is just one rapid charger per 15,000 people compared to one per 11,000 across the UK. Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) Cymru said that the lack of charging points represents the most significant barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles. In terms of provision at home and work, EVA Cymru told the committee the Welsh government had also failed to review building regulations to ensure adequate parking spaces and charging points. The report called on the Welsh government to complete a review as soon as possible and consider how hotels and visitor attractions could be encouraged to have charging points installed. 'Unacceptable and embarrassing' Committee chairman Mr Gruffydd said people would only switch to electric cars if they felt confident about being able to charge their cars when they needed to. "Frustratingly, this is far from the case today," he said. "There has been some progress over the last few years but nowhere near where it needs to be. "The Welsh government's Action Plan isn't even 18 months old yet and some of the targets have already been missed. This is unacceptable - and embarrassing." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters said: "We've got a plan and we are working through it. We've got limited resources and rather than just spraying charging points everywhere we are working out where are the best places to put our resource to best effect." Mr Waters said he was "not embarrassed" by progress made so far and said he did not think people should be nervous about the lack of electric charging points. "I have an electric car and as long as you plan it's fine," he said. "You will not regret buying one and once you have bought one you won't go back." A Welsh government spokesman said: "We welcome today's report which contains some key learnings for us as we work to deliver the charging infrastructure Wales needs. "We were pleased to see that Wales is now showing the greatest percentage increase of any UK region in charging and rapid charging provision. "This is thanks to an ambitious delivery programme we have developed with key partners and we now look forward to building on these foundations."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65069542
     
         
      Climate change threatening 'high-performance sport's existence' says UK Sport chief Tue, 28th Mar 2023 10:10:00
     
      Climate change is threatening "high-performance sport's existence", says UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday. The government agency has a new sustainability strategy, called Team of Tomorrow. The aim is to get British Olympic and Paralympic sport to have a net positive impact on the environment by 2040. Every governing body has been told to have a sustainability action plan in place by 2025. UK Sport announced the new strategy alongside statistics from a 2020 report to prove the need for change. Is Fifa's football expansion putting money before planet? The Premier League's domestic flights dilemma The study, called 'Playing against the clock', says of the 19 Winter Olympics hosts leading up to Beijing 2022, only 10 will remain viable winter sports hosts in 2050. This would drop to just six by 2080. "Without urgent action, our team of tomorrow is under threat," Munday said. "UK Sport is determined to reduce the impact of our own activities and operations, targeting net zero by 2030, as well as driving action and progress on sustainability across high-performance sport. "As well as taking meaningful action on sustainability ourselves, we must also use the voice, influence and platform of high-performance sport to advocate for action on environmental sustainability and inspire others to act and make a difference."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/65099356
     
         
      Labour urges ministers to show ‘ambition’ as it recasts green growth plan Tue, 28th Mar 2023 6:01:00
     
      The shadow net zero secretary Ed Miliband to set out how plan will create jobs in clean energy Labour is recasting its green growth plan as the British version of the US’s Inflation Reduction Act to underline its ambition to invest in good, clean energy jobs. Ed Miliband, the shadow net zero secretary, will set out how the party’s green prosperity plan will deliver a multi-billion investment by government and businesses to drive jobs in green industries. He will urge the government to “stop moaning” about the US Act, a landmark piece of legislation from Joe Biden’s administration that is boosting investment in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy, and instead match its ambition. Ahead of the government setting out its own revised net zero plans on Thursday, Miliband has called on ministers to end the ban on onshore windfarms and step up investment in energy efficiency for Britain’s homes. Rishi Sunak’s plans later this week are expected to include the government’s response to a high court ruling that its net zero strategy was unlawful. But green groups have expressed concern that the plans will not go far enough and could contain support for continued fossil fuel use. At an event hosted by the Green Alliance, Miliband will warn that the UK, with all of its natural assets, cannot fall behind the US and the EU. “What we have seen from the UK government is the actions of a group of people caught in the headlights,” he will say. “[The trade secretary] Kemi Badenoch dismisses the Inflation Reduction Act as ‘protectionist’. Our current energy secretary Grant Shapps calls it ‘dangerous’. The chancellor dismisses it too. “I profoundly disagree with this approach. As the US and Europe speed off into the distance in the global race for green industry, we are sitting back in the changing rooms moaning about the rules. Sore loser syndrome won’t win any jobs for Britain.” He will add: “Of course, we must remain an open economy, welcoming foreign investment and goods. Not everything in the green economy could or should be produced here. “But we are not neutral about where things are built. Joe Biden wants the future Made in America. We want the future Made in Britain.” Miliband will argue that the UK should not underestimate its own potential, saying: “Now some people, not just in government, will say we cannot compete with Inflation Reduction Act. “How, they say, can we compete with the United States with its population five times ours and its huge financial firepower? And throw in the EU and China and they say we need to get real. “But such defeatism is not just pessimistic but plain wrong. It misunderstands the reality of the scale of the opportunity presented by the biggest transformation of the global economy in 300 years. “And it deeply misunderstands our unique potential as a country to compete and win in this green revolution that has begun.” Labour’s own plans include a “net zero mandate” for every key regulator, as well as a new national wealth fund to invest in partnership with the private sector. Keir Starmer has already announced plans for a new publicly owned energy company, GB Energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/28/labour-urges-ministers-to-show-ambition-as-it-recasts-green-growth-plan
     
         
      Labor agrees to absolute cap on emissions to secure Greens backing for safeguard mechanism climate bill Mon, 27th Mar 2023 17:13:00
     
      Adam Bandt says deal puts ‘significant hurdles’ in the way of new coal and gas but Chris Bowen insists it will not kill off new investment The Albanese government’s signature climate bill targeting big polluters is a step closer to passing after a deal with the Greens including an absolute cap on emissions. The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, announced the deal on the safeguard mechanism bill on Monday, taking credit for “a big hit on coal and gas” that could effectively block half of 116 proposed new fossil fuel projects. Bandt told reporters in Canberra the deal puts “significant hurdles” in the way of new projects including development of the vast Beetaloo gas basin in the Northern Territory, with up to $1bn a year in costs to offset its emissions enough to “derail” the business case for the project. The government believes the safeguard mechanism deal puts it on track to achieve its emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030. It will be opposed by the Coalition, which has attempted to link steps to curb emissions from new coal and gas projects to price rises despite most of the developments being for export. The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, played down the Greens’ claims by noting the deal was still in “keeping with our election mandate” not to ban new fossil fuel projects while also achieving its aim of reducing absolute emissions. The safeguard bill, which requires big industrial emitters to reduce emissions intensity by 4.9% a year to achieve 205m tonnes of greenhouse gas reduction by 2030, passed the House of Representatives on Monday night. The bill will go to the Senate this week, where the Jacqui Lambie Network is likely to give Labor the votes to pass it. Independent senator David Pocock welcomed the proposed changes, but said he still had “concerns about the role of offsets”. The centrepiece of the Labor-Greens deal is a cap of 1,233m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, effectively imposing a declining annual limit on absolute emissions of about 140m tonnes. The Climate Change Authority will report on whether new or expanded projects could result in the overall carbon budget being exceeded, triggering obligations on the minister to tighten rules to keep emissions under the cap. This could see the government forced to choose between imposing greater emissions reductions on existing industries or blocking new projects. Bandt told reporters it was “very unlikely” the minister would opt “for a new coalmine … rather than a new lithium mine”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup New entrants will need to meet international best practice to ensure emissions decline over time, a move that should limit existing industries such as manufacturing being disadvantaged. Gas developments in the Beetaloo basin will have to be net zero for their direct scope one emissions, which means they will have to offset all pollution released, a step that makes it more expensive to get a project up. All new gas fields for liquefied natural gas export projects will also need to be net zero for CO2 emissions. Carbon offsets will be subject to the recommendations of an integrity review that reported back in January. They included a freeze on issuing credits from contentious “human induced regeneration” projects until they have been assessed to ensure they comply with the methodology set out. A proposed “powering the regions” fund will receive an additional $400m in funding to help cut emissions, on top of an early $600m. The money will be available for manufacturing sectors only – steel, cement, lime, aluminium and alumina – and not fossil fuel extraction. No limits will be set on companies’ use of carbon offsets to meet their emissions reductions, but if a company uses offsets to meet 30% or more of their requirements, they will be required to explain to the regulator why they have done so. By 2027, the Climate Change Authority will look at the use of offsets and implementing measures to restrict their use if onsite abatement is not occurring to satisfactory levels. Environmental and business groups both welcomed the deal, which the Australian Industry Group labelled a “workable balance, providing pathways for new projects that stack up … without adding to burdens on existing facilities or threatening national emissions goals”. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged the government to “remain vigilant and ensure gas production is not inhibited at a time when Australia faces a domestic supply shortage”. Despite the deal, new coal and gas projects are likely to remain a significant flashpoint between Labor and the Greens. Bandt said Labor had acted like the “political wing” of the coal and gas lobby in negotiations, and appeared determined to leave room for some new fossil fuel projects. “We’ve secured a pollution trigger that, for the first time in history, means new projects must be assessed for their impact on climate pollution and they can be stopped,” he said. “Labor now has the power to stop coal and gas projects that would breach the pollution cap. Every new coal and gas project that gets approved from here on in is Labor’s direct responsibility.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/27/labor-agrees-to-absolute-cap-on-emissions-to-secure-greens-backing-for-safeguard-mechanism-climate-bill
     
         
      Boris Johnson’s climate adviser backs Labour’s energy security strategy Mon, 27th Mar 2023 6:12:00
     
      Exclusive: No 10 adviser Sam Richards lends support to drive for energy independence and planning reform Boris Johnson’s former climate adviser has backed Labour’s plans to make Britain energy secure by 2030, the Guardian has learned. Sam Richards, who worked as the energy and climate adviser in No 10, believes the only way Britain can wean itself off expensive foreign gas is to “commit to deliver necessary planning reform” and lift onshore wind bans. His endorsement comes after Rishi Sunak signalled the end of a moratorium on new onshore wind projects after facing a huge Conservative rebellion. Instead, he launched a consultation on the moratorium that is due to end this week. Keir Starmer has already promised to rip up planning restrictions that block the expansion of onshore windfarms, and says he is ready to “persuade some communities to get on board”. Wholly supporting Labour’s proposals, Richards, who is CEO of the campaign group Britain Remade, said that “without committing to planning reform, any plan, no matter how ambitious, will fail to deliver”. He added: “To go from being a net importer to a net exporter of electricity in less than seven years is going to be a mammoth challenge. We’ll need to lift the ban on onshore wind and dramatically cut the time it takes to build new offshore wind and solar. “We’ll also need to see small modular reactors rolled out at pace, alongside new targets for long-duration energy storage and major upgrades to grid infrastructure. All of this will only happen if we overhaul our outdated and sluggish planning system.” It follows the release of a report by Britain Remade which has found that households across the country could benefit from a clean energy dividend on their energy bills, saving up to £1,400 a year, if the government adopted some of its proposed measures to become energy secure by 2030. The pro-growth campaign group argues that if international gas prices were to spike by 400% again, electricity bills would only rise by 20%, not the 235% they rose by between winter 2021-22 and January 2023. Assuming that electricity bills returned to 2019 levels, this would mean another historic rise in gas prices would only lead to a £10 a month increase in electricity bills for the average household. By shifting to clean energy and speeding up its delivery, households would enjoy an annual clean energy dividend of up to £1,400. As part of 25 recommendations set out in its Powerbook report, Britain Remade suggests the government automatically grants planning permission to all upgrades needed at existing renewable sites, in order to get as much renewable energy from them as soon as possible. The pro-growth campaign group also suggests amending the Planning Act 2008 so developers no longer have to seek consents from multiple agencies for environmental permits. The national planning policy framework will be updated to reflect the outcome of Sunak’s windfarm moratorium consultation by the end of April 2023. Ed Miliband, the shadow climate secretary, said: “This is exactly the kind of ambition we need to drive towards clean power by 2030. I look forward to building the broadest coalition to make it happen.” Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, said the proposals would “bring down costs and deliver good green growth – a win-win for all”.
       
      Full Article: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/35b47c56d27d88b9e0d2d5569b5aca535b56eb74/370_231_6212_3727/master/6212.jpg?width=700&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none
     
         
      French police clash with water reservoir protesters Sun, 26th Mar 2023 10:47:00
     
      French police have fired tear gas at protesters at a large demonstration in the west of the country. Thousands of people had gathered in Sainte-Soline to protest against plans for a new water reservoir. Several police cars were set on fire after clashes broke out at the construction site. The unrest follows weeks of anti-government demonstrations in Paris and other cities over President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms. Though unrelated to the protests over plans to raise the state pension age, the latest demonstration adds to the growing sense of public anger within France. Opponents of the irrigation project in Sainte-Soline, near Poitiers, marched in large numbers on Saturday despite a ban on gatherings in the district. The procession set off late morning, with at least 6,000 people taking part, according to local authorities, although organisers claim the group numbered 25,000. They are protesting against one of the reservoirs being built in the Deux-Sèvres department - developed by a group of 400 farmers to reduce mains water usage in the summer. France's worst drought on record last year intensified discussions over water resources. Supporters of artificial reservoirs say they could provide the solution to shortages during future dry spells. But opponents say the project favours large agricultural producers for crop irrigation in the summer and would not directly help the local community. "While the country is rising up to defend pensions, we will simultaneously stand up to defend water," said the organisers, gathering under the banner of "Bassines non merci" - "No to reservoirs, thank you". More than 3,000 police officers were deployed to Sainte-Soline, while officials said at least 1,000 potentially violent activists had joined the demonstration. Security forces fired tear gas to stop some who reportedly threw fireworks and projectiles as they approached the fenced-off construction area. Officials say several people have been arrested and police have seized weapons, including pétanque balls and meat knives. President Macron said: "We will never give in to this violence. In a democracy, we do not have the right to use violence." Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said violence displayed against officers in Sainte-Soline was "unspeakable" and "unbearable". Some of the demonstrators in Sainte-Soline saw this struggle as linked to the nationwide protests against President Macron and his decision to force through a rise in the pension age. "What is happening today, this convergence of struggles - this struggle for water is similar to the one for pensions," said Benoit Jaunet, a spokesperson for the Deux-Sèvres Peasant Confederation. "We are facing the same violence. Our work, our water are being stolen for a few people. And that's not right." Saturday's demonstration follows similar marches in October. Widespread protests have gripped France in recent weeks. The situation in Paris and other cities was calmer overnight, but security forces have remained on high alert following days of clashes with protesters. Demonstrations have largely been peaceful, but several French cities have witnessed episodes of violence this week. In Bordeaux, the entrance to the town hall was set alight. In Paris, tear gas was fired and hundreds of fires were lit. But the Council of Europe - the continent's leading human rights group - has warned that sporadic acts of violence "cannot justify excessive use of force by agents of the state" or "deprive peaceful protesters of their right to freedom of assembly". Protesters have been emboldened by the government's use of constitutional power to ram through reforms without a vote in the National Assembly. King Charles III's state visit to France was postponed at the request of President Macron. The trip to Paris and Bordeaux was due to begin on Sunday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65076537
     
         
      Mississippi tornado kills 26 and brings devastation to US state Sun, 26th Mar 2023 9:49:00
     
      Search and rescue efforts are continuing in Mississippi after a deadly tornado hit the US state. At least 25 people have died in the state, and one in Alabama, with dozens more left injured by Friday's tornado. The storms devastated several rural towns, with Rolling Fork in western Sharkey County almost completely wiped out. Mississippi state governor Tate Reeves has declared a state of emergency to help respond to the damage. US President Joe Biden also described the images coming out of Mississippi as "heartbreaking", and said the federal government would "do everything we can to help". "We will be there as long as it takes. We will work together to deliver the support you need to recover," he said in a statement. More storms are predicted to hit parts of Alabama and Georgia early on Sunday and potentially bring large hail. The storm system which ripped through Mississippi produced a tornado that has caused catastrophic damage to communities across the state. The biggest twister obliterated dozens of buildings in several small towns, flipping cars on their sides and toppling power lines. The small town of Rolling Fork, located in Sharkey County in western Mississippi, has essentially been wiped out, according to its mayor. "My city is gone," Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN. "But we're resilient and we're going to come back." He added that lots of families in his community were "affected and hurting", and all he could see was "devastation". Rolling Fork residents said windows were blown out of the back of their homes. Local resident Brandy Showah told CNN: "I've never seen anything like this... This was a very great small town, and now it's gone." Drone footage of Rolling Fork, shared with the BBC, shows the devastation inflicted on the town. Trucks and trees are shown piled on top of buildings, with detritus scattered over large areas. Cornel Knight told the Associated Press that he, his wife and their three-year-old daughter were at a relative's home in Rolling Fork and that it was "eerily quiet" just before the tornado struck. He said the sky was dark but "you could see the direction from every transformer that blew". He said the tornado struck another relative's house, where a wall collapsed and trapped several people inside. Mississippi state governor Tate Reeves has visited Silver City and Winona to meet with affected residents who had been hit by the tornado's fury. Sharing an update on Twitter, Mr Reeves described the situation as a "tragedy", writing: "We are blessed with brave, capable responders and loving neighbours. Please continue to pray." It is not yet clear whether one or several tornadoes hit the area on Friday night. Although yesterday the National Weather Service warned that several tornadoes were forecast, it is possible the devastation was caused by a "skipping tornado" - a single twister that lifts from the surface only to touch down again. Sam Emmerson from the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma said that the "extremely high-calibre" tornado lofted debris above 30,000ft (9144m). One local weather forecaster, concerned at the strength of a tornado about to hit the town of Amory, momentarily paused his TV forecast to offer a prayer for the residents of the town.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65075276
     
         
      Mississippi: Rescue efforts begin after tornado destruction Sun, 26th Mar 2023 9:46:00
     
      Rescue efforts are under way in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the two states on Friday night killing 26 people, including a baby and her father. Emergency services will have to dig through the debris left behind by the tornado, which flattened one town and obliterated homes and businesses. A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi on Sunday. President Joe Biden ordered federal assistance for the affected areas. As Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff arrived in Mississippi to tour the damage, senator Roger Wicker tweeted: "Today recovery efforts across our state began in earnest". Friday's tornado has been classified as "violent" and given a preliminary EF-4 rating - the second-highest rating possible. Why was the Mississippi tornado so destructive? In pictures: Devastation in Rolling Fork Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for large sections of both Alabama and Georgia for Sunday, ending at 13:00 ET (18:00 BST). In Rolling Fork, crushed cars, bricks and glass litter the streets - the town has been almost entirely wiped out. One resident told the BBC he was lucky to survive after seeking shelter in his bath tub. Approaching the neighbourhood in western Sharkey County, there is little indication of anything unusual. The lush farmland that surrounds it is completely untouched, the trees aren't even bent out of shape by wind. Then, suddenly, you see the houses that were in the tornado's path. They have been totally obliterated. In this rural town of only 2,000 people, where one fifth of residents live below the poverty line, dozens of buildings have been flattened by the fury of the tornado. Homes where family and friends had gathered less than 24 hours before, ready for the weekend, have been reduced to rubble. Timber frames have been snapped into pieces. There are upturned washing machines, but it is impossible to identify anything that might have been a kitchen. Amongst the rubble, there are vehicles that have been tossed around. There is the occasional children's toy and other signs of the lives that were lived here just hours earlier.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65078588
     
         
      Some lawyers vow to not prosecute climate activists Sat, 25th Mar 2023 15:51:00
     
      Leading lawyers say they will refuse to prosecute climate protesters or represent new fossil fuel projects. More than 120 lawyers have vowed to not act against activists from groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil who are "exercising their democratic right of peaceful protest". They have published a "Declaration of Conscience", and face the prospect of disciplinary action. The chair of the Bar Council Nick Vineall KC said it was "disappointing". Barrister Paul Powlesland, who signed the declaration, said: "We're refusing to advise fossil fuel companies on how to dig for new oil and gas, the same way we wouldn't advise a killer how to commit serial murders." The group, who call themselves 'Lawyers Are Responsible', say they will withhold their services supporting new fossil fuel projects and any action against climate protesters who are "exercising their democratic right of peaceful protest". They have called upon the government and their colleagues to "act urgently to do whatever they can to address the causes and consequences of the climate and ecological crises and to advance a just transition to sustainability". Climate groups like Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain have made headlines in recent years through their tactics which include blocking motorways and gluing campaigners to buildings. Just Stop Oil: What is it and what are its goals? What is Extinction Rebellion and what does it want? Oil protesters' 'admirable aims' praised by judge They now face the prospect of disciplinary action for breaching professional regulations such as the so-called 'cab rank rule', which requires lawyers to take on any case within their competence. The declaration has been organised by climate group Plan B, which said some of the lawyers had self-reported to the Bar Standards Board. In a statement, the charity said: "This is understood to be the first time in legal history that barristers have engaged in a collective act of civil disobedience." This comes a few days after the scientific body that advises the UN on rising temperatures released a new report saying clean energy and technology could be exploited to avoid the growing climate disaster. Five things we've learned from UN climate report The group of legal professionals includes some prominent members such as the chair of the British Institute of Human Rights Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC. Fellow signatory Michael Mansfield KC said: "I live on planet earth but I do not own it. "I see myself as a custodian whose good fortune and responsibility is to represent its interests and those of fellow guardians." Tim Crosland, the director of Plan B, called for an end to new fossil fuel developments. He said "behind every new oil and gas deal sits a lawyer getting rich" while "ordinary people of this country" take a stand. "The rule of law has been turned on its head. Lawyers are responsible. It's time to take a stand." 'Promotes access to justice' In a statement, Mr Vineall said: "The cab rank rule prevents barristers from refusing work because they disagree with the actions or views of those seeking their services." The rule "promotes access to justice and promotes the rule of law", he said, adding: "It is disappointing that some lawyers apparently wish to remove these rights from people of whom they disapprove." "I would be profoundly unhappy if a climate change activist accused of a public order offence were ever to be precluded from obtaining the services of the barrister of their choice because their chosen barrister happened to disapprove of the particular way in which they had been protesting," he said. Plan B said the declaration would be launched on 29 March outside the Royal Courts of Justice. MP and former solicitor general Robert Buckland said it was a "very odd approach" and "not really consistent with the role of a lawyer." "When lawyers start picking and choosing, in a way it undermines the independence of the legal profession", he told the Daily Mail. He added: "There are plenty of people lawyers represent who are deeply unpleasant and deeply unpopular, such as rapists and paedophiles. "But they are entitled to a fair trial."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65067321
     
         
      As Australia faces a ‘hydrogen tipping point’, the energy industry needs smart policies, not huge handouts Sat, 25th Mar 2023 10:10:00
     
      The US pouring billions into new technology is a ‘global gamechanger’ Australia must swiftly capitalise on, according to analysts The deputy chief executive of Star Scientific, Matthew Hingerty, is back in Australia after recent visits to the US and Europe to scope out prospects for his firm’s novel technologies to produce heat from hydrogen, for a range of industries eager to ditch fossil fuels. Hingerty is among those in Australia’s emerging green industries weighing up the opportunities – and threats – posed by the US government’s giant $US369bn ($A550bn) support package for the sector and copy-cat policies in Europe and elsewhere. “This great wad of money has surged [the US] to the forefront,” he said. Still, “it’s not going to be like we’re going to up stumps and just move holus bolus to the States”. Major companies such as Fortescue Future Industries and Woodside Energy have recently talked up plans to invest more in the US, citing the extra spending as a lure. Hingerty, however, cautions governments against bending to demands they seek to match the largesse offered abroad or risk condemning Australian firms to becoming also-rans in the global race to decarbonise. He said the US Inflation Reduction Act – the vehicle that will underwrite everything from the production of new forms of batteries, to renewable energy and hydrogen – would certainly offer “icing on the cake” for some investors. But “if a company is chasing government handouts and that’s the sole reason for picking a country, you got to ask yourself a bit about that company”, Hingerty said. Rather, governments create coherent strategies that accelerate demand for hydrogen. The clamour for support for emerging industries is only likely to grow as the Albanese government prepares to divvy up $15bn from its National Reconstruction Fund intended to rebuild Australia’s industrial base. Of that, $3bn is earmarked for the manufacture of low- or zero-emissions technology for use in Australia, the industry minister, Ed Husic, told the National Press Club on Wednesday. Husic advocated “faith in our knowhow”, such as in the development of a domestic battery industry to take advantage of Australia’s abundance of lithium and other critical materials. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup “Our friends in the US know they can’t do it all,” he said, referring to meetings with the Biden administration in January. “There’s this concept that they often refer to as friend-shoring, which is working with trusted partners on different elements of the value chain and seeing who can contribute. And in Australia’s case, because we have a trade agreement with the US, it gives us entree straight away to be able to contribute.” Deloitte, an international consultancy, last month described Australia as facing a “hydrogen tipping point”, as big-spending support packages elsewhere added to the urgency of getting a domestic industry off the ground. “This decade matters – hydrogen producers are likely to develop significant and persistent first-mover advantages and the USA, Europe and Gulf producers are entering into a bidding war for market share and dominance,” it said in a report that originated in analysis commissioned by Fortescue Future Industries. Deloitte’s global sustainability and climate leader, Bernhard Lorentz, said the rush of funding for the emerging non-fossil fuel amounted to a “global gamechanger”. “Australia has a huge chance to become a winner” in part because of the country’s abundant renewable energy resources, Lorentz said. “But you have to make some very tough decisions and get some things right in the next, let’s say, 24 months.” “If Australia doesn’t help companies and investors to go particularly through the cost curves of the next five years, to do the right investments with a smart regime of subsidies, I think … there could be a negative effect for the greening of the Australian economy,” he said. FFI’s billionaire owner, Andrew Forrest, told a Deloitte conference in Sydney earlier this month that “our entire competitive position as an economy is at stake. The decisions we take now – or don’t – will have immense ramifications”. Forrest said his chief executive, Mark Hutchison, was “shifting Australian leadership across to North America”, and had recently put three “significant” investment proposals there before his board for approval. Gelion, a UK-listed company based in Australia, said its actions were “counter to that ‘talk’” of shifting focus abroad, with the battery developer instead bringing talent, technology and funding to Australia to complement international operations. “Gelion has accelerated investment in Australia to take advantage of the global industry drive toward green investments, in its pursuit of building the world’s best battery,” the firm’s CEO, John Woods, said. “We see an unmatched opportunity for Australia to benefit by leveraging our great academic talents and backing them to participate fully in the global market.” Gelion was founded by Thomas Maschmeyer, a University of Sydney professor. Others, though, are keen to see more investment in the hydrogen sector rather than pledges. The director of Asian hydrogen sales for US-based Chart Industries, Mark McKechnie, said a joke among his American colleagues was that “Australia has more announced hydrogen projects than anywhere else in the world”, but only one – in the Pilbara – had reached a final investment decision. The biggest hurdle for other projects proceeding was a lack of local demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/26/australia-must-seize-hydrogen-tipping-point-or-miss-clean-energy-revolution-experts-say
     
         
      Scotland to earn £260m from floating windfarms powering North Sea rigs Fri, 24th Mar 2023 19:08:00
     
      Crown estate leases seabed rights to new projects as oil firms look to replace gas and diesel generators The Scottish government will earn more than £260m after agreeing to lease areas of its seabed to floating offshore wind projects that can power oil and gas rigs. In a world first, Crown Estate Scotland gave the green light for companies to help trim the North Sea’s carbon emissions by developing floating windfarms that can directly supply oil and gas platforms with renewable electricity. Eight companies, which include the UK-listed oil firm Harbour Energy and an investment unit of the oil company BP, will pay a total of almost £262m in “applicant fees” once the agreements are finalised next year for the chance to build 13 offshore wind projects totalling 5.5GW. The leases were awarded to eight full-scale windfarm projects that plan to supply electricity directly to oil and gas platforms, as well as five small-scale wind power projects that will provide test beds for innovative new technologies that are not yet ready to be rolled out at scale. The crown estate expects to rake in further revenues for the Scottish government from “rent payments” once the windfarms begin operating for lifetimes, which could stretch to between 25 and 50 years. The North Sea oil industry is under pressure to cut its carbon emissions as the UK government continues to defy the anger of environmentalists by approving new oil and gas projects despite its legally binding climate targets. The Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises the government on climate issues, has said that the UK carbon budgets can still be met if new UK fields are developed, provided that additional actions are taken to reduce emissions, such as electrifying offshore platforms with renewable energy. “However, there is also a wider question: whether developing new UK fields would help or hinder efforts to reduce emissions globally,” said the CCC’s chief executive, Chris Stark, in a letter to the government last year. Oil companies are turning to floating offshore wind technology to replace the gas and diesel generators that usually power their rigs because these turbines can generate electricity even in very deep areas of the UK Continental Shelf where traditional windfarms could not be built. Colin Palmer, a director at Crown Estate Scotland, said the leasing round would help to reduce North Sea carbon emissions, generate revenues for the Scottish government and encourage innovation in the offshore renewables market. Brian McFarlane, an industry co-chair of the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council, added that by using “Scottish deep-sea expertise built up over many years” would give the industry the opportunity “to show the world how to successfully build and operate floating offshore wind sites”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/24/scotland-to-earn-260m-from-floating-windfarms-powering-north-sea-rigs
     
         
      California battles heavy floods, high winds and rain Thu, 23rd Mar 2023 19:01:00
     
      At least two people have died after California was hit with another storm that brought high force winds, heavy rain, and more flooding. Millions of people remain under flood watch as the 12th atmospheric river this season pummels the state. Over 125,000 customers are without power, according to Poweroutage.us. California's severe weather is expected to subside on Wednesday, with forecasts suggesting the storm is headed inland. On Tuesday, parts of the Pacific Coast highway were shut down due to flooding. The highest rainfall levels have so far occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the National Weather Service recorded as much as 4.4in (11.17cm) of rain in some regions. Part of the retaining wall on one interstate cracked on Tuesday before collapsing under pressure of heavy rain, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, and chunks of concrete fell down the rain-soaked hill. Traffic delays from the damage are expected to last weeks or even months, officials said. In another part of the Bay Area, a man driving a sewer truck was killed after high winds knocked a tree onto his vehicle, a local CBS affiliate reported. A train carrying 55 passengers through the Bay Area collided with another downed tree and derailed. No one was injured. Coastal flood advisories are in effect around San Francisco through Thursday. Thousands have been evacuated from two small California towns, Alpaugh and Allensworth, in the central part of the state in Tulare County. While some residents have been forced to wade through several feet of water to reach their homes in the aftermath of the storm's ferocity, additional high winds, rain and snowfall are predicted to continue in other parts of the US. As the storm tracks east and meets cooler temperatures, a winter weather advisory has been put in place from northern Nevada to Nebraska, where snow predictions range from 3in to 10in. A winter storm warning is also in effect in southern Nevada, north-western Arizona, and southern Utah. The National Weather Service has also issued a red flag warning in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, where wind gusts are predicted to reach up to 55mph (88km/h). The atypical California rain defies years of historic droughts. Tens of trillions of gallons of rainwater have fallen on the state since the storms began in late December. The latest atmospheric river to hit the US southwest will stretch as far as the Rocky Mountains by Wednesday evening.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64959807
     
         
      UN’s nuclear agency and food and agriculture wing announce key commitments to tackle global water crisis Thu, 23rd Mar 2023 18:33:00
     
      On the penultimate day of the United Nations Water Conference, two UN agencies announced several potentially game-changing commitments that could enable countries to quickly gather data on the state of their water resources, and boost efficiency of water use for more sustainable agriculture practices. A worldwide network of water analysis laboratories and a tool to foster collective national level action to improve coordination on water management, were among the commitments announced on Thursday by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the margins of the UN 2023 Conference, which has been running in New York since Wednesday and will close on Friday, 24 March. The commitments, in line with the Water Action Agenda and the push to see all countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, were announced at the SDG Media Zone, which has been the stage for vital discussion and the announcement of other major commitments, while the main plenary and high-level panels have been underway in other parts of the UN Headquarters campus. Water analysis labs Announcing the IAEA’s global water analysis laboratory network, known as GloWAL, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that this interconnected network can through the application of nuclear techniques, help countries to identify the nature and characteristics of water (isotope hydrology). “This technology can help us read many things,” he continued, citing, among others, a water sources’ content, degradation, and renewability. “By establishing this network of labs, we are giving countries the ability to identify from a scientific point of view, the nature of the water issues they are facing” and then developed or adapt policy solutions that address them. Further, beyond issues related to the global water crisis, GloWAL will also help address another key challenge facing the international community: the technology gap and lagging access to data collection that has long plagued developing countries. “When developing countries do not have the ability to know what the problem is and how to solve it, they are in a much worse situation.” “So GloWAL is about this: it's about giving countries the ability to collect their own data. We are going to train them and give them the necessary equipment to do that,” Mr. Grossi explained, adding that: as far as commitments go, this was a very concrete initiative that would help countries be better prepared to face the myriad effects of the water crisis. Asked to give an example of how the network my work, Mr. Grossi said that while he wouldn’t like to say one country faced more challenges than another, he could point to Tajikistan, the co-host of the Water Conference (along with the Kingdom of the Netherlands). Indeed, Tajikistan, which is home to massive glaciers that provide much of the region’s freshwater would host a GloWAL laboratory that would monitor the health of those vital water sources. “Glacier degradation is a very serious problem in this country and by doing this we are giving them the ability to see how fast the glaciers and snowcaps can be regenerated, and how to perhaps better manage the runoff water, because of course, if it is melting, there will be less of it,” he said. Agriculture is a ‘dealmaker’ For his part, Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division at FAO, said that water accounts for 70 per cent of global freshwater withdrawals, so rather than being a dealbreaker, agriculture could be a dealmaker in dealing with the crisis. “It is doable,” he said, because there are many solutions to improve efficiency and reduce the amount of water used for agriculture. Indeed, in many larger countries, like China and the United States, the use of more sustainable water and land management practices has seen crop yields increase even as overall water used for agriculture had begun to decline “Irrigated agriculture is at least three times more productive”, he continued, stressing that the aim should be to improve efficiency, particularly as we would need to produce about 50 per cent more agricultural products for our planet’s growing population by 2050. “We have seen this efficiency lead increased production of ‘thirsty crops’ like rice, sugar cane and cotton.” “We strongly believe that agriculture can contribute to a more water and food secure world in the future … if we first look at efficiency … and second, the agriculture sector should look at how to re-use and recycle water. For instance, many countries and especially in their urban areas, are making strides to re-use their wastewater, after it has been treated, for agriculture. With this in mind, he said that FAO had submitted seven commitments to the UN Water Conference, dealing both with policy as well as innovation. Running through all the agency’s initiatives, he noted among them, the National Water Roadmaps towards the 2030 Agenda, a tool to foster collective action at national level to improve cross sectorial coordination on water management and governance in support of the SDGs. He also announced a “Global Dialogue on Water Tenure” within the framework of water governance, and to engage with Member States, as well as partners from civil society, academia, the private sector, and sister UN agencies, to define principles on the Responsible Governance of Water Tenure. Working together Nanette Braun, Conference Spokesperson (UN Department of Global Communications), asked how the two agencies might work together towards the goals of the Water Action agenda and Mr. Grossi said that FAO and the IAEA had been long-time partners in these areas and indeed, they were the only two international organizations to have a joint working centre, in this case for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. “We recognized early on the inextricable nexus between energy and food,” explained Mr. Grossi, and the Joint Centre, where FAO and IAEA experts work side by side, aims to contribute to global food security and sustainable agricultural development worldwide. For example, as FAO was working on enhancing irrigation and other agricultural techniques, the IAEA worked on drought resistant crops. All this work is carried out to ensure there are no negative environmental impacts. “We are bringing solutions to concrete problems.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134987
     
         
      Amid recent slowdown in global trade, ‘green goods’ are the winning ticket Thu, 23rd Mar 2023 10:32:00
     
      Global trade slowed down in the second half of 2022, but demand for environmentally friendly goods stayed strong, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, said on Thursday. According to UNCTAD’s latest Global Trade Update, trade in “green goods”, which use fewer resources and pollute less, grew by four per cent in the second half of the year, reaching a record $1.9 trillion in 2022. “This is good news for the planet, as these goods are key to protecting the environment and fighting climate change,” said UNCTAD economist Alessandro Nicita, one of the report’s authors. Green goods that performed especially well in 2022 included electric and hybrid vehicles, non-plastic packaging and wind turbines. The findings come days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its flagship report that greenhouse gas emissions needed to go down now, and be cut by almost half by 2030, if the goal of keeping temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is to be achieved. ‘Uncertain’ outlook for 2023 Overall, global trade was worth a record $32 trillion in 2022, but deteriorating economic conditions contributed to a downward trend in the second half of the year. According to UNCTAD, the outlook for trade remains “uncertain”; the UN body cited geopolitical tensions, high commodity prices and record levels of public debt combined with high interest rates, as reasons for concern. UNCTAD’s forecast says global trade is set to stagnate in the first half of 2023. In the second half of the year, however, “positive factors” including a weaker US dollar – the main currency used in trade - stabilized shipping costs and fewer supply chain disruptions, could give trade a boost. Green growth to continue Despite global economic uncertainties, UNCTAD said that growth in green goods is here to stay, fueled by momentum on climate action. UNCTAD’s latest Technology and Innovation Report released last week characterized this moment as the “beginning of a green technological revolution”. The report predicted that the market for electric cars, solar and wind energy, green hydrogen and other more environmentally friendly technologies would quadruple in value by 2030 to reach $2.1 trillion. UNCTAD believes that international trade patterns will more and more closely reflect the green economic transition that’s underway. Enduring tech gap UNCTAD also warned that developed countries were seizing most of the economic opportunities related to green technologies, while developing countries were falling behind. “Missing this green technological wave because of insufficient policy attention or a lack of investment targeted at building skills and capacities would have long-lasting negative consequences,” the UN body’s Technology and Innovation report maintained. Among its recommendations, the UNCTAD report urged the international community to support emerging green industries in developing economies through global trade rules and technology transfers – so that developing countries could “catch up economically, while helping to protect the planet”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134937
     
         
      Climate change making Earth ‘uninhabitable’ Guterres warns Thu, 23rd Mar 2023 9:35:00
     
      Humanity is facing a “difficult truth” the UN chief said just ahead of World Meteorological Day, marked on Thursday – the damage already being caused by climate change is “making our planet uninhabitable.” He laid down the challenge to governments worldwide, to make 2023 a year of “transformation, not tinkering” when it comes to seriously addressing climate change, with meaningful climate action. ‘Closer to the brink’ “Every year of insufficient action to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius drives us closer to the brink, increasing systemic risks and reducing our resilience against climate catastrophe”, said Secretary-General António Guterres. Climate change is intensifying heatwaves, droughts, flooding, wildfires and famines, he warned, while threatening to submerge low-lying countries and cities as sea levels rise due to melting glaciers and increasingly extreme weather. The combined impact of this will be to drive yet more species to extinction, Mr. Guterres said. This year’s theme, The Future of Weather, Climate and Water Across Generations “compels us all to live up to our responsibilities” to future generations, he added. Mitigation and adaption “That means accelerating actions to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, through scaled-up mitigation and adaptation measures. It means radically transforming our energy and transportation systems, breaking our addiction to fossil fuels, and embracing a just transition to renewable energy.” He said developed nations have an obligation now to lead a financial and technical “revolution” that can help all countries reduce carbon emissions, adapt to the future by mainstreaming renewable energy sources such as water and wind, and build up resilience to climate shocks. Address loss and damage Chief among this, is the urgent need to address the loss and damage impacting countries least able to cope - and least at fault - resulting from climate change, Mr. Guterres said. “And it means living up to the promise made last World Meteorological Day to ensure that early warning systems against climate disasters cover every person in the world. Thirty countries have now been identified for accelerated implementation this year. “It’s time to end the relentless - and senseless - war on nature”, the UN chief concluded, “and deliver the sustainable future that our climate needs, and our children and grandchildren deserve.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134942?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f39f3bcad9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_03_23_03_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-f39f3bcad9-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      UN Water Conference: ‘we need a renewed sense of action’ Thu, 23rd Mar 2023 6:29:00
     
      The UN Water Conference has been hailed as an opportunity to ramp up international cooperation to address water issues and avoid a looming crisis. Experts and UN officials agree that stronger partnerships are key to finding lasting solutions. On the sidelines of the historic Conference – held at UN Headquarters from 22 to 24 March – the SDG Media Zone is an informal setting for experts and senior officials to discuss a wide range of topics related to water. On the first day of the Conference, Conor Lennon from UN News led a conversation focused on building partnerships and enhancing cooperation, to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal for Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), and realizing the human right to water and sanitation. The guests were Kristin Meyer, a programme manager at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Neil Dhot, the Executive Director of the International Federation of private water operators (Aquafed), and Richard Connor, the editor-in-chief of the UN World Water Development Report. The session took place the day after the launch of the 2023 Report, which warns that, with up to three billion people experiencing water shortages, we are facing a global water crisis, unless international cooperation is significantly improved. The following is an edited summary of the SDG Media Zone session. Conor Lennon (UN News): How has the message of the UN World Water Development Report changed over the years? Richard Connor: Statistically it has evolved. More people are covered by water and sanitation services, but we’re definitely not seeing enough progress. There is more recognition of the importance of inclusivity, whether related to gender or poverty, and that we need to work together. This led to the theme of this year’s report, which is cooperation and partnerships. Conor Lennon: Is it important that the UN is holding a devoted to water issues? Richard Connor: It’s surprising that there hasn’t been a water conference for so long, considering that water is omnipresent. There is Conference of Parties (COP) for water, as there is for biodiversity or climate change. Forty-seven years is a ridiculously long time to wait, and I hope we have a follow-up within a decade or so, to truly take stock of what we can accomplish, such as general worldwide agreement on water. Conor Lennon: Kristin Meyer, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) says that, over the last decade, nine out of 10 of the disasters triggered by natural hazards were water related. Kristin Meyer: We know that floods and droughts are increasing, from each new IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) report. However, if we take appropriate action, natural hazards don’t have to turn into disasters. That’s why we’re promoting international cooperation. We also need to really look at the links between climate change, resilience building, and also the role of biodiversity and ecosystems to prevent disasters from happening. We’re seeing a lot of progress in the international debate and in the international community and this is also where we can make the biggest impact, by bringing those different elements together and making a better impact for people on the ground. Conor Lennon: What role should the private sector play, in terms of international cooperation? Neil Dhot: I think the answer lies in public-private partnerships. The way to make them successful is highlighted in the World Water Development Report, which talks about inclusive stakeholder collaboration, and that is key, because you need to have public buy-in for any kind of water or wastewater services. The flow of data is crucial, but it’s up to public authorities to publish that information. And, in developing countries where you're extending out the public water system and getting new people to connect, you can’t do that without the help of civil society. For example, in India, we’ve worked with the local community, who can convince local women to use tap water, rather than more expensive tanks of water. So, it’s about partnerships – from the global right down to the local level. Conor Lennon: What needs to be achieved at the UN Water Conference? Kristin Meyer: We need to build those partnerships in order to addressing disaster risk; that means sharing data and knowledge, and involving the whole of society, The UN Secretary-General wants more people to have access to early warning systems, and this means having access to the right kind of information, so that they can act accordingly, so that when a hazard comes towards us it doesn’t turn into a disaster. Neil Dhot: Making good on the commitments made in the Water Action Agenda. The whole sector needs to make itself accountable. There’s no point coming to New York just to talk. We have to come away with new partnerships and ways of working together. All the ideas are already in the World Water Development Report, so we know what we need to do. We just need a renewed sense of action.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134932
     
         
      UN warns against 'vampiric' global water use Wed, 22nd Mar 2023 19:03:00
     
      A United Nations report has warned of a looming global water crisis and an "imminent risk" of shortages due to overconsumption and climate change. The world is "blindly travelling a dangerous path" of "vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment", the report says. Its publication comes before the first major UN water summit since 1977. Thousands of delegates will attend the three-day gathering in New York which begins on Wednesday. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says water, "humanity's lifeblood", is being drained by "unsustainable water use, pollution and unchecked global warming". The report, published by UN Water and Unesco, warns that "scarcity is becoming endemic" because of overconsumption and pollution, while global warming will increase seasonal water shortages in both areas with abundant water and those already strained. Richard Connor, the lead author of the report, said that about 10% of the global population "currently lives in areas that are high or critical water stress". "In our report, we say that up to 3.5 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month a year," he told the BBC. According to the most recent UN climate report, published Monday by the IPCC expert panel, "roughly half of the world's population currently experience severe water scarcity for at least part of the year". Mr Connor told reporters that "uncertainties are increasing" when it comes to global water supply. "If we don't address it, there definitely will be a global crisis," he said. UNDP Associate Administrator Usha Rao Monari told the BBC that resources would need to be managed more carefully in the future. "There is enough water on the planet if we manage it more effectively than we have managed it over the last few decades," she said. "I think we will have to find new governance models, new finance models, new models of using water and reusing water than ever before. I think that technology and innovation will play a very large role in looking at how to manage the water sector and the use of water." The summit, co-hosted by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, will gather some 6,500 participants, including 100 ministers and a dozen heads of state and government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-65035041
     
         
      UN Water Conference: More investment crucial to access water, sanitation, hygiene for all Wed, 22nd Mar 2023 11:37:00
     
      Marking the most significant global conference on water in five decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on all nations to invest in better access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all. Some two billion people still have no access to safe drinking water and 3.6 billion, use sanitation services that leave human waste untreated. Access to safe water and sanitation offer a pathway to social and economic progress by supporting community health and productivity. From solutions to actions The world needs to progress four times faster to achieve universal access to adequate WASH services by 2030 the agencies said in a joint statement coinciding with the UN 2023 Water Conference, while progress needs to happen even faster across sensitive contexts and poorest countries. The conference is a historic opportunity UNICEF and WHO said, to urge governments to take the following actions with support from UN agencies, multilateral partners, the private sector, and civil society organizations: Governments need to develop a plan for increasing political commitment to safely managed drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, including outreach to leaders at all levels of government and engaging with civil society groups. Funding and financing On funding and financing, it’s crucial to develop clear policy objectives to guide funding and financing decisions for WASH, as well as costed funding and financing strategies that take into account the needs of different regions and populations. Invest in people and institutions It’s also important to develop a plan for building a stronger, more diverse, and gender-balanced workforce with stronger skills in the WASH sector, the agencies said, and support the growth of professionalized service delivery - particularly in small and rural environments - by providing capacity development for underpaid and inadequately trained staff. Better data and evidence for decision making is also important, as is encouraging innovation and experimentation when it comes to WASH. This should include developing supportive government policies and regulations and fostering collaboration between government, civil society groups, and private sector actors to develop and implement new solutions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134922
     
         
      Guterres warns of ‘catastrophic’ consequences of a world without glaciers Wed, 22nd Mar 2023 9:38:00
     
      Glaciers are “critical to all life on Earth”, the UN chief reminded the UN 2023 Water Conference on Wednesday, warning that unless the rise in sea level due to global warming is reversed, “the consequences will be catastrophic.” Secretary-General António Guterres told a conference side event dedicated to the issue of preserving the world’s glaciers that new data released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed global average sea levels have already risen faster since 1900, “than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years.” ‘Erased forever’ He said that “low-lying communities and entire countries could be erased forever. We would witness mass movements of entire populations - and fierce competition for water and land.” Furthermore, natural disasters would simply accelerate worldwide, including more floods, droughts and deadly landslides. Glaciers have exerted extraordinary influence on humankind’s evolution, carving out the landmasses we all call home, and extending over 10 per cent of the Earth’s landmass. ‘World’s water towers’ “The world’s water towers”, represent the largest reservoir of fresh water there is, supporting our nutrition, health, economies, and energy production, and supplying snow-melt that provides water for one in every four people on the planet. “But these silent giants are facing a rude awakening”, Mr. Guterres warned. “Human activity is driving our planet’s temperature to dangerous new heights”, in the form of global warming, turning glaciers, into the canary in the coalmine he said. “Losing these giants would be a giant problem for our world”, the UN chief continued, calling for more action to sound the alarm. ‘Act as one’ “All countries must act as one to protect people and communities alike.” He called for more investment in climate-resilient buildings, infrastructure, and water pipelines, as well as conservation policies that safeguard water resources and ecosystems. He called for institutional capacities to be strengthened, and the integration of risk reduction measures that will ensure every person in the world is protected by lifesaving early warning systems against hazardous climate or weather events, by 2027 – a UN “Early Warnings for All” initiative already well underway. “Let’s stop global warming in its tracks. Let’s help all countries build more resilient futures”, Mr. Guterres declared. “As we look ahead to the International Year for Glaciers’ Preservation in 2025, let’s act now to mobilize greater political, private and public will, to conserve our glaciers and all they give to us. Watch below the UN chief's speech to the opening of the Water Conference:
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134927
     
         
      Climate change: Couple set for Pole-to-Pole electric car challenge Tue, 21st Mar 2023 10:54:00
     
      A husband and wife from Aberdeen aim to drive from the Arctic to Antarctica in an electric car. Chris and Julie Ramsey will set off to travel 17,000 miles (27,000km) from the Magnetic North to South Pole this week. Their vehicle will be powered for much of the trip by solar and wind energy. The couple will navigate into Canada, then head south through the United States and into warmer temperatures in South America over the space of 10 challenging months. They will travel through Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Antarctica sea-ice hits new record low NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland - BBC News They accept the journey could put a lot to the test, including their relationship. And coming from Aberdeen, they will take supplies of the humble buttery - the famous long-lasting local delicacy made of lard, butter and sugar, which is also known as a rowie or Aberdeen roll - to help keep their strength up. "One of the most common questions we get asked is how we're going to charge the car in the polar regions where there's no electricity source," Mrs Ramsey said. "There will be a wind turbine and full double solar on this device which will be towed along, harnessing the renewable energy sources - the wind and the sun - to power the car. "That has been really challenging, innovative, pioneering - it's never been done before." She explained: "It's to dispel common myths that people have when they question electric vehicles - things like range and how far can they go. "We are putting the car through the harshest of environments - minus temperatures and extreme heat - so we're really pushing the car to its limits and seeing what capability it has." Large tyres have been fitted to the vehicle in a bid to cope with harsh terrain. There are also some mod-cons, such as a coffee machine in the boot. And there is a drone launcher, so the couple can film their journey. Mr Ramsey said: "Pole to Pole is the world's first drive from a magnetic North Pole location - up in the Arctic - all the way through the Americas and then all the way into the South Pole in Antarctica. "No car in history has ever attempted this - and certainly no electric vehicle. "People might think it's 10 months because of the limitations of the car, but it's not. We're travelling in 10 months because we're going from season to season. "So summer season in the Arctic, we'll benefit from the sun for solar, and in Antarctica the expedition season is December. And that's 24/7 daylight as well, which helps us with the solar." The couple are no stranger to defying the odds. In 2017, they were the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an electric car - a 10,000-mile (16,000km) journey from London to Mongolia. "Having done the Mongol Rally, it has given me confidence that we can do this," Mrs Ramsey said. "We have put the right measures in place and are working with the right people. With our passion and belief and the car being capable I have every confidence that we can do it. "Yes there will be challenges, it's not going to be an easy ride, but what's an adventure without a challenge?" She added that the couple would not be forgetting their rowie supplies. "We'll take a bit of Scotland over with us," she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-64964294
     
         
      Pakistan: 10 million deprived of safe drinking water in flood-affected areas Tue, 21st Mar 2023 10:43:00
     
      Six months after catastrophic floods struck Pakistan, more than 10 million people, including children, still lack access to safe drinking water, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. The crisis has left families in the flood-affected areas with no choice but to use potentially contaminated water. “Safe drinking water is not a privilege, it is a basic human right”, said UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil. “Yet, every day, millions of girls and boys in Pakistan are fighting a losing battle against preventable waterborne diseases and the consequential malnutrition.” ‘Added risk’ for girls and women UNICEF warns that the lack of access to safe drinking water and toilets, as well as the presence of stagnant water, are contributing to “widespread” outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dengue, and malaria. According to the UN Children’s Fund, beyond being a health hazard, the lack of proper toilets is “disproportionally affecting children, adolescent girls and women who are at added risk of shame and harm when defecating outdoors.” Rising malnutrition Unsafe water and poor sanitation are also “key underlying causes” of malnutrition. UNICEF highlights that a third of all child deaths globally are attributable to malnutrition, while half of all undernutrition cases are linked to infections caused by a lack of access to safe water, adequate sanitation and good hygiene. In Pakistan’s flood-affected areas, more than 1.5 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished, and UNICEF expects these numbers to rise. Malnutrition is associated with half of all child deaths in the country. Humanitarian needs Last year’s unprecedented flooding, triggered by severe monsoon rains, submerged a third of Pakistan’s land mass. According to the UN Office in the country, more than 33 million people were affected overall, or one in seven Pakistanis, and eight million were displaced, causing humanitarian needs to surge. The UN reported on Tuesday that as of 15 March, humanitarians had reached more than seven million flood-affected Pakistanis with food and other essential services. UNICEF and partners have so far provided safe drinking water to nearly 1.2 million children and families, and supported the rehabilitation of water supply facilities benefitting over 450,000 people. Speaking at an international conference dedicated to the emergency back in January this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that “rebuilding Pakistan in a resilient way” will require “supporting women and children, who are up to 14 times more likely than men to die during disasters, and face the brunt of upheaval and loss in humanitarian crises”. Call for funding Ahead of Wednesday’s World Water Day, UNICEF has called for resources to urgently restore access to safe drinking water and toilets in the flood-affected areas. Investment is also needed in climate-resilient water supply facilities, such as those powered by solar energy. UNICEF’s $173.5 million appeal for this crisis remains less than 50 per cent funded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134852
     
         
      Healthy forests, healthy planet, healthy humans Tue, 21st Mar 2023 10:39:00
     
      Forests are often called the lungs of the planet, because they absorb harmful carbon dioxide and produce life-giving oxygen so it’s no exaggeration to equate healthy forests with healthy people, the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests. Covering 31 per cent of Earth’s land and providing a home to 80 per cent of all land-based species, forests are crucial to human health and well-being, but their loss across the planet is threatening people everywhere. Here are five things you need to know about the age-old and ever-growing interlinked relationship between forests and human health. 1. Carbon sinks combat climate change Forest ecosystems keep the planet healthy by regulating the climate, rainfall patterns, and watersheds and crucially provide the oxygen which is essential to human existence. Healthy forests help to keep climate change in check by acting as “carbon sinks”, which annually absorb about two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, the gas which is contributing to climate change and the increase of temperatures globally. The rapidly changing climate is threatening the very existence of people in many different ways: through death and illness due to extreme weather events, the disruption of food systems, and the increase in diseases. Simply put, without healthy forests, people around the world, especially in the world’s most vulnerable countries, will struggle to lead healthy lives and maybe even to survive. 2. Nature’s pharmacies: from masks to medicine cabinets From masks to medicines, forest products are used around the world every day. As many as 80 per cent of developing nations and one quarter of developed countries depend on plant-based medicinal drugs. Forests contain about 50,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes by both local communities and multinational pharmaceutical companies. For millennia, forest dwellers have treated a range of ailments using products they have harvested. At the same time, many common pharmaceutical medicines are rooted in forest plants, including cancer-treating drugs from the Madagascar periwinkle and malaria medication, quinine, from cinchona trees. The One Health approach, launched as part of the UN response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizes that the health of humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment, including forests, are closely linked and interdependent. 3. Dinner for 1 billion people Nearly one billion people globally depend on harvesting wild food such as herbs, fruits, nuts, meat, and insects for nutritious diets. In some remote tropical areas, the consumption of wild animals is estimated to cover between 60 and 80 per cent of daily protein needs. A study from 43,000 households across 27 countries in Africa found that the dietary diversity of children exposed to forests was at least 25 per cent higher than those who were not. In 22 countries in Asia and Africa, including both industrialized and developing countries, researchers found that indigenous communities use an average of 120 wild foods per community, and in India, an estimated 50 million households supplement their diets with fruits gathered from wildland forests and surrounding bushland. 4. Forests are crucial for sustainable development Forests provide goods and services, employment, and income to perhaps 2.5 billion people worldwide; that’s around one third of the global population. Keeping forests – and humans – healthy is also at the heart of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. Woodlands play a key role in advancing progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including: SDG 3 Well-being: Woodlands feel good. Studies show that spending time in forests can boost immune systems while elevating positive emotions and lowering stress, blood pressure, depression, fatigue, anxiety, and tension. Human health and well-being depend on the natural environment, which provides such essential benefits as clean air, water, healthy soils, and food. SDG 6 Water: Forests play a filtering role in providing freshwater. About 75 per cent of the world’s accessible freshwater comes from forested watersheds. By feeding rivers, forests supply drinking water for nearly half of the world’s largest cities. Threats to forests could trigger water shortages and put global freshwater resources at risk for people across the world, which are among urgent issues addressed at the forthcoming UN 2023 Water Conference. SDG 13 Climate action: The woods buffer the impacts of storms and floods, protecting human health and safety during extreme weather events. For centuries, forests have acted as nature’s socio-economic safety nets in times of crisis. Sustainably managed and protected forests mean enhanced health and safety for all.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134677
     
         
      Five things we've learned from UN climate report Tue, 21st Mar 2023 9:05:00
     
      The scientific body that advises the UN on rising temperatures has just released a new report. It's an important summary of six key pieces of research completed over the past five years. Our environment correspondent Matt McGrath considers the critical messages. 1 - Overshoot is the key word The sober tones of this study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) make clear that there is very little chance of keeping the world from warming by more than 1.5C. Governments had previously agreed to act to avoid that. But the world has already warmed by 1.1C and now experts say that it is likely to breach 1.5C in the 2030s, despite all the political speechmaking. "It has always been clear in the IPCC and in climate science, that it's not very likely that we always will stay below 1.5C," said Dr Oliver Geden, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and a member of the report's core writing team. Dr Geden and his colleagues now argue that coming back down as quickly as possible after overshooting this mark is where the focus should be. Overshooting is risky, as the report acknowledges, because it might trip tipping points that can't be uncrossed, such as the melting of permafrost that would in turn release vast amounts of warming gases. Coming back from overshooting will need expensive, unproven technology to pull CO2 from the air, something known as carbon capture. It also means that it's even more urgent to get as quickly as possible to net zero - where the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere does not increase. Every increment of global warming and every year that goes by really matters. 2 - Keep it in the ground While the report doesn't definitively say it, there are some clear indications that there's no future for coal, oil and gas on a liveable planet. It highlights how renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar are now cheaper and that sticking with fossil fuels may be more expensive in many places than switching to low carbon systems. "The message in terms of urgency, I think, is stop burning fossil fuels as fast as humanly possible," Dr Friederike Otto, one of the report's authors told BBC News. "It is not because we are lacking some important piece of technology or some important knowledge. It is because so far, the sense of urgency has been lacking in the places where the important decisions are made." 3 - The power is in our hands While it is easy to think that scientific reports on climate change are all about governments and energy policy, the IPCC has been moving to highlight the fact that the actions that people can take make by themselves make massive difference to the overall picture. "We could cut 40 to 70% of projected 2050 emissions with end-use measures," said Kaisa Kosonen from Greenpeace, who was an observer at the IPCC approval session. This includes shifting to plant-based diets, avoiding flights, building more walkable and bikeable cities," she told BBC News. The report nudges governments towards reforming their transport, industry and energy systems so that making these low carbon choices becomes much easier and cheaper for individuals. 4 - Our actions now will resonate for thousands of years It's amazing to think that the decisions we make around the world over the next seven years will echo down the centuries. The report warns that with sustained warming of between 2 and 3C, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets will be lost "almost completely and irreversibly" over multiple millenia. Many other thresholds will be crossed at low levels of heating, impacting things like the world's glaciers. To stop this runaway train of warming, governments need to up their commitments before 2030, to reach net zero by 2050, in order to keep warming in or around 1.5C by 2100. "I think our climate system, but also our social systems and our ecosystems, all show us that it's bloody urgent, so that we can still change the world to make it a better place for all of us," said Dr Otto. 5 - It's now about the politics not just the science The real strength of the IPCC is that their reports are agreed with governments - and as such the reports are approved by their representatives in the presence of the scientists who research and write them. But the future of fossil fuels is becoming more and more a political question. Last November in Sharm el-Sheikh, a number of countries tried but failed to get the UN to agree to phase out oil and gas as well as coal. This argument is not going away - with the EU now openly supporting such a move. This new IPCC report will be central to it when countries meet again at COP28 in Dubai later this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65013560
     
         
      A liveable future for all is possible, if we take urgent climate action: flagship UN report Mon, 20th Mar 2023 17:22:00
     
      A major UN “report of reports” from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), outlines the many options that can be taken now, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. The study, “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report”, released on Monday following a week-long IPCC session in Interlaken, brings into sharp focus the losses and damages experienced now, and expected to continue into the future, which are hitting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems especially hard. Temperatures have already risen to 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a consequence of more than a century of burning fossil fuels, as well as unequal and unsustainable energy and land use. This has resulted in more frequent and intense extreme weather events that have caused increasingly dangerous impacts on nature and people in every region of the world. Climate-driven food and water insecurity is expected to grow with increased warming: when the risks combine with other adverse events, such as pandemics or conflicts, they become even more difficult to manage. Time is short, but there is a clear path forward If temperatures are to be kept to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, deep, rapid, and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions will be needed in all sectors this decade, the reports states. Emissions need to go down now, and be cut by almost half by 2030, if this goal has any chance of being achieved. The solution proposed by the IPCC is “climate resilient development,” which involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits. Examples include access to clean energy, low-carbon electrification, the promotion of zero and low carbon transport, and improved air quality: the economic benefits for people’s health from air quality improvements alone would be roughly the same, or possibly even larger, than the costs of reducing or avoiding emissions “The greatest gains in wellbeing could come from prioritizing climate risk reduction for low-income and marginalized communities, including people living in informal settlements,” said Christopher Trisos, one of the report’s authors. “Accelerated climate action will only come about if there is a many-fold increase in finance. Insufficient and misaligned finance is holding back progress.” Governments are key The power of governments to reduce barriers to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, through public funding and clear signals to investors, and scaling up tried and tested policy measures, is emphasized in the report. Changes in the food sector, electricity, transport, industry, buildings, and land-use are highlighted as important ways to cut emissions, as well as moves to low-carbon lifestyles, which would improve health and wellbeing. “Transformational changes are more likely to succeed where there is trust, where everyone works together to prioritize risk reduction, and where benefits and burdens are shared equitably,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. “This Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of taking more ambitious action and shows that, if we act now, we can still secure a liveable sustainable future for all.” UN chief announces plan to speed up progress In a video message released on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the report as a “how-to guide to defuse the climate time-bomb.” Climate action is needed on all fronts: “everything, everywhere, all at once,” he declared, in a reference to this year’s Best Film Academy Award winner. The UN chief has proposed to the G20 group of highly developed economies a “Climate Solidarity Pact,” in which all big emitters would make extra efforts to cut emissions, and wealthier countries would mobilize financial and technical resources to support emerging economies in a common effort to ensure that global temperatures do not rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Mr. Guterres announced that he is presenting a plan to boost efforts to achieve the Pact through an Acceleration Agenda, which involves leaders of developed countries committing to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2040, and developing countries as close as possible to 2050. The Agenda calls for an end to coal, net-zero electricity generation by 2035 for all developed countries and 2040 for the rest of the world, and a stop to all licensing or funding of new oil and gas, and any expansion of existing oil and gas reserves. These measures, continued Mr. Guterres, must accompany safeguards for the most vulnerable communities, scaling up finance and capacities for adaptation and loss and damage, and promoting reforms to ensure Multilateral Development Banks provide more grants and loans, and fully mobilize private finance. Looking ahead to the upcoming UN climate conference, due to be held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, Mr. Guterres said that he expects all G20 leaders to have committed to ambitious new economy-wide nationally determined contributions encompassing all greenhouse gases, and indicating their absolute emissions cuts targets for 2035 and 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134777
     
         
      UN ramps up aid as millions affected in cyclone Freddy’s wake Mon, 20th Mar 2023 10:20:00
     
      UN agencies on Monday were scrambling to reach millions affected by the deadly tropical cyclone Freddy, which has worsened cholera outbreaks in Malawi and Mozambique as communities recover from devastating damages caused by storms, massive flooding, and mudslides. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said millions of children are at risk amid cholera outbreaks in Malawi and Mozambique. Both countries face flooding and damage caused by the cyclone, leading to death, displacement, and the devastation of infrastructure and social services. The after-effects have crippled access to health and other basic services. Risks are rising One week after cyclone Freddy made landfall for a second time in Mozambique, risks are rising. “We are now facing a very real risk of a rapidly accelerating cholera outbreak in Mozambique, a disease which is particularly dangerous for young children, especially those who are malnourished,” said Maria Luisa Fornara, UNICEF Representative to the country. “UNICEF is working closely with the Government to urgently restore access to health, water, hygiene, and sanitation interventions to areas hit by the cyclone, and to prevent and treat cholera, but additional support is needed to meet the rapidly growing needs of children and families.” Cholera cases quadruple Thanks to preparation efforts by the Government of Mozambique, the number of deaths and people displaced by the cyclone appears to have been lower than for past cyclones of similar magnitude, UNICEF said. Still, reported cholera cases have almost quadrupled – to almost 10,700 – since early February and more than 2,300 cases have been reported in Mozambique in the past week alone, the agency said. Even prior to the cyclone, Malawi and Mozambique were among the countries most seriously affected by the cholera outbreak that has, in 2023 alone, resulted in more than 68,000 cases across 11 countries in the eastern and southern Africa region, the agency reported. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has also issued an emergency appeal. Malawi: growing death toll UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths released $5.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to assist cyclone-affected people in Malawi, as the devastating toll of floods and mudslides in the country’s southern region continues to rise. UNICEF estimated that 4.8 million children are in humanitarian need. Visiting flood-ravaged communities on 16 March, UN Resident Coordinator for Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh pledged UN support. “The destruction and suffering that I witnessed in southern Malawi is the human face of the global climate crisis,” she said. “The people I met with—many of whom have lost their homes and loved ones—have done nothing to cause this crisis. We, as the United Nations, stand in full solidarity with the people of Malawi at this tragic time and we call on the international community to do the same.” Broad ongoing efforts Ongoing efforts funded by the CERF grant are addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene needs, shelter, vital non-food items, food, healthcare and the prevention of gender-based violence and child protection risks, she said. “People are traumatized, and many have lost their homes, their belongings and their livelihoods,” Ms. Adda-Dontoh said. “In support of the Government-led response, through this CERF grant, we will aim to assist those who have been hardest-hit with life-saving and life-sustaining assistance.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134802
     
         
      Immediate action is needed to ensure ‘a livable future for all,’ UN report says Mon, 20th Mar 2023 10:13:00
     
      Current and future risks from climate change are far worse than previously estimated, but urgent action is still possible to “secure a liveable future for all.” That’s the message the world’s foremost authority on climate change delivered on Monday as it published the final part of its latest major assessment, a “synthesis” outlining the peril humanity faces from greenhouse gas emissions — and what we can do to avoid it. The release is from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, a United Nations body of leading climate experts from around the world. Every few years since its founding in 1988, the group has published a major assessment on the latest climate science — including how climate change is impacting people and nature and what the world can do to mitigate it. The newest publication is an attempt to distill everything the panel has said since August 2021, when it began releasing its sixth assessment of global warming. There’s no new research in this latest report, but it injects new urgency into scientists’ and activists’ calls for rapid, systemic action from global decision-makers. It comes ahead of the annual U.N. climate conference in November, where global leaders will complete a two-year evaluation of their climate commitments and determine what more is needed to keep global warming in check. “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years,” the report says. Drawing on the IPCC’s previous publications, the report says global temperatures have risen 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times, and that this warming has “unequivocally” been caused by human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels. Melting ice caps and ocean expansion have contributed to sea-level rise of nearly eight inches, heat waves and flooding have become more prevalent, and damage to the natural world is worse and more widespread than ever before. Meanwhile, world leaders have lost precious time to keep things from getting worse. Without “rapid and deep” reductions in global emissions, the IPCC authors warn that the world will be unable to keep global warming below international temperature targets. Shortfalls in nature protections, infrastructure upgrades, and climate finance to the developing world mean disasters like wildfires and hurricanes will intensify across virtually every region of the world, outrunning nature and humanity’s capacity to adapt to them. These impacts will escalate with every fraction of a degree of warming, as will the likelihood of breaching so-called “tipping points” — thresholds beyond which lie irreversible changes to the planet, like the collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets or the the abrupt halt of climate-regulating ocean currents. The report holds out hope, however, reiterating previous messaging about a “rapidly closing window of opportunity to enable climate resilient development.” There is already enough global capital to foot the bill for necessary climate mitigation and adaptation, and the plummeting cost of renewables like solar and wind has made it easier than ever to pay for a transition away from fossil fuels. The IPCC authors say it’s still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) — the target enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement and a touchstone for climate action around the world — even as some scientists say it is no longer attainable. Achieving 1.5 degrees C would require cutting global emissions 43 percent below 2019 levels by 2030; currently, they’re at record highs, and the world remains deeply dependent on fossil fuels. A U.N. report from October found that countries’ climate policies and planned fossil fuel projects would cause nearly 3 degrees C (5.4 degrees F) of warming by mid-century. Piers Foster, a professor of climate physics at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and an IPCC author, told journalists last week that even the most “optimistic” pathways for climate action will likely cause global temperatures to hit 1.5 degrees C. “If we don’t radically change,” he said, “we will go past 1.5 degrees in the early 2030s, and we’ll also potentially go past 2 degrees.” Some of the IPCC’s temperature projections involve temporarily “overshooting” these temperature targets; although it’s possible temperatures could restabilize, the consequences of such an overshoot are poorly understood and extremely risky. The synthesis report is expected to inform negotiations at this year’s U.N. climate conference, COP28, to be held in Dubai this fall. At the conference, world leaders will conclude the first “global stocktake,” a two-year process in which they evaluate and report their progress toward the goals of the Paris Agreement. These stocktakes are set to take place every five years, and this first one is supposed to help countries identify ways to up their climate commitments for 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/science/immediate-action-is-needed-to-ensure-a-livable-future-for-all-un-climate-panel-says/
     
         
      Menindee: Australia begins mass fish death clean-up Mon, 20th Mar 2023 6:04:00
     
      A major clean-up effort is under way in Australia after millions of fish died in a river in western New South Wales (NSW). Fish will be cleared from "high density areas", but it will not be possible to remove all the carcasses, police say. Police reassured local residents that the water supply remained "high quality". The deaths are thought to have been caused by low oxygen levels in the river after a recent heatwave. An emergency hub has been set up in the town of Menindee in western NSW to co-ordinate the response and monitor water quality. Describing the operation as "very challenging and significant", NSW Police Commander Brett Greentree said the event was "unprecedented in terms of the millions of fish which have died." "The water supply via the treatment plant works Menindee is monitored 24/7… I'm comfortable we're in a good spot regards to water quality at the moment," he told reporters. Commander Greentree said contractors with specialised skills would use "a netting procedure" to remove the fish. "But I need to be very upfront with the community and say 'will every fish be removed?' I don't think so, from the information I've had," he added. Posting a Facebook video showing rotting fish lining the riverbank, local resident Graeme McCrabb wrote "the worst is still coming". Temperatures in the area reached 40C (104F) at the weekend. Meanwhile, volunteers from conservation charity OzFish have begun a search and rescue operation to retrieve as many surviving native fish from the river as possible. Describing the smell as "putrid", Braeden Lampard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation his team were transferring rescued fish to a holding tank. He estimated 85% of the dead fish were native species such as Bony Bream and Golden Perch, with the rest consisting of non-native types such as carp. Cassie Price, OzFish's director of programs, said most of the floating remains would sink to the river bed within 48 hours. "It would be pretty unlikely to get most of [fish] biomass out of the river. It will sink down, which will cause a bit of a nutrient spike, which is not good for the water quality either," she told the BBC. "It's likely to cause algal blooms, which will cause more issues for a while," she added. The deaths were caused by hypoxic blackwater, a naturally occurring phenomenon which causes extremely low oxygen levels, police said. State government agencies said they were releasing higher quality water to boost dissolved oxygen levels, and would work with federal agencies to find the underlying cause. The latest event follows another mass fish die-off in the same area that occurred in similar conditions in 2018. The Darling-Baaka River forms part of the Murray-Darling Basin, which is Australia's largest river system. Its ecosystem has faced pressure from drought and increased human use in recent years, while last year brought severe flooding after intense rainfall and storms. Authorities said the latest die-off had been exacerbated by "significantly increased numbers of fish in the system" as floodwaters receded.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-65010344
     
         
      UN climate report: Scientists release 'survival guide' to avert climate disaster Mon, 20th Mar 2023 5:07:00
     
      UN chief Antonio Guterres says a major new report on climate change is a "survival guide for humanity". Clean energy and technology can be exploited to avoid the growing climate disaster, the report says. But at a meeting in Switzerland to agree their findings, climate scientists warned a key global temperature goal will likely be missed. Their report lays out how rapid cuts to fossil fuels can avert the worst effects of climate change. Five things we've learned from new UN climate report In response to the findings, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says that all countries should bring forward their net zero plans by a decade. These targets are supposed to rapidly cut the greenhouse gas emissions that warm our planet's atmosphere. "There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all," the report states. Governments had previously agreed to act to avoid global temperature rise going above 1.5C. But the world has already warmed by 1.1C and now experts say that it is likely to breach 1.5C in the 2030s. The UK government responded that the report makes it clear that countries must "work towards far more ambitious climate commitments" ahead of the UN climate summit COP28 in November. "The UK is a world leader in working towards net zero, but we need to go further and faster," a spokesperson said. Small islands in the Pacific are some of the countries expected to be worst hit by climate change. Responding to the report, the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr. Pa'olelei Luteru said: "While our people are being displaced from their homes and climate commitments go unmet, the fossil fuel industry is enjoying billions in profits. There can be no excuses for this continued lack of action." A really simple guide to climate change Four ways climate change is affecting weather US government approves Alaska Willow oil project Drought risk to England regions after dry February The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the scientific body that advises the UN on rising temperatures - is agreed on by all governments involved. Their new study aims to boil down to one slim volume several landmark findings on the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change that have been released since 2018. It outlines the significant impacts that climate change is having on the world already, and explains that these will get much worse. By 2100 extreme coastal flooding that used to happen once-a-century is expected to occur at least annually in half of the world's tidal gauge locations - places where sea level recordings are made. Concentrations of the warming gas CO2 in the atmosphere are at their highest in 2 million years. The world is now warmer than at any time in the past 125,000 years - and will likely get warmer still over the next decade. "Even in the near term, global warming is more likely than not to reach 1.5C even under the very low greenhouse gas scenario," the report states. "If we aim for 1.5C and achieve 1.6C, that is still much much better than saying, it's too late, and we are doomed and I'm not even trying," Dr Friederike Otto, from Imperial College, a member of the core writing team for this report, told BBC News. "And I think what this report shows very, very clearly is there is so much to win by trying." The synthesis shows that projected emissions of CO2 from existing fossil fuel infrastructure, such as oil wells and gas pipelines, would bust the remaining carbon budget - the amount of CO2 that can still be emitted - for staying under this key temperature threshold. What you can do to reduce carbon emissions The state of the climate in 2023 What is carbon capture - and how can it fight climate change? And while not explicitly mentioning new projects like Willow oil in the US or the Cumbria coal mine in the UK, the scientists involved have few doubts about their impact. "There's not a cut-off day (for fossil fuels), but it's clear that the fossil fuel infrastructure we already have will blow through that carbon budget," Dr Oliver Geden, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and a member of the report's core writing team, told BBC News. "The remaining carbon budget in opening new fossil fuel infrastructure is certainly not compatible with the 1.5C target." The document argues strongly that going past 1.5C will not be the end of the world as this may only be a "temporary overshoot". The authors say that they are optimistic that dramatic changes can be achieved rapidly, pointing to the massive falls in the price of energy made from solar and wind. They also argue that changes driven by consumers in terms of diet, food waste and switching to low carbon transport can achieve significant cuts in emissions from many sectors. But the report also acknowledges that in addition to getting to net zero emissions as soon as possible, large scale use of carbon dioxide removal technology will be needed. Some observers have their doubts. "We know what needs to happen, but the carbon removal part and carbon capture and storage ideas are a massive distraction," said Lili Fuhr, from the Centre for International Environmental Law, who attended the approval session. Responding to the report's call for more urgent action, the UN secretary general is calling for countries to bring forward their plans for net zero by a decade. "Leaders of developed countries must commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2040, the limit they should all aim to respect," he said in a statement. He also calls on the likes of India and China who have announced net zero plans for beyond 2050 to try and bring them forward by a decade as well.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65000182
     
         
      Cyclone Gabrielle: The New Zealand flood victims too scared to go home Sun, 19th Mar 2023 9:56:00
     
      Last month, Cyclone Gabrielle smashed into New Zealand's North Island - killing 11 people and displacing at least 10,000 more. It's triggered a national debate about climate change and whether vulnerable homes should be rebuilt or written off. "I don't want to go back there," said Amy Bowkett. The mother of two lived in the Hawkes Bay area, one of the regions worst hit by Cyclone Gabrielle. When the Category 3 storm hit with wind speeds of up to 159km/h (99mph), her home was completely destroyed. Along with 50 of her neighbours she spent a terrifying 48 hours trapped without power, water?or phone signal.?? Eventually she was able to make a call and a friend?organised a helicopter rescue from a neighbour's?backyard.?? ? "I feel like if we get flooded a third time, it would be our fault," she told the BBC from her mother's home in the nearby city of Napier. "Unless we put our house on stilts, I'd be terrified every time it rained." She's not alone in fearing to return. Many of the victims of New Zealand's recent floods lost all of their possessions in the disaster and believe the area their homes are built?on has become too dangerous for them to go back.?? The damage caused by the cyclone is forecast to cost NZD$13.5bn ($8.4bn; £6.9bn), similar to the financial impact of the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 - the costliest natural disaster in New Zealand's?history.??Last month's event prompted a nationwide state of emergency that only ended on Tuesday. Cyclone Gabrielle also struck within weeks of unprecedented flooding in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, when an entire summer's worth of rain fell in a single day. New Zealand's climate change minister, James Shaw, attributed the scale of the disaster to climate change, exacerbated by global temperature increases. "There will be people who say it's too soon to talk about these things… but we are standing in it right now. This is a climate change-related event," he said in a speech to parliament last month. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Shaw said that while many homeowners have taken out a "total replacement" insurance policy, which compensates them if their house is destroyed or made uninhabitable, it only covers the cost of the property - not the value of the land it's built on. This means people feel "they have to rebuild on the current land and of course, they're really frightened", he added. The country is likely to experience more extreme rainfall events and regional cyclones are likely to become more frequent by 2100, according to New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. During warm months days are already hotter, drier and windier, increasing the risk of bushfires. Some 55,000 homes in Auckland are prone to flooding, according to government data. Another 76,000 homes across the country are in coastal areas, vulnerable to erosion and sea level rise. "[When] people are sleeping with lifejackets by the door, you know it's bad," said displaced West Auckland resident Morgan Allen. "The anxiety has reached peak levels."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64940342
     
         
      Somalia drought may have killed 43,000 last year - UN Sun, 19th Mar 2023 9:53:00
     
      Around 43,000 people may have died in Somalia last year after several failed rainy seasons, a new report from the Somali government and UN suggests. It is the first official death toll from the drought in the Horn of Africa. Half of the fatalities are thought to be in children under five. The crisis is "far from over", with 18,000-34,000 more deaths expected in the first six months of this year. In 2011, a famine in Somalia killed over a quarter of a million people. "We are racing against time to prevent deaths and save lives that are avoidable," said World Health Organisation (WHO) representative Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik. He added that the "cost of our inaction" would mean children, women and vulnerable people would die as "we hopelessly, helplessly witness the tragedy unfold". The UN says it needs $2.6bn (£2.1bn) for its Somalia drought response plan this year. So far, under 15% of that has been funded. Millions of farm animals have died in the crisis, which has been worsened by climate change, political instability and the global rise in food prices. One problem has been getting aid into territory controlled by al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda and considered a terrorist group by both the US and UK. Al-Shabab regularly launches brutal attacks in Somalia and poses a massive obstacle to humanitarian activity. But strict US government rules blocking any assistance from benefitting designated terrorist groups have also complicated efforts to reach many desperate communities. Some humanitarian officials believe the international community has sidelined the crisis due to the war in Ukraine. In January, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, said traditional donors had "washed their hands and focused on Ukraine", according to the Associated Press news agency. The report released on Monday was commissioned by Unicef and the WHO and carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65015084
     
         
      US utility firms spent big preparing power grid for storms – and still failed Sun, 19th Mar 2023 9:15:00
     
      The warnings to residents in the south-east US came right before Christmas: delay washing clothes or running the dishwasher, and curb hot water use until the bitterly cold temperatures eased up. It still wasn’t enough for two of the nation’s largest electric utilities. As temperatures plummeted to 40F (4.4C) in a few hours and gale force winds swept across the region between 23 and 24 December, the pre-holiday preparations were put on pause as Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Duke Energy implemented historic rolling blackouts lasting about 30 minutes to an hour. By some accounts the utilities’ inability to supply power during the extreme weather almost plunged the entire eastern US into darkness. And in some parts of the country, as much as 63% of the outages came from natural gas plants, according to the PJM Interconnection, an organization that operates the largest regional power grid in the US. The near miss came after those two utilities, among others, spent billions preparing the grid for such a storm after the 2014 polar vortex, when record cold weather exposed vulnerabilities in the power grid. Yet, despite those investments, when the cold hit again last year, equipment at natural gas and coal-powered plants throughout the south-east still froze. Clean energy advocates and grid experts argue the December weather proved the growing number of natural gas plants, which now supply more than one-third of the nation’s electricity, are not the right choice to deal with extreme weather and are delaying a move to less climate-polluting alternatives. Despite that, Duke, Southern Company, TVA and others are looking past that argument and building more gas plants anyway. “They don’t seem to see the writing on the wall that gas is not this [dependable], reliable resource,” said Maggie Shober, research director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. Yet, some say natural gas is the best option for right now, as utilities close older power plants and add more renewables, steps that upend the traditional power grid. “Gas, nuclear, coal are sometimes less reliable, but they are more reliable than renewables,” said Paul Patterson, a financial analyst with Glenrock Associates LLC who follows utilities. Elected officials and industry experts have formed a blue-ribbon panel to study what went wrong across TVA’s seven-state territory during the storm, and Duke officials told its state regulators in January it has started an internal review. What happened? Because the demand for electricity was so high compared to the supply of electricity, a wide swath of the nation’s power grid was at risk for extensive blackouts that could have been as severe as the north-east blackout in August 2003, one Duke Energy executive told a hearing. Had Duke not purposely reduced the amount of energy demand pulling on its grid, the stability of the Eastern Interconnection – the bulk electric system that stretches from central Canada to Florida and west towards the Rockies – was at risk, said Sam Holman, Duke’s vice-president of transmission and system operations at a January hearing of North Carolina’s utility regulator. He compared the possible outcome to what did happen during the north-east blackout in August 2003. “Allowing the physics to solve the problem was what we were defending against in [Duke’s territories] when we made the decision to shed load,” he said. If Duke and others had not done rolling blackouts, they put the grid at risk, “and that risk comes in the form of an uncontrolled loss of the system,” Holman said. “We weren’t the only ones, there were others that were struggling during this same period of time,” said Holman, “Everybody was tight [on electricity supplies]. There were just no purchases to make.” Like Duke, TVA said it proactively implemented a multi-step plan to ensure grid stability that included asking customers to conserve electricity and cut power to large industrial companies before turning to rolling blackouts, a spokesperson said. “TVA and the local power companies were extremely successful in implementing the plan to safeguard the bulk electric grid,” TVA spokesperson Scott Fiedler said. Southern did not comment on whether the severity of the challenges to the power grid threatened the Eastern grid as a whole. The plants that were running used so much natural gas that pressure declined in the pipelines, causing problems for other utilities that needed gas. “I don’t think (the electric companies) have really taken into consideration how extreme cold and extreme heat is going to put a stress on their gas plants or the coal fleet,” said David Neal, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. As plants began to fail, south-east utilities looked to purchase additional power from the north-east and Midwest. But that demand exceeded the supply as Christmas neared and temperatures dropped. The problems were on top of a hi-tech software failure that miscalculated how much electricity would be needed. The software’s computer models told utilities they had plenty of power for the storm. But utilities now say the software’s predictions were off by as much as 10%, leaving them with a demand they were unaware of and unable to fill. “It was a mess,” said Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association (SREA), who closely followed the storm’s effect on the power grid and collected data from government and other sources to show its impact. With electricity demand higher than expected and power plants not working, utilities had limited – and few cheap – options. So, some utilities started running their power plants on another type of fossil fuel: oil. “They end up running even more polluting fuel to try to mitigate those price spikes,” said Neal, of the Southern Environmental Law Center. Polar vortex lessons This wasn’t the first time such a systemic failure occurred because of extreme weather. The 2014 polar vortex similarly caused the system to freeze and knocked dozens of plants offline. After that, utilities said they needed two things to prevent a repeat: a more resilient power grid and more power plants. With the blessing of state regulators, the companies spent or are spending billions on the electric system to improve it: $75bn for Duke Energy to create a stronger grid, $17bn for Southern Company to improve older power lines and $18bn for TVA to upgrade its power plants and fix older power lines. “Our commissions expect us to plan to these extremes,” said Stan Connally Jr, chief executive of Southern Company Services, a unit of Southern Company that, among other things, oversees the utility’s entire power grid. After utilities build new plants, they keep some older plants, including older coal or oil plants, to operate when demand is highest. After the polar vortex, the industry said they needed more “just in case” plants, with some electric companies in the south-east asking to have at least one-quarter of their power plants on backup. Following the storm, Alabama Power, owned by Southern Company, decided to build one huge power plant, buy two others and purchase electricity from a third to increase the amount of “just in case” power. All of the plants are powered by natural gas. Leaning on gas While advocates argue over-reliance on gas is a big problem with the grid, utilities and regulators say gas plants have fewer emissions than coal plants, cost billions less to build than nuclear, and can run more often than renewable energy. Over the last seven years, gas has replaced coal as the dominant source of power across the nation, and utilities are adamant it must remain a significant fuel source for the power grid for decades to come. “Natural gas has to have a place in this conversation,” Connally said. Indeed, people are talking about natural gas after the December freeze – but not in the way the utility industry would like. More than two dozen gas plants didn’t work as expected across the eastern half of the US, which contributed to the rolling blackouts. Utilities like TVA are staying the course. TVA has plans for a large natural gas plant to replace an old coal plant, a proposal the Environmental Protection Agency argues is in opposition to Joe Biden’s climate goals. “It’s the best overall solution,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA’s CEO.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/19/us-gas-plants-power-grid-failures-polar-vortex
     
         
      Clean-up of radioactive water leak ongoing at Minnesota nuclear plant Fri, 17th Mar 2023 17:21:00
     
      Officials are monitoring the clean-up of a leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5m litres) of radioactive water from a local nuclear power plant in Minnesota. Xcel Energy, the utility company that runs the plant, said the spillage was "fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility". State officials said there was no immediate public health risk. The leak was first discovered in late November, but state officials did not notify the public until Thursday. The water contains tritium, a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen, tritium emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel very far in air and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Tritium spills occur at nuclear plants on occasion, but are typically contained on-site and rarely affect public health or safety, the NRC says. Xcel first discovered the leak on 21 November, from a pipe between two buildings at its Monticello plant. The plant is about 35 miles (56km) from the state's most populous city, Minneapolis, upstream along the Mississippi River. The company said it had notified the state and the NRC the next day. "If at any point there had been concern for the public safety, we would of course, immediately have provided more information. But we also wanted to make sure we fully understood what was going on before we started raising any concerns with the public around us," Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy-Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. "Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment," the Minnesota-based utility said in a statement on Thursday. State officials said they had waited to get more information before going public with the leak, but confirmed that the water remains contained on Xcel's property and poses no immediate public health risk. Xcel Energy said crews inspected the plant at all points where leaks could occur and will be examining the leaked pipe in a lab. The Minnesota Department of Health has said the leak did not reach the Mississippi River. Roughly one-quarter of the spilled tritium has been recovered so far, and Xcel has said it may build above-ground storage tanks to store the contaminated water. It is also weighing how to treat, re-use or dispose of the collected tritium and water. The company previously had a small leak at its Monticello plant in 2009.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64989112
     
         
      What lies behind a string of US airline near-misses? Fri, 17th Mar 2023 15:05:00
     
      Surging demand for air travel and pandemic-fuelled workforce disruptions are likely to blame for a string of close calls on US airport runways. That's according to leaders in the aviation industry, who met on Wednesday at an impromptu safety summit to address the spate of recent incidents. The gathering took place a day after the launch of yet another federal probe into a near-collision between planes. It is the seventh aviation incident to be investigated this year alone. Federal officials are currently reviewing six "runway incursions" - as well as one plane's terrifying nosedive and near-plunge into the Pacific Ocean - for root causes and commonalities. The latest near-miss occurred on 7 March at Washington DC's Reagan National Airport, when a Republic Airways flight crossed a runway without clearance and forced a United Airlines flight that had already been cleared for departure to abort its take-off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investigating the incident, said an air traffic controller had intervened to safely re-route the United pilot. Officials investigate latest close call at US airport US to investigate Boeing 777's mysterious nosedive Officials at Wednesday's FAA-hosted safety summit in the Washington area agreed there had been an "uptick" in incidents, with several calling for the near-misses to be treated like real accidents. "The absence of a fatality or an accident doesn't mean the presence of safety," said Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "There's always more we can do to improve safety." The emergency summit - the first of its kind in 14 years, according to CBS News - is seen as a "call to action" for the industry and an opportunity to assess whether regulatory change is needed. "In light of these recent close calls and the attention being focused on even the most routine of go-arounds, are we emphasising efficiency over safety?" acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen asked those attending. "America's aviation safety net is strong... our obligation is to sew those threads even tighter," he said. But the problem, experts say, is that airlines are still recovering from the tumult of the past three years. Not only did the pandemic fuel early retirements, mass layoffs and financial distress across the industry, but airlines went from haemorrhaging money at the start of the outbreak to being awash with customers desperate to make up for lost travel time. According to Laura Einsetler, a commercial airline pilot with over 30 years of flying experience, the last time the industry suffered such a serious jolt was the 9/11 terror attacks, an event she argues took the sector more than a decade to recover from. "What we're seeing now, over the past year, is this really fast ramp-up of air travel and we're trying to quickly replace that loss of 20-25% of our workers [during the pandemic] by hiring people and trying to get them up to speed right now," she told the BBC. It all amounts to a strained aviation sector, she said, because elevated demand for air travel is probably coinciding with an overworked and under-experienced workforce. Panellists at Wednesday's summit noted, for example, that there are 1,200 fewer air traffic controllers across the US now than there were a decade ago. "The pressure is always there to get as many of us in and out of the airports as possible," Mrs Einsetler added. "We need to slow down and be situationally aware." Data from the FAA shows that, while the most serious airline close calls have declined over the past two decades and there have been no fatal commercial flight accidents since 2009, the total number of incidents has grown. Nevertheless safety experts insist it remains safe to fly in the US, arguing that widely reported recent near-misses only account for a fraction of the 45,000 flights that take place every day. "We in the US have a very safe air transportation system," said Dr Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the independent Flight Safety Foundation non-profit. "What we need to do is to make sure that we understand the root causes of these incidents and that the industry is coming together to address them in the near-term."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64967308
     
         
      Levels of carcinogenic chemical near Ohio derailment site far above safe limit Fri, 17th Mar 2023 14:29:00
     
      EPA scientists assessed a dioxin cancer risks threshold in 2010, but a federal cleanup is only triggered at far higher levels Newly released data shows soil in the Ohio town of East Palestine – scene of a recent catastrophic train crash and chemical spill – contains dioxin levels hundreds of times greater than the exposure threshold above which Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists in 2010 found poses cancer risks. The EPA at the time proposed lowering the cleanup threshold to reflect the science around the highly toxic chemical, but the Obama administration killed the rules, and the higher federal action threshold remains in place. Though the dioxin levels in East Palestine are below the federal action threshold and an EPA administrator last week told Congress the levels were “very low”, chemical experts, including former EPA officials, who reviewed the data for the Guardian called them “concerning”. The levels found in two soil samples are also up to 14 times higher than dioxin soil limits in some states, and the numbers point to wider contamination, said Linda Birnbaum, a former head of the US National Toxicology Program and EPA scientist. “The levels are not screaming high, but we have confirmed that dioxins are in East Palestine’s soil,” she said. “The EPA must test the soil in the area more broadly.” The data probably confirms fears that the controlled burn of vinyl chloride in the days after the train wreck in the town created dioxin and dispersed it throughout the area, experts say, though they stressed the new data is of limited value because only two soil samples were checked. The train crash in East Palestine and its toxic aftermath has become a major issue in the US with locals and activists decrying a lack of action by both the government and the train operator, Norfolk Southern. The state of Ohio has now sued the rail giant over the derailment, calling it one of a “long string” of incidents involving the company. Dioxins are a class of chemicals that are a byproduct produced when chlorine is burned, which is a common industrial process in making products like PVC. The chemicals are highly persistent and can accumulate and stay for years in the environment or human bodies. Among other health issues, the compounds are linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, nervous system disorders and other serious health problems. Soil and food contamination are considered to be among the most common exposure routes. After resisting calls for weeks to test for dioxins, the EPA on 3 March announced it would order Norfolk Southern to do so. Separately, Indiana last week commissioned testing of East Palestine soil because one of the state’s landfills is storing it. The testing was conducted by what Birnbaum characterized as a reputable laboratory. The Indiana governor, Eric Holcomb, said the levels found in the soil “were not harmful”. Meanwhile, an EPA regional administrator, Debra Shore, during congressional testimony on 9 March characterized the dioxin levels found in Indiana as “very low” and “good news”. But while the EPA can claim that the levels are “low” from a legal standpoint, the agency’s own science suggests they are not safe, and dioxin experts who spoke with the Guardian cast doubt on Shore’s and Holcomb’s assessments. Regulators establish the toxicity of dioxins in a soil sample by calculating the “toxicity equivalence” of all dioxins in the soil compared with the most toxic dioxin compound, called 2,3,7,8 TCDD. East Palestine soil showed levels of “2,3,7,8 TCDD toxicity equivalence” of 700 parts per trillion (ppt). The level at which the EPA will initiate cleanup action in residential areas is 1,000 ppt. However, the cleanup triggers are much lower in many states – 90 ppt in Michigan, and 50 ppt in California. “So based on this, the concentrations are actually concerning,” said Carsten Prasse, an organic chemist at Johns Hopkins University and scientific adviser for SimpleLab. Federal cleanup standards of 1,000 ppt apply in Ohio. Moreover, EPA scientists in 2010 put the cancer risk threshold for dioxins in residential soil at 3.7 ppt, and the agency recommended lowering the cleanup trigger to 72 ppt. “When you run the numbers and do your best state-of-the-art risk calculations, that’s the number you get for the cancer risk,” said Stephen Lester, a toxicologist who has researched dioxins for 40 years and is science director for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. “That’s why dioxins are described as one of the most toxic chemicals ever created.” The rules were ultimately killed ”for political reasons”, Lester said. Exposure to that level of dioxin is probably widespread, and making the change would create fallout that would be extremely difficult for the government to manage, he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/17/norfolk-southern-derailment-east-palestine-ohio-carcinogenic-chemical-levels
     
         
      Nature in danger as mountain forest loss quickens Fri, 17th Mar 2023 10:58:00
     
      Mountain forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, threatening nature in some of the planet's most biologically rich areas, warn scientists. More than 7% of mountain forests have vanished since 2000, an area larger than Texas, researchers have discovered from studying satellite data. Much of that loss was in tropical areas that are key nature habitats, putting threatened species in greater danger. Logging and wildfires caused most of the loss, followed by agriculture. The study led by Leeds University and the Southern University of Science and Technology in China is published in the journal One Earth. Mountains areas are home to more than 85% of the world's birds, mammals, and amphibians, with forested mountain areas being particularly important habitats for nature and wildlife, say the researchers. Their relative inaccessibility once protected them but they have been increasingly deforested this century as lower-lying areas have become depleted or gained protection. The researchers tracked changes in mountain tree cover across the world between 2001 and 2018, comparing different types of forests at different altitudes, in order to study how the losses affected nature. We are losing mountain forests more quickly than before, they noted, with the speed of loss accelerating by 50% between 2010 and 2018 compared with the period between 2001 and 2009. The most significant losses were in Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, and Australia. The researchers singled out the expansion of farming into highland areas of Southeast Asia as a major cause of the acceleration. Which countries are still cutting down trees? What is biodiversity and how can we protect it? Amazon CO2 surge linked to weak law enforcement Protected forests fared better, but the researchers warned it was vital that tree cover was preserved over large enough areas to let species to roam naturally. They also stressed that it was important to take people living in mountain forest areas into account. Any new conservation measures "need to reconcile the need for enhanced forest protection with ensuring food production and human wellbeing," they said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64900743
     
         
      Announcing new youth advisers, Guterres praises their ‘unrelenting’ drive for climate justice Fri, 17th Mar 2023 9:18:00
     
      UN Secretary-General António Guterres this week announced the names of seven young climate leaders selected to serve on his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent. The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the first since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 by 193 countries. It’s expected to confirm that the world is not on track to mitigate climate change, but some of the findings show we can still keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if dramatic emissions cuts can be made across different sectors. “Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice. The unrelenting conviction of young people is central to keeping climate goals within reach, kicking the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, and delivering climate justice,” said the Secretary-General. Magnificent Seven: Who are the new advisers? Ayisha Siddiqa (United States) is a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender. She is the Co-founder of Polluters Out and Fossil Free University. Her work focuses on uplifting the rights of marginalized communities while holding polluting companies accountable at the international level. She is currently a research scholar at NYU School of Law. Ayisha was recently named a Time magazine Woman of the Year. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Beniamin Strzelecki (Poland) is a climate action and energy transition advocate. He coordinated a global network of youth-led energy organizations and worked with intergovernmental entities, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, Sustainable Energy for All, and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to create opportunities for young people in the energy transition field. He currently co-chairs the Student Energy Summit 2023 and is continuing his studies at New York University Abu Dhabi. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Fatou Jeng (The Gambia) is dedicated to grassroots, national, and international mobilization as a climate educator, frontline activist, and campaigner. Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia in 2017, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian young people to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change. Fatou holds a Masters’ degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex in the UK. She is also a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the UNFCCC and was recognized as a TOP 100 Young African Conservation Leader by the WWF, in 2022. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Jevanic Henry (Saint Lucia) is a climate and development professional and advocate. He previously served as Climate Change Special Envoy for the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, and was a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. Jevanic worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the Government of Saint Lucia, as well as with the climate change unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat and co-authored a practical guide on enhancing access to climate finance. He is currently an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow, assigned to the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Josefa Tauli (Philippines) is an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot indigenous youth activist. She is Policy Cocoordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves as the youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An advocate for meaningful youth participation, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge, she has coordinated the engagement of youth delegations to more than 10 rounds of CBD negotiations during the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Joice Mendez (Colombia/Paraguay) is a migrant, social entrepreneur, and climate advocate focused on the nexus of water, food and energy justice. Joice co-founded several local and regional youth organizations, including the Moema Viezzer Environmental Education Observatory, the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics of Energy, and the binational Youth Collective of the Parana Basin 3 from the Cultivating Good Water Initiative – a recipient of the UN-Water Best Practice Award in 2015. Joice has also supported Paraguay's National Conference of Youth since 2016 and the National Forum of Water and Youth, and continues to be active in YOUNGO, the Climate Reality Project América Latina. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Saoirse Exton (Ireland) is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future. As a proud Gaelic speaker from Ireland, Saoirse believes that the wealth of knowledge held in traditional languages and storytelling, can re-establish the vital concept of Earth as sacred within capitalism-imposed mindsets. Saoirse is a member of the C40 Cities Global Youth and Mayors’ Forum, a high schooler, and a strong advocate of degrowth. Youth and climate ambition “As an organizer and youth activist, I have been working towards pushing the intergovernmental space further on climate ambition. It is a great honor to continue doing this work as an advisor to the Secretary-General,” said Ayisha Siddiqa. Another key element for young people is that they are often part of local and regional conversations regarding climate change, but local issues can feel removed from conversations about global solutions. “Coming from a small island developing state, the climate crisis continues to be relentless in negatively impacting lives and livelihoods. Our survival is now dependent on a global community which is unified in urgently advancing the climate agenda, with the power of young people being a catalyst to drive this much needed accelerated action,” said Jevanic Henry. Members of the Youth Advisory Group will work widely in collaboration with other young leaders and consult with youth climate movements and leaders around the world, to incorporate different perspectives on climate solutions and report findings directly to the Secretary-General.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134742
     
         
      Announcing new youth advisers, Guterres praises their ‘unrelenting’ drive for climate justice Fri, 17th Mar 2023 9:18:00
     
      UN Secretary-General António Guterres this week announced the names of seven young climate leaders selected to serve on his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Their role is to act as climate justice advisers and push for the acceleration of bold climate goals based on their diverse expertise and grassroots work, across the different countries they represent. The announcement was made as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers in Switzerland to wrap up its crucial Synthesis Report, the first since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 by 193 countries. It’s expected to confirm that the world is not on track to mitigate climate change, but some of the findings show we can still keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, if dramatic emissions cuts can be made across different sectors. “Climate change is the fight of our lives – and young people have been on the frontlines leading the charge for climate justice. The unrelenting conviction of young people is central to keeping climate goals within reach, kicking the world’s addiction to fossil fuels, and delivering climate justice,” said the Secretary-General. Magnificent Seven: Who are the new advisers? Ayisha Siddiqa (United States) is a Pakistani-American human rights and tribal land defender. She is the Co-founder of Polluters Out and Fossil Free University. Her work focuses on uplifting the rights of marginalized communities while holding polluting companies accountable at the international level. She is currently a research scholar at NYU School of Law. Ayisha was recently named a Time magazine Woman of the Year. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Beniamin Strzelecki (Poland) is a climate action and energy transition advocate. He coordinated a global network of youth-led energy organizations and worked with intergovernmental entities, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, Sustainable Energy for All, and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to create opportunities for young people in the energy transition field. He currently co-chairs the Student Energy Summit 2023 and is continuing his studies at New York University Abu Dhabi. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Fatou Jeng (The Gambia) is dedicated to grassroots, national, and international mobilization as a climate educator, frontline activist, and campaigner. Fatou founded Clean Earth Gambia in 2017, a youth-led, local climate organization that has mobilized thousands of Gambian young people to help marginalized and vulnerable communities build resilience to climate change. Fatou holds a Masters’ degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex in the UK. She is also a gender climate negotiator for The Gambia to the UNFCCC and was recognized as a TOP 100 Young African Conservation Leader by the WWF, in 2022. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Jevanic Henry (Saint Lucia) is a climate and development professional and advocate. He previously served as Climate Change Special Envoy for the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, and was a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. Jevanic worked as a Foreign Service Officer with the Government of Saint Lucia, as well as with the climate change unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat and co-authored a practical guide on enhancing access to climate finance. He is currently an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Fellow, assigned to the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the United Nations in New York. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Josefa Tauli (Philippines) is an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot indigenous youth activist. She is Policy Cocoordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which serves as the youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). An advocate for meaningful youth participation, human rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge, she has coordinated the engagement of youth delegations to more than 10 rounds of CBD negotiations during the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Joice Mendez (Colombia/Paraguay) is a migrant, social entrepreneur, and climate advocate focused on the nexus of water, food and energy justice. Joice co-founded several local and regional youth organizations, including the Moema Viezzer Environmental Education Observatory, the Latin American Observatory of Geopolitics of Energy, and the binational Youth Collective of the Parana Basin 3 from the Cultivating Good Water Initiative – a recipient of the UN-Water Best Practice Award in 2015. Joice has also supported Paraguay's National Conference of Youth since 2016 and the National Forum of Water and Youth, and continues to be active in YOUNGO, the Climate Reality Project América Latina. The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change UN/Climate Action Saoirse Exton (Ireland) is a climate justice activist with Fridays for Future. As a proud Gaelic speaker from Ireland, Saoirse believes that the wealth of knowledge held in traditional languages and storytelling, can re-establish the vital concept of Earth as sacred within capitalism-imposed mindsets. Saoirse is a member of the C40 Cities Global Youth and Mayors’ Forum, a high schooler, and a strong advocate of degrowth. Youth and climate ambition “As an organizer and youth activist, I have been working towards pushing the intergovernmental space further on climate ambition. It is a great honor to continue doing this work as an advisor to the Secretary-General,” said Ayisha Siddiqa. Another key element for young people is that they are often part of local and regional conversations regarding climate change, but local issues can feel removed from conversations about global solutions. “Coming from a small island developing state, the climate crisis continues to be relentless in negatively impacting lives and livelihoods. Our survival is now dependent on a global community which is unified in urgently advancing the climate agenda, with the power of young people being a catalyst to drive this much needed accelerated action,” said Jevanic Henry. Members of the Youth Advisory Group will work widely in collaboration with other young leaders and consult with youth climate movements and leaders around the world, to incorporate different perspectives on climate solutions and report findings directly to the Secretary-General.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134742
     
         
      US weather: Storms cause power outages in California and north-east Thu, 16th Mar 2023 18:14:00
     
      Thousands were without power in the US on Wednesday as powerful storms brought rain, snow, flooding and high winds to both coasts of the US. California saw overflowing rivers and mudslides and is bracing for more, while New York and New England dig out from under up to three feet of snow. By Wednesday evening, power was restored to most of the north-east. But over over 100,000 remain without power in California, as officials warn of more foul weather in the forecast. The storm that swept along the north-east brought mounds of snow, downed power lines and toppled trees - one of which nearly flattened a parked car in the Bronx - and had winds recorded over 40mph (64km/h). Hundreds of schools and businesses in the region were closed. New York state and multiple counties in New Jersey issued states of emergency overnight that lasted into Wednesday morning. In Derry, New Hampshire, a child was struck and pinned down beneath a snow-covered tree knocked over by fierce winds, the Derry Fire Department said in a Facebook post. Through a mix of chainsaws and shovels, "16 firefighters and three police officers worked for 19 minutes to free the child from underneath the tree", the department said. The child was taken to hospital with minor injuries. On the west coast, where a series of storms have hit California since the start of the year, saturated soils have created hazardous conditions for residents. California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a state of emergency in 43 of California's 58 counties. A mudslide in Placer County caused severe damage to a home sunk nearly to its roof in mud, according to the local fire department. California is experiencing its eleventh atmospheric river since December. The weather phenomenon happens when water evaporates into the air and is carried along by the wind, forming long currents that flow in the sky like rivers flow on land, causing heavy downpours. What are the atmospheric rivers? Four people have died in the most-recent storm, Mr Newsom said while touring an area in the state's central coast was that was damaged by a burst levee. "It's been fire to ice and no warm bath in between," Mr Newsom, referring to the state wildfire season just a few months ago. On Tuesday evening rivers overflowed and some roads became impassable throughout the state. Workers laboured to repair a recently breached levee in Monterey County, where over 10,000 people are under evacuation orders. High winds also plagued the state. Nearly 15 million people were under a high-wind warning on Tuesday as hurricane-force winds in multiple counties exceeded 90mph (144kph), CNN reported. Californians on Wednesday night can expect a slight respite, but it will not last long, the National Weather Service warned. "After this latest high-impact atmospheric river sweeps through California by Wednesday, a few days of relief from any heavy precipitation is expected," the NWS Prediction Center tweeted. "However, the extended range outlook from the Climate Prediction Center forecasts another atmospheric river arriving next week."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64965273
     
         
      Biden administration sides with climate lawsuit against fossil fuel companies Thu, 16th Mar 2023 14:26:00
     
      DoJ brief argues Colorado case against energy giants ExxonMobil and Suncor should be heard in state court instead of federal The US Department of Justice filed a legal brief on Thursday in support of local governments in Colorado that are part of a growing wave of local and state governments pursuing climate litigation against fossil fuel companies. In the brief, the DoJ argued that the Colorado case against the Canadian energy giant Suncor should be heard in state court, which is considered more favourable than federal court for plaintiffs who are suing oil companies over climate change. ExxonMobile is also a defendant in the case. Experts say the DoJ brief is an action by the administration in support of climate litigation, fulfilling a campaign promise by President Joe Biden. “They’ve definitely come out on the side that the climate advocates wanted,” said Dan Farber, law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. State and local governments across the country have filed lawsuits in recent years alleging that energy giants, including Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP, failed to warn the public about the harms of fossil fuels and engaged in deception or misrepresentation about their products, resulting in devastating climate emergencies in those jurisdictions. In court filings, fossil fuel companies have argued that media coverage of climate change extends back to the 1950s but local governments continued to promote and encourage production and use of oil and gas. Supporters of the wave of climate lawsuits have compared them to cases against big tobacco in the 1990s that resulted in settlements of more than $200bn against cigarette companies. If the lawsuits are successful, they could change how firms do business, compel companies to pay for climate adaptation, and reinforce banking industry concerns that fossil fuels are a risky investment. Since the first lawsuits were filed in California in 2017, oil companies have removed them to federal court, which they see as friendlier to their arguments. But the plaintiffs have maintained that the cases belong in state court. In 2018, local governments in Colorado sued fossil fuel companies seeking damages for the companies’ role in causing climate change. The local governments said they incurred heavy costs from worsening heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods, and that ExxonMobil Corporation and Suncor Energy Inc. According to the US Energy Information Administration, Colorado has abundant fossil fuel reserves, and two operating petroleum refineries located in Denver – one of them operated by Suncor. The lawsuit claims the companies “knowingly and substantially contributed to the climate crisis by producing, promoting and selling a substantial portion of the fossil fuels that are causing and exacerbating climate change, while concealing and misrepresenting the dangers associated with their intended use.” The case made it up to the 10th circuit appeals court, which agreed with the plaintiffs that the case should be heard in state court. The supreme court, now dominated by conservative judges, will weigh in on that issue. To aid in that decision, the supreme court invited the solicitor general, Elizabeth Prelogar, to file a brief expressing the views of the United States government on whether the case belongs in federal court. Prelogar had the option to support the state court argument by the Colorado counties, which she did in a filing on Thursday. Asked whether a Colorado case should be removed to federal court, Prelogar argued that the petition should be denied. “Respondents brought this suit in state court, alleging only state-law claims,” she wrote. “Under the well-pleaded complaint rule, respondents’ claims do not present a federal question, and petitioners have identified no sound basis for recharacterizing those claims.” The attorney for Suncor Energy did not immediately respond to request for comment. Farber said the brief was “laser-focused” on the question of whether the cases should be in federal court, and does not make any broader arguments about the climate litigation. The supreme court now has two options – it can either decline to hear the case, or it can take up the case. If it declines to hear the case, then the lower court decision stands, and the lawsuit goes back to state court – a win for the plaintiffs that would have a ripple effect on other climate litigation, and all the cases would be heard in state court, Farber said. If the supreme court decides to hear the case, oral arguments could happen in the fall and the court could issue a decision in 2024. In that scenario, all the climate cases before the courts would be on pause until the decision comes down, he said. “There could be some complicated issues about how to handle some of the individual cases, but I think basically the result would be that things would more or less stand still until the court either decides to hear this case or decides not to hear it,” Farber said. Richard Wiles, president for the Center for Climate Integrity, was delighted by the federal government’s brief. “We’re obviously very pleased with this decision,” he said over the phone. “The DoJ came down on the side of every other federal judge that has looked at this.” He said there is consensus in the courts and the legal community is that the cases belong in state court. As for the Biden administration, he said, “You can definitely say they made good on their promise to strategically support these cases.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/16/biden-administration-brief-colorado-climate-lawsuit-fossil-fuel-companies
     
         
      Embrace green tech revolution or risk falling behind, new UN report warns Thu, 16th Mar 2023 10:16:00
     
      Many developing countries may miss out on the benefits of the “green tech” revolution unless governments and the international community take decisive action now, the head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday, releasing its latest report. “We are at the beginning of a technological revolution based on green technologies,” UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan said. “This new wave of technological change will have a formidable impact on the global economy.” The 17 frontier technologies covered in UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2023 have the potential to create market revenues of more than $9.5 trillion by 2030, about three times the size of India’s economy today. Coherent action Used to produce goods and services with smaller carbon footprints, the new wave of green technologies spans artificial intelligence to electric vehicles. The report calls for coherent policy action to enable developing countries to profit from green tech or risk facing growing economic inequalities, as developed countries reap most of the benefits. “Developing countries must capture more of the value being created in this technological revolution to grow their economies,” Ms. Grynspan said. “Missing this technological wave because of insufficient policy attention or lack of targeted investment in building capacities would have long-lasting negative implications.” Early adopters advance faster While green tech exports from developing nations rose to $75 billion from $57 billion between 2018 and 2021, their share of the global market fell to 33 per cent from 48 per cent. During the same period, green exports from developed countries jumped to $156 billion from $60 billion. UNCTAD’s analysis shows that developing countries must act quickly and move to a development trajectory leading to more diversified, productive, and competitive economies. Previous technological revolutions have shown that early adopters can move ahead quicker and create lasting advantages. Wanted: agency and urgency Proactive industrial, innovation, and energy policies targeting green technologies are needed in developing countries so they can benefit from the green tech revolution, said Shamika N. Sirimanne, director of UNCTAD's technology and logistics division. “Developing countries need agency and urgency in coming up with the right policy responses,” she said. “As developing countries respond to today’s urgent interconnected crises, they also need to take strategic, long-term action to build innovation and technological capacities to spur sustainable economic growth and increase their resilience to future crises.” UNCTAD calls on governments in developing countries to align environmental, science, technology, innovation, and industrial policies, and urges them to prioritize investment in greener and more complex sectors and provide incentives to shift consumer demand towards greener goods. The report also calls for an international programme to guarantee purchases of tradable green items, coordinated green technology research at the multinational level, increased support for regional centres of excellence for green technologies and innovation, and a multilateral fund to stimulate green innovations and enhance cooperation between countries. ‘Least ready’ countries The report’s “frontier technology readiness index” shows that very few developing countries have the capacities needed to profit from such green tech as blockchain, drones, gene editing, nanotechnology, and solar power. Ranking 166 countries based on ICT, skills, research and development, industrial capacity, and finance indicators, the index is dominated by such high-income economies as the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the United States. It also shows that countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa are the least ready to harness frontier technologies and are at risk of missing current technological opportunities.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134672
     
         
      Puerto Rico town celebrates ‘first-of-its-kind’ solar microgrid Thu, 16th Mar 2023 10:09:00
     
      Workers install the community-owned solar microgrid in Adjuntas. Image by Ricardo Arduengo 850 Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, is celebrating a milestone this week as it completes the final phase in a project to boost its energy resiliency. The community’s 17,600 residents now host the archipelago’s first cooperatively managed solar microgrid — a network of photovoltaic panels and battery storage units that will use renewable energy to keep the lights on and power flowing during a power outage. “This is a first-of-its-kind project,” said Kate Trujillo, deputy director of the nonprofit Honnold Foundation, which helped install the microgrid alongside the Adjuntas-based nonprofit Casa Pueblo. “It’s amazing to see it all coalescing.” The system includes some 700 panels mounted on seven buildings in the town’s central plaza and a storage system assembled from used electric vehicle batteries, capable of providing up to 187 kilowatts of power. The batteries can provide enough off-grid electricity to keep 14 downtown businesses running for up to 10 days, serving as community hubs in case of an extended power outage. Business owners and community members will run the microgrid through a nonprofit called the Community Solar Energy Association of Adjuntas. The system was built in response to Puerto Rico’s increasingly severe hurricanes and the prolonged power outages they have caused for Adjuntas residents — some of whom have gone without electricity for as long as 11 months. Last fall, Hurricane Fiona destroyed half of Puerto Rico’s transmission lines and distribution infrastructure, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people. As hurricanes and other climate-related natural disasters grow more destructive, many communities across the U.S. are turning to microgrids. One report published in 2021 said the cumulative capacity of such systems could more than triple by 2030, creating almost half a million jobs nationwide and billions of dollars in economic activity. In Adjuntas, Casa Pueblo and the Honnold Foundation will inaugurate the microgrid on Saturday with a community-wide celebration. Arturo Massol-Deyá, Casa Pueblo’s executive director and a 2019 Grist 50 honoree, said he wants the event to make “a political statement” to get more of Puerto Rico off fossil fuels. “What we are doing with the microgrid is a reference for what can and should be done in other municipalities in Puerto Rico,” he told me. “We can change our energy system, it can be done — we have shown that it can be done.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/solutions/puerto-rico-town-celebrates-first-of-its-kind-solar-microgrid/
     
         
      Jeremy Hunt wants nuclear power classed as ‘sustainable’: is it? Thu, 16th Mar 2023 9:28:00
     
      UK chancellor has launched consultation to classify nuclear as ‘environmentally sustainable’ Jeremy Hunt has kickstarted a fresh push into nuclear power, which he hopes will provide a quarter of Britain’s electricity by 2050. In his budget speech, the chancellor announced a competition to co-fund small nuclear plants and hopes a new delivery body, Great British Nuclear, will ease the creation of nuclear projects. He also launched a consultation to classify nuclear as “environmentally sustainable”. But is it? Does Britain need nuclear power? Hunt follows in the footsteps of the former prime minister Boris Johnson in making bold statements on the importance of nuclear. Britain’s nuclear power stations date back to the 1950s and are now ageing, with just one, Sizewell B, still scheduled to be running after 2028. Last week, France’s EDF – which operates the stations – said it had extended the life of two other plants. Proponents argue that nuclear provides a “baseload” of power that can be relied on, whereas renewable energy such as wind and solar is dependent on weather conditions, meaning it cannot always help match supply with demand. There are also high hopes for nuclear fusion as an energy source, but this has not been commercialised. Why is nuclear being reclassified? To attract private investment. The consultation is on the “taxonomy” or financial classification system of energy. This is important as there have been a proliferation of funds dedicated to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments springing up in global financial markets in recent years. These funds promise their investors that their cash is going towards social good, such as tackling the climate crisis. Hunt was also under pressure to respond to the Inflation Reduction Act, Joe Biden’s $369bn climate subsidy package. Is Britain the first country to do this? No. The European Commission decided last year to label nuclear as a “green” investment. The EU’s parliament said the taxonomy change aimed “to boost green investments and prevent ‘greenwashing’”. However, the decision has faced legal challenges by groups including Greenpeace. Will it make a difference? Nuclear projects cost tens of billions of pounds to develop and build, so smoothing the path to secure investment is seen as crucial. In the UK, the government has tasked bankers with finding funders for Sizewell C, in partnership with EDF, after easing China General Nuclear out of the project over security fears. The government has committed £700m to the Suffolk plant, which could cost more than £30bn to build. Its sister site, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, has been beset with delays and cost overruns. Senior industry sources said the taxonomy change would help in the hunt for Sizewell C’s funders. The backers of small modular reactors, including a programme developed by Rolls-Royce, will also hope to receive significant investment. Rolls-Royce’s’ aim is to create a fleet of smaller, factory-built nuclear plants across Britain. Is nuclear energy renewable? Uranium, the element used in nuclear power, is a finite resource, which is mined from the ground and not considered renewable. However, it can be argued that, as nuclear power stations use a very small amount of fuel to generate the same amount of electricity, they are preferable to gas-fired power stations, which are expected to be around for many years. Is it really green? Advocates of nuclear claim it should be seen as a green energy source as it does not release harmful emissions into the air. National Grid says that the “lifecycle emissions” – emissions resulting from every stage of the production process – are also significantly lower than in fossil fuel-based generation. Hunt said on Wednesday that “increasing nuclear capacity is vital to meet our net zero obligations”. However, there are questions over how useful nuclear will realistically be in this mission. As projects take years to build – Sizewell C could be finished by the mid-2030s at a push – it can be argued that pursuing the project could prove a drain on government and financial resources, which could be better spent on rapidly scaling up Britain’s wind and solar capacity and improving electricity networks and storage. An effective ban on onshore wind developments remains in place. Nuclear detractors also say nuclear cannot be seen as sustainable given the concerns over the potential environmental hazards in the long term. Shutting down sites such as Sellafield, in north-west England, will take generations and involves a painstaking process of carefully managing ageing buildings to ensure radioactive waste is not mishandled. In Finland, a huge effort is under way to bury waste in concrete deep underground. It has also been argued that – as nuclear plants need water for cooling so are often built near the coast – rising sea levels could make some projects obsolete before building work is completed. That is not the only concern, is it? No. The history of the nuclear industry has shown an oscillating interest from governments and investors, influenced by a series of devastating incidents including Three Mile Island in 1979, Chornobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011. Russia’s attack on Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s biggest nuclear plant, in Ukraine, has again raised concerns over a nuclear incident.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/16/jeremy-hunt-wants-nuclear-power-classed-as-sustainable-is-it
     
         
      Deforestation 'fast outstripping' regrowth, say Bristol scientists Wed, 15th Mar 2023 15:06:00
     
      Recovering tropical forests offset just a quarter of carbon emissions generated each year by logging, wildfire and land clearing, new research has found. The study, led by University of Bristol scientists, found destruction of these ecosystems currently far outstripped the pace of regrowth. Working with an international team, they used satellite data to study the world's three largest tropical forests. They hope it can inform decisions about protecting these areas. The study was the first to estimate aboveground carbon absorption in tropical forests recovering from degradation and deforestation, said lead author, Dr Viola Heinrich, who gained her PhD in physical geography at Bristol University. "While protecting ancient tropical forests remains the priority, we demonstrate the value in sustainably managing forest areas that can recover from human disturbances," she said. Brazil's National Institute for Space Research took part in the study of Amazon, Central Africa and Borneo forests, published in Nature. Scientists found areas recovering from human disturbances, such as logging; as well as forests re-growing in previously deforested areas, were annually removing at least 107 million tonnes from the atmosphere. However, the total amount of carbon being taken up in aboveground forest re-growth was only enough to counterbalance 26% of the current carbon emissions from tropical deforestation and degradation. Emphasising the vulnerability of the carbon sink in recovering forests, the team also found one third of forests degraded by logging or fire were later completely deforested. "The carbon recovery models we developed can inform scientists and policy makers on the carbon storage potential of secondary and degraded forests if they are protected and allowed to recover," said Dr Heinrich. 'Time running out' She added tropical forests, which provide vital resources for millions of people and animals, needed to be protected and restored "for their carbon and climate value" but also on a local scale, "people need to be allowed to continue to use" them sustainably. Co-author Dr Jo House said countries had repeatedly pledged to reduce deforestation and restore areas, which were the "most cost-effective and immediately available way" to remove carbon from the atmosphere - but targets were "repeatedly missed". "Our research demonstrates that time is running out," Dr House added. A South-South alliance to protect rainforests was forged by Brazil, Indonesia, and Congo at COP27 last November.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-64956535
     
         
      Taiwan ally Honduras seeks diplomatic switch to China Wed, 15th Mar 2023 12:16:00
     
      Taiwan is in danger of losing one of its few formal allies, Honduras, as the Central American nation seeks official relations with China. Honduran President Xiomara Castro said the pivot aims to expand foreign engagements. Taiwan promptly cautioned Honduras against falling into China's "trap". China has long tried to isolate Taiwan and prohibits its partners from keeping ties with the island which it considers part of its territory. Should Honduras switch sides to China, Taiwan would be recognised by just 13 governments. It will also widen Beijing's foothold in a region that has historically sided with its rival Washington. On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry welcomed the Honduras leader's statement and said it was willing to develop "friendly and cooperative relations" with the country. China has sought to expand its influence around the world as its leader, Xi Jinping, consolidates power back home while reviving the economy from the bruising zero-Covid policy. Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen was elected as president. Ms Castro, who assumed office in 2021, said she had instructed her foreign minister to pursue official relations with China, fulfilling one of her campaign pledges. The Honduran president did not specifically say if relations with Taiwan would be cut. However in January 2022, she said she hoped to keep those ties. Weeks before Ms Castro's announcement, her government said it was negotiating with China to build a hydroelectric dam. Beijing had lent Honduras $300m (£246m) for a similar project in 2021. "We ask Honduras to carefully consider and do not fall into China's trap and make the wrong decision to damage the long-term friendship between Taiwan and Honduras," the island's foreign ministry said in a statement. Ms Castro's move also comes ahead of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's planned trip to its Central American allies with a stopover in the US next month - a move that will likely increase friction between Washington and Beijing. Ms Tsai's visit will include a meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. She had met Mr McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei last year to Beijing's fury. As China charms Latin America, it has continued to assert itself on the other side of the world. The outgoing president of the Pacific island nation of Micronesia, David Panuelo, accused China of spying and attempting to bribe local politicians to bring his country to Beijing's side. Mr Panuelo's claims were contained in a letter to congress last week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64960744
     
         
      Storm Freddy: Malawi declares state of disaster as more than 200 killed Wed, 15th Mar 2023 11:19:00
     
      More than 200 people are now confirmed dead in Malawi after Tropical Storm Freddy ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month. Huge amounts of brown water have cascaded through neighbourhoods, sweeping away homes. Malawi's commercial hub, Blantyre, has recorded most of the deaths, including dozens of children. Aid agencies are warning that the devastation will exacerbate a cholera outbreak in Malawi. The government has declared a state of disaster in 10 southern districts that have been hardest-hit by the storm. Rescue workers are overwhelmed, and are using shovels to try to find survivors buried in mud. "We have rivers overflowing, we have people being carried away by running waters, we have buildings collapsing," police spokesman Peter Kalaya told the BBC. Recalling how he helped rescue a child, Blantyre resident Aaron Ntambo said: "The child was stuck up to her head in the mud. She was crying for help. Even though the water was very strong, we managed to cross and rescue her. It was very difficult but we managed to pull her out." Officials at the main referral hospital in the city said they could not cope with the sheer number of bodies that they were receiving. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said that more than 40 children were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Officials appealed to bereaved families to collect the corpses for burial as the hospital's mortuary was running out of space. The government's disaster relief agency said more than 20,000 people have been displaced. The death toll is expected to rise as some areas remain cut off because of relentless rain and fierce winds. The storm has also crippled Malawi's power supply, with most parts of the country experiencing prolonged blackouts. The national electricity company said it was unable to get its hydro-power plant working as it had been filled with debris. Densely-populated poorer communities, living in brick and mud houses, have been hardest-hit. Some of these houses have crumbled into flood waters, while others have been entirely swept away. The collapse of roads and bridges had hampered rescue operations, while helicopters could not be used either because of the heavy rains and strong winds. The government has appealed for help for the tens of thousands of people who have been left without food and shelter. Freddy is one of only four storms in history to traverse the entire Indian Ocean from north-western Australia to mainland Africa. Freddy could also be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. On Sunday the storm struck Mozambique as a cyclone - for the second time in a less than a month - after battering the island nation of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, causing severe destruction. It has been difficult to determine the extent of the damage caused in Mozambique and the number of deaths, as power supply and phone signals were cut off in some parts of the affected areas. About 20 deaths have so far been reported. Experts says climate change is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier and more intense. Freddy had broken records for the strength it accumulated over the 8,000-km (5,000-mile) path it travelled across the Indian Ocean from north-western Australia.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64938811
     
         
      US west and east coasts battered in storm 'double-whammy' Wed, 15th Mar 2023 9:18:00
     
      Intense storms are slamming into both coasts of the US on Tuesday, bringing more rain, flooding and mud slides to California, and high winds and heavy snow to the north-east. Nearly 90,000 customers are without power in New York State and over 3,000 flights in the US have been delayed. States of emergency were declared in New York and New Jersey on Monday, ahead of the storm. Officials predict storms on both coasts will persist overnight. On Monday night, the National Weather Service warned of the "Double-Whammy" of storms heading to the two coasts. The storm sweeping along the north-east has hit several states including parts New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. As winds in some areas reached above 40mph (64km/h), hundreds of schools in the region were closed, power lines downed and trees were toppled. In the Bronx, a New York City neighbourhood, a car was crushed by a tree toppled by fierce winds, BBC's US media partner CBS reported. A bulk of the flight cancellations occurred between Boston Logan International Airport, New York's LaGuardia Airport, and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, CNN reported. In Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont ordered all executive branch state office buildings closed on Tuesday. Over two feet of snow fell in parts of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont, Marc Chenard, a forecaster for the National Weather Service, told the BBC. "The worst of the snow is ongoing now and continuing into the evening hours," he said. "Once we get through tonight it'll start winding down." New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told CBS reporters that things were "a lot better than we had feared, but we are not out of the woods yet". Thousands of miles away, on the west coast, California is being hit with yet another bout of bad weather after being pummelled by 11 atmospheric rivers since the beginning of the year. Atmospheric rivers occur when water evaporates into the air and is carried along by the wind, forming long currents that flow in the sky like rivers flow on land. They can lead to significant precipitation. The state has faced widespread flooding, levee failures and mudslides, and a number of deaths have been linked to the severe weather since earlier this winter. California weather: Another winter storm as thousands without power Some flooding has already occurred in the central part of the state, Mr Chenard said, including in the San Francisco to Monterrey corridor, and the rain is expected to move south toward Los Angeles. Mud slides were reported near Santa Cruz, where a flash flood warning remains in effect for areas just north of the area, he added. Meanwhile, roughly a dozen other counties in California are under flood advisories. Although up to 10in (25cm) of rain was forecast in some areas, Mr Chenard said the most reported as of Tuesday afternoon was 4 to 5in. But, he added, rain is expected to continue through the evening and into tomorrow. "By tomorrow afternoon, most of the state should be drier," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/64919129
     
         
      New climate rules for Canadian banks Tue, 14th Mar 2023 11:22:00
     
      The Canadian Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, or OSFI — an independent federal agency that regulates banks, insurance companies, and private pension funds — released new climate change guidelines for the country’s big banks last week. The mandatory rules, which will be phased in over the next two years, aim to hold financial institutions and their management officials accountable for managing “climate-related risks” as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. Under the new rules, federally regulated financial institutions in Canada will be required to develop and implement a “climate transition plan” to manage mounting legal and physical risks from climate change, such as lawsuits against banks’ fossil fuel clients and property loss from increasingly devastating storms. They will also have to account for and disclose greenhouse gas emissions associated with their loans, bonds, and mortgages — a significant change for the country’s largest banks. Canada’s announcement comes as regulators in other parts of the world consider more robust climate requirements for their financial institutions. In the United States, the Federal Reserve Board, which helps oversee the country’s monetary policy, has been considering rules that would force major banks to weigh climate-related financial risks in their decision-making. New rules implemented this year by the European Banking Authority require banks in the European Union to report emissions associated with the products they sell — like loans to fossil fuel companies. Alan Andrews, climate program director for the Canadian nonprofit Ecojustice, hailed Canada’s new rules but said they don’t go far enough to address financial institutions’ contributions to climate change. “This requires banks to consider the risks that they face under a 1.5-degree aligned scenario,” he told me, referring to the international target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). “What it doesn’t do is actually require them to align” with that scenario. Alignment with the target would mean ceasing investments in all new fossil fuel infrastructure, according to a landmark report published in 2021 by the International Energy Agency. Andrews urged the OSFI to not only require banks to publish their climate plans, but to reject those that include financing for new oil, gas, and coal projects.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-climate-rules-for-canadian-banks/
     
         
      California weather: Another winter storm as thousands without power Mon, 13th Mar 2023 23:23:00
     
      Thousands of California residents remained without power after a weekend of heavy rain and flooding, as yet another storm bears down on the state. Heavy rainfall is expected to sweep across the state on Monday and intensify on Tuesday, particularly across its northern and central region. At least 13 people have died so far amid storms that have hit the state in quick succession. Parts of the East Coast are also currently under a winter storm watch. Some counties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut could see as much as 10in (25cm) of snow on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Further snowfall is also anticipated in western Wisconsin and much of Minnesota - where the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have already recorded 80in of snow this winter, their eighth snowiest season on record. California starts the week with its 11th "atmospheric river" storm since late December. Atmospheric rivers are narrow bands of moisture that produce heavy rainfall and snow when they make landfall. These weather systems occur when water evaporates into the air and is carried along by the wind, forming long currents that flow in the sky like rivers flow on land. What are the atmospheric rivers? The NWS predicted "very heavy rainfall", snowmelt in mountainous regions and strong winds, with the worst conditions "occurring late during the day Monday, continuing through the day on Tuesday". In addition to heavy rainfall, the San Francisco Bay Area could see wind gusts up to 40 to 50mph (64 to 80kph). "Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks," the weather service added. "Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers is likely." Thousands were evacuated on Saturday from Pajaro, a low-income agricultural migrant worker community in northern California famous for its strawberry crop, after the Pajaro River's levee was breached by flooding. In Monterey County, first responders rescued about 200 people - most of those rescues happened near the Pajaro River, according to Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto. Fearing floodwater may have contaminated wells with chemicals, officials told residents in the area not to drink or cook with tap water. More than 9,500 residents across the state were still without power as of Monday morning. Thirteen people have died since snowstorms hit California from late February. Two of those deaths have so far been confirmed to be storm-related, while eight others are under investigation. Twenty-two other deaths have been recorded amid the foul weather in the state since January. A state of emergency has been issued in 40 of California's 58 counties to support storm response.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64939929
     
         
      Willow oil: Biden walks political tightrope over Alaska project Mon, 13th Mar 2023 14:16:00
     
      US President Joe Biden has approved a major oil and gas drilling project in Alaska, intended to create local investment and thousands of jobs. But the Willow project has faced strong opposition from environmental activists over its climate and wildlife impacts. So why has Mr Biden, a president who has embraced strong action on climate change, approved a project dubbed a "carbon bomb"? It's because Willow is very much about politics and the law - and not just the environment. While running as a candidate back in 2020, Joe Biden promised that there would be "no more drilling on federal lands, period". That statement helped him garner support from green Democrats and climate campaigners, unsure about Biden's record on this issue. However, that campaign promise was broken last year when the administration announced plans to sell drilling leases under pressure from the courts. The White House will likely say that the role of the courts has also influenced the Willow decision. Oil company ConocoPhillips has held the lease since 1999 and would have had a strong case to appeal if their plans had been turned down. The Biden administration is obviously aware that from a purely climate perspective the project can't really be justified. The International Energy Agency has baldly stated that if the world wants to keep the rise in global temperatures under 1.5C, no new oil or gas drilling can go ahead. So, in an effort to limit the impact of the Willow approval, the White House has outlined new bans on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Ocean and across Alaska. Most environmentalists aren't buying this trade-off. Willow is also a political decision. Mr Biden came to COP27 in Egypt and spoke of the big picture of climate change, threatening the "very life of the planet" - but he's also attuned to US bread-and-butter issues, especially the price of gas. Last year, in response to the Ukraine war, the White House authorised the release of millions of barrels from the US strategic petroleum reserve. This helped push down prices at the pump. With a presidential election in 18 months, Mr Biden is keen to reinforce his reputation as a moderate. Approving a reduced version of the original Willow plan will be sold as underlining the President's ability to forge compromises across political divides. Trade unions are backing the project, as are many native groups across Alaska who argue that Willow will boost jobs, local revenues and eventually oil supplies. Mr Biden's supporters argue that the cut-down project will see measures put in place to offset some of the extra emissions by planting trees, and the US target of curbing CO2 by 52% below 2005 levels would still be achieved. But the decision is fraught with political danger. Willow saw unprecedented opposition on social media, drawing over three million signatures on a petition against the project. In giving the greenlight to drilling, President Biden is now risking the support of many young people who voted for him in large numbers in 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64944535
     
         
      Willow project: Biden curbs drilling ahead of decision on Alaska oil project Mon, 13th Mar 2023 11:28:00
     
      President Joe Biden has imposed limits on oil and gas drilling in 16 million acres of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. The announcement on Sunday came as his administration reportedly prepares to approve a major drilling project elsewhere in the region. The $8bn (£6.6bn) Willow project - if agreed - would be one of the biggest oil projects in the country in decades. Environmental groups and some Native residents fear the plan may have an impact on climate and damage wildlife. Opposition has grown rapidly in the last few weeks as the #stopwillow campaign gained traction on TikTok. President Biden is expected to make an announcement on the project on Monday. ConocoPhillips, the company behind the project, said it would create thousands of jobs and revenue for the remote area. Alaskan politicians, trade unions and some indigenous communities have also urged for it to be approved due to its potential economic benefits. What is the Willow Project? Joe Biden to decide on oil plan TikTokers target controversial oil project Four ways climate change is affecting weather On Sunday, the US Interior Department announced that nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean would be "indefinitely off limits" for oil and gas drilling. The move ensures that important habitat for whales, seals, polar bears and other wildlife "will be protected in perpetuity from extractive development?, the White House said in a statement. The government also said it would propose new limits to drilling in more than 13 million acres of "ecologically sensitive" land in Alaska's vast petroleum reserve. The reserve is a 23-million acre area on Alaska's North Slope that was set aside a century ago for future oil production. It is the largest area of undisturbed public land in the US and plays host to critical species including polar bears. "With these actions, President Biden continues to deliver on the most aggressive climate agenda in American history," the announcement said. One environmental group said the new limits did not go far enough and criticised the proposed Willow project, which would take place within the petroleum reserve. "Protecting one area of the Arctic so you can destroy another doesn't make sense, and it won't help the people and wildlife who will be upended by the Willow project," said Kristen Monsell, a senior lawyer at the Center for Biological Diversity. Michaela Stith, Climate Justice Director at Native Movement, an Alaskan based social justice charity, told the BBC that some communities would take direct action if the Willow project is approved. "We are living in a state monopolised by oil and gas," she said. "There are not many opportunities to do much else that's why you will see local support [for the proposal]. Our state has not been able to diversify our economy." President Biden is trying to balance his goals of making the US a net zero contributor to climate change by 2050 with pressure to increase fuel supply to keep prices low. The US Bureau of Land Management estimates that the Willow project would produce up to 278 million metric tons of CO2e over its 30-year lifetime - the equivalent of adding more than two million cars to roads in the US. CO2e is a unit used to express the climate impact of all greenhouse gases together as if they were all emitted as carbon dioxide. The decision on whether to approve the project will likely be one of Mr Biden's most significant climate decisions and comes as he prepares an expected bid for re-election in 2024.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64939021
     
         
      Aramco: Saudi state-owned oil giant sees record profit of $161bn Mon, 13th Mar 2023 6:50:00
     
      Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced a record profit of $161.1bn (£134bn) for 2022, helped by soaring energy prices and bigger volumes. It represents a 46.5% rise for the state-owned company, compared with last year. It is the latest energy firm to report record profits, after energy prices spiked following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. America's ExxonMobil made $55.7bn, and Britain's Shell reported $39.9bn. Aramco also declared a dividend of $19.5bn for the October to December quarter of 2022, to be paid in the first quarter of this year. Most of that will go to the Saudi government, which owns nearly 95% of the shares in the company. Brent crude oil, the benchmark oil price, now trades at around $82 a barrel - though prices exceeded $120 a barrel last March, after Russia's invasion, and June. "Aramco rode the wave of high energy prices in 2022," said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "It would have been difficult for Aramco not to perform strongly in 2022." White House calls Exxon record profit 'outrageous' Shell reports highest profits in 115 years In a statement on Sunday, Aramco said the company results were "underpinned by stronger crude oil prices, higher volumes sold and improved margins for refined products". Aramco's president and CEO Amin Nasser said: "Given that we anticipate oil and gas will remain essential for the foreseeable future, the risks of underinvestment in our industry are real - including contributing to higher energy prices." To address those challenges, he said, the company would not only focus on expanding oil, gas and chemicals production - but also invest in new lower-carbon technologies. Aramco - the world's second-most valuable company only behind America's Apple - is a major emitter of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Responding to Aramco's announcement, Amnesty International's secretary general Agnès Callamard said: "It is shocking for a company to make a profit of more than $161bn in a single year through the sale of fossil fuel - the single largest driver of the climate crisis." She added: "It is all the more shocking because this surplus was amassed during a global cost-of-living crisis and aided by the increase in energy prices resulting from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine." Saudi Arabia is the largest producer in the oil cartel Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). The Gulf kingdom has been condemned for a range of human rights abuses: its involvement in the conflict in neighbouring Yemen, the murder in 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for jailing dissidents, and for the widespread use of capital punishment. In a separate development on Sunday, Iran said its oil exports had reached their highest level since the re-imposition of US sanctions in 2018. Oil Minister Javad Owji said exports increased by 83 million barrels in 2022 compared with the previous 12 months. In Iran, a new year starts in March. Analysts say the rise is due to greater shipments to Iranian allies China and Venezuela. Tehran's export revenues took a significant hit after then-US President Donald Trump pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal five years ago. The US sanctions, coupled with economic mismanagement and corruption, have meant that the Iranian economy has not had any substantive growth in the past decade. And by some measures, it is still 4-8% smaller than it was back in 2010.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64931074
     
         
      TikTokers target controversial Willow oil project Sat, 11th Mar 2023 10:33:00
     
      US government officials are expected to make a decision on one of the biggest US oil projects in decades this week. Environmental groups and some Native residents have long opposed the proposal because of its potential for climate impacts and wildlife damage. But opposition has grown rapidly in the last few weeks as the #stopwillow campaign has gone viral on TikTok. ConocoPhillips, the company behind the project, said it would create thousands of jobs and revenue for locals. The Willow oil project - if agreed - could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, making it the largest oil project in the region for decades. By comparison, Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, which is the largest oil field in North America, produces 281,800 barrels a day. The US Bureau of Land Management estimated that the project, on Alaska's remote North Slope, would produce up to 278 million metric tons of CO2e over its 30-year lifetime - the equivalent of adding more than 2 million cars to roads in the US. CO2e is a unit used to express the climate impact of all greenhouse gases together as if they were all emitted as carbon dioxide. A really simple guide to climate change Environmentalists argue this undermines President Biden's credibility as a leader on climate change action, after his pledge to make the US a net zero contributor to climate change by 2050. Mike Scott, senior campaign representative at environmental charity Sierra Club, said: "Approving [the willow project] after passing the largest climate bill in history would be a giant step in reverse." The Bureau of Land Management's environmental impact assessment recommended scaling back the project to three drilling sites from five, and offsetting half the emissions, for example by planting trees to capture the carbon. It said this would ensure the US's target of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 52% below 2005 levels would still be achieved. ConocoPhillips spokesman Dennis Nuss told the BBC: "We believe this project fits with the Biden administration's priorities on environmental and social justice, facilitating the energy transition, and enhancing our energy security." Some Native Alaskan Iñupiaq have also raised serious concerns about the project's local environmental impacts, including disturbance to local wildlife, disruption to traditional hunting practices and a decline in air quality. The drilling site would sit in the National Petroleum Reserve - the largest area of undisturbed public land in the US. It plays host to critical species including polar bears and populations of porcupine caribou. Alaskan wilderness opens up for oil exploration Advisory Board Member to the Native Movement and Mayor of Nuiqsut, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, has said the mitigating measures are not enough: "We know our way of life and the importance of our future generations and there is nothing in the new document that gives us assurances that we will not be put at risk." Other local leaders from the North Slope - the site of the potential project - have been more supportive and the economic benefits it could bring to local communities. "I am very in support of the Willow Project and so is the majority of my community," said Asisaun Toovak, mayor of North Slope city Utqia?vik to the BBC. The tax revenue from the project would be a lifeline for the North Slope, she said, which is in desperate need of affordable housing. The Bureau of Land Management estimates the project could generate between $8bn and $17bn (£6bn to £14bn) and create 300 permanent jobs. Speaking with Mayor Toovak, Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, a network of 24 local Indigenous groups, told the BBC they were both confident that the project would be carried out responsibly. "We've been co-existing with development since the Trans-Alaska pipeline," Mr Harcharek said. "If there was ever a project that we thought would threaten our subsistence ways of life we would not be supportive of it." Asked about the growing opposition on social media, Mayor Toovak said it had been "really hard" to see. "Our voices are diminished by people who don't live here," she said. "They don't understand the harshness of living on the North Slope." In the last seven days videos on social media platform TikTok tagged with #stopwillow, #stopwillowproject or other related tags have gained 100s of million of views in the United States. Young TikTokers posting the videos have encouraged viewers to send letters to President Biden asking him not to go ahead with his decision. They report that one million letters have been sent, including from brands such as Patagonia. Elise Joshi, 20, is a university student at UC Berkley and executive director of Gen Z for Change, a coalition of young activists who use online platforms for social change. In February, Ms Joshi created one of the first TikTok's opposing the Willow Project, calling it a "carbon bomb". "We cannot afford more fossil fuel projects," she said. She was surprised when her #StopWillow video racked up over 300,000 views. "Climate doesn't have its moment of virality a lot," Ms Joshi said. Joining her in the #StopWillow Tiktok movement was 25-year-old Alex Haraus. "Thousands of other people are all making content about this," Mr Haraus said. "It's not any one particular person. It's just so many people with so many backgrounds because everyone feels empowered to talk about it." As of Thursday a change.org petition calling to stop the Willow Project on environmental grounds has gained more than three million signatures - making it one of the most signed petitions on the platform. Senator Dan Sullivan, who is one of the three Alaskan congressional delegation members in support of the project, suggested that the social media trend might be the work of outside influences. During the introduction of a new bill to limit TikTok this week, the senator said: "Maybe that's the Chinese Communist Party trying to influence young Americans." A decision on the project is expected by the end of the week. The US Department of the Interior has 30 days from the final environmental impact assessment issued by the Bureau of Land Management to make a decision. It declined to provide a comment to the BBC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64906323
     
         
      The first great energy transition: how humanity gave up whaling Sat, 11th Mar 2023 10:00:00
     
      The modern oil industry was born in 1859, yet it would take more than 100 years – and the near-extinction of a species – before it replaced blubber. As we now seek to replace oil in turn, are there lessons to be learned? Humpback whales can rhyme. Their songs are made up of individual themes, phrases and sounds – many of them ending similarly. These are repeated in patterns that create rhythms and structures. To human ears, the songs are a series of grunts, groans, sighs, burps and squeaks. But they are arranged by the whale in a highly elaborate manner. The songs change over time, too: themes develop and are replaced, and phrases shift until every few years a completely new song emerges. Whales also adopt the songs of other whales – like a pop hit that everyone starts singing. What’s more, whale songs migrate. In Australia, researchers found that a particular song that was initially sung only on the west coast made its way to the east coast. In deep waters the songs can be heard over long distances, so the animals listen to each other. Over a few years, the Australian song was adapted over half the Pacific, from Fiji to Tonga, American Samoa, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. It is the same in the Atlantic. The songs spread over months and years. And while the hits of the previous years are still being sung in the east, the whales in the west are already working on new ones. The songs always travel from west to east, never in the opposite direction. No one knows why. Whale song is just one of the reasons why public curiosity and affection for whales has soared. But it was not always the case. For centuries before, whales were hunted mercilessly. Whaling was a voracious industry on which half the world’s economy was built. Blubber became an essential natural resource, and whaling ramped up in step with technological advances. Then, in 1986, a moratorium was announced, driven by newfound awareness of the glories of whale song – and, through that, an interest in their behaviour, intelligence and culture. In mere decades, the global economy performed an incredible about-turn, and weaned itself off blubber – and on to crude oil. Could this first great energy transition offer us clues, as the climate crisis forces us to grapple with giving up oil, in turn? The Basques were first to commercially hunt whales in the early middle ages. Their target was the right whale – an easy-going, 60-tonne mammal with a mouth the size of a garage. It got its name because it was the “right” whale to hunt, thanks to it being slow-moving and having the thickest layer of blubber. The blubber was cooked into oil, which supplied the many lamps that lit up fast-growing cities. While there were plant-based alternatives, the Basques supplied whales in such quantities and at such low prices that blubber products were more practical. After 100 years, there were hardly any right whales left, so hunters moved to the sperm whale. This was the era of “Yankee whaling” when the fledgling United States became the centre of global whaling. The industry was hopelessly romanticised: when Moby-Dick was published in 1851, it was at its peak in the US, attracting thousands of men, particularly the young, who wanted to find their fortune at sea. But the stories bear no resemblance to the harsh reality. Hunting the sperm whale, which was considered the largest and most dangerous predator on the planet, was a face-to-face fight. Whalers would take out small rowing boats and throw heavy harpoons by hand. Once the whale was hit, death was certain. With each surfacing, it became weaker, and the whalers closed in, stabbing it with long lances. It was a terrible slaughter – blood would pour from the breathing hole in a sign that the heart or lungs were pierced. The whale was then rowed to the ship, tied up on the side and peeled like a giant orange. The blubber was cooked and packed into barrels. As demand for blubber soared, whales became rarer. Edwin Drake was hunting for a solution when he discovered oil on a little farm in Titusville, Pennsylvania, on 27 August 1859. This could have marked the end of whaling: the thirst for oil at sea could be quenched on land, with drilling rigs. Crude provided many of the same products as blubber, including petroleum, paraffin, lubricants and solvents. But whaling also offers an intriguing lesson in the concept of progress. On the other side of the Atlantic, progress did not benefit whales – it meant expanding the industry, instead of stopping it. As Drake worked on his drilling rigs, Norwegian whaler Svend Foyn developed a cannon to hunt the blue whale – which had always been safe from hunters because of its enormous size and speed – and a mechanical winch that could get this 200-tonne giant on to a ship. With the help of steam propulsion, the ships grew bigger and travelled farther. New chemical processes allowed whale blubber to be used to make everything from margarine to paints, fertiliser and pet food. The blue whale – the mightiest animal that has ever lived – suddenly became a trashy, low-cost product. Whalers moved at will from coast to coast, guided only by what was technically feasible. The technology was developing exponentially. Fleets of catching boats were used alongside factory ships, where the whales were processed. These were converted supertankers, with radar and aircraft support to locate the animals. Whalers would neatly map each area and plough through pods, pumping the dead with compressed air to keep them from sinking while they caught the rest. At the stern were huge ramps, over which the whales were pulled on deck with a gigantic claw. Once there, it took less than 15 minutes to cut them into pieces, cook them in high-pressure stoves, and pack them off to cold storage. In the days of Yankee whaling, the whales at least had a chance of survival; with industrialisation, they were not so much hunted as harvested. Even penguins suffered; occasionally on whaling stations, these mostly friendly creatures would waddle up out of curiosity, only to be burned alive to fuel the stoves that cooked the whales.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/11/the-first-great-energy-transition-how-humanity-gave-up-whaling
     
         
      UK coal demand hits a 266-year low Fri, 10th Mar 2023 9:53:00
     
      Coal demand in the United Kingdom fell by about 15 percent in 2022, going so low that it broke a 266-year record. Not since 1757 has the country used so little coal — about 6.2 million metric tons, according to a new analysis from the website Carbon Brief. That was just one year after the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Austrian composer. “Last time U.K. coal use was this low, Mozart was still in nappies,” tweeted Simon Evans, Carbon Brief’s deputy editor and policy editor. U.K. coal demand skyrocketed during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries and peaked at 221 million metric tons in 1956. Since then, most of the country’s coal use has been displaced by other energy sources like natural gas and — more recently — renewables. Coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, now accounts for about 1.5 percent of the U.K.’s electricity generation, while solar, wind, and hydropower make up 33 percent. Much of the U.K.’s progress in phasing down coal can be attributed to the country’s 1956 Clean Air Act, which aimed to clean up pervasive air pollution in and around London. More recently, the U.K. has cited climate change in its pledge to stop using coal for electricity generation by October 2024. This pledge was called into question last year as Europe faced a gas shortage following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the coal “comeback” that some experts feared did not materialize thanks to warmer-than-average temperatures that tamed the U.K.’s demand for heating fuel, as well as growth in solar and wind power. These conditions also contributed to a decline in the U.K.’s climate pollution from all sources. Although global emissions grew in 2022 due to a post-COVID resurgence of travel and business, the U.K. saw emissions decline by about 3.4 percent to 412 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Carbon Brief says similar reductions will be needed every year for the next 30 years for the U.K. to reach its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/uk-coal-demand-hits-a-266-year-low/
     
         
      UN buys huge ship to avert catastrophic oil spill off Yemen Fri, 10th Mar 2023 9:30:00
     
      The UN has purchased a huge ship that it hopes will prevent an environmental catastrophe off the coast of Yemen. For years, more than a million barrels of crude oil have been sitting on a decaying supertanker in the Red Sea. There are fears the vessel could soon break apart or explode, risking one of the worst oil spills in recent memory. But on Thursday, the UN said it had purchased a crude carrier that would head to Yemen and remove the oil from the stricken ship. "The purchase of this suitable vessel... marks the beginning of the operational phase of the plan to safely remove the oil and avoid the risk of an environmental and humanitarian disaster," Achim Steiner from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said, adding that it was a "major breakthrough". A UNDP statement said the ship - which it purchased from major tanker company Euronav - was undergoing routine maintenance in China and would arrive for the operation in early May. "A major spill would devastate fishing communities on Yemen's Red Sea coast, likely wiping out 200,000 livelihoods instantly. Whole communities would be exposed to life-threatening toxins. Highly polluted air would affect millions," it said. The organisation added that a potential oil spill could cost up to $20bn (£16.7bn) to clean up. The UN had been searching for years for a solution and appealed for donations. The planned operation is estimated to cost $129m of which $75m has been received and another $20m has been pledged, it said. The stranded ship - the FSO Safer - was left abandoned off the port of Hodeida after Yemen's civil war broke out in 2015. It has not been serviced since. It was constructed as a supertanker in 1976 and converted later into a floating storage for oil. It is anchored near the Ras Isa oil terminal, which is controlled by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement. The 376m (1,233ft) vessel holds an estimated 1.14m barrels of crude oil. The Safer's structural integrity has deteriorated significantly since maintenance operations were suspended in 2015, when the Houthis seized large parts of Yemen and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the government. The ensuing conflict has reportedly killed more than 150,000 people and left more than 23 million in need of aid. Mr Steiner told reporters on Thursday: "Let me be very clear - this is a risky operation and things could go wrong." He added that it could still be suspended if they fail to raise enough funds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64904985
     
         
      A successful hydrogen test flight Thu, 9th Mar 2023 12:55:00
     
      Last week, the sustainable aviation company Universal Hydrogen completed its first test flight of a hydrogen-powered aircraft in Moses Lake, Washington. The plane, nicknamed Lightning McClean, was a 40-passenger regional airliner — the largest aircraft to fly on a hydrogen fuel cell to date. Air travel is one of the most carbon-intensive actions an individual can take. If the aviation sector were its own country, it would be the world’s sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter. As awareness of the climate perils of flying has grown, companies are looking for ways to offer greener air travel. Hydrogen is a fuel that produces no greenhouse gases when it is either burned or fed into a fuel cell to produce electricity. “Today will go down in the history books as the true start to the decarbonization of the global airline industry,” John Thomas, CEO of Connect Airlines, said in a statement following last week’s test flight. Connect plans to launch Universal Hydrogen’s retrofitted regional planes in the U.S. as soon as 2025. During the 15-minute flight, an electric motor powered by a Plug Power hydrogen fuel cell ran beneath Lightning McClean’s right wing. Beneath the left wing, for safety reasons, a standard turboprop engine offered additional power. “During the second circuit over the airport, we were comfortable with the performance of the hydrogen powertrain, so we were able to throttle back the fossil fuel turbine engine to demonstrate cruise principally on hydrogen power,” Alex Kroll, one of the test pilots, said in a press release. Most hydrogen used today is produced from natural gas in an industrial process that releases climate pollution, but Universal Hydrogen is committed to using only green hydrogen, produced using renewable electricity. The company, whose investors include JetBlue and American Airlines, plans to retrofit existing planes to run on hydrogen power, beginning with regional airliners.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-successful-hydrogen-test-flight/
     
         
      Climate change: New idea for sucking up CO2 from air shows promise Thu, 9th Mar 2023 12:34:00
     
      A new way of sucking carbon dioxide from the air and storing it in the sea has been outlined by scientists. The authors say that this novel approach captures CO2 from the atmosphere up to three times more efficiently than current methods. The warming gas can be transformed into bicarbonate of soda and stored safely and cheaply in seawater. The new method could speed up the deployment of carbon removal technology, experts say. While the world has struggled to limit and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in recent decades, several companies have instead focussed on developing technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. What is carbon capture and can it fight climate change? UK costs from flood damage could rise by 20% Attenborough shows us our own 'spectacular' nature Historic ocean treaty agreed after decade of talks Climeworks in Switzerland is perhaps the best known. Over the past ten years it has developed machines to suck in the air from the atmosphere that filter and trap the carbon dioxide molecules. At a plant in Iceland the captured CO2 is injected deep underground where it is permanently turned into stone. The company has recently started selling a certified carbon removal service to large corporate clients including Microsoft, Spotify and Stripe. However, one big problem for most current approaches to direct air capture is cost. CO2, although a powerful warming agent, is relatively diluted in the atmosphere at around 400 parts per million (ppm) in air. So big machines that require large amounts of energy are needed to both absorb and discharge the CO2. This new approach, using off-the-shelf resins and other chemicals, promises far greater efficiency and lower cost, say the scientists involved. The research team have borrowed an approach used for applications in water, and "tweaked" existing materials to remove CO2 from the air. In tests, the new hybrid absorbing material was able to take in three times as much CO2 as existing substances. "To my knowledge, there is no absorbing material which even at 100,000 ppm, shows the capacity we get it in direct air capture of 400 ppm," said lead author Prof Arup SenGupta from Lehigh University in the US. "This simple ability to capture CO2 at a high quantity, in a small volume of material, is a unique aspect of our work." The development, while in its early stages, has been welcomed by others in the field. "I am happy to see this paper in the published literature, it is very exciting, and it stands a good chance of transforming the CO2 capture efforts," said Prof Catherine Peters from Princeton University, an expert in geological engineering, who wasn't involved in the research project. "What is clever about this is that the starting point was a technology previously designed for applications in water. This advance applies this technology to the gas phase - a new idea." "The demonstrated performance for CO2 capture is promising." One of the big challenges in capturing CO2 is what to do with the trapped gas. Storing it under the ground or sea in former oil wells is one widely used approach. But the new paper suggests that with the addition of some chemicals the captured CO2 can be transformed into bicarbonate of soda and stored simply and safely in sea water. Dr SenGupta says he now wants to establish a spin-off company to develop the technology further. He believes that removing CO2 in this way will not only be critical to limiting the rise in global temperatures but could also be directly empowering for developing countries. "We have to take it to places like Bangladesh, Barbados or the Maldives, they also have a role to play, they cannot be just bystanders who keep suffering." Some scientists are reluctant to put too much emphasis on new and emerging technologies like direct air capture because they fear that it could dilute the carbon cutting efforts of governments and individuals. But with the temperature thresholds of the Paris climate agreement under threat from rising emissions, many others feel that the rapid deployment of direct air capture in addition to massive cuts in carbon is the best hope of avoiding dangerous climate change. "It has become even more important now that we are definitely in an overshoot regime, where we have to take carbon back from the environment," said Prof Klaus Lackner, a pioneer in the field of removing CO2. "DAC will have to get cheaper to make a useful contribution. I am optimistic that it can do this." Professor SenGupta shares that optimism, believing that this new approach can remove CO2 for less than $100 a tonne.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64886116
     
         
      Fossil fuels received £20bn more UK support than renewables since 2015 Thu, 9th Mar 2023 12:11:00
     
      Exclusive: One-fifth of money given directly to fossil fuel industry was to support new extraction and mining The UK government has given £20bn more in support to fossil fuel producers than those of renewables since 2015, the Guardian can reveal. The research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that while renewable energy was given £60bn in support over that time, fossil fuel companies were given close to £80bn. In 2020, renewable energy support was greater than fossil fuel support for the first time. However, fossil fuels have been receiving greater additional investment recently. From 2020 to 2021 they received an extra £1bn support from the government compared with 2020, a 10.7% increase. For renewable energy in the same year, total support for projects increased by just £1m, or 0.01%. Analysis by the House of Commons library found that a fifth of the money given directly to the fossil fuel industry was to support new extraction and mining. In 2021, support for fossil fuel extraction rose by 20% to nearly £2bn. Politicians have asked the government to put net zero at the heart of policy decisions instead of funding fossil fuel corporations. Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat climate and energy spokesperson, said: “It is extremely alarming that the Conservative government has been giving these staggering amounts to the fossil fuel industry. Not only have the Conservatives failed to properly tax the record profits of the oil and gas giants, they have showered these companies with taxpayer money too. “We have been through one of the toughest winters on record and the energy crisis is still biting hard. The government squandered the opportunity to shield us from these spiralling energy bills through their lack of long-term thinking. For years, they gave billions to the fossil fuel industry, rather than actually improving our energy security by investing properly in renewables. “This is just yet more proof of the government’s legacy of failure on climate change. They need to get a grip and start putting net zero at the heart of all our policy decisions. It will grant us the energy-secure, green future we desperately need.” She added that, when in the coalition government, the Liberal Democrats tripled renewable energy generation, and said the Lib Dems would also end new listings of fossil fuel companies on the London Stock Exchange and require existing fossil fuel companies to set out how they will transition to net zero. Fossil fuel companies have been criticised for not investing sufficiently in renewables, despite getting tax breaks and funding from government. Shell and BP made £32bn and £23bn in profit last year respectively while energy bills rose. Shell invested nearly £10bn into oil and gas projects over the year, compared with just £3bn in its renewable energy division. Similarly, BP has announced that it is scaling back the ambition for its emission-cutting targets. Previously, the fossil fuel producer had said it wanted to cut emissions by 35-40% by 2030, but now it has committed to a 20-30% reduction. A government spokesperson said: “This is utterly misleading analysis. The Climate Change Committee themselves have said we’ll still need some fossil fuels as part of our move towards the net zero target, which is why we must ensure we remain an attractive investment for all energy sectors, as we have consistently been for renewables. “Our domestic oil and gas industry have a vital role ensuring energy security and the transition to net zero, and alongside that since 2010 the UK has seen more than a 500% increase in the amount of renewable electricity capacity connected to the grid, making the UK a world leader in offshore wind with the most installed capacity in Europe. This will play a key role in achieving net zero by 2050, and will create thousands of new jobs around the country.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/09/fossil-fuels-more-support-uk-than-renewables-since-2015
     
         
      Native UK plants in catastrophic decline, major report finds Wed, 8th Mar 2023 10:19:00
     
      Parts of Britain's landscape today would be unrecognisable to someone who grew up just 70 years ago, a major survey of plant life suggests. Non-native species have thrived while some native plants have been hit by modern agriculture and climate change. In a 20-year study, botanists counted more non-native than native species in the wild. Thousands of volunteers counted millions of flora to produce a Plant Atlas covering the UK and Ireland. Britain is now one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. That decline in biodiversity is also the subject of a new BBC documentary, Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough. One in every five plant species in the UK is listed as threatened. The Plant Atlas 2020 is the third produced by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI). The findings are "catastrophic" for native species, explains Kevin Walker, head of science at the BSBI. "The loss of grasslands, heathlands and other habitats would be really shocking for someone brought up in the 1950s," he suggests. The survey also shows evidence for the first time of how climate change is affecting plant life, Dr Walker said. What is biodiversity? UK one of most nature-depleted in the world Five takeaways from biodiversity summit Thousands of volunteers recorded 3,445 plant species, of which 1,692 were native to Britain. But 1,753 were non-native flora that compete with native species and can become invasive. They usually escape from gardens or are thrown away for taking up too much space, but thrive in the wild. They includes the American Skunk cabbage and Japanese Rose. The areas where half the recorded species naturally thrive has declined since the 1950s, the survey found. Heather, Alpine Lady-fern, and Devil's-bit Scabious have decreasing ranges. But some species, including the Bee Orchid, Early Meadow-grass and Mossy Stonecrop, have expanded their ranges. Warmer temperatures further north means that some plants have been able to move into new areas where they can grow, but flora that live on top of mountains are dramatically declining as less snow falls. The decline in plant life is largely driven by increased use of land for intensive agriculture as well as pesticides in farming. These have removed land that flora grow on or altered the nutrient balance in soils. Insect, animal and human life depend on plants as pollinators must feed on flora and in turn help to produce food crops. The survey also found 10 new plants never before recorded, such as the Saltmarsh Sedge, an arctic plant found in Scottish saltmarshes. And some species were found to be more abundant than thought. That includes the shrub the Alpine Bearberry which was found in several new places after intensive recording in remote parts of northern Scotland. The most significant decline in flora was found in England followed by Scotland. Wales had the smallest reduction in species.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64842402
     
         
      South Africa's minister of electricity: Can Ramokgopa end load-shedding? Wed, 8th Mar 2023 9:35:00
     
      South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a minister of electricity - probably the least coveted job at the moment as the country is experiencing its worst-ever electricity crisis. Millions of people are without lights every day - sometimes for up to 10 hours - in cities and towns across South Africa. The power cuts, referred to as load-shedding, have caused much frustration, not least on the roads as traffic lights often do not work, causing gridlock. Fortunately, some beggars and homeless people have seized the opportunity to kit themselves out in reflective vests - and to take responsibility for directing traffic. I have been grateful for their intervention, especially when I have children in the car, worried that they are running late for school. In return, the self-appointed traffic officers expect some money or food, which most motorists - except the most miserly - have no problem giving. But it does make you wonder about the government. Why should homeless people have to direct traffic? Where are the hundreds of traffic officers, paid to do just that? The worsening power cuts are a new reality for many of us, and are anxiety-inducing. There have been frequent reports of burglaries in homes and businesses, and car hijackings as criminals strike under the cover of darkness. When the power is out mobile phone networks are also often down. This can be for hours, making communication difficult. For those who cannot afford alternative sources of power like generators - and they are the majority - it means cold dinners, and homework with a lamp or candle. The impact on the economy has been huge. Businesses have been closing down, and jobs have been shed as companies see their production costs rising as they have to get back-up power. Only two days in the last quarter of 2022 were without power cuts. To deal with the crisis, Mr Ramaphosa has appointed South Africa's first-ever minister of electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. He has a reputation of being a technocrat, who prefers working behind the scenes. Now, Mr Ramokgopa has been thrust into the spotlight. But he is no political novice, having served in provincial and local government, and was most recently the head of investment and infrastructure in the president's office. He has not yet unveiled his plans, but he will have to get grips with the problems at South Africa's only power company, state-owned Eskom. It is collapsing under the weight of an aging coal fleet, rampant corruption, sabotage by criminal cartels, and a leadership crisis - it has had 13 chief executive officers in just over a decade. Mr Ramaphosa has described Mr Ramokgopa as a "transitory" minister, which suggests the post may be scrapped at some point. Put simply, his job is to make sure the lights stay on in South Africa. The president has not set a deadline, but the governing African National Congress (ANC) has spoken of sorting out the power crisis by the end of the year, an ambitious target. There are already two powerful ministers dealing with the crisis. The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, and the Minister of Public Enterprise, Pravin Gordhan. Both are veteran politicians who have the traits of a bull in a china shop. They want things their own way, and do not always agree on a way forward. Mr Ramokgopa will need to get them to agree, and to even over-rule them if he thinks their plans are unviable. They have faced repeated criticism from the public for their failure to deliver. Some analysts see Mr Ramokgopa as a super minister, who will require the full backing of the president to end the turf wars in his cabinet, and to achieve energy security for South Africa There is no doubt that Mr Ramaphosa is under pressure. Parliamentary elections are due next year, and support for the ANC is likely to continue to dwindle if the blackouts do not end. But the greatest worry is for the economy - the latest official figures show Gross Domestic Product shrunk in the last three months of 2022. Overall the economy grew by only 2% last year, not enough to bring down the unemployment rate of 33%. So, the challenges are huge and South Africans are hoping that things get better - not worse.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64874059
     
         
      The students at the heart of the green jobs boom Tue, 7th Mar 2023 12:20:00
     
      The number of students on renewables-related courses in Scotland has soared by 70% in four years, figures reveal. Scottish Renewables found that 22,000 undergraduates were studying subjects which cover the sector, ranging from engineering to maths. The same survey in 2019 reported around 13,000 young people studying in similar areas. Scottish Renewables said it demonstrated the attractiveness of the industry. Scotland generates record amount of renewable electricity Scottish Power to recruit 1,000 green energy staff Could Scotland ever be 'the Saudi Arabia of renewables'? The figures come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to 33 colleges and universities. The research also showed the sector is currently dominated by men, with only 28% of students female. Ellice Mentiplay was among the minority: she is now a commercial graduate with EDF Renewables in Edinburgh. The 24-year-old was born in Perth, but her father's job in oil and gas meant she lived all over the world before finally returning to Scotland. Her degree at Abertay University was in environmental science which she followed with a masters in energy, society and sustainability at Edinburgh. 'It is going to be huge' On wind energy, she said: "I think offshore, particularly in Scotland, is just going to be huge in the future, especially with developments into things like floating offshore wind. "I wasn't really aware when I was younger that that was a job career path that I could go down. "Working in renewables means that I can also help the UK transition over to clean net zero energy." EDF runs Scotland's only nuclear power station at Torness in East Lothian. It is currently building the Neart na Gaoithe wind farm, off the coast of Fife. It is expected to generate its first electricity this year. And on the quayside at Dundee harbour, stacks of towers and turbine blades are waiting to be installed. Millie Anderson is a fourth year student in mechanical engineering with renewables at Dundee University. She is from the city and has no family connection with the energy sector but has always had a keen interest in engineering. The expanding nature of the renewables sector was the key selling point, as she believes the petroleum side is probably not going to grow. She said: "I definitely think it's more exciting than daunting because you've got so much more potential. It might mean certain things don't work out but that's part of the fun of it - figuring out what works. "It's not 'same old, same old.' It's different challenges, new challenges." The industry body Scottish Renewables said wind, solar and hydropower already provided the "vast majority" of Scotland's electricity and contributed more than £5.6bn to the economy. From their FOI figures, the most popular courses are engineering, with 5,373 students, followed by business and management. The colleges with the highest number of students studying renewables-related courses are Glasgow Caledonian, St Andrews and Glasgow. For Aaron Wilson, from Dunfermline, it was a family trip to a hydro-power station as a child which sparked his interest in energy. The 22-year-old is now studying a masters in sustainability at Dundee and wants to enter into environmental consultancy covering areas of policy and law. He said: "At the start I definitely believed that it might be difficult for me to actually be able to get a job but now I've seen the growth and it's becoming much more prominent. "Even consultancy companies have grown rapidly." Aaron believes there is a generational shift in attitudes towards tackling climate change through sustainability, and that younger people want roles which will help the energy transition. A report by Skills Development Scotland found that in 2021 there were about 100,000 "green jobs" although it said the figure could be far smaller. It said identifying the true number was difficult for many reasons, not least because there is no formal definition of a "green job." Some might be directly linked to sustainability or renewables engineering, whereas others might have greener elements, such as a plumber installing heat pumps. But it said almost 40% of all vacancies could now be described as "green jobs".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64865088
     
         
      Tropical Cyclone Freddy on track to become record-breaking storm Tue, 7th Mar 2023 10:57:00
     
      Tropical Cyclone Freddy - which is threatening communities in Madagascar and Mozambique for a second time in as many weeks – could become the longest-lasting storm of its kind on record, the World Meteorological Office (WMO) said on Tuesday. WMO continues to monitor the “remarkable” tropical storm, which has cut a destructive path across the two countries since it first developed a month ago. At least 21 people have been killed, and thousands more displaced, with the latest deaths reported in Madagascar on Monday. Major impact “Freddy is having a major socio-economic and humanitarian impact on affected communities. The death toll has been limited by accurate forecasts and early warnings, and coordinated disaster risk reduction action on the ground - although even one casualty is one too many,” said Dr Johan Stander, WMO Services Director. Tropical Cyclone Freddy developed off the North Australian coast, becoming a named storm on 6 February. It then crossed the entire South Indian Ocean before slamming into Madagascar on 21 February, and then Mozambique three days later. The storm brought heavy rains and flooding over several days before looping back towards the Mozambique Channel, picking up energy from the warm waters along the way, and then moving towards the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Death, displacement, destruction Freddy is now moving away from the area but is expected to intensify as it again heads towards Mozambique, according to the latest trajectory, which warns of heavy rains in the next 36 hours. The storm could make landfall at the end of the week, although the forecast is still too uncertain. The UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, on Monday reported that four people have died in Madagascar due to the latest rains, bringing the overall death toll there to 11. More than 3,100 people have been displaced and over 3,300 houses were flooded or destroyed. Meanwhile, 10 deaths have been reported in Mozambique, which was already experiencing flooding from heavy seasonal rains prior to the storm. The authorities estimate some 1.75 million people have been affected and over 8,000 displaced. A humanitarian operation is currently underway in the region, with further challenges expected once Freddy makes landfall again. ‘Remarkable’ and ‘rare’ “Meteorologically, Freddy has been a remarkable storm,” WMO said in a press release, adding that its journey across the entire Indian Ocean and onto Madagascar “is very rare”. Freddy has also set the record for having the highest accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) of any southern hemisphere storm in history, according to the US space agency NASA, referring to the index to measure the total amount of wind energy associated with a tropical cyclone over its lifetime. WMO continues to keep an eye on whether the storm will become the world’s longest lasting tropical cyclone. The current record holder, Hurricane/Typhoon John in the Central Pacific, lasted 31 days in 1994. “At this time, it does appear to be a new record holder for 'longest-lasting' recorded tropical cyclone...but we are continuing to monitor the situation,” said Randall Cerveny, the agency’s Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134262
     
         
      UN continues to support Pakistan flood response Tue, 7th Mar 2023 9:58:00
     
      Six months after the devastating floods in Pakistan, humanitarians have reached more than seven million people with food and other essential services, the United Nations has reported. The unprecedented flooding, triggered by severe monsoon rains, submerged a third of the country and resulted in some 1,700 deaths. Millions displaced, infrastructure damaged More than 33 million people were affected overall, or one in seven Pakistanis, while eight million were displaced and 13,000 injured, according to the UN Office in the country. Around one million livestock animals perished in the flood waters, which damaged 4.4 million acres of agricultural land and 2.2 million houses. Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water and sanitation facilities, roads, bridges and government buildings, were left in ruins. Child malnutrition worrying The UN and partners continue to support the Government-led response. “We are also supporting authorities to help communities recover, restore their livelihoods, and prepare for the next monsoon season in a few months,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking in New York on Monday. However, he reported that an $816 million appeal is only 30 per cent funded, and rates of child malnutrition remain of particular concern.? Mr. Dujarric said the UN Children’s Fund?(UNICEF) and partners have reached more than one million boys and girls in Pakistan, and close to 850,000?mothers, with lifesaving nutrition interventions that have helped avert a significant number of deaths.? But again, the response for child nutrition is only one third funded, leaving 12?million youngsters at risk of stunting. The UN’s health agency, WHO, has reached more than three million people with services, while the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided assistance to seven million Pakistanis, although four million people are still at risk. A 'climate catastrophe' UN Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Pakistan in September 2022 to show solidarity with the people in the wake of the tragedy, which he described as a “climate catastrophe”. “No country deserves this fate”, he declared, “but particularly not countries like Pakistan that have done almost nothing to contribute to global warming.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134302
     
         
      Climate change: Warming could raise UK flood damage bill by 20% Tue, 7th Mar 2023 9:03:00
     
      Researchers have produced a detailed "future flood map" of Britain - simulating the impact of flooding as climate change takes its toll. It has revealed that annual damage caused by flooding could increase by more than a fifth in today's terms over the next century. That could be reduced if pledges to reduce global carbon emissions are met. Climate change is set to have a particular impact on "hotspots" where homes and businesses are in harm's way. Even if climate change pledges are met - keeping temperature increase to around 1.8C - places including south-east England, north-west England and south Wales are set to experience significantly increased flooding. The detail in the new "flood risk map" also reveals locations that will be largely unaffected. This level of detail, the researchers say, is critical for planning decisions. To create these flood risk maps, the research team from Bristol University and Fathom - a company that assesses flood and climate risk - simulated all types of flooding in the coming decades. They used information about terrain, river flow, rainfall patterns and sea level to build a detailed picture of how much flood damage there would be to people's homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales. They combined this with Met Office climate predictions over the next century. The team is also currently modelling flooding in Northern Ireland to expand the forecasts to include the whole of the UK as the climate warms. Prepare for flooding now, public urged Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding The annual cost of flood damage across the UK currently, according to the Association of British Insurers, is £700m. Chief research officer at Fathom, Dr Oliver Wing, explained that it was crucial to understand how that "flood risk landscape" would change in a warming world, because it will be different for every community. "Our model shows that there are many places where flood risk is growing," said Dr Wing. "Being able to understand the communities where this is likely to happen allows us to make sensible investment decisions - about flood defence structures, natural flood management or even moving people out of harm's way." Calder Valley in West Yorkshire is one of the areas at particularly high risk from flooding caused by heavy rain. Katie Kimber, from community volunteer group Slow the Flow, explained that the steep-sided valley meant that run-off swelled the river quickly. "When it happens it's really fast - it's a wave of destruction," she told BBC News. "Then it's a case of clearing up the damage - it's mentally and physically very hard for people here." During the 2015 Boxing Day floods, more than 3,000 properties were flooded in the Calder Valley, causing an estimated £150m of damage. After the clean-up, Katie and other volunteers started their own flood-prevention efforts, with the help of the National Trust. "We're essentially creating speed bumps for the water running down the hillside [before it gets to the homes and businesses below]," she explained. "We're stuffing the channels with branches." The community members also dig diversion channels to divert and slow water down. Calderdale is a flood hotspot on the new map. But many places are set to see very little change or - when it comes to flood risk - actually improve, Dr Wing explained. Those areas include swathes of north-east and central England as well as eastern and northern Scotland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64866058
     
         
      A new kind of virtual power plant Tue, 7th Mar 2023 9:00:00
     
      The Finnish government awarded a grant of 3.9 million euros ($4.2 million) last month to the telecommunications company Elisa to build a “distributed energy storage” system for its electrical grid — a way of storing renewable energy so it can be strategically deployed to meet demand. The system’s planned capacity of 150 megawatt-hours would make it the largest virtual power plant in Europe. A virtual power plant is a decentralized network of devices that generate or store energy, like rooftop solar panels and batteries. When energy demand is high, the devices feed power into the main electric grid. When demand is low, excess energy from wind and solar can be used to charge the network’s distributed batteries (which can include the batteries in electric vehicles). Such systems address the problem of “intermittency” posed by renewable energy, helping ensure a steady supply of electricity even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. The new project from Elisa would focus on battery storage, using thousands of batteries at the company’s radio base stations to store excess wind energy from the grid and deploy it when it’s needed. “It is critical for society that we have an energy supply that is affordable, secure, and sustainable, and the potential for distributed energy storage of telecom networks to contribute to this is huge,” Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita, Elisa’s vice president of artificial intelligence and special projects, said in a statement. The battery storage system that would be created by Elisa’s virtual power plant would be one of Europe’s largest. Energy experts have long touted virtual power plants as a promising climate solution, and they’ve gained traction outside Europe. Across the U.S., residential solar companies have created virtual power plants from their customers’ rooftop solar panels, while other groups have plans to create them by retrofitting blighted homes. The electric vehicle company Tesla has developed similar projects in Australia and Japan, boosted by millions of dollars in public funding.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-new-kind-of-virtual-power-plant/
     
         
      Brahmapuram fire: India's Kochi city covered in toxic haze from waste dump fire Mon, 6th Mar 2023 12:38:00
     
      Indian firefighters are trying to put out a fire at a waste plant which has led to a toxic smoke cover over many areas in Kochi city in Kerala state. The fire began last week at a local waste management plant which processes tonnes of waste every day. Residents have been advised to remain indoors and use N-95 masks if they step out. Local authorities have also announced that schools will be shut for younger children. In an update on Sunday, the state government had said that the fire was under control and would be extinguished soon. Fires are often reported at massive landfills in many parts of India, mostly because of the methane generated as the waste decomposes. The Brahmapuram waste plant, located near the edge of Kochi city, is known for the massive mounds of waste on its premises. The plant is owned and operated by Kochi city authorities. Officials say fires here are common at this time of the year due to the extreme heat. Locals have protested earlier against the fires and the alleged health hazard caused by the burning of plastic here. It's not clear yet what led to the latest fire. A firefighter told the Press Trust of India that layers of plastic had heated up underneath the mounds of waste, delaying the operation. The smoke generated by the fire was also causing nausea and dizziness among the firefighters. At least 20 officials from the fire department had developed breathing issues from exposure to the toxic smoke, reports said. The state's health minister Veena George has advised elderly people, children, pregnant women and those with respiratory issues to avoid exposure to the smoke. Ms George said the administration had made arrangements in all of the city's hospitals to treat patients with respiratory diseases but added that no major health issues had been reported so far. The city police has launched an investigation into the fire. The state's pollution control board has issued a notice to local authorities, asking them to pay 18 million rupees ($220,000; £182,798) as penalty for failing to follow waste management rules.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64835273
     
         
      105 countries support this climate justice resolution Mon, 6th Mar 2023 4:05:00
     
      More than 100 of the United Nations’ 193 member states have now signed onto a climate resolution calling for the International Court of Justice to weigh in on what governments are legally obligated to do to mitigate climate change and protect people from its impacts. “[C]limate change is an unprecedented challenge of civilizational proportions,” reads the resolution, spearheaded by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. It invokes the many commitments that the U.N. has made to human rights and the environment, arguing that an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice is needed to spur more aggressive climate action — particularly from the governments of wealthy countries that bear a disproportionate responsibility for rising global temperatures. The International Court of Justice, one of the six bodies of the U.N., has no enforcement powers, but experts say its opinion could influence climate lawsuits and international negotiations in favor of vulnerable countries. The resolution notes that rich countries have failed to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance for the developing world, which they had promised to do by 2020. It also says more “capacity building and technology transfer” is needed to help developing countries cope with loss and damage from sea-level rise, ocean acidification, drought, and climate-related extreme weather events. These disasters are already costing countries like Vanuatu hundreds of millions of dollars, destroying people’s homes and livelihoods. The resolution is now supported by 105 co-sponsors, including most European, African, and Pacific island countries. Australia, Canada, and Mexico also back the plan, but a handful of oil-rich countries — including the United States — have yet to support it. A final draft of the resolution was formally uploaded to the U.N.’s delegate portal late last month so it can be adopted later this spring by the U.N.’s General Assembly, the organization’s main policy-making body. To pass the resolution, Vanuatu needs support from a simple majority of U.N. member states — which it seems to already have, although the country’s legal adviser at the U.N. has said they’re seeking even greater support to send a “signal” to the court.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/105-countries-support-this-climate-justice-resolution/
     
         
      Washington state polluters now have to pay for their emissions Fri, 3rd Mar 2023 12:07:00
     
      Washington state kicked off an ambitious effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions from big polluters on Tuesday when it held its first auction for carbon allowances. The program, known as “cap-and-invest,” was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in 2021 as part of a broader piece of legislation called the Climate Commitment Act. It sets a gradually declining cap on the cumulative carbon emissions allowed from a swath of the state’s biggest polluters, including oil refineries, agribusinesses, and large universities like the University of Washington. The law applies to most businesses that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases every year, requiring them to buy allowances from the state’s Department of Ecology for every metric ton of their emissions. Allowances will become more expensive over time, making pollution increasingly costly. The system is designed to help Washington meet its goal of slashing climate pollution 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Environmental groups in Washington state cheered the $1.7 billion in revenue it’s expected to generate over the next two years, which will be used to fund further efforts to reduce climate pollution. “These investments will be absolutely critical to meet our greenhouse gas goals and ensure that we transition to clean energy,” Kelly Hall, Washington state director for the nonprofit Climate Solutions, told me. Hall also applauded the program’s focus on environmental justice. The Climate Commitment Act requires that at least 35 percent of the revenue go toward projects that benefit “overburdened communities.” It also expands Washington’s air quality monitoring program so the state can crack down on industrial facilities and other polluters whose emissions disproportionately affect people of color. Washington now joins more than a dozen other U.S. states that participate in a cap-and-trade program. Twelve of them — including Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York — are part of the East Coast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which has regulated climate pollution from the region’s power sector since 2009. California established its own economy-wide cap-and-trade system in 2013. With Oregon regulators approving a carbon market for major polluters in late 2021, the entire West Coast is now subject to some version of a cap-and-trade system.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/washington-state-polluters-now-have-to-pay-for-their-emissions/
     
         
      Scotland first to ban environmentally harmful anaesthetic Fri, 3rd Mar 2023 10:59:00
     
      Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anaesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to the environment. NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide. Banning it in Scotland - from its peak use in 2017 - would cut emissions equal to powering 1,700 homes a year. UK hospitals have already cut down. In the last few years, more than 40 hospital trusts in England and a number of hospitals in Wales have stopped using it. NHS England will introduce a similar ban from 2024, which - like Scotland - prohibits its use for anything but exceptional circumstances. Banning it across NHS hospitals in England would cut harmful emissions equivalent to those caused by powering 11,000 homes every year, according to NHS analysis of desflurane use in 2020. Other countries, including many in Europe, are likely to make similar moves in the next few years. Dr Kenneth Barker, anaesthetist and clinical lead for Scotland's national green theatres programme, said he was shocked to find the anaesthetic drug he had used for more than a decade for many major and routine operations was so harmful to the environment. "I realised in 2017 that the amount of desflurane we used in a typical day's work as an anaesthetist resulted in emissions equivalent to me driving 670 miles that day," he said. "I decided to stop using it straight away and many fellow anaesthetists have got on board. "When you are faced with something as obvious as this and with the significance it has to the environment - I am very glad we have got to this stage." Many hospitals have switched to safe and effective anaesthetic gases with less warming potential such as sevoflurane, which has a global warming potential 130 times that of carbon dioxide, or to using alternative non-gaseous anaesthetics and more efficient equipment. Scottish Health and Social Care Secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: "Programmes like this are key to our transition to become a net-zero health service, whilst ensuring patient safety remains at the heart of every clinical decision. Greener NHS 'must help fight climate change' The NHS’s 'first climate friendly' operation Meanwhile. Dr Helgi Johannsson, vice president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, told the BBC: "More and more anaesthetists across the UK have become aware of the sheer extent of the damage the gas can cause to the environment and have chosen to stop using it - and I am proud of that." But he warns it is only the start and just "a drop in the ocean of the NHS carbon footprint". He explained: "The NHS is a really carbon-intensive industry. We need to concentrate on all the other major things that can make a difference too - such as tackling old hospital buildings that are difficult to heat and reducing the journeys patients take." Overall, anaesthetic gasses make up about 2-5% of the NHS's carbon footprint, and efforts are under way to tackle other medical gases like nitrous oxide. NHS England's net-zero strategy includes looking at more environmentally friendly heating and lighting systems, greener vehicles and examining the environmental impact of how medicines and equipment are supplied to the NHS.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-64347191
     
         
      Californians snow-stranded as twisters hit Texas and Louisiana Fri, 3rd Mar 2023 10:04:00
     
      Snow-stranded Californians in mountain communities are desperately digging out after a "once-in-a-generation" winter storm, even as more snow was forecast for the weekend. In the latest US wild weather, twisters touched down at the other end of the country, in Texas and Louisiana. Forecasters warned of more severe weather in the southern Plains and into areas of Arkansas and Mississippi. Storm systems have caused widespread power outages across the country. On Wednesday night, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for 13 counties to push the pace of disaster response and relief. Power outages continued to affect parts of the state with more than 51,000 without power as of Thursday evening, according to tracking site poweroutage.us. The state's popular Yosemite National Park has been closed indefinitely after record-breaking snowfall last week. In San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, around-the-clock snow removal is underway, but it could take more than a week to reach some areas. The California National Guard has arrived to help with the disaster relief effort underway in the San Bernardino mountains, according to CBS News, BBC's partner network in the US. Cal Guard helicopters were seen surveying Crestline Thursday afternoon, searching for an area to set up sites to distribute supplies for any rescue efforts, it said. Many residents remained trapped in their homes there. The county has set up a hotline for residents dealing with issues like frozen pipes, roof problems and food shortages. Mariam Magana and her family have been snowed in at their Crestline Airbnb for nearly a week - and their food rations have been running low, she told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. "Our three-day vacation turned into a horrific nightmare," she said. Their cars are buried in 7ft of snow, and they have called the county's emergency line and California Highway Patrol - but help has yet to arrive. She said they were also concerned about access to medication after her children have had to use both EpiPens - prescribed to people with potentially serious allergies - they had available. One resident shared photos of his nearly six-mile trek through the snow for groceries on Twitter. To feed his family of five, he used a sled to transport the supplies. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts rain and additional heavy mountain snows to return to northern California on Saturday. The NWS also warned of widespread damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes in the southern parts of the country. "Flash flood will also be possible from north Texas and eastern Oklahoma into Arkansas and the mid-Mississippi Valley," the NWS said in its latest forecast. More than 345,000 homes and businesses in Texas were without power as of Thursday evening. The same forecast predicts record warmth will continue across portions of Florida on Friday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64821309
     
         
      Rochford: Child protection referral lodged after oak tree loss Fri, 3rd Mar 2023 9:56:00
     
      A child protection referral related to traffic pollution has been lodged after a decision to fell an oak tree. The 100-year-old tree in Rochford, Essex, was cut down to make way for a new road junction and 662 homes. District councillor Julie Gooding said she took the action, believed to be the first in the UK, because children at nearby schools were "at risk of significant harm" from extra pollution. Rochford District Council said it was installing more air quality monitors. The council originally rejected the proposals for the Ashingdon Road development, but Bloor Homes was granted planning permission following a public inquiry in January 2022. The tree was felled on 13 February following months of protests, including a 15-week demonstration at the tree. Independent councillor Ms Gooding, who left the Conservative group last week, made the referral to Essex County Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. She said the extra pollution generated from the increased traffic for the development posed a "risk of significant harm" for the 500 pupils at nearby Holt Farm Infant and Junior schools. In an email to members at the county and district councils, she said: "The process currently under way has increased the amount of extra pollution from the construction trucks flowing into the entrance of the development area which is outside the school gates. "I have spoken to families [who] say they are worried and frightened and concerned, and it is my role then to escalate that." The Climate Child Protection and Safeguarding Team (CCPAST), which describes itself as a group of professionals working in child protection which focuses on the risks and harms presented by the climate emergency, has written in support of the referral. It said pupils were currently experiencing "high levels of air pollution" and the loss of the tree had "likely increased their exposure to this source of physical and developmental harm". A spokesman said: "In circumstances like this, where trees, nature's air filter, are being removed in order to increase heavy goods vehicle traffic next to a school, this needs investigating under the Children Act. "Rochford Council's action is the first child protection referral in the UK related to environmental impacts on children and it won't be the last." LTNs do not create more congestion, research shows Will Low Traffic Neighbourhoods drive the elections? The Swedish message to UK congestion charge cities An Essex County Council spokesman said all referrals to the authority "receive proper consideration". Rochford District Council said it had 13 monitors across the district, which, since 2017, "had not recorded any exceedances of the government targets". "As part of the ongoing monitoring programme the council is in the process of adding additional monitors near all of the schools on the district - this includes the Holt Farm schools," a statement said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-64833711
     
         
      Airlines sue Dutch government over flight cuts Fri, 3rd Mar 2023 9:41:00
     
      Five airlines are suing the Dutch government over plans to cut the number of flights operating from Europe's third-busiest airport. The government cited local concerns at Amsterdam Schiphol about the impact of flying on noise pollution and climate in its decision. Airlines KLM, Easyjet, Delta, Tui and Corenden say the plans are in breach of EU and international law. The cap would reduce the annual number of flights from 500,000 to 440,000. The government says it wants to strike a balance between the economic benefits of a large airport and a healthy living environment, prioritising tackling noise pollution. Global aviation is responsible for 2.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. These gases warm the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change. On Friday, KLM announced its intention to challenge the government's plans along with the four other airlines. In a statement the companies said they are "confident they can reduce noise levels and CO2 emissions while maintaining a network of destinations for the millions of passengers and tonnes of cargo they carry annually to and from Schiphol." The International Air Transport Association is supporting the legal action with a separate challenge, claiming "no meaningful consultation" with the industry has been undertaken. Should you fly, drive or take the train? World aviation agrees 'aspirational' net zero plan Airlines miss all but one target - report In response, a spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure said: "As we are currently facing a potential legal procedure we cannot at this time respond to the arguments shared by KLM and other parties." They pointed to the ministry's decision to reduce the number of flights, which highlights that residents are concerned about noise pollution and "the impact of the airport on their health, the natural environment and the climate more generally." The aviation industry globally is wrestling with the challenge of reducing its carbon footprint, including by investing in the development of greener fuels. "The aviation industry is pursuing a net-zero CO2 emissions goal. This will be achieved primarily through sustainable aviation fuels and new technology. Displacing flights from one airport to another is not going to tackle aviation emissions," an IATA spokesperson told BBC News. Last week scientists at the Royal Society warned that climate-friendly flying remains out of reach as there are currently no clear alternatives to jet fuel. Demand for flights is expected to increase despite the growing threat to the planet from global warming. Some environmentalists say that taxes should be introduced to discourage frequent flying.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64842394
     
         
      Climate change: NI 'needs radical action' to meet net zero goal Thu, 2nd Mar 2023 13:00:00
     
      Northern Ireland will fall well short of a 2050 net zero emissions target unless "radical action" is taken, says the Climate Change Committee (CCC). The CCC says measures including a reduction in livestock by a third and an increase in electric vehicles within a decade will not be enough. Stormont set the net-zero goal in 2022. In a report, the CCC proposes an alternative option to cut 83% of emissions but says even this would be "extremely challenging". The committee advises the government on emissions targets and reports to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its latest advice is that it has not seen sufficiently ambitious policy in Northern Ireland to meet either net-zero or interim targets. "That must change," the committee warns. One of the CCC's proposed options, called the "updated balanced pathway", would see most sectors completely decarbonised by 2050. That pathway includes reducing livestock by almost a third, decarbonising electricity generation while meeting rising demand, significantly increasing peatland restoration, and requiring new cars and vans to be zero emission by the early 2030s. But the committee says that will not be enough to fully reach net zero by 2050 due to residual emissions from the agriculture sector which is more economically significant in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK. The committee has also developed what it calls a "stretch ambition" plan that achieves a 93% reduction, compared with 1990 levels. But again, that is still short of the net-zero target set in the Climate Change Bill passed by Stormont last year. Tree planting 'must triple to hit environment aims' What does net zero mean? The pathway to reaching a 93% reduction would require tree planting to increase to 3,100 hectares a year, six times higher than the rate reported in 2021-22. It would also include "engineered removals" based on carbon capture and storage, which the committee said would require significant investment and infrastructure development. 'Speculative pathways' To balance the residual emissions from agriculture, two "speculative pathways" have also been considered - one with deployment of direct air capture (DAC) technology and another where livestock numbers are halved. But the committee warns that DAC technology is expected to be costly and challenging to deliver. Its assessment is that "some DAC deployment would be required" but lowering livestock numbers would reduce that need significantly. The committee adds that it is up to Northern Ireland to decide whether to pursue other speculative options in addition to DAC. Based on the DAC speculative option and without further reductions in livestock numbers, the committee has set the following targets consistent with the legislated net-zero target: the first, second and third carbon budgets to be set at levels that have average annual reductions of 33%, 48% and 62%, on 1990 levels respectively the 2030 and 2040 interim targets to be set at reductions of 48% and 77% on 1990 levels respectively The advice report from the committee says there are "essential new policy requirements" for the Northern Ireland Executive to meet the net-zero legal target and interim targets. line Analysis: Failure will come with consequences When Stormont politicians voted to set a net-zero target in the face of warnings that it was not possible, they may have been thinking of that quote from Beckett's Worstward Ho: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." But the problem with legally-binding targets, especially in climate change, is that you don't get a do-over. This report makes clear that the decision by the assembly to limit the reduction in methane emissions, mostly produced by farming, to 46% has had a real impact on any chance of getting properly close to net zero. That is not to say efforts are not being made - they are, right across all sectors, and many are commendable in their vision and bravery. That vision may be part of why the balanced pathway now sets an 83% reduction, rather than the 82% the committee previously believed was possible. But the lack of policy can only hinder the very rapid upscaling needed to go beyond that. The committee report is stern in its language and reinforces that the net-zero target is now legally binding - failure will come with consequences.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-64816402
     
         
      Niger to join crucial UN transboundary water-sharing accord Thu, 2nd Mar 2023 12:09:00
     
      Niger announced on Thursday that it is to join a key UN water-sharing agreement with its Lake Chad neighbours in the increasingly drought-prone Sahel region. The development comes ahead of the UN water summit in New York next month, where countries will gather to find solutions to tensions caused by water scarcity. ‘Decisive step’ Niger’s decision to accede to the Water Convention is a “decisive step” for the region since it gives Lake Chad – whose volume has shrunk by more than 90 per cent since 1963 – full legal protection under the Convention’s framework. Equally important is the opportunity all Parties to the accord now have to make progress together on water access, sanitation, hygiene and health, said UNECE, the UN body tasked with implementing the Convention. “Water scarcity in particular threatens the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on rain-fed agriculture and livestock,” UNECE explained. “In recent decades, competition for land, water, and food has intensified in the region, leading to increased instability, particularly around Lake Chad and in the Niger River basin.” Chad and Cameroon are already parties to the Convention and Nigeria is in the process of becoming a signatory, too. For Niger, the decision to join the agreement is significant, because it shares 90 per cent of its water resources with its neighbours. Water needs rise The landlocked West African country faces many other looming problems linked to its water needs, as demand rises in line with its growing population, and as urbanization, farming and industrialization contribute to existing pressures on the shared resource. The UN has previously warned that the drying up of Lake Chad could impact heavily on the 30 million people living around it, as they compete over water, with forced migration and conflicts the result. Food stocks dwindling Fish production has recorded a 60 per cent decline, while pasturelands have been degraded, resulting in a shortage of animal feed, livestock and biodiversity, UNECE noted. “The Water Convention constitutes a legal framework whose implementation, in addition to regional frameworks and national instruments, will certainly contribute to supporting our country's efforts in transboundary cooperation on our shared basins, conflict prevention, peace promotion and sub-regional integration,” said Niger’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Adamou Mahaman. The Water Convention – a legally binding international agreement - requires countries to prevent, control and reduce the impact of their water usage across their borders and to use transboundary waters in a reasonable and equitable way, while also promoting their sustainable management, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134062
     
         
      US solar and wind surged in 2022 Wed, 1st Mar 2023 12:11:00
     
      The United Sates’ installed solar and wind capacity grew by 13 gigawatts in 2022 to a total of more than 238 gigawatts, according to a new analysis from Climate Central, a nonprofit science communication organization. The amount of electricity generated by wind and solar grew even more quickly, jumping from 588,471 gigawatt-hours in 2021 to 683,130 in 2022 — enough to power about 64 million average American households. About three-quarters of this electricity generation was from wind, and the remaining quarter was from solar. Federal data shows that wind and solar provided about 15 percent of the United States’ total electricity generation in 2021. Some states contributed more to the growth than others. Texas, for example, dominated the country in last year’s renewables surge, adding more solar and wind capacity than any other U.S. state. Experts say this is because Texas has built many transmission lines to transport moving wind power from where it’s generated to population centers, and because there are fewer regulatory hurdles there for energy development. “Texas is rich in wind speed and rich in sun,” Irfan Khan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Texas A&M University, told the Guardian. Oklahoma came in a distant second place for added wind capacity, and California was just behind Texas in new solar capacity. Overall, sunny Southern states led the nation in solar capacity, and states in the breezy Midwest led in wind power. The trend shows that renewables development can transcend partisan politics: Four of the top five states with the most wind capacity went to former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, as did three of the top five states with the most solar capacity. The report paints a sunny picture of the U.S. renewable energy sector and its ability to keep expanding. “A lot of sectors need to contribute to get us to net-zero,” Jen Brady, Climate Central’s manager of analysis and production, told me, “but we found good alignment with the direction we’re going and where we need to get to in the renewables sector.” While recent growth trajectories aren’t fast enough for the U.S. to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the authors predict that that could soon change, thanks in part to new incentives for wind and solar expansion included in the landmark climate spending bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last summer.
       
      Full Article: https://email.ionos.co.uk/appsuite/?tl=y#!!&app=io.ox/mail&folder=default0/INBOX
     
         
      Summer: India sees hottest February ever with more pain ahead Wed, 1st Mar 2023 12:01:00
     
      India is likely to face a blistering summer after recording its hottest February since 1901, its weather department has said. Average maximum temperature was 29.5C in February, the highest since India started keeping proper weather records. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also forecast "enhanced probability" of heatwaves between March and May. Prolonged heat could affect wheat production and push up power demand. "Above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of northeast India, east and central India and some parts of northwest India" from March to May, the IMD said in a statement on Tuesday. The forecast comes days after the weather department issued and later withdrew its first heatwave alert for the year in parts of western India after conditions improved. Hot summers and heatwaves are common in India, especially in May and June. But like last year, summer seems set to begin earlier this year - last March was India's hottest since 1901. Experts have also said that India is now experiencing more intense, frequent heatwaves that are longer in duration. Last year, India was forced to ban wheat exports after unseasonably hot weather affected the crop, sending local prices soaring. In February, the federal government set up a committee to monitor the impact of high temperatures on this year's harvest. Reuters had cited an unnamed government official as saying at the time that "the current crop condition looks good". India is the world's second biggest wheat producer. The unusually high temperatures had also triggered a spike in power demand last year, leading to outages in many states. This year too, demand for electricity has already reached near-record levels in recent weeks, Bloomberg reported. Many experts have also been raising concerns about the effect of extreme heat on poor people, who often have to work outside and less access to resources to help them stay cool. "Heatwaves can have serious health consequences. If temperatures are high even at night, the body doesn't get a chance to recuperate, increasing the possibility of illnesses and higher medical bills," Dr Chandni Singh, an environmental scientist, told the BBC last year. India saw a 55% rise in deaths due to extreme heat between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021, according to a study published last year in the medical journal, The Lancet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64807205
     
         
      Mallorca hit by heavy snow as Storm Juliette hits Spain - bringing freezing temperatures as low as -15.8C to the mainland Tue, 28th Feb 2023 16:09:00
     
      Weather experts have warned of particularly heavy snow across the island's Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, with lower amounts of snowfall "even at sea level". Heavy snow has hit the Spanish island of Mallorca, with Storm Juliette sweeping across the country. The island, a top holiday destination usually known for its warm weather and sunny beaches, has been hit with snow and cold temperatures, dropping as low as -2C (28.4F). A red weather alert is in place due to large waves on the north side of the island, with Spanish officials AEMET (State Meteorological Agency) warning of 8 metre (26ft) waves. Weather experts have also warned of up to 40cm (15inch) of snow could accumulate at the peak of the island's Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, with lower amounts of snowfall "even at sea level". It comes as temperatures in parts of central mainland Spain dropped as low as -15.8C (3.5F). In a post on Twitter, AEMET said: "It is snowing at low levels of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, even at sea level. "Strom Juliette will continue to generate snowfall on Tuesday. On Wednesday they could be more copious in the north of the peninsula. "All this, with intense cold." AEMET said temperatures also hit as low as -15.8C (3.5F) in Molina de Aragón, an area of central Spain located between the cities of Madrid and Zaragoza.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/mallorca-hit-by-heavy-snow-as-storm-juliette-hits-spain-bringing-freezing-temperatures-as-low-as-15-8c-to-the-mainland-12822113
     
         
      New York City expects biggest snowfall of the season Tue, 28th Feb 2023 12:42:00
     
      A new coast-to-coast winter storm is forecast to pummel parts of California, the Midwest and US north-east this week. Parts of the north-east could see up to 8in (20cm) of snow, the National Weather Service (NWS) said, with New York City getting 2-6in. Further heavy snow is forecast on the other side of the country for California's mountainous areas. It comes as 12 people were injured by tornadoes in Oklahoma. "New York City will be on the southern edge of the heaviest snowfall and could mix with sleet at times, limiting snowfall amounts to the 2-6-[inch] range, but still likely the biggest snowstorm of the season," the NWS said in its latest forecast. New Yorkers have had an unusually snow-free winter so far. Winter storm warnings are also in effect for all of Connecticut and Rhode Island. On Monday, residents of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas were urged to seek shelter as tornadoes and powerful winds hit the region. In Oklahoma, seven tornadoes were reported to have hit the state late on Sunday. Footage emerged showing overturned cars and homes with collapsed roofs due to the strong winds. A wind speed of 114mph (183km/h) was recorded in northern Texas near the border with Oklahoma - the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane. The NWS and experts have said that the weather pattern probably qualifies as a "derecho", a rare weather pattern characterised by extremely strong straight-line winds. Parts of Michigan, where more than 151,000 people remained without power after a winter storm last week, are also expected to be hit again. Californians have already faced mass power outages, flooding and the closures of both motorways and beaches as a winter storm swept that US state. More than 120,000 people - many of them in the Los Angeles area - lost electricity after days of fierce winds. As of Monday evening, around 48,500 homes in California remained without power. Yosemite National Park will remain closed until Wednesday because of severe winter conditions. Residents of the state capital of Sacramento have been warned to avoid travel until Wednesday with rain and snow starting up again.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64789869
     
         
      EU carbon price hits 100 euros Tue, 28th Feb 2023 9:14:00
     
      The price of carbon in the European Union rose above 100 euros ($106) per metric ton of emissions for the first time last week, crossing a symbolic threshold that experts say could spur more carbon reduction measures across polluting industries. The carbon price is part of the EU’s Emissions Trading System, which sets an annually declining cap on the amount of allowable carbon dioxide emissions for a swath of polluting industries in the EU. Within the cap, all manufacturing facilities, power plants, airlines, and other major emitters are required to buy tradable emissions allowances. Carbon is priced per metric ton, and a higher price means a higher incentive to cut emissions. (Some hard-to-decarbonize industries, however, are given a limited number of free permits.) The EU’s carbon price oscillates from month to month, but it’s been on a swift upward trajectory since 2020, when EU lawmakers implemented new rules to accelerate the bloc’s decarbonization efforts. At some points that year, carbon cost less than 20 euros ($21) per metric ton, compared to the all-time high of 101 euros ($107) that was reached last Tuesday. Traders said cooler weather forecasts and an expected lack of wind power this month also nudged the carbon price up by increasing demand for power from Europe’s coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. When these plants ramp up electricity production, their owners have to buy more carbon credits. To achieve bloc-wide carbon neutrality by 2050, EU lawmakers plan to continue driving down the cap on carbon emissions until it reaches zero — potentially by 2039, pending ratification of new rules that the EU agreed to in December. Analysts say this will drive the carbon price even higher over the coming years. “It’s going to increase further, just because we know that in 2038 there won’t be any more allowances in the system,” Juliette de Grandpré, an expert at the environmental think tank NewClimate Institute, told the Associated Press. “That’s only 15 years from now.” In the meantime, the EU is also phasing out the distribution of free carbon permits for sectors that are at risk relocating to parts of the world without a carbon price. These free allocations are set to be replaced by a tax on carbon-intensive goods imported from abroad, such as iron, cement, and steel.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/eu-carbon-price-hits-100-euros/
     
         
      It's time to explore reflecting sunlight back into space to tackle climate crisis, says UN Tue, 28th Feb 2023 8:48:00
     
      The UN looked at Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) technologies which aim to cool the Earth rapidly by reflecting a small amount of sunlight back into space. It concluded while such technology is not recommended as of yet, "this view may change should climate action remain insufficient". Global efforts to tackle climate change are currently insufficient, meaning it is time to explore technologies to reflect sunlight hitting the Earth back into space, a UN report has said. With efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions "not on track to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal", the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said: "Climate change continues to worsen, with some of its impacts already irreversible." The UNEP report looked at Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) technologies, which aim to cool the Earth rapidly by reflecting a small percentage of sunlight back into space. It concluded that while the use of such technology was not recommended at this time, "this view may change should climate action remain insufficient". It comes as more than 60 scientists signed an open letter calling for further research into the strategy, which is sometimes referred to as "solar geoengineering". The UNEP report said SRM "is the only option that could cool the planet within years" but would need to be maintained for "several decades to centuries" at a cost of tens of billions of dollars a year per 1C cooling. Some scientists think the technology could be developed within 10 years. However, UNEP said it "requires far more research into its risks and benefits before any consideration for potential deployment". 'Critical unresolved issues' It warned there are currently "critical unresolved issues overall" including "significant uncertainties on the social and environmental impacts of SRM, and its safety and viability". The impacts of SRM on low and middle-income countries are "understudied", it said, "even though these countries are often on the frontlines of climate change and would face the potential impacts of SRM technologies should they be deployed". "Climate change is taking the world into uncharted lands, and the search is on for all viable solutions," said Andrea Hinwood, UNEP chief scientist. "However, all new technologies must be clearly understood, and potential risks or impacts identified before being put into use. "The private sector and regulators need to address the basic uncertainties surrounding these technologies, answer some fundamental questions about safety and employ the precautionary principle before SRM can even be contemplated."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/its-time-to-explore-reflecting-sunlight-back-into-space-to-tackle-climate-crisis-says-un-12821824
     
         
      INTERVIEW: Turn the tide on water crisis with game-changing commitments, urge co-hosts of UN conference Tue, 28th Feb 2023 5:12:00
     
      Water is life, yet this vital natural resource is being depleted, polluted and mismanaged. Disruption to the hydrological cycle is also causing more water-related disasters. To tackle the challenges, the United Nations will convene in March one of the most important water events in history at its Headquarters in New York. Bringing together Governments, institutions, banks, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), youth, women, indigenous peoples and many other stakeholders from around the world, the UN 2023 Water Conference (22 to 24 March) will seek to find game-changing solutions to the multifaceted global crisis of ‘too much water’, such as storms and floods; ‘too little water’, such as droughts and groundwater scarcity; and ‘too dirty water’, such as polluted drinking water. Ambassadors of the Conference co-hosts, Yoka?Brandt, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN, and Jonibek Ismoil?Hikmat,?Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the?UN, spoke about the issues at stake and discussed how the world can unite for water action. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. UN News: Why is water an issue so important to your country and the rest of the world? Yoka?Brandt: For us, water is, has always been, and will always remain a priority issue. Our country, with its low-lying river delta on the North Sea and small islands in the Caribbean, was quite literally shaped by water. Over the past centuries, we have gained a lot of experience in dealing and living with water. And like others, we continuously face new challenges, such as droughts and floods, and the consequences of a rising sea-level both in Europe and the Caribbean. Despite these challenges, water can be a convener and connector, and, if managed well, even a catalyst for equity, prosperity and sustainability. More than 900 years ago, our country recognized the capacity of water to be a platform to bring us together across divides, vested interests and across the borders and barriers we created. This was institutionalized through our water governance model and cooperation with regional water authorities. Water security has been firmly embedded in our laws, policies and budgets. And we continue to explore with others new avenues and approaches on how to prepare and revalue water for the benefit of all and for our planet. Jonibek Hikmat: Water is close to our heart. Tajikistan is a mountainous country blessed with abundant water resources. For over two decades, it has been actively championing this noble cause through its water-related initiatives. To date, our Government has initiated eight water-related UN General Assembly resolutions. Our global initiatives on freshwater, international cooperation, water for life, and now water for sustainable development have been contributing immensely to advancing water-related goals. Indeed, partnership and cooperation are two great recipes for our success in this journey, which brought both the upstream and downstream countries as co-hosts to lead this important and ambitious Conference. UN News: Is the world on track to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals by 2030? Jonibek Hikmat: The progress on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and other Goals are lagging due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crises and conflicts. We must work up to four times faster to get on track to meet SDG 6 – to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The Water Conference is a good opportunity for all of us to review and assess the progress achieved and the gaps and constraints we faced in the implementation of these goals. It is also a good opportunity to strengthen cooperation and partnership to catalyze and accelerate water actions. UN News: In your vision statement for the Conference, you described water as a “dealmaker” for a more sustainable and inclusive world.?Can you explain the linkages between water and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals? Yoka Brandt: Without water, there is no life. Water is fundamental to our daily lives and has direct linkages with health, climate, economic development and so on. Water scarcity undermines food and health security, and negatively impacts our energy supply and our climate goals. Too much water makes our communities face storms, rain and floods. And pollution and lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities severely hamper opportunities, especially for women and girls, and puts lives at risk. Finding solutions for water can therefore make a substantial contribution towards achieving all the SDGs. Water links all the grave challenges of our time, from food and energy security to health and climate change. Last year’s floods, in Pakistan and Nigeria, or the enormous droughts and bushfires in the Amazon rainforest and Australia are a sobering reminder of water’s power to turn lives upside down and threaten our health, our safety, our food, and our living environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has also reminded us that lack of access to safe water and hygiene and sanitation facilities is creating unprecedented risks and vulnerabilities, with women and girls not having the opportunity to equally participate in society. UN News: What are the main expectations for the Conference? Yoka?Brandt: We need a Paris-moment for water. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently stated, we need to act decisively before it is too late. And we need to act with transformative commitments. This is what we aim to do at the Water Conference because we need more partnerships, more investments and more action. We need a Water Action Agenda filled with bold commitments to accelerate implementation of the Water Action Decade and the 2030 Agenda. Jonibek Hikmat: A successful Conference must be inclusive both in terms of the process and the results, leaving no one behind, with strong participation from the global South and across stakeholder groups such as women, youth and indigenous groups. A successful Conference must also be cross-sectoral, mobilizing all other sectors to improve the way they manage and utilize water resources. A successful Conference must be action-oriented. On 24 March, we will present a Water Action Agenda, filled with transformative and game-changing commitments that can truly accelerate progress towards the water-related goals. We do not need a Conference with bold statements. We need a Conference with bold commitments, and the boldness to put these commitments into action. We need commitments from Governments, civil society and the private sector from all over the world.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133962
     
         
      The tiny diamond sphere that could unlock clean power Mon, 27th Feb 2023 22:44:00
     
      At 1:03am on Monday 5 December, scientists at the National Ignition Facility in California aimed their 192 beam laser at a cylinder containing a tiny diamond fuel capsule. That powerful burst of laser light created immense temperatures and pressures and sparked a fusion reaction - the reaction which powers the sun. What is nuclear fusion? The National Ignition Facility (NIF), part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), had done such experiments before, but this time the energy that came out of the reaction, was more than the laser power used to trigger it. Scientists have been trying for decades to meet that threshold and the hope is, one day, to build power stations that employ a fusion reaction to generate abundant, carbon-free electricity. That's still some way off. In the meantime, much work needs to be done in developing the technology. One of the key components at NIF is a peppercorn-sized synthetic diamond capsule, which holds the fuel. The properties of that spherical capsule are crucial to creating a successful fusion experiment. The sphere has to be perfectly smooth and contaminant-free - any anomalies could ruin the reaction. Those precisely engineered spheres are not made in California though. They are the result of years of work by Diamond Materials, a company based in Freiburg, Germany. "The demands on the [spherical] capsules are very high," says Christoph Wild who, alongside Eckhard Wörner, is managing director of Diamond Materials. "We collaborate closely with Lawrence Livermore and try to minimise defects like impurities, cavities or uneven walls." The 25-strong team at Diamond Materials manufactures synthetic diamond through a process called chemical vapour deposition. It takes around two months to create each batch of 20-40 capsules, which are made by painstakingly layering tiny diamond crystals around a silicon carbide core and polishing repeatedly. During the development process they discovered that even the most meticulous polishing was not enough as at the microscopic level the surface was still pitted and uneven. Working with teams at LLNL, they eventually discovered they could glaze a polished capsule with a fresh layer of diamond crystals to achieve the clean mirror-like finish they needed. When the diamond capsules arrive at LLNL, the silicon core is removed and a tiny glass tube is used to fill the hollow sphere with deuterium and tritium, both heavy kinds of hydrogen, which fuel the fusion reaction. "Around that fuel pellet is a gold and depleted uranium cylinder," explains Mike Farrell, vice president of inertial fusion technology at General Atomics, which is LLNL's largest industrial partner. The third and final layer of the capsule is an aluminium cylinder that is used to cool down the contents of the capsule before the reaction. Another crucial area of technology for NIF are optics - anything that supports the transmission, detection or utilisation of light. As NIF runs the most powerful laser in the world, it uses a lot of that tech, and optical components get damaged every time the machine is fired up. Since the early 1970s, NIF has been working closely with optics manufacturers like Zygo Corporation and specialist glassmaker SCHOTT to fine-tune and supply replacement parts, as well as debris and blast shields. Following December's successful experiment, the next challenge for NIF and its partners will be to further improve tech in order to replicate and improve the reaction. Mike Farrell hopes the step forward may help foster support for further research. "The experiment changed scientific opinion. Ignition was always thought of as almost unattainable, [or something that might only happen] 40 years in the future. The result in December was eye-opening." Back in Freiburg, Diamond Materials hopes to be able to invest more time into research. "About 20% of our team is involved in research and us two managing directors are also physicists," says Mr Wild. "Research at the level we produce requires a lot of resources and we can't neglect production. So we will probably continue to grow the team. After all, the research of today leads to the products of tomorrow."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64553796
     
         
      Half a billion dollars for environmental justice Mon, 27th Feb 2023 12:09:00
     
      More than half a billion dollars in federal funding is on the way to help low-income communities of color fight pollution across the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, announced last week that it’s making $550 million available to fund community projects that reduce pollution in overburdened communities. The agency will select 11 nonprofits to administer the grants over a three-year period starting no later than early 2024, either by themselves or in partnership with other nonprofits, tribal governments, or universities. Underserved communities “have suffered far too long without access to crucial federal funding and resources,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. The latest funding builds on previous efforts from the EPA to correct environmental injustices, including another $100 million in project grants announced in January. The money comes from the landmark climate spending bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last year, which earmarked some $3 billion for the EPA to put toward environmental justice block grants. Together, the grants are intended to advance the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative — a push to deliver 40 percent of the benefits of federal climate investments to communities that are overburdened by pollution and vulnerable to climate change. Research shows that people of color face disproportionate exposure to hazardous air pollution and contaminated drinking water, and historic disinvestment in low-income areas and Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities has put them at greater risk of climate disasters like heat waves and flooding. It remains to be seen what kind of projects will be kickstarted by the EPA’s latest $550 million, but experts have already applauded the scale of the funding. “This is a transformative amount of resources and effort … to make these communities more livable, more resilient, and more sustainable,” Sheila Foster, a law and policy professor at Georgetown University, told me. She said she’s particularly pleased to see the EPA catalyzing climate action from the bottom up by giving communities the funding needed to advance environmental justice priorities they’ve already been working on for years.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/half-a-billion-dollars-for-environmental-justice/
     
         
      Lizzy Yarnold: GB's two-time Winter Olympic champion calls for stop on high-carbon sponsorship deals Mon, 27th Feb 2023 10:03:00
     
      Sponsorship deals with companies with high carbon emissions is "like winter sport nailing the lid on its own coffin," says Lizzy Yarnold, Great Britain's most decorated Winter Olympian. New research from campaign group Badvertising found that there are currently more than 100 sponsorship deals in place in elite winter sports with high carbon companies. That covers deals with winter sports organisations, event organisers, teams and individual athletes. "At their best winter sports are a celebration of people enjoying some of the most awesome landscapes on Earth," said two-time Winter Olympic champion Yarnold. "But the impact of climate pollution is now melting the snow and ice which these sports depend on. "Having high carbon sponsors is like winter sport nailing the lid on its own coffin - and it needs to stop." The 34-year-old announced her retirement from skeleton in 2018. How climate change threatens to close ski resorts Snow shortage threatens Alps with wet winter season British Cycling criticised after announcing Shell sponsorship and climate-aware initiatives Winter heat records smashed all over continent The research from Badvertising found: 107 high carbon sponsorship deals with firms such as car makers, fossil fuel companies and airlines. Each year the snow cover in the northern hemisphere shrinks by an additional estimated 90,600 square kilometres due to climate change. Many European ski resorts face closures and disruptions this winter due to lack of snow. This year's ski season was put in doubt due to the unseasonably warm wet weather in the Alps. The snow season in the Alps is now 36 days shorter than the long-term average. The Para-snowboard World Championships this January were postponed because of a lack of snow and record temperatures have led to the cancellation of World Cup events in the Italian, Austrian and Swiss Alps. A new study by the University of Basel warns that higher resorts will have to rely increasingly on artificial snow to survive, raising their water consumption by up to 80%. This could cause conflict between the winter sports industry and local communities, whose energy comes from hydropower. Anna Turney, British alpine skier and Paralympian, said: "We are confronted with climate change at a terrifying rate. "Right now the organisers of major winter sports events are signing sponsorship deals with companies that are disproportionately responsible for melting the snow and ice. I want to feel proud of my sport, of winter sports. I want others to experience the joys and the challenges of snow sports. I also want a healthy planet for everyone. "It's time for the sports governing bodies to broaden their perspectives and find the courage to behave more like the athletes they supposedly support. Together we need to face the truth, step up to the challenges we face and protect our sport and our planet." Last year, Tennis Australia ended its multi-year sponsorship deal with oil and gas giant, Santos, after concerns were raised by campaigners over 'sportswashing'. Anna Jonsson, co-director of New Weather Sweden, says the case exemplifies a "growing international momentum behind sports events ditching high-carbon sponsors over climate change concerns". She added: "Winter sports must end its relationship with polluting companies that use sponsorship to improve their corporate image, while their business activities undermine the very future of winter sports." Analysis David Lockwood, BBC Sport A societal change is underway, a move away from fossil fuels, but the argument being put forward is that companies that have profited for so long from polluting the planet have a vested interest in slowing the rate of change. The benefits to airlines and car companies in sponsoring sporting events are obvious, but there was arguably no need for European football fans to know a Russian business to business energy supplier. Fans are not going to be getting their bank cards out to make a purchase, the purpose is far more subtle. An advertising ban on companies like this would send the message that fossil fuels need to be removed from our culture and our behaviours, it would send a message that the old fossil fuel economy is increasingly socially unacceptable. The same happened with smoking, there are similar calls around gambling - the message and the benefits of a ban are the same.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-sports/64785138
     
         
      Los Angeles sees first blizzard warning since 1989 Sat, 25th Feb 2023 8:46:00
     
      Parts of usually balmy southern California are under their first blizzard warning since 1989. The winter storm that started rolling into the Golden State on Thursday will start to intensify on Friday. A massive storm has already brought major blizzards and temperatures far below freezing to much of the northern US. The cold snap comes as parts of the US southeast basked in a record-breaking heat wave. Weird winter weather stumps North Americans California Highway Patrol near LA closed part of the state's longest interstate - Interstate 5 - due to unsafe roadways, forcing heavier traffic onto Highway 101. Forecasters are predicting snowfall of up to an incredible 8ft (2.4m) in mountains to the north and east of Los Angeles by Saturday. The mountains are expected to experience powerful winds of 60-75mph (96-120 km/h) while coastal areas may experience flooding. The icy weather front stretches along the entire US West Coast, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. The winter storm warning is in effect for the coastal Ventura County mountains and Los Angeles County mountains from early Friday through Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Snowfall of up to 5ft is also possible on the mountain peaks around the city of Santa Barbara. The NWS said that the heavy snow will be accompanied by high winds and near-zero visibility and California residents are advised to stay home if they don't have to leave. A weak tornado touched down in southeast Los Angeles county on Thursday, toppling some trees. And the NWS has warned of waterspouts, or small tornadoes, touching down along the central coast. Nearly 1,000 flight cancellations were reported across the US as of Friday morning. "I have to be totally honest with you guys," one baffled California meteorologist told viewers this week. "I've actually never seen a blizzard warning." LA meteorologists marvel at rare blizzard warnings "Multiple rounds" of snow are forecast to blanket the southern Sierra Nevada mountains in central and western parts of the state. There will be "dangerous avalanche conditions" across the Sierra Nevada, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center. On Thursday, schools in the state's far northwest closed due to the unusual weather. "This is the first snow day we have had in the 31 years I have been with the district," Jeff Napier, an official with the Del Norte County Schools District, told the Los Angeles Times. Lower elevation parts of southern California may also experience snow, in addition to rain, as the storm moves south over the weekend, forecasters say. The snow elevation may drop as low as 1,500ft - about as high as the famed sign in the Hollywood hills. Elsewhere in the US the cold snap has forced schools, businesses and some state legislatures to close. Portland, Oregon, had nearly 11in (28cm) of snowfall by overnight into Thursday morning, the NWS reported, its second snowiest day ever recorded. The storm led to the death in Michigan of a volunteer firefighter, who reportedly came into contact with a downed powerline. Officials in Oregon are also investigating a suspected hypothermia death that they say may be related to the storm. High winds uprooted a massive redwood tree, which fell into a home in California's Bay Area, leaving a one-year-old child in critical condition in hospital. Across five states, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses have been without power. More than 700,000 people in Michigan and 120,000 in California still do not have power as of early Friday morning. Meanwhile, temperatures in Washington DC hit 81F (27C) on Thursday, a February high not seen since 1874. More storms are expected to roll through California early next week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64753583
     
         
      Winter storm brings power outages and travel disruptions across the US Fri, 24th Feb 2023 18:52:00
     
      A massive winter storm that brought blizzards and subfreezing temperatures to much of the US has left nearly a million households without power. Across five states, homes and businesses have been without power - as of early Friday morning over 700,000 in Michigan are still without power. Over 8,000 US flights were cancelled or delayed on Thursday, according to FlightAware data. Meanwhile, other parts of the US experienced unusually warm weather. Temperatures in Washington DC hit 81F (27C) on Thursday, a February-high not seen since 1874. Weird winter weather stumps North Americans The North Carolina cities of Charlotte and Greensboro also experienced record highs. The hot winter weather is in stark contrast to the cold snap hitting southern California, which is usually warm and sunny year-round. There, a winter storm warning was issued for millions who were told to brace for unusually cold temperatures, blistery winds and snow. "We are still on track for our DANGEROUS winter storm. Expect blizzard conditions in the mountains with FEET of snowfall", National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles wrote in a tweet. According to the NWS, the last time that Los Angeles was under a blizzard warning was in 1989. Elsewhere, the cold snap forced schools, businesses and some state legislatures to close. Portland, Oregon, had nearly 11in (28cm) of snowfall overnight, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported, its second snowiest day ever recorded. Slushy, snowy streets caused major traffic delays for commuters after forecasters there only predicted a light dusting of snow. Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesman Dylan Rivera told local media that forecasters had failed to predict the "epic" snowfall. "Even if we had a warning, this would have been an epic event. And now, an epic event with no warning? That's a double whammy," he told Oregon Public Broadcasting. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in the National Guard to help motorists stranded on the wintry roads. The storm led to the death in Michigan of a volunteer firefighter, who reportedly came into contact with a downed powerline. Officials in Oregon are also investigating a suspected hypothermia death that they say may be related to the storm. High winds were also an issue in parts of the US, uprooting a massive redwood tree, which then "speared" into the living room of a home in California's Bay Area, local media reported. Fire officials there said a one-year-old baby was in critical condition. The Bay Area fire department said they had been flooded with calls of fallen trees, blocked homes and power lines clogging roads. In Canada, ice pellets and freezing rain were forecast overnight after parts of southern Ontario were blanketed in snow during the evening rush hour on Wednesday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64726451
     
         
      Energy infrastructure payments of $200K deemed ‘slap in face’ to Victorian farmers Fri, 24th Feb 2023 13:46:00
     
      State government defends payments for projects designed to help guarantee energy stability across Australia’s east coast A move to pay landowners $200,000 per sq km for energy infrastructure imposed on their properties has been labelled a slap in the face by a Victorian farmer. Residents living in the path of several transmission projects in regional Victoria have previously protested against high-voltage power lines and towers more than 80m high and are calling for infrastructure to be placed underground instead. The projects are part of a wider move to shift the state to renewable energy as remaining coal-fired power stations close over the next 12 years. The first to receive payments will be those affected by VNI West, which is likely to connect Ballarat in central Victoria with Kerang in the north and across to NSW, and the Western Renewables Link corridor running from the Melbourne suburb of Sydenham to near Stawell in western Victoria. The standard payments will be $8,000 a year for 25 years for those with transmission easements on their land. Moorabool Central Highlands Power Alliance chair, Emily Muir, called the payments a “sweetener” but claimed they did not go far enough to compensate farmers. “It feels like the government’s just slapped us in the face,” Muir said. About one kilometre of the farm she lives on with her husband is likely to be affected by the Western Renewables Link. Muir said she wasn’t against renewable energy projects but believed power lines and towers on her property would impact farming in various ways, including restricting weed spraying from a helicopter, stopping the movement of certain machinery or stock, and interrupting views. “I feel like it’s the government trying to get us over the line to agree to a project that we’ve been protesting against for two-and-a-half years,” she said. People living in Gippsland affected by the Victoria-Tasmania Marinus Link project and those near future offshore wind projects can also receive payments. In 2022, protests against VNI West stepped up, with hundreds of farmers driving tractors through Ballarat. Another rally was also held outside Parliament House in Melbourne. The energy projects are part of a move to guarantee energy stability across the east coast, with power generated in Victoria and NSW able to be transferred between states. “These new payments acknowledge the hugely important role landholders play in hosting critical energy infrastructure – a key part of Victoria’s renewables revolution,” Victoria’s energy and resources minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said. “We want to get the process for planning and approving new infrastructure right, so we can make sure the renewables revolution is a shared, equitable legacy for all Victorians.” The Australian Energy Market Operator earlier this week warned the reliability of the grid would be in doubt over the next decade without urgent investments to replace coal plants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/24/energy-infrastructure-payments-of-200k-deemed-slap-in-face-to-victorian-farmers?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Parts of US see earliest spring conditions on record: ‘Climate change playing out in real time’ Fri, 24th Feb 2023 10:54:00
     
      Blooming daffodils in New York City. Leaves sprouting from red maples in North Carolina. Cherry blossoms about to bud in Washington. Record winter warmth across much of the eastern US has caused spring-like conditions to arrive earlier than ever previously recorded in several places, provoking delight over the mild weather and despair over the unfolding climate crisis. In New York, one of several US cities to experience its warmest January on record, spring conditions have arrived 32 days before the long-term normal, which is its earliest onset of biological spring in 40 years of charting seasonal trends by the National Phenology Network. Spring activity has, meanwhile, arrived at least 20 days earlier than usual for huge swathes of the US south-east and east, with parts of central Texas, south-east Arkansas, southern Ohio and Maryland, along with New York, all recording their earliest spring conditions on record so far this year. “It’s a little unsettling, it’s certainly something that is out of the bounds of when we’d normally expect spring,” said Teresa Crimmins, director of the National Phenology Network and an environmental scientist at the University of Arizona. “It perhaps isn’t surprising, given the trajectory our planet is on, but it is surprising when you live through it.” Winter has barely registered for millions of people in the US north-east, with states across the New England region all experiencing their warmest January in the 155-year national record. New York City, which experienced more lightning strikes than snowfall in a balmy month, notched an average temperature 10F higher than the long-term average. The Great Lakes, meanwhile, have had a record-low amount of ice coverage during their usual February peak. The procession of warm days has coaxed flowers from plants, with thousands of citizen observers reporting early budding in numerous locations to the National Phenology Network, a coalition of academics, government agencies and volunteers. Volunteers on the ground have noted instances of blooming over the past 15 years, while the longer 40-year record comes from a model of spring-like conditions devised by the network. This year, blooms have already been emerging from common lilacs in Pennsylvania, eastern redbuds in Virginia, tulip trees and red maples in North Carolina, and daffodils and violets in New York City, observers have told the network. Perhaps the most famous symbol of spring in the US, the cherry blossoms found in the heart of Washington DC, have started to bud, too, and could break a three-decade record for early blossoming, according to the National Park Service. The warm winter, and the galloping arrival of spring-like weather, is part of a longer-term trend of milder winters and scrambled seasons due to the heating of the planet caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Crimmins said her network of observers have voiced “surprise, concern and anxiety” over another early spring, which follows a string of similar early onsets over the past decade or so. “This year the US has clearly been chopped in half and the eastern half is so much further ahead of schedule in terms of spring,” she said. “Almost everyone I speak to about this has this existential anxiety that we are seeing climate change playing out in real time.” While many people may celebrate a winter without the need for heavy coats or wariness over slippery ice and snow, the rapid arrival of spring conditions has a host of negative ramifications, scientists say. Pollen pumped out by prematurely unfurling plants can trigger earlier seasonal allergies and parasites such as ticks, some able to spread afflictions such as Lyme disease, are able to spread and establish themselves at a time when temperatures should be too cold for them to thrive. More fundamentally, the shifting seasons risk severing a whole series of relationships essential to the natural order. Insects may miss feeding upon early-blooming plants, while migrating birds, which decide to start their seasonal journeys by the length of the day, may find a dearth of food for them when they arrive. The plants, meanwhile, risk being killed off by frosts that can arrive after they’ve blossomed. This situation poses a threat to the food system, which is reliant upon insect pollination, and gives an edge to certain invasive species of plant that thrive in the warmer conditions, according to Dr Deborah Landau, director of ecological management at the Nature Conservancy. “I’m seeing the trends I rely upon, the calendar I have trusted to see rare plants in bloom, just completely disappear,” said Landau, who has been charting plant and animal behavior for the past 22 years. “Everything has been thrown out of whack, species that have evolved together for millennia are now off-kilter. There is this cascading effect on everything that is more than just a missed cherry blossom season.” Landau said that people will start to see the true costs of early springs through higher prices for certain pollinator-dependent foods and the spread of tick-borne diseases, even if the consequences of this are still not apparent to most. “I’m seeing things green up and bud early and the weather reports just say ‘lucky you, what another lovely warm day,’” she said. “I just groan because I know the pollinators won’t have anything to eat. It’s frustrating.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/24/early-spring-us-climate-change-record?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      ‘We have no time to lose’: Ban Ki-moon criticises climate finance delays Fri, 24th Feb 2023 6:52:00
     
      Former UN secretary general calls for rich countries to honour promises made to the developing world after years of failure The former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world’s largest fund to help developing nations weather the climate crisis remains an “empty shell”, despite decades of promises by rich nations. “We need to see a massive acceleration in mobilising trillions of dollars needed to keep the world from climate collapse,” he said. International climate finance from rich to poor countries is between five and 10 times short of what is needed, according to the UN. In 2020, money set aside to help poorer countries adapt to climate breakdown amounted to $29bn – far below the $340bn a year that could be needed by 2030. The largest such fund, the Green Climate Fund, stands at $11.4bn. Rich countries have also been accused by NGOs of misleading accounting and issuing loans instead of grants. Ban, a South Korean diplomat, served from 2007 to 2016 as eighth UN secretary general; his first major initiative was to urge action on climate at the Bali summit in 2007. Two years later, at Cop15 in Copenhagen, rich countries promised to provide $100bn of climate finance a year every year for developing countries by 2020. However, Ban said: “After 14 years, nothing has been happening.” The war in Ukraine, as well as conflicts in Tigray, Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan, have taken the focus away from the climate crisis, he added. “The most critical crisis is climate change, which is happening so much faster than one might think. We have no time to lose.” Ban did not agree with critics who saw Cop27, held in Egypt last year, as a failure. “We were able, after decades, to agree on loss and damage. That was a great success,” he said. But it was now the “moral responsibility” of states to put talk into action, he added, to help poorer countries adapt to global heating, and to mitigate the loss and damage they have already suffered from the climate crisis. “I have been urging political leaders: raise your political ambition levels and then find a way to provide the financial support. It is their moral responsibility. “As we move towards Cop28 in the United Arab Emirates, our efforts in climate mitigation and adaptation must accelerate.” Known for his quiet diplomacy during his time as secretary general, Ban went on to co-found the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens in 2017, to empower women and young people to achieve climate and development goals. Stepping down from his UN role, he said, meant he could now talk more forcefully about the climate emergency – for instance, when in 2020 he described Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement as “morally irresponsible”. “Many people regard me as a gentle and soft person,” Ban said. “But when it comes to climate I become much more passionate and sometimes angry. I refrained from expressing my anger as secretary general. But now I am a retired person. I was really angry at Trump, when he was president, withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement.” Trump’s withdrawal was politically shortsighted, scientifically wrong and morally irresponsible, he said. Ban, 78, also chairs the Global Center on Adaptation and is an advocate for smallholder farmers, who in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia produce 80% of the food but receive only 1.7% of climate finance. “This is irrational,” he said. “What an injustice. If we want a world free of hunger while adapting to climate change, we need to put smallholder farmers at its centre.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/24/ban-ki-moon-criticises-climate-finance-delays?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Recapturing excess heat could power most of Europe, say experts Thu, 23rd Feb 2023 14:49:00
     
      Preventing heat waste largely being ignored as solution to energy crisis, say environmental campaigners Excess heat produced across Europe could almost power the entire region but preventing this waste is largely being ignored as a solution to the energy crisis, say environmental experts. “The global energy crisis is a wakeup call to stop wasting energy,” said Toby Morgan, senior manager for the built environment at Climate Group, an environmental not-for-profit. “Now, more than ever, we need to make better use of the energy we already produce, we simply can’t afford to let it literally escape out the window. Energy efficiency improvements, like capturing and recycling excess heat, are absolutely critical to lower fossil fuel demand and lower bills.” A report published this week by the global engineering company Danfoss estimated that in the EU alone, excess heat was equal to 2,860 TWh a year, almost the same as the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water. Surplus heat is released into the air from a wide range of sources, including supermarkets, transport networks, data centres and commercial buildings. Much of this can be captured and used via existing heat recovery technologies, such as heat pumps, plus more efficient air conditioners and manufacturing machinery according to the authors of the report. Other solutions include improved urban planning and district energy systems based on networks of renewable energy supplies for both heating and cooling. Brian Vad Mathiesen, a professor in energy planning and renewable energy systems at Aalborg University, led the research cited in the report that builds on his team’s previous Heat Roadmap Europe projects. “The amount of cities, regions and countries in Europe which waste heat while spending billions on natural gas or electric heating is mind-blowing,” said Vad Mathiesen, warning that Europe’s energy security was at stake. “Take the Netherlands – there is virtually no district heating even though there is almost twice the amount of waste heat compared to the heat demand. Denmark is the same size but has towards 60% percent district heating with only one third of the population. The use of waste heat is certainly not connected to technical differences. While the physical laws are the same, the political will and traditions are very different.” There was “huge, unharnessed potential” to the excess heat produced by heavy industry, such as chemical manufacturing, steel and cement production. In the EU, that amounts to more than 267 TWh a year, more than the combined heat generation of Germany, Poland and Sweden in 2021. Data centres are also major consumers of electricity. In 2020, European data centres consumed about 3.5% of the region’s electricity demand, according to ReUseHeat, an EU project that explored barriers to urban heat recovery. The report highlights that the UK has an abundance of excess energy, including from 456 data centres. “That’s third most in the world, just behind Germany and the US,” explains Kim Fausing, the president and chief executive of Danfoss, who believes recycling heat is a crucial step towards a green transition. “If businesses were to harness all the excess heat from these centres, the emissions savings and revenue from selling this heat would be highly significant. In Greater London, we have identified at least 648 eligible excess heat sources, including data centres, underground stations, supermarkets, wastewater treatment plants, and food production facilities. Why aren’t businesses and local government organisations using these?” said Fausing, adding that London’s excess heat equated to 9.5 TWh a year, roughly the amount of heat required to heat 790,000 households. “Reusing excess heat offers incredible opportunities for businesses throughout the UK to reduce their emissions, save money and make money. What are we waiting for?” To rapidly tackle the energy crisis, Vad Mathiesen proposes a heat planning directive that enables local authorities to plan according to local conditions. This would involve mapping existing waste heat sources in greater detail, then proposing thermal networks that distribute heat more effectively and initiatives that improve energy efficiency in buildings. “Energy efficiency needs to be a top priority for any business or government, particularly during an energy crisis,” said Morgan, who advises every corporate net zero commitment to include a time-bound energy efficiency target, and for governments to incentivise the uptake of energy efficient technologies. “Energy efficiency improvements are climate critical. The time for action is now.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/23/recapturing-excess-heat-could-power-most-of-europe-say-experts?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      ‘Energy battle’ between Europe and Russia not over, says global watchdog Thu, 23rd Feb 2023 13:43:00
     
      International Energy Agency says efforts to replace Russian gas successful but warns against overconfidence The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that the “energy battle” between Europe and Russia is not over, despite a sharp drop in wholesale gas prices that has eased concerns over high bills and blackouts. Fatih Birol said Europe’s efforts to replace Russian gas supplies this winter had been a “big success” but cautioned there were lingering fears over next winter. Vladimir Putin moved to weaponise Russian gas last year in the face of western support for Ukraine, cutting supplies into Europe and leaving countries scrambling to replace supplies for the winter. European nations moved quickly last autumn to fill up gas storage facilities and supplies have not been depleted at the rate expected over winter thanks to periods of mild weather and efforts by businesses and households to cut back on energy usage. Birol told the Financial Times: “Russia played the energy card and it did not win … but it would be too strong to say that Europe has won the energy battle already. “I think Europe did a good job, [its strategy has] been a big success. But being overconfident for next winter is risky and it is time to continue and step up efforts for 2023.” The investment bank Jefferies this week said that European gas storage facilities were 64% full, well above the 45% average over the past five years at this point in winter. However, Russian gas supplies were flowing at normal rates through pipelines for the first half of last year, meaning efforts to fill storage facilities during 2023 will be more heavily reliant on liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipped to Europe from around the world. Birol said about 20% of the gas that was piped from Russia into Europe is still flowing, through pipelines across Ukraine and Turkey. The reopening of the Chinese economy after Covid lockdowns is also expected to lead to increased competition for LNG between Asia and Europe. “Some of the achievements made on clean energy and reducing Russia’s revenues are good but it is not a permanent solution. We have had the help of mild weather. We gained some time, which is vital, but there is much more to do,” he said. This week the huge Freeport LNG export plant in Texas began the process of reopening after eight months, which had put a further squeeze on the market. The UK was not reliant on Russian gas before the invasion of Ukraine a year ago but the rising price of wholesale gas on international markets has fed through into UK bills. Shortages of gas on the continent next winter could also reignite fears over winter blackouts, as Britain has low levels of gas storage and trades gas-generated electricity internationally.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/23/energy-battle-europe-russia-international-energy-agency?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Inability to cool homes in summer heat making almost 90% of Centrelink recipients ill, survey finds Thu, 23rd Feb 2023 13:01:00
     
      Nearly 90% of people on income support payments say the inability to cool their homes in hot weather is making them sick, and even those who have air conditioning avoid using it because it is too expensive, a survey by Australian Council of Social Service has found. Acoss polled 208 recipients of Centrelink payments in January about their experience of high heat at home, their ability to cool their homes, how the heat affected their physical and mental health, and the costs of their energy bills. Nearly two thirds of those surveyed – 72.1% of whom were renting privately or in social housing – said they were unable to cool their homes down in periods of hot weather. Some 89.4% said they sometimes or always felt unwell in the high heat, while 29.8% said they had needed to seek medical care for heat stress, with elderly people or those living with disability worst affected. Nearly 70% of people surveyed had air conditioning of some form in their home, though many reported it did not function well or only lowered the temperature in one part of the house. Some 94.5% of people with air conditioning said they avoided using it because it cost too much. “This is an untenable situation,” the report’s authors wrote, noting that many survey participants called on governments to do more to help them. Wagga Wagga residents Liz, 52, and Mike, 62, live with their two children and both receive Austudy while they retrain to help fill the teacher shortage. They told Guardian Australia they have tried all kinds of things to help keep their rental home cool, including blacking out the windows with cardboard and placing fans throughout, with limited success. “There’s bugger all insulation in the roof, and once it gets a bit over 30 degrees it’s just really hot and there’s nothing you can do about it,” said Liz, who asked that the family’s surname not be used. Mike, who manages numerous chronic health conditions including diabetes, atrial fibrillation and obstructive sleep apnea, has found his health significantly affected by the heat, but there is little he can do other than stay hydrated and sit in front of the evaporative cooler. The family said 90% of their electricity bill was running the cooling system, as their cooking and hot water is still on gas. The last electricity bill they received was about $700 for the quarter. The maximum Austudy payment for a couple with children is $306.30 per week. Liz said the government ought to put a cap on how much energy companies can charge, and help people in rental properties insulate their houses to a basic standard. She also called for an increase in income support payments. “We’re basically living in poverty until we get our degrees, and jobseeker is pathetic,” she said. “You can’t study in the heat. And it impacts our kids, too. “I was really hopeful that the Labor party would get in [to federal government] and do something to help people, increase welfare payments, but I don’t know if they’re going to. But it’s really essential.” Acoss called on commonwealth, state and territory governments to prioritise retrofitting public and community housing for improved energy efficiency – ideally, making them entirely electric and powered by renewables – as well as mandating minimum energy efficiency standards for all rentals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/24/inability-to-cool-homes-in-summer-heat-making-almost-90-of-centrelink-recipients-ill-survey-finds?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Climate change: Carbon-absorbing underwater meadows planted Thu, 23rd Feb 2023 11:49:00
     
      Five million seagrass seeds will be planted off Wales' coast to create climate change-fighting underwater meadows. On Wednesday, 50,000 were laid at Penychain off the Ll?n Peninsula in Gwynedd. Seagrass Ocean Rescue wants 10 hectares (25 acres) of seagrass meadow by 2026. WWF Cymru's Rory Francis said Wales had lost 92% of its seagrass over the past 100 years, but it was possible to "recreate, restore and replant" it. "It could make a real difference in terms of both absorbing carbon and also of restoring really valuable and important marine habitats," said Mr Francis. Antarctica sea-ice hits new record low A really simple guide to climate change He said one hectare could provide a habitat for 80,000 fish. Bethan Thomas, of Project Seagrass, said seeds could be planted using hessian bags or by mixing them with mud before injecting them straight into the seabed. She said: "Today we are going to be planting over 50,000 seeds and over the course of the project we are hoping to plant over five million. "We have got very short time windows. We have got to wait for the tide to go out. Once the tide has gone out we can lay out our equipment and then we can get our plot set up." A trial was carried out using the bag planting method in Pembrokeshire to demonstrate that it could be done. Restoration will continue at selected sites on the coast of Pen Ll?n this spring and at sites on Anglesey next year. Climate targets 'may mean higher taxes' In December the project was granted a marine licence to conduct restoration trials and was awarded a £1m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Swansea University's Dr Richard Unsworth said the work was an "important part of the jigsaw of solutions" needed to repair the climate. "There is no one element that is better than the others but it is a key part of what they call nature-based solutions to climate change," he added. He said Wales' seagrass meadows had been slowly destroyed over time by industry. "We have built cities and ports, we have had huge mining projects. We have fundamentally changed the coastal environment and with that we have destroyed life on the sea beds." The project is being managed by WWF in partnership with the Project Seagrass, Swansea University, North Wales Wildlife Trust and Pen Ll?n a'r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64736863
     
         
      Methane from Australian coal and gas could be 60% higher than estimated Thu, 23rd Feb 2023 9:45:00
     
      Data released by the International Energy Agency leads to renewed calls for more emission cuts and block on new projects Methane emissions from Australian coalmines and gas production could be more than 60% higher than federal government estimates suggest, according to satellite and ground data released by the International Energy Agency. The results of the Paris-based energy organisation’s annual methane tracker, released this week, led to renewed calls for the Albanese government to require emissions cuts at existing local and gas mines using existing technology and to block new developments. Methane is a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas released from coal seams, oil and gas wells and production, leaking pipelines and agricultural livestock. Scientists say it is responsible for about 30% of global heating since the Industrial Revolution, and warned rapid cuts are needed to limit short-term warming. The IEA has repeatedly found methane pollution was greater than suggested by official data, often compiled by fossil fuel companies and submitted by the government to the UN. The latest tracker found 2.23m tonnes of methane was released from energy production in Australia last year, 63% more than the federal climate change department estimate of 1.37m tonnes. Other satellite-based studies have reported discrepancies at some Queensland coalmines. The Greens’ leader, Adam Bandt, said it underlined the need for the government to use a proposed revamp of the safeguard mechanism, a climate policy applied to major industrial sites, to “rein in rising methane by stopping new coal and gas mines”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/23/methane-from-australian-coal-and-gas-could-be-60-higher-than-estimated?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Malawi benefits from Scotland's climate fund - President Chakwera Wed, 22nd Feb 2023 18:56:00
     
      Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera says a Scottish fund for poor countries hit by climate change should be a prototype for the whole world. The Scottish government announced in 2021 that it would begin funding so-called "loss and damage" projects. After much wrangling, world leaders followed Scotland's lead at last year's UN climate summit in Egypt. Mr Chakwera said the small Scottish fund has already made a significant difference in 10 areas. A quarter of the £2m ($2.4m) allocated for this year is being spent in Malawi, which has long-established ties with Scotland. A further £5m is being made available from April. In a BBC interview, Mr Chakwera said: "It has made huge differences in the people and their livelihoods because they are given a hand up, so the resilience we talk about becomes a practical issue." He added that what Scotland is already doing is what everybody else needs to be doing. Describing the money as aid is wrong, he insisted, saying it should instead be seen as countries taking responsibility for climate change together. Loss and damage refers to the impacts caused by climate change such as increasing storms and more destructive weather patterns. In Malawi's Zomba region, the Scottish government money is being used to rebuild parts of a seven-kilometre (four-mile) flood embankment on the Phalombe River which was breached by storms last year in 10 places. Further south, new flood defences are being built in the village of Mambundungu where the village was relocated to higher ground to avoid flooding but was then hit by a deluge running off the hills. Developing countries have argued for decades that richer nations should pay for climate-related damage which they did not cause. But fearing a wave of litigation claims, Western countries have resisted it. Last year a tropical storm followed quickly by a cyclone displaced hundreds of thousands in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. Mr Chakwera believes that vulnerable countries like Malawi would feel better supported if the Scottish model was replicated by other countries. "This fight belongs to all of us and I believe that this example will serve as a prototype of what could happen." Although world leaders agreed at COP27 in November to set up a "loss and damage" fund, the details have still to be finalised and it could be years before it is funded. Poorer countries are still waiting for a promised £100bn of climate financing which was promised to be delivered by 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64711408
     
         
      Heat pumps: How do they work and how do I get one? Wed, 22nd Feb 2023 18:50:00
     
      The government's flagship green heating scheme has been heavily criticised in a House of Lords report. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers households £5,000 to replace their gas boilers with heat pumps. But the Lords Net Zero Committee has warned take-up is so low the national target for green heating is "very unlikely to be met". What is the scheme and who is eligible? The boiler upgrade scheme was launched in April 2022 to help reduce the cost of more environmentally-friendly heating systems. Grants are available to existing homes and non-domestic buildings in England and Wales, and can be used for: air source heat pumps ground source heat pumps water source heat pumps biomass boilers (for those living in rural areas) The property must have an eligible Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) issued in the last 10 years, with no outstanding recommendations to install loft or cavity wall insulation. If that has been recommended, you'll need to insulate your home first, or do it as part of the application process. The scheme is not available if you live in social housing or a new-build property. Private rented accommodation is also eligible but the landlord has to apply. How does a heat pump work? A heat pump is an electrically-powered device which absorbs heat from the air, ground or water around a building. For example, air-source pumps suck in outdoor air and pass it over tubes containing refrigerant fluids to produce heat. What has the Lords Committee said? The Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee heard detailed evidence from industry, the public, and government. Committee chair Baroness Parminter heavily criticised ministers for the lack of progress made and low levels of awareness of the "seriously failing" scheme. The government's own research from Autumn 2022 showed 80% of people in the UK did not know what a heat pump was, let alone had heard of the grant. The scheme has a budget of £150m each year for three years and aims to issue 30,000 vouchers annually. But in the first eight months of operation, only 9,888 grants were awarded. The committee also found there was a lack of training for engineers leading to a shortage of heat pump installers, and said more needed to be done to bring down the cost of heat pumps. A government spokesperson told the BBC: "We've recently launched a marketing campaign to further increase public awareness, and will consider further options to ensure our targets are met". What does the grant cover? The government is providing £5,000 for households to install air source heat pumps (ASHPs) - which would cover between 75% and 50% of the cost. It will provide £6,000 for the less commonly used ground source heat pump (GSHP) or water-source heat pump (WSHP). This would cover between 50% and 30% of the cost of the unit, although the cost of installation (digging a hole, for instance) could be significantly higher. Then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak also announced in the 2022 Spring Statement that there would be no VAT on heat pumps for five years in England, Scotland and Wales. How do I get a voucher? The first step is to contact an MCS-certified installer. Find one local to you using this tool. Once they have provided a quote, the installer will then apply for a voucher from the energy regulator Ofgem, which manages the scheme. If Ofgem approves the voucher, it will send a direct payment to the installer after the work is completed. The householder then pays the remaining balance. Installation must be completed within three months of the voucher being approved for an ASHP, or six months for a GSHP. The scheme is expected to run for three years until 31 March 2025, and it is operating on a first-come, first-served basis. Are heat pumps cheaper to run than gas boilers? Heat pumps are normally three times more efficient than gas boilers, but they use electricity to run, and electricity prices can be more expensive than gas. However, given the current high price of gas, heat pumps could still be cheaper. The government says it will look at measures to ensure heat pumps are no more expensive to run than a gas boiler in the long run. What is the energy price cap? Five tips for cutting energy costs this winter How big are heat pumps? A box of about 1m x 1m x 0.4m needs to stand outside - close to, or attached to the property - to draw in air. It should be at least 1m from your neighbour's property so they will not be able to hear it, although it won't be much louder than a fridge. You will also need space inside for a heat pump unit and hot water cylinder. The unit will be about the size of a gas boiler - while the cylinder depends on the size of the home.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57159056
     
         
      The Mountain West wants clean energy Tue, 21st Feb 2023 7:11:00
     
      Zoya Teirstein here, filling in for Joseph Winters. A new poll, released last week, shows that two-thirds of voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming want their region to transition to 100 percent clean energy within the next decade and a half. And nearly 70 percent of voters would rather see public lands conserved than given over to fossil fuel development. The poll was the latest installment of an annual survey of top priorities for registered voters in the Mountain West, which Colorado College has conducted for more than a decade. The survey revealed broadly positive attitudes toward renewable energy deployment and water conservation — issues Congress invested hundreds of billions of dollars in last year. A majority of voters expressed support for conserving 30 percent of the U.S.’s land and water by 2030, banning grass lawns on new housing developments, temporarily paying farmers not to plant their fields in order to conserve water, and a host of other climate and conservation measures. A majority also said they were concerned about loss of wildlife habitat, the environmental impacts of oil and gas drilling, and declining water levels in rivers. The Western U.S. is entering the third decade of a megadrought fueled by climate change, which means water is top of mind for many people who live in states where the resource has become increasingly scarce. “This year voters in the West have a lot on their minds, but they are not willing to trade one priority for another,” Katrina Miller-Stevens, an associate professor at Colorado College who directs the survey, said. The poll illuminates slow but steady progress on the way Western voters view the issue of climate change more generally. In 2011, between 7.5 and 11.5 percent of voters in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — the only states surveyed by Colorado College at the time — considered climate change to be an “extremely serious” problem. Now, between 18 and 30 percent of voters in those states hold that view.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/the-mountain-west-wants-clean-energy/
     
         
      Venice canals run dry amid fears Italy faces another drought Tue, 21st Feb 2023 5:54:00
     
      Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer’s emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall, according to scientists and environmental groups. The warning comes as Venice, where flooding is normally the primary concern, faces unusually low tides that are making it impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to navigate some of its famous canals. The problems in Venice are being blamed on a combination of factors – the lack of rain, a high pressure system, a full moon and sea currents. Italian rivers and lakes are suffering from severe lack of water, the Legambiente environmental group said Monday, with attention focused on the north of the country. The Po, Italy’s longest river which runs from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic, has 61% less water than is normal at this time of year, it added in a statement. Last July, Italy declared a state of emergency for areas surrounding the Po, which accounts for roughly a third of the country’s agricultural production and suffered its worst drought for 70 years. “We are in a water deficit situation that has been building up since the winter of 2020-2021,” climate expert Massimiliano Pasqui, from Italian scientific research institute CNR, was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera, a daily newspaper. “We need to recover 500 millimeters in the northwestern regions: We need 50 days of rain,” he added. Water levels on Lake Garda in northern Italy have fallen to record lows, making it possible to reach the small island of San Biagio on the lake via an exposed pathway. An anticyclone has been dominating the weather in western Europe for 15 days, bringing mild temperatures more normally seen in late spring. Latest weather forecasts do however signal the arrival of much-needed precipitation and snow in the Alps in coming days.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-canal-drought-italy-climate-scli-intl/index.html
     
         
      Antarctic sea ice hit record lows again. Scientists wonder if it’s ‘the beginning of the end’ Tue, 21st Feb 2023 2:55:00
     
      Antarctic sea ice has reached record low levels for the second time in two years, with some scientists alarmed that dramatic drops are a signal the climate crisis may now be more clearly influencing this vast, complex and isolated region. The sea ice that fringes Antarctica dropped to just 737,000 square miles (1.91 million square kilometers) on February 13, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC, below the previous record of 741,000 square miles (1.92 million square kilometers) set on February 25 last year. Sea ice could still shrink further; the lowest level of the southern summer may not be reached for more than a week. The last two years mark the only time that sea ice levels have dipped below 2 million square kilometers since satellites began monitoring it in 1978. It’s “not just ‘barely a record low,’” Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CNN. “It’s on a very steep downward trend.” Unlike the Arctic, where the rate of sea ice loss has followed a fairly consistent downward trajectory as climate change accelerates, Antarctic sea ice extent has swung up and down, making it harder to figure out how the continent and its surrounding ocean are responding to global heating. The two polar regions are very different. While the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents, Antarctica is a continent surrounded by the ocean – this means its sea ice can grow outward, unconstrained by land. Antarctic ice tends to be thinner than Arctic ice, with greater highs in the winter and steeper declines in the summer. Climate models projected declines in Antarctic sea ice that were similar to the Arctic, but until recently the region was behaving completely differently than those models predicted. It hit a record high for winter sea ice extent in 2014 when it reached 7.76 million square miles, which seemed to support the idea that the Antarctic may be relatively insulated from global warming. But in 2016, something changed. Scientists began observing a steep downward trend. At first, some put it down to the usual variability of this vastly complex continent, with its diverse, intertwined climate systems. But after two low sea ice records in a row, scientists are becoming concerned. “The question is, has climate change reached Antarctica? Is this the beginning of the end? Will the sea ice disappear for good in the coming years in the summer?” Christian Haas, head of the Sea Ice Physics Research Section at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, told CNN. Several factors may feed into why sea ice is so low, including winds, ocean currents and ocean heat. Air temperatures have been higher than usual in parts of the Antarctic, around 1.5 degrees Celsius above the long term average. Another important consideration is the belt of westerly winds which circle Antarctica, known as the Southern Annular Mode. These winds, which can increase sea ice melt, have been stronger than usual, according to the NSIDC, and added to weather conditions that pump warm air to the region. The strength of the winds has been linked, in part, to the increase of planet-heating pollution as well as the hole in the ozone layer above the continent. There are also suggestions that sea ice may be melting because of warmth trapped just below the surface of the ocean, Scambos said. “Basically, you’re getting heat stirred into the upper layer [of water] around the Antarctic,” he said. If that theory holds up, and is linked to the general warming of the oceans, “then that has big implications for the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet.” The disappearance of sea ice can have cascading effects in Antarctica and beyond. While it doesn’t directly affect sea levels, because it is already floating in the ocean, the loss of the fringe of sea ice around the Antarctic leaves coastal ice sheets and glaciers exposed to waves and warm ocean waters, making them much more vulnerable to melting and breaking up. An altered Antarctic landscape could have significant impacts on its wildlife, from the microorganisms and algae that prop up the food chain – food for krill which, in turn, feed many of the region’s whales – to the penguins and seals that rely on sea ice for feeding and resting. Parts of Antarctica have been seeing alarming changes for a while. The Antarctic Peninsula, a spindly chain of icy mountains which sticks off the west side of the continent like a thumb pointing toward South America, is one of the fastest warming places in the Southern Hemisphere. Carlos Moffat, an oceanographer at the University of Delaware, who has just returned from a research trip to the Antarctic Peninsula, told CNN that the low sea ice and very warm ocean temperatures they found “are dramatically different from what we have observed in the last few decades.”
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/21/world/antarctic-sea-ice-record-low-climate-intl/index.html
     
         
      Vast majority of Londoners support ban on wood burners Mon, 20th Feb 2023 12:04:00
     
      Exclusive: Poll shows national support for ban in urban areas, where burners have worst impact An overwhelming majority of people in London support the banning of wood burners, which are the single biggest source of tiny air pollution particles in Britain. An exclusive poll for the Guardian indicates that 67% of Londoners backed a ban, with 17% opposed and 16% saying they did not know. Across Britain, 44% supported a wood burner ban, with 36% opposed. Government data published last week showed emissions of toxic pollution particles from wood burning in UK homes had more than doubled in the past decade. Dirty air causes 26,000 to 38,000 early deaths a year in England, with the particles linked to many health problems, including heart and lung disease as well as dementia and depression. About only 8% of people in the UK burn solid fuels indoors, meaning a small minority are responsible for significant amounts of pollution. Two-thirds of these people live in urban areas, where the impact of air pollution is worst, and virtually all of them have other sources of heating. The poll, conducted by Omnisis, posed the question: “Wood burners are significant contributors to air pollution in urban areas. Do you think they should be banned in towns and cities?” The results found that among supporters of all the main political parties, more people agreed with a ban than disagreed. The same applied for all age categories, with the strongest backing for a ban among over-75s, with 58% in favour and 32% opposed. Support for a wood burner ban was strongest in London, followed by the east Midlands. Overall, in seven of the 11 areas in the poll – nine English regions, plus Scotland and Wales – more people were in favour than against. However, more people in Scotland disagreed with a ban, where opposition was strongest with 49% against and 34% in favour. More people also disagreed with a ban in Wales, the north-west and Yorkshire/the Humber, according to the poll. The government has required new wood burners to meet an “eco” standard since the start of 2022. However, these still produce 450 times more small particle pollution than gas heating, according to a report by Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England. Ministers also banned the sale of damp wood, which is four times more polluting than dry wood, from May 2022, but dry wood remains highly polluting. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in effect banned wood burners in new and refurbished homes this month, by setting new air pollution limits. The government recently urged councils to use their powers to issue householders with £300 on-the-spot fines for flouting air pollution rules when burning logs at home. However, English councils have issued only 17 fines over six years, despite more than 18,000 complaints. The Omnisis poll also asked people about changes being made to how UK farmers are paid taxpayer-funded subsidies, after Brexit. There was strong support for farmers being given these subsidies to support food production – 64% were in favour. People also backed subsidies to support the recovery of wildlife and nature (67%) and reduce global warming by planting trees (66%). The poll questioned 1,258 people on 15 and 16 February and is weighted to a nationally representative population. Omnisis is a member of the British Polling Council.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/20/wood-burners-urban-air-pollution-londoners-support-ban?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Gautam Adani: Will tycoon’s wealth woes hit India’s green energy dreams? Mon, 20th Feb 2023 7:58:00
     
      Two years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ambitious plans to make India a green energy colossus. He pledged cutting emissions to net zero or becoming carbon neutral, meaning not adding to the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by 2070. (Although its demand for power and emissions are lower than Western countries', India is the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses.) Mr Modi also promised for India to get half of its energy from renewable resources by 2030, and by the same year to slash projected carbon emissions by a billion tonnes. The school dropout's high-risk journey to become Asia's richest man One businessman who's key to Mr Modi's green energy plans is Gautam Adani, one of Asia's richest men who runs a sprawling port-to-energy conglomerate with seven publicly traded companies, including a renewable energy firm called Adani Green Energy. Mr Adani plans to spend $70bn (£58bn) in green energy and become a global renewable player by 2030. This money is expected to be spent on hybrid renewable power generation, making batteries and solar panels and using wind energy and green hydrogen. But Mr Adani's recent troubles have raised concerns about whether this means a setback for India's soaring energy ambitions. The listed companies in his group have seen some $120bn wiped off their market value after the US-based investment firm Hindenburg Research published a report accusing it of decades of "brazen" stock manipulation and accounting fraud. The group has dismissed the allegations as malicious and untrue, calling them an "attack on India". In the first sign of investors getting skittish, TotalEnergies, a French oil and gas group, put on pause a planned $4bn investment in a green hydrogen project with the Adani Group until there was more "clarity" on the situation. (Total has already invested more than $3bn in energy projects with the group). To calm investors, the group has said that its companies faced no "material refinancing risk or near-term liquidity issues". A spokesperson of the Adani Group told the BBC: "We do not anticipate change in energy transition plans of [the] Adani portfolio". Experts believe it is too early to determine the impact of recent developments on India's climate plans. "The Adani group is a big player in the green energy space. Some of the fresh investments may be delayed. If they are not able to raise more financing, it will have some impact on green energy investments that it had originally planned," says Vibhuti Garg of the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. "But the momentum in renewable energy will continue." Coal shortage sparks India's power woes In the coming decades, India's energy transition will be the biggest in the world. With 1.4 billion people, the country still needs to hook up large swathes of population and the last holdouts with power. India adds a city the size of London to its urban population every year. Industrial activity is increasing. There are more extreme weather events like heatwaves. A push towards electrical vehicles will further exacerbate demand for power. Not surprisingly, the electricity regulator reckons that demand is expected to double in the next five years. India is the world's second-largest producer and consumer of coal. Three-quarters of the electricity produced uses coal and India is still building thermal plants. Yet the plan is that most of the additional capacity will come from renewable sources. And to reach net zero emissions by 2070, India needs $160bn every year between now and 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That's three times today's level of investment. Apart from the Adani Group, the other big player in green energy are the Ambanis. Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Group, India's biggest firm, plans to spend $80bn on renewable power projects in the western state of Gujarat. Energy giant Tata Group is also revving up its clean energy play. Yet experts say India's insatiable energy demand requires many more players. "If we need to meet so much of energy demand, we need many more private players, a few big and many small," says Ashwini K Swain of Centre for Policy Research, a Delhi-based think tank. He believes the the numbers of domestic green energy players has to grow. "We cannot work with half a dozen players and a couple of players who are disproportionately big," he says. Can India's Adani Group recover from $100bn loss? That's why the Adani Group's troubles could actually be an opportunity for other renewable energy players, says Tim Buckley of Australia-based Climate Energy Finance. He says he sees "huge potential capacity for other national players to "step up, leveraging their domestic skills and capacity, combined with expanding global capital access and interest in investing in Indian renewables and grid infrastructure". India's total generation capacity of clean and dirty energy is 400 GW - and it plans add 500 GW in clean energy alone by 2030. It is an audacious ambition. A transition of this scale in a country which has depended on coal and oil so far to meet its energy demands is not going to be easy. Mr Swain believes India should stop expanding coal capacity, and instead move to meeting some of its new demand from cleaner sources. For example, a fifth of India's electricity demand comes from irrigating its vast farms; powering the farms during daytime with solar energy could make everybody happy. "India's progress on renewable energy has been remarkable. There may be some delays and slowdowns, but those should not hamper the renewable energy growth," says Ms Garg.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64593277
     
         
      Scotland will miss heat pump targets claims WWF Mon, 20th Feb 2023 5:06:00
     
      Scotland will fall "significantly short" of its target for decarbonising heating in homes, a new report warns. Environmental campaigners WWF Scotland said a faster rollout of heat pumps could lower energy bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The heating of homes is the fourth-largest cause of emissions. Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie said the government's strategy sets a hugely ambitious vision to cut carbon across Scotland's homes. Scotland has pledged to become net zero by 2045, meaning its contribution to climate change will have ended by then. As part of that target, the Scottish government is aiming to remove fossil fuels from heating in more than a million homes by 2030. It has also pledged that all homes will meet band C in energy performance certificate standards by 2032. Much of the work to achieve the target will involve replacing fossil fuel heating such as gas or oil-fired boilers with heat pumps or other zero emission options. The WWF report said a faster rollout of heat pumps could also lower energy bills for the majority of Scottish homes. However, the costs of installing a heat pump can be as much as £12,000. WWF calls for both the Scottish and UK governments to increase funding and accelerate deadlines for the roll out of alternatives to gas and oil-fired central heating. To heat our homes, we're hooked on gas which has long been a cheap and easy way to keep us warm. But each one of those little combi boilers is emitting carbon dioxide which - along with some oil-heated homes - account for about 15% of Scotland's total emissions. That's more than the amount emitted from power stations and the entire energy supply sector. Heat pumps are the quickest solution for domestic heating but they are not cheap, starting at about £12,000 per household but reduced to £4,500 with government grants. Costs are falling but that's still an eye-watering amount for many and they're still expensive to run, requiring huge amounts of currently expensive electricity. While the power sector is becoming greener and cheaper, the cost to the consumer is not - and changing that is likely to be a game-changer for heat pump roll out. Presentational grey line Fabrice Leveque, energy policy manager at WWF Scotland, said: "Our reliance on gas and oil boilers is driving up our energy bills and creating damaging carbon pollution. "Scotland is a renewable energy powerhouse, and we can harness that to heat our homes using electric heat pumps." The report says the removal of UK government policy costs from bills - so called "green levies" - has helped reduce the costs of running heat pumps. But it says there needs to be further reform of the electricity market where the price is still determined by the most expensive energy source being used, namely gas. Most households with oil or electric heating would see significant falls in energy bills with a switch to heat pumps, it concludes, though people with gas heating in a modern tenement flat would see costs rise by as much as 23%. A heat pump is an electrically powered device that absorbs heat from the air, ground or water around a building. For example, air-source pumps suck in outdoor air and pass it over tubes containing refrigerant fluids to produce heat. The UK government has set a target of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028. But currently fewer than 50,000 are fitted in British homes annually and the UK is bottom of the heat pump installation league table in Europe. Chris Stark, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee - an independent body which advises governments on policy - says decarbonising home heating is a vital step in meeting climate targets. He said: "The Scottish government has big ambitions for decarbonising the economy but so far there's been too little action to make these a reality. "Cleaning up home heating will require significant investment and this research shows that this is achievable and desirable." Scottish government minister Patrick Harvie said he recognised that this was a decisive decade for action on cutting carbon and improving energy efficiency. He said that since the Heat in Buildings Strategy was published he had been working to support and speed up the delivery of zero and low emission heating systems. "I also look forward to consulting on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill in the coming months, and seeking views on our plans for regulation to accelerate green heating installation and higher energy efficiency standards in Scotland's homes and buildings," Mr Harvie said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64674520
     
         
      Cyclone Gabrielle: Rebuilding cost on par with Christchurch quake - NZ Sun, 19th Feb 2023 23:07:00
     
      New Zealand has said rebuilding after Cyclone Gabrielle will cost billions of dollars, on par with the Christchurch earthquake from 12 years ago. Gabrielle brought widespread flooding to the North Island in mid-February, damaging roads and bridges. At least 11 people have died so far and thousands are still uncontactable. "It's going to be the biggest weather event this century, with a billion dollar price tag," Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. Mr Robertson told TVNZ over the weekend that the government would first attend to survivors' most urgent needs - food, shelter, electricity and communications. "We have a long journey ahead of us to rebuild after this disaster, but we have the resources to do it, and we have the will to do it," Mr Robertson said. Farmers lost entire harvests and herds to the floods and authorities are still determining how much of it will be covered by insurance, said the minister, who is in charge of rebuilding efforts. On Monday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced an additional NZ$250m (£129.6m) to fix damaged roads and a NZ$50m (£25.9m)-support package to give immediate relief for businesses. New Zealand spent NZ$13bn ($8.1bn; £6.7bn) to rebuild from the powerful earthquake in the South Island in 2011 that levelled much of the Christchurch city centre and left 185 people dead and thousands homeless. Mr Robertson blamed the extent of the damage inflicted by Gabrielle on New Zealand's failure to build infrastructure that's resilient to climate change, adding that the current approach to adapt "has not been sufficiently robust". Not even tens of billions of dollars in additional infrastructure spending over the next five years can fill in the gaps, he added. "The deficit is so large, we will not be able to make up for it in the long term," he said. Mr Hipkins also said the state of national emergency due to Gabrielle will be extended for seven days. It applies to Northland, Auckland, Tai R?whiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke's Bay and Tararua. This is only the third time in New Zealand's history that the country has issued a national emergency declaration to speed up rescue and relief efforts - the last time was in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. Mr Hipkins said more than 6,500 people were uncontactable after the cyclone, but added that authorities knew that about 4,200 of them were alright. Around 15,000 people are still without power in the North Island, the PM said. About 70% of those are in Napier and surrounding areas. Gabrielle struck a few weeks after heavy rains flooded Auckland, also on the North Island. That deluge paralysed the city's airport, photos of which went viral on social media. Many of the roads damaged by Gabrielle are still closed. Tanker trucks cannot collect milk, some logging is suspended and meat processing is scaled down, Reuters reported. The cyclone also disrupted picking in apple and pear farms, where annual production is valued at NZ$1 billion. Many of these areas are still inaccessible. Farm damage could push food prices higher, adding pressure to inflation that's already running at a near three-decade high of 7.2%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64672099
     
         
      How does the NSW government’s renewable energy plan stack up against Labor’s? We asked the experts Sun, 19th Feb 2023 14:07:00
     
      The New South Wales Coalition and Labor each presented plans for clean energy investment over the weekend. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two promises. What has the Coalition announced? On Saturday, the incumbents promised a $1.5bn clean energy superpower fund, which includes $1.2bn already announced to upgrade transmission networks in the transmission acceleration fund. The additional $300m is marked to pay for grants to storage and grid security projects, including pumped hydro and batteries. A further $23m was promised to expand the electricity infrastructure roadmap to include rooftop solar and smaller batteries. What is Labor offering? On Sunday, Labor pledged to create a $1bn state-owned energy security corporation to drive investment in renewable energy projects. Under this plan, the government would partner with companies working on medium- to long-term renewable storage solutions and technologies that provide grid stability and community batteries, funding it with cash from the existing Restart NSW fund. The NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, said the plan would enable the government to fund projects that “ensure reliability in the system and keeps the lights on and creates new jobs”. If Labor forms government after 25 March, it would maintain the Coalition’s $1.2bn transmission acceleration fund. How do these promises differ? Both of these plans are focused on dealing with gaps in the market where private investment is more challenging, but they are attacking the problems in slightly different ways and with different amounts of funding. Labor has put more money on the table while seeking to partner with private companies developing renewable energy projects rather than offering grants from a fund like the Coalition is planning. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The policy director of the Nature Conservation Council, Brad Smith, said the main difference between the two is the scale of investment. “Labor’s is larger,” he said. “Both of them are looking at using public funds to invest but also leverage private funding. There’s more similarities than either party wants to admit.” The acting chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, Wayne Smith, said both parties were offering “pretty comprehensive plans”. “The NSW government’s been particularly focusing on specific renewable energy zones and getting investment in those areas,” he said. “What Labor’s announcement does is to specifically focus on renewable energy storage and that’s still the missing piece of the puzzle. That’s an area where probably the NSW government hasn’t had as strong a position so far.” Why are these investments needed? According to the experts, some renewable projects can be risky and incredibly costly, which makes them less attractive investment projects. Wayne Smith describes renewable energy storage as “not quite bankable yet”, which makes it harder to attract funds. “We just need that extra bit of support and innovative financing to get those projects over the line,” he said. Brad Smith said larger projects had also struggled. “That’s why these funds are a really large intervention to make sure these projects that are so important for energy security get built and get built on time,” he said. “The market needs a lot of certainty in order to access capital. Having the public funds available is one of the most important things to de-risk a project.” Which will be more effective? That depends who you ask. Most experts say it depends on how these programs are implemented and they all said more work was still needed. The executive director of the Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, said Labor’s plan would get things happening more quickly. “If you want to drive big change in a hurry, it’s better to do it through the public sector. What’s different here is who’s driving the bus. “There is a government saying to the market: ‘There’s money here, who would like to build things?’ Whereas there’s Labor saying: ‘These are the things we want to build, who’d like to help us build them?’” Wayne Smith said Labor’s focus on storage and its model – based on the federal Clean Energy Finance Corporation – was beneficial. “That’s a great model and we’re really pleased that they’ve adopted that point,” he said. “The focus on renewable energy storage … that puts them ahead of the game.” Why are both parties investing in this sector? The promises were welcomed by a sector that has been calling out for government intervention to plug the gaps where private markets are failing. Denniss said it is good to see governments throwing money into decarbonising the economy. Brad Smith described the efforts as “heartening”. “Both major parties [are] recognising that the public wants action on climate change,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/20/how-does-the-nsw-governments-renewable-energy-plan-stack-up-against-labors-we-asked-the-experts?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      The race across Europe to build green steel plants Fri, 17th Feb 2023 19:18:00
     
      A small military town in Sweden's frozen north is on course to produce Europe's first commercial green steel. Giant diggers and excavators are powering through layers of mud, ice and snow at the site of a new steel plant just outside Boden, 900 km (559 miles) north of Stockholm. At 09:00, the sun has only just risen and the temperature is -8C. Some of the workers are wearing three or four jackets, and have switched on the heated seats in their vehicles. Steel is usually made in a process that starts with blast furnaces. Fed with coking coal and iron ore, they emit large quantities of carbon dioxide and contribute to global warming. The production of steel is responsible for around 7% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. But in Boden, the new plant will use hydrogen technology, designed to cut emissions by as much as 95%. Although the first buildings have yet to go up on the remote site, the company behind the project, H2 Green Steel, believes it's on course to roll out the first commercial batches of its steel by 2025. If it succeeds, it will be the first large-scale green steel plant in Europe, with its products used in the same way as traditional steel, to construct everything from cars and cargo ships to buildings and bridges. Although much of Europe's steelmaking industry dates back centuries, H2 Green Steel is a start-up that didn't even exist before the pandemic. When Northvolt opened Sweden's first giant electric battery factory two hours south of Boden, it wanted to find a greener way of producing the steel needed to make the batteries, and H2 Green Steel emerged as a spin-off with funding from two of Northvolt's founders. Audio: The remote Swedish town leading in green steel The centrepiece of the new steel plant will be a tall structure called a DRI tower (DRI means a direct reduction of iron). Inside this, hydrogen will react with iron ore to create a type of iron that can be used to make steel. Unlike coking coal, which results in carbon emissions, the by-product of the reaction in the DRI tower is water vapour. All the hydrogen used at the new green steel plant will be made by H2Green Steel. Water from a nearby river is passed through an electrolyser - a process which splits off the hydrogen from water molecules. The electricity used to make the hydrogen and power the plant comes from local fossil-free energy sources, including hydropower from the nearby Lule river, as well as wind parks in the region. "This a unique spot to start with. You have to have the space, and you have to have the green electricity," says Ida-Linn Näzelius, vice president of environment and society at H2 Green Steel. H2Green Steel has already signed a deal with Spanish energy company Iberdrola to build a green steel plant powered by solar energy in the Iberian peninsula, and says it's exploring other opportunities in Brazil. On home soil it's got friendly competition from another Swedish steel company, Hybrit, which is planning to open a similar fossil-free steel plant in northern Sweden by 2026. This firm is a joint venture for Nordic steel company SSAB, mining firm LKAB and energy company Vattenfall, boosted by state funding from the Swedish Energy Agency and the EU's Innovation fund. While Sweden is leading the way when it comes to carbon-cutting steel production in Europe, it is important to put its potential impact in context, says Katinka Lund Waagsaether, a senior policy advisor at the Brussels-based climate think tank E3G. H2 Green Steel hopes to produce five million tonnes of green steel a year by 2030. Global annual production is currently around 2,000 million tonnes, according to figures from the World Steel Association. "The production capacity in Sweden will be a drop in the sea," says Ms Lund Waagsaether. But other ventures should help increase the proportion of green steel available in Europe. These include, GravitHy, which plans to open a hydrogen-based plant in France, in 2027. German steel giant Thyssenkrupp recently announced it aims to introduce carbon-neutral production at all its plants by 2045. Europe's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal and the Spanish government are also investing in green steel projects in northern Spain. Meanwhile, the EU is in the process of finalising a new strategy called the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, designed to make it more expensive for European companies to import cheaper, non-green steel from other parts of the world. "I think it is important in that it'll give industry the confidence to invest, because they can see that, at least in the European context, their steel will be competitive," says Ms Lund Waagsaether. She also points to a "a crucial window of action" between now and 2030, with around 70% of steelworks around the world in need of repair and reinvestment during this period. Blast furnaces could be replaced or relined to extend their lifetimes, but a smarter long-term strategy, argues Ms Lund Waagsaether, would be to invest in switching to carbon-cutting production processes instead. "The next eight years are crucial for making sure that companies and investors globally make decisions towards green steel production... which is going to 'lock us in' for another few decades." But whether the majority of big steel producers will follow this path is difficult to predict, says Lundberg. "I would say I'm hopeful, but we need to keep the pressure up." In the UK, the government is reported to be ready to stump up £600m to help Britain's two largest steelmakers switch away from coal-fired blast furnaces. However the country remains "very much a laggard" in green steel circles, according to Chris McDonald, chief executive of the UK's national innovation centre for steel and metals, the Materials Processing Institute. "A big reason for that is that currently the UK has very high energy prices compared with other countries, and that means it makes the steel industry unsustainable and it makes investment less attractive in the UK." Another challenge, says Mr McDonald, is figuring out how to negate high unemployment in industrial heartlands if existing steel plants shut down, or require different skill sets from employees once they've been remodelled. "It's more complicated, I think, than just opening up the market and allowing new entrants to come in, because we're trying to manage a green transition and to manage the social consequences at the same time," he argues. In Boden, the arrival of H2 Green Steel is being viewed as a major opportunity for job creation in an area that's been crying out for new industries for decades. The small military town shrunk after army budget cuts and closure of a large hospital in the region in the 1990s, resulting in thousands of people moving elsewhere to find work. "This is our biggest opportunity in more than 100 years," says the town's Social Democrat mayor Claes Nordmark. "This will mean jobs, it will mean more restaurants, it will bring more sponsorship to our football and ice hockey and handball team and so on… it means everything for us."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64538296
     
         
      UK arm of EDF returns to profit as household electricity prices soar Fri, 17th Feb 2023 19:02:00
     
      French firm’s 2022 pre-tax figure of £1.1bn in Britain relates to nuclear operations and higher energy prices The UK arm of the French energy company EDF bounced back to profit last year, making more than £1bn, as it was boosted by the rising cost of wholesale energy, which allowed it to sell the electricity it generated at a higher price. The firm made a pre-tax profit of £1.1bn in the UK last year, before one-off items, a recovery from a loss of £21m a year earlier. EDF, which runs Britain’s nuclear power stations, said the profit was related to stronger operational performance of its nuclear fleet, and higher energy prices. The company is building Britain’s newest nuclear reactor, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which has been hit by delays and climbing costs. The cost of the project was originally set at £18bn, before it was later put at £25bn to £26bn. On Friday, EDF said that £25bn to £26bn remained the estimated cost based on 2015 calculations but “the estimated nominal cost at completion could reach £32.7bn” because of inflation. The company, which is mostly state-owned but is being fully nationalised in France, is the UK’s fourth-largest energy supplier, providing gas and electricity to more than 5m UK households. EDF said Britain’s cap on energy bills hit earnings at its energy supply business, which made a loss of £200m. The company said this was because it cost it more to buy energy to supply to its residential customers than the price it was allowed to charge them under the energy price cap. The UK profit was a rare bright spot for EDF in its annual results, which reported a record net loss of €17.9bn (£16bn) for the whole group in 2022, as its nuclear output plunged to a 34-year low after a record number of outages at its reactors in France. Stress corrosion cracks were found in pipes in the cooling systems of some reactors. The group’s net debt rose to almost €65bn last year, up from €43bn a year earlier. EDF’s chief executive, Luc Rémont, who was appointed by the French government last November to turn the company around, said: “Today, our priority is to put EDF back on track.” EDF said it invested £2.6bn in the UK in 2022 in its nuclear, renewables and customer businesses. The company said it was investing more than £13bn in the UK between 2023 and 2025, largely in the Hinkley Point scheme. It is also planning to invest about £2bn in its existing nuclear fleet and renewables projects this year. It welcomed the UK government’s decision last November confirming that the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk would go ahead, and which will be developed by EDF. The government has taken a 50% stake in the project, which will be the second of a new generation of UK nuclear power reactors, after Hinkley Point C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/17/uk-arm-of-edf-returns-to-profit-as-household-electricity-prices-soar?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Wales says no to more roads Fri, 17th Feb 2023 18:55:00
     
      The government of Wales, one of the four countries in the United Kingdom, announced on Tuesday that it would cancel all its major road-building projects over climate concerns, a move that could make more space for public transit, pedestrians, and cyclists. The decision comes after a yearlong review in which a panel of experts weighed the costs and benefits of more than 50 planned road projects across Wales. The experts evaluated each project against transportation priorities set by Wales’ center-left Labour government in 2021, including targets to reduce the number of car miles traveled per person by 10 percent by 2030 and for 45 percent of journeys to use sustainable modes of transportation by 2040. As a result of the experts’ recommendations, Welsh officials said Tuesday that only 15 smaller-scale road projects will move forward, while the rest either have been canceled or will have to be revised. The government will still invest in roads, but new project proposals will now have to show that they support “modal shift” — getting people out of cars and into other types of transportation — and that they won’t increase climate pollution or the number of vehicles on the road. “[W]e are building new roads as I speak — but we are raising the bar for where new roads are the right response to transport problems,” Lee Waters, Wales’ deputy minister for climate change, told members of the Welsh Parliament this week. An extensive body of research shows that new and expanded roadways don’t actually solve the traffic and safety problems they’re intended to address. Rather, a phenomenon called “induced demand” attracts more drivers to the roads until they’re just as clogged as before. Congestion remains high, and so do carbon emissions. Some 17 percent of Wales’ climate pollution comes from transportation, and nearly three-quarters of that total comes from passenger vehicles. In Wales, environmental advocates hailed the government’s decision as “world-leading and brave.” Waters said it would reverse 70 years of misguided road-related decision-making, allowing Wales to invest in “real alternatives” to cars, including trains, buses, and walking and biking infrastructure.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/wales-says-no-to-more-roads/
     
         
      Amid ‘spy balloon’ controversy, WMO highlights key role of weather balloons in climate monitoring Fri, 17th Feb 2023 18:53:00
     
      Weather balloons play an important part of a vast, intricate global observation system, providing vital information for climate monitoring and forecasters, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday. On the heels of recent news reports about Canada and the United States shooting down several flying objects, including an alleged Chinese ‘spy balloon’, inside their borders, WMO points out that weather balloons provide just a tiny fraction of the millions of observations gathered worldwide daily. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden made public remarks after days of speculation over three unmanned aerial objects shot down last weekend by the US military, saying that they were “most likely tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions.” Valuable input for global system More than 50 satellites collect information from space, and about 400 aircraft operated by some 40 commercial aircraft companies gather input from the skies, notes WMO. About 400 moored buoys, 1,250 drifting buoys, and 7,300 ships help from the seas in addition to 10,000 automated and land-based observing stations across the planet. 1,000 daily flights Every day, free-rising latex balloons are released simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide. Nearly 1,000 balloons gather daily observations that provide input in real-time. The valuable information gathered contributes to computer forecast models, local data for meteorologists to make forecasts and predict storms, climate monitoring and data for research to better understand weather and climate processes. Computer forecast models that use weather balloon data are used by all forecasters worldwide, WMO said. Equipped with battery-operated radiosondes that capture observations, the floating information collectors are airborne for around two hours. Up to 35kms high They measure pressure, wind velocity, temperature and humidity from just above ground, to heights of up to 35 kilometres, sustaining temperatures as cold as -95°C (-139°F), before bursting and falling back to Earth under a parachute. Playing a key role as part of the world’s global observing network for decades, they are the primary source of above-ground data. More than two thirds of weather balloon stations make observations twice a day and another 100 and 200 report daily. Their valuable input feeds the Global Observing System, among the most ambitious and successful instances of international collaboration of the last 60 years, WMO said. The system consists of individual surface and space-based observing systems owned and operated by a plethora of national and international agencies.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133652?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7a2e05a531-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_17_10_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-7a2e05a531-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Italy faces another year of severe drought after little winter rain or snow Fri, 17th Feb 2023 13:15:00
     
      Vast areas along Po River already parched, raising fears for farming, hydropower and drinking water Italy’s rivers and lakes are facing another year of severe drought after a winter of little rain and snowfall, raising the alarm on the implications for farming, hydropower and access to drinking water. Vast areas of the Po – the country’s longest river that nourishes several northern and central regions – are already parched, while the water level on Lake Garda is the lowest during winter in 35 years. Unusually lower water levels in Venice have dried up the lagoon city’s canals, leaving gondolas stranded. Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) said rainfall in the north was down 40% in 2022 and the absence of precipitation since the beginning of 2023 had been significant. In particular, the Po, which stretches from the Alps in the north-west and flows through the Po delta before reaching the Adriatic, faces a repeat of last year’s drought – the worst to affect the waterway in seven decades – unless rain arrives in the spring. In the Pavia area of the Po valley the water level is 3 metres below the zero gauge, turning the riverbanks into beaches – a phenomenon usually seen in summer. “Nothing has changed since 2022,” said Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society. “We are still in a situation of deficit … let’s wait for the spring, which is usually the rainiest period for the Po valley. There is a good possibility that rainfall in April and May can compensate – it’s the last hope. If we have no spring rain for two consecutive years then it would be the first time this has ever happened.” The Po also flows through Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, one of the most important agricultural zones in Europe. Along with 2022, during which there was a protracted heatwave, the valley experienced droughts in 2007, 2012 and 2017, and scientists say their growing prevalence is a further indication of the climate crisis. Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, said the 2022 drought caused €6bn (£5.4bn) worth of damage to agricultural produce. It warned that a third of production was at risk this year unless another long and severe drought was averted. Alessandro Bratti, the president of the Po basin authority, said the situation was most extreme in Piedmont and Lombardy, while in Trentino it was affecting the production of hydroelectric power. “If you have no water you cannot produce energy, so this is another problem,” Bratti said. “It is very critical because it hasn’t snowed or rained during this period and the forecast says it will stay this way.” With the Po’s level so low, an additional problem is that sea water encroaches further up the river, filling aquifers and making them unusable for irrigating farmland. “Last year sea water entered for almost 40km [25 miles], which also causes a problem for drinking water as you need to use desalinators,” said Bratti. Last summer, the Italian government, which at the time was led by Mario Draghi, released €36.5m of funds to help areas affected by the drought. The move also allowed local authorities to bypass the usual bureaucracy and take immediate action, such as by imposing water rationing measures. Although the measures were coordinated by the Po basin authority, the body only has the power to advise, such as suggesting ways farmers can use less water. “There are many entities involved and the protocol at the moment is voluntary,” said Bratti. “There needs to be a law that gives the basin authority the power to work out the problem and decide what to do – it could be telling farmers to stop drawing water for a month or stopping hydroelectric power for a week.” He said the funds issued by the Draghi administration were still in place but that projects to tackle drought situations had been slow to progress since the new government led by Giorgia Meloni came to power in October. “We have projects and funds for hydrological infrastructure, such as building barriers to prevent the sea from entering the river,” Bratti added. “There is also a proposal to build 10,000 lakes, and to introduce technical systems to cut down the waste of water in farming. We now need to accelerate the projects.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/17/italy-faces-another-year-severe-drought-little-winter-rain-snow-po-river?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Guterres calls for G20 to agree $500 billion annual stimulus for sustainable development Fri, 17th Feb 2023 10:50:00
     
      The UN on Friday called for a significant increase to the tune of $500 billion each year in extra financing from the world’s most developed nations, to meet the crucial 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. So far, the global financial system has failed to effectively cushion the impacts of current crises impacting the Global South the most: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing climate emergency. “Today’s poly-crises are compounding shocks on developing countries – in large part because of an unfair global financial system that is short-term, crisis-prone, and that further exacerbates inequalities,” warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres, marking the launch of the SDG Stimulus. Massive scaling up “We need to massively scale up affordable long-term financing by aligning all financing flows to the SDGs and improving the terms of lending of multilateral development banks,” stressed the Secretary-General. “The high cost of debt and increasing risks of debt distress demand decisive action to make at least $500 billion dollars available annually to developing countries and convert short term lending into long term debt at lower interest rates.” Level playing field Halfway to the 2030 Agenda deadline, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the world’s roadmap out of crises – is not where it needs to be, the UN argues. To reverse course and make steady progress on the Goals, the SDG Stimulus outlines the need for the international community to come together to mobilize investments for the SDGs – but, in so doing, also create a new international financial architecture that would ensure that finance is automatically invested to support just, inclusive and equitable transitions for all countries. The current global financial system born out of two devastating World Wars – originally created to provide a global safety net during shocks – is one in which most of the world’s poorest countries saw their debt service payments skyrocket by 35 per cent in 2022, the UN notes. ‘Great financial divide’ The “great finance divide” continues to proliferate, leaving the Global South more susceptible to shocks. Developing countries don’t have the resources they urgently need to invest in recovery, climate action and the SDGs, making them poised to fall even further behind when the next crisis strikes – and even less likely to benefit from future transitions, including the green transition. As of November last year, 37 out of 69 of the world’s poorest countries were either at high risk or already in debt distress, while one in four middle-income countries, which host the majority of the extreme poor, were at high risk of financial collapse. Accordingly, the number of additional people falling into extreme poverty in countries in or at high risk of entering debt distress is estimated to be 175 million by 2030, including 89 million women and girls, according to UN figures. Even prior to the recent rise in interest rates, least developed countries that borrowed from international capital markets, often paid rates of between five to eight per cent, compared to just one per cent for many developed countries. Stimulus plan The SDG Stimulus aims to offset unfavorable market conditions faced by developing countries through investments in renewable energy, universal social protection, decent job creation, healthcare, quality education, sustainable food systems, urban infrastructure and a transformation to working digitally. Increasing financing by $500 billion per year is possible through a combination of concessional and non-concessional finance in a mutually reinforcing way, the UN says. 3-point plan of action 1. Tackle the high cost of debt and rising risks of debt distress, including by converting short-term high interest borrowing into long-term, or more than 30 year debt plans, at lower interest rates. 2. Massively scale up affordable long-term financing for development, especially through strengthening the multilateral development banks (MDB) capital base, improving the terms of their lending, and by aligning all financing flows with the SDGs. 3. Expand contingency financing to countries in need, including by integrating disaster and pandemic clauses into all sovereign lending, and more automatically issue SDRs in times of crisis. As underscored by Mr. Guterres, the SDG Stimulus, while ambitious, is achievable. “Investing in the SDGs is both sensible and feasible: it is a win-win for the world, as the social and economic rates of return on sustainable development in developing countries is very high.” But to make this happen, “urgent political will to take concerted and coordinated steps to implement this package of interconnected proposals in a timely manner is critical.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133637
     
         
      World risks descending into a climate ‘doom loop’, warn thinktanks Thu, 16th Feb 2023 19:10:00
     
      Report says simply coping with escalating impacts of climate crisis could override tackling root cause The world is at risk of descending into a climate “doom loop”, a thinktank report has warned. It said simply coping with the escalating impacts of the climate crisis could draw resources and focus away from the efforts to slash carbon emissions, making the situation even worse. The damage caused by global heating across the globe is increasingly clear, and recovering from climate disasters is already costing billions of dollars. Furthermore, these disasters can cause cascading problems including water, food and energy crises, as well as increased migration and conflict, all draining countries’ resources. The researchers, from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and Chatham House, said a current example of the impact of the climate crisis complicating efforts to reduce emissions and other action was the debate over whether keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5C – the international goal – was still possible. Those arguing 1.5C was still possible risked perpetuating complacency that today’s slow pace of action was sufficient, the researchers said, while those arguing it was not possible risked supporting fatalism that little that could now be done, or “extreme approaches” such as geoengineering. Avoiding a doom loop required a more honest acceptance by politicians of the great risks posed by the climate crisis, the researchers said, including the looming prospect of tipping points and of the huge scale of the economic and societal transformation required to end global heating. This should be combined with narratives that focused on the great benefits climate action brought and ensuring policies were fairly implemented. “We’ve entered, sadly, a new chapter in the climate and ecological crisis,” said Laurie Laybourn, an associate fellow at IPPR. “The phoney war is coming to an end and the real consequences now present us with difficult decisions. We absolutely can drive towards a more sustainable, more equitable world. But our ability to navigate through the shocks while staying focused on steering out the storm is key.” The report said: “This is a doom loop: the consequences of the [climate] crisis draw focus and resources from tackling its causes, leading to higher temperatures and ecological loss, which then create more severe consequences, diverting even more attention and resources, and so on.” It noted that, for example, Africa’s economy was already losing up to 15% of GDP a year to the worsening effects of global heating, cutting into funds needed for climate action and emphasising the need for support from developed countries, which emit the most carbon dioxide. “The thing I’m most concerned about is that we’re not factoring in the cascading risks to societies,” said Laybourn. “It’s not just the big city-smashing storms we should be concerned about, it’s the consequences that ripple through our globalised systems.” “For the UK, it may not necessarily be the sheer cost of responding to disasters that’s the biggest distraction. It could be that it has to deal at the same time with a food price shock and resurgent nativism, playing off fears about so-called climate refugees,” he added. Laybourn said the narratives used to describe the situation were very important. For example, he said, greener transport was not simply about switching to electric vehicles, but about better public transport and redesigned cities that meant people were closer to the jobs, education and healthcare they needed. This in turn meant reevaluating local authority budgets and taxes to implement the change. Unfairness in climate policy could drive the doom loop, Laybourn said, because if people felt unaffordable changes were being forced on them they would reject the need for a green transition. But, he added: “If you have fairness at the heart of things, it can instead be a virtuous circle, if you’re in a situation where people recognise that switching to a heat pump and having better insulation will be better for them regardless of the climate crisis.” Making progress on climate action resilient to difficulties posed by climate impacts was also crucial. “I’m a massive fan of citizens’ assemblies, because if people feel they have a role in decision making, they’re more likely to maintain their support, even in a future in which the shocks start to rack up. They become moments where we actually do build back better,” said Laybourn, unlike after the 2008 crash and Covid pandemic. Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at the London School of Economics, said: “This report rightly highlights the critical point we have reached, namely the increasing likelihood that global temperature will rise by more than 1.5C. This does not mean that we should abandon the target. “Our main aim should still be radical emissions cuts to try to avoid breaching 1.5C, but we should now also be considering what happens if we continue to fail. “This will mean bringing temperatures back down [and] we will have to invest in geoengineering options such as carbon dioxide removal and even solar radiation management. But it also means we will have to spend far more on dealing with [climate] damage, which will make it more difficult to make the transition to a sustainable, inclusive and resilient world.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/16/world-risks-descending-into-a-climate-doom-loop-warn-thinktanks?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Soaring fuel bills may push 141m more into extreme poverty globally – study Thu, 16th Feb 2023 16:59:00
     
      Researchers say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven up household energy costs by between 62.6% and 112.9% Soaring energy prices triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict could push up to 141 million more people around the globe into extreme poverty, a study has found. The cost of energy for households globally could have increased by between 62.6% and 112.9% since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a modelling study by an international group of scientists published in Nature Energy. The study modelled the impact of higher energy prices on the spending of 201 groups, representing different expenditure levels, in 116 countries, covering 87.4% of the global population. Despite efforts by governments to insulate consumers from the price rises, researchers estimated that overall household expenditure rose by between 2.7% and 4.8%. As a result, they estimate that an additional 78–141 million people worldwide could be pushed into extreme poverty. One of the report’s authors, Yuli Shan, a professor at the University of Birmingham, said: “High energy prices hit household finances in two ways: fuel price rises directly increase household energy bills, while energy inputs needed to produce goods and services push prices up for those products as well, and especially for food, which affects households indirectly. “Unaffordable costs of energy and other necessities will push vulnerable populations into energy poverty and even extreme poverty.” Shan added: “This unprecedented global energy crisis reminds us that an energy system highly reliant on fossil fuels perpetuates energy security risks, as well as accelerating climate change.” Household gas and electricity bills rose sharply last year, while petrol and diesel prices hit record highs. A report prepared for the World Economic Forum in Davos last month said soaring prices for energy and food could persist for the next two years. The energy crisis has led to calls for nations to move faster in building renewable energy sources, while governments have turned to polluting fuels such as coal to ensure security of power supplies. Another of the report’s authors, Klaus Hubacek of the University of Groningen, said: “This crisis is worsening energy poverty and extreme poverty worldwide. For poor countries, living costs undermine their hard-won gains in energy access and poverty alleviation. “Ensuring access to affordable energy and other necessities is a priority for those countries, but short-term policies addressing the cost of living crisis must align with climate mitigation goals and other long-term sustainable development commitments.” The UK and Europe have been urged to follow the US’s lead in encouraging green investment through Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Western nations have attempted to put a dent in the Kremlin’s coffers by placing a price cap on Russian oil while still allowing it to flow to avoid spiralling fuel prices. In recent weeks, wholesale gas prices have fallen as the mild winter and strong gas storage levels in Europe have boosted confidence that countries will not experience energy shortages this winter. However, concerns remain over how nations will replace Russian gas supplies next winter. In the UK, energy bills are to rise by 40% in April when government support for bills becomes less generous. National Energy Action estimates there are now 6.7 million UK households in fuel poverty – a figure that has more than doubled since 2020. Last week Greenpeace threatened to take legal action against the UK government as it emerged that a target to lift millions of struggling households out of fuel poverty was likely to be missed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/16/soaring-fuel-bills-may-push-141m-more-into-extreme-poverty-globally-study?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      EU goes all-in on zero-emissions cars Thu, 16th Feb 2023 10:56:00
     
      Last fall, EU negotiators reached a landmark deal to phase out the sale of gasoline-powered cars. Now, some four months later, one of the bloc’s key lawmaking bodies has formally approved it. Members of the European Parliament on Tuesday passed a law requiring automakers to achieve a 100 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from new cars sold in the EU by 2035. Because gasoline- and diesel-powered cars are inherently incompatible with such a target, the law effectively spells the end of the internal combustion engine in the EU’s 27 member states. Europe, home to major auto manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, is now set to become one of the world’s largest markets to set an expiration date for the sale of cars powered by fossil fuels. It joins U.S. states including California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington, all of which have adopted phaseout deadlines of 2035. The law also sets a more ambitious interim target for 2030, requiring automakers to reduce emissions 55 percent below 2021 levels rather than the previously planned 37.5 percent. Final approval is expected by March, pending the rules’ formal endorsement by the Council of the EU and their publication in the EU Official Journal, where the bloc records all of its legal acts. Critics said the policy would jeopardize tens of thousands of jobs in the EU’s automotive industry, but Frans Timmermans, the first vice president of the EU’s executive body, said the law was needed to keep Europe competitive on the global stage. In China, which leads the world in clean energy manufacturing, carmakers are quickly ramping up production and exports of EVs and EV components. “These are cars that will be more and more affordable, and we need to compete with that,” Timmermans told lawmakers this week. Meanwhile, the chair of the European Parliament’s transport committee hailed the vote as a “victory for our planet.” On the whole, transportation represents more than one-fifth of the bloc’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and some 72 percent of that comes from cars and trucks.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/eu-goes-all-in-on-zero-emissions-cars/
     
         
      World Bank chief resigns after climate stance misstep Thu, 16th Feb 2023 9:12:00
     
      David Malpass was criticised when he dodged question about fossil fuels’ link to climate crisis The World Bank president, David Malpass, has announced his resignation months after sparking controversy by failing to say whether he accepted that fossil fuels were driving the climate crisis. Malpass, who was appointed to the post by Donald Trump in 2019, said he would step down from the multilateral development bank, which provides billions of dollars a year in funding for developing economies, by the end of June. Malpass offered no specific reason for the decision, and did not explain why he was leaving the bank with less than a year remaining in his five-year term. He said in a statement: “After a good deal of thought, I’ve decided to pursue new challenges.” However, Malpass’s departure comes just months after he was forced to push back against claims he was a climate crisis denier. The controversy started after he appeared on a climate finance panel at a conference in New York in September. Asked repeatedly whether he believed “manmade burning of fossil fuels …[are] rapidly and dangerously warming the planet”, Malpass tried to dodge the question before saying: “I don’t even know. I’m not a scientist.” The answer drew condemnation from the White House, and raised pressure on Malpass, who eventually used an interview with CNN International to try to quell the controversy. “I’m not a denier,” Malpass told the broadcaster. However, the incident re-ignited calls for a leadership shake-up at the bank, where pressure has been building to pave the way for a new president who would make changes and ensure it responded to the climate crisis more aggressively. In November 2021, the special adviser to the UN secretary-general on climate change, Selwin Hart, criticised the World Bank for “fiddling while the developing world burns” and said the institution had been an “ongoing underperformer” on climate action. The US special envoy on climate change, John Kerry, has said he wants to work with Germany to come up with a strategy by the next World Bank Group meetings in April to “enlarge the capacity of the bank” to put more money into circulation and help countries deal with climate breakdown. Recently, the US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, launched a major push to change the way the World Bank operates to ensure broader lending to combat the climate crisis and other global challenges. Yellen issued a statement thanking Malpass for his service. “The world has benefited from his strong support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, his vital work to assist the Afghan people, and his commitment to helping low-income countries achieve debt sustainability through debt reduction.” Yellen said the US would soon nominate a replacement for Malpass and looked forward to the bank’s board undertaking a “transparent, merit-based and swift nomination process for the next World Bank president”. By longstanding tradition, the US government selects the head of the World Bank, while European leaders choose the leader of its larger partner, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Malpass took up the role in April 2019 after serving as the top official for international affairs at the US treasury in the Trump administration. In 2022, the World Bank committed more than $104bn (£86bn) to projects around the globe, according to the bank’s annual report. A source familiar with his thinking said Malpass had informed Yellen of his decision on Tuesday. The end of the fiscal year at the end of June was a natural time to step aside, the source said. The World Bank’s governors are expected to approve the bank’s roadmap for reforms with only minor changes at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank set for mid-April. Still, World Bank sources said they were surprised by Malpass’s decision to step down before the joint meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in Morocco in October.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/15/david-malpass-world-bank-president-steps-down?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Wood burning air pollution in UK has doubled in a decade Thu, 16th Feb 2023 4:03:00
     
      Experts say wood burners have become ‘middle-class status symbols’ and government should regulate sale in urban areas Emissions of toxic air pollution from wood burning in UK homes has more than doubled in the past decade, according to official government statistics. The report also showed that solid fuel burning in homes, which includes a small proportion of coal, is the single biggest source of PM2.5 pollution, which refers to particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns in size. Road transport, industry and burning wood and other biomass to produce electricity all produce fewer PM2.5 emissions. Experts said wood burners had become “middle-class status symbols” and that the government should regulate their sale in urban areas. Last week, the mayor of London in effect banned wood burners from new housing developments. Wood burning in towns and cities is a big contributor to the harmful particles, which have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including heart and lung disease, dementia and mental illness in children. Dirty air causes 26,000 to 38,000 early deaths a year in England. The government report said: “Due to the small size of many of the particles that form PM, some of these toxins may enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body, lodging in the heart, brain and other organs. Therefore, exposure to PM can result in serious impacts to health.” The rise in emissions from wood burners and biomass burning has offset the reductions seen from the virtual end of coal burning in power stations and tighter emissions standards for vehicles and factories, according to the government data. PM2.5 levels have remained the same for the last 10 years. The data shows that home wood burning causes 21% of PM2.5 emissions in the UK and rose by 124% between 2011 and 2021. Last year’s report from the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the rise between 2010 and 2020 was 35%. Officials said revisions are made each year to the data back to 1990 to reflect improvements in methods of estimating emissions. This year, emissions in 2010 were revised down and emissions in 2020 were revised up, while PM2.5 emissions also rose from 2020 to 2021. These factors in combination explain the rise from 35% to 124%, they said, meaning the rise was previously underestimated. “The increase in PM2.5 from domestic wood burning is a worrying trend that cannot continue if we are serious about protecting both the environment and public health,” said Ross Matthewman, head of policy and campaigns at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. “Now is the time for the UK government to regulate the sale and use of domestic solid wood burners in urban areas where there are on-grid heating alternatives,” he said. “Rather than providing heating to homes, they have become middle-class status symbols, which harm the quality of our air, damage the environment and threaten public health.” Even government approved “eco” wood burners produce 450 times more pollution than gas heating, according to a report by the chief medical officer for England, which said the vast majority of the 1.5m households that burn wood do so for aesthetic reasons. The dangers posed by wood burners in urban areas have become increasingly clear in recent years. Emissions from wood burners result in almost £1bn in health costs a year and are responsible for nearly half the cancer risk caused by urban air pollution. The government recently encouraged councils to use their powers to issue householders with £300 on-the-spot fines for flouting air pollution rules by burning logs at home. However, English councils have issued only 17 fines over six years, despite more than 18,000 complaints, as it is difficult and expensive to prove guilt. A Defra spokesperson said: “This government has delivered significant reductions in emissions since 2010. In that time, emissions of fine particulate matter have fallen by 10%, with nitrogen oxides down by 45%. “One of the drivers for the 6% rise in PM2.5 emissions in 2021 [compared with 2020] is increased activity post Covid-19 as society emerged from lockdowns,” the spokesperson said. “Clearly, there is much more to do to tackle this pollutant. That’s why we have legislated to restrict the sale of wet wood and coal, and our new Environmental Improvement Plan sets out further action to meet our long-term targets and ambitious interim targets for PM2.5.” This article was amended on 15 February 2023 to remove an incorrect line stating that pollution from the burning of biomass in power stations had increased by 379% between 2010 and 2021; that figure relates to biomass burning at industrial sites.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/14/wood-burning-air-pollution-uk-doubled-decade
     
         
      Australia warned it could lose out to ‘huge and aggressive’ green hydrogen support in US and Middle East Thu, 16th Feb 2023 1:59:00
     
      Guy Debelle points to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and warns ‘I’m really concerned that we are missing out on a huge opportunity’ Australia’s natural renewable energy advantage in the race to create a green hydrogen industry is at risk of being overwhelmed by “huge and aggressive” policy support in the US and the Middle East, according to Fortescue Future Industries’ Guy Debelle. Debelle, formerly FFI’s chief financial officer and now serving as a director, said the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act was mostly aimed at accelerating decarbonisation and was “one of the largest pieces of industrial policy we’ve ever seen”. Without a formal spending cap, it could eventually top $US1trillion ($1.44tn). “It’s not just money,” Debelle told a gathering of business economists in Sydney on Wednesday. “It’s actually people, it’s expertise and knowhow, which [are] migrating to the US.” Oil-rich Middle Eastern nations had also “seen the writing on the wall” of a shift off fossil fuels and were pouring resources and making land available for firms to tap renewable energy resources and develop a hydrogen sector. “There’s a risk that, despite Australia’s great comparative advantages in green energy, the US and the Middle East are going to eat our lunch,” Debelle, who was also formerly a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, said. Many nations are investing heavily in hydrogen as an alternative fuel to oil, gas and coal. Debelle said the US spending had the potential to lower the cost of making hydrogen from $6/kilogram to $2.50/kg. That would be comparable to fossil fuels. One outcome for Australia, if governments didn’t provide “a more targeted response”, was that markets to the north such as Japan and South Korea – which had relatively poor renewable energy resources – would be snapped up by the US or other rivals. “I’m really concerned that we are missing out on a huge opportunity,” he said. Debelle also warned Australian businesses to focus on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions directly, rather than relying on buying carbon offsets to try to cancel them out. Those “misaligned decarbonisation incentives” could leave firms vulnerable to higher costs as carbon credits “will get more expensive”, he said. Future market restrictions, such as from the European Union, could also leave them vulnerable if they had not cut emissions. “I’m concerned about people waiting for long … and that means we don’t get the nascent industry off the ground here,” Debelle said, adding he could foresee companies scrambling to find alternatives “but the solutions take three or four years to build”. In Australia, scale could determine which localities succeeded in fostering a hydrogen industry. Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia were more likely to have the size for exports, given their solar and wind resources. States such as NSW, though, had the scope to supply local industries. Fortescue Future Industries, for instance, was working with AGL Energy to repurpose its Liddell coal-fired power station after it shuts completely by April. “The grid’s already set up,” Debelle said, explaining the Hunter Valley plant’s appeal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/16/australia-green-hydrogen-support-us-middle-east
     
         
      A third of companies linked to deforestation have no policy to end it Wed, 15th Feb 2023 12:07:00
     
      Research by Global Canopy also finds many companies are not monitoring set commitments A third of the companies most linked to the destruction of tropical rainforests have not set a single policy on deforestation, a report reveals. Research by Global Canopy has found that 31% of the companies with the greatest influence on tropical deforestation risk through their supply chains do not have a single deforestation commitment for any of the commodities to which they are exposed. Many of those who have set policies are not monitoring them correctly, meaning deforestation to produce their commodities could still be taking place. Of the 100 companies with a deforestation commitment for every commodity to which they are exposed, only 50% are monitoring their suppliers or sourcing regions in line with their deforestation commitments for every commodity. Global Canopy’s Forest 500 report states: “We are three years past the 2020 deadline that many organisations set themselves to halt deforestation, and just two years away from the UN’s deadline of 2025 for companies and financial institutions to eliminate commodity-driven deforestation, conversion and the associated human rights abuses. This target date is essential to meeting our global net zero targets and averting catastrophic climate change.” At Cop26 in 2021, world leaders agreed to remove deforestation from supply chains. Land-clearing by humans accounts for almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, largely deriving from the destruction of the world’s forests for agricultural products such as palm oil, soy and beef. Financial institutions have a poor record on deforestation, according to the report. Those identified provide US$6.1tn in finance to companies in forest-risk supply chains, but according to the report “only a small proportion of financial institutions most exposed to deforestation are addressing deforestation as a systemic risk”. Ninety-two (61%) of the financial institutions that are most exposed to deforestation do not have a deforestation policy covering their lending and investments, and only 48 (32%) financial institutions have publicly recognised deforestation as a business risk. The report has called for companies and financial institutions to recognise deforestation as a risk to their business, and set policies to end the practice in their supply chains. It is also asking governments to regulate better, and include financial institutions in this regulation. Many countries have committed to ending deforestation under Glasgow declaration on forests and land use, the Paris agreement and the Global biodiversity framework. However, most have not yet put policies in place to put this into practice.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/15/a-third-of-companies-linked-to-deforestation-have-no-policy-to-end-it
     
         
      ‘Extreme situation’: Antarctic sea ice hits record low Wed, 15th Feb 2023 10:06:00
     
      Sea ice helps protect glaciers and ice caps that would cause massive sea level rise when lost, scientists warn The area of sea ice around Antarctica has hit a record low, with scientists reporting “never having seen such an extreme situation before”. The ice extent is expected to shrink even further before this year’s summer melting season ends. The impact of the climate crisis in melting sea ice in the Arctic is clear in the records that stretch back to 1979. Antarctic sea ice varies much more from year to year, which has made it harder to see an effect from global heating. However, “remarkable” losses of Antarctic sea ice in the last six years indicate that the record levels of heat now in the ocean and related changes in weather patterns may mean that the climate crisis is finally manifesting in the observations. Scientists were already very concerned about Antarctic ice. Climate models suggested as far back as 2014 that the giant West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which sits on the continent, was doomed to collapse due to the levels of global heating already seen then. The increasing loss of sea ice exposes ice sheets and their glaciers to waves that accelerate their disintegration and melting, researchers warned. A recent study estimated that the WAIS would be tipped into gradual collapse – and four metres of sea level rise – with a global temperature rise as low as 1C, a point already passed. “I have never seen such an extreme, ice-free situation here before,” said Prof Karsten Gohl, from the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany, and who first visited the region in 1994. Gohl, on board the research vessel Polarstern in Antarctica, said: “The continental shelf, an area the size of Germany, is now completely ice-free. It is troubling to consider how quickly this change has taken place.” Prof Christian Haas, also at the Helmholtz Centre, said: “The rapid decline in sea ice over the past six years is quite remarkable, since the ice cover hardly changed at all in the 35 years before.” Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the US have also said a new record low has been set. They said Antarctic sea ice extent fell to 1.91m square kilometres on 13 February, below the previous record set on 25 February 2022. Sea ice melts away in the Antarctic summer before starting to grow again as autumn arrives. “In past years, the annual minimum has occurred between 18 February and 3 March, so further decline is expected,” the NSIDC researchers said. “Much of the Antarctic coast is ice free. Earlier studies have linked low sea ice cover with wave-induced stresses on the floating ice shelves that hem the continent, leading to break up of weaker areas.” The German scientists said the “intense melting” could be due to unusually high air temperatures to the west and east of the Antarctic peninsula, which were about 1.5C above the long-term average. Furthermore, there have been strong westerly winds, which increase sea ice retreat. The result is “intensified melting of ice shelves, an essential aspect of future global sea-level rise”, the researchers said. Historical records also show dramatic changes in Antarctica, they said. The Belgian research vessel Belgica was trapped in massive pack ice for more than a year in the Antarctic summer 125 years ago, in exactly the same region where the Polarstern vessel is now sailing in completely ice-free waters. Prof Carlos Moffat, at the University of Delaware, US, and recently returned from a research cruise in the Southern Ocean, told Inside Climate News: “The extraordinary change we’ve seen this year is dramatic. Even as somebody who’s been looking at these changing systems for a few decades, I was taken aback by what I saw.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/antarctic-sea-ice-hits-record-low-climate-crisis
     
         
      Manx Utilities' wind and solar power plans get government approval Wed, 15th Feb 2023 9:17:00
     
      Plans to generate about 75% of the Isle of Man's electricity through solar and on-shore wind projects have been backed by the Council of Ministers. Manx Utilities (MU) will look to install solar panels on public car parks and government buildings. Wind turbines could also be built on public land to create 30MW of electricity by 2026. Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said MU would be expected to find funding for the project. He said he expected the private sector to provide some of the infrastructure, enabling government-owned MU to "take the electricity and distribute it". However, "big questions" needed to be asked about how much electricity MU should generate "versus how much should come from the private sector", he added. While average electricity demand on the Isle of Man stands at 40MW, it can peak at 75MW during the winter and drop at night during summer to 25MW. 'Energy security' MU chairman Tim Johnston said "detailed work" to determine the best approach to increase renewable energy was underway. The firm had sought the help of independent specialist consultants to do this without "compromising supply security and the needs" of customer, he added. Mr Cannan said the move demonstrated the government's commitment to meeting the island's climate change targets, which include decarbonising the island's electricity supply by 2030. Concerns over the global supply of gas, which is used to generate most of the island's electricity, and the war in Ukraine had also "brought into sharp focus the importance of energy security", he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-64649843
     
         
      Atomic Hope review – a powerful case for pressing the nuclear power button Wed, 15th Feb 2023 9:05:00
     
      It’s not the first doc to herald the eco-nuclear movement but, even so, this is still a convincing argument in favour of the long-tabooed energy source Here is a film that returns us to a thorny revisionist subject which I haven’t seen aired in documentary form since the film Pandora’s Promise in 2013 – which isn’t mentioned here, though a poster for it is visible in one shot. For many environmentalists, the last realistic hope we have to avert climate disaster is the great unthinkable, the great unmentionable: stop worrying and learn to love nuclear energy, because nuclear is a colossally efficient and very clean energy source. Like Pandora’s Promise, Atomic Hope revisits the case studies of Chornobyl and Fukushima and argues that, although clearly catastrophic, a mythology of horror has grown up around these events that has stymied all debate and shut down thought. The film doesn’t say so, but another way the eco-nuclear movement became tainted was perhaps a speech by Margaret Thatcher to the UN general assembly which made the case in 1989, partly to undermine the coal industry as a trade union powerbase. At any rate, here again is the argument: nuclear energy provides the clean, climate-friendly energy we need. Renewables such as wind and solar are important, but progress on them is desperately slow and time is running out. The risks of nuclear are real, but they are misunderstood and uncontextualised, safety measures have evolved and risk must in any case now be considered in the light of clear and present danger of the global harm from fossil fuels. But none of this is easy. Generations have been brought up on the idea that nuclear equals apocalypse. Convincing them of the opposite is a challenge. Guardian readers will know that George Monbiot has ventilated ideas on this issue. The inevitable question is: what does Greta think? This film was apparently made too late to include Thunberg’s startling intervention in October 2022, when she claimed the German government was wrong to close down nuclear plants in favour of coal. Anything that stimulates discussion of this issue is to be welcomed. Atomic Hope is released on 17 February in cinemas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/feb/15/atomic-hope-review-nuclear-power?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Vast glacier at mercy of sea warmth increase Wed, 15th Feb 2023 8:58:00
     
      Antarctic glaciers may be more sensitive to changes in sea temperature than was thought, new research shows. The British Antarctic Survey and the US Antarctic programme put sensors and an underwater robot beneath the vast Thwaites glacier to study melting. The size of Britain, Thwaites is one of the world's fastest changing glaciers. Its susceptibility to climate change is a major concern to scientists because if it melted completely, it would raise global sea levels by half a metre. The new research suggests that even low amounts of melting can potentially push a glacier further along the path toward eventual disappearance. The joint survey at Thwaites is part of one of the largest investigations ever undertaken anywhere on the White Continent. 'Doomsday Glacier' vulnerability seen in new maps Journey to the 'doomsday glacier' Deepest point on land found in Antarctica Since the late 1990s, the glacier has seen a 14km retreat of its "grounding line" - that's the point where the ice flowing off the land and along the seabed floats up to form a huge platform. In some places that grounding line is retreating now by over a kilometre a year, and because of the landward-sloping shape of the seabed, this process will likely accelerate. During the new research, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists dropped sensors through boreholes in the ice to the water below. While warmer water circulates under the shelf, they found less melting than expected under those higher temperatures; a layer of fresh water was insulating against further losses. But, worryingly, they also discovered with the help of computer modelling that the volume of melting was not the most critical factor in a glacier's retreat. "It's good that the melt rate is low but what matters is how the melt rate changes," explained BAS oceanographer Dr Pete Davis. "To push an ice shelf out of equilibrium, we need to increase the melt rate. So even if the melt rate increases just a small amount, it can still drive rapid retreat." The observations showing less melting than expected were taken from parts of the underside of the glacier that were flat and relatively uniform. But images the underwater robot Icefin gathered for the US Antarctic programme as part of the same joint survey showed that things were often far more complex. "What we could see is that instead of this kind of flat ice that we had all pictured, there were all kinds of staircases and cracks in the ice that weren't really expected," said Cornell University-based researcher Britney Schmidt, who guided Icefin under Thwaites using a video monitor and a games console controller. To get the torpedo-shaped Icefin under Thwaites, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) opened a narrow hole through 600m of ice with a hot-water drill. The tethered sub was then winched down to begin its exploration. Dr Schmidt's team conducted five separate dives, taking the robot right up to the glacier's grounding line. Icefin's onboard sensors indicated that it is in these particular locations that the bottom of Thwaites is being eroded by the influx of warm water coming from the wider ocean. "Basically, the warm water is getting into the weak spots and making them even weaker," said Dr Schmidt. "What this allows us to do now is to put this kind of information into our predictive models to understand how the ice shelf is going to break down, and when."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64640796
     
         
      What do we know about the Ohio train derailment and toxic chemical leak? Wed, 15th Feb 2023 4:05:00
     
      At least five hazardous chemicals released in East Palestine train crash, as residents fear long-term effects A train carrying hazardous materials heading from Pennsylvania to Illinois derailed in early February, causing a major fire and alarm over a possible imminent explosion. The situation has local people worried, despite reassurances from officials, and has highlighted how vulnerable many Americans are to similar incidents. Up to 2,000 residents living in the immediate area were evacuated as chemicals being carried by the train, run by Norfolk Southern Corporation, were released to prevent an explosion. Evacuated residents returned to their homes last week but residents report concerns over the lingering effects of the chemicals in the air, water and soil even as officials monitoring the area have deemed it safe. Officials are still investigating the potential long-term environmental impacts of the derailment. Here is what we know about the derailment and the chemical release so far. What happened On the night of Friday 3 February, at least 50 out of 150 train cars of a train heading from Conway, Pennsylvania, to Madison, Illinois, derailed. The train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a town of about 5,000 residents along the Ohio and Pennsylvania border. A huge fire that spanned the length of the derailed cars erupted. No injuries or deaths were reported. Residents within a one-mile radius of the derailment were evacuated as officials noted that over a dozen cars carrying vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic chemical, were involved in the derailment and could have been exposed to the fire. On Monday 6 February, officials enacted a mandatory evacuation, threatening to arrest residents who refused to evacuate, as fear of an explosion rose. Governor Mike DeWine told residents that leaving was “a matter of life and death”. Crews ended up releasing toxic chemicals from five derailed tanker cars to prevent an explosion. Small holes were made into the train cars, whose chemicals were released into pits that were lit on fire. Pictures of the chemical release showed huge clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky over homes. Evacuated residents, who were staying at shelters and schools, were given the clear to return to their homes on Wednesday 8 February as officials deemed air and water samples safe for residents. What chemicals were released The most concerning chemical being carried by the derailed train was vinyl chloride, which is used to make polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a hard resin used in plastic products. Vinyl chloride is colorless and highly flammable. It has been linked to a rare form of liver cancer, as well as other types of cancer like leukemia and lung cancer. Short-term exposure effects include dizziness and drowsiness, while high exposure can lead to hospitalization and death. Another chemical on board was butyl acrylate, also used in plastic production. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later released information that showed three previously unreported chemicals were also released upon the derailment: ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Exposure to the chemicals can cause shortness of breath, burning in the skin and eyes, coughing, headaches and nausea, among other symptoms. In total, the EPA has reported five chemicals that were contained in rail cars that were “derailed, breached and/or on fire”, in a letter the agency wrote to Norfolk Southern. Investigation into the derailment and chemical release The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates major rail accidents, said a malfunction of an axle – a rod that connects two train wheels – caused the derailment. Surveillance camera footage from a Salem, Ohio, manufacturer showed a fire under the train happening before it reached East Palestine. An investigation into the derailment is still under way. Meanwhile, the EPA has been actively monitoring environmental conditions in East Palestine and surrounding towns. Residents have signed up for voluntary home screenings by the agency. As of 13 February, the EPA did not detect vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride – a chemical that is released by burning vinyl chloride – in 291 screened homes, with 181 homes waiting for screening. Officials have told residents that monitoring has shown the area’s drinking water to be safe. Concerns from residents Despite reassurances from officials that the area’s air and water quality is safe, residents in the vicinity of the derailment have reported multiple health symptoms, including nausea and burning sensation in their eyes. One resident in a town 10 miles north of East Palestine told a local TV news station that six of their chickens died suddenly a day after the chemical release. Another nearby resident reported seeing dead fish floating in a local creek. Experts have expressed concerns that the agency is not testing for other chemicals that could have been made through the burning of the toxic substances. Local business owners and residents are suing Norfolk Southern in an effort to get the company to cover medical screenings for residents within a 30-mile radius of the derailment. The lawsuit argues that the company “failed to exercise reasonable care to protect” local residents, who were “exposed to toxic substances, toxic fumes and carcinogens”. The EPA warned Norfolk Southern that it could be liable for costs related to the derailment, including cleanup and prevention efforts. History of toxic derailments goes back a decade Reports have shown that as many as 25 million Americans live in zones that are vulnerable to deadly derailments of trains carrying toxic materials, including substances that can cause explosions. Just over a decade ago in November 2012, a similar derailment in New Jersey caused 23,000 gallons of vinyl chloride to be released into the environment. The incident sparked a push for further regulation of the rail industry over how it handles the transportation of toxic materials, including crude oil and hazardous chemicals, according to investigative news outlet, the Lever. The push ultimately led to a law that required trains carrying toxic substances to be retrofitted with electronic braking systems, which brake trains cars immediately altogether, rather than front to back like conventional brakes. The Trump administration, under pressure from lobbyists who argued the change was costly to rail companies, rescinded the rule.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/ohio-train-derailment-palestine-toxic-chemical-leak
     
         
      NSW calls on Anthony Albanese to block Pep-11 licence after proposing offshore drilling ban Wed, 15th Feb 2023 4:01:00
     
      Treasurer Matt Kean says federal Labor needs to ‘match the NSW Liberals and Nationals in banning it forever’ The New South Wales government has ramped up pressure on Anthony Albanese to block a controversial gas exploration licence off the state’s coast, calling on Labor to pass legislation banning offshore drilling. On Wednesday the NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, announced the Coalition would pass legislation if re-elected in March to ban offshore coal, gas, mineral and petroleum production in the state’s waters. The promised legislation comes after the federal court on Tuesday quashed the former prime minister Scott Morrison’s move to block an extension of the controversial Pep-11 gas exploration permit. The decision came after the Albanese government and Asset Energy had previously agreed to end the case, effectively vacating Morrison’s decision and reopening the prospect of the Pep-11 licence being granted by the federal government. But Kean, who is seeking to head off a series of challenges from teal candidates in a cluster of seats on Sydney’s northern beaches, has sought to put pressure on federal Labor to block the licence. Announcing the proposed NSW ban in the northern beaches seat of Pittwater on Wednesday, he accused Albanese of having “reopened” the prospect of the licence being granted. “They are the ones that have reopened this issue and they need to match the NSW Liberals and Nationals in banning it forever,” he said. The Pep-11 licence is seen as a key issue in Pittwater, and on Wednesday the Liberal party candidate in the seat, Rory Amon, said he had lobbied against the exploration licence to the former Mackellar MP Jason Falinski as early as 2019. But Amon has been criticised by his opponent in the election, Jacqui Scruby, for his decision as a Northern Beaches councillor to oppose a motion resolving that the council write to the state and federal governments to urge them to block the licence in March 2019. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Amon, who is seeking to replace outgoing minister Rob Stokes, was one of three to vote against the motion, which stated opposition to the offshore exploration “due to unacceptable environmental impacts and negative economic impacts”. In a statement Amon said he had lobbied against the project since 2019 but voted against the motion because did not believe that councils should vote on matters beyond their direct jurisdiction. “The people of Pittwater have made it clear they do not want Pep-11,” he said. “I am a firm believer in levels of government only dealing with the issues over which they have control. Northern Beaches council has no jurisdiction over offshore gas exploration policy.” He provided Guardian Australia with a copy of a speech he said he gave at the meeting in which he said he “appreciate[d] the sentiment” behind the motion. “[B]ut what we need to do is focus on our bread and butter,” he said he told fellow councillors at the time. Scruby criticised Amon for voting against the motion, saying she was “stunned” he didn’t believe opposing the licence “was his responsibility” as a councillor. “As an elected representative how you vote is ultimately what matters,” she said. “As a voice for the community you speak out for them – you don’t make up excuses on unfounded jurisdictional grounds. It’s a cop out.” On Wednesday Scruby and fellow independent Joeline Hackman, who is running in the seat of Manly, accused the state government of “copy cat” legislation after they had previously released their own plans to introduce a bill outlawing offshore drilling. The move by the NSW government has been welcomed by environment groups who have campaigned for the licence – which covers 8,200 sq km of the state’s coastline between Wollongong and Newcastle – to be blocked.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/15/nsw-calls-on-anthony-albanese-to-block-pep-11-licence-after-proposing-offshore-drilling-ban
     
         
      Sea level rise poses ‘unthinkable’ risks for the planet, Security Council hears Tue, 14th Feb 2023 10:56:00
     
      Rising seas pose “unthinkable” risks to billions around the world, with profound implications for security, international law, human rights and the very fabric of societies, senior officials told the Security Council on Tuesday, as members held their first-ever debate on the phenomenon’s global implications. “The impact of rising seas is already creating new sources of instability and conflict,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who opened the meeting. Noting that some nations’ coastlines have already seen triple the average rate of sea level rise, he warned that, in the coming decades, low-lying communities – and entire countries – could disappear forever. “We would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale, and we would see ever-fiercer competition for fresh water, land and other resources,” he warned. ‘Threat multiplier’ Describing sea level rise as a threat multiplier, the Secretary-General said the phenomenon also jeopardizes access to water, food and healthcare. Meanwhile, saltwater intrusion can decimate jobs and entire economies in industries like agriculture, fisheries and tourism, and it can damage or destroy vital infrastructure, such as transportation systems, hospitals and schools. According to recently released data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years. It warns that, even if global warming is “miraculously” limited to 1.5 degrees, the planet will still see a sizeable rise in sea water levels. Devastation evident Mr. Guterres warned the Security Council that, under any temperature rise scenario, countries from Bangladesh to China, India and the Netherlands will all be at risk. Mega-cities on every continent will face serious impacts, including Lagos, Bangkok, Mumbai, Shanghai, London, Buenos Aires and New York. The danger is especially acute for some 900 million people living in coastal zones at low elevations –one out of every ten people on earth. Devastation is already evident in many parts of the world, he said, noting that rising seas have decimated livelihoods in tourism and agriculture across the Caribbean. Sea level rise and other climate impacts are already forcing people to relocate in Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and elsewhere. Against that backdrop, he called for action on several fronts, including broadening the global community’s understanding of the root causes of insecurity, and addressing the impacts of rising seas across legal and human rights frameworks. “People’s human rights do not disappear because their homes do,” he stressed. Threats to world’s ‘breadbaskets’ Csaba K?rösi, the current President of the General Assembly, also addressed the Council, recalling that climate change – “the greatest challenge of our generation” – was the issue most raised by world leaders during the Assembly’s last high-level debate. Citing projections that between 250 and 400 million people will likely need new homes in new locations in fewer than 80 years, he also warned of devastating impacts for the world’s “breadbaskets,” especially fertile deltas along the Nile, Mekong and other rivers. Meanwhile, climate-induced sea level rise is also provoking new legal questions that are at the very core of national and State identity. He urged the Council to recognize the significance of climate action as a key tool for peacebuilding, stressing that the data and frameworks to defend against the sea level threat already exist. “What is needed now – as ever – is the political will to act,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133492?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4e70d76bd3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_14_08_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-4e70d76bd3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      New Zealand minister decries climate crisis ‘lost decades’ in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle Tue, 14th Feb 2023 3:05:00
     
      James Shaw says country is entering ‘period of consequences’ for inaction over climate change as extreme weather wreaks havoc across the North Island New Zealand’s climate change minister has made a furious speech excoriating parliament for lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis, as Cyclone Gabrielle devastates the country. “As I stand here today, I struggle to find words to express what I am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis,” James Shaw told parliament on Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sad or as angry about the lost decades that we spent bickering and arguing about whether climate change was real or not, whether it was caused by humans or not, whether it was bad or not, whether we should do something about it or not, because it is clearly here now, and if we do not act, it will get worse.” New Zealand is in a national state of emergency as it continues to be battered by the cyclone, which has caused widespread flooding and enormous destruction across the North Island. It is the third national emergency to be declared in the country’s history. The scale of damage is not yet known, with entire regions cut off from road access, electricity and mobile networks, neighbourhoods submerged by flood waters and landslides destroying homes and state highways. Shaw, who is co-leader of the Green party, attributed the scale of the disaster to the climate crisis, saying: “There will be people who say it’s ‘too soon’ to talk about these things … but we are standing in it right now. This is a climate change-related event. The severity of it, of course, made worse by the fact that our global temperatures have already increased by 1.1 degrees. “We need to stop making excuses for inaction. We cannot put our heads in the sand when the beach is flooding. We must act now.” Scientists have long predicted that global heating would cause more frequent and intense weather events, including stronger storms and heavier, more sporadic rainfall. New Zealand’s North Island has experienced extraordinarily heavy rains this summer: the MetService said on Tuesday that Auckland had 48% of its annual rainfall in just 45 days this year. The cyclone comes just two weeks after record rainfall caused devastating flooding in Auckland and Northland, damaging thousands of homes and killing four. At the time, the flood was named the most destructive climate-related event in New Zealand’s history. The devastation from Cyclone Gabrielle is expected to overtake that. On Tuesday afternoon, there were no formal figures available yet on people injured or evacuated or the scale of houses and infrastructure damaged. “Just when we thought we had had our worst climate-related disaster in this country only two weeks ago, we are facing an even more significant challenge,” Shaw said. Quoting Winston Churchill, he said: “The era of procrastination, of half measures, of soothing and baffling expedience of delays is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.” In an interview with the Guardian, Shaw said he had spoken to New Zealand’s prime minister and finance minister about action that could allow those receiving insurance payments to rebuild their homes to relocate elsewhere instead. “Some of those houses are in places where it’s a bad idea to have a house,” he said, referring to the “tens of thousands” of New Zealand homes built on flood plains or erosion-prone coastlines. “There are decisions that we could make that I think would lead to longer term resilience and a more adaptive response that if we don’t make them, you’ll probably just get a reversion to the status quo,” said Shaw. But he cautioned against a shift away from reducing emissions in order to foot the bill for dealing with the effects of the climate crisis. “There will be a certain crowd who say … let’s give up on stopping climate change and its focus entirely on responding to the effects of climate change and I cannot state enough what a catastrophic mistake that would be,” Shaw said. “Because every tenth of a degree of warming increases the frequency and the severity of these events.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/14/new-zealand-minister-delivers-furious-speech-about-lost-decades-spent-bickering-over-climate-crisis
     
         
      Urban trees can save lives Mon, 13th Feb 2023 10:03:00
     
      Trees don’t just beautify residential neighborhoods. In urban areas, they can save lives. A new study published last month in the Lancet, a peer-reviewed public health journal, finds that doubling the average amount of tree cover in European cities from 15 to 30 percent could reduce urban temperatures by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.7 degrees Fahrenheit) — a small but powerful change that could cut heat-related deaths by more than a third. The findings are based on a new model of 93 European cities, home to about 57 million people. An international team of researchers found that more trees could significantly mitigate the “urban heat island effect,” in which unshaded city blocks can get up to 22 degrees F hotter than rural areas. They linked the phenomenon to some 6,700 premature deaths in the 93 cities during the summer of 2015 — more than 4 percent of all summertime deaths — and estimated that 2,644 could have been prevented by greater tree cover. The study authors encouraged city planners to plant more trees, noting benefits even beyond reduced mortality — including better mental health and cognitive function. Greenery can also reclaim urban space from cars, creating room for recreation and more sustainable forms of transportation. “If asphalt is an indicator for having more cars, generally, trees are an indicator for having a more livable area,” Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and a coauthor of the study, told Time. As summer heat waves get more extreme, several European cities have already set goals to plant more trees over the next several years: Paris and Milan, for example, both of which currently have less than 10 percent tree cover. U.S. cities are also recognizing the need for trees — particularly as research piles up showing how racist housing and city planning policies have deprived Black, brown, and low-income neighborhoods of trees, putting their residents at elevated risk of heat-related health problems.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/urban-trees-can-save-lives/
     
         
      Hole 70 metres deep has opened up following collapse in Snowy Hydro tunnel, officials confirm Mon, 13th Feb 2023 9:59:00
     
      Snowy CEO tells Senate estimates that cost has not altered from $5.9bn, but that it was too early to say whether there would be further delays Progress on Snowy Hydro’s $6bn-plus pumped hydro project is being delayed as engineers address a hole as deep as 70 metres that has opened up in a tunnel, its officials have told Senate estimates. As Guardian Australia reported on Sunday, a major boring machine working on the Snowy 2.0 project had been halted after subsidence a short distance from the start of a tunnel near Lake Tantangara. Roger Whitby, Snowy Hydro’s chief operating officer, told senators that the hole was “of the order of 50-70 metres” deep. “We are working through that carefully so that the tunnel boring doesn’t become bogged,” he said. Snowy’s new chief executive, Dennis Barnes, later said the main contract cost had not been shifted from the $5.9bn price tag. It was also too early to say whether the difficulties at Tantangara would add to delays for the whole venture, which was pushed back 12 months to the end of 2027 late last year. Snowy is working through the issues “closely” so that the borer, known as ‘Florence’, is no longer bogged, Whitby said. “Until we get the machine ready for ‘unpausing’ we couldn’t say whether it will delay the whole project,” Barnes said. Launched by the Turnbull government, the Snowy 2.0 project is intended to add 2,000 megawatts of storage to the national electricity market. By linking two existing dams, the aim would be to pump water to the higher reservoir during periods of cheap electricity and release it through hydro plants when power prices are high. Snowy is also facing delays on its other major project, the 660MW Hunter power project at Kurri Kurri, near Newcastle. Senators asked about the timing of the $600m-plus project and also, as the company states on its website, if it will be “capable of running initially on up to 10% hydrogen and with some minor additional investment … capable of up to 30%” when operational. Barnes dismissed a question by NSW Nationals senator Ross Cadell that the ultimate cost could blow out to as much as $1.5bn. “It won’t be anywhere near that,” Barnes said. Still, the project would only produce its first power by May 2024 and be fully operational by the end of next year, both about 12 months later than originally planned. Two reviews are also under way. One is looking at the overall costs of completion and the other how to increase the plant’s initial capability of burning about 15% hydrogen to the 30% proportion promised by federal Labor when it was in opposition. Labor senator Jenny McAllister said, “we’re now asking Snowy Hydro to give consideration [to] how [Kurri Kurri] will fulfil those commitments”. Barnes said the project review would be finished within six months but did not give a timeframe for when the hydrogen assessment would be ready. “The good news is that all the equipment is on contract, which significantly de-risks the program from right now,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/13/hole-70-metres-deep-has-opened-up-following-collapse-in-snowy-hydro-tunnel-officials-confirm
     
         
      Food for thought: carbon footprint of salmon and chicken farming mostly stems from feed, study suggests Mon, 13th Feb 2023 8:06:00
     
      Scientists hope emerging research into new types of animal feeds will make aquaculture more sustainable Most of the environmental effects of farmed chicken and salmon arise from the food the animals are reared on, new research suggests. Animal feed given to farmed chickens and salmon account respectively for at least 78% and 69% of the industries’ environmental pressures, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology. Scientists analysed the effects of chicken and salmon farming on greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient pollution, land or ocean disturbances and freshwater use globally. “Both sectors show similar patterns for greenhouse gas emissions, with more than 55% of emissions originating from feed activities,” they wrote. The study’s lead author, Dr Caitie Kuempel of Griffith University, said while chicken and salmon farming were more environmentally efficient than other industries such as beef, she was “surprised mostly by how vast both of the footprints are”. The study noted that 95% of the cumulative effects of poultry and salmon farming were concentrated into less than 5% of total global area. While chicken farming required nearly nine times the area used by salmon farming (924,000 sq km v 103,500 sq km), it yielded 55 times more product, it found. The research also noted an 85.5% geographical overlap between the environmental pressures of the chicken and salmon industries, primarily as a result of the animals being fed similar feed ingredients. In addition to needing fish oil and fishmeal, salmon aquaculture requires an estimated 2.3m tonnes of crops for feed yearly, largely comprising oil crops, soya beans and wheat. While commercial poultry feed contains primarily crops, chickens are also fed fishmeal and fish oil. The US, Brazil and China are the world’s largest producers of both chicken and chicken feed, while the largest producers of salmon feed are Peru, Norway and Chile. In the future, the researchers noted, an expected increase in the price of fishmeal would raise “the question of whether the demand for land or marine feed resources are more sustainable, particularly given shifting diets and consumer preferences”. “Food is one of the biggest environmental pressures to the planet and we’re all trying to be more conscious about what we’re eating,” Kuempel said. “Anything that requires feed is going to have a higher environmental footprint than things that are not fed,” she added. “Many other studies have shown that being vegetarian and vegan are usually better options, and even things like [some] shellfish that don’t have these feed ingredients have lower environmental pressures.” Scientists hope emerging research into new types of animal feeds – such as microalgae and insects – may help to reduce the dependence on fishmeal and oil and make aquaculture more sustainable. “Since salmon is a premium product, they are looking more into these novel feeds and how they can decrease the feed conversion ratio – how much feed you put in versus how much you get out,” Kuempel said. “Salmon is already quite efficient – so around one tonne of feed that you put in, you get the same amount out. But using these novel feeds, you can perhaps get better nutrition for the animal while also decreasing your footprint.” The study did not take into account the sources of fish oil and fishmeal, which are often derived from seafood waste. This may have affected the environmental footprint calculations, Kuempel noted
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/13/food-for-thought-carbon-footprint-of-salmon-and-chicken-farming-mostly-stems-from-feed-study-suggests
     
         
      Climate targets 'may mean higher taxes' Mon, 13th Feb 2023 7:46:00
     
      The UK has made good progress towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 but getting there may need higher taxes. That's according to leading economist Lord Nicholas Stern, who says both public and private investment in new technologies is needed. The UK is also being urged to follow the US in stimulating green technology by a former boss of oil giant BP. But the government said the UK is "leading the way" on climate change. What is net zero and how is the UK doing? Lord Stern told the BBC: "We must have growth and we must drive down emissions, and it's investment in the new technologies that's going to get us there." He added: "I'm not arguing for delaying investment in health and education. We have to pursue those at the same time. "If we have to tax a little bit more, so be it. If we have to borrow a bit more for the really tremendous investments, then we should do that." His words come as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis and the UK is facing the highest taxes relative to income since the Second World War. The government is also under pressure, from some quarters, to cut taxes. However, Lord Stern says more public investment could help jobs and the environment. Lord Stern wrote a ground-breaking report in 2006 on climate change for the government, then led by Prime Minister Tony Blair. He delivered an updated version for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021. He is optimistic that a tipping point in key green technologies - including energy generation, car batteries and fertilizer manufacture - is achievable within a few years, with artificial intelligence playing a key role. Lord Stern expects private investment can fund most of it but the government will have to be involved. Lord Browne, a former chief executive of BP who now heads up a private equity fund that invests in firms that reduce greenhouse gases, wants more state help for businesses. He is urging government to take inspiration from across the Atlantic. President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act involves subsidies and tax credits for producing electric vehicles, renewable electricity, sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen as well as money off for consumers who buy US-made electric cars. "I will give the US an A-grade for the Inflation Reduction Act, that's pretty dramatic," Lord Browne says. "It's nothing like enough, but it's a great start and it's made people notice." But some UK Ministers, including former Business Secretary Grant Shapps, who now heads up the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, have been critical of President Biden's move. They have been concerned that it gives US businesses an unfair advantage. Such subsidies are typically financed by tax revenue or borrowing. However, Lord Browne says there is already one source of tax cash that could be channelled better. He supports the current windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas production, saying it is only right that producers should pay over a slice of the unforeseen profits earned on assets that are ultimately owned by the nation. He would like to see those revenues earmarked to help renewable specialists who are developing new energies. But Lord Brown is concerned that with so many issues to consider, such as securing the UK's energy supply, environmental concerns may have slipped from the forefront of policymakers' minds. "Government ministers are preoccupied with very simple things, which is a rediscovery of inflation and rediscovery of security," he said. "It is first keeping the lights on, energy security. Secondly, affordability. And third is climate. Now, you should be able to do all three things at once but it's very theoretical to say that people do focus on three objectives simultaneously. They just don't in life." Speaking at the COP 27 climate meeting last year, however, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the energy crisis was a reason to accelerate the energy transition. In a statement, the government claimed the UK is "leading the world on tackling climate change with policies having supported 68,000 green jobs since 2020." Appetite for change? Last week saw the creation of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The latter was among the 129 recommendations made in a review of the UK's progress towards net zero commissioned by previous Prime Minister Liz Truss, which urged the government to take a bolder approach. But ramping up that role in climate action might need some difficult conversations. Pollsters Ipsos found that while people are still very concerned about climate change, they are now more focused on inflation, the economy and public services. And when it tested several policy areas - including paying environmental levies for frequent flights or other products and phasing out fossil fuel heating - the level of support dropped. Voters are keen to do the right thing - but maybe less enthusiastic about funding change, especially at the moment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64597981
     
         
      Clive Palmer-owned company withdraws appeal against ruling that coalmine would worsen climate crisis Sun, 12th Feb 2023 23:01:00
     
      A Clive Palmer-owned mining company has withdrawn its appeal against a landmark ruling that its giant thermal coalmine project would worsen the climate crisis and infringe on the human rights of future generations. Lawyers for Waratah Coal have told Queensland’s supreme court it was discontinuing its appeal against the state’s land court decision in a case brought by First Nations young women and environmentalists. The company’s Galilee Coal project, in the Galilee Basin, wants to mine 4om tonnes of coal a year, making it Australia’s biggest thermal coalmine. But in November the president of the Queensland land court, Fleur Kingham, said the emissions from the burning of the coal would, through its effects on global heating, limit the human and cultural rights of First Nations people and young Queenslanders. Lawyers for Waratah Coal went to the state’s supreme court in December to challenge the decision, but withdrew the appeal on Friday. The land court’s decision will now have to be considered by the government, which must approve or refuse an environmental authority for the mine and a mining lease. A spokesperson for Palmer would not comment on the decision to withdraw the appeal or on the future of the project, saying only: “That’s a secret. You will have to wait and see what the next play is”. The export-focussed Galilee Coal proposal is one of a number of projects over the last decade to have designs on the vast coal resource of the Galilee basin. So far only one, Adani’s Carmichael mine, has gone ahead. Murrawah Johnson, a co-director at Youth Verdict that brought the case for young First Nations people, said the case “allows more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to object to climate-destroying fossil fuel projects proposed throughout Queensland in defence of First Nations cultures and our collective future”. She said: “We now call on the Queensland government to reject Clive Palmer’s Waratah mining lease and environmental approval applications.” Sharyn Munro, of the Bimblebox Alliance, which also brought the case, said the court’s refusal “has dethroned king coal, removing its previously unreasonable rights over all else”. She also paid tribute to the late climate scientist Prof Will Steffen who died last month after giving expert evidence in the case. Alison Rose, a senior solicitor at the Environmental Defenders Office, said it was significant that Kingham’s decision now stands. “This mine would have destroyed the Bimblebox Nature Refuge and added 1.5bn tonnes of climate pollution to the atmosphere, undermining hopes of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees,” she said. “This case marks a line in the sand and sends a very clear message – continued development of coal in 2023 is incompatible with our human rights.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/13/clive-palmer-owned-company-withdraws-appeal-against-ruling-that-coalmine-would-worsen-climate-crisis
     
         
      Why are BP, Shell, and other oil giants making so much money right now? Sun, 12th Feb 2023 8:50:00
     
      The big oil companies - from the UK-based BP and Shell to international giants such as ExxonMobil and Norway’s Equinor - have been announcing astonishing profit figures. They are all benefitting from the surging price of oil and gas following the invasion of Ukraine. While they rake in the profits, people around the world are struggling to pay their energy bills and fill up their cars - leading to calls for higher taxes on these companies. So how are they making so much money, and should the government step in to stop them?. Why has the oil price soared? Oil and gas are traded around the world, and if supplies are short and demand high, sellers can charge more, and the price goes up. Before the Ukraine war, Russia was the world’s largest exporter of oil and natural gas. A lot of the money that people paid to buy that oil and gas went to the Russian government - those exports made up 45% of the Russian government budget in 2021. After the invasion, Western countries, including the UK and EU, tried to stop (or at least massively reduce) their energy imports from Russia, to avoid funding the Russian military and supporting a hostile regime. Countries that didn’t want to buy from Russia had to pay much higher prices for oil produced elsewhere. Oil prices had already been rising as economies reopened following Covid-19 lockdowns, and people needed more oil. The day after the Russian invasion, the oil price went above $100 a barrel, and peaked at over $127 in March, before coming back down to around $85. Gas prices also soared after the invasion. Oil and natural gas are crucial to almost every aspect of modern life. Oil is used to make petrol and diesel, and natural gas is used for heating and cooking. They're also used in agriculture, electricity generation, and other industrial processes which make everything from fertilizer to plastics. So a sustained rise in oil and gas prices pushes up the cost of many other things we buy, driving the cost of living crisis that has gripped the UK - and other countries - in recent months. Why do soaring prices mean more profits? Oil companies make money by locating oil and gas reserves buried in rocks under the earth's surface, and drilling down to release them. The costs don’t vary that much as the price goes up or down, but the money they make from selling it does. So when oil prices soared after the invasion of Ukraine, the money these companies made from selling oil and gas massively increased as well. How much profit did Shell and BP make last year? On Tuesday, BP reported record annual profits of $27.7bn (£23bn) for 2022, as it scaled back plans to reduce the amount of oil and gas it produces by 2030. Those profits were double the previous year's figure. In February, Shell reported its highest profits in 115 years. Profits hit $39.9bn (£32.2bn) in 2022, double the previous year's total. The profits they make don’t all disappear - lots of ordinary people own shares in BP, Shell, and other global oil companies. This may be via their pension funds, and they may not even be aware of it. Some of the extra profits are paid to shareholders through higher dividends, and buying back shares (which increases the share price). But as long as the billions roll in while customers struggle to pay their bills, the calls for higher taxes will continue. How much tax do oil and gas producers pay? Big oil companies made their record profits even after paying billions to governments around the world. BP and Shell are in a complicated position because they are headquartered in the UK but produce a relatively small amount of oil and gas in UK waters. They make most of their profits from activities around the world. Shell paid $134m (£110m) tax on its UK operations in 2022, out of a worldwide tax bill of $13bn. BP paid $2.2bn (£1.8bn) in taxes on its UK operations, out of a global tax bill of $15bn. How are oil firms taxed in the UK? Oil companies already pay a tax on their profits from oil and gas production in the UK of 40% - which is higher than taxes on other companies. But they can reduce that tax bill by deducting the cost of shutting down old oil rigs, or offsetting future investments and losses from earlier years. In some years, BP and Shell have paid no tax on UK operations, and received payments from the UK government instead. After the invasion of Ukraine, the government faced calls to introduce an extra "windfall tax" on energy company profits to help pay for soaring energy bills. What is the windfall tax and how much are oil giants paying? This was introduced in May 2022, and increased from 25% to 35% in November. It is now expected to raise around £40bn extra from all the companies operating in UK waters between 2022 and 2028. However, the windfall tax only applies to the profits on UK oil and gas production, which only account for a small share of some firms' profits. And firms can deduct more than 90% of the cost of new exploration and production from their windfall tax bills, significantly reducing what they have to pay. The windfall tax accounted for all of Shell's UK tax bill, and $700m (£538m) of BP's. They face calls to pay even more tax Politicians, environmentalists, trade unions and poverty campaigners have attacked oil companies’ record profits, and argued for higher windfall taxes. They say high prices are the result of something beyond the oil firm's control - war, and that it's not fair that oil companies are profiting from people's suffering. Some say higher windfall taxes are a good way for governments to raise money because they're easy to collect and hard to avoid. Even the former boss of Shell himself, Ben van Beurden, wondered if it was inevitable that governments would need to tax energy producers more to protect the poorest in society. But oil firms argue that a higher windfall tax would make them less willing to invest in producing in the UK, and that they would search for oil elsewhere where taxes are lower. Harbour Energy, which produces more oil and gas in the UK than anyone else, is cutting jobs and reconsidering its UK investments because of the windfall tax. If the UK government decided to tax BP and Shell on their global profits more heavily, they could potentially move their headquarters out of the country - escaping the new tax, and depriving the UK of much of the revenues they currently pay. Oil companies have to operate in a world where the price of oil can go down as well as up, with little warning. Money made in the good years helps to balance out years when oil prices are low. Many oil companies lost billions from Russian investments last year - BP wrote off $24bn of investments in the Russian oil company Rosneft, for example. They also have to invest billions to find new reserves of oil to keep supplies running until the world switches over to renewable sources of power. Energy companies have a big role to play in that switch-over, too. BP and Shell invest some of the billions they make from oil and gas into renewable power such as solar and wind farms, and charging stations for electric cars. BP boss Bernard Looney said the British company was "helping provide the energy the world needs" while investing the transition to green energy. Shell chief executive Wael Sawan said that these are "incredibly difficult times - we are seeing inflation rampant around the world" but that Shell was playing its part by investing in renewable technologies. Its chief financial officer Sinead Gorman added that Shell had paid $13bn in taxes globally in 2022. However, BP scaled back its plans to cut its carbon emissions this year because demand for oil and gas is so strong. Does the energy cap reduce oil company profits? The energy price cap was introduced in 2019 to stop companies overcharging people who didn't shop around for cheaper deals. It targets energy suppliers, and doesn't affect the profits of oil and gas producers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64583982
     
         
      Gas stove pollution: will air purifiers or even plants make your home safer? Sat, 11th Feb 2023 22:01:00
     
      Air quality experts weigh in on different methods to keep air pollution out of the home and refute commonly held beliefs The humble gas stove has claimed a place in America’s national psyche in the past month, after studies showed that burning fossil fuels at home can cause asthma and other ailments, on top of releasing emissions that warm the planet. Are there any quick fixes? The Guardian spoke with air quality experts to find out if air purifiers help reduce pollution from gas stoves and other forms of indoor contaminants. We also asked them to set the record straight on the air-purifying qualities, or lack thereof, of houseplants. Can air purifiers remove pollutants emitted from gas stoves? Darby Jack, associate professor of environmental health at Columbia University: Since the main pollutant of concern from stoves is nitrogen dioxide – a gas and not a particle – air purifiers that just have a Hepa [high efficiency particulate absorbing] filter won’t be effective. Some purifiers contain activated charcoal, which in theory can help with NO2. But I would not be inclined to trust manufacturer claims, and they don’t seem to have been tested rigorously in settings that would be relevant for home kitchens with gas stoves. Michael Johnson, senior scientist at Berkeley Air Monitoring Group: While Hepa filters are really good at getting rid of particulate matter, that’s about all they will do. It might increase your ventilation a little just because it’s circulating the air a bit, but they aren’t designed to remove nitrogen dioxide or other gas pollutants. Elliott Gall, associate professor at Portland State University researching physics and chemistry of indoor air quality: Air cleaners typically move air across mechanical filters that are designed, and usually tested, to remove particles. Particles are solids or liquids suspended in air. Gas stove combustion does generate particles, which an air cleaner with mechanical filters can remove. But stoves also emit other classes of pollutants which we are concerned about, including volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen. These are not removed by mechanical filters. Air cleaners with chemical sorbents, like activated carbon, are more likely to be able to remove these compounds from indoor air. Will air purifiers at least help reduce other forms of indoor air pollution? Michael Johnson: There are lots of sources of indoor air pollution in addition to gas stoves. Wildfires can cause outdoor and indoor air quality challenges; smoking is certainly a big one. Other things that can cause indoor pollution include printers and pets, vacuuming and dusting, candles, use of aerosols and incense. Sometimes when you get new furniture or shower curtains they can off-gas and release formaldehyde and other VOCs [volatile organic compounds, which are chemicals released from manufactured products]. Hepa filters will help with any type of dust or particulate matter, but not gases like VOCs or carbon monoxide. During wildfires, which cause outdoor and corresponding indoor air quality challenges, [an air purifier] is a great tool to reduce particulate matter. And it can also help mitigate exposure to the Covid virus. Misbath Daouda, PhD candidate in climate and health at Columbia University: Outdoor air pollution can be a potential contributor to indoor air pollution. In the United States, outdoor air pollution is regulated and we’ve been able to decrease ambient levels of all sorts of pollutants. But because indoor air pollution is not regulated, these levels tend to be a lot higher, especially when things like gas stoves or other sources of pollutants are on. Molly Kile, professor of environmental and occupational health at Oregon State University: An air purifier would improve the indoor air quality by removing pollutants. This would include outdoor air pollution that makes its way indoors. If you live in an area with bad air quality or want to use an air purifier, you need to pick the right one that is sized appropriately for the room it will be used in. And do not use one that creates ozone or says it uses ozone to purify the air. There are a lot of these on the market that are being sold because [they say] ozone will kill bacteria and viruses. Ozone is an air pollutant and you do not want to be adding that to your indoor air! It defeats the purpose of the air purifier. Back to gas stoves. If air purifiers don’t work, what’s the best way to reduce exposure to emissions? Molly Kile: Using a ventilation hood that exhausts to the outside of the home. So I would recommend that people use it whenever they turn on their gas stove. If they do not have the ability to have an externally exhausted ventilation hood, then they should open a window or door to get natural ventilation. Misbath Daouda: Replacing the gas stove is the best way to reduce NO2 in the home and create a healthier environment. But a lot of renters do not have a say on what appliances are in their homes. So for this to be equitable, the onus of replacing the gas should not just be placed on the person who is renting. Really we should be thinking about what regulations could be put in place so that building owners actually have an incentive to upgrade appliances. Are plants effective purifiers? A famous 1989 Nasa study measured plants’ abilities to purify air. Among the plants tested were ficus, English ivy, mother-in-law’s tongue, deeming them “a promising, economical solution to indoor air pollution”. Molly Kile: Alas, plants are good for many things but do not purify the air. That’s a myth. Elliott Gall: Don’t rely on plants to clean indoor air. Think about the amount of plants that you might have inside a building, relative to the volume of the building, and all the other things that are happening in the building, like ventilation. Essentially what’s going on with that plant, in terms of removal of air pollution, is negligible compared to all these other things that are happening. The Nasa study was set up in a scientifically sound way, and they gave all the relevant information to evaluate the study. A key aspect of this study is that they put plants in sealed chambers, injected pollutants, waited some amount of time and asked: “How much pollutant is left?” The issue is, how do you take the information that came from that study in sealed chambers and apply it to a very different scenario – a real home? Imagine the result if the sealed chamber test was 90% removal of a pollutant in an hour. It sounds promising, but if you put that plant into a real indoor environment, like a 2,000 sq ft home, you would never realize a 90% reduction of pollutants. But a simple one-to-one translation of sealed chamber test results to real buildings make compelling headlines and marketing language, So the misrepresentation persists. But the upside to this is that, if you like plants in your living space, they also aren’t degrading your indoor air quality. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/11/gas-stove-pollution-air-purifiers-plants-air-quality?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Eskom crisis: What does South Africa’s state of disaster mean? Sat, 11th Feb 2023 12:52:00
     
      South Africa's president has declared a state of disaster to try and deal with a crippling and unprecedented energy crisis. South Africans have been facing blackouts every day, which have badly affected homes and businesses, but what difference will this emergency measure make, if any? How bad are the power-cuts? At an ice cream parlour in Soweto, one company has been struggling to keep their frozen treats cold amid rolling power-cuts, referred to locally as "load shedding". "It's terrible," Thando Makhubu, owner of Soweto Creamery, told the BBC's Newsday programme. "When load-shedding is really, really bad, we find ourselves using our profit to run," Mr Makhubu said. He even fears customers might stop coming to his creamery: "We have had customers who assume that we are closed, because of load-shedding, so I am really worried that if load-shedding worsens, people won't come." His is just one of many businesses and households that have been affected by South Africa's energy shortage, which has even led to protests, with people declaring that "enough is enough". So the pressure has been mounting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the issue, which he said he would confront head-on: "We must act to lessen the impact of the crisis on farmers, on small businesses, on our water infrastructure, on our transport network and a number of other areas and facilities that support our people's lives," he said in his state of the nation address on Thursday. Before a clapping crowd, he announced: "We are therefore declaring a national state of disaster to respond to the electricity crisis and its effect." President Ramaphosa outlined that the escalation of the crisis would allow the government to implement "practical measures that we need to take to support businesses," he said, highlighting those in food production and retail supply chains. "It will also enable us to exempt critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants from load-shedding," he said, adding that it would allow the government to remove red tape for energy projects and so build them faster. This crisis is nothing new, and has been 15 years in the making. The country's state-owned power company, Eskom, has $26bn (£21bn) of debt, old infrastructure, power stations that do not work properly, not to mention a recent strike which crippled the company. However, the power shortage has escalated in recent months, with South Africans facing electricity cuts for 288 days last year, while this year there have been electricity blackouts for up to 15 hours a day. What difference will it make? A state of disaster effectively means that the government is given additional powers to resolve a crisis with less bureaucracy, regulation and extra funds. However, further details of what will change have not been made public, with one analyst, Ted Blom, telling the AFP news agency that "we don't know what the government actually plans to do". A state of disaster was also implemented during the covid pandemic, and saw some people abusing the emergency measure. In 2020, the country's then-auditor general said he uncovered "frightening findings" of overfunding and potential fraud in the use of the Covid-19 relief fund, including some cases where personal protective equipment (PPE) was bought for five times more than the price the national treasury had advised. The government reacted by telling those accused of corruption to resign and cooperate with law enforcement. However, the president anticipated potential corruption, and said measures will be put in place to prevent this. But despite his attempts to address potential corruption, concerns still persist, with the chief whip of the opposition Democratic Alliance, telling the BBC that her party would be "challenging this declaration" because there should be "targeted" intervention towards Eskom instead of a general state of disaster. "[It] gives unfettered powers to the executive, the parliament has no oversight over the executive under some of those sections of the act," Siviwe Gwarube also told South Africa's News24. "And also more importantly, it allows government departments across the board to essentially subvert procurement processes as and when at will," she added. There are also those who think the emergency measure will make no difference at all, and that the president hasn't taken decisive enough action. "What the country needs at this time was a deliberate and very decisive action plan with timelines, with targets and with a progress report," Dr Nthabiseng Moleko, a development economist from Stellenbosch Business School, told South Africa's SABC news channel. "It doesn't look like these solutions that we have are going to yield any outcome that is going to change the course and the path that this country is on," she added. The appointment of a minister of electricity was also announced under the purview of assuming "full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response". However, this new position has been mocked online, with some saying they would be clueless about how to solve the crisis and saying the country could soon end up with a minister of "potholes". The president also outlined plans for the country to continue with its green energy transition programme, including through the "roll-out of rooftop solar panels". South Africa relies on aging coal-fired power stations for most of its electricity - in 2020, just 7% of its energy came from renewable sources, according to the International Energy Agency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64594499
     
         
      City of London proposing to make skyscrapers dim their lights at night Sat, 11th Feb 2023 11:55:00
     
      Plans for Square Mile would create ‘brightness zones’ governed by curfews amid the darkened buildings Skyscrapers in the City of London would be required to dim their lights at night as part of proposals to reduce visual pollution and save energy. Under the proposal from the City of London Corporation, property owners across the Square Mile – a 1.12 square mile zone in the centre of the capital whose boundaries stretch from the Temple to the Tower of London and from Chancery Lane to Liverpool Street – would be asked to switch off unnecessary building lights to create “brightness zones” governed by curfews. City officials are concerned about energy wastage and light pollution caused by the unnecessary use of lights in office buildings that have few or no workers after a certain time of night. “Over time, as new developments come forward that follow this guidance, we will transform the approach to lighting in the City,” the corporation said in a planning document setting out the proposal, the Financial Times reported. Buildings would be asked to turn off or dim all external illumination other than that required for safety or crime prevention. It would require internal lights to be dimmed significantly, though buildings in business areas would be allowed to have brighter lights if they are required by workers. The City proposes the creation of three types of “brightness zone” with slightly earlier curfews set at 10pm for residential and heritage areas, 11pm for cultural and tourist areas and midnight for commercial, retail and transport hubs. The corporation hopes the proposals will help it reach its target of achieving carbon net zero for the Square Mile by 2040. City officials said efforts to tackle light pollution needed to be balanced with the fact that some people work through the night, especially when keeping international hours, while bars and restaurants are open until late. “The City is a unique place in which 24/7 business districts and busy transport hubs rub up against historic buildings and residential neighbourhoods,” said Shravan Joshi, the chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee. The corporation’s strategy “is aimed at ensuring an intelligent, sensitive approach to lighting, which ensures the City is safe and accessible, while protecting its historic character and the amenity of our residents”, he added. The planning document, which was prepared with input from lighting architects Speirs Major, says that developments should “ensure all external and internal lighting is automatically turned off when not needed using [motion sensors] and/or time clocks or other automated control devices”. Developers would have to agree during the planning process for new buildings. Owners of existing buildings would also be asked to follow the rules, although the local authority will have no legal power to enforce them so they would be asked to sign up to a voluntary charter. The local authority will hold consultations on the planning document. Melanie Leech, the chief executive of the British Property Federation, told the FT: “We should all do everything we can to reduce unnecessary light pollution and reduce energy use. The City of London’s consultation?… should be helpful in providing leadership and clarity to developers, property owners and their customers.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/11/city-of-london-skyscrapers-dim-lights-night
     
         
      Snowy Hydro: drilling confirmed halted on part of multibillion-dollar project after tunnel collapse Sat, 11th Feb 2023 9:57:00
     
      Labor says the latest setback in the pumped hydro scheme, which had already been delayed to 2027, was inherited from the previous government nowy Hydro says work on a major part of its multibillion-dollar pumped hydro project remains halted after the collapse of a tunnel, adding to concerns the venture will face further lengthy delays. The commonwealth-owned power giant last month announced a “surface depression” had formed above the main tunnel at the Tantangara site of its Snowy 2.0 project. At the time, it said tunnelling was continuing and that the integrity of the tunnel “has not been compromised”. However, a Snowy Hydro spokesperson told Guardian Australia the tunnel boring machine (TBM), dubbed Florence, was now “temporarily paused” while plans to remediate the collapsed area are finalised. “Across the project, and as anticipated, the ground conditions encountered by the Snowy 2.0 TBMs are highly variable, ranging from soft, sandy ground to extremely hard rock,” the spokesperson said, in explaining why the drilling had stopped. She declined to detail how much of the 17km tunnel had so far been dug, and how long Florence would likely be stalled. Snowy Hydro waited until late last year to inform the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) that the project would be delayed a year until 30 December 2027. The company still states on its website that the first power is expect to be supplied in 2025. The project aims to link two existing Snowy reservoirs by tunnels up to 27km in length. A spokesperson for the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said Snowy Hydro had advised the government about the tunnel issues but said it was the latest hitch inherited from the previous Turnbull-Morrison government. “We will continue to work with the new CEO [Dennis Barnes] and the Snowy team to ensure Snowy 2.0 plays a key role in supporting the growth of renewable energy using its large-scale energy storage to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity on-demand over sustained periods,” the spokesperson said. “The Albanese government is extremely disappointed that the Coalition hid delays to Snowy 2.0 while in government, which have now been captured in the latest Aemo report.” Bowen’s opposition counterpart, Ted O’Brien, said the delays were linked to more global problems. “It’s clear that Snowy 2.0 has not been immune from supply chain shocks experienced across the world,” O’Brien said. Bruce Mountain, head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, said the length of the tunnels and the terrain made the project “just a crazy, risky project”, as now being demonstrated by the delays, Mountain said. Another formidable challenge will be to build the extra transmission needed to carry power to Sydney in the north-east and Victoria to the south, he said, noting the first of several court cases against the connections will start next week. Should the project be delayed significantly, or even cancelled, regulators will need to scramble to find alternative storage operations for the national electricity market. Smaller-scale batteries would likely be the quickest option to build, Mountain said. Andrew Thaler, a local resident whose property is next to a plant making 7-tonne concrete segments meant to line the tunnels, says the impacts of the stalled drilling are evident. “All they are doing is stockpiling concrete, and they’re running out of room,” Thaler said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/12/snowy-hydro-drilling-confirmed-halted-on-part-of-multibillion-dollar-project-after-tunnel-collapse
     
         
      Berlin’s plan for a car-free city prompts bitter war of words Sat, 11th Feb 2023 8:02:00
     
      This summer the German capital will roll out a controversial trial abolishing almost all parking spaces in the Graefekiez neighbourhood any visitors to Graefekiez, a lively cobbled-road neighbourhood just south of Berlin’s centre, come in search of something new: a tattoo from an authentic Japanese parlour, a rare print from an off-grid gallery, a dive-bar encounter over a 4am beer. This summer, they can brace themselves for another novelty: for at least three months, local authorities are planning to scrap almost all of the neighbourhood’s parking spaces as part of a social experiment designed to chart the waters of the German capital’s car-free future. Exactly how long the trial will last, how many of the neighbourhood’s roads it will include, and whether the vacant parking spaces will be filled with ping-pong tables, plant pots or dining tables instead, the council will not reveal until after Sunday’s Berlin state elections, a repeat of the September 2021 vote that was marred by delays and logistical errors. The decision to hold back information may well be politically motivated: the business of getting from A to B has become the subject of a bitter culture war between car lovers and car haters in the runup to the vote. And Berlin’s experimental approach to ushering out the age of the automobile isn’t only alienating petrolheads. The metropolis on the river Spree used to be feted for its public transport links, its densely woven web of underground and overground trains, trams, buses and ferries guaranteeing that getting from one corner of the city to the next usually took less than an hour. Wide roads make cycling popular and relatively safe. “Berlin has lots of space and barely any commuters – a lot of people live close to where they work,” said Prof Andreas Knie, a mobility researcher at the WZB Social Science Center that will supervise the Graefekiez project. “In theory, it has all the right conditions in place to become a model ‘city of short distances’,” he added, citing the concept of compact living spaces that urban planners have championed for more than a decade. Yet recently Berlin has struggled to convert its advantages into real change. In inner London and Paris, car ownership is in decline. Berlin may still have the lowest car ownership rate in Germany, with 337 vehicles registered per 1,000 inhabitants in 2022, but the number of automobiles on its roads has been rising steadily. “Five years ago, we were top of the pops,” said Knie. “Now London and Paris have overtaken us.” The means that German cities have at their disposal to shape movement on their roads is limited by federal laws that prioritise free flow of vehicles. Municipalities can’t impose 30 km/h zones on main roads unless they can prove a high risk of accidents. The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), in charge of the ministry at federal level, has shown no signs of willingness to rewrite the all-powerful road traffic act. While their hands remain tied, Green councillors in Berlin have resorted to guerrilla tactics aimed at nudging cars out of the city centre. During the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, several Berlin districts redrew road markings to create “pop-up” cycle lanes, supposedly to help cyclists physically distance on their commutes to work. Many of the new lanes have become popular permanent fixtures. At the start of the year, the senate went further: as of 2023, two-wheeled vehicles – including bikes, motorbikes and electric scooters – are allowed free use of parking spaces previously reserved exclusively for cars across the city. But this experimental approach has also left parts of Berlin in a what locals perceive as a state of permanent flux. A section of the Bergmannstrasse thoroughfare in Kreuzberg has undergone two attempts at a cycle-friendly redesign in the last four years, first with psychedelic-looking polka-dot road markings and then with a two-way cycle lane pushing cars on to a one-way single lane. Further north, cars were banished from a 500-metre stretch of the Friedrichstrasse boulevard for two years until a local wine dealer last November won a court case to let automobiles back in. At the end of January, Berlin’s Green party senator for mobility and climate protection, Bettina Jarasch, shut cars out again, against the will of the incumbent city mayor Franziska Giffey, of the centre-left Social Democratic Party. The hypothesis behind the latest experiment in Graefekiez is that most residents who leave their Autos on the side of its tree-lined streets don’t actually need them to get around town. A summer of seeing spaces previously hogged by boxes of steel used by playing children and al-fresco diners, the thinking goes, may encourage them to ditch them for good. “The idea we are pursuing is whether public spaces can be experienced and used in more efficient ways than keeping them reserved for parked cars,” said Annika Gerold, Kreuzberg’s Green district councillor in charge of transport affairs. But with the details of the car-free experiment kept under wraps, scepticism in the neighbourhood is tangible. Florian Eicker, who runs a small lunchtime eatery serving Hawaiian poké bowls on Graefestrasse, says he would welcome additional space for tables outside his restaurant, and could imagine switching to a car-sharing scheme to buy and deliver his ingredients. But a lack of information about another temporary state that could be rolled back again by the autumn has left him frustrated: “What’s the point if we merely push the problems three months into the future?” The attitude among his neighbours and guests was broadly negative, Eicker said. “I’d say it’s 30% in favour to 70% against. And those people aren’t especially wedded to car ownership on principle.” The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a conservative party whose core voters could not be further from the bohemian crowd on the Graefekiez’s streets, has been making hay of local frustration, collecting 1,450 signatures in favour of scrapping the trial in the neighbourhood of approximately 18,000. Instead of banishing parking spaces altogether, local CDU candidate Timur Husein advocates charging car owners to use them like they do in other cities – because for now, parking in the Graefekiez remains mostly free. If polls are anything to go by, his party’s pitch is proving surprisingly resonant in a city usually famed for its countercultural ways. The most recent surveys show the Christian Democrats in the lead on 26% of the vote, and within a realistic chance of unseating the incumbent left-green senate as long as it can sway one of the coalition parties to switch sides. “Adding a few bollards here and there is absolutely fine,” Husein said. “But an entire neighbourhood without cars – that’s even too much for Green voters.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/11/berlin-car-free-city-plan-culture-war
     
         
      Long-term exposure to air pollution may raise risk of depression later in life, study says Fri, 10th Feb 2023 14:33:00
     
      Exposure to air pollution may be tied to the risk of developing depression later in life, a large new study finds. Scientists are finding more and more evidence that people who live in polluted areas have a higher risk of depression than those who live with cleaner air. But this study published Friday in JAMA Network Open is one of the first to examine the associations between long-term exposure and the risk of depression diagnosed after age 64. Depression itself is a serious health condition. When it develops in an older adult, it can also contribute to problems with the ability to think clearly, studies show, as well as physical problems and even death. Previous research has found that a new diagnosis of depression is less common among older adults than in younger populations. “That’s one of the biggest reason we wanted to conduct this analysis,” said Dr. Xinye Qiu, co-author of the new study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open. Qiu is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Surprisingly, we saw a large number of late-onset depression diagnoses in this study.” The researchers looked at information on more than 8.9 million people who got their health insurance through Medicare and found that more than 1.52 million were diagnosed with depression later in life during the study period of 2005 to 2016. But the number is probably an undercount; studies show that late-in-life depression is often underdiagnosed. To determine the study participants’ pollution exposure, Qiu and her co-authors looked at where each of the people diagnosed with depression lived and created models to determine the exposure to pollution at each ZIP code, averaged across a year. The researchers looked at the study participants’ exposure to three kinds of air pollution: fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5 or particle pollution; nitrogen dioxide; and ozone. Particle pollution is the mix of solid and liquid droplets floating in the air. It can come in the form of dirt, dust, soot or smoke. Coal- and natural gas-fired power plants create it, as do cars, agriculture, unpaved roads, construction sites and wildfires. PM2.5 is so tiny – 1/20th of a width of a human hair – that it can travel past your body’s usual defenses. Instead of being carried out when you exhale, it can get stuck in your lungs or go into your bloodstream. The particles cause irritation and inflammation and may lead to respiratory problems. Exposure can cause cancer, stroke or heart attack; it could also aggravate asthma, and it has long been associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Nitrogen dioxide pollution is most commonly associated with traffic-related combustion byproducts. Nitrogen oxides are also released from traffic, as well as through the burning of oil, coal and natural gas. Exposure can increase inflammation of the airways, cause coughing or wheezing and reduce lung function. Ozone pollution is the main ingredient in smog. It comes from cars, power plants and refineries. This particular pollution is best known for exacerbating asthma symptoms, and long-term exposure studies show a higher risk of death from respiratory diseases in people with higher exposures. The American Lung Association calls it one of the “least well-controlled pollutants in the United States,” and it’s one of the most dangerous.In the new study, the scientists found that people who lived in areas with higher pollution levels long-term had an increased risk of a depression diagnosis. All three of the pollutants studied were associated with a higher risk of late-onset depression, even at lower pollution levels. “So there’s no real threshold, so it means future societies will want to eliminate this pollution or reduce it as much as possible because it carries a real risk,” Qiu said. There were greater associations between depression and exposure to particle pollution and nitrogen dioxide among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. That may in part be because they are simultaneously exposed to social stress and these poor environmental conditions, the study says. Older adults who had underlying problems with their heart or breathing were also more sensitive to developing late-in-life depression when exposed to nitrogen dioxide pollution, the study found. The study has some limitations. The majority of the participants were White, and more research would be needed to see whether there would be a difference among diverse populations.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/10/health/pollution-depression-seniors-wellness/index.html
     
         
      UK must quit climate-harming energy charter treaty, experts say Fri, 10th Feb 2023 12:09:00
     
      Secret international court system enables fossil fuel firms to sue governments for lost future profits Experts have urged the UK to leave the controversial energy charter treaty (ECT), a secret court system that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for huge sums over policies that could affect future profits. The European Commission said this week that remaining part of the treaty would “clearly undermine” climate targets and that an exit by EU countries appeared “inevitable”. Seven EU countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, have already said they will quit the ECT. More than 100 academics have written to the UK government, stating that “continued membership of the ECT will harm our prospects of limiting global warming to 1.5C because it will prolong the UK’s dependence on fossil fuels and impede the transition to renewable energy”. The ECT’s courts were set up in 1994 to protect energy companies working in former Soviet Union countries from government expropriation. The UK has backed “modernisation” of the treaty, which has 50 member states. But critics say the court system would remain in place for oil and gas projects for at least a decade, during which time carbon emissions must be reduced by half to keep the 1.5C goal within reach. The academics’ letter was sent to Grant Shapps, the secretary of state for the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. “Investors have already brought cases against countries for phasing out coal-fired power stations, banning the exploitation of oil and gas near their coastline, and requiring environmental impact assessments,” the group said. “There is also evidence that countries are shying away from introducing new legislation for fear of being challenged in claims under the ECT,” the academics said. “We urge you to take this opportunity to announce that the UK will withdraw.” The UK and Japan are the last large economies not to have said they will leave the ECT. A government spokesperson said: “The UK is closely monitoring the situation surrounding the energy charter treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other [member nations]. We have been a strong advocate for updating the treaty to ensure it is aligned with modern energy priorities, modern international treaty practice, and international commitments on climate change.” Agreement on modernisation was due in November but has been delayed until at least April. Oil, gas and coal firms have been awarded more than $100bn (£82.5bn) by ECT tribunals. The UK oil firm Rockhopper was recently awarded $190m in a case it brought against Italy, which is contesting the decision. ECT critics have estimated the final cost in compensation to fossil fuel companies could rise to more than $1tn. Some renewable energy companies have also used the ECT to sue for compensation after subsidy changes. The Guardian revealed in November that the ECT court system was accused of institutional bias, self-regulation issues and perceived conflicts of interest. “The energy charter treaty is not consistent with the Paris climate agreement,” said Patrice Dreiski, a former ECT executive. “The main goal of the ECT is to promote and protect fossil fuel investment, which is not at all the goal of the Paris agreement.” France announced it would withdraw from the ECT in October, with President Emmanuel Macron saying the move was coherent with the Paris climate deal. The UK government said the modernised agreement would support the UK’s right to introduce measures for legitimate public policy objectives, such as to back climate action. However, the European Commission said that given the number of countries quitting individually, renegotiating the treaty did not seem feasible.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/10/uk-must-quit-climate-harming-energy-charter-treaty-experts-say
     
         
      Mass tree-planting in Chippenham to boost park Fri, 10th Feb 2023 7:53:00
     
      Almost 2,000 trees are to be planted in Monkton Park in Chippenham. A total of 1,720 trees are planned and the first stage of the work is due to be completed by 10 February. Lower Riverside Meadow will be planted with trees and shrubs. Chippenham Town Council's Environmental Services Team began the work on 6 February as part of the wider Monkton Park Management Plan to improve the site. The project also aims to create woodland areas to help combat climate change and improve wellbeing. 'Habitat mosaic' Care will be taken to ensure the trees survive the early stages, with plans to make regular checks to monitor damage from animals such as deer, according to the eLocal Democracy Reporting Service. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said: "Overall, the aim is to reach a point where roughly 55% of the site is managed as open grassland, 25% managed as scrub belts or islands and 20% as woodland. "Distribution will be key to ensure pockets, belts and islands of plantings rather than larger expanses of dense monoculture. "The idea is to create a habitat mosaic, offering opportunity for people to walk between planted areas, following meandering mown pathways." The planting is to take place over three years, with roughly a third of the area planted in a year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64567119
     
         
      NatWest to end new business loans for oil and gas extraction Fri, 10th Feb 2023 6:08:00
     
      Bank also plans to phase out similar lending for existing customers under its first climate transition plan NatWest has announced it will stop offering loans to new customers hoping to fund oil and gas exploration, extraction or production projects, as part of a wider climate transition plan due to be unveiled next week. The banks’s chief executive, Alison Rose, said similar steps would be taken to phase out the same funding for existing customers, meaning the bank would refuse to renew, refinance or extend loans for upstream gas projects from the start of 2026. “We want to ensure our capital is being used to support a transition while continuing to reduce the financing of harmful emissions,” Rose said. “I hope this sends a strong signal that we are serious about ending the most harmful activity while financing the transition,” she added. Rose made the announcement as she trailed the release of the bank’s first climate transition plan, which is due to be unveiled alongside the bank’s full-year results next Friday. The plan, which will be one of the first released by a UK bank, will give a sector-by-sector breakdown of how NatWest will halve the emissions created by the projects and companies it finances by 2030. Rose said that the bank – which is still 48% owned by the UK government – would be “prioritising sectors with high emissions rates or balance sheet exposure values”. However, the amount of carbon-heavy projects that NatWest funds as a proportion of its overall loan book is relatively small, accounting for 0.7% of its outstanding loans, worth about £3.3bn as of last year. The NatWest boss also announced that the bank was launching a pilot project focused on demonstrating “that retrofitting homes at scale can be an achievable and affordable goal”. It will involve partnering with a “coalition of landlords”, as well as Centrica and Schneider Electric, and focusing on improving the energy efficiency of social housing across the UK. Rose said she was also in discussions with Airbnb on how to help hosts retrofit their homes through NatWest’s green loans – having invited Airbnb’s chief executive for Europe, Amanda Cupping, to her speech at the NatWest headquarters in London. “I understand the cost of living is what most people are focused on, but I believe that cost of living concerns can lead to more and better action on tackling climate change,” Rose said. “The announcements I’ve made today are just the start of our activity in 2023 to tackle the climate crisis. “I hope it shows good progress and the right intent and leaves you in no doubt that tackling climate change continues to be a major priority for this bank,” she added. Meanwhile, Barclays is under fire for failing to provide the same pledges over its oil and gas funding. A group of over 27 investors with $1.4tn (£1.1bn) in assets under management have written to Barclays, as well as four other European banks – BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Deutsche Bank and Société Général – urging them to stop directly financing new oil and gas fields by the end of this year. The letter was signed by investors including the Midlands local government employee pension fund LGPS central, and the state-backed Nest pension fund and was coordinated by climate campaign group ShareAction. It comes nearly a year after 20% of Barclays shareholders rejected its climate strategy at the 2022 AGM. Barclays defended its climate track record, including its intention to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and said it could “make the greatest difference” by working with customers to transition to a low-carbon economy. “We are in regular dialogue with many stakeholders, including ShareAction, on climate and broader sustainability topics and we value their ongoing thoughtful engagement.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2023/feb/09/natwest-to-end-new-business-loans-for-oil-and-gas-extraction
     
         
      Arsenic found in London air raises fears over use of waste wood as fuel Thu, 9th Feb 2023 15:50:00
     
      Many people warming homes with wood from construction sites unaware of health risks, say experts Arsenic particles are being spotted by scientists in London’s air, as concerns grow that people are increasingly burning waste wood from construction sites while being unaware of the serious health risks. Dr Anja Tremper at Imperial College London’s air research station in south London tracked January’s data and found arsenic particles in London’s air, especially around the weekend of 2223 when air pollution reached the top index value of 10 on the UK government’s scale. Tremper said: “This is part of a long-term pattern. When I investigated the pollution sources in the 2019 and 2020 dataset, I also found arsenic among the chemicals from wood smoke.” Despite clear messages from government and local councils, a survey for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2018-19 revealed that about 9% of people who burned wood at home were burning waste wood. The problem is that construction wood is normally treated with arsenic-based preservatives to protect against insects and fungi. This arsenic becomes part of the ash and smoke when the wood is burned. The survey found examples of people burning fence panels, pallets, old furniture, doors, door frames and construction wood salvaged from skips. One woman described how her husband collected waste wood from skips using a wheelbarrow. Many people in the survey did not know what types of wood might be treated and others justified their behaviour as harmless because they only did it occasionally. Another mistakenly thought their Defra-approved stove would remove any toxins. And this problem is not isolated to London. Dr James Allan, who operates Manchester University’s air research site, said: “We see arsenic in Manchester as well, associated with cold weather and the black carbon that you get from wood-burning.” In Auckland, New Zealand, scientists have been investigating if people in the city were being exposed to arsenic from wood-heating. Many New Zealanders pride themselves on finding and burning free wood. Despite official warnings, almost 20% of homes routinely burn construction wood. This can lead to airborne arsenic concentrations that are double the UK and EU legal limits. As part of the research, 30 men were asked to grow beards for two weeks, then shave and collect the hair for analysis. Arsenic in their bodies would be incorporated into their growing beard forming a record of their exposure. Aside from cigarette-smoking, the biggest factor that affected arsenic in the men’s beards was the frequency of wood-burning smells in their neighbourhood, suggesting that nearby wood-burning was a main exposure route. More arsenic was also found in the beards of men who burned wood offcuts, so arsenic from their wood burner could be a problem too.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/09/arsenic-london-air-burning-waste-wood
     
         
      Chilean wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, endanger world's smallest deer Thu, 9th Feb 2023 12:45:00
     
      Forest fires across south-central Chile that have left 24 people dead and swallowed up hundreds of houses spread into new areas on Wednesday after raging overnight, burning up the habitats of vulnerable woodland animals. "We call on everyone who can to take care of the forests which are currently on fire, and also of our animals, specimens of vital importance," said Valentina Aravena, the manager at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Chillan. Chile's national forests association CONAF said on Wednesday the area affected by the fires had now spread to over 300,000 hectares (741,315 acres), an area nearly twice the size of Greater London. Authorities said some 2,180 people have been injured and 1,180 houses have been destroyed, with most of the deaths and damages in the south-central Biobio, Araucania and Ñuble regions. Late on Wednesday, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said the government would declare a curfew in some provinces starting on Thursday. She had earlier warned of a shortage of water tanks and urged providers to make them available. In the rehabilitation center in Chillan, the capital of the Ñuble region, veterinarians treated burns on animals native to the woodlands, such as monito del monte, a small nocturnal marsupial, and pudus, the world's smallest deer. Aravena said these were essential species that helped spread seeds. "We try to stabilize them, treat them, relieve pain from the burns they suffered, and ideally rehabilitate them so they can return to the wild," she said. In the vicinity of the nearby city of Quillon, local Enrique Narvaez watched firefighters at work overnight. "The 2011 wildfire burnt down my house, all the trees, everything," he said. "I don't want to go through the same again now." Chilean President Gabriel Boric thanked his Brazilian counterpart who offered $672,000 in aid and said he was sending air force jet with firefighting equipment, personnel and experts. Spain, Colombia and Mexico are also giving assistance. Chilean pulp and wood panel manufacturer Arauco [RIC:RIC:ANTCOC.UL], the forestry arm of Empresas Copec (COPEC.SN), said 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of its plantations could be potentially affected, though the possible extent remained unclear. A day earlier, a Chilean minister warned that high temperatures forecast for this week could further complicate the situation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/chilean-wildfires-spread-overnight-burning-up-hundreds-homes-2023-02-08/
     
         
      The Fossil Fuel Industry Is “Immorally Undermining Climate Action” Thu, 9th Feb 2023 8:48:00
     
      The remarks of Secretary General Antonio Gutterres in a speech to the UN General Assembly called out fossil fuel companies for “scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits.” Can 2023 be “a year of reckoning,” so that “game-changing climate action” permeates every government and industry, every local community and home? Or will warnings from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in a type of State-of-the-Planet speech about global warming and the environment become reality, so that undermining climate action continues the world on a path to 2.8 degrees warming beyond pre-industrial times? “We must end the merciless, relentless, senseless war on nature,” Gutterres exclaims, as that war “is putting our world at immediate risk of hurtling past the 1.5-degree temperature increase limit and now still moving towards a deadly 2.8 degrees.” A whole bucketful of evidence supports this statement. The data is not new, and it’s disheartening that too many people in power aren’t paying attention. In 2018 the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed how the 2°C upper bound was far below the path we were on at that moment of time. They called upon countries around the world to bring about the rapid and far reaching transitions to protect our communities and the natural world upon which we all depend from massively disruptive climate change. NASA published an account in 2019 (during the dark times when so much climate data was squashed by the Trump administration) which described how climate-related risks for natural and human systems were found to be higher, often significantly so, under the hotter temperature threshold (to which Gutterres is referring). The degree of these risks depends on many factors, NASA said, such as the rate, duration, and magnitude of warming; geographic location; levels of development and vulnerability; and on how humans respond through adaptation and mitigation options. Copernicus out of the EU showed how, in December, 2020, global warming reached 1.18°C above pre-industrial levels. The review stated that the 1.5°C limit would be reached in 2034 if the warming trend continues in the same way it has for the 30 years up. A Nature 2021 study outlined how, by 2050, nearly 60% of oil and fossil methane gas and 90% of coal must remain unextracted to keep within a 1.5?°C carbon budget — a large increase in the unextractable estimates for a 2?°C carbon budget, particularly for oil, for which an additional 25% of reserves must remain unextracted. Furthermore, they estimated that oil and gas production must decline globally by 3% each year until 2050. The November, 2022 Climate Tracker displayed the various trajectories aligned with policies then presently in place around the world. Projections pointed to about 2.7°C warming above pre-industrial levels. Fossil fuel companies continue to mask their responsibility toward systemic energy systems change. BP’s influence ads last year, for example, were designed to promote their plan to “transition to net zero” by gradually reducing oil and gas production and investing more in “low carbon” and renewable energy sources. Now the financial projections are in, and BP’s oil and gas investments for 2023 will at least double renewable energy investments. BP greenwashing continues to be rampant, cloaked in a lofty façade of net zero fluffy promises. Greenwashing, Guterres decries, is undermining climate action, as big banks and oil companies to pretend that they’re making progress on climate when they’re not. He warns of a “self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence.” Securing a livable planet depends on stopping the “bottomless greed of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers, ” and he calls for an end to “the merciless, relentless, senseless war on nature.” Fossil Fuel Capitalism: Undermining Climate Action Dismayed that many such warnings have remained unheeded, Gutterres announced, “Hence: We need disruption to end the destruction. No more baby steps. No more excuses. No more bottomless greed of the fossil fuel industry and its enablers.” Instead, he offered “a special message for fossil-fuel producers and their enablers scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits: If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business. Your core product is our core problem.” And that’s the rub, isn’t it? His words have spurred climate activists. Bill McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, which has organized protests on every continent, including Antarctica, for climate action. The Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, McKibben writes for the New Yorker, where this week he examined Gutterres’ recent comments. McKibben editorializes that, to achieve the “renewables revolution” the Secretary-General is calling for, we need to acknowledge that: The central problem with climate change is the fossil fuel industry’s product. The industry is immorally undermining climate action. If it continues, it should be shut down. “What we do in response is the one decision,” McKibben summarizes, “that will really matter for the deep history of the Earth.” Others in position of authority and respect have also been calling out fossil fuel companies for undermining climate action. Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si’” remains the most important document of the millennium on the climate crisis, according to McKibben, who adds that the document is “among the best critiques ever issued on capitalism, consumerism, and our strained and unequal modernity.” Back in 2018, a group of British climate activists started purposefully breaking the law, blocking roads and gluing themselves to government buildings in the name of cutting carbon emissions. The group responsible, Extinction Rebellion, swiftly rose to international notoriety with such radical civil resistance. Al Gore, a Nobel laureate, brought news of the climate crisis with the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Gore spoke at the Davos World Economic Forum last month in a tone that McKibben says “can more accurately be described as a rant—an absolutely correct and remarkably red-faced rant.” Gore decried the oil and gas industry and the coal industry, which “use their legacy network of political influence and wealth to stop progress.” If we are ever to “stop using the sky as an open sewer,” Gore added, “we cannot let the oil companies and gas companies and petrostates tell us what is permissible.” Over 700,000 signatories endorsed a letter sent to fossil fuel CEOs in attendance at Davos. In the Cease and Desist notice, the signers demanded that fossil fuel giants “stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites” as well as to “stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need.” McKibben argues that this and other “straight talk and truthtelling is crucially important right now,’ with influences like “enormous and unnatural disasters” alongside the human-caused “flood of obfuscation” of social media platforms. The symbiotic relationships among governments can spur legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and open up previously-unheard of global cleantech competition. Climate markets, as we have seen over the last few years, will respond in kind — if only the fossil fuel industry doesn’t stifle their possibilities. Will fossil fuel companies begin to listen to important climate voices like Gutterres and McKibben?
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2023/02/09/the-fossil-fuel-industry-is-immorally-undermining-climate-action/
     
         
      Chile forest fires: Heatwave puts new regions at risk Thu, 9th Feb 2023 7:43:00
     
      The Chilean government has put three central regions of the country on high alert of forest fires amid a heatwave. while thousands of firefighters continue to battle blazes in the south. Twenty-four people are confirmed to have died in the fires which have been raging for more than a week. Thousands have been left homeless after their houses went up in flames. Now it is feared that high temperatures forecast for the rest of the week could ignite fires in new regions. The deputy ministry of the interior, Manuel Monsalve, said that all teams had been put on standby to fight any possible blazes as temperatures could exceed 37 degrees Celsius. Almost 300,000 hectares have already gone up in flames in the regions of Ñuble, Maule, Biobío and Auracanía. On Tuesday, smoke from the fires drifted over the capital, Santiago. More than 5,000 firefighters are in action to try to put out the more than 300 fires. The United States has sent a DC-10 Air Tanker plane capable of carrying 36,000 litres of water. Argentina, Mexico, and Spain have also sent specially trained emergency workers to help extinguish the flames.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64568379
     
         
      BP scales back climate targets as profits hit record Wed, 8th Feb 2023 23:30:00
     
      Energy giant BP has reported record annual profits as it scaled back plans to reduce the amount of oil and gas it produces by 2030. The company's profits more than doubled to $27.7bn (£23bn) in 2022, as energy prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. Other energy firms have seen similar rises, with Shell reporting record earnings of nearly $40bn last week. It has led to calls for energy firms to pay more tax as people's bills soar. BP boss Bernard Looney said the British company was "helping provide the energy the world needs" while investing the transition to green energy. But it came as the firm scaled back plans to cut carbon emissions by reducing its oil and gas output. The company - which was one of the first oil and gas giants to announce an ambition to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 - had previously promised that emissions would be 35-40% lower by the end of this decade. However, on Tuesday it said it was now targeting a 20-30% cut, saying it needed to keep investing in oil and gas to meet current demands. How much windfall tax are oil giants paying? Shell reports highest profits in 115 years Climate campaign group Greenpeace, whose voice the BBC has included because of the impact of oil and gas production on the environment, said BP's new strategy "seems to have been strongly undermined by pressure from investors and governments to make even more dirty money out of oil and gas". Energy prices had begun to climb following the end of Covid lockdowns but rose sharply in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking concerns about global supplies. The price of Brent crude oil reached nearly $128 a barrel, but has since fallen back to about $80. Gas prices also spiked but have come down from their highs. It has led to bumper profits for energy companies, but also fuelled a rise in energy bills for households and businesses. Last year, the government introduced a windfall tax - called the Energy Profits Levy - on the "extraordinary" profits being made at energy companies. The rate was originally set at 25%, but has now been increased to 35%, and only applies to profits made from extracting UK oil and gas. Oil and gas firms also pay 30% corporation tax on their profits as well as a supplementary 10% rate, taking their total tax rate to 75%. However, they can reduce the amount of tax they pay by factoring in losses or spending on things like decommissioning North Sea oil platforms. BP said its UK business, which accounts for less than 10% of its global profits, will pay $2.2bn in tax for 2022, including $700m due to the Energy Profits Levy. 'Windfalls of war' Andrew Griffith, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, who the BBC spoke to for the government's position, said the windfall tax struck the "right balance" between helping families with the cost of living and securing the UK's energy supplies. He said its aim was to encourage re-investment of the sector's profits back into the economy Nick Butler, previously a senior executive at BP and now a visiting professor at Kings College, who the BBC spoke to because of his industry experience, said oil and gas prices would not remain "exceptionally high" forever. "This is a temporary situation. Oil and gas prices are going down and the windfall these companies are making won't last." In a year that BP boss Bernard Looney described the company as a cash machine, it is little wonder that progressive think tank IPPR called these profits scandalous as millions struggled to pay bills. The company paid £1.8bn in UK tax - a big increase on a previous estimate - as extra windfall levies pushed the overall tax rate on UK profits to 75%. Labour said the taxes should be still higher and better incentivise investment in renewables. Perhaps most controversially, BP announced it would miss its targets to reduce oil and gas production by 2030 as it said it would match investment in lower carbon projects with new investment in fossil fuels and extend the life of existing oil and gas projects. While shareholders may be making the least noise today, their voice is arguably the loudest when BP's competitors like Shell and Exxon are also making record profits. Presentational grey line Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who we've included to explain the opposition's point of view, said the profits were outrageous and called on the government to increase the windfall tax. The government has had to step in to limit household energy bills, with the average home now paying £2,500 a year, although this is still more than double what it was a year ago. The cap on bills will also rise to £3,000 from April, although analysts expect households to pay less than that due to a recent drop in gas prices. As well as announcing record profits, BP increased its payout to shareholders by 10%. BP's results follow similarly strong profits announced by rivals Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron last week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64544110
     
         
      199 drilling permits blocked Wed, 8th Feb 2023 7:02:00
     
      Tribal nations and environmental groups in the U.S. Southwest scored a victory last week when a federal appeals court rejected nearly 200 new oil and gas drilling permits in the Greater Chaco region of New Mexico. A three-judge panel for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration’s Interior Department violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it approved the permits, because it failed to account for the drilling projects’ cumulative impacts to human health and climate change. The judges called the agency’s analysis “arbitrary and capricious.” The Greater Chaco region, which covers parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, is home to many Pueblos and tribal nations who have occupied it for more than 2,000 years. It includes a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where roads, storage areas, and abandoned adobe houses up to five stories high offer a glimpse into Chacoan life between the ninth and 15th centuries. Recent years, however, have embroiled the region in a conflict over energy development, as fossil fuel companies seek to extract millions of barrels of oil from the 7,500-square-mile San Juan basin. In November 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced an informal two-year pause on new federal oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park — but the plan was criticized for allowing companies with existing leases to obtain new permits for further drilling. (The 199 permits in question predate the moratorium.) Mario Atencio, Greater Chaco energy organizer for the Navajo-led nonprofit Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, said the recent ruling strikes a blow against environmental racism. He noted the oil and gas industry’s disproportionate harms to Indigenous people — and its refusal to respect the laws of the Navajo Nation, which recognize the inherent rights of nonhumans and features of the landscape. “They say, ‘They’re just environmentalists,’” Atencio said, “which doesn’t compute when the law of the Navajo Nation says we have to be stewards of the landscape. … We’re just people of the land that are living by old Navajo philosophy, just trying to bring reason to the insanity that is oil and gas development.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/199-drilling-permits-blocked/
     
         
      ‘They get the big picture’: the Swedish tech startup helping cities go green Wed, 8th Feb 2023 6:00:00
     
      Online tool used by more than 50 cities helps planners weigh costs against climate and social benefits In early 2018, Tomer Shalit looked at the overwhelming mass of data and the tens of thousands of pages of scientific studies and parliamentary reports that had gone into the making of Sweden’s bold new Climate Act, and thought: this is hopeless. “There was this avalanche of material, but none of it was operational,” he said. “There were solid, ambitious targets, but no roadmaps for reaching them. There was a ton of evidence, but no concrete action plans. And nothing was connected.” So Shalit – then a consultant devising “agile solutions” for business – took it all and turned it into one four-metre poster that broke Sweden’s entire green transition down into its constituent parts, presenting them in a way that made sense. He gatecrashed a government event and showed it to an enthusiastic environment minister. With the backing of Sweden’s environment and energy agencies, it went digital and became Panorama – a national climate action plan, on one webpage. Five years later, Shalit’s poster has evolved into an online tool used in eight countries by a rapidly lengthening list of cities – now more than 50 – including Helsingborg and Malmö in Sweden, Madrid in Spain, Kiel and Mannheim in Germany, Cincinnati in the US, and Bristol and Nottingham in the UK. “Cities account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions,” Shalit said. “They are clearly critical to climate action, but they are also complex and highly interconnected systems – and they really lacked the tools to plan and manage their transition.” ClimateOS, the integrated platform developed by Shalit’s Stockholm-based startup, ClimateView, aims to help cities plan and manage their transition to zero carbon by breaking it down into distinct but interconnected “building blocks”. Combining data-crunching and analytics, the blocks are in effect mini-models, individually showing the effects of a wide range of high- to low-carbon environmental levers, and collectively generating a comprehensive socioeconomic picture. “Cities get the big, integrated picture,” said Shalit. “They can connect emissions, climate actions and now also economics, at a system-wide level. They see what activities drive emissions, and what the effects of reducing them will be. It allows them to simulate, and understand, the ‘what if’ scenarios.” Recently upgraded to include economic projections, the tool also allows planners to assess the likely consequences of the full range of environmental levers – such as, for example, shifting a proportion of city journeys from cars to walking or cycling. “It will show, of course, the reduction in emissions,” said Shalit. “But also the knock-on effects: the health benefits from cleaner air, for example, as well as from people doing more, and more regular, exercise – such as less heart disease.” In its latest iteration, ClimateOS quantifies the financial costs and co-benefits of possible climate actions, allowing cities to make a convincing economic case to their financial controllers, to public funding bodies under programmes such as the EU’s Green New Deal, and to private investors. “If we don’t connect climate action to financing, we’re simply not going to solve the problem,” said Shalit. “There are huge amounts of funding available, but to secure a share of it, cities need to make comprehensive climate investment plans, supported by accurate data. The money is there, but without the analysis, cities can’t access it.” City halls need to be able to consider investments “holistically”, Shalit said, calculating the co-benefits of every environmental investment – so weighing up, for example, the cost of new cycle paths against the benefits for the city’s health system. The cost to a city such as Mannheim of installing heat pumps in 30% of its public housing, for example, would be roughly €10m. Offset against that, however, would be lower maintenance (a saving of €0.71m over 10 years) and fuel costs (€21m), and an estimated €3m in savings from reduced carbon emissions – an overall benefit of €15m. The more cities that join ClimateView’s platform, Shalit said, the more useful to all the platform will inevitably become. “A very big part of this project is about transparency and sharing – of data, knowledge, experience, intelligence,” he said. Cities already using it are fulsome in their praise. The platform is “a great asset”, said Jonas Kamleh, head of Climate Transition Malmö, one of 112 “mission cities” supported by the EU in their drive to become climate neutral. “We need to know what our emissions are, what measures have the best climate and societal impact, what are the costs and benefits of change, how are they distributed,” he said, adding that transforming the city’s district heating model – its biggest single emission source – was one area where ClimateOS was proving particularly useful. “Before, we ran other models, we used consultants – it was all very cost-intensive, and very closed. The advantage of this data platform is that politicians, business people, whoever, can go in, pull various levers, and basically see how that would play out – for the climate, but also society.” Wayne Bexton, the director of environment and sustainability at Nottingham council, which has one of Britain’s most ambitious carbon neutrality targets, said the city was “very engaged” with ClimateOS. “It’s helping us shape our plans, reinforcing that what we do will have the impact we want it to,” he said. The platform notably filled a “positivity gap”, Bexton said, allowing the council to quantify the benefits of transforming the former Broadmarsh shopping centre in the city centre into a tree-filled green space, and helping it monitor the health impacts of insulating public housing and fitting sustainable heating systems. Helsingborg’s climate strategist, Milou Mandolin, said ClimateOS “visualises our total emissions for various sectors, clarifying how big the gaps are between emissions and targets, and also shows us possible areas for change”. The city would be using the platform in its climate and energy plan starting this year, Mandolin said. “It creates a common starting point and overview for everyone involved, clearly shows where we lack effective measures, and demonstrates the impact of different scenarios,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/08/they-get-the-big-picture-the-swedish-tech-startup-helping-cities-go-green
     
         
      BP scales back climate targets as profits hit record Tue, 7th Feb 2023 23:30:00
     
      Energy giant BP has reported record annual profits as it scaled back plans to reduce the amount of oil and gas it produces by 2030. The company's profits more than doubled to $27.7bn (£23bn) in 2022, as energy prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. Other energy firms have seen similar rises, with Shell reporting record earnings of nearly $40bn last week. It has led to calls for energy firms to pay more tax as people's bills soar. BP boss Bernard Looney said the British company was "helping provide the energy the world needs" while investing the transition to green energy. But it came as the firm scaled back plans to cut carbon emissions by reducing its oil and gas output. The company - which was one of the first oil and gas giants to announce an ambition to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 - had previously promised that emissions would be 35-40% lower by the end of this decade. However, on Tuesday it said it was now targeting a 20-30% cut, saying it needed to keep investing in oil and gas to meet current demands. How much windfall tax are oil giants paying? Shell reports highest profits in 115 years Climate campaign group Greenpeace, whose voice the BBC has included because of the impact of oil and gas production on the environment, said BP's new strategy "seems to have been strongly undermined by pressure from investors and governments to make even more dirty money out of oil and gas". Energy prices had begun to climb following the end of Covid lockdowns but rose sharply in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking concerns about global supplies. The price of Brent crude oil reached nearly $128 a barrel, but has since fallen back to about $80. Gas prices also spiked but have come down from their highs. It has led to bumper profits for energy companies, but also fuelled a rise in energy bills for households and businesses. Last year, the government introduced a windfall tax - called the Energy Profits Levy - on the "extraordinary" profits being made at energy companies. The rate was originally set at 25%, but has now been increased to 35%, and only applies to profits made from extracting UK oil and gas. Oil and gas firms also pay 30% corporation tax on their profits as well as a supplementary 10% rate, taking their total tax rate to 75%. However, they can reduce the amount of tax they pay by factoring in losses or spending on things like decommissioning North Sea oil platforms. BP said its UK business, which accounts for less than 10% of its global profits, will pay $2.2bn in tax for 2022, including $700m due to the Energy Profits Levy. 'Windfalls of war' Andrew Griffith, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, who the BBC spoke to for the government's position, said the windfall tax struck the "right balance" between helping families with the cost of living and securing the UK's energy supplies. He said its aim was to encourage re-investment of the sector's profits back into the economy Nick Butler, previously a senior executive at BP and now a visiting professor at Kings College, who the BBC spoke to because of his industry experience, said oil and gas prices would not remain "exceptionally high" forever. "This is a temporary situation. Oil and gas prices are going down and the windfall these companies are making won't last." In a year that BP boss Bernard Looney described the company as a cash machine, it is little wonder that progressive think tank IPPR called these profits scandalous as millions struggled to pay bills. The company paid £1.8bn in UK tax - a big increase on a previous estimate - as extra windfall levies pushed the overall tax rate on UK profits to 75%. Labour said the taxes should be still higher and better incentivise investment in renewables. Perhaps most controversially, BP announced it would miss its targets to reduce oil and gas production by 2030 as it said it would match investment in lower carbon projects with new investment in fossil fuels and extend the life of existing oil and gas projects. While shareholders may be making the least noise today, their voice is arguably the loudest when BP's competitors like Shell and Exxon are also making record profits. Presentational grey line Labour and the Liberal Democrats, who we've included to explain the opposition's point of view, said the profits were outrageous and called on the government to increase the windfall tax. The government has had to step in to limit household energy bills, with the average home now paying £2,500 a year, although this is still more than double what it was a year ago. The cap on bills will also rise to £3,000 from April, although analysts expect households to pay less than that due to a recent drop in gas prices. As well as announcing record profits, BP increased its payout to shareholders by 10%. BP's results follow similarly strong profits announced by rivals Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron last week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64544110
     
         
      Caribbean sees first regional launch of global plan on early warning systems Tue, 7th Feb 2023 14:11:00
     
      Caribbean and UN leaders were on hand for the first regional launch of a plan to ensure that every person on the planet is protected by early warning systems by 2027, held in Bridgetown, Barbados on Tuesday. The event aimed to mobilize Prime Ministers to support the Early Warnings for All initiative (EW4ALL) in the face of mounting climate hazards. 2021 was the region’s fourth costliest hurricane season on record, with 21 named storms, including seven hurricanes. Protecting vulnerable communities UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced EW4ALL at the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt in November. The initiative calls for investment across disaster risk knowledge, observations and forecasting, preparedness and response, and communication of early warnings, with particularly priority placed on vulnerable communities. It outlines initial new targeted investments of $ 3.1 billion between now and 2027, equivalent to a cost of just 50 cents per person per year.? Saving lives, reducing losses The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) are co-leads in the plan’s implementation. In a report last year, they noted that less than half of all countries are not protected by multi-hazard early warning systems, which are among the most proven, cost-effective climate adaptation measures. Not only do they save lives, reducing disaster mortality by a factor of eight, but they also reduce economic losses in the aftermath of climate catastrophes. “The number of weather-related disasters around the world has risen fivefold over the past 50 years, yet not all countries in the Caribbean have end-to-end early warning systems,” said Petteri Taalas, the WMO Secretary-General. Cooperation and investment At the regional launch in Barbados’s capital, Bridgetown, leaders outlined practical measures to ensure EW4ALL is incorporated in disaster risk management strategies, while also highlighting work already underway, including by entities such as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). “The Early Warnings for All initiative offers us an opportunity to strengthen cooperation around investment in multi-hazard early warning systems to ensure the safety of the people of the Caribbean,”?said Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of CDEMA. While 19 States and territories participate in CDEMA, only 30 per cent have established roadmaps for multi-hazard early warning systems. WMO stressed that it is vital to support the Caribbean in building climate and disaster resilience so that countries can take early action. “Launching Early Warnings for All in the Caribbean is a critical first step toward coalescing the national, regional, and global cooperation needed to ensure everyone on Earth, especially the most vulnerable populations, are protected by multi-hazard early warning systems,” said Mami Mizutori, Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Head of UNDRR. The launch also coincided with a WMO conference for the region, themed: Increasing weather, water and climate resilience in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. That event is taking place in Kingston, Jamaica, through Thursday.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133247?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=346330fea4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_07_08_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-346330fea4-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Reduce pollution to combat ‘superbugs’ and other anti-microbial resistance Tue, 7th Feb 2023 12:16:00
     
      Up to 10 million people could die annually by 2050 due to anti-microbial resistance (AMR), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a report launched in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Tuesday, highlighting the need to curtail pollution created by the pharmaceuticals, agricultural and healthcare sectors. The study focuses on the environmental dimensions of AMR, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines. It calls for strengthening action to reduce the emergence, transmission and spread of “superbugs” - strains of bacteria that have become resistant to every known biotic – and other instances of AMR, which are already taking a serious toll on human, animal, and plant health. Another example of inequality “The environmental crisis of our time is also one of human rights and geopolitics – the antimicrobial resistance report published by UNEP today is yet another example of inequity, in that the AMR crisis is disproportionately affecting countries in the Global South,” said Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, who chairs a UN-backed initiative of world leaders and experts examining the issue. AMR is among the top 10 global threats to health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2019, an estimated 1.27 million deaths globally were directly attributed to drug-resistant infections. Overall, nearly five million deaths were associated with bacterial AMR. It is expected that some 10 million additional direct deaths annually by 2050 will occur, which is equal to the number of deaths caused globally by cancer in 2020. Food and health at risk AMR also affects the economy and is expected to cause a drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of at least $3.4 trillion annually by the end of the decade, pushing some 24 million people into extreme poverty. The pharmaceutical, agricultural and healthcare sectors are key drivers of AMR development and spread in the environment, together with pollutants from poor sanitation, sewage and municipal waste systems. Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director, explained that the triple planetary crisis - climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss – have contributed to this. “Pollution of air, soil, and waterways undermines the human right to a clean and healthy environment. The same drivers that cause environment degradation are worsening the antimicrobial resistance problem. The impacts of anti-microbial resistance could destroy our health and food systems,” she warned. One Health response Tackling AMR requires a multisectoral response that recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants and the environment are closely linked and interdependent. This is in line with the One Health framework developed by UNEP, WHO the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The report was launched at the Sixth Meeting of the Global Leaders Group on AMR, chaired by Prime Minister Mottley. It contains measures to address both the decline of the natural environment and the rise of AMR, with focus on addressing key pollution sources from poor sanitation, sewage, and community and municipal wastes. Recommendations include creating robust governance, planning, regulatory and legal frameworks at the national level, and increasing global efforts to improve integrated water management. Other measures suggested are establishing international standards for what constitutes a good microbiological indicator of AMR from environmental samples, and exploring options to redirect investments, including to guarantee sustainable funding.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133227?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d9bf269db2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_07_05_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-d9bf269db2-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Millions face threat of flooding from glacial lakes Tue, 7th Feb 2023 11:24:00
     
      Up to 15 million people face risk of catastrophic flooding from glacial lakes which could burst their natural dams at any moment, a new study finds. The study led by Newcastle University is the first global attempt to map potential hotspots for such floods. As the climate warms, glaciers retreat and meltwater collects, forming lakes. The impact of global warming on glacial lake floods is yet to be defined, but it has increased both the volume and number of glacial lakes worldwide. The study published in the journal Nature Communications assessed the conditions of lakes and the number of people living downstream from them, which has also increased significantly. 'There are a large number of people globally exposed to the impacts of these floods," said Rachel Carr, a glaciologist at Newcastle University and an author on the paper. "It could happen at any point - that's what makes them particularly dangerous, because it's hard to predict exactly when they will happen." The authors say those facing the greatest threat live in mountainous countries in Asia and South America. People living in India, Pakistan, Peru and China account for over half of those at risk. In Asia, around one million people live within just 10km of a glacial lake. "It's how close people are to those lakes, and their capacity to respond to the disaster that's important," said Dr Carr. "People have done a lot of inventory studies [of the lakes] ... but our study has flipped that around. "What's downstream matters just as much, if not more. I think it's an important reframing in the way we think about it." Lakes formed by melting glaciers have natural dams of loose rocks and ice that can fail suddenly and unpredictably. The floods that follow come thick and fast, in many cases being powerful enough to destroy vital infrastructure. Dam failures are complex, but are often triggered when a lump of rock or ice falls into the lake from the surrounding mountains. That causes a wave to travel across the lake like a tsunami, destabilising the dam as it reaches it. Other factors include a gradual build-up of meltwater, increasing pressure against the dam and melting any ice cores holding it together. How Pakistan floods are linked to climate change All of Africa's glaciers to be lost by 2050 - UN World's glaciers melting at a faster pace Rather than try to predict which dams were most likely to fail, the study's authors looked at which lakes would pose the most danger if they burst out. They also stress the importance of early warning systems such as time-lapse cameras. "It's an important paper," said Stephan Harrison, a leading expert on the impact of climate change on glacial lakes at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the research. "It alerts policymakers to the likely impact of future climate change." Dr Harrison added that the research was only a first step towards better understanding of the impact of climate change on what are known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). That relationship is complex and made harder to prove by what scientists suspect to be a long time lag between cause and effect. Research shows that an increase in floods which began in the early 20th Century and peaked in the 1970s could be a lagged response to climatic changes in the past. While scientists expect that glacial floods will increase as a result of human-induced climate change, there has as yet been no such increase.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64547096
     
         
      Queen Elizabeth Prize: Solar team wins prestigious engineering award Tue, 7th Feb 2023 9:22:00
     
      Four pioneers behind the electricity-generating silicon solar cell have won this year's Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Martin Green, Andrew Blakers, Jianhua Zhao and Aihua Wang developed so-called Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell, or Perc, technology. This transformed the efficiency of solar panels and is now built into 90% of all installations worldwide. The team is to be honoured at a special ceremony later in the year. The quartet will share a £500,000 award and a trophy, to be presented by the Princess Royal. "Our winners did something wonderful, which was to increase the efficiency with which a solar cell converts light into electricity, and it was a really quite dramatic change," explained Lord Browne of Madingley, chairman of the QE Prize for Engineering Foundation. "With their breakthrough we went from around 16-18% efficiency to something like 25%. That's a big jump," he told BBC News. Today, solar uptake is rocketing as the world tries to move away from fossil fuels. Some estimates suggest that by the 2030s, solar will have more installed capacity than coal, oil, gas, nuclear and hydro put together. Presentational grey line Previous QE Prize winners 2022: Powerful permanent magnets 2021: Breakthrough LED lighting 2019: The fathers of GPS Presentational grey line When Australian Martin Green started investigating solar energy following the oil crisis of the 1970s, solar cells were used largely just on satellites in space. If you'd wanted to put that technology on your roof, it would have cost much more than your house. But Prof Green's persistence kicked off a revolution. And with Prof Blakers and Drs Zhao and Wang in his University of New South Wales laboratory, the team not only managed to drive up efficiency but do it in a way that became relatively straightforward to manufacture. In a solar cell, photons - or particles of light - strike silicon atoms to free electrons and set up a current. Perc technology boosted performance by remodelling the rear of the cell to reduce the ability of electrons to recombine with atoms. It also kept many more photons in play. Prof Blakers recalled: "Traditionally, the rear surface just had a layer of metal aluminium printed directly into it, and so that wasn't a very good reflector of light. And it also gobbled up any electron that went anywhere near the back surface. "Replacing that crude back metal contact with a more sophisticated contact served both purposes and led to quite significant increases in cell efficiency." The right properties for the rear surface were found in materials such as silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide and silicon nitride. Industry started to pick up the Perc approach in 2012, and by 2018 it had become utterly dominant, with China positioning itself as the home of global production. Extraordinarily, one out of every seven panels produced worldwide is now manufactured by a single Chinese facility, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The country's supremacy can be laid directly at the feet of Drs Zhao and Wang and other Chinese students who studied in Prof Green's lab and then returned home to initiate manufacturing. "We were among the first to start Perc production," said Dr Zhao. "There are two provinces that do most of the manufacturing today. China dominates because of cost; it's so much cheaper to produce solar panels there," added Dr Wang. Commercial cells typically have efficiencies - the amount of electrical energy that can be extracted from the input of sunlight - of 22-23%. The theoretical upper-limit is about 29%. Prof Green is experimenting with "cell modules" in which materials are stacked on top of silicon and customised to collect the photons in the sunlight spectrum that might ordinarily be lost in a standard set-up. "We hold the world record for efficiency in a cell module of 40.6%," he told BBC News. "But it's hard to see how this approach can be made cheap enough for commercial production. There's a lot of interest right now in a material called perovskite - a common mineral - but the cells use heavy elements, like lead. The cells also aren't as stable as silicon." The IEA is expecting global solar capacity to almost triple over the 2022-2027 period. Currently, solar is providing about half of new-build electricity generation capacity worldwide. Even given this rapid uptake, Prof Alan Finkel, a former chief scientific advisor to the Australian government, believes "transforming our energy system will be the hardest economic challenge in human history". "Solar is a wonderful source of clean energy that's significant across the planet, not just in advanced countries but also in less well developed countries. It's easier to put in a solar-powered micro-grid than it is to bring a transmission line from a coal-fired generator. Solar is cheap, reliable and durable, and it will do the heavy-lifting to get us away from fossil fuels," he said. Prof Green has previously won the Global Energy Prize, the Japan Prize and the Millennium Technology Prize. He has now supervised over 120 PhD students, including Andrew Blakers, Jianhua Zhao and Aihua Wang.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64553915
     
         
      A new technique for cleaner steel Tue, 7th Feb 2023 8:13:00
     
      Researchers in the United Kingdom and China have discovered a new way to make steel that they say could cut the material’s greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 90 percent — a tantalizing prospect for an industry that produces up to 9 percent of the planet’s climate pollution. Steelmaking is so carbon-intensive because it requires very high temperatures and a reducing agent — usually a kind of processed coal known as coke — to break down the chemical bonds in iron ore. To meet growing demand for steel as the world builds more cars, trains, solar panels, wind turbines, and other infrastructure, the International Renewable Energy Agency has said new techniques are urgently needed to reduce steelmaking emissions by 90 percent by 2050. The new paper, published last month in the Journal of Cleaner Production, proposes a steel production system that it says could replace some 90 percent of the coke used in today’s most common steelmaking process. The system would use a material called perovskite to break down carbon dioxide produced during steelmaking into oxygen and carbon monoxide — both of which would be fed back into the process in a “nearly perfect closed carbon loop.” The reactions would take place at around 700 to 800 degrees Celsius (roughly 1,300 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit), temperatures that could be reached using renewable energy. According to the paper’s authors, their technique could be used to retrofit existing facilities, delivering immediate emissions reductions and preventing today’s steelmaking infrastructure from becoming obsolete. They estimate the process could reduce the U.K.’s total emissions by nearly 3 percent and save some 1.28 billion pounds ($1.54 billion) over five years. A major catch, however, is that the researchers still haven’t figured out a way to replicate the structural stability that coke provides during the steelmaking process — meaning more research is still needed. “They haven’t addressed that physical element,” said Chathurika Gamage, a manager of the climate-aligned industries program at RMI, a nonprofit research institute. She told me that with countries ramping up their clean energy investments, other steelmaking techniques utilizing green hydrogen are quickly becoming cost-competitive as an alternative to the retrofits proposed in the new paper. Meanwhile, other experts have emphasized the importance of decreasing demand for new steel, in part by expanding steel recycling.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-new-technique-for-cleaner-steel/
     
         
      Coldest wind chill ever recorded in continental US, say forecasters Mon, 6th Feb 2023 23:36:00
     
      Forecasters say the coldest wind chill ever has been recorded in the continental US as an Arctic cold snap freezes a swathe of North America. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the icy gusts on Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Friday produced a wind chill of -108F (-78C). Nearly 100 million people across the north-eastern US and Canada are shivering in the frigid blast. Authorities warned frostbite could strike in less than 10 minutes. Residents from Manitoba to Maine are being urged to limit their time outdoors until Saturday in the "once-in-a-generation" cold snap. The NWS said the actual temperature on the summit of Mount Washington dropped to a low of -47F as of Saturday morning- the coldest ever recorded there by the Mount Washington Observatory. What is wind chill factor? A guide to surviving extreme cold Mild winter leaves famed skating rink on thin ice The combined effect of wind and cold is also expected to bring some of the lowest wind chill temperatures since the 1980s in the New England state of Maine, as well as in Quebec and parts of eastern Canada. Power companies were expecting historic levels of energy consumption into Saturday morning during the coldest period. Boston is under a cold emergency. Public schools have been closed in the city, as well as in nearby Worcester and in Buffalo, New York. New York City - which could see wind chills as low as -10F (-23C) - has enacted an emergency designation that allows the homeless to go to any shelter to seek warmth. Nor were the Midwestern states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio spared by the freezing temperatures. Parts of Canada were expecting temperatures as low as -58F. An extreme cold advisory issued by Environment Canada on Friday morning blanketed the Maritimes, most of Quebec and all of Ontario, spilling into Manitoba. In Toronto, the wind chill plunged the temperature to -29C (-20F) on Friday. Forecasters predict temperatures will rebound by the end of the weekend. The drop in temperatures is attributed to a powerful Arctic front that stretches from the Canadian maritime provinces to the core of the US. The brutal winter weather follows this week's deadly ice storm in parts of Texas, where temperatures have begun to climb above freezing, and ice was expected to melt on Friday. At least 11 people have died in the bad weather in the US south since Monday. There were eight fatalities in Texas, two in Oklahoma and one in Arkansas. More than 250,000 people were still without power as of Friday night in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and New York, according to poweroutage.us.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64485092
     
         
      Climate change: Uni degree will train future disruptors Mon, 6th Feb 2023 23:25:00
     
      Climate disruptors of the future will be trained by a new degree course, a college has said. Black Mountains College in Talgarth, Powys, has launched a BA in sustainable futures. It teamed up with Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Brecon Beacons National Park and industry partners. The college also claimed it was the world's first dedicated entirely to climate action, responding to "the climate and ecological emergency". The course will be partly classroom based, but will include placements in industry and teaching outdoors on the college's farm campus. It also incorporates the natural landscape, the senses and the arts - students are encouraged to immerse themselves in nature - feeling, listening, even tasting the world around them.The idea is to reinforce the knowledge they learn and forge a deep connection with the world around them. CEO Ben Rawlance said the college was founded on the ethos that climate change is not only a scientific problem, but "a problem of human behaviour, of values, of systems, of politics and economics". Climate change could be as bad as Covid warning Children and environment key focus Jodie Bond from Brecon Beacons National Park Authority said: "The nature and climate emergencies are hugely important. "We can't face these big challenges we have as a society on our own, we have to work together." Mr Rawlance said the world of work was already changing, with corporations employing sustainability and climate officers, and this course was about "giving students the tools to imagine a different future". "These young people are going to be highly valued by industry because they're going to have that holistic world view," he added. "They're going to understand how change happens and be schooled in theories of organisational change." Those skills include critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and compassion. One of the industry partners is consultancy firm Accenture, which employs 750,000 people worldwide. Chief responsibility officer Peter Lacy said there was "insatiable" demand for expertise in the fields of sustainability and systems change. "[Demand] is going to increase exponentially for the kind of disruptors that can bring new thinking, new solutions to problems." Alison Stunt is studying horticulture at the college and said the approach was not purely intellectual: "It's not academic in that way, it's not learning from books. "It's learning from being out there in nature and experiencing things with our whole bodies, rather than just reading about it and knowing it in an intellectual way." Mr Rawlance admitted it was really difficult for people "who were educated in these very strict degree programmes to get our heads around" but was "obvious to young people coming up now". "So, this is not only urgent and necessary but it's responding to the market. This is what the kids want." Black Mountains College has received more than £500,000 in lottery funding and is in the process of securing £1.5m of social investment to fund the launch of the course.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64483924
     
         
      ‘Put people first’ in drive to realize Sustainable Development Goals Mon, 6th Feb 2023 8:17:00
     
      Addressing the opening of the Commission for Social Development’s latest session, the president of the UN Economic and Social Council on Monday said it was imperative to put people first, if the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be realized by the 2030 deadline. “Putting people first means we must create opportunities for young people to accumulate knowledge and skills relevant for the labour market through education, training, and early work experience,” Lachezara Stoeva said. The current dim projections for global economic growth simply require it. Amid multiple global interconnected crises, advancing efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development hinges on giving people the tools needed to build resilient societies and economies. Opening the Commission’s sixty-first session, she outlined how best to do so. Half-way point to 2030 Approaching the half-way point in the 2030 deadline to achieve all 17 of the SDGs, she said Member States have clear responsibilities as the world pursues a transition to low-carbon and environmentally friendly economies and societies. “To ensure a fair and inclusive transition, Governments have the responsibility to put people first,” she said. They must support regions, industries, and workers facing the greatest challenges in the transition to a green economy, she said. This requires policies that facilitate the reallocation of displaced workers alongside a range of other actions, including tailored job-search assistance, flexible learning courses, employment programmes, and hiring and transition incentives. Universal social protection Part of taking a people-centred approach means offering a universal social safety net that gives everyone access to comprehensive, adequate, and sustainable protection, she said. The critical role of social protection systems – laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic – remains integral in States’ efforts to build resilient economies and societies to reach the 2030 Agenda objectives. Investing in human capacities is also essential for emerging and future demands of the job market, already affected by such factors as digital transformation, demographic trends and climate change, she said. Instilling 2030 Agenda values “These structural transformations require complementary efforts in education, training and lifelong learning,” she stated. Such efforts must instill the values of inclusion, sustainability, and partnership enshrined in the 2030 Agenda. During its sixty-first session, the Commission will focus on the social dimension of sustainable development. Discussions will broach on the creation of decent work and how it relates to inequality and poverty. Translate talk into action Ahead of the SDG Summit in September, the ECOSOC President said “we must work together to translate our discussions and conclusions into concrete actions towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.” The Commission’s conclusions will feed into the Summit, where world leaders will follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The gathering will mark the exact mid-point towards the 2030 deadline of achieving the Goals.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133202
     
         
      Labor urged to halve $8bn a year in fuel tax credits for trucks and heavy vehicles Sun, 5th Feb 2023 23:45:00
     
      Reforming scheme would shrink budget deficit and help Australia hit net zero emissions by 2050, Grattan Institute says The Albanese government has been urged to halve the $8bn a year in fuel tax credits it gives mining trucks, semi-trailers and other heavy vehicles, with a new report finding changes are crucial for budget repair and meeting emissions targets. Fuel tax credits have been “gnawing away an ever-growing share of fuel tax revenue”, with only half of the current amount spent justified in economic or social terms, according to a Grattan Institute report released on Monday. The report found the fuel tax credit scheme was “a political gift” from which large businesses mostly benefit. Australia’s fuel tax is 47.7 cents a litre, however vehicles that only drive off-road, including trucks on mine sites and heavy machinery, are not required to pay any fuel tax. The tax is incorporated into the cost of fuel at the bowser, with the government refunding this via fuel tax credits. Vehicles heavier than 4.5 tonnes such as semi-trailers, buses and B-doubles only have to pay a reduced rate, and receive a partial credit of 20.5 cents. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The Grattan report notes that the issue of increasing government spending on fuel tax credits has become more significant in recent decades. Fuel tax credits were introduced 40 years ago but more favourable conditions for larger on-road vehicles were only put in place in 1999. The report found that 10 years ago, credits reduced gross fuel tax revenue by 30% but this figure had now grown to almost 40%. Marion Terrill, the director of the Grattan Institute’s transport and cities program and lead author of the report, believes cutting back the credits by half could reduce the structural budget deficit by about 10%, or $4bn a year. From an environmental perspective, Terrill argues that halving fuel tax credits would help Australia’s reach its 2050 net zero emissions target because burning diesel contributes 17% of Australia’s total carbon emissions. “There is no business reason why larger vehicles should pay less than smaller vehicles – in fact quite the reverse, since heavy vehicles do far more damage to roads,” the report said, recommending heavy on-road vehicles pay the same rate as utes, vans, cars and small trucks used by businesses. The report advocates that the on-road fuel tax rate “should apply to all fuel used on-road, including fuel used for powering auxiliary equipment”. Additionally, the report recommends that off-road heavy vehicles such as trucks on mining sites still receive some form of fuel tax credit – because they are not damaging public roads – “but at a lower rate than at present, to reflect the carbon emissions and other damage they cause to the community as a whole”. “The usual tax-policy orthodoxy is that governments should not tax business inputs, to avoid skewing business decisions about what goods and services to produce and with what inputs. “Important as these arguments are, they don’t hold when the input itself causes harm. And that’s the situation with burning diesel.” Terrill said cutting fuel tax credits in half would be “a win-win”. “It would shrink the budget deficit and help Australia hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” she said. She also calculated that cutting fuel tax credits as per her proposal “would have next to no impact on household budgets”. “We calculate that prices at the supermarket would increase by an average of just 35 cents on a $100 grocery shop.” The report notes the negative impact Australia’s trucking industry has on air pollution, which comes as the amount of freight moved by trains across Australia has plummeted and shifted to trucks. Just 2% of goods are now transported between Sydney and Melbourne by rail, down from about 40% in the 1970s, amid concern at the pollution and safety risks caused by the surging number of trucks on highways.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/05/labor-urged-to-halve-8bn-a-year-in-fuel-tax-credits-for-trucks-and-heavy-vehicles
     
         
      Billionaire investor K?etínský and trader Vitol eye fortune in British power plant subsidies Sun, 5th Feb 2023 16:43:00
     
      Exclusive: Looming auction to earmark £1.5bn to put power generators on standby and keep the lights on The billionaire West Ham United investor Daniel K?etínský and Swiss commodities giant Vitol are among bidders hoping to land hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies to keep the lights on in Great Britain. National Grid’s electricity system operator is preparing to announce successful bidders in a “capacity market” auction this month for 2026. The annual auction will set a subsidy price to pay owners of power stations and battery storage facilities to cover the cost of being on standby in case of any rapid need for extra electricity. The costs are covered through consumer bills. Existing plants are awarded one-year deals, with new-builds given 15-year contracts to guarantee covering investment costs. Analysis of the public register before the auction shows that 69 new-build gas-fired plants have been proposed for 15-year contracts. Gas accounted for 38% of generation last year – a three-year high as the single largest source of power. The prospect of more fossil-fuel-powered plants may anger green campaigners and those urging the government to move faster in supporting renewables projects. The auction comes as the energy regulator Ofgem draws up proposals to prevent backup generators from raking in “excessive” profits as part of their licence conditions. Energy industry profits are under intense scrutiny amid high consumer bills. Shell caused outrage after unveiling record profits last week, while BP is expected to post fourth-quarter underlying profits of about $5bn on Tuesday. K?etínský, known as the Czech Sphinx for his aversion to publicity, has come to prominence in Britain after taking stakes in Royal Mail, West Ham United FC and the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s. The tycoon’s UK energy assets include the Langage and South Humber Bank gas plants and Lynemouth biomass plant in Northumberland. K?etínský’s EP UK Investments is bidding for 15-year contracts to guarantee supply from three new-build gas units at Eggborough. The North Yorkshire project’s backers argue there is an “urgent need” to replace electricity generation lost from retiring coal and nuclear plants in the UK. EP UK also hopes to land one-year contracts at Langage and South Humber Bank. VPI – owned by Vitol, which has posted rising profits during the energy crisis – wants to secure 15-year contracts to let it build two new gas-fired units at Damhead Creek in Kent. VPI is also bidding for one-year contracts for plants at Immingham in north Lincolnshire, Damhead Creek in Kent, Shoreham outside Brighton, and Rye House in Hertfordshire. Rye House drew scrutiny after it submitted the 20 highest winter bids for power on 12 December, setting new records as National Grid paid out £27m to keep the lights on during cold, still conditions. InterGen, which received an estimated £12.6m on 12 December, is also bidding, for one-year contracts for its sites at Spalding, Rocksavage and Coryton. EP UK’s proposed new-build units at Eggborough could be worth more than £840m in subsidy payments over 15 years while VPI’s plans at Damhead Creek could bring in more than £750m, according to Aurora Energy Research. EP UK’s existing units are expected to be worth more than £64m a year, while Vitol’s trio of plants may account for more than £54m, based on last year’s prices – and prices are expected to rise in this month’s auction, in part due to inflation. Other applications include a Drax project in south Wales and a series of projects in the south-east proposed by Statera Energy. Marlon Dey, head of research for UK and Ireland at Aurora, said: “Gas remains essential for security of supply today, and keeping the lights on during a period of low wind and solar power. There is still a long way to go in order to scale up renewable power to reduce our dependency on gas further. “If gas-fired peaking plants are used sparingly, they will have an important role to play and are not necessarily incompatible with net zero – depending how much they are used.” The government hopes to secure 42GW to 45GW of capacity in the auction on 21 February. Existing plant owners plan to submit bids for 39 gigawatts worth of power, meaning new-build plants must provide 3-6GW – enough to power 2.5m to 5m homes. Last year’s auction set a price of £30.59 per kW hour to secure 42GW of power, at a cost of £2.1bn over 15 years. Separately, National Grid said on Sunday it had asked owner Uniper to put a unit at its coal-fired power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire on standby in case it is needed on Tuesday during a period of low wind.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/05/billionaire-investor-kretinsky-and-trader-vitol-eye-fortune-in-british-power-plant-subsidies
     
         
      ScotWind: Scotland faces loss of £60bn in new offshore wind farms Sun, 5th Feb 2023 8:28:00
     
      SCOTLAND is expected to lose £60bn including billions from the public purse through the surrender of nearly two thirds of the potential supply chain bonanza and the 'underselling' of leasing rights for the offshore wind revolution, the Herald on Sunday can reveal. The 20 ScotWind projects, with a combined potential generating capacity of 27.6GW - estimated to be enough to power over 14m homes - were offered new rights to develop offshore wind power last year in a move hailed by the First Minister as a “truly historic” opportunity for Scotland’s net zero economy. The Herald on Sunday can reveal that according to declarations made to gain rights to ScotWind over £47m of the £76.5bn of supply chain commitments covering at least the first six years of operation will leave Scotland. Those commitments cover investment in development, manufacturing, installation and operations. And it has further emerged that while ScotWind raised £755m from seabed lease deals - similar schemes in the US and in England have generated up to 18 times that for the public purse. Calls for a probe into the ScotWind “financial disaster” have been made as the nation also stands to lose billions in profits every year through the flux of foreign investment in the new schemes. Respected think tank Common Weal said it had serious concerns about the “failures” in failing to reap enough from the leasing of the farms and in the loss of the supply chain billions. READ MORE: Alarm over new generation of super wind turbines planned for Scotland It says the Scottish Government should conduct an inquiry into how it got the ScotWind auction” so badly wrong” and what steps it will take to redress the errors ahead of the next round of renewables development in Scotland. The Scottish Government believes that offshore wind farms will help complete Scotland’s journey to net zero, creating thousands of jobs in the process and that it has the potential to position the nation as a major exporter of renewable energy, including green hydrogen. Scotland netted a one-of £775m from the Crown Estate Scotland auction of well over 2700 square miles of seabed plots around the Scottish coast - at an estimated £27,000 per MW. Its profits are given to the Scottish Treasury or split between some local authorities. But that compares to the £508,000 per MW that was gained from the US biggest offshore wind auction - which covers an an area nearly a quarter of the size of the ScotWind projects. The New York Bight lease sale, which is expected to generate between 5.6 and 7GW, enough to power 2m homes secured $4.37bh (£3.56bn) - made nearly 19 times more per MW than was reaped by ScotWind. If ScotWind had matched the auction prices in the US, Scotland would have raised over £14bn. In February, 2021, £880m was raised in option fees for 8GW of offshore wind farms south of the border - less than a third of the size of ScotWind. Round 4 of Offshore Wind Leasing generated £110,000 per MW - four times more than ScotWind managed According to Crown Estate Scotland details, it chose a “sensible” tender design with a maximum price ceiling of £100,000 per square kilometre which it said kept the costs of offshore wind low for consumers. As seabed leasing costs are usually passed on to the electricity consumer, a price ceiling ensures that new offshore wind volumes are delivered at the lowest cost for consumers and taxpayers,” it said. A cap of £10,000 had originally been sanctioned before a warning from Strathclyde University that auctions in England and Wales had attracted “unexpectedly high annual option fees” and that the capped auction fees "do indeed underestimate the market value of sites in Scotland". King Charles (then Prince Charles) opened one of the first of Scotland's new wind farms It suggested that if the capped auction approach was retained, Crown Estate Scotland should make efforts to further understand the range fees proposed for the bids in Round 4 to aid its thinking. But Common Weal, in its analysis of the Scotland's gain from ScotWind said it has been a "financial disaster" and that the nation had failed to retain control of and steward the renewable sector, that the rights had been leased for a "pittance" compared to similar auctions internationally and that the framework had wrongly ensured that the most of investment in jobs and supply chain occur outwith Scotland. READ MORE: Scots green revolution workers plot mutiny as jobs lost to cheap foreign labour It said that all but one of the bids was won at the £100,000 per square kilometre ceiling showing that the market would have been able to bid a much higher price. It said the Scottish Government should conduct an inquiry into "how it got the ScotWind auction so badly wrong" and how it will redress the "errors". It estimated that had ScotWind matched the performance of the latest UK Offshore Wind Leasing it would have raised up to £28bn in total over a decade. Craig Dalzell, head of policy and research at Common Weal said: "The Scottish Government must investigate why these failures happened, do everything they can to mitigate them and ensure that future rounds of Scottish energy licensing are developed in a way that maximises the benefits for Scotland, including by maximising the direct public ownership of these resources. "In the year since its announcement, at least three more offshore wind auctions have concluded, two in the USA and one in England. "All three of these auctions have raised many times more money for their respective governments than ScotWind did." And he argued that promises of supply chain protections have just not been met. "Conditions on these minimum commitments all but guarantee that it would be profitable for companies to break the majority of these commitments," he said. According to a Common Weal analysis, as much as 71% of the manufacturing spend on ScotWind will end up outwith Scotland while nearly a third of development investment and 29% of operations is abroad. In terms of the Scottish share of supply chain benefits, the worst return came with the Sealtainn project fronted by Republic of Ireland state-owned energy firm ESB. Of its £2.24bn spend - just 14.8% of that will be in Scotland. The Morven project controlled by London-based energy giants BP and Germany-based EnBW has one of the largest committed investments in the ScotWind supply chain at £7.14 billion Of this, just £1.2 billion – 16.7% of the total investment – was committed to Scotland. The Muir Mhor scheme controlled by Swedish state-owned Vattenfall and Norway-based Fred. Olsen Renewables have made a committed spend of just over £2bn of which 18.4% is in Scotland. The Campion and Marran project billed as a "Scottish partnership" proposed by ScottishPower Renewables and Shell has made a 40% Scottish commitment from a £19bn supply chain spend. Yet the Buchan scheme to be operated by the Floating Energy Allyance (FEA) with a £2.3bn spend is committing nearly two thirds (63%) of that to Scotland. The smaller Area 18 project fronted by the Ocean Winds consortium - a 50/50 joint venture between Spain's EDP Renewables and France's Engie - at 63.9% has the biggest percentage commitment to the nation with a £1.13bn supply chain spend. The Scottish Government has been criticised for its failure to set up a publicly-owned energy company saying it did not have the powers - while Wales is developing a similar plan. Common Weal has said that as with Scotland's offshore oil energy boom, one of the main reasons for the rise of the Scottish National Party in the 70s, the overwhelming winner from ScotWind projects was privately owned supermajors such as BP and Shell, which has won nearly a quarter of the projects. It and others have long called for the establishment of a state-owned company which would have owned energy resources, to provide secure, reliable and low-cost retail energy to households and to ensure there were renewable energy supply chain and manufacturing jobs for Scotland. It is felt by some that the failure to create a state-owned energy company has meant that the nation has lost its grip of the profits of Scotland's green revolution. The failure to set up a company which could have sold the new ScotWind electricity to the grid and retained operating profits, has previously led to concerns that the nation would lose between £3.5 billion and £5.5 billion in profits abroad – about a tenth of the current Scottish budget. Roz Foyer, general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress said she was concerned that multi-national companies appeared to have "strengthened their grip" on Scotland’s offshore wind sector. “Given the scale of investment expected over the next decade, it would be nothing short of economic vandalism if we fail to build a thriving supply chain in Scotland," she said. “The Scottish Government must build the infrastructure to enable large scale fabrication in Scottish yards, require local content from developers, and address issues of democratic control through publicly owned energy and infrastructure companies.” Nick Sharpe, director of communications and strategy at Scottish Renewables, said: “ScotWind will play a major role in bringing about our net-zero future. Last year’s leasing round will be transformational for Scotland’s renewable energy story, with industry set to invest £30 billion in the Scottish supply chain, creating thousands of local jobs and benefiting communities across the country.” A Crown Estate Scotland spokesman said: "Comparing ScotWind to processes in other countries is misleading as a range of factors, such as seabed conditions and technical considerations, influence the leasing process which was designed to deliver optimum long-term value. “Scotland will benefit from £755m in option fees – which were for 10-year option agreements, not one-off sales – plus the annual multi-million-pound payments, once projects begin operating, as well as offering Scotland the opportunity to be a world leader in fixed and floating offshore wind, with initial supply chain commitments indicating an average of £1bn investment in Scotland per gigawatt of capacity built. “The requirement for each developer to outline, from the start, their supply chain commitments will help ensure a focus from the outset on ensuring supply chain is in place to build Scottish offshore wind farm projects, however, the challenges in delivering on these ambitions – which will evolve as project details become clearer – should not be underestimated.” A Scottish Government spokesman said: As the world’s largest floating offshore wind leasing round, ScotWind puts us at the forefront of the global development of offshore wind and represents a massive step forward in our net zero transformation. It is a once in a generation opportunity to deliver enormous environmental and economic benefits for all the people of Scotland. “In addition to delivering more than £700 million in revenues to the public purse for these initial awards alone, the ScotWind projects will start paying rent once operational and will deliver billions of pounds of investment across the Scottish supply chain, helping to create thousands of good green jobs and transform our local and national economies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23300089.scotwind-scotland-faces-loss-60bn-new-offshore-wind-farms/
     
         
      Rideau Canal skating rink still closed amid mild winter Sat, 4th Feb 2023 14:27:00
     
      Despite frosty weather this week, the world's longest skating rink will be closed because of a warmer-than-average temperatures. During the colder months, Ottawa's Rideau Canal turns into 7.8km (4.8 miles) of icy fun. But the canal in Canada's capital will have its latest start in over 50 years because of this year's mild winter. Temperatures dropped to -26C (-15F) on Friday, but hovered around -5C (12F) in January and -2C (28F) in December. Until this year, the latest canal opening was 2 February, in 2002 - the first and only time the canal had opened as late as February since records began in 1971. Over the past 52 years, the average start date has shifted later and later. Historic deep freeze hits north-east US and Canada Before the 1995-96 winter season, the canal would typically open at the end of December. Over the last 26 years, however, the canal has typically opened on 10 January. This has been Ottawa's third warmest winter according to records dating back to 1872, Environment Canada told the Ottawa Citizen. Previous record-breakers were in 2001 and 1931. The skating season typically starts when a 30cm (1ft) thickness of good-quality ice has formed, according to the National Capital Commission (NCC), the organisation in charge of the canal. That requires about 10 to 14 consecutive days of temperatures between -10C and -20C. Last year, the NCC partnered with researchers at Carleton University to examine the potential impact of climate change on skating on the canal. Each year Ottawa, Canada's capital city, hosts a Winterlude festival that celebrates the fun that snow and ice can bring, with tobogganing and ice sculptures, as well as skating along the canal. The annual event, which begins on Saturday, attracts as many as a million people. But the canal will not be able to open at the start of this year's festival, which puts a damper on some of the activities. "Our teams are working relentlessly to safely open a section of the skateway, flooding the ice surface every evening," said Valerie Dufour, a spokesperson for the NCC. "The cold snap over the weekend is good news, but we had to deal with mild temperatures and a lot of snow up until now."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64519440
     
         
      Brazil sinks aircraft carrier in Atlantic despite presence of asbestos and toxic materials Sat, 4th Feb 2023 7:47:00
     
      Environmental activists had sought to halt the planned scuttling of the warship, warning that it could pollute the marine food chain Brazil has sunk a decommissioned aircraft carrier despite environmental groups claiming the former French ship was packed with toxic materials. The “planned and controlled sinking occurred late in the afternoon” on Friday, 350km off the Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area with an approximate depth of 5,000 meters (16,000 feet), the navy said in a statement. The decision to scuttle the six-decade-old São Paulo, announced Thursday, came after Brazilian authorities had tried in vain to find a port willing to welcome it. Though defence officials said they would sink the vessel in the “safest area”, environmentalists criticised the decision, saying the aircraft carrier contained tons of asbestos, heavy metals and other toxic materials that could leach into the water and pollute the marine food chain. The Basel Action Network called on the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – who vowed to reverse surging environmental destruction when he took office last month – to immediately halt the “dangerous” plan. The group issued a joint statement with Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd on Friday, accusing Brazil of having violated “three international treaties” on the environment by sinking the ship, which the NGOs said could cause “incalculable” damage to marine life and coastal communities. Other “environmentally responsible measures could have been adopted, but once again, the importance of protecting the oceans, which are vital for the life of the planet, was treated with negligence”, said Leandro Ramos, director of programs for Greenpeace Brazil. Brazilian authorities insisted it was better to sink the ship on purpose rather than allow it to sink spontaneously on its own. The navy said it had chosen a spot for sinking that considered “the security of navigation and the environment” and “the mitigation of the impacts on public health, fishing activities and ecosystems”. A judge overruled a last-minute legal bid to stop the operation, saying that an “unplanned” scuttling could be even worse for the environment than the “controlled” sinking, local media reported. He called the situation “tragic and regrettable”. Built in the late 1950s in France – whose navy sailed it for 37 years as the Foch – the aircraft carrier took part in France’s first nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1960s, and was deployed in Africa, the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia from the 1970s to 1990s. Brazil bought the 266-metre aircraft carrier for $12m in 2000. A fire broke out onboard in 2005, accelerating the ageing ship’s decline. Last year, Brazil authorised Turkish firm Sok Denizcilik to dismantle the São Paulo for scrap metal. But in August, just as a tugboat was about to tow it into the Mediterranean Sea, Turkish environmental authorities blocked the plan. Brazil then brought the aircraft carrier back but did not allow it into port, citing the “high risk” to the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/04/brazil-sinks-aircraft-carrier-in-atlantic-despite-presence-of-asbestos-and-toxic-materials
     
         
      Carbon capture project is ‘Band-Aid’ to greenwash $10bn LNG plant, locals say Fri, 3rd Feb 2023 10:41:00
     
      Texas community fights to save its coastline as the developers of Rio Grande LNG regain interest over claims of carbon capture As the Mexican Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festivities drew to a close, Dina Nuñez called to order a meeting of women grassroots activists in a modest home in the heart of Port Isabel, Texas. Top of her agenda: how to stop a Houston-based oil and gas company from building a $10bn project to export liquefied natural gas on a nearby stretch of coast. For Nuñez and her friends, the fight against the scheme – known as Rio Grande LNG – is about protecting their community from air pollution; preserving shrimping and tourism; and defending habitats for pelicans, endangered ocelots and aplomado falcons at the project site on unspoiled wetlands between Port Isabel and the larger city of Brownsville. The claim by developer NextDecade to be building the “greenest LNG project in the world” has thrust the women to the forefront of a global struggle. At a time when scientists warn there can be no new fossil fuel developments if the world is going to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, oil and gas executives are turning to a technology known as carbon capture and storage, or CCS, to convince investors, politicians, and the public their expansion plans are climate-safe. “This is a poor community, yes. We’re not saying we don’t need jobs,” Nuñez said, shortly before the meeting of volunteers with the Neighbors for the Wellness of the Coastal Community group, known in Spanish as Vecinos para el Bienestar de la Comunidad Costera. “But we don’t need work that affects the environment, and ultimately, the health of the community.” A prime example of the ups and downs of the American liquefied natural gas industry, plans to build Rio Grande LNG faltered in 2020 as demand for energy cratered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and concern over its climate impact grew. But the scheme has been resurrected thanks to a European scramble for LNG triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a new twist on the original design – the use of CCS to portray the facility as a source of “clean” energy. These claims hinge on a proposal by NextDecade to use CCS to capture more than 5m tons a year of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during the process of supercooling the gas for loading on to specialized tankers for export. The company says it will be one of the biggest CCS systems in North America – and the first LNG terminal to reduce its CO2 emissions by more than 90%. “NextDecade is a clean energy company accelerating the path to a net-zero future,” NextDecade chief executive Matthew Schatzman told a conference call to present the CCS plan to financial analysts in March 2021. “Efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions are at the very foundation of our company.” Opponents point out there’s a big catch, however. Only 6-7% of the overall emissions associated with such projects are generated during the process of cooling the gas, according to a 2019 study by the Department of Energy. That means that the proposed CCS plant could only ever mitigate a small fraction of Rio Grande LNG’s total climate impact. And that impact could be considerable. The Sierra Club estimates that building Rio Grande LNG could generate up to 163m tons of CO2 equivalent emissions a year – comparable to 44 coal plants, or more than 35m cars. That analysis factors in the potential emissions of CO2 and methane, a powerful climate pollutant, associated with the production, transport, and end-use of the natural gas. NextDecade did not respond to multiple requests for comment. “Carbon capture is like trying to put a Band-Aid on a bullet hole,” said Bekah Hinojosa, a Brownsville artist, community organiser, and Gulf Coast campaign representative for the Sierra Club. “The project itself is highly destructive in so many different ways, and would still release a tremendous amount of toxic air pollution into our impoverished brown and Indigenous community.” Technical and economic hurdles mean that there are only 30 commercial CCS projects in operation worldwide – many of which are used to extract more oil by re-injecting CO2 into wells. The industry-backed Global CCS Institute estimates the capacity of these existing installations is 43m tons of CO2 a year – about 0.1% of global emissions. Nevertheless, as calls for oil and gas companies to reduce their climate impacts have intensified, interest in CCS has grown. In September, the total capacity of commercial CCS projects in the planning stages grew 44% over the previous year, to 244m tons per annum of CO2, according to the Global CCS Institute. At least 15 planned or existing LNG export or upstream gas projects globally have announced plans to add CCS, according to a tally by non-profit climate news service DeSmog. These include five in Louisiana and Texas planned by companies including NextDecade, G2 Net-Zero LNG, Venture Global, Sempra Energy, and French giant TotalEnergies. Revived project First proposed in 2015, Rio Grande LNG stirred opposition from residents concerned about the kinds of fossil fuel mega-projects seen on other parts of the Gulf Coast arriving on their doorstep. Building the terminal would bulldoze a Central Park-sized area of land sacred to the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas to erect giant storage tanks and flaring towers, and force local fishers to contend with LNG tanker ships three football fields long. The plan suffered a public blow when French utility Engie pulled out of talks with NextDecade to buy LNG for 20 years for $7bn in November 2020. Media reports at the time said the French government, a part-owner of Engie, was concerned about methane emissions from the production of the fracked gas for the facility in the Permian Basin. The next March, NextDecade announced it would add CCS to the planned project. The company has also unveiled plans to procure “responsibly sourced” gas, and work with Project Canary, an environmental data company, to measure the greenhouse gas intensity of its LNG exports. But the project may not have been revived were it not for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which injected new life into the LNG industry as Europe rushed to secure alternatives to Russian pipeline gas. In May, NextDecade announced it had signed a 15-year agreement with Engie, with the first LNG shipping as early as 2026. Engie did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Preliminary tree-felling work at the site has since started, though the company has yet to make a crucial final investment decision on the project. It is also unclear precisely where NextDecade plans to store any CO2 captured by its planned CCS plant. The company said in an August presentation to investors that geologic storage sites were being assessed, but opponents of the plan question whether the local area is suitable. “They haven’t even done a basic geological study of the land and the area to see if it would even support a carbon capture facility,” said Christopher Basaldú, a member of the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, who volunteers with the South Texas Environmental Justice Network. “I can tell you that it doesn’t; it’s all sand and clay.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/03/carbon-capture-gas-exports-rio-grande-lng-nextdecade
     
         
      The man in charge of how the US spends $400bn to shift away from fossil fuels Fri, 3rd Feb 2023 9:40:00
     
      The Department of Energy’s loan programs office was ‘essentially dormant’, says Jigar Shah, its head – but now it’s ready to bankroll clean energy projects Deep in the confines of the hulking, brutalist headquarters of the US Department of Energy, down one of its long, starkly lit corridors, sits a small, unheralded office that is poised to play a pivotal role in America’s shift away from fossil fuels and help the world stave off disastrous global heating. The department’s loan programs office (LPO) was “essentially dormant” under Donald Trump, according to its head, Jigar Shah, quoting energy secretary Jennifer Granholm’s description of the office, but has now come roaring back with a huge war chest to bankroll emerging clean energy projects and technology. Last year’s vast Inflation Reduction Act grew the previously moribund office’s loan authority to $140bn, while adding a new program worth another $250bn in loan guarantees to retool projects that help cut planet-heating emissions. Which means that Shah, a debonair former clean energy entrepreneur and podcast host who matches his suits with pristine Stan Smiths, oversees resources comparable to the GDP of Norway: all to help turbocharge solar, wind, batteries and a host of other climate technologies in the US. With a newly divided Congress stymieing any new climate legislation in the foreseeable future, Shah has emerged as one of Washington’s most powerful figures in the effort to confront global heating. Shah says such focus on him is “hyperbolic” but the White House is pinning much of its climate agenda on an office that had around 85 people when Shah joined in March 2021. It now has more than 200 staffers as it scrambles to distribute billions in loans to projects across the US. John Podesta, senior adviser to Joe Biden on clean energy, said that the loans office is “essential to the effective implementation” of the administration’s goal to eliminate planet-heating emissions by 2050. “Jigar is laser-focused on working with all levels of government, project sponsors and affected communities to deliver on that mission and realize results for the American people,” Podesta said. “There’s a lot of responsibility that’s been put on to this office, clearly Congress gave us those additional resources,” said Shah, who has been busy connecting the newly enriched loans office with all corners of the emerging clean energy economy, not just wind farms and solar operators. Shah said there was “some rust on the gears” among those tasked with reanimating the office following the tenure of Trump, a president so wary of even the most lo-fi environmental technology that he complained energy efficient lightbulbs made him look orange and became fixated upon the weak flushing ability of water-saving toilets. But the clean energy loans now appear to be gaining momentum, with 125 current applications seeking $119bn worth of loans to act as the “bridge to bankability”, as Shah puts it. About $2.5bn has been given to Ultium Cells to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric cars in three states, $700m could go to a project that will mine lithium in Nevada – despite concerns this will negatively affect a rare flower in the region – and more than $500m for the world’s largest facility creating “green” hydrogen, to be used to fuel trucks and industry, in Utah. “We’ve left no stone unturned,” said Shah, who says he understands the mindset of entrepreneurs, having previously founded the renewable energy companies SunEdison and Generate Capital, as well as being the co-host of The Energy Gang podcast. “We’ve called every one of those companies that have been labeled climate tech, whether it’s green chemicals, green cement, green steel,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, we’ve called them and said, ‘Hey, let me introduce you to the loan programs office, so now we can help.’” This new prominence is set to provoke a stinging Republican backlash, however. To conservatives, the loans office, which was founded in 2005, is forever tarred by the much-criticized decision during Barack Obama’s administration to loan $535m to Solyndra, the California solar firm, only for the company to file for bankruptcy two years later, in 2011. The huge new financial arsenal at the office’s disposal risks “Solyndra on steroids”, according to Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the incoming Republican chair of the House energy committee. A group of Republicans led by Rodgers have said the new loan authorities “raise questions about increased risks of waste, fraud and abuse, especially if the administration uses the program for its rush-to-green agenda”. Shah, who could well be hauled in front of Rodgers’ committee this year, said GOP scrutiny is “totally ordinary and expected” and that the loans office is a more rounded and mature entity than during the Obama years when it still, a year before Solyndra collapsed, notably backed an upstart car company called Tesla with a $465m loan. The failure rate of 3.3% for its loans is about that you’d expect from a prudent bank lender rather than a profligate waster of taxpayer money, Shah points out.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/03/us-clean-energy-transition-jigar-shah-interview
     
         
      How Putin’s plans to blackmail Europe over gas supply failed Fri, 3rd Feb 2023 5:18:00
     
      Within eight months of Russia invading Ukraine, the EU’s 27 states had replaced about 80% of the natural gas they used to get from Moscow The worst-case scenarios piled up over the summer months. Germany’s economic minister warned of “catastrophic” industrial shutdowns, fraying supply chains and mass unemployment. France’s president urged citizens to turn down the heating. Spain asked why countries that hadn’t got hooked on Russian gas should bail out neighbours who had lectured them about fiscal discipline in the past. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, gleefully predicted that Europeans would be “freezing in their homes” because they hadn’t thought through the consequences of throwing their support behind Ukraine. “The cold is coming soon,” he said, menacingly, in June last year. But as the European Union enters the last month of the meteorological winter in 2023, signs are becoming clearer that its members have weathered a historic crisis – and not just because “General Frost” has proved a milder adversary than Medvedev predicted. Within eight months of Russian troops setting foot on Ukrainian soil, the bloc of 27 European states replaced about 80% of the natural gas it used to draw through pipelines with Russia, by rapidly building up new infrastructure for liquid natural gas, finding creative ways to help each other out amid shortages, and successfully pursuing energy-saving policies. The Netherlands, for example, the EU’s largest natural gas producer, had relied on Russian gas for 15-20% of its supplies as it wound down its huge Groningen field, but doubled its LNG import capacity with storage and regasification units in Rotterdam and Eemshaven. It used the extra capacity to meet domestic demand – which it managed to reduce by 22% compared with previous years’ averages – and supply surplus gas to the Czech Republic, Germany and France. As elsewhere, consumer energy prices soared, but were subsidised and capped. “There was a point last autumn when I worried that some European governments would respond to the crisis by prioritising their own energy supplies and stop sharing with their neighbours, which would have been economically and politically devastating,” said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy expert at the Brussels-based thinktank Bruegel. “But Europe managed to avoid the temptation of protectionism and managed to keep its internal market intact.” Gas spot prices dropped to about €55 a megawatt hour (MWh) on Monday, a level last seen before the start of the war in September 2021, down from €330/MWh at the end of last August. Over the course of the whole of last year, gas demand in the European Union was 12% lower than the average from the period 2019 to 2021, Bruegel estimates. Germany, always destined to bear the brunt of Putin’s gas blackmail effort due to its high reliance on energy exports from Russia, managed to use 14% less gas in 2022 than it had done on average in the years from 2018 to 2021. It enters February with its gas storage tanks 80% full, compared with 36% at this point last year. Even though high gas prices have taken their toll on German industry, the damage has so far not been catastrophic. While GDP in Europe’s largest economy fell by 0.2% from October to December, the government last week improved its forecast for the coming year, predicting the recession to be “shorter and milder” than expected. The Nordic countries were even more successful at reducing gas consumption, with Denmark cutting total demand – for power generation, industry and domestic heating – by 24%, Sweden by 36% and Finland by a mighty 47% (although natural gas accounted for only 5% of its overall energy needs). Last summer, some southern European states had initially signalled reluctance to equally share the burden of energy saving. Spain agreed to a 7-8% reduction in gas use after arguing that the uniform 15% target was simply not fair on countries which, like itself, were not heavily dependent on Russian gas and that had “done our homework” when it came to diversifying energy supplies. Yet it didn’t shy from the task. In July, the socialist-led coalition government announced a series of measures intended to help reduce the country’s energy consumption and its use of Russian oil and gas. Many of the initiatives were based on thrift and common sense. The measures, which will remain in place until this November, set strict limits on air conditioning and heating temperatures in public and large commercial buildings. Under the decree, heating in shopping centres, cinemas, theatres, rail stations and airports should not be set above 19C in winter and air conditioning should not be set below 27C in summer. As a result, Spain ended up meeting the very target to which it had been reluctant to commit: between August and November, the country reduced its demand for natural gas by 15% compared with the level of consumption for the same period in the last five years. In France, the energy-saving effort became an uphill struggle because several key French nuclear reactors were undergoing maintenance or safety work just as they were needed more than ever. From the start of May to the end of October, about half of France’s 56 reactors sat idle due to repair works, turning the country from Europe’s biggest electricity exporter into a net importer. One of the countries upping its electricity exports to France in that period was Germany, which in turn imported more gas from its western neighbour. After French local officials had prepared contingency plans for the worst-case scenario of power cuts in December, the situation has stabilised. By mid-January, 73% of France’s nuclear fleet was back in operation, helping it to regain its spot as the EU’s top exporter of electricity. When nuclear plants struggled, renewables came to the rescue. According to an analysis by thinktank Ember Climate, the European Union in 2022 drew 22% of its electricity from solar and wind power, with renewables surpassing gas for the first time. Remarkably, Sweden, with an energy mix long-dominated by nuclear and hydropower, became Europe’s largest power exporter in 2022, selling 20% of its output abroad – in part thanks to the rapid growth of onshore wind. Wind is now Sweden’s third-largest source of electricity and scheduled to expand further. Finland’s wind power capacity increased by 75% last year alone, allowing the country to increase energy self-sufficiency “at a really good pace”, officials said. Plans to expand renewable energy production have, in fact, been radically accelerated by the energy crisis in all three Nordic countries, with onshore wind and solar power now forecast to more than double by 2030 and wind the dominant energy source. Ultimately, Vladimir Putin’s energy war decision will have helped put Sweden on track to produce 65% of its energy from renewables by the end of the decade, Finland 51%, and Denmark 55%. A year of rethinking energy supplies has not made Europe cleaner across the bloc. In Poland, which still relies on coal for much of its heating needs, the government has introduced a coal allowance and frozen electricity prices for individual households. After small and medium-sized businesses were struggling with energy bills multiple times the size of those in previous years, the government introduced a freeze for them. The crisis has meant a slowdown in plans in numerous countries to phase out coal, with the issue slipping further down the agenda in Poland, while in Bulgaria MPs voted recently to postpone plans to phase out coal-powered plants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/putin-russia-blackmail-europe-gas-supply-ukraine
     
         
      Shell reports highest profits in 115 years Thu, 2nd Feb 2023 19:13:00
     
      Oil and gas giant Shell has reported record annual profits after energy prices surged last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Profits hit $39.9bn (£32.2bn) in 2022, double last year's total and the highest in its 115-year history. Energy firms have seen record earnings since oil and gas prices jumped following the invasion of Ukraine. It has heaped pressure on firms to pay more tax as households struggle with rising bills. Opposition parties said Shell's profits were "outrageous" and the government was letting energy firms "off the hook". They also called for the planned increase in the energy price cap due in April to be scrapped. Energy prices had begun to climb after the end of Covid lockdowns but rose sharply in March last year after the events in Ukraine led to worries over supplies. The price of Brent crude oil reached nearly $128 a barrel following the invasion, but has since fallen back to about $83. Gas prices also spiked but have come down from their highs. How much windfall tax are oil giants paying? BP profit jump sparks calls for bigger windfall tax White House calls Exxon record profit 'outrageous' It has led to bumper profits for energy companies, but also fuelled a rise in energy bills for households and businesses. Last year, the UK government introduced a windfall tax - called the Energy Profits Levy - on the "extraordinary" earnings of firms to help fund its scheme to lower gas and electricity bills. Despite the move, Shell had said it did not expect to pay any UK tax this year as it is allowed to offset decommissioning costs and investments in UK projects against any UK profits. However, on Thursday it said was due to pay $134m in UK windfall tax for 2022, and expected to pay more than $500m in 2023. This may look small compared to its profits but Shell only derives around 5% of its revenue from the UK - the rest is made and taxed in other jurisdictions. However, critics point out that Shell is a UK-headquartered company and has been paying more to its shareholders than it spends on renewable investments. The announcement has increased pressure on Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt to raise more money from oil and gas profits. A Downing Street official said they "absolutely" understand anger at the "extraordinary" profits but indicated there are no plans to increase the windfall tax. The prime minister's spokesman said questions about potential changes were "for the chancellor" when pressed by reporters. The government "is ready to take action" if falling wholesale energy costs aren't reflected in lower prices at the petrol pump, the official added without detailing specific measures. The government is currently limiting gas and electricity bills so a household using a typical amount of energy will pay £2,500 a year. However, that is still more than twice what it was before Russia's invasion, and the threshold is due to rise to £3,000 in April. The government's windfall tax only applies to profits made from extracting UK oil and gas. The rate was originally set at 25%, but has now been increased to 35%. Oil and gas firms also pay 30% corporation tax on their profits as well as a supplementary 10% rate. Along with the new windfall tax, that takes their total tax rate to 75%. However, companies are able to reduce the amount of tax they pay by factoring in losses or spending on things like decommissioning North Sea oil platforms. It has meant that in recent years, energy giants such as BP and Shell have paid little or no tax in the UK. 'Fair share' The annual profit figure far surpassed Shell's previous record set in 2008. The company also said it had paid out $6.3bn to its shareholders in the final three months of 2022, and that it planned another $4bn share buyback. Shell chief executive Wael Sawan said that these are "incredibly difficult times - we are seeing inflation rampant around the world" but that Shell was playing its part by investing in renewable technologies. Its chief financial officer Sinead Gorman added that Shell had paid $13bn in taxes globally in 2022. It had also accounted for 11% of liquified natural gas shipments into the EU, easing pressure on supplies caused by sanctions on Russia. Labour's shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: "As the British people face an energy price hike of 40% in April, the government is letting the fossil fuel companies making bumper profits off the hook with their refusal to implement a proper windfall tax. "Labour would stop the energy price cap going up in April, because it is only right that the companies making unexpected windfall profits from the proceeds of war pay their fair share." Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: "No company should be making these kind of outrageous profits out of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. "They must tax the oil and gas companies properly and at the very least ensure that energy bills don't rise yet again in April." TUC general secretary Paul Nowak called for ministers to impose a larger windfall tax, adding: "The time for excuses is over." He continued: "Instead of holding down the pay of paramedics, teachers, firefighters and millions of other hard-pressed public servants, ministers should be making big oil and gas pay their fair share."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64489147
     
         
      New renewables outcompete 99% of coal plants Thu, 2nd Feb 2023 10:20:00
     
      Continuing to run the United States’ 210 coal-fired power plants isn’t just bad for the climate; it’s uneconomical. According to an analysis released this week by the energy and climate policy think tank Energy Innovation, it is now so expensive to keep 99 percent of the country’s coal-fired power plants online that it would be cheaper to simply replace them with new wind and solar operations. “[I]t is clear switching to renewables saves significant money,” Energy Innovation said in a blog post. The chasm between the costs of coal and renewables has been widening for years. Thanks to improving technology and policies to encourage their adoption, global solar projects got 89 percent cheaper between 2010 and 2019. But in the U.S. it’s the hundreds of billions of dollars in federal tax credits included in President Joe Biden’s landmark climate spending bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, that Energy Innovation says have made the economic case for replacing coal with clean energy “unequivocal.” All but one of the country’s coal-fired power plants are more expensive to run than to replace with new wind and solar, Energy Innovation said. The think tank’s analysis also suggested that all but five could be replaced with more cost-effective renewable options sited within a 28-mile radius. For the local option, the savings of a coal-to-renewable transition would be so great that they could finance the installation of 137 gigawatts of four-hour battery storage, allowing renewable energy to be deployed when there’s no sun or wind. These dynamics are expected to accelerate the ongoing decline of U.S. coal power, which already generates 52 percent less electricity than it did in 2010. Nearly one-fourth of the country’s remaining coal-fired fleet is already scheduled to be retired by 2029. To further facilitate the transition away from coal, Energy Innovation urges state-level regulators to reassess utility investment plans that were completed before the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act — since older plans’ renewable energy cost estimates are now outdated. To ensure a just transition for communities and coal workers, the group also recommends that state legislatures and energy agencies prioritize local renewable energy projects that create jobs and tax revenue.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-renewables-outcompete-99-of-coal-plants/
     
         
      Nearly 14,000 Nigerians take Shell to court over devastating impact of pollution Thu, 2nd Feb 2023 6:21:00
     
      People from Niger delta areas of Ogale and Bille seeking justice in London’s high court Nearly 14,000 people from two Nigerian communities are seeking justice in the high court in London against the fossil fuel giant Shell, claiming it is responsible for devastating pollution of their water sources and destruction of their way of life. The individuals from the Niger delta area of Ogale, a farming community, lodged their claims last week, joining more than 2,000 people from the Bille area, a largely fishing community. In total 13,652 claims from individuals, and from churches and schools, are asking the oil giant to clean up the pollution which they say has devastated their communities. They are also asking for compensation for the resulting loss of their livelihoods. Their ability to farm and fish has been destroyed by the continuing oil spills from Shell operations, they claim. Shell, which declared profits of more than $30bn for the first three quarters of 2022, argues that the communities have no legal standing to force it to clean up. Shell argues also that the individuals are barred from seeking compensation for spills which happened five years before they lodged their claims. The company says it bears no responsibility for the clandestine siphoning off of oil from its pipelines by organised gangs, which it says causes many of the spills. The case against Shell is taking place as the oil major prepares to leave the Niger delta after more than 80 years of operations which have reaped substantial profits. Daniel Leader, a partner at Leigh Day, who is representing the claimants, said: “This case raises important questions about the responsibilities of oil and gas companies. It appears that Shell is seeking to leave the Niger delta free of any legal obligation to address the environmental devastation caused by oil spills from its infrastructure over many decades. “At a time when the world is focused on “the just transition”, this raises profound questions about the responsibility of fossil fuel companies for legacy and ongoing environmental pollution.” Lawyers argue that the scale of oil spills in the delta masks a human tragedy on an extraordinary scale, with the pollution ingested by local people causing serious health impacts and affecting mortality rates. A report by the University of St Gallen in Switzerland found that infants in the Niger delta were twice as likely to die in their first month of life if their mothers lived near an oil spill – a study which suggested there were 11,000 premature deaths a year in the Niger delta. Shell has argued for five years that it is not liable for the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) and the claims from the people of Ogale and Bille could not be heard in a London courtroom. But the supreme court ruled last year “there is a good arguable case” that Nigerian communities could bring their claims to the high court. Shell continues to argue in its defence that it is not liable as the parent company. As well as the thousands of individual claims against Shell, lawyers are also seeking compensation for alleged damage to communally owned property, to benefit everyone living in the midst of chronic pollution in the 40,000-strong rural community of Ogale, and in Bille, a 13,000-strong fishing community living on a group of islands in the mangrove forest region of the eastern Niger delta. The stream which is the main source of water in Ogale for farming, drinking, and fishing has been severely polluted by oil contamination, the claims state. The pollution has killed fish, contaminated the drinking water and ruined the farmland. Most of the water coming from the borehole taps or wells in Ogale has a strong stench of oil, and is visibly brown, or covered in a sheen of oil, the claims state. In Bille, oil spills from Shell’s apparatus have caused massive contamination of the rivers around the community, the claims say. Many people live close to the water and smell the oil in their homes. When the tide rises oily water comes right up to their houses, causing damage to their properties and possessions. The oil spills have damaged vast areas of mangrove forest and killed most of the fish and shellfish in the rivers, leaving Bille’s fishing population without a source of food or income. The claims lodged in the high court state that Shell plc and/or its subsidiary SPDC were aware of systemic oil spills from their pipelines taking place over many years but failed to take adequate steps to prevent them or to clean them up. Shell has been active in Nigeria for 86 years, and its Nigerian operations continue to account for a significant portion of the company’s overall profits. In a report in 2011 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed the devastating impact of the oil industry in Ogoniland, and set out urgent recommendations for “the largest terrestrial cleanup operation in history”. It put the cost of an initial cleanup over five years at $1bn – around 3% of Shell’s 2022 profits. But a report last year by a number of NGOs, said the people of Ogoniland were still waiting for a thorough cleanup of the oil spills. A Shell spokesperson said: “We strongly believe in the merits of our case. The overwhelming majority of spills related to the Bille and Ogale claims were caused by illegal third-party interference, including pipeline sabotage, illegal bunkering and other forms of oil theft. Illegal refining of stolen crude oil also happens on a large scale in these areas and is a major source of oil pollution.” Shell told the Guardian that it had done cleanup work and remediation of affected areas, and was working with the relevant Nigerian authorities to prevent sabotage, crude oil theft, and illegal refining which were, it said, the main source of pollution. It argued that litigation would do little to help address this issue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/02/nearly-14000-nigerians-take-shell-to-court-over-devastating-impact-of-pollution
     
         
      ‘A serious threat’: calls grow for urgent review of England’s wood-burning stoves Thu, 2nd Feb 2023 6:20:00
     
      Government plan to educate owners and encourage fines not enough to effectively tackle air pollution Politicians and campaigners have called for an urgent review of wood-burning stoves, which cause large amounts of pollution in urban areas. The calls follow the admission by the environment secretary that the government had set weaker air pollution targets than it would like. The admission came as she announced a new environmental plan for England that held back from banning wood-burning stoves and settled instead for “educating” people on their use. The Times subsequently reported that the government would encourage councils to use their powers to issue householders £300 on-the-spot fines for flouting air pollution rules by burning logs at home. But the Green party co-leader Carla Denyer said the government should go further and potentially end the sale of log burners. She said: “Local authorities have powers to create smoke control areas in cities under the Environment Act 2021. This goes some way to preventing homeowners and businesses releasing smoke from a chimney. However, there are exemptions for particular stoves and fuels which still mean dangerous particulates can be released into the atmosphere. “We need an urgent review into the impacts of smoke from chimneys on public health in high-density housing areas, with a view to putting an end to future sales of log burners and fuels if they are shown to have an unacceptable detrimental impact.” The environment charity ClientEarth, which has won pollution cases against the government, has said the burners need to be phased out. Andrea Lee, from the charity, said: “Pollution from wood-burning is a growing source of fine particulate matter pollution in some areas, which is a serious threat to people’s health.” The Liberal Democrats have called for more powers for local councils to stop the use of polluting burners. A spokesperson said they were disappointed that it had taken so long for the ban on house coal and wet wood to come through. “The new eco-design has reduced air pollution from wood burners but more needs to be done including encouraging households to replace older wood burners with the new design. We believe local authorities should have more powers to tackle air pollution in their areas,” the spokesperson said. Under the 2021 Environment Act, councils have powers to issue on-the-spot civil penalties of up to £300. The government’s plans to encourage councils to take action mean that criminal prosecutions could be pursued for the most persistent offenders, resulting in a fine of up to £5,000 plus a further £2,500 for each day a breach continues afterwards. However, English councils have issued only 17 fines over six years, despite more than 18,000 complaints, as it is difficult and expensive to prove guilt and then take people to court. Few councils have the resources to vigorously pursue this specific issue. There will also be tighter regulation of new wood burners, which in designated “smoke control areas” will be allowed to produce no more than 3g of smoke per hour, instead of 5g at present. Sarah MacFadyen, the head of Policy at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: “We know that burning wood and coal releases fine particulate matter – the most worrying form of air pollution for human health – which can cause people with a lung condition such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to have a potentially life-threatening attack or flare-up. “It’s therefore important to consider less polluting fuel options to heat your home or cook with, especially if coal or wood is not your primary fuel source.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/02/calls-grow-for-urgent-review-of-damage-done-by-wood-burning-stoves
     
         
      Outrage as US government advances $8bn Alaska oil drilling plan Wed, 1st Feb 2023 23:55:00
     
      Interior department report recommends scaled-back version of Conoco Phillips’ Willow project despite Biden campaign pledge The Biden administration has advanced a $8bn drilling project on Alaska’s north slope. The ConocoPhillips Willow project, which would be one of the largest oil and gas developments on federal territory, has drawn fierce opposition from environmentalists, who say its approval runs counter to the president’s ambitious climate goals. An environmental assessment released by the interior department on Wednesday recommends a scaled-back version of the project ConocoPhillips originally proposed, and would produce about 600m barrels of oil over 30 years, with a peak of 180,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Environmental groups and the Native village of Nuiqsut, which would be most affected by the project in the northernmost stretch of Alaska, have opposed the project, which they say would mark the end of a way of life for communities in the rapidly warming Arctic. It would also exacerbate air pollution problems in a region where oil and gas extraction projects are already contributing to elevated rates of asthma and other health conditions. “Willow is a carbon bomb that cannot be allowed to explode in the Arctic,” said Karlin Nageak Itchoak, senior regional director at the non-profit Wilderness Society. Already, the Arctic has been warming almost four times faster than the rest of the world. “Our Native villages are eroding into the sea, thawing permafrost is making infrastructure insecure, and food sources are disappearing,” Itchoak said. “And this project would just exacerbate and speed up the climate crisis in the Arctic.” The environmental review is a final step toward approval and comes after a years-long dispute between ConocoPhillips and the government over the corporation’s right to drill on federal territory in the Arctic. Willow would be located inside the a 23m-acre (93m-hectare) National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which is the largest tract of undisturbed public land in the United States. After the project was first approved by the Trump administration, a federal judge reversed the decision, ruling that the environmental review was flawed. This latest review released by the Bureau of Land Management suggests that a scaled-down Willow project would minimize the impact on vulnerable species including polar bears, yellow-billed loons and caribou, while remaining in line with the minimum ConocoPhillips has said it needs to drill to make the project profitable. But the interior department did leave open the possibility of further scaling back or rejecting the project, with a final decision expected in a month. Officials have “substantial concerns” about even the scaled-back plan’s impact on wildlife and Alaska Native communities, the department noted in a separate statement. “It’s outrageous that Biden seems ready to greenlight the massively destructive Willow project, prioritizing oil industry profits over the future of polar bears and other Arctic wildlife,” said Kristen Monsell, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’ll keep fighting it until it’s scrapped.” Biden had promised during his election campaign to end federal oil and gas drilling, and transition toward renewable energy. But as oil prices rise as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the president has faced further pressure to increase drilling. Alaska’s two Republican senators and the state’s sole congressional representative, a Democrat, have urged the administration to approve the project, which the say would boost the state’s economy. Some Alaska Native tribal governments organizations, including the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope and the Alaska Federation of Natives, have supported the project for similar reasons. But environmental groups and tribes including those in Nuiqsut have countered that any jobs and money the project brings in the short term will be negated by the environmental devastation it will cause in the long run. Already, Arctic communities are at the front line of global climate chaos. In December, the city of Utqiagvik, at Alaska’s northern edge, reached its warmest temperature ever observed. Elsewhere in Alaska, a record-breaking 2022 wildfire season and coastal flooding and powerful storms displaced communities along the western coast. Increased oil and gas extraction in the region has already affected caribou populations, which several communities the area hunt for subsistence. “This project could be a turning point for not just Alaska and the Arctic, but for the entire world,” said Siqiñiq Maupin, director for the Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, a group that opposes Willow. “It is going to possibly bring us to a place where we can come back from.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/01/alaska-oil-drilling-biden-conocophillips-willow-project
     
         
      Ice storm leaves thousands without power in Texas Wed, 1st Feb 2023 19:53:00
     
      A deadly ice storm pummelling parts of the southern US this week has disrupted travel and prompted widespread power outages in Texas. US airlines have cancelled more than 2,150 flights, with airports in Dallas and Austin being the most impacted. Dozens of car crashes on slick roads were reported due to the bad weather, killing at least five. Freezing rain and ice accumulations are expected across the region through Thursday. In Texas alone, more than 270,000 people were without power as of Wednesday morning, according to poweroutage.us. The National Weather Service said the "prolonged and significant" ice storm is continuing cross much of the southern Plains and mid-south. The storm has brought a mix of freezing rain and sleet to south-central parts of the US, spreading from Tennessee to Texas, since Monday. More than 12 million people, including in Dallas, Fort Worth, Little Rock and Memphis are currently under an ice storm warning. The NWS warned of additional accumulation of ice on central and north-central Texas roads, as well as parts of southern Arkansas. As much as half an inch of ice has been predicted to accumulate due to the extreme weather. "This amount of ice accretion on top of what has already fallen is likely to lead to more treacherous travel across untreated roadways, along with the potential for tree damage and power outages," the NWS said. The agency added that parts of Texas, as well as Louisiana and northern Georgia may experience flash flooding on Thursday due to heavy rain. This weather phenomenon is caused by an Arctic cold frontal passage making its way south, where it is being confronted with warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. The result is wintry precipitation that is expected to drape over the region, the NWS said. On Wednesday morning, Dallas issued an ice storm warning, telling drivers that "travel will be nearly impossible" through the evening and into Thursday. Both Dallas and Memphis have cancelled classes on Wednesday due to the hazardous road conditions. In Memphis, the winter weather delayed the start of the funeral for Tyre Nichols, the man who died last month after being beaten by police officers. Emergency crews in Texas have responded to hundreds of collision calls since Monday, some of which have been fatal. Three men were killed in a crash near Brownfield, southwest of the Texas city of Lubbock, according to the state's Department of Public Safety. One person in Austin was killed in a car pileup on Tuesday, local authorities said. Another 45-year-old man died on Monday in Arlington after his SUV slid into a highway guardrail. Several local police departments have urged motorists to drive carefully. The Dallas Police Department asked people to make sure their tires are inflated, to slow down on icy roads and to avoid using cruise control. Texas governor Greg Abbott also asked motorists to "stay off the roads if possible". Meanwhile, Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared a state of emergency due to the icy conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64485092
     
         
      Biden restores protections to Alaska's Tongass National Forest Wed, 1st Feb 2023 17:50:00
     
      Joel Jackson, the president of the Organized Village of Kake, a tribal community, has lived within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska his entire life. His community relies on the land for hunting deer and fishing salmon that swim in streams kept cold by the old-growth forest. But the 66-year-old worried about damage to that land - the largest national forest in the US - after former President Donald Trump rescinded a measure blocking logging and road-building on nine million acres of land in the Tongass in 2020. "The forest is key to our survival as a people, to our way of life … for thousands of years," Mr Jackson said. Last week marked a long-awaited victory for Mr Jackson and other tribes and environmental groups who petitioned the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinstate the protections for the forest. The agency announced last Wednesday it would once again ban logging and the construction of roads for cutting timber in over half of the Tongass. The decision follows a years-long conflict between Alaskan Republican officials - who have argued the rule has slowed economic development and that renewing it will hamper efforts to connect remote communities by road, among other concerns - and conservationists, indigenous groups and others who say the measure is key to protecting the environment. Spanning nearly 17 million acres - an area slightly larger than the state of West Virginia - the Tongass stores 44% of all the carbon dioxide contained in national forests across the country, according to the Alaska Conservation Foundation. One of the world's largest intact temperate rainforests, it is home to 800-year-old cedar, hemlock and Sitka spruce trees that help provide habitats for over 400 species of land and marine wildlife. Environmental experts view protecting the forest as key to conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change. The decision to reinstate a rule blocking logging and road-building in the Tongass reflects the voices of Tribal Nations and the people of Southeast Alaska, while taking into account the importance of fishing and tourism to the region's economy, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a recent statement. The protections - known as a "roadless rule" regulation - were first introduced by former President Bill Clinton's administration in 2001 to shield certain designated areas in US national forests from logging. In 2020, after lobbying from Alaskan state officials, Mr Trump stripped the protections for the Tongass. In a statement last week, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, argued the Biden Administration's decision to reinstate protections turned "the Tongass into a political football", and would hinder local economic development. Her comments were echoed by her senate colleague Dan Sullivan, who pledged in a statement to "fight this decision with everything in my power", while Governor Mike Dunleavy called the USDA's move a "huge loss for Alaskans". But several local businesses and organisations said they disagreed. Gordon Chew, a co-owner of Tenakee Logging Company, a small family-owned business in the area, said lumber jobs have declined in the Tongass National Forest over the past three decades. But he said this is because of factors such as rising fuel prices for transporting timber from an isolated Alaska and not due to the roadless rule. "If you believe in global warming, see the value of sequestering carbon, and you like the fishing industry and support tourism, these are all things that the roadless rule enhances," he said. The roadless rule was always "contentious with Alaska politicians, but not so contentious with the public", said Meredith Trainor, the executive director of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. She argued it is "really important to have the rule in place to have another impediment to a resurgence of logging in these intact forest areas". While Mr Jackson celebrated the rule change, he said he would not feel relieved until such protections are made permanent, a move he said could require congressional approval. That could be his next battle, he said. "I describe walking into the forest as walking into one of the most beautiful cathedrals you'll ever find in the world," he said. "I don't want to have my grandchildren, their grandchildren, to have to fight for that too."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64428423
     
         
      Researchers in Europe turn to microscopic algae for answers to our environmental problems Wed, 1st Feb 2023 16:33:00
     
      Every drop of seawater is teeming with microscopic life. Many researchers in Europe believe that one particular kind called microalgae, which is invisible to the human eye, could be the answer to the planet's most pressing challenges, by making agriculture more sustainable and providing greener alternatives to plastics. Almería, located in southern Spain, is known for its sunny beaches and its agricultural industry. The region is home to a vast network of greenhouses, known as the "plastic sea". This climate is a paradise for microalgae, single-cell organisms that can convert sunlight, nutrients, and CO2 into valuable biomolecules. Local researchers found strains of microalgae that can purify local wastewater while producing fertilisers and other products for farmers. "They provide biostimulant properties for food production in agriculture," Gabriel Acién, Professor of chemical engineering at the University of Almeria told Euronews. "But also we isolated more or less ten different microorganisms able to provide biopesticides — to be able to control fungi, insects and other diseases in the greenhouses without using any chemicals, only these natural molecules obtained from microalgae," he added. Through EU-funded projects SABANA, for which Gabriel is a project coordinator, and ALGAENAUTS, a local biotech company has developed a range of commercial farming products made from microalgae ingredients. These eco-friendly alternatives align with the European Union's Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to halve the use of chemical pesticides by the end of the decade. "We have to keep in mind that for 2030, we have to remove the chemical compounds in agriculture in order to get a sustainable and healthy food production," said Joaquín Pozo Dengra, R&D Director for Biorizon Biotech, and ALGAENAUTS project coordinator. What are algae being used for? While microalgae-based fertilisers and pesticides may be more expensive than traditional chemicals, farmers have found them more efficient — they don't have to use as much product to get the same result. Nowadays, increasing numbers of consumers are willing to pay more for products that are perceived as being grown in a more natural way. "Plants that have not been treated with chemicals are more tender, greener, more natural. In the end, you're getting a higher-grade product," said David García López, a tomato farmer at Saborum Origen. Could microalgae help tackle our problem with plastic? Plastic pollution is a big concern for coastal regions like Brittany in northern France. Pieces of marine litter break down into tiny particles that end up in the food chain. Researcher Stéphane Bruzaud says the problem should be solved through collection and recycling — but in some cases, biodegradable alternatives could also play a role. "There are always some plastics that end up in terrestrial or marine environments, for which - indeed, the development of biodegradable polymers can be an ecologically-responsible solution," Stéphane revealed. "It can be plastics used in the fishing sector, for example. It can be the agricultural sector, it can be the cosmetics sector, textile fibres..." Another European project, Nenu2PHAr, is fine-tuning the industrial production of biopolymers using marine bacteria and sugars extracted from microalgae. The researchers say such bioplastics can be more sustainable than those made from agricultural crops since microalgae cultivation does not require arable land. "We can make a bioreactor in a desert for example. We would not be able to grow beets in a desert, but we can build bioreactors able to produce these sugars to be then used to make bioplastics," Gabriel Brouchon, Researcher in biotechnology at Université Bretagne Sud told Euronews. The properties of these materials are on par with traditional plastics and can be tailored to meet specific requirements. Researcher in biotechnology at IRMA, Pierre Lemechko, said that "Sometimes it can be something quite brittle. But only brittle when bent, and quite resistant to traction or compression, for example. Everything depends on the required specifications and the intended use."
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/01/31/researchers-in-europe-turn-to-microscopic-algae-for-answers-to-our-environmental-problems
     
         
      Nigeria election 2023 in Rivers state: The oil giant with no electricity Wed, 1st Feb 2023 11:15:00
     
      There is a rhythm to the frenzy in this tailoring shop in the heartland of Nigeria's oil zone. The whirring of four electric sewing machines, snips from two industrial-sized scissors and the sizzle of moist fabric as steam billows from a large pressing iron. But another sound jars as the six sweaty men work: the metallic grind of a generator. It is behind a wall to muzzle its noise, but that cannot hide its high pitch or the smoky fumes it exudes. "I have two of those, just in case one fails," says Ozu Adah, a lean-muscled man with cropped hair who runs this shop in Choba, a university community in the southern state of Rivers. Like millions of other small business owners in Nigeria, the 37-year-old tailor cannot rely on electricity from the national grid as blackouts are common and the 5,000 megawatts distributed is only enough to serve around five million average households in urban areas. Most of Nigeria's 210 million people must provide their own electricity - Africa's largest economy is run on a variety of Chinese- and Lebanese-made generators "Since I was born, I have never experienced stable power supply. We call ourselves the giant of Africa but we can't fix electricity," complains Mr Adah as he works on a buttonhole. Despite being blessed with large oil and gas reserves and hydro and solar resources, successive governments since independence in 1960 have failed to achieve a stable electricity supply. With just weeks to the next presidential election, all three front-runners - Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party - have listed fixing the power supply as a key point in their manifestoes. Though the campaign promises can sound hollow given outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari failed to deliver during his eight years in office on providing at least 20,000 more megawatts. Mr Adah's operations rely on electricity and he spends 3,000 naira ($6; £5) every day to fuel his generator. But since November, there has been a widespread shortage of fuel in Nigeria, which has worsened recently, forcing many to sleep overnight in queues at petrol stations. He is frustrated that he lives in an oil-rich state with so little to offer its citizens. As a boy he dreamed of working in the oil industry - as his father had done. But by the time he finished studying geology at the University of Port Harcourt, he was unable to find a job in that sector. Instead, he turned to what he saw his mother do - making clothes. She used the popular but labour-intensive manual Butterfly machines imported from China. Like a generation of young people forced to turn to jobs they would rather not do - he found an innovative way of pursuing it, using modern electric-powered machines. They are three times more efficient - but need electricity. 'No money in electricity' Those in the electricity sector complain that the business environment does not encourage expansion as they are unable to make profits, let alone break even. Nigeria has 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves - the largest in Africa and ninth in the world - and 25 out of 28 electricity-generating firms (a mix of public and private ownership) are powered by gas. But investors say low tariffs - set and regulated by the government - discourage investment. "Nobody will invest in what is clearly a loss-making venture," said Olumuyiwa Abiodun, CEO of private electricity supplier Eden Power. Many electricity customers, such as Mr Adah's tailoring shop and thousands of households in Choba, are unmetered, and have to pay an estimated bill that is usually at variance with what they consume. Mr Adah's monthly electricity bill is 8,000 naira ($17; £14) for the compound in which he has his business, a house with at least eight rooms and two flats. Many Nigerians do not even pay for electricity. "Many communities here don't want to pay for electricity as they feel the gas belongs to them," said John Onyi, a Port Harcourt-based electricity consultant. Mr Adah, like many younger people in urban parts of Nigeria, is rooting for Mr Obi, who hails from south-eastern Nigeria. He believes the 61-year-old politician is serious about fixing the power sector, pointing out that the Labour Party candidate visited Egypt last year to study that country's electricity supply system. "He is not yet president and he has travelled to learn how to fix the problem, it clearly shows how committed he is to solving it," he says. Key battle ground Like most residents in Choba, he has voted for only the PDP in the past but his intended switch this time to the Labour Party is reflective of how Rivers state has emerged as a key battleground in this presidential election. Its 3.5 million registered voters are the fourth highest in Nigeria's 36 states, yet their loyalty is being tested with the APC and Labour Party seemingly making sizeable inroads that could split the vote. Rivers state reveals some of the internal battles the PDP is facing. Outgoing Governor Nyesom Wike tried and failed to win the PDP's presidential ticket - supported by four other powerful PDP governors - and is now suspected to be backing Mr Tinubu, the APC candidate. A larger-than-life politician who travels with his own band, Mr Wike continues to support the PDP at the state level and is backing the PDP candidate for governor. Many in Rivers state also seem to be wearing this dual cap - wanting to vote for one party at the state level and perhaps another in the presidential election. This was on show when thousands turned up for the PDP rally across the Choba River at Rumuji, an oil-producing village near Bayelsa state. To witness a rally in a small village, far away from the city centre, is to be treated to what Nigerians call "party structure" - the well-oiled campaign machinery that many believe is only available to the APC and PDP countrywide. Under the sun, women, men and youths, most hired by local politicians, gathered. Today they are here for the PDP, tomorrow it may be for another campaigner. One woman in a blonde wig ushered a dozen disinterested teenagers from a canopy into the sun. Their banner said: "Golden Babes of Egbeda". They jostled for space around a podium that included Joseph Yobo, a former Nigerian international footballer, and musician Harrysong. The noise was as chaotic as the spectacle - an array of colours turned sepia from the fine dust raised by the thousands of legs trampling the earth. There was a group blowing dozens of vuvuzelas, the latest addition to Nigeria's campaign rallies. Its 3.5 million registered voters are the fourth highest in Nigeria's 36 states, yet their loyalty is being tested with the APC and Labour Party seemingly making sizeable inroads that could split the vote. Rivers state reveals some of the internal battles the PDP is facing. Outgoing Governor Nyesom Wike tried and failed to win the PDP's presidential ticket - supported by four other powerful PDP governors - and is now suspected to be backing Mr Tinubu, the APC candidate. A larger-than-life politician who travels with his own band, Mr Wike continues to support the PDP at the state level and is backing the PDP candidate for governor. Many in Rivers state also seem to be wearing this dual cap - wanting to vote for one party at the state level and perhaps another in the presidential election. This was on show when thousands turned up for the PDP rally across the Choba River at Rumuji, an oil-producing village near Bayelsa state. To witness a rally in a small village, far away from the city centre, is to be treated to what Nigerians call "party structure" - the well-oiled campaign machinery that many believe is only available to the APC and PDP countrywide. Under the sun, women, men and youths, most hired by local politicians, gathered. Today they are here for the PDP, tomorrow it may be for another campaigner. One woman in a blonde wig ushered a dozen disinterested teenagers from a canopy into the sun. Their banner said: "Golden Babes of Egbeda". They jostled for space around a podium that included Joseph Yobo, a former Nigerian international footballer, and musician Harrysong. The noise was as chaotic as the spectacle - an array of colours turned sepia from the fine dust raised by the thousands of legs trampling the earth. There was a group blowing dozens of vuvuzelas, the latest addition to Nigeria's campaign rallies. Its 3.5 million registered voters are the fourth highest in Nigeria's 36 states, yet their loyalty is being tested with the APC and Labour Party seemingly making sizeable inroads that could split the vote. Rivers state reveals some of the internal battles the PDP is facing. Outgoing Governor Nyesom Wike tried and failed to win the PDP's presidential ticket - supported by four other powerful PDP governors - and is now suspected to be backing Mr Tinubu, the APC candidate. A larger-than-life politician who travels with his own band, Mr Wike continues to support the PDP at the state level and is backing the PDP candidate for governor. Many in Rivers state also seem to be wearing this dual cap - wanting to vote for one party at the state level and perhaps another in the presidential election. This was on show when thousands turned up for the PDP rally across the Choba River at Rumuji, an oil-producing village near Bayelsa state. To witness a rally in a small village, far away from the city centre, is to be treated to what Nigerians call "party structure" - the well-oiled campaign machinery that many believe is only available to the APC and PDP countrywide. Under the sun, women, men and youths, most hired by local politicians, gathered. Today they are here for the PDP, tomorrow it may be for another campaigner. One woman in a blonde wig ushered a dozen disinterested teenagers from a canopy into the sun. Their banner said: "Golden Babes of Egbeda". They jostled for space around a podium that included Joseph Yobo, a former Nigerian international footballer, and musician Harrysong. The noise was as chaotic as the spectacle - an array of colours turned sepia from the fine dust raised by the thousands of legs trampling the earth. There was a group blowing dozens of vuvuzelas, the latest addition to Nigeria's campaign rallies. Its 3.5 million registered voters are the fourth highest in Nigeria's 36 states, yet their loyalty is being tested with the APC and Labour Party seemingly making sizeable inroads that could split the vote. Rivers state reveals some of the internal battles the PDP is facing. Outgoing Governor Nyesom Wike tried and failed to win the PDP's presidential ticket - supported by four other powerful PDP governors - and is now suspected to be backing Mr Tinubu, the APC candidate. A larger-than-life politician who travels with his own band, Mr Wike continues to support the PDP at the state level and is backing the PDP candidate for governor. Many in Rivers state also seem to be wearing this dual cap - wanting to vote for one party at the state level and perhaps another in the presidential election. This was on show when thousands turned up for the PDP rally across the Choba River at Rumuji, an oil-producing village near Bayelsa state. To witness a rally in a small village, far away from the city centre, is to be treated to what Nigerians call "party structure" - the well-oiled campaign machinery that many believe is only available to the APC and PDP countrywide. Under the sun, women, men and youths, most hired by local politicians, gathered. Today they are here for the PDP, tomorrow it may be for another campaigner. One woman in a blonde wig ushered a dozen disinterested teenagers from a canopy into the sun. Their banner said: "Golden Babes of Egbeda". They jostled for space around a podium that included Joseph Yobo, a former Nigerian international footballer, and musician Harrysong. The noise was as chaotic as the spectacle - an array of colours turned sepia from the fine dust raised by the thousands of legs trampling the earth. There was a group blowing dozens of vuvuzelas, the latest addition to Nigeria's campaign rallies. But this was more than a jamboree for local government, it was the governor's show of force on a national stage. He wanted to show the main contenders his influence before he officially says which presidential candidate he will back. "They can't win the election without Rivers state, let them try it," said Mr Wike to a rapturous cheer when he took to the stage. His personal band played during an interlude - a song about him being a big man, to which he swayed. Outside the rally ground a tailor sewed a wax-print garment, seemingly oblivious to the chaos across her. On loud speakers, the governor made a promise to electrify parts of the community still without power. But it did not matter to her - she was using a brown manual Butterfly sewing machine.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64424591
     
         
      Climate change: WMO unveils plans for sustainable monitoring of greenhouse gases Wed, 1st Feb 2023 8:19:00
     
      A UN-led plan to tackle climate change by radically improving the way heat-trapping atmospheric pollutants are measured all over the planet, is being given serious consideration by governments and the international scientific community, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday. The WMO initiative would create a network of ground-based measurement stations that can verify worrying air quality data that’s been flagged by satellites or airplanes, potentially in the next five years. “At present, there is no comprehensive, timely international exchange of surface and space-based greenhouse gas observations,” the UN agency said, as it urged “improved (international) collaboration” and data exchange to support the 2015 Paris Agreement, which provides a roadmap for reduced carbon emissions and climate resilience. Methane mystery “It’s not just anthropogenic emissions (that will be monitored), but what the forests are doing, what the oceans are doing,” said Dr. Oksana Tarasova, a Senior Scientific Officer at WMO. “We need this information to support our mitigations, because we have no time to lose.” In 2022, Dr. Tarasova continued, WMO reported the largest-ever observed increase of methane “and the reasons of this increase are still not known, so one of the functions of this new proposed infrastructure would be to help fill in the gaps which we have in our knowledge regarding the observations and regarding the use of these observations.” Climate of understanding Cooperation between governments, international organizations and the private sector will be essential, if the proposed Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring plan is to be viable, WMO has stressed. Just as important will be increased coordination between surface-based, airborne and space-based observation networks. “With more precise and more long-term data, we will gain a better understanding of our changing atmosphere,” the UN agency said. “We will be able to make more informed decisions and we will understand if the actions we have taken are having the desired effect.” Some governments and international organizations already carry out specific atmospheric monitoring and maintain datasets, but “there is no overall steering mechanism and there is undue reliance on research funding”, WMO explained, in support of the creation of a single and internationally coordinated atmospheric monitoring body. Trace race The Earth’s atmosphere is mainly made up of nitrogen and oxygen, but there are also many different trace gases and particles that have a substantial impact on life and the natural environment. Since industrialization, emissions of greenhouse gases have changed atmospheric composition dramatically. In particular, WMO has warned repeatedly that increasing levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are contributing to global warming and driving climate change. These and other pollutants are also affecting air quality for humans, agriculture and ecosystems, which is why accurate measurements of the air we breathe is so important, climate scientists believe. “Accurate, reliable data and knowledge about the levels of pollution and atmospheric deposition also help us to better understand their impacts on the environment, human health, biodiversity loss, ecosystems and water quality, and to either mitigate those impacts or put protective measures in place,” the UN agency said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133047
     
         
      A ‘fatal blow’ to Minnesota mining proposal Tue, 31st Jan 2023 18:42:00
     
      In a victory for the United States’ most visited wilderness area, the Biden administration has approved a 20-year ban on new mining activity across more than 225,000 acres of federal land in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest, in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. ”Protecting a place like Boundary Waters is key to supporting the health of the watershed and its surrounding wildlife, upholding our tribal trust and treaty responsibilities, and boosting the local recreation economy,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. A federal review released last year found that mining could damage the region’s forests, lakes, and food systems, in part because of potential contamination from acid mine drainage. Mining pollution would pose “disproportionate adverse risk to Native American and low-income communities,” the review said. The decision has been called a potentially “fatal blow” to a $1.7 billion copper and nickel mine proposed by Twin Metals Minnesota LLC. The company had sought to extract minerals in Ely, Minnesota — just outside the vast wilderness area — but the Biden administration canceled the company’s two federal mining leases last year, saying they had been issued improperly by the Trump administration. Twin Metals sued to get the leases reinstated, but experts say the new mining moratorium makes it unlikely the company will be able to move forward. The conflict is just one of many across the U.S. in which the need for clean-energy minerals — used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and other renewable technologies — is at odds with conservation goals and tribal rights. A proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska, for instance, has faced pushback over threats to the state’s salmon habitats. In northern Nevada, tribes have fought to stop a proposed lithium mine, arguing they weren’t sufficiently consulted or informed about how it would impact their lands. “We need to decarbonize and electrify as soon as possible, but there are ways to do that that don’t put these places at risk and sacrifice them,” Blaine Miller-McFeeley, a senior legislative representative for the legal nonprofit Earthjustice, told me. To protect communities and the environment, he called for updated regulations that allow federal land managers to more easily designate areas off-limits to resource extraction.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-fatal-blow-to-minnesota-mining-proposal/
     
         
      Thérèse Coffey admits UK can’t achieve air pollution target advised by experts Tue, 31st Jan 2023 18:24:00
     
      Environment secretary sets lower 10-year objective for cleaner air but researchers say their goal is reachable with stronger action The government cannot achieve the air quality improvements advised by medical experts, so has set its targets lower for the next 10 years, the environment secretary has admitted as she unveiled a new environmental plan. Thérèse Coffey said on Tuesday: “We have cleaner air. I want it to be even cleaner. Now, I would have loved to have made our target to achieve 10 micrograms [of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, per cubic metre of air] by 2030, not 2040. Many parts of the country already enjoy this, but the evidence shows us that with the best will in the world we cannot achieve that everywhere by the end of the decade, particularly in London.” But air pollution experts pointed to research by King’s College London and Imperial College London that has shown the government could achieve the more stringent targets, which are supported by the public in polls, if it took stronger action on the sources of pollution, which include diesel cars and wood-burning. Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of charity Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Air pollution is a public health emergency which causes 36,000 premature deaths in the UK every year. The government has ignored our calls to bring forward its compliance date, and instead said it will make our air cleaner by 2040. This falls far short of what’s needed – it means that for another 17 years, children will be forced to live, learn and play in toxic levels of air pollution, and a new generation will be condemned to breathe air so dirty it can stunt their lung growth, cause lung conditions like cancer, and trigger existing conditions including asthma.” Coffey also ruled out a ban on wood-burning stoves, opting instead for “educating” people on their use. There will be tighter regulation of new wood burners, which in designated “smoke control areas” will be allowed to pour out no more than 3g of smoke per hour, instead of 5g at present, but Coffey said she wanted to “avoid fingerpointing” by cracking down on existing stove users. Andrea Lee, campaigns and policy manager for clean air at Client Earth, said most people in urban areas had access to alternative ways of heating their homes, and should be encouraged to use them instead. She said: “There should be a phasing out of wood burning in urban areas.” Wood-burning stoves, which are usually expensive to install, are increasingly being used in urban areas for aesthetic reasons, and are now the main source of air pollution in many areas. Coffey also confirmed that there would be no major new funding for achieving the targets in the 262-page Environmental Improvement Plan, published on Tuesday, beyond a multimillion-pound new fund to protect some species including hedgehogs and red squirrels. Some farming leaders have said new sources of funds would be needed to encourage farmers to take up greener methods. But Mark Spencer, the farming minister, told the Guardian that farmers were already receiving £2.4bn of public payments a year, and this should be enough. “People in agriculture want to have a really positive impact on the environment, and we need to get them on the ladder of aspiration,” he said. “We are pushing on an open door with lots of farmers in the UK, they think all the time of the environment. It’s a privilege to be farming and working in the UK’s beautiful landscape.” Campaigners also called for the government to make it mandatory to build green space into new developments. Ministers have pledged to ensure that every home has access to a green space or water within a 15-minute walk, and to that end Natural England is drawing up a comprehensive map of green spaces. Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, said: “What we have discovered by undertaking this map is that some of the most deprived communities have least access to green space. Environmental improvement is also a levelling out of some of the inequalities in this country.” Richard Benwell, chief executive of the conservation group Wildlife and Countryside Link, said that local authority planners should be obliged to include access to nature and green spaces in new planned developments. “Too many people live in polluted, nature-deprived neighbourhoods, at great cost to mental and physical health,” he said. “Billions of pounds could be saved for the NHS if everyone lived in a healthy environment, and millions of lives could be brightened.” The EIP set out on Tuesday includes targets and measures to remedy a wide variety of environmental problems, from species loss and air and water pollution to waste and recycling. It is a requirement under the Environment Act, and is meant to set out an achievable blueprint. It followed criticism last week from the statutory watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, that the UK was failing or showing little progress on nearly every environmental measure. Dame Glenys Stacey, chair of the OEP, told the Guardian on Tuesday she welcomed the EIP. But she added: “It’s all about delivery now. The targets are good, but we need to see delivery.” Many green activists were concerned at gaps in the plan, pointing out for instance that although it contains stipulations for fitting dual flush toilets, it does little to force water companies to stop pouring sewage into rivers. Doug Parr, UK policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “If this is a roadmap, it’s a roadmap to the cliff edge. This Conservative government promised the most ambitious environmental plan of any country on earth. Instead, here’s yet more paperwork containing a threadbare patchwork of policies that fail to tackle many of the real threats to our natural world. This won’t do.” Jim McMahon, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said: “Since [Coffey] has been in post, the Conservatives have breached a statutory deadline for publishing environmental targets, shown a lack of interest in the sewage scandal by refusing to meet water bosses, and announced measures that inflict more sewage dumping and toxic air on our country for longer.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/31/therese-coffey-admits-uk-cant-achieve-air-pollution-target-advised-by-experts
     
         
      Wind and power projects in Germany could be approved faster under new measures Tue, 31st Jan 2023 18:12:00
     
      Germany aims to generate 80 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030. So far this goal has been hampered by bureaucracy. Renewable energy is key as the country tries to become independent of Russian gas imports while chasing ambitious climate targets. Yet wind and solar projects are currently subject to extensive paperwork and lengthy decision making and approval processes. New emergency regulations, agreed at the EU level in December and approved by the German cabinet on Monday, aim to accelerate the expansion of renewables by cutting some of this red tape. How does Germany plan to remove red tape for renewables? Under the new measures, which are yet be voted on in parliament, wind and solar projects would be approved more quickly. This will be achieved by simplifying licensing, setting deadlines for permitting procedures. In certain areas, such as landfills, permitting procedures for solar power projects would be limited to three months, and to one month for smaller heat pumps. New renewables projects will be granted the status of 'overriding public interest'. This would give relevant authorities the ability to accelerate approvals for wind power plants. Standards for conservation assessment of wind turbines and power lines are also being simplified. In certain areas, only one environmental assessment will be required, removing the need for environmental impact assessments and species protection assessments. The new measures will apply to all projects starting from June 2024. How is the EU supporting Germany's renewables industry? Last month, the EU approved €28 billion scheme aimed at rapidly expanding use of wind and solar power in Germany. The scheme pays a premium to renewable energy producers, on top of the market price they receive for selling their power. Germany plans to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Expanding clean energy production will be key to meeting this goal. In 2022, renewables accounted for almost 47 per cent of German power consumption. This was an increase of almost 5 per cent on the previous year thanks to favourable weather conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/01/31/wind-and-power-projects-in-germany-could-be-approved-faster-under-new-measures
     
         
      Greenpeace protesters board Shell platform bound for Shetland Tue, 31st Jan 2023 15:58:00
     
      Four activists board 52,000-tonne vessel north of Canary Islands and demand company ‘Stop drilling – start paying’ Greenpeace protesters have boarded a Shell floating oil platform which is being transported over 12,000 nautical miles to the Shetland Islands with signs demanding that the fossil fuel giant “Stop drilling – start paying”. The four activists from the UK, Turkey, the US and Argentina climbed on to the 52,000-tonne heavy-lift vessel just north of the Canary Islands on Tuesday morning and displayed a banner from the platform in what it said was a peaceful protest against the climate devastation around the world “caused by Shell and the wider fossil fuel industry, without paying a penny towards loss and damage”. The protesters reached the heavy-lift vessel in three boats launched from Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship and used ropes to climb on to the deck. They then occupied the platform, which is being carried on the back of the vessel. One of the occupiers, Usnea Granger, said they had left the main Greenpeace boat early in the morning and used ropes to scale the vessel and platform. “There was a couple of meters of swell. It was a bit of an adventure to get on board,” she said, over gusts of Atlantic wind. “But we are well and safe. We have all the equipment we need to keep ourselves safe.” Granger said the protest was personal for her. “I’m originally from the United States and we’ve had so many climate catastrophes. It’s hard to keep track,” she said. “I’ve had friends who have been forced to flee their homes with no warning from forest fires. I’ve had friends who need to leave because of hurricanes and never go back. I know farmers who had to leave the farms where they raised their kids because of drought.” Yeb Saño, Greenpeace executive director and former lead climate negotiator for the Philippines, failed to get on board the platform. He said: “We’re taking action today because when Shell extracts fossil fuels it causes a ripple of death, destruction and displacement around the world, having the worst impact on people who are least to blame for the climate crisis.” The platform will enable Shell, which is expected to unveil adjusted annual profits of around $83bn (£67bn) later this week, to further exploit the Penguins oil and gas field, which sits 150 miles (240km) off the Shetland Islands. Greenpeace says it will be used to unlock eight new wells in the field. The platform could also be involved in producing new oil and gas from a nearby untapped reservoir, which is being drilled by Shell. The company, which is headquartered in London, has described the redevelopment of the Penguins field as an “attractive opportunity”, which it estimates will produce 45,000 barrels of oil or equivalent in gas every day at its peak. Shell said the protest was a safety concern. “These actions are causing real safety concerns, with a number of people boarding a moving vessel in rough conditions. We respect the right of everyone to express their point of view. It’s essential they do that with their safety and that of others in mind,” said a spokesperson. The company added that oil and gas production was falling too quickly in the North Sea. “It is important to stop it tailing off too steeply, while the transition to low-carbon energy gathers pace. The new floating vessel will allow production from the Penguins field to continue to provide the necessary energy that the UK needs,” said a spokesperson. Shell said the project was consistent with net zero pathways and would help reduce the UK’s reliance on costly, higher carbon imports. It said it was an old field – not a new one and added that 75% of the £25bn it planned to invest in the UK energy system over the next decade was intended for low and zero-carbon technology, including offshore wind, hydrogen and electric mobility. Greenpeace has calculated that burning all the gas and oil from the Penguins field could create 45m tonnes of CO2 - more than the entire annual emissions of Norway. The International Energy Agency has called for no further investment in fossil fuel projects, with research by the agency showing there is no room for new oil and gas if the world energy systems are going to reach net zero by 2050. The UN environment programme has found that current global fossil fuel production plans would lead to 57% more oil and 71% more gas than is safe to keep warming to 1.5C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/31/greenpeace-protesters-board-shell-platform-bound-for-shetland
     
         
      GHGSat: Commercial satellite will see CO2 super-emitters Tue, 31st Jan 2023 13:33:00
     
      The world's first commercial satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide from orbit will launch later this year. It will be put up by the Canadian company GHGSat, which already flies six spacecraft tracking methane emissions. The new platform will use the same shortwave infrared sensor but be tuned to CO2's specific light signature in the atmosphere. The satellite will have a resolution at ground level of 25m, meaning it will be able to see major individual sources. "We expect to see things like refineries, steel mills, aluminium smelters, cement plants, and, of course, thermal power stations," Stephane Germain, CEO at GHGSat, told BBC News. There are already a number national space agency missions tracking CO2. Nasa, for example, flies its Orbiting Carbon Observatories; Japan runs its GoSat mission; and China has TanSat. But these generally make large area maps of variations in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; they're not really set up to hone in on super-emitters at the scale of an individual industrial complex. To monitor CO2, the GHGSat sensor will have to work at a higher detection threshold than for Methane. CH4 is a much smaller component of the air - about 1.9 molecules in every million, versus 418 for carbon dioxide - making it much easier to see a methane spike above the normal background. GHGSat-C10, as the new satellite will be known, will target a detection threshold of one megatonne per year. "It's not as if we have to find the big CO2 emitters; we already know where they are," said Dr Germain. "Unlike methane, which is fugitive - it shows up in places and at times you don't necessarily expect - we know where the large power plants are in the world; we know where the aluminium smelters are. So, this is more about being able to verify emissions." GHGSat expects to sell its data to governments and financial services markets. The information will be used to check emissions estimates. Modern plants will likely have deployed continuous emissions monitoring systems, perhaps in flue gas stacks. But even these operations may want occasional independent observations. And under the Paris Climate Accord, countries must compile CO2 inventories. The GHGSat data could help with international comparisons. "We'll see how we get on but we do have the aspiration of launching several more carbon dioxide satellites," Dr Germain said. "Ultimately, we'd like to get to at least monthly coverage of every major CO2 source in the world, and potentially even a weekly coverage of every source in the world."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64473574
     
         
      Green projects are boosting UK growth - CBI report Tue, 31st Jan 2023 11:34:00
     
      The transition to a greener economy is worth £71bn and has brought jobs and investment to parts of the UK experiencing industrial decline. Those are the key findings of a new report written by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The drive to reach net zero emissions involves more than 20,000 businesses, it calculates. Some 840,000 jobs are linked to sectors ranging from renewable energy to waste management, it adds. Titled Mapping The Net Zero Economy, the report looked at the parts of the UK that have benefited most from policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Scotland and English regions, such as Tyneside, Teeside, Merseyside and the Humber, had all done better than average, with the green economy being stronger and contributing more to growth than in London and the South East. Green jobs also pay significantly more, the report says, with the average wage (£42,600) significantly above the national average (£33,400). "The net zero economy is addressing levelling up and the UK's productivity problem," says Peter Chalkley, the director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) who commissioned the research. "But if the UK doesn't build on the good work that has already been done, we will lose out and lose jobs." Net zero delay will hurt economy, MP’s review says What does net zero mean? Is the UK on track to meet its climate targets? The UK has long been seen as a leader in green technology, in particular offshore wind, but this position is at risk. "Other places (in the world) are really setting out their stalls for how they're going to capture that investment," says Tom Thackeray from the CBI who carried out the analysis, adding that there is now a "global competition" for green funding. The passing last year of landmark legislation in the United States called the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has, analysts say, changed the global dynamic for green investment. The Bill puts aside $369bn (£297bn) for action related to tackling climate change and many companies now see America as the best destination for their money. "There's an excitement [about the US since the IRA], so the challenge for us is to reignite the excitement back in the UK," says Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, a public body that advises the UK government on its green policies. The view that the UK is losing momentum was also in Tory MP Chris Skidmore's Mission Zero report last month in which he said the UK was falling behind in the net zero race. Restrictive planning regulations for onshore wind and solar, and a lack of consistency in policy were among many issues Mr Skidmore cited as holding back investment from the private sector. "We need to really speed up planning and consent for renewables and for network connections and for vehicle charging," says Emma Pinchbeck, the chief executive of trade association Energy UK. "It takes 12 years to build a wind farm in this country, when it should take one." Responding to the report and the criticism of policy, a government spokesman said the UK was leading the world on tackling climate change. "Our plans will support up to 480,000 jobs by 2030," they said. "We are driving an unprecedented £100bn of private sector investment by 2030, backed by around £30bn in funding from the government since March 2021 to achieve our aims."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64440827
     
         
      Auckland floods: More heavy rain ahead for New Zealand's largest city Tue, 31st Jan 2023 10:24:00
     
      People in flood-hit New Zealand are bracing for more heavy rain this week following new severe weather alerts. At least four people have died and a state of emergency order continues in Auckland, which on Friday experienced its worst downpour on record. About 350 people needed emergency accommodation, New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said. He added there had been significant damage across Auckland and the North Island. The newly-appointed PM also highlighted climate change's role in the extreme weather event. "It's a 1-in-100-year weather event, and we seem to be getting a lot of them at the moment. I think people can see that there's a message in that... Climate change is real, it's with us," Mr Hipkins said on Monday. He told national broadcaster TVNZ: "We are going to have to deal with more of these extreme weather events in the future. "We need to be prepared for that. And we need to do everything we can to combat the challenge of climate change." Mr Hipkins also acknowledged criticism from locals that communications over the floods had been "too few and far between". With the unprecedented rainfall Auckland has seen since Friday, even "ordinary" torrential rain in the days ahead could cause more flooding and damage than it would usually, the city's mayor said in a tweet on Monday. "In parts of the city, the weather looks a bit better - but, don't be fooled, our region is not out of the woods yet," Wayne Brown said. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change increases the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, the country's climate science body, said Friday was the wettest day on record for a number of locations in Auckland. Footage and images online showed people trapped in waist-deep floodwater, rescuers carrying out evacuations on kayaks and grocery items floating down the aisles of several flooded supermarkets. Auckland Airport, which was temporarily closed due to damage from heavy flooding, has since reopened. New Zealand media have identified two individuals who died in the floods. Daniel Newth, a 25-year-old arborist, died while kayaking near his North Shore home, and Daniel Mark Miller, 34, was found dead in a culvert in the Auckland suburb Wairu Valley.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64449248
     
         
      EU plans to loosen state aid rules to boost renewables investment Mon, 30th Jan 2023 15:00:00
     
      Proposed use of tax credits follows pressure to respond to Biden’s $369bn green subsidy scheme in US The EU is stepping up its green subsidy race with the US through plans to loosen state aid rules on tax credits for renewable energy projects. European policymakers have been under pressure to respond to the US president Joe Biden’s $369bn (£298bn) Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to encourage renewables investment in everything from electric cars to wind turbines. The European Commission plans to loosen state aid rules to enable investment into production facilities in green industries, according to draft plans. EU member states are divided over whether to introduce the new rules and how long for, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the plans. The draft proposals reportedly suggest some of a €800bn (£705bn) Covid-19 recovery fund could be redirected towards tax credits. “The provisions on tax benefits would enable member states to align their national fiscal incentives on a common scheme, and thereby offer greater transparency and predictability to businesses across the EU,” the draft said. Europe’s energy system has been under intense scrutiny since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s subsequent throttling of gas supplies into Europe. Brussels intends to set new targets for green industrial capacity and simplify the approval process for renewables projects. It plans to increase the level at which deals are scrutinised by the commission under state aid rules. Biden’s new rules, introduced last autumn, have reinvigorated the renewables market in the US, leading to a wave of new projects. The president hailed the legislation as “the biggest step forward on climate ever” on signing the bill last year. It has been estimated that the legislation could reduce US emissions by about 40% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, bringing Biden close to the goal of cutting US emissions in half by the end of the decade. Companies, investors and politicians have called for Europe and the UK to follow suit, with Jozef Síkela, the Czech minister of industry and trade, equating the US programme with “doping in sport”. In Britain, ministers have been accused of discouraging renewables investment by extending a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas firms to electricity generators, including wind and solar projects on older contracts. Chris Hewett, the chief executive of the industry body Solar Energy UK, has accused the government of offering more generous tax terms to oil and gas projects and “tilting the playing field against renewables”. Meanwhile, the shadow climate change secretary, Ed Miliband has said a Labour government would form an “anti-Opec” alliance of countries dedicated to renewables, to bring down energy prices and promote clean technology. On Monday, the oil and gas company BP said global carbon emissions were expected to fall quicker than it had previously expected as a result of the war in Ukraine and Biden’s efforts to encourage green investment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/30/eu-plans-to-loosen-state-aid-rules-renewables-investment-tax-credits-biden-green-subsidy
     
         
      US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically – study Mon, 30th Jan 2023 11:03:00
     
      It is cheaper to build solar panels or cluster of wind turbines and connect them to the grid than to keep operating coal plants Coal in the US is now being economically outmatched by renewables to such an extent that it’s more expensive for 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants to keep running than it is to build an entirely new solar or wind energy operation nearby, a new analysis has found. The plummeting cost of renewable energy, which has been supercharged by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, means that it is cheaper to build an array of solar panels or a cluster of new wind turbines and connect them to the grid than it is to keep operating all of the 210 coal plants in the contiguous US, bar one, according to the study. “Coal is unequivocally more expensive than wind and solar resources, it’s just no longer cost competitive with renewables,” said Michelle Solomon, a policy analyst at Energy Innovation, which undertook the analysis. “This report certainly challenges the narrative that coal is here to stay.” The new analysis, conducted in the wake of the $370bn in tax credits and other support for clean energy passed by Democrats in last summer’s Inflation Reduction Act, compared the fuel, running and maintenance cost of America’s coal fleet with the building of new solar or wind from scratch in the same utility region. On average, the marginal cost for the coal plants is $36 each megawatt hour, while new solar is about $24 each megawatt hour, or about a third cheaper. Only one coal plant – Dry Fork in Wyoming – is cost competitive with the new renewables. “It was a bit surprising to find this,” said Solomon. “It shows that not only have renewables dropped in cost, the Inflation Reduction Act is accelerating this trend.” Coal, which is a heavily carbon-intensive fuel and responsible for 60% of planet-heating emissions from electricity generation, once formed the backbone of the American grid, generating enough power to light up 186m homes at its peak in 2007. However, by 2021 this output had dropped by 55%, while jobs in the coal mining sector have more than halved over the past decade, to less than 40,000. We need to accelerate the buildout of wind and solar so that when the time comes we can wean ourselves off coal Michelle Solomon Most of the US’s coal plants are aging and increasingly expensive to maintain, while their fuel source has been widely displaced by cheap sources of gas. Environmental regulations, which Donald Trump vowed to roll back in an unfulfilled mission to revive the coal industry when president, have also imposed costs on the sector by enforcing cuts to toxic emissions such as mercury and sulphur dioxide. Coal production hit a 55-year low in 2020 but the industry saw subsequent signs of an uptick in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up the price of energy worldwide and saw pressure on countries to find an alternative fuel source to Russian gas. Supporters of coal contend it is a reliable fuel source at a time of instability and have attacked Joe Biden for attempting to shift the US away from fossil fuels. “Forcing essential coal capacity off the grid – without reliable alternatives and the infrastructure to support them – will only deepen reliability and economic challenges,” said Rich Nolan, president of the National Mining Association, in November. “Look to our friends in Europe, who blindly rushed to close coal plants at a rapid pace and are now working from Germany to Denmark to bring those same plants back online. The global energy crisis is real and imposing costly burdens on people around the world and here at home; taking deliberate steps to intensify that crisis is reckless and unthinkable.” While coal is in long-term decline it is unlikely to disappear in the immediate future – many utilities are still deeply invested in the fuel source and the scale of renewable infrastructure, including energy projects, new transmission lines and battery and other storage to cope with intermittent delivery, isn’t yet vast enough to trigger a mass shutdown of coal. But analysts say the broader trends, bolstered by last year’s climate spending, look set to call time on the era of coal. “We can’t just snap our fingers and retire all coal plants but we need to accelerate the buildout of wind and solar so that when the time comes we can wean ourselves off coal,” said Solomon. “There’s a huge opportunity here to invest in coal communities, build local economic resilience and save money in the process.” James Stock, an economist at Harvard University who was not involved in the Energy Innovation report, said the analysis “rings true” and that coal is no longer economically competitive. “We can’t shutter all these plants tomorrow, we need to do it in an orderly fashion to support grid reliability but we should be able to do it in fairly fast order,” he said. “Coal has been on a natural decline due to economics and those economics are going to continue, this is a transition that’s just going to happen. “We built a lot of coal plants in the US around 50 years ago because we were worried about energy security in the world. That made sense at the time and they made an important contribution. But we know a lot more now about climate change, so now we need to make different decisions.” This article was amended on 30 January 2023. An earlier version said that new solar is about a quarter cheaper than the cost for coal plants. At $24 and $36 respectively for each megawatt hour, new solar is about a third cheaper, not a quarter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/us-coal-more-expensive-than-renewable-energy-study
     
         
      10% of new cars sold last year were EVs Mon, 30th Jan 2023 9:44:00
     
      Nearly 1 out of every 10 new cars sold globally last year was an electric vehicle, according to a recent analysis from the research groups LMC Automotive and EV-Volumes.com. The number is a major milestone for EVs, which are gaining traction around the world as governments begin to envision — and codify — a future without the internal combustion engine. China led the world, both in the number of EVs sold — roughly 5 million out of a global total of 7.8 million — and in the fraction of its vehicle sales that were fully electric, 19 percent. Europe sold some 1.5 million fully electric EVs, making up 11 percent of its total new vehicle sales. In the United States, less than 6 percent of new cars sold in 2022 were fully electric vehicles, putting the country significantly behind Europe and China. But that’s still nearly double the fraction of EV sales the U.S. saw in 2021. Globally, the total number of EVs sold in 2022 jumped 68 percent over 2021 numbers. That rise is even more impressive considering the auto market’s overall decline in 2022: New car sales fell by about 1 percent last year, in part due to supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine. According to the Wall Street Journal, the automakers Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW each saw EV sales double last year despite decreases in the total number of cars they sold. Most of the new EVs sold in 2022 were Teslas — especially in the U.S., where they accounted for 65 percent of total sales. But other companies are gaining ground. Seeing EVs as a major opportunity for growth in the coming decades, automakers like Ford and Hyundai have recently released or announced new EV models, including electric SUVs and pickup trucks that are popular among American customers. To continue their growth trajectory, experts say carmakers will need to contend with rising prices for minerals used in EV batteries, like lithium.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/10-of-new-cars-sold-last-year-were-evs/
     
         
      Shell and BP face tough job of keeping customers and investors happy as profits roll in Sun, 29th Jan 2023 0:54:00
     
      The oil giants will also have to contend with intensifying calls to put more money into clean energy The bosses of Shell and BP face the same task as they prepare to present their companies’ annual results this week, but at completely different points in their tenures. Wael Sawan will make his City debut after taking over as Shell chief executive at the start of the year. Bernard Looney marks three years since a watershed presentation in London when he took over at BP, unveiling a target to hit net zero by 2050 or sooner. The pair now each have the task of convincing the public they are not profiteering during the energy crisis – while keeping investors sweet. Profits surged in 2022 on the back of high gas prices caused by the invasion of Ukraine, and are expected to stay high against historical averages this year, while oil prices have climbed in early 2023 as the Chinese economy reopens. Sawan will take his bow first, on Thursday, as he fronts Shell’s first full-year results since completing the relocation of its headquarters to London – where the business began as an importer of oriental seashells in the 1830s. He’s wasted little time since taking the role, having put Shell’s Europe home energy supply businesses under review. Shell’s figures will be suitably eye-watering: adjusted annual profits are expected to come in around $83bn (£67bn) against $55bn a year ago, including around $19bn in the final quarter of the year, against $16.3bn in the same period of 2021. The firm’s prized dividend – which was cut during the Covid crisis for the first time since the second world war – has been lifted by 15%. Shell is spending $18.5bn buying back its own shares this year, a statistic that has only increased the calls for the firm to allocate more of its cash pile towards renewable energy and less to rewarding shareholders. This year’s capital investment is expected to come in at between $23bn and $27bn, but renewables will make up a relatively small proportion of this. If Sawan chooses to change this narrative and ramp up the company’s green spending, he will be following in Looney’s footsteps. In February 2020, the Irishman said the company had to change to ensure a “rapid transition to net zero”, talking grandly about “reimagining energy for people and our planet”. In the three years since, much of Looney’s focus has been on navigating the pandemic, slashing 10,000 jobs in response. He has come under pressure from green groups pushing for BP to decarbonise more quickly, and from investors – some of which argue he needs to slow the transition to protect profits. The Guardian reported last month that BP plans to spend as much as double the amount on oil and gas projects as it will on renewable investments in 2023. Looney is also facing calls to show progress in the sell-off of its stake in Russia’s Rosneft. BP, which reports on 7 February, is expected to reveal fourth-quarter underlying profits of about $5bn. That would represent a slowdown from the $8.2bn recorded in the previous three months, but still outstrips the $4.1bn it made in the same quarter a year earlier. The BP and Shell updates come during an oil and gas earnings season in which France’s Total and American behemoths Chevron and Exxon will also update the market, with the five western oil giants expected to have raked in a huge $200bn in annual profits combined. This profit pot is expected to moderate to $150bn this year, will still be well above historical trends. The figures will doubtless reignite calls for Britain’s windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas operators to be further strengthened. Shell said this month that it expected to take a hit of about £1.7bn to earnings for the final quarter of 2022 as a result of windfall taxes in the UK and EU. BP said in early November that it expected to pay about $2.5bn in tax on its North Sea business this year, including $800m from the windfall levy. However, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, later raised the rate of the tax from 1 January. “Let’s not forget that these companies are richer because the rest of us are poorer,” said Alice Harrison of campaign group Global Witness. “Brits should be asking themselves whose side their government is on – those of us living in cold, draughty homes or an industry that’s riding the wave of the energy crisis and returning billions to its shareholders? “The UK needs a proper windfall tax on the profits of big polluters that isn’t undercut by tax relief and other subsidies for oil and gas companies.” CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson says the profits will “trigger the usual tired political carping when it comes to ‘obscene’ profiteering”, arguing that higher prices for oil and gas will persist if firms are not incentivised properly to develop newer sources of supply. However, he adds: “Oil companies don’t help themselves when they take the decision to continue to buy back billions of dollars in their own shares, rather than increase the amount of investment in renewable sources of energy.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/29/shell-and-bp-face-tough-job-of-keeping-customers-and-investors-happy-as-profits-roll-in
     
         
      Auckland floods: New Zealand city declares emergency after torrential rain Sat, 28th Jan 2023 8:40:00
     
      New Zealand's largest city has declared a state of emergency after torrential rain prompted widespread flooding and evacuations. Friday's downpour in Auckland shifted houses, stalled traffic and cut power to homes and businesses. The city is said to have received 75% of its usual summer rainfall in just 15 hours. "The impacts of the last 24 hours will be felt by many in Auckland for a long time," said the national forecaster. Auckland's mayor, Wayne Brown, has confirmed media reports that a body had been found in Wairau Valley on Auckland's North Shore. Mr Brown has said he is "deeply saddened" by the news. Police have not confirmed whether the death is linked to the flooding. He has also said infrastructure and emergency services had been "overwhelmed" by the impacts of the storm. In a statement, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it had been dealing with roughly 1,500 calls for assistance. The New Zealand Defence Force is helping with evacuations and emergency shelters have been set up across the city. Meanwhile, the mayor has defended himself against criticism that he was too slow to declare a state of emergency, saying he followed advice from experts. Ricardo Menendez March, a Green MP and Auckland resident, told the BBC that the area he lived in was quickly flooded and he had to evacuate, but was given shelter by a friend nearby. "There were people who were unfortunately not as lucky - low-income communities, disabled people, migrant communities as well," he said. Major roads were also blocked off by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways, with several traffic accidents reported. The flooding also disrupted travel to and from Auckland Airport. Domestic and international flights have now been grounded until at least 05:00 on Sunday. An Elton John concert, expected to be attended by 40,000 fans, was cancelled minutes before it was due to start. Other public events planned for the weekend have been cancelled. Footage online showed people trapped in waist-deep floodwater and rescuers carrying out evacuations on kayaks. Other pictures showed grocery items floating down the aisles of several flooded supermarkets. New Zealand's new Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, has tweeted to say the "Beehive Bunker" - a reference to the country's parliament building in the capital, Wellington - is helping with the co-ordination of the emergency response. Mr Hipkins is expected to travel to Auckland on Saturday. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), the country's climate science body, has said Friday was the wettest day on record for a number of locations in Auckland. Heavy rains have been forecast in various parts of the city for at least the next five days. "It goes without saying that we need to have a conversation about how climate change is making these events more frequent and how cities like Auckland are massively underprepared," said Mr March. While climate scientists have cautioned against attributing individual weather events to climate change, research by NIWA has found the warming planet is leading to more extreme weather events in New Zealand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64421920
     
         
      Climate activists guilty of smashing Barclays HQ windows spared jail Fri, 27th Jan 2023 16:00:00
     
      Women were found guilty of causing £100,000 damage to building in Canary Wharf, London Seven climate change activists who were found guilty of causing more than £100,000 of damage by smashing windows at the headquarters of Barclays Bankwere spared jail by a judge. Zoe Cohen, 52, Carol Wood, 53, Sophie Cowen, 31, Lucy Porter, 48, Gabriella Ditton, 28, Rosemary Webster, 64, and another protester, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged with criminal damage and pleaded not guilty. They were convicted and given suspended sentences on Friday. The women had used chisels and hammers to break glass panels on the exterior of the building in Canary Wharf in London on 7 April 2021, Southwark crown court heard. They wore patches that read “better broken windows than broken promises” as they placed stickers stating “in case of climate emergency break glass” on the windows of the bank. Diana Wilson, prosecuting, said: “We have spoken to Barclays and they do seek compensation.” Owen Greenhall, representing Wood and the unnamed protester, said: “The trial process is something that has had a significant impact on both my clients and is not something they would want to go through again. “There is no evidence of any serious distress caused in this case.” All the other protesters represented themselves. Rosemary Webster said: “I don’t feel that I am a criminal. I want to protect future generations. I do not call myself a protester, I call myself a climate defender.” When giving evidence during the trial, Zoe Cohen said she came from a Jewish family that escaped fascism, which partly inspired her climate activism. She told the court: “I am of Jewish origin. Today [Friday] is Holocaust Memorial Day. I can imagine what it must be like to be a teenager today and know what awaits.” In his sentencing remarks, Judge Alexander Milne KC said: “You appear to be proud of what you have done. You sought to justify what you have done by referencing your beliefs.” He warned the protesters: “You risk alienating those who you look to for support.” Milne acknowledged they had compared themselves to the suffragettes, but said: “Votes for women were not won just by breaking windows. I regard what you did as a stunt, a gimmick to attract attention. “Your primary mitigation is that you did take steps to ensure that no one would be physically injured during the protest and your sincerely held beliefs.” Ditton, Porter, Webster and the defendant who cannot be named were each given an eight-month suspended sentence. Wood and Cohen were each given a seven-month suspended sentence, and Cowan a six-month suspended sentence. All the sentences will be suspended for two years. Each defendant will have to pay £500 in prosecution costs, but no compensation costs were imposed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/27/climate-activists-guilty-smashing-barclays-hq-windows-escape-jail
     
         
      Global climate policy is gaining steam Fri, 27th Jan 2023 10:35:00
     
      The period between October and January saw the “strongest quarterly results” in the number and strength of climate-related policy and technology developments around the world since November 2021, according to a new assessment released on Wednesday. The analysis illustrates promising progress toward a pathway to limit global warming to 1.8 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit). “The EU and U.S. are now primed for a race to the top on clean technology as climate objectives take center stage,” said the analysis from Inevitable Policy Response, or IPR — a research group commissioned by the U.N.-backed Principles for Responsible Investment. Out of 117 climate-related policy and technology pledges and announcements made between October and January, 84 were projected to align with the 1.8-degree goal, while 17 were deemed “evidence of acceleration” — meaning they could keep global warming even lower. These include initiatives from the United States to reduce emissions from its transportation, buildings, power, and industrial sectors, supported by record funding in President Joe Biden’s climate spending bill. The U.S., Canada, Australia, and the EU have continued planning a phaseout of gasoline-powered cars and addressing methane from agriculture, while Brazilian and EU pledges to protect forests are making progress to end deforestation by 2030. China, which continues to lead the world in clean energy manufacturing, has also announced new objectives to achieve carbon neutrality. A separate analysis from IPR says trade competition among China and the U.S. and EU could lead to more ambitious climate action. That rivalry could drive major countries to build more clean energy capacity than ever before, IPR said. Recent commitments made under the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a program in which wealthy countries and investment banks help finance the phaseout of coal-fired power generation in the Global South, is expected to ramp down emissions in South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam. An assessment from the London School of Economics finds that national and international climate policies are increasingly prioritizing such “just transition” concepts, which broadly seek to deliver the benefits of clean-energy investment to underserved communities and to countries that have contributed little to the planet’s cumulative greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/global-climate-policy-is-gaining-steam/
     
         
      Climate crisis and migration: Greta Thunberg supports IOM over ‘life and death’ issue Fri, 27th Jan 2023 9:46:00
     
      The head of the UN migration agency IOM, and leading climate justice activist, Greta Thunberg, called on Friday for immediate action to help tackle the impacts of climate change on those forced to flee their homes, or leaving in search of a better life. António Vitorino, and Ms. Thunberg said they had “found much common ground” during a recent discussion about the impact of global climate change on human mobility. The Greta Thunberg Foundation has donated 275,000 Euros (around $269,000) to support IOM's emergency response to the historic floods in Pakistan and the crippling drought in Somalia. ‘Chain of events’ “We need to support people before they move, we need to support people while they move, and afterwards, it's a chain of events,” Ms. Thunberg said. “We need to think holistically like in any other emergency.” Mr. Vitorino said he was “fully aligned with the Swedish activist, adding that her generation was “a source of inspiration and of resilience and being relentless in addressing this huge challenge from our experience in the field.” With 20 million people displaced every year due to climate change, there is an urgent need to prevent global environmental crises and address the impacts of climate migration, said IOM. ‘Life and death’: Thunberg “This is a question of life and death for countless of people having to flee because of the climate crisis," Ms. Thunberg said. Climate migration can’t be dismissed, the pair agreed, and finding solutions for people to stay, for people on the move, and for people to move, is crucial. “The ones who are being more seriously hit by climate change are the populations that have less contributed in the past for the problems that we are confronted with,” said the IOM chief. “And therefore, there is a need of solidarity and co-responsibility for the fate of those populations that are already today experiencing in their daily lives the human suffering attached to climate change.” More than 15 million people in Somalia and Pakistan alone need humanitarian aid due to the recent extreme weather events, IOM estimates. The donation from the Greta Thunberg Foundation is helping the UN agency continue its emergency response to affected communities in both countries. Raising awareness "IOM is thankful for the generous contribution from the Foundation, and we are proud to cooperate with Greta to raise more awareness about the impact of climate on migration," said Mr. Vitorino. Ms. Thunberg highlighted the complementary actions of IOM and young climate activists. "Everyone has a different role to play. Organizations like IOM are vital in supporting people impacted by climate change, and those of us who can help you [IOM] in your work should do so. And those of us who can raise our voices to speak up for migrant justice and climate justice should do so," she said. Here’s a link where you can learn more about IOM Migration, Environment, Climate Change and Risk Reduction activities.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132897
     
         
      Google let Daily Wire advertise on ‘climate change is a hoax’ searches Fri, 27th Jan 2023 7:04:00
     
      Exclusive: Data shared by Center for Countering Digital Hate shows Ben Shapiro’s site bought ads on climate crisis denial search terms A media outlet founded by conservative influencer Ben Shapiro paid Google to advertise on search pages questioning whether the climate crisis is real, according to new research from a disinformation watchdog group. The Daily Wire bought ads on search terms over the past year such as “climate change is a hoax” and “why is climate change fake”, meaning that when people Googled these phrases, stories from Shapiro’s outlet were some of the first results that appeared, the research found. Google sold these ads even after announcing a new policy in October 2021 prohibiting ads that promote climate crisis denial. Its CEO, Sundar Pichai, publicly stated at the time that “when people come to Google Search with questions about climate change, we’ll show authoritative information from sources like the United Nations”. “Google’s hypocrisy knows no bounds,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the US and UK-based Center for Countering Digital Hate, which provided its research exclusively to the Guardian. “They’re actually selling the right to climate deniers to spread disinformation.” A spokesperson for Google didn’t contest the center’s new findings about the Daily Wire but said that “when we find content that crosses the line from policy debate or a discussion of green initiatives to promoting outright climate change denial, we remove those ads”. The Daily Wire didn’t respond to a list of detailed questions about its Google ad buys. For its research, Ahmed’s organization relied upon a commercial analytics tool called Semrush, which is used by many Fortune 500 companies and shows the Google phrases and search terms that brands advertise on. Semrush also provides estimates of the dollar amounts companies are spending on digital marketing efforts. Based on these estimates, researchers say that the Daily Wire could have spent almost as much as $60m on more than 150 Google search term ads over the past two years on various topics. These search term ads also included such phrases as “argument against reparations”, “bill gates population control”, and “why does george soros hate america”. More than a dozen of the search terms were climate-related, including: “climate change is a hoax” “climate change is a lie” “why is climate change fake” “climate change debunk” “the real truth about wind turbines” “is global warming a scam” “the climate change scam” The Google spokesperson would not comment on the spending estimate. The center focused on the Daily Wire because it is among the most popular publishers on Facebook, with levels of engagement that at times have surpassed the combined digital reach of the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News and CNN. In November 2021, the Center for Countering Digital Hate named the Daily Wire in a report as one of the top ten spreaders of climate disinformation on Facebook, along with other far-right outlets such as Breitbart, Newsmax and the Western Journal. Shapiro’s outlet, which reported more than $100m in revenue in 2021, was started with $4.7m in seed funding from Texas fracking billionaire Farris Wilks. In its latest research, the center said it found multiple instances of the Daily Wire promoting climate crisis denial through its Google advertisements. When people Googled the phrase “climate change debunk” in April 2022, one of the top results they were shown was an article authored by Shapiro entitled “Debunking Climate Change Hysteria”. “You’ve heard that climate change is going to put an end to all life on Earth; that it puts civilization in existential peril,” Shapiro claimed in the article. “These are lies.” Another Daily Wire ad from last summer linked the search phrase “climate change a hoax” – along with deliberately misspelled phrases like “gobal warming hoax” and “climate change hiax” – to the outlet’s 2016 article “9 Things You Need To Know About The Climate Change Hoax”, in which Aaron Bandler falsely claimed that “there is no evidence that the Earth has been warming in recent years”. “In accordance with our policy against climate change denial content, Google ads aren’t running on this page, nor is this page being promoted in Google ads,” Google said in relation to this specific article. But Google’s policies allow some wiggle room. “We will also continue to allow ads and monetization on other climate-related topics, including public debates on climate policy, the varying impacts of climate change, new research and more,” its policy says. Last July, the Daily Wire paid Google to promote its story “Wind Turbines Not Only Shred Birds But Are Piling Up In Landfills” anytime someone searched “the real truth about wind turbines”. Shapiro’s outlet has pushed discredited theories on a wide range of topics, including buying an ad last July on the search term “george floyd cause of death” which linked to a Daily Wire article stating that it likely was a fentanyl overdose, not police violence, that killed George Floyd in 2020. A Reuters fact check recently found “no evidence” for this claim. But on Google you don’t need to be factually correct in order to shape people’s opinions, the disinformation group pointed out. “Ninety-nine percent of Google clicks go to results on the first page,” Ahmed said. “If you can be the first result on a Google search, you essentially get to set the truth.” The Daily Wire’s climate ads are particularly egregious according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate because Google publicly presents itself as having one of the most aggressive sustainability plans of any large tech company. It promises to achieve the goal of “net-zero” carbon emissions in its operations by 2030, ten years earlier than Amazon. Last year, the company teamed up with the United Nations to provide people with “short and easy-to-understand information panels and visuals on the causes and effects of climate change” when they search for the topic on Google. Yet in a report last year the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that major climate polluters like BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell were purchasing ads on Google searches such as “net-zero” and “eco-friendly”, giving the impression that these companies were helping to fix the climate crisis instead of being the main contributors to it. Ahmed said The Daily Wire ad buys appear to be a direct contradiction of Google’s own promises to promote reliable information on the climate crisis: “Google has rules against their search ads being used to spread disinformation, they should be enforcing them, even against people who give them lots of money.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/27/daily-wire-google-ads-climate-crisis-deniers
     
         
      NSW plan to offer emissions offsets with car registration sends wrong message, critics say Fri, 27th Jan 2023 7:01:00
     
      Government told to focus on boosting uptake of electric vehicles, public transport, cycling and walking rather than offset ‘gimmick’ Drivers in New South Wales will be offered the chance to buy carbon offsets when they renew their car registration in a step critics have described as a “gimmick” that could undermine efforts to cut transport emissions. The NSW treasurer and energy minister, Matt Kean, announced the scheme on Friday saying it would give people “looking for practical ways to take action on climate change” more ways to cut their emissions. “More and more NSW drivers are opting for electric vehicles each year, however this scheme gives those drivers who haven’t made the switch yet the option to offset their emissions instead,” he said. When drivers of light vehicles receive their registration renewal, they will be offered the option to buy between $5 and $200 worth of Australian carbon offset credits. No overseas offsets would be bought. Kean said buying $80 of credits was the equivalent to offsetting 2.4 tonnes of CO2 – the average annual emissions of a light vehicle in the state. The transport sector was responsible for 22% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, with half of that coming from passenger vehicles, Kean said. But critics have lambasted the scheme for potentially deterring people from reducing their emissions. “This creates completely the wrong impression for consumers,” Bill Hare, an Australian climate scientist who advised the UN on appropriate use of offsets, said. ”It is a real concern to see the New South Wales government legitimising this through an official scheme. “At worst that could undermine people’s intent to find ways to reduce emissions from driving. Offsets don’t really reduce emissions, and they don’t compensate for an emission of carbon dioxide coming out of the tailpipe of a car.” He said the NSW government should focus on a more rapid rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure rather than promoting “gimmicks such as offering to offset drivers emissions per year for $80”. Hare said the best ways for people to cut their transport emissions are to use more public transport, bicycles and to get an electric vehicle. “New South Wales has a good set of policies here but these could be strengthened to make it easier for people in different circumstances to move to electric cars,” Hare said. Dr Jennifer Rayner, head of advocacy at the not-for-profit Climate Council, said public transport improvements and steps to make it easier for people to walk and ride were two key changes to shift people “away from polluting cars altogether”. “Given the range of clean transport options that are readily available, the focus for this sector should be on achieving near absolute zero emissions. This means getting as close to zero emissions as possible with minimal use of offsetting or ‘net zero’ accounting,” Rayner said. She said Australia was one of the only OECD countries – alongside Russia – that did not have fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles, which made the country “a dumping ground for expensive, polluting petrol and diesel cars”. Polly Hemming, director of the climate and energy research program at the Australia Institute, said the state government was “promoting the idea that you can just cancel out fossil fuel emissions” and this risked delaying the switch to low emissions transport. The use of carbon offsets has become increasingly controversial, with questions outstanding over whether some Australian tree-planting and forest regeneration projects have actually cut emissions. John Connor, chief executive of the Carbon Market Institute which represents stakeholders in the carbon offset industry, said there was “clearly more to be done” on transitioning transport away from fossil fuels. But he said this transition could not happen overnight and it was “unhelpful to simply dismiss offsetting” which, he said, was an important tool available for consumers to take responsibility for emissions. Making the announcement, the NSW government said it had appointed Corporate Carbon Advisory as the offset provider for the vehicle scheme and regeneration projects across the state would be supported. The scheme was part of the government’s zero emissions transport strategy, the government said, that included $209m for EV charging infrastructure. Stamp duty had been removed for EVs costing less than $78,000 and EVs costing less than $68,750 are eligible for a $3,000 rebate, the government said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/27/nsw-plan-to-offer-emissions-offsets-with-car-registration-sends-wrong-message-critics-say
     
         
      Boosting community solar with $10 million in prizes Thu, 26th Jan 2023 15:32:00
     
      In an effort to expand access to affordable renewable energy, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new competition last week to encourage the development of community solar projects. The Community Power Accelerator Prize will offer $10 million in prizes to help developers build community solar projects that deliver at least two benefits related to equity and energy resilience, including providing access to solar power for low- to moderate-income households, increasing household savings, boosting the electric grid’s resilience, and developing an equitable workforce. Awards of up to $200,000 will be distributed in three phases, with each competitor eligible for a total of $400,000. Community solar refers to an arrangement in which electricity generated by an offsite array of solar panels is shared among many individuals or businesses. It’s popular with people who can’t put solar panels on their rooftops, like many renters or apartment-dwellers. Participants buy or lease some of the panels and get a credit on their electric bill for the power their panels generate. The competition is intended to advance the Biden administration’s “Justice40” plan, which promises to direct at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal clean-energy investments to marginalized communities. The partnership behind the prize is “yet another exciting opportunity to harness the power of the sun to power our communities — helping make our climate goals a reality while lowering energy costs and reducing local air pollution,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. There were about 5.3 gigawatts of community solar installed nationwide as of last year. The Biden administration says tax credits from its landmark climate spending bill could support up to 18 gigawatts of additional community solar projects in low-income communities over the next decade — enough to power more than 2.5 million homes. Done right, the administration has said these projects could help build an equitable clean-energy workforce and make vulnerable communities more resilient to climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/boosting-community-solar-with-10-million-in-prizes/
     
         
      Electricity to be 100% renewable by 2035, say Welsh ministers Thu, 26th Jan 2023 12:48:00
     
      More heat pumps in homes and community energy projects are part of the Welsh government's target to meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewables in 12 years time. The latest estimates show renewables cover 56% of our energy consumption but Climate Change Minister Julie James called the new target "ambitious but credible", even with energy demand set to soar with the move towards electric cars and away from gas boilers. It is considerable scaling up of ambition, as the previous target was to reach 70% by 2030. The consultation includes plans to increase the capacity of renewable energy but also to reduce the demand for it. But there is no room for complacency, according to the leading think tank the Institute for Welsh Affairs (IWA). Electricity grid size 'holding back green energy' State-owned wind farm could cut bills - minister Auriol Miller from the IWA said "there's nothing automatic" about hitting these targets, and the government must focus on "finding new and alternative sources of energy", as well as reducing consumption through retrofitting homes. Speaking in the Senedd, the minister announced a consultation on the new targets, which "propose a pathway for us to meet the equivalent of 100% of our annual electricity consumption for renewable electricity by 2035, and to continue to keep pace with consumption thereafter". The plans include a target for at least 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of energy capacity to come from smaller-scale community-owned projects. And, subject to strengthened support from the UK government and reductions in cost, the minister wants 5.5GW of energy to be provided by heat pumps in the same time-frame. The latest estimates, published in 2020, show Wales already meets 56% of it electricity needs from renewable sources like wind, sun and water, but to reach 100% in just over a decade many barriers will need to be overcome. So how will they do it? Improving infrastructure Energy infrastructure, like the grid and connecting the energy generated by windfarms in the sea to that grid, are some of the huge challenges. As part of Tuesday's announcement, the minister said the Welsh government will provide £1m of funding to explore the potential of offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. The money will be match-funded by Associated British Ports (ABP) which says it will be used to "kick-start the development of a major green energy hub at Port Talbot". Andrew Harston from ABP said the £2m "is key to the construction of transformational infrastructure, which will enable the manufacturing, integration and assembly of floating offshore wind components at Port Talbot". Julie James conceded that the Welsh government's investment of £1m was a drop in the ocean, considering the level of funding needed to deliver floating wind offshore in south west Wales. But she said the investment signals to the industry Welsh ministers' commitment, and added "this is not the end of our support". Meanwhile, the UK government has acknowledged that a "step-change is needed" to boost grid capacity in Wales. A group of MPs has published a report looking at the problems with the grid here and, in a response published on Tuesday, the UK government said it will continue to work on "strategic planning, regulatory approval, planning consents and streamlining connections across Great Britain, including Wales". Streamlining planning Planning procedures must be improved, according to industry representatives. Manon Kynaston, deputy director of RenewableUK Cymru, a trade body that represents the industry, welcomed the revised target and agreed that it is ambitious but achievable. However, she said there is a great deal of work to be done to not only reach the targets but to keep those benefits in Wales. "To be able to reach those targets we need a system that is diverse and flexible, that includes fixed off shore wind from the coast of north Wales but also the significant opportunity we have of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. "We need to unlock some key barriers, mainly consenting and licensing, and also working closely with the UK government to ensure we have investment in our ports and infrastructure," she said. "We really need anticipatory investment to make sure the grid is fit for purpose to take advantage of the opportunities." Community projects Central to the Welsh government's vision is ensuring the benefits stay in local communities as much as possible, and the profits do not leave Wales to big multinational companies. Ynni Ogwen is one example of a community project the minister would like to see more of. It is a hydroelectric project on the Afon Ogwen near Bethesda in Gwynedd, which generates electricity and ploughs the profits back into the community. Recently the scheme gave £20,000 back to help ease the cost of living crisis in the area. Meleri Davies, a founder member of Ynni Ogwen, said it is great that there are new targets but the Welsh government "must ensure the projects are community based".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-64400703
     
         
      Ohio busts snowfall record as winter storm moves north Thu, 26th Jan 2023 5:51:00
     
      Millions of Americans remain under a winter storm watch as a powerful winter storm pushes north east, leaving heavy snow, flash floods and severe thunderstorms in its wake. The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings on Wednesday, as the storm moved across north-west Florida and southern Georgia. It comes a day after a tornado ripped through Texas, causing severe destruction along its route. There have been no reported deaths. Dayton, Ohio, broke a 108-year-old record for snowfall after recording 5in (12cm) of snow Wednesday, according to the NWS. The previous record of 4.9in was set in 1915. Snowfall from Texas to Maine is expected to reach between 4 and 8in, according to NWS, while northern New England and surrounding areas may see eight to 12in, possibly resulting in dangerous travelling conditions in the area. More than 120,000 homes and businesses in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas were without power as of Wednesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Chicago's Midway International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport accounted for most of the nation's flight cancellations. Wednesday's storms are a continuation of low-pressure systems that developed off the coasts of Texas and Florida that have started to move north, said Rachel Cobb, a meteorologist with the NWS. "It's pulling a lot of energy and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and that's what started the storms yesterday," Ms Cobb told the BBC. "And now as it tracks north and north east, it's meeting the cold air and we're seeing the heavy snow, one to two inches an hour." The biggest concerns are power outages from the Midwest to New England, she said, as a result of the heavy snow and high winds. Flash flooding and thunderstorms remain a possibility in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. Meanwhile, residents of parts of Texas are still clearing debris from the tornado that struck on Tuesday. "In my 25 years here, this is probably the worst damage I've seen," Josh Bruegger, a police chief in Pasadena, Texas, told reporters. In Pasadena, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Houston, roads were blocked by uprooted poles and downed power lines and "several commercial trucks were overturned", the Pasadena Police Department tweeted. Emergency crews who have already begun the process of restoring power and clearing out debris are bracing for the next round of bad weather. "For the coming days, we're going to have our hands full," Mr Bruegger said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64401720
     
         
      Food, feed and fuel: global seaweed industry could reduce land needed for farming by 110m hectares, study finds Thu, 26th Jan 2023 3:03:00
     
      Scientists identify parts of ocean suitable for seaweed cultivation and suggest it could constitute 10% of human diet to reduce impact of agriculture An area of ocean almost the size of Australia could support commercial seaweed farming around the world, providing food for humans, feed supplements for cattle, and alternative fuels, according to new research. Seaweed farming is a nascent industry globally but the research says if it could grow to constitute 10% of human diets by 2050 it could reduce the amount of land needed for food by 110m hectares (272m acres) – an area twice the size of France. But the authors of the research said there are a range of potential negative impacts on marine life that will need to be balanced with the benefits of a global seaweed farming industry. The study looked at 34 seaweed species and where they could feasibly grow and then narrowed this down to places with calm enough waters and close enough to populations where farms could be established. About 650m hectares (1,606m acres) was identified as plausible for seaweed farming, with the largest areas in Indonesia and Australia which both have large ocean regions under their economic control. “Cultivating seaweeds for food, feed and fuel within even a fraction of the 650m hectares of suitable ocean could have profound benefits to land use, emissions reduction, water and fertiliser use,” the authors wrote. Scott Spillias, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia who led the study published in Nature Sustainability, said: “People around the world are looking at the ocean as this big ‘untapped’ resource and asking if we should be using more of it.” One of the biggest benefits, the study said, would be the cultivation and use of red Asparagopsis as a cattle feed supplement that has been shown to result in drastically lower methane emissions from cows. One supplement based on the seaweed reportedly went on commercial sale to farmers in Australia last year. The study suggested cuts to methane emissions from using Asparagopsis could save 2.6bn tonnes of CO2-equivalent a year by 2050 – about the same as the current greenhouse gas footprint of India. Spillias said introducing more seaweed into human diets could also deliver benefits. In parts of Asia, seaweed makes up 2% of diets, but scaling this up to 10% globally could spare 110m hectares of land currently used for growing food. “Basically this is just people eating more vegetables,” he said. “If we grow seaweed, the best thing to do is for people to eat it rather than feed it to livestock, but that’s going to need some big cultural shifts.” The nine authors, from Australia and Austria, said more work is needed to understand the costs and benefits of any boom in seaweed farming, but “the magnitude of potential benefits supports the notion that seaweed farming in the ocean can play a pivotal role in our response to global sustainability challenges.” A review in 2019 of the risks of expanding seaweed farming in Europe highlighted concerns farms could upset the balance of marine ecosystems and could alter the way water around coastlines moves. “Converting even a few million hectares means a huge amount of development,” Spillias said. “We are modifying habitats and introducing materials to places where we haven’t before. “A lot of seaweed farming now is using plastic ropes and nets and we know the impacts of plastic on the ocean. If this is done on a large scale we need to find better materials.” He said if there was a widescale push globally for seaweed farming, there could be social implications. “Marine industries do not have a great reputation on human rights and if we’re farming seaweed largely out of sight, then we need to think of the people in these industries and make sure they’re being fairly treated,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/27/food-feed-and-fuel-global-seaweed-industry-could-reduce-land-needed-for-farming-by-110m-hectares-study-finds
     
         
      £1m paid to Octopus Energy customers as part of power saving scheme Wed, 25th Jan 2023 22:56:00
     
      More than £1m was paid to energy customers with Octopus Energy on Tuesday as part of a power saving scheme. The energy supplier said more than 400,000 customers took part by reducing their electricity use between 4.30pm and 6pm. National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Scheme kicked in for the first time on Monday amid cold temperatures, meaning more energy was being used while less energy was being generated by wind power. There was also uncertainty over how much power Britain could import through undersea cables from Europe. Coal-fired power stations in North Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire were put on standby in case supplies ran low, but were later stood down. It had been feared that the mixture of weather conditions, demand and generation issues could lead to blackouts. Octopus, British Gas, EDF and E.ON are all taking part in the scheme. It is only available to households with smart meters. The average customer was paid £2.50 in points for reducing their usage by an average of 60%. The top 5% were paid £15 in points. The Octopus deal can see the points turned into cash, “prizes” or donated to a fund for customers in need. More energy was saved on Tuesday, when the payment was larger, than on Monday, the firm revealed. Less than £1m was paid out on Monday. Energy firms had advised that customers could delay cooking their evening meal, or putting loads of washing on – as cookers and washing machines can use lots of electricity. The total amount of energy saved was about 250MWh (megawatt hours) nationwide, the same as the city of Liverpool going off grid for an hour, PA Media said. After being in action for two days, the scheme was not triggered for Wednesday. There had been trials before it was used properly for the first time this week. It will be in place until March 2023, the National Grid has said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jan/25/1m-paid-to-octopus-energy-customers-as-part-of-power-saving-scheme
     
         
      Bid by Australian startup Recharge could revive UK battery company Britishvolt Wed, 25th Jan 2023 7:58:00
     
      An Australian-based startup, Recharge Industries, has made a nonbinding offer for the collapsed UK battery company Britishvolt that could revive plans to construct a large plant in northern England. The bid was lodged in the UK late on Tuesday, shortly after a cash crunch at Britishvolt sent the company into administration. The collapse has severely dented the country’s attempts to modernise its automotive industry and supply the next generation of UK-built electric vehicles. Hundreds of jobs were made redundant as the cash ran out, and plans to build a £3.8bn (A$6.7bn) “gigafactory” near Blyth in Northumberland left in tatters. The Recharge Industries bid was first reported by the Australian Financial Review. A successful offer would give Recharge, an Australian company that sits under New York-based investment firm Scale Facilitation, immediate scale in a burgeoning industry. It also plans to start building a battery factory in Geelong, the former car manufacturing hub south-west of Melbourne. The proposed lithium-ion battery plant would not use Chinese or Russian materials, a decision that leverages Australia’s deep mineral deposits and limits supply chain risks. Scale Facilitation’s Geelong-born founder and chief executive, David Collard, said a Britishvolt deal made strategic sense. “Strengthening our friends in the UK, especially when most others are kicking them when they’re down, is in our interest and definitely in the spirit of Aukus,” Collard said, referring to the trilateral security pact. Britishvolt said earlier this month it was in talks over a majority sale but then promptly fell into administration, with the accounting firm EY now assessing its assets. The company has an extensive intellectual property portfolio which includes various licences, patents and module designs. Management had been in talks with a number of potential investors, including existing investors and an obscure Indonesia-linked group. The Guardian previously revealed that DeaLab Group, a UK-based private equity investor, and an associated metals business, Barracuda Group, were in talks over a £160m rescue deal. EY has previously said the UK company did not have sufficient equity for its research and development of facilities, prompting the appointment of administrators. The next stage of a sale process would typically involve approved bidders accessing the data room, where detailed information about the company’s operations is kept. Britishvolt was hoping to build the factory in phases to take advantage of rising EV demand ahead of the UK’s 2030 ban of new petrol and diesel cars. The plant was expected to employ about 3,000 workers when operating at full capacity and would have been able to supply 30 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries a year. The UK government had promised to provide £100m to support the project as countries around the world try to modernise and clean up their industrial processes to take advantage of new technology. The chief executive of Recharge Industries, Rob Fitzpatrick, said the operation would provide the Australian company with greater access to Europe should the offer proceed. “Demand for lithium-ion battery storage is continuing to go through the roof,” Fitzpatrick said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/25/australian-startup-recharge-bids-for-britishvolt-with-a-view-to-reviving-uk-battery-plant
     
         
      North Korea issues 'extreme cold' weather alert Tue, 24th Jan 2023 15:52:00
     
      North Korean authorities have warned of extreme weather conditions in the country as a cold wave sweeps the Korean peninsula. Temperatures are likely to dip below -30C in the northern regions, which are also the poorest part of the country, the state radio broadcaster said. Coastal areas are also expected to see high winds, according to state media. South Korea too has issued a cold wave warning and northern China has been experiencing record low temperatures. Temperatures are also expected to drop to their lowest in a decade in Japan this week. While North Korea has been affected by extreme or adverse weather much like other places, little is known about the impact of this on its people. Ryanggang, North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong, the country's poorest provinces and those expected to be most vulnerable to climate shocks, are all located in the north. Electricity is uncommon outside the capital Pyongyang, and households in these places burn wood, and dried plants for warmth during the winter, NK News has reported. It also says many merely use plastic wrap around their doors and windows for insulation. Radio Free Asia reported in December that "large numbers" of people in the country had gone missing late last year during another extremely cold spell. Many are thought to have starved or frozen to death, as the mercury dipped below freezing and food became scarce. China’s ‘North Pole’ sees record cold temperatures Europe and polar regions hit hardest by warming Food insecurity in North Korea is said to be at its worst since a widespread famine in the 1990s, according to Lucas Rengifo-Keller, a research analyst at Peterson Institute for International Economics in the US. Scientists say extreme weather, including cold waves, is becoming more common because of climate change. Tuesday's cold wave alerts come as Pyongyang prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army next week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64383442
     
         
      Rain stopped York council's £500k electric bin lorries working Tue, 24th Jan 2023 15:43:00
     
      Two electric bin lorries bought by City of York Council in a bid to cut carbon emissions were unable to operate when it rained, it has emerged. Rain caused the wagons to be taken off the city's roads for up to 26 days a month several times last year. The vehicles stopped working for a combined total of 481 days between January 2021 and November 2022. The council bought the vehicles in 2020 as part of its drive to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. Head of environmental services Ben Grabham said there had been "a few reliability issues". Data from a freedom of information (FOI) request showed there was just one month - November 2021 - when both vehicles were on the road every day. York resident and democracy campaigner Gwen Swinburn submitted the FOI request after noticing she saw the vehicles only "very occasionally". The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the issue was raised at a meeting by Councillor Pete Kilbane, who said the wagons cut out during wet conditions. Mr Grabham said following reliability issues the vehicles were now back in service and operating "absolutely fine" after refits by the manufacturer. City told it needs £3.8bn to hit net zero target Bin lorries to run on recycled vegetable oil ‘Greener textiles’ made from household waste The cost of hiring temporary bin wagons while the electric ones were out of service had been met by the manufacturer, Mr Grabham added. A total of 12 new bin lorries were bought by City of York Council in 2020 in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions from its fleet of vehicles by a third. Two of the wagons were electric, the other 10 met Euro 6 lower emissions standards. The Euro 6 emission standard sets a legal requirement for a car manufacturer to average CO2 emissions below 98g/km. Director of transport, environment and planning James Gilchrist told the meeting: "I think the reason we bought two - and not all - of the fleet as electric vehicles is for exactly that point. "They are a pilot and 'lessons learned' piece, rather than going fully electric for HGVs in one fell swoop."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64371642
     
         
      Biden administration unveils roadmap for a greener, more equitable transportation sector Tue, 24th Jan 2023 15:36:00
     
      Cars, trucks, planes, trains, and ships make up the U.S.’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions — about one-third of the nation’s total. Now, the Biden administration is laying out a strategy to clean up the transportation sector while also making it more convenient and just. Four federal agencies unveiled a “national blueprint for transportation decarbonization” earlier this month, a collaboration they described as the first of its kind for the federal government.. Co-published by the Departments of Energy, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the 88-page roadmap envisions a low-emissions mobility system that is “clean, safe, secure, accessible, affordable, and equitable, and provides sustainable transportation options for people and goods.” “The domestic transportation sector presents an enormous opportunity to drastically reduce emissions that accelerate climate change and reduce harmful pollution,” Jennifer Granholm, secretary of the Department of Energy, said in a statement. The document lays out three overarching strategies for decarbonizing transportation. The most straightforward — and the one that’s expected to cut greenhouse gases the most — involves replacing fossil fuels with cleaner alternatives. For the most part, this means cars, trains, and planes powered by batteries or green hydrogen, a fuel made using renewable electricity and water. The agencies also propose some level of decarbonization via “sustainable liquid fuels,” a category that includes biofuels made from corn, agricultural waste, or algae. The two other strategies, “increasing convenience” and “improving efficiency,” are more cross-cutting, a nod to the interconnected nature of the transportation sector. Putting schools, workplaces, and businesses closer to people’s homes could cut down on traffic, simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting quality of life. Better walking and biking infrastructure can also encourage physical activity and make travel safer. Improving efficiency involves fewer single-occupant vehicles and more people on trains and buses, which can shuttle more people around while using less space and energy. Cars, buses, and trains can also become more efficient themselves, using newer technology to go farther with less fuel or electricity. Such improvements can reduce energy use and save people money. The report identifies opportunities within both strategies — increasing convenience and improving efficiency — to rectify environmental injustices related to the transportation sector. As a result of decades of restrictive housing policies and zoning laws, poor people and people of color tend to face a disproportionate burden of air pollution from major transit corridors like highways — all while living farther from reliable public transit than their whiter and more affluent counterparts. The roadmap says new transportation investments should benefit these people, including through new job opportunities and by building more affordable housing near transit centers. Environmental advocates have applauded the roadmap for highlighting decarbonization solutions that go beyond electric cars, although some have raised eyebrows at its “ambivalence” on biofuels. According to the roadmap, 50 billion gallons of these fuels will be needed by 2050 for every mode of transportation except passenger vehicles — but especially for aviation and shipping. Environmental advocates argue that crop-based biofuels can drive deforestation and biodiversity loss and that other kinds of biofuels are not technologically viable. Even when they decrease greenhouse gas emissions, research suggests they may have unintended knock-on effects, like when fertilizer runoff causes rivers, lakes, and ocean areas to lose their oxygen, suffocating the animals that live there. The federal agencies emphasize more research is needed to produce sustainable fuels in a way that “considers climate change, land use, water, and ecosystem implications.” The roadmap doesn’t represent a commitment from the federal government to clean up the transportation sector, but Deron Lovaas, a senior policy adviser for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a blog post that it’s a promising “starting gun” — a vision that can become reality with concrete action plans from each of the four federal agencies, as well as coordinated action from states and companies. Federal agencies “have a lot of leverage and influence,” Lovaas told Grist, but they’ll be hard-pressed to reach their decarbonization targets on their own. “State agencies are key,” he added, urging them to support the federal roadmap by launching their own transportation projects, taking advantage of unprecedented federal funding from President Joe Biden’s climate spending and bipartisan infrastructure laws.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/transportation/biden-administration-unveils-roadmap-for-a-greener-more-equitable-transportation-sector/
     
         
      China: Northern city of Mohe reports coldest temperature Tue, 24th Jan 2023 12:42:00
     
      China's northernmost city, Mohe, has recorded its lowest temperature since records began. Mohe - known as "China's North Pole" - is in the province of Heilongjiang, close to the Russian border. On Sunday, its local meteorological station recorded a record-low temperature of -53C (-63F) at 7am. The previous coldest temperature on record in the city was -52.3C, in 1969. However, the temperature is probably still shy of China's national record. The coldest temperature ever recorded in China is -58C, in the city of Genhe, Inner Mongolia in December 2009, according to media reports of a visit by government meteorologists. Other records, however, have the 1969 cold snap in Mohe as the lowest - meaning Sunday's -53C temperature could be China's lowest ever. By contrast, the lowest temperature recorded in the UK is -27.2C, set in different parts of Scotland in 1895, 1982 and 1995. Mohe is no stranger to cold weather: China Daily says the city is regarded as the coldest in China, and that its winter period "usually lasts eight months". As a result, it attracts tourists throughout the year with its "North Pole", ice and snow parks, and skiing venues. In previous years, it has also hosted winter marathons. This time of year, it is common for the city to see average temperatures of -15C. In the past week, China's meteorological authority issued alerts for plunging temperatures and cold winds in the region. The Xinhua News Agency said a number of areas in the Greater Khingan mountain range, which spans Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, saw new record low temperatures over the weekend. Since Friday, temperatures dipped below -50C in Mohe for three consecutive days, which outlets have said is unprecedented. Beijing News reported on Friday that coal consumption has increased by a third in the city, as the cold weather bites. Car companies also told the paper they had taken advantage of the cold to test the braking performance of vehicles. One resident told Kanji Video that his hands had been numb within 10 seconds of stepping outdoors, but that he had seen very few other people around. "It becomes hazy about 100m in front of you, you can't see anyone," he said. A tourist, surnamed Li, told Beijing News that he had made a special trip from China's southernmost province, Guangdong, to experience the extreme weather. "I didn't expect it to get below -50C this year, it was quite a surprise," he told the paper. Meanwhile, the official broadcaster, CCTV, showed a journalist breaking an egg on an outdoor surface - causing the egg to freeze within seconds. More generally, the media are paying tribute to essential workers - including police officers, firefighters, soldiers and street cleaners - who are continuing to work outdoors during the cold. China has seen record temperatures over the past year, for heat as well as cold. Earlier this month, the Xinhua news agency said that the country had recorded the hottest summer and autumn in 60 years, with multiple cities breaking records. Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather generally - and while scientists agree global temperatures are rising, that doesn't mean we will stop having periods of very cold weather.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64378176
     
         
      More net zero help needed for councils, warn MSPs Tue, 24th Jan 2023 2:45:00
     
      Scotland's climate change targets could be missed unless local government is given more support, a Holyrood committee has warned. The net zero, energy and transport committee said councils were best placed to achieve climate goals. But it said they needed more help to access funding and skills amid ongoing financial pressures. The Scottish government said it would work closely with local authorities on delivering sustainability. The report follows a year-long inquiry into the role councils should play to achieve net zero targets. It recommends developing a route map with guidance on how the sector should contribute. Is Scotland still a leader on climate change? Scotland loses climate change lead, advisers warn The latest headlines from Scotland The committee said the Scottish government should provide councils with extra financial support in future budgets, as well as helping them access specialist knowledge. It also called for joint work on an investment strategy to attract private investors. Convener Edward Mountain said: "Over the course of almost a year of evidence-taking, it's clear that unless key barriers facing local government are dealt with, we will not reach net zero by 2045. "Local government is the layer of democracy closest to communities. "They have local knowledge and capacity to lead by example and are also uniquely well-placed to form the partnerships we're going to need at a local and regional level." 'Watershed moment' Local authority body Cosla called the report a "watershed moment" for combatting climate change. Environment and economy spokeswoman Gail Macgregor said: "Local government is committed, locally and nationally, to leading the net zero transition. "But Cosla has been open that local authorities can't do that effectively without the increased support of Scottish government." The Scottish government said it would continue to work closely with local authorities on reaching climate goals. "In 2023-24, we are increasing the resources available to local government by over £570m, a real terms increase of £160.6m or 1.3%," a spokesperson said. They added that private investment was critical to achieving net zero and said the government would try to provide more leverage in securing such funding.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64366541
     
         
      $490 million to reduce wildfire risk Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 12:38:00
     
      Rising temperatures and a sprawling “megadrought” have turned wildfire season into a year-round threat for much of the American West. Now, the Biden administration is expanding efforts to keep people and infrastructure safe. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, said on Thursday it would put $490 million toward mitigating the risk of wildfires in 11 fire-prone landscapes across Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The funding, made possible by President Joe Biden’s landmark climate spending and bipartisan infrastructure laws, builds on the federal government’s previously announced Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which in 2022 identified 250 high-risk zones across the Western U.S. and awarded fire resilience funding for projects in 10 initial areas. The new funding will help the Forest Service (which is part of the USDA) lower the risk of explosive wildfires by thinning forests and conducting prescribed burns, low-intensity fires that are intentionally set in order to keep forests healthy and clear out dense vegetation. The USDA also plans to invest in community programs to create wildfire protection plans and help residents make their homes more fireproof. The agency says its efforts will mitigate fire risk to some 200 communities across the West and that it’s prioritizing protections for “underserved communities, critical infrastructure, public water sources, and tribal lands.” “We will use every tool we have to address this crisis and make your communities safer,” Homer Wilkes, the USDA’s undersecretary for natural resources and the environment, said in a statement. Between 2015 and 2021, wildfires burned more than 56 million acres nationwide and destroyed thousands more structures than in previous years. Brian Kittler, vice president of forest restoration for the nonprofit American Forests, applauded the government for, as the Forest Service puts it, “learning to live with wildland fire” — a stark contrast with the agency’s historical tendency to suppress forest fires at all costs. By managing rather than preventing wildfires, Kittler told me, the Biden administration can not only protect people’s homes but also reduce fire-related air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improve forest health.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/490-million-to-reduce-wildfire-risk/
     
         
      Pakistan power cut: Major cities without electricity after grid breakdown Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 11:47:00
     
      Pakistan suffered a huge power cut early on Monday following a breakdown in its national grid, leaving millions of people without electricity. Power was out in all the country's major centres, including the biggest city Karachi, the capital Islamabad, as well as Lahore and Peshawar. Power minister Khurrum Dastagir said the grid failure followed a "frequency variation" in southern Pakistan. He insisted this was "not a major crisis" and power would be back soon. Pakistan often suffers from power cuts, which are blamed on mismanagement and a lack of investment in infrastructure. The last major blackout in October took hours to restore. In a statement. the energy ministry said that at about 07:30 local time (02:30 GMT) the grid "experienced a loss of frequency, that caused a major breakdown", adding that "swift work" was taking place to revive the system. Some grids in the country had already been restored, Mr Dastagir said. He told Reuters news agency that power would be restored by 2200 local time. He told Geo TV that parts of the electricity were turned off overnight because the demand for energy during winter was less than in summer, when much of the country experiences very high temperatures and people use air conditioning and fans. "In winter, the demand for electricity reduces nationwide, hence, as an economic measure, we temporarily close down our power generation systems at night," he said. When they were turned on in the morning, "frequency variation and voltage fluctuation" were observed in southern Pakistan "somewhere between Dadu and Jamshoro" and subsequently "power generating units shut down one by one", he told the TV channel. It meant that across the country, traffic lights went down, fans stopped and lights went off. Rapid transit trains in Lahore - the driverless Orange Line metro - were suspended because of the power cut, transport officials told the BBC. Many in Pakistan are used to dealing with fluctuating power supplies and load shedding - where electricity to some areas is temporarily reduced in order to prevent the failure of the entire system - is common. Businesses, industries and homes often have their own generators which kick in when the electricity is cut. Airports operated normally on Monday because they have their own standby power systems, a spokesman for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said. Officials at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told the BBC that hardly any department had been affected by the power cut because generators have been used to provide electricity to every department, including the emergency wards and intensive care units. However, while hospitals and larger industries may have bigger generators, other smaller organisations or private homes will not necessarily have enough power to last for many days. Earlier this month the government ordered all malls and markets to shut by 20:30 and restaurants by 22:00 under a new energy saving plan. Fuel crisis forces Pakistan malls to close early The cabinet said that this was expected to save the country around 62bn Pakistani rupees ($270m; £220m). Federal departments have been told to reduce their electricity usage by 30%. Pakistan generates most of its power using imported fossil fuels. As global energy prices have increased in the last year, further pressure has been put on the country's finances and its foreign reserves which it needs to pay for energy imports.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64369144
     
         
      ‘No chance’ of global heating below 1.5C but nuclear tech ‘promising’ in climate crisis, Bill Gates says Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 8:35:00
     
      Billionaire and founder of Microsoft tells Sydney audience it is ‘great to have Australia on board on climate’ The world will be lucky to avoid 2.5C of heating, but emerging technology may help avert even worse, Bill Gates has told a Sydney audience. The US billionaire and philanthropist told the Lowy Institute on Monday that while malaria still killed more children – 400,000 a year – the climate crisis was “worth investing in massively because it will get worse and worse over time”. There was “no chance” of limiting warming to the Paris climate goal of 1.5C compared with pre-industrial levels, and it was “very unlikely” it could be kept to 2C, Gates said. “The key is to minimise the warming as much as possible,” he said. “At this point, to stay below 2.5C would be pretty fantastic. I do think that’s possible.” Gates remains among the world’s richest people, despite having donated $US35bn ($50bn) to mid-2022, with his former wife, Melinda Gates, and pledging another $US20bn. Asked about the policies of the government led by Anthony Albanese, whom Gates met over the weekend, the Microsoft founder said it was “great to have Australia on board on climate” after the country had been an “outlier until quite recently”. The country was “very blessed” with renewable energy resources and the minerals needed for a transition away from carbon. “Australia is rare in that the opportunities exceed what you have to give up,” he said. Gates said his investment in the Perth-based firm Rumin8, announced on Monday, was his 103rd foray into climate start-ups, from energy and aircraft to steel. Rumin8 aims to reduce methane emissions from cattle. Nuclear fission and fusion were both “very, very promising” energy sources not dependent on the weather for generation, he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Still, he said the government’s approach to wait 15 years for proof that the technology of small modular reactors was safe and cheap and the waste can be handled “was a very good attitude”. “I don’t know whether it will succeed,” he said. “I’ve put billions of dollars into [nuclear technology], so I must think there’s some chance.” “Even if nuclear succeeds, we’re still going to need 60-70% renewables,” Gates said. “I think the world is underinvested in those [nuclear] innovations because they could make a huge difference.” On other issues, Gates said there were still “huge factors pushing for global trade”, even with a “fear of dependency on China”. These include the cross-border need for copper, lithium and cobalt “as part of the green energy revolution”. “It is sad that we’re evolving into a world where [there’s] the willingness, certainly of the US, to be independent of things from China,” he said. “It will create significant inefficiencies if globalisation goes into reverse.” Still, Gates said he was hopeful that major advances were still possible to tackle many health and other issues. “We will cure obesity, we will cure cancer, we will eradicate polio,” he said. “I’m still very optimistic that it will be much better to be born 20, 40, 60 years from now than [at] any time in the past.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/23/no-chance-of-global-heating-below-15c-but-nuclear-tech-promising-in-climate-crisis-bill-gates-says
     
         
      We’ll need natural gas for years — but can start blending it with green hydrogen today, CEO says Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 6:55:00
     
      Produced using electrolysis and renewables like wind and solar, green hydrogen has some high-profile backers. While some are hugely excited about green hydrogen’s potential, it still represents a tiny proportion of global hydrogen production. Today, the vast majority is based on fossil fuels, a fact at odds with net-zero goals. From the United States to the European Union, major economies around the world are laying out plans to move away from fossil fuels in favor of low and zero-carbon technologies. It’s a colossal task that will require massive sums of money, huge political will and technological innovation. As the planned transition takes shape, there’s been a lot of talk about the relationship between hydrogen and natural gas. During a panel discussion moderated by CNBC’s Joumanna Bercetche at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the CEO of energy firm AES offered up his take on how the two could potentially dovetail with one another going forward. “I feel very confident in saying that, for the next 20 years, we need natural gas,” Andrés Gluski, who was speaking Wednesday, said. “Now, what we can start to do today is … start to blend it with green hydrogen,” he added. “So we’re running tests that you can blend it up to, say 20%, in existing turbines, and new turbines are coming out that can burn … much higher percentages,” Gluski said. “But it’s just difficult to see that you’re going to have enough green hydrogen to substitute it like, in the next 10 years.” Produced using electrolysis and renewables like wind and solar, green hydrogen has some high-profile backers. These include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has called it “one of the most important technologies for a climate-neutral world” and “the key to decarbonizing our economies.” While some are hugely excited about green hydrogen’s potential it still represents a tiny proportion of global hydrogen production. Today, the vast majority is based on fossil fuels, a fact at odds with net-zero goals. Change on the way, but scale is key The planet’s green hydrogen sector may still be in a relatively early stage of development, but a number of major deals related to the technology have been struck in recent years. In December 2022, for example, AES and Air Products said they planned to invest roughly $4 billion to develop a “mega-scale green hydrogen production facility” located in Texas. According to the announcement, the project will incorporate around 1.4 gigawatts of wind and solar and be able to produce more than 200 metric tons of hydrogen every day. Despite the significant amount of money and renewables involved in the project, AES chief Gluski was at pains to highlight how much work lay ahead when it came to scaling up the sector as a whole. The facility being planned with Air Products, he explained, could only “supply point one percent of the U.S. long haul trucking fleet.” Work to be done, then. High hopes, with collaboration crucial Appearing alongside Gluski at the World Economic Forum was Elizabeth Gaines, a non-executive director at mining giant Fortescue Metals Group . “We see green hydrogen as playing probably the most important role in the energy transition,” she said. Broadening the discussion, Gaines also spoke to the need for collaboration in the years ahead. When it came to “the resources that are needed to support the green transition, and similar[ly] to the production of green hydrogen,” she argued there was a need “to work closely with government and regulators.” “I mean, it’s one thing to say we need more lithium, we need more copper, but you can’t do that without getting the approvals, and you need the regulatory approvals, the environmental approvals,” she said. “You know, these things do take time, and we wouldn’t want that to be the bottleneck in the energy transition, similar to the skills and resources that we need.” Kivanc Zaimler, energy group president at Sabanci Holding, also stressed the importance of being open to new ideas and innovations. “We have to — we need to — embrace, we have to welcome, we have to support all the technologies,” he said. These included both hydrogen and electric vehicles. Expanding on his point, Zaimler spoke of the need for cooperation, especially when it came to hydrogen. “We have to bring all the right people around the table — academicians, governments, private sectors, players around the entire value chain.” This included, “the manufacturing of the electrolyzer, the membranes, the green energy producers, the users.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/23/energy-ceo-thinks-natural-gas-will-be-around-for-years-to-come-.html
     
         
      Low-carbon jobs fell after Cameron’s kibosh on ‘green crap’ policies – study Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 6:40:00
     
      Exclusive: proportion of green job openings in UK ‘declined significantly’ after 2012, analysis shows Job opportunities in Britain’s low-carbon economy have fallen sharply since David Cameron’s government decided to cut policies he described as “green crap”, with fewer vacancies now available as a share of the economy than in 2012, a study reveals. Academics at the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment found the proportion of green job openings being advertised in the UK “declined significantly” after 2012. Analysing the structure of the low-carbon economy using online job adverts, they said the share of green employment opportunities dropped from 1.8% of all openings in 2012, to a low point of just 1.1% by 2018. It then increased to 1.6% in 2021, but remained below the level seen almost a decade earlier. The report highlighted cuts to government support for green projects under Cameron, who was reported to have told aides in November 2013 to “get rid of all the green crap” from energy bills. At the time, his team said they did not recognise the phrase, but did not issue an explicit denial, and it came to symbolise the sea change from his previous claim to be leading “the greenest government ever”. The government then went on to scrap or cut the funding for a wide range of green policies, including support for onshore wind, solar power subsidies and help for homeowners to bring down their energy bills by installing insulation. The report said the fall in green job opportunities “coincided with removal of funding for various supply-and-demand-side energy schemes from 2012-13 and the decline in broader climate policies during this period. “While our analysis cannot attribute a causal link between these trends and policy developments, the decline in the earlier part of the sample period coincides with a decline in policy support for renewables and broader climate initiatives.” It said the more recent increase correlated with renewed government focus on green policies, including Theresa May’s pledge to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050, her industrial clean-growth strategy and Boris Johnson’s 10-point green plan. Rishi Sunak is under pressure over his support for greening the economy, amid accusations that he lacks the commitment of his predecessor. Tony Danker, the director general of the Confederation of British Industry lobby group, warned last month that Sunak’s government was “going backwards” on plans to build a greener economy, leaving business bosses “confused and disappointed”. Despite successive governments talking up Britain’s potential to become a world-leading green economy, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the low-carbon and renewable energy sector has failed to grow since 2014. Tallying with the findings of the Grantham Research Institute study, the ONS also said the number of green jobs had slumped over the period. The researchers found that the areas of the UK with the highest proportion of green jobs were located outside the south-east of England. Despite there being a high number of low-carbon job vacancies in London, they represent a relatively small share of the capital’s overall labour market. “These patterns provide some evidence to suggest that the low-carbon transition can provide regionally balanced economic opportunities in the UK,” it said. Analysis by Carbon Brief, a climate information website, found that maintaining the green policies would have reduced energy costs across the UK economy by as much as £8.3bn a year. It said this had left consumers exposed to higher bills amid the cost of living crisis, equating to a cost of about £150 a year for each household. A government spokesperson said: “The UK is leading the world on tackling climate change – in fact we’ve cut emissions by over 44% since 1990 while growing our economy by 76%. This net zero transition will provide huge opportunities for UK jobs, investment, innovation and exports – since late 2020 our policies have supported 68,000 green jobs.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/23/low-carbon-jobs-fell-after-david-cameron-kibosh-on-green-crap-policies-study
     
         
      Government to offer £600m for green steel switch Mon, 23rd Jan 2023 3:31:00
     
      The government is expected to announce hundreds of millions of pounds of support to help Britain's two biggest steelmakers go green. The funding for British Steel and Tata Steel UK is likely to be unveiled by the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, this week. Each is expected to receive around £300m of grants to help pay for a switch away from coal-fired blast furnaces and help with energy costs. It will also protect thousands of jobs in Britain's industrial heartlands. Central to the offer of support are the companies' blast furnaces. These use vast quantities of coking coal, a treated form of coal, to smelt iron from ore-bearing rock. As a result they produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide, which drives global warming. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told the BBC it was working closely with the steel industry to secure what it describes as "a sustainable and competitive future". Sources told the BBC last week that a £300m funding package was being considered for British Steel. This follows a request by British Steel, which is owned by Chinese company Jingye, for hundreds of millions of pounds of grants to prevent the closure of its blast furnace at Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire. UK steel industry a whisker away from collapse - Unite Liberty Steel restructuring puts 440 jobs at risk Tata Steel wants roadmap to make industry greener However, sources close to Tata Steel, the Indian-owned company which runs the UK's largest steel plant in Port Talbot in South Wales, say £300m may not be enough to persuade it to make the vast investment needed. Internal company estimates are understood to put the cost of switching the company's Port Talbot works to producing emissions-free "green steel" at up to £3bn. One industry expert said an offer to cover 10% of the costs may not be sufficient. A deal needs to come soon, the head of the Unite Union, Steve Turner, has told Business Secretary, Grant Shapps. The steel industry is "a whisker away from collapse" Mr Turner said in a letter last week. Foreign competition Last year Tata warned it could be forced to close its UK operations if it did not receive support to help it move to less-carbon intensive production. Henrik Adam, the CEO of Tata's operations in Europe, has told the BBC the company needs "the same support" as its competitors abroad. He said government investment was necessary to help the Port Talbot works transition to the production of green steel. He said on-going assistance was also needed to ensure energy costs were similar to those of its rivals, particularly in Europe. The UK can not depend on steel from abroad, he warned. "Recent geopolitical events" have shown the risks of relying on imports only, said Dr Adam. Tata produces about 3.6m tonnes of steel a year in the UK, a process which uses enough energy to power more than 600,000 UK homes. It has a correspondingly huge carbon footprint. The Port Talbot plant is responsible for 2% of UK carbon emissions and more than 15% of Wales' emissions. It has long been recognised that traditional steel production, with its reliance on coal to produce iron, is not compatible with the UK's legally binding commitment to massively reduce CO2 emissions in the coming decades. There are two main options for the production of low-carbon or "green steel". A plant in Sweden is already making iron using hydrogen instead of coal. But to do so in the UK would require a huge investment in green hydrogen to ensure supplies of the gas from renewable sources. The more likely option for the two UK plants is a switch to electric arc furnaces. These could recycle the large amount of scrap steel the UK produces and could be powered by electricity from renewable sources. Both options would mean the future of British steel won't involve coal, says Tata's Henrik Adam. That raises questions about another aspect of the government's industrial policy, the viability of a proposed new coal mine in Cumbria. West Cumbria Mining, the owners of the new mine, refused to comment on the implications of a switch to coal-free steel in the UK. The government's cash is expected to be dependent on pledges of investment from the two steel companies and a guarantee that their plants will continue to operate to 2030. Workers at the Tata plant say they are optimistic about the plans for low-carbon production. "It is so exciting to think about the future of this plant and the impact that we can have on decarbonisation for the whole of the UK", said Laura Baker, who creates the "recipes" that ensure the steel made in the Port Talbot plant meets the precise requirements of its customers. "Our customers are really wanting us to decarbonise so that they can decarbonise their own supply chains', she said. But should hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money go to help private companies like Tata and British Steel upgrade their facilities? "I think there is a role for government to provide targeted support in the first stages of a completely new technological deployment", said Lord Adair Turner, the chairman of the Energy Transitions Commission, a group of business leaders who want to speed up the decarbonisation of the global economy. "We can't be purist about this, the US is now doing this on a massive scale", he said, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act which involves almost $400bn of funding for low-carbon energy and climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64366998
     
         
      Germany to join Mediterranean hydrogen pipeline project Sun, 22nd Jan 2023 23:14:00
     
      The hydrogen pipeline will bring "green" gas from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe. France, Portugal, and Spain previously agreed to build the pipeline, which should be operational by 2030. Germany will join a new hydrogen pipeline project between Spain, Portugal and France, according to the Franco-German declaration on Sunday's 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty. The project, called H2Med, will connect Portugal and Spain with France and now Germany to supply about 10% of the European Union's hydrogen demand by 2030. The pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea will carry green hydrogen, made from water via electrolysis using renewable energy. The Spanish government estimates H2Med will be able to supply some two million metric tons of hydrogen annually. It comes as Europe scrambles to reduce dependence on Russian energy and shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy. Germany and France committed to developing hydrogen production German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron said they were "stepping up our investments in the technologies of tomorrow, particularly renewable and low carbon energies." A joint working group between the two countries will make "recommendations on our strategic choices regarding hydrogen development," at the end of April 2023. Macron said after hosting Scholz in Paris, "We started to talk about a strategy for what we want to do on an energy point of view." Scholz noted, "We want hydrogen to be available in large quantities and at affordable prices as the gas of the future." Scholz added, "This is a technological advance that we can only achieve together. And we have also agreed closely that we want to achieve this together." Spain welcomes Germany's inclusion Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the news by posting a message on Twitter saying it "definitely strengthens its pan-European dimension." He added it showed support for European energy sovereignty, adding a muscle emoji to his message. When Madrid, Paris and Lisbon agreed in December to build the pipeline, it was expected to cost €2.5 billion ($2.6 billion). However, it wasn't immediately clear how much Germany's inclusion would add to the costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-join-mediterranean-hydrogen-pipeline-project/a-64483071
     
         
      Coal power stations fired up and customers paid to cut energy use in UK cold snap Sun, 22nd Jan 2023 22:38:00
     
      National Grid asks Drax and EDF to start warming three plants and says it will activate its live demand flexibility service on Monday evening Britain’s electricity generators have been forced to warm up coal-fired power stations for the second time this winter and selected households will be paid to cut their electricity use for the first time as the cold snap persists. With a high-pressure weather system and associated light winds likely to dominate for a few more days, National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) said early on Sunday it had asked Drax to start “warming” two of its coal units at its North Yorkshire site and EDF to do the same for one at its West Burton plant in Nottinghamshire to ensure supplies on Monday. The operator added that it was also activating its live demand flexibility service between 5pm and 6pm on Monday. Selected customers will be financially incentivised to cut their consumption between those hours. The request over the power plants followed a similar request in the middle of December, although then the coal-fired stations were not used, as the operator generated enough power from other sources.“Our forecasts show electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Monday evening,” the ESO said. “We have instructed coal-fired power units to be available to increase electricity supplies should it be needed tomorrow evening. “This does not mean electricity supplies are at risk and people should not be worried. These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity we need.” Last summer, amid a peak in gas prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ESO negotiated a winter contingency contract with a number of coal generators at the request from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. “Overall, this is likely to be a challenging winter for energy supply throughout Europe. We have taken extensive measures to try to mitigate the impacts for British consumers and expect that, under our base case, margins will be adequate,” ESO said at the time. Normally there is enough power generated by onshore and offshore wind turbines. However, ESO said it had taken the precautionary step to ensure the lights stayed on as the country gets back to work on Monday. With much of the UK enjoying light winds and a cold sunny Sunday, wind power accounted for just 6.89 gigawatts, about 17.6% of the total being generated. Two weeks ago, on 10 January, British windfarms were producing three times as much power, averaging 21.69GW, and setting a new record. In spite of Sunday’s move to prepare coal-fired units for generation, data shows the UK’s generation is becoming greener. More than 50% of the country’s electricity came from zero-carbon sources in December and another record was achieved on 30 December, with a peak of 87.2% of electricity coming from zero-carbon sources in one day, according to ESO.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/22/coal-fired-power-stations-restarted-again-as-uk-cold-snap-bites
     
         
      Grant Shapps says Biden's green subsidies could hit world trade Sat, 21st Jan 2023 15:46:00
     
      Business Secretary Grant Shapps has warned that US President Joe Biden's green subsidies could herald a "dangerous" slide into protectionism. The $430bn (£350bn) scheme includes tax credits for green technologies aimed at attracting investment to the US. Last month International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch wrote to her US counterpart complaining it would "harm multiple economies across the world". The EU, Canada and South Korea have all argued it breaches world trade rules. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, American consumers will get incentives to buy new and second-hand electric cars, to warm their homes with heat pumps, and to cook using electric induction. But the European Union has described the package as anti-competitive and a threat to European jobs, particularly in the energy and auto sectors. Taking part in a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Shapps said he did not believe the Act was designed to be protectionist, but that could be the result if it was not amended. US Senate passes sweeping $700bn economic package US created distortions with climate bill - EU chief The green trade row dividing the Davos elite Protectionist measures have the effect of restricting imports from other countries through tariffs or quotas on imported goods, or other regulations - generally with the aim of shielding domestic businesses and workers from foreign competition. Critics argue that protectionism reduces global trade and increases prices for consumers. Mr Shapps said: "We are great global traders. We want the world to be as open as possible. It is very, very important that we don't slip into protectionism. "That is where, at the edges, the Inflation Reduction Act in the US is dangerous because it could slip into protectionism... I think that's where we have to be really careful." However, speaking during a separate session in Davos, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Biden administration's green subsidies should be seen not as a challenge - but as "the single biggest opportunity" for a new economic strategy in the UK. He described the US scheme as a "catalyst for all of us... to transition to take the jobs and opportunities of the future". In September, Sir Keir announced plans to create a publicly-owned renewable energy company, Great British Energy, if Labour won the next general election. In December, Ms Badenoch warned the Act would adversely affect supply chains in batteries, electric vehicles and wider renewables. Also last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had to work with the US "to address some of the most concerning aspects of the law". She called on the EU to adjust its own rules on state aid to spur public investment in green technologies. This latest transatlantic spat comes after US labour secretary Marty Walsh criticised the UK government's bill imposing minimum service levels during strikes in some sectors, including the ambulance and fire services, and the railways. Under the bill, outlined in the Commons by Mr Shapps, some employees would be required to work during a strike and could be sacked if they refuse. Speaking in Davos on Wednesday, Mr Walsh told the BBC: "I would not support anything that would take away from workers." Downing Street responded by saying the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill did not inhibit the ability of unions to strike - whereas, in the US, President Biden had taken action to block a walkout by rail workers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64332962
     
         
      App reveals most polluted London Underground routes to travel on Sat, 21st Jan 2023 15:42:00
     
      Like most Londoners, Tanya Beri has mixed views of the city’s vast underground rail network that carries millions of passengers every day on its 11 lines and through its 272 stations. The tube keeps London moving, though often in cramped, uncomfortable and unhygienic conditions. However, Beri believes she has found a way to improve travel for concerned commuters. She has developed a phone app that can direct passengers to routes that offer minimal air pollution. “The UK safe limit for healthy air is to have fewer than 25 small particles in a cubic metre of air,” said Beri. “In some places on the underground, it can top 200 per cubic metre. I want to help people avoid that.” Studies have suggested that long-term exposure to fine particulates could be linked to increased rates of chronic bronchitis and increased mortality from lung cancer and heart disease. Beri, 29, will be given one of Innovate UK’s Young Innovators awards at a ceremony this week for her work on developing the app. She will be among the 94 young entrepreneurs who will receive some £1.25m in grants to help them tackle some of biggest challenges facing society in Britain. Other inventions to be given awards range from cheap alternatives to plastic based on onion skins to a smart medication dispenser that promotes patient independence. Beri’s app suggests routes that provide the lowest risk of breathing air with high pollution levels. “It’s like a TfL [Transport for London] or Google app but instead of offering the speediest journey between destinations it provides routes with the lowest air pollution,” she said. An example is provided by a passenger from North Harrow tube station to Canary Wharf, part of London’s business district, said Beri. “If you go the quickest way, via the Jubilee line, then you face pollution that is about 220 particles per cubic metre. If you take the slower route and stay on the Metropolitan line, you will face pollution of about 50 particles per cubic metre. That is still over the safe limit but it is less than a quarter of what you would experience on the Jubilee line.” Researchers have found the underground lines with the most polluted air are the Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Victoria – because they are the deepest. By contrast, lines such as the Metropolitan, Circle and District have stations that are nearer the surface or are actually at surface level and so are better ventilated compared with deep lines where insufficient airflow allows particulates to accumulate. In one study by scientists at King’s College London, it was found that particulate concentrations in trains on the Victoria and Northern lines were greater than those from studies of underground trains in Beijing, Guangzhou, New York, Barcelona and many other cities, while stations at Oxford Circus, Waterloo and London Bridge were rated as some of the worst on the tube. As to the causes of the particulates that float through stations and trains, studies have indicated that most are generated as wheels, tracks and brakes grind against one another, throwing up tiny, iron-rich particles. These vary in size, with those under 2.5 micrometres in diameter – known as PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5) – causing special concern. They can reach deep into your lungs and enter your bloodstream to be transported around the body, affecting other organs. These are the particles to be monitored by Beri’s app, which will be launched later this year. She has also set up a company, CAIR, that will market it. It was the problem of air pollution that attracted Beri to start researching her invention. “I used to commute on the underground,” she said. “And sometimes I got sick after travelling on it. So I thought it would be a good idea to find a way to help people who are worst affected by air pollution. Hence the idea of the app.” Data about pollution levels at tube stations is stored electronically, and a starting point and destination are keyed into the app, which then produces the best low-pollution route for the traveller. “It is simple to operate – which is another key advantage,” she added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/21/phone-monitor-helps-london-tube-passengers-avoid-polluted-routes
     
         
      The race to make diesel engines run on hydrogen Sat, 21st Jan 2023 13:48:00
     
      It's a new hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine affectionately known as "baby number two" that could help to decarbonise some of Australia's heaviest industries. The test rig is large - it has its own room adjoining a lab and looks at first glance like many other large motors, but beneath its metallic skin could lie game-changing technology. Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) say they have successfully modified a conventional diesel engine to use a mix of hydrogen and a small amount of diesel, claiming their patented technology has cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 85%. It's the work of Prof Shawn Kook and his team at the university's School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. "The interest in converting an existing diesel engine into a clean-burning hydrogen engine is extremely high," Prof Kook tells the BBC at his laboratory in Sydney. Enquiries have come from Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and China. "We mount the hydrogen direct injection system into existing diesel engines, which can be applied to any conventional engine," he adds. What makes their system unique, according to Prof Kook, is the way it mixes the hydrogen and diesel and then introduces it to the engine cylinder for combustion. Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen does not produce CO2 when burnt, so it has long been seen as a greener fuel source. About 90% of fuel in the UNSW hybrid diesel engine is hydrogen but it must be applied in a carefully calibrated way. If the hydrogen is not introduced into the fuel mix at the right moment "it will create something that is explosive that will burn out the whole system," Prof Kook explains. He says that studies have shown that controlling the mixture of hydrogen and air inside the cylinder of the engine can help negate harmful nitrogen oxide emissions, which have been an obstacle to the commercialisation of hydrogen motors. The Sydney research team believes that any diesel trucks and power equipment in the mining, transportation and agriculture sectors could be retrofitted with the new hybrid system in just a couple of months. Prof Kook doubts the hybrid would be of much interest in the car industry though, where electric and hybrid vehicles are already advanced and replacing diesel cars. However, he says Australia's multibillion-dollar mining industry needs a solution for all its diesel-powered equipment as soon as possible. "We have so many established diesel-powered generators, mega-trucks and underground machines. How do we decarbonise all those existing diesel engines? One way is to shut down everything and get new technology in, which will take decades," he says. The plan is for the hybrid to run off a hydrogen-diesel mix or, in the absence of hydrogen, it can revert to diesel only. Prof Kook hopes his new generation engine will become a commercial product within two years. Tim Buckley, the director at Climate Energy Finance, a public interest think-tank in Sydney, believes the technology has the potential to "transform the Australian mining industry dramatically". "There's always an element of scepticism in the work I do to evaluate what is hype and hope as opposed to reality. Having said that, this University of New South Wales breakthrough does appear to be pretty material. If they can pull it off it is a huge opportunity," he says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64248564
     
         
      Colombia announces halt on fossil fuel exploration for a greener economy Fri, 20th Jan 2023 21:52:00
     
      The minister for mines, Irene Vélez, told world leaders the country will shift away from fossil fuels to begin a sustainable chapter Colombia’s leftwing government has announced that it will not approve any new oil and gas exploration projects as it seeks to shift away from fossil fuels and toward a new sustainable economy. Irene Vélez, the minister for mines told world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the time had come for the Andean nation to move away from its reliance on oil and gas and begin a new, greener chapter in the country’s history. “We have decided not to award new oil and gas exploration contracts, and while that has been very controversial, it’s a clear sign of our commitment in the fight against climate change,” Vélez said during a panel in Davos on Thursday. “This decision is absolutely urgent and needs immediate action.” Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, made ending the country’s long history of economic reliance on oil a key part of his campaign before becoming the country’s first leftist leader in August last year. But a fractured congress, increasingly bleak economic outlook and a series of policy U-turns from the government have put Petro’s ambitious environmentally friendly pledge in doubt. The country’s finance minister, José Ocampo, has stepped in on several occasions to contradict government ministers and reassure financial markets after their comments sent the value of the Colombian peso tumbling. Ocampo has repeatedly told reporters that the country remains open to new oil and gas projects as it relies heavily on the sector’s revenue. But Petro backed Vélez’s announcement this week, saying that alternative economies would make up the loss from oil, which accounts for around half of all of Colombia’s total export revenue. “We are convinced that strong investment in tourism, given the beauty of the country, and the capacity and potential that the country has to generate clean energy, could, in the short term, perfectly fill the void left by fossil fuels,” Petro told reporters in Davos. Vélez’s doubling down on the policy has been met with criticism from economic analysts who say that halting oil exploration will not affect the global demand for fossil fuels while hurting Colombia’s economy. Colombia should transition toward clean energy but without “killing its golden-egg-laying goose”, Julio César Vera, former president of the Colombian Association of Petroleum Engineers, told Colombian media. The policy has also been criticised by environmental experts who say the move does not address the country’s key environmental issues, such as cattle-ranching and unsustainable agriculture which are driving deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, nor will it have any significant effect on the global climate crisis. “Colombia must not sacrifice its economic growth to make itself the champion of energy transition in Latin America,” said Manuel Rodríguez, who in 1991 became the country’s first environment minister. “This is a childish and populist idea based on a false narrative because according to the studies, we will lose several points of GDP while making next to no effect on the global consumption of fossil fuels. Another oil-producing country will simply make up for Colombia’s shortfall.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/20/colombia-stop-new-oil-gas-exploration-davos
     
         
      California approves solar, battery projects to strengthen the grid Fri, 20th Jan 2023 16:04:00
     
      The California Public Utilities Commission, the agency that regulates utility companies in the Golden State, approved 800 megawatts of new solar and battery storage projects this week as part of a broader effort to ensure Californians can get reliable power through 2026. Commissioners signed off on four contracts from Southern California Edison and three from San Diego Gas & Electric — all but one of which are for battery projects, which allow energy generated by solar and wind to be saved up and deployed when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. The remaining contract, the Edwards Sanborn Solar Storage Facility from San Diego Gas & Electric, is for a hybrid solar-and-battery facility that the developer hopes will be the world’s largest of its kind. Upon completion, it could provide enough power for more than 158,000 homes. The approvals come about a year and a half after the California Public Utilities Commission put out its largest-ever call for clean energy projects, voting in 2021 to approve 11,500 megawatts of new capacity from renewables and battery storage. California officials and utility companies have said the new capacity is needed to protect the grid from wildfires, extreme heat, and pounding downpours supercharged by climate change. New storage projects can help grid operators respond to “high-demand events, heat waves, or when the energy grid is strained,” David Song, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, told the website Utility Dive. Last September, sweltering temperatures in California pushed the grid to the brink of failure as grid operators narrowly avoided rolling blackouts. The new projects from Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric are expected to come online by June 2024, though two could be up and running as early as this June. They’ll add to the state’s existing battery capacity of 3,860 megawatts. To reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across California’s economy, the state will need to add some 40,000 megawatts of new battery storage over the next two decades, according to a recent analysis from San Diego Gas & Electric.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/california-approves-solar-battery-projects-to-strengthen-the-grid/
     
         
      Exxon’s predictions about the climate crisis may have increased its legal peril Fri, 20th Jan 2023 11:49:00
     
      Further revelations of the extent of Exxon’s historical knowledge of the unfolding climate crisis may have deepened the legal peril faced by the oil giant, with several US states suing the company for alleged deception, claiming their cases have now been strengthened. A research paper published last week found that from the 1970s onwards, Exxon climate scientists “correctly and skillfully” predicted climbing global temperatures, rising by around 0.2C a decade due to the burning of fossil fuels, often matching or surpassing the accuracy of projections by independent outside scientists. Geoffrey Supran, lead author of the new study, which was gleaned from a trove of internal documents and published scientific papers, said it was “breathtaking” to see Exxon’s projections line up so closely with what subsequently happened. Despite this knowledge, Exxon executives spent several decades downplaying or denying the climate impact of its business practices, helping stymie action to curb the use of fossil fuels and prevent dangerous global heating. As recently as 2013, Rex Tillerson, then chief executive of Exxon, said climate models were “not competent” and “not that good”. More than a dozen states and municipalities have launched lawsuits against Exxon, other oil companies and trade associations, claiming that by concealing their awareness of climate change they committed fraud or false advertising. Several Exxon foes now believe their legal pursuit of the company has been bolstered by the latest analysis of its climate science work. “The study’s findings expand the robust public record of the fossil fuel industry’s deception surrounding their products’ contribution to climate change, and are consistent with what we alleged in our lawsuit,” Matthew Platkin, New Jersey’s attorney general, told the Guardian. “This study only increases our resolve to hold them accountable in court.” A spokesman for Keith Ellison, the attorney general of Minnesota, said the new research “confirms the need to hold defendants accountable for their deception”. Several jurisdictions declined to comment on their ongoing cases against Exxon, including Delaware, New York City and Massachusetts, where the state’s supreme court last year dismissed a claim by the company that it was being pursued for political reasons and must face trial over accusations it broke consumer protection laws and deceived investors by covering up its knowledge of the climate crisis. Exxon has maintained that it has followed the best available science at any given time and has denied lying to the public in order to protect its business model. “I don’t believe companies should lie and I would tell you that we do not do that,” Darren Woods, Exxon’s chief executive, told a congressional hearing in 2021. Woods has said that Exxon now accepts that climate change is real and that it supports the goals of the Paris climate agreement. The Texas-based oil giant has deep pockets for a protracted legal battle – in October it announced a quarterly profit of nearly $20bn (£16bn), almost matching the earnings of the tech behemoth Apple – and has sought to have challenges tossed out of court or have them heard at the federal, rather than the state, level, in the belief this will lead to a more sympathetic outcome for the company. But some legal experts have warned that the latest details of Exxon’s long-term knowledge of global heating, which was first revealed to the public via reporting in 2015, could spell trouble for the business. “The recent study provides additional quantifiable evidence and a new level of detail concerning the length and scale of the misinformation, which is likely to present further difficulties for the company in this regard,” said Karen Hutchinson, commercial litigation lawyer at UK law firm Stewarts. Alyssa Johl, vice-president of legal at the Center for Climate Integrity, said that Exxon “pretty much nailed these predictions with incredible accuracy. That cannot be refuted at this point.” Johl said the research helps establish the “two very important pieces to the puzzle” in the cases against Exxon – that the company knew about the causes and consequences of climate change and that it then actively concealed and denied it. A spokesman for Exxon said: “This issue has come up several times in recent years and in each case our answer is the same: those who talk about how ‘Exxon knew’ are wrong in their conclusions.” The spokesman quoted a New York judge, Barry Ostrager, who found in 2019 that Exxon’s executives were “uniformly committed to rigorously discharging their duties in the most comprehensive and meticulous manner possible”. But the claims that Exxon intimately knew of the looming climate emergency more than 40 years ago are of little surprise to Ed Garvey, now a semi-retired geochemist who worked for Exxon from 1978 to 1983, taking carbon dioxide measurements from oil tankers. Garvey said that he and his scientific colleagues at Exxon were “very much aware of the problem” of global heating within the first year of his stint at the company. He said the company hired elite-level scientists and used cutting-edge technology to determine future temperature trends, so the accuracy of the science was to be expected. “The scientific leaders at Exxon very much saw this as a big deal that could impact the bottom line of the company and have ramifications for the whole globe,” Garvey said. “We thought we’d deliver the news that we couldn’t continue like this to the board and that Exxon might diversify. “It was never in question to us that human activity was causing the climate to change. It’s really reprehensible that they had this knowledge and then said: ‘We have no need to change course at all.’ I find it immoral for them to say that there was uncertainty. It’s beyond the pale. I can’t reconcile myself with it, other than they just didn’t care.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/19/exxon-climate-crisis-lawsuits-documents
     
         
      ‘Super-tipping points’ could trigger cascade of climate action Fri, 20th Jan 2023 6:33:00
     
      Small interventions on electric cars and plant-based meat could unlock rapid emissions cuts, say experts Three “super-tipping points” for climate action could trigger a cascade of decarbonisation across the global economy, according to a report. Relatively small policy interventions on electric cars, plant-based alternatives to meat and green fertilisers would lead to unstoppable growth in those sectors, the experts said. But the boost this would give to battery and hydrogen production would mean crucial knock-on benefits for other sectors including energy storage and aviation. Urgent emissions cuts are needed to avoid irreversible climate breakdown and the experts say the super-tipping points are the fastest way to drive global action, offering “plausible hope” that a rapid transition to a green economy can happen in time. The tipping points occur when a zero-carbon solution becomes more competitive than the existing high-carbon option. More sales lead to cheaper products, creating feedback loops that drive exponential growth and a rapid takeover. The report, launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the three super-tipping points would cut emissions in sectors covering 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Speedy action is vital to help avoid triggering disastrous tipping points in the climate system. Scientists said recently that global heating had driven the world to the brink of multiple tipping points with global impacts, including the collapse of Greenland’s ice cap and a key current in the north Atlantic. “With time running out, there is a need for action to be targeted,” said Mark Meldrum, at the consultancy Systemiq, which produced the report with partners including the University of Exeter, UK. Each super-tipping point crossed raises the chance of crossing others, he said. “That could set off a cascade to steer us away from a climate catastrophe.” The tipping point for electric vehicles is very close with sales soaring, the report says. Setting dates around the world for the end of sales of fossil-fuel powered vehicles, such as the 2030 date set for new vehicles by the UK and 2035 in China, drives further growth, the report adds. This scale-up means the batteries used will become cheaper and these can be deployed as storage for wind and solar power, further accelerating the growth of renewables. More green energy means lower electricity bills, in turn making heat pumps even more cost-effective. The second super-tipping point is setting mandates for green fertilisers, to replace current fertilisers, which are produced from fossil gas. Ammonia is a key ingredient and can be made from hydrogen produced by renewable energy, combined with nitrogen from the air. Governments requiring a growing proportion of fertiliser to be green will drive a scale-up and cost reductions in the production of green hydrogen, the report says. That then supports long-distance aviation and shipping, and steel production, which will rely on hydrogen to end their carbon emissions. Mandates are being considered with India, for example, targeting 5% green fertiliser production by 2023–24 and 20% by 2027–28. The third super-tipping point is helping alternative proteins to beat animal-based proteins on cost, while at least matching them on taste. Meat and dairy cause about 15% of global emissions. Public procurement of plant-based meat and dairy replacements by government departments, schools and hospitals could be a powerful lever, the report says. Increasing uptake would cut the emissions from cattle and reduce the destruction of forests for pasture land. A 20% market share by 2035 would mean 400m-800m hectares of land would no longer be needed for livestock and their fodder, equivalent to 7-15% of the world’s farmland today, the report estimated. That land could then be used for the restoration of forests and wildlife, removing CO2 from the air. Tipping points already passed within countries include electric car sales in Norway and the plunge in coal-powered electricity in the US in the past decade. “We need to find and trigger positive socioeconomic tipping points if we are to limit the risk from damaging climate tipping points,” said Prof Tim Lenton at the University of Exeter. “This non-linear way of thinking about the climate problem gives plausible grounds for hope: the more that gets invested in socioeconomic transformation, the faster it will unfold – getting the world to net zero greenhouse gas emissions sooner.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/20/super-tipping-points-climate-electric-cars-meat-emissions
     
         
      Spain to study electric connection with France alongside hydrogen pipeline Fri, 20th Jan 2023 6:30:00
     
      Spain and France have agreed to explore the possibility of laying an electrical connection alongside a future underwater pipeline carrying green hydrogen between the countries, Spain’s Energy Minister Teresa Ribera told Reuters on Thursday (19 January). The Spanish government, which has criticised the country’s energy isolation from other parts of Europe, argues that improving connections with France will help enhance Europe’s energy security and facilitate achieving its climate goals. In December, Spain said the so-called BarMar corridor between the port cities of Barcelona and Marseille is expected to cost about €2.5 billion, have a capacity of 2 million tonnes of hydrogen a year and be ready by the end of the decade. Ribera said on Thursday that the pipeline project was “advancing very well” and that the BarMar route was also being envisaged for an undersea power cable. “We have agreed to study the possibility of using the same path and the same public work for some of the electric interconnections we have pending (with France),” Ribera added after a bilateral summit in Barcelona, where she met with her French counterpart. Both Spain and France have applied for European Union funding for the BarMar project. Ribera said she believes the electric interconnection is feasible but while it would still link Barcelona and Marseille, its exact path would need to be studied. Plans to double electricity interconnection between France and Spain suffered a setback last year when a planned undersea power cable linking the two countries through the Bay of Biscay ran into technical difficulties. The 370km interconnector was designated in 2013 as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the EU and was initially expected to be completed in 2025. But an EU official said in June it was more likely to be inaugurated in 2026, while the project website suggests “2026-2027”. Spain and France were also briefly at odds last year regarding the MidCat gas pipeline project across the Pyrenees, which Madrid sought to revive as a way of easing Europe’s energy crisis. It was backed by Spain but rejected by France, which argued that two existing pipelines were being under-utilised. The two countries, along with Portugal, then agreed to build a new green hydrogen corridor, dubbed H2MED, as an alternative solution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/electricity/news/spain-to-study-electric-connection-with-france-alongside-hydrogen-pipeline/
     
         
      Britishvolt: how Britain’s bright battery future fell flat Fri, 20th Jan 2023 5:40:00
     
      Startup that hoped to transform UK car production was once valued at more than £800m, but collapsed worth a tiny fraction of that When Britishvolt, a startup hoping to transform UK car production by making batteries for electric vehicles, rented a seven-bedroom £2.8m mansion with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi-style bath for workers, some employees were uncomfortable with the impression it gave of lavish spending. Founded in 2019, Britishvolt began with grand ambitions – hailed by the then prime minister, Boris Johnson – to become the first domestically owned battery factory in a car industry that employs tens of thousands of British workers, but where the big manufacturers are all overseas companies. The planned factory would have been able to supply 30 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries a year, enough for hundreds of thousands of cars. That ambition gave way last year to a desperate scramble for investment. Fundraising efforts ended on Tuesday, with the company entering administration with the loss of more than 200 jobs. The planned site for its plant, at Blyth in Northumberland, is now up for sale. A Britishvolt presentation given to investors in June laid out the scale of the opportunity it had seen. In 2028, it thought European battery demand would outstrip supply by 554GWh – enough for 15 Britishvolts, or millions of electric cars. With that giant opportunity came a giant valuation: it achieved the coveted “unicorn” status of being worth more than $1bn (£809bn). Backers included Ashtead, Glencore and the abrdn-owned Tritax from the FTSE 100. By the end, Britishvolt was worth a tiny fraction of that. DeaLab, an Indonesia-linked suitor, considered a bailout but the talks did not lead to agreement. Its offer would have valued the whole company at only £32m, according to a letter sent by the executive chair, Peter Rolton, to shareholders. That was equal to the £32m Britishvolt spent on the May 2022 purchase of a German battery cell maker. Many of those who supported Britishvolt have chosen to remain in the background, but filings searched by the data company AlphaSense/Sentieo show Ashtead invested $39m, while the British investment trust Law Debenture Corporation had £5m. Norway’s Carbon Transition invested $1.7m in August 2021, and the valuation more than doubled by 2022. As late as 27 June 2022, the Indonesian battery company VKTR joined the backers. Yet within a month of that investment, Britishvolt was in trouble. Documents revealed by the Guardian showed that by late July Britishvolt had put construction of its gigafactory on “life support” until it could find more funds. That was made more difficult by the financial market turmoil caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising interest rates. The mood got steadily worse as the year went on, according to former insiders. After a hiring spree during late 2021 and early 2022, spending was reined in, and a company aiming to employ 3,000 people within two years stopped hiring. By late October, the company was in serious trouble, amid evidence of chaotic management. When the Guardian approached Britishvolt before a report that it was considering administration, an external media lawyer hired by the company forcefully questioned the accuracy of the Guardian’s sources and referenced a risk of defamation. Within hours it became clear that Britishvolt was indeed considering administration – a fate it only escaped after a last-minute cash injection from the mining company Glencore. The cash allowed Britishvolt to continue for 10 weeks, but none of the three bids it received would guarantee the hundreds of millions of pounds it still needed. The financial difficulties irked insiders who claimed to have seen evidence of an extravagant approach early on. As well as the mansion, the company had hired a fitness instructor to take yoga lessons over video call, while executives travelled on a private jet owned by a shareholder. (The company said company money was never spent on the jet.) Many staff were provided with top-of-the-range curved 4K computer monitors at considerable expense, said a former employee, who declined to be named. “Money was being spent recklessly, really badly,” they said. “There was a lot of bad management at this organisation.” Britishvolt was spending heavily on consultants as it considered how to launch products for boats, planes and drones – all promising opportunities, but ones likely to rely on different types of battery. Among the key consultants was EY, which earned millions of pounds in fees while Britishvolt was still operating, two people said. The company has since been tasked with carrying out the administration, despite being owed money as an unsecured creditor. An EY spokesperson declined to detail how much money it is owed, saying: “EY was an unsecured creditor of the company at the time of the appointment of administrators, but will not vote on any creditor resolutions that may be required as part of the administration process. Creditors of Britishvolt and moneys owed will be disclosed in due course as part of the administrators’ report.” Britishvolt also paid £3.2m to Rolton Group, an engineering consultancy of which Peter Rolton is a director, during the year to September 2021. When asked in September about the spending and how Britishvolt had managed the potential conflict of interest, the company said: “The board of directors supports the company’s latest business plan which has been refocused and sharpened given the negative global economic situation and continues to have full confidence in the senior management team and in the company’s robust governance processes.” Rolton denied, through the same lawyer as Britishvolt, that there had been bad management. He said “high-spec monitors were purchased if required for specific tasks/roles”, and that fees for all consultants “were entirely proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project and in line with accepted industry benchmark standards”. Rolton Group said the £3.2m was “for design services provided on a highly complex and innovative project”. EY declined to comment on the company’s management style on behalf of Britishvolt. The collapse will also affect companies that were hoping for a big new customer. South Korea’s Hana Technology and Creative & Innovative Systems reported contracts with Britishvolt worth £74m apiece, while Germany’s Manz will miss out on a “major order”. The collapse also raises questions for Aston Martin Lagonda, the British sportscar maker which, along with its Chinese-owned rival Lotus, signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to work with Britishvolt. In a prospectus last year Aston Martin suggested that Britishvolt’s “failure could affect the group’s ability to maintain its electrification timeline”. This week, Aston Martin said the collapse “will have no impact [on] electrification timings, with the launch of the first battery electric Aston Martin targeted for 2025”. The administration has left the UK with only one large-scale gigafactory planned: the Chinese-owned Envision’s plant in Sunderland. It also leaves big questions over the future of the UK automotive industry. Andy Palmer, the former Aston Martin boss who is now chair of InoBat, a Slovakian battery company, said Britishvolt’s collapse was an “unmitigated disaster” and “certainly not good for the UK”. Palmer has been outspoken about the need for better government support, and InoBat had been deciding between sites in Teesside and Spain for its own plants. There is still hope for the Blyth site. InoBat could be a contender to switch its interest there, while EY confirmed it was “liaising with a number of interested parties” for a sale of the Britishvolt assets – the site and its intellectual property. Tata, the Indian owner of Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s largest carmaker, is thought to be among interested companies, the Financial Times reported. Glen Sanderson, the Conservative leader of Northumberland county council, said he was “quite positive” a buyer could be found. “I think there’s still hope for the site,” said David Bailey, the professor of industrial strategy at the University of Birmingham. He said there was “a deal to be done” between the government and Tata – which declined to comment – possibly in exchange for government support for upgrading Tata’s steel plant in south Wales. Yet the collapse should be a wakeup call for the UK government to match the support on offer in Europe, he said. “We’re lagging very far behind the EU,” he said. “It requires a much more active industrial policy. At the moment we don’t have one.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/20/britishvolt-britains-battery-startup-uk-car-production
     
         
      Texas’ most populous county adopts a climate plan Thu, 19th Jan 2023 18:09:00
     
      In a 3-1 vote along party lines last week, commissioners in the most populous county in Texas approved a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions and advance environmental justice. The overarching target of the 24-page climate action plan is for Harris County — which includes Houston — to cut its climate pollution from government operations by 40 percent by 2030, compared to a 2021 baseline. To get there, the document puts forward six specific goals, including halving carbon emissions from county buildings and facilities without the use of offsets, electrifying 50 to 75 percent of the county’s passenger vehicle fleet, and cutting the county’s landfill waste in half. It also recommends installing up to 20 megawatts of solar power and 10 megawatt-hours of battery storage by 2025. The county says it will work with community partners to “address environmental health disparities associated with local climate impacts,” such as heat-related visits to the emergency room. Proponents of the plan said it would require significant investments but that its benefits would outweigh the much greater costs of inaction. Indeed, recent years have already offered the Houston area a preview of what’s to come as temperatures continue rising. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 1 trillion gallons of water onto Harris County over a four-day period, causing more than $125 billion in damage. Extreme cold in February 2021 cut electricity to 91 percent of residents, while heat waves and drought in 2022 strained power infrastructure and led officials to take emergency action to keep people cool. “Acting now benefits the local economy, ensures that county operations are efficient and managed responsibly, and prepares the county for future climate impacts,” Lisa Lin, Harris County’s director of sustainability, told commissioners last week. Harris County is now Texas’ second county to adopt a climate action plan. The first was Travis County, which includes Austin. Texas doesn’t have a statewide climate plan, although the federal Environmental Protection Agency said in October it would establish a regional center to coordinate adaptation activities across Texas and four neighboring states.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/texas-most-populous-county-adopts-a-climate-plan/
     
         
      Climate change: Invest in technology that removes CO2 - report Thu, 19th Jan 2023 13:37:00
     
      Technology to remove the planet-warming greenhouse gas CO2 from our atmosphere must be urgently ramped up, leading climate experts say in a new report. Scientists say big cuts in CO2 emissions won't be enough to limit global warming. And nature alone will not remove enough of it from the air. CO2 is the most important gas warming the planet, and is emitted when fossil fuels such as gas and oil are burnt. "To limit warming to 2C or lower, we need to accelerate emissions reductions. But the findings of this report are clear: we also need to increase carbon removal too," says lead author Dr Steve Smith from Oxford University. "Many new methods are emerging with potential." There's consensus among scientists that the world is warming primarily because emissions of CO2 (estimated at 33 billion tonnes in 2021) far exceed the amount that is being removed (this report suggests two billion tonnes a year). Until emissions and removals are balanced - so called "net-zero" - global temperatures are predicted to rise. But getting there won't be easy. The latest UN climate reports say to fully achieve "net zero" there will need to be some CO2 removal, so called "negative emissions", to compensate for sectors that can't easily decarbonise. Currently almost all of the world's CO2 removal occurs through natural processes. That's primarily plants and trees taking in CO2 from the air, and the soil absorbing and storing it. But there are limits to how much nature can do. For example, how much more of the world can realistically be given over to forests? Some optimistic scenarios suggest that natural CO2 removal could be doubled by 2050, but that's still only about 4 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. Technological solutions? This new report titled "The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal" says that to restrict and reduce global temperatures in the future there needs to be investment in developing technological solutions now. The methods it cites are all fairly new, and at different stages of development and deployment. Put together they currently only make up a tiny fraction of the worlds CO2 removal. One, known as BECCS, involves incorporating CO2 capture into biomass-based electricity-generation, in which organic matter such as crops and wood pellets are burned to produce power. Other options include: huge facilities where the carbon is extracted from the air before being stored in the ground; the use of specially treated charcoal (biochar) that locks in carbon; and "enhanced rock weathering" - loosely based on the carbon removal that occurs with natural erosion. The use of CO2 removal technologies is not without its critics. Some campaigners doubt that they can be cost effective and fear that they can be an excuse to defer and delay the transition away from fossil fuel use. This report stresses that removing CO2 should not be seen as a "silver bullet" to tackle climate change but that meeting the UN's climate goals will require technology as well as nature to reduce greenhouse gas levels. That all assumes that global CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels will, as pledged at numerous climate summits, fall rapidly. So far yearly emissions have yet to start a downward trend.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64321623
     
         
      Germany says it is no longer reliant on Russian energy Thu, 19th Jan 2023 13:11:00
     
      Germany no longer depends on Russian imports for its energy supply, the country's finance minister has told the BBC. Christian Lindner said Germany had completely diversified its energy infrastructure since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Following the invasion, Russia turned off the gas taps to Europe, leading to fears of blackouts this winter. But Germany had found new sources of energy, Mr Lindner said. "Yes, of course Germany is still dependent on energy imports, but today, not from Russian imports but from global markets," he said. Germany previously imported around half of its gas from Russia and more than a third of its oil. But Russia cut off the country's gas supply in August, while Germany halted Russian oil imports at the start of the year. In its race to find alternate sources of energy, the country has reopened coal-fired power plants, delayed plans to shut down its three remaining nuclear power plants, and pushed to increase capacity to store natural gas imported from other countries such as Norway and the US. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Lindner pointed to the speed with which a new liquefied natural gas terminal had been built in Germany - in a record of around eight months, he said. More infrastructure investments were planned, he added. "This is only [one] example of the enormous change in German policies," he said. "We have understood that we have to foster our competitiveness after the era of Chancellor [Angela] Merkel. That era was focused on, well, strengths of the past, and now we are developing strengths of the future," he said. Green trade war Mr Lindner struck an optimistic note, suggesting there was "some evidence" that inflation in Germany had reached its peak last year. "Probably there's a faster recovery of the global economy and European economies than expected," he said. However, potential for a damaging trade row between the EU and the US over green subsidies remains. The US last year approved a massive $370bn (£299bn) in investments for climate-friendly technologies, including tax credits for electric cars that are made in America. However, the law includes some "made in America" rules, which have raised concerns in Europe that businesses outside the US will be put at a disadvantage. In a visit to Washington last month, French president Emmanuel Macron criticised the US rules as "super aggressive". Mr Lindner said he did not want to see the European Union start a trade war with the US over those rules. 'Must not happen' "We have to avoid any kind of competition - who is able to pay more subsidies," he said. "It mustn't happen." The green trade row dividing the Davos elite Greta Thunberg detained at German coal protest Putin is weaponising food, says fertiliser boss Mr Lindner's comments signal the challenges that lie ahead as Europe tries to develop a response to the US climate law, which is officially called the Inflation Reduction Act. France has proposed responding with rival "buy European" incentives, and European Union officials this week also promised "decisive" steps. Mr Lindner said maintaining a level playing field was important, but he wanted to see the two sides negotiate exemptions for companies or develop a new trade deal, rather than try to out-subsidise each other. "There is a threat for the level playing field and I take this seriously but... we are spending and investing much more than the US-side so we don't have to be afraid," he said. "Some in the European context, they see the Inflation Reduction Act as the occasion to introduce policies they've proposed in the past, and I think it is an occasion to strengthen our competitiveness at the European level, make further progress on capital markets union, to negotiate with the US side a free trade agreement - but not pay more subsidies," he said. Unlike the big French car companies, many German firms already have a big presence in the US, including manufacturing plants. The "made in America" rules have prompted a pushback even from some American companies, many of which rely on parts manufactured in other countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64312400
     
         
      'Fears of relocation are real': Danish industry warns of US green subsidies Thu, 19th Jan 2023 9:52:00
     
      The continent fears the law promoted by US President Joe Biden will spark an industrial exodus across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving factories and workers in the dust. Among its provisions, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) earmarks up to $369 billion (over €341 billion) in tax credits, direct rebates and subsidies to help companies invest and produce green technology, including wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles. But the generous aid, set to be doled out over the next ten years, will only be made available if these products are predominately processed and assembled in North America, a requirement the European Union has denounced as unfair and discriminatory. "We want to compete on quality, that's important, we do not want to compete on subsidies," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. Since the IRA entered into force, several international companies have announced new investment plans in the US, including Korean company Hanwha Qcellsa, which this month said it would spend $2.5 billion to manufacture components for solar panels in Georgia. Will EU businesses follow suit and move abroad? In Denmark, a global leader in green energy, the prospect is tangible – but not yet inevitable. "Seen from the green transition perspective in the US, the (IRA) is a very positive initiative," Jan Hylleberg, deputy CEO at Green Power Denmark, an association that represents 1,500 Danish companies working across the green energy value chain, told Euronews. "Of course, there is a risk of reallocation of investments to the US," he added. "There's no doubt that the fear is real, and especially if we don't act. Then, the investments will flow to the US." For Hylleberg, the IRA is a "wake-up call" for Europe that demands a response based on a broad "set of tools." The European Commission is expected to release more detailed countermeasures in the coming weeks, such as new rules to fast-track state aid – something that counties like Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Ireland worry will trigger a harmful subsidy race and unfair competition in the single market. "European green industry is not a given thing. We have to care about it," Hylleberg said. "We have to ensure that, if we want investments, if we want employment in the green renewable industry in Europe, we have to care about it, we have to take new initiatives to ensure that we will have these investments." Denmark was a pioneer in clean energy and began investing heavily in the sector decades before its fellow EU member states. Today, the Nordic country hosts some of the world's largest developers of wind turbines and offshore wind farms, such as Vestas and Ørsted, offering the bloc a considerable competitive edge. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the US intends to have 120,000 wind turbines operating by 2030, an objective to which Danish companies are poised to contribute. But, as Hylleberg underlined, it is nascent technologies, such as green hydrogen, that are most at risk of being relocated because they have a small physical footprint, making the transfer easier. "Renewable hydrogen is still quite a young industry, is still a quite young value chain, and therefore there, especially Europe, has to be very focussed on ensuring that not all the available investments right now will move to the US because we in Europe need very new and strong incentives for the renewable hydrogen supply chain and infrastructure to establish itself in Europe," Hylleberg said. "Basically, we need to have a new European industrial policy. This is also part of the answer to the war in Ukraine. It's not just a question about the Inflation Reduction Act and the US."
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/01/19/fears-of-relocation-are-real-danish-industry-warns-of-us-green-subsidies
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: German police deny protest detainment was staged Thu, 19th Jan 2023 8:12:00
     
      German police have denied being "extras for Greta Thunberg" after false claims that her detainment at a protest in western Germany was staged. A viral post falsely claimed the climate activist being held by police was "all set up for the cameras". Ms Thunberg and other activists were seeking to stop the abandoned village of Lützerath from being demolished for the expansion of a coal mine. The video of her being removed by police has gained millions of views. "We would never give ourselves to make such recordings," a spokesperson for local police told the BBC, denying allegations that Ms Thunberg's detainment was fake. But it is important that the police enable reporting and guarantee the protection of media workers, they added. The viral video shows the climate campaigner flanked by police officers on either side. Meanwhile a few photographers can be seen snapping photos and moving around her, as Ms Thunberg smiles. Several other police officers who were also standing nearby appear to be waiting with her before walking her away from the scene. Some online have jumped onto these moments of officers and Ms Thunberg waiting around, to falsely claim that it is part of a staged photo opportunity. However the interior ministry of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia told the BBC that the police officers and Ms Thunberg were waiting for logistical reasons. "They had to wait for a couple of minutes before they could bring her to a certain police car," said the spokesperson. They added that "the whole situation has been used by those with political motives and the real reason is entirely practical and mundane." Christian Wernicke, a journalist from German news outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung who was there at the time, said the police officers "were deciding how they would proceed with the identity check and waiting to take Greta to the police vehicle." "My impression was that there was confusion. Greta was not the first protester who had been taken away from the sit-in," Mr Wernicke added. "I've seen different reactions to the video. Some say that the footage looks like the police are setting her up to embarrass her and others say that it is all part of some propaganda. "People are interpreting and using this footage for their own motives." Many online also falsely claimed it was a "fake arrest" but police clarified that Ms Thunberg had not been arrested but had been briefly detained. Greta Thunberg detained at German coal protest Thunberg joins 'Pinky' and 'Brain' tunnel protest The group of activists were detained after they "rushed towards the ledge" of the Garzweiler 2 mine, police had said on Tuesday. Officers also confirmed all of those detained would not be charged. Ms Thunberg has frequently been the target of conspiracy theories and false claims online, often by those who deny the existence of man-made climate change. She tweeted: "Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening. "Climate protection is not a crime".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64321652
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion activists pour black paint outside Gove’s office Wed, 18th Jan 2023 18:44:00
     
      Protest held over levelling up secretary’s decision to approve new coalmine in Cumbria Extinction Rebellion activists have chained themselves together at the entrance of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in London to protest against a new coalmine in Cumbria approved by its secretary, Michael Gove. As police hurried to block access to the doors, protesters lit smoke bombs and poured black water-soluble paint designed to resemble oil across the floor, while others danced around dressed in canary costumes outside the building on Marsham Street in Westminster on Wednesday. Gove gave the green light last month to the UK’s first new deep coalmine for 30 years, despite objections locally, across the UK and from around the world. The estimated £165m project is expected to produce 2.8m tonnes of coking coal a year, largely for steelmaking. Sarah Hart, 41, from Farnborough, Hampshire, lay on the floor outside the main doors to the department, with her arm inside one end of a pipe stencilled with the message: “End coal”. “We’re locked together with chains at the Department for Levelling Up due to Michael Gove’s decision to license the new coalmine in Cumbria, which is completely unacceptable at a time when we should end all of the coal, oil and gas licensing,” Hart said. “I find it completely unacceptable that at a time like this government are still making these decisions, so we are here to say cut the ties to fossil fuels.” The protest comes weeks after Extinction Rebellion issued a press release declaring: “We quit”, which some interpreted as an admission of defeat. Activists have pointed out the message applied only to actions that disrupt the public, and only temporarily, as they try to build support beyond their radical base for mass protests in April. Meanwhile, the government is pressing ahead with moves to crack down on disruptive protests. On Monday, No 10 announced it would give police new powers to shut down protests before any disruption begins, as an amendment to the public order bill. A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “The secretary of state has agreed to grant planning permission for a new metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria as recommended by the independent planning inspector. This coal will be used for the production of steel and would otherwise need to be imported. It will not be used for power generation. The reasons for the secretary of state’s decision are set out in full in his published letter, alongside the report of the independent planning inspector who oversaw the inquiry. It would be inappropriate to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/extinction-rebellion-activists-protest-michael-gove-office
     
         
      Greta Thunberg detained at German coal protest Wed, 18th Jan 2023 9:13:00
     
      Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was among those briefly detained by police at a protest in western Germany. She was protesting with activists seeking to stop the abandoned village of Lützerath from being demolished for the expansion of a coal mine. Police clarified that Ms Thunberg had not been arrested, and later said she had been released after an ID check. The Swedish activist was detained after a group "rushed towards the ledge" of the Garzweiler 2 mine, police said. Officers also confirmed all of those detained would not be charged. Video from the scene showed three officers carrying Ms Thunberg from the protest as she smiled. Police also told Reuters news agency that one man jumped into the mine, which is located some 9km (5.6 miles) from Lützerath. Activists argue burning coal undermines Germany's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The government has pledged to bring forward the phase-out of coal in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state in which the mine lies, to 2030. The national target is 2038. Lignite is the dirtiest form of coal, and the area around Lützerath yields 25 million tonnes of it each year. The village, owned by energy company RWE after residents abandoned it, is expected to be the final one demolished for the lignite mine. RWE has said the coal under the village is needed as early as this winter. The government argues it needs to expand the mine to keep up with German energy demand as it deals with the interruption of gas from Russia. Organisers of the protest said around 35,000 demonstrators attended on Saturday while police said the number was closer to 15,000. Police said they had managed to remove all activists from the town over the weekend. Footage from Sunday showed Ms Thunberg and other protesters being moved along by police.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64309628
     
         
      Can EU anger at Biden’s ‘protectionist’ green deal translate into effective action? Wed, 18th Jan 2023 7:42:00
     
      Analysts warn bloc’s lack of industrial policy may impede riposte to $370bn US subsidy package Anger is mounting in EU capitals at a “massive” and “super aggressive” $370bn US green subsidy package that many fear will deal a hammer blow to Europe’s industry and economy. But the bloc is deeply divided over how to respond. Signed into law last August, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) offers huge subsidies and tax credits to companies investing in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, such as batteries, solar panels and wind turbines – as long as the products and parts they manufacture are made in America. The bloc’s riposte is being hampered by fierce disagreements between member states over relaxing strict EU state aid rules – which mostly bar such generous corporate tax breaks – as well as over the prospect of more joint borrowing. At stake, analysts warn, could be the fate of Europe’s manufacturing base, squeezed not only by record energy prices and an “aggressive” China, but now also by a US administration seen as heedlessly protectionist. Some have warned of potential deindustrialisation of Europe barring concerted action. “The EU has never had an industrial policy worthy of the name,” said Luuk van Middelaar, a historian. “Faced with China and the US now increasingly exercising their power in this way, it really needs one now – but getting it right will really not be straightforward.” The EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged a targeted and temporary relaxation of state aid rules and a common fund to protect the bloc’s green tech industry from wipeout. National leaders are due to discuss the IRA at a summit in February. Building on that theme in a speech at Davos on Tuesday, Von der Leyen said Brussels would propose asovereignty fund to boost medium-term resources for innovation, research and green industrial projects, with a bridging solution – more immediate funds – to provide “fast and targeted support”. Whether, and how soon, member states can agree on a package, however, is open to question. “Finding the right response to the IRA will be a key political issue for the EU this year,” said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia group. “Reforming strict state-aid rules will not be easy. Nor will be debates over an EU fund to maintain a level playing field in the single market.” EU officials and national politicians alike have railed against the IRA, saying it discriminates against European companies selling to the US and – with US energy costs up to four times lower than in Europe – could prove catastrophic for industrial investment. “I understand the importance of the IRA from the US perspective but on the side of Europe it is seen as much more controversial,” the Czech industry minister, Jozef Síkela, told a round table at Davos. “It is saying to European investors ‘go to the US, because it is more profitable to you’.” Alexander De Croo, Belgium’s prime minister, went further last week, accusing the US of actively enticing European companies to move. “They are calling firms, in a very aggressive way, to say ‘don’t invest in Europe, we have something better’,” he said. The Dutch foreign trade minister, Liesje Schreinemacher, has described the IRA as “very worrying”, and Germany’s finance minister, Christian Lindner, called it “enormously protectionist”. His French counterpart, Bruno Le Maire, said that subsidies four to 10 times greater than EU rules allow would upend the “level playing field that is the core of the transatlantic trade relationship”. The commission has formally expressed “serious concerns” and warned of “retaliatory measures” – which potentially includes a complaint to the World Trade Organization on grounds that the IRA’s provisions on locally produced content violate WTO rules. Although Washington has promised to look into possible adjustments, European officials expect no big changes and view the only tweaks so far – tax credits for electric vans and trucks – as altogether inadequate. The EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, has toured EU capitals to float a “European clean tech act” as a way to channel cash to the bloc’s green tech industry, noting that all were aware of the need for “fast, coordinated, action”. But Breton’s plan is in its early stages and its funding is unclear amid continuing discord among member states over how to pay for any combined response by the EU27 to what France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called the “super-aggressive” IRA. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, last week announced a review of state aid rules, saying European industry faced a number of challenges, including the very real risk of the IRA “luring some … EU businesses into moving investments to the US”. State subsidies are, however, a notoriously touchy subject within the bloc, with smaller countries in particular fearing laxer rules would allow big countries with more financial firepower – such as France and Germany – to offer unfair support to their companies, fatally distorting the single market. Paris and Berlin have issued calls for aid rules to be quickly eased. France wants nothing less than a wholesale remodelling of EU industry support, calling for a “modernisation and simplification shock” including higher notification thresholds for projects in key green tech sectors. But smaller, less interventionist, countries such as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, have been far from reassured by recent data showing, perhaps unsurprisingly, that German and French companies hogged nearly 80% of state aid in the EU last year. According to commission data 53% of all state aid permitted in 2022 under a temporary easing of the rules to deal with the energy crisis went to companies in Germany, and 24% went to companies in France – despite the other 25 member states accounting for at least 50% of the EU’s total GDP. Vestager has acknowledged this danger, calling members’ wildly differing capacities to afford big state subsidies “a risk for the integrity of Europe”, and proposed that any relaxation of state aid rules to counter the IRA should be accompanied by a “collective European fund”, probably financed with joint EU debt. That idea is supported by France. Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, too, said she would back a European sovereignty fund. But Germany and other influential member states, including the Netherlands, are far from keen on the idea if it involves any more joint EU borrowing. Lindner was particularly adamant at a meeting of EU finance ministers last December. “A sovereignty fund must not be a new attempt at joint European borrowing,” he said. “We see no reason for additional European debt.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/18/eu-anger-biden-green-370bn-deal-action-industrial-policy
     
         
      New Cumbria coalmine likely to break UK’s climate pledge, analysis says Tue, 17th Jan 2023 16:47:00
     
      Whitehaven colliery will release about 17,500 tonnes of methane every year, estimates thinktank The new coalmine in Cumbria is likely to prevent the UK from meeting its internationally agreed commitment to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, analysis has suggested. The Whitehaven colliery, controversially approved by ministers shortly before Christmas, will release about 17,500 tonnes of methane every year, according to estimates from the Green Alliance thinktank. That is about the same as 120,000 cattle, or about half the beef herd in Cumbria at present, and could put the UK’s methane-cutting targets out of reach. The analysis comes as campaigners also raise concerns about the filing of more than 100 oil and gas drilling licence applications. The government had received 115 requests from oil and gas companies for new licences, which campaigners said would endanger the UK’s and global climate targets and send the wrong signal internationally. Philip Evans, a climate campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “These new licences will make Britain’s homes and businesses more reliant on the volatile gas market, making further energy crises more likely and doing nothing to reduce bills. “Then there’s the fact that the world has agreed to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible to maximise our chances of getting climate change under control, and the government’s failure to consider the full carbon cost of new drilling makes the entire process unlawful.” Methane is an increasingly urgent problem, with emissions of the gas – which has a warming effect about 80 times that of carbon dioxide, though it breaks down faster in the atmosphere – strongly on the rise in recent years. A sharp reduction in methane would give the world breathing space to take the longer-term actions needed to phase out fossil fuels, according to many scientists. At the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, the UK was one of the leading countries signing up to the global methane pledge, requiring a 30% reduction by 2030. Emissions from the new mine, which will produce coking coal for steel-making, would make that target almost impossible to meet, according to the new analysis. Coalmines, including abandoned mines, are a big source of methane around the world. The government has claimed the mine would be carbon-neutral, though this only applies to the mining operations and does not take account of the emissions when the coal produced is burned. Carbon neutrality would require most of the emissions from the mine, of methane and of carbon dioxide, to be captured. The analysis by Green Alliance suggests this is not likely to be possible. The world’s best capture rates from mines rarely surpass 50%, according to the thinktank, so claims that about 95% of the mine’s methane could be captured have yet to be substantiated. If the mine’s emissions are added to the UK’s total, far greater cuts in methane would need to be found elsewhere, including from farming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/17/cumbria-coalmine-uk-climate-goals-methane-emissions
     
         
      Dozens of bids to drill new oil and gas fields Tue, 17th Jan 2023 14:36:00
     
      More than 100 applications have been submitted to drill for new oil and gas in the North Sea. The UK government opened a fresh round of licensing after a three-year hiatus while it hosted the UN climate change conference in Glasgow. But UK ministers said more licences would be made available because of the energy security crisis. A total of 115 bids have been received and the successful applicants will be announced later this year. Licensing new oil and gas developments is reserved to Westminster. But the Scottish government last week announced a presumption against new oil and gas exploration as part of its new energy strategy. Scottish ministers say they can no longer support the previous position of "maximising economic recovery" of fossil fuel reserves. No new oil and gas fields, say Scottish ministers The changing face of the North Sea oil industry Energy prospects blow hot and cold The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates the sector, said a total of 115 bids have been received from 76 companies, covering 258 "blocks" of the sea. The NSTA said the bids will now be studied and those that go ahead could begin production in as little as 18 months. Several different consents are needed after licences are granted but before production can begin - including ensuring it is in line with climate commitments. Dr Nick Richardson, the NSTA's head of exploration, said: "We have seen a strong response from industry to the [licensing] round, which has exceeded application levels compared to previous rounds. "We will now be working hard to analyse the applications with a view to awarding the first licences from the second quarter of 2023." 'Security of supply' The decision to increase oil and gas exploration is at odds with international climate scientists who say fossil fuel projects should be closed down, not expanded, if there is to be a chance of keeping global temperature rises under 1.5C. Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global body for climate science, and the International Energy Agency have expressed such a view. But UK Climate Minister Graham Stuart said: "Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine has led to volatile global energy markets. "It's fantastic to see such interest from industry in this round, with the awarded licences set to play an important role in boosting domestic energy production and securing the UK's long-term energy security of supply."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64297563
     
         
      Georgia is getting a new solar panel plant Tue, 17th Jan 2023 14:11:00
     
      Hanwha Qcells, a solar company based in Seoul, announced Wednesday that it plans to spend $2.5 billion on a new solar panel manufacturing complex in a suburb of Atlanta, a move that could help quintuple Qcells’ production capacity to 60,000 panels per day. The new facility in Cartersville, Georgia, is expected to produce solar panel components like silicon ingots, wafers, and cells, in addition to assembling the panels themselves. Qcells is also preparing to expand an existing facility in Dalton, Georgia, where annual production is slated to increase from 2 gigawatts to 5.1 gigawatts as soon as this year. Together, the two plants are expected to create as many as 2,500 jobs. Qcells’ announcement is just one of several recent corporate commitments to expand renewable energy manufacturing in the United States — thanks in large part to the Inflation Reduction Act, the climate spending bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last year. The act authorized some $30 billion in tax credits to make it cheaper to manufacture solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and other clean-energy technologies. “I think it’s fair to say that this deal is President Biden’s vision come to life,” John Podesta, a White House climate adviser, told reporters, referring to Qcells’ proposed expansion in Georgia. Such investments are seen as critical to reduce the U.S.’s reliance on clean-energy technology imports. Today, most of the country’s solar panels are made in Asia, and China alone controls about 80 percent of global solar manufacturing. Human rights advocates have raised concerns that Chinese solar supply chains rely on forced labor. Other companies taking advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act include Arizona-based First Solar — which pledged $1.2 billion last year to expand domestic solar panel manufacturing — and Honda and LG Energy Solution, which plan to spend $4.4 billion on a new U.S. factory for electric vehicle batteries.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/georgia-is-getting-a-new-solar-panel-plant/
     
         
      California hit with one final round of storms Tue, 17th Jan 2023 10:27:00
     
      California has been hit by a final round of storms, bringing more rain and snow to a state already reeling from at least 19 weather-related deaths. Rain and snow were expected Monday overnight and into early Tuesday morning in parts of the state. Although weather should improve this week, many areas are currently at risk of floods and landslides. Storms have battered California in recent weeks, flooding communities and forcing evacuations. The back-to-back deluges have eroded roads and felled trees, making each successive storm more liable to cause serious damage as soils weaken. One to three feet (30 to 91cm) of new snow fell in parts of California's Sierra Nevada range over the weekend. As of Monday, eight million people remain under flood watch on California's central coast, and more than 38,600 customers in the state remained without power on Monday, according to poweroutage.us. The Sacramento office of the National Weather Service (NWS) said that "periods of moderate to heavy snow will continue into Monday". Meanwhile, heavy rain is forecast for Southern California throughout Monday into early Tuesday. Governor Gavin Newsom urged Californians to remain vigilant and exercise "common sense over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours". Skies will begin to look sunnier starting Tuesday, according to the NWS, but a final gasp of wet weather will hit some areas on Wednesday and into Thursday. US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in California - the country's most populous state - on Saturday night. The scale of the damage caused by a once-in-a-generation deadly "parade of storms" has started becoming clear in California. A total of 19 people have been confirmed dead, while a 5-year-old boy is missing after getting swept away by floodwaters. Between 26 December and 9 January, parts of California saw up to six times more rain than usual, according to the NWS. Last week, some areas of Santa Barbara received more than 410mm (16in) of rain in two days. Storms have lashed coastal cities such as Santa Cruz and San Francisco, opening sinkholes in roads and cutting power to thousands of homes. The rain has raised the water level in rivers across the state. Many low-lying areas along the Salinas River Valley were evacuated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64288263
     
         
      Lützerath: German police oust climate activists after clashes near coal mine Mon, 16th Jan 2023 16:31:00
     
      German police say they have removed almost all climate activists from a German village that will be destroyed to allow the expansion of a coal mine. Hundreds of officers cleared around 300 activists from Lützerath in an operation that began on Wednesday. Police say they removed activists waiting in treehouses, a day after clashes broke out between both sides. Two people were still holding out in an underground tunnel at the site in western Germany, police added. "There are no further activists in the village of Lützerath," police said, adding that the buildings at the site had been cleared by Friday. Police said that 35 "tree structures" and almost 30 wooden constructions had also been cleared away. Climate activists said that the village and others nearby should not be demolished and the coal under them, near an open-cast brown coal mine, should be left in the ground. Activists say burning the coal undermines Germany's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The village is owned by energy firm RWE, and the last resident moved out over a year ago. Germany has promised to phase out coal-fired power by 2030, bringing forward the date from 2038, and Lützerath is expected to be the final village to be swallowed up by the Garzweiler lignite mine. RWE said the coal under the village would be needed as early as this winter. Climate protesters dragged from German coal village Thunberg joins 'Pinky' and 'Brain' tunnel protest Tensions between police and climate protesters escalated on Saturday, with officers using water cannon and batons to disperse the activists. Around 20 protesters were injured and taken to hospital, according to a medic with the activist group. A police spokesman said around 70 officers had been injured since they began removing people from the site on Wednesday, with many of those officers injured during Saturday's clashes. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined the protest and denounced "police violence" in removing climate activists from the site. The climate organisers said around 35,000 protesters demonstrated on Saturday, while police officials put the figure at around 15,000.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64285787
     
         
      Energy boss warns higher bills are here to stay Mon, 16th Jan 2023 15:46:00
     
      The boss of Norwegian energy giant Equinor has said he does not expect gas and electricity bills to return to the levels they were before Covid. Anders Opedal told the BBC this was down to the costs of moving from fossil fuels to less damaging energy sources. He said also that windfall taxes on energy firms were affecting investment in projects in the UK. Equinor, like many other energy companies, has reported record profits because of higher gas prices. The firm, which makes most of its money producing oil and gas, is one of Europe's biggest energy companies, with operations in 36 countries around the world including the UK. In its most recent financial results, it reported pre-tax profits of $24.3bn (£19.8bn) between July and September compared to $9.7bn in the same period the year before. Listen to the full interview with Anders Opedal What is a windfall tax? Wholesale prices rose as Covid restrictions began to ease but soared higher after Russia invaded Ukraine and countries targeted the Kremlin with sanctions. In recent weeks, in part due to warmer than usual weather across Europe, gas prices have returned to where they were before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, gas and electricity bills for households and businesses remain elevated and are squeezing living costs for many. Mr Opedal said it was doubtful that gas and electricity bills would return to a time when the typical UK household was paying around £1,300 a year. The typical annual bill for homes is currently around £2,500 which includes help from the UK government. There is "a kind of re-wiring of the whole energy system in Europe particularly after the gas from Russia was taken away", Mr Opedal said, adding that huge investment in renewables was needed, including using more hydrogen for example. "This will require a lot of investment and these investments need to be paid for, so I would assume that the energy bills may slightly be higher than in the past but not as volatile and high as we have today." Looking ahead, Mr Opedal said "we need to treat energy as something that is not abundant". "I think we have had a lot of cheaper energy in the past and we probably wasted some of it, so we need to make sure we're making the right investments now [and] everyone [should] use as little energy as possible." Mr Opedal spoke to the BBC before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland which is an annual gathering of political and business leaders. The theme of this year's meeting, which takes place from 16-20 January, is "Cooperation in a fragmented world". Mr Opedal took over as chief executive and president of Equinor in November 2020 with a pledge to be "a force" in the shift to green energy. He started his career as a petroleum engineer. Net zero delay will hurt economy, MP’s review says Last year, the UK introduced a windfall tax on energy companies that have benefitted from the spike in prices. Initially 25%, the so-called Energy Profits Levy will rise to 35% in January and remain in place until March 2028. The tax applies to profits made from extracting UK oil and gas, but not from other activities such as refining oil and selling petrol and diesel on forecourts. The scheme also lets firms claim tax savings worth 91p of every £1 invested in fossil fuel extraction in the UK. Mr Opedal said that while the tax had not impacted Equinor's investment strategy in the UK: "It is affecting how we judge each project because we have to take into account what is the tax level compared to what are all the other risks." He cited the Rosebank oilfield off the coast of Shetland which Equinor is seeking to develop, pending government approval. Equinor says the field could produce almost 70,000 barrels of oil a day at its peak, accounting for 8% of the UK's total oil production between 2026 and 2030. However, environmental campaigners have described the plans as a "total betrayal" of the UK's climate goals. Mr Opedal said: "There have been two changes in the tax regime already and we're thinking about will it even be more going forward? Rosebank is a project that we think is needed in the UK in terms of energy security." He added: "Uncertainty about what will the tax level be will be an important part of the decision [to go ahead] because, for instance, now on some of the fields we have invested in we are still not profitable but pay tax already based on the windfall taxes. So this is how we kind of evaluate every project." Equinor's Norwegian operations account for around two thirds of its oil and gas business. The rest of its oil and gas business is spread across 30 countries, with two of its largest operations the Peregrino field in Brazil and the Mariner field off Shetland, which started production in 2019. The firm also has investments in off-shore wind power. It recently announced plans with Germany's RWE to develop hydrogen-ready power plants. The plants will run on gas initially but will eventually be able to transfer to using hydrogen generated by renewable energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64270157
     
         
      California’s devastating storm in maps and charts Mon, 16th Jan 2023 13:16:00
     
      California is being drenched again as a ninth storm in recent weeks took aim on Sunday night at the beleaguered US state. This relentless series of deadly downpours has left a trail of destruction but forecasters promise that California's first dry spell since Boxing Day will begin on Tuesday. Week upon week of high winds, floods and landslides have devastated neighbourhoods - from towns to rural communities like Chualar in Monterey County. Storms have lashed coastal cities such as Santa Cruz and San Francisco, opening sinkholes in roads and cutting power to thousands of homes. The Central Valley towns of Planada and Merced were hit by widespread flooding, forcing some people to leave their homes. More than 11,000 homes in the state remained without power on Sunday, according to poweroutage.us. US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in California - the country's most populous state - on Saturday night. Some of the rain in this weekend's latest showers will fall on ground which is heavily saturated, causing more flooding. More is forecast but not at the same levels as recent days. The rain has raised the water level in rivers across the state. Among those starting to flood is the Salinas River in Monterey County. Many low-lying areas along the Salinas River Valley are under evacuation orders "until further notice". Local officials had warned that flooding may cut off the Monterey Peninsula from the rest of the state but those fears appear to be receding now. Atmospheric rivers Driving some of the rain are weather phenomena called atmospheric rivers - water vapour evaporating from the ocean and carried along by the wind like a river in the sky. As it reaches higher ground, the moisture is released as rain or snow. Although these rain rivers can bring much needed water to drought-prone areas like California, in recent weeks they have coincided with other severe weather systems - such as low pressure "bomb cyclones", causing severe storms. California has suffered years of drought - hardening the surface of the soil and reducing the ground's ability to absorb water. That, in turn, makes run-off and flooding much more likely. Although a lot more rain would be needed to reverse drought conditions across the state, the US Drought Monitor shows the storm appears to have almost eliminated extreme drought conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/64265510
     
         
      New plans to widen police powers for disruptive protests Mon, 16th Jan 2023 12:29:00
     
      Police could be allowed to shut down protests before they cause serious disruption, under new government plans. Downing Street said the proposals would help officers clamp down on "a disruptive minority" who use tactics like blocking roads and slow marching. It said the changes seek to give police greater flexibility and clarity over when they can intervene. But human rights group Liberty said the proposals amounted to an attack on the right to protest. The plans will be set out in an amendment to the Public Order Bill, due to be introduced on Monday. Its aim is to crack down on disruptive protests by groups like environmental activists Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, which have used tactics including blocking roads. The bill, which covers England and Wales, is currently being scrutinised by the House of Lords and any changes at this stage could be blocked by peers before they become law. The proposals are likely to provoke strong opposition from some peers, who have been critical of previous attempts to increase police powers to shut down protests. Is it legal for Just Stop Oil to block roads? How will the Police and Crime Bill change protests? No 10 said the changes would mean police would not have to wait for disruption to take place to shut down a protest. It said forces could also consider the "total impact" of a series of protests by the same group, rather than seeing them as standalone incidents. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute. A balance must be struck between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their day-to-day business. "We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public." Chief Constable BJ Harrington, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for public order and public safety, said: "This will support officers in confidently and quickly taking action and making arrests where appropriate." All we know about the proposals to stop what the government calls "disruptive protests" is a press release issued by Downing Street. Number 10 says an amendment to the Public Order Bill will give police "greater flexibility and clarity" in their ability to stop demonstrators using "guerrilla tactics" and causing "chaos". But, as things stand, we have little in the way of clarity because everything hinges on a definition of "serious disruption" and we do not yet have one. Opposition parties and civil liberty campaigners argue the police already have powers to deal with dangerous or highly disruptive protest. The Public Order Bill would introduce serious disruption orders, allowing police to place restrictions on individuals and greater stop and search powers. However, senior police officers argue there is a need for greater clarity given the complexity of case law. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, says he wants to know "where the balance of rights should be struck". The policing of the vigil for Sarah Everard inspired legal action which saw the High Court rule in March last year that the handling breached the rights of the organisers. 2px presentational grey line But Martha Spurrier, director of human rights group Liberty, said the proposals were "a desperate attempt to shut down any route for ordinary people to make their voices heard". She said allowing the police to shut down protests before any disruption had taken place "sets a dangerous precedent". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the tactics of Just Stop Oil activists were wrong and "deeply arrogant" but police already had the power to take action against them. He told LBC officers could be given greater clarity over when to intervene without the need for legislation. Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, a former director of Liberty, said police already had adequate powers to arrest people obstructing highways and the government's proposals gave officers "a blank cheque". "This, I fear, is about treating all peaceful dissent as effectively terrorism," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "This degree of pre-emption will basically shut down the kind of dissent that isn't even causing disruption at all because their definition will set such a low bar." The Just Stop Oil group described the proposal as "a sinister and authoritarian attempt to undermine the basic human rights that underpin our democracy". The Public Order Bill already included provisions to create a new criminal offence for interfering with key national infrastructure like oil refineries and railways and for "locking on". That tactic - where someone locks themselves to an object or building - has been used by some climate protesters. The bill builds on the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which passed last year and was criticised by some groups for introducing curbs on the right to protest. Under this existing legislation, if the police want to restrict a protest, they generally have to show it may result in "serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64282962
     
         
      Why Michigan is trying to shut down Canada's Enbridge Line 5 pipeline Sun, 15th Jan 2023 14:32:00
     
      An ageing pipeline crossing part of the Great Lakes has led to a standoff between the US state of Michigan and Canada. The outcome of the battle over Line 5, which delivers energy to the US Midwest and central Canada, will be viewed by many as a bellwether of how North America will balance its energy future with its environmental commitments. The most contentious part of the Line 5 pipeline - which runs from Superior, Wisconsin, by way of Michigan to Sarnia, Canada - sits on the bed of the Straits of Mackinac. The narrow waterway connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron - two of the world's largest lakes. In 2018, an anchor from a shipping freighter passing through the Straits struck and damaged the pipe, bringing to the fore longstanding concerns from environmental campaigners and others over possible spills. Then-Michigan Governor Rick Snyder made an agreement with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge to protect the pipeline from further damage and keep it operational. Enbridge, one of the world's largest pipeline firms, would build a $500m (£411m) tunnel bored through rock below the lakebed in the Straits, to enclose Line 5. The agreement was meant to end uncertainty about the controversial 69-year-old oil and natural gas pipeline's safety. Will Line 5 be shut down? But two years later, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mr Snyder's Democratic successor and a long-time opponent of Line 5, ordered the company to cease operations in the Straits, effectively shutting Line 5 down. She called it an "unreasonable risk" to the Great Lakes, one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world and an economic engine for the region. Now, there is no end in sight for the ongoing battle over the fate of the project, the pipeline and the need to protect the Great Lakes. Permits and a safety and environmental impact assessment for the project - which would take years to complete - are still pending. And Enbridge has ignored Gov Whitmer's order to halt, setting things up for a lengthy and contentious court battle. Enbridge says the pipeline, which earns it an estimated $1.6-$2m daily, has been operating safely and reliably in the Straits for decades. In turn, Michigan has sued the company to enforce the Line 5 shutdown. The case is currently before a US federal court. Listen: Turtle Island and the Black Snake Calgary-based Enbridge has Canada in its corner. Line 5 is part of the Lakehead System, a network of pipelines that brings oil and natural gas from western Canada to homes and refineries in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario and Quebec. It provides the majority of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec's crude oil and, fearing its closure, Ottawa - which has warned a shutdown would have a profound impact on both sides of the border, including on jobs and supply chains - backed Enbridge's legal case. It invoked the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty between the two countries. The treaty ensures that crude oil will flow between the US and Canada so long as the pipelines involved are compliant with various rules and regulations. It forces an arbitration process in the event of a dispute. But Michigan has the support of 12 federally recognised Anishinaabe tribes in the state, who say Line 5 poses too high a risk to the Great Lakes. Line 5 'ticking time bomb' fears The waters are also of spiritual importance for the tribes, who argue they are protected by their constitutional treaty rights. "The Straits of Mackinac are the centre of our creation story," explains the President of the Bay Mills Indian Community, Whitney Gravelle. She said they have a right to hunt, fish and gather in the territory "in perpetuity - and Line 5 is a ticking time bomb that could destroy our culture and lifeways". For many Michiganders it is a vital fuel supply - their main source of heating, delivering 55% of the state's propane needs, according to Enbridge. Dan Harrington is the owner of UP Propane, a major supplier of propane used for heating in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, north of the Straits of Mackinac. Over concerns the pipeline would be shut down, he arranged an alternative supply route so as not to let down his 17,000 customers. "We actually put in a rail terminal where we aren't getting any, or very little, of our propane from Line 5," says Harrington. But if it were shut down, "the Midwest would be in a world of hurt", he said. While Enbridge says the Great Lakes tunnel project would "virtually eliminate" the chance of a spill, others disagree. An independent pipeline safety expert hired by the Bay Mills Indian Community, Richard Kuprewicz, says that transporting oil and gas "through an enclosed tunnel enhances the risk of a catastrophic explosion" - a risk he called low but not "negligible". If there was a pipeline break, even in the best-case scenario the outcome would be disastrous, according to Great Lakes oceanographer Dave Schwab. Line 5 carries almost half-a-million barrels of oil and natural gas daily. "So even if the oil flow was stopped instantly, which is impossible, the pipe would still contain a minimum of 5,000 barrels of oil," he said. A "best-case scenario" could see 700km (435 miles) of shoreline along Lake Huron and Lake Michigan affected, he said, and "in the worst case of a 25,000 barrel spill, over 1,000km of shoreline in both Canada and America would be affected". According to an independent risk analysis commissioned by Michigan, an oil spill could cost almost $2bn in damages. Given the diversity of habitats in and around the Straits - home to many insects, fish and migratory birds - it may "represent a point of no return for species loss". Michigan has been looking at options to replace Line 5 that include adding pumping stations to increase the flow of other Enbridge pipelines, or transporting the product via trucks and railroads. Those options, Canada's Minister for Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson told the BBC, were "less safe, less efficient, and higher emitting". Pipelines are generally regarded as a safe way to transport fuel and a better alternative to tanker trucks or freight trains. Eyes on Biden as energy prices rise Supporters argue Line 5 is critical to the state for the millions of dollars Enbridge pays in property, corporate and other tax revenues annually, and is vital to its energy needs. Enbridge says there's no viable alternative to the tunnel project and that they intend to continue operating Line 5 at the Straits until the tunnel's completion. "The tunnel makes what has always been a safe pipeline even safer, ensuring energy access and reliability, and supporting jobs and the economy throughout the Great Lakes Region," it told the BBC in an emailed statement. They said they had also taken additional measures to regularly monitor its integrity and prevent future anchor strikes. Although Line 5 has spilled over one million gallons at other stretches of the pipeline over its lifetime, Enbridge states that the portion crossing Mackinac "remains in excellent condition and has never experienced a leak". So far, the Biden administration has kept at arm's length from the dispute, saying it will allow current environmental reviews of the tunnel project to play out. But Heather Exner-Pirot, a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a Canadian think-tank, believes Mr Biden is unlikely to allow Line 5 to close, especially in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has had a significant impact on global energy supply and markets. "The energy crisis has caused the political tides to turn on this," said Ms Pirot. This will dismay both environmentalists and tribes, who assert that Line 5 is contrary to the Biden administration's green energy commitments. "Enbridge is speaking the universal language of economics," says Liz Kirkwood of FLOW, a non-profit conservation group, referring to the firm's warnings that a shutdown would have immediate consequences on the economies in the region. "What we're talking about is 20% of the planet's fresh surface water and the identity of an entire region. This is our home." Editor's note: Leana Hosea was arrested in 2017 while working as a journalist covering a protest against Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline in Wisconsin. All criminal charges were dropped.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63879493
     
         
      COP28: Why has an oil boss been chosen to head climate summit? Sat, 14th Jan 2023 12:39:00
     
      The United Arab Emirates has named the head of the state oil company, Sultan Al Jaber, as the president of this year's UN climate conference, COP28. But how can one man dedicate himself both to selling fossil fuels and tackling the climate crisis? The UAE is one of the 10 largest oil producers in the world. The state oil company, Adnoc, pumped 2.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2021, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec). But the company has bigger plans. It aims to nearly double output to five million barrels per day by 2027 - a target date brought forward from 2030 two months ago by its CEO, Sultan Al Jaber. "We are an emerging upstream company… with a mandate to stay focused on exploring the UAE's undeveloped oil and gas potential," reads the Adnoc website. So, climate activists and campaigners are now asking how Mr Al Jaber can play an effective role as COP28 president, a conference that will take take stock of where countries are in terms of commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A UN assessment last year showed countries current policies would lead to 11% increase in emissions by 2030 from 2010 levels, while a reduction of nearly 43% from 2019 levels is needed, scientists say, if the target of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is to be met. "It is the equivalent of appointing the CEO of a cigarette company to oversee a conference on cancer cures," said Zeina Khalil Hajj, head of global campaigning for 350.org, which campaigns for a complete end to the use of fossil fuels. "We are extremely concerned that it will open floodgates for greenwashing, and oil and gas deals to keep exploiting fossil fuels. COP28 cannot turn into an expo for the fossil fuel industry." Amnesty International's climate adviser, Chiara Liguori, also said the appointment sent the wrong signal. "It is also a disappointing selection for all those hoping COP28 will offer swift progress on reducing carbon emissions and delivering climate justice," she said. But Mr Al Jaber also has another hat. As well as heading Adnoc - and being the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology - he is also the chairman of Masdar, a renewable energy firm now active in over 40 countries. Launched in 2006, it has invested in mainly solar and wind power projects with a total capacity of 15 gigawatts, capable of displacing more than 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Like Adnoc, Masdar has ambitious plans, aiming to increase its capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2030, and to double that in years to come. Unusually for a country whose economy is based largely on oil and gas production, the UAE has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, though it has not fully explained how it will achieve this target - or how it squares with Adnoc's plans to explore the country's undeveloped oil and gas potential. (The UAE has proven crude oil reserves of 111 billion barrels.) So how does Sultan Al Jaber reconcile these two agendas? "The world needs maximum energy… minimum emissions," he said in an address at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in October. "The world needs all the solutions it can get. It is oil and gas and solar, and wind and nuclear, and hydrogen plus the clean energies yet to be discovered, commercialised and deployed." He has been quoted by the state-run news WAM agency as saying that the UAE was approaching COP28 "with a strong sense of responsibility and the highest possible level of ambition". "We will bring a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach that delivers transformative progress for climate and for low-carbon economic growth." At the start of UN climate conferences, delegates have a chance to approve the president nominated by the host country. The nominee is normally unanimously confirmed, and that could easily be the case with Sultan Al Jaber this time. "People should not see him just as an evil producer of greenhouse gases," Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, lead climate negotiator for the Democratic Republic of Congo and a former head of the African group at climate conferences told the BBC. "They should also see what he has been doing in the world of renewables. He understands both fossil fuels and decarbonisation and how we can make the transition to renewables." US presidential envoy John Kerry tweeted that Mr Al Jaber's "unique combination" of roles would "help bring all of the necessary stakeholders to the table to move faster and at scale". India's foreign minister S Jaishankar tweeted his congratulations to Mr Al Jaber, saying: "Your comprehensive experience of energy and climate change bodes well for a successful COP28." Countries that have had to slow down their transition to clean energy because of the battering their economies have taken in the Covid pandemic, will understandably not make an issue of Mr Al Jaber's appointment. Nor will countries that have increased their use of coal - one of the dirtiest fuels - in an attempt to use less Russian gas. Others have spent huge sums building infrastructure to import liquefied natural gas, which suggests plans to continue their dependence on fossil fuels for years to come. UAE names oil chief to lead COP28 talks ExxonMobil: Oil giant predicted climate change in 1970s - scientists Europe and polar regions bear brunt of warming in 2022 When in 2012 Qatar hosted COP18 it nominated its energy minister, Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, as president - and he was not contested. On the other hand, the climate crisis is treated now with greater urgency than it was 11 years ago. The world has already warmed by 1.1C compared to the pre-industrial period and scientists say the impact of this, including extreme weather events, is already "alarming". Several oil and gas exporting countries in the Middle East have been criticised during past COPs for not helping to take ambitious decisions to cut down global carbon emissions. There was criticism last year that hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists were allowed to attend COP27 in Egypt, and the final decision - which only mentioned phasing down the use of coal, and not all fossil fuels - was regarded by many delegations as a disappointment. So climate activists, already alarmed by the choice of Mr Jaber will be watching COP28, which starts on 30 November, extremely closely. And if there is not significant progress in reducing emissions, criticism of the UN climate process will mount.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64269436
     
         
      UN chief calls for renewable energy ‘revolution’ for a brighter global future Sat, 14th Jan 2023 7:15:00
     
      Renewable energy is the only credible path forward if the world is to avert a climate catastrophe, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Saturday, outlining a five-point plan for a just transition. “Only renewables can safeguard our future, close the energy access gap, stabilize prices and ensure energy security,” he said in a video message to the 13th Session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly, taking place this weekend in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. “Together, let's jumpstart a renewables revolution and create a brighter future for all.” ‘Death sentence’ for many The world is still addicted to fossil fuels and the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is fast slipping out of reach, the UN chief warned. “Under current policies, we are headed for 2.8 degrees of global warming by the end of the century. The consequences will be devastating. Several parts of our planet will be uninhabitable. And for many, this is a death sentence,” he said. Renewable energy sources currently account for about 30 per cent of global electricity. Mr. Guterres said this must double to over 60 per cent by 2030, and 90 per cent by mid-century. Global public goods His Five-point Energy Plan first calls for removing intellectual property barriers so that key renewable technologies, including energy storage, are treated as global public goods. Countries also must diversify and increase access to supply chains for raw materials and components for renewables technologies, without degrading the environment. “This can help create millions of green jobs, especially for women and youth in the developing world,” said Mr. Guterres. Subsidize the shift The Secretary-General urged decisionmakers to cut red tape, fast-track approvals for sustainable projects worldwide and modernize power grids. His fourth point focused on energy subsidies. He stressed the need to shift from fossil fuels to clean and affordable energy, adding “we must support vulnerable groups affected by this transition.” The final point highlighted how public and private investments in renewables should triple to at least $4 trillion dollars a year. Noting that most investments in renewables are in developed countries, the Secretary-General urged countries to work together to reduce the capital cost for renewables and ensure that financing flows to those who need it most. Multilateral development banks must also invest massively in renewable energy infrastructure, he added, while richer nations must work with credit agencies to scale up green investments in developing countries. Strengthening energy sovereignty The President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba K?rösi, underlined how success in climate protection depends on the transition to clean energy. “But the energy transition we have foreseen was a peace time agenda,” he said in a pre-recorded message. “How will it work in times of major political confrontations when energy supplies are turned into a tool of conflict?” Although setbacks might occur in the short term, along with a probable rise in the greenhouse gas emissions that drive global warming, Mr. K?rösi pointed to the long-term benefits of green energy. "If we look into the investment trends, the long-term impact of the conflict might be the opposite. From solar to wind, wave, and geothermal, renewable energy sources are available for every climate. Their use has a potential of strengthening energy sovereignty,” he said. 'Desperate race against time' The General Assembly President outlined steps that must be taken for renewable energy to comprise 60 per cent of global power generation by 2030. They include investing in scientific tools of measurement, creating a follow-up mechanism to assess progress, removing intellectual property barriers, and bolstering partnerships for sustainable energy initiatives. Mr. K?rösi stressed the urgency to act now. “We are in a desperate race against time. We need bold transformative action to curtail climate change,” he said. “We have the knowledge. We have the means. We should only have the will.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132452?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=739f027c47-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_14_05_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-739f027c47-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Net zero: Climate action delay will hurt economy, Tory MP’s review says Fri, 13th Jan 2023 13:43:00
     
      A Conservative MP has said delaying climate action risks damaging the UK's economic prospects, in a major review of the government's net zero plans. The report by Chris Skidmore says the government's climate policies need to be more consistent and ambitious. The UK is "falling behind" on some targets and needs a "new approach", the report says. It calls for 25 actions within two years, including food eco-labelling, and phasing out gas boilers by 2033. Mr Skidmore - the Tory MP who wrote the report - was commissioned by former prime minister Liz Truss to review the government's delivery of net zero, to ensure it was "pro-growth and pro-business". Some green campaign groups praised the report for focusing on the economic opportunities of net zero and urged the government to heed its recommendations. Labour's shadow climate secretary, Ed Miliband, said the government's lack of "urgency and consistency" was "depriving our country of the economic opportunities climate action offers". And Green MP Caroline Lucas said the review itself shied away from calling for "truly transformative measures to end our dependence on dirty, dangerous fossil fuels". The government said the UK was leading the world on tackling climate change and developing green jobs for the future. What does net zero mean? Can the UK afford its net zero policies? Is the UK on track to meet its targets? Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change. Mr Skidmore is one of the greenest Tory MPs and signed the 2050 emissions target into law in 2019 when he was an energy minister. He spent months meeting politicians, business leaders and energy experts across the country as part of his evidence-gathering process. Calling net zero "the growth opportunity of the 21st century", Mr Skidmore says the UK "must move quickly" and decisively to reap the economic benefits of achieving the target. "We have heard from businesses that economic opportunities are being missed today because of weaknesses in the UK's investment environment - whether that be skills shortages or inconsistent policy commitment," Mr Skidmore writes. "Moving quickly must include spending money. We know that investing in net zero today will be cheaper than delaying, as well as increasing the economic and climate benefits." He added: "The review recognises we have fallen behind, but it sets out how we can be world-leading in these areas once again. We need to remove the barriers that are in place at the moment." The review - a leaked copy of which was seen by the BBC ahead of its publication on Friday - said a key demand from across the country was "the need for clarity, certainty, consistency, and continuity from government". On top of setting out long-term goals, it outlines 25 actions the government should take in the next two years. These include: Legislating to phase out gas boilers by 2033, rather than 2035 "Eco-labelling" more environmentally friendly foods to lower carbon emissions Scrapping planning rules for solar panels Providing longer-term funding certainty for major net zero projects, including new nuclear power plants Implementing plans this year to increase solar and onshore wind generation, including a target of increasing solar generation fivefold by 2035 Ending routine oil and gas flaring by 2025, rather than 2030 In his conclusion, Mr Skidmore said the UK was in a "net-zero race" and delaying decisions risked losing jobs, infrastructure and investments to other countries. The UK, he said, had "reached a tipping point" where the "risks of 'not zero' are now greater than the associated risks of taking decisive action on net zero now". "This is why we need a new approach to our net zero strategy," Mr Skidmore writes. "One which identifies stable 10-year missions that can be established across sectors, providing the vision and security for stakeholders and investors." Sources in the renewable energy sector told the BBC it was vital for the review's recommendations to be "taken forward immediately", adding: "The government needs to take the same kind of agile and empowered approach as was used for developing the coronavirus vaccine." The government's independent adviser on climate change said Mr Skidmore had gone "further than anything we've published before by highlighting the fact that there's a risk if we don't go fast enough" on net zero. "To have that from a Conservative MP is very significant indeed," Chris Stark, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, told the BBC. But Tanya Steele, chief executive of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), said she was concerned by the government's "stop-start" policies on net zero. The WWF was urging the government to "deliver on its promise to meet the net zero target with a clear strategy", Ms Steele said. A government spokesperson said Mr Skidmore's report "recognises the government progress that has been made to date in working towards legally-binding net zero targets". "The UK is leading the world on tackling climate change while also developing green jobs for the future - in fact we've cut emissions by over 44% since 1990 while growing our economy by 76%, and our policies have supported 68,000 green jobs since late 2020," the spokesperson said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64257057
     
         
      A $100 million boost for environmental justice Fri, 13th Jan 2023 10:19:00
     
      The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday that it will offer $100 million in grants for projects to address environmental inequities, its largest-ever offering of this kind. “Since day one, President Biden pledged to prioritize environmental justice and equity for all, and EPA is at the heart of delivering on that mission,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. The funding — much of it from the Inflation Reduction Act, the climate spending bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last year — is split into two different programs. The first will offer some $30 million to community-based nonprofits for projects that focus on the environment or public health, like monitoring water quality or mitigating pollution from industrial facilities. The second program will funnel $70 million into projects led by state, local, and tribal governments. The EPA says it will give special consideration to applications that address climate change and disaster resiliency, benefit rural areas, or conduct health impact assessments — analyses that quantify projects’ environmental, social, and economic ramifications. The funding is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to take on long-standing environmental inequities, including an initiative called Justice40 that promises to direct 40 percent of the benefits of federal climate investments into communities that are overburdened by pollution and vulnerable to climate change. Research shows that people of color tend to face disproportionate levels of pollution, in part a result of racist housing policies that place industrial facilities near their homes. Historic disinvestment in low-income areas and Black and Hispanic communities has also put them at greater risk of heat waves, flooding, and other disasters related to global warming. Marce Gutiérrez-Graudi?š, executive director of Azul — a grassroots ocean conservation organization that works with Latinos — said the grant funding could empower community organizations to implement environmental justice solutions of their own design, rather than receiving solutions from the top down. “Communities know their needs and their solutions best,” she told me. “This is heartening to see.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-100-million-boost-for-environmental-justice/
     
         
      Water’s a ‘dealmaker’ for multilateral cooperation and the SDGs Fri, 13th Jan 2023 10:13:00
     
      Water can be a “dealmaker” for stability and cooperation as well as for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, speakers from the co-hosts of the upcoming UN 2023 Water Conference said on Friday. The upcoming summit “will be an occasion to unite the global community to take action and address the broad challenges surrounding water,” said Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and the Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water Conference, during a press conference at UN Headquarters. He noted that the Conference, taking place from 22 to 24 March, is expected to bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers and other high-level representatives of governments and the UN system. A wide range of stakeholders from across different sectors will also take part, as the General Assembly has accredited more than 1,200 organizations representing civil society, youth, women, and the private sector, among others. Water Action Agenda A main outcome of the Conference – co-hosted by the Governments of the Netherlands and Tajikistan – will be a Water Action Agenda that will capture the ambitious new commitments from Member States and other stakeholders. Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking water and sanitation, even though access to both services has long been defined as a human right. Many water sources are becoming more polluted, and ecosystems that provide water are disappearing. Climate change is disrupting the water cycle, causing droughts and floods. A time for ‘bold commitments’ “The important thing for us as co-hosts and indeed for the rest of the world are the outcomes of the Conference,” said Sulton Rahimzoda, Special Envoy of the President of Tajikistan for Water. “We, therefore, do not need a Conference with bold statements. We need a Conference with bold commitments.” The Water Action Agenda is a platform that collects, displays and follows these commitments at all levels, including from governments, civil society and the private sector from all over the world, he added. “Water could be a dealbreaker but we are striving to show that water in most cases is a dealmaker and […] water could be a source of peace and development,” he stressed. Trickledown Henk Ovink, Special Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for Water, emphasized that without clear water, diseases will spread, and girls will go to school less frequently. Also, no water means no crops. “Investing in water […] trickles down across every Sustainable Development Goal,” he stressed. “The UN 2023 Conference[…]will be a monumental occasion,” he said, not only for the water agenda, but more importantly for sustainable development and climate change action at large.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132447?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4bb7cdb9e3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_13_10_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-4bb7cdb9e3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Australia to limit industrial emissions Thu, 12th Jan 2023 12:23:00
     
      Australia’s center-left Labor government released a plan on Tuesday to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s largest industrial facilities, responsible for 28 percent of the country’s climate pollution. Under the plan, 215 of Australia’s largest oil and gas operations, steelmakers, cement manufacturers, and other polluters would be required to reduce their combined annual greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by the end of the decade. The block of facilities would have to limit its carbon pollution to 100 million metric tons or less per year. To get there, each facility covered by the policy would be assigned an annual cap for emissions intensity — the amount of climate pollution per unit of production — with each subsequent cap shrinking by 4.9 percent. The plan is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s update to Australia’s “safeguard mechanism,” a policy that has been in place since 2016 but has failed to reduce industrial climate pollution — in part because emissions caps were set too high. The reforms are expected to strengthen the policy, help Australia reach legally binding targets to cut emissions 43 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. The new plan would allow facilities to trade emissions credits with each other and offer an initial AU$600 million ($415 million) of decarbonization assistance to facilities that could be undercut by overseas competitors that aren’t subject to stringent environmental controls. Environmental advocates have welcomed the latest plan despite sharp criticism of a provision allowing covered facilities to purchase an unlimited quantity of carbon offsets from the government instead of actually cutting emissions. A recent review of Australia’s offsets system raised serious doubts about its legitimacy, and a U.N. expert panel last year warned that offsets could represent “greenwashing” at the expense of more meaningful emissions cuts. The offsetting provision “will simply incentivize Australia’s heavy industry to engage in tricky carbon accounting to cover up pollution as usual instead of investing in genuine transformation,” Jennifer Rayner, head of advocacy at the Australian nonprofit Climate Council, said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/australia-to-limit-industrial-emissions/
     
         
      2022 confirmed as one of warmest years on record: WMO Thu, 12th Jan 2023 12:21:00
     
      The UN weather agency, WMO, said on Thursday that 2022 was the fifth or sixth warmest year on record, adding to deep concerns that the likelihood of breaching the 1.5 degree Celsius limit of the Paris Agreement “is increasing with time”. In an alert, the agency also explained that 2022 was the eighth consecutive year that global temperatures rose at least 1C above pre-industrial levels, fuelled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat. La Niña impact The cooling effect of the La Niña phenomenon – now in its third year - prevented 2022 from being the warmest ever. “This cooling impact will be short-lived and will not reverse the long-term warming trend caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” the WMO warned, adding that there is a 60 per cent chance that La Niña will continue until March 2023, followed by “ENSO-neutral” conditions (neither El Niño nor La Niña). Regardless of La Niña, 2022 was still marked by dramatic weather disasters linked to climate change, from catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, deadly heatwaves in China, Europe, North and South America, and relentless drought and misery for millions in the Horn of Africa. In late December, severe storms also began ripping across large areas of North America, bringing high winds, heavy snow, flooding and low temperatures. WMO chief: invest in preparedness These emergencies have “claimed far too many lives and livelihoods and undermined health, food, energy and water security and infrastructure”, said WMO Secretary-General, Professor Petteri Taalas, who called for all nations to step up preparedness for extreme weather events. “Today only half of 193 (UN) Members have proper early warning services, which leads to much higher economic and human losses,” the WMO chief explained. “There are also big gaps in basic weather observations in Africa and island states, which has a major negative impact on the quality of weather forecasts.” Data analysis by the UN agency showed that the average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15C (34.07F) above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels. This compares with 1.09C (33.96F) from 2011 to 2020 and indicates that long-term warming shows no signs of stopping. Scientific approach “Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. This is expected to continue,” the UN agency said, adding that the warmest eight years have all been since 2015, with 2016, 2019 and 2020 constituting the top three. “An exceptionally strong El Niño event occurred in 2016, which contributed to record global temperatures,” WMO explained. To reach its findings, the UN agency collated and compared weather datasets from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS); the United Kingdom’s Met Office Hadley Centre, and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (HadCRUT); the Berkeley Earth group, the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and its Copernicus Climate Change Service; and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Millions of meteorological and marine observations were used, including from satellites, said WMO, adding that combining observations with modelled values made it possible to estimate temperatures “at any time and in any place across the globe, even in data-sparse areas such as the polar regions”. WMO also cautioned against placing too much importance on individual year rankings, as the “differences in temperature between the fourth and eighth warmest year are relatively small”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132387
     
         
      Climate change: UAE names oil chief to lead COP28 talks Thu, 12th Jan 2023 9:47:00
     
      The head of one of the world's biggest oil companies has been named to lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai, later this year. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is currently the chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. He is also the minister for industry and advanced technology for the COP28 hosts, the United Arab Emirates. Campaigners say he must stand down from his oil business role while president as it is a clear conflict of interest. They believe someone steeped in the oil industry may not push countries to rapidly reduce their production and use of fossil fuel, which scientists say is critical to avoiding dangerous climate change. Europe and polar regions hit hardest by warming Ozone layer may be restored in decades, UN says Wind generated a record amount of power in 2022 Running the global climate talks process is not an easy job - for months before, and especially during the conference, every word and action of the president is heavily scrutinised. COP28 is already mired in some controversy as the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, are one of the world's biggest producers of oil and gas. The appointment of a key figure in the energy industry as the president-designate of COP28 will likely increase the concerns that the global climate talks process is facing significant influence from fossil fuel interests. The recent COP27 gathering in Egypt was described by some attendees as a "glorified fossil fuel trade show". Analysis of those who registered for the event showed a significant increase in those who were connected to the oil and gas industry compared to previous meetings. Among the large delegation from the UAE at the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, there were 70 people closely connected to fossil fuels. Mr Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said to be the world's 12th biggest oil company. Over the past decade he has become the face of the UAE's energy industry but he will be the first serving oil executive to assume the role of COP president. As well as being a minister and his country's climate envoy, he is also chairman of Masdar, the government-owned renewable energy company that he helped set up. He has certainly long warned of the dangers of climate change but campaigners are concerned about his appointment, and are calling for him to step aside from his industry roles. "It is imperative for the world to be reassured that he will step down from his role as the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company," said Tasneem Essop, from Climate Action International. "He cannot preside over a process that is tasked to address the climate crisis with such a conflict of interest, heading an industry that is responsible for the crisis itself." What will concern campaigners is that major oil and gas producers are among those opposed to a more rapid phase out of all fossil fuels. At COP27, there was a strong push from more than 80 countries for the conference to declare support for a phase down of oil and gas as well as coal. This attempt came to nothing in the face of strong opposition from countries the rely of fossil fuel exports. While Mr Al Jaber's appointment has been met with criticism from activists, others involved in climate diplomacy have welcomed the move. "The UAE has adopted a sound green growth strategy and is a major investor in renewable energy both at home and abroad," said Yvo de Boer, who was UN climate chief between 2006 and 2010. "The COP president-designate has been instrumental on many of these issues. This equips him with the understanding, experience and responsibility to make COP28 ambitious, innovative and future focussed." Certainly those skills will be tested at the gathering in Dubai in early December this year. COP28 will hold the first formal assessment of progress on cutting carbon since the Paris agreement was signed. The "global stocktake" as it is called will be a key moment in clarifying just how much further countries will need to go in restricting their emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64240206
     
         
      ExxonMobil: Oil giant predicted climate change in 1970s - scientists Thu, 12th Jan 2023 6:45:00
     
      One of the world's largest oil companies accurately forecast how climate change would cause global temperature to rise as long ago as the 1970s, researchers claim. ExxonMobil's private research predicted how burning fossil fuels would warm the planet but the company publicly denied the link, they suggest. The academics analysed data in the company's internal documents. ExxonMobil denied the allegations. "This issue has come up several times in recent years and, in each case, our answer is the same: those who talk about how "Exxon Knew" are wrong in their conclusions," the company told BBC News. Corporations including ExxonMobil have made billions from selling fossil fuels that release emissions that scientists, governments and the UN say cause global warming. The findings suggest that ExxonMobil's predictions were often more accurate than even world-leading Nasa scientists. "It really underscores the stark hypocrisy of ExxonMobil leadership, who knew that their own scientists were doing this very high quality modelling work and had access to that privileged information while telling the rest of us that climate models were bunk," Naomi Oreskes, professor of the history of science at Harvard University, told BBC News. The findings are a "smoking gun", suggests co-author Geoffrey Supran, associate professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami. "Our analysis allows us for the first time to actually put a number on what Exxon knew, which is that the burning of their fossil fuel products was going to heat the planet by about 0.2C of warming every decade," he said. Researchers have never before quantified the scientific evidence in ExxonMobil's documents, he says. In response, ExxonMobil pointed to a 2019 US court ruling that concluded: "ExxonMobil executives and employees were uniformly committed to rigorously discharging their duties in the most comprehensive and meticulous manner possible." The US state taking on an oil giant for greenwashing How the oil industry made us doubt climate change A simple guide to climate change "ExxonMobil is committed to being part of the solution to climate change and the risks it poses," a spokesperson said. "Their excellent climate modelling was at least comparable in performance to one of the most influential and well-regarded climate scientists of modern history," Prof Supran said, comparing ExxonMobil's work to Nasa's James Hansen who sounded the alarm on climate in 1988. Prof Oreskes said the findings show that ExxonMobil "knowingly misled" the public and governments. "They had all this information at their disposal but they said very, very different things in public," she explained. Previous investigations have unearthed Exxon documents that suggest the company sought to spread doubt about the science. One internal paper set out the "Exxon position" to "emphasise the uncertainty in scientific conclusions" about the greenhouse effect. Europe and polar regions bear brunt of warming in 2022 What do scientists actually want? HSBC to end new funding for oil and gas fields The research, published in the academic journal Science, also suggests that ExxonMobil had reasonable estimates for how emissions would need to be reduced in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change in a world warmed by 2C or more. Their scientists also correctly rejected the theory that an ice age was coming at a time when other researchers were still debating the prospect. Prof Oreskes and Prof Supran carried out the research after journalists in 2015 uncovered evidence suggesting ExxonMobil's knew about climate change, but were accused by ExxonMobil of "cherry-picking" the truth. They plotted scientific data in more than 100 publications from Exxon and Exxon Mobil between 1977 and 2014 to calculate their predictions of global temperature rise. Prof Oreskes suggests that it showed the company was internally using climate science when publicly it called the models "speculative" or "bad science". The findings add to ongoing pressure on the company over what it knew about climate change. Campaigners allege it spread misinformation in order to protect its business interests in fossil fuels and are suing the company in a number of US courts. In May a court in Massachusetts, US ruled that ExxonMobil must face trial over accusations it lied about climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64241994
     
         
      Lützerath eviction: German police drag climate protesters from coal village Wed, 11th Jan 2023 18:38:00
     
      Police in riot gear have started to drag climate activists away from an abandoned village in western Germany they have occupied for months. Protesters barricaded themselves in to prevent Lützerath from being swallowed up by the nearby Garzweiler open coal mine. Some activists threw stones and pyrotechnics at police officers as they began to clear the camp. Protesters climbed into treehouses to make the eviction more difficult. The village is owned by energy firm RWE, and the last resident moved out over a year ago. There were violent scuffles as police wearing riot gear moved into the village early on Wednesday to evict the protesters. More than 1,000 police from across Germany took part in the operation. They dragged some activists, many wearing scarves to mask their faces, away across the muddy ground. The situation was then described as predominantly peaceful as police knocked on doors in the village and asked people to leave. Some of the protesters have formed human chains, others have taken to treehouses or the rooftops of the village. Lützerath is literally on the verge of being swallowed up by the vast open coal mine on its doorstep. RWE operates the mine and plans to extend the works. A huge mechanical digger stands metres from the treeline at the edge of the village. Although all the residents have left, several hundred climate protesters are determined to stop RWE getting at the lignite that lies underneath Lützerath. Some have been here for more than a year, squatting in the abandoned brick buildings. And it will probably take police weeks to remove all the barricades and tree houses. "The coal under here is not needed for anything just for RWE to make more profit," one activist told the BBC. Two protesters, Anna and Kim, had chained their hands inside a barrel filled with concrete. "I feel hopeless and sad because most probably this village will be gone," said Anna. "At the same it feels powerful to see how many people are here and supporting this." Days before the police moved in, the activists were busy reinforcing barricades and preparing piles of bricks. Some were practising their rope-climbing skills. A series of treehouses, perilously high in the tall trees, are linked by rope so that the activists can move around above the heads of the police. Activist Dina Hamid rejected the assertion of authorities, that Germany needed the lignite to meet its energy requirements, now that it could no longer rely on supplies from Russia. "The climate crisis is now, and we know that coal should have been stopped years ago."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64233676
     
         
      2022: ‘The year the solar age truly began’ Wed, 11th Jan 2023 18:27:00
     
      2022 was a banner year for the European solar industry. According to an annual market analysis from the trade group SolarPower Europe, the European Union added 41.4 gigawatts of new solar capacity to the grid over the course of the year — a 47 percent increase over solar deployment in 2021 and enough to power 12.4 million European homes. “Only history will tell,” the report says, “but it is likely that Europe will remember 2022 as the year the solar age truly began.” The report attributes the sector’s rapid growth to the easing of COVID-related supply chain issues, as well as record-high energy prices and concerns about getting natural gas from Russia. As part of a plan from the EU’s executive arm to end Europe’s reliance on Russian gas, the EU has also fast-tracked efforts to add more than 320 gigawatts of solar power to the European grid by 2025 and almost 600 gigawatts by 2030. Today, the EU’s total solar fleet has a capacity of about 209 gigawatts. Germany and Spain led the pack in new solar capacity, adding nearly 8 gigawatts each in 2022, followed by Poland (4.9 gigawatts), the Netherlands (4 gigawatts), and France (2.7 gigawatts). For the first time, the report says, all of Europe’s top 10 solar markets were gigawatt-scale, meaning they added at least 1 gigawatt of new solar capacity over the course of the year. The report sees a sunny outlook for solar power in the coming years, predicting that deployment will exceed 50 gigawatts in 2023 and climb as high as 120 gigawatts annually within the next four years. It warns that EU member states may be unprepared for such “seismic” growth; most of their national energy and climate plans have 2030 targets for solar capacity that will be hit five years early, if SolarPower Europe’s projections prove true. “Each and every stakeholder in energy politics needs to be aware that imminently, solar will be at the center of the European Union’s energy system,” the authors wrote in a foreword. To maximize the sector’s full potential, the authors call on policymakers to dramatically expand the solar industry workforce, upgrade the grid for more solar connections, and streamline solar permitting procedures.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/2022-the-year-the-solar-age-truly-began/
     
         
      What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather? Wed, 11th Jan 2023 16:18:00
     
      New data shows that 2022 was the fifth hottest year for Europe since records began. But scientists are warning that 2023 could be even warmer, as a climate phenomenon called La Niña - which has been suppressing global temperatures - comes to an end. What is La Niña? La Niña is part of a climate phenomenon called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. It has two opposite states - El Niño and La Niña - both of which significantly alter weather patterns across the globe. For the last few years, the world has been in successive La Niña periods, which have lowered temperatures and brought heavy rains to Canada and Australia. Winds blowing along the Equator above the Pacific Ocean - from South America in the east towards Asia in the west - were stronger than normal. These "trade winds" piled warm water off the coast of Asia, raising the sea surface level. In the east, near the Americas, cold water flowed upwards to the surface. During El Niño the opposite happens - weaker trade winds mean the warm water spreads out back towards the Americas, and less cold water rises towards the surface. Winds blowing along the Equator above the Pacific Ocean - from South America in the east towards Asia in the west - were stronger than normal. These "trade winds" piled warm water off the coast of Asia, raising the sea surface level. In the east, near the Americas, cold water flowed upwards to the surface. During El Niño the opposite happens - weaker trade winds mean the warm water spreads out back towards the Americas, and less cold water rises towards the surface. Changes to rainfall During El Niño events, the warmer water pushes the Pacific jet stream's strong air currents further to the south and the east. This brings wetter weather to southern US states and the Gulf of Mexico, while the north of the US and Canada remain drier. Asia, Australia, and Central and Southern Africa typically experience drought. In La Niña events the opposite is seen: drought in the southern US, and heavy rains in Canada and Asia. In October 2022, Australia experienced record rainfall and flooding driven by La Niña. Tropical storms La Niña also generates more hurricanes in the Atlantic - affecting Florida and other southern states of the US - but fewer tropical storms in the Pacific. The opposite is true of El Niño events. How often do these episodes happen? El Niño and La Niña episodes typically occur every two to seven years, and usually last nine to 12 months. They don't necessarily alternate: La Niña events are less common than El Niño episodes. How do these events affect us? The extreme weather events caused by El Niño and La Niña affect infrastructure, food and energy systems around the world. The drought in Canada and Asia caused by the 2014-16 El Niño phase resulted in crop failure and damaged the food security of more than 60m people, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. During El Niño events, less cold water rises to the surface off the Americas which brings fewer nutrients from the bottom of the ocean. That means there is less food available for marine species like squid and salmon, in turn reducing fish stocks for South American fishing communities. Is climate change affecting El Niño/La Niña? In 2021, the UN's climate scientists, the IPCC, said the ENSO events which have occurred since 1950 are stronger than those observed between 1850 and 1950. However, it also said that historical evidence like tree rings, corals and sediment records shows that there have been variations in the frequency and strength of these episodes since the 1400s. The IPCC concluded there is no clear evidence that climate change has affected El Niño or La Niña events.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64192508
     
         
      New planning rules to help hit Scottish emissions targets Wed, 11th Jan 2023 6:41:00
     
      MSPs have signed off new planning rules for Scotland which aim to help hit climate change targets while cutting the use of private cars. The new framework will give priority to planning applications for renewable energy schemes including wind farms. And it will seek to cut car trips and boost city centres by opposing out-of-town retail parks and drive-throughs. The aim is to create "20-minute neighbourhoods" where all services are within walking or cycling distance. Planning minister Tom Arthur said the changes would "help build a fairer, greener Scotland" and transform the economy for future generations. Opposition parties said more should have been included to promote the development of new housing, but the framework was approved by 88 votes to 30. Read the new planning framework in full More stories from Scottish Politics Planning applications are mostly handled by local authorities, but councillors must work inside a framework drawn up by the Scottish government. The latest version of that framework states that planners must give "significant weight to the global climate and nature crises" when considering new developments. It also says that all proposals for renewable energy projects will be supported, including onshore wind farms everywhere other than in national parks and national scenic areas. Other green energy systems like solar arrays, hydrogen power projects and carbon capture schemes will also be backed, while it is "highly unlikely" that new waste incinerators will get permission. Ministers also want to boost town and city centres by creating "20-minute neighbourhoods" with improved walking and cycling access. This will include opposition to any expansion of out-of-town retail parks, as well as drive-through takeaways - which will only be supported if local plans say they "would not negatively impact on the principles of local living or sustainable travel". This also plays into the government's wider target to cut car journeys by 20% by 2030, with the framework aiming to support "transformational reduction in private car use". As well as backing mass transit projects in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh, the document says developments should aim to "minimise space dedicated to car parking" in towns. That means proposals will not be supported if they "would increase reliance on the private car", while backing will be given to those which are "ambitious in terms of low/no car parking, particularly in urban locations". Priority will also be given to new cycle lanes and "active travel", public transport links and electric vehicle charging points. Climate crisis Mr Arthur said the new framework was "one of the most important changes since the modern planning system was introduced in 1948". He said: "It prioritises tackling the climate crisis and reaching net zero by supporting development, growth of communities and of the economy in ways that are both sustainable and fair. "While we won't compromise on addressing climate change, the system will allow planning authorities to bring forward locally tailored policies and proposals that meet their communities' needs and circumstances." During the Holyrood debate, Mr Arthur told MSPs that the government was still committed to delivering on its past policies of dualling the A9 and A96. The Scottish Conservatives said the framework would not meet all of the challenges facing Scotland, with MSP Miles Briggs saying it "isn't acceptable in its current form". He said the "housing crisis" should also be at the heart of the planning system, saying the new framework would "do little to drive forward the number of new homes that Scotland requires". Labour's Mark Griffin also said homes needed to be built in much greater numbers. However, his party did vote for the framework, which he said was vitally important for "the communities, local decision makers and businesses who desperately need long-overdue detail about how planning will work for the next decade".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64234765
     
         
      Big polluters forced to cut emissions by 4.9 per cent each year until 2030 in Labor plan to slash Australia’s carbon Tue, 10th Jan 2023 18:25:00
     
      Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has unveiled a roadmap for 215 of the country's biggest polluters to decarbonise, offering incentives to invest in cleaner technology. The Albanese Government has proposed reforms that will see the country’s largest polluting companies slash their emissions by at least 28 per cent by 2030, in an effort to meet Labor’s legislated targets. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has laid out the path to revamping the Safeguard Mechanism introduced by the Coalition in 2016, limiting the emissions of 215 oil, gas, mining and manufacturing facilities. The reforms are expected to support businesses in reducing their annual greenhouse output by 4.9 per cent every year until 2030 and cut 205 million tonnes of emissions or the equivalent of two-thirds of Australia’s cars. Mr Bowen admitted the reforms were complicated but that the regulations would create baselines and the stability needed for industries to decarbonise. “We will start primarily by taking the starting position as the emissions of each facility, and then between now and 2030 we will move to more of an industry baseline,” Mr Bowan said in Gladstone. “We will have a cap on the price of carbon credits – $75. This was important to provide that stability and certainty going forward.” In September, Labor passed a bill which enshrined a 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050 in law. The Climate Change Minister explained that each facility would have its own baseline and tailored targets to help them contribute to the overall emission reduction requirements, before transitioning to sector benchmarks in 2030. Meanwhile trade intensive facilities would be supported through $600 million in funding to help them invest in new technologies under the Powering the Regions Fund. “There is much more to it than that, but these are some of the key points. This is pro-climate, pro-industry, pro competitiveness,” Mr Bowen said. Carbon Market Institute CEO John Connor praised the proposed changes and although he admitted to wanting more ambition from the government, conceded it was a “significant step”. “This is a very significant step today, to decarbonise our industry and make it competitive with a world that is heading towards net zero emissions,” he told Sky News Australia on Tuesday. Labor's position paper revealed that businesses would have no initial limits on credit use, with polluters either using Australian carbon credits from the existing system or new safeguard credits bought from companies that emitted below their limit by bigger polluters. He suggested it put “businesses back in the driving seat” and gave them the incentive to invest in cleaner technologies, using the crediting system while they put the changes into place. “I think this is about setting investment signals to business to be putting in place the cleaner technologies that they need if they are to be competitive in this new world,” Mr Connor said. “But also to have some flexibility as they do so. That's why we’ve got the crediting system that will allow companies to trade amongst other companies that are covered by these safeguard limits. “Or trade into the broader carbon framework that's driving emission reductions in other areas of the economy, like agriculture.” For industries at risk of losing business to overseas competitors as a result of the changes, there would be exceptions made to cut emissions at slower rates. The Greens were quick to criticise the reforms and warned the safeguard rules could give coal and gas companies “dodgy offsetting” instead of significant pollution cuts. “Buying offsets is just coins down the back of the couch for them. Coal and gas can’t be allowed to just buy their way out of real pollution cuts with dodgy offsetting,” acting Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi said. “The Greens want to work with the government to ensure the Safeguard Mechanism delivers real and deep pollution cuts, not just dodgy offsetting and an excuse for coal and gas to expand and keep polluting.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/big-polluters-forced-to-cut-emissions-by-49-per-cent-each-year-until-2030-in-labor-plan-to-slash-australias-carbon/news-story/6af9bdd060071147134269f956ac80c5
     
         
      California storm: Montecito residents told to flee deadly downpour Tue, 10th Jan 2023 13:32:00
     
      California's elite coastal enclave of Montecito has been ordered to evacuate amid a major storm that has landed most of the state under flood watch. Heavy rain was lashing the community near Santa Barbara, home to celebrities such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - Harry and Meghan - and Oprah Winfrey. Forecasters are warning state residents to brace for a "relentless parade of cyclones" over the next week. The deluge has already claimed 12 lives and left thousands without power. More than 100,000 people were still without power as of Monday afternoon. Around 90% of Californians - some 34 million people in the most populous US state - were under flood watch, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "We expect to see the worst of it still ahead of us," Governor Gavin Newsom said at a news conference. "Don't test fate." An order issued on Monday afternoon by the Montecito Fire Department directed residents of the town and nearby canyons: "Leave now!" Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that the decision to order an evacuation was "based on the continuing high rate of rainfall with no indication that that is going to change before nightfall". Residents unable to flee are being told to move to their innermost room or high ground. It is unclear if Prince Harry, who is currently promoting his memoir Spare, or his wife and children are currently in Montecito. The US National Weather Service (NWS) reported that up to 8in (20cm) of rain had already fallen over 12 hours in the region. Montecito is home to many Hollywood stars, including actor Rob Lowe, and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who posted a video from the banks of a flooded creek on Monday. "This is crazy!" said the chat show host. "This creek next to our house never flows, ever. It's probably about nine feet up and is going to go another two feet up." The evacuation comes on the fifth anniversary of a mudslide in Montecito that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes. This new round of severe weather will bring heavy rain on already flooded rivers, damaging winds that are expected to topple trees and power lines, and heavy snow in the California mountains. On Monday, authorities called off a search for a five-year-old boy. The boy and his mother were reportedly in a car that was swept into floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County. The boy was said by his father to have been on his way to school, according to local media. The NWS forecast the heaviest and most widespread rain would hit around Tuesday morning and afternoon. The agency has issued a flood warning in areas around Los Angeles, including Orange County and the San Bernardino County Mountains. Other evacuations have been ordered by officials, including in areas downstream of reservoirs that could overflow. The Sacramento Valley is also under a flood advisory. Schools in and around Sacramento have cancelled classes on Monday. US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for California on Monday, which allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to provide disaster relief. What are atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones? In the last week, California has experienced two overlapping weather phenomena - an atmospheric river, where an airborne stream of dense moisture flows in from the ocean, and a bomb cyclone, a storm with a rapid drop in pressure that creates an explosive effect. Atmospheric rivers can cause extreme rainfall and floods. Bomb cyclones require a mix of high and low temperatures, rising and dropping air pressure, and moisture, often resulting in strong winds and severe storms. Last week's storms inflicted widespread damage in northern California and dumped record-breaking rain. The storm damaged homes and businesses, and killed at least 12 people. Among the victims was a toddler who died after a redwood tree fell on a mobile home. A woman who lived in a homeless encampment along the Sacramento River also died on Saturday when a tree branch fell on her tent. Much of the area hit by heavy rain has been under extreme drought conditions. Last year, California capped how much water residents can use in an effort to conserve its depleting supply. Despite the rain, much of the state remains under moderate to extreme drought warnings, according to the US Drought Monitor. Experts have said that it would take many years of rain to reverse the two-decade drought that has hit the western US.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64213900
     
         
      Climate change: Europe and polar regions bear brunt of warming in 2022 Tue, 10th Jan 2023 10:26:00
     
      The polar regions and Europe were hit hardest by global warming in 2022, according to a new analysis. The data from Copernicus, the EU's climate monitoring service, says 2022 was the fifth warmest year globally. Europe experienced its warmest summer, with temperatures increasing by more than twice the global average over the past three decades, faster than any other continent. The last eight years are now also the warmest eight yet recorded. Wind generated a record amount of power in 2022 Battle looms as Germany sacrifices village for coal How do El Niño and La Niña change the weather? Last year saw a continuation of a pattern of global warming that has become the new normal, say Copernicus scientists. While the La Niña weather event helped to cool the oceans for the third year in a row, global temperatures were still approximately 0.3C higher in 2022 than the 1991-2020 reference period. Researchers say this means that last year was close to 1.2C above the 1850-1900 period, taken as the start of global industrialisation. Europe and the polar regions were at the sharp end of this high heat. Temperature records in many western European countries were broken including the UK, with summer heatwaves and intense droughts hitting many parts. Even the normally cooler month of October in Europe was some 2C above average last year. While the west of the continent was extremely hot, colder weather in northern and eastern countries saw the year overall drop to second warmest in Europe. "We're already experiencing climate change now," said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. "The heatwaves that we saw in Europe over the summer, but also the spring, and also the autumn ... many people will remember the heatwave that we had over the New Year's period as well. So we're seeing heatwaves, not only in the summer, but in the rest of the seasons." Over the past 30 years, temperatures in European countries have increased by more than twice the global average. According to the Copernicus service, Europe has the highest rate of temperature increase of any continent in the world. This is due to a number of factors, say researchers. Land areas are warming faster than the seas, so this is helping make Europe warmer. Another factor is proximity to the Arctic, which is warming at around four times the global average. Part of the reason is that ice is more reflective and less absorbent of sunlight. When ice melts it reveals darker areas of land or sea, and this results in increased sunlight absorption and thus warming. Apart from Europe there were significant record heat events in the Middle East, Central Asia and China with heatwave conditions in Pakistan and parts of India. The two polar regions again saw record high heat with temperatures in some places rising by more than 2C above the 1991-2020 average. In north-western Siberia, temperatures reached 3C above the average. At Vostok in Antarctica, the mercury reached -17.7C, the warmest in the weather station's 65-year history. The centre of Greenland also recorded values that were 8C higher than average during September. Looking at the global picture, the last eight years were all more than 1C above the long term average. This is getting closer to breaching the 1.5C threshold that's a key limit for the Paris climate agreement. "If we do a fairly simple linear extrapolation, and if we look at the current level of emissions and current level of warming, we will hit 1.5C sometime in the early 2030," said Samantha Burgess. "So we're already living on borrowed time effectively and borrowed emissions as well." Last year also saw the impact of a number of extreme events linked to climate change, with flooding in Pakistan perhaps the most destructive, with large loss of life. Across the world, levels of warming gases also increased, with methane going up by more than the average of recent years. Another cause for concern will be the carbon output from forest fires, with France, Germany, Spain and Slovenia all experiencing their highest summer wildfire emissions in 20 years. Further insight into the state of the climate in 2022 will come later this week when a number of other meteorological agencies will report their data.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64213575
     
         
      No new oil and gas fields, say Scottish ministers Tue, 10th Jan 2023 10:21:00
     
      The Scottish government has announced a presumption against new oil and gas exploration as part of its new energy strategy. Scottish ministers say they can no longer support the previous position of "maximising economic recovery" of fossil fuel reserves. Licensing new developments in the sector is reserved to Westminster. The Scottish government's plan for the energy sector over the next 20 years is focused on boosting renewables. Energy prospects blow hot and cold Is Scotland still leading the way on climate change? The draft energy strategy supports "the fastest possible just transition" away from oil and gas. It restates the long-standing opposition to new nuclear projects and calls on the UK government to reform the energy market. The Scottish Conservatives say oil and gas workers in north-east Scotland are being regarded as an "afterthought". Michel Matheson, net zero and energy secretary, said: "At a time of unprecedented uncertainty in our energy sector, accelerating the transition towards becoming a renewables powerhouse makes sense for a number of reasons – particularly to helping to mitigate against future global market volatility and the high energy prices which are making life so difficult for so many people across Scotland. "While we do not hold all the powers to address these issues at source, this strategy sets out how we can achieve an energy transition that ensures we have sufficient, secure and affordable energy to meet our needs, support Scotland's economic growth and capitalise on future sustainable export opportunities." The energy strategy suggests increasing the current level of renewable electricity generation capacity and speeding up the decarbonisation of domestic industry, transport and heat in buildings. Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative energy spokesman, said: "The cabinet secretary's much delayed energy strategy will represent a far from happy new year for the tens of thousands of workers engaged in oil and gas. These workers often feel like an afterthought for this government and that impression won't improve after today." Mr Kerr said the Scottish government "could provide no evidence" of how it would hit a target of 77,000 low-carbon jobs by 2050. The energy strategy was published alongside a "just transition" plan, which sets out how the shift away from fossil fuels can be done fairly. The UK government published a similar strategy last year which paved the way for a fresh round of oil and gas licensing. More than 100 new licences are expected to be granted by regulators this year. But Westminster's Environmental Audit Committee has criticised the plan for having "significant gaps" and not enough focus on energy saving. The committee called on the UK government to set a date for the end of oil and gas licensing. Industry reaction Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), which represents more than 400 energy firms, welcomed proposals to create a "hydrogen economy" in Scotland. The organisation said it "strongly" supports plans to develop the Acorn Project, a carbon capture storage and production facility at St Fergus in Aberdeenshire. However, the organisation expressed concerns about plans to wind down oil and gas production. Jenny Stanning, OEUK's external relations director, said: "Scotland gets 79% of its total energy from oil and gas according to its latest official figures. Across the UK about 24 million homes (85% of the total) rely on gas boilers for heat and we get 42% of our electricity from gas. We also have 32m vehicles running on petrol and diesel. "These plain facts means we will need gas and oil for decades to come. Additionally, in Scotland alone, the offshore industry supports 90,000 jobs. Across the UK it's around 200,000. "So we need to ensure that the final strategy acknowledges the continuing role of oil and gas in Scotland's energy security and economy - as well as our sector's role in a rapid transition to a low-carbon future." Licensing plan for seabed carbon capture sites Industry calls for rapid investment in North Sea SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies welcomed the Scottish government's draft report. He said: "The draft strategy supports ambitious plans for developing onshore and offshore wind, pumped hydro storage, carbon capture and hydrogen. "But to get there requires increased pace and we look forward to working with the Scottish government and its agencies to turn the ambitions contained within the strategy and plan into tangible actions that support the clean energy transition, build local supply chains, create good green jobs and work in partnership with communities." When the last strategy was published in 2017, a target was set for half of Scotland's energy to come from renewables by 2030. In the last quarter of 2022, 26.7% of Scottish energy consumption came from renewables. Ahead of the publication of the latest strategy, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The imperative is clear. In this decade we must set Scotland on the path to an energy system that meets the challenge of becoming a net zero nation by 2045, that supplies safe, secure and affordable energy for all and that generates economic opportunity through a just transition. "The current energy crisis has demonstrated how vulnerable our energy system is to international price shocks, while laying bare the need for structural reform to ensure affordability for consumers." There are many similarities between the draft energy strategies from January 2017 and 2023. More wind, onshore and offshore and continued investment in developing niche marine technologies like wave and tidal. There's still opposition to new nuclear power, although this time we've only one such generating site at Torness. But the big difference is in support for oil and gas exploration and development with ministers then keen to avoid the "premature cessation" of production. Now they want to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. But Holyrood has limited powers over oil and gas and it's difficult to see what practical steps it can take to bring this about. Although that was true for fracking and they managed to stop that. These are two different responses to an energy crisis from two different governments, with one leaning into oil and gas and the other firmly leaning away.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64209676
     
         
      The founder of Pasaya, Schle Woodthanan, hopes his vision of a net zero emissions factory is replicated by others Tue, 10th Jan 2023 4:04:00
     
      When Schle Woodthanan, managing director of Textile Gallery, was a young journalist, he visited many factories, including his family-owned factory, and discovered that the working environments were poor. The bad conditions had a negative effect on the health of workers, so when Schle took over his family business, he decided to build a new green factory, Pasaya, manufacturing home textile products. The Pasaya factory provided a better working environment and did not cause any pollution. In 1995, before any buildings were built at the would-be factory site in Ratchaburi, a wastewater treatment pond was first constructed. "At that time, many factories caused water pollution because investors thought that wastewater treatment was a big expense that they could not afford. I thought differently because my first concern was the environment. At Pasaya, a wastewater treatment pond was built before the textile dyeing building. Our factory has never dumped contaminated water." said Schle. ... Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/2479004/a-green-future. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/2479004/a-green-future
     
         
      Relentless rain, record heat: study finds climate crisis worsened extreme weather Mon, 9th Jan 2023 18:43:00
     
      Scientists describe as ‘very alarming’ research that shows severe weather events were made more likely by climate change Relentless drought in California, extreme rainfall in the UK, record heat in China – some of the most severe weather events that have occurred around the world in the past few years were made far more likely due to the climate crisis, new research has found. The analysis of extreme events in 2021 and 2022 found that many of these extremes were worsened by global heating, and in some cases would have been almost impossible in terms of their severity if humans had not altered the climate through the burning of fossil fuels. “The extreme nature of these events is very alarming,” said Stephanie Herring, a climate scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). “We need to understand if these events are signs that things are getting hotter faster than we had expected. We know extreme heat is going to get worse, and additional research will help us better quantify future change.” The fingerprint of climate change is being identified across the planet. The risk of extreme drought across California and Nevada was made six times worse by the climate crisis and a strong periodical La Niña climate event from October 2020 to September 2021, while, conversely, extreme rainfall that deluged parts of the UK in May 2021 was 1.5 times more likely due to global heating. A severe hot spell in China in February 2021 was made between four and 20 times more likely because of human-caused climate change, while acute drought in Iran, which it experienced in 2021, is now 50% more likely because of the greenhouse gases humanity has pumped into the atmosphere. A swath of other severe impacts can be attributed, at least in part, to the influence of the climate crisis, including the weather that caused a dangerous wildfire in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2021 to be 90% more likely than if we had never heated up the planet and even the persistent cloudiness over the Tibetan plateau that reduced vegetation growth, caused, researchers say, by elevated global temperatures along with abnormal winds and localized pollution. The compendium of research, presented by Noaa at a conference on Monday, draws together some of the latest examples of climate attribution, where scientists have managed to pinpoint the influence of human-induced climate change upon individual weather events and disasters. Previously, Herring said that scientists were very reluctant to talk about the climate change influence upon discrete events, preferring a more general probabilistic framing, but that this messaging has “evolved over time as the research has increased” into more exact attribution methods. Using increasingly powerful climate models, along with historical observations, scientists are now able to provide more a precise, and rapid, assessment of the influence of the climate crisis on certain disasters. The heavy rain that caused devastating floods in Nigeria, Niger and Chad last year, for example, was made about 80 times more likely by the climate crisis, one study has found. Herring warned that many of the temperatures now being seen are well beyond any modern historical norms and are pushing humanity into a new, dangerous state. A heatwave in South Korea in October 2021, for example, was so drastic, at almost 7F higher than normal, that it would be considered an event that would only happen every 6,250 years. But the climate models predict that this will become the new normal for South Korea by 2060 if planet-heating gases are not radically cut. The same fate may well await the normally temperature Pacific north-west of the US, where around 600 people died as a roasting heatwave pummeled the region in 2021. A subsequent study found the climate crisis made the heatwave 43 times more likely. “Human-caused climate change is an extreme disruption of the Earth system,” said Paul Higgins, associate executive director of the American Meteorological Society. “We should expect it to lead to more extreme events, as this new research helps to show. We must do what we can to help people, and all life, thrive in spite of this danger.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/climate-crisis-extreme-weather-heat-rainfall-drought
     
         
      Ozone layer recovery is on track, due to success of Montreal Protocol Mon, 9th Jan 2023 7:23:00
     
      The Earth’s ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, a UN-backed panel of experts said on Monday. But the group also warned of the unintended impacts on the ozone layer of new technologies such as geoengineering. In a report published every four years on the progress of the Montreal Protocol, the panel confirmed the phase-out of nearly 99 per cent of banned ozone-depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol was signed in September 1987 and is a landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the consumption and production of nearly 100 man-made chemicals, or ‘ozone-depleting substances’ (ODS). The overall phase-down has led to the notable recovery of the protective ozone layer in the upper stratosphere and decreased human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. “The impact the Montreal Protocol has had on climate change mitigation cannot be overstressed,” said Meg Seki, Executive Secretary of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Ozone Secretariat. “Over the last 35 years, the Protocol has become a true champion for the environment. The assessments and reviews undertaken by the Scientific Assessment Panel remain a vital component of the work of the Protocol that helps inform policy and decision-makers.” Ozone Recovery The discovery of a hole in the Ozone Layer was first announced by three scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, in May 1985. According to the Panel’s report, if current policies remain in place, the layer is expected to recover to 1980 values by 2040. Over the Antarctic, this recovery is expected by around 2066, and by 2045 over the Arctic. Variations in the size of the Antarctic ozone hole, particularly between 2019 and 2021, were driven largely by meteorological conditions. Nevertheless, the Antarctic ozone breach has been slowly improving in area and depth, since the year 2000. Impacts on climate change The Montreal Protocol has already benefitted efforts to mitigate climate change, helping avoid global warming by an estimated 0.5°C. The report reaffirms the positive impact that the treaty has had on the climate. In 2016 an additional agreement to the Montreal Protocol, known as the Kigali Amendment required a phase-down of the production and consumption of some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs do not directly deplete ozone but are powerful gases which contribute to global warming and accelerated climate change. The panel said that it’s estimated the amendment will avoid another 0.3–0.5°C of warming by 2100. “Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action. Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done – as a matter of urgency – to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases and so limit temperature increase,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. New technology warning The panel cautioned against the use of a potential method to reduce climate warming by increasing sunlight reflection. For the first time, they examined the potential effects on the ozone arising from the intentional addition of aerosols into the stratosphere, known as a stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). But they warned that an “unintended consequence” of SAI was that it “could also affect stratospheric temperatures, circulation and ozone production and destruction rates and transport.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132277?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2892875c7c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_09_05_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-2892875c7c-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      UK wind’s record-breaking year Mon, 9th Jan 2023 7:14:00
     
      the U.K. set a new record for wind energy generation late last month, when the country’s onshore and offshore wind turbines produced 20.91 gigawatts of power — enough to boil about 3.7 million electric kettles at once. The new record — set on December 30 and announced a few days later by the National Grid Electricity System Operator, which maintains the U.K.’s electric grid — rounds out an exceptional year for the British wind sector. Thanks to gusty conditions and the completion of a handful of new offshore wind farms over the course of the year, U.K. wind generation repeatedly broke instantaneous power records and produced a total of 74 terawatt-hours of energy over 2022, beating the previous high of 68 terawatt-hours set in 2020. An ongoing surge in wind power has also contributed to new records for zero-carbon sources of energy, a category that includes renewables like wind and solar as well as nuclear. After reaching a new high on December 30 in which it met 87.2 percent of the U.K.’s total electricity demand, zero-carbon energy inched even higher on January 4, meeting 87.6 percent of the nation’s demand. Experts have hailed the new records and noted their opportune timing following a cold snap in early December, which prompted residents to increase their heating use and drove electricity prices to eye-watering highs. “Wind is now the U.K.’s cheapest source of new power, so every unit of electricity we generate from it helps consumers by reducing our reliance on expensive gas imports,” Dan McGrail, CEO of the nonprofit trade association RenewableUK, said in a statement. “Investing in more wind and other renewables is vital in tackling the cost of living crisis for hard-pressed bill payers.” As the U.K. moves toward its goal of having 50 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, experts expect records will continue to fall. At least one new offshore wind project, the 1.1-gigawatt Seagreen Project off the coast of Scotland, is set to begin sending power to the U.K. next year. And despite years of a de facto ban on new onshore wind generation, the country appears to be softening its opposition — at least in places “where communities are in favor of it.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/uk-winds-record-breaking-year/
     
         
      Net zero possible in 2040s, says outgoing UK climate business expert Mon, 9th Jan 2023 7:00:00
     
      Countries that fear losing competitive edge could benefit from bolder climate policies, says Nigel Topping The world could reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the early 2040s, substantially ahead of the mid-century climate target, if governments set more stretching goals and make bold policy decisions, the UK’s outgoing climate business expert has said. Nigel Topping served for two years as the high-level champion for the UK’s presidency of the UN Cop26 climate summit, passing on the role to Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohieldin late last year at the Cop27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. In his role, he forged alliances among businesses to lead a “race to zero”, by which companies set targets to reach net zero emissions and laid out the measures they would take to achieve them. More than 8,300 businesses around the world are now members of the UN’s Race to Zero initiative, alongside more than 3,000 other organisations including cities and local governments. Topping said his experiences with businesses had shown him that governments could move much faster, without harming their countries’ competitiveness or alarming the business community. “Governments could be way bolder in setting targets, and back their scientists, engineers, businesses, banks, cities to come up with solutions,” he said. “The moonshot analogy is not inappropriate.” In the UK, the Climate Change Committee produced a plausible scenario by which the UK could reach net zero by 2042, he said. “Given that we’ve now got California and Germany saying 2045 is their target, I think you can argue quite strongly that the whole world could get to net zero in the early 2040s, and in many sectors in the late 2030s,” he said. The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic had shown what governments could do when they tried, he added. “The lesson [from the pandemic] that I still don’t think we’ve learnt enough is that we can do unbelievable things, governments can turn on a dime if they need do, and the government/private sector relationship can be transformed to deliver solutions way, way faster, if we really put ourselves on an emergency footing.” . He said the need for such an urgent transformation was growing more apparent in the form of extreme weather around the world. “I think that squeeze is coming, because it’s a squeeze between the growing realisation of just how bad the damages are [from the climate crisis], and growing confidence – which is the real lesson I’d like us to take from Covid, which is that we’re amazing. We should back ourselves more,” he said. He pointed to the slew of governments now aiming to phase out fossil fuel vehicles, and the extraordinary uptake of electric vehicles that has followed. “Once you’ve named an end date, it’s a really powerful signal. Not all markets have agreed, but once you’ve reached [a large proportion], you can go much faster,” he said. “Europe, and the US, and the rate that the Chinese and Indians are changing – it’s all over.” However, he said some sectors were continuing to stand in the way of progress. Oil, gas and coal companies made bumper profits in the past year on the back of record fossil fuel prices which were sent soaring by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This bonanza was built on false assumptions, however, said Topping. “The US oil companies are living in a fantasy land,” he said. “There’s still some quite big heads in the sand. But they will die. They cannot survive. Their Kodak moment is nigh.” Topping said fossil fuel companies would do better to redirect their engineering skills towards renewable energy. “We’re maybe in the last huge bonanza of oil and gas profits. Maybe there’ll be another one, but shareholders will demand that those who can’t invest in the transition [to clean energy] will just have to give their money back to shareholders to allocate it,” he said. Companies were transforming faster than many governments realised, Topping said. “There’s much more momentum in the system than most of the analysis suggests,” he said. Predictions of the growth of renewable energy and technologies such as electric vehicles and batteries had proved too conservative in recent years, he said, as sales have surged and technology has improved rapidly. “A lot of this grows exponentially,” he said. “If you look at where we’re at now [in terms of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions], it never looks good enough. But if you look at the trajectory [for low-carbon technologies] it can be much more encouraging.” Rich countries should see rapidly growing developing countries as competitors in the clean technology race, rather than focusing on their high emissions, he added. “China is quite happy for the west to label it as a coal problem while it develops a global competitive leadership in [clean] sector after sector. And India is on the same track now. But you show me how many times western commentators point at India or China as competitors rather than polluters,” he said. “I think it’s a huge strategic mistake to underestimate how clearly [countries such as China and India] see this as the future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/net-zero-possible-in-2040s-says-outgoing-uk-climate-business-expert-nigel-topping
     
         
      English farmers turning to cultivating nuts as climate heats Sun, 8th Jan 2023 10:45:00
     
      Hazelnut and walnut trees among cultivars becoming commercially viable Nuts are being grown more than ever by English farmers as the climate heats, making the products more economically viable, growers have said. Nut trees are also helpful for biodiversity on farms, improving soil health as their roots improve the ability and capacity of soil to absorb water, reducing the risk of wind erosion. Speaking at the Oxford Real Farming conference, Guy Singh-Watson, who founded the organic vegetable box company Riverford, began experimenting with hazelnut and walnut trees on his 150-acre Devon farm after feeling guilty about how much he ploughed his fields for vegetable crops. He said: “The vegetables that we grow are pretty much all annuals and involve cultivation of the soil, and increasingly over the years I’ve got more and more uncomfortable with that. It’s kind of our achilles heel really – three years ago we lost 10,000 tonnes of soil in 10 minutes. I am just full of shame for that. It happened on my watch, I don’t want to be responsible for it happening again.” Singh-Watson said he has enjoyed his recent foray into growing nuts, and loves them so much that he eats them for breakfast every morning. He said they were easy to grow: “You don’t have to do anything, I spent 40 years trying to coax vegetables into life and they just die all the time, but hazels grow so well. There doesn’t seem to be any problem growing walnuts in our climate.” He has had success grazing cattle in the orchards, and now plans to grow kale among some of his hazel trees. England’s climate is heating up, with last year the hottest on record, with a long, dry summer. This is making many crops difficult to grow, and many farmers reported crop failures during the drought. Though they sometimes need irrigation when first planted, nut trees do well in warm weather and can survive dry summers. Singh-Watson said he had recently visited Piedmont in Italy, where hazelnuts are a major crop – it is home to Ferrero, the company that makes Nutella. Despite the hot, dry summer in Italy, the nuts were flourishing. Tom Tame, who has been growing walnuts in Warwickshire for 30 years, said the hotter, drier climate was helping. Though walnuts grow all the way up to the Arctic Circle, he explained “walnuts will happily grow in colder conditions but farther north you are going to get less of a crop. In this country, we’re on the cusp of what works commercially”. The sector was exciting, he said, because English walnuts are considered to be particularly high quality and in demand. Farmers are increasingly growing them in order to shelter livestock such as sheep from hot weather while also producing a profitable crop. “A lot of the best walnut cultivars in the world at the moment in terms of crop yields prefer a warmer climate,” he added. “One variety, Chandler, reportedly prefers to be about 25C on average. We hit 24.8C on average last summer, so we’re finally getting into that territory.” Cobnuts are a type of hazelnut grown in Kent, and traditionally eaten fresh, rather than dried. Tom Cannon, whose family farm in the county has been growing these nuts for generations, is upping production and expanding into the types of dried hazelnuts you might find in a chocolate bar. He currently supplies fresh nuts to Waitrose and Morrisons: “They go into punnets, and that’s a nice way to sell them because it makes the point that it is a fresh nut. We’ve started getting more equipment for taking the husks off, roasting them and cracking them. In Kent we’ve had this fresh eating culture but we haven’t necessarily done the other things.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/english-farmers-turning-to-cultivating-nuts-as-climate-heats
     
         
      Climate activists pledge to defend German village from being bulldozed for coal mine Sun, 8th Jan 2023 7:00:00
     
      Climate activists have vowed to defend a tiny village in western Germany from being bulldozed to make way for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. Thousands gathered from across Germany for protest training and then a subsequent demonstration in the hamlet of Luetzerath west of Cologne. Among them is Friday's For Future climate activist Luisa Neubauer. "This behind us is the biggest source of CO2 in Europe," explained Luisa. "These are emissions that affect people all over the world. That means that we also stand here for people who depend on us to speak up when the government doesn't dare to do so." The utility company RWE says it needs the coal to ensure Germany's energy security, following the cut in gas supplies from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. The open-cast mine is scheduled to close by 2030. But environmental groups argue that this would create vast amounts of greenhouse gas, which would make it impossible for Germany to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accord.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2023/01/08/climate-activists-pledge-to-defend-german-village-from-being-bulldozed-for-coal-mine
     
         
      Melbourne beaches contaminated with vegetable oil as EPA investigates source Sun, 8th Jan 2023 2:55:00
     
      Water quality at Elwood and St Kilda upgraded from poor to fair on Sunday after swimmers previously reported being covered in oily substance Beachgoers have been advised to avoid swimming at some Melbourne beaches, despite the sunny weather, after the Environment Protection Authority was alerted to an oil spill. Swimmers and paddleboarders reported emerging from the water covered in an oily substance at Elwood beach on Thursday, with other locals reporting dead fish and large quantities of oil on the surface of the local canal, Elster Creek, which runs into the bay nearby. On Friday EPA Victoria issued a water quality alert for Elwood, St Kilda, Middle Park, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Sandridge and Williamstown beaches, advising the public to avoid contact with oily water and sand. Large signs erected on the foreshore advised beachgoers not to swim. Some paddleboarders and a few swimmers were still entering the water on Sunday morning at the popular St Kilda and Elwood beaches, despite the signs. Tests on Saturday morning revealed the substance to be vegetable oil – mostly palm oil – commonly used for cooking. It “presents no hazard to human health but is still unpleasant for beachgoers and can harm some wildlife”, the EPA said. Authorities initially feared the spill could harm the little penguin colony at St Kilda breakwater, calling in Zoos Victoria to assist. Guardian Australia understands the welfare of the colony has been secured. The dead fish in the local canal and near the beaches have not been definitively linked to the spill but investigations are ongoing. The source of the contamination remains unknown but the volume of oil that made its way into the bay was substantial, suggesting it was likely to have come from a commercial source. Due to the age and complexity of the stormwater system in the area, identifying the source of waterway pollution can be a difficult task, requiring water quality testing in surrounding suburbs. On Sunday morning the water quality at South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and Sandridge beaches was upgraded to good. Early on Sunday afternoon the water quality at Elwood and St Kilda was upgraded from poor to fair. The EPA urged members of the public to report pollution via its 24-hour hotline or on its website.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/08/melbourne-beaches-contaminated-with-vegetable-oil-as-epa-investigates-source
     
         
      ‘Holy grail’ wheat gene discovery could feed our overheated world Sat, 7th Jan 2023 13:40:00
     
      Harvests that form a vital element of the diets of 4.5 billion people are being devastated by global heating. Now research has found a key to create a heat-resistant variety It is the plant that changed humanity. Thanks to the cultivation of wheat, Homo sapiens was able to feed itself in ever-increasing numbers, transforming groups of hunter-gatherers struggling to survive in a hostile world into rulers of the planet. In the process, a species of wild grass that was once confined to a small part of the Middle East now covers vast stretches of the Earth. As the historian Yuval Noah Harari has observed: “In the great plains of North America, where not a single wheat stalk grew 10,000 years ago, you can today walk for hundreds upon hundreds of kilometres without encountering any other plant.” Wheat now provides 20% of the calories consumed by humans every day, but its production is under threat. Thanks to human-induced global heating, our planet faces a future of increasingly severe heat waves, droughts and wildfires that could devastate harvests in future, triggering widespread famine in their wake. But the crisis could be averted thanks to remarkable research now being undertaken by researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. They are working on a project to make wheat more resistant to heat and drought. Such efforts have proved to be extremely tricky but are set to be the subject of a new set of trials in a few weeks as part of a project in which varieties of wheat – created, in part, by gene-editing technology – will be planted in field trials in Spain. The ability of these varieties to withstand the heat of Iberia will determine how well crop scientists will be able to protect future arable farms from the worst vicissitudes of climate change, and so bolster food production for the Earth’s billions, says the John Innes Centre team. Wheat was not the only botanical agent to fuel the agricultural revolution. Other staples, such as rice and potatoes, played a part. But wheat is generally accorded the lead role in triggering the agricultural revolution that created our modern world of “population explosions and pampered elites”, as Harari puts it in his international bestseller Sapiens. Two main forms of wheat are grown in farms: pasta wheat and bread wheat. Together they play a crucial role in the diets of around 4.5 billion people, said Professor Graham Moore, a wheat geneticist and director of the John Innes Centre, one of the world’s leading crop research institutes. “Of these, around 2.5 billion in 89 countries are dependent on wheat for their daily food, so you can see how vitally important the crop is to the world,” he added. The problem that has faced crop scientists, who have been seeking to improve the resilience and productivity of wheat varieties, has been the complexity of wheat genetics, Moore added. “Human beings have a single genome that contains our DNA instructions. But pasta wheat has two different ancestral genomes while bread wheat has three.” This complexity has had important consequences. In order to control their differing genes and chromosomes, wheat has acquired a stabilising gene that segregates the different chromosomes in its various genomes. This has ensured these forms of wheat have high yields. However, the gene also suppresses any exchange of chromosomes with wild relatives of wheat, frustrating the efforts of geneticists trying to make new varieties with beneficial properties. “Wild relatives have really useful characteristics – disease resistance, salt tolerance, protection against heat – attributes that you want to add to make wheat more robust and easy to grow in harsh conditions. But you couldn’t do that because this gene stopped these attributes from being assimilated.” This gene was known as the “holy grail” of wheat geneticists, added Moore. “Wheat – despite its critical importance to feeding the world – has proved to be the most difficult of all the major crops to study because of the complexity and size of its genome. Hence, the importance of the search to find the gene that was the cause of this problem.” It has taken several decades but scientists at the John Innes Centre have now succeeded in their hunt for their holy grail. They identified the key gene, labelled it Zip4.5B and have created a mutant version of it, one that allows the gene to carry out its main function – to allow wheat chromosomes to pair correctly and maintain yields – but which lacks its ability to block the creation of new variants with attributes from wild grasses. “A key tool in this work was gene editing, which allowed us to make precise changes in wheat DNA. Without it, we would still be struggling with this. It has made all the difference.” Jones Innes scientists have since discovered that there are at least 50 different versions of Zip4.5B. “We are now going to test these in different varieties of wheat that we have created,” added Moore. “These will then be grown in Spain, on land near Cordoba, to see how well they do. The aim will be to identify which varieties will do best at surviving the higher temperatures that our farmers are to experience in coming decades. “Wheat has played a remarkable role in human history. Hopefully, this work will help it to maintain its importance as a foodstuff for the future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/07/holy-grail-wheat-gene-discovery-could-feed-our-overheated-world
     
         
      Widespread damage to California coast in wake of major storms Sat, 7th Jan 2023 12:30:00
     
      A deadly storm has inflicted widespread damage in northern California dumping record-breaking rain along the coastline. Huge waves washed away walls of homes, while mudslides, sinkholes and flooding were reported throughout the region. Two deaths were reported on Thursday. A toddler died after a tree fell on his home, and a 19-year old woman died when she crashed her car due to wet roads. The forecast is for more ominous weather for the weekend and next week. As of Friday afternoon, over 53,000 homes and businesses were without power after hurricane-force winds knocked over large trees and downed power cables. Neighbourhoods of San Francisco are still recovering from flooding, while weather forecasters say more wet and windy weather is coming to the area. The rain has fallen on areas that were already saturated from a New Year's Eve storm. One resident of the seaside community of Cambria in San Luis Obispo County was struck by "an extremely large rogue wave" inside their home on Thursday morning. "The homes waterfront windows were shattered and the resident was knocked over by the powerful wave," said the Cambria Fire Department, adding that "the water damage extended throughout the home". Homes were also damaged in Monterey County, and in Humboldt County where officials in the town of Shelter Cove were warning that the waves "can easily wash people and pets into the ocean". Parts of the Capitola pier in Santa Cruz County collapsed under 35-foot (10.6 meters) waves. Tony Valdez, who has lived in Santa Cruz for 28 years, said seeing the damage to the pier left him with a feeling of "disbelief". "I mean, it had to take a huge hit for that damage," he told CBS News, the BBC's partner in the US. "That's why you have to have a lot of respect for the ocean and the water out there." Capitola restaurant owner Joshua Kochanek said waves hit his business roughly every 10 minutes. "The waves were coming in and all the damage. It was gnarly. It kept you on your feet," he said. Emergency shelters have been opened for residents who have been told to evacuate their homes due to fears of flooding and landslides on hillsides that have been scarred by recent forest fires. Beaches have also been ordered to close along the coast. Further inland, the Sierra Nevada mountains have accumulated over one foot of heavy snow, and more is expected. The mountains are expected to receive up to three additional feet of snow in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service. A "stronger" atmospheric river is expected to arrive Monday and persist into Tuesday, forecasters say, bringing more precipitation and gusty winds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64192850
     
         
      One in eight cases of asthma in US kids caused by gas stove pollution – study Sat, 7th Jan 2023 11:58:00
     
      Emission of toxic chemicals and carcinogens from gas stoves creating indoor pollution worse than car traffic About one in eight cases of asthma in children in the US is due to the pollution given off by cooking on gas stoves, new research has found, amid moves by Joe Biden’s administration to consider the regulation, or even banning, of gas cookers sales to Americans. Around a third of US households have gas stoves in their kitchens, with the gas industry long touting the method as the cleanest and most efficient way to cook food. However, research has repeatedly found the emission of toxic chemicals and carcinogens from gas stoves, even when they are turned off, is creating a miasma of indoor pollution that can be several times worse than the pollution experienced outdoors from car traffic and heavy industry. A new study has now sketched out the risk being posed to children exposed to pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide that spew from the stoves, finding that 12.7% of all current cases of childhood asthma in the US are due to the use of gas stoves. Researchers said that this means that with around 5 million children in the US experiencing asthma, around 650,000 people aged under 18 could be suffering asthma attacks and having to use inhalers because of the presence of gas stoves in their homes. Brady Seals, manager of the carbon free buildings program at RMI who undertook the research with epidemiologists in the US and Australia, said the prevalence of asthma due to gas stoves is similar to the amount of asthma caused by second hand smoking, which she called “eye popping”. Seals added: “We knew this was a problem but we didn’t know how bad. This study shows that if we got rid of gas stoves we would prevent 12.7% of childhood asthma cases, which I think most people would want to do.” The possibility of banning new gas stoves, challenging their entrenched status in millions of American homes, was raised by Richard Trumka, a commissioner at the US consumer product safety commission last month. Trumka said the pollution created by gas stoves is “concerning” and that the commission, which can set standards for consumer products, will consider regulating them this year. “We need to be talking about regulating gas stoves, whether that’s drastically improving emissions or banning gas stoves entirely,” Trumka said. “And I think we ought to keep that possibility of a ban in mind, because it’s a powerful tool in our tool belt and it’s a real possibility here.” It’s a terrible irony that we spend most of our time indoors and yet there are no indoor pollution limits Brady Seals The commission has come under pressure from Democrats to act on gas stoves, with a recent letter from a group of lawmakers, including the US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, calling on the agency to set tough new performance standards for gas appliances and to launch a public education campaign on the dangers of cooking with gas. Seals said it would’ve been “unimaginable” for the federal government to ponder banning gas stoves just a few years ago but said her optimism of such a ban was tempered by the commission’s lack of resources, slow decision making and the lobbying power of the gas industry. A lack of options for low income people, and those who rent, to get rid of their gas stoves is another obstacle, although the Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats last summer, included a rebate of up to $840 for people who buy a new electric induction cooking appliance. This rebate is primarily aimed at propelling the electrification of appliances in the US to move away from fossil fuels that worsen the climate crisis. Places such as New York City have banned gas hookups in new buildings to help accelerate this transition, although other jurisdictions at state level, such as Ohio, Oklahoma and Louisiana, have forbidden local authorities from doing likewise. The new research, which analyzed the risk posed to children from gas emissions and the proportion of houses that have gas stoves, found that having the stoves greatly increased the risk of asthma, confirming previous studies that have looked into the issue in various countries. Last year, researchers at Stanford discovered that levels of nitrogen dioxide emitted from gas stoves and ovens can rise above safe standards set for outdoor pollution by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within just a few minutes, with the problem particularly acute in smaller kitchens. The EPA currently has no standard for safe levels of the pollutant indoors, with the potential health problems posed by gas stoves still largely unknown or overlooked by many people who use them. Using range hoods, opening windows and electrifying aspects of cooking, such as by using an electric kettle to boil water, can all lessen the exposure to the pollution. “I’ve worked on cookstoves my whole career, including people cooking with charcoal in the global south, and up to three years ago I would’ve been shocked if you told me the health impact of gas stoves,” said Seals. “It’s a terrible irony that we spend most of our time indoors and yet there are no indoor pollution limits. There is still a lack of awareness of this problem, hopefully that is changing but it needs to happen at a much quicker speed. It will take a mix of consumer excitement about induction stoves and prices to come down for new stoves. “We switched from coal to gas and this shift to electric will happen too, but it will take some work because our stoves are an appliance everyone interacts with, people feel attached to them.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/us-kids-asthma-gas-stove-pollution
     
         
      Biden administration seeks to limit deadly air pollution Fri, 6th Jan 2023 16:57:00
     
      Proposal sets out lower limits for soot, which is estimated to cause early deaths of thousands of Americans each year The Biden administration is proposing lower limits for a deadly air pollutant, saying tougher standards for soot from tailpipes, smokestacks and wildfires could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year. A proposal released on Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency would set maximum levels of nine to 10 micrograms of fine particle pollution per cubic meter of air, down from 12 micrograms set a decade ago under the Obama administration. The standard for particle pollution, more commonly known as soot, was left unchanged by then president Donald Trump, who overrode a scientific recommendation for a lower standard in his final days in office. In a development that could lead to an even lower standard, the EPA said it also would take comments on a range of ideas submitted by a scientific advisory committee, including a proposal that would lower the maximum standard for soot to eight micrograms. A microgram is one-millionth of a gram. The EPA administrator, Michael Regan, said the proposal to strengthen the national ambient air quality standards for fine particle pollution would help prevent serious health problems, including asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Those populations include children, older adults and those with heart and lung conditions as well as low-income and minority communities throughout the United States. “This administration is committed to working to ensure that all people, regardless of the color of their skin, the community they live in or the money in their pocket, have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and the opportunity to lead a healthy life,’’ Regan said at a news conference. “At EPA, we are working every single day to create cleaner and healthier communities for all and have been doing so for over 50 years.’’ The EPA’s proposed rule, however, overlooks the recommendations of its clean air scientific advisory committee, which suggested a standard of eight micrograms per cubic meter for soot. The agency said it will listen to public comments on toughening the standard further to this level but the proposed rule disappointed clean air advocates. “Current science shows that stronger limits are urgently needed,” said Harold Wimmer, president of the American Lung Association, who added that the new limit “falls far short of what is needed to meet the White House’s stated goals of furthering public health and environmental justice”. “This draft rule misses the mark and does not adequately slash soot pollution, protect public health, or prevent premature deaths,” said Matthew Davis, a former EPA scientist who is now senior director of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters. “EPA has a massive opportunity to strengthen this standard and build a future with cleaner, healthier air for our children, especially for communities of color and low wealth communities disproportionately near polluting coal power plants, industrial facilities, truck depots and freight corridors.” EPA scientists have estimated exposure at current limits causes the early deaths of thousands of Americans annually from heart disease and lung cancer as well as causing other health problems. Dr Doris Browne, president of the National Medical Association, the oldest and largest national organization representing African American physicians, hailed the EPA’s proposal as “the bold action needed to protect public health across the country”. Appearing with Regan at a news conference, Browne said the proposal is likely to have lasting benefits across the country “but especially for those communities of color and low-income communities that experience the increase in particulate matter pollution”. Smog, soot and other pollution near factories, power plants and other hazards has a “devastating impact on public health”, she said. A 2022 report by the American Lung Association found that 63 million Americans live in counties that experience unhealthy daily spikes in soot pollution and 21 million live in counties that exceed annual limits for soot pollution. Most of those counties were in 11 western states, the report said. People of color were 61% more likely than white people to live in a county with unhealthy air quality, the report said. Fresno, California, displaced Fairbanks, Alaska, as the metropolitan area with the worst short-term particle pollution, the report found, while Bakersfield, California, continued in the most-polluted slot for year-round particle pollution for the third year in a row. The EPA will accept comments on the proposed rule through mid-March and will hold a virtual public hearing over several days. A final rule is expected this summer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/biden-administration-limit-deadly-air-pollution
     
         
      LA bans natural gas in new buildings Fri, 6th Jan 2023 13:25:00
     
      This year, Los Angeles will become California’s largest city to implement a ban on natural gas in new buildings. That’s thanks to an ordinance unanimously approved last month by the City Council which requires that new buildings within city limits be constructed with all-electric appliances. Environmental advocates have hailed the law as crucial for achieving Los Angeles’ goal of making all new buildings net-zero by 2030. Currently, buildings are the city’s most emissions-intensive sector, accounting for some 43 percent of its overall climate pollution. “We think this is a super important, logical first step that allows us to make progress in our net-zero carbon goals,” Chelsea Kirk, policy analyst at the economic justice nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, told the Los Angeles Daily News. Electrifying the city’s buildings could also reduce indoor air pollution, limit the risk of fires and explosions, and even lower construction costs. The law — which requires electricity to be used for everything from space and water heating systems to cooking equipment — will apply to most new buildings approved by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety after April 1. Affordable housing proposals will get treated a little differently: Those that are approved before June 1 won’t have to comply with the rules. Meanwhile, secondary housing units on single-family lots won’t be affected by the new requirements, and restaurants will still be allowed to use gas ranges and ovens. Los Angeles’ ordinance follows dozens of similar ones in cities around California, including Berkeley, Cupertino, San Francisco, and San Jose. To meet a statewide target to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, experts say California lawmakers should ban natural gas in new construction for all buildings when the state updates its building codes in 2024. Equally important will be funding to install electric appliances in the state’s existing building stock. “As Los Angeles puts the city’s all-electric code into action in 2023, it must build on this momentum as it continues discussions about how to decarbonize existing buildings already linked to fossil gas infrastructure,” Olivia Walker and and Megan Ross, building decarbonization experts with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote in a blog post. Natural Resources Defense Council is an advertiser with Grist. Advertisers have no role in Grist’s editorial decisions.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/la-bans-natural-gas-in-new-buildings/
     
         
      Wind generated a record amount of electricity in 2022 Fri, 6th Jan 2023 12:35:00
     
      Great Britain produced a record amount of wind-powered electricity in 2022, according to the National Grid. More electricity came from renewable and nuclear power sources than from fossil fuels gas and coal, the second highest after 2020. Replacing fossil fuels with green power is a core way for the world to tackle the impacts of climate change. Sources like wind and solar are also significantly cheaper and should lead to cheaper bills in the long-run. Scientists, governments and the UN say switching to renewable power is crucial as the effects of global warming are already being felt, including in the UK, which last year recorded its hottest year since records began. Gas remained the single most significant source of electricity last year, the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) said, but electricity from wind turbines continued to grow in importance. Overall 48.5% of electricity came from renewable and nuclear power, compared to 40% from gas and coal power stations. On a single day in November, more than 70% of electricity was produced by wind, or around 20GW. That's enough power to heat about 1700 homes for a year. That record was again broken on 30 December when 20.918GW was generated by wind turbines. For five months of the year (February, May, October, November and December), more than half of electricity came from so-called zero carbon electricity sources renewable and nuclear. And the use of coal - the most polluting fossil fuel - continued to fall. In 2022 it generated just 1.5% of electricity compared to 2012 when it was 43%. As Great Britain builds more capacity for renewable energy, including wind turbines and solar farms, more of its electricity will come from these greener sources. "The UK has a good record with offshore wind. We're quite a giant in the offshore wind world and our industry is very attractive," Jess Ralston, head of energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, told BBC News. But she says the UK has missed some tricks. An effective ban since 2015 on onshore wind has limited the country's capacity to increase wind power faster. "Our old-fashioned energy grid urgently needs investment to maximise the opportunity that wind and solar offer to continue to reduce bills," she said. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed in December to relax restrictions that effectively prevented onshore wind turbines. But the government has also promised new investment in some fossil fuels. Last year it approved the first new UK coal mine in 30 years despite concern about its climate impacts. It also opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea. Energy supplies and pricing were significantly affected in 2022 by Russia's war in Ukraine, which led to imposing sanctions on Russia which has been an important supplier of gas to Europe. Nations including Germany, Spain and Italy and the US responded by increasing their renewable capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64179918
     
         
      Bude in Cornwall awarded £2m to fight climate threat Fri, 6th Jan 2023 11:47:00
     
      Exclusive: National Lottery funds will help vulnerable coastal town combat effects of rise in sea-level A coastal town in Cornwall where rising sea levels threaten to wipe out homes, beaches and businesses in a few decades’ time has been awarded £2m to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The money awarded to the popular tourist destination of Bude, in north Cornwall, and 11 surrounding parishes, from the National Lottery’s climate action fund, comes as the area faces an existential threat from the heating planet. The whole Cornish coast is judged by the Environment Agency to be highly sensitive to sea-level rise, but Bude is considered to be the most sensitive of all. A map of climate risks produced by NGO Climate Central shows the town and surrounding area under serious threat from sea level rises by 2050. The lottery grant is among the biggest to be awarded by the climate action fund, and the area is the smallest community to receive such a significant financial input. Nick Gardner, head of climate action at the National Lottery community fund, said the grant reflected the threat the community was under and the ambition of their plans to make their area more resilient. The United Nations environmental programme says the sustainability of coastal tourism destinations depends on their ability to adapt. “It is the degree to which people are prepared for disasters that determines how vulnerable or resilient their community will be,” the UNEP says. Robert Uhlig, the founder and programme director of the Bude Climate Partnership, said the money would be transformational in terms of building long-term economic, social and environmental resilience in the small coastal community. “In effect, we’re the UK’s Maldives: idyllic and beautiful, but facing an existential and imminent threat to our way of life due to climate change. We’re highly exposed to the physical impacts of climate change like few other places in the UK – record temperatures in the summer; destruction of our community assets by winter storms. “Our vulnerability is exacerbated by social and economic challenges as the most isolated community in Cornwall. “We need to make sure we are helping businesses and people see where they are vulnerable and what they need to do. Building resilience is about getting everyone to work together, so that it is not just people doing their own thing, but all of us pulling together which will make sure we have much greater resilience to the threat.” Three-quarters of a million pounds is being targeted at making tourism more sustainable within Bude, where more than 70% of local businesses and 40% of jobs are dependent on the holiday industry. Floods, droughts and extreme heat as well as the impact on the natural environment, are all a risk to the business of tourism, and show the vulnerability of the area’s social and economic future, a report from the Bude Climate Partnership says. Tourism’s reliance on the quality of the natural environment means there is an overwhelming imperative to take action, says Uhlig. Bude is already facing climate change impacts on its wellbeing and way of life, from the intense heat this summer to flooding, and tidal changes. Bude’s 186-year-old storm tower, which sits on the edge of a crumbling coastline, is one of the first structures in the UK that is being moved because of the impacts of climate change. Uhlig said the area’s vulnerability was greater because it was an area of high socio-economic deprivation, with significantly older, less energy-efficient homes than the national average, and some of the lowest access to public services and highest rates of rural child poverty in Cornwall. As well as being at risk of climate impacts, the tourism industry is a contributor to carbon emissions. More than a million visitor nights are spent in the Bude area each year, with most tourists arriving by car. Bude Climate Partnership estimates the industry contributes 50% of the community’s carbon emissions. The tourism project, which starts this month and will run for five years, aims to cascade knowledge and resilience down from one tourism business to another, and involve visitors. It aims to halve the carbon footprints of at least 50 businesses in five areas. Manda Brookman, who runs a social enterprise, said: “Bude is on the frontline … its existential presence is under threat. “Most people know that there is something wrong, but don’t know what it is, how big it is and what they can do about it, which is really a political and structural failure. Active hope means not sitting on your arse on the sofa clutching a lottery ticket, it is an axe you use to break down the door during an emergency. So active hope is building net resilience for now, and for tomorrow.” The funding from National Lottery is part of a wider movement that is distributing £100m over 10 years across the UK to local climate action groups. Gardner said Bude’s ambition could become an examplar for other coastal areas. “We want to help with systemic change,” he said. “There are lots of coastal areas in Cornwall that are under threat but Bude has the unwelcome mandate of being the most vulnerable community to sea level rises.” Gardner said communities in areas particularly threatened by global heating were ready to take action locally and knew what they wanted to do to adapt. “There is no shortage of ideas but there is a shortage of funding. We are trying to help people in their own communities take steps to make their lives and their communities more resilient and to take steps to reduce their emissions. And once they see themselves as actors in that, they are more likely to make demands of politicians to support policies that tackle climate change. It is grassroots up.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/bude-in-cornwall-awarded-2m-pounds-to-fight-climate-threat
     
         
      More than 100 writers sign letter in solidarity with jailed UK climate activists Fri, 6th Jan 2023 6:50:00
     
      Ben Okri, Simon Schama, Helen Pankhurst and AL Kennedy among those saying they ‘stand with’ protesters Ben Okri, Simon Schama, Helen Pankhurst and AL Kennedy are among more than 100 writers who have signed a letter in solidarity with UK climate protest prisoners. “That the UK now has political prisoners, incarcerated for defending sustainable life on Earth is yet another national disgrace,” Kennedy said. At least 13 environmental activists began the year behind bars in UK jails, after a year of “civil resistance” against climate policies led by the Just Stop Oil campaign. More than 100 spent time in jail, either convicted or on remand, for environmental protest in 2022. “We stand with all those who are trying to sound the alarm and to protect our beautiful world,” said the letter, coordinated and published by the group Writers Rebel. Invoking the urgency of the crises affecting the world’s climate and ecosystems, it continues: “Right now, many people who are deeply concerned about the climate and environment are turning to civil disobedience. “While it is understandable that the state wishes to limit the disruption this may cause, it is vital that the right to protest is protected. Protest plays an essential part in our society in raising public awareness and enabling change.” In 2022, parliament passed a host of anti-protest laws written specifically to tackle climate protesters, and more are proposed in a public order bill being considered by MPs. Among the new laws was a statutory offence of causing a public nuisance, which was used to convict Jan Goodey, a university lecturer from Brighton, after he climbed a gantry over the M25 to stop traffic. He is serving a six-month sentence. Also behind bars are Abigail Percy-Ratcliff, Alexander Wilcox, Callum Goode, Daniel Shaw, Ian Bates, Karen Matthews, Louis McKechnie, Marcus Decker, Morgan Trowland, Paul Bleach, Roger Hallam and Samuel Price, according to a list provided by Just Stop Oil. Many are on remand for long periods. Decker and Trowland were remanded on 20 October after pleading not guilty to causing a public nuisance for scaling the Dartford Crossing, closing the motorway bridge over the Thames for two days. They are not due to stand trial until 27 March. McKechnie has been in prison since last July, after a string of protests including interrupting a football game by tying himself to a goalpost. Climate activists were the present day’s suffragettes, Pankhurst said. She added: “At Bow Street magistrate courts in 1908 my great-grandmother Emmeline Pankhurst defended the suffragettes’ actions by saying: ‘We are here, not because we are lawbreakers; we are here in our efforts to become lawmakers.’ “The same applies to the actions of climate activists today. They have my support both because the barriers to protest that they are increasingly facing demonstrates the dangers to democracy when protest is silenced and because climate change is an existential threat that those with power must do more to confront.” Okri said: “Why is it easier to punish people who are trying to save our world than to face the causes of the environmental disaster hanging over the human race?” Full list of signatories Saleh Addonia Patience Agbabi Amir Amirani Josh Appignanesi Chloe Aridjis Ros Barber Devorah Baum Ned Beauman Ian Bostridge Frankie Boyle Susie Boyt Valerie Brown Julie Christie Noam Chomsky Joe Corré Lindsey Coulson Jill Dawson Jeremy Deller Tishani Doshi Cath Drake Stella Duffy Joe Dunthorne Sharon Eckman Rachel Edwards Inua Ellams Brian Eno Paul Ewen Jane Feaver James Flint Bella Freud Uri Fruchtmann Romola Garai Maggie Gee Zoe Gilbert David Gilmour Linda Grant Neil Griffiths Anouchka Grose Xiaolu Guo Mark Haddon Chris Hedges Peter Hobbs Stewart Home Nick Hornby Philip Horne Tansy Hoskins Andrew Hurley Bianca Jagger Carsten Jensen Liz Jensen Alice Jolly Sadakat Kadri AL Kennedy Roman Krznaric Olivia Laing Nick Laird Deborah Levy Daniel Lismore Toby Litt Alex Lockwood Dara McAnulty Adam McKay Tom McCarthy Robert Macfarlane Diana McCaulay Jarred McGinnis Jean McNeil Tessa McWatt Adam Marek James Miller Blake Morrison Timothy Morton Tom Mustill Julie Myerson Courttia Newland Gregory Norminton Andrew O’Hagan Ben Okri Susie Orbach Chris Packham Ruth Padel Cindy Palmano Helen Pankhurst Laline Paull Marie Phillips Joanna Pocock Max Porter Chris Power Irwin Rappaport Kate Raworth Miranda Richardson Adam Roberts Monique Roffey Meg Rosoff Minoli Salgado Polly Samson Roc Sandford Sir Simon Schama Anakana Schofield Kamila Shamsie Shelley Silas Lemn Sissay Ali Smith Simon Stephens Juliet Stevenson Clover Stroud Peter Tatchell Nick Taussig Adam Thirlwell Rupert Thomson Dame Emma Thompson Matt Thorne Jeremy Till Matthew Todd Jessica Townsend Dale Vince Ed Vulliamy Dame Harriet Walter Natasha Walter Dame Marina Warner Alex Wheatle Sarah Winman Karen McCarthy Woolf Naomi Wood Louisa Young This article was amended on 6 January 2023. The Dartford Bridge crossing was closed for two days owing to the protesters’ actions, not 20 days as an earlier version said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/writers-sign-letter-solidarity-jailed-uk-climate-activists
     
         
      Evacuations ordered in California as deadly storm slams into coast Fri, 6th Jan 2023 6:28:00
     
      Heavy rain and powerful winds are pounding the northern California coast and forecasters have warned people to expect more flooding and mudslides. The powerful storm system known as a bomb cyclone has killed at least two people, including a toddler who died when a redwood tree fell on his home. California has been under a state of emergency since Wednesday. Over 160,000 home and businesses have lost power. Officials say the rain is falling on ground already soaked by past rainfall. Much of the state has been hit by atmospheric rivers - an airborne current carrying dense moisture from the ocean - bringing heavy rain to low-lying areas, powerful winds to San Francisco and snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The National Weather Service said California will continue to be impacted by atmospheric river conditions through Thursday, "with heavy to excessive rainfall, flooding with debris flows and landslides near recent burn scar areas, heavy mountain snow and high winds." Evacuation orders and advisories were in place in parts of northern California, and local authorities have warned of threats to life and property, especially around San Francisco and Sacramento. A toddler died in Sonoma County north of San Francisco when a tree fell on his home on Wednesday evening. Chief Ronald Lunardi of the Occidental Volunteer Fire Department said the child was between one and two years old. The child's parents were in the home but were unharmed. A 19-year-old woman also died in a nearby county after her car slid on a flooded road and crashed into a light pole, according to reports. Bars and restaurants closed in San Francisco and nearby communities on Wednesday, as officials have cautioned against driving on the roads. Over 100 flights have been cancelled at San Francisco International Airport since Wednesday. Meanwhile, sandbags were distributed to residents to help curb the flooding. "We're very worried about it," Deepak Srivastava told BBC's US partner CBS in San Francisco. "(I) just spent all day putting sandbags in front of the garage at every entering point and we're just crossing our fingers and hoping we won't have more damage," he said. Rivers along the coast are forecast to see widespread flooding due to tidal surges. The storm is expected to dump up to 6in (15cm) of rain in coastal areas, and gust up to 80mph (128km/h) in the coastal hills and mountains. Rains and winds are expected to die down on Thursday night, before ramping up again over the weekend and into next week. An evacuation order has been issued in Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco, because of the "high probability" that some neighbourhoods will become inaccessible due to flooding. Further south, in Santa Barbara County, officials also ordered residents living near burn scars from previous forest fires to leave the area. The order affects the affluent community of Montecito, home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, and Oprah Winfrey. Classes have been cancelled for Thursday in school districts throughout northern California, including for 8,000 pupils enrolled in south San Francisco public schools. The city of San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley, reported a mudslide on Wednesday afternoon. A giant eucalyptus tree fell into a three-story apartment building in Oakland, forcing five families to flee. A California Highway Patrol officer was injured when a 60-ft tree fell on him while he was responding to the scene of a car crash, according to ABC. Public evacuation centres have opened for residents forced to leave their homes. How to stay safe in a winter storm In a statement declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said his order would "allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and support local officials in their ongoing response". The storm comes just a year after California recorded one of its driest years on record. On Saturday, San Francisco saw its second-wettest day in over 170 years. More than 105 million people across the US are currently at risk of severe weather, according to the NWS. Further east, some 30 million people are facing large storms that have already produced tornadoes in several states.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64169954
     
         
      Whitehaven coal mine: Friends of the Earth to launch legal fight Thu, 5th Jan 2023 19:00:00
     
      Friends of the Earth is to take legal action against the government over its decision to approve the UK's first major coal mine in more than 40 years. The environmental campaign group argues Communities Secretary Michael Gove "acted unlawfully" when he approved the project in Cumbria last month. The mine, near Whitehaven, is expected to extract millions of tonnes of coking coal for steel production each year. The government said it acted on advice of the independent planning inspector. Having initially been approved by Cumbria County Council in 2020, the mine became the subject of a public inquiry in 2021 and then the government repeatedly delayed its decision over the project's fate. It was eventually given backing in December, but Friends of the Earth says it will file a legal claim later this month as it believes Mr Gove "failed to account for the significant climate impacts". The company behind the Woodhouse Colliery scheme, West Cumbria Mining, argues it will create 500 highly skilled jobs with potential for 1,500 more in the supply chain. Opponents say the mine would create more greenhouse emissions and its approval is contrary to the UK government's stated net zero goals. Niall Toru, lawyer at Friends of the Earth, said: "With the world facing a climate emergency, we shouldn't have to take this challenge to court. "Any sensible government should be choosing to leave coal in the ground and accelerating the transition to a safe, clean and sustainable future." Rowan Smith, solicitor at Leigh Day which is representing the group, added: "A critical issue raised by Friends of the Earth during the inquiry was the signal that granting a new coal mine in the middle of a climate emergency would send to the rest of the world. "Friends of the Earth believes that this was never properly grappled with by either the Inspector or the Secretary of State. We hope that the court will agree that this argument justifies a full hearing." In response to news of the legal challenge, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in a statement: "The secretary of state has agreed to grant planning permission for a new metallurgical coal mine in Cumbria as recommended by the independent planning inspector. "This coal will be used for the production of steel and will not be used for power generation. "The reasons for the secretary of state's decision are set out in full in his published letter, alongside the report of the independent planning inspector who oversaw the inquiry into the proposal". The spokesperson added that "given the quasi-judicial nature of this decision" it could not comment further but the government's "commitment to phase out coal for power generation by 2024 remains in place". The project has divided opinion among people in Cumbria, with some welcoming the opportunity for much-needed jobs, while others have expressed concerns about the environmental impact. Local campaign group, South Lakes Action on Climate Change, previously told the BBC it was mulling a judicial review in a bid to have the government's decision quashed. Copeland's Conservative elected mayor, Mike Starkie, described the Whitehaven mine as "a huge economic investment", while Copeland's Conservative MP, Trudy Harrison, also welcomed the decision for its go-ahead.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-64165419
     
         
      Europe: Warm start to 2023 breaks records and skiers’ hearts, says WMO Thu, 5th Jan 2023 14:45:00
     
      The unusually warm conditions in Europe that marked the festive season broke records – and likely skiers’ hearts - in several countries on the continent, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed. And as a growing number of European ski resorts at lower altitudes struggle to provide adequate snow cover for their early-season visitors, the WMO pointed to widely accepted peer-reviewed scientific data from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicating that the frequency of cold spells and frost days “will decrease”. “Strong declines in glaciers, permafrost, snow cover extent, and snow seasonal duration at high latitudes/altitudes are observed and will continue in a warming world,” the IPCC said. According to the UN agency, New Year temperatures soared above 20 degrees Celsius (C) in many European countries, even in Central Europe. National and many local temperature records for December and January were also broken in several countries, from southern Spain to eastern and northern parts of Europe, WMO said. Temperatures lift off in Spain At Spain’s Bilbao airport, a reading of 25.1C on 1 January smashed the previous all-time record established 12 months earlier, by 0.7C. And in the eastern French city of Besançon, which is usually chilly at this time of year, temperatures hit a new all-time high of 18.6 degrees on New Year’s Day, 1.8C above the previous record, dating back to January 1918. In the German city of Dresden, the 1961 New Year’s Eve record of 17.7C was left trailing by the 19.4C reading taken on 31 December 2022, just as Poland’s Warsaw residents saw in the new year with temperatures peaking at 18.9C, a staggering 5.1C higher than the previous all-time record for January, from 1993. Further north, in Denmark’s Lolland island, 2023 started with a new high of 12.6C, overtaking the 12.4C record set in 2005. Highs and lows WMO attributed the warm spell in Europe to a high-pressure zone over the Mediterranean region which encountered an Atlantic low-pressure system. Their interaction “induced a strong south-west flux that brought warm air from north-western Africa to middle latitudes”, the UN agency explained, adding that this hotter-than-normal air “was further warmed when passing the North Atlantic, due to a higher-than-normal sea surface temperature”. Highlighting the influence of warmer sea waters on weather patterns, the WMO noted that in the eastern North Atlantic, sea surface temperature was 1C to 2C higher than normal, and “near the coasts of Iberia, even more”. “All this caused record-breaking heat in several European countries on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day,” WMO concluded. Sign of the times The weather extremes experienced in Europe are projected to carry on increasing, the WMO warned, as it referenced recent analysis published with “high confidence” by the influential UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “Regardless of future levels of global warming, temperatures will rise in all European areas at a rate exceeding global mean temperature changes, similar to past observations,” the IPCC said. According to the IPCC’s regional fact sheet for Europe, “the frequency and intensity of hot extremes, including marine heatwaves, have increased in recent decades and are projected to keep increasing regardless of the greenhouse gas emissions scenario”. The panel’s experts further warned that “critical thresholds” for the environment and humans “are projected to be exceeded for global warming of 2C and higher”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132177?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2d780b8314-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_05_04_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-2d780b8314-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
     
         
      Energy crisis: MPs call for 'war effort' on insulation Thu, 5th Jan 2023 14:03:00
     
      A cross party group of MPs have called for a "war effort" to improve the energy efficiency of UK homes. In a far-reaching report, the Environmental Audit Committee says a "window of opportunity" was missed last summer to get more homes insulated. The report also recommends a faster move away from fossil fuels, with greater focus on tidal power and wind turbines onshore. 78% of the UK's energy needs are still being met by burning fossil fuels. "We must fix our leaky housing stock, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and wastes our constituents' hard-earned cash," says Philip Dunne, the Conservative MP who chairs the Environmental Audit Committee, "There have been significant missed opportunities in recent months: the Government could have gone further and faster" The UK has some of the leakiest homes in Europe and progress to improve them has been slow. It wasn't always that way. The number of energy efficiency annual installations peaked in 2012 at 2.3m thanks to government subsidies, but after David Cameron slashed support numbers fell, with fewer than 100,000 upgrades installed in 2021. The MPs call for more money to be spent on insulation with the target of 2.5m homes being upgraded each year by 2030. "The Government has committed £6.6bn this parliament and a further £6bn to 2028 to make buildings more energy efficient," a government spokesperson said, in response to the MPs report. The spokesman said the government had also launched a new energy saving campaign, raising awareness of simple actions people can take to bring down the amount of energy needed to keep homes warm this winter. The MPs also called for the fossil fuel industry to do more to reduce the emissions it produces during oil and gas production. The routine flaring of gas should be banned outright, they say, with more demanding targets and greater transparency. There was clearly not agreement among MP's on the merits of recent controversial new fossil fuel projects. The report simply calls for a "clear end date" for the new oil and gas licensing rounds in the North Sea so the government can "continue to demonstrate its international climate leadership". In recent months, the government has infuriated environmentalists by approving a coalmine in Cumbria and green-lighting new oil and gas exploration. Both decisions are at odds with the recommendations of climate scientists and the United Nations that there can be no more oil, gas or coal if the world is to have any chance of keeping temperature rises under 1.5 degrees. The government argues that North Sea gas will have a lower carbon footprint than importing gas from abroad. In the last decade the UK has seen a rapid expansion in clean energy with renewables now making up about 40% of domestic electricity generation. Offshore wind is the biggest and most rapidly expanding contributor but on land it's become increasingly difficult to erect new turbines. The MPs report calls for greater focus on the quick roll out of onshore wind and a closer look at the potential of tidal energy. "Bold action is needed now," Mr Dunne said. "The last year, with Russia's aggression in Europe choking energy supplies, has shown us just how vulnerable our over-reliance on imported fossil fuels can make us."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64168571
     
         
      New York tackles pollution’s ‘disproportionate burden’ Thu, 5th Jan 2023 11:42:00
     
      In New York state, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed new legislation to protect disadvantaged communities from pollution. The law, which passed both chambers of the New York State Legislature last spring, requires proposed polluting facilities such as power plants, wastewater treatment facilities, and bus depots to undergo a comprehensive environmental justice assessment before being sited in low-income communities and communities of color. Rather than considering pollution only from their own operations, developers will have to account for the combined impact of all of the area’s existing sources of pollution when they evaluate whether their proposed facilities would place a “disproportionate burden” on those living nearby. These assessments will be reviewed by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation and could be grounds for rejecting proposed projects, depending on how the agency ultimately decides to define the term “disproportionate burden.” Sonal Jessel, director of policy at the nonprofit WE ACT for Environmental Justice, said the legislation fills an urgent gap in New York state’s environmental laws. Old permitting policies were creating a “cumulative burden of environmental hazards,” she told me, causing elevated rates of asthma, lung disease, and cancer in New York’s disadvantaged communities. Mirroring a nationwide trend, research shows that some New York communities of color face elevated health risks from nearby polluting facilities, with some seeing asthma hospitalization rates that are five times higher than the national average. The new bill is intended to help close that disparity, following in the footsteps of similar legislation that passed in New Jersey in 2020 to protect poor communities of color from industrial pollution. It builds on New York’s landmark 2019 Climate Act, which — in addition to committing the state to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — set a target to deliver at least 35 percent of the benefits from the state’s climate programs to disadvantaged communities.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-york-tackles-pollutions-disproportionate-burden/
     
         
      Half of glaciers will be gone by 2100 even under Paris 1.5C accord, study finds Thu, 5th Jan 2023 6:52:00
     
      Half the planet’s glaciers will have melted by 2100 even if humanity sticks to goals set out in the Paris climate agreement, according to research that finds the scale and impacts of glacial loss are greater than previously thought. At least half of that loss will happen in the next 30 years. Researchers found 49% of glaciers would disappear under the most optimistic scenario of 1.5C of warming. However, if global heating continued under the current scenario of 2.7C of warming, losses would be more significant, with 68% of glaciers disappearing, according to the paper, published in Science. There would be almost no glaciers left in central Europe, western Canada and the US by the end of the next century if this happened. This will significantly contribute to sea level rise, threaten the supply of water of up to 2 billion people, and increase the risk of natural hazards such as flooding. The study looked at all glacial land ice except for Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. If temperature increases are limited to 1.5C of warming, average sea levels would increase by 90mm (3.5in) from 2015 to 2100, but with 2.7C of warming, glacial melt would lead to around 115mm of sea level rise. These scenarios are up to 23% more than previous models had estimated. Mountain glacier melt is believed to contribute to more than a third of sea level rise. A lot of this loss is unavoidable, but the magnitude of loss is directly related to temperature increases, so acting on the climate crisis is key. Researchers wrote in the paper: “The rapidly increasing glacier mass losses as global temperature increases beyond 1.5C stresses the urgency of establishing more ambitious climate pledges to preserve the glaciers in these mountainous regions.” The team used two decades of satellite data to map the planet’s glaciers with greater precision than ever before. Previous models had relied on measurements of specific glaciers, and that information was then extrapolated, but now researchers could get data points on each of the planet’s 200,000 glaciers. For the first time, this gave them insight into how many would be lost under different climate change scenarios. The study’s lead author, Dr David Rounce, a civil and environmental engineer from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said: “This is the first time we have isolated the number of glaciers that will be lost – before it was the total mass loss.” Most of the glaciers that will be lost are small, currently less than 1 sq km. Although they contribute less to the total volume, they are most vulnerable to change. This is why the total loss of mass is less – so, for example, under the 2.7C scenario 68% of glaciers will be lost but the relative mass is less – projected to be 32%. Small glaciers are an important source of water and livelihood for millions of people. Rounce said: “When we think about the locations where most people see and visit glaciers, it’s really in locations where they’re accessible, like in central Europe, or in high mountain Asia. In these regions there are a lot of smaller glaciers. They’re really at the core of the societies and economies of those locations.” Lower mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Pyrenees are among those worst affected. In the Alps, for example, by 2050, glaciers are expected to be on average 70% smaller, many of the smaller ones would have already disappeared, with snow tops replaced by bare rock in some locations, and with significant losses in biodiversity as a result. Alpine flowers could become extinct after glaciers disappear as more competitive species colonise terrain higher up the mountain. Proglacial environments are highly sensitive to global heating, and mountain species are subject to the “escalator to extinction”. This is not the first research to project sea level rise from glacial melt, but the projections are more accurate than previous models. It follows research from 2021 that found the speed of glacial melt had doubled in the past two decades, contributing more to sea level rise than either the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets. Prof Antonio Ruiz de Elvira, from the University of Alcalá, who was not involved in the paper, said all existing evidence was consistent with the results. He said: “The study makes much of the earlier partial data more concrete.” In emphasising the importance of glaciers, he said: “In California, the water needed to sustain agriculture comes from glaciers directly from the end of July. In Spain, the disappearance of the Sierra Nevada glaciers means an almost complete reduction in water availability there from that time onwards, and the same applies to the glaciers in the Pyrenees. In India and China, they depend crucially on the Himalayan glaciers.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/05/half-planets-glaciers-gone-2100-even-under-paris-15c-accord-data-finds
     
         
      Australian coal industry says China market matters less than before, even if import ban ends Thu, 5th Jan 2023 5:17:00
     
      Queensland Resources Council says industry would welcome restrictions easing but new long-term customers since found elsewhere in Asia Australia would benefit from a lifting of China’s ban on its coal but any gains would likely be modest as miners have largely redirected supplies elsewhere, analysts said. Shares of ASX-listed coalminers shot up on Wednesday after reports China was considering lifting its restrictions on coal imports from Australia from April. The ban was imposed in mid-2020 amid deteriorating bilateral relations that have since begun to improve. Investors pared back their expectations of a significant boon for exporters on Thursday. Whitehaven Coal shares ended the day down 1.5%, while New Hope fell 0.7% and Yancoal closed flat. The overall market rose 0.6%. The Albanese government said the resumption of normal trade across the board between Australia and China was “in both countries’ best interests”. “The Australian coal industry has been successful in finding alternative markets,” a spokesperson for the resource minister, Madeleine King, said. China-Australia relations have warmed since the change of the federal government in May, with the foreign minister, Penny Wong, last month making the first visit to Beijing by an Australian minister in three years. China has its own motivation to resume coal imports after a severe drought reduced hydropower last year, resulting in a depletion of stockpiles of the fossil fuel. Beijing’s imposition of restrictions on commodity imports from Australia – such as coal, wine and barley, but not iron ore – resulted in exporters finding alternative markets. The chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council, Ian Macfarlane, said the industry would welcome any easing of restrictions and would be keen to tap any revived export opportunities. “[I]t is worth noting that increased exports to other countries, particularly India and [elsewhere] in Asia, over the last two years have seen long-term relationships built with these countries,” Macfarlane said. “These alternative markets to China are now seen by Queensland coal exporters as stable, long-term customers for Queensland coal.” The chief economist at Betashares, David Bassanese, said China may be reconsidering its ban on Australian coal because of ongoing uncertainty about global supplies given the war in Ukraine and resulting sanctions on energy exporter Russia. Since banning coal from Australia, China has had to source supplies from more distant sources or increase its reliance of lower-quality coal from Chinese mines. A resumption of coal imports from Australia “should help our coal export prices to a degree, as the price premium for better quality coal that Australian tends to produce is enhanced”, Bassanese said. According to the government’s latest quarterly report on resources and energy exports, shipments of metallurgical coal used in steelmaking should rise from 164m tonnes in 2021-22 to 163m tonnes by 2023-24. Soaring prices meant export revenues for the material tripled in 2021-22 to $68b. Thermal coal, burned mostly in power stations, has been more disrupted by the sanctions on Russia, with global supply chains “now longer and less efficient than they were in 2019”, the report said. “High grade thermal coal (mostly originating from Australia and Russia) has been particularly affected by longer freight distances, and the price premium for high grade coal grew notably larger in 2022,” it said. Thermal coal prices are likely to slide from historic highs of US$360 (A$523) a tonne in 2020 to about US$200/t (A$293) by 2024, the government report said. The increasing difficult to obtain finance and insurance for coal – particularly as investors shy away from fossil fuels – means the sector could be in “a permanent higher price phase”, it said. “This is expected to reduce its competitiveness relative to other energy sources over the longer term.” Australia exported $13.7bn worth of coal to China in 2019, almost $10bn of which was metallurgical coal. Analysis by data firm EnergyQuest has found Australia’s exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) were unchanged in 2022. Higher prices meant revenues jumped 86% in the year to about $92.8bn. “The huge growth in export revenue in 2022 is set to drive strong growth in taxation and royalties paid by Australian LNG projects, as well as helping pay for Australia’s imports,” EnergyQuest’s chief executive, Graeme Bethune, said. The exports placed Australia among the top three LNG exporters, with Qatar and the US. LNG exports from Western Australia and the Northern Territory were up 2.1%, while those from Queensland – which make up slightly less than a third of the total – fell 3.3%, EnergyQuest said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/05/china-signals-it-may-lift-ban-on-australian-coal-but-any-benefits-likely-modest-after-exporters-switch-to-other-markets
     
         
      UK government faces legal action against new coalmine in Cumbria Wed, 4th Jan 2023 13:13:00
     
      Friends of the Earth says significant climate impacts not taken into account when go-ahead was given Friends of the Earth has said it will take legal action against the UK government after ministers granted planning permission for a new coalmine in Cumbria. The environmental campaign group said it would file its claim against the fossil fuel extraction project later this month. Niall Toru, a lawyer at Friends of the Earth, said: “By giving the go-ahead to this polluting and totally unnecessary coalmine, the government has not only made the wrong decision for our economy and the climate, we believe it has also acted unlawfully. “Michael Gove has failed to account for the significant climate impacts of this mine or how the much-needed move to green steelmaking will be impacted by its approval. With the world facing a climate emergency, we shouldn’t have to take this challenge to court. Any sensible government should be choosing to leave coal in the ground, and accelerating the transition to a safe, clean and sustainable future.” Rowan Smith, a solicitor at the law firm Leigh Day, said: “A critical issue raised by Friends of the Earth during the inquiry was the signal that granting a new coalmine in the middle of a climate emergency would send to the rest of the world. Friends of the Earth believes that this was never properly grappled with by either the inspector or the secretary of state. We hope that the court will agree that this argument justifies a full hearing.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/04/uk-government-faces-legal-action-against-new-coalmine-cumbria-friends-of-the-earth-planning-permission
     
         
      European weather: Winter heat records smashed all over continent Wed, 4th Jan 2023 12:55:00
     
      Temperatures for January have reached an all-time high in a number of nations across Europe. National records have fallen in eight countries - and regional records in another three. Warsaw, Poland, saw 18.9C (66F) on Sunday while Bilbao, Spain, was 25.1C - more than 10C above average. The mild European weather comes as North America faces more severe storms, days after a deadly winter cold snap left more than 60 dead. Heavy snow and freezing rain have been forecast for parts of the northern Midwest while severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. But on the European side of the Atlantic, the weather has been balmy for many places at the start of the year. Temperatures in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark and Belarus broke national records. Station records were broken in Germany, France and Ukraine. Snow shortage threatens Alps with wet winter season Vanishing glaciers threaten Europe's water supply The temperature recorded in Warsaw on 1 January was 4C higher than the previous record for the month, and Belarus' record high was 16.4C, some 4.5C above the previous record. In Spain, New Year's Day temperatures in Bilbao were equivalent to the average in July, and parts of Catalonia including Barcelona are subject to restrictions on water use. Records are broken all the time, but it is unusual for the difference to be more than a few 10ths of a degree. In Switzerland, temperatures hit 20C, and the warm weather has affected ski resorts across the Alps which have seen a snow shortage. It's not all warm in Europe, though - colder temperatures and snow are forecast in parts of Scandinavia and Moscow is expected to drop to -20C by the weekend. Just days earlier, the UK, Ireland, France and Spain declared 2022 their hottest year on record. In the UK, every month but December was hotter than average. December itself saw snow fall across large parts of the country, although conditions are milder and wetter now. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. However, warm winter events such as these do not have the same human impact as summer heatwaves, which can result in large numbers of excess deaths. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64158283
     
         
      NSW coal power stations set to receive $500m in price-cap compensation Wed, 4th Jan 2023 2:15:00
     
      State government sources’ figure comes on top of estimate of up to $450m for Queensland plant Coal power stations in New South Wales are set to receive $500m in price-cap compensation, according to state government sources, further fuelling fears payouts are nearing $1bn. The compensation figure for NSW’s power producers comes on top of an estimate of up to $450m for Queensland’s Gladstone plant, a figure the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, disputed in December before the state’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, appeared to contradict him. In December the Albanese government legislated a temporary price cap of $12 a gigajoule for gas and $125 a tonne for coal, as part of a package including $1.5bn in electricity price relief to save households about $230 on their power bills. To encourage continued supply, where coal power producers have actual costs exceeding the $125 price cap – such as pre-existing supply contracts for more expensive coal – the federal and state governments agreed to provide them a rebate. On Wednesday the Australian reported, and Guardian Australia has confirmed, that according to NSW government sources the figure for that state’s coal power producers will be about $500m. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Recipients would include Australia’s biggest generator, the Origin-owned Eraring power station to Newcastle’s south, along with coal stations at Bayswater, Liddell, Mount Piper and Vales Point B. A spokesperson for the federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, said “details of the financial assistance are currently being finalised with the NSW government”. The spokesperson said rebates were only offered where pre-existing contracts for coal are above $125 a tonne or in the “very rare circumstances in which reasonable cost of production exceeds $125 a tonne”. “These actions are necessary to shield Australian households and businesses from the worst of the energy price spikes and ensure power prices are as low as possible.” Last month a Queensland government source told Guardian Australia the $450m payout figure for Rio Tinto and its Gladstone power station partners would be “in the ballpark”, although state generators returning in May should limit compensation to six months. The $450m price tag prompted a backlash from the Greens, with their leader, Adam Bandt, saying “not a single dollar of public money” should go to coal and gas corporations, and from the independent senator David Pocock, who said it “raises serious concerns about the total amount of compensation to be paid”. “The briefings and information I received suggested that any compensation under this plan to bring much-needed energy price relief for households and small businesses would be minimal and confined to a small number of generators,” Pocock said. Asked about the reported Gladstone payout, Albanese said: “No, those reports are just that, they are reports … We expect that [for Gladstone] it will be nothing like the sort of figures that I’ve seen in the newspaper.” But Palaszczuk appeared to confirm the figure was possible as a maximum, responding “yes, we did know” compensation for Gladstone could be “up to $450m”. “All of that was worked out when we reached the agreement we reached,” she told reporters. Federal government sources last month said they still expected the total price of compensation to be between $500m and $1bn, figures Guardian Australia reported in mid-December based on a Treasury briefing that included estimates of $250m for NSW producers. The rate of compensation is being determined by a reconciliation of electricity producers’ actual costs with the $125 cap, made more difficult by the fact costs can vary with a combination of coal at a pre-contracted price or from the spot market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/04/nsw-coal-power-stations-set-to-receive-500m-in-price-cap-compensation
     
         
      UK sets new record for wind power generation Tue, 3rd Jan 2023 18:08:00
     
      New record of 87.2% also set for share of electricity on grid coming from renewables and nuclear Britain has set a new record for wind generation as power from onshore and offshore turbines helped boost clean energy supplies late last year. National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO), which handles Great Britain’s grid, said that a new record for wind generation was set on 30 December, when 20.91 gigawatts (GW) were produced by turbines. This represented the third time Britain’s fleet of wind turbines set new generation records in 2022. In May, National Grid had to ask some turbines in the west of Scotland to shut down, as the network was unable to store such a large amount of electricity when a then record 19.9GW of power was produced – enough to boil 3.5m kettles. The ESO said a new record was also set for the share of electricity on the grid coming from zero-carbon sources – renewables and nuclear – which supplied 87.2% of total power. These sources have accounted for about 55% to 59% of power over the past couple of years. The surge in wind generation represents a remarkable reversal in fortunes as a cold snap that enveloped Britain and Europe quickly turned to milder weather. Power prices had soared as the freezing weather forced Britons to increase their heating use, pushing up demand for energy despite high bills. The cold weather came with a period of low wind, reducing the production of Britain’s windfarms to close to zero. Emergency coal-fired power units at Drax in North Yorkshire were put on standby but ultimately not used, while gas-fired generation accounted for nearly 60% of the UK’s power output at times. However, milder weather in the UK and Europe in recent days has led to a reduction in demand from consumers and a fall in wholesale gas prices. It has also reduced the risk of power cuts this winter, which National Grid had warned could be a possibility. Wind generation is seen as a crucial part of Britain’s move towards net zero. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is expected to overturn a moratorium on new onshore wind projects with a consultation on the matter due to run until March.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/03/uk-sets-new-record-for-turbine-power-generation-after-period-of-low-wind
     
         
      Here are all the positive environmental stories from 2022 Tue, 3rd Jan 2023 10:55:00
     
      Eco-anxiety, climate doom, environmental existential dread - as green journalists, we see these terms used a lot - and often feel them ourselves. There's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the climate and nature crises, but when a sense of hopelessness becomes the overarching emotion, apathy begins to creep in too. In 2021 three environmental educators, all part of EcoTok, penned this excellent piece for us about dealing with eco-anxiety and the need to remain hopeful - or "stubbornly optimistic", as Christiana Figueres puts it. The media has a huge part to play in combatting climate doom. It's our job to be truthful and accurate in our reporting, not trying to downplay the severity of the situation or greenwash reality. But it's also our job to show that there is hope! So, for 2022, as part of our ongoing effort to tackle eco-anxiety (both that of our readers and our own), we kept track of all the positive environmental stories throughout the year - a project we will continue in 2023. This article will be regularly updated with the latest good news. It may be something small and local, something silly that made us smile, or something enormous and potentially world-changing. you come across a great, positive story that we haven't covered here - please do reach out to us on social media, either on Instagram or Twitter to share your ideas. Positive environmental stories from December 2022 Ireland could hold a referendum on giving nature the same rights as people Ireland’s citizens’ assembly on biodiversity loss has called on the government to hold a referendum on protecting biodiversity. If it goes ahead it could enshrine the protection of biodiversity in the Irish constitution. This would mean granting nature rights comparable to people. Circular economy: Human hair recycled to clean waterways in Belgium A Belgian NGO is using human hair clippings to absorb environmental pollutants. The hair is turned into matted squares, which can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons. The mats can be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river. They can also be used to deal with pollution problems due to flooding and to clean up oil spills. The EU has approved a €28 billion German renewable energy scheme The EU has approved a €28 billion German renewable energy scheme. The policy is aimed at rapidly expanding use of wind and solar power. It is designed to deliver Germany's target to produce 80 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Replacing an existing renewables support scheme, it runs until 2026. New EU plastic waste ban could mark the end of miniature hotel toiletries The EU may ban miniature hotel toiletries and single-use food containers in its battle against wasteful packaging. The proposal is part of the European Green Deal, an EU-wide plan to reach net zero by 2050, separate economic growth from resource use, and promote a circular economy. In Europe, each person generates almost 180 kg of packaging waste on average every year. Packaging is one of the main culprits, accounting for 40 per cent of plastics and 50 per cent of paper used in the EU. 'Ray of hope’: Climate action professionals share why 2022 was an optimistic year As we look back at 2022, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to climate action. Progress has been made on a number of fronts, from the growth in renewable energy and sustainable transport, to COP27's loss and damage breakthrough, to legal battles won in the name of nature. People using their skills to push for a better future haven’t given up hope, so neither should we. Here are six reasons to be positive about climate action from 2022, according to people who work on the issues full time. EU solar power soars by almost 50% in 2022: Which country installed the most? Solar power in Europe has soared by almost 50 per cent in 2022, according to a new report from industry group SolarPower Europe. It reveals that the EU installed a record-breaking 41.4 GW of solar this year - enough to power the equivalent of 12.4 million homes. That is a 47 per cent increase from the 28.1 GW installed in 2021. In one year, the bloc’s capacity to generate power from this renewable source has increased by 25 per cent. Nations agree landmark deal for biodiversity at COP15 A historic deal for nature has been made at the UN biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada. It is the most significant effort yet to protect the world’s land and oceans and provide finance to prevent biodiversity loss in the developing world. The UN biodiversity conference - known as COP15 - has been considered the “last chance” for nature's recovery. These calculations show how a renewable energy transition would save everyone money Decarbonising the energy system is a crucial way to reduce emissions and stem climate change. But it’s also going to save us a lot of money. According to Oxford University researchers, ending fossil fuel use by 2050 will save the world at least $12 trillion (€11.3 trillion). This start-up has just won £1m for its seaweed-based plastic alternative London-based start-up Notpla believes it has an answer to our plastic waste problem: a plastic alternative made from seaweed and plants. It's totally natural, completely biodegradable and can be used to make a range of packaging from bubbles to hold liquid to linings for food containers. The company's founders have just won the Earthshot Prize in the ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ category, receiving £1 million (€1.2 million) to continue their efforts. Plant power: Scientists generate electricity from a shrub in renewables breakthrough Could we one day harness plants - as well as wind and solar - to generate clean power? It might seem like the stuff of sci-fi, but scientists have successfully used a succulent plant to create a living ‘bio-solar cell’ that runs on photosynthesis. This (literal) green energy could enable the development of future sustainable technologies, researchers hope. India’s original eco-warriors: Meet the Bishnoi community who won’t cut down living trees The Bishnoi community are India’s original eco-warriors. Members of the Hindu sect - which has more than 1.5 million devotees - have been fighting to protect the environment for more than 500 years. The community believes in the sanctity of all life, shunning meat and avoiding felling living trees. EU to impose world-first ‘carbon tariff’ on environmentally damaging imports The European Union has announced a deal to impose a carbon dioxide tariff on imports of polluting goods such as steel and cement. Known as the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" (CBAM), the agreement will cover industrial imports from the bloc's 27 member states, targeting the highest polluting products first. This CBAM scheme "will be a crucial pillar of European climate policies ... to encourage our trading partners to de-carbonise their industry", explains MEP Mohammed Chahim from the Socialists and Democrats Party. ‘Significant breakthrough’: This new sea salt battery has 4 times the capacity of lithium Your electronics could soon be powered by an ultra cheap sea salt battery. Researchers have built a new cheap battery with four times the energy storage capacity of lithium. Constructed from sodium-sulphur - a type of molten salt that can be processed from sea water - the battery is low-cost and more environmentally friendly than existing options. Belgium cracks down on private jets and short-haul flights with new tax Belgium will impose new taxes on older, noisier planes as well as private jets and short haul flights, according to a government statement. The move aims to reduce noise and air pollution. As of 1 April 2023, taxes will not only be dependent on noise, but on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the destination of the flight. Until now, small planes such as private jets have been exempt. Carbon capture: UK’s first plant could remove 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the air a year A huge carbon capture power station has won planning permission for the first time in the UK. The Keadby 3 plant in north Lincolnshire is the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to be greenlit by the government. Keadby 3 would have a generating capacity of up to 910 megawatt (MW) and capture up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year, according to SSE. It says this represents at least 5 per cent of the UK government’s 2030 target. Jonathan the Tortoise: World’s oldest living land animal celebrates 190th birthday The world’s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 190th birthday. Jonathan’s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph. The iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars. France bans short haul domestic flights in favour of train travel France has been given the green light to ban short haul domestic flights. The European Commission has approved the move which will abolish flights between cities that are linked by a train journey of less than 2.5 hours. The changes are part of the country’s 2021 Climate Law and were first proposed by France's Citizens' Convention on Climate - a citizens' assembly tasked with finding ways to reduce the country's carbon emissions. These UK universities have banned ‘climate wreckers’ from recruiting on campus Three more UK universities have banned fossil fuel companies from recruiting on campus. Career services at the University of Bedfordshire, University of the Arts London and Wrexham Glyndwr University have promised to end all relationships with oil, gas and mining recruiters. The ban - a product of a passionate student-led campaign - comes three months after a similar move by Birkbeck, University of London. Positive environmental stories from November 2022 This reusable McDonald’s packaging went viral: Could it be the future in Europe? Photos of reusable McDonald’s packaging went viral in November with social media users “obsessing” over the retro design. They were spotted by a Twitter user in France who shared images of glasses, chip holders and even Happy Meal boxes. The packaging is part of a trial across a few fast food locations in France and the rest of Europe, McDonald's has said. i It comes as the European Commission pushes for shops, restaurants and other businesses to ditch single-use packaging. In Barcelona, kids are 'jumping out of bed' to join bike buses It's fun, it's green and it's becoming more popular by the day. Barcelona's bike bus, or 'bicibus', as the scheme is known locally, allows hundreds of children to cycle safely to school in a convoy, taking over entire streets in Spain's second largest city. The citizen-led project, supported by Barcelona City Council, began in March 2021 with one route in the Sarria neighbourhood. Paris post is being delivered by cargo bikes in a bid to cut emissions The French Post Office is using pedal power to try and reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent before 2025. Cargo bikes are just one innovative way La Poste is hoping to reach 100 per cent carbon-free deliveries in 22 French cities by this date. Renewables to produce more energy than coal in the US for the first time this year Renewable energy is on track to produce more energy than coal in the US this year. According to figures from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), more than a fifth of all electricity by the end of 2022 will come from hydropower, wind and solar. That is higher than coal at 20 per cent and nuclear at 19 per cent. The only other year this happened was 2020 when energy generation was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fully-recyclable 3D printed house made of ‘wood flour’ unveiled by researchers For the first time, researchers have 3D-printed a home made entirely from natural materials. The 600 square foot house - constructed by a team at the US University of Maine - is made from wood fibres and bio-resins left over from sawmills. Maine governor Janet Mills said that the homes could help provide a climate-friendly solution to the state’s housing shortage of 20,000 units. Plants teach their offspring how to adapt to climate change, scientists find New research has suggested that plants can pass on climate adaptation to their offspring. The study published in the Trends in Plant Science journal found that 'memories' of how to survive in our changing world are handed down through something called epigenetics. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes do not change a DNA sequence. Instead, they can change how an organism reads a DNA sequence. Researchers hope the discovery will help scientists understand how plant intelligence is battling climate change. ‘Like finding a unicorn’: Rare bird lost to science for 140 years rediscovered in Papua New Guinea The black-naped pheasant pigeon was last spotted 140 years ago. Despite occasional sightings by hunters, there were fears that the animal had gone extinct. But new footage captured by scientists in Papua New Guinea in September revealed that the pigeon lives on. The new discovery was like ‘‘finding a unicorn," expedition co-leader John Mittermeier says. “It is the kind of moment you dream about your entire life as a conservationist and birdwatcher,” he says. Insulate Britain celebrates win after UK government announced fund to insulate homes Last week the UK government announced nearly €7 billion of funding to insulate homes. Activists from the protest group Insulate Britain celebrated the pledge as a "win for everyday people in civil resistance". Last year the group blocked roads and motorways in an effort to get the government to fix the UK's leaky housing stock. Household energy accounts for 20 per cent of the country's emissions and solving this issue would help reduce consumption. Hawai’i’s reefs will be repaired after hurricanes thanks to innovative coral insurance policy An NGO in the US has bought insurance to help repair Hawai'i's coral reefs after hurricanes and tropical storms. It is the first policy of its kind in the country. It means that the US state will get up to $2 million (€1.9 million) of insurance protection for its reefs until 2023. The stronger the winds, the higher the payout and The Nature Conservancy - the NGO behind the idea - is hoping to create rapid response teams to carry out the repair work. Hawai'i's policy follows pilot projects in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras where insurance schemes have already paid out millions for repairs after Hurricane Delta and Hurricane Lisa. Australian rubbish tip removes forever chemicals from rainwater New technology developed in Australia can extract harmful forever chemicals from rainwater. It uses sunlight and chemical processes to separate substances in the water which can then be skimmed off the surface. The €13 million facility is located at a rubbish tip in Darwin, northern Australia and can filter out toxic chemicals that mix with rainwater. UN to hunt sources of climate warming methane from space using satellites The UN’s environment watchdog will launch a public database of global methane leaks detected by space satellites. The new program will encourage companies and governments to curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas. 119 countries have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent before the end of the decade. Good eggs: Eggs can be used to filter microplastics and salt out of water, research finds By Marthe de Ferrer & Euronews team • Updated: 03/01/2023 Eco-anxiety, climate doom, environmental existential dread - as green journalists, we see these terms used a lot - and often feel them ourselves. There's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the climate and nature crises, but when a sense of hopelessness becomes the overarching emotion, apathy begins to creep in too. In 2021 three environmental educators, all part of EcoTok, penned this excellent piece for us about dealing with eco-anxiety and the need to remain hopeful - or "stubbornly optimistic", as Christiana Figueres puts it. The media has a huge part to play in combatting climate doom. It's our job to be truthful and accurate in our reporting, not trying to downplay the severity of the situation or greenwash reality. But it's also our job to show that there is hope! So, for 2022, as part of our ongoing effort to tackle eco-anxiety (both that of our readers and our own), we kept track of all the positive environmental stories throughout the year - a project we will continue in 2023. This article will be regularly updated with the latest good news. It may be something small and local, something silly that made us smile, or something enormous and potentially world-changing. If you come across a great, positive story that we haven't covered here - please do reach out to us on social media, either on Instagram or Twitter to share your ideas. Positive environmental stories from December 2022 Ireland could hold a referendum on giving nature the same rights as people Ireland’s citizens’ assembly on biodiversity loss has called on the government to hold a referendum on protecting biodiversity. If it goes ahead it could enshrine the protection of biodiversity in the Irish constitution. This would mean granting nature rights comparable to people. Circular economy: Human hair recycled to clean waterways in Belgium A Belgian NGO is using human hair clippings to absorb environmental pollutants. The hair is turned into matted squares, which can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons. The mats can be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river. They can also be used to deal with pollution problems due to flooding and to clean up oil spills. The EU has approved a €28 billion German renewable energy scheme The EU has approved a €28 billion German renewable energy scheme. The policy is aimed at rapidly expanding use of wind and solar power. It is designed to deliver Germany's target to produce 80 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Replacing an existing renewables support scheme, it runs until 2026. New EU plastic waste ban could mark the end of miniature hotel toiletries The EU may ban miniature hotel toiletries and single-use food containers in its battle against wasteful packaging. The proposal is part of the European Green Deal, an EU-wide plan to reach net zero by 2050, separate economic growth from resource use, and promote a circular economy. In Europe, each person generates almost 180 kg of packaging waste on average every year. Packaging is one of the main culprits, accounting for 40 per cent of plastics and 50 per cent of paper used in the EU. 'Ray of hope’: Climate action professionals share why 2022 was an optimistic year As we look back at 2022, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to climate action. Progress has been made on a number of fronts, from the growth in renewable energy and sustainable transport, to COP27's loss and damage breakthrough, to legal battles won in the name of nature. People using their skills to push for a better future haven’t given up hope, so neither should we. Here are six reasons to be positive about climate action from 2022, according to people who work on the issues full time. EU solar power soars by almost 50% in 2022: Which country installed the most? Solar power in Europe has soared by almost 50 per cent in 2022, according to a new report from industry group SolarPower Europe. It reveals that the EU installed a record-breaking 41.4 GW of solar this year - enough to power the equivalent of 12.4 million homes. That is a 47 per cent increase from the 28.1 GW installed in 2021. In one year, the bloc’s capacity to generate power from this renewable source has increased by 25 per cent. Nations agree landmark deal for biodiversity at COP15 A historic deal for nature has been made at the UN biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada. It is the most significant effort yet to protect the world’s land and oceans and provide finance to prevent biodiversity loss in the developing world. The UN biodiversity conference - known as COP15 - has been considered the “last chance” for nature's recovery. These calculations show how a renewable energy transition would save everyone money Decarbonising the energy system is a crucial way to reduce emissions and stem climate change. But it’s also going to save us a lot of money. According to Oxford University researchers, ending fossil fuel use by 2050 will save the world at least $12 trillion (€11.3 trillion). This start-up has just won £1m for its seaweed-based plastic alternative London-based start-up Notpla believes it has an answer to our plastic waste problem: a plastic alternative made from seaweed and plants. It's totally natural, completely biodegradable and can be used to make a range of packaging from bubbles to hold liquid to linings for food containers. The company's founders have just won the Earthshot Prize in the ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ category, receiving £1 million (€1.2 million) to continue their efforts. Plant power: Scientists generate electricity from a shrub in renewables breakthrough Could we one day harness plants - as well as wind and solar - to generate clean power? It might seem like the stuff of sci-fi, but scientists have successfully used a succulent plant to create a living ‘bio-solar cell’ that runs on photosynthesis. This (literal) green energy could enable the development of future sustainable technologies, researchers hope. India’s original eco-warriors: Meet the Bishnoi community who won’t cut down living trees The Bishnoi community are India’s original eco-warriors. Members of the Hindu sect - which has more than 1.5 million devotees - have been fighting to protect the environment for more than 500 years. The community believes in the sanctity of all life, shunning meat and avoiding felling living trees. EU to impose world-first ‘carbon tariff’ on environmentally damaging imports The European Union has announced a deal to impose a carbon dioxide tariff on imports of polluting goods such as steel and cement. Known as the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" (CBAM), the agreement will cover industrial imports from the bloc's 27 member states, targeting the highest polluting products first. This CBAM scheme "will be a crucial pillar of European climate policies ... to encourage our trading partners to de-carbonise their industry", explains MEP Mohammed Chahim from the Socialists and Democrats Party. ‘Significant breakthrough’: This new sea salt battery has 4 times the capacity of lithium Your electronics could soon be powered by an ultra cheap sea salt battery. Researchers have built a new cheap battery with four times the energy storage capacity of lithium. Constructed from sodium-sulphur - a type of molten salt that can be processed from sea water - the battery is low-cost and more environmentally friendly than existing options. Belgium cracks down on private jets and short-haul flights with new tax Belgium will impose new taxes on older, noisier planes as well as private jets and short haul flights, according to a government statement. The move aims to reduce noise and air pollution. As of 1 April 2023, taxes will not only be dependent on noise, but on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the destination of the flight. Until now, small planes such as private jets have been exempt. Carbon capture: UK’s first plant could remove 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the air a year A huge carbon capture power station has won planning permission for the first time in the UK. The Keadby 3 plant in north Lincolnshire is the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to be greenlit by the government. Keadby 3 would have a generating capacity of up to 910 megawatt (MW) and capture up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year, according to SSE. It says this represents at least 5 per cent of the UK government’s 2030 target. Jonathan the Tortoise: World’s oldest living land animal celebrates 190th birthday The world’s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 190th birthday. Jonathan’s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph. The iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars. France bans short haul domestic flights in favour of train travel France has been given the green light to ban short haul domestic flights. The European Commission has approved the move which will abolish flights between cities that are linked by a train journey of less than 2.5 hours. The changes are part of the country’s 2021 Climate Law and were first proposed by France's Citizens' Convention on Climate - a citizens' assembly tasked with finding ways to reduce the country's carbon emissions. These UK universities have banned ‘climate wreckers’ from recruiting on campus Three more UK universities have banned fossil fuel companies from recruiting on campus. Career services at the University of Bedfordshire, University of the Arts London and Wrexham Glyndwr University have promised to end all relationships with oil, gas and mining recruiters. The ban - a product of a passionate student-led campaign - comes three months after a similar move by Birkbeck, University of London. Positive environmental stories from November 2022 This reusable McDonald’s packaging went viral: Could it be the future in Europe? Photos of reusable McDonald’s packaging went viral in November with social media users “obsessing” over the retro design. They were spotted by a Twitter user in France who shared images of glasses, chip holders and even Happy Meal boxes. The packaging is part of a trial across a few fast food locations in France and the rest of Europe, McDonald's has said. i It comes as the European Commission pushes for shops, restaurants and other businesses to ditch single-use packaging. In Barcelona, kids are 'jumping out of bed' to join bike buses It's fun, it's green and it's becoming more popular by the day. Barcelona's bike bus, or 'bicibus', as the scheme is known locally, allows hundreds of children to cycle safely to school in a convoy, taking over entire streets in Spain's second largest city. The citizen-led project, supported by Barcelona City Council, began in March 2021 with one route in the Sarria neighbourhood. Paris post is being delivered by cargo bikes in a bid to cut emissions The French Post Office is using pedal power to try and reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent before 2025. Cargo bikes are just one innovative way La Poste is hoping to reach 100 per cent carbon-free deliveries in 22 French cities by this date. Renewables to produce more energy than coal in the US for the first time this year Renewable energy is on track to produce more energy than coal in the US this year. According to figures from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), more than a fifth of all electricity by the end of 2022 will come from hydropower, wind and solar. That is higher than coal at 20 per cent and nuclear at 19 per cent. The only other year this happened was 2020 when energy generation was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fully-recyclable 3D printed house made of ‘wood flour’ unveiled by researchers For the first time, researchers have 3D-printed a home made entirely from natural materials. The 600 square foot house - constructed by a team at the US University of Maine - is made from wood fibres and bio-resins left over from sawmills. Maine governor Janet Mills said that the homes could help provide a climate-friendly solution to the state’s housing shortage of 20,000 units. Plants teach their offspring how to adapt to climate change, scientists find New research has suggested that plants can pass on climate adaptation to their offspring. The study published in the Trends in Plant Science journal found that 'memories' of how to survive in our changing world are handed down through something called epigenetics. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes do not change a DNA sequence. Instead, they can change how an organism reads a DNA sequence. Researchers hope the discovery will help scientists understand how plant intelligence is battling climate change. ‘Like finding a unicorn’: Rare bird lost to science for 140 years rediscovered in Papua New Guinea The black-naped pheasant pigeon was last spotted 140 years ago. Despite occasional sightings by hunters, there were fears that the animal had gone extinct. But new footage captured by scientists in Papua New Guinea in September revealed that the pigeon lives on. The new discovery was like ‘‘finding a unicorn," expedition co-leader John Mittermeier says. “It is the kind of moment you dream about your entire life as a conservationist and birdwatcher,” he says. Insulate Britain celebrates win after UK government announced fund to insulate homes Last week the UK government announced nearly €7 billion of funding to insulate homes. Activists from the protest group Insulate Britain celebrated the pledge as a "win for everyday people in civil resistance". Last year the group blocked roads and motorways in an effort to get the government to fix the UK's leaky housing stock. Household energy accounts for 20 per cent of the country's emissions and solving this issue would help reduce consumption. Hawai’i’s reefs will be repaired after hurricanes thanks to innovative coral insurance policy An NGO in the US has bought insurance to help repair Hawai'i's coral reefs after hurricanes and tropical storms. It is the first policy of its kind in the country. It means that the US state will get up to $2 million (€1.9 million) of insurance protection for its reefs until 2023. The stronger the winds, the higher the payout and The Nature Conservancy - the NGO behind the idea - is hoping to create rapid response teams to carry out the repair work. Hawai'i's policy follows pilot projects in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras where insurance schemes have already paid out millions for repairs after Hurricane Delta and Hurricane Lisa. Australian rubbish tip removes forever chemicals from rainwater New technology developed in Australia can extract harmful forever chemicals from rainwater. It uses sunlight and chemical processes to separate substances in the water which can then be skimmed off the surface. The €13 million facility is located at a rubbish tip in Darwin, northern Australia and can filter out toxic chemicals that mix with rainwater. UN to hunt sources of climate warming methane from space using satellites The UN’s environment watchdog will launch a public database of global methane leaks detected by space satellites. The new program will encourage companies and governments to curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas. 119 countries have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent before the end of the decade. Good eggs: Eggs can be used to filter microplastics and salt out of water, research finds The humble egg could prove an unlikely ally in the battle against plastic pollution, scientists at Princeton University have found. According to new research, egg whites can remove salt and microplastics from seawater with 98 per cent and 99 per cent efficiency respectively. Farmers in India are fighting climate change and desertification using nature Climate change is exacerbating the loss of arable land - but Indian farmers are fighting this process of desertification with natural techniques. "This soil used to be as hard as a brick," said 37-year-old farmer Ramesh. "It's now like a sponge. The soil is rich with the nutrients and life." COP27 delivers €15 million to protect Egypt’s coral reefs - how will it help? The Sharm El Sheikh coral reefs that have long drawn tourists to the Red Sea peninsula are among the most biodiverse in the world. They are home to over a thousand different species of fish and around 350 coral species. the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced $15 million (€14.9 million) to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs to save the reefs. EU agrees stricter rules for greenhouse gas emission cuts European Union negotiators have struck a deal for binding emissions reduction targets for sectors including road transport, agriculture, buildings, and waste. These stricter targets increase the emissions reduction each nation is committed to in the coming years. Outdoor living rooms and renewable power: How San Francisco is fighting climate change In San Francisco, a number of environmental initiatives are tackling air pollution and traffic congestion “San Francisco believes in climate action as a whole, people care,” says mayor London Breed. “So it's not like you have to fight about (climate friendly policy). You just have to look at whether or not you can implement it, whether it is realistic.” COP27: New UN early warning system could save billions and many lives The UN will funnel €3.1 billion into building early warning systems against climate disasters for everyone on earth. The initiative could potentially avert mass death and destruction in the developing world. Countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality eight times higher than those with high coverage. COP27: More than 25 countries band together to keep deforestation pledges made in Glasgow At COP27, more than 25 countries launched a group to hold each other accountable for a pledge to end deforestation by 2030, pledging additional funding to the effort. The new group - which includes Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and others - accounts for roughly 35 per cent of the world's forests. Positive environmental stories from October 2022 Brazil: Lula pledges to end deforestation in the Amazon after election victory Brazil's new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to end deforestation in Amazon after beating right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the country's election. Lula’s victory could cut deforestation in the Amazon by 89 per cent over the next decade, according to an analysis carried out by Carbon Brief. Norway is strengthening its emissions targets ahead of COP27 Norway has raised its target for cutting climate-related emissions to at least 55 per cent by 2030. The government announced its new commitment just days before the start of COP27 in Egypt. Its previous goal was to cut emissions by between 50 per cent and 55 per cent before the end of the decade. Germany’s new plastics bill could see businesses contribute €450 million per year to litter cleanups Plastic manufacturers in Germany will soon be forced to pay towards litter collecting. Starting in 2025, a new bill will require makers of products containing single-use plastic to pay into a central fund managed by the government. The fund will collect an estimated €450 million in the first year, which will contribute to the cost of cleaning up litter in streets and parks. India's first fully solar powered village is helping residents to save time and money The village of Modhera in western India's Gujarat state has become the country's first to run entirely on solar energy. India, the world's third-largest carbon dioxide emitter, aims to meet half of its energy demands from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, by 2030. Slapping salmons and farting zebras: 2022’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards This year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists elevate the funniest animal images to an artform, distilling dozens of astonishing moments from the animal kingdom. Timing is everything in both comedy and photography, as the snapshots of a bear-slapping salmon and an oblivious heron make clear. China is building the world’s largest wind farm and it could power 13m homes China is planning the world’s largest wind farm, a facility so huge it could power the whole of Norway. Chaozhou - a city in China’s Guangdong province - has revealed ambitious plans for a 43.3 gigawatt facility in the Taiwan Strait. Because of the windy location, its turbines will be able to run between 43 per cent and 49 per cent of the time. Britain’s biggest bank will no longer finance new oil and gas fields Lloyds, Britain's biggest domestic bank, has announced it will not finance new oil and gas fields. It joins a small number of other lenders reducing funding for fossil fuels, including NatWest, which cut lending to clients in the oil and gas sector by 21 per cent in 2021. Part of the bank's climate policy is a move that bars project financing or reserve-based lending to greenfield oil and gas projects. Asian tigers, leopards and elephants can thrive near humans, research shows Tigers, elephants and leopards in Asia are defying 12,000 years of extinction trends by thriving alongside humans, new research reveals. “These results challenge the narrative within some conservation circles that humans and megafauna are incompatible,” says University of Queensland researcher and PhD candidate Zachary Amir. Solar lamps made from e-waste are one solution to Nigeria’s power outages Through his business, QuadLoop, Nigerian entrepreneur Dozie Igweilo recycles parts from old electricals to produce low-cost solar lamps. When Nigeria's national grid collapses - which happens often - these lamps help small businesses keep the lights on without relying on expensive generators. Your burger could soon come wrapped in packing made from seaweed Researchers from Flinders University in Australia have partnered with a German biomaterials developer to create a sustainable alternative to oil-proof plastic wrapping. The seaweed based biopolymer is as recyclable as paper and could be used to wrap greasy burgers, fries, and nuggets. Wild baby bison born in the UK for first time in thousands of years after surprise pregnancy A baby bison has been born in the UK for the first time in millennia as part of a groundbreaking rewilding project. The happy surprise was discovered by rangers carrying out checks on a herd of bison in West Blean and Thornden Woods, near Canterbury in October. The calf’s mother and two other female bison were released into the woodland back in July as part of a wilding initiative between Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, to combat the climate and biodiversity crises. India’s first solar-powered village is ‘transforming’ residents lives, says UN chief India’s first solar-powered village is setting an example of “reconciliation between humankind and planet” according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The UN chief visited Modhera in Gujarat, India, as part of a three-day trip to the country. A solar power project commissioned in 2021 has provided its thousands of residents with more than enough renewable energy to power their homes. Children’s COP: Young people given a ‘seat at the table’ for the first time in Egypt For the first time ever, children will have an official space at a UN climate change conference in Egypt in November. The newly-announced Children and Youth Pavilion at COP27 will enable them to hold discussions and policy briefings. French farmers are covering crops with solar panels to produce food and energy at the same time Agrivoltaics - the practice of using land for both solar energy and agriculture - is on the rise across France. In the Haute-Saône region, in the northeastern part of the country, an experiment is being conducted by solar-energy company TSE. It is hoping to find out whether solar energy can be generated without hindering large-scale cereal crops. Green lawyers triumph as UK admits its net zero strategy is unlawful The UK government has conceded that its plan to cut carbon emissions is inadequate, and must now come up with a better one. Last week, business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg quietly dropped plans to appeal against a High Court ruling from July that found the government’s net zero strategy was unlawful. It has cemented the victory of environmental lawyers from ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth and the Good Law Project, who are calling the decision “an embarrassing but welcome climbdown”. These EU countries are aiming for 100 per cent clean power by 2030 Decarbonisation targets and the shift to renewable power have sped up in some EU countries as they look to reduce their reliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bloc as a whole is hoping now to reach 82 per cent clean energy by 2030. But a handful of EU nations are accelerating fossil fuel phase-outs, looking to reach 100 per cent clean power by the end of the decade, according to energy think tank Ember’s EU power targets tracker. Repair cafes: Inside the high street hubs giving broken electronics a new lease of life European homes have an average of 74 electricals, according to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum (WEEE). Even just one item malfunctioning could be very costly. But what if instead of replacing these items when they break, we could repair them for free? That’s where repair cafes come in. Norway to slash pollution with the world’s first zero-emissions public transport network Oslo is on course to become the first capital city in the world with an all-electric public transport system. Norway's capital hopes to reach this goal by the end of 2023 as part of its aim to become the world's first wholly emissions-free city by 2030. The transport push entails replacing the city's diesel-fuelled buses with 450 electric ones. It is hoped the 500 million crown (€48 million) programme will save the city money over the long term. Scientists dream up a massive floating solar farm in space It sounds like the stuff of science fiction - but Europe might one day be powered by giant floating solar panels orbiting the planet. The European Space Agency (ESA) has unveiled a plan to harvest the sun’s energy in space and beam it back down to Earth. The technology is still in the preliminary testing phase - but the end goal is the construction of a 2km long solar space farm, generating as much energy as a nuclear power plant. Want green energy but can’t afford solar panels? Buy a bit of a wind farm Unless you can afford to install a solar panel, choosing an energy supplier with an environmental pledge appears to be the only option for greener energy. That was until Sarah Merrick from Ripple Energy started helping people to co-own a wind turbine. “Big projects are cheaper than small projects so that's why buying a little bit of a wind farm is over two thirds cheaper than buying the equivalent rooftop solar scheme,” she tells Euronews Green. Renewables power 100% of Greek electricity demand Renewable energy met all of Greece’s electricity needs for the first time ever in October, the country’s independent power transmission operator IPTO announced. For at least five hours, renewables accounted for 100 per cent of Greece’s power generation, reaching a record high of 3,106 megawatt hours. Solar, wind and hydro represented 46 per cent of the nation’s power mix in the eight months to August this year, up from 42 per cent in the same period in 2021, according to Greece-based environmental think-tank The Green Tank. Renewables have saved 230 million tonnes of CO2 emissions so far in 2022 Renewables met all of the rise in global demand for electricity during the first half of 2022, a report from Ember shows. The London-based energy think tank found that an increase in solar, wind and hydroelectric power prevented a possible 4 per cent rise in fossil fuel generation and a resulting 230 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. That is the equivalent of taking more than 49 million petrol-powered cars off the road for a year. Chile's newest national park is a blossoming natural phenomenon Even though Chile’s Atacama Desert is the sunniest and driest place on earth, rare flowers have recently bloomed. It has prompted the Chilean government to name this region as its 44th national park in order to protect this natural phenomenon. Taiwan is transforming unused metro stations into underground vertical farms Taiwan is using vacant metro spaces to grow sustainable, clean and organic food. Advanced and efficient vertical farming methods are being harnessed to help feed commuters with fresh produce. Located at capital city Taipei’s Nanjing-Fushing Station, the 40 square-metre ‘Metro Fresh’ hydroponic farm grows lettuce under LED lighting in a sterile environment to eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides. Cigarette butts are turned into mosquito repellent and stuffing for soft toys at this Indian factory An Indian factory is recycling cigarette butts into stuffing for soft toys. "We started with 10 grams (of fibre per day) and now we are doing 1,000 kilograms... Annually we are able to recycle millions of cigarette butts," says factory owner Naman Gupta. World-first nuclear fusion plant could generate carbon free energy by 2040 The world’s first commercial nuclear fusion reactor will be up and running by 2040, the UK government has pledged. The plant - which could theoretically provide near-limitless clean energy - will be built in Nottinghamshire. Green Galatasaray: Turkish football giant saves almost €400,000 from its solar roof A legendary Turkish football club has found a way to cut its energy costs and make money from electricity while going green. Galatasaray football club previously set a world record in March for the amount of megawatts produced by the stadium’s solar panels, earning it a place in the Guinness World Records. Quality Street chocolates are getting an environmental makeover Some of the UK’s most iconic chocolates are getting an environmentally-friendly makeover. After 86 years, Quality Street chocolates will no longer be wrapped in colourful foil and plastic packaging. Instead, the treats - manufactured by Nestlé - will be wrapped in recyclable waxed paper. Dutch flower growers are cutting costs by using cow poo instead of buying gas Between farming animals and growing flowers, the Netherlands has a high level of nitrogen emissions. While the government is looking for large-scale legislative solutions, part of the answer could be an old, tried-and-tested recipe: using nitrogen from animal manure in horticultural greenhouses. By doing so, farmers get rid of their surplus nitrogen and horticulturists use less gas. Beavers are now a protected species in England 400 years after they were hunted to extinction It is now illegal to deliberately capture, injure, kill or otherwise disturb beavers in the UK. “Changing the legal status of beavers is a game-changer for these amazing eco-engineers, which benefit both other wildlife and people,” says Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, which has pioneered their reintroduction. Positive environmental stories from September 2022 ‘Soil batteries’: Solar power could one day be stored in the ground beneath our feet A plentiful natural resource is being called on by researchers at Cardiff University to help solve the problem of renewable energy storage. An “adventurous” new project to create a ‘soil battery’ uses earth’s teeming microbial life to transfer energy - and is one of dozens of bright ideas that has just got a major funding boost from the UK government. Could a ‘flying’ electric ferry be the perfect zero-carbon transport solution for busy cities? One of the world’s most advanced electric passenger ferries could soon link Belfast and Bangor in Northern Ireland. With a top speed of 69 kilometres per hour, the vessels will “fly above the water” with underwater wings lifting up like a plane taking off. They can carry up to 150 passengers with the design reducing the strength of waves that can damage the shoreline. Raising the hull above water cuts drag, delivering estimated fuel cost savings of up to 85 per cent compared to conventional diesel-powered ferries, the designers say. Przewalski's horse: Could cloning save this endangered species from extinction? Formerly extinct in the wild, the Przewalski's horse has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos around the world. However most of the world’s 2,000-strong Przewalski population descends from just 12 wild horses saved from extinction. With such a limited gene pool, the future of the species did not look healthy. That was until, in 2020, the DNA of a Przewalski's horse frozen 42 years ago was successfully cloned. The result is a horse named Kurt, and a lot rests on the shoulders of this little colt. Wolves, bears and bison: 50 species make ‘spectacular’ comeback in Europe Bears, wolves, and bison are making a comeback across Europe, new research has revealed. The animals are among 50 expanding species tracked in the new European Wildlife Comeback report. From loggerhead turtles and Eurasian otters to humpback whales and wolverines, many previously-struggling species have made ‘spectacular’ recoveries. From Scotland to Sweden: How smart cities are helping residents save energy Dozens of smart solutions have been launched under an EU-funded project called RUGGEDISED, aiming to decarbonise three cities and inspire many more. Umeå, Rotterdam and Glasgow have been built into 'smart cities' on some simple ideas around digitising transport, buildings and other infrastructure. Meet the villagers who have formed deep bonds with migrating white storks The European Stork Villages Network (ESVN) is a collection of 15 villages from 15 different European countries, all with the best interests of the white stork at heart. Unlike black storks, which seek privacy and avoid human contact, these sociable birds always try to find ways to be in close proximity to humans. They build their nests on roofs, go in people’s gardens, and eventually, become a part of their daily lives. Spain makes history by giving personhood status to salt-water lagoon Spain has granted personhood status to Europe's largest salt-water lagoon in a first for the continent. Mar Menor lagoon has suffered massive die-offs of marine life due to degradation caused by coastal development and local farming. The new law came into force after a citizen-led push to provide better protection for the threatened ecosystem. Denmark becomes first country to pay for ‘loss and damage’ from climate change In September, it became the first country to offer “loss and damage” compensation for those in the most climate vulnerable regions of the world. “It is grossly unfair that the world's poorest should suffer the most from the consequences of climate change to which they have contributed the least,” Denmark’s development minister Flemming Møller Mortensen said when announcing the funds. He added that it was time for action, not just words. Cooking with sunlight: How one Japanese woman said goodbye to energy bills forever 62-year-old Tokyo resident Chikako Fujii hasn’t paid an electricity bill in 10 years. Chikako doesn’t have a TV, oven, washing machine or air conditioning. The only electricals she does own are powered by four solar panels, fitted on her balcony. Europe's central bank to give companies climate scores when buying bonds The European Central Bank (ECB) said Monday that it will give corporations climate scores before it buys their bonds and intends to prioritise those doing more to reveal and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Frankfurt, Germany-based central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro said it was taking the step to support the European Union's climate goals. The companies' scores would measure progress in reducing past emissions, plans to reduce them in the future, and completeness of reporting the amount of greenhouse gases they are emitting. Scientists predict the hole in the ozone layer will close in the next 50 years In 1987, just seven years after scientists discovered man-made chemicals were damaging the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol was signed to try and curb the amount of harmful chemicals in the atmosphere. Now, new research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US has found that concentrations of harmful chemicals that damage the ozone layer have dropped by just over 50 per cent in the mid-level of the stratosphere compared to the 1980s. Scientists say it is a “significant milestone” on the path to recovery. Dutch students have invented a zero-emissions car that captures carbon as it drives Dutch students have invented a zero-emissions car that captures carbon as it drives. Although EVs emit virtually no CO2 compared with their combustion-engine counterparts, battery cell production is highly polluting. As a result, it can take EVs tens of thousands of kilometres to achieve 'carbon parity' with comparable fossil-fuelled models. The students' Zero Emission Mobility (ZEM) car aims to offset this using carbon capture technology. It features two filters that can capture up to 2 kg of CO2 over 30,000 km of driving, the Eindhoven team estimates. Carbon capture: Wyoming's new plant could be a game changer in the race to slow global warming A new project could suck millions of tonnes of carbon from the air by the end of the decade. Until recently, direct carbon capture - a type of technology that draws carbon dioxide from the air and stores it underground - was the stuff of science fiction. But a US developer has unveiled plans for the world’s largest direct capture facility. By 2030, ‘Project Bison’ hopes to capture five million tonnes of CO2 per annum, roughly the equivalent of 5 million return flights between London and New York. Patagonia and Ecosia: The big companies profiting the Earth thanks to eco-conscious founders Patagonia’s billionaire founder has been praised for giving the company away to help fight climate change. Yvon Chouinard, who founded the outdoor apparel brand almost 50 years ago, is transferring his family’s ownership to a charitable trust, making Earth the sole shareholder and beneficiary of any profits not reinvested back into the business.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/01/03/here-are-all-the-positive-environmental-stories-from-2022-so-far
     
         
      £50m fund will boost UK nuclear fuel projects, ministers say Mon, 2nd Jan 2023 0:21:00
     
      Britain seeks to convert recycled uranium, a capability not currently available outside Russia A £50m nuclear fuel fund to bolster production in the UK and support development of alternatives to Russian supply opens for applications on Monday, the business department has announced. The fund forms part of a nuclear fuel investment package of up to £75m, of which up to £13m has already been awarded to the nuclear fuel fabricators Westinghouse in Preston, helping the company develop conversion capability for reprocessed uranium and freshly mined uranium. Uranium conversion is an important stage in the nuclear fuel cycle. The funding is designed to create capability to convert recycled uranium in the UK that is not currently available outside Russia. As well as strengthening UK energy security, ministers hope it will also open up new export opportunities. G7 leaders agreed in June to take collective action to reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, including diversifying their supplies of uranium and nuclear fuel production capability. Russia owns about 20% of global uranium conversion capacity and 40% of enrichment capacity. Graham Stuart, the energy and climate minister, said: “Record high global gas prices, caused by Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, have highlighted the need for more homegrown renewable energy, but also UK-generated nuclear power – building more plants, and developing domestic fuel capability. “This investment package will strengthen the UK’s energy security, by ensuring access to a safe and secure supply of UK-produced fuel to power the UK nuclear fleet of today and tomorrow – squeezing out Russian influence, while creating more UK jobs and export opportunities.” Tom Greatrex, the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “Having the sovereign capability to manufacture next-generation nuclear fuels for advanced reactors of the future is vital for energy security and net zero.” The £50m fund will support projects such as fuel supply options for light water reactors, including future small modular reactors. It will also look to support projects producing new fuel types that will be needed to supply advanced modular reactors, likely to be in operation from the 2030s, such as high-assay low-enriched uranium. The news comes after the government confirmed in late November that the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk will go ahead, backing the scheme with an investment of nearly £700m that will end China’s controversial involvement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/02/50m-fund-will-boost-uk-nuclear-fuel-projects-ministers-say
     
         
      ‘Battle for the nation’s soul’: Norway faces debate about gas and oil wealth Sun, 1st Jan 2023 5:22:00
     
      Russia’s war in Ukraine has earned Norway billions – and caused controversy As the sun plunges into the Oslofjord on a December evening, passersby stop outside Norway’s new €620m national art gallery, the new €300m Munch Museum, the new €240m public library and the €550m opera house to take in the dying light. Thanks to oil and gas reserves in the waters off its coast, Norway is not only extremely rich but getting richer still. Already the World Bank’s seventh wealthiest country by GDP per capita at the start of this year, the resource-rich Scandinavian country’s profits have ballooned to record levels over the last 12 months, as prices on the energy markets tripled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Norway replaced bellicose Moscow as Europe’s largest supplier of gas. But in Norway, the wealth of the nation can be an intangible affair. Hakon Midtsundstad, 33, his mother, Elin, and her sister Berit, have stopped at the Oslo waterfront to marvel at the crimson sunset. Asked if Norway is rich, they point at the architectural palaces around them. Asked if they feel as if they’ve become richer this year, the response is a drawn-out “Noooo”, followed by complaints about rising electricity bills. As the citizens of Europe’s biggest energy producer experience their own cost-of-living crisis this winter, and Nato allies question the fairness of one state getting rich from others’ misfortune, Norway is debating where all its money should go – and whether it should be all for one country to keep. According to its finance ministry, the Norwegian state is likely to have earned almost 1,200bn Norwegian kroner (€113bn) from petroleum sales by the end of 2022, meaning Russia’s war of aggression has made every Norwegian citizen at least €20,000 better off on paper. Profits for 2023 are estimated to rise to €130bn, a five-fold increase on 2021. “Of course, this money is not ours; it belongs to the victims of this war,” said Kalle Moene, a professor of economics at Oslo University. In a column for the financial newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, published in June, Moene called for this year’s €100bn excess profit to be put into a new international solidarity fund, with the express purpose of aiding Ukraine and other countries suffering as a result of the war’s knock-on effect on global supply chains, such as Yemen. “There is a long philosophical tradition that says a fair system should compensate those suffering bad luck but tax those who are at the receiving end of good fortune,” said Moene. “If we don’t start talking about what to do with this insane amount of money, other countries will start to hate us. They will think we are greedy.” When Moene made his proposal, however, it received little notice in political circles. On the contrary: in its summer budget, the government of Labour party prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, announced plans to reduce its aid budget in light of the record profits, from 1% of gross national income (GNI) down to 0.75%. Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a former party colleague of the government leader, described the announcement as “a punch in the stomach” for a nation that is used to seeing itself as a beacon of international solidarity. “We started giving international assistance to Kerala, India, in the 1950s, while we were still receiving Marshall Fund aid money ourselves,” Egeland said. “This is a battle for the soul of our nation.” While even the revised aid budget would see Norway donating a much higher percentage of its GNI than the OECD average of 0.3%, Egeland said the downward revision sent a fatal signal towards other donors considering cutting their budgets, such as Sweden and the UK. The government’s reluctance to pick calls for an international aid fund is partly political. Since October 2021, Støre’s Labour party has led a coalition with the Centre party, a formerly agricultural party with a protectionist economic agenda. But the inaction also speaks of a fear that debating the rights and wrongs of its petroleum profits could question a now widely popular system that Norway once took considerable political risk to implement. When Norway, still one of Europe’s poorer nations in the first half of the 20th century, discovered oilfields in its North Sea territories in the late 1960s, it could have auctioned them off to private companies, like Denmark did, or used its profits to fund tax cuts, the way the UK did. Instead, Norway used the spoils of the North Sea to expand its welfare state. State-owned company Statoil explored reserves and profits were piled into a collective piggybank, the government pension fund. A budget rule introduced in 2001, the Handlingsregelen, allows only a small percentage – previously 4%, now 3% – of the fund’s calculated annual return to be put back into the state budget. As a result, Norway became one of the few countries in the world to escape what economists call the “resource curse”: the phenomenon of states with an abundance of fossil fuels or certain minerals ending up with less economic growth, less democracy and less social equality. “We have taken a temporary resource and created a possibly everlasting cash stream that can benefit future Norwegian generations”, said Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, a state secretary at the ministry of petroleum and energy. “Over time we have had wise and longsighted politicians who have managed the difficult balancing act between financing important measures in the short term while saving for the difficult days.” The oil fund continues to provide the country with a sturdy safety net: education is still cheap, university free even for foreigners, parental leave fully paid for 49 weeks. Life expectancy is 83.2, 10 years higher than the global average. As other Scandinavian states have cut back their welfare state or switched to workfare models, Norway has remained generous. Tweaking such a winning formula, whether by giving gas discounts to struggling states or changing the budget rule, can trigger nervousness. “I do not think it is right to call Norway a war profiteer”, said Bjelland Eriksen. “We are not against any measure that can bring down high prices. But we cannot bring forward measures that would create an even more difficult situation.” But even if Norway’s wealth fund model continues to enjoy the kind of cross-party consensus that is rare in western democracies, the war in Ukraine and its ripple effects are challenging old certainties. Just a 15-minute walk from Oslo’s opulent waterfront, a queue of people started forming outside Grønland Church on a dark and icy Wednesday morning. From 9am, the church opens its doors to those seeking warmth or a voucher they can redeem for a bag of groceries at the Fattighuset food bank opposite.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/01/battle-for-the-nations-soul-norway-faces-debate-about-gas-and-oil-wealth
     
         
      ‘Rebound effect’ cancels out home insulation’s impact on gas use – study Sun, 1st Jan 2023 2:25:00
     
      Research in England and Wales shows that conservatories, extensions and changing behaviour cancelled out any savings Conservatories and house extensions could be helping to wipe out the reductions in gas use secured by insulating homes, according to a study that found insulation only provides a short-term fall in energy consumption. In a surprise finding, the study into the long-term effect of loft and cavity wall insulation in England and Wales showed that the fall in gas consumption for each household was small, with all energy savings disappearing by the fourth year after it had been fitted. Policy experts at the University of Cambridge said the findings suggested a “rebound effect” in energy use, where changing behaviour cancelled out the reductions in gas use. They also suggested that fitting insulation often happened alongside the building of house extensions, which use extra energy. For households with conservatories, any gains in energy efficiency disappeared after the first year. The government and opposition parties have championed the retrofitting of homes with insulation as a way of dealing with the energy crisis. Ministers have announced insulation retrofits as a leading part of a programme to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and industry by 15% over the next eight years. Labour has said insulating homes should be a “national mission” that could save people £11bn in three years. However, researchers said that while insulation was vital for fighting fuel poverty, it was not a “magic bullet” for reducing energy use and should come alongside advice to conserve energy and programmes to install heat pumps in homes. Researchers said it was hard to identify the exact causes of the rebound effect. However, they stated that turning up the heating, opening windows in stuffy rooms or building extensions could all contribute. They made clear that in circumstances such as the current cost of living crisis, it was possible that energy savings from insulation could be more significant and longer lasting. “This study does not say that energy efficiency doesn’t work,” said Prof Laura Diaz Anadon, director of the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, who co-authored the study. “These sorts of efficiency improvements can keep our houses warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer. They might reduce damp, or it might become more affordable to keep your house warm. There are plenty of benefits, especially for low-income households. “However, home insulation alone is not a magic bullet. These results suggest that to also have the benefits of reduced gas consumption, additional measures are needed. It’s a good opportunity to do even more on things like heat pumps. For short-term reductions in gas consumption, it is also really important to provide consumers with information about what they can do to reduce their usage.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/01/rebound-effect-cancels-out-home-insulations-impact-on-gas-use-study
     
         
      From super scooters to smarter meters: six firms to watch in 2023 Sat, 31st Dec 2022 16:40:00
     
      Times are tough for businesses old and new, but the pace of change in many sectors this year will be relentless The upheavals of recent years have posed huge challenges for established companies, but for others rapid change can mean big opportunities. Entrepreneurs are breaking ground in important new areas, from artificial intelligence to biotechnology and super-smart energy meters. Here, we look at six companies making the most of the moment. Green Energy Options Keep an eye on Cambridge-based energy specialist Green Energy Options this year. The company, known as Geo, was founded in 2006 as a conventional smart-meter business and has quietly grown, delivering more than 8.5m devices to date. The energy crisis could see business pick up further, as households examine their usage more closely to cut costs. Geo’s energy management system can sense when a house is empty and turn down the heating. It can also automate the running of appliances so they are used when electricity is cheapest, which can save an estimated 10p per kilowatt hour (kWh) or more. That can reduce demand for fossil-fuel-powered generation, which is still relied upon at peak times. Geo’s tech also charges electric vehicles at off-peak times to save on motoring costs and the firm estimates it has saved customers £800m and 20 terawatt hours of energy in total. Initially available from energy suppliers as part of the smart meter rollout, the devices could eventually be retro-fitted in any home that has a smart meter. The privately owned firm saw losses widen last financial year, and a fall in turnover as the pandemic restricted access to homes. But this year sales are expected to bounce back, more than doubling to about £25m. Alex Lawson Autolus Therapeutics In the UK’s biotech sector, Autolus could be going places. Spun out from University College London in 2014, the business develops programmed T-cell therapies: also known as living medicines, they re-engineer patients’ immune systems to recognise and attack cancer. Four years ago, Autolus floated on Nasdaq, raising $160m, and has just raised a further $150m (£125m) from investors, including the British life science investment firm Syncona. It also counts Blackstone Life Sciences among its backers, which has invested up to $250m in one of the largest ever private financings of a UK biotech company. Autolus also has collaborations with bigger drugmakers Bristol Myers Squibb and Moderna. This month, it released what analysts at Numis described as “impressive” results from intermediate clinical trials of a treatment for adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a severe form of blood cancer that is fatal without treatment. Autolus intends to file the treatment – its most advanced – for regulatory approval in the US in 2023. Confident of its success, the company is already preparing to go into production: it has commissioned a cell manufacturing facility capable of making at least 2,000 patient products a year. Julia Kollewe Chase UK Britain’s once-comfortable high street banks are facing dual threats: on the one hand, scrappy upstarts such as Monzo, Revolut and Starling Bank, and on the other, formidable Wall Street rivals sidling into the retail banking sector. One big name among the US invaders is JP Morgan. Its Chase UK current account launched in September 2021, more than three years after Goldman Sachs introduced its Marcus savings account to the British public. But within 12 months, America’s largest bank by assets has managed to surpass Marcus’s 750,000 account holders with a million of its own UK customers, by offering perks such as cashback and competitive interest rates. Chase will offer 2.7% on savings from 4 January. While it still lags behind Monzo’s roughly 6 million users and Starling’s 3 million accounts, the pace of adoption is impressive. Between May and September this year, Chase doubled the user base and secured more than £10bn in deposits. JP Morgan seems to be acquiring customers at a loss with a view to making long-term gains. The bank revealed in May this year that it was set to lose more than $1bn on the venture in the coming years, does not expect to break even until 2027-28. With the prospect of mortgages, credit cards and other traditional banking products on the horizon, Chase UK will be one to watch in 2023. Kalyeena Makortoff Tier Mobility Dott, Voi, Lime … electric scooter and bicycle operators are piling on to city streets up and down the country, all scrambling for customers, but which one will emerge victorious? Bird, one of the biggest US players, has warned of possible bankruptcy. Voi and Superpedestrian have laid off staff. The sector looks ripe for consolidation. Lime, backed by the taxi app company Uber, is the best capitalised, but the European players have a solid foothold on the continent. Berlin’s Tier is one of the top European contenders. Tier is led by Lawrence Leuschner, who co-founded it in 2018. It has raised more than $600m in equity and debt, including from Japan’s Softbank and Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Mubadala. However, Tier was caught up in the broader tech company rout during 2022, and in August it duly cut 16% of its workforce – 180 people – to “focus on profitability”. In this tough environment Tier and its rivals will have to strike a tricky balance between continuing to spend on expansion to new cities and chasing actual profits now that investors’ patience with a years-long wait for earnings from startups appears to have run out. Who will keep pedalling on? Maybe Tier. Or maybe someone else. Gwyn Topham and Jasper Jolly BYD No Chinese car brand has ever become a household name abroad, in part because the country never managed to gain a reputation for high-quality petrol or diesel cars. The move to electric – with designs starting from a blank sheet of paper – is changing all that. Chinese carmakers are hoping to go global with battery models, and BYD, headquartered in the industrial powerhouse of Shenzhen, is likely to be among the leaders of the pack in 2023, with European expansion on the cards. BYD is already the world’s largest producer of electric cars, having overtaken Tesla in July, and it has been backed by Warren Buffett, the world’s most famous investor, since 2008 (a bet that has earned his company, Berkshire Hathaway, billions of dollars). Now it is launching three new models in Europe, going toe to toe with the big western brands. BYD is also already the third-biggest carmaker by market value. If it can crack Europe, it could come for Tesla’s crown. Jasper Jolly Stability AI Founded in 2020 by former hedge fund analyst Emad Mostaque, Stability AI develops artificial intelligence software that it allows other businesses to use for free, although customers can pay if they want added bells and whistles. It describes itself as a “community” with projects to produce music, or apply machine learning to problems in biology and pharmaceuticals, but its leading product is an automatic image generator. Stable Diffusion can take normal English sentences and turn them into high-quality pictures in seconds. The technology has been used by newsletter writers to create illustrations for their emails, by artists to generate backgrounds or details for their work, and by game developers to create a new sort of multiplayer experience. Developed with £500,000 of Mostaque’s own money and then given away to developers under an open source model, it has reached a wider audience than some rivals. Headquartered in London’s Notting Hill, the company has taken $101m in external funding, valuing it at more than $1bn, and released a second version of Stable Diffusion that generates better pictures, while working harder at avoiding copyright infringement and obscene imagery. The long-term plan is to continue offering the basic trained model free, while turning a profit from a hosted version of the API that businesses can use if they don’t want the technical overhead of running and tweaking an AI model themselves. Alex Hern
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/31/from-super-scooters-to-smarter-meters-six-firms-to-watch-in-2023
     
         
      The world in 2023: what our writers say you should watch out for Sat, 31st Dec 2022 10:38:00
     
      Anear-inevitable global recession sparked by a lengthening war in Europe’s frozen east; an energy crisis coupled with soaring inflation; Covid-19 finally running rampant in China – predictions for 2023 are grim. Still, there are reasons to be hopeful. That same energy crisis has spurred an unprecedented demand for renewables, which are expected to boom, while in Brazil, a new president has sworn to protect the Amazon. Repressive regimes, meanwhile, will be nervously looking at Iran, where hardline clerics are locked in a struggle with a formidable pro-democracy uprising that threatens to overwhelm them next year. Guardian correspondents across the globe have provided their take on what to watch out for in 2023: A ceasefire in Ukraine? Will the Ukraine war end in 2023? It’s impossible to imagine a handshake between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Vladimir Putin, suggesting that a negotiated peace between Ukraine and Russia after 10 months of hard fighting and tens of thousands of casualties on both sides is a long way off. Ukraine is demanding the creation of a war crimes court for the Russian leadership and reparations from the Kremlin, as well as the restoration of its entire territory. None of this will be conceded by Moscow, which is never going to be faced with a 1945-style total defeat. A more realistic endpoint would be a military ceasefire, in which two increasingly exhausted combatants see frontline positions harden around a line of control, in effect a repeat of what happened after the fighting of 2014, without the veneer of the previous Minsk peace agreements. On the current frontlines, or something similar, that would obviously suit Russia, which seeks time to regenerate its shattered military and incorporate a territory roughly the size of Portugal. But it would clearly not suit Ukraine. The incentive is on Ukraine to probe for weaknesses and try to attack, and its opportunity starts now, in the depths of winter, when the ground is frozen. Although Kyiv warns of Russian counterattacks, Moscow’s efforts are more likely to be limited, even diversionary, probably focused on the Donbas, where it has been on the attack, often ineffectively, since April. The key point comes when it appears Ukraine’s offensive potential is exhausted. That will become clearer by the summer or autumn, and will at some point prompt a question for its western backers: how long should the west continue supplying military aid at current levels to Ukraine? Dan Sabbagh, defence and security editor Possible blackouts across Europe Russia’s war on Ukraine, the ensuing continent-wide energy crisis and rampant inflation have largely dictated Europe’s fortunes this year, a state of affairs experts say is unlikely to improve – and may well worsen – in 2023. Europe may be steadily weaning itself off its biggest source of energy – Russian oil and gas – but the cost has been immense, with soaring energy prices hitting households and businesses and governments forced to fund hundreds of billions in subsidies. Blackouts and gas rationing remain possible across the continent this winter and despite many countries sourcing alternative supplies mainly of liquid natural gas (LNG), next winter could be worse, with analysts forecasting a worst-case gas shortfall approaching 10%. Much will clearly depend on the severity of the weather – but “sensible” energy prices are not expected to return to Europe until 2025, meaning many economies will continue to suffer: Germany, the EU’s biggest, is expecting its economy to shrink by 0.5%. Faced with such strong economic headwinds, the EU27’s efforts to hit Russia’s income without doing too much damage to their own are likely to get harder. Its collective stance also looks set to be hampered further by Hungary’s continuing “blackmail diplomacy”. Parliamentary elections will be held next year in Finland, Greece and Poland, which like Hungary remains embroiled in an ongoing rule-of-law dispute with Brussels that is likely to intensify next year as both countries seek the release of more EU funds. Europe’s eyes will also be trained on Spain, where the rightwing PP is currently leading but not forecast to win an outright majority in December 2023 elections – which could mean it seeks parliamentary support from the far-right Vox. Jon Henley, Europe correspondent, Paris China finally confronts Covid The so-called paramount leader, Xi Jinping, became even more powerful this year. In October he secured a third five-year term as leader, purging anyone not deemed utterly loyal from the senior party ranks. With almost unchecked political power and with no known dissenting voices in his close circles, analysts are watching his moves on Taiwan in particular. Xi has long pledged to annex the island of 23 million people, despite their overwhelming opposition. This year, China’s People’s Liberation Army activities increased (the post-Nancy Pelosi drills gave a taste of what they can do), and official rhetoric escalated. One possible tempering factor is Ukraine, where Russia’s similar invasion dreams did not go to plan. Xi is likely to be taking lessons. The invasion has also caused China headaches. Xi is a close ally of Putin’s, but wants global leadership, not isolation, so has sought to balance his support for Russia carefully. Since October, he has set about strengthening foreign ties, meeting with dozens of heads of state. This includes leaders from western nations with which bilateral relations had plummeted amid sanctions over China’s human rights violations, weaponisation of trade, and claims of industrial espionage. Xi is also contending with a struggling economy, damaged by a property sector collapse and the impact of his hardline zero-Covid policy on domestic business, production, and export sectors. But the most immediate challenge for China in 2023 is Covid. The stringent zero-Covid policy that kept people safe for most of the pandemic was in 2022 overwhelmed by Omicron and became a chaotic beast of confusing and harmful lockdowns. They sparked the most significant protests seen in China since 1989, before the policy was surprisingly overturned by the government in December. The virus immediately began to rip through the country. Health authorities have optimistically predicted a peak in infections by mid-January, and a return to pre-2020 normalcy by the middle of next year, but if the trajectories of other countries tell us anything, China is looking at a tough start to 2023. The health system is inadequately prepared and the government has not approved foreign-made vaccines. Too few elderly people have been vaccinated. Zero-Covid wreaked havoc on the economy, but how will authorities deal with successive waves of illness affecting businesses? Helen Davidson, Taipei Growing resistance in Iran After the political earthquake of nationwide protests over women’s rights, Iran faces a defining year in which the regime will either wrest back control of a cowed population or see resistance grow into something that genuinely threatens the Islamic Republic’s 43-year rule. Although many say something irreversible has been set in train since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, which prompted the rallies, Iran has a long history of repressing dissent. But a movement that has no stated goals and no leadership, but deep cultural roots may be harder to control. Much may depend on whether the economy continues to suffer, encouraging a broader impoverished group in society to abandon faith not just in the government, but in the entire system of clerical rule. Ebrahim Raisi came to power as president in June 2021 unifying the levers of powers in the hands of conservatives in an unprecedented way. But it was a hollow triumph achieved with a record-low turnout. New evidence shows that the lower the turnout in a region, the more likely that region is to have joined the recent protests. Disillusionment now runs deep, with an elderly clerical establishment openly admitting they have lost the nation’s youth. Raisi has bet all on confronting the west, on the basis of the west’s inevitable decline. So if the west “wins” in Ukraine, he may feel especially exposed after becoming the only major power to supply arms to Russia. Equally if anti-western ideology leads him to reject US terms for lifting economic sanctions in return for a renewal of the 2015 nuclear deal, ordinary Iranians may feel they are being sacrificed by a regime that no longer represents them. The maximum danger point may come if the 83-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dies, prompting an internal power battle that exposes the deep fissures inside the country. Patrick Wintour, diplomatic editor ...
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/31/the-world-in-2023-what-our-writers-say-you-should-watch-out-for
     
         
      Water, fossil fuels and decarbonising travel: What will be the key climate issues in 2023? Sat, 31st Dec 2022 9:53:00
     
      By Rebecca Ann Hughes • Updated: 31/12/2022 Climate change was one of the most significant issues in 2022, both for the pledges made to curb its impact and for the disastrous effects it had on the planet. At COP27, important progress was made with loss and damage funding for vulnerable countries. And at the COP15 biodiversity conference, nations agreed a landmark deal for nature. But the immediacy of the climate emergency was also made brutally clear by the devastating floods, wildfires and storms that battered communities around the globe. As we enter 2023, these are the big climate issues the world is facing. Where will Europe get its energy supply? As geo-political conflict and tensions continue, there will be increasing pressure on fossil fuel supply and cost for Europe. Prices of oil and gas in particular look set to rise in the new year, which means the challenging winter is not over. The positive side is that this will lead to greater investment in green energy, according to the nonprofit We Mean Business Coalition. The group, which aims to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy, says companies choosing not to make the switch will be left behind. Can the world eliminate the use of all fossil fuels? At the COP27 climate change conference, the final text declared that coal use would be phased down. Many environmental groups now want policymakers to alter this to a phasing down of all fossil fuels. “Without that we cannot limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” says We Mean Business Coalition. How can we protect the world’s water resources? Water is going to be one of the key environmental issues in 2023, and next year will see the first global UN water conference in almost 50 years. The summit will take place in March 2023. “It will be a vital milestone to drive action on water, which is critical to mitigate the climate crisis, embed resilience and strengthen communities,” says Emma Wilkinson from Greenhouse, a digital communications agency driving social and environmental impact. How can we make a positive impact on nature? This year ended with the COP15 UN biodiversity conference that highlighted the urgent action needed to combat nature loss. For We Mean Business Coalition, 2023 will see businesses making high quality investments in nature as well as cutting emissions across their activities. G20 nations and banks have spent twice as much financing fossil fuels as clean energy, report finds ‘Act now’: Quit fossil fuels for the sake of human health, major report urges The travel industry is also encouraging concrete, positive actions to safeguard and rebuild nature. For example, hotels are being urged to ensure water and food supplies are sustainable and to limit vehicle use to reduce noise pollution. Can the travel industry be decarbonised? Throughout 2022, there has been a surge in the popularity of rail travel. Travellers have opted to take the train over carbon-heavy flights and rail companies have launched dozens of new routes. Meanwhile, some EU countries have taken small steps to limit unnecessary air travel, with France and Belgium cracking down on private jets and short haul flights. Next year will see a continuation of this trend while the aviation industry continues to work on decarbonising the sector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/31/water-fossil-fuels-and-decarbonising-travel-what-will-be-the-key-climate-issues-in-2023
     
         
      How ocean wind power could help the US fossil fuel industry Fri, 30th Dec 2022 11:35:00
     
      The government wants to lease offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico – but the oil industry wants it for its own needs Offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico proposed by the Biden administration could generate enough electricity for 3.1m homes in Texas and Louisiana. But industry is eyeing the potential for offshore wind farms to instead power oil refining, steel and fertilizer manufacturing and other industrial processes. The administration has committed to building 30 gigawatts of offshore wind to power 10m homes nationally by 2030 to help boost renewable energy in the country. But multiple companies interested in leasing offshore parcels in the Gulf of Mexico want to use that energy to make renewable hydrogen to power industrial processes to reduce their carbon footprint. The so-called “green” hydrogen could be sent to shore via the gulf’s existing extensive oil and gas pipeline network and replace traditional hydrogen made from fossil fuels. Green hydrogen could reduce the state’s carbon emissions by as much as 68% and spark an industrial revolution, according to proponents. The approach, yet to be tested anywhere in the world, is being criticized by some as inefficient and a way to prolong the life of the region’s oil and gas industry even as the International Energy Agency has called for a halt to the development and production of oil and gas to keep climate pollution at manageable levels. “Hydrogen is, at worst, a false solution and, at best, potentially a distraction,” said Kendall Dix, national policy director for Taproot Earth, a grassroots activist organization concerned with climate pollution. “If you want to have an energy system that is truly climate and people-friendly, we need to focus on building out renewable energy and using that to help people.” Lower carbon business After leasing offshore tracts for offshore wind off the Atlantic coast, the federal government, through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is now turning to the Gulf of Mexico as part of President Joe Biden’s plan to create enough wind power for 10m homes by 2030. BOEM plans to issue leases in two areas of the Gulf of Mexico for wind next summer: one about 91 miles off Lake Charles, Louisiana, and a second 29 miles off the coast of Galveston, Texas. In response to the government request for feedback, about 10 companies expressed interest in establishing offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell New Energies is among them, saying in an eight-page letter submitted to BOEM that it wants to build a “lower carbon power business” by producing green hydrogen. Utility Entergy also has expressed interest in building out wind farms to create traditional renewable electricity. Shell did not respond to multiple requests for an interview. Hydrogen, which is produced using water and power, can, among other things, be used to power vehicles, produce electricity when mixed with natural gas and fuel industrial processes, including at oil refineries and plastics plants. It’s that last industrial application that’s most attractive in Louisiana, as 70% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from the industrial sector. The state is the nation’s largest per capita user of industrial hydrogen. Hydrogen burns significantly hotter than natural gas but produces no carbon dioxide. Currently, hydrogen is almost exclusively created using natural gas, methane or coal. Allison DeJong, a planner with the Water Institute of the Gulf, says green hydrogen, which does not have a carbon footprint, could be a viable solution for the fossil fuel industry to decarbonize. Green hydrogen has the potential to reduce the state’s carbon emissions by as much as 68%, according to the International Energy Agency. Developers are also interested in making hydrogen in the Gulf of Mexico because, with modifications, the gulf’s extensive network of existing natural gas and hydrogen pipelines could be used to ship the hydrogen to shore. Such a move would make the cost of producing hydrogen less expensive. Without the use of existing pipelines, a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says development of offshore hydrogen would be cost-prohibitive because new pipelines would have to be built. Louisiana state representative Joseph Orgeron, a maritime specialist, says the vast majority of developers he’s talked to are proposing mixing hydrogen with natural gas to ship it to shore. “It could be injected in the existing natural gas pipelines along with other natural gas coming to shore and then extracted on the other end,” said Orgeron. Orgeron sponsored legislation requiring the state’s public service commission to study the costs and best ways of achieving an offshore wind pilot project in the gulf by 2026. But some, including the Sierra Club, say using green hydrogen in industrial processes is simply another form of greenwashing and should not be used to justify the build-out of the fossil fuel industry. “We should not support projects that label themselves as ‘sustainable’ because their fuel source includes a small fraction of hydrogen when the lion’s share of it is fracked gas,” according to an analyst at Sierra. Additionally, the World Economic Forum points out that using offshore wind to produce green hydrogen is less efficient than funneling that electricity directly into the power grid. Between 20% to 40% of the wind energy gets lost in the process to convert it into green hydrogen. “If you have a turbine producing electricity, the cheapest and best use of that electricity is going to be using it directly for things electricity is already used for as opposed to converting it to hydrogen,” said Warren Leon, executive director for Clean Energy States Alliance. The push for hydrogen Talks about offshore wind and hydrogen aren’t just happening along the Gulf coast. Similar discussions are taking place on the Atlantic coast and in Europe, though no offshore wind-to-hydrogen projects have yet been completed. Leon said Europe’s offshore wind production may soon exceed demand for electricity. Europe’s offshore wind capacity is approximately 14,600 megawatts, and is set to increase by as much as 25 times that by 2030. Louisiana’s grid currently has just 4% renewable energy, and no onshore or offshore wind farms. The state’s climate taskforce’s climate action plan calls for 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind on the grid by 2035. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory says the gulf could potentially generate nearly 510,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy annually, twice the current energy needs of the five states (Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida) that make up the Gulf coast region. David Dismukes, executive director and a professor at the Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University, says because of the way electricity markets are structured in the state, offshore wind to generate electricity will be a tough sell for investors. “It’s not cost competitive,” he said in a recent Gulf Coast Energy Outlook webinar. Entergy, Louisiana’s largest utility, has indicated interest in offshore wind. In September, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Diamond Offshore Wind to explore the possibility. The company has plans to cease the use of coal by the end of 2030 and to build at least 11,000 megawatts of renewable energy to replace the coal. An industrial revolution Despite the obstacles, opposition and costs, development of offshore hydrogen has significant support. Earlier this year, the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation received approximately $50m (£41m) in federal money to research and develop a green hydrogen hub. That plan hinges on the development of offshore wind to create green hydrogen. Governor John Bel Edwards supports the creation of an offshore wind-powered hydrogen energy industry, and the state is supporting the foundation’s hydrogen efforts, called H2theFuture, with an additional $25m (£21m). “Demand for green hydrogen is expected to grow 500% by 2050 and south Louisiana’s unmatched demand is the most efficient place to supply this need,” according H2theFuture. The development of an offshore wind-based hydrogen economy could result in 34,500 new jobs by 2030, according to the initiative. “If indeed the primary focus is to develop offshore wind in the service of green hydrogen, then there is potentially good to be had there,” said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer advocacy group in Louisiana. “[But] it doesn’t matter how clean it is if the way you use it is not clean.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/30/how-ocean-wind-power-could-help-the-oil-industry
     
         
      Greta Thunberg vs Andrew Tate: 6 times the Swedish climate activist out-trolled the Twitter trolls Fri, 30th Dec 2022 8:50:00
     
      Environmental activist Greta Thunberg blew up the internet last night with her clapback against right wing ‘influencer’ and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate. Tate tweeted the Swedish climate activist boasting about his 33 cars and their “enormous emissions”. Thunberg wasted no time in responding. The incident even led to his detention in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape. This isn’t the first time the 19 year old has beaten the trolls at their own game. Here are 5 other times Greta has taken Twitter by storm. 5. Greta Thunberg vs Vladimir Putin, October 2019 When Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Greta as a poorly informed teenager and a pawn, saying “nobody explained to Greta that the modern world is complex”. Her response? Changing her Twitter bio - a move that she has mastered so well that it has almost become a badge of honour for right wingers. Some netizens have even started referring to it as “pulling as Greta”. At the time, her bio read, ‘Kind but poorly informed teenager’. 4. Greta Thunberg vs Donald Trump, September 2019 Following Greta’s 2021 speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, former US President Donald Trump condescendingly tweeted, “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” She responded in kind. . Greta Thunberg vs Donald Trump (again), December 2019 When Time magazine recognised Greta as 2019’s ‘person of the year’, Trump had a bone to pick. “So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” he tweeted. From Gretini to Colapsistas: How Europeans talk about climate change 'Ray of hope’: Climate action professionals share why 2022 was an optimistic year Greta’s bio soon read: "A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.“ 2. Greta Thunberg vs Jair Bolsonaro, December 2019 Once again, Greta weaponised her Twitter bio in response to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro calling her a “pirralha” which means ‘little brat’. His comment came after the climate activist spoke out against the killing of Indigenous people in the Amazon. 1. Greta Thunberg vs Boris Johnson, April 2021 In 2021, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred to climate activism as “a politically correct green act of bunny hugging” at US President Biden's virtual climate summit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/30/greta-thunberg-vs-andrew-tate-6-times-the-swedish-climate-activist-out-trolled-the-twitter
     
         
      European gas prices fall to pre-Ukraine war level Thu, 29th Dec 2022 14:33:00
     
      European gas prices have dipped to a level last seen before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, after warmer weather across the continent eased concerns over shortages. The month-ahead European gas future contract dropped as low as €76.78 per megawatt hour on Wednesday, the lowest level in 10 months, before closing higher at €83.70, according to Refinitiv, a data company. The invasion roiled global energy markets and forced European countries, including industrial powerhouse Germany, to look for alternative suppliers to those funding the Kremlin. Europe had continued to rely on Russian gas even after its 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. On Tuesday 83.2% of EU gas storage was filled, data from industry body Gas Infrastructure Europe showed. The EU in May set a target of filling 80% of its gas storage capacity by the start of November to prepare for winter. It hit that target in August, and by mid-November it had peaked at more than 95%. Gas prices bounced further off the 10-month low on Thursday to reach €85.50 per megawatt hour. Europe has several months of domestic heating demand ahead, and some industry bosses believe energy shortages could also be a problem next winter. However, traders have also had to weigh the effects of recessions expected in several big European economies, which could dent energy demand. UK gas prices have also dropped back from their highs earlier this year. The day-ahead gas price closed at 155p per therm on Wednesday, compared with 200p/therm at the start of 2022, and more than 500p/therm in August. Europe’s response to the prospect of gas shortages also included campaigns to reduce energy use – a strategy belatedly adopted by the UK – and windfall taxes on energy companies to help raise revenues for governments, many of which have started expensive subsidies to cushion the impact of high energy prices for households and consumers. Energy companies have enjoyed huge profits at the expense of businesses and households this year as prices surged but costs remained much the same. However, the US oil company ExxonMobil on Wednesday launched a legal challenge against EU plans for a windfall tax on oil companies, according to filings by its German and Dutch subsidiaries at the European general court in Luxembourg. ExxonMobil argued that the windfall tax would be “counter-productive” because it said it would result in lower investment in fossil fuel extraction, and that the EU did not have the legal jurisdiction to impose it. ExxonMobil’s move has prompted anger among European politicians. A message posted on the Twitter account of Paolo Gentiloni, the EU’s commissioner for the economy, on Thursday stated: “Fairness and solidarity, even for corporate giants. #Exxon.” Oil prices are significantly lower than they were before the start of Russia’s invasion, and only marginally above where they were at the start of 2022. Brent crude oil futures traded at $100 a barrel on 28 February, but were at $81.84 on Thursday. Oil prices dropped by 1.7% on Thursday. Prices had risen from 12-month lows in early December as traders hoped for increased demand from China after it relaxed its coronavirus restrictions. However, Covid-19 infection numbers are thought to have surged in the country, prompting the US to require travellers from China to show a negative test for the disease and tempering expectations for a rapid increase in oil demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/29/european-gas-prices-fall-to-pre-ukraine-war-level
     
         
      Why environmental disaster victims are looking to European courts Thu, 29th Dec 2022 12:00:00
     
      Between 2004 and 2007, the villages of Oruma, Goi and Ikot Ada Udo in Nigeria were polluted with oil from infrastructure built by Royal Dutch Shell. More than 15 years later, in late December, the company finally agreed to pay four farmers and their communities €15m in compensation and install a leak detection system after a court in the Netherlands ruled that Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was liable and the parent company had a duty of care. The legal battle has been so long that all the original claimants have died and Shell admits no liability under the settlement. But Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth that fought the case, says it shows “large-scale polluters all over the world that they can no longer get away with destructive practices”. Many big European companies operate abroad and until recently it was difficult to hold them to account for environmental damage they may have caused. But victims are finding European courts increasingly open to considering their cases – and finding in their favour. In November, a Dutch court ruled that it had the authority to hear a claim for compensation brought against the Oslo-based aluminium producer Norsk Hydro and its subsidiaries over pollution in northern Brazil. It was a welcome decision for the thousands of Indigenous people and descendants of slaves who are suing the company for harming their local environment and public health, although Norsk Hydro “strongly denies” their allegations. The Norsk Hydro decision was the third in a string of jurisdictional successes last year led by the law firm Pogust Goodhead. Communities lost to damage caused by salt mines in northern Brazil also secured the right to sue the petrochemical company Braskem in the Netherlands, while victims of the Mariana dam disaster began making their claim against mining giant BHP in December after the UK’s court of appeal gave them permission to pursue class action. These followed landmark UK court rulings that Vedanta Resources could be sued for the activities of its subsidiary in Zambia and that Shell might owe a duty of care to Nigerian citizens for alleged environmental damage and human rights abuses by its Nigerian subsidiary. Vedanta has since settled with the local community, but the other companies targeted in these lawsuits stress that the courts have not yet judged the cases on their merits. Nonetheless, Tom Goodhead, the global managing partner of Pogust Goodhead, says European courts are increasingly becoming the gatekeepers of environmental damage caused by large corporations. “It’s one of the fastest developing areas of law. As well as the UK, there have been cases in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Sweden. There’s quite a considerable movement to try to hold companies accountable in the courts of their domicile.” The most promising new piece of legislation to do this is the French duty of vigilance law, which requires all large businesses headquartered in France and international corporations with a large presence there to set out clear measures to prevent human rights violations and environmental damage. The first case to test the law was filed against the French energy company TotalEnergies in 2019 over its huge oil project in Uganda and Tanzania. French and Ugandan NGOs claim the company’s environmental oversight plan for the controversial East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline did not comply with the law. After a court hearing in December, they are now waiting for a ruling. TotalEnergies deems its vigilance plan to be “effectively in place” and says it has made sure its Ugandan affiliate has implemented the action plans necessary to respect the rights of local communities. “The law on duty of vigilance is very clear that it covers violations or risk abroad, so there shouldn’t be a challenge about that,” says Juliette Renaud, a senior corporate accountability campaigner with Amis de la Terre, the French arm of Friends of the Earth and one of the NGOs involved. “But still we don’t know how the judge will interpret the law.” Even if the NGOs succeed in getting a court order against TotalEnergies, they anticipate difficulties in getting it implemented in foreign territory. A similar law comes into force in Germany in January, although lawyers say it is considerably weaker. The EU, too, is trying to pass a corporate sustainability due diligence directive, but member states have been accused of trying to water it down. As a result, many lawsuits filed in Europe rely on more established legislation. Amis de la Terre and the French anti-corruption NGO Sherpa, supported by the Environmental Investigation Agency, recently began legal action against Perenco for pollution allegedly linked to the group’s oil activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The lawsuit, which follows years of investigation by the NGOs with Congolese civil society and a successful “pre-trial” action aimed at lifting the veil on the company’s operations, is the first aimed at trying to prove the civil liability of a French company for environmental damage abroad. Rather than money, campaigners want the company to repair the damage and stop it from happening again. Perenco did not respond to a request for comment. “It was a battle – and will be a battle in the court – to show how it is involved in activities in the DRC that led to these environmental damages,” says Renaud. “Lawyers bringing the case do not only have to show that there is pollution and that it is linked to oil activities, but also why the French company is responsible and liable for them.” European courts are also increasingly being asked to decide whether companies headquartered there are responsible for the effects of their carbon emissions abroad. The Peruvian farmer Saúl Luciano Lliuya’s bid for compensation from RWE in Germany, in particular, is being carefully watched as it could set a precedent for future climate litigation. And corporations are starting to be held to account for the impacts of their supply chains at home and abroad. Goodhead says there is growing legal awareness among the public. “A lot of civil society organisations are informing communities of their rights to seek redress out of the country. You don’t just have to accept what a particular company is giving you or not giving you in the country in which you live.” European NGOs being the public face of a lawsuit can sometimes shield people on the ground from negative repercussions. No Congolese organisation is formally named in the Perenco lawsuit, for example. But Renaud says it is important that European organisations and lawyers work closely with the affected communities or local civil society organisations on these kinds of claims. “We need the legitimacy to act. Our partners on the ground are the ones collecting the evidence, and have daily links with the affected communities that can tell us how things evolve on the ground.” There is also a risk that companies could respond to the risk of litigation by sheltering behind sophisticated corporate structures or subsidiaries. Soon after a Dutch court ordered Shell to cut its global emissions, the energy company moved its headquarters from the Netherlands to the UK. “There is that concern,” says Goodhead. “But it’s a tradeoff, isn’t it? Because companies enjoy the security of the Dutch legal system or the English legal system, if they want to enforce their rights.” In an increasingly globalised world, companies are finding they cannot always hide the activities of their subsidiaries behind a corporate veil. “Companies will still try to – and, of course, there will be scenarios where they may be able to – get away with it, but it’s becoming more difficult,” says Goodhead.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/29/why-environmental-disaster-victims-are-looking-to-european-courts
     
         
      Anthony Albanese rejects reports of $450m coal price cap payout for Rio Tinto and partners Thu, 29th Dec 2022 5:28:00
     
      Federal and state governments have agreed to pay producers compensation for pre-existing supply contracts exceeding the cap Anthony Albanese has rejected suggestions of a potential $450m payout to Rio Tinto and its partners for the Gladstone power plant, which could push coal price cap compensation to more than $1bn. Albanese told Channel Seven’s Sunrise the federal government expects the cost “will be nothing like the sort of figures” reported for Gladstone although Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk later appeared to confirm the figure was possible, as a maximum. Earlier in December the Albanese government legislated a temporary price cap of $12 a gigajoule for gas and $125 a tonne for coal, as part of a package including $1.5bn in electricity price relief. In order to encourage continued supply, where coal power producers have actual costs exceeding the $125 price cap – such as pre-existing supply contracts for more expensive coal – the federal and state governments agreed to provide them a rebate. On Wednesday the Australian newspaper reported that Rio Tinto and its partners could receive up to $450m for its Gladstone plant, which has supplied the domestic grid since an explosion at the state-owned Callide power plant in May 2021. A Queensland government source told Guardian Australia the $450m figure would be “in the ballpark”, although state generators returning in May should limit Rio’s compensation to six months. The $450m price tag prompted a backlash from the Greens, with the leader, Adam Bandt, saying “not a single dollar of public money” should go to coal and gas corporations, and from independent senator David Pocock, who said if the figure was correct, “the payment for just one generator could be worth almost a third of the total support provided to consumers.” “The briefings and information I received suggested that any compensation under this plan to bring much-needed energy price relief for households and small businesses would be minimal and confined to a small number of generators,” Pocock reportedly said. “This raises serious concerns about the total amount of compensation to be paid.” Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Asked about the reported payout on Thursday, Albanese said: “No, those reports are just that, they are reports. I notice there’s no government ministers quoted, there’s not even the company quoted at all.” “What we have said is that where the price of production is more than the cap, then there will be some support offered. “In Queensland’s case, which is what the report’s about, there’s only one power station, Gladstone. We expect that it will be nothing like the sort of figures that I’ve seen in the newspaper.” But Palaszczuk appeared to confirm the figure, responding “yes, we did know” compensation for Gladstone could be “up to $450m” when asked on Thursday. “All of that was worked out when we reached the agreement we reached,” she told reporters. Federal government sources said they still expect the total price of compensation to be between $500m and $1bn, figures Guardian Australia reported in mid-December based on a Treasury briefing that included estimates of $250m for New South Wales producers. The rate of compensation is being determined by a reconciliation of electricity producers’ actual costs with the $125 cap, made more difficult by the fact costs can vary with a combination of coal at a pre-contracted price or from the spot market. Rio Tinto, the major partner in the Gladstone plant, is also the generator’s major customer. “That makes for some funny incentives when it comes to Gladstone,” the Queensland source said. Albanese said the payouts are “the subject of commercial discussions and they’ll continue”. “Where the costs of production are more than [$125], going to the power stations, then there will be some level of compensation,” he said. Albanese said he had “no idea” where the $450m compensation figure came from, suggesting his office had been asked about “a much higher figure even than that” before the report. The Grattan Institute’s energy program director, Tony Wood, said he is “generally supportive of the fact the government intervened” but observed that “when you intervene in complex markets, there will be unintended consequences”. Wood noted compensation is not being paid to coalminers or gas producers, and it would be “wrong” to criticise the package on that basis. “The government had a choice: to effectively override the [electricity supply] contracts, to force [coal plants] to … provide electricity at $125 a tonne; or they could provide compensation to the generator,” he said. “It’s not compensation to coal companies for losing windfall profits – it’s for generators locked into supply contracts.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/29/anthony-albanese-rejects-reports-of-450m-coal-price-cap-payout-for-rio-tinto-and-partners
     
         
      Rio Tinto and partners could receive as much as $450m in government compensation for coal price cap Wed, 28th Dec 2022 14:10:00
     
      Queensland and the federal government will split compensation costs for the Gladstone plant, under the agreement struck at national cabinet Compensation payments for the Gladstone power plant remain the sticking point in the federal government’s coal price cap compensation negotiations with Queensland. The Australian newspaper reported the owners of the central Queensland power plant, Rio Tinto and its partners, are set to receive up to $450m in compensation for the temporary price cap of $125 a tonne that was put in place to drive down power price increases. Queensland and the federal government will split the compensation costs under the agreement, which was struck at national cabinet earlier this month. Negotiations are ongoing, but a Queensland government source said $450m would be “in the ballpark”. The Gladstone plant is one of just two generators owned by the private market and its main purpose was generating power for Rio’s aluminium smelter, also located in Gladstone. An explosion at the state-owned Callide power plant in May 2021 destroyed one of its generators and damaged another, leaving a shortfall in the generation market that the Gladstone plant stepped in to help fill. It has been selling power to the domestic grid since. Rio Tinto, the major partner in the plant, is also the generator’s major customer. “That makes for some funny incentives when it comes to Gladstone,” the Queensland source said. The Greens supported the federal government’s energy bill earlier this month, but had drawn a hard line at fossil fuel companies receiving compensation. Adam Bandt said his party would oppose any future legislation which would allow that element. “In a cost of living crisis, Labor should be helping people, not big corporations,” Bandt said. “This money could be used to stop people’s power bills rising at all, and then recouped by a windfall tax on coal and gas corporations. “Not a single dollar of public money should go to [them]. “Labor must come clean about how much public money they are giving to coal and gas corporations.” The Coalition opposed the energy bill. On Wednesday, Peter Dutton made his views known on social media. “Seriously $450m of borrowed money given to a profitable mining company. Just the latest instalment in economic idiocy from the Albanese Government,” he said. The compensation payments for Rio Tinto and its partners for the Gladstone generation are not expected to continue for the year the price cap is in place, with the damaged Callide generators forecast to return online in May 2023. The mining lobby has reacted furiously to Queensland increasing its coal royalty payments at the same time as supporting the coal price cap, with the minerals lobby threatening to run a campaign against the government’s royalty changes in the lead up to the 2024 election. The federal government is also facing industry backlash against the temporary price caps, particularly from the gas industry, which will be limited to $12 a gigajoule when selling to the domestic market. The price cap came into effect earlier this month. Consultation for a mandatory code of conduct for the gas industry has also begun, with intent to have it in place by early next year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/28/gladstone-power-plant-compensation-a-flashpoint-in-federal-governments-coal-price-cap-negotiations
     
         
      2022 will be warmest year on record in UK, says Met Office Wed, 28th Dec 2022 10:14:00
     
      Provisional figures show annual average temperature will exceed previous record set in 2014 2022 will be the UK’s warmest year on record, as the Met Office says figures show the climate crisis is having a real impact. Forecasters highlighted that the 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2003. Temperature trends show that the UK is hotter since humankind started releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, and all four seasons in 2022 fall in the top 10 of a ranking which began in 1884. The Met Office said the annual average temperature across the UK this year would exceed the previous record set in 2014, when the average was 9.88C. Dr Mark McCarthy, the head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “2022 is going to be the warmest year on record for the UK. While many will remember the summer’s extreme heat, what has been noteworthy this year has been the relatively consistent heat through the year, with every month except December being warmer than average. “The warm year is in line with the genuine impacts we expect as a result of human-induced climate change. Although it doesn’t mean every year will be the warmest on record, climate change continues to increase the chances of increasingly warm years over the coming decades.” Not only will 2022 be the warmest in 139 years, which is what the Met Office uses as its official record, it will also be the warmest on record in the 364-year Central England temperature series from 1659, the world’s longest instrumental record of temperature. The final provisional figure for 2022 will be available at the conclusion of the year and will then be subject to further quality control and a verification process. Forecasters said the year would be remembered not only for its record-breaking warmth, but also for the extreme weather that occurred, including the heatwave in July, with temperatures reaching unprecedented highs. The country recorded its first ever temperature over 40. The hottest place was Coningsby, Lincolnshire, with 40.3C, exceeding the previous UK record by 1.6C. During the hot period in July, the Met Office issued its first ever red warning for extreme heat with widespread impacts for the UK. There has also been a severe lack of rainfall, with most of the country still in the depths of an again record-breaking drought which began in August. On the other hand, December has been relatively cool, and 2022 has brought the coldest first two weeks of December since 2010. Temperatures dropped to –17.3C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire. The Met Office has attributed much of this disruptive weather to climate breakdown. McCarthy explained: “Met Office science has shown that the temperatures witnessed in mid-July would have been extremely unlikely in the pre-industrial period – the era before humanity started emitting lots of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. “However, as we have seen in the first two weeks of December, our climate is still subject to notable cold spells during the winter season, but our observational data show these have generally become less frequent and less severe as our climate warms.” Rebecca Newsom, Head of Politics at Greenpeace UK, said: “These aren’t the kind of records you want to be breaking. I’m sure most of us would rather see record-breaking investment in the renewable technologies that’ll get us out of this mess. “You don’t have to look far to see the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis: increased flooding, unseasonable temperatures and erratic weather systems are becoming the norm. The Government can’t just talk big on the world stage. If they’re serious about creating green jobs, keeping homes warm and lowering people’s bills, they urgently need to take action at home to reduce our use of fossil fuels, insulate homes and plough more money into renewable solutions.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/28/2022-will-be-warmest-year-on-record-in-uk-says-met-office
     
         
      Russia bans oil sales to countries using price cap Wed, 28th Dec 2022 9:57:00
     
      Russia has banned oil sales to countries and companies that comply with a price cap agreed by Western nations earlier this month. The price cap - which was agreed by the G7 group of nations, Australia and the EU - came into force on 5 December. The cap prohibits countries from paying more than $60 (€56; £50) per barrel of Russian oil. Russia has now said its oil and oil products will not be sold to anyone imposing the price cap. The presidential decree said the ban would take effect for five months from 1 February until 1 July. The decree also said Russian President Vladimir Putin could give "special permission" to supply to countries that fall under the ban. The G7 group of major economies first put forward the idea of a price cap in September in order to stop Moscow from using oil revenue to finance the war in Ukraine. Although Western demand for Russian oil fell after the invasion, Russian revenue remained high due to a price spike and demand elsewhere, including from India and China. An EU-wide ban on Russian crude oil imported by sea is already in place, alongside similar pledges from the UK, the US, and others. The price cap aims to reduce Russian oil revenue further. It stops any Russian crude sold for more than $60 from being shipped using G7 and EU tankers, insurance companies and credit institutions. Many major global shipping and insurance companies are based within the G7. But earlier this month, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called the price cap a "weak" idea that was not "serious" enough to damage the Russian economy. Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Tuesday that Russia's budget deficit could be wider than the planned 2% of GDP in 2023 - with the oil price cap squeezing export income. Oil is currently trading at around $80 a barrel - well down from the peaks of above $120, seen in March and June.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64102180
     
         
      2022 Year in Review: Amid global turmoil, UN doggedly pursues international climate agreements Wed, 28th Dec 2022 9:50:00
     
      Despite strong evidence that human activity played a role in catastrophic weather events, and the emergence of a fuel crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise. Nevertheless, the UN kept the climate emergency high on the international agenda, reaching major agreements on financing and biodiversity. At the end of 2021, when the UN climate conference (COP26) wrapped up in Glasgow, none of those present could have suspected that a war in Ukraine would throw the global economy into turmoil, convincing many nations to suspend their commitments to a low carbon economy, as they scrambled to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas supplies, and secure fossil fuel supplies elsewhere. Meanwhile, a host of studies pointed to the continued warming of the Earth, and the failure of humanity to lower carbon emissions, and get to grips with the existential threat of the climate emergency. Nevertheless, the UN continued to lead on the slow, painstaking, but essential task of achieving international climate agreements, whilst putting sustained pressure on major economies to make greater efforts to cut their fossil fuel use, and support developing countries, whose citizens are bearing the brunt of the droughts, floods and extreme weather resulting from man-made climate change. Record heatwaves, drought, and floods The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a litany of stark reports throughout the year. A January study, announcing that 2021 had joined the top seven warmest years on record, set the tone for the year. In Summer, when record heatwaves were recorded in several European countries, the agency warned that we should get used to more to come over the next few years, whilst Africa can expect a worsening food crisis, centred on the Horn of Africa, displacing millions of people: four out of five countries on the continent are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030. Whilst some regions suffered from a lack of water, others were hit by catastrophic floods. In Pakistan, a national emergency was declared in August, following heavy flooding and landslides caused by monsoon rains which, at the height of the crisis, saw around a third of the country underwater. Tens of millions were displaced. Unprecedented floods in Chad affected more than 340,000 people in August and, in October, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) declared that some 3.4 million people in west and central Africa needed aid, amid the worst floods in a decade. A ‘delusional’ addiction to fossil fuels In its October Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, WMO detailed record levels of the three main gases – carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, which saw the biggest year-on-year jump in concentrations in 40 years, identifying human activity as a principal factor in the changing climate. Yet, despite all the evidence that a shift to a low-carbon economy is urgently needed, the world’s major economies responded to the energy crisis precipitated by the war in Ukraine by reopening old power plants and searching for new oil and gas suppliers. UN Secretary-General António Guterres decried their reaction, calling it delusional, at an Austrian climate summit in June, and arguing that if they had invested in renewable energy in the past, these countries would have avoided the price instability of the fossil fuel markets. At an energy event held in Washington DC the same month, Mr. Guterres compared the behaviour of the fossil fuel industry to the activities of major tobacco companies in the mid-twentieth century: “like tobacco interests, fossil fuel interests and their financial accomplices must not escape responsibility”, he said “The argument of putting climate action aside to deal with domestic problems also rings hollow”. Clean, healthy environment a universal human right The July decision by the UN General Assembly to declare that access to a clean and healthy environment is a universal human right was hailed as an important milestone, building on a similar text adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2021. Mr. Guterres said in statement that the landmark development would help to reduce environmental injustices, close protection gaps and empower people, especially those that are in vulnerable situations, including environmental human rights defenders, children, youth, women and indigenous peoples. The importance of this move was underscored in October by Ian Fry, the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Human Rights in the context of Climate Change. Mr. Fry told UN News that the resolution is already starting to have an effect, with the European Union discussing how to incorporate it within national legislation and constitutions. Breakthrough agreements reached at UN climate conferences The year was punctuated by three important climate-related UN summits – the Ocean Conference in June, the COP27 Climate Conference in November, and the much-delayed COP15 Biodiversity Conference in December – which demonstrated that the organization achieves far more than simply stating the dire climate situation, and calling for change. At each event progress was made on advancing international commitments to protect the environment, and reducing the harm and destruction caused by human activity. The Ocean Conference saw critical issues discussed, and new ideas generated. World leaders admitted to deep alarm at the global emergency facing the Ocean, and renewed their commitment to take urgent action, cooperate at all levels, and fully achieve targets as soon as possible. More than 6,000 participants, including 24 Heads of State and Government, and over 2,000 representatives of civil society attended the Conference, advocating for urgent and concrete actions to tackle the ocean crisis. They stressed that science-based and innovative actions, along with international cooperation, are essential to provide the necessary solutions. ‘Loss and damage’ funding agreed, in win for developing countries COP27, the UN Climate Conference, which was held in Egypt in November, seemed destined to end without any agreement, as talks dragged on way beyond the official end of the summit. Nevertheless, negotiators somehow managed to not only agree on the wording of an outcome document, but also establish a funding mechanism to compensate vulnerable nations for the loss and damage caused by climate-induced disasters. These nations have spent decades arguing for such a provision, so the inclusion was hailed as a major advance. Details on how the mechanism will work, and who will benefit, will now be worked out in the coming months. However, little headway was made on other key issues, particularly on the phasing out of fossil fuels, and tightened language on the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131972
     
         
      Spain announces €10bn help to fight rising prices Wed, 28th Dec 2022 7:59:00
     
      Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced another €10bn (£8.8bn) in support to address rising prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The government would "protect the middle class and workers amid the rise in the cost of living, energy and food", he said. The proposals include cuts to VAT and a €200 one-off payment for millions of households on less than €27,000 a year. It's Spain's third set of aid measures and brings total support to €45bn. Spain has succeeded in bringing down inflation in recent months to 6.8%, the lowest annual rate in the European Union and the lowest figure since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But food price inflation is far higher. Dubbed as an "anti-crisis" package to mitigate rising prices and boost growth in the year ahead, the latest plans extend for a further six months cuts to tax on gas and electricity brought in by left-wing government. The one-off payment for households will benefit some 4.2 million households - it was previously limited to families with an annual income of less than €14,000. Public transport will also continue to be subsidised - with a discount on season ticket prices extended until the first half of 2023 - but a 20-cent-per-litre fuel discount for consumers will be restricted to a few job sectors. Mr Sánchez also pledged to scrap sales tax for six months on essential food items like bread, milk, cheese, eggs, fruits and vegetables - and bring down taxes on on pasta and cooking oil, from 10% to 5%. A ban on cutting off gas and electricity to households will last until the end of 2023. How are other countries tackling energy bills? EU nations agree gas price cap to shield consumers EU countries have all acted to protect consumers and businesses from rising prices, with Germany announcing a "defensive shield" package in October worth €200bn to bring down the cost of electricity and gas. Olaf Scholz's government said it was Berlin's response to Russia's "energy war". Germany's so-called price brake caps the cost of units of gas and electricity. Earlier this month EU leaders agreed to cap gas prices from next February if they breached €180. France, like Spain, has announced a one-off payment to vulnerable families receiving energy vouchers as part of a €45bn package. It also forced energy provider Électricité de France (EDF) to cap price rises at 4% for a year. In the UK, the government brought in a cap on the price of a unit of energy until April 2023, which will mean the typical household bill for gas and electricity will be £2,500 a year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64103683
     
         
      Reliance on hi-tech solutions to climate crisis perpetuates racism, says UN official Tue, 27th Dec 2022 15:17:00
     
      Rapporteur Tendayi Achiume says projects are at expense of marginalised groups and Indigenous peoples The world’s reliance on hi-tech capitalist solutions to the climate and ecological crises is perpetuating racism, the outgoing UN racism rapporteur has warned. Green solutions including electric cars, renewable energy and the rewilding of vast tracts of land are being implemented at the expense of racially and ethnically marginalised groups and Indigenous peoples, Tendayi Achiume told the Guardian in an interview. In a last intervention before the end of her tenure, Achiume said meaningful solutions to the ecological crisis were not possible without tackling racism. But in a bleak assessment of the prospects for the future of humanity, she admitted it was “difficult to imagine” how that message could be made to resonate with people holding power. “You can’t think that you solve the climate crisis and then attend to racial justice or racial discrimination,” Achiume said. “What you have to realise is that every action that is taken in relation to ecological crisis – environmental, climate and otherwise – has racial justice implications, and so every action becomes a site of undoing racial subordination.” Achiume, a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles, was appointed as the UN’s special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in 2017, becoming the first woman and the first person from southern Africa to fill the role. Her public comments have often been deemed controversial. On her first country visit as rapporteur, to the UK, she provoked the fury of the right by warning of a Brexit-related rise in bigotry and calling for a repeal of “hostile environment” immigration policies. She went on to deliver similarly strong comments to the governments of Morocco, the Netherlands and Qatar, decrying the latter for operating a “de facto caste system based on national origin”. In her reports, she has outlined how the extraction of natural resources, emerging digital technologies, and even global development frameworks were fuelling racial injustices, and the need for reparations for slavery and colonialism. In her final report to the UN general assembly in October, she tackled the relationship between racism and the climate and ecological crises. It was, she said, an issue that had been raised from the very beginning of her tenure as one of the most important global factors in racial injustice. “The global ecological crisis is simultaneously a racial justice crisis,” she wrote in the report. “The devastating effects of ecological crisis are disproportionately borne by racially, ethnically and nationally marginalised groups … Across nations, these groups overwhelmingly comprise the residents of the areas hardest hit by pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change.” This climate justice-oriented perspective demands antiracist solutions, Achiume said. But the very same structures that created racial inequalities were now being relied upon to solve the environmental crisis, leading to a “doubling down on racial inequality and injustice”. The rush towards sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, including electric cars and renewable energy, was creating what Achiume described as “green sacrifice zones”, where already marginalised groups were exposed to environmental harms from the extraction of the very minerals needed for green tech. The transition to electric cars, for example, implied a one-to-one substitution of vehicles “without accounting for the environmental impact of electric vehicles, and where the minerals and all of the materials that are required to produce electric vehicles are coming from,” she told the Guardian. “Indigenous communities and racially marginalised communities are being displaced by innovations that are supposed to be leading us towards clean energy,” she added. “And there you see how a green transition, unless it explicitly centres racial justice, can come at the expense of and reproduce these sorts of racial injustices.” These problems were being caused by an approach that thinks the solution to the environmental crisis could simply be “a more concerted application of the global capitalist framework”, Achiume said. This meant that the very companies that had build their wealth from the destruction of the environment and from racial injustices were now being relied on to try to reverse the damage. “We’re basically again trying to profit our way out of a crisis that is defined by an approach that thinks that profiting out of crisis is sustainable,” she said. After Achiume’s final report was filed to the UN general assembly in October, delegates at the Cop27 climate change summit in Egypt agreed to a loss and damage fund to help underdeveloped countries adapt to climate-related disasters. These provisions were a positive step, and even “a way of forcing some engagement with reparations”, Achiume said. “I see it as a wedge, you know, a way in the door, and a way to create space, for accountability for the historic injustice that brings us to this moment of the climate crisis.” But, she added: “I worry that the way that that loss and damage fund will be set up will actually be done to [undermine] what is actually required and what is being demanded by the countries that are pushing for a loss and damage framework. “So the danger here is that we’ll see what we’ve seen in the past, a gain is made and then that gain becomes a site for a doubling down on the mechanisms that actually keep us trapped in the problem, rather than moving us forward.” Such groups are already suffering the brunt of climate breakdown and environmental harms, she said. Now they have been left the passive recipients of whatever solutions have been decided on by leaders from the global north. “In consultations with Indigenous groups, and also with racially and ethnically marginalised groups, they talk about how they are takers rather than makers of the environmental and climate policies that affect their day to day,” Achiume said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/27/reliance-on-high-tech-solutions-to-climate-crisis-perpetuates-racism-says-un-official
     
         
      Fossil fuel interests revealed to have sponsored more than 500 Australian community organisations Mon, 26th Dec 2022 13:13:00
     
      Woodside Energy, Santos and BHP among companies who have sponsorship deals with Australian arts, sport, education and community organisations Fossil fuel interests have signed more than 500 sponsorship deals with Australian arts, sport, education and community organisations, prompting accusations they are “engineering a social licence to operate” in the face of growing public pressure on coal, gas and oil. The oil and gas company Woodside Energy was the most frequent entrant on a list of 535 sponsorship agreements, having signed 56 deals, including with AFL team the Fremantle Dockers and the West Australian Nippers surf lifesaving program. Santos, another oil and gas business, had 41 known sponsorships. BHP, which maintains coal interests but this year sold its petroleum assets to Woodside, had 44 and was linked to another seven through an associated entity, the BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance. The list was compiled by author Penny Tangey and expanded by the climate group 350.org. Guardian Australia verified the entries on an earlier version of the list that recorded 350 sponsorships. Belinda Noble, from ComsDeclare, a group of Australian public relations professionals campaigning for a fossil fuel ad ban, said the deals were about building influence. “It’s a subtle way of trying to engineer social support, or continued social support, for these polluting products,” she said. “Most of these companies don’t sell to the general population. There’s no reason for them to be spending millions of dollars on sports and arts sponsorships. What they’re trying to do is sell their brand.” Woodside and Santos were asked for their response. A spokesperson for BHP said the coal from its mines was used in steelmaking, in which there are fewer commercially viable alternatives, and not power generation. They said the company spent $106m in partnerships with more than 250 organisations in Australia during the last financial year. “Through these investments we aim to make contributions that are community-led, relevant and important to the regions where we operate, where many of our employees live and our local suppliers are based,” the BHP spokesperson said. The terms of sponsorship deals are rarely public and are often covered by non-disclosure agreements. Depending on the organisation and the type of partnership, some are thought to be worth a few thousand dollars. Others, including naming rights deals on major venues or events, can run into the millions. Researchers working in partnership with the Australian Conservation Foundation have previously estimated the value of fossil fuel sponsorships to Australian sport were between $14m and $18m a year. In some centres, such as Mackay, fossil fuel money has supported several major institutions within the city. In Canberra, Woodside and Shell sponsored the annual press gallery ball this year. Ampol and Shell also serve as gold partners to the Walkley Foundation. Kelly Albion, senior campaigner with 350.org, said organisations should consider their policies governing accepting sponsorships, but responsibility ultimately lay with governments and companies. “I think it’s not on the clubs and organisations – they need money to operate and often those companies are coming in there with big offers,” Albion said. “Often athletes or artists are unable to speak up when their clubs take on these arrangements.” The survey found education institutions had 132 known sponsorship deals, community groups 124 and sports organisations 111. According to the survey, the education organisations that partnered most frequently with fossil fuel companies included the Queensland Minerals Education Academy, a partnership between the Queensland government and Queensland Resources Council (20 agreements), Central Queensland University (10) and the Clontarf Foundation, which helps improve educational outcomes for Indigenous people (eight). Central Queensland University disputed this count, saying one company identified was no longer a donor and another partnership arrangement advertised on the university website was double counted. Chris Veraa, CQU’s director of strategic engagement, said the university was a “values-driven organisation” and that “the resources sector is a central part of the economy and social makeup of the regions we serve”. “CQU unashamedly engages with the sector where our combined efforts can enhance outcomes for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our community, empower First Nations people and communities, improve training and employment outcomes, and support best-of-breed environmental rehabilitation,” Veraa said. The head of the International Energy Agency has said the global goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C, included in landmark 2015 Paris agreement, meant no new oil and gas fields or coal power plants should open beyond 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/27/fossil-fuel-interests-revealed-to-have-signed-more-than-500-sponsorship-deals-with-australian-bodies
     
         
      North Macedonia's capital chokes on dangerous levels of air pollution Mon, 26th Dec 2022 10:44:00
     
      North Macedonia has imposed emergency measures in its capital Skopje and three other cities to tackle soaring levels of smog. Levels of air pollution have now risen to 28 times the safety threshold established by the World Health Organization. Sporting events have been cancelled and construction work limited to just six hours each day. The government is also recommending companies excuse pregnant women and people over the age of 60 from work. Residents burning unclean fuels to heat their homes, vehicle emissions, and industrial emissions are believed to be big causes of smog. IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, has ranked Skopje as the third most polluted city in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/26/north-macedonias-capital-chokes-on-dangerous-levels-of-air-pollution
     
         
      WMO releases ‘tell-tale signs’ of extreme weather conditions around the world Fri, 23rd Dec 2022 12:07:00
     
      From extreme floods to heat and drought, weather and climate-related disasters have affected millions and cost billions this year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday, describing the “tell-tale signs and impacts” of intensified climate change. The clear need to do much more to cut greenhouse gas emissions was again underscored throughout events in 2022, said the UN weather agency, advocating for strengthened climate change adaptation, including universal access to early warnings. “This year we have faced several dramatic weather disasters which claimed far too many lives and livelihoods and undermined health, food, energy and water security and infrastructure”, said WMO chief Petteri Taalas. On warmest track While Global temperature figures for 2022 will be released in mid-January, the past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record, according to WMO. While the persistence of a cooling La Niña event, now in its third year, means that 2022 will not be the warmest year on record, its cooling impact will be short-lived and not reverse the long-term warming trend caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Moreover, this will be the tenth successive year that temperatures have reached at least 1°C above pre-industrial levels – likely to breach the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement. Early warnings Early warnings, increasing investment in the basic global observing system and building resilience to extreme weather and climate will be among WMO priorities in 2023 – the year that the WMO community celebrates its 150th anniversary. “There is a need to enhance preparedness for such extreme events and to ensure that we meet the UN target of Early Warnings for All in the next five years”, said the top WMO official. WMO will also promote a new way of monitoring the sinks and sources of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide by using the ground-based Global Atmosphere Watch, satellite and assimilation modelling, which allows better understanding of how key greenhouse gases behave in the atmosphere. Climate Indicators Greenhouse gases are just one climate indicator used to observe levels. Sea levels, which have doubled since 1993; ocean heat content; and acidification are also at recorded highs. The past two and a half years alone account for 10 per cent of overall sea level rise since satellite measurements started nearly 30 years ago, said WMO’s provisional State of the Global Climate in 2022 report. And 2022 took an exceptionally heavy toll on glaciers in the European Alps, with initial indications of record-shattering melt. The Greenland ice sheet lost mass for the 26th consecutive year and it rained –rather than snowed – on the summit for the first time in September. National heat tolls Although 2022 did not break global temperature records, it topped many national heat records throughout the world. India and Pakistan experienced soaring heat in March and April. China had the most extensive and long-lasting heatwave since national records began and the second-driest summer on record. And parts of the northern hemisphere were exceptionally hot and dry. A large area centred around the central-northern part of Argentina, as well as in southern Bolivia, central Chile, and most of Paraguay and Uruguay, experienced record-breaking temperatures during two consecutive heatwaves in late November and early December 2022. “Record breaking heatwaves have been observed in China, Europe, North and South America”, the WMO chief added. “The long-lasting drought in the Horn of Africa threatens a humanitarian catastrophe And while large parts of Europe sweltered in repeated episodes of extreme heat, the United Kingdom hit a new national record in July, when the temperature topped more than 40°C for the very first time. Record breaking rain In East Africa, rainfall has been below average throughout four consecutive wet seasons – the longest in 40 years – triggering a major humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people, devastating agriculture, and killing livestock, especially in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Record breaking rain in July and August led to extensive flooding in Pakistan, which caused at least 1,700 deaths, displaced 7.9 million and affected 33 million people. “One third of Pakistan was flooded, with major economic losses and human casualties”, reminded Mr. Taalas.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131992
     
         
      New York state’s new decarbonization roadmap Fri, 23rd Dec 2022 11:05:00
     
      In New York state, a climate action plan approved this week lays out a sweeping series of actions that Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democrat-controlled Legislature can take to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with a previously enacted climate law. “This plan serves as a bold, monumental achievement not just for New York state, but for the nation and the world,” Basil Seggos, a co-chair of the council that approved the plan and commissioner of New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, said in a statement. The 445-page “scoping plan” is intended to serve as a roadmap for the goals laid out in New York’s 2019 climate law, including neutralizing the state’s carbon emissions by 2050. Among its recommendations are for heat pumps to be installed in 1 to 2 million homes by 2030 and for the state to put roughly 3 million electric vehicles on the road within the same time frame. It also details strategies to decarbonize the power sector and endorses an economy-wide “cap-and-invest” program that would distribute tradable emissions permits to big polluters that collectively decline over time. Some of these initiatives will be expensive, but the new roadmap points to large pots of federal money that New York can take advantage of — most notably some $70 billion from this year’s Inflation Reduction Act. It estimates that achieving the goals of New York’s climate act will yield at least $115 billion in net benefits from improved public health and avoided damages from climate change, in addition to creating up to 211,000 jobs by 2030 and up to 318,000 by 2040. Richard Schrader, New York legislative and policy director for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the scoping plan was a key step in the right direction but that more work will be needed to implement its recommendations and overcome well-funded opposition from the fossil fuel industry. ”Important and positive pieces are in place,” Schrader told me. “The next step is the political will to move forward on it.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-york-states-new-decarbonization-roadmap/
     
         
      US winter storm will bring frostbite within minutes Fri, 23rd Dec 2022 2:34:00
     
      Plunging temperatures wreaking havoc across the US and Canada can lead to frostbite on bare skin in only five to 10 minutes, experts are warning. A powerful Arctic winter storm has placed more than 135 million people under weekend weather alerts ahead of the busiest travel days of the year. The alerts stretch from coast to coast and reach as far south as the US-Mexico border and Florida, the Sunshine State. Major airports have cancelled thousands of flights as the storm intensifies. The cold snap could bring the iciest Christmas in decades, say forecasters. The National Weather Service (NWS) said temperatures of -50F (-45C) and -70F were possible by the end of this week in some parts of the country. They warned that even in major metro areas, like the city of Des Moines, Iowa, frostbite will be a major danger. Frostbite is caused when blood flow is reduced, often to extremities like the nose and cheeks or fingers and toes. The lack of warm blood can lead to tissue freezing and rupturing, and in some cases, amputation. Meteorologists say the winter storm could become a "bomb cyclone" by Friday. Bomb cyclone is a term given to an explosive storm that intensifies rapidly, with its central air pressure dropping by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. How to stay safe in a winter storm What extreme cold does to a human "This is not like a snow day, when you were a kid, this is serious stuff," President Joe Biden said in a White House briefing on Thursday. The Arctic air mass is projected to bring strong wind gusts and temperature of 15F (-9.4C) to El Paso, Texas, where newly arrived undocumented migrants are sleeping rough on city streets. "It's been very, very cold here," Dylan Torres Reyes, a migrant from Venezuela who has been spending nights on the pavement outside El Paso's main bus terminal, told the BBC. Florida is projected to see its coldest Christmas in 30 years. The NWS has called it a "once-in-a-generation" winter weather event, saying on Thursday that "life-threatening wind chills" will strike the east coast on Friday. Snow and powerful winds are expected to cause damage and power outages in the Midwest and Canada. Where has the storm and severe cold hit? The NWS warned more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken over the next few days. In Colorado, temperatures dipped to a record-breaking low of -9F from 42F on Thursday The city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, set a record for its greatest one-hour temperature drop, after going from 43F to 3F within 30 minutes. Elsewhere in the western state, temperatures have dropped as low as -35F Nearly a dozen record low temperatures were also set in neighbouring Montana Blizzard conditions have hit both North Dakota and South Dakota In Chicago, a winter storm warning is in effect until Saturday, bringing with it several inches of snow and winds topping 50mph (80km/h) In Canada, much of Ontario and parts of Quebec are also bracing for a major winter storm that is expected to last through the Christmas weekend Travel chaos More than 5,300 flights in the US have already been cancelled on Thursday and Friday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware. In anticipation of travel disruptions, major airlines including United, Delta and American have offered to waive fees for travellers who wish to reschedule their flights. Roads along the Colorado-Wyoming border were closed on Wednesday due to nearly zero visibility. States of emergency declared The governors of Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, Georgia and Oklahoma have declared states of emergency. Wisconsin has declared an "energy emergency" because of the weather. Other states, like Maryland, have activated emergency response operations ahead of the storm, while others have opened warming shelters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64061588
     
         
      Matt Kean announces NSW target to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2035 Fri, 23rd Dec 2022 1:15:00
     
      The New South Wales government has moved to head off the looming threat of teal candidates running in the Liberal party heartland at the next state election by committing to an ambitious new emissions reduction target of 70% by 2035. But the government won’t move to legislate the cap, with the state’s treasurer, Matt Kean, saying NSW would beat its current target of halving emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 through its existing policies. The Liberals have managed to win support for the target from its Coalition partner, the National party, largely through the promise that much-touted renewable energy zones will provide a significant investment in rural parts of the state. On Friday Kean said the new target would attract more than $39bn in private investment and support 13,000 new jobs. Earlier this year Origin Energy announced it would close the Eraring coal-fired power station seven years early, while AGL’s plant in the state’s upper Hunter, Bayswater, is due to close in 2033. Kean insisted the increased target was not a result of these closures. Instead, he pointed to the establishment of renewable energy zones across the state, as well as investments in hydro energy and electric vehicles. The new target comes just days after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the commonwealth would spend $5bn connecting NSW renewable energy zones to the country’s energy grid. The first of these zones is due to be established in the central-west by 2030, with three others to follow. “This is the NSW government’s plan to do our bit to safeguard our planet. But importantly, it’s also our plan to safeguard our economy and ensure we create more wealth for the people of this state for generations,” Kean said on Friday. The treasurer announced the updated target in Manly alongside the environment minister and local MP, James Griffin – who is facing a challenge from a teal candidate, Joeline Hackman – as well as the North Shore MP, Felicity Wilson, and other moderate Liberal party candidates running in Ryde, Coogee and Vaucluse. The announcement came on the back of a preselection deal – which Kean helped orchestrate – that will see three sitting male upper house MPs ditched in favour of female candidates. Matthew Mason-Cox, Shayne Mallard and Lou Amato will be dumped in favour of state executive member Susan Carter and former school teacher Jean Hayes. Despite not being up for reelection, the families minister, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, will be installed at the top of the ticket. The cross-factional deal is designed to head off questions about the party’s commitment to increase female representation, with a string of preselections going to male candidates despite public calls from Kean and others for the party faithful to install women. But Kean denied the moves were about heading off the teal threat. “This is not about teals,” he said. “This is not about anyone other than the NSW government showing that we have a clear plan to build a stronger, more prosperous economy and ensure that we hand our planet to our kids better than we found it. “We’ll put our plan up against any other party, any other candidates, any day of the week.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/23/matt-kean-announces-nsw-target-to-cut-carbon-emissions-by-70-by-2035
     
         
      Spain allowed NO2 levels to exceed limits in Madrid and Barcelona, EU court rules Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 18:20:00
     
      EU argued that Spain failed to protect its citizens and ruling by ECJ paves way for Brussels to seek penalties Spain allowed nitrogen dioxide air pollution levels to systematically exceed EU limits in Madrid and Barcelona between 2010 and 2018, the European court of justice has ruled, potentially paving the way for Brussels to seek penalties. The EU’s executive commission had asked the bloc’s top court in 2019 to take action against Spain over the poor air quality in its two biggest cities, arguing it was failing to protect citizens against pollution. The commission has not said what penalties it might seek to impose, if any, but under the EU’s infringement procedure these can include either a daily payment or a lump sum. The court found that harmful rates of NO2 in the air had exceeded the limits in areas with a combined population of 7.3 million people, including the two big cities and Valles-Baix Llobregat, an industrial area near Barcelona. “Spain has failed to ensure that the air quality plans provide for appropriate measures to ensure that the period during which the limit values for NO2 are exceeded is as short as possible, by failing to adopt, since 11 June 2010, appropriate measures to ensure compliance with those limit values,” the ruling said. It said it would now be up to the commission to take any potential action. Janet Sanz, the deputy mayor and head of Barcelona’s environment department, said the city was focused on improving public transport and using bicycles and other measures to fight pollution, and central and regional administrations should do their part. “We’ve been on track for three years, but we will not stop here,” she told reporters. In Madrid, where a low-emission scheme in a restricted central area has been at the heart of political warfare for years, the conservative mayor accuses his leftwing predecessor’s administration of failing to address air pollution. The opposition blames the mayor for rolling back some anti-pollution measures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/22/spain-allowed-no2-levels-to-exceed-limits-in-madrid-and-barcelona-eu-court-rules
     
         
      Campaign against coal royalty increases could backfire, Queensland treasurer warns mining lobby Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 14:26:00
     
      The Queensland treasurer, Cameron Dick, says the state will not back down on recent coal royalty increases, warning the mining lobby its multimillion-dollar advertising campaign opposing the changes may harm the industry. Dick met with the Queensland Resources Council this week to ensure it was “under no misapprehension” the government would stay the course on the new progressive royalty tiers, which increase when prices are unusually high and companies are making windfall profits. He told Guardian Australia the mining lobby – which has threatened to spend $40m on ads opposing the changes until the 2024 election – risked harming the coal sector in the process. “The risk for the QRC is the more they keep campaigning, the greater the chance is that the cost of the social licence for coal will continue to go up,” Dick said. “So it would be better for industry to work with government and the community, particularly regional communities, to explain the benefit of metallurgical coal in the continued delivery of steel so we can move forward to a low-carbon economy, support jobs, support regional communities and have a prosperous future for our state.” The royalty increases have been in place since the start of the financial year and are expected to deliver $3bn in additional revenue to the state government. The Queensland Treasury has said the changes have had little impact on corporate profits from coalmining, and that global prices had increased the value of exports to a record $79.7bn for the 12 months prior to September. When the government announced the changes it acknowledged the likelihood of a fight with the mining sector, but some within Labor remain nervous about the prospect given past campaigns. The national mining lobby spent $22.2m in six weeks in 2010 campaigning against the Rudd government’s plans to introduce a super-profits tax, then successfully negotiated a compromise when the prime minister was replaced by Julia Gillard. Campaigning by coalminers – most notably Adani – was also credited with damaging Labor’s standing in regional Queensland ahead of the 2019 federal election. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Already this year, the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, backed down from a fight over land tax rules in the face of a sustained campaign by the real estate industry and some media outlets. Asked about whether the government could change its position on coal royalties if media or industry pressure came to bear, Dick said the new regime would not change in any circumstances. “There were particular implementation challenges [with land tax changes] that do not apply to royalties,” he said. “The [new royalty arrangements] have been implemented. They’re now being paid for the benefit of Queenslanders and they’ll be allocated for the benefit of regional Queensland. “The government’s view is clear and that has been expressed directly to the QRC so there is no misapprehension – the government will not be changing our new progressive coal mining tiers.” The QRC’s campaign, aided by comments from coal companies and the Japanese ambassador, argues that miners would be disinclined to invest in Queensland compared to other jurisdictions. The ambassador, Shingo Yamagami, has argued the changes “could damage the trust in Queensland and beyond as a safe and predictable place to invest”. Dick said the government had honoured a previous 10-year freeze to royalties and that he had been willing to discuss a similar long-term arrangement to lock in the new rates. “I raised with them the duration of the new policy framework as an issue I was willing to discuss and I received nothing back from the QRC or industry,” Dick said. “After honouring a 10-year royalty freeze we took steps to ensure the people of Queensland are getting their fair share from the coal they own when it’s mined and sold. “What the industry needs to take some comfort from, those new royalty tiers only impact companies when profits are supernormal. They have zero impact at the historic prices at which investment decisions were made about extracting coal from Queensland. “Investment continues across Queensland, both in the coal industry and in other minerals and natural resources, and that has continued since the royalties were announced.” The QRC’s chief executive, Ian Macfarlane, said the state’s resources sector has an “important role to play in a decarbonised future” and has committed to working with governments to achieve that. “It also has a crucial role in meeting the energy and infrastructure needs of our international trading partners, and that demand will remain for many years to come,” Macfarlane said. “The Queensland government’s decision to introduce the royalty tax increase on both thermal and metallurgical coal without any proper consultation with the industry has seriously jeopardised future investment, supply, and jobs.” He said the QRC is “open to meaningful engagement” with the government over coal royalties.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/23/campaign-against-coal-royalty-increases-could-backfire-queensland-treasurer-warns-mining-lobby
     
         
      We need more honesty on nuclear power’s long legacy of hazardous waste Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 12:22:00
     
      Samanth Subramanian captures perfectly the vast scale and longevity of the effort needed to clean up Sellafield (The long read, 15 December). As Britain and other states with nuclear power industries grapple with how to go about an effective, safe and economical nuclear clean-up, it might be better to explain the challenges with less reliance on suggestions that in its early days the nuclear industry never thought about decommissioning (though the point has validity). Instead, we need more honesty about the fact that nuclear power inescapably generates large quantities of hazardous human-made waste, the worst of which will remain hazardous probably beyond Homo sapiens’ time on the planet. The industry’s solution to this is a network of deep disposal facilities. But none have yet been created, their cost is enormous and there is no certainty that they will perform the long-term task required of them. These are considerations that sadly receive little attention in current debates about the need for new nuclear-generation capacity. Coincidentally, you published a letter (14 December) suggesting that nuclear radiation is less dangerous than emissions from a wood-burning stove, a curious comparison to make. Wood-burning stoves are pollutants, no question, but they could never lead to a Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chornobyl or Fukushima. Nor will decommissioning them cost billions and take decades. Tom Smith Chair, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, 2017-20 In 1993, a government official told me that “it was sometimes right to do the wrong thing”. For reasons of political expediency, it was right to give political consent for the operation of the thermal oxide reprocessing plant (Thorp) at Sellafield. This huge facility, not mentioned in Samanth Subramanian’s fine long read, had been built over the previous decade to reprocess British and foreign, especially Japanese, spent nuclear fuels. Abandoning it would be too embarrassing for the many politicians and their parties that had backed it, expensive in terms of compensation for broken contracts, and damaging to Britain’s and the nuclear industry’s international reputation. It was wrong to proceed, as the government well knew, because the primary justification for its construction – supply of plutonium for fast breeder reactors (FBRs) – had been swept away by the abandonment of FBRs in the 1980s (none were built anywhere). Because returning Thorp’s separated plutonium and radwaste to Japan would be difficult and risky. Because decommissioning Thorp would become much more costly after its radioactive contamination. Because there was a known win-win solution, favoured by most utilities – store the spent fuel safely at Sellafield prior to its return to senders, avoiding the many troubles that lay ahead. Thorp operated fitfully until its closure in 2018. The 30 tonnes of plutonium that it separated remains at Sellafield – another waste to trouble generations to come. William Walker Edinburgh Anton van der Merwe makes the compelling point that lack of investment in nuclear power over the last 40 years has had a disastrous impact on carbon emissions and therefore has exacerbated the climate emergency (Letters, 14 December). However, in the same issue, the long read discusses plans for new nuclear without mentioning the huge beneficial impact that low-carbon nuclear will need to have if we are to avoid climate catastrophe. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on 1.5C temperature rises published in 2018 presented mitigation scenarios in which nuclear generation would grow on average 2.5 times from today’s level by 2050. Without this, the chances of meeting climate targets are much reduced. Neil Smith Solihull, West Midlands
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/we-need-more-honesty-on-nuclear-powers-long-legacy-of-hazardous-waste
     
         
      EU’s emissions continue to fall despite return to coal Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 11:03:00
     
      November statistics show fear EU regressing on climate commitments because of war in Ukraine is unfounded Returning to coal-fired power generation in some parts of Europe has not prevented strong progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, data shows. Emissions for November for the EU were at their lowest in at least 30 years, as were gas consumption, carbon from the power sector, and power generation from fossil fuels, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. This month’s freeze may result in more coal and gas being burned in December, after an unusually mild November. Germany missed its targets on cutting consumption of gas under the cold conditions, the German grid agency said. But only a small proportion of last month’s drop in fossil fuel use should be attributed to the weather, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air analysis. The mild temperatures contributed a 6% reduction in gas demand outside the power sector – mostly for heating – while actual demand fell 26%. Within the power sector, milder temperatures can account for two percentage points of the 12% drop in demand, the analysts found. Lauri Myllyvirta, a lead analyst and author of the report, said the data showed that accusations against the EU of falling back on climate commitments were wrong. “There has been a very widespread perception that Europe is going backwards on climate change, because of the Ukraine war,” he said. “There were frequent remarks to that effect at Cop27, saying Europe was going back to coal. We are showing that has not been the case – there was a misreading of coal consumption.” Some member states, including Germany and Poland, have sought a limited return to burning coal for power generation in the face of soaring gas prices and supply constraints in after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK has also put coal-fired power plants on standby. In November, the EU as a whole used less coal than in the same month last year, and than in the same month for the past three decades. Germany and Poland both used less coal than a year ago, though Finland slightly increased its coal use. There were dramatic reductions in output from nuclear reactors in Germany and France. In Germany that was made up for by an increase in wind and solar generation, while France reduced its power demand substantially. However, this month’s cold spell, with temperatures about 5C lower than usual for the time of year, and snow and icy conditions across much of northern Europe, could stall progress on cutting fossil fuel use this winter. Myllyvirta said: “Everything is conditional on the weather. If we have a big cold spell, we will see more gas burning.” He said early signs for December were that the trend for lower emissions was holding up. The first half of December had colder weather than the year before, he added, but total emissions remained well below 2021 levels, showing that the reduction in gas and electricity use was not mainly because of the weather. However, power sector emissions started increasing again in December. Myllyvirta said the sector continued to be plagued by the poor performance of nuclear, and wind conditions were also poor, but reduced gas use outside the power sector kept emissions falling overall. He added that the transformation of Europe’s energy this year showed that the underlying trend was strongly away from fossil fuels. “If anyone had said a year ago that Europe could nearly eliminate reliance on Russian fossil fuels in 10 months, they would have been taken for a complete lunatic,” he said. “But we have come quite close to doing so, and that is quite remarkable.” He added that governments should seek to protect their most vulnerable citizens from the dangerous effects of the energy price rises that have forced such a sudden change. Europe could go further in weaning itself off Russian energy, and fossil fuels in general, but that should be managed equitably, he said. “It’s unfortunate that so much of this reduction [in fossil fuel use] has happened through high prices, which is having major social and economic impacts,” Myllyvirta said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/eus-emissions-continue-to-fall-despite-return-to-coal
     
         
      Climate action, one recipe at a time Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 10:00:00
     
      Renowned chefs such as UN World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador Chef Manal Al Alem, and Chef José Andres, as well as indigenous home cooks and farmers from around the world, have contributed to a new cookbook that includes recipes that are delicious and climate friendly. Crab cakes made with fonio, an ancient West African grain, or Ratatouille prepared with ‘imperfect’ produce to reduce food waste, are only a couple of the over 70 recipes included in the recently launched Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet. The book – created in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in consultation with other UN entities such as UNESCO, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Department of Global Communications – is the brainchild of Kitchen Connection, an organization that for a decade has been bridging together culinary arts, sustainability and education, and driving the discussions on the need for a food systems transformation. “Understanding that cookbook consumption is on the rise and that people are using them as a source for education and inspiration, the idea for one had always been on our table,” Kitchen Connection founder and New York University Professor Earlene Cruz, explains to UN News. But how is this cookbook different? For People and Planet is divided into chapters that include food systems, biodiversity, sustainable consumption and production, climate, as well as food waste, providing recipes, yes, but also insights into the carbon footprint of each dish. “We found that those in the highest-emitting countries in the world emit through our food choices about 3 kilograms of CO2 emissions per meal. The recipes in this book have 58.6 per cent less carbon compared to an average meal from high-emitting regions of the world. This book is dedicated to the planet,” Ms. Cruz says. The cookbook also highlights and follows the UN World Health Organization’s (WHO) macronutrient guidelines, making the recipes not only healthy for the planet, but also for us. But most of all, it puts a spotlight on how important our food choices are and how can they impact our immediate environment, no matter where we cook. The climate cost of our food choices Describing a quiche recipe shared by Lisa Johnson, a chef for NASA scientists in Antarctica, Ms. Cruz says: “This recipe contains [chicken] eggs, and in Antarctica, [chickens cannot] interact in any way with penguins, so chef Lisa had to cook that part of the recipe in a completely separate facility. This shows the challenges of cooking in remote areas.” “The point is that whether we’re in cities, in suburban or rural areas, or somewhere as remote as Antarctica, consideration of our food choices and how they impact our immediate environment is paramount,” she adds. The book features 75 recipes along with instructions for preparation but also reflections and stories, including from indigenous communities and farmers, the root source of the world food’s production chain. The book’s contributors were brought together by Kitchen Connection, which offers an online platform for cooking classes and education. “Activist, restaurateur, and entrepreneur Kimbal Musk also lent his voice and introduced this book, so from the Sioux indigenous community to Antarctica, [it] is reflective of the realities of our diverse food system and inherent culinary cultures. The most gratifying thing was seeing over 200 people coming together and signing up to support this cause,” Ms. Cruz emphasizes. Ska Mirriam Moteane, a chef from Lesotho, shares, for example, a recipe for a dandelion salad tower that emits 87.58 per cent less carbon that the average meal in high-emitting countries such as the United States and China. The dish promotes biodiversity by incorporating dandelion, a nutritious green that grows in the wild and in the local fields around her own home. Sustainability is even built into the book itself: its pages are made of responsibly sourced wood fiber. “There will always be a climate cost to producing something like this, but we tried our best, from start to finish to make the book itself, as well as its contents sustainable. This book, which is dedicated to the planet, is printed on [Forest Stewardship Council]-certified sustainable paper, understanding that this is how cookbooks are traditionally consumed in the hardcover format,” Ms. Cruz explains. Why all this is important According to FAO, food systems are contributing to, and affected by, extreme weather events associated with climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss. Tackling these challenges requires a systems-based approach that addresses the range and complexities in a comprehensive and sustainable manner. Initiatives like this cookbook aim to support the response. “We can start with questions that help us understand the journey of our food: Where is it grown? Who grew it? How did it get to my plate? As aware and empowered individuals, we can band together to insist upon more sustainable practices from farms and food companies and demand bold climate policy from our governments,” the Kitchen Connection’s founder urges. Ms. Cruz, who is also a member of the Civil Society Youth Representatives of the UN Department of Global Communications, underscores that it is necessary to eat more local biodiverse ingredients, and to decrease waste in the kitchen. “But it also needs to taste good. So that is why we need to turn to the activists, chefs, farmers, and indigenous peoples, who truly know how to grow and create beautiful recipes to help guide us,” she adds. Celebrity Chef Jose Andres, recognized for his culinary and humanitarian work, is another supporter and participant in the cookbook. “By educating ourselves and each other on how to eat better for human and planetary health, we can limit the number of hungry people, by preventing and stopping natural disasters before they happen. The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations for People and the Planet is a wonderful example of that,” he said in a video message for the book’s launch event at COP27, the recent UN climate conference held in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. For Earlene Cruz, nature holds the answers, because “what is good for humans is good for the planet” as well. “For example, indigenous Chef Rosalia Chay Chuc’s black bean recipe is the lowest-emitting recipe in the book. Beans, when consumed with other grains, provide us with complete proteins that are wonderful for human and planetary health. They are also soft to the soil and do not require a lot of water to grow. Nature itself provides the best ‘recipe’ and formula for human and planetary health,” she explains. Other contributors include Food Systems expert Dani Nierenberg who shares a delicious recipe called Make Do Ratatouille which reduces food waste by using “imperfect ingredients” to make a “perfect dish” in the most delicious of ways. “And Chef Pierre Thiam contributed a fonio recipe which uses a grain that was ‘rediscovered’, and which has completely revitalized the economy of Senegalese farmers in the region where fonio is grown, historically a place where people migrated to Europe in search of a better life while not recognizing the richness already in the land that they were fleeing”, Ms. Cruz tells UN News. Into the future The cookbook, which is already available at major bookstores and online retailers and can soon be purchased at the Visitor’s Centre at UN Headquarters in New York, is also set to come to life in 2023 as a documentary series that will include an exploration of indigenous communities and remote areas threatened by climate change. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but when adapted to the local context, we can truly have a global impact through our food choices. We vote with our ballots as well as with our palates,” says Ms. Cruz. For her, the book represents the beginning rather than the end of a wonderful collaboration and contribution that she hopes will positively impact global citizens everywhere. “We want the book to get in the hands of the average person – which is why we partnered with a traditional publisher – to get this message out of echo chambers and into the hearts and minds of those who may not know or care (yet) about the strong symbiotic relationship between our food systems and the planet. We don’t just want to sell books; we want to make an impact and spread the word,” Ms. Cruz says.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131927
     
         
      Horn of Africa faces most severe drought in more than two generations – UNICEF Thu, 22nd Dec 2022 4:03:00
     
      The number of children suffering from dire drought conditions across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has more than doubled in five months, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. Around 20.2 million children are under threat of severe hunger, thirst and disease – compared to 10 million in July – as climate change, conflict, global inflation and grain shortages devastate the region. “While collective and accelerated efforts have mitigated some of the worst impact of what had been feared, children in the Horn of Africa are still facing the most severe drought in more than two generations”, stated UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Lieke van de Wiel. Millions hungry Nearly two million children across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are estimated to need urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form of hunger. Meanwhile, water insecurity has more than doubled with close to 24 million people now confronting dire water shortages. At the same time, drought has internally displaced over two million people and driven approximately 2.7 million children out of school, with an additional four million others at risk of dropping out. “Humanitarian assistance must be continued to save lives and build the resilience of the staggering number of children and families who are being pushed to the edge – dying from hunger and disease and being displaced in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock”, said Ms. van de Wiel. Teetering on the edge As increased stress is driving families to the edge, youth are facing child labour, child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). And widespread food insecurity and displacement are triggering sexual violence, exploitation, abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV). “We need a global effort to mobilize resources urgently to reduce further devastating and irreversible damage to children in the Horn of Africa”, continued the senior UNICEF official. On hand to lend a hand Thanks to the generous support of donors and partners, UNICEF continues to provide life-saving services to children and families across the Horn of Africa, as it prepares for further shocks, builds resilience and strengthens key services. This year, the UN agency and its partners reached nearly two million children and women with essential healthcare services; vaccinated against measles almost two million between the ages of six months and 15 years; and provided safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene to over 2.7 million people. UNICEF’s 2023 emergency appeal of $759 million to support children and their families will require timely and flexible funding, especially surrounding education, water and sanitation, and child protection – all of which were severely underfunded this year. An additional $690 million is required to support long-term investments for children and their families to recover and adapt to climate change. “As governments and people across the world prepare to welcome a New Year, we urge the international community to commit to responding now for what might hit the Horn of Africa next year, and in the years to come”, Ms. van de Wiel appealed. “We must act now to save children’s lives, preserve their dignity and protect their futures”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131952
     
         
      USPS is finally delivering lower emissions Wed, 21st Dec 2022 10:47:00
     
      The United States Postal Service said on Tuesday it expects to buy more than 66,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2028 — a significantly higher target than the carrier’s previous plan. “Every neighborhood, every household in America deserves to have electric USPS trucks delivering clean air with their mail, and today’s announcement takes us almost all the way there,” Adrian Martinez, an attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice, said in a statement. The announcement comes ahead of a major buying spree for the USPS, which said in 2021 it would purchase up to 165,000 new delivery vehicles over the next 10 years to begin replacing its aging, polluting fleet. At first, the independent agency, which is led by a major donor to former President Donald Trump, said only 10 percent of these new vehicles would be fully electric, claiming the new gasoline-powered models were scarcely more efficient than the mail carrier’s existing vehicles. But the planned proportion of EV purchases has been bumped up multiple times following pressure from the Biden administration, which wants federal vehicle purchases to be 100 percent emissions-free by 2035. Under USPS’s new plan, EVs account for more than 62 percent of its planned delivery vehicle purchases. Some 45,000 of these are expected to come from the defense contractor Oshkosh — which has designed both gasoline-powered and electric versions of a “next generation delivery vehicle” for USPS — and an additional 21,000 EVs will come from other automakers. USPS says it will spend some $9.6 billion, including $3 billion allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act, on these vehicles and infrastructure to support them After 2026, USPS has pledged to purchase only EVs, a victory for Biden and the Democrats. The postmaster general “has finally heeded my call to electrify the USPS fleet,” tweeted Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat. “[B]ut if @USPS wants a full stamp of approval it must ensure the workers building the fleet can collectively bargain,” he added, referring to an ongoing fight by workers to get Oshkosh to build new USPS vehicles under a union contract in Wisconsin, rather than at a new non-union facility in the South.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/usps-is-finally-delivering-lower-emissions/
     
         
      Met Office forecasts 2023 will be hotter than 2022 Wed, 21st Dec 2022 5:54:00
     
      Next year will be warmer than this one, and one of the hottest on record, the UK Met Office is forecasting. Predictions suggest it will be the 10th year in a row the global temperature is at least 1C above average. The Met Office explained that a cooling effect known as La Niña will likely end after being in place for three years - part of a natural weather cycle. It also noted the warming impact of human-induced climate change. Scientific evidence shows that climate change is driving up the global temperature. Governments globally have promised to cut emissions to keep temperature rise below 1.5C to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The world has already warmed by around 1.1C compared to the period before the Industrial Revolution in 1750-1900 when humans began burning large amounts of fossil fuels, releasing warming gases into the atmosphere. Temperatures in 2023 are forecast to be between 1.08C and 1.32C above the pre-industrial average. The warmest year since records began in 1850 was in 2016, when meteorologists said the weather phenomenon known as El Niño boosted global temperatures. But the past three years have been affected by another weather pattern called La Niña when cooler-than-average sea temperatures in the Pacific lowered the average global temperature. Summer 2022 smashed dozens of UK records A really simple guide to climate change What climate change will look like in your area That effect is now predicted to end, bringing warmer conditions in parts of the Pacific and leading to the global temperature being warmer than in 2022. Unlike 2016, it is not expected to be a record-breaking year because El Niño will not be boosting global temperature, explains Prof Adam Scaife, head of long-range prediction at the Met Office. But some parts of the world such as the Arctic are warming at a faster rate than average. "Next year the natural and temporary braking effect of La Niña will wane. The full-on gas pedal will invigorate warming over the coming year and continue into the future, along with more severe wet, dry and hot extremes, until policies are in place to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions," Richard Allan, professor of climate science at University of Reading told BBC News. In 2022 temperature records were broken in numerous parts of the world, including in the UK which recorded above 40C. Devastating wildfires hit parts of Europe and Australia linked to hot weather, and Pakistan and India sweltered with temperatures reaching 51C in May. In a series of studies scientists concluded that these temperatures were made much more likely by climate change. Rising temperatures are predicted to lead to devastating effects on humans and nature, including more drought, desertification and heat-related illness.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64032458
     
         
      Anthony Albanese labels NSW energy deal ‘one of the biggest announcements’ he’ll make in office Wed, 21st Dec 2022 3:20:00
     
      Anthony Albanese has labelled the federal government’s $5bn spend on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project in New South Wales as one of the most significant announcements he will make as prime minister. On Wednesday Albanese and Dominic Perrottet formally announced the almost $8bn joint-funding deal with the NSW government on poles and wires to connect the Snowy scheme to the electricity grid. The funding – which followed the NSW premier’s commitment to a coal price cap previously agreed to at national cabinet – will also see the federal government fund the connection of several of the state’s renewable energy zones to the electricity grid. Albanese said the deal, struck in return for the NSW government’s support for the coal and gas price cap, is part of a “medium and long term” transition to a renewable energy market. “This is one of the biggest announcements that will be made in my prime ministership … or Dom’s premiership,” he said. “This is a very big deal of putting transmission into the 21st century.” It came as the NSW parliament on Wednesday passed a $125 per tonne temporary cap on the price of coal used for domestic electricity consumption. Asked on Wednesday whether the cap – which will allow the government to set the wholesale coal and gas price for the next 12 months – went against the Coalition leader’s “free market” ideals, Perrottet said he was “practical” about finding a short-term solution to soaring energy costs. “I’m a free market guy but I’m also a practical guy too [and] the reality is we stand with households and families across NSW,” he said. “No one foresaw an illegal invasion of Ukraine [and] our families in NSW, our businesses in NSW, are under extreme pressure.” The NSW government expects to lose about $150m in royalties as a result of the caps, but Perrottet has insisted his support for the package – which has been opposed by resource companies – was not contingent on compensation. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Instead, the NSW government says the cap will result in an estimated average saving of about $230 for household energy bills next year. The legislation was passed with MPs forced to meet in a committee room while the parliament undergoes renovations during the Christmas break. On a relatively short sitting day, the NSW Labor opposition and Greens unsuccessfully sought to move separate bills banning rent bidding and imposing a rental price cap. It came after the opposition leader, Chris Minns, earlier suggested he was open to considering Victoria’s move to re-enter the electricity market through the revival of the State Electricity Commission, decades after its privatisation. But the funding for the Snow Hydro 2.0 scheme has not been unanimously welcomed. Beset by problems since it was first announced by the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017, the project has faced cost blowouts and fallen behind schedule and industry figures have questioned whether it played a role in the spike in wholesale prices in recent months. Craig Memery, a senior energy adviser at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, said the Snowy project’s “market disruption and unrealistic project timelines” were already costing consumers. “With Snowy 2.0, the Albanese Government has inherited a bad deal for consumers,” he said. “They might not be able to walk away from the project, but as the owner of Snowy Hydro they can prevent NSW energy consumers from being burdened with Snowy 2’s multi-billion dollar transmission cost.” But the state’s treasurer, Matt Kean, said the deal would “ensure NSW gets the cheapest electricity, the most reliable electricity and also the cleanest electricity”. “That’s great for households but it’s even better for businesses in the industry, particularly heavy industry that will be relying on that clean, cheap, reliable electricity to produce the products [that] the rest of the world is demanding right now,” he said. The federal government’s funding for the Snowy project follows previous commitments in both Victoria and Tasmania.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/21/anthony-albanese-labels-nsw-energy-deal-one-of-the-biggest-announcements-hell-make-in-office
     
         
      Governments strike $7.8bn deal to connect Snowy 2.0 and NSW renewable zones to the grid Tue, 20th Dec 2022 14:18:00
     
      New South Wales’s renewable energy zones and the Snowy 2.0 hydro project will be plugged into the grid under a landmark $7.8bn agreement between the federal and NSW governments. The deal will be announced by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, on Wednesday, once the state parliament passes legislation to allow the capping of gas prices after Canberra’s plan to put downward pressure on energy prices passed through federal parliament last week. The federal government has committed $4.7bn to the plan, which is the latest announcement from its “rewiring the nation” commitment to connect more renewable power generation into the national electricity grid. The prime minister said thousands of jobs in the renewable energy sector will be created under the plan, as well as more reliable and affordable energy along the eastern seaboard. “The commonwealth has worked hand in glove with the states and territories to shield Australian households and businesses from the worst impacts of the energy crisis caused by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Albanese said. “But as well as that critical short-term action, the Australian economy can seize the opportunity of more affordable and reliable renewable energy over the long term – creating jobs in the regions that have always powered Australia and insulating ourselves from global fossil fuel shocks at the same time.” He said support for critical infrastructure, like the Sydney Ring transmission link, the VNI West interconnector and HumeLink line – which are all included in the scheme – would help to “transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower”. Also included are the central-west Orana, Hunter-Central Coast and south-west renewable energy zones. Perrottet said the plan would support projected private investment in regional energy infrastructure of $32m over the next eight years. “This is our opportunity to invest in our future industries that will drive jobs and wealth creation in our state,” the premier said. Government modelling predicts the plan would support almost 4,000 jobs in regional NSW. The deal follows similar joint agreements made with Tasmania and Victoria. The NSW treasurer and energy minister, Matt Kean, described the deal as a “huge win” for the state. “This investment will support the delivery of our electricity infrastructure roadmap through fast-tracking the development of renewable energy zones and transmission infrastructure,” he said. The federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, said making these investments now would save consumers into the future. “The best way to lower energy prices for Australian households and businesses is by increasing firmed renewables across our grid; it is the cheapest and most abundant form of energy across our vast continent,” he said. “Today’s announcement helps make that a reality by supporting the projects to plug Snowy 2.0 into the grid and linking renewable energy zones to ensure … energy can be supplied from wherever the wind is blowing and the sun is shining to where it’s used by households and industry.” The federal government has promised $20bn to “rewire the nation” by quickly building new electricity transmission links between states and regions to support the east coast’s transition from running predominantly on coal power to renewable energy. Perrottet will return from a short Christmas break to pass the energy laws in a special sitting of parliament on Wednesday before resuming his leave.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/21/governments-strike-78bn-deal-to-connect-snowy-20-and-nsw-renewable-zones-to-the-grid
     
         
      Big oil is behind conspiracy to deceive public, first climate racketeering lawsuit says Tue, 20th Dec 2022 9:31:00
     
      Lawyer in a civil lawsuit launched by towns in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico describes why it is using laws used to target mob bosses The same racketeering legislation used to bring down mob bosses, motorcycle gangs, football executives and international fraudsters is to be tested against oil and coal companies who are accused of conspiring to deceive the public over the climate crisis. In an ambitious move, an attempt will be made to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for “decades of deception” in a lawsuit being brought by communities in Puerto Rico that were devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. “Puerto Rico is one of the most affected places by climate change in the world. It is so precariously positioned – they get hit on all fronts with hurricanes, storm surge, heat, coral bleaching – it’s the perfect place for this climate litigation,” said Melissa Sims, senior counsel for the plaintiffs’ law firm Milberg. The 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act was originally intended to combat criminal enterprises like the mafia, but has since been used in civil courts to litigate harms caused by opioids, vehicle emissions and even e-cigarettes as organised crime cases. Now, the first-ever climate change Rico case alleges that international oil and coal companies, their trade associations, and a network of paid thinktanks, scientists and other operatives conspired to deceive the public – specifically residents of Puerto Rico – about the direct link between their greenhouse gas-emitting products and climate change. This fossil fuel enterprise, which remains operational according to the lawsuit, resulted in multitude of damages caused by climate disasters that were foreseen – but hidden – by the defendants in order to maximise profits. The plaintiffs are 16 municipalities in Puerto Rico – towns and cities that were hit hard by two powerful hurricanes in September 2017, Irma and Maria – which led to thousands of deaths, food shortages, widespread infrastructure damage and the longest blackout in US history. Sims, the senior counsel, said: “What’s different about this [Rico] case is that we have their enterprise in writing – the decision by rival companies, their front groups, scientists and associations to act together to change public opinion regarding the use of their consumer products by telling people something that they knew was not true.” According to the lawsuit – filed in the US federal district court of Puerto Rico – evidence of the conspiracy dates back to 1989 when the defendants, which include ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Rio Tinto, individually and through trade association formed the Global Climate Coalition (GCC) as a “not-for-profit corporation to influence, advertise, and promote the interests of the fossil fuel industry by giving false information to their consumers and the public at large”. It argues that so-called rival companies conspired for a common purpose – to deceive consumers and sow confusion in order to keep fossil fuel sales high and profitable – and that the GCC was a propaganda machine specifically set up to oppose the Kyoto protocol, the first major international effort to combat climate change. To do this, a written action plan was devised in 1998 to mislead consumers by convincing them that “global warming” was not occurring, and if it did happen, there was no scientific consensus on whether fossil fuels were to blame. In other words, the action plan was allegedly a climate change denial plan executed through a network of dark money ploughed into thinktanks, research institutions, trade groups and PR firms, and provided a roadmap for an open-ended enterprise that is still implemented today. The lawsuit argues that the oil and coal companies knew that Puerto Rico was a “sitting duck” because of its geographic location, which made the island and its people particularly vulnerable to climate change events – namely hotter and wetter storms, extreme heat and rising sea level – caused by their carbon products. Over the past two decades, Puerto Rico – along with Haiti and Myanmar – has been among three territories most affected by extreme weather such as storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts, according to the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index, which are becoming more intense due to human-made global heating driven by greenhouse gases. In September, Hurricane Ian left much of the island without power and water, as well as damaging essential infrastructure like roads and bridges. The damages resulting from the 2017 storms – and the likelihood of worse climate disasters battering the island in the future – come down to the acts and omissions of the defendants, as the oil and coal companies, along with their worldwide co-venturers, are collectively responsible for at least 40.01% of greenhouse gases, the lawsuit argues. It’s the latest in a wave of civil class actions brought by municipalities – towns and cities – against corporations and organizations accused of causing harm to residents. According to Sims, who has also represented Puerto Rico municipalities in opioid litigation which resulted in compensation for damages, cites have an almost unfettered ability to use their nuisance laws and local ordinances. Sims, a Republican and Christian, said: “Cities across the nation have woken up to this power and are starting to exercise their rights almost like mini attorney generals. They are now often the first ones bringing cases on opioids, Juul electronic cigarettes, pollution, reverse red-lining and now climate change, using their rights pursuant to racketeering and other laws we’ve helped fine-tune over the years.” Seven oil firms, three coal companies, and hundreds of organisations and operatives are among the defendants accused of consumer fraud, racketeering, antitrust, fraudulent misrepresentation, conspiracy to defraud, products liability and unjust enrichment among other crimes. The American Petroleum Institute and the National Mining Association ?did not respond to requests for comment. ?Several of the defendants have made statements criticising the lawsuit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/20/big-oil-is-behind-conspiracy-to-deceive-public-first-climate-racketeering-lawsuit-says
     
         
      Victoria’s Gippsland coast to become Australia’s first offshore windfarm zone Mon, 19th Dec 2022 17:14:00
     
      Wind turbines will need to be built at least 10km from coastline in zoned area that runs from Lakes Entrance to Wilsons Promontory Australia’s first offshore windfarm zone has been labelled a gamechanger by environmental advocates and is expected to drive further investment in the renewables industry. Gippsland’s coast in south Victoria will be home to the turbines, with the heavy winds of the Bass Strait offering plenty of wild weather to power Australian homes. The zoned area covers about 15,000 sq km running from Lakes Entrance in the east to south of Wilsons Promontory in the west. The projects are expected to support more than 3,000 jobs over the next 15 years in development and construction phases and an extra 3,000 ongoing operation jobs. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, made the announcement alongside his Victorian counterpart, Lily D’Ambrosio, and the federal industry minister, Ed Husic. Bowen said the announcement was a crucial step towards affordable, reliable and secure energy for Australia. “Offshore wind is rich in energy and rich in jobs,” he said. Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, said it was an exciting development and would build up a rich resource off Victoria’s coast. “It is one of the most significant wind resources anywhere in the world,” he told reporters in Melbourne. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup “And when the Danish know that, when the Scots know it, when the Spanish know it, then you know that you’re on to something really, really important.” Environmental advocates Friends of the Earth said the development of Gippsland’s offshore wind sector would be a “gamechanger” for the state’s efforts to tackle climate change and create thousands of new job opportunities. One of the zone’s projects – the Star of the South offshore windfarm – has also been granted major project status which means the government will work with developers to ensure it is completed as quickly as possible without unnecessary regulatory delay. Investors welcomed the announcement as a sign to double down on their developments in the renewables sector. Sign up to Guardian Australia's Morning Tim Sawyer, head of Flotation Energy which is developing the Seadragon offshore wind project, said the announcement would ignite further investment. The announcement follows a lengthy consultation process that resulted in the original proposed areas being reduced and a 10km buffer zone from the shore being implemented to limit the visual and environment impact. Bowen said he wanted communities to be assured when consultation was held, the government would listen. He said areas originally proposed would still be considered but only after further investigation about the environmental impacts. The future farms would be hooked into energy grids on the mainland in Gippsland and Latrobe valley, with the potential to provide 10 gigawatts a year of wind power. Husic said the project would be a “shot in the arm” for the region’s economy and was the result of federal, state and local governments working collaboratively.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/19/victorias-gippsland-coast-to-become-australias-first-offshore-windfarm-zone
     
         
      Nuclear fusion ‘holy grail’ is not the answer to our energy prayers Mon, 19th Dec 2022 9:17:00
     
      Dr Mark Diesendorf questions the claim that nuclear fusion is safe and clean, while Dr Chris Cragg suspects true fusion power is a long way off. Plus letters from Dick Willis and Martin O’Donovan You report on the alleged “breakthrough” on nuclear fusion, in which US researchers claim that break-even has been achieved (Breakthrough in nuclear fusion could mean ‘near-limitless energy’, 12 December). To go from break-even, where energy output is greater than total energy input, to a commercial nuclear fusion reactor could take at least 25 years. By then, the whole world could be powered by safe and clean renewable energy, primarily solar and wind. The claim by the researchers that nuclear fusion is safe and clean is incorrect. Laser fusion, particularly as a component of a fission-fusion hybrid reactor, can produce neutrons that can be used to produce the nuclear explosives plutonium-239, uranium-235 and uranium-233. It could also produce tritium, a form of heavy hydrogen, which is used to boost the explosive power of a fission explosion, making fission bombs smaller and hence more suitable for use in missile warheads. This information is available in open research literature. The US National Ignition Facility, which did the research, is part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which has a history of involvement with nuclear weaponry. Dr Mark Diesendorf University of New South Wales As someone who once wrote a critical report for the European parliament on fusion power back in the late 1980s, I hate to rain on Arthur Turrell’s splendid parade (The carbon-free energy of the future: this fusion breakthrough changes everything, 13 December). It is indeed good news that the US National Ignition Facility has got a “net energy gain” of 1.1 MJ from an inertial confinement fusion device using lasers. In this regard, what is really valuable is that the community can now concentrate on this type of reactor, rather than other designs like the tokamak. However, I am prepared to bet that a true fusion power station is unlikely to be running before my grandchildren turn 70. After all, it has taken 60-odd years and huge amounts of money to get this far. Dr Chris Cragg London Arthur Turrell writes that achieving “net energy gain” has a psychological effect akin to a trumpet to the ear. Well, it might do to him but not to me. Yes, it’s a fantastic achievement for those scientists and engineers who have worked to achieve this proof on concept; well done them. But it will make not one jot of a positive difference to the challenges my children and grandchildren will face as a result of the climate crisis. We only have years to achieve the changes that are necessary to avoid social catastrophe due to what’s happening to the biosphere, and that’s assuming it’s not already too late. Even the optimists understand that it will be decades before fusion power can contribute to the grid, regardless of this achievement. Meanwhile the headlines that followed this result, Turrell’s psychological trumpet, simply serve to reassure and detract from the urgency of what needs to be done now. Dick Willis Bristol It is great news that scientists have succeeded in getting more energy out of fusion than they put in. It brings to mind a quote from a past director of the Central Electricity Generating Board: “One day you may get more energy out of nuclear fusion than you put in, but you will never get more money out than you put in.” Martin O’Donovan Ashtead, Surrey Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/19/nuclear-fusion-holy-grail-is-not-the-answer-to-our-energy-prayers
     
         
      $15.5 billion to get Vietnam off coal Mon, 19th Dec 2022 8:20:00
     
      A group of wealthy nations including the United States, the U.K., and several European Union member states announced last week that they will give Vietnam $15.5 billion for its transition from coal to renewables. The funding aims to help the Southeast Asian country phase out the most polluting fossil fuel and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. “This partnership will help Vietnam to build a 21st century power sector, energizing its economic growth and bringing environmental and health benefits to its citizens,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission — the EU’s executive body — said in a statement. The $15.5 billion will be delivered over the next three to five years, and half of it is set to come from the public sector. The rest will come from private investors, including major financial institutions like Bank of America, Citi, and HSBC. The deal is part of the global Just Energy Transition Partnership, an intergovernmental effort to mobilize funding for coal-dependent countries in the developing world. The idea is to make it easier for them to phase out coal plants and replace them with renewable energy projects. South Africa was the partnership’s first beneficiary — it was promised $8.5 billion in 2021 to accelerate its shift away from coal. Last month, the partnership announced $20 billion in public and private funds for Indonesia. For Vietnam, where coal accounts for 50 percent of energy consumption, the funding is expected to limit coal-fired power capacity to 30.2 gigawatts — rather than the 37 gigawatts the country had previously planned — and bring forward the date at which the country’s emissions peak from 2035 to 2030. It is also expected to help Vietnam generate 47 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, up from 23 percent currently. Environmental advocates applauded the new funding as further evidence that coal is on its last legs. However, some raised concerns about Vietnam’s record on human rights, calling on the country to release four environmental defenders who have been arrested over the past year and a half, including the award-winning climate expert Nguy Thi Khanh. “Climate justice and human rights must be integral to the world’s transition to clean energy,” Maureen Harris, a senior adviser for the nonprofit International Rivers, said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/15-5-billion-to-get-vietnam-off-coal/
     
         
      UK lagging ‘way behind’ EU on warmer homes policy Sun, 18th Dec 2022 10:08:00
     
      Higher electricity prices compound the problem – as will the government’s plan to scrap ‘retained’ EU laws The UK is falling far behind EU countries in its performance and policies on home insulation and energy efficiency, and will lose further ground if “retained laws” from the European Union are scrapped, according to a new study. The report, by UK pressure group Another Europe is Possible and Germany’s respected Friedrich Ebert Foundation, says the UK is failing to match new EU laws which aim to double the annual rate of building renovation and reduce primary energy consumption by 39% by 2030. It says that with UK household electricity prices about 30% higher than in neighbouring EU countries, the UK has a “lack of ambition” to match such targets despite the price pressures. An additional threat is posed, it goes on, by the UK government’s plan to take thousands of EU laws off the statute book by the end of next year, which will further widen the gulf. The report’s author, David Baldock, senior fellow at the Institute for European Environmental Policy, said: “Our sky-high energy prices mean that we have a clear interest in getting the most out of what we use – but the UK government’s energy efficiency and home insulation agenda continues to lack ambition. This is set to be a key area of UK-EU divergence in the years ahead – as the EU commits its member states to bold targets on efficiency and insulation. “Divergence is a two-way street. It can mean getting rid of existing EU rules we have inherited from membership. But it can also mean not keeping up with changes the EU is making now. “We see both of these happening in UK-EU environmental regulation. Devolution adds another level of complexity because, in different ways, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all likely to stay closer to the EU status quo. “Overall, it’s a mixed picture – with elements of divergence going alongside the expensive duplication of existing EU arrangements without much substantive change. But if the retained EU law bill is not substantially amended, it could see thousands of EU-derived laws taken out of the UK statute book by the end of next year, risking chaos and potentially radical deregulation.” A Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “Improving the energy efficiency of homes is important to tackling fuel poverty and reducing emissions, and that’s why we’ve committed £6.6bn this parliament and a further £6bn to 2028 to make buildings more energy-efficient. “The Energy Company Obligation scheme alone has delivered improvements to around 2.4m homes, and just last month we launched our £1bn Eco+ scheme to accelerate these efforts, installing measures in households who have previously not been able to access Eco support.” On Saturday the department unveiled a new energy efficiency campaign to help people reduce usage and bills. The campaign, called “It All Adds Up”, lists the government’s top recommendations to help households save money, including reducing the temperature a boiler heats water to before it sends it to radiators from 75C to 60C. This should not reduce the temperature of a home, but could save about £100 annually. Switching appliances off at the plug could save about £70 a year. Reducing heating loss from the property, by measures such as putting draught excluders around doors or adding clear film to windows, could save about £60 a year Ed Miliband, shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero, said: “One of the reasons that energy bills are so high is the Conservative’s disastrous record on heating our homes. Energy efficiency rates are now 20 times lower than under the last Labour government, but Rishi Sunak is failing to act. “Labour’s Warm Homes Plan would upgrade the 19m homes that need it, cutting bills and creating thousands of good jobs for electricians and engineers across the country. “Only Labour can deliver the fairer, green future Britain needs, thanks to our green prosperity plan to invest in green industries, and GB Energy, our publicly owned energy company making Britain a clean energy superpower.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/18/uk-lagging-way-behind-eu-on-warmer-homes-policy
     
         
      SSE begins work on hydrogen storage cavern on Yorkshire coast Sun, 18th Dec 2022 3:12:00
     
      The energy company SSE has begun work to develop an underground cavern in east Yorkshire to store hydrogen, aiming to stockpile the renewable source of power for when the freezing, windless conditions experienced in the last week occur in future. The project will produce hydrogen using renewable energy in a 35-megawatt electrolyser which will be stored in a cavern the size of St Paul’s Cathedral located a mile deep at an existing SSE site in Aldbrough on the Yorkshire coast. The hydrogen will be used to fire a turbine which can export power to the grid when demand is high. SSE hopes the “pathfinder” project, which could cost more than £100m, will demonstrate the technology before bigger projects in the area which would require larger pipelines and infrastructure. The company hopes to receive government money for the project through a fund set up to support low-carbon hydrogen projects. Last week icy conditions led to a surge in energy demand as Britons cranked up their heating. Simultaneously, a lack of wind cut the power available from windfarms, forcing National Grid to pay high prices to encourage operators of gas “peaking plants” into action. Hydrogen is an expensive form of power generation as it requires large amounts of electricity to produce. However, it is seen as important in efforts to decarbonise heavy industries reliant on fossil fuels. Catherine Raw, managing director of SSE’s thermal division, told the Guardian: “Even if hydrogen is expensive relative to other fuels, you’re able to deliver the power exactly when you need it during peak demand and when power prices are justified. So this would be, even as a research and development project, helping to ease that system pressure during periods of peak demand like we’ve just seen.” It emerged last week that Ofgem is pushing for a cap on how much power stations can charge National Grid for backup electricity. Ofgem wants to tighten rules to prevent “excessive” profits and intends to publish proposals early next year. The Grid spent more than £27m paying power stations to increase supplies at short notice as temperatures dropped on Monday last week. Vitol Group’s Rye House gas-fired power station, just north of London, earned as much as £6,000 per megawatt-hour, reigniting a debate over power generators’ profits. Gas-fired power stations were exempted from the electricity generators levy announced by the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, last month, as the government cited their role in providing security of energy supplies. SSE has several gas-fired plants in the UK and Ireland. Raw declined to comment on last week’s events but said: “The rising gas price has meant that we’ve had to take risks that we would not normally take, and therefore how do you get rewarded for taking those risks? Our responsibility as a generator of power is to keep the system balanced and SSE takes that very seriously.” SSE, which runs gas-fired power stations alongside hydroelectric plants and windfarms, last month reported a more than tripling of profits thanks to soaring energy prices. SSE hopes to get the project running by 2025, before a larger hydrogen storage project planned for the same site in 2028 in partnership with the Norwegian energy company Equinor. The pair are also developing the Keadby hydrogen power station, planned to be the world’s first big 100% hydrogen-fired power station. SSE has signed a contract with Siemens Energy for design and engineering work on the pathfinder project. Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has invested in an industry joint venture which will trial using hydrogen at an existing peaking plant at the Brigg station in Lincolnshire. The pilot, which will launch in the second half of next year, is aimed at examining the role that hydrogen can play in producing power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/18/sse-begins-work-on-hydrogen-storage-cavern-on-yorkshire-coast
     
         
      Coal consumption expected to hit a global all-time high according to IEA report Sat, 17th Dec 2022 10:54:00
     
      High gas prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and consequent disruptions to supply have led some countries to turn to relatively cheaper coal this year. Heatwaves and droughts in some regions have also driven up electricity demand and reduced hydropower, while nuclear generation has also been very weak, especially in Europe, where France had to shut down nuclear reactors for maintenance. The IEA's annual report on coal forecasts global coal use is set to rise by 1.2 per cent this year, exceeding 8 billion tonnes in a single year for the first time. The previous record was set in 2013 of 7.99 billion tonnes. It also predicts coal consumption will remain flat at that level until 2025 as falls in mature markets are offset by continued strong demand in emerging Asian economies. This means coal will continue to be the global energy system's largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions by far. The largest increase in coal demand is expected to be in India at 7 per cent, followed by the European Union at 6 per cent and China at 0.4 per cent. "The world is close to a peak in fossil fuel use, with coal set to be the first to decline, but we are not there yet," Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA's director of energy markets and security, said. Europe's coal demand has risen due to more switching from gas to coal due to high gas prices and as Russian gas has reduced to a trickle. However, by 2025 European coal demand is expected to decline below 2022 levels, the report said. Global coal-fired power generation is set to rise to a new record of around 10.3 terawatt hours this year, while coal production is forecast to rise by 5.4 per cent to around 8.3 billion tonnes, also an all-time high. Production is expected to reach a peak next year but by 2025 should fall below 2022 levels. The three largest coal producers — China, India and Indonesia — will all hit production records this year but despite high prices and comfortable margins for coal producers, there is no sign of surging investment in export-driven coal projects. This reflects caution among investors and mining companies about the medium- and longer-term prospects for coal, the report said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/coal-consumption-expected-to-hit-all-time-high/101784672
     
         
      Eight batteries to be built around Australia to increase renewable energy storage capacity Sat, 17th Dec 2022 3:05:00
     
      Energy minister Chris Bowen says the batteries – shared between four states – will increase capacity tenfold to help stabilise the grid Eight large batteries to store renewable energy will be built around Australia to support the grid and help keep energy prices down, the federal government has said. The government-owned Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) would provide $176m to the projects, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, announced on Saturday. Bowen said it would revitalise the energy market, leading to an estimated tenfold increase in storage capacity. “Some people say the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, and that’s true, but we can store renewable energy for when we need it,” Bowen told reporters outside the Transgrid battery in western Sydney. “Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy. The more renewable energy we have in the system, the cheaper bills will be.” The batteries will come online by 2025 and together would be big enough to power Tasmania for about three hours. Three will be in Victoria – at Gnarwarre, Moorabool and Mortlake – and one at Liddell in New South Wales. Queensland will be home to two, at Mount Fox and Western Downs, while South Australia will also have two, at Bungama and Blyth. They will range from 200-300 megawatts each and have grid-forming inverter technology, which provides stability to the grid usually offered through coal and gas. The government estimates the total value of the projects at $2.7bn. Bowen said the projects would be some of the biggest batteries rolled out in Australia in the near future. The chief executive of Arena, Darren Miller, said the batteries could underpin the transition to renewable energy. “This pipeline of grid-forming projects will help move us closer to an electricity grid that can support 100% renewable energy in the [national energy market],” he said. The acting shadow energy minister, Jonathon Duniam, welcomed the move but said batteries would not be able to replace all coal generation leaving the national energy market. “Battery technology today is not yet at the scale or cost needed to reliably and cheaply replace coal and gas generation, which currently provide 70% of Australia’s power,” Duniam said in a statement. The federal government has also unveiled further details about 58 community batteries to be rolled out in regional and urban areas, worth up to $500,000 each. Electricity providers will use them to store energy generated by solar panels on residential homes, which could then be used by other nearby households. An extra 342 will be set up after consultation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/17/eight-batteries-to-be-built-around-australia-to-increase-renewable-energy-storage-capacity
     
         
      Despite the hype, we shouldn’t bank on nuclear fusion to save the world from climate catastrophe Sat, 17th Dec 2022 3:03:00
     
      Last week’s experiment in the US is promising, but it’s not a magic bullet for our energy needs The revelation that researchers had succeeded in creating a nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than it consumed made reassuring reading last week. For almost half a century, I have reported on scientific issues and no decade has been complete without two or three announcements by scientists claiming their work would soon allow science to recreate the processes that drive the sun. The end result would be the generation of clean, cheap nuclear fusion that would transform our lives. Such announcements have been rare recently, so it gave me a warm glow to realise that standards may be returning to normal. By deploying a set of 192 lasers to bombard pellets of the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, researchers at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California, were able to generate temperatures only found in stars and thermonuclear bombs. The isotopes then fused into helium, releasing excess energy, they reported. It was a milestone event but not a major one, although this did not stop the US government and swaths of the world’s media indulging in a widespread hyping jamboree over the laboratory’s accomplishment. Researchers had “overcome a major barrier” to reaching fusion, the BBC gushed, while the Wall Street Journal described the achievement as a breakthrough that could herald an era of clean, cheap energy. It is certainly true that nuclear fusion would have a beneficial impact on our planet by liberating vast amounts of energy without generating high levels of carbon emissions and would be an undoubted boost in the battle against climate change. The trouble is that we have been presented with such visions many times before. In 1958, Sir John Cockcroft claimed his Zeta fusion project would supply the world with “an inexhaustible supply of fuel”. It didn’t. In 1989, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced they had achieved fusion using simple laboratory equipment, work that made global headlines but which has never been replicated. To this list you can also add the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter), a huge facility being built in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance in Provence, France, that was supposed to achieve fusion by 2023 but which is over 10 years behind schedule and tens of billions of dollars over budget. In each case, it was predicted that the construction of the first commercially viable nuclear fusion plants was only a decade or two away and would transform our lives. Those hopes never materialised and have led to a weary cynicism spreading among hacks and scientists. As they now joke: “Fusion is 30 years away – and always will be.” It was odd for Jennifer Granholm, the US energy secretary, to argue that the NIF’s achievement was “one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century”. This is a hard claim to justify for a century that has already witnessed the discovery of the Higgs boson, the creation of Covid-19 vaccines, the launch of the James Webb telescope and the unravelling of the human genome. By comparison, the ignition event at the NIF is second-division stuff. Journalists and scientists have taken to joking: ‘Fusion is 30 years away – and always will be’ Most scientists have been careful in their responses to the over-hyping of the NIF “breakthrough”. They accept that a key step has been taking towards commercial fusion power but insist such plants remain distant goals. They should not be seen as likely saviours that will extract us from the desperate energy crisis we now face – despite all the claims that were made last week. Humanity has brought itself to a point where its terrible dependence on fossil fuels threatens to trigger a 2C jump in global temperatures compared with our pre-industrial past. The consequences will include flooding, fires, worsening storms, rising sea levels, spreading diseases and melting ice caps. Here, scientists are clear. Fusion power will not arrive in time to save the world. “We are still a way off commercial fusion and it cannot help us with the climate crisis now,” said Aneeqa Khan, a research fellow in nuclear fusion at Manchester University. This view was backed by Tony Roulstone, a nuclear energy researcher at Cambridge University. “This result from NIF is a success for science, but it is still a long way from providing useful, abundant clean energy.” At present, there are two main routes to nuclear fusion. One involves confining searing hot plasma in a powerful magnetic field. The Iter reactor follows such an approach. The other – adopted at the NIF facility – uses lasers to blast deuterium-tritium pellets causing them to collapse and fuse into helium. In both cases, reactions occur at more than 100?million?C and involve major technological headaches in controlling them. Fusion therefore remains a long-term technology, although many new investors and entrepreneurs – including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos – have recently turned their attention to the field, raising hopes that a fresh commercial impetus could reinvigorate the development of commercial plants. This input is to be welcomed but we should be emphatic: fusion will not arrive in time to save the planet from climate change. Electricity plants powered by renewable sources or nuclear fission offer the only short-term alternatives to those that burn fossil fuels. We need to pin our hopes on these power sources. Fusion may earn its place later in the century but it would be highly irresponsible to rely on an energy source that will take at least a further two decades to materialise – at best.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/17/dont-bank-on-nuclear-fusion-to-save-the-world-from-a-climate-catastrophe-i-have-seen-it-all-before
     
         
      Europe’s biggest bank to stop funding new oil and gas Fri, 16th Dec 2022 12:23:00
     
      London-based HSBC’s new policy, announced on Wednesday, bars new lending or finance to projects “pertaining to new oil and gas fields and related infrastructure.” However, HSBC says it will still offer corporate finance and advisory services to businesses in the energy sector, as long as those clients are aligned with the bank’s greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and have plans to decarbonize by 2050. “We’re committed to supporting and financing the transition to a secure net zero future,” HSBC said in a press release. Environmental advocates from a global coalition of nonprofits pushing banks to end fossil fuel financing hailed the announcement as a major victory. Many smaller banks like La Banque Postale in France have much more ambitious climate policies, but HSBC is one of the world’s first major banks to restrict fossil fuel financing in this way. “What’s significant about HSBC is it’s one of the biggest fossil fuel expanders,” Aditi Sen, climate and energy director for the nonprofit Rainforest Action Network told me. According to her organization, the bank has provided some $130 billion to fossil fuel companies since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, making it the third-biggest fossil fuel financier among European banks. She said HSBC’s new protocol could “send a signal” worldwide — particularly to the four U.S. banks that are responsible for about a quarter of global fossil fuel financing. Still, Sen added that the ideal policy would go beyond HSBC’s to bar all financing for companies that support the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, rather than just financing tied to specific oil and gas projects. The Rainforest Action Network says the latter accounts for just a tiny fraction — about 4 percent — of HSBC’s total fossil fuel funding; most of the rest is general “corporate finance” that companies can use as they see fit. HSBC’s move follows other steps the bank has taken to boost sustainability, including a target set last year to phase out all financing for thermal coal — the kind burned for electricity — by 2040. In February, the bank said it would push for a 34 percent reduction in emissions from the oil and gas projects it finances by 2030, as well as a 75 percent reduction in emissions intensity from its utility clients.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/europes-biggest-bank-to-stop-funding-new-oil-and-gas/
     
         
      Electricity generated by burning native Australian timber no longer classified as renewable energy Thu, 15th Dec 2022 22:01:00
     
      Labor revokes Abbott government move which allowed energy from burning wood waste to be counted with solar and wind Electricity generated by burning native forest wood waste will no longer be allowed to be classified as renewable energy under a regulatory change adopted by the Albanese government. The decision, which Labor had promised to consider after it was recommended by a Senate committee in September, reverses a 2015 Abbott government move which allowed burning native forest timber to be counted alongside solar and wind energy towards the national renewable energy target. The right to burn wood left over from logging to create renewable energy certificates – which provide a subsidy for clean energy generation – was not often used, but conservation groups said it could be an incentive to keep felling native forests. They expressed concern that some power plant owners had plans to start using native forest timber as a supplement to coal-fired generation. The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said the change was in step with “strong and longstanding community views” raised in a consultation process that received more than 2,900 submissions. He said the government had put in place “transitional arrangements” for one Western Australian facility that had registered to use timber as an energy source. “We have listened to the community and acted to address their concerns,” he said. The Greens’ forests spokesperson, Janet Rice, described the decision as “a major win for the climate, for native forests, and for clean energy”, and said the minor party had secured a commitment the government would reconsider the practice during negotiations over climate change legislation earlier this year. “Burning wood from native forests for energy is a disaster for the environment,” Rice said. “Pretending it was renewable was ludicrous. The Greens fought hard to end this farce, and we’re glad that the government has worked with us and listened to the community who campaigned hard to end this absurdity.” Conservationists welcomed the announcement. Christine Milne, a former Greens leader and now patron of the Bob Brown Foundation, said it restored a decision that she, Brown and the Greens had first secured as part of a deal with the Gillard government a decade ago on a clean energy package. “This decision will buoy the conservation community by providing some hope that the government is starting to listen to the climate and biodiversity science,” she said. “This announcement is a first step towards forest conservation.” Suzanne Harter, a climate campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation, said wood burning should never have been included in the definition of renewable energy. “Eastern Australia was recently highlighted as a global deforestation hotspot. Government policies should not encourage further deforestation,” she said. The Australian Forest Products Association said the government had “bowed to pressure from anti-forestry groups”. “Australia should not close the door to a dispatchable renewable energy source that is widely used around the world at a time when we need more renewable energy sources,” the association’s chief executive, Ross Hampton, said. The native forestry has been under increasing economic and environmental pressure across the country. In Victoria, a landmark supreme court judgment last month found the state logging company, VicForests, had failed to protect threatened glider species and that its methods to check for them before logging were inadequate. It has raised further doubts over whether the native forest logging industry will remain viable in the state until a promised government-ordered phase out in 2030. In WA, native forest logging is due to end in 2024. The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, signalled last week the government wanted to work with the states to ensure new national environmental standards it has promised to introduce would be applied to regional forestry agreements, a step that could end an effective exemption for state-sanctioned logging from national environment laws.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/16/electricity-generated-by-burning-native-australian-timber-no-longer-classified-as-renewable-energy
     
         
      Deal Farm Biogas: Bressingham plant rejected by South Norfolk Council Thu, 15th Dec 2022 12:35:00
     
      Retrospective plans for a biogas power plant that was branded an "abomination on the countryside" have been rejected. South Norfolk councillors unanimously voted to refuse the latest proposals for the anaerobic digester in Bressingham, near Diss. The plant is already built but the company was accused of making alterations that it did not have permission for. Deal Farm Biogas said it was trying to act on the climate emergency. "It is a complete abomination on the countryside and I don't know how the people who live nearby can put up with it," said Conservative Graham Minshull, speaking at the South Norfolk Council development management committee on Wednesday. "I will certainly be hoping that we can get it taken down as soon as possible and restored to what it should be." Deal Farm Biogas's first planning application for the site was granted in 2013. Development started in 2018, but in 2021 council officers ordered for the company to stop construction over claims that its three 5,000 sq m (53,800 sq ft) lagoons did not fit with the original plans. The site also consists of a storage building and containment area. The company submitted its latest plan in June this year, claiming it could capture nearly 5,000 tonnes of CO2 - equating to the removal of 9.5m road car miles every year. It agreed to halve the amount of feedstock processed at the plant, which it said was from local farms, to 23,950 tonnes. The plant would use organic waste and crops to create biomethane, which the company claimed would provide energy to power 3,250 homes. The council has received 114 objection letters over the plans, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, including from Norfolk Conservative MPs Richard Bacon and Liz Truss. Sue Butler, who said her parents closed their B&B nearby because of disruption during construction, said the dispute was "not over by any stretch of the imagination". 'Won the battle' "They could actually decide to appeal [the decision and] that could take months if not years," she said. "We then have the issue of demolition and that in itself can take another few years. "It is merely a battle that's won, but not the war." How waste food can reduce our reliance on natural gas? Climate change: What is a climate emergency? The bio-fuel start-up that sells cooking gas by the rucksack Deal Farm Biogas, a project by the company Biowatt, said domestic renewable energy production was vital in the face of inflation, the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine. A spokesman added: "The time to act on climate change is now and a project like this will ensure that South Norfolk Council is at the forefront of that action." The council said it would be "looking to serve an enforcement notice to regularise the unauthorised development".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-63980537
     
         
      EU’s ‘historic’ carbon border tax Thu, 15th Dec 2022 10:25:00
     
      In a global first, the European Union has agreed to impose a carbon tax on goods imported into the supranational trade bloc, requiring emissions-intensive foreign companies to pay the same CO2 taxes as their European competitors. “This is a historic agreement for the climate,” Pascal Canfin, chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee, said in a statement. The tax — covering imports of iron, steel, cement, fertilizers, aluminum, hydrogen, and electricity — is intended to prevent European industries in the process of decarbonizing from having to compete with cheaper products made in countries with less stringent environmental regulations. Currently, the EU’s cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions charges highly polluting industries like steel- and cement-making about 91 euros ($96) per metric ton of carbon emitted. Most other countries, including the United States, don’t make companies pay for their climate pollution. Some countries in the developing world have criticized the new carbon border tax as “discriminatory,” saying it would unduly penalize those that bear little responsibility for causing the climate crisis and make it harder for them to transition to renewable energy. EU policymakers, however, argue the law is needed to raise environmental standards globally. EU lawmakers still have to hammer out some of the tax’s final details during negotiations this weekend, including how fast to phase out a system that distributes free carbon permits to industries in Europe. This system, intended to make European companies more competitive on the global stage, could violate World Trade Organization rules if it exists alongside the border tax, analysts have warned. Lawmakers are also expected to discuss whether the agreement should include industry-backed export rebates, which would offer a sort of refund on CO2 fees for products shipped out of the EU. The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, opposes the rebates over concerns that they could be seen as an export subsidy — another World Trade Organization violation. Pending final approval from EU member states and the European Parliament, the EU’s carbon border tax is expected to be phased in starting in October 2023. An initial transition period will only require importers to report their products’ greenhouse gas emissions, with the full carbon duty kicking in by 2026.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/eus-historic-carbon-border-tax/
     
         
      Wood burning stoves and the harm done by inflating the risk of nuclear power Wed, 14th Dec 2022 18:25:00
     
      Anton van der Merwe on the relative risks of coal-fired power stations and nuclear ones, and Alan Robertshaw on the local fuel used in his stove Your article on the harmful effects of burning wood (‘Eco’ wood burners produce 450 times more pollution than gas heating – report, 8 December) highlights a broader problem with risk management in public health. Very different values are placed on human life, depending on the specific risk. The level of air pollutants considered acceptable by the World Health Organization is already dangerous, increasing mortality by 2%. In contrast, the level of radioactivity considered acceptable is 100-500 times below levels that cause a similar increase in mortality. What this means is that a life lost to air pollution is valued 100- to 500-fold lower than a life lost to exposure to radioactivity. It is partly because of this difference, and the resulting regulatory regimes, that coal-fired power stations are much cheaper to build than nuclear power stations, even though they are at least 500 times more dangerous. It is only because of concerns about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change that countries are now considering alternatives to coal, including nuclear power. If we had, from the outset, valued lives lost to air pollution the same as lives lost to radioactivity, we would have been building nuclear power plants rather than coal-fired power plants for the past 40 years. Many millions of lives would have been saved, and the climate emergency might have been avoided. Anton van der Merwe Oxford Your article about wood burning stoves seems to be yet another example of individuals being made to feel responsible for the world’s environmental woes while governments and business pay little more than lip service to such issues. The wood that I burn is collected within a five-mile radius of my home, and I would guess that most wood burned domestically is similarly local. By contrast, Drax power station, about 15 miles from me, burns millions of tons of woodchips imported from forests in North America and elsewhere, brought here in huge, polluting tankers. But because it is called “biomass”, it attracts billions of pounds in government subsidies. While I am concerned about pollution, I will be continuing to burn biomass, without subsidy, for the foreseeable future. Alan Robertshaw Haxby, North Yorkshire
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/14/britain-has-been-undervaluing-lives-lost-to-air-pollution-for-years
     
         
      Humberside Airport: New flights to serve growing green energy sector Wed, 14th Dec 2022 15:20:00
     
      A new route from Humberside Airport to Denmark has been introduced in response to the growth of green energy firms in the Humber region, an airline has said. Eastern Airways said it would fly three times a week to Esbjerg, which it said was Denmark's "renewable energy hub". Roger Hage, from Eastern, said the expansion of renewable energy firms on the Humber Estuary meant an "increasing need to connect" the two regions. The airline also announced an increase in its summer flights to Cornwall. Mr Hage said the plans meant it would now operate to five destinations from Humberside Airport, which is located near the village of Kirmington in North Lincolnshire. "We want to ensure the right services are being offered, given Eastern Airways is all about supporting the regions of the UK, connecting people and places," he said. "So growing our Humberside network and capacity is a crucial part of increasing connectivity and aiding economic recovery where sustainable." Both banks of the Humber are home to an increasing number of renewable energy firms. In August last year, Siemens Gamesa announced a £186m upgrade to its wind turbine factory in Hull's Alexandra Dock. The expansion would create another 200 jobs to add to the existing 1,000 employees, the company said. Meanwhile, on the south bank, in Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, a new £500m wind turbine manufacturing facility is to be built, creating up to 3,000 new jobs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-63972471
     
         
      The overlooked benefits of real Christmas trees Wed, 14th Dec 2022 8:28:00
     
      The environmental pros and cons of Christmas trees go far beyond the climate impact of "real or plastic", scientists say. So what's the best choice for a green Christmas? n 1800, Queen Charlotte, the German wife of King George III, set up what is thought to be the first Christmas tree in England, at Queen's Lodge in Windsor. Decorated Christmas trees already had a long history in Germany, but they soon became a fashionable part of the festive season for the English upper classes, and by the 1850s were a common sight across the UK. Some two centuries later, the now cherished tradition of planting a newly cut tree in the middle of living rooms and covering it with lights and baubles is still alive and well across much of the world. Today, over eight million Christmas trees are sold annually in the UK, and an estimated 25-30 million are sold in the US. Real trees may also be coming back into fashion among younger generations – one recent US survey found millennials are 82% more likely than baby boomers to get a live tree. A millennial myself, I certainly fit this trend. I love real Christmas trees but have had countless conversations (and internal debates) about whether getting one is overindulgent wastefulness or an essential – and ultimately environmentally negligible – part of Christmas. I do think there's a lot more nuance to it, than just, 'Oh, we're cutting down a tree and removing it' – Alexandra Kosiba As I have delved further into the topic, though, I've found their assumed negative environmental impact may not be as clear cut as I once thought. These conversations often centre on the relative carbon footprint of real compared to plastic ones, but researchers say their wider influence, good or bad, goes far beyond this. "I do think there's a lot more nuance to it, than just, 'Oh, we're cutting down a tree and removing it'," says Alexandra Kosiba, a forest ecologist at the University of Vermont Extension. After all, before it is cut down and displayed, a Christmas tree is grown – on land that might otherwise be used for different purposes. In Vermont, for example, says Kosiba, Christmas tree plantations support the local economy and help to keep land as a rural landscape. How we use our land has become especially important in the face of two pressing and deeply connected environmental crises: biodiversity loss and climate change. Forests are a huge part of such beneficial land use. "Well-managed forests really play a huge role in the climate solution," says Andy Finton, landscape conservation director at The Nature Conservancy, a US-based environmental non-profit. "Trees of all sorts are pulling carbon from the atmosphere, and storing it and reducing the amount of carbon pollution and thus the pace of climate change."Christmas trees are certainly not a hugely significant use of land, or a big player in the global carbon cycle, especially compared to timber production or crops like maize or wheat. But they do provide an interesting area to consider, in part because many humans have far more direct engagement with them than perhaps any other forest product. "There's a lot of folks that don't interact with nature a lot," says Kosiba. "It is pretty cool to think all these people are bringing a tree [...] into their house [and] sort of revering it, and appreciating it." This festive appreciation may be a good opportunity to consider the wider role of different trees, and how and where they are grown. Christmas trees are typically young spruce, fir or pine trees from plantations, which means their environmental impact will always very much depend on what might be grown on land instead. It goes without saying that old growth forests, peatlands and other native habitats should never be used to plant Christmas trees. The plantations are grown for roughly 10 years before harvesting, meaning that for every tree cut down one year, another nine or so stay standing. "It's quite nice as a way of maintaining a set of trees, because you always need the new trees coming through to be harvested the following years," says John Kazer, footprint certification expert at the Carbon Trust, a UK-based environmental consultancy. Especially if the Christmas tree farm is part of a much larger landscape or a mosaic of habitat types, including mature, larger, intact forests, I think there's a real ecological niche that it's fulfilling – Andy Finton Christmas trees are not included in the EU pledge to plant three billion additional trees by 2030, as they are considered too short lived. "They are cut down more often than timber harvest or, of course, natural old growth forests," says Paul Caplat, an ecologist at Queen's University Belfast. "So there's not a lot of time for biodiversity to settle in and grow healthy populations." However, research has shown that Christmas tree plantations can provide a boost to biodiversity – especially in areas where it has been declining as agriculture becomes more intensified. This is because the plantations tend to have open habitat structures rich in bare ground, which can allow higher accessibility to food resources, while their trees can provide farmland birds with decent nesting conditions. They also tend to be less intensively managed than much industrialised agriculture, which also helps with food availability, while their fences can keep out the disruption from humans and dogs "Species that would have used a more extensive form of farming landscape in the past, but don't find all the resources they need in the more intensified agricultural setting, will find what they want in the Christmas tree plantation," says Caplat. In one recent study in Germany, for example, researchers found Christmas tree plantations could represent important refuges for declining farmland birds such as yellowhammers and common linnets in intensive agricultural areas. The results chime with another 2018 study in Sauerland in Germany which found the plantations are important strongholds for woodlarks. Meanwhile, a study in Belgium found that beetle diversity – including of threatened species – was higher in Christmas tree plantations than maize fields, although lower than in spruce plantations for timber, which are left to grow for longer and use less fertilisers and pesticides than Christmas trees. Meanwhile, in naturally forested areas of the north-east US, younger, open forests like Christmas tree plantations can provide higher concentration of insects or grasses to support birds and mammals in certain parts of their lifecycle, says Finton. "Especially if the Christmas tree farm is part of a much larger landscape or a mosaic of habitat types, including mature, larger, intact forests, I think there's a real ecological niche that it's fulfilling." You might also like: What would a green World Cup look like? How climate change has altered Christmas How Dickens made Christmas white Of course, Christmas trees are typically treated with plenty of pesticides and especially fertilisers to keep them aesthetically pleasing, says Caplat, which has its own impact on the environment. A study led by landscape ecologist Merle Streitberger from Osnabrück University in Germany found that organic Christmas tree plantations had improved habitat structure and plant species diversity compared to conventional ones, and recommended a reduction in herbicide in particular. Importantly, however, in some cases sites used to grow Christmas trees could be seeing far worse uses environmentally, says Caplat. Areas close to cities, for example, could find alternative uses as parking lots, he says. Kosiba similarly notes that in the rural areas of the northeastern US, where forests are often being lost to sprawling development, Christmas tree farms can give landowners an important diversified income. "It allows people to live in these places, manage and work in their land," she says. In short, if a landowner has an economically viable Christmas tree farm, they're incentivised to keep that land in "that natural, open state", says Finton. "That provides an incentive to keep that land open and not to, for instance, sell land to a situation that might end up in a strip mall or a subdivision or housing development." And then there is the carbon. Like any other tree, Christmas trees capture carbon as they grow. When they are cut down, they will begin to release that carbon. "There's a continuous process of growth and of taking carbon out of the atmosphere, which is a positive thing," says Kazer. However, as all the carbon absorbed by the tree will eventually be returned to the atmosphere as the tree dies, there is no overall removal of carbon, he adds. It’s also worth putting the amount of carbon involved in having a Christmas tree in context. The Carbon Trust estimates that a 2m-tall (6.6ft) Christmas tree burnt after use emits only 3.5kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) – roughly 0.2% of the emissions from a return flight from London to New York. A tree of the same size that ends up in landfill has a carbon footprint of 16kg of CO2e – equivalent to 1% of that return flight, or roughly two hamburgers. How people dispose of their Christmas trees after use is usually the single most important carbon consideration. The worst-case scenario happens when Christmas trees end up in landfill: the anaerobic conditions are conducive to the same carbon being released as methane – a greenhouse gas some 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. Whether or not a tree ends up in landfill has by far the largest impact on its carbon footprint: a tree that ends up in landfill emits some 4-5 times as much carbon as one that doesn’t, according to Carbon Trust figures. Ideally, if a tree is still alive with its roots, it will be replanted. A decent alternative is ensuring the tree's carbon is released slowly back to the atmosphere as CO2 – as happens if the tree is chipped and spread on a garden or park, or composted. If the tree is burned for energy, meanwhile, the carbon it contains will be emitted straight back to the atmosphere as CO2. The BCTGA also recommends checking whether the place you bought the tree from offers recycling services, allowing it to be chipped and returned to the fields where it grew. Whole trees can even be used as habitat restoration tools on riverbanks and along shorelines to prevent erosion. In Vermont, where old Christmas trees are used for everything from biomass burning for energy to goat food, "we're also seeing folks using them in stream restoration," says Kosiba. "They're great at catching dirt and debris, and creating little barriers and pools for fish: a lot of it is mimicking what a beaver would do." Aside from disposal, Christmas trees produce greenhouse gases through the fertilisers used to grow them, which are made using fossil fuels and produce nitrous oxide, another powerful greenhouse gas. Meanwhile, managing and harvesting the forests uses fuel, as does transporting the trees to their final location.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221213-why-christmas-trees-may-be-good-for-the-environment
     
         
      5 key takeaways from Xi’s trip to Saudi Arabia Wed, 14th Dec 2022 6:25:00
     
      Years of progressing ties between oil-wealthy Saudi Arabia and China, an economic giant in the east, this week culminated in a multiple-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Riyadh, where a number of agreements and summits heralded a “new era” of Chinese-Arab partnership. Xi, who landed on Wednesday and departed Friday, was keen to show his Arab counterparts China’s value as the world’s largest oil consumer, and how it can contribute to the region’s growth, including within fields of energy, security and defense. The trip was widely viewed as yet another snub to Washington, which holds grievances toward both states over a number of issues. The United States, which has for more than eight decades prized its strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia, today finds its old partner in search of new friends – particularly with China, which the US worries is expanding its sphere of influence around the world. While Saudi Arabia was keen to reject notions of polarization or “taking sides,” it also showed that with China it can develop deep partnerships without the criticism or “interference” for which it has long resented its Western counterparts. Here are five key takeaways from Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia. 1) Saudi Arabia and China are aligned on most policy During Xi’s visit, Saudi Arabia and China released a nearly 4,000-word joint statement outlining their alignment on a swathe of political issues, and promising deeper cooperation on scores of others. From space research, digital economy and infrastructure to Iran’s nuclear program, the Yemen war and Russia’s war on Ukraine, Riyadh and Beijing were keen to show they are in agreement on most key policies. “There is very much an alignment on key issues,” Saudi author and analyst Ali Shihabi told CNN. “Remember this relationship has been building up dramatically over the last six years so this visit was simply a culmination of that journey.” The two countries also agreed to cooperate on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, to work together on developing modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and innovate the energy sector. “I think what they are doing is saying that on most issues that they consider relevant, or important to themselves domestically and regionally, they see each other as really, really close important partners,” said Jonathan Fulton, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank. “Do they align on every issue? Probably not, but [they are] as close as anybody could be,” he said. 2) They have big plans for security and oil An unwritten agreement between Saudi Arabia and the US has traditionally been an understanding that the kingdom provides oil, whereas the US provides military security and backs the kingdom in its fight against regional foes, namely Iran and its armed proxies. The kingdom has recently been keen to move away from this traditional agreement, saying that diversification is essential to Riyadh’s current vision. During a summit between China and countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, Xi said China wants to build on current GCC-China energy cooperation. The Chinese leader said the republic will continue to “import crude oil in a consistent manner and in large quantities from the GCC, as well as increase its natural gas imports” from the region. China is the world’s biggest buyer of oil, with Saudi Arabia being its top supplier. And on Friday, the Saudi national oil giant Aramco and Shandong Energy Group said they are exploring collaboration on integrated refining and petrochemical opportunities in China, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The statements come amid global shortages of energy, as well as repeated pleas by the West for oil producers to raise output. The kingdom this year already made one of its largest investments in China with Aramco’s $10 billion investment into a refinery and petrochemical complex in China’s northeast. China is also keen to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on security and defense, an important field once reserved for the kingdom’s American ally. Disturbed by what they see as growing threats from Iran and waning US security presence in the region, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors have recently looked eastward when purchasing arms. 3) Non-interference in domestic affairs is a shared and sacred principle One of the most sacred concepts cherished by China is the principle of “non-interference in mutual affairs,” which since the 1950s has been one of the republic’s key ideals. What began as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence between China, India and Myanmar in 1954 was later adopted by a number of countries that did not wish to choose between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Today, Saudi Arabia is keen to adopt the concept into its political rhetoric as it walks a tightrope between its traditional Western allies, the eastern bloc and Russia. Not interfering in one another’s internal affairs presumably means not commenting on domestic policy or criticizing human rights records. One of the key hurdles complicating Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the US and other Western powers was the repeated criticism over domestic and foreign policy. This was most notable over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the Yemen war and the kingdom’s oil policy – which US politicians accused Riyadh of weaponizing to side with Russia in its war on Ukraine. China has had similar resentments toward the West amid international concerns over Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 24 million people that Beijing claims as its territory, as well as human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in China’s western Xinjiang region (which Beijing has denied). The agreed principle of non-interference, says Shihabi, also means that, when needed, internal affairs “can be discussed privately but not postured upon publicly like Western politicians have a habit of doing for domestic political purposes.” 4) They are not abandoning the petrodollar, just yet During his visit, Xi urged his GCC counterparts to “make full use of the Shanghai Petrol and Gas Exchange as a platform to conduct oil and gas sales using Chinese currency.” The move would bring China closer to its goal of internationally strengthening its currency, and would greatly weaken the US dollar and potentially impact the American economy. While many awaited decisions on the rumored shift from the US dollar to the Chinese yuan with regards to oil trading, no announcements were made on that front. Beijing and Riyadh have not confirmed rumors that the two sides are discussing abandoning the petrodollar. Analysts see the decision as a logical development in China and Saudi Arabia’s energy relationship, but say it will probably take more time. “That [abandonment of the petrodollar] is ultimately inevitable since China as the Kingdom’s largest customer has considerable leverage,” said Shihabi, “Although I do not expect it to happen in the near future.” 5) Washington is not happy The US has been fairly quiet in its response to Xi’s visit. While comments were minimal, some speculate that there is heightened anxiety behind closed doors. John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, at the onset of the visit said it was “not a surprise” that Xi is traveling around the world and to the Middle East, and that the US is “mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world.” “This visit may not substantively expand China’s influence but signal the continuing decline of American influence in the region,” Shaojin Chai, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, told CNN. Saudi Arabia was, however, keen to reject notions of polarization, deeming it unhelpful. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed that the kingdom is “focused on cooperation with all parties.” “Competition is a good thing,” he added, “And I think we are in a competitive marketplace.” Part of that drive for competitiveness, he said, comes with “cooperation with as many parties as possible.” The kingdom feels it is important that it is fully engaged with its traditional partner, the US, as well as other rising economies like China, added the foreign minister. “The Americans are probably aware that their messaging has been very ineffective on this issue,” said Fulton, normally “lecturing” partners about working with China “rather than putting together a coherent strategy working with its allies and partners.” “There seems to be a big disconnect between how a lot of countries see China and how the US does. And to Washington’s credit, I think they are starting to realize that.”
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/10/middleeast/xi-china-saudi-arabia-visit-five-takeaways-mime-intl/index.html
     
         
      US winter storm brings blizzards, tornadoes and flood threats Wed, 14th Dec 2022 5:41:00
     
      A powerful storm has spawned tornadoes in the southern US and brought heavy snowfall and other extreme weather across the US and parts of Canada. The storm has injured several people in Texas and damaged buildings. Around 9,000 US flights were delayed on Monday and Tuesday as the storm churned across the country, according to FlightAware.com. The weather has also closed down roads in some western states that are expecting up to 2ft (60cm) of snow. The storm could affect residents in nearly every state in the contiguous US, experts said. "It's a fairly vigorous storm system," said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. "This one is a little larger than your average winter storm." "Folks should stay home during the day [on Tuesday] if they live up north," he added. The worst of the weather began on Monday night and was expected to continue into Wednesday, hitting the central and northern High Plains, a region of the US that includes eastern Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska, Mr Otto said. These states are expected to see gusty winds over 40mph (64km/h) and heavy snowfall. More than 20 million people were under severe weather advisories in the US on Tuesday. Blizzard warnings from the National Weather Service were also in effect for all of those states, as well as Colorado. Those are triggered by winds of at least 35mph accompanied by heavy snowfall. Heavy snowfall combined with strong wind gusts will create low visibility and "treacherous" travel conditions, Mr Otto said. It is expected that some parts of the region could get one to two inches of snow per hour. The storm has also spilled into Canada, with heavy snow and high winds hitting the country's southern Prairie region, including the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Upper Midwestern states are also expected to get a quarter to half an inch of freezing rain on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the lower Mississippi Valley faces the possibility of severe thunderstorms, hail and flash floods, according to the National Weather Service. Texas, in the south, was hit by a series of storms that spawned multiple tornadoes in the northern part of the state, including one in Wise County, near Dallas, that damaged homes and businesses, according to local authorities. At least seven people in Texas were injured by the severe weather, according to local government officials. A twister hit Wayne, Oklahoma, on Tuesday morning reducing at least one family home to rubble, but leaving residents unscathed, according to local media. The extreme weather is expected to linger through much of this week, experts said, as it pushes eastward into the central Plains by Thursday. The storm system began to hit the US last Friday, bringing powerful winds to California. The Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California reported 5ft of snow in some areas over the weekend, forcing some highways to close and triggering avalanche warnings in the area through Monday night.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63952802
     
         
      Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy announced Tue, 13th Dec 2022 19:39:00
     
      A major breakthrough has been announced by US scientists in the race to recreate nuclear fusion. Physicists have pursued the technology for decades as it promises a potential source of near-limitless clean energy. On Tuesday researchers confirmed they have overcome a major barrier - producing more energy from a fusion experiment than was put in. But experts say there is still some way to go before fusion powers homes. How does nuclear fusion work? The experiment took place at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. LLNL director Dr Kim Budil said: "This is a historic achievement… over the past 60 years thousands of people have contributed to this endeavour and it took real vision to get us here." Nuclear fusion is described as the "holy grail" of energy production. It is the process that powers the Sun and other stars. It works by taking pairs of light atoms and forcing them together - this "fusion" releases a lot of energy. It is the opposite of nuclear fission, where heavy atoms are split apart. Fission is the technology currently used in nuclear power stations, but the process also produces a lot of waste that continues to give out radiation for a long time. It can be dangerous and must be stored safely. Nuclear fusion produces far more energy, and only small amounts of short-lived radioactive waste. And importantly, the process produces no greenhouse gas emissions and therefore does not contribute to climate change. But one of the challenges is that forcing and keeping the elements together in fusion requires very high temperatures and pressures. Until now, no experiment has managed to produce more energy than the amount put in to make it work. How close is a fusion-powered future? The amount of energy they've generated in this experiment is tiny - just enough to boil a few kettles. But what it represents is huge. The promise of a fusion-powered future is one step closer. But there's still a long way to go before this becomes a reality. This experiment shows that the science works. Before scientists can even think about scaling it up, it needs to be repeated, perfected, and the amount of energy it generates will have to be significantly boosted. This experiment has cost billions of dollars - fusion does not come cheap. But the promise of a source of clean energy will certainly be a big incentive for overcoming these challenges. Presentational grey line The National Ignition Facility in California is a $3.5bn (£2.85bn) experiment. It puts a tiny amount of hydrogen into a capsule the size of a peppercorn. Then a powerful 192-beam laser is used to heat and compress the hydrogen fuel. The laser is so strong it can heat the capsule to 100 million degrees Celsius - hotter than the centre of the Sun, and compress it to more than 100 billion times that of Earth's atmosphere. Under these forces the capsule begins to implode on itself, forcing the hydrogen atoms to fuse and release energy. On announcing the breakthrough Dr Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs at the US National Nuclear Security Administration, said that the laboratory's lasers had input 2.05 megajoules (MJ) of energy to the target, which had then produced 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output. Dr Melanie Windridge, CEO of Fusion Energy Insights, told the BBC: "Fusion has been exciting scientists since they first figured out what was causing the Sun to shine. These results today really put us on the path to the commercialisation of the technology." Jeremy Chittenden, professor of plasma physics and co-director of the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London, called it "a true breakthrough moment". "It proves that the long sought-after goal, the 'holy grail' of fusion, can indeed be achieved," he said. This has been the sentiment echoed by physicists globally, who praised the work of the international science community. Prof Gianluca Gregori, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, said: "Today's success rests upon the work done by many scientists in the US, UK and around the world. With ignition now achieved, not only fusion energy is unlocked, but also a door is opening to new science." On the question of how long before we could see fusion being used in power stations, Dr Budil, the LLNL director, said there were still significant hurdles but that: "with concerted efforts and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us in a position to build a power plant". This is progress from when scientists used to say 50-60 years in answer to that question. One of the main hurdles is getting costs down and scaling up the energy output. The experiment was only able to produce enough energy to boil about 15-20 kettles and required billions of dollars of investment. And although the experiment got more energy out than the laser put in, this did not include the energy needed to make the lasers work - which was far greater than the amount of energy the hydrogen produced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63950962
     
         
      Protecting the East Coast from fracking wastewater Tue, 13th Dec 2022 18:38:00
     
      A panel of regulators voted recently to prohibit wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, from being discharged into the lands and water of the Delaware River Basin, an important watershed and source of drinking water for more than 13 million people on the East Coast. The 4-0 decision from the Delaware River Basin Commission — composed of representatives from the four states that share the basin, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania — is intended to protect public health and keep the basin’s ecosystems safe from pollution. A fifth member of the commission representing the federal government abstained from the vote. Roughly 330 miles long, the Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi River. In addition to providing critical habitat for horseshoe crabs, bald eagles, trout, and other wildlife, it’s also a major source of drinking water for Philadelphia and New York City, as well as many other communities across the mid-Atlantic. The Delaware River Basin Commission banned hydraulic fracturing throughout the watershed in February 2021 over concerns that the process — which uses pressurized water and chemicals to force oil and gas out of the ground — would pose a hazard to people and aquatic life. The new rule places more restrictions on fracking operations outside the watershed’s boundaries, preventing companies from using the basin as a wastewater dumping ground. A study published earlier this year found an array of hazardous substances in fracking wastewater, including heavy metals, pesticides, and cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the nonprofit Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said the new rule would help limit fracking-related pollution but argued that it didn’t go far enough. The Delaware River Basin Commission left in place “loopholes that will be highly dangerous to our communities and ecosystems,” she told me. Companies will still be able to bring fracking wastewater into the basin for treatment, storage, processing, and reuse, which Carluccio said could result in chemical spills or toxic air pollution, the latter of which isn’t regulated by the commission. Carluccio said her coalition will continue to fight for “full protection” from fracking by trying to close those loopholes. To prevent the basin’s resources from being used up, she also urged regulators to prohibit fracking companies that operate outside the region from withdrawing the Delaware River’s water for their operations.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/protecting-the-east-coast-from-fracking-wastewater/
     
         
      The carbon-free energy of the future: this fusion breakthrough changes everything Tue, 13th Dec 2022 16:10:00
     
      In a moment scientists have dreamed of for 50 years, a single reaction has proved that star power can be harnessed here on Earth This is a moment that scientists have dreamed of for well over half a century. The US’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) has smashed the longest-standing goal in the quest for carbon-free energy from fusion, the nuclear process that powers stars. Researchers from NIF used the world’s most energetic laser to fire 2.05 megajoules (MJ) of energy into a millimetre-sized capsule of hydrogen fuel. Reaching temperatures many times those found in the sun’s core and pressures 300bn times those normally experienced on Earth, a wave of nuclear reactions ripped through the fusion fuel, releasing 3.15 MJ of fusion energy – 1.1 MJ more than was put in – over a few tens of nanoseconds. Now this is not exciting because of the absolute energy released — that was small, only enough to boil two or three kettles. And it’s not even exciting because of any new physics: fusion experts have long argued that you just need a hammer of a certain size to make the thing “go”, and NIF has obliged by upping the input laser energy considerably. (That said, the physical precision behind this machine is astonishing: as little as a 0.1% error in the timing of the laser energy can degrade the conditions needed for fusion by as much as 50%.) No, this is exciting because it’s the first scientific proof that fusion can produce more energy out than is put in, also known as “net energy gain”. If the numbers check out, the experiment generated 54% more energy than was put into it. Releasing energy through fusion reactions isn’t unusual in the wider universe: the sun produces 4bn kilograms’ worth of pure energy from fusion reactions every single second. But, despite decades of hopes pinned on fusion as a clean and plentiful energy source on Earth, no one has ever shown it can release more energy than is needed to set it off – pretty fundamental for a power source. That is, until now. What does it all mean? As ice and snow grip the UK, I hardly need say why energy is a good thing. It makes our lives better in a million and one ways. As a planet, we need a lot more of it. Nuclear fission and renewables are absolutely part of that story, but if the technology can be perfected, fusion offers carbon-free energy for everyone on the planet for thousands, probably millions, of years. It doesn’t create long-lived radioactive waste, and there’s no chance of meltdowns such as those at Chornobyl and Fukushima. Fusion would complement renewables by providing baseload energy, rain or shine, while taking up little precious land. So the prize is big – which is why scientists and engineers have stuck with it for decades. This nuclear breakthrough is, in many ways, what every fusion scientist has been waiting for. Before this, they couldn’t even claim the scientific principle was empirical fact. That made it hard to build momentum behind turning fusion into a power source. Now, they can say “it works!”. Producing star power on Earth is no longer a dream. Of course, that doesn’t mean fusion power that we can use is a reality yet. This is a single result on a single experiment. A commercially viable plant would need to produce 30 times energy out for energy in (30x), rather than the 1.54x seen in this experiment. Even with that magnitude of energy release, there would be engineering and economic challenges to overcome, such as firing the laser 10 times a second, rather than once a day. Gigantic lasers may not even be the best route to economical fusion power: promising alternative approaches are being explored that use magnetic fields to trap the 150mC fuel. And when fusion pessimists say NIF hasn’t produced more energy than it took to charge the laser batteries, they’re right – but this facility was only ever meant to demonstrate scientific feasibility; no government would fund a prototype power plant without hitting this milestone first, and there’s still a long road between this experimental result and a power plant. So this stunning achievement may not appear to bring us much closer to fusion power being available on the grid … at least, not directly. Indirectly, psychologically, the effect is akin to a trumpet to the ear: we now know fusion for energy is possible. Knowledge that fusion can work changes everything, including how willing everyone from governments to entrepreneurs will be to invest. With more resources, higher gains in energy can be pursued, and a virtuous cycle of development is now likely to be set in motion. Nature has seen fit to make the science of nuclear fusion such that it can produce energy. Whether we now turn that fusion energy into a power source – well, that’s down to us.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/13/carbon-free-energy-fusion-reaction-scientists
     
         
      UK ministers float plan for ‘hydrogen-ready’ domestic boilers from 2026 Tue, 13th Dec 2022 15:57:00
     
      BEIS says strategy will reduce replacement costs but cautions there is no guarantee homes will ultimately run on the gas Ministers are considering requiring that all new domestic boilers be “hydrogen-ready” from 2026, as they announced £100m for nuclear and hydrogen projects. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a consultation on improving boiler standards, and has argued there is a strong case for introducing hydrogen-ready boilers in the UK from 2026. The government is examining options to replace polluting fossil fuel gas in Britain’s energy system and has offered grants for households to install heat pumps. A ban on gas boilers in new homes comes into force in 2025, although uncertainty remains over the timeframe for the phase-out of fossil gas in existing homes. Hydrogen-ready boilers are initially installed to burn fossil gas but then can be easily converted to operate on hydrogen by an engineer. The consultation document argues that the strategy will reduce “the costs associated with scrapping natural gas-only boilers before the end of their useful life”. “Mandating hydrogen-ready boilers will give industry the confidence to prepare supply chains to ensure the benefits of the potential transition are maximised,” officials said. However, they cautioned that there is no guarantee that boilers will ultimately be converted to run on hydrogen. While hydrogen is expected to play a significant role in the decarbonisation of heavy industry and the transport network, opinion is split on the practicality of using it in Britain’s gas network and the resulting cost to households. Plans for a pilot to examine the effectiveness of using hydrogen have met local opposition in Whitby, outside Ellesmere Port, where residents have expressed concerns over becoming “lab rats”. The consultation, which closes in late March, will also examine the cost of hydrogen-ready boilers. “The government needs confidence that consumers will not face a premium for their purchase,” it said. Separately on Tuesday, the government announced £77m of funding to aid nuclear fuel production and develop nuclear reactors, and £25m for technologies that can produce hydrogen from sustainable biomass and waste, while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Late last month, the government committed £700m to the Sizewell C nuclear power station project in Suffolk. A search for further investors into the development, which is led by France’s EDF, is ongoing. The funding includes up to £60m for the next phase of research into high temperature gas reactors, with a target of using them by the early 2030s. The energy and climate minister, Graham Stuart, said: “This funding package will strengthen our energy security, by ensuring we have a safe and secure supply of domestic nuclear fuel services, while also creating more UK jobs and export opportunities.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/13/uk-ministers-floats-plan-for-hydrogen-ready-domestic-boilers-from-2026
     
         
      Cumbria coalmine digs a hole for Britain’s climate policy Mon, 12th Dec 2022 16:52:00
     
      Michael Gove’s decision to approve a new mine is greeted with anger and frustration by Steven Schofield, Keith Fitton, Dr Chris Haughton, Gary Nethercott and Liz Fairhurst The fact that a new coalmine will be the source of massive carbon emissions in a region that has experienced some of the worst floods in living memory, attributable to global heating, is a terrible indictment of generational policy failures (UK’s first new coalmine for 30 years gets go-ahead in Cumbria, 7 December). Cumbria should have been the centre of a vibrant renewable energy sector, recognising the historical decline of both nuclear and coal. Instead, local working people are turned into economic conscripts for a dead industry. The main trade unions should issue a joint statement condemning this decision and calling for a green new deal that provides skilled work in the post-carbon economy for all regions that have been the victims of the “levelling flat” agenda. Steven Schofield Bradford Your article (‘We need the jobs’: Cumbrians divided over new coalmine, 7 December) states that “support for the mine in Whitehaven comes from politicians of every party locally”. This is untrue. Allerdale and Copeland Green party has consistently and vigorously opposed the mine since this unholy idea was first mooted – through writing letters, making representations, gathering expert witness, providing evidence to the planning inquiry, attending rallies and talking to other people living in the area. It is a pity that this activity has not registered sufficiently to be worthy of mention. We look to the Guardian to uphold our struggle in this matter as the bleakest of futures beckons ever closer. Keith Fitton Chair and coordinator, Allerdale and Copeland Green party Caroline Lucas reflects our shock and indignation well (Have no doubt: opening a coalmine in Cumbria is a climate crime against humanity, 7 December), but misses the main point. It’s a clumsy political trap set by another sunset organisation, the Tory party. The coal will in all probability never be dug, so if the incoming Labour government formally cancels the project, the Tories will be able to accuse them of being job destroyers. If they don’t, the Tories will do a volte-face and label the Labour party as climate busters. Neat. There have been some other similar cases (in health and transport) over the past few weeks. As the Tories retreat in disgrace and ignominy, will the Guardian begin a log of these not-so-subtle landmines being sown? Dr Chris Haughton Preesall, Lancashire Interesting that the “levelling down” secretary, Michael Gove, should claim that the opening of the first coalmine in the UK for 30 years would carbon neutral. This is the same person who stated that Brexit would bring £350m per week to the NHS. I look forward to him solving the housebuilding crisis with his special pixie dust and food bank shortages with five loaves and two fishes. Gary Nethercott Woodbridge, Suffolk When the Somerset Levels are underwater in future years, at least my descendants will be able to go boating on the Sea of Gove. A number of wind turbines could be sited there as, being offshore, they will not be blighting the landscape. I suggest a statue of the sea’s creator on the nearest bit of dry land for people to deface.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/12/coalmine-plans-throw-britains-climate-aspirations-down-a-black-hole
     
         
      Breakthrough in nuclear fusion could mean ‘near-limitless energy’ Mon, 12th Dec 2022 15:59:00
     
      Researchers managed to release more energy than they put in: a positive gain known as ignition Researchers have reportedly made a breakthrough in the quest to unlock a “near-limitless, safe, clean” source of energy: they have got more energy out of a nuclear fusion reaction than they put in. Nuclear fusion involves smashing together light elements such as hydrogen to form heavier elements, releasing a huge burst of energy in the process. The approach, which gives rise to the heat and light of the sun and other stars, has been hailed as having huge potential as a sustainable, low-carbon energy source. However, since nuclear fusion research began in the 1950s, researchers have been unable to a demonstrate a positive energy gain, a condition known as ignition. That was, it seems, until now. According to a report in the Financial Times, which has yet to be confirmed by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California that is behind the work, researchers have managed to release 2.5 MJ of energy after using just 2.1 MJ to heat the fuel with lasers. Dr Robbie Scott, of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Central Laser Facility (CLF) Plasma Physics Group, who contributed to this research, described the results as a “momentous achievement”. “Fusion has the potential to provide a near-limitless, safe, clean, source of carbon-free baseload energy,” he said. “This seminal result from the National Ignition Facility is the first laboratory demonstration of fusion ‘energy-gain’ – where more fusion energy is output than input by the laser beams. The scale of the breakthrough for laser fusion research cannot be overstated. “The experiment demonstrates unambiguously that the physics of Laser Fusion works,” he added. “In order to transform NIF’s result into power production a lot of work remains, but this is a key step along the path.” Prof Jeremy Chittenden, professor of plasma physics at Imperial College London, agreed. “If what has been reported is true and more energy has been released than was used to produce the plasma, that is a true breakthrough moment which is tremendously exciting,” he said. “It proves that the long sought-after goal, the ‘holy grail’ of fusion, can indeed be achieved.” But experts have stressed that while the results would be an important proof of principle, the technology is a long way from being a mainstay of the energy landscape. To start with, 0.4MJ is about 0.1kWh – about enough energy to boil a kettle. “To turn fusion into a power source we’ll need to boost the energy gain still further,” said Chittenden. “We’ll also need to find a way to reproduce the same effect much more frequently and much more cheaply before we can realistically turn this into a power plant.” Prof Justin Wark, professor of physics at the University of Oxford, added that while, in principle, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory could produce such a result about once a day, a fusion power plant would need to do it 10 times a second.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/12/breakthrough-in-nuclear-fusion-could-mean-near-limitless-energy
     
         
      Renewable energy jobs growing four times faster than rest of UK market Mon, 12th Dec 2022 8:02:00
     
      Data shows 2.2% of all new UK jobs are classified as ‘green’ – but one-third are in London and south-east The number of jobs being created in the renewable energy industry is growing four times faster than the overall UK employment market, it has emerged. Data shows that 2.2% of all new UK jobs have been classified as “green”, although concerns are rising over London’s dominance in the sector. The number of green jobs advertised has almost trebled in the last year, equating to 336,000 roles, according to the second edition of consultancy PwC’s annual green jobs barometer. However, more than one-third of these roles are based in London and the south-east, particularly in professional and scientific roles. Scotland, which dominates the UK’s onshore and offshore wind market, has the highest proportion of green jobs, at 3.3%, up from 1.7% last year. In England, where a moratorium on new onshore wind projects in England is nearing an end, London recorded the second strongest increase in green jobs as a proportion of its job market. PwC said that, by volume of jobs, London and the south-east were “pulling away from the rest of the country”. In Wales, where progress is being made in developing solar and tidal power, there was a 150% increase in the number of green jobs advertised, with strong demand for green roles in manufacturing, construction and professional services. Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as Northern Ireland, slipped down the rankings with each having a green jobs proportion of 1.9% – though both have improved from 1.2% last year. In every region of the UK, green jobs accounted for a greater share of the job market than in previous years, and the number of green jobs more than doubled in the year to June 2022. Carl Sizer, PwC UK’s head of regions, said: “While Wales and Scotland are among the top performers, it’s striking that one in five new green roles are based in the capital. “If growth continues on this trajectory, the compounding effect means the green economy will increase London’s dominance over other cities and regions. If we want to meet our net zero ambitions while driving growth, then the green economy needs to be nationwide.” Industry executives have expressed concerns that, although the case for renewables has been underlined by high prices and energy security worries since the invasion of Ukraine, developers face significant hurdles in getting projects off the ground. The government has faced criticism for not moving quickly enough on green energy and helping to create jobs in the sector. Labour has vowed to create thousands of jobs in renewable energy and launch a publicly owned energy company. In May, the government said its newly formed Green Jobs Delivery Group would aim to support the delivery of “up to 480,000 skilled green jobs” by 2030. By that point ministers hope 95% of electricity will be low carbon and £100bn of private investment can be unlocked. Graham Stuart, the energy and climate minister, said: “Today’s report shows how public and private investment in new renewables and tackling climate change is creating growth and job opportunities across the country. “These new green jobs are part of a growing industry which will be crucial for the future net zero economy, but we need to make sure all parts of the country benefit, as we continue to level up opportunities.” Ed Miliband, the shadow climate change secretary, said: “This report is further proof that Britain’s best days can lie ahead of us, if only we grasp the enormous opportunities for jobs and wealth that the green transition can bring. “But in the way that green jobs are being created, it is also a warning that the government is not taking the action to ensure that all regions benefit. “The truth is that we have a government that isn’t stepping up to shape and accelerate the green transition so we create good jobs in every corner of Britain.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/12/renewable-energy-growing-four-times-faster-than-rest-of-uk-job-market
     
         
      New Cumbria coalmine: backlash grows as steel industry plays down demand Sun, 11th Dec 2022 7:03:00
     
      ‘Red wall credentials’ suspected at Westminster as real reason for approval by Michael Gove Senior steel industry figures have rejected claims that their demand for coal has driven the government’s divisive decision to sanction the first new UK coalmine for 30 years. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove’s decision to approve the mine at Whitehaven in Cumbria last week has already faced a backlash in the UK and beyond, with John Kerry, Joe Biden’s special envoy for climate, warning he was closely examining the decision. Government officials have insisted that the coal produced by the mine will be used to make steel, while other supporters have said that the steel industry will need a source of coal that is produced domestically. Mark Jenkinson, a local Tory MP backing the project, said there was “no way of making new steel without it”. He added: “Steel underpins every single renewable technology that we need to employ to hit our net zero target. There is no sense in importing all of our coking coal, which would be an abdication of our climate commitments.” However, industry experts insisted that demand for the coal from UK and European steel makers was a myth that had been repeated for years. “The UK steel industry has been clear that the coal from the West Cumbria mine has limited potential due to its high sulphur levels,” said Chris McDonald, chief executive of the Materials Processing Institute, which serves as the UK’s national centre for steel research. “This, combined with the industry’s drive to decarbonise, means that by the time the mine opens, only one of the UK’s current four blast furnaces is likely to be able to use this coal, meaning that more than 90% of production will be exported. The situation is the same in Europe with even tighter sulphur controls and a faster drive to green steel, meaning that some companies will have moved away from coal completely by the mid 2030s.” Industry insiders also pointed out that even on the day that the mine was given the green light, one European steelmaker announced plans to move away from steel produced using coking coal. German steelmaker Salzgitter announced plans to be selling green steel by 2025 and be fully zero carbon by 2033. In its report submitted to ministers, the Planning Inspectorate claimed the mine would have “an overall neutral effect on climate change”. It said the amount of coal used in steel making would be “broadly the same with or without” it. However, legal challenges to the decision are being drawn up, with campaigners believing that it contradicts the government’s own climate commitments. Opponents also questioned the idea that demand for steel justified the mine. “The idea that this mine is necessary is a myth,” said Tony Bosworth from Friends of the Earth. “With European steel makers already moving towards greener production and UK steel makers planning to do the same, the market for this coal is declining before the mine has even been opened. “If the government wants to support a modern UK steel industry it should help it be competitive by going green, not champion a climate-wrecking coal mine the industry neither wants nor needs.” In Westminster, there are suspicions among both Labour and Tory critics that the decision has been driven purely by the promised jobs the project will bring to the area and boost the government’s “red wall” credentials. The mine will produce an estimated 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, increasing the UK’s emissions by the equivalent of putting 200,000 cars on the road. Before the decision was made, Alok Sharma, whose presidency of Cop26 ended last month, told the Observer he remained opposed to the project. “Over the past three years the UK has sought to persuade other nations to consign coal to history, because we are fighting to limit global warming to 1.5C and coal is the most polluting energy source,” Sharma said. “A decision to open a new coalmine would send completely the wrong message and be an own goal. This proposed new mine will have no impact on reducing energy bills or ensuring our energy security.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/11/new-cumbria-coalmine-backlash-grows-as-steel-industry-plays-down-demand
     
         
      Coldest night of 2022 as Scots struggle with energy bills Sat, 10th Dec 2022 14:18:00
     
      Temperatures have sunk to the lowest level of the year in Scotland as many cut back on spending to stay warm. Forecasters recorded -9.2C at Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway on Friday night. Snow and ice weather warnings have been extended to most parts of the country this weekend. It comes as almost half of households in Scotland have had to cut back spending due to rising energy bills, according to a charity. Citizens Advice Scotland analysed polling data from YouGov, in which 1,002 adults were questioned. It suggested 9% - equivalent to 198,854 people - have reduced spending on hobbies and leisure activities for their children, such as after-school clubs, parties and school trips. CAS chief executive Derek Mitchell called the findings "heartbreaking", adding: "That is a horrible situation for any parent to be in, and we would encourage anyone worried about energy bills and the cost of living to seek advice from the CAB network." The charity National Energy Action has also warned that millions around the UK will struggle to stay warm. Weather warning A Met Office yellow weather warning in northern Scotland has been extended until noon on Sunday. An alert across central and southern areas took effect on Saturday morning. Meanwhile a further warning for ice and snow affecting coastal areas in the north and west as well as Orkney and Shetland will take effect from 12:00 on Sunday until 12:00 on Monday. BBC Scotland Weather reporter Kirsteen Macdonald said the cold spell was expected to last for 10 days, making it the coldest December in over a decade. She said: "Tomorrow night is looking even colder with the mercury set to dip to -10C to -12C. "Cold weather isn't at all unusual for the time of year, but, given that we experienced a record-breaking mild November, this continued cold spell may come as a shock to people, at a time of great worry regarding energy bills and the cost of living crisis." Motorists have been urged to drive with care as Arctic air brings treacherous conditions. Forecasters said up to 5cm of snow is possible at lower levels, with up to 15cm in areas above 200m - especially across the North Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire. Travel warning as snow hits north east of Scotland 'Arctic blast' to bring Scotland snow and ice Heavy snow has already caused traffic disruption across the north east, with reports of vehicles becoming stuck on some routes. Traffic Scotland said snow gates were closed on the A939 at Cock Bridge and the B974 at Cairn O'Mount in Aberdeenshire. Aberdeenshire Council urged people to plan ahead if they are travelling over the weekend. Police in Dumfries and Galloway also warned drivers to be braced for the freezing temperatures. Network Rail said a normal train service was planned, but with cold temperatures expected into next week, a meeting would be held to assess the forecast in detail. BBC Scotland weather presenter, Joy Dunlop, said that while there will be treacherous conditions in the warning areas, it will be a dry and sunny winter weekend for many. She said: "Despite the sunshine, it's going to feel cold, with a very cold night ahead - especially on Sunday, when we could see lows of -10C or even lower. "This cold feel with remain into next week, with snow showers developing more widely by the end of the week." The charity National Energy Action has said millions of people will struggle in the cold. It said people faced a "vicious choice" between a cold home and falling into debt. Chief executive Adam Scorer said: "Millions will have been dreading the onset of winter. "Impossibly high prices and now cold weather will leave millions struggling to stay warm and safe at home." Meanwhile, families are being urged to keep their pets away from frozen water due to the risk of falling through ice. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) teamed up with Park Rangers from Pentland Hills Regional Park to highlight the dangers. Jonathan Honeyman, a fire investigation officer, said: "While ice can look and feel solid, it can suddenly crack and cause a person or a dog to fall through and potentially become trapped under the ice." He said pets should be kept on leads and owners should avoid throwing objects onto the ice for them to retrieve. Mr Honeyman added: "If anyone does get into difficulty on the ice, do not attempt to rescue them."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63917667
     
         
      Blinded by the light: how skyglow pollution is separating us from the stars Sat, 10th Dec 2022 14:08:00
     
      Light infrastructure has expanded alongside population growth but it’s not only star gazing in jeopardy – cultures, wildlife, science and human health are all threatened On a clear dark Queensland night in 1997, Brendan Downs was staring up into the cosmos alongside a band of other amateur astronomers. He trained his telescope on a galaxy called NGC 6769, floating more than 169m light years away, and took a picture. “I had a reference image that I had in a book at the time, and I visually compared the object on the screen to the object in the book,” he says. “I counted the number of stars I was looking at.” One, two, three, four, five … One, two, three, four, five, six … “I should be able to count easily,” he says. “My heart rate goes up. I went to a couple of friends and, very quickly, everyone could see there was an extra star in the image I took.” He had captured the explosion of a star, a supernova. The discovery – shared with a New Zealand astronomer who photographed the same blast of light that night – was registered with the International Astronomical Union under the name 1997de. Downs went on to discover a second supernova, 2010dc, in his back yard Thunderchild Observatory in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, and has helped to confirm countless others. In back yard observatories around the world, amateur astronomers’ discoveries are contributing valuable data to scientists. When researching the origins of the universe, Brian Schmidt’s team of scientists, who later went on to win a Nobel prize, often called on a group of astronomers Downs was involved with to capture objects of interest. Yet one threat to astronomy is slowly curtaining the view beyond our atmosphere. It’s all over the world, it’s in your street and it glows from every bulb: light pollution. It’s not only star gazing that’s in jeopardy. Culture, wildlife and other scientific advancements are being threatened by mass light infrastructure that is costing cities billions of dollars a year as it expands alongside exponential population growth. Some researchers call light pollution cultural genocide. Generations of complex knowledge systems, built by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders upon a once-clear view of the Milky Way, are being lost. In the natural world, the mountain pygmy possum, a marsupial native to Australia, is critically endangered. Its main food source, the bogong moth, is being affected by artificial outdoor lighting messing with its migration patterns. Sea turtles are exhibiting erratic nesting and migration behaviours due to lights blasting from new coastal developments. So how bright does our future look under a blanket of light? “If you go to Mount Coot-tha, basically the highest point in Brisbane, every streetlight you can see from up there is a waste of energy,” Downs says. “Why is light going up and being wasted into the atmosphere? There’s no need for it.” Skyglow Around the world, one in three people can’t see the Milky Way at night because their skies are excessively illuminated. Four in five people live in towns and cities that emit enough light to limit their view of the stars. In Europe, that figure soars to 99%. Blame skyglow – the unnecessary illumination of the sky above, and surrounding, an urban area. It’s easy to see it if you travel an hour from a city, turn around, then look back towards its centre.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/11/blinded-by-the-light-how-skyglow-pollution-is-separating-us-from-the-stars
     
         
      Government to weaken water pollution goals in ‘attack on nature’ Fri, 9th Dec 2022 14:15:00
     
      Water pollution goals are to be weakened by the government next week, the Guardian can reveal, as Environment Act targets will give farmers three extra years to reduce their waste dumping into waterways. River campaigners have said the news is proof the government has not dropped its “attack on nature”. Thérèse Coffey has been scrambling to release the legally binding targets mandated by the 2021 Environment Act, which gave the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) until October 2022 to set ambitious goals on air and water pollution as well as biodiversity. In the act, the government gave itself a legally binding deadline of 31 October 2022 to provide “ambitious” targets on protecting air, water and biodiversity. The environment secretary is preparing to announce the targets at the end of next week, but the ambition for river pollution is set to be weakened. Despite demands from water campaigners, there will be no overall target for river health. It was also originally proposed that the agriculture sector would have to reduce pollution into waterways by 40% by 2037. This goal, according to leaked plans seen by the Guardian, has been pushed back to 2040. Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesperson, said: “This is a scandal. Children are getting ill swimming in their local rivers whilst otters and fish live in filth, all because the government keeps kicking the can down the road. Conservative MPs refused to ban sewage discharges last year when there was a vote in parliament but surely now they have to grow some backbone by rebelling against this. “Any watering down of these targets would be a betrayal to the public and environment. Ministers just don’t get it. In my mind, not setting targets for river health during a sewage crisis could be a resignation offence. I hope the environment secretary thinks twice about this” James Wallace, the chief executive of campaign group River Action, said: “Agriculture is the biggest polluter of our rivers. We had hoped the new secretary of state, Thérèse Coffey, would end the attack on nature unleashed by her predecessor. Instead, her first move is to extend the deadline for unabated agricultural pollution to 18 years, further demonstrating this government doesn’t care about the water and nature emergency. Surely the politically salient strategy would be to boost investment in the environmental regulators and toughen industry targets for cleaning up our rivers.” These targets have caused a headache for the new secretary of state. Dame Glenys Stacey, the chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), previously told Coffey that the possibility of taking formal enforcement action against the government over multiple missed targets was being kept under active review. The OEP can launch an investigation and take legal action if it deems it necessary. Environmental charities including the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust have also filed a complaint to the OEP and Defra over the failure to come up with new legally binding targets for air quality, water health, nature and waste management by the deadline. The government has caused widespread anger with its failure to tackle sewage and agricultural pollution, after cutbacks to farm inspection and an approach to polluting water companies described by critics as soft. Ministers were also forced into a U-turn on sewage pollution after initially whipping MPs to vote against a law to stop water companies dumping sewage. They then brought forward their own amendment that promised action on the sewage scandal. The shadow environment secretary, Jim McMahon, said: “Only two months into the job, Thérèse Coffey has already broken her own government’s legal deadline to publish environment targets, told parliament that meeting sewage polluters isn’t a priority and now it appears she’s watering down and delaying action on tackling water pollution. “Coffey’s first spell as a Defra minister was a monumental sewage spillage. It’s clear that Dr Dolittle is back to finish the job of polluting our environment. Labour has a plan to clean up the Tory sewage scandal. We will introduce mandatory monitoring with automatic fines, hold water bosses personally accountable for sewage pollution and give regulators the power to properly enforce the rules.” A Defra spokesperson said nothing would be confirmed until the targets were published.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/09/government-to-weaken-water-pollution-goals-river-health
     
         
      Violet Coco: Climate activist's jailing ignites row in Australia Fri, 9th Dec 2022 12:47:00
     
      For 28 minutes in April, Deanna "Violet" Coco blocked a single lane of rush hour traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, calling for greater action on climate change. Those 28 minutes would cost her a 15-month jail sentence. Last week - in a move that has drawn international criticism - an Australian judge sent Coco to prison after she pleaded guilty to breaching traffic laws, lighting a flare and disobeying police orders to move on. The climate activist had made an "entire city suffer" with her "selfish emotional actions", Magistrate Allison Hawkins said. "You do damage to your cause when you do childish stunts like this." Coco will be eligible for parole in eight months, but her lawyer plans to challenge the sentence, which he says is "extraordinarily harsh" and "baseless". "There are five lanes on that bridge. She blocked one, and not for very long," Mark Davis told the BBC. Her co-accused avoided jail, he pointed out. "This is almost without precedent." Which 'way of life'? The outcome of the case quickly sparked uproar. Small protests were held across Australia, and the sentence was condemned by human rights groups and some politicians. Human Rights Watch researcher Sophie McNeill said the case sends a terrible message to the globe. "We're always calling on these authoritarian governments to treat peaceful protesters respectfully and to not jail them… [but] a country like Australia - who should be leading on human rights in the region, as a democracy - is also jailing peaceful activists," she said. The UN's special rapporteur on peaceful assembly Clément Voule said he was "alarmed" by Coco's sentence. "Peaceful protesters should never be criminalised or imprisoned," he said. Others disagree. There's been much debate in Australia about whether activists - peaceful or otherwise - should have the right to disrupt businesses or the lives of ordinary people. The New South Wales (NSW) state government has said it is "on the side of climate change action" but could not allow "a handful of anarchist protesters" to "bring this city to a halt". Premier Dominic Perrottet lauded the decision to jail Coco, saying this week: "If protesters want to put our way of life at risk, then they should have the book thrown at them." A political opponent, David Shoebridge, countered: "Wait till the premier hears about how badly climate change will put our way of life at risk." But Coco's own uncle Alister Henskens - a minister in the state government - also welcomed the decision, saying "nobody is above the law". And social media was filled with similar comments on both sides. In a video posted online, Coco said she didn't want to be protesting like this, but the climate emergency required "getting in people's way". "Obviously, it's not comfortable and it's not fun, but I recognise that it is necessary because lives are at stake," she said. Trend of tightening laws But some argue the real issue with Coco's case is that it underscores a broader crackdown on protests nationwide. She is among the first to be sentenced under new state laws which introduced harsher penalties for protests on critical infrastructure - like roads, rail lines, tunnels and bridges. Earlier this year, Victoria and Tasmania also introduced laws increasing jail sentences and fines for some kinds of obstructive protests. The pandemic era has seen many flashpoints of controversy. Hundreds of people were arrested - some for violent offences - while protesting against Australia's strict lockdown rules. In another instance, two women who organised a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Melbourne were also taken to court for breaching public health rules. Such crackdowns will challenge some Australians' faith in the country's liberal democratic protections, says politics and law researcher Ron Levy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-63883430
     
         
      Should countries try to do everything themselves? Thu, 8th Dec 2022 15:48:00
     
      Would it be better if a country simply produced everything it needed within its own borders rather than importing things from abroad? Would that make the country more secure, perhaps richer? It sounds rather farfetched, but some of the world's most powerful political leaders have been making arguments that sound something like this in recent years. "Our manufacturing future, economic future, solutions to the climate crisis - are all going to be made in America," declared US President Joe Biden earlier this year. Similarly in China, the country's leader, Xi Jinping, has been advocating "zili gengsheng", which translates as "self-reliance". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also adopted a slogan of "Atma Nirbhar Bharat", or "self-reliant India". In Europe, we hear similar language too, which seems to favour more national production over imports. The European Union trade bloc is dashing to end its reliance on Russian gas in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which has sent European energy prices soaring to crippling levels and threatened blackouts this winter. Both main political parties in the UK - the Conservatives and Labour - also say they will seek "energy independence". The invasion of Ukraine - a major global supplier of wheat and other crops - has also led to spikes in international food prices, raising questions in many countries over the reliability of their food imports. Even former staunch ideological advocates of free trade like the Conservative MP John Redwood now urges Britain to "grow and make more at home". Some argue all this represents a shift away from the view of the past 40 years that global trade was good for our prosperity and towards a new goal, one of greater national economic self-reliance. The ancient Greeks had a name for this kind of self-reliance: "autarky". Some are even describing what has been happening in world politics and economics in recent years and months as an "autarkic turn". But will these moves towards self-reliance deliver what their advocates promise in terms of security and prosperity? High UK energy bills blamed on decades of mistakes World facing 'first truly global energy crisis' When it comes to energy, most experts think there is actually a strong case for countries to try to do more at home. Not only for security reasons, but because modern domestically-generated renewable forms of power like wind and solar have negligible carbon emissions, unlike fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal traded across borders. In other words, this autarkic turn could help the planet to decarbonise and prevent destructive global warming this century. As for food, experts like Tim Lang of City University have long argued that it would be better for our health and the environment if we all ate things that weren't produced such long distances away. "The notion of autarky and food security are right up there at the top of policymaking at the moment," he says. Another argument for greater self-reliance in food production is that it makes a country less vulnerable if those international supply chains are cut off due to weather, accidents or war. Though, of course, consuming only the food that could be grown in a country like the UK would entail a big change in our diets. Say goodbye to imports of things like bananas and pineapples. Experts say we would also have to eat far less meat because land for animal grazing would have to be given over to crops. Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, director of strategy at the International Monetary Fund, agrees that countries should focus on the resilience of their energy and food supply chains. But she warns of the damaging spillover impacts on less-developed nations of attempts at autarky. "In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we have seen around 30 countries imposing export restrictions," she notes. "This has implications for many and especially the most vulnerable because their consumption of food is much greater in terms of their overall consumption." Presentational grey line Global Trade More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade. Presentational grey line But what about the case for autarky in things beyond food and energy? Silicon microchips are used in virtually all forms of modern technology, from smartphones, to computers, to medical devices, to cars, to planes, to weapons systems. And the majority of the world's most advanced chips are produced on the island of Taiwan, which is considered by China to be a part of its own territory, but whose independence the US effectively protects. Both the US and China, fearful of the supply of these vital components being cut off from their economies in a potential conflict, have recently launched a major effort to produce more of these chips within their own borders. Yet the chip production process is so complex and sophisticated and reliant on globe-spanning supply chains of raw materials and expertise that most experts think that even a country as wealthy as the United States will struggle to do it all at home. So is this a new "age of autarky"? Or will political leaders come to realise that the global economy is simply too integrated, too interconnected, to be divided up into national blocks without inflicting intolerable pain on us all? That could depend, firstly, on where they push their greater efforts at economic self-reliance, and, secondly, on just how far they push them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63780833
     
         
      COP27: What was agreed at the Sharm el Sheikh climate conference? Thu, 8th Dec 2022 14:52:00
     
      A new global climate pact - the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan - was agreed at the COP27 summit. It included a historic commitment by richer nations to give money to developing nations to help them recover from the damage and economic losses wreaked from ongoing climate change impacts. This comes after a year of devastating climate change-related disasters, from severe floods in Pakistan to ongoing drought in East Africa. But there was also disappointment expressed by some world leaders that there was no agreement to reduce fossil fuel usage. What was in the COP27 Plan? The plan - although not legally binding - has provided new ambitions for the world's nations on climate change. For the first time countries agreed to establish a "loss and damage" fund. This will be a pot of money to help poorer nations recover from the impacts of climate change, such as destroyed homes, flooded land or lost income from dried-out crops. Previously, these countries have only received money for mitigation - efforts to move away from fossil fuels, and adaptation. This is money to prepare for the future impacts of climate change. The issue of loss and damage has been highly controversial. Richer nations have previously not wanted to agree to a new fund as they thought it would make them liable to cover all economic losses from climate change. How much countries will get from the fund - and by when - is still to be decided. At last year's summit, COP26, in Glasgow, countries agreed to "phase down" coal. At one point during this year's negotiations countries were discussing expanding that to include oil and gas. But no final agreement was reached. Instead countries committed to "enhancing a clean energy mix, including low-emission and renewable energy". But the phrase "low-emission energy" has raised concerns. It has not been formally defined, and there is worry that it could open the door to more gas development - as burning gas produces less emissions than other fossil fuels like coal. The UK's independent climate change body, the UKCCC, concluded there had been "limited progress on ambition to reduce emissions". And the UK's Alok Sharma, who was COP President in Glasgow, said he was "pretty disappointed we haven't moved much further than what we got in Glasgow". What else was agreed in Sharm el-Sheikh? A flurry of other announcements was made.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63781303
     
         
      ‘King coal is dead’ Thu, 8th Dec 2022 9:35:00
     
      The International Energy Agency just made its “largest ever upward revision” of its predictions for growth in the clean energy sector over the next five years. According to the autonomous intergovernmental organization’s annual report on renewables, the planet’s clean energy capacity will expand nearly 30 percent faster than previously projected. The IEA now estimates the sector will account for some 38 percent of the global power mix by 2027, and is on track to overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity generation by 2025. The agency attributes these projections, in part, to Russia’s war in Ukraine. With Europe scrambling to end its reliance on Russian natural gas, zero-emissions technologies like solar and wind have become even more attractive, since they allow countries to generate their own electricity. “This is a clear example of how the current energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and more secure energy system,” Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency’s executive director, said in a statement. Stronger climate pledges from China, India, and the United States — paired with policies and funding to drive down greenhouse gas emissions — are also spurring growth in renewables, the report says. Utility-scale solar and onshore wind are already the cheapest options for new electricity generation in most countries around the world, and solar capacity is expected to nearly triple by 2027. “King coal is dead, king solar to take its place,” tweeted Pieter de Pous, fossil fuel transition program leader for the climate think tank E3G. However, the IEA report shows renewables still aren’t growing fast enough to cancel out global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve this, the report says, countries would need to resolve “supply chain issues” and expand electric grids in order to boost renewable installations by an extra 25 percent.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/king-coal-is-dead/
     
         
      ‘Eco’ wood burners produce 450 times more pollution than gas heating – report Thu, 8th Dec 2022 6:15:00
     
      Report from chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty finds air pollution kills up to 36,000 people a year in England “Ecodesign” wood burning stoves produce 450 times more toxic air pollution than gas central heating, according to new data published in a report from Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England. Older stoves, now banned from sale, produce 3,700 times more, while electric heating produces none, the report said. Air pollution was chosen by Whitty as the focus of his 2022 annual report. “It kills a lot of people [and] causes a lot of disease and disability throughout life,” he said. “Air pollution causes problems from the time before people are born all the way through till their last day on Earth.” The report estimated 26,000 to 38,000 deaths a year from outdoor air pollution. No estimate was made for the impact of indoor pollution, which Whitty said urgently needed more research. The wide-ranging report noted that most types of air pollution had fallen over the last 50 years. However, the evidence of the harm caused by dirty air, even at low levels, has risen rapidly and scientists now think it damages every organ in the body. “Air pollution has improved and will continue improving provided we are active in tackling it,” Whitty said. “We can and should go further.” “If the government doesn’t do something about it, it’s not obvious who else can,” he said. “Clearly, my wish is for air pollution [action] to move as quickly as possible.” The government missed a legal deadline to put a new air pollution target into law in October and many urban areas still have illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution. The report said: “Solid fuels are by far the most polluting method of domestic heating, and wood burning has increased in popularity over recent years.” Small particle pollution is the most dangerous to health and that produced by wood burning increased by more than a third from 2010 to 2020, the report said. Many of the 1.5m households that burn wood did so for aesthetic reasons, it said. “There’s a big difference in my view between having a very dense urban area with everybody using wood burning and someone doing it in a rural area where it is essentially them, their family and a lot of sheep,” Whitty said. He said he backed informing people, rather than a ban, noting for example that dry wood produces a quarter of the pollution of wet wood. “We want people to have information and good choices available to them, but not try and restrict choice completely, except in the areas where we’ve already got clean air zones,” Whitty said. “We don’t want to go back to where we were previously by not enforcing those.” A report in November found that no local authority with a smoke control area had issued a fine for smoke pollution in the past five years, despite more than 8,000 complaints having been lodged. Whitty’s report noted that “many areas of the US put in place burn bans to reduce home heating emissions” when weather conditions could result in high pollution levels. While some pollutants have declined over the last 50 years, Whitty said ammonia pollution from farms had hardly shifted. Ammonia largely comes from animal manure and reacts in the atmosphere to form harmful particles that blow into cities. “This is a matter of choice,” he said, as the Netherlands had slashed ammonia emissions in the 1990s by requiring slurry to be put more directly into the ground. The report also showed small particle pollution has barely fallen in the last decade. The government’s proposed target for this pollution is for 2040 and set at double the World Health Organization’s limit. Whitty said electric vehicles were essential in cutting nitrogen dioxide pollution, which largely comes from diesel vehicles: “It’s really important we don’t have backsliding on the move towards electrification because that will essentially take that out of the picture.” He also said that people idling diesel and petrol cars outside schools were “incredibly antisocial”. Electric vehicles still produce some pollution particles from road and brake wear and Whitty said encouraging walking and cycling was important: “If you look back to the 1950s, huge numbers of people were cycling who currently would not be. We’ve made a choice to go down one path, we could easily reverse that.” In the 1950s, people cycled about 20bn kilometres a year, compared with 7bn in 2021, the report said. Safer cycle lanes were one way to encourage more cycling, he said. On public transport, Whitty said the London tube, although electric, had the highest air pollution of any underground system in Europe, largely due to inadequate ventilation. Andrea Lee, at environmental law charity ClientEarth, which has previously defeated the government in court over its air pollution plans, said: “The government seems to be asleep at the wheel. Ministers have missed their own legal deadline to set its pollution targets in law and this delay is costing people’s health and putting a further burden on our NHS and the economy. What will it take for the government to get a grip on this public health threat?” Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK, said: “This new report should act as a rallying cry to the government to be bolder in tackling dirty air. Air pollution is a public health emergency.” Dr Gary Fuller, at Imperial College London, said action needed to move beyond targets: “Evidence from the 21st century tells us there is no zero-effect threshold for air pollution exposure. This means that our efforts should not just focus on the worst places and not stop when we hit the legal limits. We need to take every opportunity to reduce air pollution.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/08/eco-wood-burners-produce-450-times-more-pollution-than-gas-heating-report
     
         
      ‘We need the jobs’: Cumbrians divided over new coalmine Wed, 7th Dec 2022 20:05:00
     
      Despite positivity in Whitehaven, near the former Marchon chemical plant, proposals still cause worry "If it brings jobs, then I’m all in favour of it,” said retired chemical worker Keith Walker as he wandered with his dog Eddie on the site of what could be something many thought would never be seen in the UK again: a coalmine. Walker worked at the Marchon chemical works on the outskirts of Whitehaven, the proposed site of the mine, for 27 years. “That was the drift mine down there,” he said, pointing. “It was Marchon’s own drift mine. They mined for phosphate rock, but there wasn’t the amount they needed so they had to go to Casablanca for it.” Speaking to the Guardian hours before the government gave its go ahead, Walker said: “From all the literature I’ve seen it looks like its going to be quite contained and well set out. I don’t think it’s going to be a blight on the landscape.” Most people in the town are in favour of the mine. They have been waiting for the news of the go ahead for what seems a long time, people repeatedly said. But there are dissenting voices. “It’s not right,” said Margaret Telford, a retired shop worker. “Every family round here has lost a lot of people to mining and apart from that, it’s not good for the world, is it? “I had three uncles and two cousins killed in the mines and that is nothing round here, a lot of people did. My dad made sure my two brothers never went down the mines. “It isn’t just my family, it’s the fact we should be stopping mining altogether really, I know it’s coming from other countries but someone has to make a stance.” Graham Roberts, a Conservative county and town councillor, was out buying a copy of Country Life on Thursday. He too was eagerly waiting for the news. “We need the jobs,” he said. “The hysteria is out of proportion. The amount of pollution this would create compared with India or China is negligible. And why should we import coke and coal when we’ve got it here on our doorstep? We’re saving the country money. “Mining has come a long way since picks, shovels and ponies. This is hi-tech mining.” Those sentiments were echoed by farmer Carole Wilkinson from Aspatria. “When times are hard, people need jobs. Look at this town. We need regeneration.” Even people who have lost relatives to mining said they wanted the government to give the go ahead. Jean Brayton, 80, is on her way to her karate class and is very much in favour of the mine. “My dad worked down the pit. I lost two uncles. It has always been a mining place. But we need to be self-sufficient. “It’s not going to be a coal mine like they were. It will be up to date. It will have to be, won’t it?” Scott Kiggins, 28, is walking his two babies Ronnie and Bobby and thinks about their future in Whitehaven. “If it is bringing jobs into our area then I’m all in favour it. My grandparents and uncles were miners, but it’s everyone’s family round here. It surrounds us. “West Cumbria is dominated by Sellafield and we need other jobs.” David Cook, a retired Sellafield worker, said: “This is a coal-mining area so I want it come back. The thing is will it last? They’ll probably open it, start mining and within two years they’ll shut it down.” Peter Gale, a soon to be retired car salesman, said he had been in favour because of jobs but the more he heard, the more he read, he had changed his mind. “It is too late for me but it’s the damage it might do to the environment and the climate. “This thing though has just dragged on and on and on. Every time you think they have sorted it there’s another delay. When it comes, will it happen?”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/07/we-need-the-jobs-cumbrians-divided-over-new-coalmine
     
         
      Billionaire’s coal mine blocked on climate grounds Wed, 7th Dec 2022 12:36:00
     
      A court in Queensland, Australia, recommended against approving a massive coal mine proposed by a company owned by billionaire Clive Palmer, arguing that the project would exacerbate climate change and jeopardize human rights. In a decision issued late last month, Queensland Land Court president Fleur Kingham said the Waratah Coal company should be denied a mining lease and environmental permits for its Galilee Coal Project. The project, which has been stalled since gaining federal approval in 2013, sought to produce some 40 million metric tons of coal each year in an ecologically diverse region of northeastern Australia. This would lead to an estimated 1.58 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions over the mine’s 35-year lifetime — more than three times Australia’s total annual climate pollution. “[T]he climate scenario consistent with a viable mine risks unacceptable climate change impacts to Queensland people and property, even taking into account the economic and social benefits of the project,” Kingham wrote. She also said the resulting damage to the climate and environment would violate the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples, as well as the rights of children and Queenslanders’ general rights to property, privacy, and home. Kingham’s decision is still just a recommendation — Queensland’s resources minister and environmental agency will get the final say over the Galilee Coal Project’s future. But a lawyer involved in the case said it could set an important precedent in Australia, a country whose per-person greenhouse gas emissions are some of the highest in the world, potentially creating an avenue for blocking other coal mines on climate and human rights grounds. Youth Verdict, the First Nations-led group of young people that originally challenged the coal project in April, cheered the outcome and promised to continue fighting at least 30 other mines proposed in Queensland. Indigenous people who live on Australia’s low-lying Torres Strait Islands and on the Cape York peninsula — some of whom testified in the case — also applauded the decision, saying it was necessary to prevent their homes from being consumed by rising seas. “If we don’t get this right now, none of these islands, our low islands, will be left in 50 years time,” Kapua Gutchen, an elder of the Meuram tribe in the Torres Strait, told the Guardian.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/billionaires-coal-mine-blocked-on-climate-grounds/
     
         
      Scotland loses UK climate change lead, advisers warn Wed, 7th Dec 2022 11:50:00
     
      Scotland has lost its lead over the rest of the UK on tackling climate change, advisers have warned. A report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) said progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions has "largely stalled" in recent years. Its independent assessment said Scotland's targets - some of the toughest in the world - were "increasingly at risk". The Scottish government insisted progress was being made in many areas. Is Scotland still a leader on climate change? The Scottish government has set a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole. As a staging post, it legislated in 2019 to cut emissions by a massive 75% from 1990 baseline levels by the end of this decade. That is way ahead of the UK government's aim to reduce emissions by 68% in the same time frame. The latest CCC report points out that since its Climate Change Act became law in 2009, the Scottish government has failed to achieved seven of the 11 legal targets. Although it met the latest one, for 2020, it said that was because the Covid pandemic saw a temporary drop in transport emissions and that the figures will rebound in future years. The figure for 2020 was a 58.7% reduction from the 1990 baseline but the previous year it was just 51.5% - well short of the 55% target. The CCC report recommends lowering the annual targets so that the 2025 aim would be to reduce emissions by 61.7% rather than 65.5%. The report describes the target to cut emissions by 75% by 2030 as "extremely challenging" and suggests a 65% to 67% cut is more feasible. It said the Scottish government lacked a clear delivery plan and had not offered a coherent explanation for how its policies would achieve the targets. While the committee praised the ambition and focus on a transition which is fair and equitable, it said that should only be applauded if the targets are achieved. CCC chief executive Chris Stark told BBC Scotland he did not think the Scottish government was doing nearly enough to get on track with its legal targets. He said: "We have seen failures across the board and it's a shame to say that. "This year we are able to say Scotland has lost its lead in decarbonising. "Scotland is at the same rate now as the rest of the UK and that did not used to be the case." Mr Stark said Scotland's early success was in cutting emissions from electricity generation such as closing coal-fired power stations. But he said the Scottish government had the powers to take action on decarbonising buildings, transport and farming and had not used them. Net Zero minister Michael Matheson said the Climate Change Committee's advice was a reminder of the scale of the challenge. He said: "Progress has been made - Scotland is already more than half way to net zero - but we are now entering the most challenging part of the journey to date, with a need to halve our emissions again within the next eight years." Mr Matheson said that in many areas progress on reducing emissions in Scotland was dependent on decisions taken by the UK government. In Paris, in 2015, world leaders committed to limiting global warming to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. Harmful greenhouse gas emissions - which cause the earth to warm - have more than halved in Scotland in the past 30 years. But with the planet already 1.1C warmer than pre-industrial times, rapid progress is needed in the next 10 years if those temperature targets are to be met.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63872365
     
         
      Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak agree to increase gas exports from US to UK Wed, 7th Dec 2022 0:07:00
     
      Leaders announce partnership to reduce global dependence on Russian energy Joe Biden has agreed a deal to ramp up gas exports from the US to the UK as part of a joint effort to cut bills and limit Russia’s impact on western energy supplies. Sunak and Biden announced an “energy security and affordability partnership” and set up a joint action group, led by Westminster and White House officials, with the aim of reducing global dependence on Russian energy. Britain was not reliant on large quantities of Russian gas before the invasion of Ukraine but has been exposed to the huge rises in prices as European neighbours competed for other supplies as they rushed to fill up storage facilities. Under the deal, the US aims to more than double the amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported to the UK over the coming year, compared with 2021. The two countries also intend to collaborate on accelerating green initiatives such as decarbonising the aerospace industry, boosting the electric vehicle market and developing energy efficient appliances. They also plan to further collaborate on nuclear, hydrogen and carbon capture projects. Sunak said: “Together the UK and US will ensure the global price of energy and the security of our national supply can never again be manipulated by the whims of a failing regime.” Britain has proved a key gateway for LNG imports and re-exports into Europe this year. However, its lack of gas storage facilities has meant it could still face tight energy supplies this winter. The government said that, as part of the gas deal, the US will “strive” to export at least 9-10bn cubic metres (bcm) of LNG over the next year via UK terminals. The deal has been rumoured for months and industry watchers have questioned how big a gas boost it represents. Data from ship-tracking service ICIS LNG Edge showed the UK imported 3.9bcm of LNG from the US in 2021, 26% of the UK’s total LNG imports. Over the 12 months to October 2022, the UK imported 9.7bcm of American LNG, 42% of total imports. Biden and Sunak said in a joint statement: “During this global energy crisis, brought on by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, it is more important than ever for allied countries to deepen their cooperation to ensure resilient international systems which reflect our shared values. “Working with our allies, the United States and United Kingdom commit to intensify our collaboration to support international energy security, affordability, and sustainability, as Europe reduces its dependence on Russian energy.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/07/joe-biden-and-rishi-sunak-agree-to-increase-gas-exports-from-us-to-uk
     
         
      Deforestation: EU law bans goods linked to destruction of trees Tue, 6th Dec 2022 10:42:00
     
      The European Union has agreed a new law that would ban the import of products linked to deforestation. Household goods such as coffee, chocolate, and some furniture will have to pass strict checks to ensure forests weren't damaged to create them. Environmental group Greenpeace called it a breakthrough, but some countries said the rules would hurt international trade. The EU said the rules would cut carbon emissions worldwide. The rules cover palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa, timber and rubber that is imported into the EU. They also cover anything derived from these products, such as beef, the European Commission said in a press release. Pascal Canfin, the chairman of the European Parliament's environment committee, said: "It's the coffee we have for breakfast, the chocolate we eat, the coal in our barbecues, the paper in our books." Companies selling their products into the EU will have to prove their goods are not linked to deforestation, or face fines of up to four percent of their annual EU turnover. Which countries are still cutting down trees? Then and now: Why deforestation is such a hot topic An impact assessment from the European Commission estimated that the new law would protect at least 71,920 hectares (278 sq miles) of forest annually - around 100,000 football pitches. It would also reduce annual global carbon emissions by 31.9 million metric tons per year, the commission said - roughly the same as the carbon emissions of Denmark in 2021, according to World Bank data. The European Council - where member states agree policy - and the European Parliament are yet to ratify the agreement. The law is enforceable 20 days after it is formally accepted, which is expected to happen next year, the European Commission told the BBC. Once it becomes law, operators and traders will have 18 months to adhere to the new regulations. Smaller companies will have 24 months to adapt. Companies will have to specifically prove their goods were not produced on land that was deforested after December 2020. The law change would have little or no impact on prices to consumers, a European Commission spokesperson said. Environmental group Greenpeace said the agreement was a "major breakthrough for forests". The EU said it would work with outside countries to improve their regulation capacity, but some of the nations it trades with - including Brazil and Indonesia - said the rules would be burdensome and costly. Last week, Canada's ambassador to the EU said the rules would hurt trade between Canada and the EU. The ambassador, Ailish Campbell, also defended Canada's record on deforestation. Logging industry groups have said their operations meet high standards of sustainability, in part by ensuring that trees are planted in place of those that are harvested on public land, which is required by law. The announcement comes on the eve of the COP-15 summit on biodiversity, which is scheduled to run from 7 to 19 December.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63872393
     
         
      LA bans oil and gas drilling in historic vote Tue, 6th Dec 2022 10:32:00
     
      In a historic victory for Los Angeles communities, the LA City Council voted unanimously on Friday to ban new oil and gas drilling in the city and phase out existing wells over the next two decades. “The half a million Angelenos who live within a quarter mile of our remaining oil wells suffer greater adverse health effects,” said City Council President Paul Krekorian in a tweet. He said the 12-0 decision, which finalizes an ordinance that’s been in the works since January, “may be the most important step toward environmental justice” that the city council had taken in recent memory. Los Angeles is home to the country’s most extensive network of urban oil drilling infrastructure, which is disproportionately concentrated near low-income communities and communities of color. As a result, these demographics suffer greater exposure to a suite of pollutants that are linked to respiratory disease, cancer, and other health problems. Grassroots organizations have spent years lobbying the city for an end to oil drilling, but it wasn’t until recently that their efforts began to pay off in a big way. Complementing the City Council’s efforts to phase out oil and gas drilling within city limits, the LA County Board of Supervisors approved a similar ordinance in October banning oil and gas drilling in unincorporated areas within the county and requiring existing operations to be phased out over the next 20 years. “The future of LA will be free from fossil fuel extraction,” Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling – LA, a coalition of community groups and public health organizations, said in a statement following the City Council vote. The group called the decision “a major opportunity” to overhaul racist land-use and planning systems so that they “benefit all communities,” but stressed that further action is needed to address systemic racism throughout LA. Specifically, the coalition reiterated calls for Council Members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo to resign after a recording of them making racist remarks was made public in October.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/la-bans-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-historic-vote/
     
         
      ‘Without nature, we have nothing’: UN chief sounds alarm at key UN biodiversity event Tue, 6th Dec 2022 9:30:00
     
      The UN’s key biodiversity conference, COP15, began on Tuesday in Montreal, Canada, where negotiators will set new targets and goals aimed at arresting the alarming destruction of nature, due by human activity. The conference is being billed as a major biodiversity COP, because it is expected to lead to the adoption of a new Global Biodiversity Framework, guiding actions worldwide through 2030, to preserve and protect our natural resources. The delegates and organizers will be hoping that this framework will have a more lasting impact than the previous version: at COP10, in 2010, governments agreed to strive for ambitious targets by 2020, including halving natural habitat loss, and implementing plans for sustainable consumption and production. However, a UN report released that year, showed that not a single target had been fully met. Meanwhile, the planet is experiencing its largest loss of life since the dinosaur era ended: one million plant and animal species are now threatened with extinction. ‘A cacophony of chaos’ The urgent need for action was underscored by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his opening remarks to the conference on Tuesday. Noting that “without nature, we are nothing”, Mr. Guterres declared that humanity has, for hundred of years “conducted a cacophony of chaos, played with instruments of destruction”. The UN chief catalogued examples of this destruction, from deforestation and desertification; to the poisoning of the environment by chemicals and pesticides, which is degrading land, making it harder to feed the growing global population. He pointed also to the degradation of the Ocean, which is accelerating the destruction of life-sustaining coral reefs and other marine ecosystems - directly affecting those communities that depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. Corporations ‘emptying our world of its natural gifts’ Mr. Guterres took aim at multinational corporations which, he said, are “filling their bank accounts while emptying our world of its natural gifts,” and making ecosystems “playthings of profit,” and condemned the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a tiny number of mega-rich individuals. This phenomenon, asserted the UN chief, works against nature and the real interests of the majority: “the deluded dreams of billionaires aside, there is no Planet B.” Continuing his excoriating attack, Mr. Guterres described humanity as “a weapon of mass extinction” which is “treating nature like a toilet”, and “committing suicide by proxy”, a reference to the human cost associated with the loss of nature and biodiversity. The answer, Mr. Guterres suggested, could lie in a global biodiversity agreement that tackles the drivers of biodiversity decline – land and sea-use change, over exploitation of species, climate change, pollution, and invasive non-native species – by addressing root causes such as harmful subsidies, misdirected investment, unsustainable food systems, and wider patterns of consumption and production. Three actions to save biodiversity The Secretary-General boiled down the action that needs to be taken in order to save nature, into three main areas. The first involves the implementation of national plans that would divert subsidies and tax breaks away from activities that contribute to the destruction of nature, towards green solutions such as renewable energy, plastic reduction, nature-friendly food production and sustainable resource extraction. These plans would also recognize the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities as stewards of nature. The second concerns the private sector which, argued Mr. Guterres, must recognize that profit and protection go hand-in-hand, meaning a shift by the food and agricultural industry towards sustainable production and natural means of pollination, pest control and fertilization; the timber, chemicals, building and construction industries taking their impacts on nature into account in their business plans; and the biotech, pharmaceutical, and other industries that exploit biodiversity sharing the benefits fairly and equitably. “Greenwashing”, he said – referring to unsubstantiated environmental claims made by companies – must end, and the private sector needs to be held accountable for actions across every link of business supply chains. Improved financial support from the countries of the ‘Global South’ formed the basis of the Secretary-General’s third pillar for action. Mr. Guterres called on international financial institutions and multilateral development banks to align their portfolios with the conservation, and sustainable use of, biodiversity.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131422
     
         
      Most UK universities failing to hit carbon reduction targets Tue, 6th Dec 2022 8:14:00
     
      The majority of UK universities have failed to meet their carbon reduction targets, figures reveal. The sector had a goal to reduce emissions directly controlled by institutions by 43% between 2005-06 and 2020-21. However, 59% did not meet this target, according to the estates management record at the Higher Education Statistics Agency. This data has been used by the People and Planet University League to rank universities’ efforts to reduce carbon. This year, Cardiff Metropolitan University topped the league table for the first time with a 65% decrease in emissions over the 15-year timeframe. Oxbridge may top other league tables but it is slipping down the carbon rankings. The University of Oxford has fallen 16 places to 40th, while Cambridge fell two places to 86th. Russell Group universities have shown improvement with two – the University of Exeter and University College London – in the top 10 and, in general, the group has scored higher than last year. Jack Ruane, the university league manager at People and Planet, said: “It is disappointing to see that 59% of UK universities have failed to achieve the carbon reduction target. This highlights the importance of holding the sector accountable via short-term assessments of actual reductions in carbon emissions, rather than celebrating net zero target-setting, which are often vague on how offsetting will be achieved.” Divestment from fossil fuels remains a tricky proposition for higher education institutions and only 33% of universities (50 of 153) have a commitment to fully screen out all fossil fuel investments written into a valid policy. A further 10 universities have partial commitments. Only 7% (11) have made a commitment in policy to directly reinvest in community renewable energy and/or renewable energy projects on campus. Only 3% of the sector (four) have committed to cutting recruitment ties to the fossil fuel and mining industries. Laura Clayson, the climate justice campaigns manager at People and Planet, said: “Despite 100 UK universities having now publicly announced the exclusion of fossil fuel companies from their investment portfolios, just 60 have enshrined this commitment in a valid policy document. Concerningly, this is a significant drop from 76 last year. “Severing investment ties with the fossil fuel industry is an important first step for universities to act upon their responsibility to communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis and fossil fuel extraction impacts. We hope to see a sharp increase in policy exclusions in next year’s league in line with this.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/dec/06/uk-universities-failing-carbon-reduction-targets-emissions-fossil-fuel-divestment
     
         
      The world will gain enough renewable energy in 5 years to power China, says IEA Tue, 6th Dec 2022 7:32:00
     
      Global renewable power capacity is set to grow as much in the next five years as it has over the past two decades, as soaring energy prices and the climate crisis force governments to ditch fossil fuels. In a report published Tuesday, the International Energy Agency forecast a sharp acceleration in installations of renewable power. It now expects green energy to overtake coal to become the largest global source of electricity by early 2025. Global renewable power capacity is now expected to grow by 2,400 gigawatts (GW) between 2022 and 2027, an amount equal to the entire power generating capacity of China today, according to the report. The increase is 30% higher than the Paris-based agency’s forecast of just a year ago. “Renewables were already expanding quickly, but the global energy crisis has kicked them into an extraordinary new phase of even faster growth as countries seek to capitalize on their energy security benefits,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a statement. “This is a clear example of how the current energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and more secure energy system. Renewables’ continued acceleration is critical to help keep the door open to limiting global warming to 1.5 °C,” he added. Soaring prices of most energy sources, including oil, natural gas and coal, have stoked inflation around the world and highlighted Europe’s previous over-reliance on oil and natural gas imports from Russia. According to the IEA report, the war in Ukraine is a “decisive moment for renewables in Europe,” where governments and businesses are scrambling to replace Russian gas with alternatives. The European Union now prohibits Russian crude oil imports by sea, setting up the bloc to have phased out 90% of oil imports from Russia by the end of the year. Flows of Russian natural gas via pipeline to Europe are now running at just 20% of their pre-war level, according to analysts. “The amount of renewable power capacity added in Europe in the 2022-27 period is forecast to be twice as high as in the previous five-year period, driven by a combination of energy security concerns and climate ambitions,” the report said. Policy and market reforms in China, the United States and India are also driving the growth in renewable power. China is expected to account for almost half of new global renewable power capacity added between 2022 and 2027, according to the IEA report. Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act is expected to boost the expansion of renewables in the United States. Most of the growth in renewables will come from investments into solar and wind power. Global solar generation capacity is set to almost triple over the next five years, with global wind capacity almost doubling over that period. “Together, wind and solar will account for over 90% of the renewable power capacity that is added over the next five years,” the IEA said.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/06/energy/iea-renewable-energy-turning-point/index.html
     
         
      Climate change protesters facing jail over Barclays damage Mon, 5th Dec 2022 19:43:00
     
      A group of climate protesters has been found guilty of causing criminal damage after smashing glass windows at the London headquarters of Barclays bank. The seven women each denied the charge but were convicted over the incident at Canary Wharf on 7 April 2021. They said they broke the glass windows to "raise the alarm" about the climate. Prosecutor Diana Wilson told Southwark Crown Court the women could receive sentences ranging from community orders to 18 months in prison. Carol Wood, 53, of Swansea; Nicola Stickells, 52, of Harleston; Sophie Cowen, 31, of Shaftesbury; Lucy Porter, 48, of Euston; Gabriella Ditton, 28, of Norwich; Rosemary Webster, 64, of Dorchester; and Zoe Cohen, 52, of Lymm, were all convicted of criminal damage worth almost £100,000. They had spread out along the front of the Barclays bank building before using chisels and hammers to break the large glass panels that made up the exterior. Their group was associated with climate change campaign group Extinction Rebellion. Extinction Rebellion protest at high street banks What is Extinction Rebellion and what does it want? They argued during the trial that Barclays staff would have consented to the damage if they were fully informed about the climate crisis. Apart from Cowen, the six other women all have previous convictions for either criminal damage, wilful obstruction of a highway, breaching directions imposed on public assemblies or a combination of the three offences. They were found guilty by a jury on a majority verdict of 11 to one after more than nine hours of deliberation. There were 20 supporters in the public gallery, who gave the defendants a standing ovation after the hearing ended. 'Raise the alarm' Defendant Webster told jurors Barclays was the global banking industry's seventh-largest funder of fossil fuels, and the largest in Europe. She alleged the bank was "putting profits before people and the planet" and said she "cracked" the glass windows to "raise the alarm". The prosecutor insisted this was not true during her closing speech. She said the protesters had carried out the demonstration "to impose their views and to force change", and because they believed themselves "to be above the law". During the trial, Some of the protesters likened themselves to the suffragettes, who "cracked many, many windows". Cohen said she "honestly" believed that by April 2021 she had run out of other options to try to achieve change, and the repair costs of £97,022 were insignificant to Barclays, which had spent £100m on refurbishments last year. Judge Milne KC said "all options" needed to be considered, before adjourning the sentencing to 27 January, also at Southwark Crown Court.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-63864684
     
         
      PwC to close offices at Christmas to save energy Mon, 5th Dec 2022 11:48:00
     
      One of the UK's largest accountancy firms will close most of its offices over Christmas and New Year for the first time to save on energy bills. PwC, which employs about 24,000 people, will shut its main London office from 23 December to 3 January, as well as some smaller sites. Its chairman Kevin Ellis said having all offices open over the festive period "doesn't make sense at a time of energy scarcity". PwC has 19 offices across the UK. Most staff will be taking annual leave over Christmas, but the Covid pandemic has meant that working remotely from home is now common practice. Mr Ellis said that staff wanted the company to "do our bit to reduce energy consumption". "Office life is hugely important to our culture and business," he said. "But having all our offices open over the holiday period doesn't make sense at a time of energy scarcity. "We've taken a pragmatic approach ensuring some offices across the country remain open for those who need them," he added, The accountancy and consultancy firm said its regional offices, which are in cities including Edinburgh, Belfast and Newcastle, would take a "similar approach" to its main Embankment Place site in London. An internal memo said that for staff based in the capital, workspace would be available at its More London base with some regional offices setting out specific areas for workers to access. PwC has given its staff a lot of control over their working patterns, including allowing them to start as early or as late as they like. 'Opportunity to recharge' PwC is not the first of the so-called big four accountancy firms to close offices over Christmas. Deloitte has shut its offices over the festive period for several years. All of its UK offices will be closed from 23 December and will reopen on 3 January. Meanwhile, KPMG said it would be closing its UK offices over the same period as it has done previously. "It's a key opportunity for our people to spend time with their friends and family, as well as recharge," a spokesman said. "During that period, our offices will only be accessible to a very small number of people who have a business critical need and where remote working isn't possible." The move by PwC comes as Enel, one of the world's largest energy firms, warned it "will take years" to get energy prices back to levels seen before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The war has caused global energy prices to soar as countries, particularly those in the EU, look to reduce Russian gas and oil supplies. In a bid to reduce the risk of blackouts, National Grid has offered households and businesses discounts on their electricity bills if they cut peak-time use on a handful of days over the winter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63857339
     
         
      Stop burning trees to make energy, say 650 scientists before Cop15 biodiversity summit Mon, 5th Dec 2022 9:31:00
     
      Letter says bioenergy is wrongly deemed ‘carbon neutral’ and contributes to wildlife loss More than 650 scientists are urging world leaders to stop burning trees to make energy because it destroys valuable habitats for wildlife. In the buildup to Cop15, the UN biodiversity summit, they say countries urgently need to stop using forest bioenergy to create heat and electricity as it undermines international climate and nature targets. Instead, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar should be used, they say. Bioenergy has “wrongly been deemed ‘carbon neutral’” and many countries are increasingly relying on forest biomass to meet net zero goals, according to the letter, addressed to world leaders including Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. “The best thing for the climate and biodiversity is to leave forests standing – and biomass energy does the opposite,” it says. The letter says that if global leaders agree to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 at the Cop15 meeting in Montreal, they must also commit to ending reliance on biomass energy. Commitments made at Cop15 and at climate conferences could be undermined if this practice continues, it says. Prof Alexandre Antonelli, a lead author of the letter and director of science at Kew Gardens, said: “Ensuring energy security is a major societal challenge, but the answer is not to burn our precious forests. Calling this ‘green energy’ is misleading and risks accelerating the global biodiversity crisis.” By 2030, bioenergy is expected to account for a third of “low-carbon” energy, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. The UK is the top importer of wood pellets for biomass, and in 2019 more than 5m metric tonnes of them were brought in from the US. Burning biomass is an important part of the UK’s net zero strategy, and has been subsidised by £5.6bn over the past decade. Cutting down trees for bioenergy results in the release of carbon that would otherwise had been locked up in carbon-rich forests. This increases emissions and creates “carbon debt”, which is only paid off decades or even centuries later if the trees are regrown, the scientists say. Burning wood for electricity is also inefficient, releasing comparatively more carbon into the atmosphere than gas or coal. Additional energy is used to harvest and transport the wood. Experts have been warning for years about the climate impacts of bioenergy, but now they are also finding out that it has dire risks for nature too, with many cases of protected forests being affected. Canada, Estonia and the US are the largest providers of wood for biomass. Prof William Moomaw, a lead author of the letter from Tufts University in Massachusetts in the US, said: “Our forests are the most biodiverse places on the planet, providing habitat for countless species. They are also absorbing nearly 30% of all global emissions from burning fossil fuels. “Clearcutting for forest bioenergy is degrading the south-east US coastal forests, a global biodiversity hotspot, the Baltic states in Europe, boreal forests in Canada, and illegally cutting protected forest ecosystems in the Carpathians of eastern Europe. These are all home to irreplaceable rare plant species, mammals, and migratory and residential birds.” Rare species such as the prothonotary warbler, the boreal woodland caribou and the black stork are among those declining as a result of forest degradation. Elly Pepper, from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Cut Carbon Not Forests Coalition (CCNF), said: “Governments and the bioenergy industry each have one hand on an axe that is decimating the world’s forests. Continuing to put a fake renewable like biomass energy at the heart of their net zero plans will undermine any global deal promising to save nature by 2030. “The world’s wildlife is already vanishing, and the bioenergy industry is helping to accelerate that by destroying precious forest habitats.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/05/stop-burning-trees-scientists-world-leaders-cop15-age-of-extinction-aoe
     
         
      Albanese postpones energy market intervention meeting with states after testing positive for Covid Mon, 5th Dec 2022 8:18:00
     
      Albanese postpones energy market intervention meeting with states after testing positive for Covid PM urges state and territory leaders to agree to cooperative intervention to halt climbing electricity prices A critical national cabinet meeting to resolve a stand-off between Canberra and the states over the Albanese government’s long-mooted energy market intervention has been delayed after the prime minister tested positive for Covid-19. Anthony Albanese revealed he had Covid late on Monday and the prime minister’s office confirmed shortly after that the national cabinet meeting planned for Wednesday had been postponed. Albanese had been due to dine with the premiers and chief ministers on Tuesday evening but the prime minister is now isolating at his official Sydney residence, Kirribilli House. Officials say the prime minister is up to date with his booster shots. The prime minister’s second coronavirus infection in seven months comes amid a new surge of cases as Australians prepare for the summer break. In a statement, Albanese said: “I encourage anyone who is unwell to test and take any extra precautions to keep their families and neighbours well.” coal Cap on coal price complicating federal bid to quell Australians’ energy costs Read more Earlier in the day, Albanese warned premiers and chief ministers that households and businesses would pay more for power, and manufacturers would go out of business, unless Canberra and the states and territories agreed to a cooperative intervention in the energy market in the coming days. Deliberation around the Albanese government’s regulatory intervention to help lower power bills was a pressing issue on the national cabinet agenda this week. The prime minister faced questions during a radio interview in Adelaide on Monday about the costs of the intervention, given the premiers are currently playing hardball. Before his diagnosis, Albanese said he was continuing to have cooperative discussions with the premiers of New South Wales and Queensland, and “we’ll have a dinner tomorrow night and then we’ll have a meeting on Wednesday”. “We’ve said that we will act and we will act before Christmas,” the prime minister said on Monday. “And I don’t think that there is a premier or chief minister who will sit back and say, ‘yep, this is all OK’, for prices to continue to rise and projections which are there”. Albanese predicted “common positions” would emerge “because we need to act on this”. But the prime minister also issued a clear warning. “What we know, and the premiers know this as well, is that unless we act there will be a considerable increase in the cost of power for both individuals, for households, but also for businesses”. “And I don’t want manufacturers to go out of business”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The government is looking at price cap options to assist industrial users of gas and households battling a surge in their power bills, but it is unclear how quickly the leaders will land an agreement given the unresolved squabble over who carries the costs. Guardian Australia revealed last week the Albanese government may struggle to provide comprehensive energy price relief unless NSW and Queensland were prepared to cooperate with a plan to temporarily cap the wholesale price of coal. During a briefing in a federal cabinet meeting last Monday, ministers heard the commonwealth has the regulatory levers to reduce gas prices for industrial users, but there was concern a replica intervention in the coal market might be more complex for Canberra to execute and could open the possibility of legal challenges, given producers will resist. The NSW government has refuted this, saying it has a legal opinion that suggests Canberra can impose a cap on coal prices. The state energy minister, Matt Kean, has urged quick action. Last week, the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, declared the Albanese government needed to keep its “hands off our generators”. Palaszczuk then doubled down on Monday. She told reporters in Brisbane there would “have to be adequate compensation” if she were to agree to Albanese’s price cap proposal. “As I said in the parliament last week, and I’ve stuck to my guns in relation to this, we would have to be very, very convinced that no Queenslander would be worse off,” the premier said. Asked to quantify the level of compensation Queensland was seeking, the premier said: “We’ll be working through all those issues as you can appreciate a lot of work has been going in on the weekend, and I can’t say anything further until we have the meeting on Wednesday.” The Albanese government has been indicating it will intervene significantly in the energy market since budget week, when Treasury forecasts predicted power prices would increase by 56% by the end of next year. The government has been pursuing price caps for coal and gas, and the intervention will also include making the gas industry code of conduct mandatory. Albanese said on Monday it was wrong for energy producers to bank a “massive windfall gain and that somehow that’s occurring at the same time as businesses and people are doing it tough”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/05/anthony-albanese-warns-premiers-businesses-will-collapse-without-intervention-in-energy-market
     
         
      £18bn project to link UK to huge wind and solar farm in Sahara delayed by a year Sun, 4th Dec 2022 23:42:00
     
      Exclusive: Dave Lewis, chair of startup hoping to provide 8% of Britain’s energy, tells how political turmoil has delayed undersea cable project An £18bn project to connect Britain with a huge wind and solar farm in the Sahara through an undersea cable has been delayed by at least a year because of political ructions in Westminster. The energy startup Xlinks hopes to provide 8% of Britain’s energy supplies through a 3,800km (2,360-mile) cable linking Morocco with the UK, powering 7m homes by 2030. The project had been expected to begin generating power by 2027. However, that target date now appears unlikely. The Xlinks’ executive chair, Sir Dave Lewis, a former chief executive of Tesco, warned that the recent political turmoil that has seen off three prime ministers in less than six months has stalled its progress. He has been trying to secure a government “contract for difference” – a mechanism under which public subsidies are used to offer low-carbon generators, such as windfarms, a fixed price for power. The arrangement aims to encourage investment by making revenues more predictable. Lewis told the Guardian: “We spent a long time with the then business secretary [Kwasi Kwarteng] who said: ‘We like it a lot but it needs to go through Treasury.’ There was a review with Treasury, Cabinet Office and the business department, which was very positive. “Then we came back to them to start the detail and the political world exploded and, as a result, everything stopped. And everybody has changed, so it’s sort of like you’re starting again. “Time is important for the UK to meet its net zero ambitions, to secure energy supplies and to reduce bills. We have lost a year.” Xlinks was founded in 2019 by its chief executive, Simon Morrish, who has grown the environmental services business Ground Control across the UK. When the Morocco-UK link is complete, Xlinks expects to generate 20 hours of reliable renewable energy a day using the Sahara’s sunshine and breezy night-time conditions. The plan is to build almost 12m solar panels and 530 windfarms over the 960 sq km area of desert. The site, in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, will also have 20 gigawatt hours of battery storage. The cable transporting power from the site will hug the Moroccan coastline, then pass alongside Portugal, northern Spain and France before looping around the Isles of Scilly to terminate at Alverdiscott in north Devon, where Xlinks has already agreed to 1.8 gigawatt connections. Morocco has an established wind, solar and hydroelectric power industry, and its solar intensity, a measure of generation power, is second only to Egypt and double that of the UK, according to data from Xlinks. The power lines will be laid by the world’s largest cable-laying ship and buried beneath the seabed to mitigate the risk of damage from fishing boats. The company is in the process of studying the seabed and gaining offshore permits. Xlinks hopes to land a strike price of £48 per megawatt hour, lower than the £92.50 agreed for the delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset. The company argues that despite the scale of the project, it can be more reliable for the security of UK energy supplies than domestic options because UK wind power can be hugely variable. Last week National Grid issued, and later cancelled preparations to launch its emergency winter plan after low wind and solar power left supplies tight. Lewis has personally invested in the Xlinks project, along with Octopus Energy and its founder Greg Jackson. Growing demand for renewable power has stretched supplies across the industry. In response, its sister company XLCC plans to build two factories to manufacture cables in Hunterston on the west coast of Scotland and another at a yet to be announced site in north-east England. The first received planning permission in June, and is expected to create 900 jobs. Lewis, who worked for the consumer goods company Unilever for 27 years, became Tesco’s chief executive in 2014. He quickly had to tackle an accounting black hole and is credited with turning around Britain’s largest retailer before leaving in 2020. He is now chair of Haleon, the consumer goods company spun off from GlaxoSmithKline earlier this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/04/government-chaos-delays-uk-sahara-energy-link
     
         
      Cutting energy prices will take years - power boss Sun, 4th Dec 2022 8:45:00
     
      It "will take years" to get energy prices back to pre-Ukraine war levels, the boss of one of the world's biggest energy firms has told the BBC. Enel's Francesco Starace said bringing prices down depends on new sources of energy such as renewables and heat pumps. Governments across Europe are spending billions helping business and households afford energy bills. They are also scrambling to secure new supplies. Mr Starace said the company, which produces and distributes electricity and gas, tried to shield its 20 million European customers from energy market volatility this year. It did its best to stick to the fixed-price contracts it had agreed, he said. Breaking customer trust would inflict greater damage on the firm than a hit on one year's results, he said. The Italian energy giant sells power to more than 70 million homes and businesses in over 30 countries. Germany helps pay energy bills as prices soar High UK energy bills blamed on decades of mistakes Why is there a global energy crisis? But Enel is planning to leave many of those countries as it focuses on renewable energy and becoming carbon neutral by 2040. It also wants to cut its huge debts of around $63bn (£52bn). It is investing heavily in making solar panels as it expands an existing factory in Sicily and builds a new one in the US. Soaring energy prices have been the biggest contributor to inflation and the cost of living crisis in the UK, the US and the eurozone. The global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine "showed very clearly how dependence on one single source of energy is dangerous for Europe", Mr Starace said. The future will be "extremely decarbonised" and depend on nuclear and renewable energy, he said. However, that shift to renewables also has risks. In July, the International Energy Agency warned that China's dominance of the solar industry creates "potential challenges that governments need to address". Mr Starace said the West has been over-reliant on China for renewables and other goods. "Some rebalancing needs to be happening because it is healthy," he said, when asked about geopolitical tensions interfering with energy supplies. This has helped drive Enel's investment in solar panels, although the expansion of the Sicilian factory will still meet only 10% of Europe's needs, he said. Political leaders have also acknowledged that Europe needs to get its energy from more places. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, the EU and its member states have signed 56 energy deals with 23 countries this year. Among the latest was a 15-year deal for Germany to get liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar through a contract with ConocoPhillips. Norway is also boosting natural gas production and the world's biggest producer, the US, has been pumping out record amounts. This means the chances of Europe repeating its dependence on Russia with another country are "quite low", according to Megan Richards, a former director of energy policy at the European Commission. "A lot of work has been done" to replace Russian energy, she added, before warning: "I think Europe will not be completely domestically independent for a very, very long time, if ever" even though "renewables will increase dramatically".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63834755
     
         
      Canada: Ambassador tells EU that deforestation rules 'burdensome' Sat, 3rd Dec 2022 5:57:00
     
      Canada's ambassador to the European Union has voiced concern with proposed EU rules to curb deforestation. A November letter from Ailish Campbell said the rules add "burdensome" requirements and will hurt trade between Canada and the EU. The EU regulation aims to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide. Climate campaigners have called Canada's resistance to the rules "shocking". In the 17 November letter obtained by the BBC, Ms Campbell says Canada supports the objectives of the proposed deforestation regulation, but is "greatly concerned" that some elements will cause trade barriers for Canadian exporters. She asks for several revisions to the regulation, including providing a delay and a clearer definition for what falls under forest "degradation" - a practice that climate advocates say is widely seen in Canada. Which countries are still cutting down trees? Then and now: Why deforestation is such a hot topic Deforestation is the permanent loss of a forest, for example, replacing it with agricultural alternatives, such as coffee or soybeans. The proposed EU legislation would also cover forest degradation, which is when the forest ecosystem is eroded. Among the main causes are climate change and illegal or unsustainable logging. Forest degradation can have a significant impact on things like biodiversity and climate. Climate campaigners have called the ambassador's letter "outrageous" because of Canada's public commitments to environmental policies. "It's really shocking that [Canada is] resisting these kinds of measures in Europe to protect the world's remaining forests," said Shane Moffatt, head of Food and Nature at Greenpeace Canada. EU member states are currently negotiating the final text of the legislation, which was passed with strong support at the EU parliament in September. The EU Deforestation Regulation would force companies and trade partners to verify that goods being sold to the 27-nation bloc are "deforestation-free". Ms Campbell did defend Canada's record on deforestation, calling the country a "world leader on forest management", with an annual deforestation rate of 0.02%. In British Columbia, where a bulk of Canada's logging is done, industry groups like the BC Council of Forest Industries have said their operations meet high standards of sustainability, in part by ensuring that trees are planted in place of those that are harvested on public land, which is required by law. But Mr Moffatt argued that while Canada's deforestation rates are low, the ambassador's letter ignored the higher rates of forest degradation and the subsequent impact on wildlife. It has specifically affected the caribou population, which has drastically dwindled in recent years, Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz told the BBC. Canadian forestry practices have been gaining more attention from environmentalists in recent years. In March, a group of more than 90 scientists penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlining concerns about Canada's rate of industrial logging in old-growth forests, which they said had "unique and irreplaceable ecological values". In response to questions from the BBC, the federal government said they were "undertaking a range of initiatives to protect and restore nature in Canada" including a pledge to plant two billion trees over 10 years, starting in 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63736486
     
         
      Ukraine war: Price cap on Russian oil will hit Putin immediately - US Sat, 3rd Dec 2022 4:58:00
     
      A new cap on the price of Russian oil will "immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue," the US has said. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the cap - which was officially approved by Western allies on Friday - came after months of hard work. The cap stops countries paying more than $60 (£48) a barrel for seaborne exports of Russian crude oil. It is due to come into effect on 5 December or soon after. Low and medium-income countries that have been heavily impacted by high energy and food prices will particularly benefit from the cap, Ms Yellen said. She said it will also further constrain Russian President Vladimir Putin's finances and "limit the revenues he's using to fund his brutal invasion". "With Russia's economy already contracting and its budget increasingly stretched thin, the price cap will immediately cut into Putin's most important source of revenue," she said in a statement. G7 and allies approve cap on price of Russian oil How can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? The price cap was put forward in September by the G7 group of nations (the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU) in a bid to hit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine. The European Union approved the price cap - which needed the agreement of all its member states - on Friday, after persuading Poland to back it. Poland announced its support after being reassured the cap would be kept at 5% lower than the market rate. It had been reported that the EU wanted to set the cap at $65-70 but this was rejected by Poland as well as Lithuania and Estonia as too high. Warsaw had wanted the value to be as low as possible and had held out while it examined an adjustment mechanism which would keep the cap below the market rate as the price of oil changed. In a joint statement, the G7, the EU and Australia said the decision to impose a price cap was taken to "prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine". British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK will not waver in its support and will continue to look for new ways to "clamp down on Putin's funding streams". The agreement of a price cap comes just days before an EU-wide ban on Russian crude oil imported by sea comes into force, also on 5 December. The price cap - which is meant to affect oil exports worldwide - is meant to complement that. Countries that sign up to the G7-led policy will only be permitted to purchase oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap. Ukraine's western allies also plan to deny insurance to tankers delivering Russian oil to countries that do not stick to the price cap. This will make it hard for Russia to sell oil above that price. Russia denounced the scheme, saying it would not supply those countries which enforced a price cap. Senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, told Tass news agency the EU was jeopardising its own energy security with the cap. Before the war, in 2021, more than half of Russia's oil exports went to Europe, according to the International Energy Association. Germany was the largest importer, followed by the Netherlands and Poland. But since the war, EU countries have been desperately trying to decrease their dependency. The US has already banned Russian crude oil, while the UK plans to phase it out by the end of the year. Though the measures will most certainly be felt by Russia, the blow will be partially softened by its move to sell its oil to other markets such as India and China - who are currently the largest single buyers of Russian crude oil.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63843893
     
         
      Ukraine war: G7 and allies approve cap on price of Russian oil Sat, 3rd Dec 2022 2:56:00
     
      The G7 group and its allies have officially approved a cap on the price of Russian oil. In a joint statement, the G7 and Australia said the price cap would come into force on 5 December or "very soon thereafter". It comes after the European Union agreed on the price cap after persuading Poland to back it. The plan, which stops countries paying more than $60 (€57; £48) a barrel, needed the agreement of all EU states. Poland announced its support on Friday after being reassured the cap would be kept at 5% lower than the market rate. A price cap was put forward by the G7 group of nations in September and aims to stop Moscow profiting from oil exports while avoiding a price spike. It had been reported that the EU wanted to set the cap at $65-70 but this was rejected by Poland, Lithuania and Estonia as too high. Warsaw had wanted the value to be as low as possible and had held out while it examined an adjustment mechanism which would keep the cap below the market rate as the price of oil changed. On Friday, Russian Urals crude was trading at $64 a barrel. The decision to impose a price cap was taken to "prevent Russia from profiting from its war of aggression against Ukraine," the joint statement read. It said the move aims to "support stability in global energy markets and to minimise negative economic spillovers of Russia's war of aggression, especially on low-and middle-income countries, who have felt the impacts of Putin's war disproportionately". G7 agrees to impose price cap on Russian oil How can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? The agreement of a price cap comes just days before an EU-wide ban on Russian crude oil imported by sea comes into force, also on 5 December. The price cap - which is meant to affect oil exports worldwide - is meant to complement that. Countries that sign up to the G7-led policy will only be permitted to purchase oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap. Ukraine's western allies plan to deny insurance to tankers delivering Russian oil to countries that do not stick to the price cap. This will make it hard for Russia to sell oil above that price. G7 finance ministers said in September that their plan to limit the price of Russian crude would reduce Moscow's oil revenues and its ability to "fund its war of aggression". White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby welcomed the agreement of an EU price cap on Friday, saying it would slow Russian President Vladimir Putin's "war machine". Russia denounced the scheme, saying it would not supply those countries which enforced a price cap. Before the war, in 2021, more than half of Russia's oil exports went to Europe, according to the International Energy Association. Germany was the largest importer, followed by the Netherlands and Poland. But since the war, EU countries have been desperately trying to decrease their dependency. The US has already banned Russian crude oil, while the UK plans to phase it out by the end of the year. Though the measures will most certainly be felt by Russia, the blow will be partially softened by its move to sell its oil to other markets such as India and China - who are currently the largest single buyers of Russian crude oil.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63840412
     
         
      Ukraine war: Germany to cover energy bills as gas prices soar Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 10:50:00
     
      The air is warm and buttery as workers knead mounds of raisin-flecked dough inside the Kexerei bakery in Dresden. This is the busiest time of year but, like every other business and household in the country, the firm's bills are going up, diminishing the festive cheer. "Wages have increased drastically, energy costs have risen, as have the prices for our ingredients - butter has doubled in price," says owner Matthias Walther. "I can't pass all that on to the customers." It's an issue that preoccupies the German government too. Wary of the impact on the economy, it's spending around €300bn ($310bn; £260bn) on measures aimed at shielding people and industry from higher prices, particularly soaring energy bills. A third of that sum has already been spent, and €200bn more is expected to go in the coming months. Perhaps the most eye-catching is the promise to pay a monthly gas bill for all households and small businesses in December. In practice, that won't cover the full cost; the amount will be calculated using an average monthly September bill. Benefits have risen and almost everyone has received a one-off payment of €300. And, from January, gas and electricity bills will be capped. Government subsidies will allow households and small businesses to pay a lower rate for 80% of the gas they use and 70% of their electricity consumption. For example, a family of four, living in a 100 sq m flat, would have paid a monthly gas bill of €100 last year. Now, that's €275. From January, when the cap kicks in, a government projection suggests the family will pay €175. A similar subsidy scheme will also cap bills for industry. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is no doubt hoping for a boost to his approval ratings at home - at their lowest level since he took office. But his spending plans haven't impressed his EU neighbours, not least because Germany has resisted proposals for an EU-wide cap on the price of gas. Is Mr Scholz, some of his EU peers wonder, just trying to put Germany first? "I think the opposite is the case," says Martin Dulig, economy minister for the region of Saxony, of which Dresden is the state capital. "This is about stabilising Europe. Germany is a decisive factor in Europe's stability. We've seen the world newly divided, economic centres have shifted - look at America, look at China. We in Europe must make sure we keep up." Mr Dulig's constituency lies in Germany's old communist east, where public dissatisfaction with government policy tends to be higher than the rest of the country. "The mood is still difficult because we have a serious situation," says Mr Dulig. "For the first time we are really confronted with a social problem. If a pensioner, who only gets €850 a month, is faced with a €500 energy bill, of course she can't pay that. So it's very important that she gets help." But the idea behind the measures is to strike a balance; despite the help, energy bills will still be higher for most. Not least because the government, having scrambled to find alternative sources of energy after years of heavy dependence on Russia, needs companies and households to keep consumption down. Gas stores may be full for now, but the country's energy network agency says a 20% reduction in national consumption is necessary to get through the winter without problems. So, in Dresden's main Christmas market - which reopened this year after a pandemic pause - the question for many here is not so much how to stay healthy, but how to pay those bills. Sabine, a pensioner, says: "The government is incapable of supporting us. They tell us help is on the way, but nothing is done." Jan, a young father, says he thinks the family will be OK, but "the gas bill hasn't arrived yet, let's see how it looks when it comes."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63814656
     
         
      EU to regulate shipping emissions Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 6:10:00
     
      In a historic first, European legislators have agreed to regulate emissions from the shipping industry as part of the European Union’s emission trading system, one of the world’s largest carbon markets. Under the trading system, first launched in 2005, companies from a number of energy-intensive sectors like power generation and steel manufacturing are required to buy permits for the CO2 they emit, creating an incentive to decarbonize. However, the system has so far excluded emissions from the shipping industry, which uses hulking container ships to ferry more than 90 percent of all globally traded goods from port to port. The industry pollutes a lot, accounting for about 3 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. With the new agreement, which has not yet been finalized, EU regulators say they’ll require shipping companies that dock in European ports to buy carbon credits to cover 40 percent of their CO2 emissions, starting in 2024. They intend to increase that share to 70 percent in 2025 and 100 percent in 2026. Aoife O’Leary, CEO of the U.K.-based nonprofit Opportunity Green, told me the agreement represents an “important and vital step” to get the shipping industry to pay for its climate pollution. By making it more expensive to run ships on heavy fuel oils, diesel, or liquefied natural gas, she said the emissions trading system could expedite innovation and improve the business case for zero-emissions technologies — like ships powered by green hydrogen — that are in the works but not yet viable on a commercial scale. In the meantime, O’Leary said there are a number of ways ships could reduce emissions right now, including by reducing travel speeds and plugging into the electric grid while docked, rather than continuing to burn fuel. The International Maritime Organization, a U.N. agency that can set legally binding regulations for the shipping industry, could also drive decarbonization by increasing the ambition of its current, nonbinding climate target, which is to cut the sector’s emissions in half by 2050, relative to a 2008 baseline. O’Leary said she hopes the EU agreement will pressure the organization to require the industry to make even deeper cuts. “I’m hoping it’s going to be a moment for inspiration for regulators around the world,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/eu-to-regulate-shipping-emissions/
     
         
      Venezuela and Chevron sign oil contract in Caracas Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 6:06:00
     
      The Venezuelan government and American oil company Chevron have signed a contract in Caracas on Friday to resume operations in Venezuela, according to the country’s state broadcaster VTV. “This contract aims to continue with the productive and development activities in this energy sector, framed within our Constitution and the Venezuelan laws that govern oil activity in the country,” said Venezuelan oil minister Tareck El Aissami, who was slapped with United States sanctions in 2017. He attended the signing ceremony along with representatives from Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company PDVSA and Chevron. April 2023 will mark Chevron’s 100th anniversary in Venezuela, El Aissami said at the event. The move comes after the United States granted Chevron limited authorization to resume pumping oil from Venezuela last week, following an announcement that the Venezuelan government and the opposition group had reached an agreement on humanitarian relief and will continue to negotiate for a solution to the country’s chronic economic and political crisis. The US has been looking for ways to allow Venezuela to begin producing more oil and selling it on the international market, thereby reducing the world’s energy dependence on Russia, US officials told CNN in May. 6-month license was granted to Venezuela by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last week, and the US can revoke it at any time. Additionally, any profits earned will go to repaying debt to Chevron and not to the Maduro regime, according to a senior official. In 2017, OFAC said El Aissami had played a “significant role in international narcotics trafficking,” according to a news release. The Treasury Department said he “facilitated shipments of narcotics from Venezuela to include control over planes that leave from a Venezuelan air base, (and) narcotics shipments of over 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with the final destinations of Mexico and the United States.” In addition, the department said El Aissami is linked to coordinating drug shipments to Los Zetas, a violent Mexican drug cartel, and provided protection to a Colombian drug lord.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/02/americas/venezuela-chevron-oil-intl-latam/index.html
     
         
      England and Wales’s broken water system can be fixed – here’s what to do first Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 6:05:00
     
      hirty-two years after water privatisation, rivers in England and Wales are not improving, leakage levels are unacceptable, and massive financial engineering has not added to the resilience of the system or the ability to finance the large-scale investment we now need. It cannot and should not be allowed to go on like this. It is easy to blame the water companies for all this. And they do indeed deserve a lot of the blame, but they are not alone in polluting our rivers. Regulators are to blame too. Ofwat could have ensured water company revenues were used to fund more investment. The way the industry watchdog set the cost of capital provided opened the door for businesses to borrow against their assets – for the benefit of owners, rather than customers. Share buybacks, special dividends and multiple takeovers were never part of the gameplan at privatisation, and nor were the excessive executive salaries. None of this should have been allowed to happen. In England, the Environment Agency could have led on monitoring pollution. It could have built an open-access digital national database on river quality, catchment pollution and sewage spills. It could have been smarter with inspections and enforcements, even if the fines have been too small. It was very late in the day for the outgoing chair last summer to have called for prison sentences for directors of the water companies in the most serious pollution cases. What exactly has the EA been up to for the past few decades? This can only be fixed after a clear reassessment of the objectives. Is it really sensible for drinking water to be used to water the gardens and wash cars? Is it acceptable for sewers to be used to deal with wet wipes and cooking fats? Do we really need to build new reservoirs, or should we think seriously about conserving water? Should natural capital measures (such as restoring natural river flows, creating riverbank buffers to protect from agricultural pollution, creating reed beds, planting trees and restoring flood meadows) be deployed on a much greater scale? Personal responsibilities also matter. The drinking water and sewerage services are for us. The sewage is produced by us. We are the ultimate polluters. We want water companies to do the right things, but we don’t want to pay for it. We keep putting wet wipes and cooking fats down the toilets and sinks, and then demand that the water companies clean it up. Lots of investment but no money is not a recipe for fixing the problems. Blaming the companies is easy; taking personal responsibility to safeguard and fund the system is much harder. To bridge the current funding gap, it is imperative to tackle pollution at source instead of relying on end-of-pipe solutions. Making polluters pay means that farming is in the frame too. Subsidising farmers to pollute and then demanding that water companies clean it up and pass on the bills to us is not sustainable. A water butt filling a watering can Storing water in tanks and water butts is a much cheaper option. Photograph: Alamy Tackling pollution at source means limiting that pollution reaching sewerage works. Reducing nutrients at source, requiring people to have porous driveways, and store water in tanks and water butts, are much cheaper options. To make this happen, areas in which runoff water is gathered, known as catchment systems, should be regulated. A catchment-system regulator could replace Ofwat and come up with system plans, decide what the baseline should be for our natural environment, and share open-data platforms with real-time information about pollution and sewage discharges. This could all be aided by citizen science. Integrated plans should involve us, and set out a path for a more enlightened use of the scarce resource that water has become. Once there is a plan, what needs to be done can be auctioned to all those who want to contribute, and not just the incumbent water companies. None of this is rocket science. None of it requires nationalisation. All of it is doable, and if it is done properly, the cost will be a lot lower. Taken together, the current spending on flood defence, farming subsidies and water bills is a big enough budget if it is competitively provided. Lots of the right sorts of investment, coupled with the polluter-pays principle, can be done without a big increase in bills. But if we carry on as the EA, Ofwat and the companies have done – treating water companies as silos – nothing much will happen. The environment cannot stand much more of this: it the current approach is unsustainable, and therefore it will not be sustained.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/02/england-wales-broken-water-system-regulators
     
         
      Energy: Connah's Quay cost-cutting Christmas light timers Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 6:01:00
     
      A town is to fit timers retrospectively to its Christmas lights to avoid a hefty electricity bill. Connah's Quay town council was unable to turn off the lights on 63 displays during the day. The council, which is in Flintshire, had initially said it was too late to fit timers to every one. However, complaints from residents over the potential soaring cost of the display due to rising energy prices has forced the authority into a U-turn. The lights were originally fitted around lampposts in 2021 and were switched on this year on 24 November. Town council clerk Suzanne Wilson said timers would be fitted this weekend. She added: "Due to the rising costs of electricity which will affect everyone the council have made the decision as a matter of urgency to put timers on the Christmas light posts. "The council understands residents' concerns with the increased cost of living and would like to assure them that the council has addressed the issues with the help from Flintshire County Council."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63838709
     
         
      Europe agrees to cap the price of Russian oil at $60 a barrel Fri, 2nd Dec 2022 3:08:00
     
      The European Union has reached a consensus on the price at which to cap Russian oil just days before its ban on most imports comes into force. News of the deal, which had needed approval from holdout Poland, was confirmed on Twitter by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, marking a key milestone in the West’s efforts to punish President Vladimir Putin without adding to stress on the global economy. “Today, the European Union, the G7 and other global partners have agreed to introduce a global price cap on seaborne oil from Russia,” von der Leyen said, adding that it would strengthen sanctions on Russia, diminish Moscow’s revenues and stabilize energy markets by allowing EU-based operators to ship the oil to third-party countries provided it is priced below the cap. The bloc’s 27 member states agreed Friday to set the cap at $60 a barrel, an EU official with knowledge of the situation told CNN on Friday. The West’s biggest economies agreed earlier this year to establish a price cap after lobbying by the United States, and vowed to hash out the details by early December. But setting a number had proved difficult. Capping the price of Russian oil between $65 and $70 a barrel, a range previously under discussion, wouldn’t have caused much pain for the Kremlin. Urals crude, Russia’s benchmark, has already been trading within or close to that range. EU countries such as Poland and Estonia had pushed for the cap to be lower. “Today’s oil price cap agreement is a step in right direction, but this is not enough,” Estonian foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu tweeted Friday. “Intent is right, delivery is weak.” A price of $60 represents a discount of almost $27 to Brent crude, the global benchmark. Urals has been trading at discounts of around $23 in recent days. Reuters reported that the EU agreement included a mechanism to adjust the level of the cap to ensure it was always 5% below the market rate. The risk of settling on a lower price is that Russia could retaliate by slashing its output, which would roil markets. Russia previously warned that it will stop supplying countries that adhere to the cap. With EU countries in alignment, the last remaining obstacle to a wider G7 agreement was lifted. A top US Treasury department official said Thursday that $60 would be acceptable. “We still believe that the price cap will help limit Mr. Putin’s ability to profiteer off the oil market so that he can continue to fund a war machine that continues to kill innocent Ukrainians,” National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters. “We think that the $60 per barrel is appropriate and we think it will have that effect,” Kirby added. The price cap is designed to be enforced by companies that provide shipping, insurance and other services for Russian oil. If a buyer has agreed to pay more than the cap, they would withhold those services. Most of these firms are based in Europe or the United Kingdom. Investors are already on edge, with the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil traveling by sea set to take effect on Monday. Confusion about the impact of that measure, along with lingering questions about the price cap, have unsettled traders. “There’s so much uncertainty and doubt and lack of clarity about the policy that no one’s really confident about how to act,” said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at the research firm Energy Aspects. Oil prices have dropped sharply since the summer, as China’s coronavirus lockdowns and global recession fears have dented demand. OPEC and Russia announced a big production cut in October, but that had little sustained impact on prices. The EU embargo and efforts to set a price cap could begin to push them higher again.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/02/energy/russia-oil-price-cap-europe/index.html
     
         
      States are waiting for a solid plan to lower Australian energy bills, but fear an excuse Thu, 1st Dec 2022 14:03:00
     
      With less than a week before the Albanese government is due to reveal its “comprehensive plan for energy price relief”, the states might be satisfied with one that is merely comprehensible. At their most recent gathering in October, energy ministers were told to expect an outline of the plan by 1 December. They are set to meet again on 8 December, a day after the federal government now says it will reveal its solution to electricity bills forecast to rise 56% this financial year and next, and gas about 43%. But, as one well-placed state official puts it, the commonwealth is still “flailing around in the dark”. The South Australian, Queensland and New South Wales governments this week warned of the risks if the federal government seeks to impose caps on the price of gas and coal. Matt Kean, NSW’s energy minister and treasurer, told Nine radio on Thursday he had legal advice that the commonwealth could act to “fix coal and gas prices”. Patience, though, is wearing thin that they will come up with a workable plan. “They’ve spent two months consulting themselves and I’m worried that they’re only going to deliver an excuse,” Kean says. Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, on Tuesday said price caps could limit the ability of state-owned power plants to earn profits that, in turn, are used to compensate residents. “Hands off our generators,” was her blunt warning. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup As one person inside a major power producer says, the Albanese government is learning how complex the energy system is, made up of a mix of private and public generators across multiple jurisdictions. Then there’s the east coast gas export industry, set up with minimal provisions to protect local consumers. Palaszczuk’s rebuke, however, hinted at some of the clout governments could deploy if lowering energy prices is their primary goal. Control over most state generators means they could – if they wanted to – bid in lower prices. This would result in smaller spoils to redirect to state residents (and the budget). Similarly, the commonwealth wholly owns the biggest supplier of peak power in the national electricity market (Nem). As the latest quarterly report by the Australian energy market operator notes, hydro in NSW and Tasmania set wholesale spot prices 40% of the time – the most of any fuel source. Much like governments could help lift wages because they’re big employers, so too could Queensland, Western Australia and the commonwealth shift market signals on power prices. In Victoria, the prospect of the state playing an active role in the market is one reason that the resurrection of Victoria’s State Electricity Commission appealed to many voters – hence why the newly re-elected premier, Daniel Andrews, campaigned so often in an SEC jacket.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/02/states-are-waiting-for-a-solid-plan-to-lower-australian-energy-bills-but-fear-an-excuse
     
         
      Puerto Rican cities sue Big Oil over climate collusion Joseph Winters Thu, 1st Dec 2022 7:26:00
     
      Sixteen municipalities in Puerto Rico have filed a lawsuit against Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and other fossil fuel giants, accusing them of colluding to conceal their products’ contribution to climate change. By misrepresenting the risks of fossil fuels to the public, the suit argues, the companies made Puerto Rico more vulnerable to hurricanes like Maria and Irma, which tore through the commonwealth in 2017. Maria alone killed thousands of people and caused $94 billion in damages, wiping out roughly four-fifths of the island’s crop value that year. “Puerto Rico was hit by the perfect storm and is the ultimate victim of global warming,” Marc Grossman, a senior partner at the law firm representing the Puerto Rican cities, said in a statement. He added that the lawsuit is “an opportunity to finally get justice for all that Puerto Rico sacrificed in 2017.” The municipalities are now seeking redress under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act, a federal law that sets penalties for dishonest business practices in the context of organized or white-collar crime. This is in contrast to other recent climate-related lawsuits, which have attempted to hold polluters accountable under state consumer protection laws. Karen Sokol, a law professor at Loyola University, said the RICO claims in the new lawsuit could protect it from one of the fossil fuel industry’s favorite delaying tactics, in which companies stall state cases by appealing them to federal court. The Puerto Rico suit, however, has already been filed in federal court based on clear allegations that the companies have violated a federal statutory law. So rather than a complex and protracted jurisdictional conflict, Sokol said, the question at hand will be much more straightforward: “It’s going to be a battle over whether it should get dismissed or should proceed to trial.” Robust attribution science — which quantifies climate change’s contribution to extreme weather — may work in the Puerto Rico case’s favor, Sokol added. Research cited in the municipalities’ lawsuit found that human-induced climate change made Hurricane Maria’s extreme rainfall nearly five times more likely, allowing the suit to blame the hurricane’s damages more squarely on the fossil fuel companies.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/puerto-rican-cities-sue-big-oil-over-climate-collusion/
     
         
      US gas is cheaper than before Russia invaded Ukraine Thu, 1st Dec 2022 6:10:00
     
      Prices at the pump continue to plunge, dropping the US average for gasoline below where it was when Russia invaded Ukraine. A gallon of regular gas now fetches $3.47 nationally, according to AAA. That is below the $3.54 average on February 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. That is down about 12 cents in the past week and 29 cents in the past month. This week marks the first time since February that the national average has fallen below $3.50 a gallon. Gas prices were climbing in January and February as investors worried about disruptions from a Russian invasion of Ukraine. A range of factors have led to the drop in gas prices – and not all of them are positive. Fears of a potential recession and concerns about China’s Covid lockdowns have hurt energy prices. Other factors include fewer than expected disruptions to Russia’s oil flows and the record-setting release of oil by the Biden administration from emergency reserves. Although gas prices are still relatively high for this time of the year, they have also completely reversed the spike caused by the war in Ukraine. That spike worsened inflation and set off inflation alarm bells around the world. The national average is now down by $1.55 since hitting a record high of $5.02 a gallon this past June. Looking ahead, some forecasters see gas prices continuing to dip, although there remains uncertainty over where oil prices go from here due to questions about OPEC policy and China’s Covid lockdowns. Andy Lipow, president of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates, says the national average for gasoline could drop to $3.28 by Christmas. That would mean lower prices this Christmas than last. GasBuddy, an app that tracks fuel prices, is even more optimistic, saying this week that gas prices could drop below $3 a gallon by Christmas. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said that would be a “huge gift to unwrap for motorists after a dizzying year at the pump.”
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/01/energy/gas-prices-us-russia-ukraine/index.html
     
         
      Puerto Rican cities sue Big Oil over climate collusion Thu, 1st Dec 2022 5:54:00
     
      Sixteen municipalities in Puerto Rico have filed a lawsuit against Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and other fossil fuel giants, accusing them of colluding to conceal their products’ contribution to climate change. By misrepresenting the risks of fossil fuels to the public, the suit argues, the companies made Puerto Rico more vulnerable to hurricanes like Maria and Irma, which tore through the commonwealth in 2017. Maria alone killed thousands of people and caused $94 billion in damages, wiping out roughly four-fifths of the island’s crop value that year. “Puerto Rico was hit by the perfect storm and is the ultimate victim of global warming,” Marc Grossman, a senior partner at the law firm representing the Puerto Rican cities, said in a statement. He added that the lawsuit is “an opportunity to finally get justice for all that Puerto Rico sacrificed in 2017.” The municipalities are now seeking redress under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act, a federal law that sets penalties for dishonest business practices in the context of organized or white-collar crime. This is in contrast to other recent climate-related lawsuits, which have attempted to hold polluters accountable under state consumer protection laws. Karen Sokol, a law professor at Loyola University, said the RICO claims in the new lawsuit could protect it from one of the fossil fuel industry’s favorite delaying tactics, in which companies stall state cases by appealing them to federal court. The Puerto Rico suit, however, has already been filed in federal court based on clear allegations that the companies have violated a federal statutory law. So rather than a complex and protracted jurisdictional conflict, Sokol said, the question at hand will be much more straightforward: “It’s going to be a battle over whether it should get dismissed or should proceed to trial.” Robust attribution science — which quantifies climate change’s contribution to extreme weather — may work in the Puerto Rico case’s favor, Sokol added. Research cited in the municipalities’ lawsuit found that human-induced climate change made Hurricane Maria’s extreme rainfall nearly five times more likely, allowing the suit to blame the hurricane’s damages more squarely on the fossil fuel companies.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/puerto-rican-cities-sue-big-oil-over-climate-collusion/
     
         
      Wind farms: Grant Shapps criticised for 'nonsense' claims Wed, 30th Nov 2022 13:36:00
     
      Business Secretary Grant Shapps has been criticised after suggesting wind turbines are now "so big" they cannot be built on land. Friends of the Earth said this was "nonsense", while Greenpeace said onshore wind was "thriving". The government is facing a rebellion from some of its own MPs who want to lift an effective ban on new onshore wind turbines in England. Mr Shapps has said onshore wind should be "part of the mix". But he said there should be local support for any new turbines. Responding to calls from Labour in the Commons for him to clarify his position, Mr Shapps told MPs: "These turbines are now so large, they can't even be constructed onshore. They are so big, the turbines wouldn't be able to be carried by roads. They have to be put offshore." He added: "These single turbines are seven football pitches in scope as they turn. They're not buildable onshore. It's one of the reasons why the cheapest way to build them offshore, to produce energy offshore, is to build these mammoth turbines which go together in groups of two or even up to 300." However, he reiterated the government would ensure onshore wind could be part of the "critical mix" of energy. How many more wind farms will the UK build? Truss and Johnson join Tory wind farm rebellion In response, Mike Childs, from environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth, told the BBC it was "nonsense" to suggest turbines were too big to be built on land, with major onshore wind farms currently being built in Scotland. He said onshore wind was "cheap, plentiful and popular" and the biggest barrier to its development "isn't the size of the turbines, it's government policy." Greenpeace described Mr Shapps's comments as "nonsensical". UK policy director Doug Parr said: "Grant Shapps claims that turbines can't be carried by roads, but hasn't seemed to notice how this already happens all over the world. "It may seem very obvious, but the point about onshore wind is that it is built onshore. On land. There is a thriving onshore wind market in many places. He enjoys a football analogy but can't seem to notice his own goal." Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said: "This Conservative government has had an absurd mental block over onshore wind for the best part of a decade." She said onshore wind "can strengthen our energy security, and help to tackle the ever-worsening climate emergency". "Pitting onshore against offshore is dangerous and nonsensical - we can and must have both," she added. Where did previous Tory leaders stand on onshore wind? In 2015, David Cameron introduced a planning clampdown on onshore wind, which was continued under his successor Theresa May Boris Johnson maintained the restrictions. In May, his energy strategy ruled out "wholesale changes" to the planning system for onshore wind but said the government would consult a "limited number of supportive communities" about allowing new turbines in exchange for lower energy bills During her brief premiership, Liz Truss announced her intention to relax planning rules and align onshore wind approval policy with other infrastructure line Onshore wind is a cheap, renewable source of energy, but opponents say turbines are noisy and an eyesore. In the summer leadership contest, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to keep the effective ban on new onshore wind in England, which has been in place since 2015. But more than 30 of his own MPs - including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss - have backed an amendment to the Levelling Up Bill which would overturn the ban. The rebels' leader Simon Clarke, who was in Ms Truss's cabinet, has said the move would allow new turbines where there is local consent. Labour has said it would support the amendment, increasing the chances of a government defeat. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has also told allies he supports ending the ban on onshore wind farms, according to the Daily Telegraph. But former Conservative Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the rebellion was "ill-advised". Mr Rees-Mogg, who quit the government when Mr Sunak took over and has previously campaigned against onshore wind, urged MPs to support the prime minister if they wanted to win the next election. Mr Shapps has denied there is a split in the Tory party over onshore wind, saying he did not see the amendment as a "rebellion". On Monday, he told the BBC everyone agreed there should be local consent for new turbines. The prime minister's official spokesman said he was not aware of "any imminent changes" to planning restrictions. Labour has said it would lift the effective ban on new onshore turbines if the party wins power. Shadow climate change minister Ed Miliband said there was confusion over the government's position. He said Tory MPs who support the ban were "dinosaurs" and accused Mr Shapps of being "part of a fossilised tendency" due to his previous opposition to onshore wind farms.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63795274
     
         
      A win for clean air in London Wed, 30th Nov 2022 10:52:00
     
      As part of an ongoing effort to clean up London’s automobile-related air pollution, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced last week that the city’s “Ultra Low Emission Zone,” known as the ULEZ, will grow to cover all 600 square miles of the Greater London area. At the moment, drivers of the most highly polluting vehicles have to pay a daily fee of £12.50 (about $15) to enter the ULEZ. And starting on August 29 of next year, that area will be expanded to all of London’s boroughs, stretching as far as 15 miles past downtown in every direction. The move marks the zone’s second expansion since it was introduced in 2019, and city officials say it’s helped halve air pollution in central London. Most gasoline-powered cars, vans, and motorcycles manufactured since 2006 or 2007 are exempt from the ULEZ fee. Still, the plan has faced “staggering” opposition — not only from conservative policymakers and businesses, but from 70 percent of people who live within the ULEZ’s outer London boundaries. Some said the driving fees would overburden working families, while others argued that public transit is not a widely available alternative in the zone’s outer reaches. To allay some of these concerns, the mayor’s office announced a $132 million “scrappage scheme” to help Londoners trade in their highly polluting vehicles for transit passes or vehicles that comply with the ULEZ’s pollution standards. Khan also said disabled drivers will be exempted from fees to enter the zone until 2027. Outside of London, several other U.K. cities — including Bath and Birmingham — have beaten back opposition to implement their own clean-air zones, and they report promising reductions in air pollution. Environmental and public health advocates say the zones are necessary to protect people from pollution-related health problems including asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. “Public health comes before political expediency,” Khan said in a video posted to Twitter, “and I won’t stand idly by while Londoners die and children are choked by poisonous fumes.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-win-for-clean-air-in-london/
     
         
      ‘A form of self-destruction’: Japan weighs up plan to expand nuclear power Wed, 30th Nov 2022 8:43:00
     
      Japan’s prime minister is pushing for as many as 17 nuclear reactors to be switched back on, more than a decade on from the meltdown at Fukushima Look carefully through the trees, and it is just possible to catch sight of Onagawa nuclear power plant from its visitors’ centre, perched on a hill surrounded by thick woods. The plant’s supporters may have had its remote location, on a rugged peninsula in Japan’s north-east, in mind when they campaigned to bring nuclear power – and the promise of subsidies – to the town more than 40 years ago. Despite its seclusion, the plant is now in the political spotlight, as Japan prepares to again put its faith in nuclear power, more than a decade after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi. In a sweeping change to the country’s energy policy, the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has announced plans to build next-generation reactors and restart those left idle after the 2011 triple meltdown, in an attempt to end Japan’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and help meet its net zero target by 2050. Kishida’s “green transformation”, which could include extending the lifespan of existing reactors beyond the current maximum of 60 years, underlines Japan’s struggle to secure an affordable energy supply as a result of the war in Ukraine and a power crunch that has triggered warnings of potential blackouts in Tokyo during this summer’s heatwave. Most of Japan’s nuclear power plants have remained offline since the Fukushima meltdown, and previous governments indicated they would not build new reactors or replace ageing ones, fearing a backlash from a shaken and sceptical public. Japan plans for nuclear to account for 20-22% of its electricity supply in 2030, compared with about a third before Fukushima. In 2020 the figure was less than 5%. Just 10 nuclear reactors among more than 30 have been restarted since the post-Fukushima introduction of stricter safety standards. If Kishida gets his way though, seven additional reactors will be restarted after next summer, including the No. 2 unit at Onagawa, which sustained structural damage from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami but escaped a catastrophic meltdown despite being the closest atomic plant to the quake’s epicentre. ‘A threat to the safety of local people’ The restart has been approved by Japan’s nuclear watchdog and given “local consent” by Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of Miyagi – the prefecture where Onagawa is located. But many residents argue that contingency plans for potential accidents would put lives at risk. “The evacuation plans won’t work … they are a threat to the safety of local people,” says Masami Hino, one of 17 residents living within 30km of the plant who last year launched a legal action to block the restart, now scheduled for early 2024. In the event of a serious accident, 1,000 residents living within 5km of the plant would leave immediately, while 190,000 people within a 30km radius would evacuate in stages, according to the official blueprint. “There will be huge traffic jams, and we won’t be able to escape,” says Hino, who cited one expert simulation – dismissed by local authorities – showing that it could take up to five days for everyone to make it to safety. “If there is an accident it is ridiculous to think that people will leave in an orderly way,” he said. “They will just get out as quickly as they can and then get stuck for days without food, water or access to toilets.” Critics say an evacuation in the wake of an accident would clog the area’s narrow, winding roads, leaving people at risk of exposure to radiation. Most would leave in private cars, but others would have to board buses. The plant’s operator, Tohoku Electric Power, and local authorities would provide almost 1,000 staff to screen people for radiation exposure before directing them to temporary shelters. “How can Tohoku Electric and the prefecture guarantee that an evacuation would go smoothly after something like a major earthquake? It’s impossible,” says Mikiko Abe, an independent member of the Onagawa town assembly who has spent 40 years campaigning for the plant’s closure. “Instead of planning for an evacuation, wouldn’t it be better to live safely in a place where there’s no need to even think about fleeing our homes?” Kishida’s response to energy insecurity and the climate crisis has won the backing of Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who said restarting more nuclear plants in Japan – one of the world’s biggest consumers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) – would free up more LNG and help ease Europe’s energy supply fears during the winter. Domestic opposition to a bigger role for nuclear in the energy mix appears to be weakening. A poll by the Nikkei business paper in June found that 53% of respondents agreed with putting reactors back into service if their safety could be assured – the first time that support for restarts had exceeded opposition since the 2011 triple disaster. While pro-nuclear members of the Miyagi prefectural assembly have helped resist calls for a referendum, a poll in April by the local Kahoku Shinpo newspaper found that 56% of residents were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed the restart. “All of Japan’s nuclear power plants are on the coast … and this is a country that has earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes,” says Tsuyoshi Suda, a member of local anti-nuclear group Kaze no Kai, as he looked at the plant – complete with a newly built 29-metre high seawall – from a nearby beach. “For Japan to keep putting its faith in nuclear power plants is like a form of self-destruction.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/30/a-form-of-self-destruction-japan-weighs-up-plan-to-expand-nuclear-power
     
         
      Giving up on 1.5C climate target would be gift to carbon boosters, says IEA head Wed, 30th Nov 2022 6:46:00
     
      The world can still limit global heating to 1.5C, and to claim that the target is now out of reach is to play into the hands of fossil fuel proponents, the world’s leading energy economist has warned. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, the global authority on energy, slammed scientists and activists who have claimed that the recent Cop27 UN climate summit killed off hopes for the crucial 1.5C limit. “It is factually incorrect, and politically it is very wrong,” said Birol. “The fact is that the chances of 1.5C are narrowing, but it is still achievable.” Birol said that the claims that the 1.5C limit was dead were coming from an “unusual coalition” of scientists, activists and fossil fuel industry “incumbents”. “I find the emerging chorus of this unusual coalition of people saying 1.5C is dead factually and politically wrong,” he told the Guardian. “They are jumping to conclusions that are not borne out by the data.” He added that the claims were “unhelpful” to efforts to shift the global economy to a low-carbon footing. “They are making a mistake. Proponents of the existing energy systems will be the beneficiaries if the obituary of 1.5C is written,” he warned. Investors and financial institutions could be put off by a chorus of claims that 1.5C was dead, he added. “They will react with lower ambition,” he warned. Birol pointed to the surge in clean energy investment this year, in the wake of the Ukraine war and soaring fossil fuel prices. He added that countries’ current targets on reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions would result in a temperature rise of 1.7C, if all pledges were fulfilled, which was within striking distance of the 1.5C limit. “It is factually wrong [to say 1.5C is dead] and we are an evidence-based organisation,” said Birol. “What I look at are the numbers. To say that 1.5C is dead and that we will never reach a peak [in emissions] before 2030 is dogmatic and in my view not a data-driven conclusion.” The goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, in line with repeated scientific advice, came under attack from some countries at the two-week Cop27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month. In the final hours, attempts to strengthen the 1.5C limit were denied, owing to opposition from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, along with, at some points, China, Brazil and a few others. A resolution to phase down fossil fuels, proposed by India and backed by at least 80 countries, was also removed from the final text. In the end, participants such as the UK and the EU, which were pushing for a stronger commitment on 1.5C that would require countries to come forward with firmer policies to meet the goal, said they were “disappointed” with the result. Alok Sharma, the UK’s president of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year, which focused on the 1.5C limit, expressed his frustration in the closing speeches of the conference. He said: “I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5 degrees was weak. Unfortunately, it remains on life support. And all of us need to look ourselves in the mirror, and consider if we have fully risen to that challenge over the past two weeks.” Birol acknowledged that the outcome of the summit was weak on the 1.5C goal, but said countries must still keep pushing for it. “Looked at from the point of view of energy, it would not be accurate to say that the global energy sector received a strong signal from Cop27,” he conceded. “In the absence of such a clear signal, the message to key actors may seem a bit confused.” But he said the economics of the transition to clean energy were clear, with wind and solar power now cheaper than fossil fuels across much of the world, and that more countries were seeking to expand clean energy sources as a matter of national security and of industrial policy. He pointed to global clean energy investments of $1.3tn, and said that with current policies, clean energy investments would reach $2tn a year by 2030, which would be an increase of about 50% from the beginning of the decade. That amount of investment needs to double again, however, to stay within 1.5C. “That is extremely challenging, but it is not out of reach,” Birol said. Last year, the IEA, regarded as the global gold standard for energy data and policy advice, warned that no new fossil fuel development and exploration should take place if the world was to remain within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The organisation also predicts that global greenhouse gas emissions will peak in 2025. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the body of the world’s leading climate scientists, has said emissions must be reduced by 45%, compared with 2010 levels, by 2030 to stay within 1.5C of pre-industrial temperatures. The Cop27 summit also produced agreement on a fund for poor countries afflicted by the worst ravages of extreme weather, known as loss and damage. Birol said this was “a great achievement” and that countries must now concentrate on filling the fund. “I would very much like to see money flowing into this fund as soon as possible, and in as meaningful sums as possible,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/30/giving-up-on-15c-climate-target-would-be-gift-to-carbon-boosters-says-iea-head
     
         
      Energy crisis: Guernsey may generate more amid Europe shortages Wed, 30th Nov 2022 4:34:00
     
      Energy shortages in Europe may mean more power generated in Guernsey this winter. A deal has been struck between Guernsey Electricity and energy giant EDF which could see less power sent from mainland Europe to the island at times. If less power is sent, Guernsey Electricity would get a rebate on its contract with the energy firm. Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq said: "This is doing our bit in terms of being a good neighbour." He said: "Europe are in a much more serious situation than we are." "We quite regularly generate power on island in winter. Due to the war in Ukraine, there are quite likely to be power cuts this winter." Before this new deal more than 90% of electricity used in the island was imported with the remainder from diesel generators at the power station in the Vale. Mr Le Tocq, the Policy and Resources External Relations Lead, said: "We thought we could help here... it certainly is from our point of view that we are doing our part, as we certainly don't have to do this." Earlier this year at a scrutiny hearing President of the States Trading Supervisory Board Deputy Peter Roffey said: "Putin has put all of Europe in a situation where they are going to struggle with having enough energy this winter. "Against that backdrop we have our generating plant, some of it relatively modern, sitting doing nothing." On the new deal he said it was likely to mean more power being generated locally this winter, to meet on-island electricity demand, but this could mean Europe does not have to rely on older, more polluting plants. Mr Roffey added: "Currently there are much greater issues to consider, nevertheless any financial benefit is welcome." Guernsey Electricity said through its supply agreement with EDF, it would, if requested, generate more electricity for local consumption and lower the amount of energy imported from the European grid through the subsea cable. At the same time, Guernsey Electricity is asking islanders to think about their own energy usage during this time. Alan Bates, Guernsey Electricity's CEO, confirmed there were a number of considerations that led to the decision. He said: "We want to be a good neighbour and help Europe during this energy crisis, as many countries are starting to introduce stringent measures to restrict consumption. "Whilst we deploy the power station every winter during times of peak demand, there was a need for us to carefully consider the support we provide alongside the environmental impact of further utilising the diesel generators." Guernsey Electricity has confirmed the decision to provide energy capacity in the European market will be made on a daily basis and the degree to which it generates locally depends on supply and demand issues across the continent. The company said weather was a significant factor that will impact demand and price and therefore the need for Guernsey Electricity to generate additional power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-63806792
     
         
      South Africa turns to solar to help stop power cuts Tue, 29th Nov 2022 20:38:00
     
      Young engineer Nolwazi Zulu says that when she was a teenager she decided that she would "go out and do something" about the regular power cuts that bedevil her community. Now 25 years old, Ms Zulu is from rural Kwazulu-Natal on the eastern coast of South Africa. Like the rest of the country her home province has had to endure frequent blackouts, called "load-shedding", since 2008. This has been caused by South Africa's aging, state-owned power grid, and its mainly coal-fuelled power stations, struggling to keep up with demand. To try to help solve the problem, and boost its environmental credentials, the South African government is now continuing with efforts to boost the amount of solar-power generation in the country. To do this it is encouraging firms in the sector to tender for contracts. t currently wants to secure an additional 1,000 megawatts from solar power, enough to provide electricity for approximately one million homes in the country. This is in addition to a desire to boost onshore wind power generation by 1,600 megawatts. Currently only 11% of South Africa's power comes from renewables, and mostly wind. Just 0.9% so far comes from solar, in a country that gets an average eight to 10 hours of sun every day, compared with the UK's four. One firm that has won one of the solar bids is Art Solar, the only South African-owned solar panel manufacturer. The word Art stands for "African Renewable Technology". It is at this company that Ms Zulu works in the design team as she continues to study for a diploma in electrical power engineering at the Durban University of Technology. In addition to helping the national power grid, she says that solar panels can bring power to the many rural homes that aren't connected to the mains. "I want to open an Art Solar branch in Ulundi [where she grew up], and bring solar to my village," says Ms Zulu. "It is cheaper and better than how we are living through load-shedding, and will change so many lives." Durban-based Art Solar started 12 years ago, building solar panels under licence from German firm Bosch. It now manufacturers panels in partnership with fellow German company Talesun for both the South African and international markets. General manager Viren Gosai says that the government's solar push has given the company the confidence to open a new facility that is capable of producing 650,000 panels per year. It also supplies private homes and businesses, despite its panels being more expensive than lower-quality imports that don't face any import tariffs. "Covid-19 and lockdowns were bad in many ways," says Mr Gosai. "But the one positive I noticed is that it made people patriotic. "People want to buy local, rely on the resources at home, and are loyal." One high-profile recent contract for Art Solar was providing the solar panels last year for a private hospital in Durban. It means that the Ahmed Al-Kadi Hospital is protected from the risk of power cuts. Up in East African countries including Tanzania, fellow solar energy firm Zola Electric has a solution to power supply that ignores national grids. Instead of connecting solar panel farms to nationwide power systems, it wants to create independent "mini-grids" for villages and other communities. Zola's chief executive Bill Lenihan says we need to "move beyond legacy ways of thinking about energy access, especially in Africa". He adds that in emerging markets, alongside moving from fossil fuels to renewables, people are thinking that having a single energy grid may not work. "Everyone in their minds was saying: 'We're going to build a grid.' Well you are not building grids. "One hundred years later in places like Africa people don't have access to working grids, and they are not going to get working grids, because it is a flawed technology for emerging markets. This isn't controversial to say this any more." Back in South Africa, Jay Naidoo, a former government minister under Nelson Mandela, is a fan of the idea of such separate mini-grids for the 20% of South African households not connected to the grid of state energy firm Eskom. Today he is a trustee and resident of the Earthrise Trust, an eco-farming project in rural Free State province. "Our aim is to empower rural communities, particularly women and the youth contributing to economic growth," says Mr Naidoo. "Power though is still an issue, halting the prospects and self-sufficient nature of the farm. "Imagine if we could have a community-owned, micro-solar grid and meet our own needs? It could electrify so many communities and create community-owned assets." South African environmental campaigning organisation Earthlife Africa has been calling for more renewable power in the country for some time. "We've missed out on investing in solar," says Earthlife director Makoma Lekalakala. "We would be beyond the [power cuts] crisis if we had."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63741041
     
         
      Just Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for M25 disruption Tue, 29th Nov 2022 18:52:00
     
      A climate activist who disrupted traffic on the M25 has been sentenced to six months in prison. Jan Goodey, 57, from Brighton, was jailed after pleading guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance after taking part in Just Stop Oil’s campaign of disruption on London’s orbital motorway earlier this month. He is the first to be sentenced in relation to the disruptive protests, in which supporters of Just Stop Oil climbed gantries over the M25, the country’s busiest motorway, causing severe disruption to rush-hour traffic. Just Stop Oil said Goodey was arrested on 7 November after climbing a gantry at junction 16. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, reduced to six months on account of his guilty plea. According to the campaign’s report of court proceedings, the magistrate spoke of wanting to use Goodey’s sentencing as a “deterrent” against further disruption of ordinary people going about their “lawful business”. The sentencing comes amid talk of a crackdown on Just Stop Oil’s campaign of disruptive protest, which has been under way in the UK since April. On Thursday, the home secretary, Suella Braverman, will summon police chiefs to Downing Street on the orders of the prime minister. A government source has said Braverman has been told to instruct police to use all powers, including those newly granted to forces under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (PCSC) 2022, to “crack down on these groups and bring law and order to our streets and roads once again”. Goodey was convicted of the new statutory offence of public nuisance brought in by the PCSC Act, which replaced an old common law offence of public nuisance, carrying a potential 10-year jail sentence. Responding to Goodey’s sentencing, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “This shows that our government would rather lock up peaceful protesters than put an end to new oil and gas. “We know the course they are setting is going to destroy everything we know and love and that is why we must resist. We will continue to do everything nonviolently possible to stop this horror. This is what Jan has done.” Two more Just Stop Oil supporters were due in court on Wednesday, the campaign said. Anthony Whitehouse and Arne Springorum were due to appear at 2pm, also charged with public nuisance. Police said they were preparing to respond to a new two-week campaign of disruptive protest by Just Stop Oil in London, which began on Monday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/29/just-stop-oil-activist-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison-for-motorway-disruption
     
         
      Canada unveils climate adaptation plan Tue, 29th Nov 2022 12:14:00
     
      As climate change warms Canada up to three times faster than the rest of the planet, the government has made a plan to keep people and ecosystems safe. Environment and Climate Change Canada, a federal agency, released its first-ever national climate adaptation strategy last week, along with $1.2 billion to help implement it over the next five years. The 56-page document, which has been in the works since 2020, attempts to create a “shared vision” of Canada’s future under climate change, calling for society-wide collaboration in five priority areas: disaster resilience, health and well-being, nature and biodiversity, infrastructure, and the economy and workers. “Everyone in Canada is part of the solution, with different roles to play,” the strategy says. The document lays out several high-level targets to guide Canada’s ongoing climate adaptation efforts and protect people from increasingly severe heat waves, wildfires, drought, and other disasters. One section, for example, proposes eliminating all deaths from extreme heat by 2040. Another says that all new infrastructure investments should comply with climate-related standards and criteria by 2030, and a third says First Nations should have the “opportunities and means” to create and implement their own ecosystem stewardship programs. Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo in Canada, said he’d give the plan a “B-plus or A-minus.” Although the report doesn’t provide a detailed roadmap to meet or pay for most of its targets, he called it a necessary first step to coordinate Canada’s adaptation efforts. The strategy is “pretty darn good,” Feltmate told me, noting that Canada’s environmental agency plans to update it every five years while publishing regular progress reports. He also defended the $1.2 billion in federal funding against criticism that it falls far short of what’s needed to protect Canadians from the worst ravages of climate change. One recent report said climate-related flooding, droughts, and storms could cost the country nearly $4 billion a year over the next three decades. But Feltmate called the government’s initial commitment a “down payment” that he expects will be followed by greater sums for climate adaptation.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/canada-unveils-climate-adaptation-plan/
     
         
      Russia backtracks on threat to cut gas supply to Moldova via Ukraine Mon, 28th Nov 2022 12:20:00
     
      Russian state gas producer Gazprom withdrew a threat to reduce gas supplies to Moldova from Monday but said it reserved the right to lower or halt flows in future if Moldova failed to make agreed payments. Last week, Gazprom accused Ukraine of withholding gas supplies which pass through the country on the way to Moldova — something Kyiv denied — and said it could start reducing those flows from Monday. In its latest statement, Gazprom said that Moldovan natural gas company Moldovagaz had paid for gas deliveries in November, adding that it had received payment for what it called gas destined for Moldovan customers but which remained in Ukraine. However, Gazprom accused Moldova of “regular violations” of payment obligations and added: “Gazprom reserves the right to lower or to fully suspend supplies in case of payment violation.” Vadim Ceban, head of Moldovagaz, said on Monday that the advance November gas bill had doubled to $42 million amid increased gas demand by the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, where Russian troops are stationed. He said Moldovagaz had paid this. In a sign that flows were uninterrupted, Gazprom said separately on Monday that it will ship 42.2 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Monday, only slightly down from Sunday’s level of 42.6 mcm. Both figures include flows to Moldova.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/28/energy/russia-gas-ukraine-moldova/index.html
     
         
      ‘We cannot give up’ on the millions suffering in drought-stricken Horn of Africa, urges WFP official Mon, 28th Nov 2022 10:16:00
     
      Millions of people in the Horn of Africa – a region at the intersection of some of the worst impacts of climate change, recurring humanitarian crises and insecurity – are facing the driest conditions in four decades along with extreme food shortages. The top UN World Food Programme (WFP) official in the region, Michael Dunford, is warning that the situation there is likely to get worse before it improves. In an interview with UN News, Mr. Dunford said: “Unfortunately, we have not yet seen the worst of this crisis. If you think 2022 is bad, beware of what is coming in 2023. What that means, is that we need to continue to engage. We cannot give up on the needs of the population in the Horn.” He warned that famine is still a threat, and while WFP was watching the situation closely, “we may see before the end of this year, or perhaps early next, a declaration of pockets of famine in parts of Somalia. What scares me most is that until we have serious rains, the drought will continue, and we could see a situation [of possible famine] replicated in some of the neighboring countries as well.” Yet, despite this bleak outlook, Mr. Dunford praised the resilience of communities in the “very dynamic” region, as well as innovative ideas coming from WFP, other UN agencies, and donors, to help improve access to financing and new advances in agriculture. He believed that investing in the communities themselves was also critical, including, among others, in areas such as nutrition and girls’ education. “We are looking for African solutions to the challenges, and WFP is both the catalyst and [conduit] to enable local economies and the agricultural sector [to] use those resources to meet the immediate needs in the region,” he said, and beyond that: “We’re already starting to think, how do we build resilience? How do we help these populations adapt to…a climate has changed? How can [they] adapt to their new circumstances and what can WFP and other partners do to support these new livelihoods?” This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. UN News: We are doing this interview at a time where millions of people in the Horn of Africa are facing food insecurity because of drought. Can you paint us a picture on the situation? Michael Dunford: Thanks very much for the question. And in fact, the situation in the region of Eastern Africa, particularly The Horn of Africa, has never been so bad. This time last year, there were 51 million people hungry, [or] acutely hungry. Today that figure stands at 82 million. So, we’ve seen a dramatic increase, almost 60 per cent over the course of just 12 months. And what’s driving it is conflict, climate, the effects of [the COVID-19 pandemic] and now this dramatic increase in costs. People are on the brink. We have situations in Somalia, Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and South Sudan where it's the UN World Food Program (WFP) and others that are the difference between life and death. And the situation, unfortunately, is going to get worse before it improves. UN News: For people who have never been there, just hearing this or watching reports about it on TV, can you tell them what women and children have to go through if they want to survive? You said it’s the choice between life and death. What do they have to do if they want one meal a day? Mr. Dunford: So currently The Horn is experiencing the worst drought in over 40 years. Until recently, there were four failed rainy seasons. The current rains are also failing, so that’s creating huge displacement of populations, loss of livestock; people simply unable to meet their requirements. So, people are moving, people are on the move. There’s over a million internal displaced peoples (IDPs) created through the drought itself, and they are coming into centers where humanitarian actors, WFP and others, are able to provide essential lifesaving support. In the WFP's case, we're providing in Somalia cash transfers to over 4.7 million people. And in addition, we’re running nutrition programmes and supporting the broader humanitarian scale-up to ensure they have the logistics capacity and the telecommunications capacity necessary to be able to meet the needs of the population. UN News: So, is famine still a threat in the region? Mr. Dunford: Unfortunately, it is. The analysis continues, and we may see before the end of this year, or perhaps early next, a declaration of pockets of famine in parts of Somalia. What scares me most is that until such time that we have serious rains, the drought will continue. And we could see this situation replicated in some of the neighboring countries as well. I met a woman recently when I was in Somalia. She’d walked for 28 days with seven children. When I talked to her, she had a child on her hip, clearly malnourished, and the woman herself, Amina, was registering so that she could access humanitarian assistance through WFP, and we were then referring her on to the nutrition centers so that she would be able to get the treatment necessary to ensure that her child survives. The situation is as bad as I have seen and of course it’s exacerbated by the conflicts and the insecurity, [which also] makes humanitarian access that much more difficult.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1131107
     
         
      Ineos in talks with Rolls-Royce on mini-nuclear power plant technology Sun, 27th Nov 2022 17:51:00
     
      Chemicals giant wants to produce zero-carbon electricity to power planned hydrogen systems at Grangemouth refinery Ineos, the chemicals company owned by the billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has held exploratory talks with Rolls-Royce on nuclear technology that could eventually be chosen to provide zero-carbon energy to the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland. A deal between Ineos, one of the UK’s biggest privately owned companies, and FTSE 100 engineer Rolls-Royce could help Ineos with the tricky task of decarbonising the giant refinery, while also providing Rolls-Royce with an early customer for a new technology it hopes will transform its prospects. Rolls-Royce’s main business is building and maintaining jet engines for commercial aeroplanes, as well as power systems for boats and land vehicles. However, it is one of a handful of companies around the world hoping to use the expertise gained from building nuclear reactors for the UK’s submarine fleet for use on land. Ineos, which produces fuel and the chemicals used in plastics, is planning to use hydrogen to power the Grangemouth plant, which employs about 2,000 people across nearly 700 hectares (1,700 acres) of land. However, creating zero-carbon hydrogen from water requires large amounts of electricity, and it is considering options to source that power. Ratcliffe is regularly counted among the UK’s richest people, although he moved to low-tax Monaco in 2020. He has used the £6bn fortune built up from Ineos to pursue various other interests, including a delayed attempt to build a rugged off-road vehicle, and purchases of several sports clubs. He has previously tried to buy Chelsea football club, and is seen as a possible bidder for Manchester United after its owners put it up for sale this month. The talks between Ineos and Rolls-Royce were still at an early stage, said one person with knowledge of the situation. Another person said that discussions had centred on understanding the technology, and that no commercial negotiations have taken place. The Sunday Telegraph first reported the contacts. The former prime minister Boris Johnson aimed to put nuclear energy at the heart of the UK’s energy strategy in April as he responded to the chaos on global energy markets prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As well as building several large reactors capable of generating gigawatts of power, he also gave his approval to efforts to build megawatt-scale small modular reactors (SMRs). Warren East, Rolls-Royce’s outgoing chief executive, has said that the SMR revenues could end up being many times larger than its current business, as global demand for zero-carbon energy increases during the transition away from fossil fuels. However, the company still has a host of regulatory and political and financial problems to overcome, as well as proving that it can actually build the reactors in a factory at a cost to make them viable. However, Rolls-Royce is working to find locations for reactors. In September, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Czech nuclear engineering firm Škoda JS to look at sites in the Czech Republic and other parts of central Europe. Rolls-Royce this month said it was prioritising four sites of old nuclear reactors in the UK to install the new SMRs. They were Trawsfynydd and Wylfa in north Wales, a site near Sellafield in Cumbria, and Oldbury in Gloucestershire. East will hand over the reins of the company to the ex-BP executive Tufan Erginbilgic in January, although the SMR effort is being headed internally by Tom Samson, who last week told a parliamentary committee that the company wanted to begin formal funding talks with the UK government. Ineos and Rolls-Royce declined to comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/27/ineos-in-talks-with-rolls-royce-to-build-mini-nuclear-power-plant-in-scotland
     
         
      UK households have cut energy consumption by 10%, say suppliers Sun, 27th Nov 2022 15:49:00
     
      E.ON reports up to 15% drop as Grant Shapps writes to firms saying customers cutting back on energy use should not face direct debit rise Britons have cut their gas and electricity use by more than 10% since October in the first evidence of the impact of the energy crisis on household habits, according to two of Britain’s biggest suppliers. E.ON, Britain’s second-largest supplier, and Telecom Plus, which owns Utility Warehouse, have reported “double-digit” declines in recent weeks. As households cut back on use in response to surging bills, the business secretary, Grant Shapps, has written to bosses across the sector to say that customers cutting back on energy use to save money should not face an increase in their direct debits. Sharing a letter he sent to the chief executives of Britain’s energy suppliers over the weekend, he tweeted on Sunday: “Households shouldn’t see their direct debits rise when their energy use falls.” In the letter, Shapps said he was “disturbed” by reports that some consumers had been told their direct debits would go up “when they are making huge efforts to reduce their usage to save money at a time when household incomes are squeezed”. He added: “With other costs increasing for households, it is critical that we do what we can to help. I am interested to understand how you intend to ensure that your direct debit system does not overestimate charging.” Energy industry executives are watching keenly to see if concerns over high bills will translate into a significant reduction in usage this winter. Michael Lewis, the chief executive of E.ON, which has 5.6 million customers, said the supplier was “seeing reductions of 10 to 15%” against seasonal averages in recent weeks. “It’s quite a big effect. We’re analysing our data and trying to understand what’s happening. It will likely be people putting the heating on for shorter periods or turning down the thermostat in their home. Those are the two big levers.” Andrew Lindsay, the chief executive of stock market-listed Telecom Plus, said gas use was down about 10% in recent months and “our expectation is that there will be a further decline in consumption as people self regulate. We’re forecasting a further double-digit decline in consumption”. Telecom Plus owns Utility Warehouse, which has more than 800,000 customers and offers cheap tariffs by bundling together energy, broadband, mobile and insurance services. Lindsay and Lewis both said the unseasonably mild weather in October and November had made analysing consumer behaviour more difficult. Lindsay added: “We expect [energy reduction] to continue over the course of the winter – for people to self-regulate, but they can’t self-regulate to zero. It’s finite and there is a big government campaign to encourage people to be energy efficiency and that will definitely result in people being more prudent, which is the right thing to do. So we factored that into our forecasts.” Ministers plan to launch a £25m public information campaign before Christmas to encourage people to reduce their energy use this winter. Wrangling over whether to run a campaign has spanned three prime ministers and divided the Conservative party, with some MPs including Liz Truss concerned it will be seen as “nannying”. The government is expected to suggest the public save energy and money through tips such as reducing the temperature of boilers and switching off electrical devices rather than leaving them on standby. Similar campaigns have been running in Europe for months as countries attempt to ease pressure on the gas network, stretched by Russia cutting supplies to Europe after the invasion of Ukraine. In the UK, National Grid has launched a scheme offering discounts for off-peak electricity usage to reduce the strain on the network. Lewis said E.ON, which has signed up to the initiative, had seen 21,000 households take part, and 70% of them had reduced their usage enough to receive payments. The government has stepped in to reduce the pressure of rising energy bills through its energy price guarantee, which caps typical annual household bills at £2,500.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/nov/27/uk-households-have-cut-energy-consumption-by-10-say-suppliers
     
         
      UK doubles coal imports to head off winter energy crisis Sun, 27th Nov 2022 12:01:00
     
      Rising gas prices resulting from the war in Ukraine have forced the UK to nearly double its coal imports in the fight to keep the lights on through the Winter. The increasing use of coal-generated power in the UK comes after years of the country shifting to cleaner electricity from gas-fired power plants and renewables, but is deemed vital as Russian president Vladimir Putin crimps gas supplies to Europe. Figures from Kpler, a commodity analytics firm, show that last month more than 560,000 tonnes of coal came into British ports, compared to the 291,089 tonnes that arrived in October 2021, a 93 per cent increase. In the first 10 months of this year, the UK imported more than 5.5 million tonnes of coal, already exceeding ..
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-doubles-coal-imports-to-head-off-winter-energy-crisis-k69kqvwd9
     
         
      Alok Sharma backs bid to lift ban on onshore windfarms in England Sat, 26th Nov 2022 10:24:00
     
      The president of the Cop26 climate summit Alok Sharma has become the latest Conservative party MP to support lifting the ban on new onshore windfarms. Sharma has joined his former boss Boris Johnson, who nominated him for a peerage, in backing an amendment to government legislation in an attempt to drop the moratorium on onshore wind. It means that the amendment to the Levelling Up bill, led by former levelling up secretary Simon Clarke, now has the support of 22 Tory MPs. Both Johnson and his successor Liz Truss signed the proposal to lift the ban. Clarke’s amendment would force the government to change its policy within six months to allow new windfarm schemes. It comes as Michael Gove is understood to have told allies he also supports ending the ban, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The levelling up secretary is believed to have been joined by the business secretary, Grant Shapps, and Graham Stuart, the climate change minister, in privately supporting the calls to lift the ban, according to the paper. Since 2014, planning rules have in effect barred any new onshore windfarms in England under a tightening of restrictions imposed by David Cameron’s government after pressure from Tory activists. Sharma, a former business secretary, tweeted: “Onshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of renewable power and will help to bolster the UK’s energy security. “Putin’s illegal and brutal war in Ukraine has reinforced that climate & environmental security are totally interlinked with energy and national security. “Faster deployment of renewables, inc onshore wind, is needed to deliver on the UK’s 2035, 100% clean electricity target.” He added that he supported letting communities decide whether to allow new projects in their area, including residents being given reduced energy bills for supporting new schemes. It is the latest challenge for Rishi Sunak, who pulled the levelling up bill from a parliamentary vote on housebuilding policy, because of fears that a rebellion by Tories over a target to build 300,000 homes a year would have seen his first defeat in parliament. About 50 Conservative MPs had threatened to rebel. The bill is expected to be debated next month. Johnson is supporting the amendment despite not trying to overturn the ban when he was prime minister. It has also been signed by former cabinet ministers Nadine Dorries and Stephen Crabb. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer supports lifting the ban, and has previously said that keeping it in place is an “national act of self-harm, choking off our economic potential”. Clarke, who served as chief secretary to the Treasury under Johnson, and as levelling up secretary in Truss’s seven-week premiership, said: “This really is an issue that unites opinion from all wings of the Conservative party. We should let local communities decide whether or not they want onshore wind, perhaps linked to sensible incentives from energy companies, and not apply a blanket ban. “Onshore wind can lower our constituents’ bills, boost our energy independence and safeguard our environment, and I am delighted so many colleagues are supporting this important amendment.” On Friday a government spokesperson said: “We will consider all amendments and set out our position in the usual way. “The PM has been clear, though, that we want to support more renewables, for them to come online and the focus remains on building more wind turbines offshore in order to boost our energy security.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/26/alok-sharma-backs-bid-to-lift-ban-on-onshore-windfarms-in-england
     
         
      Queensland faces ‘significant’ wellbeing decline if it doesn’t quickly transition to renewables, report says Sat, 26th Nov 2022 8:21:00
     
      A Queensland government-commissioned report by Deloitte says there could be “significant” declines in wellbeing, assets left stranded and a stagnating economy if the state doesn’t quickly transition to renewables. The report by the global accounting giant, obtained under the state’s right to information regime, also suggests Queensland could have a bright economic future should it rapidly decarbonise in coordination with the rest of the world. The New Futures, New Resources report says there “is no middle ground”, and the state must be open to a “whatever it takes approach” to adjust for “structural disruption”, or its biggest industry could face “rapid decline”. Climate campaigners who obtained the internal document said the Palaszczuk government could no longer “walk both sides of the street on climate change and fossil fuels”. Brisbane-based clean energy and climate campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, Jason Lyddieth, applauded the government’s “ambitious and forward thinking plan to get Queensland off coal domestically and set us up to be a renewable energy powerhouse”. “But on the other hand they still talk up the long-term prospects of coal and gas exports,” he said. “The [Deloitte] report is unequivocal that Queensland must rapidly decarbonise and play a constructive role in the global effort to get off coal and gas. If that happens, Queensland will have a thriving future.” Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The state’s resources minister, Scott Stewart, said there was “still a future for coal in Queensland”, particularly metallurgical coal to make steel. “Currently there is no other commercially viable way to create steel, which we need not only for construction but also to create wind turbines and renewable infrastructure,” he said. Stewart said the government’s 30-year vision for the resources sector had a firm focus on critical minerals, such as copper, vanadium and cobalt, which are in abundance in Queensland. “The world cannot meet decarbonisation targets without these minerals,” he said. The Queensland Resources Council’s chief executive, Ian Macfarlane, said his sector was helping bring “prosperity and economic opportunity to many countries around the world”. “The resources sector is guided by the policy frameworks of state, federal and international governments in meeting the current high demand for our coal and gas,” he said. Macfarlane agreed “rapid global decarbonisation” created “enormous opportunities” in new economy mineral extraction and value-adding manufacture, but pointed to recent analysis that said “international demand should continue to support Queensland’s coal exports over coming decades, in particular for the state’s metallurgical coal producers”. The Deloitte report came to light amid an advertising campaign from the QRC against the tiered coal royalty regime introduced by the treasurer, Cameron Dick, to cash in on the record profits coalminers have made on soaring commodity prices. The mining lobby claims the new royalty regime will cost the state jobs and investment. But the New Futures, New Resources report said the biggest risk to jobs and wellbeing in the state is a carbon-fuelled economy. Of six futures modelled in the report, the scenario that leaves Queensland “worst off” is one in which both Queensland and the world fail to realise net zero by 2050 and value chains remain fossil-fuel dominated. The report describes this situation as a “lose-lose” scenario that must be avoided “at all costs”. “The economy is smaller, the mining and resources sector is smaller, there are fewer jobs on the aggregate and industry level,” it said. “In lose-lose, Queensland is suffering the worst consequences of global climate change and the mining and resources sector is highly exposed to disruption.” The report warned multinational firms might seek to “redistribute their portfolios” to gain early advantage in the move towards “rapid global decarbonisation” – which risked leaving smaller firms and workers behind. Under the lose-lose scenario in 2050 the economy would be still dominated by coal, oil and natural gas featuring “ageing fossil fuel assets” either “stranded” or “operationally subsidised”. In contrast, the best-case scenario for the state is that in which Queensland rapidly coordinates its decarbonisation efforts in concert with the rest of the world. Under this scenario, Queensland’s mining sector adds $365bn to gross state product, employs more than 100,000 people and is well positioned for future growth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/27/queensland-faces-significant-wellbeing-decline-if-it-doesnt-quickly-transition-to-renewables-report-says
     
         
      The Australian suburbs where more than half of properties will be uninsurable by 2030 Fri, 25th Nov 2022 9:31:00
     
      When Kim Sly moved to a lower-lying area of Forbes four years ago, she was asked to pay $12,000 a year for flood insurance. The bill was a shock. Her new home was built 1.2 metres above the ground to protect it from floods, a factor that did not seem to influence the insurance company’s assessment. By now, she would have paid a staggering $48,000 in insurance costs. “It is a huge amount of money,” she said. “I’ve always believed in insurance. I’ve never not been insured for anything, you know, houses, cars.” “But for me … it wasn’t an option, because $48,000 is a lot of money, that if we did need to replace carpets etc, it would have gone a long way.” When the floods hit Forbes this month, the water inundated her yard and shed. She only lost incidentals. “We were one of the lucky ones,” she says. Just to the east, in flood-ravaged Eugowra, Greg Agustin had his mechanic workshop ruined during last week’s disaster. Half the roof has collapsed and the timber supports broke and splintered from the force of the flood waters. Agustin said he simply couldn’t afford the exorbitant cost of flood insurance in Eugowra. His prospects of reopening are now dependant on how much support the state and federal governments offer. “I’m insured for fire, but the flood insurance is impossible,” he said. “The cost of it. It’s very hard to get flood insurance anyway. Up the road they quoted one lady $25,000, 10 years that’s $250,000.” New data shows stories like Sly and Agustin’s are becoming increasingly common. Rising costs associated with climate crisis hazards are making more and more homes uninsurable. Data from Climate Valuation shows there are at least 17 Australian suburbs where more than half its properties will be uninsurable by 2030. The chief executive of Climate Valuation, Karl Mallon, said the prediction that properties would become too expensive to insure due to global heating is unfolding faster than expected in the wake of this year’s flood disasters in Australia’s eastern states. “We are now hearing about traditional insurance companies starting to withdraw cover. Where they’re saying, well, we don’t want to keep offering coverage in this particular town,” Mallon said. “We thought we had a bit of time but I think things are unraveling fairly quickly now.” Mallon predicted a severe price shift in insurance is on the cards not only for areas hit by the most recent flood disasters, but “frankly any flood zones” around Australia. Climate Valuation classifies a property as high risk and will use the phrase “uninsurable” when the technical insurance premium exceeds 1% of the replacement value of a house. Climate Valuation classified 10-20% of Eugowra’s properties at high risk. However, 90% of its buildings sustained damage from flood waters last week. Mallon said in the recent floods “some of the places that we’re seeing flooded very severely are places that in our flood data would be considered at low risk.” “This is one of the things we’re very worried about as scientists and engineers is that it may be that our flood models have underestimated some of these risks. Lots of places, we’re getting it right … but we’re seeing some places that have flooded very severely are much higher than we would have expected. “And so this is leading to some big questions being asked in the industry about whether we need to update our data … maybe things are much worse than we would have predicted in certain places.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/26/australias-unraveling-climate-risk-leaving-more-homes-uninsurable-against-flooding-expert-warns
     
         
      UK government to introduce grants to make homes more energy efficient Fri, 25th Nov 2022 6:19:00
     
      The business secretary, Grant Shapps, will announce a plan next week to offer grants of up to £15,000 to middle-income households to make homes more energy efficient, according to reports. The scheme, called “eco plus”, will run from April and target middle-earners to enable them to fund work on their homes such as installing cavity-wall insulation or smart heating controls. The government has set aside £1bn for the initiative that will target people in council tax bands A to D, according to the Times. The intention is to target 70,000 homes over three years, covering 75% of the cost of any energy efficiency upgrades to people’s homes. The push to encourage people to install upgrades in their homes is intended to drive significant cost savings at a time when oil and gas prices have surged as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UK’s housing stock is the oldest and the least energy efficient in Europe, and the government has been forced to intervene in the market to shield people from skyrocketing energy bills. Installing loft insulation costs between £455 and £640, depending on the type of property, and can save a household between £330 and £590 a year, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). Cavity-wall insulation costs between £580 and £1,800, and can save between £235 and £690 a year. The funding will be administered by energy suppliers, unlike the green homes grant scheme that was axed last year and which offered £5,000 or £10,000 to install insulation or low-carbon heating. The scheme is part of a wider ambition that the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced in the autumn statement to reduce energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030. “Reducing demand by this much means, in today’s prices, a £28bn saving from our national energy bill or £450 off the average household bill,” he said. The government is expected to approve a £25m social media and advertising campaign before Christmas on how households can cut their winter energy usage. The advice will include a number of tips, such as turning off radiators in empty rooms, reducing the temperature of the boiler and taking showers rather than baths. The levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, said the advice would not be “nannying” but would point people towards “authoritative sources of advice” on managing energy usage. A previous attempt to introduce a public information campaign on energy-saving measures was reportedly blocked by Liz Truss’s administration.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/25/uk-government-to-introduce-grants-to-make-homes-more-energy-efficient
     
         
      AGL to close South Australia’s main gas power station, citing new grid link and cheaper renewables Thu, 24th Nov 2022 15:16:00
     
      The closure of the Torrens B 600MW gas-fired plant will happen by mid-2026, instead of 2035 as previously plannedAGL Energy will close its main gas-fired power station in South Australia by 2026, citing the completion of a new grid link to NSW that will give the state more access to low-cost renewable energy. The energy giant, which has been under siege from billionaire activist Mike Cannon-Brookes over its decarbonisation pace, told the ASX on Thursday it would close the remaining three units of the 600 megawatt Torrens Island B gas-fired power station on 30 June 2026. The closure plan was driven “in part” by the construction of a new transmission line between NSW and SA that is due to begin operating by mid-2026, AGL said. The decision was not influenced by the recent expansion of the company’s board to add four members proposed by Cannon-Brookes. Discussions between AGL and the SA government have been going on for some time. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The Australian Energy Market Operator had listed Torrens B as operating until 2035, but an accelerated closure date had been expected. AGL mothballed one of the plant’s four units last year and the remaining three will have operated for 50 years by the time of the station’s new intended closure date. The rise of renewables in the state played a role in the decision. During the day time in SA, wind and solar commonly meet most or all of the state’s electricity demand. Rooftop solar panels alone were providing more than four-fifths of the supply by mid-afternoon, the OpenNEM website showed. The ageing Torrens B plant was less capable of firing up and shutting down to meet the market’s fluctuating needs. AGL’s 210MW Barker Inlet gas-fired station, completed in 2019, is better able to cope with supply demands. However, recent orders by Aemo for AGL to turn on the Torrens B plant to meet the need for synchronicity and supply demonstrated its ongoing usefulness. An AGL spokesperson said it is common for two of the plants units to be operated at minimum levels of output to provide stability to the grid. It is “very rare” to have them dispatched any more than that.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/24/agl-to-close-torrens-b-island-gas-fired-power-station-south-australia
     
         
      Water companies dumping sewage during dry weather, SAS report finds Thu, 24th Nov 2022 10:27:00
     
      Report exposes scale of human waste discharges into UK waters, including potentially illegal ‘dry spills’ Water companies have been releasing sewage on to beaches and in rivers even when it is not raining, according to a report from Surfers Against Sewage. Sewage spills are only supposed to happen under exceptional circumstances; when it is raining so heavily that the system cannot cope with the amount of water and effluent being spewed at once. However, there have been anecdotal accounts of local sewage outflows spilling human waste into local waterways even when it is not raining. Now, SAS claims that that these ‘dry spills’ are happening routinely, against regulations which stipulate outflows should only occur during “unusually heavy rainfall”. Analysing meteorological data from the Met Office as well as spillage data, SAS found that 146 dry spills were detected over a 12-month period, with 95 of these at locations where water quality is classified as “excellent”. Southern Water, the worst offender, was responsible for four times as many dry spills as the next worst offender, South West Water. Amy Slack, head of campaigns and policy at SAS, said: “Over the last year, the UK public has made clear their disgust at what’s happening to our rivers and seas, and yet water companies continue to pollute at will. It’s especially alarming to uncover evidence of potentially illegal activity by water companies in the form of dry spills, which are not permitted under current regulations. Shareholders and CEOs are unashamedly profiteering off pollution.” “It’s high time the government stepped up and took real action to curb the destructive and selfish behaviour of the water companies responsible for this literal shit storm.” According to data from The Environment Agency, sewage has been dumped into the ocean and rivers around the UK more than 770,000 times over the course of 2020 and 2021 – the equivalent of almost 6 million hours. Sewage in waterways is also making people sick, the report claims. As part of its water quality report, SAS has also analysed data from 720 sickness reports submitted to its reporting system. The data found that over a third (39%) of sickness cases correlated to sewage discharge alerts, while 63% of cases that were reported to a doctor were attributed to poor water quality. The most common illness reported after people swam in the sea or rivers was gastroenteritis, with two in three people reporting symptoms associated with the condition. Ear, nose and throat infections were common too, with respiratory, skin and urinary tract infections also reported. Over half of the sickness reports related to swims at locations classified as “excellent” under the government’s testing regime. Dr Anne Leonard, an environmental epidemiologist and microbiologist based at the University of Exeter, said: “We’ve known for over 100 years that sewage contains disease-causing microorganisms, and that ingesting water contaminated with this kind of waste causes infections. These infections may be mild, self-limiting illnesses but they can also be really severe infections that require medical treatment.” Swimmers have reported anger and upset after having to change how they interact with the water following illness.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/24/water-companies-dumping-sewage-during-dry-weather-sas-report-finds
     
         
      Solar farm and battery storage proposals at Chickerell unveiled Wed, 23rd Nov 2022 10:41:00
     
      A planned solar farm and battery storage facility would be a "monstrosity", campaigners have said. Developer Statera Energy has unveiled plans for generating renewable energy on 1,400 acres (570 hectares) of farmland near Weymouth in Dorset. Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said roof-top solar panels and off-shore wind farms were better alternatives. Statera Energy said it would contribute to efforts to combat climate change. Details of the proposed solar farm went on show at a public meeting on Tuesday evening. It would have capacity to generate up to 300 MW of renewable electricity, with 400 MW of battery storage capacity close to the existing substation at Chickerell. More than 500 acres (200 hectares) of the proposed infrastructure lies within the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Dorset West MP Chris Loader previously described the plan as "an appalling use of green belt farm land". Dr Guy Dickenson, of CPRE, said: "This huge solar monstrosity is unacceptable. It's vast in the beautiful part of the countryside which is essential for our health and well being. Dorset is exceptionally beautiful and should be preserved at all costs." He said government targets on low carbon energy could be "comfortably" reached with off-shore wind, Scottish on-shore wind, nuclear and roof-top solar panels. 'Unique opportunity' Andrew Troop, of Statera Energy, said the project was "relatively small" in national terms, and the area of ANOB affected had "no distinction" with surrounding farmland. "If we can't do a modest project like this on poor quality land, with the highest irradiance, pretty much, in the country, you're going to struggle everywhere - the government wants three times the amount of ground-mounted solar in the country," he said. "This is a unique opportunity for Dorset." Farmer, Robert Lassiter, who owns some of the land on which the panels would sit, said it would provide an opportunity to diversify the farm's revenue. "We're farmers through and through - we are sick and tired of producing food at less than the cost of production, it's demeaning - so this is a good way forward for our family," he said. A public consultation is due to begin next year, with a planning decision possible in 2025 and the solar farm potentially operating from late 2027.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-63727290
     
         
      A milestone for lab-grown meat Wed, 23rd Nov 2022 9:56:00
     
      The Beacon is sponsored by Southern Environmental Law Center The Beacon Joseph Winters Joseph Winters It’s Wednesday, November 23, and lab-grown meat hit a major milestone. For the first time ever, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has deemed a lab-grown meat product safe for human consumption. The agency completed its evaluation of California-based Upside Foods last week and took no issue with the company’s claims that its chicken meat — cultivated from real chicken cells grown in a laboratory — is “as safe as comparable foods produced by other methods.” “This is a watershed moment in the history of food,” Uma Valeti, Upside’s CEO, said in a statement. Many animal rights and environmental advocates have invested hope in lab-grown meat for years, arguing it could help mitigate the many problems with factory farming. Industrially raised chickens, pigs, and cattle live brutal, degrading lives, and animal agriculture writ large is responsible for some 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions — not to mention air and water pollution, deforestation, and intensive water use. In theory, meat grown in labs could prevent some or all of those problems. Because it’s cultivated from cells, there’s no suffering or killing involved. And if Upside Foods can scale up production, it projects its chicken will use 77 percent less water and 62 percent less land than conventional meat. But that’s only once production scales up — and it’s just a projection. Today, there’s controversy over whether lab-grown meat is actually worse for the climate than meat from living animals, in part because laboratories draw so much energy from electric grids that rely on fossil fuels. Some experts note that emissions could drop with evolving production processes and a decarbonizing power sector. After garnering FDA approval, Upside Foods still has to clear a few more hurdles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture before it can market its cultivated meat. The company says it plans to launch in restaurants before putting its products on grocery store shelves. ”I’m thrilled that U.S. consumers will soon have the chance to eat delicious meat that’s grown directly from animal cells,” Valeti said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-milestone-for-lab-grown-meat/
     
         
      Rwanda's electric vehicle push has a faltering start Tue, 22nd Nov 2022 12:22:00
     
      Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda might not be the obvious place to launch electric vehicles. The rugged, rural terrain would be tough on any car, but particularly models that have to lug around heavy batteries. But Rwanda's president Paul Kagame wants to transform the economy of the tiny, landlocked country. A key part of the plan is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the nation's dependence on imported fossil fuels, which account for 40% of the country's foreign exchange expenditure. So, the government has launched a range of incentives to encourage electric vehicles. Electric cars, their spare parts, batteries and charging station equipment have been exempted from VAT, import and excise duties. Meanwhile, electric vehicles can be charged at a heavily subsidised electricity tariff. The government also offers rent-free land for charging bays. First proposed in around 2019, but held-up by the Covid pandemic, the incentives came into effect in April 2021. Germany's Volkswagen was one of the first beneficiaries of the government strategy. It launched the e-Golf model in Rwanda in 2019. The pilot project started with four of the cars and two charging stations in Kigali. VW's original plan was to expand the service to 50 cars and 15 charging stations, as part of its cab-hailing app called Move. However, three years later, only 20 of the cars are on the road and they have been removed from the ride-hailing service. Instead they ferry customers from several high-end hotels, the international airport and the Kigali Convention Centre. "The unevenness in road infrastructure and the height of speed-bumps turned out to be too challenging for the e-Golf, which has a relatively low ground clearance," says Allan Kweli, head of operations at Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda. There was particular concern about damaging the underside of the car, where the batteries are located. Despite that misfire, VW remains optimistic about Rwanda. It is planning to import its ID.4 electric car, which has a higher ground clearance. "The beauty of Rwanda is that the government has created a test scenario whereby you can prove your work in an African setup," Mr Kweli says. One glaring problem facing the carmakers is the lack of any charging facilities outside of Kigali. In a developing country like Rwanda, it's tough to justify large investments in a nationwide charging infrastructure. Nevertheless, in partnership with the government and energy companies, Rwanda's EvPlugin charging network is planning to build 200 public chargers across the country over the next two years. Of those facilities, 35 will be suitable for cars while the others will serve electric motorbikes. Japan's Mitsubishi is dodging the problem by launching a petrol-electric hybrid car in Rwanda. It has 135 of its Outlander cars on the roads of Kigali - 90 of which are leased, while the others are driven through a rental service. "A hybrid vehicle eliminates the range anxiety as it can switch to gasoline, which is relevant as we are still far behind with charging infrastructure in Rwanda," says Joshua Nshuti, from Greenleaf Motors, Mitsubishi's official dealer in Rwanda. He says demand has picked up recently. "As fuel prices have increased by 60% in the last few months, we see a growing demand for the Outlander, as it gives clients the opportunity to half their fuel costs," he says. Critics question the positive environmental impact of the Outlander as, in hilly Kigali, it can only manage about 50km to 70km (30 to 44 miles) on battery power alone.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63622624
     
         
      A major reversal at COP27 Tue, 22nd Nov 2022 10:54:00
     
      Zoya Teirstein here, filling in while Joseph Winters is away. The world’s wealthiest countries are responsible for the vast majority of the climate change that has occurred since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. For more than 30 years, developing countries have asked richer nations to compensate them for the expensive catastrophes that global warming disproportionately inflicts on the world’s poor. But industrialized countries, most notably the United States, the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, have long refused this request because they didn’t want to be held legally responsible for their emissions. That stalemate broke over the weekend at COP27, the United Nations climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, when negotiators reached an agreement to create a landmark fund that will pay developing countries for “loss and damage” caused by climate change. The terms of the agreement stipulate that nations paying into the fund are not legally liable for payments, a concession that was key to getting the deal over the finish line. Developing nations in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and elsewhere that have been hit hard by hurricanes, rising sea levels, and other climate disasters were responsible for not only getting the loss and damage fund on the conference agenda, but keeping it from slipping through the cracks for yet another year. “The announcement offers hope to vulnerable communities all over the world who are fighting for their survival from climate stress,” Sherry Rehman, the climate minister of Pakistan, one of the 134 countries that pushed for the fund, said in a tweet. It’s not yet clear how much money will go into the fund, but over the next year, a transitional committee of representatives from 24 countries will determine what it will look like and how it will work. Will China, a “developing nation,” as defined by the United Nations and the largest current global emitter of greenhouse gases, be restricted from withdrawing aid from the fund? That controversial detail, and many others, will need to be hammered out.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-major-reversal-at-cop27/
     
         
      COP27: Climate costs deal struck but no fossil fuel progress Mon, 21st Nov 2022 9:04:00
     
      A historic deal has been struck at the UN's COP27 summit that will see rich nations pay poorer countries for the damage and economic losses caused by climate change. It ends almost 30 years of waiting by nations facing huge climate impacts. But developed nations left dissatisfied over progress on cutting fossil fuels. "A clear commitment to phase-out all fossil fuels? Not in this text," said the UK's Alok Sharma, who was president of the previous COP summit in Glasgow. This year's talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, came close to collapse, and overran by two days. Luke-warm applause met the historic moment the "loss and damage fund" was agreed in the early hours of Sunday, as a confusing and often chaotic 48 hours left delegates exhausted. It is, though, a huge symbolic and political statement from developed nations that long resisted a fund that covers climate impacts like flooding and drought. Five key climate takeaways from COP27 Will richer nations pay for climate change? The summit began two weeks ago with powerful statements from vulnerable nations. "We will not give up... the alternative consigns us to a watery grave," Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said. On Sunday, Pakistan's climate minister Sherry Rehman, who negotiated for the bloc of developing countries plus China, told journalists she was very happy with the agreement. "I am confident we have turned a corner in how we work together to achieve climate goals," she said. The devastating floods in at-risk nation Pakistan this summer, which killed about 1,700 people with estimated damages of $40 billion, have been a powerful backdrop at this summit. On Sunday, Antigua and Barbuda environment minister Molwyn Joseph, and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said the deal was a "win for the entire world" and "restored global faith in this critical process dedicated to ensuring no one is left behind". But nations and groups including UK, EU, and New Zealand left Egypt unhappy with compromises on fossil fuels and curbing climate change. "I'm incredibly disappointed that we weren't able to go further," UK lead negotiator Alok Sharma told journalists after talks concluded. Countries that fought to weaken the ambition to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions - gases that warm the planet - need to look at-risk nations "in the eye," he said. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the progress made at COP27 but said "more must be done" to tackle climate change. The final overarching deal did not include commitments to "phase down" or reduce use of fossil fuels. It also included ambiguous new language about "low emissions energy" - which experts here say could open the door to some fossil fuels being considered part of a green energy future. New Zealand's climate minister told BBC News that there were "strong attempts by the petrol states to roll back" on agreements, but that developed countries "held the line". Nations, including the G20 group, are anxious for the world to urgently cut fossil fuel use. But developing nations like India - or those reliant on oil and gas - push back, because they want to exploit their reserves, as western countries did historically. As the clock ticked on, richer nations appeared to concede - despite a last-minute intervention by Switzerland. Expectations were low at the beginning of COP27 - it was meant to be an "action" summit that implemented agreements made last year, but would not reach anything new. But the loss and damage deal could be the most significant development since the Paris Agreement. For almost as long as the UN has discussed climate change, developed nations worried about signing a blank cheque for climate impacts. Now they have committed to payments - though the details remain to be worked out. It tops off a conference marked with deadlock, and punctuated by dramatic moments - including Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's first appearance on the global stage since his recent election win. Speaking to rapturous crowds, he told COP27 that Brazil is back on the climate stage, promising to end deforestation and restore the Amazon. It gave an injection of hope that many activists and observers of climate talks say is lacking at UN summits. But fossil fuel delegates remained out in force - up 25% on last year - while experts said women participants were too few. And in the large tents where nations, experts and NGOs laid out their stands, the first Children and Youth Pavilion at a COP radiated energy, hope and frustration. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of COP27, a deal that promises to pay $20 billion to Indonesia to transition away from coal was celebrated as one of the concrete success of the summit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63677466
     
         
      What is loss and damage and will rich nations pay for climate change? Sun, 20th Nov 2022 12:24:00
     
      World leaders have reached a historic deal to give money to developing nations facing the effects of climate change. The creation of a fund for "loss and damage" is seen as a breakthrough, but previous promises of payments are still to be met. What do countries want money for? Money for climate action broadly falls into three buckets: Loss and damage This money is to help developing countries recover from the effects of climate change they are already suffering. For example, in the past 12 months alone the developing world has experienced severe climate-related crises - from flooding in Pakistan to drought in East Africa. Money for disasters is often already available via humanitarian aid. However, developing nations want guaranteed compensation from developed countries - who they say are historically responsible for climate change. Developed nations recognise that money needs to be given for this. However, framing the payments as reparations is controversial and they are wary of accepting liability on these terms. Five key climate takeaways from COP27 Climate costs deal struck but no fossil fuel progress Mitigation This is money to help developing nations move away from fossil fuels and other polluting activities. This is where most money has been given to date. Many countries still have coal power stations that are yet to reach the end of their lives. They need support to switch to clean energy, such as solar farms. Adaptation This is money to help developing nations prepare for the worst effects of climate change. It is different to loss and damage as it is focused on the future. The needs vary depending where in the world the country is, but may include: building stronger flood defences relocating populations at risk developing storm proof housing distributing crops that are more resilient to dry spells What is the agreement on loss and damage? More than 200 nations agreed to create a loss and damage fund. Developed nations will give to the fund, which will then be distributed to "particularly vulnerable" nations. At last year's COP26 conference, loss and damage did not even feature on the agenda - so this is significant progress. There are still many details to be ironed out, including how much richer nations will pay and how money will be distributed. It is hoped a series of workshops early next year will iron this out. But strong concerns have been raised that the fund could be undermined by the lack of progress on agreements to reduce emissions. Katie White, of the World Wildlife Fund, said the loss and damage deal "risks becoming a down payment on disaster unless emissions are urgently cut in line with the 1.5C goal". What money has been given so far? In 2009, richer countries agreed to provide $100bn (£88bn) a year to developing nations for climate action by the end of 2020. But by the end of that year the total was $83.3bn (£73bn). The goal is expected to be reached in 2023. The majority, 82%, of this money came from public funds, with the remainder from the private sector, according to the OECD. But analysis, commissioned by the UN, suggests the private sector could deliver 70% of future investments needed to meet climate commitments. A coalition of more than 550 private firms have committed to use $130 trillion of assets to help achieve net zero. Are developing countries getting enough money? Not only are the existing promises of climate finance not currently being met, but developing countries argue the targets are too low. At last year's climate summit in Glasgow, the G77+ China alliance of developing countries called on richer nations to mobilise at least $1.3 trillion (£1.14 trillion) by 2030. They argued that this should be split equally between reducing emissions and preparing for climate change. Currently, only 34% of climate finance goes towards helping developing countries adapt to climate change, according to the OECD's latest figures. Also the majority of the public funding, 71%, is still given in the form of loans rather than direct grants. This can increase the debt burden in poorer nations. Nafkote Dabi, Oxfam International Climate Policy lead, has called this "profoundly unfair". He said: "Instead of supporting countries that are facing worsening droughts, cyclones and flooding, rich countries are crippling their ability to cope with the next shock and deepening their poverty."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63478446
     
         
      COP27: Climate costs deal struck but no fossil fuel progress Sun, 20th Nov 2022 7:02:00
     
      A historic deal has been struck at the UN's COP27 summit that will see rich nations pay poorer countries for the damage and economic losses caused by climate change. It ends almost 30 years of waiting by nations facing huge climate impacts. But developed nations left dissatisfied over progress on cutting fossil fuels. "A clear commitment to phase-out all fossil fuels? Not in this text," said the UK's Alok Sharma, who was president of the previous COP summit in Glasgow. This year's talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, came close to collapse, and overran by two days. Luke-warm applause met the historic moment the "loss and damage fund" was agreed in the early hours of Sunday, as a confusing and often chaotic 48 hours left delegates exhausted. It is, though, a huge symbolic and political statement from developed nations that long resisted a fund that covers climate impacts like flooding and drought. Five key climate takeaways from COP27 Will richer nations pay for climate change? The summit began two weeks ago with powerful statements from vulnerable nations. "We will not give up... the alternative consigns us to a watery grave," Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said. On Sunday, Pakistan's climate minister Sherry Rehman, who negotiated for the bloc of developing countries plus China, told journalists she was very happy with the agreement. "I am confident we have turned a corner in how we work together to achieve climate goals," she said. The devastating floods in at-risk nation Pakistan this summer, which killed about 1,700 people with estimated damages of $40 billion, have been a powerful backdrop at this summit. On Sunday, Antigua and Barbuda environment minister Molwyn Joseph, and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said the deal was a "win for the entire world" and "restored global faith in this critical process dedicated to ensuring no one is left behind". But nations and groups including UK, EU, and New Zealand left Egypt unhappy with compromises on fossil fuels and curbing climate change. "I'm incredibly disappointed that we weren't able to go further," UK lead negotiator Alok Sharma told journalists after talks concluded. Countries that fought to weaken the ambition to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions - gases that warm the planet - need to look at-risk nations "in the eye," he said. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the progress made at COP27 but said "more must be done" to tackle climate change. The final overarching deal did not include commitments to "phase down" or reduce use of fossil fuels. It also included ambiguous new language about "low emissions energy" - which experts here say could open the door to some fossil fuels being considered part of a green energy future. New Zealand's climate minister told BBC News that there were "strong attempts by the petrol states to roll back" on agreements, but that developed countries "held the line". Nations, including the G20 group, are anxious for the world to urgently cut fossil fuel use. But developing nations like India - or those reliant on oil and gas - push back, because they want to exploit their reserves, as western countries did historically. As the clock ticked on, richer nations appeared to concede - despite a last-minute intervention by Switzerland. Expectations were low at the beginning of COP27 - it was meant to be an "action" summit that implemented agreements made last year, but would not reach anything new. But the loss and damage deal could be the most significant development since the Paris Agreement. For almost as long as the UN has discussed climate change, developed nations worried about signing a blank cheque for climate impacts. Now they have committed to payments - though the details remain to be worked out. It tops off a conference marked with deadlock, and punctuated by dramatic moments - including Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's first appearance on the global stage since his recent election win. Speaking to rapturous crowds, he told COP27 that Brazil is back on the climate stage, promising to end deforestation and restore the Amazon. It gave an injection of hope that many activists and observers of climate talks say is lacking at UN summits. But fossil fuel delegates remained out in force - up 25% on last year - while experts said women participants were too few. And in the large tents where nations, experts and NGOs laid out their stands, the first Children and Youth Pavilion at a COP radiated energy, hope and frustration. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of COP27, a deal that promises to pay $20 billion to Indonesia to transition away from coal was celebrated as one of the concrete success of the summit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63666086
     
         
      COP27: What are the sticking points in COP27 negotiations? Sun, 20th Nov 2022 3:17:00
     
      COP27 climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh were meant to end on Friday, but have run into the weekend because of deep divisions between nations. The Egyptian hosts are trying to broker an agreement among almost 200 countries after two weeks of negotiations. These are the major areas of disagreement: 1 - "Loss and damage" The biggest sticking point by far here is the need for a new fund to help countries deal with the immediate impacts of climate change. The issue is known as "loss and damage" in the framework of UN talks. Developing countries like Tuvalu want a new financing facility to be established here in Egypt. Drought is hitting the island hard, while at the same time the rising seas are threatening their future as a nation. "People are now going without water, they are being rationed to two or three buckets of water a day," Tuvalu's minister for finance Seve Paeniu told BBC News. Rich countries have resisted this discussion over financing for 30 years, fearing that since they historically played a major role in causing climate change, they will have to pay for it for centuries to come. But the impacts of flooding in Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere in recent years have tipped the balance - here in Egypt the issue of the losses and damages due to rising temperatures finally made it onto the negotiating agenda. 2 - Phasing out all fossil fuels The final discussions at COP26 in Glasgow last year almost fell apart on the issue of coal. Richer countries wanted to phase out the use of the most polluting fossil fuel. Larger developing economies including India and China did not. Cue frantic huddles on the plenary floor as diplomats tried to find a compromise. They settled on "phasing down" rather than "phasing out". Here, India and a number of other countries wanted to expand this phrase to include oil and gas. 3 - Keeping 1.5C alive This was the mantra of the UK Presidency of COP26, and after Glasgow the concept was on life support, according to Alok Sharma, the minister in charge of the talks. A rise of 1.5C is viewed by scientists as the threshold to very dangerous levels of warming - but there has been considerable worry here that the commitment to the idea would be watered down, especially as India and China were concerned it was no longer scientifically feasible. "I see the will to keep to the 1.5C goal," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as he returned to the talks. "But we must ensure that commitment is evident in the COP27 outcome." 4 - US & China While the recent meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping has seen some thawing of relations between the world's two biggest emitters, the lack of concrete areas of co-operation between them is hampering the UN climate process. A key example is "loss and damage" and climate finance more generally. Traditionally, the developed nations paid and the larger emerging economies, such as India, China and Brazil did not. Now the US and EU want to expand the number of countries that contribute - and China is top of their list. "By the end of this decade, China could overtake the US in terms of its historical cumulative emissions, and is the world's second largest economy, and yet in UN terms it still counts as a developing country," said Bernice Lee, from Chatham House. "But the US has consistently failed to deliver climate finance and shoulder its responsibility as the world's largest emitter to support the the developing world. "If China and the US can come to terms, a whole new solution space opens up for the rest of the world."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63666086
     
         
      COP27: UN climate talks go into the night amid tense negotiations Sun, 20th Nov 2022 2:15:00
     
      Talks over a potentially historic deal at the COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt are continuing overnight, amid reports that a breakthrough is within reach. The two-week conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was extended after no deal was reached by Friday. The question of who will pay for "loss and damage" to developing nations caused by climate change has been the biggest sticking point. Negotiators say this has been resolved, but a final deal is yet to be signed. Delegates from nearly 200 countries are taking part in the summit. Host nation Egypt said it wanted the overall agreement to be struck before the end of the night, but negotiators told reporters that an agreement was still some way off, and they were preparing for another long night. These summits regularly run into overtime - and COP27 is on track to become one of the longest ever. Negotiations continued even as the venue in the resort city was dismantled late on Saturday, and representatives of some countries were reported to have left. A really simple guide to climate change Four sticking points in the negotiations The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit The key disagreement is over a dedicated "loss and damage" fund to pay for the effects of climate change, which developing countries have been calling for for decades. If a deal is agreed it will be a historic victory for those nations, which may go some way to reducing the burden of events such as recent flooding in Pakistan and Nigeria. In a dramatic move, late on Thursday night the EU said it could agree to this on some conditions - which proved to be controversial. The EU argued that all those who could afford it should contribute to the fund, including larger emerging economies like China, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. This raised fundamental questions for the UN about the definition of developing countries. 'A unique moment' Alpha Kaloga, lead negotiator for the Africa Group, hailed the reported agreement. "Thirty years of patience. The day has arrived. It is done", he tweeted. "This is a unique moment, a win for all citizens of the world." Meanwhile, Dr Siobhan McDonnell, a negotiator for the Pacific islands said: "This is a major moment in getting technical assistance for loss and damage on the ground in developing countries. The overwhelming feeling amongst negotiators is relief." A commitment made 30 years ago stipulated that rich nations should shoulder more of the effort to reduce carbon emissions. But the landscape has vastly changed since then, and some developing countries have become much richer - and much bigger contributors to emissions. Representatives for the US said it was working on proposals at the conference to help developing countries meet the cost of climate change. Earlier, Pakistan's Climate Minister Sherry Rehman, said negotiators were nearing a positive outcome. Other issues on the table included pledges on fossil fuels. Last year at COP26 in Glasgow - which also ran well into overtime - countries agreed to "phase down" the use of coal. There has now been a proposal to expand this to also include oil and gas. There are concerns over whether the target of limiting warming to the key threshold of 1.5C above pre-industrial times will be upheld. The UN says temperature rises above this level would expose millions more people to potentially devastating climate impacts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63691786
     
         
      Five crucial issues in fight to save planet – and what Cop27 did about them Sat, 19th Nov 2022 19:19:00
     
      This month’s environmental summit opened as our planet wilts under the impact of climate crisis. Here we examine five key areas and assess what success – if any – was achieved in Egypt Keeping cool A key Cop27 goal was to strengthen emission pledges made at last year’s climate summit in Glasgow. These are needed to ensure global heating is limited to 1.5C. No such commitments have been made in Egypt and most observers now conclude the world is destined to heat beyond this limit. “I struggle to understand how anyone can continue to argue that 1.5C is still alive,” said James Dyke, from Exeter University’s Global Systems Institute. “We are now entering a much warmer and more dangerous world.” This point was backed by Professor Kevin Anderson at Manchester University’s Tyndall Centre. “A year on from the Glasgow Cop26, a further 40bn tonnes of carbon dioxide has been spewed into the atmosphere. Another miserable facade of climate concern grinds to its ‘groundhog’ end.” Loss and damage As expected, Cop27 was dominated by arguments about climate compensation due to poorer countries. Global warming has been caused by industrial nations who used fossil fuels to enrich themselves. They should therefore reimburse countries who are suffering most from climate change. Such “loss and damage” claims include Pakistan’s recent $30bn bill for its flooding. Hopes were raised that a deal might be in the offing but confusion surrounds details of the agreement. “The one bright spot at Cop27 has been a renewed seriousness around loss and damage, with hundreds of millions committed via various schemes,” said geographer Laurie Parsons, from Royal Holloway, London University. “Major concerns remain, however. The total funding required for adaptation is at least $2.5 trillion by 2030, so we are still orders of magnitude out.” Nature Global heating threatens to devastate habitats across the world, putting thousands of species in danger of extinction. These range from polar bears and tigers to monarch butterflies and sea turtles. However, the most spectacular threat is the one faced by the planet’s coral reefs which provide habitats for thousand of species. Planetary heating of 1.5C will see between 70 and 90% of coral reefs disappear. At 2C, 99% will be destroyed. Threats like these will be debated intensively at Cop15, the UN biodiversity summit next month. However, no mention of the conference has been made in Egypt despite the strong link between climate change and species loss. On the other hand, a more positive note was struck by the arrival of Lula da Silva, the new Brazilian president, who pledged to do everything to save his country’s rainforests – in contrast to previous years’ gloom about their fate. No more gas or coal Hopes were raised at Cop27 that serious reductions could be made in humanity’s burning of coal, gas and oil, the major causes of climate change. This optimism sprang from India’s call for fossil fuel burning to phased down – though not phasing out, it should be noted. But the proposal has not led to major follow ups and the issue has not yet been resolved. “It’s now about damage limitation,” said Professor Richard Betts of the UK Met Office. “We should all still work much harder to reduce emissions urgently to keep further heating of the planet as low as possible while also adapting to the changes we have already caused.” Adapting to a warmer world Minimising the heating of our planet by attempting to limit carbon emissions is only one way to tackle global heating. The world also needs to adapt so it is less vulnerable to the floods, droughts, sea level rises and crop disasters that lie ahead as the planet heats up. These adaptations would come in the form of better flood defences, seawalls, moving communities to higher ground and protecting road and rail links from storms and inundations. Some improvements to previous commitments have been suggested at Cop27, with reports indicating a doubling of funding for adaptation could be agreed. However, scientists again warn that levels of promised fundings still lie well below the investments that will be needed in the near future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/19/five-crucial-issues-in-fight-to-save-planet-and-what-cop27-did-about-them
     
         
      Water bosses spent £616,000 converting seawater Sat, 19th Nov 2022 9:10:00
     
      Jersey's desalination plant cost more than £600,000 this year - and a climate change expert warns bills may increase with hotter and drier summers. The machine, which makes drinking water from the sea, was switched on in July amid "exceptionally dry" weather, ahead of a hosepipe ban. The desalination plant ran for 77 days, costing £616,000. Jersey Water said the plant was funded by customers, but it was not related to next year's tariff increase. Following heavy rainfall, which boosted reservoir levels, the plant, which runs at a cost of £8,000 a day, has since been deactivated. Jersey Water said the plant's running costs had not been "factored in" to next year's 6% tariff increase, equivalent to about £23 per year. However, it said a "specific adjustment" may be required in future should it need to be operated more frequently or for longer periods. Prof Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said desalination was "one element" of dealing with drought, particularly for an island state. "Desalination is very costly and there is an environmental cost as well. "There's energy consumption to take the salt out of the water and that's contributing to more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." Predicting "hotter, drier summers" ahead, she said Jersey's "extreme" summer of 2022 would be considered "typical" by the middle of the century. Describing the process as "expensive financially and environmentally", she said it would be important in future to look at sustainable sources of energy for plants like the one in Jersey. In Jersey Water's annual report for 2018, it stated: "The relatively low reservoir storage capacity coupled with the reliance of the island on rainfall means that water resources in Jersey are particularly susceptible to periods of drought." In 2021, the plant at La Rosiere on the south west coast of the island was used for just 14 days for a "performance trial", costing about £112,000. Between 2011 and 2018, the plant, powered by Jersey Electricity, was not needed for drought conditions. It was then switched on in 2018 and 2019 to top up water supplies. 'Close eye' A Jersey Water spokeswoman said the desalination plant running costs and the loss of revenue through the hosepipe ban "have not been factored in" to the tariff increase. She added they would be "funded in this instance from reserves" - paid for by customers. She said the plant would "remain off for the foreseeable future" but that they would be "keeping a close eye" and review as necessary. "Going forward we will likely start up the pre-treatment stage every year to ensure that it is ready to run when needed." On future tariff rises, she added: "Specific adjustment may be required in the future should the operation of the desalination plant become more frequent or the length of run extended." There are no permanent staff based at the plant but engineers are there daily to oversee its operation. The Government of Jersey is a majority shareholder in Jersey Water.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-63603305
     
         
      ‘False solutions’: scepticism over Saudi carbon capture plan Sat, 19th Nov 2022 8:21:00
     
      Kingdom’s Cop27 announcement of new storage hub part of pattern of delaying fossil fuel transition, experts say Saudi Arabia is bolstering years of negotiation tactics designed to stymie vital climate negotiations with a focus on carbon capture technologies that experts say risk delaying a meaningful transition from fossil fuels. The kingdom, which is the world’s second largest oil producer, accounting for roughly 15% of global output, announced plans at Cop27 in Egypt for what it labelled the “circular carbon economy”, in partnership with the national oil company, Aramco, which recently reported $42.4bn in profit. The plan primarily involves the construction of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub, operated by Aramco, in the kingdom’s eastern region of Jubail. The centre will begin functioning in 2027, said the energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, initially extracting and storing 9m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year with an aim to capture and store 44m tonnes by 2035. While Aramco also highlights steps to reduce harmful gas flaring and mentions scaling up renewable energies, the overall focus on CCS technology rather than scaling down fossil fuel consumption was met with widespread scepticism by informed observers. “All that was on display was illusions and false solutions that are a waste of time and money,” said Ghiwa Nakat, executive director at Greenpeace Mena (Middle East and north Africa). “We acknowledge the difficulties for an economy that has been over-reliant on oil for decades in letting go of what they see as a golden age. It’s surprising that an innovator like Saudi Arabia should stick with oil when it would do better to make peace with the end of an era.” Longtime observers of Saudi Arabia’s tactics at climate talks say the switch to promoting CCS follows years of belligerence during negotiations, including aggressive efforts to stymie vital discussions on mitigating the climate emergency, outright denial of the science of human-made climate destruction and efforts to limit the inclusion of findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN body. The kingdom’s choice publicly to promote CCS at Cop27 signals a shift, observers say, even if some of the same tactics have remained behind closed doors. Saudi Arabia claims it intends to reach its target of net zero emissions by 2060, although the target is reliant on CCS. Carbon capture is a controversial technology, one scientists say cannot provide the sole solution to the climate crisis. Some fear it provides a way for fossil fuel companies to continue polluting, while others have questioned the viability of CCS at the scale and long-term cost Saudi Arabia and other nations are proposing. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 report, intended to diversify its economy beyond oil, which currently accounts for 46% of its GDP, describes an intention to “transform Aramco from an oil-producing company into a global industrial conglomerate”. While it says the kingdom will aim to produce 9.5 GW of renewable energy by 2030, it adds that Saudi Arabia will double natural gas production – also a fossil fuel. Despite international pressure on Saudi Arabia at the climate talks to curb its use of fossil fuels, Cop27 followed months of tension between the US president, Joe Biden, and the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, over oil production cuts. Biden vowed “consequences” for the kingdom after a decision by the Opec+ oil cartel to cut production by 2m barrels a day, which Biden called “politicised”, a claim Saudi officials said was “not based on facts”. The decision to cut oil production marks a contrast with years of Saudi Arabian tactics at the Cop talks intended to find collective solutions to the climate crisis. A former climate negotiator and current civil society observer who has attended 17 Cops, including Cop27, described a decade of experience dealing with Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia had two major tactics. One was procedure obstruction, which is something they’ve done, and they’re still doing. Because it’s the United Nations system, one country can object and hold up or halt the process, and that’s what they usually do. They either do this through fighting not to get important items on the agenda, or taking them off the agenda,” she said. The former negotiator said that this followed many years of efforts to “limit the input of science” into negotiations, particularly on discussions on limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. “They normally used a procedural excuse not to put temperature targets on the agenda, saying it’s not part of the agenda or the mandate of this particular body to do that. Or they would discredit the IPCC reports, saying that they’re political.” She added: “So it’s all about avoiding any mention of science as being embedded in the process and procedural obstructions. They also sometimes do things directly, so whenever you’re approaching consensus on an issue, they just raise something. This destroys all the effort that has been made, when everybody’s exhausted, and they do it at the last minute – or they do it via other countries.” The Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington DC, which handles the media on behalf of the kingdom, did not respond when asked for comment. Representatives of the Saudi Arabian delegation at Cop27 could not be reached for comment. Nakat said such tactics had been on display at Cop27. “The Saudi negotiators have put a lot of energy and effort into blocking any mention of the 1.5C warming limit as well as any language around the importance of phasing out – or even simply phasing down – fossil fuels. This is consistent with their historical pattern of blocking an ambitious outcome, most notably on matters relating to emission reduction and energy transition,” she said. “Saudi Arabia has been complementing its work in the negotiation tracks with its typical flurry of statements around the importance of fossil fuels in the energy transition. However, this year it has scaled up its communication on CCS as the miracle solution that would allow fossil fuels to exist in a net zero world,” she added. The former climate negotiator agreed. “I think the push to get CCS as an aspect of the energy transition keeps Saudi Arabia in business for a little longer,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/19/false-solutions-scepticism-over-saudi-carbon-capture-plan
     
         
      Weymouth climate change protester arrested while Sir David Attenborough dined Sat, 19th Nov 2022 7:06:00
     
      A climate change protester has been arrested after reportedly approaching Sir David Attenborough at a Michelin-star restaurant on the south coast. Dorset Police said Emma Smart, 45, was arrested on Thursday evening after an incident at Catch At The Old Fish Market in Weymouth. Sir David had spent the day in the seaside town and posed for photos with members of the public. Mrs Smart was charged with failing to comply with a Section 35 direction. Dorset Police the local ecologist was arrested after allegedly causing a disturbance and refusing to comply with officers after they asked her to leave the restaurant. Animal Rebellion, the protest group supporting Mrs Smart, said the activist approached the table where Sir David was dining in an attempt to deliver a letter to him. Mrs Smart, an ecologist from Weymouth, said she wanted a five-minute conversation with the environmentalist about the need to address climate change. According to Animal Rebellion the ecologist targeted his visit to the Catch restaurant because of its expensive menu. 'A unique position' Mrs Smart said in a statement: "The Catch is a symbol of excess and inequality in today's world, Weymouth has average wages amongst the lowest in the UK and is at huge risk of sea level rises. "Yet this restaurant still continues business as usual amongst the worst cost of living crisis many will ever experience. "We don't need another documentary series showing us that we are losing some 150 species going extinct globally every single day. "What we need is action. Sir David is in a unique position to tell the truth about the biodiversity crisis." Mrs Smart is due to appear at Weymouth Magistrates' Court on 21 December.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-63684282
     
         
      York Minster plan for solar panels as energy bills triple Sat, 19th Nov 2022 5:08:00
     
      Solar panels could be installed on the roof of York Minster for the first time in a bid to tackle rising energy bills. The cathedral's gas and electricity costs are expected to triple next year, a Minster spokesperson said. Plans to install 199 solar panels on the roof of the South Quire Aisle have been submitted to York Council. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the Minster was "committed to taking a lead on addressing the climate emergency." The project is part of plans for York Minster to become carbon net zero. "The message from COP27 is that everyone has a role to play in effectively implementing the ambitious climate action required to meet the urgent needs of the planet," the archbishop said. Energy bills to power the Minster and its surrounding buildings are estimated to triple in 2023. The solar panels would be visible from ground level but would not diminish the cathedral's architecture or heritage, a spokesperson said. They would be placed on the roof of the South Quire Aisle, which dates back to 1362 but was renewed after a fire in 1829. 'Guiding example' The solar panels would generate 75,000 kilowatt-hours of power a year, which would provide energy for the cathedral's evening services and events. A panel would be installed inside the Minster to display the amount of energy the solar panels have produced and the level of carbon emissions saved. Solar panels were installed on the roof of the Minster Refectory, a building within the cathedral precincts, in July and they are already generating 11,000 kilowatt-hours of power a year. The Dean of York, the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, said the Minster was "not only making positive improvements to the cathedral for both its benefit and that of the city, but is also setting a guiding example for others to follow in how heritage estates address climate change".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-63679611
     
         
      As COP27 deadline slips, UN chief urges negotiators to aim for ‘maximum ambition’ on loss and damage Fri, 18th Nov 2022 14:59:00
     
      The 27th UN Climate Change Conference will close at least one day later than expected, the Egyptian Presidency announced on Friday, calling for negotiators to “shift gears” so an agreement can be reached on the remaining sticking points. “I remain concerned at the number of outstanding issues, including on finance mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and their inter linkages,” COP27 President, Sameh Shoukry, told delegates reunited at the plenary of the Sharm el-Sheik International Convention Centre. Mr. Shoukry called on parties to “urgently” work together to resolve the outstanding issues as swiftly as possible and added that he hopes to finalize the conference by Saturday. Earlier Friday morning, in an effort to spur the talks along, UN Secretary-General António Guterres met separately with members of the European Union and the Group of 77 and China – which comprises almost all developing countries. The UN chief also met with China’s Special Climate Envoy, Xie Zhenhua, and continued “extensive consultations” with several parties. “As the negotiations draw to a close, the Secretary-General urges parties to aim for maximum ambition on loss and damage and in reduction of emissions,” said Mr. Guterres in a note issued in Sharm el-Sheikh by his spokesperson. The girl who scolded delegates “Are there any other delegations that wish to make a statement?” President Shoukry asked the so-called stocktaking plenary, where an update of progress has been held daily. The delegation of Ghana requested the floor, and passed the microphone to 10-year-old Nakeeyat Dramani Sam. The young activist then began to scold delegates for their seeming failure to take the climate catastrophe seriously: they would act faster to end global warming if they were her age, she declared. “If all of you were young people like me, wouldn’t you have already agreed to do what is needed to save our planet? Should we let the youth take over? Maybe only the youth delegation should be at the next COP”, she said, igniting a standing ovation from all the delegates present. Ms. Dramani Sam urged adults to “have a heart” and “do the math”, referring to the science that indicates the gravity of climate change in the future. “It is my real hope that COP27 will act for us. I'm sure nobody wants to betray us,” she said. The child activist also asked nations to dig into their pockets and provide funds for those suffering the most. “Some of the communities in my country are paying heavy prices since our planet was lit on fire by some people. This puts a simple question on the table…When can you pay us back? Because payment is overdue,” she stated.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130772
     
         
      Climate change: Melting glaciers could release tonnes of bacteria Fri, 18th Nov 2022 11:16:00
     
      Vast amounts of bacteria could be released as the world's glaciers melt due to climate change, scientists have warned. Potentially harmful pathogens are among the thousands of microbes that could leak into rivers and lakes. Researchers at Aberystwyth University said their study highlighted the need to act quickly to curb global warming. They studied meltwater from eight glaciers across Europe and North America and two sites in Greenland. Glaciers are huge bodies of slowly moving ice that have formed over hundreds or thousands of years. As the planet heats up, they are melting at a worrying rate - causing sea levels to rise. The team at Aberystwyth University estimated the situation could result in more than a 100,000 tonnes of microbes, such as bacteria, being released into the environment over the next 80 years - a number comparable to all the cells in every human body on earth. Uni student fears her country could disappear Wales ministers not at COP27 'to limit air miles' Microbiologist Dr Arwyn Edwards said the study showed clearly for the first time the "vast scale" of micro-organisms living on the surface or locked inside Earth's glaciers. "The number of microbes released depends closely on how quickly the glaciers melt, and therefore how much we continue to warm the planet," he said. The team's calculations are based on a "moderate" warming scenario, as developed by the IPCC, an international panel of climate experts. This would see global temperatures rise by between 2C and 3C on average by 2100. As the flow of microbes into rivers, lakes, fjords and seas increases, there could be "significant" impacts for water quality, Dr Edwards explained. But this would be followed within decades by the microbe tap being turned off, as the glaciers disappear completely. He said: "Globally there are 200,000 catchments of note that are fed by glacial meltwater and some of these are very sensitive environments that are poorly developed in terms of organic carbon and nutrients. "In others there's a lot of economic activity and billions of human beings whose livelihoods depend on water that ultimately comes from those glaciers. "We think of glaciers as a huge store of frozen water but the key lesson from this research is that they are also ecosystems in their own right." Thousands of different micro-organisms are found growing on glaciers, or stored inside, he said, with some that may be harmful to humans. "The risk is probably very small, but it requires careful assessment." Glaciologist Dr Tristram Irvine-Fynn said more research was needed: "Over the coming decades, the forecast 'peak water' from Earth's mountain glaciers means we need to improve our understanding of the state and fate of (these) ecosystems. "With a better grasp of that picture, we could better predict the effects of climate change on glacial surfaces and catchment biogeochemistry." The Aberystwyth academics' findings are published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment this month.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63655140
     
         
      'Major' aims as Cape Town Marathon races to be sport's greenest event Fri, 18th Nov 2022 9:09:00
     
      Cape Town is a city battling to limit the impact of climate change and now organisers of its marathon are hoping to create the greenest sporting event in the world. Four years ago, the South African city nearly became the first global city to run out of water after a drought caused huge environmental damage and put the lives of its four million inhabitants at risk. With world leaders in Egypt for COP27 - the United Nations' climate change summit - having been holding talks on limiting the rise in global temperatures prior to the conference's close on Friday, the race to offset the imprint of sporting events is also heating up. A study by the Rapid Transition Alliance suggests the global sports sector contributes the same level of emissions as a medium-sized country, which is why the annual event in South Africa wants to play its part. Africa's dash for gas heats up COP27 COP27: Lack of women at negotiations raises concern "We see ourselves as a leader in that field. We were the first carbon-neutral marathon in the world in 2017 and we're proud of that," Barry van Blerk, the director of the Cape Town Marathon, told BBC Sport Africa. "We want to bolster one of our key objectives, to get better in that field every year, and to see how we can offset carbon - not only around the marathon, but also after the marathon to have a carbon-neutral event." With over 20,000 participants converging on Cape Town from across the globe for the 26.2 mile race, as well as 5km and 10km runs and two trail courses over 22km and 46km, its impact on the environment is huge. But organisers shifted their focus from just participation to long-term sustainability in 2013, and were able to offset 4,403 tonnes of carbon - a figure roughly equivalent to driving a diesel car around the world 66 times - emanating from hosting the 2017 edition of the race. This came through supporting two local South African certified projects, called Wonderbag and Reliance Compost, said Van Blerk. "Sustainability is the pillar across all aspects of this event. It's about doing what is right for the participant and what is right for the environment," the South African added. Tree-planting and becoming the seventh major For this year's event, held in October, some medals were made from recycled metal and others from eco-friendly wooden materials, while water was served in 100% biodegradable cups and some participants were given trees to plant. "It's part of the ethos to get runners to run for a purpose," race co-founder Elana Meyer, who won an Olympic 10,000m silver medal for South Africa in 1992, told BBC Sport Africa. "We've got the 'Run for Something' campaign to urge runners define a purpose beyond their own footsteps,"added the former half marathon world record holder. Select runners were given saplings to grow a spekboom, an environmentally beneficial tree said to be among the highest oxygen-producing trees in the world, with another 5,000 potted plants distributed to finishers. "I am definitely happy to get a tree instead of a medal," said Allan, one recipient. War linked to big release of warming gas - Ukraine COP27: Biden issues climate rallying cry to world leaders "Medals just sit in your cupboard and you never look at them again, so it's nice to plant a tree and grow something that reminds you of the race." Meanwhile, over 200 volunteers dedicated themselves to recyclable waste management during the event and organisers hope their environmentally-friendly credentials will play a huge role in their dream to become the first world marathon major on African soil. The South African race is a candidate to become the seventh major alongside Sydney Marathon in Australia and Chengdu Marathon in China, and is being assessed by World Marathon on key criteria such as participation, organisation, certification, legacy and sustainability. Only one will be picked in 2024 to join the six other prestigious races in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo as the seventh major from 2025, with Van Blerk hopeful Cape Town will be picked given Africa's contribution to long-distance running. "When we talk about the top runners in the world, you think Africa," Van Blerk said. "All the current major winners are from Africa, and we don't have a major on African soil. We feel the right thing is to give these runners an opportunity to run on home soil, and for the local people to see their champions and their heroes competing in on home soil." Kipchoge calls for climate action The planet's main elite marathon runner is two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge. He is urging sport to combat climate change after the Kenyan world record holder set up a foundation which concentrates on conservation. The 38-year-old Kenyan was inspired to take action after realising clean air is needed to run, and that training in a polluted environment makes it impossible to perform. "Climate actually is a real threat to sports," Kipchoge told BBC Sport Africa. "When there is no rain, when it is dry, then I don't think you can train. The next generation is in danger if we don't start now to conserve the environment, through planting trees and conserving our water. "We are here to sensitise the whole community about plant conservation." Among Kipchoge's collaborations is a tree-planting project in Kaptagat, the village where he trains. It is a tradition for athletes who train in the camp in the south-west of Kenya, including the retired two-time 10,000m Olympic champion Haile Gebreselassie, to plant trees there. "Without the clean air of Kaptagat, I couldn't be where I am today so I'm grateful to the forest," Kipchoge said. "I'm grateful to the Kenya Forest Service for taking care of the forest, and that's why I formed the foundation. I put key number one as conservation in order for me to conserve the environment and the whole forest of Kaptagat, as giving back to the society." Kipchoge is about to plant 42,000 indigenous trees and says the forest in Kaptagat is just the start for his foundation. COP27: No Greta, but activists make waves at climate summit COP27: Fears 1.5C climate goal could be softened "We want to adopt a forest in every county to make sure that we get over 50 acres [of trees]," he said. "The reason for planting indigenous trees is that they are rich in production of oxygen." Kipchoge describes sport as a "universal profession" and believes it is the fastest and most effective platform to spread the message of fighting climate change as widely as possible. "Sport can reach billions of people across the world in an easy way," he added. "There is not a platform in this world where you can push an agenda through apart from sport. From athletics, to motor sports to football, to any sort of sport, it's the only way to push and reach the general public as fast as possible." Perhaps fittingly given the involvement of both Kipchoge and Cape Town race organisers themselves, the battle to save the world is a marathon not a sprint - but the race is on.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/63569363
     
         
      Rights experts decry harassment of activists attending COP27 Fri, 18th Nov 2022 8:51:00
     
      Independent human rights experts are in dialogue with Egyptian and UN authorities over the harassment of civil society representatives at the COP27 climate change conference, according to a statement issued on Friday. Climate activists and civil society have been subjected to intimidation, harassment and surveillance during the two-week gathering, held in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, they reported. End harassment, ensure safety “We are deeply concerned by reported acts of harassment and intimidation by Egyptian officials, infringing the rights of Egyptian and non-Egyptian human rights and environmental defenders at COP27, including their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, and effective participation,” their statement said. They urged Egypt to end all harassment and intimidation, and to ensure the safety and full participation of human rights defenders and civil society. The four experts are all Special Rapporteurs appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. They monitor and report on issues such as the situation of rights defenders worldwide, and the right of everyone to a safe, clean and healthy environment. Interrogation and surveillance COP27 was due to end on Friday but is almost certainly set to continue into the weekend. Last month, the experts issued a press release raising concerns ahead of the conference and calling for full and safe participation of civil society and human rights defenders without reprisals. However, they said they have received multiple reports and evidence of civil society members, including indigenous peoples, being stopped and interrogated by Egyptian security officers. Local security and support staff were also repeatedly monitoring and photographing civil society actors inside the conference. Widespread ‘chilling effect’ One human rights defender scheduled to attend COP27 was also denied entry to the country, they reported. “We are concerned that these actions by Egyptian authorities have a chilling effect, impacting wide segments of civil society participating in COP27 as many groups have expressed concern about the need to self-censor to ensure their safety and security,” the experts said. Concerns after COP27 The experts received reports of activists being subject to intrusive questioning at the airport when entering Egypt, sparking fears that information collected on the activities of civil society organisations during COP27 could be misused. They also expressed concern that once the spotlight shifts from Egypt when the conference ends, local human rights defenders could be targeted and risk reprisals for their engagement during the event. “We call on Egypt to immediately end harassment and intimidation, to ensure the rights to participation, freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly at COP27, and abstain from reprisals against civil society, human rights defenders and indigenous people’s representatives who attended COP27,” they said. The experts are engaging with the Egyptian Government and the UN climate change secretariat, UNFCCC, on this issue. About Special Rapporteurs The statement was issued by Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, and David Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. They receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva. These experts are independent of any government or organization, and work on a voluntary basis. They are neither UN staff, nor are they paid for the work.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130802
     
         
      Isle of Man energy efficiency grants to reopen to help homeowners Fri, 18th Nov 2022 7:14:00
     
      A £7m Isle of Man home energy efficiency scheme has been expanded to give property owners more choice over the improvements applied for. Tynwald backed changes to the Manx government's green living grants, which Enterprise Minister Lawrie Hooper said had been "too restrictive". A wider range of "useful and affordable" works will now be available to property owners, he added. The scheme will reopen to new applications from December. Treasury has agreed to budget a further £5m if required to fund any further grants. Originally launched in 2021, the scheme was closed for a review in September, after some who tried to access the £6,000 grants found they could not always apply for the improvements they wanted. 'Fundamental problem' Government-backed home energy audits, required as part any application, often did not list the "sensible and cost effective" changes property owners wanted to make, Mr Hooper said. Applicants will now be able to chose works from a separate list, and not be limited to those prescribed in the audits, which Mr Hooper said had been the "fundamental problem" with the scheme previously. Homeowners needed more flexibility to makes changes "in light of current energy crisis", he added. When the scheme was established, the Department for Enterprise said it had the potential to lower emissions in about 1,200 properties on the island. Calling for more to be done to increase uptake, David Ashford MHK said as only 87 grants had been approved in the 16 months since the scheme's inception, it would take 18 years to meet that goal. Mr Hooper admitted the changes would "not fix all the problems" with scheme, but other measures were being developed to deal with issues such as support for low income families, and for more expensive home improvements.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-63663950
     
         
      Milford Haven LNG: Liquefied natural gas terminal expansion plan Fri, 18th Nov 2022 7:12:00
     
      One of Europe's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals has confirmed plans to expand capacity at its site after backing from investors. South Hook in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, processes about 20% of UK current demand for natural gas. But new research has revealed LNG's environmental costs, and Friends of the Earth Cymru are "very concerned". The Welsh government said it is developing Wales' pathway to a net zero system. South Hook has been importing liquefied gas from various parts of the world before turning it into gas and delivering it to homes since 2010. At the moment, the site can process about 15.6m tonnes of gas per year and can handle 20% of the UK's natural gas demand. Whether new gas pipelines will be needed from Milford Haven to accommodate South Hook's expansion remains unknown. Dr Carol Bell, an energy market expert, said Milford Haven is a "vital port" for the UK's import mechanism for gas and a "key conduit" to supply Europe. Analysis seen by the BBC shows that the production and transport of LNG causes up to 10 times the carbon emissions associated with pipeline gas. Ms Bell said the alternative for countries like Russia that have cut off the flow of gas to other countries through a pipeline is to burn more coal. "It's a lot better to be burning gas than coal because gas produces half the amount of carbon dioxide per unit energy compared with coal," she said. "Anything that stops people burning coal is a good thing, short term of course." 'Move away from fossil fuels' But Haf Elgar, of Friends of the Earth Cymru, voiced alarm at the expansion plans. "We're at a time when we need to move rapidly away from fossil fuels and not bring more in and to spend more money on developing that infrastructure in Wales," she said. Ms Elgar said LNG "has a much larger carbon footprint than even natural gas because of the way it's produced and has to be reduced in temperature and transported across the world". The Welsh government said it is "scaling up renewable energy generation" and supporting the "just transition" away from using fossil fuels, adding: "We continue to use all the levers at our disposal to achieve those ambitions." It added: "As a strategic investment for the whole of Great Britain, we need to understand how the UK government intends to guarantee any new investment in fossil fuels ensures the UK remains on the net zero pathway". The UK government did not comment. The project is set to be completed by 1 July 2025.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63666318
     
         
      Government plans £6bn to insulate UK houses and gives go-ahead for Sizewell C Thu, 17th Nov 2022 18:22:00
     
      Jeremy Hunt says energy efficiency will help to stop Britain being at mercy of global gas prices Jeremy Hunt has pledged a further £6bn to improve Britain’s leaky housing stock and pushed the button on the Sizewell C nuclear power station project. In his autumn statement, the chancellor announced that a taskforce would oversee an initiative to insulate homes and upgrade boilers, and would receive extra funding between 2025 and 2028. He said £6.6bn would be spent during this parliament on energy efficiency, and announced a further £6bn of funding from 2025, “doubling annual investment”. Hunt said cutting energy bills would ease the cost of living crisis, and set a target to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and industry by 15%. “Over the long term, there is only one way to stop ourselves being at the mercy of international gas prices: energy independence combined with energy efficiency,” he said. Hunt confirmed that Sizewell C in Suffolk would be “the first state-backed nuclear power station for 30 years” after a £700m investment. Boris Johnson gave the £30bn project the green light in one of his last acts as prime minister but Hunt’s move to cut spending had created uncertainty around the planned power plant’s future. Hunt said contracts would be signed in “coming weeks” with partners in the project, including the French state energy firm EDF, which is building Sizewell’s sister station at Hinkley Point C, which is delayed and over budget. He said the station would provide power for 6m homes for 50 years. However, critics argue that it will take years to build and push up bills. The Nuclear Industry Association said the decision “represents the biggest step in our journey to energy independence”. But the Stop Sizewell C campaign said it “loads more tax on to struggling households, who would be forced to pay a nuclear levy on bills for a decade before they could light a single lightbulb”. Campaigners have long demanded that the government launch a concerted drive to improve home energy efficiency, arguing it would be the simplest way to cut bills and reduce household emissions. The government has made attempts to improve household energy efficiency over the past decade. The Green Deal offered loans for consumers to install double glazing and insulation but was seen as complex and did not receive widespread take-up. Last year, Boris Johnson cut the green homes grant, citing lack of consumer interest. In September, the government extended the existing energy company obligation scheme, under which they are expected to spend £5bn between 2022 and 2026. The scheme aims to install insulation and upgrade heating systems for low-income households. The Energy Saving Trust has said that installing 270mm of insulation, in a home with none, can cost between £455 and £640, depending on whether it is terraced, detached or a bungalow. Labour had called for the government to make insulating homes a “national mission” that could save people £11bn in three years. Angela Terry, the chief executive of the climate change action group One Home, said: “The news that the government is planning to set up an energy efficiency taskforce is welcome but they have to work with speed as temperatures drop this winter. “Insulating our homes is the single-most important step we can take to reduce our energy bills, bring down inflation and tackle the climate crisis.” Jess Ralston, a senior analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “For those struggling through this winter and the next, investment in insulation in 2025 is two years too late.” The chancellor also said the energy price guarantee would be kept for a further 12 months at an average of £3,000 for a typical household, up from £2,500 at present. Analysts said the move would cost about £6bn. Hunt said there would also be further payments for help with energy bills for pensioners, for poorer households and for disabled people.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/17/6bn-insulate-houses-sizewell-c-jeremy-hunt-energy-efficiency-autumn-statement
     
         
      Oil pollution: Investigation reveals Egypt’s 'super coral' at risk Thu, 17th Nov 2022 18:20:00
     
      As Egypt hosts world leaders at COP27 to discuss action over climate change, an oil terminal is dumping toxic wastewater on the country's Red Sea coast, an investigation by BBC News Arabic has found. A rare form of coral, that offers hope for preserving ocean life as the planet warms, could be a casualty. Leaked documents obtained by the BBC and non-profit journalism group SourceMaterial reveal that "produced water" from Egypt's Ras Shukeir oil terminal is being dumped into the Red Sea every day. The barely treated wastewater - which is brought to the surface during oil and gas drilling - contains high levels of toxins, oil and grease. The documents, which were issued by the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (Gupco) in 2019 to try to hire a company to treat the water, say the pollution levels "do not comply" with Egyptian environmental laws and regulations. Every day, 40,000 cubic metres of this toxic water - the equivalent of 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools - is going into the Red Sea, the documents say. Dr Greg Asner, an ecologist at Arizona State University, says the information is "very alarming", showing pollution from lead, cadmium, copper, nickel and other heavy metals. "You don't have to be an expert to know that something is not right here," he says. Fossil fuel delegates spike at climate summit The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit Swimmer attempts Red Sea crossing for climate change The super-corals of the Red Sea The leaked documents indicate Egypt's government has known about the wastewater problem since at least 2019, after British oil company BP sold its 50% stake in the plant to United Arab Emirates' firm, Dragon Oil. The other 50% is owned by Egypt's state oil company. The sale by BP was part of a decision to dispose of company assets worth $10bn (£8bn at the time), seen by many commentators as a plan to help it meet climate targets. Caroline Lucas, a UK MP for the Green Party, says: "It comes as no surprise that BP and others would rather sell on their dirtiest, most environmentally destructive assets, than clean them up themselves." BP told the BBC the sale of its share of Gupco was for financial reasons, not as part of any plan to meet climate targets. It referred questions about the wastewater to Gupco. Gupco and Egypt's environment ministry did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. Access to the facilities at Ras Shukeir is restricted to oil workers and government inspectors. However, the BBC was able to use satellite images to examine the extent of the water pollution. Analysis of high-resolution satellite images shows a wide plume of green effluent flowing into the sea, travelling up to 20 km (12 miles) south into areas harbouring marine life. Satellite analysis company Soar.Earth used remote water quality monitoring techniques to examine the plume. The company's remote sensing expert, Sergio Volkmer, says it is "not made of some algal bloom" but from something beneath the surface, such as sediments or liquid emitted locally. That same green plume is visible in the earliest satellite image the BBC could find, from 1985, indicating that the oil terminal may have been dumping "produced water" into the Red Sea for decades. It still appears in the most recent image of the plant, from September 2022. Dr Asner, the Arizona State University ecologist, also examined the area using the Allen Coral Atlas, a high-resolution satellite tool that monitors coral reefs. He says while there are signs of a thriving ecosystem on either side of the impacted area, "suddenly you can see it's hard to see through the water" because of "something on the surface which looks like pollution". Dr Gera Troisi, a lecturer at Brunel University London who studies the effects of toxins on organisms, says compounds contained in "produced water" can react with sea water, absorb oxygen, and suffocate even the most resilient marine life. "We're suffocating them and then shielding them from the light because of all of these suspended solids," she says. The UN has warned that if global average temperatures rise by 1.5C, 90% of the world's coral will be wiped out. But despite sea temperatures rising faster in the Red Sea than the global average rate, the region's "super coral" has so far proved to be resilient to the effects of climate change. Some scientists believe Red Sea coral could hold the secret to saving coral around the world. One of them, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, says more research is needed to find out what makes this coral less vulnerable to rising temperatures. But she says it is of "enormous importance to the international community because of the possibility of transplanting corals from the Red Sea to rehabilitate the degraded reefs in other parts of the world, like the Great Barrier Reef". Despite covering only 0.1% of the oceans, coral reefs are home to 30% of marine biodiversity. In the Red Sea, they are a lifeline for endangered species such as hawksbill turtles, as well as supporting fishing, marine agriculture and tourism - which provide income for millions of Egyptians. Scientists, both in Egypt and internationally, have recommended the area where Gupco operates should be included in a new extended marine protection zone in the Red Sea, to cover the whole an area known as the Great Fringing Reef. Currently about 50% of the reef is in the zone. NGOs expected the extension to be announced by the environment ministry of Egypt at COP27. But so far no announcement has been made. Oil companies, Shell and Chevron, have carried out recent surveys for new oil and gas wells some 30 km away from protected parts of the Great Fringing Reef.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63603861
     
         
      EV registrations on the rise Thu, 17th Nov 2022 6:47:00
     
      Electric vehicles have grown dramatically more popular over the past decade, accounting for a greater percentage of new car registrations every year since 2012. But this year has stood out: 530,000 new battery-electric vehicles were registered in the U.S. between January and September, according to Experian, the credit data company. That’s a 57 percent increase over EV registrations from the same period in 2021. “[R]egistrations are continuing to grow with no signs of slowing down,” Kirsten Von Busch, product marketing director for Experian’s automotive team, wrote in a blog post. Experian’s latest automotive trends report shows the number of new EV registrations booming in major cities across the U.S. — not only in California, which has some of the country’s most EV-friendly policies, but also in states like Texas and Florida, where several cities saw EV registration soar 65 percent or more over the past 12 months. Cities in cold-weather states are electrifying their fleets, too: EV registration in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh increased more than 60 percent over the past year. John Howard, director of product management for Experian Automotive, said consumers may be warming up to EVs because they’re getting less expensive. Although high-price Teslas still dominate new EV registrations, electric offerings from other automakers like Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Kia are closing the gap. After federal tax credits, new EVs run for as little as $20,500 for a Nissan Leaf, and there are more than a dozen other models available for less than $40,000. “From an affordability standpoint, the chase is on,” Howard told me. Experian’s analysis reveals some other interesting trends, including a growing appetite for electric SUVs and crossover SUVs. This year, those cars made up nearly 60 percent of all new EV registrations, compared to only 36 percent for sedans. And although Gen Xers (those born between 1965 and 1980) still register the most EVs, millennials are a close second. They overtook baby boomers by a large margin in 2021 and are now registering some 38,000 EVs a year. Howard says he expects to see increasing interest in EVs over the coming years, especially among younger, tech-savvy consumers. Automakers are also expected to introduce even more options in response to statewide plans to eliminate the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/ev-registrations-on-the-rise/
     
         
      Qatar claims the 2022 FIFA World Cup is carbon neutral. It’s not. Thu, 17th Nov 2022 5:50:00
     
      The opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is just days away, and all eyes are on host country Qatar, which has been getting ready to host the international soccer tournament since 2010. The preparations for the event, which organizers pledged would be “carbon-neutral,” have stirred up a significant amount of criticism related to worker exploitation and alleged human rights violations. Now, a climate watchdog group says the tournament’s organizers, which include representatives from FIFA and the Qatar government, misled the public by undercounting carbon emissions in one key area: stadiums. Qatar has been on a decade-long World Cup construction boom, building seven new stadiums, 30 practice facilities, thousands of hotel rooms, and an expansion to the Doha International Airport. Back when Qatar was awarded hosting privileges for the tournament, the event’s organizers pledged to offset all unavoidable emissions, largely through carbon credits. But achieving this “carbon-neutral” goal depends on a comprehensive accounting of all emissions associated with the World Cup, something researchers at the group Carbon Market Watch say FIFA and Qatar have failed to do. “The main issue we found was with the construction of the stadiums,” said Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer for Carbon Market Watch and the author of the report, which was updated last month. He raised concerns about the placement of the stadiums and how they might be used in the future – two factors he says organizers did not sufficiently take into account in their carbon footprint calculations for this year’s tournament. Already one of the hottest countries on Earth, Qatar faces worsening heat waves and water shortages as climate change intensifies. FIFA predicts activities related to this year’s World Cup will amount to 3.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of nearly 460,000 homes’ energy use for a year. According to FIFA’s latest emissions report, the largest sources of tournament-related emissions come down to air travel and accommodations, as more than 1.2 million fans are expected to attend the event from all over the world. Stadium construction, meanwhile, accounts for roughly 18 percent of the group’s carbon estimations. In its report, tournament organizers calculated stadium emissions by splitting them between two different categories: temporary and permanent seats. Of the seven new stadiums built for the Qatar tournament, World Cup organizers plan to dismantle one entirely and reduce the capacity of the others by nearly half. For temporary seats, organizers hold themselves accountable for just 70 days’ worth of emissions — the length of the upcoming tournament combined with two lead-up FIFA World Cup Club events. But Carbon Market Watch noted that methodology didn’t track with previous FIFA reports, which stated the lifetime of a stadium can be up to 60 years. The climate watchdog group used FIFA’s previous reports to estimate a new emissions total for 2022 World Cup stadiums. Under these new guidelines, researchers found the total footprint for the six permanent stadiums will amount to at least eight times organizers’ original carbon accounting. Then there’s the issue of location: Each of the eight stadiums used for the World Cup are within roughly 30 miles of Doha’s city center. While the high concentration of stadiums will reduce emissions associated with fans traveling between venues, the facilities could create long-term problems for the city’s 2.4 million residents. Figuring out what to do with leftover stadiums is a well-known problem for cities that have hosted huge athletic events, such as the World Cup or the Olympics. Known as “white elephants,” these expensive, world-class venues can fall into disrepair, taking up valuable space while draining local resources. World Cup organizers in Qatar have tried to get ahead of this issue by making plans to turn what remains of these stadiums into community hubs, hotels and education centers. But in its report, Carbon Market Watch casts doubt on the practicality of this plan. For example, the new, 40,000-seat Al Janoub stadium is slated to become home to a local soccer team. After the World Cup, the stadium’s capacity will go down to 20,000, but that’s still a big bump up for the club, which currently plays in a stadium with 60 percent that capacity. “It is unclear whether the local team will attract a sufficient crowd to fill, and maintain, the new stadium, and what will happen to the 12,000 seat stadium they previously used,” Carbon Market Watch reported. “Overall, it is very difficult to assess the credibility of the legacy plans. These depend strongly on demand from the local population, as well as interest from companies to invest in maintaining the infrastructure.” As for Qatar’s temporary Stadium 974, named after the country’s international dialing code, FIFA has not yet announced any concrete plans for how or if the materials might be reused. The stadium was built from shipping containers so that it could theoretically be dismantled and reconstructed elsewhere. Carbon Market Watch noted that FIFA has not announced plans on where the stadium might find a new home, nor plans for the upper-tier seats that will be removed from the permanent stadiums. The emissions accrued during the transportation and reconstruction of these materials are not accounted for in FIFA and Qatar’s carbon calculations.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/article/qatar-claims-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-is-carbon-neutral-its-not/
     
         
      COP27: Protecting biodiversity is protecting the Paris Agreement Wed, 16th Nov 2022 14:03:00
     
      For many years the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis have been treated as separate issues, but the reality – as highlighted on Wednesday at COP27– is that there is no viable route to limiting global warming to 1.5°C without urgently protecting and restoring nature. “The two need to be looked at as being on the same wavelength, and not one higher than the other,” Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the international legal instrument to protect biodiversity ratified by 196 nations, told UN News. ‘Biodiversity Day’ at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh comes just two weeks ahead of a high-level gathering of CBD States Parties in Montreal, aimed at reversing biodiversity loss. Four of the key architects of the Paris Agreement, including former UN climate change chief Christiana Figueres, have officially asked world leaders to deliver an ‘ambitious and transformative’ global biodiversity agreement in the upcoming COP15 on biodiversity. “The climate and nature agendas are entwined…Only by taking urgent action to halt and reverse the loss of nature this decade, while continuing to step up efforts to rapidly decarbonize our economies, can we hope to achieve the promise of the Paris Agreement,” they said in a statement. The connection, explained The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) explains that the loss of biodiversity is already significantly affecting regional and global changes in climate. While natural ecosystems play an important role in regulating climate and can help to sequester and store carbon, the loss of forests, the draining of wetlands and other environmental degradation has contributed significantly to climate change. According to the agency, efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and restore ecosystems, for example, could contribute to lowering annual greenhouse gas emissions. “If we invest in nature and natures infrastructure, forests, coral reefs, mangroves, coastal forests, well, it protects us from high storms. It provides habitat for species, but it also stores carbon. So, it has both a mitigation and an adaptation dimension,” Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, told UN News. Coral reefs get a new defender at COP27 At the same time, biodiversity is affected by extreme weather events and temperatures, especially in developing countries, due to limited resources to protect them. This is worrying, since 15 of the 17 countries with the largest biodiversity are in the global South. The effects of climate change on biodiversity are already visible, especially with many animal species already forced to change migration patterns, plants struggling to adapt to changes in temperature, and of course seriously vulnerable polar bears – the ‘poster animals’ of global warming – starving at the North Pole due to the lack of sea ice in a warming world.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130677
     
         
      Rich countries are trying to hit pause on climate summit’s key issue Wed, 16th Nov 2022 12:17:00
     
      The past week has given the world a glimpse of what climate-vulnerable countries have long known: while rich countries bend over backwards to pledge their support for climate action, they are far less enthusiastic when it comes to forking over the cash. At the UN’s COP27 climate summit, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom are united against establishing a new fund this year to help the world’s developing nations – which have contributed little to the climate crisis – recover from climate disasters. Developing a so-called loss and damage fund is a key issue at COP27, and “the litmus test for success” of the summit, said Erin Roberts, a climate policy researcher and founder of the Loss and Damage Collaboration. As it stands, developing countries – which have for years pleaded for loss and damage funds – are facing disappointment. With only three days of negotiations left, a sense of frustration is spreading through the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh where the conference is taking place. Activists are staging daily and increasingly angry protests outside the negotiation rooms. On Saturday, in what was the biggest protest of the summit so far, hundreds marched through the sprawling conference venue, demanding rich countries to get their act together and “pay up.” But that message is not breaking through in high-level negotiations. An EU source directly involved in the negotiations at the summit told CNN on Tuesday that the bloc doesn’t believe there should be a binding agreement on a new loss and damage fund before the details of how it would work are agreed on. The source added that the EU believes the COP27 agreement could include an agreement that work needs to be done on the issue and a solution should be found by 2024. Similarly, the UK government submitted a document to the conference saying it wants to establish a “process” that would lead to a concrete solution in 2024 at the latest. US senior administration officials have only committed to having a conversation about loss and damage but have not gone further to explain what kind of fund they would ultimately support. They, too, see 2024 as the deadline for an agreement on loss and damage, but do not support the proposals put forward so far, concerned it could open up developed nations to legal liability in the coming years. Pressed on what kind of loss and damage fund the US would be open to, officials have repeatedly declined to say. And they want to take the next two years to hammer those questions out, rather than come to an agreement this year. A spokesperson for US climate envoy John Kerry did not respond to a request for comment. The push for delay by some of the world’s richest countries means those that are worst impacted by climate change are already bracing for disappointment. “I don’t want to leave COP27 empty handed,” Shauna Aminath, the Maldives’ minister of environment said an event at the conference on Tuesday. “Agreeing to work on something that will be established in 2024 is leaving empty handed.” A contentious issue comes to a head It was seen as a huge success that loss and damage made it onto the formal agenda for COP27, and developing nations are holding wealthy countries’ feet to the fire and pushing for a binding commitment this year. Negotiations on the issue have been packed, summit-goers have told CNN, and have dragged late into the evenings this week. But developed countries are slow-walking the issue – many want to take the next two years to explore possible solutions, with a proposal to make a decision by 2024, which doesn’t guarantee an official funding arrangement. Amid a tough economy, US and EU leaders worry they won’t be able to get this funding passed through legislatures at home, where they’re already facing an uphill battle to marshal more money to fulfill climate finance commitments. But Aminath said she doesn’t believe the reluctance to address loss and damage comes down to lack of finance. “We saw that trillions were mobilized to address the global health emergency” during the pandemic, she said, and “we are seeing trillions being spent to help Ukraine.” Representatives from vulnerable countries also told CNN they’re frustrated by wealthy nations’ calls for more analysis and mapping, which would cost money that could otherwise go to addressing loss and damage. “They wanted to show their electorates that they are doing something when in fact they’re not,” Michai Robertson, loss and damage finance lead with the Alliance of Small Island States, told CNN. “They’re putting money into, for example, research departments, as opposed to actually putting funding for specific responses to all the loss and damage that we face.” Despite the grim outlook so far, Robertson said developing countries remain united and determined, noting that the last thing they want is to be stuck in another cycle of climate disasters, more debt and devastation, with no action from developed countries. “We don’t want just an opportunity to survive; we want opportunity to thrive,” he said. Solutions in the meantime A hopeful moment for loss and damage came earlier this week when Germany announced a Global Shield initiative designed to help vulnerable countries deal with the loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. Flood-ravaged countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines will be among the countries to benefit from it when the program starts paying out funding early next year. While the funds committed to the initiative were comparatively large, they still pale in comparison to the devastation these countries have endured. For instance, the World Bank estimated last month that Pakistan would need “at least $16.3 billion” for reconstruction after this summer’s deadly floods. As of Monday, Global Shield had received total commitments of roughly $216 million. The program has also been criticized because of its underlying focus on insurance and preventing future loss and damage, rather than direct funding to address the disasters that have already – and recently – occurred. German Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze stressed the initiative was in addition to — not a replacement of — an official UN loss and damage fund. “That was a good start, but it is also just a start,” Schulze said at a Monday news conference, stressing that loss and damage was “a highly contentious issue.” “I am glad that we, the international community have finally come to say yes, there is climate-related loss and damage,” Schulze said.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/16/world/cop27-loss-and-damage-negotiations-climate-intl/index.html
     
         
      COP27: Without Greta, activists make waves at climate summit Wed, 16th Nov 2022 11:24:00
     
      Young people are a more powerful force than ever in the UN climate summit, the UN's youngest climate advisor tells BBC News in Egypt. "Young people are definitely shaping outcomes here at COP27," Sophia Kianni says. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg has skipped the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting, calling it a forum for "greenwashing". But young people from countries at high risk from climate change say they are "calling it out" from inside. In an address on Tuesday, climate activist Vanessa Nakate from Uganda will tell governments to wash their "oil-stained" hands. Speaking to G20 nations, she will tell ministers that they must end the "moral and economic madness" of funding fossil fuels and prioritising short-term politics. Activists from developing countries say they agree with Thunberg that COP is compromised by the large presence of oil and gas delegates. But they say their work has an impact here. Ayisha Siddiqa, 23, is from Pakistan, is one of the headline speakers at the Children and Youth Pavilion. It's the first time young people have had a dedicated space like this, where last week activists held a formal meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. It's one of the most buzzing areas of COP27, with activists jostling to find space to sit and chat on the floor, and Ayisha tells me she's proud of the space. "This is for the youth, organized by us. Unlike government and business areas, there's no corporate branding everywhere," she says. She says questions about Greta miss the point about the reality of climate change. This summer, devastating floods killed 1,700 people in her home country Pakistan. "The world has come to an end for people… For me, the stakes are so high that I can't just give up hope for change," she says. Kenyan Mana Omar, 27, worries the summit will not deliver the climate finance that her country needs - calling COP27 more like a "trade fair". But she still travelled here to represent her nomadic community severely affected by drought. "My community are missing here, their voices are totally unheard, they live in areas with no internet. I just hope I can do my best to bring their message here," she explains. She says her role is to have "hope where there is none" and she wants a better future for her one-year-old daughter. But many activists, particularly from developing nations, say they faced significant barriers in coming to the summit in Egypt. Imran Hussein, from Bangladesh, lost his father in cyclone Aila in 2009 and says he is extremely worried about sea level rise in his costal home. He is at COP to get "climate justice" for his mother, who has worked in a garment factory since Imran's father died. Why the latest UN meeting matters What have leaders done on climate change in 2022? Sharp rise in fossil fuel industry delegates at COP27 Imran and his colleague Sohanur Rahmen explain they got grants for travel and hotels, but they cannot afford to eat at the conference. Delegates faced costs of about $4,000 a week for accommodation, as well as the costs of travel and visas. Activists say future climate summits must include special funds and accommodation for young people from civil society.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63599932
     
         
      ‘OPEC for rainforests’ Wed, 16th Nov 2022 8:54:00
     
      The three countries with the largest areas of rainforest in the world — Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — launched a new partnership this week to coordinate conservation efforts. Nicknamed the “OPEC for rainforests,” referring to the intergovernmental organization that coordinates fossil fuel production and exports, the partnership is meant to protect vital ecosystems and give countries with large swathes of rainforest more bargaining power on the world stage. The three countries in the new partnership have a combined 1.8 billion acres of forests that serve as a huge carbon sink for the planet — a fact that could be leveraged to negotiate, for example, conservation finance from private investors or wealthy countries “These three ecosystems are critical for the ecological stability of the world,” Oscar Soria, campaign director for the activism site Avaaz, told the Guardian. Rainforests also foster more than half of the planet’s mammals, birds, reptiles, and other vertebrate species, as well as tens of thousands of the world’s known species of plants. Despite more than 100 countries pledging to reverse deforestation at last year’s UN climate conference in Scotland, rainforest destruction has continued apace in 2022 and even reached record levels in Brazil — partly due to policies advanced by the country’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was recently defeated by his socialist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to drive down deforestation while in office. Environmental advocates have lauded the alliance but stressed that the three member countries must take care to include Indigenous peoples in decision-making. Some conservation efforts have historically sidelined Indigenous nations or even violently dispossessed them of their land, even though research shows the world’s most biodiverse and resilient forests are on protected Indigenous lands. The rainforest alliance could be “a promising step forward,” Soria told the Guardian, “as long as Indigenous peoples and local communities are fully consulted in the process and their rights and leadership respected.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/opec-for-rainforests/
     
         
      Horn of Africa: UNFPA launches $113 million appeal for drought-impacted women and girls Wed, 16th Nov 2022 2:01:00
     
      The unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa is affecting whole communities, but it is women and girls who are paying “an unacceptably high price”, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday, launching a $113.7 million appeal to meet their needs. The funding will be used to scale-up life-saving reproductive health and protection services, including establishment of mobile and static clinics in locations such as displacement sites. Overall, more than 36 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya require humanitarian assistance because of the drought. Safeguarding critical services Conflict, locust infestations and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are worsening its effects, pushing millions to the brink of starvation. As the food security situation continues to deteriorate, women and girls are facing hunger and other serious threats to their health, rights and safety, said Dr. Natalia Kanem, the UNFPA Executive Director. “We need to act now to save thousands of lives and provide women and girls with the essential support they urgently need and a chance at building a better future,” she stressed. Forced to seek food The drought is the region’s worst in four decades and is set to continue well into 2023, UN agencies and their humanitarian partners warned last week. Two districts in Somalia alone are at imminent risk of famine. Some 1.7 million people have been forced to leave their homes to search for food, water and basic services, according to UNFPA. Most are mothers, who often end up walking for days or even weeks. Lives at risk These dangerous journeys on foot increase women’s vulnerability to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse. Already pervasive gender-based violence is rising, UNFPA reported. As families face desperate choices to survive, reports of girls dropping out of school, female genital mutilation and child marriage have become more widespread. Concern for mothers-to-be The UN agency said access to basic health services, including family planning and maternal healthcare, has been severely compromised. The consequences could be catastrophic, including for the more than 892,000 pregnant women who will give birth over the next three months. Malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women is acute, increasing their risk of severe, if not fatal, pregnancy complications, and there are devastating reports of mothers too weak to feed their babies. Stepping up support The appeal aims to respond to the escalating needs. In addition to setting up mobile and stationary health clinics, UNFPA will deploy trained midwives to those facilities located in areas where needs are greatest. In Somalia, midwives will be a key resource in delivering integrated reproductive health and protection services, the agency said. Other plans include increasing community outreach for the provision of reproductive health services, as well as strengthening referral systems to ensure pregnant women experiencing complications can access emergency obstetric care. Safe spaces for survivors UNFPA will expand?safe spaces, shelters, one-stop centres and hotlines?so that women and girl?survivors of gender-based violence?have access?to medical care and psychosocial support.? Healthcare providers also will be trained to provide integrated reproductive health and protection services, including for the clinical management of rape. Further plans involve distributing?life-saving reproductive health medicines and supplies to?health facilities and hospitals, and providing basic hygiene items, including sanitary pads, to those in need.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130672
     
         
      COP27: Fears of compromise on key 1.5C global temperature issue Tue, 15th Nov 2022 15:31:00
     
      A key target to stop climate change raising global temperatures is under threat at a UN summit. Climate change talks have been trying to limit the average rise in temperatures to 1.5C. But at talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik, there are concerns that target will slip. Senior figures here in Egypt are worried about backsliding on efforts to keep the 1.5C goal. There is a sense the Egyptian presidency is struggling to find common ground between rich and poor, and some delegates fear the focus on 1.5C may be softened to find agreement. The limit is important because climate scientists say temperature rises must slow down if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100. Why is the climate target of 1.5C so important? Biden issues climate rallying cry to world leaders Fossil fuel delegates spike at climate summit Ministers and their negotiators face an intensive week of talks in Sharm El-Sheikh as pressure grows to conclude this meeting with a strong political message. According to the UN's climate chief, not enough progress has been made so far. "My observations are that there are too many unresolved issues," Simon Stiell said to the meeting over the weekend. "If we create a log-jam in the process, we will not deliver an outcome that is deserving of the crisis." An analysis on the state of the negotiations by the Carbon Brief website shows widespread disagreement between parties. One of the big concerns though is that as the organisers struggle to find a way forward, a clear statement on the commitment to 1.5C figure might be fudged. In last year's Glasgow climate pact, all countries agreed to "keep 1.5C alive" by undertaking "rapid, deep and sustained" cuts in greenhouse gases. But at a G20 meeting in Indonesia in August, ministers were unable to agree a communique on climate change, as China and India were reported to have questioned the scientific feasibility of the 1.5C threshold. Such are the differences between countries here, there are fears that the final document being drafted by the Egyptians may dilute or exclude the 1.5C goal. "I have been worried that there seems to some kind of attempt to say maybe 1.5C is not achievable any more," the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, told the Irish Times on the sidelines of this summit. "That is not acceptable," she said. Mrs Robinson, who is chair of the Elders group of former political leaders, has released a statement with around 200 of the world's largest businesses and civil society groups urging governments to align their national targets with 1.5C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63617400
     
         
      Australia’s ‘carbon capital’ charts a course away from fossil fuels and a boom-bust cycle Tue, 15th Nov 2022 14:25:00
     
      Queensland’s Gladstone council is pinning its hopes on a 10-year energy transition plan, amid concerns for its future in a net zero world The 6.30am twin-engine service from Brisbane to Gladstone on Monday morning is chock full of blokes in hi-vis and heavy boots. But this week federal public servants, journalists, renewable energy advocates and the Queensland energy minister joined the usual crowd of Fifo workers descending on the town. They travelled for the Gladstone council’s unveiling of a 10-year energy transition plan, designed to reposition the region as “a renewable energy superpower”. The glossy brochures accompanying the plan are big on lofty ambition but light on measurable outcomes. The talk is of a rapidly expanding workforce building “massive amounts” of large scale renewable energy projects and of leading global green hydrogen production. This kind of document would not often make national news. But this is Gladstone, the world’s fifth largest coal exporting port, a harbour town built on heavy industries like alumina, ammonia and liquefied natural gas exports. It is Australia’s “carbon capital”. That economic transition is being spoken about at all – let alone loudly spruiked by the mayor and unanimously backed by his council – is significant. “A few years ago talking about renewables was a taboo subject,” Gladstone Conservation Council’s Anna Hitchcock says. “Now it’s all totally out in the open.” For one of the plan’s leading architects, The Next Economy’s chief executive, Dr Amanda Cahill, that’s the point. The roadmap is not one of graphs and modelling she says. Though research-based, it is more of a “wayfinder”. Governments can aim for net zero targets in 2050, but the pace of technological change is happening so fast that “if you can see beyond five years you’re doing well”. The plan stakes out council’s role in the transition in areas like building facilities to make sure workers choose to raise families locally, not fly back to their homes. Cahill says the plan is also about sending a message. “[This is] a signal to the world that there has been a shift about where people’s heads are at and what they are willing to do,” she says. So could this region, synonymous in the imagination of many with infamous clashes between coalminers and the environmentalists, really be gearing up to drive the country towards a green energy future? That might be the question, but talk in the town on Monday is dominated by another portentous arrival that morning.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/16/australias-carbon-capital-charts-a-course-away-from-fossil-fuels-and-a-boom-bust-cycle
     
         
      COP27: War causing huge release of climate warming gas, claims Ukraine Tue, 15th Nov 2022 12:25:00
     
      Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused a large amount of warming gases to be released into the atmosphere, Ukraine has claimed at the UN COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The amount is the equivalent of adding nearly 16 million cars to the UK's roads for two years. Ukraine said it is collecting evidence of environmental crimes with which to sue Russia. It also claimed precious animal and plant life has been destroyed. The war has led directly to emissions of 33 million tons of greenhouse gases that warm the Earth's atmosphere, claimed Ruslan Strilets, Ukraine's environmental protection minister. "Russia has turned our natural reserves into a military base. Russia is doing everything to shorten our and your horizons. Because of the war, we will have to do even more to overcome the climate crisis," he said. The minister also said his delegation at the climate summit does not plan to meet Russian representatives in Egypt. "If we do accidentally, we won't talk to them," he said. The figure was calculated by counting emissions including from forest fires and agricultural fires, as well as the oil burnt after attacks on storage depots. Mr Strilets also claimed that rebuilding Ukraine will cause significantly more emissions, up to 49 millions tons of carbon dioxide. Ukraine says that Russia must bear responsibility for these emissions. Since the start of the war in February, the country claims to have gathered evidence of 2,000 "environmental crimes" costing 37 million euros, including destruction of forests, release of toxic gases, and damage to water facilities. It plans to use the evidence to seek compensation from Russia for damage caused. Asked if Ukraine has been able to assess environmental damage in recently liberated Kherson, Mr Strilets said it is too early for scientists to access all parts of the city. The government also claims about 600 animals and 750 plants and fungi, including endangered species, are under threat. Fears temperature goal could be softened What have leaders done on climate in 2022? Why the latest UN summit matters Since February, it has documented 120 deaths of dolphins in the Black Sea, which it links to the war. Nations are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to agree on next steps in curbing climate change. A key issue being negotiated is who pays for the irreversible damage caused by climate change in developing nations. At the weekend, senior figures at the summit warned that the key goal of trying to limit the average rise in temperatures to 1.5C may be under threat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63625693
     
         
      It’s not just Coca-Cola: Corporations have co-opted the UN climate talks Tue, 15th Nov 2022 1:52:00
     
      Once a year, delegates from almost 200 countries gather for the purpose of finding ways to keep climate change from spiraling out of control. This time around, they’re meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for COP27. And the event is brought to you by the largest plastic producer in the world, Coca-Cola. While Coca-Cola is considered a lower-tier sponsor than the conference’s “partners,” which include Microsoft, IBM, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Coca-Cola’s role has garnered an exceptionally large amount of criticism. Nearly 240,000 people have signed a petition for the Egyptian government-led conference to drop the partnership with Coca-Cola, a corporate giant that makes roughly 4,000 plastic bottles from oil every second. Over the years, climate summits have become a branding opportunity for corporations to attach their names to high-profile efforts to save the world. One report found that the companies sponsoring the 2015 summit in Paris, for example, had paid around $18.8 million, about 10 percent of the total budget. It can be hard for organizers of an expensive-to-run conference to turn down that kind of money. But those sponsorships have become a target of protest as activists seek to show how companies like Coca-Cola have contributed to the climate crisis, the very thing COP27 is supposed to address. The Coca-Cola debacle inspired a recent political cartoon that contrasts the conference’s lofty goal of limiting climate change with the merch-filled expo that takes place alongside it. “Make sure you grab your COP27 gift bag,” says a comic by Australian cartoonist Andrew Marlton. The panels advertise fictional swag: a shirt that says “My environment minister went to COP27 and all I got was this lousy t-shirt,” an “economy-size bottle of greenwash,” and the new book by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (“no need to read it, just be seen with it”). Thunberg, for her part, decided to skip the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, in part because of the corporate-friendly atmosphere. All the logos on display at COP27 hint at what’s going on behind the scenes: Companies have been influencing the global climate negotiations since their inception in Rio de Janeiro 30 years ago, working to make sure that the final agreement would not force them to cut emissions from fossil fuels. Instead, they began volunteering “net-zero” pledges to cancel out their emissions at some later date. They’ve also started to shape the conversation at every summit. When COP27 attendees talk about “net-zero” and the need for ever-better climate data, for example, they are talking about climate change in a language that businesses helped develop, and one that experts say distracts from the true goal: the need to reduce fossil fuel emissions. The Coca-Cola sponsorship “seems outrageous to me,” said Adam Rome, an environmental historian at the University at Buffalo. “But if you’re in a world where pretty much everything is voluntary and everything has to make, ultimately, business sense, then you’re going to get net-zero pledges, and you’re going to get corporate sponsorships of government or civil society.” Even though oil companies haven’t been allowed to sponsor the talks, the fossil fuel industry still has a huge presence: By one count, it sent more than 630 lobbyists to Sharm el-Sheikh, a larger delegation than sent by any country except the United Arab Emirates, the host of next year’s climate summit. (It wasn’t until last year that the conference’s final agreement mentioned the phrase “fossil fuels” at all — and even then, the language got watered down.) COP27 has also been criticized for hiring a public relations firm, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, that has represented oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and Saudi Aramco, to manage communications. Climate advocates often justify corporate involvement by saying that companies have a role to play in financing the changes that are needed, said Jennie Stephens, a professor of sustainability science and policy at Northeastern University. But she believes that corporate influence at negotiations is preventing “more transformative action” from resulting. Instead of denying the problem or undermining science, those who oppose reducing emissions are now focused on delaying climate action, Stephens said. “Part of delay is to acknowledge the problem and then present corporate interests as if they’re doing something to mitigate problems, when in fact, they’re not.” Despite talking about fixing climate change more than ever, for instance, all major oil companies are on track to increase oil production by 2026, according to a report earlier this year. “If they are still planning to extract all these fossil fuels in perpetuity,” Stephens said, “there’s no way we’re ever going to meet any of the goals that all the countries have committed to in this whole long, expensive process that so much time and effort has gone into.” So how did corporations become such major players in climate politics? It goes back to an old public relations strategy. In the 1960s and ’70s, environmental activists brought attention to how polluters were setting rivers on fire, spilling oil into the ocean, and spraying pesticides everywhere. Companies were branded as villains and were forced to get in line with new regulations to prevent pollution. Around that time, a young PR rep named E. Bruce Harrison figured that the key to avoiding future regulations was all about compromise. Calling for “balance” between the “Three Es” — the environment, energy, and the economy — would make the industry’s position look reasonable and responsible, and leave environmentalists looking like they wanted to ruin the economy. By working with environmentalists, companies could appear to be doing the right thing — and get a seat at the table where decisions got made. That’s exactly what businesses did leading up to a major U.N. climate agreement in 1992. The first order of business of the Global Climate Coalition — a group of utilities, oil drillers, automakers, and other companies assembled by the National Association of Manufacturers a few years earlier — was to influence the international treaty that would be signed in Rio de Janeiro. At negotiating sessions, industry representatives argued for a voluntary approach to reducing emissions, in the hopes of avoiding a binding one. They got what they asked for. A National Association of Manufacturers business activity report in 1992 congratulated itself on a “strong and effective presence” during the Rio negotiations.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/cop27/corporations-have-co-opted-the-un-climate-talks-coca-col/
     
         
      Who will pay for Indonesia's clean energy bill? Tue, 15th Nov 2022 1:22:00
     
      Driving over the volcanic peaks which run through Bali, you pass scenes of natural and human-fashioned beauty that have made this "island of the gods" the jewel in Indonesia's tourist crown. As you descend to the north coast, however, there is a jarring sight. A tall, red-and-white chimney rises from a complex of grey and blue buildings, with a long conveyor belt running out to the sea. Great mounds of coal are piled on off-shore platforms and, until recently, a half-sunk barge threatened to spill its black contents into the sea. This is Celukan Bawang power station, one of a growing network of coal-fired power plants in Indonesia that are now the subject of complex negotiations to reduce the country's emissions. But the path to clean energy is uphill for emerging economies, especially as they still recover from the clobbering effects of Covid-19 - and it's no different for this fast-growing nation of 275 million people. Celukan Bawang power station was opened in 2015, the year President Joko Widodo announced his campaign to "Light Up Indonesia". Jokowi, as he likes to be called, had won the presidency the year before on a track record as mayor of two big cities who got things done - and on promises to fix his country's ramshackle infrastructure. He announced a plan to expand electricity generation by 35,000 megawatts over the next four years to address persistent shortages. This would be done mainly by building dozens of power plants fuelled by coal, which Indonesia has in abundance. At the time that Celukan Bawang was planned, Bali had been suffering from those shortages, which threatened to hurt its vital tourist industry, More reliable electricity supply was a top priority. But the power station was controversial from the start. There were disputes with locals about the acquisition of land, and complaints about pollution. "Since they began operating we no longer find certain kinds of fish," says Supriyadi, a fisherman who lives a few hundred metres down the beach from the plant. "The fish have moved much farther out to sea, and people don't want to buy what we catch." Environmental groups have campaigned against Celukan Bawang, filing a lawsuit against a plan to increase its capacity. The Chinese-funded company running it has responded by hiring tough-looking men to keep watch outside the plant, and stop people even from photographing it. The local police chief told the BBC he had been ordered to make sure no one filmed anything in his area during the G20 summit, and a group of protesters planning to cycle from the capital Jakarta to highlight their concerns was blocked from crossing to Bali. This, despite the fact that President Jokowi has suddenly found his green voice. "Up until a year ago, there were certain words that couldn't be uttered in government circles. Climate being one and coal phase-out being the other," says Adhityani Putri, who runs Cerah, an Indonesian foundation working for a transition to sustainable energy. "Fast forward one year, we now are looking at a government that is finally taking climate and energy transitions seriously, with President Jokowi saying this on the international stage, and energy transition being made one of the priority agendas of the G20." The change came at COP26 - the climate summit in Glasgow in 2021 - when Indonesia said it would phase out coal-fired energy before 2050. Since then, there has been a flurry of announcements from the government, the latest a presidential decree blocking licences for new coal-fired plants. But there are caveats. Projects that have already been approved can go ahead. Facilities which will power essential industries, like the giant mines in eastern Indonesia that supply much of the nickel needed to make batteries for electric cars, can still be constructed. And Indonesia will actually produce more coal-fired electricity for several years, before it starts to cut production at the end of the decade. Even then, there is talk of continuing to use coal in other ways, like gasification - converting it to dimethyl ether (DME), a substitute for liquified petroleum gas (LPG). This is not yet the great leap forward to Indonesia's target of net zero emissions by 2060. But they are going as fast as they can, says Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, the co-ordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, and the country's lead negotiator on energy transition. "We are not going to make any policy that jeopardises the next generation," he adds. "I have given my negotiating team very clear parameters - anything we do, don't disturb our economic growth. We have to have affordable clean technology. And we need the right timeline for our economy."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63619533
     
         
      COP27: Week two opens with focus on water, women and more negotiations on ‘loss and damage’ Mon, 14th Nov 2022 15:06:00
     
      On ‘Women and Water’ Day at COP27, the power of women as key drivers of climate solutions, and the crucial impact that the climate crisis is having on our water supply took centre stage in Sharm el-Sheikh. Meanwhile, the negotiations on the conference outcome continued, with UN officials calling for ‘building bridges’ to deliver on the important issue of loss and damage. “Nothing about us, without us,” UNICEF advocate Ayshka Najib told UN News on Monday while she was painting one of the collaborative colourful artworks displayed throughout the conference’s dedicated youth pavilion depicting the role of women in climate action. For the young climate activist, women and young girls in all their diversity have been leading the climate movement for centuries, so they should not be shut out. “They should be co-owners and agenda-setters of the climate process, but that is not the case now, gender is still debated in the negotiating rooms,” she denounced. Indeed, women and girls face greater obstacles when trying to adapt to climate change, they suffer greater economic repercussions, they must bear increased unpaid care and domestic work when disasters hit, and, on top of all this, they are more vulnerable to potential violence triggered by crisis. But as UN Women has said, women are not victims, and evidence suggests that their representation in national parliaments can lead countries to adopt more stringent climate change policies. “Women and girls are essential, effective and powerful leaders to address the climate crisis. But they remain largely undervalued and underestimated with limited access to training extension services and the technology necessary for effective adaptation to the impacts of climate change,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told an event focused on women in Africa. “There’s a very simple and effective solution – put women and girls in the lead,” she urged.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130562
     
         
      UN panel blasts deceptive climate claims Mon, 14th Nov 2022 8:57:00
     
      As more and more companies espouse ambitious-sounding decarbonization plans, a United Nations panel says it’s time to place their pledges under greater scrutiny. A new report called “Integrity Matters,” published last week by a U.N. expert group composed of 16 scientists, researchers, activists, and businesspeople, lays out a detailed set of guidelines to ensure businesses’ net-zero claims are credible. (“Net-zero” means zeroing out greenhouse gas emissions, whether by eliminating them altogether or by offsetting them by removing carbon from the atmosphere.) A company with a legitimate claim to net-zero, the report said, shouldn’t build or invest in new fossil fuels, buy cheap carbon credits “instead of immediately cutting their own emissions,” or lobby against ambitious policies to address the climate crisis. That last criterion also restricts membership in trade groups that lobby against climate policy, a tactic that big companies have long used to indirectly fight regulation. Other recommendations include specifying short- and medium-term emissions reduction targets — rather than only a far-off target for 2050 — and addressing all of the emissions from a company’s supply chain, rather than just those generated by internal operations. “The planet cannot afford delays, excuses, or more greenwashing,” the panel’s chair, Catherine McKenna, wrote in an introduction to the report. The guidelines are meant to address increasing concern over flimsy climate commitments from corporate actors — especially in the fossil fuel industry, where companies like BP, Shell, Total, and Chevron have pledged some form of “net-zero” despite plans to continue extracting oil and gas. The nonprofit Oil Change International has rated each of these companies’ plans as “grossly insufficient” to align with international climate goals. Gilles Dufrasne, an expert on global carbon markets for the nonprofit Carbon Market Watch, said the new guidelines were “highly welcome” but that more is still needed. “These guidelines will not be enough to end greenwashing,” he said in a statement, calling on governments to enforce the regulations and also crack down harder on misleading advertisements about companies’ environmental commitments. “Today’s free-for-all situation must end,” he added, “as consumers and citizens are being misled into thinking that companies are doing much more than they actually are.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/un-panel-blasts-deceptive-climate-claims/
     
         
      Uganda’s President Museveni slams ‘Western double standards’ over coal mine plans Mon, 14th Nov 2022 2:14:00
     
      Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has slammed Western countries over what he calls a “reprehensible double standard” in their response to the energy crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a Twitter post on Sunday, Museveni singled out Germany for demolishing wind turbines to allow for the expansion of a coal-fueled power plant as Europe battles an energy crisis triggered by the Russia/Ukraine war. In September, Russia which had come under a raft of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, halted gas supplies to Europe, leaving the region that was dependent on Russian oil and gas imports scampering for alternatives. Germany had proposed phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions. But Europe’s largest economy has now been forced to prioritize energy security over clean energy as gas supplies from Russia froze. Just like Germany, many other European countries are reviving coal projects as alternatives to Russian energy. Making ‘a mockery’ of climate targets Museveni, 78, says Europe’s switch to coal-based power generation “makes a mockery” of the West’s climate targets. “News from Europe that a vast wind farm is being demolished to make way for a new open-pit coal mine is the reprehensible double standard we in Africa have come to expect. It makes a mockery of Western commitments to climate targets,” the Ugandan leader said, while further describing the move as “the purest hypocrisy.” CNN has contacted the German Embassy in Uganda for comment. In a statement released on his official website, Museveni stated that “Europe’s failure to meet its climate goals should not be Africa’s problem.” The African continent has remained the most vulnerable to climate change despite having the lowest emissions and contributing the least to global warming. While wealthy nations (who are the largest emission producers) are better equipped to manage the impacts of climate change, poorer countries like those in Africa are not. “We will not accept one rule for them and another rule for us,” said Museveni, who has ruled the east African nation for 36 years. Bearing the brunt of climate change Uganda aims to explore its oil reserves at a commercial level in the next three years but a resolution by the European Union parliament in September warned that the project will displace thousands, jeopardize water resources and endanger protected marine areas. Museveni reacted to the resolution at the time, insisting that “the project shall proceed,” and threatened to find new contractors if the current handlers of the oil project “choose to listen to the EU Parliament.” African leaders have continued to push richer nations for climate adaptation funding at the ongoing COP27 climate summit in Egypt, as many parts of the continent grapple with severe drought, flooding, and other catastrophic effects of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/14/africa/western-hypocrisy-climate-change-intl/index.html
     
         
      Climate change: Dimming Earth, mustard shortages and other odd side-effects Sun, 13th Nov 2022 1:33:00
     
      Birdsong, snowdrops, blossom and midge bites - these are not things you associate with November in the north of England. But these are just some of the milder side effects of a warming world. As well as fuelling deadly floods and drought, rising temperatures are cited as a cause of spontaneous explosions of Siberian permafrost, mustard shortages and the planet becoming dimmer. Many of the impacts of climate change are devastating. Some are weird. Exploding tundra and 'earthshine' Giant craters in thawing Siberian permafrost have been attributed by some Russian scientists to warmer ground temperatures causing underground pockets of gas to spontaneously explode. Permafrost is defined as land that has been frozen continuously for more than two years. It's only one hypothesis to explain the formation of giant craters in the Arctic landscape. As this BBC Future article highlighted, they are a "disquieting sign" that this cold, largely unpopulated landscape at the north of our planet is undergoing some radical changes. Recent research also showed that the Arctic is warming even faster than previously thought - four times faster than the rest of the world. And as well as blasting holes in Earth's wilderness, climate change could also be dimming the planet's "shine", according to scientists at Big Bear Solar Observatory in New Jersey. By measuring the sunlight reflected from Earth to the dark part of the moon at night, scientists measured what they call "earthshine" or albedo - basically Earth's reflectiveness. The studies suggested that the amount of low cloud cover over the eastern Pacific Ocean is reducing due to warming ocean temperatures. Since these clouds act like a mirror, reflecting light from the Sun back into space, without them that reflected light diminishes. So, according to these scientists, we might actually be taking the shine off our little blue dot. Sex-changing reptiles While we might be causing global warming, we're not the only species experiencing it. Some creatures are affected in truly surprising ways. In some reptiles, the sex of offspring is partly determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. Genetically male central bearded dragons - a species of lizard found in Australia - will actually change from male to female when they are incubated over a certain temperature. So scientists are concerned that males could become increasingly rare as the world warms - putting the species at risk of extinction. In the ocean, rising levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide could be causing fish to lose their sense of smell. Climate change is also measurably messing up seasonal synchrony. In Wytham Wood this April - the UK's most scientifically studied woodland - great tit hatchlings emerged from their eggs up to three weeks earlier than they would have done in the 1940s. The entire spring food chain has shifted with warming - the caterpillars the birds eat, the oak tree leaves the caterpillars eat - all reach their peak weeks earlier than they did before we warmed up the world. While the seasons shift, many birds are adjusting - or just moving. This year, bee-eater chicks hatched in a Norfolk quarry - they are usually found in the southern Mediterranean and northern Africa. Even the soundscape is shifting. London's now a hotspot of unseasonal birdsong. One study has even suggested that forest birds were moving higher up in the trees to sing, possibly to avoid their calls being muffled by earlier foliage. A shortage of flavour Extreme weather is also making it harder to grow food. Staples like wheat, corn and coffee are already being affected. And this year, there have been some notable condiment shortages. In April, Huy Fong Foods, a California-based company that produces around 20 million bottles of Sriracha chilli sauce every year, sent a letter to customers warning of a "severe shortage" of chillies. In summer, supermarkets in France started to run out of Dijon mustard - a problem that could be traced to bad weather in the Canadian Prairies, where most of world's mustard seeds are grown. And the reality of climate change is even hampering efforts to go carbon-free. In August, the energy company EDF had to cut output from nuclear power stations situation in France, because there wasn't enough cool water in French rivers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63585043
     
         
      COP27: Key climate goal of 1.5C rise faces new challenge Sat, 12th Nov 2022 16:30:00
     
      Emissions of CO2 are rising so quickly there is now a 50% chance the world will cross a crucial climate change threshold soon, a new report suggests. Emissions for 2022 are expected to remain at record levels, lifted by people flying again after Covid. The report said that if emissions stay so high, the world faces a 50% risk of breaching a key 1.5C temperature rise threshold in nine years. This would have sweeping consequences for poorer and developing countries. Average temperatures are now 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, and that increase has already caused major climate disasters this year. If global average temperatures were to rise to more than 1.5C, the UN says it would expose millions more people to potentially devastating climate impacts. The researchers have said emissions were rising in 2022 because of an increase in flying and the use of coal. The report, published by the Global Carbon Project (GCP), used monthly energy data to estimate that global greenhouse gas emissions will rise by 1% this year. This is in stark contrast to a recent UN report that global emissions need to fall by 45% by 2030 to keep temperatures below 1.5C. Nations agreed in 2015 to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The UN climate body, the IPCC, has said keeping temperature rises below 1.5C, rather than 2C, would mean: 10 million fewer people would lose their homes to rising sea levels a 50% reduction in the number of people experiencing water insecurity a reduction in coral reef loss from 99% to 70% The GCP report - prepared by more than 70 scientists - is launched today at the UN climate summit COP27 in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where countries are in the middle of climate change negotiations. Dr Robin Lamboll, Research Associate in Climate Science and Policy at Imperial College London said: "The report should remind negotiators at COP27 that their actions so far have been inadequate." At last year's Glasgow climate summit, COP26, countries were asked to prepare more ambitious targets before coming to Egypt - but only 29 turned up with new plans. And on Thursday, another group of climate experts at Climate Action Tracker predicted that even with these new pledges, world temperatures would rise 2.7C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. India is expected to be the largest contributor to the growth in emissions in 2022 as it continues to increase its use of coal - the most polluting of fossil fuels. But Dr Kamya Choudhary, India policy fellow at London School of Economics, thinks this is a short-term measure to cope with the ongoing energy crisis. One of the report's authors, Robbie Andrew, a senior researcher at CICERO, pointed out that even though developing countries like India are increasing their emissions quickly, they are still significantly lower per person than in Europe. And European countries are also turning to dirtier fossil fuels to cope with energy shortages driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Germany is burning more coal this year than last, and the UK has asked energy firms to delay the closure of end-of-life coal plants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63591796
     
         
      Climate change could lead to more extreme flooding in Cornwall Sat, 12th Nov 2022 15:29:00
     
      Extreme weather events like the devastating floods in Boscastle could become more prevalent due to climate change, a report has found. Cornwall Council commissioned climate scientists to produce the report. It found sea levels are likely to rise by up to 1m (3.3ft) by the end of the century. Professor Stephen Harrison, who led the work on the report, said: "We are not doing enough nationally and internationally." The professor of climate and environmental change at the University of Exeter, added: "Cornwall has clearly taken climate change seriously pretty quickly, maybe not as quickly as it should have done, but Cornwall is not unique in that. "Cornwall does have some real issues which are rather contradictory though. "We have a regional airport that is important for the local economy and development of space infrastructure. "That is important to keep open and at the same time we are declaring a climate emergency. There are places where the left hand doesn't always know what the right hand is doing." The report was commissioned as part of the climate change action plan drawn up by the council after it declared a climate emergency in 2019. Last year it also declared an ecological emergency, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said. The report looks at the impact climate change could have on the way people live in Cornwall in the future. As well as weather events it also considers the potential impact on agriculture, health and wellbeing. Potential changes in Cornwall include the possibility of high impact flooding like that seen in Boscastle in 2004 and Coverack in 2017. It also projects stronger storms and higher wind speeds, faster coastal erosion, along with more heatwaves and severe droughts. Prof Harrison said climate risk assessments are usually over larger areas or entire countries, and said he believed that Cornwall was the first place to have such an assessment for a similar sized area in the UK. Martyn Alvey, Cornwall Council Cabinet member for the environment and climate change said: "It strongly underlines the need for us to act - to be aware of our impacts on the climate and to understand the risks that are coming."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-63600920
     
         
      Why is the weather so warm this November? Sat, 12th Nov 2022 3:27:00
     
      UK temperatures are "exceptionally mild" for the time of year, with Scotland and Northern Ireland having the warmest November night on record. The Met Office recorded overnight temperatures of 14.6C in Kinloss and Prestwick in Scotland, and 14.5C at Magilligan in County Londonderry. Average UK night-time temperatures at this time of year range between 4-6C. Meteorologists say the mild weather is the result of a powerful jet stream bringing warm air up from the south. It's certainly a bonus for millions of people across the UK who are concerned about heating bills, but is it a sign of a permanent shift in weather patterns and how much is climate change playing a part? BBC Weather's Simon King says the unusually high November temperatures are down to the jet stream and, more specifically, to the direction of the wind. "A south-west wind is dragging in air from the Tropics, around the Azores and Cape Verde - where it is still warm at this time of year - and that milder air is spreading north to the UK," he explains. Presentational grey line What is the jet stream? By Simon King, BBC Weather The jet stream is a fast-moving wind high in the atmosphere - where commercial planes typically fly - that generally moves from west to east over the Atlantic to Europe. It meanders, slows down and speeds up like a river and it's this movement that creates our weather. It is also the dividing line between cold polar air and warmer tropical air. So as it changes shape and position, the UK can either be on the colder side or warmer side of the jet. Is this a result of climate change? "This weather pattern, while fairly unusual for the time of year, is not linked to climate change," says King. While the warm air being dumped over the UK is "not a regular occurrence", it is a weather phenomenon that we experience every so often in the UK - so it is not a one-off. The warmest recorded daytime temperature in November in the UK was in 2015, when temperatures reached 22.4C - an event that was also linked to the jet stream. King adds: "Climate change may be altering the typical position of the jet stream further north - when considering its horizontal position/latitude averages over decades. This is different, though, from this scenario where the jet stream is meandering north to south like a big U. "However, the warmer weather we've experienced this autumn - and extreme overnight temperatures just seen - are the types of conditions we're likely to experience more frequently in the future with climate change," he cautions. This month alone, south-east England experienced the wettest first week of November on record - and July saw a record heatwave across the UK, with temperatures topping 40C for the first time - something "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change, according to the Met Office. The world is now about 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, and that increase is cited as contributing to a number of recent climate disasters such the floods in Pakistan. In 2015, the Paris Agreement saw almost all the world's nations agree to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, and to keep them "well below" 2.0C above pre-industrial times. The warmest seven years have all been since 2015, according to the United Nations. "Not all weather events are directly linked to climate change," says King "but expect to see more records broken because of our changing climate". Fires blaze after UK passes 40C for first time A really simple guide to climate change Is the mild weather the start of a new trend? Many of our European neighbours have also experienced "above average" temperatures in recent weeks. Parts of France and Spain experienced an unusually warm late October, with bathers enjoying water temperatures of 20-21C on the French Riviera. It was the warmth in parts of western Europe that was partly responsible for the above average temperatures the UK experienced later in October. Here too the weather was caused by the jet stream "meandering so much to the west of Europe", says King, bringing unseasonable warmth to parts of France, Spain and even as far north as Scandinavia. But this is "freak weather", he asserts, and not the start of a trend for warmer autumns. Will it turn colder and when? The weather is likely to change again next week when we lose that "big meander" in the jet stream and it moves to a more typical position to the south of the UK, bringing cooler weather. Temperatures are predicted to drop from Tuesday onwards, to a more typical November average. But first, some sunshine. This week has seen lots of cloud cover and strong winds, so even if the temperature is mild, it's not exactly been sunbathing weather. "Meteorologically-speaking, temperatures are way above average, but it doesn't necessarily feel that warm because the sun is not that high," explains King. However this weekend there will be more sunshine - says the BBC Weather expert - with temperatures in the UK expected in the mid- to high teens, around 18 or 19C. Current forecasts suggest that the rest of the month will remain milder than average - in keeping with a year in which every single month has been warmer than average. It will turn colder but no-one is putting money on a white Christmas at this stage - just a windy one.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63597025
     
         
      $4.2 billion for New York environmental projects Fri, 11th Nov 2022 15:58:00
     
      Voters in New York state have approved a sweeping ballot measure to mitigate climate change and protect the state’s natural resources. The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act — the state’s first bond act since the ‘90s — passed handily on Tuesday, garnering the support of some 60 percent of Empire State voters. The act will allow the state to borrow up to $4.2 billion for environmental conservation and improvement projects, as well as a number of efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The act’s easy victory is “a testament to the organizing strength” of the more than 300 environmental groups, unions, and businesses that supported it, Jeremy Cherson, senior manager of government affairs for the nonprofit Riverkeeper, told me. Among the wide range of projects that the act is set to fund are more solar arrays and wind turbines, zero-emission school buses, and urban tree planting. The act also pledges to devote at least $1.1 billion to reducing flood risks, $650 million for land conservation and fish hatcheries, and another $650 million for a variety of projects related to wastewater and septic infrastructure and agricultural runoff. At least 35 percent of the bond revenue is required to benefit “disadvantaged communities” — those that are economically or socially marginalized, vulnerable to pollution, or prone to climate-related disasters. Although the money raised will only provide a fraction of the funding needed to upgrade New York’s infrastructure and prepare it for climate change, experts and environmental advocates have hailed it as a “historic” step in the right direction. It’s the largest environmental bond act in New York state history and the first to go before state voters in more than a quarter of a century. Cherson noted that the bond act could unlock even more federal funding by leveraging Congress’s two recent climate and infrastructure laws — last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in August. One project he’s particularly excited about: the restoration of Schodack Island in upstate New York, a biodiverse nature area that’s been degraded by shipping.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/4-2-billion-for-new-york-environmental-projects/
     
         
      ‘Fossil fuels are a dead end’, says top UN climate adviser on ‘Decarbonization Day’ at COP27 Fri, 11th Nov 2022 14:04:00
     
      Negotiations, sharing solutions aimed at curbing emissions by the world’s biggest-polluting industries, as well as continued calls for climate justice and finance for hard-hit developing countries were in the spotlight on Friday as the latest UN Climate Conference reached its midway point in Egypt. To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis, the world must abandon fossil fuels as quickly as possible, Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action told UN News today. “There is no argument around the science at all. But of course, developing countries, especially the poorest, will need assistance to make the transition to a renewable energy future,” he explained. Mr. Hart, who is from the small island nation of Barbados and has acted as a negotiator in the past during several UN Climate Conferences (COPs), underscored that the focus should be on helping remove the barriers that developing countries face to accelerate their transition to renewables. “For example, the cost of capital. Renewable energy investments by their nature are very capital intensive. Eighty per cent of the investment must be upfront, because you have to buy the solar panels and the battery storage and the installation, and that’s costly”, he highlighted, adding, however, that the running costs are zero because there is no need to buy any oil or diesel to power a renewable energy station. A striking comparison The expert gave us a striking example of the unfair conditions countries in the developing world face when it comes to the energy transition. “I’ll compare Algeria and Denmark. Denmark has some of the worst potentials for renewable energy [while] Algeria’s potential for renewable energy is probably 70 times higher. But Denmark has seven times more solar panels than Algeria. The reason is the cost of capital,” he explained, referring to the return expected by those who provide capital for business. The international community needs to “throw the kitchen sink” at solving this problem, he stated. For Mr. Hart, mobilizing the trillions of dollars needed to make the transition should be the focus, instead of pouring capital into new fossil fuel projects, which he sees as a real risk that could lead to investing in stranded assets or passing debts onto future generations. “Fossil fuels are a dead end, as a Secretary-General has said…We need to increase renewable energy deployment to around 60 per cent of total energy capacity over the course of the next eight years, which means roughly a tripling of install capacity over the course of this decade,” he added. And for the expert, this is more than possible, because the world has tripled its renewable energy capacity over the last decade. “We just need to do it again this decade. The technologies are there, the finance is there. It just needs to be deployed in the right place, where the emissions are and where the population growth and energy demand is”, he urged. Decarbonizing the industry Decarbonization is shorthand for finding alternative ways of living and working that reduce emissions and capture and store carbon in our soil and vegetation. It requires a radical change in our current economic model which is focused on growth at all costs. As ‘Decarbonization Day’ got underway at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, a new report from the United Nations underscored the importance of rapid and large-scale action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from the energy-intensive countries, which account for about 25 per cent of the total CO2 emissions globally and 66 per cent in the industrial sector. The study singles out the cement, iron and steel, and chemicals and petrochemical industries as the most significant emitters and identifies key practical measures for them to transition to a carbon-neutral economy. “Adopting circular economy approaches to help reduce needs for new materials will be crucial in this respect. Solutions must be implemented without delay” the Executive Secretary of the UN European Economic Comission, Olga Algayerova, said in a statement. The key recommendation is indeed “a circular carbon economy”, based on carbon reduction, capture reuse and removal, as well as a push for innovation and research to tackle the challenge presented by the need for high temperatures and chemical processes required that are currently most efficiently reached by burning fossil fuels. Another key recommendation is the creation of industrial clusters to “share emissions” and reduce costs, creating green and sustainable jobs. You can learn more about this here.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130462
     
         
      ‘Fossil fuels are a dead end’, says top UN climate adviser on ‘Decarbonization Day’ at COP27 Fri, 11th Nov 2022 2:08:00
     
      Negotiations, sharing solutions aimed at curbing emissions by the world’s biggest-polluting industries, as well as continued calls for climate justice and finance for hard-hit developing countries were in the spotlight on Friday as the latest UN Climate Conference reached its midway point in Egypt. To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis, the world must abandon fossil fuels as quickly as possible, Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action told UN News today. “There is no argument around the science at all. But of course, developing countries, especially the poorest, will need assistance to make the transition to a renewable energy future,” he explained. Mr. Hart, who is from the small island nation of Barbados and has acted as a negotiator in the past during several UN Climate Conferences (COPs), underscored that the focus should be on helping remove the barriers that developing countries face to accelerate their transition to renewables. “For example, the cost of capital. Renewable energy investments by their nature are very capital intensive. Eighty per cent of the investment must be upfront, because you have to buy the solar panels and the battery storage and the installation, and that’s costly”, he highlighted, adding, however, that the running costs are zero because there is no need to buy any oil or diesel to power a renewable energy station. A striking comparison The expert gave us a striking example of the unfair conditions countries in the developing world face when it comes to the energy transition. “I’ll compare Algeria and Denmark. Denmark has some of the worst potentials for renewable energy [while] Algeria’s potential for renewable energy is probably 70 times higher. But Denmark has seven times more solar panels than Algeria. The reason is the cost of capital,” he explained, referring to the return expected by those who provide capital for business. The international community needs to “throw the kitchen sink” at solving this problem, he stated. For Mr. Hart, mobilizing the trillions of dollars needed to make the transition should be the focus, instead of pouring capital into new fossil fuel projects, which he sees as a real risk that could lead to investing in stranded assets or passing debts onto future generations. “Fossil fuels are a dead end, as a Secretary-General has said…We need to increase renewable energy deployment to around 60 per cent of total energy capacity over the course of the next eight years, which means roughly a tripling of install capacity over the course of this decade,” he added. And for the expert, this is more than possible, because the world has tripled its renewable energy capacity over the last decade. “We just need to do it again this decade. The technologies are there, the finance is there. It just needs to be deployed in the right place, where the emissions are and where the population growth and energy demand is”, he urged. Decarbonizing the industry Decarbonization is shorthand for finding alternative ways of living and working that reduce emissions and capture and store carbon in our soil and vegetation. It requires a radical change in our current economic model which is focused on growth at all costs. As ‘Decarbonization Day’ got underway at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, a new report from the United Nations underscored the importance of rapid and large-scale action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from the energy-intensive countries, which account for about 25 per cent of the total CO2 emissions globally and 66 per cent in the industrial sector. The study singles out the cement, iron and steel, and chemicals and petrochemical industries as the most significant emitters and identifies key practical measures for them to transition to a carbon-neutral economy. “Adopting circular economy approaches to help reduce needs for new materials will be crucial in this respect. Solutions must be implemented without delay” the Executive Secretary of the UN European Economic Comission, Olga Algayerova, said in a statement. The key recommendation is indeed “a circular carbon economy”, based on carbon reduction, capture reuse and removal, as well as a push for innovation and research to tackle the challenge presented by the need for high temperatures and chemical processes required that are currently most efficiently reached by burning fossil fuels. Another key recommendation is the creation of industrial clusters to “share emissions” and reduce costs, creating green and sustainable jobs. You can learn more about this here.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130462
     
         
      COP27: Joe Biden issues climate rallying cry to world leaders Fri, 11th Nov 2022 0:44:00
     
      It is the duty and responsibility of every nation to act on climate, US President Joe Biden has said at the UN summit COP27. Mr Biden spoke in Egypt after US mid-term elections delivered better-than-expected results for the president. He claimed the US is a global leader on climate after it passed sweeping laws to tackle global warming. About 35,000 people are in Sharm el-Sheikh for the two-week meeting. "The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security and the very life of the planet," said Mr Biden. He echoed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's comments on Monday that Russia's war in Ukraine is a reason to act faster on climate. Noting that the past eight years have been the warmest on record, he described the impacts of climate change on Africa nations, including a four-year drought in the Horn of Africa. Mr Biden promised to tighten US rules on methane emissions from oil and gas companies. Methane is the most potent greenhouse gas and significantly contributes to the warming of Earth's atmosphere. "Today, thanks to the actions we have taken, I can stand here as president of the United States of America and say with confidence the US will meet our emissions targets by 2030," he said. He also pledged more money for poorer nations suffering from climate disasters, including drought and flooding. But the sums remain far short of what the US, along with other developed nations, have promised. "Joe Biden comes to COP27 and makes new promises but his old promises have not even been fulfilled. I'd rather have one apple in my hand than the promise of five that never come," said Mohamed Adow, Power Shift Africa director. "The inconvenient truth is that the United States is grossly underperforming on its international climate finance commitments," said president of World Resources Institute Ani Dasgupta. In August the US passed legislation to tackle climate change that experts have called "radical" and "historic". The Inflation Reduction Act could reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. Why the latest UN meeting matters What have leaders done on climate change in 2022? Sharp rise in fossil fuel industry delegates at COP27 The Democratic Party feared that it would lose crucial seats in the mid-term elections on Tuesday, which could have weakened their climate agenda. But it performed better than expected. "While control of Congress is still being determined, one thing is certain: the massive climate-friendly investments in the Inflation Reduction Act are here to stay," says Dan Lashof, director of World Resources Institute United States. Mr Biden also held talks with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi amid heightened concern over the fate of jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. There's been no independent confirmation about Mr Abdel Fattah's condition since he is said to have received "medical intervention" on Thursday, days after he began refusing water as part of a long hunger strike. It is the sixth day of the COP summit, which is focussed on implementing ambitious promises made at COP26 in Glasgow last year. Vulnerable nations have called on richer countries to pay for the irreversible damage climate change wrecks on their homes. "We will not give up... the alternative consigns us to a watery grave," Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said on Tuesday, urging nations to "get real". They say developed nations owe this money because they became rich off decades of using fossil fuels. By contrast many less developed countries, particularly the small island nations most at risk, have contributed virtually nothing to total emissions. Richer nations have historically avoided the question of compensation or reparations, but the issue - referred to as "loss and damage" - was put on the COP agenda this year for the first time since the summits began 30 years ago. The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit A really simple guide to climate change What is the Paris climate agreement? Human rights groups are highlighting the plight of an estimated 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt. In a reminder of the danger the world faces, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the summit "we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator". On Friday a report warned that emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are rising so quickly that there is a 50% chance the world will soon cross the crucial temperature threshold of 1.5C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63599415
     
         
      COP27: Sharp rise in fossil fuel industry delegates at climate summit Thu, 10th Nov 2022 14:40:00
     
      The number of delegates with links to fossil fuels at the UN climate summit has jumped 25% from the last meeting, analysis shared with the BBC shows. Campaign group Global Witness found more than 600 people at the talks in Egypt are linked to fossil fuels. That's more than the combined delegations from the 10 most climate-impacted countries. Around 35,000 people are expected to attend the COP27 summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. These conferences have always attracted significant numbers from the coal, oil and gas industries, who are keen to influence the shape of the debate. At last year's summit in Glasgow, a similar analysis of official attendance lists found 503 delegates connected to fossil fuels. This year that figure has gone up to 636. "COP27 looks like a fossil fuel industry trade show," said Rachel Rose Jackson, from Corporate Accountability, one of a group of campaigners who released the data along with the Corporate Europe Observatory. "We're on a carousel of madness here rather than climate action. The fossil fuel industry, their agenda, it's deadly. Their motivation is profit and greed. They're not serious about climate action. They never have been and they never will." The researchers counted the number of individuals registered who were either directly affiliated with fossil fuel companies or attending as members of national delegations that act on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. The data shows that this year, there are more fossil fuel lobbyists than total delegates from the ten countries most impacted by climate change, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Mozambique. The biggest single delegation at COP27 is from the United Arab Emirates, who will host COP28 next year. They have 1,070 people on the ground here, up from just 170 last year. The analysis found that 70 of that delegation were connected to fossil fuel extraction. Russia's delegation has 33 lobbyists for oil and gas in their delegation of 150. 2px presentational grey line African lobbyists push to exploit reserves "If you are not at the table, you'll be on the menu". That's the view of Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, the head of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation, speaking to the BBC at COP27.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63571610
     
         
      XR and Scientist Rebellion block Farnborough Airport entrance Thu, 10th Nov 2022 12:39:00
     
      Climate campaigners and scientists have barricaded the entrance to an airport. Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion gathered at Farnborough Airport to demand a ban on all private jets and a tax on frequent flyers. The blockade was part of a global protest across 13 countries with activists also gathering at London Luton Airport's Harrods Terminal. Farnborough Airport said it was aware of the demonstration but confirmed the airport remained fully operational. The spokesperson said: "We are continually monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone." Farnborough Airport in Hampshire is a private airport which campaigners described as "Europe's premier private jet facility". Extinction Rebellion said it was calling on world leaders gathering this week at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt for the COP27 summit to end the use of private jets. The group has also demanded a tax on frequent flyers to cut emissions and help "pay for the loss and damage caused by climate breakdown". Hampshire Constabulary, which is aware of the protest, said "everyone has the right to free speech and protest". "Officers are not currently at the scene, however we are in contact with airport staff and will work to ensure the health and safety of people at the location, as well as working to minimise the impact on the local community if necessary," a spokesperson said. They added: "We have a long history of facilitating peaceful protest and upholding the right to protest, while balancing it with the rights of others, keeping the public safe, preventing crime and disorder and seeking to minimise disruption."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-63585440
     
         
      The Namibia-Botswana oil project being called a sin Thu, 10th Nov 2022 9:42:00
     
      As politicians meet to discuss how to cut carbon emissions, descendants of Southern Africa's first inhabitants are raising concerns about an oil and gas exploration project. Religious leaders have also spoken out, with one saying the project is a sin, and calling on COP27 delegates to curtail the activities of fossil fuel companies. In the Southern African country of Botswana lies one of the largest inland deltas in the world, a landscape the UN has called "exceptional" and "rare" in its beauty. The Okavango Delta is an oasis in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Its waterways and floodplains are home to some of the world's most endangered species of large mammals, like black rhinos. The plants, birds, fish, and animals that live here make up a particularly delicate ecosystem. It's so precious it has been designated a World Heritage Site. A Canadian company, Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica), believes there could be a wealth of oil and gas under the ground in the north of Botswana and neighbouring Namibia. It holds exploration licences for a 34,325sq km area straddling the border of the two countries. Three test wells have already been drilled in Namibia. "The project is a sin, and a serious one," the recently retired former Anglican Bishop of Namibia tells me. Luke Pato spent the last months of his time in Namibia campaigning against the project with a group of other religious leaders. As we sit in the garden of his home in Johannesburg, he tells me why. "Jesus said, 'I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly.' He would never be on the side of anything that has the potential to destroy life, to destroy the environment in which people live. I have no doubt that Jesus would find a way of pulling the carpet under the feet of those who are still wanting to engage in the exploration of fossil fuels. "I would like drilling to stop, this company to pick up its machines and go." Bishop Pato is worried about the effect that the drilling in Namibia may have on underground water reservoirs that connect to the Okavango River. The river runs along Namibia's border north of the drilling sites, carrying water to the delta in neighbouring Botswana.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63567513
     
         
      Roadmap to a coal-free South Africa Thu, 10th Nov 2022 8:07:00
     
      Just days before the start of this year’s climate conference known as COP27, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled an $84 billion plan to get his country off of coal. The 206-page blueprint offers a detailed look at what South Africa hopes to do in the next five years to reach its longer-term climate goal — getting annual carbon emissions down to between 350 and 420 million metric tons by 2030 — while also contributing to “efforts to tackle inequality, poverty, and unemployment.” It sets investment priorities for three key sectors — power generation, electric vehicles, and green hydrogen — in addition to programs that could benefit multiple sectors at once, like clean-energy job training. The plan is expensive, however, and South Africa says it lacks about 44 percent of the funds necessary to implement it. A coalition of countries from the developed world pledged last year to give South Africa $8.5 billion, and the country has secured an additional $37 billion from public and private banks, but that still leaves a shortfall of nearly $40 billion. The “required grant and concessional financing is far greater than supply,” the document says before making an appeal to other countries, individuals, and institutional investors. “South Africa welcomes international and local investors and donors to become partners in its pursuit of a just transition to a sustainable and resilient economy.” Most of the funding South Africa needs is to decarbonize its electricity sector, which in 2019 still got roughly 70 percent of its energy supply from coal. The country decommissioned a coal-fired power plant for the first time last week and plans to replace it with a mix of solar, wind, and battery storage. Replacing the country’s entire coal fleet, however, will require sustained investment in new infrastructure and career opportunities for affected workers. David Hallowes, a writer and researcher for the South Africa-based nonprofit Groundwork, said the country’s energy transition has so far been “chaotic,” with not enough attention given to job retraining and adequate long-term health care for mine and gas station workers. The government’s new investment strategy could help turn things around, he told me — but only if it gets the funding it needs.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/roadmap-to-a-coal-free-south-africa/
     
         
      COP27: BP chief listed as delegate for Mauritania Thu, 10th Nov 2022 1:37:00
     
      The BBC has learned that BP chief executive Bernard Looney was registered as a poor country delegate for COP27. Mr Looney is on the official UN lists as a delegate from Mauritania, a west African nation where BP has major investments. Four other BP employees are also included as part of the Mauritania team here. BP says Mr Looney was invited to COP27 by the Mauritanians for a signing ceremony and is no longer here. The oil project being called a sin Time to pay climate bill, insist nations at risk How many private jets were at COP27? There has been ongoing controversy about the presence of delegates at this conference who represent large oil and gas firms. New data published today shows that their number has grown significantly since COP26 in Glasgow. So how does the chief executive of one of the world's leading oil companies come to be part of the team of one of the world's poorest nations? BP say that Mr Looney was invited by the Mauritanian delegation to join a meeting and signing ceremony alongside COP27 for a "significant agreement on hydrogen". For that purpose, the Mauritanian team included him on the official list of participants, entitling him to access the "blue zone" at COP27, the area reserved for government delegations and where the key negotiations take place. Mr Looney and four senior BP colleagues, were here to sign an agreement with Mauritania to explore the development of a green hydrogen facility in the country. Under the plan, BP will look at the feasibility of building wind and solar farms that are required for the production of green hydrogen, which is produced by electrolysis using renewable energy. "As part of this, Bernard was invited by the Mauritanian delegation to join a meeting and signing ceremony alongside COP27 for the significant agreement," BP said in a statement. BP, which made $8.2bn (£7bn) profit in the third quarter of 2022 has significant investments in Mauritania, an emerging economy where less than half the population have access to electricity. There has already been controversy over the pressure from some African countries who want to exploit their reserves of oil and gas at a time of high demand in Europe and elsewhere. Campaigners were not happy with the inclusion of five senior BP executives as part of a country delegation. "Of all the places in the world where BP could sign a deal with Mauritania, it's difficult to understand why COP27 would be the place to do it," said Alice Harrison, from Global Witness. "Likewise it's frankly bizarre that five BP employees, including their CEO, would need to be part of Mauritania's official COP27 delegation in order to sign a deal." "What we know is that such accreditation grants Looney and co. privileged access to the world's most important climate talks, that are already awash with fossil fuel influence." Global Witness carried out an analysis of registered participants this year found that the number of delegates connected to fossil fuels has gone up by 25% compared to COP26 in Glasgow. The data shows that this year, there are more fossil fuel lobbyists than total delegates from the ten countries most impacted by climate change, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Mozambique. The biggest single delegation at COP27 is from the United Arab Emirates, who will host COP28 next year. They have 1,073 people on the ground here, up from just 170 last year. The analysis found that 70 of that delegation were connected to fossil fuel extraction. Russia's delegation has 33 lobbyists for oil and gas in their delegation of 150.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63584993
     
         
      Hertfordshire police promise inquiry into arrest of journalists at Just Stop Oil protests Wed, 9th Nov 2022 18:22:00
     
      Chief constable responds after minister condemns arrest of LBC reporter covering climate action The chief constable of Hertfordshire constabulary has promised an investigation into the arrests of journalists covering climate protests, amid accusations the force was threatening press freedom and an intervention by Downing Street. After a police officer was injured responding to a third day of protests by the climate activist group Just Stop Oil on the M25 on Wednesday morning, a Hertfordshire constabulary spokesperson said “additional measures” would allow “legitimate media” to cover the protests. Essex police said there had been a collision involving the motorcyclist and two lorries during a rolling roadblock introduced because of the actions of an activist on London’s orbital motorway between junctions 26 and 27. Just Stop Oil said about 10 of its supporters had climbed gantries at various locations. Police in Hertfordshire said the protests were causing “significant disruption and potential harm” to the public and that officers had “been instructed to act as quickly as they can, using their professional judgment, to clear any possible protesters”. “The awful incident in Essex today, where an officer has been injured, underlines this,” the force said. “However, chief constable Charlie Hall recognises the concerns over the recent arrests of journalists who arrived at these locations and have been present with the protesters at the scenes. Additional measures are now in place to ensure that legitimate media are able to do their job,” it added. “In addition, Mr Hall is today requesting an independent force to examine our approach to these arrests and to identify any learning we should take in managing these challenging situations.” The force also said its officers had been told to “conduct full and thorough checks” and seek final approval from a senior before arresting anyone identifying themselves as a journalist. It said an internal review of Charlotte Lynch’s arrest had found that “though the actions of the officers at the scene are understandable, in retrospect an arrest would not have been necessary”. Lynch, a reporter at LBC, on Tuesday became the third journalist arrested in two days by Hertfordshire constabulary while covering Just Stop Oil’s protests. Speaking on LBC on Wednesday morning, Lynch said she had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance despite being in a public area, some distance from the protesters, and showing officers a valid press ID. Amid an outcry over Lynch’s arrest, Downing Street said the prime minister believed that journalists must be able to do their job freely. Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said: “It’s vital journalists are able to do their job freely without restriction. “I am cautious about commenting on specific incidents. Operational decisions are a matter for the police but the prime minister strongly believes in championing press freedoms. We wouldn’t want to see those freedoms impeded whilst journalists are going about their day-to-day business.” Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, told LBC police were wrong to make the arrest. “Journalists shouldn’t get arrested for doing their job,” she said. “We are defenders of free speech.” The area’s MP, Daisy Cooper, wrote a letter to the force criticising it for the “unnecessary and heavy-handed” arrests, which she said “blatantly disregarded the freedom of the press”, before raising the arrests in the Commons. Lynch’s arrest also prompted criticism of police from the National Union of Journalists, the human rights group Liberty and the legal reform group Justice. “This is the second incident in as many days where the police have threatened press freedom and disregarded the right of journalists to cover protests,” said Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the NUJ. “No reporter should fear being placed in a cell for doing their job, and it’s time the police take immediate action to ensure this is prevented in future. We’ve raised this directly with the national police chiefs council and the police forces involved.” Jun Pang, policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said the arrests were “being enabled and encouraged by the government’s dangerous assault on protest rights”. “The reports we’ve heard of the arrests of journalists are deeply concerning,” Pang said. “Press, film crews and journalists should be able to cover protests without fear of being harassed, having their footage seized or being arrested.” Tyrone Steele, a criminal lawyer at Justice, said: “These incidents clearly demonstrate the broad range of powers that already exist to police protests and show how they can be misused to stifle press freedom. It is vital, and in the public interest, that the press has access to protest sites in order to report on and monitor police powers, essential for preventing abuse.” Lynch’s arrest is thought to be the eighth of a journalist covering actions by Just Stop Oil, whose supporters have been waging a campaign of disruptive protests to force the government into introducing a moratorium on all new oil and gas licences. On Monday, police in Hertfordshire arrested Rich Felgate, a documentary maker, and Tom Bowles, a photographer, also while they were covering protests on the M25.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/09/education-secretary-arrest-lbc-journalist-just-stop-oil-protest
     
         
      France to require all large car parks to be covered by solar panels Wed, 9th Nov 2022 18:08:00
     
      Legislation approved by Senate will apply to existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles All large car parks in France will be covered by solar panels under new legislation approved as part of president Emmanuel Macron’s renewable energy drive. Legislation approved by the French Senate this week requires existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles to be covered by solar panels. The owners of car parks with between 80 and 400 spaces have five years to comply with the measures, while operators of those with more than 400 will have just three years. At least half of the area of the larger sites must be covered by solar panels. The French government believes the measure could generate up to 11 gigawatts of power. Politicians had originally applied the bill to car parks larger than 2,500 sq metres before deciding to opt for car parking spaces. French politicians are also examining proposals to build large solar farms on empty land by motorways and railways as well as on farmland. The former UK prime minister Liz Truss considered blocking solar farms being built on agricultural land. The sight of parked cars under the shade of solar panels is not unfamiliar in France. Renewables Infrastructure Group, one of the UK’s largest specialist green energy investors, has invested in a large solar car park in Borgo on Corsica. Macron has thrown his weight behind nuclear energy over the past year and in September announced plans to boost France’s renewable energy industry. He visited the country’s first offshore windfarm off the port of Saint-Nazaire off the west coast and hopes to speed up the build times of windfarms and solar parks. The move comes as European nations examine their domestic energy supplies in the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Technical problems and maintenance on the powerhouse French nuclear fleet has exacerbated the problem while the national operator EDF was forced to cut its output in the summer when French rivers became too warm. The government has also launched a communication campaign, “Every gesture counts”, encouraging individuals and industry to cut their energy usage, and the Eiffel Tower lights are being turned off more than an hour earlier. The French government plans to spend €45bn shielding households and businesses from energy price shocks. Separately on Wednesday, ScottishPower announced it would increase its five-year investment target by £400m to £10.4bn by 2025. The UK solar and windfarm developer hopes to generate 1,000 jobs in the next 12 months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/09/france-to-require-all-large-car-parks-to-be-covered-by-solar-panels
     
         
      France to require all large car parks to be covered by solar panels Wed, 9th Nov 2022 18:08:00
     
      Legislation approved by Senate will apply to existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles All large car parks in France will be covered by solar panels under new legislation approved as part of president Emmanuel Macron’s renewable energy drive. Legislation approved by the French Senate this week requires existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles to be covered by solar panels. The owners of car parks with between 80 and 400 spaces have five years to comply with the measures, while operators of those with more than 400 will have just three years. At least half of the area of the larger sites must be covered by solar panels. The French government believes the measure could generate up to 11 gigawatts of power. Politicians had originally applied the bill to car parks larger than 2,500 sq metres before deciding to opt for car parking spaces. French politicians are also examining proposals to build large solar farms on empty land by motorways and railways as well as on farmland. The former UK prime minister Liz Truss considered blocking solar farms being built on agricultural land. The sight of parked cars under the shade of solar panels is not unfamiliar in France. Renewables Infrastructure Group, one of the UK’s largest specialist green energy investors, has invested in a large solar car park in Borgo on Corsica. Macron has thrown his weight behind nuclear energy over the past year and in September announced plans to boost France’s renewable energy industry. He visited the country’s first offshore windfarm off the port of Saint-Nazaire off the west coast and hopes to speed up the build times of windfarms and solar parks. The move comes as European nations examine their domestic energy supplies in the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Technical problems and maintenance on the powerhouse French nuclear fleet has exacerbated the problem while the national operator EDF was forced to cut its output in the summer when French rivers became too warm. The government has also launched a communication campaign, “Every gesture counts”, encouraging individuals and industry to cut their energy usage, and the Eiffel Tower lights are being turned off more than an hour earlier. The French government plans to spend €45bn shielding households and businesses from energy price shocks. Separately on Wednesday, ScottishPower announced it would increase its five-year investment target by £400m to £10.4bn by 2025. The UK solar and windfarm developer hopes to generate 1,000 jobs in the next 12 months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/09/france-to-require-all-large-car-parks-to-be-covered-by-solar-panels
     
         
      UK government must improve energy-saving advice, say its climate advisers Wed, 9th Nov 2022 15:40:00
     
      Climate change committee chair tells chancellor there are many small changes people can make to save energy and money The UK government must improve its energy-saving advice for households to help cut costs for consumers and the Treasury this winter, its climate advisers have said. The climate change committee chair, Lord Deben, said Britain was exposed to fluctuations in the price for fossil fuels that had forced the government to commit tens of billions of pounds in support and still left homes and businesses facing an extra £1,300 on average annual bills. In a letter to the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, Deben said decarbonising the UK’s economy and conserving energy could curb exposure to fossil fuel price shocks, but reducing energy demand was the “biggest gap” in government policy on the issue. The UK’s recent record on reducing emissions from heating buildings was “particularly poor”, he warned, due to underinvestment, with the number of energy efficiency measures installed each year falling from 2.3m a decade ago to fewer than 100,000 in 2021. He said it was “regrettably” too late to introduce new policies to bring in widespread improvements to the fabric of buildings for this winter, but there were many small changes that could still save energy and cash for households. Deben urged the government to enhance its energy advice service so it had information on simple energy-saving measures, not just complicated home retrofits, and for the “help for households” campaign to say more about how to save energy. Simple, no-cost steps such as adjusting radiator valves in less-used rooms, reducing boiler flow temperatures and closing the curtains at night, and low-cost measures such as insulating hot water tanks and draught-proofing windows, doors and letterboxes can all save money. Better information and advice on energy-saving measures could save individual households several hundred pounds, while the exchequer could save hundreds of millions of pounds from the energy price guarantee, the letter argued. Energy efficiency should be a core part of the government’s exit strategy from expensive bill subsidies, Deben said. “The next two years should be a period for a concerted push to improve rates of loft and cavity wall insulation, draught-proofing and installing modern tools to manage energy use, such as smart thermostats, thermostatic radiator controls and smart meters,” the letter said. With higher prevailing energy prices, investments in energy efficiency measures are recouped faster through savings on fuel bills, it added. Efforts should focus on areas that provide high value for money, such as cavity wall and loft insulation, or low upfront costs such as hot water tank insulation, and on insulating fuel-poor homes with measures including solid wall insulation. The committee called for the temporary removal of green levies on electricity bills – part of the support package from the government – to continue, with the costs taken into the exchequer. That would incentivise the use of low-carbon, efficient heat pumps that run on electricity. To pay for the measures, it said, there should be a shift from public funding for bill subsidies to energy efficiency investment, expanding funding pots for policies that already work to decarbonise homes, with the government expected to recoup some of the money spent on the price guarantee through energy savings. It said the government also needed to unlock low-cost finance for private homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. It needed to ensure long-term policy stability to make sure companies invested in the sector, addressed skills shortages, took forward minimum efficiency rules for private rented homes and sped up the introduction of high standards for new buildings, as well as enforcement to make sure standards were met. “Collectively, these actions can protect the UK’s fiscal health in the near term while building longer-term energy security and permanently reducing UK emissions,” Deben told the chancellor in the letter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/09/uk-government-must-improve-energy-saving-advice-say-climate-advisers
     
         
      COP27: Ukraine a reason to act fast on climate change - Rishi Sunak Wed, 9th Nov 2022 10:29:00
     
      The war in Ukraine is a reason to act faster to tackle climate change, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the UN climate summit COP27. "Climate and energy security go hand-in-hand," he said in his first international appearance since taking office. Leaders from 120 countries are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to discuss next steps in curbing climate change. Key topics are compensation and support for the most-affected countries. "Putin's abhorrent war in Ukraine and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change. They are a reason to act faster," Mr Sunak said. "We can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future [...] There really is room for hope," he added. In a series of speeches, leaders urged rich countries to stay the course in stopping further climate change, despite the war in Ukraine and global financial problems. Nations on the front line of climate change laid out the stark impacts of higher temperatures, drought, and floods on people and the environment. "We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the summit. His stark warning was echoed by former US vice-president and environmentalist Al Gore who said nations must "stop subsidising the culture of death" of fossil fuels. The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit A really simple guide to climate change What is the Paris climate agreement? In an energetic speech French President Emmanuel Macron urged world leaders to deliver climate justice. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also in Egypt and said countries should not "go weak and wobbly" on climate action. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said switching to renewable energy was "a security policy imperative", while Italy's new prime minister Giorgia Meloni said her country remained "strongly committed" to its climate goals. US President Joe Biden is due to arrive at the summit on Friday, while John Kerry, his special envoy for the climate, is already in attendance. Though Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg is staying away from the summit, after she accused the UN of "green-washing", many other youth activists are in Sharm el-Sheikh. Xiye Bastida, a 20-year-old activist from Mexico, is there to tell decision-makers that "nature must be protected". She told BBC News she's pleased with progress so far in Egypt - including getting the words "loss and damage" on the agenda. The terms refer to money - as some form of compensation or reparations - for the effects of climate change on developing countries that did little to cause the problem. Why the latest UN meeting matters What have leaders done on climate change in 2022? But 24-year-old Mikaela Loach, from Scotland, said she's worried leaders are not fully committed to climate action that prioritises justice or human rights. "Not all climate solutions are good for people. It's not just about cutting emissions, we must frame all our work about people and the world we are creating," she told BBC News. Barbados PM Mia Mottley spoke of "horror and the devastation wrecked upon this Earth" in the past year. "Whether the apocalyptic floods in Pakistan, or the heatwaves from Europe to China, or indeed in the last few days in my own region, the devastation caused in Belize by tropical storm Lisa, or the torrential floods a few days ago in St Lucia. We don't need to repeat it," she said. The fact that the summit is taking place in Africa, a continent that is extremely vulnerable to climate change, was repeated through the day. Kenyan President William Ruto said time is of the essence: "Further delay will make us busy spectators as calamity wipes out lives and livelihoods." Up to 700 million people in Africa will be displaced due to lack of water by 2030, he explained. Tuesday will see speeches from the leaders of a number of other developing countries which are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. They include Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, where the recent floods killed over 1,700 people, and Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who will speak on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States. COP27 opened on Sunday with a warning from the UN that our planet is "sending a distress signal". A report released by the UN's World Meteorological Organization reveals that the past eight years were on track to be the warmest on record. At last year's summit in Glasgow a number of pledges were agreed: to "phase down" the use of coal - one of the most polluting fossil fuels to stop deforestation by 2030 to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 to submit new climate action plans to the UN Developing nations are demanding that previous commitments to finance are upheld.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63548466
     
         
      COP27: 'We'd never seen this much water' - Pakistan flood survivors Wed, 9th Nov 2022 8:26:00
     
      Months on from devastating floods in Pakistan, millions of people remain homeless, roads are destroyed and tens of thousands of schools and hospitals lie in ruins. At the COP27 summit, the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on Western nations to offer compensation to poorer, vulnerable countries like his, which bear the brunt of climate change. Pakistan's government says the figure for losses and rebuilding now stands at more than $30bn. But the human cost is far higher - more than 1,700 people died in the floods and two million homes were damaged or destroyed. Those people who survived are living in endless uncertainty and despair. 'My son drowned in the flood water' As Hanifa takes shade under a tent in a temporary relief camp, miles from what was once her home, she explains what happened on the day in August when the rains changed everything. "My son saved us by losing his life," she says of Abdul Wahab, the breadwinner for her family and a father of six. As the water pounded on their mud brick house in the south-western province of Balochistan, Abdul feared the structure was about to collapse completely. He got his family out to safety, ready to take them to a nearby mosque for shelter. Just before they departed, Abdul went back in to get something. He never came back, Hanifa says. "We ended up burying him at the mosque." Her other son used whatever money he had to hire a car, so the family could escape the flood-stricken area. They crossed a bridge, just hours before it collapsed. Some of Hanifa's relatives, who were also trying to flee, got stuck on the other side and were swept away in the water, she says. "We've seen floods in the past, but never like this one. Homes just collapsed and many villages were destroyed," Hanifa recalls. Weak, not just from the weight of grief, but also from hunger, she was staying in a relief camp close to the city of Quetta when the BBC interviewed her. Hanifa mourns the life she lost and, most of all, Abdul, the son she cherished. "He is always in my heart." 'My school was washed away' Najma dreams of becoming a doctor, but with her school underwater, she fears that day will never come. "I miss my classroom, I miss my teachers," she says. With her books also washed away, she's been unable to study at all: "I miss my books from the bottom of my heart." In fact, Najma's entire home was claimed by the floodwaters, which is why she was forced to stay in a tent at a relief camp far from her village. With her days bereft of purpose, Najma now spends most of her time sitting idle - apart from when she prays or helps wash dishes at the camp. It's left Najma not just bored, but scared. "I am worried my education has been wasted. I want to continue my studies and complete my secondary education," she says. Going to school as a girl was already a feat in itself. In socially conservative parts of Balochistan, many families don't allow their daughters to attend classes. It could take years for Najma's home and school to be rebuilt. With more than 27,000 schools damaged or destroyed across Pakistan, some charities and aid agencies have set up temporary learning centres. At the camp where Najma is staying, lessons are provided only for the youngest. As she sits in her tent, Najma is able to hear the sound of a group of primary age children, chanting the alphabet in a marquee close by. She longs to get back to her own class. "I want to open a hospital for poor people and give them free treatment. "If they want anything, we will give it to them - right now we are in need, one day I want to help others." 'My three-year-old asks where her bedroom is' Piles of bricks, slabs of concretes and mounds of rubble, and on the wall that remains standing, a bright green door which now leads to nothing. "This home was in our family for a hundred years," Abdul Qayoom tells me, as he picks up some of the debris and loads it into a wheelbarrow. "My three-year-old daughter keeps asking me when we she can move back into her bedroom," he says, before gesturing to the space where it once stood. Flash floods at the end of August damaged his house in the Hana Urak area of Balochistan, part of Pakistan that's dry and arid and usually more prone to drought than rain. "We've never seen this much water in our lives," Abdul explains, "My uncle is 84 and even he hasn't witnessed this sort of flooding in this area." Surviving off basic food rations, Abdul and his family are staying with his brother close by. He's unsure how he'll afford to rebuild his home, but one thing he is certain of is that when it happens, it won't be here. "I won't rebuild in the same place, because I'm terrified, I think we will look for a safer place, higher up on a hill." The entire area surrounding Abdul's home is broken and barren. In this district, famous for its apples, trees have been uprooted, lucrative orchards have been washed away, huge chunks are now missing from roads and rubble is scattered everywhere. "This area suffered big infrastructure damage," Abdul explains, "most of us here are poor, and have lost our homes and sources of income." As we leave, Abdul shares a local saying. "Here we say that you either own a house or a grave," he tells us. "When you go to the market, you always return home. When you go [on pilgrimage] to Mecca, you always want to come home. Home is everything," he says wistfully. As he trundles away with his wheelbarrow, that home has now been turned to nothing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63218139
     
         
      Germany keen to discuss natural gas pact with UK amid supply risk Tue, 8th Nov 2022 13:43:00
     
      Officials interested in deal that would allow two countries to bail each other out in event of shortages Germany is keen to talk to Britain about a solidarity pact that would allow Europe’s largest consumers of natural gas to bail each other out if an extreme cold snap were to create shortages this winter, German officials have said. Such an agreement could be mutually beneficial for both London and Berlin, the German civil servant in charge of rationing in the case of a supply crisis told the Guardian in an interview. “With its long coastline, the UK has a geographic advantage when it comes to infrastructure for importing liquid natural gas [LNG],”, said Klaus Müller, the head of the federal network agency for utilities, Bundesnetzagentur. “But the experience of the last few weeks has also shown us that the size of the gas network also matters. The larger the network, the easier to adjust temporary deficits.” While the legal consequences of Brexit mean an emergency aid scheme between London and Berlin could not replicate “security of supply” (SoS) deals struck between European Union member states, Müller and German government spokespeople indicated a willingness to cooperate outside existing regulation. “Legally, Great Britain has left European solidarity mechanisms, but the pipelines between the countries are still there,” said Müller, a member of the Green party and former environment minister in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. “We would always raise our voice to say: let’s act with as much European solidarity as possible.” A spokesperson for the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said on Tuesday Downing Street was open about its desire to work with a number of countries to help manage volatility in energy prices, but specifically mentioned the US as one country “where we do feel that there is more we can do to work together”. Germany faces prolonged uncertainty over gas supplies to its energy-hungry industries, leaving Europe’s largest economy in the unfamiliar role of appealing to other EU states to show more solidarity after a dramatic plunge in Russian exports amid western opposition to its war against Ukraine. Germany, which has indirect pipeline links with the UK via Belgium, has signed SoS agreements with Austria and Denmark, but has reportedly been frustrated by a reluctance from Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Luxembourg to sign similar pacts. Talks with the non-EU member Switzerland also appear to have stalled. The European Commission is keen for more member states to strike such deals to avoid a bidding war driving up prices in such a scenario. A spokesperson for the German ministry for economic and energy affairs said previous agreements were struck within the EU framework, and there was no such framework for the UK. “Of course, nothing stands in the way of also striking such agreements with Great Britain in principle,” they said. “The federal government is working on opening up every possible path for further gas supplies. A conversation with Great Britain would fit into that plan.” Britain, which produces around 44% of its own gas, has traditionally been less reliant on imports from Russia than countries such as Germany, Austria or Greece. A British government spokesperson said: “The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. We are not dependent on Russian energy imports and have plans to protect households and businesses in the full range of scenarios this winter, in light of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.” However, the UK still meets around half of its gas needs through imports from the increasingly competitive international market and has some of the continent’s lowest gas storage capacity. Müller said he was surprised by the lack of a British energy-saving campaign under the short tenure of the former prime minister Liz Truss. “I think it’s important for governments to come clean with their citizens: without a significant reduction in our gas use we won’t get through this winter without problems. Campaigns urging consumers to make such savings are the right thing to do, because they can be empowering. Keeping quiet about the risks, or denying them, that strikes me as the wrong strategy.” Müller said he was increasingly confident his country had “a good chance” of making it through winter without having to ration supplies. “Thanks to imports from Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and France, Germany is getting a lot more gas from its neighbouring countries than in previous years,” he said, allowing the country to fill 99.4% of its storage tanks as of this week, a record. An unusually mild start to autumn meant German households and businesses had in recent weeks made energy savings higher than the 20% set as a target by the government, and the country only started using its reserves over the last few days, weeks later than in previous years. “If we manage to stick to the 20% savings target as a minimum, have an average winter temperature and no unexpected events in our neighbouring countries, then Germany has a chance – and by now I would say a good chance – to get through the winter without shortages. But to get there will still require an unrelenting effort.” Unpredictable events, such as damage to critical gas infrastructure in Germany or its neighbouring states or a sudden onset of extreme cold weather, could still force Müller to ask the government to announce an emergency. “Just a few days of extreme cold in January, February or March would have significant impact on our gas use.” If such a scenario was looking inevitable, Müller’s agency would have a choice between rationing gas supply to entire German regions, to individual companies with especially high demands, or to sectors of industry it declares non-vital. “The pharmaceuticals and parts of the food industry are especially important, because we can’t imagine a situation where we would want to forgo those,” he said. “That doesn’t apply to the entire sector, of course: Germany would probably survive for a while without chocolate biscuits. Other sectors may be vital only in part: you can’t run a hospital if you don’t have a laundry that cleans hospital gowns, for example.” While good fortune and quick government action made Müller cautiously optimistic, he said he was less confident about predicting the situation next winter. “Since I struggle to see there being a peace deal next year that Ukraine will find acceptable, it is unlikely that we will be able to refill our storage tanks with Russian gas next year. There is also a question of whether we will find it as easy to get our hands on LNG. “As we manage to meet our targets, I am not so worried about this winter,” Müller said. “The winter of 23/24 is in such an uncertain future that it is hard to calculate.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/08/germany-keen-to-discuss-natural-gas-pact-with-uk-amid-supply-risk
     
         
      World’s ‘most potent greenhouse gas’ escaped during work on UK windfarm Tue, 8th Nov 2022 12:33:00
     
      More than 80 staff at £3bn Seagreen project, 27 km off Scotland’s Angus coastline, were forced to evacuate The world’s “most potent greenhouse gas” escaped during work on Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm, forcing the evacuation of workers, it has emerged. More than 80 workers on a platform at the £3bn Seagreen project, which is 27km off Scotland’s Angus coastline in the North Sea, had to move to another platform after sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) escaped. Energy companies are attempting to find alternatives to SF6, which is banned in Europe except for use in power generation where it is used as an insulating gas in switchgear machinery. The US Environmental Protection Agency deems it the most damaging greenhouse gas and National Grid describes it as “one of the most potent greenhouse gases we know”. It can cause respiratory problems for humans if they are exposed in high concentrations and is harmful to the environment. Seagreen is a joint-venture between SSE and TotalEnergies, with the platform managed by the specialist contractor Petrofac. The project will be Scotland’s largest and the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore windfarm when complete and is expected to enter commercial operation in mid-2023. Two workers were checking equipment when a loud noise “like an air hose being disconnected” was heard. Workers shouted “gas leak” and “abandon rig”, according to Energy Voice, which first reported the story. The incident occurred in June and has been brought to light by the North Sea trade unionist Jake Molloy, of RMT. Molloy told Energy Voice that “the Seagreen incident is one event that did get reported to the trade unions by worried offshore workers. “But how many go unreported, how is this policed and regulated, what are the reporting procedures? We need to know. It has to be properly managed.” Petrofac said only 11kg of the insulating gas was emitted in the incident and that work restarted after 12 hours after standard procedures. A spokesperson for Petrofac said: “Standard systems and procedures were immediately activated and site access restricted as a precautionary measure. Although the volume of CO2 equivalent did not meet the threshold for reporting, Petrofac documented and shared all lessons with relevant stakeholders including the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and Marine Scotland.” A spokesperson for SSE, which is responsible for the construction phase, said: “At the time of contract signing for the procurement of the transformer switchgear destined for the Seagreen project, which is currently under construction, there were no viable SF6-free alternatives available, capable of operating at all voltage levels needed, that could be considered for deployment to the project.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/08/greenhouse-gas-uk-windfarm-seagreen-project-scotland
     
         
      Ex-Obama advisor says global events are overshadowing climate change efforts: ‘We are not acting swiftly enough’ Tue, 8th Nov 2022 1:48:00
     
      The COP27 climate conference represents an opportunity to move forward, but a significant ramping up of efforts will be required in the years ahead, according to a former special assistant to President Barack Obama. Speaking at CNBC’s Sustainable Future Forum last week, Alice Hill was asked if she was optimistic or very concerned about the pace of change. “Very concerned — we are not acting swiftly enough, and the impacts and the danger [are] … overtaking our efforts,” Hill, who is now a senior energy fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick. COP27, which is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is taking place at a time of significant global volatility. War, economic challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic are all casting long shadows over its proceedings. During her interview with CNBC, it was put to Hill that climate change often slipped down the pecking order compared to other global challenges and events. It was a viewpoint she seemed to align with. “Climate change has suffered from the problem that I learned in the White House,” she said. “When I worked in the White House, [it] quickly became apparent that the urgent would overtake the important,” she added. “Of course, climate change is now urgent.” Despite this urgency, she noted that the war in Ukraine, tensions between the U.S. and China and other geopolitical strains were tending to “overshadow the need to work on and continue to drive progress towards addressing climate change.” This had, she argued, “really been the state of play since scientists first raised these alarms decades ago.” There is a significant amount riding on the negotiations taking place in Egypt. On Monday, the United Nations secretary general issued a stark warning, telling attendees at COP27 that the world was losing its fight against climate change. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” Antonio Guterres said. At the Sustainable Future Forum, Hill was asked about the best scenario she could realistically see coming out of COP27. “That we have further progress on the methane pledge,” she said, in an apparent reference to the commitment on cutting methane emissions made at COP26 last year. Her other hopes for COP27 included getting “serious commitments, or improvements in commitments” when it came to financing for the developing world; and better addressing the issue of loss and damage. Despite the above, Hill ended on a note of caution. There were “a lot of opportunities for really significant steps forward,” she said, “but I’m afraid this COP won’t offer us that kind of transformational leap forward that this problem cries out for — and deserves — in order to keep the globe safe.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/08/we-are-not-acting-swiftly-enough-ex-obama-advisor-on-cop27.html
     
         
      EPA’s largest-ever investment in air monitoring Mon, 7th Nov 2022 10:53:00
     
      The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, announced last week that it’s giving out $53.4 million in grants to improve air quality monitoring across 37 U.S. states, part of a broader effort to protect people from hazardous air pollution. The funding, which the EPA described as its largest-ever investment in community air monitoring, comes in large part from the Inflation Reduction Act, the far-reaching climate bill that Congress approved in August. It’s being funneled into 132 projects across the country and is intended to focus on underserved populations. The projects “will ensure dozens of overburdened communities have the tools they need to better understand air quality challenges in their neighborhoods,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. Although the U.S. has experienced an overall decline in air pollution since the 1990s, people of color are still exposed to higher concentrations of some of the most concerning air pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter — all of which which can contribute to health problems like heart disease and cancer. Meanwhile, EPA funding for state and local air quality monitoring decreased by about one-fifth between 2004 and 2020, making it harder for people to understand and reduce their exposure. Some of the programs set to receive funds from the EPA include the California-based Coalition for Clean Air, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, and the Rhode Island Department of Health. Recipients are expected to use the funds to install air quality monitors near major traffic routes and industrial facilities, in public housing units, and elsewhere. Darryl Malek-Wiley, senior organizing representative for the Sierra Club in Louisiana, said the new funding would allow communities to generate better air quality information for themselves, rather than relying on data from industrial facilities. Big polluters in “Cancer Alley” — a heavily industrialized, 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River in Louisiana — tend to put sensors in locations “where they won’t find a problem,” he told me. “If we find numbers that are consistently above EPA standards, we’ll ask for enforcement action,” Malek-Wiley added, “to bring those companies into compliance.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/epas-largest-ever-investment-in-air-monitoring/
     
         
      We’re on a ‘highway to climate hell,’ UN chief Guterres says, calling for a global phase-out of coal Mon, 7th Nov 2022 8:52:00
     
      The United Nations secretary general issued a stark warning Monday, telling attendees at the COP27 summit that the world was losing its fight against climate change while also repeating his call to phase-out coal by the year 2040. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” Antonio Guterres said. “Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing, global temperatures keep rising, and our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible,” Guterres, who was speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, added. “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.” Expanding on his point, the ex-prime minister of Portugal said the war Ukraine and other conflicts had “caused so much bloodshed and violence and had dramatic impacts all over the world.” “But we cannot … accept that our attention is not focused on climate change.” While collaboration was needed to bolster peace efforts and end “tremendous suffering,” climate change was “on a different timeline, and a different scale.” “It is the defining issue of our age. It is the central challenge of our century. It is unacceptable, outrageous and self-defeating to put it on the back burner.” Many of the conflicts taking place around the world, Guterres said, were “linked with growing climate chaos.” The war in Ukraine had exposed “the profound risks of our fossil fuel addiction” and the crises of today could not, he argued, be used as an excuse for “backsliding or greenwashing.” The climate problem had been caused by human activity, so the solution lay in human action, Guterres said. “The science is clear: Any hope of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees means achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050,” he later added. “But that 1.5 degree goal is on life support — and the machines are rattling.” The reference to 1.5 degrees is a nod to 2015?s Paris Agreement, which aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.” Cutting human-made carbon dioxide emissions to net-zero by 2050 is seen as crucial when it comes to meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius target. Guterres told those attending COP27 that the point of no return was now dangerously close. “To avoid that dire fate, all G-20 countries must accelerate their transition now.” “Developed countries must take the leads, but emerging economies are also critical to bending the global emissions curve,” he added. He called for the creation of a Climate Solidarity Pact “between developed and developing economies, and especially developed and emerging economies.” Among other things, Guterres said the pact would see countries undertake extra efforts to cut emissions this decade and also “end dependence on fossil fuels and the building of new coal plants — phasing out coal in OECD countries by 2030 and everywhere else by 2040.” Guterres has previously called for a phase-out of coal, a fossil fuel that has a substantial effect on the environment. The U.S. Energy Information Administration lists a range of emissions from coal combustion, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulates and nitrogen oxides. It has been described by Greenpeace as “the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy.” Coal has proved to be a contentious subject at climate change conferences. At last year’s COP26 summit, India and China, both among the world’s biggest burners of coal, insisted on a last-minute change of fossil fuel language in the Glasgow Climate Pact — from a “phase out” of coal to a “phase down.” After initial objections, opposing countries ultimately conceded. Back in Egypt, Guterres said the U.S. and China both had “a particular responsibility to join efforts to make this pact a reality.” “Humanity has a choice,” he later added. “Cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact, or a Collective Suicide Pact.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/07/were-on-a-highway-to-climate-hell-un-chief-guterres-says.html
     
         
      Cost of living: Energy crisis prompts council staff to knit blankets Mon, 7th Nov 2022 8:33:00
     
      Staff at a Derbyshire council have started knitting blankets to keep residents warm as energy costs soar during the winter. Bolsover District Council said it wanted to give extra support to the area's most vulnerable residents. It said rising prices had led more and more people to switch off their heating to save money. The authority is also encouraging local crafters to get involved in the project. It has published guidance on its website about the kind of blankets they are looking to create. Council leader Steve Fritchley said: "With the unprecedented rise in fuel and energy bills this year, more households will see themselves in fuel poverty. "It's important that we help these people as much as possible and our staff want to be able to gift them a lovely hand-made blanket."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-63539934
     
         
      The Oil Machine review – timely documentary details our dependence on ‘black gold’ Sun, 6th Nov 2022 20:35:00
     
      A valuable if somewhat conventional reminder of how our reliance on oil developed and the threats it now poses to life on Earth As protests against the fossil fuel industry continue to go viral in the news media, Emma Davie’s documentary makes for a valuable resource on the historical background as well as the environmental ramifications of oil drilling in the North Sea. Featuring interviews with those from both sides of the issue, who include environmental experts, executives of oil corporations as well as student activists, the film captures how the black gold permeates every aspect of our daily life. The expert voices here describe how Britain’s dependence on the oil industry is a relatively new phenomenon, escalated in the 1970s by the discovery of oil reserves in the Forties field off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. Following the mass privatisation of these assets under Margaret Thatcher’s government, this natural resource became the lifeblood behind the functioning of Britain as a nation, providing employment, enabling the production of consumer goods, and much more. The film moves on to discuss the bigger picture: how the environmental changes resulting from this ceaseless, industrial extraction of oil lead to increased flooding and natural disasters in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. As millions of barrels of oil are produced every day, individual responsibility is simply not enough to make a difference. While the doomed picture painted by the documentary is harrowing, The Oil Machine succeeds in demonstrating how the global reliance on oil has not always been the norm. Considering the wealth of information, it is a shame that the film’s visual style is rather conventional and the use of music awkward and distracting. As an educational tool, however, this is a timely reminder for viewers to not only recognise the omnipresence of oil-based products but to also advocate for meaningful systemic changes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/01/the-oil-machine-review-timely-documentary-details-our-dependence-on-black-gold
     
         
      COP27: Rishi Sunak urges world to move faster on renewable energy Sun, 6th Nov 2022 11:31:00
     
      Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to urge world leaders at COP27 to move "further and faster" in transitioning to renewable energy. Mr Sunak will travel to Egypt on Sunday for the UN climate summit after U-turning on a decision not to go. In his address on Monday, he will say Russia's invasion of Ukraine "reinforced" the importance of ending dependence on fossil fuels. COP27 follows a year of climate-related disasters and record temperatures. The prime minister will also tell leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh not to "backslide" on commitments made at last year's COP26 summit in Glasgow intended to prevent global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. But Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has warned that the 1.5C target is "barely within reach". His comment comes as the UN's weather and climate body released a report showing that the rate at which sea levels are rising has doubled since 1993. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has described the report as a "chronicle of climate chaos" and urged governments at COP27 to answer the planet's "distress signal" with "ambitious, credible climate action". Mr Sunak will meet French President Emmanuel Macron at the summit this week and the topic of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats will likely be raised. The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit Where does Rishi Sunak stand on climate change? Is the UK on track to meet its climate targets? A really simple guide to climate change In a statement before his departure, Mr Sunak said: "When the world came together in Glasgow last year, nations agreed an historic roadmap for preventing catastrophic global warming. It is more important than ever that we deliver on those pledges. "Fighting climate change is not just a moral good - it is fundamental to our future prosperity and security. "Russia's invasion of Ukraine and contemptible manipulation of energy prices has only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels. "We need to move further and faster to transition to renewable energy, and I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower." It comes after the prime minister backtracked on attending the summit earlier this week. Mr Sunak had originally stated he would not travel to Egypt, arguing that his priority was to plug a £50bn hole in the public finances ahead of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's autumn statement on 17 November. Labour's Ed Miliband said the prime minister "dithered" about attending the climate summit, adding that: "Britain needs to be in the climate leadership business." Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the shadow climate change secretary said it was now "cheaper to save the planet than to destroy it". "We're in the midst of an energy crisis," he said, adding that renewable energy sources were now much cheaper than fossil fuels. Mr Miliband insisted that switching to renewables was "the opportunity of the future" and that this was the "message we should be taking to COP". Mr Sunak's initial decision not to attend the summit was widely criticised by climate campaigners, opposition parties and COP26 President and colleague Alok Sharma. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden has defended the prime minister, saying he was "committed" to environmental issues. Mr Dowden told Laura Kuenssberg that, when Mr Sunak came to power, his first priority was the economic crisis but that he had worked on the Autumn Statement "to make sure he can go to this summit". Mr Dowden was also questioned about host country Egypt's human rights record, including its detention of British Egyptian national Alaa Abd El-Fattah, an activist who has been in jail for nine years and is on a hunger strike. Asked if the prime minister would raise Abdel Fattah's case while at the summit, the cabinet minister said: "I'm sure he will raise it at appropriate forums". Labour's Mr Miliband said it was a "very serous issue" and that he would "make sure to raise it with the Egyptians while I'm there". The prime minister has sent a letter to Abdel Fattah's family pledging that the activist's case is "a priority for the British government both as a human rights defender and as a British national". However, speaking on Sky News, Abdel Fattah's sister Sanaa Seif said she was concerned No 10's engagement with the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi would come too late. Speaking of her worry that her brother could die while the climate summit was happening, she urged the British government to be "responsible for getting us proof of life". Why the latest UN climate conference matters The government has faced criticism for approving new oil and gas licences in the North Sea despite the International Energy Agency saying there can be no more new fossil fuel exploration if the 1.5C target is to be met. Mr Sunak is expected to chair a meeting of world leaders to drive progress on the pledge signed by 100 countries at Glasgow to halt and reverse deforestation and damaging land use by 2030. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, said he did not think the climate summit this week would be a success. "I don't think there's been the leadership either from our country or frankly from other countries," he told Laura Kuenssberg. Meanwhile the King, who made an address at COP26 last year and is known for his passionate interest in environmental issues, will not be attending the summit after Buckingham Palace agreed with former Prime Minister Liz Truss he would not attend. Although Downing Street suggested this week they may have come to a different view if Mr Sunak had been installed in No 10 earlier. The latest round of UN climate talks takes place amid a backdrop of increasingly devastating extreme weather around the globe, and an energy and cost-of-living crisis driven by President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The COP27 agenda will highlight calls to reduce emissions, help countries deal with climate change, and secure technical support and funding for developing countries. The UN has also warned that based on countries' latest climate action plans, there is currently no credible pathway to meet the 1.5C goal intended to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Rich countries are further falling short in providing finance to help developing nations adapt to climate change, according to the UN. This year floods in Pakistan left millions homeless and saw the hottest summer on record in Europe.
       
      Full Article: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/14BF6/production/_127528948_d034d6cad47ef8216971cd0042a0bc4910417685.jpg.webp
     
         
      COP27: 'Climate chaos' warning as UN summit begins Sun, 6th Nov 2022 9:23:00
     
      The UN's climate change summit has opened in Egypt with a warning that our planet is "sending a distress signal". Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was responding to a UN report released on Sunday saying the past eight years were on track to be the warmest on record. More than 120 world leaders are due to arrive at the summit known as COP27, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. This will kick off two weeks of negotiations between countries on climate action. World leaders meeting for COP27 - follow live updates PM urges world to move faster on renewable energy Why the latest UN climate conference matters What is the COP27 climate summit? COP27 president, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, urged leaders to not let food and energy crises related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine get in the way of action on climate change. "It is inherent on us all in Sharm el-Sheikh to demonstrate our recognition of the magnitude of the challenges we face and our steadfast resolve to overcome it." The need for action was laid bare in the latest report from the UN's World Meteorological Organization. Mr Guterres sent a video message to the conference in which he called the the State of the Global Climate Report 2022 a "chronicle of climate chaos". In it, scientists estimate that global temperatures have now risen by 1.15C since pre-industrial times and said the latest eight years were on track to be the warmest on record. The report also warned of the other wide-ranging impacts of climate change, including the acceleration of sea level rise, record glacier mass losses and record breaking heatwaves. Mr Guterres said that in light of these findings, COP27 must be the place for urgent and credible climate action. COP27 will really begin in earnest on Monday with a World Leaders' Summit, when heads of state and government leaders deliver five-minute addresses outlining what they want from the meeting. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to urge world leaders to move "further and faster" in transitioning to renewable energy. He will also tell leaders not to "backslide" on commitments made at last year's COP26 summit in Glasgow. World leaders will speak on Monday and Tuesday, and once they depart, conference delegates get down to the business of negotiation. At last year's summit in Glasgow a number of pledges were agreed: to "phase down" the use of coal - one of the most polluting fossil fuels to stop deforestation by 2030 to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 to submit new climate action plans to the UN Developing nations - which are at the forefront of climate change - are demanding that previous commitments to finance are upheld. Are countries on track to meet the climate goals from Glasgow? Who are the leaders and laggards on climate action? But they also want there to be discussion on "loss and damage" finance - money to help them cope with the losses they are already facing from climate change rather than just to prepare for future impacts. Following intense negotiations, the issue is on the official agenda of COP27. As well as all the formal negotiations there will be hundreds of events over the two weeks with exhibitions, workshops and cultural performances from youth, business groups, indigenous societies, academia, artists and fashion communities from all over the world. Protests - which are normally a vibrant feature of COP summits - are likely to be subdued. Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in power since 2014, has overseen a widespread crackdown on dissent. Rights groups estimate the country has had as many as 60,000 political prisoners, many detained without trial. Mr Shoukry has said that space would be set aside in Sharm el-Sheikh for protests to take place. However, Egyptian activists have told the BBC that many local groups had been unable to register for the conference.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63517078
     
         
      Ministers have no idea how many beaches in England shut due to sewage Sun, 6th Nov 2022 7:40:00
     
      Government admits information not kept on closures, as annual report also reveals no progress been made on river water quality The government has no idea how many beaches in England have been shut due to sewage pollution this year, ministers have admitted. This summer, scores of beaches across the country were forced to close in high season after raw sewage was dumped into the sea near the coast. Surfers Against Sewage found that in August alone, at least 90 beaches across the country had been sullied by sewage. Just last week, the Cornish beauty spot St Agnes saw its blue waters polluted to a murky brown colour after waste was spilled into the sea. The Conservative government has claimed water quality is a “top priority” and that current sewage pollution levels are unacceptable, but despite this, Defra minister Trudy Harrison admitted that beach closures are not even being monitored. In a parliamentary answer this week, she said: “Neither [Defra] nor the Environment Agency holds information on the number of beach closures due to sewage pollution in England.” A second question tabled by Labour’s shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon also disclosed that the government has not conducted any impact assessments into how allowing sewage pollution affects tourism and coastal businesses financially. McMahon told the Observer: “Whilst the Tories continue their game of prime minister pass-the-parcel, Labour has a clear plan to protect our coastal communities from filthy raw sewage, by forcing water firms to clean up their act. “Families across the country should be able to enjoy where they live, work or holiday, and businesses should not have to worry about the Tory sewage scandal hitting their trade. “A Labour government will use the levers of power to hold reckless water bosses to account and toughen regulations to prevent them from gaming the system.” Amy Slack, head of campaigns and policy at Surfers Against Sewage, added: “This news comes as no surprise as it’s entirely in keeping with the government’s laissez-faire approach to sewage pollution. Until those in power show they are serious about cracking down on the profiteering polluters of the water industry, sewage will continue to be dumped into the UK’s rivers and seas, at huge cost to public and environmental health. Now that the lid has been lifted on the sewage scandal, people across the country are rising up and demanding an end to sewage pollution.” In the summer, Labour revealed that on average water companies in England and Wales are pumping raw sewage into our natural environment every two-and-a-half minutes, with areas such as beaches, playing fields and bathing waters affected over a six-year period. Earlier this year McMahon said a future Labour government would implement measures to force water companies to progressively end sewage dumping. Sewage is spilled regularly into England’s rivers and other waterways. Water companies told the EA they dumped raw sewage into rivers and seas 372,544 times last year, for 2.6m hours. The real figure is believed to be much higher though, due to underreporting. This is partly due to inadequate infrastructure, which means that when it rains sewage systems are mixed with storm overflows, which are then spilled without being treated into rivers, the ocean and even lakes. Data shows that currently no river passes tests for both ecological and chemical health as a result of a cocktail of pollution from sewage, agricultural runoff and industry. Defra’s annual report last week revealed no progress had been made in the past year on improving river water quality, with just 16% of rivers deemed to be in a good ecological state, the same as in 2016. The lack of progress means the government is unlikely to meet the legal threshold of 75% of rivers achieving good status by 2027 under the water framework directive (WFD).
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/06/ministers-have-no-idea-how-many-beaches-in-england-shut-due-to-sewage
     
         
      The Observer view on Britain’s urgent need to commit to nuclear power Sun, 6th Nov 2022 6:37:00
     
      The government denied wavering over the future of Sizewell C, but it needs to come up with an energy plan – and quickly For a moment last week, our cash-strapped government seemed ready to abandon a project that many experts believe is central to our plans of achieving energy independence and net zero emissions. According to the BBC, the Treasury had indicated the proposed new nuclear reactor Sizewell C was on a list of major construction projects that were under review for possible cancellation. Its days could be numbered, it was suggested. The threat has since been denied by Number 10. The new atom plant in Suffolk will go ahead, it has insisted. For a nation that hopes to wean itself off its fossil fuel addiction and its dependence on natural gas imports, this is good news. The UK’s future prosperity depends on its ability to generate electricity, independently and at low cost and nuclear power is expected to play a critical role in ensuring this happens. The trouble is that these plans have very shaky foundations, as was revealed last week when uncertainties about Sizewell C first surfaced. Britain has pledged to close all its coal power plants by 2024 while those that burn oil and gas are to be phased out by 2035. After that, a mix of renewables and nuclear plants is expected to fill this capacity, lighting and warming our homes, running our factories and keeping our trains and electric cars moving. For their part, renewables are doing well, with wind and solar plants providing healthy chunks of power for the UK grid. This is not the case for the nuclear component of this energy package, however. Just as the nation’s fossil fuel plants are being closed down, reactors have been providing less and less power for the nation. In the 1990s, atomic power generated 25% of Britain’s electricity. By 2020, this figure had dropped to 16% and it will continue to decline as more of our ageing nuclear plants are closed. Just as the nation’s fossil fuel plants are being closed down, reactors have been providing less and less power for the nation Of the six reactors currently in operation, five are destined for closure by 2028. One additional new reactor, Hinkley Point C, should be in operation by then, leaving Britain with two reactors and limited fossil fuel provision – in addition to renewable sources – to supply power for the nation. Unless new reactors are built, by 2050 British nuclear capacity – the proposed cornerstone of the nation’s energy supply for the future – will be a third of what it is today. Solar and wind power will no doubt do their bit but on a freezing cold, windless, winter evening, the UK’s lack of a central generating capacity will be cruelly exposed. Blackouts will be inevitable. The proposed Sizewell C reactor will therefore be welcome, though on its own the plant will be insufficient for the nation’s needs. Britain will require at least half a dozen such reactors to provide the gigawatts of electricity on which it will depend to fend off a future that lacks power to run our homes and operate our factories. The problem is that a new nuclear plant takes around a decade to build once it has been approved. By that arithmetic, time is now desperately tight if the United Kingdom is to have the numbers it requires to generate the power the country is going to need. Nuclear energy is certainly not without flaws. Construction costs and waste storage are two clear examples. However, the government has committed the nation to atomic power. Having done so, it is now obliged to act with a speed that will provide the country with sufficient nuclear electricity – and keep the lights on over the next two decades.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/06/the-observer-view-on-britain-urgent-build-more-nuclear-power-plants
     
         
      Rishi Sunak is a fossil fuel prime minister in a renewable age Sat, 5th Nov 2022 22:39:00
     
      Only Labour grasps the challenges of the climate crisis and why we must become a clean energy giant Rishi Sunak will go on his day trip to Cop27 tomorrow, having been dragged kicking and screaming. His eventual decision to attend was an embarrassing U-turn. But his initial snub, one of his first decisions as prime minister, was the act heard around the world. It said that Britain is not in the business of showing climate leadership on the world stage. That, because of his weak position, the prime minister’s first priority will always be the basest instincts of the Conservative party. For the Tories, it’s always party first. What is best for the country – and for the planet – comes a distant second. And it showed that he simply doesn’t understand what the path looks like of lowering energy bills, creating millions of jobs and ensuring Britain is never again at the mercy of tyrants such as Vladimir Putin. Sunak is the latest person to attempt to govern an ungovernable party. He is unable to focus on Britain’s future because he’s plastering over the mess the Tories have made. Just this weekend, he used his first interview as prime minister to shrug his shoulders and say he can’t fix the problems we face. This tired, fatalistic, outdated approach is a recipe for more of the same. It has no chance of grasping a fairer, greener future. It is time for a fresh start. One that recognises the crises we face are linked and will only be solved by a new approach. The UK’s energy bills disaster was exacerbated by Putin’s grotesque invasion of Ukraine. But it was caused by 12 years of failure by Tory governments to unhook Britain from its dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, we have an accelerating climate crisis, illustrated most recently by the devastating floods in Pakistan and Britain’s first 40C days. The truth of our age is that the solution to both of these calamities is adopting cheap, clean, homegrown power as fast as we can. We are lucky; our island nation has abundant natural resources of wind, water and solar. It is an act of national self-harm not to prioritise them over more expensive gas. I wouldn’t be dragged to Cop27 as prime minister, I’d be leading the way. My first objective would be to persuade world leaders that we need to get to clean energy as quickly as possible. It’s why I have set a world-leading commitment for Britain to be the first major economy to reach 100% clean power by 2030. The ambition of those plans is matched only by my determination to deliver them. Under my Labour government, the UK will become a clean energy superpower. We’d also use our influence to build a clean power alliance with those who share our drive for decisive action and to help vulnerable countries. We’d ensure that the promises made for financing are delivered and would pressure the biggest polluters into greater action. We can see and feel the long-predicted reality of climate change, but still have time to avert the worst of its chaos For all the doom and gloom around at the moment, the challenges of climate change and energy give us something else: hope. But it’s only Labour that recognises the opportunities we have. Sunak’s track record shows why the Conservatives don’t get this. It took months to persuade him to create even a minimal windfall tax as chancellor. And when he did, he left a gaping loophole for fossil fuel giants. Despite eye-watering profits last week, Shell paid no windfall tax. Even now, he still backs a ban on onshore wind in England. Over the summer, he told Tory party members that he wanted to block solar projects. His approach is bad for consumers and businesses; continuing the onshore wind ban alone will mean bills are £15bn higher than they would otherwise be between now and 2030. The truth is that under the carefully constructed image, Sunak is just another old-fashioned Tory prime minister. He is a fossil fuel leader in a renewable age. His backwards-looking approach is already depriving Britain of the better future we could have. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen two British companies – one making EV batteries, the other green hydrogen electrolysers – struggling. There is a global race for the jobs of the future, but under the Tories we won’t win it. Labour’s green prosperity plan would establish a national wealth fund and GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company, to invest in the technologies and the jobs of the future. From green hydrogen to floating wind turbines, gigafactories to new nuclear, clean steel to tidal power – with a Labour government, new industries will thrive. We are a unique generation in the history of the climate crisis. We can see and feel the long-predicted reality of change, but still have time to avert the worst of its chaos and seize the opportunities of confronting it. That alternative future – of lower bills and greater security, of good jobs and a stronger economy, of clean air and water and a thriving planet for our children to inherit – is within our reach.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/05/rishi-sunak-fossil-fuel-prime-minister-in-renewable-age
     
         
      ‘It was like an apocalyptic movie’: 20 climate photographs that changed the world Sat, 5th Nov 2022 11:43:00
     
      They are the images that made us sit up and take notice. As world leaders gather for Cop27, these pictures prove that global heating isn’t a distant possibility – it’s already here An iceberg threatens a village in Greenland, July 2018, Magnus Kristensen For a week in July 2018, a giant 100m-tall iceberg loomed over a tiny village on the west coast of Greenland. Villagers were evacuated, and the world watched in suspense: if a chunk of the 10m-tonne iceberg had broken apart or “calved”, it would have caused a tsunami and obliterated the settlement of Innaarsuit. Eventually, it drifted away from the shore – but as glaciers melt, we can expect to see more masses of ice breaking off and floating dangerously close to land. Dust storms hit New South Wales, Australia, January 2020, Jason Davies This drone-captured image shows a monster dust storm that engulfed central New South Wales in Australia in January 2020. One local resident described the scene as “like an apocalyptic movie”. Drier conditions caused by climate change have been linked to an increase in the frequency and severity of sand and dust storms across the globe. As well as affecting agriculture, industry and the climate itself, airborne dust can cause serious health problems. A family clings to life in a wildfire, Tasmania, January 2013, Tim Holmes Seen as the defining image of the fires that ravaged Australia in 2013, this photo shows a woman and her five grandchildren taking refuge in the water under a jetty. A bushfire had engulfed their home in a small fishing town in Tasmania. The image was shot by the children’s grandfather, Tim Holmes, before he managed to retrieve a dinghy in which the family could evacuate. “The atmosphere was so incredibly toxic,” Holmes told an interviewer soon after. “We were all just heads, water up to our chins, just trying to breathe.” China’s record-breaking heatwave, August 2022, Thomas Peter The worst heatwave ever recorded took place in China this summer. Soaring temperatures, drought and wildfires led to crop failures, power shortages and factory shutdowns. In this dramatic image, the pagodas of Luoxingdun Island can be seen towering over the dried-out bed of the country’s largest freshwater lake in the south-east Jiangxi province. A man pushes children on a satellite dish through flooding in the Jaffarabad district of Pakistan, August 2022, Fida Hussain Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan this summer submerged a third of the country, destroying homes, communities and livestock. An estimated 33 million people – that’s one in seven of the population – have been affected. At least 1,700 have died. Waterborne diseases and malnutrition are among the main continuing health threats. The long-term economic impact will be vast. Scientists believe climate change is likely to have supercharged the intense rainfall that led to the flooding. UN secretary general António Guterres called it a “monsoon on steroids”. And worryingly, such extreme flooding events are likely to become more frequent around the world. Pakistan’s climate minister, Sherry Rehman, has issued a call for “reparations” from richer countries with higher emissions. As she said in September, “Global warming is the existential crisis facing the world, and Pakistan is ground zero – yet we have contributed less than 1% to emissions.” The British-Pakistani novelist Kamila Shamsie agrees. “The world’s richest countries are the ones most responsible for the climate catastrophe, and it’s the poorer nations who are paying the heaviest price. We need urgent and binding commitments from the G20 nations towards net zero,” she says. “As for the poorer nations, such as Pakistan, where the calamity has already occurred, ‘financial aid’ isn’t what is needed – we need to stop using that phrase and replace it with words such as: ‘climate justice’, ‘reparation’, ‘obligation’.” Giraffes die of thirst in Kenya, December 2021, Ed Ram Over the past two years, the Horn of Africa has experienced the worst drought in more than four decades, leading to millions of deaths of humans and animals. The devastation is encapsulated in this aerial shot by photojournalist Ed Ram, showing the carcasses of six giraffes strewn across the arid ground on the outskirts of a village in Kenya’s Wajir county. The animals died after getting stuck in mud when trying to drink from a reservoir that had almost dried up. SOS sign in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, September 2017, Angelina Ruiz-Lambides This photograph of an SOS sign scrawled on the pavement in the coastal town of Punta Santiago in Puerto Rico became the defining image of Hurricane Maria, the lethal storm that swept through the northern Caribbean in September 2017. Around 3,000 people died and the disaster caused $90bn (£80bn) in damage. Across Puerto Rico, power was cut off; an aid official spotted this distress signal during an aerial assessment of the aftermath. The snap was circulated on social media and brought help to Punta Santiago soon after. The image left no doubt that we are already in a climate emergency. Huge storms routinely devastate coastal and island populations, with marginalised communities – which usually have weaker infrastructure, fewer resources for evacuation and insufficient insurance cover – disproportionately affected. And so-called “natural disasters” are being turbocharged by the warming planet. Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist who has spent more than 40 years studying the links between hurricanes and climate change, explains: “Hurricanes are powered by the flux of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere when sea water evaporates. Theory, models and observations all point to increasing wind speeds and rainfall in hurricanes as a consequence of global warming.” How does it feel to be on the frontline of a hurricane disaster? “Being on the island and completely disconnected, we didn’t realise how far our picture travelled,” said resident Janet Gonzalez a year after Maria hit Puerto Rico. “We’re thankful that it did. But now, we’re ready to turn the page.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/05/20-climate-photographs-that-changed-the-world
     
         
      COP27: Climate anxiety is rising - it might be a good thing Sat, 5th Nov 2022 9:25:00
     
      Global leaders are about to meet for another UN climate summit - COP27 starting in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday - and the reality of climate change for many people can be overwhelming. Record-breaking heatwaves, devastating floods in Pakistan, and drought in East Africa - and that is just this year. It is no surprise that climate anxiety is rising, particularly among young people, who have mostly only known a world affected by climate change. But experts and activists have told BBC News that these fears can actually be good news for the planet. "People who are really aware of climate change may be more motivated to take action," University of Bath environmental psychologist Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh says. Her research has found a link between climate concerns and taking effective action, including reducing carbon footprint by cutting down on waste or buying second-hand. When people talk about their own climate anxiety, they often say it is linked to the vast amounts of negative and often scary news about the planet. "I think it's hard not to worry about climate change. We're constantly bombarded with news articles and social media about how it's just crisis after crisis - ice caps melting, disasters - it can be very overwhelming," explains Roisin, 16, from County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Roisin is on the youth advisory board of Save The Children, which recently found that 70% of children in the UK worried about the world they are inheriting. But she says there is hope too: "You can always see young activists like Greta Thunberg, and people like David Attenborough taking action on it." Roisin says she has become a vegetarian and makes sure she only shops locally. "Taking action is my only way of dealing with climate anxiety - it means I know I've done everything I can do to solve the problem," she says. Why the latest UN climate conference matters What have global leaders done on climate change in 2022? Young people very worried about climate change - survey Some campaigners, like 23-year-old Zahra Biabani in California, say the widespread focus on climate catastrophe can be misleading. When she began posting online about environmental issues at university, she realised there was "a gap between education and action, which was being filled by 'doomism'". "Climate education can be debilitating without a form of encouragement to act, especially when we see what's going on the world, and how it's going to get worse," she explains. Now she shares "climate optimist" news and writes newsletters focusing on good news and solutions. "Climate optimism is not just nice, it's necessary because in order to be sustained in our action and our advocacy, we need to believe in and have something that's worth fighting for," she explains. She believes that there is a generational divide between many young people who want to focus on how the planet could be saved, and the "older white man community" that focuses on how "the world is going to end". "I don't want to think this comes from a bad place. I think they have a lot of anxiety as well, but they're finding a very different way to use it," she suggests. Psychotherapist Caroline Hickman specialises in climate anxiety, and has treated a significant number of young people. She says it is "totally normal" to worry about the state of the planet, but "sinking into despair and 'climate doomism' is not the solution". It is important to distinguish between serious clinical anxiety about climate change, which is a mental health issue, and worries or concerns. Prof Whitmarsh suggests that while there are high levels of concern about climate change, particularly in young people, most people do not have debilitating climate anxiety that requires treatment by a mental health professional. Presentational grey line What to do if you have climate anxiety Zahra suggests: Focus on good news. Find stories about progress made in curbing climate change or a new solution. "Look for information that is a source of encouragement and doesn't blindside you." Give yourself a break Do something unrelated to the problem - exercise, go outdoors, read or watch a film. "Finding an activity not connected to climate change is really cathartic and really beneficial." Caroline suggests: Take action Join a local group that does something to tackle the problem, or lobby politicians to pass laws. "Find like-minded people and work together to advance a goal." Do not totally switch off "I caution people about shutting down completely - because when you wake up, the reality will be too extreme."ipes visualisation courtesy of Prof Ed Hawkins and University of Reading.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63516055
     
         
      Climate change much deadlier than cancer in some places, UNDP data shows Fri, 4th Nov 2022 19:57:00
     
      The impact of climate change on health if carbon emissions remain high, could be up to twice as deadly as cancer in some parts of the world, according to new data released on Friday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Climate Impact Lab. The study gives the example of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where under a scenario of very high emissions by 2100, additional deaths due to climate change could rise to nearly twice the country’s current annual death rate from all cancers, and 10 times its annual road traffic fatalities. “Because of human action, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is reaching dangerous levels, driving Earth’s temperatures higher and amplifying the frequency of intensity of extreme events”, says the newly launched Human Climate Horizons platform, adding that without concerted and urgent action, climate change will further exacerbate inequalities, and uneven development. Mortality impacts Building on the analyses of 2020, 2021 and 2022 Human Development Reports - and fed by an evolving stream of frontier research - the data shows how climate change can impact people’s lives – from mortality to livelihoods, and energy use. Although higher temperatures and a warmer climate put cardiovascular and respiratory systems under stress everywhere, outcomes will vary between places, according to communities that have the resources to adapt and those that do not. The data shows that climate change could increase mortality rates in Faisalabad, Pakistan by near 67 deaths per 100,000 population – causing more fatalities than strokes, the country’s third leading cause of death. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, however, higher incomes could keep the death toll to 35 per 100,000, which is still deadlier than Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth leading cause of death globally. Rising temps Since the late 19th century, the earth’s average temperature has risen by nearly 1.2°C, changing the entire surface area of the planet, according to the research. However, billions live in regions that have already experienced warming greater than the global average. As an example, the platform pointed to Maracaibo, Venezuela, noting that in the 1990s it averaged 62 annual days with temperatures exceeding 35°C. However, by mid-century, that number will likely soar to 201 days. Energy impacts Electricity availability and fuels used to generate it to power air conditioners and heaters, play a crucial role in our ability to cope with extreme temperatures, said UNDP. The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy – Human Climate Horizons Yet, the impacts of climate change on energy use will vary locally, as individuals, communities and businesses adapt to conditions using available resources. In Jakarta, for example, electricity consumption in response to warmer temperatures is projected to increase by roughly one-third of current household consumption in Indonesia. This will require critical additional infrastructure planning. Labour impacts More frequent and severe temperature extremes also impact livelihoods, affecting the ability to perform tasks and influencing work intensity and duration. “The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy with workers in high-risk, weather-exposed industries like agriculture, construction, mining and manufacturing most affected”, according to platform data. In Niamey, Niger, in sectors such as construction, mining and manufacturing, excessive heat was responsible for 36 fewer working hours annually, taking a 2.5 per cent toll on the country’s future GDP. Human consequences As the impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed globally, they will generate a significant uptick in inequalities over the coming years and decades. But by highlighting that the future is not predetermined, UNDP hopes the information can empower people everywhere, to step up climate action. The Human Climate Horizons mission is to ensure equal access to data on future impacts, inform decision-making and help everyone understand the human consequences of climate change in different scenarios. ‘Logical economic choice’ Meanwhile, UNDP has also launched the How Just Transition Can Deliver the Paris Agreement report this week, highlighting the need to embrace the “green revolution” – or risk increasing social inequality, civil unrest, economic loss. Ahead of the UN climate conference, COP27, which kicks off on Sunday in in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the report spotlights the importance of “fair and equitable” transitioning to meeting the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. From providing workers with new green economy skills and access to social protection to ensuring that countries lay out a clear pathway to a net-zero future, UNDP chief Achim Steiner said the report provides “real-world insights into how to accelerate momentum around a just transition that is fair and equitable for the energy sector and beyond”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130202?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=fe6dbe6b5c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_04_04_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-fe6dbe6b5c-107499886
     
         
      COP27: Why the latest UN climate conference matters Fri, 4th Nov 2022 11:21:00
     
      Tens of thousands of people will be jetting to an Egyptian holiday resort beside the Red Sea this weekend in an effort to tackle climate change. It sounds like a joke, but this latest UN climate summit - COP27 - is reckoned to be the world's best hope of progress on the climate issue. Progress is certainly needed. The global effort to cut emissions is "woefully inadequate" and means the world is on track for "catastrophe", the UN warned last week. But the meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh is shaping up to be a prickly and confrontational affair. Cash for climate change The Egyptian hosts have set themselves a tough challenge. Last year's UN climate conference in Glasgow delivered a host of pledges on emissions cuts, finance, net zero, forest protection and more. Egypt says their conference will be about implementing these pledges. What that really means is it will be all about cash, and specifically getting wealthy nations to come good on their promises of finance to help the developing world tackle climate change. So expect the main battle lines to be between the north and south, between rich and poor nations. "Don't underestimate how angry developing nations are," Antonio Guterres, the UN chief, told me when I met him last week. He says they feel high-income countries have welched on the landmark deal made at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015. Paris was a breakthrough because for the first time developing countries accepted the worst impacts of climate change could only be avoided if they too cut carbon emissions. Before that they had argued they didn't cause the climate problem: so why should they help fix it? In return, the wealthy world agreed to help fund their efforts. The problem is it hasn't honoured that commitment. Top of Egypt's "to-do" list is the $100bn (£89bn) a year developed countries promised way back in 2009 to help the developing world cut emissions and adapt to our changing climate. It was supposed to be delivered in 2020 but now won't be available in full until next year - three years late. Pakistan, which suffered terrible floods earlier this year, is demanding the developed world also agrees on a funding mechanism to compensate for the loss and damage climate change is already causing in developing countries. It brings real heft at the talks as chair of a key UN grouping of 134 developing countries, including China. "I don't think it is an impossible ask," the Pakistani climate minister, Sherry Rehman, told the BBC this week. Just look how much money the world finds to fund wars, she said. The stakes are high. Egypt has warned of a "crisis of trust" if progress on loss and damage isn't made, Mr Guterres has described it as the "litmus test" of the conference. But expect strong pushback from developed countries Europe and the US have agreed there should be a formal discussion of the issue but are unlikely to make commitments of cash. They worry the costs will spiral into trillions of dollars as the impacts of climate change get more severe in years to come. And the backdrop of soaring food and energy prices and rising interest rates following the Russian invasion of Ukraine means many developed countries are focusing on their own economic woes. Meanwhile, the chill in relations between the US and China is set to amplify any conflicts in Egypt. In the past, the two superpowers have played a crucial role quietly helping broker compromises in the background. But China ended its policy of keeping climate negotiations separate from other issues after Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in August. But you can expect lots of discussion about addressing loss and damage in other ways. Egypt wants to strengthen weather and climate forecasting across the developing world so countries can prepare better for weather extremes. There is a German proposal for an insurance-based "Global Shield" scheme to help poor countries recover faster from climate disasters that already has considerable support. You may also see progress with debt relief. Soaring borrowing costs make the huge debts many developing countries have even less affordable, leaving less money for tackling climate change and its impacts. There will also be a concerted push to accelerate emissions cuts. The US climate envoy, John Kerry, has told the BBC this remains the US priority. But only 24 out of 193 countries updated their carbon cutting ambitions this year, leaving the world on track for temperature rises of 2.7C. Mr Kerry says "lots of countries" are now contributing to the damage - a reference to the fact that many countries classified as developing are now major sources of CO2. China is now the world biggest emitter, for example, India the third biggest. But there will be resistance from some developing countries. The Egyptians want to have natural gas classified as a "transition" fuel, part of a broader effort, supported by many African nations, for low-income countries to be allowed to develop their fossil fuel reserves. The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced this week he will now be joining more than 100 other world leaders, including President Biden, to open the talks. Greta Thunberg, however, is among the list of those who will not attend. She described the global summit as a forum for "greenwashing" this week, saying the COP conferences "encourage gradual progress". It is a familiar criticism. The UN process is slow and cumbersome and far from perfect but, as Sherry Rehman says, it is all we have. The actual negotiations are carried out by the army of diplomats and civil servants who are already flying in to Sharm El-Sheikh. They will be steeling themselves for some intense discussions. If they want to remind themselves of what is a stake, they should take a swim over the coral reefs that lie just off the coast. The world's reefs are under attack from rising ocean temperatures, according to scientists, with 14 per cent lost just in the decade to 2018. The good news is the Egyptian reefs appear to be particularly resistant to marine heating, according to local scientists. The negotiators will need to summon similar reserves of resilience if progress is going to be made at the conference.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63502762
     
         
      Just Stop Oil: Extra police in London to deal with protests Fri, 4th Nov 2022 11:16:00
     
      Extra police officers will be on the streets of London over the weekend to deal with renewed demonstrations by environmental campaign group Just Stop Oil. The protesters have caused 32 days of disruption since the end of September. The Met Police said the group's activities in that time had caused officers to work nearly 10,000 extra shifts. More road-blocking demonstrations are expected on Saturday, the force said. Met Commander Jon Savell asked the public to "bear with" police tackling any unlawful protests, and said there would be "up to 900" additional officers deployed in London this weekend. "We will have hundreds of extra officers on duty this weekend in and around the areas where we believe that they will be, and we will be responding to them as and when they appear," he said. He added that the force "will help facilitate them protesting lawfully, but where they cross the boundaries we will act quickly". Some members of the Unison trade union are expected to stage a separate "Britain Is Broken" demonstration at Embankment in central London at noon on Saturday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-63507647
     
         
      Climate change: Four things you can do about your carbon footprint Fri, 4th Nov 2022 9:18:00
     
      Tackling climate change will require world leaders to take action on a global level. But as individuals we also contribute to warming emissions. Here are some things you can do to reduce your personal impact. 1. Insulate your home From installing a heat pump to turning down the heating, there is a raft of changes around the home that can help the planet. "Switching from a gas or oil-powered heating system to an electric heat pump makes a considerable difference," according to Dr Neil Jennings, an academic from Imperial College London. "On a day-to-day basis, switching off lights and appliances when not in use can help us to save money while reducing our impact on climate change." The UK government currently offers grants of £5,000 for the installation of heat pumps in England and Wales. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme runs until 2025. How do heat pumps work and how do I get one? Improving insulation in our walls, ceilings and windows can reduce the loss of heat from our homes and the amount of energy needed to heat them. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective forms of insulation, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). This involves blocking up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out, such as around windows, doors or skirting boards. The EST estimates that draught-proofing could save £125 a year on average household bills. How can better insulation cut energy bills? Switching to a green energy provider or a green tariff can significantly reduce your household's carbon footprint. But a recent increase in wholesale energy prices, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, means many providers have withdrawn their offers. How to save energy at home and help the planet 2. Cut out food waste and cut down on red meat Livestock creates 14% of all greenhouse gases globally, with cattle being by far the largest contributor. The simplest and most effective way to limit your impact is to reduce meat and dairy in your diet, particularly red meat such as lamb and beef. Good news for vegans, obviously - but there are other considerations to take into account. It's not just a question of "tagging individual products as good or bad", says biologist Prof Margaret Gill of the University of Aberdeen. She says the carbon footprint of any given food also depends on how it is produced, where it comes from and whether it's in season. Dr Jonathan Foley, who investigates climate change solutions, says you can save money and reduce waste by making smaller portions and saving leftovers for later at home. The world wastes between 25% and 30% of its food, according to the Waste & Resources Action Programme. Between 8-10% of global carbon emissions are linked to unconsumed produce, according to a UN report. 3. Drive less, fly less Transport is responsible for almost a quarter of carbon dioxide global emissions. Living car-free might be "the most impactful thing we can do to reduce our transport emissions," according to Dr Jennings. However, ditching the car is not possible for everyone, particularly if you live in an area without good public transport or are disabled. Small steps still have an impact, like walking and cycling to the local shops or sharing car journeys with friends or neighbours. Electric cars are becoming more widespread, but they are still prohibitively expensive for some people and charging infrastructure is limited in places. Unfortunately for keen travellers, flying is one of the most carbon-intensive things we can do as individuals. Domestic flights have the largest emissions per person per kilometre. Train journeys can have less than a fifth of the impact of a domestic flight, although they might be more expensive. Booking in advance can help reduce the cost. "For those who fly a lot, reducing the number of flights you take will make a considerable difference to your personal footprint," says Dr Jennings. Is the hydrogen tech 'revolution' hope or hype? 4. Think before you buy It takes 3,781 litres of water to make one pair of jeans, according to the UN's Environment Programme, taking into account cotton production, manufacture, transport and washing. You can limit your impact by repairing minor faults in clothing rather than replacing them, donating rather than throwing away and choosing higher-quality items that you think will last longer. An increasing number of companies are offering clothes to rent, which helps reduce waste in the fashion industry. You could also try buying second-hand. Choosing the right household appliances can also have a positive effect on your carbon footprint. Dr Jennings suggests making sure you are buying the most energy-efficient products, such as washing machines, when they need replacing. How can you reduce your fashion footprint?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58171814
     
         
      Climate change much deadlier than cancer in some places, UNDP data shows Fri, 4th Nov 2022 8:23:00
     
      The impact of climate change on health if carbon emissions remain high, could be up to twice as deadly as cancer in some parts of the world, according to new data released on Friday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Climate Impact Lab. The study gives the example of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where under a scenario of very high emissions by 2100, additional deaths due to climate change could rise to nearly twice the country’s current annual death rate from all cancers, and 10 times its annual road traffic fatalities. “Because of human action, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is reaching dangerous levels, driving Earth’s temperatures higher and amplifying the frequency of intensity of extreme events”, says the newly launched Human Climate Horizons platform, adding that without concerted and urgent action, climate change will further exacerbate inequalities, and uneven development. Mortality impacts Building on the analyses of 2020, 2021 and 2022 Human Development Reports - and fed by an evolving stream of frontier research - the data shows how climate change can impact people’s lives – from mortality to livelihoods, and energy use. Although higher temperatures and a warmer climate put cardiovascular and respiratory systems under stress everywhere, outcomes will vary between places, according to communities that have the resources to adapt and those that do not. The data shows that climate change could increase mortality rates in Faisalabad, Pakistan by near 67 deaths per 100,000 population – causing more fatalities than strokes, the country’s third leading cause of death. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, however, higher incomes could keep the death toll to 35 per 100,000, which is still deadlier than Alzheimer’s disease – the sixth leading cause of death globally. Rising temps Since the late 19th century, the earth’s average temperature has risen by nearly 1.2°C, changing the entire surface area of the planet, according to the research. However, billions live in regions that have already experienced warming greater than the global average. As an example, the platform pointed to Maracaibo, Venezuela, noting that in the 1990s it averaged 62 annual days with temperatures exceeding 35°C. However, by mid-century, that number will likely soar to 201 days. Energy impacts Electricity availability and fuels used to generate it to power air conditioners and heaters, play a crucial role in our ability to cope with extreme temperatures, said UNDP. The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy – Human Climate Horizons Yet, the impacts of climate change on energy use will vary locally, as individuals, communities and businesses adapt to conditions using available resources. In Jakarta, for example, electricity consumption in response to warmer temperatures is projected to increase by roughly one-third of current household consumption in Indonesia. This will require critical additional infrastructure planning. Labour impacts More frequent and severe temperature extremes also impact livelihoods, affecting the ability to perform tasks and influencing work intensity and duration. “The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy with workers in high-risk, weather-exposed industries like agriculture, construction, mining and manufacturing most affected”, according to platform data. In Niamey, Niger, in sectors such as construction, mining and manufacturing, excessive heat was responsible for 36 fewer working hours annually, taking a 2.5 per cent toll on the country’s future GDP. Human consequences As the impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed globally, they will generate a significant uptick in inequalities over the coming years and decades. But by highlighting that the future is not predetermined, UNDP hopes the information can empower people everywhere, to step up climate action. The Human Climate Horizons mission is to ensure equal access to data on future impacts, inform decision-making and help everyone understand the human consequences of climate change in different scenarios. ‘Logical economic choice’ Meanwhile, UNDP has also launched the How Just Transition Can Deliver the Paris Agreement report this week, highlighting the need to embrace the “green revolution” – or risk increasing social inequality, civil unrest, economic loss. Ahead of the UN climate conference, COP27, which kicks off on Sunday in in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the report spotlights the importance of “fair and equitable” transitioning to meeting the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. From providing workers with new green economy skills and access to social protection to ensuring that countries lay out a clear pathway to a net-zero future, UNDP chief Achim Steiner said the report provides “real-world insights into how to accelerate momentum around a just transition that is fair and equitable for the energy sector and beyond”. A just transition The report analyses both enhanced short-term climate pledges, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and long-term strategies in which countries lay out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. Encouragingly, 72 per cent of nations with enhanced NDCs that refer to a just transition are linking them to socio-economic considerations, while 66 per cent are proposing concrete actions and measures factoring in climate justice. However, they fail to make linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or gender equality in either short or long-term climate plans – missing a significant opportunity, UNDP said. “As climate change intensifies and the world faces an immense energy crunch…decoupling from fossil fuels and investing in the green energy infrastructure of tomorrow…[is] the only logical economic choice”, said Mr. Steiner.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130202
     
         
      Prince William announces £1m Earthshot Prize finalists Fri, 4th Nov 2022 7:20:00
     
      The inventors of a bubble pump designed to catch plastics before they reach the ocean are among the 15 finalists in the running to win a £1m environmental award founded by the Prince of Wales. The Earthshot Prize is given to innovative ideas for the environment. Five winners will be announced in Boston next month - each will be given £1m to develop their projects. Prince William unveiled the shortlist, saying there are "many reasons to be optimistic" about the planet's future. Costa Rica wins £1m in William's Earthshot prize He described the people in the shortlist for the prize - now in its second year - as "innovators, leaders and visionaries". Prince William said: "They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet's greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come." The Great Bubble Barrier, from the Netherlands, sees air pumped through a perforated tube to create a curtain of bubbles, which brings plastic up to the surface and into a waste collection system. For the first time there are also finalists from the UK, including London start-up Notpla, which makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic. The company has already created a million biodegradable food boxes for online food ordering firm Just Eat. Low Carbon Materials (LCM), in County Durham, uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make concrete blocks without carbon emissions. "Until now, construction has been one of the hardest industries to decarbonise," said Dr Natasha Boulding, co-founder of LCM. "With LCM, that could all change. We've turned concrete net-zero and now we need the world to start using it." Other finalists include the City of Amsterdam Circular Economy group, which wants to see nothing wasted and everything recycled in the Netherland's capital by 2050. Mikuru Clean Stoves, from Kenya, provides cleaner burning stoves to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and a safer way to cook. Charlot Magayi, who used to sell charcoal for fuel, started the initiative after suffering repeated respiratory infections due to charcoal and her daughter was severely burnt by a stove. Her eco-stoves use processed biomass made from charcoal, wood and sugar cane, and claims they cause 90% less pollution than an open fire. She hopes to create an even cleaner version which burns ethanol. Also nominated are Fleather, a leather made of floral waste in India; Hutan which creates wildlife corridors for orangutans in Malaysia; Oman-based 44.01 who eliminate CO2 by mineralising it in rock, and the Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef group from Australia who use a mix of ancient knowledge and digital technologies in their efforts to protect the land and sea. Prince William, accompanied by the Princess of Wales, is set to present the awards to the winners, who will attend remotely, at the awards gala on 2 December. The Earthshot Prize will see £50m handed out over 10 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63507781
     
         
      South Sudan: Conflict and climate crisis drives rising hunger Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 16:15:00
     
      The number of people in South Sudan who are going hungry is at the highest level ever, UN agencies said in their latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, issued on Thursday. Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in areas affected by flood, drought and conflict, and some communities are likely to face starvation unless aid is sustained, and climate adaption measures are scaled up. Roughly two-thirds of the population, more than 7.7 million people, will not have enough to eat during the lean season next April through July, while 1.4 million children will be malnourished. Climate impacts, rising needs The IPC report is the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP). It was released on the same day the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published a report that urges the international community to make climate adaptation a priority. The record proportion of South Sudan’s citizens facing crisis levels of food insecurity and malnourishment surpasses levels seen during conflict in 2013 and in 2016. Millions at risk While a combination of factors has contributed to the crisis - namely violence, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme climate events, and spiralling costs of food and fuel - funding for humanitarian programmes has also declined despite the rise in needs. “We’ve been in famine prevention mode all year and have staved off the worst outcomes, but this is not enough,” said Makena Walker, WFP Acting Country Director. “South Sudan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis and day in, day out families are losing their homes, cattle, fields and hope to extreme weather. Without humanitarian food assistance, millions more will find themselves in an increasingly dire situation and unable to provide even the most basic food for their families.” Relentless flooding The world’s youngest nation has been confronting a multi-year flood that is exacerbating already high levels of hunger caused by ongoing conflict and the global food crisis. The flooding has heavily impacted central areas of the country, which also have the highest levels of food insecurity. FAO Representative Meshack Malo emphasized the critical need for livelihood support to boost self-reliance in food production. This potential exists, he said, as South Sudan produced some?840,000 tonnes of cereals in 2021, a difficult year with climate change, floods, conflict and other factors. Deeping nutrition crisis “With the current cereal deficit of 541,000 tonnes, urgent investment in rural livelihoods is needed to increase production and self-sufficiency,” he said. ? Despite marginal improvements in food security across some parts of the country, the nutrition crisis is deepening. All counties, except for one, are showing a deterioration in their nutrition situation through June 2023, including 44 counties where the situation is critical. The UN agencies underscored the urgent need for funding, warning that they will be unable to preposition humanitarian assistance in time for the next year, which could push millions of families even deeper into hunger.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130152
     
         
      More funding needed for climate adaptation, as risks mount Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 12:12:00
     
      Countries must urgently ramp up action to adapt to the current and future impacts of climate change, as efforts now are too little and too slow, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in its latest report, published on Thursday. The Adaptation Gap Report 2022 has been released ahead of the COP27 UN climate conference, which opens this weekend in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. It calls for increased funding and implementation of actions aimed at helping vulnerable nations and communities adapt to the climate emergency in the face of mounting risks. Estimated annual adaptation needs are between $160 billion to $340 billion by the end of the decade, and up to $565 billion by 2050. Urgent action now “Climate change is landing blow after blow upon humanity, as we saw throughout 2022: most viscerally in the floods that put much of Pakistan under water,” said Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director. “The world must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. But we must also urgently increase efforts to adapt to the impacts that are already here and those to come.” The report emphasizes that adaptation, as well as mitigation, must be front and centre in the global response to the climate crisis. Impacts will intensify Under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, countries pledged to?limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures but are far off track. The Pakistan floods and other current impacts, such as the historic drought in the Horn of Africa, are occurring when global temperature rise is at only 1.1°Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In a companion report issued earlier this week, UNEP said Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – governments’ own national plans to tackle climate change – point towards global warming of up to 2.6°C by the end of the century. Furthermore, research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that climate risks will intensify with each tenth of a degree. Failure to protect For UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the report makes clear that the world is failing to protect people from what he called the “here-and-now impacts” of climate change. “Adaptation needs in the developing world are set to skyrocket to as much as $340 billion a year by 2030. Yet adaptation support today stands at less than one-tenth of that amount,” he said in a message marking the launch. “The most vulnerable people and communities are paying the price. This is unacceptable.” The report found that progress on adaptation has been “slow and spotty”. Eighty per cent of countries have at least one national adaptation planning instrument, while one-third of the 197 governments that are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have incorporated quantified and time-bound targets on adaptation. Financing at issue Additionally, nearly 90 per cent of planning instruments studied display consideration for gender and disadvantaged groups, such as Indigenous peoples. However, financing for these plans remains the sticking point. Estimated adaptation costs are five to 10 times greater than international adaptation finance flows to developing countries, which reached 29 billion in 2020, a four per cent increase over the previous year. In 2020, combined adaptation and mitigation finance flows fell at least $17 billion short of the $100 billion pledged annually to developing countries. UNEP said a significant scale-up is needed to meet the goal of doubling 2019 finance flows by 2025, as stressed in the outcome of the COP26 global climate conference, held last year in Glasgow, Scotland. “Nations need to back the strong words in the Glasgow Climate Pact with strong action to increase adaptation investments and outcomes, starting at COP27,” said Ms. Andersen. Meanwhile, although implementation of adaptation actions – mainly in agriculture, water, ecosystems and cross-cutting sectors – is increasing, it is not keeping up with climate impacts and could be outpaced by accelerating climate risks. ‘No time to lose’ Underlining the need for strong political will to increase investments and outcomes, the Secretary-General said that the adaptation gap must be addressed in four critical ways. “The world must step up and protect people and communities from the immediate and ever-growing risks of the climate emergency. We have no time to lose,” he warned. The UN chief called for dramatically increasing the quantity and quality of financing so that developed countries will achieve the target of doubling support for adaption to $40 billion annually by 2025. ‘At COP27, they must present a credible roadmap with clear milestones on how this will be delivered - preferably as grants, not loans,” said Mr. Guterres. “They must also use their influence as government shareholders of multilateral development banks to prioritize adaptation, resilience and vulnerability. At least half of all climate finance should flow towards adaptation.” ‘Unblock’ investment pipeline The world urgently needs a new business model for turning adaptation priorities into investable projects, he continued, pointing to the mismatch between what governments propose and what financiers consider as investible. “The investment pipeline is blocked; we must unblock it now. We need a global surge in adaptation investment to save millions of lives from climate carnage. It is high time for unprecedented coordination among recipient governments, development partners and other financiers,” he said. Relatedly, the Secretary-General has asked the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the NDC Partnership, and several climate funds to work with public and private financers to pilot a new Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator for targeted countries.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130142
     
         
      $13 billion to reduce energy bills Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 12:07:00
     
      Winter is coming — and for many American families, so are higher home heating bills. But the federal government has a plan to ease the burden. A new initiative from the Biden administration will provide more than $13 billion to blunt spiking energy costs for low- and moderate-income families. Some $4.5 billion will come from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program — a longstanding program of the Department of Health and Human Services that directly subsidizes home heating and cooling costs and helps families weatherize and repair their homes. Another $9 billion, made available by the Inflation Reduction Act, will go toward state- and tribe-administered programs to support energy efficiency upgrades. The announcement comes amid a period of high price volatility for natural gas, driven in part by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Prices have come down in the U.S. since they peaked in August, but they remain higher today than at any point since 2008 and are expected to hit poorer households particularly hard this winter. According to the Department of Energy, low-income families already spend almost 9 percent of their income on energy, roughly three times more than other income groups. They’re also less likely to live in buildings that have been recently upgraded for energy efficiency. “As heating costs increase, it is more important than ever to help families struggling to make ends meet,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “With this funding, we will help protect the health and well-being of Americans by keeping them safe and warm this winter.” The new funding could help in the summer, too, as heat waves fueled by climate change become more common. According to a White House fact sheet, the $9 billion for home efficiency programs could help fund the installation of up to half a million heat pumps, which not only heat but also cool homes.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/13-billion-to-reduce-energy-bills/
     
         
      Glencore ordered to pay millions over Africa oil bribes Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 11:29:00
     
      A UK subsidiary of mining giant Glencore has been ordered to pay more than £275m for bribing officials in African countries to get access to oil. The company paid $26m (£23m) through agents and employees to officials of crude oil firms in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast between 2011 and 2016. Prosecutors said Glencore Energy UK employees and agents used private jets to transfer cash to pay the bribes. Glencore Energy UK pleaded guilty to seven corruption offences in June. It was ordered to pay a fine of £182.9m by Judge Peter Fraser at Southwark Crown Court, who also approved £93.5m to be confiscated from the company. Along with five charges of bribery, the subsidiary admitted charges of failing to prevent agents from using bribes to secure oil contracts in Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan. Judge Fraser said the offences Glencore had pleaded guilty to represented "corporate corruption on a widespread scale, deploying very substantial sums of money in bribes". "The corruption is of extended duration, and took place across five separate countries in West Africa, but had its origins in the West Africa oil trading desk of the defendant in London. It was endemic amongst traders on that particular desk," he added. Glencore, founded in 1974, is one of the largest multinational commodity trading and mining companies in the world. Its subsidiaries operate in more than 35 countries, but Glencore's London office primarily dealt in oil, with one of its crude oil divisions responsible for West Africa. Mining firm Glencore admits UK bribery charges On Wednesday, the Serious Fraud Office told Southwark Crown Court that Glencore Energy UK paid - or failed to prevent the payment of - millions of dollars in bribes to officials in five African countries. The bribery charges stated that the firm's aim was for officials to "perform their functions improperly, or reward them for so doing, by unduly favouring Glencore Energy UK in the allocation of crude oil cargoes, the dates crude oil would be lifted and the grades of crude oil allocated". In 2018, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) launched an investigation into Glencore's compliance with US money-laundering and corruption laws dating back as far as 2007. It concerned the mining giant's operations in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela. The UK's SFO followed suit in 2019, investigating one of Glencore's UK subsidiaries over "suspicions of bribery" in Africa. The Serious Fraud Office previously said its investigation exposed "profit-driven bribery and corruption". Clare Montgomery, representing Glencore, said: "The company unreservedly regrets the harm caused by these offences and recognises the harm caused, both at national and public levels in the African states concerned, as well as the damage caused to others." Judge Fraser said in his sentencing remarks that Glencore "engaged in corporate reform and today appears to be a very different corporation than it was at the time of these offences". Lisa Osofsky, director of the Serious Fraud Office, said the case was a the first time since the introduction of the Bribery Act 2010 "that a corporate has been convicted for the active authorisation of bribery, rather than purely a failure to prevent it". "For years and across the globe, Glencore pursued profits to the detriment of national governments in some of the poorest countries in the world. The company's ruthless greed and criminality have been rightfully exposed," she added. In May, the firm agreed to a $1.1bn (£900m) settlement in the US over a scheme to bribe officials in seven countries during the course of a decade. It concerned the mining giant's operations in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63497376
     
         
      Iconic World Heritage glaciers to disappear by 2050, warns UNESCO Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 8:09:00
     
      Some of the world’s most iconic glaciers are set to disappear by 2050, according to a new study by UNESCO, which highlights the accelerated melting of glaciers in World Heritage sites. Glaciers in a third of sites are under threat, regardless of efforts to limit temperature increases. However, the study outlines that it is still possible to save the other two-thirds, if the rise in global temperatures does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era. UNESCO says that this will be a major challenge facing delegates at the upcoming COP27. Fifty UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to glaciers, representing almost 10% of the Earth’s total glacierized area. They include the highest (next to Mt. Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa. CO2 culprit The UNESCO study, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), shows that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions, which are warming temperatures. They are currently losing 58 billion tons of ice every year – equivalent to the combined annual water use of France and Spain – and are responsible for nearly five per cent of observed global sea-level rise. The glaciers under threat are in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania. Call to action “This report is a call to action. Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them. COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue. UNESCO is determined to support states in pursuing this goal,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General. In addition to drastically reduced carbon emissions, UNESCO is advocating for the creation of a new international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation. Such a fund would support comprehensive research, promote exchange networks between all stakeholders and implement early warning and disaster risk reduction measures. Uncertain future Half of humanity depends directly or indirectly on glaciers as their water source for domestic use, agriculture, and power. Glaciers are also pillars of biodiversity, feeding many ecosystems. “When glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting rise in sea levels”, said IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle. “This study highlights the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and invest in Nature-based Solutions, which can help mitigate climate change and allow people to better adapt to its impacts”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130157?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=9a1fd5764f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_03_04_24&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-9a1fd5764f-107499886
     
         
      Yamuna pollution: 'We are forced to pray in a highly polluted river' Thu, 3rd Nov 2022 5:27:00
     
      Every year, millions of Hindus offer prayers to the sun while standing in water during the Chhath festival. But for devotees in and around India’s capital, Delhi, the ritual is often tinged with fear: the Yamuna river, where they pray, is heavily polluted with industrial waste and untreated sewage. For years, governments at the state and federal level have promised to fix the problem, but activists allege that progress is too slow. The BBC has emailed questions to representatives of Delhi’s water board and pollution control board. While political parties take potshots at each other over the issue, the BBC’s Anshul Verma spoke to devotees who attended this year’s rituals on 31 October. “We are scared - but what choice do we have?” one of them says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-63485932
     
         
      Xcel accelerates exit from coal Wed, 2nd Nov 2022 20:01:00
     
      Xcel Energy announced on Monday that it will close its last coal plant four years ahead of schedule and replace it with renewable energy — a move that will allow the Minneapolis-based utility to finish its transition away from coal by the end of this decade. Xcel’s 1,067-megawatt Tolk Generating Station near Lubbock, Texas — which produces enough energy to power more than half a million homes — is set to be decommissioned in 2028 and replaced with a “diverse mix” of alternative energy sources including wind and solar. The investor-owned utility is now aiming to stop burning coal completely by the end of 2030, when it plans to retire its last coal-fired power plant in Colorado. “Advancing the retirement of coal operations at Tolk Station demonstrates our commitment to our clean energy strategy, while ensuring our customers and communities have reliable, affordable, and safe service,” said Bob Frenzel, Xcel’s chairman, president, and CEO, in a statement. Shutting down the Tolk plant is expected to save Xcel’s customers in New Mexico and Texas more than $70 million, potentially by making way for cheaper renewables. Xcel has been eyeing a move away from fossil fuels since 2018, when it became the country’s first major utility to pledge to go “carbon-free” by 2050. Since then, it’s accelerated plans to close several other coal-fired power plants, including the Hayden Generation Station in Colorado and two more plants in Minnesota. Xcel’s 2021 energy mix for all of its service areas — including five Midwestern states, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas — was 49 percent carbon-free, with its remaining power generation coming from roughly equal parts coal and natural gas. According to its recent earnings presentation, Xcel is now planning to install 1,900 megawatts of new renewable capacity in New Mexico and Texas and an additional 9,800 megawatts elsewhere. Tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act could make these additions much more cost-effective, reducing the leveled cost of solar and wind projects — the lifetime costs to build and maintain the projects relative to the amount of electricity they will generate — by up to 40 and 60 percent, respectively.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/xcel-accelerates-exit-from-coal/
     
         
      UN refugee chief calls for greater focus on climate and conflict factors Wed, 2nd Nov 2022 11:05:00
     
      Responses to climate change must also consider its link to both conflict and the displacement it causes, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in a briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday. Mr. Grandi expressed hope that these dimensions “will be in clearer focus” at the COP27 UN climate change conference, opening this weekend in Egypt, and at its successor conference in a year’s time. The climate emergency is ravaging resources and creating tensions, including between communities, particularly in already fragile contexts where authorities do not have the means to support adaptation and resilience. Fear of more fighting “I fear that without more attention and much greater financing for prevention, adaptation, and development and governance support - tensions, frustrations, competition will grow and spark wider conflict, with deadly consequences – including displacement,” he said. The UN refugee chief was in Somalia last week where he met emaciated women, men and children affected by conflict and the historic drought in the Horn of Africa. Refugees from the country have been pushed into drought-affected areas of neighbouring Kenya. More international support “The confluence of climate change and conflict has created very protracted displacement: therefore, inclusion and where possible integration, both in refugee contexts and situations of internal displacement, are important peacebuilding measures requiring greater international recognition and support,” Mr. Grandi told the Council. This “spiral” is evident in several other hotspots, including Africa’s Sahel region, he added. Three million people there have been uprooted by climate change, poverty, weak governance and armed group activities, as well as “the often brutal reaction of governments”. Mr. Grandi said he used the climate emergency, and its connection to conflict and displacement, to convey the “enormous complexity” of refugee crises today. Globally, roughly 103 million people have been forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and other factors. Harsh winter for Ukrainians UNHCR staff have responded to 37 emergencies around the world in the past 12 months alone, in countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Syria. Meanwhile, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced some 14 million people to flee their homes, sparking the fastest and largest displacement crisis in decades. “Ukrainians are about to face one of the world’s harshest winters in extremely difficult circumstances. Humanitarian organizations have dramatically scaled up their response, but much more must be done, starting with an end to this senseless war,” he said. “Unfortunately, we see the opposite, and the destruction caused by strikes at civilian infrastructure, which happens as we speak, is quickly making the humanitarian response look like a drop in the ocean of needs.” Safeguard humanitarian action Mr. Grandi concluded his remarks by stressing the need for action in four areas, starting with resources. Despite a record level of income, UNHCR is facing a major funding gap in some crucial areas, such as food aid for refugees. He also called for “seriously strengthening peacebuilding” in fragile countries, for example by reinforcing police, judicial and local government capacity, and overall rule of law. This is critical to both resolve displacement, by allowing refugees to return home, and to prevent conflict from recurring. For his third point, Mr. Grandi stressed that humanitarian action must be better safeguarded, as threats are increasing, with deadly consequences. Warring parties must protect humanitarian work and enable access to people in need. “Furthermore, everyone must uphold international humanitarian law and contribute to preserving the civilian character of refugee settings – an increasing challenge in many parts of the world. Armed elements must be separated from refugees, and those displaced and those needing protection must not be conflated with combatants,” he said. Overcome your differences The UN refugee chief also presented another side of the duty of care issue, as millions of displaced and vulnerable people are living in areas under the control of non-State actors, or in countries under sanctions. He said no matter how polarised the context, aid workers must be able to operate wherever they are needed, which at times may involve “uncomfortable interactions” with those who control territory they need access to. “If I raise this…it is because we are often forced to negotiate humanitarian carve-outs, as they call them, case by case. I therefore welcome the current efforts in this Council to ensure greater predictability in these matters,” he added. His final point was a call for the international community, and countries on the Council, to overcome their divisions and disagreements “at least when you discuss humanitarian issues, and hopefully when you address or strive to address the root causes that are displacing people around the world.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130127
     
         
      Human rights belong at the heart of climate change debate, urges Türk Wed, 2nd Nov 2022 9:21:00
     
      Humanity’s basic right to life is being threatened by insufficient action in the face of the climate emergency, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Wednesday. The top rights official has written an open letter calling for human rights to be at the heart of efforts to tackle climate change. “The outcome of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference – COP27 – starting this weekend in Egypt, is critical for people’s effective enjoyment of human rights around the world, not just in years to come but now”, he said. Uninhabitable planet “People are losing their homes, their livelihoods, and their lives. Given the current trajectory of temperature increases, many parts of the world will be uninhabitable within our children’s lifetimes, with unimaginable consequences”. Mr. Türk said the injustice being wrought by global warming was now catastrophic: “Look at Pakistan, where the recent flooding affected more than 30 million people. It will take years to rebuild and to even begin to understand the fallout from this single disaster.” He warned that such disasters were likely to become “a recurring nightmare for people across the world if we do not take dramatic, rights-based action to respond to climate change, minimise its impacts, and address the human suffering it has already caused.” He said it was significant that this year’s UN Climate Conference, COP27, being hosted by Egypt on the Red Sea coast, was taking place on a continent where millions on the climate change frontline are just victims, not contributors to rising emissions. “The people of Africa are among those suffering the greatest consequences,” he said. Paris principles The Paris Agreement makes the need for rights-based climate action clear, the High Commissioner said, calling for all States to respect, promote, and consider their respective human rights obligations when doing so. He highlighted recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that rights-based, participatory climate action leads to more effective, legitimate, and sustainable outcomes for people and the planet. “To address the biggest challenge of the century, there needs to be a whole-of-society approach,” said Mr. Türk. “It is therefore essential that everyone - including civil society representatives - is able to participate meaningfully at the COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Decisions about climate change, including at this meeting, need to be transparent, inclusive and accountable, particularly for those most affected.” Rights dimension to COP27 The High Commissioner outlined in his letter, some key steps that all countries should take, to minimize the risks to human rights from the warming world: Enhance climate ambition to protect human rights Guarantee meaningful and effective participation Address the human rights harms caused by climate change Mobilize resources for rights-based climate action Ensure the centrality of human rights in climate decision-making
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130102?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b5756bc5ee-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_02_02_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-b5756bc5ee-107499886
     
         
      Europe hotting up more than twice global average: WMO Wed, 2nd Nov 2022 9:04:00
     
      Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past 30 years – the highest of any continent in the world. As the warming trend continues, exceptional heat, wildfires, floods and other climate change impacts will affect society, economies and ecosystems, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The State of the Climate in Europe report, produced jointly with the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, focused on 2021. It provides information on rising temperatures, land and marine heatwaves, extreme weather, changing precipitation patterns, and retreating ice and snow. Glacier melt The report says that between 1991 and 2021, temperatures in Europe warmed significantly, at an average rate of about +0.5 °C per decade. As a result, Alpine glaciers lost 30 metres in ice thickness from 1997 to 2021. The Greenland ice sheet is melting and contributing to accelerating sea level rise. In summer 2021, Greenland saw a melt event and the first ever recorded rainfall at its highest point, Summit station. Deadly heat In 2021, high impact weather and climate events led to hundreds of fatalities, directly affected more than half a million people and caused economic damages exceeding $50 billion. About 84 per cent of the events were floods or storms. As the climate continues to change, European people's health is expected to be impacted in many ways, including death and illness from increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Increases in zoonoses, where diseases are transmitted to humans from animals, are also expected along with food, water and vector-borne diseases, and a rising incidence of mental health disorders. The deadliest extreme climate events in Europe come in the form of heatwaves, particularly in western and southern countries. The combination of climate change, urbanization and population ageing in the region creates, and will further exacerbate, vulnerability to heat. Success stories However, the report indicates that it’s not all bad news. A number of countries in Europe have been very successful in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, in the European Union (EU) greenhouse gas emissions decreased 31 per cent between 1990 and 2020, with a net 55 per cent reduction target for 2030. Europe is also one of the most advanced regions in cross-border cooperation in climate change adaptation, in particular across transnational river basins. It is one of the world leaders in providing effective early warning systems, with about 75 per cent of people protected. Heat-health action plans have saved many lives from extreme heat. ‘Live picture of a warming world’ But the challenges are formidable, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas: “Europe presents a live picture of a warming world and reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events. This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires. In 2021, exceptional floods caused death and devastation.” “On the mitigation side, the good pace in reducing greenhouse gases emissions in the region should continue and ambition should be further increased. Europe can play a key role towards achieving a carbon neutral society by the middle of the century to meet the Paris Agreement,” said Mr. Taalas. The report, issued ahead of the annual UN Climate Change Conference COP27, in Sharm-El Sheikh, includes input from national meteorological and hydrological services, climate experts, regional bodies and UN partner agencies.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130112
     
         
      Public health risks increasing in flood-affected Pakistan, warns WHO Tue, 1st Nov 2022 10:34:00
     
      Although flood waters have continued to recede in many flood-affected areas across Pakistan in recent weeks, around eight million people need essential health assistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Public health risks are increasing, driven by damaged infrastructure, stagnant water and inadequate sanitation facilities, the UN health agency said. Dr. Richard Brennan, WHO Regional Emergency Director, said that the catastrophe has pushed the country to the brink and that diseases are rampant. Over 540,000 malaria cases have been reported. Other health threats include increasing cases of diarrheal diseases, an ongoing dengue fever outbreak, measles and diphtheria. — Dr. Richard Brennan He added that a food crisis is looming, the economy is deteriorating, and winter is fast approaching. The eight million flood-affected people who need health assistance require essential medical supplies and access to essential healthcare. Multiple disease threats Dr. Brennan said that humanitarian agencies face an uphill battle. “Enormous volumes of persistent flood waters, in particular, have provided breeding sites for mosquitos, resulting in an ongoing malaria outbreak in 32 districts. “From July to early October 2022, over 540,000 malaria cases have been reported. Other health threats include increasing cases of diarrheal diseases, an ongoing dengue fever outbreak, measles and diphtheria. He said that among the biggest concerns were high rates of severe acute malnutrition. “Access to safe water and sanitation remains limited, with people using contaminated water for household consumption. Pregnant women need access to clean and safe delivery services.” WHO expressed concern that, in the context of multiple other competing demands, the international response has not risen to the urgent needs of flood-affected communities. More than $81.5 million is needed to respond to the health crisis in flood-affected areas of Pakistan to ensure coordinated delivery of essential healthcare services, efficient management of severe acute malnutrition, and stronger outbreak detection, and control. Emergency supplies provided With the funds available, WHO explained that it is acting quickly to protect health and to deliver essential services, especially for those displaced by the floods, through static and mobile health camps. To date, medicines and emergency supplies worth $1.5 million have been distributed while over $6 million worth of supplies are in the pipeline. Efforts have been scaled up to prevent and control disease outbreaks, including strengthening surveillance, undertaking vaccination campaigns against measles and cholera, ensuring early diagnosis and treatment or malaria, and providing access to clean water. In addition, 10 Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) and three operational hubs have been established in Sukkur, Hyderabad and Naseerabad districts.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130082
     
         
      Energy Price Guarantee scheme: NI energy suppliers to reduce prices Tue, 1st Nov 2022 7:41:00
     
      Energy companies in Northern Ireland are reducing prices for households on Tuesday as a consequence of the Energy Price Guarantee. The UK government scheme will cap the price for a unit of gas and electricity from October 2022 to April 2023. The support will reduce bills by up to 17p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity and 4.2p/kWh for gas. The government previously said homes using a typical amount of gas and electricity would pay £2,500 annually. The cap was first announced in September by the then-Prime Minister Liz Truss, who initially said the scheme would last for two years. However, after a turbulent few weeks for the UK economy, the plan was scaled back and the cap is now due to end in April 2023. How does it work? Under the scheme, householders will still pay for all the gas and electricity they use. But the government's Energy Price Guarantee will now limit the price that suppliers can charge for each unit of energy. Some customers' bills will still exceed £2,500 this year, if they use more energy than the typical household. The Energy Price Guarantee is separate from the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme which is an additional government plan to help people with energy costs this winter. What does the price guarantee mean for my bill? BBC News NI asked the main electricity and gas suppliers in Northern Ireland what the cap on prices would mean for their customers. 2px presentational grey line Electricity Power NI: Customers will see electricity prices fall by 10% as a result of the energy price cap, which will more than reverse a 60% increase that would otherwise have applied from Tuesday SSE Airtricity: The support discount will be applied per kWh used, therefore customers' savings will depend on how much energy they use Electric Ireland: Customers will save 19.91p on average per unit, which equates to about a 55% decrease on energy bills from Tuesday - it also equates to a saving of about £53 a month on an average residential electricity bill Budget Energy: It is reducing the unit rate of electricity by 19.908p per kWh. How much a customer saves is dependent upon usage but for an average customer using 3500 kWh a year the saving will be about £595 including VAT Click Energy: Domestic customers will benefit from a 54.72% decrease in prices from Tuesday 2px presentational grey line Gas Firmus: Domestic customers in Greater Belfast will benefit from a discount of 26% while those in the Ten Towns network will get 27% off - the estimated savings are about £11.70 a week SSE Airtricity: The support discount will be applied per kWh used, therefore customers savings will depend on how much energy they use 2px presentational grey line What are consumer experts advising? "Consumers in Northern Ireland will welcome the Energy Price Guarantee as it will reduce their electricity and gas bills," said Peter McClenaghan of the Consumer Council. "The scheme will apply a discount to the unit prices of electricity and gas and all suppliers will apply the same discount." However, Mr McClenaghan said that would mean that some energy suppliers' prices "will still be much higher than others". He encouraged customers to shop around and compare tariffs from different suppliers to make sure they are getting the best price per unit. By switching to a supplier with a lower tariff, he said some households "could make savings of over £500". The Consumer Council has a free online Energy Price Comparison Tool, which allows users to see the available tariffs from all suppliers in one place and it advised that customers can switch without any interruption to supply. Mr McClenaghan added: "Consumers should know that their exact electricity and gas bills will still depend on how much energy they use - as the scheme is a discount - not a price cap. "We also encourage any consumers who are struggling to pay their energy bills or to top-up their meter, to contact their supplier directly for help and information."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63464815
     
         
      New hope for the Amazon Tue, 1st Nov 2022 6:59:00
     
      After four tumultuous years under the far-right rule of President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian voters narrowly elected the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — known simply as Lula — to lead the country as its next president. Environmental advocates worldwide have celebrated the news as a major victory — especially for the imperiled Amazon rainforest, which serves as an important carbon sink and fosters millions of species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Under Bolsonaro, Amazon deforestation spiked to record levels, fueled by expanding agriculture, logging, and illegal mining. Some 17 percent of the Amazon is now gone, and scientists say it is approaching a dangerous threshold beyond which large swaths of it could be irreversibly converted into arid savanna. Lula, who previously led Brazil as president from 2003 to 2010, pledged in his victory speech to reverse these alarming trends. “Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis, protecting all our biomes, especially the Amazon rainforest,” he told supporters on Sunday. He oversaw a dramatic decline in deforestation during his previous administration, which experts attribute to better enforcement of existing environmental laws. A recent analysis conducted for the website Carbon Brief estimates that if Lula follows through with pledges to combat illegal deforestation, his victory could slash Amazon deforestation by 89 percent over the next decade — saving an area roughly the size of Panama from being cleared. Still, obstacles remain. Bolsonaro’s right-wing Liberal Party, a major ally to the agribusinesses driving Amazon deforestation, still controls the Brazilian Congress, and the country is in the middle of an economic crisis. Meanwhile, the majority of political leaders in Brazil’s northern Amazonia region remain aligned with Bolsonaro and oppose measures to protect the rainforest. Many are still bitter about one of Lula’s landmark policies: the creation in 2005 of a 4.3-million-acre Indigenous territory in the state of Roraima, which forced some non-Indigenous residents to relocate.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-hope-for-the-amazon/
     
         
      Oil CEOs say this winter is not the season to worry about when it comes to the energy crisis Tue, 1st Nov 2022 0:37:00
     
      For this winter, Europe’s gas storage is more than 90% full, according to the International Energy Agency, providing some assurance against a major shortage. But a large proportion of that is made up of Russian gas imported in previous months, which likely won’t be available at all by winter of 2023. This could lead to significant social unrest — already, small to medium-sized protests have cropped up around Europe. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Politicians and governments around the world are bracing for potential civil unrest as many countries grapple with mounting energy costs and rising inflation. The global economy is facing an onslaught from multiple sides — a war in Europe, and shortages of oil, gas and food, and high inflation, each of which has worsened the next. Concerns are centered on the coming winter, especially for Europe. Cold weather, combined with an oil and gas shortage stemming from Western sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, threatens to upend lives and businesses. But as much concern as there is ahead of this winter, it’s really the winter of 2023 that people should be worried about, major oil and gas executives have warned. Energy prices “are approaching unaffordability,” with some people already “spending 50% of their disposable income on energy or higher,” BP CEO Bernard Looney told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble during a panel at the Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi. But through a combination of high gas storage levels and government spending packages to subsidize people’s bills, Europe may be able to manage the crisis this year. “I think it has been addressed for this winter,” Looney said. “It’s the next winter I think many of us worry, in Europe, could be even more challenging.” The CEO of Italian oil and gas giant Eni expressed the same worry. For this winter, Europe’s gas storage is around 90% full, according to the International Energy Agency, providing some assurance against a major shortage. But a large proportion of that is made up of Russian gas imported in previous months, as well as gas from other sources that was easier than usual to buy since major importer China was buying less due to its slower economic activity. “We are in good shape for this winter,” Eni chief Claudio Descalzi said during the same panel. “But as we said, the issue is not this winter. It will be the next one, because we are not going to have Russian gas – 98% [less] next year, maybe nothing.” Protests have already begun This could lead to serious social unrest — already, small to medium-sized protests have cropped up around Europe. Anti-government protests in Germany and Austria in September and in the Czech Republic last week — the latter of which has seen household energy bills surge tenfold — may be a small taste of what’s to come, analysts have warned. Some energy executives agreed. “We’ve seen that any shocks to the price at the pump, or something as simple as LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] for cooking, can cause unrest,” the CEO of Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik, said. He described how a strengthening dollar and rising fuel prices pose a serious risk to many Asian economies – massive populations that are some of the biggest oil and gas importers in the world. And this is happening while subsidies are already in place to help ease prices for citizens.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/01/energy-crisis-next-winter-will-be-more-challenging-oil-ceos-warn.html
     
         
      Climate crisis battle an ‘opportunity’ for working people, says Starmer Mon, 31st Oct 2022 8:07:00
     
      Labour leader sets out industrial plan including £28bn-a-year investment strategy at SME4Labour dinner Winning the battle against the climate crisis provides the biggest opportunity in decades to make the economy deliver for working people, Keir Starmer has said. Speaking at a business leaders’ dinner in London, the Labour leader said there was no cause for gloom despite the need for radical and immediate action to protect the planet from global heating. Starmer said Labour’s £28bn-a-year investment plan for a green economy would deliver the jobs and businesses of the future, cut gas and electricity bills, and give the UK energy independence. He was speaking ahead of this month’s Cop27 conference in Egypt, where countries will discuss ways of speeding up progress on tackling the climate crisis. It is not clear whether Rishi Sunak will attend the summit – he has previously said he wants to focus on mending the economy – but the Labour leader said that without energy security, there would be no economic security. “There’s no need for gloom,” he said. “The way I see it, this is the biggest opportunity we’ve had in decades to make this country work for working people. “A chance to create the jobs, the industries, the businesses of the future, deliver cheaper bills for working people. And real independence from tyrants like Putin and their fossil-fuel economic weapons, that’s what our green prosperity plan is all about. It’s cheap, clean, British energy – everywhere by 2030.” Labour would have an industrial strategy that included all sectors of the economy, he said, rather than simply those at the cutting edge of the fourth industrial revolution. Starmer, who has made reaching out to business one of his policy aims, was speaking at the SME4Labour gala dinner, where he said the party must “stand with working people and meet their ambitions for real change”. He said: “Our industrial strategy isn’t just for firms experimenting at the edge of technology’s horizons, it’s a plan to support all businesses, to put what Rachel Reeves [the shadow chancellor] calls ‘the everyday economy’ front and centre as well. “We need to win the race for electric car batteries, quantum computers, personalised medicines – absolutely,” Starmer added. “But we also need to support the small traders who replace our car batteries, the IT firms who get our offices running smoothly, the pharmacies who sell medicine in our communities. “The Tories are always about the richest 1%. That’s how they see the economy – people and businesses. For them, growth comes from the top-down, not from the grassroots; it’s why they’re always fiddling with corporation tax, but never think to reform business rates. They don’t get it. And it’s a crucial part of the stagnation they’ve given us for 12 years.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/31/climate-crisis-battle-an-opportunity-for-working-people-says-starmer
     
         
      World needs to accept the urgent need for fossil fuel investment now, BP CEO says Mon, 31st Oct 2022 6:47:00
     
      “Our strategy as BP ... is to invest in hydrocarbons today, because today’s energy system is a hydrocarbon system,” energy supermajor’s CEO, Bernard Looney, says. Looney said his company is “obviously trying to produce those hydrocarbons with the lowest possible emissions.” A major producer of oil and gas, BP says it’s aiming to become a net-zero company by the year 2050or before. BP’s strategy is centered around investing in hydrocarbons whilst simultaneously putting money into the planned energy transition, the oil and gas supermajor’s CEO said Monday. “What the world needs, more than ever right now, is a conversation and a series of actions that are involved in the practicalities and realities of today and tomorrow,” Bernard Looney, who was appearing on a panel discussion moderated by CNBC’s Hadley Gamble, said. “And by that I mean, our strategy as BP — which we’re executing in the U.K., we’re working on here in the Middle East and we’re doing it in the United States and across the world — is to invest in hydrocarbons today, because today’s energy system is a hydrocarbon system,” he added. Speaking at the Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi, Looney said his company was “obviously trying to produce those hydrocarbons with the lowest possible emissions” whilst at the same time investing in “accelerating the energy transition.” “And we’re doing that in Britain, we’re doing that in the United States, we’re doing it here,” he said, namechecking carbon capture, electric vehicle charging, hydrogen and offshore wind. A major producer of oil and gas, BP says it’s aiming to become a net-zero company by the year 2050 or before. It’s one of many major firms to have made a net-zero pledge in recent years. While such commitments draw attention, actually achieving them is a huge task with significant financial and logistical hurdles. The devil is in the detail and goals can often be light on the latter. Looney’s comments on investing in hydrocarbons come at a time when high profile figures such as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres are making their feelings on fossil fuels known. In June, for example, Guterres slammed new funding for fossil fuel exploration. He described it as “delusional” and called for an abandonment of fossil fuel finance. Fossil fuels’ effect on the environment is considerable. The United Nations says that, since the 19th century, “human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.” Back in Abu Dhabi, BP’s Looney referenced the war in Ukraine as he sought to make the case for developing a system focused on a range of sources and priorities. “There is a saying that wars do two things: wars reveal, and wars accelerate,” he said. “And one of the things that it has revealed is that whenever we focus on just one thing, it can end up being a problem,” he went on to say. Expanding on his point, Looney said that if he’d “asked anybody in Europe two or three years ago what they wanted from energy they would almost exclusively have said net-zero.” “If I ask them today what they want from energy, they will inevitably tell you they want an energy system that works.” An energy system that worked, he argued, was “an energy system that provides the world — Europe in this example — with secure energy, affordable energy and cleaner energy.” What the planet needed, he later added, was a plan that didn’t solely address lowering emissions but security and affordability too. “We should be very optimistic here,” he added, going on to note that “many of the things that will help energy security, help a cleaner energy system.” “Offshore wind is local, hydrogen can be local, EV charging, electrifying transport, is local, bioenergy is local — so the things that contribute to a lower carbon economy also contribute to energy security.” “And if we have a more diversified system, over time, we should have a more affordable system.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/31/well-continue-to-invest-in-hydrocarbons-bp-ceo.html
     
         
      Rishi Sunak could still attend COP27 climate summit Mon, 31st Oct 2022 5:56:00
     
      Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could still attend the COP27 climate summit if sufficient progress is made on preparations for the autumn Budget, Downing Street has said. On Thursday No 10 said Mr Sunak was not expected to attend "due to other pressing domestic commitments". But on Monday the prime minister's official spokesman said this position was "under review". Alok Sharma, the UK's COP26 president, is among those saying the PM should go. The UK is the current holder of the COP presidency, after hosting the summit in Glasgow last year. The annual UN climate summits are designed to help governments agree steps to limit global temperature rises. Mr Sharma will hand over the presidency to Egypt at the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheik, which takes place from 6 to 18 November. The conference finishes the day after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to set out the UK's tax and spending plans in his highly anticipated autumn statement. The big issues facing Egypt's COP27 climate summit UN warns key climate threshold slipping from sight On Monday, Mr Sunak's official spokesman said: "The prime minister is focused on pressing domestic issues, most significantly preparing for the autumn statement, so any attendance at Cop would depend on progress on preparation for that fiscal event, and that work is ongoing." "The prime minister fully recognises the importance of the COP summit and is fully committed to addressing climate change," he added. Asked on BBC Breakfast whether the prime minister could attend, Environment Minister Mark Spencer said Mr Sunak had "a huge inbox", with challenges including the economy and rising global energy and food prices. "His focus at the moment is dealing with the autumn statement and the government's response to those global challenges," he said. Mr Spencer added: "I'm sure if his diary allows he would want to go but at this moment in time don't quite know if he's going to be have time to do that." Mr Sunak has faced criticism from opposition parties, environmental groups and some Conservatives, after No 10 said he was not expected to attend the summit. Liberal Democrat climate spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse called for Mr Sunak to "immediately confirm his attendance", adding: "It shouldn't take Boris Johnson going to COP to embarrass Rishi Sunak into doing the right thing." There are reports Mr Johnson, who attended the Glasgow summit when he was prime minister, could go to Egypt for this year's event. Labour have accused Mr Sunak of a "failure of leadership" and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said it was "absolutely so wrong" that Mr Sunak was not going, as the UK is still COP president, adding: "Symbols matter." At the weekend Alok Sharma, who was recently demoted from cabinet, told the Sunday Times he was "pretty disappointed" at news Mr Sunak was not going, saying his attendance would signal the UK's "renewed commitment on this issue". On Monday, the government's most senior environmental advisers, including influential climate experts Lord Stern and Laurence Tubiana, urged Mr Sunak to attend the conference, saying it presented "an opportunity... to restore the trust and confidence of the international community in Global Britain". US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are all due to attend, while Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss had been set to go when she was PM. King Charles, who is a longstanding champion of environmental issues, will not attend after Buckingham Palace sought advice from then-PM Ms Truss and agreed he would not go in person. The advice has not changed under new PM Mr Sunak. However, the monarch will host a reception at Buckingham Palace on 4 November, on the eve of the conference, for 200 international business leaders, decision makers and charities to mark the end of the UK's COP presidency and look ahead to the summit in Egypt. Mr Sunak will "say a few words" at the event, which will also be attended by US climate envoy John Kerry. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has said she will not be at the summit in Egypt, called it a "scam" and said it was "symbolic" the conference was being held in a country which "violates many basic human rights". "Many world leaders are too busy to go there because they have their own problems. With that mindset we're not going to be able to solve many of the problems that we face," she told an event in London on Sunday. The Egypt conference is expected to focus on three main areas - reducing emissions, helping countries prepare for and deal with climate change, and securing technical support for developing countries for these activities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63454966
     
         
      Massachusetts wind power project ‘no longer viable’ without contract adjustments, says developer Mon, 31st Oct 2022 5:45:00
     
      The developer for a major offshore wind project in Massachusetts has asked state regulators to pause review of the contract for one month, saying that global price hikes, inflation and supply chain shortages are disrupting the plan. The Commonwealth Wind project, which would supply 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind power starting in 2028, “is no longer viable and would not be able to move forward” under the terms of contract, according to a motion recently filed by the developer. The rising cost of the Massachusetts project comes as the U.S. aggressively ramps up its offshore wind industry. The Biden administration has set a target for permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The developer for a major offshore wind power project in Massachusetts has asked state regulators to pause review of the contract for one month, saying that global price hikes, inflation and supply chain shortages are disrupting the plan. The Commonwealth Wind project, which would supply 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind power starting in 2028, “is no longer viable and would not be able to move forward” without amendments to the power purchase agreement (PPA), according to a motion recently filed by the developer. Attorneys for Commonwealth Wind in the motion cited global commodity price increases, in part because of the war in Ukraine, the sudden spike in interest rates, prolonged supply chain constraints and persistent inflation as reasons for the increased expected cost of construction. “A one-month suspension would give the parties an opportunity to evaluate the current situation facing the project and potentially agree upon changes to the PPAs ... that could allow the project to return to viability,” they wrote. The rising cost of the project comes as the U.S. aggressively ramps up its offshore wind industry. The Biden administration has set a target for permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, enough to supply 10 million homes with clean energy while creating new domestic jobs. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is also set to hold its first-ever offshore wind lease sale on the West Coast in December, and to date has held 10 lease sales and issued 27 active commercial wind leases in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to North Carolina. The president’s Inflation Reduction Act passed earlier this year includes an federal tax provision that will support offshore wind. The provision provides a 30% tax credit for offshore wind projects that start construction before Jan. 1, 2026. More offshore wind developers are expected to claim the tax credit as the costs of constructing their plans continue to rise. Commonwealth Wind said a suspension would enable parties to consider possible approaches to restore the project’s viability, including the cost-saving measures and tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. Even with a brief pause, the developer said the project is expected to go live in 2028 and would help the state of Massachusetts reach its goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade, the developer said. “Commonwealth Wind remains fully committed to the project and to delivering cost-effective renewable energy from the project to the residents and businesses of Massachusetts in a manner that advances ... the Commonwealth’s energy and climate policies,” the attorneys wrote.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/31/massachusetts-wind-power-project-no-longer-viable-developer.html
     
         
      Biden threatens higher taxes on oil companies if they do not work to lower gas prices Mon, 31st Oct 2022 5:42:00
     
      President Joe Biden threatened to pursue higher taxes on oil companies if they do not try to lower gas prices. Any new proposed taxes on the businesses could run into opposition in Congress. Biden has highlighted efforts to reduce costs for consumers as voters worry about inflation ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections. President Joe Biden threatened Monday to pursue higher taxes on oil company profits if industry giants do not work to cut gas prices. Biden has criticized oil companies that have made record-high profits as consumers struggle to keep up with high gas prices. The price of a gallon of gas was $3.76 on Monday, according to AAA, down from a record of over $5 in June but still higher than a year ago. “Their profits are a windfall of war,” Biden said, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which prompted Western sanctions that reduced oil supply. “It’s time for these companies to stop their war profiteering.” “If they don’t they’re going to pay a higher tax on their excess profits,” he said. With eight days to go before Election Day, White House messaging has focused on how Democrats are working to improve the economy and how Republicans would make it worse. Inflation and the economy consistently rank as the top issue for voters — and higher gas prices stretched consumer budgets for much of this year. Ahead of the election, he has highlighted efforts to reduce consumer costs in a range of other industries. Last week, Biden announced initiatives to address “junk fees” from banks, airlines, cable companies and other industries, aiming to “provide families with more breathing room.” Any new taxes on oil profits would need congressional approval, which may prove difficult as Democrats control both chambers of Congress by slim margins. Progressives like Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts previously floated the idea. Republicans, who generally support lower taxes, also hope to win back one or both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterms. Biden stressed that he is “a capitalist” but added that companies are making “profits so high it’s hard to believe.” Shell made $9.5 billion in profits in the third quarter, almost double what it made in the same period last year, Biden said. Exxon’s profits in the third quarter were $18.7 billion, nearly triple what Exxon made last year and the most in its 152-year history. Biden has made pleas to oil companies to increase production rather than to enrich shareholders in recent weeks as the price of gas remains high. Earlier this month, Biden announced the release of 15 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The White House has released about 165 million barrels of crude from the reserve since the beginning of the year, out of a total that it said would be around 180 million. Biden promised in his earlier speech to purchase oil to refill the reserve once the price hits $70 a barrel. He said companies should therefore invest now in increased production with the confidence that the government will purchase the oil later. The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and natural gas trade association, did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Biden’s remarks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/31/joe-biden-threatens-higher-taxes-on-oil-companies-amid-high-gas-prices.html
     
         
      HS2 could face review as Tories look to plug budget, says Michael Gove Sun, 30th Oct 2022 8:05:00
     
      Liz Truss’s investment zones also suggested as likely savings target, amid reports energy windfall tax will be extended “Everything will be reviewed” as the government considers ways to cut spending and plug a budget black hole, the levelling up minister has said, naming the HS2 high-speed rail project and Liz Truss’s investment zones as possible candidates for savings. Michael Gove’s comments followed reports that ministers are considering extending the windfall tax on energy companies by three years and increasing it to 30% of profits, but have taken a similar levy on banks off the table. The new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and his chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, are searching for ways to fill a £40bn to £50bn budget shortfall for the government next year before their autumn financial statement on 17 November. The pair reportedly aim to raise £50bn through tax increases and spending cuts in order to give headroom for a slowdown in economic growth that could increase the deficit further. Asked on Sunday whether HS2 might be at risk, Gove said: “I am sure everything will be reviewed,” adding that the high speed route was a “significant investment”. He told Times Radio: “As a result of different factors, including mistakes that were made at the mini-budget, we have got to make some decisions, which will be painful … When we face the particularly economic problems that we have at the moment, I’m sure that some capital spending will be cut.” Gove also told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme he was reviewing Truss’s proposals for investment zones around the UK. It has been suggested they could cost the government £12bn in lost tax while putting environmental and employment protections at risk. It is understood the zones may still go ahead, but Gove told Sky: “Anything that might in any way undermine environmental protections is out.” According to the Sunday Times, another money-saving option could be to delay social care reforms introduced by the former prime minister Boris Johnson by a year, including the £86,000 cap on lifetime care costs that was billed to launch in 2023. It cited sources saying Sunak had gone cold on the idea of a windfall tax on banks, but was considering extending the energy profits levy on oil and gas firms to also cover electricity generators, as well as raising it from 25% of profits to 30% and extending it until 2028. Treasury forecasts were said to predict that while the wholesale price of gas and energy are falling, they are predicted to remain at an “elevated level” until at least 2030. The price of energy around the world soared since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and Shell revealed last week that it had made record global profits of nearly $30bn (£26bn) so far this year. However, the UK-headquartered oil company said it had yet to pay the windfall tax and did not expect to do so throughout 2022 because its British corporate entity did not make any profits during the quarter, in part because of heavy spending on drilling in the North Sea. The company also took advantage of investment reliefs included in the energy profits levy that mean for every £1 they spend increasing oil and gas extraction in UK waters, they could reduce their taxes by 91p. The government had expected to raise £5bn from the levy this year, but some analysts have warned that extensive use of tax breaks could lead to much less being recouped. Alok Sharma, the president of the Cop26 UN climate summit who was stripped of his role attending cabinet last week, has called for a change in the energy windfall tax, saying it incentivises investment in oil and gas rather than renewables. Labour has also called for the tax to be tightened to remove the option for energy firms to claim tax relief on more than 90% of the levy if the money is reinvested. Senior Whitehall officials have raised concern that spending cuts to balance the budget could go too far, with infrastructure investment seen as crucial to securing future economic growth. While the UK is not yet in recession, it is forecast to enter one later this year. Inflation is above 10% and the Bank of England is expected to announce the biggest hike in interest rates in 33 years when it meets on Thursday to tackle the problem. Markets forecast the base rate will go up 0.75 percentage points to 3%, adding further pressure to the mortgage market. A government spokesperson said: “HS2 is under way, within budget, and supporting 28,000 jobs. The government remains committed to delivering it on time and to budget.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/30/windfall-tax-increase-and-hs2-under-review-as-tories-look-to-plug-budget
     
         
      Why is there a global energy crisis and who might suffer most from it? Sun, 30th Oct 2022 8:00:00
     
      We are in the midst of the first global energy crisis, according to the International Energy Agency. It says that because of it, tens of millions of people across the world may lose access to electricity, or fuel for their homes. Why have energy prices risen so high? The price of natural gas has increased almost five-fold since the summer of 2020. It has been selling on international markets for the equivalent of $250 per barrel of oil. The International Energy Authority (IEA) says Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February is the main factor behind this. Russia has cut natural gas supplies to countries in the European Union by over 80% because of their opposition to the invasion, and this has led to a bidding war for supplies of gas across the world. What pushed gas prices to extreme highs? How Russia is cutting off gas to Europe How can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? The price of natural gas was rising even before the outbreak of the war. As countries emerged from Covid lockdowns, industries started using much more of it. Coal prices have also risen sharply - tripling over the past year. That's because with the shortage of gas, many power stations around the world have switched to using coal. instead. Oil, the third major fossil fuel energy sources, has also risen in price as EU members, along with countries such as the UK and US, have banned purchases of Russian oil. This has created further oil shortages, and at its peak, Brent crude reached $125 a barrel. The price is now at levels of between $90 and $95 a barrel. The IEA says this year's energy crisis is worse than the oil price shocks of the 1970s because it involves not just oil but natural gas and coal, as well. It is also affecting the lives of many more people around the world - and especially in developing countries. Who is most at risk because of high energy prices? High fuel prices have increased the cost of producing electricity, and the prices that consumers pay for it. The IEA says that in recent years, hundreds of millions more people around the world have been able to afford electricity supplies for their homes. But because of rising prices, it says, 75 million people may not be able to afford their electricity supplies any more. Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries also use canisters of fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking at home. In Nigeria, the price of LPG has almost doubled over the past year. The IEA says 100m people may no longer be able to afford using LPG for their cooking and may have to use firewood instead. This creates a health problem because wood smoke damages the lungs. Global cost of living: 'We left New Zealand - it's costly' How are other countries tackling energy bills? How much are Opec+ oil producers to blame? Russia is widely blamed for causing the energy crisis by holding back gas exports to EU countries. However, the 22 oil producing countries in the Opec+ group (which also includes Russia) have also played a part. In 2020, Opec+ countries cut oil production by more than nine million barrels per day because of falling demand during the pandemic. When the pandemic ended and the demand for oil rose, OPEC+ countries only increased their output slightly. This created international shortages, pushing up petrol prices around the world. At the start of October, OPEC+ cut output again, by two million barrels a day. How can the crisis be ended? Some producer countries have responded to the world energy crisis by increasing their output of fossil fuels. In the US, companies are expected to increase natural gas production to new record levels in 2022, and again in 2023. Much of this will be sold to EU countries as liquefied natural gas. However, Europe may have to endure a tough upcoming winter, with continued high gas prices, before these new LNG supplies arrive. The IEA expects renewables to be key in solving the world's energy shortages over the next few years. It says that by 2030, companies around the world are expected to be investing $2 trillion dollars a year in clean energy. It says by this time, the US could be producing two-and-a-half-times the amount of solar energy and wind energy that it produces now. China and India are both expected to ramp up their clean energy production. By 2030, the IEA expects India to near its goal of producing two-thirds of its electricity from renewable sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-63430824
     
         
      Solar farms 'vital' part of renewable energy mix, say Norfolk campaigners Sun, 30th Oct 2022 6:03:00
     
      Energy from the sun is a key part of the renewable energy mix but some think solar farms should not be built on farmland, BBC Politics East reports. Recently the then Prime Minister Liz Truss suggested agricultural land used for food should not be used for solar power. But environmentalists have told the BBC that solar farms are vital to reduce carbon emissions. A 200-acre (81-hectare) scheme has been approved at Bloy's Grove near Norwich. The solar farm off Brick Kiln Lane, between Mulbarton, Newton Flotman and Swainsthorpe, is expected to generate enough energy to power 14,000 homes. Ann Chandler, of Swainsthorpe Parish Council, said: "The land [at Bloy's Grove] has been used for growing crops for hundreds and hundreds of years, so we are extremely worried about it and upset about it. "It's not good for our future food security. We've been told we need our food security to be self-sufficient. "In France they are putting solar panels high above their car parks, such as supermarket car parks. "We should think outside the box a bit more and not use our prime land." EDF renewables, owned by the French state - which is behind the project, is currently building two other solar farms in the region with more in the pipeline. Ben Fawcett, the firm's head of solar, said: "Farmers get a guaranteed income. If they know they can get a secure income, that also allows them to invest which potentially means their other land becomes more productive. "So I don't think it is necessarily a direct conflict between food security and energy security and I think the Ukraine crisis has reminded us of the importance of energy security." 'Productive agricultural land' Current government policy on solar generation is unclear. Six months ago a target to increase it five-fold was announced, then last month the then PM and South West Norfolk MP Ms Truss appeared to move away from solar farms. "I very much support the use of solar panels on commercial buildings - I thinks that's great - and on homes," she said. "But what we shouldn't be doing is using productive agricultural land, that could be producing food, for solar energy." Michael Rayner, Norfolk spokesman the countryside charity CPRE, said solar farms were "a quick fix" leading to "quick profits", but not the answer to providing solar power. "In 2014, there was a report that showed there were 250,000 hectares of commercial south-facing roof-space where we could put solar and that doesn't include domestic roof space or brownfield [urban] land," he said. Asher Minns, the executive directive of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, based at the University of East Anglia, said the land taken up by solar farms was a quarter of that used by golf courses. "We need solar on land and... on roofs and new-build roofs and new-build businesses," he said. "There have to be proper building requirements that if you are building a new building you need to put solar panels on the roof. We need clean electricity going into the 21st Century." Escaping the grid amid the cost of living crisis Truss and Macron agree Sizewell C cooperation Claims on solar panels and the economy fact-checked A Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: "Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of the government's manifesto. "We will be working closely with farmers, land managers and environmental groups as we look at ways to improve our future farming policy so that it... supports our thriving food and farming sector." You can see more on this story on Politics East on BBC One on Sunday, 30 October at 10:00 BST, with it also available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-63421453
     
         
      Rishi Sunak criticised for skipping COP27 climate summit Fri, 28th Oct 2022 10:30:00
     
      Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been accused of "a failure of leadership" for not attending the COP27 climate summit next month. Opposition parties and environmental groups said the decision showed the government was not taking the climate crisis seriously enough. Downing Street said the PM had "other pressing domestic commitments including preparations for the autumn Budget". Mr Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss had been due to attend the conference. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC she was planning to to attend along with the outgoing Alok Sharma, who was president of last year's COP in the UK. Defending Mr Sunak's decision, Ms Coffey said the "big political moments" tended to happen at the conference every five years - such as last year's summit in Glasgow - and that this year's conference would be more about implementation. She insisted that "protecting the planet is absolutely a priority for the government". "We remain committed to net zero and to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change. The UK is forging ahead of many other countries on net zero," she added. Speaking to LBC, the minister said: "The UK continues to show global leadership as opposed to just a gathering of people in Egypt." What is COP27? UN warns key climate threshold slipping from sight UK tax and spending plan pushed back by two weeks Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "Britain showing up to work with world leaders is an opportunity to grasp. Not an event to shun." The Liberal Democrats also criticised the decision, with leader Sir Ed Davey saying it "flies in the face of the UK's proud tradition of leading the world in our response to the climate change". Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said the decision made "a mockery of any government claims on continued climate leadership". Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said the move suggests Mr Sunak does not take climate change "seriously enough". COP27 will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, from 6 to 18 November - finishing the day after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to set out the UK's tax and spending plans. The annual UN climate summits are designed to help governments agree steps to limit global temperature rises. The UK hosted last year's summit, COP26, in Glasgow and was attended by then-PM Boris Johnson. The summit in Egypt is expected to focus on three main areas - reducing emissions, helping countries prepare for and deal with climate change, and securing technical support for developing countries for these activities.+ On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the BBC that he would like to see both the PM and King Charles in attendance. Now it looks like neither will be there. Given that the UK government was not just the host of COP26 but the main driving force behind its limited successes, it is unusual that it will not have a major political figure in attendance. While Alok Sharma will be there as the outgoing COP president, he is not of the same rank as a prime minister or monarch. The Egyptian organisers will likely be furious at this turn of events - and it will not augur well for the conference if the leaders of one of the world's leading lights in taking action on climate can't prioritise travelling to the gathering. 2px presentational grey line More than 200 governments have been invited to COP27. However, some leaders of major economies are not expected to attend, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. US President Joe Biden is planning to go, but China has not yet confirmed if its leaders will participate. Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace confirmed King Charles would not be attending the conference. The monarch has a long-standing interest in environmental issues, but the Palace said it had sought advice from then-PM Ms Truss and that "with mutual friendship and respect there was agreement that the King would not attend". Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Ms Coffey said: "The government doesn't have a view on whether the King should go" adding that it was "a matter" for him. The news that Mr Sunak will not be attending comes as a UN report warns there is "no credible pathway" to keep the rise in global temperatures below a key threshold of 1.5C. Scientists believe that going beyond 1.5C would see dangerous impacts for people all over the world. On Wednesday, United Nations secretary general António Guterres told the BBC countries must reprioritise climate change or face catastrophe. Meanwhile, No 10 have confirmed Climate Minister Graham Stuart - who was reappointed to the role in Mr Sunak's reshuffle - will no longer attend cabinet, Last month, under the Truss premiership, the government announced a review of the UK's target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Former Energy Minister Chris Skidmore was tasked with leading the review "with a focus on ensuring the UK's fight against climate change maximises economic growth, while increasing energy security and affordability for consumers and businesses".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63418876
     
         
      COP27: What you need to know about this year’s big UN Climate Conference Fri, 28th Oct 2022 9:49:00
     
      This year’s UN Climate Conference takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, against a backdrop of extreme weather events worldwide, an energy crisis propelled by the war in Ukraine, and scientific data reiterating that the world is not doing enough to tackle carbon emissions and protect the future of our planet. The Secretary-General has said COP27 must deliver a “down-payment” on climate solutions that match the scale of the problem, so, will leaders deliver? UN News will keep you informed during the two weeks of the conference officially kicking off on Nov 6th, but before our multimedia team heads for the shore of the Red Sea, we’ve compiled this guide to some of the most important things you need to know. What’s the story with all these COPS? The COPs are the biggest and most important annual climate-related conferences on the planet. In 1992, the UN organised the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in which the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted and its coordinating agency - what we know now as the UN Climate Change secretariat - was put into place. In this treaty, nations agreed to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent dangerous interference from human activity on the climate system”. So far, 197 different parties have signed it. Since 1994, when the treaty entered into force, every year the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits or “COPs”, which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. During these meetings, nations have negotiated various extensions of the original treaty to establish legally binding limits on emissions, for example, the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, in which all countries of the world agreed to step up efforts to try and limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures, and boost climate action financing. This year marks the 27th annual summit, or COP27. How is COP27 different from the other COPs? Last year’s COP26, which marked five years since the signing of the Paris Agreement (one year was skipped because of the COVID pandemic), culminated in the Glasgow Climate Pact, which kept the goal of curbing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius alive, but “with a weak pulse”, as the then UK Presidency declared. Advancements were made to make the Paris Agreement fully operational, by finalizing the details for its practical implementation, also known as the Paris Rulebook. At COP26 countries agreed to deliver stronger commitments this year, including updated national plans with more ambitious targets. However, only 23 out of 193 countries have submitted their plans to the UN so far. Glasgow also saw many pledges made inside and outside the negotiation rooms regarding net-zero commitments, forests protection and climate finance, among many other issues. According to the Presidential vision statement, COP27 will be about moving from negotiations, and “planning for implementation” for all these promises and pledges made. Egypt has called for full, timely, inclusive, and at-scale action on the ground. According to experts, besides reviewing how to implement the Paris Rulebook, the conference will also see negotiations regarding some points that remained inconclusive after Glasgow. These issues include “loss and damage” financing so that countries at the frontlines of the crisis can deal with the consequences of climate change that go beyond what they can adapt to, and the fulfilment of the promise of $100 billion every year from adaptation finance, from developed nations, to low-income countries. The negotiations will also include technical discussions, for example, to specify the way in which nations should practically measure their emissions so there’s a level playing field for everyone. All these discussions will pave the way for the first Global Stocktake at COP28, which in 2023 will assess the global collective progress on mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation of the Paris Agreement. So, what are the big objectives this time? 1. Mitigation: how are countries reducing their emissions? Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energy sources, making older equipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. Countries are expected to show how they are planning to implement the Glasgow pact call, to review their climate plans and create a work programme related to mitigation. This means presenting more ambitious 2030 emissions targets, since UN Climate Change has said that current plans are still not enough to avoid catastrophic warming. 2. Adaptation: how are countries going to adapt and help others do the same? Climate change is here. Beyond doing everything we can to cut emissions and slow the pace of global warming, countries must also adapt to climate consequences so that they can protect their citizens. The fallout varies depending on location. It might mean the risk of more fires or floods, droughts, hotter or colder days or sea-level rise. At COP26, delegates adopted a work programme on the global goal of adaptation established in the Paris Agreement. The plan was put in place to equip communities and countries with the knowledge and tools to ensure that adaptation actions they take, are indeed moving the world towards a more climate-resilient future. The COP27 Presidency expects nations to capture and assess their progress toward enhancing resilience and helping the most vulnerable communities. This means countries making more detailed and ambitious commitments in the adaptation components of their national climate plans. Last year, developed countries agreed to at least double finance for adaptation, and many stakeholders are calling for even greater levels of adaptation funding to match the amounts that are now being spent on mitigation, as established in the Paris Agreement. This will definitely be a big conversation topic at Sharm el-Sheikh. UNFCCC is clear that to respond to the present and future climate risks it is necessary to significantly increase the scale of adaptation finance, from all sources – public and private sources. All players must come on board – governments, financial institutions, and the private sector. ...
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129947
     
         
      Millions face flooding threat across west and central Africa Fri, 28th Oct 2022 8:51:00
     
      In west and central Africa, some 3.4 million people need help after destructive flooding, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. The alert comes amid the worst floods in a decade, which have swept across Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon. UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado said that hundreds of people had died in Nigeria, where floodwaters in the northeast swept through sites for internally displaced people and host communities in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. Crisis, is now Ms. Sarrado added that temperatures in the Sahel are also rising 1.5 times faster than the global average: “The climate crisis is happening now – destroying livelihoods, disrupting food security, aggravating conflicts over scarce resources and driving displacement.” More than 1.3 million people have been displaced so far in Nigeria and 2.8 million have been impacted by flooding, with farmlands and roads submerged. In Central Sahel countries – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso – above-average rains and flooding have killed hundreds, displaced thousands, and decimated over one million hectares of cropland. “Countries and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis need urgent support and financing to build defences, to adapt, and to minimize the most harmful consequences.” ‘Dangerously’ underfunded To help those most in need in West and Central Africa, UNHCR appealed to all donors for urgent support, as its humanitarian operations are “dangerously and chronically underfunded”. “In Chad, only 43 per cent of the funds UNHCR needs in 2022 have been received. Our 2022 operations in Burkina Faso are just 42 per cent funded. With less than two months left, we have received 39 per cent of the funds needed in Nigeria and 53 percent in Niger,” Ms. Sarrado said. Worst in 40 years Beyond the Sahel, she reminded that we are witnessing the worst drought in 40 years and the threat of famine in the Horn of Africa, a devastating cyclone season in Mozambique, and historic floods for a fourth consecutive year in South Sudan and Sudan. “Extreme weather across the African continent in 2022 has killed hundreds and forced millions to flee their homes”, she told journalists.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129997
     
         
      Maine regulators approve clean-energy projects Fri, 28th Oct 2022 8:47:00
     
      egulators in Maine approved two projects last week to generate more clean energy and deliver it to the New England electric grid. The Maine Public Utilities Commission selected the renewable power firm Longroad Energy to build a 1,000-megawatt wind project in northern Aroostook County. It would be the Pine Tree State’s largest wind power facility by far, with enough capacity to power up to 900,000 homes. Another company, LS Power Base, was selected to build more than 100 miles of transmission lines connecting the wind farm to the regional grid. Proponents said the two projects will reduce New England’s reliance on fossil fuels and also reduce electricity prices throughout the region. ”Freeing New England from its dependence on fossil fuels, with all the price volatility that comes with it, is really important,” Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director for the nonprofit Natural Resources Council of Maine, told me. He said the commission’s decision was “a really hopeful step forward.” Although renewable energy capacity has been growing in New England, last year the region still generated 53 percent of its electricity from natural gas. Only 12 percent came from renewables, including wind, solar, and controversial biofuel and waste-to-energy projects, and some new developments have faced local opposition. Last year, Maine voters halted progress on a transmission line that would have brought hydropower from Quebec into New England. Opponents said they feared permanent damage to the state’s northern woods. Shapiro said the new clean-energy projects have avoided controversy because they route through commercial timberland and because they add new renewable capacity in-state — rather than turning Maine into a corridor for electricity produced and used elsewhere. Before granting final contracts to the new pair of projects, members of the Maine Public Utilities Commission say they’re waiting to see whether Massachusetts will help cover some of the $2 billion in costs. Experts expect it will; the Bay State had already agreed that Massachusetts utility customers would foot the bill for the Quebec transmission line, and its greenhouse gas reduction targets demand a rapid expansion in renewable energy sources.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/maine-regulators-approve-clean-energy-projects/
     
         
      Energy bill help for all is too expensive, warns the World Bank Thu, 27th Oct 2022 11:24:00
     
      It is too expensive for governments to help everyone with their soaring energy bills, the World Bank has warned. The bank's president said Covid support schemes had not been targeted enough towards the most vulnerable and the debt will take decades to pay off. David Malpass told the BBC the same policy was being adopted to help people cope with rising energy bills. "Governments are saying we will take care of everyone, which is just too expensive," he said. It is pushing global debt to record levels and people at the bottom of the income scale are hardest hit, he said. It comes as separate research suggests the UK's own energy support scheme is far too expensive in its current form. The government is limiting average bills for households using a typical amount of energy to £2,500 a year for six months, but will review the support offered from April. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the current scheme could cost some £30bn because it was untargeted. It also said households could save up to £20bn per year if they were incentivised to invest in energy-saving measures like solar panels. Covid comparison During the pandemic governments borrowed billions of pounds to get through lockdowns. They paid for job retention schemes like furlough, increased benefit payments and loans and grants for business that were forced to close. Mr Malpass told the BBC's World Service there was an accepted economic view that there should be a social safety net, some protection for people during a crisis. The subsidies should be temporary and targeted to those who need them most, he said. But Mr Malpass said many of the Covid subsidies were not targeted. "They went to everyone...and now the consequences are coming home. "People will be left for years and even decades paying for that debt," he added. The Institute of International Finance reports that global debt topped $305 trillion earlier in the year and is expected to increase further. The war in Ukraine is causing energy prices to spike. Across Europe, governments have introduced energy subsidies to help households pay for rising prices. The World Bank expects energy prices to decline by 11% next year after a 60% surge this year, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In its latest Commodity Markets Outlook, the bank predicted an average Brent crude oil price of $92 per barrel next year. However, that is still well above the five-year average of $60. The energy crisis comes at a time when governments have already run up large amounts of debt. Mr Malpass said he was concerned that the additional help for people will push inflation - the measure of rising prices - even higher. In the UK inflation is at a 40-year high of 10.1%. The International Monetary Fund expects global inflation to peak this year at 9.5% and says it will not begin to fall until 2024. It's causing many low income countries to default on loan repayments and pushing vulnerable people into poverty.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63386350
     
         
      COP27: What is the Egypt climate conference and why is it important? Thu, 27th Oct 2022 10:35:00
     
      World leaders are set to discuss action to tackle climate change, at the UN climate summit in Egypt. It follows a year of climate-related disasters and broken temperature records. What is the UN climate summit? UN climate summits are held every year, for governments to agree steps to limit global temperature rises. They are referred to as COPs, which stands for "Conference of the Parties". The parties are the attending countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in 1992. COP27 is the 27th annual UN meeting on climate. It will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November. Why are COP meetings needed? The world is warming because of emissions produced by humans, mostly from burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Global temperatures have risen 1.1C and are heading towards 1.5C, according to the UN's climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If temperatures rise 1.7 to 1.8C above 1850s levels, the IPCC estimates that half the word's population could be exposed to life-threatening heat and humidity. To prevent this, 194 countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, pledging to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C. A really simple guide to climate change Who will be at COP27? More than 200 governments are invited. However, some leaders of major economies including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are not expected to attend. Delegates from these countries are still expected. Other countries, including China, have not confirmed whether their leaders will take part. Hosts Egypt have called on countries to put their differences aside and "show leadership". Environmental charities, community groups, think tanks, businesses and faith groups will also take part. Don’t backtrack on climate, Egypt tells Truss Why is COP27 in Egypt? This will be the fifth time a COP has been hosted in Africa. The region's governments hope it will draw attention to the severe impacts of climate change on the continent. The IPCC says Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. Currently, 17 million people are estimated to be facing food insecurity in east Africa because of drought. However, choosing Egypt as the venue has attracted controversy. Some human rights and climate campaigners say the government has stopped them attending because they have criticised its rights record. Egypt pressed to make human rights move before COP27 What will be discussed at COP27? Ahead of the meeting, countries were asked to submit ambitious national climate plans. Only 25 have - so far. COP27 will focus on three main areas: Reducing emissions Helping countries to prepare and deal with climate change Securing technical support and funding for developing countries for these activities Some areas not fully resolved or covered at COP26 will be picked up: Loss and damage finance - money to help countries recover from the effects of climate change, rather than just prepare for it Establishment of a global carbon market - to price the effects of emissions into products and services globally Strengthen the commitments to reduce coal use There will also be themed days for focused talks and announcements on issues including gender, agriculture and biodiversity. Do we expect any sticking points? Finance has been long been an issue at climate talks. In 2009, developed countries committed to give $100 billion a year, by 2020, to developing countries to help them reduce emissions and prepare for climate change. The target was missed and moved back to 2023. But developing nations are also calling for payments for "loss and damage" - the impacts faced now. An option for making payments was excluded from the Bonn climate talks, after pushback from wealthier nations who feared they would be forced to pay compensation for decades. The EU agreed discussions should take place at COP27. You will hear a lot of jargon: Paris accord: The Paris Agreement united all the world's nations - for the first time - in a single agreement on tackling global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change examines the latest research into climate change 1.5C: Keeping the rise in global average temperature below 1.5C - compared with pre-industrial times - will avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists say How will we know if it has been successful? It depends who you speak to. Developing countries, as a minimum, will want loss and damage finance to be an agenda item. They will also be pushing to have a date set for when they might start to receive payments. Developed nations will be looking for more commitment from large developing countries - such as China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa - to move away from coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels. There are also pledges from last year - on forests, coal, and methane - that more countries may sign up to. What climate pledges were agreed at COP26? However, some scientists believe world leaders have left it too late and no matter what is agreed at COP27, 1.5C will not be achieved.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63316362
     
         
      Garden State sues Big Oil Thu, 27th Oct 2022 9:53:00
     
      Last week, New Jersey filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to hold major fossil fuel companies accountable for causing climate change. The suit alleges that oil giants Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips, along with the powerful industry group the American Petroleum Institute, are liable for damages to the state caused by global warming. It also charges that the companies committed fraud by failing to warn the public about the dangers of unchecked carbon emissions. “Our communities and environment are continually recovering from extreme heat, furious storms and devastating floods,” Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s commissioner of environmental protection, said at a press conference for the lawsuit. New Jersey has seen its share of major climate disasters, such as the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which sent tornadoes ripping through the state last year, and Hurricane Sandy, which killed 38 people and damaged more than 300,000 Garden State homes almost exactly 10 years ago. The state’s attorney general argued that these disasters could have been avoided if oil companies had not systemically withheld information about the risks of climate change from the public for decades. “We could have taken actions that would have mitigated or even eliminated many of the risks of climate change, including the prevalence of dangerous storms like Sandy,” New Jersey attorney general Matthew Platkin said at the press conference. “Today we begin to right the wrongs inflicted on our residents by companies who deliberately chose profits over our global environment and the well being of our residents.” This lawsuit is the latest in a line of states, cities, and counties taking oil majors to court over their role in climate change. Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Vermont have all lodged similar suits against oil and gas companies, as have cities like Honolulu, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Lawyers representing oil and gas companies have argued that these cases, dozens of which are pending in courts across the country, belong in the federal court system, which the fossil fuel companies expect to be friendlier to their cause. Two oil companies recently asked the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s decision that a Boulder County, Colorado, lawsuit belonged in state court.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/garden-state-sues-big-oil/
     
         
      World facing 'first truly global energy crisis', report says Thu, 27th Oct 2022 9:22:00
     
      Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have long-lasting effects on energy supply and markets, a new report suggests. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said the world faces its first "truly global energy crisis" as a result. It added that unaffordable energy bills remain a huge problem, driven up as the exports of oil and gas have been restricted. But the crisis should also be seen as a turning point, speeding up the world's transition to green energy, it said. "With unrelenting geopolitical and economic concerns, energy markets remain extremely vulnerable, and the crisis is a reminder of the fragility and unsustainability of the current global energy system. "The heaviest burden is falling on poorer households where a larger share of income is spent on energy", the report warned. The Paris-based agency calculated the value of government spending to protect customers from price rises currently stands at $550bn (£473bn) worldwide, and is set to rise further, particularly in the UK and Germany. The IEA said the most effective policies to protect customers from the impact of soaring costs, and changing energy infrastructure, had been introduced by the likes of the US, Japan and Korea. It also cited the REPowerEU scheme, which aims to make European Union (EU) countries independent of Russian energy by 2030. The IEA predicts that Russia's share of global energy trade will fall from 20% currently to 13% by 2030. The report also said that for the first time ever, its forecasts - based on current prices and government policies - showed that global demand for every fossil fuel will either be peaking or reaching a plateau. The IEA isn't pulling its punches here: this is a global crisis, of unprecedented breadth and complexity, and despite the impact of Covid, it's essentially Russia's fault. It points out that while the pain is spread around the world - stoking the rising cost of living and creating inflationary pressures - it's the poor who will suffer the most because they spend more of their income on energy (and food, which is also made more expensive by high energy costs). Many will lose access to electricity altogether. But the IEA also believes the crisis is an opportunity. It gives short shrift to the idea that investment in "clean" energy such as renewables might be partially responsible for high prices. In fact, it sounds a call to arms: more investment is needed in clean tech, not less - and stronger policies will be required to secure the necessary investment. That, it claims will make energy more secure and more affordable. It also suggests that fossil fuel use, which has climbed alongside economic growth since the industrial revolution, may soon peak - before settling into a steady decline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63400384
     
         
      World facing 'first truly global energy crisis', report says Thu, 27th Oct 2022 9:22:00
     
      Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have long-lasting effects on energy supply and markets, a new report suggests. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said the world faces its first "truly global energy crisis" as a result. It added that unaffordable energy bills remain a huge problem, driven up as the exports of oil and gas have been restricted. But the crisis should also be seen as a turning point, speeding up the world's transition to green energy, it said. "With unrelenting geopolitical and economic concerns, energy markets remain extremely vulnerable, and the crisis is a reminder of the fragility and unsustainability of the current global energy system. "The heaviest burden is falling on poorer households where a larger share of income is spent on energy", the report warned. The Paris-based agency calculated the value of government spending to protect customers from price rises currently stands at $550bn (£473bn) worldwide, and is set to rise further, particularly in the UK and Germany. The IEA said the most effective policies to protect customers from the impact of soaring costs, and changing energy infrastructure, had been introduced by the likes of the US, Japan and Korea. It also cited the REPowerEU scheme, which aims to make European Union (EU) countries independent of Russian energy by 2030. The IEA predicts that Russia's share of global energy trade will fall from 20% currently to 13% by 2030. The report also said that for the first time ever, its forecasts - based on current prices and government policies - showed that global demand for every fossil fuel will either be peaking or reaching a plateau. The IEA isn't pulling its punches here: this is a global crisis, of unprecedented breadth and complexity, and despite the impact of Covid, it's essentially Russia's fault. It points out that while the pain is spread around the world - stoking the rising cost of living and creating inflationary pressures - it's the poor who will suffer the most because they spend more of their income on energy (and food, which is also made more expensive by high energy costs). Many will lose access to electricity altogether. But the IEA also believes the crisis is an opportunity. It gives short shrift to the idea that investment in "clean" energy such as renewables might be partially responsible for high prices. In fact, it sounds a call to arms: more investment is needed in clean tech, not less - and stronger policies will be required to secure the necessary investment. That, it claims will make energy more secure and more affordable. It also suggests that fossil fuel use, which has climbed alongside economic growth since the industrial revolution, may soon peak - before settling into a steady decline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63400384
     
         
      COP27: Climate change threatening global health - report Wed, 26th Oct 2022 11:32:00
     
      Climate change is severely impacting people's health around the world, a report by a leading medical publication has found. The Lancet Countdown report says the world's continued reliance on fossil fuels increases the risk of food insecurity, infectious disease and heat-related illness. UN Secretary General António Guterres responded that global leaders must match action to the size of the problem. Leaders will meet for the major climate conference COP27 in Egypt next month. Climate change: New fossil fuel funding is 'delusional' says UN chief UN chief: 'Tax fossil fuel profits for climate damage' COP27: Share your climate questions The report includes the work of 99 experts from organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and led by University College London. It describes how extreme weather has increased pressure on health services globally already grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Heat-related deaths globally have increased by two thirds over the last two decades, it finds. Temperature records have been broken around the world in 2022, including in the UK where 40C was recorded in July, as well as parts of Europe, Pakistan and China. The health impacts of extreme heat include exacerbating conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and causing heat stroke and poor mental health. But it said there are solutions. "Despite the challenges, there is clear evidence that immediate action could still save the lives of millions, with a rapid shift to clean energy and energy efficiency," the report concludes. Mr Guterres said that the world is watching G20 countries, which produce 80% of global greenhouse emissions. They must step up efforts to slash emissions and lead the way by investing more in renewable energy, he added. "Human health, livelihoods, household budgets and national economies are being pummelled, as the fossil fuel addiction spirals out of control," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63386814
     
         
      Alderney report signals alternative energy future Wed, 26th Oct 2022 11:26:00
     
      A vision for Alderney's future with a "resilient, sustainable and clean energy supply" has been published. The Energy Group report comes as the island continues to be highly reliant on imported oil as an energy source for electricity, heating and transport. Alderney Electricity Ltd is investigating the use of solar and wind energy. People can make their views known at a drop-in event at the Island Hall on 11 November from 14:00 to 18:00 GMT. Bill Abel, chairman of the five-strong Energy Group, said reliance on oil was "unsustainable for environmental reasons but will continue to make energy expensive". Householders could be encouraged to install solar panels with an "appropriate feed-in tariff to encourage domestic and commercial provision of renewable energy". An earlier proposal for medium-sized wind turbines on the south west corner of the island has been put on hold because of its proximity to the airport. Instead the community will be consulted about placing smaller wind turbines at various locations around the island. The report says tidal and wave energy resources are currently constrained by technology development and higher costs. Mr Abel said: "For this roadmap to be achieved, the island will need to maximise the use of economically viable renewable resources and maximise the efficiency of the grid and the island's energy usage."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-63393687
     
         
      Climate: Wales to set up publicly-owned renewable energy firm Wed, 26th Oct 2022 8:28:00
     
      Plans to set up a new publicly-owned renewable energy company have been announced by the Welsh government. The plan is a UK first and will help tackle both the cost of living and climate crises, the Labour-run government said. Ministers added that energy profits could be ploughed back into local communities. Opposition parties meanwhile called for the new organisation to get up and running quickly. Initially the new company - which is yet to be named - will focus on developing windfarms on Welsh government-owned woodland. Wales' green landscape at risk from climate change Families turn off power as bills rocket Ways to save money as energy bills shoot up It would be modelled on other state-owned firms currently operating in Wales. For instance, the largest onshore windfarm in Wales, Pen y Cymoedd between Neath and Aberdare - which is also bigger than anything similar in England - is run by an offshoot of the Swedish government. While the schemes deliver land rent, jobs and sizeable community benefit funds, the profits are ultimately shipped back to their respective countries, rather than being reinvested in Wales. 'Greater benefit' for local people Speaking in the Senedd, Climate Change Minister Julie James said she wanted to ensure energy profits generated in Wales delivered "greater benefit" for local people. Funds could be used for initiatives such as better energy efficiency measures like home insulation for communities living near the new windfarms, she suggested. "If other countries are anything to go by, then we should expect considerable returns from our investment," she said, describing the plan as a "truly historic moment for Wales". "We are the first in the UK to set up a publicly-owned renewable energy developer. This is a long-term sustainable investment that puts net zero and the communities of Wales at the heart of the transition we need." The aim is for the new company to be set up by April 2024, with the first projects achieving planning consent towards the end of the decade. Ms James said the new firm would also work with community-based and commercial energy developers to work on joint ventures. Hilly, windy sites Meanwhile a separate organisation is being set up as part of the Labour-run administration's cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru to drive forward small-scale community energy projects. The Welsh government woodland estate covers 6% of Wales and is largely made up of hilly, windy sites. Renewable energy firms have been encouraged to develop on this land in recent decades, with four projects totalling 441 megawatts (MW) worth of onshore wind installed since 2005, and a further 134 MW still in development. The government said its new state-owned developer would help deliver its aim of securing more than 1 gigawatts (GW) of locally-owned generation by 2030, enough to supply approximately 750,000 homes. The plans are similar to those announced by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer last month for "Great British Energy", though the Welsh government said its proposals have been in development for several years. Welsh Conservative spokesperson on climate change Janet Finch-Saunders MS questioned whether the new organisation could get up and running more quickly than April 2024.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-63392646
     
         
      Wiltshire breaking green promises, campaigners say Tue, 25th Oct 2022 9:38:00
     
      Climate campaigners have accused the local authority of falling short on its environmental pledges. Wiltshire Climate Alliance presented a list of failings that included the failure to apply for funding to improve walking and cycling infrastructure. It said the government had provided a £2bn funding pot but Wiltshire's share of its most recent round was £0. Councillor Mark McClelland said the council was working on a bid for the next round of the Active Travel Fund. Wiltshire declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is working towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030. "Much is made by Wiltshire Council of its emerging Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs)," The Climate Alliance told a meeting on 18 October, before declaring that Wiltshire's share of the most recent funding round was £0. "Tranche 4 is due before the end of the year but so far there is no sign of any bids being prepared. "The LCWIPs will be of little point if the council does not actually submit and win bids to deliver active travel infrastructure on the ground." The group also criticised Dr McClelland's previous statements about supporting motorists and not investing in schemes that might inconvenience motorists, the Local Democracy Reporting Service. said. Dr McClelland, cabinet member for transport, said the council supported the "decarbonisation of existing transport and an increase in walking and cycling". "That is why we plan to create LCWIPs for all of Wiltshire's towns, and we have just completed the consultation for both Wiltshire-wide and Salisbury LCWIPs," he added. The Climate Alliance also criticised the claim the council's electric vehicle charging point scheme delivers mainly fast chargers (7kw). "This seems a very short-term offering to the public. "For modern electric cars (with battery sizes 40-100Kwh), the default, unless you have hours to wait, is a rapid charger (43-50kw+)." The group's document concluded that while there had been some good work by the council on climate change, more needed to be done.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-63383700
     
         
      Doctors decry ‘record profits’ for fossil fuel companies as climate change weighs on global health Tue, 25th Oct 2022 6:53:00
     
      Doctors are taking aim at the fossil fuels industry, placing blame for the world’s most dire health problems on the companies that continue to seek oil and gas profits even as climate change worsens heat waves, intensifies flooding and roils people’s mental health. “The burning of fossil fuels is creating a health crisis that I can’t fix by the time I see patients in my emergency department,” said Dr. Renee Salas, summarizing the findings of a report published Tuesday in The Lancet. “Fossil fuel companies are making record profits while my patients suffer from their downstream health harms.” Salas, an emergency medical physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is one of nearly 100 authors who contributed to the prestigious medical journal’s annual report on climate change and health. The report accuses fossil fuel purveyors — and the governments that subsidize them — of subverting “efforts to deliver a low carbon, healthy, liveable future” and demands that world leaders pursue a health-centered approach to solving the climate crisis. The report’s theme reflects a growing frustration and helplessness expressed by medical professionals left to deal with the impacts of climate change as world leaders struggle to address the root cause. “The report highlights the harm the fossil fuel industry has really wreaked in creating this crisis,” said Dr. Jerry Abraham, the director and chief vaccinologist at Kedren Community Health Center in Los Angeles, who was not involved in writing the report. “Foe is a harsh word, but it has to be used.” As in previous reports, the 2022 Lancet Countdown paints a grim picture of how climate change is threatening people’s health and the care systems that are supposed to help manage it, calling its latest findings the “direst” yet. This year’s report leaves little ambiguity about who the doctors view as responsible for the harms and stresses they feel in clinics. The annual report catalogs the health impacts of change worldwide and a separate policy brief outlines impacts in the U.S. According to these reports: Heat-related deaths worldwide have increased by about 68% since the beginning of the millennium, according to data comparing 2000-04 to 2017-21, when the issue was made worse by Covid-19. Extreme heat was linked to 98 million cases of hunger worldwide. In the U.S., heat-related deaths for people over age 65 are estimated to have increased by about 74% during that same time period. Tiny particles released into the air as pollution during fossil fuel use were responsible for 1.2 million deaths in 2020. About 11,840 U.S. deaths were attributable to particulate air pollution, according to Salas. Changes in temperature, precipitation and population since the 1950s have increased the transmissibility of diseases spread by mosquitoes, with dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika all up by roughly 12%. In the U.S., the transmissibility of dengue fever was about 64% higher. Climate change is taking a toll on mental health. “There’s strong evidence that climate change is associated with more depression, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety,” said Natasha K. DeJarnett, a lead author of the U.S. policy brief and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Louisville. There are some hopeful signs. The report notes growth in renewable energy investment, increasing media coverage of climate change and growing engagement from government leaders on health-centered climate policies. But the report warns that inequities could weaken progress.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/25/doctors-decry-record-profits-for-fossil-fuel-companies.html
     
         
      IEA says developing nations are the No. 1 casualty of the energy crisis Tue, 25th Oct 2022 5:52:00
     
      IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol warned emerging and developing countries are most vulnerable to soaring energy prices. “We are in the middle of the first truly global energy crisis,” Birol said. “Our world has never ever witnessed an energy crisis with this depth and complexity.” Soaring energy prices plaguing global markets could offer much-needed impetus to nudge governments to invest toward moving away from dirty energy. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned emerging and developing countries are most vulnerable to soaring energy prices. “It is not the U.S. who will suffer the most [from] the high energy prices,” Birol told CNBC on Tuesday. Birol said those who will be hit hardest include oil-importing nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America because of higher import prices and their weaker currencies. In May, the International Monetary Fund revised down its growth projection forecasts for oil-importing nations, with higher energy prices expected to add to a litany of economic challenges already plaguing these countries. “Higher commodity prices add to the challenges stemming from elevated inflation and debt, tightening global financial conditions, uneven vaccination progress, and underlying fragilities and conflict in some countries,” the IMF said in their report. Oil-importing Middle East and North African nations include Djibouti, Sudan, Morocco and Pakistan, amongst others. Europe is struggling with a gas shortage as Russia slashes supplies, forcing many countries into an energy crisis in the lead-up to winter. The U.K.’s National Grid has warned of possible power cuts. ‘First truly global energy crisis’ “We are in the middle of the first truly global energy crisis,” Birol said. “Our world has never ever witnessed an energy crisis with this depth and complexity.” He added that oil markets will continue to see volatility for as long as Russia’s war in Ukraine persists. OPEC+ agreed to impose deep output cuts at the start of the month, seeking to spur a recovery in crude prices despite calls from the U.S. to pump more to help the global economy. Birol called the decision “unprecedented,” and likened the energy alliance’s move to “scoring an own goal.” The result of inflated prices would be an economy “flirting with a recession,” which he cautioned will lead to an environment that is neither good for buyers nor sellers. LNG prices Birol also said he expected the world to “continue to see high LNG prices,” citing China’s rebounding economy and Europe’s need to import more energy. According to Birol, LNG prices in the Asia region are five times higher than the last five years on average, and next year will see more challenges. “Europe wants to buy LNG, China is coming back as a major LNG importer, and there is very little new LNG capacity coming into [the] market,” he attributed as reasons. Soaring energy prices plaguing global markets could offer much-needed impetus to nudge governments to invest toward moving away from dirty energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/26/iea-developing-nations-the-number-one-casualty-of-the-energy-crisis.html
     
         
      Hurricane Roslyn batters Mexico's Pacific coast Sun, 23rd Oct 2022 15:00:00
     
      A powerful hurricane has made landfall in western Mexico, threatening to cause extensive damage in coastal areas. Roslyn, a category 3 hurricane, came ashore in Nayarit state, with maximum winds of 195km/h (120mph). It is expected to weaken over land, but officials have warned of destructive waves, landslides and flooding. More than a dozen municipalities in Nayarit and neighbouring Jalisco state have set up emergency shelters for those who have been evacuated. Shortly after landfall, the US National Hurricane Center said: "Roslyn is expected to produce a life-threatening storm surge with significant coastal flooding. "Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves." The hurricane season in Mexico usually lasts from June to November, affecting both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the country. In May, 11 people were killed after Hurricane Agatha struck south-western Oaxaca state. Scientists from the US weather service have predicted a very active hurricane season for this year with above average numbers of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63361816
     
         
      Climate crisis poses ‘growing threat’ to health in UK, says expert Sun, 23rd Oct 2022 12:43:00
     
      Exclusive: Prof Dame Jenny Harries warns of dangers to food security, flooding and insect-borne diseases The climate crisis poses a “significant and growing threat” to health in the UK, the country’s most senior public health expert has warned. Speaking to the Guardian, Prof Dame Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said there was a common misconception that a warmer climate would bring net health benefits due to milder winters. But the climate emergency would bring far wider-reaching health impacts, she said, with food security, flooding and mosquito-borne diseases posing threats. “The heatwave this summer really brought home to people the direct impact,” said Harries. “But it’s the breadth of the impact. It’s not just the heat.” Referring to the recent floods in Pakistan, Harries said the UK needed to build resilience to protect the population from the health impacts of extreme weather events. “Colleagues from Pakistan … are suffering from the impacts of flooding. They are dealing with stagnant water, higher risks of sewage overflowing into publicly accessible water spaces,” she said. “We are seeing in some of the things that could be happening in the UK.” The aim is not to paint a “doom and gloom scenario”, she added, but to identify threats for which the UK could prepare. Speaking at the UKHSA’s annual conference in Leeds this week, Harries launched a Centre for Climate and Health Security. She argued that the threat to health should be considered as part of the UK’s broader climate policy, including the commitment to bring greenhouse emissions to net zero by 2050. Even with action to limit climate change, “there is an in-built element of temperature advance that we can’t control”, she said, and that would require adaptations to protect health. This summer, the UK experienced record temperatures of 40.3C and six separate heatwave periods associated with more than 2,800 excess deaths. “If several aeroplanes all exploded and we’d lost that many people it would be front-page news in health protection terms,” Harries said. It is projected that numbers of heat-related deaths will triple by 2050, with the hottest summers on record that we have observed in recent years becoming simply “normal” summers. “That’s quite a near-term risk and so a priority for us,” she said. “There are things we can do about it, so we should act.” Unlike hotter European neighbours, such as Spain or Italy, the UK’s infrastructure is not designed to allow people to live and work in such conditions. “[Hot] European countries will routinely have air conditioning, they will have stone floors which keep the buildings cool. We don’t have that in the UK,” said Harries. “There is an absolute need to think through what our buildings are like going forward.” Lifestyle adaptations such as not going outdoors in the middle of the day in summer and longer summer holidays for schools might also have a role in future, she said. “We have much to learn from countries that currently have warmer temperatures,” she said. “If we’re going to be a hot country soon we need to be thinking the same way.” Viewed purely in terms of annual excess deaths, the climate crisis was likely to have an interim benefit in the UK due to warmer winters, Harries said. But other factors could soon reverse this trend. As temperatures rise, Europe is becoming vulnerable to infectious diseases historically seen in the tropics. The Asian tiger mosquito, which carries dengue fever and chikungunya, is now established in southern Europe and this year France experienced its most severe outbreak yet of dengue, which mosquitos can transmit efficiently only when average temperatures rise above 28C. “In France, they have had cases of infectious disease that you would normally see in tropical climates and the vector has come right up to Paris,” said Harries. “We’re starting to witness the progression of this impact in European countries. In the UK, Asian Tiger mosquito eggs have been detected in the south-east and the Culex modestus mosquito, which can transmit West Nile virus, is present in parts of Kent and Essex. “We’ve already beefed up [our surveillance programme], but it’s one of those areas where we need to raise the flag and build out capacity in advance,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/23/climate-change-poses-growing-threat-to-health-in-uk-says-expert
     
         
      Cost of Living: People urged to heat homes safely as energy costs soar Sun, 23rd Oct 2022 3:30:00
     
      People in Northern Ireland need to be aware of the dangers involved with heating their homes this winter, the fire and rescue service has warned. As the cost of living continues to rise, for some it could mean turning to energy sources which have not been regularly serviced. Chimney sweep Craig Morrow told BBC News NI he recently worked on a chimney which had not been swept for 20 years. In 2019/2020, the fire service attended 782 accidental house fires. This was down on 809 the previous year. There has also been a 50% decrease in house fire fatalities, with three recorded during the same period. That is down from six in 2018/19. However, firefighters have issued safety tips and a warning that if people turn to older electrical heaters or cut corners with servicing, there could be a fire risk. Group Commander Suzanne Fleming said portable heaters that had not been used for some time is a particular concern. Check the cable is not frayed and don't place the heater too close to a sofa or curtains, she warned. "Open fires would be the other great risk," Ms Fleming continued. "If people try to use chimneys that haven't been used for some time they may actually be blocked," she told BBC News NI. Turning to the dangers of carbon monoxide, the danger comes "with any fossil fuel that you burn". "It will make you drowsy and you won't know you're getting drowsy," the senior firefighter said. Craig Morrow, a chimney sweep who is based in Belfast, said "all it takes is one hot ember to go up the chimney" to cause a chimney fire. He advised that people should have chimneys swept at least once a year, or twice if it is in use during the summer. A chimney fire, he explained, can start when a type of soot called creosote forms. Wood-burning stoves, gas fires and Aga-type cooker chimneys also need to be cleaned, he added. Mr Morrow warned that some people have turned to using chimneys which had been dormant for decades, partly due to it being a cheaper source of energy as prices rise. 'Test appliances' Gas engineer Gordon Glenn said boilers need to be regularly maintained. "Some insurance policies will make your home insurance null and void if your boiler has not been serviced once a year," he said. Carbon monoxide alarms too, as these will "usually last for seven years," he explained. "It's a secondary level of householder safety. For the price of a carbon monoxide detector and a proper inspection by a qualified person it could save somebody's life. "You wouldn't ride a bike to Dublin that's been sitting for 12 months without checking the brakes first, so why would you use an appliance that hasn't been tested," he added. If you're having gas appliances serviced you'll need to find an engineer who's on the Gas Safe Register. How to stay safe The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has compiled a list of safety measures for people to follow in their homes. Those with chimneys that have not been used for a while must ensure they are not blocked. They must be serviced by a qualified person Always use a fire guard for an open fire A carbon monoxide alarm must be in the same room as a fire - fires can produce carbon monoxide which you cannot see nor smell Portable heaters or electric blankets must be checked first - no frayed wires or damaged, loose wiring Do not overload plug sockets - this can cause overheating When using portable heaters do not place items in front of them - they can catch fire. Do not leave them unattended and turn them off before going to sleep Do not dry clothes on portable heaters
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63313782
     
         
      Nigeria's stolen oil, the military and a man named Government Sun, 23rd Oct 2022 1:37:00
     
      A network of illegal oil pipelines being unearthed in Nigeria's Niger Delta region has revealed the extent of oil theft in the country, astounding even the most cynical about Nigeria's obscure but hugely lucrative oil industry. In Delta state, thieves built their own 4km- (2.5 mile) long pipeline through the heavily guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean. There, barges and vessels blatantly loaded the stolen oil from a 24-foot rig visible from miles on the open waters. "It was a professional job," said the head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, wading through the swamps as he retraced the slick path during a televised visit to the scene. Crude oil is Nigeria's main export but production, and revenue, has been dwindling for years because of thieves, authorities say. Oil production fell from 2.5 million barrels per day in 2011 to just over a million in July 2022, according to the regulator. Authorities say more than $3.3bn (£2.9bn) has been lost to crude oil theft since last year and at a time when other oil producers are having a petrodollars splurge, Nigeria can't even meet its production quota. And it is not that the country can afford to lose money to thieves, it is gripped by widespread poverty and heavily indebted. Many are saying that the recent discovery of the illegal pipelines confirms long-held suspicions of massive corruption in the sector where there is little transparency. Nigeria's oil industry has a documented history of corruption, from an unending fuel subsidy scheme where no-one actually knows how much is imported, to the shadowy allotment of oil exploration blocks. That the heist was discovered by a private security firm and not the authorities has also added to the anger. But Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo, is no ordinary private security contractor. The 51-year-old chief from Gbaramatu kingdom in oil-rich Delta state was in the past involved in blowing up the very oil pipelines he is now guarding after a controversial 48bn naira ($110m; £98m) contract from the government at the end of August. He is arguably Nigeria's richest ex oil-militant, was once the country's most wanted man, and at one point even sold the country a fleet of warships. He also knows the geography of the Niger Delta, the oil wells and official pipelines, so many believe his comments about the identity of the thieves. "Many of the security people are involved because there is no way you can load a vessel without settling [bribing] the security people in that region," he told Channels TV. He also suggested that much of the oil was stolen from precisely those areas where there were army and navy checkpoints. The military has not responded to these allegations, but it is unlikely they will openly contradict a man they have gone into partnership with to crack down on oil theft. Lucky Irabor, Nigeria's defence chief, who was part of the retinue that toured the oily trail of the thieves, escorted by Tompolo's men, said it was an "eye-opener" and promised an investigation. But it is not the first time Nigeria's security agencies, especially the top brass of the army and navy, are being fingered over oil theft. In January, Nyesom Wike, the governor of neighbouring Rivers state, said a police superintendent was involved in oil theft in the Emuoha area of the state and wanted him kicked out. In 2019, Mr Wike also accused a high-ranking army commander of engaging in massive oil theft in the state, which was denied. That corruption on this scale happened directly under President Muhammadu Buhari, who also doubles as Nigeria's Petroleum Minister, has undermined his stance on fighting corruption, said Salaudeen Hashim of CLEEN Foundation, an anti-corruption NGO. Mr Buhari was elected on a promise of fighting corruption in 2015, but many question how effective his administration has been. "The extent of the ongoing oil theft might not even be fully known until this administration leaves office in May," one analyst told the BBC. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has been ruled intermittently by military officers who seize power through coups, leaving behind a rot of corruption financed through the vast oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta. Postings to the region, to protect oil installations, are considered lucrative by both senior security figures and the rank and file, who lobby and pay bribes to get them, said Mr Hashim. "Once there, it is a race to the bottom to accumulate illegal wealth," he added. The recent burning of a vessel seized on allegations of carrying 650,000 litres of stolen crude oil in Delta state has also raised eyebrows. Many questioned why security operatives were so swift to destroy the evidence - part of Tompolo's recent success - but Nigeria's defence chief said as the seized ship was smuggling stolen oil, no investigation was needed. Tompolo's motivation for the crackdown on crude-oil theft has left many bewildered. He is getting paid for it, and has spoken glowingly of his love for Nigeria and the Niger Delta environment, but this is the same Tompolo, many say, who blew up oil pipelines in the past. As one expert pointed out, the illegal oil pipelines being unearthed by Mr Tompolo have so far been in Delta state, where he wields enormous power. It is unlikely that anyone would have peacefully operated such facilities in his territory for years without his knowledge, they said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63314545
     
         
      Kilimanjaro: Firefighters tackle blaze on Tanzania mountain Sat, 22nd Oct 2022 23:41:00
     
      Firefighters in Tanzania are battling to extinguish a blaze on Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, local officials say. The fire started on Friday night along one of the mountain's most popular climbing routes. Giant flames and plumes of smoke could be seen on the slopes, witnesses in the area told BBC Swahili. It is not clear how the fire started or how much forest has been burned. No casualties have been reported. The fire comes two years after a week-long inferno destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland on Mount Kilimanjaro's slopes. Videos posted on social media on Saturday appeared to show large flames and a blanket of smoke engulfing parts of the forest surrounding the mountain. The regional police chief, quoted by AFP news agency, said he could not yet say how big the fire was. But a plane sent to the site of the fire was unable to land due to the huge clouds and thick smoke, Kilimanjaro regional head Nurdin Babu told local reporters. Subsequently, more than 300 people were sent to the scene to help get the blaze under control, according to the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa). As well as emergency workers, including firefighters and police, wildlife park rangers and tourism company employees were taking part in the effort to bring the fire under control, it said. Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m (19,341ft) high is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people climb it every year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63359145
     
         
      Just Stop Oil protest stops traffic in north London Sat, 22nd Oct 2022 15:51:00
     
      Police arrest 17 protesters after activists glued themselves to the road in Upper Street, Islington Just Stop Oil activists have glued themselves to a road in north London on the 22nd day of the group’s campaign of civil unrest. About 20 protesters stopped traffic in Upper Street in Islington, north London, on Saturday. The Metropolitan police said: “Met officers are at the scene at Upper Street N1, where there are 16 Just Stop Oil protesters who have sat down on the road, four of whom are locked on to each other and six are glued to the road.” It went on: “Traffic in both directions is blocked. Police are in the process of arresting those who are not glued or locked on for wilful obstruction of the highway. “A specialist team is now on the scene and dealing with those who are glued and locked on, and they will be arrested when freed.” It was the latest development in a two-week-long string of protests organised by Just Stop Oil, which is demanding that the government halt new fossil fuel licensing and production. The Met later said the road had been cleared, and traffic was flowing in both directions. It added: “Police have arrested 17 protesters for wilful obstruction of the highway. They have been taken into custody at a central London police station.” Last week, activists from Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, which was protected by glass, at the National Gallery in London. The gallery has since confirmed the painting was not damaged, saying in a statement that “there is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”. According to a Just Stop Oil statement issued on Saturday, police have made 554 arrests since the start of the protests two weeks ago. Since their campaign began on 1 April, Just Stop Oil claims that their supporters have been arrested more than 1,800 times, with seven people currently in prison.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/22/just-stop-oil-protest-stops-traffic-in-upper-street-islington-north-london
     
         
      Landowners call for scrapping of plans to ban solar energy from England’s farmland Sat, 22nd Oct 2022 8:00:00
     
      Farmers say having solar sites allows them to subsidise food production during less successful years Farmers have urged whoever succeeds Liz Truss as UK prime minister to abandon plans to ban solar energy from most of England’s farmland, arguing that it would hurt food security by cutting off a vital income stream. Truss, who resigned on Thursday, and her environment secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, hoped to ban solar from about 41% of the land area of England, or about 58% of agricultural land, the Guardian revealed last week. They planned to do this by reclassifying less productive farmland as “best and most valuable”, making it more difficult to use for energy infrastructure. Members of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents 33,000 landowners, told the Guardian having solar on their less productive land allowed them to subsidise food production during less successful years, as well as providing cheap power for their estates and homes in their local area. Mark Tufnell, the president of the CLA, grows oats, wheat and barley on his Cotswolds estate. He said: “We have members who say these are temporary sites if needs be, they are then able to concentrate on growing more food on their other land. “The solar would be on their less good land, and … if that is what they so choose to do, why shouldn’t they be allowed to do it?” He added that the land was not lost to agriculture as the sties were easy to remove, and the area could be grazed with sheep. “There is no reason as to why the area underneath it couldn’t be grazed with sheep, but it could also provide very good habitat for farmland birds and increase biodiversity so help the environment. “I don’t see that saying with the strike of a pen that we are going to exclude this land, I don’t see that it helps, and I think that it is unlikely to help food security in any case.” The real problem with the government’s solar strategy, he said, was how difficult it was to put solar on rooftops. Tufnell said: “There are so many things they could do that they aren’t doing, like incentivising solar rollout on roofs, changing the planning system to allow it. I already have 49kW, and I want to have another 100kW on my buildings, but the hardest thing to do is getting a connection to the grid at a price that is affordable. They are very slow, the price is incredibly high, and in my case I could have to put in a mini substation, which is very expensive. “What I am trying to do is put solar panels on a building which I am converting into offices and workshops, if there is any excess I would like to use it for the houses in the village. But it is becoming so difficult and expensive that it is very off-putting, and if I wasn’t so persistent I would think frankly I can’t be bothered.” Harry Teacher, a fruit and arable farmer in Kent, has a large solar park on his land, which helps bring in income when his farm has a bad year. He said: “We put in a park in 2014, ground-mounted panels on frames on about 61 acres of land. We are a fruit and arable farm but we are quite highly diversified, and any farmer has been encouraged to find sources of income other than arable, and solar panels were part of that diversification. For us it is a source of constant income. It gives our business a greater resilience.” Teacher does not understand all the fuss, adding: “As a proposition they are quite easily hidden by a large hedge. They don’t make noise, there are no moving parts. Carbon is a serious thing we all have to consider now, solar panels have to be part of that. If the argument is that the land is lost for food – you may be aware that the planning applications for solar parks are done on a temporary basis – ours is a 25-year period. If, for whatever reason, we run out of food, which is extraordinarily unlikely, we can pull it all up and restore it to agriculture.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/22/landowners-call-for-scrapping-of-plans-to-ban-solar-energy-from-englands-farmland
     
         
      King Charles should attend climate summit says US envoy Sat, 22nd Oct 2022 7:24:00
     
      King Charles should reconsider his decision not to go to the UN climate conference in Egypt, President Biden's climate envoy has told the BBC. John Kerry said in an interview it would be "terrific" if the King were able to be there, adding that he has been "a terrific leader on this issue". As Prince of Wales he had planned to go to November's COP27 conference. But after ascending the throne he decided not to attend on the advice of Prime Minister Liz Truss. King will not attend climate summit on Truss advice Charles will not cool on climate action, say friends Don’t backtrack on climate, Egypt tells Truss Liz Truss has announced she will resign, which means there will now be another leadership election to decide who becomes the next Conservative leader and prime minister. The contest to replace her is due to be completed by 28 October. Secretary Kerry said it would ultimately be up to "whatever government is in place" to make the decision about attending the climate conference, which runs November 6-18. As Prince of Wales, Charles spent decades campaigning on environmental causes. Now he is king he is subject to different rules; the monarch is obliged to remain politically neutral. Secretary Kerry said he did not consider championing climate action as "political". "It's a generic broad, based, existential issue for the world, and his leadership has been very important", he said. Last November - as the Prince of Wales - the King travelled to Egypt with the government's blessing to urge the Egyptian administration on its efforts, meeting President Abdul Fattah al-Sissi. Egypt, the hosts of the summit, warned the UK not to backtrack on the global climate agenda following the announcement that King Charles would not attend. Secretary Kerry also told BBC News on Friday that he had also noted what he called "decisions that raised some questions" by the current government. He said the US is concerned about a number of countries that appear at risk of rolling back on their climate commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63350197
     
         
      France becomes latest country to leave controversial energy charter treaty Fri, 21st Oct 2022 16:45:00
     
      Quitting the ECT, which protects fossil fuel investors from policy changes that might threaten their profits, was ‘coherent’ with Paris climate deal, Macron said France has become the latest country to pull out of the controversial energy charter treaty (ECT), which protects fossil fuel investors from policy changes that might threaten their profits. Speaking after an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, French president, Emmanuel Macron, said: “France has decided to withdraw from the energy charter treaty.” Quitting the ECT was “coherent” with the Paris climate deal, he added. Macron’s statement follows a recent vote by the Polish parliament to leave the 52-nation treaty and announcements by Spain and the Netherlands that they too wanted out of the scheme. Earlier on Friday, an ally of Macron’s in Brussels, the French MEP Pascale Canfin, said: “We need to exit the energy charter treaty because we end up being sued by multinational companies through private tribunals which prevent us carrying out our climate policies.” The European Commission has proposed a “modernisation” of the agreement, which would end the writ of the treaty’s secret investor-state courts between EU members. That plan is expected to be discussed at a meeting in Mongolia next month. A French government official said Paris would not try to block the modernisation blueprint within the EU or at the meeting in Mongolia. “But whatever happens, France is leaving,” the official said. While France was “willing to coordinate a withdrawal with others, we don’t see that there is a critical mass ready to engage with that in the EU bloc as a whole”, the official added. The French withdrawal will take about a year to be completed, and in that time, discussion in Paris will likely move on to ways of neutralising or reducing the duration of a “sunset clause” in the ECT that allows retrospective lawsuits. Progress on that issue is thought possible by sources close to ongoing legal negotiations on the issue. The energy charter treaty was set up in 1994 to protect western energy firms working in former Soviet countries. It allows investors to sue governments which enact policies that could undermine their expected financial returns. However, critics have estimated that the final cost in compensation to fossil fuel companies could rise to more than a trillion dollars. In August, the UK oil firm Rockhopper received a £210m award as compensation for an Italian offshore drilling ban. Italy has also withdrawn from the treaty.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/21/france-becomes-latest-country-to-leave-controversial-energy-charter-treaty
     
         
      Inflation: Warning eight million struggling to keep up with bills Fri, 21st Oct 2022 16:34:00
     
      Almost eight million people are struggling to pay their bills as living costs surge, a watchdog has warned. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimated that 7.8 million people in the UK currently find bills a "heavy burden", up from 5.3 million in 2020. Energy, food and fuel prices have risen sharply in the last six months in part because of the Ukraine war. Inflation - the rate at which prices rise - increased to 10.1% last month, returning to a 40-year high. Nicole from Gainsborough works for a university, but because of her concerns around energy bills, she often wears a blanket around her shoulders when she's working from home. "I consider my salary to be fairly good and I work full-time, yet I'm worried about putting the heating on, using the tumble dryer, or the oven to cook," she told BBC News. She has taken measures at home to try to keep costs down, like installing a smart meter. But another worry is that the fixed-rate mortgage she has with her husband will be coming to an end in 12 months, and rates have risen sharply. "I have no idea how we will afford it," Nicole said. "I fully appreciate there are people in a much worse position than us... but we're in a totally unexpected situation as two normal people with normal incomes, who work hard." The FCA, which regulates UK businesses, surveyed 19,000 people between February and June and found: One in four adults described themselves as being financially vulnerable, meaning they would quickly find themselves in difficultly if they suffered a financial shock Some 4.2 million people had missed bills or loan repayments in at least three of the six months before the survey took place 27% of black respondents said they found it a heavy burden to keep up with bills, compared with around 15% of UK adults generally. 'Struggling to keep up' Sheldon Mills, executive director of consumer and competition at the FCA, said the watchdog had urged firms to work with customers struggling to make payments. It is also reminding people to contact their energy provider if they cannot afford their bills, to shop around to find the best deal, and to look online for free, expert debt advice. Energy bills rose sharply in October when the energy price cap - which limits what providers can charge for a unit of energy - increased. The government has since limited unit prices for at least six months to protect consumers, but millions are still likely to struggle this winter. Food prices are also surging due to disruption caused by the war in Ukraine and the weak pound, which drives up import costs. UK food prices jumped 14.6% in the year to September - the biggest annual rise since 1980 - with the cost of key goods like fruit, milk, cereal and sugar all climbing. This is just the first taste of what's to come from this survey when the full report is published next year, but it's significant for a couple of reasons. Firstly because it's a big one. More than 19,000 randomly selected households were sent the survey to fill in, which is a much bigger sample size than most organisations work from. Secondly, because this survey was done through the spring of this year, which was before the latest energy price rises kicked in, and the recent spikes in food and fuel prices. If this many households were already finding it difficult at that point of the year, you can imagine that the picture has gotten significantly worse since then. The regulator is flagging up particularly concerns for the North of England and Wales compared with the South East of England, as well as among black respondents compared to the population as a whole. The FCA is keen to stress that it is taking action, by beginning to engage with Buy Now Pay Later firms, and reminding other lenders of their duty to protect customers. But those moves look like small-fry when held against the scale and depth of financial difficulties many respondents within their own survey now say they are facing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63330237
     
         
      How green are the Tory leadership candidates this time round? Fri, 21st Oct 2022 13:17:00
     
      After Liz Truss’s ‘war on nature’, we look again at the environmental record of the most probable crop of hopefuls Liz Truss has fought a “war on nature” unique in recent British politics, managing within a few short weeks to incur the wrath of conservation groups with more than 8 million members, foreign governments, climate activists and members of her own party. Her successor may be expected to learn from this chastening experience and adopt a less confrontational attitude. They will also face some key early decisions: Cop27 starts on 6 November, when the UK will hand over presidency of the global UN climate talks to Egypt. Truss raised eyebrows in capitals across the world when she refused to say whether she would attend, and her barring King Charles from going got an even worse reaction. The new prime minister could repair the damage by confirming attendance and reversing the decision on the King. Also imminent is a decision on a potential new coalmine in Cumbria, a key test of the government’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Truss provoked the rage of the RSPB, National Trust and Wildlife Trusts, as well as scores of other groups, by threatening to rip up more than 570 rules inherited from the EU on environmental protection. She proposed new investment zones with minimal regulation, scrapping the new farming payment system and restarting fracking. The next prime minister will also have to decide whether to carry on with those policies, or to ditch them for the sake of party unity and electability – there is plenty to show that taking a greener turn could be an advantage. Cutting energy use will be essential to keeping the lights on this winter, and renewable energy is up to nine times cheaper than gas at present, so measures that increase efficiency and spur more clean energy production will pay off rapidly. But Truss binned a proposed public information campaign on energy saving and refused to address insulation for Britain’s draughty homes, despite expert advice that this would be the surest way to bring down bills. She also sought to block the development of solar farms. U-turns on these issues could be popular. Green policies have wide support: polls consistently show a majority of voters want to see action on the climate crisis, while issues such as sewage being discharged into rivers and on to beaches have led to strong reactions around the country. The new prime minister is also certain to shake up the cabinet, which could create openings for some greener-minded Tories than the current crop. But while candidates for the top job might seek to burnish their green credentials, such efforts may be taken with a degree of scepticism, given Truss’s recent example. When considering the candidates’ environmental records ahead of the last leadership contest, the Guardian marked her down as the one of the least green, scoring one point out of a possible five. Her allies were soon sent out to claim she had played a major role in Cop26, laud her record as environment secretary and assert her strong commitment to the net zero target. In the televised debates she even said a key aim was to prevent Alok Sharma from resigning, which the cabinet’s climate chief had threatened to do if candidates backtracked on the UK’s commitments. So how do the most probable candidates this time round fare? Rishi Sunak While chancellor, Sunak stood in the way of policies that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions but at an upfront cost to the Treasury – chief among them, a nationwide programme of insulation to replace the botched green homes grant. That was a serious mistake, as it left the UK lacking any real insulation policy just as energy bills began to soar. His windfall tax on oil and gas companies, reluctantly brought in, also contained large loopholes allowing companies to reinvest in fossil fuels. As the UK was preparing to host the Cop26 UN climate summit, he slashed overseas aid, to the dismay of developing countries. Green score: 2/5 Boris Johnson Despite his many flaws, Johnson achieved the passage of three major pieces of environmental legislation, set genuinely world-beating targets on emissions and the phaseout of diesel and petrol cars, banned fracking and was lauded around the world for the UK’s management of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow. But he also allowed new oil and gas licensing in the North Sea, failed to remove the planning barriers to onshore windfarms and dithered over a potential new coalmine in Cumbria. As he fought to save his premiership, green Tories warned he would be sorely missed. Green score: 4/5 Penny Mordaunt Mordaunt has said she would create “millions of green jobs” as prime minister, and during the last leadership contest gave an interview to the Guardian in which she committed to the nature-friendly farming scheme set up by Gove. “Environmentalism and conservatism go hand in hand,” she said. “And [it] is a core principle of who I am, someone dedicated to the future of our world and the legacy we leave.” However, she is enthusiastic about cutting fuel duty and her summer campaign was supported by the motorist lobby group Fair Fuel UK. Green score: 3/5 Kemi Badenoch Badenoch is likely to have to answer questions on this issue again should she stand for leader. This is because of her astonishing double U-turn on net zero during the last leadership race. At the beginning of the summer contest, she likened the target to “unilateral economic disarmament” and claimed it would “bankrupt” the country. But then, under the gaze of Sharma at a climate hustings, she backtracked, pledging to keep the 2050 target if she became prime minister. However, that very evening, she appeared on GB News and said she would delay climate action. Green score: 0/5
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/21/how-green-tory-leadership-candidates-liz-truss-environment
     
         
      Giant fuel fire engulfs Mexico railway and homes Fri, 21st Oct 2022 7:17:00
     
      A huge blaze has engulfed a train line and homes in Aguascalientes, central Mexico, after a fuel truck crash. Dramatic video of the fire went viral on social media, including aerial shots of black smoke blanketing a large area of the city. One video showed a cargo train hurtling through flames. Mexico's El Universal website says more than 1,500 people were evacuated. Some homes and cars were gutted by fire. There are no reports of deaths, but several people were taken to hospital. Police have detained the truck driver. A Facebook post by Mayor Leo Montañez speaks of 300 homes in the crash area, 120 of which have been damaged. It is not clear exactly how the crash happened. Initial reports said the truck had collided with a train, but Reuters news agency now says the truck hit an overpass. State oil firm Pemex has denied owning the truck, and says it is helping efforts to contain the fire. Some 200 firefighters are trying to contain the blaze, El Universal reports. One video shot from a car parked nearby showed a long cargo train passing through flames on both sides of the track.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63339888
     
         
      INTERVIEW: Connection between human rights and climate change ‘must not be denied’ Fri, 21st Oct 2022 7:14:00
     
      The right to life, food, development, self-determination, water and sanitation, and adequate housing, is being denied to millions of people because of climate change, the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Human Rights in the context of Climate Change, has told the General Assembly in his first formal report to the body. Ian Fry, Australian National University Professor and Tuvalu’s former ambassador for Climate Change for over 21 years, was appointed in May by the UN Human Rights Council, as the first Special Rapporteur on climate, following the overwhelming vote to recognize the Right to a Healthy Environment, in 2021. “Human-induced climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and societies the world has ever experienced, and the poorest countries are paying the heaviest price”, the expert told delegates. Mr. Fry highlighted the “enormous injustice” perpetrated by rich countries and major corporations, which are not acting to reduce their greenhouse emissions, and consequently failing the poorest and least able to cope. “The G20 members, for instance, account for 78 per cent of emissions over the last decade”, he underscored. The Special Rapporteur sat down with UN News before delivering his report, which focuses on three areas: mitigation action, loss and damage, access and inclusion, and the protection of climate rights defenders. He spoke about what he hopes the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Egypt (COP27) will achieve, addressed some of the climate-action challenges given the war in Ukraine, and shared some of the recommendations he made to member states, including the call for a High-Level Forum to be held next year. UN NEWS: Can you please explain what is the focus of your first report to the General Assembly? IAN FRY: The main issues are those coming up at the COP in Egypt. First, issues around improving action on mitigation to get countries to commit to more action. We know that there's not enough being done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so I want to bring attention to that and look at the human rights implications of not doing enough on climate change. The next issue is precisely the consequences of that, and I'm looking at the issue of loss and damage. These are the huge impacts that countries are suffering as a consequence of climate change and the huge costs that are involved. To date, there have been discussions around establishing a Loss and Damage fund, but that's been moving very slowly, so I'm hoping to build further momentum to work on getting that fund agreed, and up and running. The final issue is around access and inclusion. This is getting people who are most affected by climate change to be able to present their voices to climate change meetings. This is women, children, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, all the groups that are right at the forefront of climate change and human rights impacts. We need to find ways of getting their voice into the climate change process. UN NEWS: What is the connection between human rights and these issues we see related to climate action If we think about the floods in Nigeria and Pakistan, and the severe drought that's occurring in Somalia now, people's human rights are being affected as a consequence of climate change. These are millions of people around the world whose basic enjoyment of human rights is being affected. So, we have to make that connection, we have to put a human face to climate change. UN NEWS: In the last UN Climate Conference, which was held in Glasgow in 2021, member states signed a declaration which finalized the negotiations of outstanding terms of the Paris Agreement. What do you expect countries will be speaking about during the upcoming COP in Egypt? Well, there are a number of issues on the table. We're leading up to what's called the Global Stocktake [in 2023], this is a review of the implementation of the Paris Agreement. So, there are processes involved in establishing this review process. I think that the crunch issue will be around this whole loss and damage debate. We've seen pushback by some key countries around advancing the issue, but the developing countries have unanimously said “we want loss and damage on the agenda” and civil society is saying the same thing. UN NEWS: And what are the challenges regarding the loss and damage issue? Well, there are major developed countries that are quite concerned about it and looking at this issue from the perspective of what the polluter pays. At the moment, the countries most affected by climate change and suffering the costs are having to deal with those costs themselves. I was recently in Bangladesh and saw firsthand the impacts of climate change. And it's unfair for countries like Bangladesh to have to deal with the cost of climate change on their own, which is not of their own making. So, the most vulnerable countries produce the least amount of emissions, yet they're paying the cost of the damage from climate change. So, it's time the big countries, the major emitters, stood up and said, “we've got to do something, we've got to make a contribution to these vulnerable countries”. UN NEWS: For you what would be the best outcome of this COP? I've put forward a number of recommendations in my report. One of them is to commence a process to establish this Loss and Damage Fund. We also must have a process to ensure greater participation, particularly for civil society, youth, and women groups, and to open up the COP to these groups to have a better say. I would also like to see a revision of the Gender Action Plan since it's quite old, it's not well-developed. We know that there are critical issues of climate change impacts on women and young people, and those issues need to be brought and put forward onto the Agenda and Action Plan developed to address those issues. There is a whole host of other issues that I'm looking at advancing. For example, the issue of increasing mitigation. I'm trying to suggest that parties should call for the UN Secretary-General to hold a special summit next year on ramping up pledging to reduce their emissions. So hopefully that will come forward as well. UN NEWS: Since the Right to a Healthy Environment was declared a Universal Human Right, have you seen any changes implemented by countries? I think countries are starting to see how they can implement that resolution. There's certainly dialogue within countries. I know the European Union is having discussions about how to incorporate that resolution within their national legislation, within constitutions. And I think regional bodies are also looking at that to develop regional agreements that bring on board that resolution. UN NEWS: Do you think is possible at this point to keep the goal of curbing global warming to 1,5 degrees? Well, it's a challenge. We're not seeing that with the current Nationally Determined Contributions and the sort of commitments that have been made by countries. We're heading on a pathway towards two to three degrees Celsius, so there has to be a lot more action to get countries to reduce their emissions. The complication, of course, is the Ukraine war, where we're seeing countries sort of having to find old sources of fossil fuel energy to replace what they've been deprived of, as a consequence of the war. So that's the problem, and that's been a distraction as well. However, there's a good side to it, I think countries are also saying that they need to be self-sufficient in energy and the cheapest way to do so is with renewable energy. And we're seeing Portugal moving towards 100 per cent renewable, we know Denmark is also doing that, and I think that will drive other countries to see the need to be renewable and self-sufficient in their energy.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129767
     
         
      National Grid to pay households more to use off-peak power Thu, 20th Oct 2022 15:00:00
     
      Homes with smart meters to be paid £3 per KW hour to boost use at night and take strain off power grid National Grid has significantly increased its financial incentive for households that shift their power usage away from peak times as part of a renewed effort to prevent rolling power cuts. Its electricity system operator (ESO) has increased the incentive sixfold to £3 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to encourage households to use their washing machines and appliances late at night, which could mean typical savings of £100 this winter. National Grid warned this month that homes could face three-hour power cuts if Russia blocks gas supplies into Europe and Britain experiences sustained cold weather, increasing the amount that households use for heating. In response, it has beefed up plans for businesses and households to participate in its “demand flexibility service”, which launches next month. Writing exclusively for the Guardian, Fintan Slye, the director of National Grid ESO, said on Thursday: “Businesses and homes can become virtual power plants and, crucially, get paid like one too. “For a consumer that could mean a typical household could save approximately £100 and, for industrial and commercial businesses with larger energy usage, they could potentially save multiples of this.” The ESO had originally planned to pay households with smart meters about 52p per kilowatt hour in credit via their energy suppliers if they avoid using appliances at times when high demand puts strain on the system. However, the introduction of support for businesses and households announced by Liz Truss last month made the scheme less attractive, at the equivalent of 34p per kWh. As a result, the ESO said it expects to pay the equivalent of £3 per kWh, “as feedback indicates this will unlock the majority of the available volume”. This money will be paid to suppliers in the form of a £3,000 per megawatt hour (MWh) minimum price, and those payments could go higher. Slye said he was “confident” the scheme could free up about 2 gigawatts (GW) of power, enough for about 1m homes. As businesses consume far more energy than domestic customers, their savings could be much higher. Only Octopus Energy, which piloted the initiative earlier this year, has formally signed up. However, it is understood E.ON and Ovo are among those interested in signing up. Under a similar scheme also launching next month, Ovo customers who use less than 12.5% of the energy they consume in a day between the peak hours of 4pm and 7pm will receive £20 for each month they hit this target. The five-month trial from 1 November could save them £100 as a result. The more firms and homes that sign up to the ESO plan, the greater the reduction in the pressure on the energy network with consumers putting on their washing machine or appliances at night instead of busier periods. Octopus and E.ON had claimed the energy discount incentive was too low, arguing that fewer people would sign up as a result, the Times reported last month. Slye also detailed how National Grid would inform households if there were to be power cuts this winter. He said consumers would receive 24 hours notice and social media influencers could even be called on to spread the message. He wrote: “We are working with government and industry on planning for this so that the message can be spread across all communities as quickly and accurately as possible. This would include press conferences, social media campaigns, and working with influencers in different communities.” This article was amended on 21 October 2022 because an earlier version referred to kWh units as kW/h.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/20/national-grid-to-pay-households-more-to-use-off-peak-power
     
         
      ‘Nature is striking back’: flooding around the world, from Australia to Venezuela Thu, 20th Oct 2022 13:51:00
     
      Heavy rain and rising waters continue to take a deadly toll in countries including Nigeria, Thailand and Vietnam It has been a drenched 2022 for many parts of the world, at times catastrophically so. A year of disastrous flooding perhaps reached its nadir in Pakistan, where a third of the country was inundated by heavy rainfall from June, killing more than 1,000 people in what António Guterres, the UN secretary general, called an unprecedented natural disaster. While floods are indeed natural phenomena, a longstanding result of storms, the human-induced climate crisis is amplifying their damage. Rising sea levels, driven by melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of water, are increasingly inundating coastal areas, while warmer temperatures are causing more moisture to accumulate in the atmosphere, which is then released as rain or snow. Scientists have said flash floods are becoming a problem in some countries, with short, severe bursts of rain causing anything from annoyance to mayhem. Some places are whiplashing between severe drought and these sudden downpours, heightening the risk of mudslides and other knock-on effects. As the world heats further, the sort of floods seen this year from Australia to Nigeria will probably become more common. “We have waged war on nature, and nature is striking back, and striking back in a devastating way,” Guterres lamented after visiting Pakistan in September. Oliver Milman
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/20/flooding-world-climate-crisis-australia-venezuela-nigeria
     
         
      Saltwater lagoon granted legal personhood Thu, 20th Oct 2022 12:13:00
     
      Mar Menor, a protected saltwater lagoon in the southeast of Spain, is now entitled to “exist as an ecosystem and evolve naturally,” according to an official government bulletin published earlier this month. The rights extend to “all the natural characteristics of the water, the communities of organisms, the soil,” and any terrestrial or aquatic “subsystems” that make up the Mar Menor. The law granting these rights was approved by the Spanish Senate in late September. It marks a first for Europe: Although the so-called rights-of-nature movement has made great strides on other continents — particularly in South America — Mar Menor is the first European ecosystem to be recognized as a legal “person” with an inherent right to exist. Similar legal rights have been granted to the Whanganui River in New Zealand and the Magpie River in Canada, as well as to all of the rivers in Bangladesh. Over recent decades, much of Mar Menor’s vegetation and wildlife have been killed by pollution from sewage and mining discharges. To help the lagoon recover, Spanish law will now require government agencies to write reports on the state of its ecosystem, run social awareness campaigns about threats to its health, and develop additional policies to protect it from further damage. A group of local citizens, scientists, and officials will serve as Mar Menor’s legal representation. Eduardo Salazar, a public interest environmental lawyer and professor at the University of Murcia in Spain, said the new law will allow the broader public to go to court in the name of the Mar Menor without proving legal “standing” — a hurdle that normally requires defendants to show how they personally have been harmed. Others have urged countries to go a step further by creating an international law against the crime of “ecocide,” the destruction of nature. “Granting rights and establishing laws to protect them are two sides of the same coin,” a Spanish advocacy group called Stop Ecocide said in a statement. “[I]t is essential to advance the criminalization of ecocide at the international level, creating a law that covers all cases of serious, extensive, or long-term damage to the environment.” Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter included the incorrect date; the date was Wednesday, October 18.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/saltwater-lagoon-granted-legal-personhood/
     
         
      Can floating turbines harvest the world's wind? Thu, 20th Oct 2022 10:26:00
     
      Ten miles off the coast of Aberdeen in Scotland, five turbines tower over the North Sea. Each is as tall as the giant towers of Canary Wharf in London's docklands. Kincardine is the world's largest floating wind farm. It helps solve an engineering riddle. And its designers believe it shows how offshore wind can become a truly global energy source. In much of the world, the seabed takes a sudden dive close offshore, ruling out the use of conventional offshore wind turbines. These are built up from the sea floor on concrete foundations and can only be deployed in relatively shallow water, up to about 60m. The solution sounds obvious - installing turbines on floating platforms - but imagine for a moment the fearsome forces these structures must withstand. The turbines at the Kincardine wind farm must stand tall in the heaviest swells and fiercest storms the tempestuous North Sea brings their way. The success of the technology draws on Britain's expertise in offshore engineering, honed as it developed the oil and gas resources in the North Sea. Each tower sits atop three huge cylindrical floats. They are painted bright yellow and welded into a triangular platform each side of which is 67m long. This is not a passive structure, explains Greg Campbell-Smith, of Principle Power, the UK company that developed the platform technology. The Climate Question: Why can't we build more wind farms? Scotland generates record amount of renewable electricity Going green could save the world trillions The floats need to adapt to changes in the wind and sea conditions. In strong winds the tower "heels" or leans away from the wind, says Mr Campbell-Smith. A network of pumps and valves shift liquid ballast between the three floating cylinders to rebalance the platform and set the turbine at the ideal angle for the wind. Below the surface, weighted subsea cables attached to huge anchors make sure the platform is firmly secured to the seabed. Principle Power claims the Kincardine facility proves the potential of floating wind. It says it produces enough electricity each year to power 35,000 British homes. But it faces stiff competition. Companies around the world are producing their own designs for floating wind platforms. Last month the US government offered $50m of new funding to encourage American companies to install 15GW of floating wind in US waters by 2035. The aim is to drive down costs by 75% and "help the US lead on offshore wind", according to the White House. There is certainly a huge potential market. The UK's independent climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), says that about half of the 100GW of offshore wind it expects will have been installed by 2050 will be on floating platforms. The technology could deliver £43bn of economic activity, employing up to 29,000 people, according to estimates by the UK offshore wind industry association RenewableUK. And the global prospects are even more promising. Some two-thirds of the US potential for offshore wind is reckoned to be in deep water, 80% of the European seabed is all only accessible using floating technology and much of the sea off Japan is also deep. The total worldwide pipeline of floating wind projects has doubled in the last year alone and now totals to180GW, suggests RenewableUK. Floating wind is set to be a £400-5000bn global market by 2050, calculates the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, a UK research centre for offshore wind technology. The big challenge now is cost. This new technology is expensive. Kilowatt hour for kilowatt hour, floating wind comes in at about the same price as new nuclear power. But, unlike nuclear power, the expectation is that costs will tumble as the market grows. Solar panel prices have fallen by 90% since 2010 as the technology has been rolled out at scale. Conventional offshore wind has also seen dramatic cost reductions. But the industry warns that investment will be needed to deliver on the promise this new technology holds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63300959
     
         
      Drone reveals Saudi Arabia's The Line under construction Thu, 20th Oct 2022 8:45:00
     
      Saudi Arabia has broken ground on The Line mega project at Neom, new drone footage shows. Excavators can be seen digging a wide linear trench in the desert in the video, released by the Saudi Arabia-based OT Sky drone company. The Line, in the kingdom's north-west Tabuk province, is a 170-kilometre-long, 500-metre-tall city designed to house nine million people. It will have a mirrored facade. It is one of a series of projects that make up the $500 billion Neom project, a futuristic city with a mixed-use development, containing spaces for work, play and living. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the designs of The Line. It will be the first city in the world to be powered by renewable energy, including wind, solar and hydrogen power. Residents of The Line will live in interconnected societies run by artificial intelligence designed to coexist with nature. The futuristic development will prioritise walkability, clean energy and technology to create a new way of living. Four other developments, Neom Bay, Aqaba Region, Neom Mountain and Neom Industrial City, are intended to surround The Line.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/saudi-arabia/2022/10/20/drone-reveals-saudi-arabias-the-line-under-construction/
     
         
      Save energy by not turning clocks back in October, says expert Wed, 19th Oct 2022 18:24:00
     
      Prof Aoife Foley says it would remain light for part of energy peak between 5pm and 7pm, reducing household bills Households could save more than £400 a year on energy bills if clocks are not put back at the end of October, according to an expert, who said it would help people with the cost of living crisis and reduce pressure on the National Grid this winter. Evening energy demand peaks between 5pm and 7pm during winter, when the sun has already set after daylight savings time (DST). If clocks didn’t go back, it would remain light for at least part of this time, reducing carbon emissions and energy demand. Prof Aoife Foley, a clean energy expert at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “By simply forgoing the winter DST in October, we save energy because it is brighter in the evening during winter, so we reduce commercial and residential electrical demand as people leave work earlier, and go home earlier, meaning less lighting and heating is needed.” This would help the government tackle the “energy war” in Europe resulting from the Ukraine invasion, she said. “Dependent on weather conditions this winter it is very likely we may need to start rationing energy very seriously to avoid bigger energy issues in December and January when gas reserves start to run low,” she said. Foley’s calculations suggest that households could save £1.20 a day and more than £400 a year on electricity bills if clocks are not put back at the end of October, although exact amounts depend on tariffs. There has long been debate over whether to scrap DST, which was introduced in 1916 to reduce energy demand during the war by prolonging evening daylight in summer. It still benefits some farmers, but is less popular among people who would prefer more light later in the day in winter, and is thought to cause sleep disturbance. It was originally proposed in 1907 by William Willett, a builder and the great, great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who is well known for the song Clocks. The European parliament voted to scrap the hour change in 2019, and a poll showed that most EU citizens agreed. But the change has yet to be implemented and no longer applies to the UK after Brexit. Foley did not include gas savings or electricity and gas in the commercial or industrial sectors in her calculations, but she said these would offer “even more significant energy, cost and emissions reductions”, flattening the evening peak on energy demand by up to 10%. Some critics of scrapping daylight savings are concerned about road traffic collisions, but Foley’s research suggested most road deaths occur in good visibility during the day and outside built-up areas, and usually on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with speed, tiredness and alcohol the main factors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/19/scrap-turning-clocks-back-october-to-save-energy-says-expert
     
         
      UK’s ancient woodlands at risk from investment zones, say charities Wed, 19th Oct 2022 18:22:00
     
      Exclusive: Concern over government plans to relax environmental and planning rules to lure business The government’s investment zones could put the UK’s ancient woodlands under threat, the head of the Woodland Trust has warned. An ancient woodland is one that has existed continuously since at least 1600. They are a precious part of the UK’s history, store large amounts of carbon and are important habitats for animals. The government has proposed investment zones, where planning and environmental rules will be relaxed and tax breaks put in place, to encourage companies to build infrastructure and set up business. Wildlife charities have said the loosening of regulations could put nature in peril, as many exist to protect fragile ecosystems from development. Analysis by the Woodland Trust found there were more than 125,000 hectares of ancient woodland within the council areas of the 38 authorities who were known initially to have expressed an interest in investment zones. The opportunity for other councils to declare an interest closed on 14 October but the information about how many more have signed up has not been released, so the number under threat could increase. Darren Moorcroft, the chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said: “On the basis of what we have learned from government so far since the mini-budget and the retained EU law bill, this combination of plans could see the UK lose more trees and woods – and plant fewer – at a time when we need to strengthen protection and ramp up woodland expansion to tackle the nature and climate crises. “We are especially concerned about the protection of ancient woods and trees in new investment zones, where planning rules would be weaker and recent so-called assurances have done nothing to allay our fears. “These are unprecedented times for the environment on which we depend for our prosperity and quality of life. The last thing we need is to weaken protections and create uncertainties for farmers and landowners who are helping to ready our countryside for the battle against the climate change ahead.” There are also fears that undesignated ancient woodlands and trees that have not been given legal protection will be threatened further by a push for development. Enterprise zones – which could be used as a model for investment zones – do not include explicit protections for ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees. There is likely to be some pushback on these plans from Conservative MPs. The former environment minister Rebecca Pow told the Guardian that failing to protect ancient woodlands would be a breach of the Environment Act. “The ancient woodland in this country is our equivalent of the rainforest. It is an absolute travesty that only 2% remains and we must ensure that no more is lost. In the Environment Act, a commitment was made to review the national planning policy framework to ensure it is being correctly implemented regarding ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/19/uk-ancient-woodlands-investment-zones-environmental-planning-rules
     
         
      Wednesday briefing: Just Stop Oil fuels up for a long fight Wed, 19th Oct 2022 18:20:00
     
      They’re climbing bridges, clogging traffic and vandalising a Van Gogh. But are protesters on the right road to a climate revolution – and how far will the government go to stop them? ood morning. Over the past week, the climate action group Just Stop Oil has been hitting the headlines for a series of protests, the latest of which involved blocking a major motorway between Essex and Kent yesterday. That prompted the home secretary, Suella Braverman, to attack you, dear reader, as responsible for disruption to traffic, saying: “I’m afraid it’s the Labour party, it’s the Lib Dems, it’s the coalition of chaos, it’s the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati – dare I say the anti-growth coalition that we have to thank for the disruption we are seeing on our roads today.” Luckily, you’re off the hook for what was perhaps Just Stop Oil’s most high-profile action so far, when two activists threw cans of Heinz tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers and proceeded to remove their jackets to reveal their Just Stop Oil T-shirts before they glued their hands to the wall of the National Gallery last Friday. “What is worth more,” said Phoebe Plummer, one of the activists, “art or life?” I spoke to the Guardian’s Damien Gayle, who has been reporting on environmental protest groups closely since 2018, and has been following Just Stop Oil since its inception, about what this latest protest group tells us about climate action and the growing agitation of young people when it comes to the climate crisis. Five big stories Fracking | Analysis of House of Commons Library data by the Liberal Democrats found that between 2018 and 2019, a fracking site near Lancashire, the UK’s only active site, was responsible for daily earthquakes. Strikes | Trade union leaders have intensified their warnings of a synchronised strike this winter to cause maximum disruption. “If we win those ballots, we stand prepared to take action on the same day as any other union to show the government we strike together,” said Mark Serwotka, the head of the Public and Commercial Services union. Protest | A British MP has said that one of China’s most senior diplomats was involved in the violence against pro-democracy protesters at China’s consulate in Manchester. Criminal justice | A study by the University of Manchester and barrister Keir Monteith KC has said that the judiciary in England and Wales is “institutionally racist”, with discrimination particularly directed towards black court users. Music | The 28 year old rapper and actor Little Simz has won the Mercury Prize for her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. In depth: A more radical breed of activism When Just Stop Oil protesters climbed on top of the M25 Dartford Crossing for the second day running, the bridge had to be closed again – causing rush hour chaos. This extremely dangerous action sent a message to the country: Just Stop Oil are serious and they have no intention of stopping until their demands are met. Following hot on the heels of the Van Gogh protest (the painting was safe behind a sheet of glass), the activists are causing quite a stir – just as they wanted. More than 450 arrests have been made over the last two weeks of protests. Who are Just Stop Oil? Just Stop Oil emerged early this year as a successor to Extinction Rebellion (XR). While the group looks as if it appeared out of nowhere, many of the activists behind it also have close links to other environmental action groups, including Roger Hallam, who is the social movement strategist behind XR and Insulate Britain. However, unlike these other groups, which often rely on older activists who believe they have less to lose, Just Stop Oil positions itself as a youth-led movement with Hallam reportedly going to universities to recruit eager students who have an abundance of time and passion. Their plans at the start were specific and bold – they were going to block the distribution of fossil fuels in the south of England. This is because, as their name suggests, they want the government to announce a moratorium on all new licences for fossil fuel projects. “This was their first demand,” says Damien. “It was chosen because it’s in line with the advice of the International Energy Agency, which had said there cannot be any new fossil fuel projects if we’re going to stay within 1.5 degrees of global warming.” A demand this audacious requires audacious action, so the group has said it is moving away from “civil disobedience” to “civil resistance” – opting for more extreme methods like mass trespassing and climbing tankers. “When they came up with their coordinated blockades, it seemed that the action was tightly synchronised with their central demand because they were specifically targeting oil infrastructure and the distribution of fossil fuels around the country – focussing on petrol and diesel specifically.” Damien says. Are their tactics working? When Just Stop Oil activists were taking action against up to 10 fuel distribution facilities a day, they hurt the companies they were targeting: “The areas affected by the actual blockades were down [in the supply of petrol and diesel] by about 40-50%,” says Damien. And despite hundreds of arrests, the group continued to cause major disruptions to the fossil fuel industry in the UK, particularly in the south of England and London. However, the group went quiet over the summer to regroup and have come back with an expanded list of demands, referencing social justice and the cost of living crisis to attract a broader coalition of support. This has affected how effective their actions are. “The kinds of protests they’re doing have, in some sense, become dislocated from their original demand,” Damien says. The group have taken to blocking roads by glueing themselves to the ground and spray-painting buildings – a model that causes disruption and gets attention, “but it’s more difficult now to see a link between the actions they’re taking and the demands they’re making.” The government has not been too happy about all of the disruption. The home secretary, Suella Braverman, has unveiled plans to crack down on climate protests, accusing the activists of holding the public “to ransom”. This would give the police new powers to take a more “proactive” approach to counter the civil-resistance tactics that Just Stop Oil like to use. “This is the government saying, ‘We’re sick of these disruptive protests, we want them to stop so we’re giving the police stronger powers to deal with them’,” Damien says. “And that’s why they’ve published the public order bill, which will introduce new offences that seem to be targeted at this new breed of more radical, dedicated climate action.” This is all part of a wider crackdown on protests that started under the previous home secretary, Priti Patel, who gave the police much stronger powers to deal with protests via the police crime sentencing courts act. The government also want to bring in national injunctions that the home secretary can apply for, which would effectively ban certain protests from happening, and have huge ramifications for the kinds of trials the activists would be entitled to. “Anyone who was arrested for conducting a protest that the home secretary banned would then be found to be in breach of the injunction, making them in contempt of court and could be prosecuted on that basis,” says Damien. “And contempt of court comes with a special kind of trial, which has a judge and no jury.” This would create huge jeopardy for activists: juries keep acquitting them at trial, mainly because it seems that they’re not buying the idea that causing any disruption is an offence. Without a jury, they are far more vulnerable to lengthy prison sentences. (And some are already serving long stretches behind bars in the build-up to trial).
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/19/wednesday-briefing-first-edition-just-stop-oil-protests
     
         
      The right to a safe climate Wed, 19th Oct 2022 17:11:00
     
      In a far-reaching but little-noticed decision, a United Nation committee recently ruled that Australia violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders, a group of Indigenous peoples living off the country’s northern coast, by not protecting them from the ravages of climate change. The U.N. Human Rights Committee said the Australian government failed to “implement adequate adaptation measures” to protect the Islanders’ “home, private life, and family,” in violation of a 1966 treaty called the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The ruling sets a new international legal precedent: that countries must take aggressive action to mitigate and adapt to climate change to protect their citizens’ inherent rights. “States that fail to protect individuals under their jurisdiction from the adverse effects of climate change may be violating their human rights under international law,” Hélène Tigroudja, a member of the U.N. Human Rights Committee, said in a statement. According to the complaint, filed by Torres Strait Islanders three years ago, climate change has already wreaked havoc on their way of life. Rising sea levels have caused flooding and erosion, the complaint says, and contaminated arable farmland with saltwater. More than three feet of coastline is being lost every year, and more acidic oceans are causing marine life to die off, forcing the islanders to venture further out to sea to find food. To prevent things from getting worse, the islanders want the government to build seawalls, swap out fossil fuels for renewable energy, and advocate on the international stage for coordinated action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Although it can’t force Australia’s hand, the U.N. committee recommended that the government compensate the Torres Strait Islanders for climate-related damage to their homeland and engage in dialogue with them to determine what their future needs are. Australia has said it is reviewing the recommendations. Yessie Mosby, one of the Torres Strait Islanders who lodged the complaint, said in a statement that the ruling was a “landmark” win that would reverberate around the world. “This win gives us hope that we can protect our islands, culture, and traditions for our children and future generations,” he said, emphasizing the need for Australia to take more ambitious action to limit global warming. Last month, the recently elected Labor Party-led government passed legislation requiring the country to cut carbon emissions 43 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach net-zero by 2050. Correction: This newsletter originally misstated the date; it was sent on Wednesday, October 19.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/the-right-to-a-safe-climate/
     
         
      How a Utah utility is helping an Estonian oil company hoard Colorado River water Wed, 19th Oct 2022 17:02:00
     
      $10 for 3.2 billion gallons of water? A loophole in Utah law could enable the country’s first commercial oil mining operation. Millions of years before dinosaurs went extinct, what is now Utah was submerged by a broad, shallow sea. Over millennia, as the water receded and tectonic plates shifted, rich organic marine material accumulated, forming thick layers of sediment that eventually became the fossil fuel deposits of the Uinta Basin in the northeastern part of the state. The formation is estimated to hold as many as 300 billion barrels of oil — more than the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. The basin’s immense oil-producing potential remains largely untapped. Drillers in the Uinta Basin extract about 65,000 barrels of oil per day, or just over 1 percent of the more than 5 million barrels daily drilled in the Permian Basin, which straddles West Texas and New Mexico and is the country’s most productive fossil fuel reserve. One of the biggest hurdles is the waxy and viscous quality of Uinta oil, which is so thick that it needs to be constantly heated to keep it liquid. The deposits are also trapped in tiny pores between rocks and more widely dispersed than other shale formations in the country. As a result, oil drillers have been tepid in exploring the basin, despite high gas prices and calls to boost American oil production. A state-owned company from the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia wants to change that. The company, Enefit American Oil, has proposed strip-mining 28 million tons of rock, heating them up to temperatures around 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and extracting a type of synthetic crude oil. Enefit plans to operate on about 7,000 acres of desert land just south of Dinosaur National Monument and produce 50,000 barrels of oil per day, almost doubling the entire basin’s production. Its novel oil extraction method is also reportedly up to 75 percent more carbon-intensive than traditional fossil fuel extraction. No operation of its kind currently exists in the United States. But Enefit’s grand plans hinge on one crucial resource that’s in short supply all over the American West: water. The operation needs millions of gallons a day to break up the petroleum-carrying rock and extract oil. In 2011, the company purchased a water right for approximately 10,000 acre-feet — or 3.2 billion gallons — of water from the White River, a tributary of the Green River which flows into the beleaguered Colorado River. Utah and six other Western states are overwhelmingly dependent on the Colorado for their needs, from urban drinking water to agriculture. But a yearslong megadrought fueled by climate change has left the river in dire straits, and states hold more water rights on paper than physically exist in the river. As a result, water users are making painful cuts to prevent the river’s reservoirs from reaching dangerously low levels. Historically, Utah has not used its full allotment from the river and has restricted large new appropriations for decades in order to fulfill its obligations to Native tribes and downstream states. A complex set of rules govern the ownership and use of water in the Colorado River basin. Key among them is the “use it or lose it” principle, which dictates that a water right once appropriated must be put to “beneficial use” — such as for farming or mining — within a specific amount of time. Utah law requires that this threshold be met within 50 years, which is where Enefit ran into trouble. The water right that the company purchased in 2011 dated back to 1965 — meaning it was due to lapse in 2015. If Enefit didn’t put it to use by then, the water right would return to the state. Given the number or regulatory hurdles it needed to overcome before it could even start drilling, there was no way it would start using its water in time to keep its right.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/energy/enefit-utah-colorado-river-water-oil-mining/
     
         
      HSBC climate change adverts banned by UK watchdog Wed, 19th Oct 2022 16:23:00
     
      The UK's advertising regulator has banned two HSBC advertisements for being "misleading" about the company's work to tackle climate change. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the banking giant can no longer run the ads which promoted its plans to reduce harmful emissions. The watchdog said that the posters "omitted material information" about HSBC's activities. It marks the ASA's first action against a bank for so-called "greenwashing". An HSBC spokesperson told the BBC that "The financial sector has a responsibility to communicate its role in the low carbon transition to raise public awareness and engage its customers." "We will consider how best to do this as we deliver our ambitious net zero commitments," they added. Greenwashing - branding something as eco-friendly, green or sustainable when this is not the case - misleads consumers into thinking they are helping the planet by choosing those goods or services. A really simple guide to climate change Big banks fund new oil despite net zero pledges The adverts were seen at bus stops in London and Bristol last October, in the lead up to the highly-anticipated United Nations COP26 climate change summit. The posters outlined HSBC's efforts to plant trees and help its customers achieve "net zero" emissions. Net zero means not adding to greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere by cutting and trying to balance out emissions. One poster showed an image of waves crashing on a shore with text that said "Climate change doesn't do borders. Neither do rising sea levels. That's why HSBC is aiming to provide up to $1 trillion in financing and investment globally to help our clients transition to net zero". The other advert was of tree growth rings and text which read "Climate changes doesn't do borders. So in the UK, we're helping to plant 2 million trees which will lock in 1.25 million tonnes of carbon over their lifetime". The ASA upheld complaints that the ads "omitted significant information about HSBC's contribution to carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions." "Customers... would not expect that HSBC, in making unqualified claims about its environmentally beneficial work, would also be simultaneously involved in the financing of businesses which made significant contributions to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions," the regulator added. Climate change scrutiny HSBC's efforts to address climate change have come under scrutiny in recent months. In February, campaigners accused big banks, including HSBC, of pumping billions of dollars into new oil and gas production despite being part of a green banking group. London-based ShareAction called on the banks to demand green plans from fossil fuel firms before funding them. ShareAction said that 24 big banks, which joined the Net Zero Banking Alliance last year, had since provided $33bn (£29.1bn) for new oil and gas project. At the time, a HSBC spokesman said the bank was "committed to working with our customers to achieve a transition towards a thriving low carbon economy". Meanwhile, a senior HSBC executive drew controversy in May when he accused central bankers and other officials of exaggerating the risks of climate change. Stuart Kirk, who was the global head of responsible investing at the bank's asset management division, said: "There's always some nut job telling me about the end of the world." His role, which was based in London, involved considering the impact of investments on environmental, social and governance issues. In July, Mr Kirk resigned from the bank and said that his comments had made his position "unsustainable".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63309878
     
         
      Floods and warm weather perfect storm for Japanese encephalitis outbreak, researchers warn Wed, 19th Oct 2022 16:00:00
     
      Modellers say those within 4km of an infected piggery potentially vulnerable, meaning 740,546 people at risk of mosquito-borne virus Warming temperatures combined with flood waters could leave almost 750,000 Australians vulnerable to Japanese encephalitis – a disease that until last year was confined to Asia and far-northern Australia. The mosquito-borne disease was first detected on the Australian mainland in 1998 but its range expanded dramatically this year. Cases were reported in dozens of southern piggeries (pigs are one of the main carriers of the virus) and there were also 31 confirmed cases in humans and six deaths. A paper published on Monday in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases warned that anyone living within 4km of an infected piggery is potentially at risk. This is because the mosquito that spreads Japanese encephalitis, Culex annulirostris, is a strong flier and can fly several kilometres. Researchers led by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane conducted modelling based on piggery distributions and the human population, and concluded that up to 3% of the population, or 740,546 people, could be at risk. The modelling is a worst-case scenario, assuming all mapped piggeries are vulnerable to infection and that all infected mosquitos fly 4.4km over their lifetimes. Pigs are the other major amplifiers of the virus, developing high enough viral levels in their blood to infect mosquitoes for around four days. The paper’s senior author and head of the QIMR Berghofer Mosquito Control Laboratory, Associate Prof Greg Devine, said people living close to populations of wading birds may also be at risk. Waterbirds, particularly wading birds such as herons and egrets, are the main source of Japanese encephalitis as they hold enough virus in their blood to infect mosquitoes for up to seven days. “We are extremely concerned about further outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis in Australia because of this third consecutive La Niña this year,” Devine said. “The wet and warm weather creates the right environment for mosquitoes to proliferate and may encourage changes in the distributions of the wild birds that maintain the virus during Australia’s winter months. “Most Australians have not been exposed to the virus before so they have no immunity. We are urging people to take precautions. The best protection is vaccination, but currently that’s not available to everyone. The next best protective measure is to avoid being bitten.” Japanese encephalitis is primarily a disease endemic in parts of Asia, where it is the most common vaccine-preventable cause of encephalitis, a serious and potentially fatal swelling of the brain. However, about 99% of infections cause no symptoms, and of those who do get sick, most will experience mild, cold-like symptoms. Associate professor of medical entomology with New South Wales Health Pathology, Dr Cameron Webb, said the risk of disease spread due to flooding is unlikely to be immediate. This is because mosquitos thrive in shallower, more stagnant bodies of water and in warmer weather than currently being seen on the south-east coast. But he said there is a risk that in coming weeks as flood waters dissipate and the weather warms, Japanese encephalitis and other mosquito-driven diseases may emerge. “It is important to remember that lots of mosquitoes also doesn’t necessarily guarantee a major outbreak of disease,” he said. “They don’t hatch out of the flood waters already infected with the virus so they’ve often got to bite an animal first, to pick up the virus before it passes on to us. And so it becomes a very complex puzzle to solve when you try to predict the timing of outbreaks. “But the flooding provides a lot of water into the environment, which is great for mosquitoes and so we certainly need to be alert. People need to take whatever steps they can to avoid mosquito bites. And they also need to be aware if they are assisting with the clean-up that aside from mosquitoes, there are all kinds of other diseases and waterborne pathogens that they may be at risk of being exposed to.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/20/floods-and-warm-weather-perfect-storm-for-japanese-encephalitis-outbreak-in-australia-researchers-warn
     
         
      Microphones dropped into ocean off Greenland to record melting icebergs Wed, 19th Oct 2022 5:15:00
     
      Artist Siobhán McDonald will turn recordings into an acoustic installation exploring humanity’s impact on the ocean An expedition of scientists and an artist is deploying underwater microphones in the ocean off Greenland to record and preserve the soundscape of melting icebergs. The hydrophones will record sounds every hour for two years before being collected, harvested for data and the recordings turned into an acoustic composition. The instruments are being lowered to different levels and temperatures to record earthquakes, landslides, wildlife, pollution and meltwater, creating an archive of the “ocean’s memory”. “What you’re hearing in the hydrophones is a snapshot of time,” Siobhán McDonald, an Irish artist, said on Tuesday, speaking from the expedition vessel. “It’s like a time capsule.” The expedition has deployed five moorings with hydrophones – and 12 moorings in total – in the Davis Strait, an Arctic gateway between Greenland and Canada. McDonald plans to work with a composer to incorporate the recordings, which are to be collected in 2024, into an acoustic installation that will explore humanity’s impact on the ocean. She will also do paintings, sculptures and other works based on the trip. “I’m interested in hearing the acoustic pollution. The sea levels are rising and that will have an impact I’d imagine on the sound range and on all the biodiversity. Sound is fundamental in the ocean and Arctic animals. Hearing is fundamental to communication, breeding, feeding and ultimately survival. It speaks of the necessity of paying attention to the pollution we are causing to the ecosystems around us.” Funded by the US National Science Foundation’s polar programme, the 21-strong team of researchers from Europe, the US and Canada has been at sea for four weeks studying sea salinity, whale migrations, ice floes and other phenomena. The material will be used in scientific analysis and artworks including paintings, sculptures and films. The expedition experienced strong wind, rain and snow and coincided with the calving of the Nuup Kangerlua glacier. The researchers are to return to the port of Nuuk, in western Greenland, on 22 October. The initiative came amid growing evidence that Greenland’s melting ice cap – trillions of tonnes have poured into the ocean – will cause major sea level rises. The results of fossil fuel burning will cause a minimum rise of 27cm (10.6in) from Greenland alone, according to a recent study in the journal Nature Climate Change. A separate study last year found a significant part of Greenland’s ice sheet was on the brink of a tipping point, after which accelerated melting would become inevitable even if global heating is halted. McDonald said she had noticed less ice compared with her last visit to Greenland in 2017. “The collapse of the Greenland ice cap is one of the tipping points I am working with, a time that may already have passed.” Even so, marine life appeared to be adapting, she said. “One major thing we discovered is that way up high here in the Arctic life is still thriving. Although the seascape may look barren, it is alive with possibilities. Some of the hydrophones from another expedition came back looking like alien creatures shuffling out of the Greenland ocean. Lichens and tiny plants were living in symbiosis with rusted surfaces.” McDonald also studied the release of methane from melting permafrost and similarities between Irish peat bogs and soil exposed by vanishing glaciers, which will feature in an exhibition at the Model, an arts centre in County Sligo, next year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/19/microphones-dropped-into-ocean-off-greenland-to-record-melting-icebergs
     
         
      Coal projects outside China becoming ‘uninsurable’, says climate group Wed, 19th Oct 2022 0:17:00
     
      As big firms stop insuring coal, complex schemes unlikely to find expertise needed, says Insure Our Future New coal power projects are becoming “effectively uninsurable” outside China because so many insurance companies have ruled out support for them, a report has found. Recent commitments to stop underwriting coal by prominent US insurers AIG and Travelers have brought the number of coal insurance exit policies to 41, according to the latest industry scorecard by the climate campaign Insure Our Future. The scorecard ranks the top global fossil fuel insurers on the quality of their fossil fuel exclusion policies. It shows that 62% of the reinsurance market and 39% of the primary insurance market are now covered by coal exclusions, with Allianz, Axa and Axis Capital ranking top for the robustness and breadth of their policies. Many of the remaining insurers without coal exclusions are not active in the fossil fuel sector. Insure Our Future says that many of the key laggards that are continuing to underwrite new coal projects are unlikely to be able to mobilise the expertise and capacity needed to insure big, complex new coal power plants. There has also been a significant shift away from oil and gas. At the time of last year’s climate talks in Glasgow, only three companies had any restrictions on insuring conventional oil and gas projects. But in the past year, another 10 insurers have followed suit. The latest company to do so is the world’s largest reinsurer, Munich Re, which published an ambitious oil and gas exit policy earlier this month. That means more than a third of the reinsurance market is now covered by oil and gas exclusions. Peter Bosshard, who coordinates the international Insure Our Future campaign, attributes the shift largely to climate campaigning. “So far, there hasn’t been real regulatory pressure. And there hasn’t been market pressure … as in the short term, it’s still a profitable business. So we think public pressure has really made an essential difference”. He adds that insurance companies have also felt the heat from their employees. “Insurance companies have warned about climate risks for decades and have made climate action part of their public brands. So pressure from the outside I think has also triggered pressure from within.” The scorecard identifies the UK’s Lloyd’s of London, the world’s biggest market for energy insurance, as a key laggard. It notes that the organisation is one of the few remaining European insurers without an oil and gas exclusion and has criticised its 2020 coal exit policy which makes it a non-mandatory guideline for its members. Although it can be difficult to find out what insurance companies are actually underwriting, climate campaigners have succeeded in drawing attention to the industry’s role in particular high-profile projects. A total of 18 companies have now ruled out support for the east African crude oil pipeline (EACOP), including two of Australia’s biggest insurers, QBE and Suncorp, and Italy’s biggest insurer, Generali. Isobel Tarr from the UK-based Coal Action Network said the growing rejection of EACOP was a sign that the tide was turning on fossil fuel projects. “More and more insurers are weighing up the risks and can see that a mega-pipeline … threatening Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater reserve, and contributing significantly to the climate crisis, is not worth the risk.” But she noted that all of the companies that have failed to rule out insurance for EACOP have syndicates at Lloyd’s of London, “where the companies behind EACOP have reportedly been looking for insurance cover”. She said that Lloyd’s weak exclusions meant controversial coking coalmines, such as the Whitehaven mine in Cumbria, could still be insured, and called for the organisation to rule out all new fossil fuel projects. Despite the overall increase in exclusion policies, campaigners say voluntary action is not enough and are calling for greater regulation. Insure Our Future noted that the EU prohibited insurance of the transportation of Russian crude oil in June – part of the sanction regime it imposed on Russia – demonstrated “that regulators can act quickly and effectively in crisis situations”. In June, the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign made explicit for the first time that members of net zero alliances “must phase down and out all unabated fossil fuels”. But Renaud Guidée, chief risk officer of Axa and chair of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance, has resisted the call to require members to exclude coverage. A Lloyd’s spokesperson said the organisation was “committed to insuring the transition to net zero by providing the vital risk management solutions that will enable multi-sector decarbonisation, large-scale clean energy investment and expansion, together with deploying an increasing proportion of capital to support climate innovation”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/19/coal-projects-outside-china-becoming-uninsurable-says-climate-group
     
         
      What are European countries doing to cut power consumption? Tue, 18th Oct 2022 18:28:00
     
      Governments across the continent have announced a range of measures to tackle any energy shortages this winter Paris is switching off the Eiffel Tower lights an hour early, Milan has turned off public fountains, and Hanover is offering gym users cold rather than hot showers in an effort to combat potential energy shortages this winter. At the same time, the public are being encouraged to do their bit by avoiding using household appliances between 4pm and 7pm, stock up on blankets and slow down their driving. One global retail chain is encouraging staff to change their behaviours: to use stairs instead of lifts, to use energy-saving apps at home, and unplug devices rather than leaving them on standby. The UK, by contrast, has blocked a £15m campaign encouraging the public to conserve energy, with the government arguing that the country is “not a nanny state”. But across Europe, governments and municipal authorities have responded to calls to reduce power consumption and reach an EU target of shaving 15% off energy consumption by next March. All member states are reducing heating in public buildings by one degree to 19C, but some have gone further. France The Eiffel Tower lights are being turned off more than an hour early, shaving 4% off energy costs as the city responds to the government call to reduce fuel usage. The government has also launched a major communication campaign, “Every gesture counts”, encouraging individuals and industry to do their bit. Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, which owns more than 500 stores including brands such as Christian Dior, Givenchy and Tiffany, and supermarket chains LeClerc and Carrefour are turning the lights off in their shops three hours early. Workers are also being encouraged into “new energy consumption behaviours” such as using stairs instead of lifts, not using printers, and unplugging computers and electric cars. At home, people are being asked to keep the heating at 19C or lower in living rooms and kitchens (17C in bedrooms), drop boiler temperatures to 55C, use energy-intensive appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines during off-peak hours, and turn standby mode on devices including TVs and wifi routers off when not being used. Households that do so will be rewarded with a “sobriety bonus” (details to be announced), as will commuters who join a car pool. Public building managers have been told to switch to LED bulbs, turn off hot water boilers unless they are essential, and not heat offices above 19C. Sports complexes must lower their heating by two degrees and public swimming pools their water temperature by one degree, while street lights and signage will be dialled down in intensity, switched on for shorter periods, and where possible switched off altogether between 1am and 6am. Companies and public sector employers have been instructed to organise home working so that their premises can be closed altogether for three or four days at a time, and people with cars provided by public sector employers must limit their speed. Owners of private buildings are encouraged to reduce thermostats to 19C while occupied and lower them further to 16C overnight and 8C if they are not occupied for more than two days, as on bank holiday weekends. Ukraine Ukraine is not just fighting a war against Russia, but an energy crisis in one of the coldest countries in Europe. While the EU drops its thermostats to 19C, Ukraine’s authorities are talking about reducing central heating in building to four degrees lower than normal, between 17C and 18C. People have been advised to stock up on blankets and warm clothes for when outdoor temperatures fall to and below the -10C winter average. Spain Under a government decree, temperatures can be set no higher than 19C in public buildings. The new rules do not apply to households, but people are being encouraged to follow suit. Shops must also switch off window display lighting from 10pm and any air-conditioned or heated premises must have an automatic door-closing mechanism installed to avoid energy waste. Spain, which is not as dependent on Russian energy supplies as many other EU countries, has agreed to a 7%-8% reduction in gas use in solidarity with other EU countries. The measures will remain in place until November next year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/18/what-are-european-countries-doing-to-cut-power-consumption
     
         
      ‘Rewiring the nation’: Albanese and Andrews governments to jointly fund renewable energy zones Tue, 18th Oct 2022 18:26:00
     
      $1.5bn agreement includes plan to fast-track regulatory processes to support ‘rapid’ development of Victoria’s offshore wind industry The Albanese and Andrews governments will jointly fund renewable energy zones, offshore wind projects and interconnectors under the first tranche of Labor’s “rewiring the nation” commitment to plug more renewable power generation into the national grid. The new agreement, reached ahead of next Tuesday’s federal budget and the Victorian state election in November, will see $1.5bn in concessional financing made available for renewable energy zone projects in the state. The deal includes agreement to fast-track regulatory processes to support what the two governments characterise as “rapid” development of Victoria’s promised offshore wind industry. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) will also provide a concessional loan of $750m to ensure the interconnector between Victoria and New South Wales, the VNI West KerangLink, is completed by 2028. The Australian Energy Market Operator says the completion of KerangLink is urgent so that appropriate transmission infrastructure is in place before the anticipated closure of ageing coal-fired power stations. Earlier this year, Aemo’s chief executive, Daniel Westerman, outlined five top priority projects when he released the latest integrated system plan: the HumeLink to connect up the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project, the Sydney Ring and New England renewable energy zone links, as well as the Marinus and the KerangLink, also known as VNI West. Under the new agreement to be outlined on Wednesday, the Victorian, Tasmanian and commonwealth governments will also take a total 20% joint equity stake in the Marinus link project between northern Tasmania and Gippsland, with the remaining 80% funded through a concessional loan from the CEFC. Another $1bn of low-cost loans will fund the redevelopment of Tasmania’s Tarraleah hydro power station and a pumped hydro project at Lake Cethana, both parts of the long-promised “battery of the nation” project. Labor has promised $20bn to “rewire the nation” by accelerating the construction of new electricity transmission links between states and regions as the east coast power grid moves from running predominantly on coal power to renewable energy. Modelling for Labor by the consultants RepuTex suggested it would help lift renewable energy generation from about 35% to 82% by 2030. Victoria has six designated onshore renewable energy zones and is home to the country’s most advanced offshore windfarm proposal – a 200-turbine wind development near Gippsland, known as Star of the South. The federal climate change minister, Chris Bowen, announced in August six proposed areas around the country for offshore wind development, with Gippsland the first to be opened for community consultation. The Victorian government has set sets targets of having 4GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035 and 9GW by 2040. Both KerangLink, with a planned peak capacity of 1800 megawatts, and the two-stage, 1500MW Marinus Link were nominated as “actionable” projects in an Aemo blueprint for the future of the electricity grid. The Marinus link project was first flagged in 2017. Progress since has been slow, with little clarity over where the funding would come from, and the proposal has been sharply criticised as unnecessary and environmentally damaging by the former Greens’ leaders and prominent conservationists Bob Brown and Christine Milne. The Aemo blueprint, known as the integrated system plan, said stage one of Marinus would be needed by 2029 and KerangLink by 2031 under a “step change” scenario. The Kerang link has been forecast to cost up to $3.3bn, Marinus link up to $5bn. Neither transmission link has passed the multi-stage regulatory investment test, overseen by the Australian Energy Regulator, which some analysts have considered a bigger hurdle than securing concessional finance. In a joint statement ahead of Wednesday’s announcement, the prime minister Anthony Albanese said Labor’s rewiring the nation commitment had “always been about jobs in new energy industries, delivering cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy, and bringing down emissions.” “This is an historic day for Victoria and for Australia with the rollout of these key projects putting us on track to be a renewable energy superpower,” Albanese said. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said his state had cut emissions, “tripled the amount of renewable energy and created thousands of jobs”. He said the new commitments would mean “more jobs, cleaner energy and cheaper power bills for Victorians.” Ahead of next Tuesday’s budget, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has turned his sights on Labor’s “rewiring the nation commitment, contending the proposal to overhaul the energy grid to boost the share of renewable generation “is never going to be realised”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/19/rewiring-the-nation-albanese-and-andrews-governments-to-jointly-fund-renewable-energy-zones
     
         
      It’s all Greek renewables to me Tue, 18th Oct 2022 11:09:00
     
      In a historic first, Greece met 100 percent of its electricity demand with renewables last week. According to the country’s Independent Power Transmission Operator, or IPTO, clean-energy technologies like wind, solar, and hydroelectricity generated a record-high 3,106 megawatts on October 7 and powered the entire country for a five-hour window. The IPTO is “proud of our contribution to the achievement of this milestone with the rapid development of the transmission system,” Manos Manousakis, the operator’s chairman and CEO, wrote on LinkedIn. The landmark shows progress in Greece’s long-term transition away from fossil fuels, but there’s much work to be done. Over the whole month of August — the most recent month for which data is available — fossil fuels like coal and natural gas accounted for nearly 59 percent of Greece’s electricity generation. About 9 percent came from hydropower and 33 percent came from other renewables. To achieve its goal of generating at least 70 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2030, Greece wants to increase its installed renewable energy capacity to 25 gigawatts, up from 10 currently. The country also wants to attract some $30 billion in European Union funding and private investments to update its electric grid — including by building more transmission lines, which are needed to move electricity over longer distances. Manousakis said these upgrades will require Greece to expand its clean-energy workforce. Elisabeth Cremona, an analyst at the energy think tank Ember, hailed the announcement and told Euronews Green that it reflects Europe’s broader shift toward clean electricity. “The milestone reached by Greece proves that a renewables-dominated electricity grid is within sight,” she said. Although Russia’s war in Ukraine has complicated the continent’s progress — triggering a temporary return to coal-fired power in some places — European countries like the U.K. and Germany are still aiming for 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/its-all-greek-renewables-to-me/
     
         
      Starved of new talent: Young people are steering clear of oil jobs Tue, 18th Oct 2022 11:06:00
     
      Who wants to work for the brands that brought you climate change? In late May, António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, stood in blue graduation robes in front of a podium at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Looking out at the thousand-plus graduating seniors, Guterres told them that the world was facing a climate catastrophe — and it was up to them to stop it. “As graduates, you hold the cards. Your talent is in demand from multinational companies and big financial institutions,” Guterres said in the commencement address. “But you will have plenty of opportunities to choose from, thanks to the excellence of your graduation. So my message to you is simple. Don’t work for climate wreckers. Use your talents to drive us towards a renewable future.” If they hadn’t heard the advice from Guterres, they might have gotten the idea that digging up ancient oil deposits was not a promising career path from somewhere else. The billionaire Bill Gates recently predicted that oil companies “will be worth very little” in 30 years; CNBC’s loudest finance personality, Jim Cramer of Mad Money, has declared he’s “done” with fossil fuel stocks. It’s part of a larger social reckoning that threatens to make business harder for oil companies. Big Oil is becoming stigmatized as awareness grows that its environmentally-friendly messaging, full of beautiful landscapes and far-off promises to erase (some) of its emissions, doesn’t match its actions. Well over half of millennials say they would avoid working in an industry with a negative image, according to a survey in 2020, with oil and gas topping the list as the most unappealing. With floods, fires, and smoke growing noticeably worse, young people have plenty of reasons to avoid working for the brands that brought you climate change. This poses a hiring challenge for oil companies, with much of their current workforce getting closer to retirement. For years now, consulting firms have been warning the industry that it faces a “talent” gap and surveying young people to figure out how they might be convinced to take the open positions. Meanwhile, solar and wind power are booming and luring young people who want a job that fits with their values. In 2021, according to the business group E2, 3.2 million Americans worked in clean energy industries like renewables, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency — 3.5 times the number that worked in fossil fuels. And this is likely just the beginning: Congress recently passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is expected to cause an explosion of climate-related jobs. “I do feel that there’s this big pincer movement coming for the fossil fuel industry — you know, they’re going to be pinched in lots of different directions,” said Caroline Dennett, a safety consultant who publicly quit working for Shell earlier this year because the company was expanding oil and gas extraction projects. “And that’s exactly what we need.” ‘Retention is a massive, massive problem’ If it weren’t for climate change, now might seem like the perfect time to drill for more oil. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices soaring this year, driving them up as high as $120 a barrel in June — the “boom” of the boom and bust cycle. The price has since dropped to $85, but could climb higher since OPEC, the oil cartel that includes Russia and Saudi Arabia, recently agreed to cut production by 2 million barrels a day. With prices this high, oil companies would normally begin digging up more wells to increase production. But the calculus has changed. After years of losses, investors want their dividends. “Now we’re in a situation where the oil and gas companies are making a lot of cash flow … but the investors who stuck with those companies are basically saying, ‘Well, I stuck it out with you, give me my money back,’” said Peter Tertzakian, an energy and investing analyst, on the podcast Odd Lots this summer. Added to that is the growing pressure for financial institutions to divest from fossil fuels. All this, along with the “end of oil narrative,” has made investors hesitant to back new drilling projects, Tertzakian explained. And even if investors were interested in expanding drilling right away, many oil companies don’t have extra drilling equipment lying around ready to use, or extra people ready to operate it. Trained and knowledgeable workers are retiring or moving to other industries. The average oil and gas worker is 44 years old, a recent report from Deloitte found. The industry has mostly rehired the 15,000 workers it laid off during the 2020 crash, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. But the workforce numbers have been on a long downward trend since 2015, when oil prices took a plunge after a supply glut. The volatility of the industry — the cycle of laying off and hiring people — is another factor that makes the jobs unappealing, the Deloitte report said. “Half of oil and gas professionals, I believe, would gladly leave the oil and gas industry tomorrow if they could get a renewable energy job,” said Dar-Lon Chang, who worked as an engineer at ExxonMobil for 16 years before resigning in 2019 over concerns about climate change. A recent global survey by AirSwift found that 82 percent of current oil and gas workers would consider switching to another energy sector in the next three years, up from 79 percent last year and 73 percent in 2020. Fifty-four percent of those thinking about leaving picked the renewable industry as a preferred destination. “Retention is a massive, massive problem,” Dennett said. “They’re losing their most expert, skilled, and experienced technicians, engineers, designers, operators, mechanics … I think they will be starved of new talent.” When Big Oil comes up in the news, it’s usually something bad — oil spills, climate lawsuits, or other dirty business. The industry has drawn comparisons to Big Tobacco, and this image has started to affect workers. “We don’t want to be the bad guys,” said one anonymous participant in a study surveying oil workers’ opinions about climate change as part of a recent paper in the journal Energy Research and Social Science. Krista Haltunnen, the author of that study and an energy researcher at Imperial College London, said that many workers believe they can drive change within their company. “A lot of them think that they’re doing the best they can for climate change or for a better society, whether they’re right or not,” Haltunnen said. Dennett, for example, worked with Shell to make oil operations safer; Chang joined ExxonMobil after assurances from recruiters that the company was “seriously considering transitioning away from oil” and researching cleaner alternatives, and that he’d be working with natural gas — sold as the “bridge fuel” to a renewable future.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/energy/young-people-are-steering-clear-of-oil-jobs-retention-hiring/
     
         
      Greenwashing a police state: the truth behind Egypt’s Cop27 masquerade Tue, 18th Oct 2022 10:18:00
     
      Sisi’s Egypt is making a big show of solar panels and biodegradable straws ahead of next month’s climate summit – but in reality the regime imprisons activists and bans research. The climate movement should not play along No one knows what happened to the lost climate letter. All that is known is this: Alaa Abd El-Fattah, one of Egypt’s most high-profile political prisoners, wrote it while on a hunger strike in his Cairo prison cell last month. It was, he explained later, “about global warming because of the news from Pakistan”. He was concerned about the floods that displaced 33 million people, and what that cataclysm foretold about climate hardships and paltry state responses to come. A visionary technologist and intellectual, Abd El-Fattah’s first name – along with the hashtag #FreeAlaa – have become synonymous with the 2011 pro-democracy revolution that turned Cairo’s Tahrir Square into a surging sea of young people that ended the three-decade rule of Egypt’s dictator Hosni Mubarak. Behind bars almost continuously for the past decade, Abd El-Fattah is able to send and receive letters once a week. Earlier this year, a collection of his prison writings was published as the widely celebrated book You Have Not Yet Been Defeated. Abd El-Fattah’s family and friends live for those weekly letters. Especially since 2 April, when he started a hunger strike, ingesting only water and salt at first, and then just 100 calories a day (the body needs closer to 2,000). Abd El-Fattah’s strike is a protest against his imprisonment for the crime of “spreading false news” – ostensibly because he shared a Facebook post about the torture of another prisoner. Everyone knows, however, that his imprisonment is intended to send a message to any future young revolutionaries who get democratic dreams in their heads. With his strike, Abd El-Fattah is attempting to pressure his jailers to grant important concessions, including access to the British consulate (Abd El-Fattah’s mother was born in England, so he was able to obtain British citizenship). His jailers have so far refused, and so he continues to waste away. “He has become a skeleton with a lucid mind,” his sister Mona Seif said recently. The longer the hunger strike wears on, the more precious those weekly letters become. For his family, they are nothing less than proof of life. Yet on the week he wrote about climate breakdown, the letter never made it to Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, a human rights defender and intellectual in her own right. Perhaps, he speculated in subsequent correspondence to her, his jailer had “spilled his coffee over the letter”. More likely, it was deemed to touch on forbidden “high politics” – even though Abd El-Fattah says he was careful not to so much as mention the Egyptian government, or even “the upcoming conference”. That last bit is important. It’s a reference to the fact that next month, beginning on 6 November, the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt will play host to this year’s United Nations climate summit, Cop27. Tens of thousands of delegates – world leaders, ministers, envoys, appointed bureaucrats, as well as climate activists, NGO observers and journalists – will descend on the city, their chests bedecked in lanyards and colour-coded badges. Which is why that lost letter is significant. There is something unbearably moving about the thought of Abd El-Fattah – despite the decade of indignities he and his family have suffered – sitting in his cell thinking about our warming world. There he is, slowly starving, yet still worrying about floods in Pakistan and extremism in India and crashing currency in the UK and Lula’s presidential candidacy in Brazil, all of which get a mention in his recent letters, shared with me by his family. There is also, frankly, something shaming about it. Because while Abd El-Fattah thinks about the world, it’s not at all clear that the world heading to Egypt for the climate summit is thinking much about him. Or about the estimated 60,000 other political prisoners behind bars in Egypt, where barbaric forms of torture reportedly take place on an “assembly line”. Or about the Egyptian human rights and environmental activists, as well as critical journalists and academics, who have been harassed, spied on and barred from travel as part of what Human Rights Watch calls Egypt’s “general atmosphere of fear” and “relentless crackdown on civil society”. The Egyptian regime is eager to celebrate its official climate “youth leaders”, holding them up as symbols of hope in the battle against warming. But it’s hard not to think of the courageous youth leaders of the Arab spring, many of them now prematurely aged by more than a decade of state violence and harassment from systems that are lavishly bankrolled by military aid from western powers, particularly the US. It’s almost as if those activists have just been substituted by newer, less troublesome models. “I’m the ghost of spring past,” Abd El-Fattah wrote about himself in 2019. That ghost will haunt the coming summit, sending a chill through its every high-minded word. The silent question it poses is stark: if international solidarity is too weak to save Abd El-Fattah – the symbol of a generation’s dreams – what hope do we have of saving a habitable home?
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/18/greenwashing-police-state-egypt-cop27-masquerade-naomi-klein-climate-crisis
     
         
      Billionaire Mo Ibrahim attacks ‘hypocrisy’ over Africa’s gas Mon, 17th Oct 2022 11:31:00
     
      Telecoms entrepreneur says continent’s people should be allowed to use their vast reserves One of Africa’s richest entrepreneurs, the telecoms billionaire Mo Ibrahim, has criticised developed countries for seeking to dissuade African nations from exploiting their vast reserves of gas. Ibrahim told the Guardian in an interview: “We need a balanced and a fair policy for everybody. Gas can be useful to our transition … [Those who say otherwise] are hypocrites.” Africa’s gas reserves should be used to bring power to some of the world’s poorest people, he said. “We have 600 million people without electricity. How can we even think of development if people don’t have power? How can we have education, hospitals, business, companies, social life, TVs, tablets, computers, whatever? Development is a major issue for us and power is essential.” He added: “What you need to ensure is that Africans have some share of their own gas … but we will export, yes.” Africa’s gas, and the question of whether and how countries can exploit it, will be a key flashpoint at the Cop27 UN climate summit next month. The continent holds enough gas to raise global temperatures far beyond the 1.5C threshold countries agreed to target at the last UN climate summit, Cop26 last November in Glasgow. Sticking to that goal is likely to mean limiting how much of the gas is extracted, or using ways to capture and store the resulting carbon dioxide – an expensive technology that has not yet been proven at any significant scale. Ibrahim’s charitable foundation published a report in September that concluded that for Africans to treble their energy use, through gas alone, would add less than 1% to global carbon dioxide emissions. “These are poor people – how much power do poor people need?” he asked. “These guys don’t have air conditioning, they don’t have swimming pools to heat, they don’t have big SUVs to drive or gas-guzzling cars. They have a very small place, they only need a couple of bulbs to light.” Using gas for cooking in place of the wood, dung, coal, paraffin and other dirty fuels now commonly used would also save lives in Africa, Ibrahim added. “Nine hundred million people in Africa suffer from unclean cooking – mainly women. What about the pollution effect of that? It’s a serious problem, a health disaster and an environmental disaster. That’s why we need gas.” Developed countries and civil society groups have sought to discourage African governments from drilling their reserves, some of which are in threatened ecosystems such as the Congo basin. But as gas prices soar, the reserves are more profitable to exploit, and multinational companies, as well as other interested countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, have been exploring ways to invest on the continent. EU member states have also entered the fray, seeking to import gas from Africa to replace the fuel they were importing from Russia. “It just seems obscene to me that Europe is running around to find some gas now,” said Ibrahim. “Why can’t we have the same option? Aren’t we the same people?” Ibrahim, a British citizen who was born in Sudan, rose to prominence as a telecoms entrepreneur, founding Celtel International in 1998, which brought mobile phone networks to 14 African countries where people lacked landline infrastructure. He set up the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in 2006, which seeks to foster good governance and leadership in Africa. Celtel succeeded by “leapfrogging” landline technology with mobile phones, gaining more than 24 million customers by the time of its sale in 2005. Some civil society groups believe Africa could do the same with renewable energy, leapfrogging gas to move straight to clean energy. Ibrahim said many African countries were pursuing renewable power, but said gas would still be needed as a “backstop” in this transition. “The reality is it [the move to renewables] cannot be done in the time needed to do it,” he said, pointing to the variability of renewable energy and lack of battery technology. He also contrasted the situation in Europe, which is building liquefied natural gas infrastructure to import gas from the Middle East. “If [renewable energy] is valid, why don’t those guys jump immediately and stop using gas? They’re not doing that – they’re building [LNG infrastructure], they’re actually even reopening coalmines. So you’re giving me advice which you’re not following yourself.” Many Africans in oil-rich nations such as Nigeria have seen little benefit from their countries’ oil riches, but Ibrahim said the same would not be true of African gas. “When corruption was rife in Africa, at the time of the cold war, the situation was conducive to dictators and criminal people. It was much easier to do corrupt stuff. The world is changing.” His foundation has sought to spearhead this change, for instance by arguing for new transparency laws in developed countries that would make it harder for corrupt politicians to hide their assets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/17/billionaire-mo-ibrahim-attacks-hypocrisy-over-africas-gas
     
         
      Oil addiction will keep the west in hock to dictators Mon, 17th Oct 2022 11:30:00
     
      Simon Tisdall is right to call the Opec+ decision to lower production by 2m barrels a day “a stunning win for Putin” (Let Saudi Arabia’s friendship with Putin be a wake-up call for the west, 13 October). But anger, sanctions and stopping arms sales is an insufficient response. Rather, the west – and all UN member states – should use this moment to implement the recommendation by scientists to keep 60% to 80% of known oil reserves in the ground, thus incentivising the rapid transition from a fossil fuel economy to a green, renewable one. The Opec+ move, and the fact that companies spend billions every year prospecting for even more fossil fuel and fracking opportunities, must inspire those meeting at Cop27 across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia to create a coalition of the willing to prohibit the production, sale and use of fossil fuels by, say, 2030. The planet has been telling us to do this for some time. History is now piling on compelling arguments to do so sooner rather than later to stop aggressive dictators in their tracks. But are we listening? David Woollcombe Founder and president, Peace Child International Simon Tisdall is right to call out Joe Biden’s approach to Saudi Arabia. We know its human rights record is appalling and we know of the regime’s involvement in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. I believe change can only come with communication. Severing that achieves nothing. We also know our continued addiction to oil places us in a parlous position. Until our recalcitrant government invests in renewable infrastructure that weans us off that addiction, we have no choice but to shout from the sidelines. Support of course can come from the people. Much anguish was displayed after the purchase of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia. But I wonder how many of the objectors – mostly other clubs’ supporters – ask the petrol station attendant where the fuel comes from before tanking up their cars? Self-serving hypocrisy exists at all social levels, from the president of the US to the average football fan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/17/oil-addiction-will-keep-the-west-in-hock-to-dictators
     
         
      Iraqi minister admits gas flaring cancer link Mon, 17th Oct 2022 10:05:00
     
      Iraqi Environment Minister Jassem al-Falahi has acknowledged that pollution from oil production is the main reason for increases in local cancer rates. His comments came after a BBC Arabic investigation revealed that communities living close to oil fields near Basra are at elevated risk of leukaemia. These communities suspect gas flaring - the "wasteful" burning of gas released in oil drilling - is to blame. Flaring produces cancer-linked pollutants like benzene. The environment minister's comments, made to the BBC's HARDtalk programme, come despite a confidential order issued by the Iraqi prime minister - and seen by BBC Arabic - banning its employees from speaking about health damage caused by pollution. They also directly contradict previous comments made to BBC Arabic, by the Minister of Oil, Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail, in which he denied all links between the cancer rates and air pollution from oil. Communities living near oil fields in Basra have long suspected that their high rates of leukaemia are due to gases being flared on the oil fields. Flared gases from these sites are dangerous because they emit a potent mix of carbon dioxide, methane and black soot which is highly polluting. What is gas flaring and why is it a problem? As part of the original investigation, the BBC undertook the first pollution monitoring testing amongst the exposed communities. The results indicated high levels of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals. During his interview with HARDtalk Arabic, Al-Falahi also revealed that the oil ministry had previously prevented his staff from carrying out pollution monitoring checks at the largest oil field, Rumaila. Rumaila flares more gas than any other oil field in the world and is owned by the Iraqi government. BP is the lead contractor of the field and said that it is "extremely concerned" by the BBC's findings. BP in oil field where ‘cancer is rife’ The BBC Arabic team were similarly denied entry permits to film at Rumaila during their investigation. Ali Hussein Julood, a 19-year-old childhood leukaemia survivor, from North Rumaila, said: "Here in Rumaila, nobody speaks out. They say they're scared to speak in case they get removed." But Al-Falahi added that the situation has improved, and there is now greater cooperation between the ministries. He said that the departments would work together to issue fines or commence lawsuits against any company, whether local or international, if they had caused environmental damage. None of the families that BBC Arabic spoke to during the investigation had received compensation for the health issues they suffered, despite multiple requests made to the oil companies who work at the sites.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63284896
     
         
      COP27: Swimmer attempts Red Sea crossing for climate change Mon, 17th Oct 2022 8:28:00
     
      Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh is attempting what is thought to be the world's first swim across the Red Sea. He wants to highlight the vulnerability of coral reefs and oceans ahead of a major climate meeting in Egypt in November. He told BBC News he wanted world leaders to "put your heads in the water to see what we risk losing if we don't take urgent action". He hopes to swim the 160km (100 miles) distance over two weeks. Nations will be gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27 in November to discuss how the world is tackling rising temperatures. Mr Pugh, a UN Patron of the Oceans, will face warm sea temperatures, very salty water, and long hours of exposure to the sun as he swims around 10km (6 miles) a day. His journey started in Saudi Arabia, and will take him through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes leading to the Suez Canal. He will touch land again in Hurghada, Egypt. He describes the precious coral reefs he is swimming over as "magnificent". "I've swum in coral reefs that are so incredibly beautiful and biodiverse. There's fish of every single colour and description. But then I've come back a few years later and there's very little left there," he told BBC News. Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The UN warns that if global temperatures rise by 1.5C, 90% of reefs will disappear. A really simple guide to climate change Young activists demand cash for climate damage Coral reefs mapped to tackle climate change threat Mr Pugh is calling on governments to take action to significantly cut their greenhouse gas emissions and for 30% of the world's oceans to be protected. "The vast majority still have some way to go to understanding how quickly it's happening and the huge impact this will have on everyone around the world," Mr Pugh says. He has been swimming for 35 years and is the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean. "This is a fight to get people to understand the huge impact [climate change] is having not just on current generations, but every single future generation on this planet," he explains. He was accompanied by Dr Mariam Saleh Bin Laden, a Saudi endurance swimmer, for 9km. She described the swim as "short and tough and adventurous". "I wanted the coral swim to include swimmers from around the region. I invited Mariam to join me on the first section because she is a passionate humanitarian and has pioneered endurance swimming in Saudi Arabia," Mr Pugh said. After finishing the swim, Mr Pugh will attend COP27.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63263087
     
         
      Public ownership of power assets key to smooth shift to renewables, Queensland energy minister says Sun, 16th Oct 2022 18:32:00
     
      Government also able to offset impact of higher energy prices globally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mick de Brenni says Retaining control of its electricity assets has given Queensland an edge over other regions in coordinating and funding the race to decarbonise the economy, the state’s energy minister, Mick de Brenni, says. Queensland last month unveiled a $62bn plan to rid its power grid of coal by 2036, replacing the generation with 25GW of large-scale wind and solar farms, new transmission lines and two giant pumped hydro plants for storage. With its dominant ownership position of electricity generation and distribution assets, the government has been able to offset the impact of higher energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Rebates of $175 a household will this year total $385m “that would otherwise have gone to overseas shareholders”, de Brenni said. “We should expect there to be some continued elevation of wholesale electricity prices, that’s likely to flow through to retail bills,” he said, adding Queensland could shield households “in a way that no other state on the east coast can”. De Brenni said public ownership of the energy system allowed the state to ensure new large-scale generation, transmission, and storage infrastructure could be built in time, potentially ahead of when ordinary market signals would allow. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning “Because Queenslanders chose to keep energy assets in public hands, we have unprecedented control to guide the transformation of our energy system,” he said. “We’re going to deploy those natural advantages that Queensland has to make sure that at all times the lights stay on and power remains affordable.” The introduction in June of three new tiers for mining royalties to bolster state coffers has also helped pay for the energy transition, de Brenni said. New South Wales, which has a similar mix of coal for domestic use and export in its economy, has so far resisted lifting its royalty rates to collect a higher share of the record profits being garnered by miners. Queensland’s resources sector, which complained it wasn’t consulted on the changes, has estimated the impost would collect an extra $15bn this financial year alone. “Queenslanders have a right to be rewarded when their resources are attracting incredibly high profits on global markets,” de Brenni said. “We’ve been able to utilise some of those coal royalties in terms of supporting our transition to renewable energy. So high coal royalties in Queensland equal cleaner energy in Queensland.” Despite criticism from miners, de Brenni said “citizens the world over want to see more investment by governments into the transition”. “Citizens would welcome the deployment of those returns to addressing climate change.” The transformation of the energy sector won’t come cheap and will likely add costs to power bills across Australia in the near term to pay for new capacity and transmission. But the near zero cost of generating renewable energy should bring down power prices, analysts say. Queensland has been the clean energy laggard among Australian states, with just under 20% of electricity generated last year sourced from renewables. Nationally, the average was almost one-third. The head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Bruce Mountain, said Queensland’s ownership of electricity assets would ease coordination issues, although the state’s vested interest might explain why its transition away from fossil fuels lagged most other states to date.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/17/public-ownership-of-power-assets-key-to-smooth-shift-to-renewables-queensland-energy-minister-says
     
         
      Electric Mini production to move from Oxford to China Sat, 15th Oct 2022 10:32:00
     
      BMW insists Oxford will "remain at the heart of Mini production" despite it moving the manufacture of some of its electric cars to China. The first electric Mini was built at the city's Cowley plant in 2020. All Minis will be electric by 2030. BMW said its hatchback and small SUV electric Minis will start being built in China. Its electric Countryman model will be built in Leipzig, Germany. A spokesperson said there will be no impact on jobs in Oxford. BMW said it was going to produce electric cars in China as well as Oxford after it agreed a deal with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor in 2018. It said workers at Cowley will build the Mini Cooper three-door and five-door Hatch models. The Mini Convertible will also be built at Plant Oxford from 2025. "This is one of our most important cars and a global best-seller, and further signals our commitment to the future. Plant Oxford will remain at the heart of Mini production," a BMW spokesperson said. "Oxford plays an important role in the BMW Group's production strategy, with its high degree of flexibility, competitiveness and expertise - also in the area of electromobility. There is no impact on jobs," they added. Susan Brown, Oxford City Council's leader, said: "I have sought reassurance from BMW and understand that while BMW is looking to rebalance the production of its Mini range globally as it moves towards being all-electric by 2030, there is an ongoing commitment to the city, building on significant recent investments in the Cowley plant."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-63269974
     
         
      Van Gogh's Sunflowers back on display after oil protesters threw soup on it Sat, 15th Oct 2022 6:09:00
     
      One of Van Gogh's famous Sunflowers paintings has been cleaned and is back on display, after climate activists threw tins of what appeared to be tomato soup over it. London's National Gallery confirmed it is now back in place, about six hours after the soup incident. Footage showed two people in Just Stop Oil T-shirts opening tins and throwing the contents on the masterpiece before gluing their hands to the wall. Two people were arrested. The gallery said earlier the painting was covered by glass and therefore not damaged. A statement from the Trafalgar Square venue said: "At just after 11am this morning two people entered Room 43 of the National Gallery. "The pair appeared to glue themselves to the wall adjacent to Van Gogh's Sunflowers (1888). They also threw a red substance - what appears to be tomato soup - over the painting. "The room was cleared of visitors and police were called. Officers are now on the scene. "There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed." The Metropolitan Police said: "Officers were rapidly on scene at the National Gallery this morning after two Just Stop Oil protesters threw a substance over a painting and then glued themselves to a wall. "Both have been arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespass. Officers are now de-bonding them." Videos of Friday's incident showed a protester shouting: "What is worth more? Art or life? Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?" She also referenced the cost of living crisis and "millions of cold, hungry families" who "can't even afford to heat a tin of soup". The painting is one of seven Sunflowers works Van Gogh created in 1888 and 89, five of which are on display in galleries and museums across the world. The artist created them to decorate his house in Arles, France, before a visit from his friend, the artist Paul Gauguin. The gallery describes the sunflower paintings as "among Van Gogh's most iconic and best-loved works".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63254878
     
         
      Nigeria floods: Braving the rising waters in Kogi state Sat, 15th Oct 2022 5:07:00
     
      Nigeria is suffering its worst flooding in a decade, forcing 1.4 million people from their homes. The central city of Lokoja is in one of the worst-affected areas - Kogi state - and residents here are doing their best to cope. For the past three weeks, Mohammed Sani Gambo has been using a canoe to get into his home. The fisherman and father of 11 is one of the lucky few in his neighbourhood of Gadumu. Living in a two-storey building meant he was able to move his family and belongings to the top floor, away from the flood water. "When the water first started rising we thought it wouldn't be this serious", he says, "but by the next day the whole place was flooded." There are now 27 people living in two rooms at the top of his house. They are squashed between mattresses, sofas, pots and pans - anything they could carry away from the rapidly rising water. "Not everyone living here right now is my family," he adds. "I also took in some neighbours that had no places to go. I couldn't leave them out there, so I took them in." He has lived in this area for over a decade and is used to the flooding, but this year has been different. "The volume of the water this year has been higher than in previous years. The water is higher. Because of the volume of the water we've seen snakes and other rodents." Kogi state is no stranger to seasonal flooding. Its capital, Lokoja, is at the confluence of two of West Africa's biggest rivers - the river Benue and the river Niger. During the rainy season the rivers overflow their banks, causing flooding. Local authorities say poor building practices are also partly to blame. "One of the factors why it's worse, is that people continue to build in water plain areas," says Abdulahi Abubakar, the Red Cross' acting secretary in Kogi state. "As soon as the flood subsides, people go back to the same places and block water channels." He says they've been advising the government to relocate people on a permanent basis so they can move out of floodplains. Mr Sani Gambo says he and his family would like to move but have nowhere to go. "When we built this house our farm was doing well, things were good - but now things are not as good as before, the economic situation has changed, we can no longer build a new house. Even buying land now is very difficult." His neighbour, Alami Ibrahim Yunus, also wants to move out but cannot afford it. She became a widow when her husband died from coronavirus and she says she does not have the means to rebuild or to fix her house. Nigeria's economy has taken a beating over the past year. Despite historically being Africa's largest oil producer, its output has been affected by pipeline theft in the oil producing Niger Delta. Inflation is also at an all-time high and many ordinary Nigerians are struggling to make ends meet. This flood will only add to communities already struggling to cope. The World Food Programme and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation said last month that Nigeria was among six countries facing a high risk of catastrophic levels of hunger. Experts there say the causes for Nigeria's seasonal flooding are complex, and include poor infrastructure and erosion, but that climate change is adding to the issue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63262391
     
         
      Oil protesters arrested after throwing tomato soup at Van Gogh painting Fri, 14th Oct 2022 15:45:00
     
      LONDON — Two activists from campaign group Just Stop Oil were arrested Friday after throwing tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh’s famous “Sunflowers” painting, which hangs in the National Gallery in London. The protesters then glued themselves to the wall next to the painting. “What is worth more, art or life? Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people? The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of oil crisis, fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup,” one activist said, as video footage of the events shows. According to the London Metropolitan Police, specialists removed the two women from the wall and they have been taken into custody after being arrested for “criminal damage and aggravated trespass.” A spokesperson for the National Gallery confirmed that there was no damage to the painting, which has an estimated value of £72.5 million ($80.99 million). “There is some minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed,” they told CNBC. Just Stop Oil have been protesting in the U.K.’s capital for the past two weeks. In a press release, the group said its actions were “in response to the government’s inaction on both the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis.” The group also said that it is demanding that the U.K. government put an end to all new oil and gas projects in the country. Earlier this month, the U.K.’s North Sea Transition Authority, which is in charge of maximizing the country’s economic gains from oil and gas reserves in the North Sea, began awarding new licenses for companies conducting underwater fossil fuel exploration. The issuance of such licenses had previously been put on hold in 2020 as the government said it was establishing a “climate compatibility check.” After being elected prime minister in September, Conservative leader Liz Truss and her business and energy minister Jacob Rees-Mogg announced that the process would resume.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/14/oil-protesters-arrested-after-throwing-tomato-soup-at-van-gogh-painting.html
     
         
      Europe is still quietly importing Russian nuclear energy Fri, 14th Oct 2022 15:41:00
     
      Russia’s nuclear fuel industry remains conspicuously untouched by European sanctions more than seven months into the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine — much to the dismay of Kyiv officials and environmental campaigners. Despite eight rounds of sanctions, targeted measures against energy exports and calls from Ukraine to impose a full embargo on nuclear trade, shipments of nuclear fuel to EU member states continue to make their way from Russia. Ariadna Rodrigo, EU sustainable finance manager at environmental group Greenpeace, told CNBC via telephone that it is “absolute madness” for the bloc to continue bankrolling the Kremlin by ignoring Russia’s nuclear fuel trade. “If EU governments are serious about stopping war, they need to cut the European nuclear industry’s umbilical cord to the Kremlin and focus instead on accelerating energy savings and renewables,” Rodrigo said. On presenting its latest sanctions package, the European Commission did not propose targeting the trade of Russian nuclear fuel. The EU’s executive arm has previously targeted Russian oil, gas and coal as part of a broader strategy to ratchet up the economic pressure on the Kremlin. Hungary and Bulgaria were the most vocal in opposing sanctions on Russian uranium and other nuclear tech last week, according to Rodrigo. The commission has repeatedly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, accusing President Vladimir Putin of using energy as a weapon to drive up commodity prices and sow uncertainty across the 27-nation bloc. Moscow denies weaponizing energy supplies. The few EU prohibitions on Russia’s nuclear energy sector that are in place, such as a port access ban on Russian-flagged vessels for the transport of nuclear fuel, contain numerous loopholes and campaigners argue much tougher measures are needed to reduce the bloc’s dependency on Russian nuclear services. That sentiment is echoed by Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in early August that he had spoken with European Council President Charles Michel about the need for the EU to impose sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry. “Russian nuclear terror requires a stronger response from the international community - sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear fuel,” Zelenskyy said via Twitter at the time. More recently, a top economic advisor to Zelenskky doubled down on this message, saying it was “extremely important to impose sanctions, not only on Russian oil.” “Oil, gas, uranium and coal, all this should be banned. Because they are using this money in order to finance this war,” Oleg Ustenko said in late September, according to The Associated Press. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Russia’s energy influence goes beyond oil and gas In April, a European Parliament resolution called for an “immediate” embargo on Russian imports of nuclear fuel and urged member states to stop working with Russia’s state-run nuclear giant Rosatom on existing and new projects. But Russia is a dominant player in the global nuclear fuel market and any move to break the EU’s reliance on its services would likely be far from pain-free, particularly with Rosatom at the heart of Europe’s dependency. Backed by Putin, Rosatom not only dominates the civilian industry but is also in charge of Russia’s nuclear weapons arsenal and is currently overseeing the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/14/ukraine-war-europe-is-still-quietly-importing-russian-nuclear-energy.html
     
         
      Spain launches €3 billion package to help households with energy bills Fri, 14th Oct 2022 14:12:00
     
      Details of a new package of measures worth €3 billion to "reinforce the protection" of vulnerable citizens challenged daily by soaring energy prices were unveiled by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before parliament on Thursday (13 October). The package comes two days after the National Council of Ministers approved the Energy Savings Plan to mitigate the harsh impact of inflation derived from the war in Ukraine. The new set of measures to benefit some 1.7 million households which amount to about 40% of the population, will be formally approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday (18 October). The new measures are necessary because “we cannot prevent Putin’s war” nor its economic consequences, said Sanchez, noting that “no government in the world can do it”. “We can cushion the economic impact of Putin’s war on the social majority of the country and the most vulnerable groups. We are doing so, and we will continue to do so”, the socialist politician added. Sánchez also confirmed that his government also adopted three measures, like the subsidy for homeowners’ associations with centralised boilers, as previously announced by Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera. Meanwhile, Sánchez confirmed that a special tariff will be created to limit quarterly energy price increases, to be implemented until the end of 2023. Regarding the most vulnerable households, Sánchez stated that the social energy bonus would be reinforced by increasing the amount of energy eligible for a discount by 15%. The discount percentage will also be increased to 65% and 80% for vulnerable and severely vulnerable families, respectively, a measure worth €255. On top of these extraordinary measures, the prime minister announced the creation of a “temporary” new category of electricity consumers entitled to a 40% discount on their bills, which will be aimed at those “households with low-income workers”, a measure aimed at 1.5 million vulnerable households. The so-called thermal bonus will be reinforced in 2022 and 2023 for vulnerable households, doubling the budget in both years by raising the amount of the minimum subsidy to €40 – the cost of about two butane gas canisters, as Sánchez pointed out – doubling the amount of the average subsidy to €375 per household.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/spain-launches-e3-billion-package-to-help-households-with-energy-bills/
     
         
      Europe's energy crisis: Wood industry booms before winter of discontent Fri, 14th Oct 2022 14:05:00
     
      Petr, a Czech builder, spends an extra thirty minutes at work nowadays. After his colleagues leave, he roams around building sites collecting discarded chunks of wood. On a good day, Petr can pile a few kilogrammes of off-cuts into his van and store them in his garden, knowing that scraps could save him a few Czech koruna come winter. "Of course it’s not properly dried or of good quality, but anything that saves me from using an hour’s worth of gas will help," he said. Amid a Europe-wide energy crisis, the Czech Republic has had amongst the steepest increase in costs. The July 2022 Household Energy Prices Index found that the country was paying the most for electricity when adjusted to purchasing power parity. Anecdotally, people say they are now paying almost the same for energy bills as they are for mortgages or rents, although the Czech government did impose price caps in mid-September. reddit messenger-dsk linkedin vk Petr, a Czech builder, spends an extra thirty minutes at work nowadays. After his colleagues leave, he roams around building sites collecting discarded chunks of wood. On a good day, Petr can pile a few kilogrammes of off-cuts into his van and store them in his garden, knowing that scraps could save him a few Czech koruna come winter. "Of course it’s not properly dried or of good quality, but anything that saves me from using an hour’s worth of gas will help," he said. Amid a Europe-wide energy crisis, the Czech Republic has had amongst the steepest increase in costs. The July 2022 Household Energy Prices Index found that the country was paying the most for electricity when adjusted to purchasing power parity. Anecdotally, people say they are now paying almost the same for energy bills as they are for mortgages or rents, although the Czech government did impose price caps in mid-September. It’s obvious to all that Europe is heading towards a winter of discontent, made all the worse by an expected cold snap across the continent because of the impact of La Nina, a weather pattern influenced by colder temperatures in the Pacific, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, an independent intergovernmental agency, warned earlier this month. In anticipation of surging energy bills, greater numbers of Europeans are turning to wood to heat themselves up this winter. But the story is the same across the continent: firewood prices are spiking, warehouses have filled their waiting lists until next year, and concerns have been raised that all this will lead to major environmental problems. Government agencies have expressed concerns about illegal logging, as people are expected to venture into the forests to cut down their own fuel, although some politicians have been more lax than others. Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski, Poland's ruling party chief, said in early September that people should “burn almost everything, of course aside from tires and similarly harmful things.” The Hungarian government has banned the export of pellets while at the same time pulling environmental regulations that prevented logging in protected forests. Prices for wood pellets, a compressed form of woody biomass that typically burns better than ordinary firewood, have nearly doubled to €600 a ton in France, according to a Bloomberg report. twitter flipboard mail icon reddit messenger-dsk linkedin vk Petr, a Czech builder, spends an extra thirty minutes at work nowadays. After his colleagues leave, he roams around building sites collecting discarded chunks of wood. On a good day, Petr can pile a few kilogrammes of off-cuts into his van and store them in his garden, knowing that scraps could save him a few Czech koruna come winter. "Of course it’s not properly dried or of good quality, but anything that saves me from using an hour’s worth of gas will help," he said. Amid a Europe-wide energy crisis, the Czech Republic has had amongst the steepest increase in costs. The July 2022 Household Energy Prices Index found that the country was paying the most for electricity when adjusted to purchasing power parity. Anecdotally, people say they are now paying almost the same for energy bills as they are for mortgages or rents, although the Czech government did impose price caps in mid-September. It’s obvious to all that Europe is heading towards a winter of discontent, made all the worse by an expected cold snap across the continent because of the impact of La Nina, a weather pattern influenced by colder temperatures in the Pacific, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, an independent intergovernmental agency, warned earlier this month. In anticipation of surging energy bills, greater numbers of Europeans are turning to wood to heat themselves up this winter. Sponsored Content Finally, A New & Powerful Security Device That Secures Your Home In... Low Profile Security Camera With Night Vision. Easily Monitor Any Environment That Matters By Liveguard360 Energy crisis: Spaniards seek wood pellets and solar panels to heat homes But the story is the same across the continent: firewood prices are spiking, warehouses have filled their waiting lists until next year, and concerns have been raised that all this will lead to major environmental problems. Government agencies have expressed concerns about illegal logging, as people are expected to venture into the forests to cut down their own fuel, although some politicians have been more lax than others. Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski, Poland's ruling party chief, said in early September that people should “burn almost everything, of course aside from tires and similarly harmful things.” The Hungarian government has banned the export of pellets while at the same time pulling environmental regulations that prevented logging in protected forests. Prices for wood pellets, a compressed form of woody biomass that typically burns better than ordinary firewood, have nearly doubled to €600 a ton in France, according to a Bloomberg report. Mike Groll/AP Photo Hardwood pellets used in a wood burning boilerMike Groll/AP Photo In Bulgaria, which relies heavily on wood burning for most households, prices have also doubled to nearly €100 per cubic meter. Local media reports from Poland last month asserted that prices of firewood have already doubled this year. The Telegraph reported in August that firewood sales in the UK have increased fivefold this year. In July, the EU also banned the import of Russian wood and pellets, and campaigners are warning that spiking prices will be felt the most by the poorest, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe where low-income households tend to be more reliant on firewood than gas. Amid the rush for wood, crime has reportedly flourished. Germany’s police force has warned of a “catastrophic” wave of Internet scams, as fake online stores are claiming to be able to offer firewood for as much as a tenth of the going rate. The energy crisis has been mixed news for the continent’s wood industries, according to Paul Brannen, public affairs director of the European Confederation of the Woodworking Industries and the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry. On the one hand, it has been financially damaging for companies that use kiln-drying or sawing facilities, which consume a comparatively high amount of energy. “When energy prices were lower, energy costs would make up around 10 per cent of total sawmill costs. Nowadays this percentage has at least doubled – and other costs have risen, too,” said Brannen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/10/14/europes-energy-crisis-wood-industry-booms-before-winter-of-discontent
     
         
      Energy prices: Power NI electricity price to fall by 10% Fri, 14th Oct 2022 13:48:00
     
      Power NI customers will see electricity prices fall by 10% from the start of November as a result of the energy price cap. The cap will more than reverse a 60% increase which would have applied from the same date. This cap sets the highest amount suppliers are allowed to charge domestic households for each unit of energy they use. It has been in place in other parts of the UK since the start of October. It will apply to all electricity and gas suppliers in Northern Ireland from the start of November. Customers in Northern Ireland who saw prices rises in October will receive some form of rebate so they are on an equal footing with people in GB. Power NI is the largest electricity supplier in Northern Ireland, with about 471,000 domestic customers which is more half of all connections. Power NI last changed its prices in July when it put them up by 27.5%; that followed a 21.4% increase in January Firmus Energy 56.3% price rise comes into effect Thousands buy energy top-ups before prices rise William Steele, Director, Power NI Customer Solutions, said: "As many customers will already be aware, the UK Government has announced a major intervention into the energy market called the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG). "This means that from 1 November 2022, energy bill support will be provided to Northern Ireland residential customers, by reducing the underlying cost of electricity. "Although we now must substantially increase our underlying price to reflect the current market, the implementation of the EPG will mean our customers will see a reduction in their billed tariff level of 10%." 'Ongoing volatility' The NI Utility Regulator said with the cap in place the typical Power NI customer's bill will be 38% lower than the equivalent in Great Britain and 48% lower than the equivalent in the Republic of Ireland. "Further tariff reviews for all suppliers are likely given the ongoing volatility of wholesale prices and the effect of changes to the EPG discount - the latter to be announced by the UK Government every three months going forward," John French, Chief Executive of the Regulator added. "Separate to the energy price guarantee support, we are working with the UK Government and local energy suppliers to ensure that the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme payment is paid to Northern Ireland consumers as soon as possible."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63256308
     
         
      New fossil fuel projects? Not in this city. Fri, 14th Oct 2022 7:03:00
     
      City council members in Vancouver, Washington, the fourth-largest city in the Evergreen State, just permanently banned new, large-scale fossil fuel projects. The new zoning ordinance, approved last week, covers a wide range of fossil fuel developments, including new coal-fired power plants and fuel storage facilities — all of which will be officially prohibited throughout the city starting on November 5. Existing facilities may still be repaired or upgraded for safety reasons, or expanded by up to 15 percent if the facility switches to cleaner fuels. Vancouver had previously banned new fossil fuel projects through a series of temporary moratoriums beginning in 2020, but supporters pushed to make the ban permanent because they said it would better serve the city’s climate goals. Earlier this year, Vancouver adopted a “climate priority resolution” that set a target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Interim benchmarks include eliminating 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from the city’s municipal operations by 2025, compared to a 2007 baseline. Vancouver isn’t alone in banning new fossil fuel development. Portland, Oregon, used a similar zoning ordinance in 2016 to block new fossil fuel projects and prohibit existing ones from expanding. Other cities like Vancouver, Canada, and South Portland, Maine, have previously banned specific kinds of fossil fuel activity such as coal shipping and storage and the transportation of tar sands crude oil, respectively. Dan Serres, conservation director for the nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper across the border in Hood River, Oregon applauded the ordinance as a “climate victory” and attributed it to years of advocacy and organizing from community members in Washington state and Oregon. He emphasized how a ban on fossil fuels would protect Vancouver’s most vulnerable communities from risks like oil spills, coal train derailments, and hazardous air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels. ”The ordinance will help Vancouver avert major health and safety risks to communities already disproportionately experiencing the harms of fossil fuel use,” Serres said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/new-fossil-fuel-projects-not-in-this-city/
     
         
      Climate change: Summer 2022 smashed dozens of UK records Fri, 14th Oct 2022 5:46:00
     
      Two months after the summer heatwave, new data underlines the huge impact climate change is having on the UK. More than half of the UK's oldest active weather stations recorded their hottest day ever in 2022, according to Met Office data. New all-time highs were set at 56 of the 109 longest standing stations during the July heatwave. One west Yorkshire village broke its previous record by a whopping 6.3C. Use Covid lessons to curb climate change - Lords Heatwave kills off 12,000 newly-planted trees Record excess deaths in UK's heatwave summer Scientists at the Met Office who carried out the analysis described this summer's extreme temperatures as a "real indication of how our climate is changing". Temperatures passed 40C (104F) for the first time, something "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change, according to the Met Office. The data includes measurements from active weather stations in the UK that had at least 50 years of observations. Records are typically broken by narrow margins, however, the long-functioning stations that broke their previous records this summer did so by more than 2C on average. The largest gaps between records can be seen in the chart below.. The new UK high of 40.3C was recorded at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 19 July 2022. The measurement was a full 1.6C higher than the previous maximum temperature of 38.7C set at Cambridge Botanical Gardens in summer 2019. Among the 109 stations with long reporting histories, 14 other stations surpassed the 2019 record, although this does not include Coningsby as it does not have at least 50 years of data. "What was really notable about this heatwave was the northerly extent of extreme temperatures, and by how much previous records were broken," according to Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre. The largest increase was at Bramham in West Yorkshire, which smashed its previous high of 33.5C by more than 6C. Other stations in parts of Yorkshire, the North East and the North West also broke their all-time records by huge margins. Kielder Castle in Northumberland surpassed its previous high set 40 years ago by more than 5C, while Whitby in Yorkshire beat its standing record by 4.8C. New records at measurement stations in Sheffield, Durham, and Bradford were around 4C higher. A map showing how Northern England experienced the largest gaps from previous records, with stations in Yorkshire, North East and North West England among those with the most significant increases. While the highest temperatures were seen in parts of England, the summer heatwave saw new national records established in England, Scotland and Wales. These were set at stations with less than 50 years of data and are not included in this analysis, however the extreme heat this summer shattered multiple records related to specific stations across all four nations, some of which had stood for decades. Only one in five of the longest-standing weather stations in the UK has a temperature record that was set before 2000. The remaining 80% were all set in the past two decades. Leuchars station in Fife was the northernmost of the long-standing stations to set a record in 2022. Its previous high set in 1990 was beaten by 0.5C. Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth, was the first location in Wales to break the previous national record of 35.2C that had stood for more than 30 years. Armagh station in Northern Ireland broke its record by a relatively small 0.2C, but that record had dated back 146 years - the longest anywhere in the UK. A UK map showing that more than half (57 of 109) of weather stations with at least 50 years of data broke their all-time high in 2022. Other years with records still standing are 2019 and 2006 with nine records, while 1990 has six and 1976 with 7. There are 22 records set in other years still standing
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63244353
     
         
      Abandoned Texas oil wells are blowing out. The state won’t fix them. Thu, 13th Oct 2022 17:04:00
     
      Without state or federal funds, farmers, ranchers, and local governments are struggling to fix the environmental damage left from decades of drilling. Schuyler Wight is a fourth generation rancher who has raised longhorn cattle outside Midland, Texas, for decades. Wight is no geologist, but over the years, he’s had to familiarize himself with what lies underground. Scattered across his sprawling 20,000-acre ranch are more than 100 abandoned oil and gas wells left behind by wildcatters who drilled in random locations for decades looking for oil. Many were unsuccessful, but the drilling opened up layers of porous rock, revealing water, and minerals. Rather than cap the holes, the wildcatters and their oil companies–now long gone–transferred ownership of unproductive wells to the previous owners of Wight’s ranch to be used as water wells, known as P-13 wells. Decades later, some of the wells on Wight’s land are leaking contaminated water, hydrogen sulfide and radioactive materials. Occasionally, Wight’s cattle drink water that has bubbled up to the surface and die, representing thousands of dollars in losses for his ranch. Typically, the Texas Railroad Commission would take responsibility for cleaning up oil and gas wells abandoned by now–defunct drilling companies. But the commission won’t spend a dime on wells like Wight’s. That’s because the commission argues his wells aren’t oil or gas wells because they never successfully produced fossil fuel. Without state or federal funds to clean up the mess, farmers, ranchers, and small local governments are struggling to fix the major environmental damage left from decades of drilling. Wight has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars–and counting–to clean up just a few of the wells on his property. “That’s a lot of money when you’ve got to pay it back with cattle,” Wight said. Across the state, according to the commission’s records, there are nearly 2,000 documented P-13 wells. Not all of them have started to leak as on Wight’s ranch, but it’s impossible to know the full scale of the problem. “The RRC does not maintain a cost estimate to plug abandoned water wells as it is the responsibility of the landowner to complete those pluggings,” the agency’s spokesperson Andrew Keese said in an email. In Pecos County, the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District has repeatedly asked the Railroad Commission to add 40 wells to the agency’s statewide list of 8,000 abandoned wells marked for cleanup. The small local agency doesn’t have the funds, staff or resources it needs to plug the abandoned wells that are now polluting groundwater in the region, said Ty Edwards, the district’s manager. Many of the wells are on remote properties, owned by absentee landowners, environmental advocates say. The most infamous of these wells, Sloan Blair #1, has been spewing so much briny water that it’s formed a body of water nicknamed Lake Boehmer in the middle of the West Texas desert. The Railroad Commission contends that only two of the 40 wells that the groundwater conservation district identified were oil and gas wells under the agency’s jurisdiction, and it plugged those wells. According to an analysis commissioned by the groundwater district, the well was originally drilled into the San Andres formation as an oil test well and then was abandoned. Now, underground pressure is causing the salty water to spew to the surface, bringing with it contaminants such as benzene and xylene, both carcinogens. The analysis found both compounds were at unsafe levels. The well is also leaking hydrogen sulfide gas at potentially lethal levels for humans, and heat-trapping gasses including methane and carbon dioxide. To survey the site, researchers have to wear hazmat suits. “The problem is that when they drilled into this formation, there are several [layers] with no well integrity–you’re picking up different constituents that are causing the water quality to go very, very bad,” Edwards said. “The water quality in the area is drastically degrading over time,” becoming undrinkable and unusable. “It’s known that you can’t get any good water in the area–most people get on the county water line that comes from 20 or 30 miles away. It’s making some areas uninhabitable.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/accountability/abandoned-texas-oil-wells-are-blowing-out-the-state-wont-fix-them/
     
         
      Biden administration asked Saudi Arabia to postpone OPEC decision by a month, Saudis say Thu, 13th Oct 2022 15:47:00
     
      DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Biden administration asked Saudi Arabia, the de-facto leader of oil producer group OPEC, to delay its decision on oil output by a month, the kingdom said in a statement. The Saudis declined, and in early October OPEC+ — which includes non-OPEC oil exporters like Russia — announced its largest supply cut since 2020, to the tune of 2 million barrels per day starting from November. That means tighter supplies and higher prices at a time of already high inflation and worries of a global recession, which angered U.S. lawmakers who are now calling for a “reevaluation” of relations with the Saudi kingdom. Notably, the White House’s request would have delayed the decision until after the U.S. midterm elections. In a statement dated Wednesday, the Saudi government defended its move and said all OPEC decisions are based on economic forecasts and needs. “The Government of the Kingdom clarified through its continuous consultation with the US Administration that all economic analyses indicate that postponing the OPEC+ decision for a month, according to what has been suggested, would have had negative economic consequences,” the statement read. Responding to the Saudi claims, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby reframed the exchange and accused the kingdom of aiding Russia’s revenues and hampering the impact of Western sanctions on Moscow for its war in Ukraine. “In recent weeks, the Saudis conveyed to us – privately and publicly – their intention to reduce oil production, which they knew would increase Russian revenues and blunt the effectiveness of sanctions. That is the wrong direction,” Kirby said. “We presented Saudi Arabia with analysis to show that there was no market basis to cut production targets, and that they could easily wait for the next OPEC meeting to see how things developed.” Kirby said, without giving examples, that other OPEC members opposed Saudi Arabia’s move, and reiterated the Biden administration’s vow to reexamine its relationship with Riyadh. “Other OPEC nations communicated to us privately that they also disagreed with the Saudi decision, but felt coerced to support Saudi’s direction,” he said. “As the President has said, we are reevaluating our relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of these actions, and will continue to look for signs about where they stand in combatting Russian aggression.” On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia’s oil production cut, which the kingdom is carrying out in coordination with other OPEC members and non-OPEC allies like Russia. Many in Washington saw this as a snub and a blatant display of siding with Moscow. U.S. lawmakers have urged the cutting of military sales to Saudi Arabia, America’s top weapons buyer, and are encouraging the passing of antitrust legislation that would go after OPEC. Riyadh rejected the accusations of making any politically motivated moves. “The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would first like to express its total rejection of these statements that are not based on facts, and which are based on portraying the OPEC+ decision out of its purely economic context. This decision was taken unanimously by all member states of the OPEC+ group,” the Saudi government statement said. “The Kingdom affirms that the outcomes of the OPEC+ meetings are adopted through consensus among member states, and that they are not based on the unilateral decision by a single country. These outcomes are based purely on economic considerations that take into account maintaining balance of supply and demand in the oil markets.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/13/biden-admin-asked-saudi-arabia-to-postpone-opec-cut-by-a-month-saudis-say.html
     
         
      Liz Truss: Ministers working on energy-saving plan Thu, 13th Oct 2022 14:55:00
     
      The government is working on a plan to help individuals and businesses use energy more efficiently, Prime Minister Liz Truss has said. On Sunday, a minister told the BBC a public information campaign to help people cut their energy use was pulled by No 10 on the grounds of cost. But the government now appears to have rowed back on that position. Energy regulator Ofgem has warned of "a significant risk" of gas shortages this winter due to the war in Ukraine. The government has sought to limit soaring energy costs for households following the invasion by a price cap on energy, which would keep the average bill to around £2,500 a year. To help people save energy and cut costs, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) had been preparing plans for a public information campaign. But the PM was previously reported to have been "ideologically opposed" to the campaign, fearing it would be too interventionist. On Wednesday, Downing Street said the Beis plans would now be incorporated into an existing scheme. Homes face winter power cuts in worst-case scenario Six tips for cutting home energy bills this winter How does the energy price cap work? During Prime Minister's Questions, Ms Truss was urged by Conservative MP Guy Opperman "to have a nationwide mailout campaign" on reduction of energy use. In response the PM said Mr Opperman was "absolutely right". "I know the energy secretary is working on a plan to help companies and individuals use energy more efficiently. We're also working on this across government," she said. "I hope we'll be able to start this going in Number 10 straight away." The prime minister's official spokesman said the government was considering how to "further expand" the existing "help for households" website, which includes advice on cost-of-living support and improving energy efficiency. Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC on Sunday that a public information campaign would have cost up to £15m. He said such a campaign was unnecessary because similar work was already been done by National Grid and Ofgem. The disruption of gas flows from Russia to Europe has led to concerns about energy supplies this winter. Although the UK is far less reliant on Russian gas than mainland Europe, it could still suffer knock-on effects from shortfalls in overall supply. In a worst-case scenario National Grid, which manages Britain's electricity and gas supply, has warned households could lose power for up to three hours at a time this winter if gas supplies run extremely low. Although the company said this was "unlikely" it said supply interruptions were a possibility if the energy crisis escalates.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63231895
     
         
      Albanese government has guaranteed farmers won’t be hurt if Australia signs methane pledge, NFF says Thu, 13th Oct 2022 14:32:00
     
      Peak body says assurances given and must be upheld or trust with rural Australia ‘will be broken’ The Albanese government has provided assurances that farmers will not be hurt if Australia signs on to Joe Biden’s global pledge to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030, the National Farmers Federation (NFF) says. Guardian Australia revealed in June that Labor was considering signing the pledge, and the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, on Thursday said he was “comfortable if we sign up to it”, although he said the government had not yet signed off on the commitment. Signatories to the pledge agree to undertake voluntary actions in their countries to reduce emissions of methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Reducing methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels is a global goal, not a national target. But renewed speculation about Labor’s policy intentions in the run-up to UN-led climate talks in Egypt later this year triggered a resumption of factually incorrect and hyperbolic claims from the Coalition. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, characterised Australia adopting an aspirational global goal as a “tax on cows”. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, declared the Australian barbecue would be under threat. Australia considered signing the methane pledge in the run-up to last year’s climate summit in Glasgow, because the Morrison government was lobbied by the Biden administration to make the commitment. But Australia refused at that time because the National party refused to countenance any methane cuts. At the time, the NFF backed Morrison’s refusal to sign up to the Biden initiative, but Farmers for Climate Action urged Australia to commit to cutting methane. The NFF said on Thursday it had been engaged in discussions with the Albanese government about the impact of signing the pledge. “We’ve sought several assurances to guarantee that any decision to sign the pledge would not negatively impact farmers,” the NFF’s chief executive Tony Mahar said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/albanese-government-has-guaranteed-farmers-wont-be-hurt-if-australia-signs-methane-pledge-nff-says
     
         
      Fact check: are the Tories right that British oil and gas is greener? Thu, 13th Oct 2022 14:30:00
     
      The climate minister says new domestic drilling for oil and gas will help the UK reach net zero by 2050. Is he right? The UK climate minister, Graham Stuart, has urged Britons to support domestic drilling for oil and gas, which he claimed were green policies that would help the country reach net zero by 2050. Do his assertions reflect reality? The UK produces ‘some of the greenest oil and gas in the world’ In the pecking order of what is claimed as “green” oil production, Saudia Arabia comes out on top. A 2018 study found its oilfields had among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in the world because the kingdom had enormous oil reserves that were easy to tap and infrastructure in place to transport and refine large volumes of crude, combined with easy export access to the east and the west. Analysis from Rystad Energy suggests UK oil rigs are among the highest carbon emitters in Europe. CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere from extracting North Sea oil and gas reached 13.1MM metric tonnes in the UK in 2019, or 21kg of carbon dioxide for every barrel of oil produced – far greater than the Norwegian North Sea, which produced 4MM metric tonnes of CO2 in 2019, or 8kg of CO2 a barrel. Producing oil and gas domestically creates only half the emissions around production and transportation, compared with importing it Stuart did not reference this data but was probably pointing to a report by the North Sea Transition Authority that showed gas extracted in the UK continental shelf had an average emission intensity of 22kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent (CO2e/boe); whereas imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) had a significantly higher average intensity of 59kg CO2e/boe. The higher emissions are mostly caused by the process of liquefaction, combined with the emissions produced by the transportation and regasification of the LNG once in the UK. However, the analysis also said importing gas via pipeline, particularly from Norway, where oil producers run their rigs on renewable energy, produces an even lower average than UK production, of 18kg CO2e/boe. The UK currently imports 38% of its gas from Norway and produces 45% domestically. Oil and gas producers in the North Sea have developed technologies to minimise flaring, which they are exporting to other parts of the world Flaring – the burning of natural gas associated with oil extraction to dispose of it – is wasteful, polluting and emits methane, which is 84 times more powerful in trapping heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and has caused about 30% of global heating to date. The Norwegians banned flaring almost 50 years ago but the UK oil and gas authority still allows flaring in the North Sea by companies such as Shell and BP. Stuart is correct that the companies have targets to reduce flaring, and a Rystad Energy report said flaring in the UK North Sea fell by 19% in 2021, according to the authority, with a 22% decrease reported so far in 2022. However, flaring still takes place. The rate of flaring on the UK continental shelf is 11 times higher than in Norway and twice the North Sea average, according to the consultancy Capterio. In 2019, the UK’s oil and gas regulator said the industry burned off more than 40bn cubic feet of gas, enough to meet the needs of about 1m UK households. The UK is playing a leading role in the transition from fossil fuels The UK has indeed played a leading role in the transition towards net zero. But that could be thrown away with the new rush for oil, according to John Gummer, the government’s climate change adviser. He said new oil and gas extraction risked undermining the credibility of the UK’s global leadership on climate changes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/13/fact-check-tories-british-oil-gas-greener-climate-north-sea
     
         
      France sends Germany gas for first time amid Russia energy crisis Thu, 13th Oct 2022 14:14:00
     
      France has sent gas to Germany for the first time in "European solidarity" amid increasing energy pressures. The gas, delivered via a pipeline, is part of a deal between the countries to ease energy shortfalls after Russian turned off the taps to Europe. Though the new flow is less than 2% of Germany's daily needs, it is welcome as Berlin battles to diversify its energy. Russia has been accused of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West since the invasion of Ukraine. French grid operator, GRTgaz, said it would initially deliver 31 gigawatt hours (GWh) per day, via a pipeline from the French border village of Obergailbach. The maximum daily capacity of the new gas flow is 100 GWh, it added in a statement. Last month, in the energy solidarity deal, Germany pledged to provide additional electricity to France when needed, and in exchange France agreed to help Germany with gas supplies. "If we did not have European solidarity and an integrated, united market right now, we would have serious problems," said French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. France is less affected by Russia turning off the gas taps because most of its energy needs are fulfilled by Norway and through liquified natural gas supplies. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February led to gas price hikes, and EU customers face record tariffs this winter. Until then Germany relied on Russia for 55% of its gas. It has reduced this to 35% and wants eventually to reduce imports to zero. Germany is also increasing its use of coal and extending the life of power stations which were due to shut - despite the negative environmental impact. The former German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said she did not regret relying on Russia as a major gas supplier during her 16 years in government. The German government hopes to reduce gas usage by 2% by limiting the use of lighting and heating in public buildings this winter. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the gas taps could still be turned on to Europe and that "the ball, as they say, is now in European Union's court". "We do not limit anyone in anything," he said, adding that Moscow was ready to supply additional volumes of gas in the autumn-winter period. But despite Mr Putin's words, a resumption of gas supplies to Europe seems unlikely. Nord Stream 1, Russia's largest gas pipeline to Europe, was closed indefinitely in August for technical reasons, and a number of leaks were then discovered in September. The Nord Stream 2 project, which had been due to come on stream this year, was denied an operating licence by Germany because of the invasion. Leaks have been found in this pipeline as well.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63246369
     
         
      Sony and Honda plan to start U.S. deliveries of their electric vehicle in 2026 Thu, 13th Oct 2022 11:43:00
     
      The Sony -Honda joint venture focused on electric vehicles plans to begin deliveries to the United States and Japan in 2026. Sony Honda Mobility, as it’s known, aims to start taking pre-orders for its vehicle in the first half of 2025, and hopes to start sales before the end of that year. “For sales, SHM plans to focus on online sales,” a statement released Thursday said. U.S. deliveries are slated to start in the spring of 2026, with deliveries to the Japanese market happening in the latter half of the same year. SHM said it was aiming to develop a “Level 3 automated drive under limited conditions and to enable Level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations such as urban driving.” Five levels of driving automation have been defined by SAE International, an association made up of technical experts and engineers. On its website, the SAE refers to Level 2 as providing “Partial Driving Automation.” At Level 3, automated driving features “can drive the vehicle under limited conditions and will not operate unless all required conditions are met.” If asked to do so, drivers must take control of Level 3 vehicles. The SAE says one example of Level 3 driving would be a “traffic jam chauffer.” SHM said it would also look to explore “new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse.” Thursday’s announcement, which confirmed that SHM had now been established, did not contain information related to the vehicle’s range or cost, but did state it would be built at a Honda factory in North America.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/14/sony-and-honda-plan-to-start-us-deliveries-of-their-ev-in-2026.html
     
         
      Scotland generates record amount of renewable electricity Thu, 13th Oct 2022 10:10:00
     
      Windier weather and new capacity has helped Scotland generate a record amount of renewable electricity. A total of 7,358 gigawatt hours (GWh) was produced in April, May and June, a 36% increase on the same period in 2021. The figure was more than 25% greater than in any second quarter previously recorded. Last year milder, less windy weather was blamed for a fall in renewable energy production in Scotland. But that trend has since been reversed by greater wind speeds, increased rainfall and new power projects coming online. Renewables met 97% of Scotland's electricity demand in 2020 Could Scotland ever be 'the Saudi Arabia of renewables'? The latest headlines from Scotland The Scottish government said 18,568 GWh of renewable electricity was generated in the first half of 2022 - up 29% on 2021. Net Zero and Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said the achievement would help deliver on Scotland's climate obligations. Mr Matheson said: "We are in the midst of an energy crisis which has been compounded by the illegal war in Ukraine. "It has prompted governments across the world to consider how the avoid this situation happening in the future. "Scotland's energy transition can increase security of supply and help to make us far more resilient to future international energy price fluctuations." Renewable energy capacity increased by 10.5% from June 2021 to 13.3 GW in the same month of this year, largely due to new wind farms becoming operational, particularly the Moray East project. An additional 16 GW of renewable electricity capacity is currently in the pipeline, more than half of it onshore wind projects. While renewable generation increased, there was also increased demand for electricity in Scotland during the first six months of 2022, following suppressed figures in 2021 due to Covid lockdowns. Average daily electricity demand increased to 77.3 GWh in the first half of the year, up 8% on the 2021 figure. 'Fantastic opportunity' The minister said wind power was already one of the cheapest forms of electricity and described expansion, supported by renewable technologies such as hydro power, as a "fantastic opportunity". Mr Matheson said the plans would support a "fair and just" transition for the sector on the country's journey to becoming a "net-zero nation". Fabrice Leveque, climate and energy policy manager at WWF Scotland, said: "It's great to see Scotland breaking records again for renewable power generation thanks to new power stations coming online and windy weather. "With sky high fossil fuel prices causing a cost-of-living crisis, renewable electricity is helping to lower energy bills and cut carbon pollution. "The challenge ahead is converting as much of our heating and transport to run on clean, home-grown renewables to protect us against volatile prices and climate change." 'Renewable energy powerhouse' The national body which represents the sector said the figures showed Scotland was a "renewable energy powerhouse". Nick Sharpe, director of communications and strategy at Scottish Renewables, said: "Scotland has an enormous renewable energy resource: our winds, waves, tides, rainfall and even our longer daylight hours are tremendous assets to the country, and renewable energy technologies enables us to use them to produce direct economic and environmental benefits. "Renewable electricity generation makes up the vast majority of Scotland's gross electricity consumption and in the last decade, we have more than tripled our renewable electricity output."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63229402
     
         
      Australian wheat yields plummet after decades of global heating, study finds Thu, 13th Oct 2022 4:27:00
     
      Farmers of one of the country’s most important crops face challenging future as heating in Indian Ocean leads to drier conditions across wheat belt Global heating in the Indian Ocean has shifted a climate pattern towards drier conditions across Australia’s globally important wheat belt causing a severe drop in yields over the past three decades, according to a new study. Scientists from Australia and China warned as global heating continues, wheat-growing conditions would become more challenging. The study, published in Nature Food, analysed different climate phenomena that influenced Australia’s rainfall since the late 1800s and used models to see how this affected wheat yields. Global heating has caused a shift in a climate pattern known as the Indian Ocean Dipole which, when it’s in a positive phase, can starve wheat growers of rain. The number of positive IOD events had risen markedly in recent decades, corresponding with a drop in rainfall and falling yields. In good years, the average wheat yield could reach 2.5 tonnes a hectare but in drier years with positive IOD events, the yield would drop well below 1.5 tonnes a hectare. The researchers used models that account for other factors that can influence wheat yield, such as crop management, sowing time, or the varieties planted. The study comes as Australia is being heavily affected by the alternate negative phase of the IOD that is contributing to major downpours across the south and east of the continent. A lead author of the study, Dr Bin Wang, a climate research scientist at the New South Wales government’s Department of Primary Industries, said: “The Australian wheat crop totally depends on rainfall. A positive IOD typically sees below average winter and spring rainfall. That means the wheat yield is decreased. “The climate warming is a major driver in bringing more occurrences of these positive IOD events.” Dr Andrew King, a co-author of the study at the University of Melbourne, said research had shown the Indian Ocean was warming quickly and this was caused by emissions of greenhouse gases. The areas in Australia most influenced by those positive IOD events overlapped the areas where wheat is grown. “We would expect wheat farmers to feel more challenging conditions in the future than they have in the past,” he said. The study found positive IOD events had become stronger than before and this had seen it take greater influence over wheat yields than other climate systems, such as El Niño or La Niña. As greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere, this would probably see more positive IOD events causing more droughts. Australia is one of the world’s major exporters of wheat, accounting for more than 10% of the global trade. The country’s wheat belt includes south-west Western Australia, south-east South Australia, western Victoria and swathes of central New South Wales and Queensland, west of the Great Dividing Range. Farmer Peter Holding, who grows wheat and canola in Harden in NSW, sold about nine-tenths of his property in the 2000s “because the droughts beat us”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/14/australian-wheat-yields-plummet-after-decades-of-global-heating-study-finds
     
         
      Green hydrogen corridor aims to harness Spanish sunshine and decarbonize Europe’s industrial north Wed, 12th Oct 2022 15:50:00
     
      Madrid-headquartered energy firm Cepsa said it would work with the Port of Rotterdam to develop “the first green hydrogen corridor between southern and northern Europe,” in the latest sign of how the emerging sector is attracting interest from major companies and organizations. In an announcement Tuesday, Cepsa — which is involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas — said the project would establish “a green hydrogen supply chain” between the Port of Algeciras in southern Spain and Rotterdam, the Dutch city that’s home to Europe’s largest port. “The agreement accelerates the decarbonization of heavy industry and maritime transport and supports Europe’s energy independence and security,” the statement, which was also published by the Port of Rotterdam, said. “The co-operation is part of Rotterdam’s ambition to supply Northwest Europe with 4.6 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030,” it went on to add. The two parties have signed a memorandum of understanding related to the project. Cepsa’s shareholders are The Carlyle Group and Mubadala Investment Company Group. “Cepsa plans to export hydrogen produced at its San Roque Energy Park near the Bay of Algeciras, through hydrogen carriers such as ammonia or methanol, to the Port of Rotterdam,” Tuesday’s statement said. The Port of Rotterdam Authority’s CEO, Allard Castelein, said northwest Europe used “far more energy than it can produce in a sustainable way.” “We are therefore setting up multiple trade lanes for green hydrogen, together with exporting countries and private businesses all over the world,” he added. Castelein went on to describe Southern Spain as being a “logical location to produce green hydrogen for both local use and export” thanks to its ports, wind, sun and “abundant space.” “Setting up this trade lane between Algeciras and Rotterdam is a substantial contribution to Europe’s ambition to reduce CO2-emissions as well as increase Europe’s energy independency and stimulate our economies,” he said. Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in a wide range of industries. It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/12/green-hydrogen-project-aims-to-decarbonize-europes-industrial-north.html
     
         
      Government plans cap on renewable energy revenues Wed, 12th Oct 2022 15:36:00
     
      Renewable energy generators and nuclear power plants could have their revenues capped under a new government plan. The move could hit the profits energy companies, like SSE and Scottish Power, generate from record-high wholesale power prices. Ministers say the proposal would ensure consumers and businesses pay a fair price for energy. But energy bosses say the plan - for which there are few details - could put off investors. Currently in the UK, wholesale electricity prices are set by gas-fired generation. With the price of gas rocketing in recent months, some nuclear power plants and solar and wind farms have made big profits. This is different at newer facilities, which produce power at an agreed price. The temporary cap, which will limit the amount generators can make, is set to be introduced in the House of Commons on Wednesday as part of the Energy Prices Bill. Cap on renewable energy price is risky, firms say How does the energy price cap work? Three things to do as energy bills go up In its announcement, the government gave no details of the expected price limit on revenues generated by renewable energy companies. The government said it would launch a consultation on how the revenue cap would work before introducing the measure at the start of 2023. At a committee hearing, Climate Minister Graham Stuart said the cap would "help pay for the cost of other schemes, to reduce customers' energy costs". When asked how much money the cap scheme would raise for the government, Mr Stuart said he did not have the figures "immediately to hand". Jonathan Mills, the senior civil servant in charge of energy policy, said "it will be possible to assess the impacts in terms of pounds" once the details of the cap had been finalised. Renewable energy companies say the UK government's proposed cap on their revenues would effectively amount to a windfall tax, something Prime Minister Liz Truss has said she was opposed to. A windfall tax on the UK oil and gas sector was introduced on 26 May, described as a 25% Energy Profits Levy, applying to companies that extract British fossil fuels. Unlike traditional windfall taxes, the cap will not be a retrospective tax on excessive profits made by renewable energy companies. Instead, the cap will in effect limit the amount of money these energy companies will make, but the details have not yet been revealed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63224014
     
         
      Insulate Britain glue themselves to ground in PMQs-timed protest Wed, 12th Oct 2022 14:34:00
     
      Group’s London return comes as Met chief says climate action is not yet so disruptive that he must shut it down Supporters of Insulate Britain have joined Just Stop Oil protesters on the streets of London, as the chief of the Metropolitan police said daily protests by climate activists had yet to reach a legal threshold of causing “major disruption” required for the force to shut them down. Just after 11am on Wednesday, about two dozen members of the group, which shot to fame last autumn with a series of blockades of major London roads, walked into the road outside parliament, sat down and glued themselves to the ground. They defied tight crowd control in Parliament Square, with officers blocking pedestrians from crossing roads, to time their protest to coincide with Liz Truss arriving to attend prime minister’s questions. Liam Norton, Insulate Britain’s spokesperson, was in handcuffs by the time the Guardian arrived on the scene. He said that despite the group’s demand for a programme to insulate Britain’s homes being vindicated by an escalating cost of living crisis, not enough had been done to answer their call. “We’re back on the streets because we put forward this policy a year ago [and] there is absolutely no intention from this government to fulfil a national programme of home insulation and retrofit,” Norton, an electrician from London, said. “At the time what we were saying is it’s going to provide hundreds of thousands of proper meaningful jobs, boost the economy, the Office for National Statistics said 8,500 people froze to death in their homes each year as they can’t afford to heat their homes. That’s only going to get worse as we’ve got this cost of living crisis.” Insulate Britain’s return to the streets is part of a month-long campaign to “occupy Westminster”, called by Just Stop Oil, a successor group to Insulate Britain that began this year with blockades of fossil fuel distribution terminals. Protesters, who used superglue to stick their hands to the asphalt, were able to halt traffic outside the Palace of Westminster for more than two hours. Some were expecting a swift return to jail. Ana Heyatawin, 59, said she was already serving a suspended sentence for climate protests. “I just want them to know that I’m not going away. They can put me in prison as much as they want – they can even kill me if they want,” she said. “I’m just going to sit here until I get the basic insulation for my flat, and other people do too.” Heyatawin said there was no distinction now between cost of living campaigning and climate campaigning. “Everything has coalesced, it’s all joined together,” she said. “It’s just about social and climate justice for me now, everything is coalescing.” Wednesday was the 12th day in a row that activists had answered their call with disruptive protest in central London. The protests have been met with fury on many sides, with bystanders and drivers taking matters into their own hands and dragging activists out of the way. Protests on Tuesday were reported to have blocked emergency services, and stopped an unwell baby from being taken to hospital.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/12/insulate-britain-protest-london-glue-pmqs
     
         
      Truss plan to block solar farms is deeply unpopular – so why is she so keen? Wed, 12th Oct 2022 10:06:00
     
      The PM has united unlikely forces in opposition to moves that make little sense and contradict her own policies Liz Truss and her environment secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, have achieved the almost unthinkable this week, by reportedly moving to ban solar farms from much of England. In doing so, they have even managed to unite the free-market, anti-net-zero Institute of Economic Affairs thinktank with green groups, the energy industry and the Labour party in opposing the plans. Banning solar farms from most of England’s farmland would place Truss squarely in opposition to the policy priorities she set out in her own speech to the Conservative party conference. Under the banner “get Britain moving”, the prime minister said she wanted faster economic growth, lower energy bills, reinforced energy security, more renewables and action to tackle the climate crisis. Yet the solar ban would hold back investment, lead to higher energy bills, lock in continued gas imports, stop renewable growth and stall efforts to reach net zero emissions. Truss said her ambition was to unleash “growth, growth and growth”. This will be news to the investors waiting to pour up to £20bn into new UK solar projects, according to the Financial Times. Her speech decried the “anti-growth coalition” that she said was “always [for] more taxes, more regulation and more meddling”. So farmers looking for more income may balk if Truss bans them from adding to growth by giving their fields over to solar while continuing to graze livestock. She said growth meant “businesses creating jobs”. But perhaps not the tens of thousands of jobs that industry group Solar Energy UK says its sector could be created by 2030. Truss touted her government’s efforts to “shield people from astronomically high [energy] bills”. But her ban would block new solar projects, which are quick to build and generates electricity nine times more cheaply than gas. She talked of “fiscal responsibility” and “bring[ing] down debt” – and yet higher bills will raise the cost of her “energy price guarantee”, which could add as much as £140bn to the national debt. Warning of dependence on “authoritarian regimes for cheap goods and energy”, Truss said she would take “decisive action to reinforce our energy security”. Yet she is also decisively against new solar, each 5 gigawatts of which would cut UK gas imports by 2%. Truss said her government was “delivering more renewables” and in an earlier speech had pledged to “speed up our deployment of all clean and renewable technologies, including … solar”. So she must be disappointed to learn that her officials believe an effective ban would slow things down. Finally, the Conservative leader told the party faithful that she would “deliver on our commitment to net zero [emissions by 2050]” and “tackle climate change”. Her government remains committed – at least as of early September – to a fully decarbonised power sector by 2035. Is this why Truss wants to block new solar? The technology, after all, plays a major role in the net zero pathways published by her climate advisers the Climate Change Committee – and I estimate that each 5GW of new solar would cut UK emissions by 2m tonnes of carbon dioxide. The real reasons for Truss and Jayawardena’s antipathy are unclear. Since they cannot oppose solar on grounds of cost, growth, energy security or climate, they are now citing food security. Yet solar occupies a tiny fraction of the UK, is usually on less productive agricultural land and is frequently co-located with grazing. At less than 0.1% of the country, solar covers a smaller land area than airports, golf courses or Christmas trees. Solar also covers a significantly smaller UK land area than biofuel crops, even though Carbon Brief analysis shows solar delivers 50-100 times more driving distance per hectare. Moreover, the farmland supposedly under threat from solar is facing more serious pressures from elsewhere. “The biggest threat to prime farmland in the UK is not solar farms,” says Prof Richard Betts, technical lead of the third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment report. “It’s climate change.” One of the only remaining possibilities is that the prime minister simply dislikes the way solar farms look.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/12/truss-plan-to-block-solar-farms-is-deeply-unpopular-so-why-is-she-so-keen
     
         
      Labor ramps up pressure on gas industry as energy prices rise but stops short of price caps Wed, 12th Oct 2022 8:08:00
     
      Unions accuse resource minister Madeline King of signing ‘dud deal’ with multinational gas companies Labor is ratcheting up pressure on the gas industry as it contemplates a workable policy mechanism to lower prices. The energy minister, Chris Bowen, on Tuesday night ruled out intervening in the market with price caps after the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, confirmed the government was revisiting the problem of gas prices given soaring energy costs are driving domestic inflation and punching a hole in household budgets. The industry minister, Ed Husic, on Wednesday ramped up his rhetoric, arguing gas companies are “sucking up an Australian resource and selling it at phenomenal prices overseas, and they’re doing so in such a way that is putting pressure on manufacturers and households in this country”. Husic told Sky News gas producers could “either do the right thing by the country, or they can continue to be greedy”. The Australian Workers Union national secretary, Daniel Walton, meanwhile rounded on the resources minister, Madeline King, who signed a new heads of agreement with the three big LNG exporters – Santos’s GLNG plant, the ConocoPhillips-led APLNG group and Shell’s QGC operations – in late September. “It’s infuriating that a Labor minister could champion the same exact same kind of dud handshake agreement struck by the Turnbull government, especially when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has since told us that agreement wasn’t worth the paper it was written on,” Walton said on Wednesday. “The government has a choice: defend the insane super profits that gas exporters are making from the Ukraine war or defend the future of Australian manufacturing and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports,” he said. “I can’t believe this is apparently a headscratcher for Labor.” Walton noted Labor’s policy platform contained specific commitments to use-it-or-lose-it conditions for offshore gas resources, a price trigger, and domestic reservation policies where necessary, so it was time for the Albanese government to “walk the walk”. A spokesperson for King said Walton had every right to express a view, but the new heads of agreement was “a significant improvement on the deal done by the previous government”. “It will provide an estimated additional 157 petajoules of gas to the east coast gas market in 2023,” King’s spokesperson said. “That is almost three times the shortfall forecast by the ACCC earlier this year”. The spokesperson said the government understood the domestic gas market was not “delivering the kind of outcomes we want to see” and as a consequence, the minister for resources and energy, the industry minister, energy minister and treasurer were “working closely together to see what else can be done beyond the near-term updating of the heads of agreement”. Asked on the ABC whether or not the government would contemplate price caps to ease the pain for households and businesses, Bowen said: “I’m not contemplating the sorts of things that you are proposing”. “What I am saying is that we will continue to work with the operator and with the regulators to ensure that our regulatory regime is as fit for purpose as is possible against this challenging backdrop”. Husic has pointed to potential reform of the industry code of conduct to try to achieve price reductions without resorting to price caps. Chalmers told reporters before departing to the United States that it would be difficult to shield consumers from the energy price spiral in the October budget without adding to inflationary pressure. “When it comes to support for the cost of living, we need to be extremely cautious here that any cost-of-living support that we provide isn’t counterproductive,” he said. “We want to make sure that cost of living support that we provide doesn’t make the already hard job of the independent Reserve Bank even harder.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/12/labor-ramps-up-pressure-on-gas-industry-as-energy-prices-rise-but-stops-short-of-price-caps
     
         
      Climate change: Greenland's culture shifts as Arctic heats up Wed, 12th Oct 2022 7:12:00
     
      Icebergs bigger than city blocks loom through the mist as Kaleeraq Mathaeussen reels in halibut from the frigid waters one by one. "Each season is not how it used to be," he says. It's become windier and more unpredictable. More than 250km (155 miles) inside the Arctic Circle, the coastal town of Ilulissat in western Greenland is also a busy port. Kaleeraq has been fishing the waters here since he was 14 years old and, like other locals, has observed changes around him. In winter he used to travel on the ice with a sled pulled by his dogs. But the sea no longer freezes like it used to. "Ever since 2001 I noticed the winter seasons in Disko Bay didn't have as much ice," he says. "I was very worried when I started to notice that the ice barrier was getting weaker and witnessing such an astronomical change in the climate," he explains. "Today it is unpredictable and too dangerous to go fishing with my sled dogs," he explains. He stopped sledding two years ago and now he only fishes by boat. Communities in northern Greenland have lived in one of the world's toughest environments for centuries. But temperatures have risen faster in the Arctic region than elsewhere on earth, and the impact of climate change is being felt on the local way of life. On the outskirts of Ilulissat, colourful apartment blocks overlook a field that's home to dozens and dozens of dogs. Kaleeraq still owns more than 30. Before he used his dogs for tourism, but now only keeps them for his teenage son. "I still miss that way of life, but it just has to be like this for now," he says. Dog-sledding has been a long-held tradition in the north and east of Greenland. But many local hunters and fishermen have given it up and the number of sled dogs has slumped nationwide. Around two decades ago there were around 5,000 dogs in Ilulissat alone, but now there are only about 1,800, says Flemming Lauritzen, who runs a dog-sledding tour business with his wife Ane Sofie. When she was growing up sled dogs were always around, she says. "I'm not happy to see [the dogs] disappearing from our culture." Diseases and snowmobiles are partly responsible. Also climate change has had an impact. "The season is getting shorter and shorter. We can feel that," says Flemming. Over the years they've also witnessed the nearby glaciers retreat. "All of this ice is missing now," Flemming says as he points to a map of the Sermeq Kujalleg or Jakobshavn glacier. It is an outlet of the Greenland ice cap. Over 35,000 cubic metres of ice calve from the glacier each year, and more icebergs spew into Disko Bay than anywhere else in the northern hemisphere. Tour boat skipper George Jonathansen skilfully weaves around these giants. Even young people like him have seen change within their lifetimes. "When I was a kid, the weather was more predictable. Nowadays… we never know how the winter is going to be," he says. "I think this year has been unusual compared to the others." This summer was cold, he says, "A lot of places in Greenland have record rain." When asked about climate change, Palle Jerimiassen, the local mayor of Avannaata district says: "We can feel it everyday. We can see it every day." Further north, near Thule, retreating sea ice is impacting local hunters, he tells the BBC. "They are used to going on some very long hunting tours. They can't do it anymore. So they have to change their way of living." "There's some negative things. There are also some positive things," he states. In some ways Arctic life has become easier. Milder winters have brought new opportunities and Ilulissat is booming. Nutrients from glacial meltwater are enriching marine life and it's now possible to fish year-round by boat. Halibut also fetch a higher price, and fishermen like Kaleeraq are now better off.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63135211
     
         
      Solar energy firms struggle as demand goes through the roof Wed, 12th Oct 2022 6:42:00
     
      Solar panel firms in Scotland are struggling to deal with a surge in inquiries from businesses and households, as the energy crisis continues to bite. Renew Green Energy boss Brian Middleton says his Tweedbank-based business has been "hectic" and "manic", with inquiries flooding in. "We have never seen anything like this before, just due to the whole energy crisis," he explains. "Consumers and businesses' costs are going up through the roof. "We used to be able to order and deliver a project within a week, now it is about three months for delivery of materials. "There's a bit of a panic and a rush to do something about their energy costs before they can't do anything with it really. "We have gone from five to 10 inquiries a week to it tripling. We are overwhelmed and we had to bring in extra staff just to cope with that." It is a similar story for Glenrothes-based RB Grant, which says it is handling three or four times as many inquiries as it did a year ago, and is struggling to keep up with demand. Director Ronnie Grant says: "We are hearing from people as far apart as Orkney and England who are desperate to have panels fitted. "We are doing what we can but there are supply chain issues with metals and electrical components used in the panels so people are having to wait longer for installation." Ronnie says he knows of firms that have had to turn away business in the face of soaring demand. Linda Graham and her family decided to have solar panels fitted on her Hawick home in an effort to tackle soaring energy prices. "We had a projection done and it was quite scary how much the electricity would be up within five years. "So we decided just to go for it and try and fit as many panels on as possible," she says. "We have got 18 on and we are producing energy - more than we need at the moment. "We are waiting on a (storage) battery being fitted. It is a big outlay but I think in the long-term - we have no plans to move house - it will benefit us." Hugo Lee has also embraced solar energy as a way to keep bills at a manageable level. The farmer, who is based near the border village of Ancrum, says his electricity consumption has "pretty much halved" since he had 200 solar panels fitted a decade ago. He explains: "We use them for the farmhouse, farm cottages and also for the drying floor - we dry grain - and we also power our chicken sheds with them. "If we could, we would probably double them in size if we were allowed to. "When we first put them in it was a five-year payback, now it would be three years." Helen Melone, senior policy manager at Scottish Renewables, says it makes even more economic sense to install solar panels right now. "The payback period for a domestic rooftop system is around 12 months, compared to many times that when electricity prices were lower," she said. Solar power in Scotland - There are more than 56,000 households with solar PV (photovoltaic) systems - Solar technologies currently account for enough generation capacity to power about 90,000 Scottish homes - As a whole, the sector adds about £62m of GVA (Gross Value Added) to Scotland's economy and supports 2,390 jobs - Solar energy has the highest backing of all renewable energy technologies among the British public, with 90% of people supporting or strongly supporting its development Meanwhile, the Scottish government is being urged to give solar energy greater prominence in its net zero plans. Industry group Solar Energy Scotland (SES) is pressing the government to introduce "a robust plan of action" as ministers prepare to publish a new energy strategy and just transition plan. It wants ministers to commit to a minimum target of 4GW of solar energy across Scotland by 2030 and "declare a level of ambition" for 6GW, claiming the move could deliver more than 8,500 jobs. According to the organisation, installed capacity in Scotland - on rooftops and on the ground - is about 400MW, and lags far behind other parts of the UK and nations like Denmark, which is on the same latitude as Scotland. The industry argues that ministers have set ambitions for wind and other technologies like heat pumps, but continue to leave out solar power. Energy bills to be capped at £2,500 for typical household Glasgow Airport unveils plans for 15MW solar farm "For too long solar has suffered unconscious bias that Scotland's weather better suits other renewable energy technologies that harness power from wind and water," says a report issued by SES. "This has resulted in solar being largely overlooked over the last decade as Scotland seeks to decarbonise its economy. "The solar resource in Scotland is enormous. If all the sun's energy that hits the island of Hoy could be collected this would meet all of Scotland's energy needs, including power, heat and transport." A Scottish government spokesman said it recognised the importance of solar power in contributing towards net zero. "We remain committed to continuing to work with the solar sector to provide a supportive policy framework to help it continue to grow," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-63156523
     
         
      Australia’s big four banks face shareholder ire over funding fossil fuels Tue, 11th Oct 2022 16:01:00
     
      Activist group Market Forces says continued funding of coal, oil and gas is incompatible with net zero commitments Executives at Australia’s big four banks will face anger over funding fossil fuels this annual meeting season, with shareholder activists renewing efforts to force them to account for investments that increase global heating. At their annual meeting on Wednesday, shareholders at Australia’s biggest bank, the Commonwealth, will consider a resolution lodged by activist group Market Forces that was aimed at stopping it from financing new fossil fuel projects or the expansion of existing ones. Market Forces has lodged identical shareholder resolutions with the other three big banks – ANZ, NAB and Westpac – ahead of their meetings in December. It has lodged similar resolutions every year since 2019 without success. However, banks are under increasing pressure from regulators to act on climate issues. In August, the Reserve Bank warned banks and insurers they may face legal action if they did not take action. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority began surveying big banks, insurers and super funds about their management of climate-related financial risks in March, after issuing a regulatory standard on the topic last November. Market Forces said that continued funding of coal, oil and gas by the banks was incompatible with their public commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and their support of the international Paris agreement, which aimed to limit global heating to 1.5C. CBA said it will not provide finance for new thermal coalmines and will reduce its existing direct financing of thermal coal to zero by 2030. It also promised not to provide corporate finance to new clients who derive 25% or more of their revenue from thermal coal, and reduce that exposure to zero by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/11/australias-big-four-banks-face-shareholder-ire-over-funding-fossil-fuels?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      London homes at risk of delay over energy supply to go ahead Tue, 11th Oct 2022 15:50:00
     
      Some housing developments which risked delays due to a lack of electricity capacity can now go ahead in London. Developers had been warned some projects might be paused as there would be no spare capacity on the network for new connections until at least 2035. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) says it has now fixed the issue for smaller housing projects. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said this meant "the majority" of developments in west London could proceed. Earlier this year, the Greater London Authority wrote to developers building homes in Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon, telling them it had "become aware of an issue relating to the availability of electricity capacity in west London". It said the electricity shortage would impact at least 50 housing projects, with had completion dates ranging from 2023 to 2043. This included projects that were receiving funding for affordable homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. SSEN confirmed in a letter to the mayor that any development with an electricity demand amounting to a usage of between 100 and 250 homes would be able to go ahead without having to wait for upgrades to the transmission network. It added out of 66 developers identified as facing electricity constraints, 42 would be able to connect to the network under the new approach. The mayor said despite the progress, there were still some issues including hospitals and electric vehicle charging points in west London that could be affected by wider constraints on the electricity network.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-63204753
     
         
      Mid Devon Council 'jumped the gun' with green energy project Tue, 11th Oct 2022 15:45:00
     
      Work on large-scale renewable energy projects at two Devon leisure centres will not begin until planning permission has been granted. Mid Devon District Council had issued a press release on 4 October to say work had already begun. The next day a councillor, Les Cruwys, pointed out the announced work did not have planning permission and accused the council of "jumping the gun". A council officer said there were "different stages" to the project. People have been encouraged to plan for disruption at both Exe Valley and Lords Meadow leisure centres. Work to install ground and air source heat pumps will involve drilling deep bore holes underground to access the heat. At a planning meeting on Wednesday, Mr Cruwys, Liberal Democrat councillor for Cranmore, expressed his anger over the announcement, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. He said: "Yesterday, the district council put out a very nice notification to the public explaining what was happening with these covers and the solar panels and everything else in the two leisure centres and that work will start on 4 October. "The work started yesterday. And yet here we are on 5 October looking at when to have the planning committee to give it permission. "We have jumped the gun again and if we expect the public to adhere to the planning process then we ruddy well have got to do it ourselves." The council later said only minor work that did not require permission would be undertaken until approval was given. Andrew Busby, the council's corporate manager for property, leisure and climate change, said: "The work we are currently doing is within the parameters for permitted development rights for installing non-domestic ground source heating." Permitted development rights allow for some works to be carried out without going through a formal planning process. Mr Busby added: "The next stage would be the installation of air source heat pumps and solar arrays and that won't be started until, and only if, planning permission is granted." The work is being funded by £2.8 million secured from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its public sector decarbonisation scheme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-63213879
     
         
      Climate change: WMO report urges faster action on transition to clean energy Tue, 11th Oct 2022 15:33:00
     
      The UN weather agency issued an urgent appeal on Tuesday for governments everywhere to switch to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar, wind and hydro-electric power. In its new report the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that in order to limit the global temperature rise which is undermining energy security, electricity tapped from clean energy sources must double over the next eight years. With the energy sector responsible for around 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, WMO chief Petteri Taalas said that switching to cleaner energy generation and improving energy efficiency – is “vital if we are to thrive in the 21st century”. “Net zero by 2050 is the aim. But we will only get there if we double the supply of low-emissions electricity within the next eight years”. Fighting against time The 2022 State of Climate Services, which includes inputs from 26 different organizations, zeroes in on energy – a key factor for realizing international agreements on sustainable development, climate change, and planet health. Access to reliable weather, water and climate information and services, will be increasingly important to strengthen the resilience of energy infrastructure and meet rising demand, which has jumped 30 per cent over the past ten years. “Time is not on our side, and our climate is changing before our eyes”, said the WMO chief calling for “a complete transformation of the global energy system”. Energy security Climate change directly affects fuel supply, energy production, and the physical resilience of current and future energy infrastructure. Heatwaves and droughts are already putting existing energy production under stress, making it even more important to reduce fossil fuel emissions and illuminating the impact of more frequent and intense extreme weather, water and climate events. Adaptation boost Yet, despite these risks, just 40 per cent of climate action plans submitted by governments to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) prioritize adaptation in the energy sector – and investment is correspondingly low. A transition to renewable energy will help alleviate the growing stress on water supply, because the amount of water used to generate electricity by solar and wind is much lower than for more traditional power plants, either fossil-fuel or nuclear-based. But current renewable energy pledges by countries fall well short of what is needed to reach the goal of universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, by 2030, said WMO. Water stress In 2020, 87 per cent of global electricity generated from thermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric systems, depended directly on water availability. Meanwhile, located in high water stress areas, are 33 per cent of the thermal power plants reliant upon freshwater for cooling, around 11 per cent of hydroelectric operations; and approximately 26 per cent of hydropower dams. And nuclear power plants, which depend on water for cooling, are also often situated in low-lying coastal areas – leaving them vulnerable to rising sea levels and weather-related flooding. Renewable investments To put the world on a net zero trajectory by 2050, the report concludes that renewable energy investments must triple by then. However, international public finance flows to developing countries in support of clean energy, has only decreased. It fell in 2019, for the second year in a row, to $10.9 billion - which was 23 per cent lower than the $14.2 billion provided in 2018 - and less than half of the peak of $24.7 billion in 2017. Focus on Africa Africa is already facing severe effects from climate change, including massive droughts. To meet its energy and climate goals, in addition to a huge increase in adaptation, energy investment must double this decade, says WMO. An annual infusion of $25 billion, equivalent to one per cent of all global energy investment, is now required, says the report. Meanwhile, Africa is home to around 60 per cent of the most solar rich environments in the world, and African countries have an opportunity to capitalize on that untapped potential and be major players in the energy market moving forward. Looking ahead Climate services in the energy generation field, may include planning the purchases of gas and electric power; managing emergency responses; and optimizing power plants from renewable sources – especially reservoirs and hydropower operations. In the energy sector, studies have demonstrated the economic value of very short-term, seasonal and sub-seasonal forecasts for fuel purchasing. Temperature forecasts allow more accurate calculations that enable optimal power generation scheduling, to meet demands at a lower cost.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129432
     
         
      Climate change: Isle of Man could be a world leader, advisor says Tue, 11th Oct 2022 12:39:00
     
      The Isle of Man could be a world leader in reducing carbon emissions if it meets targets, a government advisor has said. Members of Tynwald will vote on the Isle of Man Climate Change Plan 2022-2027 next week. If approved the island could import more electricity from the UK and phase out gas boilers. Prof James Curran said the pledges would bring the island "rapidly up to speed with the rest of the world". The island has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with an interim target of 35% by 2030. Prof Curran, a former chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency who was tasked with creating an action plan for the island, said the ambitions were "tough" but achievable. The introduction of a second interconnector cable to the UK to import energy by 2030 would "contribute hugely to carbon neutrality", he added. 'Delivery, delivery, delivery' Prof Curran also believed "driving hard ambitions" was "vitally important" to the future economy of the island. He said with a greater global focus on sustainability "businesses won't want to locate here, they won't want to invest here", if climate change was not prioritised. "Maybe progress hasn't been as fast as some would like" he added, suggesting it was understandable thinking had been "overruled" by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. The advisor, who is stepping down from his role advising government, expects the Isle of Man will "move really fast" to be "up-there" with world leaders on climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-63202159
     
         
      Drivers in Australia’s outer suburbs should receive electric vehicle tax breaks, report finds Tue, 11th Oct 2022 12:03:00
     
      Workers on urban fringe driving EVs would bring greater emissions cut as they’re more likely to drive larger, older cars on longer commutes Australian workers with long commutes should receive tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, according to a new report into the technology. The recommendation was one of three policies proposed in a study from KPMG Australia that investigated the uptake of electric vehicles in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It found a disparity between the size and age of vehicles used in urban and outer suburban areas and recommended governments introduce “purchase incentives” to boost adoption of electric vehicles in more areas, and accelerate carbon emission reductions. The study followed targets set by New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland for 50% of new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2030. KPMG planning and infrastructure economics leader, Ben Ellis, said the study investigated EV uptake suburb by suburb and identified ways to speed up Australia’s transition to electric vehicles. “Understanding EV uptake at a local level provides an opportunity for Australia to develop uptake policies and pathways that will help us go from EV laggard to EV leader,” Ellis said. “We find that emissions reductions are a local matter and that replacing a conventional vehicle with an EV in one area will not result in the same benefit as one in another.” The report, launched at the Infrastructure Sustainability Council Connect Conference Queensland, identified significant differences in car-buying behaviour by location. Australians in outer suburbs bought bigger cars and used vehicles for longer, the study found, while Australians in inner suburbs used newer and smaller cars. In Brisbane, for example, inner-city residents used vehicles less than eight years old, while residents on the city’s fringe used vehicles older than 12 years. Residents in outer suburbs tended to have longer commutes, the study found, and replacing their petrol vehicles with electric models would have a greater environmental benefit. “If the current trends persist, emissions will be highest in areas with the slowest EV uptake,” Ellis said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/11/drivers-in-australias-outer-suburbs-should-receive-electric-vehicle-tax-breaks-report-finds?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Major insurer cuts off oil companies Tue, 11th Oct 2022 11:27:00
     
      Climate activists looking to cut off the fossil fuel industry’s access to insurance celebrated last week: The world’s largest reinsurance company, Munich Re, announced new restrictions on its coverage of fossil fuel projects. (Reinsurance contracts cover primary insurers to help them spread their risks.) Munich Re said that beginning next April, it will stop providing coverage for new oil and gas fields, new oil transport and storage facilities, and new oil-fired power plants. Munich Re also invests its insurance premiums, according to AP News, and the policy will apply to its investments as well. The moves are part of the company’s commitment to supporting the goals of the Paris Agreement. “Munich Re’s policy sends a message to the wider insurance industry and to the oil and gas sector that they must act urgently to align their business with climate science,” said Lindsay Keenan, the European coordinator for Insure Our Future, in a statement. Insure Our Future is a campaign pressuring insurance companies to stop covering oil, gas, and coal projects in order to accelerate the winding down of fossil fuel production. Researchers have calculated that most of the world’s known oil reserves must stay in the ground to give humanity even a fifty-fifty chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Munich Re joins other major reinsurers like Swiss Re and Hannover Re, which have announced similar restrictions on reinsuring oil and some gas projects in the past year. Munich Re’s new policy will not apply to coverage for new gas pipelines, liquefied natural gas plants, or gas-fired power plants.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/major-insurer-cuts-off-oil-companies/
     
         
      New Zealand proposes taxing cow burps to reduce emissions Tue, 11th Oct 2022 11:00:00
     
      New Zealand has proposed taxing the greenhouse gasses that farm animals produce from burping and urinating in a bid to tackle climate change. The world-first scheme will see farmers paying for agricultural emissions in some form by 2025. The country's farming industry accounts for about half of its emissions. But farmers have been quick to criticise the plan, with one lobby group saying it would "rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand". Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said money raised from the proposed levy will be pumped back into the industry to finance new technologies, research and incentive payments for farmers. "New Zealand's farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food," she told reporters while announcing the proposals from a farm in Wairarapa. The pricing has not yet been decided on, but the government says that farmers should be able to make up the cost of the levy by charging more for climate-friendly produce. But some farmers have condemned the plans, saying they could prompt many of them to sell up. Federated Farmers national president Andrew Hoggard said the plan will "rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand", leading to farms making way for trees. He added that the body was "deeply unimpressed" with the government's interactions with farmers while examining alternative proposals. Farmers will now be selling their land "so fast you won't even hear the dogs barking on the back of the ute (pickup truck) as they drive off", he added. Some have also argued that the plans could actually increase emissions if food production was to move to countries with less efficient farming methods. In 2019, methane in the atmosphere reached record levels, around two-and-a-half times above what they were in the pre-industrial era.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63211506
     
         
      UK’s lost leadership role hurts Somalia’s fight against famine, says drought envoy Mon, 10th Oct 2022 12:15:00
     
      Britain is no longer the key humanitarian player and ‘great ally’ it once was, says envoy trying to get support for Somalia’s drought The UK has lost its leadership role in the world and is letting down its allies, a senior official in the Somali government has said. Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, the presidential envoy for Somalia’s drought response, said Britain used to be second only to the US as a key player in international forums and advocacy, but has since slipped, saying that countries such as Somalia were being left without support to face “the new climate reality”. In an interview with the Guardian, Abdishakur said it was deeply frustrating that the international community was ignoring impending famine and failing to meet the longstanding pledge of letting poorer nations access a £87.5bn climate fund to mitigate the crisis. “We are living with the deadly consequences of climate change in Somalia,” he said. “Millions of children are malnourished, many will die, and we don’t have one penny of that climate fund.” Currently in Europe to drum up support for Somalia’s crisis, the special envoy said it had been a dispiriting round of meetings with government officials. “No one is interested in the climate, in food security. It’s all Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine. It gets all the political attention. “Everyone has been saying, ‘When you have famine declared you will have attention,’” he said. “We are facing more than the scale of 2011, when we lost a quarter of a million of our people. But in 2011 half the people died before famine was declared.” Abdishakur insisted his country was worth more support. “We are more than famine in Somalia. We are coming out of a long conflict and have had a successful, peaceful election; we are building our institutions, we are building our national army, we are pushing back [the Islamist insurgents] al-Shabaab. But at the same time we have this drought. “In the 2017 drought, the UK and its leadership was vital, its advocacy and energy was great, and it encouraged people like me to match that commitment. Britain was a great ally to Somalia but that is all gone. “The UK is still an ally, and they help with security, but when it comes to humanitarian response they are not there, not in leadership or in aid. It’s all gone. The UK used to provide a leadership that others would follow.” Abdishakur said access to climate crisis funds would enable Somalia to bring in technology and infrastructure to support and build farming and fisheries. “Somalians are resilient people. They cope with all the pressures of insecurity and drought, and the world can learn from them how to be resilient in the face of such pressure,” he said. “There is a strong sense of community and clan. The remittances from the Somalian diaspora going into the country are holding people up, families together – $2bn [£1.8bn] a year is sent home, more than any aid or donations.” But, he said, support from countries such as the UK was essential. “If we had not had Ukraine, Covid and the locust invasion then the effect might be less, but the drought is caused by climate change. We have had four failed rainy seasons now. The cycle of drought used to be every 10 years, now it’s four years and soon it will be two years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/10/uk-lost-leadership-role-somalia-famine-drought-envoy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      UN relief chief appeals for concerted action to tackle deadly heatwave threat Mon, 10th Oct 2022 11:30:00
     
      Heatwaves already kill thousands of people every year and they risk overwhelming the world’s aid response, unless action is taken to mitigate climate change, the UN’s emergency relief chief said on Monday. Without immediate financial help for the most vulnerable communities, the world faces a future of “ever larger and deadlier heat disasters”, Martin Griffiths told journalists in Geneva. “The humanitarian system is not equipped, to handle crises of this scale on our own,” he said. “To avoid a future of recurrent heat disasters, we need massive and targeted investments, especially for the most vulnerable, and we need it now.” Mr. Griffiths was speaking at the launch of a report published jointly by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Extreme risks The publication, Extreme Heat, Preparing For Heatwaves Of The Future, details recommendations and best practice from developing countries that have put in place measures to support long-term adaptation to climate change. According to the report, the European heatwave of 2003 was responsible for more than 70,000 deaths beyond what would normally have been expected. And the Russian heatwave of 2010, killed over 55,000 people. “Almost everywhere that reliable data is available, heatwaves are the deadliest weather-related hazard,” the joint OCHA and IFRC report states, with society’s most vulnerable and marginalized people “pushed to the front lines” of climate change: casual labourers, agricultural workers and migrants. Also in the crosshairs of extreme heat events are the elderly, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, who are “at higher risk of illness and death” from higher temperatures. Rich pickings Although the world’s richer nations are better-equipped to protect themselves from furnace-like temperatures in coming years, this is not true for developing countries, where the combined effects of “warming, ageing and urbanization” are expected to hit hard, in line with the Sixth Assessment report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “Projected future death rates from extreme heat are staggeringly high - comparable in magnitude by the end of the century, to all cancers or all infectious diseases - and staggeringly unequal, with people in poorer countries seeing far greater levels of increase,” the report states, citing research by the US National Bureau of Economic Research. Informal urban and other settlements that share many characteristics with camps in humanitarian settings are at particularly high risk, the report warns. Highlighting forecasts from the Urban Climate Change Research Network, it also notes a projected “700 per cent global increase in the number of urban poor people living in extreme heat conditions by the 2050s”, with the largest increases expected in West Africa and Southeast Asia. Equally worrying is the reminder from OCHA and the IFRC that an extreme heat event that would have occurred once in 50 years in a climate where there was no human influence is now nearly five times as likely.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129407
     
         
      Ministers hope to ban solar projects from most English farms Mon, 10th Oct 2022 10:17:00
     
      Exclusive: Environment minister seeks to expand definition of prime farmland in drive for productivity Ministers are planning to ban solar farms from most of England’s farmland, the Guardian can reveal. The new environment secretary, Ranil Jayawardena, is understood to oppose solar panels being placed on agricultural land, arguing that it impedes his programme of growth and boosting food production. To this end, say government sources, he has asked his officials to redefine “best and most versatile” land (BMV), which is earmarked for farming, to include the middling-to-low category 3b. Land is graded from 1 to 5, and currently BMV includes grades 1 to 3a. Planning guidance says that development on BMV land should be avoided, although planning authorities may take other considerations into account. Currently, most solar farms are built on and planned for 3b land, so this move would scupper most new developments of the renewable energy source. Extending BMV to grade 3b would ban solar from about 41% of the land area of England, or about 58% of agricultural land. Much of grade 4 and 5 land is in upland areas that are unsuitable for solar developments. During her speech at the Conservative party conference last week, the prime minister, Liz Truss, reeled off a list of “enemies”, including green campaigners, who make up what she characterised as the “anti-growth coalition”. However, green campaigners say blocking the building of renewables would make her government part of such a group. Chris Hewett, chief executive of the trade association Solar Energy UK, said: “The UK solar sector is alarmed by attempts to put major planning rules in the way of cheap, homegrown energy. Solar power is the answer to so many needs and policy demands: it will cut energy bills, deliver energy security, boost growth and help rural economies. Ranil Jayawardena’s opposition to solar farms must surely make him part of the anti-growth coalition.” To get this policy over the line, Defra would have to get signoff from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It is understood that BEIS ministers are against the move, as they are trying to show that they are not only deregulating the oil and gas industry and fracking, but also renewable energy. However, No 10 is understood to be sympathetic to the idea, with Truss having vowed to block solar farms on agricultural land during her election campaign. Dustin Benton, policy director at the thinktank Green Alliance, said: “It would be odd to redefine ‘best and most versatile’ agricultural land to include soils that aren’t of high quality, just to block solar farms. It sounds like a tactic that the ‘anti-growth coalition’ might employ. “The UK desperately needs to expand renewables so we don’t have to pay the extortionate cost of gas. Solar is one of the fastest energy sources to be deployed, so we should move quickly to build more in light of the gas crisis.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/10/ministers-hope-to-ban-solar-projects-from-most-english-farms?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      How to cut your energy bills Sun, 9th Oct 2022 15:48:00
     
      Energy bills went up at the start of October, with households in England, Wales and Scotland using a typical amount of gas and electricity now set to pay £2,500 a year - a rise of £500. Energy-saving measures won't make up for the sharp rise in prices. But taken together, lots of small changes could save hundreds of pounds a year. What is the energy price cap and what will I actually pay? 1. Use an air fryer or microwave instead of an oven Ovens can be an inefficient way of cooking as they involve heating a relatively large space. Using a microwave, pressure cooker or air fryer instead could save money. For example, since 1 October it costs 3p to heat up a frozen ready meal in a 800W (watts) microwave for seven minutes. It would cost 40p for 35 minutes in a 2000W oven, energy efficiency website Sust-it estimates. Microwaves usually save energy as they cook faster. For example, a baked potato could take 90 minutes in an oven, 45 minutes in an air fryer and 10 minutes in a microwave. 2. Switch to LED lightbulbs Lighting makes up 11% of the average UK household's energy consumption, according to The Energy Saving Trust and Which? Switching to LED bulbs can make a big difference. A household using a dozen 40W incandescent or halogen bulbs for four hours a day could spend about £238 per year, Sust-it estimates. LED equivalents would cost £41.70 - a saving of £196.30 a year. LED bulbs can cost more, but have a longer lifespan and will save money over time. 3. Take control of your central heating Set your thermostat at the lowest comfortable temperature (often 18 to 21C). Turning your thermostat down just one degree could cut bills by about £145 a year, the Energy Saving Trust says. This is based on a semi-detached house with the heating on between 7am-9am and 4pm-11pm on week days and between 7am-11pm at weekends. In smaller homes, like a terraced house or a flat, the savings will be lower. You can also turn the heating off in rooms you're not using. Bleeding radiators to remove trapped air and moving furniture away from them helps warms air flow more easily around a room. 4. Insulate and draught-proof your home If your home is poorly insulated it will lose heat more easily and be harder to keep warm. Insulation and draught-proofing - to stop heat escaping around doors and windows - helps trap heat. Professional draught-proofing might cost about £225, the Energy Saving Trust says. However, it can save about £125 a year - based on a typical semi-detached home. DIY options like self-adhesive strips for window gaps and heavy curtains can also save you money. "It's not necessarily going to be a huge cost saving, but what it will do is make your home feel more comfortable at a lower temperature," says Emily Seymour, sustainability editor at Which?. Most heat is lost through the roof, so loft insulation should be a priority. For renters, installing insulation may not be an option as landlords are responsible for major improvements. However, landlords can be fined for renting properties which don't meet minimum energy efficiency standards. How can renters make their homes warmer and greener? How can better insulation cut energy bills? 5. Make better use of appliances Washing machines and tumble dryers can be energy hungry, according to Emily Seymour. But there are ways to use them efficiently, she says. Use any eco settings and turn your machine down - particularly if clothes aren't that dirty. Washing clothes at 30 C and using one less cycle a week could save £28 a year, the Energy Saving Trust says. If you can, dry clothes outside instead of in a tumble dryer. It will cost at least £36 a year to run an energy efficient dryer from October, based on average usage, or as much as £159 for an inefficient models, Sust-it says. Not using an inefficient dryer for four months during the summer could save up to £70 a year, according to the Energy Savings Trust. 6. Take shorter showers A typical household with gas heating will see about 12% of its energy bill used to heat water for showers, baths and taps, the Energy Saving Trust says. However, if you have a power shower the saving could be less as you'll use more hot water. Meanwhile, cutting your shower time from eight to four minutes could save £70 a year. This is based on five showers a week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62738249
     
         
      Energy use advice campaign pulled due to cost, Zahawi says Sun, 9th Oct 2022 13:51:00
     
      A public information campaign to help people reduce energy bills this winter was pulled by No 10 on the grounds of cost, a cabinet minister has said. The campaign to encourage household energy saving would have cost up to £15m, Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. The PM's office raised objections to the plan, the BBC reported on Friday. And asked about the possibility of winter blackouts, Mr Zahawi said these were "very unlikely". Amid concerns about rising household energy costs, the government has said it would limit average bill rises to £2,500 through government borrowing, at a cost of £60bn for six months. To help people save energy and cut costs, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had been preparing a public information campaign. But Prime Minister Liz Truss is reported to have been "ideologically opposed" to the campaign, fearing it would be too interventionist. Energy use advice campaign pulled as No10 objects Homes face winter power cuts in worst-case scenario, says National Grid How to cut your energy bills Cabinet minister Mr Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told the BBC that the campaign would have cost up to £15m, and denied that it being dropped indicated the government was divided. He said such a campaign was unnecessary because the National Grid, which distributes energy across the UK, and regulator Ofgem were running similar campaigns. "What the prime minister quite rightly [...] has done is to say: 'We don't need to spend £14m or £15m on another campaign, if National Grid and Ofgem are doing that work'," he said. Mr Zahawi said that information on saving energy was also already on UK government websites. "That is, I think, being prudent with taxpayers' money. It isn't a divide," he said. Following a warning from National Grid that UK households could lose power for up to three hours at a time this winter, Mr Zahawi said that scenario was "very unlikely". "I'm confident that the resilience is there, that people can enjoy their Christmas," he said. Martin Pibworth, a managing director at energy firm SSE, said that investment the UK had made in renewables "gives us a little bit more security of supply compared with our European neighbours". He said the "weaponisation of gas supplies by the Putin regime is clearly quite a big issue in terms of the [market] volatility that is being caused". But he said there are other risk factors including French nuclear generation being lower than normal, and the drought affecting Europe this summer having had an impact on hydro-electric power. However, he said "what protects the UK a bit more is renewable investments it has made historically, and actually this is a great opportunity to think how we can increase those investments to get better energy security going forward". Ms Truss has pledged to beef up the UK's energy security by speeding up the deployment of renewables, although she is against solar farms on "productive agricultural land". Her government has also said it would launch new licences for North Sea oil and gas and has lifted a moratorium on fracking.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63191791
     
         
      Climate change: World aviation agrees 'aspirational' net zero plan Sat, 8th Oct 2022 16:12:00
     
      The world has finally agreed on a long-term plan to curb carbon emissions from flying. At a meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), pledged to support an "aspirational" net zero aviation goal by 2050. The plan, seen as a compromise by many, was accepted by the 193 countries who are members of ICAO. However green groups say the deal is weak and not legally binding. New oil and gas at odds with green goals - report King should attend climate summit - COP26 president Activists question Coca-Cola sponsorship of COP27 When the world came together in Paris in 2015 to agree on a long-term plan to tackle climate change, two key industries were missing - aviation and shipping. The airline industry contributes around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, but scientists believe it has a much higher impact on climate change than this figure suggests. This is because of the multiple impacts of flying including the altitudes planes fly at and the effects of contrails - the water-vapour trails produced by engines. US Special Presidential envoy on climate change, John Kerry, welcomed the deal. In a tweet he said: "Thrilled to see international aviation commit at @icao 41st Assembly to a sustainable future with a long-term climate goal... to help put aviation on the path to net zero by 2050." While it is not a global regulator of the airline industry, ICAO is the UN body that promotes co-operation among member states on air transport. It cannot impose rules on countries, but national governments usually abide by what is agreed at ICAO meetings. The air transport industry has been under increasing pressure from consumers and scientists to try to find ways to decarbonise air travel for several years, with limited success. At the ICAO triennial assembly in Montreal, member states finally agreed to support a net zero target for 2050, despite grumbles from China and Russia. The UK was one of the first countries to include aviation emission in their climate targets in 2021 and helped launch the International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition at COP26. They've been amongst 56 countries pushing for an ambitious deal in Montreal. "This week, members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation agreed to a collective goal of net zero international aviation by 2050 - a historic milestone, not just for the future of flying, but for the wider international commitment to achieve net zero," said Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan. "It represents years of tireless work by the UK and its partners to lead the world towards a clean future for all." However, environmentalists have major reservations about the agreed resolutions. "You shouldn't be fooled by the results of this assembly. This isn't going to solve aviation's problem," said Jo Dardenne of campaign group Transport & Environment. "The only way we're going to solve it is to stop burning kerosene. The way that you stop burning kerosene is by pricing kerosene more effectively and investing in alternative solutions." At the meeting countries also agreed on changes to a scheme that would deal with a large part of the future emissions from airlines through a system of carbon offsets. Offsetting is a process where companies or individuals buy carbon credits from schemes such as forestry plantations to cancel out carbon emissions from activities like flying. ICAO has now agreed that airlines will use the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Under the scheme airlines would agree a baseline year and all future emissions above the level of that period would have to be offset. Initially they had planned to use an average of flying emissions in 2019 and 2020 - but the onset of the Covid pandemic saw air transport decline rapidly. While campaigners were delighted with the prospect of a low baseline that would have forced airlines to offset far more of their emissions, the industry baulked. After discussions in Montreal the threshold has now been set as 85% of 2019 carbon emissions, allowing a higher level of carbon dioxide pollution before airlines must purchase offsets. In previous analysis, campaigners found that CORSIA would add just €2.40 to the price of a long-haul flight in 2030 to offset passenger's emissions. They now say that the scheme agreed in Montreal will only cover 22% of future emissions in 2030. Supporters of the agreement believe that as well as offsetting, airlines will now speed up the development of greener jet fuels, and other technical improvements to decarbonise flying. "A goal is better than nothing but it is up to member states now to implement the proper regulations," said Jo Dardenne.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63165607
     
         
      North Sea oil and gas exploration 'good for the environment' Sat, 8th Oct 2022 16:10:00
     
      Plans to allow oil and gas exploration in the North Sea will be "good for the environment", the UK's climate minister has said. Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, said the move was "entirely compatible" with climate targets. More than 100 licences could be issued for the coast off Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The Green Party said that global warming targets would only be met "if we leave fossil fuels in the ground". Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Stuart said: "Actually it's good for the environment, because when we burn our own gas it's got lower emissions around its production than foreign gas... as well as supporting British jobs. "So you really can be assured that it's actually - I know it sounds contradictory - but it's actually good for the environment that we are going to produce more of our gas and oil at home." In a bid to encourage production of new oil and gas supplies as quickly as possible, the North Sea Transition Authority has identified four "priority cluster areas" in the southern North Sea which are known to contain hydrocarbons and are close to existing infrastructure, giving them the potential to be developed quickly. Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: "The Government's claim that burning ever more fossil fuels from the North Sea will help the UK meet its international obligations to become net-zero by 2050 has no connection to reality - we truly have stepped through the looking glass." The Green Party also said any new production, even if fast-tracked, would not be available for years and so would not help to address the current crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-63184412
     
         
      Suffolk protester's arrest viewed more than 11 million times Sat, 8th Oct 2022 15:58:00
     
      A climate change activist whose arrest has been viewed more than 11 million times said she was taking action for her six-year-old son. Lora Johnson, 38, who lives in Southwold, Suffolk, was filmed being carried away by police from Waterloo Bridge in London on Sunday. "I was there as a mother trying to stand up for the future for my child," Ms Johnson told the BBC. The government said it was fully committed to reaching net zero by 2050. Ms Johnson was protesting against the government's policy to award new oil and gas extraction licences and was filmed by journalist Zoe Broughton. "I hope it will show people that the only way we can effect change is by standing together," she said. "The main objective of our protests is to draw media attention. And to stop a new oil licensing." She said protesters were not asking people to give up their cars, but for the government to make a quicker transition to renewables. The UK has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea. Nearly 900 locations are being offered for exploration, with as many as 100 licences due to be awarded. The decision is at odds with studies by international climate research groups such as Global Energy Monitor, which says fossil fuel projects should be closed down, not expanded. But Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the new exploration would boost energy security and support skilled jobs. And supporters of new exploration said the North Sea fossil fuel would replace imported fuel and have a lower carbon footprint. Ms Johnson, who works for a hotel, was part of a Just Stop Oil demonstration with about 200 others and was attempting to glue her hands to the bridge over the Thames when she was taken away by four police officers. Truss and Macron agree Sizewell C cooperation Nature reserve misses Sizewell C appeal deadline New nuclear power plant gets go-ahead In the video of her arrest, which has been retweeted by more than 50,000 people, including the comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, she is heard saying: "I'm doing this for my son. The government's inaction on climate change is a death sentence to us all. "The United Nations has said we should have no new oil. Liz Truss wants to open 130 new oil licences, that's a death sentence to this planet." Ms Johnson told the BBC she understood others felt that accessing further sources of fossil fuels might bring energy prices down. "They [the protests] are disruptive. People tell me they don't like the methods. They agree with the cause but they don't like the methods, and I implore anyone who's got a better idea to give us it," she said. "We've looked at movements in the past, like civil rights movements and the suffragettes movement and how they got what they wanted and they were disruptive. "It's only when we look back now that we kind of herald them as these sort of saviours."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-63147425
     
         
      Customers could get £100 for cutting energy use Sat, 8th Oct 2022 15:53:00
     
      One energy supplier is predicting households could earn around £100 over the winter through a scheme to reduce peak-time energy use. Octopus Energy said it expects to pay on average £4 each time a customer responds to a request to cut back. National Grid will announce full details of the scheme, which can be adopted by all energy suppliers, later this month. The grid operator said some customers might get as much as £10 a day. The cash incentive is to persuade people to wait until later on to run their washing machine, tumble dryer, or dishwasher, and to not charge their electric car if demand is already high. The scheme, set to start next month and run until March 2023, aims to help the UK avoid blackouts, by reducing energy consumption at peak times. On Thursday National Grid warned homes could face three-hour rolling blackouts, if the UK is unable to secure enough gas and electricity imports, as demand rises over the colder months. The UK relies on gas to generate electricity, but the war in Ukraine has led to pressure on gas supplies across Europe. Homes face winter power cuts in worst-case scenario Green fuel as urgent as Covid jab, says energy boss Energy firms told to help more over bill troubles Number Ten ruled out running a campaign being worked up by the business ministry to persuade households to consume less electricity. But the National Grid is set to announce soon exactly how much it will pay per kilowatt hour for people cutting back when there is an acute shortfall in supply. "Instead of cutting off whole chunks of the country if we are short of gas, we can reward people for using less energy at times of peak demand," Octopus chief executive Greg Jackson said. The payback service will be available to homes that have smart meters installed, as long as their supplier is taking part in the scheme. There are about 14 million households with electricity smart meters in the UK. Octopus Energy, which ran a trial of the scheme earlier this year, said there could be 25 days over the next six months when National Grid was willing to pay households to reduce their use. line 'I felt I was helping' Julie Byrne in Saffron Walden embraced the Octopus trial with gusto. She switched off lights, hung the towels outdoors to dry, turned the computer off, and even postponed dinner, despite her 25-year-old son rolling his eyes. "Sometimes it was inconvenient," she says. "But we worked round it." Her smart meter is outdoors so Julie didn't check which of her cut-backs was saving more, but she did see a small reduction in her next bill. "It wasn't just the money. I felt I was helping," she said, though with the cost of living rising, she thinks, the payments are "always going to be a plus." line Customers who managed to cut back compared to their recent average electricity consumption would be rewarded with a payment, likely to be between £3 and £6 per kilowatt hour saved, Octopus said. The compensation rate was likely to be set higher on days when the energy shortfall was particularly severe, the firm said. During Octopus' trial in February and March customers saved an average of 0.7 kilowatt hours, but were receiving much lower financial compensation, the firm said. Under the National Grid-backed scheme, customers, including businesses, will receive an email or text a day ahead, outlining the time slot when they would be paid if they reduce their energy use, usually between 4pm and 7pm. Mr Jackson believes the financial incentive, which is significantly higher than it was in the trial, will prove effective, noting that people regularly change their habits to make savings - even small ones. "If you go to the supermarket and you buy stuff that's reduced to clear, you're saving less than a pound. People respond to that," said Mr Jackson. He believes there will be savings for the country as a whole as well. "Today our system pays a fortune to have diesel and coal generation on standby. "Every unit of energy that is saved will save on expensive standby diesel and coal."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63175030
     
         
      Scotland 'snow-free' for fourth time in six years Sat, 8th Oct 2022 12:55:00
     
      Scotland is completely snow-free for the fourth time in the last six years. The Sphinx, in the Cairngorms, which is historically the longest-lasting patch of snow in the UK, has melted. Snow expert Iain Cameron reported on Friday that the famous patch had disappeared in the last 24 hours. It is the fourth time it has gone in the last six years, having only melted nine times in the past 300 years. Mr Cameron said climate change was a likely factor. The latest headlines from Scotland Read more stories from the Highlands and Islands The Sphinx, on remote Braeriach, a 1,296m (4,252ft) Munro, has melted away more frequently in the last 18 years. According to records, it previously melted fully in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021 and now 2022. Before 1933, it is thought to have last melted completely in the 1700s. Mr Cameron tweeted: "So there we have it. It is confirmed that Scotland is snow-free yet again. "The last patch, the Sphinx, disappeared sometime in the last 24 hours. " He added: "I'm not a climatologist (nor even an academic), but it's a pretty obvious direction of travel. "The future for semi-permanent snows in Scotland looks bleak." Just six days ago he had made the climb to check on the patch and described it as "hanging on for dear life." Mr Cameron, based in Stirling, has been studying snow patches in Scotland for 25 years and is author of the book The Vanishing Ice, which he describes as a "lament" to snow and ice that lingers high in Scotland's hills. He worked alongside the late Dr Adam Watson, a biologist dubbed Mr Cairngorms because of his many years studying the mountains. Some of Dr Watson's research on the Sphinx drew on information handed down by generations of people who worked and visited the Cairngorms. The Scottish Mountaineering Club began noting the fortunes of the patch in the 1840s and more recently scientists and ecologists have gathered information. Separately from Mr Cameron's research, a report commissioned by Cairngorms National Park Authority and published in July 2020 said declining snow cover, and fewer days when it snowed had been observed on Cairngorm mountain since the winter of 1983-84. Researchers also noted a trend for increasingly warmer weather since the 1960s, and suggested that by the 2080s there would be some years with very little or no snow at all on Cairngorm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63184780
     
         
      Europe energy crisis: Italians told to turn thermostats down Sat, 8th Oct 2022 10:10:00
     
      vCentral heating will be restricted in Italy this winter, as it becomes the latest country to take action on European gas supply shortages sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Under a new government decree, buildings will face an extra fifteen days without central heating. Italians will also be told to turn their heating down by one degree, and off for an extra hour a day. Some buildings will be exempt, including nurseries and hospitals. The move comes as governments across Europe look to reduce demand and shore up energy supplies ahead of winter. Many were dependent on gas from Russia, which has been restricted following the war in Ukraine. Before February's invasion, Italy was the second-largest importer of Russian gas in the EU, with imports making up 40% of its total supply. This is now down to just 10%, as Rome has turned to other sources of energy and liquified natural gas. The country normally restricts the use of central heating in warmer months, with its use determined by regional governments. With bills already soaring, reactions from Italians have been mixed. "For old people who will stay at home a lot of time, probably it will be a problem for them," one told the BBC. "It's probably needed, but it's hard. Now that this crisis is affecting us personally, it could lead more people to change their view on still backing sanctions on Russia," said another. How are countries tackling energy bills? EU leaders consider how to cap gas prices How can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Many European governments have announced similar energy-saving plans. In France, homes and offices will be heated to a maximum of 19C, there will be no hot water in public buildings, and the temperature in swimming pools and gyms will also be reduced. A ban on doors being left open in heated or air-conditioned shops, which was previously in effect in some areas, has been extended nationwide. Spain has also previously mandated that heating not rise above 19C, as well as ordering that doors should be closed so as not to waste heat and that lights in shop windows must be turned off after 22:00. And Germany has stopped lighting up public monuments and buildings for aesthetic reasons, and warned heating may be turned off in the entrances, corridors and foyers of public buildings. At an EU summit in Prague on Friday, leaders are discussing capping wholesale gas prices to protect consumers. Many individual states have already introduced national caps on the price consumers pay for units of energy. Other measures have already been agreed across the bloc, including windfall taxes on surplus profits made by fossil fuel companies, and a levy on excess profits made by non-gas electricity producers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63173533
     
         
      Egypt urged to ensure civil society’s full participation in COP27 climate summit Fri, 7th Oct 2022 15:35:00
     
      Authorities in Egypt must ensure civil society can safely and fully participate in the COP27 UN climate change conference taking place there next month, a group of UN independent human rights experts said on Friday, expressing alarm over restrictions ahead of the summit. This new wave of reprisals follows years of persistent crackdowns on civil society and human rights defenders, using security as a pretext to undermine their legitimate right to participate in public affairs, they said in a statement. Egypt is hosting COP27, which will be held in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November. ‘Climate of fear’ “Arrests and detention, NGO asset freezes and dissolutions and travel restrictions against human rights defenders have created a climate of fear for Egyptian civil society organisations to engage visibly at the COP27,” the experts said. Egyptian NGOs have previously suffered harassment, intimidation and reprisals for cooperating with the UN, they added. The five experts who issued the statement are all Special Rapporteurs, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. They said the main concerns of civil society activists were lack of information and transparent accreditation criteria for Egyptian NGOs, a coordinated increase in hotel room rates, undue restrictions to freedom of peaceful assembly outside the conference venue, and unjustified delays in the provision of visas to those travelling from abroad. A crucial role They underscored the essential role civil society plays in advancing climate action and urged Egypt to ensure safe and meaningful participation at the conference, including for independent groups. “Instead of further limiting their rights, civil society actors and human rights defenders, including those working on climate rights, must be given an opportunity to raise awareness about their views and protection needs,” the experts said. “We strongly believe that COP27, organised by the United Nations, should uphold the public’s right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, as recognised by Egypt.” The experts have also backed calls by civil society for the UN climate body that oversees the conference, UNFCCC, to develop human rights criteria that countries hosting future COPs must commit to meeting as part of the host agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129332
     
         
      Energy crisis: EU leaders set to debate price cap on gas and its potential risks Fri, 7th Oct 2022 14:04:00
     
      The idea of imposing a price cap on gas imports and transactions is set to top the agenda of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Prague. It comes a day after the European Political Community, which gathered more than 40 European heads of state and government from all over the continent, including the UK, Norway and Turkey. On Friday, it will be just the 27 EU countries around the table, with one main question up in the air: how can the bloc curb soaring gas prices. A letter penned by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to serve as basis for discussions. On Wednesday, von der Leyen suggested a new set of emergency measures to tame the skyrocketing electricity bills that households and companies are facing, which are strongly driven by gas, the most expensive fuel needed to meet all power demands. reddit messenger-dsk linkedin vk The idea of imposing a price cap on gas imports and transactions is set to top the agenda of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Prague. It comes a day after the European Political Community, which gathered more than 40 European heads of state and government from all over the continent, including the UK, Norway and Turkey. On Friday, it will be just the 27 EU countries around the table, with one main question up in the air: how can the bloc curb soaring gas prices. A letter penned by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to serve as basis for discussions. On Wednesday, von der Leyen suggested a new set of emergency measures to tame the skyrocketing electricity bills that households and companies are facing, which are strongly driven by gas, the most expensive fuel needed to meet all power demands. What is the European Commission proposing? Von der Leyen proposed not one, but two gas caps. The first cap should apply to market transactions that take place every day at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF), Europe's leading trading hub, in a bid to contain speculation. The second cap should target the price of gas that is used only for the production of electricity. This appears to be similar to the Iberian model already adopted by Portugal and Spain, which partially covers the huge costs bore by gas-fired power plants. In her letter, von der Leyen said that both caps represent a profound intervention in the market and entail risks for the bloc's security of supply. If EU countries are willing to accept these measures, they must agree on stricter savings plans and sign legally-binding solidarity deals to cope with potential shortages. "We need to acknowledge the risks that a cap on gas prices entails and put in place the necessary safeguards," von der Leyen said. The Commission chief also proposed a new benchmark for trading liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a joint procurement scheme for next winter to prevent countries from outbidding each other. She also wants to reinforce bilateral negotiations with "reliable suppliers," mainly Norway and the US. Von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre released a joint statement on Thursday expressing a "common determination" to stabilise energy prices. "Commercial actors can provide a sound basis for reducing prices in their contractual/business relations," the two leaders said. Gas cap risks Energy experts warn that any sort of price cap would put an end to the price signals that govern the free market and force governments to negotiate over the allocation of supplies, possibly through rationing plans. But an increasing number of member states appear ready to adopt the unprecedented caps. Italy, Poland, Belgium and Greece circulated their own proposal for a broader wholesale cap that would encompass all gas imports entering the bloc and all gas transactions. In their view, the cap, which they call "price corridor," should be flexible and dynamic, acting as "circuit breaker" rather than suppressing fees at an artificially low level. "A cap only on gas used for electricity ignores 2/3 of the gas market, which is in industry and buildings," the countries wrote, in a document seen by Euronews. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU needed to tackle the root causes of the energy crisis and intervene in the market through price caps rather solving "everything with subsidies that will eventually have to be paid back." However, some countries, like Germany, Austria and the Netherlands remain sceptical about the idea of capping gas prices, fearing it would incentivise consumption at a time when savings have become crucial. Others, like Finland and Estonia, have not taken an official position. Berlin's massive €200-billion aid programme to cushion their citizens and companies from crippling energy bills could add fodder to Friday's debate, as some capitals believe it would exacerbate unfair competition. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday the EU's energy policy cannot be "dictated" by Germany and described the €200-billion plan as something that might "destroy" the single market. "I am convinced the vast majority of the EU countries share my views," Morawiecki told reporters. Von der Leyen did not openly criticise the German scheme but emphasised the need to preserve a level playing field among all countries, saying European companies should compete "through quality but not through subsidies." Besides gas caps, EU leaders are expected to discuss the latest developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the worsening economic situation across the bloc. Since the meeting is informal, no formal conclusions will be adopted, although countries can give the Commission an orientation on how to proceed with its next set of legislative proposals. European Council Charles Michel plans to host a summit on 20-21 October, where gas caps will come back to the leaders' table.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/10/07/energy-crisis-eu-countries-set-to-debate-price-cap-on-gas-and-its-potential-risks
     
         
      How high fuel bills can worsen air pollution in our homes Fri, 7th Oct 2022 13:17:00
     
      This winter’s fuel and cost of living crises are likely to have a serious impact on indoor air pollution. Air pollution in our homes is a mixture of what comes from the outside and the sources in our homes. There are a multitude of harmful indoor air pollution sources including cooking, tobacco smoke, wood burning, cleaning materials, personal care products, and chemicals in our furnishings. Mould is an important indoor pollutant too and has been linked to both asthma and allergy, especially in children. Simon Jones, head of air quality at Ambisense explained: “The instinct to shut things down and seal things up, will be very understandable given the cost of living crisis. Couple this with heating our buildings less often and you have significantly increased the likelihood for condensation and mould. I fear the impacts of this winter’s crises will be years of damage to both human and building health.” When the eurozone crisis squeezed the Greek economy, winter smog shrouded Athens as many people turned to wood heating to keep warm. Reports from wood suppliers and stove sellers suggest people across the UK and Europe will be also burning more wood to avoid soaring fuel costs. This can damage indoor air quality too: tests in UK houses have shown how pollution escapes from a wood stove, directly into your home. Smoke from chimneys also drifts into other homes exposing people across a whole neighbourhood. A recent study from Greece showed that wood burning was responsible for almost half of the cancer-causing air pollution in Athens and a new study from New Zealand has showed an increase in serious respiratory infections when wood smoke built up in an area. This winter, balancing heating cost, ventilation and keeping warm will be crucial, but more difficult than ever. Prof Cath Noakes from the University of Leeds has provided some practical advice: “Around half of the comfort that we experience is from the temperatures of surfaces, known as radiant heat. Moving seating away from cold windows, using thick curtains at night, but allowing the sun to come in during the day, and ensuring radiators are not covered or blocked by furniture will all help you feel warmer. Ventilating using high-level windows can reduce cold drafts and open trickle vents will allow some ventilation without losing lots of heat. Ventilating after a shower or when cooking can prevent moisture buildup which can lead to damp and mould.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/07/indoor-air-pollution-homes-fuel-bills-burning-wood-mould-ventilation
     
         
      Pakistan’s ‘climate carnage beyond imagination’, UN chief tells General Assembly Fri, 7th Oct 2022 12:37:00
     
      The people of Pakistan are the victims of “a grim calculus of climate injustice”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN General Assembly on Friday, reminding that while the country was responsible for less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is paying a “supersized price for man-made climate change”. During a full session of the UN’s most representative body on the country’s devastating floods, he recalled last month’s visit where he saw “a level of climate carnage beyond imagination”. He described flood waters covering a landmass three times the total area of his own country, Portugal, saying that many lost their homes, livestock, crops and “their futures”. “Lives were washed away”, he spelled out. Worse to come While the rains have ceased and water is beginning to recede, many areas in the south remain inundated and, with winter approaching, the situation is going from bad to worse. “Pakistan is on the verge of a public health disaster”, warned the top UN official, pointing to threats of cholera, malaria and dengue fever claiming “far more lives than the floods”. He painted a picture of nearly 1,500 devastated health facilities, two million damaged or destroyed homes and more than two million families without their possessions. “Many have no shelter as winter approaches”. Cascading calamities At the same time, the scale of crop and livestock destruction is “creating a food crisis today and putting the planting season in jeopardy tomorrow”, continued Mr. Guterres. “Severe hunger is spiking. Malnutrition among children and pregnant lactating women is rising. The number of children out of school is growing. Heartache and hardship – especially for women and girls – is mounting,” he elaborated. Moreover, more than 15 million people could be pushed into poverty. The effects of the floods will be felt not just for days or months but will linger in Pakistan for years to come. Massive support needed Working with the Pakistan Government to convene a pledging conference to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction support, the UN chief urged donor countries, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to fully support these efforts. Meanwhile, the Organization launched the Pakistan Floods Response Plan calling for $816 million – a surge of $656 million from the initial appeal – to respond to the most urgent needs through next May. “But this pales in comparison to what is needed on every front – including food, water, sanitation…and health support”, said the Secretary-General. G20’s ‘Moral responsibility’ As the calendar moves quickly to next UN climate conference (COP27) in November, he said “the world is moving backwards [as] greenhouse gas emissions are rising along with climate calamities”. The UN chief stressed that COP 27 must be the place where these trends are reversed, serious action on loss and damage taken, and vital funding found for adaptation and resilience. Reminding that the G20 leading industrialized nations drive 80 per cent of climate-destroying emissions, he called it their “moral responsibility” to help Pakistan recover, adapt and build resilience to disasters “supercharged by the climate crisis”. ‘We must act now’ Noting that a third of Pakistan had been deluged, Mr. Guterres said that many island States face “the very real prospect of their entire homeland going under”. “Communities everywhere are looking down the barrel of climate-driven destruction,” he said. “We must act – and we must act now”. While this time it was Pakistan, the Secretary-General warned that tomorrow, “it could be any of our countries and our communities”. “Climate chaos is knocking on everyone’s door, right now,” he concluded. “This global crisis demands global solidarity and a global response”. ‘Litmus test of solidarity’ General Assembly President Csaba K?rösi, underscored the importance of time, as “the price we are paying for delays rises each day”. He said that today, the world faced a “litmus test of solidarity” in how Member States react to Pakistan’s plight. “This is a tragedy of epic proportions” that requires “immediate interventions,” to prevent a “permanent emergency”. Rebuilding together The Assembly President highlighted the need to be better prepared as droughts and rains return. More than ever, international relief efforts must focus on transformative solutions, he said. “Adaptation and resilience are the seeds of sustainability”. Mr. K?rösi urged the ambassadors to “make use of science and solidarity…to enhance our crisis management capacities…[to] rebuild together”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129337
     
         
      ‘Not a nanny state’: minister says Britons will not be told to use less energy Fri, 7th Oct 2022 10:10:00
     
      People will not be told to use less energy this winter, the climate minister has said, adding: “We’re not a nanny state government.” Graham Stuart’s remarks come amid reports No 10 has blocked a public information campaign to encourage people to consume less. Asked if people should use less energy, Stuart told Sky News: “We are not sending that out as a message. All of us have bills, of course, and the bills have gone up.” He said the government had stepped in to “protect” businesses and families from rising energy bills. Stuart later outlined why a general message to use less energy would “probably make no difference”. “We’re also hesitant to tell people what they should do when we’re not a nanny-state government,” he told LBC. “What we are prepared to do is talk to the big energy users and talk to consumers with smart technology about rewarding them for reducing energy at the peak times.” The Times reported that Liz Truss has ruled out launching an energy-saving public information campaign despite warnings planned blackouts could hit the UK if power plants cannot get enough gas to keep running. The business secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is believed to have backed a £15m campaign this winter with measures designed to help people save up to £300 a year, including lowering the temperature of boilers, turning off radiators in empty rooms and advising people to turn off the heating when they go out. The Times quoted a government source describing the campaign as a “no-brainer” and said No 10 had made a “stupid decision”, but it added Truss is said to be “ideologically opposed” to such an approach as it could be too interventionist. The prime minister said in her party conference speech that she would not tell people what to do. Rather than a new public information campaign the government is looking at “signposting” existing guidance. Stuart told Sky News he did not recognise the reports. “I don’t recognise that,” he said. “We are in an iterative process of policy development and ideas, and we come to a conclusion. So, the idea there was some highly developed campaign … passionately devoted to and No 10 nixed it, I don’t recognise that.” Advertisement Truss on Thursday sought to downplay concerns, although she stopped short of explicitly offering a guarantee of no blackouts. Her remarks came in response to a report from the body that oversees Britain’s electricity grid. In what it called an “unlikely” worst-case scenario, the National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) said households and businesses may face planned three-hour outages to ensure the grid did not collapse. It was the most dire of three possible scenarios the ESO laid out on Thursday for how the grid may cope with the worst global energy crisis for decades. In the other two scenarios, the operator hopes that by paying people to charge their electric cars at off-peak times, and firing up backup coal plants, it can offset the risk of blackouts. A government spokesperson said: “The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. We have plans to protect households and businesses in the full range of scenarios this winter, in light of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. “To strengthen this position further, we have put plans in place to secure supply and National Grid, working alongside energy suppliers and Ofgem, will launch a voluntary service to reward users who reduce demand at peak times. “We will continue to work internationally on tackling rising energy prices and ensuring security of supply, but there are no current plans to follow the EU’s decision. However, ministers are not launching a public information campaign and any claim otherwise is untrue.” There can be no more hiding, and no more denying. Global heating is supercharging extreme weather at an astonishing speed, and it’s visible in Spain and beyond. Guardian analysis recently revealed how human-caused climate breakdown is accelerating the toll of extreme weather across the planet. People across the world are losing their lives and livelihoods due to more deadly and more frequent heatwaves, floods, wildfires and droughts triggered by the climate crisis. At the Guardian, we will not stop giving this life-altering issue the urgency and attention it demands. We have a huge global team of climate writers around the world and have recently appointed an extreme weather correspondent. Our editorial independence means we are free to write and publish journalism which prioritises the crisis. We can highlight the climate policy successes and failings of those who lead us in these challenging times. We have no shareholders and no billionaire owner, just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, free from commercial or political influence. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/07/climate-minister-britons-not-be-told-use-less-energy-winter-nanny-state
     
         
      UK offers new North Sea oil and gas licences despite climate concerns Fri, 7th Oct 2022 8:12:00
     
      The UK has opened up a new licensing round to allow oil and gas companies to explore for fossil fuels in the North Sea despite threats of a legal battle from climate campaigners. The North Sea Transition Authority has begun a process to award more than 100 licences to companies hoping to extract oil and gas in the area. Almost 900 locations are being offered up for exploration. The process, which will run until the end of June, is the first since 2019-2020. The process was near annual before that but the government put it on hold while it designed a “climate compatibility check”. However, the check has been criticised because it is only advisory and does not restrict authorities from granting a licence. The licensing round also faces criticism as it will not solve Britain’s short-term problems around potential gas shortages or sky-high bills. Climate campaigners at Greenpeace said the decision to launch the licensing round was “possibly unlawful and we will be carefully examining opportunities to take action”. Since Liz Truss became prime minister she has reopened the door to fracking in the UK and resisted calls from Labour to extend the windfall tax on oil and gas companies. The chief executive of Shell this week said governments may need to tax energy companies to fund efforts to protect the “poorest” people from soaring bills. The government argues that the new licences will boost Britain’s energy security and create jobs. Philip Evans, an energy transition campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “Yet again this government’s energy policy benefits fossil fuel companies and no one else. Supporting the oil and gas giants profiteering from the energy and climate crises ignores the speedy solutions that are best for the economy, for lowering bills and for the climate. “Experts have repeatedly made clear that we need warmer, energy efficient homes, and a big push for cheap, homegrown, renewable power. Yesterday the IMF explained yet again that any delay to decarbonisation makes it much more expensive. New oil and gas licences won’t lower energy bills for struggling families this winter or any winter soon nor provide energy security in the medium term.” Advertisement On the announcement, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, tweeted: “Grotesque – now oil and gas licenses won’t cut energy bills as fuel gets sold at global prices; it’ll drive #climateemergency since it adds to total global emissions; takes years to come on line & won’t help energy security. Environmental & economic madness.” Writing in the Guardian, Lucas argued that the fossil fuel industry was “thriving”. he average oil and gas discovery takes about five years to come into production, although the NSTA hopes to speed up the award of licences to reduce this to 12 to 18 months in some cases. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, is reportedly seeking to sign deals with Norway and Qatar, to boost gas supplies that would lock Britain into long-term contracts. National Grid warned on Thursday that Britons could face rolling three-hour blackouts this winter if gas supplies from Europe are cut and there is sustained cold weather.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/07/uk-offers-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences-despite-climate-concerns
     
         
      New UN report urges Europe to step-up action over triple environmental crisis Thu, 6th Oct 2022 15:32:00
     
      A new UN report presented on Wednesday to the Organization’s highest pan-European environmental policy body, covering 54 countries, is calling for greater action to tackle the triple environmental crisis roiling the planet. Action is needed over emissions, waste, pollution and biodiversity loss, it says, adding that solutions can be found, through a focus on a “circular economy” and sustainable infrastructure. The call came during the ninth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, which runs until Friday, in the report authored by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “The findings of this assessment almost halfway through Agenda 2030, must be a wake-up call for the region,” said UNECE chief Olga Algayerova. “The historic drought the region faced this summer, announced what we should expect in years to come and shows that there is no more time to lose”. Combatting air pollution Despite some progress, the report notes that air pollution remains the greatest health risk in the region. Although 41 European countries recorded a 13 per cent reduction in premature deaths from long-term fine particulate exposure, concentration levels continue to exceed the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. The assessment calls for additional measures, including the best available strategies for cutting emissions and reducing those coming from traffic. “The science is unequivocal,” said UNEP chief Inger Andersen. “The only way forward is to secure a clean and green future”. Slash greenhouse gas Although greenhouse gas emissions have decreased in the western part of Europe – mostly between 2014 and 2019 – they are offset by increases throughout the rest of the region. And while renewable energy use ticked up in 29 countries between 2013 and 2017, the region still largely relies on fossil fuels, which accounts for some 78 per cent of energy consumption. The report encourages governments to eliminate or reform harmful subsidies and develop incentives to promote decarbonization by shifting investments towards renewables. Time for a plan According to the report, the region’s river basins, lakes and aquifers are under multiple stresses – with climate change delivering additional challenges such as floods, droughts and water-borne diseases. As pollution as well as urban and industrial wastewater discharges remain public health concerns, the report advocates for greater water conservation and nature-based solutions for water retention basins. “We know what we need to do, and we must act together”, said Ms. Andersen. “As citizens feel the pinch and are facing higher energy bills than ever before, as they see record temperatures and their water reservoirs shrink…countries must show that there is a plan”. Circular economy A circular and more efficient economy – where production and consumption are mutually sustaining and focused on resource efficiency - will help address growing waste and resource use. Even where a strong political commitment for a circular economy exists, such as in the European Union and other Western European countries, generated waste continues to grow. In response, the report urges governments to step up waste prevention in production, consumption, and remanufacturing, including through financial incentives such as tax relief, and upholds that a pan-European e-waste management partnership would enable the recovery of valuable resources. Meanwhile, mineral extractions have tripled over the past half century, with processing accounting for over 90 per cent of biodiversity loss and water stress and about 50 per cent of climate change impacts. Developing the circular economy, regional governments could strengthen the management of raw materials. “As highlighted in the report, the UN has developed multiple tools and approaches to cut pollution, step-up environmental protection, reduce resource use and foster the shift to a circular economy. Their implementation must be significantly accelerated,” Ms. Algayerova reminded. “This will require urgent and bold political commitment and behavioural changes from all of us before it is too late”. Developing infrastructure During post-COVID recovery, sustainable infrastructure investment has been shown to have a major impact. However, most countries have yet to develop mechanisms incorporating sustainability, such as the cost of pollution, ecosystem services, or biodiversity protection – into the cost-benefit analysis of large infrastructure projects. The UN report offers tools to help remedy this.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129277
     
         
      A decade of clean-energy growth Joseph Winters Thu, 6th Oct 2022 15:24:00
     
      According to an analysis published Thursday by the nonprofit Environment America Research & Policy Center and the research organization Frontier Group, American wind and solar power has grown dramatically since 2021. The largest increase came from solar, which now generates enough electricity to power some 15 million homes — a 15-fold increase since 2012. Wind power increased by nearly a factor of three, now providing enough power to keep 35 million homes running. Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s renewable energy campaign, said the progress has been driven by tax credits and other favorable policies, as well as cheaper and more advanced technology. More frequent climate disasters are likely also encouraging the adoption of renewables. “Whether you’re suffering wildfires in the West or droughts in New England,” Neumann told me, “we’re all seeing the impacts and we know that clean energy is part of the solution.” The analysis also found promising growth in other areas. Battery storage, which allows wind and solar energy to be deployed during dark and windless stretches, has grown by a factor of 32 since 2012. Electric vehicle sales grew 13-fold since 2012. California is a leader in many of these areas — particularly solar. The 54,087 gigawatt-hours of solar energy that the state generated in 2021 was enough to power more than 5 million U.S. households for a year. “California is just crushing it,” Neumann said. The Golden State also placed first among states in added battery capacity, EV sales, and new EV charging ports. Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa led the country in the amount of wind power added over the past decade. To continue this upward trajectory, Neumann said clean-energy advocates should focus on peeling back “red tape” — restrictive permitting policies that make it costly or time-intensive to install renewables. Utility opposition is also a problem, as many power utilities continue to lobby against decarbonization efforts. But she highlighted new opportunities from the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars in funding that could “turbocharge” clean-energy growth in the coming years. “Now is the time for states to grab the wheel and build out renewable energy, modernize the grid,” and reduce and manage energy use, Neumann said.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-decade-of-clean-energy-growth/
     
         
      World Bank ‘has given nearly $15bn to fossil fuel projects since Paris deal’ Thu, 6th Oct 2022 13:23:00
     
      A group of 50 NGOs found that bank and subsidiaries had funded oil refinery and gas processing The World Bank has provided nearly $15bn of finance directly to fossil fuel projects since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, and is likely to have spurred far greater investment indirectly, new research has found. Funding for “upstream” oil and gas projects from the World Bank was meant to stop from 2019, but the Big Shift Global, a coalition of more than 50 NGOs, has found the bank and its subsidiaries funding oil refinery and gas processing since then. As the bank is also instrumental in helping to catalyse investment from other donors and the private sector, its direct funding of $14.8bn to fossil fuel since the Paris agreement is likely to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to assistance to high-carbon development, according to the report published on Thursday. The findings heap further pressure on the World Bank president, David Malpass, who was appointed by then US president Donald Trump in April 2019. He faces an uncertain future, as the World Bank prepares for its annual meetings explaining its strategy, beginning 10 October. Last month, Malpass refused to affirm climate science when confronted by a journalist. Though he subsequently sought to clarify his position, the former US vice-president Al Gore has called for his resignation, and the White House “condemned” his words. The Guardian also understands that several leading governments are engaged behind the scenes in exploring ways in which he could be removed from post. Many countries and green campaigners have been increasingly unhappy for several years with what they perceive as the World Bank’s lack of action on the climate under Malpass, who replaced Jim Yong Kim, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama and took a keen interest in the climate crisis. The World Bank has responded by pointing to the $109bn it provided in climate finance from 2016 to 2021, and the $25bn funding a year on average promised to 2025. The Big Shift Global report, entitled Investing in Climate Disaster: World Bank Group Finance for Fossil Fuels, covers the World Bank Group’s activities in detail from 2018 to 2021. It found that the bank was using financial intermediaries, in the form of banks or financial institutions, sometimes private equity funds or commercial banks. These indirect funding streams were a “major loophole” in the bank’s climate policy, the report said. Kat Kramer, author of the report, told the Guardian: “It’s pretty damning. The World Bank takes a leadership role, and in some cases can provide just a small amount of support that facilitates much bigger investment from elsewhere. They have huge amounts of leverage, and we have found many cases where that has been used unhelpfully, in climate terms.” Many of the instances of fossil fuel funding uncovered by the report concern gas projects, which some countries have argued can be a “transition fuel”, between coal and renewable energy. Kramer rejected this, pointing to advice that says no new gas development should be allowed if the world is to hold to the temperature limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which was targeted at the Cop26 UN climate summit last year in Glasgow. “Methane [the main component of natural gas fuel] is about 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas – it’s hugely potent, so if there are leaks from production or transport that’s going into the atmosphere, and that applies to LNG [liquefied natural gas] or other forms of gas,” she warned. Funding gas made little financial sense when alternatives in the form of renewable energy generation were cheap and widely available, she added. “It seems really silly,” she said. “Renewable energy can reach people that fossil fuel infrastructure can’t, and we should be taking the opportunity of leapfrogging dirty energy.” She added: “There is a massive role for the World Bank to facilitate the global clean energy transition. We are not seeing that. They should not be investing in fossil fuels.” The report also found the Bank was involved in helping with indirect funding for coal projects, despite ending direct funding for coal in 2010. A spokesperson for the World Bank Group told the Guardian: “We dispute the findings of the report: it makes inaccurate assumptions about the World Bank Group’s lending. In fiscal year 2022, the Bank Group delivered a record $31.7bn for climate-related investments, to help communities around the world respond to the climate crisis, and build a safer and cleaner future.” A separate report on the World Bank, published earlier this week, raised concerns over the group’s transparency in reporting its climate finance. Oxfam found that, using the bank’s own figures and published methodologies, it could not verify about $7bn of $17.2bn the bank said it spent on climate finance in 2020 from its two main lending arms, International Development Association and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Oxfam said the true figure for the spending could have been 40% more or less than the amount stated, and that the bank’s estimates of how its funding benefits the climate should be made clearer. The World Bank also disputed Oxfam’s findings. A spokesperson said: “We are rigorous about how we apply the methodology and only assign co-benefits for the share of financing in a given project that is directly tied to climate action.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/06/world-bank-has-given-nearly-15bn-to-fossil-fuel-projects-since-paris-deal
     
         
      Oregon’s Medicaid is now a climate program Thu, 6th Oct 2022 13:18:00
     
      Under a new agreement with the federal government, Oregon’s Medicaid program — the federally-subsidized health insurance for low-income patients — is set to expand access to clean, cool air by buying some people air conditioners and air filters. Beginning in 2024, Oregon residents who are enrolled in Medicaid, have a qualifying health condition, and live in areas where a climate-related emergency has been declared will be able to take advantage of the program. Generators will also be covered under the new plan, helping recipients keep the lights on in the event of a power outage. The move is part of a broader expansion of health care services in Oregon. Thanks to a $1.1 billion agreement with the federal government, Oregon will guarantee free health care to children from low-income households, pay for recipients’ rent for up to six months, and offer cooking and nutrition classes. The state’s Democratic governor, Kate Brown, called the new services “transformational.” “Health care does not occur in a vacuum — it’s clear that we must look beyond a traditional, siloed approach to truly meet the needs of people, particularly those experiencing complex challenges,” she said in a statement. Climate change is already exerting a hefty toll on public health in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, a brutal heat wave brought record temperatures to much of the region — including Portland, where the mercury hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, more than 800 people died and many more were hospitalized for heat-related illnesses. Meanwhile, Oregon’s pollution from wildfire smoke — which can be up to 10 times more harmful than other kinds of air pollution — has soared over the past decade. Public health advocates have cheered Oregon’s new Medicaid plan. In an interview with the Associated Press, Kristie Ebi, a global health professor at the University of Washington, called it “an opportunity to reduce some of the inequities for people who can’t afford, for example, a generator to make sure the life-saving equipment continues to run during heat waves.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/oregons-medicaid-is-now-a-climate-program/
     
         
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      World Bank ‘has given nearly $15bn to fossil fuel projects since Paris deal’ Thu, 6th Oct 2022 10:07:00
     
      A group of 50 NGOs found that bank and subsidiaries had funded oil refinery and gas processing The World Bank has provided nearly $15bn of finance directly to fossil fuel projects since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, and is likely to have spurred far greater investment indirectly, new research has found. Funding for “upstream” oil and gas projects from the World Bank was meant to stop from 2019, but the Big Shift Global, a coalition of more than 50 NGOs, has found the bank and its subsidiaries funding oil refinery and gas processing since then. As the bank is also instrumental in helping to catalyse investment from other donors and the private sector, its direct funding of $14.8bn to fossil fuel since the Paris agreement is likely to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to assistance to high-carbon development, according to the report published on Thursday. The findings heap further pressure on the World Bank president, David Malpass, who was appointed by then US president Donald Trump in April 2019. He faces an uncertain future, as the World Bank prepares for its annual meetings explaining its strategy, beginning 10 October. Last month, Malpass refused to affirm climate science when confronted by a journalist. Though he subsequently sought to clarify his position, the former US vice-president Al Gore has called for his resignation, and the White House “condemned” his words. The Guardian also understands that several leading governments are engaged behind the scenes in exploring ways in which he could be removed from post. Many countries and green campaigners have been increasingly unhappy for several years with what they perceive as the World Bank’s lack of action on the climate under Malpass, who replaced Jim Yong Kim, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama and took a keen interest in the climate crisis. The World Bank has responded by pointing to the $109bn it provided in climate finance from 2016 to 2021, and the $25bn funding a year on average promised to 2025. The Big Shift Global report, entitled Investing in Climate Disaster: World Bank Group Finance for Fossil Fuels, covers the World Bank Group’s activities in detail from 2018 to 2021. It found that the bank was using financial intermediaries, in the form of banks or financial institutions, sometimes private equity funds or commercial banks. These indirect funding streams were a “major loophole” in the bank’s climate policy, the report said. Kat Kramer, author of the report, told the Guardian: “It’s pretty damning. The World Bank takes a leadership role, and in some cases can provide just a small amount of support that facilitates much bigger investment from elsewhere. They have huge amounts of leverage, and we have found many cases where that has been used unhelpfully, in climate terms.” Many of the instances of fossil fuel funding uncovered by the report concern gas projects, which some countries have argued can be a “transition fuel”, between coal and renewable energy. Kramer rejected this, pointing to advice that says no new gas development should be allowed if the world is to hold to the temperature limit of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which was targeted at the Cop26 UN climate summit last year in Glasgow. “Methane [the main component of natural gas fuel] is about 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas – it’s hugely potent, so if there are leaks from production or transport that’s going into the atmosphere, and that applies to LNG [liquefied natural gas] or other forms of gas,” she warned. Funding gas made little financial sense when alternatives in the form of renewable energy generation were cheap and widely available, she added. “It seems really silly,” she said. “Renewable energy can reach people that fossil fuel infrastructure can’t, and we should be taking the opportunity of leapfrogging dirty energy.” She added: “There is a massive role for the World Bank to facilitate the global clean energy transition. We are not seeing that. They should not be investing in fossil fuels.” The report also found the Bank was involved in helping with indirect funding for coal projects, despite ending direct funding for coal in 2010. A spokesperson for the World Bank Group told the Guardian: “We dispute the findings of the report: it makes inaccurate assumptions about the World Bank Group’s lending. In fiscal year 2022, the Bank Group delivered a record $31.7bn for climate-related investments, to help communities around the world respond to the climate crisis, and build a safer and cleaner future.” A separate report on the World Bank, published earlier this week, raised concerns over the group’s transparency in reporting its climate finance. Oxfam found that, using the bank’s own figures and published methodologies, it could not verify about $7bn of $17.2bn the bank said it spent on climate finance in 2020 from its two main lending arms, International Development Association and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Oxfam said the true figure for the spending could have been 40% more or less than the amount stated, and that the bank’s estimates of how its funding benefits the climate should be made clearer. The World Bank also disputed Oxfam’s findings. A spokesperson said: “We are rigorous about how we apply the methodology and only assign co-benefits for the share of financing in a given project that is directly tied to climate action.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/06/world-bank-has-given-nearly-15bn-to-fossil-fuel-projects-since-paris-deal
     
         
      ‘Reckless’ coal firms plan climate-busting expansion, study finds Thu, 6th Oct 2022 5:20:00
     
      Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels and investors must stop funding it, say campaigners Hundreds of coal companies around the world are developing new mines and power stations, according to a study. The researchers said the plans were “reckless and irresponsible” in the midst of the climate emergency. Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels and its use must be quickly phased out to end the climate crisis. However, almost half the 1,000 companies assessed are still developing new coal assets, and just 27 companies have announced coal exit dates consistent with international climate targets. The new mining projects could increase the production of thermal coal, used in power stations, by more than a third, the report found. The bulk of these projects are in China, India, Australia, Russia and South Africa. The analysis was produced by the German environmental group Urgewald, which said it was the world’s most comprehensive public database on the coal industry. “Pursuing new coal projects in the midst of a climate emergency is reckless, irresponsible behaviour,” said Heffa Schücking, the director of Urgewald. “Investors, banks and insurers should ban these coal developers from their portfolios immediately.” The world’s nations agreed at the UN’s Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last November to “accelerate efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal”. However, the International Energy Agency said in July that coal burning was set to rise in 2022, taking it back to the record level set in 2013. The rise is due in part to high gas prices as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, making coal relatively cheaper. The IEA said in May 2021 that no new coal-fired power stations could be built if the world was to stay within safe limits of global heating and meet the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Some progress is being made, with only 4% of new power capacity in 2021 coming from coal, down from about 30% in 2016. In contrast, 75% of new power came from renewables, which are often cheaper and increasingly challenge the economic viability of new coal plants. Nonetheless, Coal India aims to double the amount of coal it mines to 1bn tonnes a year by 2025, according to Urgewald’s analysis, making it the biggest mining company on the list. “The coal mining rush is testament to the industry’s complete denial of climate reality. The writing is on the wall, but coal miners refuse to read it,” said Schücking. The report found 476GW of new coal-fired power capacity is still in the pipeline worldwide, equivalent to hundreds of new power stations. If built, the projects would increase the world’s coal power capacity by 23%. China is responsible for 60% of all the planned new capacity. Lidy Nacpil from the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development said: “The world welcomed President Xi Jinping’s 2021 announcement that China would stop building new coal power plants abroad, but China needs to adopt similar measures for its domestic energy system if it wants to become an actor for a 1.5C world.” o reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the IEA says, all coal power plants in rich countries must be retired by 2030 at the latest and by 2040 in the rest of the world. Urgewald found just 27 companies out of 1,064 had announced such coal exit dates. Of these, most were planning to convert to gas-powered plants or sell to another owner. “At the end of the day, we only identified five companies with coal transition plans that could be considered Paris-aligned,” said Schücking. “The vast majority of companies still have no intention of retiring their coal assets, which are propelling us towards a climate breakdown. Delaying has become a new form of climate denial.” The US, which has the world’s third-largest number of coal plants, has not set a national end date for its coal power, unlike the UK, France and Italy. The US would need to retire 30GW of coal-fired capacity a year up to 2030 to meet the Paris climate goals, the Urgewald report said, but only 8.4GW was closed down in 2021. Lucie Pinson, the director of Reclaim Finance, which rates the coal policies of more than 500 financial institutions, said: “Companies won’t transition unless banks, investors and insurers rapidly stop all support for the industry’s expansion and require the adoption of closure plans.” She said 190 financial institutions still have no coal policy, 272 have weak coal policies and only 28 have effective coal exit policies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/06/reckless-coal-firms-plan-climate-busting-expansion-study-finds
     
         
      Rivals Biden and DeSantis project unity over Hurricane Ian Thu, 6th Oct 2022 2:47:00
     
      US President Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have briefly set aside their political differences to tour damage from Hurricane Ian. After seeing the storm wreckage by helicopter, Mr Biden shook hands with the Republican rising star and they complimented each other. At least 108 people were killed by Ian, a category four storm. Mr Biden said Florida's recovery may take years. Officials are searching buildings for more victims as crews begin repairs. The president and the Florida governor have previously clashed over pandemic policies, climate change, abortion and LGBT issues. Most recently Mr Biden slammed Mr DeSantis for flying undocumented migrants to the wealthy liberal enclave of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. But on Wednesday the two had only warm words for one another as they focused on hurricane relief during a joint press conference in the city of Fort Myers. Mr DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for president in 2024, and his wife met Mr Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on a wharf littered with storm debris. Mr DeSantis thanked the Bidens for coming to Florida, and said he had been "very fortunate" to have good co-ordination with the federal government. Mr Biden told reporters that Mr DeSantis had done a "good job", and that "we have very different political philosophies, but we've worked hand in glove". "What the governor's done is pretty remarkable," Mr Biden said, adding that he had "recognised there's a thing called global warming". Mr DeSantis has backed funding to harden Florida's defences against flooding, but has also argued in the past that global warming is being used as a pretext "to do a bunch of left-wing things". Mr Biden said on Wednesday the debate over whether climate change is happening had finally ended. "More fires have burned in the west and the south-west, burned everything right to the ground, than in the entire state of New Jersey, as much room as that takes up," the president said. "The reservoirs out west here are down to almost zero. We're in a situation where the Colorado River looks more like a stream." Meanwhile, Mr DeSantis received praise from another potential White House rival. At an event in Miami, former President Donald Trump lauded his response to the hurricane, saying: "God bless our governor." Mr Trump and his former protege have been circling each other warily ahead of a widely anticipated duel for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. Over 278,000 homes and businesses in Florida did not have electricity on Wednesday a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall, according to website poweroutage.us. A temporary road to the hard-hit Pine Island - population 9,000 - opened ahead of schedule. But Sanibel Island is still cut off. Officials say the death toll from Hurricane Ian may rise as more victims are identified.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63153031
     
         
      Toxic air pollution particles found in lungs and brains of unborn babies Wed, 5th Oct 2022 13:14:00
     
      Toxic air pollution particles have been found in the lungs, livers and brains of unborn babies, long before they have taken their first breath. Researchers said their “groundbreaking” discovery was “very worrying”, as the gestation period of foetuses is the most vulnerable stage of human development. Thousands of black carbon particles were found in each cubic millimetre of tissue, which were breathed in by the mother during pregnancy and then passed through the bloodstream and placenta to the foetus. Dirty air was already known to strongly correlate with increased miscarriages, premature births, low birth weights and disturbed brain development. But the new study provides direct evidence of how that harm may be caused. The scientists said the pollution could cause lifelong health effects. Advertisement The particles are made of soot from the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, homes and factories and cause inflammation in the body, as well as carrying toxic chemicals. The study was conducted with non-smoking mothers in Scotland and Belgium, in places with relatively low air pollution. “We have shown for the first time that black carbon nanoparticles not only get into the first and second trimester placenta, but then also find their way into the organs of the developing foetus,” said Prof Paul Fowler, at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. “What is even more worrying is that these particles also get into the developing human brain,” he said. “This means that it is possible for these nanoparticles to directly interact with control systems within human foetal organs and cells.” Prof Tim Nawrot at Hasselt University in Belgium, who co-led the study, said: “Air quality regulation should recognise this [air pollution] transfer during gestation and act to protect the most susceptible stages of human development.” He said governments are responsible for cutting air pollution, but that people should avoid busy roads when possible. Air pollution particles were first detected in placentas in 2018 by Prof Jonathan Grigg at Queen Mary University of London and colleagues. He said: “The new study is very good – they have shown convincingly that the particles then get into the foetuses. “Seeing particles getting into the brain of foetuses raises the stakes, because this potentially has lifelong consequences for the child,” Grigg said. “It’s worrying, but we don’t yet know what happens when the particles lodge in various sites and slowly leach off their chemicals,” meaning further research is needed. A comprehensive global review in 2019 concluded that air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. Tiny particles have also been found to cross the blood-brain barrier and billions have been found in the hearts of young city dwellers. More than 90% of the world’s population live in places where air pollution is above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, causing millions of early deaths each year. The new research, published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, found air pollution particles in every sample of lung, liver and brain tissue examined, as well as in umbilical cord blood and placentas. The concentration of particles was higher when the mother lived with higher levels of air pollution compared with others in the study. The 36 foetuses examined in the Scottish part of the study were from voluntary terminations of normally progressing pregnancies between seven and 20 weeks of gestation. “The findings are especially concerning because this window of exposure is key to organ development,” the scientists said. In Belgium, cord blood samples were taken after 60 healthy births.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/05/toxic-air-pollution-particles-found-in-lungs-and-brains-of-unborn-babies
     
         
      Somalia drought: The fight for survival as famine looms Wed, 5th Oct 2022 12:48:00
     
      Young children are dying in growing numbers in Somalia amid the worst drought to hit the country in 40 years. Government officials say that an even greater catastrophe could sweep the country within days or weeks unless more help arrives. Short presentational grey line The tears tumbled down 11-year-old Dahir's hunger-hollowed cheeks. "I just want to survive this," he said quietly. Seated beside the family's makeshift tent, on the dusty plain outside the city of Baidoa, his weary mother, Fatuma Omar, told him not to cry. "Your tears will not bring your brother back. Everything will be fine," she said. Fatuma's second son, 10-year-old Salat, died of starvation two weeks ago, shortly after the family reached Baidoa from their village, three days' walk away. His body is buried in the rocky earth a few metres from their new home - the grave already covered in litter and increasingly hard to spot as new arrivals set up camp around them. "I cannot grieve for my son. There is no time. I need to find work and food to keep the others alive," Fatuma said, cradling her youngest daughter, nine-month-old Bille, and turning to look at six-year-old Mariam as she gave a rasping cough. On the other side of the dirt road that loops to the south-east, towards the coast and Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, other displaced families told more grim stories of long treks across a drought-parched landscape in search of food. 'No strength to bury my daughter' A new survey has shown that almost two-thirds of young children and pregnant women in the camps are suffering from acute malnutrition, which, along with a high death rate, could indicate that a localised declaration of famine is already overdue. "I saw my daughter [three-year-old Farhir] die before me and I could do nothing," said Fatuma, who had walked for at least 15 days with her nine children from a village called Buulo Ciir to reach Baidoa. "I had been carrying her for 10 days. We had to leave her by the side of the road. We had no strength to bury her. We could hear the hyenas closing in," she continued. "I've brought nothing with me. There is nothing left at home. The cattle are dead. The fields are dry," said Habiba Mohamud, 50, clutching a piece of twine in one hand, and acknowledging that she will never return to her village. A succession of droughts, turbo-charged by climate change, is now threatening to end a pastoral way of life that has endured for centuries across the Horn of Africa. Like other new arrivals, Habiba was busy erecting a tent for her family from branches, twigs, and scavenged scraps of cardboard and plastic sheeting, hoping to finish it before the chill of night. Only after that could she turn to finding food and medical help for some of her five children. On the admissions ward in the city's main hospital, Dr Abdullahi Yussuf moved between beds, checking on his tiny, emaciated patients. Most were children between two months and three years old. All were severely malnourished. Some had pneumonia and many were battling a new outbreak of measles too. Few infants had the strength to cry. Several had badly damaged skin, broken by the swelling that sometimes accompanies the most extreme cases of hunger. "So many die before they even reach a hospital," said Dr Abdullahi, watching his team struggling to connect an intravenous tube to the arm of a moaning two-year-old. 'It's terrifying, people are dying' Although Somali officials and international organisations have been sounding the alarm for months about an impending famine in this south-western region, Dr Abdullahi said his hospital was already short of basic items including nutritional supplements for children. "Sometimes we lack supplies. It's terrifying, actually, because people are dying, and we can't support them. Our local government is not handling this well. It has not been planning for the drought or for the arrival of displaced families," he said, with visible frustration. A local government minister conceded there had been failings. "We need to be faster than we are, and we need to be accurate… and more effective," said Nasir Arush, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs for South West state, on a short visit to one of the camps around Baidoa. But more international support, he insisted, was key. "If we don't receive the aid we need, hundreds of thousands of people will die. The things we're doing now we needed to do three months ago. In reality we are behind. Unless something happens [fast] I think something catastrophic will happen in this area," he said. The process of formally declaring a famine can be a complicated one, reliant on hard-to-pin-down data, and, often, political considerations. Britain's ambassador in Mogadishu, Kate Foster, described it as "essentially, a technical process". She pointed out that during the 2011 drought "half of the 260,000 deaths happened before famine was declared". The presidential envoy leading Somalia's international effort to secure more funding thanked the US government, in particular, for recent new funding, saying it "has given us hope". But Abdirahman Abdishakur warned that without more help, a localised crisis in one part of Somalia could quickly spin out of control. "We were raising the alarm… but the response of the international community was not adequate," Mr Abdishakur said. "Famine is projected. It happens [already] in some places, some pockets, in Somalia, but still we can prevent the catastrophic one," he continued, speaking by phone during a stopover in Toronto, Canada. Women fleeing, men stay behind Although estimates vary, the population of Baidoa has roughly quadrupled in the past few months, to around 800,000 people. And any visitor will quickly notice one striking fact: almost all the new adult arrivals are women. Somalia is at war. The conflict has endured, in different guises, since the central government collapsed three decades ago, and it continues to affect almost every part of the country, tearing men away from their families to fight for an array of armed groups. Like most of those arriving in Baidoa, Hadija Abukar recently escaped from territory controlled by militant Islamist group al-Shabab. "Even now I'm getting calls on my phone from the rest of my family. There is fighting there - between the government and al-Shabab. My relatives have run away and are hiding in the forest," she said, seated beside her sickly child at a small hospital in Baidoa. Other women spoke of husbands and older sons being blocked from leaving areas controlled by the militants, and of years of extortion by the group. Baidoa itself is not quite surrounded by al-Shabab, but it remains a precarious place of refuge. International aid organisations, and foreign journalists, require heavy security to move around, and any travel beyond the city limits is considered extremely risky. "We're looking at populations that are under siege. Sometimes it feels quite hopeless," said Charles Nzuki, who heads the UN children's fund, Unicef, in central and southern Somalia.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63116210
     
         
      Climate change heightens threats of violence against women and girls Wed, 5th Oct 2022 10:41:00
     
      Climate change and environmental degradation are escalating the risk and prevalence of violence against women and girls across the world, a UN-appointed independent human rights expert warned on Wednesday. Presenting a report to the General Assembly on its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls described climate change as “the most consequential threat multiplier for women and girls, with far-reaching impacts on new and existing forms of gendered inequities”. She maintained that the “cumulative and gendered consequences” of climate change and environmental degradation “breach all aspects” of their rights. Climate inequality Ms. Alsalem emphasised the damaging ways in which violence directed towards women and girls intersects with socio-political and economic phenomena, including armed conflict, displacement and resource scarcity. And when coupled with climate change, they result in the feminisation and intensification of vulnerability, she said. “Climate change is not only an ecological crisis, but fundamentally a question of justice, prosperity and gender equality, and intrinsically linked to and influenced by structural inequality and discrimination”. Survival options Emerging evidence shows that the negative impacts of climate change globally, aggravate all types of gender-based violence ranging from physical to psychological and economic, “all the while curbing the availability and effectiveness of protection mechanisms and further weakening the potential to prevent violence,” the UN expert said. “When slow or sudden-onset disasters strike and threaten livelihoods, communities may resort to negative coping mechanisms, such as trafficking, sexual exploitation and harmful practices like early and child marriage and drop out from schools – all of which force women and girls to choose between risk-imbued options for survival”. ‘Understand the nexus’ She said women environmental human rights defenders, indigenous women and girls, women of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, older women, women with disabilities, women in poverty, and those forcibly displaced were at particular risk, and yet often fall through the protection gap. “Despite the irreparable and significant harm to the wellbeing of women and girls, more efforts and resources are necessary to understand the nexus between climate change and violence against women and girls”. She urged the international community to double down on the commitment to gender equality and anchor the response to climate change and disaster risk mitigation in human rights. Powerful stakeholders “For our concerted efforts against climate change to be truly gender sensitive and transformative, measures to address the vulnerabilities faced by women and girls must build on a recognition of their role and agency as powerful stakeholders in the policy space,” Ms. Alsalem underscored. “The wellbeing and the rights of women and girls should not be an afterthought and must be placed at the centre of policies and responses”. She upheld that if designed and implemented with a robust gender lens, “the global response to climate change and environmental degradation can be truly transformative, rather than reinforce a vicious cycle”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129242
     
         
      Oregon’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy plant Mon, 3rd Oct 2022 13:14:00
     
      Clean-energy enthusiasts celebrated this week as a first-of-its-kind renewable energy plant came online in northern Oregon. The Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, located near the small town of Lexington, represents the country’s first utility-scale project to combine solar power, wind power, and battery storage. The project uses a 50-megawatt solar array and 300 megawatts of wind power to generate emissions-free electricity, then stores up to 120 megawatt-hours of electricity in giant lithium batteries. All told, the project can power about 100,000 homes. This helps address a critical problem known as intermittency: Unlike fossil fuels, wind and solar can generate electricity only under breezy or sunny conditions, respectively. But battery storage allows renewable power to be deployed on demand, keeping the electricity flowing even when the sky is cloudy and the air is still. Jason Burwen, vice president of energy storage for the clean-energy advocacy group the American Clean Power Association, said the project could also make it easier for utilities to switch between using solar and wind power as daily weather conditions change. Winds often pick up in the evening as the sun is setting, and “batteries are a great resource to ensure that transition happens smoothly,” he told me. The Wheatridge project is a partnership between the company NextEra Energy Resources, which owns the facility’s power-generating technologies, and a utility called Portland General Electric, which has pledged to buy electricity from the facility over the next couple of decades. The project is on the cutting edge not only in the U.S. but also internationally: According to Energy Storage News, only a handful of other projects combine solar, wind, and batteries worldwide — one in the Netherlands, for example, as well as others under construction in the U.K. and Australia. Oregon’s Democratic governor, Kate Brown, commended the Wheatridge project at an inauguration ceremony last week. “The urgency of getting clean energy projects online could not be clearer,” she said in a statement, alluding to the devastating heat waves and wildfires that have racked the Beaver State in recent years.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/oregons-first-of-its-kind-renewable-energy-plant/
     
         
      Drax: UK power station owner cuts down primary forests in Canada Mon, 3rd Oct 2022 13:03:00
     
      A company that has received billions of pounds in green energy subsidies from UK taxpayers is cutting down environmentally-important forests, a BBC Panorama investigation has found. Drax runs Britain's biggest power station, which burns millions of tonnes of imported wood pellets - which is classed as renewable energy. The BBC has discovered some of the wood comes from primary forests in Canada. The company says it only uses sawdust and waste wood. Panorama analysed satellite images, traced logging licences and used drone filming to prove its findings. Reporter Joe Crowley also followed a truck from a Drax mill to verify it was picking up whole logs from an area of precious forest. Ecologist Michelle Connolly told Panorama the company was destroying forests that had taken thousands of years to develop. "It's really a shame that British taxpayers are funding this destruction with their money. Logging natural forests and converting them into pellets to be burned for electricity, that is absolutely insane," she said. The row over the UK's largest power plant The Drax power station in Yorkshire is a converted coal plant, which now produces 12% of the UK's renewable electricity. It has already received £6bn in green energy subsidies. Burning wood is considered green, but it is controversial among environmentalists. Panorama discovered Drax bought logging licences to cut down two areas of environmentally-important forest in British Columbia. One of the Drax forests is a square mile, including large areas that have been identified as rare, old-growth forest. The provincial government of British Columbia says old-growth forests are particularly important and that companies should put off logging them. Drax's own responsible sourcing policy says it "will avoid damage or disturbance" to primary and old-growth forest. However, the latest satellite pictures show Drax is now cutting down the forest. The company told Panorama many of the trees there had died, and that logging would reduce the risk of wildfires. The entire area covered by the second Drax logging licence has already been cut down. line How green is burning wood? Burning wood produces more greenhouse gases than burning coal. The electricity is classed as renewable because new trees are planted to replace the old ones and these new trees should recapture the carbon emitted by burning wood pellets. But recapturing the carbon takes decades and the off-setting can only work if the pellets are made with wood from sustainable sources. Primary forests, which have never been logged before and store vast quantities of carbon, are not considered a sustainable source. It is highly unlikely that replanted trees will ever hold as much carbon as the old forest. line Drax told the BBC it had not cut down the forests itself and said it transferred the logging licences to other companies. But Panorama checked and the authorities in British Columbia confirmed that Drax still holds the licences. Drax said it did not use the logs from the two sites Panorama identified. It said they were sent to timber mills - to make wood products - and that Drax only used the leftover sawdust for its pellets. The company says it does use some logs - in general - to make wood pellets. It claims it only uses ones that are small, twisted, or rotten. But documents on a Canadian forestry database show that only 11% of the logs delivered to the two Drax plants in the past year were classified as the lowest quality, which cannot be used for wood products. Panorama wanted to see if logs from primary forests cut down by logging companies were being transferred to Drax's Meadowbank pellet plant. The programme filmed a truck on a 120-mile round trip: leaving the plant, collecting piles of whole logs from a forest that had been cut down by a logging company and then returning to the plant for their delivery. Drax later admitted that it did use logs from the forest to make wood pellets. The company said they were species the timber industry did not want, and they would often be burned anyway to reduce wildfire risks. The company also said the sites identified by Panorama were not primary forest because they were near roads. But the UN definitions of primary forest do not mention proximity to roads and one of the sites is six miles from the nearest paved road. Panorama's findings come at a critical moment for Drax. The UK government is due to publish a new biomass strategy later this year, which will set out its policy for natural fuels like wood. A Drax spokesperson said 80% of material in its Canadian pellets is sawmill residuals, which would be disposed of anyway. They also said that Drax applies stringent sustainability standards to its own pellet production as well as suppliers, with verification from third-party certification schemes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63089348
     
         
      Not too late to insulate homes this winter, says Lord Deben Mon, 3rd Oct 2022 12:57:00
     
      Tackling the cost of living crisis requires insulating British homes as a matter of urgency and deploying renewable energy generation faster, the chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said. Lord Deben, a Conservative former environment secretary, said the measures needed to bring down energy bills were the same as those needed to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions. He said it was not too late to start insulating homes for the winter, and that measures to do so could attract cross-party support. “What we have to do for net zero is what we have to do for the cost of living crisis,” he said in an interview. “And when people say we can’t afford net zero, we frankly can’t afford not to go for net zero. That’s where the Climate Change Committee has been so critical of the government, because we ought to have a major policy for improving people’s homes.” He said the government should bring forward an insulation plan quickly. “It’s never too late to do anything,” he said. “Local authorities have got programmes already under way, they can extend those programmes pretty rapidly if they had the money to do so. Obviously it would be better if they had started three months ago or six months ago, but the fact is they could do a lot.” Despite repeated calls from MPs, local government, industry and energy experts, the government has not yet come forward with plans for a major new insulation strategy. There has been no nationwide programme to help people on average incomes to insulate their homes since the scrapping of the botched green homes grant last year. In his mini-budget, the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, extended the current scheme by which energy companies subsidise energy efficiency measures for some of the poorest households, but he refused to go further. He promised changes to planning regulations that at present in effect ban onshore windfarms in England, which may open the way to new turbines. Deben said soaring energy bills were at the heart of the UK’s economic crisis. “The problem is, how do you lower the cost of energy? There are two ways to do it: one is you have more renewable energy, because that’s the cheapest form of energy, and the second way is that you enable people to use less energy by having energy efficiency. They are quite clear and simple and they can both be done,” he said. The private sector could also be involved in financing insulation schemes, he suggested. “There is a wonderful opportunity, and there is a great deal of private-sector money in there, if the government creates a scheme.” Deben called for ministers to do more to help people make low-carbon choices, saying people approaching plumbers or heating engineers were often sold boilers instead of heat pumps. “I’m very keen on proper government policy so that somebody can ring up and say: ‘Look, I’ve got a three-bedroom house, I want to do the right thing. Instead of buying a new gas boiler, where do I go to get the information?’ And there should be very direct help.” New homes are still being built with gas boilers, without renewable energy and to low standards, and will have to be expensively retrofitted in the future to meet the 2050 net zero target. Deben contrasted this with the government’s success in stimulating the car industry to produce electric vehicles by setting a deadline of 2030 for the last sales of new petrol or diesel cars. “There’s a good example of government doing the right thing, setting a target, saying exactly what it’s going to be,” he said. “If only they’d done that with the housebuilding industry. We’re still waiting for the future homes standards and we shall have to look very carefully when they properly come out.” Deben said he was not opposed to fracking, as the CCC does not take a view on the technology, but he said it would not ease gas prices for consumers. “We’ve never been opposed to fracking, we’ve always said fracking is perfectly acceptable as long as you meet the environmental standards we have set,” he said. “That does not mean that it’s going to be a cheap thing to do, and you’re still going to sell the gas at the market price. And it also takes time. You can’t argue that it’s going to lower the price.” He defended government plans to extract as much as possible from existing oil and gas fields in the North Sea. “There is a perfectly good argument to get the most out of the North Sea as a matter of dealing with the Ukraine situation. That’s perfectly reasonable. [But] that doesn’t mean you should do new, huge things.” He said ministers should be clear that expanding North Sea drilling or fracking would not cut prices. “Don’t, for goodness sake, pretend to people that it will lower their bills, because it won’t.” The CCC concluded in February that it was not within its remit to advise the government against issuing new licences to open up more gas fields in the North Sea. But the independent advisory committee did say new licences would take years to produce gas, would not reduce energy prices and could help to push the world closer to climate breakdown. Deben, who was asked this summer by the government to extend his term as CCC chair until next June, said the perception that more gas is needed in the UK was wrong.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/03/not-too-late-to-insulate-homes-this-winter-says-lord-deben?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      UN chief: Countries bound for COP27 must make climate action ‘the top global priority’ Mon, 3rd Oct 2022 12:45:00
     
      As government representatives begin to finalize the agenda for the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt next month, the UN chief told journalists in New York that the work ahead is “as immense as the climate impacts we are seeing around the world”. Speaking to reporters in New York, as the pre-COP meeting got underway in Kinshasa, Secretary-General António Guterres laid out the worsening impacts worldwide. “A third of Pakistan flooded. Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years. The Philippines hammered. The whole of Cuba in black-out. And here, in the United States, Hurricane Ian has delivered a brutal reminder that no country and no economy is immune from the climate crisis,” he highlighted. And while “climate chaos gallops ahead, climate action has stalled,” he added. Faulty maths The top UN Official underscored the importance of COP27 while warning that the collective commitments of G20 leading industrialized nations governments are coming “far too little, and far too late”. “The actions of the wealthiest developed and emerging economies simply don’t add up.,” he said, pointing out that current pledges and policies are “shutting the door” on limiting global temperature to 2°C, let alone meet the 1.5°C goal. Mr. Guterres warned, “we are in a life-or-death struggle for our own safety today and our survival tomorrow,” saying there is no time for pointing fingers or “twiddling thumbs” but instead requires “a quantum level compromise between developed and emerging economies”. “The world can’t wait,” he spelled out. “Emissions are at an all-time high and rising”. And he said that while pursuing their own “drop-in-the-bucket initiatives” international financial institutions must overhaul their business approaches to combat climate change. Backsliding Meanwhile, as the planet burns, the Ukraine war is putting climate action on the back burner and the dynamic climate actors in the business world continue to be hampered by “obsolete regulatory frameworks, red tape and harmful subsidies that send the wrong signals”. Meaningful progress must be made to address loss and damage beyond countries’ abilities to adapt as well as financial support for climate action, upheld the UN chief Decisions must be made now on the question of loss and damage as “failure to act” will lead to “more loss of trust and more climate damage,” he said, describing it as “a moral imperative that cannot be ignored”. Action ‘litmus test’ COP27 is “the number one litmus test” of how seriously governments take the growing climate toll on the most vulnerable countries. “This week’s pre-COP can determine how this crucial issue will be handled in Sharm el-Shaikh,” he informed the media, noting that the world needs clarity from developed countries on the delivery of their $100 billion pledge to support climate action in developing countries. Moreover, adaptation and resilience funding must represent half of all climate finance; multilateral development banks “must raise their game”; and emerging economies need support to back renewable energy and build resilience. While the Resilience and Sustainability Trust led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a good start, major multilateral development bank shareholders must be the driving force for transformative change, he continued. “On every climate front, the only solution is solidarity and decisive action”. The Secretary-General chief upheld that by showing up at COP27 in Sharm el-Shaikh, all countries – led by the G-20 – can demonstrate that “climate action truly is the top global priority that it must be”. Step up climate adaptation support Meanwhile in Kinshasa, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned environment ministers and others that the window of opportunity to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis is closing. She stressed that greater support for climate adaptation in developing countries “must be a global priority”, particularly progress on adaptation finance. Ms. Mohammed recalled that at last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow, developed nations had promised to double adaptation support to $40 billion dollars a year by 2025. ? The UN deputy chief called for a clear roadmap on how the funding will be delivered, starting this year. She added that $40 billion is “only a fraction of the $300 billion that will be needed annually by developing countries for adaptation by 2030”. 'Every moment counts' Ms. Mohammed underscored that the world “desperately needs hope”. “We need progress…that shows that leaders fully comprehend the scale of the emergency we face and the value of COP, as a space where world leaders come together to solve problems and take responsibility,” she said. “Every moment counts”. The deputy chief said that it is time to prove that we are moving in the right direction “with an outcome that shows our collective commitment to addressing the climate crisis because people, and the children here today, and the planet matter”. The road to Sharm Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) said that COP27 was a "gear-shifting point as we pivot from negotiations to implementation and demonstrate progress on the Glasgow outcomes (at COP26)".
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/node/1129127
     
         
      Cyclone Ian batters South Carolina in second US landfall Sat, 1st Oct 2022 13:12:00
     
      Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian is lashing South Carolina in its second US landfall after carving a swathe of deadly destruction across Florida. Ian returned as a category one hurricane near Georgetown at 14:05 local time (18:05 GMT) on Friday before losing some power as it marched inland. But the danger is not over. Flooding is projected to continue throughout the region, including in Florida, for days. Florida emergency officials announced 21 deaths as of Friday morning. But a state medical examiner must determine if all the fatalities are directly related to the storm. Hurricane Ian - Maps and images showing destruction Bigotry couldn't beat this family - then came Hurricane Ian Ian was one of the strongest storms ever to hit the US when it struck Florida as a category four hurricane on Wednesday. In coastal South Carolina, Ian damaged four piers and sent torrents of water flooding into neighbourhoods, including in the popular seaside city of Myrtle Beach. Nearly 200,000 homes and businesses in South Carolina were without power by Friday evening. In the city of Charleston, around 80 miles (130km) south of where the hurricane made landfall, cars were seen driving through flooded roads. The storm is moving north with maximum sustained winds of around 50mph (85km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Although Ian weakened on Friday, it is still dangerous, says the NHC. The agency warns that central Florida could see record river flooding into next week. Considerable flash and urban flooding was possible across coastal and north-east South Carolina, coastal and north-west North Carolina and southern Virginia into Saturday morning, the NHC said. There was also a chance that Ian could spawn tornados in North Carolina and Virginia as it marched north, according to the NHC. Ian is expected to dissipate over either North Carolina or Virginia by late on Saturday. Meanwhile, the full scope of the disaster in Florida - where 1.6 million people still have no electricity - is coming to light. "We're just beginning to see the scale of that destruction," President Joe Biden said at the White House on Friday. He said Ian was likely to be among the worst natural disasters in US history. The storm has caused $47bn (£42bn) in insured losses, according to research firm CoreLogic. Survivors describe 'brutal' storm as Florida counts cost In pictures: Floridians take in Hurricane Ian’s impact Hurricane Ian was much less damaging than category five Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people and wreaked $125bn in damage when it slammed into Louisiana in August 2005. Fort Myers beach was one of the first places to encounter the power of Ian when it struck the Florida peninsula this week. Two days on, shell-shocked residents like Pat and Kathleen Unger - who have an apartment close to the beach - are returning to their homes. "Elevator's gone, pool sheds are gone, office is gone, the library's gone," Mrs Unger says. "Parking lot's gone, everything's gone except for the buildings," Mr Unger adds. "It looks like three buildings standing in the middle of the Sahara Desert." At what was once a small marina on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, about 30 boats have been destroyed. "I'm in the boat business," a visibly upset man said. "Well, actually, I guess I was in the boat business. Past tense."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63097951
     
         
      EU agrees windfall tax on energy firms Sat, 1st Oct 2022 13:10:00
     
      The European Union has agreed to impose emergency measures to charge energy firms on their record profits. Ministers have agreed windfall taxes on certain energy companies as well as mandatory cuts in electricity use. The plan includes a levy on fossil fuel firms' surplus profits and a levy on excess revenues made from surging electricity costs. The cash raised is expected to go to families and businesses. But the bloc is divided on whether and how to cap the wholesale price of gas. It comes as Europe braces itself for a difficult winter due to the cost of living crisis and squeeze on global energy supplies. What is the windfall tax on oil and gas companies? Germany vows €65bn package to combat energy crisis The bloc is largely trying to wean itself off Russia energy but it has left it scrambling for other alternative, expensive, sources. A windfall tax is imposed by a government on a company to target firms that were lucky enough to benefit from something they were not responsible for - in other words, a windfall profit. Energy firms are getting much more money for their oil and gas than they were last year, partly because demand has increased as the world emerges from the pandemic and more recently because of supply concerns due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. EU ministers estimate that they can raise €140bn (£123bn) from the levies on non-gas electricity producers and suppliers that are making larger-than-usual profits from the current demand. Earlier this month, the European Commission's vice-president, Frans Timmermans, said that fossil fuel extractors will be told to give back 33% of their surplus profits for this year. "The era of cheap fossil fuels is over. And the faster we move to cheap, clean and homegrown renewables, the sooner we will be immune to Russia's energy blackmail," he said. "A cap on outsize revenues will bring solidarity from energy companies with abnormally high profits towards their struggling customers," he added. Earlier this week, 15 member states, including France and Italy, asked the EU to impose a price cap on gas bills to slow the soaring costs. A decision has not yet been announced on a price cap. "There is big disappointment that in the proposal that is on the table there is nothing about gas prices," Polish climate minister Anna Moskwa said. Ms Moskwa said a maximum price for gas would be supported by the majority of European countries and "cannot be ignored". In the UK, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a similar tax to Friday's EU agreement in May, which he called the Energy Profits Levy. It was applied to profits made by companies from extracting UK oil and gas, but not those that generate electricity from sources such as nuclear or wind power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63089222
     
         
      Queensland’s renewable energy plan confirms the politics of coal have changed for good Sat, 1st Oct 2022 12:55:00
     
      Most now see opportunity instead of job losses – but Labor will have to match ambition with action if it’s to deliver on 80% renewables by 2035 The mayor of Mackay, Greg Williamson, wasn’t convinced by renewable energy. About four years ago, I asked him about the energy transition; specifically, whether mining hubs like Mackay should start planning early to prevent the sort of economic shocks that would come as fossil fuel industries decline. “Well, mate, hang on,” he said. Williamson supported building a new coal-fired power station. He said solar was unreliable at night; that renewables provided only a small percentage of the state’s power grid. “The industry has got a lot to prove yet.” On Thursday, Williamson stood on the shop floor of a Mackay steelworks and said green energy would be “the future saver, the job protection” for regional Queensland. This sort of scene was unimaginable four years ago; even 18 months ago. Williamson looking on approvingly as the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, sold a (relatively) ambitious plan to curtail coal-fired power stations. To do so in Mackay, the regional hub for Queensland’s coal country, and in front of a group of enthusiastic blokes in hi-vis, seemed surreal. Finally, the reality of Queensland energy politics has become connected to reality. In the bad old days of 2021, even talking about planning for the energy transition would provoke a fierce reaction from a cabal of deniers – from newspaper columnists to politicians – who could effectively stoke fear about job losses in the regions. ...
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/02/queenslands-renewable-energy-plan-confirms-the-politics-of-coal-have-changed-for-good?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Labor’s deal with gas exporters will lock in high prices, consumer groups say Fri, 30th Sep 2022 13:30:00
     
      Agreement raises concerns transition to lower emissions energy sector will be harder and more expensive Energy user groups have condemned the Albanese government’s agreement with gas exporters saying it will lock in high prices that will force businesses to close, hurt households and hobble the transition of the electricity sector off fossil fuels. The resource minister, Madeleine King, on Thursday said the government had signed a new agreement with the big gas exporters from eastern Australia that would ensure there was sufficient supplies to meet local demand. But industry and consumer groups said prices being offered were as high as $70/GJ. At that price, everything from groceries to electricity bills will continue to climb, they said. “Getting sufficient volumes of Australian sourced gas to supply the Australian market should never be a question we need to answer,” the chief executive of the Energy Users’ Association of Australia (EUAA), Andrew Richards, said. “[It] seems we will have plenty of gas, it’s just a pity that nobody will be able to afford it.” The EUAA was so incensed by Thursday’s announcement it took down a media release from Wednesday in which Richards had thanked the government “for going into bat for domestic gas consumers”. The executive director of Manufacturing Australia, Ben Eade, said the agreement “smashes investment confidence for gas customers while entrenching super profits”. “It condemns more Australians to paying global spot gas prices that are already at unsustainable highs,” he said. “At the same time, it makes the job of transitioning to a lower emissions energy sector much harder because it will make it much more expensive.” As gas often sets the price for electricity in the national electricity market, its higher cost will also push up power bills. “Gas producers have got to recognise that they have a role to play in meeting the national interest and not working against it,” the industry minister, Ed Husic, told ABC’s RN Breakfast on Friday. “There is definitely room there to supply at prices for an Australian resource that meets the needs of Australian manufacturers and households,” he said. At the Thursday announcement, King said the agreement was “a significant improvement on the deal done by the previous government”, ensuring there was an additional 157PJ of gas in east coast gas markets in 2023. That will be almost three times the shortfall forecast by the ACCC in July. “Additional supply will put downward pressure on prices,” King said. The gas industry that represents the big three east coast gas exporters – Santos, the ConocoPhillips-led APLNG group and Shell’s QGC – said the agreement ensured domestic supplies while fulfilling obligations to trading partners and investors. The manager of policy and research at St Vincent de Paul Society, Gavin Dufty, said the gas pact gave some certainty to the market but potentially locked in high gas and electricity prices for a long time. But the pain would not be evenly distributed, as households with solar panels, for instance, would be shielded from some of the cost increases. Victorian households may also avoid some of the impacts due to the state’s gas suppliers being on long-term contracts. The principal national adviser for the AiGroup, Tennant Reed, said support for the most vulnerable 10% of households and businesses to nullify the impact of higher energy costs could reach $6bn to $7bn over three years. “On the one hand, it’s a lot of money,” Reed said. “On the other hand, it’s not compared to what we have spent in this country to get through Covid quite recently.” Governments could support “a lot of sensible things on energy management, energy efficiency, switching from away from gas [but] they’re probably not going to help a lot of people in the next couple of years”, he said. Future wholesale power prices were higher across the National Electricity Market, Reed said. New South Wales’s 2023 power price had risen to $235/MWh as of Thursday, up from $216/MWh last Friday. While those in Queensland were at almost $227/MWh up from $209/MWh.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/30/labors-deal-with-gas-exporters-will-lock-in-high-prices-consumer-groups-say
     
         
      Hertz strikes a deal for more EV chargers Fri, 30th Sep 2022 13:17:00
     
      Just a little over a year after emerging from bankruptcy, the United States’ second-largest rental car company is on a green upswing. This week, Hertz announced a new partnership with BP — the fossil fuel giant responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — which is intended to help establish a nationwide network of charging stations for the rental-car company’s growing fleet of electric vehicles. Details on the agreement are scant, but the companies have said that BP will install chargers — some of which will be available for public use — and provide software to help Hertz manage its fleet. According to BP, the software will schedule Hertz’s EVs to charge at the time of day when electricity prices are low. Stephen Scherr, Hertz’s CEO, said in a statement that the collaboration would provide customers with “a premium electric experience and lower emission travel options.” The move is the most recent of Hertz’s commitments to embrace electric vehicles, including an announcement earlier this month that the company would buy up to 175,000 EVs from General Motors over the next five years. That was on top of existing agreements to buy 100,000 EVs from Tesla and 65,000 from Polestar, a Swedish automaker. Hertz says it wants 25 percent of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024. While other rental car companies like Enterprise and Avis have also announced efforts — albeit much smaller ones — to move away from the internal combustion engine, Hertz’s new deal with BP represents one of the rental-car industry’s most concrete steps toward providing enough charging infrastructure to accommodate more rental EVs. The partnership could complement existing efforts from the federal government: Just this week, the Biden administration approved plans to deploy EV infrastructure on highways across the country, making more than $1.5 billion available for states to build charging stations over the next two years.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/hertz-strikes-a-deal-for-more-ev-chargers/
     
         
      Over 1,700 environment activists killed in decade - report Fri, 30th Sep 2022 13:05:00
     
      An environmental activist has been killed every two days on average over the past decade, a new study shows. The report from Global Witness says that more than 1,700 people have died while trying to prevent mining, oil drilling or logging on their lands. Over the 10 years, Brazil and Colombia have recorded the highest numbers of deaths. Researchers say the figures underestimate the true scale of violence. More than half of the world's palm trees in danger Study contradicts Rees-Mogg over hydrogen for heating Earlier this year, the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and a local indigenous expert, Bruno Pereira, brought global attention to the lawless conditions prevailing in some parts of the Amazon. In this latest report from Global Witness, Latin America is very much the frontline when it comes to deadly attacks on environmental campaigners and activists. The study finds that 68% of the murders took place across this continent, with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Honduras recording the highest totals. Many of those who died were indigenous people, often involved in struggles to prevent the exploitation of their lands by mining, oil, logging or hydropower developers. Researchers believe that as the world attempts to increase the exploitation of fossil fuels in the wake of the war in Ukraine, campaigners will come under greater threats. In 2021, the year with the most recent data available, some 200 people were killed at a rate of 4 per week. "There is increasing stress on natural resources globally and this is playing out as a battle particularly in the Amazon in Brazil," said Shruti Suresh, from Global Witness, who says that 85% of the killings in Brazil have occurred in this region. "This is about land inequality, in that defenders are fighting for their land, and in this increasing race to get more land to acquire and exploit resources, the victims are indigenous communities, local communities, whose voices are being suppressed." Case study - Colombia Colombian human rights activist Oscar Sampayo saw three close friends and fellow activists killed for protesting in 2021. The anti-fracking campaigner has been actively opposing oil and mining developments in the Magdalena Medio region by documenting the impact on the local community and environment. He says the environmental impacts of the war in Ukraine are now being felt even in Colombia. "As coal, oil and gas are not bought from Russia, extraction in the global south is deepening, especially in countries like Colombia, regardless of the human rights violations that are generated," he told BBC News. While a new political leadership in Colombia has promised to be more environmentally aware, violence against green activists has been on the increase, according to Oscar. But despite the attacks on himself and the deaths of his fellow activists he is not ready to quit. "The assassinations, displacements, exiles and attacks against comrades who defend nature generate concern and demotivates me, but I have not thought of leaving Colombia," he explained. Global Witness argue that around the world the situation for environmental campaigners has become worse not better in recent years. The activists say that the growing climate and biodiversity crises, and the rise of authoritarian governments, has seen a consecutive rise in killings since 2018. There are other factors at play as well, including the involvement of criminal and drug related gangs in the murders of environmental campaigners. In 2021, Mexico recorded 54 killings - up from 30 the previous year. Opponents of large-scale mining operations have died but there have also been killings related to illegal mines operated by drug cartels. Key findings in 2021 Nearly four people involved in environmental activism were killed every week across the world Brazil and India both saw lethal attacks increase, while Colombia and the Philippines saw declines. There were 10 documented killings in Africa, with most taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eight of these deaths took place in the Virunga national park, mostly park rangers. Global Witness recorded 12 mass killings in 2021 with three in India and four in Mexico In Nicaragua, criminal groups murdered 15 activists as part of a systematic campaign against the Miskitu and Mayangna peoples Hope on the horizon Despite the grim statistics and the rise in the number of deaths in recent years, campaigners are hopeful that progress is being made. In Honduras, a former energy executive was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of activist Berta Cáceres in 2016. Also giving some encouragement is the Escazú agreement, which entered into force in 2021. It is the first environmental and human rights treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean. It commits countries to prevent and investigate attacks on environmental defenders. While some nations like Mexico have ratified it, others including Brazil and Colombia have not done so yet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63064471
     
         
      Winds of ‘radical change’: Queensland breaks up with coal in stunning week in energy Fri, 30th Sep 2022 12:59:00
     
      Annastacia Palaszczuk promised to ditch coal by 2035, leaving experts ‘gobsmacked’ given the state’s deep association with the fossil fuel The announcement was always going to come one day – the climate crisis, the spiralling electricity costs and the gale-force winds of change in international markets had made it inevitable. But Annastacia Palaszczuk’s words were still met with amazement. By 2035, the Queensland premier said, the state would no longer rely on coal for electricity. A chart laid out how the coal-burning, coalmining state would end its long association. By 2037, the chart showed, coal will be gone entirely from the state’s electricity supply. Energy policy wonks were aghast. There is more detail to come, and many major hurdles to leap, but the feeling of change in the Sunshine State was palpable. “What was impressive was that they are the first state to really articulate a proper pathway out of coal,” says Alison Reeve, an energy and climate expert at the Grattan Institute. “I was a bit gobsmacked, particularly because they’ll be going from one of the most emissions intensive electricity supplies, to one of the least.” The 10-year, $69bn energy plan came in the middle of a huge week in Australian energy. On Monday, Queensland announced it was investing $774m to build the country’s biggest publicly owned windfarm. On Tuesday, Victoria revealed that by 2035, it wanted enough renewable energy storage to power half the state’s homes. On Thursday, AGL said it would close the country’s most polluting power station, Victoria’s Loy Yang A, in 2035, a decade earlier than planned. “There is a level of inevitability to all this,” says Reeve. “Because we have spent a decade and a half stuffing around, you do now have to go harder and faster.” Queensland’s coal announcement on Wednesday came with new targets for renewable electricity: 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035. By 2040 more than a third of the state’s power will come from wind, with solar power the next biggest contributor. Batteries and two large hydroelectric plants – one in the north near Mackay and one west of the Sunshine Coast – will store the renewable power so it can balance the energy supply. The larger Mackay project, which Palaszczuk dubbed “the battery of the north”, only exists on paper and the government is still looking at other potential locations. But the coal exit still took many by surprise. Only a few months ago the state’s energy minister, Mick de Brenni, said none of the eight state-owned coal power stations would close. In hindsight, it was a carefully worded declaration. Under the plan, power stations become clean energy hubs for hydrogen, renewables and electricity infrastructure. Parts of the coal plants could be repurposed as huge spinning motors that help balance demand and supply in electricity grids. All this, Reeve said, meant Queensland could say “the power stations aren’t closed, but it just won’t need coal any more”. “Queensland is seeing an increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters,” de Brenni told the Guardian. “Boardrooms and consumers are asking governments to take real action.” What about emissions targets? There was no announcement on Queensland’s emissions reduction targets for 2030, which – at a 30% cut from 2005 levels – are the weakest of any state. And while much of the global climate impact from the state comes when its large volumes of coal and gas are exported and burned overseas, the energy plan does nothing on this front. But the latest figures for 2020 show the state’s emissions at 159m tonnes – the same level they were four years earlier, and a 19% drop on 2005 levels. Were it not for a sharp fall in emissions from land clearing, which went from 71Mt in 2005 to 12Mt in 2020, emissions would be rising. About a third of the state’s emissions, some 49Mt, relate to electricity production. That is a fraction higher than in 2005. Emissions have also climbed in the LNG sector after huge export facilities opened up in the state’s north, burning large amounts of gas in the process. The LNG export industry is the country’s biggest user of gas. De Brenni says achieving the state’s current 2030 target would mean cutting emissions in the electricity sector by 41%. He says the targets were “continuing work for our government”, and that the new energy plan is “the first and most significant step we have taken to drive real action”. “The nation can’t achieve 43% (the federal government’s 2030 emissions reduction target) without Queensland delivering this plan,” he says. For years, the coal industry has claimed the fuel will still be viable in a carbon-constrained world because the carbon emissions will be able to be captured and stored. But Queensland’s energy plan has no mention of carbon capture and storage (CCS).
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/01/winds-of-radical-change-queensland-breaks-up-with-coal-in-stunning-week-in-energy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Green party conference opens with call for wealth tax to fund renewables Fri, 30th Sep 2022 12:53:00
     
      In Harrogate, Green co-leaders pledge to target richest 1% and biggest polluters with ‘dirty profits’ tax The Greens have kicked off their conference with a call for taxes on wealth and “dirty profits” to finance the transition to renewable energy – and a condemnation of Labour’s plans, unveiled last week, as woefully insufficient. At the gathering in Harrogate, days after a Labour conference based heavily around clean power initiatives, the Green party in England and Wales – the Scottish Greens are separate – repeatedly stressed policy differences not just over renewables but also areas such as support for strikers and public ownership.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/30/green-party-conference-opens-wealth-tax-renewables?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Arctic Ocean acidifying up to four times as fast as other oceans, study finds Thu, 29th Sep 2022 19:24:00
     
      Scientists ‘shocked’ by rate of change as rapid sea-ice melt drives absorption of CO2 – with ‘huge implications’ for Arctic sea life Acidification of the western Arctic Ocean is happening three to four times faster than in other ocean basins, a new study has found. The ocean, which absorbs a third of all of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has grown more acidic because of fossil fuel use. Rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic region over the past three decades has accelerated the rate of long-term acidification, according to the study, published in Science on Thursday. Researchers from the Polar and Marine Research Institute at Jimei University, China, and the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware in the US, say rapid sea-ice loss exposes seawater to the atmosphere, promoting takeup of carbon dioxide at a faster rate than in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic basins. “In other ocean systems, acidification is being driven by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is increasing at a rate of around 2ppm [parts per million] per year,” said Wei-Jun Cai, a marine chemistry expert at the University of Delaware and one of the paper’s authors. Acidification trends tend to follow those predicted from carbon dioxide increases over time, he said. But when the scientists compared data collected from the Arctic between 1994 and 2020 with ocean basins elsewhere, they found acidification was happening much faster in the Arctic. “We were shocked to see acidification is happening three to four times faster,” Cai said. If sea ice continues to vanish in the western Arctic, the process could continue and intensify over the next few decades, the scientists predict. The research follows a separate study in August, which found that the Arctic has warmed at about four times the global average rate over the past 43 years. The faster warming, known as Arctic amplification, is a feedback process driven by melting sea ice, which is also driving faster acidification, the researchers say. “The ice melt dilutes or lowers the alkalinity of the seawater. This dilutes the buffering capacity of the water, its ability to resist acidification,” Cai said. The effect of the altered seawater chemistry will have “huge implications” for sea life, Cai predicts. As an example, he referred to studies that show ocean acidification is a threat to coral reefs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/29/arctic-ocean-acidifying-up-to-four-times-as-fast-as-other-oceans-study-finds
     
         
      Could a digital twin of Tuvalu preserve the island nation before it’s lost to the collapsing climate? Thu, 29th Sep 2022 18:27:00
     
      With rising seas expected to submerge the nation by 2100, official says ‘we should always be able to remember Tuvalu as it is, before it disappears’ When Tuvalu vanishes beneath rising seas, its diaspora still want somewhere to call home – and that could be a virtual version of the tiny Pacific nation. Global heating is threatening to submerge Tuvalu by the end of the century, and its 12,000 inhabitants are considering the future. Dr Eselealofa Apinelu, Tuvalu’s former attorney general and current high commissioner to Fiji, told the State of the Pacific conference on Thursday that Tuvaluans needed “something they can hold on to”. “When that finally happens, that Tuvalu has disappeared and all they have is this virtual world … we should always be able to remember Tuvalu as it is, before it disappears,” she told the Australian National University’s department of Pacific affairs conference. Tuvalu’s culture and values could be enshrined in a “digital twin”, housed somewhere like the metaverse. Apinelu said “it needs to be stored somewhere that there was a country called Tuvalu”. “It’s like the last option,” she said. “When the unfortunate does happen and Tuvalu seems to really disappear, I think the idea then is to preserve it, conserve it in a state so that generations of Tuvaluans can look into it … that’s the digitised idea. “[But] we can’t digitise people. It’s easy to speak about the land. We need to involve human beings, that’s something we’re still considering – how to deal with people in that context.” Apinelu called on countries, including Australia, to allow Tuvaluans easier access in the meantime so they can explore other potential homes before the rising tides force them to migrate. “We believe our values of shared responsibilities, they are values that can really help a person settle properly and respect the laws of individual countries,” she said. “But they need to access those countries first to work out where they can make a proper living, find a proper future. “Australia and New Zealand have been our closest partners, they’ve offered education, job opportunities … but the migration laws are not simple, they’re not easy. If only we had laws that were more friendly to smaller islands. “They need the support at a level where they can be exposed to other places, so they can visualise their own future, rather than the constant fear of the sea level rise.” Other speakers at the conference including professor Stephen Howes, from ANU’s development policy centre, said the government’s Pacific Engagement Visa would provide permanent visas to Pacific islanders when it begins next year. But those visas will be offered on a pro rata basis, while priority should be given to smaller nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati that are facing existential climate crisis threats.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/29/could-a-digital-twin-of-tuvalu-preserve-the-island-nation-before-its-lost-to-the-collapsing-climate
     
         
      Urban greening can reduce impact of global heating in cities, finds study Thu, 29th Sep 2022 17:29:00
     
      Planting trees, rainwater gardens and de-paving can mitigate effects of climate crisis, according to analysis of 2,000 cities Urban greening initiatives such as planting street trees, rainwater gardens and de-paving can help mitigate the impacts of urban heating due to the climate crisis and urban expansion, according to a study that has found cities have been warming by 0.5C a decade on average. Scientists at Nanjing and Yale Universities analysed satellite data from across 2,000 cities and compared surface temperature readings between cities and rural areas from 2002 to 2021. The study found on average that cities are warming by a rate of 0.56C a decade during the day and 0.43C a decade at night. In comparison, rural areas are warming by 0.4C a decade during the day and 0.37C a decade at night, which means urban areas are on average warming 29% more quickly than rural areas. The scientists found a link between a city’s size and the rate of urban warming, with megacities warming on average by 0.69C a decade during the day, compared with 0.41C a decade during the day in smaller cities. There were also disparities in the rates of urban heating between continents, with cities in Asia – the continent with the most megacities – warming most rapidly during the day and night. Cities in Europe were found to be warming the least during the day, while cities in Oceania were warming the least at night. In about 90% of the cities surveyed, scientists found the climate crisis is the greatest contributor to urban warming, with about 0.3C of heating a decade attributed to human-induced climate change on average. However, scientists noted that urban expansion can also influence urban heating – in parts of China and India, rapid urbanisation is contributing to about 0.23C of urban warming a decade. But urban greening schemes such as tree planting, in which exposed land surfaces are replaced with natural vegetation, can help reduce the rate of urban warming by producing a cooling effect particularly at night, by capturing some of the surrounding surface heat for storage, according to the report. In Europe, urban greening has been found to offset the rate of urban warming by 0.13C a decade on average. Likewise in Chicago, an urban greening scheme to increase tree coverage after a heatwave in 1995 has helped to decrease the rate of urban warming by about 0.084C a decade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/29/urban-greening-reduce-impact-global-heating-cities-study
     
         
      Nord Stream leaks: Sabotage to blame, says EU Thu, 29th Sep 2022 13:22:00
     
      The EU has said leaks in two major gas pipelines from Russia to Europe were caused by sabotage - but stopped short of directly accusing Russia. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said deliberate disruption would meet the "strongest possible response". The EU has previously accused Russia of using gas supplies as a weapon against the West over its support for Ukraine. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed accusations of sabotage as "predictable, stupid and absurd". The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he thought the leaks would "not have a significant impact on Europe's energy resilience". Neither pipeline is transporting gas at the moment, although they both contain gas. Mr Blinken did not directly accuse Russia - but said it would be in "no-one's interest" if they were caused deliberately. The Danish Energy Minister, Dan Jorgensen, said the leaks were likely to last for at least a week, until the gas escaping from the pipes runs out. An investigation has been launched. How can the world cope without Russia's oil and gas? How Russia is cutting gas supplies to Europe The operators of Nord Stream 2 warned of a loss of pressure in the pipeline on Monday afternoon. That led to Danish authorities saying ships should avoid the area near the island of Bornholm. Then on Tuesday, the operator of Nord Stream 1 said the undersea lines had simultaneously sustained "unprecedented" damage in one day. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline - which consists of two parallel branches - has not transported any gas since August when Russia closed it down, saying it needed maintenance. It stretches 745 miles (1,200km) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany. Its twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was halted after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Mike Fulwood, a senior research fellow at the independent Oxford Institute for Energy Studies told the BBC sabotage was, indeed, the most likely cause of the leaks. "To rupture an offshore pipeline is a rare occurrence, so three in 18 hours would be a big coincidence," he said. If the sabotage was indeed committed by Russia, this was a "bizarre" move, he said, as it had already shut supplies off. He estimated that repairs could take between three and six months, as the damaged sections would need to be replaced. Similar damage to a different pipeline in the past took nine months. Dmitry Peskov said he was "extremely concerned" about the leaks, adding that the possibility of a deliberate attack could not be ruled out. Seismologists reported underwater blasts before the leaks emerged. Denmark's Defence Command has released footage of the leaks which shows bubbles - the largest is 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter - at the surface of the Baltic Sea. "There is no doubt that these were explosions," said Bjorn Lund of Sweden's National Seismology Centre. Greenpeace raised concerns over the leaks, saying they could have the same detrimental impact on the environment as 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. But the German environment ministry said the leaks would not pose a significant threat to marine life.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63057966
     
         
      Hurricane Fiona: Satellite images show devastation in Atlantic Canada Thu, 29th Sep 2022 12:57:00
     
      Pictures reveal the devastating damage that Storm Fiona has caused in eastern Canada's coastal communities. The "historic" storm touched parts of five provinces over the weekend, bringing with it torrential rain and hurricane-force winds of up to 160km/h (100mph). The Canadian Space Agency has released satellite images showing the devastation that Storm Fiona brought to Canada's eastern seashore. The before-and-after picture of the Northumberland Straight - the body of water that divides the island province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) from the mainland province of New Brunswick - shows massive coastal erosion. Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAuly, who is from the province, called into a press conference on Fiona recovery efforts by phone on Wednesday as power and internet were still down in his region. He said he could "see the destruction that Fiona has brought to our homes, wharfs and barns". "The destruction across Prince Edward Island is truly unreal." In Thunder Cove, on the northern shore of PEI, a popular landmark has been destroyed. The Teacup - a rock formation that resembled an old-fashioned cup and saucer - has toppled into the sea. PEI local Marg Chisholm-Ramsey snapped a photo of the rock the afternoon before the storm landed, and the day after it cleared. "She was a soothing rock, a magnificent one that came out of the ocean meters from where any rock should be. You'd always hear the ocean's gentle roar in her background," she wrote on Facebook. "She meant a lot to so many and now she's gone. Her soothing presence is no longer. Her bits now spread on the shore and in the ocean." The army has been deployed to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI to assist the clean-up, conduct wellness checks and restore the power grid. Thousands of people are still without power. At least two people died in the storm, and one person remains missing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also visiting some of the worst hit areas - he visited PEI and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, and Port Aux Basque in Newfoundland on Wednesday. "The reality is that extreme weather events are going to get more intense over the coming years because our climate is changing. That's why we have to make sure we're adapting to it," he said on Tuesday. Port aux Basques, a small town on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, is one of the areas with the most widespread damage. At least 76 homes in the community of 4,000 people were structurally damaged or completely destroyed by the storm. The credit agency DBRS Morningstar estimated that Fiona will cause C$300m ($220m; £202m) to C$700m in insured losses in Atlantic Canada. The provincial government has pledged C$30m for recovery aid. The Canadian Red Cross has set up a national fundraiser to assist, and the federal government will be matching donations for the next 30 days. So far donations have topped C$20m.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63066241
     
         
      Australian government strikes deal with gas suppliers to avoid winter shortfall Thu, 29th Sep 2022 12:51:00
     
      The government has struck a deal with the three major gas exporters on the east coast that will ensure sufficient supplies of the fossil fuel are available to avoid a potential shortfall next year. The federal resources minister, Madeleine King, said on Thursday she had signed a new heads of agreement with the three big LNG exporters – Santos’s GLNG plant, the ConocoPhillips-led APLNG group and Shell’s QGC operations. “This agreement will ensure Australians continue to have access to secure and reliable gas,” King said. “The new supply commitments, and [agreement], will deliver gas to the domestic market when needed, and ensures future uncontracted gas will be offered to the domestic market first, on competitive and reasonable terms, before it is offered for export.” King said she would not need to apply the so-called gas trigger – formally known as Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism – to intervene in the market and secure supplies to meet demand in the eastern states. A decision on using the trigger had to be made before 1 October. In July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission forecast a gas shortfall of 56 petajoules (PJ) for the domestic users in 2023. The competition watchdog “strongly” urged the big three LNG exporters, which control more than 90% of reserves in eastern states, to increase supply. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning “The new commitments from LNG exporters will lead to an extra 157PJ for the domestic market in 2023, with the gas to be supplied in line with seasonal demand,” King said. For that uncontracted gas, “the principle” would be that domestic gas customers will not pay more than international customers for the gas, the government said. The companies also agreed on greater transparency, and will provide quarterly compliance reporting to King, with oversight by the ACCC. King will also meet the firms individually each quarter to sure they are complying with an agreed code of conduct. Gas exporters had warned Australia’s reputation as a reliable exporter would be at stake if the government intervened to divert gas. Japan’s ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, reportedly told a Minerals Week conference in Canberra that Japan’s access to Australian fossil fuel exports were “a cornerstone of our partnership based on mutual trust” and any disruption to trade carried “potential risk”. “This is a great outcome for Australia, will strengthen confidence in the domestic gas market and safeguard our global reputation as a stable and reliable energy exporter to our regional partners,” King said. Others, though, have been critical of the gas exporters exporting almost all uncontracted gas to take advantage of soaring global prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions on Russia have prompted European nations, in particular, to scramble to supply alternative gas supplies. So far, Australian gas does not appear to have been diverted to Europe, Graeme Bethune, an analyst with Energy Quest said on Wednesday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/29/australian-government-strikes-deal-with-gas-suppliers-to-avoid-winter-shortfall?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      The Senate’s bipartisan push for EV battery recycling Thu, 29th Sep 2022 11:39:00
     
      Across the federal government, agencies are procuring more and more electric vehicles in an effort to phase out gasoline-powered cars by 2035. But what will happen to all those EV batteries once they conk out? Enter the Strategic EV Management Act, a bipartisan bill that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month. The bill, coauthored by one Democrat and three Republicans, aims to maximize reuse and recycling infrastructure for the federal government’s EV batteries once they can no longer power a car. The bill would direct the General Services Administration and Office of Management and Budget to compile comprehensive guidance for managing the federal EV fleet, including how to maximize battery longevity. The bill’s sponsors argue that these measures would decrease the U.S.’s reliance on foreign suppliers of minerals that are used to make EV batteries, like lithium. “[I]ncreasing the domestic supply of electric vehicles batteries [sic] and rare materials will strengthen our supply chains and improve our global competitiveness,” Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement. There are many ways to use EV batteries once they can no longer run cars. A Japanese company, for example, is repurposing Nissan Leaf batteries to provide emergency power at railroad crossings. Other companies are using them to store excess solar power and feed it into the grid as needed. And once batteries can no longer support those second-life uses, they can be recycled. Currently less than 5 percent of lithium batteries get recycled globally, but automakers say new recycling methods can recover up to 95 percent of the nickel, lithium, and other materials needed to build new EV batteries. The U.S. government has already shown much interest in EV battery reuse and recycling — including through a $335 million program to bolster battery recycling nationwide — and environmental advocates hope the Strategic EV Management Act, if passed by the House of Representatives and signed by President Joe Biden, will drive those commitments further. “This bill will maximize the sustainability of the EV transition by establishing the federal government as a leader in the reuse and recycling of EV batteries,” Janelle London, co-executive director of the pro-EV nonprofit Coltura, told me.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/the-senates-bipartisan-push-for-ev-battery-recycling/
     
         
      Revealed: Huge gas flaring emissions never reported Thu, 29th Sep 2022 10:42:00
     
      Major oil companies are not declaring a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, a BBC News investigation has revealed. The BBC found millions of tonnes of undeclared emissions from gas flaring at oil fields where BP, Eni, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell work. Flaring of natural gas is the "wasteful" burning of excess gas released during oil production. The companies said their reporting method was standard industry practice. Flared gases emit a potent mix of carbon dioxide, methane and black soot which pollute the air and accelerate global warming. The BBC has also found high levels of potentially cancer-causing chemicals in Iraqi communities near oil fields where there is gas flaring. These fields have some of the highest levels of undeclared flaring in the world, according to our findings. In response, David Boyd, UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, compared these communities to "modern sacrifice zones, areas where profit and private interests are prioritised over human health, human rights and the environment". Under Poisoned Skies The deadly impact of the oil giants' toxic air pollution on children and the planet is revealed in this BBC News Arabic investigation from the front line of climate change in Iraq. The documentary is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK only) and is also being broadcast on BBC World News at 08:10 GMT on Saturday 1 October. BBC iPlayer Companies have long recognised the need to eliminate all but emergency flaring. BP, Eni, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell are committed to a 2015 World Bank pledge to declare and end routine flaring by 2030 - in Shell's case by 2025. But the companies say that where they have contracted with another company to run day-to-day operations, it is that other firm's responsibility to declare flaring emissions. Such fields are a major part of oil production - accounting for 50% of these five companies' portfolios, on average. However, through months of analysis the BBC found dozens of oil fields where these operators are not declaring the emissions either, meaning no-one is. Using World Bank flare-tracking satellite data, we were able to identify the emissions from each of these sites. We estimate that in 2021, almost 20 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent went unreported from these flares. That is equal to the greenhouse gas emissions 4.4 million cars would produce in a year. In response, all five firms said that the approach to reporting emissions only from the sites they directly operate was standard industry practice. Shell and Eni additionally said that they do give an overall emissions figure which includes flaring from non-operated sites, but said this is not broken down or included in their World Bank pledge to cut emissions. A BBC News Arabic investigation indicates that flaring increases the risk of some cancers for people living near oil fields in Iraq. People living in some of the world's biggest oil fields in Basra, south-east Iraq - Rumaila, West Qurna, Zubair and Nahran Omar - have long suspected that childhood leukaemia is on the increase, and that flaring is behind it. n the Basra region, new cases of all types of cancer rose by 20% between 2015 and 2018, according to a leaked Iraq Health Ministry report seen by BBC News Arabic. It blames air pollution. BP and Eni are the lead contractors at Rumaila and Zubair oil fields respectively, but as they are not the operators they do not declare the emissions. Neither do the sites' operators. BBC News Arabic worked with environment and health experts near the four sites in 2021 to test for cancer-causing chemicals associated with flaring over two weeks. The air tests indicated levels of benzene, linked to leukaemia and other blood disorders, reached or exceeded Iraq's national limit in at least four places. Urine samples we collected from 52 children indicated that 70% had elevated levels of 2-Naphthol, a form of the possibly cancer-causing substance naphthalene. Dr Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, professor of childhood cancer at Columbia University, said: "The children have strikingly high levels … this is concerning for [their] health and suggests they should be monitored closely." When she was 11, Fatima Falah Najem was diagnosed with a type of blood and bone cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Exposure to benzene can increase the risk of people developing this condition. Fatima lived with her parents and six siblings near Zubair oil field, where Eni is the lead contractor. Neither Eni nor Zubair's operating company declare flaring emissions there. For health reasons, Iraqi law prohibits flaring within six miles (10 km) of people's homes. But the flares in Zubair blaze almost continuously, just 1.6 miles from the family's front door. Fatima drew the "fiery flames" that surrounded her home, during her chemotherapy treatment. She told us she enjoyed watching them at night, and came to normalise them. But for her father, watching her get sick was "like being on fire without being able to extinguish it". Fatima died last November as her family desperately sought a bone marrow transplant. She was 13. Asked for a response, Eni said it "strongly rejects any allegation that its own activities are endangering the health of the Iraqi people". Eni said that it does not contractually have responsibility for flaring in Zubair. Rumaila oil field, 25 miles away, flares more gas than any other site in the world, according to BBC calculations - enough to power nearly three million UK homes a year. BP is the lead contractor - it helped establish and now supervises the operator, Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO). Neither declares any flaring from the oil field. ROO's operating standards, which BP signed, say: "Those who are impacted by pollution levels that exceed national limits are legally entitled to compensation." But Ali Hussein Julood, a 19-year-old leukaemia survivor, says that he and his father were met with silence when they sought compensation from BP in 2020 and 2021. BP said: "We are extremely concerned by the issues raised by the BBC - we will immediately review those concerns." On the leaked report on cancer in the Basra area, Iraq's Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail told us: "We instructed all the contracted companies operating in the oil fields to uphold international standards." If all the natural gas flared globally were captured and used it could replace more than nine-tenths of Europe's gas imports from Russia, based on figures from the International Energy Agency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62917498
     
         
      AGL will close Victoria’s coal-fired power station Loy Yang A a decade early Wed, 28th Sep 2022 22:35:00
     
      Energy company accelerates its exit from coal, although timeline for closure of Bayswater in the NSW Hunter Valley remains unchanged AGL Energy will shut down Australia’s biggest single carbon polluting power plant a decade earlier than planned, changing the closure date of its coal-fired Loy Yang A power station in Victoria from 2045 to 2035. The company, Australia’s biggest electricity generator and polluter, is accelerating its exit from coal, according to a plan released to the stock exchange on Thursday. The strategy details its transition to renewable energy after opposition from its largest shareholder, billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, forced it in May to ditch plans to demerge. The company will leave unchanged the plan to shut its Bayswater black coal-fired power station in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley between 2030 and 2033, a statement by AGL to the stock exchange on Thursday showed. AGL predicted it will have the largest portfolio of renewable energy and storage of any listed company in the country. The early closure of Loy Yang A could avoid 200m tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, the company said. “We have the ambition to supply up to 12 gigawatts of renewable and firming capacity up to 2036 to meet our customer demand, estimated to require up to a $20bn investment,” Patricia McKenzie, the new AGL chair, said in the statement. “Our interim target is to have up to 5GW of new renewables and firming in place by 2030, funding from a combination of assets on AGL’s balance sheet, offtakes and via partnerships – with battery, wind and solar priority investments at this stage,” she said. Confirmation of the earlier closure of the 2,210-megawatt Loy Yang A in the Latrobe Valley comes days after the Victorian government announced ambitious plans to bring in more storage to the power system. Under the targets, Victoria would reach 2.6 gigawatts of renewable energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3GW by 2035 – enough to power about half of Victoria’s current homes at their peak energy usage. The Victorian plant supplies about 30% of the state’s electricity and is the biggest single carbon-polluting plant in the country. Nationally, only Origin Energy’s 2,880MW plant – due to shut in 2025 – is larger. AGL has already shut one of the four units of its Liddell coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley and will shut the rest of the 1,680MW plant by next April. Bayswater, at 2,640MW, will operate for another six to nine years after Liddell’s closure. Investors will be looking for how AGL plans to make up for the generation capacity loss with the closure of its three coal-fired power stations. New storage and renewable energy plants are expected to feature in the strategy. Through his family company, Grok Ventures, Cannon-Brookes released a statement on Wednesday afternoon naming four people he wants to join the five-member AGL board. The nominations, along with the recent appointment of renewable energy veteran Miles George as a board member, could give Cannon-Brookes effective control over the future of AGL if they are approved by other shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting planned for 15 November. Grok said the firm welcomed AGL’s strategic review and was “pleased with the board’s commitment to accelerate AGL’s coal plant closures and pivot to capture the major opportunity presented by the renewable energy transition”. “While this is a positive step in the right direction, as the largest emitter, and the leading energy company in Australia, AGL needs to assume a leadership position to achieve a Paris goal of below 1.5C,” a spokesperson said. However, to make sure the board does the right thing, Grok would continue to press for its four nominations to the board of five to be confirmed. “There is a monumental amount of work ahead to become a leading green ‘gentailer’,” the spokesperson said, referring to a generator and retailer. “To achieve this, the board must go further with its renewal – looking to fresh faces to provide a broader mix of skills, experience and capabilities around the table.” Cannon-Brookes, who holds about 11.3% of AGL’s stock and is the largest shareholder, has previously said he wanted AGL to be out of coal by 2035. According to data from the Clean Energy Regulator for 2019-20, the Loy Yang A power station emitted 16.68m tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent, with Bayswater’s pollution topping 14m tonnes CO2-equivalent, the two largest single polluting power plants in the country. Eraring’s emissions totalled 13.2m tonnes CO2-equivalent. All up, AGL contributed about 8% of Australia’s reported carbon emissions for that year, with slightly more than 3% coming from Loy Yang A alone. On Wednesday, Queensland said it would end its reliance on coal-fired power by 2035 under a 10-year $62bn energy plan to create a clean “super-grid” of solar, wind and hydroelectric power. “What a week for energy policy. It does not get bigger than this,” said Bruce Mountain, the head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre. Mountain said it looked like the Victorian government’s storage targets anticipated Loy Yang A’s closure and were consistent with what the Australian Energy Market Operator had modelled. “The big challenge here will be to build the circa 5GW of wind and 5GW of solar needed to fully decarbonise by 2035, which now seems to be the implicit target date,” Mountain said, referring to Victoria’s trajectory. “I don’t see technology or capital constraints,” he said. “The main challenge will be one of coordination and direction. “The foundations have been laid in VicGrid, the Solar Homes program, the Offshore Wind Target and now the Storage Target,” Mountain said. “The task now is to ensure that these are implemented.” The revised closure dates marked “a major step forward in Australia’s decarbonisation journey”, AGL’s interim CEO, Damien Nicks, said. It would also support the achievement of the Paris climate goals of keeping global heating to 1.5-2C. To get there, the company’s existing pipeline of 3.2 gigawatts of new renewables and firming including batteries and pumped hydro would be expanded to 5GW by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/29/agl-to-unveil-plan-to-close-coal-fired-power-station-loy-yang-a-a-decade-early
     
         
      Hydrogen has a vital role in low-carbon heating Wed, 28th Sep 2022 13:38:00
     
      It will be quick to repurpose the gas grid and decarbonise millions of properties, says Prof Gordon E Andrews Your article (Hydrogen is unsuitable for home heating, review concludes, 27 September) gives an erroneous view of green hydrogen’s role in reaching net zero carbon emissions. One of the alternatives favoured was heat pumps, which increase the demand for grid electricity. It is also impossible to retrofit the 24m properties heated by gas with heat pumps in a sensible timescale. Currently, 27,000 are installed every year and it will take 600 years to replace gas for heat. So heat pumps are not the solution. By repurposing the gas grid for green hydrogen, as detailed by Northern Gas Networks in the Leeds H21 study, all 24m properties connected to the gas grid can be decarbonised, and gas heating appliances have been developed for safe hydrogen operation. It would be funded through the gas network cost on gas bills, which would increase bills by 4.5%. The International Energy Agency in 2021 gave the cost of green hydrogen as 3p/kilowatt hour using solar electricity in 2030 – cheaper than the cost of natural gas today. The IEA and the government are right that hydrogen should be a major part of the road to net zero carbon, as it is the only way to decarbonise heating in the next 20 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/28/hydrogen-has-a-vital-role-in-low-carbon-heating
     
         
      EDF considers extending life of two UK nuclear plants due to energy crisis Wed, 28th Sep 2022 13:33:00
     
      Hartlepool and Heysham 1, operational for four decades, are due to close in 2024 but EDF says that is under review France’s EDF is considering extending the life of two British nuclear power plants due to the severity of the energy crisis. EDF said on Wednesday that it would review whether there was a case to keep open the Hartlepool nuclear power plant in County Durham and Heysham 1 on the north-west coast of England near Lancaster. Both plants had been scheduled to close in March 2024. EDF operates all of Britain’s eight nuclear power plants, five of which are still providing power to the grid, about 13% of the UK’s electricity. The entire fleet is due to shut by 2028 apart from Sizewell B, which will close in 2035. When EDF took over the nuclear fleet in 2009, Heysham 1 and Hartlepool were due to run until 2014. After technical reviews, that was extended to 2019 and then, in 2016, a further five-year extension was approved after further reviews. Sources said any extra lifespan for the stations was likely to be far shorter than previous extensions. The stations – which produce 2.2 gigawatts of power, enough to power 3.5m homes – have been operational for four decades. EDF said it had decided to launch the review “in light of the severity of the energy crisis and the results of recent graphite inspections” and said an extension would “depend on the results of graphite inspections over the coming months”. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked turmoil in energy markets and sent gas and electricity prices soaring. It has also caused an international dash for gas supplies and raised concerns over potential blackouts this winter. The government has moved to shore up winter energy supplies, signing deals to keep coal-fired power stations in Yorkshire and the east Midlands on standby including EDF’s West Burton A plant in Nottinghamshire. Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, said: “The government has had no option but to keep these plants on longer term. It underlines that we need a long-term plan for energy generation. We’re a decade late on nuclear and if we don’t move fast enough we will miss the boat on other fuels, like hydrogen. The government needs to give people the confidence to invest.” Some power-generation companies, including those on nuclear, old solar and windfarm contracts have landed an unexpected windfall from the jump in electricity prices while their costs have not risen, triggering calls for a windfall tax. EDF said its nuclear fleet would generate 42 terawatt hours of power in 2022. It said that, because it had sold its output in advance, it had delivered at “well below current wholesale prices”. The Guardian revealed earlier this month that Centrica, which owns a 20% stake in the nuclear fleet alongside EDF, wants to renegotiate its electricity-generation contracts. Tom Burke, co-founder of the green thinktank E3G, said: “In the current climate it makes a lot of sense [to extend the plants’ lifespans]. The question is mainly about the cost: is the extra time you’re buying worth the cost of keeping it safe? The Office for Nuclear Regulation are not going to play fast and loose with safety so then it depends on the spend. With electricity prices where they are now it probably does make sense.” EDF said it plans to invest £1bn in the nuclear fleet from 2023 to 2025. The debt-laden company, which is being fully nationalised by the French government, is developing the delayed and over-budget Hinkley Point C project in Somerset. It is also behind plans for a sister station, Sizewell C, in Suffolk, which was given the green light in the final days of Boris Johnson’s premiership. Tom Greatrex, the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “Getting the most out of our existing nuclear stations is vital to ensuring Britain has a secure supply of power going forward.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/28/edf-considers-extending-life-of-two-uk-nuclear-plants-due-to-energy-crisis-hartlepool-heysham
     
         
      Hurricane Ian: One million without power as storm lashes Cuba Wed, 28th Sep 2022 0:47:00
     
      Around one million people have been left without power and one person has been killed after Hurricane Ian lashed Cuba. Cuba-focused media outlets have also reported damaged buildings across the country. The category three hurricane, packing wind speeds of up to 195km/h (120mph), is now heading for Florida and is expected to strengthen. Parts of Florida have not faced such an intense hurricane in about a century. As of 21:00 GMT on Tuesday, the hurricane was growing stronger in the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico and moving north at 10mph, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports. The storm is expected to pass over the Florida Keys on Tuesday night before approaching Florida's west coast on Wednesday. Florida fears catastrophic flooding as hurricane nears How to prepare for a hurricane The NHC said in its bulletin that Ian could be a category four hurricane by that point, with wind speeds topping 130mph. Over two million people in Florida are under evacuation orders. In Cuba, forecasters had warned that some regions could see up to 30cm (12in) of rain from Hurricane Ian. Mayelin Suarez, a resident of Pinar del Rio, called the night the storm hit "the darkest of her life". "We almost lost the roof off our house," she told Reuters. "My daughter, my husband and I tied it down with a rope to keep it from flying away." Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel visited the area and vowed that the province would rise "above adversity", the Cuban presidency tweeted. A 43-year-old woman in the province was killed after the walls of her home collapsed. Cuban authorities declared emergencies in six areas, with forecasters warning of storm surges on the coast, along with flash floods and mudslides. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned in a news conference on Tuesday that the storm is "the real deal". The governor declared a state of emergency for all of Florida over the weekend and has activated 5,000 National Guard troops to assist with relief efforts. Along Florida's Tampa Bay coast, grocery store shelves were quickly cleared of basic necessities and there were long queues at gas stations. The Tampa area could receive its first direct hit from a hurricane since 1921, officials say, and might see 3m (10ft) of storm surge along the coast. Local officials in Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are distributing free sandbags to help residents protect their homes from flooding. Meteorologists have said flash flooding is possible by Tuesday in the Florida peninsula and Florida Keys as the hurricane approaches. The White House has also made its own emergency declaration, which will help federal and state officials co-ordinate disaster relief and assistance. Federal officials are pre-positioning millions of meals and litres of water in Florida and neighbouring Alabama. President Joe Biden, who had postponed a trip to Florida on Tuesday, told reporters at the White House that his office is "on alert and in action" to help Florida. The Caribbean is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Fiona, which tore through the region last week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63036617
     
         
      Nord Stream: Ukraine accuses Russia of pipeline terror attack Tue, 27th Sep 2022 20:50:00
     
      Ukraine has accused Russia of causing leaks in two major gas pipelines to Europe in what it described as a "terrorist attack". Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said the damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2 was "an act of aggression" towards the EU. He added that Russia wanted to cause pre-winter panic and urged the EU to increase military support for Ukraine. Seismologists reported underwater blasts before the leaks emerged. "There is no doubt that these were explosions," said Bjorn Lund of Sweden's National Seismology Centre, as quoted by local media. The operators of Nord Stream 2 warned of a loss of pressure in the pipeline on Monday afternoon. That led to a warning from Danish authorities that ships should avoid the area near the island of Bornholm. The operator of Nord Stream 1 said the undersea lines had simultaneously sustained "unprecedented" damage in one day. Denmark's Defence Command has released footage of the leaks which shows bubbles at the surface of the Baltic Sea near the island. The largest patch of sea disturbance is 1km (0.6 miles) in diameter, it says. "Gas leak from NS-1 [Nord Stream 1] is nothing more than a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards the EU. Russia wants to destabilise the economic situation in Europe and cause pre-winter panic," Ukraine's Mr Podolyak tweeted in English. He also called on European partners, particularly Germany, to increase military support for Ukraine. "The best response and security investment are tanks for Ukraine. Especially German ones," he said. Other European leaders have raised the idea that the damage to the pipelines was deliberately inflicted. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki blamed it on sabotage and said it was probably linked to the war in Ukraine. Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said it was too early to come to conclusions, but that it was hard to imagine the multiple leaks could be a coincidence. At the same time, unconfirmed reports in German media said authorities were not ruling out an attack on the undersea gas network. A Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said he was "extremely concerned" about the incident, and the possibility of a deliberate attack could not be ruled out. The EU has previously accused Russia of using a reduction in gas supplies as an economic weapon, in response to European sanctions imposed because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, Moscow denies this, saying the sanctions have made it impossible to maintain the gas infrastructure properly. Whatever the cause of the damage, it will not immediately affect the supply of gas to Europe, as neither pipeline was operational. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline - which consists of two parallel branches - has not transported any gas since August when Russia closed it down for maintenance. It stretches 745 miles (1,200km) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany. Its twin pipeline, Nord Stream 2, was halted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Although neither pipeline is in operation, they both still contain gas. German, Danish and Swedish authorities are all investigating the incidents. How can the world cope without Russia's oil and gas? How Russia is cutting gas supplies to Europe The Danish energy authority told the Reuters news agency that the leak could continue for several days and perhaps even a week. The pipeline's operators - Nord Stream AG - said it was impossible to estimate when the system's infrastructure would be restored. Energy prices have soared since Moscow invaded Ukraine and scarce supplies could push up costs even further. There are growing fears that families in the EU will be unable to afford the cost of heating this winter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63044747
     
         
      Germany delays exit from nuclear power to offset energy shortfall Tue, 27th Sep 2022 20:14:00
     
      Two nuclear plants’ lives extended as country copes with loss of Russian gas and shortage of French electricity Germany’s planned exit from nuclear power by the end of this year has been officially delayed in order to shore up energy supplies during an expected shortfall this winter, the economic minister, Robert Habeck, announced on Tuesday. The decision follows a shortage in supplies of electricity coming from France due to the fact that more than half of its nuclear power stations are offline, Habeck told journalists in Berlin. He said that the resulting gap in electricity supplies was being “observed with concern”, with Europe’s energy network in danger of being put under too much strain, potentially leading to power cuts. The electricity that Germany is not able to acquire from France is being compensated for with electricity produced by gas-fired power stations in Germany. But this in turn involves using up valuable supplies of gas that Germany is trying to save before winter arrives. Germany’s three remaining nuclear power stations were due to be turned off at the end of this year, the end of an 11-year process. The decision to withdraw from nuclear power was made by the government of Angela Merkel after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. Habeck had long resisted calls for the power plants in southern Germany – Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 – to be extended as Germany coped with the effect of Russia slowing down, and then turning off completely, its gas supply via the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 earlier this month. But his arguments against keeping the plants in operation became increasingly difficult to defend. A majority of Germans, despite being in favour of moving away from nuclear power, has said it is in favour of extending the plants’ use temporarily. Habeck had announced earlier this month that the plants would be put into a standby mode but would effectively stay offline unless needed. His decision amounts to an awkward U-turn, though Habeck said it was a reaction to the current situation, including what he called an escalation of the situation in Russia, “which is developing fairly dramatically”, and that he was resistant to populist demands. Habeck said that the necessary changes to the law covering the extension of the plants would be voted on in the Bundestag at the end of next month. Reacting to security concerns, and whether nuclear plants may be open to hacking attacks and terrorist threats, Habeck said the government was well aware of the concerns and was “doing its utmost” to secure them. German and Danish authorities were examining evidence on Tuesday suggesting that the Nord Stream pipelines 1 and 2 may have been deliberately damaged on Monday night in an act of sabotage, after dramatic drops of pressure in them and evidence of gas leaking into the Baltic Sea with possible explosions. Fingers have inevitably been pointed at Russia as a possible culprit. The incident has heightened concerns over the vulnerability of energy infrastructure in Europe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/27/germany-delays-exit-from-nuclear-power-to-offset-energy-shortfall
     
         
      Climate campaigner ejected from Labour event sponsored by Drax power plant firm Tue, 27th Sep 2022 13:15:00
     
      Activists interrupt party conference debate to criticise company’s wood-burning biomass operations An environmental campaigner has been ejected from an event sponsored by the power station operator Drax at the Labour party conference after criticising the company’s use of biomass. The owner of the North Yorkshire power station sponsored a debate on Tuesday on Britain’s net zero climate goals on the fringes of the political party’s conference in Liverpool. The company’s group director of corporate affairs, Clare Harbord, was on the panel. Climate campaigners have accused Drax of greenwashing and argue that its biomass operations, which burn wood to produce electricity, are far from green and can even increase the CO2 emissions driving the climate crisis. The talk in Liverpool was titled “Reaching net zero: how can the UK boost energy security and invest in green jobs?” Several campaigners interrupted the discussion to question Drax’s green credentials. One woman was forcibly removed from the room while she said: “How can you talk about net zero and green jobs as the UK’s biggest carbon emitter and the world’s biggest tree burner?” Another said: “As the largest carbon emitter in the UK, how can you talk about net zero and green jobs when you’re responsible for the destruction of forests around the world?” Drax was accused of being part of a “culture of spin for climate criminals” by another audience member, who said: “How dare you be here, it’s a disgrace.” The incident happened a day after the Guardian reported that the UK government had been accused of funding environmental racism by giving £2m a day in subsidies to an energy company that has paid out millions over claims it breached pollution limits in the US. Drax denies it committed any violations at its Louisiana plants, after agreeing to the settlements without accepting liability. An investigation by Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative unit, found Drax Biomass paid millions of dollars to US regulators over claims it exceeded limits on chemicals emissions at wood chip plants close to black and low-income communities. One person at the Liverpool event referenced the report and said: “All you are doing is pushing this so you keep on burning trees and polluting communities. You’re polluting communities in southern America, in southern US … these are poor, mostly communities of colour and you are polluting them.” The panel was originally due to include Alan Whitehead, the shadow minister for the green new deal and energy, but the shadow business and industry minister Bill Esterson attended instead. Drax argues that its biomass is made from sawmill residues and low-grade wood left behind when forests are harvested for wood used in other sectors such as construction. A Drax spokesperson said: “A very small number of people attending the event tried to disrupt the discussion and were unwilling to listen to the views of the panellists who were in agreement that in order to reach net zero the world needs to use a range of energy solutions including wind, solar, biomass and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. “Climate change is the biggest challenge this generation faces. Over the last decade Drax has reduced its carbon emissions from fossil fuels by almost 100% using sustainable biomass.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/27/climate-campaigner-ejected-from-labour-event-sponsored-by-drax-power-plant-firm
     
         
      UN urges investment in clean, sustainable tourism, as numbers bounce back Tue, 27th Sep 2022 13:09:00
     
      International tourism is showing strong signs of recovery, with tourist numbers rising to 57 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. On World Tourism Day, marked on Tuesday, the UN is calling for a major global rethink of the sector, to ensure that tourism is sustainable, and benefits local communities. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released encouraging news on Monday, with its latest World Tourism Barometer, which shows that international tourism arrivals almost tripled in the first seven months of 2022 (compared to the same period in 2021). Cautious optimism The agency’s Panel of Tourism Experts expressed cautious confidence for the rest of year, and into 2023, despite the uncertain economic environment: increasing interest rates, rising energy and food prices, and the growing prospects of a global recession, continue to pose major threats to the sector. In a message released to mark the Day, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, hailed tourism’s ability to drive sustainable development, and called for more investment in clean and sustainable tourism, the creation of decent jobs, and for measures to ensure that profits benefit host countries and local communities. Go green to survive “Governments, businesses and consumers must align their tourism practices with the Sustainable Development Goals and a 1.5 degree future”, said Mr. Guterres, referring to international agreements aimed at keeping global warming in check. “The very survival of this industry, and many tourist destinations, such as Small Island Developing States, depends on it.” “The restart of tourism everywhere brings hope,” declared Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General, in his address at the opening of the official celebrations organized for the Day, in the Indonesian resort city of Bali. Mr. Pololikashvili described tourism, which employs around 10 per cent of the global workforce, as the “ultimate cross-cutting and people-to-people sector, which touches on almost everything we do.” Report card To mark the day, UNWTO launched its first World Tourism Day Report, the first in an annual series of updates and analysis of the Organization’s work guiding the sector forward. The report contains updates on the agency’s activities in key areas including gender equality, sustainability and climate action, tourism governance and investments and innovation. Representatives of the G20 group of the world’s leading economies, including tourism ministers, will meet in Bali in November. Ahead of the event, UNWTO has produced a set of guidelines for ministers, to enable them to support resilient and sustainable tourist businesses, which take into account human capital, innovation, youth and women empowerment, and climate action. Ensure zero-tolerance for sexual exploitation: UN rights expert An independent UN rights expert released a statement ahead of the Day, to call for Governments to ensure that the tourism industry is free from child forced labour, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Mama Fatima Singhateh, UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, warned that the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and socioeconomic setbacks have caused enormous strains on child protection systems. This, she said, has made children more vulnerable to sale, trafficking and sexual exploitation in the context of travel and tourism, especially in countries that have traditionally relied on the income generated from travel and tourism.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1128141
     
         
      Typhoon Noru: Five rescuers dead as typhoon hits Philippines Tue, 27th Sep 2022 9:03:00
     
      Five rescue workers in the Philippines have been killed in a typhoon that has left homes flooded and millions without electricity. They were washed away in flash floods while carrying out operations in the district of San Miguel, north of the capital Manila. The district was among those hit hard by Typhoon Noru, with some residents seen stranded on their roofs, while others waded through chest-high garbage strewn waters, attempting to pass on supplies. The typhoon caused gusts of up to 240km/h (149mph) on Luzon, where more than half of the country's 110 million population live. Noru, known locally as Karding, first made landfall as a super typhoon, but later weakened at 20:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Sunday. It is expected to leave the Philippines by Monday evening. In San Vincente, a village in San Miguel, one man was seen futilely trying to brush water away from his door. Another, standing on top of the rooftop of her home, shouted that the country's leaders needed to "focus on climate change". Floods in the village peaked at around 04:00 in the morning, and waters are said to be receding. More than 74,000 people had been evacuated from the typhoon's path, and officials had earlier issued warnings of "serious flooding" in areas of the capital, Manila. But so far there have been no reports of severe damage or widespread loss of life. "I think we may have gotten lucky, at least this time," said Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos during a briefing on Monday. "I think it's clear from what we did these last two days is that, very, very important, is preparation," he added. "It's not yet over. I think the point when we can stand down is when the majority of evacuees are already back in their homes," he said. Mr Marcos has ordered that supplies be airlifted and clean-up equipment provided to communities that have been most affected. In Quezon Province, east of Manila, fishermen had earlier been prevented from heading to sea, and there were reports of some areas being without power. Flights and ferry services have been cancelled. On Luzon, President Marcos suspended all government work and school classes were also cancelled. In Dingalan municipality, northeast of Manila and on the Pacific coast, residents were forced to seek shelter. Trading on the country's stock exchange will also be suspended on Monday and Mr Marcos warned that the energy ministry had placed on high alert all energy-related industries in the county. Thousands of volunteers are monitoring river levels, bridges and mountains for landslides which could hamper rescue efforts, said Dick Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross. Information will be crucial in getting help to where it is needed, he said. The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is highly vulnerable to storms. It sees an annual average of 20 tropical storms. An estimated 400 people died when Typhoon Rai hit the country in December 2021, with rescue teams describing scenes of "complete carnage". And in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, killed some 6,300 people.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63023891
     
         
      Huge expansion of oil pipelines endangering climate, says report Tue, 27th Sep 2022 5:00:00
     
      More than 24,000km of pipelines planned around world, showing ‘an almost deliberate failure to meet climate goals’ More than 24,000km of new oil pipelines are under development around the world, a distance equivalent to almost twice the Earth’s diameter, a report has revealed. The projects, led by the US, Russia, China and India, are “dramatically at odds with plans to limit global warming to 1.5C or 2C”, the researchers said. The oil pumped through the pipelines would produce at least 5bn tonnes of CO2 a year if completed, equivalent to the emissions of the US, the world’s second largest polluter. About 40% of the pipelines are already under construction, with the rest in planning. Global carbon emissions must drop by 50% by 2030 to keep on track with internationally agreed targets for limiting global heating. The developers of the 10,000km of pipelines in construction stand to lose up to $75bn (£70bn) if action on the climate crisis prevents the new pipelines being fully used, according to the analysts at Global Energy Monitor (GEM) who produced the report. Russia, which is facing oil and gas boycotts from the west over the war in Ukraine and wants to increase exports to India and China, is developing 2,000km of new pipelines. Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa is leading the world in pipeline development, with 2,000km of oil pipelines already under construction and an additional 4,500km proposed. The projects include the controversial East African crude oil pipeline, which will transport oil drilled from a national park in Uganda to an export terminal on the coast of Tanzania. “For governments endorsing these new pipelines, the report shows an almost deliberate failure to meet climate goals,” said Baird Langenbrunner at GEM. “Despite climate targets threatening to render fossil fuel infrastructure as stranded assets, the world’s biggest consumers of fossil fuels, led by the US and China, are doubling down on oil pipeline expansion.” The oil industry enjoyed record profits in the last year, the report said, and “is using this moment of chaos and crisis to push ahead with massive expansions of oil pipeline networks”. The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, told world leaders gathered in New York on Wednesday: “The fossil fuel industry is killing us, and leaders are out of step with their people, who are crying out for urgent climate action.” The Guardian revealed in May that the world’s biggest fossil fuel firms are planning scores of “carbon bomb” oil and gas projects that would drive the climate past the temperature targets with catastrophic global impacts. In May 2021, the International Energy Agency said new oil and gas fields were incompatible with the world remaining within relatively safe limits of global heating. The new report found that the length of pipeline in construction has more than doubled compared with GEM’s assessment in 2019, while the length of proposed pipeline has roughly halved. The US is the world leader for pipelines in development. “A major push to increase crude oil export capacity out of the Permian basin [in Texas and New Mexico] along the Gulf coast is arguably a make-or-break moment for the industry, which is gradually losing its social licence to build new projects as the impacts of the climate crisis become more severe,” the report said. India is the leader for pipelines under construction, including the 1,630km Paradip Numaligarh crude pipeline in the north-east of the country, which is expected to come online in late 2024. Russia is aiming to expand its oil exports along the Northern Sea Route, which is becoming more accessible as global heating melts Arctic sea ice. The proposed Vostok oil pipeline is 1,600km long. Data on the capacity of the new pipelines was only available for two-thirds of the pipelines in the report, but these would carry 30bn barrels a day for decades if they continued operating to the end of their typical lifetimes. When burned, this oil would produce 4.6bn tonnes of CO2 annually. The GEM analysis did not include projects that had failed to advance its development in the last two years, classifying these separately as shelved.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/27/huge-expansion-oil-pipelines-endangering-climate-says-report
     
         
      More than half of the world's palm trees in danger Tue, 27th Sep 2022 4:57:00
     
      More than a thousand species of palm tree are at risk of extinction, according to a study. Scientists used artificial intelligence to assess risks to the entire palm family, from tall trees to climbing plants. The data gives a much better idea of how many, and which, palm species are under threat. Palms are a huge plant family that provide millions of people with food, drink and shelter. "We need to do all we can to protect biodiversity and that encompasses more than a thousand palm species that we now know may be threatened," said study leader, Dr Sidonie Bellot of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. She said action was needed to conserve plants on the ground and to collect more data on them, which cannot be done without the people who live in the regions where palms grow and who use the palms daily. Palm trees have a host of uses, including as staple crops such as coconut, palm oil or dates, or in the making of furniture, rubber, oil and ropes. Scientists are concerned about extinction risks to lesser-known wild relatives of popular ornamental or commercially grown palms. They say wild plants are invaluable to local people, but could vanish even before their full potential is known. Official assessments of extinction risk are time-consuming and costly, prompting the Kew-led team to investigate machine learning as a tool. Their data suggests more than a thousand species - just over 50% of palms - are threatened with extinction. "With these predictions we can help to prioritise conservation activity and to target species with further conservation work in the countries where they are most at risk," said Dr Steven Bachman, research leader in Kew's conservation assessment and analysis team. The team has designated Madagascar, New Guinea, the Philippines, Hawaii, Borneo, Jamaica, Vietnam, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Sulawesi as priority regions for palm conservation. Palms are the most iconic plant group in the tropics and one of the most useful too, added Dr Rodrigo Cámara-Leret of the University of Zurich, who worked on the study. The study gives a much better idea of how many, and which, palm species are under threat, he said. Palms are among the most economically important of all plant families, with hundreds of wild species supporting millions of people across the world. They provide building materials for homes and tools, as well as food and medicine for hundreds of communities across the tropics.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63038597
     
         
      Australia urged to adopt 75% emissions reduction target by 2035 if it is to reach net zero Tue, 27th Sep 2022 4:12:00
     
      Investor Group on Climate Change says clear price on carbon needed and removal of all fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 Australia needs an ambitious 75% emissions reduction target by 2035, a clear price on carbon, and to remove all fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 in order to unlock the investment needed to reach net zero by 2050, according to a new report. The Investor Group on Climate Change has released its policy priorities report for 2022-2025, outlining key areas for reform that would align Australia’s emissions target to the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5C and ensure the country was able to manage an “orderly” retreat from coal. Arguing that there are billions of dollars in capital that could be unlocked for the transition to renewables by government policy settings, the report also warns that ongoing delay on ambitious climate action will lead to a “disorderly and more costly transition to net zero emissions”. The Investor Group on Climate Change represents investors in Australia and New Zealand who are focused on the effect of the climate crisis on the financial value of investments. Among its members are institutional investors with funds under management worth more than $3tn. The IGCC says it has identified more than $131bn in “credible opportunities” to deploy capital into climate-positive investments. The report calls on the government to align policy with the government’s commitment under the Paris agreement to limit global warming to 1.5C, calling for a beefing up of the safeguard mechanism, an “emissions reduction incentive” across the electricity market, and targeted policies to build demand for near-zero emission technology. Describing Australia’s 2035 target as “very important to investors”, the report advocates a nationally determined contribution of a 75% emissions reduction on 2005 levels by 2035, a dramatic increase to the 43% target set by the Albanese government for 2030. The report says the government must ensure its revamp of the safeguard mechanism – which acts as an effective carbon price – does not shield industries that will decline in a net zero economy, such as coal and gas. “Clear and transparent carbon pricing sends market signals, accurately prices the cost and impact of emissions, and incentivises behavioural change and investment flows into lower and zero emissions solutions,” the report says. “The more carbon is explicitly priced, the more investment will flow to new zero emissions technologies.” The IGCC chief executive, Rebecca Mikula Wright, said the report underlined the fact that institutional investors had the capital to finance a clean energy economy. “Many governments, businesses and investors have already committed to achieving net zero emissions,” she said. “The biggest barrier to reaching these goals remains lack of stable policy that supports investment in zero carbon technologies, goods, and services.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/28/australia-urged-to-adopt-75-emissions-reduction-target-by-2035-if-it-is-to-reach-net-zero
     
         
      France announces €45bn effort to shield country from energy cost increases Mon, 26th Sep 2022 15:55:00
     
      Finance minister says energy price rises to be capped at 15% as he outlines key elements of budget bill The French government plans to spend €45bn shielding households and businesses from energy price shocks in a budget focused on bringing down inflation. The finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said the increase in the cost of gas and electricity would be capped at 15% from January. Gas and electricity price rises are currently capped at 4% until the end of the year in what is known as the bouclier tarifaire (tariff shield). Outlining key elements of his 2023 budget bill on Monday, Le Maire said it was financed “down to the last euro” and the government’s No 1 priority was fighting inflation at a time of unprecedented uncertainty due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. “The most important and the most urgent challenge for France and other European nations is to bring down the inflation pressure,” the minister told journalists on Monday. “We don’t want to increase taxes and we want to protect households,” he added. Special levies on energy companies were expected to reduce the net cost to the country of the price cap from €45bn to €12bn. Le Maire said €3bn would be set aside to help French companies threatened by soaring energy prices particularly those “exposed to international competition”. The French state is the majority shareholder in EDF, the country’s largest electricity supplier – it is engaged in taking full control of the company – and has a majority shareholding in Engie (formerly Gaz de France). In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, the public accounts minister, Gabriel Attal, said the fuel price cap would “block the rise in gas and electricity bills at 15% instead of 120%”. Without this year’s 4% price cap, based on prices in November 2021 – three months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the ministry estimated French bills would have risen 60% for gas and 45% for electricity. “The budget we are presenting is [a] budget to protect,” Attal said. Income tax bands were also being increased next year by 5% to partially mitigate the effects of inflation, meaning someone earning €2,000 a month would be €200 better off, Attal added. The top tax bracket for anyone earning more than €169,000 will remain at 45%. Le Maire also announced pay increases for teachers as well as 10,000 new civil service jobs, including 2,000 new teachers, and the financing of 6,000 homes for refugees and asylum seekers. He said inflation was expected to remain at about 6% in the coming months before dropping to 4% in 2023. The government’s second priority was to maintain public spending to within 5% of the country’s output with the aim of reducing it to the EU’s limit of 3% of GDP by 2027, and to reduce the public debt – expected to rise to a record €270bn next year – from 2026, Le Maire added. Economic forecasts from earlier this month suggest growth in France’s economy will drop to 1% next year from 2.7% this year. However, the high council for public finance, an independent body, has said the government’s growth forecasts are optimistic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/26/france-budget-shield-energy-price-shocks
     
         
      Easyjet to stop offsetting CO2 emissions from December Mon, 26th Sep 2022 15:49:00
     
      Airline unveils ‘roadmap to net zero’ strategy focusing on sustainable fuel and more efficient planes EasyJet is to stop offsetting carbon emissions by its planes as it unveiled a “roadmap to net zero” emissions by 2050 including introducing hydrogen-powered jet engines. Other elements of easyJet’s new strategy include using sustainable aviation fuel, more fuel-efficient planes and carbon capture to reach the target. EasyJet insisted it was the most ambitious plan yet from an airline to tackle emissions, while it continued to partner with firms on exploring new technologies. The airline signed a three-year contract in late 2019 to offset all its CO2 emissions – a world first, and a move that was then said to be costing the airline about £25m a year, but it was regarded by some as greenwashing the environmental damage caused by its passenger jets. Last year, a joint investigation by the Guardian revealed that major airlines including easyJet were using unreliable “phantom” carbon credits to claim their flights were carbon neutral. Under the logic of offsetting, the CO2 emissions from flying are theoretically cancelled out by paying to stop emissions elsewhere, such as those from deforestation. EasyJet said it would no longer pay for offsets for bookings made after December. It has not disclosed the sums it eventually paid for the controversial offsets but said it “will not invest less” in making flying less polluting and more sustainable. In a launch event on Monday at easyJet’s Luton airport headquarters, its partner Rolls-Royce displayed a jet engine to be powered by hydrogen, and said it was “progressing fast towards hydrogen combustion ground tests”. EasyJet plans to curb CO2 emissions by 35% per kilometre by 2035 as part of its new roadmap, and said the steps it was taking had been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative. The most significant imminent reduction, of about 15% of current emissions, would come through fleet replacement of conventional kerosene-fuelled planes. EasyJet has ordered 168 more A320neos from Airbus, and the manufacturer will also retrofit the existing fleet with technology to optimise flight descent and fuel burn. The easyJet chief executive, Johan Lundgren, said that the plan had a “level of detail and granularity” that marked it out from similar aviation announcements – although the roadmap remained partially reliant on schemes such as airspace modernisation that require government action that had not been forthcoming in a decade. Lundgren added: “Since 2000, over a 20-year period, we have already reduced our carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre, by one-third, so this marks a significant acceleration in our decarbonisation. “Today we’re the first airline to outline an ambitious roadmap in which zero carbon emission technology plays a key role to take us to net zero emissions by 2050 and ultimately to zero carbon emission flying across our entire fleet.” The airline believes it can cut its own emissions by 78% by 2050, with carbon capture technology allowing it to reach net zero. Despite moving away from offsetting, Lundgren insisted that it had “been the right thing to do” but was “only ever an interim measure”. He added: “We’ve said all along that we want to transition to technologies that reduce our carbon intensity from our direct operation, that’s our key goal.” The Guardian investigation with Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative arm, found that the carbon credits were based on complicated and unreliable hypothetical calculations of avoided deforestation, which experts warned were not real emission reductions. The findings were fiercely criticised by Verra, the carbon offsetting standard that approved the credits. An easyJet spokesperson said the decision to move away from offsetting “was not related to the performance of our offsetting partners or quality of their projects or credits over which we have no concerns”. In another potential move towards zero-emission flight, the Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace announced on Monday that it had achieved the first hovering test flight of its VX4 prototype electric plane over the weekend. This article was amended on 27 September 2022. EasyJet plans to curb CO2 emissions by 35% per kilometre by 2035, not by 35% overall as an earlier version implied.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/26/easyjet-will-stop-offsetting-carbon-emissions-from-planes-roadmap-net-zero
     
         
      Google 'airbrushes' out emissions from flying, BBC reveals Mon, 26th Sep 2022 13:07:00
     
      The way Google calculates the climate impact of your flights has changed, the BBC has discovered. Flights now appear to have much less impact on the environment than before. That's because the world's biggest search engine has taken a key driver of global warming out of its online carbon flight calculator. "Google has airbrushed a huge chunk of the aviation industry's climate impacts from its pages" says Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist of Greenpeace. With Google hosting nine out of every 10 online searches, this could have wide repercussions for people's travel decisions. The company said it made the change following consultations with its "industry partners". It affects the carbon calculator embedded in the company's "Google Flights" search tool. If you have ever tried to find a flight on Google, you will have come across Google Flights. It appears towards the top of search results and allows you to scour the web for flights and fares. It also offers to calculate the emissions generated by your journey. Google says this feature is designed "to help you make more sustainable travel choices". Yet in July, Google decided to exclude all the global warming impacts of flying except CO2. Some experts say Google's calculations now represent just over half of the real impact on the climate of flights. "It now significantly understates the global impact of aviation on the climate", says Professor David Lee of Manchester Metropolitan University, the author of the most comprehensive scientific assessment of the contribution of air travel to global warming. Flying affects the climate in lots of ways in addition to the CO2 produced by burning aviation fuel. These include the creation of long thin clouds high up in the atmosphere - known as contrails - which trap heat radiated by the Earth, leading to a net warming effect on our planet. These additional warming impacts mean that although aviation is only responsible for around 2% of global CO2 emissions, the sector is actually responsible for around 3.5% of the warming caused by human activity. And it is a sector that is only going to get bigger. Since 2000 emissions have risen by 50%, and the industry is expected to grow by more than 4% every year for the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Google is open about its calculations for the tool - posting the methodology on a US software website called GitHub. The BBC was alerted to the fact that it had posted a note saying it was changing how it assesses the impact of aviation. It is a curious document. Google begins saying it has made the change following "recent discussions with academic and industry partners". It acknowledges these factors are "critical to include in the model" and cites the emphasis given to them in the latest report by the UN's climate science body, the IPCC. Google reiterated this point when approached by the BBC, saying it "strongly believes" that non-CO2 effects of aviation should be included in its calculations. Yet on Github Google says: "the details of how and when to include these factors requires more input from our stakeholders". The reason for this, Google said in reply to a request for comment, was that the company's priority was the "accuracy of the individual flight estimates" it provides to its consumers. It says it is working with academics to better understand how contrails and other warming impacts affect specific flights. Why do aircraft leave contrails in the sky? The UK government takes a different approach. It recommends companies reflect the additional impacts of flying by multiplying the CO2 emissions a flight generates by a factor of 1.9 - effectively doubling their impact. In its guidance to companies, the UK's Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy warns the value of this multiplier is "subject to significant uncertainty", but says "there is currently no better way of taking these effects into account". Transport and Environment, a group campaigning to reduce the environmental impact of travel, agrees. "Current scientific knowledge is sufficient to state that non-CO2 effects represent two thirds of the total climate impact of aviation", it says. "The industry has hidden this problem for decades... Google should show customers the non-CO2 effects for each flight, as the European Parliament has proposed to do." Google's changes are likely to have far-reaching effects. The company's carbon calculation methodology is widely recognised as the industry standard in aviation. It is used by Skyscanner, one of the biggest online travel agencies in the world with more than 100 million visitors a month. A number of other major online travel businesses including Booking.com, Expedia, Tripadvisor and Visa have said they intend to use it too. Google's chief sustainability officer, Kate Brandt, has said the company aims to "build tools that enable travellers and business around the world to prioritise sustainability". Industry experts say the decision to change its methodology will have the opposite effect. "I worry the impact of the equivalent of hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO2 will be ignored because it has become invisible to customers," says Kit Brennan, a founder of Thrust Carbon, a UK company specialising in helping businesses reduce the effect their travel has on the climate. He fears consumers could come to believe that non-CO2 impacts on the climate are not relevant in the longer-term, despite the science that contradicts this view. That would mean up to 1.5% of the warming caused by human activity would be being ignored and the pressure on airlines to reduce their emissions would be cut accordingly. Update 26 September 2022: The graphic "How Google's calculations have changed" was updated after Google provided the BBC with more information as to how it calculated emissions from flights before the change to its tool.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62664981
     
         
      UK accused of funding environmental racism with subsidies to Drax Mon, 26th Sep 2022 6:00:00
     
      The power station has paid out millions over alleged overpollution in US south, investigation finds The UK government has been accused of funding environmental racism by giving £2m a day in subsidies to an energy company that has paid out millions over claims it breached pollution limits in the US south. An investigation by Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative unit, found Drax Biomass paid millions of dollars to US regulators over claims it exceeded limits on chemicals emissions at wood chip plants close to black and low-income communities. Among the charges faced by Drax was that it exceeded limits on emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a class of air pollutants linked to cancer, breathing difficulties and other health effects. “My message to the UK government is that you are subsidising environmental racism,” Katherine Egland, a director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), told Unearthed. “And I would send an invitation to the UK government to come to the US and go to some of these communities where these plants are operating. It is not a safe environment. It is very harmful to these communities.” Drax describes itself as the UK’s “largest source of renewable energy”. It operates three hydroelectric sites in Scotland, but its main operation is a wood-fired power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, which is one of the largest in Europe. To fuel its operations, and to tap into an increasing global market for biomass fuel, Drax operates an extensive North American supply chain, with 13 sites in the US and Canada producing 1.5m tonnes of compressed wood pellets a year. Late last month, according to documents discovered by Unearthed, Drax agreed to two settlements of $1.6m each with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to settle claims against two of its wood pellet plants in the state. The settlements related to claims dating back to 2019 in the small and mainly black Louisiana town of Bastrop, and a second plant in Urania. Drax was accused of exceeding emissions limits for VOCs, methanol, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Drax denies it committed any violations at its Louisiana plants, after agreeing to the settlements without accepting liability. It is not the first time that Drax has faced similar accusations. Last year it emerged that Drax had been fined $2.5m for air pollution violations in the neighbouring state of Mississippi. The sanction was issued in 2020 after the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) found that Drax’s Amite BioEnergy pellet plant, situated beside the community of Gloster, had exceeded VOC emission limits since 2016. MDEQ found Amite had been emitting an average of 795.58 tonnes of VOCs a year – more than three times its permitted limit of 249 tonnes a year and nearly five times the estimate of the plant’s emissions that Drax had initially given officials. Unearthed spoke to residents of Gloster, which is also majority black and with high rates of poverty, who said their health had suffered since Drax arrived in the town in 2014. Myrtis Woodward said she was using medical oxygen, a nebuliser, an inhaler and a nasal spray to treat asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis. “We started getting sick after they put that plant down there and we didn’t know where it was coming from,” Woodward said. “Sometimes I experience nose bleeding, and when I gargle … I spit blood out.” A Drax spokesperson said: “The safety of our people and residents of the communities in which we operate remains our top priority and we take our environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. We have worked with the LDEQ and invested in our pellet plants to ensure they comply with their environmental permits. “Through our operations in Louisiana and Mississippi, Drax supports more than 1,200 jobs and contributes $175m to the region’s economy. We continue to monitor and report our emissions to the state environment agency.” With its wood-fired power station estimated to provide 6% of the UK’s total electricity supply, Drax continues to receive strong support from the government, in spite of growing scepticism among scientists that woody biomass can be classified a source of green energy. In 2021 Drax received £893m – about £2.4m a day – in UK government green energy subsidies, according to analysis by Ember, a climate thinktank. Drax’s payouts over pollution claims have brought its UK taxpayer subsidies under increasing scrutiny. “It’s subsidising environmental racism, plain and simple. There are no two ways about it,” said Egland, who chairs the NAACP’s environmental and climate justice committee. “I want the UK to know there are human rights atrocities associated with the wood pellet trade in the US. And the UK is complicit.” A Government spokesperson said: “The UK government recognises that it is vital to ensure any negative impacts on the environment, including on air quality, from the use of biomass are fully understood and mitigated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/26/uk-accused-of-funding-environmental-racism-with-subsidies-to-drax
     
         
      Cattle rustlers kill at least 11 people during ambush in Kenya Mon, 26th Sep 2022 4:01:00
     
      At least 11 people have been killed by cattle rustlers during an ambush in northern Kenya, police said. Eight officers, two civilians and a local chief are said to be among the victims of the violence in Turkana County on Saturday. Members of the National Police Service were pursuing bandits who had earlier raided a village and stolen livestock. Clashes over livestock and water are common in the area, which is also facing a worsening climate. The area has been one of the hardest hit in one of the harshest droughts East Africa has seen in four decades. A fourth season of failed rains has resulted in large numbers of livestock dying and crops failing to grow. People are desperate for food and water, and the UN's World Food Programme said up to 20 million people in East Africa are at risk of severe hunger. Kenya's police called the attack a "criminal and cowardly ambush" on "innocent members of the public and police". Additional officers have been dispatched to the village in Turkana East to bolster security and continue the pursuit of those responsible, who they said are members of the Pokot ethnic group. It follows an incident last month in which at least seven people were burnt to death in the same county during a raid by suspected Pokot militiamen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63027210
     
         
      Hydrogen could ‘nearly double’ cost of heating a home compared with gas Mon, 26th Sep 2022 0:01:00
     
      Using hydrogen would add about 70% to home energy bills, according to a report by a renewable energy charity Ministers’ plans to pin the UK’s energy hopes on hydrogen could nearly double the cost of heating a home by the end of the decade compared with natural gas, research has shown. Using hydrogen for home heating could prove much a more expensive option than natural gas, according to the leading energy analysts Cornwall Insight. Between now and 2050, when the UK is legally bound to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, using hydrogen would add about 70% to home energy bills compared with using gas, according to the report, commissioned by renewable energy charity MCS Foundation. Jitendra Patel, senior consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “While hydrogen does have a part to play in the decarbonisation pathway, through for example use in the industrial sectors and in the use of surplus electricity, current and forecast costs all show it is simply uneconomical to use 100% hydrogen fuel for heating our homes.” Ministers are poised to allow hydrogen to be blended with fossil fuel gas in the UK’s gas networks, as a way of reducing carbon emissions from home heating. They are also considering a potential large-scale rollout of hydrogen to supply gas boilers in homes from 2026. In the mini-budget unveiled by the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, on Friday, there was a promise to boost five hydrogen infrastructure projects. Hydrogen supporters argue that the gas could be used with little need to upgrade the UK’s existing network of gas pipes and gas boilers, which make up the vast majority of home heating systems in most parts of the country. But serious concerns have been raised over the use of hydrogen, with some experts warning that it faces technical difficulties that could prove insurmountable. Michael Liebreich, chair of Liebreich Associates and founder of the analyst firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance, has hit out at “boiler-slingers” – the UK’s existing network of gas companies, plumbing firms and engineers – who see hydrogen as a route to maintain as much of the status quo as possible, rather than moving to heat pumps and other proven low-carbon technology. Liebreich tweeted: “Heating with hydrogen from renewable energy is six times less efficient than using the same electricity in a heat pump. I don’t know a single serious energy analyst not affiliated with the gas industry who thinks hydrogen heating will be a thing.” There are also doubts over the low-carbon nature of some forms of hydrogen, as there are both “green” ways of producing hydrogen from renewable energy, and “blue” methods to produce the gas from fossil fuels. The latter does not represent a saving of greenhouse gas emissions unless the resulting carbon dioxide is captured and stored. Those voicing concern have been largely drowned out, however, by intensive lobbying from fossil fuel companies, which see hydrogen as an alternative income source, a way to turn their existing resources and infrastructure to supposedly low-carbon ends. There are at least 120 paid lobbyists for hydrogen operating in parliament at present, according to separate estimates from MCS Charitable Foundation. Big energy companies including Shell and BP, as well as a host of smaller companies and start-ups, are promoting hydrogen as a green fuel. Hydrogen lobbyists are also out in force at the ongoing Labour party conference, and are to sponsor events at the Conservative party conference beginning this weekend. Cornwall Insight, whose widely followed modelling forecast the big hikes in the energy price cap this year, found that blending hydrogen with gas would result in much smaller price increases for home heating, of about 5% in the short term and by 2050. However, that would still involve the use of natural gas long after the UK is supposed to have moved away from fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/26/hydrogen-could-nearly-double-cost-of-heating-a-home-compared-with-gas
     
         
      Labour will bring green jobs built on strong trade unions, because we cannot go back to the 1980s Sun, 25th Sep 2022 13:29:00
     
      Opinion From fracking to bankers’ bonuses, we know where this government’s interests lie. It must be stopped The Tory budget on Friday made clear where the party stands: for failed trickle-down economics and for helping the already wealthy get richer. The cost of living crisis is wreaking havoc, with spiralling energy bills, stagnating wages, and the highest inflation in 40 years. Behind these economic buzzwords are harrowing realities, and families in every city and town having to make impossible choices this winter. People are sick of politicians offering sticking plasters to patch up a broken economy. In our constituencies of Doncaster North and Ashton-under-Lyne, we hear the same thing time and again – that our economy doesn’t work for most working people. That is why the Labour party has a vision to radically transform this country. That means not just addressing the cost of living crisis, but ensuring wealth and power go back into the hands of the communities that built this country in the first place. The move to decarbonise our economy is one example of the huge opportunities we have to achieve this. But to make the transition we need a different approach to the failed economics of the 1980s, which left workers behind, and communities devastated. The scars of that period are still there to see in the constituencies we represent, but they also leave a legacy of scepticism. It’s an understandable scepticism of change until it looks like a real plan for jobs, livelihoods and communities. Our world-leading energy plan announced today by Keir Starmer will turn this around. A clean power system by 2030 will lay the foundations of the drive to net zero, but it will also unleash waves of dynamism and industry across our country with a million well-paid jobs in the renewable and nuclear industries, built on strong trade unions. We’ve both had the privilege to travel across the country and meet workers who are leading the way on the green transition. From wind engineers and hydrogen technicians in Yorkshire, to plumbers and electricians insulating homes in Manchester, to the pioneers of the electric vehicle revolution in the north-east, communities across the country are rolling up their sleeves and forging Britain’s green industrial future. But the bridge from clean power to a fairer and greener economy won’t happen by itself. We are only going to achieve it if the entire government machinery is directed to this mission. And this must start with procurement. Annually, the state spends £379bn every year on public contracts. That’s a colossal amount of money with the potential to be unleashed for the public good. Under our new national procurement plan launched today, we will reward those businesses and enterprises that uphold high environmental standards, create local jobs, skills and wealth, treat their workers well, provide access to unions and pay their taxes responsibly. We’ll end the Tories’ procurement racket – and target public spending at creating jobs and boosting growth. Value for money means knowing when and where not to spend. But it also means knowing when and where to invest – to prevent far greater costs to future generations further down the line. There is no better example of this than in the case of climate breakdown. Learning also from Joe Biden’s plans in the US, today we’re making a joint commitment that all national public procurement contracts within Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan will also support our public value standards. This means that when we invest in our clean power by 2030 plan, energy companies we work with will treat their workers properly, and uphold the highest standards and value creating wealth at home. The early actions of Liz Truss’s government have signalled more clearly than ever that the fight is on for the future of our country. From fracking to bankers’ bonuses to the top rate of tax, we know where their interests lie. For our public services, our young people, our climate and above all, the fates and livelihoods of working people, it is our duty and responsibility to bring the long years of Tory government to an end. Labour can and will transform Britain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/25/labour-green-jobs-trade-unions-fracking-bankers-bonuses-angela-rayner-ed-mliband
     
         
      Hurricane Fiona: Canada hit by 'historic, extreme event' Sun, 25th Sep 2022 4:04:00
     
      Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power, after Storm Fiona hit Canada's coastline. Fiona was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Friday. But parts of three provinces experienced torrential rain and winds of up to 160km/h (99mph), with trees and powerlines felled and houses washed into the sea. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the situation was critical, and promised to provide support through the army. Officials have yet to share reports of fatalities or serious injuries, but authorities are dealing with extensive flooding. In a briefing Mr Trudeau described Fiona as "a very powerful and dangerous storm" and said the army will be deployed to help with assessment and clean-up efforts. His government has already responded positively to a request by Nova Scotia authorities for assistance. "If there is anything the federal government can do to help, we will be there," he said, adding that he would no longer travel to Japan to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Tropical storm warnings were issued for the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, as well as in parts of Quebec. The country's eastern region could receive up to 10in (25cm) of rain, increasing the risk of flash flooding. In Nova Scotia, shelters were prepared in Halifax and Cape Breton for people to take cover ahead of the storm. "We have been through these types of events before, but my fear is, not to this extent," said Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality. "The impacts are going to be large, real and immediate." In Port aux Basques, with a population of 4,067 on the southwest tip of Newfoundland, intense flooding saw some homes and office buildings washed out to sea, local journalist Rene Roy, told CBC. The area is under a state of emergency. "This is hands down the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life," Mr Roy said. He added that many homes were left as "a pile of rubble in the ocean right now", adding: "There is an apartment building that's literally gone. There are entire streets that are gone." Officials later confirmed that at least 20 homes had been lost. And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a woman was rescued after being "tossed into the water as her home collapsed" in the area. They said another report of a women being swept out from her basement had been received, but conditions remained too dangerous to conduct a search. Power companies have warned that it could take days to restore electricity, as wind speeds remain too high to start work on downed power lines. Severe hurricanes in Canada are rare, as storms lose their energy once they hit colder waters in the north and become post-tropical instead. But pressure in the region is predicted to be historically low as Storm Fiona hits, making way for a heavier storm. Nova Scotia was last battered by a tropical cyclone in 2003 with Hurricane Juan, a category two storm that killed two people and heavily damaged structures and vegetation. Meteorologist Bob Robichaud warned on Friday afternoon that Fiona will be bigger than Juan, and stronger than 2019's Hurricane Dorian, which also reached the shores of Nova Scotia. Fiona had already wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic earlier this week, with many still left without power or running water. Florida also faces a hurricane threat as tropical storm Ian strengthened as it moved over the Caribbean on Saturday. It could approach Florida early next week as a major hurricane. Ian's projected path takes it just south of Jamaica, over western Cuba and into Florida, the hurricane centre said. Florida Keys and South Florida could be hit by heavy rains on Monday, according to forecasters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63011195
     
         
      Australia has a golden opportunity to expand solar energy manufacturing Sat, 24th Sep 2022 21:00:00
     
      World’s desire to wean off over-reliance on China could be a boon for local producers, according to the Australian PV Institute Australia has a golden opportunity to expand its solar energy manufacturing capacity as the industry booms and nations scramble to cut their over-dependence on China, a report by the Australian Australian PV Institute Institute says. The country is installing 4GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity a year already but meeting just 3% of that from a local supplier, Adelaide’s Tindo Solar. That annual installation tally, though, is predicted to triple by 2050, particularly if Australia becomes a major supplier of hydrogen produced by renewable energy for export. “We have a pressing need, we have the natural resources and we have a very sizeable market,” the report said. “Unless Australia gains control over the most strategic parts of the PV value chain, the development of any ‘green’ export market will be completely dependent on foreign powers.” Renate Egan, the APVI secretary and head of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, said China would remain an important supplier of panels to Australia but it was important to diversify supply, including by using local firms. “You can liken it to Europe’s reliance on gas from Russia,” Egan said, referring to shortages and soaring gas prices after Moscow imposed export curbs in retaliation to sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The world is relying increasingly on solar energy generation for the energy transition [from fossil fuels],” she said. “They’re becoming aware of the risks … in that over 90% of the tech comes from China.” The Covid pandemic helped spur demands for more local manufacturing capability when Australia struggled to secure supplies of vaccines and medical equipment. Ongoing supply chain disruptions, particularly as China maintains its Covid-zero policies, have given added impetus to calls for more domestic production capability. A spokesperson for the industry and science minister, Ed Husic, said solar was “clearly going to be a big part of Australia’s renewable energy future”. “The Albanese government will deliver dedicated support through Powering Australia – a $3bn co-investment stream as part of the National Reconstruction Fund,” he said. “A big part of its focus will be on renewables component manufacturing and low-emissions technologies, including production of batteries and solar panels. “By 2030, the government aims to have 82% renewables in the national electricity market. To achieve that, we will need to produce much more solar capacity on shore as well as having a diversity in our international supply chains.” The present trade tensions between Australia and China exacerbated “the potential threat to supply restrictions or sudden price changes”, the APVI paper said. “Adding to this risk is the growing concern over the possible use of forced labour in parts of China, where much of the silicon, wafers and steel used in PV components are produced,” it said. gan said Australian technology was used in 90% of PV panels made today, underscoring the country’s scientific pedigree in the field. The country wouldn’t need to make all of the components in modules but could specialise. Local firms could make glass, aluminium frames, polymers or the electronics such as inverters, while leaving production of polysilicon – a key raw material – to others. “I think it’s at the top end of silicon refining and then module assembly,” Egan said. “We need to be making some smart decisions and deploying at scale.” The paper cited existing suppliers including Selectronic – one of the world’s oldest makers of inverters. SunDrive is a firm considering commercial-size silicon-based solar cell fabrication in Australia, while 5B is aiming at fast low-cost PV deployment to supply some of the multi-gigawatt-sized solar farms planned for northern Australia. “To succeed on a global scale, these emerging companies would benefit from market certainty and a coordinated effort to reach scale,” the paper said. Customers could include Sun Cable, a venture supported by billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest, that aims to build a 12,000-hectare solar precinct in the Northern Territory with 17-20GW capacity and 36-42GW-hours of energy storage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/25/australia-has-a-golden-opportunity-to-expand-solar-energy-manufacturing
     
         
      Flood-ravaged Pakistan’s leader appeals for urgent global support in UN address Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 14:53:00
     
      With huge swathes of his country still under water following recent devastating floods, Pakistan’s Prime Minister appealed on Friday for global support to help his country face the consequences of a climate catastrophe the likes of which it has never seen before. “No words can describe the shock we are living through or how the face of the country lies transformed,” Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif told the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate. “For 40 days and 40 nights a biblical flood poured down on us, smashing centuries of weather records, challenging everything we knew about disaster, and how to manage it.” No starker evidence of global warming Close to eight million people have been displaced by the disaster, according to the UN, which along with the authorities and partners have continued to reach affected populations with desperately needed relief items. To date, more than 1,500 people have been killed, including 552 children. The Prime Minister noted that some 33 million people are now at risk of health hazards; more than 13,000 kilometres of roads have been damaged; one million homes have been destroyed and another million damaged; and four million acres of crops have been washed away. “Pakistan has never seen a starker and more devastating example of the impact of global warming,” he stressed. “Life in Pakistan has changed forever.” On his visit to the country earlier this month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had never seen “climate carnage on this scale,” and called for urgent financial support to help Pakistan, saying it is not just a question of solidarity but a question of justice. The Prime Minister noted: “Nature has unleashed her fury on Pakistan without looking at our carbon footprint, which is next to nothing. Our actions did not contribute to this.” He added that the current priority is to ensure rapid economic growth and lift millions out of destitution, which requires a stable external environment. Sustainable peace in South Asia “Sustainable peace and stability in South Asia, however, remains contingent upon a just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. At the heart of this longstanding dispute lies the denial of the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination,” he said. The Prime Minister added that in a “classic settler-colonial project,” India is seeking to turn the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu-majority territory through “illegal demographic changes.” “Millions of fake ‘domicile certificates’ have been issued to non-Kashmiris; Kashmiri land and properties are being seized; electoral districts have been gerrymandered; and over 2.5 million non-Kashmiri illegal voters fraudulently registered. All this is in blatant violation of Security Council resolutions and international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.” He called on the United Nations and the Secretary-General to play their rightful role in urging India to implement existing UN resolutions on this issue.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127791
     
         
      Mini-budget fell far short of promoting low-carbon future for UK Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 13:00:00
     
      While not devoid of green measures, Kwarteng’s announcement was more notable for what it did not include The chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, has announced that the effective ban on onshore wind farms is to be lifted, and the poorest households will regain access to insulation and energy efficiency measures. Polls show that onshore wind is popular, with more than 70% of people supporting it. Jess Ralston, a senior analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “The ban on onshore wind has been a major anomaly in British energy policy given it’s both cheap and popular with the public. So a decision to lift the ban suggests [Kwarteng] has listened to the experts and understands building more British renewables reduces our reliance on costly gas and so brings down bills.” The measures will help to boost renewable energy generation and keep thousands of people’s homes warmer in the next three years. But they were virtually the only concrete low-carbon policies in a mini-budget that promised an estimated £60bn over the next six months to the UK’s energy companies, to protect consumers against higher bills, and rewarded North Sea oil and gas producers with the prospect of 100 new licences. Experts say the latter would do nothing to improve the current energy crisis, and threaten the UK’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions target in years to come. The biggest gap was on home insulation. Kwarteng confirmed that £1bn over three years would come from energy suppliers to be spent on the most vulnerable consumers. Much of it will go on loft insulation and in some cases boiler replacements that are expected to save thousands of people on low incomes about £200 a year. This still leaves no provision for the vast majority of the UK’s estimated 19 million households in need of home insulation. Amy Norman, a senior researcher at the Social Market Foundation, pointed out that as the government was paying energy producers directly, the lack of a home insulation policy was affecting its own balance sheet and the UK’s overall fiscal stability. “The amount of energy people use is no longer just a private matter, but now one of fiscal responsibility. With every unit of energy consumed now costing the taxpayer, it is regrettable that the government has done nothing to encourage demand reduction that could save families and the government money,” she said. “It is a pity that a short-sighted refusal to do anything that might be seen as telling people what to do has got in the way of building a cheaper and more secure system.” Cutting stamp duty was another missed opportunity, experts said. It could have been done with “green strings” or incentives such as rebates attached. Louise Hutchins, the head of policy at the UK Green Building Council, said: “There is growing support for an ‘energy saving stamp duty incentive’ because it would reward households for insulating their loft and walls, installing double glazing or installing a heat pump right at the time when they are most likely to be upgrading their property anyway – within two years of purchase. The scheme could be revenue neutral for the government or be linked to additional support for struggling households that most need help with insulating their homes.” There was also no move to claw back any of the huge costs of the government’s energy policy from the companies that are reaping a bonanza from soaring prices. Rebecca Newsom, the head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said: “Failing to properly tax the obscene profits of fossil fuel giants and encouraging bankers to get richer is reckless and unfair. “Rather than seeking to deregulate and attack those on benefits, the new chancellor should be looking for ways to raise taxes on those profiting from the crisis. This could help fund emergency support for households and cover the vital investment needed in home insulation to help cut our energy bills and climate emissions once and for all.” Taken alongside the government’s tearing up of environmental regulations in the name of post-Brexit reforms, the outlook for the UK’s climate targets and protection of nature was dim, said Kate Norgrove of WWF, with damaging impacts on the economy. “If the government is serious about boosting the UK economy it needs to stop blowing hot and cold on tackling the climate and nature emergency,” she said. “The only route to a growing and resilient economy is to invest in net zero by scaling up renewables, insulating our homes and supercharging the shift to nature-friendly farming. Anything less would be a betrayal of people and the planet.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/23/mini-budget-fell-far-short-of-promoting-low-carbon-future-for-uk
     
         
      400 million new green and digital sector jobs, will pave way to ‘rebalance societies’ Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 12:49:00
     
      A year after the UN launched an initiative to accelerate green and digital job creation, and expand social protection, the Secretary-General on Friday urged world leaders to “put people first” by making massive investments in their future wellbeing. According to António Guterres, the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions aims to rebalance societies by putting decent jobs and social protection at the centre of sustainable development. “The path of inaction leads to economic collapse and climate catastrophe, widening inequalities and escalating social unrest”, which could leave “billions trapped in vicious circles of poverty and destitution”, he warned a High-Level meeting during the 77th General Assembly in New York. Countries taking the lead Mr. Guterres commended the actions of countries such as Togo, which deployed innovative digital solutions to expand social protection to hard-to-reach populations, and South Africa, which recently launched a Just Energy Transition partnership. “It is imperative that we provide the support needed – at speed and at scale – to keep the momentum and ambition of these and similar initiatives alive”, he underscored. He said the present economic system is unfair, boosting inequalities and pushing more people into poverty, and that’s why it requires a deep structural reform. “We are working hard to achieve that – but change won’t happen overnight. In the interim, the Global Accelerator is a critical tool to help provide immediate support to people in need and advance action towards transformative change for all”, he said. The initiative aims to create 400 million new decent jobs—especially in the green, care and digital economies— and extend social protection to the over four billion people currently without coverage. It is also meant to be a tool to help the world manage the massive transformations in areas such as digital, climate, or demographic change, that will fundamentally change societies in the coming decades. Youth at the centre Meanwhile, The UN’s Special Envoy for Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, reminded world leaders that young people must be at the centre of all strategies and actions regarding jobs and social protection. “The total number of unemployed youths worldwide is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, 6 million above pre pandemic levels in 2019, young women are the hardest hit”, she underscored, adding that young people also experience systemic legal and financial barriers to benefitting from social protection policies and programmes. “To truly shift this paradigm, we should work with all people including young people as agents of change and not only beneficiaries, and at every level of the just transitions this initiative seeks to enable”, Ms. Wickramanayake said. Addressing the bottlenecks Echoing the words of the Secretary-General, the International Labour Organization’s chief, Guy Ryder, warned that the world is on “red alert”, in the event that effective responses to the overlapping climate and cost of living crises are not found. “We will see massive suffering, more instability, and potentially more conflict. But it doesn’t have to be this way”, he explained. Mr. Ryder underscored that it is crucial to address the current bottlenecks to expand and safeguard the 3,000 social protection and labour market stimulus measures put in place by governments at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We all know what those bottlenecks are: the lack of financing that is scalable, sustainable, socially inclusive and it supports just transitions; the persistent challenges of informality; the limited fiscal space; and the lack of institutional capacity in many countries”, he added. Better lives for billions The ILO Director General emphasized that the Global Accelerator is a UN proposition to “collectively address these bottlenecks”, and to change the life of billions for the better. “The four billion women, men and children who have no social protection; the two billion workers in the informal economy; and the millions of men and women who risk losing their jobs and incomes”, on a level “not seen for a generation”, he noted.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127751
     
         
      UK’s nuclear waste cleanup operation could cost £260bn Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 11:29:00
     
      Cost of safely clearing waste from ageing power stations is soaring, sayexperts The cost of decommissioning the UK’s 20th-century nuclear waste could rise to £260bn as the aged and degrading sites present growing challenges, according to analysis presented to an international group of experts. As the government pursues nuclear energy with the promise of a new generation of reactors, the cost of safely cleaning up waste from previous generations of power stations is soaring. Degrading nuclear facilities are presenting increasingly hazardous and challenging problems. Ageing equipment and electrical systems at Sellafield, which is storing much of the country’s nuclear waste and is one of the most hazardous sites in the world, are increasing the risk of fire, according to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. They require increasing maintenance and present growing risk. Last October a faulty light fitting started a blaze at a Sellafield facility which led to its closure for several weeks. Analysis by Stephen Thomas, a professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich, estimates the total bill for decommissioning the UK’s nuclear waste mountain will grow to £260bn. Thomas told a conference of international experts the cost of decommissioning Sellafield had risen from to £110bn, according to freedom of information requests. Other sites that need decommissioning are the 11 Magnox power stations, built between the 1950s and 1970s, including Dungeness A in Kent, Hinkley Point A in Somerset and Trawsfynydd in north Wales, and seven advanced gas-cooled reactors built in the 1990s, including Dungeness B, which closed last year, Hinkley Point B and Heysham 1 and 2 in Lancashire. Deterioration of one of the Magnox stations, Trawsfynydd, which shut down in 1991, is such that substantial work is needed to make it safe, according to the NDA. “Work that would then need to be undone to complete reactor dismantling,” the agency said. Thomas told the International Nuclear Risk Assessment Group similar problems are expected at other Magnox sites. The timetable for decommissioning the old nuclear power stations has been abandoned, with no new timescale yet published. The Nuclear Waste Service has said deferring decommissioning for 85 years from shutdown, which was previous policy, is not suitable for all the reactors because of their different ages and physical conditions. Decommissioning of some Magnox stations will have to be brought forward, the NWS has said. Attempts to speed up the decommissioning would only add to the growing bill, Thomas said, which he estimated had increased to £34bn. In 2005, the cost for decommissioning and disposing of the radioactive waste from nuclear power stations built in the 1950s, 70s and 90s was put at £51bn. Last year the NDA estimates rose to £131bn, and its latest annual report said £149bn was needed to pay for the clear up. But Thomas said rising costs meant the total bill was on track to reach £260bn. Part of the soaring increase is the cost of building a large underground nuclear waste dump or geological deposit facility (GDF) to safely store the 700,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste – roughly the volume of 6,000 double decker buses – from the country’s past nuclear programme. The mammoth engineering project was initially predicted to cost £11bn but the bill is now estimated to be up to £53bn because of uncertainty about where the site will be located, and the need to provide space for an unspecified amount of waste from the new generation of nuclear reactors which the government wants to build. Four areas of the country are being considered for the GDF but no decision on where it will be located has yet been made. “While we are clear about the current legacy of waste which already exists, a GDF would have to handle additional waste from new facilities being developed,” the NWService said. “The actual cost will … depend on the number of new nuclear projects that the UK develops in future and any additional waste from those stations.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/23/uk-nuclear-waste-cleanup-decommissioning-power-stations
     
         
      Tesla ordered to recall more than a million US cars Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 4:06:00
     
      Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million cars in the US because the windows might close too fast and pinch people's fingers. Documents produced by American regulators show the windows may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk criticised the description as a recall calling it "outdated and inaccurate". The car giant says a software update will fix the problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the fault is a safety-standards violation. The world's largest electric-vehicle manufacturer has had repeated run-ins with federal safety regulators, whom Mr Musk calls "the fun police". Previous recalls have been due to: rear-view cameras bonnet latches seat-belt reminders sound-system software The latest recall covers all four Tesla models, specifically 2017-22 Model 3 sedans and some 2020-21 Model Y SUVs (sports utility vehicles), Model S sedans and Model X SUVs. Tesla discovered the problem with the automatic windows during production testing in August. Owners will be notified by letter, from 15 November. Company documents indicate vehicles made after 13 September already have the updated software needed to remedy the issue. Tesla said it was not aware of any warranty claims, crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the recall. Tesla shares were down 3.5% on Thursday afternoon trading. Mr Musk hit out on Twitter after the news broke. "The terminology is outdated and inaccurate. This is a tiny over-the-air software update. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no injuries," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62996103
     
         
      Climate change: Spike in Amazon emissions linked to law enforcement Fri, 23rd Sep 2022 2:57:00
     
      Carbon emissions in the Amazon region in 2019 and 2020 more than doubled compared to the average of the previous eight years, according to a new study. Deforestation for agriculture and fires were the main drivers of the increase, according to the authors. The scientists say that a "collapse" in law enforcement in recent years has encouraged forest clearing. The research findings have been submitted for publication but have yet to be independently reviewed. Fracking ban lifted, government announces 'Tax fossil fuel profits for climate damage' Climate change threatens survival of urban forests As home to the largest tropical forest on Earth, the Amazon plays a critical role in maintaining the Earth's climate by storing massive amounts of carbon in trees and soils. Over the last few decades the forest has been under growing pressure as land has been cleared in Brazil and neighbouring countries, primarily for farming. Last year researchers published data indicating that the eastern part of the forest was being cut down at such a rate that more carbon was being released than absorbed by the trees and vegetation. Now the same scientists believe that an explosion of forest clearing in the western part of the Amazon has also turned that region into a source. of carbon emissions Using small planes, the researchers have collected hundreds of air samples from different parts of the forest over the last ten years. Their new study shows that in 2019, carbon emissions increased by 89% compared to the annual average of emissions between 2010 and 2018. In 2020, the picture was even worse, with an increase of 122%. While fires played a role, the main factor was the removal of trees by land clearing, which increased by 75% in 2020. The researchers link this rise in deforestation to a rapid decline in prosecutions by law enforcement agencies, which saw fines for illegal forest clearances fall by 89% in 2020. The scientists say that this is down to the policies of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has cancelled fines and penalties related to deforestation, and pushed hard for the expansion of agriculture in Brazil. "We hypothesize that the consequences of the collapse in enforcement led to increases in deforestation, biomass burning and degradation producing net carbon losses and enhancing drying and warming of forest regions," the new study says. The researchers say that this rapid increase in emissions from the forest has also had an impact on the climate around the trees. "In consequence of this big deforestation, in the wet season of 2020 we saw a decline of 26% in rainfall during January, February and March, while the temperature has gone up by 0.6C," said lead author Dr Luciana Gatti, from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). "The emissions come from deforestation and degradation and also from this climate change promoted by the human destruction of the forest. And this is a very alarming scenario," she told BBC News. Environmental campaigners say that this hands-off approach to prosecuting illegal deforestation has continued this year, with over 8,500 sq km lost between August 2021 and July 2022, an area larger than the US state of Delaware. "The collapse in law enforcement in the Brazilian Amazon has allowed land grabbers and illegal loggers to continue unchecked with devastating consequences for people, wildlife and the planet," said Mike Barrett from WWF. "The Amazon is getting dangerously close to a crucial tipping point which could see large areas transform from a resilient, moist rainforest into a dry, fire-ravaged, and irreversibly degraded state." The question of the future of the forest is an important issue in Brazil's presidential election taking place in early October with the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, being challenged by former president Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva. The outcome could have significant implications for the Amazon, as scientists like Dr Gatti fear it may be reaching a point where it would continually emit more carbon than it absorbs. She said that action by consumers and governments around the world was also critical to prevent this from happening.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62999822
     
         
      Fracking ban lifted, government announces Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 14:54:00
     
      Fracking can go ahead in England, the government said on Thursday, lifting a ban on the controversial process. A moratorium was put in place in 2019 following concerns over earth tremors. But with the energy crisis worsening globally and world leaders scrambling to secure energy supplies, the question has been reopened. The decision comes alongside the publication of a new scientific review into the practice by the British Geological Survey (BGS). The BGS has concluded there is still a limited understanding of the impacts of such drilling - a way of mining gas and oil from shale rock. Fracking ban lifted in bid to boost UK gas supply What is fracking and why is it controversial? "In light of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority", Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said in a statement announcing the end of the ban. Fracking in the UK has been a controversial subject within local communities and amongst MPs due to its association with minor earthquakes. In 2019, at oil and gas exploration company Cuadrilla's fracking site in Lancashire, more than 120 tremors were recorded - although most were too small to be felt. Alongside the announcement on Thursday the government published a new review, commissioned in April, from the British Geological Survey (BGS) which considers any changes to the science around the practice. On the risk of larger tremors from fracking the report concludes: "Forecasting the occurrence of large earthquakes… remains a scientific challenge for the geoscience community." Within shale rock there can be small faults and areas of stress. During drilling, water is injected into the rock to extract the gas. The water lubricates the shale rock, moving parts of the rock along these faults. This movement can trigger a tremor. The BGS points out that although there has been progress in identifying these faults there is limited exploration and therefore "it is not possible to identify all faults that could host earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 3…even with the best available data". "The BGS report indicates that in terms of the science, little has changed since the 2019 moratorium on fracking," said Honorary Professor Andrew Aplin, at Durham University Earth Sciences Department. He was not involved in the review. This worries campaigners and locals who fought to stop the practice. "Ripping up the rules that protect people from fracking would send shockwaves through local communities," said Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Danny Gross. "This announcement suggests that the government is planning to throw communities under the bus by forcing them to accept 'a higher degree of risk and disturbance." But Rees-Mogg said in his statement that: "tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us (the government) to be in the national interest given the circumstances." The House of Commons on Thursday saw heated debate on the issue between Rees-Mogg and Labour's shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband. Rees-Mogg said it was "important" to use all available sources of fuel within the UK rather than import them. But Milliband said this would not lower energy costs and reminded Mr Rees-Mogg of a 2019 Tory manifesto pledge not to support fracking unless it could be done safely. Some of the criticisms of fracking don't make much sense. Critics say chasing the methane trapped in ancient shale rocks will prove too difficult and expensive to ever be profitable. That is no reason to keep the moratorium. Companies should be free to decide whether they think it is worth doing or not. Or how about the claim local communities will never allow it? Surely, they should decide. The important question is whether we need this new source of fossil fuels at all. We know any additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere adds to the problem of climate change. What is more, fracking won't affect the price you pay for your energy. That's because the frackers - just like the oil and gas companies in the North Sea - will sell whatever gas they produce to the highest bidder, as INEOS made clear when I spoke to the company last week. line Companies involved in fracking including Cuadrilla welcomed the lifting of the ban. Cuadrilla Chief Executive Officer Francis Egan told the BBC News Channel that the first gas could be flowing in six months, although that would depend on local planning approvals. Even with the reversal of the ban, permit arrangements still remain very strict. Currently if there is any seismic activity at fracking sites companies have to proceed with caution. And they have to pause activity altogether if there is a tremor over 0.5 magnitude. The BGS says that earthquakes can only be felt at a measurement of 2.0 - which is thirty times stronger than this. Chris Hopkinson, chief executive officer for UK gas and oil exploration company IGas Energy, told BBC's Newsnight programme earlier this week that this was a lot stricter than the requirements for other sectors, saying: "We just want to play on a level playing field."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62982332
     
         
      Oil and gas climate test branded a sham by environmentalists Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 13:19:00
     
      A slimmed-down climate compatibility checkpoint for new oil and gas development has been branded a sham by environmentalists. The UK government has published details of the test which allows the go-ahead for a new round of exploration licensing in the North Sea. It will compare greenhouse gas emissions in the UK sector with others. The industry is understood to be pleased with the test but Greenpeace said it was considering legal action. The test has no predetermined threshold for whether an application passes or fails. Scotland's no-fracking policy to continue The clash of science and politics on North Sea oil Applications open for new oil and gas exploration The checkpoint was announced in March last year following a review into whether continuing to licence for oil and gas exploration was compatible with the UK's climate objectives. Ministers had been coming under pressure for continuing to support new oil field development while acting as hosts of the UN's COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow. The proposals had included a test on the "global production gap" where the sum of all countries forecast oil and gas development exceeds the agreement to limit temperature rises to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. That test has been scrapped with the government citing the "improbability of global co-operation on pro-active production cuts". In August last year, Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said the original proposals did not go far enough and should also be applied to new developments in already-licensed oil fields. This announcement is part of a package of measures from the UK government which include lifting a moratorium on fracking. The SNP's energy spokesman Stephen Flynn described the move as "bonkers" and said there would be "no fracking whatsoever" in Scotland. The Scottish government has used planning laws to ban fracking in Scotland since 2015. Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "In light of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponization of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority, and - as the prime minister said - we are going to ensure the UK is a net energy exporter by 2040. "To get there we will need to explore all avenues available to us through solar, wind, oil and gas production - so it's right that we've lifted the pause to realise any potential sources of domestic gas." 'Worthless charade' The North Sea Transition Authority, which regulates the sector, said it would launch the next round of licensing from October. It is more than two years since the last round, which is usually carried out annually. More than 100 licences are expected to be issued with a focus on expanding existing infrastructure rather than exploring for new oilfields. Read more stories on Scottish business The latest headlines from Scotland Greenpeace said it was a sham climate checkpoint voted on by oil and gas companies. And Freya Aitchison, from Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "In ploughing forward with this new licensing round, the UK government is effectively denying the reality of the climate emergency with scientists and energy experts clear that there can be no new oil and gas. "The UK government's supposed checkpoint is a worthless charade as there can be no climate compatible new oil and gas. It is a deeply cynical attempt to provide cover for reckless plans to expand the very industry that is fuelling both the climate and the cost-of-living crises." The three tests which form the climate compatibility checkpoint will cover: Reductions in operational greenhouse gas emissions from the sector vs. commitments Reductions in operational greenhouse gas emissions from the sector benchmarked internationally Status of the UK as a net importer or exporter of oil and gas The proposed tests which have been abolished focused on: Sector progress in supporting Energy Transition technologies Consideration of international Scope 3 emissions (from consumers burning the oil and gas which is produced) Consideration of the "global production gap". Speaking ahead of the announcement, Mike Theolen from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said: "We need new licences now because the UK continental shelf is what we call a mature basin where many existing fields are in gentle decline. "That means we rely on finding new oil and gas resources simply to maintain production at current levels. We need new exploration and production licences so that we can find those reserves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-62993161
     
         
      Just Stop Oil protesters get suspended jail terms after Kingsbury action Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 9:17:00
     
      Five environmental activists who admitted breaching an injunction by blocking entry to the country's largest oil terminal have been handed suspended sentences. About 50 Just Stop Oil campaigners were arrested, after sitting across the main entrance of the Kingsbury Oil Terminal, in Warwickshire, on 14 September. A High Court injunction in April had banned them from doing so. A civil hearing was told they stopped tankers for four-and-a-half hours. Sitting at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Emma Kelly was told Jerard Latimer, George Oakenfold, Anthony Whitehouse, Chloe Naldrett and Darcy Mitchell were among a group which "stretched" the resources of police involved in the run-up to the Queen's funeral. The group also stopped a terminal worker leaving to get to a medical appointment, the court heard. 'Tunnelling under roads' Opening the case for contempt of court, barrister Jonathan Manning said the injunction's purpose was not to prohibit lawful protest, but "simply to prohibit dangerous activities that some protesters have been engaging in". He listed examples such as as having mobile phones near "the terminals where there's a high risk of explosion" and "tunnelling under roads". Mr Manning, representing North Warwickshire Borough Council, also said: "Many of the police officers from Warwickshire Police were being used to police the period of national mourning and funeral arrangements for the Queen. "They had to be brought back from that in order to provide the numbers needed to safely arrest these protesters." All five defendants admitted breaching the injunction. Climate crisis In mitigation, Whitehouse, a pensioner, told the court he would rather be tending to his allotment but felt he had no other choice. "Even the new King has said we should be on a wartime footing in addressing the climate crisis," he said. Oakenfold, a retired 78-year-old, said he regretted taking up police and court time but it was "no consequence at all compared to the extreme danger we now find ourselves in due to rising temperatures across the world". In sentencing, Judge Kelly said: "Simply because of the sheer number of you who had chosen to gather in one place, it created a risk of clearly significant harm should police be needed elsewhere."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-62988795
     
         
      Scotland's no-fracking policy to continue Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 8:20:00
     
      Scotland's policy against fracking will not change despite a ban being lifted in England, a Scottish government minister has confirmed. Energy Secretary Michael Matheson reiterated his government's opposition to new fracking licences. A ban on the controversial process of mining gas and oil from shale rock has been lifted in England by the new UK energy secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg. A moratorium was put in place in 2019 following concerns over earth tremors. Mr Matheson tweeted shortly after the announcement in Westminster: "To be clear - this policy change does not apply in Scotland. "Fracking can only happen here if licences are issued by the Scottish government and we do not intend to issue any licences." The decision comes alongside the publication of a new scientific review into the practice by the British Geological Survey (BGS). Fracking ban lifted, government announces Tory anger over plan to buy local fracking support The BGS concluded there was still a limited understanding of the impacts of such drilling. Mr Rees-Mogg said the existing pause on fracking was being lifted in England to examine new potential sources of gas. Liz Truss's government has vowed to explore all avenues to improve energy security in response to the war in Ukraine. Stephen Flynn, MP for Aberdeen South, told the House of Commons: "In Scotland there will be no change, there will be no fracking whatsoever. We, unlike the Tories, stick to our word." A spokesman for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there was no review point for the Scottish government's position on fracking. The granting of licences for fracking are a devolved matter, meaning the policy will not impact Scotland unless Scottish ministers agree to it. In 2018 a judge ruled that a legal challenge against the Scottish government's "effective ban" on fracking could not go ahead because "there is no prohibition against fracking in force" in Scotland. However, the Scottish government has repeatedly adopted a policy position of no support for fracking, following a moratorium on the issue. Local authorities have been told not to grant planning permission for fracking sites, and any decision in their favour could be called in by Scottish government ministers and overturned. Earlier in September, Nicola Sturgeon was asked to clarify her government's position on fracking during First Minister's Questions. She said: "This is a devolved matter and our position is unchanged. "We do not intend to grant licences for fracking." Read more stories on Scottish business The latest headlines from Scotland Read more stories on Scottish politics Fracking in the UK has been a controversial subject within local communities and among MPs, partly due to its association with minor earthquakes and environmental concerns. In 2019, at oil and gas exploration company Cuadrilla's fracking site in Lancashire, more than 120 tremors were recorded - although most were too small to be felt. Within shale rock there can be small faults and areas of stress. During drilling, water is injected into the rock to extract the gas. The water lubricates the shale rock, moving parts of the rock along these faults. This movement can trigger a tremor. The BGS points out that although there has been progress in identifying these faults there is limited exploration and therefore "it is not possible to identify all faults that could host earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 3…even with the best available data".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-62999762
     
         
      Denmark leads the way on ‘loss and damage’ Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 7:30:00
     
      Denmark has become the first country in the world to pledge funding for climate-related “loss and damage,” vowing to spend more than $13 million to help developing nations that are taking the biggest hit from rising global temperatures. The amount is just pennies compared to what the world’s most vulnerable countries like Bangladesh and Haiti need, but it marks an important milestone. Environmental justice advocates and leaders in the developing world have long argued that rich countries bear a greater responsibility for causing the climate crisis and therefore should pay for some of the economic losses, damaged infrastructure, and other climate-related damage in the Global South. So far, only Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Belgian region of Wallonia have pledged specific funding — about $2.4 million combined — to address loss and damage. “It is grossly unfair that the world’s poorest should suffer the most from the consequences of climate change, to which they have contributed the least,” Flemming Møller Mortensen, the Danish development minister, told the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday. He said the money his country committed would go toward Africa’s Sahel region, a stretch of countries from Senegal to Chad where exceptional drought conditions have placed a heavy strain on traditional agriculture and fomented conflict. Environmental advocates welcomed the funding, but some also criticized the Danish government for directing a $5 million portion toward a German organization that subsidizes insurance in the developing world. They argued that this money would be more effective as direct aid to vulnerable nations. Even though developed countries agreed to address loss and damage when they signed the 2015 Paris Agreement, it’s remained a hot-button issue. Wealthy countries like the U.S. have opposed efforts to create a dedicated loss and damage fund, citing concerns that a financial commitment would create the expectation that rich countries are legally liable for escalating climate impacts. These dynamics are expected to crop up again at COP27, the international climate conference in Egypt this November.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/denmark-leads-the-way-on-loss-and-damage/
     
         
      2022 Arctic Summer Sea Ice Tied for 10th-Lowest on Record Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 4:42:00
     
      According to satellite observations, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent (lowest amount of ice for the year) on Sept. 18, 2022. The ice cover shrank to an area of 4.67 million square kilometers (1.80 million square miles) this year, roughly 1.55 million square kilometers (598,000 square miles) below the 1981-2010 average minimum of 6.22 million square kilometers (2.40 million square miles). Summer ice extent in and around the Arctic Ocean has declined significantly since satellites began measuring it consistently in 1978. The past 16 years (2007 to 2022) have been the lowest 16 minimum extents, with 2022 tying 2017 and 2018 for 10th-lowest in 44 years of observations. The satellite record is maintained by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which hosts one of NASA’s Distributed Active Archive Centers. “This year marks a continuation of the much-reduced sea ice cover since the 1980s,” said Walt Meier, a sea ice researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. “That is not something that is random variations or chance. It represents a fundamental change in the ice cover in response to warming temperatures.” Each year, Arctic sea ice melts through the warmer spring and summer months and usually reaches its minimum extent in September. As cooler weather and winter darkness sets in, the ice will grow again and reach its maximum extent around March. Sea ice extent is defined as the total area in which ice concentration is at least 15%. This visualization, created at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, shows fluctuations in Arctic sea ice extent from March through September 2022. The map is based on data acquired by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) instrument on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water “SHIZUKU” (GCOM-W1) satellite.
       
      Full Article: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3213/2022-arctic-summer-sea-ice-tied-for-10th-lowest-on-record/
     
         
      Renewable energy jobs rise by 700,000 in a year, to nearly 13 million Thu, 22nd Sep 2022 3:03:00
     
      Worldwide employment in the renewable energy sector reached 12.7 million last year, a jump of 700,000 new jobs in just 12 months, despite the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the growing energy crisis, according to a new report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO). Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2022, identifies domestic market size as a major factor influencing job growth in renewables, along with labour and other costs. Solar growing fastest Solar energy was found to be the fastest-growing sector. In 2021 it provided 4.3 million jobs, more than a third of the current global workforce in renewable energy. With rising concerns about climate change, COVID-19 recovery and supply chain disruption, countries are turning inwards to boost job creation at home, focusing on local supply chains. The report describes how strong domestic markets are key to anchoring a drive toward clean energy industrialization. Developing renewable technology export capabilities is also dependent on this, it adds. ‘Just transition for all’ ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, said that “beyond the numbers, there is a growing focus on the quality of jobs and the conditions of work in renewable energies, to ensure decent and productive employment. “The increasing share of female employment suggests that dedicated policies and training can significantly enhance the participation of women in renewable energy occupations, inclusion and ultimately, achieve a just transition for all.” Mr. Ryder encouraged governments, organized labour and business groups “to remain firmly committed to a sustainable energy transition, which is indispensable for the future of work.” Resilient and reliable IRENA’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera, said that in the face of numerous challenges, “renewable energy jobs remain resilient, and have been proven to be a reliable job creation engine. My advice to governments around the world is to pursue industrial policies that encourage the expansion of decent renewables jobs at home. “Spurring a domestic value chain will not only create business opportunities and new jobs for people and local communities. It also bolsters supply chain reliability and contributes to more energy security overall.” Joining the renewable revolution The report shows that an increasing number of countries are creating jobs in the renewables sector - almost two-thirds of them in Asia. China alone accounts for 42 per cent of the global total, according to the report, followed by the EU and Brazil with 10 per cent each, and the US and India with seven per cent each. Regional trends Southeast Asian countries are becoming major solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing hubs and biofuel producers, while China is the pre-eminent manufacturer and installer of solar PV panels and is creating a growing number of jobs in offshore wind. India added more than 10 Gigawatts of solar PV, generating many installation jobs, but remains heavily dependent on imported panels, the report notes. Europe now accounts for about 40 per cent of the world’s wind manufacturing output and is the most important exporter of wind power equipment; it is trying to reconstitute its solar PV manufacturing industry. Africa’s role is still limited, but the report points out that there are growing job opportunities in decentralized renewables, while in the Americas, Mexico is the leading supplier of wind turbine blades.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127351
     
         
      Accidental greenhouse gas release at Perth meat plant Wed, 21st Sep 2022 14:54:00
     
      Sepa is investigating a major accidental release of one of the most potent types of greenhouse gases at a Perth meat producer. The environmental watchdog said the release of F-Gases (fluorinated gases) at Anglo Beef Processors UK is the second largest incident of its kind in Europe's food and drink sector. The release was caused by an issue with the plant's refrigeration system. Anglo Beef Processors said the release occurred following machine failure. The firm said a new refrigeration system was subsequently installed. Sepa identified the issue in February and said its investigation was ongoing. Details of the 2021 accidental release emerged in Sepa's annual report on greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sites. The watchdog said the Perth incident alone accounted for 87% of the total hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emissions from all industrial sectors in Scotland for 2021. F-Gases are man-made and often used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances in the likes of fridges and air conditioning units. However, they have a much higher warming potential than carbon dioxide (CO2) and make a greater contribution to climate change. Downward trend Sepa said it identified the accidental release of F-Gases at Anglo Beef Processors in February when the site submitted its Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory data returns for 2021. The watchdog said its investigation into the release is "currently ongoing" and will "determine whether any enforcement action is required as a result of its findings". The Perth plant has now installed alternative refrigeration technologies, Sepa added. The greenhouse gas data for 2021 shows emissions from Sepa-regulated industrial sites fell by 5% between 2020 and 2021. This continues the downward trend in greenhouse gas emissions since 2007 but also reflects the slowing impact the Covid pandemic made on industrial output. 'Accidental release' Jo Green, acting chief executive of Sepa, said: "The latest data continues to see greenhouse gases from Scottish industry continue the long-term downward trend. "These official statistics chart the progress we've made as a nation, but they also reflect the realism of a modern, Western European economy in transition." A spokesman for Anglo Beef Processors said: "This was an accidental release which occurred following machine failure and once we became aware of the problem, our team took the appropriate corrective action.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62969519
     
         
      Nanmadol: Mudslides and flooding as typhoon batters Japan Wed, 21st Sep 2022 12:52:00
     
      Rescue workers in Japan have warned of mudslides and flooding after one of the biggest storms in recent decades battered the country. Typhoon Nanmadol killed at least four people and injured more than 100 others after making landfall on the southern island of Kyushu on Sunday morning. By Tuesday, 140,000 homes were still without electricity. The storm has now been downgraded to a cyclone, after moving across much of the country and heading out to sea. State broadcaster NHK said one man was killed when his car was submerged in flooding, and another died after being buried in a landslide. Two more people were found "without vital signs", a term often used to refer to a death before it is certified by a coroner. At least 114 people have been injured, 14 of them seriously. The super typhoon brought gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph), destroying homes, and disrupting transport and businesses. It is equivalent to a category four or five hurricane. The capital, Tokyo, experienced heavy rain, with the Tozai underground line suspended because of flooding. Bullet train services, ferries and hundreds of flights have been cancelled; shops and businesses have shut. Local video footage showed roofs ripped off buildings and billboards toppled over. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed a visit to New York, where he was due to give speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday, to monitor the storm's impact.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62873980
     
         
      1.5 degree climate pledge ‘on life support’, Guterres tells leaders during frank exchanges Wed, 21st Sep 2022 10:33:00
     
      During a private meeting of Heads of State and Government, held on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for more action and leadership to tackle the climate crisis, warning that efforts to keep the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is “on life support”. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the UN chief said that he had talked to leaders about the climate emergency, and the “triple global crisis” of food, energy, and finance. Mr. Guterres told the assembled leaders that the devastation he witnessed this month in Pakistan, where flooding covered around a third of the country at its height, occurred with global warming of 1.2 degrees; the world is currently on track for an overall increase of more than three degrees. The meeting was billed in advance as a “frank and informal exchange” of views between leaders, co-chaired by Mr. Guterres and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, and an opportunity to address key issues ahead of the COP27 UN Climate Change conference, due to be held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November. ‘Fossil fuels are killing us’ Since last year’s conference in Glasgow, Scotland, climate impacts have worsened, and carbon emissions have risen to record levels, hitting vulnerable communities the hardest. Four burning issues were addressed during the informal talks: emissions mitigation, climate finance, adaptation, and loss and damage. On mitigation, Mr. Guterres told the leaders that although emissions must be cut almost in half before 2030, they are on track to rise by 14 per cent. He called on the representatives of the world’s leading economies – the G20 nations – to phase out coal, ramp up investment in renewables, and end their “fossil fuel addiction”. “The fossil fuel industry is killing us”, he said, “and leaders are out of step with their people, who are crying out for urgent climate action.” Under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, developing countries were promised $100 billion per year to finance initiatives to help them cope with the effects of global warming. To date, that target has not been achieved. The UN chief declared that financial commitments to the developing world must be delivered immediately, and in full. “I emphasized the need to double adaptation support to $40 billion dollars a year by 2025” continued Mr. Guterres. “Climate destruction is happening now. People are suffering now”. Looking ahead to COP27, the Secretary-General expressed his hope that the event will move these discussions forward, as a matter of climate justice, international solidarity and trust. Cooperate to bring down prices A G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place in Bali in November, during the last days of COP27, and Mr. Guterres urged leaders to take important decisions to tackle the “triple crisis” of food, energy and finance. He urged international cooperation and solidarity to bring down prices that have soared since the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, increase support to developing countries, and prevent a larger crisis next year.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127381
     
         
      Hurricane Fiona: Dominican Republic hit as storm strengthens Wed, 21st Sep 2022 9:51:00
     
      Hurricane Fiona is continuing to strengthen, say US forecasters, having already claimed at least seven lives in parts of the Caribbean. Forecasters say the category three storm, with wind speeds of 115mph (185km/h), could worsen to a category four - the second-highest designation. Rain has been lashing Puerto Rico, where at least four people died and 80% of the island remains without power. Two deaths have also been reported in the Dominican Republic. An 18-year-old girl passed away after being struck by an electric pole felled by strong winds, while a man in the north-eastern town of Nagua was killed by a falling tree. President Luis Abinader has declared three eastern provinces of the Dominican Republic to be disaster zones, amid warnings from the NHC of "heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding". The hurricane slammed into Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday morning local time, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported there but residents were advised to continue sheltering in place as blackouts and flooding caused by heavy rain continued into the afternoon. Several villages were cut off in the country as floodwaters rose, while hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes and thousands were left without power. Lexie Wilcox, who lives in the easternmost province of Altagracia, said it was the worst hurricane she had experienced and had hit her local area much harder than Hurricane Maria in 2017, which killed nearly 3,000 people in neighbouring Puerto Rico. On Monday morning there were trees down, with roads blocked and a lot of flooding. Ms Wilcox said she was unable to sleep, spending the night mopping up rainwater. She and her neighbours are without electricity, and believe this may take days to be fixed as the storm is ongoing. Connection returned for a few minutes on Monday, just long enough to allow Ms Wilcox, who is Canadian, to watch the end of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral while the hurricane raged outside. The NHC warned earlier of "catastrophic flooding" in Puerto Rico. Fiona made landfall there on Sunday, causing not only deluges, but widespread landslides and mudslides. The storm caused an island-wide blackout that providers warned could take days to fix. Puerto Rico's electricity grid remains fragile after the island was devastated five years ago by Hurricane Maria - the most powerful storm in its history. An estimated 1.3 million homes and businesses in Puerto Rico are currently without power, Reuters news agency reports. Power provider LUMA Energy said it had restored services to more than 100,000 customers and its staff were working to bring back power for others. The company said "full restoration could take several days". Ramon Luis Nieves, a lawyer in the capital San Juan who was without power in his home, told Reuters his experience had been "horrible" after Hurricane Maria. "They promised it would be better. It hasn't," he said. Some areas of the island face the prospect of 35in (89cm) of rainfall as the storm passes. US President Joe Biden pledged to scale up support for the US territory following a conversation with the governor.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62964178
     
         
      Germany nationalises biggest gas importer to avert supply crisis Wed, 21st Sep 2022 9:23:00
     
      Deal includes €8bn cash injection for Uniper, which had been controlled by Finnish energy group Fortum Germany has agreed to nationalise its biggest gas importer, Uniper, to avert a crisis as it battles energy shortages resulting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The deal builds on a rescue package agreed in July, when Berlin took a 30% stake in the company, and includes a capital injection of €8bn (about £7bn) of government money. Uniper had been controlled by the Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum, which welcomed the announcement. It said Berlin would buy its shares for €500m, giving the state a 98.5% stake in the gas company. Fortum’s chief executive, Markus Rauramo, said: “Under the current circumstances in the European energy markets and recognising the severity of Uniper’s situation, the divestment of Uniper is the right step to take, not only for Uniper but also for Fortum. “The role of gas in Europe has fundamentally changed since Russia attacked Ukraine, and so has the outlook for a gas-heavy portfolio. As a result, the business case for an integrated group is no longer viable.” He said Uniper’s losses caused by Russia’s limiting natural gas supplies to European countries supporting Ukraine had reached almost €8.5bn. Missing deliveries from Russia have had to be replaced with expensive supplies from the open market, where prices for gas have risen sharply. Uniper, which also owns the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire, posted an overall loss of £12bn in August, and has seen its share price collapse by 90% in the past year. Europe is reliant on gas to heat homes, and to generate electricity to power factories, raising fears of business closures, rationing and a recession as the weather turns cold. Countries across the continent have scrambled to counter soaring gas and electricity prices, to help households and businesses, and to secure their energy supplies for winter, including by filling their natural gas storage. Last week, Germany also took control of three Russian-owned oil refineries before an embargo on Russian oil takes effect next year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/21/germany-nationalises-biggest-gas-importer-avert-supply-crisis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Pakistan floods: Six month wait for water to recede, warn relief agencies Tue, 20th Sep 2022 11:37:00
     
      Millions of people in Pakistan are still deeply affected by catastrophic flooding which “is not going anywhere”, UN relief agencies said on Tuesday. Close to eight million people have been displaced by the disaster and the UN along with the authorities and partners have continued to race to reach affected populations with desperately needed relief items. Southern Sindh province is still in crisis, with many areas still under water. To date, more than 1,500 people have been killed, including 552 children. “We don’t have enough food, we don’t have shelter, and still even the kind of healthcare that is required is not available,” said Gerida Birukila, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Pakistan Chief of Field Office in Balochistan, another of the worst-hit provinces. Roads and bridges swept away In a fresh appeal for international support, the UNICEF worker described desperate scenes. “Roads and bridges have been washed away; I’ve just come from the field and the water is not going anywhere,” Ms. Birukila continued, speaking via Zoom from Quetta. As had been feared, life-threatening illness and disease have now spread among displaced communities, including cerebral malaria, for which there is no available medicine. Please, give me clothes “There is no shelter...people don’t even have clothing,” Ms. Birukila continued. “One lady asked me, ‘Please, give me some clothing, I ran away two weeks ago.’ She is still wearing the same dress she wore two weeks ago because she cannot change. You just run with what you have on your back.” Echoing the deep concern among first-responders, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, noted that 7.6 million people in Pakistan have been displaced by the floods, with nearly 600,000 living in relief sites. Massive aid operation The UN agency has coordinated logistics as part of a plan to transport more than 1.2 million relief items to local authorities in the most flood-affected areas. To date, it has delivered more than one million life-saving items to authorities for distribution. “Many parts of the country, especially in the southern province of Sindh, remain underwater, as well as … parts of eastern Balochistan,” said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch, adding that officials have warned that it could take “up to six months for floodwaters to recede” in the hardest-hit areas. Afghans in danger zone There are also concerns for Pakistan’s 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees; an estimated 800,000 live in more than 45 “calamity hit” districts out of 80 affected locations, UNHCR said, noting that four of the worst-hit districts in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces host the highest number of refugees. To help them, UNHCR and partners have provided emergency cash assistance to hundreds of vulnerable refugee families, supplementing the Government’s monsoon response.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127051
     
         
      Emissions from Australia’s oil and gas industry rose 20% in first five years of safeguard mechanism Tue, 20th Sep 2022 4:47:00
     
      Greenhouse gas emissions from gas and oil extraction in Australia rose 20% in the five years after the 2016 introduction of the safeguard mechanism, a policy supposed to stop increases. The scale of the emissions growth, revealed in a new analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), has prompted a warning that the Albanese government will struggle to cut industrial emissions if its planned revamp of the mechanism continues to allow new coal and gas developments. The analysis found 10 companies had been responsible for more than half of all industrial emissions covered by the safeguard since it was introduced by the Coalition with a promise it would stop increases. Five of the top 10 industrial emitters are mining companies, three major oil and gas exporters and two steel producers. Mining giant Rio Tinto has been the biggest emitter followed by gas companies Chevron, Woodside and Santos. The biggest single polluting site was found to be Chevron’s Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) development in northern Western Australia. It was approved on the condition it capture and bury some of its emissions via what has been described as the world’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The CCS project was repeatedly delayed before becoming operational, and has missed emissions targets set by the WA government. The ACF said its analysis underlined the need to transform the safeguard mechanism to start to cut pollution. It found the 215 major polluting facilities covered by the scheme were responsible for 28% of Australia’s carbon pollution. Their combined annual emissions had increased 7% – 9m tonnes a year - since the safeguard began, largely due to the expansion of LNG exports. Labor has promised to address this by reforming the safeguard to gradually reduce industrial pollution to help reach its 2030 target (a 43% total cut below 2005 levels) and hit “net zero” emissions by 2050. Under the safeguard, the big polluting sites are each set an emissions baseline, or limit. Companies that breach that limit are supposed to pay for their excess emissions. In practice, they have often just been allowed to increase their limit without penalty, prompting claims from climate campaigners and industry leaders that the scheme was pointless unless properly used. The Business Council of Australia is among those to have called for it to be overhauled to reduce emissions by lowering baselines. An options paper released by Labor last month included suggestions that could effectively turn the safeguard into a carbon trading scheme by resetting emissions baselines and giving free credits to polluters that stay below their limit. Those credits could be sold to companies that emit more than their baseline and need to offset the additional pollution. The ACF’s lead investigator, Annica Schoo, said the scheme to date had been an “abject failure”, and Labor’s changes could “go wrong” if big polluters were allowed to set the rules as they had been under the Coalition. “These are all big, publicly listed companies that have done more than their share of climate damage. It’s time for them to, at the very least, do their fair share to clean up their mess,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/20/emissions-from-australias-oil-and-gas-industry-rose-20-in-first-five-years-of-safeguard-mechanism?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Climate change threatens health and survival of urban trees Tue, 20th Sep 2022 3:55:00
     
      Climate change threatens the health and survival of urban trees, with more than half of species already feeling the heat, according to a new study. City-dwelling oaks, maples, poplars, elms, pines and chestnuts are among more than 1,000 tree species flagged at risk due to climate change. Scientists want better protection of existing trees and for drought-resistant varieties to be planted. Trees have cooling effects and provide shade, making cities more liveable. Many trees in urban areas are already stressed because of climate change, and as it gets warmer and drier, the number of species at potential risk will increase, said Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez of Western Sydney University in Penrith, Australia. City and street trees can improve physical and mental health, are important in social integration and can mitigate the effects of temperature rises - something that hit home during the pandemic, he said. "All these benefits are mainly provided by big mature trees so we need to make sure that what we are planting today will get to that stage where they can provide all those benefits for future generations," he told BBC News. The researchers used the Global Urban Tree Inventory - a database recording more than 4,000 different trees and shrubs planted in 164 cities in 78 countries - to assess the likely impact of global warming on the trees planted along streets and in parks. Of the 164 cities analysed, more than half of tree species are already at risk in some cities due to rising temperatures and changes in rainfall. And by 2050, this proportion is predicted to rise to more than two-thirds. Climate risk for species in urban areas is particularly high in cities in tropical regions, and in vulnerable countries such as India, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. In the UK, the researchers looked at five cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, London and York.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62928362
     
         
      UN chief: 'Tax fossil fuel profits for climate damage' Tue, 20th Sep 2022 3:52:00
     
      Windfall profits made by fossil fuel companies should be taxed to pay for climate damage, according to the UN Secretary General. Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly that polluters should pay for the impact of climate-related events. This question of who funds these losses has long dogged international negotiations. Poor countries say the rich should pay because of their historic carbon emissions. But richer nations reject any calls for compensation. Arguments over this question are likely to dominate discussions at the forthcoming COP27 summit in Egypt. Climate change threatens survival of urban forests Pakistan floods 'likely' made worse by warming Global drought: Is 2022 the driest year on record? As world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly in New York this week, there's no shortage of critical issues on their agenda. From the war in Ukraine, to food and energy shortages and cost-of-living crises, "a global winter of discontent" is on the horizon, according to Mr Guterres. Central to that is the question of climate change, which the Secretary General believes to be the defining issue of our time. It is a case study in moral and economic justice, he says. Having recently seen the devastating flooding in Pakistan for himself, Mr Guterres is now doubling down on the need for the rich world to urgently address the demands of the poor. And there's little doubt whom he believes is responsible for the world's climate emergency. "The fossil fuel industry is feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while household budgets shrink and our planet burns," he told the Assembly. "Today, I am calling on all developed economies to tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies. Those funds should be re-directed in two ways: to countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis; and to people struggling with rising food and energy prices." The question of who pays for the impact of climate change that poorer countries cannot adapt to has been a bone of contention between rich and poor for more than a decade. Richer nations baulk at the idea of paying "compensation" for their historic emissions of carbon dioxide which have driven up temperatures. Mr Guterres' team are quick to point out that the Secretary General is not talking about reparations or a funding facility. They believe the money could be used for practical steps - such as early warning systems - that would benefit struggling nations. But warning systems alone won't cut much ice with small island and developing states, which believe this issue of loss and damage funding is fundamental to their survival. According to newspaper reports, some of the world's poorest countries have prepared a discussion document for this week's gathering in New York that looks to a "climate-related and justice-based" global tax as a means of raising finance. Among the options are a carbon tax, a tax on airline travel and a levy on the heavy oils used in shipping. It is unlikely that these proposals will be adopted - and the long-running battle over loss and damage will continue at COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh in November. Developing countries will continue to push strongly for faster progress on finance for loss and damage, and they will at least have moral support from the UN Secretary General.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62970887
     
         
      Irrational war on drugs, destruction of the Amazon, expose humanity’s failures, Colombia’s Petro tells UN Tue, 20th Sep 2022 2:39:00
     
      During his first speech at the General Assembly as the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro said that the world’s addiction to money, oil and carbon is destroying the rainforest and its people under the excuse of a “hypocritical” war against drugs. Mr. Petro described his country as one of the most beautiful and nature-rich in the world but said that blood also flowed into its rivers and biodiversity. He explained that violence in the rainforest was fuelled by the prosecution of the sacred plant of the Incas: the coca plant. “As in a paradoxical crossroads. The forest that should be saved is at the same time being destroyed. To destroy the coca plant, they throw poisons such as glyphosate that drips into our waters, they arrest their cultivators and then imprison them,” he stated. He added that destroying the Amazon has seemingly become the slogan of some States and negotiators and he denounced such “save the jungle speech” as hypocritical. “The jungle is burning, gentlemen, while you wage war and play with it. The jungle, the climatic pillar of the world, disappears with all its life. The great sponge that absorbs the planetary CO2 evaporates. The jungle is our saviour, but it is seen in my country as the enemy to defeat, as a weed to be extinguished,” he underscored. Mr. Petro highlighted that while the developed world let the rainforest burn as an excuse for the war against drugs, it also asked for more oil, “to calm their other addiction” to consumption, power and money. “What is more poisonous for humanity, cocaine, coal or oil? The opinion of power has ordered that cocaine is poison and must be persecuted, while it only causes minimal deaths from overdoses…but instead, coal and oil must be protected, even when it can extinguish all humanity,” he said, adding that such reasoning was “unjust and irrational”. “The culprit of drug addiction is not the rainforest; it is the irrationality of the world’s power. Give a blow of reason to this power. Turn on the lights of the century again”, he urged. The President said that the war against drugs has lasted over 40 years, and it has not been won. “By hiding the truth, they will only see the rainforest and democracies die. The war on drugs has failed. The fight against the climate crisis has failed,” he noted. Mr. Petro then demanded, speaking in the name of all of Latin-America, the end of the “irrational war against drugs”. “Reducing drug use does not require wars, it needs us all to build a better society: a more supportive, more affectionate society, where the meaning of life saves us from addictions… Do you want fewer drugs? Think of earning less and giving more love. Think of a rational exercise of power”, he told world leaders. Mr. Petro also addressed the climate disaster and the displacement it causes, saying that wars were only excuses to not act against it. “The climate disaster that will kill hundreds of millions of people is not being caused by the planet, it is being caused by capital. By the logic of consuming more and more, producing more and more, and for some earning more and more”, he said. The Colombian President added that within the fires and poisoning of the Amazon rainforest was embedded a “failure of humanity”. “Behind cocaine and drug addiction, behind oil and coal addiction, there is the true addiction of this phase of human history: the addiction to irrational power, profit and money. That is the huge deadly machinery that can extinguish humanity”, he explained. Mr. Petro urged a dialogue with Latin-America to end the war, saying it was “time for peace”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1127151
     
         
      Japan storm: Nine million people told to evacuate as super typhoon Nanmadol hits Mon, 19th Sep 2022 16:19:00
     
      Nine million people have been told to evacuate their homes as Japan is battered by one of the worst typhoons the country has ever seen. The super typhoon Nanmadol has killed two people and injured almost 90. It hit Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, on Sunday morning, and is set to reach Honshu, the largest island, in the coming days. Tens of thousands of people spent Sunday night in emergency shelters, and almost 350,000 homes are without power. Transport and business has been disrupted, and the country is braced for extensive flooding and landslides. Nanmadol has brought gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph), and some areas were forecast 400mm (16 inches) of rain in 24 hours. Bullet train services, ferries, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled. Many shops and other businesses have closed, and sandbags have been put in place to protect some properties. The typhoon made landfall near the city of Kagoshima, on the southern tip of Japan's most southerly island, Kyushu, on Sunday morning. A river in Kyushu has burst its banks. State broadcaster NHK said one man was killed when his car was submerged in flooding, and another died after being buried in a landslide. One more person remains missing, and 87 have been injured. Local video footage shows roofs ripped off buildings and billboards toppled over. The storm is forecast to turn east and pass over Japan's main island of Honshu before moving out to sea by Wednesday. The capital, Tokyo, has experienced heavy rain, with the Tozai underground line suspended because of flooding. A level-five alert, the highest on Japan's disaster warning scale, has been issued for more than 500,000 people in the Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Oita, Kumamoto and Yamaguchi areas. A total of around nine million people have been ordered to evacuate parts of the Kyushu, Shikoku and Chugoku regions after a level four alert. Hurricanes to expand into more populated regions Forecasters predict a very active hurricane season Hurricanes explained Nanmadol has been categorised as a super typhoon by the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC), a term applied to storms with sustained wind speeds of 240km/h (150mph) or more. It is the equivalent of a category four or five hurricane. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has delayed a visit to New York, where he is due to give speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday, to monitor the impact of the storm. Scientists have predicted a very active hurricane season this year, influenced by a natural phenomenon known as La Niña. Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean as a result of climate change may also have an impact.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62952942
     
         
      Burning world’s fossil fuel reserves could emit 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas Mon, 19th Sep 2022 8:22:00
     
      The world will have released more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, analysis found Burning the world’s proven reserves of fossil fuels would emit more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, easily blowing the remaining carbon budget before societies are subjected to catastrophic global heating, a new analysis has found. An enormous 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted if governments allow identified reserves of coal, oil and gas to be extracted and used, according to what has been described as the first public database of fossil fuel production. The database, which covers around three-quarters of global energy production, reveals that the US and Russia each have enough fossil fuel reserves to single-handedly eat up the world’s remaining carbon budget before the planet is tipped into 1.5C (2.7F) or more of heating compared to the pre-industrial era. Among all countries, there is enough fossil fuel to blow this remaining budget seven times over, propelling people and ecosystems into disastrous heatwaves, floods, drought and other impacts never seen before in human history. Governments have agreed to restrain global heating to 1.5C but have largely declined to actively halt new fossil fuel leases or extraction. “You’ve got governments issuing new licenses or permits for coal that are completely decoupled from their own climate commitments,” said Mark Campanale, founder of Carbon Tracker Initiative, which is launching the new Global Registry of Fossil Fuels with Global Energy Monitor on Monday. “It’s like a country announcing that they’re going on a climate change diet and they’re going to eat salad for lunch and then sneaking back to their office and working their way through a box of donuts,” he said. “You’re not on a diet if you’re stuffing your face with donuts, but that’s what’s happening with countries and their developers of fossil fuels.” For the world to have an even chance of avoiding 1.5C or more of global heating, scientists have estimated the world can only emit 400 to 500bn more tons of greenhouses gases. This would involve drastically cutting emissions by around half this decade before zeroing them out entirely by the mid point of the century. However, the US alone has the potential to release 577bn tons of emissions, most of that from coal, through its known fossil fuel reserves. While Joe Biden has presided over America’s first ever climate change legislation and vowed to tackle what he has called an “existential threat to humanity”, his administration has continued to hand out leases for oil and gas drilling, including in vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico, site of the BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Of these reserves, 27bn tons of emissions are set to be released from approved American projects already under development, which include 33.2bn barrels of oil, according to the database. Russia, meanwhile, has enough identified fossil fuels to unleash 490bn tons of greenhouse gases and is currently developing projects that are set to emit 11bn tons. China, India and Australia also all each have enough fossil fuel reserves to push the world to the brink of climate breakdown. While countries agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accords to curb global heating, three decades of international talks did not yield any commitment to actually reduce the primary cause of the climate emergency – the burning of fossil fuels. At UN talks last year in Glasgow, wrangling by diplomats did yield a promise to “phase down”, but not out, the use of coal. “Countries like to talk about emissions, they don’t want to talk about fossil fuels,” said Campanale. “Emissions are from the use of fossil fuels and you can’t do anything about emissions until you’ve actually come to a conclusion about what you’re going to do about fossil fuels. “When we’re in a situation where you’ve got two, three, four times more fossil fuels in development for the remaining carbon budget, then that tells you that policy is more than slightly out of sync. It’s fundamentally out of sync.” Many large companies are pushing ahead under the assumption of expanded fossil fuel use, despite government commitments. In May, the Guardian revealed there are nearly 200 ‘carbon bomb’ projects in train around the world, helmed by companies such as Exxon, BP and Shell, that would each result in at least a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetimes. Private equity firms, too, continue to pour billions of dollars into the sector. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated this situation by pushing up prices of oil and gas and causing European leaders to seek the expansion of gas imports from around the world. Campanale said new gas import facilities “risk becoming stranded” as they are superseded by cheap renewable energy, such as solar and wind, causing investors to heap pressure on companies to more quickly embrace a greener future to avoid financial wipeout. That pressure is ramping up. More than 200 health organizations, including the World Health Organization, last week called for a global fossil fuel “non-proliferation” treaty and upcoming United Nations climate talks in Egypt will see activists urge countries to end their issuance of mining leases.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/19/world-fossil-fuel-reserve-greenhouse-gas-emissions
     
         
      Burning world’s fossil fuel reserves could emit 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas Mon, 19th Sep 2022 8:22:00
     
      The world will have released more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, analysis found Burning the world’s proven reserves of fossil fuels would emit more planet-heating emissions than have occurred since the industrial revolution, easily blowing the remaining carbon budget before societies are subjected to catastrophic global heating, a new analysis has found. An enormous 3.5tn tons of greenhouse gas emissions will be emitted if governments allow identified reserves of coal, oil and gas to be extracted and used, according to what has been described as the first public database of fossil fuel production. The database, which covers around three-quarters of global energy production, reveals that the US and Russia each have enough fossil fuel reserves to single-handedly eat up the world’s remaining carbon budget before the planet is tipped into 1.5C (2.7F) or more of heating compared to the pre-industrial era. Among all countries, there is enough fossil fuel to blow this remaining budget seven times over, propelling people and ecosystems into disastrous heatwaves, floods, drought and other impacts never seen before in human history. Governments have agreed to restrain global heating to 1.5C but have largely declined to actively halt new fossil fuel leases or extraction. “You’ve got governments issuing new licenses or permits for coal that are completely decoupled from their own climate commitments,” said Mark Campanale, founder of Carbon Tracker Initiative, which is launching the new Global Registry of Fossil Fuels with Global Energy Monitor on Monday. “It’s like a country announcing that they’re going on a climate change diet and they’re going to eat salad for lunch and then sneaking back to their office and working their way through a box of donuts,” he said. “You’re not on a diet if you’re stuffing your face with donuts, but that’s what’s happening with countries and their developers of fossil fuels.” For the world to have an even chance of avoiding 1.5C or more of global heating, scientists have estimated the world can only emit 400 to 500bn more tons of greenhouses gases. This would involve drastically cutting emissions by around half this decade before zeroing them out entirely by the mid point of the century. However, the US alone has the potential to release 577bn tons of emissions, most of that from coal, through its known fossil fuel reserves. While Joe Biden has presided over America’s first ever climate change legislation and vowed to tackle what he has called an “existential threat to humanity”, his administration has continued to hand out leases for oil and gas drilling, including in vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico, site of the BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Of these reserves, 27bn tons of emissions are set to be released from approved American projects already under development, which include 33.2bn barrels of oil, according to the database. Russia, meanwhile, has enough identified fossil fuels to unleash 490bn tons of greenhouse gases and is currently developing projects that are set to emit 11bn tons. China, India and Australia also all each have enough fossil fuel reserves to push the world to the brink of climate breakdown. While countries agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accords to curb global heating, three decades of international talks did not yield any commitment to actually reduce the primary cause of the climate emergency – the burning of fossil fuels. At UN talks last year in Glasgow, wrangling by diplomats did yield a promise to “phase down”, but not out, the use of coal. “Countries like to talk about emissions, they don’t want to talk about fossil fuels,” said Campanale. “Emissions are from the use of fossil fuels and you can’t do anything about emissions until you’ve actually come to a conclusion about what you’re going to do about fossil fuels. “When we’re in a situation where you’ve got two, three, four times more fossil fuels in development for the remaining carbon budget, then that tells you that policy is more than slightly out of sync. It’s fundamentally out of sync.” Many large companies are pushing ahead under the assumption of expanded fossil fuel use, despite government commitments. In May, the Guardian revealed there are nearly 200 ‘carbon bomb’ projects in train around the world, helmed by companies such as Exxon, BP and Shell, that would each result in at least a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetimes. Private equity firms, too, continue to pour billions of dollars into the sector. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated this situation by pushing up prices of oil and gas and causing European leaders to seek the expansion of gas imports from around the world. Campanale said new gas import facilities “risk becoming stranded” as they are superseded by cheap renewable energy, such as solar and wind, causing investors to heap pressure on companies to more quickly embrace a greener future to avoid financial wipeout. That pressure is ramping up. More than 200 health organizations, including the World Health Organization, last week called for a global fossil fuel “non-proliferation” treaty and upcoming United Nations climate talks in Egypt will see activists urge countries to end their issuance of mining leases.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/19/world-fossil-fuel-reserve-greenhouse-gas-emissions
     
         
      Vulnerable countries demand global tax to pay for climate-led loss and damage Mon, 19th Sep 2022 6:21:00
     
      Poor nations exhort UN to consider ‘climate-related and justice-based’ tax on big fossil fuel users and air travel The world’s most vulnerable countries are preparing to take on the richest economies with a demand for urgent finance – potentially including new taxes on fossil fuels or flying – for the irrecoverable losses they are suffering from the climate crisis, leaked documents show. Extreme weather is already hitting many developing countries hard and forecast to wreak further catastrophe. Loss and damage – the issue of how to help poor nations suffering from the most extreme impacts of climate breakdown, which countries cannot be protected against – is one of the most contentious problems in climate negotiations. Some of the world’s most vulnerable countries have prepared a paper, seen by the Guardian, for discussion this week at the UN general assembly. It shows that poor countries are preparing to ask for a “climate-related and justice-based” global tax, as a way of funding payments for loss and damage suffered by the developing world. The funds could be raised by a global carbon tax, a tax on airline travel, a levy on the heavily polluting and carbon-intensive bunker fuels used by ships, adding taxes to fossil fuel extraction, or a tax on financial transactions. The discussion paper notes advantages and drawbacks to each of these, and the alternatives of raising funding from rich countries through the world’s development banks, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector. All options for funding loss and damage are likely to be difficult for rich nations to agree to at a time of soaring fossil fuel costs, rising food prices and a cost of living crisis around the world. Although rich countries agreed at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow last year that there should be a framework for loss and damage, there is no agreement on how it could be funded or who should contribute. Nations will meet again for fresh talks called Cop27 in Egypt this November, where loss and damage is again expected to be a major topic of discussion. At Cop26, negotiations were generally good-tempered and there was consensus on the need to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. However, amid the geopolitical upheavals since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this year’s talks are likely to be more fractious. Damages to poor countries are expected to increase as the world heats up further. A separate submission to the UN, by Antigua and Barbuda, warns that increasing sea and air temperatures in the Caribbean could create a superstorm within years that would wreak £7.9bn of damage in the island nation alone, six times its annual GDP. Adelle Thomas, the director of the climate change adaptation centre at the University of the Bahamas and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said: “The case of Antigua and Barbuda underscores the need for ambitious climate action addressing [greenhouse gas emissions reduction], adaptation and loss and damage. For countries in the Caribbean that have contributed the least to climate change but are already struggling with current impacts, it is critical that global warming is limited to 1.5C, that funding for adaptation is significantly increased and made more accessible, and that there is new and additional finance and support available to address loss and damage.” The UN’s new top official on climate, Simon Stiell, was previously environment minister for the Caribbean island of Grenada, and so is well versed in the needs and vulnerability of small island states. He is expected to lead robust discussions on the rapidly increasing threat of climate breakdown.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/19/vulnerable-countries-demand-global-tax-to-pay-for-climate-led-loss-and-damage
     
         
      ‘Near persistent’ natural disasters placing intense pressure on Australian defence force Mon, 19th Sep 2022 1:30:00
     
      Defence department told incoming Labor government more cost-effective ways were needed to respond to climate emergencies The defence department warned the incoming Labor government it was under intense pressure due to the need to respond to “near persistent” natural disasters, and noted “the impacts of climate change” when requesting more cost-effective ways to manage the continual callouts. The incoming government brief prepared by the defence department – obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws – makes repeated references to the Australian defence force being under pressure. Troops have been increasingly deployed to civilian roles in recent years. They were sent into aged care homes during the Covid pandemic and have responded to numerous floods and bushfire events. Then-shadow defence minister Brendan O’Connor earlier this year floated a new civilian disaster response agency to take pressure off ADF resources while the new defence minister, Richard Marles, and the emergency management minister, Murray Watt, have acknowledged the increasing strain on staff. The brief states that giving assistance to the civil community is one of the “competing pressures” the defence department has to balance with strategic challenges such as “regional contingencies”. “The ADF has supported, in near persistent fashion over recent years, the civil community at home and partners abroad in managing a wide range of natural disasters,” the document states. “We need to consider more cost-effective ways for managing what is rapidly becoming a consistent concurrency pressure for Defence, potentially through enhanced community-based disaster response arrangements, which are outside Defence’s remit.” The federal government on Sunday announced another $58m for disaster relief in the Pacific region on the eve of an international conference. It also confirmed the new head of its emergency management agency. Watt last month praised the work of the ADF in disaster recovery but said Labor was considering alternative disaster response arrangements. “We think that there will always be a role for the defence force, but we do have concerns about how far they are being stretched … their core job is the defence of the nation,” he told the National Press Club. The incoming brief states a new defence strategic mobilisation plan would identify how to bolster the department’s ability to respond “to a range of contingencies including large-scale domestic natural disasters and national emergencies”, as well as conducting a risk assessment of the national security implications of climate change. It stated the defence department would engage with other groups to “manage concurrency pressures and maximise the capability available to respond” – noting natural disasters were expected to increase in frequency and strength. The other organisations were redacted as part of the FoI release.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/19/near-persistent-natural-disasters-placing-intense-pressure-on-australian-defence-force?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Free carbon credits could threaten Australia’s emission reduction targets, Labor’s advisers warn Sun, 18th Sep 2022 13:26:00
     
      RepuTex says safeguard mechanism could hand free credits to big industrial polluters and lock in fossil fuel production The climate firm Labor used to model its policies before the federal election has advised the government to abandon a proposal that could hand free carbon credits to big industrial polluters – warning it could lead to Australia missing its emissions reduction targets. RepuTex – a consultancy that the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has described as Australia’s top energy economists – issued the warning in a report on the safeguard mechanism, a policy that was introduced by the Coalition in 2016 to prevent increases in industrial pollution. In practice, the safeguard mechanism has not been a success as companies have been allowed to increase pollution without penalty and industrial emissions continued to rise. But Labor has promised to keep and reform it. It released an options paper last month for public consultation. RepuTex warned against an option that would give free carbon credits to the owners of industrial sites that emitted at a level below a newly determined “industry average”. It said giving credits to individual companies on this basis, even if they had not cut their own pollution, could subsidise and lock in fossil fuel production and undermine the integrity of the safeguard. Under Australia’s carbon credit scheme, each credit is meant to represent one tonne of carbon dioxide that has been reduced or avoided by, for example, growing native plants. Companies can buy credits, also known as offsets, as an alternative to cutting their own pollution. Under one proposal put forward by the government, a new type of credit – known as a safeguard mechanism credit – would be given to companies that emitted less than an industry-average baseline, or limit. These companies could sell these credits to companies that emitted above the industry baseline to cancel out their higher pollution. RepuTex said this was problematic because the new credits would not reflect a real cut in pollution and would therefore not be a genuine offset. Instead, they would just be a financial subsidy to “slightly cleaner” industrial facilities. Hugh Grossman, managing director of RepuTex, said people involved in the scheme would have little confidence that cuts were real if a carbon credit did not actually represent a one-tonne reduction in emissions. “The environmental integrity of the scheme – and Australia’s 2030 target – could collapse,” he said. The safeguard mechanism covers 215 major polluting facilities, including coalmines, gas production sites, aluminium smelters, steel plants, manufacturing sites and airlines. Labor has said it would require facilities to gradually reduce emissions from July next year to help meet the national targets of a 43% cut by 2030 (compared with 2005) and net zero by 2050. The RepuTex report said the proposal to give away free credits could lead to half the country’s big fossil fuel sites initially getting a financial windfall instead of being required to make cuts. It said this could apply to the country’s liquified natural gas (LNG) export production facilities, which have been responsible for most of the increase in industrial pollution over the past decade. Grossman said going down this path could create a subsidy for big polluters that emitted only slightly less than average, lock in fossil fuel production and delay investment in low-emissions technologies. “Just because you are below average does not mean you are clean,” he said. RepuTex said its modelling found a better strategy – also proposed in the options paper – would be to give every polluting site a site-specific trajectory to reach net zero. Grossman said it would ensure all facilities contributed to the 2030 target and that cuts were “real and additional”. RepuTex’s warning follows concern over the integrity of Australia’s existing carbon credit scheme. One of the scheme’s architects, Prof Andrew Macintosh of Australian National University, has described it as “largely a sham” and a fraud on taxpayers and the environment. Labor has commissioned Prof Ian Chubb, a former chief scientist, to head a review of the scheme. It plans to allow these carbon credits to also be used under the safeguard mechanism once the review is complete. The consultation paper suggests international carbon credits could not be used initially. A spokesperson for Bowen said an extensive consultation process on the design of the safeguard mechanism was still under way. “We know industry and stakeholders will have a wide range of views on these reforms, which is why the Albanese government is going through this genuine consultation process. The government will consider these views on their merit before making any decisions on the final design,” they said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/19/free-carbon-credits-could-threaten-australias-emission-reduction-targets-labors-advisors-warn
     
         
      Guterres: ‘Global addiction to fossil fuels’ must end and a ‘renewables revolution’ jumpstarted Sun, 18th Sep 2022 8:11:00
     
      Achieving a just and equitable energy transition is “one of the biggest challenges facing our world,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Global Compact Board meeting on Sunday. Climate disasters and skyrocketing fuel prices have made the need to “end our global addiction to fossil fuels” crystal clear, he said, underscoring the importance of investing in renewables, building resilience, and scaling up adaptation. “Had we invested massively in renewable energy in the past, we would not be in the middle of a climate emergency now”. Renewals: ‘Only credible path’ Renewables are “the only credible path” to real energy security, stable power prices and sustainable employment opportunities, said the UN chief. He also maintained that the share of renewables in global electricity generation must increase from nearly 30 per cent today to over 60 per cent in 2030 and 90 per cent in 2050. “Leaders in business as well as government must stop thinking about renewables as a distant project of the future”, underscored the top UN official. “Without renewables, there can be no future”. Key energy priorities The Secretary-General went on to outline his Five-Point Energy Plan to shift to renewables, beginning with treating the technologies as freely available “global public goods”. “Identifying patents that can be made freely available – especially those relating to battery and storage capacity – are crucial for a rapid and fair energy transition,” he said. Next, he highlighted the need to secure, increase, and diversify supply chains for renewable energy technologies, pointing out that supply chains for components and raw materials are "still concentrated in a handful of countries”. Third, was to level the playing field for renewables. “We have the technology, capacity, and funds,” said the UN chief, “but we urgently need to put policies and frameworks in place to incentivize investments and eliminate bottlenecks caused by red tape, permits and grid connections”. Shift subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy was his fourth point, as he noted that each year, governments spend around half a trillion dollars to artificially lower the price of fossil fuels – “more than triple what renewables receive”. “If we channel these resources and subsidies to renewables, we not only cut emissions; we also create more decent and green jobs,” he argued. Financing the future Mr. Guterres’ fifth and final point focused on the importance of tripling public and private investments in renewables to at least $4 trillion dollars a year. “Upfront costs for solar and wind power account for 80 per cent of lifetime costs – meaning big investments today will reap even bigger rewards tomorrow,” he said. However, this requires: financing to flow to those who need it most; adjusted risk frameworks and more flexibility to scale up renewable finance; and lowering financing costs for developing countries. “The cost of capital for renewable energy projects in the developing world can be seven times higher than in the developed world,” flagged the UN chief, flagging that Africa attracts a mere two per cent of clean energy investments despite its vast renewable energy potential. Walking the talk According to Mr. Guterres, a just transition to a renewable energy future is everybody’s business, including the private sector to advance science-based targets and Just Transition plans, in partnership with labour organizations and civil society. “Lip service won’t do. We need credible actions and accountability,” he underscored.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126931?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6f784f5f0d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_19_02_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-6f784f5f0d-107499886
     
         
      I hope King Charles will push for action on climate change, says John Kerry Sat, 17th Sep 2022 3:58:00
     
      President Biden's climate envoy has told the BBC he hopes King Charles will continue his work on global warming. John Kerry told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he would welcome the King's involvement because he "has the ability... to leverage the kind of action we need now on a global basis". He said the monarch had "indicated" he wanted to maintain his passion for the environment "in the appropriate way". And Mr Kerry said he hoped the King would visit the next UN climate summit. Speaking from the US, the former Secretary of State told Laura Kuenssberg he had been invited to see the then-Prince of Wales in Scotland to discuss the climate crisis but the meeting was cancelled following the death of the Queen. Global drought: Is 2022 the driest year on record? A really simple guide to climate change Putin has not wrecked Glasgow Climate Pact - Kerry But Mr Kerry said he "very much" hopes the King will continue to push the arguments for radical action to tackle climate change "within the constitutional process". "There's no question in my mind, that it is not a standard multilateral issue or bilateral issue, there is a threat to the entire planet, a threat to all of our nations and he understands it as well as anybody on the planet," he said. "He's been consistent on this issue, beginning in his teenage years and carrying on in many different iterations and he's for real, believe me. "He knows the issue inside out, backwards and forwards and he's been a leader." Mr Kerry said the King had discussed wanting to be "relevant and try to be engaged" and that he hoped he would continue to be active on environmental issues. "He is an enormously important convener and somebody who has the ability to be able to leverage the kind of action we need now on a global basis. "This challenge is as significant as any threat we've ever faced," he told the BBC. Mr Kerry was appointed President Joe Biden's special envoy for climate in January 2021 - the first time such a role has existed within the White House. He has spoken in recent months about the impact of the war in Ukraine on efforts to limit global heating to 1.5C by 2030 - with countries facing the simultaneous challenges of sourcing alternatives to Russian gas supplies while also needing to cut their CO2 emissions. Mr Kerry told Laura Kuenssberg the lesson from the conflict in Ukraine is that "you do not want to be a prisoner of your energy source" adding that Europe "wants to liberate itself" from its dependency on Russian gas. He added it would be "terrific" if the King could come to the COP climate change summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh in November - adding that he thought His Majesty would like to be able to attend. Mr Kerry said that he thought next gathering would see a "raising of ambition" by countries which had been unable to sign up at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year to steps to limit the planet's temperature increase to 1.5C. "We can get there but it's going to take a gigantic effort moving forward," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62940512
     
         
      University drops Santos branding of kids’ science roadshow after climate concerns raised Fri, 16th Sep 2022 10:09:00
     
      Exclusive: high profile scientist Lesley Hughes had called on Macquarie University to pull out of hosting Santos Science Experience event Macquarie University has dropped Santos branding and support for a school science roadshow after a senior Australian climate scientist complained sponsorship from a company expanding fossil fuel production was inappropriate. Prof Lesley Hughes asked her own institution, Sydney’s Macquarie University, to pull out of hosting one of the events for the Santos Science Experience, arguing the company’s expansion plans were putting children’s future at stake. In a move to apparently appease critics, organisers have established a parallel event – The Science Experience – dropping the Santos name, but with only Macquarie University and the University of Tasmania listed as hosts. Hughes told the Guardian: “We wouldn’t enter into a year 10 science experience program sponsored by [cigarette maker] Benson & Hedges. I don’t think that should happen for an oil and gas company either.” The Santos Science Experience charges year 9 and 10 students between $65 and $260 to attend programs running from one to four days at more than a dozen universities and other institutions. It starts next week and goes until the end of the year. A web archive of the Santos Science Experience from late March shows Macquarie University as a participating institution. But the university told the Guardian it was now hosting the students under the banner “The Science Experience”, which would be supported by the event’s not-for-profit organisers, the Victorian-based Science Schools Foundation. That foundation is also organising the Santos events. Hughes is a high-profile and accomplished scientist who this week was confirmed as a new member of the government’s Climate Change Authority that will advise the Albanese government on emissions targets. She said she had spoken with colleagues after seeing an email asking academics to get involved. “I said I personally thought the university shouldn’t be working with a fossil fuel company that’s looking to explore for more fossil fuels. “I also don’t think [Santos] should be sponsoring a science program when the science is clear that we can’t have any more oil and gas exploration if we want to get to net zero. “The paradox here is that they are hosting a high school science program when the science is so clear and it is those kids’ future that is at stake.” According to the Santos Science Experience website, students do experiments, attend site visits and hear about careers in science, technology and engineering. Dozens of universities and tertiary colleges are hosting the Santos-branded events, including the University of Technology Sydney, the University of South Australia, the University of Melbourne, RMIT and the University of Sydney. Macquarie was listed on the official event website as host for a three-day event from 4 October. But on Thursday – the same day the Guardian asked about the event – Macquarie’s name disappeared. The national director of the Science Schools Foundation, Jacqueline Bellars, said the event would go ahead at Macquarie and no children would be disappointed. She directed questions about any criticisms of the sponsorship to Santos and the university.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/16/university-drops-santos-branding-of-kids-science-roadshow-after-climate-concerns-raised
     
         
      A win for residents of ‘Cancer Alley’ Fri, 16th Sep 2022 8:16:00
     
      After a yearslong battle, Louisiana community groups and environmental organizations scored a landmark victory against a massive petrochemical project. A state district judge in Baton Rouge struck down the project’s air permit on Wednesday, saying it relied on “arbitrary and capricious” environmental and environmental justice analyses. The decision is a major blow to Formosa Plastics, whose proposed $9.4 billion complex in St. James Parish would have been one of largest plastic production facilities in the world. If constructed, it would have churned out plastic resins like polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene glycol — the building blocks for products like single-use plastic bags and yogurt tubs. Proponents lauded the project as a job-creator, but it has faced vociferous opposition — including lawsuits — from grassroots groups and national environmental organizations. Formosa’s so-called Sunshine Project “would have devastated the little bit of our community that’s left,” said Sharon Lavigne, founder and director of the faith-based advocacy organization RISE St. James. “They would have killed the rest of us because the pollution would be so much where our bodies couldn’t take it.” Lavigne’s community in St. James Parish sits along a heavily industrialized, 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River, where pollution from some 150 fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities have earned the region the moniker “Cancer Alley.” The area’s majority-Black and low-income residents are more than 50 times more likely to get cancer than the average American. The Formosa petrochemical complex could have doubled or even tripled the amount of carcinogenic pollutants being emitted by facilities in the region. Formosa’s local affiliate in Louisiana has said that it disagrees with the judge’s ruling, but it’s unclear whether the project will move forward. “Fundamentally the project is looking at years of delays,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney for the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. Whether Formosa chooses to appeal or seek renewed analyses, she
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-win-for-residents-of-cancer-alley/
     
         
      Extreme hunger soaring in world’s climate hotspots, says Oxfam Fri, 16th Sep 2022 4:07:00
     
      Extreme hunger is closely linked to the climate crisis, with many areas of the world most affected by extreme weather experiencing severe food shortages, research has shown. The development charity Oxfam examined 10 of the world’s worst climate hotspots, afflicted by drought, floods, severe storms and other extreme weather, and found their rates of extreme hunger had more than doubled in the past six years. Within the countries studied, 48 million people are currently suffering from acute hunger, up from about 21 million people in 2016. Of these, about 18 million people are on the brink of starvation, according to the Oxfam report published on Thursday. The 10 countries covered by the report – Somalia, Haiti, Djibouti, Kenya, Niger, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe – were those with the highest number of UN appeals driven by extreme weather events. Gabriela Bucher, executive director of Oxfam International, said: “Climate change is no longer a ticking timebomb, it is exploding before our eyes. It is making extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones and floods – which have increased five-fold over the past 50 years – more frequent and more deadly.” As global heating gathers pace, fossil fuel companies have been reaping bumper profits from the soaring price of gas after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The profits of fossil fuel companies over 18 days would be enough to fulfil the UN’s $49bn appeal for humanitarian aid this year, the Oxfam report found. Governments will meet in Egypt in November for the Cop27 UN climate talks, where they will be urged to plan much tougher cuts in greenhouse gases, and rich countries will be asked to provide finance for poor countries to adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis. However, many leading figures are gloomy on the dim prospects for the talks. Geopolitical upheavals due to the war in Ukraine have imperilled the fragile coalition brought together at Cop26 in Glasgow last November, where all countries agreed to focus on limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Bucher said: “Leaders of rich polluting countries must live up to their promises to cut emissions. They must pay for adaptation measures and loss and damage in low income countries, as well as immediately inject lifesaving funds to meet the UN appeal to respond to the most impacted countries.” Bucher previously called for a windfall tax on energy and food companies, which have also benefited from soaring food prices around the world. She also called for the debts of the poorest countries to be cancelled. Among the countries highlighted in the Oxfam report, most are severely afflicted by drought, many of them in Africa. Somalia is experiencing its worst drought on record, and 1 million people have been forced to flee, while in Kenya 2.5 million livestock have died and 2.4 million people are going hungry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/16/extreme-hunger-soaring-in-worlds-climate-hotspots-says-oxfam
     
         
      Italy: Floods and rain kill at least 10 overnight - officials Fri, 16th Sep 2022 4:00:00
     
      At least 10 people have died after flash floods hit the Italian region of Marche overnight, authorities said. Torrential rain falling late on Thursday caused rivers and streams to overflow and inundate coastal towns around the regional capital of Ancona. Around 400mm (16 inches) of rain - half a year's worth - were recorded in just a few hours. Rescuers are still searching for four others, including a child who was separated when a river burst its banks. "It was like an earthquake." said local mayor Ludovico Caverni to RAI state radio. According to one local report, a mother who managed to escape her car with her child in her arms became separated from him after being overwhelmed by water when the River Misa burst its banks. Emergency workers managed to rescue the woman overnight but her six-year-old child is one of several still missing, local outlets report. In addition to 10 dead, Italian newspapers report that around 50 people were being treated at hospitals for hypothermia and other injuries sustained in the floods. More than 180 firefighters are assisting in the rescue efforts, evacuating people who overnight were forced to climb up trees or get onto their roofs to escape the rising water. Some of the rescuers used dinghy rafts and helicopters to reach trapped families, footage shows. An unusually dry summer left nearby lands parched in the coastal area and unable to absorb the copious volumes of water falling down. Although rain was forecast for the region - local officials say the ensuing flash floods took everyone by complete surprise. "We were given a normal alert for rain, but nobody had expected anything like this," Marche regional official Stefano Aguzzi told reporters according to Reuters. Italians wait for rain where longest river runs dry In pictures: Drought exposes sunken treasures Drought-hit river reveals unexploded WWII bomb Weather officials said the severity of the floods were explained by a combination of two things: unusually hot September temperatures, and a persistent drought over the summer. The heat meant the sea was warmer than usual for this time of year putting more moisture into the air. When a storm then released the moisture in the form of rain, a severe summer drought meant the land was too dry to absorb the falling water quickly enough.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62925184
     
         
      Climate change: Pakistan floods 'likely' made worse by warming Thu, 15th Sep 2022 19:30:00
     
      Global warming is likely to have played a role in the devastating floods that hit Pakistan, say scientists. Researchers from the World Weather Attribution group say climate change may have increased the intensity of rainfall. However there were many uncertainties in the results, so the team were unable to quantify the scale of the impact. The scientists believe there's roughly a 1% chance of such an event happening in any coming year. Pakistan dengue cases soaring after record floods Going green could save world 'trillions' - study Satellites now get full-year view of Arctic sea-ice In the two months since flooding began in Pakistan, tens of millions of people have been affected, with around 1,500 dying because of the rising waters. The intensity of the downpours saw the river Indus burst its banks, while landslides and urban flash floods swamped many areas. Right from the start, politicians pointed to climate change as having made a significant contribution to the desperate scenes. But this first scientific analysis says the picture is complex. Certainly, the crippling heatwaves that gripped India and Pakistan earlier this year were easier to attribute, with researchers finding that climate change had made them up to 30 times more likely to happen. But extreme rainfall events are hard to assess. Pakistan is located on the edge of the monsoon region where the rainfall pattern is extremely variable from year to year. Further complications include the impact of large-scale weather events such as La Niña, which also played a role in the last major floods in Pakistan in 2010. During the 60-day period of heaviest rainfall this summer scientists recorded an increase of about 75% over the Indus river basin, while the heaviest five-day period over the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan recorded a rise in rainfall of around 50%. The researchers then used climate models to determine how likely these events would be in a world without warming. Some of the models indicated that the increases in rainfall intensity could all be down to human-caused climate change - however there were considerable uncertainties in the results. "Our evidence suggests that climate change played an important role in the event, although our analysis doesn't allow us to quantify how big the role was," said Friederike Otto from Imperial College London, one of the report's authors. "What we saw in Pakistan is exactly what climate projections have been predicting for years. It's also in line with historical records showing that heavy rainfall has dramatically increased in the region since humans started emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And our own analysis also shows clearly that further warming will make these heavy rainfall episodes even more intense." "So while it is hard to put a precise figure to the contribution of climate change, the fingerprints of global warming are evident."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62915648
     
         
      Patagonia: Billionaire boss gives fashion firm away to fight climate change Thu, 15th Sep 2022 11:45:00
     
      The billionaire founder of the outdoor fashion brand Patagonia has given away his company to a charitable trust. Yvon Chouinard said any profit not reinvested in running the business would go to fighting climate change. The label has amassed a cult following due to sustainability moves like guaranteeing its clothes for life and offering reasonably priced repairs. It is famous for an advert titled "Don't buy this jacket" asking shoppers to consider costs to the environment. The brand's website now states: "Earth is now our only shareholder." Mr Chouinard has always said he "never wanted to be a businessman". A rock climbing fanatic, he started out as making metal climbing spikes for himself and his friends to wedge into rocks, before moving into clothing and eventually creating a hugely successful sportswear brand with a cult following. Founded in 1973, Patagonia's sales were worth around $1.5bn this year, while Mr Chouinard's net worth is thought to be $1.2bn. But he has always shied away from his wealthy status, telling the New York Times he was "horrified to be seen as a billionaire". 'Exceeded the limits' He claimed that profits to be donated to climate causes will amount to around $100m (£87m) a year, depending on the health of the company. "Despite its immensity, the Earth's resources are not infinite, and it's clear we've exceeded its limits," the entrepreneur said of his decision to give up ownership. The firm's marketing campaigns - focused around asking people to buy only what they need - have not dampened sales and critics have argued by raising its prominence it has encouraged more spending rather than less. Prices are relatively high with jumpers, for example, costing around £200 and T-shirts around £40, but the company argues that the cost reflects the fact its clothes are meant to last a lifetime. Patagonia's chairman, Charles Conn, acknowledged the higher prices but said cheap fast fashion was "anathema" to the brand. "We invest in making sure we use the least water, the least dangerous chemistries and dyes, and use the least carbon in the production of our products, which often means they cost a little bit more," he told the BBC. Sandra Halliday, UK editor for FashionNetwork.com, a global fashion news website, told the BBC Mr Chouinard's move could ironically end up boosting its sales further. However, she said the "maverick" founder had always been more committed to the environment than "simply making money". "If this was simply a marketing ploy it would be an inspired one, but it's not, it's actually a genuine move to try to do something better for the planet." People who have donated their wealth: Microsoft founder Bill Gates this year vowed to "drop off" the world's rich list as he made a $20bn donation to his philanthropic fund. The tech boss, who is thought to be worth $118bn, had pledged to give his wealth away to charity in 2010 but his net worth has more than doubled since then. Last year the boss of the Hut Group, which owns a range of online beauty and nutrition brands, donated £100m to a charitable foundation after becoming a billionaire when his firm was listed. Matthew Moulding said of his newfound wealth that he "couldn't even comprehend the numbers" and was trying to make a difference. In 2019, Julian Richer who founded hi-fi chain Richer Sounds handed over 60% of the business to staff. The Californian firm was already donating 1% of its annual sales to grassroots activists and committed to sustainable practices. But in an open letter to customers, the apparently reluctant businessman said he wanted to do more. Mr Chouinard said he had initially considered selling Patagonia and donating the money to charity, or taking the company public. But he said both options would have meant giving up control of the business and putting its values at risk. Instead, the Chouinard family has transferred all ownership to two new entities. The Patagonia Purpose Trust, led by the family, remains the company's controlling shareholder but will only own 2% of its total stock, Mr Chouinard said. It will guide the philanthropy of the Holdfast Collective, a US charity "dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis" which now owns all of the non-voting stock - some 98% of the company. "Each year the money we make after reinvesting in the business will be distributed as a dividend to help fight the crisis," Mr Chouinard said. Patagonia combines high-end outdoor fashion with its own brand of environmental and social activism. It's a heady combination that certainly appeals to a loyal, if predominantly well-heeled following. Part of the attraction comes from the fact that its environmentally conscious stance isn't new. It was preaching eco-awareness years before sustainable fashion became fashionable. But it's still pretty hard to save the planet, if your business depends on selling stuff, however many recycled or renewable products you use. By ringfencing future profits for environmental causes, Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard has done his best to square that circle.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62906853
     
         
      Shanghai typhoon: Flights cancelled as China's biggest city braces for storm Thu, 15th Sep 2022 10:49:00
     
      All flights to Shanghai's two international airports have been cancelled as the city braces itself for the onslaught of a violent typhoon. Typhoon Muifa has made landfall in China, hitting the city of Zhoushan, south-east of Shanghai. It is the 12th cyclone to hit mainland China this year, and authorities expect it to be the most powerful so far. Dozens of flights had already been postponed as coastal areas battened down in anticipation of the storm. China's state weather forecaster said Muifa arrived as a strong typhoon at 20:30 local time (12:30 GMT), powerful enough in theory to topple trees, damage homes and bring down power lines. The typhoon is expected to travel across the water of the Hangzhou Bay and make a second landfall at around midnight (16:00 GMT) near Shanghai, China's biggest city and the country's financial hub. Waves up to five metres high (16 feet) are expected near the city of some 25 million. State TV has also warned that "extraordinarily heavy rain is expected" overnight across the densely populated eastern seaboard. Temporary evacuation centres have been set up in some areas of Shanghai. Meanwhile, in Ningbo, a city to the south of Shanghai, schools has been closed and a red alert - China's highest weather warning - has been issued. "Relevant areas should pay attention to the prevention of flash floods and geological disasters that may be caused by heavy rainfall," China's weather agency said. Nearly 7,400 commercial vessels have sought shelter in Zhejiang province's ports after authorities ordered them to return home before the storm. Elsewhere, about 13,000 people staying on islands and tourist sites nearby have been evacuated, State TV reported.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62902494
     
         
      Minneapolis calls for zero-emissions shipping Thu, 15th Sep 2022 10:05:00
     
      Minneapolis, Minnesota, became the third U.S. city to endorse a carbon neutrality goal for shipping last week, joining the California cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach in unanimously passing a so-called “Ship It Zero” resolution. Minneapolis’ resolution takes aim at corporate maritime importers like Walmart, Amazon, and Ikea. It asks them to “abandon fossil-fueled ships” — most of which are contracted out by separate shipping companies — and adopt emissions-saving practices like wind-assisted propulsion and lower-speed travel. It also asks the big brands to commit to docking only zero-emissions ships by 2030 and to disclose all maritime greenhouse gas emissions in public, annual reports. “I join the call to top maritime polluters, especially those with large footprints in Minneapolis, to commit to immediate and impactful decarbonizing efforts,” Minneapolis City Council Member Aisha Chughtai said in a statement. Although Minneapolis closed its cargo port on the Mississippi River in 2014, the city is notable for being home to the retail brand Target, a major contributor to shipping emissions. The international shipping industry is one of the world’s biggest climate polluters, emitting roughly 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year — more than all U.S. coal plants combined. This is partly because of the scale of international trade, 90 percent of which is facilitated by shipping, and partly because of the carbon-intensive fossil fuels that most ships still rely on. Besides greenhouse gases, fossil fuel-powered ships also generate hazardous particulate matter and sulfur oxide pollution, contributing to elevated rates of childhood asthma and cancer in communities located near ports. Experts say that fully decarbonizing shipping will be difficult. Zero-emissions fuels like green hydrogen and ammonia are still too expensive to power a global shipping fleet. They’re also less energy-dense than fossil fuels, potentially necessitating ship redesigns for optimal storage and safety. But environmental advocates are optimistic that ongoing research, falling costs, and pressure from companies and policymakers will make the Ship It Zero goals achievable.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/minneapolis-calls-for-zero-emissions-shipping/
     
         
      Ukraine war: EU moves to cut peak electricity use by 5% Thu, 15th Sep 2022 9:50:00
     
      EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has called for cuts to electricity use across the bloc and windfall taxes on energy firms to tackle high prices. She told the European Parliament that gas and electricity prices had hit all-time highs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She called for electricity consumption to be cut at peak hours by at least 5%. But plans for a cap on the price of natural gas, a key Russian export to the EU, were put on hold. The plan outlined in Strasbourg targets "excess revenues" with proposals to skim the profits of low-carbon electricity producers and implement a de facto windfall tax on the oil, gas and coal sectors. The money raised, estimated to be €140bn (£121bn; $141bn), would go to families and businesses across the EU's 27 states. Companies producing energy from low-carbon sources such as wind, solar and nuclear would face a cap of €180 per megawatt hour (MWh) on their revenue. By comparison, the front-year electricity price in Germany, the EU's biggest economy, was trading at just below €500/MWh on Wednesday. "Power generators with lower operating costs have been able to reap extraordinary profits, way beyond what may have reasonably expected based on investment decisions," European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said. The windfall tax on fossil fuel producers and refiners would require them to contribute 33% of their taxable surplus profit. The EU's member states will pore over the proposals with hopes of an agreement by the end of this month. Ms von der Leyen also announced she would be visiting Ukraine again later on Wednesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying: "Europe's solidarity with Ukraine will remain unshakeable." Mr Zelensky's wife Olena was in the parliament as guest of honour to hear the speech. Ms von der Leyen said that "making ends meet" was "becoming a source of anxiety for millions of businesses and households". "In these times, it is wrong to receive extraordinary record revenues and profits benefiting from war and on the back of our consumers," she argued. 'Russia's industry is in tatters' Defending EU sanctions on Russia, she said: "This is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement." "Russia's financial sector is on life-support," she asserted, with nearly 1,000 international companies having left the country. "The Russian military is taking chips from dishwashers and refrigerators to fix their military hardware because they ran out of semiconductors. Russia's industry is in tatters." Russia has so far largely managed to avoid the economic meltdown predicted back in the spring when sweeping sanctions were imposed. It has cushioned the blow with revenue from oil and gas sales. Ukraine has officially been a candidate for accession to the EU since June. It recently began a counter-offensive to drive back Russian troops, reportedly regaining thousands of sq km of territory in the east and the south this month. "This is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement," said Ms von der Leyen. "We are in it for the long haul." It was her conviction, she said, "that with courage and solidarity, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will fail and Europe will prevail". Russia, a global energy supplier, is locked in an economic struggle with the EU which imposed sweeping sanctions in response to the invasion. Before the invasion, Russia accounted for 40% of the EU's imported gas. That figure has since fallen to below 10%. This summer, European gas prices were about 10 times higher than their average level over the past decade. A portion of the gas is also burnt to generate electricity, meaning that high gas prices push up power bills too. Ms von der Leyen said EU states had managed to stockpile gas reserves for the winter to 84% of capacity, well ahead of an October deadline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62899940
     
         
      Campaigners call for climate crisis global day of action during Cop27 Thu, 15th Sep 2022 9:05:00
     
      Groups urge action during the talks in Egypt to demand climate justice for Africa and the global south Civil society groups around the world are calling for a global day of action on the climate catastrophe, to urge governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and shift to a low-carbon economy. The day of action will take place on Saturday 12 November, at the mid-point of the Cop27 UN climate talks, which run from 6 to 18 November in Sharm el-Sheikh, hosted by the Egyptian government. The Cop27 coalition, which campaigners are invited to join, will call for an end to fossil fuel expansion and for help for the poor and vulnerable who are most affected by the climate crisis. They will set up people’s forums for grassroots-level activism, and call for marches and protests by millions of people to put pressure on the 196 global governments expected to gather for the Cop27 talks. Ubrei-Joe Maimoni Mariere, a climate justice and energy project coordinator at Friends of the Earth Africa, part of the coalition, said: “We must use this opportunity to demand climate justice and solidarity for Africa and the global south. To stop the climate crisis and bring energy justice to the world, we need a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, and a just and feminist and equitable transition to community-based renewable energy systems. We demand public climate finance in the form of grants (not loans) and technology transfer to help support the transition for our peoples.” Egypt has said civil society groups will be able to participate in the Cop27 talks and organise demonstrations at the venue, but the right to protest is heavily curbed under the government of president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Campaigners fear their voices will not be heard, and are calling for multiple protests and actions around the world to show the strength of public opinion on the issue, and put pressure on key countries. Mohamed Adow, the director of the thinktank Power Shift Africa, said: “The Cop27 coalition is a space for Africans to take back control of our collective future. Civil society representing hundreds of organisations of millions of people across the continent are stepping up to show what an Africa that puts communities and wellbeing at the centre of its priorities could look like.” The prospects for Cop27 are uncertain, owing to the geopolitical upheavals and crises since nations last met, for the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last November. There, all countries agreed to focus on limiting global temperature increases to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which many of the effects of the climate crisis will become catastrophic and some irreversible. Since then, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked an energy crisis that has sent the gas price soaring, while food prices have also risen sharply, and developed and developing countries are facing a cost of living crunch.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/15/campaigners-call-for-climate-crisis-global-day-of-action-during-cop27
     
         
      Australia is funding just one-tenth of its fair share of global climate action, study finds Wed, 14th Sep 2022 16:04:00
     
      Wealthy high-polluting countries to face growing calls from poorer nations to help cover cost of extreme weather and sea level rises Australia is being urged to increase its investment in climate action, with a new report estimating the country is funding just one-tenth of its fair share globally. The study being released by Oxfam and ActionAid Australia on Thursday calls on Australia to immediately increase its climate finance commitments to $3bn ahead of the UN climate meeting Cop27 to be held in Egypt in November. The conference is also expected to see growing calls, including from Pacific nations, for wealthy high-polluting countries such as Australia to financially support a dedicated loss and damage facility. At the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year, a UN coalition of 134 developing countries plus China pushed for agreement on funding for a loss and damage facility, but faced resistance from developed nations. The facility would cover the social and economic costs of damage arising from global warming including sea level rises and extreme weather events, much of which is being borne by poorer countries. At the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, Australia was also a signatory to an agreement to establish a dedicated $100bn fund for climate change adaptation that was to be paid from wealthy countries to developing countries by 2020, however this has never met its original ambition. Australia stepped back from its commitment to the fund in 2018, preferring to pursue bilateral climate commitments outside of the UN framework. However, the Oxfam-ActionAid Falling Short report estimates that for Australia to meet its fair share of the original $100bn facility, funding would need to be $4bn annually from 2025 following an initial $3bn injection of funds. Australia’s international climate funding is currently just a tenth of that amount, with average contributions at $400m a year between 2020 and 2025. The Oxfam Australia chief executive, Lyn Morgain, said boosting the funding and ensuring more rigorous reporting rules in the lead up to Cop27 could help the Australian government reset its relationship with Pacific communities and show its commitment to climate action. She said that each Australian produced eight times more carbon emissions a year than a Pacific islander, and “yet small Pacific island states such as the Solomon Islands and Fiji are suffering the full force of the climate emergency”. “We know the new government wants to rebuild Australia’s reputation in our region. We can help achieve this and make a significant difference to the lives of people impacted by climate change by increasing climate finance,” Morgain said. “Australians value fairness and being a good neighbour, but for years our leaders have been breaking funding promises and stalling on climate action. We need to start paying our fair share and holding ourselves accountable if our statements and arguments are to carry any weight with our regional neighbours.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/15/australia-is-funding-just-one-tenth-of-its-fair-share-of-global-climate-action-study-finds
     
         
      Switching to renewable energy could save trillions - study Wed, 14th Sep 2022 10:55:00
     
      Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world as much as $12tn (£10.2tn) by 2050, an Oxford University study says. The report said it was wrong and pessimistic to claim that moving quickly towards cleaner energy sources was expensive. Gas prices have soared on mounting concerns over energy supplies. But the researchers say that going green now makes economic sense because of the falling cost of renewables. "Even if you're a climate denier, you should be on board with what we're advocating," Prof Doyne Farmer from the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School told BBC News. "Our central conclusion is that we should go full speed ahead with the green energy transition because it's going to save us money," he said. Will new government stick to climate targets? PM will explore energy market reform to cut bills What is climate change? A really simple guide The report's findings are based on looking at historic price data for renewables and fossil fuels and then modelling how they're likely to change in the future. The data for fossil fuels goes from 2020 back more than 100 years and shows that after accounting for inflation, and market volatility, the price hasn't changed much. Renewables have only been around for a few decades, so there's less data. But in that time continual improvements in technology have meant the cost of solar and wind power have fallen rapidly, at a rate approaching 10% a year. The report's expectation that the price of renewables will continue to fall is based on "probabilistic" modelling, using data on how massive investment and economies of scale have made other similar technologies cheaper. "Our latest research shows scaling-up key green technologies will continue to drive their costs down, and the faster we go, the more we will save," says Dr Rupert Way, the report's lead author from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Wind and solar are already the cheapest option for new power projects, but questions remain over how to best store power and balance the grid when the changes in the weather leads to fall in renewable output. Cost of net zero Back in 2019 Philip Hammond, then Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the prime minister to say that the cost of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in the UK would be more than £1tn. This report says the likely costs have been over-estimated and have deterred investment. It also says predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that the cost of keeping global temperatures rises under 2 degrees would correspond to a loss of GDP by 2050 were too pessimistic. The transition to renewables was, it says, likely to turn out to be a "net economic benefit".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62892013
     
         
      Cheap transit = lower emissions Wed, 14th Sep 2022 9:47:00
     
      In Germany, a three-month pilot program offering ultra-cheap transit tickets saved about 1.8 million metric tons of carbon emissions, according to a new analysis from the Association of German Transport Companies, known in Germany as the VDV. The program, which sold 52 million unlimited monthly transit passes for just 9 euros ($9) each, allowed many Germans to ditch their private vehicles for trips to the grocery store, visits to friends and relatives, and daily commutes to and from work. According to the VDV, the tickets helped transit replace roughly 10 percent of all car trips. A separate analysis says the tickets — which were valid for local and regional trains and buses — led one-fifth of Germans to begin regularly taking public transit for the first time. “The results of the market research clearly show that people want local public transport if the ticket is simple and understandable and can be used flexibly everywhere,” said Maike Schaefer, chair of the Conference of Transport Ministers — a biannual convention attended by transport ministers from each of Germany’s federal regions — in a statement. The climate pollution averted by the country’s pilot program was equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of more than 200,000 Germans. The 9-euro tickets delivered on other fronts, as well, reducing nationwide air pollution by more than 6 percent and helping to alleviate the burden of higher gasoline prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. As many proponents had hoped, the tickets might also have stymied inflation by up to 2 percentage points, according to one analysis from the Cologne Institute for Economic Research. Many Germans were sad to see the pilot program come to a close at the end of August, with many calling for the government to implement a longer-term subsidized transit program. But such a program would likely involve much higher ticket prices, since the 9-euro option was so expensive to subsidize. The government estimates that a permanent 9-euro ticket program could cost it some $14 billion a year, which could siphon funding from necessities like education.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/cheap-transit-fewer-emissions/
     
         
      ‘Don’t flood the world today; don’t drown it tomorrow’, UN Chief implores leaders Wed, 14th Sep 2022 9:42:00
     
      As hundreds of Heads of State and Government prepare to fly into New York for the General Debate of the new General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on them to bring hope to a fractured world, and increase efforts to fight the climate crisis. At a press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Guterres promised to address the many challenging issues facing the planet, in his speech next week to the General Assembly, which will also contain concrete recommendations for lasting solutions, and a call to action. The UN chief began by recalling the devastation he witnessed on his recent trip to flood-hit Pakistan, which he described as a window into a “future of permanent and ubiquitous climate chaos on an unimaginable scale”. Mr. Guterres, who is from Portugal, noted that the flooding covers an area three times the size of his homeland. In typically uncompromising language, he lambasted the global response to the climate crisis as inadequate, unjust and, at its heart, a betrayal. “Whether it’s Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, small islands or Least Developed Countries, the world’s most vulnerable – who did nothing to cause this crisis – are paying a horrific price for decades of intransigence by big emitters”. G20 must lead the way Targeting the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations, the UN chief reminded them that they are responsible for the vast majority of climate-related emissions and, even though they are also heavily impacted by record droughts, fires and floods, climate action in response, appears to be on life-support. He wondered aloud if the reaction would be different if one third of G20 countries, rather than Pakistan, were currently underwater. All countries need to cut emissions every year - with the G20, as the leading emitters, leading the way, Mr. Guterres told correspondents in New York - until the global temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Returning to the example of Pakistan, Mr. Guterres insisted that the country, and other climate hotspots, need flood-resilient infrastructure now, arguing that at least half of all climate finance, must go to adaptation and climate resilience. That funding, he said, must come from the leading economies. “Lower the temperature — now”, he said. “Don’t flood the world today; don’t drown it tomorrow.” Real risk of multiple famines The UN has hailed the success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has enabled food and fertilizer supplies to finally leave war-torn Ukrainian ports, and played a part in reducing global food prices, as they reached record highs following Russia’s invasion. However, there is still a real risk of multiple famines this year, Mr. Guterres warned. Global hunger was already rising before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and has never recovered. Many countries are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis, which is hitting the poorest people and communities hardest, and the rights of women and girls worldwide, are going into reverse. The Secretary-General pointed out that, at a time of high geopolitical tensions, a lack of action to halt the climate crisis will have severe knock-on effects, such as mass migration and increased instability. Mr. Guterres slammed the actions of populist politicians who, he said, are showing “a shocking disregard for the poorest and most vulnerable in our world”, pitting people against one another, employing discrimination, misinformation, and hate speech. “This year’s General Debate must be about providing hope”, concluded Mr. Guterres. “That hope can only come through the dialogue and debate that are the beating heart of the United Nations”. Putin phone call The UN chief told reporters during a lengthy and detailed question and answer session after his scripted remarks, that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin just before addressing correspondents in New York. “We had the opportunity to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and its possible expansion…We have discussed the obstacles that still exist in relation to the exports of Russian food and fertilizers.” He said there was a danger of a “market crunch” if more Russian fertilizers are not able to reach countries in dire need for future crop production, adding that it was “absolutely essential” to remove obstacles to fertilizer exports. He said the two leaders had also discussed the question of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and also the UN Fact-Finding Mission, which is looking into an incident at Olenivka on 29 July, which led to the death of 53 Ukrainian POWs, and injured dozens more. The UN chief said President Putin had indicated the UN team would be given access to the area where the attack took place. “There will be no obstacle from the Russian side” to go wherever investigators choose to go, “and that is a very important aspect”, he added. ‘Minimal’ chance of peace Asked about the possibilities of helping broker a peace deal overall, Mr. Guterres said it was important to be realistic.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126601
     
         
      Climate change impacts ‘heading into uncharted territory’, warns UN chief Tue, 13th Sep 2022 10:50:00
     
      “Climate science is clear: we are heading in the wrong direction”, declares a major, multi-agency UN climate science report released on Tuesday, with a focus on increasing fossil fuel emissions and rising greenhouse gases, now at a record high, which risk thwarting plans to reduce global temperatures and avoid climate catastrophe. The researchers behind “Uniting in Science”, coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), studied several factors related to the climate crisis - from CO2 emissions, global temperature rises, and climate predictions; to “tipping points”, urban climate change, extreme weather impacts, and early warning systems. One of the key conclusions of the report is that far more ambitious action is needed, if we are to avoid the physical and socioeconomic impacts of climate change having an increasingly devastating effect on the planet. Greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise to record highs, and fossil fuel emission rates are now above pre-pandemic levels, after a temporary drop due to lockdowns, pointing to a huge gap between aspiration and reality. Cities, hosting billions of people, are responsible for up to 70 per cent of human-caused emissions: they will face increasing socio-economic impacts, the brunt of which will be faced by the most vulnerable populations. In order to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement, namely keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, greenhouse gas emission reduction pledges need to be seven times higher, says the report. High chance of climate ‘tipping point’ If the world reaches a climate “tipping point”, we will be faced with irreversible changes to the climate system. The report says that this cannot be ruled out: the past seven years were the warmest on record, and there is almost a 50-50 chance that, in the next five years, the annual mean temperature will temporarily be 1.5°C higher than the 1850-1900 average. The report’s authors point to the recent, devastating floods in Pakistan, which have seen up to a third of the country underwater, as an example of the extreme weather events in different parts of the world this year. Other examples include prolonged and severe droughts in China, the Horn of Africa and the United States, wildfires, and major storms. “Climate science is increasingly able to show that many of the extreme weather events that we are experiencing have become more likely and more intense due to human-induced climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “We have seen this repeatedly this year, with tragic effect. It is more important than ever that we scale up action on early warning systems to build resilience to current and future climate risks in vulnerable communities”. ‘Early warnings save lives’ A WMO delegation led by Mr. Taalas joined Selwin Hart, Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action, and senior representatives of UN partners, development and humanitarian agencies, the diplomatic community, and WMO Members at a two-day event in Cairo last week. The meeting advanced plans to ensure that early warnings reach everyone in the next five years. This initiative was unveiled on World Meteorological Day – 23 March 2022 – by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who said that “early warnings save lives”. Early Warning Systems have been recognized as a proven, effective, and feasible climate adaptation measure, that save lives, and provide a tenfold return on investment. ‘Still way off track’ The harmful impacts of climate change are taking us into ‘uncharted territories of destruction’, Mr. Guterres said on Tuesday. Responding to the United in Science report, Mr. Guterres said that the latest science showed “we are still way off track”, adding that it remains shameful that resilience-building to climate shocks was still so neglected. “It is a scandal that developed countries have failed to take adaptation seriously, and shrugged off their commitments to help the developing world” said Mr. Guterres. “Adaptation finance needs are set to grow to at least $300 billion dollars a year by 2030”. The UN chief recently visited Pakistan, to see for himself the massive scale of the destruction caused by the floods. This brought home, he said, the importance of ensuring that at least 50 per cent of all climate finance must go to adaptation.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126511
     
         
      Charles will not cool on climate action, say friends Tue, 13th Sep 2022 8:59:00
     
      Will King Charles III turn his back on a lifetime of environmental campaigning? As Prince of Wales he spent decades campaigning, cajoling, and convening meetings to drive action on environmental issues. As king he is subject to different rules - the monarch is obliged to remain politically neutral. But his friends and advisers say he will not cool on the issue of global warming. Might urging action on key global issues like climate change or biodiversity loss be part of what a modern monarchy looks like? King Charles' interests have ranged from tropical forests to the ocean depths, from sustainable farming practices to water security. They began long before such concerns became mainstream. Within months of his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969, the 20-year-old Prince Charles wrote to Prime Minister Harold Wilson worried about the decline of salmon stocks in Scottish rivers. "People are notoriously short-sighted when it comes to questions of wildlife," he complained. Increasingly he has focused on tackling global warming, which he regards as one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. He was a major presence at the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow last year, urging world leaders to work together to save the planet during a speech at the opening ceremony. When I interviewed him ahead of COP26 he told me "It has taken far too long" for the world to respond to the risks of climate change. I pointed out world leaders would soon be gathering to talk about the climate crisis, he responded: "But they just talk, the problem is to get action." He even said he understood why some people felt motivated to take to the streets with organisations like Extinction Rebellion, noting "people should really notice how despairing so many young people are". As for the risk of not taking action, he was very clear: "It will be a disaster. It will be catastrophic. It is already beginning to be catastrophic because nothing in nature can survive the stress that is created by these extremes of weather." The veteran green campaigner Tony Juniper rates the new king as "possibly the most significant environmental figure of all time". Chairman of Natural England and a long-term adviser to Charles, Mr Juniper has spoken of the "incredible depth" of his knowledge and the "absolutely enormous" impact he has had. The question is whether as king, Charles, will be so outspoken on this or any other issue. "Everything we know about how he has thought about his accession, tells us he will be absolutely clear about his constitutional duties," says Jonathan Porritt, former head of Friends of the Earth and an ex-adviser to the new king. King Charles has said as much himself. When asked in an interview in 2018 whether he would be a "meddling" king he replied "I am not that stupid" and referred to suggestions he would continue to lobby parliamentarians as "nonsense". Connector of people When I asked him last year whether he thought the government of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson was doing enough to tackle the climate issue, he laughed. "I couldn't possibly comment." And, last week, the new king acknowledged it would "not be possible for me to give as much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply". But his passion for environmental issues will not suddenly evaporate. Much of his work had already taken place away from the glare of publicity. "The King is a convener, connecting people and organisations in ways that open up possibilities and create solutions," says his former press secretary, Julian Payne. Charles would invite "the best brains and the most experienced people and listen to their ideas and advice". "I suspect it is a modus operandi that will continue as he takes on this new role," says Mr Payne.. Charles's approach to problem-solving has led to some unexpected initiatives. Look how he worked to engage the accountancy profession in tackling climate change, says Mr Porritt. He recognised the world would need ways of calculating emissions and judging the progress of companies, says Mr Porritt. And, in 2004, he set up the Accounting for Sustainability Project, to attempt to begin to work out how that might be done. Terra Carta pledges In recent years he has worked to encourage the business community to help lead action on climate change. More than 500 chief executives - including the heads of some of the biggest financial institutions and businesses in the world - are now part of his Sustainable Markets Initiative. They are described as a as a "coalition of the willing" and have signed up to his "Terra Carta" pledges, agreeing to "rapidly accelerate the transition towards a sustainable future". "We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector," Charles said when he opened COP26. One senior British politician told me he could imagine Charles making a similar speech as king. "You won't hear him expressing a view on fracking," he said, "but I can imagine him making a speech on the need to take more urgent action on climate." US President Joe Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, agrees. He has said he hopes Charles will continue to press for action on climate. "It is a universal issue, it is not ideology," Mr Kerry told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, "It's about the survival of the planet. I can't imagine him not wanting to [press for action on climate] and feeling compelled to use the important role as the monarch and urge the world to do the things the world needs to do." Tackling climate change is, after all, an obligation on governments that is enshrined in UK law. The Climate Change Act requires the government reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. All the main parties agree it is an important priority. Prime Minister Liz Truss has already said her government will "double down" on reaching the target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62876790
     
         
      Rare ‘triple dip’ La Niña declared Tue, 13th Sep 2022 8:57:00
     
      The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has announced that the weather phenomenon La Niña has formed for the third consecutive year in the Pacific. This is only the third time since records began that there have been three consecutive La Niña events. "It is exceptional to have three consecutive years with a La Nina event," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said. What is La Niña? La Niña is a naturally occurring event, which results in the large scale cooling of ocean surface temperature. It is responsible for changing weather patterns around the world but one of its greatest impacts is to bring above average rainfall to parts of eastern, northern and central areas of Australia. Head of long-range forecasts at BOM, Dr Andrew Watkins, said that climate influences like La Niña and another called the Indian Ocean Dipole, "push Australia's climate towards a wetter phase, and together have shaped our outlook for the coming months that shows more than 80% chance of above average rainfall for many parts of the eastern half of Australia". Dr Watkins went on to say that, "with catchments already wet, the flood risk remains, particularly for eastern Australia." The La Niña weather pattern is one of the three phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This refers to the sea surface temperature and direction of wind in the Pacific. It can switch between the warm phase called El Niño, the cooler La Niña and a neutral phase. Cycling through these phases generally takes around three to seven years but this is now the third year in a row where we have stayed in the cooler La Niña phase. Scientists refer to it as a "triple-dip" and this is the first time this century it has happened. Triple-dip La Niña's have only happened twice since records began in 1950 - the first from 1973 to 1975 and the most recent 1998-2001. World weather impacts As well as bringing increased rainfall to Australia, La Niña can bring an increase in tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic and drier conditions in East Africa. A fourth season of failed rains is currently causing one of the worst droughts East Africa has seen in decades. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the UN. The UN's World Food Programme says up to 20 million people are at risk of severe hunger. La Niña and UK weather Scientists are generally less certain on how La Niña influences the UK's weather patterns but the Met Office suggests that historically it promotes high pressure to develop in the Atlantic in late autumn and early winter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/62890361
     
         
      Australia passes first climate legislation in over a decade Mon, 12th Sep 2022 10:07:00
     
      The bill, drafted by the Labor Party-led coalition that took power in May, mandates that Australia cut greenhouse gas emissions 43 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. The country’s Energy and Climate Minister, Chris Bowen, will be required to provide lawmakers with a progress report each year, and government agencies must now take the new emissions targets into account when making financial and development decisions. Although Australia’s new targets are still behind those of the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, officials have framed them as a symbolic breakthrough. The bill’s passage “sends a message to the world that Australia is serious about driving down emissions, and serious about reaping the economic opportunities from affordable renewable energy,” Bowen said in a statement. The last time the country passed global warming legislation was in 2011, when it adopted a national carbon pricing scheme that was repealed two years later. Since then, a series of catastrophic climate-related disasters has highlighted the need for urgent action. Massive wildfires in 2019 and 2020 burned 42 million acres and killed nearly 3 billion animals. This year, record-breaking flooding forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Australia’s National Science Agency has predicted that natural disasters exacerbated by climate change could cost the country $39 billion a year by midcentury. Although environmental advocates have applauded the new climate pollution targets, many have stressed that more work is needed to flesh out how to reach them. Over the next few months, policymakers are expected to make decisions on how to ratchet down climate pollution from industrial facilities and potentially block new coal mines and natural gas infrastructure.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/australia-passes-first-climate-legislation-in-over-a-decade/
     
         
      Pakistan: UN scales up financial and other support after ‘latest climate tragedy’ Fri, 9th Sep 2022 10:12:00
     
      A $7 million disbursement from the UN’s Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), announced on Friday, will bolster response to the devastating monsoon floods in Pakistan, the worst in more than a decade. The funding will help prevent waterborne diseases and epidemics, and provide nutrition supplements, clean water and reproductive health care for the most vulnerable people, as well as feed for livestock. The allocation was released by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, who is in Pakistan to support the response. Solidarity and support “People in Pakistan are living through the world’s worst climate nightmare,” he said. “They have already endured a record-breaking heatwave that claimed many lives this year, and now catastrophic flooding. People in Pakistan deserve climate justice, international solidarity and support from the world as they deal with this latest climate tragedy”. This latest allocation brings CERF support to $10 million, following a $3 million disbursement last month. Last week, the UN launched a $160 million appeal to help Pakistan deal with the floods, which have killed some 1,400 people, including hundreds of children. Millions affected, livestock lost Overall, some 33 million people have been affected, and access to many vulnerable communities is now cut off as hundreds of bridges and thousands of kilometres of roads were destroyed or washed away. The floods have destroyed more than half a million homes and over 660,000 people are now living in camps. Many more are displaced in host communities. Additionally, more than 750,000 livestock – a critical source of income for many families – have died. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) further reported that 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land in Sindh Province alone has been damaged. Disease outbreak fears ?Health workers warn that people and livestock affected by the floods are just days away from outbreaks of waterborne diseases and epidemics. The UN and humanitarian partners have so far supported the Government’s response with food aid to more than 400,000 people and clean water to 55,000 , in addition to supporting 51 mobile healthcare clinics. Recovery and resilience Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) is ramping up emergency response to reach 1.9 million people across Pakistan. Recovery and resilience support is now a top priority, the agency said, as families struggle to cope with the loss of homes, livestock and food, and the country grapples with the colossal damage to infrastructure, agricultural land and crops. “The people of Pakistan not only need immediate assistance but also longer-term support to restore their livelihoods shattered by the floods,” said Rathi Palakrishnan, officer-in-charge and WFP Deputy Country Director. Food and logistical support WFP has so far distributed food assistance to more than 400,000 people in three provinces and continues to expand operations across the country. Specialized, nutritious food is being provided to 31,000 young children and 28,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women. The agency is also reinforcing the government’s logistical capacity to ensure no disruptions to humanitarian supply chains. Once the initial relief response is concluded, WFP will immediately implement recovery programmes to improve community infrastructure, create livelihoods opportunities and boost resilience, combined with cash-based transfers, through early next year.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126381
     
         
      Proposed Texas oil terminal loses its permit Fri, 9th Sep 2022 8:16:00
     
      In another reversal of Trump-era policies, the Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded a permit for a proposed oil export terminal in Texas that would have allowed the facility to release hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic air pollution. The move is a setback for the Bluewater Texas Terminal, a project on the Gulf Coast spearheaded by the energy companies Phillips 66 and Trafigura. Expected to handle some 384 million barrels of crude oil per year, the proposed facility would be Texas’ first major offshore oil export terminal, floating about 25 miles off the coast of Corpus Christi and connected to the mainland by underwater pipelines. Although the federal government regulates pollution from marine vessel loading operations, the Trump administration’s EPA decided in 2020 to exempt the Bluewater terminal from these requirements. Under the original permit, Bluewater would have been free to emit up to nearly 19,000 metric tons of volatile organic compounds each year — 18,000 tons more than EPA rules would typically allow, and more than the combined emissions of all 273 industrial facilities in Harris County, Texas. Volatile organic compounds contribute to the formation of ozone and fine particulate matter. Many of these substances, such as benzene, are known carcinogens, while others can cause damage to the liver, kidney, and central nervous system. The Biden administration’s EPA now says the Bluewater project must withdraw its permit application or include better pollution controls — perhaps by outlining plans to flare excess gases, rather than release them directly into the atmosphere. ...
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/proposed-texas-oil-terminal-loses-its-permit/
     
         
      In flood-hit Pakistan, Guterres appeals for ‘massive’ global support, tougher action on climate change Fri, 9th Sep 2022 8:14:00
     
      UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Pakistan on Friday to show solidarity with the people of the country following the destruction caused by this year’s devastating floods. He appealed for massive international support to bolster the response and tackle this “climate catastrophe”. Pakistan has been inundated with near continuous monsoon rainfall, flash flooding, and rain-induced landslides since mid-June, causing widespread devastation and casualties affecting millions of people across the South Asian country. Upon his arrival, Mr. Guterres was briefed on the latest developments and the Pakistan-led response by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as well as other senior members of the Government. His two-day visit to the country is not only about solidarity, as he stressed during his various meetings today, “it is [also] a matter of justice”. “My heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones in this tragedy, and all those who have been affected by the loss of their homes, their businesses and their livelihoods” he told journalists in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, in a joint press conference alongside Minister of Foreign Affairs Zardari. ‘A terrifying wall of water’ “[We] have all seen media images of the extraordinary destruction. I can only imagine the power and ferocity of the water as it bore down on villages, roads, bridges and everything else in its path. It was clearly terrifying – a wall of water.” Mr. Guterres said, adding: “No country deserves this fate, but particularly not countries like Pakistan that have done almost nothing to contribute to global warming.” Indeed, the UN chief stressed that Pakistan and other developing countries – from the Horn of Africa to the Sahel – are paying a horrific price for the intransigence of big emitters that continue to bet on fossil fuels, in the face of science, common sense and basic human decency. Even today, emissions are rising as people die in floods and famines. “This is insanity,” stated the Secretary-General. “This is collective suicide,” he added, calling for an end to the “war with nature” and urging more investment in renewable energy. Message to the Pakistani people, and the world Earlier in the day, Mr. Guterres met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the two officials visited the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC), established by the Prime Minister on 1 September to synergize the national response to the ongoing floods. At the Centre, Mr. Guterres, the Pakistan officials and other in attendance viewed a short video that vividly depicted the scale of devastation wrought by the floods have thus far. Some of the footage showed cars and buildings being swept away by the massive floods. The video also portrayed the heartbreaking situation of women, children and men that have been displaced. Speaking directly to the Pakistan people from a podium set up at the Centre: the UN chief said: “I’ve always witnessed your enormous generosity receiving ... Afghan refugees, protecting and assisting them. I've seen your generosity, helping each other, helping family, helping communities... And so, I know what it means for the Pakistani people, this unprecedented natural disaster.” He reassured the Pakistani people that “we will do everything possible to mobilize the international community to support your country and to support all of you in this dramatic situation, in which beyond the numbers, I see families that lost their loved ones, I see families that lost their houses I see families that lost their crops, that lost their jobs and that are living in desperate conditions. The Secretary-General stressed that he had also seen “the enormous effort of response from civil servants, the Government, from the Army, from the NGOs, from the population in an extraordinary demonstration of solidarity within the borders of Pakistan.” ‘Nature is striking back’ Speaking next directly to the international community, Mr. Guterres said: “Pakistan needs massive financial support to respond to this crisis that have costed, according to some estimates that I’ve heard today, about $30 billion and counting.”& He stressed that it is essential that this is recognized by the international community especially by those countries that have contributed more to climate change. He urged that “effective solidarity and effective justice” be shown by mobilizing massive support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. He warned that “we are heading into a disaster...we have waged war on nature, and nature is striking back, and striking back in a devastating way.” Government ‘working together’ at all levels “It is a matter of great encouragement you brought with you” the Prime Minister told Mr. Guterres at the NFRCC. He reiterated that the Government of Pakistan, along with provincial governments and all of stakeholders including the armed forces, are all working together to provide relief and help rescue to millions of people in need. According to the Government, some 33 million people are absolutely in dire conditions. “As we speak, people are being removed to safe places, food and shelter being offered,” said Prime Minister Sharif. Scale of needs is enormous “As you stand here today, a third of my country's landmass is underwater,” Foreign Minister Zardari said. “Our people have lost their lives, their livelihoods, they are facing a very real threat of hunger, disease, and further devastation.” He noted that his party’s slogan is food, clothing and shelter. “I cannot shelter 33 million families. I cannot provide the food and clothing for 35 million families.” The Government is also considering all the work to be done after the waters recede, such as rebuilding houses and schools and infrastructure. “We know that we cannot do this alone, but we will do this together.” He affirmed confidence in the United Nations, and in their international partners who “will not leave us in our difficult times, and we will build Pakistan back and build back better.” Climate change affecting Pakistan Mr. Guterres reminded the world that the level of emissions of Pakistan is relatively low, “but Pakistan is one of the most dramatically impacted countries by the climate change” calling the floods a product of “the intensification of climate change” Pakistan is consistently ranked among the 10 most vulnerable countries to the effects of global climate change, with impacts largely felt along the Indus River’s massive and regionally vital irrigation system. Having already seen an average temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius over the last century and witnessing highly erratic and extreme weather events over the last decade, Pakistan's vulnerability to the climate challenge is expected to become more severe in the future. The Secretary General warned that loss and damage from the climate crisis is not a future event, “it is happening now, all around us,” and he urged governments to address this issue at COP 27 with the seriousness it deserves. ...
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126331
     
         
      Australia sets new climate target in landmark bill Thu, 8th Sep 2022 10:32:00
     
      Australia's parliament has passed legislation enshrining a pledge to slash carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. The country is one of the world's biggest emitters per capita, and the target brings it more in line with other developed countries. But critics say government plans to reach the target are lacking detail. Some have been demanding a higher goal as well as a ban on new fossil fuel projects in the country. But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lauded the new law - the Climate Change Bill - as an end to a decade of climate policy inaction. It marks the first significant action against climate change since the party took power in May. The Labor government's climate bill cleared the Senate by 37 votes to 30 after accepting minor amendments by independent David Pocock. Climate change minister, Chris Bowen, told parliament "today is a good day for our parliament and our country, and we're going to need many more of them", The Guardian reported. The former government had angered allies with its short-term emissions reductions target - which was about half what the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says is needed if the world has any chance of limiting warming to 1.5C. But there is strong support within the parliament for greater action on climate change. Many independents campaigned on the issue of climate change, and wanted a 2030 target of at least 50%. Meanwhile, the Greens party said the passing of the bill was a "small step" in tackling the climate crisis. Most also want a ban on new coal and gas projects - something they say the target cannot be achieved without. Mark Howden, vice chair of the IPCC, told the BBC in June the new commitment is a big improvement on the previous target. "[It] would be equivalent to taking all of our cars off the road or taking agriculture out of our economy," he said. It could take Australia's carbon emission from 24 tonnes per person down to around 14 tonnes per person, he said. While it won't make Australia a global leader on the climate, "we're no longer a laggard", Mr Howden said. Canada is aiming for a reduction of 40% by 2030 from 2005 levels, while the United States has a target of up to 52%. In recent years, Australia has suffered severe drought, historic bushfires, successive years of record-breaking floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef. The country is racing towards a future full of similar disasters, the latest UN IPCC report warns. New research also shows that natural disasters have cost Australian households on average more than A$1,485 (£870; $1,000) in the past year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62829709
     
         
      Dutch city bans meat advertising Joseph Winters Thu, 8th Sep 2022 10:29:00
     
      In an effort to address the climate crisis, authorities in the Dutch city of Haarlem — just west of Amsterdam — have approved what is thought to be the world’s first ban on meat advertising in public spaces. The decision is part of broader legislation in Haarlem banning promotions for products that contribute to climate change, including fossil fuels, flights, and gasoline-powered cars. Although similar bans have been implemented in other cities around the world — and nationwide in France — Haarlem is the only one to extend its advertising restrictions to cover meat. ”Meat is just as harmful to the environment,” Ziggy Klazes, a councilor for the GroenLinks Party that introduced the motion, told a local newspaper. “We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause.” The move reflects a growing recognition that global diets — especially in wealthy nations with high levels of meat consumption — must change to avoid catastrophic temperature rise and biodiversity loss. Worldwide, the food system already emits one-third of all planet-warming greenhouse gases. Meat is responsible for nearly 60 percent of that. Beef is the worst offender, since cows not only belch the potent greenhouse gas methane but also require lots of grazing space, which is often converted from carbon-sequestering forestland. “Next to flying less, it is probably right to say that, as individuals, reducing beef consumption is the most significant contribution [to climate action] directly under our control,” Alexandre Koberle, a research fellow at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute for Climate Change, told Forbes. Banning ads is just one way people have tried discouraging meat consumption; other tactics range from attempting to update dietary guidelines to shaming so-called “meatposting” on social media — a practice that climate reporter Emily Atkin says “glorifies one of the most climate-polluting industries in America.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/dutch-city-bans-meat-advertising/
     
         
      Human development falling behind in ninety per cent of countries: UN report Thu, 8th Sep 2022 10:00:00
     
      The latest flagship UN report on human development, released on Thursday, warns that multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming majority of countries. Here are five things to look out for in the report. The 2021/22 Human Development Report (HDR) – which is entitled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World” – paints a picture of a global society lurching from crisis to crisis, and which risks heading towards increasing deprivation and injustice. Heading the list of events causing major global disruption are the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have come on top of sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes, and massive increases in polarization. 1) First back-to-back decline in three decades For the first time in the 32 years that the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has been calculating it, the Human Development Index, which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living, has declined globally for two years in a row. This signals a deepening crisis for many regions, and Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have been hit particularly hard. Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals which make up the 2030 Agenda, the UN’s blueprint for a fairer future for people and the planet. “The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises”, said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidizing fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make”. Mr. Steiner went on to call for a renewed sense of global solidarity to tackle “interconnected, common challenges”, but acknowledged that the international community is currently “paralyzed in making these changes”. The study points to insecurity and polarization of views hampering efforts to bring about the solidarity that is needed to tackle the big global challenges, with data suggesting that those who are most insecure are more likely to hold extremist views. This phenomenon was observed even before the COVID-19 pandemic. 2) COVID-19 is ‘a window into a new reality’ Now into its third year, the pandemic is described in the report as “a window into a new reality”, rather than a detour from business as usual. The development of effective vaccines is hailed as a monumental achievement, credited with saving around 20 million lives, and a demonstration of the huge power of innovation married to political will. At the same time, the rollout of the vaccines laid bare the huge inequities of the global economy. Access has been paltry in many low-income countries, and women and girls have suffered the most, shouldering more household and caregiving responsibilities, and facing increased violence. 3) We’re living through a new ‘uncertainty complex’ The successive waves of new COVID-19 variants, and warnings that future pandemics are increasingly likely, have helped to compound a generalized atmosphere of uncertainty that was growing in response to the dizzying pace of technological change, its effect on the workplace, and steadily growing fears surrounding the climate crisis. The study’s authors warn that the global upheaval of the pandemic is nothing compared to what the world would experience if a collapse in biodiversity were to occur, and societies found themselves having to solve the challenge of growing food at scale, without insect pollinators. “For the first time in human history”, the report declares, “anthropogenic [man-made] existential threats loom larger than those from natural hazards”. Three layers of today’s “uncertainty complex” are identified: dangerous planetary change, the transition to new ways of organizing industrial societies, and the intensification of political and social polarization. “It is not just that typhoons are getting bigger and deadlier through human impact on the environment” says the report. “It is also as if, through our social choices, their destructive paths are being directed at the most vulnerable among us”. ...
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126121
     
         
      Climate change: Europe's warm summer shatters records Thu, 8th Sep 2022 9:34:00
     
      This summer was the hottest on record in Europe, according to data from EU satellite monitoring. A series of extreme heatwaves and a long running drought saw June, July and August shatter the previous high mark for temperature. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the data showed August in Europe was the warmest on record by "a substantial margin." Globally, the researchers say August was the third warmest yet recorded. Will new government stick to climate targets? Pakistan fights to stop biggest lake from bursting Green fuel as urgent as Covid jab, says energy boss It will come as no surprise to anyone who experienced this summer's intense heat across the continent that the temperature record across Europe has been broken by a large margin. According to data from Copernicus, this year saw a new record for both the summer as a whole and for the month of August. The summer was 0.4C warmer than the previous record, only set last year. August was a whopping 0.8C warmer than the same month in 2018. "An intense series of heatwaves across Europe paired with unusually dry conditions, have led to a summer of extremes with records in terms of temperature, drought and fire activity in many parts of Europe, affecting society and nature in various ways," said Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist with the Copernicus Climate Change Service. "The data shows that we've not only had record August temperatures for Europe but also for summer, with the previous summer record only being one year old." In the UK, temperatures reached a new high of 40.3C, recorded in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19. It was a significant leap over the previous record of 38.7C set in 2019. These extremes were also seen in many other countries with 64 different areas of France experiencing record highs, while temperatures in Portugal reached 47C in July. Europe also experienced the worst drought conditions in 500 years. Around the globe the high temperatures in August persisted widely, with drought conditions also affecting China. But it wasn't a uniform picture - many areas had significant downpours resulting in flooding. As we've seen most recently in Pakistan, wetter than average conditions have triggered huge floods, leading to loss of life and property. The satellite data also shows that it was wetter than average over most of Scandinavia and in parts of southern and south eastern Europe, where a "derecho" storm brought extreme winds and rain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62833937
     
         
      Climate change: Six tipping points ‘likely’ to be crossed Thu, 8th Sep 2022 8:41:00
     
      Current rates of warming will put the Earth at risk of crossing six "dangerous" climate tipping points, according to a new analysis. Crossing these thresholds would disrupt the Earth's systems triggering the collapse of ice sheets and the loss of coral reefs. Scientific commentators have previously said that reaching such a point would be a "climatic emergency". The researchers analysed evidence for tipping points from 200 recent papers. They considered: At what temperature the tipping points would be reached What impacts there would be for Earth's other systems Over what timescales the impacts would be felt. The research, based on data published since 2008, found that at current levels of global heating the world is already at risk of triggering six dangerous climate tipping points, and risks increase with each tenth of a degree of warming. The Climate Action Tracker estimates that even under an optimistic scenario if current global climate targets are achieved, the world will see average warming of 1.8 C. The idea of "climate tipping points" was first introduced by the UN's climate science group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), two decades ago. If crossed they could spark a significant change in the way the Earth's systems operate, affecting oceans, weather and chemical processes, which could be "irreversible", according to the UN. Once a critical point is crossed - or "tipped over" - the breakdown of the system is self-sustaining, so will continue even if there is no further warming. This is self-perpetuating: a bit like if a ball crests the top of a hill and starts rolling down and cannot stop. Irreversible cascade At the time it was thought the tipping points would only be crossed if global average temperatures increased to more than 5C. But since then there has been increasing evidence that these thresholds may be crossed much earlier. The six tipping points "likely" to be crossed, according to the research, published in Science, are: Greenland Ice Sheet collapse West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse Collapse of ocean circulation in the polar region of the North Atlantic Coral reef die off in the low latitudes Sudden thawing of permafrost in the Northern regions Abrupt sea ice loss in the Barents Sea. Lead author David Armstrong McKay, from Stockholm Resilience Centre, University of Exeter and the Earth Commission, said some destabilisation which precedes a system breakdown is already starting to be seen in the polar regions. Greenland and Antarctica are currently losing ice six times faster than 30 years ago, and Greenland's ice sheet has been shrinking continuously for the last 25 years due to climate change, according to the UN. Even though some of the other "tipping points" such as dieback in the Amazon Rainforest aren't expected to be triggered unless global temperatures rise by 3.5C, all of these systems are connected. So once one system begins to fail it could increase the likelihood of others collapsing. Multiple tipping points Co-author Ricarda Winkelmann, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a member of the Earth Commission, said: "Importantly, many tipping elements in the Earth system are interlinked, making cascading tipping points a serious additional concern." For example, if there are smaller or fewer ice sheets and sea ice then less of the sun's energy is reflected leading to further global warming. As well as identifying these higher risks the team also suggested that the list of potential tipping points could be increased from nine to sixteen. The team worked with paleoclimate data (climate conditions thousands of years ago), current observations and the outputs from climate models to make these new identifications.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62838627
     
         
      WMO: Climate change in Africa can destabilize ‘countries and entire regions’ Thu, 8th Sep 2022 8:01:00
     
      Water stress and hazards like withering droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The State of the Climate in Africa 2021 reveals that rainfall patterns are disrupted, glaciers are disappearing and key lakes are shrinking. And rising water demand, combined with limited and unpredictable supplies, threatens to aggravate conflict and displacement. “The worsening crisis and looming famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa shows how climate change can exacerbate water shocks, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and destabiliizing communities, countries and entire regions,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Temperature trends The report shows how extreme weather and climate change are undermining human health and safety, food and water security, and socio-economic development. While Africa accounts for only about two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers disproportionately from it. With a special focus on water, The State of the Climate reveals that high water stress is estimated to affect about 250 million people on the continent and displace up to 700 million individuals by 2030. Four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030. “Africa’s climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial time,” warned Mr. Taalas, noting that the sea level rise along African coastlines is faster than the global mean. He observed that that this is contributing to increases in the frequency and severity of coastal flooding and erosion, and salinity in low-lying cities. “Changes in continental water bodies have major impacts on the agriculture sector, ecosystems, biodiversity,” said the WMO chief. Making changes Currently only 40 per cent of the African population has access to early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change impacts. At the request of Secretary-General António Guterres, WMO is spearheading a campaign to ensure universal access to early warnings in the next five years. Meanwhile, climate action is gaining momentum. More than 40 African States have revised their national climate plans to make them more ambitious and add greater commitments to climate adaptation and mitigation. The State of the Climate report makes a number of recommendations, including to strengthen early warning systems, increase transboundary cooperation, data exchange and knowledge sharing. It underscores that the need for more investment in adaptation is crucial, as is a concerted drive towards more integrated water resource management.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126221
     
         
      Emergency text averted possible California power cuts Thu, 8th Sep 2022 3:57:00
     
      An emergency text message helped to prevent possible blackouts in the state of California on Tuesday. The message asked residents to limit energy use for three hours to cut the risk of power cuts being implemented. The California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), said it "saw an immediate and significant drop" in the use of power after the text was sent. The alert was issued after record temperatures put pressure on the state's electrical grid. The message, called a flex alert, was created by Cal-ISO to encourage users to conserve electricity when energy supply is at capacity. The texts are sent out in advance so that preparations can be put in place. Some of the suggestions include setting thermostats to 25C (77F), and to avoid using kitchen appliances like ovens, kettles and microwaves. During hours of the alert, people are encouraged to pre-cool their homes and adjust blinds and drapes so that windows are covered. Emma Hill, principal lecturer in energy and environmental management at Coventry University, said the messaging system appeared to have an impact. "There seems to be a correlation between the text being sent out and a reduction in demand for electricity," she said. She told the BBC that one of the reasons for this may be because people will not want potentially to be affected by power outages for longer periods of time. "If you have very high demand in very high temperatures, when your electricity production is low, you risk damaging the equipment, like the transformers and the overhead lines, and they take time to repair," she said. The alert targeted 24 counties, which included Los Angeles and the Bay Area, because of high population and high air conditioning use. One Californian took to Twitter to explain the actions he took. Would we see a similar response in the UK? Ms Hill believes that the UK is more resilient to situations like this. "Ten years ago, UK network operators such as the National Grid and smaller disruption network operators had to assess the climate change risk to all of the systems. "Due to that assessment, plans were made to manage that risk through damage management, communication or through improving the technology," she said. A National Grid Electricity System Operator spokesperson told the BBC: "There are established mechanisms in place for communicating in an emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62832775
     
         
      Tyre Extinguishers claim more than 600 SUVs ‘disarmed’ in one night Wed, 7th Sep 2022 13:48:00
     
      Group says ‘climate disaster’ vehicles targeted in nine countries including the UK, France and Canada The climate activist group the Tyre Extinguishers has claimed its largest night of action yet against SUVs, with more than 600 vehicles “disarmed” across nine countries. Over the night marking six months since the launch of the campaign, which encourages people to covertly deflate the tyres of SUVs, activists took action in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Canada. “Courageous citizens all over the world last night … deflated tyres on at least 600 SUVs, exactly two months before the opening of the United Nations Cop27 climate summit in Egypt,” the Tyre Extinguishers said. The group said the total was likely to rise, with more reports of actions expected. “The movement have now deflated tyres on around 9,000 SUVs in cities across the world since March, striking continuously, and look set to surpass their goal of 10,000 SUVs deflated by Christmas,” the statement added. The group has said its aim is “to make it impossible to own an SUV in the world’s urban areas”, condemning the vehicles as “unnecessary ‘luxury emissions’, flaunted by the wealthy, that are a climate disaster, cause air pollution and make our roads more dangerous”. It points to research published in 2019 by the International Energy Agency that found SUVs were the second largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade. But the group also opposes electric SUVs “on the grounds that they are still unsafe in urban areas”. The campaign is coordinated via a website that hosts instructions on using lentils or other pulses to jam open the valves on SUV tyres, slowly deflating them. They call on activists to conduct night-time sabotage raids and to leave on the windscreen of each vehicle a leaflet explaining to the owner why they have been targeted. Among the SUV owners who have fallen victim to the campaign are John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, and the EastEnders actor Jessie Wallace, who posted a photo of the letter left for her by activists on Instagram, commenting: “These arseholes should be locked up.” A source in the Metropolitan police said the force was unable to confirm Tyre Extinguishers’ claims to have launched actions in London. Inquiries within the force had turned up no paperwork about the group, he said. There was a question as to whether deflating a car tyre without damaging it was even a crime. The move towards covert action marks a shift from the stance of Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and other recent climate campaigns, which have called on members to stand accountable for any potentially illegal actions, with their arrests and subsequent prosecutions an integral part of their protest strategy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/07/tyre-extinguishers-claim-more-than-600-suvs-disarmed-in-one-night
     
         
      China reports ‘most severe’ heatwave and third driest summer on record Wed, 7th Sep 2022 13:31:00
     
      Average temperature in August was 1.2C higher than norm, which caused widespread drought China recorded its highest temperatures and one of its lowest levels of rainfall in 61 years during a two-month summer heatwave that caused forest fires, damaged crops and hit power supplies, the national meteorological agency said. The average national temperature in August, 22.4C, was 1.2C higher than the seasonal norm, while average rainfall fell 23% to 82mm, the third lowest since records began in 1961, according to Xiao Chan, the vice-director of China’s national meteorological administration. He told reporters that 267 weather stations across China recorded their highest temperatures in history last month. The heatwave between mid-June to the end of August was the “most severe” since records began in terms of duration, extent, intensity and impact, said Xiao. The extreme temperature caused widespread drought in regions along the Yangtze River, south-western China and east and central Tibet. The persistent heat and drought caused forest fires and affected agricultural production, water resources and power supply, Xiao said. The Yangtze is the world’s third largest river, providing drinking water to more than 400 million Chinese people, and is the most vital waterway to China’s economy. Meanwhile, severe rainstorms hit various regions, including northern and southern China. Lightning, strong winds and hail hit 13 provinces and regions, including Inner Mongolia and Yunnan, in August. The agency said it issued 65,000 weather alerts, mostly for extreme heat, in August – 26% up from the same month last year. Officials told a press briefing they expected above-average temperatures to continue throughout September, and warned that fire prevention and strategic agricultural plans must be made to cope with the situation. The meteorological administration last month deployed 75 flights of cloud-seeding drones to induce artificial rain over 1.45m sq km in southern China to alleviate the drought. China has warned that extreme weather will probably persist in coming years as it tries to cope with the climate crisis and rising temperatures. The record-breaking drought has caused some rivers in China – including parts of the Yangtze – to dry up, affecting hydropower, halting shipping and forcing major companies to suspend operations. The loss of water flow to China’s extensive hydropower system has sparked a “grave situation” in Sichuan, which gets more than 80% of its energy from hydropower.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/07/china-reports-most-severe-heatwave-and-lowest-rainfall-on-record
     
         
      American-made solar gets a boost Wed, 7th Sep 2022 11:02:00
     
      The Arizona-based renewable energy company First Solar has pledged $1.2 billion to expand domestic solar panel manufacturing, a move it says will create hundreds of new jobs and significantly expand U.S. solar capacity. The announcement comes on the heels of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the United States’ most comprehensive legislative effort ever to stem global warming. The law greenlights hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants, loans, and other investments for clean energy projects, including tax credits for U.S.-made solar panels. Before the package was signed by President Joe Biden, First Solar had said that a lack of federal support made it unlikely that it would build its next factory in the U.S. Now, the company plans to construct a new factory in the Southeast and expand production capacity at its existing facilities in Ohio, creating an estimated 850 new manufacturing jobs and expanding U.S. solar output by 4.4 gigawatts a year — enough to power roughly 815,000 average American homes. Mark Widmar, CEO of First Solar, said in a statement that he hopes to reduce the U.S.’s dependence on solar panels made in other countries. More than 90 percent of solar panels installed in the U.S. are built abroad — especially in China, which controls more than 80 percent of global solar panel production. Eight of the world’s top 10 solar panel makers are based there, while First Solar comes in 10th place as the only American manufacturer on the list. “This investment is an important step toward achieving self-sufficiency in solar technology,” Widmar said, “which, in turn, supports America’s energy security ambitions, its deployment of solar at scale and its ability to lead with innovation.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/american-made-solar-gets-a-boost/
     
         
      Pollution and climate change upsurge the risk of ‘climate penalty’ Wed, 7th Sep 2022 9:12:00
     
      A rise in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves will not only increase wildfires this century but also worsen air quality – harming human health and ecosystems, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched on Wednesday, the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. “As the globe warms, wildfires and associated air pollution are expected to increase, even under a low emissions scenario,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “In addition to human health impacts, this will also affect ecosystems as air pollutants settle from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface”. ‘Foretaste of the future’ The annual WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin warned that the interaction between pollution and climate change would impose a “climate penalty” for hundreds of millions of people. In addition to reporting on the state of air quality and its close interlinkages with climate change, the Bulletin explores a range of possible air quality outcomes under high and low greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The impact of last year’s wildfire smoke has served to augment this year’s heatwaves. Mr. Taalas pointed to 2022 heatwaves in Europe and China, describing stable high atmospheric conditions, sunlight and low wind speeds as being “conducive to high pollution levels”. “This is a foretaste of the future because we expect a further increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves, which could lead to even worse air quality, a phenomenon known as the ‘climate penalty’”. The “climate penalty” refers specifically to the increase in climate change as it impacts the air people breathe. Air pollutants The region with the strongest projected climate penalty – mainly Asia – is home to roughly one-quarter of the world's population. Climate change could exacerbate ozone pollution, which would lead to detrimental health impacts for hundreds of millions of people. Because air quality and climate are interconnected, changes in one inevitably causes changes in the other. The Bulletin explains that the combustion of fossil also emits nitrogen oxide, which can react with sunlight to form ozone and nitrate aerosols. In turn, these air pollutants can negatively affect ecosystem health, including clean water, biodiversity, and carbon storage. Looking ahead The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report provides scenarios on the evolution of air quality as temperatures increase throughout this century. If greenhouse gas emissions remain high, such that global temperatures rise by 3° C from preindustrial levels by the second half of the 21st century, surface ozone levels are expected to increase across heavily polluted areas, particularly in Asia. This includes a 20 per cent jump across Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh, and 10 per cent across eastern China. Fossil fuel emissions will cause ozone increases that will most likely trigger heatwaves, which in turn will amplify air pollution. Therefore, the heatwaves that are becoming increasingly common due to climate change, are likely to continue degrading air quality. Low-carbon scenario To avoid this, the IPCC suggests a low-carbon emissions scenario, which would cause a small, short-term warming prior to temperature decreases. A future world that follows this scenario would also benefit from reduced nitrogen and sulfur compounds from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface, where they can damage ecosystems. WMO stations around the world would monitor the response of air quality and ecosystem health to proposed future emissions reductions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126141
     
         
      Pakistan floods: Biggest lake subsides amid race to help victims Wed, 7th Sep 2022 8:37:00
     
      Water levels in Pakistan's biggest lake are starting to recede, officials say, after last-ditch attempts to prevent it from bursting its banks. Manchar Lake, in Sindh province, is dangerously full after record monsoons that inundated swathes of Pakistan. Its banks were deliberately breached to protect surrounding areas and more than 100,000 people have been displaced. Teams are racing to rescue thousands still stranded in Pakistan's worst climate-induced disaster in years. "We see the water is now starting to come down," provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro told the BBC. "If we didn't make the breaches, several towns with big populations would have been destroyed and many more people in danger." Floods in Pakistan have affected some 33 million people and caused at least 1,343 deaths, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said. Officials have said a little over a quarter of a million people are in shelters, a fraction of those who need help. Damaged infrastructure is also hampering aid and rescue operations, which cannot keep pace with demand. Some connecting roads in Sindh province have either collapsed, are flooded or are backed up for days with queuing traffic. Manchar Lake straddles two districts - Jamshoro and Dadu - with an urban population of more than 1 million. Johi, a town near the lake, has been surrounded by water and now resembles an island. Its residents have built an improvised dyke to slow down water coming into the area, as they did during floods in 2010. Authorities told the BBC they do not know yet if the measure will work this time. Meanwhile, the UN children's agency Unicef has said more children are at risk of dying from disease in Pakistan because of the shortage of clean water. ON THE GROUND: 'We spent the whole night running from the flood' IN PICTURES: Floods and fear in Pakistan WATCH: Bed frames used to pull victims over floodwaters This year's floods - Pakistan's worst climate-induced natural disaster in years - have been caused by record torrential rainfall and melting glaciers in the country's northern mountains. Pakistan's climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, told the BBC that richer countries needed to do more to help poorer countries faced with the devastation caused by climate change. "Richer countries have got rich on the back of fossil fuels… and have been burning their way to kingdom come," she said in an interview with BBC News. The disaster has highlighted the stark disparity between countries that are the largest contributors towards climate change and countries that bear the brunt of its impact. Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change. Low-emission countries like Pakistan, Ms Rehman said, "are now feeling the heat - quite literally of other people's development and greed". "We have made an appeal to the developed world that this is the time to actually do more."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62811704
     
         
      PM grills Peter Dutton on location of power plants amid Coalition’s nuclear push Wed, 7th Sep 2022 7:33:00
     
      Liberal leader says nuclear is needed to support renewables and tells Minerals Council it will ‘add value’ to uranium resources Peter Dutton has doubled down on Liberal support for nuclear power, pre-empting a review of its energy policy by arguing nuclear will be needed to support renewables. Dutton told the Minerals Council on Wednesday that Australia needs a “frank debate” about nuclear energy, suggesting that it has a “wonderful opportunity to add value” to its uranium resources. The comments sparked a demand from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in question time for the Liberals to nominate “where the plants are going to be”. On Wednesday Dutton confirmed that he appointed Ted O’Brien as shadow energy minister in part because a committee inquiry he chaired in 2019 recommended the partial lifting of the moratorium on nuclear energy to allow for “new and emerging nuclear technologies”. The Coalition is still reviewing its energy policy to develop an emissions reduction target before the next election and study nuclear energy to develop a “proper base of information”, according to comments Dutton made in the party room in August. On Wednesday the Liberal leader said “the imperative on all of us to create affordable and reliable and, where possible, emissions-reduced energy necessitates that we at least have a conversation about nuclear”. “[About] how that technology can play into the energy mix in the future? I think especially since Australia is home to one third of the world’s deposits of uranium. We have a wonderful opportunity to add value to that resource.” Dutton noted that former Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke “was strongly in favour of nuclear energy and couldn’t get it through the left of his party”. “John Howard to this day is very strongly in favour of nuclear energy as an option ... that crazy rightwinger in Canada, Justin Trudeau, is embracing small modular reactors.” Dutton posed the question: “If you don’t like coal and you don’t like gas, unless you believe clean hydrogen is about to be a reality, then what else firms up renewables? And I don’t know the answer to that question beyond nuclear.” Dutton suggested nuclear energy could also help Australia “power up irrigation and open up thousands of square kilometres of export opportunities” before concluding the government should “at least allow” the community to have a debate about it. In August the shadow climate change minister, Chris Bowen, ruled out consideration of nuclear power because he said “it is by far the most expensive form of energy”. “I mean, this is economic illiteracy from an opposition searching for relevance,” he told ABC News Breakfast. “[Nuclear] is slow to deploy. It couldn’t be deployed in Australia until 2030. “The CSIRO has made it very, very clear renewables are the cheapest form of energy. Nuclear is the most expensive. Why with rising energy prices you would put in the most expensive form of energy available is beyond me.” Later on Wednesday, the Liberals pursued Albanese in question time over his pre-election claims that Labor’s energy policy, including more renewables and upgrading the grid, could help save households $275 on their power bill. Albanese replied that the government stands by the modelling supporting the claim, and that Labor’s policy was based on the systems plan of the Australian Energy Market Operator, which identified it would “promote investment in renewables which is the cheapest form of energy”. Albanese said after “22 failed plans” the Coalition now wants “to go towards nuclear energy”. “And they can say, if you like, where the plants are going to be. I’ll look forward to their review, letting us know … [because] we know they have to be near urban areas and water.” While Labor raised the spectre of campaigning on the location of putative nuclear power plants, Dutton accused the government of asking Australians to sign up to an Indigenous voice to parliament “sight unseen”. “We have no idea what it means for the mining sector,” Dutton told the Minerals Council earlier. “We don’t know whether a voice that doesn’t represent the elders that you negotiate with or that your agreement is with in a particular location, now, they might be usurped and [the voice will] exercise a veto, right? That would damage your employees, that would damage your business.” Earlier, Dutton said it was an “inconvenient truth” for climate activists that “decarbonisation will require more mining”, due to critical minerals’ importance in renewable energy, batteries and electric vehicles. “I take some delight knowing it must keep them up at night.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/07/pm-grills-peter-dutton-on-location-of-power-plants-amid-coalitions-nuclear-push
     
         
      ‘The air that keeps us alive is making us sick’, warn UN experts on Clean Air Day Wed, 7th Sep 2022 7:10:00
     
      International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, marked on 7 September, takes place in a world where almost all the air we breathe is polluted, and some seven million people die from air pollution every year. Ahead of the Day, UN News spoke to two experts about the scale of the problem, and the solutions that already exist. For several years, the World Health Organization has warned that practically all the air we breathe is polluted, and that it’s killing around seven million people every year: about 90 per cent of those deaths take place in low and middle-income countries. In 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 7 September as the “International Day of Clean Air for blue skies”, and stressed the urgent need to raise public awareness at all levels, and to promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality. Five years on, WHO scientists have concluded that the impact of air pollution kicks in at a much lower level than previously thought; is the international community taking the issue seriously? And, crucially, what can be done to tackle it? To discuss the deadly issue, UN News spoke to two experts from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a grouping that is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP): Martina Otto, head of the Secretariat, and Nathan Borgford-Parnell, Coordinator of Science Affairs. Martina Otto Air pollution has often been seen as a very local, national problem. There have been efforts by a lot of countries to bring down emissions, but definitely not at the level that is needed. And since pollutants are travelling in the air, and often for long distances, we can't solve this by isolated measures. It's the air we share, and that means we also have to share the solutions. UN News How has the situation evolved in recent years? Nathan Borgford-Parnell Air quality has not improved dramatically over the last decade, and the World Health Organization (WHO), using a very rigorous multi-year process, put out new ambient air quality guidelines last year, which cut the level at which fine particulate matter affects health by half (from 10 microns to five microns). UN News Low and middle-income countries are identified as being by far the worst affected regions of the world. Why is that? Nathan Borgford-Parnell The populations there have particular vulnerabilities, linked to the technologies they use for cooking, for heating their homes, for transportation, and the kind of energy that is often used. Also, there are factors related to the age of populations, and the very young and the very old are particularly vulnerable, often without means and access to healthcare. UN News How would you evaluate the amount of cooperation that's taking place now compared to previous years? Martina Otto We’ve just completed our third assessment of Africa, which brought the issue to the table of governments. We've used those regional assessments to discuss the issues, and there is appetite to start looking into that and we'll see where it takes us. But we are hopeful to see much more regional cooperation. It's no longer a blame game. It's about looking together at the solutions, which lie in cooperation. It's a sustainable development issue: the very thing that keeps all of us alive breathing makes us sick as well. UN News The right to a clean environment was adopted by the UN General Assembly in July. Why was this important? Martina Otto Because air pollution is an issue that affects all of us, and disproportionately affects those that are most vulnerable, as Nathan explained. There’s also an economic and gender issue to this. For example, air pollution might be bad in a certain city, but the level of pollution depends very much on neighbourhoods as well, where certain industries are located, where the wind is blowing. We know that pollution is actually greater in poor neighbourhoods, so there is a real issue of environmental injustice. UN News What concerns you most about the links between climate change and air pollution? Nathan Borgford-Parnell What concerns me is that we may not get enough people to recognize that there is no separation between air pollution and climate change. Wildfires are human driven, yet some people try to act as if they're natural occurrences. But the precipitous increase in wildfires in recent years, and the modelling that says that we're going to continue to see them increasing all over the world in places we couldn't have ever imagined them, shows us that climate change will directly impact the burden of disease from air pollution caused by the wildfires. And air pollution impacts the climate: there are no air pollutants that do not impact the climate. None. Greenhouse gases, aerosols, pollutants, they all impact the climate. The links between air pollution and climate change are legion and increasing. However, the great benefit of the fact that these things are linked, and we can combine the climate and the air quality issues in the public health communities, and push them towards solutions that achieve benefits for all. That is the empowering message of the Climate and Clean air Coalition, and why people have been so excited to be with us for the last decade. UN News The Cop 27 UN climate conference is coming up in November. Will air pollution be an important part of the discussions there? Martina Otto There will be a number of events around the issue. I think the the message is getting home, in the sense that people can already see the impacts. We know what we need to do. There are many solutions out there that make economic sense and can get the job done. We just have to get them to scale, and put political will behind that. For example, end the open burning of waste which allows methane to escape, and manage waste in a proper way, which is also good sense because there are economic opportunities in that process. The issue of transport as well, how we design our cities to reduce the need for transport, and make it easier to walk and cycle safely, reducing the need for fossil fuel options by looking at alternative fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126101
     
         
      MPs call on Liz Truss to hold to net zero target after campaign pledges Wed, 7th Sep 2022 6:36:00
     
      Exclusive: 29 MPs and peers urge new PM to recommit to target after her campaign promised to expand oil and gas production Liz Truss must hold to the legally binding target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, parliamentarians from all of the UK’s major parties have urged in a letter to the incoming prime minister. Truss has pledged to keep the target, but her campaign promises to expand oil and gas production in the North Sea, voices support for fracking, and her opposition to onshore wind and solar farms have led to fears that she could renege on actions needed to meet the target. Her appointment of Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former minister for Brexit opportunities, as secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy has also raised concerns among climate campaigners and energy experts. Rees-Mogg has cast doubt on the need to tackle the climate crisis in the past, and has vowed to “squeeze every last cubic inch of gas from the North Sea”. He also supports fracking, while opposing onshore wind power generation. The group of 29 MPs and peers from the all-party parliamentary group on the environment have written to Truss asking her to recommit to net zero and push forward with measures that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help to bring down soaring energy bills. “The decisions your government takes will have a noticeable impact on the lives of people across the country and indeed our entire planet,” they wrote, in a letter seen by the Guardian. “We hope that as prime minister you will continue to support measures to reach net zero by 2050 or sooner in this country, whilst also being a global champion for climate and nature on the international stage.” They call for her to recommit to net zero, and to “getting the UK on track to meet its legally binding carbon budgets”; to boost renewable energy; to put in place a national scheme for home insulation; and to reaffirm the government’s goals on conserving wildlife and the natural environment. Chris Skidmore, the Tory former energy minister who is chair of the APPG, and coordinated the letter, told the Guardian he was “not worried” that Truss would row back on commitments to reduce carbon emissions. “The government is pro net zero, and the prime minister has said she wants to double down on net zero, in a more business-friendly and private enterprise way,” he said. “I’m absolutely determined for people to see net zero as a mainstream economic issue, a huge opportunity for job creation and levelling up. It’s very important that net zero is not seen as a culture war, left-wing project – it’s actually an economic growth strategy.” Skidmore is thought to have turned down a potential job as energy minister under Rees-Mogg for personal reasons. Rees-Mogg is expected to oversee the energy portfolio himself, rather than appointing a junior to the role. Skidmore said the business secretary would be bound by the collective responsibility of the cabinet, and be ruled by Truss in policy, regardless of any other views on the climate crisis. “The direction is set from the top. I’m sure whoever is secretary of state will abide by collective responsibility, and the prime minister sees net zero as an opportunity to deliver economic growth,” he said. Ben Goldsmith, a prominent green Tory, investor and chair of the Conservative Environment Network, told the Guardian that Rees-Mogg had “not yet sought to make a name for himself as a campaigner for protecting the natural world”. But he added a veiled warning that voters were in favour of green policies: “It is quite clear that the overwhelming majority of people in this country want strong action now to avert a climate catastrophe, they want the restoration of nature at home, and they want Britain to lead international efforts on these things. With this in mind, it wouldn’t be a very smart move for any politician to turn their back on this vital agenda now.” The letter reminds Truss of the UK’s hosting of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, and asks her to attend the UN biodiversity Cop15 summit in December, at which countries are expected to commit to a goal of halting the decline of species and protect 30% of land by 2030. “As host of Cop26 during your time as foreign secretary and now as prime minister, you will have seen the truly global impact UK policymaking and our government can have,” the letter said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/07/mps-call-on-liz-truss-to-hold-to-net-zero-target-after-campaign-pledges
     
         
      Russia blames sanctions for gas pipeline shutdown Tue, 6th Sep 2022 16:55:00
     
      Russia has warned that it will not resume gas supplies along a key pipeline to Europe until sanctions are lifted. Moscow has blamed Western countries for its decision not to reopen the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after it was shut for three days for maintenance. When asked if supplies would resume pumping if sanctions were eased, a Kremlin spokesman said: "Definitely". Gas prices soared on Monday due to mounting concerns over energy supplies. The Dutch month-ahead wholesale gas price, a benchmark for Europe, was up as much as 30% in early trading on Monday. Prices in the UK rose as much as 35% before winding back to £4.50 per therm. Wholesale prices have been very volatile in recent weeks. They fell sharply last week when Germany announced that its gas storage facilities were filling up faster than expected. Europe has accused Russia of using gas supplies to blackmail European countries because of the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday: "Pumping problems arose because of sanctions imposed against our country and against a number of companies by Western states, including Germany and the UK. "There are no other reasons that would lead to problems with pumping." Last week, state energy firm Gazprom said that an oil leak in a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was behind the closure. But this has been disputed by the European Union and Siemens itself, the German firm which maintains the turbine. "Such leaks do not normally affect the operation of a turbine and can be sealed on site. It is a routine procedure within the scope of maintenance work," Siemens said in a previous statement. While the UK is not reliant on Nord Stream 1 for its gas, the Kremlin's decision to squeeze supplies to Europe has driven up the overall cost of wholesale gas. The overall increase has been behind the spike in the energy bill price cap for consumers in England, Wales and Scotland. Mr Peskov criticised European leaders for the surge in bills: "It is obvious that Europe is getting worse for people, entrepreneurs, companies, to live and work: less money is being earned, the standard of living is falling," he said. Liz Truss, who will become the UK's prime minister on Tuesday, has promised to announce a plan to deal with high energy bills soon after she enters office. However, UK businesses are not protected by a price cap and, last week, the British Chambers of Commerce warned firms would "close their doors this winter" if they were not given support with soaring bills. Energy expert Bill Farren-Price told the BBC's Today programme that the "crunch moment" would come later in the year if demand is particularly high for gas and is going to exceed what can be imported. He added that looking at action on energy bills would be the top priority for the incoming prime minister. A number of European governments have revealed plans to help businesses and consumers cope with surging energy costs. On Sunday, Germany announced a €65bn (£56.2bn) package which includes one-off payments to the most vulnerable and tax breaks to energy-intensive firms. Over the weekend, Sweden and Finland also announced multi-billion pound packages to support energy companies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62789675
     
         
      US farmers face plague of pests as global heating raises soil temperatures Tue, 6th Sep 2022 16:44:00
     
      Milder winters could threaten crop yields as plant-eating insects spread northwards and become more voracious, researchers say Agricultural pests that devour key food crops are advancing northwards in the US and becoming more widespread as the climate hots up, new research warns. The corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) is considered to be among the most common farm pests in the US, ravaging crops such as maize, cotton, soya and other vegetables. It spends winter underground and is not known to survive in states beyond a latitude of 40 degrees north (which runs from northern California through the midwest to New Jersey), but that is changing as soils warm and it spreads to new areas, according to research led by North Carolina State University. The report follows research from the University of Washington in 2018 that found 2C (3.6F) of warming would boost the number and appetite of insects globally, causing them to destroy 50% more wheat and 30% more maize than they do now. Rising heat stress is already affecting yields, with harvests of staple crops in Europe down this year as a result of heatwaves and drought. Pest invasions have serious implications for food security. “As the climate changes, the overwintering zones are likely to shift northward,” said the co-author Anders Huseth, an entomologist at North Carolina State University. “This is the canary in the coalmine for agricultural pests. “Making sense of what’s taking place with [the corn earworm] is really important for agricultural producers.” Other pests that could spread northwards in the US in a similar way include fall armyworm, green cloverworm, soybean looper and velvetbean caterpillar. Researchers created maps that showed three distinct geographical zones across the US – the “southern range” where corn earworms survive winter, a “transitional zone” where they may survive winter, and “northern limits”, where they are generally unable to survive winter because soil temperatures drop below freezing. Researchers already knew that warmer winter soils meant insects that live in the soil are more likely to survive. Using four decades of soil temperatures and data monitoring corn earworm, researchers predicted the distribution of pests in the future. The southern range has grown by 3% since 1981 and is predicted to double in size by the end of the century, as the other zones get smaller, according to the paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Corn earworm moths are able to disperse up to 600 miles (1,000km) using seasonal winds, meaning they can spread fast if conditions are good. Over the coming decades the model illustrates that this insect could expand its overwintering range into the US maize belt in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. In Minnesota, for example, no corn earworms have successfully survived its harsh winters, but the models suggest the whole state will be in the transitional zone by the end of the century. This could result in increased use of pesticides and lower yields. “If intensive maize production does not also shift north with changing climate, we expect that corn earworm will become a more frequent and important problem in these states,” said Dr Douglas Lawton, a former North Carolina State University postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the paper. “Organic growers have a major challenge controlling this pest and often accept significant crop losses when infestations are high,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/06/us-farmers-face-plague-of-pests-as-global-heating-raises-soil-temperatures
     
         
      Dutch city of Haarlem may be world’s first to ban most meat ads Tue, 6th Sep 2022 11:40:00
     
      Haarlem in The Netherlands is set to ban most meat ads from public spaces because of the food's climate impact. In what is thought to be the first such move by a city, it will enforce the ban from 2024. The motion drafted by GroenLinks - a green political party - has faced opposition from the meat sector and some who say it stifles free speech. The UN says livestock generate more than 14% of all man-made greenhouse gases, including methane. "Meat is very harmful to the environment. We cannot tell people that there is a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of it," Ziggy Klazes, a councillor from GroenLinks who drafted the motion, told the Trouw newspaper. The government of the city of 160,000 says it has not yet been decided whether sustainably produced meat will be included in the ad ban. The proposal was also supported by MPs from the Christian Democratic Challenge party. Climate change: Do I need to stop eating meat? The backlash from the meat industry was swift. "The authorities are going too far in telling people what's best for them," said a spokesman from the Central Organisation for the Meat Sector. The right-wing BVNL party called it an "unacceptable violation of entrepreneurial freedom" and said it "would be fatal for pig farmers". "Banning commercials from politically born motives is almost dictatorial," Haarlem BVNL councillor Joey Rademaker said. Herman Bröring, a law professor from the University of Groningen, said the ban could infringe on freedom of expression and lead to lawsuits from wholesalers. About 95% of people in the Netherlands eat meat, but more than half do not eat it every day, according to Statistics Netherlands. Amsterdam and The Hague have already banned adverts for the aviation and fossil fuel industries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62810867
     
         
      Pakistan floods: Officials struggle to stop biggest lake overflowing Tue, 6th Sep 2022 10:53:00
     
      Pakistani authorities are struggling to stop their biggest lake from bursting its banks after last-ditch attempts to lower water levels failed. Manchar Lake, in Sindh province, is dangerously full after record monsoons that inundated swathes of Pakistan. Three breaches of the lake's banks so far - two to protect areas nearby - have displaced over 100,000 people. But it could still overflow and rescue teams are racing to evacuate many more people who remain at risk of drowning. Floods in Pakistan have affected some 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said. Estimates suggest the floods have caused at least $10bn (£8.5bn) of damage. Sindh province produces half of the country's food supply, exacerbating fears of serious food shortages in a country already struggling with an economic crisis. On Sunday, officials breached Manchar lake after it had flooded two rural towns. The hope was the move would prevent it from further bursting its banks and inundating more densely-populated areas. The move affected an estimated 400 villages - a total of 135,000 people. The decision to deliberately flood some villages is a controversial one - the lake straddles two districts, Dadu and Jamshoro, both home to hundreds of thousands of people, and about 80% of the region is underwater. Now residents near the lake are using government machinery to strengthen embankments to try to avoid a catastrophic, unplanned overspill. "There are three breaches in the lake, two by plan, one is unplanned breach. It is our target that our big cities, towns, we can save them," Sindh's minister of irrigation Jam Khan Shoro told the BBC's Newshour programme. Villagers were warned to evacuate before the planned breaches. But local sources say not everyone was taken to safety in time - some didn't want to leave their homes or livestock, a lifeline for many in rural communities, and there are few places for them to go. The military has been brought in to help with evacuations but mostly locals are coming to each other's aid. Some who've left their homes in the last few days ahead of the Manchar breach were taken to a nearby government-run facility that's being used as a shelter for the displaced, but the conditions leave much to be desired. Many displaced people are living on the roadside without shelter, food or clean drinking water. "We have we got nothing here, we try to find food for our kids all day, some nights we sleep without food," one woman told the BBC. "We are scared that the roof may collapse on us - it's damaged," another villager said. "Our children are getting sick and we've been sleeping on the floor - there aren't beds for many of us." Officials have said a little over a quarter of a million people are in shelters, a fraction of the 33 million Pakistanis affected. Relief efforts can't keep pace with demand - there is simply too much need and too few resources. Damaged infrastructure is also hampering aid and rescue operations. Some connecting roads in Sindh province have either collapsed, are flooded or are backed up for days with queuing traffic. Pakistan is facing one of its worst climate-induced natural disasters in years, as record torrential rainfall and melting glaciers in the country's northern mountains have caused devastating floods. Meanwhile, UN children's agency Unicef said more children were at risk of dying from disease in Pakistan due to the shortage of clean water. The disaster has also highlighted the stark disparity between countries that are the largest contributors towards climate change and countries that bear the brunt of its impact. Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62764224
     
         
      Climate protesters hit back at MP's 'grow up' comments Tue, 6th Sep 2022 10:38:00
     
      Climate protesters demonstrating at a milk factory have hit back at an MP who said they should "grow up". Protesters blocked the entrance to Stonehouse Muller milk factory, in Gloucestershire, and a number were arrested at 05:00 BST on Monday. Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie said the demonstrators should "stop playing games with people's livelihoods". Animal Rebellion said a transition to plant-based milk was "essential" to mitigate the climate crisis. During the day of action, Animal Rebellion protesters climbed on top of milk tankers and sat in the road to prevent lorries from accessing the site. A number of similar protests were carried out at other Muller and Arla dairy sites across England. Gloucestershire Police said eight people were arrested and held in custody. Ms Baillie said during a cost-of-living crisis the activists' demand to use plant-based milk was "as ridiculous as it is dictatorial". "It is difficult to know what planet these people are living on when they target dairy producers and companies who are already under pressure during such challenging economic times," she said. "It is also unforgivable to try to intimidate hard-working staff. "The public is fed up with protesters. They should just grow up and stop playing games with people's lives and livelihoods." In a statement on Monday Muller said: "We are disappointed to be targeted by a small number of activists who don't represent the 96% of adults in Britain who choose milk every week, and we will ensure that supplies are maintained. "Dairy is affordable and packed with nutrients that benefit our bodies. During a cost-of-living crisis it is wrong to try to prevent it from reaching families, including vulnerable members of society." An Animal Rebellion spokesperson said the public wanted the government to move faster on climate action, "so our cause has broad support from the public". "Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie asks what planet we're living on. "The answer is a planet that is facing unprecedented heatwaves in the UK, devastating flooding in Pakistan, along with many other extreme weather events," they said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-62811468
     
         
      Hawai’i shuts down its last coal plant Tue, 6th Sep 2022 10:08:00
     
      Hawai’i shuttered its last remaining coal-fired power plant last week, bidding farewell to a carbon-intensive energy source that the island chain has relied on for more than 150 years. The now-retired power plant, owned by the power generation company AES, had been operating since 1992 on the island of Oahu, home to the state capital of Honolulu. It provided up to 20 percent of the Oahu’s electricity and also emitted some 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. “Today marks a major milestone in Hawai’i’s clean energy transition,” Scott Glenn, Hawai’i’s chief energy officer, said in a statement. Hawai’ian policymakers approved legislation in 2020 to phase out coal-fired power generation by the end of 2022, coinciding with the end of a 30-year contract for the AES Hawai’i coal plant in Oahu. That legislation built on previous climate commitments, including the nation’s first state law — passed in 2015 — mandating 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2045. Since then, more than 20 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit with similar clean-energy pledges. Cutting coal will also help Hawai’i get to carbon neutrality by 2045, as mandated by a 2018 law. In 2017, the most recent year for which state data is available, Hawai’i produced 20.56 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, roughly 86 percent of which came from the energy sector. The challenge now is ensuring Hawai’i has enough renewable capacity to keep up with its energy needs. AES, which supports the transition away from coal and has even helped its former coal plant workers find new jobs in renewable energy, says it’s working on six renewable energy projects across the Hawai’ian islands. Statewide, regulators have approved at least nine other solar, battery, or geothermal projects that are set to begin operating by 2024. One solar and battery project on Oahu, called Mililani I Solar, was completed at the end of July and has been providing up to 39 megawatts of clean energy at peak times — about one-fifth the capacity of the now-retired coal plant. Miliani I also includes 156 megawatt-hours of battery capacity, allowing energy to be stored and deployed at night, when the sun isn’t shining. Although Hawai’ian renewables are on the rise, state officials say they still can’t provide enough electricity to fully supplant fossil fuels. Hawai’i is the U.S.’s most petroleum-dependent state, and Hawaiian Electric, the state’s largest electricity supplier, predicts that some coal-fired power generation will have to be replaced with oil — at least in the near term. That replacement is expected to cause a 7 percent bump in Hawai’ians’ electricity bills, which are already some of the highest in the country.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/energy/hawaii-shuts-down-its-last-coal-plant/
     
         
      California heatwave enters intense phase bringing blackouts and wildfires Tue, 6th Sep 2022 9:40:00
     
      Four fire-related deaths were reported over the weekend as more than 4,000 firefighters battled 14 large blazes across the state California’s power grid is facing a major stress test on Tuesday, as a historic heatwave enters its most brutal phase. With temperatures in parts of the state forecasted to hit 115F (46C), officials are asking residents to prepare for possible rolling blackouts as the heatwave reaches a boiling point. Officials said controlled power interruptions “can help maintain reliability and avoid cascading blackouts”, as people across the state crank up their air conditioners amid scorching temperatures, California’s grid operator warned. “We have now entered the most intense phase of this heatwave,” said Elliot Mainzer, president of the California Independent System Operator (ISO), which runs the state’s electrical grid. “Forecasted demand for Monday and Tuesday is at all-time record levels and the potential for rotating outages has increased significantly.” The state’s power supply could fall more than 5,000 megawatts short of its peak demand on Tuesday, forecasted for 5.30pm, Mainzer warned. Demand could reach past 51,000 megawatts – surpassing the record of 50,270 megawatts set in 2006. The California ISO (CAISO) is expected to request an elevated emergency alert by 5.30pm – one step away from ordering rotating power outages. “Outages are a significant inconvenience to those affected, but it’s preferable to manage emergencies in a controlled manner rather than let it cause a wider spread, longer lasting disruption,” according to the CAISO website. Tuesday is the seventh straight day that California has been under a statewide alert for energy conservation. Amid a punishing heatwave that began last week and is expected to continue through Friday, the National Weather Service has also issued heat advisories across the state – warning that children and the elderly are at especially high risk for heat-related illness or death. Losing power and access to fans and air conditioning could be disastrous for these populations, as well as for disabled residents using powered medical devices. On Monday, record breaking temperatures of 114F (45C) in Sacramento and 115F in parts of the Central Valley triggered warnings to stay indoors and cool during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Outdoor workers remain at elevated risk this week, authorities warned. The extreme temperatures are a result of a “heat dome” bearing over the region – a ridge of high atmospheric pressure that acts as a lid, trapping in heat. Although climate crisis doesn’t cause heat domes, scientists expect it to drive more extreme weather. Low humidity and high temperatures also elevated the risk for wildfire, turning brush to tinder. Four deaths were reported over the Labor Day weekend as some 4,400 firefighters battled 14 large fires around the state, with 45 new blazes on Sunday alone, said Anale Burlew, a deputy chief with the California department of forestry and fire protection (CalFire). In southern California, two people were killed and one injured by the Fairview fire, which started on Monday near the city of Hemet, the Riverside county fire department said. Roughly 50 miles (80km) south-east of Los Angeles, the fire had quickly spread to more than 2,000 acres by 11pm, prompting evacuations, and was only 5% contained. Multiple residential structures burned. At the California ISO’s request on Monday, four temporary emergency power generators deployed by the department of water resources in Roseville and Yuba City were activated for the first time since they were installed last year, providing up to 120 megawatts, enough electricity for 120,000 homes. The California ISO also has issued a flex alert for voluntary conservation between 4pm and 10pm on Tuesday, making seven alerts in as many days. Residents were urged to keep air conditioners at 78F (26C) or higher during the period and to avoid using major appliances such as ovens and dishwashers. In many areas, the late afternoon and evening are the hottest time of day. The California ISO also issued a stage-two energy emergency alert from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday. The second of three emergency alert stages means that the electrical grid operator is implementing emergency energy-saving measures “such as tapping backup generators, buying more power from other states and using so-called demand response programs”, according to its website. Stage three would indicate that minimum “contingency reserve” requirements cannot be met and rolling blackouts are imminent or in progress. The use of the backup generators triggered criticism, as they would increase air pollution in already affected, disadvantaged communities. “It is unconscionable to continue making over-polluted and under-resourced communities sacrifice zones for the rest of the state,” said Olivia Seideman, climate policy coordinator at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. High temperature itself exacerbates pollution, accelerating the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog. In southern California, officials last week issued an ozone advisory due to the heatwave, advising people to stay indoors and avoid physical exertion. Several hundred thousand Californians lost power in rolling blackouts in August 2020 amid hot weather, but the state avoided a similar scenario last summer. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, signed legislation on Friday that could allow the state’s last remaining nuclear plant to remain open beyond its planned 2025 closure, to ensure more power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/06/california-heatwave-power-supply-deadly-wildfires
     
         
      Dutch city becomes world’s first to ban meat adverts in public Tue, 6th Sep 2022 8:42:00
     
      Haarlem’s move is part of efforts to cut consumption after meat was found to contribute to climate crisis A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat adverts from public spaces in an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Haarlem, which lies to the west of Amsterdam and has a population of about 160,000, will enact the prohibition from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to contribute to the climate crisis. Adverts will not be allowed on Haarlem’s buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting complaints from the meat sector that the municipality is “going too far in telling people what’s best for them”. Recent studies suggest global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions, with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods. Forests that absorb carbon dioxide are felled for the grazing of animals while fertilisers used for growing their feed are rich in nitrogen, which can contribute to air and water pollution, climate change and ozone depletion. Livestock also produces large quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Ziggy Klazes, a councillor from the GroenLinks party, who drafted the motion banning meat advertising, said she had not known the city would be the world’s first to enforce such a policy when she proposed it. She told the Haarlem105 radio channel: “We are not about what people are baking and roasting in their own kitchen; if people wanted to continue eating meat, fine … We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause. “Of course, there are a lot of people who find the decision outrageous and patronising, but there are also a lot of people who think it’s fine. “It is a signal – if it is picked up nationally, that would only be very nice. There are many groups of GroenLinks who think it is a good idea and want to try it.” The ban also covers holiday flights, fossil fuels and cars that run on fossil fuels. The ban is delayed until 2024 due to existing contracts with companies that sell the products. There is some opposition within Haarlem’s council to the move, with critics arguing that it restricts freedom of expression. Sander van den Raadt, the leader of the Trots Haarlem group, said: “It is remarkable that the municipality of Haarlem is holding a large poster campaign that you can be yourself in Haarlem and love whoever you want, but if you like meat instead of soft grass, ‘the partronising brigade’ will come and tell you that you are completely wrong.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/06/haarlem-netherlands-bans-meat-adverts-public-spaces-climate-crisis
     
         
      Germany announces €65bn package to curb soaring energy costs Mon, 5th Sep 2022 17:00:00
     
      Germany has announced a €65bn (£56.2bn) package of measures to ease the threat of rising energy costs, as Europe struggles with scarce supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The package, much bigger than two previous ones, will include one-off payments to the most vulnerable and tax breaks to energy-intensive businesses. Energy prices have soared since the February invasion, and Europe is trying to wean itself off Russian energy. Ukraine has urged Europe to stand firm. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was trying to destroy the normal life of every European citizen. In his nightly address on Saturday, he said Russia was preparing a "decisive energy attack on all Europeans", and only unity among European countries would offer protection. And in a BBC interview broadcast on Sunday, his wife Olena said that if support for Ukraine was strong the crisis would be shorter. She reminded Britons that while rising living costs were tough, Ukrainians were paying with their lives. EU told to prepare for Russian gas shut-off Cold showers as German city turns off the gas According to website Politico, European Union officials have warned there is likely to be a crunch point in the coming months when countries start to feel acute economic pain while also still being asked to help the Ukrainian military and humanitarian effort. There are already small signs of discontent, with protesters taking to the streets of the Czech capital Prague on Sunday, rallying against high energy prices and calling for an end to sanctions against Russia. Police said about 70,000 people, mainly from far-right and far-left groups were in attendance. Meanwhile, several hundred protesters gathered at Lubmin in north-eastern Germany, the terminal of the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia. They were calling for the commissioning of Nord Stream 2, a new pipeline which was about to go online but was blocked by the German government after the invasion. Two days ago, Russia said it was suspending gas exports to Germany through the already operating Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely. The stand-off with Russia has forced countries like Germany to find supplies elsewhere, and its stores have increased from less than half full in June to 84% full today. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told journalists Germany would get through the winter, adding that Russia was "no longer a reliable energy partner". He said the government would make one-off payments to pensioners, people on benefits and students. There would also be caps on energy bills. Some 9,000 energy-intensive businesses would receive tax breaks to the tune of €1.7bn. A windfall tax on energy company profits would also be used to mitigate bills, Mr Scholz said. The latest package brings the total spent on relief from the energy crisis to almost €100bn, which compares to about €300bn spent on interventions to keep the German economy afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries across Europe are considering similar measures. UK Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has said she will announce a plan to deal with energy costs within a week if she becomes prime minister on Tuesday. And EU energy ministers are due to meet on 9 September to discuss how to ease the burden of energy prices across the bloc.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62788447
     
         
      Burning forests for energy isn’t ‘renewable’ – now the EU must admit it Mon, 5th Sep 2022 10:23:00
     
      The EU’s classification of wood fuels is accelerating the climate crisis. Next week, a key vote can change that Next week the future of many of the world’s forests will be decided when members of the European parliament vote on a revised EU renewable energy directive. If the parliament fails to change the EU’s discredited and harmful renewables policy, European citizens’ tax money will continue to pay for forests around the globe to literally go up in smoke every day. Europe’s directly elected representatives now have to choose: they can either save the EU’s “climate targets” with their legislative loopholes or they can begin saving our climate, because right now, that is not what EU targets are working towards. Increasing volumes of wood pellets and other wood fuels are being imported from outside the EU to satisfy Europe’s growing appetite for burning forests for energy. This is an appetite that the existing EU renewable energy directive incentivises. It does this by classifying forest biomass on paper as zero-carbon emissions when in reality, burning forest biomass will produce higher emissions than fossil fuels during the coming decisive decades. The interlinked crises of wars and rising food and energy prices underline the urgent need for policies that enable energy saving and energy efficiency, and the importance of decarbonising the EU’s energy sector. It should be obvious that decarbonising can only be done by using non-carbon energy sources. It is critical to phase out fossil fuels, but the energy sources we replace them with are just as important. The EU’s renewable energy directive should apply solely to actual renewable energy forms – and forests are not renewable. Forests are ecosystems created by nature that cannot be replanted. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that we need to restore and preserve more forest ecosystems – but as internationally renowned scientists have warned, the EU’s renewable energy directive incentivises a daily loss of irreplaceable forest ecosystems in favour of the harmful replanting of new trees. There is just not enough time for these tree plantations to regrow to be in line with the Paris agreement. Forest biomass takes minutes to burn, whereas it takes anywhere from decades to centuries for the climate and environmentally harmful tree plantations to resequester the carbon emitted. This equals decades of carbon debts that we do not have time for. The same goes for the burning of what the industry calls forest residues, such as treetops and branches. Burning any part of the tree means burning carbon. When forestry residues come from an 80-year-old tree, it will take 80 years for an equivalent tree to regrow – and this is time we do not have. For forest residues to become sustainable end-products, forestry needs to be sustainable in the first place; but this is not the case today. Most people would assume a few things about our forests based on what they’ve been told: first, that Europe has a fair amount of protected forests – and even if not yet as much as the EU has promised, that protection rates are at least moving in the right direction. Other common misconceptions are that forestry is carried out sustainably, that predominantly climate-friendlywood products are produced, and that only forest residues are burned for energy. In reality, none of this is true for the EU today. Strictly protected forests are being logged daily, half of what is logged in EU forests, not just residues, is burned as fuel. Certified and supposedly “sustainable” forestry causes increased emissions, a daily loss of biodiversity and a systematic violation of indigenous peoples’ rights in Europe’s Arctic regions. The policy-driven conversion of forests to environmentally harmful tree plantations is threatening the way of life of indigenous Sámi communities. Their reindeer have survived the harsh arctic climate for time immemorial, but after only 60 years of so-called sustainable forestry, 71% of lichen-rich forests crucial for the survival of the reindeer have already disappeared in Sweden. Sámi communities are sounding the alarm: they are telling us “the reindeer are starving”. Forests degraded by clearcutting are also more flammable, and in the midst of an accelerating climate crisis, this is a huge risk. This was clearly demonstrated by the out-of-control fires that broke out across Europe in the recent extreme heat, leading to a large-scale release of carbon, further intensifying climate breakdown. ...
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2022/sep/05/burning-forests-energy-renewable-eu-wood-climate
     
         
      Egypt prepares for flagship UN climate conference, in a year of unprecedented global weather shocks Mon, 5th Sep 2022 8:25:00
     
      Regional authorities in Egypt, the host country of the 2022 UN climate conference (COP27), are ramping up initiatives designed to improve the country’s environmental credentials, and speed up its transition to a low carbon economy. The event will begin on 4 November, in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh. Several COP27-related initiatives are underway in Egypt: they include projects related to sustainable transport, waste recycling, women's health, the transition to clean energy, sustainable cities, adaptation measures in the water and agriculture sector, and the links between peace and climate. “The Egyptian Government recognizes the huge responsibility of organizing a successful conference”, says Dr. Samir Tantawy, a climate change expert at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). “The summit needs to demonstrate the damage caused by the climate crisis, particularly in developing countries. For example, the Aswan Governorate, in southern Egypt, has experienced storms, snow and heavy rain for the first time. Developing countries need to be properly compensated”. Beyond COP27, Egypt is working towards a 2050 national climate strategy, which is based around the reduction of emissions in all sectors, and adaptation to potential changes in the climate – in agriculture, water resources, coastal areas, and health. The national strategy also aims to bring civil society, the government, and citizens together, at the local, regional, and national levels. A number of civil society organizations are participating in workshops and seminars to raise awareness of the summit, in the hope that it will help Egypt to achieve its climate strategy goals. In preparation for the Climate Summit, the regional authorities in the Red Sea Governorate, in cooperation with a number of other state organizations, is holding a series of events aimed at raising awareness of environmental and sustainability concerns. These workshops will continue through to November, and the opening of the Conference. Egypt's hosting of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh is seen as a great opportunity to promote international climate action, and to unify the demands of African and developing countries, particularly when it comes to issues of financing, and adaptation to the effects of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1125722
     
         
      Scotland to miss target on ditching most diesel buses Mon, 5th Sep 2022 7:52:00
     
      The Scottish government will miss a key target to remove the majority of diesel buses from public transport by next year, according to a report. Transform Scotland found only about 16% of the bus fleet will be electric or hydrogen powered by the end of 2023. Its analysis of 10 transport goals stated that while some of the commitments were on track, progress in other areas had slowed or stalled. Transport Scotland said it was "right to aim high". The SNP's 2021 Holyrood election manifesto pledged to "remove the majority of fossil fuel buses from transport in Scotland by 2023". The ambition was repeated in ministers' Programme for Government. The latest headlines from Scotland Read more stories on Scottish politics The goal would require more than 1,850 of the country's 3,700 licensed buses to be converted to zero-emission vehicles, according to Transform Scotland, a national alliance for sustainable transport. The organisation's report, Stuck in Traffic, has been published ahead of Tuesday's 2022-23 Programme for Government announcement. It found there were approximately 280 zero-emission buses operating in Scotland, with funding awarded for another 325. On this trajectory, more than 600 buses, 16% of the fleet, would be decarbonised by the end of 2023. 'Hugely disappointing' Transform Scotland's report analysed 10 headline transport commitments from last year's Programme for Government. The study said efforts to decarbonise the bus fleet, improve bus priority on Glasgow motorways and introduce fair rail fares had made "no progress" or were unlikely to meet their targets. It identified "slow progress" on targets relating to free bus travel for under-22s, car traffic reduction, low-emission ferries, decarbonising rail services by 2035 and bus-priority infrastructure investment. However, it said "good progress" had been made on aims to increase the active travel budget and phase out ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. Report author Marie Ferdelman said missing the bus decarbonisation target would be "hugely disappointing" as she called on the government to step up its efforts. "The Scottish government should be judged on whether they can deliver on what they have promised and in this case they will not be able to do so." Ms Ferdelman added: "There has been some progress on other targets, but we observed no or only slow progress on the majority of sustainable transport commitments from the past three Programmes for Government. "The climate emergency and the cost of living crisis require urgent action and more delay and prevarication on delivering sustainable transport commitments is not an option. Scotland needs a low carbon, affordable transport system that does not force people into expensive and polluting car dependency." What cost-of-living payments will I get? 'Catastrophic impact' of rising prices on children Transport Scotland said its attempt to meet the bus target had been hampered by the Covid-19 crisis. A spokesman said: "We've always been clear that this was an ambitious target that we could not meet alone – that's why the work of our bus decarbonisation taskforce has been critical to our success so far. "Additionally, no-one could have anticipated the profound impact of the global pandemic. "We were right to aim high and to ensure progress across the sector – driving ambitions into delivery, with the proportion of zero emission buses in Scotland now approximately three times higher than that in England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62794789
     
         
      Jackson water crisis: A legacy of environmental racism? Sun, 4th Sep 2022 17:01:00
     
      Marshall lives in west Jackson, in the US state of Mississippi - a predominantly black and poor part of the city. He has no choice but to drink the tap water that Jackson residents have been told to avoid. When he turns the tap on - the water runs brown. He says it's been like this for about eight months and he has no choice but to drink it. "Yes ma'am. I been drinking it." He smiles when we ask whether it worries him. "I turn 70 later this month," he says. Marshall doesn't have a car, so he can't get to the sites where water is being handed out by the National Guard. He also doesn't have electricity or gas because of a recent fire in the house next door, which means he can't boil the water to help make it safer. "Very seldom it's pure. Sometimes it's a little lighter, a little darker. In the bath tub when I first turn it on, it always comes out rust, then it gets lighter. But every time, the rust comes first." Jackson councilman Aaron Banks has lived in the Mississippi state's capital for most of his life, and now represents a district that is more than 90% Black. He says he thinks a devastating combination of aging infrastructure and climate change ultimately led to the latest collapse of Jackson's water supply. In 2020, when freezing temperatures caused Jackson's water treatment facility to shut down, Mr Banks says his district went without water for nearly six weeks - far longer than the surrounding areas. The town's infrastructure has struggled to keep up ever since. "We have not gone a month without having a 'boil water' notice or low to no water pressure in the last two years," he says. "Unfortunately, that is something we have gotten used to as American citizens - nobody should be adapting to that type of quality of life." Time and again, Mr Banks says, those who are forced to adapt have predominantly been people of colour. For years, the councilman says he has watched state funding pour into the infrastructure of towns and areas around Jackson - but they've missed the facilities that need it most, including the city's water treatment plant. President Joe Biden's landmark infrastructure bill earmarked money for disadvantaged and underserved communities like Jackson, which in 2020 had a population of 163,000. But the funding is allocated by state legislators who, Mr Banks says, often succumb to politics and prioritise projects for their constituents instead of focusing on fixing systemic issues in Jackson. "We have a water treatment facility that's obsolete that nobody has thought about for years," says Professor Edmund Merem, an urban planning and environmental studies professor at Jackson State University. "I think the problem is that the reaction tends to be ad hoc." But Prof Merem also believes another factor has pulled focus and funding away from the Jackson's crumbling infrastructure - race. Experts and advocates say what is happening in Jackson - and in towns like Flint in Michigan, where the water supply was contaminated with lead - is a direct legacy of generations of discrimination and segregation. "This is a deep seated, decades-long, in the making kind of situation," says Arielle King, a lawyer and environmental justice advocate. "I think the history of racial segregation and redlining in this country have deeply contributed to the environmental injustices we see right now." Redlining began in the 1940s as a government-sanctioned practice of denying mortgages and loans to people of colour because they were deemed "too risky." The programme lasted more than 40 years, and as a result, Ms King says, low-income, predominantly black communities were concentrated in areas with polluting industries like landfills, oil refineries, and wastewater treatment plants. And those areas, she notes, still exist today. She points to parts of the country like so-called Cancer Alley as an example. Once the home to Louisiana's sprawling plantations, the area along the Mississippi River is now an industrial highway of more than 150 oil refineries and factories. For decades, the predominantly black residents have suffered from some of the highest rates of cancer in the nation because of pollution. Ms King says the legacy of this kind of environmental racism, coupled with decades of underinvestment in low-income areas is playing out in Jackson. "They can say that there are different factors that lead to flooding, but people wouldn't be subject to areas that are susceptible to flooding without redlining in the first place," Ms King says. "So again, it does kind of come back to race, and environmental racism, unfortunately, every time." Sarina Larson is studying to be a lawyer and lives a few blocks from Marshall. She moved from Sacramento and wants to be a public defence lawyer. She too blames redlining for the issues the area has been having. In her kitchen, there are bowls of varying sizes all over the floor. She catches rain water in them and then uses a water filter. "The pipes have lead in them in Jackson and so I would never drink a glass of water," she says. "I don't brush my teeth with the tap water". But she admits that most people can't afford the $300 dollar (£260) filter she bought. "A water crisis like this doesn't become an issue until it affects people of a higher class. It has been ongoing and Jackson has been an example of that. People's health is secondary to the state." We met Imani Olugbala-Aziz at a local community centre where she and others from the volunteer group Cooperation Jackson were handing out bottled water. It took less than an hour for them to run out. She tells us she barely has water at her own home. "It's a crisis of views and values and there's a lot of environmental racism going on. We are sending our money to the government to get what needs to be done, done. And they're not doing it. "We're underserved. People of colour are underserved. We stay in the worst parts of town, just so we can survive. "We're not asking for mansions, we just want to live and have the normal stuff, running water, clean water," Ms Olugbala-Aziz says. She says the local area has a high homeless rate and local shops have closed which makes it hard for people to buy water. "We've been on the boiled water alert for about a month. It's not drinkable, so what do we do? How do we feed our children, how do we cook and eat?" Ms Olugbala-Aziz says people are paying high water bills, whilst those in predominantly white areas aren't.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62783900
     
         
      Just Stop Oil protesters leave Grays tunnel after 13 days Sun, 4th Sep 2022 9:53:00
     
      Climate activists have ended a 13-day occupation of a tunnel dug beneath a road in Essex. Three Just Stop Oil campaigners were in the tunnel under St Clements Way in Grays, where they had been protesting against what they see as government inaction over climate change. They left voluntarily at about 15:35 BST, Just Stop Oil said. Essex Police said three men were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and criminal damage. The force said a cordon was in place and work to fill the tunnel would "commence shortly". Just Stop Oil is calling on the government to end new oil and gas projects in the UK. The tunnel was below a key delivery route for the nearby oil terminal. Sam Johnson, 39, a groundworker from Suffolk, was in the tunnel and said the recent heatwaves in the UK and flooding in Pakistan highlighted the need for action. "This is the reality of climate collapse and it is happening right here in the UK, it is happening all around the world and it is happening now," he said in a statement published by Just Stop Oil. "That is why we need to act now." Ch Supt Simon Anslow said the recent protests, which were also held at service stations, had required a "huge amount of resources" from police. "Over the course of the last fortnight we have made more than 60 arrests and worked hard with our partners to keep disruption to our local community and businesses to a minimum and keep Essex moving," he said. "This work has required a huge amount of resources and has diverted officers from other duties such as the prevention and investigation of burglary, robbery, sexual, and violent crime.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-62790218
     
         
      Ukraine war: Russia to keep key gas pipeline to EU closed Sat, 3rd Sep 2022 17:05:00
     
      Russia's main gas pipeline to Europe will not reopen as planned on Saturday, adding to concerns about energy supplies this winter. State energy firm Gazprom said it found a leak on Nord Stream 1, meaning it could be closed indefinitely. The pipeline, which runs to Germany, has been shut for three days for what Gazprom described as maintenance work. Europe accused Russia of using its gas supplies to blackmail Europe amid the Ukraine conflict, which Moscow denies. Energy prices have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine and scarce supplies could push up costs even further. There are growing fears families in the EU will be unable to afford the cost of heating this winter. The UK could also be affected. Although not reliant on Nord Stream 1 for its gas, the pipeline suspension could drive the cost of wholesale gas up further, which has been behind the spiralling rise in the energy price cap. EU told to prepare for Russian gas shut-off Cold showers as German city turns off the gas Faisal Islam, the BBC's economics editor, described the indefinite closure of Nord Stream 1 as a very serious development, noting that Russia had kept supplies into Europe flowing even at the height of the Cold War. The stand-off with Russia has forced countries to fill their own gas supplies, with Germany's stores increasing from less than half in June to 84% full today. As a result, international gas prices have fallen in the past week, but remain high by normal standards. Europe is attempting to wean itself off Russian energy in an effort to reduce Moscow's ability to finance the war, but the transition may not come quickly enough. EU Council President Charles Michel said Russia's move was "sadly no surprise". "Use of gas as a weapon will not change the resolve of the EU. We will accelerate our path towards energy independence. Our duty is to protect our citizens and support the freedom of Ukraine," he tweeted. Moscow denies using energy supplies as an economic weapon against Western countries supporting Ukraine. It has blamed the sanctions for holding up routine maintenance of Nord Stream 1, but the EU says this is a pretext. Germany's network regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, said the country was now better prepared for Russian gas supplies to cease, but it urged citizens and companies to cut consumption. Gazprom's announcement came shortly after the G7 nations agreed to cap the price of Russian oil in support of Ukraine. The G7 (Group of Seven) consists of the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Their introduction of a price cap means countries that sign up to the policy will be permitted to purchase only Russian oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap. However, Russia says it will not export to countries that participate in the cap. The gas pipeline stretches from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany and can carry up to 170 million cubic metres of gas a day. It is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is Gazprom. Germany had also previously supported the construction of a parallel pipeline - Nord Stream 2 - but the project was halted after Russia invaded Ukraine. Gazprom said the fault had been detected at the Portovaya compressor station, with the inspection carried out alongside workers from Siemens, the German firm that maintains the turbine. It said that fixing of oil leaks in key engines was only possible in specialised workshops, which had been hindered by Western sanctions. However, Siemens itself said: "Such leaks do not normally affect the operation of a turbine and can be sealed on site. It is a routine procedure within the scope of maintenance work." This is not the first time since the invasion that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been closed. In July, Gazprom cut off supplies completely for 10 days, citing "a maintenance break". It restarted again 10 days later, but at a much reduced level. Speaking to the BBC from the Swiss capital Bern, an economist and energy analyst, Cornelia Meyer, said the gas shutdown would have a major impact on employment and prices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62766867
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion: Climate activists arrested after protest in Commons chamber Sat, 3rd Sep 2022 8:06:00
     
      Eight people have been arrested after climate activists glued themselves together around the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons. The protestors, from Extinction Rebellion UK, were on a guided tour of Parliament when they took the action, a spokeswoman said. MPs are currently on their summer break, and are due to return next week. The Met Police said it had launched an investigation into the "full circumstances of the incident". The protesters read out a speech demanding a "citizens' assembly" on climate issues, the group said. Other demonstrators were pictured draping banners outside Parliament. Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman Nuala Lam told BBC News around 50 people had taken part in action in and around the Palace of Westminster. She added the activists were calling for a "democratic system" that allows "ordinary people to be consulted" on climate change issue. "I understand there is is some singing going on, and I think that security and police are there," she added. Following the arrests, the Met Police said in a statement: "Four protesters who were present in the chambers and had glued themselves to each other were de-bonded and arrested. "None of these protesters were glued to the Speaker's chair and there has been no damage to the Speaker's chair. Two others - one who had climbed onto scaffolding outside Parliament and another who had glued themself to the pavement inside parliamentary premises - were also arrested, the force said. Another two protesters who had locked themselves to the Carriage Gates were removed and also arrested. A Met spokesperson said: "A police investigation into the incident is now taking place in close liaison with our parliamentary security colleagues to establish the full circumstances of the incident." Earlier, a House of Commons spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate and are currently dealing with the situation as a matter of urgency". Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle added there would also be an investigation by parliamentary security. He said: "It is a real shame that those visitors who made arrangements to join tours of the Palace of Westminster today had their visit disrupted and cancelled."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62767480
     
         
      Disease warning as Pakistan flood death toll rises Sat, 3rd Sep 2022 8:04:00
     
      Aid workers warn a lack of clean drinking water is causing an increase in diseases in Pakistan, as the floods death toll passes 1,200. Access to clean water was the biggest problem for those trying to find food and shelter, said medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres. The government met on Saturday to assess the scale of the floods which have submerged a third of the country. At least one in three of the victims of the flooding are said to be children. Government minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the country did not have the resources to deal with the unprecedented crisis. The flooding was the worst climate-induced disaster in recent world history, he said. Some 1.4 million homes had been destroyed in record monsoon rains which have affected more than 33 million people. The country's top disaster management official said that 2022 had brought some harsh realities of climate change for Pakistan. "This year we did not witness a spring season - we faced four heatwaves which caused large-scale forest fires across the country," said Akhtar Nawaz. Pakistan floods: Images show huge scale of devastation Pakistan floods are monsoon on steroids - UN 'The water came and now everything is gone' Meanwhile, UN children's agency Unicef said more children were at risk of dying from disease in Pakistan due to the shortage of clean water. "There is now a high risk of water-borne, deadly diseases spreading rapidly, diarrhoea, cholera, dengue, malaria," Unicef's Abdullah Fadil said. "There is therefore a risk of many more child deaths." Estimates suggest the floods have caused at least $10bn (£8.5bn) of damage in Pakistan, and many people face serious food shortages. Nearly half of the country's crops have been destroyed. The country was already suffering from an economic crisis. One province, Balochistan, has received 436% more rain than the 30-year average this monsoon, according to Reuters. Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62779533
     
         
      No going back to reliance on Russian gas from here Sat, 3rd Sep 2022 7:57:00
     
      This is no coincidence. Russia's state-controlled gas giant announced an indefinite extension to a three-day maintenance halt to flows of gas through the continent's key energy artery, hours after leading western finance ministers vowed to escalate sanctions on Russian oil. Gazprom's official reason is that an oil leak has been found and the pipeline cannot work without German imports of technology, which are now subject to sanctions. Few observers believe, however, that this is anything other than an attempt essentially to blackmail Europe over supplies. The G7 world's main economies, including the UK, agreed to cap the price they pay for oil from Russia. This is a way to limit the revenues that fund the Kremlin's war in Ukraine - it earns more from oil exports than gas. But this is a very serious development. Even during the height of the Cold War, Russia kept supplies of its gas flowing into Europe. This cut-off though - and the pointed attempt by Gazprom to blame the German energy giant Siemens for the malfunction - is the culmination of decades of dysfunction in the energy relationship between Russia and Germany. For most of that time, of course, Bonn and then Berlin were delighted to avail themselves of cheap Russian gas. A younger Vladimir Putin did his PhD thesis on the importance of Russian energy exports. When I visited Gazprom's headquarters a decade ago and its fields in Siberia, I was told menacingly "anyone who artificially tries to diminish the role of Russian gas is playing a very dangerous game". A visit to the Novi Urengoy field showed Gazprom consolidating its hold on the Russian state, with some assistance from Berlin. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder enshrined this dependence with the building of this same Nordstream pipeline, which then gave him a job on its board. Gazprom sponsored German football, Europe's premier football competition the Champions League, and bankrolled various Russian soft power projects. Perhaps most incredibly, German industry swapped the gas storage facilities under its soil for privileged access to deep-lying gas reserves under the Siberian tundra. The very facilities, including Germany's largest, designed for resilience in the face of Russian energy diplomacy were passed into Russian ownership. It beggars belief that this was completed in 2015, after Russia's annexation of Crimea. One sliver of hope, though, now lies in those same storage facilities. The German government seized ownership of the storage facilities that had been left at very low levels last year. There, and across the continent, energy companies backed by government loans have spent the summer buying up as much gas as possible at any price. The major economies are now on course to fill massive stores of gas, designed to cope with a cut to supplies of several weeks. Germany's huge stores are now 84% full, having been less than half full in June. As a result, gas prices traded in international markets have come down from extreme highs over the past week. But they are still very high by normal standards. There remains a dash to secure alternative supplies that is pushing up the price for all countries, including Britain. And the true impact of all this will depend on just how long the pipeline outage lasts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62779909
     
         
      Jackson water crisis: Troops hand out 1.1m bottles of water in a day Sat, 3rd Sep 2022 7:11:00
     
      More than a million bottles of water have been handed out in less than a day to people in Jackson, Mississippi due to a long-running water supply issue. Nearly 200,000 people in the state's capital have been unable to use tap water for five days after flooding disabled a water treatment centre. Officials say progress is being made to restore the supply as the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches. But locals say relief is desperately needed due to the sweltering heat. Both Mississippi National Guard troops - who have handed out 1.1m bottles of water in 24 hours - and an army of local volunteers have been helping to get water to people who are unable to drink tap water, bathe or flush toilets. "It's been awful going without water," Shirley Barnes told the BBC as she queued for more bottles on Friday. "It's been a horrific experience." "Trying to do your normal routines, that's been the hardest. Trying to boil water. Washing your face, taking your bath, cooking. It's like you living back in the caveman days." "I never thought I would be in this predicament, but here we are," she added. Debbie Upchurch, a local church volunteer, has been bringing bottled water to Jackson to distribute to locals. Her daughter, a teacher in the community, has not been able to hold classes in-person this week and has been teaching online instead. "Right now they can't meet for class because there's no water to cook with or [for] the restrooms," she said. "Sometimes that's the only meal they have, is what they have at breakfast and lunch at the schools." First Lieutenant Roman Ramirez from the Mississippi National Guard told the BBC that his site was staffed with 44 soldiers who had distributed around 80,000 bottles by midday on Friday. "There's a lot of emotion for the citizens here, but our job is just to show up and help where we can - give as much water as we can," he said. Jackson resident Ryan Bell lives opposite the state fairground, where bottled water is being distributed. "Everyone is going through this crisis, everyone in the city of Jackson, we're all in this together," he said. Even before the flooding that caused the supply problem, some residents in this majority black city have not had reliable access to tap water. "It's been an ongoing issue," said Mr Bell, who runs a local construction company. "We do have an ageing infrastructure being an older city. All we ask for really is help, support, understanding and prayers for the people of Jackson." A state of emergency has been declared by President Joe Biden. Some residents do not even have enough water pressure to flush toilets, and are having to use portaloos that have popped up around the city including outside the statehouse building. Meanwhile, long queues have formed outside water distribution centres as temperatures rise above 90F (32C). Jackson's mayor said on Friday that progress was being made to restore the plant back to normal operations, but there was still no timetable for how long the issues would likely last. Homes and businesses near to the plant have had their water pressure restored, but buildings further away still have weak or no water pressure.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62774447
     
         
      How Pakistan floods are linked to climate change Fri, 2nd Sep 2022 17:08:00
     
      The devastating floods in Pakistan are a "wake-up call" to the world on the threats of climate change, experts have said. The record-breaking rain would devastate any country, not just poorer nations, one climate scientist has told BBC News. The human impacts are clear - another 2,000 people were rescued from floodwaters on Friday, while ministers warn of food shortages after almost half the country's crops were washed away. A sense of injustice is keenly felt in the country. Pakistan contributes less than 1% of the global greenhouse gases that warm our planet but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change. "Literally, one-third of Pakistan is underwater right now, which has exceeded every boundary, every norm we've seen in the past," Climate minister Sherry Rehman said this week. Pakistan is located at a place on the globe which bears the brunt of two major weather systems. One can cause high temperatures and drought, like the heatwave in March, and the other brings monsoon rains. The majority of Pakistan's population live along the Indus river, which swells and can flood during monsoon rains. The science linking climate change and more intense monsoons is quite simple. Global warming is making air and sea temperatures rise, leading to more evaporation. Warmer air can hold more moisture, making monsoon rainfall more intense. Scientists predict that the average rainfall in the Indian summer monsoon season will increase due to climate change, explains Anja Katzenberger at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. But Pakistan has something else making it susceptible to climate change effects - its immense glaciers. The northern region is sometimes referred to as the 'third pole' - it contains more glacial ice than anywhere in the world outside of the polar regions. As the world warms, glacial ice is melting. Glaciers in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions are melting rapidly, creating more than 3,000 lakes, the the UN Development Programme told BBC News. Around 33 of these are at risk of sudden bursting, which could unleash millions of cubic meters of water and debris, putting 7 million people at risk. Map and photos show extent of Pakistan floods World's glaciers melting at faster rate Climate change swells odds of Pakistan heatwave Pakistan's government and the UN are attempting to reduce the risks of these sudden outburst floods by installing early-warning systems and protective infrastructure. In the past poorer countries with weaker flood defences or lower-quality housing have been less able to cope with extreme rainfall. But climate impact scientist Fahad Saeed told BBC News that even a rich nation would be overwhelmed by the catastrophic flooding this summer. "This is a different type of animal - the scale of the floods is so high and the rain is so extreme, that even very robust defences would struggle," Dr Saeed explains from Islamabad, Pakistan. He points to the flooding in Germany and Belgium that killed dozens of people in 2021. Pakistan received nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average from June to August - reaching a total of 390.7mm. He says that Pakistan's meteorological service did a "reasonable" job in warning people in advance about flooding. And the country does have some flood defences but they could be improved, he says. People with the smallest carbon footprints are suffering the most, Dr Saeed says. "The victims are living in mud homes with hardly any resources - they have contributed virtually nothing to climate change," he says. The flooding has affected areas that don't normally see this type of rain, including southern regions Sindh and Balochistan that are normally arid or semi-arid. Sindh province awaits more devastation Yusuf Baluch, a 17-year-old climate activist from Balochistan, says that inequality in the country is making the problem worse. He remembers his own family home being washed away by flooding when he was six years old. "People living in cities and from more privileged backgrounds are least affected by the flooding," he explains. "People have the right to be angry. Companies are still extracting fossil fuels from Balochistan, but people there have just lost their homes and have no food or shelter," he says. He believes the government is failing to support communities there. Dr Saeed says the floods are "absolutely a wake-up call" to governments globally who promised to tackle climate change at successive UN climate conferences.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62758811
     
         
      Pakistan: More than 6.4 million in ‘dire need’ after unprecedented floods Fri, 2nd Sep 2022 8:19:00
     
      The scale of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan is unprecedented, with a third of the country under water, UN humanitarians warned on Friday. With more than 33 million people impacted, that represents 15 per cent of the total Pakistani population, said Dr. Palitha Mahipala, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the country. Some “6.4 plus million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid”, he said, speaking from Islamabad to journalists in Geneva. In the past few weeks, record monsoon rains dumped more than five times the 30-year average for rainfall in some provinces, killing more than 1,200 people and injuring over 6,000 since June. Nearly 400 children are among the fatalities. More than a million homes lost With 1.1 million houses washed away and vital infrastructure destroyed such as schools, UNICEF’s Representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, explained that “18,000 schools have been destroyed and thousands of schools are now fully shuttered… So that means children who have lost education for two years are also losing learning opportunities now.” Besides the massive disruption to the education system, health facilities have been heavily impacted too, leaving the most vulnerable at risk. The timing couldn’t be worse, as aid agencies have warned of an uptick in waterborne and deadly diseases, such as diarrhoea, cholera, dengue, or malaria. Disease risk grows Pakistan already had a high level of stunting, and the areas where that’s a major health issue, “are the same areas that are now flooded,” said Mr. Fadil. “The anticipation list of waterborne diseases - diarrhea, cholera, all the diseases you can imagine - will hit, and quite soon, so we need to be in place to respond to those as well.” As rains continue and flooding likely worsens over the coming days, there is an urgent need to scale up disease surveillance, restore damaged health facilities, ensure sufficient medicines and health supplies to affected communities. “Affected people have told our staff on the ground about their traumatic and scarring experiences as rain and floodwaters swept away their possessions in minutes,” said Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency. “Those who could, rushed to safety on higher ground without being able to rescue their belongings. Shelter, clean drinking water and food are among the most urgently needed items in the aftermath of the flood.” Torrential monsoon rainfall has caused the Indus River to overflow, submerging land for tens of kilometers wide, according to recent images from the European Space Agency. Crops and livestock have been lost having a significant impact on both livelihood and nutrition of afflicted communities. ‘Global challenge’ “We have a major problem within the region and a particular global challenge in ensuring that the support that is going to be necessary to get agricultural production back up and running in Pakistan, to feed its own people, as well as being the continued source of supply of food for colleagues and brethren next door in Afghanistan,” alerted Chris Kaye, WFP’s Country Director for Pakistan. Neighboring Afghanistan has also been hard-hit by the flooding which has come as the country struggles to recover from a series of natural disasters. Millions have found refuge in Pakistan over the last 40 years, noted Mr. Matthew Saltmarsh. “Pakistan and its people have hosted millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades, with some 1.3 million registered now in the country, as well of course as large numbers of undocumented Afghans.” Climate change factor Pakistan, which is already facing political and economic turmoil, has been thrown into the front line of the human-induced climate crisis. The South Asian country of 220 million people faced dramatic weather conditions this year, from record heatwaves to deadly floods. "South Asia is one of the world's global climate crisis hotspots. People living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts," UN Secretary General António Guterres said earlier this week. Pakistan is home to more glaciers than anywhere outside the polar areas. Global warming makes the country more vulnerable to sudden outbursts of melting glacier water, according to the Meteorological Department in Islamabad. The head of the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, Natalia Kanem, issued a statement on Friday stressing that of the 33 million affected, some 650,000 are pregnant women. "We are deeply saddened by the destruction, and are working with the Government, our United Nations and NGO partners to support the humanitarian response and secure a speedy recovery from this disaster." The head of the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, Natalia Kanem, issued a statement on Friday stressing that of the 33 million affected, some 650,000 are pregnant women.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1126001
     
         
      Russia’s energy influence over Europe ‘is nearly over’ as bloc races to shore up winter gas supplies Fri, 2nd Sep 2022 7:13:00
     
      Europe has endured a sharp drop in gas exports from Russia, traditionally its largest energy supplier. It has deepened a bitter dispute between Brussels and Moscow and exacerbated the risk of recession and a winter gas shortage. “Europe is heading towards a very difficult winter, probably two years of a very difficult adjustment with a lot of economic pain,” Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director at The Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC via telephone. Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director at The Economist Intelligence Unit, a research and advisory firm, told CNBC that the Kremlin appeared to be weaponizing energy supplies and “burning bridges” with Europe while it still could. Asked whether Russia’s energy influence over Europe may be coming to an end, Demarais replied, “Yes. Actually, very much so.” “Europe is heading towards a very difficult winter, probably two years of a very difficult adjustment with a lot of economic pain. But then Europe is essentially going to become more independent with a more diversified mix,” Demarais said. “And what that means is that Russia’s energy weapon is going to become moot,” she added. “Our view is that Russia knows that and that’s why it is already killing off gas supplies or inflicting uncertainty because it knows that if it wants to do damage to Europe it has to do it now. It is a now or never question.” Race to fill gas storage Germany, until recently, bought more than half of its gas from Russia. Yet, Europe’s largest economy is currently ahead of schedule in its race to fill underground gas storage facilities in order to have enough fuel to keep homes warm during the colder months. Analysts told CNBC that Germany has been able to rapidly fill its gas stocks in recent weeks because of several factors. These include strong supply from Norway, the Netherlands and other countries, falling demand amid soaring energy prices, businesses switching from gas to other types of fuel, and the government providing more than 15 billion euros ($15.06 billion) in credit lines to replenish storage facilities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/02/winter-gas-russias-energy-influence-over-europe-is-nearly-over.html
     
         
      Evangelical group calls for climate action Thu, 1st Sep 2022 7:20:00
     
      A new report published this week by the National Association of Evangelicals, or NAE — a group representing more than 45,000 local churches and millions of congregants — highlights the increasing prevalence of wildfires, heat waves, drought, and other disasters and calls for urgent action to address human-induced climate change. The planet is “increasingly stressed by our activities,” it says, and could be healed with greater care. The report makes the case for climate action from a theological perspective, citing scripture that demands “stewardship” of God’s creation and care for the poor and oppressed — as in, those most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. The report urges Christians to take individual steps to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions — like by investing in companies that prioritize decarbonization — while also advocating for government and corporate action. Although the NAE acknowledged the reality of climate change in a 2011 report, surveys suggest that evangelicals are still less likely than other denominations to believe it’s a major issue or that it’s linked to human activity. In a poll conducted in 2020, only 57 percent of white evangelicals said they were worried about climate change, compared to 69 percent of white mainline Protestants, 77 percent of white Catholics, and 87 percent of Black Protestants. The NAE’s latest report lays out the science of climate change in detail, urging evangelicals to trust reputable researchers and organizations, rather than “angry people who call others names or refer to conspiracy theories.” Dorothy Boorse, a biology professor at Gordon College in Massachusetts and the report’s main author, acknowledged the difficulty of getting more evangelicals on board with climate action. But by drawing connections between the climate crisis and more familiar problems like pollution and poverty, she said, faith leaders can meet people where they are, tapping into their innate desire to care for others.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/evangelical-group-calls-for-climate-action/
     
         
      Nord Stream 1: Russia shuts major gas pipeline to Europe Thu, 1st Sep 2022 7:20:00
     
      Russia has completely halted gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline, saying repairs are needed. The Russian state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, said the restrictions on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would last for the next three days. Russia has already significantly reduced gas exports via the pipeline. It denies accusations it has used energy supplies as a weapon of war against Western countries. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline stretches 1,200km (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany. It opened in 2011, and can send a maximum of 170 million cubic metres of gas per day from Russia to Germany. The pipeline was shut down for 10 days in July - again for repairs, according to Russia - and has recently been operating at just 20% capacity because of what Russia describes as faulty equipment. The president of Germany's network regulator has said the country will be able to cope - if Russia resumes delivery in the coming days. "I assume that we will be able to cope with it," Klaus Mueller told Reuters. "I trust that Russia will return to 20% on Saturday, but no one can really say." But German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told the Financial Times that the move has already forced some German companies to stop production, a development he said was "alarming". "It's not good news, because it can mean that the industries in question aren't just being restructured but are experiencing a rupture - a structural rupture, one that is happening under enormous pressure," Mr Habeck said. European leaders fear Russia could extend the outage in an attempt to drive up gas prices, which have already risen sharply in the past year. However, today's announcement was not expected to impact prices immediately. The UK's main natural gas price was in fact down by more than 15% on markets, as of 14:00 BST on Wednesday. Row over turbine threatens Europe's gas supply How Russia is cutting off gas to Europe Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? The steep rise threatens to create a cost of living crisis over the winter months, potentially forcing governments to spend billions to ease the burden. On Tuesday, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher accused Russia of "using gas as a weapon of war". She was speaking after Gazprom said it would suspend gas deliveries to the French energy company Engie. But Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has rejected the accusations - and insisted that Western sanctions have caused the interruptions by damaging Russian infrastructure. He insisted that that "technological problems" caused by sanctions are the only thing preventing Russia from supplying gas via the pipeline, without specifying what the problems were. The most recent controversy has been over a turbine which arrived in Germany after being repaired in Canada and which Russia refused to take back, arguing it was subject to the Western sanctions. Germany, however, denies this. Earlier this month, Economy Minister Habeck said the pipeline was fully operational and said there were no technical issues as claimed by Russia. Earlier this week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to intervene in energy markets, telling a conference in Slovenia that they are "no longer fit for purpose". "We need a new market model for electricity that really functions and brings us back into balance," she said. Before the conflict, Germany had supported, though not certified, the €10bn (£8.4bn) Nord Stream 2 pipeline - which runs parallel to its namesake - but halted operations after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62732835
     
         
      Switzerland's vanishing glaciers threaten Europe's water supply Thu, 1st Sep 2022 7:13:00
     
      Switzerland's glaciers have lost more than half their volume in less than a hundred years, and the long hot summer this year has accelerated the thaw, a new study shows. The glaciers support ski resorts and attract climbers and hikers in summer, but are also essential to Europe's water supply. Now, communities across the Alps are worrying about their future. In Switzerland, at 3,000m (9,800ft) above sea level, you expect to see ice. But above the village of Les Diablerets, where cable car company Glacier 3000 operates, there are now huge areas of bare rock. Two glaciers, the Tsanfleuron and the Scex Rouge, have split apart, revealing ground not seen for thousands of years. "We're probably the first people walking here," says Bernhard Tschannen, who runs the company. Mr Tschannen is watching one of Switzerland's top attractions disappear before his eyes. Visiting tourists can see from the Eiger to the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc. They could also, until recently, walk across miles of pristine blue glacier. Now the ice is broken up by rock, mud, and puddles. The change is dramatic. "When we constructed this chairlift we had to dig seven metres into the ice. This was 23 years back," he explains. "Look,"' he points several metres further away, "where the glacier is now". Scientists have been monitoring the shrinking of Alpine glaciers for years. A joint study by Zurich's Federal Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Office for Landscape compared topographic images of glaciers from the 1930s, to those from the last 10 years. The findings are in line with long standing evidence that Europe's glaciers are shrinking, and that there is a direct link between the ice loss and global warming. Ice caps are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature, so if the earth warms, glaciers are the first to notice, and respond, by melting. Mauro Fischer, a glaciologist at the University of Bern, is responsible for monitoring the Tsanfleuron and Scex Rouge. Every year in spring he installs ice measuring rods, and checks them regularly over the summer and autumn. When he went to check them in July, he got a shock. The rods had melted completely out of the ice, and were lying on the ground. His ice measurements, he says, were "off the chart - far beyond what we've ever measured since the beginning of the glacier monitoring, maybe three times more mass loss over one year than the average over the last 10 years". The thaw brings danger with it. In the famous resort of Zermatt, climbing trails up to the Matterhorn have had to close because, as the glaciers melt, the rock once held together by ice becomes unstable. Richard Lehner, a Zermatt mountain guide like his father and grandfather before him, has spent less time climbing this summer, and more time repairing or rerouting risky paths. He remembers when he could walk right across the Gorner glacier. Not any more. "The permafrost on the mountains is melting off. You have more crevasses on the glacier, because there is not enough snow from the winter, and it makes our job more challenging. You have to think more about risk management." Melting glaciers also reveal long-held secrets. This summer, the wreckage of a plane that crashed in 1968 emerged from the Aletsch glacier. The bodies of climbers, missing for decades but perfectly preserved by the ice, have also been discovered. But the consequences of the ice loss are far wider than the damage to local tourism, or finding lost climbers. Glaciers are often referred to as the water towers of Europe. They store the winter snow, and release it gently over the summer, providing water for Europe's rivers and crops, and to cool its nuclear power stations. Climate change: A really simple guide Already this summer, freight along the Rhine in Germany has been interrupted because the water level is too low for heavily laden barges. In Switzerland, dying fish are being hastily rescued from rivers which are too shallow and too warm. In France and Switzerland, nuclear power stations have had to reduce capacity because the water to cool them is limited. Samuel Nussbaumer of the World Glacier Monitoring Service believes it is a sign of what is to come. He says current projections suggest that by end of the century the only ice remaining will be high up in the mountains: "Above 3,500m there will still be some ice in 100 years. So, if this ice is gone, there won't be any water any more." The extent of the loss this summer has focused minds. Glaciologist Mauro Fischer admits that even though he knew, because of his monitoring, what was happening, the outcome made him emotional. "It's as if the melting glaciers are crying. The high mountain environments tell us we really need to change. It makes me really sad." At Glacier 3000, Bernhard Tschannen has begun wrapping some of the remaining ice in protective coverings in a bid to slow down the thaw. Asked if he feels helpless, there is a long pause. "We can contribute that it's perhaps a bit less fast, but I think we cannot stop it completely, at least not at this altitude for the glaciers." In Zermatt, Richard Lehner's great-grandparents used to hope the glaciers would not extend too far into the valley and cover their pastures. In the 19th Century, there was so much ice that poor Swiss Alpine communities carved parts of it off and sold it to smart Paris hotels, to keep the champagne cold. Those days are long gone, and no-one is especially nostalgic for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62689707
     
         
      Pakistan: WHO warns of significant health risks as floods continue Wed, 31st Aug 2022 11:18:00
     
      Major health risks are unfolding in Pakistan as unprecedented flooding continues, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday, warning of the threat of further spread of malaria, dengue fever and other water and vector-borne diseases. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN agency has classified the situation as a grade 3 emergency - the highest level of its internal grading system - which means all three levels of the organization are involved in the response: the country and regional offices, as well as its headquarters in Geneva. “Floods in Pakistan, drought and famine in the Greater Horn of Africa, and more frequent and intense cyclones in the Pacific and Caribbean all point to the urgent need for action against the existential threat of climate change,” he said, speaking during his regular briefing from WHO headquarters. Millions affected More than 33 million people in Pakistan, and three-quarters of all districts, have been affected by the flooding, which was brought on by monsoon rains. At least 1,000 people have been killed and 1,500 injured, WHO said, citing national health authorities. More than 161,000 others are now in camps. Nearly 900 health facilities across the country have been damaged, of which 180 are completely damaged. Millions have been left without access to health care and medical treatment. The Government has declared a state of emergency, and the UN has launched a $160 million appeal for the country. Tedros also released $10 million from a WHO emergency fund to support the response. Delivering life-saving supplies “WHO has initiated an immediate response to treat the injured, provide life-saving supplies to health facilities, support mobile health teams, and prevent the spread of infectious diseases,” said Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. The UN agency and partners have conducted a preliminary assessment which revealed that the current level of devastation is much more severe than in previous floods, including those that devastated the country in 2010. Ensuring access to services The crisis has further aggravated disease outbreaks, including acute watery diarrhoea, dengue fever, malaria, polio, and COVID-19, particularly in camps and where water and sanitation facilities have been damaged. Pakistan had already recorded 4,531 measles cases this year, and 15 cases of wild poliovirus, even before the heavy rainfall and flooding. A nationwide polio campaign has been disrupted in the affected areas. “WHO is working with health authorities to respond quickly and effectively on the ground. Our key priorities now are to ensure rapid access to essential health services to the flood-affected population strengthen and expand disease surveillance, outbreak prevention and control, and ensure robust health cluster coordination,” said Dr. Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative in Pakistan. Flooding could worsen With the floods projected to worsen over the coming days, WHO is immediately focused on these priorities. Pakistan’s Government is leading the national response and is establishing control rooms and medical camps at the provincial and district level. The authorities also are organizing air evacuation operations, and conducting health awareness sessions on waterborne and vector-borne diseases, as well as other infectious disease such as COVID-19. WHO is working closing with the health ministry to increase surveillance for acute watery diarrhoea, cholera, and other communicable diseases to avoid further spread. The agency is also providing essential medicines and medical supplies to functional health facilities treating affected communities. Expanding disease surveillance Prior to the floods, WHO and partners had undertaken vaccinations against cholera in response to the pre-existing outbreak. Pakistan is also one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, and teams in affected areas are expanding surveillance for both polio and other diseases. Furthermore, polio workers are now working closely with the authorities to support relief efforts, particularly in the worst-hit areas.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125872
     
         
      Fossil fuel ads? Mais non. Wed, 31st Aug 2022 9:16:00
     
      The French government implemented a long-anticipated ban on fossil fuel advertisements last week, making it the first country in the world to do so. First proposed as part of a 150-person citizen’s assembly in 2019, the law will now stop companies from promoting planet-warming coal and oil, effective immediately. Natural gas will be covered by the ban starting in June 2023, and violators will be forced to pay up to roughly $100,000 in fines for each infraction. Repeat offenders could pay double. Although some have praised the policy for eroding the fossil fuel industry’s influence and legitimacy, others have criticized it for not going far enough. For instance, the law still allows ads for fossil fuels with some renewable energy content — like natural gas cut with 50 percent biogas — and it doesn’t prohibit fossil fuel sponsorships for sporting events or art museums. “This is not a law that is going to bring about change,” François Chartier, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace France, told The Times of London. He noted that the policy will still allow the French energy giant Total to sponsor the Rugby World Cup next year, slapping its name all over ads for an event that drew 857 million viewers globally during its last tournament in 2019. Greenpeace and other environmental organizations have been campaigning since last year for a more ambitious, European Union-wide policy that would ban all ads from fossil fuel companies — including ads touting renewable energy projects. Environmental groups say these ads are a form of greenwashing, as most oil majors’ climate pledges continue to be grossly misaligned with international targets to limit global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/fossil-fuel-ads-mais-non/
     
         
      Pakistan: $160 million UN emergency plan launched, as ‘monsoon on steroids’ continues Tue, 30th Aug 2022 10:12:00
     
      A $160 million emergency plan to help Pakistan deal with devastating flooding has been launched by the United Nations, aiming to reach “5.2 million of the most vulnerable people in the country”. An estimated 33 million people have been affected by the “worst flooding in decades "and more than 1,000 people, mostly children”, have died since mid-June when heavy rains began pounding the country, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday. "Pakistan is awash in suffering," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message to launch the six-month appeal in Islamabad and Geneva. 'Unprecedented climate catastrophe' In a note to correspondents issued on Tuesday afternoon in New York, the Spokesperson's Office said that given the "tragic situation facing millions" across the country, the UN chief would travel to Pakistan on a solidarity visit, arriving on Friday in Islamabad. "He will then travel to the areas most impacted by this unprecedented climate catastrophe." In his video message earlier, Mr. Guterres said "the Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids - the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding." According to Mr. Laerke, 500,000 people displaced by the floods “are sheltering in relief camps … nearly one million homes have been damaged and over 700,000 livestock have been lost”. The humanitarian situation has also been compounded by severe impacts to infrastructure. Damage to nearly 3,500 km of roads and 150 bridges has impeded the ability of people to flee to safer areas, he said, and compromised the delivery of aid to the millions in need. Three key objectives According to the OCHA spokesperson the plan focuses on three key objectives: “first, delivering lifesaving and livelihood assistance, such as health services, food, clean water and shelter. “Secondly, to prevent large outbreaks of communicable diseases such as cholera and assist small children and their mothers with nutrition.” The third aim is to ensure that “people can access assistance and protection in a way that is both safe and dignified, including family tracing”. Matthew Saltmarsh, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson, told reporters in Geneva that to date, the agency’s response has focused on “emergency provision going into the affected regions and providing emergency relief items. These include primarily shelter items, but also, “cooking stoves, blankets, solar lamps.” “So far, we've delivered $1.5 million worth of aid, but much, much more will be needed in the coming weeks and also over the medium term, including development assistance,” Mr. Saltmarsh said. Devastating impact Pakistan has endured severe monsoon weather since June, which saw rainfall levels 67 per cent above normal in that month alone, OCHA said in a statement. As of 27 August, rainfall in the country has been equivalent to 2.9 times the national 30-year average. To date, 72 districts across Pakistan have been declared “calamity-hit” by the government. Amid ongoing rains, the number of calamity-declared districts is expected to increase. “When we hear flooding, we very often just think about people drowning, but it's so much more to it,” said Christian Lindmeier, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson. “You have crush injuries from the debris floating in the water. You have electrical shocks from wires… you have the lack of drinking water,” which is “not only a problem for the immediate situation, but for the medium situation as well”. The WHO spokesperson also warned that “at least 888 health facilities have been severely affected…180 of which are completely damaged at this point”. The ‘pendulum has swung’ According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 and Climate Watch, Pakistan is among the 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events, despite its very low carbon footprint.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125752
     
         
      Climate action’s sneaky popularity Tue, 30th Aug 2022 8:27:00
     
      Public support for green policies is more robust than Americans think, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications. People across all demographics, including Democrats and Republicans, assumed that only a minority of Americans, between 37 and 43 percent, want climate policies such as a price on carbon or a Green New Deal. The reality is that a majority of Americans, 66 to 80 percent, support those kinds of measures, according to polling analyzed by the authors of the study. “Nobody had accurate estimates, on average,” Gregg Sparkman, a co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at Boston College, told Grist’s Kate Yoder. “We were shocked at just how ubiquitous this picture was.” The perception that climate policies are more unpopular than they really are is an impediment to collective action on the climate crisis. “People conform to their perception of social norms, even when those perceptions are wrong,” Sparkman said. The factors driving this misconception of climate change are varied: People assume all Republicans oppose climate action when roughly half of Republicans support it, or consume media that gives climate deniers far too much air time, or just have outdated memories of how strong public opinion on a given issue is. The silver lining is that Americans are more united on this issue than they think, and progress is already under way. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which, combined with existing policies and economic trends, will reduce national emissions roughly 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/climate-actions-sneaky-popularity/
     
         
      Where has a drought been declared, and what does it mean? Tue, 30th Aug 2022 8:26:00
     
      Millions of people are living in areas hit by drought, following one of the driest summers on record. Hosepipe bans are in place and households and businesses are being asked to use water wisely. Where are the drought areas? The Environment Agency declared a drought for all of the South West of England. Along with a large part of South-west Wales, 11 of the 14 Environment Agency areas of England are now in drought: Devon and Cornwall East Anglia East Midlands Herts and North London Kent and South London Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire Solent and South Downs Thames Wessex West Midlands Yorkshire Separately, Northern Ireland Water has asked the UK government to put drought order measures in place. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency temporarily banned farmers in parts of Fife from using water from the River Eden on their fields. What is a drought? The Environment Agency (EA) decides whether to declare a drought after speaking to water companies, government officials and groups including famers' representatives. It considers rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils. This year has seen five consecutive months of below average rainfall across all regions in England and above average temperatures. According to the EA, river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir stocks all decreased during July. Some river levels are the lowest ever recorded. What happens when a drought is declared? Declaring a drought in a specific area does not oblige water companies to restrict water use. However, it means they put into operation pre-arranged drought plans, which may include temporary use bans on things like hosepipes and lawn sprinklers. Hosepipe bans are now in place across much of England and part of Wales. Other possible options include: taking more water than usual from rivers using desalination plants, such as the one in London cutting non-essential use of water beyond hosepipe bans The Environment Agency is also urging water companies to act to reduce leakage from pipes as quickly as possible. What are water companies doing to tackle leaks? Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding Why are there droughts this year? In the first three months of the year, England's rainfall was down 26% while in Wales it was down 22%. This meant that even before the summer had started, average river flows were "below normal" or "exceptionally low". In July, rainfall was a quarter of the normal level. Overuse of water has made the situation worse. The government says over a quarter of the UK's underground water sources have too much water taken from them. Driest July in England since 1935 - Met Office What problems do droughts cause? The effects of drought can include: water polluted and fish killed crop failure wildfires Berry farmers have reported losing some of their crop. Vegetables such as potatoes are at particular risk because of their high-water content. Farmers are delay planting crops for next year such as rapeseed because of the dry soil. Sheep and lambs are suffering from undernourishment. There have been multiple fires, with significant damage to homes and grasslands. London Fire Brigade dealt with 340 grassland fires in the first week of August - eight times as many as they had to deal with in the same week last year. Because of the high risk of wildfires, some shops removed disposable barbecues from shelves. In Surrey and Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has had to move fish from rivers which are drying up to and deeper and cooler waters. What happened in the 1976 and 2018 droughts? In 1976 and 2018 the UK had severe droughts lasting months, caused by dry springs and very hot summers. The government took emergency powers under the 1976 Drought Act to turn off domestic and industrial water supplies. In 2018, the drought led to crop failures, which raised food prices. Multiple water restrictions were imposed. Could we see more droughts in the future? The National Infrastructure Commission - which advises the UK government - says there could be more droughts in future because of population growth and climate change. It has called for people to use less water and for water companies to let less of it leak away.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62298430
     
         
      Spain's olive oil producers devastated by worst ever drought Mon, 29th Aug 2022 17:16:00
     
      Francisco Elvira picks his way through his scorched olive grove, stopping to inspect the stunted fruit on almost-bare trees. "Look at them," he says in desperation. "They ought to be bursting with olives now, close to the harvest. But they're empty. And this is the crop that should produce the oil in supermarkets next year." The fertile plains full of olive trees that stretch across southern Spain have made this country the world's biggest producer of olive oil, accounting for around half of the global supply. But devastated by its worst drought ever recorded, Spain's so-called "green gold" is becoming rarer. This year's yield is down by around a third already - and there's still no sign of rain. At the Interóleo factory in Jaén, a province that generates half of all Spanish oil, pumps spurt it into glass and plastic bottles, which pass along the conveyor belt to be labelled "product of Spain". But the plant, which exports to countries including the UK, is seeing production plummet and prices soar, exacerbating the global food crisis. "Shoppers are already paying a third higher than last year - but the drought will increase that even more," says Juan Gadeo, the head of the cooperative, who believes this vital sector for Spain is now in danger. "With the downturn, we may have to lay off some workers. There's a feeling of depression and uncertainty. Another year like this would be a complete catastrophe." It's a similar picture across the agricultural sector, with recent research finding that parts of the Iberian peninsula are their driest in 1,200 years. Spanish farmers have been planting more sunflowers since the start of the year, in an attempt to offset the loss of sunflower oil from Ukraine - the world's largest producer, where the war has led to a drastic drop in production. But a flower that worships the sun also needs the blessing of rain - and there is none, leading to a mass of shrivelled crops producing neither seeds nor oil. As she rips up the dead sunflowers from her parched fields, Isabel Villegas contemplates whether to try again. "If it doesn't rain by the end of the year, it makes no sense to plant more," she says. "That would just be like throwing money at the land for no harvest. And there's no rain forecast for now." A recent report by the Global Drought Observatory concluded that Europe is suffering its worst drought in 500 years. Several countries across the continent have been battling wildfires and heatwaves, with Spain particularly badly hit. More than 270,000 hectares here have been burnt this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The extreme heat and lack of rainfall have led to a dramatic drop in levels of Spain's natural water reserves. The Vinuela reservoir near Malaga is at just over 10% of its capacity. Elsewhere, medieval waterfront villages, long buried beneath rivers, have been exposed as the water evaporates. The Spanish government is now expanding desalination plants and building new ones, harnessing the ocean to ease the water shortage. At Campo de Dalias, beside the coastal town of Almeria, we were led down into the cavernous facility where sea water is pumped in. The salt from half of it is extracted to produce purified water, while the other half absorbs the additional salt and is then siphoned back into the ocean, where it causes no environmental damage. The plant produces 90,000 cubic metres of clean water each day, but has been ordered to increase to around 130,000 cubic metres within four years. All around the facility, the fields are full of plastic sheeting, acting as greenhouses for the fruit and vegetables growing beneath. Half of the water produced in the desalination plant is used to water the crops here. Spain produces more fruit and vegetables than any other country in the European Union. That, say some scientists, is part of the problem - that in an era of acute water shortage, this country can just no longer afford to be "the garden of Europe", as it's often called. "The total area of irrigated land in Spain has been increasing over the past decades, both legally and illegally," says Julia Martinez, from the New Water Culture Foundation. She believes that the country's current model of water management is unsustainable. "Irrigated land consumes 85% of all water resources. With the remaining 15%, it is not possible to meet all the remaining water demands, some of which have higher priorities. Unless we change the balance, we cannot improve the state of our rivers or adapt to climate change."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62707435
     
         
      Pakistan: WFP working to expand food aid as deadly flooding continues Mon, 29th Aug 2022 14:32:00
     
      The World Food Programme (WFP) is supporting Pakistan as the country takes stock of floods which have reportedly killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some 33 million, the UN agency said on Monday. Through its National Disaster Management Authority, the Pakistani Government – which has declared a national emergency – is leading the response in coordinating assessments and directing humanitarian relief to affected people. Since June, flooding and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rainfall have brought widespread destruction across Pakistan, creating its “biggest challenge” in decades, according to Julien Harneis, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country. He has called for “burden-sharing and solidarity” internationally in the wake of the “climate-change driven catastrophe.” According to news reports, a third of the country could be left underwater as the monsoon weather continues, and the death toll is likely to rise as more rivers burst their banks, washing away roads and bridges, with many communities in the mountainous northern regions cut off. Access constraints WFP has been asked to assist in the emergency response, and staff are working with the authorities and partners to expand food assistance. The aim is to reach nearly half a million people in the badly hit provinces of Balochistan, where the agency already supports nearly 42,000 people, and Sindh. However, distributions are currently on hold as floodwaters create access constraints across the country. Waters have also disrupted lives and livelihoods in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. More than 100 bridges and some 3,000km of roads have been damaged or destroyed, nearly 800,000 farm animals have perished, and two million acres of crops and orchards have been hit. UN funding appeal Mr. Harneis has warned that the humanitarian situation is expected to worsen, with diseases and malnutrition expected to rise along with the number of districts reporting that they have been affected. The UN is set to launch a $161 million flash appeal for Pakistan on Tuesday. The funding will provide critical food and cash assistance to nearly one million people in districts in Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125632
     
         
      Climate change: Russia burns off gas as Europe's energy bills rocket Sat, 27th Aug 2022 10:38:00
     
      As Europe's energy costs skyrocket, Russia is burning off large amounts of natural gas, according to analysis shared with BBC News. They say the plant, near the border with Finland, is burning an estimated $10m (£8.4m) worth of gas every day. Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany. Germany's ambassador to the UK told BBC News that Russia was burning the gas because "they couldn't sell it elsewhere". Scientists are concerned about the large volumes of carbon dioxide and soot it is creating, which could exacerbate the melting of Arctic ice. The analysis by Rystad Energy indicates that around 4.34 million cubic metres of gas are being burned by the flare every day. It is coming from a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant at Portovaya, north-west of St Petersburg. The first signs that something was awry came from Finnish citizens over the nearby border who spotted a large flame on the horizon earlier this summer. Portovaya is located close to a compressor station at the start of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline which carries gas under the sea to Germany. Supplies through the pipeline have been curtailed since mid-July, with the Russians blaming technical issues for the restriction. Germany says it was purely a political move following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But since June, researchers have noted a significant increase in heat emanating from the facility - thought to be from gas flaring, the burning of natural gas. What pushed gas prices to extreme highs? UK energy bills: 'Lives at risk' without more help While burning off gas is common at processing plants - normally done for technical or safety reasons - the scale of this burn has confounded experts. "I've never seen an LNG plant flare so much," said Dr Jessica McCarty, an expert on satellite data from Miami University in Ohio. "Starting around June, we saw this huge peak, and it just didn't go away. It's stayed very anomalously high." Miguel Berger, the German ambassador to the UK, told BBC News that European efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas were "having a strong effect on the Russian economy". "They don't have other places where they can sell their gas, so they have to burn it," he suggested. Mark Davis is the CEO of Capterio, a company that is involved in finding solutions to gas flaring. He says the flaring is not accidental and is more likely a deliberate decision made for operational reasons. "Operators often are very hesitant to actually shut down facilities for fear that they may be technically difficult or costly to start up again, and it's probably the case here," he told BBC News. Others believe that there could be technical challenges in dealing with the large volumes of gas that were being supplied to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Russian energy company Gazprom may have intended to use that gas to make LNG at the new plant, but may have had problems handling it and the safest option is to flare it off. It could also be the result of Europe's trade embargo with Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. "This kind of long-term flaring may mean that they are missing some equipment," said Esa Vakkilainen, an energy engineering professor from Finland's LUT University. "So, because of the trade embargo with Russia, they are not able to make the high-quality valves needed in oil and gas processing. So maybe there are some valves broken and they can't get them replaced." How Russia is cutting off gas to Europe Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Gazprom - Russia's state-controlled energy giant which owns the plant - has not responded to requests for comment on the flaring. The financial and environmental costs mount each day the flare continues to burn, say scientists. "While the exact reasons for the flaring are unknown, the volumes, emissions and location of the flare are a visible reminder of Russia's dominance in Europe's energy markets," said Sindre Knutsson from Rystad Energy. "There could not be a clearer signal - Russia can bring energy prices down tomorrow. This is gas that would otherwise have been exported via Nord Stream 1 or alternatives." Energy prices around the world rose sharply as Covid lockdowns were lifted and economies returned to normal. Many places of work, industry and leisure were all suddenly in need of more energy at the same time, putting unprecedented pressures on suppliers. Prices increased again in February this year, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. European governments looked for ways to import less energy from Russia, which had previously supplied 40% of the gas used in the EU. Prices for alternative sources of gas went up as a result, and some EU nations - like Germany and Spain - are now bringing in energy-saving measures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62652133
     
         
      WMO: Greater Horn of Africa drought forecast to continue for fifth year Fri, 26th Aug 2022 11:16:00
     
      As millions of people in the Greater Horn of Africa have already “suffered the longest drought in 40 years,” parts of the region are bracing for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has reported. The forecast for October to December, issued at the Greater Horn of Africa Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum, shows high chances of drier than average conditions across most parts of the region, which will further worsen the crisis for millions of people. “It pains me to be the bearer of bad news,” said Guleid Artan, Director of the?Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) – WMO’s climate centre for East Africa. “Sadly, our models show with a high degree of confidence that we are entering the fifth consecutive failed rainy season in the Horn of Africa”. Raising the alarm Last month, IGAD and humanitarian agencies raised the alarm that over 50 million people in the region are suffering from acute food insecurity this year. “In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, we are on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” continued Mr. Artan, noting that significantly less rainfall totals are expected until the end of the year. The severity of the situation was echoed by IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, who made a solemn call to national governments, donors, humanitarian, and development actors to “adopt a no-regret strategy and help us weather the worst of this crisis”. Rainfall deficits Rainfall from October to December contributes up to 70 per cent of the annual total in the equatorial parts of the Greater Horn of Africa, particularly in eastern Kenya.? However, the start of the rainy season is likely to be delayed across much of the eastern parts of the region, triggering rainfall deficits. The exceptional drought underlines the vulnerability of the region to climate-related risks, which are expected to intensify because of climate change. Early warning initiative Against the backdrop that hydrometerological and early warning services (EWS) can potentially reduce negative impacts, WMO revealed the launch of a new $5.2 million project to better enable regional and national entities to produce and use these services. Project Activities will be centered around supporting EWS regional services and strengthening regional coordination and cooperation for these and climate services. Support for regional centres to provide hydromet products and services will in turn contribute to strengthening the capacities of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, according to WMO. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan Moreover, the project will also provide technical support to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan by building upon and leveraging ongoing and pipeline investment projects implemented or financed by WMO, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the World Bank. In Ethiopia, activities will support providing electricity to “last mile” poor households in rural areas through a performance-based subsidy to the State-owned utility company.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125552
     
         
      California to ban sales of petrol-only vehicles by 2035 Fri, 26th Aug 2022 8:35:00
     
      California is to ban the sale of new petrol-only vehicles by 2035, marking a historic step in the state's attempts to tackle climate change. The new rules are aimed to force car makers to accelerate the introduction to the market of cleaner vehicles. It comes after Governor Gavin Newsom set a target in 2020 to speed up the shift away from fossil fuels. The move is important as California is the most populous state in the US and one of the world's biggest economies. Under the rules, issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), 35% of new vehicles sold in the state must be electric, hybrid or hydrogen-powered by 2026. The regulations would apply to 68% of vehicle sales by 2030, and 100% by 2035. CARB chair Laine Randolph said the move was "a historic moment for California, for our partner states and for the world as we set forth a path toward a zero emission future". Big Issue to begin using electric vehicles Will electric motorbike sales take off in Asia? The announcement is the latest move by California as it continues to move faster than the US federal government to tighten emission rules. With more than 39m residents, California is the biggest US state by population. If it was a standalone country it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world by gross domestic product, putting it ahead of the United Kingdom. Joseph Mendelson, senior counsel at electric carmaker Tesla, said CARB's plan was "both achievable and paves the way for California to lead in electrifying the light duty sector". However, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation - which represents carmakers including General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota - said more needed to be done to boost demand for electric vehicles (EVs). "What we've said to CARB and others is that getting more EVs on the road must go hand-in-hand with other policies that together will ultimately determine the success of this transition," the alliance's president and chief executive John Bozzella said. The new rules still have be approved by the US government before they can take effect.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62683260
     
         
      California pumps the brakes on gas cars Fri, 26th Aug 2022 8:25:00
     
      Yesterday, California enacted a rule that will ban the sale of gasoline-powered passenger vehicles in the state by 2035. The California Air Resources Board, the state’s chief air pollution regulator, voted in favor of ending all sales of new fossil fuel cars in the state by 2035, making California the only government in the world to put in motion a plan that mandates a ban on gas-powered vehicles. The ban will take effect in phases: The state aims to make 35 percent of new cars sold in the state emissions-free by 2026 and 68 percent emissions-free by 2030. The move could reshape the auto market in the United States. California is home to the largest car market in the country, and 14 other states and the District of Columbia tend to follow its example when putting new auto emissions standards in place. Washington state has already announced plans to adopt the Golden State’s auto regulations by the end of the year. California’s ban is expected to yield massive climate benefits. As my colleague Naveena Sadasivam reported yesterday, the plan could eliminate the equivalent of almost 400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 2026 and 2040 — “roughly the effect of shutting down more than 100 coal plants for a year.” “This is a historic moment for California, for our partner states, and for the world as we set forth this path towards a zero-emission future,” ...
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/california-pumps-the-brakes-on-gas-cars/
     
         
      Chad: Unprecedented flooding affects more than 340,000 people Fri, 26th Aug 2022 8:13:00
     
      Torrential rainfall has triggered unprecedented flooding in Chad, affecting more than 340,000 people living in 55,000 households – surpassing last year's figure of more than 250,000 impacted, according to a report released on Friday by the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA. Swollen rivers have destroyed nearly 2,700 hectares of crops and farming land as well as hundreds of homes, while record rains over the past month threaten food security and livelihoods. Collecting data The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is supporting national and humanitarian efforts to address the emergency and provide urgent relief to those hardest hit. Through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the agency is working with authorities and local actors to develop and roll-out a flood data collection mechanism to capture the extent of the inundation and number of victims, including those displaced. “The data collected will include information on the impacts of flood on populations and key infrastructures such as houses, schools and health centres, as well as information on affected populations’ profiles and primary needs, in order to better inform the humanitarian response,” said IOM’s Yakin Mwanza, the DTM Coordinator in Chad. The new mechanism will include an information sharing platform to enable key actors and informants to report and publish useful flood data on a regular basis. “This new flood data collection mechanism will be implemented by clusters’ actors and local authorities and will be activated each year during flooding season in order to inform life-saving responses at early stage of the flooding,” she added. Unprecedented rainfall Although parts of Chad are faced with heavy rainfall each year, the precipitation seen in 2022 is unprecedented, according to IOM. Extreme weather patterns illustrate the adverse effect of climate change in the region. They are characterized by increased storms and a higher degree of variability, which causes stronger flash floods with devastating consequences for populations, especially in rural areas. Limited funding Despite the urgency of the situation, assistance such as shelter, food, and non-food items for those most affected remains hampered by inadequate funding. “The rainy season lasts until October but the humanitarian situation we are witnessing now is already critical,” said IOM Chad Mission Chief Anne Kathrin Schaefer. “As the rains continue, we expect that more people will be displaced but all humanitarian actors are already running out of emergency stocks to assist people”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125562?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b361d57842-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_08_26_08_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-b361d57842-107499886
     
         
      UN spotlights ‘invisible’ value of groundwater during World Water Week Thu, 25th Aug 2022 9:27:00
     
      Groundwater, which sustains drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farms, industries and ecosystems, is being overused, polluted and neglected, speakers warned at a World Water Week event on Thursday. “It is our duty to ensure groundwater has its rightful place in all of our action plans,” said Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water, in his video message to an online session, titled “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible.” 99 per cent According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2022, groundwater accounts for 99 per cent of all liquid freshwater on Earth. However, this natural resource is poorly understood and consequently undervalued and mismanaged. Noting that demand for water is growing, Mr. Houngbo, who is also President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), underscored the urgent need for policymakers to understand groundwater’s critical role and better manage the competing demands of water and sanitation systems, agriculture, industry, ecosystems and climate change adaptation. See the unseen World Water Week 2022 – taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, from 23 August to 1 September – features many discussions, both online and in person, under the theme: “Seeing the Unseen: The Value of Water”. The session on groundwater, which also included presentations from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and others, was among the several activities UN-Water is co-hosting to highlight the interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water and sanitation) and other Goals. Decade of action These deliberations are expected to help bring the water agenda to the forefront, ahead of the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater in Paris in December and the UN Water Conference in New York in March 2023, formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028).
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125472
     
         
      A new record for renewables investments Thu, 25th Aug 2022 9:22:00
     
      It’s been a good year for clean energy. According to a new report from the research firm BloombergNEF, global investment in renewables reached record levels over the first half of 2022, hitting an all-time high of $226 billion — 11 percent higher than during the first six months of last year. “This was the highest ever first half for investment in renewables,” the analysis says. Solar did particularly well, with investments in large- and small-scale solar projects rising to a record-breaking $120 billion — up 33 percent from the first half of 2021. Financing for wind projects rose to $84 billion, a 16 percent jump. The Chinese market led these renewable investments, contributing $41 billion for solar and $57.8 billion for wind. The U.S. market came in second place, investing $7.5 billion for solar and $19.7 billion for wind. BloombergNEF also notes that the first half of 2022 set an all-time record for venture capital and private equity investment in renewable energy and battery storage. The U.S. led this area by a wide margin: Out of a total of $9.6 billion raised globally between January and June, U.S. venture capital and private equity contributed $4.8 billion. These record-setting investments are particularly impressive given ongoing supply chain challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rising costs of clean energy materials such as lithium and polysilicon. In the U.S., for example, the cost of putting up residential solar panels was up 18 percent over the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2021. “Despite the headwinds presented by ongoing cost inflation and supply challenges, demand for clean energy sources has never been higher,” BloombergNEF’s head of analysis, Albert Cheung, said in a statement,
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-new-record-for-renewables-investments/
     
         
      Climate lawsuits win jurisdictional battle Wed, 24th Aug 2022 10:20:00
     
      A federal appeals court ruled last week that two climate lawsuits should be heard in state courts, rather than federal ones — rejecting the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to forestall hearings on the cases’ merits. The lawsuits, filed in 2020 by Hoboken, New Jersey, and the state of Delaware, invoked state-level tort law to claim the plaintiffs have been harmed by the fossil fuel industry, whose production of coal, oil, and gas has exacerbated climate change. Lawyers for both jurisdictions alleged that more than a dozen oil and gas companies knew the risks of climate change but worked to deceive the public about them. The fossil fuel companies wanted to move Hoboken and Delaware’s lawsuits to federal court, arguing that they involved federal issues like oil exploration. Karen Sokol, an associate professor at the Loyola University College of Law, said these requests likely reflect the industry’s desire to avoid state-level consumer protection laws or to stir up a jurisdictional battle to delay the suits’ progress. ”I believe they’re very, very alarmed about the prospect of discovery,” she told me. Allowing the cases to proceed in state courts could potentially uncover incriminating documents about the industry’s decades-long disinformation campaign. However, the industry’s strategy hasn’t worked. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to remand Hoboken and Delaware’s lawsuits last week was the fifth time a federal court has rejected the fossil fuel industry’s requests for their cases to be heard in federal court. Defendants from the fossil fuel industry “may prefer federal court,” Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote in the court’s opinion, “but they may not remove their cases to federal court unless federal laws let them. Here, they do not.” Officials in Hoboken — which is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for climate-related resilience projects, as well as damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — celebrated the decision. Marilyn Baer, Hoboken’s communications manager, said in a statement that the city is excited for the lawsuit to be heard “as originally intended.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/climate-lawsuits-win-jurisdictional-battle/
     
         
      What China's worst drought on record looks like Wed, 24th Aug 2022 8:41:00
     
      A month-long heatwave and record low rainfall have resulted in an unprecedented drought along the Yangtze, China's longest river. Lakes and tributaries have receded as a result of the drought, exposing riverbeds and even a 600-year-old Buddhist stone carving and rocks below the famous Guanyin Pavilion, in Wuhan, Hubei province. Low river levels have reduced the ability of hydro-electric power stations in the area to generate energy. Emergency measures imposed to save electricity include factories closing, shops reducing opening hours and office buildings switching off air conditioning - all in response to the double-whammy of high demand for electricity and low production. In big cities sited along the river, Shanghai is switching off its famous waterfront lights and the city of Luzhou is turning off street lights at night, in an attempt to ease pressure on the power grid. Summer rainfall in the Yangtze river basin is the lowest since records began in 1961, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources. Similarly, sustained regional heatwaves have also broken all established records, according to China's National Climate Centre. Temperatures peaked last week, with the National Meteorological Centre issuing its highest 'high temperature alert' for six consecutive days between 12-17 August. Forest fires have broken out in the Sichuan province, with the Chongqing municipality being particularly badly affected.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-62644870
     
         
      Throwing the switch on Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm Tue, 23rd Aug 2022 10:55:00
     
      A rare bright spot for the UK’s energy supply as Seagreen’s £3bn project begins generating power Steve Wilson is a little windswept after stepping off a rocking boat in choppy North Sea waters. Wilson is programme director of Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm, which this week began producing power. Wilson has just sailed an hour out to sea from Montrose, in Angus on the east coast of Scotland, with other local, interested parties. There, they witnessed a technician hop aboard one of the first turbines to feed power back to the mainland. A drone operator onboard protested about conditions that made it tricky to send up the machine. “We did deliberately decide to build it somewhere windy,” Wilson laughed after landing safely back on shore. The £3bn Seagreen project, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and France’s TotalEnergies, is located 27km (17 miles) off the Angus coast. The first turbine of 114 was connected to the electricity network in the early hours of Monday morning. The project promises to generate 1.1 gigawatts of electricity – enough to power about 1m homes – in its first phase. That’s equivalent to about 60% of Scotland’s current offshore wind output. Its debut provides a rare bright spot for Britain’s energy supply as gas shortages in Europe have threatened to spill over into blackouts in the UK this winter and even higher bills for consumers. However, the windfarm will not be fully operational until some point in the first half of next year. “It’s unfortunate it’s not a short-term fix, but the long-term fix really is to deploy as much low carbon generation as we can,” Wilson said. Ultimately the developers hope the site will produce enough renewable electricity to power 1.6m households. That would in theory cover two-thirds of Scottish households. However the electricity generated – which connects into the network via a substation near Dundee – will be distributed around Great Britain. The turbines at the huge project have a maximum tip height of 187 metres (613ft), about twice the height of the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben. While floating windfarms are planned for further out to sea, Seagreen will be the world’s deepest fixed-bottom windfarm – its deepest foundation is due to be installed at 59 metres below sea level in December. “This is a significant project that’s very technologically innovative for the renewables industry. We’re installing a windfarm at a very difficult site with complex, rocky conditions,” said Wilson. The construction involves “suction bucket” technology for the bright yellow wind jackets, or foundations, which were assembled at the Port of Nigg, near Inverness. It is more than a decade since the rights to the seabed were granted by the crown estate, which manages the royal property portfolio. TotalEnergies agreed with SSE Renewables to acquire a 51% stake in Seagreen in June 2020. Wilson said the approval process has been slow going, with torrents of data and information required in the consent process. “That’s a key focus for us in the future – trying to really reduce that time period, quite significantly, in order to support accelerating building offshore wind in Scotland and the UK.” He adds that the energy security strategy, issued in April, shows “government agencies are starting to get aligned on it”. Seagreen’s location just south of the oil and gas capital of Aberdeen is symbolic. Local cabbies and hotel owners in the Granite City are hopeful that a shift to renewables can keep the region prosperous in the long term. SSE Renewables is part of London-listed SSE group, which is investing £12.5bn over five years in green projects in its “net zero acceleration programme”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/23/throwing-the-switch-on-scotlands-largest-offshore-windfarm?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Europe's drought the worst in 500 years - report Tue, 23rd Aug 2022 10:18:00
     
      Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning, in what is likely the worst such event in 500 years. The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in "warning" conditions, meaning soil has dried up. Another 17% is on alert - meaning vegetation "shows signs of stress". The report warns that the dry spell will hit crop yields, spark wildfires, and may last several months more in some of Europe's southern regions. Compared with the average of the previous five years, EU forecasts for harvest are down 16% for grain maize, 15% for soybeans and 12% for sunflowers. The drought observatory is part of the European Commission's research wing. Responding to it, the Commission warned that preliminary data suggests "the current drought still appears to be the worst since at least 500 years". The ongoing heatwave and water shortages have "created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU", Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said. "We are currently noticing a wildfire season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crops production. Climate change is undoubtedly more noticeable every year," she added. The report warned that nearly all of Europe's rivers have dried up to some extent. Apart from the obvious impact on boats, dry rivers are also hitting the energy sector, which is already in crisis. Hydroelectric power has dropped by a significant 20%, according to the report. A "severe drought" has been present in many places all year, but "has been further expanding and worsening as of early August" it says. The conditions are likely to last until at least November this year along the European Mediterranean. The report warns that the situation is worsening in countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary, northern Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Ireland and the UK. The researchers' stark warning follows rapidly-sinking river levels across Europe which have exposed relics of the past - including so-called "hunger stones" warning of potential famine and the sunken remains of World War Two Nazi ships.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62648912
     
         
      Roll up, roll up and meet the watery overlords pumping sewage on to Britain’s shores this summer Tue, 23rd Aug 2022 9:44:00
     
      Why focus just on the politicians where there are plenty of CEOs out there with excrement on their hands? I have an idea in the public policy/apocalyptic light entertainment space. No water company boss should be allowed to collect their salary or bonus unless they take a long and exhaustively reported dip in the waters of one of the beaches they’ve pumped sewage into that same morning. Just think of it. The first wild swimming article you’d genuinely want to read. In the meantime, the water firms keep on doing it, with one of the hottest summers on record punctuated by daily reports of both drought and sewage discharge. Environment Agency data suggests the amount of raw sewage pumped into seas and rivers by the water companies has increased 2,553% in the past five years. To Jonathan Swift, scatological humour seemed the rational satirical response to the state of early 18th-century politics. To us, it’s simply the factual state of affairs. There’s no real need to write a metaphorical poem about parliamentarians dabbling in their dung, since any MP who has holidayed on these shores this summer has literally done it. In England, the water firms have paid £72bn in shareholder dividends since privatisation, and are somehow still whining about the difficulty of finding money to invest in infrastructure (privatisation was, strangely, always cited as the best way of boosting said infrastructure). So you have to ask: what was it that first attracted water company CEOs to a poorly regulated monopoly from which they have collectively siphoned out a combined £58m in salaries and bonuses since 2017, and where average boss bonuses have increased 20% in the past year of corporate failure alone? I guess you’d have to go with: love of water. Just a deep and abiding fascination with the famous clear liquid, the old H2O, and any other aquatic synonymisation that will ideally secure me a place in Second Mentions. I keep trying to picture that bit of the job interview where the would-be water CEOs explain that they are ultimately just passionate about water, and are in no way corporate sharks who just need something or other to swim through on the way to their economic prey. Naturally, there’s been a renewed focus on the politicians who got us here. Yesterday the Guardian revealed that sewage discharge doubled after a huge “efficiency” cut to the Environment Agency in 2015, ordered by then environment secretary Liz Truss. Truss … of course, of course. Special mention must also be made of all the Conservative MPs who – on the very eve of Boris Johnson’s Cop26 climate conference last year – opted to vote against stopping sewage being dumped in rivers, without requiring firms by law to make the urgent investments needed to stop it happening for millions of hours, year after year. Once again, you really do have to marvel at the cheapness and beaten-ness of the UK. At least in the US, it costs lobbyists untold millions to get individual politicians to sell their soul, and do grotesque things to benefit the industries they represent. Yet every time you see footage of raw sewage power-hosing out on to a UK beach in the constituency of someone who voted for it to be allowed, do reflect on the fact that it probably only cost some public affairs wanker a couple of Champions League tickets. So that’s the politicians. Yet what of the firms themselves, and the so-called “regulator”, Ofwat? So few of us know our watery overlords. Way back when I worked on this newspaper’s Diary column, we’d occasionally announce new featured characters culled from whatever were the enraging news stories of the time. These selections of horrors and irritants were unveiled seasonally, with fanfares such as “Announcing our Spring Collection” and “We are pleased to confirm the following lines will be carried in our Summer Collection …”. Given the state of this utility alone – more on the others later this week – I very much feel a new collection needs to be hastened out. It does seem rather unfair that the attention lingers only on the politicians, when the water company CEOs are themselves doing so much to delight us, yet somehow fly under the household-name radar. Let’s immediately add them to the Autumn Collection. A sarcastically warm welcome to public life, then, to Sarah Bentley, boss of Thames Water. Come on out, Sarah! Joining her are CEO of Anglian Water, Peter Simpson, and Yorkshire Water’s Nicola Shaw. Don’t be shy, guys. A slow clap too for Wessex Water’s Colin Skellett, Steve Mogford of United Utilities, South West Water’s Susan Davy, Southern Water’s Lawrence Gosden, Severn Trent’s Liv Garfield and Northumbrian Water’s Heidi Mottram. Welcome, all! We do hope to be spraying much, much more unsolicited content about you across the pages and airwaves over the coming months, the better to showcase your very British success stories. And don’t let’s forget David Black, chief exec of Ofwat, which – despite the increasingly deafening public outcry – can’t even be bothered using its full range of powers to sanction water company directors via their remuneration packages. What are you waiting for, David?!
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/23/water-sewage-britain-shores-politicians-ceos?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Africa drought: Some children just ‘one disease away from catastrophe’ UNICEF warns Tue, 23rd Aug 2022 9:23:00
     
      On Tuesday, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF warned that children in the Horn of Africa and the vast Sahel region “could die in devastating numbers” without urgent intervention and support. In the last five months, the number of people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia without reliable access to safe water, has risen from 9.5 million to 16.2 million Children in Sahel are also facing water insecurity. This crisis has led to the proliferation of severe malnutrition and increased the risk of serious water-borne diseases. Risks multiply “When water either isn’t available or is unsafe, the risks to children multiply exponentially,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, millions of children are just one disease away from catastrophe.” In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, drought, conflict and insecurity are driving the water insecurity problem, as World Water Week gets underway, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. According to WHO data, 40 million children are facing high to extremely high levels of water vulnerability. Already more children die as a result of unsafe water and sanitation in the Sahel than in any other part of the world. This will only be heightened by the nascent crisis, said UNICEF. Worst hit Most people in the Horn of Africa rely on water delivered by vendors on trucks or donkey carts. In areas worst hit by drought, water is no longer affordable for many families, said UNICEF: In Kenya, 23 counties have seen significant price hikes topped by Mandera at a 400 per cent increase, and Garissa at 260 per cent, compared to January 2021 figures. In Ethiopia, the cost of water in June this year has doubled in the Oromia region, and 50 per cent in Somali, compared to the onset of the drought in October 2021. In Somalia, average water prices climbed 85 per cent in South-Mudug, and 55 and 75 per cent respectively in Buurhakaba and Ceel Berde, compared to prices in January this year. Furthermore, in Kenya, over 90 per cent of open water sources – such as ponds and open wells - in drought-affected areas, are either depleted or dried up, posing serious risk of disease outbreak. Drying up Across the Sahel, water availability has also dropped by more than 40 per cent in the last 20 years. This drastic decline in water resources is largely due to climate change and complex factors such as destructive conflict patterns. The effect of this insecurity also facilitated the region's worst cholera outbreak in the last six years, leading to 5,610 cases and 170 deaths in Central Sahel. Specifically, in Somalia, outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera have been reported in almost all drought-affected districts. 8,200 cases were reported between January and June 2022, more than double the number of cases reported during the same period last year. In a region already burdened with 2.8 million malnourished children, water vulnerability makes children 11 times more likely to die from water-borne diseases than those who are well nourished, said UNICEF. Almost two-thirds of these affected are children under the age of five. Between June 2021 and June 2022, UNICEF and partners treated more than 1.2 million cases of diarrhoea in children under the age of five in the worst drought-hit regions of Ethiopia’s Afar, Somalia, SNNP and Oromia. Life-saving aid To combat this crisis, UNICEF is providing life-saving aid and resilient services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. Schemes include improving access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services; drilling for reliable sources of groundwater and developing the use of solar systems; identifying and treating children with malnutrition, and scaling up prevention services. UNICEF’s appeal to improve families’ long-term resilience in the Horn of Africa region – and stop drought devastating lives for years to come – is currently just three per cent funded. Of that, almost no money has been received for the section devoted to water, sanitation and climate resilience. The appeal for the Central Sahel region to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families with water, sanitation, and hygiene programmes is only 22 per cent funded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125192
     
         
      Fears of new quakes in Dutch gas field as energy crisis bites Mon, 22nd Aug 2022 9:51:00
     
      astiaan Jeroen’s farm in ’t Zandt has columns made of reinforced concrete. “During one earthquake, I saw them twisting,” he said. “If a chip comes off, it will cut you in half. That’s the fear we’re living in.” Jeroen lives in the province of Groningen, home to a vast gas field and the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into the links between gas extraction and the hundreds of earthquakes and tremors that have traumatised residents. His farmhouse has been shattered by hundreds of cracks from the last decade’s quakes. One outer wall is propped up by several large wooden beams. “I’m in debt – big time,” said Jeroen. “I make good money as a carpenter but I’m at my fourth or fifth chronic burnout. The doctors say they won’t go away until I stop working but if I stop working, I can’t pay the bills.” But Jeroen is just one of many. Groningen’s inhabitants have been affected by the giant gas field for the last few decades. About 80% of houses in villages such as Overschild are being demolished and rebuilt because of earthquake damage. More than 150,000 Groningen residents have suffered earthquake damage to their properties in the last decade, and 10,000 now face stress-related health problems. When the parliamentary inquiry began, many believed some kind of resolution was at last in sight. But although the province’s gas production had been expected to flatline in 2023, Groningen is also the EU’s largest onshore gas field, and has been increasingly regarded as a last reserve if Russian gas supplies dwindle to nought. Germany is hungrily eyeing its low-calorific gas reserves, which may have to be extracted under EU solidarity arrangements if there is a major supply disruption. Nato officials such as Lukas Trakimavi?ius have led calls for Groningen to open its taps before such a crisis. The Dutch mining minister, Hans Vijlbrief, believes safety concerns must remain paramount and is frustrated that industry thinks its interests should come before safety in Groningen. “I don’t agree. It’s clearly a dangerous thing to do,” Vijlbrief said. But he refused to rule out increasing gas production as “a last resort”. “If we have to shut down industries which would mean a threat to the safety or health of people, then you get a very fine balance with opening up Groningen,” he said. Hague-watchers believe that while Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, will publicly stick to a “safety first” script in Groningen this summer, he may allow pressure to build for a plot twist in the autumn. “I have no doubt that if the situation in Germany worsens, pressure will be mounted on the Dutch government – not only from Germany, but from inside the Netherlands – to do whatever is possible in the context of Groningen gas production,” said Hans Grünfeld, the managing director of the VEMW business lobby. The VEMW was in “constant dialogue” with the government about the gas crisis and had “actually started to educate” it about the safety risks posed by a shutdown of industry due to gas shortages, he said. Another senior industry source said: “They will let this go right down to the wire, say ‘now we have to shut down a particular type of industry’. And before there is even a threat of that happening I think they will increase [gas] production in Groningen, and rightfully so.” Much will depend on the Netherlands’ liquefied natural gas capacity, gas storage levels, ability to reduce demand and the winter’s severity. The Groningen field contains about 450bn cubic metres of gas – enough to cover Europe’s imports from Russia for three years – buried beneath a soft clay soil, which has the unfortunate quality of amplifying seismic activity. During tremors, the earth “bounces up like pudding”, one local resident said. In Huizinge, a magnitude 3.6 quake devastated local properties in 2012 and fears of “the big one” – a tremor reaching magnitude 5 or more – are rife. The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), which runs the field, was founded by Shell and ExxonMobil. It historically dealt with many of the complaints, but in 2017 the Dutch government took over. “This is informally called ‘NAM at a distance’,” said a NAM spokesperson. “This was not only the wish of the Dutch government and citizens in Groningen, but also of NAM.” The company would not comment on individual cases, some of which are handled by different agencies, but accepted that mistakes had been made. Initially, “claims handling was too slow and due to the high number of claims, attention was no longer focused on the people who needed it most,” the official said. They said that “since 1993 NAM recognised that gas production can lead to seismicity which can cause damages to houses”. But they also pointed out that “the level of production from Groningen is set by the minister of economic affairs and climate, not by NAM as the field operator. The minister is solely accountable for the security of supply.” Vijlbrief said Groningen residents who complained about the pace of repairs and compensation payments were “perfectly right”. “Dealing with their damage has gone fairly well but we’re totally delayed with the reconstruction of houses,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/22/fears-earthquakes-dutch-gas-field-energy-crisis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Weather tracker: strong wind and heavy rain to continue in Australia Mon, 22nd Aug 2022 9:48:00
     
      Gusts expected to move north, while extreme heat in parts of Europe forecast to ease this week Strong winds are expected to continue to lash Australia this week and, while the peak speeds are not anticipated to be exceptional, the vastness of the area affected will be unusual. As low pressure moves to the south-east, high pressure is likely to develop across Western Australia before heading eastwards. Initially a plunge in temperature is expected as southerly winds penetrate northwards into the heart of the Australian landmass, with nighttime temperatures only a couple of degrees above freezing for many. Heavy rain and mountain snow are expected to affect the south-east. However, on the leading edge of this cold air, easterly winds will strengthen, and it is these that will be most notable. The strongest, with gusts exceeding 50mph, swept parts of Western and South Australia late on Monday before moving north. Overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday, almost the entire country is forecast to be hit by 35-40mph gusts from the east or south, perhaps peaking close to 50mph across interior areas in the Northern Territory. These speeds may not seem exceptional but such broadscale strong winds are unusual on a landmass of this size. Strong south-easterly winds are likely to continue into Thursday across the northern half of Australia, easing for a time but with more heavy rain and strong winds expected across the southern half of the country this weekend and early next week. Meanwhile, in Europe, extreme heat across the eastern Mediterranean is expected to abate later this week, as slightly cooler air filters in from the west.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/22/weather-tracker-wind-rain-australia?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Northamptonshire fire chief says heatwave is 'a glimpse into the future' Mon, 22nd Aug 2022 8:55:00
     
      A chief fire officer said the heatwave was "a glimpse into the future" with more fires caused by extreme heat. The UK saw record high temperatures on Tuesday and 15 fire services declared a state of emergency due to the number of blazes they were attending. Northamptonshire's fire chief Darren Dovey said climate change was "going to change the type of incidents we go to". Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse said services were "undoubtedly stretched but coped magnificently". Tuesday saw a record UK temperature of 40.3C (104.5F) in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, with many areas of eastern England reaching similar temperatures. Mr Dovey said although Northamptonshire did not declare a major incident, it was "up to six times busier than normal". "The surrounding counties were in the same position to us, some were in a worse position," he said. Climate change meant "there's going to be more wildfires, more water-related incidents, with people swimming where they shouldn't be", he added. "If this is going to be a normal type of summer, how do we shape the organisation right to deal with these? How do we get bigger, quicker to deal with those events?" He said services would need to look at using more on-call and part-time firefighters and get vehicles which can easily cross fields to wildfires. Busiest day since WW2 for London firefighters Fire service stands down major incident Homes destroyed and wildlife killed as fires spread Mr Dovey said as well as heatwaves in the summer, the service would have to tackle more flooding in the winter due to climate change. He said: "The last few days have given us a glimpse into the future over the next five to 10 years, because this is likely to become the norm. "Lots of services are based on what happened 20 years ago and we need to look forward to 2030." Cabinet Office minister Mr Malthouse warned the summer was likely to bring further hot weather and the risk of wildfire remained elevated. "That is why we are treating this heatwave as an exacting test of our national resilience and contingency planning," he said. He told MPs: "By and large the system worked, the plans that we had in place worked well." Mr Malthouse said the capacity in fire services "flexed brilliantly and most of the country got through it in good shape". Although he reconfirmed the government commitment for the UK to be net zero by 2050, he added "the impacts of climate change are with us now".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-62243623
     
         
      China heatwave: Temperatures of 40C expected this weekend Mon, 22nd Aug 2022 8:06:00
     
      Parts of China are set to experience searing temperatures over the next ten days as a heatwave takes hold. In some provinces, authorities are predicting levels to rise to at least 40C and the national government has warned that forest fires could occur. Mercury levels will start spiking on Saturday - "Big Heat" day in the traditional Chinese calendar. In Zhejiang, in the south-east, some cities are issuing red alerts, the highest warning. The province normally experiences temperatures in the high 20s in July but this year local authorities are warning of 40C in the next 24 hours. To deal with the hot spells many in China turn to air conditioning in their homes, offices and factories however it could cause trouble for the national power grid. Demand could reach a new high over the summer and the Ministry of Emergency Management has warned that safe operations would face "severe tests". In July, Shanghai's temperature hit a sweltering 40.9C, equalling its hottest day since records began in 1873, hitting this mark the first time in 2017, Reuters news agency reports. The city had to issue its third extreme heat warning of the summer. Heatwaves have become more frequent globally, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/4C60/production/_126025591_gettyimages-1242067079.jpg
     
         
      The US’s first freshwater wind farm cleared a legal hurdle Mon, 22nd Aug 2022 7:26:00
     
      The Supreme Court of Ohio helped clear the way for the United States’ first freshwater offshore wind farm last week, upholding a decision that would allow a 20.7-megawatt wind farm to be built on Lake Erie. The project, called Icebreaker Wind, would consist of six wind turbines placed over a four-acre area of water just a few miles north of Cleveland, Ohio. After receiving a permit approval from the Ohio Power Siting Board in early 2020, the project was initially expected to be completed this year — but two lakeshore residents appealed the board’s approval to the state Supreme Court, arguing that the board and project developers had failed to adequately consider the wind farm’s impact on bird and bat populations. In a 6-1 ruling, the court sided against the residents, saying that the Ohio Power Siting Board had collected enough information to show that Icebreaker’s environmental impact would be minimal. Research on land-based wind turbines suggests they pose a relatively insignificant threat to birds, killing far, far fewer than other culprits such as cats. Clean-energy advocates have applauded the decision, which will finally allow Icebreaker to move forward. “It certainly is a long time coming,” Trish Demeter, interim executive director for the nonprofit Ohio Environmental Council, told me. She added that she’s been advocating for the project for 11 years now, in partnership with a host of other environmental advocates, labor unions, and businesses. The project’s backers estimate that it will create more than 500 jobs and generate $253 million for the region’s economy.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/the-uss-first-freshwater-wind-farm-cleared-a-legal-hurdle/
     
         
      Sustainable transportation for cleaner air, better health Sun, 21st Aug 2022 10:36:00
     
      This opinion column was submitted by Theresa Watts, a nurse since 2008 and a professor in nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno. I think when most Nevadans think about air pollution, they think of poor air quality from wildfire smoke. However, exposure to air pollution is a continuous health challenge in Nevada, largely due to the proximity of homes to major road systems. Furthermore, many of these road systems are expanding to accommodate increases in commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks. People who are living with complex health and social conditions can experience exacerbation due to the everyday air pollution coming from vehicles. We need to address the significant public health issue of pollution caused by the transportation sector on the health of Nevadans. The transportation sector is our country’s largest source of carbon pollution. While trucks and buses only account for 4% of vehicles on the road, they are responsible for nearly 25% of total transportation-sector greenhouse gas emissions. Medium and heavy-duty trucks include box trucks, delivery vans, the largest pickup trucks, flatbed trucks, RVs, dump trucks, garbage trucks, refrigerated trucks, big rigs and tractor trailers. Emissions from these vehicles are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the number of truck miles traveled on the nation’s roads is forecast to continue to grow significantly in the coming decades. For communities living near freeways, trucking corridors and freight hubs, pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses can be deadly. Discriminatory land use and transportation policies have resulted in disproportionate numbers of disadvantaged people who are living close to high-use transportation areas. In the U.S., it is estimated that more than 45 million people are living within 300 feet of a major roadway or transportation facility. As a result, they are exposed to high levels of vehicle pollution which can lead to long-term respiratory and cardiovascular health issues, especially among people who are younger (children) and older (65 years and older). Therefore, we urgently need cleaner heavy-duty vehicles on the road, especially in communities that are overburdened with truck pollution due to the proximity of their homes to highways, trucking corridors, ports and distribution hubs. According to the American Lung Association's State of the Air Report, the Northern Nevada region consisting of Reno, Carson City and Fernley is ranked the 12th-highest metropolitan area for daily particle pollution. This means that people living in this region are living in one of the most-polluted metropolitan areas with fine particulate matter pollution — the type of air pollution that is most harmful to human health. Exposure to fine particulate matter pollution can result in nonfatal and fatal health conditions that mainly affect heart and lung systems. To understand transportation needs in Nevada, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 413, which directed the Nevada Department of Transportation to convene an advisory working group to make recommendations for sustainable transportation. As vehicles cross state lines, we also need the EPA to adopt a standard that puts the U.S. solidly on a path toward 100% electrification of trucks and buses and to rapidly reduce pollution caused by the transportation sector. Now is the time to hasten the transition to zero-emission trucks and buses, and EPA has a clear opportunity to do so by setting stringent emissions standards that include both limits on nitrous oxide emissions and greenhouse gasses.
       
      Full Article: https://eu.rgj.com/story/opinion/voices/2022/07/08/sustainable-transportation-cleaner-air-better-health/10009422002/
     
         
      Europe storms: Children among dead in France, Austria and Italy Fri, 19th Aug 2022 10:16:00
     
      Powerful storms have battered areas of central and southern Europe, killing at least 12 people including three children. The deaths, most from falling trees, were reported in Italy and Austria, and on the French island of Corsica. Heavy rain and winds wrecked campsites on the island, while in Venice, Italy, masonry was blown off the belltower of St Mark's Basilica. The storms follow weeks of heatwave and drought across much of the continent. In Corsica, winds gusting up to 224 km/h (140mph) uprooted trees and damaged mobile homes. Authorities there said a 13-year-old girl was killed by a falling tree on a campsite. A 46-year-old man died in a similar incident and a woman in her 70s was killed when her car was hit by the detached roof of a beach hut. Two other people, a fisherman, 62, and a female kayaker, 60, died out at sea. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who arrived in Corsica on Thursday, said 20 people had been injured - four of them seriously. Almost 13,000 people were evacuated from several campsites on Thursday evening and sheltered in public buildings, ahead of more expected damage. But authorities said on Friday morning that the night had passed without any major incidents. Extreme storms have become more frequent recently because of climate change. Witnesses to the storms said they had been completely unexpected and no warning was given. "We have never seen such huge storms as this, you would think it was a tropical storm," restaurant owner Cedric Boell told Reuters news agency. On the French mainland, some southern areas were hit by power cuts and streets were flooded in the country's second city, Marseille.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62598573
     
         
      WFP scales up support for millions who ‘cannot wait’ for food aid amid Horn of Africa drought Fri, 19th Aug 2022 9:28:00
     
      As the threat of famine looms in the Horn of Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it is scaling up operations to support millions going hungry who “cannot wait” for assistance. The region is in the grip of a historic drought, brought on by four consecutive failed rains. The crisis has left some 22 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia struggling to find enough to eat, with numbers expected to rise. Livestock are dying, and there are critical shortages of water and food. More than a million people have fled their homes and are now living in crowded camps, where humanitarians are scrambling to meet the overwhelming needs. No end in sight WFP chief David Beasley on Thursday wrapped up a visit to Somalia, where the risk of famine is high. More than seven million people there, nearly half the population, are acutely food insecure, and 213,000 are already facing famine-like conditions. Mr. Beasley travelled to the southern city of Baardheere where he met families, including malnourished children and their mothers, who have been forced to leave home and travel long distances to seek humanitarian aid, amid ongoing conflict. “People here have been waiting years for rain – but they cannot wait any longer for life-saving food assistance. The world needs to act now to protect the most vulnerable communities from the threat of widespread famine in the Horn of Africa,” he said. “There is still no end in sight to this drought crisis, so we must get the resources needed to save lives and stop people plunging into catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation”. Food and cash assistance WFP said the drought is expected to continue in the coming months as a fifth poor rainy season is forecast later this year. The agency is doing everything possible to support the most vulnerable people, but urgently requires around $418 million over the next six months to meet the increasing needs. Meanwhile, WFP is focused on using available funds to increase assistance in the worst-hit areas. The aim is to target some 8.5 million people across the region, up from 6.3 million at the start of the year. Staff are providing food and cash assistance to families, in addition to distributing fortified foods to women and children as malnutrition rates spiral. Cash grants and insurance schemes are also helping households to buy food to keep their livestock alive, or to compensate them when they die. Support for Somalia Relatedly, $10 million has been allocated from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to ramp up the drought response in Somalia. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths warned on Friday that time is running out for people in the country. “If we don’t step up in force now, it’ll run out and the malnourished children are likely to die first,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125082
     
         
      Chicago pledges 100% clean energy for city operations by 2025 Thu, 18th Aug 2022 9:38:00
     
      Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the city’s Department of Assets, Information, and Services announced a new agreement earlier this month to buy renewable power from Constellation, an energy company based in Maryland. Starting in 2025, the five-year contract will allow Chicago to buy enough renewable energy to power all of its airports, water purification plants, and other city operations. The announcement is set to bring clean energy to Chicago much faster than previously anticipated. A goal set in 2019 would have transitioned city operations to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. “I am incredibly proud to advance this commitment to transitioning all city operations to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025,” Lightfoot said in a statement. The announcement puts Chicago on track to join a growing list of cities who buy enough clean energy to power their municipal operations, including Las Vegas. Other municipalities like Burlington, Vermont, and Aspen, Colorado, have gone even further, purchasing enough clean energy to cover 100 percent of their residents’ power needs as well. To reach its new goal, Chicago’s contract involves installing lots of new solar capacity. One 4,100-acre solar farm planned for central Illinois, dubbed the Double Black Diamond Solar Project, is expected to contribute 593 megawatts to the electric grid – some of which will help power Chicago’s most energy-intensive operations, like its airports and the Harold Washington Library Center. The city will also buy renewable energy credits to offset municipal power needs that aren’t directly powered by renewables. In total, Chicago predicts that shifting to renewable energy for city operations will slash more than 290,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year — roughly equivalent to the climate pollution associated with 62,000 passenger vehicles. Naomi Davis, founder and CEO of the economic development organization Blacks in Green, applauded the city’s new announcement. “Chicago’s Sustainability Office gets it — unprecedented times need unprecedented moves,” she said in a statement. She also commended Constellation’s and the city’s efforts to develop a diverse clean-energy workforce, in part by funding job training and apprenticeship programs.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/chicago-pledges-100-clean-energy-for-city-operations-by-2025/
     
         
      Two-thirds of UK families could be in fuel poverty by January, research finds Thu, 18th Aug 2022 9:18:00
     
      Two-thirds of all UK households will be trapped in fuel poverty by January with planned government support leaving even middle-income households struggling to pay their bills, according to research. It shows 18 million families, the equivalent of 45 million people, will be left trying to make ends meet after further predicted rises in the energy price cap in October and January. An estimated 86.4% of pensioner couples are expected to fall into fuel poverty, traditionally defined as when energy costs exceed 10% of a household’s net income, and 90.4% of lone parents with two or more children. The new study by the University of York also shows huge regional variation in the cost of living crisis with 57.9% of households in the south-east predicted to be struggling with energy bills by January, compared with 70.9% in the West Midlands and 76.3% in Northern Ireland. The figures come after inflation soared to a 40-year high of 10.1% – heaping more pain on households as the costs of food, energy and fuel continue to rise. Asda chairman Stuart Rose criticised the government– which will fund a £400 universal energy grant in October as well as further support targeted at the poorest families – for a “horrifying” lack of action over inflation. “It’s going to be painful for everybody,” he told BBC radio. “We have been very, very slow in recognising this train coming down the tunnel,” added the Tory peer. The Institute for Fiscal Studies also warned that “permanent tax cuts” promised by the Tory leadership candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, could exacerbate pressures on the public purse. It suggested short-term government borrowing to support struggling households may be a necessary step for the next prime minister. The warning that 65.8% of all UK households will be in fuel poverty by January follows revised forecasts from the consultancy Cornwall Insight last week that annual energy bills could top £4,200 from January. Just the week before they had predicted the energy price cap was on track to rise to £3,615. The consumer champion Martin Lewis described the latest forecast as “tragic news” and urged the “zombie government” to come up with an immediate action plan to help households. Labour announced plans earlier this week for the energy price cap to be frozen at the current level, meaning that the expected rises in October and January would not go ahead, funded by a beefed-up £8bn windfall tax on energy company profits. The party had faced some criticism for not focusing exclusively on the poorest households but Labour insiders suggested that the new University of York analysis showed that “squeezed middle” families would also be struggling to make ends meet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/17/two-thirds-of-uk-families-could-be-in-fuel-poverty-by-january-research-finds?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Tyne and Wear Fire Service sees busiest week amid hot weather Thu, 18th Aug 2022 7:59:00
     
      Hot weather saw a fire service record one of its busiest weeks with nearly three times as many calls as last year. Tyne and Wear Fire Rescue Service had 1,753 calls between 8 and 14 August, up from 621 for the same week in 2021. Area manager Paul Russell said there were a higher number of calls on each day than would normally be received on Bonfire Night, which was "traditionally our busiest day of the year". And there were 224 grass fires recorded compared with 25 in 2021. Mr Russell said: "Last week was one of the busiest we have had in recent years as extremely dry conditions led to the rapid spread of fires across Tyne and Wear. "There were examples of where homes were perilously close to being seriously damaged but that was avoided thanks to the intervention of our firefighters." The brigade attended a number of wildfires including a blaze near homes in Walbottle, Newcastle, and another at Witherwack in Sunderland which was believed to have been started deliberately. Mr Russell said the service was "so proud" of its crews and call handlers but it would have to adapt to deal with expected future demand. "Experts have already expressed that these incredibly hot temperatures are a result of climate change and so we would expect to see similar conditions in the future," Mr Russell said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-62583158
     
         
      Biden signs climate, tax and health bill into law Wed, 17th Aug 2022 9:03:00
     
      US President Joe Biden has signed a $700bn (£579bn) bill that aims to fight climate change and healthcare costs while raising taxes mainly on the rich. The act includes measures to make good on decades of congressional promises to curb the price of prescription drugs. The final version is more modest in scope than the $3.5tn package first envisaged by Democrats. A flagship of Mr Biden's agenda, the bill could provide a boost ahead of the mid-term elections. Voters casting their ballots in November will decide whether Mr Biden's Democrats retain control of Congress for two more years. The president hailed the bill as he signed it on Tuesday as the "final piece" of his domestic agenda. The package invests $375bn to fight climate change - the most significant federal investment in history in the issue. An analysis by scientists with the Climate Action Tracker says the bill will reduce future global warming by "not a lot, but not insignificantly either". It is projected to lower US emissions by up to 44% by 2030, compared with the current US trajectory, which would lower emissions by up to 35%, according to an analysis by the Rhodium Group, a consultancy. ANALYSIS: US climate win masks scale of warming challenge BACKGROUND: Why are prices rising and what is the inflation rate? CONTEXT: Biden is passing laws - but is he winning hearts? The bill does not require companies to reduce their emissions, but includes tax incentives for firms to invest in renewable energy and rebates for people who buy electric cars or invest in energy-efficient home improvements. In a major breakthrough, the package also allows the government to negotiate lower prices for some prescription medicines provided under its Medicare health insurance programme for those aged over 65. That is expected to save hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. On Tuesday, Mr Biden said the measure was a "historic moment", adding: "Every single Republican in Congress voted against this bill." But Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said the legislation "means higher taxes, higher energy bills, and aggressive IRS [tax] audits". Key economic claims about the legislation have been under scrutiny. Despite being called the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the package will have zero measurable impact on inflation, according to an analysis by the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a group of economists and data scientists at University of Pennsylvania. The bill sets a minimum 15% tax for corporations, and Democrats have pledged it will entail no tax hikes for those with incomes below $400,000 a year. But an analysis of the legislation by the Congressional Budget Office said Americans earning less than $400,000 a year would end up paying an additional $20bn in taxes. The bill includes about $46bn for the Internal Revenue Service to hire tens of thousands more tax agents. Brett Reinford, 36, a dairy farmer from Pennsylvania, told the BBC he welcomed the climate funding and hoped it would help his family's cow farm reduce its methane emissions. "If we can get some support from the government, it makes a lot of these projects make more sense economically," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62568772
     
         
      Climate change: 'Staggering' rate of global tree losses from fires Wed, 17th Aug 2022 7:01:00
     
      Around 16 football pitches of trees per minute were lost to forest fires in 2021, a new report says. Data from Global Forest Watch suggests that across the globe, the amount of tree cover being burned has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Climate change is a key factor in the increase as it leads to higher temperatures and drier conditions. Of the 9 million hectares of trees consumed by fire in 2021, over five million were in Russia. The new data allows researchers to distinguish between trees lost to fires, and those destroyed for agriculture, logging or during intentional burns. In 2021, the second worst year for fires on record, an area the size of Portugal was lost. "It is staggering," says James MacCarthy, an analyst with Global Forest Watch. "It's roughly twice what it was just 20 years ago. It is kind of astonishing just how much fire activity has increased over such a short amount of time." The impacts of fire-related losses are being felt primarily in forests in more northerly countries like Canada and Russia. While fire is a natural part of how these forests have long functioned, the scale of destruction seen in Russia in 2021 was unprecedented. Of the 9.3 million hectares (23 million acres) burnt globally, Russia accounted for more than half. "What's most concerning is that fires are becoming more frequent, more severe and have the potential to unlock a lot of the carbon that's stored in soils there," said James MacCarthy. Trees and soils store carbon dioxide - one of the key gases warming our atmosphere - and experts say they are crucial in tackling climate change. Climate change is seen as a key driver of these fires, with rising temperatures creating the drier conditions in which more trees burn. Northern regions of the world are warming at a faster rate, leading to longer fire seasons. In Russia, the 31% increase in fire losses in 2021 was due in part to the prolonged heatwaves that experts believe would have been practically impossible without human-induced warming. "Climate change is increasing the risk of hotter, faster and larger fires," said Dr Doug Morton, who's chief of the Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at Nasa. "And that's nowhere more visible than forests and woodlands where you have plenty of fuel to burn." In other parts of the world, the impact of deforestation is also leading to more fires. In the Brazilian Amazon, which recently saw the number of trees felled climb to a six year high, the losses due to agricultural clearing and logging are having a knock-on effect. "Deforestation changes local and regional climates and removes a lot of the evapotranspiration that help keep temperatures low and more humid," said James MacCarthy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62569394
     
         
      Judge halts coal leasing on federal lands Tue, 16th Aug 2022 11:33:00
     
      A federal judge in Montana has ordered the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, to halt new coal leases on all federal lands, reinstating an Obama-era moratorium that had been rescinded in 2017 by the Trump administration. In a ruling handed down last week, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris found that a previous analysis from the Trump BLM had failed to adequately consider coal’s contribution to climate change, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. If the bureau wants to continue leasing federal lands for coal extraction, Morris said, it will have to conduct a new environmental analysis. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who leads the BLM’s parent agency, had already overturned the Trump-era reversal in April of last year, but she never reinstated the ban. The renewed moratorium could help drive down the nation’s coal use and cumulative greenhouse gas emissions. Although coal power is on the decline nationally, coal is still a major source of climate pollution in the U.S., contributing about 21 percent of the country’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2021. And public lands keep coal production going, with nearly half of the U.S.’s yearly coal supply mined by private companies on leased federal lands. Taylor McKinnon, senior public lands campaigner for the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, cheered the decision. Subjecting the federal coal program to a science-based NEPA review, he told me, “will show that any further federal coal leasing is entirely incompatible with our country’s climate goals.” He called for existing coal extraction on federal lands to be phased out as well. To maintain at least a 50 percent chance of avoiding 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, research published this year says developed countries like the U.S. must halve coal production in five years and end it by 2030. “There needs to be a swift and managed decline of existing coal production if we stand any hope of avoiding the catastrophes of warming 1.5 degrees Celsius,” McKinnon said.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/judge-halts-coal-leasing-on-federal-lands/
     
         
      England must reduce meat intake to avoid climate breakdown, says food tsar Tue, 16th Aug 2022 10:19:00
     
      The only way to have sustainable land use in this country, and avoid ecological breakdown, is to vastly reduce consumption of meat and dairy, according to the UK government’s food tsar. Henry Dimbleby told the Guardian that although asking the public to eat less meat – supported by a mix of incentives and penalties – would be politically toxic, it was the only way to meet the country’s climate and biodiversity targets. “It’s an incredibly inefficient use of land to grow crops, feed them to a ruminant or pig or chicken which then over its lifecycle converts them into a very small amount of protein for us to eat,” he said. Currently, 85% of agricultural land in England is used for pasture for grazing animals such as cows or to grow food which is then fed to livestock. Dimbleby, the Leon restaurant chain co-founder and a respected voice in Conservative circles, believes a 30% meat reduction over 10 years is required for land to be used sustainably in England. Others go much further: Greenpeace, for example, say we must reduce our meat intake by 70%. “If we fail on this,” Dimbleby said, “we will fail to meet our biodiversity or climate goals in this country. We also have a huge opportunity to show thought leadership worldwide, and show them that this can be done, that we can farm sustainably and still feed people.” Dimbleby has authored two government-commissioned reports into the UK’s food system but the white paper that followed, published by Boris Johnson’s government in June, was widely criticised for watering down his key recommendations and contained few new measures to tackle the soaring cost of food, childhood hunger, obesity or the climate emergency. “I wasn’t surprised at all,” Dimbleby said when asked about the omission of meat reduction policies in the government’s white paper. “It’s such a politicised area, it’s one that everyone globally avoids. You’ve got huge lobbies campaigning for consumption, and the public don’t like the idea of reducing meat and dairy.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/16/england-must-reduce-meat-dairy-intake-says-henry-dimbleby?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act into law Tue, 16th Aug 2022 8:06:00
     
      It’s official: After more than a year of political wrangling, President Joe Biden approved the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, on Tuesday, signing into law the most sweeping climate and energy bill ever enacted in the United States. “This bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever, and it’s going to allow us to boldly take additional steps toward meeting all of my climate goals,” Biden said in a speech delivered from the State Dining Room of the White House shortly before signing the bill. The historic bill contains $369 billion in clean-energy tax credits and funding for climate and energy programs, including efforts to ramp up manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Roughly $60 billion is earmarked for environmental justice initiatives like cleaning up air pollution and installing clean energy projects in low-income communities. In total, independent analyses estimate that the bill’s climate provisions will reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade, achieving roughly two-thirds of Biden’s overall goal of halving emissions by 2030. The bill will also lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients and establish a minimum tax of 15 percent for corporations whose annual income exceeds $1 billion, and impose a 1 percent fee when companies buy back their own stock to boost its value. Democrats are already applauding the legislation’s enactment, but they’re planning to mount a much larger celebration after Labor Day — closer to the November 8 midterm elections. Alvin Tillery, an associate professor of political science and African American studies at Northwestern University, said the enactment of the IRA, plus Biden’s other achievements and voters’ ire over the GOP-led reversal of Roe v. Wade, could help stave off a Republican takeover of the House and Senate — but only if Democrats hone their messaging and “hypermobilize” get-out-the-vote efforts among key demographics, like young people and people of color. ”The Democrats need to celebrate this victory but get right back on their messaging,” Tillery told me. “They need to target young voters, folks under 30 that are really worried about the existential threats of climate change. … I think it’s gonna be a nail-biter across the country.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/politics/biden-signs-the-inflation-reduction-act-into-law/
     
         
      Leaders make fifth attempt to pass UN Oceans Treaty Tue, 16th Aug 2022 7:05:00
     
      World leaders will meet at the UN in New York later for more talks to save the world's oceans from overexploitation. The UN High Seas Treaty has been through 10 years of negotiations but has yet to be signed. If agreed, it would put 30% of the world's oceans into conservation areas by 2030. Campaigners hope it will protect marine life from overfishing and other human activities. Two-thirds of the world's oceans are currently considered international waters, which mean all countries have a right to fish, ship and do research there. But only 1.2% of these high seas, as they are referred to, are protected. This leaves the marine life living outside those areas at risk of exploitation from the increasing threats of climate change, overfishing and shipping traffic. And with ecosystems in the high seas poorly documented, there is concern among conservationists that creatures could become extinct before they are discovered. Research published earlier this year, and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, suggests that between 10% and 15% of marine species are already at risk of extinction. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said at previous negotiations that the "traditional fragmented nature of ocean governance" has prevented the effective protection of the high seas. The treaty would place parts of the world's oceans into a network of Marine Protected Areas. Environmental impact assessments would be carried out before allowing commercial activities like deep-sea mining to go ahead. Renewables' deep-sea mining conundrum What is biodiversity and how can we protect it? Deep-sea mining is when minerals are taken from the sea bed that is 200m or more below the surface. These minerals include cobalt which is used for electronics, but the process could also be toxic for marine life, according to the IUCN. As of March 2022, the International Seabed Authority, which regulates these activities, had issued 31 contracts to explore the deep sea for minerals. Countries are also looking to include measures in the treaty that give developing and landlocked nations more equal access to Marine Genetic Resources (MGR). MGR are biological material from plants and animals in the ocean that can have benefits for society, such as pharmaceuticals, industrial processes and food. But progress has been slow due to Covid-19 preventing countries meeting. Disagreement over what should be included in the legal treaty also delayed it. Some nations such as Russia and Iceland want fisheries to be excluded. In March, countries agreed to have a final fifth session to try and sign the Treaty - with a deadline set for the end of the year. Should this not happen, an EU spokesperson told the BBC it was still committed to the issue: "The EU will insist on the quick continuation of the negotiations." "Action is needed to ensure the conservation and the sustainable use of the Ocean for current and future generations," they added. At the end of the last round of failed negotiations, conference president Rena Lee said: "I believe that with continued commitment, determination and dedication, we will be able to build bridges and close the remaining gaps." Protecting the world's oceans is also important for human populations as so many people rely on the seas for food, income and leisure activities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62524611
     
         
      Conference opens to draft first-ever treaty on ocean’s biological diversity Mon, 15th Aug 2022 12:46:00
     
      The intergovernmental conference to draft the first-ever treaty on the ocean’s biological diversity opened its fifth and likely final session on Monday. Amidst calls for flexibility, openness and the spirit of compromise that prevailed in 1982, when the landmark “constitution for the oceans” was adopted, the new treaty will aim to address the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas of the ocean which are beyond the limits of States' maritime zones. The session, which runs until 26 August, was convened following a decision taken by the General Assembly in May and is expected to be the final in a series set in motion since 2018 to draft an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Revised anchors negotiations “I am hopeful that we can make real progress in these two weeks, with the aim of finalizing the agreement as soon as possible,” said Intergovernmental Conference President Rena Lee, rallying delegates to roll up their sleeves as they delve into the technical and legal details. Recalling that the four previous sessions were mandated by resolution 72/249, of 24 December 2017, she said that negotiations are to address marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing, measures such as area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments, capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology. Having studied all proposals made since the fourth session, she prepared a further revised draft of an agreement. Ms. Lee said that delegates were also asked to submit textual proposals for the fifth session, noting that an article-by-article compilation was issued in early August. Informal background documents that were provided to delegations included two that had been requested on resource requirements, should the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea be designated as Secretariat under the agreement, and another on global ocean financing. The goal: Universal participation Noting calls for the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Conference this year, she urged Member States to “squeeze our creative juices to find solutions that can garner consensus” and to exercise utmost flexibility to find the consensus needed. “Let us strive to deliver on an agreement that will be fair, balanced, implementable and which will attract universal participation,” she said. “Let us not let the perfect be the enemy of good”. UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares – who also heads the Organization’s Legal Affairs department and serves as Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Conference – welcomed delegates to the “critical” fifth session taking place on the heels of the Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. During the summit – held from 27 June to 1 July – stakeholders aimed to reverse the deteriorating health, resilience and productivity of the ocean and its resources. Making good on Lisbon pledges The senior UN official expressed hope that the hundreds of commitments made in Lisbon will quickly translate into action, including the many calls for the Intergovernmental Conference to promptly conclude its work. “What better way to signal our determination to act, than finalizing a robust agreement that ensures the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in the largest spaces of the ocean,” he asked.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124702?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b46765b3b8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_08_15_08_21&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-b46765b3b8-107499886
     
         
      Thunderstorms: Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding Mon, 15th Aug 2022 9:07:00
     
      After weeks of hot and dry conditions in most of the UK, with drought declared in parts of England, it might seem that a good downpour is what we need. But the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms forecast by the Met Office this week could instead be a hazard. Scientists are warning that they could lead to flash flooding and are unlikely to replenish dry soils. Here is why torrential rain may not be what our parched land needs right now. Flash flooding On top of two heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures this summer, many parts of the UK have seen far-below average rainfall. This has effectively baked the soils, leaving them dry and hard with very low moisture levels, the UK Centre for Hydrology and Ecology says. If rain falls in large amounts and at high speed, as happen in thunderstorms, the soil cannot absorb the moisture. Instead it pools on the surface. On sloped surfaces, that water rapidly runs off, causing flash flooding. The effect is like pouring water at high speed on to concrete, Dr Rob Thompson, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, told BBC News. "Grounds of our gardens, parks and farmlands are now all potentially as dry as tarmac and concrete gets. Areas that aren't tarmac will behave like tarmac when rain hits them," he says. The major effect drought has on soil is something called hydrophobicity, explains soil scientist Prof John Quinton, at the University of Lancaster. Why are large parts of England in drought? 'Every day it doesn't rain, the pressure mounts' Driest July in England since 1935 When water hits a waterproof jacket, it is repelled - making it form droplets on top and eventually run off. A similar thing happens when organic matter in the soil dries out, forming a layer of material that keeps out water. "Instead of water moving into the soil, it stays on the surface instead," Prof Quinton says. 'Soil structure' It is also hard not to notice how the drought has killed off grasses and other vegetation, turning parks and fields yellow. These usually form a cover over soil, protecting it from heavy rainfall. "Vegetation breaks up big thunderstorm raindrops into smaller drops. Without that protection, the big drops damage the soil structure, meaning even less water can infiltrate," explains Prof Quinton. While the UK has lots of different types of soil, if it rains hard enough, the whole country is susceptible to flash flooding, explains Dr Thompson. Anywhere with steep-sided, hilly terrain, where water can move very quickly, is at particularly high risk. While it is unlikely to be as bad as the devastating flooding in Germany and Belgium last summer, suggests Dr Thompson, the potential is always there. Thunderstorms can deliver large amounts of rain but usually in a small area and a short spell. That does not give the soil enough time to recover. Scientists say that light rain over a number of hours and days will get soils back to more normal levels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62554872
     
         
      Emergency alert system to launch in October across Great Britain Mon, 15th Aug 2022 8:09:00
     
      An emergency warning system, allowing alerts about severe weather and other life-threatening events to be sent to mobile phones, will go live in October in England, Scotland and Wales. The Cabinet Office says the technology will alert up to 85% of the population. The messages will be sent automatically to any smartphone which is switched on, although it is possible to opt out by changing a mobile phone setting. Trials of the alerts were held in Reading and East Suffolk this year. A government publicity campaign will begin in September, and every phone in England, Scotland and Wales, will receive a "welcome message" in October. The system will eventually cover the whole of the UK, says the government. The Cabinet Office says the alerts, which will look and sound different to standard messages, will be able to give highly localised warnings of: flooding fires extreme weather public health emergencies Terror attacks could also be added to the list of potential scenarios to trigger a message. Officials would not discuss the arrangements for warning the population of an impending military or nuclear attack on the country. About 85% of people have a smartphone capable of receiving the messages, it is estimated. The government does not have statistics for the number of older 2G and 3G mobile devices in use, and stresses it does not keep a list of all phone users. The system works by sending a message and a distinctive warning tone to mobiles directly via cell towers, rather than accessing a list of mobile numbers. An alert can be sent to a single tower, meaning anyone in the vicinity could pick it up, even, for example, when travelling through the area. The government will draw on the expertise of specialist agencies, such as the Met Office or the Environment Agency, in deciding when to trigger alerts. The messages can only be sent by the emergency services or the government. Anyone who is concerned that an alert may not be genuine can check on the government website at www.gov.uk/alerts, where all messages will be listed. Opting out All phones will be opted into the scheme and users will have to opt out if they don't want the messages - but data from the trials suggests most will not do that. Touring the Met Office in Exeter on Monday, senior Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse defended the opt-out arrangement. "You have the ability to turn it off if you really don't want to know that these things are coming to your area and are going to affect you," he said. "Our job is to keep people safe. We have the information to keep them safe. We need to make sure that we broadcast it as far and wide as we can.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62549122
     
         
      Saudi Aramco: Oil giant tops own record with $48.4bn quarterly profit Sun, 14th Aug 2022 9:24:00
     
      Saudi oil giant Aramco has broken its own record with a $48.4bn (£40bn) profit for the second quarter of 2022. It is a 90% year-on-year increase and marks the biggest earnings for the world's largest energy exporter since its public listing three years ago. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen oil and gas prices skyrocket. Russia is one of the world's biggest exporters but Western nations have pledged to curb their dependence on the country for their energy needs. According to Bloomberg, the Saudi oil giant's figure represents "the biggest quarterly adjusted profit of any listed company". As well as the record profits, the state-owned Saudi energy giant announced it would keep its dividend unchanged at $18.8bn for the third quarter. The company said it would keep expanding to satisfy demand. "While global market volatility and economic uncertainty remain, events during the first half of this year support our view that ongoing investment in our industry is essential both to help ensure markets remain well supplied and to facilitate an orderly energy transition," Aramco president and chief executive Amin Nasser said. "In fact, we expect oil demand to continue to grow for the rest of the decade, despite downward economic pressures on short-term global forecasts," he added. BP sees biggest profit in 14 years as bills soar Why won't the world's big oil producers lower prices? Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Oil prices were already rising before the Ukraine war as economies started to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and demand outstripped supply. The world's biggest oil producers, including ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP, have all posted huge earnings this year - leading to growing calls on governments to impose a windfall tax amid an alarming rise in living costs. In June, US President Joe Biden said Exxon had made "more money than God this year". Saudi Arabia is the largest single producer in Opec, a group representing the world's biggest oil producers. Last week Opec+ agreed to raise production slightly in an effort to help ease high oil prices. However, the latest production output increase is at a much slower pace than in recent months. The decision was a blow to leaders including Mr Biden, who have called for production to be ramped up.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62539480
     
         
      500 more wildfires this year than whole of 2021 - fire chief Sun, 14th Aug 2022 9:11:00
     
      There have been 745 wildfires in the UK so far this year - up from 247 in the whole of 2021 • Fire chief Mark Hardingham told the BBC there had been 150 large fires in the last week alone • A wildfire is classified as being large enough to cover an area the size of at least two-and-a-half football pitches • Fire chiefs are urging people not to use disposable barbeques in open spaces Short presentational grey line There have been almost 500 more wildfires this year than the whole of 2021, a fire chief has said. Mark Hardingham, chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said hot and dry weather had combined to create the perfect conditions for wildfires. So far in 2022, he said there had been 745 wildfires in the UK - more than a 200% increase from the total figure of 247 for all of last year. Mr Hardingham told BBC Radio 4 on Sunday that hundreds of grass and woodland fires happen in the UK every day. But he said there had been larger and more dangerous blazes in 2022, including 150 in the past week alone. How wildfires start and how to stop them Flames faster than you can run - firefighters on wildfires Public warned to avoid heath damaged by wildfire Firefighters have been responding to these incidents "day in, day out" before the record-breaking temperatures of 40C (104F) in July, he said. "They are physically exhausting and demanding incidents to deal with. "Not only are you turning up as a firefighter in extreme, high temperatures, [but you're] wearing your firefighter clothing, you're chasing these fires across fields, you're dragging heavy equipment, you're keeping an eye out all the time for your own welfare and safety and those of your colleagues. "Once you've dealt with that fire, more often than not you're picking up another call to go to the next fire." A major incident, declared at the site of a heath fire in Dorset, is one of several large blazes to have broken out across the UK in the past few days. Evidence of a campfire and a disposable barbecue were found amid the ashes at Studland Heath. Though wildfires can sometimes occur naturally, ignited by heat from the sun or a lightning strike, most are caused by human carelessness.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62542606
     
         
      Evacuated twice in a summer as France's fires burn Sat, 13th Aug 2022 10:21:00
     
      Christian Fostitschenko sat near his camp bed at an evacuation centre in Salles, southwestern France. He lives in the little town of Saint-Magne, but he can't go home. It's too close to the fire zone. This area, south of Bordeaux, was hit by a massive fire in July, and another blaze this week. This is the second time this summer that Christian has been evacuated from his home - and he doesn't know when he can go back. "I've been here since Monday night and could be here for 10 or 12 days," he told me. "I'm fed up of it, mentally and physically," he said. "It's time to go home, but it just doesn't stop. It's a very serious fire - the first time that there's been such a big fire in our region." He sighed sadly. "But people have been very generous. The fire crews are doing a magnificent job." Climate activists fill golf holes with cement Drought on the Rhine: 'We have 30cm of water left' 'Climate catastrophe' A huge fire-fighting operation is under way. More than 1,000 French firefighters have been joined by teams from Germany, Romania, Austria and Poland. In a field near the village of Hostens, fire engines from Dusseldorf and several other German regions, were lining to up to help, as a helicopter flew overhead. Around the cordoned-off fire zone, south of Bordeaux, the big flames have been extinguished, but in some areas, almost everywhere you look, there are wisps of smoke from burning embers on the ground. We watched as a French fire crew hosed down several small fires that were still smouldering in charred tree trunks, destroyed in an earlier blaze. Stephanie Martin, from the French fire brigade told me that the fires this summer are "exceptional", with successive heatwaves, wind and no rain creating the perfect conditions for big fires. She said the emergency teams are managing to stop the fire from spreading, but they remain on high alert, because lightning, wind, and storms, are forecast for the coming days. "It is very stressful, but we are glad to have firefighters from other countries and professional teams from France." On Friday night the flames reached the edge of the village of Louchats, threatening several houses. The next morning we met the mayor, Philippe Carreyre, as he supervised a truck spraying water into the woods.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62536131
     
         
      Climate change: Drought highlights dangers for electricity supplies Sat, 13th Aug 2022 10:14:00
     
      The ongoing drought in the UK and Europe is putting electricity generation under pressure, say experts. Electricity from hydropower - which uses water to generate power - has dropped by 20% overall. And nuclear facilities, which are cooled using river water, have been restricted. There are fears that the shortfalls are a taste of what will happen in the coming winter. In the UK, high temperatures are hitting energy output from fossil, nuclear and solar sources. That is because the technology in power plants and solar panels work much less well in high temperatures. The prolonged dry spell is putting further pressure on energy supplies as Europe scrambles for alternative sources after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Millions hit by hosepipe bans as drought declared US Senate passes sweeping $700bn economic package Causes of deadly dry-lightning wildfires revealed Hydropower is an important source of energy for Europe, but the lack of water in rivers and reservoirs is now significantly reducing the ability of facilities to produce electricity. Italy gets around 1/5 of its power from hydro, but that's fallen by around 40% in the past 12 months. It's a similar story in Spain, where the amount of electricity generated is down 44%, according to data from energy researchers Rystad Energy. "Hydropower can be quite volatile, but 40% is absolutely extreme," says Fabian Rønningen, a power analyst with Rystad. The figures are not just down in one part of Europe, he explains, but all the big hydropower-producing countries are making less now. "It's really a big impact,," he adds. Norway is also experiencing challenges with hydro-electricity. It warned that it may not be able to continue to export energy to countries like the UK unless its reservoirs were refilled. Some in the hydro industry say that lack of investment in modernisation and in transmission lines are also causing problems. "We are going to face a problem this winter. And that should be a wake-up call to have more investment in the infrastructure for the next few years," says Eddie Rich from the International Hydropower Association. The exceptionally hot weather is also hitting nuclear power production, especially in France. Around half of the 56 reactors in the fleet are offline, with several affected by a systemic issue with corrosion. Those reactors that are working are often cooled with water from rivers that are now running low, while temperatures are running high. "Once the water in the rivers is very low and very hot, basically you have to stop cooling down nuclear power plants. That's because the water that's released is dangerous for fish and other species in the rivers," said Prof Sonia Seneviratne, from ETH Zurich. The French government is now allowing some facilities to release very warm water back into the rivers, as a temporary measure. It underlines the stresses the heat is putting on energy production. France is now making up the shortfall in electricity by importing from the UK among others. Analysts say this is putting additional pressure on the UK system - at a time when the very warm weather is hitting production from gas and nuclear facilities. It's more difficult to cool the plants in the warmer weather, explains Kathryn Porter, an energy consultant with Watt-Logic. "Solar panels also experience quite a significant drop off above 25C. Everything just works less well when it's hot," she adds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62524551
     
         
      Climate activists fill golf holes with cement after water ban exemption Sat, 13th Aug 2022 8:13:00
     
      Climate activists in southern France have filled golf course holes with cement to protest against the exemption of golf greens from water bans amid the country's severe drought. The group targeted sites near the city of Toulouse, calling golf the "leisure industry of the most privileged". The exemption of golf greens has sparked controversy as 100 French villages are short of drinking water. Golf officials say greens would die in three days without water. "A golf course without a green is like an ice-rink without ice," Gérard Rougier of the French Golf Federation told the France Info news website. He added that 15,000 people worked in golf courses across the country. The recent action targeted courses in the towns of Vieille-Toulouse and Blagnac. It was claimed by the local branch of the Extinction Rebellion movement. In a petition, the activists said the exemption showed that "economic madness takes precedence over ecological reason". While residents cannot water their gardens or wash their cars in the worst-hit municipalities, golf courses have escaped the nationwide restrictions. The water bans are decreed nationally, but enforcement is at the discretion of regional officials. So far only one area, Ille-et-Villaine in western France, has diverged, banning the watering of golf courses. The Green mayor of the south-eastern city of Grenoble city, Éric Piolle, criticised the exemption saying: "We continue to protect the rich and powerful." Some constraints on the golf course remain. Watering must be carried out at night with no more than 30% of the usual volume of water.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62532840
     
         
      After the storm: what an environmental tragedy can teach us about climate resilience and ecosystem restoration Fri, 12th Aug 2022 11:21:00
     
      A tiny Caribbean Island known as 'the flower of the ocean' was decimated by Hurricane Iota in 2020. Although the loss of human life was minimal, the impact on precious ecosystems deeply changed the perspective of its inhabitants. Two years later, they’re still working to restore their environmental treasures and preparing for whatever curveballs climate change might throw at them next. The mountainous Colombian island of Providencia – which lies midway in the extension of the Caribbean Sea that separates Costa Rica and Jamaica – is home to stunning colours of the sea, lush underwater landscapes, extensive mangrove forests, and even tropical dry forests. The diversity of marine ecosystems and surrounding natural wonders, including the yearly spectacle of thousands of rare black crabs descending from the mountains and heading to the sea to lay their eggs, and one of the world’s largest barrier reefs, which supports a stunning array of marine life, has led to its declaration as part of the Seaflower UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. However, as with all islands in the world, Providencia’s unique natural treasures are highly threatened by climate change and sea level rise, threats that are not ‘theories’ looming on the horizon, but that are instead terrible facts already impacting every facet of life there. Its 6,000 inhabitants will never forget the night of November 16th, when Iota, the last and strongest hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic storm season— deemed then a Category 5* — decimated their beloved land. “The most shocking thing was the sound. Our people say that the hurricane came with the devil because the sound was so strange and scary,” recalls Marcela Cano, a biologist and long-time resident who has made it her life’s work to preserve Providencia’s environmental treasures. But that night, she would spend hours fighting to survive the storm. She was at her home sleeping when at around midnight, she started hearing strange noises. This turned out to be wind gusts of over 155 miles an hour tearing across the island. Power and communication were shortly lost. “I stood up and noticed that my ceiling lights looked as if they were higher than usual. That’s when I realized that part of my roof had flown away,” Ms. Cano recalls now, adding that minutes later she heard two loud bangs from her guestroom and saw water pouring down the walls. Her immediate reaction was to get out of the house, a decision that looking back now was definitely the best one, she says, because not only the roof but most of the walls of her house collapsed in the darkness under the force of the pounding rains and the wind. “It was raining very hard; I almost couldn’t make it out of my house because the wind wouldn’t let me open the door. I made it just where I had parked my Mula [her motorized golf cart]. I was completely soaked, and I just sat there.” She spent over 10 hours sitting in her golf cart hoping that the wall next to it and a big pine tree would hold up. “Every time I would hear loud bangs, I would point my flashlight towards the tree. If it had broken, that would’ve been it for me.” It was the longest night Providencia had ever experienced. And even after sunrise, the hurricane let barely any light come through. “Very strong wind gusts would come and go for hours and hours, and all I could think was ‘please God make it stop, it’s been too long, please stop’. It felt like the longest time of my life. At about 11 am it finally got a bit better, but it was still raining pretty hard.” It was then that she saw her neighbours up the road calling her. She gathered the courage to walk up the debris-strewn little hill towards them and realised their house had also been lost. But for Marcela, the loss was about to become even bigger and more painful. A life protecting nature Ms. Cano is the Director of Old Providence McBean Lagoon Natural National Park, a unique and highly important protected site on the island and the Seaflower UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She has worked for over 30 years to protect it, and with her team, has been a pioneer in ecosystem restoration and ecotourism. “I looked around and all the vegetation on the island was gone, everything was black, and all the trees no longer had leaves. It was as if everything had been burnt, and the sea was up high. I could see Santa Catalina Island from there; I couldn’t see it before. And I could see how destroyed it was,” she remembers, telling UN News that every time she tells this story she can barely hold back the tears. That night, she took refuge with 10 families under a concrete ledge that hadn’t given an inch to the winds and the rain. It was actually the second floor of a house under construction. “We made a common makeshift bed. It was also the middle of a COVID-19 peak in Colombia, but no one could care about that at that moment,” Ms. Cano says. It was still raining, and the island had been without communication for over eight hours. The whole mainland of Colombia wondered for almost a day if Providencia had survived hurricane Iota or not. In the following days, as help arrived, other locals described how people were walking around like “zombies” searching for food and shelter. Miraculously, only four people lost their lives that night, but over 98 per cent of the island’s infrastructure was destroyed and 6,000 people were left homeless. “I went walking to ask about my team at the National Park. We were all fine, but we lost everything we had worked for. Our office, our library, the research data stored in our computers, everything was lost.” Satellite images show how mangroves and vegetation at Manchineel Bay in Providencia were affected after hurricane Iota. Invemar Satellite images show how mangroves and vegetation at Manchineel Bay in Providencia were affected after hurricane Iota. An environmental tragedy Sometime later, Ms. Cano was able to return to Providencia after spending time with her family in Bogotá and working to gather household items and basic necessities for some families affected by the storm. It was then that she was able to evaluate the environmental damage inside the National Park. “I’ve spent most of my life here in Providencia and to see that all our efforts to maintain the National Park had vanished from one day to the next, was heartbreaking.” According to Colombia’s National Natural Parks, around 90 per cent of the Park’s mangroves and forests were affected, as well as the coral reefs in shallow waters, many of which had been in nurseries as part of an ongoing restoration effort. “We are working to restore vegetation and saline formations. We also carried out rescue and replanting of coral colonies that were uprooted by the hurricane,” Ms. Cano explains while standing in what’s left of the pier of Crab-Cay, once the most visited attraction in Providencia.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124442
     
         
      Massachusetts’ Republican governor signs far-reaching climate bill into law Fri, 12th Aug 2022 9:28:00
     
      Massachusetts’ Republican governor, Charlie Baker, signed a sweeping climate and energy bill into law on Thursday, approving an array of policies intended to advance the state’s goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. As the law’s name suggests, “An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind” includes significant provisions to boost the development of offshore wind, such as granting access to state funds. The law requires that the state’s electric utilities procure 5,600 megawatts of new offshore wind capacity by 2027, up from a former goal of 4,000 megawatts. It also removes a controversial price cap that required every new wind project to offer cheaper electricity than the previous one — a mechanism that critics argued was stifling economic development. Other parts of the bill shore up the electric grid, decarbonize the Boston-area transit system by 2040, and require all new cars sold in Massachusetts to be zero-emissions by 2035. Among the bill’s most contentious elements is a section that makes it legal for 10 municipalities to ban fossil fuel-powered appliances in new buildings. Although these bans are common in cities across the West Coast, attempts by Massachusetts cities to follow suit have been blocked by a law that empowers a state board to make most decisions about buildings’ energy use. This is the part of the climate bill that almost sank it. Baker repeatedly expressed concerns that banning fossil fuel heating would amount to “exclusionary zoning,” limiting cities’ ability to build affordable housing. “That part of the bill gives me agita,” he told reporters earlier this week. Baker ultimately signed the bill, in part because he valued the clean energy advancements and sustainable jobs it would create for Massachusetts. He may also have been swayed by stipulations included in the final legislation, including a requirement that cities meet affordable housing quotas before they can ban fossil fuel infrastructure in new buildings. The law also precludes life sciences labs and health care facilities from being affected by bans. David Mendels, a co-founder of the advocacy group ZeroCarbonMA, said that seven municipalities — including Cambridge, Concord, and Brookline, whose 2019 bylaw made it the first community on the East Coast to ban gas hookups in new construction before the state struck the law down — meet the affordable housing stipulations and are ready to move forward with their fossil fuel heating bans. The other three cities may soon follow, and even more cities could apply for eligibility to do the same. He added, however, that new construction only accounts for a small percentage of Massachusetts’ housing stock, and that additional policies are needed to replace gas-powered appliances and heating systems in existing buildings.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/politics/massachusetts-republican-governor-signs-far-reaching-climate-bill-into-law/
     
         
      Drought hits Germany's Rhine River: 'We have 30cm of water left' Fri, 12th Aug 2022 8:26:00
     
      As Europe lives through a long, hot summer, one of the continent's major rivers is getting drier - posing major problems for the people and businesses that rely on it. Captain Andre Kimpel casts an experienced, but worried, eye across the river Rhine, where water levels have dropped significantly in recent days. Several ferry services in and around the town of Kaub have been forced to a standstill, but he's still carrying people and their cars across the water to the opposite bank - for now. "It's no joke," he says as he navigates the water which sparkles in the summer sunshine. "We have 1.5m [5ft] of water and our boat sits 1.20m deep. So we have 30 centimetres of water left beneath us." It's not unusual for water levels to drop here but, Captain Kimpel says, it's happening more frequently. "We used to have a lot of floods. Now we have a lot of low waters." On the riverbank nearby, there's an old measuring station. Any skipper wanting to enter the Upper Rhine will refer to the official water level recorded here. The current level hasn't yet fallen below the lowest figure ever recorded here, in October of 2018. The measurement then was 25cm (the measurement is taken from the same reference point in the water, not the deepest point on the river bed). It's currently 42cm - but is forecast to fall further in the coming days. Travel a little further upstream and the challenge is obvious. At the town of Bingen, great swathes of the riverbed are exposed, bleached stones powder dry in the baking sun. People from the nearby town pick their way over the rocks, take photographs. In normal times they'd be underwater. One man told me he'd never seen it like this. A few commercial vessels slowly navigate the channel of water that's left here. The Rhine is one of Europe's great working rivers and industry here relies on barges to fetch and carry raw materials and finished products to and from the power plants and factories that line the riverbank.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62519683
     
         
      In the Amazon, a UN agency has a green mission, but dirty partners Thu, 11th Aug 2022 11:28:00
     
      How United Nations Development Program, or UNDP, one of the world's largest sustainable development organisations partners with polluters, even those that at times work against the interests of the communities the agency is supposed to help RESGUARDO BUENAVISTA, Colombia — At the edge of the Colombian Amazon, in an Indigenous village surrounded by oil rigs, the Siona people faced a dilemma. The United Nations Development Program, or UNDP, had just announced a $1.9 million regional aid package. In a village with no running water, intermittent electricity and persistent poverty, any money would mean food and opportunity. But the aid program was part of a partnership between the U.N. agency and GeoPark, the multinational petroleum company. The company holds contracts to drill near the Siona reservation, including one with the government that would expand operations onto what the Siona consider their ancestral land. To the Siona people on the Buenavista reservation, oil drilling is an assault, akin to draining blood from the earth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbesindia.com/amp/article/news/in-the-amazon-a-un-agency-has-a-green-mission-but-dirty-partners/78899/1
     
         
      ‘Catastrophic’ drought displaces one million in Somalia, world asked to ‘step up’ support Thu, 11th Aug 2022 8:20:00
     
      A devastating drought in Somalia has reached unprecedented levels, leaving one million people within the country currently registered as displaced, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Thursday. More than 755,000 people have been internally displaced in Somalia because of the severe dry spell this year, bringing the total figure to one million since January when the drought began, according to new figures released by UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). “This one million milestone serves as a massive alarm bell for Somalia,” said Mohamed Abdi, NRC’s Country Director in Somalia. Somalia is going through a two-year historic dry spell, the likes of which have not been seen in more than 40 years. And an expected fifth failed rainy season is bound to displace many more families, as famine looms on the horizon, the UNHCR said. Death: ‘A matter of time’ The UN agency spoke with Hussein, an elderly father of eight who, having fled his village after drought ravaged their crops and livestock, recently arrived with his family at a camp for displaced people. “The people left behind, they have no chance,” he said. “It is just a matter of time until they die. Even here we might die because we have nothing”. The number of people facing crisis hunger levels in Somalia is expected to rise from some five million to more than seven million in the coming months – exacerbated by the effects of climate change, and rising food prices triggered by the conflict in Ukraine. Vulnerable communities In terms of climate vulnerability, Somalia is ranked second highest globally, based on 2019 data, according to the University of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Initiative ranking. “Vulnerable communities are the hardest hit by the effects of the climate crisis, leaving many families unprotected and increasing displacement,” said UNHCR’s Representative in Somalia, Magatte Guisse. The 2022 Gu rainy season, from March to June, came to an early end in May, with lower rainfall recorded and little to no rain in June. Northern areas recorded 30 to 60 per cent of the average rainfall, while the central and southern areas received 45 to 75 per cent – marking the fourth consecutive failed rainy season since late 2020. ‘Step up to save lives’ The UNHCR official noted that even before this latest crisis, “the Somalia situation was already one of the most underfunded”. “While we and humanitarian partners are doing what we can to respond, we simply have insufficient resources,” he said. “The international community must step up to save lives and support this humanitarian response”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124472?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=df2015f63b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_08_11_03_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-df2015f63b-107499886
     
         
      Loire Valley: Intense European heatwave parches France's 'garden' Wed, 10th Aug 2022 12:53:00
     
      The Loire Valley is known as "the Garden of France". But the garden is withering. France's worst drought since records began has turned lush vegetation into arid fields of brown crops, shrivelling under what is now the fourth heatwave of the year. In Vincent Favreau's vegetable farm, where he produces food for a hundred families in the area, the parched earth has stunted the growth of the cabbages. His potato plants are burnt out, producing just half the crop of a normal year. "Either the vegetables will die of thirst, or they won't develop enough during this crucial period of growth," he said, sifting through the dry soil, which he hasn't been able to water since restrictions came in two weeks ago. "With this heat and wind, we can't compensate for what the sun is evaporating. I've never seen something like this in my twenty-two years here. If it doesn't rain within two months, it'll be a disaster." The world is already suffering from a food crisis from the war in Ukraine, a global breadbasket. Now, other major food producers, like France, are showing worrying signs. Its corn production is forecast to drop by some 18% this year, with wheat and animal feed also falling. Vast fields of corn and sunflowers that should be lush and abundant at this time of year are instead dusty and lifeless, unable to be revived due to hosepipe bans. The crops are dying in soil that has long since dried out after the hottest July on record. Denis Laizé, a corn farmer and president of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Maine et Loire department, picked his way through rows of bare corn crops, the handful of kernels unfertilised due to a lack of water. "This field is useless in terms of a harvest," he lamented. "The Ukraine war has shown how countries must become more independent with their food production," he said. "With the conflict and now climate change bringing farming to our knees there are big questions about how we'll feed our world. Some areas - particularly parts of Africa - will have even more food shortages." Across two-thirds of France, a state of crisis has been declared by the government, with rainfall down by some 85%. There are restrictions across the country on watering gardens and filling swimming pools. Around a hundred "communes" - villages or municipalities - were without tap water over last weekend. Some parts of the Loire river have virtually dried up completely. We stood in the middle of a section near the town of Saumur that is nothing more than sand banks and the odd puddle; locals say the water level has never been so low at this time of the year. On the bank, beside a wall marked with lines showing how high the water levels would once reach, Clotilde Maneuvrier and her family were now picnicking instead, making the most of a new and worrying landscape. "It's very sad to see," she said. "We never imagined the river would be as dry as this. It's a huge surprise - and a wake-up call for us all to take decisions so this doesn't become even worse." Foreign homeowners have long been drawn to the verdant villages of the Loire Valley. Alan and Judith Mills from Lancashire have owned a house near Saumur for more than twenty years. Now their "place in the sun" has little relief from the baking August heat - and the forest fires that have plagued France over the summer. "The firemen have been out, we've heard the sirens and seen the smoke," Judith said. "In our garden, we have a well but we're using it sparingly and we're having showers rather than baths. We're concerned about the environment - it's the future for our children and grandchildren."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62486386
     
         
      Judge scuttles fossil fuel leasing plan Wed, 10th Aug 2022 10:42:00
     
      A federal judge scuttled plans to expand fossil fuel extraction in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming last week, saying that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, had failed to consider how new oil, gas, and coal development might threaten public health and the environment. According to U.S. District Judge Brian Morris, the agency also did not consider the possibility or benefits of limiting new leases for coal production or expanding existing coal mines, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and a court order from 2018. “BLM again failed to consider any alternative that decreases the amount of extractable coal practically available for leasing,” Morris wrote in his decision. The BLM’s resource management plans, originally developed by the Trump administration and which President Joe Biden’s BLM has defended, would have opened up new swaths of public land in Wyoming and Montana for fossil fuel leasing — especially for coal. The 13-million-acre Powder River Basin is the United States’ leading source of coal mined on federal lands, providing about 40 percent of the country’s total supply. According to Earthjustice, an environmental law nonprofit, the Bureau of Land Management’s leasing plans would have produced roughly 6 billion tons of coal over the next 20 years. Judge Morris ordered the BLM to conduct a new analysis within the next year, this time considering “no coal leasing and limited coal leasing alternatives,” and disclosing the public health and environmental consequences of burning fossil fuels. Environmental groups have hailed the decision. “That a federal judge ordered the Bureau to consider a no-leasing alternative and disclose to the public how many people will be sickened and die as a result of the combustion of federal coal is groundbreaking,” said Melissa Hornbein, a senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, in a statement. “The courts recognize the seriousness of the climate crisis and the impacts of fossil-fuel pollution. The BLM must now do likewise.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/judge-scuttles-fossil-fuel-leasing-plan/
     
         
      Belarus: Rights experts denounce withdrawal from key environmental agreement Wed, 10th Aug 2022 10:39:00
     
      UN experts on Wednesday denounced the decision by Belarus to withdraw from an international agreement that upholds people’s right to access information, as well as justice, in environmental matters. The Aarhus Convention, adopted in 1998, also requires that individuals exercising these rights are not persecuted, penalized or harassed for doing so. Belarus’s President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a decree on 18 July effectively ending the country’s participation. Withdrawal is scheduled to take effect on 24 October, in line with article 21 of the Convention. Strengthening rights, ensuring compliance In denouncing the move, the UN experts noted that the Aarhus Convention has had considerable success in strengthening access rights, sustainable development and environmental democracy. They said it is a leading example among international instruments on implementing human rights obligations relating to environmental protection, specifically the rights to information, public participation and justice. “Key to the Aarhus Convention’s success has been the work of its Compliance Committee, including the ability of members of the public to bring cases of alleged non-compliance with the Convention before the Committee,” they added. Persecution and harassment The Compliance Committee as a non-confrontational, non-judicial and consultative mechanism, according to the experts, and its findings have considerably furthered implementation of the Convention. They recalled that since 2014, the Committee has closely scrutinized the conduct of Belarus in respect of persecution, penalization and harassment of environmental rights defenders. Members also worked to assist the country in addressing non-compliance. Despite this, the Committee found that Belarus had not yet addressed its recommendations, and expressed grave concern that the situation for environmental human rights defenders there was rapidly deteriorating. Shortly thereafter, the Committee found that the August 2021 liquidation of an environmental non-government organization was a further incident of persecution, penalization and harassment. Given the gravity of the situation, the remaining States party to the Convention moved to suspend the special rights and privileges accorded to Belarus. Step up commitment The UN experts stated that countries dissatisfied with the outcome of cases, decided by the Compliance Committee, should not withdraw from the Convention. Instead, they should strengthen their commitment to human rights, sustainable development and environmental democracy. “Countries should take concrete measures to secure effective enjoyment of the rights to information, public participation and justice, and this includes securing a safe and enabling environment for environmental human rights defenders and all other representatives of civil society,” said the experts.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124402
     
         
      Pakistan floods: 'I lost everything' Wed, 10th Aug 2022 7:22:00
     
      As 22-year-old Muhammad Aslam combs through the ruins of his home, he finds rubble where there were once walls, and piles of straw he's used as a thatch roof for his mud home. His village Sadori - in the Pakistani province of Balochistan - was devastated by flash floods that began in June and have since killed more than 500 people. Close to 50,000 houses have been either been damaged or flattened so far, displacing thousands of people. Mr Aslam and a few others have returned to their village see if they can rebuild their life here. But it's a grim sight that greets them. Nothing can be saved - even their farm land has been turned into a muddy swamp. "I lost everything," he says. The monsoons first hit Pakistan in the middle of June. The country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said they brought 133% more rainfall than the annual average, which has not happened in years. The downpour triggered floods which wreaked havoc across provinces, swallowing up entire villages, roads and bridges. For days, people were trapped, landlocked with little help, local media reported. In Sadori, the clouds are still grey and heavy. Anxiety hangs thick in the air. Mr Aslam tells us he is worried about more rains in the coming weeks and has moved his family to a temporary shelter on higher ground. Floods: Research shows millions more at risk of flooding Extreme weather: What is it and how is it connected to climate change? Authorities set up the tented accommodation as part of relief efforts. In Balochistan province alone, more than 18,000 homes have either been partially or completely destroyed. People in Sadori say they do not know how much time they have until the next disaster. Their fears are not without merit. Pakistan's meteorological department (PMD) has warned of a new monsoon spell, expected to brings strong winds and heavy rains to some parts of the country. This comes just as water levels were beginning to subside, and the water level in many rivers was starting to go back to normal. And the floods have already severely hit livelihoods in a country where half the population still depends on agriculture - either selling livestock or farming. Muhammad Saleh is a cotton and wheat farmer. He told us that in a matter of days he lost a year's worth of harvest to the deluge. Under the gloomy skies, he and his brother pull out bags of wheat buried by mounds of dirt. As he tears open the bags to inspect his prized grain, his face drops. "It's all been damaged, all of it," he says. "This wheat stock was over 350kg, which was enough for almost eight months of food for our entire family. Now there's nothing left for us." The 40-year-old father of two lived on a compound with his brother and other family members - 27 in total. The rest of his family have moved to a temporary shelter until it's safe to return home. Locals told the BBC that the shelters often run out of food, and the rations are meagre. Local government agencies have opened camps in flood-hit regions with the help of relief organisations, and are working to help relocate families. Authorities have admitted that relief efforts have been slow, but they say it's not a matter of will but of resources. Mr Saleh said he is looking for temporary work as a labourer but with most farm land in the area destroyed, work is difficult to come by. "Winter is coming and we don't have anything - not even bedding. I do not know how will we live or keep the children warm." In another village in Lasbela district the community have gathered to pray with a family who've lost three people to the floods. Ahmad, who goes by his first name only, woke up to the news that his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter had been killed overnight. The night before, he had asked his son and his family to sleep at his house. But his son declined, assuming the flooding was not going to get much worse. "We found them the next morning - their bodies were stuck in a tree. It's so painful for me to lose them this way," he said, overcome by grief. Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing less than one percent of global emissions, according to the Climate Change Risk Index 2021 by NGO German Watch. Local weather experts have warned there are already signs things are changing for the worse because of the climate crisis. The rains this time devastated not only remote communities, but also flooded cities. In Karachi, the streets remained submerged for days. The floods have shown just how fragile the country's infrastructure is, and how vulnerable people here are to extreme weather. And climate experts believe Pakistan needs to adapt and develop its infrastructure, keeping climate change challenges in mind. That's something that Mr Saleh prays for too.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62469448
     
         
      Panama Canal grapples with climate change threat Tue, 9th Aug 2022 11:31:00
     
      Global warming and changing weather patterns are affecting the water supply for one of the world's most important waterways, the Panama Canal, as well as access to drinking water for millions of Panamanians, reports journalist Grace Livingstone from Panama City. The Panama Canal is a great feat of 20th-Century engineering. Upon its completion in 1914, this man-made waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans nearly halved the travel time between the US West Coast and Europe. To this day, ships have to pass through a series of locks to overcome the differences in height along its 50-mile (80km) length. They are lifted up to 85ft (26m) above sea level before being lowered again. The canal's locks act as a kind of elevator, using enormous amounts of water released from artificial lakes at the top of mountains to raise the vessels, explains Mahelis de García, a Panama Canal guide. But as global warming affects weather patterns, operating the canal is becoming an ever greater challenge. According to the Panama canal authorities, 2019 was the fifth driest year in Panama for 70 years with rainfall down 20% compared to the historic average. But it is not only dry years that cause difficulties - heavy rain can also create problems as it can cause the artificial lakes to overflow. As dry years and storms become more common, the canal needs to find fresh sources of water and new ways to store it. Every time a ship goes through the locks, 55m gallons (250m litres) of fresh water is used, then released into the sea. On average, 37 ships go through the locks every day, using more than 2bn gallons (9bn litres) of fresh water. The vice-president of water projects at the Panama Canal, John Langman, says they are working on finding solutions to ensure the canal does not run out of water. We understand that the canal is of huge significance to the Panamanian economy." He explains that in the exceptionally dry year of 2019, the canal authorities had to reduce the amount of water they used to operate the locks, which meant that ships could not carry such heavy cargo because there was less water between the keel of the ship and the bottom of the canal. To keep the locks functioning, the canal authorities are looking at ways to store more water in rainy years to ensure a sufficient supply in drier times. They are carrying out feasibility studies on a number of options including deepening existing artificial lakes to capture more rainwater. Mr Langman says they will aim first to find a solution within the watershed around the canal, but they may have to look at water sources in other parts of the country. None of the options are easy. One possibility that canal authorities are studying is building a dam on the river Indio, in the province of Coclé in central Panama. But this could displace thousands of small farmers, and it has worried Diego Herrera, who farms 40 hectares of land with his family in Coquillo. "What will we do if they flood our land? Where will we go? They haven't explained to us where they will relocate us." It is important to emphasize that this dam is only one of many possible options under consideration, and the canal authorities stress that they will opt for a solution that has the lowest environmental and social impact. The search for water sources is not just about ships and commerce. The Panama Canal Authority also supplies drinking water to half of the Panamanian population, including the residents of the capital, Panama City. The drinking water comes from the same artificial lakes that is used to run the locks. The Panama Canal Authority is considering desalinating sea water for human consumption, enabling more of the water in the artificial lakes to be used for the canal. Environmentalist and former deputy mayor of Panama City, Raisa Banfield, says that as the population of the city grows, with more buildings constructed and forest areas depleted, there is increasing pressure on Panama's water resources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-62407514
     
         
      Senate passes historic climate bill Tue, 9th Aug 2022 9:56:00
     
      After more than a year of negotiations, Senate Democrats on Sunday passed far-reaching legislation to slash the U.S.’s cumulative greenhouse gas emissions roughly 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade. The $433 billion Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, is “the most comprehensive piece of legislation affecting the American people in decades,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, told the New York Times. The bill came together in a whirlwind when, after months of painful back-and-forth, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia abruptly agreed two weeks ago to back a spending package with more than $369 billion in clean energy tax credits and other funding for climate and energy programs. Just three days after conservative Democrat Kirsten Sinema of Arizona had signed onto the bill, all 50 Democrats in the Senate voted for it, overcoming uniform opposition from the chamber’s 50 Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote on Sunday, paving the way for unprecedented investment in everything from solar panels and wind turbines to electric cars. The bill includes half a billion dollars to produce more heat pumps and process more minerals that are critical for electric car batteries, and roughly $60 billion of its climate funding is specifically meant to boost environmental justice, for example by reducing pollution from ports. Independent analyses predict the IRA could avert roughly 6.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade and prevent up to 3,894 premature deaths per year by 2030. Although the bill contains support for fossil fuel projects — a concession to win Manchin’s blessing — experts say it would prevent 24 tons of emissions for every 1 ton caused by leasing for oil and gas drilling. “The bill’s certainly not perfect, but that’s how we were able to get it done,” Matt Casale, director of environmental campaigns for the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group, told me. Meanwhile, May Boeve, executive director of the nonprofit 350.org, called on environmental advocates to oppose the bill’s fossil fuel provisions. “Communities were sold out in this bill, and I think those very same communities are going to be fighting back extremely powerfully,” she told me. “We all need to join them.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/senate-passes-historic-climate-bill/
     
         
      Heat, drought and wildfires during one of the warmest Julys on record– WMO Tue, 9th Aug 2022 9:50:00
     
      Amidst extreme heat, drought and wildfires, many parts of the world had just experienced one of three warmest Julys on record, the UN weather agency said on Tuesday. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), temperatures were close to 0.4? above the 1991-2020 average across much of Europe, with southwestern and western Europe being the most above-average regions, because of an intense heatwave around mid-July. “This is despite the La Niña event that’s meant to have a cooling influence,” explained WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis. “We saw this in some places, but not globally,” she added, noting that it was “one of the three warmest [Julys] on record, slightly cooler than July 2019, warmer 2016- but the difference is too close to call”. Record temperatures Portugal, western France and Ireland broke record highs, while England hit 40? readings for the very first time. National all-time records for daily maximum temperatures were also broken in Wales and Scotland. Spain also had its hottest month on record in July, with an average national temperature of 25.6°C – with a heatwave from 8 to 26 July that was the most intense and longest lasting on record. Using data from the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the UN weather agency confirmed that Europe had its sixth warmest July. The heat travelled further north and east ushering very high temperatures across other countries, including Germany and parts of Scandinavia, with local July and all-time records broken at several locations in Sweden. Temperature anomalies At the same time, from the Horn of Africa to southern India, and much of central Asia to most of Australia experienced below-average temperatures. It also dominated a band of territory stretching from Iceland, across Scandinavia via the Baltic countries continuing as far as the Caspian Sea. Moreover, temperatures were generally below average in Georgia and throughout much of Türkiye. Polar ice shrinking July also saw the lowest Antarctic Sea ice on record, a full seven per cent below average. Arctic Sea ice was four per cent below average, ranking 12th lowest for July according to satellite records. WMO cited the Copernicus Climate Change Service in saying that Arctic Sea ice concentration was the lowest for July on satellite record, which started in 1979, and sea ice there was the 12th lowest ever. Glaciers have seen a “brutal, brutal summer,” Ms. Nullis continued.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124242
     
         
      US Senate passes sweeping climate, tax and healthcare package Tue, 9th Aug 2022 9:10:00
     
      The US Senate has approved a sweeping $700bn (£577bn) economic package that includes major legislation on healthcare, tax and climate change. The bill seeks to lower the cost of some medicines, increase corporate taxes and reduce carbon emissions. The passing of the bill - a flagship part of President Joe Biden's agenda - is a boost ahead of mid-term elections. But it is a significantly scaled-back version of the $3.5tn package that was first proposed by his administration. The bill, a product of 18 months of intense wrangling, passed by a margin of 51 to 50 on Sunday with Vice-President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote. It was previously blocked by two Democratic senators who shared Republican concerns about its cost. It will now be sent to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass in a vote on Friday before the president can sign it into law. The Inflation Reduction Act includes legislation that would allow the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription medicines provided under its Medicare health insurance programme for those aged over 65. That is expected to save hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, according to estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The package also includes a minimum 15% tax on most corporations that make more than $1bn a year in profits. That measure, an issue of contention during negotiations in Congress, is opposed by business groups who argue it will limit investment. ANALYSIS: US climate win masks scale of warming challenge BACKGROUND: Why are prices rising and what is the inflation rate? The bill also includes $369bn for climate action - the largest investment in the issue in US history. Some households could receive up to $7,500 in tax credits to buy an electric car, or $4,000 for a used car. Billions will also be spent in an effort to speed up the production of clean technology such as solar panels and wind turbines. There will also be $60bn given to communities that have suffered the most from fossil fuel pollution. The authors of the bill say it will cut the country's carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. The action on climate comes as the US experiences a wave of extreme weather, including a recent heatwave as well as deadly flooding in Kentucky that left dozens dead. President Biden visited flood-damaged areas of the state on Monday. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said: "After more than a year of hard work, the Senate is making history. To Americans who've lost faith that Congress can do big things, this bill is for you." Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, reportedly cried tears of joy as he left the chamber. "Now I can look my kid in the eye and say we're really doing something about the climate," he said, according to the New York Times. Some Republicans have said they will try to stall or block the progress of the bill. Florida's Republican Senator Marco Rubio argued it was out of touch as it did not help to lower prices for working people or keep criminals in jail - "the things working people in this country care about". On Saturday, Congress debated a revised version of the bill, after compromises on the more ambitious original plan were agreed with two key Democratic holdouts, Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Mr Manchin had feared the original bill would have exacerbated inflation. President Biden - who has called the bill "historic" - has pledged to return the US to the international stage on climate action. In April last year, he pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030. Last month, he announced $2.2bn to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62457386
     
         
      In pictures: Drought hits Europe's rivers and crops Mon, 8th Aug 2022 10:05:00
     
      Much of Europe is baking in record heat, which has exposed riverbeds and triggered restrictions on water use in many areas. In the Netherlands the level of the Waal - the main Dutch branch of the River Rhine - has dropped below the bottom marker on a bridge at Nijmegen. The city lies near the German border, and the Rhine is a key artery for cargo vessels and ferries. Newly exposed stretches of the Waal reveal dumped bicycles, car tyres and other detritus. Parts of the IJssel river, flowing north, are now so narrow that a ban has been imposed on ships passing each other. And the heat has caused toxic algal blooms to flourish in parts of the Maas and Waal rivers, so people have been warned not to swim there, and to keep their dogs out of the water. The south of Spain is well used to scorching summers - but Andalusia is also one of Europe's main agricultural regions, and crops need irrigation in dry conditions. Growers of avocados and olives are especially worried, as those crops require plenty of water. But reservoirs in the basin of the Guadalquivir - one of Spain's longest rivers - are now only a quarter full. The boom in Spain's intensive agriculture has fuelled concern about its sustainability, given the pressure on water resources in hotter climatic conditions. Europeans face the prospect of costlier imported food - on top of higher grain prices caused by the war in Ukraine and supply chain blockages. In northern Italy an unexploded World War Two bomb emerged from the dried-up River Po. It was detonated in a controlled explosion on Sunday. The 450kg (1,000lb) bomb was found by fishermen. Large sections of the 650km (400-mile) river - a dominant feature of northern Italy - have dried up in the country's worst drought for 70 years. The drought is not bad news for everyone, however. In Le Pouliguen, western France, the evaporation of seawater is producing a record harvest of sea salt, Reuters news agency reports. François Durand says the average yield was about 1.3 tonnes per salt pan over the last 10 years, but this year it is 2.5 tonnes. He harvests in the Guérande region of Brittany, whose Fleur de Sel quality sea salt is highly prized worldwide.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62466990
     
         
      San Diego plans to electrify almost every building Mon, 8th Aug 2022 9:08:00
     
      Seven years after it passed one of the nation’s first legally binding climate action plans, San Diego, California, has released an ambitious update. San Diego city council members voted unanimously to adopt an updated Climate Action Plan last week, hastening the city’s transition away from fossil fuels. At the center of the new plan is a ban on natural gas in new homes and businesses: As early as 2023, new construction in San Diego will have to incorporate electric appliances and heating systems, rather than their fossil fuel-powered counterparts. The plan also goes a step further by aiming to electrify nearly all of the city’s existing buildings over the next 12 years — an important but relatively unprecedented commitment that the city estimates could account for nearly 40 percent of the plan’s emission reductions by 2035. “Implementing this more ambitious plan won’t be easy,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said at a public hearing last week. “But the financial cost and human consequences of inaction are almost unimaginable. We must act now.” To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How San Diego now joins dozens of other American cities and counties that have restricted the use of gas in buildings, more than 50 of them in California. Legislators in these cities — including Denver, Seattle, and New York City — note that natural gas-powered appliances exacerbate climate change and emit hazardous pollutants that contribute to respiratory problems. However, the movement to restrict natural gas continues to face aggressive opposition from the fossil fuel industry. Since 2020, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and 16 other states — mostly in the South and Midwest — have adopted so-called “preemption laws” designed to bar cities from passing their own natural gas bans. Alejandra Mejia Cunningham, a building decarbonization advocate for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said she thinks the fossil fuel industry has run out of steam on this strategy, as it faces heightened opposition, particularly from Democrats. Last year, preemption proposals in Pennsylvania and North Carolina were vetoed by Democratic governors.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/san-diego-plans-to-electrify-almost-every-building/
     
         
      US climate bill success masks scale of warming challenge Mon, 8th Aug 2022 7:23:00
     
      Many are hailing a landmark US bill approved by the US Senate as a game changer for American and global efforts to tackle the root causes of rising temperatures. But how will the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) work and what will it achieve in terms of reining in global temperatures? Attempts to curb fossil fuel emissions from power plants have fallen foul of the US courts, so President Joe Biden's administration has gone with a tried and tested approach - putting cash in the hands of voters. Consumers will get incentives under the bill to purchase new and second-hand electric cars, to warm their homes with heat pumps and even to cook their food using electric induction. Landmark US climate bill clears Senate hurdle 40C heatwave has to be climate change - scientists Could naming heatwaves save lives? Electricity generators will get ten years of tax credits to supply more wind and solar power, which will lead to more renewable energy being supplied to the market. This will displace emissions-heavy gas and coal. Taken together with measures to penalise methane leaks and $20bn to cut emissions in agriculture, the whole package will likely cut US emissions by 40% below 2005 levels, according to analysis. This is well below the 50-52% cut promised by President Biden just last year, but the fact that the US will be able to go a long way towards meeting that target is being seen as a victory, at least by American observers. That promise was part of the pledges for 2030 from around the globe that experts at Climate Action Tracker suggested would put the world on course of 2.4C of warming this century. On the surface, if the US is not able to make its full 50-52% promised cut, then getting below 2.4C looks tough. It's worth repeating that this is well above the threshold of 1.5C of warming - compared with pre-industrial levels - that scientists say is critical to avoid very dangerous impacts. US observers hope that this significant action now being taken at the Federal level will spur greater efforts from US cities and states. But will the new act spur greater efforts from other countries? So far the reaction has been muted. Observers say it is progress, but it comes after decades of failure to put legislation on the books. The bill will also do little to repair relations with China, the world's biggest carbon emitter. China broke off discussions with the US on climate issues last week in retaliation for the visit to Taiwan of the House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Climate was one of the few areas where relations between the superpowers remained positive. Without a level of trust and agreement between the two, the Paris climate agreement would never have been born. At last year's COP26 gathering in Glasgow, co-operation between the two helped the talks achieve some progress. All that now lies in ruins - and the knock-on effects are not likely to be positive. "The fear is that the US-China tension can become an excuse for those countries that are unwilling to step up," said Bernice Lee, Research Director for futures at Chatham House, speaking to the Reuters news agency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62464546
     
         
      Port Talbot: Tata Steel faces crunch-time, professor warns Sun, 7th Aug 2022 17:29:00
     
      The UK's largest steelworks is facing "crunch time" over reducing carbon emissions, a professor has warned. There have been warnings the Port Talbot plant could be closed if a deal isn't reached for subsidies to reduce carbon emissions. Tata Steel said it was committed to cutting its impact on the environment and climate change. Prof John Gibbins said the technology could cost up to £1bn and take years to implement, but would save jobs. He told BBC Wales carbon capture and storage was the answer. But an economist said the technology would not be viable. So, what are the issues when it comes to making steel greener? Talks continuing with Tata steel, Welsh secretary says Port Talbot 'would be 'dead' without its steelworks Prof Gibbins, Director of the Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre, said carbon capture and storage would allow the plant to make low or zero-carbon steel beyond 2050. Carbon Capture and Storage is the process of capturing carbon dioxide before it's released into the atmosphere, and then transporting and storing the carbon. He said the technology would take two to three years to implement, and cost between £500m and £1bn. He said: "This is something that will preserve jobs, real jobs. What needs to be done, is for the Welsh government first of all to latch onto the idea. "This is crunch time, if that plant gets closed then God help us." But Cardiff University Business School economics professor, Calvin Jones, said carbon capture would not work at Port Talbot and would add "significantly" to steelmaking costs. He said: "Unfortunately, carbon capture and storage has not been proved at commercial scale - for fossil energy generation or industry. "In the case of Port Talbot, there is simply nowhere near to store the carbon. Newly leased UK storage sites are all in the North Sea. "This will require either an entirely new CO2 pipe-distribution network, or a fleet of CO2 carrier ships to take Port Talbot's CO2 to where it can be geologically stored. "Either will add very significantly to steelmaking costs." He did not believe carbon capture would be able to fix the climate problem for energy, industry or Port Talbot. Prof Jones said there were alternatives. He said: "There is some steel-making under development using hydrogen instead of coke. For example Volvo are procuring this for their cars. "This of course requires a surplus of hydrogen, which can only be made in a zero carbon way with green electricity. "Unfortunately, Wales has been slow to develop green electricity. South Wales has one of the highest carbon electricity supplies in the UK. "So again, there would need to be, probably, billions in investment in and around the area to make this a reality for Tata. "We have a lot of catching up to do." Tata Steel said it was committed to cutting its impact on the environment and climate change. The firm said its ambition was to produce net-zero steel by or before 2050, and to have reduce 30% of CO2 emissions by 2030. A spokesman said: "The company continues to make progressive strides in reducing the environmental impact of its processes through innovation, investment and collaboration. "Additionally, its steel products remain critical not only for UK manufacturing supply chains, but also in the UK's transition to a green economy." Tata Steel knows it has to dramatically reduce the amount of CO2 it emits to reach its own targets as part of the UK's transition to net zero. But, because the Port Talbot steelworks is vast and complex, radically changing the way it makes steel doesn't just take millions of pounds, it also takes years. That is exactly why the steelworks' owners want to know whether the UK government favours an economy based on renewable energy or hydrogen. It needs an answer quickly because transferring to an electric powered furnace or building a system to capture and store the carbon it emits would take years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62422873
     
         
      France drought: Parched towns left short of drinking water Sat, 6th Aug 2022 9:13:00
     
      The French government has set up a crisis team to tackle a historic drought that has left more than 100 municipalities short of drinking water. Trucks are taking water to those areas, as "there is nothing left in the pipes", Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu said. The prime minister's office said it was France's worst recorded drought. Water use is being restricted in 93 regions. Dry conditions are expected to continue for at least the next two weeks. The state energy company EDF has had to reduce output at some nuclear power plants, as river temperatures are too high to provide sufficient cooling, AFP news agency reports. There are fears that the drought - hitting nearly all of mainland France - will reduce crop yields, exacerbating the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Europeans are already struggling with higher food prices as grain exports from Russia and Ukraine - among the world's top producers - are much lower than normal. The heatwave that has baked France since June has prompted trees and bushes to shed their leaves early, creating scenes that look autumnal. In July France had just 9.7mm (0.38 inches) of rain, making it the driest month since March 1961, the national weather service Meteo-France said. Irrigation has been banned in much of the north-west and south-east of France to conserve water.The corn harvest, used mainly for animal feed, is expected to be 18.5% lower this year compared with 2021, the agriculture ministry said. The main corn-growing areas are Alsace in the east and western regions, and the harvest is already under way.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62436468
     
         
      Norfolk farmer warns lack of rain is killing crops Fri, 5th Aug 2022 6:32:00
     
      A farmer is warning the current lack of rainfall means crops "are just dying on their feet". Chris Skinner, from High Ash Farm in Caistor St Edmunds, in south Norfolk, has seen crops dry up, and up to 1,000 mature trees die on his land. "I've not seen conditions like this, not even in 1976. It's just prolonged relentless drought. We need water, that's how we farm," he said. July saw temperature records broken and rainfall is down 76%. Further periods of hot dry weather are forecast by the Met Office. Autumn officially starts in September but the signs of autumnal leaf-fall are already being seen at Mr Skinner's farm. "There are thousands of trees here - they just cannot cope with these conditions," he said. "Large trees need hundreds of litres of water each day and it's just not there for them anymore." He added: "All the root crops here, and at the neighbouring farms, are just dying on their feet. "Maize is quite drought resistant - but not for this." Hawthorn berries and blackberries are also drying up, he said. Meanwhile, the number of young swallows in his stable block has doubled to more than 100 this year, but some have already started to migrate, a month earlier than they usually would. "I've been here a long time - all my life - 72 years [and] I've not seen conditions like this, not even in 1976," Mr Skinner said. "It's just prolonged, relentless drought. "We need water, that's how we farm, that's how we make our living, that's how the countryside looks like it does. "And it's changing." According to Met Office data, every month this year has seen below average rainfall and July was the driest July on record, with only 10% of the average rainfall expected.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-62435037
     
         
      Ukraine war: UN chief Guterres slams oil and gas firms' 'grotesque greed' Thu, 4th Aug 2022 10:14:00
     
      UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for oil and gas companies to face special taxes. His comments come as surging energy prices sparked by the war in Ukraine push industry profits to new highs. Mr Guterres said it was "immoral" for firms to be profiting from the crisis. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February has worsened a global shortage of oil and gas, disrupting access to oil and gas from Russia - a major supplier - and driving prices higher. While households are grappling with higher energy bills, companies are reaping the benefits. BP recently reported its largest profit in 14 years, while Shell's profits in the April-to-June period hit a record. Together, four of the biggest energy firms - Exxon, Chevron, Shell and TotalEnergies - earned nearly $51bn in the most recent quarter - almost double what they made in the same period last year. How does the windfall tax on energy firms work? Energy giants see profits soar as bills rise "This grotesque greed is punishing the poorest and most vulnerable people, while destroying our only common home," Mr Guterres said. "I urge all governments to tax these excessive profits, and use the funds to support the most vulnerable people through these difficult times." Last month, the UK approved a 25% 'windfall tax' on energy firms, a one-off levy the government says will raise some £25bn to help offset household energy bills, which have spiked. Some other countries, such as Italy, have imposed similar measures. But French lawmakers recently rejected such a move, and there is little political momentum in the US, despite a windfall tax proposal from some members of Congress. Frank Macchiarola, a senior vice president for oil and gas lobby group the American Petroleum Institute, said calls for a windfall tax were misguided. "Policymakers should be focused on increasing energy supply and reducing costs for Americans. Imposing new taxes on our industry will do the exact opposite and only discourage investment at a time when it's needed most," he said. Mr Guterres warned that high energy prices would have wide ranging consequences, as households and governments around the world buckle under the pressure.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62415904
     
         
      Australia Knocks Back Major Coal Project Near Great Barrier Reef Thu, 4th Aug 2022 9:24:00
     
      Australia’s new government rejected plans for a major coal project near the Great Barrier Reef, marking a sharp change in policy in one of the biggest exporters of the polluting fossil fuel. Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said Thursday that she intended to not approve mining tycoon Clive Palmer’s Central Queensland Coal project due to the likelihood of “unacceptable impacts” on the world heritage site. It’s the first time an Australian minister has refused a coal mine under the country’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, her office said. The announcement comes on the same day Australia’s lower house of parliament passed legislation to cut the country’s emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030 in a major policy victory for the Labor government that came to power in May after a climate-focused election. There is a 10-day period of public comment on the decision and the proponents of the mine were contacted, Pilbersek said. Central Queensland Coal didn’t immediately respond to a phone call and email for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-04/australia-knocks-back-major-coal-project-near-great-barrier-reef
     
         
      100% electric trucks and buses by 2050 Tue, 2nd Aug 2022 19:22:00
     
      After two years of drafting, a coalition of 17 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and the Canadian province of Quebec has released a roadmap to make 100 percent of truck and bus sales electric by 2050. The action plan published last week was facilitated by Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, or NESCAUM, a nonprofit association of state-level air quality agencies. To address the climate toll of transportation — the U.S.’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions — the 62-page document lays out ways that state and federal policymakers can accelerate the transition away from fossil fuel-powered medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, defined as vehicles that weigh 8,501 pounds or more. “[T]he time for bold action is now,” the plan says, highlighting ways that reducing vehicle emissions could benefit both the climate and human health. The 17 states that contributed to the roadmap — including California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Maine, among others — account for 49 percent of the country’s economy, 43 percent of its population, and 36 percent of its medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How Recommendations in the plan include new regulations requiring state agencies to purchase a certain number of electric trucks and buses, subsidies to make medium- and heavy-duty EVs more affordable, and greater investment in EV charging infrastructure. It also highlights existing proposals in states that belong to the coalition, like a “clean transit corridor” along the West Coast, with fast-charging infrastructure for large vehicles at dozens of stops from San Diego to Seattle. Stephanie Gagnon, an associate policy fellow for the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, applauded the roadmap for prioritizing environmental justice, including by creating equitable access to job opportunities related to vehicle electrification. “These actions are essential to ensuring decarbonization happens in a way that supports communities rather than entrenching injustices,” she told me.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/100-electric-trucks-and-buses-by-2050/
     
         
      American west faces water and power shortages due to climate crisis: UN environment agency Tue, 2nd Aug 2022 10:19:00
     
      Two of the largest reservoirs in the United States are at dangerously low levels due to the climate crisis and overconsumption of water, which could affect water and electricity supply for millions in six western states and Mexico, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned on Tuesday. Lake Mead and Lake Powell are currently at their lowest levels ever and are at risk of reaching “dead pool status”, meaning that the water in the dams would be so low it could no longer flow downstream and power hydroelectric power stations. ‘A new very dry normal’ “The conditions in the American west, which we're seeing around the Colorado River basin, have been so dry for more than 20 years that we're no longer speaking of a drought,” said Lis Mullin Bernhardt, an ecosystems expert at UNEP. “We refer to it as ‘aridification’ - a new very dry normal.” Lake Mead, located in Nevada and Arizona, was created in the 1930s by the construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. It is the largest artificial body of water in the US. Lake Powell, located in Utah and Arizona, is the second largest and was created in the 1960s with the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. The reservoirs provide water and electricity to tens of millions of people in the states of Nevada, Arizona, California, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, and in Mexico, as well as irrigation water for agriculture. Climate impacts increasing Experts warn that as the crisis deepens, water cuts will need to be introduced, but may not be enough. “While regulating and managing water supply and demand are essential in both the short and long term, climate change is at the heart of this issue,” said Maria Morgado, UNEP’s Ecosystems Officer in North America. “In the long term we need to address the root causes of climate change as well as water demands.” Over the past two decades, most major disasters – 90 per cent – were caused by floods, droughts, and other water-related events, according to the UN agency. With more frequent droughts, people in affected areas will increasingly depend on groundwater. Meanwhile, increases in water demand – due to growing populations, for example – have compounded climate change impacts such as reduction in precipitation as well as temperature rises, which lead to increased evaporation of surface water and, ultimately, decreasing soil moisture. “We are talking about a 20-year period of drought-like conditions with an ever-increasing demand on water,” said Ms. Bernhardt. “These conditions are alarming, and particularly in the Lake Powell and Lake Mead region, it is the perfect storm.” A wider issue What’s happening in the American west is part of a wider trend affecting hundreds of millions of people across the world who are impacted by climate change, UNEP said, as drought and desertification are quickly becoming the new normal everywhere – from the US to Europe and Africa. Since 1970, weather, climate and water hazards have accounted for 50 per cent of all disasters, and impact 55 million people every year. Furthermore, some 2.3 billion people globally face water stress annually. This information is included in a compendium titled Drought in Numbers, published in May by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which works to reverse land degradation.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1123782?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=01fd2aaabd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_08_02_04_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-01fd2aaabd-107499886
     
         
      Climate change: More studies needed on possibility of human extinction Mon, 1st Aug 2022 10:27:00
     
      Catastrophic climate change outcomes, including human extinction, are not being taken seriously enough by scientists, a new study says. The authors say that the consequences of more extreme warming - still on the cards if no action is taken - are "dangerously underexplored". They argue that the world needs to start preparing for the possibility of what they term the "climate endgame". They want UN scientists to investigate the risk of catastrophic change. 40C heatwave has to be climate change - scientists Weather forecasters abused over heatwave coverage The PR and ad firms refusing fossil fuel clients Meet the people fighting climate doomism According to this new analysis, the closest attempts to directly understand or address how climate change could lead to global catastrophe have come from popular science books such as The Uninhabitable Earth and not from mainstream science research. In recent years climate scientists have more often studied the impacts of warming of around 1.5C or 2C above the temperatures seen in 1850, before the onset of global industrialisation. These studies show that keeping temperatures close to these levels this century will place heavy burdens on global economies, but they do not envisage the end of humanity. Researchers have focussed on these lower temperature scenarios for good reasons. The Paris climate agreement saw almost every nation on Earth sign up to a deal that aims to keep the rise in global temperatures "well below" 2C this century, and make efforts to keep it under 1.5C. So it's natural that governments would want their scientists to show exactly what this type of change would mean. But this new paper says that not enough attention has been given to more extreme outcomes of climate change. "I think it's sane risk management to think about the plausible worst-case scenarios and we do it when it comes to every other situation, we should definitely do when it comes to the fate of the planet and species," said lead author Dr Luke Kemp from the University of Cambridge. The researchers found that estimates of the impacts of a temperature rise of 3C are under-represented compared to their likelihood. Using climate models, the report shows that in this type of scenario, by 2070 around 2 billion people living in some of the most politically fragile areas of the world would be enduring annual average temperatures of 29C. "Average annual temperatures of 29C currently affect around 30 million people in the Sahara and Gulf Coast," said co-author Chi Xu of Nanjing University. "By 2070, these temperatures and the social and political consequences will directly affect two nuclear powers, and seven maximum containment laboratories housing the most dangerous pathogens. There is serious potential for disastrous knock-on effects," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62378157
     
         
      Driest July in England since 1935 - Met Office Mon, 1st Aug 2022 8:16:00
     
      England had its driest July since 1935, with parts having the least rainfall on record, the Met Office has said. For some parts of the country - south-east and central southern England - last month was the driest July since records began in 1836. Most of England now has low river levels, with serious impacts on farmland, nature and wildlife. Water companies are warning that restrictions on household water use may be introduced. South-east and central southern England saw an average of just 5.0mm rainfall. England saw an average of 23.1mm. The UK more widely had 46.3mm of rainfall, making it the 19th lowest total in July since 1836. When it did rain, it fell more in northern areas of the country. The first hosepipe ban this year will come into effect on 5 August for Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It will prevent customers from filling paddling pools, and from using hosepipes to water gardens and clean cars. Farmers are warning of the devastating conditions of the dry weather on crops. Potatoes, sugar beet and maize are suffering with the lack of rain, with some farmers saying they have been forced to harvest earlier than usual. Wildlife in England is often not adapted to warmer, drier conditions, and scientists warn that species including bumblebees and many birds struggle to cope. The current dry conditions were preceded by the driest January to June since 1976, putting further pressure on water reserves and the land. Is the UK heading for drought? UK sea level rise accelerating Farmers say field fire was 'like apocalypse' Tinder-dry conditions last month sparked wildfires in multiple parts of England and Wales, fuelled by a heatwave that saw record-breaking temperatures above 40C. Leading climate scientists have concluded that the extreme heat would have been "virtually impossible" without human-induced climate change. The world has warmed by about 1.1C since the Industrial Revolution about 200 years ago when humans started pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62382703
     
         
      UK's 40C heatwave 'basically impossible' without climate change Fri, 29th Jul 2022 10:59:00
     
      The record temperatures in the UK last week would have been "almost impossible" without human-induced climate change, leading scientists have concluded. The UK recorded temperatures above 40C for the first time on 19 July. Without human-caused climate change these would have been 2C to 4C cooler, the experts say. It is a taste of what is to come, they say, with more heatwaves, fires and droughts predicted in coming years. The extreme heat caused significant disruption to the UK, with experts warning that excess deaths related to temperatures will be high. Wildfires also destroyed homes and nature in some places. The world has warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial revolution about 200 years ago. Greenhouse gases have been pumped into the atmosphere by activities like burning fuels, which have heated up the Earth's atmosphere. The findings are released by the World Weather Attribution group - a collection of leading climate scientists who meet after an extreme weather event to determine whether climate change made it more likely. They looked at three individual weather stations that recorded very high temperatures - Cranwell, Lincolnshire, St James Park in London, and Durham. Dr Friederike Otto of Imperial College London, who leads the World Weather Attribution group, told BBC News that even in today's climate, having such temperatures was still rare and that we would expect them between once every 500 years and once every 1,500 years. But she said that as global temperatures rose, the likelihood of this heat happening more regularly would increase. "We would not have had last week's temperatures without climate change, that's for sure," she said. These temperatures are at least 2C higher but the real number is probably closer to 4C higher than a world without human-caused climate change, she explained. UK sea level rise speeding up Cities warned to prepare for more wildfire A really simple guide to climate change The scientists use a combination of looking at temperature records dating back through time, and complex mathematical models that assess how human-caused climate change affects the weather. "Because we know very well how many greenhouse gases have been put into the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial revolution, we can take these things out of the model and simulate a world that might have been without climate change," Dr Otto says. That allows the scientists to compare the two different scenarios - a world with 1.1C of warming and a world without that temperature increase.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62335975
     
         
      A new website to beat the heat Fri, 29th Jul 2022 10:25:00
     
      It’s Friday, July 29, and a new government website aims to mitigate the health risks posed by heat waves. The Biden administration unveiled a new website this week to help Americans protect themselves from extreme heat. Visitors to the site, heat.gov, can find information on local heat conditions and forecasts, as well as guides on staying safe during a heat wave and how to respond to heat-related illness. For example, it directs those experiencing heat cramps to stop physical activity, drink water, and seek medical help if the cramps persist for more than an hour. The site is a collaboration among several federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Weather Service for Northern Indiana called the site a “one-stop shop for great information and tips on how to beat the heat.“ Government officials said that easier access to data and resources would especially benefit vulnerable populations like seniors, children, and pregnant people. The new website comes during a particularly brutal summer, as more than 100 million Americans have been broiled by rolling heat waves. Extreme heat plays a role in roughly 700 deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s more than any other weather-related disaster, including hurricanes and floods — partly because heat can aggravate other potentially lethal health problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. Heat.gov is part of a broader suite of actions that the Biden administration is taking to address sweltering temperatures, including new funding to help states, tribes, and territories establish community cooling centers. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also developing a national heat standard to protect workers from dangerous temperatures.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-new-website-to-beat-the-heat/
     
         
      Spain heatwave: PM tells workers to stop wearing ties to save energy Fri, 29th Jul 2022 9:30:00
     
      Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called on workers in the public and private sector to stop wearing ties, as an energy saving measure in the heat. Mr Sanchez said his government will adopt "urgent" energy-saving measures on Monday as European countries strive to become less dependent on Russian gas in the wake of the war in Ukraine. On Friday, temperatures reached 36C (96.8 F) in Madrid and 39C in Seville. Over the past few weeks Europe has experienced record-high temperatures. At a news conference in Madrid, Mr Sanchez pointed out that he wasn't wearing a tie - and said he wanted his ministers, public officials, and workers in the private sector to do the same. "This means that we can all save energy," he added. The prime minister said the move will ensure people stay cooler and therefore lower energy costs, because air conditioners will be used less often. Spain is not the first to take this move. In 2011, Japan introduced its "Super Cool Biz" campaign, which encouraged office workers to wear cooler clothes in summer. And during sweltering temperatures in the UK recently, politicians were told they could ditch their suit jackets while in the House of Commons. Mr Sanchez's government is working on an energy-saving decree, which is expected to be approved on Monday. It includes a move to encourage businesses to keep their doors closed where possible, to prevent air conditioning from escaping. A similar rule was introduced in France earlier this week. The measures are part of the European Commission's €210bn (£176bn) plan to boost renewable energy and reduce European countries' dependency on Russian gas following its invasion of Ukraine. Germany is following suit, with one of its cities, Hanover, announcing that it would only offer cold showers in public pools and sports centres. Extremely high temperatures over the past couple of weeks have led governments across the world to reconsider their energy usage - from an environmental and cost saving perspective. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. As well as increasing energy costs, recent heatwaves have led to more than 500 deaths in Spain over the past two weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62350019
     
         
      ‘Biggest story of the year’ for renewables Joseph Winters Thu, 28th Jul 2022 16:28:00
     
      It’s Thursday, July 28, and the Midwest’s grid operator is preparing for a fossil fuel-free future. More than 2,000 miles of new, high-voltage transmission lines — which help deliver clean energy to homes and businesses — are coming to the Midwest. In a move that’s being hailed by clean energy advocates across the United States, the board of directors for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO — the organization that manages the Midwestern grid — approved a $10.3 billion investment in 18 new transmission lines this week. Never before have so many power lines been approved all at once. Kevin O’Rourke, vice president of strategic partnerships and public affairs for the nonprofit American Council on Renewable Energy, tweeted that the plan was “a big milestone, as it’s the single largest transmission expansion enabling clean energy” in American history. Another expert called it “potentially the biggest story of the year” for clean energy. According to MISO, the new transmission lines will stabilize the grid as it shifts from fossil fuels to renewables. They will help facilitate the retirement of more than 50 gigawatts of fossil fuel-powered electricity, primarily from coal plants, and set the stage for some 53 gigawatts of wind, solar, and battery projects to come online by 2039 — enough to power 12 million homes, according to one estimate. Although the cost of the new power lines will ultimately be passed on to utility customers, MISO estimates that they will create net benefits of up to $52.2 billion, in part due to fuel savings and reduced risk of power shutoffs.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/biggest-story-of-the-year-for-renewables/
     
         
      Climate change killing elephants, says Kenya Thu, 28th Jul 2022 11:30:00
     
      Kenya's Wildlife and Tourism ministry says that climate change is now a bigger threat to elephant conservation than poaching. In the past year, the country has recorded 179 elephant deaths due to the ongoing drought affecting the Horn of Africa. Following consecutive seasons of poor rains, rivers and water pans have dried up and grasslands have shrivelled in the game reserves. The BBC's Mercy Juma reports from the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, one of the largest parks in the world. Filmed and edited by Hassan Lali Produced by Gladys Kigo
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-62323058
     
         
      Cold showers as German city of Hanover reacts to Russian gas crisis Thu, 28th Jul 2022 10:32:00
     
      The German city of Hanover has turned off the heating and switched to cold showers in all public buildings because of the Russian gas crisis. It's the first big city to turn off the hot water after Russia dramatically reduced Germany's gas supply. Germans have been told to expect sweeping gas reduction measures and extra charges on their energy bills. And the EU has agreed to lower demand for Russian gas this winter by 15%. In a bid to save energy, Germany's northern city of Hanover has decided hot water will no longer be available for hand washing in public buildings, or in showers at swimming pools, sports halls and gyms. Public fountains are also being switched off to save energy, and there will be no night-time lights on major buildings such as the town hall and museums. Mayor Belit Onay said the goal was to reduce the city's energy consumption by 15% in reaction to an "imminent gas shortage" which posed a significant challenge for big cities. The rules apply to heating, too. Public buildings will not have any heating from April to the end of September each year, with room temperatures limited to a maximum of 20C for the rest of the year - with some exemptions. The city is also banning portable air conditioners, heaters and radiators. The policy is in line with announcements from Berlin last week, as Germany races to build up its reserves ahead of the winter. Other cities - such as Augsburg in Bavaria - have already introduced their own measures such as turning off public fountains. The 15% reduction target in Hanover matches the EU-wide goal to reduce reliance on Russian gas. And on Thursday, Germany confirmed that a planned gas surcharge on customers could be much higher than previously expected, to try to ensure energy companies do not go bankrupt in the coming months. "We can't say yet how much gas will cost in November, but the bitter news is it's definitely a few hundred euros per household," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck. Some reports said the levy could cost families an extra €500 (£420) a year. Germany has long relied on Russian gas for its energy needs but has recently accused Russia of restricting the flow in retaliation for EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine - something Russia denies. Russian gas supplies now account for about a quarter of the nation's needs, compared with more than half before the war.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62335911
     
         
      Senator Joe Manchin suddenly backs Biden climate and tax bill Thu, 28th Jul 2022 9:40:00
     
      A US Democratic senator who has proved a political thorn in the White House's side has stunned Washington by announcing sudden support for President Joe Biden's top agenda item. Joe Manchin says he now backs a bill to raise corporate taxes, fight climate change and lower medicine costs. The West Virginian previously objected to the proposal, citing fears more spending could worsen inflation. Passage of the bill would be a major legislative victory for Mr Biden. Salvaging a key plank of his domestic agenda could also grant a much-needed electoral boost for his fellow Democrats, who are battling to retain control of Congress as midterm elections loom in November. "If enacted, this legislation will be historic," said the president. It is not clear what prompted the senator's dramatic reversal to support the new bill. He is something of a political anomaly, representing a conservative state that voted overwhelmingly for former President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Mr Biden tested positive for Covid. He is fully vaccinated and wrote on Twitter that he was experiencing mild symptoms. In a joint statement on Wednesday evening with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Mr Manchin provided few specifics about his change in position on the bill which: Is said to be much more modest than the $3.5tn (£2.9tn) version Democrats originally put forward Would arguably help the US lower its carbon emissions by about 40% by the year 2030 Would devote $369bn to climate policies such as tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles, and to tackling the impact of pollution on low-income communities. "By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress," Mr Schumer said. Mr Manchin and Mr Schumer also maintained the measure would pay for itself by raising $739bn (£608bn) over the decade through hiking the corporate minimum tax on big companies to 15%, beefing up Internal Revenue Service tax enforcement and allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug prices. What's in US Democrats' 'inflation-fighting' bill? President Biden needs the support of all 50 Democratic senators, along with Vice President Kamala Harris's tiebreaking vote, to get the bill through the Senate and send it to the House of Representatives - where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority. If passed, the legislation would mark a major breakthrough for the president, enshrining a number of his major policy goals into law and offering to salvage a domestic economic agenda that has in recent months stalled under failed negotiations. The bill still amounts to significantly less than what the White House had hoped to achieve in its original $1.9tn Build Back Better agenda - an ambitious plan to comprehensively rewrite the US's health, education, climate and tax laws. That earlier plan, which for months has floundered in the Senate with an uncertain future, is now "dead", Mr Manchin said on Wednesday. Barely a fortnight ago, the senator exasperated the White House by saying he could only back the portions of the proposal relating to pharmaceutical prices and healthcare subsidies. "I have worked diligently to get input from all sides," Mr Manchin said on Wednesday evening. He had previously expressed concern that policies boosting the development of clean energy without also increasing fossil fuel production could hurt the US by making it more dependent on foreign imports. Oil and gas companies employ tens of thousands of people in West Virginia and Mr Manchin received $875,000 (£718,000) in campaign donations from the industry over the past five years. Mr Schumer hopes to pass the bill with 51 votes through a budgetary manoeuvre that would allow him to circumvent rules requiring support from 60 out of 100 senators. If every Democrat backs the measure in the evenly split chamber, it would go through. Mr Schumer said the Senate would take the bill up next week. The House of Representatives could then take it up later in August. However, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate Arizona Democrat who has in the past acted as a roadblock to President Biden's agenda, could still scupper the plan. She declined to comment on news of the agreement on Wednesday night. In April, US media reported that Ms Sinema had told Arizona business leaders she remained "opposed to raising the corporate minimum tax rate". Republicans, who have previously tried to woo Mr Manchin to join their party, slammed him. "I can't believe that Senator Manchin is agreeing to a massive tax increase in the name of climate change when our economy is in a recession," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62328875
     
         
      Massachusetts moves major climate bill forward Wed, 27th Jul 2022 10:55:00
     
      It’s Wednesday, July 27, and Massachusetts may enact a major new climate bill. In a last-minute compromise, Massachusetts legislators passed a far-reaching, bipartisan climate bill last week. If signed by Republican Governor Charlie Baker, the bill — “An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind” — would promote carbon-free electricity, green transit, and efficiency upgrades. Janet Domenitz, executive director of the nonprofit Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, called the bill “an important step forward,” noting that its passage coincided with a historic heat wave that scorched the Northeast. “If ever there was a propitious moment” to pass a comprehensive climate bill, she told me, “it is this week.” Much of the bill is dedicated to boosting Massachusetts’ renewable energy supply. It sets a target of installing at least 5,600 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2027 — enough to power roughly 2.5 million homes — and removes barriers to more solar power, making it easier for farmers to place solar panels on land used for livestock grazing. The bill also establishes a working group to study how the state could upgrade the region’s high-voltage transmission lines to get more renewable electricity to homes and businesses. Other parts of the bill codify the Baker administration’s previously announced goal of phasing out the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035and call for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority — the transit provider for the Greater Boston area — to electrify its bus fleet by 2040, giving special priority to bus routes that travel through vulnerable communities. Environmental advocates say that the bill would support “much needed progress” toward Massachusetts’ legally binding target to slash emissions 50 percent below 1990 by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/massachusetts-moves-major-climate-bill-forward/
     
         
      Nord Stream 1: Why is Russia cutting gas supplies to Europe? Wed, 27th Jul 2022 10:43:00
     
      Russia has cut the amount of the natural gas it sends to Europe by closing down a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Speculation that it would do so caused international gas prices to leap again amid renewed fears of shortages. Critics accuse the Russian government of using gas as a political weapon. What is Nord Stream 1 and how much gas does it supply? The Nord Stream 1 pipeline stretches 1,200km (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to north-eastern Germany. It opened in 2011, and can send a maximum of 170m cubic metres of gas per day from Russia to Germany. It is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. By the end of June, Germany was importing 26% of its gas from Russia. Most of it comes through Nord Stream 1 - with the rest coming from land-based pipelines. Germany also agreed to the building of a parallel pipeline - Nord Stream 2 - but it never became operational due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. How has Russia cut supplies, and how is it hurting Europe? In May, Gazprom closed the Yamal gas pipeline, which runs through Belarus and Poland and delivers gas to Germany and other European nations. Then, in mid-June, Gazprom cut gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1 by 75% - from 170m cubic metres of gas a day to roughly 40m cubic metres. In early July, it shut down Nord Stream 1 for 10 days, citing the need for maintenance work. Now, shortly after reopening it, Gazprom has halved the amount supplied to 20m cubic metres. When Russia announced its intention to restrict supply, within a day it had pushed up the wholesale price of gas in Europe by 10%. Gas prices are now 450% higher than they were this time last year. "The market is so tight at the moment that any disruption in supply causes more hikes in the price of gas," says Carole Nakhle, CEO of analysts Crystol Energy. "This could cause slowdowns in European economies and accelerate the route towards recession." How is Europe reacting to the supply cuts? Gazprom says it is cutting supplies because it needs to close one of the turbines for maintenance, but few in Europe believe it. The German government has said there are no technical reasons for Gazprom limiting supplies. The EU's energy policy chief Kadri Simson described the move as "politically motivated". Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called it "an overt gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe". "Russia is weaponising gas more and more," says Kate Dourian, fellow at the Energy Institute. "It is trying to show that it is still an energy superpower, and can retaliate [against] the sanctions Europe has put on it." What can Europe do? Ever since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Germany has been trying to get alternative supplies of gas from Norway and the Netherlands. It is also buying five floating terminals to import liquefied natural gas from Qatar and the US, says Ms Dourian. However, this will involve building new pipelines from the coast to the rest of Germany, which will take several months. "You cannot build up a dependence on Russian gas as Germany has done, and change your sources of supply quickly," says Ms Nakhle. Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Italy and Spain are trying to import more gas from Algeria. Germany is also increasing its use of coal and extending the life of power stations which it had been planning to shut down - despite the environmental impact of doing these things. "It's every man for himself," says Ms Dourian. "Everyone is taking their own steps to solve the energy shortage, and making their own deals." How is Europe reducing demand for gas? The EU has worked out a deal in which member states cut usage by 15%. Many European citizens are already taking steps themselves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60131520
     
         
      Gas prices jump as Russia cuts German supply Wed, 27th Jul 2022 9:45:00
     
      Gas prices jumped after Russia further cut gas supplies to Germany and other central European countries after threatening to earlier this week. European gas prices rose almost 2%, trading close to the record high set after Russia invaded Ukraine. Critics accuse the Russian government of using gas as a political weapon. Russia has been cutting flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, with it now operating at less than a fifth of its normal capacity. Before the Ukraine War, Germany imported over half of its gas from Russia and most of it came through Nord Stream 1 - with the rest coming from land-based pipelines. By the end of June, that had reduced to just over a quarter. Russian energy firm Gazprom has sought to justify the latest cut by saying it was needed to allow maintenance work on a turbine. The German government, however, said there was no technical reason for it to limit the supply. Ukraine has accused Moscow of waging a "gas war" against Europe and cutting supplies to inflict "terror" on people. Meanwhile, Poland has said it will be fully independent from Russian gas by the end of the year. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: "Even now, Russia is no longer able to blackmail us in the way it blackmails Germany for example." How Russia is cutting off gas to Europe Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Russian gas boss says 'our product, our rules' Russia waging gas war with supply cuts - Zelensky The UK would not be directly impacted by gas supply disruption, as it imports less than 5% of its gas from Russia. However, it would be affected by prices rising in the global markets as demand in Europe increases. European wholesale gas prices closed at €204.85 (£172.08) per megawatt hour - the third highest price on record. The all-time high was achieved on 8 March when prices closed at €210.50 (£176.76) per megawatt hour, according to analysts Icis. However, this time last year the wholesale gas price in Europe was at just above €37 (£31.08) per megawatt hour. UK gas prices rose 7% on Wednesday so the price is now more than six times higher than a year ago. However, it is still well below the peak seen in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. UK energy bills increased by an unprecedented £700 in April, and are expected to rise again with one management consultancy warning a typical energy bill could hit £3,850 a year by January, much higher than forecasts earlier this month. BFY said its forecast reflected the increase in wholesale prices over the past few weeks with the ongoing tensions with Russia sparking concerns over winter supplies. The latest reduction in flows puts pressure on EU countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas even further, and will likely make it more difficult for them to replenish their gas supplies ahead of winter. Since the invasion of Ukraine European leaders have held talks over how to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. On Tuesday, the European Union agreed to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies but some countries will have exemptions to avoid rationing. EU members have now agreed to voluntarily reduce 15% of gas use between August and March. However, the deal was watered down after previously not having exemptions. The EU has said its aim from the deal is to make savings and store gas ahead of winter, warning that Russia is "continuously using energy supplies as a weapon". The voluntary agreement would become mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels. The EU agreed in May to ban all Russian oil imports which come in by sea by the end of this year, but a deal over gas bans has taken longer. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February the price of wholesale gas has already soared, with a knock-on impact on consumer energy bills across the globe. The Kremlin blames the price hike on Western sanctions, insisting it is a reliable energy partner and not responsible for the recent disruption to gas supplies. Across the EU, the heat is on to conserve supplies, build up reserves and see off competition from the likes of China to secure alternative sources for the 40% of its gas it gets from Russia - all ahead of winter. The UK may only source less than 5% of its gas from Russia, an amount far easier to replace. But the International Energy Agency has warned that this is the first truly global energy crisis. Europe may be at the epicentre but we're all feeling the shockwaves of Moscow's "weaponising" of energy in an acute way. Amidst the current tensions and with global supplies stretched more thinly, UK wholesale gas prices are six times what they were a year ago.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62318376
     
         
      EVs save trees Tue, 26th Jul 2022 9:49:00
     
      It’s Tuesday, July 26, and a new study highlights some unexpected benefits of vehicle electrification. Replacing the U.S.’s gas-powered auto fleet with electric vehicles would do more than cut direct greenhouse gas emissions; according to a study published this month in the journal Ecological Economics, it could also prevent nearly 11 million acres of land – an area slightly larger than Switzerland – from being converted into cropland globally over the next 30 years. The reason for this, the authors explain, is that more EVs would reduce demand for biofuels such as ethanol — a fuel derived primarily from corn — in gas-powered cars. Virtually all U.S. gasoline is blended with 10 percent ethanol, and growing all that corn takes up land that might otherwise have remained carbon-absorbing forests or other wildlands. The authors of the new study found that a U.S. transition to electric cars could cause a large decrease in demand for ethanol and the land dedicated to producing it. According to the study, a scenario in which the U.S. shifts all passenger cars to EVs by the middle of the century could prevent nearly 10 percent of global cropland expansion, mostly in developing countries such as Brazil, China, and India. By preventing the loss of critical forests and other carbon-sequestering lands, the study estimates that full auto electrification in the U.S. could stop some 550 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from escaping into the atmosphere by 2050. That’s a little less than the annual emissions of South Korea.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/evs-save-trees/
     
         
      Global awareness critical to protect world’s mangroves: UN science chief Tue, 26th Jul 2022 8:44:00
     
      Time is running out to protect the world’s mangroves which are not only home to many species but also an important hedge against climate impacts, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday. Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General, called for greater global awareness about these critical coastal areas in her message to mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. It is estimated that more than three quarters of mangroves in the world are now threatened, “and with them all the fine balances that depend on them”, she said. Restoration project Ms. Azoulay announced that next month, UNESCO will launch a new mangrove restoration project in seven Latin American countries: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, and Peru. The project will bring economic opportunities to local communities. It will also facilitate the exchange and sharing of knowledge between local and indigenous populations and the scientific community. “Beyond protection and restoration, we need global awareness. This requires educating and alerting the public, not only in schools, but wherever possible,” she said. This spirit is reflected in an exhibition UNESCO designed for the National Science Museum of Thailand, now touring the world, “because it is also by showing and explaining the mysteries of mangroves that we will be able to preserve them sustainably,” she added. Beauty and vulnerability Ms. Azoulay highlighted the objective of the International Day, when everyone is urged to become aware of the value, beauty and vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems, and to commit to their protection. “From the intertwining roots to the tips of the branches, in a complex habitat, many species come to feed and reproduce, forming together one of the most flourishing ecosystems in existence. And we humans depend on these environments that slow down coastal erosion and are a source of food for many,” she said. The UN cultural chief also cited the Colombian poet, Tomás González, who has made mangroves the symbol of one of his books. Ms. Azoulay quoted from his poetry collection Manglares, the Spanish word for “mangroves”, which calls for a return to the essential unity of nature: “So that the trees first emerge and then blur and merge with the air, the landscape behind, the mudflats; so that the gannet plunges into the sea in an instant sprinkled with salt, sun, glare; / and so that the sea first gleams and then once again merges with the land”. UNESCO is working to protect the world’s mangroves, and other “blue carbon ecosystems”, through initiatives such as Geoparks, World Heritage sites, and Biosphere reserves. But Ms. Azoulay warned that the clock is ticking.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123272
     
         
      Landmark guidelines aim to protect children uprooted by climate change Mon, 25th Jul 2022 11:47:00
     
      New UN-backed guidelines issued on Monday aim to protect, include and empower children forced to flee their homes due to the climate crisis, marking the first-ever global effort to address this increasingly major concern. The Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change contain a set of nine principles that address the unique and layered vulnerabilities of boys and girls who have been uprooted, whether internally or across borders, as a result of the adverse impacts of climate change. They were launched by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and the United Nations University (UNU), located in Tokyo, Japan. Safeguarding future generations The partners explained that currently, most child-related migration policies do not consider climate and environmental factors, while most climate change policies overlook the unique needs of children. “The climate emergency has and will continue to have profound implications for human mobility. Its impacts will be most severe with particular segments of our communities such as children; we cannot endanger future generations,” said António Vitorino, the IOM Director General. He added that although migrant children are particularly vulnerable when moving in the context of climate change, their needs and aspirations are still overlooked in policy debates. “With these guiding principles we aim to ensure visibility to their needs and rights, both in policy debates and programming. Managing migration and addressing displacement of children in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters, is an immense challenge that we must address now.” Young lives at risk? Climate change is intersecting with existing environmental, social, political, economic and demographic conditions that are contributing to people’s decisions to move. Nearly 10 million children were displaced following weather-related shocks in 2020 alone. Additionally, nearly half of the world’s 2.2 billion children, or roughly one billion boys and girls, live in 33 countries at high risk of the impacts of climate change. The partners warn that millions more children could be forced to move in the coming years. “Every day, rising sea levels, hurricanes, wildfires, and failing crops are pushing more and more children and families from their homes,” said Catherine Russell, the UNICEF Executive Director. “Displaced children are at greater risk of abuse, trafficking, and exploitation. They are more likely to lose access to education and healthcare. And they are frequently forced into early marriage and child labour.”? Collaboration with young activists The guiding principles provide national and local governments, international organizations, and civil society groups with a foundation to build policies that protect children’s rights. They were developed in collaboration with young climate and migration activists, academics, experts, policymakers, practitioners, and UN agencies. The principles are based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and are informed by existing operational guidelines and frameworks. David Passarelli of UNU recalled that the international community has been sounding the alarm on climate change and environmental degradation for years, as well as the likelihood of mass displacement. These predictions have come true as climate-related migration has been observed in all parts of the world, with children increasingly affected. “While these children benefit from a range of international and national protections, the subject matter is highly technical and difficult to access, creating a protection deficit for child migrants,” said Mr. Passarelli, Executive Director of the university’s Centre for Policy Research. He added that the partners have stressed the need for concise guidelines that communicate risks, protections and rights, in clear and accessible language. Protection today and tomorrow The Guiding Principles “were developed with this specific objective in mind. This tool helps navigate the complex nexus of migrant rights, children’s rights, and climate change in order to respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of children on the move in the context of climate change.”?
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123242
     
         
      Gazprom: Nord Stream 1 supply to EU to be cut further Mon, 25th Jul 2022 9:58:00
     
      Russian energy giant Gazprom says it will once again drastically cut gas supplies to the EU through its main pipeline due to maintenance work. Gazprom said stopping another turbine at the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would cut daily gas production to 20%, halving the current level of supply. The German government said there was no technical reason to limit gas supply. It is likely to make it more difficult for EU countries to replenish their stores of gas before winter. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which pumps gas from Russia to Germany, has been running well below capacity for weeks, and was completely shut down for a 10-day maintenance break earlier this month. Russia supplied the EU with 40% of its gas last year, and the EU has accused Russia of using energy as a weapon. The European Commission has urged countries to cut gas use by 15% over the next seven months after Russia warned it could curb or halt supplies altogether. Under the proposals, the voluntary target could become mandatory in an emergency. European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has said the prospect of Russia cutting off all supplies to the EU is a "likely scenario". On Tuesday energy ministers will meet in Brussels in an attempt to sign off the plans. But numerous opt-outs are expected amid resistance from some member states. Wholesale gas prices have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with a knock-on impact on consumer energy bills. Reacting to Gazprom's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was "an overt gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe - this is exactly how it should be perceived". Can the world cope without its oil and gas? No faith in Russia, Germany scrambles for energy Russian gas boss says 'our product, our rules' Gazprom said the latest reduction in supply would begin at 04:00 GMT on Wednesday due to the "technical condition" of one of the last two operating turbines. But a German economy ministry spokeswoman told AFP news agency: "According to the information we have there is no technical reason for a reduction of deliveries." The Kremlin maintains that it is a reliable energy partner, and blames Western sanctions for the recent disruption of gas supplies to the EU. Gazprom says the delayed return - because of sanctions - of equipment serviced in Canada has forced it to keep the gas flow through Nord Stream 1 to just 40% of capacity. "Our product, our rules. We don't play by rules we didn't create," Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller has said. The continued reduction in gas supply through Nord Stream 1 is likely to make it more difficult for countries to replenish their stores before winter, when gas usage is much higher. Gazprom has cut gas supplies altogether to Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Poland, over their refusal to comply with a Kremlin order to pay their bills in roubles, instead of euros or dollars.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62291458
     
         
      Oak Fire: Wildfire grows as firefighters battle punishing heat Mon, 25th Jul 2022 9:57:00
     
      A fast-moving wildfire in California continues to grow in size, firefighters say, as they struggle through sweltering temperatures. The Oak Fire has now burned 16,791 acres of land and is only about 10% contained, California's fire department said on Monday. The blaze has forced the evacuation of over 6,000 people, many of whom have been staying in temporary shelters. Firefighters are still combating the blaze in steep, rugged terrain. Mariposa county has set up an emergency evacuation centre for those forced to flee. There, the BBC saw rows of camp beds arranged in classrooms, with people playing games to try to take their minds of what might be happening to their homes. As dusk approached on Sunday, the sky over the centre had turned yellow and orange, while a grey streak of smoke hung over the town. One resident remarked how "pretty" it looked, shaking her head. Among those taking shelter there was Joy, who bought a home in the area during the Covid-19 pandemic. She decided to flee after seeing smoke and flames billowing from the hill where the house is located. Joy managed to get her pets to safety - but still doesn't know the condition of her dream home in the mountains. "I'm just hoping I have something to go back home to," she told the BBC. Another evacuee, 10-year-old Taylor - who was in the area visiting her grandmother - recalled receiving an order to leave the area as she and her family were sitting down to eat pizza. "It was so scary," she said. "I just wanted to get out of there". At least seven structures have so far been confirmed damaged. A further 3,271 buildings - both homes and businesses - were under threat as of late Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported. The scale of the blaze marks an ominous start to California's wildfire season and officials have warned that a combination of drought, climate change, and overgrown vegetation are posing significant challenges and increasing the chances of the fire spreading rapidly. Much of the United States is sweltering through a heatwave and heat advisory warnings are in effect in more than a dozen states. Temperatures in Mariposa County hit 100F (38C) on Sunday, and are expected to stay high for the next few days. Yosemite National Park, which lies to the north-east of where Oak Fire is burning, is home to some of the largest and oldest sequoia trees in the world. The redwoods were threatened by another blaze earlier this month, but firefighters managed to save them. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Several European governments have struggled to contain dozens of separate wildfires which have ripped across the continent in recent weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62287898
     
         
      Bitcoin mining hurts the climate, Chinese court says Mon, 25th Jul 2022 9:44:00
     
      China is continuing to crack down on cryptocurrency. A court in China cited the climate toll of cryptocurrency when it affirmed a ruling striking down a bitcoin mining contract. According to the decision, released earlier this month, the emissions generated by bitcoin mining exacerbate climate change and are incompatible with the country’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. Bitcoin mining is an energy-intensive process that uses many computers to verify transactions to its digital legers. According to Climate Home News, the case in question involved a disputed business contract in which one company sued another over its alleged failure to mine all the bitcoin it had promised. But the lawsuit was rejected by a lower court, which deemed the contract was invalid because it harmed the public interest. That decision was upheld by the Beijing Third Intermediate People’s Court. “Judging from the high energy consumption of ‘mining’ and the impact of bitcoin trading activities on the country’s financial and social order, the contract involved should be invalid,” the court ruled. The decision follows previous actions the Chinese government has taken to crack down on cryptocurrency. Last year, the People’s Bank of China made all cryptocurrency transactions illegal, saying that they posed a serious danger to “the safety of people’s assets.” The government has also ordered a stop to bitcoin mining in Sichuan province, where cheap electricity from hydropower had attracted many cryptocurrency operations. Although the crackdown has caused China’s cryptocurrency-related energy use to plummet, it’s not clear that this is a net win for the climate. Recent research suggests that bitcoin miners have simply moved out of the country to places where coal or natural gas are the primary energy source, driving up global cryptocurrency-mining emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/bitcoin-mining-hurts-the-climate-chinese-court-says/
     
         
      Water shortages to become more frequent, says Sepa Sat, 23rd Jul 2022 9:48:00
     
      Water shortages could become more serious and frequent due to climate change, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has warned. The environment watchdog says drier summers in Scotland could seriously affect water supplies. The warning comes after record breaking temperatures earlier in the week. Scotland's east coast is facing the worst consequences, with regular below average rainfall across several regions. Sepa has issued several water scarcity warnings across the country. Water scarcity risk increases as east dries up Temperature passes 30C in parts of Scotland Most of the east coast is now classed by Sepa as being at "alert" or "moderate scarcity" level. The Don catchment has also been raised to moderate scarcity. The Dee, Ythan, the Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond and Tyne catchments remain at moderate scarcity. The Leven in Dumbartonshire has been raised to an "early warning", joining Galloway and Ayrshire. Sepa water resources specialist Michael Wann said: "Scotland is a wet country but it doesn't always fall in the right place at the right time. "The water shortages are becoming more serious. "We've had a number of dry years recently and with climate change, we do expect that to be more frequent and more severe in the coming years." Sepa has reported an east-west split, with the east of the country recording at least six out of eight months with below average rainfall. Mr Wann said the west coast was in a "much better position" as rainfall is more frequent. He said: "Because these events are becoming more frequent and more common, we are expecting summers in Scotland to be much drier. "So it doesn't take a particularly long dry spell for us to see impacts in our rivers, in soils, and obviously businesses that use that water."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62266272
     
         
      The audacious PR plot that seeded doubt about climate change Sat, 23rd Jul 2022 9:07:00
     
      Thirty years ago, a bold plan was cooked up to spread doubt and persuade the public that climate change was not a problem. The little-known meeting - between some of America's biggest industrial players and a PR genius - forged a devastatingly successful strategy that endured for years, and the consequences of which are all around us. On an early autumn day in 1992, E Bruce Harrison, a man widely acknowledged as the father of environmental PR, stood up in a room full of business leaders and delivered a pitch like no other. At stake was a contract worth half a million dollars a year - about £850,000 in today's money. The prospective client, the Global Climate Coalition (GCC) - which represented the oil, coal, auto, utilities, steel, and rail industries - was looking for a communications partner to change the narrative on climate change. Don Rheem and Terry Yosie, two of Harrison's team present that day, are sharing their stories for the first time. "Everybody wanted to get the Global Climate Coalition account," says Rheem, "and there I was, smack in the middle of it." The GCC had been conceived only three years earlier, as a forum for members to exchange information and lobby policy makers against action to limit fossil fuel emissions. Though scientists were making rapid progress in understanding climate change, and it was growing in salience as a political issue, in its first years the Coalition saw little cause for alarm. President George HW Bush was a former oilman, and as a senior lobbyist told the BBC in 1990, his message on climate was the GCC's message. There would be no mandatory fossil fuel reductions. But all that changed in 1992. In June, the international community created a framework for climate action, and November's presidential election brought committed environmentalist Al Gore into the White House as vice-president. It was clear the new administration would try to regulate fossil fuels. The Coalition recognised that it needed strategic communications help and put out a bid for a public relations contractor. Though few outside the PR industry might have heard of E Bruce Harrison or the eponymous company he had run since 1973, he had a string of campaigns for some of the US's biggest polluters under his belt. He had worked for the chemical industry discrediting research on the toxicity of pesticides; for the tobacco industry, and had recently run a campaign against tougher emissions standards for the big car makers. Harrison had built a firm that was considered one of the very best. Media historian Melissa Aronczyk, who interviewed Harrison before he died in 2021, says he was a strategic linchpin for his clients, ensuring everyone was on the same page. "He was a master at what he did," she says. Before the pitch, Harrison had assembled a team of both seasoned PR professionals and almost total novices. Among them was Don Rheem, who had no industry credentials. He had studied ecology before becoming an environmental journalist. A chance meeting with Harrison, who must have seen the strategic value of adding Rheem's environmental and media connections to the team, led to a job offer on the GCC pitch. "I thought, 'Wow, this is an opportunity to get a front row seat at probably one of the most pressing science policy and public policy issues that we were facing.' "It just felt enormously important," Rheem says. Terry Yosie - who had recently been recruited from the American Petroleum Institute, becoming a senior vice-president at the firm - remembers that Harrison began the pitch by reminding his audience that he was instrumental in fighting the auto reforms. He had done so, in part, by reframing the issue. The same tactics would now help beat climate regulation. They would persuade people that the scientific facts weren't settled, and that alongside the environment, policy makers needed to consider how action on climate change would - in the GCC's view - negatively affect American jobs, trade and prices. The strategy would be implemented through an extensive media campaign, everything from placing quotes and pitching opinion pieces (so-called op-eds), to direct contacts with journalists. "A lot of reporters were assigned to write stories," Rheem says, "and they were struggling with the complexity of the issue. So I would write backgrounders so reporters could read them and get up to speed." Uncertainty ran through the full gamut of the GCC's publications, a creative array of letters, glossy brochures, and monthly newsletters. Rheem and the team were prolific - within a year, Harrison's firm claimed to have secured more than 500 specific mentions in the media. In August 1993, Harrison took stock of progress in another meeting with the GCC. "The rising awareness of the scientific uncertainty has caused some in Congress to pause on advocating new initiatives," declared an updated internal strategy pitch, shared with the BBC by Terry Yosie. "Activists sounding the alarm over 'global warming' have publicly conceded that they lost ground in the communications arena over the past year." Now, Harrison counselled, they needed to expand the external voices making their case. "Scientists, economists, academics and other noted experts carry greater credibility with the media and general public than industry representatives." While most climate scientists agreed that human-caused climate change was a real issue that would require action, a small group argued there was no cause for alarm. The plan was to pay these sceptics to give speeches or write op-eds - about $1,500 (£1,250) per article - and to arrange media tours so they could appear on local TV and radio stations. "My role was to identify the voices that were not in the mainstream and to give those voices a stage," Rheem says. "There was a lot we didn't know at the time. And part of my role was to highlight what we didn't know." He says the media was hungry for these perspectives. "Journalists were actually actively looking for the contrarians. It was really feeding an appetite that was already there."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62225696
     
         
      Iran floods: At least 21 killed in southern Fars province Sat, 23rd Jul 2022 9:04:00
     
      Flash flooding has killed at least 21 people in Iran's southern Fars province. The city of Estahban was hardest hit with heavy rain swelling the Roudbal river, governor Yousef Kargar said. Floods in Iran have been worsened by droughts, because rain water is unable to permeate through the sun-baked earth. Mr Kargar said several people visiting the riverside were caught by rising water levels. At least 55 people were rescued, head of Fars' crisis management department Khalil Abdollahi told Reuters. Iran is a largely arid country and has endured several droughts over the past decade, which have made the soil harder and more solid. This phenomenon is mainly due to climate change. Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. In 2019, several towns and villages in Iran had to be evacuated by heavy rainfall, which lasted three weeks and left much of the country submerged. At least 76 people died.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62279276
     
         
      Chemtrails: What's the truth behind the conspiracy theory? Sat, 23rd Jul 2022 9:00:00
     
      The word "chemtrails" has trended on sunny mornings this summer - but what's the truth behind the conspiracy theory? Look up at a clear blue sky and you might see puffy white trails behind aeroplanes. They are made up mostly of water and are called contrails or vapour trails, but a growing number of people falsely believe they are evidence of something sinister going on. Some think malign forces are spraying the population with dangerous chemicals - so-called chemtrails - for purposes that are neither entirely clear nor consistent. A surge in conspiratorial thinking following the Covid pandemic along with the summer travel season and clear skies mean the once obscure chemtrails theory is now being promoted by major influencers. What are contrails? Contrails are formed when water vapour and fine soot particulates from burning jet fuel freeze into ice crystals. In low air humidity, the crystals just dissipate. In higher humidity, they persist, and end up creating visible vapour trails over large areas of sky. Those humidity differences explain why some aircraft are seen producing vapour trails while others do not. High humidity means that vapour trails can last for long periods and become thin layers of cirrus clouds, Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern told the BBC. Cirrus clouds are short, detached and hair-like and are found at high altitudes. It is unlikely that any of these purported chemicals in the clouds would even reach ground level because they are at such high altitudes, he said. One persistent belief among followers of the theory is that early morning chemtrails encourage greater cloud cover later in the day - but this can be explained by the natural process of convection. This is the result of the sun warming the ground, causing warm air to rise and condense into clouds later in the day, the Met Office says. How did the conspiracy theory begin? The idea that governments or shadowy forces are routinely spraying the planet with chemicals from scheduled passenger flights took hold in the 1990s. Initially, believers claimed sprays containing a toxic metal, barium, were being used to either pacify or reduce populations. But the idea evolved along the way, meaning today there are several strands of the chemtrail theory. In recent years, followers have expanded their accusations, claiming the contrails are being used to spread Covid-19, distribute vaccines, initiate "mind control", reduce the population or vaguely promote a "new world order". False allegations have trended so frequently this year that fact-checking charity Full Fact has posted 10 debunks since April. Chemtrail influencers are highly active on platforms such as Facebook and Telegram, where they discuss the day's alleged "spraying" and track aircraft. Some suggest putting a bowl of white vinegar outside, saying that this clears "chemtrailed" skies. Chemtrail social media groups also often contain anti-vaccine posts and promote climate change denialism, feeding off an increase in conspiracy thinking during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory during the Trump presidency. The phenomenon is international, with followers across UK, Europe, Australia and the Americas - in fact, anywhere under which commercial or military aircraft fly. And it is backed by a few celebrities and popular social media influencers. What's the truth? Like many persistent conspiracies, the chemtrails idea comes with a kernel of truth. In the 1950s and 1960s, decades before the conspiracy theories were born, much of Britain was sprayed with airborne chemicals in a series of secret germ warfare tests. And in 1950, San Francisco was sprayed with a chemical agent from a ship to gauge the effects of a bioweapon attack on a populated area. Chemtrails conspiracy theorists point to such secret experiments to bolster their cause. But their claims blow the historical record out of all proportion, as they claim we are constantly - and very visibly - being deliberately sprayed with tonnes of dangerous chemicals, for an ever-shifting variety of reasons.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-62240071
     
         
      Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig pleads for climate action after heatwave Fri, 22nd Jul 2022 11:44:00
     
      Recent extreme weather shows the government needs to take more action against the climate crisis, an environmental activist has said. Ornithologist Dr Mya-Rose Craig, known as BirdGirlUK on Twitter, made the comments after temperatures hit 40C (104F) this week. A national emergency was declared after a red extreme heat warning was issued. A UK Government spokesperson said it has secured an additional 11GW of clean, affordable, home-grown power. Miss Craig, 20, from Somerset, said climate change "cannot be disputed at this point". The environmentalist set up Black2Nature to help engage more children from minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) in conservation. She also received the doctor of science degree from the University of Bristol in 2020 when she was aged 17. "We've reached 40C for the first time in the UK, that's not normal British weather. I think it's 100 percent climate change," she said. "I think it is a sign of things to come the fact that we also have a flood warning in the West in the next few days. "We need to turn our eyes towards much broader and much more systemic change from our governments and corporations, asking what they are going to be doing to stop this pattern continuing into the future?" Miss Craig said there were many things that could be done to tackle the climate crisis but felt there was "very little action" being taken. "I think it's so important the climate change movement doesn't exclude people because of their own lifestyle choices because we do need everyone on board. "I know so many people who feel almost too guilty to become a climate change activist which is the opposite of what we need," she added. A UK Government spokesperson said:? "The UK Government has increased the amount of renewable energy capacity connected to the grid by 500% since 2010 - more than any other government in British history. "Earlier this month, the UK Government secured an additional 11GW of clean, affordable, home-grown power through our flagship renewable auction scheme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-62252564
     
         
      Isle of Man's latest climate change targets revealed Fri, 22nd Jul 2022 9:50:00
     
      Phasing out gas boilers and harnessing more renewable energy sources are among the Isle of Man's updated plans to tackle climate change. The Isle of Man Climate Change Plan 2022-2027 was outlined by the chief minister in Tynwald this week. Alfred Cannan told members that despite previous efforts current emissions were "as high today as they have ever been". The island has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, with an interim target of 35% by 2030. Plans include decarbonising the island's electricity supply by 2030, by introducing a second interconnector cable to the UK to import energy, as well as generating locally an extra 20 megawatts of renewable energy by 2026. A ban on fossil fuel heating in new buildings is also going to be introduced in 2024, a year earlier than planned. Further changes would see building regulations that ensure sure new buildings are 97% energy efficient. There will also be more support for homeowners who want to switch to more environmentally friendly energy sources. 'Realistic and achievable' The Climate Change Act 2021 requires an annual progress report to be issued to Tynwald each year to review the previous year's actions along with five-yearly emissions reports. Mr Cannan said: "A failure to get with the climate change programme will leave us exposed to great uncertainty and potential economic and energy insecurity in the future. "It will simply be irresponsible not to apply ourselves to the best of our ability in achieving our climate change target, and in particular securing renewable supplies for the future."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-62270392
     
         
      Why the UN General Assembly must back the right to a healthy environment Fri, 22nd Jul 2022 9:42:00
     
      In late July, the UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland presented the draft text to the 193-member Assembly, the UN’s most representative body, last June, following the landmark resolution adoption of a similar text adopted in October 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution recognizes the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right essential for the full enjoyment of all human rights and, among others, calls upon States and international organizations to adopt policies and scale up efforts to ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all. But why is it important for the wider UN membership to recognize this right? And what will the adoption of this resolution mean for people around the world? UN News spoke to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Mr. David Boyd, and asked him about these and other questions. So, what action is going to be taken by the General Assembly? David Boyd: There will likely be a vote on recognition of the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment. This right that was not included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948. So, this is really a historic resolution that will change the very nature of international human rights law. Why is it important for countries to vote ‘yes’ on this resolution? It’s important because in the face of the triple environmental crisis we’re facing – rapid climate change, the loss of biodiversity and pervasive toxic pollution that’s killing 9 million people every year – we need transformative changes to society, we need to quickly shift to renewable energy. We also need to shift to a circular economy, and we need to detoxify society, and the right to a healthy environment is one of the most powerful tools we have to hold governments accountable. General Assembly resolutions are not binding, meaning countries don’t have a legal obligation to comply with them, so how could they be held accountable? Countries don't have a legal obligation, but they have a moral obligation. We have a track record that we can look at where in 2010, the General Assembly passed the resolution recognizing for the first time that everyone has the right to water and sanitation. That resolution similarly was not legally binding or enforceable, but it was a catalyst for a cascade of positive changes that have improved the lives of millions of people. This is because countries responded to that resolution by changing their constitutions, their highest and strongest laws. So, Costa Rica, Fiji, Mexico, Slovenia, Tunisia and others did that. And most importantly, States really made it a top priority to deliver on fulfilling their obligations to provide people with clean drinking water. So, [ for example]in Mexico, the Government has not only recognized this right in its Constitution but has worked with rural communities to provide safe drinking water to over 1,000 rural communities in the last decade. Canada has also worked with indigenous communities to upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure and more than 130 communities in the last decade. So, these resolutions may seem abstract, but they are a catalyst for action, and they empower ordinary people to hold their governments accountable in a way that is very powerful.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123142
     
         
      Mega-drought, glacier melt, and deforestation plague Latin America and the Caribbean Fri, 22nd Jul 2022 9:32:00
     
      From the Amazon to the Andes and the snowy depths of Patagonia, extreme weather and climate change are causing mega-drought, extreme rainfall, deforestation and glacier melt across the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, according to a UN report published on Friday. In its State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights the far-reaching repercussions for ecosystems, food and water security, human health and poverty. “The report shows that hydrometeorological hazards, including droughts, heatwaves, cold waves, tropical cyclones and floods, have unfortunately led to the loss of hundreds of lives, severe damages to crop production and infrastructure and human displacement,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Climate change is threatening vital systems in the region, which are already approaching critical conditions, potentially causing irreversible damage. The report revealed that since the 1980s, glaciers in the tropical Andes have lost 30 per cent or more of their area – with a negative mass balance trend during the 1990-2020 monitoring period. In Peru, some have lost more than 50 per cent of their area. Glacier retreat and corresponding ice-mass loss increases the risk of water scarcity for people in the Andes, and its ecosystems. “For many Andean cities, melting glaciers represent the loss of a significant source of freshwater currently used for domestic use, irrigation, and hydroelectric power,” said the WMO chief. Deforestation and dangerous rain According to the report, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest doubled from the 2009?2018 average and reached its highest level since 2009.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123032
     
         
      Hunger still rising across East Africa, says new UN-backed report Fri, 22nd Jul 2022 7:34:00
     
      Over 50 million people in Eastern Africa will face acute food insecurity this year, according to a new study backed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Issued by the region’s Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the IGAD Regional Focus on Food Crises report sounds the alarm over escalating food insecurity and malnutrition in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. “The current food security situation across the Horn of Africa is dire after four consecutive rainy seasons have failed, a climatic event not seen in at least 40 years, or since the beginning of the satellite era,” said Chimimba David Phiri, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa. “Now more than ever, we must implement short-term livelihood-saving responses with long-term resilience building aimed at addressing the root causes of food crises in our region”. Danger level high This year, about 300,000 people in Somalia and South Sudan are projected to face the highest level of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale - level 5, meaning an extreme lack of food – with the risk of famine occurring in eight areas of Somalia, should widespread crop and livestock production fail. The 2022 situation marks a dramatic increase from last year, when 42 million people suffered from high levels of acute food insecurity. In 2021, the IGAD region accounted for nearly 22 per cent of the global number of people in crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), with an estimated 10 million children under five, suffering from acute malnutrition. In addition, 24 per cent of the world’s 51 million internally displaced were also in IGAD countries, mainly Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. Facing multiple shocks A combination of climate extremes, conflict, and macroeconomic challenges are making multiple shocks nearly impossible to cope with. Climate change and La Niña have caused an unprecedented multi-season drought, punctuated by one of the worst March-to-May rainy seasons in 70 years. “Conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks, rising costs and now the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on food and energy prices are pushing millions towards starvation in Eastern Africa,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Regional Director for Eastern Africa. Acknowledging that there is “a very real risk of famine” in the region, he underscored the importance of preparing for and responding to future shocks, which he said are “increasingly inevitable because of a changing climate”. ...
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123132
     
         
      Nigeria is getting 500 new solar microgrids Joseph Winters Thu, 21st Jul 2022 10:44:00
     
      It’s Thursday, July 21, and hundreds of solar microgrids are coming to Nigeria. A new program from Husk Power Systems, a Colorado-based company that installs off-grid power systems in the developing world, aims to dramatically expand renewable energy access in Nigeria. The program, dubbed the “Nigeria Sunshot Initiative,” lays out plans to build small-scale solar electricity systems across the country. By installing at least 500 community “microgrids” by 2026, Husk hopes to improve livelihoods in a part of the world where energy access is still sparse. “Power is the first building block for sustainable development, unlocking health care, education, better mobility,” Olu Aruike, Husk’s country manager in Nigeria, told me.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/nigeria-is-getting-500-new-solar-microgrids/
     
         
      Climate change: New approach needed to gauge animal health impact on emissions Thu, 21st Jul 2022 8:41:00
     
      Animal health is important to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but greater investment is needed to evaluate the impact, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and partners said in a report published on Thursday. Diseases affecting animals - as well as how long they live and how productive they are - have a significant impact on emissions. However, no standardized method currently exists to measure progress so that improved animal health can be included in national climate commitments. The partners are advocating for greater investments to establish systems for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV). “This report marks a breakthrough in highlighting the importance of animal health and guiding countries towards a much more granular approach in evaluating its role and how it needs to be incorporated into national commitments to help mitigate the climate crisis,” said Maria Helena Semedo, the FAO Deputy Director-General. Animal health vital The UN agency issued the report alongside Global Dairy Platform, which promotes responsible food production, and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. FAO considers animal health vital for sustainable livestock production. Not only are animal products a source of high-quality food, they also are a source of income for many small farmers and animal holders, significantly contributing to livelihoods and economies in many developing countries. The livestock sector provides vital nutrition and livelihoods for more than a billion people worldwide, said Donald Moore, Executive Director of Global Dairy Platform. Address critical gaps The report outlines how governments and industry can work together on climate solutions and is part of an initiative by the global dairy sector to reduce emissions over the next 30 years. “While this report clearly demonstrates the opportunity for improved animal health to contribute to climate mitigation, it also highlights the need to address critical data gaps and build capacity in low and middle-income countries, in particular,” said Mr. Moore. The report shows how countries can develop an MRV system at national level, using detailed methodologies developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Manure management One approach, known as Tier 1, only allows for estimating emissions per animal with regional averages, while Tier 2 examines specific local production systems. ...
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123022
     
         
      Climate change: How the world has warmed since 1880 Wed, 20th Jul 2022 18:47:00
     
      As heatwaves around the world hit record temperatures, this Nasa graphic reveals how the world has warmed since 1880. Link to the video -> https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-62229950
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-62229950
     
         
      How much nuclear power does the UK use and is it safe? Wed, 20th Jul 2022 18:28:00
     
      The UK government has given the go-ahead for a new £20bn nuclear power plant. After a lengthy public consultation, Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has awarded planning consent to French energy company EDF to build Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast. The government wants to reduce the UK's reliance on international oil and gas by building as many as eight new nuclear reactors. By 2050, it hopes nuclear could provide 25% of the UK's electricity needs. Will the UK's energy strategy work? What is nuclear power? To create nuclear power, in non-military reactors, uranium atoms are bombarded by much smaller neutron particles. This causes the atoms to break down and release huge amounts of energy as heat. The heat is then used to boil water, producing steam which drives turbines and generates electricity. Unlike burning fossil fuels, this process doesn't produce greenhouse gas emissions, and requires minimal use of metals or other natural resources. But it does generate hazardous waste which must be stored for a very long time. BBC Bitesize: How is nuclear power generated? How much nuclear power does the UK use? There are currently six plants that can supply about 20% of UK electricity demand, with 15% generated in 2020. This amount has declined since the 1990s, as several plants - including Sizewell A - reached the end of their lives. All but one of the existing reactors in operation are due to shut down before 2030. As well as Sizewell C, the Hinkley Point C plant is already under construction in Somerset. Together these will be capable of powering 12 million homes in the UK. The government wants to deliver up to eight new reactors overall - with one being approved each year until 2030. As well as larger nuclear power stations, the government also wants to use Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). These work in the same way as conventional nuclear reactors, but on a smaller scale. How much do nuclear plants cost? The overall cost of nuclear power is comparable with other forms of energy, but nuclear plants are extremely expensive to build. Hinkley C is already expected to be 30% over budget at £22-26bn. The government hopes a new financial funding model could cut the cost of future nuclear projects, including Sizewell C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59212992
     
         
      Minneapolis is getting solar ‘resilience hubs’ Wed, 20th Jul 2022 8:46:00
     
      It’s Wednesday, July 20, and Minneapolis is getting clean-energy “resilience hubs.” Rooftop solar panels and battery storage are coming to three Minneapolis neighborhoods as part of a new effort to safeguard the city from power outages. Under the program from Xcel Energy, the area’s largest utility, so-called “resilience hubs” are expected to offer much-needed backup electricity in the event of a natural disaster. The hubs will also serve as cooling and food distribution centers during heat waves and other emergencies. “The Resilient Minneapolis Project brings a great opportunity for Xcel Energy to operate and study microgrid technology in a way that supports resilience in historically disadvantaged communities,” said Joseph Sullivan, a commissioner with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, in a statement. Two of the three hubs will be set up in diverse neighborhoods of south Minneapolis — one at the Sabathani Community Center, an African American-founded nonprofit, and another at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. A third hub is planned to be built around three public school buildings in North Minneapolis. That hub will be led by Renewable Energy Partners, a Black-owned and operated solar developer. All three are expected to be operating by next summer.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/minneapolis-is-getting-solar-resilience-hubs/
     
         
      WMO warns of frequent heatwaves in decades ahead Tue, 19th Jul 2022 13:50:00
     
      Extreme heat in western Europe is causing devastating wildfires in France and Spain, unprecedented drought in Italy and Portugal, and the United Kingdom recorded its highest-ever temperature of just over 40 degrees Celsius during Tuesday, at London’s Heathrow airport. With temperatures expected to remain above normal until the middle of next week, the World Metrological Organization (WMO) warned that heatwaves will occur more and more frequently, into the 2060s. The pattern is linked to the observed warming of the planet that can be attributed to human activity, raising serious concerns for the planet’s future, the UN weather agency said. Harvests at risk “We are expecting to see major impacts on agriculture. During the previous heatwaves in Europe, we lost big parts of harvest. And under the current situation -we are already having the global food crisis because of the war in Ukraine - this heatwave is going to have a further negative impact on agricultural activities”, warned Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO at a press conference to launch the latest extreme weather findings, in Geneva. In several countries, some economic sectors – including tourism that has only begun to fully recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic - are suffering as a result. Further warming inevitable “The negative trend in climate will continue at least until the 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation”, Mr. Taalas added. “We have already lost the game concerning the melting of glaciers. We expect that the melting of glaciers will continue for the coming hundreds of years or even coming thousands of years…Sea level rise will continue for the same period”. Mr. Taalas reflected growing concerns over extreme weather patterns, in his sartorial selection on Tuesday, he told journalists, choosing to wear short sleeves and a red and blue tie, in recognition of the increasing number of red alerts flashing up across Europe. WMO briefed journalists that the European heatwave may not end, until the middle of next week. Air pollution The heatwave also acts as a kind of atmospheric lid, WHO explained, trapping pollutants, and degrading air quality, with adverse health consequences, particularly for vulnerable people such as the elderly. In the major 2003 heatwave in Europe, some 70,000 people died. “Climate change is affecting our health in many ways, not only by heatwaves which are having direct consequences” but also other areas of essential healthcare, such as rising levels of disease, alerted Maria Neira, Director for public and environmental health at WHO. She explained that reliable access to food and water is at stake, as with agricultural production levels at risk”, and there will be water scarcity for sure”. She said that 99% of the global population is breathing air that does not meet the health standards set by WHO, hugely impacting chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1122822
     
         
      The UK’s ‘record-breaking’ renewable energy auction Tue, 19th Jul 2022 11:52:00
     
      It’s Tuesday, July 19, and inexpensive renewable electricity is coming to U.K. customers. The U.K. government announced its biggest-ever renewable energy auction earlier this month, inking contracts with developers to build nearly 11 gigawatts of new capacity in wind, solar, and tidal power. The projects are expected to deliver electricity to the public at a fraction of the price of gas-fired power. The auction was the fourth and most successful installment of a program called Contracts for Difference. Under the program, companies vie for 15-year contracts by offering to generate electricity at the lowest price — a scheme that regulators say encourages efficiency and lower costs for ratepayers. In this round of auctions, which secured more than double the renewable energy capacity of the previous round, contractors agreed to build 2.2 gigawatts of solar power, 1.5 gigawatts of onshore wind, and nearly 7 gigawatts of offshore wind. According to an estimate from the website Carbon Brief, these projects — which should be completed within the next five years — will generate enough electricity to meet 13 percent of the U.K.’s current demand.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/the-uks-record-breaking-renewable-energy-auction/
     
         
      Aerospace electrified by new technology Tue, 19th Jul 2022 11:26:00
     
      From a small office overlooking an airfield, once home to the UK's first Spitfire squadron, a tiny British start-up is hoping to make a little history of its own - as one of the pioneers of commercial electrified aviation. Faradair is planning to develop and sell a hybrid-electric passenger plane, aimed at the regional aviation market. It would have up to 19 seats and would be propelled by a fan driven by an electric motor. The necessary electricity would be provided by a small gas turbine. In order to provide extra lift, and allow take-offs and landings from short runways, it would also have a triple level wing. This would give it a passing resemblance to a World War One fighter, despite having state-of-the-art aerodynamics. The company's chief executive, Neil Cloughley, argues that such a plane would have far fewer moving parts than a conventional propeller aircraft, making it cheaper to run. It would also be much quieter, and produce fewer emissions. "Why do we not use aeroplanes like we would a bus?" he asks. "The reason is cost of operation, primarily. Also if you start using lots of aeroplanes it creates a lot of noise, and of course we have now got into an age where sustainability really is a key part of our future. "So we decided we would come up with an aircraft that would not only be economic to use, and therefore cost-effective, but would also be quiet and sustainable." The Faradair design, he says, would allow short hops between cities such as London and Manchester for £25 each way - less than the cost of a rail ticket. In more remote or inaccessible regions, meanwhile, such planes could provide a transport lifeline from small airstrips, avoiding the need for major investments in road or rail lines. It plans to have the aircraft flying by 2025 with commercial use starting in 2027. Faradair is far from alone in seeing the potential of electric aviation, at a time when governments around the world are searching for ways to reduce carbon emissions. Nor is its project the most ambitious. California-based start-up Wright Electric, for example, plans to bring a fully-electric 100-seat aircraft into service by the middle of the decade. It would be based on the existing Bae146, with its four turbofan engines replaced by electric motors. The company, which has a partnership with Easyjet, says the aircraft would be used to carry out one-hour flights, allowing it to serve routes such as London-Paris, New York-Washington or Hong Kong-Taipei. However, in testing, the plane will run as a hybrid. Initially just one of the four engines will be replaced by an electric motor, with others following if the tests are successful. According to Wright Electric's chief executive, Jeffrey Engler, potential customers think this is a good approach and one they could also follow when the aircraft enters production. "When we spoke to the airlines, they said, 'Well why don't you go hybrid initially, instead of full electric from the start?'" he explains. "Just like the car industry started with hybrids as well. So that's something we're looking into." The main reason electrifying aircraft is so difficult is that even the best batteries contain far less energy per kilogram than traditional aviation fuels, making them much too heavy to power an airliner over long distances.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62120130
     
         
      Extreme weather: What is it and how is it connected to climate change? Tue, 19th Jul 2022 7:24:00
     
      People around the globe are experiencing dramatic heatwaves, deadly floods and wildfires as a result of climate change. The UK and parts of Europe have seen temperatures of above 40C this month, leading to transport disruption and water shortages. Emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels have been trapping heat in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era. This extra heat isn't evenly distributed across the globe, and bursts out extreme weather events. Unless global emissions are cut, this cycle will continue. Here are four ways climate change is changing the weather. 1. Hotter, longer heatwaves To understand the impact of small changes to average temperatures, think of them as a bell curve with extreme cold and hot at either end, and the bulk of temperatures in the middle. A small shift in the centre means more of the curve touches the extremes - and so heatwaves become more frequent and extreme. Temperatures in the UK topped 40C for the first time on 19 July. The Met Office estimates that the extreme heat seen during the most recent heatwave is ten times more likely now because of climate change. And things could worsen. "In a few decades this might actually be a quite a cool summer," says Professor Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London. The Met Office has also pointed out that heatwaves are not just hotter: They're also lasting longer. Warm spells have more than doubled in length in the past 50 years. Why is it so hot in the UK? Is the UK getting hotter? Heatwaves can be made longer and more intense by another weather phenomenon - a heat dome. In an area of high pressure, hot air is pushed down and trapped in place, causing temperatures to soar over an entire continent. When a storm distorts the jet stream, which is made of currents of fast-flowing air, it is a bit like yanking a skipping rope at one end and seeing the ripples move along it. These waves cause everything to slow drastically and weather systems can become stuck over the same areas for days on end - as was seen in India earlier this year. India and Pakistan have already faced five successive heatwaves this year, with Jacobabad, in Pakistan, registering 49C at one point in May. In the Southern Hemisphere, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil all saw an historic heatwave in January - many areas reported their hottest day on record. In the same month, Onslow in Western Australia hit 50.7C, the joint-highest temperature ever reliably recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Last year, North America was also hit by long heatwaves. The western Canadian town of Lytton burnt down when temperatures hit 49.6C, breaking the previous record by almost 5C. Such an intense heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change, says the World Weather Attribution network, a collaboration between international climate scientists. One theory suggests higher temperatures in the Arctic are causing the jet stream to slow, increasing the likelihood of heat domes. Life at 50 degrees 2. More persistent droughts As heatwaves become more intense and longer, droughts can also worsen. Less rain falls between heatwaves, so ground moisture and water supplies run dry more quickly. This means the ground takes less time to heat up, warming the air above and leading to more intense heat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58073295
     
         
      Heatwave: More evacuations as Mediterranean wildfires spread Mon, 18th Jul 2022 10:24:00
     
      France has evacuated more than 16,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia and Greece. Authorities in France's Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites - the tourists left earlier. Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas. In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills, though later some were able to return. Portugal's fires are contained for now. More than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in Portugal and Spain in recent days. The Mijas fires in Spain are not far from Málaga, a popular tourist area. Elsewhere in Spain, wildfires have broken out in the provinces of Castilla y León, Galicia and Extremadura. Ellen McCurdy, living in the Málaga area, told Reuters: "We just grabbed a few essentials and just ran really, and by that stage everybody along the street was on the move... there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines." Across the Mediterranean - from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east - thousands of firefighters and many waterbombing aircraft have been deployed. Since Tuesday, the whole region has been sweltering in severe heat, leaving vegetation bone dry. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to carbon emissions. The French weather service has forecast temperatures of up to 41C (106F) in the country's south on Sunday and new heat records are predicted for Monday. In Portugal, the temperature recently reached 47C. In the UK there is a red warning for extreme heat across parts of England, as the country braces for record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, possibly reaching 41C in some parts. UK may have hottest day on record with 41C forecast Dr Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at Bristol University, told the BBC that "rising temperatures are a signature of climate change" and that in the UK, 2,000 extra deaths a year were attributable to heatwaves. Public records show that since 1884, the top 10 hottest years in the UK have all been since 2002, she said. Globally, "heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer," Dr Lo added. "We need to stop burning fossil fuels, and act now and quickly." Morocco has ordered more than 1,300 people to leave their homes and deployed more firefighters to tackle forest blazes in the north. The worst-hit area is Larache province. In Crete, Greek firefighters are battling a big blaze in the Rethymno region, on the south coast. On Saturday they said it had been partially contained. Some areas in south-west Turkey and on Croatia's Adriatic coast are also struggling with wildfires. A number broke out near Croatia's resort towns of Zadar and Sibenik, but they have not forced any major evacuations. Late on Saturday, France placed 22 more regional departments - mostly along its Atlantic coast - on high orange alert. One resident in south-west France described the forest fires as feeling "post-apocalyptic". Fires have burned 10,500 hectares (26,000 acres) of land there and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin praised firefighters' "remarkable courage". "Everything went so fast - the fire too, was big, big, big," Manon Jacquart, 27, told the BBC. She was evacuated from the campsite she works at early on Wednesday morning, and slept at a shelter near Teste-de-Buch where hundreds of other people also sheltered from the danger. "I'm just worried, I'm afraid… I'm trying to be as strong as I can but I'm not ok… I want to forget this week," she said. Meanwhile, climbers in the Alps are being urged to postpone their trips to Mont Blanc due to the risk of rock falls caused by "exceptional climatic conditions". Heatwaves put the public at greater risk of heatstroke, heat exhaustion and drowning, as people rush to cool off, Dr Lo said. Pets and farm animals are also vulnerable. "Even fit and healthy people are at risk," she said, though the most vulnerable are young children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Extreme heat can also damage infrastructure, such as melting road tarmac and buckling railway lines. In Portugal, fires have destroyed 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) of land this year, mainly in the north. That is the worst fire damage since the summer of 2017, when devastating fires killed some 100 people.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62196045
     
         
      Record 40°C UK temperatures linked to climate change: WMO Mon, 18th Jul 2022 9:54:00
     
      The chances of seeing unprecedented temperatures of 40 degree Celsius (40°C) or more in the UK could be up to 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a “natural climate unaffected by human influence,” the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared on Monday. In a statement, the WMO noted that the UK’s Met Office has, for the first time, issued a “Red Warning” for exceptional heat, and forecast temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday and Tuesday. The current record high temperature in the UK is 38.7 degrees Celsius, which was reached just three years ago. ‘Widespread impacts on people and infrastructure’ “Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas”, said Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen. “This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Therefore, it is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This level of heat can have adverse health effects”. The heatwave is also acting as a lid, trapping atmospheric pollutants, including particulate matter, resulting in a degradation of air quality and adverse health effects, particularly to vulnerable people, explained Lorenzo Labrador, Scientific Officer at WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch Programme. “Likewise, the abundant sunshine, high concentrations of certain atmospheric pollutants and stable atmosphere is conducive to episodes of ozone formation near the surface, which has detrimental effects on people and plants,” he continued. Dr Nikos Christidis, climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, added that a recent study has found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century. “Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK”, said Dr. Christidis. “The likelihood of exceeding 40 degrees Celsius anywhere in the UK in a given year has also been rapidly increasing, and, even with current pledges on emissions reductions, such extremes could be taking place every 15 years in the climate of 2100”. Extreme heat events do occur within natural climate variation due to changes in global weather patterns. However, the WMO points out that the increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of these events over recent decades is clearly linked to the observed warming of the planet and can be attributed to human activity. Wildfire havoc in southern Europe News of the exceptional highs expected in the northern European country broke amid huge wildfires across the southwest of the continent, which have caused hundreds of deaths, and seen thousands of people evacuated from their homes. In Portugal, temperatures have reached highs up to around 46°C, and red warnings are in effect for much of the country, as hot conditions increase the risk of wildfires. More than 13,000 hectares of land were on fire in the French Gironde region, and 15 of France’s 96 departments were listed on Red alert and 51 on Orange alert, with residents of those areas urged to be vigilant. The heatwave in western France is expected to peak on Monday, with temperatures climbing above 40 degrees Celsius. ‘Half of humanity in the danger zone’: UN chief In his video message to a high-level climate event in Germany on Monday, UN chief António Guterres warned that “half of humanity is in the danger zone,” facing floods, drought, extreme storms, and wildfires. Addressing ministers from 40 nations in the city of Petersberg, Mr. Guterres said that the 2015 Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, was already on life support coming out of COP26 last November, and its “pulse has weakened further”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1122732
     
         
      Fast-tracking clean energy technology Mon, 18th Jul 2022 8:56:00
     
      It’s Monday, July 18, and the Biden administration is breaking down barriers to renewable energy projects. The U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, announced a raft of funding last week to help remove obstacles that are stymieing the development of clean energy technologies. Seven national laboratories will receive a total of $18.4 million through the Technology Commercialization Fund, an annual funding opportunity that was established in 2005. The DOE said in a press release that this year’s funding is meant to address “barriers, gaps, and root causes of commercialization challenges” that are currently making it difficult for clean energy technologies to make it to the marketplace. “Accelerating how quickly we get novel technologies to the marketplace will allow us to deploy the clean energy sources needed to combat climate change, lower energy costs, and keep us on course to reaching President Biden’s decarbonization goals,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. Among the labs that will receive funding are the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — all of which engage in a wide range of research activities related to renewable energy generation. Several of the labs have recently begun working with the DOE on a nationwide project to help connect more solar, wind, and battery capacity to the electric grid. According to the Hill, regulators are taking a “new approach” with this year’s Technology Commercialization Fund. Rather than supporting specific kinds of energy projects like wind and solar, money provided by the program will help address issues affecting many energy sources: the need to cultivate talent and build connections between laboratories, for example. Some of the labs will use the funding to bolster manufacturing, startups, and semiconductor technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/fast-tracking-clean-energy-technology/
     
         
      UK heatwave: Amber warning in place as UK has hottest day of the year Sun, 17th Jul 2022 10:20:00
     
      An amber warning for extreme heat has begun for England and parts of Wales as the UK braces for record temperatures. The Met Office warning extends to southern Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, when England's alert rises to red for the first time. On Sunday, temperatures exceeded 30C (86F) across England and Wales, with a high of 33C in Flintshire making it the UK's hottest day of the year. The heat could hit 41C on Monday, which would be a record for the UK. The current temperature record of 38.7C was set in Cambridge in 2019. On Sunday, Hawarden in Flintshire recorded 33C - making it Wales's hottest day of the year so far, and the hottest for the UK overall. The highest temperature in England was 32C in Nantwich, Cheshire, with 26.4C at Auchincruive in Ayrshire in Scotland. Northern Ireland also had its hottest day of the year so far, with 27.7C recorded in Armagh. Sunday's weather saw packed beaches across the country, with cars queuing for several miles at Camber Sands in East Sussex. Downing Street said the heatwave was being treated as a national emergency. But people have been urged to take care near water as they try to cool off. A teenage boy died after swimming in Salford Quays on Saturday, and a man is missing after entering a reservoir in West Yorkshire. Meanwhile, water companies warned some households were experiencing lower water pressure and supply problems because of increased demand. Affinity Water said households in London, Essex, and Surrey could be affected by lower pressure, Anglian Water said there had been supply interruptions in King's Lynn, and South East Water also reported isolated problems. The Met Office red heat warning for Monday and Tuesday - the highest level - covers an area including London, Manchester and York. It is the first time it has been issued since the warning system for heat started last year. The amber warnings in place for those days have been extended and now cover the rest of England, as well as all of Wales and southern Scotland. An amber warning means health problems are more likely for some; substantial changes are required to work and routines; water safety incidents could increase as people head to the coast, lakes and rivers; and transport delays are possible. Extra measures are being put in place by the government - more ambulance call handlers and extra capacity for the 111 helpline are planned for Monday and Tuesday. Network Rail and Transport for London have warned people to travel only if necessary on Monday and Tuesday, and LNER said no trains would run between London and Leeds and York on Tuesday. NI high temperature could be topped Hot weather in Wales hits Covid jab clinics and rail travel Extreme heat warning extended in Scotland People have been asked to look out for vulnerable relatives and neighbours who may be suffering in the heat. Thomas Waite, deputy chief medical officer for England, said people should keep themselves "well-hydrated over these exceptional couple of days" and seek out cool places. The chairman of the NHS Confederation has said hospitals will be "really, really pushed" over the coming days. Lord Victor Adebowale told Times Radio the NHS "will cope" but "coping isn't good enough". The government held an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday to look at dealing with the heatwave. Labour criticised the prime minister for reportedly not attending, and for his plans to host a private lunch at Chequers on Sunday for some Conservative MPs. Deputy leader Angela Rayner said Boris Johnson was "preparing to party while Britain boils", accusing him of being "missing in action again".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62195015
     
         
      Europe heatwave: Deadly wildfires spread in Mediterranean Sun, 17th Jul 2022 9:48:00
     
      Thousands of firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires in Portugal, Spain and France, as a heatwave shows no sign of easing. In northern Portugal, a pilot died when his waterbombing plane crashed in the Foz Coa area, near the Spanish border. The Portuguese authorities say at least 238 people have died from the heat over the past week. Fires are ravaging areas of France's south-western Gironde region, where over 12,000 people have been evacuated. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to carbon emissions. The French weather service has forecast temperatures of up to 41 degrees in parts of the country's south on Sunday and new heat records are predicted for Monday. Late on Saturday the country placed 22 more regional departments mostly along its Atlantic coast on high orange alert. One resident in south-west France described the forest fires as feeling "post-apocalyptic" - "I've never seen this before," Karyn, who lives near Teste-de-Buch, told news agency AFP. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said fires had so far burned 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land and praised firefighters' "remarkable courage". Christophe Nader and his son-in-law spoke to the BBC at a shelter near Teste-de-Buch, having been forced to abandoned their house in the village of Cazaux with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. He told the BBC he hoped to get back there to rescue their cat. Hundreds of people from the danger zone were at the temporary shelter, which has provided beds. "Everything went so fast - the fire too, was big, big, big," Manon Jacquart, 27, told the BBC. She was evacuated from the campsite she works at early on Wednesday morning, and slept at a shelter near La Teste-de-Buch, on France's west coast. "I'm just worried, I'm afraid… I'm trying to be as strong as I can but I'm not ok… I want to forget this week," she said. Meanwhile in the Alps climbers are being urged to postpone their trips to Mont Blanc due to the risk of rock falls caused by "exceptional climatic conditions". Since Tuesday, temperatures have soared to 47C in Portugal and above 40C in Spain, leaving the countryside bone dry and fuelling the fires. Portuguese weather forecasters say temperatures will continue hovering above 40C before dropping next week.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62189272
     
         
      Campaigners call for plant-based menus at Bristol City Hall events Sun, 17th Jul 2022 8:22:00
     
      Ham and cheese sandwiches, along with butter, could be taken off the menu at conferences and events at City Hall in Bristol. Three campaigners have urged the city council to scrap meat and dairy from the authority's catering and switch to plant-based products. They told a recent cabinet meeting that it would help the council reduce its carbon emissions and save money. Deputy mayor Craig Cheney said the council would consider the move. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said campaigners highlighted the climate crisis when calling on councillors to consider the change. "Everyone can eat plant-based, it's fairer and more inclusive, particularly important in a diverse city like Bristol," said campaigner Pamela Nowicka. "Vegetables and pulses are cheaper, more accessible, healthier, and more climate-friendly than animal products." Michaela Andres added: "This is an amazing opportunity to show climate leadership by stipulating that meals and refreshments supplied are plant-based. "This is a real chance for Bristol to lead the way on climate action. It's indisputable that we urgently need a major shift away from meat, dairy and fish consumption." Should we stop eating meat to fight climate change? Farmers protest at council's vegan menu plan Clarkson calls council vegan plans 'madness' The council is in the process of extending contracts with its caterers before a "full tendering exercise next year", Mr Cheney said, at which point councillors will consider the proposals. At least two local authorities elsewhere in England have already made the switch to plant-based catering.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-62177102
     
         
      Sri Lanka: Is a push for organic behind the country's unrest? Sat, 16th Jul 2022 13:13:00
     
      Claims green policies and "eco-tyranny" lie behind the political crisis in Sri Lanka have been spreading online - but is there any truth to them? Rising prices, along with food and fuel shortages, have made life difficult for many - and the protests have been going on for months. But this week, as protesters stormed the president's palace, hundreds on social media - many climate-change sceptics - blamed "green policies". Others said the protests were a popular uprising against an "eco-tyranny" led by shadowy globalist forces. But experts say this is a distortion of the facts. WHERE DO THE CLAIMS COME FROM? Social-media users highlighted Sri Lanka's decision, in April 2021, to ban imports of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa vowed to completely eliminate the use of chemical fertilisers in Sri Lanka - something no country has achieved - to protect people's health and the environment. "This appeared to be an out-of-the-blue, whimsical approach," Charu Lata Hogg, an associate fellow with the Asia-Pacific programme of think tank Chatham House, says. "It had nothing to do with his commitment towards an environmentally sound, principled position." Dr Thiruni Kelegama, a lecturer in South Asian studies, at the University of Oxford, says: "He more or less imposed that ban overnight. "Farmers were not really allowed any kind of time or resources to transition to organic practices." Crop yields were smaller than usual, food prices rose and shortages of key staples were soon reported. The government dropped the policy, just seven months after introducing it, following widespread protests. But this week, as the presidential palace was stormed, many were quick to blame this old policy - and this claim was picked up by some right-wing US and UK media outlets and politicians, as well as climate-change sceptics. WHAT IS REALLY BEHIND THE UNREST? Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in decades. And while banning chemical fertilisers indisputably hurt the economy, experts say several other factors contributed. "Reducing this to the organic-farmer debate is actually reducing a huge struggle that the whole country is going through to one short-lived economic policy," Dr Kelegama says. "This very much comes down to the very bad economic policies that the president and his family have been putting in place for a long time."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62149554
     
         
      DC passes ‘aggressive’ climate legislation Fri, 15th Jul 2022 19:02:00
     
      It’s Friday, July 15, and Washington, D.C., policymakers want to limit natural gas in new buildings. Washington, D.C.’s 13-member city council unanimously approved two bills this week to push forward the district’s decarbonization goals. For the first time, the legislation enshrines D.C.’s carbon neutrality target into law and sets limits on the use of natural gas in new buildings. The two bills represent “one of the most aggressive climate change regimes in the country,” said Doug Siglin, D.C. coordinator for the nonprofit advocacy group Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. The first bill, the Climate Commitment Amendment Act, requires the District of Columbia to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, codifying and strengthening the ambition of a 2017 pledge from Mayor Muriel Bowser. To get there, the law sets interim greenhouse targets for every five years, ultimately aiming to slash greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent below 2006 levels by 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/dc-passes-aggressive-climate-legislation/
     
         
      Morocco wildfires: Toxic smoke and raging blazes Fri, 15th Jul 2022 10:57:00
     
      Wildfires have swept across parts of northern Morocco in the last few days, in the forests of Taza, Tetouan and Larache, leading to scenes of raging infernos and plumes of thick smoke. The ferocious blazes have been blamed on soaring temperatures reaching around 45C and droughts. At least one person died and more than 1,000 families in affected areas were evacuated, according to AFP news agency. The person suffered "multiple burns" in Larache, AFP quotes authorities as saying. Photos from the town of Ksar Sghir in Tetouan show inferno-like scenes. Firefighters have been battling to put out the flames using aircraft. The fires have been exacerbated by forceful winds. Rescue workers have been dropping large amounts of water over the areas aflame. The forest areas which were hit were in parts of the country that are hard to reach, said Fouad Assali, head of the National Centre for Forest Climate Risk Management. Fire rescue services are still working hard to put out the blazes. "Efforts are continuing in the hope of bringing these fires under control," Mr Assali was quoted as saying. Locals in the city of Ksar el-Kebir were pictured seeking shelter from the smoke and blaze in cars, as well as driving on nearby roads.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62177419
     
         
      Europe heatwave: Thousands escape wildfires in France, Spain and Greece Fri, 15th Jul 2022 8:04:00
     
      Residents and holidaymakers have fled towns and villages in France, Spain and Portugal as fires are whipped up by high winds and tinder-dry conditions. More than 11,000 people have been forced to leave France's south-western Gironde region in the past few days. Dozens of fires are burning in Portugal and Spain where temperatures have surged above 40C. At least 281 deaths in both countries were linked to the heat and several towns in western Spain were evacuated. Portuguese villagers were also told to flee when flames crossed the border from Spain. The head of France's firefighters' federation has warned of the impact global warming is having on civil protection. "It's firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis - and these effects aren't in 2030, they're right now," said Grégory Allione. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Firefighters in Spain fought to protect the town of Monsagro as fires erupted further south in the Monfragüe national park, home to rare species of birds. The main N-5 route in Cáceres just east of the park was cut off when a forest fire reached the road.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62175758
     
         
      Rising temperatures a threat to Norfolk rare river species Thu, 14th Jul 2022 11:06:00
     
      The current heatwave is threatening rare and protected species which live in rivers, an ecologist has said. Dr Jonah Tosney from the Norfolk Rivers Trust said higher water temperatures and low river levels can harm things like the bullhead fish and crayfish. The Met Office has issued an extreme heat weather warning for England from Sunday until Tuesday. Dr Tosney said: "The warmer the water gets the less oxygen it can hold so that's a huge threat to them." Both the bullhead and white-clawed crayfish are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species. Temperatures in the UK are expected to peak on Tuesday, with highs of 36C (96.8F) forecast. Dr Tosney said: "The actual water temperature can be a threat, once that gets about 20C all these species that are evolved to live in cool streams - that's a real danger to their life. "The other thing that's going on is the less water we've got, the more the concentration of pollutants build up. "The water evaporates off and that's just leaving everything behind it." Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-62155115
     
         
      Illinois is converting coal plants to solar projects Thu, 14th Jul 2022 10:58:00
     
      It’s Thursday, July 14, and Illinois coal plants are going solar. In Illinois, a renewable energy procurement plan is turning 11 retired coal-fired power plants into clean electricity powerhouses. Illinois legislators recently unveiled installation sites for more than 200 megawatts of new solar power and battery storage projects that were mandated by a state law called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which passed last fall. As part of the plan, the Texas-based energy company Vistra will install up to 68 megawatts of solar capacity, enough to power some 10,000 homes, at each of six retired coal plants, along with up to 9 megawatts of battery storage. Five other coal plants, owned by Vistra and another power company called NRG Energy, will be converted into battery-only projects. (The batteries help capture extra solar energy so that it can be deployed when the sun isn’t shining.) J.C. Kibbey, an Illinois clean energy advocate for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, hailed the plan as an opportunity to revitalize coal-blighted communities. Adding low-cost renewable energy to the grid will bring financial relief to low-income residents, he told me, in addition to creating new jobs in construction and maintenance. Vistra’s estimates say that the project will generate up to 100 new jobs per plant.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/illinois-is-converting-coal-plants-to-solar-projects/
     
         
      Energy bills: Homes could be heated by floodwater from disused mines Thu, 14th Jul 2022 10:10:00
     
      Wales' disused coal mines could get a new lease of life as a green energy source to heat homes. Investigations will be carried out to find the best spots to pump naturally heated water from underground to communities. The Welsh government is spending £450,000 on the project which it hopes will help cut energy bills and Wales' carbon footprint. When Wales' pits closed, the pumps were switched off and the mines flooded. Now ministers hope that the water, which is naturally heated underground, can be used to help Wales become carbon neutral by 2050. The Coal Authority's Gareth Farr said water would be extracted from the disused mines and put through a heat exchanger, where some heat is recovered, before it is amplified by a heat pump. "Then the heat is pumped around a heat network to homes, businesses and all parts of the local community and the water is returned underground," he said. Why weather changes worry Wales' 'wettest town' Climate change: Oranges 'a luxury' in bid to cut carbon The Coal Authority will spend the cash on feasibility studies to map where heat can be taken from water in disused mines and used to benefit communities by heating homes, schools and businesses. Mr Farr said: "Each mine water heat scheme will be bespoke, but the ultimate end game will be that consumers won't be paying any more than they currently are for their heating and hopefully they will eventually be paying significantly less." He said to get to the water bore holes often had to be drilled. Once complete, they are then hidden beneath the ground with pipes for the water and heat network. Gas currently heats most Welsh homes. But by 2025 newly built houses will not be connected to the gas mains. Wales' climate change minister, Julie James, said: "It's very exciting that communities could be metres from a technology-ready alternative to traditional heating methods." In Gateshead, England, a £9m programme has become the largest mine water heat scheme in the UK. It will provide as much as half of the required heat to buildings on the network including homes, businesses and public buildings. What is already happening? In Wales there have been stumbling blocks. Plans for a mine water scheme in Caerau, Bridgend county, stopped in recent months despite a feasibility study concluding it was achievable. Bridgend council said it provided valuable information but that the scheme would have been too expensive. Household energy bills to hit £3,000 per year The man using kites to harness wind power A spokesman said: "The council and its partners agreed to consider alternative options, and to develop and submit a re-profiled programme to the Wales European Funding Office instead."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62154271
     
         
      Net zero: 'Uncertain' if Welsh public sector can meet climate goal Thu, 14th Jul 2022 10:05:00
     
      Wales' spending watchdog has said it is unclear if the Welsh public sector will achieve a key climate change target. The Welsh government aims to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2030. But Audit Wales said only two of the 48 public bodies it had spoken to had worked out how much it would fully cost. Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton said organisations need to do more, while the Welsh government said it would work with the public sector. The net zero target does not mean eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, but instead balancing them with the amount of gases being removed from the atmosphere. New schools must meet net zero from January The former coal villages turning green Audit Wales spoke to 48 public bodies, including the Welsh government, councils and health boards. It said organisations were at "very different stages" in working up their plans to decarbonise, with over a third still making initial steps of drawing up proposals. Only two had "fully assessed the financial implications" of meeting the 2030 target, while 31 said they had not. Public bodies told auditors significant investment was going to be needed. 'Ambitious goals' Audit Wales said organisations would have to think about how they can use existing funds in different ways and share costs with others. Organisations also said they were lacking specialist skills in reducing and monitoring carbon emissions. Mr Crompton said: "There's no doubt that public bodies are taking climate change seriously, but they simply need to do more. "Given the level of uncertainty about whether the collective 2030 ambition will be met, now is the time for bold leadership. "Organisations need to be innovative, share experiences of their successes and failures and they need to place decarbonisation at the heart of everything they do." A Welsh government spokesman said: "We welcome the report's recognition of the commitment to carbon reduction in the Welsh public sector. "Recently published, public sector emissions data is important in identifying areas for urgent progress. "We will continue to work with the wider public sector to achieve our ambitious goals."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-62148334
     
         
      Massachusetts’ new climate roadmap Wed, 13th Jul 2022 10:08:00
     
      It’s Wednesday, July 13, and Massachusetts has released a detailed strategy to slash climate pollution. After a year of calculations, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs recently outlined steps it will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. The new roadmap, dubbed the Clean Energy and Climate Plan, fleshes out the commonwealth’s existing commitments to slash climate pollution 33 percent below 1990 levels by 2025 and halve it by the end of the decade. It takes a sector-by-sector approach, setting specific targets for agriculture, buildings, electricity, and other areas. For transportation, the state’s largest source of emissions, the executive office calls for cutting climate pollution 18 percent by 2025 and 34 percent by 2030. To get there, the office recommends expanding public transit, more funding for walkable and bike-friendly streets, and new housing near bus stops and train lines. It also calls for a scaling up the number of electric vehicles on Massachusetts roadways: an additional 849,000 by the end of the decade, accompanied by a total of 75,000 public charging stations. Other recommendations include efficiency retrofits to seal air leaks and electric heating systems in one-tenth of Massachusetts homes by 2025, more offshore wind turbines and solar panels, and plugging methane leaks in natural gas infrastructure. By 2030, the roadmap also calls for planting 16,000 acres of trees and conserving 167,000 acres of land and water.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/massachusetts-new-climate-roadmap/
     
         
      A victory for rooftop solar against homeowners’ associations Tue, 12th Jul 2022 19:10:00
     
      It’s Tuesday, July 12, and North Carolina’s highest court has made it harder to prohibit rooftop solar. The North Carolina Supreme Court delivered a victory to clean energy advocates last month in a ruling that will make it easier for homeowners to install rooftop solar panels. In a 4-3 bipartisan decision, the court ruled in favor of solar companies, environmental groups, and a Raleigh resident named Tom Farwig, whose rooftop solar panels had faced opposition from the Belmont Association. Despite a 2007 solar access law that prevented North Carolina homeowners’ associations from banning the “reasonable use of a solar collector” on single-family homes, Belmont argued that an exception in the law allowed street-facing panels like Farwig’s to be prohibited on aesthetic grounds. The Supreme Court disagreed, claiming that Belmont couldn’t stop Farwig and other residents from installing rooftop solar panels without explicitly forbidding them in its community covenants. Blue Raven Solar, which installed Farwig’s panels, celebrated the decision. “[W]e are vindicated in our support of our customers and in our fight to make rooftop solar available and affordable to everyone,” the company said in a statement. Although the decision doesn’t entirely prevent homeowners’ associations from restricting street-facing solar panels, it will at least provide clarity to those who have been unsure whether rooftop solar is allowed in their communities. Statewide, 40 percent of North Carolinian homeowners are members of more than 14,000 homeowners’ associations, which will now have to write specific rules on street-facing solar panels if they wish to prohibit them. (Though clean energy advocates are trying to stop associations from being able to even do that, through a bill that passed the state House last year and has now moved on to the Senate.)
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/a-victory-for-rooftop-solar-against-homeowners-associations/
     
         
      Stapleford Green Festival to help tackle climate change Tue, 12th Jul 2022 11:12:00
     
      Residents are being encouraged to go to a council-run festival to learn how to make lifestyle changes to tackle climate change. Broxtowe Borough Council has announced it will host the Green Festival in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, on 6 August. The event at Pasture Road Recreation Ground will feature tips on recycling and composting, the council said. It is the third Green Festival the council has hosted this year. There will also be information on switching to an electric vehicle, sustainable clothing, upcycling and allotments. Councillor Helen Skinner, the council's cabinet member for Environment, said: "The two festivals that have taken place so far this year have had an incredible turnout. "It has been amazing seeing how committed residents are to reducing their carbon footprint and how invested they are in these events."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62125663
     
         
      Maine energy: How one hydropower project sparked a $100m 'hoohah' Tue, 12th Jul 2022 11:04:00
     
      A proposal to transport clean hydropower from Canada to the state of Maine has created enough "hoohah" to launch a fierce court battle - possibly signalling trouble for the future of green energy projects across the US. New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) was supposed to be an industry-leading project, transporting 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts across 145 miles (233 km) of transmission line, and eliminating over three million metric tonnes of carbon emissions every year. The $1bn (£840m) project, funded by utility company Hydro-Quebec and Central Maine Power (CMP), which is owned by the Spanish energy giant Avangrid, received final approvals, including a Presidential Permit from the US Department of Energy. Construction began in January 2021. Now, the hydropower project could be dead in the water, after a majority Mainers voted to cancel it last November. The legality of that referendum, as well as the lease for a one-mile stretch of public lands, is currently before the Maine Supreme Court, which could issue its decision any day. If the court sides with opponents, and the corridor is not allowed to proceed as planned, Hydro-Quebec could lose out on $10bn in future revenue from this project. It could also signal trouble for the future of other clean energy projects in the US, at a time when many states are trying aggressively to green their power grid to offset the effects of climate change and rising fuel costs. "We can't succeed if every wind project, every solar energy project, every hydro project… is going to become challenged," said Orlando Delogu, a professor emeritus at the University of Maine School of Law who supports the corridor and has worked as an advisor in the fight over the project. But the project received pushback from the start. Tom Saviello, a former state senator, got involved with the opposition in 2018. "For that kind of deal it wasn't worth it. I wanted Maine to be treated right and it weren't" he said. "We're giving up a lot for getting nothing." In Maine - a state where some say you're not considered a local unless you were born there - he was wary of a project that seemed chiefly geared to benefit a Canadian utility and the state's southern neighbour of Massachusetts, which signed a 20-year contract with NECEC's backers to receive the bulk of the power. The project did include a plan that would help power about 70,000 Maine homes, providing a $2.72 reduction in monthly energy bills. Those in opposition have disputed the benefits and monthly savings estimate, arguing it would be pennies. About two-thirds of the corridor would build on existing transmission lines, with an extension planned to run 53 miles through Maine's North Woods, including the short stretch through public land being contested in court. Proponents of the project say it is the shortest route and most environmentally sound way to connect Quebec, where the hydropower is generated, to Massachusetts. It received all necessary approvals, and independent analyses of the proposal found it would reduce emissions in the region. But several environmental groups have expressed concern about the ecological impact on the North Woods, and have called into question whether the energy will be as clean as advertised. Mr Saviello also said it didn't help that Hydro-Quebec had partnered with CMP, which has had a number of public relations gaffes in the state, including allegations of overbilling and major outages. Market research firm JD Power has ranked the company dead last out of 88 utilities in the US for customer satisfaction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62072844
     
         
      Ukraine war: Germany fears Russia gas cut may become permanent Mon, 11th Jul 2022 11:08:00
     
      Russian natural gas supplies to Germany via the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 have been halted for 10 days for annual maintenance work. But German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned that EU countries had to be prepared in case gas shipments did not resume. He has accused the Kremlin of using gas "as a weapon" in response to EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Mr Habeck admitted Germany had become too dependent on Russian gas. He described that as "a grave political mistake as we can see today, which we are trying to remedy as quickly as we possibly can". He said two floating terminals for deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be ready by the end of the year. In mid-June Russia's state gas firm Gazprom cut gas flows through Nord Stream 1 to just 40% of the pipeline's capacity. It blamed a delay in the return of equipment being serviced by Germany's Siemens Energy. The Canadian government says it will now return a repaired Siemens turbine to Germany for the pipeline. That move angered the Ukrainian government, which accused Canada of adjusting the sanctions imposed on Moscow "to the whims of Russia". Canada says it is granting Siemens Canada a "time-limited and revocable permit" to send repaired turbines back to Germany, despite the sanctions. Germany's government is worried that gas supplies could be reduced or cut permanently. Pipeline maintenance is normal every summer, when gas demand is lower than in winter, but the worry is that Russia may not turn the taps back on. The pipeline shutdown is also affecting Italy, where energy group Eni said it would receive about a third less gas from Russia's Gazprom on Monday compared with average volumes supplied over the past few days. The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has warned that Russia may cut off gas supplies to Europe entirely and that Europe needs to prepare now. Can the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Europe told to prepare for Russia turning off gas Russia has already cut gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland over their refusal to comply with a new payment scheme. Austria and the Czech Republic get some gas from Nord Stream 1, but Russian gas also flows to them via a Ukraine pipeline. Visiting Prague, Mr Habeck signed an agreement with the Czech Republic pledging mutual help in the event of a sharp drop in Russian gas supplies. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian gas from 55% to 35% and wants to stop using gas from Russia altogether. Last year the other main suppliers of natural gas to Germany were Norway (31%) and the Netherlands (13%). Germany is now getting more gas from them, since reducing imports from Russia. The government has also given the go-ahead for Germany's first LNG terminal to be built, at Wilhelmshaven. Another undersea Baltic pipeline from Russia, Nord Stream 2, has been built, but plans to pump gas through it are now on hold because of the war. If Russian supplies were suddenly cut overnight, this could tip Germany into a major recession, because entire industries rely on gas and most German homes use it for heating. A leading energy market analyst, Henning Gloystein of Eurasia Group, warned that "if Nord Stream 1 doesn't come back on at all, let's say by early August, we think that the German government will have to raise its gas alert level to the third level, which is the maximum level".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62121702
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion activists occupy Aberpergwm coal mine in expansion protest Mon, 11th Jul 2022 10:15:00
     
      More than 60 Extinction Rebellion activists have ended an occupation at a coal mine that is due for expansion. The protesters arrived at Aberpergwm mine, near Glynneath, Neath Port Talbot on Sunday afternoon. Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, South Wales Police confirmed. Demonstrators object to the "silence" of the Welsh government after approval was given for another 40 million tonnes of coal to be dug at the site. The Welsh government previously stated it did not have the powers to make a decision on these expansion plans, which now faces a judicial review. Extinction Rebellion members, some dressed in white hazmat suits and carrying black flags bearing the group's logo, began setting off flares and climbing onto roofs after entering the site about 16:30 (BST) on Sunday. What is Extinction Rebellion and what does it want? 'I'm really scared about what the future will hold' Welsh ministers 'could have stopped mine go-ahead' They claim the licence contravened the Senedd's own climate change targets as well as the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015, which requires public bodies in Wales to consider the long-term impact of their decisions. The last remaining protesters had left by 11.15 BST on Monday. Accountant and protestor Mel Price, 55, from Swansea added: "We are destroying our climate and our wonderful biodiversity. "The technology is here to allow us to transition away from fossil fuels but we need to do it now." Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast, activist Grug said: "The Welsh government has remained silent on this issue - there is a judicial review which Coal Action Network have taken forward. "It's really important to highlight this to the public. 'Keep the pressure on' "If this expansion goes ahead there will be 100 million tones of C02 released into the air, so it's really important that we keep the pressure on. "The Welsh government signed up to the Glasgow Climate Pact, that came from COP26 and specifically mentions coal, as well as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. "If they can't do anything about [this expansion] then they should at least be asking that the decision is overturned and stating they don't want this to go ahead because they are committed to investing in renewables and a transition to green energies."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62116194
     
         
      UN report: Value of nature must not be overridden by pursuit of short-term profit Mon, 11th Jul 2022 9:01:00
     
      The values that we ascribe to nature are vital parts of our cultures, identities, economies, and ways of life, all of which should be reflected in policy decisions surrounding our natural world, according to a new UN-backed report released on Monday. However, the new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ (IPBES) assessment report finds when making policy decisions, there is a too much global focus on short-term profits and economic growth that often undervalue nature. An independent intergovernmental science and policy body, the IPBES secretariat is provided by the UN Environment Programme, authorized by UNEP’s Governing Council. Methods lacking Approved on Saturday by representatives of the 139 Member States, co-chairs Unai Pascual, Patricia Balvanera, Mike Christie, and Brigitte Baptiste pointed out in the Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature report, that ways of preventing power irregularities and embed nature into policymaking are “in short supply”. While economic and political decisions have predominantly prioritized market-based values of nature, such in intensive food production, they do not adequately reflect how changes in the natural world affect people’s quality of life. Moreover, policymaking overlooks the many non-market values associated with nature’s contributions to communities, such as climate regulation and cultural identity. “Only two per cent of the more than 1,000 studies reviewed, consult stakeholders on valuation findings and only one per cent of the studies involved stakeholders in every step of the process of valuing nature,” they explained. Balancing people and planet “Living from, with, in and as nature” means providing resources that sustain people’s livelihoods, needs and wants, including food and material goods, according to the news release issued with the report. It also focuses on non-human life, such as the intrinsic rights of fish in a river to “thrive independently of human needs”, and sees the natural world as a “physical, mental and spiritual part of oneself.” “The Values Assessment provides decision-makers with concrete tools and methods to better understand the values that individuals and communities hold about nature,” said Ms. Balvanera. Mr. Christie said that “valuation is an explicit and intentional process,” that hinges on “how, why and by whom” the valuation is “designed and applied”. Following this logic, Ms. Baptiste added that “recognizing and respecting the worldviews, values and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities allows policies to be more inclusive, which also translates into better outcomes for people and nature”. Earth stewardship The authors identified four value-centred “leverage points” to create the necessary conditions for transformative change focused on sustainability and justice. The pathways range from recognizing the diverse values of nature, to embedding valuation into decision-making and policy reform, to align with global sustainability and justice objectives. Although each is underpinned by different values, “they share principles aligned with sustainability,” said Mr. Pascual. “Biodiversity is being lost and nature’s contributions to people are being degraded faster now that at any other point in human history,” said Ana María Hernández Salgar, Chair of IPBES. “This is largely because our current approach to political and economic decisions does not sufficiently account for the diversity of nature’s values.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1122322
     
         
      UK heatwave: Temperatures rise to 32C amid extreme heat warning Mon, 11th Jul 2022 7:14:00
     
      The Met Office has issued an extreme weather warning for Sunday, as temperatures climbed to 32C on Monday. The rare amber alert covering much of England and Wales is used to warn people of potential health and transport issues caused by the heat. It comes as Wales had its hottest day of the year with 28.7C in Cardiff's Bute Park. Northolt, west London, recorded a high of 32C as temperatures in England soared. And Heathrow airport, in west London, recorded temperatures of 31.8C. The airport previously was the site of the UK's hottest day so far this year on 17 June when it was 32.7C. The Met Office's extreme heat warning has only been issued twice before. It comes as a teenager is believed to have died after getting into trouble while swimming in a canal, near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Temperatures are set to remain high overnight going into Tuesday, making it an uncomfortable night for many. The Met Office is advising people to stay indoors where possible and to drink plenty of fluid to cope with the heat. Parents are also being encouraged to limit their children's exposure to the sun. Level three heat-health alerts, which are separate to the Met Office amber warning, are in place across the south, the Midlands and eastern parts of England. The heat-health alerts, issued jointly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office, are expected to stay in place until next weekend. Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more extreme because of climate change. What does hot weather do to the body? How hot is it where you are? Is the UK getting hotter? The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 38.7C on 25 July 2019 in Cambridge Botanic Garden.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62117348
     
         
      Italians wait for rain where longest river runs dry Sat, 9th Jul 2022 10:17:00
     
      On a farm in northern Italy not far from the Adriatic Sea, Giampaolo Bassi's crops are in trouble. "Salty water is killing the plants because they can't stand such a high concentration," the 32-year-old says. He pulls up one of the more sickly looking plants and, where you should see peanuts dangling from the root, there's nothing. Giampaolo has had problems with salt in the water before, but not like this. It's all linked to the region's worst drought in 70 years - the result of a lack of rain and snow since winter and higher temperatures. The River Po, along with its tributaries, is a lifeline for communities across northern Italy. It runs for 650km (400 miles), from the south-western Alps down to the Adriatic Sea. But annual satellite images show expanding patches of dried-up riverbed. A weaker river, say experts, is leading to more salty seawater penetrating further inland. "Normally you will see that the seawater enters the mouth of the river for a few kilometres," says Paolo Ciavola, professor of Coastal Dynamics at the University of Ferrara. "At the moment, official data from the Po Basin Authority shows an ingression of up to 30km from the mouth." The freshwater river normally wins in pushing out to sea, but, says the professor: "Right now the river is losing. "That water is used for irrigation and therefore you can imagine the farmers might suffer huge economic damage from this."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62096162
     
         
      Water scarcity risk increases in eastern Scotland Fri, 8th Jul 2022 19:18:00
     
      The risk of water scarcity has increased in the east of Scotland, with more dry weather forecast for July. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued a warning that conditions are unlikely to improve in the next week. Despite rainfall in recent days, the situation has deteriorated throughout June and into July, with very little rainfall forecast for the next week. The majority of the east of Scotland remains in the "alert" category. East-west split as water scarcity threat grows Businesses warned about water scarcity The River Ythan catchment in Aberdeenshire and the Firth of Tay have been put into moderate scarcity level due to very dry ground conditions and low river levels. Areas around the River Irvine and River Ayr in Ayrshire are also now at the early warning stage, again due to low river levels. The majority of the east remains in alert. Businesses in alert areas which rely on water from the environment are advised to take action to ensure they are being efficient. Sepa offers advice on staggering operations, reducing volumes and durations or suspending operations altogether. It can also offer support on switching supplies, such as using groundwater instead of river water. 'Water is finite' Michael Wann, water resources specialist at Sepa, said: "Water is a resource that underpins key industries across Scotland - from food and drink production, to farming and golf course management. "All licensed abstractors must have a plan to deal with the range of conditions they experience throughout the year, including the current deteriorating water scarcity situation. "Water is shared and finite, and we all need to work together to manage it as efficiently as possible. We want to work with businesses to plan long term for their usage so that we can preserve the resource as effectively as possible." The latest report comes after Sepa warned in March about the growing threat of water scarcity this year as a result of a particularly dry winter. It is also expected water scarcity will become a more frequent occurrence as a result of climate change. Industries which rely on a consistent water source include farming, golf, whisky production, and hydropower energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62092733
     
         
      France will nationalize its biggest energy company Fri, 8th Jul 2022 10:13:00
     
      It’s Friday, July 8, and France is taking control over its biggest electricity provider. It’s the sort of move countries rarely make anymore: The French government announced on Wednesday that it will nationalize the country’s primary energy company, Électricité de France, the utility that provides roughly 70 percent of the country’s electricity. Although the government already holds an 84 percent stake in the energy giant, officials said that owning all of EDF would give it greater power to stabilize energy prices and cut dependence on Russian natural gas amid President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. More nuclear power from EDF, which operates all of France’s nuclear reactors, is also a key part of the government’s strategy for meeting its decarbonization targets. “The energy transition requires nuclear power,” Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told the French Parliament on Wednesday. France’s fleet of 56 nuclear reactors provides the country with roughly 70 percent of its electricity, helping to insulate it from the natural gas price increases and supply constraints that make trouble for neighboring countries like Germany. But France’s nuclear fleet is aging. Safety problems and a maintenance backlog have caused the temporary shutdown of nearly half of the country’s reactors, deepening financial woes that the company has experienced since it was partially privatized back in 2005. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron laid out a $52.6 billion blueprint to revitalize the industry with 14 new reactors and upgrades to existing ones, but experts say that EDF wouldn’t be able to afford the plan under normal market conditions. The heavily indebted EDF recently had its credit rating downgraded by the rating agency Fitch, a move likely to deepen the utility’s problems.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/france-will-nationalize-its-biggest-energy-company/
     
         
      Gloucestershire libraries could get trees and car chargers in car parks Thu, 7th Jul 2022 10:22:00
     
      Libraries in Gloucestershire could play their part in helping to tackle climate change under new plans. Extra trees will be planted in library car parks to encourage wildlife and electric vehicle charging points are to be installed under the scheme. Council bosses are now asking for views from members of the public. The draft strategy also aims to maintain the core service of providing free access to a wide range of books and information. This has been extended to include an extensive catalogue of e-books and e-magazines that can be accessed from home, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'Heart of communities' The library strategy sets out how services will continue to develop to meet changing demands and covers five key themes, including creativity, climate and the community. Libraries cabinet member, conservative Dave Norman, said he hoped as many people as possible will take part in the consultation. "The strategy sets out the ambitions of the service over the next five years and we would like to know if you agree with these aims and how you would like to see the service developed," he said. "Our library service has evolved a lot over the last few years but libraries remain at the heart of our communities and we want to ensure this continues." The consultation is running from 4 July to 23 September 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-62063945
     
         
      Dutch airport limits flights to reduce emissions Thu, 7th Jul 2022 9:18:00
     
      The Dutch transportation ministry announced last month that Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest in Europe, will limit its number of annual flights to 440,000 — a 12 percent reduction compared to 2019. The move is a first-of-its-kind attempt to mitigate the aviation sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to cut back on nitrogen oxide and noise pollution. “[A]ttention must be paid to reducing the negative effects of aviation on people, the environment, and nature,” the Dutch government wrote in a press release. The decision may also help Schiphol cope with an ongoing travel boom spurred by the easing of many global COVID-related travel restrictions. Due to long lines and staffing shortages,airport officials announced separately last month that they would reduce the number of travelers passing through Schiphol by about 13,500 per day. Global aviation is a big contributor to global warming. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the sector emitted some 915 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — about 2.1 percent of human-made CO2 emissions. Although international industry groups have committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, environmental advocates have criticized their plans — especially as many rely on dramatically expanding the use of sustainable aviation fuel, which is currently expensive and hard to obtain. Some airlines have also proposed developing battery- and hydrogen-powered aircraft, but these may not be commercially available for decades to come. Peggy Hollinger, international business editor for the Financial Times, wrote last month that the industry is banking on “technological miracles” to make it to net-zero.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/dutch-airport-limits-flights-to-reduce-emissions/
     
         
      HSBC banker quits after 'nut job' climate speech Thu, 7th Jul 2022 8:20:00
     
      A senior HSBC executive who accused central bankers and officials of exaggerating the financial risks of climate change has resigned. Stuart Kirk, the bank's global head of responsible investing, was reportedly suspended in May after he said in a speech: "There's always some nut job telling me about the end of the world." He said on Thursday his comments had made his position "unsustainable". "A cancel culture destroys wealth and progress," he added in a LinkedIn post. Mr Kirk's role, which is based in London, involved considering the impact of investments on environmental, social and governance issues. Big banks fund new oil despite net zero pledges HSBC suspends banker over 'nut job' climate speech In his resignation statement, he said he had "only ever tried to do the best for my clients and readers" in a "27-year unblemished record in finance, journalism and consulting". "Ironically given my job title, I have concluded that the bank's behaviour towards me since my speech at a Financial Times conference in May has made my position, well, unsustainable," he said. "Funny old world." HSBC came under pressure to investigate Mr Kirk after he gave the presentation entitled "Why investors need not worry about climate risk" at a conference. In the address he made light of the risks of major floods and said that he had to spend his time "looking at something that's going to happen in 20 or 30 years". During the 15-minute address, Mr Kirk said climate change was "not a financial risk that we need to worry about". "Unsubstantiated, shrill, partisan, self-serving, apocalyptic warnings are always wrong," a slide showed as part of the presentation said. Later in the presentation, he said: "Who cares if Miami is six metres underwater in 100 years? Amsterdam has been six metres underwater for ages and that's a really nice place." Mr Kirk said on Thursday that investing was "hard" and "so is saving our planet". "Opinions on both differ. But humanity's best chance of success is open and honest debate. If companies believe in diversity and speaking up, they need to walk the talk. A cancel culture destroys wealth and progress," he added. "There is no place for virtue signalling in finance." Mr Kirk also announced he had been gathering a "crack group of like-minded individuals" to deliver "what is arguably the greatest sustainable investment idea ever conceived". "I will continue to prod with a sharp stick the nonsense, hypocrisy, sloppy logic and group-think inside the mainstream bubble of sustainable finance," he said. HSBC declined to comment when contacted by the BBC. Following Mr Kirk's speech, the bank's group chief executive Noel Quinn said he did not agree "at all" with his remarks, adding "they are inconsistent with HSBC's strategy and do not reflect the views of the senior leadership of HSBC or HSBC Asset Management".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62085294
     
         
      Climate change forcing nature reserves to adapt, warns new report Wed, 6th Jul 2022 10:23:00
     
      Projects to help wildlife adapt to habitats affected by climate change will become more commonplace, warned a new report. The Wildlife Trusts said people must be prepared to see nature reserves change. The umbrella organisation cited land management work that had already taken place at Cley Marshes and Hickling in Norfolk. "A concerted effort is required to create more space for nature everywhere," said the Wildlife Trusts. The first Changing Nature report outlined the risks that climate change posed for the charities' land and dependent wildlife. The research has predicted that in 30 years almost all its 2,700 sites, run by county-based wildlife trusts, would see temperatures rise by 1C on hot summer days. Additionally, half of the reserves would be exposed to more than 30 days a year of very high fire risk, while more than half would see local river flows drop by more than 30% at times. Kathryn Brown, spokeswoman from The Wildlife Trusts, said: "Climate change is contributing more and more to nature's decline with devastating consequences for people and wildlife. "We are already stepping up our efforts to restore habitats." She added that society needed to join together to find solutions to help animals and their habitats. Norfolk Wildlife Trust said extreme weather had affected many of its reserves. Sea water flooding had threatened freshwater habitats along coastal reserves and The Broads, while droughts were also putting some of these freshwater environments at risk.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-62056022
     
         
      Scarborough bin lorries to run on recycled vegetable oil Wed, 6th Jul 2022 10:15:00
     
      Bin lorries in Scarborough are to be powered by recycled vegetable oil as part of a year-long trial. The vehicles will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) instead of diesel in a bid to slash carbon emissions. Scarborough Borough Council said the fuel would be used in more than half of the vehicles at its Dean Road depot, including bin lorries and lawnmowers. The authority estimates the trial will prevent almost 900 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere. Harry Baross, climate change and carbon reduction officer, said HVO is a "brilliant half-way point" and will "do wonders" for the authority's carbon footprint, with council vans, trucks and plant equipment typically consuming about 30,000 litres of diesel a month. "There are so many challenges with decarbonising some of the heavier fleet," he said. "Electric is just not feasible at the moment, hydrogen is a long way off, so finding the best middle ground of bio-fuel which is really healthy, sustainable and doesn't put much burden on the drivers is an absolute brilliant thing." Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff said the switch to HVO has already cut the authority's harmful emissions by 90%. "It's a huge step towards our goal to minimise the harmful affect our services have on our fragile environment," she said. "Our overall CO2 emissions are the lowest they've been for more than 15 years and should be driven down further because of this trial." Fleet manager, Steve Hood, said HVO gives an "almost like-for-like replacement of diesel" and said there had been "no issues" in the initial part of the trial with most vehicles able to use it without any modification.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-62052654
     
         
      Environmentalists sue Dutch airline KLM for 'greenwashing' Wed, 6th Jul 2022 7:17:00
     
      Environmental groups are suing Dutch airline KLM, alleging that adverts promoting the company's sustainability initiative are misleading. The groups say it's the first lawsuit to challenge so-called airline industry "greenwashing". They argue that KLM adverts and their carbon-offsetting scheme create the false impression that its flights won't make climate change worse. But KLM says the company's statements are "based on solid arguments", and that it believes its adverts "comply with the applicable legislation and regulations". Netherlands-based group Fossielvrij NL - supported by ClientEarth and Reclame.NL - is taking aim at the company's Fly Responsibly campaign, which was launched in 2019. The campaign declared the airline is "creating a more sustainable future" and is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It features a carbon offset product called CO2Zero, which KLM says funds reforestation projects or the company's purchase of biofuels. Carbon offsets balance out greenhouse gas emissions from polluting activities. But the groups argue the claims are highly misleading. They say the airline's plan to return to pre-pandemic levels of flights is at odds with the latest report by the UN climate body - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - which calls for a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental groups call the advertising campaign "greenwashing" - in other words, a misleading attempt to make the company seem environmentally friendly. They claim products like CO2Zero do nothing to limit damage to the environment, and that by promoting it to customers, the Dutch airline is undermining action to minimise climate change. They're bringing the lawsuit under the EU's Unfair Consumer Practices Directive. KLM says it had discussions with the environmental groups to see if there was any room for a solution other than a court case, but that it "proved impossible". "We critically assess all our communications about sustainability, and welcome input from all our stakeholders," KLM spokesperson Marjan Rozemeijer told the BBC. "We hope that a court ruling in this case will clarify how best to shape our communications policy." If the case in Amsterdam is successful, KLM will have to withdraw the advertising, stop any similar advertising in the future and issue corrections.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61556984
     
         
      Climate protesters glue themselves to John Constable masterpiece Tue, 5th Jul 2022 10:25:00
     
      Climate protesters have attached their own "apocalyptic vision of the future" to a John Constable masterpiece in the National Gallery. Two activists from Just Stop Oil (JSO) stepped over the rope barrier in front of the Hay Wain oil painting before attaching their own version. Then they glued themselves to its frame, National Gallery (NG) said. Art lovers, tourists and 11-year-old schoolchildren were among those ushered out of the room. NG said police attended at about 14:25 BST and removed the protesters by 16:40. They were then arrested. The painting was removed from the wall and examined by NG's conservation team who found it had minor damage to its frame and some "disruption to the surface of the varnish on the painting - both of which have now been successfully dealt with", NG added. The protesters, a man and a woman wearing white T-shirts with the slogan Just Stop Oil, each placed a hand on the frame of the painting and kneeled beneath it before loudly stating their concerns as visitors were directed out by security staff, NG said. They were later named by JSO as music student Eben Lazarus, 22, and psychology student Hannah Hunt, 23, both of Brighton. Painted in 1821, the Hay Wain shows a hay wagon travelling across fields in the Suffolk countryside. It is one of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery. JSO said they had attached an "apocalyptic vision of the future" that depicts "the climate collapse and what it will do to this landscape". 'Road to disaster' The colour printout shows double yellow lines and pollution. Mr Lazarus, who described himself as an art lover, said: "Art is important, it should be held for future generations to see, but when there is no food what use is art? "When there is no water, what use is art? When billions of people are in pain and suffering, what use then is art? "We have stuck a reimagined version of the Hay Wain that demonstrates our road to disaster." The painting will be rehung in Room 34 ready for when the National Gallery opens on Tuesday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-62038615
     
         
      Drought emergency declared in northern Italy Tue, 5th Jul 2022 10:20:00
     
      Italy has declared a state of emergency in five northern regions surrounding the Po River amid the worst drought in 70 years. The drought threatens more than 30% of Italy's agricultural produce, according to agricultural union Coldiretti. Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto will be given €36.5m (£31m; $38m) in emergency funds to tackle the water shortage. Several municipalities have already announced water rationing. "The state of emergency is aimed at managing the current situation with extraordinary means and powers," the Italian government said. It said it could take further measures if the situation did not improve. Unusually hot weather and low rainfall across winter and spring have compounded water shortages in northern Italy and heightened fears about the effects of climate change. Prime Minister Mario Draghi said climate change was "without doubt" linked to Sunday's glacier collapse in the Dolomites, where seven people died and several others are missing. The Po is Italy's longest river, flowing eastward for more than 650km (404 miles). Farmers in the Po Valley say salty seawater is now seeping into the river, destroying crops. The Po is the main artery that cuts through Italy's heartland where one-third of its food is produced. Historically it's the lifeblood of one of the most vibrant and important economic areas in Europe and it has become the symbol of prosperity in northern Italy. Today the drought has transformed the landscape and significantly affected all activities connected to the river, from the production of tomatoes and watermelons, to farming. Parmesan cheese producers are worried they won't be able to feed their cows.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62046165
     
         
      Climate change: 'Sand battery' could solve green energy's big problem Tue, 5th Jul 2022 10:15:00
     
      Finnish researchers have installed the world's first fully working "sand battery" which can store green power for months at a time. The developers say this could solve the problem of year-round supply, a major issue for green energy. Using low-grade sand, the device is charged up with heat made from cheap electricity from solar or wind. The sand stores the heat at around 500C, which can then warm homes in winter when energy is more expensive. UK must insulate to reduce energy bills - report Could nuclear desalination plants solve droughts? Could I save money driving an electric car? Finland gets most of its gas from Russia, so the war in Ukraine has drawn the issue of green power into sharp focus. It has the longest Russian border in the EU and Moscow has now halted gas and electricity supplies in the wake of Finland's decision to join NATO. Concerns over sources of heat and light, especially with the long, cold Finnish winter on the horizon are preoccupying politicians and citizens alike. But in a corner of a small power plant in western Finland stands a new piece of technology that has the potential to ease some of these worries. The key element in this device? Around 100 tonnes of builder's sand, piled high inside a dull grey silo. These rough and ready grains may well represent a simple, cost-effective way of storing power for when it's needed most. Because of climate change and now thanks to the rapidly rising price of fossil fuels, there's a surge of investment in new renewable energy production. But while new solar panels and wind turbines can be quickly added to national grids, these extra sources also present huge challenges. The toughest question is about intermittency - how do you keep the lights on when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? Adding more renewables to the electricity grid also means you need to boost other energy sources to balance the network, as too much or too little power can cause it to collapse. The most obvious answer to these problems is large scale batteries which can store and balance energy demands as the grid becomes greener.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61996520
     
         
      Climate change: Is the UK on track to meet its targets? Tue, 5th Jul 2022 9:23:00
     
      The UK Committee on Climate Change (UKCCC), which advises the government, has criticised the plans to meet the country's climate goals. The UK has pledged to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Net zero means a country takes as much of these climate-changing gases out of the atmosphere as it puts in. In response to the Committee's damning report, the government said: "The UK is forging ahead of most other countries. [We are] decarbonising our cars and vans faster than any other developed country." Simple guide to climate change: What will climate change look like for you? Power generation cross-head In 2021, Boris Johnson set a target for all of the UK's electricity to come from clean sources by 2035. Governments have been relatively successful in cutting emissions from energy. These fell by 40% between 1990 and 2019, largely as a result of closing coal-fired power stations, and by spending more money on solar, wind and nuclear energy. However, the UKCCC says the lack of a clear strategy in this area - and the delays facing new nuclear power stations - mean the government risks not reaching its 2035 target. The UK is already a world leader in offshore wind. It currently has capacity of about 10GW, which the government has promised to increase to 50GW by 2030. This would generate enough energy to power every home in the UK. The UK has made significant progress in scaling up its offshore wind production. In March, the industry body Renewable UK announced that there is capacity for 72.5GW of wind planned or under construction in the UK. But the UKCCC warnsthe country needs more and better energy storage for times when the wind doesn't blow. In April 2022, the government published its UK Energy Security Strategy, which aims to move away from "expensive fossil fuel prices set by global markets we cannot control". However, it also included a promise to issue new licences in the North Sea for oil and gas, despite the UN warning against new fossil fuel projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58160547
     
         
      Marmolada glacier collapse in Italy kills seven Mon, 4th Jul 2022 9:27:00
     
      At least seven people have been killed after being caught in an avalanche sparked by the collapse of a glacier in the northern Italian Alps. Emergency officials said eight others were injured in the collapse, with two people suffering serious injuries. Rescue teams with helicopters and drones have halted their search for 13 still missing due to bad weather. Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, said the incident was "without doubt" linked to climate change. Four of the seven killed have been identified by rescuers, three of them Italian, including two mountain guides. Video of the incident showed an ice mass collapsing down the slopes of Marmolada, the area's highest mountain. "An avalanche of snow, ice and rock which in its path hit the access road when there were several roped parties, some of which were swept away," emergency services spokeswoman Michela Canova said. "The definitive number of mountaineers involved is not yet known," she added. The injured hikers, including two people left in critical condition, were taken to a number of hospitals around the area, rescue officials said. It isn't immediately clear what caused the section of the glacier, called a serac, to collapse. But Walter Milan, a rescue service spokesperson, told state TV the area has been experiencing unusually high temperatures in recent days. "The heat is unusual,'' Mr Milan said, noting temperatures have reached 10C at the glacier's peak in recent days. "That's extreme heat," he said. "Clearly it's something abnormal." The Italian prime minister said climate change bears some responsibility for the glacier collapse. "This is a tragedy that certainly had an element of the unpredictable but is also without doubt linked to the deterioration of the environment and the climate situation," Mr Draghi said. On a visit to the region, he also said the government would take measures to prevent another similar tragedy happening. We don't yet know what caused the catastrophic collapse of the Marmolada glacier, but it seems almost certain that climate change will have played a role. The climate of the Alps is changing rapidly. Temperatures are reckoned to have increased by around 2C - twice the global average. That's driving the retreat of the glaciers of the Alps. They are estimated to have lost half their ice volume since 1850 and loss rates have accelerated strongly since the late 1980s. As glaciers recede, they can become unstable and threaten the people below them, particularly high elevation glaciers like the Marmolada which are often on steep slopes and rely on sub-zero temperatures to keep them locked in place. As a result, catastrophic glacier collapses are becoming more frequent, says Paul Christoffersen, a professor of glaciology at the University of Cambridge. The shifting ice of the high Alps shows once again how climate change is altering our landscape and hazards in ways scientists are still trying to understand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62029780
     
         
      Aberpergwm: Coal mine expansion facing legal challenge Sat, 2nd Jul 2022 11:29:00
     
      A legal challenge will go ahead into mine expansion plans after opponents were granted a judicial review. In January approval was given for another 40 million tonnes of coal to be dug at Aberpergwm, Neath Port Talbot. Campaigners said at the time they were considering legal action. The Welsh government, which declined to comment citing the legal proceedings, has previously called for an overhaul of the Coal Authority following the dispute over the plans. Protest group Coal Action Network has said it was preparing to go to court. It tweeted: "We don't know how to give up because there is everything to fight for." The colliery is the only producer of high-grade anthracite in Western Europe and supplies nearby Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot. However, the mine's operator Energybuild has said most of the coal will be used for processes such as water filtration and to make batteries for electric vehicles, rather than being burned. The legal action has been backed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The party's leader Jane Dodds called on the Welsh government to "say no to more coal" and accused it of dithering over the planned Aberpergwm expansion. She said the expansion of the mine should be stopped. Ms Dodds said: "While some will point to the jobs it creates, communities near Aberpergwm should instead be given a leading role in the development of the green hydrogen strategy being developed in south Wales, ensuring a just transition and jobs for the communities that will last long into the future rather than a decade at most."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62015020
     
         
      UN Ocean Conference ends with call for greater ambition and global commitment to address dire state of the Ocean Fri, 1st Jul 2022 10:12:00
     
      Recognizing the past “collective failure” in the Conference’s final declaration, world leaders called for greater ambition to ensure that the dire state of the ocean is addressed, and admitted frankly to being “deeply alarmed by the global emergency facing the ocean”. At the closing, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Miguel de Serpa Soares, commended co-hosts - Portugal and Kenya – for the conference’s enormous success. “[The Conference] has given us the opportunity to unpack critical issues and generate new ideas. It also made clear the work that remains, and the need to scale up that work for the recovery of our ocean”, Mr. Serpa Soares said, adding that it is essential to now turn the tide. More than 6,000 participants, including 24 Heads of State and Government, and over 2,000 representatives of civil society attended the Conference, advocating for urgent and concrete actions to tackle the ocean crisis. Collective failure Recognizing a “collective failure to achieve Ocean related targets” so far, leaders renewed their commitment to take urgent action and to cooperate at all levels, to fully achieve targets as soon as possible. Among the challenges the Ocean faces are coastal erosion, rising sea levels, warmer and more acidic waters, marine pollution, overexploitation of fish stocks and decrease of marine biodiversity. Acknowledging that climate change is “one of the greatest challenges of our time”, and the need to “act decisively and urgently to improve the health, productivity, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean and its ecosystems”, top politicians gathered in Lisbon stressed that science-based and innovative actions, along with international cooperation, are essential to provide the necessary solutions. Calling for transformative change, leaders stressed the need to address the cumulative impacts of a warming planet, on the ocean, including ecosystem degradation and species extinctions. Voluntary commitments include: The Protecting Our Planet Challenge will invest at least USD $1 billion to support the creation, expansion, and management of marine protected areas by 2030. The European Investment Bank will extend an additional EUR 150 million across the Caribbean Region as part of the Clean Oceans Initiative to improve climate resilience, water management and solid waste management. Portugal committed to ensure that 100 per cent of the marine area under Portuguese sovereignty or jurisdiction is assessed as being in Good Environmental State and classify 30% of the national marine areas by 2030. Kenya is currently developing a national blue economy strategic plan, inclusive and multistakeholder-oriented. Kenya also committed to developing a national action plan on sea-based marine plastic litter. India committed to a Coastal Clean Seas Campaign and will work toward a ban on single use plastics. Reaffirming commitments Reaffirming that the ocean is fundamental to life on our planet and to our future, the signatories emphasized the particular importance of implementing the Paris Agreement of 2015, and last November’s Glasgow Climate Pact to help ensure the health, productivity, sustainable use, and resilience of the ocean. “We are committed to halting and reversing the decline in the health of the ocean’s ecosystems and biodiversity, and to protecting and restoring its resilience and ecological integrity. “We call for an ambitious, balanced, practical, effective, robust, and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework”, the Lisbon declaration continued. Resilient and healthy marine environments are the foundations of climate regulation and sustainable development, with the potential to produce food and energy for billions. At the conference, more than 150 Member States made voluntary commitments to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the global ocean within Marine Protected Areas, and other effective area-based conservation measures, by 2030. “I am impressed by the new commitments [countries made], Mr. Serpa Soares said at the closing ceremony, adding that “commitments must be implemented at pace and monitored”. Some examples include: Protecting or exceeding 30% of national maritime zones by 2030 Achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 Reducing plastic pollution Increasing renewable energy use Allocating billions of dollars to research on ocean acidification, climate resilience projects and to monitoring, control and surveillance
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1121802
     
         
      Supreme Court limits Biden's power to cut emissions Fri, 1st Jul 2022 9:29:00
     
      The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has lost some of its power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court represents a major setback to President Joe Biden's climate plans. He called it a "devastating decision" but said it would not undermine his effort to tackle the climate crisis. The case against the EPA was brought by West Virginia on behalf of 18 other mostly Republican-led states and some of the nation's largest coal companies. They argued that the agency did not have the authority to limit emissions across whole states. These 19 states were worried their power sectors would be forced to move away from using coal, at a severe economic cost. In a 6-3 ruling, the court sided with the conservative states and fossil-fuel companies, agreeing that the EPA did not have the authority to impose such sweeping measures. A really simple guide to climate change Biden: 'Decisive decade' to tackle climate change Attorney General Eric Schmitt for Missouri - one of the 19 states - called it a "big victory... that pushes back on the Biden EPA's job-killing regulations". The court hasn't completely prevented the EPA from making these regulations in the future - but says that Congress would have to clearly say it authorises this power. And Congress has previously rejected the EPA's proposed carbon limiting programmes. Environmental groups will be deeply concerned by the outcome as historically the 19 states that brought the case have made little progress on reducing their emissions - which is necessary to limit climate change. The states made up 44% of the US emissions in 2018, and since 2000 have only achieved a 7% reduction in their emissions on average. "Today's Supreme Court ruling undermines EPA's authority to protect people from climate pollution at a time when all evidence shows we must take action with great urgency," said Vickie Patton, general counsel for Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). It means President Biden is now relying on a change of policy from these states or a change from Congress - otherwise the US is unlikely to achieve its climate targets. This is a significant loss for the president who entered office on a pledge to ramp up US efforts on the environment and climate. On his first day in office he re-entered the country into the Paris Agreement, the first legally-binding universal agreement on climate change targets. And he committed the country to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 52% by 2030 against 2005 levels. "While this decision risks damaging our nation's ability to keep our air clean and combat climate change, I will not relent in using my lawful authorities to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis," he said. The outcome of this case will be noted by governments around the world, as it will affect global efforts to tackle climate change. The US accounts for nearly 14% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62000742
     
         
      $700 million for more EV chargers Thu, 30th Jun 2022 10:56:00
     
      Last fall, the Biden administration approved $7.5 billion of federal funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hoping it would catalyze further investment from the private sector. It seems to be working. According to a fact sheet released by the White House on Tuesday, private companies have pledged more than $700 million to boost the manufacturing and installation of EV chargers. The investments from charging network operators, auto companies, and technology companies are expected to create at least 2,000 “good-paying” jobs and help the U.S. manufacture some 250,000 chargers per year. “Today, the auto industry renaissance continues as the private sector steps up to invest in American-made charging across the country,” the White House wrote in its press release. An effort by the technology company Siemens to build 1 million EV chargers by 2025, for example, has led to more than $250 million in investment over the past six months, and a new manufacturing facility for EV chargers is scheduled to begin operations later this year. Other EV charger companies, like ChargePoint and ABB E-mobility, are adding manufacturing lines to make faster chargers and creating new research facilities to test chargers for the market. Separately, hundreds of thousands of dollars in philanthropic donations are expected to boost EV-related job training for women and workers of color. The “record-breaking” investments are part of a string of recent actions that the federal government has taken to boost EV infrastructure, including offering billions of federal dollars for states to build charging stations in areas where they’re sparse. Earlier this month, the Biden administration also proposed new rules for federally financed EV chargers that would require standardized payment systems and charging speeds — part of a broader push to create a nationwide network of 500,000 public charging stations by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/700-million-for-more-ev-chargers/
     
         
      Climate change: Financial incentives ‘essential’ for net zero switch Thu, 30th Jun 2022 10:31:00
     
      Financial incentives will be "essential" to get households to switch to lower carbon heating, research for the NI Utility Regulator suggests. NI's energy strategy and net zero legislation will require a big shift away from oil and gas heating in the near future. Across all socio-economic groups it was found the cost of making changes was "often considered prohibitively high". The current lack of available public funding was discussed in the report. It found that this makes consumers question the commitment of Stormont to support energy transition. The UK climate watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, has suggested that Stormont's net zero commitments mean that by 2033 all new heating appliances being installed should be zero-carbon. That will largely mean the installation of heat pumps alongside much-improved insulation. The Utility Regulator's research, which consisted of 10 focus groups, was carried out by the market research firm Ipsos in February and March. There were also one-to-one interviews with 12 key stakeholders in the energy sector. The findings suggest that: Consumers lack information on different options available to change how they use energy Upfront costs of installing new technology are consistently described as the most significant barrier The lack of financing options and grants may also contribute to a delay in making changes, as consumers wait for anticipated future financial support The report concluded that: "Consumers need to be supported with public financing to encourage them to explore and undertake changes, especially given that such changes involve not only significant cost, but also disruption, risk, and uncertainty." Homeowners to help pay £33bn to decarbonise heating How will we heat homes in zero carbon Britain? £5K to ditch your boiler - how do heat pumps work? Stakeholders suggested that finance options such as fully-funded grants, partial funding, and low-interest loans should be explored by public organisations. The focus groups suggested a willingness for consumers to cover some costs, however, they also found that in general people had "little awareness of the total costs of renewable technologies or the specific costs for their own circumstances".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61986849
     
         
      Europe heatwave breaks multiple June records Thu, 30th Jun 2022 9:24:00
     
      Intense heat across much of Europe has seen June temperature records broken from the Arctic Circle to North Africa. The ferocious heatwave has caused temperatures to rise well above the June average for many countries, in some cases by as much as 20 degrees. Norway recorded a temperature of 32.5C at Banak on Wednesday, reportedly the highest temperature ever recorded within the Arctic Circle in Europe, and significantly higher than the June average of 13C. Poland saw temperatures reach the mid-thirties on Monday, and parts of eastern Germany saw several locations reach 37C. June temperature records were also broken in Slovenia and Croatia, while Bosnia and Herzegovina saw temperatures 0.2C below the June record at 41C. The extreme heat has also extended to North Africa, where temperatures in Tunisia equalled its monthly record of 48.7C on Monday. Elsewhere in Europe, an outbreak of thunderstorms caused a devastating mudslide in southern Austria, killing one person and flooding houses and roads in the Carinthia region.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/62001812
     
         
      Japan swelters in its worst heatwave ever recorded Wed, 29th Jun 2022 10:34:00
     
      Japan is sweltering under the hottest day yet of its worst heatwave since records began in 1875. The blistering heat has drawn official warnings of a looming power shortage, and led to calls for people to conserve energy where possible. But the government is still advising people to use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke as cases of hospitalisation rise with the heat. Weather officials warn the heat is likely to continue in the coming days. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Tokyo charted temperatures above 35C on Wednesday for a fifth straight day, marking the worst documented streak of hot weather in June since records started in 1875. Meanwhile, the city of Isesaki, north-west of the capital, saw a record 40.2C - the highest temperature ever recorded in June for Japan. Social media users took to Twitter to lament the soaring temperatures. "It's too hot outside and just being out ... means I'm in a self-sauna. I want to bathe in the water," remarked one user. "I've been outside since morning, and almost melting from this extreme heat," tweeted another. A third user wrote "So hot that the fire alarm at our workplace got short-circuited," with a clip of what appeared to be water sprinklers going off at a plant nursery.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61976937
     
         
      Spain gets the world’s first heat wave naming system Wed, 29th Jun 2022 9:00:00
     
      Seville, one of the hottest cities in Spain, is now home to the world’s first program to name and rate heat waves. The city launched the project on the summer solstice last week as part of a broader effort to raise awareness and mitigate the dangerous impact of heat waves. Under the new system, Seville, which is about 250 miles southwest of Madrid, will categorize each heat wave on a scale from 1 to 3 based on factors including the heat index and nighttime temperatures. At the top of the scale, category 3 heat waves will be named in reverse alphabetical order, starting with Zoe, Yago, and Xenia. Although heat waves in many countries claim more lives every year than hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes, their hazards are often underappreciated by policymakers and the public. Proponents have argued for years that a naming and intensity-rating system — like the one that already exists for hurricanes — could help contextualize scorching temperature forecasts and encourage local officials to take measures to protect public health, like setting up public cooling centers and sending teams to check on at-risk populations. Seville’s mayor, Juan Espadas, is also planning to mount a public awareness campaign to educate residents about the risks of extreme heat. “Local governments should address the threat heat poses to our populations, particularly the most vulnerable, by raising awareness of heat-health related hazards through evidence-based data and science,” he said in a statement. Other cities around the world — including Los Angeles and Miami — are piloting similar programs as their residents face more frequent heat waves fueled by climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/spain-gets-the-worlds-first-heat-wave-naming-system/
     
         
      A visionary ‘blue transformation’ strategy to enhance underwater food systems Wed, 29th Jun 2022 8:51:00
     
      Record levels of fisheries and aquaculture production are making a critical contribution to global food security, the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon, Portugal, heard on Wednesday. The Conference’s third day, spotlighting the state of the global fishing industry and the sustainability of aquaculture, featured the launch of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture flagship report. Growing demand for fish and other aquatic foods is rapidly changing the whole sector, with consumption expected to increase, driven mostly by a fast-paced increase in population, changes in post-harvest practices and distribution, as well as in dietary trends focusing on better health and nutrition. Is sustainability at sea realistic? According to FAO, created in 1945 to alleviate hunger, the current demand, and the approach to meeting the needs of 10 billion people as population grows, are pressuring food systems, at the same time that climate change, COVID-19, environmental degradation, and conflict are putting them to test. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) flagship report analyses the status of global stocks as well as trends in fisheries, and aquaculture, including at the regional level. Concentrating on ‘Blue Transformation’, a visionary strategy designed to enhance the potential of food systems under water and feeding the world's growing population sustainably, SOFIA works as a critical reference for governments, policymakers, academics and others in the sector. A ‘Blue Transformation’ in how we can produce, manage, trade, and consume aquatic foods, in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, said FAO. As the sector continues to expand, FAO says more targeted transformative changes are needed to achieve a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable fisheries and aquaculture sector, and combat the growing threat of food insecurity. Speaking to the press, Manuel Barange, Director of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture division, highlighted that this was the first time that such a key report has been launched outside FAO Headquarters in Rome. Record high According to FAO, growth of aquaculture, particularly in Asia, lifted total production in the sector to an all-time high of 214 million tonnes in 2020, consisting of 178 million tonnes of aquatic produce and 36 million tonnes of algae for consumption. Production in 2020 was 30 percent higher than the average in the 2000s and more than 60 percent above the 1990s average. “There is a real concern over the price of fish, price of food in general, but price of fish in particular which has grown 25 per cent from December last year, to April this year. [That] puts pressure on the consumer”, Mr. Barange told journalists. Food insecurity With more than 800 million people now suffering hunger and 2.4 billion people with severely limited access to adequate food, the challenge of feeding a growing population without exhausting current resources, continues to increase. In this context, aquatic food systems are increasingly in the spotlight, due to their huge potential to meet rising demand. ‘’The growth of fisheries and aquaculture is vital in our efforts to end global hunger and malnutrition, but further transformation is needed in the sector to address the challenges,’’ says FAO Director General, QU Dongyu. ‘’We must transform agrifood systems to ensure aquatic foods are sustainably harvested, livelihoods are safeguarded, and aquatic habitats and biodiversity are protected”, he added. Nutrition Significant growth in aquaculture has driven global fisheries and aquaculture production to a record high as aquatic foods make an increasingly critical contribution to food security and nutrition in the 21st century. Speaking at the SDG Media Zone at the Conference in Lisbon, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, called aquaculture the “healthiest nutrition for the world”, that holds the “potential to feed our grandchildren and other generations to come, if we do it right”. Aquaculture as a solution In 2020, animal aquaculture production reached 87.5 million tonnes, six percent higher than in 2018. On the other hand, the volume of catch from open seas, dropped to 90.3 million tonnes, a fall of four percent compared with the average over the previous three years. Growing demand is rapidly changing the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Consumption is expected to increase by 15 percent to supply on average 21.4 kg per capita in 2030, driven mostly by rising incomes and urbanization, changes in post-harvest practices and distribution, as well as in dietary trends focusing on better health and nutrition. With total production of aquatic foods expected to reach 202 million tonnes in 2030, mainly due to the continuing growth of aquaculture, the figure is expected to reach 100 million tonnes for the first time in 2027, and 106 million tonnes in 2030. “We need to make sure that we start looking at the species that are arriving to markets that might be different from the historical ones”, said Mr. Barange, adding that if the adaptation to climate change is done properly, aquatic food consumption per capita would continue to grow, helping release pressure on land-based food production systems. People in fishing communities “Over 58 million people depend directly on fisheries and aquaculture: fisherman, fisherwoman and aqua-culturists”, FAO expert Mr. Barange stressed. Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to employment, trade, and economic development. According to the latest data, an estimated 58.5 million people were employed in the sector, and of these, only 21 percent are women. Around 600 million people are estimated to depend on fisheries and aquaculture in some way for their lives and livelihoods. With those numbers, the need to build resilience is obviously critical for equitable and sustainable development. Margaret Nakato, coordinator at the Katosi Women Development Trust (KWDT) in Uganda, also taking part at the Conference, works with fisherman and fisherwoman on the ground. “One of the problems is that the current regimes of conservation are contributing to displacing and destructing the fishing communities from their territories”, the Conference heard. She called on Member-States to involve small fishing communities, saying that “any sustainability agenda has to take them into consideration, as well as the social, cultural and economic components of the fishing communities, to ensure that our measures are effective but also we can share the equitable benefits from the resources”. The need for transformation FAO says more needs to be done to feed the world’s growing population while enhancing the sustainability of stocks and fragile ecosystems and protecting lives and livelihoods in the long-term. The sustainability of marine fishery resources remains of significant concern, according to the FAO report, with the percentage of sustainably fished stocks falling to 64.6 percent in 2019, a 1.2 percent decline from 2017.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1121602?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=cf49ee3c21-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_06_29_03_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-cf49ee3c21-107499886
     
         
      ‘Surprise’ early heatwave in Europe, harbinger of things to come Fri, 17th Jun 2022 15:56:00
     
      According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the intense heatwave made its way from North Africa. The UN agency explained that an Atlantic low-pressure system between the Azores and Madeira is fuelling the warm front, pushing it towards western Europe. 10 degrees above normal and although it’s only mid-June, temperatures in some parts of Spain and France, temperatures are - on average - more than 10 degrees Celsius higher than the average for this time of year. In France, the heat spike follows the country’s warmest and driest May on record, and the country’s national weather agency said that it is the earliest heatwave since 1947. In Spain, temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius – 104 Fahrenheit - in parts of the country’s interior on consecutive days this week, and it’s been hotter still in Toledo province in recent days. SAHARAN DUST To make matters worse, Spaniards are also enduring a Saharan dust cloud, which has compounded health and environmental stress, WMO said, noting that Portugal recorded its warmest May since 1931. In Switzerland, where maximum temperatures have been well above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), the national weather service issued findings showing that the temperature difference between towns and the countryside, was as much as six degrees Celsius. OMINOUS DROUGHT Drought warnings are an added concern in much of western Europe, as no significant rainfall is forecast in Europe in the coming days, apart from isolated thunderstorms. Large areas from southeastern Central Europe to the northwestern Black Sea are also suffering from drought, WMO said, adding that in the US, much of the west of the country is facing its second or third drought year in a row, with fears of growing water stress heading into the summer season. The two largest reservoirs in the US, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, in Arizona, are currently at the lowest levels since they were filled: both are at just below 30 per cent of capacity, according to the US Drought Monitor.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120692
     
         
      World has ‘gambled on fossil fuels and lost’, warns Guterres Fri, 17th Jun 2022 15:52:00
     
      António Guterres was addressing the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington DC, convened by the United States top climate envoy, John Kerry, and hosted by President Joe Biden. The meeting included countries representing 80 per cent of global GDP, population, and greenhouse gas emissions, according to the White House. An infinite solution The growth solution was clear, the Secretary-General told representatives: “We do have infinite resources at our disposal when it comes to energy needs. Wind, sun and tides never run out. If we can successfully replace finite, polluting fossil fuels with infinite renewable resources, we can make the energy equation add up.” He said stable prices and sustainable growth were attainable if renewable energy sources are prioritized. Furthermore, they help reduce carbon emissions and support energy security. “The time for hedging bets has ended. The world has gambled on fossil fuels and lost”, declared Mr. Guterres. Clear and present danger Nothing could be more clear, than the danger of fossil fuel expansion today, he added. “Even in the short-term, it doesn’t make political or economic sense. Yet we seem trapped in a world where fossil fuel producers and financiers have humanity by the throat. “For decades, many in the fossil fuel industry has invested heavily in pseudo-science and public relations – with a false narrative to minimize their responsibility for climate change and undermine ambitious climate policies.” He likened the immensely profitable fossil fuel industry with the “scandalous tactics” of Big Tobacco, during the mid-20th century. Take responsibility “Like tobacco interests, fossil fuel interests and their financial accomplices must not escape responsibility. The argument of putting climate action aside to deal with domestic problems also rings hollow.” He said earlier investment in renewables, would have avoid today’s predicament following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the huge increase in volatile oil and gas prices worldwide. Ukraine conundrum “So, let’s make sure the war in Ukraine is not used to increase that dependency. Today’s most pressing domestic problems – like inflation and gas prices – are themselves climate and fossil fuel problems.” For the second time this week at a major international climate event, he hammered home his five-point plan for a “renewable energy revolution”. “The climate crisis is our number one emergency”, he said, urging governments to “end the age of fossil fuels”. “The renewables revolution starts now”, he concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120662
     
         
      The world may be careening toward a 1970s-style energy crisis -- or worse Fri, 3rd Jun 2022 8:01:00
     
      The world is grappling with gravity-defying energy price spikes on everything from gasoline and natural gas to coal. Some fear this may just be the beginning. Current and former energy officials tell CNN they worry that Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the wake of years of underinvestment in the energy sector have sent the world careening into a crisis that will rival or even exceed the oil crises of the 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike those infamous episodes, this one is not contained to oil. "Now we have an oil crisis, a gas crisis and an electricity crisis at the same time," Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency watchdog group, told Der Spiegel in an interview published this week. "This energy crisis is much bigger than the oil crises of the 1970s and 1980s. And it will probably last longer." The global economy has largely been able to withstand surging energy prices so far. But prices could continue to rise to unsustainable levels as Europe attempts to wean itself off Russian oil and, potentially, gas. Supply shortages could lead to some difficult choices in Europe, including rationing. Joe McMonigle, secretary general of the International Energy Forum, said he agrees with this depressing forecast from the IEA. "We have a serious problem around the world that I think policymakers are just waking up to. It's kind of a perfect storm," McMonigle, whose group serves as a go-between for energy producing and consuming nations, told CNN in a phone interview. The extent of that perfect storm -- underinvestment, strong demand and supply disruptions from the war -- will have wide-reaching consequences, potentially threatening the economic recovery from Covid-19, exacerbating inflation, fueling social unrest and undermining efforts to save the planet from global warming. Birol warned of supply bottlenecks of gasoline and diesel, especially in Europe, as well as rationing of natural gas next winter in Europe. "It is a crisis for which the world is woefully unprepared," said Robert McNally, who served as a top energy adviser to former US President George W. Bush. Not only are energy prices very high, but the reliability of the power grid is being challenged by extreme temperatures and severe drought. A US power grid regulator warned last month that parts of the country could face electricity shortages and even blackouts this summer.´ Former Obama energy adviser Jason Bordoff and Harvard University professor Meghan O'Sullivan wrote a piece in the Economist in late March warning that the world was on the cusp of "what may become the worst energy crisis since the 1970s." "Since we wrote that, our fears have borne out," Bordoff, co-founding dean of the Columbia Climate School, told CNN. Of course, there are key differences between today and the 1970s. Prices have not spiked nearly as much as they did then and policymakers have not resorted to extreme steps like price controls. "Were we to resort to price controls and price caps, then we could have shortages," McNally said. When the war started, the West sought to avoid targeting Russia's energy supplies directly because it was simply too critical to global markets. Russia is not just the world's largest oil exporter, but it is the biggest natural gas exporter and a major supplier of coal. (...)
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/02/business/energy-crisis-inflation/index.html
     
         
      Kelly Evans: The energy crisis will keep getting worse Wed, 1st Jun 2022 20:16:00
     
      Few expected that we’d emerge from the pandemic with a massive spike in energy prices, but here we are. And just like in the stagflationary 1970s, surging oil prices--exacerbated by foreign wars--are proving to be one of the biggest headaches for households and policymakers. They’re depressing consumer sentiment, factoring into rising inflation expectations, and undermining hopes for a “Roaring ’20s.” And they’re not going away anytime soon. Those who insist that spiking oil prices are a one-off caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are missing the fact that global supplies are tight for a variety of reasons, many of them structural, while demand has soared. Pre-pandemic, in 2019, oil was “a pretty balanced market,” notes energy investor Stan Majcher, of Hotchkis & Wiley. Global demand was around 100.3 million barrels a day; supply was around 100.6 million barrels, and that allowed for a slight inventory build of 0.3 million barrels to keep markets smoothly functioning. The U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil price spent most of the year in the mid-$50s per barrel, translating to around $2.50 per gallon at the gas pump. Fast forward to today, and where are we? Intrinsic demand is thought to be around 103 million barrels a day now, owing to 1% per year global population growth, plus increased wealth--and demand should keep growing at roughly that pace. But supplies aren’t nearly keeping up. We’re currently producing around 100.6 million barrels (reflecting the loss of about a million barrels from Russia), and the resulting spike in prices is already constraining demand to around 101 million barrels, according to Majcher. The result is a market that for the second straight year is under-supplied, and drawing down inventories as a result--on top of the drawdown in strategic reserves approved by political leaders to try and lower prices. Bank of America is already warning that global oil inventories have fallen to a “dangerously low point,” with certain gasoline and diesel supplies in particular at “precarious levels” as we head into peak U.S. driving season. U.S. oil inventories are already 14% below their five-year average, BofA notes, while distillates (like diesel) are 22% below. The upward pressure on diesel and jet fuel prices in particular is getting attention in the White House, Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects told Squawk Box yesterday. Diesel prices are up a whopping 75% from a year ago, and the spread between diesel and gasoline prices has also widened considerably. The high cost is creating huge strains on truckers and the supply chain; the Northeast “is quietly running out of diesel,” FreightWaves warned two weeks ago. In fact, Amrita said she wouldn’t be surprised if the White House moved to limit diesel exports, noting “ahead of the midterms [they’ll] want to be seen as doing something.” She warned it probably wouldn’t lower prices or help boost supplies, though, because the Colonial Pipeline (yes, that one) which runs fuel from the Gulf to the East Coast is already full and can’t take more supply, and using more ships isn’t an option because the White House is unlikely to waive the Jones Act, which requires using U.S. ships, which are also in shortage. Kyle Bass said counterproductive moves by politicians--including in the U.K., which yesterday unveiled a $6 billion “windfall tax” on energy companies to subsidize fuel subsidies and direct payments to low-income households--are one reason he expects energy and food prices to remain stubbornly high even after the recession he predicts is coming. Britain’s moves threaten to worsen energy supplies while increasing demand, exacerbating the very problem we’re in, he warned. (...)
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/27/kelly-evans-the-energy-crisis-will-keep-getting-worse.html
     
         
      Colorado judge nixes drilling plan Thu, 26th May 2022 20:12:00
     
      Environmental advocates in Colorado scored a major victory last week as a U.S. District Court scuttled plans to drill for oil across 30,000 acres in the Centennial State. In a decision released on Friday, District of Colorado Senior Judge Marcia Krieger said that the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management had failed to consider climate change when they approved new drilling projects in Colorado national forests. During court proceedings, the two agencies had admitted to not meeting some provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal development projects to undergo an environmental assessment. “By the agencies’ own admission, the plan should never have been approved in the first place,” Krieger wrote. The project, known as the North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan, would have allowed 35 fracked gas wells to be drilled on a large swath of Forest Service land near the city of Gunnison, about four hours west of Denver. A coalition of environmental groups objected to the plan with a 2021 lawsuit, arguing that new drilling sites would exacerbate climate change by causing some 52 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — about as much climate pollution as New York City produced in 2016. Already, Colorado’s Western Slope has been identified as a “climate hot spot” where average temperatures have risen more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/colorado-judge-nixes-drilling-plan/
     
         
      Colorado judge nixes drilling plan Thu, 26th May 2022 20:12:00
     
      Environmental advocates in Colorado scored a major victory last week as a U.S. District Court scuttled plans to drill for oil across 30,000 acres in the Centennial State. In a decision released on Friday, District of Colorado Senior Judge Marcia Krieger said that the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management had failed to consider climate change when they approved new drilling projects in Colorado national forests. During court proceedings, the two agencies had admitted to not meeting some provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal development projects to undergo an environmental assessment. “By the agencies’ own admission, the plan should never have been approved in the first place,” Krieger wrote. The project, known as the North Fork Mancos Master Development Plan, would have allowed 35 fracked gas wells to be drilled on a large swath of Forest Service land near the city of Gunnison, about four hours west of Denver. A coalition of environmental groups objected to the plan with a 2021 lawsuit, arguing that new drilling sites would exacerbate climate change by causing some 52 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — about as much climate pollution as New York City produced in 2016. Already, Colorado’s Western Slope has been identified as a “climate hot spot” where average temperatures have risen more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/colorado-judge-nixes-drilling-plan/
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, May 25, and Australian voters want climate action Wed, 25th May 2022 15:43:00
     
      Australia has long been known as a haven for climate deniers, even as the country has been gripped by devastating wildfires, drought, and floods. But in last weekend’s election, voters made one thing clear: They want the government to do much more to mitigate global warming and prepare for a warmer world. In a big victory that some have described as a “greenslide,” Australians delivered a strong mandate for climate action as they voted overwhelmingly for the center-left Labor Party, the Green Party, and pro-climate “teal” independent candidates. Labor scored a narrow majority of votes, and is now forming a coalition government. Labor’s leader and the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has vowed to turn Australia into a “renewable energy superpower.” “We are witnessing a tectonic shift in Australian politics,” Elizabeth Watson-Brown, a Green Party candidate who won a seat in Brisbane, told the Guardian. The vote represents a dramatic turn away from the conservative government of outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose party has dominated Australian politics for nearly a decade. Morrison, a big backer of coal-fired power, routinely mocked the seriousness of the climate crisis and has been criticized for refusing to stop funding fossil fuel projects overseas. Last year, as world leaders were attempting to negotiate a rapid phaseout of coal-fired power, Morrison told reporters that his country’s coal industry would remain operating for “decades to come.” As a result, even as scenes of the country’s climate catastrophes captured the world’s attention, Australia’s per-capita greenhouse emissions have remained among the world’s highest — four times those of the U.S. According to the independent scientific analysis Climate Action Tracker, Australia’s greenhouse gas reduction targets are “highly insufficient” to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). It remains to be seen what Australia’s new government will do to better address the risks of climate change. But the Green Party, which attracted roughly 2 million votes, wants to zero out the country’s climate pollution by 2030 and prevent more coal and gas infrastructure from being built.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1071376651/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, May 24, and solar-powered schools are on the rise in the Keystone State Tue, 24th May 2022 15:48:00
     
      As the world was rocked by multiple waves of COVID lockdowns, Pennsylvania school districts were busy with a rapid clean-energy expansion. A new report from the nonprofit Generation180 shows that the amount of solar capacity installed in Pennsylvania schools doubled from 2020 to 2022, jumping to 28.8 megawatts by the beginning of this year. This solar capacity, spread across 108 different Pennsylvania schools serving more than 88,000 students, is enough to offset the annual climate pollution generated by 5,000 gasoline-powered cars. According to Shannon Crooker, Generation180’s Pennsylvania director, staying on this trajectory could bring the state’s total solar capacity up to 50 megawatts within the next five years. And rising electricity prices in Pennsylvania could encourage more schools to move in that direction. “It’s a really great time to go solar in Pennsylvania,” Crooker told me. According to the organization’s report, much of Pennsylvania schools’ solar growth has been driven by an increasingly popular third-party ownership model called a power purchase agreement, or PPA. Under a PPA, which could last anywhere from 5 years to multiple decades, a third-party solar developer takes advantage of a federal tax credit to install and maintain a solar installation. Meanwhile, the school — which is ineligible for the tax credit — pays the developer for energy produced until the PPA is over, usually at a lower rate than utilities would charge. This allows schools to install solar panels even if they don’t have room for them in their capital budgets. Over the past two years, nearly 75 percent of Pennsylvania schools’ solar installations were facilitated by a PPA or similar arrangement. Solar PPAs can bring both short- and long-term cost savings, freeing up funds to better students’ education. In Middleburg, Pennsylvania, one school district’s solar arrays are projected to offset 95 percent of its electricity consumption and save more than $9 million over the solar panels’ 40-year lifetime. Other benefits of solar panels include the opportunity to provide hands-on STEM learning — for example, by having students monitor real-time energy data from the solar panels — or clean-energy job training.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1070493970/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      ‘Don’t work for climate wreckers’ UN chief tells graduates, in push to a renewable energy future Tue, 24th May 2022 15:45:00
     
      UN Secretary-General António Guterres was delivering the commencement address at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, one of the oldest and most prestigious Catholic universities in the United States, close to New York City. He told graduates that they needed to be the generation that succeeds in meeting the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ending extreme poverty and hunger, reducing inequality, and developing new tech that can “end disease and suffering.” “You will succeed in replacing hatred and division with reason, civil discourse, and peaceful dialogue. You will succeed in building bridges of trust among people - and recognize the inherent dignity and rights we share as human beings. You will succeed in balancing the scales of power for women and girls, so they can build better futures for themselves and for us all.” Above all, he said, the graduates who had battled through the impediments thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, needed to be the generation that addresses the “planetary emergency of climate change.” 'Dead end' Investing in fossil fuels is now “a dead end - economically and environmentally. No amount of greenwashing or spin can change that. So, we must put them on notice: Accountability is coming for those who liquidate our future.” The UN chief said it was time for them to take action, and choose careers wisely, thanks to the benefit of their higher education. “So my message to you is simple: don’t work for climate-wreckers. Use your talents to drive us towards a renewable future. Thanks to Seton Hall, you have the tools and the talents you need.” He told the graduates they now had a “priceless opportunity to give back, and be the ‘servant leaders’ that our world needs.” They were heading into “a world brimming with peril”, he warned, with wars and divisions on a scale, not seen in decades. Crying out for solutions “Each challenge is another sign that our world is deeply fractured. As I tell world leaders across my travels, these wounds will not heal themselves. They cry out for international solutions. Only a multilateral approach can help build a better and more peaceful future, said Mr. Guterres: “Building a better, more peaceful future requires collaboration and trust, which are sorely lacking in today’s world.” It now falls to you, he told his young audience, to “use what you have learned here to do something about it. To live up to your motto, and in the face of peril, go forward in building a better future.” Throughout history, he said, “humanity has shown that we are capable of great things. But only when we work together. Only when we overcome differences and work in the same direction, with the same aim - to lift all people up, not only those born to wealth and advantage.” He emphasized the virtues of goodwill, tolerance and respect, calling on the newly minted graduates to invest in being global citizens: “Be useful. Be mindful. Be kind. Be bold. Be generous with your talents.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118932
     
         
      Pipeline company to pay $230 million for oil spill Wed, 18th May 2022 10:10:00
     
      Plains All American Pipeline reached a $230 million settlement with California fishers and coastal property owners last week, agreeing to compensate them for damages caused by a devastating oil spill at Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County in 2015. The oil spill — the state’s worst since the Union Oil blowout of 1969 — contaminated the Southern California coastline with more than 123,000 gallons of crude oil, some of it reaching beaches as far as 100 miles away. Oil from the spill killed countless birds, mammals, and fish, causing millions of dollars of damage to their habitats and to the industries that they sustain. According to the Justice Department, the spill was caused by a corroding pipe and Plains All American Pipeline’s “failure to respond properly” once the spill began. To discharge allegations that it had violated federal safety laws, the company settled with the Justice Department for $60 million in 2020, agreeing to pay for cleanup costs, damages to local ecosystems, and penalties. The new settlement goes further, pledging $184 million to fishers to make up for the amount of revenue they lost as a result of the spill. The remaining $46 million will be allocated to more than 3,000 beachside property owners. (...)
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/pipeline-company-to-pay-230-million-for-oil-spill/
     
         
      India’s construction workers bear the brunt of heatwave Tue, 17th May 2022 9:33:00
     
      Thousands of Indians are reeling under a brutal heatwave that has swept through the country. Some areas of the capital, Delhi, have recorded temperatures of 49C. But life has become hardest for the working poor - vast swathes of people employed in the country's unorganised sector - who are struggling to cope with the soaring temperatures. With no other means of livelihood, they toil through the day in soaring temperatures to ensure they and their families don't go hungry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-61475393
     
         
      Pace on climate change needs to pick up - Alok Sharma Mon, 16th May 2022 10:35:00
     
      World leaders need to quicken the pace if they are going to fulfil their commitments made at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, its president has said. Alok Sharma told BBC Scotland: "We had 120 world leaders here who made emotional heartfelt speeches about the need to tackle climate change, but frankly now they are going to have to deliver on the commitments that they made, and we need to ensure that over these next six months that pace quickens."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-61466876
     
         
      Isle of Man gas search a distraction from climate goals, MHK says Mon, 16th May 2022 8:31:00
     
      Extending a search for gas in the Isle of Man's territorial waters is a "distraction" from efforts to cut carbon emissions, an MHK has said. Energy firm Crogga aims to have surveyed the area off Maughold head by next year, after its exploration licence was extended by the government. Climate change board chairman Daphne Caine said she feared the move did not send "the right message". The Isle of Man Green Party said it was at odds with plans to cut fossil fuels. An interim target of a 45% reduction in carbon emissions was set by the government in March, part of an overall target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said he was "absolutely committed" to the goals but uncertainty over global energy supplies meant extending Crogga's licence by 27 months was "the right decision". Ms Caine said the move "economic, rather than environmental" and for the sake of the planet there should be "no new exploration of gas or oil anywhere in the world". But she admitted the government was under pressure to "take this really hard decision", given changes in energy security and the cost of living.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-61465953
     
         
      Manx public concerned over climate change impact, survey finds Sun, 15th May 2022 8:40:00
     
      More than half of Manx people who were surveyed believe that climate change is "already having an impact on the Isle of Man". About 1,300 people responded to a government poll on issues like energy use and what steps should be taken to cut carbon emissions. The Isle of Man government has committed to reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050. Daphne Caine MHK said the survey would help "remove barriers" to change. The poll, commissioned by the government and carried out by research firm Island Global Research, showed 97% of respondents believed climate change was real, while about 60% said it was already having an impact on the island. 'Clearer guidance' Ms Caine, who is on the climate change transformation board, said more than 60% said it would harm future generations, while 75% agreed its effects can be reduced if "everybody does their bit". "We constantly hear from the two polarised views on climate change" she added, but said this survey had attracted a "much wider sample and age range" than previous studies. About 44% said they would like "clearer guidance" to help them understand what steps they could take to cut emissions, yet only 18% said they would trust the government to provide accurate information about climate change. Ms Caine said she was "very aware of the cynicism that the Isle of Man government has not been seen to be leading the way" and said it had now passed laws to make the meeting of carbon emissions targets a legal requirement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-61436230
     
         
      Saudi Aramco: Oil giant sees profits jump as prices surge Sun, 15th May 2022 8:29:00
     
      Saudi Aramco has posted its highest profits since its 2019 listing as oil and gas prices surge around the world. The state-owned energy giant saw an 82% jump in profits, with net income topping $39.5bn (£32.2bn) in the first quarter. In a press release, the firm said it had been boosted by higher prices, as well as an increase in production. The invasion of Ukraine has seen oil and gas prices skyrocket. Russia is one of the world's biggest exporters but Western nations have pledged to cut their dependence on the country for energy. Oil prices were already rising before the Ukraine war as economies started to recover from the Covid pandemic and demand outstripped supply. Other energy firms including Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have also reported soaring profits as a result, although many are incurring costs exiting operations in Russia. Energy security 'vital' Aramco's president and chief executive, Amin Nasser, said on Sunday that the company was "focused on helping meet the world's demand for energy that is reliable, affordable and increasingly sustainable". "Energy security is vital and we are investing for the long-term," he added. In March, the oil and gas producer pledged to ramp up investment and boost output significantly over the next five to eight years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the world's biggest oil exporter that month to try to persuade it to release more oil into world markets in the short-term. Why won't the world's big oil producers lower prices? Saudi oil giant to ramp up energy production Apple loses position as world's most valuable firm Saudi Arabia is the largest producer in the oil cartel Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and by raising production it could help to reduce energy prices. But the country has been condemned for a range of human rights abuses: its involvement in the conflict in neighbouring Yemen, the murder in 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for jailing dissidents and for widespread use of capital punishment. Aramco itself also faces security challenges because of the conflict in Yemen, with Huthi rebels targeting some of its sites and temporarily knocking out a big portion of the kingdom's crude production. Its latest set of results come days after Aramco reclaimed the top spot as the world's most valuable company from Apple for the first time in almost two years. Aramco also announced on Sunday it would issue 20 billion bonus shares to shareholders - one share for every 10 shares already owned.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61455301
     
         
      ‘This is about survival’: will Cop27 bring action on Glasgow climate pact? Sat, 14th May 2022 7:21:00
     
      Amid an energy crisis caused by war in Ukraine, climate experts say November talks must act on plans to limit global heating When weary delegates tumbled out of the emptying halls of the Scottish Event Campus into the chill of a Glasgow night last November, the mood was buoyant, if exhausted. Workers in hi-vis began dismantling stages and pulling down scaffolding, as the departing representatives of nearly 200 countries exchanged weak high-fives and wry grins. After two weeks of gruelling climate talks, there was a broadly successful outcome: the world had agreed, at last, to make concrete plans to limit global heating to 1.5C. True, the deal reached in Glasgow was fragile. Most countries came to the Cop26 climate summit without carbon-cutting plans of the level of stringency scientists said was needed. They left the talks with targets that would imply heating of about 1.9C – a “historic” achievement compared to the 6C of heating we were heading towards a decade ago, but still far off 1.5C, the figure scientists say is the threshold of safety. That left plenty to do in the months to come. Advertisement Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who presided over Cop26, summed up the agreement soon after as one that was “on life support”. He wrote in the Guardian: “The 1.5C limit lives. We brought it back from the brink. But its pulse remains weak.” But the pace and brutality of the geopolitical changes since mid-November have been to a climate deal on life support like a cluster bomb dropped on a hospital. In just six months, a world slowly recovering from a pandemic has been wracked by war which, in turn, has created chaos in energy markets, sent food prices surging and threatened shortages, raised inflation and the spectre of recession and unrest, and has upended geopolitical relations. Fossil fuel companies are enjoying a bonanza when they were supposed to be dying out. World leaders, who six months ago were pledging net zero carbon emissions, are now licensing new oil and gas drilling. Coal demand has surged and investors are sitting on scores of “carbon bombs” - high-stakes oil, gas and coal projects that, if followed through, would eliminate any hope of a 1.5C world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/14/this-is-about-survival-will-cop27-bring-action-on-glasgow-climate-pact
     
         
      It’s Friday, May 13, and a court in India recognized nature’s legal rights. Fri, 13th May 2022 8:26:00
     
      The movement to recognize and protect the rights of nature scored another victory last month when an Indian court declared that the natural world should have legal rights on par with humans. In a 23-page decision released on April 19, the Madras High Court in Chennai said that Mother Nature should be granted “all corresponding rights, duties, and liabilities of a living person,” and that humans are required to protect it from harm. Justice Sundaram Srimathy, who wrote the opinion, also said that humans have a responsibility to preserve the natural world for posterity. “The past generations have handed over the ‘Mother Earth’ to us in its pristine glory and we are morally bound to hand over the same Mother Earth to the next generation,” she wrote. The ruling is the result of a petition filed by a government official who, after illegally issuing a deed for a tract of protected forestland, had been forced to retire and lose part of his pension. The official wanted the Madras High Court to reevaluate his punishment, arguing that he had acted on a senior official’s orders and that the situation had been rectified: The deed was reversed, and the forest remained protected. In response, the court reduced his punishment — but also used the opportunity to solidify protections for the natural world. Invoking a legal concept of “parens patriae,” Srimathy said the government has a duty to act as legal guardian for those who cannot protect themselves, including Mother Nature. The case represents the latest win for the worldwide rights of nature movement. Over the past several years, countries including Bolivia, Ecuador, and Panama have recognized nature’s legal rights via legislation and constitutional amendments. India has been a leader in this area, too: A 2017 decision by the Uttarakhand High Court, for example, declared the Ganga and Yamuna rivers to be living entities with the same rights as humans, and a 2018 decision from the same court granted similar status to the entire animal kingdom.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1061770705/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Russian operator to suspend electricity supply to Finland Fri, 13th May 2022 8:20:00
     
      Russian energy supplier RAO Nordic says it will suspend deliveries of electricity to Finland from Saturday, citing problems with payments. The company said it had not been paid for previous deliveries. The Finnish grid operator said Russia provided only a small percentage of the country's electricity and that it could be replaced from alternative sources. On Thursday, Russia threatened to take "retaliatory steps" after Finland said it planned to join Nato. Finland shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, and has previously stayed out of Nato to avoid antagonising its eastern neighbour. However, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine there has been a surge in public support for Nato membership. On Sunday Finland is expected to formally announce its plan to join. The decision by Rao Nordic has not been explicitly tied to Finland's decision. The Russian state-owned firm said: "This situation is exceptional and happened for the first time in over twenty years of our trading history". Neither Rao Nordic nor the grid operator in Finland, Fingrid, explained what was behind the payment difficulties. Last month Russia cut supplies of gas to Bulgaria and Poland after they refused to comply with a demand to pay in roubles, a change they said would contravene western sanctions. This week Russia's Gazprom announced it would stop supplying gas via the Polish part of the Yamal-Europe pipeline. Russia threatens retaliation for Finland Nato move Russia halts gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria Could the world cope without Russian oil and gas? Fingrid said it did not expect electricity shortages as a result of the shut off, as only around 10% of Finland's electricity is supplied from Russia. "The lack of electricity import from Russia will be compensated by importing more electricity from Sweden and by generating more electricity in Finland," said Reima Päivinen, senior vice president of power system operations at Fingrid. Demand is also decreasing as the weather gets warmer, while a significant amount of extra wind power generation is expected to come on stream. A new nuclear power station, expected to open this summer, would more than make up for the lost supplies from Russia, Fingrid added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61442432
     
         
      World ‘at a crossroads’ as droughts increase nearly a third in a generation Thu, 12th May 2022 23:30:00
     
      Through its newly published Drought in Numbers report, released in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, during the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15), UNCCD’s compendium of drought-related information and data is helping inform negotiations for the final outcomes of the conference when it closes on 20 May. UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw, said that the “facts and figures of this publication all point in the same direction: An upward trajectory in the duration of droughts and the severity of impacts, not only affecting human societies but also the ecological systems upon which the survival of all life depends, including that of our own species”. Compelling call to action The report reveals that from 1970 to 2019, weather, climate and water hazards, accounted for 50 per cent of disasters and 45 per cent of disaster-related deaths, mostly in developing countries. Moreover, while droughts represented 15 per cent of natural disasters, they accounted for approximately 650,000 deaths throughout that period. And from 1998 to 2017, droughts triggered global economic losses of roughly $124 billion – a number and duration of which have risen 29 per cent since 2000. Meanwhile in 2022, more than 2.3 billion people are facing water stress and almost 160 million children are exposed to severe and prolonged droughts. Burden on women Droughts have deep, widespread and underestimated impacts on societies, ecosystems, and economies, having impacted some 1.4 billion people between 2000 and 2019. Second only to flooding, droughts inflict the greatest suffering on women and girls in developing countries, in terms of education, nutrition, health, sanitation, and safety. The publication explains that 72 per cent of women and nine per cent of girls are burdened with collecting water, in some cases spending as much as 40 per cent of their calorific intake carrying it. Ecosystems in focus Drought in Numbers paints a grim picture surrounding ecosystems as well, noting that the percentage of plants affected by drought has more than doubled in the last 40 years – with about 12 million hectares of land lost each year to drought and desertification. Meanwhile, they are becoming increasingly common in the vast Amazon region, which has suffered three widespread droughts that triggered massive forest fires throughout the first two decades of this century. If Amazonian deforestation continues unabated, 16 per cent of the region’s remaining forests will likely burn by 2050, warned the report. And in Europe, photosynthesis was reduced by 30 per cent during a 2003 summer drought there. In the past century, more than 10 million people died due to major drought events, which also generated several hundred billion dollars in economic losses worldwide. And the numbers are rising.´ No continent is safe While severe drought affects Africa more than any other continent – accounting for 44 per cent of the global total – over the past century, 45 major drought events have also affected millions of people in Europe – affecting an average of 15 per cent of that continent’s land and 17 per cent of its population. In the United States, drought-induced crop failures and other economic losses have totalled $249 billion since 1980 alone, and over the past century, Asia was the continent with the highest total number of humans affected by drought. Offering solutions “One of the best, most comprehensive solutions is land restoration, which addresses many of the underlying factors of degraded water cycles and the loss of soil fertility,” Mr. Thiaw said. “We must build and rebuild our landscapes better, mimicking nature wherever possible and creating functional ecological systems”. Beyond restoration, there needs to be a paradigm shift from ‘reactive’ and ‘crisis-based’ approaches to ‘proactive’ and ‘risk-based’ drought management approaches involving coordination, communication and cooperation, driven by sufficient finance and political will, he added. Looking ahead Climate change is expected to increase the risk of droughts in many vulnerable regions of the world, particularly those with rapid population growth, vulnerable populations and challenges with food security, according to the report. Within the next few decades, 129 countries will experience an increase in drought – 23 primarily due to population growth and 38 because of their interaction between climate change and population growth. And should global warming reach 3? by 2100, drought losses could be five times higher than they are today, with the largest increase in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic regions of Europe. More food, less land Sustainable and efficient agricultural management techniques are needed to grow more food on less land and with less water, and humans must change their relationships with food, fodder and fiber – moving toward plant-based diets and stemming the consumption of animals, according to the brief. Moving in the right direction requires concerted policy and partnerships at all levels along with integrated drought action plans. Early-warning systems that work across boundaries, new technologies to guide decisions with precision and sustainable funding to improve drought resilience at the local level are also key actions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118142
     
         
      It’s Thursday, May 12, and a new agreement means union workers will build offshore wind turbines. Thu, 12th May 2022 16:12:00
     
      North America’s Building Trades Unions, or NABTU, and the Danish wind company Ørsted have reached a historic agreement to build offshore wind power with an all-union workforce. The National Offshore Wind Agreement, which was announced at a ceremony last week, is expected to create tens of thousands of middle-class jobs while advancing a “just transition” away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner sources of energy. “This historic milestone is a celebration for workers, clean energy and economic opportunity,” David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America, said in a statement. As part of the agreement, which covers Ørsted’s contractors and subcontractors along the entire Eastern seaboard, Ørsted and its partners say they’ll support apprenticeship programs for women and communities of color and that they’ll expand career opportunities to those most impacted by environmental injustice. The deal was supported by 15 international union presidents and their locals. The AFL-CIO, a federation of unions that includes NABTU, called the agreement “a major victory for America’s pro-union clean energy future,” highlighting its benefits for working conditions, equity, and the U.S. economy. “This is what it looks like to put the words ‘high-road labor standards’ into action,” AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said in a statement. Currently, Ørsted has six planned and ongoing offshore wind projects across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. These projects, which include the Skipjack Wind Farm on the Maryland coast and the South Fork Wind Farm near Long Island, New York, are projected to add 5,000 megawatts to the East Coast electric grid — enough to power more than 2 million homes. More wind projects will likely follow as the Biden administration chips away at its goal of installing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade. Just last month, the administration announced efforts to begin expanding offshore wind in nearly 4 million acres of federal waters off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1060239925/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Record number of polluters set CO2 emissions targets Thu, 12th May 2022 8:37:00
     
      A record number of big polluters are committing to cutting CO2 emissions, a UN-backed report has said. But firms in Asia, Africa and Latin America are lagging behind Europe, the US and Japan, the Science-Based Targets Initiative said. Separately, a report cast doubt on whether oil companies can all deliver carbon cuts they've promised. Big oil firms are relying on unproven technologies, a think tank said. 'Critical mass' The Science-Based Targets Initiative advises firms on how to set emissions reduction targets in line with climate science. It says targets have now been adopted by more than 2,000 firms worth $38tn across 70 countries in 15 industries. The authors say that in the most polluting sectors a critical mass of firms (27%) has joined the initiative. They believe this could prove a positive tipping point, as the polluting giants influence actions across the whole supply chain. More than half the companies setting targets are in the G7 rich nations, but there are also participants from China, India, Brazil, South Korea and South Africa. Canada and Italy are lagging behind, the report says. And Africa and Asia need more participants. The document says: Around 80% of the targets approved by the firms in 2021 were aligned with the benchmark of holding global temperature rises to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial times. Between 2015-2020, the majority of companies with 1.5°C targets cut emissions twice as fast as required. Environmentalist Tom Burke from the think tank E3G welcomed the target setting. "This is really good news", he said, "but it's very late in the day. We are way past the time when we should be tackling climate change. "It's great to have targets but there's a huge gap in government and business between targets and achievements". 'Unproven technology' A separate report today urged caution over oil companies' targets. The think tank Carbon Tracker said that oil and gas firms are basing their emissions goals on either selling polluting assets or on unproven or controversial technologies. These include carbon capture and storage (CCS) - or carbon offsetting which can include trees being planted to compensate for industrial emissions. Carbon Tracker says investors should ask whether companies' targets are not just ambitious but also credible. The author, Mike Coffin, said: "Emissions mitigation technologies pose a huge risk to investors and the climate because most, such as CCS, are at an early stage of development, and solutions involving tree-planting require vast areas of land. "Costs will be enormous and it is not clear whether they will be technically feasible or economically viable." The report ranks oil and gas firms. It says: Eni has the strongest policy, pledging a 35% cut in emissions by 2030 from the production and use of its products. But its plans involve CCS and nature-based solutions such as tree planting. - BP ranks fourth but its position is expected to improve once it formally ends its Rosneft gas shareholding. It says CCS will be a "lever" for emissions reductions. - Shell ranks fifth, pledging only to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations and the products it sells. - Nine North American companies all have weaker policies than Europeans and only commit to reducing emissions intensity - that's a measure of carbon emissions per dollar earned.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61414133
     
         
      Yemen: $33 million pledged to address decaying oil tanker threat Wed, 11th May 2022 16:19:00
     
      The FSO Safer, which is holding more than a million barrels of oil, has been described as a “time bomb” because it is at risk of causing a major spill, either from leaking, breaking apart or exploding. The commitments were made at a pledging conference in The Hague, co-sponsored by the UN and the Netherlands, marking the start of efforts to raise the $144 million required for the plan. “We are grateful to the donors that committed funding today at very short notice and look forward to receiving further commitments from those that have not yet pledged. When we have the funding, the work can begin,” said David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. Looming threat The FSO Safer was constructed in 1976 as an oil tanker and converted to a floating storage and offloading (FSO) facility a decade later. At 376 metres long, it is among the largest oil tankers in the world. The crude oil it holds is four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez, the tanker that caused one of the greatest environmental disasters in the history of the United States. The ship has been anchored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast for more than 30 years. Production, offloading, and maintenance stopped in 2015 due to the war between a pro-Government Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels. The vessel is now beyond repair and at imminent risk of spilling oil, which would have far-reaching consequences. No time to lose Fishing communities on the Red Sea coast would be devasted, and the nearby ports of Hudaydah and Saleef would close. Both are critical for the entry of food, fuel and lifesaving supplies in a country where some 17 million people depend on humanitarian aid. Any oil spill would also have an environmental impact on water, reefs and mangroves, and also disrupt shipping through the Bab al-Mandab strait to the Suez Canal. Clean-up alone would cost an estimated $20 million. In a video message to the conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the urgent need to act now. “Today’s event is a critical step to preventing a catastrophe that would affect Yemen, the region and the world,” he said. “There isn’t a moment to lose.” Action plan Donors that signed pledges at the conference were the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Qatar, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Some $40 million is now available for the UN-coordinated plan, which is supported by the parties to the conflict in Yemen and key stakeholders. It calls for action on two tracks: installing a replacement vessel within 18 months, and a four-month emergency operation to transfer the oil from the decaying tanker to a safe temporary vessel. The overall cost of $144 million includes $80 million, which is required for the emergency operation, ideally set to start in the second half of this month. Auke Lootsma, Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen, underscored the urgent need for funding. “If we do not receive sufficient funding urgently, the weather window to transfer the oil will close,” he said. “By October, high winds and volatile currents make the operation more dangerous and increase the risk of the ship breaking up.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117982
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, May 11, and Portugal is almost done building a massive floating solar array. Wed, 11th May 2022 16:16:00
     
      Europe’s largest floating solar array is nearing completion this month as EDP, Portugal’s primary electric utility company, puts the finishing touches on a landmark project that will cut the country’s reliance on fossil fuels. EDP’s solar array consists of more than 12,000 photovoltaic panels floating atop southern Portugal’s Alqueva reservoir — an artificial lake created by the Alqueva Dam. Once the project begins operating in July, it’s expected to produce 7.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to meet the electricity demand of 1,500 Portuguese households. “It’s the way the world, and Europe in particular, has to go to reduce the dependency [on] carbon fuels,” Miguel Patena, director of innovation and technology at EDP Production, told Reuters. His company’s goal is to produce 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The project represents a significant expansion from EDP’s first foray into floating solar panels. Back in 2017, the utility installed a pilot project with 840 solar panels in a reservoir created by the Alto Rabagão Dam near Portugal’s northern border with Spain. Other companies around the world have placed, or plan to place, solar panels atop irrigation canals, in industrial fish ponds, and in the ocean. All of these projects reduce demand for land and benefit from cooler temperatures near the water’s surface, which allow floating solar panels to operate up to 15 percent more efficiently than their land-based counterparts. Placing solar panels near hydropower can bring even more benefits: Utilizing existing connections to the power grid can help cut costs, for example, and excess power can be used to pump water upstream so that it can run through the dam again — effectively creating a battery that can generate electricity when the sun isn’t shining. There may be downsides, such as habitat disruption or water contamination from the solar infrastructure gradually breaking down, but research into these impacts is in its infancy. Analysts predict that the floating solar market will expand rapidly over the coming years as countries and their utilities work toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1059615430/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Pakistan: Bridge crumbles after heatwave triggers floods Tue, 10th May 2022 16:41:00
     
      A historic bridge in Pakistan has collapsed, after a heatwave caused a glacial lake to release large amounts of water into a stream. The Hassanabad Bridge in the Hunza Valley was destroyed on Saturday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-61392134
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, May 10, and New Mexico is requiring cleaner cars. Tue, 10th May 2022 16:34:00
     
      New Mexico adopted new clean car standards last week as part of a far-reaching effort to clean up transportation, the state’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Cars Rule was approved unanimously on Thursday by two key environmental regulatory boards in the state. The new rule, which is identical to standards previously set in California, combines vehicle emission requirements — which set a limit on the amount of pollution that passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs can emit — with a mandate that auto manufacturers sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2026. The new rule is expected to roughly triple the number of zero-emissions cars and trucks on New Mexico’s roads in the next five years and to help consumers save money on fuel and maintenance costs. Regulators also expect significant climate and public health benefits, estimating that the rule will prevent 130,000 tons of greenhouse emissions and more than 1,700 tons of ozone-forming air pollution by mid-century. Members of the New Mexico Clean Cars Clean Air Coalition — a group of more than 35 civil society organizations that support the new auto rule — cheered its adoption, highlighting outsize benefits for vulnerable communities near highways and industrial areas. “With the adoption of the Clean Cars Rule, we have increased the accessibility of clean vehicles for New Mexicans while also decreasing direct pollution in our frontline communities,” Josue De Luna Navarro, climate justice coordinator for the nonprofit Center for Civic Policy, said in a statement. The rule comes at a moment of heightened urgency around climate action as New Mexico faces one of its worst wildfire seasons ever. More than 200 blazes, fueled by climate-related tinderbox conditions, have already destroyed hundreds of buildings and consumed more than a quarter of a million acres. New Mexico’s Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham previously committed the state to reducing emissions 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and has championed efforts to achieve net-zero by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1057895128/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Putin has not wrecked Glasgow Climate Pact - John Kerry Tue, 10th May 2022 10:26:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry says the war in Ukraine has not wrecked the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed last year. Russia's invasion has "presented a challenge" in the battle against global warming but could be overcome, he said. Large reductions in carbon emissions are required if temperature rises are to be kept below 1.5C. In a BBC interview, Mr Kerry said some countries needed to "raise ambitions" if the most dangerous effects of climate change were to be prevented. According to a UN report, the world is on track to warm by 3.2C this century if countries only follow through on commitments made before the Glasgow summit. This would lead to "unprecedented heatwaves, terrifying storms, and widespread water shortages". To avoid that fate, the world must keep the rise in temperatures at or under 1.5C this century, researchers have said, and reach peak CO2 emissions by 2025. What was agreed at COP26? UN scientists: It's 'now or never' to fix climate change COP26 promises will hold warming under 2C Speaking to BBC Scotland's No Hot Air podcast, Mr Kerry said the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow was "enormously successful in raising ambition".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61383293
     
         
      Climate change: 'Fifty-fifty chance' of breaching 1.5C warming limit Tue, 10th May 2022 7:14:00
     
      The likelihood of crossing a key global warming threshold has risen significantly, according to a new analysis. UK Met Office researchers say that there's now around a fifty-fifty chance that the world will warm by more than 1.5C over the next five years. Such a rise would be temporary, but researchers are concerned about the overall direction of temperatures. It's almost certain that 2022-2026 will see a record warmest year, they say. A really simple guide to climate change Four ways climate change is linked to extreme weather Coal shortage sparks India's power woes Bird eggs suggest spring is three weeks earlier The Met Office is the UK's national meteorological service. As levels of warming gases in the atmosphere have accrued rapidly over the past three decades, global temperatures have responded by rising in step. In 2015, the world's average temperature first went 1C above the pre-industrial levels, which are generally thought of as the temperatures recorded in the middle of the 19th century. That was also the year that political leaders signed the Paris climate agreement, which committed the world to keeping the rise in global temperatures well below 2C while pursuing efforts keep them under 1.5C. At COP26 in Glasgow last November, governments re-iterated their commitment to keeping "1.5C alive." For the past seven years, global temperatures have stayed at or around that 1C mark, with 2016 and 2020 essentially tied as the warmest years on record. Scientists say that with around 1C of warming the world is already experiencing significant impacts such as the unprecedented wildfires seen in North America last year, or the drastic heatwaves currently hitting India and Pakistan. This update from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), carried out by the UK Met Office, says that the chances of temporarily going over 1.5C in one of the next five years have never been higher. The study suggests that temperatures between 2022 and 2026 will be between 1.1C and 1.7C higher than pre-industrial levels. The Met Office researchers predict that for any one year in the period, the likelihood of breaching the 1.5C level is around 48%, or close to 50:50.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61383391
     
         
      It’s Monday, May 9, and the Biden administration has a new environmental justice enforcement strategy. Mon, 9th May 2022 16:51:00
     
      The Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, announced last week a new, coordinated effort to crack down on big polluters in low-income communities and communities of color. The strategy, which involves the creation of a new Office for Environmental Justice and the reinstatement of an enforcement program that was halted under the Trump administration, was jointly unveiled on Thursday by EPA Administrator Michael Regan and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. In a statement, they vowed to “leverage all available legal tools” to protect communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution. The new strategy is expected to guide work throughout the entire Justice Department and provide better tools for the investigation and litigation of environmental crimes. Additionally, regulators plan to bring relief to overburdened communities by allowing violators to remediate environmental damages in exchange for lower fines. For 30 years, the EPA incorporated such remediation projects into settlements with polluters before the Trump administration limited the practice in 2020. The announcement fleshes out previous promises from President Joe Biden, who has spoken strongly since his candidacy about the need to “stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.” In his first days in office, Biden issued an executive order to take government-wide action on climate change and deliver environmental justice to vulnerable populations. Despite some progress toward these goals, like pledging benefits from the government’s climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities through the Justice40 initiative, many advocates argue that the president’s rhetoric hasn’t yet been matched by his administration’s actions. Mustafa Santiago Ali, a former EPA official and now vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, stressed the need for more interagency efforts to address environmental injustices. He added that the federal government’s existing programs should be evaluated through consultation with impacted communities. ”At the end of the day it comes down to the communities that have to live with these sets of actions,” he told me. “Are their lives in a better place, or are they still being consistently impacted?”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1057029814/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate: World getting ‘measurably closer’ to 1.5-degree threshold Mon, 9th May 2022 16:49:00
     
      The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update also reveals a 93 per cent likelihood of at least one year between 2022 to 2026 becoming the warmest on record, thus knocking 2016 from the top spot. The chance of the five-year average for this period being higher than the last five years, 2017-2021, is also 93 per cent. The 1.5 °C target is the goal of the Paris Agreement, which calls for countries to take concerted climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming. Probability rising “This study shows – with a high level of scientific skill – that we are getting measurably closer to temporarily reaching the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” said Petteri Taalas, the WMO Secretary-General. “The 1.5°C figure is not some random statistic”, he added, but “rather an indicator of the point at which climate impacts will become increasingly harmful for people and indeed the entire planet.” The chance of temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C threshold has risen steadily since 2015, according to the report, which was produced by the United Kingdom’s Met Office, the WMO lead centre for climate update predictions. Back then, it was close to zero, but the probability increased to 10 per cent over the past five years, and to nearly 50 per cent for the period from 2022-2026. Wide-ranging impacts Mr. Taalas warned that as long as countries continue to emit greenhouse gases, temperatures will continue to rise. “And alongside that, our oceans will continue to become warmer and more acidic, sea ice and glaciers will continue to melt, sea level will continue to rise and our weather will become more extreme. Arctic warming is disproportionately high and what happens in the Arctic affects all of us,” he said. The Paris Agreement outlines long-term goals that guide governments towards limiting the global temperature increase to well below 2 °C, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase even further to 1.5 °C. ‘Edging ever closer’ The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change further states that climate-related risks are higher for global warming of 1.5 °C than at present, but lower than at 2 °C. “Our latest climate predictions show that continued global temperature rise will continue, with an even chance that one of the years between 2022 and 2026 will exceed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels,” said Dr. Leon Hermanson of the UK Met Office, who led the report. “A single year of exceedance above 1.5 °C does not mean we have breached the iconic threshold of the Paris Agreement, but it does reveal that we are edging ever closer to a situation where 1.5 °C could be exceeded for an extended period.” Last year, the global average temperature was 1.1 °C above the pre-industrial baseline, according to the provisional WMO report on the?State of the Global Climate. The final report for 2021 will be released on 18 May. WMO said back-to-back La Niña events at the start and end of 2021 had a cooling effect on global temperatures. However, this is only temporary and does not reverse the long-term global warming trend. Any development of an El Niño event would immediately fuel temperatures, the agency said, as happened in 2016, the warmest year on record.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117842
     
         
      UN joins faith-based initiative for shift towards climate-responsible finance Mon, 9th May 2022 16:47:00
     
      The World Council of Churches (WCC), UNEP, Muslim Council of Elders, and NY Board of Rabbis have all signed the Climate-Responsible Finance – A moral imperative and responsibility to all children and the living world. “We, leaders of the undersigned organizations, affirm our commitment to engaging with the financial institutions through which we bank, invest, and seek insurance coverage, to ensure that our financial dealings are aligned with the Paris Agreement objective of limiting global warming to 1.5° C,” it reads.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117822
     
         
      Government must build sustainability into new rules, says Football for Future Fri, 6th May 2022 18:23:00
     
      Football will miss an "open goal" if environmental sustainability does not form part of its fan-led review into the game, campaigners have warned. The UK government is set to introduce a regulator after endorsing suggestions made as part of a review of the sport. The review features 10 suggestions, though sustainability charity Football For Future (FFF) said there was a lack of focus on environmental standards. It believes sustainability can be effectively built into the plan. FFF is backed by the British Association for Sustainable Sport, the charity Pledgeball, and Forest Green Rovers, the world's greenest club according to governing body Fifa. Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince said: "This is an absolutely historic moment for football in our country, we're about to have a big reset of the 'rules of the game' - off the pitch - and not adding sustainable criteria now, given all the targets we have as a country and as a world and the clear need for more action from all sectors - is just the most massive open goal - about to be missed. "The environment has to be added to the white paper - it just has to be." FFF says a relationship between the sport and climate change is clear, warning "a quarter of professional clubs in England could be flooded on a regular basis by 2050" and that the "average grassroots pitch in England already loses five weeks a season to bad weather". 'Clubs want environmental performance' Football's fan-led review was chaired by former sports minister Tracey Crouch following a number of high-profile crises in the sport, such as the failed European Super League and the collapse of Bury FC. Its 10 recommendations focused on financial stability at clubs, fan input, equality, inclusion, diversity and welfare. The government has already said a new regulator will be introduced and will have financial oversight of clubs, while being capable of handing out punishments. FFF believes introducing an environmental focus will enhance the review's current objectives and has called on other organisations to collaborate in pushing for such change. The organisation says clubs "want to improve environmental performance, but feel they lack the knowledge, skills, and finance to do it".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/61340273
     
         
      Sri Lanka's energy crisis hits country's fishing industry Fri, 6th May 2022 15:06:00
     
      Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since it gained independence from Britain in 1948. Food shortages, soaring prices and power cuts have left the government requesting emergency financial help. One sector badly affected is the fishing industry in the country's north. A lack of fuel, ice and marketing options has resulted in entire communities being without work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-61327820
     
         
      Heatwave: India's poor bear the brunt of blistering temperatures Fri, 6th May 2022 10:21:00
     
      As a blistering heatwave sweeps through India, the country's poor are once again the most vulnerable. The BBC's Ayushi Shah reports from Mumbai city. Sulachna Yevale, a vegetable vendor, desperately sprinkles water over her produce - some lemons and spinach that she bought from a wholesale market - to keep it from drying. But nothing seems to help. The extreme heat has caused some of the produce to spoil, making them useless for selling. Even though she has been selling vegetables at the same spot for decades, Ms Yevale says this is the first time she has lost so much of her produce - worth 70 rupees (around $1; £0.80) - a significant amount for someone whose daily income is 800 rupees. As her profits plummet, she worries about her future. She depends on the stall to provide for a family that includes her widowed daughter-in-law and granddaughter. "I feel helpless," she says, teary-eyed. A brutal heatwave has upended lives of millions of people in India who are struggling to cope with the soaring temperatures - the highest in over 100 years. India issues extreme heatwave warning What will climate change look like in your area- - BBC News After record-breaking weeks, the country's weather department expects temperatures in northwest India to get slightly better, as maximum temperatures are expected to drop by 3-4C this week. But the respite is expected to be short-lived, with maximum temperatures shooting back up by 2-3C few days after that.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61330046
     
         
      Iraq dust storm leaves 5,000 people needing treatment Thu, 5th May 2022 18:16:00
     
      One person has died and more than 5,000 people have been admitted to hospitals with breathing problems in Iraq after a seventh severe dust storm in a month. A health ministry spokesman said 2,000 of the cases of "suffocation" had been reported in Baghdad province, according to the official Iraqi News Agency. He advised people with asthma and other chronic diseases to stay indoors. Dust storms are common in Iraq, but some experts believe they are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Another storm on Sunday left dozens of people with breathing difficulties and grounded flights at airports serving Baghdad and the Shia holy city of Najaf. Health ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said on Thursday that all of Iraq's medical facilities were on alert and that the number of people admitted with respiratory problems was "not final", INA reported. Most of those affected had chronic diseases like asthma or were elderly, and the majority were discharged after receiving oxygen and other treatments, he added. Besides Baghdad, the western desert province of Anbar and the south-western province of Najaf were also badly affected. Dust storms mostly hit Iraq in the summer months, when they are often associated with strong winds known as shamal blowing in from the north-west. In western Iraq, shamal-driven dust storms occur mainly in the spring.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61335124
     
         
      Champion of women’s right to manage land and forests wins top environment prize Thu, 5th May 2022 15:04:00
     
      Cécile Ndjebet is the recipient of the 2022 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which is chaired by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Ms. Ndjebet was presented with the award at a ceremony in Seoul, Republic of Korea, during the XV World Forestry Congress. A voice for equality “This award celebrates Cécile Ndjebet’s energy and dedication over three decades in promoting women’s rights to land and forests. She has actively shown that women’s participation in forest governance and preservation is fundamental to achieving sustainable forest management,” said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General and chair of the CPF, which comprises 15 international organizations. Ms. Ndjebet is a co-founder of the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests, established in 2009, which now has 20 member countries across the continent. She has become a leading voice, both in her homeland and internationally, in building global recognition on the importance of gender equality in forest management. Promoting women’s involvement In Cameroon, roughly 70 per cent of women live in rural areas and are dependent at least in part on harvesting wild forest products for their livelihoods. However, in some communities, women cannot own forest land, inherit it if their husband dies, or even plant trees on degraded land. Ms. Ndjebet has tirelessly promoted the concept that women should be involved in forest management and have equal rights to forest land and resources. When they do, not only are forests better preserved, but entire communities also benefit. “Men generally recognise the great role women play in improving?families’ living standards,” she said. “But it is important for them also to agree that for women to continue to play that role, and even improve in that role, they need secure access to land and forests.” FAO added that the activist has long been a driving force in implementing forestry law and good governance in Cameroon, and establishing a new approach on community forestry and the restoration of degraded lands and forests, through Cameroon Ecology (Cam-Eco), which she founded two decades ago. The organization has worked to inform, train and support women to understand sustainability issues and to get involved in forest conservation and restoration. Honouring forest champions The Forest Champions Award is named in honour of Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the late Wangari Maathai, who was also a UN Messenger of Peace. The CPF established the award in 2012 in her memory to recognize inspiring persons who have helped preserve, restore and sustainably manage forests. Ms. Ndjebet met Ms. Maathai in 2009, who personally encouraged her in her work to support women planting trees. Previous Wangari Maathai Forest Champion Award winners include Nepalese community forestry movement leader, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Mexican environmental campaigner, Martha Isabel ‘Pati’ Ruiz Corzo, and Burundian forestry activist Léonidas Nzigiyimpa.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117592
     
         
      It’s Thursday, May 5, and a new bill is taking aim at central California’s air pollution problem Thu, 5th May 2022 15:01:00
     
      The San Joaquin Valley in central California has some of the dirtiest air in the country. But a proposed law could help clean things up — and it now has the green light from a powerful state agency. The California Air Resources Board, or CARB — the agency that regulates air pollution — approved a bill last week that would give it new authority to rein in air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. The bill, which was introduced by Fresno Democrat Joaquin Arambula, would allow the board to develop new regulations for polluting sectors like agriculture and oil refining in the valley, stepping in where regional pollution control programs have been unsuccessful. According to a report released last week by the American Lung Association, the San Joaquin Valley is a national hotspot for air pollution, with Fresno and Bakersfield residents facing the worst short-term particulate pollution in the country. This pollution — which comes from the burning of fossil fuels, dust and dung from agriculture, and wildfire smoke — gets trapped by the valley’s surrounding mountains, putting residents at elevated risk of lung problems and heart disease. Throughout California, it also disproportionately affects communities of color. Policymakers hope the new bill, if passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor, will bring the San Joaquin Valley into alignment with national standards for the tiny particles known as PM 2.5, named for their tiny diameter of just 2.5 micrometers — about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Previous efforts to address this pollution have been mired in setbacks, and all eight counties in the region continue to show alarming levels of PM 2.5. Gustavo Aguirre Jr., the Kern County coordinator for the Central California Environmental Justice Network, applauded the bill as a “step forward” — especially a clause that would require CARB to work with community-based organizations to advance clean air goals. Previous efforts to control pollution have often been top-down, Aguirre said, but he’s hopeful that his organization and others could now have the opportunity to shape protections for frontline communities — including by advocating for buffer zones around oil and gas production sites and tighter regulations around agricultural burning.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1054651039/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Clearing the nation’s most polluted air Thu, 5th May 2022 10:31:00
     
      The San Joaquin Valley in central California has some of the dirtiest air in the country. But a proposed law could help clean things up — and it now has the green light from a powerful state agency. The California Air Resources Board, or CARB — the agency that regulates air pollution — approved a bill last week that would give it new authority to rein in air pollution in the San Joaquin Valley. The bill, which was introduced by Fresno Democrat Joaquin Arambula, would allow the board to develop new regulations for polluting sectors like agriculture and oil refining in the valley, stepping in where regional pollution control programs have been unsuccessful. According to a report released last week by the American Lung Association, the San Joaquin Valley is a national hotspot for air pollution, with Fresno and Bakersfield residents facing the worst short-term particulate pollution in the country. This pollution — which comes from the burning of fossil fuels, dust and dung from agriculture, and wildfire smoke — gets trapped by the valley’s surrounding mountains, putting residents at elevated risk of lung problems and heart disease. Throughout California, it also disproportionately affects communities of color. Policymakers hope the new bill, if passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor, will bring the San Joaquin Valley into alignment with national standards for the tiny particles known as PM 2.5, named for their tiny diameter of just 2.5 micrometers — about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Previous efforts to address this pollution have been mired in setbacks, and all eight counties in the region continue to show alarming levels of PM 2.5. Gustavo Aguirre Jr., the Kern County coordinator for the Central California Environmental Justice Network, applauded the bill as a “step forward” — especially a clause that would require CARB to work with community-based organizations to advance clean air goals. Previous efforts to control pollution have often been top-down, Aguirre said, but he’s hopeful that his organization and others could now have the opportunity to shape protections for frontline communities — including by advocating for buffer zones around oil and gas production sites and tighter regulations around agricultural burning.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/clearing-the-nations-most-polluted-air/
     
         
      Huge volume of water detected under Antarctic ice Thu, 5th May 2022 10:18:00
     
      Vast quantities of water have been detected in sediments that underlie a part of the West Antarctic ice sheet. The volume is equivalent to a reservoir that is several hundred metres deep. The water was detected below the Whillans Ice Stream, but its presence is likely replicated elsewhere across the White Continent. That being the case, it could be an important influence on how Antarctica reacts to a warmer world, researchers tell the journal Science this week. Water at the base of glaciers and ice streams generally works to lubricate their movement. The transfer of water into or out of this deep reservoir has the potential therefore to either slow down or speed up ice flow. Models that simulate future climate impacts will now have to account for it. The detection was made by a team led by Dr Chloe Gustafson from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, US. She said the deep sediments were ancient ocean muds and sands that became saturated with salty seawater thousands of years ago when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was much less extensive than it is today. "These sediments I like to think of as a giant sponge," she explained. "If you could squeeze out all that water and pool it on the surface, the water would range anywhere from about 220m in depth all the way up to 820m. "For comparison, the Empire State Building is about 440m tall. So at the shallowest, this water would go halfway up the Empire State Building, and at the deepest it would almost submerge two Empire State Buildings," the postdoctoral researcher told BBC News. Dr Gustafson made her measurements during a six-week expedition on the Whillans Ice Stream, an 800m-thick, 100km-wide convoy of fast moving ice that feeds into the Ross Ice Shelf. The technique she deployed is called magnetotellurics. This records variations in the the Earth’s natural electric and magnetic fields to determine the properties of deeply buried materials, be that rock, sediments, ice or water. "You get a resistivity pattern and you have to invert that to work out how much water is present, and it's huge," said Scripps glaciology professor, Helen Fricker. "People had long suspected this groundwater was there, but this is the first time we've really been able to measure it." Prof Fricker used satellite observations in the 2000s to describe the dynamic hydrological system under Whillans. From the way the ice surface rose and fell over weeks and months, she could tell there were melt rivers filling and draining water from lakes that lay directly under the ice at its interface with the sediments. This newly discovered groundwater is held further down, in the pore spaces of the 500m-2,000m of ancient muds and sands that are sandwiched between the ice stream and basement rock. The key question being asked is: to what extent can the groundwater add to or subtract from the network of freshwater rivers and lakes just under the ice, to aid lubrication? And the inference in the measured changes in the saltiness of the upper part of the ground reservoir is that there is exchange.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61337864
     
         
      New plan to accelerate clean energy access for millions globally Wed, 4th May 2022 14:58:00
     
      The UN-Energy Plan of Action Towards 2025 delivers on commitments made at a high-level meeting in September that laid out a global roadmap for energy access and transition by the end of the decade, while also contributing to net zero emissions by 2050. The UN-Energy partnership brings together some 30 organizations working on all aspects of energy and sustainable development. An Energy Compact Action Network was also launched to match governments seeking support for their clean energy goals with governments and businesses that have already pledged over $600 billion in assistance. Coalitions to support energy access and transition in Nigeria and in Santiago, Chile, were also announced, thus showcasing the Network’s potential. Sustaining the momentum The commitments will drive forward achievement of a just, inclusive energy transition, aimed at ensuring all people have access to clean and affordable energy, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their announcement comes as the world faces what the UN has described as the interlinked triple crises of energy, food and finance arising from the war in Ukraine. Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and Secretary-General of the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Energy, has welcomed the launch. “This will help us sustain the momentum by generating concrete action towards clean and affordable energy and net-zero emissions,” he said. Scaling up action The UN-Energy Plan of Action sets out a framework for collective action that includes doubling annual clean energy investment globally, and facilitating electricity access for 500 million people, as well as clean cooking solutions for one billion. It identifies seven areas for work, ranging from scaling up efforts to close the energy access gap, to leveraging the power of data, digitalisation and visualisation for strengthening monitoring, tracking, accountability and communication of results. The plan could not have come at a more critical time, according to Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN-Energy co-chair. “The current context has led to a wider understanding of how energy underpins the entire 2030 Agenda.?It is paramount that the commitments taken at the 2021 High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26 are translated into actions on the ground - especially in support of the most vulnerable,” he said. Collaborating for transformation UN-Energy will support the Energy Compact Action Network, which brings together nearly 200 governments, businesses, and other civil society partners, to mobilize voluntary commitments made at the high-level dialogue. Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and UN-Energy co-chair, highlighted the platform’s important role. “By creating opportunities for collaboration, the Network will transform the billions of dollars in finance and investment committed in the Energy Compacts into on-the-ground action towards the sustainable energy future that we urgently need,” she said. Powering the future The launch also featured announcements by several new or expanded coalitions, demonstrating how countries, cities, businesses, foundations, and other partners, can join forces through the Network. For example, SEforALL, UNDP and Husk Power Systems, are among partners that will support Nigeria’s commitment to provide electricity to 25 million people by 2023, through using solar home systems and mini-grids to power five million homes, schools, hospitals and other public utilities. The move will also generate some 250,000 new jobs. In Chile, the government of the Santiago Metropolitan Region will work with the multinational energy company Enel, and the Universidad de Desarollo, to increase the end-use of electricity for transport and heating, including to raise the share of the city’s electric buses to 100 per cent by 2030. The Network will also advance or expand coalitions supporting green hydrogen and a stronger role for women in leading and benefiting from the energy transition. In this regard, a work plan to strengthen the role of women in the energy transition was launched by partners who include the Governments of Canada and Kenya, as well as the global youth-led organization Student Energy, coordinated by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117532
     
         
      Better prevention and targeting of root causes needed to combat food crises Wed, 4th May 2022 14:53:00
     
      “Acute hunger is soaring to unprecedented levels and the global situation just keeps on getting worse,” said David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). The annual report from the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) – an international alliance of the UN, European Union (EU), governmental and non-governmental agencies – shines a light on the urgency of tackling root causes rather than just responding to emergencies after the fact. Most in need The report focuses on countries and territories where the severity of the food crisis is outstripping local resources and capacities. It reveals that some 193 million people in 53 countries or territories experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels (IPC/CH Phase 3-5) in 2021, representing an increase of nearly 40 million people compared with 2020’s already record numbers. Of those, 570,000 people in Ethiopia, southern Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen, were classified in the most severe phase of acute food insecurity, “catastrophe” phase 5, and required urgent action to avert widespread collapse of livelihoods, starvation and death. When looking at the same 39 countries or territories featured in all editions of the report, the number of people facing Phase 3 levels or above, nearly doubled between 2016 and 2021, rising unabatedly each year since 2018. “The results of this year’s Global Report further demonstrate the need to collectively address acute food insecurity at the global level across humanitarian, development and peace context,” said QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Root causes From conflict to environmental and climate crises, and economic to health crises with poverty and inequality as undelaying causes, these worrying trends are the result of multiple drivers feeding into one another. Weather extremes have crippled over 23 million people in eight countries/territories, an increase from 15.7 million in 15 countries/territories. And economic shocks have affected over 30 million people in 21 countries/territories, down from over 40 million people in 17 countries/territories in 2020 – mainly due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Conflict main driver However, conflict remains the main driver of food insecurity, having pushed 139 million in 24 countries/territories into acute food insecurity – up from around 99 million in 23 countries/territories in in 2020. “Conflict, the climate crisis, COVID-19 and surging food and fuel costs have created a perfect storm,” said Mr. Beasley. “Millions of people in dozens of countries are being driven to the edge of starvation,” he added appealing for “urgently need emergency funding to pull them back from the brink and turn this global crisis around before it’s too late”. Ukraine repercussions While the analysis predates Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report finds that the war has already exposed the interconnected nature and fragility of global food systems, with serious consequences for global food and nutrition security. Countries already coping with high levels of acute hunger are particularly vulnerable to the risks created by the war in Eastern Europe, notably due to their high dependency on imports of food and agricultural inputs and vulnerability to global food price shocks, notes the report. “The tragic link between conflict and food insecurity is once again evident and alarming,” said Mr. QU. “While the international community has courageously stepped up to the calls for urgent famine prevention and mitigation action, resource mobilization to efficiently tackle the root causes of food crises due to, among others, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, global hotspots and the war in Ukraine, still struggles to match the growing needs”. A paradigm shift The report’s findings demonstrate the need for a greater prioritization of smallholder agriculture as a frontline humanitarian response. Furthermore, it advocates for promoting structural changes to current external financing, to reduce humanitarian assistance over time through longer-term development investments, which can help tackle the root causes of hunger. In parallel, humanitarian assistance must be provided more efficiently and sustainably. “The situation calls out for at-scale action to move towards integrated approaches to prevention, anticipation, and better targeting to sustainably address the root causes of food crises, including structural rural poverty, marginalization, population growth and fragile food systems,” said the Global Network founding members, in a joint statement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117482
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, May 4, and California is edging toward 100 percent renewable electricity Wed, 4th May 2022 14:50:00
     
      California logged a clean energy milestone last weekend. For a brief period on Saturday afternoon, renewable sources provided nearly all of California’s power: Wind, solar, and other emissions-free technologies met a record 99.87 percent of California’s total 18.7 gigawatts of energy demand, according to a spokesperson for California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit group known as CAISO that oversees the Golden State’s power grid. An official online tracker had originally shown renewable generation surging to 101 percent of demand on Saturday, but CAISO later revised the number downwards after double-checking the data. Still, 99.87 is more than the previous records of 96.4 percent and 97.58 percent, both of which were set in the past six weeks. And as the numbers inch toward 100 percent, environmental advocates say it could soon be possible for clean energy to meet all of California’s electricity demand on a daily basis. Tom Athanasiou, executive director of the activist think tank EcoEquity, called the record “unambiguously good news,” although he stressed the need to ensure that all Californians benefit from reduced reliance on fossil fuels. “We have to take care of the people who lose their place in society,” he said, referring to oil and gas industry workers. Much of the renewable energy provided on Saturday came from vast solar arrays in Southern California, east of the Coachella Valley. At 2:50 p.m., solar provided 12.5 gigawatts of power to the California grid, wind provided 4.8 gigawatts, and geothermal, biomass, biogas, and small hydropower provided a total of 1.4 gigawatts. Together, these sources came within a hair’s breadth of meeting the state’s 18.7 gigawatts of demand. Meanwhile, renewable capacity is growing apace as California aims to decarbonize its power system by 2045. Some 0.8 gigawatts of wind and solar is scheduled to be added to the state’s power grid in May, along with an additional 1.3 gigawatts of battery storage that will allow more renewable energy to be deployed when the sun isn’t shining and when winds aren’t blowing.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1053532841/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      How heavily does Germany rely on Russian energy? Wed, 4th May 2022 9:56:00
     
      Imports of oil and gas from Russia are falling, but it has long been Germany’s biggest supplier GERMANY HAD been dragging its heels on a proposed European energy embargo on Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. On May 2nd Christian Lindner, the finance minister, and Robert Habeck, the economy minister, signalled that the government was prepared to support an EU ban on Russian oil imports. German backing enabled the European Commission to announce, on May 4th, that it would propose such an embargo for the end of the year, though the 27 member governments must all agree. Yet for industry-heavy Germany, oil presents a far smaller problem than gas. German politicians say that a sudden ban on Russian gas imports would be unfeasible. How dependent on Russian energy is Germany?
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/04/how-heavily-does-germany-rely-on-russian-energy
     
         
      Ukraine war: EU plans Russian oil ban and war crimes sanctions Wed, 4th May 2022 8:11:00
     
      The EU has proposed some of its toughest measures yet against Russia, including a total ban on oil imports and sanctions on war crimes suspects. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package was aimed at maximising pressure on Russia while minimising damage to Europe. Russian crude oil would be phased out within six months, she said. Hungary has rejected the proposal as unacceptable and the Czech and Slovak governments want a transition period. The EU has been focusing for weeks on how to wean itself off Russian oil and gas. It has already pledged to reduce gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022 and now plans to phase out crude oil over six months and refined products by the end of 2022. "We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion," the Commission president said. The package first has to be approved by EU ambassadors and is set to be signed off in the next few days. But Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said his country would veto it in its current form: "They exactly know that what they are proposing is against Hungarian interests... and if we do that we are completely going to ruin the Hungarian economy." Slovakia as well as Hungary currently relies on Russian oil and under the initial proposal would be given until the end of 2023 to find alternative suppliers. Slovakia's economy minister said his country wanted a three-year transition period, while Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he would also seek a two-to-three year exemption to tackle problems with pipeline capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61318689
     
         
      Natural resources must be ‘part of the solution’ in fight against deforestation Tue, 3rd May 2022 15:12:00
     
      The Global Forest ?Resources Assessment Remote Sensing Survey warned however, that from livestock grazing in South America to the expansion of croplands in Asia, the earth’s tropical rainforests still face a tremendous threat.? “This survey is important, not just for the new numbers it gives us but for what it tells us about forest area trends and what’s driving deforestation,?also the crucial ability it gives us to monitor how things are evolving,” said FAO Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena Semedo.? Losses halved Annual deforestation decreased by around 29 per cent – from 11 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2010, to 7.8 million hectares from 2010 to 2018, the survey revealed. Moreover, net forest area losses have more than halved during the survey period – from 6.8 million hectares annually between 2000 and 2010 down to 3.1 million hectares per year from 2010 to 2018.? By region, the highest level of deforestation between 2000 and 2018 occurred in South America (68 million hectares deforested), followed by Africa (49 million hectares). This is despite a slower deforestation rate in South America and South and southeast Asia between 2000 and 2018. “Unsustainable?agricultural development?and other land uses?continue?to put intense pressure on our forests, especially in many of the poorest countries,” Ms. Semedo explained. Unsustainable development Meanwhile from 2000 to 2018, tropical forest losses accounted for more than 90 per cent of global deforestation. And while that equals 157 million hectares – roughly the size of western Europe – annual deforestation in the tropics slowed significantly from 10.1 million hectares per year between 2000 and 2010 to seven million hectares annually 2010 to 2018. “There are win-win solutions which we can and must scale up, to feed the world without destroying our forests,” assured the FAO official. Driving deforestation Cropland expansion is the main driver of deforestation, responsible for nearly half of global deforestation, followed by livestock grazing, accounting for 38.5 per cent.?? From 2000 to 2018, oil palm planting alone accounted for seven per cent of the global deforestation. While the survey suggests that tropical regions of Central America are most severely threatened by land-use conversion, similar phenomena were detected in the region’s tropical dry forest and shrubland. However, the small number of samples in these ecoregions, means further investigations are needed to confirm these findings. Tap solutions in nature The XV World Forestry Congress (WFC) opened on Monday, in Seoul, Korea, as well as online. Kicking off the event, Ms. Semedo said that “no matter which crises we are facing – a pandemic, conflicts, climate change – and [their] resulting economic recession and food insecurity, we must consider our forests and our natural resources as part of the solution and integrate them in recovery plans and strategies.” The?Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF)?states that protecting forests helps tackle climate change, boost food security, conserve biodiversity and boost efforts to create a poverty-free world. State of forests Under the main theme Building a green, healthy and resilient future with forests, leaders from the FAO, the World Bank, and youth and Indigenous representatives participated in discussions In addition to the survey launch, as part of the?Forestry Resources Assessment 2020, FAO on Monday launched its flagship State of the World’s Forests Report 2022. The report underscored the three mutually reinforcing pathways of halting deforestation and maintaining forests; restoring degraded lands and expanding reforestation; and ensuring sustainable value chains. Other key findings included the need to enshrine tenure rights; provide incentives and remove disincentives for forest conservation; and the urgency of addressing the conflict between forest conservation and other development needs.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117412
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, May 3, and a Japanese commuter railway is now powered by 100 percent renewable energy Tue, 3rd May 2022 15:08:00
     
      One of Japan’s major railway companies achieved a sustainability milestone last month when it transitioned to using 100 percent renewable energy to power its commuter trains running through Tokyo. Tokyu Railways, whose seven electric train lines and one tram serve more than 2 million people a day, became Japan’s first railroad operator to switch away from fossil fuels on April 1, using clean energy for everything from its trains to its vending machines. By drawing power from sources like hydrogen, geothermal, wind, and solar, the company says it will avoid annual carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to those of 56,000 Japanese households. Transportation experts have lauded the move, although they stressed that much more ambitious action is still needed to meet the country’s overall decarbonization goals. Japan, which emits more climate pollution than all but five other countries in the world, aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions 46 percent below 2013 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. But the country still gets roughly 80 percent of its energy from non-renewable sources, according to data from 2020, and much of Japan’s infrastructure remains dependent on coal, oil, or gas. That includes many of the nation’s rural trains, which continue to run on diesel. “The long-term battle is to increase production of renewable electricity and provide the transmission infrastructure to get it to the places of consumption,” Nicholas Little, director of railway education at Michigan State University’s Center for Railway Research and Education, told the Associated Press. Although Tokyu is now ahead of the pack when it comes to renewable energy, some of its competitors have also begun to work toward emissions-free operations. Tobu Railway, which operates nearly 300 miles of railway north of Tokyo, aims to halve emissions by 2030 — in part by sourcing enough renewable energy to run all of its trains in the Nikko and Kinugawa areas.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1051267148/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      General Assembly reviews global progress towards sustainable urbanization Thu, 28th Apr 2022 15:23:00
     
      The New Urban Agenda presents a shared global vision for how to build, manage, and live in cities, through urbanization that is well-planned and well-managed. It was adopted just one year after countries agreed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint for a better future, for people and the planet, by 2030. ‘Change this trend’ In his opening remarks, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid spoke of how sustainable urbanization can drive change across a variety of interconnected issues, including poverty eradication, climate action, migration, land degradation, economic prosperity, and creation of peaceful societies. Yet, he said the New Urban Agenda has often been “under-appreciated”, despite its far-ranging implications. “While sustainable urbanization is related to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, only a few countries can truly claim that they have in place the governance, and the necessary policies, including on inclusive urban planning, capacity development, technology access, and financing necessary to ensure sustainable urbanization,” said Mr. Shahid, adding “we need to change this trend.” The high-level meeting brought together Government representatives, city mayors, business leaders, youth, and other constituencies. The lead-up was marked by several events including the publication of the latest UN Secretary-General’s report on implementation, five regional forums on sustainable development, and a special meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Address ‘urban inequalities’ Full implementation of the New Urban Agenda is at the core of the SDG principle of “leaving no one behind”, said Collen V. Kelapile, the ECOSOC President, who reported on its meeting held last week. Among the key messages coming out of the discussions was the need for financing to address “urban inequalities”, including around access to housing. “Housing has become a commercial commodity, and urban land markets are captured by the political elite. Therefore, Member States are urged to position housing above all as a human right,” said Mr. Kelapile. He also encouraged countries to view the challenge of unlocking financing for affordable housing as both an opportunity to create jobs and a catalyst to enhance revenues raised by cities. Leave no one behind The imperative around housing is included in the Secretary-General’s quadrennial report, the document guiding deliberations at the one-day meeting, said Maimunah Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the agency that is the “custodian” of the New Urban Agenda. She recalled that the report recommends countries integrate provision of adequate and affordable housing as a driver of equitable development, adding that housing is central to social protection systems, along with healthcare, jobs, education and digital access. “Member States can achieve this by making urban policy a central feature to comprehensively address climate mitigation and adaptation. By aligning spatial and economic development we can protect biodiversity and reduce pollution. We must ensure no one, including the smallest of God’s creations, is left behind,” she said. Under pressure The New Urban Agenda is critical at a time when cities are grappling with numerous pressures, for example on food, water and energy resources - a point made by the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed. The framework sets out a clear pathway for developing truly sustainable cities, centred around resilient economies, a clean environment, and the health, well-being, culture, and security that residents need. ?It also offers lasting solutions to tackle the climate crisis. “When planned well, built in a compact urban form, and supported with high quality public transport, cities offer the most sustainable form of human settlement,” she said. ? “Investing in sustainable urbanization can also catalyze important transitions across food and energy systems.” Ms. Mohammed also highlighted UN initiatives to assist countries in implementing the New Urban Agenda. Urbanization will be integrated more systematically into development cooperation frameworks, for example, while Governments will also receive tailored support for the development of national urban policies and inclusive urban planning.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117182
     
         
      Small solutions, big impacts: 5 community-based projects tackling climate change Thu, 28th Apr 2022 15:20:00
     
      In early April, 29 countries pledged more than $5 billion to the UN-backed Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Fund said this was “record support, providing a major boost to international efforts to protect biodiversity and curb threats to climate change, plastics and toxic chemicals”. But why such a major boost? Well, the GEF is a multilateral fund that serves as a financial mechanism for several environmental conventions including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. It has its own Small Grants Program (SGP) which grants of up to $50,000 directly to local communities including indigenous peoples, community-based organizations and other non-governmental groups investing in projects related to healing our planet. The initiative is implemented in 127 countries by the UN Development Program (UNDP) which provides technical support to these selected local projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people’s wellbeing and livelihoods. Here at UN News, we want to highlight just five of the over 25,000 projects implemented since 1992, the year the GEF started working. Though the Fund’s projects span the globe, this list features a few initiatives currently improving the future of humankind and wildlife in Latin-America and the Caribbean. 1. Indigenous women solar engineers bringing light to rural Belize For people living in cities is sometimes hard to believe that in 2022 there are still communities that don’t have electricity, but more than 500 million people worldwide don’t have access to this kind of service that many consider ‘basic’. This is the reality for people in the District of Toledo, in Belize, where several rural villages lie far away from the national electricity grid making it hard – and costly – to electrify their communities. However, thanks to a partnership funded by the GEF’s Small Grants Program (SGP), three Mayan women solar engineers are installing solar energy systems and contributing to sustainable development in small indigenous communities in Southern Belize. Florentina Choco, Miriam Choc and Cristina Choc, were trained by the Barefoot College in India to build and repair small household solar systems as part of a South-South cooperation exchange (Countries from the Global South sharing technical knowledge with their counterparts, without a developed country involved). “These women are shattering the glass ceiling! They have installed solar systems to four indigenous communities impacting over 1000 residents,” says Leonel Requena, SGP Belize National Coordinator. In 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these solar engineers, along with national authorities and partners installed these solar energy systems to two of Belize’s most remote communities. With the work in just one of these villages, Graham Creek, they powered 25 homes benefiting over 150 residents, as well as a primary school with 30 children. The best of all, UNDP estimates they have helped avoid 6.5 tonnes of carbon emissions. “Women are outstanding leaders in Belize driving the sustainable development agenda fostering harmony between nature and people for the benefit of both,” adds Mr. Requena. 2. Turning Barbados into a champion of Hawksbill turtles’ conservation Did you know that extreme temperatures during heatwaves fuelled by climate change are literally cooking baby turtles in their nest? Hawksbill sea turtles are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered as their population is decreasing around the world. For ages, they have been hunted for their eggs and meat and now they are also at risk from coastal development and our changing climate, among other threats. But a small grant 20 years ago turned into a big opportunity for this species to thrive in the Caribbean Island of Barbados. The Barbados Sea Turtle Project, based at the University of the West Indies’ Campus, is the home of the regional Marine Turtle Tagging Centre and the wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. Tagging turtles helps scientists and conservationists to track their movements, calculate their growth rates, survival and reproductive output. Barbados is currently home to the second-largest Hawksbill turtle nesting population in the wider Caribbean, with up to 500 females nesting per year. Turtle nesting occurs on most of the beaches around the island, which, like many in the region, is heavily developed with tourism infrastructure. The Barbados Sea Turtle Project tags these creatures, measures them and archives and analyses the data for over 30 coordinated projects in the region. These research projects inform their conservation activities. Each August when the baby turtles hatch, the project runners are on call seven days a week to respond to emergencies that might include hatchlings wandering off in the wrong direction or preparing for swells that can wash away nests during hurricane season. The project runners also help communities promote ecotourism based on best practices, which provides a source of income for local communities. Barbados is now well known for the success of its sea turtle conservation activities. The degree to which the Hawksbill population has recovered thus far allows trainees to work with large numbers of turtles and experience the challenges posed by extensive coastal development. The widely renowned project recently received a new small grant from the GEF of $46,310. “Thanks to this grant [this project has] been able to offer persons from other sea turtle projects in the region the opportunity to be trained alongside BSTP volunteers in a South-to-South Exchange… The ongoing work of the Project is integral to the conservation and protection of threatened and endangered sea turtles, their terrestrial and marine habitats,” said Karen Harper, Programme Assistant of SGP in Barbados. 3. Helping Venezuelan indigenous families mitigate the degradation of the Amazon Forest Puerto Ayacucho is the capital and largest city of the State of Amazonas in the south of Venezuela, its inhabitants include a number of local indigenous tribes, including the Yanomami, the Panare, the Bari, Piaroa and Guajibo (also known as Jibis). Many of these populations have been displaced from their lands due to the socioeconomic crisis in the country, as well as the presence of armed groups and illegal mining activities. The project Amazonas Originaria is currently training a group of indigenous displaced families to sustainably use and care for the tropical forests in the vicinity of Puerto Ayacucho. They are learning how to manage crops of cocoa, cupuaçu, manaca and túpiro (all amazon native plants) as well as how to transform their fruits into pulp, chocolates, baskets and other products. “This project, in particular, is interesting and inspiring, as it is led by women… it supports the fight against climate change, since its purpose is to conserve the Amazon Forest as the main carbon sink in southern Venezuela, working hand in hand with native communities, valuing their traditions and protecting their ancestral habitat,” explains national SGP coordinator Alexis Bermúdez. According to the UN Environment Programme, or UNEP, in the Amazon, the world’s largest remaining tropical rainforest, deforestation is reducing carbon stocks and altering the regional climate. The effects of climate change, forest degradation and more forest fires could result in 60 per cent of the Amazon rainforest disappearing by 2050. The SGP-supported initiative not only trains members of the community to make Amazon-derived products and ecological packaging helping them to diversify their livelihoods, but at the same time it works to restore parts of the degraded tropical forest by re-planting native trees and other species. “When families pass on this knowledge, we make indigenous communities gain the necessary strength and confidence to face the conservation of their culture and their environment, organize the community for the production and marketing of their products in more select markets and contribute directly to creating a sustainable economy,” Kenia Martinez from Amazonas Originaria notes. 4. Exchanging ideas to make tourism more eco-friendly and sustainable Clearly, climate change and environmental degradation can´t be tackled by a single community, instead, unity is strength when we talk about exchanging ideas that have already proven successful. The project Dialogue of Latin American Knowledge around Community Tourism has brought together community tourism ventures from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Mexico to exchange experiences and good practices. Tourism is the backbone of some economies and the source of livelihood for many people, especially those living in developing countries, but if mismanaged, it often puts pressure on natural resources through overconsumption, induces stress on local land use, as well as increases pollution and natural habitat loss. Community tourism, on the other hand, is an economic alternative that allows local communities to generate complementary income to their main productive activities and at the same time protect and value the natural and cultural wealth of their territories. “Alone we go faster, but together we go further,” Beatriz Schmitt, SGP Panama National Coordinator highlights. The SGP-supported dialogues consisted of virtual trainings and good practices exchanges with 23 rural organizations focusing on local development, collaborative working networks, marketing, institutional perspective and biosafety protocols. At the end of the virtual training, participants visited community tourism experiences in Costa Rica where the programme has been promoting rural tourism for 20 years and has established a robust institutional framework. “Community tourism is a local strategy that brings income to rural communities. This project is important because tourism is not approached only as a business but instead, it is derived from experiences of land conservation where these communities live,” Viviana Rodriguez, SGP Programme Assistant in Panama tells UN News. She adds that by conserving these areas for tourism and reducing other activities such as large-scale agriculture, small communities are also contributing to the fight against climate change. 5. Saving the water-rich Colombian Paramos, with a gender twist Colombia's paramos, tundra ecosystems in the Andes mountains that are above the forest line but below the snowline, occupy just 1.7 per cent of the national territory, yet they produce 85 per cent of its drinking water. Guardianas de los Páramos (Paramos Women Guardians) is an Alliance between the GEF Small Grants Program and two other organizations that are supporting a variety of community projects focused on conservation and climate change adaptation in the Paramos Pisba and TotaBijagual-Mamapacha, about 280 km to the northeast of Bogotá. The alliance puts special emphasis on women’s participation since historically, the intervention of women in environmental management has been diminished because of discrimination and inequitable access to resources. A total of 37 projects were selected benefiting 2,400 families who had been working since 2020 to restore native plants, thus strengthening biological corridors and maintaining protected areas. The initiatives also include aqueduct adaptation, as well as the implementation of homemade agroecological gardens to reduce the use of traditional productive systems that are harmful to the environment. “It is necessary to implement actions aimed at controlling or reducing pressures on the paramo and to mitigate negative actions by extractive activities in the area, establishing conservation areas and measures to reduce risks associated with climate change”, says Catalina Avella, the alliance field coordinator. Paramos are a unique Andean ecosystem, only found in high mountains of the north of South America, they are strategic not only due to their plant and animal biodiversity but also of their ecosystem services, including carbon sequestrations in the soil and water regulation. The increase in temperatures and changes in rain patterns due to climate change poses a threat to these ecosystems, as well as mining and infrastructure projects. Great projects, right? So, how can you get involved? If you have a project related to climate change mitigation, reversing land degradation, sustainable forest management, or protecting biodiversity, visit the Small Grants Program website where you can find out how to apply depending on your country. SGP grants are made directly to community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations in recognition of the key role they play as a resource and constituency for environment and development concerns. The maximum grant amount per project is $50,000 but averages around $25,000.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117122
     
         
      It’s Thursday, April 28, and inefficient light bulbs are on their way out Thu, 28th Apr 2022 15:17:00
     
      Incandescent light bulbs had a good run. But roughly 140 years after they were patented by Thomas Edison, the inefficient, pear-shaped bulbs are being phased out. The Biden administration on Tuesday announced new standards for energy efficiency for light bulbs, effectively setting an end date for the sale of new incandescent bulbs. Within 75 days, manufacturers will be required to stop making light bulbs that can’t emit at least 45 lumens — a measure of brightness — per watt of power consumed, and retailers will have to stop selling them by July 2023. The move represents yet another reversal of a Trump-era policy. Back in 2019, Donald Trump — who once complained that energy-efficient light bulbs made him “look orange” — withdrew a set of standards that would have phased out inefficient incandescent bulbs by 2020. At the time, Trump’s Department of Energy said the phaseout was “not economically justified” and that it would force consumers to pay higher prices for more efficient compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs. However, upfront costs for LEDs are offset by large energy savings over the bulbs’ lifetimes; they can last up to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Under the Biden administration’s new rules, the Department of Energy predicts that consumers will collectively save almost $3 billion per year on their electric bills and that the nation will slash carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years — an amount equal to the annual emissions of 28 million homes. Andrew deLaski, executive director of the nonprofit Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said that 30 percent of light bulbs sold today still run on “19th-century technology,” and switching away from them will reduce utility bills and climate emissions from the power sector. “That’s something to celebrate,” deLaski told me — “a double win.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/1047555569/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Almost everyone now breathing polluted air, warns WHO Mon, 4th Apr 2022 12:35:00
     
      Noting that fossil fuels are responsible for most of the harmful emissions that are linked to acute and chronic sickness, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for tangible steps to curb their use. The UN agency also urged more governments to take note that it has made significant revisions to its air quality indicators, including for particulate matter - known as PM2.5 - that can enter the bloodstream, along with nitrogen dioxide (NO2), another common urban pollutant and precursor of particulate matter and ozone.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1115492
     
         
      Climate change: Wind and solar reach milestone as demand surges Wed, 30th Mar 2022 12:24:00
     
      Wind and solar generated 10% of global electricity for the first time in 2021, a new analysis shows. Fifty countries get more than a tenth of their power from wind and solar sources, according to research from Ember, a climate and energy think tank. As the world's economies rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, demand for energy soared. Demand for electricity grew at a record pace. This saw a surge in coal power, rising at the fastest rate since 1985.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60917445
     
         
      Climate groups say a change in coding can reduce bitcoin energy consumption by 99% Tue, 29th Mar 2022 10:57:00
     
      A simple switch in the way transactions are verified could reduce bitcoin’s energy-guzzling mining habits Bitcoin mining already uses as much energy as Sweden, according to some reports, and its booming popularity is revitalizing failing fossil fuel enterprises in the US. But all that could change with a simple switch in the way it is coded, according to a campaign launched on Tuesday. The campaign, called Change the Code Not the Climate and coordinated by Environmental Working Group, Greenpeace USA and several groups battling bitcoin mining facilities in their communities, is calling on bitcoin to change the way bitcoins are mined in order to tackle its outsized carbon footprint.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/29/bitcoin-reduce-energy-consumption-climate-groups
     
         
      Saudi energy minister says oil alliance OPEC+ will leave politics out of output decisions Tue, 29th Mar 2022 9:23:00
     
      Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said the organization’s very existence was dependent on a separation of its mission to stabilize oil prices from other geopolitical factors. Saudi Arabia and the UAE voted in favor of a U.N. General Assembly resolution earlier this month urging Russia to abandon the invasion and withdraw all troops. Prince Abdulaziz said there were other forums through which the Kingdom could voice its opinion on Russia’s actions, which is in line with the global response.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/29/saudi-energy-minister-says-opec-will-leave-politics-out-of-oil-decisions.html
     
         
      Joint Statement between the European Commission and the United States on European Energy Security Fri, 25th Mar 2022 9:12:00
     
      The United States and the European Commission are committed to reducing Europe's dependency on Russian energy. We reaffirm our joint commitment to Europe's energy security and sustainability and to accelerating the global transition to clean energy. In condemning in the strongest terms Russia's further invasion of Ukraine, we express our solidarity and support for Ukraine. We share the objective of addressing the energy security emergency – to ensure energy supply for the EU and Ukraine. We welcome the continued progress toward the physical integration of Ukraine with the EU energy markets. The energy security and sustainability of the EU and Ukraine are essential for peace, freedom and democracy in Europe. Through the Joint European action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy (REPowerEU), the EU confirmed its objective to reach independence from Russian fossil fuels well before the end of the decade, replacing them with stable, affordable, reliable, and clean energy supplies for EU citizens and businesses.
       
      Full Article: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_22_2041
     
         
      Could a behavioural change campaign save energy and cut Russian gas imports? Wed, 23rd Mar 2022 9:00:00
     
      A call for collective action could help UK pivot away from dependence on Russian fossil fuels There is a second world war poster showing a red-faced couple looking angrily at their daughter as she adds more fuel to their fire. The caption reads: “Save fuel to make munitions for battle.” It was one of a series of public campaigning posters aimed at driving a collective response to the need to save energy for the war effort. The message was clear: stop using so much fuel, because it is needed for the fighting troops.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/23/could-a-behavioural-change-campaign-save-energy-and-cut-russian-gas-imports
     
         
      Nations Should Conserve Fuel as Global Energy Crisis Looms, Agency Warns Fri, 18th Mar 2022 9:20:00
     
      The International Energy Agency said countries should encourage use of mass transit and car pooling, among other things. That could also help the climate crisis. The war in Ukraine is setting into motion the first global energy crisis of its kind, and nations around the world should respond by reducing their use of oil and gas, the leader of a key international organization warned on Friday. The International Energy Agency, which was formed in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis to ensure a stable worldwide energy market, said that the repercussions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were likely to intensify over the next several months as summer driving season got underway with inventories at historic lows.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/climate/global-energy-crisis-conserve.html
     
         
      Climate change: EU unveils plan to end reliance on Russian gas Tue, 8th Mar 2022 7:49:00
     
      As countries scramble to reduce their reliance on Russia's oil and gas in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, few places are as exposed as the European Union. The EU gets roughly 40% of its gas from Russia: According to figures from research group Transport & Environment, this dependence costs around $118m a day. But moving with a speed few thought possible, the EU has now laid out a strategy that could cut reliance on this fuel source by two thirds within a year. The REPowerEU plan aims to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels by 2030, but the initial efforts focus solely on gas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60664799
     
         
      Did you know that… a power strip can considerably reduce your electricity bills Sat, 5th Mar 2022 20:58:00
     
      The energy crisis reached a new low in the UK last week, with the announcement that the price cap will rocket by 54 per cent. This circa £700 (€840) rise comes as fossil fuel companies post huge gains; Shell and now BP have reported their highest profits in eight years. Government help is available to most households in the form of council tax rebates and discounts, the chancellor revealed. While people are taking to the streets on Saturday to protest and promote solutions - including a windfall tax on oil and gas profiteers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/02/08/vampire-power-how-our-electrical-devices-are-sucking-energy-at-night
     
         
      It’s Monday, February 28, and an agricultural community in California has an innovative plan to conserve water and generate clean energy Mon, 28th Feb 2022 15:19:00
     
      In a bid to address California’s severe water crisis and its growing demand for renewable energy, a new project in the San Joaquin Valley seeks to install solar panels across the tops of irrigation canals. Known as Project Nexus, the venture is a collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, state regulators, and the Turlock Irrigation District, a community-owned water and electric utility in Central California. By covering the irrigation district’s existing canals with photovoltaic panels, the project aims to simultaneously save water and generate clean electricity. As the solar panels capture the sun’s energy, they will shield the irrigation canals from sunlight, limiting evaporation. “This could be a huge win-win for arid regions,” tweeted Viktoria Wagner, an assistant professor of ecology at the University of Alberta. The project comes amid escalating water concerns throughout the American West. Earlier this month, researchers showed that the region’s 22-year megadrought — which has been exacerbated by climate change — is the worst in 1,200 years. Parched conditions are likely to last until 2030. For California, which just logged its driest January since 1984, conserving every drop of water is a high priority. Project Nexus is still in its pilot phase, with groundbreaking scheduled for test locations starting this fall. But if the pilot proves successful, researchers say the project could be replicated across California and beyond to help Western states reach their water and energy goals. According to a study from the University of California, Merced, covering all 4,000 miles of California’s irrigation canals could save more than 65 billion gallons of water annually — enough to irrigate an area of farmland about the size of Oakland — and increase the state’s current solar capacity by one-sixth. “With more data, we can map out strategies for extending solar canals statewide, and potentially across the West,” Roger Bales, a professor of engineering at the University of California, Merced, and a coauthor of the study, wrote in the Conversation.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/997729694/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Without climate action, extreme weather will trigger global humanitarian needs Fri, 25th Feb 2022 15:36:00
     
      The warning comes after tropical cyclone Emnati made landfall on Wednesday in one of Africa’s most storm-prone countries and just days ahead of the launch of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Four storms in one month Cyclone Emnati is the fourth tropical storm to hit Madagascar in one month. Reports indicate that the storms – Emnati, Dumako, Batsirai and Ana – “have wrecked the island nation, causing widespread damage to agricultural land, including the rice crop that was just weeks away from harvest,” said WFP. Cash crops like cloves, coffee and pepper have also been severely affected. According to the UN food agency, WFP, an estimated 90 per cent of crops could be destroyed in some affected areas – particularly worrisome in a country where the majority of people make a living from agriculture. ‘Bound to deepen hunger’ Crashing into vulnerable communities that are already at breaking point, the cyclone is “bound to deepen hunger”, including in southern Madagascar, which has been reeling from years of severe drought – another manifestation of the country’s vulnerability to climate extremes, according to WFP. Given how dry the land is in these areas, concerns are rising over the risk of flash floods. “What we are seeing in Madagascar is extreme climate impacts, a series of storms and prolonged drought affecting hundreds of thousands of people,” said Brian Lander, WFP’s Deputy Director of Emergencies. Last December, there were already 1.64 million people who were food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance throughout the country. The back-to-back storms have also impacted market supplies with the potential to send food prices soaring and food insecurity spiralling in the coming months. Forecasts predict another tropical system already forming in the south-west Indian ocean. Need to adapt to new reality “While WFP is providing essential food in the aftermath of the storms, we need to be equally fast in thinking about how these communities are going to adapt to this new reality,” Mr. Lander continued. Although food and cash assistance are being delivered to alleviate the impacts of recent storms, as well as IT and logistics support, WFP reiterated the importance of longer-term climate adaptation to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate shocks and stresses. For example, WFP’s integrated risk management in the districts of Ambovombe and Amboasary last year reached 3,500 smallholder farmers with insurance, savings, and climate-adapted agriculture practices training. Managing responses, long-term The UN agency is calling for long-term response programmes to be scaled up, especially for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. The WFP’s Country Strategic Plan in Madagascar aims to promote an integrated, shock-responsive social protection system for ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to nutritious food before, during and after crises. Triggering global hunger Meanwhile, the climate crisis continues to drive global hunger worldwide. In 2020, extreme weather contributed to most of the world’s food crises and was the primary cause of acute food insecurity in 15 countries, WFP concluded. Recent reports pointed to an estimated 13 million people waking up severely hungry every day in the Horn of Africa, as the region grapples with a major drought caused by the driest conditions since 1981.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1112742?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=184a08f8ed-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_25_05_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-184a08f8ed-107499886
     
         
      It’s Thursday, February 24, and a prestigious art gallery is breaking up with BP Thu, 24th Feb 2022 15:38:00
     
      London’s National Portrait Gallery, or NPG, announced on Tuesday that it will end a longstanding and controversial partnership with an oil giant. NPG’s sponsorship deal with BP will end in December, the museum said in a press release, drawing the curtain on more than 30 years of partnership with the fossil fuel company. “The Gallery is hugely grateful to BP for its long-term support of the BP Portrait Award,” the NPG said in a press release noting that it will not renew its contract at the end of the year. The annual Portrait Award has long been the target of criticism from artists and advocacy groups who argue that BP’s sponsorship helps bolster the oil company’s flagging reputation. In 2019, nearly 80 leading artists and winners of the prize called on the NPG’s director to cut ties with BP and put the museum on “the right side of history.” That same year, Extinction Rebellion protesters drew international attention by staging a mock oil spill in one of the museum’s main halls. “NPG, drop BP,” the group demanded. Now, advocacy groups’ efforts seem to be paying off. The NPG joins a rash of British museums and cultural institutions that have ended their relationships with oil and gas companies in recent years, including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and National Galleries Scotland. The Scottish National Ballet also announced on Tuesday that it had allowed a sponsorship deal with BP to end. Jess Worth, co-director of the advocacy group Culture Unstained, said the series of announcements represented an “unstoppable rejection” of fossil fuel funding by leading cultural institutions. Culture Unstained says it will now focus on the British Museum, one of the world’s most visited museums, whose partnership with BP is ongoing. Just as BP announces “obscene profits,” Culture Unstained tweeted, the British Museum “is helping it rehabilitate its public image by selling its legitimacy!”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/996052342/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, February 23, and the U.S. reached a greenhouse gas goal set in 2009 Wed, 23rd Feb 2022 15:41:00
     
      The U.S. isn’t on track to meet the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, but some good news came last week: According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the country hit an Obama-era climate goal by a comfortable margin. In 2020, U.S. emissions were 21.5 percent lower than they were in 2005, according to a draft emissions inventory released last week by the EPA. That’s 4.5 percentage points better than the 17 percent reduction the Obama administration promised at the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009. “There is no time to waste,” then-President Barack Obama told summit attendees that year. “We have charted our course, we have made our commitments, and we will do what we say.” But it wasn’t entirely thanks to the U.S. government. A large chunk of the emissions reduction logged by the EPA stemmed from the economic downturn sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, U.S. emissions declined by more than 9 percent as public health–related lockdowns kept cars off the streets and reduced electricity demand. That’s not to say that the federal government had no effect on emissions. Clean energy tax credits embedded in the Obama administration’s 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for example, likely helped facilitate the power sector’s transition away from coal and toward renewables. More stringent energy efficiency standards for household appliances have also helped bring down U.S. emissions, the EPA said. The U.S.’s next major target, announced by President Joe Biden in April, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade. Climate Action Tracker, a research project that analyzes countries’ climate commitments, has called this a step in the right direction but argues that the country’s historical emissions require it to make even deeper emissions cuts. “If all countries were to follow the U.S. approach,” Climate Action Tracker says in its analysis of U.S. climate targets, “warming would reach up to 3 degrees C.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/995351296/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Did you know that...Road transport accounts for 15% of global CO2 emissions Tue, 22nd Feb 2022 18:55:00
     
      CO2 emissions from passenger transport vary significantly depending on the transport mode. Passenger cars are a major polluter, accounting for 60.7% of total CO2 emissions from road transport in Europe. However, modern passenger cars could be among the cleanest modes of transport if shared, rather being driven alone. With an average of 1.7 people per car in Europe, other modes of transport, such as buses, are currently a cleaner alternative.
       
      Full Article: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20190313STO31218/co2-emissions-from-cars-facts-and-figures-infographics
     
         
      ‘Race against time’ as Madagascar braces for 4th tropical cyclone in a month Tue, 22nd Feb 2022 15:44:00
     
      While tropical cyclone Emnati was due to make landfall in the south of the East African State on Tuesday – on Madagascar’s east coast – central and southern areas were also likely to be affected. “We are in a race against time to protect those who dealt with the fury of the first three extreme weather events from the impact of Emnati,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA. “Response teams have been deployed earlier to support the Government-led response.” Lending a hand To help boost the response, UN humanitarians have appealed for $26 million in funding since cyclone Batsirai made landfall earlier this month. The World Food Programme (WFP) acknowledged that the new storm would increase the needs of those already reeling from four weeks of weather chaos and said that it was ready to support those affected. More than 1.6 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 334,000 in the Grand Sud who are facing emergency levels of food insecurity – following recurring drought and the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to boosting staff numbers on the ground, the UN agency is coordinating with the Government to distribute hot meals in affected areas and 148 tonnes of stored food while awaiting additional supplies, when it is safe to make deliveries. Typhoon season Although it is the typhoon season in the Indian Ocean, it is rare to see four storms hitting the same country in the space of four weeks, said Clare Nullis from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). “We had been concerned yesterday that it might strengthen to a strong category three or even four, but fortunately, that didn’t happen; but even so the winds are going to be very high, there have been high winds, destructive gusts of between 150 to 200 kilometres per hour, and it’s a big storm, so these winds are going to cover a large radius.” Dangerous flooding expected Heavy rains are also expected along the path of the storm – up to 250 millimetres in the space of 24 hours on the flat and from 400 to 500mm at higher altitudes. Noting that the rains will cause “bad flooding and landslides”, Ms. Nullis explained, “the land is waterlogged, and it can’t absorb any more water.” There may also be significant flooding in coastal areas, said the WMO official, citing the combination of a “cyclonic swell” associated with waves close to 10 metres high offshore and a sea level rise of about one metre. Weather events wreak Havoc In late January, Madagascar was hit by Tropical Storm Ana and on 5 February, tropical cyclone Batsirai slammed into central areas, impacting 270,000 people. More than 21,000 people are still displaced and a further 5,000 people were affected by tropical storm Dumako, which struck on 15 February, according to the UN humanitarian coordination body, OCHA. Around 21,000 people are still displaced and 20,500 homes have been destroyed, flooded or damaged by Batsirai. “Some $26 million will be required to support the battery response over the coming three months, but requirements are likely to rise further based on the impact of this new and dangerous emergency cyclone,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1112462
     
         
      Women building a sustainable future: fighting back the desert, amid Niger’s refugee and climate crises Mon, 21st Feb 2022 15:40:00
     
      In the dusty plains outside Ouallam, a town some 100 kilometres north of Niger’s capital Niamey, verdant rows of vegetables sprout from the soil in neat plots. Adding further contrast to the parched surroundings, women in bright shawls walk among the rows, checking irrigation pipes and adding a splash of water to any thirsty-looking specimens. ‘We are very happy to work together’ The 450 or so women who work this land are drawn from three distinct communities: some are locals, others were displaced by conflict and insecurity elsewhere in Niger, and the rest are refugees from neighbouring Mali. “We did this all together with the different communities: the refugees, the displaced, and the local community of Ouallam. We are very happy to work together,” says 35-year-old Rabi Saley, who settled in the area after fleeing armed attacks in her hometown Menaka, 100 kilometres further north across the border in Mali. The produce she grows – including potatoes, onions, cabbages, bell peppers and watermelons – helps to feed her seven children and provide an income by selling the surplus at a local market. Since its creation, the market garden project has also helped smooth the arrival of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people to the town. “When we learned that they were going to settle here, we were afraid and unhappy,” recalls Katima Adamou, a 48-year-old woman from Ouallam who has her own plot nearby. “We thought that they were going to make our life impossible, but instead it’s been the opposite.” Adapting to the changing climate Political unrest and frequent attacks by armed groups in Mali and Nigeria have pushed 250,000 refugees, most from Mali and Nigeria, to seek safety in Niger, whilst violence within the country’s own borders has forced a further 264,000 internally displaced people from their homes. Meanwhile, climate change is pushing up temperatures in the Sahel at 1.5 times the global average, and the 4.4 million people forcibly displaced across the region are among the most exposed to the devastating impacts of drought, flooding and dwindling resources. In Ouallam’s market garden – an initiative launched in April 2020 by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency – the women have learned to nourish their plants using drip irrigation to minimize evaporation and preserve scarce water resources. An added benefit of the project is its role in helping Nigeriens adapt to the changing climate. By cultivating a large swathe of formerly degraded land near the town and planting trees, they are helping to stave off the desertification that threatens large parts of the country. Building blocks of sustainable development In another part of Ouallam, a further boost to community integration and environmental protection comes from a less likely source. The town brickyard employs 200 men and women – refugees, internally displaced and locals – in the manufacture of stabilized soil bricks. Made by combining soil with small amounts of sand, cement and water before compacting and drying in the sun, the interlocking bricks reduce the need for cement mortar during construction. Crucially, they also eliminate the need to burn large amounts of scarce wood or other fuel used in the firing of traditional clay bricks. “After, these bricks are used to build houses for the people supported by UNHCR – the refugees, the internally displaced, as well as a part of the vulnerable host community,” explained Elvis Benge, a UNHCR shelter officer in Niger. “Ultimately, the refugees and the populations who host them are the engines of change and can support themselves and ensure the resilience of their communities,” Benge added. Back in the market garden, having worked with her new neighbours to meet the challenge of daily survival as well as era-defining crises beyond their control, Ms. Saley stands surrounded by the fruits of her labour and reflects on a job well done. “We have become one community – I even got married here!” she says. “The woman blossoms, just like the plants!” This story is part of multimedia UN News series featuring women leading initiatives for a more sustainable, equitable future, published ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day on 08 March.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1112132
     
         
      Texas led the country in new renewable energy projects last year Fri, 18th Feb 2022 22:05:00
     
      Texas led the country in building new renewable energy projects last year, according to a report released this week by the American Clean Power Association, continuing a promising trend in a state that’s largely dependent on planet-warming fossil fuels. Texas installed 7,352 megawatts of new wind, solar and energy installation projects in 2021, significantly outpacing California, which installed 2,697 megawatts of storage projects. Oklahoma, Florida and New Mexico were the other top producing states. Texas also surpassed other states in the amount of storage it has under construction or in advanced development, reaching nearly 20,000 megawatts, followed by California at nearly 14,000 megawatts. Texas is experiencing a rise in renewable energy deployment not necessarily due to concerns over human-caused climate change, but rather because of the low costs of renewable energy sources like solar and wind development.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/18/texas-led-the-country-in-new-renewable-energy-projects-last-year.html
     
         
      Prof Chris Whitty: Air pollution is 'everybody's problem' Fri, 18th Feb 2022 15:33:00
     
      Air pollution is "everybody's problem and a problem at all times", Prof Chris Whitty has said. Speaking at Clean Air Summit on Thursday, England's chief medical officer said air pollution increased the risks of strokes, heart attacks, cancers and other diseases. The summit had been convened by the Mayor of London. Prof Whitty told the summit the UK has "concentrated too little on air pollution for quite a while now". "What we need to do is get the information from people who can say where and when air pollution is going to be most high risk," he said. He called air pollution "a solvable problem". "Many of the things that drive pollution where people live and work and study are entirely amenable to us engineering out of the problem, for example on transport," he said. "Regulating out the problem" has been "very successfully over many decades," he added, pointing to the Clean Air Act in 1956 cutting pollution. Campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death, also spoke at the summit. An estimated 40,000 people a year die prematurely due to pollution, according to the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health. City Hall has committed to publishing updated air quality guides for local officials. Sadiq Khan has called on health workers to play a greater role in informing patients of the risk of air pollution and how to protect themselves. Ahead of the summit, Mr Khan said: "We simply don't have time to waste. "Deadly air pollution is permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners and affecting older people who are more vulnerable to the impacts of poor air quality. "This is also about social justice. We know pollution hits the poorest Londoners, who are least likely to own a car, the hardest".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-60423340
     
         
      It’s Friday, February 18, and Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant will close early Fri, 18th Feb 2022 15:30:00
     
      Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison may think his country’s coal industry will be operating for “decades to come,” but recent trends Down Under suggest otherwise. The Australian power company Origin Energy announced on Thursday that it will close the country’s largest coal-fired power plant in 2025, seven years ahead of schedule. “[R]apidly changing conditions in the national electricity market” were jeopardizing the company’s coal assets, Origin explained on its website. Frank Calabria, the company’s CEO, said in a statement that “the economics of coal-fired power stations are being put under increasing, unsustainable pressure by cleaner and lower-cost generation” from technologies like solar and wind. Indeed, data shows that renewables are ascendant in Australia. In 2020, nearly one-fourth of Australia’s electricity came from solar, wind, and hydro. Government projections suggest this share could rise to 69 percent by 2030. Origin’s move to close its 2,880-megawatt coal plant, which provides about 25 percent of the power used in the state of New South Wales, is the latest in a series of recently announced coal retirements in Australia. Last week, the energy giant AGL unveiled accelerated plans to close two of its biggest coal plants by 2033 and 2045, respectively. And many more closures could be on the way: According to an emissions forecast from the Morrison government’s department of industry, science, energy, and resources, up to 44 percent of the nation’s existing coal fleet could be decommissioned by the end of the decade. Despite this progress, environmental advocates have criticized Australia’s piecemeal approach to phasing out the nation’s coal-fired power. In the absence of federal leadership, individual companies and states have been forced to design their own energy transition policies. “We urgently need a national climate and energy plan to manage this accelerating shift from coal,” Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens party, said in a statement. “The climate crisis and falling costs are driving a renewables revolution and it’s not going to stop.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/992555230/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Covid shutdown linked to record rainfall in China Fri, 18th Feb 2022 15:22:00
     
      Scientists say that a rapid drop in emissions because of Covid played a key role in record rainfall in China in 2020. The decline in greenhouse gases and small particles called aerosols caused atmospheric changes that intensified the downpours. Hundreds of people died and millions more were evacuated during a summer of record rainfall. But long-term cuts in emissions are unlikely to trigger similar events. Many parts of eastern China experienced severe flooding in June and July in 2020. The researchers say the reductions in emissions contributed about one third of the extreme summer rain. The Yangtze river saw the heaviest rainfall since 1961, with a 79% increase in June and July compared to the average for the period over the previous 41 years. A number of scientific studies have looked at what caused the flooding events, some pointing to the extreme conditions in the Indian Ocean. Now an international team has put forward a new theory. They argue that the abrupt reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, caused by shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, was a key cause of the intense downpours. In their study the authors show that over the past four decades summer rainfall over eastern and central China has decreased significantly due to the increase in the number of aerosols in the atmosphere. These particles, often associated with the burning of coal, can reduce the occurrence of large-scale storms which resulted in lower rainfall. This new study says that the absence of these particles, and lower greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 caused the opposite effect - a major increase in rain. However, the chain of events that connects the pandemic shutdown to the floods is quite complex. "There was heating over land due to aerosol reductions but also cooling over the ocean due to a decrease in greenhouse gases, which intensified the land/sea temperature difference in the summer," explained lead author Prof Yang Yang from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, in China. "This in turn, increased sea level pressure over the South China/Philippines sea and intensified the winds bringing moist air to eastern China which then saw intense precipitation." Most governments around the world are looking to reduce emissions of warming gases and aerosols through shifting their energy systems away from fossil fuels. Is there a danger that in making this shift they could provoke extreme events like the ones experienced in China in 2020? "It's a good question," said Prof Yang. "Because emissions were reduced dramatically in early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, it caused an immediate and abrupt change in various components of the climate system." "Such sudden change of the climate system would be very different from changes in response to continuous but gradual policy-driven emissions reductions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60423329
     
         
      It’s Thursday, February 17, and the Biden administration is building a domestic supply chain for advanced batteries Thu, 17th Feb 2022 15:36:00
     
      The U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE, has announced a major new effort to support the domestic production of advanced batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. Nearly $3 billion will be invested in two advanced battery programs, the agency said last week, as part of an effort to prepare the United States for a boom in lithium-ion battery demand. These batteries are critical to the U.S.’s transition away from fossil fuels, as more cars and trucks go electric and more power is generated by intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind. Today, lithium-ion batteries are mostly being produced abroad. In 2020, China churned out more than three-fourths of the world’s entire supply of these batteries. According to the DOE, investments in domestic battery production will increase the U.S.’s economic competitiveness, create jobs, and safeguard national security. “As electric cars and trucks continue to grow in popularity within the United States and around the world, we must seize the chance to make advanced batteries — the heart of this growing industry — right here at home,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. Most of the agency’s funding — about $2.8 billion of it — will go toward new, retrofitted, and expanded facilities to produce and recycle battery materials. A much smaller chunk — some $60 million — will support research into battery recycling and ways to give spent electric vehicle batteries a second life, like by adding them to the grid to store excess renewable energy. The funding for the DOE battery programs comes from the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that legislators passed last fall. Seth Mullendore, president of the nonprofit Clean Energy Group, applauded the DOE’s support for batteries, although he’s eager to see how the agency’s funding will be used. “DOE’s support of battery storage technologies is a critical step in accelerating this essential market,” he told me. “How impactful this particular piece of funding is will depend on the implementation details.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/991991170/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Megadrought in Southwest US worst in a millennium Wed, 16th Feb 2022 15:48:00
     
      The American West is experiencing its worst drought since 800AD - around the time Charlemagne ruled - according to a newly released study. The ongoing drought has seen lakes, reservoirs and rivers in California fall to record lows, exacerbating wildfires, according to scientists. The current drought is the worst 22-year dry period in the last 1,200 years - dating back to Vikings and Mayans. The last multi-decade drought occurred in the 1500s, but was not so severe. The new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change relied on data from the rings in trees and wood beams preserved at Native American archaeological sites. Images of shrunken lakes, landscape affected by wildfire followed with snow and communities without water lay bare the effects of the historic drought. The western half of the United States has been experiencing drought for much of the past two decades, according to data from the US Drought Monitor. Last year, water monitors declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, one of the biggest life sources for the US west, triggering cuts to some 40m Americans. "We have a society that's relying on there being the amount of water there was in the 1900s," the study's lead author, UCLA Professor Park Williams, told National Public Radio. "But now with the number of water molecules available to us declining, it really is time for us to get real about how much water there is for us to use." Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60396229
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, February 16, and scientists are getting closer to harnessing a powerful renewable energy source Wed, 16th Feb 2022 15:46:00
     
      Researchers in the U.K. reached a major milestone this month in the quest to turn nuclear fusion into a viable source of renewable energy. In a fusion experiment at the Joint European Torus facility in Oxfordshire, England, researchers generated 59 megajoules of heat over five seconds — blasting the previous record of 21.7 megajoules, set in 1997, out of the water. “These landmark results have taken us a huge step closer to conquering one of the biggest scientific and engineering challenges of them all,” said Ian Chapman, chief executive of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority, a government research organization, in a statement. Nuclear fusion smashes atoms together under scorching temperatures to force them to combine into new atoms. It’s the same process that keeps the sun burning and releases enormous amounts of energy — up to 10 million times more per kilogram of raw material than fossil fuels — without releasing greenhouse gas. Fusion differs from nuclear fission, the process used in nuclear power plants, which releases energy by breaking atoms apart and produces radioactive byproducts. Despite the recent promising results, researchers still have obstacles to overcome. Tritium, one of the hydrogen isotopes used to power nuclear fusion, is exceedingly rare in nature and energy intensive to make in the lab. And there’s a long way to go from turning a five-second burst of energy into the stable, ongoing fusion reactions of scientists’ dreams. Still, experts have said that the Joint European Torus’ recent demonstration bodes well for the success of a huge fusion reactor called ITER being built in the south of France. “It’s clear we must make significant changes to address the effects of climate change,” Chapman said, “and fusion offers so much potential.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/991045838/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Megadrought in Southwest US worst in a millennium Wed, 16th Feb 2022 15:26:00
     
      The American West is experiencing its worst drought since 800AD - around the time Charlemagne ruled - according to a newly released study. The ongoing drought has seen lakes, reservoirs and rivers in California fall to record lows, exacerbating wildfires, according to scientists. The current drought is the worst 22-year dry period in the last 1,200 years - dating back to Vikings and Mayans. The last multi-decade drought occurred in the 1500s, but was not so severe. The new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change relied on data from the rings in trees and wood beams preserved at Native American archaeological sites. Images of shrunken lakes, landscape affected by wildfire followed with snow and communities without water lay bare the effects of the historic drought. The western half of the United States has been experiencing drought for much of the past two decades, according to data from the US Drought Monitor. Last year, water monitors declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, one of the biggest life sources for the US west, triggering cuts to some 40m Americans. "We have a society that's relying on there being the amount of water there was in the 1900s," the study's lead author, UCLA Professor Park Williams, told National Public Radio. "But now with the number of water molecules available to us declining, it really is time for us to get real about how much water there is for us to use." Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60396229
     
         
      Climate change: Flooding is 'the new reality' in Wales Tue, 15th Feb 2022 15:54:00
     
      Record-breaking flooding is becoming "the new reality" for communities, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Two years after storms wreaked havoc across Wales, the environmental watchdog warned urgent action was needed to prepare for climate change. "The need to act now to prepare for climate impacts is more pressing than ever," it said. Storms Chiara, Dennis and Jorge led to record rainfall in February 2020. Eleri Griffiths, Plaid Cymru councillor for the Rhondda ward in Rhondda Cynon Taf where 44 houses were flooded, said people had been traumatised by the impact of the storms, just before the pandemic hit Wales. "Large parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf were completely unrecognisable... and of course the clean-up operation took months, into the period where we entered the Covid lockdowns," she said. "So it was certainly a time of extreme trauma for many people." Ms Griffiths told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast people in her own ward who had been flooded were still "none the wiser" about any measures taken to make sure it would not happen again. "Trehafod people are still waiting for answers. I spoke to one resident in Trehafod yesterday who was flooded and he described to me how him and his wife worry and have anxiety every time it's raining. "The children are worried. They have conversations about whether should they move half of the furniture upstairs whenever there's any sort of flood alert. "And he said 'Well we still haven't had answers, have we? What's changed? Nothing's changed'." She added that public bodies needed to "react a lot smarter and a lot quicker to the climate changing". "We know that there's risks of this happening again, as Natural Resources Wales reported," she said. 'A deeply personal tragedy' Storms Chiara, Dennis and Jorge resulted in record rainfall and river levels across Wales, and some of the most significant and devastating flooding seen since the 1970s with 3,130 properties affected across the country. NRW said these and subsequent storms experienced in Wales since, serve as "a stark warning that record-breaking flooding is becoming a harsh new reality for Welsh communities in the future". It warned that "the need to act now to prepare for climate impacts is more pressing than ever". The news from NRW came as Wales was braced for Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, with winds of 70mph (113km/hr) expected to cause "significant disruption". Chief executive Clare Pillman said: "Flooding is a deeply personal tragedy, and our thoughts continue to be with those still recovering and rebuilding. "But as more and more communities affected by flooding each year count the cost of lost belongings, ruined homes and businesses, and as people live with lingering fears of future storms, we know that so much more needs to be done to prepare ourselves to face our future reality." She added that COP26 and the 'code red' signals from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report gave" renewed impetus for governments to tackling this pressing issue". "The central focus given to climate change in the Welsh government's programme for government, and the emphasis placed on mitigating future flood risk in the Co-operation Agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru are all welcome strides forward. "But while progress has certainly been made, the climate problem has also accelerated. Which is why our thinking and our actions to help mitigate and adapt to its impacts needs to go further and faster if we're to secure the improved flood-risk outcomes we need for the people of Wales." NRW said it has continued to invest in flood defences and response teams, inspecting and repairing where needed, and carrying out maintenance work to increase resilience to future floods. "Climate scientists have underlined that record floods are not anomalous, they are the beginning of a new normal, and the new records will continue to be exceeded, year after year," Ms Pillman added. "That is why it's crucial that people trust in the data and the knowledge we share, to understand their flood risk and understand the actions they can take to lessen the impacts should the waters start to rise. "While we welcome the additional funding NRW has received to increase our own capacity to prepare for and respond to these eventualities, we accept that we will never win the war against the forces of nature alone. "But by working together, we have greater potential to mitigate against the impacts. Difficult decisions will need to be made, and it will take time, significant effort and a cultural and a behavioural shift to make the difference required."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-60386125
     
         
      University of Exeter project gets £10m for biodiversity research Tue, 15th Feb 2022 15:51:00
     
      A project to investigate and tackle biodiversity loss has received £10m. Researchers at the University of Exeter and the National Trust will be working together to address the environment and climate crisis. The ReNew project will work with landowners, businesses and communities to restore woodlands, wetlands and farmland across the UK. Project lead, Prof Kevin Gaston, said the investment "will give nature in the UK a critical boost". He said the UK was "one of the world's most nature-depleted countries" and it was "a crucial time to act". "We will bring together wide-ranging research and partnership expertise with environmental and community intelligence to create the sustainable solutions required," said Prof Gaston, the founding director of the Environment and Sustainability Institute in Cornwall. "The UK government has committed to reversing UK biodiversity decline by 2030 through a legally binding target on species abundance and the ReNew project will play a major part in reaching that goal." The project will focus on: - How community support for biodiversity renewal can be harnessed - How people who are disengaged, disadvantaged, or disconnected from nature can benefit from inclusion in solutions development - How renewal activities can be designed and delivered by diverse sets of land managers and interest groups - How biodiversity renewal can most effectively be embedded into finance and business activities The funding has been provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Project co-lead, Prof Rosie Hails, said it was a "tremendous opportunity to trial solutions to renew biodiversity". "The next five to 10 years are critical for making the step change needed to tackle the nature crisis and to alter the current trajectory of biodiversity loss," said the director of science and nature at the National Trust. Executive chair of the NERC, Prof Sir Duncan Wingham said the £10m investment would enable sciences from a variety of disciplines to come together to "address major environmental challenges facing the UK and support the transition to a net zero and nature positive future".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-60388915
     
         
      Somalia: Elections must be finalized amid worsening drought, Security Council hears Tue, 15th Feb 2022 15:46:00
     
      James Swan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), briefed ambassadors on recent political developments – including the conclusion of Upper House of Parliament elections, and the ongoing House of the People election – as well as increasing attacks by the Al-Shabaab militant group and a deepening humanitarian crisis triggered by one of the region’s worst droughts in decades. Critical election The Special Representative said that, since his last briefing in November 2021, election plans – first agreed earlier that year – have progressed considerably. “While this is a welcome development, this pace needs to be further accelerated,” he said, noting that only 130 of 275 seats of the House of the People have been filled to date. Pointing out that 23 of those seats have so far gone to women, about 22 per cent of the total, he said that number fell well short of the 30 per cent agreed women’s quota for the country’s political leaders, and urged all actors to redouble their efforts to meet that target. While political tensions among some Somali leaders continue to flare up sporadically – largely the result of “posturing and brinkmanship” – he reported that they have so far been quickly contained. “Yet, a real risk remains that a miscalculation could lead these tensions to spill over into conflict,” he warned. Militant attacks In the security arena, the Al-Shabaab militant group continues to pose a major security threat to Somalia, with Banadir region and South West states, serving as its centre of operations. Recent months have also seen an increase in the use of improvised explosive devices and rising numbers of attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, with civilian casualties. Noting that the future configuration of the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, is currently under review, Mr. Swan said the UN is engaged in discussions with the Federal Government of Somalia, the African Union and key donors, on various technical aspects of its future mandate and configuration. Progress has also been registered in implementing the Somali Transition Plan, which is key both for the Mission’s reconfiguration and for determining how quickly it will transfer responsibilities to the Somali security forces. ‘Extremely dire’ humanitarian outlook Meanwhile, Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa region is facing one of the most severe droughts in decades. Mr. Swan warned the Council that some 7.7 million Somalis require humanitarian assistance this year, with 4.3 million impacted by drought and more than 270,000 displaced. According to the recently released Somalia Food Security and Nutrition Assessment, published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 1.4 million children in Somalia – nearly half of the country’s under-five population – are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition due to the ongoing drought. A critical shortage of water has forced families to migrate to urban and peri-urban centres, adding to the 2.9 million people who were already displaced by conflict and climate change. Since November 2021, water prices in some of the worst-affected areas have risen by as much as 72 per cent. Warning the Council that the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia currently stands at only 2 per cent funded, the Special Representative reiterated his call on donors to increase their support.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1112022
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, February 15, and a major power company is retiring its coal plants Tue, 15th Feb 2022 15:44:00
     
      The United States’ second-largest power company has released a revised plan to transition away from the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel. Duke Energy will eliminate 95 percent of its coal-fired energy production by the end of the decade and shut down all of its coal plants by 2035 — 13 years ahead of its previous timeline. In an announcement last week, Duke also said it was expanding its decarbonization goals to account for emissions associated with the electricity it purchases, as well as some of the products it sells. “The energy sector must transform for the future in a way that also benefits society today,” the company’s chief sustainability officer, Katherine Neebe, said in a statement. Duke’s announcement is part of a big shift for the energy company, which still generates more than one-fifth of its electricity using coal. By 2030, it aims to more than double its power generation from solar and wind, and in the next decade it expects to spend more than $100 billion on clean energy projects. The company’s long-term goal is to zero out its carbon emissions by mid-century. However, advocates say there is still work to be done. Because Duke Energy’s new plan only deals with its use of coal, not other fossil fuels like natural gas, the company is still misaligned with the Biden administration’s target of decarbonizing the power sector by the middle of next decade. “A goal to be coal-free by 2035 is not the same as a goal to be carbon-free by 2035,” Maggie Shober, research director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, told me. Eddy Moore, energy and climate program director for the Coastal Conservation League, agreed, calling for greater transparency from Duke Energy about its immediate efforts to scale up solar and wind. “The environmental community needs to see what Duke has in mind” for the next two or three years, he told me. “What happens in the near term is very important.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/990427818/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Flooding is 'the new reality' in Wales Tue, 15th Feb 2022 15:38:00
     
      Record-breaking flooding is becoming "the new reality" for communities, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Two years after storms wreaked havoc across Wales, the environmental watchdog warned urgent action was needed to prepare for climate change. "The need to act now to prepare for climate impacts is more pressing than ever," it said. Storms Chiara, Dennis and Jorge led to record rainfall in February 2020. Eleri Griffiths, Plaid Cymru councillor for the Rhondda ward in Rhondda Cynon Taf where 44 houses were flooded, said people had been traumatised by the impact of the storms, just before the pandemic hit Wales. "Large parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf were completely unrecognisable... and of course the clean-up operation took months, into the period where we entered the Covid lockdowns," she said. "So it was certainly a time of extreme trauma for many people." Ms Griffiths told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast people in her own ward who had been flooded were still "none the wiser" about any measures taken to make sure it would not happen again. "Trehafod people are still waiting for answers. I spoke to one resident in Trehafod yesterday who was flooded and he described to me how him and his wife worry and have anxiety every time it's raining. "The children are worried. They have conversations about whether should they move half of the furniture upstairs whenever there's any sort of flood alert. "And he said 'Well we still haven't had answers, have we? What's changed? Nothing's changed'." She added that public bodies needed to "react a lot smarter and a lot quicker to the climate changing". "We know that there's risks of this happening again, as Natural Resources Wales reported," she said. 'A deeply personal tragedy' Storms Chiara, Dennis and Jorge resulted in record rainfall and river levels across Wales, and some of the most significant and devastating flooding seen since the 1970s with 3,130 properties affected across the country. NRW said these and subsequent storms experienced in Wales since, serve as "a stark warning that record-breaking flooding is becoming a harsh new reality for Welsh communities in the future". It warned that "the need to act now to prepare for climate impacts is more pressing than ever". The news from NRW came as Wales was braced for Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, with winds of 70mph (113km/hr) expected to cause "significant disruption". Chief executive Clare Pillman said: "Flooding is a deeply personal tragedy, and our thoughts continue to be with those still recovering and rebuilding. "But as more and more communities affected by flooding each year count the cost of lost belongings, ruined homes and businesses, and as people live with lingering fears of future storms, we know that so much more needs to be done to prepare ourselves to face our future reality." She added that COP26 and the 'code red' signals from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report gave" renewed impetus for governments to tackling this pressing issue". "The central focus given to climate change in the Welsh government's programme for government, and the emphasis placed on mitigating future flood risk in the Co-operation Agreement between Labour and Plaid Cymru are all welcome strides forward. "But while progress has certainly been made, the climate problem has also accelerated. Which is why our thinking and our actions to help mitigate and adapt to its impacts needs to go further and faster if we're to secure the improved flood-risk outcomes we need for the people of Wales." NRW said it has continued to invest in flood defences and response teams, inspecting and repairing where needed, and carrying out maintenance work to increase resilience to future floods. "Climate scientists have underlined that record floods are not anomalous, they are the beginning of a new normal, and the new records will continue to be exceeded, year after year," Ms Pillman added. "That is why it's crucial that people trust in the data and the knowledge we share, to understand their flood risk and understand the actions they can take to lessen the impacts should the waters start to rise. "While we welcome the additional funding NRW has received to increase our own capacity to prepare for and respond to these eventualities, we accept that we will never win the war against the forces of nature alone. "But by working together, we have greater potential to mitigate against the impacts. Difficult decisions will need to be made, and it will take time, significant effort and a cultural and a behavioural shift to make the difference required."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-60386125
     
         
      Adapting to climate change ‘happening worldwide’, essential Mon, 14th Feb 2022 15:53:00
     
      The meeting opened to approve the report of the second IPCC Working Group focusing on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change which will be added to the Sixth Assessment Report later this month. The report of the first IPCC Working Group, which focussed on the physical science of climate change, influenced the work of the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, COP26, last year. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Petteri Taalas reminded delegates that during COP26, “there was not a single head of State who questioned the scientific facts”, saying the message had got through and “has been heard”. Disaster impacts The WMO chief noted that some areas of the world such as tropical latitudes and developing countries, especially in Africa, Southern Asia, and the Pacific islands, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Last year WMO published a report on disaster statistics, which demonstrated that for the past 50 years, 4.5 billion people have experienced a major weather-related disaster over the past 20 years. And while there has been a drop in casualties thanks to improved early warning services, dramatic increases in economic losses have occurred. Only a week ago, in Madagascar, deadly Cyclone Batisirai was a Category 4 storm “and had severe impacts on the economy and human well-being”, said Mr. Taalas. “We have to be careful how we communicate these facts. We have to separate impacts from natural variability to impacts from climate change”. Moving target According to earlier thinking, 2°C was an ambitious enough climate change target. However, the UNFCC’s previous special report revealed that the impact of 1.5°C would be “a game changer”. “After that, 1.5°C became the desired outcome of climate mitigation work for the coming years”, said the WMO chief. However, despite that COP26 was the second most successful conference after Paris, he observed that the 1.5°C target is “barely alive”. “The work needs to continue”, he spelled out. Adaptation imperative Citing a growing trend of rising sea levels, glaciers melting and continuing disasters, the top WMO official underscored the importance of adaptation. “Climate change impacts are related to economy, food security, infrastructure, the biosphere and health”, he said. “We have to adapt to climate change. That means droughts, flooding, tropical storms, heatwaves, water shortages, coastal inundation”. Later this year, COP27 will take place in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt, followed next year by COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. “We hope to hear more pledges at those conferences. We are working for such a goal. The next COP will have a more Africa flavour. It is the most vulnerable continent”, he said. Stepping up, stepping in Explaining that “major gaps” in African countries and Caribbean islands are obstacle for climate adaptation, Mr. Taalas said that WMO is focussing attention on Multi-hazard Early Warning services to forecast the impacts of disasters. He drew attention to a new financing mechanism to enhance observation systems, a new water and climate coalition that pays attention to water shortages and an enhanced partnership with the UN?Disaster Risk Reduction office (UNDRR) to form “a centre of excellence on climate change and disasters”. “We are working together with financing institutions like World Bank, European Union, UNDP, Green Climate Fund, to allocate more finance to early warning services”, stated the WMO chief. Laying out 'past and future changes' The Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Anderson, also cited COP26 in pointing out that “the work of the IPCC underpins climate action”. She noted that the first Working Group’s report “kept up the pressure on world leaders” and its relevance was clear in many of the delegates’ statements as well as in the final decision taken at Glasgow. “Now it is the turn of Working Group II to lay out the latest evidence on how past and future changes to Earth’s climate system impact life on our planet”, Ms. Anderson said. “This report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability will integrate more strongly across the natural, social and economic sciences…highlight[ing] the role of social justice and indigenous knowledge”, she added. Delivering across time zones Chairing the meeting, Hoesung Lee informed the participants that this was the final phase of a "strict and meticulous review process" of the report. Over the next two weeks, Governments and scientists collectively will deliver a "sound, tested and robust summary...critically important for policymakers around the world,” he said. “I have no doubt that we will see constructive and collaborative work in the next two weeks as we work across all time zones to deliver this report.”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111952
     
         
      ‘Historic expansion’ of joint UN fund to boost sustainable development Mon, 14th Feb 2022 15:51:00
     
      “The Fund is in a position to bridge the gap in giving and impact investing”, said Hiro Mizuno, UN Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments, adding that it offers “a sustainable investment model by leveraging the power of markets to accelerate businesses, empower communities, and provide a clear path to self-sufficiency.”. From health?in a world still plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic to?youth empowerment and climate change, the investments will respond to the challenges of our time, said the Fund in a press release. Kenya, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Suriname, and Zimbabwe?were selected from proposals submitted by over 100 countries, as being the most impactful and investment-ready to take public. Resident Coordinators in the lead Under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators, implementation of investment programmes will fuel the UN footprint in the five nations – ushering in a new generation of collaborative action by the UN, government, civil society, and private sector investors.?? Through a development impact bond, the investments include a platform that encourages healthy sexual and reproductive habits, and?HIV?prevention in Kenya. Madagascar will use a variety of financial instruments, including a newly established sovereign fund,?to finance?renewable energy projects, and expand access to affordable, sustainable energy.? North Macedonia’s newly created Green Financing Facility will help finance a transition to renewable and efficient energy for underserved households and businesses. Meanwhile, Suriname will implement an innovative guarantee facility to ease access to credit, a business incubator, and a farmer-owned cooperative, to develop a sustainable and resilient value chain for the country’s pineapple industry. And with a focus on empowering women and youth participation, Zimbabwe is set to launch a renewable energy fund to initiate the development of the country’s renewable energy system and infrastructure.? Investments that count This announcement comes less than a year after the Fund?launched its first investment of $41 million?in four transformative programmes in Fiji, Indonesia, Malawi, and Uruguay. Last year, a $17.9 million programme in Papua New Guinea was added, and with the addition of these five new programmes, the Joint SDG Fund’s Catalytic Investment portfolio will grow to $114 million. The portfolio is expected to leverage $5 billion toward the SDGs across the 10 countries involved. Chalking up results Although the Catalytic Investment portfolio has been in place for less than a year, it has already achieved?meaningful results. In Indonesia, it supported a $584 million launch of the first sovereign SDG bond in South-East Asia, and the creation of the Indonesia Impact Fund in partnership with?Mandiri?Capital. And Fiji’s programme has?supported sustainable businesses for its vital marine environment, including concessional financing toward?a marine conservation company and a pipeline to?provide?service to waste management and organic fertilizers.? Sustainable model The Joint SDG Fund is also committed to working with partners and donors to mobilize additional resources to finance successful proposals submitted by Barbados, Ghana, and Rwanda. Established?by the General Assembly, the UN Joint SDG Fund is a multi-partner trust fund?that supports Member States by lower investment risks that accelerate reaching SDGs. In the race to 2030, it aims to disburse one billion dollars in grants annually – with the common thread among all?programmes, to leverage?multi-million-dollar grants awarded by the Joint SDG Fund into billions for sustainable development.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111942
     
         
      Big banks fund new oil and gas despite net zero pledges Mon, 14th Feb 2022 15:49:00
     
      Big banks are pumping billions into new oil and gas production despite net zero pledges, campaigners have said. Banks including HSBC, Barclays and Deutsche Bank are still backing new oil and gas despite being part of a green banking group, ShareAction said. Investors should force banks to demand green plans from fossil fuel firms before funding them, it said. HSBC and Barclays said they were focused on achieving environmental goals. "Net zero" means not adding to greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere by cutting and trying to balance out emissions. If the Earth is to avoid damaging environmental effects, including more extreme weather, it needs to limit average global warming to below 1.5 degrees centigrade. To achieve this, we need to get to net zero by 2050, experts have said. As part of getting to net zero, the International Energy Agency has said there should be no new oil and natural gas fields. But big banks are continuing to fund oil and gas expansion with billions of dollars, ShareAction said, despite being part of a UN-led group called the Net Zero Banking Alliance. HSBC put an estimated $8.7bn (£6.4bn) into new oil and gas in 2021, while Barclays put in $4.5bn, and Deutsche Bank loaned $5.7bn, the campaign group estimated. The fossil fuel giants receiving the funding included Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, and Saudi Aramco. This is a big drop from 2020, when HSBC alone pumped more than $18bn into new oil and gas, and there were big drops in funding across the board between 2020 and 2021, according to figures from consultancy Profundo. ShareAction said this was due to banks focussing on providing pandemic-related loans to keep fossil fuel firms afloat during the pandemic, and that in 2021 funding returned to pre-pandemic levels. 'Lose-lose' Since joining the Net Zero Banking Alliance last year, 24 big banks have provided $33bn for new oil and gas projects, with more than half of that amount ($19bn) coming from four of the founding members - HSBC, Barclays, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, the campaigners said. ShareAction urged big investors to demand that banks restrict finance for oil and gas expansion, saying funding new oil and gas is a lose-lose for banks and investors. Xavier Lerin, ShareAction senior research manager, said: "If oil and gas demand decreases in line with 1.5C scenarios, prices will fall and assets will become stranded. "On the other hand, if demand does not fall enough to limit global warming to 1.5C, the economy will suffer from severe physical climate impacts. "Either way, value will be destroyed for energy companies, banks and their investors." The campaign group added: "Banks say that they want to help their clients to transition away from fossil fuels, but there is little evidence for this claim." "Most banks - HSBC included - are not demanding transition plans from clients, raising doubts about their commitment to this transition," it added. But an HSBC spokesman said the bank was "committed to working with our customers to achieve a transition towards a thriving low carbon economy". The bank published its policy to phase out funding coal for energy production in December, and said its oil and gas net zero financing plans would be published on 22 February in its annual report. Barclays said it "continues to engage with a broad range of stakeholders on climate and sustainability topics". "We continue to focus on our ambition to become a net zero bank by 2050, and our commitment to align our financing with the goals and timelines of the Paris Agreement," a spokeswoman said. Barclays has a target of a 15% reduction in financed emissions from energy, including coal, oil and gas, by 2025. "We also have restrictions around the direct financing of new oil and gas exploration projects in the Arctic or financing for companies primarily engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in this region," the spokeswoman added. A Deutsche Bank spokesman said: "Carbon intensive sectors account for only a small share of our loan book and based on publicly available data our lending and underwriting activity in fossil fuels is significantly smaller than global peers'. "Moreover, our aim is to support all of our customers as we transition to a net zero world." Deutsche Bank said it was "well under way" to hitting green and social targets of €200bn (£170bn) by 2023, including "an intense dialogue with clients to move from high-carbon business models towards low and no-carbon ones". The spokesman added: "We have committed to align the operational and attributable emissions from our portfolio with pathways to net-zero by 2050 or sooner. "This includes measuring and subsequently disclosing the carbon intensity of our loan portfolio and developing and disclosing plans to adjust its footprint in accordance with national and international climate targets by end of this year." BNP Paribas, which was also named in the ShareAction report, said: "As the leading bank in continental Europe, BNP Paribas is a major financier of European energy companies that are largely committed to transitioning their model through strong investments in developing renewable energies." The bank said it is "convinced that these players, due to their technical and financial capacities, have the levers necessary to accelerate transition by developing renewable energy and other transformative solutions". 'Investment needed' Meanwhile, oil giant Exxon Mobil said that the International Energy Agency and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "agree that significant investment in oil and gas is still needed in Paris-aligned scenarios". It said that even in the IEA net zero scenario, "additional investment of approximately $11tn through 2050 would be required in both oil and natural gas development to meet the world's energy demand". BP said it "has a net zero ambition and we have set out a strategy to deliver it". "Resilient hydrocarbons are a core part of our strategy, but we are not aiming to grow our oil and gas production - we expect to see production fall 40% from 2019 to 2030. "We expect to hold investment in oil and gas flat over this decade as output falls, while at the same time expanding our spending in transition growth businesses - including EV charging, convenience, renewables, hydrogen and bioenergy - to around 50% of the total by 2030," BP added. Shell declined to comment, and Saudi Aramco was approached for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60366054
     
         
      UK PM says Ukraine is in a very dangerous situation Mon, 14th Feb 2022 15:44:00
     
      As fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine increase, the UK prime minister said the situation is "on the edge of a precipice" but added that there is still time for Russia to step back. Boris Johnson called for EU to "get Nord Stream out of the bloodstream" and explore alternatives to Russian gas to allow the block to impose sanctions on Russia if they invade. Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine, despite 100,000 soldiers gathering on Ukraine's borders.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-60373890
     
         
      The engineers battling to stop global warming ruining roads Mon, 14th Feb 2022 15:43:00
     
      Australia's floods of 2010-11 spread devastation and damage across Queensland, with 33 people losing their lives and causing billions in losses across the state. The floods also damaged 19,000km of roads, including those needed for emergency and delivery vehicles. It was a stark lesson in the importance of weather-proofing Queensland's most vulnerable roads, to ensure that future flooding would lead to fewer people being cut off. Since then, Queensland has been using a process called foamed bitumen stabilisation. This injects small amounts of air and cold water into hot bitumen, the sticky dark substance typically used for road surfaces. The bitumen then expands and forms a water-resistant layer. The result is a stronger yet flexible road surface or pavement that is better able to withstand flooding. "This was actually tried and tested on Queensland's roads during Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017," says Caroline Evans, chair of the climate change and road network resilience committee for the World Road Association (PIARC). "When the waters receded the pavements were still intact, so they didn't need to be fully rehabilitated afterwards." Foam bitumen stabilisation has also been applied to other roads as part of Queensland's move to makes its roads more flood-resistant, and is proving more cost-effective than traditional asphalt. Queensland faces considerable challenges as it has the longest state-controlled road network of any Australian state or territory with over 33,300km of roads. So far it has built 1,000km of foamed bitumen road surfaces and is "continuing to develop foamed bitumen techniques", according to its transport department. This is one of many technologies that authorities are testing on streets around the world. From landslide-blocked roads in Nepal, washed-out coastal highways in the US, collapsed bridges in Kenya to melting ice roads in Canada - an increasingly volatile global climate is threatening to disrupt essential transport networks. Yet it is also inspiring a great deal of innovation. One of the biggest problems with roads is their vulnerability to high temperatures. Extreme heat can soften pavements, leading to more cracks, buckling and rutting or surface depressions. The exact effects depend on local conditions, says Refiloe Mokoena, a research engineer at South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). "There are so many variables that determine a road failure and the road can actually fail in many different ways." One solution is heat shields. These are special coatings and tiny hollow ceramic particles that lighten the colour of streets and reflect solar radiation. "Some of these heat-shield pavements could reduce the surface temperature by up to 10°C," says Ms Evans. This can also help reduce "heat island" effects, she adds, where cities are much warmer than surrounding regions because airflow can be blocked by buildings and there is often a lack of greenery. Ahead of the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo trialled solar-blocking paint coating developed by construction firm Nippon Corporation, a member of the Cool Pavement Society. It says that by the end of 2020, solar heat blocking paint had been applied to nearly three million square metres of the country's road surfaces. While such coatings might protect the road surface, they could make life more uncomfortable for pedestrians. Research carried out in the US showed that reflective road coatings radiated significant amounts of heat upwards. The cost of doing nothing will be steep. If steps to combat rising temperatures and increased rainfall are not taken, then the bill for repairing and maintaining roads across Africa could reach $183bn by 2100, according to University of Colorado research. Ms Evans believes that while there is widespread international interest in alternative technologies for roads, the difference between countries is in the level of funding available to invest in the technologies. One way to keep costs in check would be "looking at targeted sections of vulnerable roads" rather than immediately seeking to upgrade an entire road network, she says. This might include increased preventative maintenance in certain areas - which would be cheaper than after-the-fact repairs. Expensive, high-tech materials and processes are not always warranted. Roads with little traffic can be constructed out of low-emission materials like soil, and laid by human workers rather than heavily polluting machinery, Ms Mokoena says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60197858
     
         
      Not a moment to lose, in race to meet Sustainable Development Goals: Guterres Thu, 10th Feb 2022 15:59:00
     
      “The well-being of people around the world, the health of our planet, and the survival of future generations depend on our willingness to come together around a commitment to collective problem-solving and action”, said UN chief António Guterres. “We don’t have a moment to lose”. He urged those attending the first of five thematic consultations at UN Headquarters, the first devoted to Accelerating and Scaling up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to “make progress on the substance and the search for consensus, as much as possible this year”. Getting ‘back on track’ With only eight years until 2030, and with COVID-19 driving the world further off track, the UN chief said that the report’s recommendations aim to get the world “back on track” towards achieving the SDGs. “Each proposal will promote progress across other goals, and indeed our broader pursuit of peace and human rights”. It calls for a New Global Deal to share power, wealth and opportunities more broadly at the international level, and allow developing countries to focus their resources on sustainable, inclusive development. “The New Global Deal will rebalance power and financial resources, enabling developing countries to invest in the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs”, he said. Achieving the goals Noting that “there is no one-size-fits-all social contract”, Mr. Guterres reminded that Our Common Agenda proposes an intergovernmental World Social Summit in 2025 to “coordinate action and create momentum on a global scale” towards reaching the goals, while taking stock of efforts to renew the social contract. “The ending of poverty in all its forms everywhere is not just the objective of SDG 1, but the primary objective of the 2030 Agenda itself”, he stated. “Poverty is not only the absence of income”, he said, advocating for a global economy that works for all, including safeguarding public health, reforming the world’s financial system, and protecting the environment. Learning crisis The UN chief highlighted three issues “at the heart of our commitment” to leave no one behind, that require urgent action. First, he described the current learning crisis, as “a disaster first and foremost for the world’s young people…[with] very serious implications for the future of our societies”. Without functioning education systems, he said that the world would not be able to meet the needs of labour markets, advance gender equality and human rights, or strengthen democratic institutions. To address this, a Transforming Education Summit will be held in September to reignite a collective commitment to education and lifelong learning as a pre-eminent public good; mobilize action to recover lost progress; and promote a reimagining of education and innovation. The Deputy Secretary-General will lead Summit preparations and Mr. Guterres will be appointing a Special Adviser in the coming weeks. Gender equality Although women and girls are central to every social contract, the UN chief pointed out that “their specific needs and aspirations are largely ignored, and their work is routinely undervalued”. The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the unpaid care work – mainly done by women – that enables much of society to function, while intensifying a shadow pandemic of increased violence against women and girls. Against this backdrop, he has asked Deputy Secretary-General to review the UN’s capacity on gender “to ensure gender equality is at the core of everything we do”. “I encourage Member States to use these consultations to consider my proposals and how inter-governmental processes can deliver better for half the world’s people”, said the top UN official. Youth, ‘a driving force’ Turning to young people, Mr. Guterres highlighted the power of youth engagement and the importance of their voices across the UN system and beyond, recalling his proposal to establish an Office on Youth. “The creation of a dedicated capacity focusing on young people…would have a meaning that goes far beyond its institutional significance” by making the entire UN system “accountable in delivering for and with young people”, he explained. Not only would it signal a cultural transformation but also send a strong message that young people are “a driving force” within the Organization. UN must ‘step up’: Shahid President Abdulla Shahid reminded the inaugural consultation on the Common Agenda, that his “Presidency of Hope” was “focused on solutions and concrete actions that look to deliver for people, planet, and prosperity.” He said his priorities included a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, “respecting the rights of all, protecting the planet and revitalizing the UN.” “Ours is a world in need of hope. Hope that can only be inspired by unity, solidarity, and collective action”, he said, adding that “this consultative process…is key to delivering on each of those priorities”. “The United Nations must step up; we must become more responsive and more effective for the people we serve”, he stated. Finding ‘common understandings’ Despite differences, Mr. Shahid maintained that “we are but one family”, encouraging everyone to “find a way forward” on the Agenda’s proposals. “Our attempt should be to find the right mechanisms to ensure that we arrive at common understandings”. Like fisherfolk, “let’s fill our boats with fish”, rather than “cut the hook and return to the shore empty handed”, he said. The Assembly President closed by urging Member States to operate “in good faith, with mutual trust and respect, and with the common goal of enhancing our work and bettering the world around us.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111672
     
         
      Teaching key to better ocean protection, says UNESCO chief Thu, 10th Feb 2022 15:56:00
     
      “If we want to protect the ocean better, we must teach it better”, said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General, speaking at the One Ocean Summit, taking place in the French city of Brest. Setting it as a common objective for UNESCO’s 193 Member States, she asked them to include ocean education in school curricula by 2025. To achieve the goal, the United Nations agency is making available to public decision-makers a toolkit with a shared reference framework of educational content on the subject. The step will allow all countries to be in an “equal position to quickly place the ocean at the heart of teaching and increase students’ knowledge in this area, so that they become responsible and committed citizens”, added Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General in charge of education. Tools and good practices The new educational tools provided by UNESCO reflect the conviction that the way society interacts with the ocean, needs to change in order to achieve a more sustainable model. In its reference tool, UNESCO highlights the good practices of Member States already working on ocean education, such as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Kenya, Portugal and Sweden. The results achieved by these countries have been presented by the agency in the form of case studies, as well as the opportunities and challenges met when seeking to include ocean knowledge in a structured way in the curriculum. Traditional skills and knowledge “Ocean education should not only involve the transmission of scientific knowledge and awareness of contemporary issues; it should also promote traditional skills and knowledge, such as those protected by the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which promotes ancestral fishing techniques, for example”, UNESCO reiterated in the press release. The new toolkit leaves it to Member States and regions to adapt the “theory of change” to their specific practices, situations and needs. The agency aims to monitor the implementation of this objective by its 193 Member States, with a first progress report planned for COP27, which will be held in November 2022 in Egypt. UNESCO and the ocean UNESCO is leading the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021 to 2030), which this year will see the organization of several major international summits to promote ocean health. At the same time, UNESCO has launched a campaign to empower concerned citizens to join the Generation Ocean global movement. The idea is to use transformative storytelling, to connect citizens with more knowledge and drive action to restore, protect, and live better with the ocean. Later this year, Portugal will be hosting the UN Ocean Conference, which will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action. Pledge to map the seabed During the One Ocean Summit on Thursday, UNESCO also pledged to have at least 80 per cent of the seabed mapped by 2030, up from the current figure of just 20 per cent. Fully understanding the dept and relief of the fragile seabed worldwide, is essential to better protect the ocean, the agency said. That knowledge is critical to understand the location of ocean faults, the workings of ocean currents and tides, and the transport of sediments. Such data would help protect populations as seismic and tsunami risks are assessed, to identify natural sites that need to be safeguarded and fishing resources for sustainable exploitation, and they also have a major role to play in assessing the future effects of climate change, whether it be temperature increases or sea level rise. A goal with an action plan Ms. Azoulay called for efforts to be stepped up by mobilizing the 150 Member States of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the private sector. According to IOC experts, the total funding requirement for the project stands at $5 billion, and will be one of the legacies of the UN Decade of the Oceans.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111682?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=93032e01af-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_10_07_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-93032e01af-107499886
     
         
      World Pulses Day empowers youth, for sustainable ‘agrifood’ systems Thu, 10th Feb 2022 15:53:00
     
      Focused on the key role young people play in shaping a better future for food, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is holding an online event with testimonies and perspectives from youth representatives. On twitter, the agency’s Director-General, QU Dongyu, said he was calling on youth “to support the transformation of agrifood systems to be more sustainable, to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.” Youth as a bridge According to the agency, pulses create economic, social and environmental opportunities, but for the adoption of pulse-driven agriculture, young people must be at the centre of any strategy. “Youth can act as a bridge between traditional farming techniques and new technologies, helping to make agriculture more sustainable and nutrition-sensitive”, the agency says in a note about the event. They can also bring added value to the promotion of pulses by shedding light on new business opportunities along the value chain. What are pulses? Pulses, also known as legumes, are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the best known and consumed types of pulses, but there are several varieties more from around the world, all which provide great benefits for food security, nutrition, health, slowing climate change, and maintaining biodiversity. Staples dishes and cuisines from across the world feature pulses, from hummus in the Mediterranean (chickpeas), to a traditional full English breakfast (baked beans) to Indian dal (peas or lentils). Pulses do not include crops that are harvested green (like green peas, green beans), that are classified as vegetable crops. Also excluded are those crops used mainly for oil extraction (soybean and groundnuts) and leguminous crops that are used exclusively for sowing purposes (like seeds of clover and alfalfa). Health and economic benefits Pulses are packed with nutrients and have a high protein content, making them an ideal source of protein particularly in regions where meat and dairy are not physically or economically accessible. They are also low in fat and rich in soluble fibre, which can lower cholesterol and help in the control of blood sugar. Because of these qualities, they are recommended by health organizations for the management of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and some heart conditions. Pulses have also been shown to help combat obesity. For farmers, pulses are an important crop because they can both sell them and consume them, which helps farmers maintain household food security and economic stability. Climate Pulses also have nitrogen-fixing properties that improve soil fertility, by increasing and extending the productivity of farmland. By using pulses for intercropping and cover crops, farmers can also promote farm biodiversity and soil biodiversity, while keeping harmful pests and diseases at bay. Furthermore, pulses can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil. Greenhouse gases are released during the manufacturing and application of these fertilizers, and their overuse can be detrimental to the environment.? The General Assembly designated 10 February as World Pulses Day in 2019, building on the success of the?International Year of Pulses (IYP)?in 2016, implemented by FAO.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/02/1111642
     
         
      Did you know that… every piece of food we choose to buy has a different impact on our world and personal health Tue, 8th Feb 2022 16:00:00
     
      Consume local and seasonal products Nowadays, eating local food that is fresh and in season usually tastes a lot better, and helps to preserve its nutrients, so this has a direct impact on our health. However, if your food has had to travel from miles away sometimes by sea or air, it won’t be as fresh and its transportation will have released considerable amounts of carbon emissions, and other pollutants into the air that we breathe. Our goal is to replace all transport systems and associated emissions (and pollutants) so that we can have products from all over the world without harming our planet or ourselves. However, until governments and companies worldwide make this a reality, by changing their transport systems so that #TrueCleanEnergy can power our transportation, industries and electric grid. Then it is up to our our customer choices to have a positive impact on our lives. For this reason, buying fresh and local products means an important reduction on your carbon footprint, reducing the contaminants we are putting into the air we breathe and climate damage we are causing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/20/21144017/local-food-carbon-footprint-climate-environment
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, February 1, and Connecticut is building an electric vehicle charging network Tue, 1st Feb 2022 15:39:00
     
      Emily Pontecorvo here, filling in today and for the next week while Joseph is on vacation. Charging an electric vehicle in southern New England is about to get a lot easier. The two investor-owned utilities in Connecticut, Eversource and United Illuminating Company, have officially kicked off a program designed to spur the installation of more than 60,000 public and private charging stations in the state by 2030. The incentive program, which offers rebates and electric bill credits for homeowners and businesses that install chargers, was approved by Connecticut utility regulators last summer. Electric vehicle chargers can cost the average homeowner anywhere from $1,000 to several thousand dollars to install, depending on the type of charger, the cost of labor, and whether a home needs any electrical wiring upgrades. Homeowners in Connecticut can now apply for a $500 rebate as well as $500 in funding for wiring upgrades to support the new chargers. On top of that, those who agree to allow their utility to slightly lower their charger’s energy use during times of peak electricity demand can earn an additional $100 up front and up to $200 per year in energy bill credits. The program also incentivizes multifamily building owners and businesses to install chargers to the tune of up to $20,000, and the maximum rebate is doubled for chargers installed in underserved communities. The commercial incentives are even higher for fast-charging stations. Connecticut’s program is well-timed: Federal incentives to install chargers expired at the end of last year. The government previously offered 30 percent off EV chargers and installation in the form of tax credits, up to $1,000 for homeowners and $30,000 for businesses. An extension of this program was included in the House of Representatives’ version of the Build Back Better Act, the spending bill that contains most of President Biden’s climate agenda, but the legislation’s fate is up in the air as Senate negotiations remain at a standstill.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/982007308/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Great Barrier Reef: Australia pledges A$1bn but draws renewed climate criticism Fri, 28th Jan 2022 15:30:00
     
      Australia will spend A$1bn (£520m; $700m) over nine years on improving the water quality and other aspects of the ailing Great Barrier Reef, its PM says. Scientists have welcomed the money but warn it does not tackle the reef's overriding threat of climate change. A climate laggard among rich nations, Australia is often criticised for not doing more to prevent coral bleaching caused by warmer seas. PM Scott Morrison argued the new investment would have broad benefits. It will fund projects that reduce erosion and pollutants entering the sea, and other conservation efforts - such as combating illegal fishing and coral-eating starfish. "There are 64,000 jobs that depend on that reef," Mr Morrison said on Friday. "And so its health is about the economic health of that region, as well as the natural health of that region." Mr Morrison is expected to call a general election in May and will hope to retain key seats in Queensland, where the reef is located. He said the new money added to A$2bn in existing commitments. But Friday's announcement also comes days before Australia is due to update Unesco on its plans to preserve its natural wonder. Last year the government successfully lobbied to keep the reef off Unesco's official list of World Heritage sites "in danger", drawing controversy after unprecedented back-to-back coral bleaching events. Renewed criticism followed Friday's announcement. The Australian Conservation Foundation said improving water quality was important "but without climate action the reef is doomed". The Australian Marine Conservation Society said tackling erosion was "a gap that needed to be addressed" but called on the government to "drastically increase their climate ambition". "Currently areas of the Great Barrier Reef are on high alert for a major bleaching event, which is unprecedented during the La Nina weather pattern," it said in a statement. Bleaching occurs when under-stress corals expel the algae living within them that gives them colour and life. They can recover but only if conditions allow it. Australia has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions, but its 2030 commitment - a 26% cut on 2005 levels - has been criticised as weak. It has defended itself by arguing it is on track to meet its commitments - a claim previously disputed by the UN - and that climate change is a global issue. Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-60164331
     
         
      It’s Friday, January 28, and the Los Angeles City Council just voted to phase out oil drilling Fri, 28th Jan 2022 15:27:00
     
      Emily Pontecorvo here, filling in for Joseph while he’s on vacation. Los Angeles, a city best known for the glamour and glitz of Hollywood, is also home to more than 1,000 active or idle oil wells. While you’re unlikely to catch a glimpse of a pumpjack on Selling Sunset, these wells are a fact of life for many Angelenos — especially people of color. An estimated half million residents live within a quarter mile of an oil well, and an analysis conducted by Grist in 2021 found a higher concentration of wells in Black and Latino communities than in majority-white neighborhoods. These wells emit all kinds of toxic substances that are linked to health issues like nosebleeds, respiratory problems, migraines, and rashes. Studies of communities living near urban oil wells in Los Angeles found higher rates of cancer, preterm births, and heart disease. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council made a historic decision to end the city’s long relationship with oil extraction. The council unanimously voted to write an ordinance that will ban new oil and gas wells and explore legal options to phase out existing drilling sites over the next five years. The plan also included a training program to help oil and gas workers find new jobs. The council will have to vote again on the ordinance once it is written to make the ban official. “Years of tireless community organizing, advocacy, research, and public education by frontline environmental justice organizations led to this historic vote,” Richard Parks, president of Redeemer Community Partnership, an L.A.-based community health organization, told my colleague Adam Mahoney on Wednesday. Ashley Hernandez, a youth organizer for the grassroots advocacy group Communities for a Better Environment, grew up just 600 feet from a drilling site in the neighborhood of Wilmington. During a press conference after the vote, Hernandez said, “Our futures will hopefully not be full of emergency room visits, bloody noses, or burdensome health impacts, but a cleaner future where Black and brown families are the ones protected and valued.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/980014102/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      UN report finds nature conservation funding must triple globally this decade Thu, 27th Jan 2022 15:34:00
     
      In its joint report on finance for nature in the G20 countries, the?UN Environment Programme (UNEP),?the World Economic Forum (WEF)??and the?Economics of Land Degradation Initiative,?examined how wealthy nations can better support nature-based solutions (NbS). In addition to promoting sustainable farming and supply chains, or intiatives such as creating green spaces in cities to tackle rising heat, G20 States - a group representing many of the world's most advanced economies - must address interrelated climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crises by increasing their annual investments in nature to $285 billion by 2050, said the State of Finance for Nature in the G20 report. Trillion-dollar gap The publication estimated that G20 spending, including large emerging economies, stood at $120 billion in 2020, which was directed towards?official development assistance (ODA). It notes the spending gap in non-G20 countries, was even larger and more difficult to bridge. The report builds on the 2021 report, ‘State of Finance for Nature – Tripling Investments in Nature-based Solutions by 2030’, which called for closing a $4.1 trillion NbS financing gap between 2020 and 2050. The report findings show that?at just 11 per cent, or $14 billion annually, private sector investments remained small, even though they contributed 60 per cent of?the?total national GDP in most G20 countries.? It also?reveals?that?G20 investments represented 92 per cent of all global NbS investments in 2020.? Boost land restoration Moreover, 87 per cent - $105 billion - of those investments were distributed internally towards domestic programmes.?? The findings confirm the urgency to increase net-zero and nature-positive investments?to close these finance gaps,?as reflected in?the?Global Biodiversity Framework's Target 19 and in?the Glasgow Climate Pact?of the?UN?Climate?Change Conference?(COP26).? The authors also reinforced the need to accelerate land restoration around the globe, as declared by the?UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration?2021-2030. Boost investments To?meet all agreed biodiversity, land?restoration?and climate targets?by?2050, the report underscored the need for annual G20?NbS?investments to increase by at least 140 per cent. This means?an additional $165?billion?per year,?especially?in ODA and private sector spending.? At the global?level, future?investments in?nature must rise four-fold by 2050, equalling an annual investment of over $536?billion. As G20 country carry out?most of the?global economic and financial activity with fiscal leeway, the report maintained that they have the capacity to meet that target.? Paradigm shift required State of Finance for Nature also called for G20 States to increase investment in non-G20 countries, which can often be?more cost-effective and efficient than investing in similar nature-based solutions internally.? A paradigm shift by governments, corporations and finance institutions is urgently required to effectively tackle the interrelated nature, climate, and land degradation crises on which many economies depend. “To scale up private finance, Governments can boost the investment case for nature, for instance by creating stable and predictable markets for ecosystem services like forest carbon or by using public money on below-market rates”, said Ivo Mulder, Head of UNEP’s Climate Finance Unit, adding that, “systemic changes are needed at all levels, including consumers paying the true price of food, taking into account its environmental footprint”. Meeting targets The report concluded that?following the COVID-19 crisis, Governments must truly build back?better.? As many developed countries can borrow cheaply?on international capital?markets, the author’s are calling on policymakers to tie in nature and climate conditions when providing fiscal stimulus to sectors across their economies. This would ensure that international biodiversity, climate and land degradation targets are met.? “Companies and financial institutions should fully disclose climate and nature-related financial risks, and governments need to repurpose agricultural fiscal policies and trade-related tariffs”, said Mr. Mulder.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110732
     
         
      Northern Ireland's peatlands face 'toxic' nitrogen risk Wed, 26th Jan 2022 15:47:00
     
      Researchers have found unexpectedly high levels of nitrogen in vegetation on the remote Cuilcagh mountainside in County Fermanagh. Nitrogen is not a greenhouse gas, but it poses a real threat. Peatlands are considered some of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet, and can reduce greenhouse gases by locking away carbon. However, rainwater is bringing emissions from thousands of miles away and killing critical species. "Nitrogen is directly toxic to our peat-forming species," said Roisin Grimes, a peatlands officer with Ulster Wildlife. "So our sphagnum mosses are what take carbon out of the atmosphere and lock it into layers of peat, and they're actually being killed by these high levels of nitrogen." After air monitoring showed low levels of nitrogen, she began looking at something Fermanagh gets plenty of - rain. "What we have here is our wet deposition monitor, and it's looking at nitrogen that's maybe being emitted from miles away, up to thousands of miles away, it's gone into the atmosphere and then it's come back down on to this site here on Cuilcagh through rainwater." Cuilcagh is one of a number of sites across Northern Ireland where the monitoring work is taking place, and it is not complicated. The upturned bottom half of a plant pot, pierced with wires running down into little pots, collects samples from the air, while a plastic funnel channels rainwater into a bucket. The samples from all sites are collected and sent away for analysis. At Ballynahone Bog near Maghera, there are monitors strung across the slowly dampening ground, to offer the widest possible picture of what is happening with nitrogen emissions. "One in 10 of our species in Northern Ireland are at risk of extinction - these sites are really ark sites if you like, they're reservoirs of our biodiversity," said Keith Finnegan, from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. "They also have the potential to deliver ecosystem services, store water to prevent flooding, capture carbon to prevent global warming. "They're fundamentally important to producing a sustainable society and a sustainable economy." Ballynahone Bog is one of our most protected sites - it's designated to have Special Scientific Interest, as well as being a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a National Nature Reserve (NNR) and a RAMSAR site - a wetland of international importance. It is slowly becoming a functioning bog again, with historic drains blocked to allow water to build up and encourage the carbon-absorbing plants to re-establish themselves. But nitrogen emissions from nearby agriculture, transport, power generation and heating has already damaged lichens on the site. The gas is also contained in ammonia. "97% of ammonia in Northern Ireland comes from agriculture," said Mr Finnegan. "What we want to do is work with the agricultural sector to keep that nitrogen on the farm, where it can do good, where it can grow crops, where it can help feed us. "At the minute, a lot of it is escaping, and we want to help the agricultural sector modernise to capture that nitrogen and keep it where it should be, producing food." That is being done through advances in slurry-spreading equipment and changes in livestock feed to reduce the amount of ammonia excreted. Almost a fifth of Northern Ireland (18%) is covered in peatland. But much of it is already damaged. Over the decades, it has been drained to extract turf for fuel, or make the land suitable for farming, so it no longer absorbs emissions and in many cases emits the carbon it has locked away over millennia. The draft environment strategy proposes the longest, slowest target in the UK and Ireland for conserving or restoring our peatlands. But nitrogen is not just Northern Ireland's problem. "We do have solutions to this nitrogen deposition problem," said Ms Grimes. "But it's a complex issue, and it's going to take work not just in Northern Ireland, but across the globe to try and reduce these nitrogen levels and how much is actually being emitted. "Because we don't really have much power to do anything once it gets on the site."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60117908
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, January 25, and the White House is teaming up with cities and states to make buildings greener Tue, 25th Jan 2022 15:51:00
     
      U.S. buildings are responsible for 35 percent of the country’s total energy-related greenhouse gas emissions — mostly from electricity use and fossil fuels burned for heating. But a new initiative from the White House is expected to help. On Friday, the Biden administration unveiled the Buildings Performance Standards Coalition, a partnership with 33 state and local governments that aims to “accelerate progress towards reducing buildings’ emissions at all levels of government.” By developing policy roadmaps and sharing results with one another, participating cities, counties, and states hope to pass new legislation or enact new regulations that reduce building emissions by Earth Day 2024. According to the White House, the initiative’s participants — including the states of Washington and Colorado, as well as cities like Orlando, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. — account for one-fifth of the U.S.’s total climate pollution from buildings. Biden’s new program builds on what states and cities have already done to make their buildings more sustainable. Rules restricting the use of natural gas in new buildings, for example, have been passed or proposed in dozens of cities, including Eugene, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, and Santa Barbara, California. Just last month, New York City joined the bunch, passing a bill to ban fossil fuel appliances in new buildings. Now, the new coalition’s participants could reduce building emissions even more. According to the initiative’s website, coalition members will be encouraged to incorporate labor and equity considerations into their sustainability plans. Labor union members have backed the coalition — recognizing its potential to create good-paying jobs in energy efficiency and stimulate economic growth — and environmental justice leaders have agreed to provide assistance. Across the U.S., participating policymakers have celebrated the initiative. Ryan Johnson, deputy director of communications for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, tweeted that the mayor’s office was “thrilled to join” the collaboration to “equitably decarbonize buildings, improve health, and meet our climate action plan goals.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/977278922/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: 'Carbon offsetting not get-out-of-jail-free card' Tue, 25th Jan 2022 15:43:00
     
      After the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year there has been a focus on how to reduce carbon footprints. One way is through carbon offsetting schemes that try to balance emissions by finding other ways to reduce carbon in the atmosphere by an equivalent amount. But do they work? 'People need to change their behaviour' The World Land Trust, a environmental charity based in Halesworth, Suffolk, allows individuals and companies to offset their carbon emissions. Richard Cuthbert, its director of conservation, says the money goes to "four of our projects around the world with our international partners and it's supporting the conservation of forests that would be otherwise be at risk and be at threat". "These are projects in areas where there is really high biodiversity; they're also areas that are holding huge amounts of carbon and the areas are at threat from logging, fire from forest degradation," he says. "So we support partners to have rangers on the ground, to work with local government, to work with local groups to protect those forests and, if we weren't doing that, those forest would disappear." Mr Cuthbert believes over the past couple of years "there is growing interest and awareness in biodiversity and the impacts of climate change". "Carbon-offsetting is not a get-out-of-jail-free card; people need to change their behaviour, companies need to change their behaviour and the government does," he says. "It's all about measuring what you are doing - reducing as your first priority and anything you cannot avoid can be offset. "So for that unavoidable emission that a company or individual has got no way of reducing any further, offsetting is a method to help reduce the impact of climate change." 'With climate change we have to try everything' Asher Minns, executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, says carbon offsetting "tends to be used a little bit as an excuse sometimes". "I can carry on this behaviour, I can fly, I can drive, I can use as much energy as I like, but that's not offsetting," he says. "You absolutely have to reduce your emissions, get them as low as you can. The emission you absolutely can't do anything about, that's what you offset." He says offsetting has to get carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere "which really means planting trees or sucking it into peat - the actual technology for sucking out of the atmosphere doesn't exist yet". But he adds: "It's not a waste of time; it has its place, but only after all of those carbon dioxide emissions have been sucked out of the atmosphere or you weren't putting it there in the first place. "With climate change we have to try everything because we don't know all the answers. "If they use [carbon offsetting] in a proper way then it can be good and it can be beneficial." 'Help people take responsibility' Free app Treekly plants a tree in Madagascar if a user completes 5,000 steps for five days in a week. Amelia Ryan, from the Norwich-based company says the trees "are funded by climate-friendly sponsors". She says the trees are planted by indigenous communities and there is also education for the local population "on how best to protect these trees". "Carbon-offsetting is not a get-out-of-jail-free card; it is a lot more complex and carbon offsetting must be accompanied by behaviour change as well," she says. She says the company hopes to expand the app to give users ideas on how to reduce their carbon emissions "helping people take responsibility, and we'll reward them with trees".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-60116972
     
         
      Climate change: 'Fragile win' at COP26 summit under threat Tue, 25th Jan 2022 15:40:00
     
      COP26 President Alok Sharma has warned that progress made during the summit is at risk of "withering on the vine". Mr Sharma said that the agreements reached at the Glasgow climate meeting had been a "fragile win" for the world. But unless the commitments made are turned into action this year, the chances of keeping global temperatures in check will be lost. Quoting from the popular film, Don't Look Up, he said this was no time to "sit tight and assess". The UN's COP26 climate summit in November ended with a deal being struck in a bid to stave off severe climate change. This pact was the first ever UN climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal - the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases. But the pledges didn't go far enough to limit temperature rise to 1.5C, seen by scientists as the threshold for dangerous impacts from global warming. Twelve weeks to the day after the start of COP26 (so named because it was the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties), Alok Sharma delivered his first major speech since the gathering, at a Chatham House event in Central London. Mr Sharma is essentially in charge of the negotiations process until the next major conference, COP27, in Egypt in November. He highlighted the fact that, despite the pandemic, and frayed international relations, countries had worked together at COP26 to deliver the Glasgow Climate Pact. That agreement, he said, was a significant achievement. In Glasgow, countries had agreed to return with new and improved carbon-cutting plans for 2030 by the time of the next major summit in Egypt in November. The hope is that every nation will increase their national efforts in line with limiting global warming below 1.5C. Mr Sharma also underlined the progress made in Glasgow on getting rid of the most polluting fossil fuel. "When my team and I were deliberating on whether we should aim to consign coal power to history, I was warned we would never get the word 'coal' in a COP text," Mr Sharma said. "Yet every country at COP has agreed to phase-down coal power." But the achievements in Glasgow will not survive if global leaders don't take concrete action this year, he explained. "Unless we honour the promises made, to turn the commitments in the Glasgow Climate Pact into action, they will wither on the vine,"Mr Sharma told the audience. "We will have mitigated no risks. We will have seized no opportunities. Instead, we will have fractured the trust built between nations. And 1.5C will slip from our grasp. So my absolute focus for the UK presidency year is delivery." Mr Sharma outlined four key priorities for this year, the first of which involves getting countries to increase their actions on cutting carbon. He would be concentrating on getting the richer G20 group of nations to do more.´ There must also be a renewed focus on helping countries to adapt to climate change, and to make advances on the issue of loss and damage. Money was critical to progress, he reiterated. Come November, leaders of the richer countries must be able to show that the $100bn (£74bn) promised every year from 2020 would finally be delivered. At a number of points in his speech, Mr Sharma referred to the South African deal put together at COP26. Countries, including the UK, are stumping up the cash for South Africa to transition away from coal. Mr Sharma indicated that this approach may well be used again. "Where we can support them, as we're doing with South Africa, in going from coal to a clean energy transition, that's something that developed countries are going to have to do, increasingly."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60115969
     
         
      Major investor will target bosses at firms failing on climate Sun, 23rd Jan 2022 15:37:00
     
      A major UK investment fund has said it will vote to try to get directors kicked out of firms that fail to make good on environmental pledges. Aviva Investors also wants bosses' pay to be linked to sustainability goals. It is the latest big investment firm to ramp up the pressure on corporations in a bid to make them clean up their acts. BlackRock, the world's largest fund, has told the firms it invests in to step up on sustainability or face the consequences. Aviva Investors, which has £262bn of assets under management, set out its expectations in a letter that will be sent to 1,500 firms in 30 countries this week. The fund said it had broadened its definition of sustainability and would now focus on issues such as biodiversity and human rights, alongside existing priorities like climate change and executive pay. "We will hold boards and individual directors accountable where the pace of change does not reflect the urgency required," said the annual letter from Aviva Investors boss Mark Versey. Mr Versey said there had been an "alarming" 68% decrease in animal and plant species between 1970 and 2016. "This is of serious concern as ecosystem services provided by the natural world underpin our economies and societies and will increasingly become an important driver of company valuations," Mr Versey said, adding that more than half of the world's economic output is "reliant on biodiversity". On human rights, Aviva expects companies it backs to scrutinise the impact they have when doing business, and to take action to stop harm. Firms will need to give more detailed explanations of how they intend to meet environmental goals, it added. Mirza Baig, Aviva Investors' head of environmental, social and corporate governance, told the BBC that some companies intentionally set vague targets to avoid being held to account. He said Aviva would increasingly use its vote as a shareholder to try to oust directors at firms that had a "high impact" on the planet but did little to rectify this. The fund may also vote against executive pay deals if a firm is falling short, and as a last resort could withdraw its investment. 'Things could be different' Last year 280 firms changed their practices after pressure from Aviva Investors, Mr Baig said. However, he urged more big investment firms to use their "loud" and "influential" voices to drive change. "If there was enough pressure being put on businesses then the world would look very different," he said. Big investment funds are increasingly leaning on firms to make them change the way they do business. Last week Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock, the world's biggest investment fund, denied that the firm was being "woke" in calling for stronger climate policies from companies. Instead, he said the move made good business sense at a time when the public increasingly expects companies to behave ethically. He insisted his firm was being capitalist in its outlook, adding: "Make no mistake, the fair pursuit of profit is still what animates markets; and long-term profitability is the measure by which markets will ultimately determine your company's success."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60091071
     
         
      It’s Thursday, January 20, and the U.S. government is spending $50 billion to prevent catastrophic wildfires Thu, 20th Jan 2022 15:53:00
     
      The Biden administration has announced a new phase in the war against devastating wildfires. Unlike the firefighting strategies of decades past, which focused on putting out fires as quickly as possible, the president’s new plan is all about minimizing risks. “You’re going to have forest fires,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, whose department oversees the Forest Service, told the Associated Press. “The question is how catastrophic do those first have to be.” The government’s new program will spend $50 billion over the next 10 years to thin forests, topple overgrown trees, and preemptively burn dead vegetation that could serve as fuel for the West’s next major conflagration. According to a 47-page report from the Department of Agriculture, the plan will “treat” up to 50 million acres of land, focusing efforts on particularly vulnerable parts of the wildland-urban interface — the area where communities run up against forests. These measures, the report said, are intended to address the “crisis proportions” of the growing wildfire risk in the West. Indeed, the announcement comes after a series of wildfires scorched Western states in 2021, from Colorado’s devastating Marshall Fire just weeks ago to last summer’s Dixie Fire in California, the second largest in the state’s history. Both of these fires were fueled by climate change-related tinderbox conditions, and scientists predict that the West will continue to see more intense and destructive wildfires as the planet warms. But the past year’s fires were also fueled by decades of forest management policies that sought to stamp out any and all fires, allowing leaves, twigs, and other kindling to build up on forest floors. Vilsack said the Forest Service’s new approach would require a “paradigm shift” that embraces smaller fires while also working to make forests more “fire-adaptive.” “Wildfires in the United States have reached a crisis level,” Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, said in a news briefing. “We can’t keep doing the same thing under worse conditions and expect a better result.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/973884554/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      First NI environment strategy 'should be more ambitious' Wed, 19th Jan 2022 15:49:00
     
      More than 30 organisations and individuals have called for greater ambition in Northern Ireland's first-ever environment strategy. It comes after a Stormont committee was told the target for increasing woodland cover was outdated. A consultation on the draft strategy closed on Tuesday. Agriculture and Environment Minister Edwin Poots said it would "form the basis for a coherent and effective set of interventions". These could deliver real improvements in the quality of the environment, he added. But it has been criticised as having out-of-date targets, or ones that fall short of what is promised in other UK jurisdictions and the Republic of Ireland. 'Simply not good enough' The RSPB in Northern Ireland co-ordinated the open letter sent to the first and deputy first ministers. Its director welcomed the consultation on the strategy, but said she was concerned that it did not "adequately address" the climate emergency. "The majority of commitments outlined in the strategy are not time-bound or binding, with some of the targets falling short of actions currently required by law," Joanne Sherwood said. "This is simply not good enough. "This decade is crucial for action, and the decisions made by the Northern Ireland Executive now will have lasting impacts for generations to come." The letter was signed by organisations including Friends of the Earth NI, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Action Renewables and Ulster Wildlife. It described the strategy as "unambitious" and "lacking specificity", and called on the Northern Ireland Executive to take a series of actions to bolster it, including "dedicated and long-term resourcing" and "robust governance". The environment strategy comes under the umbrella of the Green Growth Strategy, which seeks to balance addressing climate change and improving the environment with developing the economy. When finished, the strategy will be the first time Northern Ireland has had defined targets for the environment in one document. Earlier in January, a Stormont committee heard criticisms of the target for increasing woodland cover. The strategy proposes increasing woodland cover in Northern Ireland to 8.8% by 2030 - a figure, an official said, that came from an archived woodland register "and will be more ambitious in the final version". Northern Ireland is one of the most deforested places in Europe. Two officials told environment committee members the 8.8% figure would be revised. "That is essentially out of date," Simon Webb from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' environment strategy team said. "It's based off an archived figure of the Woodland Register, and we'll be seeking to update that. "So that target will be more ambitious in the final version." That would see a higher target being set, the head of the Forest Planning Branch, Richard Schaible, said. "The revision will be to just over 9%, rather than 8.8%," he added. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) committee member William Irwin expressed concern about the challenge of planting enough trees to meet that target. "It's a very big challenge," Mr Schaible replied. "It will involve land use change. "There are more than 23,000 farm businesses in Northern Ireland. A very small percentage of those have engaged with our forestry grant schemes. "In fact, probably in the order of 90% haven't. "If a significant number of farm businesses came forward with a proposal to plant a very modest area, we would be able to achieve the Forests For Our Future programme and even go beyond that." Northern Ireland is still the only part of the UK not to have any climate change legislation in place, although two bills are on the path to becoming legislation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60045690
     
         
      Climate protesters call for ban on Manx fossil fuel extraction Wed, 19th Jan 2022 15:46:00
     
      A ban on extracting fossil fuels on the Isle of Man is needed to "mitigate some of the worst effects of climate change", protesters have said. Extinction Rebellion Isle of Man held a demonstration outside Tynwald to oppose a four-month extension to local company Crogga's licence to explore for gas. Environment Minister Clare Barber said it allowed for consideration of energy policy before a firm decision is made. Protestor Jordan McCarthy said it was a "betrayal" of climate commitments. About thirty people gathered outside the Tynwald buildings in Douglas to express their concerns about any gas extraction on the island or in its territorial seas. Mr McCarthy, one of the organisers for Extinction Rebellion Isle of Man, said natural gas and fossil fuels "have to remain in the ground" and called for a ban on any future extraction. Calling for action to be taken "right now" to stop any further release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, he said "a lot of the worst effects of climate change are already locked in". Crogga has identified what it claims is a viable gas reserve in a 266 sq km (165 sq mile) area off Maughold Head on the island's east coast. The firm was granted an extension in December to continue work under phase B of its exploration licence, which allows for seismic surveys to take place. Ms Barber said the time would allow for a "broader discussion" on energy production policy, as well as for further talks with the company, before any decision over a "full extension" of the licence was made. This included how the firm would "fulfil their obligations under the Climate Change Act", she added. The Isle of Man government has committed to a target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-60042977
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion blasts Cornwall Council's 'hot air' on climate Wed, 19th Jan 2022 15:33:00
     
      Campaign group Extinction Rebellion has accused Cornwall Council of failing to take enough action since declaring a "climate change emergency" at the start of 2019. Protestors claimed the authority's response had been too "slow-paced" and described it at "three years of hot air". Dozens demonstrated outside the council's headquarters in Truro. The authority insisted it had made achievements in a number of areas. A group of about 50 climate protestors gathered outside county hall while councillors attended a full meeting of the authority. Demonstrator Tim Snell said: "Three years ago almost to the day Cornwall Council declared a climate change emergency, and we haven't nearly seen enough action within that time. "We can't hold on for another three years of slow-paced action that doesn't quite go far enough," he said. "The crisis is so severe, the future we face is absolutely dire," he added. Mr Snell described it as "absolutely scandalous" that Cornwall Council was paying around £500,000 towards the Public Service Obligation (PSO) flight from Newquay to Gatwick, which is currently at 48% capacity. The service has recently restarted after stopping due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Martyn Alvey, portfolio holder for the environment and climate change, said it was "early days" for the service and the council was "convinced that it is important for the economy of Cornwall to have the connection to London by air". Martyn Alvey said the council had made progress in a number of areas to help tackle climate change, including adding solar panels to 600 Cornwall Housing homes. He added: "We've got the investment that we've made in geothermal, the floating offshore wind power investment that we're making - also Cornwall Council's brought online its first smart grid wind turbine," he said. Mr Alvey also said another 150 electric vehicle charging points were due to come online in the authority's car parks, bringing the total number up to 360.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-60040596
     
         
      2021 joins top 7 warmest years on record: WMO Wed, 19th Jan 2022 15:13:00
     
      Although average global temperatures were temporarily cooled by the 2020-2022 La Niña events, 2021 was still one of the seven warmest years on record, according to six leading international datasets consolidated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Global warming and other long-term climate change trends are expected to continue as a result of record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the agency said. The average global temperature in 2021 was about 1.11 (± 0.13) °C above the pre-industrial era levels. The Paris Agreement calls for all countries to strive towards a limit of 1.5°C of global warming through concerted climate action and realistic Nationally Determined Contributions – the individual country plans that need to become a reality to slow down the rate of heating. WMO said that it uses six international datasets “to ensure the most comprehensive, authoritative temperature assessment”, and the same data are used in its authoritative annual State of the Climate reports. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one, said WMO and “this is expected to continue.” The warmest seven years have all been since 2015; the top three being 2016, 2019 and 2020. An exceptionally strong El Niño event occurred in 2016, which contributed to record global average warming. “Back-to-back La Niña events mean that 2021 warming was relatively less pronounced compared to recent years. Even so, 2021 was still warmer than previous years influenced by La Niña”, said WMO Secretary-General, Prof. Petteri Taalas. Undeniable trend “The overall long-term warming as a result of greenhouse gas increases, is now far larger than the year-to-year variability in global average temperatures caused by naturally occurring climate drivers”. “The year 2021 will be remembered for a record-shattering temperature of nearly 50°C in Canada, comparable to the values reported in the hot Saharan Desert of Algeria, exceptional rainfall, and deadly flooding in Asia and Europe as well as drought in parts of Africa and South America”, the WMO chief added. “Climate change impacts and weather-related hazards had life-changing and devastating impacts on communities on every single continent”, Mr. Taalas underscored. Others key indicators of global heating include greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean heat content, ocean pH levels (levels of acidity), global mean sea level, glacial mass and the extent of sea ice. WMO uses datasets – which are based on monthly climatological data from observing sites and ships and buoys in global marine networks - developed and maintained by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS), the United Kingdom’s Met Office Hadley Centre, and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit (HadCRUT); and the Berkeley Earth group. WMO also uses reanalysis datasets from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and its Copernicus Climate Change Service, and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). WMO said that the temperature figures will be incorporated into its final report on the State of the Climate in 2021, which will be issued in April this year. This will reference all key climate indicators and selected climate impacts, and updates a provisional report issued in October 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110022
     
         
      Government says its climate change curbs inadequate Tue, 18th Jan 2022 15:29:00
     
      The government has admitted that its efforts to insulate the UK from climate change impacts have been inadequate. The costs of climate change to Britain are "high and increasing", it says, and could reach many billions of pounds a year. Ministers say they'll have to go much further and faster to curb the worst impacts. It means climate change must be built into all long-term decisions, such as new housing or infrastructure. The aim should be to avoid costly remedial actions in the future. The government has also accepted that it must consider low-probability but high-impact events arising from a heating climate. The report is a response to an analysis of the UK’s vulnerability to climate change by the official advisers, the Climate Change Committee. "Climate change is happening now. It is one of the biggest challenges of our generation and has already begun to cause irreversible damage to our planet and way of life," the report begins. It earmarks 61 climate risks cutting across multiple sectors of society. Health and productivity could be affected, it says, with impacts on many households, businesses and public services. The report warns of worsening soil health and farm productivity, reduced water availability, and impacts on alternative energy supply. For example, it notes, unless the UK takes further action, the cost of flood-related damages for non-residential properties is expected to increase by 27% by 2050 and 40% by 2080. That's with a temperature rise of just 2C - and even that relatively low figure is looking very hard to achieve. If temperature rises to 4C – which the government’s science advisers say is possible - this increases to 44% and 75% respectively. The government says it’s already investing to adapt to climate change. It mentions: - £5.2bn for 2,000 new flood defences by 2027 - Increasing cash for peat restoration, woodland creation and management to more than £750m by 2025 - Continuing work on the Green Finance Strategy to help money reach “green” projects But critics say efforts so far have been diluted by inadequate finance from the Treasury for long-term schemes. Indeed the chancellor didn’t mention climate change once in his Budget. Green MP Caroline Lucas MP said: "It's crystal clear that we are moving nothing like fast enough to net zero emissions and the longer we delay, the more it will cost. The government acknowledges the risks. We have yet to see the action plan that will deal with them." Ministers admit they must do much more. Climate Adaptation Minister Jo Churchill said: “The scale and severity of the challenge posed by climate change means we can’t tackle it overnight, and although we’ve made good progress in recent year, there is clearly much more that we need to do." Labour's shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: "After more than a decade in power, the Conservatives have failed to build the efficient homes, strengthened flood defences, and resilient natural habitats necessary to tackle the climate crisis. "Their lack of action and empty promises are putting people, nature, and our economy at risk."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60026378
     
         
      Climate-related deaths fall in England and Wales - ONS Mon, 17th Jan 2022 15:26:00
     
      Climate-related deaths in England and Wales fell between 2001 and 2020, according to a new analysis of data by the Office of National Statistics. Hot days saw more injuries, violence and suicide but the relatively small rise in deaths was offset by warmer winter temperatures resulting in fewer. Climate change is a substantial threat to human health globally. Scientists do not yet have enough information about the health impact to make a prediction about the future. But the trends showing a changing climate are very clear, ONS epidemiology in climate and global health head Myer Glickman told BBC News. Warmest years The new analysis was experimental, he said. The method would be developed and improved. And future assessments should look at local, rather than national average, temperatures and local health data. Previous research links heatwaves with deaths from heart or breathing conditions. In the UK, the period 1991 to 2020 was 0.9C warmer than 1961 to 1990, according to the Met Office. And the 10 warmest years recorded have been since 2002. Statistics can be slippery, as these new climate-death figures show. The headline climate-related deaths in England and Wales have fallen is encouraging, suggesting warmer winters are offsetting the negative effects of hotter summer days. But dig a bit deeper and lots of other factors are at play. Improved insulation, more help with fuel bills for the elderly and vulnerable and widespread flu jabs will also have reduced the winter death toll. This is why the ONS describes these figures as "experimental" and says more work is needed to separate out the relative role of these different drivers. That is the key point here. We do not yet know how seriously climate change will affect our health but we do know it "has already begun to cause irreversible damage to our planet", according to the UK government. So the important thing is more attention is being given to this crucial issue - because the better we understand the risks, the better able we should be to plan for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60024156
     
         
      Climate change: Wales has 'duty' due to coal mining history Mon, 17th Jan 2022 15:20:00
     
      Wales has a "particular responsibility" to help fight climate change because of its coal mining past, a leading conservationist has claimed. Director of Carbon Link Ru Hartwell said the country "invented" a model of industrial development based on exploiting fossil fuels. His charity runs one of the tree-planting programmes the Welsh government funds in Africa. It has planted about four million trees in Kenya's Boré community since 2012. The project has expanded significantly over the course of the past decade, from getting 1,000 cashew trees in the ground initially to ambitions to plant one million trees this year. They will include 19 varieties, some of which provide food and timber to the community and others to create wildlife habitats and improve biodiversity. The funding comes via Welsh government, the charity Size of Wales and takings from two innovative climate change charity shops in Lampeter and Aberystwyth. "It's all about helping the local people protect their existing forest and plant new trees to suck down carbon from the atmosphere and improve the climate for everyone," Mr Hartwell explained in a video call from the Boré Community Forest Project. One of the "tragic ironies of climate change," he said was poorer nations that had contributed least to the carbon emissions problem were being worst hit by the impacts of rising temperatures and extreme weather. "Wales has a very long history of releasing carbon," he said. "We've got one of the longest legacy footprints of any country in the world because of the industrialisation that came with the south Wales coalfield. "The model of industrial development based on the exploitation of fossil fuels was invented in south Wales and every other country in the world has gone on to kind of emulate that. "So, because we were the first industrialised nation, we have a particular responsibility to draw back some of that ancient, historical carbon." The project has led to the establishment of the largest tree nursery in Coast Province, Kenya, working with more than 3,000 farmers and 200 schools. It is here that trees will be grown for the Arsenal Forest - a new woodland being created by the Premier League club to make up for some of the carbon released in printing the Arsenal matchday programme. "The people here have got very small carbon footprints, they don't drive or fly around all the time like we do in the West," explained Mr Hartwell's daughter Anna Douglas - an ecologist based in Denmark who has been volunteering at the project since it started. "But for them climate change is happening right now," she said, with crop failures driven by changing weather patterns. Welsh funding has also led to the planting of 15 million trees in Uganda over the past decade, with the Welsh government aiming to reach 25 million by 2025. The project is situated in the Mbale region, where a combination of climate change and excessive logging has led to flooding and fatal landslides. For every child born or adopted in Wales a tree is planted in the region, as well as in Wales. However, ministers have repeatedly faced questions over the failure to meet domestic tree-planting targets with Wales lagging significantly behind the rest of the UK. Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters recently announced plans to plant 86 million trees by 2030, with every household to be offered a free sapling to plant in their garden as part of this drive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-59983492
     
         
      The controversy of wood pellets as a green energy source Tue, 11th Jan 2022 1:11:00
     
      This is the first of two Business of Technology articles examining the way wood pellets are produced and used as an energy source. The areas in and around North Carolina's forests feel spacious. Canopies of lanky pine trees eventually give way to enormous car parks and long-term storage units, underscoring the feeling of vastness. Many of these US trees are destined to be turned into small pellets for the biomass industry. At wood pellet mills, wood is chipped, dried, ground and compressed into uniform, easily storable pellets. They're then shipped mainly to the UK, where they're burned for energy. Most forest land in North Carolina is privately owned, in holdings that can be as small as one acre (0.4ha). This can mean they are too small to qualify for conservation easements - agreements encouraging landowners to keep trees intact, sometimes with tax benefits. Small forest owners here include a number of third-generation African Americans whose ancestors moved north and west as part of the Great Migration (the movement of six million African Americans between 1916-70 out of the rural southern US to the urban Northeast, Midwest and West) leaving the cropland to turn back into forest. "A lot of minority landowners are really disconnected from their land," says Freddie Davis III, a forester who leads the Rural Training and Research Center, which is part of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Mr Davis believes that biomass is the best option on such low-value holdings for these owners - who typically live away from their forest land and often not even in the same state. "I'm super passionate about it because it offers opportunity," he says. Yet the racial justice aspect is complex. Sherri White-Williamson, who leads environmental justice policy for the North Carolina Conservation Network, works out of a cramped office in Clinton. The area has a large black population and is about 20 minutes away from a pellet mill. "We've pretty much become the dumping ground for a lot of things for the sake of economic development," she says. While the wood pellet industry is an important local employer, Ms White-Williamson argues that the effects on water, air and noise mean that these companies aren't the best of neighbours. Volatile organic compounds from wood pellet manufacture, especially softwood like pine, are a problem because of the way they're converted into formaldehyde and other noxious substances, says Derb S Carter Junior, a lawyer at the Southern Environmental Law Center. Enviva, the world's main producer of wood pellets, counters that its plants are in compliance with air quality regulations. Biomass is controversial, not just locally for the affects on communities near pellet plants, but also globally for the unusual way that its carbon emissions are counted. Many argue that the current carbon accounting rules on wood pellets are not fit for purpose. They are accounted at the harvest site, such as in North Carolina, rather than the place where they are actually burnt, notably at the UK's Drax power station in Yorkshire. The reason for this is that because the trees are replanted, this form of energy is renewable. Decades ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) agreed under the Kyoto Protocol that it would be simpler to account for the carbon emissions of land use only when harvested. But these decisions have been not just scientific but political, says Peg Putt, who coordinates biomass campaigns for the Environmental Paper Network: The negotiators mainly "come out of the forest agencies of the various countries, have close ties to industry and work to advantage the interests of the forest industry," she argues. "They have made the accounting seem so forbiddingly complicated and technical that higher level negotiators in the party delegations just leave it to them." Lawyer Derb Carter says the US now has a "proliferation" of wood pellet mills "where - they're all for export, mostly to Europe - and essentially no utilisation of this material here in the US for energy production". In 2018-19, all of the wood pellets fed into the UK's Drax power station were imported. Mr Carter says for the EU, UK, and increasingly Japan and South Korea, this system is "almost a free ticket in some ways". The emissions from burning wood don't actually show up in these countries' emissions records, because of what he says are the "perverse accounting" rules on wood pellets' carbon emissions. A growing number of scientists and policymakers understand that biomass is not an instantaneously carbon-neutral source of renewable energy. Mr Carter says it is a "simplistic notion" that trees are a renewable resource. Trees cut for biomass can take 30-100 years to fully grow back. Even if they store some carbon as they grow - the maximum amount of carbon dioxide is only absorbed by fully mature trees. Drax defends it use of wood chips to make electricity. "Biomass is a reliable, flexible renewable power source which is available regardless of what the weather does. It therefore has a vital role to play in the energy system, displacing coal and supporting the grid to further decarbonise, by enabling more renewables like wind and solar to come online," a spokesperson said. Wood pellet producer Enviva points out it is not sourcing from pristine forests, but managed forests which need to be thinned periodically to maintain good health, yet whose wood quality isn't high enough for higher-value markets like paper. According to Enviva, its wood pellet mix is made up of 20% sawmill residues, 14% thinning, and the remainder from harvest. Kim Cesafsky, Enviva's director of sustainability, is adamant that "we directly displace coal". She calls fossil fuels "a one-way street", in contrast to biomass. Yet biomass is actually even more polluting than coal. "Burning wood for energy produces at least as much carbon dioxide as burning coal per unit of energy produced and usually more," Ms Putt explains. Wood is less energy dense than coal, so "you have to put more into burning it to get the amount of energy that you want - therefore you release, generally, more carbon dioxide," she says. Prof Gert-Jan Nabuurs, who researches forestry at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, is one of the coordinating lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He acknowledges that wood does not burn as efficiently as natural gas or coal "and that is why for the same amount of energy, you are emitting more". But he argues that "this biomass for bioenergy is a short cycle" as the trees are replanted. Yet this idea runs contrary to proforestation - the principle of keeping forests intact - because as diverse forests are replaced with plantations of a single tree species, this makes them not only more vulnerable to disease but also generally less efficient at sequestering carbon. According to Ms Putt: "Plantations are less carbon dense than are natural forests, generally speaking, and they get logged more frequently. So they have less opportunities to sequester carbon."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59546278
     
         
      Kazakhstan unrest: Internet returns to Almaty following a five day outage Mon, 10th Jan 2022 15:22:00
     
      Internet services have returned to Kazakhstan's largest city following a five-day blackout. Almaty, the country's former capital, has been offline since Wednesday amid a wave of violence in the country. Almost 8,000 people have been detained throughout the country, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. The demonstrations, triggered by a rise in fuel prices, turned into the worst unrest the country has seen in its 30 years of independence. They started on 2 January and grew to reflect discontent at the government and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led Kazakhstan for three decades and is still thought to retain significant influence. Last week, troops from countries including Russia were sent to Kazakhstan to help restore order. The presidential statement added that the situation had stabilised, with troops continuing "cleanup" operations and guarding "strategic facilities". A state of emergency and a nationwide curfew remain in place. Kazakhstan: The basics Where is it? Kazakhstan shares borders with Russia to the north and China to the east. It is a huge country the size of Western Europe. Why does it matter? A former Soviet republic which is mainly Muslim with a large Russian minority, it has vast mineral resources, with 3% of global oil reserves and important coal and gas sectors. Why is it making the news? Fuel riots, which have escalated to become broader protests against the government, have resulted in resignations at the top and a bloody crackdown on protesters. In the capital, Nursultan, there are obvious signs that security has been tightened, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg, with the entrance to the city's Presidential Palace blocked. There is a growing suggestion, our correspondent adds, that the recent violence is linked to a power struggle within Kazakhstan's ruling elite. On Sunday evening government officials retracted an earlier statement posted to an officially-run channel on the Telegram social media app alleging that more than 164 people had died during the wave of violence. The Information Ministry told local media that the statement had been issued in error and was the result of a "technical mistake". Only 44 deaths have been confirmed. The security forces said they killed rioters in Almaty while trying to restore order and that protesters had tried to take control of police stations in the city. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said "20,000 bandits" had attacked Almaty and that he had told security forces to "fire without warning". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday criticised the president's directive. "The shoot-to-kill order, to the extent it exists, is wrong and should be rescinded," he told ABC News' This Week. He said the US was also seeking clarification from the Kazakh president on why he had requested the presence of Russian troops. In another development, neighbouring Kyrgyzstan lodged a protest with the Kazakh ambassador over the detention in Kazakhstan of a Kyrgyz jazz musician, after footage emerged apparently showing him in custody, badly beaten. Kazakh authorities accuse Vikram Ruzakhunov of participating in the protests, and have paraded him on state television. On Saturday, Kazakh authorities said the country's former intelligence chief Karim Massimov had been arrested on suspicion of treason. They gave no further details. Two former deputies to Mr Massimov have also been removed from their posts, the president's office said on Sunday. Marat Osipov and Daulet Ergozhin had been serving as deputy heads of the country's powerful National Security Committee prior to their removal. Mr Tokayev's office has yet to publicly provide a reason for the sackings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59927267
     
         
      Air pollution: Delhi's smog problem is rooted in India's water crisis Mon, 10th Jan 2022 15:20:00
     
      Every winter, Indian capital Delhi's toxic air is fuelled by farmers burning crop stubble. But the fires don't stop. Why? The answer lies in water, writes climate expert Mridula Ramesh. India loses an estimated $95bn (£70bn) to air pollution every year. From mid-March to mid-October, when Delhi's air quality varies from good to moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups, chatter on air pollution and its causes is muted. But then comes winter. Pollution in any city mixes vertically in the atmosphere, and the height at which this happens shrinks by more than half in the winter, raising the concentration of pollution. Two new sources also enter the mix. By the end of October, when the rains have ceased, the winds begin to blow in from the northwest, carrying fumes from burning fields. Then there is the Diwali, the popular festival lights, where millions burst fire crackers to celebrate. Both of these play a large role in the spike in pollution. In the first week of November 2021, when Delhi's air quality went beyond hazardous, stubble burning accounted for 42% of the city's PM2.5 levels - these are tiny particles that can enter the lungs. Governments have banned the practice, imposed fines and even suggested alternate uses for the straw and other crop residue. But farmers continue to burn stubble. Why? Think of the fields that are on fire. They get only between 500-700mm (19-27 in) of rainfall a year. Yet, many of these fields grow a dual crop of paddy and wheat. Paddy alone needs about 1,240mm (48.8 in) of rainfall each year, and so, farmers use groundwater to bridge the gap. The northern states of Punjab and Haryana, which grow large amounts of paddy, together take out roughly 48 billion cubic metres (bcm) of groundwater a year, which is not much less than India's overall annual municipal water requirement: 56bcm. As a result, groundwater levels in these states are dropping rapidly. Punjab is expected to run out of groundwater in 20-25 years from 2019, according to an official estimate. The burning fields is a symptom of the deteriorating relationship between India and its water. Long ago, farmers grew crops based on locally available water. Tanks, inundation canals and forests helped smoothen the inherent variability of India's tempestuous water. But in the late 19th Century, the land began to transform as the British wanted to secure India's north-western frontier against possible Russian incursion. They built canals connecting the rivers of Punjab, bringing water to a dry land. They cut down forests, feeding the wood to railways that could cart produce from the freshly watered fields. And they imposed a fixed tax payable in cash that made farmers eager to grow crops that could be sold easily. These changes made farmers believe that water could be shaped, irrespective of local sources - a crucial change in thinking that is biting us today. After independence from the British in 1947, repeated droughts made the Indian government succumb to the lure of the "green revolution". Until then, rice, a water-hungry crop, was a marginal crop in Punjab. It was grown on less than 7% of the fields. But beginning in the early 1960s, paddy cultivation was encouraged by showing farmers how to cheaply and conveniently tap into a new, seemingly-endless source of water that lay underground. The flat power tariffs to run borewells were cheapened and finally not paid - removing any incentive to conserve water. Water did not need to be managed, farmers were taught, only extracted. In the heady first years of the revolution, fields began to churn out paddy and wheat, and India became food-secure. But after a couple of decades, the water began to sputter. To conserve groundwater, a 2009 law forbade farmers from sowing and transplanting paddy before a pre-determined date based on the onset of the monsoon. The aim was to make the borewells run less in the peak summer months. But the delay in paddy planting shrunk the gap between the paddy harvest and sowing of wheat. And the quickest way to clear the fields was to burn them, giving rise to the smoky plumes that add to northern India's air pollution. So, the toxic smog is but a visible symbol of India's trainwreck of a relationship with its water. To tackle this problem, Indians need to respect their water again - a tall ask after decades of neglect. Take people's choices in food and crops. A century ago, most Indians ate the hardy millet, which could withstand the vicissitudes of India's water. Today, there are far more Indians, and they eat rice and wheat rotis (flatbreads), making millets an unappealing crop for farmers to grow. And pricing water, directly or through electricity that powers the borewells, is seen as political suicide. Meanwhile, as air quality improves from hazardous to (very) unhealthy, people, courts and political leaders have moved on - at least until next November. But the time bomb - of depleting groundwater - ticks on. Once that runs out, the November air might be cleaner. But what will India do about food?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59808770
     
         
      It’s Monday, January 10, and a federal agency is alerting the public to a wider range of substances that cause cancer Mon, 10th Jan 2022 15:14:00
     
      The National Toxicology Program, or NTP, released its 15th report on carcinogens last month, adding eight new substances to a growing list of recognized cancer-causing agents found in many consumer products and water supplies. The report, which is intended to “help people make informed decisions about their own health,” now brings the total number of listed carcinogens to 256. Only one of the agents identified by the NTP received the program’s most significant classification as a “known” human carcinogen: chronic infection from H. pylori, a stomach bacterium found in contaminated drinking water. According to research from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, this cancer-causing bacterium disproportionately impacts nonwhite populations — potentially due to poorer access to clean drinking water. And following treatment, further research suggests that these same groups are less likely to receive critical “eradication testing” to ensure the bacteria has been fully eliminated from their bodies. David Leiman, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, said that adding H. pylori to the NTP’s list of carcinogens could help draw attention to these inequities. “I hope that it would provide some urgency both from practitioners and also for patients,” he said. In addition to H. pylori, the NTP recognized seven more substances as “reasonably anticipated” to cause cancer in humans. These include antimony trioxide, which is often used in plastic production and flame retardants for consumer products, and six haloacetic acids that may be produced during chlorine-based disinfection processes for drinking water. According to the NTP’s press release, some 250 million Americans may be exposed to water systems tainted with these substances. Although both antimony trioxide and the suite of haloacetic acids have previously been recognized by state and federal agencies as hazardous substances, some advocacy groups have called for tighter regulations. “Legal does not necessarily equal safe,” the nonprofit Environmental Working Group said in a 2021 report that found elevated levels of water contaminants — including haloacetic acids — in drinking water supplies in Columbia, Missouri.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/967119064/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Past seven years hottest on record - EU satellite data Mon, 10th Jan 2022 15:14:00
     
      The past seven years have been the hottest on record, according to new data from the EU's satellite system. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said 2021 was the fifth-warmest year, with record-breaking heat in some regions. And the amount of warming gases in our atmosphere continued to increase. Governments are committed to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C to curb climate change. But scientists warn that time is fast running out. The environmental, human and economic costs of hotter temperatures are already being seen globally. Europe lived through its warmest summer, and temperature records in western US and Canada were broken by several degrees. Extreme wildfires in July and August burnt almost entire towns to the ground and killed hundreds. "These events are a stark reminder of the need to change our ways, take decisive and effective steps toward a sustainable society and work towards reducing net carbon emissions," Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, explains. The Copernicus data comes from a constellation of Sentinel satellites that monitor the Earth from orbit, as well as measurements taken at ground level. Fifth-warmest year Copernicus data showed that 2021 was the fifth-hottest on record, marginally warmer than 2015 and 2018. Taken together, the past seven years were the hottest seven years on record by a clear margin, the agency explained. The 2021 average temperature was 1.1-1.2C above the pre-industrial level around 150 years ago. It would be easy to dismiss the latest global temperature figure as a non-event. Who celebrates fifth place in anything? If we were in a film, these annual temperature updates would be the ominous drum beat signalling the plot is darkening. They measure out the pace of change in our world. The increments may be tiny - a fraction of a degree - but the direction of travel is inescapable. And make no mistake, the rhythm they mark out increasingly sets the pace for all our lives. Think of the fires and floods that affected so many people in 2021. And now look again at what the data is telling us: the seven hottest years ever recorded have been the last seven years. We can't say we weren't warned. The agency said that the start of the year saw relatively low temperatures compared to recent years, but that by June monthly temperatures were at least among the warmest four recorded. Places with above average temperatures included the west coast of US and Canada, north-east Canada and Greenland, large parts of north and central Africa, and the Middle East. The weather phenomenon known as La Niña - when surface sea temperatures are cooler - contributed to below-average temperatures in western and eastern Siberia, Alaska, and the central and eastern Pacific during the start and end of 2021. Europe's warmest summer Overall Europe's annual temperature was outside the ten warmest years on record but the summer was the hottest. A heatwave swept through Mediterranean in July and August, particularly affecting Greece, Spain and Italy. In Sicily, 48.8C degrees was reported, breaking Europe's record for highest temperature by 0.8C. The hot temperatures in the eastern and central Mediterranean was followed by intense wildfires particular in Turkey but also in Greece, Italy, Tunisia and Algeria. And Europe also saw extreme wet weather, with huge floods devastating parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. These events were part of the same picture of weather systems disrupted by climate change. Warming gases increased The concentration in the earth's atmosphere of two gases that significantly contribute to climate change rose in 2021, said Copernicus. Carbon dioxide concentrations reached 414.3 parts per million last year, growing at a similar rate to 2020. But scientists remarked that methane levels in the atmosphere increased to reach an unprecedented approximately 1,876 parts per billion. The growth rate of methane was also higher than in 2020 - Copernicus said both rates were very high compared to the past two decades of satellite data. Scientist say it is important to reduce methane levels because it is more potent than CO2, however it lasts much less time in the Earth's atmosphere. The increasing concentrations of these gases showed no signs of slowing down, concluded Vincent-Henri Peuch, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. More data about 2021's temperatures will be released in the coming days from other agencies including from Nasa and the UK's Met Office.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59915690
     
         
      Climate change: For 25th year in a row, Greenland ice sheet shrinks Fri, 7th Jan 2022 15:38:00
     
      The data from the Danish Arctic monitoring service Polar Portal – which forms part of the UN weather agency WMO’s annual State of the Climate report - shows that early summer was cold and wet, with unusually heavy and late snowfall in June, which delayed the onset of the melting season. After that, however, a heatwave at the end of July, led to a considerable loss of ice. In terms of “total mass balance” (the sum of surface melting and loss of ice chunks from icebergs, in addition to the melting of glacier “tongues” in contact with seawater), the ice sheet lost around 166 billion tonnes during the 12-month period ending in August 2021. Climate change These numbers mean the ice sheet ended the season with a net surface mass?balance of approximately 396 billion tonnes, making it the 28th lowest level recorded, in the 41-year time series. This could be considered an average year, but Polar Report notes how perspectives have changed, due to rapidly advancing climate change. At the end of the 1990s, for example, these same figures would have been regarded as a year with a very low surface mass balance. The report also notes that the cause of the early summer chill, could be due to conditions over southwest Canada and the northwest United States. In these territories, an enormous “blocking" high pressure system was formed, shaped like the Greek capital letter Omega (?). This flow pattern occurs regularly in the troposphere, and not just over North America, but it had never been observed with such strength before. According to the report, an analysis by World Weather Attribution demonstrated that it could only be explained as a result of atmospheric warming caused by human activity. Notable year According to the report, 2021 was notable for several reasons. It was the year in which precipitation at Summit Station, which is located at the top of the ice sheet at an altitude of 3,200 metres above sea level, was registered in the form of rain. The year also saw an acceleration of the loss of ice at the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, where the rate of loss had otherwise been stagnant for several years. Winter snowfall was also close to average for the period between 1981 and 2010, which was good news, because a combination of low winter snowfall and a warm summer can result in very large losses of ice, as was the case in 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109352
     
         
      It’s Friday, January 7, and French carmakers will soon be required to encourage climate-friendly modes of transportation Fri, 7th Jan 2022 15:31:00
     
      Want to advertise an automobile on French TV? You’ll soon have to include a climate-conscious asterisk. Starting in March, the French government will require car advertisements to include messages encouraging people to choose more environmentally friendly alternatives. There will be three options: “Consider carpooling,” “For short trips, opt for walking or cycling,” and “Use public transportation for everyday trips.” Each phrase must be followed by the rhyming hashtag “#SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer,” which translates to “move yourself and pollute less.” Violating the requirements could lead to fines of up to $56,000. The new regulations — which will apply to spots on radio, TV, theaters, print, and the internet — are part of France’s plan to slash climate pollution 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Much of the plan revolves around transportation, which accounts for nearly one-third of France’s greenhouse gas emissions, with half of that coming from private cars. In addition to the new advertising regulations, France plans to phase out the sale of internal-combustion cars by 2040 and already taxes the most polluting passenger vehicles. It has also poured millions of dollars into rapidly expanding bike lanes and subsidizing bike repairs throughout the country, with the capital of Paris leading the way. France has also recently taken steps to reduce the country’s environmental footprint in other ways. A ban on plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables went into effect on January 1, and the country will soon bar fast food chains from handing out free plastic toys. Although French environmental groups have lobbied for an outright ban on auto advertisements, the government’s new regulations have been widely applauded by advocates. Outside France, many have called for similar requirements in their own countries. “Imagine if every ad for an F-150 also had to say: ‘Opt for cycling or walking — it’s better for your health and the environment,’” the Canadian author Taras Grescoe tweeted.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/965820792/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, January 6, and the city of Beijing is making headway in its fight against air pollution Thu, 6th Jan 2022 15:41:00
     
      Chinese environmental advocates marked an important milestone on Tuesday as municipal authorities in Beijing announced that the city met national air quality standards in 2021 — the first time the Chinese capital has ever done so. According to Beijing’s environmental protection bureau, the city’s concentration of the small, airborne particulate matter known as PM 2.5 averaged 33 micrograms per cubic meter last year. That number represents a 13 percent reduction from 2020 levels and is low enough to meet the Chinese government’s interim standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter. It’s still much higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, but it’s significant progress: As recently as 2016, the city clocked an average concentration of 71 micrograms per cubic meter. Despite evidence that the Chinese government “systemically” underreports air pollution, experts say that the 2021 measurements from Beijing have been independently corroborated. “The improvements are real” and “happening across the industrial belt surrounding Beijing, as well as in much of the rest of the country,” Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst for the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, wrote in a blog post. Beijing attributed its progress to a multi-year crackdown on air pollution, including the introduction of emissions standards for coal-fired power plants and heavy industry. Auto fuel standards and efforts to move away from coal-based heating have also helped clear the air, as have newly-planted trees throughout Beijing and the nearby province of Hebei. Chinese officials have in recent months stepped up efforts to cut air pollution ahead of the Winter Olympics, which will be hosted in and around Beijing in February. Although experts have lauded Beijing’s “extraordinary progress” on air quality, others have noted that there is more work to be done — not only in Beijing, but throughout the rest of China. “Further improvement will require a shift from coal and oil to clean energy,” Myllyvirta wrote.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/965500876/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      The African nation aiming to be a hydrogen superpower Tue, 28th Dec 2021 15:07:00
     
      "So now finally, we're on the map," says Philip Balhoa about Lüderitz, a town in southern Namibia, where harsh desert meets pale ocean. The port town has previously benefited from diamonds and fishing booms, but now struggles with high rates of unemployment and aging infrastructure. A proposed green hydrogen project is set to be "the third revolution of Lüderitz," says Mr Balhoa, a member of the town council. He hopes that the project will train and employ local people, or "Buchters" as they affectionately call themselves - bringing down the town's 55% unemployment rate. "For a town that's really been struggling economically over the past 10 or 15, maybe longer, years, this is something that people are really very excited about," he says. The project will be based near the town in the Tsau //Khaeb National Park, and ultimately produce around 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. In simple terms, the renewable energy from the sun and wind will be used to separate hydrogen molecules from desalinated water. Those hydrogen molecules in their pure form or in derivative green ammonia can make up a variety of products, including sustainable fuels. The preferred bidder, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, is set to start production in 2026 and will have the rights to the project for 40 years, once the necessary feasibility processes are concluded. The firm says the four years of construction are likely to create 15,000 direct jobs and 3,000 more during full operations - and that 90% of them will be filled by locals. Mr James Mnyupe is the Namibian government's presidential economic advisor and hydrogen commissioner. He explains that Lüderitz's location is ideal, because of the extensive solar and wind resources and the proximity to the ocean, both as a water source and a port. Mr Mnyupe says this is all part of a plan for change in Namibia by President Hage Geingob. "The president was very keen to craft an economic recovery plan that is responsive, globally relevant, and systemic in nature." This forms part of a much bigger development fuelled by green hydrogen that the government hopes to find funding for, expanding into agriculture, logistics and energy. Mr Mnyupe speaks of green hydrogen trains and pipelines to trade with neighbouring countries. There are hopes of creating renewable electricity, both for export and as an alternative to imported coal power from South Africa. "The idea is to turn Namibia into not just a green hydrogen hub, but into a synthetic fuels industry powerhouse," he says. The impact is set to be international, with agreements already signed with Germany, Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This comes with some funding agreements, but Namibia is looking at more options, such as green or sustainable bonds, towards the roughly $9.4bn (£7.1bn) needed for the initial project. To put the size of the investment into perspective - Namibia's entire GDP in 2020 was just $10.7bn. "People could start taking us seriously as a trading partner, and not a net recipient of development assistance," says Mr Mnyupe. "For the ordinary Namibian, this means hope." Mr Balhoa expects that the planned influx of people and business will strengthen infrastructure in Lüderitz, like roads and hospitals, and that the project will attract more investment from the central government into the area. But the optimism comes with matching concerns. Mr Balhoa says previous large projects have not invested back into the community as hoped. The are worries that the small town will not be able to meet the increased infrastructure demands - with accessible housing already being a big challenge. "I do believe it's going to be a game changer, not just for Namibia, but for the African continent," says Kennedy Chege, a researcher and PhD candidate at the Mineral Law in Africa research chair, University of Cape Town. But he warns that the main challenges is financing: "Trying to develop renewable energy plans normally requires so much funding, and the government itself is not able to actually provide that funding through its budget. So it requires mobilizing funding from both the public sector and the private sectors." Mr Chege says Namibia's international partnerships are a positive sign.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59722297
     
         
      Boris slammed as energy crisis sees UK return to 'dirty' coal-burning to keep lights on Tue, 28th Dec 2021 12:29:00
     
      Like the rest of Europe, when Britain recovered from the pandemic, energy demands soared. However, low winds speeds meant that the UK had to burn more coal just to keep the lights on. According to figures from National Grid ESO, the electricity system operator, the “carbon intensity” of the power system, which is a measure of emissions per unit of electricity supplied, has rebounded from 2020’s historic lows. Provisional analysis of the electricity mix found that the UK increased both it's gas and coal-fired power generation in 2021. Data, analysed by Carbon Brief also shows that the production of renewable sources of energy, including nuclear and wind energy, decreased this year. Even though the demand for electricity has bounced as the economy recovered from the lockdown restrictions of 2020, it still remained well below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Britain’s electricity mix has changed dramatically in the past decade, as a result of the country chasing after its climate goals. In 2013, coal was the biggest source of power generation for the UK. But since then, most old coal-fired plants have been shut down, being replaced by gas as the dominant fuel source in recent years. Figures from the National Grid ESO reveal that the carbon intensity of the electricity mix fell steadily from 529 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour in 2013 to 181g in 2020. However, it rose significantly to 187g within the first 11 months of 2021. As people turn on their boilers and heating systems, December will likely be a carbon-intensive month. Carbon Brief estimates that the carbon intensity for 2021 as a whole will be close to 2019 levels. However, the National Grid emphasised that the rise in emissions in 2021 was only due to the “extraordinary” conditions in 2020, when lockdowns led to low demand and emissions dropped drastically. Fintan Slye, executive director of National Grid ESO, said that 2021 was still “one of the greenest years on record for Britain’s electricity system, a trend we expect will continue in the years ahead”. The Government aims to decarbonise the electricity mix entirely by 2035. Another major reason for the high carbon emissions is the fact that ??2021 is believed to have had the lowest wind speeds in more than a decade. Furthermore, nuclear power generation has been steadily falling by almost 10 percent year-on-year to the lowest levels since 1982 because of problems with ageing reactors. Simon Evans, the deputy editor at Carbon Brief, said: “Coal power is still on the way out in the UK, even though this year hasn’t been very windy and demand has increased as the economy recovers from Covid lockdowns."
       
      Full Article: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1541985/boris-johnson-energy-crisis-dirtier-coal-wind-energy-climate-change
     
         
      Labour demands stricter air pollution limits after child poverty link revealed Tue, 28th Dec 2021 11:23:00
     
      The Labour party has demanded stricter limits on air pollution after analysis showed the close correlation between children living in poverty and dirty air in the UK. Five London boroughs rank worst for child poverty and worst for dirty air, according to government data collated by Labour, mapping areas of high poverty against statistics on air pollution. The analysis showed that the higher the rate of child poverty in a given area, the dirtier the air there was on average, with most of the 50 most polluted areas in the UK also showing the highest rates of child poverty. Boroughs in Birmingham, Southampton, Portsmouth, Sandwell and Walsall also showed high correlations between child poverty and air pollution. In the 11 local authorities that exceed the WHO’s recommended guideline limit of an annual mean concentration of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m3), an average of 39.5% of children are living in poverty – much higher than the national average of 31%. Altogether, about 6.7 million children are living in areas of the UK where air pollution has breached legal limits, of whom about 2 million are also living in poverty, according to the research. The announcement by the Labour party follows a meeting in December with Keir Starmer, Ed Miliband, and campaign group Choked Up, a group of young black and brown teenagers living in areas affected by air pollution, who are calling for a right to clean air. Jim McMahon, the shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said: “Everyone should have the right to breathe clean, safe air, no matter where you live. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that public health has to be at the very top of the political agenda, and that has to start with the air we breathe.” He pointed to Labour proposals for a Clean Air Act, which would establish a legal right to breathe clean air, and legal requirements for air quality based on the advice of the World Health Organization. The government rejected amendments to the environment bill that would have set pollution limits in line with WHO advice. He added: “The Conservative government refused to protect the health of British children, voting against tougher limits on pollution. Our children should be able to take clean, safe air for granted. Only a Clean Air Act is going to guarantee that.” Under the new environment legislation, the government will set new pollution targets from late next year. The government was repeatedly found to be in breach of EU air pollution rules, when they applied to the UK, before Brexit. A government spokesperson said: “Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010 – at a national level, emissions of fine particulate matter have fallen by 11%, while emissions of nitrogen oxides are at their lowest levels since records began. But we know there is still more to do. To continue to drive forward tangible and long-lasting improvements to air quality, we are committed to setting stretching and ambitious targets on air quality through our Environment Act.” Some of the most polluted cities, including London, Birmingham and Portsmouth, have introduced clean air zones in an effort to reduce air pollution, which mainly comes from diesel and petrol vehicles, agriculture and wood-burning stoves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/28/labour-highlights-link-between-child-poverty-and-air-pollution
     
         
      UNESCO marks semi-centennial anniversary of biosphere preservation Mon, 27th Dec 2021 15:15:00
     
      “This is really a programme for the people, because people are part of nature…so they are incorporated in nature protection but also in sustainable use of natural resources”, said Miguel Clusener Godt, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) MAB Programme Secretary. Where we stand Today 727 biosphere reserves integrate nature conservation and sustainable development in 131 countries, including 22 transboundary sites. In Africa there are 86 sites in 31 countries; Arab States, 35 sites in 14 countries; Asia and the Pacific, 168 sites in 40 countries; Europe and North America 306 sites in 24 countries; and 132 sites in 24 Latin American and the Caribbean countries. If bioreserves worldwide were to be put together, Mr. Godt said that they would be equivalent to about five per cent of the world’s surface, spanning 6,812,000 km² or “around the size of Australia”. Africa The diverse vegetation and unique fauna in Tanzania’s Gombe Masito Ugalla Biosphere Reserve is also home to the largest chimpanzee community in the country and includes the Gombe National Park, forest land reserves and part of Lake Tanganyika. Faunal species in the area include African elephants, ornate frogs and eight primate species. Flora there includes a species discovered in, and named after, Gombe, while the biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika encompasses over 300 fish species, 250 bird species, and reptiles, such as the water cobra and the Tanganyika water snake. Asia and the Pacific The Maolan in China was listed as a biosphere reserve in 1996. It lies in the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province and covers an area of 20,000 hectares, with a forest coverage of 88.61 per cent. Renowned for its “hugging trees” which cling tenaciously to the rocks of the mountain landscape, the rich biodiversity also includes pheasants, orchids and magnolias. The local Yao, Buyi and Shui indigenous peoples value their region’s environment and cohabit harmoniously with nature. As the trees provide them with vital resources, for over 1,000 years local communities have performed ceremonial practices and rituals to care for the trees. Arab States Located on the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon range and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the 6,500-hectare biosphere reserve of Jabal Moussa encompasses the ‘Mount of Moses’ – an important site to Christian pilgrims – and its seven villages. Jabal Moussa’s landscape, preserved throughout centuries, conceals the markings of a region at the meeting point of civilizations, which archaeologists are still unearthing. Only 40 km to the north-east of Beirut, the biosphere reserve is three times as large as the city, and together with the Shouf and Jabal Rihane biosphere reserves forms an ecological corridor running along Lebanon’s mountainous backbone. Latin America and the Caribbean Located in south-east Uruguay, Bañados del Este harbours a remarkable complex of ecosystems, including white sand beaches, dunes and lagoons along the Atlantic coast and is home to diverse wildlife that remains almost intact both on land and at sea. The biosphere reserve covers 12,500 km² of Uruguay’s eastern coast and is also home to the State’s highest summit, Cerro Catedral. Hidden among the dunes, this tourist destination is among the most popular in the biosphere reserve and the perfect spot to connect with nature. Due to its remoteness, there is no connection to the local grid or landlines, but the local population is able to access mobile networks and the internet. Europe In Spain, transitioning to clean energy at the El Hierro Biosphere Reserve exemplifies ongoing efforts to live in harmony with nature. The biosphere reserve covers the entire island and some of its waters, with 60 per cent of the island integrated into the core zone and buffer areas. El Hierro is aiming to produce 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables. Meanwhile, at least 2,604 species of flora and fauna have been recorded on the island, and the reserve is a safe-haven for species of friendly sea-faring mammals.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1108782
     
         
      Spanish should eat less meat to limit climate crisis, says minister Sun, 26th Dec 2021 9:53:00
     
      Eating less meat will play a key role in helping Spain mitigate the effects of the climate emergency, slow the process of desertification, and protect its vital tourism industry, the country’s consumer affairs minister has said. Alberto Garzón said people in Spain needed to realise the huge impact that eating meat – particularly beef raised on industrial megafarms – had on the environment, and to change their eating habits accordingly. “People here know about the part that greenhouse gases play in climate change, but they tend to link it to cars and transport,” Garzón told the Guardian. “It was only very recently that everyone started to look at the impact of the animal consumer chain and, especially, at the impact of beef. Other countries were pretty advanced on that but in Spain it’s been a taboo.” The minister said that the country’s geography made it profoundly vulnerable to climate change, adding the Spain people know and love is in danger of disappearing forever. “If we don’t act, it won’t just be climate change we’re dealing with – it’ll be the triple crisis: the loss of biodiversity; pollution, and climate change,” he said. “It would be the end for a country like Spain. Spain is a country in the Mediterranean basin – it isn’t the UK or Germany – and desertification is a very serious problem for our country, not least because it depends so much on tourism. Visiting a desert isn’t quite as attractive as visiting the Costa del Sol.” Garzón says Spaniards need not stop eating meat altogether but suggests they eat far less and ensure it’s good quality for the sake of their health and the environment. He contrasts cheap, mass-produced products with traditionally reared meat. “Extensive farming is an environmentally sustainable means of cattle farming and one that has a lot of heft in parts of Spain such as Asturias, parts of Castilla y León, Andalucía and Extremadura,” he said. “That is sustainable; what isn’t at all sustainable is these so-called mega-farms … They find a village in a depopulated bit of Spain and put in 4,000, or 5,000, or 10,000 head of cattle. They pollute the soil, they pollute the water and then they export this poor quality meat from these ill-treated animals.” The minister also pointed to a recent report that found that 20 livestock companies are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than either Germany, Britain or France. Garzón, an economist who is the coordinator for the United Left alliance in Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government, made headlines when he urged people to reduce their meat consumption in July. He noted the average Spaniard eats more than 1kg of meat a week although the country’s food agency recommends people eat between 200g and 500g, and that Spain eats more meat than any other EU country, slaughtering 70 million pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses and birds each year to produce 7.6m tonnes of meat. His calls were roundly mocked and dismissed – not least by his own partners in government. The agriculture minister said the farming sector was being subjected to “profoundly unfair criticisms when it deserved respect for the honest work it does for both our food and our economy”, while the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, appeared to scoff at the suggestion, saying: “Speaking personally, a medium-rare steak is hard to beat.” Garzón attributes the friendly fire to what he diplomatically terms “the differing programmes and policies” of the coalition parties, and says he always knew taking on the industrial meat industry would provoke a furious response. “We knew from the start that the issue would be controversial, but it needed to be done,” he said. “Other countries – like Germany, the UK and France – are well ahead of us on this. This was the first time in Spain that someone in the government was saying what the scientists have been saying for a long time.” The minister also noticed that most of the public criticism came from men who apparently “felt their masculinity would be affected by not being able to eat a piece of meat or have a barbecue”. Women, on the other hand, were far more open to the message. “We think that part of society was already ready for this and had got its head round this,” he said. “But we still needed to push and there wasn’t a single political party that supported us. Not one. Not even within the governing coalition.” Nevertheless, Garzón is convinced that Spain is finally having a long overdue public discussion over meat. “Civil society organisations and associations of ecologists, paediatricians, doctors and nutritionists all came out to defend us all the way,” he said. “I think that helped us win the debate because the issue was debated for three days on all the news programmes and in bars.” The minister’s other reforms – which include a crackdown on Spain’s betting industry, a ban on unhealthy food advertisements aimed at children and a symbolic toy strike to highlight gender stereotypes – have not always endeared him to certain businesses. They have also made him a favourite target for the Spanish right, who accuse him of meddling in people’s lives. Garzón’s attempts to point out the sexism inherent in many toys was recently given short shrift by the far-right Vox party. “I think Garzón forgets that it’s up to us as parent to decide what we buy,” said its Madrid spokesperson, Rocío Monasterio. “I’m going to go out and buy loads of dolls and cribs for my girls and I’m going to get cars and tractors and tanks for my nephews. And I think over Christmas we should all stuff our faces with meat.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/26/spanish-should-eat-less-meat-to-limit-climate-crisis-says-minister
     
         
      Champions of the Earth: Mia Mottley versus the ‘faceless few’ Thu, 23rd Dec 2021 15:26:00
     
      When the top Barbadian politician stood up in front of the UN General Assembly earlier this year, she was not in a mood to pull punches. In front of world leaders, she decried the “faceless few” pushing the world towards a climate catastrophe and imperilling the future of small-island States, like her own. The impassioned speech would grab headlines around the world and for many, it was an introduction to Mottley. But the Barbados Prime Minister, this year’s Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership, has spent years campaigning against pollution, climate change, and deforestation, turning Barbados into a frontrunner in the global environmental movement. Under Ms. Mottley’s watch, the country has developed an ambitious plan to phase out fossil fuels by 2030. Her vision is for nearly every home on the island to have solar panels on the roof and an electric vehicle out front. At Ms. Mottley’s urging, Latin America and the Caribbean became the first region in the world to agree on the Action Plan for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, an effort to prevent and reverse the degradation of natural spaces worldwide.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1108272
     
         
      It’s Thursday, December 23, and Indigenous leaders have a plan to protect the Amazon Thu, 23rd Dec 2021 15:24:00
     
      The Amazon rainforest is vanishing at an alarming rate. But the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative has a new proposal that could help protect it. The alliance of Indigenous and environmental organizations announced a new “bioregional plan” to protect 80 percent of the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Ecuador — some 82 million acres — from development and extractive industries. Backed by three Amazonian Indigenous federations, as well as the nonprofits Pachamama Alliance and the Rainforest Foundation U.S., the initiative’s efforts to curb deforestation could prevent 2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The plan was unveiled in September and presented during November’s U.N. climate summit, where Indigenous and environmental advocates contended that existing efforts to protect the Amazon — like an international pledge to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and oceans by 2030 — don’t go far enough. “We need this more ambitious goal because the Amazon is at a tipping point,” Suzanne Pelletier, executive director of the Rainforest Foundation U.S., told me. Pelletier added that unlike government pledges, which are subject to the “changing winds of politics,” the bioregional plan centers on Indigenous autonomy over the Amazon, promoting tribal forest management and resource rights. For example, organizations supporting the plan aim to secure 22 million acres of land titles for Indigenous territories. They also call for a global fossil fuel “nonproliferation treaty” and the establishment of an “intergenerational oil fund,” which would use Peru and Ecuador’s remaining fossil fuel revenue to fund a transition to a regenerative economy. So far, both the Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments have expressed support for the plan. Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai, a leader from the Achuar Nation and a coordinator of the initiative, has welcomed the governments’ support, despite noting key obstacles posed by Peru and Ecuador’s reliance on extractive industries to repay foreign debts. “[I]nternational debt is an issue — it’s pure destruction,” Nampichkai said in an interview with Mongabay. The plan’s advocates have called for debt relief from the developed world and from international financial institutions. “If we don’t have global unity we will fail,” Nampichkai told Mongabay. “We all win or lose.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/959557735/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Champions of the Earth: Kyrgystan’s environmental entrepreneur Wed, 22nd Dec 2021 15:18:00
     
      Bishkek, home to roughly one million people, is among the world’s cities with the worst air pollution. During winter months, it is often trapped under a dome of smog derived both from its natural environment – the city’s temperature is, on average, 5°C warmer than its surroundings – and smoke from the coal which is still used to heat most homes. Ms. Kolesnikova’s organization, MoveGreen, was the first to monitor the levels of poisonous fine particles in Bishkek’s air. When the first measurements came back, the team at MoveGreen took their message to a population that was ready to listen: Bishkek’s schoolchildren. Sensors were installed in schools to measure air quality so that classrooms could keep their windows closed when the air pollution was too much. The success of the school-based campaign encouraged Ms. Kolesnikova to convince decision-makers to improve Bishkek’s air quality. MoveGreen developed an app, now available globally, which displays real-time data about air quality from the two largest Kyrgyz cities, Bishkek and Osh. Read more about how MoveGreen and Ms. Kolesnikova are helping to improve air quality in Kyrygystan here.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1108262
     
         
      It’s Monday, December 20, and the Pacific Northwest has big plans to tackle climate change Mon, 20th Dec 2021 15:09:00
     
      In keeping with the Pacific Northwest’s reputation for environmental leadership, lawmakers from Oregon and Washington this month have unveiled new efforts to address the growing threat of climate change. The board that oversees the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality last week voted 3-1 to adopt a new Climate Protection Program, setting a more aggressive limit on climate pollution. The plan, which will go into effect in January, establishes a statewide cap-and-trade scheme intended to steer Oregon toward a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas by 2050. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, emissions from these fuels cover half of Oregon’s total climate pollution. The plan comes after years of failed attempts to establish a cap-and-trade program in the state, in part due to enmity from the fossil fuel industry. Opponents claimed the regulation would lead to higher fuel costs and job losses, despite evidence to the contrary from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. A few days before the Oregon vote, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee also revealed an ambitious climate plan, although for now it’s just a package of proposals that will be up for debate during the 2022 legislative session. Covering everything from electric cars to clean buildings, the $626 million package is meant to help Washington fulfill its legal commitments to reduce climate pollution 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and slash emissions 95 percent by 2050. Among the package’s proposals is a program to spend $100 million a year on rebates for electric vehicles, as well as new funding to electrify state-owned vehicles and ferries and decarbonize buildings. The news from Oregon and Washington has been well-received by environmental advocates, even though they said there was room for improvement in both states’ programs. “I wouldn’t want us to get complacent,” Pam Clough, an advocate with the nonprofit Environment Washington, told me, commenting on Inslee’s climate proposals. “But we’re excited to be working with the governor and the legislature to slash emissions next year.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/957793429/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Calls for 'reasoned debate' over oil and gas future Sun, 19th Dec 2021 15:15:00
     
      Business leaders have written a joint open letter to party leaders calling for a "reasoned debate" over the future of oil and gas in the UK. The call comes after plans for the controversial Cambo Oil field off Shetland were put on hold. The letter says any statements calling for an end to new exploration have shaken investor confidence, placing tens of thousands of jobs at risk. It warns politicians against creating a "hostile investment environment". The letter, from Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, supported by The British Chambers of Commerce and Scottish Chambers of Commerce, has also been signed by 58 leading figures from business and civic life in Aberdeen. It says the economic wellbeing of whole communities across the UK is also being put at risk. The letter adds that the statements calling for an end to new exploration "threaten the very basis of a fair and inclusive transition at the most crucial point in our collective journey to a net-zero society". "A transition, by definition, is a change of state over time," it says. "This is one of the most complex challenges we have faced in our history and it doesn't lend itself to a simple, 'Who's good, who's bad? Who's green, who's not?' approach. To characterise it in this way is overly simplistic. "We must now pause and allow for a reasoned debate about our energy future to take place. At the same time, we urge politicians to reflect carefully on their public statements on oil and gas and the impact they have on investment in the industry. "We must not create an adverse policy environment at this crucial moment in our energy transition journey." The letter adds that by 2050, the International Energy Agency projects that global oil and gas demand will fall by 80%, but 20 million barrels per day will still be needed. "Therefore, there is no current future scenario where there is not a requirement for some oil and gas," it says. "Meantime, it continues to be required for people to travel, heat and power their homes and for the manufacture of many everyday goods." "This leaves us with two options; to produce this domestically, with full control over the regulatory environment in which it is extracted; or to import an increasing amount of our energy, with the heavier carbon toll that shipping it from other parts of the world carries. The latter makes little economic sense, and even less environmental sense." 'Hostile investment environment' Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: "We have a shared interest in getting to net zero as quickly as possible, but over recent months our region has been portrayed as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. "The reality is that the skills, people, and experience embedded in the north-east of Scotland have quietly been leading the way in moving the UK towards its net-zero targets, without any intervention from COP26. "However, turning the North Sea into a hostile investment environment today does nothing to support that transition. In fact, it does the opposite, driving investment and tens of thousands of jobs away to other regions of the world." He added that the energy-transition opportunity for Aberdeen could be bigger than the oil and gas industry - but to get there, strong leaders were needed who were willing to "cut through the noise, see the big picture and get our transition steps in the right order to protect jobs, provide retraining opportunities and create new ones". Deirdre Michie, chief executive of OGUK, which represents the UK's offshore oil and gas industry, said: "Right now, we need oil and gas for 73% of our total energy, and so the transition to carbon neutrality will be a huge and complex task. "We will only be able to achieve it with careful planning by policy-makers who think long-term to develop clear government policies that are then supported by all politicians working together in the national interest. " She said that for years to come, oil and gas needed to be part of the energy mix. "It will be far better for the nation and the environment if we source these fuels from around our shores rather than relying on even more imports," she added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-59717784
     
         
      Climate change: How can renters make their homes warmer and greener? Sat, 18th Dec 2021 14:58:00
     
      Making the UK's ageing housing more energy efficient will be key to the country reaching its climate targets - but campaign groups representing renters and landlords say more action is needed to drive improvements. "At one point you could see your breath in the living room it was that cold," says Erin Davy. The 29-year-old was renting a two-bedroom flat in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire. The letting agent had given an estimate of around £80 a month for the electricity bill. But when she moved in, her direct debit ended up being just under £200 a month - and over winter her monthly bill soared to as much as £400 a month. "Privately renting now is so expensive for young people as it is. Just the rent, let alone having a massive energy bill on top of it," she says. "It was crippling." Erin's boyfriend had lost his job at the beginning of the pandemic so the couple were relying on her wage alone to pay the bills - and she had to increase her overdraft to cover it. The ballooning costs meant they had to be careful about when to turn the heating on and rarely used the living room because it was so difficult to heat. After asking their landlord to take action he replaced their old storage heaters with newer models - but it didn't help. The problem was the flat didn't seem to stay warm at all. As a converted outhouse, the building was badly insulated, especially the floors and walls. Poor insulation doesn't just mean higher bills for renters - it also has an impact on the environment. Heating buildings contributes to almost a quarter of all UK emissions and the more heat that escapes through walls and roofs, the more energy is wasted. For Erin, things got so bad that she asked for an inspection by the council's environmental health team who found the inadequate heating was a health and safety hazard. But the more she asked their landlord to make improvements, she says, the less responsive he became. Eventually the landlord served them with an eviction notice, saying he wanted the flat back for his own use. Erin says the experience of being evicted was "horrible" but they managed to find somewhere else to live. "We couldn't have stayed there - we couldn't afford it," she says. "I couldn't have done another winter in a freezing cold house." So what can you do? If you think your energy bills are too high or your home isn't staying warm, the first thing to do is check its energy performance certificate (EPC) online, says Dan Wilson Craw, from campaign group Generation Rent. Buildings are graded between A - the most energy efficient - and G. In England and Wales, homes must have a rating of at least E to be rented out, with only limited exemptions. The government has also consulted on raising the minimum standard to band C. In Scotland, the government plans to require privately rented properties to have a rating of at least C from 2025. Damp or mould is another sign that your home may be poorly insulated. There is government advice available online on how to make your home more energy efficient, which Mr Craw advises renters look at before approaching their landlord. But if landlords refuse to take action you can ask the local council to carry out an inspection. Councils are responsible for enforcing health and safety standards of homes and if they find serious issues with damp or heating, they can force the landlord to make improvements. Mr Craw says there are also grants and funding available through some councils and energy companies to help make your home more energy efficient if you're on a low income. However, research by Generation Rent suggests many renters are reluctant to demand or invest in improvements because they are unsure whether they will live in a home long enough to benefit from the cheaper bills. Others may be worried that if their landlord does pay for improvements, they may increase the rent to recoup costs or even evict them. Mr Craw says government plans to abolish section 21 "no fault" evictions, which would prevent landlords evicting tenants without good reason, will help give renters more certainty about how long they will be living somewhere. Generation Rent also supports raising minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes - and wants tenants to be able to claim back rent if landlords break the rules. And the group wants to limit the amount landlords can increase rent for existing tenants to wage inflation, to avoid them upping the rent if they are forced to pay for improvements. For landlords, the main barrier to making improvements is cost, according to Chris Norris, from the National Residential Landlords Association. Nearly one in five households in England live in the private rented sector, but this type of housing tends to be older and more difficult to insulate. The average cost of bringing a privately rented home up to EPC C standard is £7,646, according to the government. And while landlords must pay for any changes to their property, they generally don't see the benefits of lower bills. Mr Norris says the grants available are quite limited. The government recently announced grants of £5,000 would be available to people in England and Wales from next April to replace their gas boilers with low-carbon heat pumps, to help cut greenhouse gas emissions. But heat pumps can cost between £6,000 and £18,000 - not including any expensive new insulation that may also be needed - so the subsidy would not cover the total cost. As well as more generous grants, the association also wants to see tax deducted from spending on energy efficiency to give landlords an extra financial incentive. With gas prices surging, Mr Craw says making homes more energy efficient is even more urgent. "If you could address it, you can improve standards of life for private renters and cut carbon emissions," he says. "But it requires action from the government to do that."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59223081
     
         
      It’s Friday, December 17, and energy companies are being held accountable for a California oil spill Fri, 17th Dec 2021 15:17:00
     
      A federal grand jury charged Amplify Energy and two subsidiary companies this week with criminal negligence for their role in a 25,000-gallon oil spill off the coast of Southern California in October. According to the jury’s three-page indictment, the companies’ negligence on six fronts — including understaffing and an insufficiently trained crew — led to the illegal release of oil into federal waters near Huntington Beach. “I am outraged by the complete and utter failure of Amplify Energy to do their job,” said Cottie Petrie-Norris, a Democratic member of the California State Assembly, according to the Los Angeles Times. The indictment describes general chaos on the evening of October 1 and the morning of October 2, when crews working on the offshore San Pedro Bay Pipeline failed to “properly respond” to a series of alarms activated by the pipeline’s automatic leak detection system. Although alarms went off eight times over a 13-hour period, operators did not immediately stanch the flow of oil to the pipeline. Instead, they repeatedly stopped and started the flow of oil, exacerbating the scale of the spill. By the time operators finally shut down the pipeline in the morning of October 2, some 25,000 gallons of crude oil had spilled into the ocean, spreading into a mile-wide slick that killed wildlife and washed onto Southern California beaches. Amplify Energy explained the crew’s behavior by saying that the detection system misidentified the location of the leak, causing the crew to believe that the system was issuing false alarms. But environmental advocates called the companies’ botched response to the leak detection system “reckless and egregious.” If convicted, Amplify Energy and its subsidiaries could be fined millions of dollars and be placed on corporate probation for up to five years. “Their absolute negligence caused devastation in our coastal community,” Petrie-Norris told the Los Angeles Times. “This was not a freak incident — someone here is to blame, and justice will be served.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/956700211/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Young activists snub award Fri, 17th Dec 2021 15:10:00
     
      Young members of an environmental group have turned down an award from a council, accusing it of not doing enough to tackle climate change. Pontypridd's Young Friends of the Earth has been campaigning for changes to address the climate emergency. It said Rhondda Cynon Taf council has not done enough since the devastating floods in 2020 after Storm Dennis. Group member Alice, 13, said: "It would be hypocritical for us to take the award." "We feel Rhondda Cynon Taf council - and the world - isn't taking action against climate change," she added. "The major changes we could do as a county would be big decisions and not small day-to-day ones. "Because if you sit in a house which is on fire you wouldn't just sit there as the flames surrounded you and start making a plan how you're going to deal with the fire. "You're going to act immediately and get water and you're going to put the fire out. You wouldn't sit there doing nothing. The world isn't in the best shape and they're not doing enough about it." Alice added that there was "action immediately" when the pandemic hit, and the same needed to be done for the climate change emergency. "We need that with climate change because if we don't get it sorted out we might not be here." When Storm Dennis caused widespread flooding across south Wales in February 2020, Pontypridd was one of the worst affected towns. Homes and businesses were hit, with the middle of the town centre flooded after the River Taff burst its banks. "When we saw the town flood last year we knew climate change was getting worse and despite what people were saying about it getting better because it's not," said Alice. "I felt terrified when I saw water running down the main street because if water can reach that high because of a storm, imagine what it will be like in 10 years." 'Traumatising' Dan, 12, another member of Young Friends of the Earth, said: "I would have expected Rhondda Cynon Taf council to declare a climate emergency after the Welsh government did. "They are one of the few councils in Wales not to declare it and after Storm Dennis I'd have thought it would have been the first thing they would have done. "I fear, with the melting ice caps, much of the Welsh coast and RCT will get completely flooded and we'll lose whole towns and people's homes. So we need to take action so we don't lose all the history too." Rowan, 10, said they thought it would generate more publicity to turn down the award than accept it. "I don't think people understand how bad things are. I find it traumatising, when I think to the future. "I might have a future with crumbling mountains and suffocating air, and I don't want that to happen." Council leader Andrew Morgan replied to a letter from the group declining the award, saying the council is committed to achieving net zero by 2030 and "has already made progress towards achieving this commitment to meet and contribute to global, national and local targets".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-59690009
     
         
      Preston's City's carbon neutral aim poses 'financial challenge' Fri, 17th Dec 2021 15:04:00
     
      A city council's aim to become carbon neutral by 2030 poses a financial challenge, a report has found. A cross-party task group has spent almost two years exploring what Preston City Council needs to do to fulfil the pledge made in April 2019. The report said decisions would have to be taken ensure "the greatest carbon reduction can be achieved at the earliest opportunity". But its fleet of 124 vehicles will remain diesel-driven. Councillors voted for the authority to invest a further £4.8m over the next five years in replacing the vehicles, but an accompanying report said it was not currently possible to purchase "alternative fuelled" vehicles, because of the lack of the necessary infrastructure to operate them. Environment and community safety cabinet member Robert Boswell defended the decision not to shift the fleet to electric at this point, warning that if the council had to charge all of its vehicles "there might be power failures in Preston, because there [are] other factors [to consider]". He suggested that the authority faced the same practical barriers to electric vehicles that were experienced by some members of the public, including a lack of charging points. "The new vehicles that we will be moving to, though not electronic vehicles, have a reduction in emissions and have potential [for] fuel savings and more efficient engines," he said. Liberal Democrat group leader John Potter branded the report "disappointing" and said the council would not achieve its carbon-cutting aims. However, the Labour chair of the task group, James Hull, said it demonstrated that the authority would have a "robust climate change agenda" at the forefront of all its work. The main recommendation - to create a cabinet member responsible for tackling climate change - has already been implemented by the Labour-run council back in the summer, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The task group report noted the need for the council to focus on its own carbon emissions, other local emissions that it can directly influence through its policies and community emissions that can be cut through partnerships between the council and other organisations. It also suggested that the council carries out a study to explore whether it is feasible to maximise heat recovery at the city's crematorium in order to make it more energy efficient.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-59696406
     
         
      Wood burners cause nearly half of urban air pollution cancer risk – study Fri, 17th Dec 2021 7:00:00
     
      Wood burning stoves in urban areas are responsible for almost half of people’s exposure to cancer-causing chemicals found in air pollution particles, new research has shown. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tiny pollution particles are produced by burning fuels and have long been known to have carcinogenic effects. The new study examined the sources of the PAHs and found wood burning produced more than the diesel fuel or petrol used in vehicles. The analysis was done in Athens, Greece, but the researchers were clear that this was not an unusual case. They said that home wood burning was a significant issue for urban air quality throughout Europe and that excessive exposure to wood smoke could cause severe health effects. “Athens is not an exception – it’s more representative of a rule,” said Athanasios Nenes, at the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas in Patras, Greece, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, and one of the team behind the new study. “On the one hand, it’s: ‘Oh, my goodness, this is terrible.’ But on the other hand, it points to something people can actually do to reduce this risk without too much effort. You basically stop burning wood. That’s the bottom line.” Research published in the last year has shown wood burning in homes is the single biggest source of small particle air pollution in the UK, producing three times more than road traffic, despite just 8% of the population using wood burners. Even new wood burning stoves meeting the “ecodesign” standard still emit 750 times more tiny particle pollution than a modern HGV truck. Wood burners also triple the level of harmful pollution inside homes and should be sold with a health warning, according to scientists. The new research, published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, took background samples of the air in Athens every day for a year. These were analysed for 31 PAHs and a wide range of other chemical markers. Specific compounds are associated with different sources of pollution and these enabled the scientists to calculate the proportion of PAHs produced by each source. They found 31% of annual PAHs came from wood burning, mostly in the winter, 33% from diesel and oil, and 29% from petrol (gasoline). Some PAHs are more carcinogenic than others, however, and when this was taken into account, the proportion of the cancer risk to people as a result of wood burning rose to 43%, with diesel and oil at 36% and petrol at 17%. “We know that [smoke from] wood burning is much more toxic than other types of particles,” said Nenes, and the results clearly highlight wood burning as a principal driver of long-term carcinogenic risk. The level of PAH pollution in Athens was the same order of magnitude as found in studies of other European and North American cities, the researchers said, with much higher levels usually reported for cities in China. The average annual concentration of the PAHs in the Athens study was below EU limits but double the World Health Organization’s reference level. Based on WHO data, the PAHs in Athens would be expected to cause 5 extra cancer cases for every 100,000 people, the researchers said. “Given [the carcinogen exposure] and the extended usage of [wood] burning throughout Europe, eg France, Germany, Ireland and the UK, European action and policies aimed at the regulation of [wood] burning emissions are immediately required, as they can lead to considerable benefits for public health,” the scientists said. Nenes said PAHs were not the only carcinogen in wood smoke, and it also had many other compounds that damaged health. “Wood smoke is particularly potent and causes all kinds of ailments from cancer to oxidative stress, which leads to heart attacks and strokes, obesity, premature ageing, diabetes – anything that has to do with inflammation in the body. So overall, I’m really worried about wood burning.” Gary Fuller at Imperial College London, who was not part of the research team, said: “We tend to think that burning wood is somehow harmless, because wood is a natural product. These measurements remind us that wood burning is not pollution-free. The UK data on emissions of benzo(a)pyrene, one of the main PAHs, shows an increase of 16% since 2000 due to home wood burning.” Prof Alison Tomlin at the University of Leeds, UK, said the move to electric cars would reduce PAH exposure from traffic. “However, unless suitable mitigation methods are developed to reduce PAH emissions from domestic wood burners and boilers, they will continue to pose a significant health risk.” she said. The Athens study showed much of the PAH exposure occurred on winter days with low wind and rain, meaning the wood smoke did not disperse. Tomlin said implementing “no-burn days” at such times could be a useful short-term measure. “However, enforcing such a policy, or even wider restrictions on wood burning in densely populated areas, could be challenging,” she said. Earlier in December, Utrecht council in the Netherlands announced subsidies of up to €2,000 (£1,700) to encourage people to replace their wood burning stoves and fireplaces in order to clean up the city’s air. Earlier research by Nenes and colleagues found that wood smoke emitted at night time oxidised into more harmful compounds much faster than had been expected. This means the pollution becomes more dangerous to health while it is still concentrated near the source, rather than oxidising over a few days as it disperses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/17/wood-burners-urban-air-pollution-cancer-risk-study
     
         
      It’s Thursday, December 16, and the Big Apple is phasing fossil fuels out of new buildings Thu, 16th Dec 2021 15:19:00
     
      In a major move to address its largest source of climate pollution this week, New York City passed a bill to limit the use of fossil fuels for heating and cooking in new buildings. The bill, which was approved by city council members on Wednesday afternoon, will prevent real estate developers from installing fossil fuel-powered appliances in some new buildings starting in 2023. By 2027, the ban will apply to all new construction. New buildings will have to incorporate electric appliances such as heat pumps, which can heat and cool homes without burning fossil fuels like natural gas. With Wednesday’s vote, the Big Apple is now the largest U.S. city moving to limit natural gas in new buildings, as well as a pioneer on the East Coast. Other cities with similar policies — like California’s Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, and Oakland — are smaller, and mostly located on the West Coast. The Golden State in particular has been a hotbed for building electrification bills, perhaps because its moderate weather limits the need for heating. But as my colleague Emily Pontecorvo reported, a recent study from the NYC-based nonprofit Urban Green Council found that New York City’s grid is capable of handling a lot more electricity demand in the winter. “There is no reason to wait,” the Urban Green Council’s CEO, John Mandyk, told Emily. “Electrification can and should happen now to meet the threat of climate change.” Although real estate interests and fossil fuel companies opposed the bill, arguing that it would raise New Yorkers’ utility bills, environmental advocates commended it, saying it could offer a blueprint for other municipalities seeking to transition away from gas heating. “[I]f it can be done in New York City, it can really be done anywhere,” Ben Furnas, New York City’s sustainability chief, told E&E News. “We’re putting a marker down, saying the next generation of buildings is going to be electric. We want to be a model for the world.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/956294201/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      The teenagers and the nun trying to stop an Australian coal mine Wed, 15th Dec 2021 15:21:00
     
      When eight teenagers and an elderly nun in Australia teamed up for a climate case, they won, in a historic judgement. Their case has now been appealed by the country's government. If the final verdict swings in their favour, it will have ramifications not just for Australian law but for climate cases world-wide. In May this year, Anjali Sharma was sitting in her economics class at school in Melbourne when the court in Sydney live-streamed the results of a climate case she had found herself at the centre of. It took a while to sink in. "To me it all just sounded like jargon. It took a briefing from my legal team to understand the magnitude of what had happened," she says. At that moment 17-year-old Ms Sharma and the seven other teenagers involved in her case had made history. Alongside 87-year-old Catholic nun Brigid Arthur, who acted as the young people's legal guardian, they'd taken Australia's environment minister, Sussan Ley, to court - and won. "It felt really rewarding to be able to engage in something so historic for Australia, and needed too," says Ms Sharma. Their case attempted to stop the expansion of the Vickery coal mine in New South Wales, which is estimated to add an extra 170 million tonnes of fossil fuel emissions to the atmosphere. The judge in their case, Mordy Bromberg, ruled that the government had a duty to protect young people against future harm related to climate change. It's the first time in the world that a duty of care of this kind has been recognised. Justice Bromberg did not, however, grant them an injunction to prevent the expansion of the mine. In his view, the court didn't have any evidence that Sussan Ley would actually approve the extension, and any injunction would be pre-emptive. Yet in September Ms Ley approved the extension of the Vickery coal mine, as well as three others since then. The government is also appealing the decision in the Sharma case - the outcome of which is due soon. The government used a "substitution argument" as one reason to approve Vickery, says the lawyer representing the Sharma case, David Barnden. "It's the argument that if this particular coal project didn't go ahead, it wouldn't make a difference to the total amount of emissions because effectively the market would fulfill that demand. That's otherwise known as the drug dealer's defence - it's the idea that 'If I don't deal drugs then somebody else will.'" For Sister Brigid Arthur, the minister's decisions since the success of their case are "quite provocative". Sister Arthur has spent a lifetime working with young people. For over two decades she has been acting as a litigation guardian - instructing lawyers on behalf of those who can't represent themselves - in cases mostly involving refugees. Before that she was a secondary school teacher. This is her first environmental case. "It's engaged young people in a way that seems quite extraordinary. It's certainly for me something new," she says. She was approached by lawyers just over a year ago who asked her to act as the teenagers' litigation guardian. She didn't take much convincing. "I'm pretty passionate about climate change and while I don't work directly in this area, I'm very conscious of the fact that it's important for people to do what they can. "Young people are the ones who will inherit whatever we're doing now, so they have every right to be calling people to account." In speaking out, Ms Sharma has made herself a target for attacks. "I've been messaged a lot of threats," she says. "Some of the big news sources in Australia have, I guess, quite a right-wing following, so when news sources like that have covered my story I learned really quickly not to read the comments." A 2019 report which investigated four publications owned by Australia's most powerful media company, News Corp Australia, argued that they promoted climate scepticism. Of over 8,000 articles analysed, 45% of all items either rejected or cast doubt upon consensus scientific findings. In response, a News Corp Australia spokesman said the year-old report was "imbalanced" and coming from "a political activist group with a history of bias against our company's journalism". News Corp Australia recently has been viewed as softening its hostility towards climate action by advocating for net zero emissions by 2050. Despite this, shortly before and during COP26, videos from News Corp-owned Sky News Australia were recycled and found traction on social media amongst climate sceptics. One Sky News Australia segment in which the host condemns youth climate activists as "selfish, badly educated, virtue-signalling little turds" was shared by the head of the advocacy group the CO2 coalition and received over 45,000 likes and 16,000 retweets. As the science of climate change has become harder to argue with, a growing and common tactic is often to shoot the messenger instead - often accusing them of hypocrisy. "Comments like 'Oh, she's wearing jeans and I bet she doesn't know how much water goes into producing a pair of jeans,'" says Ms Sharma. "And you know, they're right. I do own a pair of jeans. But me not owning that pair of jeans is not going to cut Australia's emissions in half by 2030."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59390798
     
         
      A Global Breakdown of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector Wed, 15th Dec 2021 15:11:00
     
      n a few decades, greenhouse gases (GHGs)—chiefly in the form of CO? emissions—have risen at unprecedented rates as a result of global growth and resource consumption. To uncover the major sectors where these emissions originate, this graphic from Our World in Data pulls in data from 2016 courtesy of Climate Watch and the World Resources Institute, when total emissions reached 49.4 billion tonnes of CO? equivalents (CO?e). Sources of GHG Emissions Global GHG emissions can be roughly traced back to four broad categories: energy, agriculture, industry, and waste. Overwhelmingly, almost three-quarters of GHG emissions come from our energy consumption. Within each category, there are even more granular breakdowns to consider. We’ll take a closer look at the top two, which collectively account for over 91% of global GHG emissions. Energy Use Within this broad category, we can further break things down into sub-categories like transport, buildings, and industry-related energy consumption, to name a few. Billions of people rely on petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to get around. As a result, they contribute to almost 12% of global emissions. But this challenge is also an opportunity: the consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could significantly help shift the world away from fossil fuel use, both for passenger travel and for freight—although there are still speedbumps to overcome. Meanwhile, buildings contribute 17.5% of energy-related emissions overall—which makes sense when you realize the stunning fact that cities use 60-80% of the world’s annual energy needs. With megacities (home to 10+ million people) ballooning every day to house the growing urban population, these shares may rise even further. Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use The second biggest category of emissions is the sector that we rely on daily for the food we eat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, methane from cows and other livestock contribute the most to emissions, at 5.8% total. These foods also have some of the highest carbon footprints, from farm to table. Another important consideration is just how much land our overall farming requirements take up. When significant areas of forest are cleared for grazing and cropland, there’s a clear link between our land use and rising global emissions. Although many of these energy systems are still status quo, the global energy mix is ripe for change. As the data shows, the potential points of disruption have become increasingly clear as the world moves towards a green energy revolution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/a-global-breakdown-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-sector/
     
         
      Arctic heat record is like Mediterranean, says UN Tue, 14th Dec 2021 15:32:00
     
      The highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic, 38C (100F), has been officially confirmed, sounding "alarm bells" over Earth's changing climate. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday verified the record, reported in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk on 20 June last year. The temperature was 18C higher than the area's average daily maximum for June. The WMO, a UN agency, said the extreme heat was "more befitting the Mediterranean than the Arctic". It is the first time the agency has included the Arctic Circle in its archive of extreme weather reports. The WMO said the 38C temperature was measured at a meteorological station during "an exceptional and prolonged Siberian heatwave". Last year's extreme heat in the region contributed to the spread of wildfires, which swept across the forests and peatlands of northern Russia releasing record amounts of carbon. While relatively common in summer months, high temperatures and strong winds made the fires unusually severe. The high temperatures across Siberia led to "massive sea ice loss" and played a major role in 2020 being one of the three warmest years on record, the WMO said. The agency said its verification of the Verkhoyansk record highlighted how temperatures were increasing in a climatically important region of the world. "This new Arctic record is one of a series of observations reported to the WMO archive of Weather and Climate Extremes that sound the alarm bells about our changing climate," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Mr Taalas told the BBC that melting snow and ice in the Russian Arctic were boosting warming. "This is very much caused by changes in the radiation properties of the soil and the ocean... once we had snow cover, the radiation properties of the surface is very different from the dark soil or open sea," he said. The WMO said it had added the Arctic Circle to its World Weather and Climate Extremes archive under a new category for high temperatures in the region. The Arctic is one of the fastest warming regions in the world, heating at more than twice the global average, the WMO said. Warming in the Arctic is leading to the thawing of once permanently frozen permafrost below ground. This is alarming scientists because as permafrost thaws, carbon dioxide and methane previously locked up below ground is released. These greenhouse gases can cause further warming, and further thawing of the permafrost, in a vicious cycle known as positive feedback. The higher temperatures also cause land ice in the Arctic to melt at a faster rate, leading to greater run-off into the ocean where it contributes to sea-level rise. Human activity is contributing to a rise in world temperatures, and climate change now threatens every aspect of human life. Left unchecked, humans and nature will experience catastrophic warming, with worsening droughts, greater sea level rise and mass extinction of species.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59649066
     
         
      How to make electricity for your neighbours Tue, 14th Dec 2021 15:11:00
     
      Sick of waiting for electricity to reach his home, John Magiro built his own tiny power plant. Find out more on People Fixing the World.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-59635134
     
         
      Thwaites: Antarctic glacier heading for dramatic change Tue, 14th Dec 2021 15:08:00
     
      Scientists are warning of dramatic changes at one of the biggest glaciers in Antarctica, potentially within the next five to 10 years. They say a floating section at the front of Thwaites Glacier that until now has been relatively stable could "shatter like a car windscreen". US and UK researchers are currently engaged in an intense study programme at Thwaites because of its melt rate. Already it is dumping 50 billion tonnes of ice into the ocean each year. This is having limited impact on global sea-levels today, but there is sufficient ice held upstream in the glacier's drainage basin to raise the height of the oceans by 65cm - were it all to melt. Such a "doomsday" scenario is unlikely to come about for many centuries, but the study team says Thwaites is now responding to a warming world in really quite rapid ways. "There is going to be dramatic change in the front of the glacier, probably in less than a decade. Both published and unpublished studies point in that direction," said glaciologist Prof Ted Scambos, US lead coordinator for the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC). "This will accelerate the pace (of Thwaites) and widen, effectively, the dangerous part of the glacier," he told BBC News. Thwaites is a colossus. It's roughly the size of Great Britain, or Florida, and its outflow speed has doubled in the past 30 years. The ITGC has established how this is happening. It is the result of warm ocean water getting under - and melting - Thwaites's floating front, or ice shelf as it's known. The warm water is thinning and weakening this ice, making it run faster and pushing back the zone where the main glacier body becomes buoyant. At the moment, the leading edge of the eastern ice shelf is pinned in place by an offshore underwater ridge, which means its flow speed is a third of that seen in the ice shelf's western sector which has no such constraint. But the ITGC team says the eastern shelf is likely to become uncoupled from the ridge in the next few years which will destabilise it. And even if the pinning persists, the ongoing development of fractures in the shelf ice will almost certainly break up the area anyway. "I visualise it somewhat similar to that car window where you have a few cracks that are slowly propagating, and then suddenly you go over a bump in your car and the whole thing just starts to shatter in every direction," explained Dr Erin Pettit from Oregon State University. The affected area is very small when considered in the context of the glacier as a whole, but it is the shift to a new regime and what this means for further ice loss that is the real significance. At present, the eastern shelf, which has a width of about 40km, moves forward at about 600m per year. The coming change in status will probably see the following ice jump in speed to about 2km per year - the same as the current velocity recorded in the 80km-wide western sector. Jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council, the five-year ITGC project is putting Thwaites under unprecedented scrutiny. Each Antarctic summer season, teams of scientists are investigating the glacier's behaviour in every way possible. From satellite, on the ice, and from ships in front of Thwaites. Those teams are en route for the new season right now, some in Covid quarantine ahead of their deployment to the field. One of the projects for the New Year will see the tubby yellow submarine known as "Boaty McBoatface" dive under Thwaites' floating ice to gather data on water temperature, current direction and turbulence - all factors that influence melting. The autonomous vehicle will go on missions lasting one to four days, navigating its own path through the cavity beneath the shelf. This is high risk as the seafloor terrain is extremely rugged. "It's scary. We might not get Boaty back," conceded Dr Alex Phillips from the UK's National Oceanography Centre. "We've put a lot of effort this past year into developing collision avoidance for the vehicle, to make sure it doesn't crash into the seabed. We also have contingencies whereby if it does get into trouble, it can retrace its steps and retreat to safety."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59644494
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, December 14, and Scotland’s last coal plant is no more Tue, 14th Dec 2021 14:58:00
     
      Scotland bade a symbolic farewell to coal-fired power generation last week as it demolished the chimney of its last coal plant. The 600-foot Longannet chimney was Scotland’s largest freestanding structure, part of a coal plant that came into operation in 1970. It stopped generating power in 2016, but the chimney remained intact until last Thursday, when Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, ceremoniously detonated 1,500 pounds of explosives to bring the structure tumbling down. “The demolition of the Longannet chimney todays [sic] marks the definitive end of coal power in Scotland,” Sturgeon wrote on Twitter. Scottish Power, the energy company that owned the coal plant and now generates only renewable electricity, delivered a similar message, projecting the words “make coal history” onto the chimney the day before it was knocked down. Longannet’s demolition is aligned with Scotland’s economy-wide goal to meet 50 percent of its energy demand with renewables by 2030 and to become carbon neutral by 2045. In 2020, renewables met 97 percent of Scotland’s electricity demand, but the country’s heating and transportation remain reliant on fossil fuels. Toward that end, Sturgeon has promised increased investments in renewables, as well as hydrogen and energy storage, which she says will strengthen Scotland’s job market and energy security and bring “benefits for local communities.” Although Scotland is no longer home to any coal-fired power generators, it still has one natural gas-fired power plant, in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. And there are still several coal plants across the rest of the United Kingdom, since the British government’s deadline to go coal-free isn’t until October 2024. Still, environmental advocates cheered the chimney’s toppling. “This is quite a major symbolic milestone,” John Bynorth, policy and communications officer for the nonprofit Environmental Protection Scotland, told me. “It sends out a message to the rest of the world that Scotland is really pushing to achieve its climate targets.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/954301753/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      38? record Arctic temperature confirmed, others likely to follow: WMO Tue, 14th Dec 2021 14:57:00
     
      Worryingly, the temperature reading taken last June in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk – which is located 115 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle - is “just one of a series” of potentially record-breaking observations from around the planet in 2020, that the agency is seeking to verify. “The World Meteorological Organization has this morning recognized a temperature of 38C which is a staggering 100.4F in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk,” WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis told journalists in Geneva. “It was recorded last year (on) 20 June 2020 and we have recognized it as a new Arctic record.” Describing the temperature as “more befitting the Mediterranean than the Arctic”, WMO explained in a statement that average temperatures over Arctic Siberia reached 10C above normal for much of last summer. Devastating summer months “If you cast your mind back to last year, you will recall there was an exceptional, prolonged Siberian heatwave, as a result of this heatwave we saw devastating and very widespread Siberian fires and we saw massive Arctic sea ice loss at the end of the summer season,” Ms. Nullis said. The furnace-like conditions also contributed to 2020 becoming one of the three warmest years on record, the WMO spokesperson explained, adding that the Siberian heatwave “would have been almost impossible without climate change”. In response to the record Arctic heatwave, the UN agency also created a new category for record temperatures. In WMO’s Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes, the new category is listed as “highest recorded temperature at or north of 66.5?, the Arctic Circle”. Arctic warming fast While WMO has frequently warned that the Arctic is one of the fastest warming parts of the world, warming “more than twice as fast as the global average”, Ms. Nullis underscored that climate change has also pushed up temperatures elsewhere, which the UN agency is busy verifying. These include a new high in the Antarctic continent of 18.3C that was recorded at the Argentinian base, Esperanza. WMO investigators are also seeking to verify temperature readings of 54.4C recorded in both 2020 and 2021 in the world’s hottest place, Death Valley in California. In addition, they are also assessing a new reported European temperature record of 48.8C in the Italian island of Sicily this summer. “The WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes has never had so many ongoing simultaneous investigations,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107872
     
         
      US tornadoes: Is climate change to blame? Mon, 13th Dec 2021 15:16:00
     
      Several US states have been hit by a devastating series of tornadoes, with an expected death toll of more than 100. These are extremely rare outside the spring and summer, in the US, but this December there has been a record number of tornado warnings. So is climate change causing more frequent and stronger tornadoes? How are tornadoes formed? When warm moist air is trapped by cooler air, it causes thunder clouds to form. The warm air rises, creating an updraft. And if there are also strong winds moving in different directions, the air column starts to rotate. Increasing amounts of warm air are drawn in, speeding up the wind spiral, which then extends out of the bottom of the thunder clouds. And once this touches the ground, it is a tornado. There is more warm moist air in the hotter months. And a cluster of tornadoes of this size and power in December is extremely unusual in the US. Are tornadoes becoming more common? Far more tornadoes have been recorded in the past 20 years than the previous 20 - but some of this is due to improved tracking. As data-collecting methods have improved, less severe tornadoes have been recorded more consistently. "To an untrained eye, it may look like we are having more of these events happening - but in reality what is happening is we have much better tools for identifying relatively weaker tornadoes," Dr Jana Houser, professor of meteorology, at the University of Ohio, says. But clusters of tornadoes - when six or more start within six hours of each other - are becoming more likely. And though there are now fewer days with tornadoes - on average about 100 compared with 150 in the 1970s - there are more tornadoes on those days. Is there a link to climate change? No single weather event can be put down to climate change alone. The increasing amount of tornado clusters "clearly implies that the patterns of the atmosphere have changed", meteorologist Harold Brooks, at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), says. "That may be related to climate change - but we cannot make a full conclusion," he adds. Warmer temperatures make extreme weather events more likely and potentially more destructive. But "there is no scientific consensus" on tornadoes, Mr Brooks says. "It is not like the consensus on the increase in heatwaves or heavy rain at all." Wind speed and energy in the atmosphere are two of the main drivers of tornadoes - but there is a lack of definitive evidence on how they may change with a warming climate. At a briefing following the tornadoes, US President Joe Biden said he would "be asking the Environmental Protection Agency and others to take a look at [the role of climate change]. "The fact is that we know everything is more intense when the climate is warming," he added. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found some "conditions conducive to tornadoes such as atmospheric instability [will] increase due to increasing temperature and humidity". But other conditions, which may lessen the likelihood of tornadoes, also exist. Are tornadoes becoming more intense? There is no evidence tornadoes are becoming stronger, according to National Geographic Society research. In fact, the US had had a "tornado drought", with no highest-category tornado since 2013. The most devastating of this weekend's tornadoes has become known as the Quad-State - cutting a swathe through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. It is not the wind speeds, though, that were record-breaking but its size. It was reportedly three-quarters of a mile (1.2km) wide and travelled for more than 220 miles - considerably further than the distance from London to Paris. On average, tornadoes are 50 yards wide and travel only a few miles, according to the National US Weather Service. Is a bigger area at risk? The most frequent tornadoes have traditionally been in a strip through the central US known as Tornado Alley. This includes areas of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. But some evidence points towards a shift to having more tornadoes in the southern US. Mr Brooks says: "Tornado Alley is not well defined, so that is hard to say - if there is a definite shift. "We have seen an increase in tornadoes of about 10% over 40 years in the mid-South region and a decrease in the Texas, Kansas sort of region. "It has shifted - but it is not a huge shift."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/59641376
     
         
      Tackling corruption, important step for ‘inclusive, sustainable development’ Mon, 13th Dec 2021 15:03:00
     
      In a video message to the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (CoSP9) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, he warned that countries investing in COVID-19 recovery, “must guard against the diversion of vital resources by criminal opportunists”. ‘Important step’ Corruption deepens inequalities, feeds cynicism and reinforces obstacles facing women and girls, according to the UN chief who maintained that tackling it is “an important step towards inclusive, sustainable development”. He described the conference as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and accelerate global action against corruption. “Let us revive hope and restore trust in institutions…now is the time to act for a safer, more prosperous and just future”, spelled out the Secretary-General. Speaking with ‘one voice’ The chief of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Waly, said “we are here, at this crucial moment, to raise one voice in rejecting corruption”. “Corruption undermines development, security, and the rights of everyone. It erodes public trust in systems and institutions”. She added that the world loses trillions of dollars every year to corruption, “at a time when every dollar is needed to increase public investment”. And Africa alone loses more than $88 billion annually in terms of capital flight. “Lack of transparency and accountability in institutions denies people equal access to justice as well as to health, protection, and other services”, destroying competition, raising costs, and compromising delivery, said Ms. Waly. Moreover, corruption enables criminals, traffickers, and terrorists by allowing proceeds of crime to find safe havens, channeling funds to terrorists, and providing gateways for trafficking. The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the impact of corruption on societies – aggravating vulnerabilities and threatening responses. It has increased the importance of incorporating anti-corruption into responses and “should act as a global wake-up call…to take a stand for integrity”, she said. “Here, in Sharm El-Sheikh, the world can rise to this moment and take action”. Ladder of responsibility Battling corruption starts at the highest levels of leadership and cascade down to institutions, businesses, communities, and individuals, the UNODC chief explained, saying “each and every one of us has a role to play”. At the top, there is a need for “resolute political will” from leaders and government members, to mobilize the necessary resources. “This forum, and its outcomes, can foster political will, and reaffirm the shared global responsibility to fight corruption”, she attested. However, from law enforcement to financial investigation units and the judiciary, institutions at the forefront of the fight must be empowered, remain independent and be provided with the necessary resources. “At this conference, we can better determine the needs of today in confronting corruption and commit global attention and resources to address those needs”, said Ms. Waly. Other steps Corruption is a cross-border crime that requires greater international cooperation by minimizing the obstacles that persistently hamper results. “By joining the recently-launched GlobE network, which already includes 80 authorities from 48 countries, Member States can benefit from a global platform for swift law enforcement cooperation”, she said, urging the attendees to also engage with the World Bank and UNODC Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) initiative. She noted that businesses are instrumental in preventing corruption by committing to fair competition and protecting supply chains, while civil society is crucial in preserving accountability and the media in demonstrating integrity in their coverage. “All of these actors are represented here at the CoSP, and we must include them in our responses”, flagged the UNODC chief. Strengthening women As agents of change, ordinary citizens are at the heart of responses and must be protected from corruption. “Women are affected disproportionately by corruption and bribery”, the UNODC official stated. “Long-standing networks of collusion reinforce exclusion in the workplace and in the public sphere, while corruption creates additional barriers to women accessing health, education, and other services”. Women must be empowered in positions of leadership to break established cycles and structures of corruption, to ensure a fairer future for all. Empowering youth Although the world’s 1.8 billion young people hold the energy and conviction to foster change, in the absence of integrity, they are deprived of opportunity and hope. “By educating children and young people on integrity and ethics, we can build public trust and the rule of law, helping to ensure the sustainability of anti-corruption efforts, and to generate new ideas for how we can fight corruption”, said Ms. Waly. Against this backdrop, UNODC is launching the Global Resource for Anti-corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative to unlock the potential of young people. “To truly overcome endemic corruption, we need to aim for a fundamental change in mindsets, one that rejects corruption at every level”, she said. “People must believe that every act of petty corruption, every small bribe, undermines the rule of law and undermines their own future”. The UNODC chief concluded by encouraging everyone to use the convention to face today’s challenges and prepare for those to come. “Let us live up to our role, for everyone’s rights”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107812
     
         
      It’s Monday, December 13, and a deeply red state has a plan to decarbonize its power sector Mon, 13th Dec 2021 15:01:00
     
      Nebraska’s Republican state lawmakers have no plan to tackle climate change. But the state’s publicly-owned electric utilities do. The board of directors of the Nebraska Public Power District voted 6 to 2 last week to aim for net-zero emissions by 2050, making Nebraska the only Republican-controlled state in the U.S. to aim for total decarbonization of its power sector by midcentury. The state’s two other major electric utilities — the Omaha Public Power District and Lincoln Electric System — have already pledged to zero out their emissions by 2050 and 2040, respectively, meaning that nearly every Nebraskan now gets power from a utility committed to net-zero. The recent move was made possible by everyday Nebraskans. Because Nebraska is the only state in the country whose electric utilities are 100 percent publicly owned, citizens elect their board members. That gives conservative Nebraskans a way to vote for green energy independent of their views on other issues. “Over the past 6 years, you have helped us elect clean energy champions who have now created a clear path to lead NE to a cleaner future,” the nonprofit Nebraska Conservation Voters said in a tweet. Although the move represents a big step forward for Nebraska’s climate ambitions, the commitment is nonbinding, and it doesn’t necessarily portend a total transition away from coal, which currently provides more than 50 percent of Nebraska’s electricity. As my colleague Zoya Teirstein wrote last week, the net-zero plan allows for carbon capture technology to be incorporated into the state’s coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, which means that fossil fuels could remain a part of Nebraska’s energy mix past 2050. Still, environmental advocates cheered the decision as a good omen for Nebraska’s renewable energy future. “[T]here is broad public support for clean energy and reducing pollution,” Chelsea Johnson, Nebraska Conservation Voters’ deputy director, said in a statement. “This is a historic day for Nebraska, and we are excited about the path forward.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/953649715/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Homeowner told to remove solar panels - but next door has had them for decade Sat, 11th Dec 2021 8:00:00
     
      A south London man has described his incredulity after Merton council ordered him to remove his solar panels – flying in the face of attempts to tackle the climate crisis and in spite of the fact his neighbour has had some on their roof for more than 10 years. In 2019, Merton council declared a climate emergency and said the borough would become net zero by 2050. But that hasn’t stopped council officials ordering Syd Reid, who lives in Wimbledon, remove his panels because his property is in a conservation area. A year ago he put up photovoltaic panels on his south-facing roof at the front of his home in an effort to reduce the property’s carbon footprint without realising he needed planning permission to do so. He had been assured, wrongly, by the installer that he didn’t. “I did a cursory investigation but somehow missed the conservation area rules,” he said. “The main reason I thought I would be fine was that our immediate neighbour has had almost identical south-facing solar panels on their roof for more than 10 years. “What’s happened since has been something out of the dark ages. Someone has complained and the council has ordered them to be taken down. It’s as if the climate crisis isn’t happening.” In 2008, the government removed the need for most people to get planning permission to install photovoltaic solar energy systems but the requirement for permission was retained in conservation areas and for all listed buildings. After Reid received an order from Merton’s planning department instructing him to take the panels down, he submitted an application for retrospective planning, only for this to be rejected. He said he appealed against that decision but this, too, has been turned down. He said the decision is all the more baffling given that the road that he lives on features a mixture of house styles and roof types. Not even the road’s greatest fan would describe it in any way as architecturally extraordinary, or important. “While the panels have been up I have reduced my carbon emissions by over 400kg,” he said. “The whole thing is madness – a combination of nimbyism and inconsistent, out-of-date planning bureaucracy that is failing to recognise the state [in which] we are leaving the planet. This has to be changed. “Our neighbour’s panels have been producing electricity for 10 years without upsetting anyone but mine have to come down. If I wish to maintain my level of carbon emissions reduction I have been advised that the only course of action left is to take my case to the high court.” A spokesperson for Merton council told Guardian Money that while installing solar panels is “generally to be applauded”, the council also has a duty to protect the “character” of the local area. “The standards of design that have to be met will always be higher in conservation areas,” he said. He said two other houses in the road have approved solar panels but on north-facing roofs, rather missing the point that they will produce significantly less power than they would on a south-facing roof. “We don’t want to put residents off installing carbon saving measures,” the spokesperson said. “Our planning officers are here to work with them to achieve developments that are compliant with our planning policy. There are other options which might have less of a visual impact, such as low-profile PVs or the use of solar tiles.” Meanwhile, it now looks likely that Reid’s neighbour could be forced to remove their panels, too. “We have not looked into this yet as no formal complaint was raised. However, our officers will now look to inspect and regularise those solar panels,” the Merton spokesperson said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/dec/11/homeowner-told-to-remove-solar-panels-but-next-door-has-had-them-for-decade
     
         
      Here’s what it would take to end emissions from fossil fuels Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:51:00
     
      Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by 2050 is a massive challenge. It’ll mainly be achieved through cutting emissions from fossil fuels: coal, natural gas and oil. This will require rapid, deep transformation across the UK’s energy system. Smaller energy transformations have taken place before in the UK. For example, during 1966 to 1977, there was a shift from using town gas (made from burning coal) to using North Sea natural gas. The transformation involved building a national gas grid, as well as updating millions of pieces of equipment. But since then, the UK’s energy system has become far more complex. The country has never transformed such a large, critical apparatus. There are two main ways we can cut emissions from fossil fuels: elimination and decarbonisation. Elimination means that low-carbon energy sources such as renewables, hydrogen gas from low-carbon sources and nuclear power replace fossil fuels. This process requires “fuel switching” – changing or upgrading systems and equipment to run on these new fuels, such as moving from petrol to electric cars. The two largest domains where fuel switching is required are vehicles and building heating. On the other hand, decarbonisation requires capturing emissions as they are produced. This technology, called carbon capture and use or storage, is generally done by chemically compressing carbon dioxide into a liquid and either storing it or using it to make synthetic fuels, chemicals and building materials. Additionally, other “negative emissions technologies” that take greenhouse gases out of the air are being developed, but so far none are ready for mass deployment. Challenges Several plans for getting the UK to reach net zero emissions have been made public: including from the Committee on Climate Change, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the National Grid. Country governments, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also made plans – but how achievable these will be in practice remains to be seen. Among the many challenges that these plans pose, two stand out: sorting out mass fuel switching and deploying complex new technologies related to emissions reduction. Mass fuel switching could cause problems if new equipment is initially too scarce, unreliable, or more expensive to buy or run than existing equipment. Additionally, actually meeting growing demand for low-carbon energy will mean significantly expanding the country’s current electricity generation capacity. Ensuring there are no delays in providing this power to citizens will be crucial. Although these problems may only occur for a short time while the low-carbon transition takes place, they would still require rapid responses from those governing the transition to avoid causing social unrest. Most energy transition plans also rely at least partly on some new, complex technologies being added to our roster, to help generate greener energy. These include carbon capture and storage, as well as advanced nuclear power such as small modular reactors and green hydrogen produced using low-carbon electricity. The speed with which these inventions are developed and adopted, both in industry and society, will have to increase if we are to meet climate goals. My own research into the complexity of energy transition shows that strong political leadership is needed to to keep transitions on track. Leaders shouldn’t just set ambitious energy efficiency goals. They must also support energy efficiency improvement programmes like retrofitting houses, encourage investment in energy technology research, and help local governments to make the transition easier for the public: for example, by installing more electric vehicle charging points. Opportunities Making a successful transition to low-carbon energy wouldn’t just help the UK meet its net zero targets and climate obligations. Other benefits could include better local air quality, less energy poverty, better national energy security and more reliable transport. Social movements could play a key role during this transition. This might look like supporting people vulnerable to fuel poverty (including the elderly, renters and those living in rural areas) through the fuel switching process. Or it could involve developing new businesses to provide essential services like heating and transport in more efficient, sustainable ways. And internationally, the UK could become more economically competitive within a decarbonised world, demonstrating how industrialised countries can achieve economic growth while cutting carbon emissions and encouraging social wellbeing.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/heres-what-it-would-take-to-end-emissions-from-fossil-fuels-170815
     
         
      Climate change: Brighton Green MP Caroline Lucas seeks tough new pledges Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:43:00
     
      England’s only Green MP, Caroline Lucas, says the UK needs to overhaul its laws to tackle the climate emergency. She has introduced the Climate and Ecology Bill to Parliament, which includes ambitious new targets for reaching net zero and is backed by groups including Extinction Rebellion. But how likely is it to change the law?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-sussex-59601355
     
         
      It’s Friday, December 10, and the Biden administration is pushing the U.S. to be carbon-neutral by 2050. Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:33:00
     
      The U.S.’s biggest land owner, energy consumer, and employer is doubling down on its climate commitment. An executive order signed Wednesday by President Joe Biden instructed federal agencies to slash emissions from their operations to address the escalating climate crisis, with the goal of getting the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050. Through a series of detailed and far-reaching proposals touching everything from the government’s vehicle fleet to its electricity generation, the directive aims to bolster the president’s existing pledge to achieve net-zero emissions for the overall U.S. economy by 2050. “We will lead the world by example — transforming how we build, buy, and manage to help make our economy cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable,” Biden said in the introduction to a 68-page document detailing the Federal Sustainability Plan. Biden’s order sets several interim targets for the federal government, including a 65 percent reduction in climate pollution from federal operations by the end of the decade. According to a White House fact sheet, the government will also procure half of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2030, halve emissions from its buildings by 2032, and purchase only zero-emission vehicles starting in 2035. Republican lawmakers were swift to criticize the new plan as a “backbreaking move to build bigger bureaucracy,” while some climate organizations argued it should have gone further by banning fossil fuel extraction on public lands.Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat from Delaware, lauded the effort as a step toward addressing the U.S.’s contribution to climate change.“True leaders turn adversity into opportunity, and that is exactly what President Biden is doing with this executive order today,” he said in a statement, adding that the federal government should also pass the Build Back Better Act to help states implement their own climate plans.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/952674795/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change fuels violence and mass displacement in Cameroon Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:29:00
     
      The development is just the latest episode in the difficult relationship between the region’s herders, fishermen and farmers, who have seen the waters and tributaries of Lake Chad shrink dramatically, because of climate change-induced drought. In Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov explained that clashes had broken out in recent days in the village of Ouloumsa, following a dispute over dwindling water resources. The violence then spread to neighbouring villages, leaving 10 villages burned to the ground. Escalating tensions “UNHCR is deeply concerned by renewed intercommunal clashes that erupted this week in Cameroon’s Far North region, displacing thousands inside the country and forcing more than 30,000 people to flee to neighbouring Chad,” Mr. Cheshirkov said. “Since Sunday 5 December, at least 22 people have been killed and 30 others seriously injured during several days of ongoing fighting.” Fighting then erupted three days later, on 8 December, in the Cameroonian city of Kousseri, a commercial hub with 200,000 inhabitants, according to UNHCR. In addition to the destruction of the cattle market, Mr. Cheshirkov noted that “at least 10,000 people fled Kousseri to Chad’s capital, N’djamena…only a few kilometres across the Chari and Logone rivers, which mark the border with Cameroon”. 8 in 10 fleeing are women and children The UNHCR official noted that fully eight in 10 of the new arrivals were women – many of whom are pregnant – and children. “They have found refuge in N’Djamena and villages along Chad’s bank of the Logone river,” Mr. Cheshirkov told journalists during a scheduled briefing. The UN agency also welcomed Chad’s hospitality towards the new arrivals, even though it is already home to close to a million refugees and internally displaced people. In partnership with the authorities, Mr. Cheshirkov said that UN agencies and partners were “rushing to support the Cameroonian refugees with emergency shelter and assistance”. In Cameroon’s Far North, although security forces have been dispatched to the affected areas, the UNHCR spokesperson noted that the situation remained “volatile”, forcing UNHCR to suspend its operations there. Reconciliation initiative In August, the agency reported an initial outbreak of intercommunal violence in Cameroon that left 45 people dead and 23,000 forcibly displaced, 8,500 of whom have remained in Chad. In addition to providing immediate emergency aid, UNHCR and the authorities have been leading reconciliation efforts in Cameroon’s Kousseri since last week. This has resulted in representatives of communities committing to put an end to the violence. “But without urgent action to address the root causes of the crisis, the situation could escalate further,” Mr. Cheshirkov maintained. “What we see is intercommunal tension between the farmers and the fishermen from one side, and these and Muslim fishermen and farmers, and then the Arabic traders. “The main reason that this tension has been breaking and getting worse is climate change, because that they depend on the waters of the Logone river, which is one of main tributaries of Lake Chad; Lake Chad has been shrinking over six decades now, it has lost 95 per cent of its surface water.” So far this year, UNHCR’s funding appeal to help the most vulnerable people in Chad and Cameroon are only around 50 per cent funded. An international responsibility Over and above the $99.6 million required for operations in Cameroon and the $141 million for Chad, UNHCR appealed to the international community for much greater support to help developing countries adapt to the kind of climate shocks that are behind the crises that the agency is increasingly responding to. Needs are particularly acute in the nearby Sahel region, where countries including Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are experiencing climate change-induced temperature rises that are 1.5 times faster than the global average, Mr. Cheshirkov explained. “The climate crisis is a human crisis; we’re seeing it in the Sahel, we’re seeing it in Far North Cameroon, we’re seeing it in East Africa, in the drought corridor of Latin America, we’re seeing it in South Asia, so many parts of the world where we have displaced communities. In fact, 90 per cent of refugees are coming from climate vulnerable hotspots.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107622?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a3cb5a2bb1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_12_10_03_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-a3cb5a2bb1-107499886
     
         
      Father and son arrested on suspicion of starting Caldor fire Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:24:00
     
      A father and son have been arrested on suspicion of starting a massive blaze that tore through northern California earlier this year. But David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, were poised to dispute accusations of "reckless arson" related to the Caldor Fire. They are being held on $1m (£760,000) bail and have not yet been charged. The Caldor scorched more than 220,000 acres over two months. It grew to become the 15th largest fire ever recorded in California, razing over 1,000 structures, injuring five people and forcing thousands to flee before it was contained in October. After their arrest on Wednesday, Mark Reichel, attorney for the Smiths, told The New York Times that the pair were baffled by the suggestion that they were responsible for the fire. They had been in Eldorado National Forest this past summer when they spotted a fire, Mr Reichel said. They tried to call 911 but could not find signal. "As we sit here tonight, we have no idea what the prosecution's theory is on how the fire started," he told the newspaper. The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office did not provide details about what the men were accused of having done. The Smiths were arrested on a "Ramey warrant", which is when someone is taken into custody before charges are filed. In a statement, the DA's office said they were accused of violating a section of state law commonly referred to as "reckless arson", which caused inhabited buildings to burn and resulted in great bodily injury to multiple victims. "About 95% of fires are human caused", said Nick Schuler of Cal Fire, California's biggest fire agency. "That doesn't mean intentionally caused." Dry, hot weather has left conditions "so critical" that person driving home from a camping trip pulling a trailer along a roadway could cause "dozens" of fire, Mr Schuler told the BBC. In California, about 10% of wildfires are set intentionally, according to the agency. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59599141
     
         
      Wind-powered net zero McDonald's opens in Market Drayton Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:20:00
     
      A net zero carbon McDonald's has opened in what the company believes is a UK first. The wind turbine and solar panel-powered restaurant is in Market Drayton, Shropshire. Recycled IT equipment and household goods make up the building's cladding, signs are from used coffee beans and insulation is provided by sheep wool. The fast-food company said it would be used as a "blueprint" for other sites and work has started to roll it out. Net zero means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is the first restaurant in the UK due to be verified as net zero emissions for construction using the UK Green Building Council's (UKGBC's) net zero carbon buildings framework. The problems of decarbonising the construction industry were "complex", but the move by McDonald's was a "critical first step", UKGBC spokesman Simon McWhirter said. McDonald's spokeswoman Beth Hart said: "We've already started to roll out some of these innovations to other restaurants, but what is exciting about Market Drayton is the fact it will act as a blueprint for our future new builds. "We believe that our food needs to be served in restaurants that are sustainable for the future. Market Drayton is a big step towards making that a reality." Senior lecturer in the environment and sustainability at Keele University, Dr Sharon George, said the move was a "positive step" and a sign that the company was recognising that "society's view of sustainability" was changing. McDonald's and other fast food suppliers have previously come under fire from investors who signed a letter asking the firms to reduce the carbon footprint of their meat and dairy supply chains.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-59603244
     
         
      Climate change: Four cheap ways to save energy at home Fri, 10th Dec 2021 15:16:00
     
      Making your home more energy efficient can be costly and may not be possible if you're renting, or you don't have thousands of pounds stashed away to buy new heat pumps and double glazing. But there are some cheap solutions to try to save money. We've looked at where you are likely to be losing the most energy in your home and come up with some simple solutions to help save money on your bills and keep warm this winter. 1. Doors Warm air wants to leave your home and will find any nook and cranny to do so. As it does, cold air is sucked in to replace it, causing draughts. It makes your home cold and wastes energy. Shutting doors and closing windows may not be enough as any gaps in the frames allow warm air to escape - and that costs money. On this thermal image, the draughts show up as the coldest areas around a front door. The coolest temperatures are black, purple and blue and the draughts are shown around the door in these colours, says James Richardson, of IRT Surveys - which uses thermal imaging to help home owners identify where heat is being lost. The letter box, often an escape route for hot air, appears warm (red and yellow colours) so it is likely to be well-sealed and insulated. But by simply adding a draught excluder - or even a rolled up towel - the draughts can be blocked. Energy firms and energy-saving campaigners agree one of the simplest solutions to keeping out the cold is to use a draught excluder. Combined with draught-proofing of windows and doors, it could help cut around £25 a year off your bills. Having a rolled-up towel by the front door may not be the most attractive household feature, but you can always try to make and decorate one yourself. It is important to make sure the draught excluder covers the width of the door. And for a no-sew method, use strips of the discarded material to make ties and tie up each end of the trouser leg instead. If you don't fancy cutting up your jeans you could just use a rectangular piece of material to make a tube and fill in a similar fashion. You'll end up with a more regular-shaped excluder. For the really crafty, or Team GB Olympic gold medal-winning divers perhaps, Home Energy Scotland have a pattern for a knitted version. 2. Windows Badly fitting windows or single panes of glass are another place heat is often lost. If you can't get windows replaced with double glazing, the Energy Saving Trust says it is worth getting some heavy curtains to help keep the heat in the room. You may not want to sit in the dark all day, so look out for cheap DIY kits available that use a thin plastic sheet to cover the window, blocking draughts. They are sometimes shrink-fitted into place with a hairdryer and can be removed and replaced as required. 3. Loft hatch Insulating your loft is like wearing a woolly hat - trapping the warmth below to keep you cosy. However, that hatch is just like any other door and needs attention too. Even James was surprised by the thermal image showing heat being lost around the frame. But it's an easy fix, making sure it is snugly insulated around the edges. One suggestion online is to glue a plastic bag to the back of the hatch, fill it some of the loft insulation and then seal it up. It should help insulate the hatch and flop over the edges when you pull it shut, stopping draughts escaping. 4: Behaviour There are lots of little things we can do around the home that will help save energy and money that just require tweaks to our behaviour rather than installing, fitting or making anything. Most energy companies will install a smart meter for free so you can help monitor your energy use and spending. But there are other small changes to your daily routine that cost nothing and save energy. The obvious ones are spending less time in the shower (potentially saving about £10 a year), turning off the lights (£14) or turning down the thermostat (saving up to£55). The Eco-Experts blog recommends "heating the humans, not the building" - so perhaps don't keep the central heating on all the time if you're not cold, and don't heat rooms you're not in. Other ideas include: - Put lids on pots and pans when cooking - it'll be done quicker - Use a microwave to reheat food rather than the oven - Don't overfill the kettle. Filling a kettle for two cups of tea rather than boiling a full kettle could save you around £45 a year - Defrost your fridge - it will work more efficiently - Buy a smaller telly - Age UK says in general smaller TVs cost less to run and plasma screens use more electricity And finally there is the old favourite - repeated by parents down the ages and still on the advice the elderly by Age UK - if you're cold, put on an extra layer - several thin layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thick layer, as the layers trap warm air between them. Finally ,check how much you know about saving energy with our quiz.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58913875
     
         
      It’s Thursday, December 9, and EV chargers are coming to a highway near you. Thu, 9th Dec 2021 15:43:00
     
      A coalition of more than 50 power utilities has announced a major new effort to install EV infrastructure across the U.S. By the end of 2023, it said this week, EV owners will be able to quickly charge their cars at fast-charging stations along most of the country’s major travel corridors. The National Electric Highway Coalition, which was announced on Monday, includes 50 members of the Edison Electric Institute, or EEI — an association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies — as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority and a Midwestern electric cooperative. According to an EEI fact sheet, members of the coalition are committed to a “good faith” effort to quickly install fast-charging infrastructure across their jurisdictions, allowing the public “to drive EVs with confidence regardless of where they live.” “[W]e are committed to investing in and providing the charging infrastructure necessary to facilitate electric vehicle growth and to helping alleviate any remaining customer range anxiety,” Tom Kuhn, president of the EEI, said in a statement. The coalition’s new initiative is intended to accommodate continued growth in EV sales. By 2030, EEI predicts there will be nearly 22 million EVs on U.S. roads, thanks in part to pressure from the Biden administration, whose climate agenda involves making half of new car sales electric by 2030. The Biden administration has also set a target of installing half a million EV charging ports by 2030 — potentially using the $5 billion of federal funding designated for EV chargers in the recently signed bipartisan infrastructure bill. Katherine Stainken, senior director of EV policy at the nonprofit Electrification Coalition, called the National Electric Highway Coalition’s initiative a “critical” first step toward meeting the U.S.’s climate targets. “We hope that we’ll see 100 percent coverage, but for now it’s a great start,” she said. “It’s the first step of an unfolding process.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/950939439/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Land and water ecosystems, ‘stressed to a critical point’ Thu, 9th Dec 2021 15:40:00
     
      Entitled, State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture – Systems at breaking point (SOLAW 2021), the report highlights the challenges that lie ahead in feeding a global population that should near ten billion by 2050. At the launch of the publication, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said that “current patterns of agrifood production are not proving sustainable.” Yet, he added, these systems “can play a major role in alleviating these pressures and contributing positively to climate and development goals.” Main findings If the world keeps to the current trajectory, producing?the additional 50 per cent more food needed, could mean an increase of 35 per cent, in the water withdrawals needed for farming. That could create environmental disasters, increase competition for resources, and fuel new social challenges and conflicts. Currently, human-induced soil degradation affects 34 per cent (around 1,660 million hectares), of agricultural land. Even though more than 95 per cent of all food is produced on land, there is little room for expanding the area that can be made more productive. In fact, urban areas occupy?less than 0.5 per cent of the Earth’s land surface, but the rapid?growth of cities has significantly reduced resources, polluting and?encroaching?on prime?agricultural land. In only 17 years, between 2000 and 2017, land use per capita declined by 20 per cent. Water scarcity now threatens 3.2 billion people living in agricultural areas.? Solutions on hand FAO believes that a rapid scaling-up of technology and innovation is vital to address these challenges. The world needs to strengthen the digital systems that?provide?basic data, information and science-based solutions for agriculture. Land and water governance must be more inclusive and adaptive, to benefit millions of smallholder farmers, women, youth and indigenous peoples, who are the most?vulnerable, and face the greatest?food insecurity. There also needs to be more integrated planning at all levels, the report says, and investments in agriculture must be redirected towards social and environmental gains. Finally, FAO argues that sustainable use of these resources is key to achieving climate mitigation and adaptation targets.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107532?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6ba739ff92-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_12_09_03_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-6ba739ff92-107499886
     
         
      Climate change ‘aggravating factor for terrorism’: UN chief Thu, 9th Dec 2021 15:36:00
     
      In Iraq and Syria, terrorist group Daesh, also known as ISIL, has exploited water shortages and taken control of water infrastructure to impose its will on communities, while in Somalia charcoal production provides a source of income for Al-Shaabab, UN Secretary-General António Guterres explained during a debate on Security, in the Context of Terrorism and Climate Change. “Climate change is not the source of all ills, but it has a multiplier effect and is an aggravating factor for instability, conflict and terrorism”, he said, urging the 15 Council members to address these challenges in an “integrated matter” to create a “virtuous a circle of peace, resilience and sustainable development”. Mr. Guterres reminded that currently the regions that are most vulnerable to climate change, also largely suffer from insecurity, poverty, weak governance and the scourge of terrorism. “Climate impacts compound conflicts and exacerbate fragility…When the loss of livelihoods leaves populations in despair, the promises of protection, income and justice - behind which terrorists sometimes hide their true designs - become more attractive”, he emphasised. For example, he added, in the Lake Chad basin region, Boko Haram has been able to gain new recruits, particularly from local communities disillusioned by a lack of economic opportunity and access to essential resources. Five points of action Mr. Guterres highlighted the importance of his recently proposed “New Agenda of Peace” included in the landmark report Our Common Agenda, which presents a multidimensional vision of global security. Considering this, the Secretary-General outlined five areas where he believes the council must take action. 1.Focus on prevention and address the root causes of insecurity According to the UN chief, since “conflicts and terrorism do not take place in a vacuum” but are the result of “deep fractures” such as poverty, human rights violations and poor governance, to build lasting peace is necessary to address inequality. He urged council members to protect the most vulnerable people and communities, support investment in human development, promote inclusive governance with the participation of all communities including environmental defenders, and amplify the voices of women and young people. 2.Increase investment in adaptation and resilience. Citing the recent UN COP26 Climate Conference, Mr. Guterres reminded that developed countries must keep their promise to provide at least 100 billion per year to developing countries for climate action. He warned, however, that the costs of adaptation and resilience will be increasing in the next decade, so the financing mechanisms must meet the growing needs and be accessible to the most affected populations. 3.Better analysis and early-warning systems. The UN chief underscored that understanding and anticipating the cascading effects of climate change strengthens all efforts to bolster peace and security. “We also need to build on existing expertise in disaster risk reduction and integrate climate risk into all economic and financial decisions”, he said. 4.Development of partnerships and initiatives linking local, regional, and national approaches. Mr. Guterres urged countries to make the best use of on-the-ground expertise, while drawing on the political, technical and financial capacities of regional and international actors. “The Regional strategy for the stabilization, recovery and resilience of the Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad basin region, is a good example. Jointly developed by the African Union, the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the United Nations and other partners, the strategy integrates humanitarian action, security, development and climate resilience”, he explained. 5. Sustained investment. Finally, the UN chief warned that African peace missions in places like the Sahel and Somalia often have limited room to maneuver and are faced with great funding uncertainties. He asked the Council to provide predictable funding “guaranteed by assessed contributions”. “I urge you to consider this matter again as soon as possible”, he told ambassadors.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107592
     
         
      Colchester Borough Council decides not to apply for green house money Thu, 9th Dec 2021 15:33:00
     
      Hundreds of council homes that fall short of the government's 2035 minimum energy efficiency standards will not be upgraded. Councillors were told 900 properties owned by Colchester Borough Council would not meet standards after the authority refused an opportunity to apply for retrofit funding. The authority voted to promote the government's Green Homes grant instead. The government wants all homes to reach at least a C rating by 2035. The authority was told 900 of the council's 5,800-strong housing stock had a rating of D or below, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Council documents state that the Green Homes grant scheme offers a maximum of £10,000 per household towards improving energy efficiency and is targeted towards low income households. The energy ratings grade the performance of homes' energy efficiency, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. While applications for the Green Homes Grant closed nationally in March 2021, homeowners and landlords can still apply for the local authority delivery of the scheme. The council also resolved to working with private landlords and housing associations to ensure the target is met.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-59569369
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, December 8, and Greece is ahead of the pack when it comes to ditching coal. Wed, 8th Dec 2021 15:46:00
     
      During the United Nations’ climate conference in Scotland last month, more than 40 countries drew attention for pledging to drop coal-fired power by the 2030s and 2040s. But Greece, one of the European Union’s most coal-dependent countries, is planning a much faster transition away from the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel. In the draft of a new climate law unveiled last month, Greece’s conservative government, led by ??Kyriakos Mitsotakis, proposed decommissioning all of the country’s coal-fired power plants and phasing out coal production within the next six years. In an interview with the Financial Times, Kostas Skrekas, Greece’s environment and energy minister, called the effort “of historic importance” to addressing the climate crisis. As of 2019, roughly 12 percent of Greece’s energy consumption came from coal. The proposed law comes on the heels of a brutal summer and fall for Greece. In early August, wildfires scorched more than 400 square miles, displacing thousands of people. Scientists say that hot, arid conditions — symptoms of climate change — helped fuel the devastating fires. Greece’s proposed legislation also promises a ban on gasoline-powered car sales by the end of the decade — five years before the E.U.’s proposed ban. And by 2025, it would ban all buildings from using oil heating and require solar panels on some industrial buildings. Environmental advocates welcomed the news but criticized the 2028 deadline for dropping coal power, noting that the Mitsotakis government had previously proposed a coal phaseout by 2025. They also called for stronger language on phasing out oil and gas production and use, as well as greater commitments to preserve biodiversity. ”Its provisions are not strong enough,” Nikos Petrou, president of Greece’s Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, told me. “Despite the positive elements … we are concerned that it lacks the bold measures required by current conditions.” Correction: Yesterday’s Beacon misstated the relationship between the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board’s vote and a decision by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The story has been updated.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/950172193/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Indonesia's biodiesel drive is leading to deforestation Wed, 8th Dec 2021 15:36:00
     
      Indonesia pledged at the recent COP26 climate summit that its greenhouse gas emissions would peak by 2030 and then start to fall. It's also said that it will end deforestation by that same date. But to reduce emissions from its transport sector, it's relying on using more biofuels - production of which can lead to the loss of forested land. So how can it both curb its emissions using biofuels and end deforestation by 2030? What is Indonesia's plan for biofuels? Indonesia is now the third largest producer of biofuels in the world, behind Brazil and the US, and the world's largest producer of biodiesel - a biofuel alternative to regular diesel fuel. Biofuels come from plant material and animal waste, and can be used to power vehicles or for heating and electricity. They are considered a renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels (coal, petrol and diesel) as they can be replenished quicker and release fewer greenhouse gases. Indonesia produces biodiesel from crops, primarily palm oil, and government policy stipulates that all diesel fuel must contain a mix of at least 30% biodiesel - to rise to 50% by 2025. The transport sector accounts for 13.6% of the country's emissions and 45% of its energy consumption. The government believes this policy could reduce their transport emissions by 36 million tonnes of CO2 by 2040. But taken along with an expected 6% annual growth in its vehicle fleet, it means biofuel production will need to increase by nearly 50% over the next three years to meet demand. This would require a substantial increase in land used for biofuel production, perhaps by as much as 1.2 million hectares - to about a quarter of all palm oil cultivation in the country. What's the environmental impact of this policy? In theory, biofuels should reduce emissions compared with fossil fuels because when biofuel crops grow, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere which is then released through burning - meaning there is no net increase in emissions. The crops can then be replanted and the process started again. However, problems arise because of land clearing such as deforestation, which is needed to grow these crops. Forests are one of the most effective systems at absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, far more so than crops. Replacing them with biofuel crops means less CO2 is absorbed, and this leads to an increase of greenhouse gases - contributing to global warming. So when forested land is cleared - as opposed to using existing agricultural land - to grow soybean or palm oil it can end up producing more emissions for each unit of energy than diesel. The government has tried to implement measures for the sustainable management of its forests. However, earlier this year it failed to extend a ban on new palm oil plantations. Indonesia pledged to end deforestation by 2030 at COP26, but afterwards, its environment minister said the promise was "clearly inappropriate and unfair". In a BBC interview in October, Indonesian President Joko Widodo defended his country's deforestation record, and said it had "rehabilitated a lot of hectares" of forests. It's true the annual rate of deforestation has come down. But Indonesia continues to be one of the world's top three countries for the amount of forest loss, primarily because of new palm oil plantations. And when approached about this article, Febry Calvin Tetelepta from the presidential office told us palm oil plantations were a more efficient way to produce biofuel than using crops like sunflower and soy bean. He said palm oil requires relatively smaller amounts of land for the same quantity of oil - which is correct. What are other countries doing about biofuels? There are more than 60 countries with a requirement for biodiesel in their fuel supply, but attitudes are changing in some of them. Germany, the fourth largest global producer of biofuels, says that from 2023 it will no longer produce biodiesel from palm oil because of concerns about deforestation. The EU has similarly tightened its restrictions. Brazil - another big user of biofuels - has reduced production this year because of successive droughts, which have lowered yields for soybean and corn. Thailand has suspended indefinitely the rollout of diesel and biodiesel mixes because higher crop prices have made production unsustainable. What about other solutions? Global Forest Watch says there are around 50 to 60 other, more environmentally friendly plants apart from palm oil, like candlenut and coconut, that could be used in Indonesia. However, research group Carbon Disclosure Project found that certification issues for biofuel production, alongside existing subsidies, encourages producers to continue with deforestation practices as opposed to seeking out sustainable alternatives. Indonesia says it wants to move towards electric vehicles to cut transport emissions. But it currently only has a modest plan for 2.2 million electric cars by 2030 and to sell only electric cars and motorcycles by 2050. Indonesia has more than 21 million vehicles on the road, but only a few thousand were electric by the end of 2020. And given that 90% of Indonesia's electricity is produced from fossil fuels (mostly coal), running an electric vehicle currently produces significantly more emissions than using diesel or petrol. Filda Yusgiantoro, director of an Indonesia energy think tank, says given the growing demand for vehicles, "biofuels.. from palm oil will still play a major role in supplying fuel needs for the transportation sector".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/59387191
     
         
      Liquid marbles: how this tiny, emerging technology could solve carbon capture and storage problems Wed, 8th Dec 2021 15:24:00
     
      Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been touted, again and again, as one of the critical technologies that could help Australia reach its climate targets, and features heavily in the federal government's plan for net-zero emissions by 2050. CCS is generally when emissions are captured at the source, such as from a coal-fired power station, trucked to a remote location and stored underground. But critics say investing in CCS means betting on technology that's not yet proven to work at scale. Indeed, technology-wise, the design of effective carbon-capturing materials, both solid and liquid, has historically been a challenging task. So could it ever be a viable solution to the fossil fuel industry's carbon dioxide emissions? Emerging overseas research shows "liquid marbles"—tiny droplets coated with nanoparticles—could possibly address current challenges in materials used to capture carbon. And our modelling research, published yesterday, brings us a big step closer to making this futuristic technology a reality. Under its Technology Investment Roadmap, the Morrison government considers CCS a priority low-emissions technology, and is investing A$300 million over ten years to develop it. But the efficacy and efficiency of CCS has long been controversial due to its high-operational costs and scaling-up issues for a wider application. An ongoing problem, more specifically, is the effectiveness of materials used to capture the CO?, such as absorbents. One example is called "amine scrubbing", a method used since 1930 to separate, for instance, CO? from natural gas and hydrogen. The problems with amine scrubbing include its high costs, corrosion-related issues and high losses in materials and energy. Liquid marbles can overcome some of these challenges. This technology can be almost invisible to the naked eye, with some marbles under 1 millimetre in diameter. The liquid it holds—most commonly water or alcohol—is on the scale of microlitres (a microlitre is one thousandth of a millilitre). The marbles have an outer layer of nanoparticles that form a flexible and porous shell, preventing the liquid within from leaking out. Thanks to this armour, they can behave like flexible, stretchable and soft solids, with a liquid core. What do marbles have to do with CCS? Liquid marbles have many unique abilities: they can float, they roll smoothly, and they can be stacked on top of each other. Other desirable properties include resistance to contamination, low-friction and flexible manipulation, making them appealing for applications such as gas capture, drug delivery and even as miniature bio-reactors. In the context of CO? capture, their ability to selectively interact with gases, liquids and solids is most crucial. A key advantage of using liquid marbles is their size and shape, because thousands of spherical particles only millimetres in size can directly be installed in large reactors. Gas from the reactor hits the marbles, where it clings to the nanoparticle outer shell (in a process called "adsorption"). The gas then reacts with the liquid within, separating the CO? and capturing it inside the marble. Later, we can take out this CO? and store it underground, and then recycle the liquid for future processing. This process can be a more time and cost-efficient way of capturing CO? due to, for example, the liquid (and potentially solid) recycling, as well as the marbles' high mechanical strength, reactivity, sorption rates and long-term stability. So what's stopping us? Despite recent progress, many properties of liquid marbles remain elusive. What's more, the only way to test liquid marbles is currently through physical experiments conducted in a laboratory. Physical experiments have their limitations, such as the difficulty to measure the surface tension and surface area, which are important indicators of the marble's reactivity and stability. In this context, our new computational modelling can improve our understanding of these properties, and can help overcome the use of costly and time-intensive experiment-only procedures. Another challenge is developing practical, rigorous and large-scale approaches to manipulate liquid marble arrays within the reactor. Further computational modelling we're currently working on will aim to analyse the three-dimensional changes in the shapes and dynamics of liquid marbles, with better convenience and accuracy. This will open up new horizons for a myriad of engineering applications, including CO? capture. Beyond carbon capture Research on liquid marbles started off as just an inquisitive topic around 20 years ago and, since then, ongoing research has made it a sought-after platform with applications beyond carbon capture. This cutting-edge technology could not only change how we solve climate problems, but environmental and medical problems, too. Magnetic liquid marbles, for example, have demonstrated their potential in biomedical procedures, such as drug delivery, due to their ability to be opened and closed using magnets outside the body. Other applications of liquid marbles include gas sensing, acidity sensing and pollution detection. With more modelling and experiments, the next logical step would be to scale up this technology for mainstream use.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-12-liquid-marbles-tiny-emerging-technology.html
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, December 7, and Virginia regulators say a natural gas project is incompatible with environmental justice Tue, 7th Dec 2021 15:05:00
     
      A controversial natural gas project in Virginia hit another snag last week, thanks to a new decision from a state regulatory board. The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted 6 to 1 on Friday to deny a key permit to the Mountain Valley Pipeline company, or MVP, reversing a previous decision from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and obstructing the company’s plans to build a compressor station in Pittsylvania County. Without the compressor station, a facility that pumps gas through a pipeline, it’s unclear whether MVP will be able to move forward with a proposed 75-mile extension of the pipeline into North Carolina. In a two-day public comment period preceding the decision, county officials said the project would bring revenue and jobs to Pittsylvania County. But opponents worried that the natural gas engines used to power the compressor would release harmful pollutants into nearby neighborhoods — many of which are predominantly nonwhite and low-income. According to the board’s final decision, siting the compressor station near these communities would have violated a section of Virginia’s landmark Environmental Justice Act, which was passed last year. Under the law, state regulators are required to consider whether a new project will cause disproportionate environmental harms to a particular demographic. “If the Virginia Environmental Justice Act is to mean anything, and if we as a Commonwealth are going to promote environmental justice, then the time has come to reject proposals like this,” board member Hope Cupit said at a hearing. Mountain Valley said in a statement that it was disappointed by the board’s decision and that it was reassessing its options for the pipeline extension. The project has also been denied a necessary water permit from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. “The writing is on the wall,” Lynn Godfrey, community outreach coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Virginia chapter, said in a statement. “The age of fossil fuels is over, it’s time to drop this polluting pipeline.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/949627145/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Monday, December 6, and Shell is walking away from a proposed oil field in Scotland. Mon, 6th Dec 2021 15:48:00
     
      Environmental activists celebrated a victory last week as the oil company Shell announced that it’s abandoning plans to develop an offshore oil field near the U.K. The Cambo oil project would have developed drilling infrastructure in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, extracting 164 million barrels of crude oil in the first stage of development. It was a joint venture between Shell — which had a 30 percent stake in the project — and Siccar Point Energy, a fossil fuel company backed by the private equity firm Blackstone. Shell said it was pulling out of the project on financial grounds. “[W]e have concluded the economic case for investment in this project is not strong enough at this time,” the company said in a statement. The move follows fierce opposition from environmental groups, which criticized the Cambo project as incompatible with the law that requires the U.K. to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In late October, the nonprofit law firm ClientEarth warned the government that it was “prepared to challenge” any approval of offshore oil and gas development that failed to consider its full contribution to climate change. Nicola Sturgeon, the minister who leads Scotland’s government, also opposed the project. At last month’s U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, she said Cambo shouldn’t “get the green light,” citing the country’s need to halt oil and gas production. With Shell’s recent withdrawal, activists say that development of the Cambo oil project is increasingly unlikely. “This really should be the death blow for Cambo,” Philip Evans, an oil campaigner for Greenpeace U.K., said in a statement. Still, Siccar Point’s CEO issued a statement insisting it would find a way around the setback: “We will continue to engage with the U.K. government and wider stakeholders on the future development of Cambo.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/949009953/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, November 30, and another major wind farm just got the green light. Tue, 30th Nov 2021 15:06:00
     
      The Biden administration approved a major offshore wind farm off the coasts of New York and Rhode Island last week. The South Fork Wind project, a joint undertaking by the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted and the utility Eversource, will be built 35 miles east of New York’s Long Island. Expected to generate 130 megawatts of wind power for the populous island — enough to power roughly 70,000 homes — South Fork will be the second major offshore wind farm in the U.S. federal waters, joining an 800-megawatt project off the coast of Massachusetts that began construction earlier this month. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland celebrated the South Fork Wind project’s approval, which is in line with the Biden administration’s goal of installing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. “Just one year ago, there were no large-scale offshore wind projects approved in the federal waters of the United States,” Haaland said in a statement. “Today there are two, with several more on the horizon.” Ørsted plans to bring the South Fork Wind project online by the end of 2023, with construction beginning early next year — despite complaints from Rhode Island’s fishing communities that the project will make it harder to catch lobster and other species. Peter Trafton, a lobbyist for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Rhode Island chapter, acknowledged the dispute but framed the project as a step forward for renewable energy development. “It goes to address the need of downstate New York, which does not have very much wind power,” he told me. The next step, he said, is to install a commercial-scale wind farm to power his own state of Rhode Island.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/943511963/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Financing sustainable development needed more than ever, says UN deputy chief Mohammed Mon, 29th Nov 2021 15:30:00
     
      Speaking at the Building Bridges Summit for sustainable finance in Geneva, Amina Mohammed urged all those present from Government, the private sector, international organisations and civil society, to do more to push ahead with a common investment framework to improve people’s lives everywhere. More ambition, action “We need more ambition, more action, more scale, greater urgency in delivering the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement – and we certainly need more fuel, more financial resources and more investments,” she said. “The good news is that we already have a shared narrative or a linguistic bridge in the 2030 Agenda. But we still face a mismatch of metrics and languages between diplomacy and business; public and private actors.” Representing the Swiss federal government at the summit’s second iteration, Finance Minister Ueli Maurer highlighted its potential for concrete action, along with the need to be inclusive and transparent in the way that sustainable financing is handled. “I think Building Bridges, we have to do it between the population and the Government, we have to explain what we have to do,” he said. “Then we need bridges between the private sector and the Government and then I think we need bridges from Switzerland to the world.” According to the summit’s organisers, between 2019 and 2020, sustainable investment rose by 31 per cent in Switzerland, to over 1,500 billion francs. In addition to highlighting opportunities for investors and fund managers, it is hoped that the summit will contribute to creating an ordered and common approach to “net zero” financing, said Patrick Odier, President of Building Bridges initiative and chair of Lombard Odier bank. “We are trying actually to bring capital closer to the whole array of the Sustainable Development Goals, i.e. to try to find not only bridges - but to be concrete - instruments, metrics, methodologies that allow capital not only to set targets in certain areas that are covered by the SDGs, but also to be measurable in terms of reaching all those targets that I have said. And this is where finance is at this very moment.” Mr. Odier also responded to the call to end subsidies for fossil fuel industries to create a level playing field for renewable energy investment: “We all know that we have to deal with these issues of subsidies, but finance itself is not at the helm of addressing this issue,” he said. “What finance can do is basically ask the Government to play its role when it comes to trying to address the fossil industry and of course the emission problematic.” Unlock resources Highlighting the convening ambition of the summit at Geneva’s Maison de la Paix, Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed listed the issues that she hoped the week-long summit might address. “We need the private sector and its leadership to unlock resources for key transitions in sustainable energy and connectivity, food systems, health, education, social protection, digitalization." “Innovative instruments including blended finance can all play an important role, but we need to massively scale-up that delivery.” Trust deficit Despite the fact that there was the “leadership”, “expertise” and “tools” to achieve so much, Ms. Mohammed warned that “the truth is that the trust deficit is widening in our world”. And amid World Health Organization data showing that more than 80 per cent of COVID-19 vaccines have gone to G20 countries and low-income countries have received just 0.6 per cent, the UN deputy chief maintained in particular that “we have not been able to rise” to the global solidarity call. “Until everyone gets the vaccine, we will all be at risk, and we will not be able to take the SDGs to where they ought to be by 2030, she said. “For many, the health pandemic has been a tragedy, particularly in developed countries, but for developing countries it has a socio-economic impact that will take so much longer to recover from. “And so, we need the urgency of the investments in climate action, which will have multiplier effects on the SDGs.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106752
     
         
      It’s Monday, November 29, and a $2.5 billion oil terminal is getting terminated. Mon, 29th Nov 2021 15:07:00
     
      Community and environmental advocates scored a victory this month as a Midwest energy company canceled plans to build a massive oil terminal on the Louisiana coast. The $2.5 billion project had been planned by Tallgrass Energy Partners, which hoped to build on a 200-acre site near Ironton, a community in the state’s Plaquemines Parish. But the project faced too many barriers to move forward. Explaining the decision, company officials cited climate concerns and the world’s transition away from fossil fuels. The completed project would have caused more than half a million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year. “As we strive to find a balance between the need to decarbonize and the need for safe, reliable, and affordable energy, nearly every infrastructure decision we make is guided by our decarbonization objectives,” Phyllis Hammond, a Tallgrass spokesperson, told NOLA.com. Tallgrass executives also cited a cultural survey that the company conducted earlier this year, which showed that its proposed construction site lay atop a 19th-century cemetery for enslaved people. The site was formerly part of a sugarcane farm called the St. Rosalie Plantation, and enslaved Black workers were interred in unmarked graves nearby during the years preceding the Civil War. William Moler, Tallgrass’ CEO, told NOLA.com that the company had worked with stakeholders “on an appropriate path toward memorializing” those buried in the cemetery. Plaquemines Port authorities, who are working with Tallgrass on development alternatives, also promised that a replacement project would be carbon-free. Jack Sweeney, digital media manager for the nonprofit Louisiana Bucket Brigade, welcomed Tallgrass’ cancellation, attributing it to years of resistance from local communities and environmental activists. “The pressure’s building against these companies in southwest Louisiana,” he told me. “I hope this is a trend we see from other companies.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/941843191/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Could airplane pollution be solved by fuel made of sunlight and air? Mon, 29th Nov 2021 8:02:00
     
      Aeroplane fuel can be made out of just sunlight and air, say scientists in Switzerland. A new system has been created on the roof of ETH Zurich University where engineers are testing whether this type of fuel generation can work in the real world. So is making plane fuel out of natural elements too good to be true - and how does it actually work? The carbon neutral fuel is created in three steps. First, an air capture unit absorbs carbon dioxide and water from the air. Secondly a solar unit extracts energy from the sun, which then turns these elements into a mixture of carbon monoxide and oxygen (called syngas).
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/11/08/could-airplane-pollution-be-solved-by-fuel-made-of-sunlight-and-air
     
         
      US to release oil reserves in attempt to lower prices Wed, 24th Nov 2021 15:14:00
     
      The US has said it is releasing 50 million barrels of oil from its reserves in an attempt to bring down soaring energy and petrol prices. The move is being taken in parallel with other major oil-consuming nations, including China, India, Japan, South Korea and the UK. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly asked the Opec group of oil-producing nations to boost output more rapidly. But Opec has stuck to an agreement to only increase production gradually. It says it is concerned that a resurgence of coronavirus cases could drive down demand, as happened at the height of the pandemic. Crude oil prices recently touched seven-year highs, amid a sharp uptick in global demand as economies recover from the coronavirus crisis. It's driven up petrol prices and energy bills in many countries. In a statement the White House said: "American consumers are feeling the impact of elevated gas prices at the pump and in their home heating bills, and American businesses are, too, because oil supply has not kept up with demand. "That's why President Biden is using every tool available to him to work to lower prices and address the lack of supply." As part of the coordinated effort, the UK government will allow firms to voluntarily release 1.5 million barrels of oil from privately-held reserves. It said the action would support the global economic recovery but "any benefit for UK drivers is likely to be limited and short in nature". India will release five million barrels, while South Korea, Japan and China will announce the amount and timing of their releases in due course. 'Not large enough' Officials said it was the first time that the US had coordinated such a move with some of the world's largest oil consumers. But analysts questioned whether it would have much impact. "It's not large enough to bring down prices in a meaningful way and may even backfire if it prompts Opec+ [which includes Russia] to slow the pace at which it is raising output," said Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics. But the effort by Washington to team up with other major economies to lower energy prices sends a warning to Opec and other big producers that they need to address concerns about high crude prices, which are up more than 50% this year. Opec+, which includes major producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, has repeatedly rebuffed requests to pump more oil at its monthly meetings, causing frustration in the US. "We will continue talking to international partners on this issue," a senior US administration official told reporters on Tuesday. "The president stands ready to take additional action if needed, and is prepared to use his full authorities working in coordination with the rest of the world." Carsten Fritsch, a Commerzbank analyst, said the move may lead to Opec+ rethinking its strategy and agreeing to increase output at a meeting next week. "To put things into perspective, 50 million barrels is equivalent to a production hike by 1.6 million barrels per day for one month or by 1 million barrels per day for seven weeks. This is quite significant." However, Caroline Bain, chief commodities analyst a Capital Economics, said the release was "not large enough to bring down prices in a meaningful way and may even backfire if it prompts Opec+ to slow the pace at which it is raising output". "As such, it seems quite symbolic and politically motivated," she said. She added that the move "also seems a bit impatient" with the consensus among analysts being that if Opec+ continues to pump more oil, the market will move into surplus in the first quarter next year. This "would naturally bring down oil prices," Ms Bain said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59353194
     
         
      Ratcliffe power station revamp powers sought by council Wed, 24th Nov 2021 15:12:00
     
      New powers to help convert a power station into an industrial and research hub, have been proposed. Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire occupies a 265-hectare (655 acre) site but the coal-fired facility is due to be decommissioned in October 2024. Rushcliffe Borough Council has unveiled the Local Development Order (LDO), to help it oversee the site's reuse. Plans are already in place for a East Midlands Freeport and renewable energy Hydrogen Gigafactory. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the LDO will give Uniper, the site owner, and new companies, the opportunity to reuse parts of the land that become redundant once the power station is decommissioned. Part of the existing power station will be replaced by a waste incinerator, a scheme which has provoked opposition from environmental campaigners. Council documents state the remainder of the site will provide a "significant redevelopment opportunity". Under the LDO, it will have extra planning powers in time for new businesses to be up and running by September 2026 - the final date for which firms must be operational to qualify for full Freeport benefits. These benefits include allowing businesses to import and export while avoiding tariffs and reducing red tape, with a 'Freeport zone' classified as a low or zero-tax area. Loughborough-based energy company Intelligent Energy has confirmed plans for 1,000 jobs at a hydrogen plant at the site, which it said could become a "powerhouse for green manufacturing". The area has also been shortlisted as a possible site for a government backed fusion reactor. Last week it was confirmed the nearby East Midlands Parkway station will become a hub for high-speed rail travel connecting to Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham and London. Andy Edyvean, council portfolio holder for business and growth, said: "There is a clear vision for the development of this site already outlined in the Freeport and East Midlands Development Corporation. "The LDO gives Rushcliffe a great deal of control to ensure the site is developed within the vision put forward by the landowners, supported by the borough to bring economic prosperity and opportunity for the future." The authority is expected to approve the draft order in May or June 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-59396032
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, November 24, and the U.S.’s first commercial offshore wind project in federal waters is officially under construction. Wed, 24th Nov 2021 15:10:00
     
      Construction began in Massachusetts last week on the nation’s first major offshore wind farm. Located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, a small island near Cape Cod, the $3 billion Vineyard Wind 1 project is slated to be one of the U.S.’s largest sources of offshore wind power. By 2023, the 800-megawatt facility is expected to generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. Developers have long eyed the waters of Cape Cod for wind projects, but faced opposition from residents and the fishing community. Even conservationists worried that wind infrastructure would jeopardize species like the endangered North Atlantic right whale. But Vineyard Wind went to great lengths to engage with residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. According to Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of a local environmental group called the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the company held more than 600 community meetings to build consensus around the project. “They worked very constructively with the community,” Gottlieb told me. “That’s what enabled this project to go from proposal to reality.” Other developers would do well to follow Vineyard Wind’s example, he added, especially as the Biden administration works toward its goal of installing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Last month, the Interior Department announced it would take steps to open up nearly the entire U.S. coastline to offshore wind development, and it already has some projects under review, including a 1,100-megawatt wind farm off the New Jersey coast. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other public officials commemorated Vineyard Wind 1’s groundbreaking last week at a ceremony in Barnstable, Massachusetts. “This project and others across the country will create robust and sustainable economies that lift up communities and support good-paying jobs, while also ensuring future generations have a livable planet,” she said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/939183803/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, says UN agriculture agency Tue, 23rd Nov 2021 15:28:00
     
      The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2021 State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report – Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses – states that, without proper preparation, unpredictable shocks will continue to undermine these systems. The report defines shocks as short-term events that have negative effects on a system, people’s well-being, assets, livelihoods, safety and ability to withstand future shocks. More resilience FAO stressed the need for countries to make their systems more resilient to sudden shocks, like the COVID-19 pandemic, which played a large part in the latest global hunger surge. At the virtual launch event, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said, “the pandemic highlighted both the resilience and the weakness of our agrifood systems”. Agrifood systems - the web of activities involved in the production of food and non-food agricultural products and their storage, processing, transportation, distribution and consumption - produce 11 billion tonnes of food a year and employ billions of people, directly or indirectly. The UN agency underscored the urgency of strengthening their capacity to endure shocks, including extreme weather events and surges in plant and animal diseases and pests. While food production and supply chains have historically been vulnerable to climate extremes, armed conflicts or increases in global food prices, the frequency and severity of these shocks are on the rise. Concrete action Moreover, a disruption to critical transport links could push food prices up for some 845 million people. The report includes country-level indicators in over one hundred Member States, by analyzing factors such as transport networks, trade flows and the availability of healthy and varied diets. While low-income countries generally face much greater challenges, middle-income countries are also at risk. In Brazil, for example, 60 per cent of the country’s export value comes from just one trading partner, narrowing its options should a shock hit that partner country. Even high-income countries, such as Australia and Canada, are at risk because of the long distances involved in the distribution of food. Recommendations Based on the evidence in the report, FAO makes a series of recommendations. The key is diversification – of actors, input sources, production, markets and supply chains – to create multiple pathways for absorbing shocks. Supporting the development of small and medium agrifood enterprises and cooperatives would also help maintain diversity in domestic value chains. Another key factor is connectivity. Well-connected networks overcome disruptions faster by shifting sources of supply and channels for transport, marketing, inputs and labour. Finally, improving the resilience of vulnerable households is critical to ensure a world free from hunger. This can be done by improving access to assets, diversified income sources and social protection programmes.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106342
     
         
      Interview: The most impactful actions at COP26 point to progress on climate change Mon, 22nd Nov 2021 15:23:00
     
      Speaking in an exclusive interview with Alexandre Soares of UN News, Martina Donlon acknowledged that after two weeks of tough negotiations, the text that serves as the conference's outcome is “a compromise that it is not enough”, especially for small island States and other vulnerable countries. However, it does provide some “positive steps forward”. Indeed, she said, with the agreement by negotiators at COP26 to begin moving away from fossil fuels, “we will see more electric cars and they will become more affordable, and increasingly powered by wind and solar energy”. Phasing down coal Ms. Donlon pointed out that at the conclusion of the conference, countries agreed to accelerate action during “this decisive decade” to cut global emissions in half, to reach the temperature goal of 1.5C, as outlined in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. The COP26 outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, also calls on 197 countries to present stronger national action plans for increasingly ambitious climate actions next year – moving up the 2025 deadline set out in the original timeline – at COP27, which is scheduled to take place in Egypt. Moreover, Ms. Donlon noted that the pact calls for a phase down of coal and a phase out of fossil fuel subsidies, “two key issues that had never been explicitly mentioned?in a decision at climate talks before – despite coal, oil and gas being the key drivers of global warming”. According to the UN official, Glasgow signaled “an accelerated shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy”. Doubling financial support The second most impactful outcome of the Glasgow pact is its call for the doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change. “Although this will not provide all of the funding needed by poorer countries, the fact that developed countries agreed to double their collective funds for adaptation is a major improvement,” Ms. Donlon underscored. She stressed that the UN Secretary-General has been pushing for increased financing to protect lives and livelihoods, and said that this would “especially benefit least developed countries and small island” States. Methane, coal and forests There were a host of other deals and announcements, such as on methane, coal, forests and sustainable transport that could all have very positive impacts if they are implemented, the UN official said. “However, most of these are voluntary commitments so there are no guarantees that Governments, investors and corporations will deliver,” she said. Ms. Donlon acknowledged that while there would not likely be an immediate impact in our daily lives, she stressed that the decisions taken at COP26 will affect Governmental actions on a range of measures and would eventually translate into noticeable differences in people’s lives. And COP26 also sent a signal to markets that it is no longer acceptable to invest in heavily polluting sectors. “So, these changes will have an impact on our lives, and probably sooner than we think,” she said. Glasgow’s ripple effects The phasing out of coal means people in heavily polluted cities will have cleaner air to breath and fewer respiratory illnesses, the UN official explained. Moreover, the increase in finance for protecting lives and livelihoods would allow small islands to put in place early warning systems for floods and storms. And small farmers would have more resilient crops and seeds to protect food security. Decisions made at the global level “eventually impact everyone’s lives”, Ms. Donlon attested. See below for the full interview.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106242
     
         
      It’s Monday, November 22, and New York has a new guide to climate-related financial risks. Mon, 22nd Nov 2021 15:12:00
     
      Climate change poses “wide-ranging and material risks to the financial system,” a New York state agency is warning, and the insurance industry needs to be prepared. The New York State Department of Financial Services, or DFS, on Monday became the first state regulator in the country to release detailed guidance on how insurers should manage risks from global warming — including physical risks from extreme weather, as well as “transition risks” driven by society’s shift away from fossil fuels. In a 22-page document, the agency said insurers should disclose climate-related risks, integrate risk considerations into their governance structure and business decisions, and use scenario analysis to consider the short-, medium-, and long-term financial consequences of climate change. “The guidance is intended to support insurers’ efforts to manage the financial risks from climate change, bolstering the safety and soundness of the industry and the protection of consumers,” said Adrienne Harris, acting superintendent of the DFS, in a statement. Insurers based in New York have until August 15 of next year to implement the DFS’s guidance on board governance — for example, by designating at least one member of their boards as responsible for overseeing the management of climate risks. They must also create a specific plan for implementing the DFS’s guidance in other realms. The agency says it will be monitoring insurers’ progress. Steven Rothstein, a managing director at the corporate sustainability nonprofit Ceres, told E&E News that the decision could reverberate beyond New York. “It sends clear and unequivocal guidance about the importance of climate from this important regulator,” Rothstein said. “Because it’s New York, because it’s so large, we hope it will have an impact around the country.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/936570899/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Insulate Britain: Police arrest 124 after Lambeth Bridge protest Sun, 21st Nov 2021 15:36:00
     
      Police have arrested a total of 124 activists after a central London bridge was closed by a sit-down protest. The Lambeth Bridge demonstration was held in support of nine Insulate Britain campaigners jailed for defying an injunction on road blockades. Up to 250 people took part in the sit-in on Saturday, shutting the bridge for hours. Insulate Britain said it was not involved in organising the demonstration. Police made the arrests after imposing Public Order Act conditions. The majority of people detained have since been released under investigation. The Met Police said the bridge was reopened at about 19:00 GMT, with the final protesters removed from Vauxhall Cross a few minutes later. The forced said on Sunday: "We thank members of the public for their patience while officers worked to remove the groups." Campaigners told the crowd that the nine jailed Insulate Britain campaigners were "political prisoners" who will not be the last to be locked up for their convictions about climate change. The nine protesters were given sentences of three to four months for breaching an injunction, aimed at preventing the blockades which have brought several roads to a standstill and sparked anger among motorists. Activists on the bridge said they would not be deterred by the threat of prison. Insulate Britain said it had not organised the protest, which participants said was "community-led". But the group has said it intends to continue to protest until the government agrees to ensure homes are insulated by 2030 - a key factor in reducing the UK's energy use and carbon emissions. The High Court has issued five injunctions so far to prevent road blockades, covering the M25, as well as other major roads around London and the port of Dover.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59365339
     
         
      More than a thousand trees to be planted in north Northamptonshire Sat, 20th Nov 2021 15:33:00
     
      More than 1,000 trees are due to be planted across North Northamptonshire after the local council secured a grant to fund their purchase and upkeep. The money from the Local Authority Treescape Fund will be paid between financial years 2021/22 and 2024/25. In all, North Northamptonshire Council has been awarded £237,504. The authority's executive member for climate, Harriet Pentland, said the move would reduce carbon emissions. The grant covers the purchase of 1,040 trees and associated stakes and cages. It will also pay for three years of aftercare. The aim is to establish trees in non-woodland settings such as in riverbanks, hedgerows, parklands, urban areas, roadsides and footpaths. Sites in Corby, Kettering, Broughton, Rothwell and Raunds have already been identified as suitable for tree-planting. Conservative leader of the council Jason Smithers said: "Since we declared a climate and environment emergency in July, we have been working tirelessly to ensure we are doing all we can while also looking to the future." Ms Pentland said planting trees also had "biodiversity benefits, including the creation of new habitats and flood risk alleviation".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-59341367
     
         
      Hundreds of low income households in line for £7.8m green energy refit Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:55:00
     
      Four hundred homes of low-income households in Cornwall are to get free new renewable heating and insulation. Cornwall Council announced the scheme after landing a £7.8m award from the government to make homes more energy efficient and lower their carbon emissions. Energy use in homes makes up about a quarter of all of Cornwall’s carbon emissions, the local authority estimates. The lower costs of heating would help residents and help Cornwall hit its target of net zero emissions by 2030, said Conservative Councillor Olly Monk, portfolio holder for housing and planning. “This is really important and everything we can do to help make homes across Cornwall more energy efficient plays into the work that is going on to reduce our carbon footprint," he said. It is expected that the £7.8m from the government’s Sustainable Warmth Competition will arrive in December, with installations taking place until March 2023.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5nnn7k3yyeo
     
         
      Worsening drought affects 2.3 million people in Somalia Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:31:00
     
      The warning comes from the United Nations and the Somali Government. Climate projections show that the country is facing a fourth consecutive failed rainfall season. In a joint statement on Friday, the organizations said it is imperative to act now to prevent a slide into the kind of drought and even famine conditions experienced in previous years. So far, nearly 100,000 people, especially in central and southern areas, have abandoned their homes in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock. The lack of access to safe water and sanitation has also heightened the risk of water-borne diseases. Humanitarian aid Across the country, the number of people who need assistance and protection is forecast to rise by 30 per cent, from 5.9 million to about 7.7 million in 2022. Over 70 per cent of all Somalis live below the poverty line. UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the country, Adam Abdelmoula, said that “a severe storm is brewing in Somalia.” “Those affected have already endured decades of conflict, climatic shocks and disease outbreaks”, said Mr. Abdelmoula, who also acts as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. Local communities, the authorities and the UN are ramping up response to address these needs. But critical response sectors like water, sanitation and hygiene are only 20 per cent funded. With one month remaining in the year, the 2021 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan is only 66 per cent funded. In response, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is allocating $8 million and the Somalia Humanitarian Fund is making a reserve allocation of $6 million. Growing risks Somalia?is on the frontline of climate change and has experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards since 1990, including 12 droughts and 19 floods. The frequency and severity of climate-related hazards is also increasing. The Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Khadija Diriye, said that families are losing their livestock, a key source of livelihood, and may starve to death in the coming months. “I am particularly worried about children, women, the elderly and disabled people who continue to bear the brunt of Somalia’s humanitarian crisis”, she said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106222
     
         
      Brazil: Amazon sees worst deforestation levels in 15 years Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:22:00
     
      Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has hit its highest level in over 15 years, official data shows. A report by Brazil's space research agency (Inpe) found that deforestation increased by 22% in a year. Brazil was among a number of nations who promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030 during the COP26 climate summit. The Amazon is home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people. It is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming. According to the latest data, some 13,235 sq km (5110 sq miles) was lost during the 2020-21 period, the highest amount since 2006. Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said the data represents a "challenge" and said: "We have to be more forceful in relation to these crimes." He added that the data "does not exactly reflect the situation in the last few months". Deforestation of the Amazon has increased under President Jair Bolsonaro. who has encouraged agriculture and mining activities in the rainforest. He has also clashed with Inpe in the past over its deforestation, accusing the agency in 2019 of smearing Brazil's reputation. But at November's climate conference in Glasgow, Brazil was among a number of nations who signed a major deal to end and reverse the practice. The pledge included almost £14bn ($19.2bn) of public and private funds. Some of that will go to developing countries to restore damaged land, tackle wildfires and support indigenous communities. Close links have previously been uncovered between the deforestation of the Amazon and international supply chains. Last year, a Greenpeace investigation discovered links between the mass deforestation of the region and food sold in British supermarkets and restaurants. The investigation found that Tesco, Asda, Lidl, Nando's and McDonalds were selling meat, sourced from a UK supplier, which had been fed on soy grown on farms built in deforested areas. Just this week, Jair Bolsonaro, on tour in Dubai, told investors that attacks towards Brazil on deforestation were "unfair". "We want people to know the real Brazil," he said, adding that 90% of the forest is still preserved. Well, these latest figures reveal the real Brazil - a country whose government has from the very beginning talked up the opportunities in developing the Amazon and at the same time, belittled environmental concerns. Not only that, these figures were actually dated 27 October - it appears they were held until after COP26. Jair Bolsonaro didn't turn up to COP26, but his delegation wanted to go to Glasgow and convince the world that people were wrong about Brazil - it even said it would move forward its commitment to ending deforestation by 2028. But with numbers like these, who can believe Jair Bolsonaro now?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59341770
     
         
      Dozens of academics shun Science Museum over fossil fuel ties Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:22:00
     
      More than 40 senior academics and scientists have vowed not to work with the Science Museum as the row over its financial relationship with fossil fuel corporations escalates. In an open letter, prominent figures including a former chair of the UN’s climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and several leading scientists, many of whom have worked closely with the museum in the past, say they are “deeply concerned” about its fossil fuel sponsorship deals and they are severing ties with the museum until a moratorium is announced. “We are in a climate crisis and should not be doing anything to legitimise those companies that are still driving up emissions by exploring for and extracting new sources of fossil fuels when the science is clear that we need to be leaving them in the ground,” the letter states. It is the latest blow to the museum, which has faced several resignations and growing protests over its relationship with Shell and a newly announced deal with the renewables company Adani Green Energy, part of the Adani Group, which has major holdings in coal. This week the Guardian revealed how two scientists had refused to allow their work to be featured by the museum. Jess Worth of the campaign group Culture Unstained, which campaigns to stop fossil fuel sponsorship of the arts, said: “The Science Museum continues to dismiss all critics of its fossil fuel partnerships as wilfully misinformed activists, but in reality it is facing a profound crisis in confidence from the scientific community and losing the public’s trust.” Last month the climate scientist Prof Chris Rapley, a former director of the Science Museum, resigned from its advisory board, saying he disagreed with its “ongoing willingness to accept oil and gas company sponsorship”. A few weeks later two trustees – Hannah Fry, a professor in the mathematics of cities at University College London, and Jo Foster, the director of the Institute for Research in Schools charity – resigned from the museum’s board in protest at its deal with Adani. Fry said the Science Museum was “giving the false impression that scientists believe the current efforts of fossil fuel companies are sufficient to avoid disaster”. There have been several protests at the museum, most recently when youth activists occupied it overnight. As well as scientists and academics, many others who have worked with the museum group in the past – as speakers, advisers, contributors to exhibitions or participants in events and festivals – have also signed the letter. It says that although they have “excellent personal relationships” with “talented and committed members of staff” at the museum, they “can no longer be complicit in the policies adopted by the group’s senior leadership and trustees”. Dame Mary Archer, the chair of the board of trustees at the Science Museum Group, defended its stance on Friday. “Given the scale of the climate challenge, we reject the argument that we should sever all ties with the energy sector,” she said. “Energy companies involved with fossil fuels are causing climate change but they also have the skills, money and geographical reach to be a big part of some of the solutions. So where a company is showing a willingness to change, our leadership team believes it is valid to continue to engage, while urging these companies to show more leadership in accelerating the shift to renewables instead of fossil fuels.” Archer acknowledged there were “robust internal debates” on the issue at the museum and said she fully respected critics who disagreed with the management’s position. “Our door remains open for the dialogue that is integral to our work, both as part of the cultural community and as a science institution, and we’d encourage our critics to consider what is achieved by deplatforming,” she said. A spokesperson for Shell defended its relationship with the museum, saying tackling the climate crisis would need “unprecedented collaboration between business, government, consumers and civil society”. They said the company had a “comprehensive energy transition strategy” in place. Adani did not respond to a request for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/nov/19/dozens-of-academics-shun-science-museum-over-fossil-fuel-ties
     
         
      Climate change: Conspiracy theories found on foreign-language Wikipedia Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:19:00
     
      Several foreign-language Wikipedia pages seen by BBC News are promoting conspiracy theories and making misleading claims about climate change. A number, including some in Swahili, Kazakh and Belarusian, suggest scientists are divided over its causes. The overwhelming scientific consensus is global warming is caused by humans. A representative of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, said they were "worried" by the findings and more volunteer editors were needed. The "climate change" entry on Chinese Wikipedia lists solar activity as one of the possible explanations for rising temperatures around the world today. Other widely disproven theories listed include unfounded claims about the emergence of a totalitarian world government and tie calls for climate action to secretive financial interests. On Croatian Wikipedia, more than a third of the page on global warming is devoted to questioning the science of climate change, while also pushing conspiratorial views. Bad information "This worries me a lot," Wikimedia Foundation senior programme strategist Alex Stinson said. "And this is why we need more people involved in this project." Wikipedia is published in more than 300 different languages, each with its own original content and volunteer editors. Open for anyone with an internet connection to edit, the quality of its content is entirely dependent on those volunteers. More volunteers in different languages would decrease the chances of conspiracy theories and bad information lingering on the site, Mr Stinson said. Yumiko Sato, a Japanese writer based in the US who has investigated misinformation on the platform, said: "Wikipedia only works if the editing community is large and diverse." Launched in 2001, the online encyclopaedia is one of the world's most visited websites. The English-language version, the largest, has more than 40,000 users actively editing it each month. Its climate-change pages have a group of dedicated volunteer editors who actively patrol for any sign of bad information or pseudoscience. But the same does not apply to many of the pages in languages other than English. In more than 150 languages, fewer than 10 people a month regularly edit any pages. "[These versions] are much smaller and lack editorial diversity, so that makes them vulnerable to manipulation," Ms Sato said. Push back One of Wikipedia's core principles is self-governance. So, unless the community of editors steps in, the Wikimedia Foundation can do little. "The foundation has never intervened on editorial policies directly and that is not what we do," Mr Stinson said. "We need to push back on this disinformation in science - but that only works if the science-literate show up in that language, in that context, and that Wikipedia [version]."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59325128
     
         
      Vancouver storm: A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:16:00
     
      A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian western province of British Columbia after a major storm cut road and rail links in the region. The Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to help thousands of stranded residents who have been trapped since the storm hit overnight on Sunday. Local officials warned on Thursday that the price tag to rebuild could exceed C$1bn ($790m, £590m). One woman was killed in a landslide, and two people are missing. Officials expect more fatalities to be confirmed in the coming days. One man caught up in the storm told the BBC the scenes afterwards were like "Armageddon". What is the latest on the ground? Thousands of farm animals have died and many more remain trapped by the flood waters after the storm passed through one of Canada's most agriculturally intensive areas. Some 18,000 people are yet to return to their homes after an "atmospheric river" - a long strip of moisture in the air that transports water from tropical areas towards the poles - dumped the region's monthly rainfall average in 24 hours. As of Thursday, nearly 7,000 properties remained under mandatory evacuation orders, with more than 2,500 others under evacuation advisory. British Columbia Premier John Horgan announced the two-week emergency order on Wednesday, in order to keep people off flooded roads and expedite rescues. Helicopters on Wednesday dropped food supplies to stranded mountain communities after slides destroyed roads and floods submerged major highways. Approximately 1,500 travellers became stranded in the town of Hope after roads closed, Grace Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Kuhn told BBC News in an email on Wednesday. Officials said about 1,000 people were able to leave the town on Thursday. Some highways have reopened, including Highway 7, connecting Hope to Vancouver. Store shelves have also seen their inventories running low, and officials have advised residents to conserve fuel. 'It was like Armageddon' Peter Rzazewski lives in Burnaby, British Columbia, with his wife, Karina, and two dogs. But the couple has been stuck in the rural town of Hope since Sunday after visiting family in Lake Country. They slept in their car Sunday and Monday nights before spending Tuesday night in the basement of a church and Wednesday night in a home offered to them through the church. "When we got to Hope, it was the strangest thing because there were no lights on, all the power was out. We parked at a gas station under the canopy by one of the pumps and stayed the night," Mr Rzazewski told the BBC. "It was like Armageddon. There were lots of cars, lots of people sleeping in cars." Mr Rzazewski hopes that Highway 7 will stay open long enough to allow them to get home. Is this due to climate change? Officials in the region have attributed the natural disaster to the effects of climate change. Mr Horgan said British Columbia must "bring the seven billion other souls that live on this planet to understand that we need to act now" to prevent these events in future. The impact of climate change on the frequency of storms is still unclear, but we know that increased sea surface temperatures warm the air above and make more energy available to drive hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons. As a result, they are likely to be more intense with more extreme rainfall. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. University of British Columbia atmospheric scientist Rachel White told the BBC that the massive devastation caused by this storm can likely be attributed to a combination of human-caused factors. "As we warm up the climate, heavy rainfall events such as these are going to get more intense," she said. "As we warm up the atmosphere, as we warm up the oceans - more water is evaporated from the oceans. So then when we have these atmospheric river events, essentially the atmosphere can carry more water towards our mountains." This then condenses into rain. The extreme weather in Canada comes days after world leaders met for the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. The same region, British Columbia, suffered a record high heat wave in the summer that killed more than 500 people as well as wildfires, including one that destroyed the village of Lytton.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59324764
     
         
      In pictures: British Columbia devastated by catastrophic floods Fri, 19th Nov 2021 15:16:00
     
      Canada's west coast is reeling from catastrophic flooding after a major storm destroyed roads, houses and bridges in what may be the costliest natural disaster in the country's history. A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia (BC) - Canada's western-most province - in the wake of the storm. As of Thursday night, approximately 17,000 residents were still displaced from their homes, with nearly 10,000 properties facing evacuation orders or alerts. Local officials have warned that the price tag to rebuild could exceed C$1bn ($790m, £590m). Authorities have confirmed that one woman was killed in a landslide, and two people are missing. Officials expect more fatalities to be confirmed in the coming days. One man caught up in the storm told the BBC the scenes afterwards were like "Armageddon". Thousands of farm animals died in the flooding and more may have to be euthanised. The flooding has caused highways to close and cut off rail access to Canada's biggest port. The shut-downs are adding to existing supply chain disruptions. The province's premier has urged people not to hoard supplies. The devastating storm follows massive wildfires in the province this summer, which tore through British Columbia's interior region and razed one small town, Lytton, to the ground.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59352803
     
         
      ‘A farce’: experts dismiss government claims a controversial and unproven technology will cut emissions by 15% Thu, 18th Nov 2021 16:30:00
     
      Experts have questioned how a controversial energy technology that doesn’t currently exist in Australia could be earmarked as a major source of cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in the Morrison government’s plan to reach net zero by 2050. According to the government’s modelling report of its “technology not taxes” plan, a technique known as BECCS – bioenergy with carbon capture and storage – would be removing about 15% from the nation’s gross greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But the approach, which involves burning vegetation or waste for power and then capturing the carbon dioxide and injecting it underground, is not one of the priority technologies the government has picked to support. The government’s modelling report has already come under fire from experts for questionable assumptions and an approach which leaves the gas industry to grow while relying on international offsets. Experts said it was not clear how the government had arrived at the BECCS figure, with some saying the technique itself was unproven, problematic and ecologically risky. BECCS theoretically requires three key elements – the availability of biomass such as trees, vegetation or waste and land and water to grow it; a power plant to burn the biomass and capture the CO2; and then a geological formation underground close by where the CO2 could be injected. There was no mention of BECCS in the government’s latest progress report on its low emissions technology plans, published earlier this month. According to the government’s modelling report, BECCS removes 38m tonnes of CO2 by 2050 under its technology plan, compared to 253Mt of gross emissions from sectors including electricity, transport and agriculture. Other scenarios modelled by the government include even higher levels of BECCS. BECCS is included in many global efforts to map out routes for economies to reach net zero, but remains controversial because of its potential to compete for land and resources currently used to produce food. Dr Kate Dooley, a researcher at the University of Melbourne and an expert on how land could be used to mitigate climate change, said based on the government’s numbers, about 14m hectares – or about 6% of all Australia’s agricultural land – would be needed to generate emissions reductions at that level. She said: “BECCS is an unproven technology with significant land area requirements which at a global scale have been shown to pose tradeoffs and serious risks for resource use, biodiversity, and food security.” Dooley said while Australia’s size meant there were good opportunities to cut emissions on land, much of this potential came in reducing clearing. She added: “Risky unproven technologies such as BECCS should be avoided in favour of options with greater co-benefits.” Energy and climate change program director at the Grattan Institute, Tony Wood, said including BECCS in the government’s planning at all “would be problematic because the report says it’s based on an assumption the technology is not economically viable in absence of incentives. “But there’s nothing in the report that describes what incentives would trigger such an investment. It’s imposed on the modelling without any justification, but it offsets a substantial amount of emissions. “These are extraordinary numbers to have in a report without any justification of how this would work, how it would happen and what the costs would be.” Tim Baxter, a senior researcher at the Climate Council, said the inclusion of BECCS in the government’s modelling was a “farce”. “The pretence that BECCS will get off the ground at this scale in Australia without careful, intelligent planning is absurd,” he said. Chief executive of Climate Analytics, Bill Hare, said BECCS will “likely work” but wasn’t yet proven at scale anywhere in the world. There has been little research carried out into the potential for BECCS in Australia. One study, published in 2018, did suggest a potential 25Mt of CO2 could be stored a year by 2050 through BECCS. But the research, from the University of Melbourne, was based on sourcing waste biomass “to avoid the ecological uncertainties and social challenges of dedicated energy crops.” A co-author of that study, Prof Peter Cook, who also consults to industry and government on carbon capture and storage (CCS), said he was not aware of any BECCS projects in Australia and only a small number overseas where government incentives were being provided. He said a challenge of combining bioenergy with CCS – which is among the government’s priority technologies – is “you can’t do it everywhere, you need the right rocks or you have to pipe [the CO2] a long way.” He said BECCS was feasible and was among several technologies that would be needed in the future to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. But he added: “But it’s much better if we stop putting CO2 in the atmosphere in the first place.” On Thursday, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency released a roadmap to show the growth potential for the bioenergy industry in Australia. There was no mention of combining bioenergy with CCS. But the roadmap said growing the bioenergy industry could cut emissions, divert waste from landfill, and improve the nation’s fuel security. Guardian Australia asked emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor how the emissions reductions from BECCS were calculated for the report, why it wasn’t a priority technology, and where the government thought the biomass would be sourced from. A spokesperson for the minister said in a statement: “Consistent with other long term emissions modelling exercises, including work by the [International Energy Agency] and US, the [Global Trade and Environmental Model] includes BECCS. “Analysis by McKinsey does not include BECCS and achieves a similar net emissions outcome to the GTEM model. This illustrates that there are a range of technologies that will contribute to Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/19/a-farce-experts-dismiss-government-claims-a-controversial-and-unproven-technology-will-cut-emissions-by-15
     
         
      Delhi smog: Schools and colleges shut as pollution worsens Wed, 17th Nov 2021 15:39:00
     
      Authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, have shut all schools and colleges indefinitely amid the worsening levels of air pollution. Construction work has also been banned until 21 November but an exception has been made for transport and defence-related projects. Only five of the 11 coal-based power plants in the city have been allowed to operate. A toxic haze has smothered Delhi since the festival of Diwali. The levels of PM2.5 - tiny particles that can clog people's lungs - in Delhi are far higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) safety guidelines. Several parts of the city recorded figures close to or higher than 400 on Tuesday, which is categorised as "severe". A figure between zero and 50 is considered "good", and between 51 and 100 is "satisfactory", according to the the air quality index or AQI. Some schools had already shut last week because of pollution and the Delhi government said it was mulling over a lockdown to improve air quality as dense clouds of smog engulfed the city. A mix of factors like vehicular and industrial emissions, dust and weather patterns make Delhi the world's most polluted capital. The air turns especially toxic in winter months as farmers in neighbouring states burn crop stubble. And fireworks during the festival of Diwali, which happens at the same time, only worsen the air quality. Low wind speed also plays a part as it traps the pollutants in the lower atmosphere. A sense of déjà vu: By Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi Every year as winter approaches, there's a sense of déjà vu for us living in Delhi. The morning skies take on an ominous grey colour, we complain of stuffy nose and itchy eyes, and hospitals start to fill up with people complaining of wheezing and breathing difficulties. Those of us who can afford it, rush to buy expensive air purifiers. The mere act of breathing in Delhi becomes hazardous. The city routinely tops the list of "world's most polluted capitals" and we obsessively start checking apps that provide a reading of the air quality index. We look at the levels of PM2.5, the lung-damaging tiny particles in the air that can exacerbate a host of health issues, including cancer and cardiac problems, and PM10 - slightly larger particles, but still pretty damaging. Levels of PM2.5 below 50 are considered "good" and under 100 "satisfactory". Right now, it's 363 in Delhi - in some areas, it's almost 400. In the suburb of Noida, it's nearly 500. Every year, as the air turns murky, the Indian Supreme Court hauls the state and federal governments into court, asking them what they intend to do to clean up the air. On Tuesday, after a prodding from the court, the authorities took some action. But these measures are like putting a bandage on a bullet hole - they have been tried in the past and have made little difference to the city's air in the long term. Experts say cleaning up the air requires drastic measures that are not a priority for the country's leaders. They warn that at the onset of winter next year, we'll be back where we are now. This year, the pollution has become so dire that it prompted a stern warning from India's Supreme Court, which directed state and federal governments to take "imminent and emergency" measures to tackle the problem. Following the hearing, a meeting was called by Delhi's Commission for Air Quality Management and emergency measures were announced. Other measures announced by the panel include a ban on the entry of trucks in Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan until 21 November, except those carrying essential commodities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59258910
     
         
      Electric cars are not a magic bullet for air pollution Tue, 16th Nov 2021 18:08:00
     
      The benefits of switching to electric vehicles to clean up our toxic air has been given much airtime, both at Cop26 and by the UK government in recent weeks (‘What if we just gave up cars?’: Cop26 leaders urged to dream big, 10 November). However, evidence shows that electric cars still emit PM2.5 particles, the most worrying form of air pollution for humans. The threat posed by air pollution cannot be overstated – the air we breathe can have a catastrophic effect on our health, right from the moment we are born. More than a third of maternity units in England are in air pollution hotspots that fail to meet the World Health Organization’s 2005 air quality guidelines. This means that every two minutes, a baby is born into areas surrounded by toxic levels of air pollution. Children are then likely to grow up, learn and play in these areas of lethal pollution. If we’re going to stop babies being born into toxic air, more electric cars won’t cut it. We need fewer vehicles on our roads altogether, not just cleaner ones.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/16/electric-cars-are-not-a-magic-bullet-for-air-pollution
     
         
      Less methane coming down the pipe Tue, 16th Nov 2021 10:48:00
     
      During the first week of negotiations at COP26, the United Nations climate conference, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a groundbreaking new rule to slash methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Now, officials are detailing plans to take the rule even further. The EPA announced its intention to release a “supplemental proposal” when it released the rule, and now a top official is sharing new details about what the forthcoming proposal might look like. The agency’s acting air chief, Joe Goffman, said last week that the EPA will make the proposed rule “even more ambitious” by early 2022. The updates will be based on input received during a 60-day public comment period, with the objective of achieving a final rule that covers more methane from a greater number of sources.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/less-methane-coming-down-the-pipe/
     
         
      ‘Farmers are digging their own graves’: true cost of growing food in Spain’s arid south Tue, 16th Nov 2021 7:30:00
     
      Awetland without water is a melancholy sight. The fish are dead, the birds have flown and a lifeless silence hangs over the place. “Everything you see around you should be under water,” says Ecologists in Action’s Rafa Gosálvez from the lookout in Las Tablas de Daimiel national park. The park has been dry for three years and where there were once aquatic species such as ducks, herons, egrets and freshwater crayfish, as well as tree frogs and the European polecat, now the wildlife has mostly vanished. Las Tablas de Daimiel is a unique wetland in the vast, almost treeless plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. But the park has had the life sucked out of it to slake intensive agriculture’s insatiable thirst. Sixty-seven per cent of the water used in Spain goes to agriculture, according to the OECD, but this rises to as much as 85-90% in the south-east, says Julia Martínez-Fernández, technical director of the New Water Culture Foundation, which promotes the sustainable use of water. Las Tablas’ ecosystem relies on water from rainfall, the Guadiana river and a huge aquifer, but the climate crisis has resulted in Spain’s periods of drought getting longer. The Guadiana is drying up, while agriculture has depleted the aquifer and polluted the groundwater with phosphates and other chemical fertilisers. In 2009, the wetland was so dry that subterranean peat fires broke out. The 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of Las Tablas are all that remain of what, according to the World Wildlife Fund, was once a system of 50,000 hectares of wetland in Castilla-La Mancha. Gosálvez says the water needed to irrigate Castilla-La Mancha’s vines, olives, pistachios, onions and melons exceeds available resources and short of a run of several years of heavy rain, the wetland can only be saved by transferring water from the Tagus river – except the Tagus is overexploited and almost dried up four years ago. Much of the problem dates from the 1970s, when the Spanish government embarked on a plan to turn Murcia and Almería in the south-east into Europe’s market garden. The plan had one major flaw: there was no water. Spain’s south-east is arid and none of the country’s three major rivers flows near it. The Douro and Tagus both rise in north-central Spain and flow west into the Atlantic at, respectively, Porto and Lisbon, while the Ebro rises in the north-west and empties into the Mediterranean nearly 400km (250 miles) north of Murcia. The solution was to transfer water from the headwaters of the Tagus through almost 300km of pipeline to irrigate the barren south. However, rather than satisfy demand, the transfer has served to incentivise unsustainable intensive agriculture that has led to the exploitation of groundwater, with disastrous environmental consequences. The spectacle this summer of thousands of dead fish floating in the Mar Menor, a saltwater lagoon in Murcia once known for its crystal-clear waters, was the result of fertiliser polluting the groundwater that drains into the sea. The nitrates trigger vast algae blooms that deprive the fish of oxygen. “The Mar Menor disaster is the result of intensive agriculture which continues to expand in a manner that isn’t sustainable, both in Murcia and in many other parts of Spain,” says Martínez-Fernández. Neighbouring Almería – where the greenhouses making up the famous “sea of plastic” are visible from space – produces an estimated 3.5m tonnes of peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and melons a year. Together with Granada, it supplies about 50% of the European market. Every year Almería also produces thousands of tonnes of plastic waste, much of which ends up in the sea. The Tagus water transfer is not enough to meet the growing demands of agriculture in Almería, however. Over the past 40 years the amount of water that reaches the Tagus headwaters has fallen by about 40% according to estimates, and is continuing to fall. So Almería is increasingly reliant on desalinated seawater for irrigation. In an attempt to deal with the problem, in 1985 the Spanish government brought in a new water law to regulate its use. But it was forced to concede that anyone who had a well or access to water had the right to exploit it. Today, the government recognises that the situation is unsustainable. Teresa Ribera, minister for ecological transition, is under pressure for Spain to conform to European standards on water quality and quantity that come into force in 2027, and knows this can only be achieved by reducing irrigation. In presenting the country’s five-year water plan, Ribera recognised that water resources are in decline and parts of Spain face desertification. “In this context, water plans can’t continue to support the sort of practices that have led to the overexploitation of aquifers, the contamination of groundwater and the deterioration of our rivers,” she said. Although agriculture only accounts for about 3% of GDP and 4% of jobs, the farming industry has considerable political clout. When Ribera announced reductions in the amount of water that could be transferred from the Tagus, there was an outcry from farmers. Lucas Jiménez, president of an association of farmers that depend on the transfer, warned Ribera “faces a battle in the courts and in the streets”. “The problem is that the solution to the water issue will put any government in conflict with numerous sectors such as agriculture, hydroelectricity and property developers,” says Miguel Ángel Sánchez, a spokesperson for the Platform in Defence of the Tagus. “Madrid knows this can’t go on, but they won’t take the bull by the horns and it’s the regional governments that have authority over water,” says Gosálvez. He says the EU’s common agriculture policy is partly to blame for encouraging intensive farming that is both environmentally damaging and wasteful, leading farmers to dump produce to maintain prices. “The EU pays farmers to plant more, leading to overproduction with the result that the market price barely covers the cost of production,” he says. “We need to wake up to reality, there is simply not enough water to meet the demand for irrigation. The farmers are digging their own graves.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/16/farmers-are-digging-their-own-graves-true-cost-of-growing-food-in-spains-arid-south
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: ‘COP26 even watered down the blah, blah, blah’ Mon, 15th Nov 2021 15:27:00
     
      Greta Thunberg says the outcome of COP26 is a disappointment as there is still no guarantee the planet's temperature rise will be limited to 1.5C. The climate campaigner told BBC Scotland: "They even succeeded in watering down the blah, blah, blah which is quite an achievement." Speaking from Sweden, she said some "small steps forward" may have been made but the Glasgow Climate Pact was very vague and open to differing interpretations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-59298344
     
         
      A watered-down COP26 deal as Delhi chokes Mon, 15th Nov 2021 15:24:00
     
      India is accused of watering down a COP26 climate deal to cut coal consumption even as toxic air chokes its national capital, Delhi. Air quality in the city has been hovering between "severe" and "hazardous" for several days now. The Delhi government on Sunday announced that schools would close for week and said it was mulling over a "lockdown" to improve air quality. Burning of crop stubble, industrial and vehicular pollution, and weather patterns turn the city's air noxious every winter. But the air in the capital - and large parts of northern India - remains poor most of the year. Pollutants from coal-fired power plants are among the culprits. Despite pressure on India and China, two of the world's top carbon emitters, to sign a deal to end coal use, the two big consumers of coal proposed a last-minute change in wording - countries have now agreed to "phase down" rather than "phase out" coal. The news of the change made big headlines around the world with many heaping scorn and disappointment on India for desperately clinging to coal. But in a growing country which still derives around 70% of its energy from coal, the decision was seen as pragmatic and assertive. India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who was at the Glasgow summit, said India had achieved "remarkable results", but it's all about striking a balance. He said he had articulated the concerns and ideas of other developing nations, who also rely on fossil fuels to power growth. The narrative in many parts of the media was that India stood up to the world and came home with what it wanted. "India has maintained that the current climate crisis has been precipitated by unsustainable lifestyles and wasteful consumption patterns mainly in the developed countries. The world needs to awaken to this reality," Mr Yadav wrote in a blog. Jairam Ramesh, a former environment minister from the opposition Congress party, said the outcome this year was "the best India can offer". "India has to be responsive globally and responsible domestically," he said. And millions of Indians, who are still reeling from the effects of a devastating second Covid wave, see getting the economy back on its feet as the biggest priority. For now that means clinging to coal while scaling up cleaner alternatives. "Solar is extremely important - it's growing very fast but you can't replace coal with solar in such a short period of time," said Vaibhav Chaturvedi from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The economist has just returned from the COP26 summit where he also advised the Indian delegation. "Both are going to grow in the next 10 years. Solar will grow very fast, coal will grow slowly," he added. At the COP26 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to hit net zero emissions by 2070 - two decades later than many Western nations have pledged. But many are quick to point out that the average Indian consumes far less energy than the average Briton or American - and that Western countries haven't done all that they have promised either, including providing much-needed climate finance to help poorer countries meet their targets. "It's very hard for India or any developing country to trust the developed nations now," Mr Chaturvedi argues. "The West has not delivered when it comes to cutting their emissions, that's the reality of it."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59286783
     
         
      COP26 comes to a close Mon, 15th Nov 2021 10:17:00
     
      Two weeks of fraught negotiations at the 2021 United Nations’ climate change conference, or COP26, concluded on Saturday as world leaders came to an agreement that could actually limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The final, 10-page agreement expressed consensus among roughly 200 nations: All parties must act immediately to avert the most catastrophic consequence of climate change. Signatories promised to strengthen their emissions reduction pledges by the end of 2022 — three years earlier than originally planned — and wealthy countries pledged to give more money to developing nations to help them adapt to climate-related disasters like sea-level rise and hurricanes.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/cop26-comes-to-a-close/
     
         
      COP26 closes with ‘compromise’ deal on climate, but it’s not enough, says UN chief Sat, 13th Nov 2021 10:42:00
     
      After extending the COP26 climate negotiations an extra day, nearly 200 countries meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, adopted on Saturday an outcome document that, according to the UN Secretary-General, “reflects the interests, the contradictions, and the state of political will in the world today”. “It is an important step but is not enough. We must accelerate climate action to keep alive the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees”, said António Guterres in a video statement released at the close of the two-week meeting.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105792
     
         
      Climate action can deliver a sustainable future for all: UN deputy chief Sat, 13th Nov 2021 7:36:00
     
      Climate action can be the driver for a green and equitable future for all, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has said at the TED Countdown Summit, urging people everywhere to demand that leaders deliver on their promise to limit global warming. Speaking ahead of the COP26 UN climate conference, which wraps up this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, Ms. Mohammed underlined the need for greater funding and commitment, as well as solidarity.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105782?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2f96d535cb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_13_05_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-2f96d535cb-107499886
     
         
      As COP26 deadline slips, negotiators to keep working to agree crucial climate deal Fri, 12th Nov 2021 15:20:00
     
      Alok Sharma, the COP26 President, said late on Friday that a small number of key issues remain unresolved. “This is our collective moment in history, this is our chance to forge a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world, and this is our time to deliver on the high ambition set by our leaders at the start of the summit, we must rise to the occasion,” he said during an informal plenary to update delegates. He reported that Ministers had worked late into the night to discuss finance and "loss and damage", and that it was still his “sincere intention” to get a final agreement over the line by the end of the day. “We need a final injection of that can-do spirit to get our shared endeavor over the line,” he said. The plenary heard statements from various countries, including a strong call from many representatives to add to the outcome text language that would lead to the end of all fossil fuel use, not just coal. The latest draft text currently states: “Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up clean power generation and accelerating the phaseout of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels”. “This is personal, it’s not about politics,” said the European Union’s top negotiator, adding that the targets in Glasgow would be “utterly meaningless” unless countries agree on a clear signal to end all fossil fuel subsidies. On the same topic, John Kerry, the US climate envoy, said that to keep spending money on these types of subsidies is “insanity”. “Those subsidies have to go. We’re the largest oil and gas producer in the world and we have some of those subsidies and President Biden has put in legislation to get rid of them,” he said. The US, he continued, struggles each year to find money, “but $2.5 trillion in the last five or six years went into subsidies for fossil fuel. That’s the definition of insanity. We’re allowing ourselves to feed the very problem we’re here to try to cure. It doesn't make sense,” stated Mr. Kerry. Another thorny issue that remains unresolved is the extent to which developed countries will compensate vulnerable nations for ‘loss and damage’ caused by climate change. The representative from the G77 and China negotiating group of developing countries, said that they were “deeply disappointed" that their proposal to establish a Glasgow Loss and Damage Facility is not reflected on the text. “That proposal has been put forward by the entire developing world, to respond to our needs…To address the loss and damage inflicted by climate change”, he said. Likewise, there was a push from many countries to strengthen the call to keep alive the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and to demonstrate more ambition on climate finance. “We came to Glasgow with high hopes and expectations, however in this final hour of COP26, we have doubts, and we still keep hearing some pushback on the ambition that is required to close the 2030 gap in line with the 1.5-degree target, reservations on support for loss and damage…and we are still waiting to see much-needed progress on climate finance”, said Buthan’s negotiator, speaking on behald of the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The people’s summit Earlier in the day, civil society groups took over the COP26 plenary room, the same one negotiators had sat in for their stocktaking meetings. To start, delegates were asked to stand if they had lost loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic and if they had experienced climate impacts. Most of them did. “There is no doubt that we the people representing all countries across the world, in our diversity, have all felt the impacts of a pandemic and a climate crisis. It is the same sections of society that bear the full burdens of these different crises,” said Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of CAN-International. Representing African civil society, Mohamed Adow claimed that they had been “locked out of the process” at COP26. “We the people demand global North countries pay their climate debt, deliver a global goal on adaptation, address climate injustice and pay up for losses and damages”, he said. After the interventions, the organizations, which included indigenous collectives and women’s groups, marched out of the plenary and were joined by many other participants waiting for them in the halls. Holding picket signs and banners, they shouted demands for climate justice as they made their way out of the conference. Outside the gates, they met up with a larger group of demonstrators and they all continued together across the river towards the iconic Finnieston Street bridge, where some waited most of the day for the conference’s final outcome.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105692
     
         
      Fighting for nature’s rights Fri, 12th Nov 2021 8:33:00
     
      A federation of Kukama Indigenous women in Peru is waging a legal battle against threats to the natural world. In a lawsuit filed in September, the group, Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, demanded that the Peruvian government recognize the legal rights of nature by granting the Marañón River the right to exist, flow, and “live free from contamination.” The lawsuit follows decades of pollution from a long list of foreign oil companies. Over the years, oil spills and drilling in the Amazon Rainforest have degraded the Marañón River’s ecosystem and harmed its fisheries, jeopardizing one of the Kukama’s main sources of food, water, and transportation.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/fighting-for-natures-rights/
     
         
      COP26: Promises ‘ring hollow’ when fossil fuels still receive trillions in subsidies; UN chief calls on negotiators to pick up the pace Thu, 11th Nov 2021 15:14:00
     
      António Guterres told delegates on Thursday that he was inspired by the mobilization of civil society, including young people, indigenous communities, women’s groups, cities and private sector, highlighting that the climate action struggle requires all hands-on deck. “We know what must be done. Keeping the 1.5 goal within reach means reducing emissions globally by 45 per cent by 2030. But the present set of Nationally Determined Contributions – even if fully implemented – will still increase emissions by 2030,” he reminded participants during a High-Level Event at the plenary. He then referred to the latest joint analysis by the climate and environment UN agencies, which shows that even with the latest pledges and commitments made at COP26, we remain on track for a catastrophic temperature rise well above 2 degrees Celsius. “I welcome the recognition of this fact in yesterday’s US-China cooperation agreement – an important step in the right direction. But promises ring hollow when the fossil fuels industry still receives trillions in subsidies, as measured by the IMF. Or when countries are still building coal plants or when carbon is still without a price,” he emphasized. Mr. Guterres called on every country, city, company and financial institution to “radically, credibly and verifiably” reduce their emissions and decarbonize their portfolios, starting now. Taking stock of progress, and a new way to measure it While the UN chief recognized that current efforts to tackle climate change are far from enough, he highlighted the progress achieved during COP26 in Glasgow, including the commitment to halt and reverse deforestation, several net-zero commitments from cities and other alliances and pledges on the phasing out of coal and the investment in clean energies around the world. “We need pledges to be implemented. We need commitments to turn concrete. We need actions to be verified. We need to bridge the deep and real credibility gap,” he added, saying that as an engineer, he knows that durable structures need solid foundations. Mr. Guterres announced that he will establish a High-Level Expert Group to propose clear standards to measure and analyze net zero commitments from non-State actors which will submit a series of recommendations next year. “We must be able to measure progress and to adjust when off track…We must now zoom in on the quality and implementation of plans. On measuring and analyzing. On reporting, transparency and accountability”, he said, asking actors to cooperate with the UN and hold each other accountable. “Only together can we keep 1.5 degrees within reach and the equitable and resilient world we need,” he concluded. Update: Negotiations ‘not there yet’ Meanwhile, COP26 President Alok Sharma gave an update on the negotiations over the last 24 hours. He said discussions on the global goal of adaptation were concluded, and that he hoped they would be adopted. Mr. Sharma recognized there has been progress and acknowledged the spirit of cooperation and civility demonstrated throughout the negotiations, but he cautioned that “they are not there yet” on the most critical issues. “There is still a lot more work to be done, and COP26 is scheduled to close at the end of tomorrow. Time is running out,” he told journalists, assuring them that negotiators are “rolling up their sleeves” to find solutions that have been elusive for six years right now. “Negotiations on finance need to accelerate and they need to accelerate now,” he added. The COP President also said, echoing Mr. Guterre’s words, that the world needs to rise to the challenge and increase ambition. Time is running out for oil and gas: A new alliance is formed In a new positive development earlier in the day, and in line with the UN chief’s call, 11 countries presented the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) at COP26. Ireland, France, Denmark, and Costa Rica among others, as well as some subnational governments, launched a first of its kind alliance to set an end date for national oil and gas exploration and extraction. So far, similar announcements have only been made regarding coal mining. BOGA core members said during a press conference that they were committed to ending all new concessions, licensing, and leasing rounds. “This is about courage to really come with concrete action. We are hearing the world outside these walls, and we know that science is clear that we really need to accelerate action and when we talk about how to do it, we are addressing the demand action and yes we know it is important…but we can’t just leave the supply side there, we need to start this conversation,” said Andrea Meza, Minister of Environment and Energy for Costa Rica, during a press conference. “Every dollar that we invest in fossil fuel projects is one less dollar for renewables and for the conservation for nature…it’s about how to really leverage momentum to start this conversation,” she added. Members of the Climate Action Network, which is made up of more than a thousand civil society organizations, welcomed the initiative calling it “long overdue”. “Why is this significant?... It’s COP26, and for the first time, we have a draft of the Glasgow cover decisions that includes fossil fuels… the launch of BOGA means things are shifting, that the conversation is evolving on climate change, and that the need to phase out all fossil fuels is no longer a taboo for many countries,” said Romain Ioaualalen, the Global Policy Campaign Manager at Oil Change International. In his view, with all the countries that are negotiating at COP26 ,and in particular countries from the global North that are still massively producing oil and gas and have no plans to stop, there was only one real question: “Where is your plan? Where is your plan to follow the science? We have known that fossil fuels are the cause of climate change for decades,” Mr. Ioaualalen stated. The commitment of cities around the world Cities and municipalities in California are among the founders of the new BOGA alliance. Meanwhile, cities from around the world – 1,049 to be exact – presented at the start of COP26 a commitment to halve their emissions by 2030 and become Net-Zero by 2050. “Of almost 30 years of COP meetings, COP26 is the first one in which local and city governments came with a voice and led by example. It is the first time that we were able to show the pledge of 1,049 cities who already have climate action and investments,” Claudia Lopez, the Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, told UN News. Further, Ms. Lopez, who is also the co-chair of the C40 cities group, which drafted the pledge, said cities and municipalities were coming together to show that commitment, and to ask the national governments and the private corporations to do their part, “to align their incentives and their investments with climate action plans with our citizens' demands for actual change”. The last of the thematic days at COP26 was laser-focused on ‘Cities Regions and Built Environment’, which highlights that with 68 per cent of the global population expected to be living in cities by 2050, it will be vital to build a sustainable and resilient urban future. “Mayors are boots on the ground, the boats on the water, the closest to the people and we have to get results, it doesn’t matter what your party affiliation is when the storms and extreme weather events are coming, and they’re coming with greater frequency and greater intensity, they are costing more,” said Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, explaining how the work in the cities can drive national action. By 2050, 1.6 billion people living in cities will be regularly exposed to extremely high temperatures and over 800 million people living in cities across the world will be vulnerable to sea level rises and coastal flooding. The COP26 hosts highlight that accelerating the transition to net zero emissions for the world’s cities will be vital to achieving the goal of keeping global warming to close to 1.5 degrees. ‘Building’ a better future According to UN Habitat, which deals with human settlements and sustainable urban development, cities consume 78 per cent of the world’s energy and produce over 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions – but account for less than two per cent of the Earth’s surface. Today, Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), participated in a COP26 panel calling for more energy efficient construction. “We build the equivalent of new buildings the size of Paris every week, and if that is the way we are expected to expand we need to think about how we do it because of climate, biodiversity, livability, quality of life. We need to build better”, she said. According to Ms. Andersen, building and construction are responsible for 37 per cent of CO2 emissions with construction materials like cement, accounting for 10 per cent of global emissions. She also pointed out that over half of the buildings that will be standing in 2060 haven’t been constructed yet. “We don’t put enough emphasis on resilience, a typical building built today will still be in use by 2070, and the climate impact that it will need to withstand will be very different. Renovation can deliver both high level efficiency and livability,” she explained. According to UNEP, only 19 countries have added codes regarding energy efficiency for buildings and put them into effect, and most of future construction will occur in countries without these measures. “For every dollar invested in energy efficient building, we see 37 going into conventional buildings, that are energy inefficient. We need to move from these incremental changes because they are way too slow, we need a real sector transformation. We need to build better,” she said, calling for more ambition for governments if they are to fill the promise of net-zero.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105562
     
         
      Violence, insecurity and climate change drive 84 million people from their homes Thu, 11th Nov 2021 15:12:00
     
      UNHCR’s Mid-Year Trends report, covering the first six months of this year, revealed a surge from 82.4 million since December – largely due to internal displacement – with more people fleeing multiple active conflicts around the world, especially in Africa. It also noted that COVID-19 border restrictions continue to limit asylum access in many locations. “The international community is failing to prevent violence, persecution and human rights violations, which continue to drive people from their homes”, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Breaking down figures Flaring conflict and violence around the world during the first half of this year forced nearly 51 million people to flee within their own countries, with most new displacements occurring in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) witnessed 1.3 million displacements and Ethiopia, 1.2 million, the report detailed. Meanwhile violence in Myanmar and Afghanistan also saw an increase in the number driven to leave home. At the same time, the number of refugees also continued to increase during the first half of the year, reaching nearly 21 million. UNHCR observed that most new refugees came from just five countries: Central African Republic, 71,800; South Sudan, 61,700; Syria, 38,800; Afghanistan, 25,200; and Nigeria, 20,300. “The international community must redouble its efforts to make peace, and at the same time must ensure resources are available to displaced communities and their hosts”, warned the High Commissioner. Toxic blend A lethal mix of conflict, COVID-19, poverty, food insecurity and the climate emergency has compounded the humanitarian plight of the displaced, most of whom are being hosted in developing regions. “The effects of climate change are exacerbating existing vulnerabilities in many areas hosting the forcibly displaced”, said the High Commissioner. And solutions for forcibly displaced populations remain in short supply. During the first half of the year, less than one million internally displaced people and 126,700 refugees were able to return home. “It is the communities and countries with the fewest resources that continue to shoulder the greatest burden in protecting and caring for the forcibly displaced, and they must be better supported by the rest of the international community”, said Mr. Grandi.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105592
     
         
      What a difference a decade makes Joseph Winters Thu, 11th Nov 2021 10:21:00
     
      The United States is getting more and more of its energy from renewables. A new report from the nonprofit Environment America Research and Policy Center and the research organization Frontier Group found that the amount of energy the U.S. gets from wind and solar nearly quadrupled over the past decade, accounting for 11 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2020. Solar grew particularly fast, the report found, now generating more than 23 times as much energy as it did 10 years ago. Wind power tripled over the same period. The report also highlighted rapid gains in energy efficiency, battery storage, and electric vehicles.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/what-a-difference-a-decade-makes/
     
         
      COP26: Promises ‘ring hollow’ when fossil fuels still receive trillions in subsidies; UN chief calls on negotiators to pick up the pace Thu, 11th Nov 2021 8:31:00
     
      Governments need to show the necessary ambition on mitigation, adaptation, and finance in a balanced way, and they can’t settle for the “lowest common denominator”, the UN Secretary-General has said in Glasgow, where crucial climate negotiations are in the final stretch. Meanwhile, a coalition of countries launched a new pledge to end gas and oil extraction, and cities were the theme of the day. António Guterres told delegates on Thursday that he was inspired by the mobilization of civil society, including young people, indigenous communities, women’s groups, cities and private sector, highlighting that the climate action struggle requires all hands-on deck.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105562?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dc915016a1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_11_06_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-dc915016a1-107499886
     
         
      COP26: PM calls on nations to pull out the stops as draft agreement published Wed, 10th Nov 2021 15:23:00
     
      Prime Minister Boris Johnson is returning to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow - urging nations to "pull out all the stops" to limit warming. The first draft of an agreement setting out how countries will cut emissions to avoid temperature rises of above 1.5C has been published. The agreement - or "cover decision" - sets out what negotiators hope will be the outcome of the COP26 talks. It encourages richer countries to scale up support for poorer nations. The seven-page draft agreement focuses on adaptation - helping countries deal with the effects of climate change - and finance, a controversial issue because poorer countries blame richer countries for not contributing enough. The document says meeting the goal to limit global warming to 1.5C - which countries pledged to try to pursue under the Paris climate accord - needs meaningful and effective action in "this critical decade". The agreement, which was published by the UK Cop26 presidency, will have to be negotiated and agreed by countries attending the talks. Scientists have warned that keeping temperature rises to 1.5C - beyond which the worst impacts of climate change will be felt - requires global emissions to be cut by 45% by 2030 and to zero overall by mid-century. The document may be just seven pages long but it attempts to steer COP26 towards a series of significant steps that will prevent global temperature rises going above 1.5C this century. Perhaps the most important part of that is getting countries to improve their carbon cutting plans. To that end this draft decision urges parties to "revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally-determined contributions, as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022". It will be interesting to see how countries such as China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia respond to this request to put new plans on the table by the end of next year. There is some comfort for developing countries to see that their financial needs are recognised as countries are asked to mobilise climate finance "beyond $100bn a year" and the draft welcomes steps to put in place a much larger, though as yet unspecified, figure for support from 2025. Loss and damage, an issue of key importance to the developing world, is included in the draft with encouragement to richer countries to scale up their action and support including finance for poorer nations. The document also calls on countries to accelerate the phase out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels - but has no firm dates or targets on this issue. Campaigners will welcome the inclusion and will hope it survives into the final text. Despite the promises made at the summit so far, the planet is still heading for 2.4C of warming above pre-industrial levels, according to a report by Climate Action Tracker. A global average temperature rise of just 2C could mean a billion people are affected by fatal heat and humidity, the Met Office has warned. Ahead of his return to the summit, Mr Johnson said: "Negotiating teams are doing the hard yards in these final days of COP26 to turn promises into action on climate change. There's still much to do." The prime minister said he would be meeting ministers and negotiators to hear about the progress made and where gaps must be bridged. "This is bigger than any one country and it is time for nations to put aside differences and come together for our planet and our people," he said. "We need to pull out all the stops if we're going to keep 1.5C within our grasp." A coalition of nations which are vulnerable to climate change, along with the US and European nations, is pressing for countries to submit action plans in the next year in line with limiting warming to 1.5C, and by 2023 to produce their long-term plans to meet the target. What has been agreed so far at COP26? The summit is still negotiating a deal that all 197 countries will agree on. But a series of side deals were announced last week: - More than 100 world leaders promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, including Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest - The US and the EU announced a global partnership to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas methane by 2030 - reducing methane in the atmosphere seen as one of the best ways to quickly reduce global warming - More than 40 countries committed to move away from coal - but the world's biggest users like China and the US did not sign up - Some new pots of money were announced to help developing countries adapt to climate change and deal with the damage and loss it brings - but many say it's not enough With Wednesday named as transport day at COP26, the UK announced that new heavy goods vehicles sold from 2040 will need to have zero emissions. Thirty countries have agreed to work together to increase the use of zero emissions vehicles, while plans for "green shipping corridors" to help a shift towards zero-emissions vessels are also due to be unveiled. Another 14 states which are responsible for more than 40% of global aviation emissions have committed to a new decarbonisation target. But the UK's Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said travel, including flying, should be "guilt-free" and said the government did not see aviation as "the ultimate evil". He told the Daily Telegraph that changes to how we live our lives should not mean "the inability to go and visit you friends and family and do business". Attendees at COP26, including the prime minister, have faced criticism for using planes for short journeys to and from the conference.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59229652
     
         
      Era free of fossil-fuel powered vehicles comes into focus at COP26; draft outcome is met with calls for more ambition Wed, 10th Nov 2021 15:20:00
     
      Wednesday was another day of new announcements, statements and coalition-building, this time focused on the transport sector, which is responsible for approximately one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC). The sector’s emissions have more than doubled since 1970, with around 80 per cent of the increase caused by road vehicles. The United Nations environmental agency UNEP calculates that the world’s transport sector is almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels. But this could change in the coming decades. At COP26, over 100 national governments, cities, states and major businesses signed the Glasgow Declaration on Zero-Emission Cars and Vans to end the sale of internal combustion engines by 2035 in leading markets in 2040 worldwide. At least 13 nations also committed to end the sale of fossil fuel powered heavy duty vehicles by 2040. Local efforts are also underway, with Latin-American cities, including Bogota, Cuenca and Salvador, aiming to transform to zero-emissions public transport fleets by 2035. “The message for decision makers is: We need to make sure that we start normalizing that by 2035, we must stop selling petrol and diesel cars. For buses, it’s going to be earlier, 2030; heavy trucking, can give some time, 2040. The point is getting used to the idea of having a calendar so we can shift to zero emission options in all segments. This is not just for advanced markets in developed countries, it’s also for developing economies because we know the worst pollution is there,” said Monica Araya from the global initiative Drive Electric Campaign. Ms. Araya was very clear that during the transition, developing countries must not become the dumping grounds for old technology from the richest ones, and instead they should be seen as drivers of transformational change. “I grew up in Costa Rica. I do remember going to school on a third hand bus imported from the US. That experience shaped a lot of my thinking around this transition. I know, on the one hand, we have to make sure we transform the big markets that produce trucks, buses, cars, (but we also) have to activate changes in those markets so there are ripple effects,” she explained. A green shipping industry The shipping industry also made moves today with 200 businesses from across the shipping value chain committing to scaling and commercializing zero-emission shipping vessels and fuels by 2030. They also called on governments to get the right regulations and infrastructure in place to enable a just transition by 2050. Meanwhile, 19 countries signed the Clydebank Declaration to support the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes. This means creating at least six zero-emission maritime corridors by the middle of this decade, while aspiring to see many more in operation by 2030. “There’s about 50,000 merchant ships out there in the world so it is a large task at hand, and I think different parts of shipping will move at different paces. So, having the commitment of the Clydebank Declaration for green corridors enables first movers to trial and prove technology then bring down costs, create the policy, enable the ecosystems that are needed, and then others can learn from that and then follow,” Katharine Palmer, a UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, explained to UN News. These green corridors mean the ships that transport goods all over the world would travel without using hydrocarbon fuels and instead would use fuels derived from green hydrogen – hydrogen generated by renewable energy – renewable electricity and other sustainable options. “It also includes engaging with energy producers so they can produce enough (green) fuel. A public-private collaboration with governments [will also be needed] to put out the necessary policy,” the expert added. In other good news, nine big-name brands including Amazon, IKEA, Michelin, Unilever and Patagonia announced that by 2040, they plan to shift 100 per cent of their ocean freight to vessels powered by zero-carbon. The challenge of aviation Aviation industry businesses and large corporate customers also announced an update of their Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition, whose mission is to accelerate the deployment of sustainable aviation fuels. Now, 80 signatories have committed to boost the green fuel to 10 per cent of the global jet fuel demand by 2030. These ‘green fuels’ are produced from sustainable feedstock such as cooking oil, palm waste oil from animals or plants, and solid waste from homes and business, and are very similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel. If achieved, this will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 million tonnes a year and provide around 300,000 ‘green’ jobs. But what about solar or electric? According to Lauren Uppink, head of Aviation at the World Economic Forum, these power sources might be possible for short flights in the future. “There will be a small portion of the energy demand that will rely on new technology like hydrogen and battery, but long haul is not feasible for the physics of it. So sustainable aviation fuels are our only solution for decarbonizing and flying carbon neutral,” she told UN News. The expert also announced that the first electric and hydrogen fueled planes will possibly start being deployed by 2030, and the transition of the industry could also generate thousands of green jobs in developing countries. The COP26 draft agreement text is released Beyond transport, the other big news at the conference on Wednesday was that the COP26 draft agreement was published by the Presidency, a preview of the final outcome document of the conference when it wraps up on Friday. The document urges countries to strengthen their national commitments and submit their strategies for their net-zero plans by 2022 to keep the 1.5C goal within reach. It also includes, for the first time in a COP outcome text, a mention of ‘loss and damage’, as well as a call to end fossil fuels subsidies. “The eyes of the world are very much on us. So, I will ask you to rise to the challenge” Alok Sharma, COP26 President, told negotiators during an informal plenary. “We have all shifted gears this week as we seek to accelerate the pace and I still have the intention to finish COP26 at the end of Friday, this Friday for clarity!” he said, sparking some nervous laughter in the room (COP negotiations are known for spilling over beyond their official day). Later in the day, Mr. Sharma told journalists that the text, drafted by his office, will change and evolve as countries begin to engage in the details but the commitment to accelerate action this decade must be “unwavering”. “I want to be clear: We are not seeking to reopen the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement clearly sets out the temperature goal well below 2 degrees and pursuing efforts to 1.5 degrees,” he said, adding that the presidency is aiming to chart a path across the three main pillars of Paris: finance, adaptation and mitigation. He said getting to the final draft of the text would be a ‘challenging’ task but stressed that there is a lot at risk if an ambitious outcome is not reached. “Everyone knows what’s at stake in this negotiation. What we agree in Glasgow will set the future for our children and grandchildren, and we know nobody wants to fail them,” he told journalists. Mr. Sharma cited Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley’s words last week: “Two degrees for her country and many others is a death sentence”. “We are fighting tooth and nail so that we have an ambitious outcome, and I have reminded negotiators that world leaders set out ambition last week and we need to deliver. [If that doesn’t happen] the negotiators and world leaders are going to have to look people in their countries and other countries in the eye and explain why we didn’t get this one over the line,” he underscored. Civil society: ‘A text that creates an illusion of action is worse than no text at all’ Members of the NGO Climate Action Network said that they welcomed the first mention ever of “loss and damage” recognizing that communities dealing with the challenges of rebuilding and recovering after climate disasters need the support of the world to do so but said that the text’s words were just “fluff”. “When it comes down to it, they will make no difference to the communities, to the small holder farmers, to the women and girls in the Global South. This text will still not do anything for those who have been hit the hardest by deadly flooding, cyclones, droughts, rising sea levels,” said Teresa Anderson of Climate Policy Coordinator of Actionaid International. Indeed, she said the text was yet more empty rhetoric, and that merely calling the situation “urgent” means nothing without a real commitment to action. “If COP26 doesn’t match its recognition of urgency with real action to address it, to meet the needs of the people in the frontlines of the crisis, then it will be an empty vessel. A text that creates the illusion of action is arguably worse than no text at all,” Ms. Anderson declared, and added that the people of the world were sick and tired of “all this pretense” and of “leaders sitting on their hands...while devastation is heading our way.” She said world leaders need to “go back and get it right by referencing all fossil fuels – not just coal – and by recognizing equity, by demanding more of the biggest polluters, and linking the call to action with finance for developing countries,” she added. Finally, she said net-zero promises are a myth used by polluters and governments to lure people into a false sense of security that the climate crisis is being addressed. “If you scratch the surface of a net zero target, you’ll likely search in vain for the radical systemic transformation in energy, food, transport, and industrial systems that are so urgently needed to ensure a livable planet,” Ms. Anderson said. The activist told journalist that with the draft outcome document leaders are ‘still failing us” with empty words that are not on target to meet the scale of the “enormous challenge facing humanity.” “Where is the support to help people forced to pick up the pieces from climate disasters? Where is the action to meet all this urgency? And where are the commitments to limit global warming or to back up climate finance?” she concluded. Also today, Greta Thunberg and other youth activists announced on Twitter that they sent a letter to the United Nations filing a legal petition to the UN Secretary-General urging him to declare a system-wide climate emergency, which would allow him to send resources and staff to countries most susceptible to climate change disasters.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105462
     
         
      UN chief welcomes China-US pledge to cooperate on climate action Wed, 10th Nov 2021 15:19:00
     
      News of the joint declaration between the two countries, both major emitters of greenhouse gases, came late in the evening in Glasgow, where the 2021 UN climate conference, COP26, has been under way since last week. The statement refers to the recently released report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which described the urgent need to tackle the climate emergency in alarming detail, and states that both countries recognize the seriousness of the crisis, whilst accepting the significant gaps that remain, between efforts currently being made to tackle it, and the steps that are needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, reached at COP21 in 2015. In Paris, leaders pledged to try to keep the world from warming by more than between 1.5C to 2C through sweeping emissions cuts. According to press reports, elements of collaboration outlined in the document include regulatory frameworks and environmental standards related to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the 2020s policies to encourage decarbonization and electrification of end-use sectors and increased action to control and reduce methane emissions. In his tweet, António Guterres welcomed the agreement by China and the US to work together to take more ambitious climate action in this decade, and noted that the crisis requires international collaboration and solidarity. Following the surprise announcement, the top climate envoys of both countries held back-to-back news conferences at COP26. “There is more agreement between the US and China than divergence, making it an area ofhuge potential for cooperation,” China’s climate envoy Xie Zhenhua said, adding that: “By working together our two countries can achieve many important things that are beneficial not only to our two countries but the world as a whole.” Up next, US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry said he was “pleased” about the agreement between the two countries and added: “Every step matters right now, and we have a long journey ahead of us.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105512
     
         
      Climate change increasing threats in southwest Pacific: WMO report Wed, 10th Nov 2021 15:17:00
     
      The State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2020 is part of a new series of regional climate reports by the UN weather agency, and covers much of Southeast Asia as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Real and potential risks The report and accompanying story map were launched at the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where the existential threat to many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has been among the recurring themes. “This report highlights the real and potential risks associated with the changes occurring in ocean circulation, temperature, acidification and deoxygenation, as well as rising sea level. The Small Island Developing States are increasingly vulnerable to these changes, as their incomes are highly linked to fisheries, aquaculture and tourism,” said Petteri Taalas, the WMO Secretary-General. Coral reefs degraded The report provides a snapshot of climate indicators, and their risks and impacts on economies, society and the environment. It details threats on land and at sea. WMO said sea surface temperatures and ocean heat in parts of the southwest Pacific are increasing at more than three times the global average rate. “Marine heatwaves” have bleached once vibrant coral reefs and threaten the vital ecosystems the region depends on. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef region of Australia suffered widespread coral bleaching, the third time in the past five years. WMO warned that if global temperature rises 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, 90 per cent of the coral reefs there and in the Coral Triangle, could suffer severe degradation. Fisheries in decline Ocean warming, deoxygenation and acidification are also changing the ocean’s circulation pattern and chemistry, forcing fish and zooplankton to migrate to higher latitudes and change behaviour, thus altering traditional fisheries. Pacific islands have been particularly affected as coastal fishing provides food, welfare, culture and employment. The report found that between 1990 and 2018, total fisheries production decreased by as much as 75 per cent in Vanuatu, and 23 per cent in Tonga. Tropical glaciers disappearing Global mean sea level has risen at an average rate of about 3.3 mm per year since the early 1990s and has accelerated as a result of ocean warming and land-ice melt. Rates of sea-level change in the north Indian Ocean and the western part of the tropical Pacific Ocean are substantially higher than the global mean rise, according to the report. WMO added that sea level rise is already having a major impact on society, economies and ecosystems in Pacific islands, and increases vulnerability to tropical cyclones, storm surge and coastal flooding. ? The last remaining tropical glaciers between the Himalayas and the Andes are also at risk due to climate change. The glaciers, located in Papua, Indonesia, have existed for some 5,000 years but at the current rate, total ice loss will be expected within the next five years. Storms and wildfires Meanwhile, storms and floods have triggered death, destruction and displacement in Southeast Asia and Pacific SIDS. The Philippines, as well as Pacific SIDS, have suffered greatly from typhoons and tropical cyclones, while droughts are also a major hazard. The unprecedented 2019-2020 wildfire season in eastern Australia led to severe smoke pollution. More than 10 million hectares of land were burned, and some 33 people killed, along with millions of animals, while over 3,000 homes were destroyed. The region’s push to achieve sustainable development is in jeopardy due to weather-related hazards, which are expected to become more extreme as a result of climate change. Early warning systems Between 2000 and 2019, extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones caused around 1,500 fatalities and affected close to eight million people per year, on average. Some 500 fatalities were reported in 2020, around one third of the long-term annual average, but more than 11 million people were affected. The report advocates for Early Warning Systems as a “key adaptation measure” for reducing climate risks and impacts. Around three quarters of countries in the region do have multi-hazard early warning systems in place. WMO added that addressing rising climate risks and their impacts requires action at the local, regional and transnational level, including in capacity building, development of climate services, and integrated disaster risk reduction approaches. These are also critical to achieving sustainable development and building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105482
     
         
      UN chief welcomes China-US pledge to cooperate on climate action Wed, 10th Nov 2021 9:44:00
     
      Wednesday’s announcement that China and the United States have agreed to collaborate more closely on climate action was hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as an important step in the right direction. News of the joint declaration between the two countries, both major emitters of greenhouse gases, came late in the evening in Glasgow, where the 2021 UN climate conference, COP26, has been under way since last week.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105512
     
         
      Women bear the brunt of the climate crisis, COP26 highlights Tue, 9th Nov 2021 15:34:00
     
      After ‘walking’ some 8,000 miles across Europe, Little Amal, a giant puppet representing a young Syrian refugee girl, arrived in Glasgow right on time for ‘Women’s Day’ at COP26. The 3.5-metre-tall living artwork surprised attendants atTuesday’s plenary when it walked up the stairs and joined Samoan climate activist Brianna Fruean for a hug and a gift exchange. Brianna gave her a flower, representing hope and light, and Amal, a bag of seeds in return. “Both of us have embarked here for a journey, from two very different places, but we are connected by the fact that we are living in a broken world that systemically has marginalized women and girls. Especially women and girls from vulnerable communities,” Ms. Fruean told the plenary. The young activist reminded participants that the brunt of the climate emergency which amplifies existent inequalities is often felt harder by women. “Amal brought seeds to physically share, to inspire, seeds represent hope. The beautiful thing about seeds is that you have to be selfless enough to be content in the fact that you might not eat the fruit or bear the flowers but feel it was worth it knowing that your children will live with its beauty,” she added, using seeds as a metaphor for the decisions being taken at COP26 for the future of our planet. Ms. Fruean highlighted that seeds need to be watered, pruned and nurtured to bear fruit and flowers, inviting delegates to keep up their work after the conference finishes. “I will plant these seeds out when our ministers are ready, but I hope that within the negotiations and rooms you are able to plant them and when we leave COP, you’ll tend to them so that they’ll grow into a beautiful world that is deserving of girls like Amal and deserving of having all girls be safe in it.” The relationship between women’s equality and the climate crisis Alok Sharma, the COP26 President, made a short intervention, but not without being observed by Little Amal and Ms. Fruean, who stood tall watching his speech. “Today is gender day because gender and climate are profoundly intertwined. The impact of climate change [affects] women and girls disproportionately,” he said, urging to empower and support women. Little Amal, and the Syrian girls it represents, are not alone in their distress: 80 per cent of the displaced by climate related disasters and changes around the world are women and girls. For millennia, women have had a special relationship with nature. They contribute enormously to the well-being and sustainable development of their communities, as well as to the maintenance of the planet’s ecosystems, biological diversity and natural resources. Women in developing countries are generally the first to respond to managing the environmental capital that surrounds them. From collecting water for cooking and cleaning, using the land for livestock, foraging for food in rivers and reefs, and collecting firewood, women all over the planet use and interact with natural resources and ecosystems daily. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other UN agencies, they are also the first to feel the effects of climate change when they are forced to travel longer and longer distances to find what they need to feed their families. Moreover, while environmental degradation has serious consequences for all human beings, it affects, in particular, the most vulnerable sectors of society, mainly women, whose health is most fragile during pregnancy and motherhood. However, the recognition of what women contribute, or can contribute, to the survival of the planet and to development remains limited. Gender inequality and social exclusion continue to increase the negative effects of unsustainable and destructive environmental management on women and girls. Persistent discriminatory social and cultural norms, such as unequal access to land, water, and other resources, as well as their lack of participation in decisions regarding planning and management of nature, often lead to ignorance of the tremendous contributions they can make. It is a matter of ‘justice’ “Addressing the rapidly changing climate is a matter of justice and equality with the most vulnerable and most affected including indigenous communities, less developed countries and our focus today and every day: women”, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told COP26 delegates at the next plenary panel. Ms. Pelosi noted that she had brought the largest US congressional delegation to date to a COP and announced that by the end of the year, Congress planned to pass legislation to double international climate finance. “Build back better with women,” she added, giving a shout-out to the female members of her delegation. One of them was Representative Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, known for being the youngest woman to serve in the US Congress and for being vocal and active about climate action and legislation. “The leadership that got us here won’t be the leadership that gets us out,” she told UN News referring to why it was important to women to be involved in the climate fight. From South America to the Artic, climate change is affecting women Immaculata Casimero, an Indigenous activist from the Wapichan nation in Guyana, knows that better than anyone, and that is why she works at empowering women within her community. “We hold training sessions because we would like to see more women in leadership. At the community level most of the time there are only men. It’s patriarchy, and that’s something that needs to be broken. We can lead better than men, we lead in our households, we nurture children. The whole of humanity exists because of us”, she said during an interview with UN News. Ms. Casimero also highlighted that indigenous women, as conveyors of traditional knowledge to the new generations, have an extremely important role in combating climate change. The crisis is already affecting her home community, which this year lost several hectares of crops of Cassava, their main source of income, due to heavy and unexpected rainfall. The situation also led to food insecurity. “The sun is much hotter than before you can feel it and our people don’t know how to really adapt to the climate because when there’s supposed to be rain there is sun and when there’s supposed to be sun there’s rain. The entire system of farming and agriculture is disrupted by climate change and we do not have anything else to depend on,” she said. On the other side of the world, the Sami People, an indigenous Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi, which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, are also feeling the climate crisis firsthand. “Climate change in the Arctic is happening very fast. The weather is changing and is very unstable, our winters are unstable, the ice doesn’t freeze when it is supposed to. All our traditional knowledge of how to manage the landscape is also changing”, young activist Maja Kristine Jama described speaking from the Indigenous Pavilion at COP26. Her friend, Elle Ravdna Nakkakajarvi, had some words to world leaders attending the conference: “Actually listen to us; don’t just say that you’re going to listen. Don’t make empty promises because we are the ones feeling climate change in our bodies, and we have knowledge about the lands and waters in our areas and we can come up with solutions. We deserved to be listened to.” Science says we are still not doing enough Today is also ‘Science Day' at COP26, and fittingly, the UN Environmental Programme, UNEP, delivered an actualization of their latest Emissions Gap Report taking in account the latest pledges made since the beginning of the conference. “We are not doing enough, we are not where we need to be and we need to step up with much more action and urgency and much more ambition…there is also a leadership gap that we need to see narrow before the gavel comes down (at COP26)”, emphasized UNEP’s Executive Director Inger Andersen. The report had originally revealed that with the current National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and pledges, the world was on its way to reducing around 7.8 per cent of annual greenhouse emissions in 2030, a big gap between the 55 per cent needed to curb global warming to 1.5C. “At this point when we look at what we have come out of the pledges, frankly, is an elephant giving birth to a mouse. We need to think about whether that is good enough or whether we can stretch more”, she said, informing that including the updated NDCs and pledges, the world only will be shaving 8 per cent of emissions by the end of the decade. “It is really good to see countries taking this up and the conversation didn’t exist to this extent in Paris, and we appreciate and salute this, but it is not good to see that the pledges are generally vague, they are untransparent, some deal with greenhouse gases others with only carbon… they are hard to calculate and hold accountable. And of course, many of them kick the can beyond 2030,” Ms. Andersen added.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105322
     
         
      How the rise of copper reveals clean energy’s dark side Tue, 9th Nov 2021 10:00:00
     
      Corky Stewart, a retired geologist, and his wife live in a rural subdivision in New Mexico’s Grant county, about a mile north of the sprawling Tyrone copper mine. “We’ve been here three years and we’ve heard four blasts,” Stewart said of the mine, one of four on an expanse of land partitioned into dozens of four-acre lots. From his perspective, the blasts don’t seem unreasonable, given that a mining company owns the property and has the right to do what it wants. But he didn’t know when he bought the property that the company would propose a new pit called the Emma B just a half-mile from the wells he and his wife depend on for drinking water. “If they were to somehow tap into our aquifer and drain our water supply, then our houses become valueless,” he said. “We’re not making any effort to prevent the pit from being built,” he said. “All we’re really asking is for them to give us some commitment that they will fix whatever they do to our water supply.” But the mine, owned by the company Freeport-McMoRan, refuses to give them this assurance, he said. Freeport-McMoRan did not respond to multiple requests for comment by New Mexico In Depth and the Guardian. The company’s effort to expand comes as the US expects to invest in energy sources that are cleaner than fossil fuels, and the global demand for copper rises. Copper conducts electricity, bends easily, and is recyclable – which makes it a critical material for most forms of renewable energy, from wind and solar to electric vehicles. But when “clean energy” relies on the extraction of metals like copper, it can also pollute the surrounding environment. While Freeport-McMoRan touts sustainability practices and other measures taken to reduce the company’s own greenhouse gas emissions, there’s little doubt that copper mining poses significant risks to communities on the ground, threatening everything from water access to air quality to Indigenous cultural sites. Companies dig huge holes into the ground, going deeper than the water table. Heavy machinery kicks up dust, polluting the air. Chemicals are used to leach the mineral out of ore, and exposed water is forever contaminated. Some operations, like Freeport’s Tyrone mine, will have to pump water in perpetuity, even after there is no longer copper to be found, so that contaminated water from the mine site doesn’t flow back into the wider water table. Chris Berry, an independent analyst focused on energy metals, said the push for clean energy is a big reason for increased demand for copper, which is estimated to grow by 350% by 2050 if the world moves towards clean energy. Its price nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 in the US. That’s partly because copper’s role in the transition to clean energy cannot be overstated. “We’re really going to have to re-engineer the electricity grid to make it cleaner and greener and more efficient. And that’s going to take a lot more copper, and copper mining.” This reality puts environmentalists like Allyson Siwik, executive director of the Gila Resources Information Project, a local environmental advocacy organization in Grant county, in a tricky spot. “We are trying to transition to a clean energy economy, right?” said Siwik. “So we obviously are very supportive of that.” However, she adds, “the increase in global demand for these metals is very disconcerting to me. You know, it’s frontline communities like us here in Grant county that bear the cost of the increased exploration, expansion of mining.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/09/copper-mining-reveals-clean-energy-dark-side
     
         
      Could seaweed help us mitigate the effects of climate change? Tue, 9th Nov 2021 2:12:00
     
      Seaweed farming in UK waters could help mitigate climate change and at the same time provide a source of food supplements and novel chemicals, scientists have told Sky News. Several thousand tonnes could be cultivated every year in the cold, clean waters around the coast, particularly in Scotland. It absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide to sustain its rapid growth, which can reach several centimetres a day. Peter Elbourne, of Shore Seaweed, already harvests small amounts from the wild to make food products. A marine biologist by training, he has begun experimenting with seaweed farming near Oban in western Scotland to meet growing demand. "It is an extraordinary material that has a myriad of applications but has minimal environmental impact," he said. He has laid a web of ropes with a total length of just over a kilometre, which are held just below the surface and provide a structure for the plant. He seeded them last month and by May they will be covered in a lush seaweed carpet two metres tall. "This year I'd expect the equivalent of perhaps half a tonne of carbon dioxide to be absorbed from the ocean," he said. "But as we scale, we will extract much more. "Seaweed grows without any fresh water, it needs no land and it needs no chemical inputs like fertilisers and pesticides. "Compare that to agriculture on land, which uses fossil fuels. So seaweed has this great potential to displace more carbon-intensive materials." A growing number of seaweed farmers are setting up in business to meet demand from companies, such as the 'blue-biotech' firm Oceanium. It is extracting alternative proteins, as well as minerals and other food supplements. But it is also using seaweed to develop environmentally-friendly bio-plastic for food trays, pots and trays. And within the next 10 to 20 years seaweed 'bio-refineries' could produce building blocks for industrial chemicals that are currently made from oil. Charlie Bavington, co-founder of the company, told Sky News: "Seaweed lives in a tough environment - a lot of salt, energy, and sunlight, plus you have warm habitats and cold habitats. "It has solved a lot of chemical and physical problems to survive, and that creates the diversity of chemistry we can use and develop to solve our problems." He hopes that in future so much could be extracted from seaweed that just 5% would be left over as waste. Oceanium currently processes 150 tonnes of seaweed a year but plans to scale up to 200,000 tonnes by 2030. "Seaweed is the ultimate sustainable material," said Dr Bavington. "It trumps almost everything else. "It also provides economic opportunities for coastal communities." Globally 30 million tonnes of seaweed are cultivated, almost all in Asia. The market is growing by 8% a year. The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has just been given £407,000 by the government to set up a 'seaweed academy' to advise farmers and start-ups. Prof Michele Stanley, Associate Director for Science, Enterprise and Innovation, said: "I don't think until recently we appreciated the marine environment and the role things like seaweed play. "There is only so much land you can plant trees on. "We have to look more broadly if we are going to reach net-zero."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/could-seaweed-help-us-mitigate-the-effects-of-climate-change-12464185
     
         
      A matter of life or death: At COP26, vulnerable countries tell developed nations it’s time to keep their promise on climate finance Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:31:00
     
      Their main call: developed countries must uphold their promise of finance and support to the small states that are at risk of losing so much to the combat against climate change. “From the ocean came forth life, peace and comfort, a world not known to most but that was one with my people…We will remember a time when our homes stood proud and tall, for today they stand no more. That place is now taken by the ocean”. The eighth day of the UN Climate Conference began with a poem recited by an activist from Papua New Guinea, an island nation that lies in the South-western Pacific. Her words resonated throughout the meeting room in the Blue Zone, while tears appeared to be rolling down her cheeks. “We will never know when the tide raises and swallows our homes. Our cultures, our languages and our traditions will be taken by the ocean. When you say by 2030 to 2050, how can you see deadlines 9 to 29 years away when my people have proved that we must act now and not waste any more time,” she said, explaining that the ocean that once gave her people life, now has become an “executioner”. She was not alone. Just a few metres away in a different room, another young woman and survivor of Super Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines exactly eight years ago today, had an equally stark message for the world: “They stopped counting when the death toll reached 6,000, but there are 1,600 bodies still missing. Today, we are still shouting for justice for our friends and families who have lost their lives due to climate disasters. The Philippines’ youth are fighting for a future that is not riddled with anxiety and fear that another Haiyan might come at any time to threaten our loved one’s lives and dreams. We do not deserve to live in fear”, she said. For her, COP26 should be an opportunity to champion the ‘loss and damage agenda’. “Today exactly eight years since Haiyan changed drastically the live of Filipinos, impacts of the climate change are only getting worse. They shouldn’t have to wait for justice,” she said, adding that companies and other carbon emitters should be held responsible. The fight for ‘loss and damage’ The term ‘loss and damage’ is used within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process to refer to the harms caused by man-made climate change. However, the appropriate response to this issue has been disputed since the Convention’s adoption. Establishing liability and compensation for loss and damage has been a long-standing goal for vulnerable and developing countries in the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Least Developed Countries Group in negotiations. However, developed countries have for years resisted calls to have a proper discussion of the issue. “Six years after the Paris Agreement, which has its own article on loss and damage, small countries still have to fight to have an agenda item on [this] at COP,” said a representative of the NGO Climate International during a press conference. The other big theme of the day: adaptation, also has a finance issue involved. Leaders from Small Islands Developing States made clear that last’s week commitments on forests, agriculture, private finance and other matters are still not enough. “We welcome the new commitments made last week, but in due respect to be honest I can’t feel any excitement for them… Several new pledges are missing, and others have shown up with insufficient commitments that have succeed only in putting speedbumps on the road that leads to the wrong side of 1.5 degrees of warming,” said Frank Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of Fiji. The broken promise Last week’s announcement that the promise of $100 billion a year for climate finance initiatives in developing countries will be delayed again was the ‘big elephant of the room’ on Monday, but it was acknowledged by many leaders. “The developed nations are failing us, they’re the ones with the resources and technology to make a difference yet they have left potential for clean energy and adaptation off the table by missing the $100 billion pledge two years running… We, the most vulnerable are told to suck it up and wait until 2023”, added Mr. Bainimarama. The Prime Minister reminded that since the signing of the Paris Agreement, 13 cyclones have struck Fiji, and as such, building up resilience must not be delayed, and for that, money is required “plain and simple.” “I’m not prepared along with every Fijian to do what is necessary to secure our food chain and ensure we can grow our island economy. We have solutions and we are always keen to show our experience”, he highlighted, telling delegates that they have also already offered refuge to people of the island nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu in case their homes are the first to disappear. Grenada’s Climate and Environment Minister Simon Stiell also said the promises made last week need to be trickled down to show meaningful action on the ground. “Climate change for us in the islands is not an abstract thing. It is real and it is lived every single day and if mitigation is a marathon getting us to that 1.5 target, adaptation is the sprint as we battle the impacts and the urgency to protect life and livelihoods”, he underscored. Meanwhile, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, climate envoy from the Marshall Islands said that science is starting to reveal that adaptation measures are going to cost way more than $100 billion a year. “We are looking at several billions of dollars for implementing our national adaptation plans. We’ve received preliminary studies that show us estimates of tens of billions for reclaiming land, elevating parts of our lands, and internal migration. When we negotiate a new finance target by 2025 it must be based on science. The first target was an estimate,” she explained. Obama, ‘island kid’, calls for ‘action now’ In a surprise for some COP26 attendants, former US president Barack Obama attended the meeting with the representatives of island states. Being born and raised in Hawaii, he called himself an ‘island kid’ and said that the world is not doing enough for the islands, that are threatened more than ever. “This is not something that’s 10, 20 or 30 years down the road: this is now, and we have to act now,” he stated. He invited delegates to move forward by uniting forces. Quoting an old Hawaiian saying, Mr. Obama added: “If you want to paddle a canoe you better all be rowing in the same direction at the same time. That’s the only way that you move forward. That’s the kind of spirit that you need to move forward.” Later in the day, Mr. Obama addressed the COP26 plenary, where he made a commitment to push for climate action as a private citizen and made clear that keeping temperatures to below 1.5C is going to ‘be hard’. “International cooperation has always been difficult; it is made more difficult by misinformation and propaganda that comes out of social media these days... Getting people to work together on a global scale takes time, and that’s time we don’t have ... If we work hard enough for long enough, those partial victories add up.” He also encouraged young people to speak to their families about climate change. “Our planet has been wounded by our actions. Those wounds won’t be healed today or tomorrow [but] I believe we can secure a better future. We have to.” he said. The state of COP26 negotiations Meanwhile, the COP26 presidency held a ‘stock take event’ to discuss the current state of the negotiations at the conference. Fittingly, representatives of developing countries made a strong call to resolve remaining items left on the agenda with a special emphasis on finance. They also said that the plethora of commitments announced last week are welcomed, but action remains to be seen. “A COP without a concrete finance cannot be called successful,” said the Minister negotiator of Guinea representing the countries of the G77 and China. “We are disappointed that developed countries are not willing to discuss finance matters”, he added, accusing them of making some “empty promises.” Antigua and Barbuda, representing the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), addressed the failure to deliver $100 billion of climate finance by developed countries, as well as the uncertainty of adaptation finance, stressing that ambition must be much higher. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, it doesn’t make a sound. The NDC synthesis event took place briefly late at night in a small room with a musical interlude. Colleagues, we weren’t there to hear it. The report reveals a huge ambition gap, we need stronger 2030 NDCs with concrete implementation plans”, the Minister said, highlighting that the report, which discusses national commitments to reduce carbon emissions, indicates a 13 per cent increase in emissions, instead of the 45 per cent reduction needed to curb global warming. Bhutan, representing the group of Least Developed Countries (LDC) lamented that public statements made by countries often differ to what is heard at the negotiations. “We came to Glasgow with high expectations. We need strong commitments to ensure the survival of the billion people living in the LDCs in the future. There are still key items in the negotiations that we need to resolve this week”, he underscored. The representative was referring to the items of transparency, carbon markets, the so called ‘Paris Rulebook’ [the rules needed to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement], as well as finance, which the COP26 presidency announced will be addressed in this final week of negotiations. ‘Life or death’ For Bernard Ewekia, a student who came all the way from the islands of Tuvalu in the Pacific, words aren’t enough either for the survival of his people. “There’s already five islands around Tuvalu that have disappeared, and I want world leaders to set the pledges, but also act now before my country disappears altogether”, he told UN News at his country’s pavilion, which features images of a group of polar bears and a penguin that share with his people the threat of extinction due to climate change. For the young poet from Papua New Guinea whose moving oratory opened today’s events, real solutions lay within communities, so supporting them is indispensable to adaptation and mitigation. “Remove the timelines. My people are the solutions. This is our land, and we have the connections. Let us work together and let us our story be told. Trust us to lead our solutions locally and act now”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105222
     
         
      Many countries ‘unsupported and unprepared’ to address climate health risks: WHO Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:29:00
     
      The 2021 WHO health and climate change global survey report, which covers 95 countries, found only around a quarter have been able to fully implement national health and climate change plans or strategies. Other major barriers to progress include the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as insufficient human resources. Biggest threat to health The report was launched at the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, which aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement. Dr. Maria Neira, WHO Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health, said the survey highlights how many countries are left “unsupported and unprepared” to deal with the health impacts of climate change. “We are here at COP26 to urge the world to better support countries in need, and to ensure that together we do a better job of protecting people from the biggest threat to human health we face today,” she said. A clear case The report was first published in 2019 and this second edition provides a valuable snapshot of the overall progress governments have made in addressing the health risks of climate change. For Dr. Neira, the “health arguments” for increased climate action are very clear, as it is the most disadvantaged groups in society who are at greatest risk, such as ethnic minorities, poor communities, displaced people, older persons, and women and children. “For example, almost 80 per cent of deaths caused by air pollution could be avoided if current air pollution levels were reduced to the WHO Air Quality guidelines,” she said. Challenges to progress Insufficient finance remains the top challenge facing countries, according to the report. Some 70 per cent have cited it as a stumbling block, up from 56 per cent two years ago. Human resource constraints came in second, with about one third of countries identifying “lack of intersectoral collaboration” as a key barrier. At the same time, COVID-19 has slowed progress towards addressing climate change, because health personnel and resources had to be diverted to pandemic response. WHO said the crisis continues to threaten efforts to plan and prepare for climate-related impacts to health. Remove the barriers The report also pointed to positive developments, as over three-quarters of countries surveyed have devised, or are devising, national health and climate change plans or strategies. “The challenge now is to remove the barriers that are preventing countries from finalizing and implementing plans,” said Tara Neville, Technical Officer at the WHO Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health and lead author of the survey report. Around 85 per cent of countries now have a designated focal point responsible for health and climate change, located in their health ministries. Additionally, health ministries in 54 per cent have established related task forces, committees, or other “stakeholder mechanisms”. Meanwhile, about two-thirds of countries have conducted a climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment, or have one underway, while virtually all, 94 per cent, have incorporated health considerations into their climate ambition plans, known as NDCs, under the Paris Agreement. However, the report also drew attention to what WHO has labelled “a potential missed opportunity” to optimize the health benefits of adaptation and mitigation efforts in other sectors. These could have fed into a positive post-pandemic recovery, the UN agency said, as issues that determine health - such as education, equity, gender, urban planning and even transportation systems - were represented in fewer than half of the established multi-sectoral tools at governments’ disposal.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105162
     
         
      New FAO analysis reveals carbon footprint of agri-food supply chain Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:28:00
     
      In its analysis, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maintains that the food supply chain in many countries is on course to overtake farming and land use as the largest contributor to greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agri-food system. Moreover, unrelated farm activities and land-use changes currently account for more than half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from agri-food systems in some regions while in developing countries over the past three decades, it has more than doubled. Important trend “The most important trend…since 1990, highlighted by our analysis, is the increasingly important role of food-related emissions generated outside of agricultural land, in pre and post-production processes along food supply chains, at all scales”, meaning global, regional and national levels, said FAO Chief Economist, Maximo Torero. “This has important repercussions for food-relevant national mitigation strategies, considering that until recently these have focused mainly on reductions of non-CO2 within the farm gate, and on CO2 from land use change”. Spurring ‘meaningful awareness’ Using a broader data set, the new analysis allows farmers and government planners to understand the connections between their proposed actions under the Paris Agreement on climate change, and for consumers to better realize the growing carbon footprint caused across global supply chains. Details, which will be updated annually, on all parts of agri-food systems throughout countries and territories between 1990 and 2019, can be easily accessed through the FAOSTAT portal. “FAO is glad to offer this global public good, a data set that directly and in detail, addresses the greatest challenge of our time and which is now available for all”, said Mr. Torero. “This kind of knowledge can spur meaningful awareness and action”. The new data finds that 31 per cent of human-caused GHG emissions, originate from the world’s agri-food systems. Meanwhile, an analytical brief emphasizes how supply-chain factors are driving an increase in overall agri-food system GHG emissions and the progressively more important role of food-related discharges away from farmland. The information has important repercussions for national strategies to bring emissions down. Tracking the numbers Of the 16.5 billion tonnes of GHG emissions from global total agri-food systems in 2019, 7.2 billion tonnes came from within the farm gate, 3.5 from land use change, and 5.8 billion from supply-chain processes, according to the new analysis. In 2019, deforestation was the largest source of GHG emissions, followed by livestock manure, household consumption, food waste disposal, fossil fuels used on farms and the food retail sector. The UN Statistics Division, International Energy Agency (IEA) and researchers from Columbia University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Studies collaborated with FAO in the analysis.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105172
     
         
      UN system generated 25% fewer greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:21:00
     
      That’s one of the key points to emerge from the Greening the Blue Report 2021, the first study to reveal the impact that COVID-19 has had on the UN system’s environmental footprint. Addressing the report, the UN Secretary-General remembered that the world still faces a triple emergency - a climate crisis, a nature crisis and a pollution crisis - that demands “urgent and determined action?from everyone, everywhere.” “The United Nations is?committed to lead by example in reducing our carbon and environmental footprint in all?our?operations around the globe. Together, let’s achieve a sustainable, net zero and resilient world?for all”, António Guterres said. Less waste and emissions The report?focuses on the overall environmental impact of over 315,000 personnel in Headquarters, field offices and operations on the ground, across the world. Data from 56 UN system entities is included. In 2020, the system produced approximately 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, known as CO2eq, a unit based on the global warming potential of different greenhouse gases. Per capita emissions were around 5 tonnes CO2eq. Buildings were the main factor for emissions, accounting for 55 per cent of the total, followed by air travel, at 32 per cent, and 12 per cent from other forms of travel. Of the reported emissions, 99 per cent were offset, a way to compensate for the emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. Trends The report?also includes, for the first time, emissions trendlines, between 2016 and 2020. Overall, a reduction was already occurring across the UN system, prior to the changes that occurred due to the pandemic. In terms of waste, the average generated in 2020 was 396 kg per person, including Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions, where staff are stationed full time. If they are excluded, the average waste was 184 kg per person. These numbers represent a reduction of 61 kg per person and?43 kg per person, respectively, from 2019.?? For 2020, the average water consumption was 38 m3?per?UN staffer, per year, an 11 m3 reduction from the year before. Impacts of COVID-19 Overall,?the report notes, there?was?still?a substantial amount of work that?could?only be delivered in-person and required?physical facilities and physical technologies. According to the publication, the pandemic “highlighted the opportunity the UN system has to revisit its working and travel modalities and come closer to the ambitious emissions reductions’ targets that it has set for itself for 2030.”? The annual report?provides data on the environmental impact areas and management functions identified in the?Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management.?
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105182?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a604b6ddab-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_08_05_41&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-a604b6ddab-107499886
     
         
      New FAO analysis reveals carbon footprint of agri-food supply chain Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:19:00
     
      In its analysis, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maintains that the food supply chain in many countries is on course to overtake farming and land use as the largest contributor to greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agri-food system. Moreover, unrelated farm activities and land-use changes currently account for more than half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from agri-food systems in some regions while in developing countries over the past three decades, it has more than doubled. Important trend “The most important trend…since 1990, highlighted by our analysis, is the increasingly important role of food-related emissions generated outside of agricultural land, in pre and post-production processes along food supply chains, at all scales”, meaning global, regional and national levels, said FAO Chief Economist, Maximo Torero. “This has important repercussions for food-relevant national mitigation strategies, considering that until recently these have focused mainly on reductions of non-CO2 within the farm gate, and on CO2 from land use change”. Spurring ‘meaningful awareness’ Using a broader data set, the new analysis allows farmers and government planners to understand the connections between their proposed actions under the Paris Agreement on climate change, and for consumers to better realize the growing carbon footprint caused across global supply chains. Details, which will be updated annually, on all parts of agri-food systems throughout countries and territories between 1990 and 2019, can be easily accessed through the FAOSTAT portal. “FAO is glad to offer this global public good, a data set that directly and in detail, addresses the greatest challenge of our time and which is now available for all”, said Mr. Torero. “This kind of knowledge can spur meaningful awareness and action”. The new data finds that 31 per cent of human-caused GHG emissions, originate from the world’s agri-food systems. Meanwhile, an analytical brief emphasizes how supply-chain factors are driving an increase in overall agri-food system GHG emissions and the progressively more important role of food-related discharges away from farmland. The information has important repercussions for national strategies to bring emissions down. Tracking the numbers Of the 16.5 billion tonnes of GHG emissions from global total agri-food systems in 2019, 7.2 billion tonnes came from within the farm gate, 3.5 from land use change, and 5.8 billion from supply-chain processes, according to the new analysis. In 2019, deforestation was the largest source of GHG emissions, followed by livestock manure, household consumption, food waste disposal, fossil fuels used on farms and the food retail sector. The UN Statistics Division, International Energy Agency (IEA) and researchers from Columbia University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Studies collaborated with FAO in the analysis.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105172?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e68e196feb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_08_05_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-e68e196feb-107499886
     
         
      It’s Monday, November 8, and a major U.S. utility is shrinking its coal fleet Mon, 8th Nov 2021 15:10:00
     
      The U.S. has refused to join more than 40 countries pledging to phase out the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel. American electric utilities, however, are dropping coal anyway. Take, for example, the Southern Company, which announced last week that it will close more than half of its remaining coal-fired power generating units within the next seven years as it moves to decarbonize its energy mix by 2050. In a quarterly report to shareholders, the U.S.’s third-largest utility said it was focusing on bringing new nuclear power online “to provide carbon-free energy to customers for the next 60 to 80 years.” On the chopping block are units at the country’s two biggest coal-fired power plants, both in Georgia. By 2028, the Southern Company says it will have reduced its coal capacity by nearly 80 percent from 2007 levels. The move comes as many world leaders at the United Nations’ annual climate conference commit to quitting coal, which in 2018 sent 14.6 billions metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere — the equivalent of the annual emissions from 3.2 billion passenger vehicles. While the U.S. did not join the commitment, aging infrastructure and declining profitability have contributed to hundreds of coal plants’ closures in recent years. Even after Southern Company phases out its coal-fired power plants, it will have to invest much more heavily in clean energy to achieve its net-zero goal. Just 31 percent of the company’s energy mix currently comes from renewables and nuclear, while nearly half is generated by natural gas. “[T]here is still work to be done,” said David Rogers, a regional director for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, in a statement. Besides moving away from natural gas and closing its remaining coal infrastructure, Rogers said that Southern Company should support workers and clean up legacy pollution from the soon-to-be-shuttered coal plants.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/924473602/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Australia expects to continue to sell coal 'for decades into the future' Mon, 8th Nov 2021 14:13:00
     
      Australia has said it expects to continue selling coal "decades into the future". The country is the world's second largest exporter of thermal coal, which is used in coal-fired power stations. Last week, it failed to add its name to a list of more than 40 countries pledging to phase out coal use within decades during the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow. Australian resources minister, Keith Pitt, on Monday reiterated the government's position that it won't be walking away from the fossil fuel. "We've said very clearly, we are not closing coal mines and we're not closing coal fired power stations," he told Australian national broadcaster, ABC. Mr Pitt defended the stance due to increasing prices and demand, saying: "If we aren't filling that market somebody else will. "We need to stick to the facts, Australia produces 4% of the world's thermal coal. It's some of the world's highest quality and that's why we'll continue to have markets decades into the future. And if they're buying...then we're selling," he said. Australia unveiled a 2050 net zero emissions target in October but the plan has been criticised for lacking detail. Mr Pitt rejected claims the country wasn't genuine about the 2050 target. He said Australia has made its commitments, which would be met partly by investment in new technologies, but added it wouldn't "destroy the economy" 20 to 30 years before those commitments were due. He said roughly 300,000 Australian's rely on the coal sector and demand for the fuel was expected to rise until around 2030. "I'd much rather it be Australia's high quality product, delivering Australian jobs and building Australia's economy, rather than Indonesia, Russia or elsewhere," he added. One climate analyst labelled the views "embarrassing" and an "assault" on the spirit and intent of COP26. "The comments by Australia's resources minister should send a shudder down the spine of governments around the world that are looking to take decisive action on climate change," Richie Merzian, climate and energy director at independent think-tank, the Australia Institute, told Sky News from the Glasgow conference. "Australia simply cannot be trusted as a reliable partner when it comes to global co-operation to tackle the climate crisis." The country is expected to face growing pressure this week to increase its 2030 emissions target which was set six years ago.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-australia-expects-to-continue-to-sell-coal-for-decades-into-the-future-12463871
     
         
      COP26: Fossil fuel industry has largest delegation at climate summit Mon, 8th Nov 2021 11:15:00
     
      There are more delegates at COP26 associated with the fossil fuel industry than from any single country, analysis shared with the BBC shows. Campaigners led by Global Witness assessed the participant list published by the UN at the start of this meeting. They found that 503 people with links to fossil fuel interests had been accredited for the climate summit. These delegates are said to lobby for oil and gas industries, and campaigners say they should be banned. "The fossil fuel industry has spent decades denying and delaying real action on the climate crisis, which is why this is such a huge problem," says Murray Worthy from Global Witness. "Their influence is one of the biggest reasons why 25 years of UN climate talks have not led to real cuts in global emissions." About 40,000 people are attending the COP. Brazil has the biggest official team of negotiators according to UN data, with 479 delegates. The UK, which is hosting the talk in Glasgow, has 230 registered delegates. So what counts as a fossil fuel lobbyist? Global Witness, Corporate Accountability and others who have carried out the analysis define a fossil fuel lobbyist as someone who is part of a delegation of a trade association or is a member of a group that represents the interests of oil and gas companies. Overall, they identified 503 people employed by or associated with these interests at the summit. They also found that: - Fossil fuel lobbyists are members of 27 country delegations, including Canada and Russia - The fossil fuel lobby at COP is larger than the combined total of the eight delegations from the countries worst affected by climate change in the past 20 years - More than 100 fossil fuel companies are represented at COP, with 30 trade associations and membership organisations also present - Fossil fuel lobbyists dwarf the UNFCCC's official indigenous constituency by about two to one One of the biggest groups they identified was the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) with 103 delegates in attendance, including three people from the oil and gas company BP. According to Global Witness, IETA is backed by many major oil companies who promote offsetting and carbon trading as a way of allowing them to continue extracting oil and gas. "This is an association that has an enormous number of fossil fuel company as its members. Its agenda is driven by fossil fuel companies and serves the interests of fossil fuel companies," Mr Worthy said. "What we seeing is the putting forward of false solutions that appear to be climate action but actually preserve the status quo, and prevent us from taking the clear, simple actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground that we know are the real solutions to climate crisis." The IETA says it exists to find the most efficient market-based means of driving down emissions. Members include fossil fuel companies but also a range of other businesses. "We have law firms, we have project developers, the guys who are putting clean technology on the ground around the world, they're also members of our association as well," says Alessandro Vitelli, an IETA spokesman. "We're not coming to a shuddering halt today and tomorrow, and suddenly there's going to be no emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels." "There is a process to transition that's under way, and carbon markets are the best way to make sure that transition takes place." Campaign groups argue that the World Health Organization didn't get serious about banning tobacco until all the lobbyists for the industry were banned from WHO meetings. They want the same treatment for oil and gas companies at COP. "The likes of Shell and BP are inside these talks despite openly admitting to upping their production of fossil gas," said Pascoe Sabido of the Corporate Europe Observatory, who were also involved in the analysis. "If we're serious about raising ambition, then fossil fuel lobbyists should be shut out of the talks." The BBC asked the UN body responsible for accrediting delegates about its procedures, but has not received a reply.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59199484
     
         
      French couple who said windfarm affected health win legal fight Mon, 8th Nov 2021 11:04:00
     
      Christel and Luc Fockaert awarded €110,000 after over health problems they claim were caused by windfarm. A French court has recognised “turbine syndrome” after a couple complained their health was damaged by living near a windfarm. In what is believed to be the first judgment of its kind in France, Belgians Christel and Luc Fockaert were awarded more than €100,000 in compensation by the judge in Toulouse. The couple claimed they experienced a range of health problems including headaches, insomnia, heart irregularities, depression, dizziness, tinnitus and nausea for more than two years, insisting these were caused by six wind turbines set up 700 metres from their home at Fontrieu in the Tarn, southern France. The turbines had been installed in 2008. However, it was reported that the couple’s health problems started five years later. The Fockaerts believed this was because woodland between their property and the nearest turbine was cut down. They singled out the noise, which they said was “comparable to a washing machine continually turning”, and the “white flashing lights” on the turbines, as particularly detrimental to their health. “We didn’t understand straight away, but little by little we realised the problem came from the turbines,” Christel Fockaert said. “The turbines flash every two seconds … we had to have outside lights to counter the effect of the flashes.” The couple moved away from the area in 2015 and said their health problems disappeared shortly afterwards. Doctors failed to find any health problem, but a court expert said turbine syndrome had been previously identified by scientific research. However, an Australian study found sickness attributed to wind turbines is more likely to have been caused by people getting alarmed at the health warnings circulated by activists. Researchers said it was “essentially a sociological phenomenon” and that giving it a name like “wind turbine syndrome” and “vibro-acoustic disease” was a key feature in its spread. Other peer-reviewed studies in Europe, Canada and the US have also debunked the alleged “syndrome” – that is not medically recognised – suggesting it is adverse publicity, opposition to the turbines or the power of negative expectations and suggestions that might be making people feel sick. The Fockaerts’ case was originally thrown out of court in January last year but they appealed, saying the judge had ignored the experts’ reports they had commissioned and instead had gone to see for themselves but had spent only an hour at the site of the complaint. The energy companies Sasu, Margnes Energie and Sasu Singladou Energie, which run the park, were ordered to pay €110,000 in compensation to the couple and were reported to have since changed the lights and speed of the six turbines. Alice Terrasse, the couple’s lawyer, told French television: “It’s an unusual case and as far as I know there has been no precedent.” The ruling is expected to spark a flood of complaints, but Terrasse warned against others seeking to profit from the Fockaerts’ victory. “This case cannot be reproduced. This (wind) park caused an unusual nuisance because of its configuration but each case is different and should be examined differently.” She added that the judgment should serve as a warning to those companies setting up windfarms to reflect carefully on their impact on the local population. Emmanuel Forichon, of the environmental collective Toutes Nos Énergies - Occitanie Environnement (All our Energy - Occitanie Environment) said the ruling was “important and brave”. “We already consider environmental issues and biodiversity, and occasionally the impact on landscapes, but not enough the issues of human health. This could create a jurisprudence and, above all, make the regulations evolve,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/08/french-couple-wins-legal-fight-wind-turbine-syndrome-windfarm-health
     
         
      More than 130 MPs call for parliament pension fund to divest from fossil fuels Mon, 8th Nov 2021 7:00:00
     
      Letter to Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund trustees warns of ‘full-blown climate catastrophe’ More than 130 MPs, including over half of the parliamentary Labour party, have signed a cross-party letter to their pension fund calling on it to divest from fossil fuel companies to “ensure that our pensions are not funding climate disaster”. The letter, to be delivered on Monday to trustees of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF), applauds recent reductions in investments in fossil fuels, but adds: “We believe you must go a step further, divesting from the fossil fuel industry in its entirety, as quickly as possible. “Without this, our pensions are contributing to temperatures rising above 1.5°C. If this limit is exceeded, then by the time younger members are old enough to draw our pensions, a full-blown climate catastrophe will have struck, with ice caps melted, food systems collapsed and deadly extreme weather becoming the norm.” A total of 132 MPs have signed, including 107 of the 199 members of the parliamentary Labour party, with nine members of the shadow cabinet signing. Thirteen SNP MPs, five Liberal Democrats and two Conservatives also signed, among others. The letter, drafted to coincide with the UK’s hosting of the Cop26 climate summit, reiterates a UN warning that current investment in planned fossil fuel extraction “vastly exceeds” the limit needed to keep global heating below the 1.5C rise mandated by the Paris agreement. “It is recognised that as elected representatives, we have a responsibility to show leadership on the climate emergency and ensure that our pensions are not funding climate disaster,” it says. “Let us get our house in order by aligning our pension investments with a green and prosperous zero-carbon future that helps to contain global heating to below 1.5°C. “The world’s eyes are on us. It is time that we show true leadership and divest parliament from the fossil fuel industry.” The letter has been coordinated by the Labour MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana as part of the long-running Divest Parliament campaign, which claims the backing of more than 360 current and former MPs. Another signatory, David Warburton, the Tory MP for Somerton and Frome, said Cop26 had put the UK “at the centre of international diplomacy and coalition-building in a pivotal moment for climate action”. The branch of the GMB union that represents MPs’ staff this week said it supported Divest Parliament and announced that it would be launching a similar campaign centred on staff pensions. “We recognise that MPs and the Westminster community have a unique opportunity to show leadership on climate action and responsible investment through addressing the practices of their own pension fund,” it said in a tweet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/08/climate-130-mps-call-pension-fund-divest-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Few willing to change lifestyle to save the planet, climate survey finds Sun, 7th Nov 2021 16:28:00
     
      Exclusive: poll of 10 countries including US, UK, France and Germany finds people prioritising measures that are already habits Citizens are alarmed by the climate crisis, but most believe they are already doing more to preserve the planet than anyone else, including their government, and few are willing to make significant lifestyle changes, an international survey has found. “The widespread awareness of the importance of the climate crisis illustrated in this study has yet to be coupled with a proportionate willingness to act,” the survey of 10 countries including the US, UK, France and Germany, observed. Emmanuel Rivière, director of international polling at Kantar Public, said the survey, carried out in late September and published to coincide with the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, contained “a double lesson for governments”. They have, first, “to measure up to people’s expectations,” Rivière said. “But they also have to persuade people not of the reality of the climate crisis – that’s done – but of what the solutions are, and of how we can fairly share responsibility for them.” The survey found that 62% of people surveyed saw the climate crisis as the main environmental challenge the world was now facing, ahead of air pollution (39%), the impact of waste (38%) and new diseases (36%). But when asked to rate their individual action against others’ such as governments, business and the media, people generally saw themselves as much more committed to the environment than others in their local community, or any institution. About 36% rated themselves “highly committed” to preserving the planet, while only 21% felt the same was true of the media and 19% of local government. A mere 18% felt their local community was equally committed, with national governments (17%) and big corporations (13%) seen as even less engaged. Respondents were also lukewarm about doing more themselves, citing a wide range of reasons. Most (76%) of those surveyed across the 10 countries said they would accept stricter environmental rules and regulations, but almost half (46%) felt that there was no real need for them to change their personal habits.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/07/few-willing-to-change-lifestyle-climate-survey
     
         
      COP26: Time to sober up Sun, 7th Nov 2021 15:39:00
     
      So how much progress has really been made in the opening days of COP26 and what are the main challenges that lie ahead? To paraphrase COP26 president Alok Sharma, this is the moment when the rubber is finally meeting the road. After a first week dominated by a blizzard of announcements of new initiatives in the real world, the conference is now moving into the critical, behind doors phase of the negotiations. The main focus will still be on devising a plan to bend the temperature curve below 1.5C. There has been quite a bit of speculation that the first week announcements made by countries and the new pledges on methane and coal have already moved the needle on the rise in global temperatures that's likely this century. According to the head of the IEA, Fatih Birol, the new commitments mean that the mercury rise may be held to 1.8C. At the start of the COP the latest analysis from the UN suggested a rise of 2.7C. So just how real is this large predicted drop? "None of the countries that has a net zero target has implemented sufficient short term policies to put itself on a trajectory towards net zero," said Dr Niklas Höhne, from the New Climate Institute, who monitor and assess national carbon cutting plans. "Right now it's more a vision, or imagination. And it's not matched by action." As one participant explained it, the first week of COP26 was all sugar rush, the second will be about sobering up and getting down to business. Next week will see ministers fly in from around the world to tackle the tricky issues that negotiators themselves can't resolve. These will encompass a range of technical issues relating to the Paris agreement that have been outstanding for a number of years, including the rules on how carbon markets work, on the need for transparent reporting, and for common time frames on emission cutting plans. Some progress has been reported, but there are still wide gaps between the parties across these questions. As deadlines loom, negotiators are getting nervous. "It is tense right now, people are having to take tough decisions, as they should," said Archie Young, the UK's lead negotiator in the talks. "I think it is really important that we recognise the hard work that goes into the importance of some of that technical work." There will also be detailed and tough discussions around finance, around the question of adaptation, and loss and damage. There is likely to be a real standoff over the question of how cash for climate change is spent. Despite repeated calls from developing countries for a larger share of the finance to be used to help them to adapt to higher temperatures, the focus according to observers is still on using the money to help them cut emissions. The cold reality is that investors are more willing to put their money into renewable energy projects where a profit can be made than they are to spend it on sea walls or other adaptive measures that do not guarantee a return. "Rich countries publicly claim they care about adaptation but inside the talks most of the money goes on emission reductions and they undermine efforts to prioritise the adaptation needs of vulnerable nations," said Mohamed Adow, from the Power Shift Africa organisation, an observer at these talks. The failure of the richer nations to fulfil their promise of $100bn by 2020 has undoubtedly damaged trust, there is work underway to put in place a new, more substantial payment from 2025. While the new figure is unlikely to be agreed here, the prospect of a very significant increase could go some way towards ensuring that finance doesn't derail these talks completely. For the UK though the really big question is how to construct a final document that will be agreed collectively by the conference that will keep the 1.5C temperature threshold within reach. UK negotiators are taking soundings on what's termed a "cover decision", a package of measures that will try to close the gap between what the world's commitments add up to and the 1.5C bar. The key element of that package will be an attempt to get countries to update and improve their carbon cutting plans more regularly than every five years as is presently the case. The most vulnerable want an annual update. There's also a push for countries to come back with new plans in two years time. There is likely to be strong opposition from larger, developing economies. But there is a belief that steps will be agreed. "You clearly want some processes agreed here that give us hope that countries are going to come back and sharpen their pencils and put more ambition on the table," said Alden Meyer, a long time participant in climate talks from the E3G think tank. "I think if we get the atmospherics, right and the UK uses the ministers well, by the end of next week, we can get substantial movement." "It will offer some hope that over the next couple of years, we can start to really close that gap."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59193769
     
         
      Climate change protesters and sports fans descend on Cardiff Sat, 6th Nov 2021 15:44:00
     
      Protesters are marching in the capital as part of a global day of climate crisis action. Campaigners are protesting in Cardiff and other UK cities as leaders meet at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Wales' rugby team host South Africa at the Principality Stadium while Cardiff City host Huddersfield in the football, with 100,000 expected in the city. People have been advised to leave plenty of time and wear face masks in busy areas. Climate change activists are also marching in Swansea, Bangor, Llangollen and Holyhead while the Cardiff demonstration will finish in a rally outside the Senedd. Why are climate protesters marching? The 200 countries at the COP26 conference were asked cut emissions by 2030 and to keep global warming to 1.5C to avoid a climate catastrophe - before reaching net zero in 2050. "More people than ever now realise behaviour change is only part of the solution as we can only ever make changes within the capitalist systems and infrastructure we are given," said Cardiff demonstration organiser Clare James. "We know that COP26 is unlikely to deliver the solutions we need, so we're encouraging everyone to join us and demand a system change for future generations, because it's what we do together once COP26 is over that will be more important." The demonstration in Cardiff started outside City Hall at noon before hearing speeches from campaigners outside the Welsh Parliament building in Cardiff Bay. Wales' future generations commissioner Sophie Howe said while "we have seen solid actions from governments, there's a lot more we need to do". "Please don't underestimate the power of your actions," she said in a message to activists. "It is the power of citizens from across the world who are scrutinising their governments and holding them to account. "Working together to make sure we're holding policy makers to account, I believe there is a real chance in Wales that we can and will say we're acting today for a better tomorrow." 'Stand up for nature' At the march in Cardiff, which was attended by about 1,000 people, Meriel Harrison who works for the RSPB wildlife charity said: "Nature and the climate emergency are so interlinked. "We're not going to help one without solving the other. "It's nature day at COP26 today in Glasgow so it's important we stand up for nature and make sure that nature's voice is heard in the climate negotiations." Mariska from Cardiff, who attended the event with her two daughters Maia, five, and Vesper, three, said her eldest was "very interested in climate change". "As a mother I think it's a good thing to take my kids to and educate them," she said. Where else are there marches? Cardiff, Glasgow, London and 14 other UK cities are marching for "just and fair solutions" to the crisis as the United Nations climate talks continue in Scotland. Across Wales, rallies are taking place in Bangor, with others expected in Llangollen, Newtown, Pontypridd, Swansea and Ruthin while there will be a tiny forest planting day in Caerphilly. The march in Bangor started from the city's pier and included a range of speakers, including scientists and campaigners from Friends of the Earth Cymru and Bangor and Conwy Extinction Rebellion. "The impacts of runaway climate change are almost too awful to contemplate, and the people who will be worst hit are typically those who have done the least to cause the problem," organisers said. What's the impact of sporting events and protests? The protests and sports events could have an impact on local infrastructure - and, in Cardiff, some roads immediately around the Principality Stadium were shut at 07:00 ahead of the Wales rugby international. There is a full Cardiff city centre road closure from 13:30 until 20:30 around the game which kicks off at 17:30. 'Social distancing on trains not possible' Public transport operators have warned trains and buses are expected to be busier than normal and Transport for Wales has warned social distancing "is not going to be possible on the majority of match-day" trains. Face coverings are mandatory on public transport in Wales - unless you are exempt - to help prevent the spread of Covid while Welsh Rugby Union bosses have warned fans they must also wear masks inside the Principality Stadium. TfW has promised "additional capacity" on their busiest routes into Cardiff on Saturday with "all available carriages in service". It added: "We have measures in place to keep passengers safe including hand sanitiser at stations, enhanced cleaning regimes on trains and stations and queuing systems to control the flow of people into stations and on to trains. "It is vital customers allow plenty of time to get into Cardiff prior to kick-off and familiarise themselves with the post-event queuing systems." Covid rates in Wales? After last Saturday's Wales rugby game in Cardiff, the health minister said she was concerned what "Christmas will look like if we see the kind of scenes that we saw in Cardiff on the weekend everywhere in Wales". Eluned Morgan told the Senedd on Tuesday that if rates continue to go up then Covid passes will be required for pubs and restaurants. It comes as First Minister Mark Drakeford warned scrapped Covid restrictions could be brought back in at the Welsh government's next review on 19 November so people could have a "normal" Christmas. Although infection rates are falling, Wales has the UK's highest Covid case rate, but coronavirus hospital admissions remain relatively low. However, there are 73 Covid patients in critical care beds and these are the highest levels since February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-59148232
     
         
      By 2030, half world’s population will be exposed to flooding, storms, tsunamis Thu, 4th Nov 2021 11:47:00
     
      By the year 2030, an estimated 50 per cent of the world's population will live in coastal areas which are exposed to flooding, storms and tsunamis. That is why the United Nations has chosen enhancing international cooperation for developing countries, as the theme of this year’s World Tsunami Awareness Day. In a message marking the day, the UN Secretary-General called on all countries, international bodies, and civil society, to increase understanding of the deadly threat, and share innovative approaches to reduce risks.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104972
     
         
      Spinning sunshine into steel Thu, 4th Nov 2021 9:38:00
     
      The EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel Factory will become fully operational this month, fueled by an onsite 300-megawatt solar farm called the Bighorn Solar Project. It will be the first steel mill in the world to be powered mostly by the sun. The project to convert the EVRAZ mill into a solar-powered facility was announced in 2019 but has only recently been completed. It’s a partnership among three companies: Lightsource BP, which built and financed Bighorn’s 750,000 solar panels; Xcel Energy, the utility that will dispatch the solar power; and EVRAZ North America, which owns the 150-year-old steel mill. In a press statement, Lightsource BP Americas’ CEO, Kevin Smith, said the completed project represents a major step toward mitigating the steel industry’s heavy carbon footprint, proving that “even hard-to-abate sectors like steel can be decarbonized when companies come together with innovative solutions.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/spinning-sunshine-into-steel/
     
         
      ‘Energy day’at COP26: Voices call out for an end to use of coal, gas and oil Thu, 4th Nov 2021 8:44:00
     
      Fittingly, the sun broke through the clouds over Glasgow on Thursday as delegations and participants prepared for ‘energy day’ at COP26, one of the key thematic sessions taking place during the UN climate summit. Traveling from the city centre in the special electric bus provided by the organizers, the UN News team arrived at the venue to find activists outside the gates urging countries to end their dependence on coal, gas and oil. Some of the activists dressed as Pikachu, the short, chubby rodent mascot of the Japanese anime Pokémon, which in the series, is capable to organically launch strikes of electricity. Others armed with picket signs in different languages, turning on their megaphones to shout a call for climate justice: “No more fossil fuels”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104902
     
         
      How might the world meet its clean energy needs Wed, 3rd Nov 2021 15:42:00
     
      Sixteen miles (26km) off the windswept coast of northern Scotland, the future of renewable energy is taking shape. Rotating rhythmically in the breeze, the five colossal turbines of the Hywind Scotland wind farm look much like any other off-shore wind project, bar one major difference – they're floating. While conventional offshore turbines sit atop metal and concrete towers fixed into the seabed, Hywind's turbines rest on buoyant steel keels that bob with the waves. Carefully balanced, they remain upright despite the undulating conditions. This simple sounding, yet devilishly complex design is changing the way green developers view offshore wind. It could prove to be an important development as the world strives to meet the net zero carbon emission targets that countries committed to in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The energy sector as a whole currently accounts for around three quarters of all the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. To cut those emissions, green electricity will need to be at the core source of global energy, according to the International Energy Agency. It says that by 2040, half of the world's energy needs will have to be met by electricity produced in a net zero way. With growing numbers of electric vehicles, combined with increased demand for electricity to replace fossil fuels in domestic and industrial uses, electricity networks will also need to become far more flexible with more ways to generate and store energy. It means that by 2045, our energy network could look radically different to the way it does today. Projects like Hywind's floating wind farm offer a present-day glimpse of what that future could look like. The reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, unlike fixed units, floating turbines can operate in deep waters far from the shoreline, where winds tend to be stronger and more consistent. Many of the globe's most densely populated coastal regions straddle these deep waters, according to Henrik Steisdal, a Danish inventor at the forefront of floating wind innovation. He says this gives floating wind another advantage – it can serve communities that currently don't have much meaningful wind power capacity. "Several countries have big offshore areas close to their population centres, but at depths that are simply too large for bottom-fixed turbines," explains Steisdal. "In places like Korea, Taiwan, Japan and California, you can only manage a moderate amount of conventional offshore wind, or maybe even none at all, so floating turbines are the only option in the longer term." While floating turbines overcome some of the issues that make offshore wind farms in deep waters impossible, there are still challenges that have to be overcome. There are some concerns about what impact large arrays of floating wind turbines might have on the marine environment. The price of floating wind projects is also still high – costing almost twice as much per megawatt hour of electricity produced compared to bottom-fixed offshore wind. But those costs are expected to drop as the technology becomes more established, as has been seen with other wind energy projects. But as one question is answered – how to harvest winds from deep, distant waters – another arises: what to do with the electricity generated? Grid constraints have long been a problem for wind power developers, with fears of a system overload when conditions are particularly blustery. To avoid this, turbines are routinely powered down, a costly process known as curtailment. And what happens in those periods when the wind isn't blowing hard enough? Add in the logistical challenge of laying dozens of miles of subsea cables, and it's clear another approach is needed. Although high voltage submarine power cables are now relatively common, they are expensive to install and maintain, costing five to 10 times more than overhead lines according to some estimates. Enter hydrogen, the Universe's most abundant element and – for many – the key to the future of floating wind. "If it's especially windy outside and you've got surplus electricity being generated, there's an alternative to shutting the system off," says Scott Hamilton, renewables division manager at Xodus, an energy consultancy. "Rather than waste those extra electrons, they can be used to create hydrogen fuel." Doing so requires an electrolyser – a machine that splits water into its component parts: oxygen and hydrogen. When renewable sources are used to power this process, the latter is referred to as "green hydrogen". Highly combustible, hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels as a carbon-free source of energy. On the Scottish island of Orkney, a world leader in green hydrogen development, the gas is already being used to power vehicles and heat buildings, with plans for a hydrogen-fuelled ferry in the not-so-distant future. A similar pilot project due for completion in 2023 in Buckhaven, Fife, also in Scotland, will use renewable energy from wind to produce hydrogen fuel for heating and cooking in around 300 homes. Fundamental to this is the fact hydrogen can be stored – compressed and pumped into tanks, it can be transported much like petrol or diesel. This is why floating wind developers are so intrigued. Attached to the buoyant base of the turbine, an electrolyser could put the wind-generated electricity to immediate use, producing green hydrogen from desalinated seawater. The process would be unhindered by grid concerns and curtailment calculations, with hydrogen output ramping up in response to the strongest winds. A number of energy firms are pushing this technology, with one developer, ERM, hoping to have a prototype up and running as early as the mid-2020s. Once up and running, there's huge scope for how floating wind-generated green hydrogen might be used. As a fuel for vehicles, analysts such as Jess Ralston of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit say it lends itself well to heavy-duty, long-range transport – road, rail, maritime, and even possibly air travel. This would allow hydrogen to fill the gaps where electricity generation cannot be used by the middle of the century. "It's not too hard to imagine a situation where a country with large floating wind capabilities sells green hydrogen abroad, shipping it in huge oil tanker-style vessels or via undersea pipelines," says James Walker, hydrogen development manager at the European Marine Energy Centre. "We could even have a situation where electrolyser-equipped floating wind turbines serve as refuelling stations for long-distance ships." It's an exciting vision, but green hydrogen faces its own barriers to adoption. It is currently costly to produce, but the International Energy Agency predicts that as renewable energy production becomes cheaper, so will green hydrogen. There are also enduring concerns around the safety of storing large amounts of hydrogen and the development of the infrastructure needed to switch to a hydrogen economy has been slow. It means that to meet sweeping net zero targets, all sorts of sustainable advances will need to be made. Widespread solar power production, new ways of harnessing marine and geothermal energy, and breakthroughs with biofuel and battery technologies are all going to play their part. But alongside these ascendant eco-innovations, floating wind and green hydrogen will find their place, helping pave the way towards net zero emissions, and a future powered by carbon-free fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211103-can-renewables-replace-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Urban leaders, influencers, chart new path for world cities Wed, 3rd Nov 2021 11:57:00
     
      Mayors of Mexico City, Bogotá, New Orleans, Freetown, Gaziantep and Barcelona joined other urban leaders, designers, activists and thinkers from around the world on Wednesday, to chart a new path for cities. A launch event called Cities at the Crossroads, kicked off at the British Academy in London – marking the inaugural session of the new UN-backed Council on Urban Initiatives. The international group of eighteen mayors, activists and academics was formed in response to UN Secretary-General’s call to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an “opportunity to reflect and reset how we live, interact, and rebuild our cities.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104752?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4b35dfbcad-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_03_03_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-4b35dfbcad-107499886
     
         
      COP26: ‘Not blah blah blah’, UN Special Envoy Carney presents watershed private sector commitment for climate finance Wed, 3rd Nov 2021 11:51:00
     
      It’s ‘Finance Day’ at COP26, and the spotlight is on a big announcement: nearly 500 global financial services firms agreed on Wednesday to align $130 trillion – some 40 per cent of the world’s financial assets – with the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Mark Carney, the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, assembled the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a group of bankers, insurers and investors who now have committed to put climate change at the centre of their work.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104812
     
         
      COP26: Changing the plumbing of the financial system Tue, 2nd Nov 2021 15:36:00
     
      Follow the money to net zero. That is the plan unveiled today, with two-fifths of the world's financial assets, $130 trillion, under the management of banks, insurers and pension funds that have signed up to 2050 net-zero goals including limiting global warming to 1.5C. This means that the giant laser beam of global finance will be fired towards technologies that lower and eradicate carbon emissions, and away from "brown holdings" of investments in coal, oil and gas. The aim of the initiative chaired by former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is to change the plumbing of the whole financial system forever. What does this mean in practice? Essentially the easy cheap bank financing that naturally flows to, say, an oil field, or a coal mine, is diverted to renewable energy or to a mortgage product that subsidises highly efficient homes. In fact all of this is already happening in niches, with loans raised for environmental investments attracting a flood of money, and so cheaper funding - something referred to as a "greenium". Bank chiefs say they are having tough conversations with their customers who want to build coal power stations, pulling funding in advanced nations now, and developing countries beyond the next decade. So that is the grand hope. Promisingly, the Chinese, whose public banks have been huge backers of coal around the world, have also said they will step back from such investments. But the negotiations in Glasgow will fall short of setting a global carbon price - the sort of measure that could really guarantee the path to net zero. They have also so far not come up with a globally consistent way for bank regulators to force the financial system to increase the risk and the cost of lending to carbon intensive industry. And then there is the really fundamental question about COP26's climate finance agenda: can such fundamental ecological, economic and social change really be achieved more through financial carrot than by regulatory stick? This position suits politicians who don't necessarily want to tell their voting public to consume or travel less than they are used to. By changing the financial system, their hope is that the trajectory of every economic sector, from energy to transport, food to clothing, how we live, work and what we consume will decarbonise of their own accord.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59143027
     
         
      One step closer to a drilling ban Tue, 2nd Nov 2021 12:29:00
     
      It’s Tuesday, November 2, and the Biden administration is making it harder to drill for oil and gas on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management announced last week that it will analyze the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil and gas drilling leases. The move is a major addition to the existing considerations the bureau takes regarding leases’ potential impacts to air and water quality, wildlife, and “quality of life for nearby communities.” “The BLM is committed to responsible development on public lands, including ensuring that our environmental reviews consider the climate impacts of energy development on lands and communities,” said Tracy Stone-Manning, who was recently sworn in as director of the bureau, in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/
     
         
      Integrate water supplies and climate action, world leaders urge Tue, 2nd Nov 2021 11:49:00
     
      Water and climate action must be integrated to ensure sufficient water supply in the face of a rising global population and environmental degradation, a coalition of world leaders said on Tuesday. Climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards, they said in an urgent call issued at the COP26 UN climate change conference, in Glasgow, Scotland.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104682
     
         
      World leaders, corporations at COP26, take major step to restore and protect forests Tue, 2nd Nov 2021 10:11:00
     
      A pivotal pledge to save and restore our planet’s forests was officially announced on the second day of the COP26 World Leaders Summit, and with that deal came a long list of commitments from public and private sector actors to combat climate change, curb biodiversity destruction and hunger, and to protect indigenous peoples’ rights. Fittingly, the COP26 plenary today was lit up in green, and the room was filled with the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves coming from the giant video screens and speakers. There even seemed to be general calm among the delegates, almost as if they were already breathing cleaner air. “Today is going to be a monumental day, we are setting the tone of how we can preserve the lungs of the world,” declared Master of Ceremony Sandrine Dixson-Declève, who welcomed participants to the key Leaders Event on Forest and Land Use at COP26 on Tuesday. Next, a film narrated by Sir David Attenborough played on the screens.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104642?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d489f68245-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_02_05_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-d489f68245-107499886
     
         
      COP26: Enough of ‘treating nature like a toilet’ – Guterres brings stark call for climate action to Glasgow Mon, 1st Nov 2021 8:40:00
     
      As the World Leaders Summit opened on day two of COP26, UN chief António Guterres sent a stark message to the international community. “We are digging our own graves”, he said, referring to the addiction to fossil fuels which threatens to push humanity and the planet, to the brink, through unsustainable global heating. It was a grey and windy morning, as dozens of world leaders arrived at the Scottish Event Campus, of the key United Nations climate conference, in the city of Glasgow. Since 6.30am, long lines of people gathered at the gates to get their accreditations, and pass through tight security, which included presenting proof of negative COVID-19 tests.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104542
     
         
      COP26 opens in Glasgow with calls for ambitious solutions to tackle climate emergency Mon, 1st Nov 2021 8:37:00
     
      The eyes of the world are on Glasgow, Scotland, as the United Nations climate summit known as COP26 opens with UN diplomats and politicians alike calling for more action – and ambition – to set out new commitments for curbing greenhouse emissions and adapting to the impacts of a warming planet. With the official opening of the two-week conference coming hours after preliminary climate talks among world leaders at the G20 summit in Rome saw meager forward movement, and the release of a key report from the UN weather agency, WMO, warning that the past seven years are set to be the hottest on record, and our planet is heading into “uncharted territory”, the stakes for COP26 couldn't be higher. Upon his departure from Rome, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a tweet that while he welcomed the G20’s recommitment to global solutions, he was leaving the summit with his hopes unfulfilled.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104522
     
         
      ‘Serious risk’ COP26 may not deliver, warns Guterres, urging more climate action Fri, 29th Oct 2021 8:21:00
     
      There is a “serious risk” that the UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, “will not deliver”, the UN chief told journalists on Friday in Rome, just ahead of the G20 Summit of leading industrialized nations. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), formal government commitments to progressively ambitious climate actions, still condemn the world to a “calamitous” 2.7 degrees Celsius increase in global warming. “Even if recent pledges were clear and credible, and there are serious questions about some of them, we are still careening towards climate catastrophe”, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104412
     
         
      World leaders urged to prioritize action on water and climate Fri, 29th Oct 2021 8:18:00
     
      Countries must step up urgent action to address the water-related consequences of climate change, the head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and nine other international organizations said on Friday in a letter to world leaders issued ahead of the COP26 UN climate change conference. They appealed for governments to prioritize integrated water and climate action, for the benefit of people and the planet, to ensure availability, and sustainable management, of water and sanitation for all. “Climate change is dramatically affecting the water cycle, making droughts and floods more extreme and frequent and decreasing the natural water storage in ice and snow. Rising temperature and variability in flow patterns of water bodies also strongly affect water quality both in surface and groundwater,” they said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104442
     
         
      COP26 – what we know so far, and why it matters: Your UN News guide Fri, 29th Oct 2021 7:16:00
     
      In a world shaken by a pandemic, and a fast-closing window of opportunity to avoid climate catastrophe, the pivotal COP26 UN climate conference kicks off this Sunday in the Scottish city of Glasgow - the stakes could not be higher. “Without decisive action, we are gambling away our last chance to – literally - turn the tide”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said ahead of the meeting. But why could it be our last chance? Here’s some answers we’ve found to the most common questions you might have about what’s coming up. To keep it simple, COP26 is the biggest and most important climate-related conference on the planet.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104142
     
         
      Green industrial policies key for climate adaptation in developing world Thu, 28th Oct 2021 13:34:00
     
      Green industrial policies will be critical for developing countries to adapt to climate change, UN trade and development body UNCTAD said in a report published on Thursday. The agency has called for a “transformative approach” that will allow these nations to address current and future climate threats while also driving growth and job creation. The ‘eco-development trap’ UNCTAD said many developing countries are caught in an “eco-development trap” as vulnerability to economic and climate shocks are compounding each other, resulting in permanent disruption, economic uncertainty and slow productivity growth.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104252
     
         
      Countries most at risk, lead the way on climate action Thu, 28th Oct 2021 9:38:00
     
      Vulnerable countries are stepping up and taking climate action, amid a slow response from some of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday. In a new analysis, released ahead of the COP26 climate negotiations, the agency said that 93 per cent of least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) have submitted enhanced national climate plans (NDCs), or plan to do so. On the other hand, UNDP says, some countries in the G20 bloc of leading industrialized countries have been “dragging their feet on adhering to the core principles of the Paris Agreement to ‘ratchet up’ their climate ambition.” The G20, meeting in Rome this weekend, is responsible for more than three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104382
     
         
      World Heritage forests releasing more carbon than they absorb: UNESCO Thu, 28th Oct 2021 8:43:00
     
      Forests in at least 10 World Heritage sites have become net sources of carbon, due to pressure from human activity and climate change, according to a new report released on Thursday, by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization?(UNESCO). The agency’s new analysis, World Heritage forests: Carbon sinks under pressure , shows that instead of helping mitigate global warming, some of the world’s most treasured forests are in fact adding to overall CO2 emissions. The first ever scientific assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in forests on the UNESCO World Heritage list, has found that since the turn of the millennium, some forests such as the Yosemite National Park in the United States, and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras, have released more carbon that they sequestered due to wildfires, deforestation and global heating.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104272
     
         
      Human Rights chief says climate action only way to ‘safeguard humanity’ Thu, 28th Oct 2021 8:30:00
     
      Ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP26, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday it was time now to act, and put “empty speeches, broken promises, and unfulfilled pledges behind us”. “We need laws to be passed, programmes to be implemented and investments to be swiftly and properly funded, without further delay”, Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. According to her, only urgent action “can mitigate or avert disasters that will have huge – and in some cases lethal – impacts on all of us, especially our children and grandchildren.” Ms. Bachelet said that Member States attending the meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, starting next Sunday, “need to fulfil their existing climate finance commitments, and indeed increase them, not ignore them for a second year in a row.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104352
     
         
      $555 billion for the climate Thu, 28th Oct 2021 7:24:00
     
      Just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the United States — the biggest carbon polluter in history — was going to show up to the COP26 climate summit next month without a serious climate plan in hand. But after weeks of negotiation with the progressive and centrist factions of the Democratic party, the White House finally announced a framework for its social welfare and climate spending program on Thursday. “When enacted, this framework will set the United States on course to meet its climate goals,” the White House said in a fact sheet. Here’s what the plan includes:
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/555-billion-for-the-climate/
     
         
      Green industrial policies key for climate adaptation in developing world Thu, 28th Oct 2021 0:38:00
     
      The agency has called for a “transformative approach” that will allow these nations to address current and future climate threats while also driving growth and job creation. The ‘eco-development trap’ UNCTAD said many developing countries are caught in an “eco-development trap” as vulnerability to economic and climate shocks are compounding each other, resulting in permanent disruption, economic uncertainty and slow productivity growth. “The report demonstrates that sufficient action to adapt to the climate challenge will require a transformed approach that is proactive and strategic rather than simply retroactive,” said Rebeca Grynspan, the UNCTAD Secretary-General. “But developing country governments need adequate policy and fiscal space to mobilize large-scale public investment to face future climate threats, while ensuring these investments complement development goals.” The study is the second part to UNCTAD’s annual Trade and Development Report, which was released in September. Adaptation costs rising Although climate adaptation is viewed as a kind of “poor cousin” to mitigation, the UN agency said, this is both shortsighted and costly for developing countries, where climate shocks have damaged growth prospects and forced governments to reallocate scarce resources. Adaptation costs for developing countries doubled over the past decade due to inaction, and are set to rise further as temperatures increase, reaching $300 billion in 2030 and $500 billion in 2050. Although countries have been advised to strengthen climate resilience by improving data gathering and risk assessment techniques, the report argues that “adaptation is less a matter of risk management and more one of development planning”, with the state playing a key role. Sustainable and meaningful impact “Climate adaptation and development are inextricably connected and policy efforts to tackle adaptation must acknowledge this, in order to have a sustainable and meaningful impact,” said Richard Kozul-Wright, director of UNCTAD’s globalization and development strategies division, and lead author of the report. He suggested that the only lasting solution, therefore, “is to establish more resilient economies through a process of structural transformation and reduce the dependence of developing countries on a small number of climate-sensitive activities.” The report proposes that development can be “retrofitted” to implement green industrial policies which take local economic circumstances into consideration. Renewable energy production, for example, can operate at a low scale, thus opening business opportunities for small firms and rural areas. This would help to diversity economic production overall, reduce dependency on prime commodities, and even enlarge the tax base, helping create new domestic sources of development finance. To escape the eco-development trap, the report recommends that climate adaptation in developing countries should include key features such as “abandoning austerity as the default policy framework”, large-scale public investment in renewable energy and green technologies, and adopting a green agricultural policy that protects small producers and the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104252?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ad77b70901-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_28_03_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-ad77b70901-107499886
     
         
      In breach of diplomatic protocol; ‘don’t choose extinction’ dinosaur urges world leaders Wed, 27th Oct 2021 15:33:00
     
      “At least we had an asteroid,” the carnivorous critter warns, referring to the popular theory explaining dinosaurs’ extinction 70 million years ago. “What’s your excuse?” This isn’t a slice of real life of course, rather the key computer-generated scene from a new short film launched this Tuesday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), as the centerpiece of the agency’s ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign. The dinosaur then tells the audience of bewildered diplomats that “it’s time humans stopped making excuses and started making changes” to address the climate crisis. A global production It’s the first-ever film to be made inside the General Assembly Hall using computer-generated imagery, known as CGI, and features global celebrities voicing the dinosaur in numerous languages, including actors Eiza González (Spanish), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Danish), and Aïssa Maïga (French). UNDP research released as part of the campaign shows that the world spends $423 billion annually just to subsidize fossil fuels, enough to cover a COVID-19 vaccination for every person in the world or three times the annual amount needed to eradicate global extreme poverty. “Think of all the other things you could do with that money. Around the world people are living in poverty. Don’t you think that helping them would make more sense than…paying for the demise of your entire species?” the dinosaur says.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104082?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=bbdc36fe6d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_27_04_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-bbdc36fe6d-107499886
     
         
      Moldova: Russia threatens gas supply in Europe's poorest state Wed, 27th Oct 2021 10:10:00
     
      His country is immersed in a gas crisis. But Nicu Popescu is trying to remain positive. "On Monday our country made history," Moldova's foreign minister tells me. "For the first time Moldova bought gas from a source that was not Russia's Gazprom." The gas shipment from Poland's PGNiG was one million cubic metres. Moldova will need much larger volumes if Gazprom does what it has threatened to do: turn off the gas taps.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59048894
     
         
      Australian engineers patent thermal block to store renewable energy Wed, 27th Oct 2021 7:47:00
     
      The group hopes to smooth the transition away from coal-fired power by building out thermal energy storage while gradually decommissioning boilers in a power station A team of engineers in Australia has patented a material designed to store thermal energy in the form of a block, which its inventors hope can be used to ease the transition away from coal-fired power. Known as Miscibility Gaps Alloy (MGA), the bricks, made from aluminium and graphite, store energy generated from renewable sources, with the research predicting they can last about 30 years without any ...
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/australian-engineers-patent-thermal-block-to-store-renewable-energy-b1946068.html
     
         
      Pension funds retire from fossil fuels Wed, 27th Oct 2021 7:18:00
     
      Europe’s biggest pension fund, ABP of the Netherlands, announced earlier this week that it will sell off all of its fossil fuels investments by 2023. Europe’s biggest pension fund, ABP of the Netherlands, announced earlier this week that it will sell off all its fossil fuels investments by 2023. With ABP’s current fossil fuel holdings valued at about $17.4 billion, the move is one the largest divestments ever announced by a pension fund. Corien Wortmann-Kool, ABP’s chair, told the Financial Times that the fund decided to abandon fossil fuel investments because it realized it didn’t have the leverage as a shareholder to push fossil fuel companies for a “significant acceleration of the energy transition.”
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/pension-funds-retire-from-fossil-fuels/
     
         
      Climate change: UN emissions gap report a 'thundering wake-up call' Tue, 26th Oct 2021 15:36:00
     
      National plans to cut carbon fall far short of what's needed to avert dangerous climate change, according to the UN Environment Programme. Their Emissions Gap report says country pledges will fail to keep the global temperature under 1.5C this century. The Unep analysis suggests the world is on course to warm around 2.7C with hugely destructive impacts. But there is hope that, if long term net-zero goals are met, temperatures can be significantly reined in. Just a few days before COP26 opens in Glasgow, another scientific report on climate change is "another thundering wake-up call", according to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. This week, we've already had a study from the WMO showing that warming gases were at a new high last year, despite the pandemic. Now in its 12th year, this Emissions Gap report looks at the nationally-determined contributions (NDCs) or carbon-cutting plans that countries have submitted to the UN ahead of COP. These pledges run up to 2030 and have been submitted by 120 countries. Unep has also taken account of other commitments to cut warming gases not yet formally submitted in an NDC. The report finds that when added together, the plans cut greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by around 7.5% compared to the previous pledges made five years ago. This is nowhere near enough to keep the 1.5C temperature threshold within sight, say the scientists who compiled the study. To keep 1.5C alive would require 55% cuts by the same 2030 date. That means the current plans would need to have seven times the level of ambition to remain under that limit. "To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C, we have eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: eight years to make the plans, put in place the policies, implement them and ultimately deliver the cuts," said Inger Andersen, executive director of Unep. "The clock is ticking loudly." According to the authors, the current pledges would see the world warm by 2.7C this century, a scenario that Antonio Guterres calls a "climate catastrophe". He believes the report highlights the failures of political leaders. "The emissions gap is the result of a leadership gap," he said at the launch of the study. "But leaders can still make this a turning point to a greener future instead of a tipping point to climate catastrophe." As Mr Guterres suggests, there are some hopeful signs in the report. Around 50 countries plus the EU have pledged a net zero target for the middle of this century. These strategies cover over half of greenhouse gas emissions. The Unep analysis finds that if these plans were implemented fully, this could shave 0.5C off the temperature rise by 2100. This would bring the global temperature level down to 2.2C, which would see dramatic and deadly impacts from warming but would be a step in the right direction from where the world is currently headed. The problem, though, is that many of these net zero goals are ambiguous, say the authors - particularly among the world's 20 richest nations, where a dozen long-term plans are said to be quite vague. Many delay significant cuts until after 2030, raising serious doubts about whether they can really deliver net zero just 20 years later. Another hopeful sign relates to methane. The report also says there is great potential to make progress on these emissions, which are the second largest source of warming. Up to 20% of these emissions from fossil fuels, from waste and from agriculture could be curbed at low or no cost. However, the opportunity to develop a far greener world as the world recovers from Covid is in danger of being lost, say the authors. They find that around 20% of recovery investments will support renewables and the green economy. "The huge sums spent to recover economies from Covid-19 are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to boost low-carbon technologies and industries. In most cases, this opportunity is not being taken," said Brian O'Callaghan, project manager of the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project, and an author on the Unep report. "This is a particular slap in the face for vulnerable nations who are suffering the worst consequences of climate change…we remain without a commitment from the highest emitters to cover the loss and damage that they have brought on the world."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59049770
     
         
      ‘Vague’ net zero promises not enough: planet still on track for catastrophic heating, UN report warns Tue, 26th Oct 2021 15:30:00
     
      Tuesday’s new Emissions Gap Report shows that updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - the efforts by each country to reduce national emissions, as well as other commitments made for 2030 but not yet officially submitted - would only lead to an additional 7.5 per cent reduction in annual greenhouse emissions in 2030, compared to previous commitments. This is not enough. According to the agency, the world needs a 55 per cent reduction to limit global temperature increase below 1.5°C, the capstone defined by scientists as the less risky scenery for our planet and humanity’s future. "Less than one week before COP26 in Glasgow, we are still on track for climate catastrophe", said UN Secretary-General António Guterres during a press conference introducing the new assessement. "As the title of this year’s report puts it: 'The heat is on'. And as the contents of the report show — the leadership we need is off. Far off", he warned. The world must wake up The report finds that net zero pledges, if fully implemented, could make a big difference and bring down the predicted global temperature rise to 2.2°C, providing hope that further action could still head off the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. However, so far these promises are “vague” and inconsistent with most 2030 national commitments, UNEP warns. A total of 49 countries plus the European Union have pledged a net zero target. This covers over half of global domestic greenhouse gas emissions, over half of global GDP and a third of the global population. Eleven targets are enshrined in law, covering 12 per cent of global emissions. Yet, many NDCs delay action until after 2030, raising doubts over whether net-zero pledges can be delivered, the report says. Moreover, although twelve G20 members have pledged a net zero target, ambiguity still surrounds the means of reaching that goal, says the report. “The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species. Nations need to put in place the policies to meet their new commitments and start implementing them within months”, warned Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director in the foreword. “They need to make their net zero pledges more concrete, ensuring these commitments are included in NDCs, and action brought forward. They then need to get the policies in place to back this raised ambition and, again, start implementing them urgently”, she added. The clock is ticking The report is clear: to have a chance of reaching the 1.5°C target, the world needs to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions in the next eight years. This means removing an additional 28 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent from annual emissions, over and above what is promised in the updated NDCs and other 2030 commitments. According to the agency, post-pandemic emissions, after lowering initially, have bounced back and are now raising atmospheric concentrations of CO2, higher than at any time in the last two million years. "The emissions gap is the result of a leadership gap but leaders can still make this a turning point to a greener future instead of a tipping point to climate catastrophe. The era of half measures and hollow promises must end", urged UN chief António Guterres. Missed opportunity Experts point out that the opportunity for using COVID-19 fiscal rescue and recovery spending to stimulate economies, while fostering a low-carbon transformation, “has been missed in most countries so far”. Only a small number of high-income economies account for the majority of green spending, with developing nations and emerging markets in danger of being left behind. COVID-19 spending has been far lower in low-income economies ($60 per person) than advanced economies ($11,800 per person). Gaps in finance are likely to exacerbate gaps in vulnerable nations on climate resilience and mitigation measures, the report warns. "As world leaders prepare for COP26, this report is another thundering wake-up call. How many do we need?...Scientists are clear on the facts. Now leaders need to be just as clear in their actions. They need to come to Glasgow with bold, time-bound, front-loaded plans to reach net-zero", added Guterres. Methane in the spotlight The Emissions Gap Report 2021 also explores the potential of the reduction of methane emissions from the fossil fuel, waste and agriculture sectors, to curb warming in the short term. Cuts to methane could limit temperature increase faster than cuts to carbon dioxide, the experts explain. The gas, the second largest contributor to global warming, has a heating potential over 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time horizon; it also has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide – only twelve years, compared to potentially hundreds, for CO2. The report indicates that available no or low-cost technical measures alone could reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by around 20 per cent per year, and with broader structural and behavioural measures, by approximately 45 per cent.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104012
     
         
      General Assembly debate underscores need to deliver on climate action Tue, 26th Oct 2021 15:27:00
     
      The day-long meeting comes just ahead of the COP26 climate change conference for countries to deliver on the promise of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. In his opening remarks, Assembly President Abdulla Shahid highlighted the “blunt realities” of climate impacts such as rising sea levels, which are threatening island nations like his homeland, the Maldives. Act as one However, as the architect of a “Presidency of Hope”, Mr. Shahid stressed that countries can confront these challenges if they work together. “Today’s event will not solve climate change, only action will,” he said, speaking from the rostrum. “Today’s event is about reminding people of what we are capable of if we act in concert, trust in science, and intelligently mobilize the many resources we have at our disposal.” Scientists are unequivocal about the causes of the climate emergency. Human activities have warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land, driving ice melt and leading to unprecedented and rapid changes, said Valérie Masson-Delmotte from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body that has published a series of ground-breaking but alarming reports on the issue. “Human-caused climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in many ways, strengthening the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation events, droughts and fire weather,” she said, speaking via videolink. “The changes we already experience will increase with further warming.” COP26 Moment of truth The UN and its General Assembly, where all 193 Member States are represented, were created so that countries could unite to address common crises such as climate change, Secretary-General António Guterres told the meeting. COP26 in Glasgow will be a moment of truth, he added, because despite the alarm bells, governments’ actions so far “simply do not add up to what is so desperately needed.” The world currently remains on a track for global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius, far from the 1.5 degree goal, or what Mr. Guterres called “the only liveable future for humanity.” No more ‘diplomatic niceties’ He said the situation can only be reversed through reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent this decade, when compared to 2010 levels, and net-zero emissions by mid-century. Leaders must also come to COP26 with bold targets and new concrete policies. “The time has passed for diplomatic niceties,” the UN chief said. “If governments - especially G20 governments - do not stand up and lead this effort, we are headed for terrible human suffering.” And while people expect their governments to lead, Mr. Guterres stressed that everyone has a role in achieving a future where fossil fuels, which create greenhouse gases, are abandoned for cleaner energy sources. This includes businesses, investors and average citizens. Action and solidarity “Individuals in every society need to make better, more responsible choices - in what they eat, how they travel, and what they purchase as consumers,” said Mr. Guterres. “And young people - and climate activists - need to keep doing what they’re doing: demanding action from their leaders.” The Secretary-General also underlined the need for solidarity, urging richer countries to meet their commitment of at least $100 billion in annual climate finance for developing nations. He also called for donors and development banks to devote at least 50 per cent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience in the developing world. Leaving no one behind Climate action and sustainable development must go hand-in-hand, said the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Collen Kelapile. He underlined that everyone must be part of the net-zero future. “The global transformation to address climate change must be just, inclusive, and equitable to ensure that no one is left behind, especially women, children, youth, indigenous peoples and displaced populations,” he said. Mr. Kelapile added that countries must also invest in reskilling affected workers, and in economic diversification of communities. Like the Secretary-General, he also called for greater support for developing countries as they pursue a greener path. More than 70 speakers are expected to participate in the debate, which will conclude on Tuesday evening.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104052
     
         
      COP26: SDG or NDC? Our guide to the language you need to know Tue, 26th Oct 2021 15:23:00
     
      COP26 Let’s start with the name of the event itself, COP26. In layman’s terms, this is the 26th UN climate change conference, but officially it is the 26th Conference of the Parties (or COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Let’s break that down a bit… The UNFCCC was established following the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio (often referred to as the Earth Summit). The stated aim of the UNFCCC was to reduce greenhouse gases in order to prevent dangerous climate change caused by human activity. Conferences of the Parties to the convention, or COPs, are the formal meetings that have taken place every year since 1995, apart from 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic meant that COP26 was delayed by a year. SDG There are 17 inter-linked Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, which focus on challenges ranging from clean energy access, to poverty reduction and responsible consumption. Together, the SDGs make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN’s blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Climate Change is one of the Goals (SDG 13), but t’s becoming increasingly clear that climate change plays a role in many, if not all of the SDGs, and that achieving the 2030 Agenda will be impossible without making serious inroads into tackling the problem. NDC This stands for Nationally Determined Contribution, the detailed plan that individual countries are required to make, under the Paris Agreement, to show how they will cut the amount of harmful greenhouse gases they emit. All countries are expected to revise their NDC to reflect greater ambition. Presently, these plans are not sufficient to keep global warming to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, so this year, there is increased pressure on countries to sharply increase their level of ambition. Net Zero Put simply, net zero means cutting emissions to as close to zero as possible, such as by moving toward a green economy and clean renewable energy, with any remaining emissions reabsorbed, including oceans and forests. Practically every country has joined the Paris Agreement on climate change, which calls for keeping the global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial era levels. If we continue to pump out the emissions that cause climate change, however, temperatures will continue to rise well beyond 1.5, to levels that threaten the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere. This is why a growing number of countries are making commitments to achieve "net zero" emissions by 2050. It’s a big task, requiring ambitious actions starting right now. 1.5°C You’ll be hearing “the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius” a lot during COP. In a 2018, an IPCC report, reviewed by thousands of scientists and governments, found that limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (in the mid-18th century), would help us avoid the worst climate impacts and maintain a liveable climate. According to the latest data, our world has already warmed between 1.06 to 1.26 above pre-industrial levels, and even if current promises are met, we would still be on a course to reach 2.7°C this century. This would mean a “climate catastrophe” as highlighted by the UN Secretary-General, with a possible collapse of ecosystems, and life as we know it. IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC reports are also a key input into the international climate change negotiations that will be happening during COP26. A major report released in August showed that unless there are rapid, sustained and large-scale reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, methane and others, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C will be beyond reach. SIDS Small Island Developing States are a distinct group of 58 low-lying island nations that are highly vulnerable and often affected by weather extremes and climate change, including the increased severity of cyclones, storm surges, heavy rains, droughts, sea-level rise and ocean acidification. During the latest high-level week of the General Assembly, SIDS leaders from Fiji, Tuvalu and the Maldives took centre stage saying their nations are facing an existential threat if rich countries fail to make good on their promises to turn the tide on global warming. Climate finance Broadly speaking, climate finance relates to the money which needs to be spent on a whole range of activities to reduce the emissions that are causing climate change, and to help people adapt to and build resilience for the impacts of climate change that are already occurring. It can involve local, national, or transnational financing, which may be drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing. Climate finance is critical to addressing climate change, because large-scale investments are required to significantly reduce emissions, notably in sectors that emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, and to help adaptation efforts. In 2009, during the COP15 in Copenhagen rich nations promised to channel $100 billion a year to less-wealthy nations by 2020, to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate further rises in temperature. The promise still hasn’t been delivered—climate finance to developing countries presently amounts to about $80 billion--, and therefore climate finance will be one of the biggest issues of discussion during COP26. SBTi This stands for the UN-backed Science Based Target initiative. Companies which sign up to the initiative set science-based emission reduction targets, which leave them better equipped to tackle climate change, and making them more competitive, in the transition to a net-zero economy. Science-based target setting has become a standard business practice, and corporations are playing a major role in driving down global greenhouse gas emissions and in supporting the implementation of country commitments. Nature-based Solutions Nature-based Solutions are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. Nature-Based Solutions are an essential part of the overall global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change: they are a vital complement to decarbonisation, reducing climate change risks and establishing climate resilient societies. Examples include massive tree planting programmes, which absorb carbon and provide protection from intense rainfall, and rebuilding mangroves, which provide effective and cheap natural barriers against coastal floods and shoreline erosion. G20 The Group of 20 (G20) is an intergovernmental forum comprising most of the world’s largest economies: 19 nations and the European Union. They work to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. The UN Secretary-General has made clear that climate action must be led by G20 nations, which collectively account for around 90 per cent of gross world product, 75-80 per cent of international trade and two thirds or the world’s population. Their commitment during COP26 is crucial for curbing greenhouse gases and stop fuelling climate change. AGN The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) was established at COP1 in Berlin, Germany in 1995 as an alliance of African member states that represents the interests of the region in the international climate change negotiations, with a common and unified voice. GCAA Outside the formal intergovernmental negotiations, countries, cities and regions, businesses and civil society members across the world are already taking action for the climate. The Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA), initiated under the Lima Paris Action Agenda, was launched to spur rapid climate action, boost cooperation between governments, local authorities, the business community, investors, and civil society, and to support the adoption and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104022
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, October 26, and the U.S.’s second-largest car rental company is betting big on a greener fleet Tue, 26th Oct 2021 14:55:00
     
      Hertz announced Monday that it had placed an order for 100,000 Teslas as a first step toward electrifying its fleet of rental cars. The move represents the largest single purchase of electric vehicles ever, and it comes just months after Hertz emerged from bankruptcy. In a press statement, Hertz’s interim CEO, Mark Fields, billed it as a major new chapter for the company. “The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company,” Fields said, “starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America.” Hertz’s order, comprised entirely of Tesla’s Model 3 sedans, is expected to be delivered over the next 14 months, although customers in some locations will be able to rent a Model 3 as early as November. By the end of 2022, electric vehicles will make up one-fifth of Hertz’s global fleet — an enormous percentage, given that EVs currently account for less than 3 percent of all new car sales. Hertz said that it would also install “thousands” of new charging stations to accompany its electrifying fleet. Timothy Johnson, chair of Duke University’s Energy & Environment Program, said Hertz’s deal with Tesla may connect customers with electric vehicles when they otherwise never would have driven them. “The performance of an EV still surprises people the first time they get behind the wheel and often increases their willingness to consider a purchase,” Johnson said, adding that the company’s announcement “will help make EVs seem that much more normal to the public.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/912743219/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Joanna Lumley says wartime-style rationing could help solve climate crisis Tue, 26th Oct 2021 10:50:00
     
      Actor proposes system under which people would have limited points to spend on holidays and luxury items Joanna Lumley has suggested that a system of rationing similar to that seen during wartime, under which people would have a limited number of points to spend on holidays or lavish consumer goods, could eventually help to tackle the climate crisis. The Absolutely Fabulous actor, who has long campaigned against single-use plastic, said legislation could be the only way to curb the amount of waste produced by the public. “These are tough times, and I think there’s got to be legislation,” she told the Radio Times.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/26/joanna-lumley-wartime-rationing-solve-climate-crisis
     
         
      Japan's hydrogen power play Tue, 26th Oct 2021 9:30:00
     
      In this episode of Green Japan we focus on the power of hydrogen - an alternative to fossil fuels that is drawing interest and investment from around the world. In the city of Kobe, hydrogen produces heat and electricity for a hospital, sports centre and trains - part of Japan's transition to a so-called 'hydrogen society'. Japan was the first country in the world to draw up a hydrogen strategy in 2017. It aims to cut emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/25/japan-s-hydrogen-power-play
     
         
      ‘Vague’ net zero promises not enough: planet still on track for catastrophic heating, UN report warns Tue, 26th Oct 2021 9:25:00
     
      New and updated commitments made ahead of the pivotal climate conference COP26 in the past months are a positive step forward, but the world remains on track for a dangerous global temperature rise of at least 2.7°C this century even if fully met, a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned. Tuesday’s new Emissions Gap Report shows that updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - the efforts by each country to reduce national emissions, as well as other commitments made for 2030 but not yet officially submitted - would only lead to an additional 7.5 per cent reduction in annual greenhouse emissions in 2030, compared to previous commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104012?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1ab8c44674-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_26_01_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-1ab8c44674-107499886
     
         
      --Add Article Title-- Tue, 26th Oct 2021 9:20:00
     
      Plans for a £1.7 billion ($2.35 billion) project in the U.K. incorporating technologies including underwater turbines, floating solar power and battery storage have been announced, with those behind the development hoping it will generate thousands of jobs. The Blue Eden project, as it’s known, would be located on the waterfront of Swansea, a coastal city in southwest Wales. In an announcement Monday, Swansea Council said the project had been made possible through private sector funding. It is being led by a tech firm called DST Innovations and other business partners. DST Innovations is headquartered in Wales. Support is also coming from Swansea Council and Associated British Ports. Delivery of Blue Eden would take place in three phases across a period of 12 years. A key element would be “a newly designed tidal lagoon” with “underwater turbines generating 320 megawatts of renewable energy.” Other plans for the project include: A plant focused on producing batteries for renewable energy storage; a floating solar array spanning 72,000 square meters; around 150 “floating” homes; and a battery facility that would store the energy produced by the project, using it to power operations. It’s envisaged that Blue Eden would also be home to an oceanic and climate change research center. Rob Stewart, who is leader of Swansea Council, called the project “a game-changer for Swansea, its economy and renewable energy in the UK, and crucially it can be delivered without the need for government subsidies.” This is not the first time a tidal lagoon project has been proposed for Swansea. In June 2018, the U.K. government rejected plans for a £1.3 billion tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay. There are high hopes for Blue Eden, however. “Swansea has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, and this scheme will allow us to utilise the energy it provides to support our planet for future generations in a world-leading project we can all be proud of,” Julie James, who is member of the Welsh Parliament for Swansea West, said in a statement. The British Hydropower Association describes tidal range projects as involving the high tide being “stored behind a bund or lagoon wall and then released through turbines as the tide falls and electrical energy is produced.” As the tide turns, water will flow in the other direction, “powering the turbines once again.” Tidal power has been around for decades — EDF’s 240 MW La Rance tidal power plant in France dates back to the 1960s — but recent years have seen a number of new projects take shape. In July 2021, for example, a tidal turbine weighing 680 metric tons, and dubbed “the world’s most powerful,” started grid-connected power generation at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an archipelago located north of mainland Scotland. “Our vision is that this project is the trigger to the harnessing of tidal stream resources around the world to play a role in tackling climate change whilst creating a new, low-carbon industrial sector,” Andrew Scott, the CEO of Orbital Marine Power, said at the time. According to EMEC, “tidal stream devices … are broadly similar to submerged wind turbines and are used to exploit the kinetic energy in tidal currents.” Back in Wales, construction on Blue Eden could commence in 2023, subject to planning consent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/26/2point35-billion-tidal-lagoon-project-with-underwater-turbines-planned.html
     
         
      Climate change: Sir David Attenborough in 'act now' warning Tue, 26th Oct 2021 8:33:00
     
      "If we don't act now, it'll be too late." That's the warning from Sir David Attenborough ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. The broadcaster says the richest nations have "a moral responsibility" to help the world's poorest. And it would be "really catastrophic" if we ignored their problems, he told me in a BBC News interview. "Every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59039485
     
         
      --Add Article Title-- Mon, 25th Oct 2021 15:23:00
     
      The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin contains a “stark, scientific message” for climate change negotiations at the upcoming UN climate conference, known as COP26, in Glasgow, said Petteri Taalas, head of the UN agency. “At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, we will see a temperature increase by the end of this century far in excess of the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”, he explained. “We are way off track.” Emissions rising Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2020 was 149 per cent above the pre-industrial level; methane, 262 per cent; and nitrous oxide, 123 per cent, compared to the point when human activitity began to be a destabilizing factor. And although the coronavirus-driven economic slowdown sparked a temporary decline in new emissions, it has had no discernible impact on the atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases or their growth rates. As emissions continue, so too will rising global temperatures, the report maintained. Moreover, given the long life of CO2, the current temperature level will persist for decades, even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero. From intense heat and rainfall to sea-level rise and ocean acidification, rising temperatures will be accompanied by more weather extremes – all with far-reaching socioeconomic impacts. “The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was three to five million years ago, when the temperature was 2-3°C warmer and sea level was 10-20 meters higher than now”, stated the WMO chief. “But there weren’t 7.8 billion people then”, he reminded. Lingering CO2 Roughly half of today’s human-emitted CO2 remains in the atmosphere and the other half is absorbed by oceans and land ecosystems, the Bulletin flagged. At the same time, the capacity of land ecosystems and oceans to absorb emissions may become a less effective buffer against temperature increases in the future. Meanwhile, many countries are currently setting carbon neutral targets amidst the hope that COP26 will see a dramatic increase in commitments. “We need to transform our commitment into action that will have an impact of the gases that drive climate change. We need to revisit our industrial, energy and transport systems and whole way of life”, said the WMO official. “The needed changes are economically affordable and technically possible", he assured. “There is no time to lose”. Battling emissions CO2 is the single most important greenhouse gas and has “major negative repercussions for our daily lives and well-being, for the state of our planet and for the future of our children and grandchildren”, argued the WMO chief. Carbon sinks are vital regulators of climate change because they remove one-quarter of the CO2 that humans release into the atmosphere. Nitrous Oxide is both a powerful greenhouse gas and ozone depleting chemical that is emitted into the atmosphere from both natural and anthropogenic sources, including oceans, soils, biomass burning, fertilizer use and various industrial processes. Multiple co-benefits of reducing methane, whose gas remains in the atmosphere for about a decade, could support the Paris Agreement and help to reach many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said the Bulletin.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103892?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=414d5589b5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_25_09_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-414d5589b5-107499886
     
         
      Middle East Green Initiative: ‘pathbreaking work’ to protect the planet Mon, 25th Oct 2021 9:29:00
     
      The Middle East Green Initiative launch in Saudi Arabia on Monday was hailed by the UN’s deputy chief as a valuable commitment and strategic vision, to transition regional economies away from unsustainable development, to a model “fit for the challenges of the 21st century”. With only a few days until the G20 Summit of leading industrialized nations in Rome, followed immediately by the UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed lauded the new initiative.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103992
     
         
      ‘No time to lose’ curbing greenhouse gases: WMO Mon, 25th Oct 2021 9:23:00
     
      Last year, heat-trapping greenhouse gases reached a new record, surging above the planet's 2011-2020 average, and has continued in 2021, according to a new report published on Monday by the UN weather agency. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin contains a “stark, scientific message” for climate change negotiations at the upcoming UN climate conference, known as COP26, in Glasgow, said Petteri Taalas, head of the UN agency.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103892
     
         
      UN chief calls for China commitment to ‘ambitious’ climate goals Mon, 25th Oct 2021 8:26:00
     
      The UN Secretary-General on Monday called on China to present an “ambitious” Nationally Determined Contribution in the run-up to the UN Climate Conference, COP26, starting in Glasgow at the end of this week.? António Guterres commended the country’s decision to end financing of coal-fired power plants abroad, and direct support for green and low carbon energy production, stating that the world “must do everything possible to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement alive.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103952
     
         
      COP26: Praise for updated national climate plans, but ‘nowhere near’ goal Mon, 25th Oct 2021 7:32:00
     
      New or updated climate action plans by governments can be effective in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but greater efforts are needed to keep global warming at bay, the UN climate change office (UNFCCC) said in a new report on Monday. The findings update an earlier report which synthesizes plans outlined by countries in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change, which aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103972
     
         
      Solar on schools Mon, 25th Oct 2021 6:36:00
     
      New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans last week to install solar panels on schools. It’s Monday, October 25, and New York City public schools are getting solar panels. The state of New York plans to put solar panels on the rooftops of 47 schools and several water treatment plants in New York City starting in early 2022. The solar panels are expected to generate 25 megawatts of energy — enough to power 1,300 homes, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced last week. Some of the new solar systems will also include batteries to dispatch stored power to the grid during periods of peak demand.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/solar-on-schools/
     
         
      Climate change: Why Australia refuses to give up coal Sat, 23rd Oct 2021 15:26:00
     
      In a world racing to reduce pollution, Australia is a stark outlier. It is one of the dirtiest countries per head of population and a massive global supplier of fossil fuels. Unusually for a rich nation, it also still burns coal for most of its electricity. Australia's 2030 emissions target - a 26% cut on 2005 levels - is half the US and UK benchmarks. Canberra has also resisted joining the two-thirds of countries who have pledged net zero emissions by 2050. And instead of phasing out coal - the worst fossil fuel - it's committed to digging for more. So it's no surprise that Australia is being viewed as a "bad guy" going into the COP26 global climate talks in Glasgow, analysts say. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government is under huge pressure to do more. Loyalty to the industry Mining has helped drive Australia's economy for decades, and coal remains the country's second-biggest export. Only Indonesia sells more coal than Australia globally. The government often credits coal for much of the country's wealth, but many analysts argue this is overblown. Coal exports totalled A$55bn (£29bn; $40bn) last year, but most of this wealth was kept by mining companies. Less than a tenth went to Australia directly - that's about 1% of national revenue. The coal workforce of 40,000 is about half the size of McDonald's in Australia. But coal jobs do sustain some rural communities. The mining sector has always wielded influence in Canberra. Though most voters want tougher climate action, some coal towns lie in swing constituencies that are key to winning elections. The mining lobby has "distorted" much policy over the years, says Prof Samantha Hepburn, a climate law expert at Deakin University. The current government dismantled Australia's emissions trading scheme in 2014, shortly after winning power in a campaign heavily backed by mining interests. It's never again tried to put a price on carbon, or to restrict emissions from fossil fuel producers. Instead it's provided extra support to coal. This includes: - Approving new mines and extensions: There are over 80 proposed projects including plant upgrades - Tax subsidies: About A$10bn went to fossil fuel companies last year alone - 'Clean coal' investments: Schemes such as carbon capture and storage, often criticised as ineffective Chasing a shrinking market Australia argues coal will continue to generate national wealth for decades to come. It talks up demand in Asia, particularly from industrialising economies. China and India alone account for 64% of global coal consumption. Demand in Indonesia and Vietnam has also surged. But analysts say there's no long-term market as countries race to meet emissions goals. Australia's biggest coal buyers - Japan, South Korea and China - have all pledged net zero targets by mid-century. Coal use has already plunged in North America and Europe. The G7 rich nations and China, as well as many banks, have committed to stop financing overseas coal projects. "Australia knows the party is over. But the police haven't been called yet. So they'll continue to party on until they're stopped," says Richie Merzian, a climate expert at the Australia Institute. Missing the green opportunity? Australia could end its literally toxic relationship with coal fairly quickly, experts say. Its economy is stable and well-diversified to absorb the loss of coal exports. But Australia controversially sees liquefied natural gas - another dirty fuel - as its next big domestic energy source. The government has already pledged half a billion dollars to new gas basins and plants, defying global calls for an end to new fossil fuel projects. This has frustrated those who say Australia should be investing to become a renewables superpower. As one of the sunniest and windiest continents on Earth, Australia is "uniquely placed to benefit economically" from its abundant natural resources, says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organisation. Its industries are also well positioned to pivot to new export markets like green steel and aluminium. Advocates say coal workers could instead mine for the rare minerals needed for batteries and magnets that will power renewable energy grids. Canberra has put some money into renewables, but the majority has come from state governments and businesses. Its allegiance to fossil fuels has scuppered progress, critics say. The government has cut its renewables spending in recent years, and there is no current national clean energy target. It has also withdrawn from the UN's Green Climate Fund, and tried to change one local fund's mandate so taxpayer money could go to coal projects instead. "The rest of the world is accelerating past coal," says the Climate Council, a group of scientists. "Australia can either choose to reap the opportunities of this transition, or be left poorer and less secure."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57925798
     
         
      Climate change will bring global tension, US intelligence report says Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 15:29:00
     
      Climate change will lead to growing international tensions, the US intelligence community has warned in a bleak assessment. The first ever National Intelligence Estimate on Climate Change looks at the impact of climate on national security through to 2040. Countries will argue over how to respond and the effects will be felt most in poorer countries, which are least able to adapt. The report also warns of the risks if futuristic geo-engineering technologies are deployed by some countries acting alone. The 27-page assessment is the collective view of all 18 US intelligence agencies. It is their first such look-ahead on what climate means for national security. The report paints a picture of a world failing to co-operate, leading to dangerous competition and instability. It has been issued just ahead of President Joe Biden attending next month's COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, which is seeking international agreement. It warns countries will try to defend their economies and seek advantage in developing new technology. Some nations may also resist the desire to act, with more than 20 countries relying on fossil fuels for greater than 50% of total export revenues. "A decline in fossil fuel revenue would further strain Middle Eastern countries that are projected to face more intense climate effects," the report says. Soon, it warns, the impact of climate change will be felt around the globe. Poorer countries The US intelligence community identifies 11 countries and two regions where energy, food, water and health security are at particular risk. They tend to be poorer and less able to adapt, increasing the risks of instability and internal conflict. Heat waves and droughts could place pressure on services like electricity supply. Five of the 11 countries are in South and East Asia - Afghanistan, Burma, India, Pakistan and North Korea - four countries are in Central America and the Caribbean - Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. Colombia and Iraq are the others. Central Africa and small states in the Pacific are also at risk. Instability could spill out, particularly in the form of refugee flows, with a warning this could put pressure on the US southern border and create new humanitarian demands. Flashpoints The Arctic is likely to be one, as it becomes more accessible because of reducing ice. That may open new shipping routes and access to fish stocks but also create risks of miscalculation as militaries move in. Access to water will also become a source of problems. In the Middle East and North Africa, about 60% of surface water resources cross boundaries. Pakistan and India have long-standing water issues. Meanwhile, the Mekong River basin could cause problems between China and Cambodia and Vietnam, the report warns. Future tech Another source of risk is that a country might decide to use geo-engineering to counter climate change. This involves using futuristic technology, for instance sending reflective particles to the upper stratosphere which mimic the cooling effects of a volcanic eruption or using aerosols to cool oceans in a particular area. But if one country acts alone it could simply shift the problem to another region and create anger from other nations impacted in a negative way or unable to act themselves. Researchers in several countries, including Australia, China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as several EU members, are looking at these techniques but there are few rules or regulations. Spur to co-operate The report says there are some ways this bleak future might be avoided. Breakthrough technologies, including accepted use of geo-engineering, are some. Another is a climate disaster which acts as a spur for greater co-operation. The report is a sign that climate is now a central part of security thinking and that it will heighten existing problems as well as create new ones. "Governments increasingly recognise that climate change is shaping the national security landscape like never before," Erin Sikorsky, the director of the Center for Climate and Security who formerly worked on the National Intelligence Council, told the BBC. "Climate considerations cannot be separated from other security concerns, such as competition with China. That country faces compounding climate risks, from rising sea levels affecting millions of people in coastal cities, flooding in its interior that threatens energy infrastructure, and desertification and migrating fish stocks that undermine its food security. National security strategy that does not take such factors into account will get answers to key questions about China's behaviour incorrect." The new intelligence estimate sets out the stark problems that lie ahead. But the real question will be what policymakers do about this warning from their spies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59004088
     
         
      'Landmark decision’ gives legal teeth to protect environmental defenders Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 15:20:00
     
      “I remain deeply concerned by the targeting of environmental activists”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, welcoming the rapid response mechanism as “an important contribution to help advance my Call to Action for Human Rights”. The agreement will delegate setting up the new mechanism to the United Nations, or another international body. As the first ever internationally-agreed tool to safeguard environmental defenders, it marks an important step in upholding the universal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – as recognized by the Human Rights Council earlier this month. “Twenty years ago, the Aarhus Convention entered into force, bridging the gap between human and environmental rights. Today, as the devastating effects of climate change continue to ravage the world, the Convention’s core purpose – of allowing people to protect their wellbeing and that of future generations – has never been more critical”, spelled out the UN chief. A protective eye The agreement to establish the mechanism was adopted on Thursday by the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, known as the Aarhus Convention. “This landmark decision is a clear signal to environmental defenders that they will not be left unprotected”, said UNECE chief Olga Algayerova. “It demonstrates a new level of commitment to upholding the public’s rights under the Aarhus Convention, as well as Parties’ willingness to respond effectively to grave and real-time challenges seen in the Convention’s implementation on the ground”. Vital defence Whether it is groups protesting the construction of a dangerous dam or individuals speaking out against harmful agricultural practices in their local community, these activists are vital to environmental preservation across the globe, said the UNECE. The Aarhus Convention ensures that those exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention shall not be penalized, persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement. As such, the mechanism will establish a Special Rapporteur – or independent rights expert – who will quickly respond to alleged violations and take measures to protect those experiencing or under imminent threat of penalization, persecution, or harassment for seeking to exercise their rights under the Convention. As time is of the essence to buttress the safety of environmental defenders, any member of the public, secretariat or Party to the Aarhus Convention, will be able to submit a confidential complaint to the Special Rapporteur, even before other legal remedies have been exhausted. Defenders targeted Although it is crucial for environmental defenders to confidently exercise their rights, cases have been reported in which instead, they face being fired, heavy fines, criminalization, detention, violence, and even death. Moreover, incidents of harassment and violence against environmental defenders are far from uncommon. A report to the Human Rights Council by Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, found that one-in-two human rights defenders who were killed in 2019 had been working with communities around issues of land, environment, impacts of business activities, poverty and rights of indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants and other minorities. Since January 2017, among the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, incidents of persecution, penalization and harassment of environmental defenders have been reported in 16 countries. In contrast to current existing initiatives, which mainly rely on applying political pressure through the media, the Aarhus Convention’s rapid response mechanism will be built on a binding legal framework, giving it much greater powers to act.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103792
     
         
      'Landmark decision’ gives legal teeth to protect environmental defenders Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 15:20:00
     
      “I remain deeply concerned by the targeting of environmental activists”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, welcoming the rapid response mechanism as “an important contribution to help advance my Call to Action for Human Rights”. The agreement will delegate setting up the new mechanism to the United Nations, or another international body. As the first ever internationally-agreed tool to safeguard environmental defenders, it marks an important step in upholding the universal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – as recognized by the Human Rights Council earlier this month. “Twenty years ago, the Aarhus Convention entered into force, bridging the gap between human and environmental rights. Today, as the devastating effects of climate change continue to ravage the world, the Convention’s core purpose – of allowing people to protect their wellbeing and that of future generations – has never been more critical”, spelled out the UN chief. A protective eye The agreement to establish the mechanism was adopted on Thursday by the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, known as the Aarhus Convention. “This landmark decision is a clear signal to environmental defenders that they will not be left unprotected”, said UNECE chief Olga Algayerova. “It demonstrates a new level of commitment to upholding the public’s rights under the Aarhus Convention, as well as Parties’ willingness to respond effectively to grave and real-time challenges seen in the Convention’s implementation on the ground”. Vital defence Whether it is groups protesting the construction of a dangerous dam or individuals speaking out against harmful agricultural practices in their local community, these activists are vital to environmental preservation across the globe, said the UNECE. The Aarhus Convention ensures that those exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention shall not be penalized, persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement. As such, the mechanism will establish a Special Rapporteur – or independent rights expert – who will quickly respond to alleged violations and take measures to protect those experiencing or under imminent threat of penalization, persecution, or harassment for seeking to exercise their rights under the Convention. As time is of the essence to buttress the safety of environmental defenders, any member of the public, secretariat or Party to the Aarhus Convention, will be able to submit a confidential complaint to the Special Rapporteur, even before other legal remedies have been exhausted. Defenders targeted Although it is crucial for environmental defenders to confidently exercise their rights, cases have been reported in which instead, they face being fired, heavy fines, criminalization, detention, violence, and even death. Moreover, incidents of harassment and violence against environmental defenders are far from uncommon. A report to the Human Rights Council by Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, found that one-in-two human rights defenders who were killed in 2019 had been working with communities around issues of land, environment, impacts of business activities, poverty and rights of indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants and other minorities. Since January 2017, among the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, incidents of persecution, penalization and harassment of environmental defenders have been reported in 16 countries. In contrast to current existing initiatives, which mainly rely on applying political pressure through the media, the Aarhus Convention’s rapid response mechanism will be built on a binding legal framework, giving it much greater powers to act.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103792
     
         
      'Landmark decision’ gives legal teeth to protect environmental defenders Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 15:20:00
     
      “I remain deeply concerned by the targeting of environmental activists”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, welcoming the rapid response mechanism as “an important contribution to help advance my Call to Action for Human Rights”. The agreement will delegate setting up the new mechanism to the United Nations, or another international body. As the first ever internationally-agreed tool to safeguard environmental defenders, it marks an important step in upholding the universal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment – as recognized by the Human Rights Council earlier this month. “Twenty years ago, the Aarhus Convention entered into force, bridging the gap between human and environmental rights. Today, as the devastating effects of climate change continue to ravage the world, the Convention’s core purpose – of allowing people to protect their wellbeing and that of future generations – has never been more critical”, spelled out the UN chief. A protective eye The agreement to establish the mechanism was adopted on Thursday by the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, known as the Aarhus Convention. “This landmark decision is a clear signal to environmental defenders that they will not be left unprotected”, said UNECE chief Olga Algayerova. “It demonstrates a new level of commitment to upholding the public’s rights under the Aarhus Convention, as well as Parties’ willingness to respond effectively to grave and real-time challenges seen in the Convention’s implementation on the ground”. Vital defence Whether it is groups protesting the construction of a dangerous dam or individuals speaking out against harmful agricultural practices in their local community, these activists are vital to environmental preservation across the globe, said the UNECE. The Aarhus Convention ensures that those exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention shall not be penalized, persecuted or harassed in any way for their involvement. As such, the mechanism will establish a Special Rapporteur – or independent rights expert – who will quickly respond to alleged violations and take measures to protect those experiencing or under imminent threat of penalization, persecution, or harassment for seeking to exercise their rights under the Convention. As time is of the essence to buttress the safety of environmental defenders, any member of the public, secretariat or Party to the Aarhus Convention, will be able to submit a confidential complaint to the Special Rapporteur, even before other legal remedies have been exhausted. Defenders targeted Although it is crucial for environmental defenders to confidently exercise their rights, cases have been reported in which instead, they face being fired, heavy fines, criminalization, detention, violence, and even death. Moreover, incidents of harassment and violence against environmental defenders are far from uncommon. A report to the Human Rights Council by Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, found that one-in-two human rights defenders who were killed in 2019 had been working with communities around issues of land, environment, impacts of business activities, poverty and rights of indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants and other minorities. Since January 2017, among the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, incidents of persecution, penalization and harassment of environmental defenders have been reported in 16 countries. In contrast to current existing initiatives, which mainly rely on applying political pressure through the media, the Aarhus Convention’s rapid response mechanism will be built on a binding legal framework, giving it much greater powers to act.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103792
     
         
      It’s Friday, October 22, and California is finally regulating its dirty little secret Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 15:18:00
     
      California environmental justice groups rejoiced yesterday after Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new ruling that would ban the permitting of oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of community sites such as homes, schools, and hospitals. The new rule comes after years of advocacy by frontline communities and a recent Grist analysis showing the troubling prevalence of oil wells — and the pollution they generate — in California’s Black, Latino, and low-income communities. Prior to the announcement, California was one of the only oil-producing states that had no regulations on how close wells can operate to the places where people live, study, and receive health care. If implemented, the rule would make California’s regulations the strongest in the country. Oil and gas wells have significant effects on air quality and public health for the communities living next door. The proposed setback will impact 30 percent of oil production in the state and will protect roughly 2 million residents, including more than 250,000 children who go to school in close proximity to oil wells. While the rule will likely not be finalized for another year, advocates are ready for the fight to get it there. “Oil and gas executives won’t let neighborhood oil drilling end without a fight — and we’ll keep fighting for working people until every person’s right to clean air in every neighborhood is guaranteed,” Neena Mohan of the California Environmental Justice Alliance said after the announcement.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/910487825/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Ayudas de hasta 13.500 euros para autoconsumo e instalaciones de energía renovable: en qué comunidades están activas y cómo solicitarlas Fri, 22nd Oct 2021 10:18:00
     
      Con el precio de la luz batiendo récords y la nueva tarifa eléctrica, el autoconsumo se está erigiendo como uno de los grandes beneficiados. Para potenciar la instalación de placas solares y otras energías renovables, desde el pasado junio está activo un plan de ayudas al autoconsumo dotado con 660 millones de euros. Disponibles tanto para empresas como para particulares, estas ayudas son una buena oportunidad para apostar por la instalación de paneles solares. Sin embargo, cada comunidad autónoma tiene sus propios plazos y no en todas ellas se pueden solicitar ya. Aquí os explicamos brevemente cuál es la cantidad que podemos conseguir, qué tipo de instalaciones están incluidas y en qué comunidades se pueden pedir ya. Quién puede solicitarlas y cuál es el importe de las ayudas El plan de ayudas está gestionado por el Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE) y contempla que pueda ampliarse hasta 1.320 millones de euros para la instalación de autoconsumo, climatización renovable y baterías. Hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2023 se podrán solicitar estas ayudas y se atenderán por riguroso orden de presentación, según define el programa. Las ayudas se dividen en seis programas distintos, en función de si son agrupaciones de empresas, entidades locales, comunidades de propietarios o personas físicas que no realizan ninguna actividad económica. Dependiendo del tipo de solicitante, se podrá acceder a una cuantía u otra. Para el sector profesional se ofrecerán ayudas que serán un porcentaje sobre el total de costes, pudiendo por ejemplo ir del 15 al 45% (460 - 1.188 €/kWp) en una instalación fotovoltaica de autoconsumo. Diferente es en el sector residencial, donde se otorgan importes fijos. Centrándonos en el grupo 6, que incluye comunidades de propietarios, personas físicas o entidades sin ánimo de lucro, las ayudas quedan definidas por los siguientes importes: SECTOR RESIDENCIAL VIVIENDAS PROPIEDAD PÚBLICA Y TERCER SECTOR INSTALACIONES AEROTÉRMICAS 500 €/kW (3.000 €/vivienda) 650 €/kW (3.900 €/vivienda) INSTALACIÓN SOLAR TÉRMICA 450 – 900 €/kW (550 - 1.800 €/vivienda) 650 – 950 €/kW (820 - 1.850 €/vivienda) BIOMASA 250 €/kW (2.500 – 3.000 €/vivienda) 350 €/kW (3.500 – 4.200 €/vivienda) INSTALACIONES GEOTÉRMICAS O HIDROTÉRMICAS 1.600 – 2.250 €/kW (9.000 – 13.500 €/vivienda) 1.700 – 2.250 €/kW (9.550 – 13.500 €/vivienda) Como vemos en la tabla anterior, las ayudas contemplan hasta 1.800 euros para la instalación de placas solares en residencias o de hasta 13.500 euros en el caso de una instalación geotérmica o hidrotérmica. Todas las cifras concretas pueden consultarse en Real Decreto 477/202, publicado en el Boletín Oficial del Estado. Cuál es la situación de estas ayudas en cada comunidad autónoma Pese a que las ayudas iniciaron oficialmente a finales de junio, son las comunidades autónomas las que lo gestionan y tienen que activar la solicitud más allá de los usuarios domésticos. Aquí, como ya ha ocurrido con el plan MOVES III, algunas comunidades van tarde. Estas disponen de un plazo máximo de tres meses desde la entrada en vigor, pero a mediados de octubre todavía hay comunidades como Madrid o Cataluña que tienen pendiente activarlas para todos. Francisco Valverde, consultor del Grupo Menta Energía y analista del mercado energético, repasa el calendario de estas ayudas al autoconsumo para el sector profesional, indicando que Baleares admite estas ayudas desde septiembre y en Castilla y León se podrán solicitar desde mediados de enero. Lamentablemente, no todas las comunidades han concretado ya la vía y la fecha a partir de la cual aceptarán estas solicitudes. A través de este Genially podemos observar cuál es la cantidad de dinero presupuestado por cada comunidad autónoma y si ya disponen de la web activa para solicitar la ayuda. Son datos referidos a los grupos del 1 al 5. El total del presupuesto de cada comunidad está indicado en el BOE y es el que pasamos a contaros. Andalucía Con un presupuesto de 104,8 millones de euros, Andalucía publicó el pasado 28 de septiembre de 2021 la resolución por la que se convocan las ayudas al autoconsumo para el periodo 2021-2023. Desde la web de la Agencia Andaluza de la Energía se podrán solicitar las ayudas a partir del 2 de diciembre de 2021 para residencias. Aragón El Gobierno de Aragón cuenta con un presupuesto de unos 22,9 millones de euros y prevé que las ayudas se puedan solicitar en la primera quincena de noviembre. Todavía no se ha especificado a través de qué vía. Asturias Similar situación es la de Asturias, con un presupuesto de unos 14,5 millones de euros. No hay fecha concretada por el momento de la web para empresas. Asturias cuenta con una serie de ayudas de hasta el 25% concretas dirigidas a empresas y particulares donde se exige tener una longitud superior a 200 metros o tener un coste superior a 4.000 euros. Islas Baleares El pasado 6 de septiembre, se aprobó la resolución en el Boletín Oficial de las Islas Baleares para estas ayudas. Cuentan con un presupuesto de unos 14 millones de euros y desde su sede electrónica se pueden pedir ya las ayudas. Canarias Con unos 23,1 millones de euros presupuestos, Canarias todavía no dispone de la web activa para pedir las ayudas al autoconsumo pertinentes. Debido a su elevado nivel de irradiación anual y las bonificaciones fiscales, se considera a las Islas Canarias como una de las comunidades más favorecedoras para el autoconsumo. Con fecha límite el 31 de diciembre de 2021, Canarias tiene sus propias ayudas para residencias siempre que no superen los 10.000 euros. Cantabria Cuentan con un presupuesto de 8,1 millones de euros, pero Cantabria todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas. Castilla-La Mancha Cuentan con un presupuesto de 30,9 millones de euros, pero Castilla-La Mancha todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas. Castilla y León El pasado 24 de septiembre, la Consejería de Economía y Hacienda publicó el paquete de ayudas. Para solicitarlas debe accederse a esta aplicación del Ente Regional de la Energía. Cataluña Cataluña cuenta con un presupuesto récord de 115 millones de euros. La Generalitat ya dispone de web donde explica estas ayudas, pero el plazo de inicio todavía no se ha concretado. Ceuta Cuentan con un presupuesto de unos 740.000 euros, pero Ceuta todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas en el sector profesional. Comunidad Valenciana El pasado 27 de septiembre, el Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial aprobó un plan de ayudas dotado de 67,3 millones de euros para pedir las ayudas desde su sede electrónica. La Generalitat contempla además una deducción de un 40% en el IRPF sobre el coste total (hasta un máximo de 8.000 euros). Un incremento respecto al 20% del IRPF que había en 2018. Extremadura Cuentan con un presupuesto de 14,8 millones de euros, pero Extremadura todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas. Galicia El anterior programa de ayudas contaba con un presupuesto de dos millones de euros. El actual, publicado el pasado 29 de septiembre, amplía esta cifra a los 39,1 millones de euros. Desde el Instituto Energético de Galicia se pueden solicitar las ayudas. Madrid Madrid dispone de un presupuesto hasta 2023 de 91,2 millones de euros. Además cuenta con un plan de ayudas concreto para subvencionar proyectos de energía solar fotovoltaica con hasta el 25% del coste. Según la Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF), la Comunidad de Madrid dispondrá de hasta 124 millones de euros para subvencionar el autoconsumo. Melilla Cuentan con un presupuesto de unos 697.000 euros, pero Melilla todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas. Murcia Murcia cuenta con 19,5 millones de euros para estas ayudas al autoconsumo. A falta de su publicación en el Boletín Oficial de la región, desde el departamento de Urbanismo y Transición Ecológica del Ayuntamiento de Murcia se explicó que las subvenciones aportadas por ellos ayudarán a cubrir el 100% del coste de la instalación con un máximo de 3.000 euros por solicitante. Navarra A falta de la llegada de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas del plan estatal en los grupos 1 al 5, Navarra cuenta con un programa propio de ayudas y la inversión en instalaciones de energías renovables goza de una deducción fiscal tanto sobre el IRPF como sobre el IS. En total, su presupuesto del programa es de 12,2 millones de euros. País Vasco El pasado 22 de septiembre, el Ente Vasco de la Energía publicó el decreto para iniciar la solicitud de estas ayudas a través de su página web. Por el momento todavía siguen activas las ayudas del plan anterior, que debido a la Covid-19 se ha alargado hasta el 15 de noviembre de 2021. Mientras el antiguo plan disponía de 6 millones de euros, el nuevo programa contempla 37 millones de euros. La Rioja Cuentan con un presupuesto de unos 5,8 millones de euros, pero La Rioja todavía no dispone de la web pertinente para solicitar las ayudas. Esta cantidad se elevará a los 8,1 millones de euros según cálculos de la UNEF si se tienen en cuenta otras aportaciones.
       
      Full Article: https://www.xataka.com/energia/ayudas-13-500-euros-para-autoconsumo-e-instalaciones-energia-renovable-que-comunidades-estan-activas-como-solicitarlas
     
         
      Madagascar: Severe drought could spur world’s first climate change famine Thu, 21st Oct 2021 15:14:00
     
      The region has been hit hard by successive years of severe drought, forcing families in rural communities to resort to desperate measures just to survive. Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, has a unique ecosystem which includes animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet. The country experiences a dry season, usually from May to October, and a rainy season that starts in November. Daily life disrupted However, climate change has disrupted the cycle, affecting smallholder farmers and their neighbours, said Alice Rahmoun, WFP Communications Officer in the capital, Antananarivo, speaking to UN News on Thursday. “There is of course less rain, so when there is the first rain, they can maybe?have?hope and sow some seeds. But one little rain is not a proper rainy season,” she said. “So, what we can say is that the impacts of climate change are really stronger and stronger….so harvests fail constantly, so people don’t have anything to harvest and anything to renew their food stocks.” Varying impacts Ms. Rahmoun was recently in southern Madagascar, where WFP and partners are supporting hundreds of thousands of people through short and long-term assistance. The impact of the drought varies from place to place, she said. While some communities have not had a proper rainy season for three years, the situation might be even worse 100 kilometres away. She recalled seeing villages surrounded by dried-out fields, and tomato plants which were “completely yellow, or even brown”, from lack of water. Surviving on locusts “In some areas they are still able to plant something, but it's not easy at all, so they are trying to grow sweet potatoes. But in some other areas, absolutely nothing is growing right now, so people are just surviving?only?eating locusts, eating fruits and cactus leaves,” said Ms. Rahmoun. “And, just as an example, cactus leaves are usually?for?cattle; it is not for human consumption.” The situation is even more dire because, she added, “even the cactus?are?dying from the?drought,?from the lack of rain and the lack of water, so it's really, really worrying”. Families barely coping The plight of families is also deeply troubling. “People have already started to develop coping mechanisms to survive,” she said. “And that means that they are selling cattle, for example, to get money to be able to buy food, when before, they were able to get food and feed themselves from their own field production, so it's really changing the daily life for people.” Valuable assets such as fields, or even houses, are also put up for sale. Some families have even pulled their children out of school. “It’s also a strategy right now to gather the family's?forces?on finding income-generating activities involving children, so this has obviously a direct impact on education,” Ms. Rahmoun said. Providing life-saving aid WFP is collaborating with humanitarian partners, and the Malagasy Government, to provide two types of response to the crisis. Some 700,000 people are receiving life-saving food aid, including supplementary products to prevent malnutrition. “The second one is more long-term response to allow local communities to be able to prepare for, respond to and recover from climate shocks better,” said Ms. Rahmoun. “So, this includes resilience projects such as water projects. We’re doing irrigation canals, reforestation and even microinsurance to help smallholder farmers to recover from a lost harvest, for example.” WFP ultimately aims to support up to one million people between now and April, and is seeking nearly $70 million to fund operations. “But we are also involving more partners to find and fund climate change solutions for the community to adapt to the impacts of climate change in southern Madagascar.” COP26: Prioritize adaptation In just over a week, world leaders will gather in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 UN climate change conference, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the last chance to “literally turn the tide” on an ailing planet. Ms. Rahmoun said WFP wants to use the conference to shift the focus from crisis response, to risk management. Countries must be prepared for climate shocks, and they must act together to reduce severe impacts on the world’s most vulnerable people, which includes the villagers of southern Madagascar. “COP26 is also an opportunity for us to ask?governments?and donors to prioritize funding relating to climate adaptation?programmes,?to help countries to build a better risk management system, and even in Madagascar, because if nothing is done, hunger will increase exponentially in the coming years because of climate change,” she said, adding: “not only in Madagascar, but in other countries.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103712?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d8c34cf4a7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_21_09_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-d8c34cf4a7-107499886
     
         
      It’s Thursday, October 21, and the U.K. has a far-reaching plan to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions Thu, 21st Oct 2021 15:12:00
     
      The U.K. announced Tuesday a sweeping roadmap to decarbonize its economy, putting forward new strategies to address everything from the power sector to electric vehicles. “Our strategy for net zero is to lead the world in ending our contribution to climate change,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a foreword to the 367-page plan. The new strategy is the most comprehensive step taken by the country to date toward achieving its legally binding net-zero-by-2050 goal, set in 2019. The plan is estimated to create as many as 440,000 jobs by the end of the decade by mobilizing tens of billions of British pounds in public and private funding to install heat pumps in U.K. homes, accelerate a transition away from gasoline and diesel cars, and decarbonize the nation’s power sector. Other parts of the roadmap detail new rules for the finance industry and corporate carbon accounting, as well as a massive expansion of carbon capture projects. Experts welcomed the government’s plan but stressed that follow-up will be crucial. “We didn’t have a plan before, now we do,” Chris Stark, chief executive of the U.K.’s Climate Change Committee, an independent advisory body to the government, said in a statement. “The critical next step is turning words into deeds.” The announcement comes just days before the start of COP26, the high-stakes United Nations climate change conference where countries are set to ratchet up their voluntary commitments to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The U.K. is hosting the conference in Glasgow, Scotland, and its new plan may lend credibility to British negotiators as they push for more ambitious commitments from other countries, including net-zero pledges and an agreement to end coal-fired power generation.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/909130229/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Water-poor Egypt eyes quadrupling desalination capacity in 5 years Thu, 21st Oct 2021 10:02:00
     
      CAIRO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Water-scarce Egypt aims to more than quadruple desalination capacity by granting private companies concessions from its sovereign wealth fund to build 17 plants over the next five years with sustainable solar energy. The plan fits into Egypt's push to diversify its sources of fresh water for a fast-growing population as it faces competition for Nile river water from the giant hydropower dam that Ethiopia is building upstream. The new concessions are designed to encourage private investment and technological development, both areas in which the Arab world's most populous country has struggled. Investment in new desalination plants would be kick-started with the government guaranteeing to buy the water and re-sell it to domestic and industrial consumers at a steep discount that would entail a large subsidy, according to fund chief executive Ayman Soliman. He declined to estimate the size of the subsidy. The new plants would produce a combined 2.8 million cubic metres a day, an amount that would be doubled longer term. Egypt now has installed desalination capacity of around 800,000 cubic metres a day and the government is targeting 6.4 million cubic metres by 2050, according to figures from the fund. "We've already solicited offers. What's happening is a combination between a competitive process and a limited negotiation process," Soliman told Reuters. The military, which under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been used to spearhead infrastructure development, has already built 27 desalination plants and private firms have installed some in resorts along Egypt's arid sea coasts. CONCESSIONS FOR SOLAR ENERGY Under the 25-year concessions, firms would bring in their own construction contractors and use high-yield renewables for energy. So far investor response has been strong, Soliman said. "We've received offers to build whatever capacity we need. There is investor appetite to build three times as much." The wealth fund hopes to reduce an estimated capital cost of around $1,000 per cubic metre of desalted water by 20-25% by employing renewable energy, economies of scale in plant construction, and creative financing, including green finance. Private resorts along Egypt's Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts, even golf courses, have been using expensive fossil fuel energy for desalination. "If you live in a compound, you're talking about 13 to 18 (Egyptian) pounds ($0.83-$1.15) per cubic metre, while the government tariffs are a tenth of that. There is a massive subsidy that is being built in," Soliman said. The subsidy would be built in as the difference between the cost the government will pay the concession owners for the water and the amount the end-consumer pays. "Nile water is very cheap, but you want to diversify your reliance on sources of water," he said. CUTTING COSTS Local solar energy producer and utility company KarmSolar was one of the first to say publicly it plans to bid for a portion of the project. It says it can cut costs by vertically integrating electricity, water and other utilities using renewables rather than acting as a single-service seller. With solar plants scattered around sun-drenched Egypt, KarmSolar has begun building a 200-cubic-metre-per-day pilot desalination plant at Marsa Shagra on the southern Red Sea coast, where for five years it has used solar and diesel sources to supply electricity to local resorts. "The machines for digging the wells are there, and we've put the orders for the procurement," said Ibrahim Metawe, manager of the new plant, which is to begin pumping to clients by the first quarter of 2022. The water intake wells lie a short distance inland from the sea to reduce the impact on the delicate marine environment. KarmSolar will then install turnkey, reverse osmosis plants powered both by solar and electricity from the government grid. Among options being explored are filling lorries with excess water produced when solar production is at its daytime peak to supply local construction sites, bottling it for sale or simply saving it for use at non-peak times such as night-time hours. Solar will also be used for experiments with hydroponics to grow cucumbers, tomatoes and other produce that holiday resorts now transport in from the Nile valley at significant expense and loss of freshness. "Marsa Shagra already has little greenhouses," Metawe said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/water-poor-egypt-eyes-quadrupling-desalination-capacity-5-years-2021-10-21/
     
         
      UK zeroes in on net-zero Thu, 21st Oct 2021 8:50:00
     
      The U.K. announced Tuesday a sweeping roadmap to decarbonize its economy, targeting everything from home heating to electric vehicles. The U.K. announced Tuesday a sweeping roadmap to decarbonize its economy, putting forward new strategies to address everything from the power sector to electric vehicles. “Our strategy for net zero is to lead the world in ending our contribution to climate change,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a foreword to the 367-page plan.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/uk-zeroes-in-on-net-zero/
     
         
      'Whole forests will be saved': Is solar cooking more than just a flash in the pan? Thu, 21st Oct 2021 8:07:00
     
      From cool, dewy European mountain ranges and humid Central Asian forests to the urban sprawl across North America and the arid landscapes of the African continent, millions of people are cooking with only the sun's rays as fuel. This culinary magic is known as solar cooking. Instead of burning a fuel source, solar cooking uses mirrored surfaces to channel and concentrate sunlight into a small space, cooking food while producing zero carbon emissions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.6 billion people around the globe cook their daily meals over open fires. Fuelled with wood, animal waste, kerosene and charcoal, these fires produce highly polluting smoke and contribute to deforestation, soil erosion and ultimately desertification -- but solar cookers could provide an alternative.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/21/asia/janak-palta-mcgilligan-solar-cooking-c2e-spc-intl/index.html
     
         
      Climate change: Action on green power 'needed now' Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:48:00
     
      The boss of Wales' largest renewable energy trade body has warned immediate action is needed to capitalise on green opportunities in the nation's north. RenewableUK Cymru director, Rhys Wyn Jones, claimed there was "huge" potential to capitalise on water, wind and other power sources. He said: "If we don't move ahead with things quickly, then we can expect them to move ahead elsewhere." The UK government said Wales was "pivotal" in reaching net-zero by 2050. The Welsh government has been asked to comment. Mr Wyn Jones said decisions were needed now, because changes could take years. "The renewables industry is very fast-moving," he said. "It's competitive in an international context (and) here in the UK too." Decisions on things such as infrastructure needed to be made now. "Are we going to have gas boilers, hydrogen boilers? Are we going to use heat pumps, or are we going to do a mix of both?" He added that a strong, flexible grid infrastructure was needed, but would probably not be built for "the next decade". The UK Government said Wales could be a "driving force" in a low-carbon economy and play a "pivotal" role in reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. It said it was working with the Welsh Government to move to clean power, including a commitment of £20m to start a decarbonisation project in south Wales, £15m to develop electric HGV components in Cwmbran and £5m for the Holyhead hydrogen hub. What renewable energy sources can Wales use? For Wales to meet its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, it needs a huge increase in renewable energy. North Wales is already home to Gwynt y Mor, the second biggest offshore wind farm in the world when it opened in 2015. Tidal, solar and hydrogen power are being explored as possible power sources as well. A decision on whether to back plans for a large tidal scheme off Anglesey is expected soon from the Welsh government. The Morlais project, developed by social enterprise Menter Môn, could see one of the largest tidal energy sites on the planet. About 13 sq miles (35 sq km) of seabed would be developed, generating up to 240MW of electricity from the Irish Sea. Morlais director, Gerallt Llewelyn Jones, said tidal stream energy was "one of the most important" forms of renewable energy as it was very predictable. "We know how much we're going to get of it and over what period and, for that reason alone, it's really important that it's included as part of the energy mix this country and the world needs, of low-carbon technologies in order to help us meet the threat of climate change." In St Asaph, Denbighshire, Carbon Zero Renewables said it had seen a huge spike in people asking about solar roof panels for their homes. Managing director Gareth Jones said the company would normally get "one or two" inquiries a week at this time of year, but that had surged to "25 to 30". Mr Jones believed recent energy price rises were behind increased interest and governments should be "helping people who are looking at long-term future-proofing of their homes". In March, the UK government announced £4.8m for a green hydrogen production centre in Holyhead, Anglesey. Ministers claimed the project has the potential to create up to 30 jobs, support 500 more, and bring investment to the area. Bangor University economics lecturer, Dr Edward Thomas Jones, said hydrogen could be used for multiple purposes, including powering ships or lorries, and Anglesey was well-placed to play a key role. "If we think about the legacy infrastructure we have here on Anglesey from the old nuclear power plant, we can utilise that." He also said the island had expertise in the energy field at Menai Science Park and Bangor University and the move to hydrogen could not only help tackle climate change but also boost Anglesey's economy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58959876
     
         
      Net zero announcement: Obstacles facing the UK government's plans Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:44:00
     
      The government has laid out its plans to reduce emissions sharply by 2035 and take the UK towards being a zero carbon economy by 2050. These including more electric cars, planting trees and moving away from gas-powered central heating. But what potential hazards are there ahead for ministers? Tory sceptics Some in the prime minister's own party doubt the economic arguments in favour of moving towards what they consider an over-reliance on renewable energy sources. Conservative MP John Redwood asked in the House of Commons what would happen when the sun stopped shining and the wind stopped blowing. Another, Steve Baker, said a lot of "assumptions" were involved and asked that ministers carry out a "comprehensive audit" of their plans. Others are concerned about the cost to the general public, particularly those on lower incomes, and the impact that, in turn, may have on their chances at the next election. Craig Mackinlay said it could become "electorally difficult" once people realised the plans "cost them money" or mean "a lifestyle that's not as convenient". Given that the Conservatives have an 80-seat majority, this is unlikely to stop any plans becoming law, but if some of Mr Johnson's backbenchers are not persuaded, there could be some political turbulence. Labour opposition Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband was scathing in his response to the government's announcement, saying there was nothing like "the commitment we believe is required", in terms of investment, to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Labour's commitment to borrow and invest £28bn per year in tackling climate change is a markedly different approach to the Conservatives. The Treasury has said borrowing heavily to cut greenhouse gases goes against the "polluter pays" principle and passes the costs on to future taxpayers. It's not certain how this will play out in Parliament or whether this could become an important dividing line between the parties - and how it would play with voters. Household costs The Treasury accepts there will be an overall cost to achieving net zero emissions in the short term, but sources stress the cost of inaction would also be significant. No overall figure is given but officials admit new taxes will be needed to recoup the revenue lost from the move away from petrol and diesel fuelled cars, for example. The government raised £37bn from fuel duty and vehicle excise duty in the 2019-20 financial year, or about 1.7% of GDP. A carbon tax could plug some of this, but the takings would dwindle as emissions fall, leaving a big shortfall. In an assessment to go with the government's carbon-cutting plans, the Treasury said that "as with all economic transitions, ultimately the costs and benefits of the transition will pass through to households through the labour market, prices and asset values". There is evidence of public support for stronger measures to tackle climate change, but if households end up having to spend a lot more money to go greener, there could be increased unease among voters that the government will not want ahead of a likely general election in the next couple of years. In particular, it is feared this could go down badly in some of the former industrial areas of the the Midlands and northern England where the Conservatives made large gains from Labour in 2019. "Any policies we bring in will be designed to be fair across the board," the PM's spokesman said. COP26 One thing most governments agree on is that any effort to reduce emissions must be international if it is to succeed in limiting temperature rises. With the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow fast approaching, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hope his plan prompts other countries to make similar commitments and boost the chances of the UK brokering a renewed global effort to cut greenhouse gases. If the world's biggest CO2 producers - including the US, China and India - reach an agreement it could ease domestic political pressures and allow him to claim more of an environmental "legacy". US President Jo Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi are attending COP26, but China's Xi Jinping is not thought likely to do the same.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58967560
     
         
      Amazon, Ikea and Unilever pledge zero-carbon shipping by 2040 Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:41:00
     
      Nine big companies including Amazon, Ikea and Unilever have signed up to a pledge to only move cargo on ships using zero-carbon fuel by 2040. They hope the "aggressive" target will push the heavily-polluting shipping industry to decarbonise faster. Cargo shipping produces one billion tonnes of climate pollution each year - as much as the country of Germany. But critics say shipping firms are not doing enough to meet Paris Agreement goals on emissions. The Aspen Institute - the non-governmental organisation coordinating the campaign - expects other retailers and manufacturers that rely on maritime shipping to sign up. "Maritime shipping, like all sectors of the global economy, needs to decarbonise rapidly if we are to solve the climate crisis, and multinational companies will be key actors in catalysing a clean energy transition," said president Dan Porterfield. "We urge other cargo owners, value chain actors, and governments to join forces with us." The companies pledging zero-carbon shipping by 2040 are: - Amazon - Brooks Running - Frog Bikes - Ikea - Inditex (owner of Zara) - Michelin - Patagonia - Tchibo - Unilever With about 90% of world trade moving by sea, maritime shipping accounts for 3% of all global emissions. That could rise to 10% by 2050 if the industry continues to rely on carbon-intensive fuels, experts say. The shipping industry also produces 10-to-15% of the world's manufactured sulphur oxide and nitrous oxide emissions, which can cause respiratory illness. By Michelle Fleury, US business correspondent Decarbonising the shipping industry doesn't come cheap. Some estimates suggest it will take well over $2trn (£1.45trn) of investment to get shipping to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. For the job to get done, most of the money will have to be spent on cleaner fuels - their production, storage and distribution. New designs for ships will also be needed. Even before today's announcement some companies had already got the ball rolling. Shipping powerhouse Maersk had ordered eight new vessels which are able to run on carbon-neutral methanol instead of an oil based fuel. But at a cost of $175m each, and with delivery not for another few years, the industry will have to scale up quickly if it is to achieve the goal set by these companies. Still, by raising the bar for the industry, the hope is that this will get the ball rolling on investment. Under the Paris Agreement goals, the shipping industry must use zero-carbon fuels at scale by 2030, and be fully decarbonised by 2050. But the International Maritime Organization, shipping's global regulator, is working on a strategy that would only require the sector to cut emissions by half by 2050 compared with 2008 levels. The Aspen Institute said making the sector greener would not be easy given the long lifespan of maritime cargo vessels and the need to ramp up renewable energy production. But it also said the shipping industry had failed to invest enough in transitioning to clean energy. Amazon, which has been criticised for its environmental impact, said it was "thrilled" to sign the 2040 pledge. "The time to act is now and we welcome other cargo owner companies who want to lead on addressing climate change to join us in collaboration," said Edgar Blanco, the firm's director of net-zero carbon. Michelle Grose, head of logistics at Unilever, said: "By signalling our combined commitment to zero-emission shipping, we are confident that we will accelerate the transition at the pace and the scale that is needed." But environmental groups Pacific Environment and Stand.earth said major retail brands needed to switch to zero-emissions ships by 2030 - a decade earlier than Tuesday's commitment. They said this would ensure the shipping industry did its "fair share" to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. "Today's pledge is an important guidepost for the future of maritime shipping, but 2040 is simply too distant a horizon for the retail sector to address the enormous health and climate impacts from its cargo ships," said Kendra Ulrich, shipping campaigns director at Stand.earth. "Cleaner shipping solutions already exist, and major retail brands like Amazon and Ikea must champion them."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58970877
     
         
      Climate change: Is the UK on track to meet its targets? Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:36:00
     
      The UK has committed to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Net zero is the point at which the country is taking as much of these climate-changing gases out of the atmosphere as it is putting in. As part of this promise, the government has a target to cut emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. In June, a group of experts that advises the government, said Boris Johnson had credible policies in place to deliver only about a fifth of this cut. Successive governments have been relatively successful in cutting emissions from energy - they fell by 40% between 1990 and 2019, with a big chunk of this coming from closing coal-fired power stations and spending money on solar, wind and nuclear energy. The UK is a world leader in offshore wind. It currently has capacity of about 10GW, which the government has promised to quadruple by 2030. An increase to 40GW would generate enough energy to power every home in the UK. The increase is achievable, but energy companies are worried the price they are paid for wind energy is dropping rapidly - this squeezes their revenues and could limit further investment. There will also need to be much more energy storage for times when the wind does not blow. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has advised the government that all gas-fired power stations where carbon is emitted and not captured should be phased out by 2035. Boris Johnson has set a target for all of the UK's electricity to come from clean sources by 2035. The government is also promising a decision on investment in one nuclear power plant before 2024. Cars and taxis accounted for 16% of UK emissions in 2019 and, in a bid to cut this, the government says no new petrol and diesel cars will be sold from 2030. Electric-car sales are growing quickly - just over 10% of cars sold in 2020 were electric, up from 2.5% in 2018. The government has not introduced a scrappage scheme to encourage people to buy electric vehicles, but a £2,500 grant is available for fully electric cars costing less than £35,000. The move to electric will also require huge growth in publicly accessible charging points. Britain now has about 25,000 charging points but the Competition and Markets Authority says it could need 10 times as many before 2030. To encourage people out of their cars, the government has promised to double cycling rates from 2013 levels by 2025 and build a "world class" cycling network by 2040. It has spent £338m on walking and cycling infrastructure in England, but while the pandemic increased cycling rates, it remains unclear whether the effect will be permanent. Before the pandemic, flying made up about 7% of overall emissions and shipping about 3%, but we do not know a great deal about how the government plans to reduce them and there are no specific targets for these sectors. The CCC says the government needs to freeze demand for flights and should publish a strategy to cut emissions from freight transport, aviation and shipping. But the government says people can keep flying, and claims that technology yet to be developed should allow domestic flights to be almost emissions free by 2040, and international aviation to be near zero-carbon by mid-century. Housing accounts for about 14% of the UK's greenhouse-gas emissions, mostly because of gas-boiler heating systems and poor insulation, the CCC says. The government has committed to installing 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. These transfer heat from the ground, air or water around a property into its heating system, and start at £6,000. About 35,000 were installed in the UK in 2019 - by comparison, about 1.7 million gas boilers are sold in the UK each year. Grants of £5000 will be available for homeowners to install a heat pump from April 2022. The government has allocated £450m for this over three years, which would be enough for 90,000 grants of £5000 (if you ignore administration costs). Environmental groups have questioned how the government will meet its 600,000 target (which the CCC says should be higher anyway). The government says it expects heat pumps to be as cheap to install and run as gas boilers this decade, and it hopes that no new gas boilers will be sold by 2035. The scheme is part of a wider package - worth £3.9 billion - to decarbonise heat and public buildings. The CCC also says insulation rates are only about a third of what they need to be to cut energy consumption. Earlier this year, the government scrapped its grant scheme to help people with the cost of insulating their homes. Its new package includes help with insulation but this will be limited to low-income households. The CCC says emissions from agriculture need to be cut by 30% between 2019 and 2035. This would mean: - eating 20% less meat and dairy on average by 2030 - land shifting from agricultural use to trees and restored peatland - less food waste The government has yet to publish the part of its food strategy that looks at the environmental impact of people's diets. The CCC says there are signs consumers would be willing to change what they eat. A new study by the National Food Strategy shows daily meat consumption in the UK has fallen by 17% in the last decade. Trees have an important role in removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere - and the government has an ambitious target to plant 30,000 hectares of trees a year by 2025 (a hectare is a bit bigger than a football pitch). Annual tree planting was close to this figure back in the late 1980s (most of it in Scotland) but it has not risen above 15,000 hectares UK-wide since 2001. Tree-planting is a devolved issue, and Scotland has nearly twice as much coverage as England. The government wants to treble planting in England during this Parliament, but overall it has a lot of ground to make up by 2025. A sharp acceleration will be needed to meet this target, and there are questions about how the trees will be cared for after they are planted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58160547
     
         
      Ros Atkins on… Europe's climate challenge Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:29:00
     
      Ros Atkins looks at how Europe is getting to grips with its emissions problem. More on the climate summit The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58970153
     
         
      Tips on how to save energy at home and help the planet Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:24:00
     
      It is widely accepted the UK needs to revamp its ageing and draughty housing if it is to reach its climate targets. With Britain's buildings accounting for about a fifth of the country's carbon emissions, a raft of upgrades will be needed if the country has any hope of reaching its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. After the release of the government's Heat and Buildings Strategy, laying out plans to tackle the issue, we look at the key things we can do to reduce the carbon footprint of our homes, the cost, and what help the government is offering. 1. Find an alternative to your gas boiler - such as a heat pump New homes will be banned from installing new gas and oil boilers by 2025 and the government wants to see no new boilers sold after 2035. There are three main contenders to replace them - heat pumps, hydrogen and district heating. Homeowners in England and Wales will be offered subsidies of £5,000 from next April to help them to replace old gas boilers with heat pumps. The grants for 90,000 pumps are part of a £3.9bn government plan to cut carbon emissions from heating buildings. Heat pumps currently cost between £6,000 and £18,000 - and they need high levels of insulation which aren't always possible in the UK's older, solid walled homes. The government is also pioneering trials of hydrogen heating. But there are huge challenges and many believe hydrogen is unlikely to be produced in sufficient quantities to warm many people's homes. District heating, where large pipes are laid in the ground to supply heat from a variety of sources is also a possibility in some areas. 2. Insulate walls, roofs and floors One of the most effective ways of cutting your home's emissions is by reducing heat loss through the insulation of walls, roofs and floors. In an uninsulated home, about a third of heat is lost through the walls, a quarter goes through the roof, about 15% through the floor and the rest out of windows and as a result of draughts. How you go about reducing this will depend on the type of home you live in, says the Energy Saving Trust (EST). - Homes built from the 1990s onwards will likely have cavity walls - two walls with a gap in between - and will also likely already have insulation to keep the heat in. - Homes built after the 1920s but before the 1990s are also likely to have cavity walls, but they may not have insulation. In these cases, cavity wall insulation can be added. - Older homes from pre-1920 are likely to have solid walls - a single layer of brick or stone. Solid walls can be insulated either from the inside or the outside, but it is a more complicated and expensive. Costs and savings vary considerably, but a typical installation of cavity wall insulation in a mid-terrace house would cost about £390, with annual energy savings of £95. 3. Replace or adapt windows and doors Making doors and windows more energy efficient will also reduce your carbon footprint. One option is to fit double or triple glazing - windows with two or more glass panes in a sealed unit. The costs of double glazing vary hugely. Windows for a semi-detached house that are A-rated, taking in as much heat as they let out, would cost about £4,250, with energy bill savings of about £75 per year. A cheaper option is to install secondary glazing - a second pane of glass inside an existing window - or using heavy curtains to reduce heat loss. 4. Draught-proof leaky areas Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy, according to the EST. To draught-proof your home, you should block up unwanted gaps that let cold air in and warm air out. Draughts can be tackled in a number of places, most commonly around doors and windows, chimneys, skirting boards and loft-hatches. Just be sure not to block or seal any intentional ventilation needed to keep fresh air flowing. Draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £25 a year, and draught-proofing an unused chimney could save around £18 a year, according to the EST. 5. Fit LED bulbs and buy energy-efficient appliances Energy-efficient lighting and appliances could also help lower your emissions. If you replace all the bulbs in your home with LED lights, you could reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40kg a year - the equivalent emissions to driving your car around 140 miles, the EST says. When looking for new appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, make sure you only buy the size you need, as larger items will use more energy and end up costing you more. Also consider the energy rating of your new appliance and look for the product with the best energy rating for the size you require. You can also reduce energy use by using "eco" modes and turning off standby. So why aren't we all doing this already? Environmentalists and leaders across the housing and construction industries have pointed to the many barriers preventing people upgrading their homes. MPs on the Environment Audit Committee have highlighted obstacles that need to be overcome: cost, the age of the housing stock, worries about disruption, and the variety of households - all with different needs. There is clearly a long way to go.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58967580
     
         
      Climate change: Fossil fuel production set to soar over next decade Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:21:00
     
      Plans by governments to extract fossil fuels up to 2030 are incompatible with keeping global temperatures to safe levels, says the UN. The UNEP production gap report says countries will drill or mine more than double the levels needed to keep the 1.5C threshold alive. Oil and gas recovery is set to rise sharply with only a modest decrease in coal. There has been little change since the first report was published in 2019. With the COP26 climate conference just over a week away, there is already a huge focus on the carbon-cutting ambitions of the biggest emitters. But despite the flurry of net zero emission goals and the increased pledges of many countries, some of the biggest oil, gas and coal producers have not set out plans for the rapid reductions in fossil fuels that scientists say are necessary to limit temperatures in coming years. Earlier this year, researchers from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned of the dangers for humanity of allowing temperatures to rise by more than 1.5C this century. To keep under this threshold will require cuts in carbon emissions of around 45% by 2030 based on 2010 levels. But instead of curbing carbon, many of the biggest emitting countries are also planning to significantly increase their production of fossil fuels, according to the UN. The production gap report finds that countries plan to produce around 110% more fossil fuel than would be compatible with a 1.5C temperature rise by the end of this century. The plans are around 45% more than what's needed to keep the temperature rise to 2C. According to the study, coal production will drop but gas will increase the most over the next 20 years, to levels that are simply incompatible with the Paris agreement. The report profiles 15 major production countries including Australia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and UK. Most governments continue to provide significant policy support for fossil fuel production, the authors say. "The research is clear: global coal, oil, and gas production must start declining immediately and steeply to be consistent with limiting long-term warming to 1.5C," says Ploy Achakulwisut, a lead author on the report from the Stockholm Environment Institute. "However, governments continue to plan for and support levels of fossil fuel production that are vastly in excess of what we can safely burn." While countries have devoted far more of their recovery spending after the Covid pandemic towards fossil fuel activities, there are some positives when it comes to financing. Funding for oil, coal and gas from multilateral banks has decreased significantly in recent years - and also from some of the richer nations. "This report shows, once again, a simple but powerful truth: we need to stop pumping oil and gas from the ground if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement," said Andrea Meza, Costa Rica's minister for environment and energy. "We must cut with both hands of the scissors, addressing demand and supply of fossil fuels simultaneously. That is why, together with Denmark, we are leading the creation of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance to put an end to the expansion of fossil fuel extraction, plan a just transition for workers and start winding down existing production in a managed way."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58971131
     
         
      Climate change: Londoners sample pods filled with air from around the world Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:19:00
     
      Pollution is a big challenge in major cities around the world. But how different is it depending on where exactly you are? A temporary exhibition in Kings Cross, central London, offers visitors the chance to step inside special pods and "travel" across five global locations to compare their air quality. London, Beijing, São Paulo, New Delhi and Trondheim in Norway are all featured. Artist Michael Pinsky hopes that experiencing different air types might help change people's perceptions about climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-london-58972928
     
         
      Fossil fuel production ‘dangerously out of sync’ with climate change targets Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:13:00
     
      That’s according to the 2021 Production Gap Report, released this Wednesday by leading research institutes and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Over the next two decades, governments are projecting an increase in global oil and gas production, and only a modest decrease in coal production. Taken together, these plans mean that fossil fuel production will increase overall, to at least 2040. Urgent matters For Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, “there is still time to limit long-term warming to 1.5°C [above pre-industrial levels], but this window of opportunity is rapidly closing.” Ms. Andersen said that at the UN Climate Conference, COP26, taking place in early November in Glasgow, “governments must step up, taking rapid and immediate steps to close the fossil fuel production gap and ensure a just and equitable transition.” “This is what climate ambition looks like”, she said. This year’s report provides profiles for 15 major producer countries, showing that most will continue to support fossil fuel production growth. Reacting to the report, the UN Secretary General highlighted recent announcements by the world’s largest economies to end financing of coal, calling them “a much-needed step” in phasing out fossil fuels. For António Guterres, though, the report shows that “there is still a long way to go to a clean energy future.” “It is urgent that all remaining public financiers as well as private finance, including commercial banks and asset managers, switch their funding from coal to renewables to promote full decarbonization of the power sector and access to renewable energy for all”, he said. Main findings Countries surveyed plan to produce around 110 per cent more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with the 1.5°C limit, and 45 per cent more than what would allow a 2°C heating impact. The report, first launched in 2019, measures the gap between governments’ production plans and the levels consistent with the Paris Agreement. Two years later, the size of the gap has remained largely unchanged. Current plans would lead to about 240 per cent more coal, 57 per cent more oil, and 71 per cent more gas production in 2030, than would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Global gas output is projected to increase the most between 2020 and 2040, continuing a trend of long-term global expansion inconsistent with the Paris Agreement. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have directed over $300 billion in new funds towards fossil fuel activities - more than they have towards clean energy. In contrast, international public finance for fossil fuels from G20 countries and major multilateral development banks has decreased. Currently, a third of these banks and G20 development finance institutions have adopted policies that exclude fossil fuel production in the future. Decline must start now For lead author of the report, Ploy Achakulwisut, the research is clear: “Global coal, oil, and gas production must start declining immediately and steeply to be consistent with limiting long-term warming to 1.5°C.” The report is produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), ODI, E3G, and UNEP. More than 80 researchers contributed to the analysis and review, including numerous universities, think tanks and other research organizations.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103472
     
         
      1.5 billion people, living with soil too salty to be fertile Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:12:00
     
      The information is part of the Global Map of Salt-Affected Soils, a new tool launched this Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). These soils are less fertile and less productive, creating a threat to the global fight against hunger and poverty. They also reduce water quality and soil biodiversity, and increase soil erosion. With the new map, a joint project involving 118 countries and hundreds of data-crunchers, FAO is hoping to better inform policy makers when dealing with climate change adaptation and irrigation projects. The launch took place on the opening day of the Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils, a three-day virtual conference gathering more than 5,000 experts which runs through Friday. Opening the symposium, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said the world “must look for innovative ways to transform our agri-food systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.” Growing threat Saline or sodic soils occur naturally, and are home to valuable ecosystems, including a range of plants that have adapted to the salty conditions. In total, there are more than 833 million hectares of salt-affected soils around the globe, or 8.7 per cent of the planet. Most of them can be found in naturally arid or semi-arid environments in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But they can also be caused by human activity, due to mismanagement, excessive or inappropriate use of fertilisers, deforestation, sea level rises, a shallow water table which affects the rootzone, or seawater intrusion into groundwater that is then used for irrigation. Climate change At the same time, climate change is raising the stakes, with models suggesting that global drylands could expand by as much as 23 per cent, mostly in developing countries, by the end of the century. According to FAO, salinization (an increase in water-soluble salts) and sodification (an increase in high sodium content) of soils is among the most serious global threats to arid and semi-arid regions, but also for croplands in coastal regions and in the case of irrigation, with wastewater in any climate. Combating the problem requires a variety of tools, from raising awareness to adopting sustainable soil management practices, promoting technological innovation, to stronger political commitment. Knowledge sharing opportunity Healthy soils are a pre-requisite to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and form the basis of FAO’s Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. The main objective of the Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils?is to share knowledge on salinity prevention, climate change and ecosystem restoration and to connect policy makers with food producers, scientists, and practitioners.? The gathering will also feature a photo contest offering participants the opportunity to share their testimonies on the effects of soil salinity and sodification. The event takes place ahead of World Soil Day on December 5, which this year is dedicated to salt-affected soils with the motto, "Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity".
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103532
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, October 20, and an industry that pollutes a ton finally announced a climate goal Wed, 20th Oct 2021 15:10:00
     
      For the first time, the cement industry announced a concrete goal to decarbonize. The roadmap, presented last week by an industry group that represents 80 percent of the world’s cement and concrete producers outside of China, plans to reduce participating companies’ emissions 25 percent by 2030. It is also promising carbon-neutral cement by midcentury. The industry has been experimenting with ways to reduce its emissions for years, but the roadmap from the Global Cement and Concrete Association, or GCCA, marks the first time producers have publicly committed to meeting climate targets. Cement production accounts for 7 to 8 percent of global carbon emissions every year. This means the global cement industry contributes more to climate change than all countries except for the U.S. and China. The GCCA says its efforts will prevent nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere between now and 2030. The plan has been called “surprisingly comprehensive” by some independent experts, though others characterized it as “not the whole answer.” The roadmap excludes carbon offsets, which means that all emissions reductions must be achieved by changing production practices, like finding less carbon-intensive substitutes for clinker, a key binder in cement. The roadmap also relies heavily on the wide-scale deployment of carbon-capture technologies. “In 10 years, we need to prove not only the technical feasibility, but also the economic feasibility” GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot told Reuters, in reference to carbon capture. “We are confident this will work.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/907772443/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Business leaders join UN chief to step up action for sustainability Tue, 19th Oct 2021 15:16:00
     
      The Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance, which brings together 30 business giants worth an estimated $16 trillion, met Mr. Guterres in New York, and outlined concrete actions for the future. Since October 2019, when the Secretary-General convened the GISD Alliance, its CEOs and other top executives have been working with the UN and other partners to develop guidelines and products that align the existing finance and investment ecosystem, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Greater responsibility Acknowledging the “great responsibility” facing private sector leaders, Mr. Guterres said that the goals were clear: to “build a sustainable, net zero, resilient, and equitable world, to better align investment with sustainable development, and to act on their commitments, with credible timelines, targets and plans”. Since its creation, the GISD Alliance?has developed standards and tools aimed at moving trillions of dollars to bridge the gap in financing, to realize the UN’s 2030 Agenda. The group works through increasing the available supply of long-term investment for sustainable development, realizing SDG investment opportunities in developing countries, and enhancing the impact of private investment for sustainable development. Net zero and sustainability “I count on the members of the GISD Alliance to catalyze greater investment for developing countries and make net zero and sustainability the core of everyone’s policies and business models.”, Mr. Guterres continued. GISD also sprang into action to address crises, including in 2020, by developing a COVID Bond Call to Action. The call prompted companies and governments to use innovative social bonds to respond to the pandemic, contributing to a sustainable economic recovery. Measuring impact This year, GISD published its latest investment tool designed to align financing with the SDGs. Through a set of sector-specific metrics, it proposes to accurately measure the impact of companies on sustainable development targets, and provide investors with key insights. This is an important step, since previous reporting frameworks would largely focus on measuring the impact of company operations on sustainability across whole industries. According to Leila Fourie, GISD co-chair, and group CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, “industry-agnostic performance indicators, while useful, tend to fall short in capturing the full sector-specific impact of products and services that companies produce.” Next steps In the coming months, GISD will launch a net-zero Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and a blended finance fund, helping the “move toward creating real life opportunities?to finance the SDGs”, said?Oliver?Bäte, GISD Co-chair and CEO of Allianz. GISD is also working with the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group, the COP26 climate conference bureau and G7 leading economies, as well as engaging with the multilateral development banks, to develop actionable recommendations on ways to scale up private investment for sustainable development.?
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103412
     
         
      What is net zero and how are the UK and other countries doing? Tue, 19th Oct 2021 15:15:00
     
      The UK government has set out more details about how it intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve "net zero" by 2050. The announcement comes days before the start of the important climate change summit, COP26. What's been announced? Presenting the net zero strategy to the House of Commons, Energy Minister Greg Hands pledged: - £620m in grants for electric vehicles and charging points, plus £350m to help the transition from petrol - Grants of up to £5,000 for householders to install low-carbon heat pumps - £120m to develop small nuclear reactors (no announcement on the go-ahead for the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk) - £625m for tree planting and peat restoration - More money for carbon capture and storage hubs The government has a target to cut emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. But a group of experts advising the government warned recently that current policies would only deliver about a fifth of this cut. Shadow Business Secretary Ed Miliband called the latest announcements "a massive let-down". What is net zero? Net zero means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Achieving it will involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and balancing out any that remain by removing an equivalent amount. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) are released when we burn oil, gas and coal for our homes, factories and transport. This causes global warming by trapping the sun's energy. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 197 countries agreed to try to limit temperature rises "well below" 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Experts say that to achieve this target countries would need to reduce CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050. Nations will be asked to set out what steps they are taking to move towards this at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. How will carbon be removed from the atmosphere? Not all emissions can be reduced to zero, so those remaining will have to be compensated for, or offset. Almost every country is planting trees as a cheap way of absorbing carbon, although there are questions over whether there's enough space for the trees needed. Technology involving carbon capture and storage has also been suggested. This involves using machinery to remove carbon from the air, then solidifying it and burying it underground. However, the technology is still emerging, very expensive and as yet unproven. How will emissions be reduced? Emissions from our homes, how we travel, and what we eat will all need to be cut. Gas central heating will need to be replaced by alternative sources, such as heat pumps. Reaching net zero will also mean switching to electric or hydrogen vehicles, flying far less, and eating less red meat. What are other countries doing? It's generally recognised that a global effort is needed to tackle climate change. For this reason, net zero targets only make sense if every country in the world is moving in the same direction. Although 132 countries have publicly pledged to reach net zero emissions before 2050, China - currently the biggest producer of CO2 in the world - says it is aiming for "carbon neutrality" by 2060, although it has not set out exactly what this means and how it will get there. Some of the world's most heavily populated countries - including Russia, India, and Indonesia - have not given any net zero commitment. What problems are there with net zero? There's controversy about how some countries might try to reach net zero. For instance, Country A might record lower emissions if it shuts down energy-intensive industries such as steel production. But if Country A were then to import steel from Country B, it's effectively handed on its carbon emissions to Country B, rather than reduce the sum total of greenhouse gases. There are schemes that enable rich countries to offset their emissions by paying poorer countries to switch to cleaner fuels. However, these are seen by some as a way to avoid taking more action domestically. And it's hard to say that initiatives funded to offset emissions elsewhere would not have happened anyway.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58874518
     
         
      How I switched from a career in coal to working in renewables Tue, 19th Oct 2021 9:00:00
     
      In the past, industrial change was poorly managed, leading to skilled staff being made redundant, withdrawing from work or drifting into less skilled employment. Anyone who remembers the dole queues after the closure of our country’s coalmines in the 1980s may be rightly wary of promises of a “just transition” for fossil fuel workers as we move into a net-zero future. But, it doesn’t have to be this way, and I’d like to share my story as a testament to what is possible when we come together to properly prepare for the future. Three years ago, I worked at Cottam, an EDF coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, as a professional engineer. I was proud of my job. My skills kept the country’s lights on and kettles boiling. It was more than a career for me, it gave me a sense of purpose. Then, they announced the closure of the station, I knew I needed to fight to keep working in the energy industry. At the same time as our roles at Cottam were disappearing, there was great uncertainty in the electricity sector with acute skills shortages already evident. So, I joined a group of union representatives to work constructively with EDF to secure the best future for our members and to make sure that our skills, which would be essential to reaching net zero, were not lost. We worked through the options for everyone. We assessed the options for redeployment to other jobs in EDF, other jobs in the energy sector and other jobs in different parts of the economy. From securing job trials with other employers to running joint union-employer workshops on the skills needed for a career in renewables, we tried every route to secure the best future for staff displaced by change. I secured a role in EDF Renewables’ UK business and discovered that the knowledge gained from a career in a traditional coal station was equally as valuable in a green business. I have been lucky; my union and employer worked closely together to offer me opportunities. It required hard work and commitment but I have the satisfaction of ensuring that customers have access to reliable, affordable, low-carbon electricity. To secure a just transition for other energy professionals, my personal view is that the government must work with unions and employers to achieve three main goals. First, everyone in high-carbon industries needs to be engaged in discussions about change and able to positively influence their future. At Cottam we discussed the options fully, leading to the discovery of innovative ways to redeploy individuals. By doing this we fully understood the talents of my colleagues and how they could best use those skills to develop the county’s low-carbon economy. This shows the true value of unions in the modern economy. Second, we need a better planning process for change so that we can maintain affordable and secure electricity supplies and create incentives for companies and people to move around the energy business. With more certainty about change, individuals can be better prepared to develop their skills and continue to contribute to providing essential electricity supplies. Third, as we provide market support to encourage the development of renewable energy technology, we should direct some of that support into effective training and development. Skilled people are an essential asset of the UK energy system and we should focus on improving these talents as they are key to delivering a sustainable future. At Cottam, we learned from the failures of the past and used our knowledge and relationships across industry to protect the future of staff. I hope we’re the first of many.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/19/switched-career-coal-working-renewables
     
         
      John Kerry says Glasgow COP26 is the last best hope for the world Tue, 19th Oct 2021 8:07:00
     
      America's climate envoy John Kerry says the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow is the "last best hope for the world to get its act together". Mr Kerry told the BBC that key countries were pursuing policies that border on being "very dangerous". He said that if greenhouse gas emissions were not reduced enough over the next nine years there was no chance of meeting long-term targets. The aim is to hold the rise in the earth's temperature to 1.5C. Scientists have said that would require global carbon emissions to fall by 45% from 2010 levels by the end of this decade. But apart from a brief period during Covid-19 lockdowns, emissions are still rising. China, the world's biggest emitter, will be key to any hopes of a strong outcome at COP26, when it is held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November. Leaders and delegates from around the world will attend the summit, including Mr Kerry and US President Joe Biden. 'Greatest test of global citizenship' Mr Kerry has previously said the US will push for rapid action after four years of "reckless behaviour" under previous President Donald Trump. He said the US would now move forward with "humility and ambition" in the global negotiations. A former presidential candidate, Mr Kerry has long been a powerful voice in climate politics. As President Obama's Secretary of State he played a key role in securing the Paris agreement in 2015. The US Special Envoy on Climate Change told BBC Radio 4 documentary Glasgow: Our last best hope? that there were a lot of big promises without the necessary action. "The truth is emissions are going up around the world, not down in enough countries, and key countries are pursuing policies that border on being very dangerous for everybody." Mr Kerry has previously called on China to increase the speed and depth of its efforts to cut carbon. China has promised to peak emissions by 2030 - but the US diplomat said that was not good enough. "If you don't reduce enough between 2020 and 2030 the scientists tell us we can't get where we need to go. We will not be able to hold the earth's temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and we won't be able to achieve net zero by 2050." Mr Kerry said he wanted Glasgow to raise the ambition of the 20 major economies in the world. He said he would be looking for definite road-maps to net zero and money to help less developed countries also reach their goals without suffering economic hardship. Mr Kerry called this the "greatest test of global citizenship" he could think of. "Glasgow is coming at a point where these scientists have told us we have about nine years remaining within which to make the most critical decisions. Those decisions have got to really start in earnest and in a significant sum in Glasgow." "We have to get on the road here and we've been talking about it for 30 years. "So this is really what Glasgow is about, the last best hope to do what the scientists tell us we must which is to avoid the worst consequences of climate by making decisions now and implementing them now."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58914524
     
         
      Drax dropped from index of green energy firms amid biomass doubts Tue, 19th Oct 2021 6:00:00
     
      Drax has been booted from an investment index of clean energy companies as doubts over the sustainability of its wood-burning power plant begin to mount within the financial sector. The FTSE 100 energy giant, which has received billions in renewable energy subsidies for its biomass electricity, was axed from the index of the world’s greenest energy companies after S&P Global Dow Jones changed its methodology. The exit from the S&P Global Clean Energy Index is a blow to Drax, which has vowed to become the world’s first “carbon-negative” energy company by the end of the decade. It comes amid growing scepticism about its green credentials after the financial services firm Jefferies told its clients this week that bioenergy was “unlikely to make a positive contribution” towards tackling the climate crisis. Drax was once one of the largest coal power generators in Europe before it converted four of the generating units at its North Yorkshire site to burn biomass instead. It received more than £800m in government subsidies and tax breaks to support the conversion last year, and could expect billions more in the future. The company claims that burning biomass to generate electricity is “carbon neutral” because the emissions from incinerating wood pellets are offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed when the trees they are made from grow. By using new technology to capture the carbon emissions from the biomass power plant, the company could effectively create “negative carbon emissions”, according to Drax. However, the Jefferies equity analyst Luke Sussams said bioenergy was unlikely to make a positive contribution to climate action because of “uncertainties and poor practices” in some parts of the timber industry regarding the sources of wood, forest management practices, supply chain emissions and high combustion emissions. “We argue that bioenergy production is not carbon neutral, in almost all instances. This casts doubt on whether bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a net-negative emissions technology. The widespread deployment of BECCS looks challenging,” he said. The interventions by S&P Global Dow Jones and Jefferies are some of the first blows struck by a financial sector against the bioenergy sector, which has long been criticised by green groups. The S&P Global Clean Energy Index also dropped a French biomass generator, Albioma, which, like Drax, has used wood chips to replace coal in its power plants. Despite the growing concerns, Susamms expects the UK government to continue allowing Drax to rake in billions in subsidies to support its plans. Drax’s share price has climbed by more than 4.5% to 540p a share this week. Its BECCS plans could cost British energy bill payers £31.7bn over 25 years and would “not deliver negative emissions” after accounting for the full carbon footprint of biomass in the power sector, according to the climate thinktank Ember. Phil MacDonald, Ember’s chief operating officer, said: “Scientists are increasingly raising concerns that it cannot be relied upon to reduce emissions – and financial institutions are starting to signal that they don’t think it’s clean or green either.” Drax sources about two-thirds of its biomass from the south-eastern states of the US via ocean tankers, which are major emitters, and recently struck a £420m deal to triple its biomass capacity by acquiring the Canadian wood pellet manufacturer Pinnacle Renewable Energy. “It’s time for the UK government position on biomass to catch up with the evidence – so that investors are encouraged to instead invest in technologies which have been scientifically proven to reduce carbon emissions,” MacDonald said. A government spokesperson declined to comment. A Drax spokesperson said its biomass “meets the highest sustainability standards” and that the “science underpinning carbon accounting for bioenergy” was “crystal clear”. The spokesperson added: “The world’s leading authority on climate science, the UN’s IPCC, is absolutely clear that sustainable biomass is crucial to achieving global climate targets, both as a provider of renewable power and through its potential to deliver negative emissions with BECCS.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/19/drax-dropped-from-index-of-green-energy-firms-amid-biomass-doubts
     
         
      Europe gas prices: How far is Russia responsible? Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:20:00
     
      Gas prices have been soaring in countries across Europe, and there have been accusations that Russia may be seeking to exploit the situation for its own advantage. But Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is "nothing to support" the idea that Russia is restricting the supply of energy for political purposes. So how far is Russia responsible for current shortages and rising prices? How much gas does Europe get from Russia? Russia supplies about 50% of the EU’s natural gas imports. Most of the rest comes from Norway and Algeria. Russia sends gas to Europe through several main pipelines - such as the Nord Stream, the Yamal-Europe and the Brotherhood. The gas is collected in regional storage hubs, and then distributed to different countries across the continent. During the pandemic, overall gas exports from Russia to Europe fell because there was less demand. Although it has picked up again in Europe, this downward trend has been continuing - with lower supply this year, especially via the Ukraine and Belarus pipelines. This has led to stocks across Europe being depleted, which in turn is driving up prices. Has Russia been meeting its commitments? Gazprom, Russia's majority state-owned energy company, supplies gas to Europe under two different arrangements: - Long-term contracts often lasting from 10 to 25 years - "Spot" deals or one-off purchases for a fixed amount of gas Gazprom itself describes long-term contracts as "fundamental to stable and sustainable gas supplies". And it is understood that it has met its obligations to European buyers this year under these contracts. However, the International Energy Agency's executive director, Fatih Birol, recently said it estimated Russia could supply 15% more gas if it wanted to. Some analysts have suggested Russia could be holding back supplies to speed up approval of the newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline running directly from Russia to Germany. This bypasses Ukraine, and has been met with objections on geo-political as well as environmental grounds, although Russia is keen for it to come on stream. "A significant section of the mainstream European media has attributed this to Gazprom intentionally withholding supplies in order to force the German regulator and European Commission to approve Nord Stream 2," says Jack Sharples, of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. But he adds that this analysis "is questionable". German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she was not aware of any instances where Russia had not met its contractual obligations. "Russia can only deliver gas on the basis of contractual obligations and not just like that," she was quoted as saying. But it is worth noting that "spot" sales do not appear to be happening in any significant quantity, going by data from Gazprom's own electronic sales platform. Dr Sharples says: "This leads to the conclusion that Gazprom is supplying the volumes... under its long-term contracts - but it is not providing additional volumes beyond those contracts." That view was also expressed by the EU's Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson. "Our initial assessment suggests that Russia is fulfilling its long-term contracts while not providing any additional supply." she told MEPs on 6 October. Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, told the BBC: "Gazprom has in fact started pumping out from its reserves into pipelines to stabilise the market." And he added: "We have never been in a position to exert pressure through our energy supplies." What's happened to stocks in Europe? Gas storage across Europe is well below the 10-year average, with levels currently at about 75% of storage capacity, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe data. The UK's gas storage is currently at full capacity - but Russia only provides about 5% of the country's usage, so it's less reliant on Russian imports than other European countries. Russia's own gas storage is also down. Adeline Van Houtte, a Europe analyst at the Economist's Intelligence Unit, says: "Currently, the Russian domestic gas market remains tight, with output already near its peak and winter is looming... limiting gas export capacity." There are several other factors affecting the situation in Europe, such as: - cold weather at the start of 2021 depleting stocks - rising prices in spring and summer put traders off buying to sell later in the year - limited supply from Norway because of maintenance issues - reduction in other energy sources such as wind power - growing demand for gas elsewhere in the world Why is there a surge in demand for gas? The economic rebound in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has caused factories to ramp up production, pushing up demand for energy. Europe is also facing increased competition for gas from other parts of the world. In recent decades, demand for gas in some regions like Asia and the Middle East has risen sharply. This has knock-on effects on the market for liquified natural gas (LNG), which makes up about a quarter of Europe's imports. When demand for LNG is high, supplies tend to be diverted to Asia to take advantage of rising prices. In addition, Russia has been expanding its gas exports to China, and in June inaugurated a gas processing plant in the far east of the country, which is predicted to become one of the biggest in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58888451
     
         
      The climate activists who want Norway to end oil and gas production Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:18:00
     
      As world leaders prepare for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, soaring gas prices in Europe have exposed the continent’s deep dependence on fossil fuels. Young climate activists in Norway are asking European judges to stop their government allowing more drilling for oil and gas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58900652
     
         
      COP26: 'Hate tells scientists their work is important' Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:12:00
     
      The scientist at the centre of the Climategate scandal and the subject of BBC drama The Trick said scientists need protecting from abuse. Prof Phil Jones was head of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) in Norwich when its servers were hacked in 2009. Stolen documents were used to wrongly accuse him of making up data on climate change, for which he got hate mail. Of the on-going abuse of scientists, he said: "It tells us the work is really important and inspires us to continue." He still receives hate mail each November and December, around the anniversary of the data breach at the University of East Anglia unit and the subsequent "media storm" 12 years ago. Back then, as dramatised in The Trick, his life's work was called in to question, both in some sections of the press and by climate-change deniers. "It was a really awful time - I was used to dealing with comments on my work at scientific conferences, but when the media storm arrived, I just couldn't respond to it," he told BBC Look East. "We were fighting against a massive tide, and people just didn't seem to want to know about the science, they wanted to know about a few words in a few emails." He said he has seen parallels in other branches of science. "The best analogy at the moment is what's been happening to some of the people working on Covid and the vaccines, who are getting some of the same thing from some recent reporting," he said. "They are really just messengers of the work they do; there shouldn't be this hate. "People have to stand up for science, and realise scientists themselves need protecting." All allegations against Prof Jones and the CRU were rejected in subsequent inquiries. Prof Jones still works at CRU and said he had "got to be hopeful" about COP26 later this month. "The science is much stronger now," he said. "If they had acted after Copenhagen [December 2009], we'd be 10 years further down the line. "They acted in the Paris Agreement in 2015 but they have to enhance that in Glasgow, and there has got to be action in countries around the world if we going to avert any more major changes in the climate." He described The Trick as "essential", although watching himself played by actor Jason Watkins was "very surreal and odd". "The actors get across the emotional side, which you normally don't see in interviews with scientists," he added. "I think it's a story that needs to be told. "There are climate change deniers out there who want us to go on, business as usual, continually burning more and more fossil fuels, and the more we put into the atmosphere, the harder it is going to be to do anything about it." The Trick was first broadcast on BBC One on Monday, and is available on the BBC iPlayer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-58955787
     
         
      UK firms will have to disclose climate impact Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:10:00
     
      Some large UK businesses will have to start disclosing their environmental impact, under new rules set to be brought in by the Treasury. The requirements will also apply to investment products and pension schemes. It comes ahead of November's COP26 meeting in Glasgow, where world leaders will discuss their climate commitments. Experts say the UK, which is hosting the event, is not currently on track to meet its own emissions targets. Boris Johnson has pledged to cut emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. The Treasury said the new sustainability disclosure requirements (SDR) mean an investment product will now have to set out the environmental impact of the activities it finances. In addition, a company's sustainability claims will have to be justified "clearly", and their net zero transition plans properly set out. The aim is to combat "greenwashing", where firms make misleading claims about their environmental commitments. But the government said the information will "only be impactful" if customers and investors actually use it. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "We want sustainability to be a key component of investment decisions, and our plans will arm investors with the right information to make more environmentally-led decisions." He said the rules will "set new global standards for sustainability that will boost the economy, protect the planet and support our net zero goals". It is unclear when the rules will come in, or what will happen to firms that do not comply. Details of the specific reporting requirements will only be developed after a public consultation. 'Positive step' Mr Sunak first mentioned SDRs in July and has announced these next stages for the requirements in the report: "Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing". Sam Alvis, from the Green Alliance think tank, said it was a "positive step in greening the private sector". "While new green finance is vital, stopping money going into environmentally destructive investments is key. The upcoming spending review is an opportunity for the chancellor to apply the same rules for public spending," he added. Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the Confederation of British Industry, said greater clarity on environmental impact "will help investors channel finance into projects that are aligned with net zero targets and will reduce carbon emissions across our economy". But Heather McKay from E3G, an independent climate change think tank, told the BBC the government would need to send clear signals about "what is green and what is not" to ensure companies really change how they operate. She said this would be a "crucial step" to tackling greenwashing. Without the right information available, Jessica Fries, chairman of Accounting for Sustainability said that investors and pension funds have made decisions "in the dark". "As a global centre of finance, it will be important that the recommendations align with emerging requirements globally," Ms Fries added. Barbara Davidson, of think tank Carbon Tracker, said better enforcement of current accounting requirements was also required to combat greenwashing. "Without this, investors do not have the requisite information about the effects of climate change for their decision-making," she said. Boris Johnson's government is currently on track to cut only about a fifth of UK emissions by 2035, compared with 1990s levels, according to a group of experts that advises the government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58954978
     
         
      The shortages hitting countries around the world Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:03:00
     
      Around the the world, people and businesses are facing shortages of everything from coffee to coal. Disruption caused by the Covid pandemic is mostly to blame - but there are many factors, and effects are being felt in different ways. China: Coal and paper A "perfect storm" in China is hitting shoppers and businesses at home and overseas. It is affecting everything from paper, food, textiles and toys to iPhone chips, says Dr Michal Meidan from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. She says these items "may end up being in short supply this Christmas". The problem stems mainly from an electricity crisis, during which more than 20 provinces have experienced power cuts. More than half of the country's electricity comes from coal, which has risen in price worldwide. These costs can't be passed on to Chinese consumers because of a strict price cap, so energy companies are reducing output. Coal production has also been hit by new safety checks at mines, stricter environmental rules and recent flooding, says Dr Meidan. It means that even as demand for Chinese goods surges, factories have been asked to reduce energy use or close on some days. US: Toys and toilet paper At Christmas, "there will be things that people can't get", a White House official has warned. Stocks of toys will be affected, as could staples such as toilet paper and bottled water, new clothes and pet food. Part of the problem is a bottleneck at US ports. Four out of 10 shipping containers entering the US come through just two ports - in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. On one day in September, a record 73 ships were forced to queue outside Los Angeles port. Before Covid, it was unusual for more than one to be waiting. Both ports have now moved to a 24/7 operation to help ease the pressures. In some cases, shortages have also been caused by ongoing Covid-related problems in other countries. American sportswear giant Nike, for example, makes many of its products in southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, where factories have been closed. Even when goods are produced, delivering them to retailers has become more difficult, says Prof Willy Shih of Harvard Business School. There has been a surge in spending by US consumers, but disruption at factories, ports and "overloaded" road and rail networks have created a bottleneck, he says. India: Cars and computer chips India's biggest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, has seen production plummet, partly because of a global shortage of computer chips. These chips manage features such as engine supply and emergency braking. The shortage has been driven by pandemic-related disruption in countries such as Japan and South Korea. Global demand for the chips - which are also used in phones and computers - was already rising before the pandemic, because of the adoption of 5G technology. The shift to home-working led to another rise in demand, as people needed work laptops or webcams. The shortage of components coming into India has been made worse by the country's own energy disruption. Coal stocks are running dangerously low. The economy picked up after India's deadly second wave of Covid-19, leading to an increase in demand for energy. But global coal prices increased and India's imports fell. The impact has been widespread, said Zohra Chatterji, the former Chief of Coal India Limited. "The entire manufacturing sector - cement, steel, construction - everything gets impacted once there is a coal shortage." Families in India will be hit too, say experts, as electricity prices increase. High inflation means the price of essentials such as food and oil are already up. Brazil: Coffee and water Brazil's most severe drought in almost a century is partly to blame for a disappointing coffee harvest this year. Combined with frosts and the natural cycle of harvests, it has contributed to a significant fall in coffee production. The challenges for coffee producers have been made worse by high shipping costs and a shortage of containers. Their rising costs will be passed onto cafes across the world, as Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of coffee. With most of the country's electricity coming from hydroelectric power using reservoirs, the lack of water is having a direct impact on the country's energy supply. As energy prices go up, the authorities are asking people to limit their electricity use to avoid rationing. The energy minister said that government agencies had been asked to reduce their electricity use by 20%, according to the Washington Post. Nigeria: Cooking gas Nigeria is experiencing shortages of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is mainly used for cooking. This is despite the country having the largest natural gas reserves in Africa The price of LPG rose by almost 60% between April and July, pushing it beyond the reach of many Nigerians. As a result, households and businesses turned to much dirtier charcoal, or firewood, for cooking. One of the reasons for the price hike is a global shortage in supply - the country still depends on imported LNG. The situation is likely have been made worse by the depreciation of the currency and re-introduction of taxes on LNG. Experts warn that the shortage could have alarming health and environmental implications, as people turn to cheaper but more dangerous fuel alternatives. Lebanon: Water and medicines There are concerns about shortages of water, medicines and fuel in Lebanon. For the past 18 months the country has endured an economic crisis, which has pushed three-quarters of its population into poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against the government and Lebanon's political system. The country's economy already had problems before Covid hit. But the pandemic has made things worse. Fuel shortages have led to frequent electricity outages, leaving businesses and families reliant on expensive private electricity diesel generators if they can afford it. In August, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi said she was "deeply concerned about the impact of the fuel crisis on access to health care and water supply for millions of people in Lebanon".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-58868636
     
         
      It’s Monday, October 18, and the Biden administration wants to increase community solar Mon, 18th Oct 2021 15:01:00
     
      The Biden administration plans to power the equivalent of 5 million homes using community solar systems by 2025, according to an announcement made earlier this month. Community solar, the Department of Energy said, will be a critical tool for lowering energy costs for low-income and disadvantaged homes. Low-income households experience an energy burden three times that of the typical American household. Community solar offers a solution to families that can’t access rooftop solar because of affordability, suboptimal roof conditions, or because they’re renting. With community solar, households subscribe to a nearby consolidated solar array in exchange for a discount on their electric bill each month. Currently, the country has enough community solar systems to power 600,000 households. In a statement, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said, “Community solar is one of the most powerful tools we have to provide affordable solar energy to all American households, regardless of whether they own a home or have a roof suitable for solar panels.” The Department of Energy estimates that reaching the target of 5 million homes by 2025, a 700 percent increase from today’s levels, will save households $1 billion in energy costs.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/905688573/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      ‘It’s not as carbon-hungry’: UK’s largest sunlit vertical farm begins harvest Mon, 18th Oct 2021 11:16:00
     
      In a greenhouse in Worcestershire, Shockingly Fresh grows towers of leafy veg for supermarket shelves The largest naturally lit vertical farm in Britain has begun harvesting and the creators plan to build 40 more. It looks nothing like a traditional farm, with bright white towers of leafy green vegetables stacked as high as the eye can see. But Shockingly Fresh’s first giant greenhouse, in Offenham, Worcestershire, is harvesting thousands of bunches of pak choi and lettuce destined for supermarket shelves. The farm is suited to a variety of leafy greens, as well as strawberries and herbs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/18/its-not-as-carbon-hungry-uks-largest-sunlit-vertical-farm-begins-harvest
     
         
      Kerala floods: At least 26 killed as rescuers step up efforts Mon, 18th Oct 2021 10:53:00
     
      At least 26 people have been killed in floods in southern India after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, cutting off towns and villages. Five children are among the dead. There are fears the death toll could rise further as many people are missing. Several houses were washed away and people became trapped in the district of Kottayam in Kerala state. Video from the area showed bus passengers being rescued after their vehicle was inundated with floodwater. Kottayam and Idukki are two of the worst affected districts in the state. Days of heavy rainfall has also caused deadly landslides. Swollen rivers have washed away bridges connecting many small villages. Military helicopters are being used to fly in supplies and personnel to areas where people are trapped, officials said. Thousands of people have been evacuated and 184 relief camps have been set up across the state, where over 8,000 people are being provided food, bedding and clothing. The government has also announced financial aid for those who have lost houses and crops. It has decided to leave the decision of whether various dams in the state should be opened to an expert committee. In 2018, some 400 people died when heavy rains flooded the state. There was controversy over the fact that dams were opened without any warning to people living in low-lying areas. Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the committee will decide which dams need to be opened. "District collectors will be notified hours before opening the dams so that local people have enough time to evacuate," his office said in a statement. Meanwhile, India's meteorological department has predicted heavy, isolated rainfall in the state for up to four more days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Sunday that he had spoken to Mr Vijayan about the situation. "It is sad that many people have died due to the heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. My condolences to the bereaved families," Mr Modi wrote. Officials from Alleppey city told BBC Hindi that the situation in the city was worrying. Alleppey has a network of canals and lagoons and it is vulnerable to flooding. Meanwhile, several tragic stories are coming out from the affected districts. A family of six - including a 75-year-old grandmother and three children - were confirmed dead after their home in Kottayam was swept away, news agency PTI reported. The bodies of another three children - aged eight, seven and four - were also found buried under the debris in Idukki district. Fishing boats are being used to evacuate survivors trapped in Kollam and other coastal towns, as sections of road have been swept away and trees uprooted. It is not uncommon for heavy rainfall to cause flooding and landslides in Kerala, where wetlands and lakes that once acted as natural safeguards against floods have disappeared because of increasing urbanisation and construction. The 2018 floods were the worst in Kerala in a century, and displaced more than one million people. An assessment carried out by the federal government that same year found that the state, which has 44 rivers flowing through it, was among the 10 most vulnerable in India to flooding.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58940880
     
         
      Earthshot Prize: Costa Rica wins £1m from William's Earthshot prize Mon, 18th Oct 2021 7:49:00
     
      Two best friends who grow coral and the country of Costa Rica are among the winners of the first ever Earthshot Prizes. The annual awards were created by the Duke of Cambridge to reward people trying to save the planet. There were five winners announced in London, each receiving £1m. Prince William was joined by stars including Emma Watson, Dame Emma Thompson and David Oyelowo for the ceremony at Alexandra Palace. Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and KSI were among the acts that performed - and in keeping with the eco message, the music was powered by 60 cyclists pedalling on bikes. No celebrities flew to London for the ceremony, no plastic was used to build the stage and guests were asked to "consider the environment" when choosing an outfit - with Watson wearing a dress made from 10 different dresses from Oxfam. The Earthshot prize's name is a reference to the "Moonshot" ambition of 1960s America, which saw then-President John F Kennedy pledge to get a man on the Moon within a decade. Each year for the next decade, the prize is awarding £1m each to five projects that are working to find solutions to the planet's environmental problems. The inaugural winners were selected from five different categories, and were chosen from a shortlist of 15 by judges including broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett and singer Shakira. In a recorded message played at the ceremony - which was broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer at 20:00 BST - Prince William said the next 10 years was a "decisive decade" for the planet. "Time is running out," he said. "A decade doesn't seem long enough, but humankind has an outstanding record of being able to solve the unsolvable." Earlier this week, the duke suggested that rather than the world's top minds setting their sights on space tourism, they should instead focus on saving Earth. With stars from the worlds of football and music arriving on a green carpet, the message was that environmental challenges deserve the same kind of attention as the Oscars. And the winning teams were obviously thrilled to get such high-profile recognition. The test now is whether their projects will be scaled up in a way that makes a difference worldwide. Whether it's restoring corals and forests or reducing waste and carbon emissions, the plan is for big name companies to support these mostly small-scale schemes and help them to become global. It may well be years before we see how well that works out in practice, and inevitably some projects may prove more effective than others. In any event, in the countdown to the vital COP26 climate summit in Glasgow next month, the winners offer something that's been in short supply recently: a sense of optimism. Among the celebrities at Sunday night's ceremony was Love Actually actress Dame Emma, who criticised throwaway culture as she made her way to the event. "If we had shown my parents how people live (today), how they will wander down the streets with a coffee cup, immediately throw it away, eat, throw away, everything throw away, they would've gone, 'what's going on?'" said Dame Emma.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58948339
     
         
      Climate change: Prince William to make stark warning at star-studded award ceremony Sun, 17th Oct 2021 11:49:00
     
      The Prince of Wales has spoken of how proud he is of Prince William ahead of the first Earthshot award ceremony - reaffirming their joint father and son "commitment to the environment" and "restoring harmony between nature, people and planet". The Duke of Cambridge's Earthshot Prize, described by his royal foundation as the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history, will finally become a reality tonight as he helps host the ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London. Prince Charles acknowledged William's achievement ahead of the event, saying: "I am very proud of my son, William, for his growing commitment to the environment and the bold ambition of The Earthshot Prize. "As a world, we need to come together to inspire, reimagine and build the sustainable future we so desperately need. Over the coming decade, with future generations in mind, The Earthshot Prize, and its inspirational nominees, will help us find the innovative solutions." Prince Charles added: "In parallel, through my Terra Carta and Sustainable Markets Initiative, we will work to mobilise the trillions of dollars required to transition the global economy onto a more sustainable trajectory. Together, with all those who join us, we have a real opportunity to deliver a brighter future for humanity while restoring harmony between nature, people and planet." Members of the Royal Family don't often publicly praise each other's initiatives in in this way, but both men have made combating the climate crisis a central part of their work. In an interview this week, Prince William described how his father has had a "really rough ride" throughout his decades of environmental campaigning. The first five winners of?The Earthshot Prize will be unveiled later, with each awarded £1m to help support and scale up their innovations and ideas. The prize aims to reward any individual, group, city, country or company working on solutions, not just those working on new technology. The fifteen finalists won't be in London but celebrating their work, and how they are tackling the challenges posed by climate change, will be at the heart of the event. During the ceremony Prince William, will say: "We are alive in the most consequential time in human history... The actions we choose or choose not to take in the next 10 years will determine the fate of the planet for the next 1,000. "A decade doesn't seem long, but humankind has an outstanding record of being able to solve the unsolvable. Many of the answers are already out there... but we need everyone - from all parts of society - to raise their ambition and unite in repairing our planet. The future is ours to determine. And if we set our minds to it, nothing is impossible." Prince William and his team have been working on the idea for the Earthshot Prize since 2018, after he felt too much pessimism in the climate debate was making people switch off. With the belief that we have a decade to repair the planet, five £1m prizes will be awarded every year for the next 10 years. Japanese astronaut Naoko Yamazaki is on the Earthshot Council, which has helped to choose this year's winners. Explaining to Sky News why she thinks the award can drive positive change, she said: "What I like about the Earthshot is that it covers all the layers, from the individual, to the company, organisation, to the government level, and actually the 15 finalists cover various layers as well. And each layer is very important, in each layer everybody can play a big role to the environment, so the Earthshot can tell everybody 'you are the key person to protect our environment' so that's important. "And of course, climate change is progressing, and unfortunately it gets severe each year so the next 10 years is very critical. We will get to an irreversible point and it is going to be too late, so we have to consolidate and unite our efforts. That's why the Earthshot Prize is a prestigious global effort." The ceremony has been described as the most sustainable event of its kind. Sir David Attenborough, another member of the Earthshot Council, will speak at the event. Ed Sheeran, KSI, Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes will all perform, along with Coldplay whose performance, from outside of Alexandra Palace, will?use energy powered by 60 cyclists. The Duchess of Cambridge will present one of the awards, with Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, David Oyelowo and Mo Salah presenting the other prizes.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-our-actions-this-decade-will-determine-planets-fate-for-next-1-000-years-prince-william-to-warn-12435237
     
         
      Queen 'irritated' by climate change inaction in COP26 build-up Fri, 15th Oct 2021 15:13:00
     
      The Queen has appeared to suggest she is irritated by people who "talk" but "don't do", ahead of next month's climate change summit. Her reported remarks were overheard during the opening of the Welsh parliament on Thursday. The monarch, who is due to attend the UN's COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, said she did not know who was coming to the event. Prince Charles and Prince William have also spoken of their climate concerns. Global leaders are meeting in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November to negotiate a new deal to stall rising global temperatures. US President Joe Biden and members of the G7 nations will be attending COP26. On Friday, after weeks of hesitation, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed he will be at the summit. But there are reports China's President Xi Jinping would not be attending, although the country will be represented by its government officials in Glasgow. Downing Street said it was up to individual countries to confirm attendances at COP26. Video clips featuring the Queen's conversation during the opening of the Senedd were picked up by the event's live stream camera, according to the Daily Mail. The clips - parts of which are inaudible - show the Queen chatting with the Duchess of Cornwall and Elin Jones, the Senedd's presiding officer. The Queen appears to say: "I've been hearing all about COP... I still don't know who's coming." In a separate clip, she remarks "we only know about people who are not coming", before adding: "It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do." Ms Jones appears to reference the Duke of Cambridge in her reply to the Queen's remarks, saying she had been watching him "on television this morning saying there's no point going into space, we need to save the Earth". This wasn't a formal intervention from the Queen, but a few private words that were overheard. That her comments about climate change are making headlines shows how unusual it is to hear the Queen's private thoughts on public matters - because her role requires her to stay outside of political debate. This rare insight suggests the 95-year-old Queen remains very engaged with the current issues around the COP26 summit - in a week when Prince Charles and Prince William were also talking about protecting the environment. But it also shows the occupational hazard of being followed everywhere by cameras and microphones. And in her comments about having "no idea" who was coming to COP26, there was also a glimpse of a slightly exasperated host, not sure who was going to turn up for an event. Prince William spoke to the BBC's Newscast on Thursday, and suggested entrepreneurs should focus on saving Earth rather than engaging in space tourism. He also warned the COP26 summit against "clever speak, clever words but not enough action", saying it was "critical" for the world leaders to "communicate very clearly and very honestly what the problems are and what the solutions are going to be". In an interview with the BBC's climate editor Justin Rowlatt, the Prince of Wales said he was worried that world leaders would "just talk" when they meet, saying: "The problem is to get action on the ground".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58923924
     
         
      Why giant turbines are pushing the limits of possibility Fri, 15th Oct 2021 14:59:00
     
      Next year, Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas will put up a gargantuan prototype - a 15-megawatt (MW) wind turbine that will be powerful enough to provide electricity to roughly 13,000 British homes. It will be the biggest such turbine in the world, though potentially not for long. Wind turbines just keep getting bigger - and it's happening faster than almost anybody predicted. Chinese firm, MingYang, recently announced plans for an even more powerful device clocking in at 16MW, for example. Just four years ago, the maximum capacity of an offshore turbine was 8MW. "It's happening quicker than we would wish, in a sense," says Aurélie Nasse, head of offshore product market strategy at Vestas. The firm is one of a handful that have led the development of super-sized turbines - but headaches associated with building ever larger machines are beginning to emerge. "We need to make sure it's a sustainable race for everyone in the industry," says Ms Nasse, as she points out the need for larger harbours, and the necessary equipment and installation vessels required to bring today's huge turbine components offshore. Then there's the hefty investments required to get to that point. "If you look at the financial results of the [manufacturers], basically none of us make money anymore," explains Ms Nasse. "That's a big risk." Yet the wind industry's willingness to push limits is one of its greatest strengths, she adds. A double-edged sword, or turbine blade, if you will. And there are few signs that the race to 20MW turbines and beyond is about to slow down. "It's just astonishing," says Guy Dorrell, a spokesman for Siemens Gamesa, referring to the fact that a single offshore wind farm can now power a million homes. By the end of this year, his firm plans to install an onshore prototype of a 14MW offshore turbine that can be boosted to supply 15MW. "We've worked out that a single turn of a 14MW turbine would power a Tesla Model 3 for 352km (218 miles)," he says. Besides heightened power output, one of the advantages of bigger turbines is that they are more efficient in terms of installation time and cost - clearly, you only need one base structure and set of cables for a 14MW turbine versus two for a pair of 7MW machines. The UK currently has about 10.5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity and this is set to quadruple by 2030. But that still isn't enough to deliver net-zero electricity by 2035, according to researchers at Imperial College, London. Whatever happens next the demand is there and you can bet that bigger turbines will become more commonplace, says Christoph Zipf, a spokesman for Wind Europe, an industry body. Twenty years from now, 15MW turbines will be viewed as "average", he predicts. It may happen even sooner than that. The UK's newest offshore wind projects, planned for Dogger Bank in the middle of the North Sea, are already set to use 13 and 14MW turbines. But surely there are limits to how large these structures can get? They are already mind-boggling. Each blade on Vestas' 15MW turbine is 115.5m (379ft) long - nearly as long as London's Centre Point tower is high. The turbine itself has a rotor diameter of 236m (London's tallest building, The Shard, is 310m tall). "There has to be a physical limit although nobody has yet put a number on that," says Simon Hogg, at Durham University. Prof Hogg holds the Ørsted chair at the university, which is funded by energy firm Ørsted. Instead, it's the practicalities of putting these machines in place and maintaining them that might first become problematic. Prof Deborah Greaves at Plymouth University says of super-sized offshore turbines, "There are still open questions around the cumulative environmental impact and the capacity of the marine environment." Wind turbines do have some negative effects on wildlife but the extent of this, at scale, is difficult to measure. Plus, very large wind farms at sea must be sited carefully to avoid conflict with shipping lanes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58704792
     
         
      The right to a clean and healthy environment: 6 things you need to know Fri, 15th Oct 2021 14:47:00
     
      For the first time ever, the United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world, passed a resolution recognising access to a healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right. The text also calls on countries to work together, and with other partners, to implement this breakthrough. “Professionally that was probably the most thrilling experience that I ever have had or that I ever will have. It was a massive team victory. It took literally millions of people, and years and years of work to achieve this resolution”, said David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment, who was in the room when President Nazhat Shameem from Fiji, brought down her gavel, announcing the voting results. 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions counted as a unanimous victory to pass the text that cites the efforts of at least 1,100 civil society, child, youth and indigenous people’s organizations, who have been campaigning for global recognition, implementation and protection of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. But why is this recognition important, and what does it mean for climate change-affected communities? Here are six key things you need to know, compiled by us here at UN News. 1. First, let’s recall what the Human Rights Council does, and what its resolutions mean The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. The Council is made up of 47 UN Member States which are elected by the absolute majority in the General Assembly and represent every region of the world. Human Rights Council resolutions are “political expressions” that represent the position of the Council’s members (or the majority of them) on particular issues and situations. These documents are drafted and negotiated among States with to advance specific human rights issues. They usually provoke a debate among States, civil society and intergovernmental organisations; establish new ‘standards’, lines or principles of conduct; or reflect existing rules of conduct. Resolutions are drafted by a “core group”: Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, were the countries who brought resolution 48/13 for its adoption in the council, recognising for the first time that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is indeed a human right. 2. It was a resolution decades in the making In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm, which ended with a historical declaration, was the first one to place environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water and the ocean, and the well-being of people around the world. UN Member States back then, declared that people have a fundamental right to "an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being," calling for concrete action. They called for both the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly to act. Since 2008, the Maldives, a Small Island Developing State on the frontline of climate change impacts, has been tabling a series of resolutions on human rights and climate change, and in the last decade, on human rights and environment. In the last few years, the work of the Maldives and its allied States, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment and different NGOs, have been moving the international community towards the declaration of a new universal right. Support for UN recognition of this right grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea was endorsed by UN's Secretary-General António Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, as well as more than 1,100 civil society organisations from around the world. Nearly 70 states on the Human Rights Council also added their voices to a call by the council’s core group on human rights and environment for such action, and 15 UN agencies also sent a rare joint declaration advocating for it. “A surge in emerging zoonotic diseases, the climate emergency, pervasive toxic pollution and a dramatic loss of biodiversity have brought the future of the planet to the top of the international agenda”, a group of UN experts said in a statement released in June this year, on World Environment Day. 3. It was a David vs Goliath story… To finally reach the vote and decision, the core group lead intensive inter-governmental negotiations, discussions and even experts’ seminars, over the past few years. Levy Muwana, a Youth Advocate and environmentalist from Zambia, participated in one of the seminars. “As a young child, I was affected with bilharzia, a parasitic disease, because I was playing in the dirty water near my household. A few years later, a girl died in my community from cholera. These events are sadly common and occurring more often. Water-born infectious diseases are increasing worldwide, especially across sub-Saharan Africa, due to the changing climate”, he told Council members last August. Muwana made clear that his story was not unique, as millions of children worldwide are significantly impacted by the devastating consequences of the environmental crisis. “1.7 million of them die every year from inhaling contaminated air or drinking polluted water”, he said. The activist, along with over 100.000 children and allies had signed a petition for the right to a healthy environment to be recognised, and they were finally heard. “There are people who want to continue the process of exploiting the natural world and have no reservations about harming people to do that. So those very powerful opponents have kept this room from going forward for decades. It's almost like a David and Goliath story that all of these civil society organizations were able to overcome this powerful opposition, and now we have this new tool that we can use to fight for a more just and sustainable world”, says David Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment. 4. But what good is a non-legally binding resolution? Mr. Boyd explains that the resolution should be a catalyst for more ambitious action on every single environmental issue that we face. “It really is historic, and it really is meaningful for everyone because we know right now that 90% of people in the world are breathing polluted air. “So right off the bat if we can use this resolution as a catalyst for actions to clean up air quality, then we're going to be improving the lives of billions of people”, he emphasizes. Human Rights Council resolutions might not be legally binding, but they do contain strong political commitments. “The best example we have of what kind of a difference these UN resolutions make is if we look back at the resolutions in 2010 that for the first time recognized the right to water. That was a catalyst for governments all over the world who added the right to water to their constitutions, their highest and strongest laws”, Mr. Boyd says. The Rapporteur cites Mexico, which after adding the right to water in the constitution, has now extended safe drinking water to over 1,000 rural communities. “There are a billion people who can't just turn on the tap and have clean, safe water coming out, and so you know, for a thousand communities in rural Mexico, that's an absolutely life-changing improvement. Similarly, Slovenia, after they put the right to water in their constitution because of the UN resolutions, they then took action to bring safe drinking water to Roma communities living in informal settlements on city outskirts”. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the recognition of the right to a healthy environment at the global level will support efforts to address environmental crises in a more coordinated, effective and non-discriminatory manner, help achieve the Sustainable Developing Goals, provide stronger protection of rights and of the people defending the environment, and help create a world where people can live in harmony with nature. 5. The link between human rights and environment is indisputable Mr. Boyd has witnessed firsthand the devastating impact that climate change has already had on people’s rights. In his first country mission as a Special Rapporteur, he met the first community in the world that had to be completely relocated due to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and increased intensity of storm surges. “You know, from this beautiful waterfront paradise on a Fijian island, they had to move their whole village inland about three kilometers. Older persons, people with disabilities, pregnant women, they're now separated from the ocean that has sustained their culture and their livelihoods for many generations”. These situations are not only seen in developing countries. Mr. Boyd also visited Norway where he met Sami indigenous people also facing the impacts of climate change. “I heard really sad stories there. For thousands of years their culture and their economy has been based on reindeer herding, but now because of warm weather in the winters, even in Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, sometimes it rains. “The reindeer who literally for thousands of years had been able to scrape away snow during the winter to get to the lichens and mosses that sustained them, now can't scrape away the ice - and they’re starving”. The story repeats itself in Kenya, where pastoralists are losing their livestock because of droughts that are being exacerbated by climate change. “They have done nothing to cause this global crisis and they’re the ones who are suffering, and that's why it's such a human rights issue. “That's why it's such an issue of justice. Wealthy countries and wealthy people need to start to pay for the pollution they've created so that we can help these vulnerable communities and these vulnerable peoples to adapt and to rebuild their lives”, Mr. Boyd said. 6. What’s next? The Council resolution includes an invitation to the UN General Assembly to also consider the matter. The Special Rapporteur says he is “cautiously optimistic” that the body will pass a similar resolution within the next year. “We need this. We need governments and we need everyone to move with a sense of urgency. I mean, we're living in a climate, biodiversity, and pollution crisis, and also a crisis of these emerging diseases like COVID which have environmental root causes. And so that's why this resolution is critically important because it says to every government in the world ‘you have to put human rights at the centre of climate action, of conservation, of addressing pollution and of preventing future pandemics’”. For Dr. Maria Neira, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) environment chief, the resolution is already having important repercussions and a mobilizing impact. “The next step will be how we translate that on the right to clean air and whether we can push, for instance, for the recognition of WHO’S Global Air Quality Guidelines and the levels of exposure to certain pollutants at a country level. It will also help us to move certain legislation and standards at the national level”, she explains. Air pollution, primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, which also drives climate change, causes 13 deaths per minute worldwide. Dr. Neira calls for the end of this “absurd fight” against the ecosystems and environment. “All the investments need to be on ensuring access to safe water and sanitation, on making sure that electrification is done with renewable energy and that our food systems are sustainable.” According to WHO, achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement would save millions of lives every year due to improvements in air quality, diet, and physical activity, among other benefits. “The climate emergency has become a matter of survival for many populations. Only systemic, profound and rapid changes will make it possible to respond to this global ecological crisis", says the Special Rapporteur. For Mr. Boyd, the approval of the historical resolution in the Human Rights Council was a ‘paradoxical’ moment. “There was this incredible sense of accomplishment and also at the exact same time a sense of how much work remains to be done to take these beautiful words and translate them into changes that will make people's lives better and make our society more sustainable”. The newly declared right to a healthy and clean environment will also hopefully influence positively negotiations during the upcoming UN Climate Conference COP26, in Glasgow, which has been described by the UN chief as the last chance to ‘turn the tide’ and end the war on our planet.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103082
     
         
      It’s Friday, October 15, and environmental groups in France have won another court ruling Fri, 15th Oct 2021 14:45:00
     
      A French court has ordered the country to follow through on its commitments to addressing climate change. In the Thursday ruling, the Paris administrative tribunal found that France overshot its emissions targets by 15 million metric tons between 2015 and 2018 and ordered the government to take all necessary measures to “repair the damage” by the end of 2022. The ruling is the latest development in a case brought by French environmental organizations in 2019 in an attempt to use the judicial system to force their country to take more concrete action against climate change. “Now the court system is becoming an ally in our fight against climate change,” Jean-François Julliard, director of Greenpeace France, told reporters following this week’s ruling. The country’s leaders are clearly feeling the heat. Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country will spend $34.6 billion over the next five years on nuclear reactors and green energy projects to decarbonize the nation’s industrial sector and reinvigorate its manufacturing base. The projects will spur the production of low-emission planes and electric cars and a “revolution in French agriculture,” according to the New York Times.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/904371393/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Sustainable transport key to green energy shift: UN Secretary-General Thu, 14th Oct 2021 15:10:00
     
      The three-day UN Sustainable Transport Conference, which opened on Thursday, will examine how transportation can contribute to climate response, economic growth and sustainable development. It is taking place just weeks before the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. In remarks to the opening, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underlined what is at stake. “The next nine years must see a global shift towards renewable energy. Sustainable transport is central to that transformation,” he said. The move to sustainable transport could deliver savings of $70 trillion by 2050, according to the World Bank. Better access to roads could help Africa to become self-sufficient in food, and create a regional food market worth $1 trillion by the end of the decade. Net-zero goal The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how transport is “far more than a means of getting people and goods from A to B”, the UN chief said. Rather, transport is fundamental to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, both of which were “badly off-track” even before the crisis. The Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but the door for action is closing, he warned. “Transport, which accounts for more than one quarter of global greenhouse gases, is key to getting on track. We must decarbonize all means of transport, in order to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 globally.” A role for everyone Decarbonizing transportation requires countries to address emissions from shipping and aviation because current commitments are not aligned with the Paris Agreement. Priorities here include phasing out the production of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, while zero emission vessels “must be the default choice” for the shipping sector. “All stakeholders have a role to play, from individuals changing their travel habits, to businesses transforming their carbon footprint,” the Secretary-General said. He urged governments to incentivize clean transport, for example through regulatory standards and taxation, and to impose stricter regulation of infrastructure and procurement. Safer transport for all The issues of safety and access must also be addressed, the Secretary-General continued. “This means helping more than one billion people to access paved roads, with designated space for pedestrians and bicycles, and providing convenient public transit options,” he said. “It means providing safe conditions for all on public transport by ending harassment and violence against women and girls, and reducing deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.” Making transport resilient Post-pandemic recovery must also lead to resilient transport systems, with investments going towards sustainable transport, and generating decent jobs and opportunities for isolated communities. “Public transport should be the foundation for urban mobility,” he said. “Per dollar invested, it creates three times more jobs than building new highways.” With much existing transport infrastructure, such as ports, vulnerable to extreme climate events, better risk analysis and planning are needed, along with increased financing for climate adaptation, particularly in developing countries. Mr. Guterres stressed the need for effective partnerships, including with the private sector, so that countries can work together more coherently. “The transformative potential of sustainable transport can only be unleashed if improvements translate into poverty eradication, decent jobs better health and education, and increased opportunities for women and girls. Countries have much to learn from each other,” he said. More about the conference The world needs better and safer ways to move people and goods. Highways around the world are choked with traffic. Traffic fatalities and casualties are rising. Air pollution from transport is causing more and more health impacts. Close to a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from transport and these emissions are projected to grow substantially in the years to come, further exacerbating climate change. But new ideas and innovation are leading to transport solutions that are affordable, realistic, socially acceptable and environmentally sound. A transport revolution is here: electric cars powered by renewable energy; sustainable air travel; zero emission ships and communities that promote walking and bicycling. Accelerating the implementation of these solutions, everywhere, are a critical part of the United Nations’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address the global climate crisis. The 2021 UN Sustainable Transport Conference will showcase the commitments and resolve of key stakeholders from Governments, UN system and other international organizations, the private sector, and civil society to advance action for sustainable transport. All modes of transport—road, rail, aviation and waterborne—will be addressed. The Conference will also consider the concerns of vulnerable groups, such as women, the youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and people living in poverty, and of many developing countries, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, which will receive particular focus. Key transport objectives, such as providing access for all while leaving no one behind, green mobility, efficiency and safety will be discussed. The Conference will culminate in calls for global action to further advance sustainable transport worldwide, complemented by new partnerships, voluntary commitments and initiatives to support sustainable transport.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103062
     
         
      No Denying It episode 8: Dr. Karl introduces Yvonne Cuaresma Thu, 14th Oct 2021 15:07:00
     
      Yvonne Cuaresma Yvonne Cuaresma is Filipina American, and grew up in California with adventures like camping, fishing, and trips to the lake or beach, which gave her an early love for nature. Her project, The Climate Journal, is designed to helps users suffering from planetary grief and climate change paralysis through guided reflections and challenges. Ms. Cuaresma inspires us to take stock of our own emotional responses to climate change, investigate our paralysis and grief, and find a path to solutions. Dr. Karl Dr. Karl made his television debut in 1985 as presenter of the series, Quantum, and has since reported on the Midday Show, Good Morning Australia, the Today Show and Sunrise. He has also written and co-produced two series of Sleek Geeks for ABC TV. With degrees in Physics and Maths, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Karl has authored 47 books, the latest titled, “Dr. Karl’s Little Book of Climate Change Science”, which breaks down the climate emergency, and what we can all do to help. Among other recognition, Dr. Karl was invited as a Distinguished guest by the United States Information Agency in 1996, was named the 2003 “Australian Father of the Year”, and is the recipient of the 2019 UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularisation of Science.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/interview/2021/10/1103012
     
         
      Big tobacco got caught in a lie by Congress. Now it’s the oil industry’s turn Thu, 14th Oct 2021 12:25:00
     
      The CEOs of Exxon, BP, Shell and Chevron face a Capitol Hill hearing on their climate crisis lies – will it mirror the downfall of big tobacco? Two weeks from today, Darren Woods will face a potential doomsday moment before the US Congress. As the CEO of ExxonMobil, Woods was paid $15.6m last year to run the richest, most powerful private oil company in history. But his earnings and influence will be on the line when he appears before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on 28 October. His testimony could mark the beginning of the end of big oil escaping legal and financial responsibility for the climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/14/congress-hearing-oil-exxon-bp-shell-chevron?fbclid=IwAR1xWr-MRjLsH6WBT5a2zoLbSYZhF-gwOXV8pyGjE5MZhH5lHTIGhzxkLfU
     
         
      The climate disaster is here Thu, 14th Oct 2021 5:00:00
     
      The enormous, unprecedented pain and turmoil caused by the climate crisis is often discussed alongside what can seem like surprisingly small temperature increases – 1.5C or 2C hotter than it was in the era just before the car replaced the horse and cart. These temperature thresholds will again be the focus of upcoming UN climate talks at the COP26 summit in Scotland as countries variously dawdle or scramble to avert climate catastrophe. But the single digit numbers obscure huge ramifications at stake. “We have built a civilization based on a world that doesn’t exist anymore,” as Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, puts it. The world has already heated up by around 1.2C, on average, since the preindustrial era, pushing humanity beyond almost all historical boundaries. Cranking up the temperature of the entire globe this much within little more than a century is, in fact, extraordinary, with the oceans alone absorbing the heat equivalent of five Hiroshima atomic bombs dropping into the water every second. Until now, human civilization has operated within a narrow, stable band of temperature. Through the burning of fossil fuels, we have now unmoored ourselves from our past, as if we have transplanted ourselves onto another planet. The last time it was hotter than now was at least 125,000 years ago, while the atmosphere has more heat-trapping carbon dioxide in it than any time in the past two million years, perhaps more. Since 1970, the Earth’s temperature has raced upwards faster than in any comparable period. The oceans have heated up at a rate not seen in at least 11,000 years. “We are conducting an unprecedented experiment with our planet,” said Hayhoe. “The temperature has only moved a few tenths of a degree for us until now, just small wiggles in the road. But now we are hitting a curve we’ve never seen before.” No one is entirely sure how this horrifying experiment will end but humans like defined goals and so, in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, nearly 200 countries agreed to limit the global temperature rise to “well below” 2C, with an aspirational goal to keep it to 1.5C. The latter target was fought for by smaller, poorer nations, aware that an existential threat of unlivable heatwaves, floods and drought hinged upon this ostensibly small increment. “The difference between 1.5C and 2C is a death sentence for the Maldives,” said Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, president of the country, to world leaders at the United Nations in September. There is no huge chasm after a 1.49C rise, we are tumbling down a painful, worsening rocky slope rather than about to suddenly hit a sheer cliff edge – but by most standards the world’s governments are currently failing to avert a grim fate. “We are on a catastrophic path,” said António Guterres, secretary general of the UN. “We can either save our world or condemn humanity to a hellish future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2021/oct/14/climate-change-happening-now-stats-graphs-maps-cop26
     
         
      Ros Atkins on... The US climate conundrum Wed, 13th Oct 2021 15:55:00
     
      Ahead of COP26, Ros Atkins looks at what the world's biggest emitters are doing to tackle climate change. US President Joe Biden has made many promises on climate change, reversing some of his predecessor Donald Trump's policies. But is it enough? The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-58888702
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, October 13, and the United Nations has recognized that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right Wed, 13th Oct 2021 15:50:00
     
      Last Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution recognizing for the first time in history that access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a fundamental human right. The council also approved a separate resolution to establish a Special Rapporteur to investigate the links between climate change and human rights violations. Though the resolution is nonbinding — meaning that the 47 countries that belong to the council don’t necessarily have to apply it in their national decision-making — experts said the decision can help climate and environmental advocates around the world in their fight against polluting industries. The landmark decision — which was opposed by a few countries, including the U.S. — is a long-awaited step toward the recognition of “environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises,” said Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The push to recognize the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment can be traced back to the 1970s when the Stockholm Declaration established that all people are entitled to “an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity.” Since then, the right to a healthy environment has been recognized in 150 countries. Two U.N. Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights and the Environment have recommended that the Human Rights Council recognize the right since 2018. Building on this momentum, Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland introduced the text of the resolution, which 43 of the 47 states on the council voted in favor of.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/902364275/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Biodiversity commitment builds hope for 'living in harmony with nature' Wed, 13th Oct 2021 15:48:00
     
      The Kunming Declaration, adopted at the end of the UN Biodiversity Conference’s latest High Level Segment, which took place in Kunming, China, calls on the States Parties to act urgently on biodiversity protection in decision-making and recognise the importance of conservation in protecting human health. Biodiversity Fund The Segment opened on Monday - on the road to next year’s UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15 - and resulted also in the creation of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, with the country’s President Xi Jinping, pledging around $230 billion, to establish the Fund, and support biodiversity in developing countries. The Japanese Government has announced that it will also boost the Japan Biodiversity Fund, by $17 billion. Signatory nations will work towards the full realization of the 2050 Vision of “Living in Harmony with Nature”, ensuring that post-pandemic recovery policies, programmes and plans contribute to the sustainable use of biodiversity, and promote inclusive development. “The adoption of the Kunming Declaration is a clear indication of the worldwide support for the level of ambition that needs to be reflected in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be finalized next spring in Kunming”, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, said. Key elements Key elements of the accord include phasing out and redirecting harmful subsidies and recognizing the full and effective participation of local communities and indigenous peoples, in helping monitor and review progress. During the high level meeting, the Global Environment Facility, in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), also announced their commitment to fast-track immediate financial and technical support to developing nations, to prepare for the rapid implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework once it is formally agreed next year at COP15. European commitment The European Union noted the doubling of external funding for biodiversity, while France’s President Macron highlighted “the commitment for 30 per cent of climate funds to be used for biodiversity”, according to a press release from the Convention Secretariat. The United Kingdom also announced that a significant part of its increased climate funding will be directed towards biodiversity. In addition, a coalition of financial institutions, with assets of 12 trillion Euros, committed to protect and restore biodiversity through their activities and investments. Human survival at risk Speaking during the high level meeting, the Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, and COP15 President, Huang Runquiu, said that despite progress being made since the first global agreement on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, with the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, “we are still facing a grim situation of unprecedented global species extinction”. “Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation pose major risks to human survival and sustainable development”, Mr. Huang added, saying that this moment “signalled renewed political will to boost ambition, enhance collaboration and maximize opportunities for synergies across other multilateral agreements”. The Segment so far has been marked by passionate calls for transformative action, including an intervention from Josefa Tauli, an Ibaloi-Kankanaey Igorot from the Cordillera Region in the Philippines, who asked: “In this period that calls for nothing less than urgent, transformative action, my question to you is who are you, and are you who you need to be?” Next steps Countries are expected to adopt the proposed global biodiversity framework in May 2022, following further formal negotiations next January. The UN Biodiversity Conference consists of three concurrent meetings. ?In addition to COP15, meetings of the Parties to?the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and?the Nagoya Protocol on access and?sharing of genetic?resources, are also taking place.? The conference is being held in two phases. The current segment runs through Friday and will be followed by in-person meetings in Kunming from 25 April to 8 May 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102942?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=aa5d3e0d5b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_13_04_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-aa5d3e0d5b-107499886
     
         
      --Add Article Title-- Wed, 13th Oct 2021 15:16:00
     
      An Australian renewable energy export industry could create almost 400,000 new jobs and become more valuable to the Australian economy than current coal and gas exports, a new report commissioned by business groups, unions and environmental organisations has found. The new report – jointly published by the Australian Conservation Foundation, WWF Australia, the union group ACTU and the Business Council of Australia – estimates that almost $90 billion in new trade could be secured for Australia through investments in clean energy exports. Supplying a burgeoning global market for renewable hydrogen and ammonia products would provide Australia with the most significant new export opportunities, with green metals, minerals and battery manufacturing also set to emerge as massive export markets. ACF chief executive Kelly O’Shanassy said the report shows that there was a key opportunity to transition away from Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels for export income. “Real action to tackle climate change requires a rapid shift away from fossil fuel exports. The good news is Australia can replace and grow the revenue and jobs from coal and gas exports with clean exports,” O’Shanassy said. “As the world moves away from coal and gas, Australia can retain our mantle as an energy export superpower with critical minerals, renewable energy and green steel, hydrogen and aluminium.” “We need to act decisively. Climate damage is harming Australians and we’re not the only nation in the world with the natural advantages and know-how to become a clean energy superpower. We need genuine national leadership to secure our future,” O’Shanassy added. The report, authored by Accenture, found that around half of Australia’s existing exports were at risk in a global transition towards decarbonisation, including fossil fuels and products currently dependent on fossil fuels for their production, such as steel and aluminium. Australia is currently a leading global supplier of fossil fuels, serving 42 per cent of the world’s coal export market and around 22 per cent of the gas export market. But Accenture said that Australia’s status as a fossil fuel supplier was becoming increasingly risky, with around two-thirds of Australia’s export markets now subject to a target of reaching zero net emissions by 2060 or earlier. At the same time, the report found that Australia was particularly well placed to seize the benefits of a global shift to cleaner energy sources, with Australia’s abundance of high-quality wind and solar resources providing it with a competitive advantage over most countries. Likewise, Australia has an abundance of materials like lithium, zinc, iron, nickel and rare-earth materials – all of which are used in the production of clean energy technologies, like batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar power. A future market for these green energy supplies and green materials could eventually grow to surpass the value of Australia’s fossil fuel industry, Accenture found. WWF Australia president Martijn Wilder said that regional communities would be amongst the biggest winners from an Australian export industry focused on clean energy. “With smart investments, it is regional communities, particularly those that currently depend on carbon-intensive industries, that stand to benefit the most from Australia becoming a renewable export superpower,” Wilder said. “As our international trading partners work to meet their climate targets, there will be voracious demand for renewables and zero-carbon commodities. Our federal and state governments need to work together with the private sector to take advantage of this growing demand, creating new jobs and investment opportunities.” “We can’t afford to squander this once in a century opportunity. However, the window is closing because Australia is being outspent by other nations,” Wilder added. Business Council of Australia chief, Jennifer Westacott, who recently unveiled the group’s newfound commitment to tackling climate change, said Australian businesses were already responding to decarbonisation commitments being made by Australia’s major trading partners. “Our biggest trading partners are already making this transition and Australian businesses are already acting to respond to global capital,” Westacott said. “Acting now puts us in the box seat to take advantage of our world class skills, abundant resources and proximity to markets to secure existing jobs and create new ones.” The groups issued a joint call for five core actions from governments to accelerate Australia’s transition to clean energy exports. These include the creation of new clean export precincts, a $10 billion clean export investment fund, a $5 billion fund to support workers transitioning into new industries and a target to add at least 6GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2027.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewable-exports-worth-more-than-coal-and-gas-will-create-more-jobs/
     
         
      Norway's oil and gas sector will not be dismantled, new government says Wed, 13th Oct 2021 11:31:00
     
      Norway's incoming centre-left government has said it will seek to grow the country's lucrative oil and gas industry while striving to cut carbon emissions. The Labour Party-led coalition unveiled its energy policy before taking office after last month's general election. The government said it wanted to slash net emissions by 55% by 2030. But it said the move to green energy would be gradual in Norway, western Europe's largest oil and gas producer. "The oil and gas sector will be developed, not dismantled," the coalition said in a policy document released on Wednesday. The minority coalition of the Labour and Centre parties will replace the conservative-led government that ruled Norway for eight years. The transition towards renewable energy and away from oil and gas - the backbone of Norway's economy - will be one of the new government's biggest challenges. The petroleum sector accounts for about 40% of Norway's exports and 14% of its gross domestic product (GDP). While Norway's reliance on oil and gas drew scrutiny during the election campaign, the new government said it had to balance social and economic considerations with climate change targets. "Climate policy must not be moralising and must be fair," the coalition's policy paper said. The government affirmed its commitment to continued oil and gas exploration just weeks before the key international climate summit in Scotland known as COP26. The summit is being seen as a crucial opportunity for governments to agree on tougher targets for lowering carbon emissions. In August, a landmark United Nations study said fossil fuel emissions caused by humans were changing the climate in unprecedented and potentially catastrophic ways. To curb emissions, Norway's government said it would honour a plan to raise the country's carbon tax to 2,000 Norwegian kroner (£173; $230) per tonne. But Karoline Andaur of the Norwegian WWF told AFP news agency the measures do not go far enough and were "horrifying in terms of the still high activity in oil and gas". In contrast Norwegian Oil and Gas, a lobby group, told Reuters news agency the plan would "ensure continued development and value creation from oil and gas, but also to finance a green transition". The government's new emissions target brings Norway into line with the European Union. The EU is also aiming to reduce net emissions by 55% by 2030, from 1990 levels. Although Norway is not a member of the EU, it is closely aligned through its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen free-travel area.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58896850
     
         
      Russia denies weaponising energy amid Europe gas crisis Wed, 13th Oct 2021 10:37:00
     
      Russia has denied using energy as a political weapon, amid surging prices across Europe that have sent gas bills in many households skyrocketing. Russia, one of Europe's biggest natural gas providers, has been accused of intentionally withholding supplies. President Vladimir Putin said such claims were "complete rubbish... and politically motivated tittle-tattle". The European Commission has been outlining measures member states can take to combat rising prices. The wholesale price of gas has increased by 250% since January, triggering a knock-on spike in costs for consumers and businesses. Energy prices have hit record highs for various reasons, including high demand for natural gas as economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. 'There is no refusal, none' - Putin Speaking at a Moscow energy forum on Wednesday, President Putin blamed the current crisis on Europe, saying that after a cold winter Europeans had not pumped sufficient volumes of gas into storage facilities. He said it was "very important" to "suggest a long-term mechanism to stabilise the energy market". Mr Putin stressed that Gazprom, Russia's gas giant, was supplying gas to Europe at maximum levels under existing contracts, and was ready to provide more if requested. "We will increase by as much as our partners ask us. There is no refusal, none," he said. Europe's gas crisis has multiple causes: from a shortfall in renewable energy to low gas stocks after a cold winter. Plus, a surge in demand as countries emerge from the pandemic. But could another factor be Russia? In recent weeks Moscow has faced accusations that it has contributed to the crisis and forced gas prices higher by declining to supply additional gas to Europe. "Politically motivated tittle-tattle," says President Putin. But the International Energy Agency believes Russia could do more to increase gas availability to Europe. Kremlin critics suspect it is using the crisis to fast track European approval for Russia's controversial new pipeline. When European regulators sign the paperwork, Nord Stream 2 will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. Opponents of the pipeline believe it is a political project designed to increase Europe's dependency on Russian energy. Supporters insist it will provide Europe with a cheaper and more efficient supply of gas. On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin insisted Nord Stream 2 was "a commercial project". That was followed by a not so subtle hint. The president said he was "100% certain" that if the pipeline was functioning, that would ease Europe's energy problems. What about the new EU measures? Earlier on Wednesday, the European Commission's energy chief, Kadri Simson, said the EU's executive was responding to calls for urgent action by unveiling an "energy price toolbox". The toolbox outlines steps member states can take to reduce energy bills in their countries without breaching EU law. It mostly confirms the measures national governments can already use, but considers what more the Commission can do. Ms Simson said member states were best placed to ease the burden of rising energy prices as winter approaches. She urged them to consider emergency income support for vulnerable households, state aid for companies, and targeted tax reductions. She also advised member states to temporarily pause bill payments where necessary, and put in place safeguards to avoid disconnections from the grid. "Rising global energy prices are a serious concern for the EU," Ms Simson said. "As we emerge from the pandemic and begin our economic recovery, it is important to protect vulnerable consumers and support European companies." On top of those measures, Ms Simson said the Commission would look into the possible benefits of EU countries jointly buying natural gas. She said countries could collectively buy gas to form a strategic reserve. But, like the joint scheme to buy Covid vaccines, participation would be voluntary. The idea was proposed recently by governments that want more EU intervention, such as Spain. All member states were encouraged to use the EU's €750bn (£636bn; $867bn) Covid-19 recovery fund to invest in clean energy to meet the bloc's climate targets. "We are not facing a surge because of our climate policy," Ms Simson said. "Fossil fuel prices are spiking. We need to speed up the green transition, not slow it down."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58896847
     
         
      Finance Ministers hold key to COP26 success: UN Secretary-General Tue, 12th Oct 2021 15:53:00
     
      Addressing members of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, he highlighted their critical role as the conference date fast approaches. “As Ministers of Finance, you hold the key to success for COP26 and beyond,” he said in a video message to their latest meeting, held from Washington, DC. “Your decisions and actions in the coming weeks will determine whether the global economic recovery will be low-carbon, resilient and inclusive or whether it will lock-in fossil fuel-intensive investments with high risks of stranded assets,” he added. Closing the gaps COP26 opens later this month in Glasgow, Scotland, and Mr. Guterres outlined three key areas where progress is needed. Countries must “swiftly close the emissions gap”, he said. They also must be ready to update climate commitments to get the world back on track to keeping global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Meanwhile, richer countries must also close “the finance gap” by providing, and exceeding, the $100 billion annually promised to support climate action in developing nations. “And this is just a starting point,” the UN chief said. Public and private finance “must align with a net zero and resilient development pathway,” he added. “That is why I call on each of you as ministers of finance to take decisive steps to make climate risk disclosures mandatory in line with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.” Support for adaptation With climate change increasingly affecting lives and livelihoods each year, “Glasgow must deliver a breakthrough on adaptation”, the Secretary-General said. He urged the ministers to consider allocating half of all public climate finance in support of developing countries for adaptation. They were also encouraged to reconsider how Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is calculated, to reflect the true value of nature. “Nature’s resources still do not figure in countries’ calculations of wealth,” said Mr. Guterres. “We need nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation. The current system is weighted towards destruction, not preservation.” Measures to rebuild trust The Secretary-General underlined the critical role finance ministers have in the success of COP26 and beyond. He said urgently improving access to climate and development finance will be key to rebuilding trust among countries at the conference. “Your representatives at the boards of multilateral development banks could request management to present as soon as possible a set of concrete measures, implementable by the end of next year at the latest, to address red tape issues and improve the speed and efficiency of systems and processes in all development finance institutions,” he added. As climate change and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic pose new and unique challenges to low- and middle-income countries, the UN chief it was only logical to revise current thresholds for Official Development Assistance (ODA) to improve access to finance. He appealed for ministers to instruct their country representatives to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to review the process for eligibility. The UN chief further called for ministers to support development of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, aimed at helping Small Island Developing States to access concessional financing.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102892?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ad8675be8a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_12_09_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-ad8675be8a-107499886
     
         
      With clock ticking, sustainable transport key to Global Goals Tue, 12th Oct 2021 15:44:00
     
      The “clock is ticking on our 2030 timeline” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Liu Zhenmin, said in the foreword of Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Development. ‘Focused, global effort’ In preparation for the second Global Sustainable Transport Conference, kicking off on Thursday in the Chinese capital of Beijing and online, the new report charts a forward course to an integrated, sustainable approach towards making cities safe and resilient, as outlined in SDG 11 . “Two years into the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs, we must recognize that accelerated progress is needed simultaneously across multiple goals and targets”, Mr. Liu said. As such, it is necessary to make “a focused, global effort” in areas where there are deep, systemic links across the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, he said, describing sustainable transport as “one of these crucial areas”. COVID impacts The COVID-19 pandemic has set back years of progress towards eradicating poverty, ending hunger, empowering women, strengthening education and improving public health. However, climate change has continued inexorably. “Global average temperatures in 2020 were 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, inching perilously close to the desired limit of 1.5°C”, said the DESA chief. The pandemic also delayed the Transport Conference a year and a half later than originally planned. Recovery from the pandemic will give everyone a chance to rethink passenger and freight transport along with integrated solutions toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to the report. Changing mindsets Since the first Transport Conference, held five years ago in Turkmenistan, there has been an increasing appreciation of the importance of sustainable transport in a world linked ever closer by globalization and digitalization. “Transport is vital for promoting connectivity, trade, economic growth and employment. Yet it is also implicated as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions”, reminded Mr. Liu. “Resolving these trade-offs are essential to achieving sustainable transport and, through that, sustainable development”. The Sustainable Transport report upholds that, when appropriately applied, new and emerging technologies are key to solving many pressing challenges by accelerating existing solutions, such as low-/zero-carbon vehicles and intelligent transport systems and creating new fuel, power and digital infrastructures that mitigate harmful consequences. “Innovations, driven by new technologies, evolving consumer preferences and supportive policymaking, are changing the transport landscape”, acknowledged Mr. Liu. A shifting scene While science holds tremendous potential for transforming to sustainability, some new technologies also risk further entrenching inequalities, imposing constraints specific countries or presenting additional challenges for the environment. Therefore, they must be accompanied by measures to maintain and expand equitable access to transport services as well as those that mitigate environmental impacts across vehicles’ entire product cycle. The report encourages Governments and international bodies to regulate the development and deployment of all new transport technologies. Landmark moment Describing the upcoming Conference as “a landmark moment for stakeholders from across the world”, the head of DESA described it as an opportunity “to discuss challenges and opportunities, good practices and solutions”. The report was prepared by DESA in collaboration with an extensive network of UN agencies, will present substantive background to discussions and options for the way forward.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102872?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f0fb27e051-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_12_05_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-f0fb27e051-107499886
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, October 12, and the Biden administration is restoring environmental regulations weakened by Trump Tue, 12th Oct 2021 15:42:00
     
      Last week, the White House announced a proposal to restore climate-related elements of the government’s environmental review process for infrastructure projects. By reversing a Trump-era rollback of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, the proposed changes would bring back the requirement that federal agencies evaluate the full range of a project’s environmental effects — including climate change–related impacts. The plan would also expand the agencies’ ability to analyze alternative approaches that could minimize environmental harms and public health costs. The Biden administration announcement was lauded by environmental groups, while opponents of the plan in the fossil fuel industry said it could impede efforts to upgrade the nation’s bridges, highways, and other infrastructure. In the coming months, the White House plans to introduce a second set of proposed changes to NEPA that would ensure greater public involvement in the review process and, more broadly, promote decision-making that addresses the nation’s climate goals and environmental justice challenges. “The basic community safeguards we are proposing to restore would help ensure that American infrastructure gets built right the first time, and delivers real benefits — not harms — to people who live nearby,” said Brenda Mallory, who chairs the White House Council on Environmental Quality, in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/901511691/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      The race to save California’s famous sequoia trees Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:57:00
     
      Tourists flock to see California’s famous sequoia trees, but record-breaking wildfires, driven by higher temperatures and extreme drought, have threatened the existence of these natural wonders. The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-58849637
     
         
      Trade can play a pivotal role in addressing climate change, says UN report Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:46:00
     
      Around 16 million new jobs could be created in clean energy, energy efficiency, engineering, manufacturing and construction industries in the Asia-Pacific region, more than compensating for the estimated loss of five million jobs by downscaling industries. The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2021 was jointly launched on Monday by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Climate-smart policies have a significant cost, particularly for carbon-intensive sectors and economies, but the cost of inaction is far greater. Some estimates are as high as $792 trillion by 2100, if the Paris Agreement targets are not met. Risks and competitiveness Launching the report, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, remembered that key trade partners are considering border taxes on carbon. Ms. Alisjahbana said this causes “strong concerns on the effects on the developing countries since many economies in the region are at risk of being pushed out of key markets”. For her, the roll-out of COVID-19 recovery packages could provide opportunities to invest in low-carbon technologies and sectors. Room for improvement The Asia-Pacific region is currently the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but the new report reveals significant room to make these economies greener. For example, there are still more barriers to trade in environmental goods than in carbon-intensive fossil fuels and fuel subsidies continue to exist. According to the report, the “timely abolishment” of these two policies, and replacement with more targeted measures, could provide much-needed finance and reduce emissions. Other proposals are trade liberalization in climate smart and other environmental goods, transition to climate friendly transportation, incorporation of climate issues in trade agreements, carbon pricing and carbon border adjustment taxes. For the Bangladesh Commerce Minister, Tipu Munshi, Honourable, these measures “are very much befitting given the crises” the world is facing. Positive and negative effects In a joint message, New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Hon Damien O’Connor, and the Minister of Climate Change, Hon James Shaw, said that “one of the most substantial roadblocks in the way of cutting emissions is fusil fuel subsides”. UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan, highlighted “the links between trade, investment and climate change are complex”. She explained that “the key is to ensure that the positive effects of trade and investment are maximized, such as by promoting trade and investment in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies, while minimizing the adverse effects, like by digitalizing trade and transport systems”. According to the report, regional trade agreements can also help, and this change has started to happen. The report points to a general trend towards more environmental provisions in these agreements. The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2021is the first to examine the impact of upcoming border carbon adjustment in the region. It is also the first time an index evaluates climate-smart trade and investment policies.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102742
     
         
      UN chief calls for bold action to end 'suicidal war with nature' Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:44:00
     
      “We are losing our suicidal war against nature,” he said in a video message to the meeting, which is mainly being held virtually. The UN chief warned that “humanity’s reckless interference with nature” will have permanent consequences. Ecosystem collapse looming “The rate of species loss is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years – and accelerating. Over a million species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates are at risk – many within decades,” he said. “Ecosystem collapse could cost almost three trillion US dollars annually by 2030. Its greatest impact will be on some of the poorest and most highly indebted countries,” he added. ‘Ceasefire’ with nature The conference, known as COP15, will develop a global roadmap for the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems for the next decade. “COP15 is our chance to call a ceasefire,” said the Secretary-General. “Together with COP26 on climate, it should lay the foundations for a permanent peace agreement”. A new Global Biodiversity Framework can put nature, and people, back on track, he said, emphasizing that it should work in synergy with the Paris Agreement on climate change, and other international accords on forests, desertification and oceans. Areas for action The UN chief outlined five areas for action at the conference, starting with supporting everyone’s legal right to a healthy environment. This includes the rights of indigenous peoples, who he described as “stewards of biodiversity”. The framework must also support national policies and programmes that tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss, especially unsustainable consumption and production. It must work to transform national and global accounting systems, so they reflect the true cost of economic activities, including their impact on nature and climate. “Delivering the post-2020 framework will require a package of support to developing countries, including significant financial resources and technology transfer,” he said. “And fifth, it must end perverse subsidies, including to agriculture, that make it profitable to attack nature and pollute our environment. These funds should be redirected into repairing the damage that has been done”. Beyond biodiversity Mr. Guterres said action in these five areas will go far beyond biodiversity, as they will contribute to global efforts to achieve sustainable development. He pointed to the future, urging delegates to be bold and ambitious, for the benefit of generations to come. “Young people stand to lose most from the devastation of natural environments and the loss of species,” he said. “They are crying out for change. And they are mobilizing for a sustainable future for all. They, and we, are counting on you”. The UN Biodiversity Conference consists of three concurrent meetings. In addition to COP15, meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Nagoya Protocol on access and sharing of genetic resources, are also taking place. The conference is being held in two phases. The current segment runs through Friday, and will be followed by in-person meetings in Kunming from 25 April to 8 May 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102672
     
         
      Prince Charles: I understand climate activists' anger Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:42:00
     
      The Prince of Wales has told the BBC he understands why campaigners from organisations like Extinction Rebellion take to the streets to demand action on climate change. In the interview at his home in Balmoral, Prince Charles said action such as blocking roads "isn't helpful". But he said he totally understood the "frustration" climate campaigners felt. And he warned of a "catastrophic" impact if more ambitious action isn't taken on climate change. Speaking in the gardens of his house?on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, the prince said it had taken too long for the world to wake up to the risks of climate change.? And he worried that world leaders would "just talk" when they meet in Glasgow in November for a crucial UN climate conference.? "The problem is to get action on the ground," he said. Asked if he sympathised with Greta Thunberg, the climate campaigner who has also criticised leaders for failing to act, he said:?"Of course I do, yes. "All these young people feel nothing is ever happening so of course they're going to get frustrated.? I totally understand because nobody would listen and they see their future being totally destroyed." The prince also said he understood why groups such as Extinction Rebellion were taking their protests to the streets. "But it isn't helpful, I don't think, to do it in a way that alienates people.? "So I totally understand the frustration, the difficulty is how do you direct that frustration in a way that is more constructive rather than destructive." When asked if the UK government was?doing enough to combat climate change, the prince replied:??"I couldn't possibly comment." The interview took place in?Prince George's Wood, an arboretum the Prince of Wales?has?created?in the gardens of?Birkhall on the Balmoral estate. He planted the first tree?when Prince George,?his oldest?grandchild, was born and?he said the project had become "an old man's obsession".? Prince Charles?was frank about the shortcomings of businesses to take action on climate.??? He?has long argued engaging business leaders in tackling climate change would be crucial in limiting global temperature rises.?? This has been a key strand of his campaigning over the years, most recently through his Sustainable Markets Initiative.??? The prince said that, while governments can bring billions of dollars to the effort, the private sector has the potential to mobilise trillions of dollars.?? But he told the BBC he feared many business executives still didn't give environmental issues the priority they deserved.??? Many of the young people they employ really mind about environment issues but, he said, "they haven't quite got to the top to make a fundamental difference". He?said the Glasgow climate conference was "a last chance saloon" and said it would be "a disaster" if the world did not come together to tackle climate change.? "I mean it'll be catastrophic. It is already beginning to be catastrophic because nothing in nature can survive the stress that is created by these extremes of weather," he said.? Car powered by cheese and wine Challenged about his own efforts to reduce his carbon footprint, Prince Charles said he had switched the heating of Birkhall to biomass boilers, using wood?chips?from trees felled in the?estate's?forest.??? He has installed solar panels at Clarence House, his London residence, and on the farm buildings of his Gloucestershire home, Highgrove.??? He said he had?installed heat pumps at some of his properties?and?a hydroelectric turbine in the river that runs beside?Birkhall.? He was also challenged on his long-standing love of cars, and asked if he was "a bit of a Jeremy Clarkson, a bit of a petrol-head?" "Well, yes", the prince acknowledged: "But that was before we knew what the problems were."?? He said he had?converted his favourite vehicle, an Aston Martin he has owned for 51 years, to run on what he described as "surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process". His Aston Martin has been modified to run on a fuel called E85 - made up of 85% bioethanol and 15% unleaded petrol. Bioethanol can be derived from different sources - including in the case of the prince's car - surplus wine and alcohol extracted from fermented whey. He said most of the vehicles used on his estates were now electric but "it can't all be done with electric vehicles", and that hydrogen technology would need?to be part of the mix as transportation was decarbonised.??? Top of the list of the concerns he had about electric vehicles was price, "they are not cheap", he said.? He was also worried about how the materials for batteries would be sourced and how they would be recycled.??? "At the moment there is a huge amount of waste which is really worrying," he said.? How can people?make a difference?? The prince acknowledged how difficult it was for most people to reduce their carbon footprint.? He said he had changed his diet to reduce his impact on the environment and urged?others to do the same.??? He now doesn't eat meat and fish?on?two days each week and doesn't eat any dairy products on another day.??? "If more people did that it would reduce a lot of the pressure on the environment," he?said.??? Trees were a great way to capture carbon and improve the urban environment, he said, suggesting avenues of trees might be planted to commemorate those who had?died in the coronavirus pandemic.?? The prince recognised that low carbon travel remains a big challenge.? He said he hoped flying would become easier and more sustainable when new?bio-fuels,?using carbon captured from the air with sustainably sourced hydrogen, become available.? But he believed?systemic change?was necessary to bring about the transformation of transportation and other industries that would?be required to drive down emissions.? "No one person can solve the problem," he?said. "It's a pinprick."? The prince said the key?would be making the?environmentally friendly options cheaper for everyone.?? "We still have fossil fuel subsidies, why?" he asked.??? He described as "crazy" the fact there were still subsidies for what he called "insane?agro-industrial approaches to farming which are a disaster in many ways, cause huge damage and contribute enormously to emissions". He said there were similar "perverse" subsidies for the fishing industry which he said caused?"mammoth damage" through trawling.? The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58847456
     
         
      It’s Monday, October 11, and Google isn’t letting creators make money off false claims about climate change Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:39:00
     
      Google announced last week that it will ban ads alongside content that promotes false information about climate change. Ads will no longer run on websites or with YouTube videos that refer to climate change as a hoax or scam, deny the existence of climate change, or deny that humans are contributing to climate change. The new rules are aimed at preventing content creators from earning advertising revenue from climate misinformation. Ads that directly promote false claims about climate change will be prohibited, too. The decision comes after years of criticism from environmental advocates and policymakers who have called for social media platforms to restrict climate change misinformation. In a statement, Google said that it had recently “heard directly from a growing number of our advertising and publisher partners who have expressed concerns” and that “advertisers simply don’t want their ads to appear next to this content.” Context still matters. The move to ban will be determined by a mix of human review and automated technology looking at whether a false claim is presented as fact, versus content that just discusses a claim, such as a public debate on climate policy. “Companies are starting to see the writing on the wall — that there’s no more room for climate denial,” Michael Khoo of Friends of the Earth told E&E News in an interview. “Facebook needs to step up next.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/900339880/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      WHO: Global health community prescribes climate action for COVID recovery Mon, 11th Oct 2021 15:35:00
     
      Based on a growing body of research confirming numerous and inseparable links between climate and health, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health spells out that transformational action in every sector, from energy, transport and nature to food systems and finance is needed to protect people. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the intimate and delicate links between humans, animals and our environment”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The same unsustainable choices that are killing our planet are killing people”. An urgent call WHO’s report was launched at the same time as an open letter, signed by over two thirds of the global health workforce – 300 organizations representing at least 45 million doctors and health professionals worldwide – calling for national leaders and COP26 country delegations to step up climate action. “Wherever we deliver care, in our hospitals, clinics and communities around the world, we are already responding to the health harms caused by climate change”, the letter from the health professionals reads. “We call on the leaders of every country and their representatives at COP26 to avert the impending health catastrophe by limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and to make human health and equity central to all climate change mitigation and adaptation actions”. Fossil fuels ‘killing us’ Both the report and open letter come as unprecedented extreme weather events and other climate impacts are taking a rising toll on everyone. Heatwaves, storms and floods have taken thousands of lives and disrupted millions of others while also threatening healthcare systems and facilities when they are needed most, according to WHO. Changes in weather and climate are threatening food security and driving up food-, water- and vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, while climate impacts are also negatively affecting mental health. “The burning of fossil fuels is killing us. Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity”, states the WHO report. And while no one is safe from the health impacts of climate change, “they are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged”. 10 Priorities to safeguard the world 1. Commit to a healthy, green and just recovery from COVID-19. 2. Make COP26 the ‘Health COP’, placing health and social justice at the heart of discussions. 3. Prioritize climate interventions with the largest health-, social- and economic gains. 4. Build climate resilient health systems, and support health adaptation across sectors. 5. Transition to renewable energy, to save lives from air pollution. 6. Promote sustainable, healthy urban design and transport systems. 7. Protect and restore nature and ecosystems. 8. Promote sustainable food supply chains and diets for climate and health outcomes. 9. Transition towards a wellbeing economy. 10. Mobilize and support the health community on climate action. Climate actions far outweigh costs Meanwhile, air pollution, primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, which also drives climate change, causes 13 deaths per minute worldwide, according to WHO. The report states clearly that the public health benefits from implementing ambitious climate actions far outweigh the costs. “It has never been clearer that the climate crisis is one of the most urgent health emergencies we all face”, said Maria Neira, WHO Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health. “Bringing down air pollution…would reduce the total number of global deaths from air pollution by 80 per cent while dramatically reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change”, she pointed out. Dr. Neira added that a shift to more nutritious, plant-based diets “could reduce global emissions significantly, ensure more resilient food systems, and avoid up to 5.1 million diet-related deaths a year by 2050”. Call to action Although achieving the Paris Agreement on climate change would improve air quality, diet and physical activity – saving millions of lives a year – most climate decision-making processes currently do not account for these health co-benefits and their economic valuation. Tedros underscored WHO’s call for all countries to “commit to decisive action at COP26 to limit global warming to 1.5°C – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s in our own interests”, and highlighted 10 priorities in the report to safeguard “the health of people and the planet that sustains us.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102702?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=552b9e59c0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_10_11_04_50&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-552b9e59c0-107499886
     
         
      Tesla batteries power UK energy storage plan Sun, 10th Oct 2021 18:00:00
     
      Britain’s energy problems could be alleviated by a new scheme to build power-storage sites across the UK using batteries produced by Tesla, the electric carmaker. An investment trust plans to raise £230m in a stock market listing to fund a string of battery-storage facilities in largely rural locations. Harmony Energy Income Trust has a pipeline of six sites that are designed to sell back energy to the grid at times of high demand when, for instance, the wind drops and supply from renewable sources falls. The sites lined up will have a total capacity of 625MWh. The trust has struck a partnership with Elon Musk’s Tesla to use its Megapack batteries, which charge up in just two hours and provide energy for two hours.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tesla-batteries-power-uk-energy-storage-plan-ktr2d325w
     
         
      Power returns to Lebanon after 24-hour blackout Sun, 10th Oct 2021 15:52:00
     
      Power has been restored in Lebanon, officials say, after a 24-hour shutdown of the country's energy supply. The energy ministry says the central bank has granted it $100m (£73m) of credit to buy fuel and keep its power stations operating. The power grid shut down yesterday and officials said it was unlikely to restart for several days. For the past 18 months Lebanon has endured an economic crisis and extreme fuel shortages. That crisis has left half its population in poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against politicians. A lack of foreign currency has made it hard to pay overseas energy suppliers. The total outage began at midday on Saturday when Lebanon's two biggest power stations shut down because of fuel shortages. But in a statement on Sunday, the state electricity provider said it is now delivering the same level of power as it was before the outage. But even before the latest shutdown people were often receiving just two hours of electricity a day. Saturday's blackout meant the whole of Lebanon was depending on private diesel-powered generators for power. These however have become increasingly expensive to run amid the lack of fuel, and cannot cover for the lack of a nationwide power grid. The army has agreed to hand over some of its fuel to get the power stations working again until more can be imported.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58861477
     
         
      Like it or not, with Nord Stream 2, Putin has a foot on the gas Europe badly needs Sun, 10th Oct 2021 7:00:00
     
      After years of debate in Germany and beyond, the Russian state-backed energy giant Gazprom confirmed last month that it had finished building Nord Stream 2, a 760-mile pipeline with the potential to send 55bn cubic metres of gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany every year. Russia is already Europe’s biggest gas supplier, but once running, Nord Stream 2 would offer a significant boost to the annual 170bn cubic metres that keep lights on across the continent. Never shy of seizing an opportunity in a crisis, Russia’s deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, suggested last week that swift approval from Germany’s regulators for Nord Stream 2, currently set to take months, could be the answer to the soaring gas prices troubling European governments. It was a move that cooled markets and followed intense pressure from Europe and the International Energy Agency, the world’s energy watchdog, to boost supplies. In reality, Nord Stream 2 cannot be the answer to the short-term crisis. At best, Gazprom has conceded that it would probably only be running at 10% of capacity in the remaining months of this year. If Gazprom really wished to cool markets, it could book further capacity for gas supply via pipes through Poland and Ukraine. Indeed, there are signs that Russia has been increasing supply in the past two days, and once Gazprom has hit a November deadline of being fully stocked for this winter’s domestic demand, even more gas should be available for Europeans. The Nord Stream 2 argument underlines the dilemma facing Europe as it wrestles with how to clean up its energy supplies. Europe is setting itself some challenging targets in the name of the climate emergency, including raising the share of renewable energy in the EU to 40%. That is where money is being invested. But as Europe closes its coal mines and gears up its wind turbines, there will be a difficult transition period. Germany made that situation even tougher with its decision to phase out nuclear power after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, leaving it relying on fossil fuels to help bridge the gap to a renewables-powered future. Those opposed to Nord Stream 2, including the White House, argue that it is part of the Kremlin’s geopolitical strategy. While ostensibly a private-sector project, it is clearly under Vladimir Putin’s control. The US argues that regulatory approval will only reinforce Europe’s dependence on Russia and undermine Ukraine, a key western ally, by making its pipelines redundant. Perhaps Putin will seek to play politics with gas. But the Kremlin has been loth to do so in the past, seeking instead to be a reliable partner. And Russia has one key interest above all, and that is to sell as much gas as it can as swiftly as possible. Putin’s change of heart last week had this economic reality in mind: while it revels in being a nuisance for its neighbours, it is not in its interests to accelerate the shift to renewables in Europe. The clock is ticking on fossil fuels, and Russia would be undermining its finances by speeding up Europe’s decarbonisation. As for Ukraine, there is ample evidence that the transit fees paid by Europeans for gas sourced from its old pipelines have ended up in the pockets of some less than reputable characters. And they are old pipelines, prone to leaks and explosions. Nord Stream 2 would be a cheaper and more efficient source of supply. Europe has every interest in helping Ukraine rebuild its economy, but the broken model of today isn’t necessarily what needs preserving. Some additionally argue that the growth of the liquefied natural gas market (LNG) makes pipelines and Nord Stream 2 less relevant. LNG can be shipped around the world. The developments over the past few days offer some pause for reflection. Most LNG is locked into long-term contracts – the majority of which are destined for Asia. As China emerged from the global pandemic it was insatiable in buying up the unreserved stock. Brazil added to the shortfall, as it turned to LNG to produce electricity normally generated by hydropower dams. Putin is not a man Europe wants to do business with. But the global energy crunch has given him and his pet project a powerful negotiating position – one that may force Europe’s hand. BA may rue its lack of generosity Two of the UK’s biggest airlines, British Airways and Ryanair, were adjudged by the Competition and Markets Authority not to have broken the law when they refused to refund customers who were prevented by Covid rules from taking flights they had booked. But the airlines were far from vindicated: only a lack of legal clarity and an uncertain court battle prompted the CMA to drop its investigation, and it stated unequivocally that passengers had unfairly lost out. Some may see this as a demonstration of the toothlessness of a CMA, but neither government nor the airlines come out of the chapter looking good. BA had called the CMA investigation – at a time when it was pole-axed by travel bans and making redundancies – “incredible”. Ryanair maintained more bullishly that it was providing the flights and obeying the law. The carriers had offered their most generous terms and conditions ever, refunding millions of cancelled flights and allowing free rebooking. Their own schedules were thrown into disarray at short notice by suddenly changing government travel rules. Any fine would have paled beside the billions airlines lost during the pandemic. Wider consumer behaviour also complicates the picture. Essential international travel was permitted – and those who needed to fly accepted the hardship of quarantine. As UK city hotels could testify after a summer of late cancellations, plenty of holidaymakers saw flexible Covid policies as a risk-free back-up plan. Many, though, will have been unjustly stung in situations that slipped through insurance policies. For low-fare Ryanair, low expectations are priced in. BA, however aggrieved it feels, should be concerned that customers will perceive it has not met a fairer standard. In the long run, more generous competitors may reap the rewards. Dave, there’s a wee problem saving Christmas He managed to dig the UK’s biggest supermarket out of a hole, and now the government is hoping Dave Lewis can rescue Christmas. As a supply chain tsar, the former Tesco boss has been tasked with fixing a crisis caused largely by staff shortages. It started with lorry drivers, but retailers are now struggling to recruit warehouse workers, especially those with special skills, such as forklift truckers. After Brexit, many people who used to come from Europe for seasonal work can find better and more lucrative jobs elsewhere. Meanwhile, the government’s slow and ill-conceived “action” on resolving the issue is pushing industry into finding creative solutions. Tesco last week credited its investment in rail freight for helping it ride out the worst of the supply chain crisis: it has plans to increase the number of containers it transports by train from 65,000 a year to 90,000 at Christmas. The supermarket is not the only one trying new ideas. Last week John Lewis was the latest business to open a driver academy, aiming to get 90 more people behind the wheel of a lorry every year. On a completely different tack, Ikea announced plans to shift production of some furniture from the far east to Turkey – cutting the distance goods will have to be shipped. And Ocado last week invested £10m in self-driving vehicle startup Wayve, and will trial four vans in London over the coming months (supported by human operators). Such ideas are, for now, a small-fry alternative to a battle for workers that has led to pay rises and big bonuses for some formerly underpaid and under-appreciated groups of employees. In the longer term, though, driving lorries in the UK must be made much more attractive. When even simple benefits such as washing facilities and toilets are well below standard, it’s hardly a surprise that sought-after drivers are choosing to truck on elsewhere. Lewis could do worse than to look to the loos.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/10/like-it-or-not-with-nord-stream-2-putin-has-a-foot-on-the-gas-europe-badly-needs
     
         
      Hydrogen’s moment is here at last Sat, 9th Oct 2021 15:21:00
     
      Hydrogen has been controversial ever since the tragedy of the Hindenburg, an airship filled with it that went down in flames in 1937. Boosters say that the gas is a low-carbon miracle which can power cars and homes. The hydrogen economy, they hope, will redraw the energy map. Sceptics note that several hydrogen investment drives since the 1970s have ended in tears as the gas’s shortcomings were exposed. As we explain, the reality lies in between. Hydrogen technologies could eliminate perhaps a tenth of today’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. That is a sliver—but, considering the scale of the energy transition, a crucial and lucrative one. Hydrogen is not a primary source of energy like oil or coal. It is best thought of as an energy carrier, akin to electricity, and as a means of storage, like a battery. It has to be manufactured. Low-carbon energy sources such as renewables and nuclear power can be used to separate water (H2O) into its constituents of oxygen and hydrogen. This is inefficient and expensive, but costs are falling. Hydrogen can also be made from dirty fossil fuels but this emits a lot of pollution unless it is coupled with technologies that capture carbon and sequester it. Hydrogen is flammable and bulky compared with many fuels. The implacable laws of thermodynamics mean that converting primary energy into hydrogen and then hydrogen into usable power leads to waste.
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/10/09/hydrogens-moment-is-here-at-last
     
         
      Fossil fuel companies paying top law firms millions to ‘dodge responsibility’ Sat, 9th Oct 2021 13:00:00
     
      The world’s biggest corporate law firms have been making millions of dollars representing fossil fuel companies but, as the climate crisis intensifies, this work is coming under increasing scrutiny. Over the last five years, the 100 top ranked law firms in the US facilitated $1.36tn of fossil fuel transactions, represented fossil fuel clients in 358 legal cases and received $35m in compensation for their work to assist fossil fuel industry lobbying, according to a “climate scorecard” published in August. The scale of law firms’ work for the fossil fuel industry is huge, said Tim Herschel-Burns, a third year student at Yale Law School and co-founder of Law Students for Climate Accountability, which developed the scorecard. “As we started digging we realised how holistic this is. Everything fossil fuel companies want to do, they need lawyers to accomplish.” Fossil fuel companies rely heavily on armies of lawyers to advise on projects, lobby, negotiate contracts, secure permits and navigate an increasing number of climate lawsuits. Law firms’ fossil fuel industry work has increased compared with the previous year’s scorecard, even as climate warnings become more dire and the International Energy Agency has warned new fossil fuel development is incompatible with the target of net zero emissions by 2050. The climate scorecard awarded firms grades based on their involvement in lawsuits “exacerbating climate change”, their support for fossil fuel transactions and fees received for lobbying on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. Paul Weiss, a top 10 US firm according to Vault Law’s rankings, was one of 37 to receive the lowest F grade. The firm, which has its own sustainability practice, has acted for fossil fuel companies in 30 cases over the last five years, according to the scorecard. Among the most high-profile was the firm’s work representing ExxonMobil in a landmark trial where the company was accused of having misled investors about the risks of climate change to its business. The court ruled in favour of Exxon in 2019. Paul Weiss did not respond to a request for comment. Only 12 law firms were rated an A or B in the scorecard, which meant they did not conduct work for fossil fuel clients. Three firms – Cooley; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and Schulte Roth & Zabel – have actively addressed the climate crisis through renewable energy transactions, lobbying or pro-climate litigation, according to the scorecard report. “We definitely agree that the law can be this force for good,” said Herschel-Burns. “But one thing that we found really striking is that overwhelmingly the top law firms are [representing] the wrong side of it.” There’s a tangible human cost, said Alyssa Johl, legal director for the Center for Climate Integrity. “Elite law firms are representing the oil and gas companies and providing them with a deep bench of high-priced lawyers,” she said. “For the communities across the country that are seeking justice, the end result is that their cases have been delayed and bogged down by procedural hurdles put forward by some of the biggest law firms in the country.” Law Students for Climate Accountability is calling on law firms to pledge to stop taking on new fossil fuel industry work, phase out their current work by 2025 and ramp up their work for the renewable energy industry and in support of litigation to tackle the climate crisis. It’s a potentially controversial stance given the principle that everyone should have access to legal representation. But Herschel-Burns said this principle is often used in “really sloppy ways which end up justifying law firms being able to represent whoever pays the most”. Some firms have acknowledged a choice. Speaking at a conference last year about the link between law and climate change, the global senior partner at Clifford Chance Jeroen Ouwehand said firms “can choose what we support, and what we don’t support. We do not have to be neutral professional service providers”. Law firms are starting to ramp up their own climate action, even as they continue their fossil fuel work. A number of firms that scored F grades on the climate scorecard, including Shearman & Sterling and Hogan Lovells, have signed up to the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, which launched in July. Members pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to work with clients to embed climate goals and to help drive “systemic change”. Neither firm responded to the Guardian’s request for comment. Another alliance member, DLA Piper, has set its own science-based target to halve all emissions by 2030, including indirect emissions from the firm’s supply chain. The firm was recently appointed official legal services provider for the forthcoming Cop26 climate talks. But it scored only a D on the climate scorecard and has represented clients including Shell, ExxonMobil and BP. The firm declined to comment. Thom Wetzer, law professor and director of the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme, one of the organisations supporting the alliance, said the firms may be serious about taking steps in the right direction but they do not necessarily have the best practices yet. “We need to move the whole sector, and for many firms involved this is the start of a journey.” Some law firms that ranked low on the climate scorecard were keen to promote their green energy work. Allen & Overy, which according to the scorecard worked on fossil fuel transactions worth $125bn over the last five years, said in a statement that it does “more renewables work than any other law firm in the world by most key measures”. Clifford Chance, which the scorecard calculated worked on fossil fuel transactions worth $123bn, said it is “perennially at or near the top” for advising on renewables financing. But neither firm, both of which scored an F, responded to questions about how they reconcile this work with their representation of fossil fuel firms. Lawyers have a responsibility to reflect on their own role and to ask whether their clients’ values align with their own, Wetzer said. “Firms that engage constructively with the net zero transition will be rewarded; clients will value their judgment and expertise, top talent will be more easily attracted and retained, and these firms will strengthen their social license to operate.” Law firms’ best resource is their employees, said Sam Sankar, of the nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice, which makes the climate scorecard a powerful tool. “In the future nobody is going to think twice about making career decisions with an eye to whether it aligns with their climate ethics.” There’s now a conversation about legal ethics and climate which is well overdue, Sankar said. “The [fossil fuel] industry is paying law firms tons of money in an effort to dodge responsibility and block regulatory reforms that could help avert this crisis.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/09/fossil-fuel-companies-law-firms
     
         
      ‘Eco’ wood stoves emit 750 times more pollution than an HGV, study shows Sat, 9th Oct 2021 8:00:00
     
      New wood burning stoves billed as more environmentally friendly still emit 750 times more tiny particle pollution than a modern HGV truck, a report has shown. Only stoves that meet the ecodesign standard can be legally sold from the start of 2022 in the UK and EU, but experts said the regulation was shockingly weak. The report used data on the emissions produced by stoves in perfect laboratory conditions and the pollution could be even higher in everyday use, the researchers said, with older stoves being much worse. Tiny particle pollution – called PM2.5 – is especially harmful to health as it can pass through the lungs into the bloodstream and then be carried around the body and lodge in organs. At least 40?,000 early deaths a year are attributed to wood burning in Europe. “The most surprising thing was how weak the ecodesign regulation is, that was really shocking for me,” said Kåre Press-Kristensen, the lead author of the analysis and senior adviser at the Green Transition Denmark NGO. “It means a new wood stove, fulfilling the strictest regulation we have and burning just one kilogramme of wood under optimal conditions, will pollute one million cubic metres of completely clean air up to the World Health Organization’s [new] guideline level.” The report said the use of wood burning stoves should end in order to tackle deadly air pollution and boost health, with heat pumps and district heat networks deployed instead. “The green transition is actually about stopping burning things,” Press-Kristensen said. Domestic wood burning is the single biggest source of PM2.5 air pollution in the UK, producing three times more pollution than road traffic. The situation is the same in the EU, with home stoves emitting about half of all PM2.5 and soot. Just 8% of the UK population uses wood burners and many are affluent people choosing a wood fire for aesthetic reasons, rather than to heat their home. The report, published by the European Environmental Bureau, uses official data from Denmark produced under the requirements of a UN air pollution treaty. The ecodesign standard was developed by the EU and allows wood stoves to emit 375g of PM2.5 for every gigajoule (GJ) of energy produced. In contrast, the latest standard for HGVs is 0.5g per GJ. “It is clear that particle pollution from wood stoves and boilers is heavily under-regulated in comparison to the regulation of trucks,” the report said. Nordic Swan, the official ecolabel of Nordic countries, allows wood stoves to emit 150g per GJ, which is 300 times more than a modern HGV. The big disparity in pollution levels is because combustion in HGV engines is carefully controlled and technological solutions, including filters and catalytic converters that capture pollution, are required by law. In contrast, burning wood in stoves involves many uncontrolled factors such as air flow and fuel quantity and quality. “Everybody has been focusing on traffic and power plants for the last 20-30 years and that’s great,” said Press-Kristensen. “But nothing was really done to prevent the pollution from wood stoves.” Prof Alison Tomlin, at the University of Leeds, said: “This valuable report highlights the impact that the domestic burning of solid fuels has on pollution. It shows that burning even dry wood and smokeless coal in an eco-stove leads to particularly high PM2.5 emissions relative to other forms of household heating.” “At a time of rising gas prices, householders might be tempted to switch to solid fuels,” she said. However, this report shows that better insulating our homes, and switching to cleaner forms of heating, is far more beneficial for health and the climate,” Tomlin said. Gary Fuller, at Imperial College London and UKRI Clean Air Champion, said: “96% of UK homes that burn wood have other types of heating. Is it fair that vehicle and factory owners are paying for technology to control air pollution while others are adding to it by burning solid fuels?” A 2017 report by the government’s air quality expert group assessed the grams emitted an hour from ecodesign stoves and found it to be six times higher than HGVs. “You would be rightly up in arms if six lorries were driving in your street each evening, but we have normalised home wood burning” Fuller said. The UK government has no plans to restrict the use of wood burners but a ban on the retail sale of highly polluting wet wood came into force in May. “Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010, with PM2.5 emissions falling by 11%,” said an environment department spokesperson. She said the environment bill currently in parliament “will make it easier for local authorities to tackle pollution from domestic burning by providing powers to issue [fines] for smoke emissions.” Wood burners also triple the level of harmful pollution inside homes and should be sold with a health warning, said the scientist behind a study published in December. The researchers advised that the stoves should not be used around elderly people or children.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/09/eco-wood-stoves-emit-pollution-hgv-ecodesign
     
         
      UK's biggest source of greenhouse gas? This 'eco' power station! Drax in Yorkshire burns wood pellets that are treated as a 'renewable' fuel but emit more carbon dioxide than coal, research shows Fri, 8th Oct 2021 22:01:00
     
      A supposedly 'green' power station subsidised with public money is Britain's biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, research shows. Drax in Yorkshire burns wood pellets, which are treated as a 'renewable' fuel and the site has attracted more than £800million of taxpayer subsidies. But analysis shows that the burning of wood for power – known as biomass – has been the cause of more carbon dioxide emissions than coal since 2019. Drax burns millions of tonnes of wood to provide around 12 per cent of the UK's total electric power, generating 15.6megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which cause the planet to heat up by trapping heat around the Earth – the greenhouse effect. The power station is also one of the top five emitters in Europe of toxic air pollution particles known as PM10. Currently accounting rules allow Drax to be treated as 'carbon neutral'. It is argued that emissions from burning wood are offset by the growth of new trees to replace those harvested for burning – although trees burnt may have taken 40-100 years to reach maturity. This assumption, shared by the EU and UK Government makes it eligible for significant public subsidy. But scientific opinion is changing, and wood burning is increasingly seen as making climate change worse. The European Academies Science Advisory Council states that using woody biomass for power 'is not effective in mitigating climate change and may even increase the risk of dangerous climate change.' The research from pressure group Ember also shows emissions from burning wood now far exceed those from burning coal. Wood burning is now the second largest contributor to the power sector's CO2 emissions overall after fossil gas. Drax is Europe's third largest CO2 emitter, exceeded only by Belchatow in Poland and Neurath in Germany. In the UK, Drax leads CO2 emissions, with RWE's Pembroke gas power station coming in second with 4.3Mt of CO2. The scale of PM10 emissions by Drax makes it one of the top five emitters of PM10 air pollution in Europe putting it in the same company as some of Continent's worst coal power plants. But a Drax spokesman said: 'Ember's interpretation of the figures for Drax's CO2 emissions is inaccurate and completely at odds with what the world's leading climate scientists at the UN IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] say about sustainable biomass being crucial to delivering global climate targets... 'Converting Drax power station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal transformed the business into Europe's biggest decarbonisation project and has helped Britain decarbonise its electricity system at a faster rate than any other major economy.'
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10073987/UKs-biggest-source-greenhouse-gas-eco-power-station.html
     
         
      Access to a healthy environment, declared a human right by UN rights council Fri, 8th Oct 2021 15:42:00
     
      In resolution 48/13, the Council called on States around the world to work together, and with other partners, to implement this newly recognised right. The text, proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions - from Russia, India, China and Japan. At the same time, through a second resolution (48/14), the Council also increased its focus on the human rights impacts of climate change by establishing a Special Rapporteur dedicated specifically to that issue. ‘Bold action’ In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on Member States to take bold actions to give prompt and real effect to the right to a healthy environment. Ms. Bachelet said that, having long called for such a step, she was “gratified” that the decision “clearly recognises environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises.” “Bold action is now required to ensure this resolution on the right to a healthy environment serves as a springboard to push for transformative economic, social and environmental policies that will protect people and nature,” she added. At the beginning of the current session of the Human Rights Council, the?High Commissioner described?the triple planetary threats of climate change, pollution and nature loss as the single greatest human rights challenge of our era. The new resolution acknowledges the damage inflicted by climate change and environmental destruction on millions of people across the world. It also underlines that the most vulnerable segments of the population are more acutely impacted. The issue will now go to the UN General Assembly in New York, for further consideration. Decades-long effort Following the passage of the resolution, Michelle Bachelet paid tribute to the efforts of a diverse array of civil society organisations, including youth groups, national human rights institutions, indigenous peoples’ organizations, businesses and many others. The High Commissioner also noted that an unprecedented number of environmental human rights defenders were reported killed last year, urging Member States to take firm measures to protect and empower them. “We must build on this momentum to move beyond the false separation of environmental action and protection of human rights. It is all too clear that neither goal can be achieved without the other”, she said. Costa Rica's ambassador Catalina Devandas Aguilar, one of the co-sponsors of the resolution, said the decision will "send a powerful message to communities around the world struggling with climate hardship that they are not alone".? The decision comes weeks before the crucial UN?climate change summit,?COP26, happening in early November in Glasgow.? According to World Health Organization (WHO), 24% of all global deaths, roughly 13.7 million deaths a year, are linked to the environment, due to risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102582
     
         
      Climate change: Drax's renewable energy plant is UK's biggest CO2 emitter, analysis claims Fri, 8th Oct 2021 11:54:00
     
      A taxpayer-subsidised renewable energy plant run by Drax is the biggest single source of carbon dioxide in the UK, according to new analysis shared exclusively with Sky News. Drax's Yorkshire power plant receives multimillion pound subsidies for burning woody biomass pellets to generate renewable electricity. New research by climate think tank Ember said the plant is among the biggest sources of carbon dioxide and PM10 (particulate matter of 10 micrometres and smaller) air pollution of all EU power stations - when biomass emissions are included - more even than some of Europe's dirtiest coal plants. Yet the emissions are not counted towards the UK's total. The UK excludes these biomass emissions from its total count, because - like the EU - it treats bioenergy as immediately carbon neutral on the assumption that forest regrowth soaks up the carbon again. But recent science disputes this carbon neutrality, said Ember's chief operating officer Phil MacDonald. In fact there is a "real risk" that biomass is responsible for "significant emissions" he said. Duncan Brack, a policy analyst who has authored a report questioning biomass policy, said electricity bill-payers were "in effect paying to increase carbon emissions to the atmosphere". Drax claims to have reduced its emissions by 90% since replacing coal with sustainable biomass. A spokesperson called Ember's interpretation of the figures "completely at odds with what the world's leading climate scientists at the UN IPCC say about sustainable biomass being crucial to delivering global climate targets". The amount of pollution from burning wood for power is not disputed by bioenergy companies, but this analysis may fan the flames of the debate about bioenergy's renewable status. Critics point out that forests take decades to regrow and recapture all the carbon again, allowing warming emissions to accumulate in the atmosphere just when the world seeks to slash emissions by 2050. In January the European Academies Sciences Advisory Council (EASAC) claimed that biomass technology is "not effective in mitigating climate change" and in February more than 500 scientists asked the EU to revoke biomass's "carbon neutral" status. "Regrowth takes time the world does not have to solve climate change," the scientists wrote. A 2018 study estimated it would take 40 to 100 years or more for forests to recapture the carbon emissions from burning the wood pellets, if ever, because forests are subject to hazards like disease and fires. The paper's lead author John Sterman, professor of management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, warned that assuming biofuels were carbon neutral could actually "worsen irreversible impacts of climate change before benefits accrue." His paper concluded that wood emits more CO2 per unit of electricity generated than coal because it is less efficient. An energy department (Beis) spokesperson said it "did not recognise" Ember's figures. They said biomass was key to government plans to slash emissions by 2050, and that the UK follows relevant guidance from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Drax continues to burn a small amount of coal. In 2020 its emissions from coal were 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) and from biomass - which Drax calls 'biologically sequestered carbon' were 13.3 Mt. But even without the coal emissions, its Selby plant would remain the largest single point source of CO2 in the UK and the forth highest in the EU. Drax is separately facing criminal prosecution for an alleged health risk to workers posed by wood dust from the pellets before they are burned. This article relates to emissions from the wood burning process, which are unconnected to the dust or the handling process. Watch the Daily Climate Show at 6.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-draxs-renewable-energy-plant-is-uks-biggest-co2-emitter-analysis-claims-12428130
     
         
      Risk of UK power cuts this winter has increased, says National Grid Thu, 7th Oct 2021 19:06:00
     
      The risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter has increased, the National Grid warned, as the business secretary prepared for a crunch meeting with industry bosses concerned the energy crisis may force them to scale back production. The price of gas and electricity has soared in recent weeks, leading to the collapse of multiple energy suppliers and prompting warnings of higher costs for consumers, factory shutdowns and increased pollution as plants switch to dirtier but cheaper fuels. The unfolding energy crisis has coincided with the Grid’s annual assessment of Great Britain’s resilience to disruption to electricity supplies, with the key “margin” figure falling to its lowest in five years. The Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) said the amount of reserve electricity supply that could be called upon was expected to be 6.6% of demand, but could fall as low as 4.2%. It said it believed there was enough slack in the system to avoid blackouts affecting households and factories. But it said that conditions had worsened since a prediction it made in July, after a fire knocked out a high-voltage subsea power cable importing electricity from France. Half of the 2GW cable is expected to be unavailable until March. Planned shutdowns at gas plants and the retirement of two nuclear reactors are also factors in the tighter margin for the winter. The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, is due to meet leaders from industries such as steel, glass, ceramics and chemicals on Friday, but is expected to tell them to forget about receiving any extra assistance. While factories are not expected to face electricity blackouts, they say they need help with costs. Some of the most energy-intensive industries have issued a plea to the government for financial support to help them cope with soaring energy prices. They say the cost of electricity could force factory shutdowns, production slowdowns, and switches from gas to more polluting energy sources such as fuel oil, potentially causing embarrassment ahead of the upcoming Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow. Shadow business minister Ed Miliband said the gas price crisis was “made in Downing Street”. “The UK is particularly vulnerable to increases in gas prices because the government allowed our gas storage facilities to close, blocked onshore wind, cut solar subsidies, stalled our nuclear programme and because of their total failure to deliver a long-term plan for energy efficiency.” On Thursday, the Grid said that the UK would have to outbid European countries to get hold of gas over the winter, indicating further pressure on prices. Energy advisory group Cornwall Insight has said the average dual fuel bill could rise by as much as 30% next year if gas and electricity prices continue to soar and more suppliers go bust, reaching £1,660 annually. While the government has imposed an energy price cap, the ceiling rises regularly in line with costs faced by suppliers, who have been battered by soaring wholesale prices. So far this year, 12 suppliers have collapsed, with many more predicted to go to the wall by the end of the year. Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of energy regulator Ofgem, told an industry conference on Thursday that the watchdog needed to be “more focused on business models and the risk they carry” in future. Speaking at the same event, Kwarteng said the government “will not bail out failed companies, there cannot be a reward for irresponsible management of businesses.” Some small suppliers have been criticised for setting up shop with risky business models that meant they weren’t properly “hedged” against rising gas prices. Officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are understood to be considering measures to speed up the UK’s transition to renewable energy to reduce reliance on gas, including more frequent windfarm auctions. Boris Johnson this week pledged to remove fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2035. While coal has been all but phased out of power generation, gas can still account for more than 50% of supply on windless days when the sun isn’t shining. Kwarteng said on Thursday that reducing reliance would involve boosting wind power, gas plants that use carbon capture and storage to reduce carbon emissions and “at least” one nuclear project. The government is expected to rubber-stamp French state-owned energy company EDF’s plans for a the Sizewell C reactor in Suffolk but has yet to find a developer for Wylfa Newydd, on Anglesey. Officials are drawing up plans to overhaul the way nuclear power stations are funded, to make them more attractive to private investors. Kwarteng said “the volatility of the gas price has shown that we do need to plan strategically, and I think net zero helps us do that, for a secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system.” Gas prices have soared across Europe but have been particularly high in the UK, reaching record levels above £4 per therm. The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that Russia could help ease the crisis, telling the Financial Times that the Kremlin was able to increase gas flows into Europe by up to 15%. Russian president Vladimir Putin has said Europe’s “mistakes” are to blame for the crisis, rather than any reluctance in Moscow to open gas taps. However, he used the opportunity to highlight regulatory delays in Europe to the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline, saying the planned connection could help bring down prices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/07/risk-of-uk-power-cuts-this-winter-has-increased-says-national-grid
     
         
      Ros Atkins On... China's climate change promises Thu, 7th Oct 2021 15:36:00
     
      Ahead of the COP26 summit on climate change, the BBC's Ros Atkins looks at the world's biggest emitters of CO2 - what they're promising, what they're doing, and whether climate scientists think it's enough. The first in the series focuses on China, the world's biggest emitter. It is responsible for 27% of global CO2 emissions and has announced that it's aiming to be carbon neutral by 2060. Experts agree that China plays a crucial role in global efforts to tackle climate change, but is it moving far enough - and fast enough?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-58822143
     
         
      Solar-Powered Desalination Device Will Turn Sea Water Into Fresh Water For 400,000 People Thu, 7th Oct 2021 15:33:00
     
      When someone invents a mass desalination plant to turn seawater into normal water without polluting the area, it will be a massive achievement, as only 3% of the water on Earth is fresh. Solar Water Solutions (SWS), a Finnish water technology company, has come as close as anyone to being able to offer the world essentially unlimited fresh water through its unique, zero-emissions, zero-running cost, and non-polluting desalination technology. Now it’s being deployed, thanks to backing from the Dutch group Climate Fund Managers, in Kitui County, Kenya as part of a long-term goal to provide water for 400,000 rural Kenyans by 2023. SWS has packed up their desalination plant into a shipping container, making it easy and efficient to ship 200 units to the shores of Kitui, where the technology will convert between 4,000 and 7,000 liters per hour from seawater, or 10,000 liters per hour from brackish water, powered entire by solar panels. “Through this partnership with CFM and locally with Kitui County… we can together revolutionize access to safe affordable water in rural Kenya,” said Antti Pohjola, CEO of Solar Water Solutions. “This project marks a breakthrough in solar-powered water infrastructure.” Other methods of large-scale desalination like reverse-osmosis are dangerous to both human and natural environments. One critical review in 2007 detailed that the reverse osmosis membranes are susceptible to fouling and scaling must be cleaned with chemicals that may be toxic to receiving waters. The byproduct is an-often contaminated brine twice as strong as regular seawater that is deadly to plant matter in the area. SWS, on the other hand, need no chemical treatments at any stage in the process, and provided the byproduct brine is disposed of properly, no eco-damage should occur through the desalination process.
       
      Full Article: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/solar-powered-desalination-plant-to-bring-clean-water-to-rural-coastal-kenya/
     
         
      It’s Thursday, October 7, and Pennsylvania is holding a pipeline company criminally accountable for pollution Thu, 7th Oct 2021 15:04:00
     
      A statewide grand jury investigation came to a dramatic conclusion on Tuesday, as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced 48 criminal charges against the oil and gas pipeline company Energy Transfer. In building its Mariner East natural gas pipeline across the state of Pennsylvania, Shapiro said, Energy Transfer illegally spilled drilling fluid at 22 sites in 11 different counties. “Hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated drilling fluid found its way out of the drill path into our waterways and into some Pennsylvania homes,” Shapiro said in an announcement, adding that Energy Transfer had repeatedly failed to report the spills to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The grand jury investigation also found that the company had used “unapproved additives” in its drilling fluid while building the pipeline, posing additional health risks to communities along its path. The Mariner East pipeline is one of the most penalized projects in Pennsylvania state history. Since the project began in 2017, the Department of Environmental Protection has fined Energy Transfer more than $20 million for 120 violations along the pipeline’s 350-mile route. Environmental advocates and state policymakers lauded the attorney general’s announcement, hoping that it could spur the governor’s office to shut down the pipeline altogether. “It is time for Governor Tom Wolf to immediately halt all permitting for Mariner East,” tweeted Pennsylvania State Representative Dianne Herrin.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/898208112/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Life at 50C: Keeping cool in India's heatwaves Thu, 7th Oct 2021 15:02:00
     
      Heatwaves are becoming more common in India due to global warming. There’s nowhere to hide especially if you live in a crowded city like Ahmedabad. Shakeela Bano struggles to get her grandson Mohammed to fall asleep in their one room house due to the heat. But as the Life at 50C series on climate change finds out, there’s one solution which doesn't cost the earth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-58820950
     
         
      Climate change: Voices from global south muted by climate science Wed, 6th Oct 2021 15:42:00
     
      Climate change academics from some of the regions worst hit by warming are struggling to be published, according to a new analysis. The study looked at 100 of the most highly cited climate research papers over the past five years. Less than 1% of the authors were based in Africa, while only 12 of the papers had a female lead researcher. The lack of diverse voices means key perspectives are being ignored, says the study's author. Researchers from the Carbon Brief website examined the backgrounds of around 1,300 authors involved in the 100 most cited climate change research papers from 2016-2020. They found that some 90% of these scientists were affiliated with academic institutions from North America, Europe or Australia. The African continent, home to around 16% of the world's population had less than 1% of the authors according to the analysis. There were also huge differences within regions - of the 10 authors from Africa, eight of them were from South Africa. When it comes to lead authors, not one of the top 100 papers was led by a scientist from Africa or South America. Of the seven papers led by Asian authors, five were from China. "If the vast majority of research around climate change is coming from a group of people with a very similar background, for example, male scientists from the global north, then the body of knowledge that we're going to have around climate change is going to be skewed towards their interests, knowledge and scientific training," said Ayesha Tandon from Carbon Brief, who carried out the analysis and says that "systemic bias" is at play here. "One study noted that a lot of our understanding of climate change is biased towards cooler climates, because it's mainly carried out by scientists who live in the global north in cold climates," she added. There are a number of other factors at play that limit the opportunities for researchers from the global south. These include a lack of funding for expensive computers to run the computer models, or simulations, that are the bedrock of much climate research. Other issues include a different academic culture where teaching is prioritised over research, as well as language barriers and a lack of access to expensive libraries and databases. Even where researchers from better-off countries seek to collaborate with colleagues in the developing world, the efforts don't always work out well. One researcher originally from Tanzania but now working in Mexico explained what can happen. "The northern scientist often brings his or her own grad students from the north, and they tend to view their local partners as facilitators - logistic, cultural, language, admin - rather than science collaborators," Dr Tuyeni Mwampamba from the Institute of Ecosystems and Sustainability Research in Mexico told Carbon Brief. Researchers from the north are often seen as wanting to extract resources and data from developing nations without making any contribution to local research, a practice sometimes known as "helicopter science". For women involved in research in the global south there are added challenges in getting your name on a scientific paper. "Women tend to have a much higher dropout rate than men as they progress through academia," said Ayesha Tandon. "But then women also have to contend with stereotypes and sexism, and even just cultural norms in their country or from the upbringing that might prevent them from spending as much time on their science or from pursuing it in the way that men do." The analysis suggests that the lack of voices from women and from the global south is hampering the global understanding of climate change. Solving the problem is not going to be easy, according to the author. "This is a systemic problem and it will progress and keep getting worse, because people in positions of power will continue to have those privileges," said Ayesha Tandon. "It's a problem that will not just go away on its own unless people really work at it."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58808509
     
         
      Isle of Man: £7.2m scheme for home energy efficiency grants opens Wed, 6th Oct 2021 15:18:00
     
      Property owners on the Isle of Man can now apply for a new grant to improve their home's energy efficiency and cut bills. The Manx government has set aside £7.2m to fund the scheme, which opened this month. More than £5,000 per home is available for improvements like insulation, solar panels, and double glazing. It is part of a push by the government to reduce the island's carbon emissions and reach net zero by 2050. The Department for Enterprise (DfE), which is overseeing the scheme, will fund up to 50% of the cost of retrofitting homes. In a statement the DfE said this "could lower emissions in around 1,200 properties and save nearly 100,000 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere, the equivalent to taking 1,500 cars off the road over the next 30 years". Energy efficiency Those interested must undertake a Manx Home Energy Audit to give their home an efficiency rating from A to G, with only those rated D or lower eligible to apply. The assessment will be arranged and funded by the DfE, but the cost will be deducted from the overall grant if the applicant is successful. Properties built on the island after January 2020 will be ineligible, as they already have a rating of C or higher. Officials have warned those interested must still get the relevant planning permission for any work, and may have to wait several months to find out if they are eligible due to the "large number of anticipated applications".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-58806480
     
         
      'Unusual' autumn warning over water supplies Wed, 6th Oct 2021 15:11:00
     
      Some parts of Scotland need double the "normal" amount of autumn rainfall to return water reservoir levels to what they should be at this time of year. Scottish Water said maintaining some public water supplies remained a "significant challenge" after the second driest summer in 160 years. It said it was "unusual" for it to ask customers in autumn to take "simple steps" to conserve water. Parts of the Highlands, north-east and south have had the driest conditions. Water is of "moderate scarcity" in much of south-west Scotland and also in the Tweed area, Caithness and the River Ythan's catchment in Aberdeenshire, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). It said in these areas river levels were low and groundwater levels were continuing to fall, with some places "approaching very low levels for this time of year". Sepa said other areas were at "alert" level, and Scottish Water warned reservoir levels were low widely across Scotland. Kes Juskowiak, of Scottish Water, said customers might assume preserving water was no longer an issue following recent rainfall, but that householders were still being urged not to leave taps running and to use dishwaters and other household appliances efficiently. He said: "This is an unusual call in the autumn, but we are experiencing exceptional circumstances due to a significant rainfall deficit. "Hopefully, autumn will bring some respite, but we need heavy and prolonged rainfall to get reservoir levels back up towards normal levels for this time of year." Advice has also been issued to farmers and golf clubs on taking care on how much water is taken from burns for irrigating land and watering golf courses. David Harley, of Sepa, said there were concerns about water levels beyond this autumn. He said: "What we are seeing now is the strange phenomena of short-term wet weather against a backdrop of longer term prolonged dry spells, which not only causes immediate challenges, but also concerns for the medium term and into 2022."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-58801795
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, October 6, and the physicists who first explained climate change won a Nobel Prize Wed, 6th Oct 2021 15:01:00
     
      On Tuesday, the physicists Syukuro Manabe, from Japan, German-native Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi, of Italy, won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their groundbreaking contributions to understanding complex physical systems — including modelling Earth’s climate and predicting global warming, in the case of Manabe and Hasselman. In 1967, Manabe published a paper that came to be considered the most influential climate change study of all time. In it, Manabe and his co-author Richard T. Wetherald created the first computer model demonstrating the exact ways that carbon dioxide increases global temperatures. Manabe also projected the complex ways in which increasing quantities of the gas trapped in the atmosphere could unleash a series of catastrophic events on Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and lands. Hasselmann’s work was the first to explain how, though weather is variable and seemingly chaotic, climate models can accurately predict future weather. He also deciphered the clues that allow climate scientists to link human activities with increased levels of carbon emissions. The Italian Parisi also won the prize for his work uncovering “hidden patterns in disordered complex materials” in the early 1980s. His work has advanced the understanding of the theoretical physics at play in complex systems like Earth’s climate. After receiving the award, both Manabe and Parisi urged action against climate change. Hasselman told the AP that he’d “rather ??have no global warming and no Nobel Prize.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/896663326/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Fossil fuel industry gets subsidies of $11m a minute, IMF finds Wed, 6th Oct 2021 7:00:00
     
      The fossil fuel industry benefits from subsidies of $11m every minute, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF found the production and burning of coal, oil and gas was subsidised by $5.9tn in 2020, with not a single country pricing all its fuels sufficiently to reflect their full supply and environmental costs. Experts said the subsidies were “adding fuel to the fire” of the climate crisis, at a time when rapid reductions in carbon emissions were urgently needed. Explicit subsidies that cut fuel prices accounted for 8% of the total and tax breaks another 6%. The biggest factors were failing to make polluters pay for the deaths and poor health caused by air pollution (42%) and for the heatwaves and other impacts of global heating (29%). Setting fossil fuel prices that reflect their true cost would cut global CO2 emissions by over a third, the IMF analysts said. This would be a big step towards meeting the internationally agreed 1.5C target. Keeping this target within reach is a key goal of the UN Cop26 climate summit in November. Agreeing rules for carbon markets, which enable the proper pricing of pollution, is another Cop26 goal. “Fossil fuel price reform could not be timelier,” the IMF researchers said. The ending of fossil fuel subsidies would also prevent nearly a million deaths a year from dirty air and raise trillions of dollars for governments, they said. “There would be enormous benefits from reform, so there’s an enormous amount at stake,” said Ian Parry, the lead author of the IMF report. “Some countries are reluctant to raise energy prices because they think it will harm the poor. But holding down fossil fuel prices is a highly inefficient way to help the poor, because most of the benefits accrue to wealthier households. It would be better to target resources towards helping poor and vulnerable people directly.” With 50 countries committed to net zero emissions by mid-century and more than 60 carbon pricing schemes around the world, there are some encouraging signs, Parry said: “But we’re still just scratching the surface really, and there’s an awful long way to go.” The G20 agreed in 2009 to phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies and in 2016, the G7 set a deadline of 2025, but little progress has been made. In July, a report showed that the G20 countries had subsidised fossil fuels by trillions of dollars since 2015, the year the Paris climate deal was reached. “To stabilise global temperatures we must urgently move away from fossil fuels instead of adding fuel to the fire,” said Mike Coffin, senior analyst at the thinktank Carbon Tracker. “It’s critical that governments stop propping up an industry that is in decline, and look to accelerate the low-carbon energy transition, and our future, instead. “As host of Cop26, the UK government could play an important global leadership role by ending all subsidies for fossil fuels, as well as halting new North Sea licensing rounds,” he said. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in May that the development of new oil and gas fields must stop this year to meet climate goals. The comprehensive IMF report found that prices were at least 50% below their true costs for 99% of coal, 52% of diesel and 47% of natural gas in 2020. Five countries were responsible for two-thirds of the subsidies: China, the US, Russia, India and Japan. Without action, subsidies will rise to $6.4tn in 2025, the IMF said. Proper pricing for fossil fuels would cut emissions by, for example, encouraging electricity generators to switch from coal to renewable energy and making electric cars an even cheaper option for motorists. International cooperation is important, Parry said, to allay fears that countries could lose competitiveness if their fossil fuel prices were higher. “The IMF report is a sobering reading, pointing to one of the major defects of the global economy,” said Maria Pastukhova, at the thinktank e3g. “The IEA’s net-zero roadmap projects that $5tn is necessary by 2030 to put the world on the pathway to a climate-safe world. It is maddening to realise the much-needed change could start happening now, if not for governments’ entanglement with the fossil fuels industry in so many major economies.” “Fossil fuel subsidies have been a major stumbling block in the G20 process for years,” she said. “Now all eyes are on the G20 leaders’ summit in late October.” Ipek Gençsü, at the Overseas Development Institute, said: “[Subsidy reform] requires support for vulnerable consumers who will be impacted by rising costs, as well for workers in industries which simply have to shut down. It also requires information campaigns, showing how the savings will be redistributed to society in the form of healthcare, education and other social services. Many people oppose subsidy reform because they see it solely as governments taking something away, and not giving back.” The G20 countries emit almost 80% of global greenhouse gases. More than 600 global companies in the We Mean Business coalition, including Unilever, Ikea, Aviva, Siemens and Volvo Cars, recently urged G20 leaders to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/06/fossil-fuel-industry-subsidies-of-11m-dollars-a-minute-imf-finds
     
         
      The Hydrogen Stream: A new engine from China and IEA predictions for this decade Tue, 5th Oct 2021 15:45:00
     
      Chinese carmaker GAC Group has unveiled an engine it claims improves the mixing process of hydrogen and air. Elsewhere, the IEA has said $7 billion in new electrolyzers will be required globally by the end of the decade, and a British consortium is planning to build green hydrogen production facilities alongside 4 GW of solar, wind, and battery projects it is developing in the United Kingdom. Chinese auto company GAC Group has announced a “technology leap” and entry “into the zero-carbon emission era,” as it ignited its first independently developed hydrogen engine. “Using core hydrogen engine technology as a foundation, GAC R&D centers optimized the technology with a number of innovations,” the company wrote last week. “These include the newly developed combustion chamber, which improves the mixing process of hydrogen and air, and improvements to the hydrogen supply system, which improves power density and reduces the risk of hydrogen leakage.” GAC said its R&D staff would continue to “carry out thermodynamic calibration and mechanical development of the hydrogen engine, with the eventual aim of loading the entire … vehicle.” The Guangdong-based company is also looking for collaborators for hydrogen production, storage, and hydrogenation. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said investment over the next decade will be critical in determining long-term hydrogen objectives. “Every year until 2030, investments of $7 billion in electrolyzers will be required (30 times recent record investments), and $4 billion in FCEV [fuel-cell electric vehicle] deployment will be needed (14 times record investments),” the IEA wrote in its Global Hydrogen Review 2021, published last week. “To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, global cumulative investments must increase to $1.2 trillion by 2030 and $10 trillion by 2050.” In the executive summary of the report, the IEA said global electrolyzer capacity, which doubled in the last five years to reach just over 300 MW by mid-2021, needs to accelerate. “Around 350 projects currently under development could bring global capacity up to 54 GW by 2030,” added the report. “Another 40 projects, accounting for more than 35 GW of capacity, are in early stages of development. If all those projects are realized, global hydrogen supply from electrolysers could reach more than 8 Mt by 2030. While significant, this is still well below the 80 Mt required by that year in the pathway to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 set out in the IEA Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.” The IEA wrote, Europe is leading electrolyzer capacity deployment, with 40% of global installed volume, and is set to remain the largest market in the near term, while Australia, Latin America, the Middle East, the U.S., and China could catch up in the long term. On the other hand, Canada and United States are the leaders in the carbon capture, storage and use technology needed for blue, natural gas-fired hydrogen production. Swedish bearing and seal manufacturer SKF is teaming up with Luleå University of Technology to develop fossil-free steel for bearings. SKF will fund research on hydrogen use in industrial processes from the university’s CH2ESS initiative. It will also take part in research to speed up the development of fossil-free bearing steel. “Mechanical components are very important to ensure … function and operation in future hydrogen systems,” Victoria Van Camp, president of SKF Technology said in a press release today. Research areas will include hybrid ceramic bearings, and electric vehicles. The two partners will also develop and commercialize fossil-free bearing steel production. “SKF’s expertise in fluid machinery, material science, production technology and IoT [internet-of-things] solutions will actively contribute to the work,” added the press release. London-based green H2 business Octopus Hydrogen, U.K.-focused, U.S. private equity-backed solar developer Innova Renewables, and Gloucestershire-headquartered renewables consultant Novus have formed a strategic partnership to build green hydrogen production facilities alongside their 4 GW of U.K. solar, wind, and battery projects. Octopus Hydrogen, part of London-based asset management business Octopus Energy Group, will design, build and operate hydrogen production plants at several of Innova’s renewables sites, said the companies, adding that electrolyzers will typically be between 2 and 20 MW in scale. “The green hydrogen production facilities will be directly connected to on-site renewable energy [generation] which will be purchased via long term power purchase agreements, producing between 500 and 2,500 kg of hydrogen per day,” read an announcement today. In preparation for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow next month, the British government has announced measures to support climate action and energy transformation. Last week, it awarded funding to 15 projects to help U.K. airports handle new types of electric and hydrogen aircraft. “In the future, we believe there will be a hydrogen-electric engine in every aircraft as this is the only viable way to deliver truly zero-emission aircraft and to comprehensively tackle the industry’s growing climate impact,” said Val Miftakhov, chief executive of the U.S.-based ZeroAvia company which is designing such aircraft. “When we deliver our first hydrogen-electric powertrains into service, in 2024, operators need to be able to fuel their aircraft with low-carbon hydrogen, and today’s announcement is a big step towards that.” U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce at the Conservative Party conference that all of Britain’s electricity will come from renewables by 2035. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on renewables, green hydrogen, and new technology. “The EBRD is fully committed to supporting the development of green hydrogen value chains,” said Harry Boyd-Carpenter, EBRD managing director for the green economy and climate change, last week. “In combination with competitive renewable electricity, green hydrogen is a key ingredient in accelerating the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors and has strong potential in Morocco. We are very pleased to start our cooperation with [the Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies].” Lifte H2, a company focused on hydrogen supply chains, is expanding its presence in Berlin and Boston while launching a ‘technology-differentiated hydrogen infrastructure development service.' “In an industry where hydrogen-specific product and project experience is hard to come by, Lifte provides a unique combination of relationships, experience, technology, and capabilities,” said CEO and co-founder Matthew Blieske in a press release yesterday. The company expects to double the size of its workforce by early next year, to meet demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/10/05/the-hydrogen-stream-a-new-engine-from-china-and-iea-predictions-for-this-decade/
     
         
      Staffordshire woodland in climate change experiment Tue, 5th Oct 2021 15:13:00
     
      For scientists trying to predict the impact of rising levels of carbon dioxide on our world it can be a complex task. But in a woodland in Staffordshire, researchers from the University of Birmingham are not predicting the future - they are actually creating it. Huge metal rings are pumping out CO2 around the trees to achieve the levels we are going to see in about 50 years time. The experiments are measuring the flow of sap in the trees, the growth of the trees and have cameras in the soil - it is all part of research examining the impact of climate change on woodlands.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-58805835
     
         
      The World's First Wave-Powered Desalination System Is Ready for Action Tue, 5th Oct 2021 15:06:00
     
      Water scarcity is a major global crisis that affects two-thirds of the world’s population who lack access to clean water for at least a month each year. Scientists estimate that by 2025, half of the world’s population could be living in areas where water is scarce. The idea of desalination has been around for nearly 50 years now and seems like a promising solution in the long run. However, the common desalination method of reverse osmosis (RO) is expensive and pretty costly in terms of energy consumption. That's why researchers from the EU-funded H2020 W2O project have come up with what's possibly a viable solution: renewable energy-powered off-grid systems. Desalination made possible with wave-powered technology While the innovative MDC technology that follows a green, low-energy process with electro-active bacteria to desalinate and sterilize seawater has been around for a while, the research team started looking for other simple ways to help developing countries, isolated islands, and coastal areas. That's when they decided to use the power of the ocean waves, an endless and powerful renewable energy source. Olivier Ceberio, a member of the project team, said "harnessing the power of ocean waves with a technology that can produce fresh water to many of the 2.1 billion people globally struggling to access safe drinking water is the answer," in the press release The team's off-grid, revolutionary system Wave20 can be installed fast, operate completely off-grid, and produce large quantities of fresh water at a low cost. The new system is the world's first wave-powered desalination system that doesn't require electricity. Wave20 drives free energy from an unlimited energy source with the help of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) placed on the seafloor which moves back and forth with the waves. Neat! According to European Commission's press release, the new system's daily production of water can cover the water needs of around 40,000 people, which is great news for people who have been dealing with water scarcity in remote areas of the world. For the time being, the team is doing a test run with the small-scale model of the Wave2O in their test facilities in the United States and will proceed to the ocean implementation for a second test run in the Canary Islands and another one later in Cape Verde, both remote areas that are dealing with water scarcity, states the press release. The Earth is known as the Blue Planet due to its 70 percent water ratio. However, freshwater, which is crucial for humans, is incredibly rare at only 3 percent and two-thirds of that is stored in frozen glaciers or already unavailable for use. What's more, many water systems that keep ecosystems alive including rivers, lakes, and aquifers are either polluted or drying up. With global warming causing severe droughts, many countries around the world have no choice but to turn to the sea for their water, and it costs more than most people can afford. Will this new technique turn the tide around and prove to be a ray of hope for the future?
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/the-worlds-first-wave-powered-desalination-system-is-ready-for-action
     
         
      Decade of climate breakdown saw 14 per cent of coral reefs vanish Tue, 5th Oct 2021 14:55:00
     
      In the Sixth Status of Corals of the World: 2020 Report, experts from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, funded by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), collected data from more than 300 scientists from 73 countries, over a span of 40 years, including two million individual observations. It revealed that almost invariably, sharp declines in coral cover, correspond with rapid increases in sea surface temperatures, indicating their vulnerability to temperature spikes, and found that this phenomenon is likely to increase as the planet continues to warm. Invaluable ecosystems Dynamic underwater coral cities support up to 800 different species of hard coral and are home to more than 25 per cent of all marine life, according to the report. Soft corals bend and sway amongst the craggy mountains of hard corals providing additional homes for fish, snails and other marine creatures. And reefs harbour the highest biodiversity of any of the world’s ecosystems, making them one of the most biologically complex and valuable on the planet. Coral bleaching However, when waters get too warm, corals released their colourful micro-algae, turning a skeletal white colour. Some glowed, by naturally producing a protective layer of neon pigments, before they bleach. “Bleaching can be thought of as the ocean’s version of the ‘canary in the coral mine’ since it demonstrates corals’ sensitivity to dangerous and deadly conditions”, the Status of Coral Reefs explained. Algae takeover A shift from coral to algae-dominated reefs, reduces the architectural complexity and structural integrity of these habitats, making them less biodiverse and providing fewer goods and services to humans. According to the report, there has been a steady decrease in hard coral cover since 2010 with the worst impacts occurring in South Asia, Australia, the Pacific, East Asia, the Western Indian Ocean, The Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Valuing coral Although coral reefs in more than 100 countries cover only 0.2 per cent of the seafloor, they underpin the safety, coastal protection, wellbeing, food and economic security of hundreds of millions of people, said the report. And the value of goods and services they provide, is estimated at $2.7 trillion per year, including $36 billion in coral reef tourism. However, coral reefs are under threat from climate change, ocean acidification, and land-based pollution; as well as sediments from agriculture, marine pollution and overfishing. “Maintaining the integrity and resilience of coral reef ecosystems is essential for the wellbeing of tropical coastal communities worldwide, and a critical part of the solution for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, underscored the Status of Coral Reefs. Reef recovery Despite these gloomy assessments, there is still hope for coral reefs. They are remarkably resilient and can recover in the absence of large-scale disturbances. After a 1998 mass coral bleaching event, hard coral cover rebounded to pre-1998 levels within a decade. “If we halt and reverse ocean warming through global cooperation, we give coral reefs a chance to come back from the brink. It will, however, take nothing less than ambitious, immediate and well-funded climate and ocean action to save the world's coral reefs”, said the report. This year marks the beginning of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, campaigns designed to help protect our seas through scientific advancement and to resuscitate the planet’s declining ecosystems. Moreover, political leaders will attend the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity on Monday and again from 25 April to 8 May next year. There, world Governments will negotiate a post-2020 global biodiversity framework to map out how humanity will live in harmony with nature in the coming decade.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102242
     
         
      Climate change, population increase fuel looming water crisis: WMO Tue, 5th Oct 2021 14:53:00
     
      The warning comes as floods, droughts and other water-related hazards increase due to climate change, while the number of people experiencing “water stress” continues to rise amid population growth and dwindling availability. In 2018, some 3.6 billion people globally had inadequate access to water for one month per year, which is expected to surpass five billion by 2050. “Increasing temperatures are resulting in global and regional precipitation changes, leading to shifts in rainfall patterns and agricultural seasons, with a major impact on food security and human health and well-being,” said Petteri Taalas, the WMO Secretary-General. Flood disasters rise Water-related disasters have increased in frequency since the year 2000, according to The State of Climate Services 2021: Water report, which was coordinated by WMO and includes input from more than 20 international organizations, development agencies and scientific institutions. Flood-related disasters rose by 134 per cent when compared with the two previous decades. Most deaths and economic losses occurred in Asia, where warning systems require strengthening. Mr. Taalas recalled that over the past year, extreme rainfall across the continent caused massive flooding in Japan, China, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and India. Millions were displaced and hundreds were killed. “But it is not just in the developing world that flooding has led to major disruption,” he said. “Catastrophic flooding in Europe led to hundreds of deaths and widespread damage.” Africa drought concerns The number and duration of droughts also increased by 29 per cent over the past two decades. Most deaths were in Africa, again indicating the need for stronger warning systems. “Lack of water continues to be a major cause of concern for many nations, especially in Africa. More than two billion people live in water-stressed countries and suffer lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation,” said Mr. Taalas, adding, “we need to wake up to the looming water crisis.” Invest and improve The report calls for improving water management, integrating water and climate policies, and scaling up investment as current measures are fragmented and inadequate. Recommendations include investing in integrated resources water management to better manage water stress, especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Authorities in the LDCs are particularly urged to invest in early warning systems for droughts and floods. Countries are also encouraged to fill gaps related to data collection critical to climate services and early warning systems, and to join the Water and Climate Coalition, a WMO initiative that provides support, including in improving assessment of water resources.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102162
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, October 5, and a U.S. automaker is putting its money where its mouth is Tue, 5th Oct 2021 14:49:00
     
      As part of the auto industry’s long-awaited shift toward electric vehicles, Ford Motor Company and a South Korean battery producer unveiled plans last week to invest $11.4 billion to build an electric vehicle manufacturing campus and multiple battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. Ford will build a sprawling, 3,600-acre complex in Stanton, Tennessee, where the company will assemble electric models of its F-series pickup trucks. When the campus opens in 2025, the assembly plant will supposedly be carbon neutral, sending zero waste to landfills, treating wastewater at an on-site facility, and possibly using local renewable energy sources. Operating twin battery plants in Glendale, Kentucky, the South Korea-based company SK Innovation will produce lithium-ion batteries that will power electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The investment represents the latest move by an automaker to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles, which — along with the nation’s ships, trains, and planes — account for roughly 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. According to Ford, the company plans to invest more than $30 billion in EVs through 2025, and expects at least 40 percent of its vehicles to be fully electric by 2030. “This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” Ford executive chair Bill Ford said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/895759926/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Biomass is promoted as a carbon neutral fuel. But is burning wood a step in the wrong direction? Tue, 5th Oct 2021 6:00:00
     
      Many scientists and environmental campaigners question the industry’s claims to offer a clean, renewable energy source that the planet desperately needs Supported by The Climate Pledge About this content Rebecca Speare-Cole Tue 5 Oct 2021 06.00 BST Thick dust has been filling the air and settling on homes in Debra David’s neighborhood of Hamlet, North Carolina, ever since a wood pellet plant started operating nearby in 2019. The 64-year-old said the pollution is badly affecting the health of the population, which has already been hit hard by Covid. “More people are having breathing problems and asthma problems than ever before,” David said. She started suffering from asthma for the first time two years ago and other people in Hamlet have been getting nosebleeds, which she also puts down to the dust. “The older people have it the worst,” she added. “They stay inside most of the time and when they do come out they struggle to breathe. They can’t sit out in their yards like they used to.” The plant, owned by Maryland-headquartered Enviva, the world’s largest biomass producer, is one of four the company operates in North Carolina, turning trees into wood pellets, most of which are exported to the UK, Europe and Japan to burn for energy. Biomass has been promoted as a carbon-neutral energy source by industry, some countries and lawmakers on the basis that the emissions released by burning wood can be offset by the carbon dioxide taken up by trees grown to replace those burned. Yet there remain serious doubts among many scientists about its carbon-neutral credentials, especially when wood pellets are made by cutting down whole trees, rather than using waste wood products. It can take as much as a century for trees to grow enough to offset the carbon released. Burning wood for energy is also inefficient – biomass has been found to release more carbon dioxide per unit of energy than coal or gas, according to a 2018 study and an open letter to the EU signed by nearly 800 scientists. This CO2 is theoretically reabsorbed by new trees, but some scientists suggest relying on biomass could actually end up increasing emissions just at the time when the world needs to sharply reduce emissions and reach goals of becoming net zero by 2050. “During these decades, warming increases and permafrost and glaciers continue to melt, among other permanent forms of climate damage,” said Tim Searchinger, a senior energy and environment research scholar at Princeton. Over the last decade a wave of biomass plants have opened their doors or ramped up production across the US south, where they have access to the region’s vast hardwood and other wetland forests, many of which are on unprotected private lands. Campaigners say there is an environmental justice aspect to the industry, too. The plants are 50% more likely to be located in counties where at least 25% of the population is Black and other people of color and where poverty levels are above the state median, according to an analysis by the environmental non-profit Dogwood Alliance. Hamlet, David’s neighborhood, has a poverty rate of nearly 29%, significantly above the state poverty rate of 13.6%. Still, the biomass industry continues to grow, supported by subsidies especially from the UK as well as the EU, which declared biomass a carbon-neutral energy source in 2009 and is relying on it to help the bloc replace fossil fuel energy and meet climate goals. At least 22 plants in the south-east are now exporting pellets to Europe, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). This number is increasing, with permits filed or issued for 12 more plants, according to the SELC. ‘We feel trapped’ Nearly 200 miles from Hamlet, Belinda Joyner, a retired resident of Garysburg, North Carolina, has been campaigning against the nearby Northampton county Enviva plant since it began operations in 2013. The 68-year-old said she was angry at what she feels is happening to her community. She is concerned about forest loss as well as air pollution from the biomass facilities which, according a report from the Environmental Integrity Project, have been found to emit hazardous pollutants such as airborne particles called PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds, linked to health and environmental problems. “The trees are gone and there’s a lot of particulates in the air,” Joyner said. “We need oxygen and we need trees to breathe.” Joyner said residents’ sleep was disturbed by the “unbearable” noise produced by the pellet plant’s 24/7 operations. Many people have lived here all their lives, she said, and they “shouldn’t have to put up with the noise, dust and the pollution”. Enviva said any suggestion of unbearable noise, traffic or pollution caused by its facilities was a “gross misrepresentation” of its operations. The company said its emissions did not present a public health risk and the health conditions alleged by residents “are not related to our operations and any claims that they are, are false”. All sites operate in strict compliance with laws and regulation and emissions levels are regularly tested, Enviva said. The company uses industry-proven air emissions control technology??, a spokesperson said, adding: “Our plants are the most environmentally controlled plants in the industry, if not the world.” Enviva said it had not received any complaints about dust from its North Carolina plants and pointed to the presence of other industrial facilities in Northampton and Hamlet, saying: “Noise and traffic impact of a combined industry presence in the area is sometimes used against us by groups who oppose the biomass industry.” The company said it chose the location of its plants based on factors including proximity to low-grade wood, transport and an accessible workforce, adding that the industry “propels economic development in rural areas”. Enviva also referred to its community work, telling the Guardian “we work hard to be both a good neighbor and a good employer”. It pointed to an award it received from the Northampton county chamber of commerce in June for community outreach. Toby Chappell, county manager for Greenwood county, South Carolina, where Enviva has another plant, said the company had had “a positive economic impact”, employing more than 100 people and creating a secondary market for timber owners who can sell “some of their less desirable wood products”. At an August 2020 virtual public hearing on the company’s plan to install pollution control equipment and increase production at its Greenwood county plant several people, especially those involved in the forestry industry, spoke in favor of the plant. James Sanders Jr, of the Greenwood County Forest Landowners Association, told the hearing: “Markets for forest products such as those provided by Enviva will help slow the conversion of South Carolina’s forest to more intensive land use.” But several residents living near the plant said the factory had harmed their health and quality of life. One resident, Annemarie Humm, speaking on behalf of a group of residents opposing the plant’s expansion, said: “We feel trapped. We urge you to keep our air clean, our nights quiet, so we and our children can sleep.” The future of biomass For the biomass industry, burning wood for energy will play a vital role in transforming the energy system. Sustainably sourced biomass is “one of the important tools available to mitigate the climate crisis”, said Jennifer Jenkins, Enviva’s chief sustainability officer, adding it provided “low-carbon” power “with the potential to generate negative emissions”. Some scientists have also pointed to carbon and forestry benefits of burning wood for energy, where forests are managed sustainably and harvested using good forestry practices. Puneet Dwivedi, associate professor at the University of Georgia, has argued that looking at biomass on a landscape-level – a whole forest rather than an individual tree or clump of trees – means the carbon emitted by burning one tree will be recaptured within a year as the forest grows. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said biomass can mitigate emissions, provided resources are developed sustainably and especially when wood residues and waste are used. However, environmental groups have suggested that forests are not necessarily being managed sustainably. Many people assume that wood pellets for biomass are made from waste wood, offcuts and residues, said the SELC attorney Heather Hillaker, but that is not always the case. “Anything that is not profitable to go to a sawmill, [biomass producers] consider waste,” she said, adding that this includes whole trees deemed to have no economic value to the forestry industry. A 2018 investigation by the current affairs program Dispatches on Britain’s Channel 4 claimed that mature trees were being felled in Virginia to feed Enviva wood pellet plants. Enviva said the program’s claims were “illegitimate” and that the trees were not high value or whole trees. Jenkins said all of Enviva’s wood was “low-value”, meaning limbs, tops or trees that would otherwise go unused. The company only sourced “fiber from the bottom of the harvest value scale”, she said, and had “strict sourcing guidelines that hold us to the highest standards of sustainability”. A spokesperson for Enviva said: “We categorically do not support biomass production in the US or abroad that threatens endangered species, harms biodiversity, or diminishes water quality.” As the international community hammers out how to decarbonize energy and stave off catastrophic climate change, debates about biomass’s role are growing louder. In February 2021, an open letter from more than 500 scientists called on Joe Biden, along with other world leaders, to end the subsidies for biomass so as not to “undermine both climate goals and the world’s biodiversity” by replacing burning fossil fuels with burning trees. In July the EU amended its Renewable Energy Directive, saying it would continue to use biomass but “tighten the sustainability criteria”, including prohibiting the use of biomass from primary and highly biodiverse forests. But biomass is still considered an important part of the renewable energy mix in the UK and the EU – bioenergy made up 60% of the bloc’s renewables in 2020. These countries are moving in “the wrong direction”, said Sasha Stashwick, a senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “This is not good for climate change. This is not good for the environment. This is not good for forests and this is not good for the local communities,” she said. In Garysburg, Joyner is calling on global policymakers and industry bosses to acknowledge the problems with biomass. She said the voices of those who live near wood pellet plants are “still going unheard” as the biomass industry continues to grow. “Profit over people – that’s how I see it,” Joyner said. “As long as they’re making that money, they don’t care how people feel and they don’t care what’s going on in your community.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/04/biomass-plants-us-south-carbon-neutral
     
         
      What climate scientists can teach us about dealing with climate change doom Mon, 4th Oct 2021 10:43:00
     
      "It's a kind of hopelessness I guess. Helplessness," says Ross Simpson, 22, from Glasgow. He's telling me how he and his friends feel about stopping the worst effects of climate change. The warnings keep coming of more heatwaves, droughts, floods, and global temperatures going up and up and up. Seeing so many negative stories in the news only makes Ross feel worse. Like many, he worries it's already too late. "What difference does changing your lifestyle actually make in the grand scheme of things? Why do anything, if we're all doomed anyway?" Noor Elmasry, 22, has been having similar conversations with her friends across the Atlantic, in Chicago. "I think a lot of the frustration manifests from seeing people in power just constantly disappoint you," she says. Their feelings are shared by young people around the world. In a recent survey, 10,000 young people were asked about climate change. Three quarters said the future of the world was frightening, while more than half said they thought humanity was doomed. Feelings of fear, shame, guilt, anger and frustration have been given a name: climate anxiety. And it's on the rise. So what can you do if you're worried the planet is doomed? The BBC asked a group of scientists who have been working on climate change for years about what worked for them. Do something, even it it's small Repeatedly, scientists said taking action in their own lives helped to ease their anxieties. Many were proud of the scientific work they had been part of, but some also spoke about doing simpler things: recycling, eating a plant-based diet, insulating their homes, going on marches and engaging with politics. Dr Nana Ama Browne Klutse, a scientist who contributed to a major report on climate change this year, said she occasionally planted mango saplings by the roadside. Would it save the world on its own? No. Did it make her feel a bit better? Yes. Dr Jonathan Foley has worked on climate change for three decades as a researcher, author and government advisor and now investigates climate change solutions. He says action is the antidote that works for him, and points out that it can take many forms. "Some people might become activists because they're really angry and they want to shake things up. Great, we need that. Others could be artists and want to share how they feel and inspire others. Great, we need that too. We need everybody." Don't doomscroll, find a community Dr Natalie Jones, a specialist in existential risk at the University of Cambridge, found relief in being alongside like-minded people at protests, rallies and other events. "It's an atmosphere you can't beat," she says. "As soon as you meet other people who have the same concerns, you're like, 'okay, I would much rather be here'." The choice for her is often between "doomscrolling" - staring at a phone or computer and dwelling on negative news - or working on solutions with like-minded people. "Everyone's in the same boat, right? So there's a huge amount of solidarity," she says. "I got a lot of meaning by knowing what we're doing might really change things." She says the pandemic has made that hard for many people, but adds: "I really hope that people can feel like they can start that stuff again." You will have good and bad days Almost all the scientists shared stories about coming to terms with how they felt about climate change. "I've felt terrified," says Dr Jones. "I've felt incredibly angry at fossil fuel interests who have delayed action for so long. I've felt frustration at politicians. I've gone through real helplessness." "We've all been there," Dr Jones adds. "Everyone who works on climate has been there. For me that was like 10 years ago. You have to acknowledge these things and come to some level of acceptance." But what does acceptance actually look like? Dr Jones says she spoke to friends and a counsellor. She continues to keep a journal to write down her feelings. "For me, I don't know how to process thoughts and feelings without writing them down. The main thing is getting it all out of your head. If it stays there it just turns into a big unhelpful stew." Caroline Hickman has studied the impact on climate change on the mental health of young people and helped lead the survey of 10,000 young people. "We need to pay attention to how we feel and to process these complex feelings and support others in dealing with how they feel, as we take action in world," she says. "Otherwise, there's a high risk of burnout, because we're tired." She says feelings of anxiety are normal. "It's an emotionally, mentally healthy response to feel anxiety, dread, despair, depression in relation to the climate emergency." Yet many of the scientists had a stubborn optimism that comes from working on the problem. You will have good days and bad days, Dr Foley says. "Maybe that's how you feel some days," he says when I ask him about feeling down. "But I hope you come back and maybe roll up your sleeves and see that actually maybe doom isn't guaranteed."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58756143
     
         
      Full power ahead for UK to Norway under-sea power cable Mon, 4th Oct 2021 8:49:00
     
      The world's longest under-sea electricity cable, transferring green power between Norway and the UK, has begun operation. The 450-mile (725km) cable connects Blyth in Northumberland with the Norwegian village of Kvilldal. At full 1,400 megawatt capacity it will import enough hydro-power to supply 1.4 million homes, National Grid said. National Grid Ventures president Cordi O'Hara said it was a "remarkable feat of engineering". She added: "We had to go through mountains, fjords and across the North Sea to make this happen. "North Sea Link (NSL) is also a great example of two countries working together to maximise their renewable energy resources for mutual benefit." National Grid said the €1.6bn (£1.37bn) joint venture with Norwegian power operator Statnett would help the UK reduce carbon emissions by 23 million tonnes by 2030. It has four other power cables running to Belgium, France and the Netherlands and said 90% of energy imported in this way would be from zero carbon sources by 2030. Hydropower in Norway and wind power in the UK are subject to weather conditions and fluctuations in demand. Using NSL, renewable power can be exported from the UK when wind generation is high and electricity demand low, or be imported from Norway when demand is high and wind generation low. Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy minister Greg Hands said NSL enabled both countries to "benefit from the flexibility and energy security that interconnectors provide". He added: "This pioneering partnership shows first-hand how crucial international cooperation will be in helping us to deliver on our net zero ambitions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-58772572
     
         
      It’s Monday, October 4, and billionaires have pledged more money than ever before to protect our planet. Mon, 4th Oct 2021 7:36:00
     
      On September 22, nine philanthropic foundations announced that they will spend a record $5 billion on conservation efforts over the next 10 years. The philanthropic pledge, dubbed the Protecting Our Planet Challenge, is part of 30×30, an international initiative to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s land and seas by 2030. The billionaires behind the foundations include Swiss businessman Hansjörg Wyss, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. The environmental sector has historically been overlooked by philanthropists, according to the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors group, accounting for just 8 percent of giving. In the announcement, the donors emphasized the importance of Indigenous stewardship of protected areas and called for more government action to protect nature. “Private donors have a role to play, but this goal requires the commitment of all governments and of the communities that manage some of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes,” Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin of Arcadia, one of the participating foundations, said in a statement. The $5 billion dollar pledge was made ahead of the United Nations’ international biodiversity conference, where countries will discuss goals for protecting nature and the environment later this month.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/895399188/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Stop smoke and mirrors, rich nations told Sun, 3rd Oct 2021 15:37:00
     
      Rich countries' plans to curb carbon are "smoke and mirrors" and must be urgently improved, say poorer nations. Ministers meeting here in Milan at the final UN session before the Glasgow COP26 climate conference heard that some progress was being made. But officials from developing countries demanded tougher targets for cutting carbon emissions and more cash to combat climate change. One minister condemned "selfishness or lack of good faith" in the rich world. US special envoy John Kerry said all major economies "must stretch" to do the maximum they can. Around 50 ministers from a range of countries met here to try to overcome some significant hurdles before world leaders gather in Glasgow in November. But for extremely vulnerable countries to a changing climate the priority is more ambitious carbon reductions from the rich, to preserve the 1.5C temperature target set by the 2015 Paris agreement. Scientists have warned that allowing the world temperatures to rise more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is highly dangerous. An assessment of the promises made so far to cut carbon suggests that the world is on track for around 2.7C. Ministers from developing countries say this is just not acceptable - they are already experiencing significant impacts on their economies with warming currently just over 1C. "We're already on hellish ground at 1.1C," said Simon Steill, Grenada's environment minister who argues that the plans in place just weren't good enough to prevent disaster for his island state. "We're talking about lives, we're talking about livelihoods, they cannot apply smoke and mirrors to that." "Every action that is taken, every decision that is taken, has to be aligned with 1.5C, we have no choice." Some delegates felt that richer countries aren't sufficiently engaged on the issue of 1.5C, because they are wealthy enough to adapt to the changes. "They don't care about 1.5C because if there's sea level rise, they have the means to build sea walls, and they are just remaining there in their high walls of comfort," said Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Some countries are willing to do things but they don't have the means, some have the means but are not willing to do things. Now how do we find the right choreography?" On this question of choreography, ministers were in agreement that the G20 group of countries should be leading the dance. Mr Kerry called on India and China, who are part of the G20, to put new carbon plans on the table before leaders gather in Glasgow. "All G20 countries, all large economies, all need to try to stretch to do more," he told the gathering. "I'm not singling out one nation over another. But I am encouraging all of us to try to do the maximum we can." The mood on the street in Milan could not have contrasted more sharply with the formal, political roundtable discussions inside the PreCOP26 conference. On Friday, students and activists marched to the doors of the conference venue - banners waving and arms linked in a human wall to protect Greta Thunberg, who led the procession. There were cheers of: "We are unstoppable, another world is possible". And just one day after sharing the stage with world leaders, and after meeting the Italian prime minister, 18-year-old Greta told a cheering crowd: "We are sick of their blah blah blah and sick of their lies." Meanwhile, behind the concrete walls of the conference hall on Saturday, ministers were cautiously optimistic that their discussions had laid crucial foundations for the UN climate meeting in November. As he brought the meeting to a close, Alok Sharma, president for the much-anticipated COP26 in Glasgow, assured me that there was now a tangible "sense of urgency". "It's this set of world leaders that are deciding the future," he said. "We're going to respond to what we've heard here from young people." One of the biggest remaining hurdles to progress remains the question of finance. The richer world promised to pay developing nations $100bn a year from 2020. That figure hasn't yet been met and while ministers here were confident it would be achieved in Glasgow, the failure to land the money is eroding trust. "Everything we need to do, we know what that is, and now it's just a question of who's going to be paying for it, who is going to be willing to share their technology," said Tosi Mpanu Mpanu. "And that's where the problem is. So there seems to be at times selfishness or lack of good faith." Despite these reservations, the UK minister tasked with delivering success in Glasgow was in positive mood after the meeting in Milan. "I think we go forward to Glasgow with a spirit of co-operation," said Alok Sharma. "I do not want to underestimate the amount of work that is required but I think there is a renewed urgency in our discussions." However there are significant hurdles to clear before leaders arrive in Glasgow and technical questions about carbon markets and transparency are still unresolved. "We need to change. And we need to change radically, we need to change fast," said EU vice-president Frans Timmermans. "And that's going to be bloody hard."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58774786
     
         
      Climate change: Julie James answers your questions Sun, 3rd Oct 2021 7:52:00
     
      We have been putting your environment questions to Wales' first Climate Change Minister, Julie James. She was speaking as the UK prepares to host a summit that is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. COP26 will take place in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November and could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. But is the climate crisis too great to solve? No, says Julie James.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-58765451
     
         
      Brazil: A drought with roots in the Amazon jungle Sat, 2nd Oct 2021 14:58:00
     
      Large parts of South America are facing the most severe drought in nearly a century. At threat is one of the largest waterways in the region, the Paraná water system that millions of people in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina rely on for water and energy. The reason, say climatologists, is La Niña, a natural phenomenon that disrupts weather patterns. But there are also other factors at play – like deforestation further north in the Amazon jungle.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-58743367
     
         
      Families take on 'save the planet' challenges Sat, 2nd Oct 2021 9:46:00
     
      We hear that we can all do our bit to save the planet, no matter how small it may seem, but how easy is it? In less than a month the climate conference COP26 will be hosted in Glasgow with global leaders trying to negotiate solutions to the crisis. BBC Scotland climate change reporter Harriet Bradshaw has taken up the baton, along with a family in Aberdeenshire and another in the Scottish Borders, on a week long challenge to live more sustainably. The experiment discovers what we can do to make a difference, but also where we need help to make the right choices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/58762090
     
         
      It’s Friday, October 1, and Sacramento is breaking new ground with its air pollution monitoring system. Fri, 1st Oct 2021 9:41:00
     
      Sacramento, California, is spending $500,000 to implement one of the most extensive air quality monitoring systems in the country. The city will deploy 100 new air quality monitors, which will give the city’s air quality agency a block-by-block breakdown of air pollution for the first time. The Sacramento City Council approved the plan on September 21. The new monitors will primarily be placed in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and respiratory ailments — but have historically been neglected by the city’s air quality monitoring program. As wildfires become more intense and hot days become more frequent in the area, the block-by-block data could be used by school districts to determine whether to keep students home, Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra told the Sacramento Bee. The program will also fund a new community outreach program to give affected residents information about how to protect their health. “We consistently have neighborhoods with poorer health, poorer air, higher healthcare costs,” Guerra told the Sacramento Bee. “Those kinds of issues have a trickle-down effect on the economics and health of our community.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/893863874/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Paris speed limit falls to 30km/h Thu, 30th Sep 2021 20:44:00
     
      A speed limit of 30km/h (18mph) has come into force across Paris in a drive to improve the environment. The aim is to cut accidents, and reduce noise and pollution. A poll suggests 59% of Parisians are in favour of the measure, but some businesses are among those opposed. Two-thirds of the city was already subject to the limit before Monday's change, which has been pushed through by Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Several key routes will remain exempt though. These include the Champs Elysées (50km/h) and the main ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique (70 km/h). Similar limits are already in force Grenoble and Lille, as well as Bilbao in Spain, and the Belgian capital, Brussels. The measure is being introduced now so Parisians can get used to it during a period of lighter summer holiday traffic, city officials say. It's one of several policies proposed by Ms Hidalgo, who was re-elected last year, to wean Parisians off their cars. The number of street parking bays is being halved and most vehicles are expected to be banned from the city centre next year. Cycle lanes have increased and streets are being redesigned to make districts more pedestrian friendly. Ms Hidalgo, a Socialist, wants a greener city as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games in 2024. Opponents include Pierre Chasseray, from campaign group 40 Million Motorists, who disputes the idea that pollution and noise are reduced by such measures. "There is no reduction in sound, there is no reduction in pollution and there is no reduction in accidents, except for a reduction in accidents which is the same as in all the other communes," he told AFP news agency. A speed awareness campaign would have been more effective, he said. Another campaign group, SaccageParis, or Trash Paris, accuses the authorities of allowing Paris to deteriorate through unkempt streets and what it sees as ugly cycle lanes. Others point out that the average speed in Paris is already less than 16km/h.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58385502
     
         
      Action 'needed now' to cut farming sector emissions Thu, 30th Sep 2021 20:40:00
     
      Ministers need to stop talking and "begin acting" if emissions reductions in Scotland's farming sector are to be maximised, a report has claimed. Campaign group WWF Scotland says plans to replace the existing farm support mechanism in 2023 is too late. The Scottish government is looking at how to replace the EU's Common Agricultural Policy which provided support and incentives to farmers. NFU Scotland first presented proposals to ministers more than three years ago. A range of farmer-led groups have since made recommendations. But last week another advisory group was formed by the government to drive those policies forward. Farming leaders say the time for talking is now over and the report warns delays are slowing down the potential for reducing emissions. The Scottish government welcomed the findings which it said would help outline what is needed to "achieve rapid and efficient results that are also supportive of our farmers and crofters". The findings of the WWF report suggest direct agricultural emissions could be reduced by around 30% by 2032. However, this is heavily dependent on farmer uptake and the report warns that "a lack of policy tools and support could hinder delivery". Many farmers have been feeling under siege in recent years because of the spotlight shining on the sector's emissions. The largest cause of them - methane from the front end of cows - is difficult to overcome with a technical fix and scientists have been saying we simply need to eat less meat. But that would undoubtedly damage the livestock sector on which Scotland's farmers rely so heavily. NFU Scotland now wants to be seen to be embracing the change necessary to support the battle against climate change. But they need a government framework and policies to achieve it. They've been talking about it now for years but are becoming increasingly anxious at the slow pace of change. This report puts into context the emissions cuts that are being lost with the status quo. The conclusions are supported by both WWF Scotland and NFU Scotland. Their joint message - let's get our finger out - is a difficult one for ministers to ignore. A previous study by WWF Scotland said Scotland's farmers could "comfortably" reduce their emissions by 38% over the next 25 years using established technologies. It suggested farm level and system-wide changes could see greenhouse gas emissions fall by the equivalent of 2.9 million tons of CO2. The new report's authors looked at whether proposed policies would reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to meet the target set out in the Scottish government's Climate Change Plan Update . They say that it is possible, and farmers are "in agreement and ready to take action in areas such as improvements in animal health and the application of nitrogen fertilisers". However, they add that a delay in support for farmers to make the necessary changes "puts the industry at risk". Jonnie Hall, director of policy at the National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland, said the industry needed "a new, properly funded, agricultural support package that delivers for Scotland's current and future needs". He added: "The challenge facing Scottish agriculture has never been clearer - tackling climate change and biodiversity loss whilst simultaneously contributing to Scotland's ambitious food and drink sector targets. It is not a case of one over the others. "However, the stark reality is that the legacy of continuing CAP schemes is just not up to it. In fact, current area-based support measures largely incentivise inertia. "The rhetoric of change must now be replaced by delivery - adequately funded, easily accessed measures that drive necessary actions. "Get that right and farmers and crofters across Scotland will deliver." Long-term future Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said she had asked the new advisory group to create a package of government-funder measures "that can be agreed as part of our approach to COP26". She said: "This National Test Programme will include early progress on reducing livestock emissions and the package should be implemented by spring 2022, with recruitment of farmers and crofters expected to begin this autumn." Ms Gougeon added: "I do not underestimate the challenge we are collectively facing to strike the balance to ensure greenhouse gas reductions can take place while Scotland continues to produce high quality and sustainable food. "It is also important we remain focused on the long-term future for agriculture. That is why I have launched a consultation exercise which will ensure everyone can play their part in shaping the future of farming, food production and land use in Scotland. "By working together, I am confident that we will be able to support Scottish farming to maintain its world-leading credentials in an ever-changing environment."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58376033
     
         
      Flood prevention: Swansea University study reveals role of wetlands Thu, 30th Sep 2021 20:37:00
     
      Wales' coastal wetlands provide more flood protection than previously thought, researchers have found. A team led by Swansea University used hydrodynamic models of eight Welsh estuaries to simulate storms of different strengths and modelled the damage they would be likely to cause. They found estuary wetlands reduced flooding across all eight areas. This could save up to £27m in avoided damage per estuary during a large storm, they found. The team, which included researchers from Bangor University, the University of Exeter, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and CSIRO in Tasmania, Australia, also found estuary wetlands could reduce water levels by up to 2m (6ft 6in) in upstream areas. They said the vegetation reduced the average flood extents by 35% and the amount of damage caused by 37%. The study warned wetlands were facing growing threats from continued urban development, with 22 of the largest 32 cities in the world - including London, New York and Tokyo - built on low-lying land around estuaries, which puts them at increasing risk of flooding in a warming climate. It said climate change was driving increases in the magnitude and frequency of storms, as well as sea level rise. Previous research has focused on wetlands along open coastlines, where the plants absorb wave energy and stop waves pushing inland, but the new study focused on estuarine environments. Lead researcher Dr Tom Fairchild from Swansea University said: "The effect we found was twofold, firstly the vegetation sucks the energy out of waves as they pass over it, but also the friction it creates slows the flow of water up the estuaries and into rivers. "This is vital because during a storm, floodwater comes downstream from the source of the river, and meets tidal and storm surges from the sea. "Anything which slows this down, and prevents them from colliding at the same time, massively reduces the risk of flooding at upstream, inland areas." The study demonstrated that towns such as Llanelli, Neath and Carmarthen have all likely benefited from the protective effects of marshes in recent years. According to Dr Fairchild, man-made flood defences could actually be making the situation worse: "With people wanting to live close to the shore, embankments and other hard-engineered flood defences can lead to our natural defences dying off, whilst at the same time they can funnel river surges further upstream. "So whilst they protect property along the coasts, they can actually cause more flooding inland, or at the very least do less to protect inland areas than natural wetland vegetation would." But Dr Fairchild believes all is not yet lost: "Wetlands can be incredibly resilient, and can take hold in just a few years, so long as there is enough space, the water is clean and there's the right amount of shelter," he said. He said wetland habitats could be regenerated through active nourishment of sand bars, planting of wetland grasses, or integrating marsh conservation into coastal planning to reduce the building of homes and man-made flood defences along estuaries. The research has been published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58370371
     
         
      Keep raising your voices, UN chief tells young climate leaders Thu, 30th Sep 2021 11:26:00
     
      Hundreds of delegates from across the world are taking part in the meeting, which is a precursor to the UN COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. ‘Code red for humanity’ “Young people have been in the forefront of putting forward positive solutions, advocating for climate justice and holding leaders to account. We need young people everywhere to keep raising your voices,” he said in a video message. The Secretary-General described the climate emergency as a “code red for humanity”, with the poorest and most vulnerable already hardest hit. “The window of opportunity to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis is closing quickly. We know what needs to be done and we have the tools to do it,” he said. Deliver on promises Mr. Guterres urged the young climate leaders to keep speaking up “for a breakthrough in building resilience and ensuring that at least 50 per cent of climate support is for adaptation to protect lives and livelihoods.” He outlined why their voices are needed now, including to get developed countries to finally deliver on their decade-old promise to provide $100 billion dollars annually in climate finance to developing nations. Meanwhile, Governments, businesses and investors still have yet to reduce their emissions in line with the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement, another area for youth advocacy. The target means countries must commit to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century, and clear plans to achieve them. ‘A powerful example’ The Secretary-General commended the Italian Government - which holds the co-presidency of COP26 with the United Kingdom - “for providing this global stage for young people to engage directly with policy-makers.” He thanked young people for contributing ideas and solutions in advance of the UN climate conference. “Your solidarity and demands for action set a powerful example,” he said. “We need national leaders to follow your example and ensure the ambition and results we need at COP26 and beyond.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1101712
     
         
      Climate action: ‘Time is running out’, UN chief tells ministers Thu, 30th Sep 2021 7:29:00
     
      “I cannot emphasize enough that time is running out. Irreversible climate tipping points lie alarmingly close. Civil society is watching closely and is running out of patience,” he said in remarks delivered virtually. The UN chief urged Governments to step up efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The 2015 accord requires countries to commit to increasingly ambitious climate action through plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Mr. Guterres warned that current NDCs will lead to a “catastrophic” rise of 2.7 degrees, and he called for more ambition now. Leaders must act now “We can only meet the 1.5 degree goal if all G20 countries, which are responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions, pledge more decisive action in new or updated NDCs.” While urging developed countries to take the lead, he also called for emerging economies to further cut emissions. Stressing that “all leaders must recognize that we are in the middle of a climate emergency”, the Secretary-General urged Governments to enhance their NDCs and domestic policies “as often as necessary, and without delay, until we are collectively on the right track.” Phase out coal On emissions, Mr. Guterres stated that phasing out coal is the most effective step towards limiting global temperature rise. Despite global progress over the past year, he pointed to the long journey that remains. He welcomed China’s recent announcement on ending international financing of coal-based power, and called for commercial banks and other private financers to follow suit. “And I ask that coalitions of governments and public and private finance institutions unite to scale up existing financial mechanisms to retire coal and fund a just transition toward universal access to renewable energy,” he added. Honour $100 billion commitment Regarding financing for climate action, “we all know what needs to be done”, said the Secretary-General. “Developed countries have a responsibility to increase their individual pledges and honour their collective commitment to deliver the promised $100 billion a year. This is an essential question of trust.” Meanwhile, support for adaptation “remains the neglected half of the climate equation”, he said, receiving just 25 per cent of climate finance and representing a paltry 0.1 per cent of private funding. Mr. Guterres again urged donors and development banks to allocate at least 50 per cent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience, adding that needs are increasing every year. “Developing countries already need $70 billion dollars for adaptation, and that figure could more than quadruple to $300 billion dollars a year by the end of this decade. Failure to deliver means massive loss of lives and livelihoods,” he said. Take the high road The Secretary-General encouraged countries to use the ministerial meeting to rebuild trust necessary to make COP26 in Glasgow a success. “Young people, in particular, continue to lead the growing calls for more ambition. They will hold us accountable. Climate justice demands that we bequeath them a liveable planet,” he said. Countries must take the long view, and the moral high ground, said the UN chief “so that this and future generations can look forward to peace, opportunity and dignity for all on a healthy planet.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1101772
     
         
      Life at 50C: Mexico's struggle for water Wed, 29th Sep 2021 16:37:00
     
      Climate change is causing once-mighty rivers to dry up and temperatures to rise to deadly levels in Mexico. As the BBC's Life at 50C season continues, this film follows paramedics struggling to treat those with heat-related illnesses, as well as a community campaigning for water to be released so that the Colorado river can flow once again.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58724297
     
         
      Greta Thunberg mocks world leaders' words at Youth4Climate Wed, 29th Sep 2021 16:13:00
     
      The Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, used her speech at the Youth4Climate conference in Milan to mock the words of world leaders, including UK PM Boris Johnson. The 18-year-old used soundbites from Mr Johnson, such as "expensive bunny hugging" and "build back better", to highlight what she called the "empty words and promises" of politicians. Later in the speech, she urged people not to give up hope, saying that change is "not only possible, but urgently necessary". Many countries have announced ambitious targets to reduce their emissions to tackle climate change. Analysts say some recent announcements, such as China's statement that it would not build any more coal plants overseas and the US, EU and others pledging to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030, are signs that progress is being made. But they caution that some major challenges remain. The UK, for example, has pledged to cut 78% of its emissions by 2035, from a 1990 baseline. But the government's current plans are projected to deliver less than a quarter of the cuts needed to meet the goal. Mr Johnson has said he will push for action on coal, climate, cars and trees in particular at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-58726531
     
         
      Italy climate minister accepts Thunberg's 'blah, blah, blah' criticism Wed, 29th Sep 2021 15:00:00
     
      Italy's climate minister says he accepts the criticism of Greta Thunberg who this week accused politicians of "30 years of blah, blah, blah". Roberto Cingolani told the BBC Ms Thunberg raised "a serious problem, we were not credible in the past". He criticised those who "want renewable energy " but don't want "the power station in their back yard". Mr Cingolani was speaking as climate ministers gather in Milan for the final UN talks before COP26 in Glasgow. They are under pressure to clear the way for their bosses, the world's presidents and prime ministers, who will arrive in Glasgow in early November, the BBC's environment correspondent Matt McGrath says. Greta Thunberg, 18, mocked the words of world leaders in her speech at the Youth4Climate conference in Milan earlier this week. She used soundbites from UK PM Boris Johnson, such as "expensive bunny hugging" and "build back better", to highlight what she called the "empty words and promises" of politicians. Mr Cingolani told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme that, while her language may have been provocative, her "message was correct, we didn't do enough". He referred to another activist, 24-year-old Vanessa Nakate from Uganda, who criticised rich countries for failing to provide the funds they promised for poorer countries vulnerable to extreme weather events. "If you put the two messages together - social inequality, global inequality, climate vulnerability ... and on the other hand, the lack of attention in the past, the message is complete," he said. "This is what we are trying to do now, to improve." Mr Cingolani said COP26 must "seriously reinforce financial aid" to vulnerable countries, accelerate the phasing out of carbon and coal, and strive to keep global temperatures at the 1.5C threshold. But he warned that attitudes among the global population - including those he has in the past called "radical chic environmentalists" - would have to change. "It's too easy to say we make everything green, but we don't want the power station in our back yard and we don't care about other countries having no access to free electricity. I think this is more serious," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58743515
     
         
      COP26: We need to separate optics from substance - Downer Tue, 28th Sep 2021 16:39:00
     
      Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled he may not attend the COP26 climate conference in November, in an interview with the West Australian newspaper. Mr Morrison said he had "not made any final decisions" on attending, but he had spent a lot of time in quarantine due to overseas trips and may have to focus on other priorities including the reopening of the country’s borders. Australia’s former foreign minister, Alexander Downer, told BBC World News that from the prime minister’s point of view it was a 40,000km (24,900 mile) round-trip and his attendance would be “symbolic” as he could announce what Australia’s commitments were going to be whether they were at COP26 or not. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Monday that if Mr Morrison did not attend there would still be senior level representation at COP26.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-58712215
     
         
      Landsat-9: 'Satellite of record' launches to picture Earth Tue, 28th Sep 2021 16:15:00
     
      What is arguably the world's most important satellite has launched to orbit from California. Landsat-9 is the continuation of a series of Earth-observing spacecraft stretching back almost 50 years. No other remote-sensing system has kept a longer, continuous record of the changing state of our planet. Landsat-9 raced skyward on an Atlas rocket from a cloudy and misty Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:12 local time (19:12 BST). It was the pictures taken by Apollo astronauts, looking back towards Earth, that cemented the idea of having a permanent eye on our home world. And in 1972, The American space agency (Nasa), in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS), proceeded to launch their Earth Resources Technology Satellite. Today, the ninth imaging spacecraft in what subsequently became known as the Landsat programme is ready to assume responsibility for maintaining the legacy. The Nasa/USGS spacecraft series is the ultimate record of change. Landsat has catalogued the growth of the megacities, the spread of farming and the evolving outlines of coasts, forests, deserts and glaciers. It's even been used to monitor from orbit the behaviours of a diverse range of animals - from wildebeest and wombats to woodpeckers and walrus. "We've assembled an amazing history of how the planet has changed over the last half century," explained Dr Jeff Masek, Nasa's Landsat-9 project scientist. "For example, we're able to see the natural disturbances that occur, (such as) fires, hurricanes, and insect outbreaks; and then the long-term recovery of ecosystems that takes place for decades after that. "And we're able to look specifically at climate and climate-change impacts on ecosystems. We've mapped areas of increased plant cover at high latitudes due to a warming climate. We've also seen areas of vegetation decline in water-limited semi-arid environments." Since 1982 and Landsat-4, the system has been able to resolve features on the ground as small as 30m across. And while there are now plenty of other imaging spacecraft up there that can boast a much sharper view (in the tens of centimetres), none comes close to Landsat for longevity. This is the power that enables scientists to pull out the real trends in time. Just as important - the data is free and open. Anyone anywhere can access and use Landsat pictures at no cost. Landsat-9 still has a job of work to do before it can be declared operational. The spacecraft's Atlas rocket dropped it off at just under 680km in altitude. This requires Landsat-9 to use its own thrusters to climb to an observing height that is a little over 700km. In coming weeks, after all onboard systems are commissioned, Landsat-9 will start acquiring images that can be compared very carefully with those of its still-flying predecessor, Landsat-8, which was launched in 2013. This analysis will ensure the colours detected by the new spacecraft can be directly matched to those of the images in the five-decade-old Landsat archive. For the past six years, Landsat has been flying in a constellation with the European Union's Sentinel-2 satellites. Again, their imagers have been set up meticulously so that they see the Earth in exactly the same way as their American counterparts. Both the US and the European systems are expensive to build and operate (Landsat-9's lifecycle cost is expected to be close to $1bn), and this has led some to question the value for money of such programmes when commercial Earth observation satellites can be launched for just a few million dollars. But Dr Karen St Germain, Nasa's Earth science director, argued that private EO operators should really be seen as complementary, as an augmentation to public programmes. "Those commercial companies allow us to do more, but they aren't a replacement for the kinds of observations that we make with Landsat. As an example, commercial systems, generally - they can observe more often, but they don't observe all the wavelengths we need to do the work we do with Landsat," she told BBC News. And this view was echoed by Dr Will Marshall, the co-founder and CEO of Planet, a San-Francisco-based company that today is operating more than 200 small imagers in orbit. He said Nasa bought his firm's data to improve its climate models, and that his engineers relied on the high-fidelity nature of Landsat's images to help improve Planet's own products. "Planet's high spatial and temporal resolution augments the public capabilities of Landsat and Sentinel, in particular enabling the observation of faster dynamic processes and to see smaller features, helping scientists, journalists, and customers move from awareness to action," the entrepreneur told the BBC. "For example, in agriculture, Landsat and Sentinel data enable greater image accuracy; ours better frequency. And the two together help farmers increase yields substantively more than either alone."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58683181
     
         
      Roath Park: Flood defence work at Cardiff park to begin Tue, 28th Sep 2021 16:11:00
     
      Major work is set to begin to make a Cardiff park's lake safe from climate change-induced flooding. Engineers from Arup will begin month-long ground investigations at the southern end of Roath Lake in November. Major upgrade work to the dam at the 30 acre man-made lake will begin shortly after and run until late 2023. Cardiff council said the risk of the city being hit by extreme floods or heavy storms was growing due to climate change. The work could include chopping down trees and the council has said it will "seek to replace any trees that are felled". Recent modelling showed the spillway, which feeds out from the southern end of the lake, would be too small to withstand extreme flooding. The council has applied for listed building consent to get permission for the initial survey works to go ahead. Cllr Michael Michael, cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Climate change means we are likely to have more frequent and more intensive storms in Cardiff, so the dam spillway needs to be able to cope with the potential for these more extreme weather events." Parts of the park near the dam will be closed while the works take place. An online webinar will be held for residents on 12 October and two drop-in events on the promenade at the southern end of the lake have been planned for 23 and 26 October. Mr Michael added: "Roath Park is one of Cardiff's most loved parks, and a full public engagement programme is planned prior to works commencing, so that residents, businesses and park users are fully informed." Elsewhere in the city, the council is also planning a £25m coastal defence scheme along the mouth of the Rhymney River. Work is scheduled to run from February next year until October 2023.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58720236
     
         
      Climate change: Why India can't live without coal Tue, 28th Sep 2021 16:02:00
     
      India, the world's third largest emitter of fossil fuels still relies heavily on coal. As nations are urged to phase it out, how easy will it be for India - a fast-growing and developing nation - to ditch the crucial energy resource? India's challenges with climate change can be reflected in a conversation I had with a young businessman named Shaunak back in 2006. "Why should Indians be asked to reduce carbon emissions, when the West has been polluting the planet for decades, and has reaped the benefits?" he asked. The sharp-suited entrepreneur from the city of Mumbai ran a shoe factory, which by his own admission, chugged dirty gases into the air. "I export these shoes to the UK and America. It's like the West has just exported its emissions to developing countries... now why should we stop?" he asked, bemused. A lot has changed since then - global emissions have continued to grow, as has India's population and its economy. And as the West urges India to reduce its carbon emissions, the focus remains on its reliance on coal, one of the dirtiest of fuels which is responsible for more than 70% of India's energy production. A lifeline for local communities It is just before sunrise and brightly decorated trucks are already piled high with coal black at a mine in the Talcher district of the eastern state of Odisha. Nearby, a train chugs past noisily as it transports coal across the country. A group of women in dazzling pink saris collect lumps of coal with their bare hands, before lugging baskets of it on to their heads with expert precision. Men on bicycles balance huge bags of it on the handlebars as they trundle by. As many as four million people are employed directly and indirectly in India's coal industry, according to a recent report from the Brookings Institution. Majority of the coal reserves lie in the east - the so-called coal belt - in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. In these areas, coal also powers the economy. It's the lifeline of the local communities, which are some of India's poorest. "India cannot live without coal," said Sudarshan Mohanty, a union leader representing the interests of mine workers in Odisha. Mr Mohanty - like many others in the country - argued that there needs to be a properly thought-out strategy to transition from coal to cleaner energy resources to ensure those who depend on it are not left behind. As we speak at the edge of an opencast mine, he tells me about the numerous families who were displaced from their homes decades ago to make way for the mines. If these mines are phased out, he said the same people will face the risk of losing out again. "If we stop coal production under the pressure of the world community, then how can we maintain our livelihood?" In the distance, on the other side of the ashen valley below, he points to a hillside covered in green trees which have been planted to increase forest cover. "We can try to manage environmental concerns too, but it's impossible to compromise when it comes to coal production," Mr Mohanty said. A market for clean energy In the last decade, India's coal consumption has nearly doubled. The country continues to import large quantities of coal and is planning to open dozens of new mines in the coming years. But an average Indian still consumes far less power than a Brit or an American. India is also making the shift to cleaner energy, with an ambitious target to draw 40% of its installed electric power from non-fossil fuels by 2030. (Renewables currently make up around a quarter.) Arunaba Ghosh from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water in Delhi, a leading climate think tank, said the country has made strides in this direction. He cites examples like the Delhi metro system, which now runs on more than 60% solar power for its daily power needs. But scaling up renewables projects like this in India requires more outside investment, Mr Ghosh said. "This is not about free money. It's simply that we are one of the largest markets in the world for clean energy investments, and we want international investors to come in and put their money and get the best returns." 'No option' With a population of more than 1.3bn, India's energy needs are set to rise more than any other nation in the next twenty years, according to the International Energy Agency. But communities like the one in Odisha remind us of the challenges in reducing the dependence on coal for meeting these requirements. Jamuna Munda is squatting by a smoky outdoor stove in a makeshift slum on the edge of a colliery. A labourer who survives on odd jobs, she is one of tens of millions of Indians who still do not have access to electricity. She is using coal she has taken from the mine to heat up her chicken broth. "If we do not have coal, we can't cook. At night, we burn it and keep it in the house so we also have some light," she said as she stirs the soup vigorously. "If it's harmful, what we can do about it? We have no other option but to use coal." There are many in India who disagree, who point out that the country has already made huge strides when it comes to expanding alternative sources like solar energy. But even so, given the nation's heavy dependence on it, a coal-free future seems a long way off. Talking to Jamuna reminded me - in a very different way - of my conversation with Shaunak. And of how complicated it is to cut India's cord with coal. In this energy hungry nation, progress often comes at a price.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58706229
     
         
      Ford announces $11.4bn investment in electric vehicle plants Tue, 28th Sep 2021 7:39:00
     
      Ford has announced a major investment in electric vehicle (EV) production in the US, promising to build its biggest ever factory in Tennessee, and two battery parks in Kentucky. Under the $11.4bn (£8.3bn) plan, the carmaker said it will build zero-emission cars and pickups "at scale" for American customers. It will also create 11,000 jobs. Like rivals GM and Stellantis, Ford hopes around half of the cars it sells by 2030 will be zero emission. Yet the additional government investment required to make it happen is still in question. "This is our moment - our biggest investment ever - to help build a better future for America," said Jim Farley, Ford's president and chief executive in a statement. "We are moving now to deliver breakthrough electric vehicles for the many rather than the few." Ford said its Tennessee factory - called Blue Oval City - will cover a 6-square-mile area and build next-generation electric pickup trucks and batteries from 2025. Its battery parks in Kentucky will power a new line-up of Ford and Lincoln EVs. Ford has already ramped up investment in EV production at its Texas and Michigan plants. It said it would be making the new investments in partnership with SK Innovation, a South Korean battery maker. Outside of a few major metropolitan areas, EVs still aren't very common in the US and the country accounted for just 2% of new EV sales globally last year. The Biden administration hopes to change this with tougher tailpipe emissions rules from 2026 and billions of dollars of spending on new charging points and consumer incentives. However, the cash is tied up in two spending bills that Democrat leaders must get through a divided Senate. On Thursday, lawmakers will vote on the first - a $1tn infrastructure plan - which appears to have enough bi-partisan support to pass. But a second, $3.5tn bill - which focuses on widening America's social safety net - is opposed by every Republican and some moderate Democrats, who say it is too expensive in its current form. Ford told the BBC its announcement was not timed to coincide with this week's voting on Capitol Hill. But it said it supports the passage of both bills, which would "help more Americans get into electric vehicles, while at the same time supporting American manufacturing and union jobs".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58714608
     
         
      Air pollution: New 50mph speed limits to be enforced Mon, 27th Sep 2021 16:52:00
     
      Drivers breaking the speed limit on some of Wales' most polluted roads could face fines from next week. Cameras have been installed at five locations in south and north-east Wales, where 50mph zones have been introduced. The Welsh government said air pollution had already been cut by up to 47%. From 4 October, warning letters will be sent to those breaking the limits - with the worst offenders facing prosecution. The areas are: - The A494 between the Wales/England border and St David's Interchange at Ewloe in Flintshire - The A483 between junctions 5 and 6 at Wrexham - The A470 between Upperboat and Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf - The M4 between junctions 41 and 42 at Port Talbot The speed limit on the M4 between junctions 24 and 28 in Newport changed to 50mph in March, with average speed camera enforcements to be introduced at a later date. All the A-roads are dual carriageways, where the 70mph limit would otherwise apply. The new zones were introduced after the Welsh government agreed to work on new plans to tackle air pollution following legal proceedings in 2018. Figures for 2020 and 2021 showed nitrogen dioxide at the five locations had generally been below the legal limit, due to reduced traffic because of the pandemic. But with traffic now returning to pre-pandemic levels, the Welsh government said it wanted to see "better compliance" in those areas. Climate change deputy minister, Lee Waters, said things needed to be done differently if climate change was to be tackled. He said the speed limits were working but enforcement was essential "to achieve the reductions we need to make in the shortest possible time". Teresa Ciano, manager of road safety partnership GoSafe, said enforcement would inform people of the importance of obeying the speed limit, and prosecute the "most dangerous" drivers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58701543
     
         
      Niger: Climate change is another pandemic with devastating effects Mon, 27th Sep 2021 16:41:00
     
      Hassoumi Massoudou highlighted that his country and region are suffering recurrent droughts and flooding, as well as locust infestations and the annual loss of thousands of hectares of agricultural land due to degradation. Citing recent words of President Mohamed Bazoum, he said that to win the fight against climate change, the world needed more political will. “It is the hope of Niger that COP26 in Glasgow will serve as a framework to reaffirm political will to battle the effects of climate change”, he said, noting that some of the big hurdles include finance and technology transfer for developing countries. Climate and conflict As a current non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the Foreign Minister noted that his nation is co-chairing with Ireland an expert group that aims to adopt a resolution regarding the climate crisis. “It is our conviction that fragility linked to climate change is an aggravating factor in conflicts and humanitarian crises”, he said. Mr. Massoudou added that Niger understood this correlation clearly since it currently finds itself surrounded by “hotbeds of instability” and facing the attacks of “terrorist hordes”. He said, however, that despite the size of their country and the lack of resources, Niger has shown itself to be resilient by safeguarding its territorial integrity and stability. This was due to the foresight of Niger’s Government, the courage and determination of its Defense and Security Forces and the invaluable support of bilateral partners such as multilateral organizations, he explained, extending “sincere thanks” for such efforts. Return of displaced communities The Foreign Minister also informed the Assembly that as part of a pilot programme last June, Niger had been able to return almost 6,000 people to their homes after 6 years of displacement. “We also aim to eventually repatriate around 130,000 displaced people from Diffa to Borno state in Nigeria”, he stated. Mr. Massoudou said his Government remains convinced that terrorism and organized crime are the consequences of other ongoing challenges that must be overcome, especially poverty and inequality. “It is not only military actions that will allow us to definitively defeat terrorism, but also our ability to implement development programmes and meet the essential needs of our populations”, he emphasized. A turning point for democracy The Foreign Minister said that while 2021 continues to be shadowed by COVID-19, the year has been a turning point for the consolidation of democracy in his country. “Niger was able to succeed in the first peaceful political transfer of power from one elected president to another”, he explained. Finally, Mr. Massoudou called on the international community to show the same disposition it had in the fight against COVID-19 to tackle other challenges such as climate change, “another pandemic with devastating effects”. “In Niger, we believe that our commitment to the defense of ideals of the [UN] Charter and the values of peace, solidarity that it embodies, will allow us to carry out this fight in order to build a world of peace, justice, and prosperity”, he concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1101462
     
         
      Landsat-9: Key Earth observing spacecraft set to launch Mon, 27th Sep 2021 16:09:00
     
      What is arguably the world's most important satellite will go into orbit on Monday from California. Landsat-9 is the continuation of a series of Earth-observing spacecraft stretching back almost 50 years. No other remote-sensing system has kept a longer, continuous record of the changing state of our planet. Landsat-9 will be sent up on an Atlas rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58702092
     
         
      COP26: Australia PM undecided on attending crucial climate summit Mon, 27th Sep 2021 16:06:00
     
      Australia's prime minister has signalled he may not attend the UN's landmark climate conference in November as his government faces continued criticism of its poor climate record. In an interview, Scott Morrison said he had "not made any final decisions" on attending, suggesting it was a burden. "It's another trip overseas... and I've spent a lot of time in quarantine," he told the West Australian newspaper. The COP26 summit will be the biggest global climate crisis talks in years. It is hoped that the 12-day meeting between world leaders in Glasgow, Scotland will produce the next emissions standards to slow global warming and keep temperature rise below 1.5C. But Mr Morrison said he would consider other priorities, including the reopening of Australia's borders. "I have to focus on things here and with Covid. Australia will be opening up around that time. There will be a lot of issues to manage and I have to manage those competing demands," he told the newspaper. Australia - one of the world's top exporters of coal and gas - is one of 200 countries expected to present their updated 2030 emissions cuts at the meet. Mr Morrison has said he wishes Australia to achieve net zero emissions "as soon as possible", but has not outlined any measures to do so. His government has resisted committing to net zero by 2050 - a goal already pledged by the US, the UK and many other developed nations. Australia has consistently been criticised for its slow climate progress and heavy reliance on coal-fired power - which makes it the most carbon polluting nation in the world per capita. Canberra is also staunchly protective of its fossil fuel industry - and has pledged to continue mining and trading dirty fuels as long as there is demand in Asia. In July, a UN report ranked it last out of 170 member nations for its response to climate change. And despite Australia's claims to the contrary, the UN has previously said the nation is not on track to reach its modest Paris Agreement targets of a 26-28% cut on 2005 levels by 2030. 'Not a no-show' Mr Morrison, who became leader in 2018, has consistently defended Australia's climate policies as adequate. The nation experienced a catastrophic fire season in its 2019-2020 summer - during which Mr Morrison was criticised for downplaying the role of climate change and travelling to Hawaii for a family holiday during the peak of the crisis. He has made several trips abroad this year, including to the G7 summit hosted by the UK in June, and in recent days to Washington for the Quad meeting with the leaders of the US, India and Japan. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Monday that if Mr Morrison did not attend there would still be senior level representation at the meeting. "It's not a no-show at the conference. Australia will be strongly represented at the conference no matter by which senior Australian representative and our commitment is very clear," she told the ABC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58703128
     
         
      How climate change is making inequality worse, especially for children Mon, 27th Sep 2021 15:51:00
     
      Children born in high-income countries will experience twice as many extreme climate events as their grandparents, new research suggests. But for children in low-income countries, it will be worse. They will see three times as many, say researchers at the University of Brussels. The BBC’s population reporter Stephanie Hegarty has been looking at how climate change is already making poverty worse.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58677993
     
         
      Thinktank calls for carbon trading desk for small farmers and climate-focused livestock research Sun, 26th Sep 2021 17:38:00
     
      The Australian government should establish a fixed-price carbon trading desk for small farmers, and fund practical advice and research for livestock producers if agriculture is going to thrive in a net zero future, a report says. Australian farmers should also benefit from actions that reduce emissions and limit climate damage, Melbourne-based thinktank the Grattan Institute found in its paper, launched ahead of the global climate conference in Glasgow in November. The report covers the agricultural sector, which was collectively responsible for 15% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, with the government’s most recent projections indicating those emissions will grow until 2030. Tony Wood, the lead author of the study and the director of the energy program at the Grattan Institute, said agriculture presents challenges which are distinct from other economic sectors. “It would be easy to equate cows with coalmines and argue we should just stop the activity. But agriculture provides our food and going vegetarian would be a momentous policy challenge,” Wood said. “Although Australia is a highly urbanised society we often like to identify with the land. The central challenge with agriculture is that most of the emissions come from grazing cattle and sheep and materially cutting those emissions is simply not currently possible.” The report’s first recommendation is that agriculture not be exempted from any national net zero target because “that simply doesn’t work without including the emissions from all sectors”. The report says it is likely the agriculture sector will still be a major source of emissions in 2050, even if its recommendations are followed. Agriculture’s link with the land sector allows the industry to aim for net zero by removing carbon from the atmosphere through activities such as soil carbon and planting trees to offset emissions. The report recommended investing in better outreach programs to provide farmers with more information and practical advice, as well as more secure income streams to support their investment in lower-emissions practices. To sharpen incentives, the report included strong recommendations to help farmers begin trading carbon through improvements to the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). “Complexity and the administrative cost of participating in the scheme deters potential proponents of many small projects,” the report said. It recommended allowing multiple projects to be submitted under a single application to help small landholders participate in the scheme. Other recommendations regarding the ERF were to broaden the range of emissions-reducing activities and establish a fixed-price purchasing desk to allow access to the fund for landholders too small to participate in an auction. Additionally, the report supports the development of a carbon credit exchange, which differentiates between types of credits including benefits such as biodiversity. Wood said this would align with government initiatives already in place including the biodiversity platform introduced by the minister for agriculture, David Littleproud. Wood highlighted that at the moment the ERF is a major source of revenue in agriculture, but the current government-funded system is not sustainable, and that in future the offsetting will have to be paid for by taxpayers, consumers or famers. The report also included recommendations focused on improving the long-term outlook for emissions reduction by supporting the research, development, and deployment of new technologies. The report recommended “the government should expand the remit and increase funding of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to allow it to support early-stage development of low-emissions agricultural technologies that are not energy-related.” Suzanne Harter, a climate and energy campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said that while “reducing emissions from agriculture is a critical part of what’s needed for Australia to achieve net zero emissions and farmers should be helped in this effort … Arena cannot be the solution to every sector’s investment needs.” Harter said the recommendation to expand the agency’s remitrisks further diluting its mission to support renewable energy technology. For the land sector, the report recommended state and territory governments should not weaken existing land clearing laws, and should aim to keep existing stocks of nature-based carbon at or above current levels. The report clarifies that recommendation does not prevent all vegetation clearing, but ensures that clearing or land degradation in one location is offset by regrowth or land restoration elsewhere. “The goal should be to ensure that the land sector stays at or below net zero – it should continue to remove more carbon from the atmosphere each year than it emits,” it states. As well as reducing the risk it presents to 70% of the sector’s products, exports which may be subjected to future carbon tariffs from other nations, the agriculture industry itself is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The report said changes in rainfall patterns over the past 20 years have cut profits across the sector by 23%. “The more that farmers can reduce emissions, the fewer credits they will need to offset their own emissions, and the more they can sell to others – diversifying their revenue streams,” Wood said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/27/thinktank-calls-for-carbon-trading-desk-for-small-farmers-and-climate-focused-livestock-research
     
         
      Climate change: How to measure a shrinking glacier Sun, 26th Sep 2021 16:06:00
     
      Glaciers are regarded as a key indicator of climate change. Scientists warn that under the current melting rate, even major glaciers are at risk of disappearing. This, in turn, will lead to catastrophic consequences, they say. The BBC’s Abdujalil Abdurasulov joined an expedition that monitors glaciers in Kyrgyzstan to see the effects a warmer world is already having.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58677992
     
         
      Dawning of Britain's 'new nuclear age': Gas crisis prompts ministers to 'change focus' with Kwasi Kwarteng poised to approve 16 mini-reactors in bid to hit 2050 net zero target Sun, 26th Sep 2021 9:37:00
     
      A planned new generation of mini nuclear reactors could protect Britain from future energy crises. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is poised to approve funding for British engineering giant Rolls-Royce to create a fleet of mini-reactors. Ministers are understood to have adopted a 'change of focus' towards nuclear power amid the current crisis caused by rocketing global wholesale gas prices. Rolls-Royce believes its plans to install at least 16 plants could create 40,000 jobs by 2050 in the Midlands, the north of England and other parts of the country. According to the Sunday Times, a consortium led by the engineering firm has secured the necessary £210million to get matching funding from the taxpayer. It comes amid news that Chinese investment in Britain's next generation of nuclear power stations is set to be banned on security grounds. Ministers are set to formally bar any further involvement by China's General Nuclear Power Group in the £20billion Sizewell C nuclear power project. The UK's seven nuclear plants provide about 17 per cent of its electricity needs, but that is due to nearly halve by 2024 as ageing plants are decommissioned The Treasury, which was previously seen as the obstacle to new nuclear projects because of their rising cost, has reportedly also concluded that more nuclear power is needed. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to have made clear in a meeting on Friday that he thought nuclear should play a more prominent role in future energy policy. A source close to Mr Sunak said his general view was that Britain should have had a weightier focus on nuclear 'ten years ago, when it was cheaper' but added that the country 'can't rely' on wind and solar power. Mini reactors, known as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), generate around 450 megawatts of power - around a seventh of what a conventional power station such as Hinkley Point produces. State support for them was revealed in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ten-point green industrial revolution plan that was released last November. Recent data from the National Grid shows how dependent Britain remains on gas. The country's electricity comes from sources which, other than gas and nuclear, include wind, hydro, biomass, imports and solar. However, amounts vary considerably depending on the season, the weather and time of day. Figures for last Friday show that at noon, the sun supplied 15.3 per cent of the UK's overall energy. Wind was the biggest power source that day, responsible for almost 40 per cent of the energy mix at midday. Nuclear energy offers consistent levels of power around the clock – providing more than a fifth of our energy in the early hours of Friday. Biomass fuel, made by burning wood and other organic matter, is the UK's second-largest source of renewable electricity. And whereas Britain once relied on coal, that accounted for just 0.6 per cent of supply between April and June – and none on Friday. Imported energy hit 9 per cent of the total on Friday night, but hydropower production was minimal. The Government's renewed focus on nuclear comes as ministers seek a way of blocking China from the Sizewell project. However, CGN has a 20 per cent stake in the development of the project and an option to remain once it is built. Treasury officials have looked at several options to replace China's financial backing of the project. The favoured option is said to be a regulated asset base (RAB) model. It has been used in other big infrastructure projects such as the Thames Tideway and requires legislation. A Government spokeswoman told the Mail on Sunday: 'CGN is currently a shareholder in Sizewell C up until the point of the Government's final investment decision. Negotiations are ongoing and no final decision has been taken.' Last week, it emerged that Mr Kwarteng is backing plans to build another major nuclear power plant in Wales to ease pressure on electricity supplies. The Business Secretary is believed to be lining up behind an attempt to revive proposals for a site at Wylfa on Anglesey. The project could happen alongside a second nuclear plant at Hinkley Point , Somerset, which is already under construction, and the Sizewell venture. A previous attempt to build a nuclear power station at Wylfa collapsed a year ago after Japanese firm Hitachi pulled out. But according to The Times the government is now in discussions with US manufacturer Westinghouse. In May, pictures emerged of the moment that the world's largest crane lifted a massive steel ring into place at the Hinkley Point C site in Somerset. It was the second of three prefabricated steel rings to form the reinforced cylinder around the new nuclear reactor at the new £23billion power station. Britain's first nuclear power station, Calder Hall, in Cumbria, opened in 1956 - two years after the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKEA) was established. It was the world's first nuclear power station to deliver electricity in commercial quantities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10029709/Kwasi-Kwarteng-poised-approve-16-mini-nuclear-reactors-bid-hit-2050-net-zero-target.html
     
         
      The climate crisis has made the idea of a better future impossible to imagine Sat, 25th Sep 2021 8:00:00
     
      Writing in 2003, the American environmentalist Bill McKibben observed that although “some small percentage” of scientists, diplomats and activists had known for 15 years that the Earth was facing a disastrous change, their knowledge had almost completely failed to alarm anyone else. It certainly alarmed McKibben: in June 1988, the scientist James Hansen testified to the US Congress that the world was warming rapidly and human behaviour was the primary cause – the first loud and unequivocal warning of the climate crisis to come – and before the next year was out, McKibben had published The End of Nature, the first book about climate change for a lay audience. But few others seemed particularly worried. “People think about ‘global warming’ in the way they think about ‘violence on television’ or ‘growing trade deficits’, as a marginal concern to them, if a concern at all,” he wrote in 2003. “Hardly anyone has fear in their guts.” McKibben’s words appeared in the literary magazine Granta, which I then edited, in a piece I’d commissioned for an issue on global warming: This Overheating World. It seemed a timely and important theme, but sometimes editors can get too far ahead of the game. Many thousands of people across the world felt more and knew more about the climate crisis than I did, but few of them, unfortunately, appeared to be literary novelists or writers of narrative non-fiction. The issue included some fine pieces but was not a total success. In fact, Margaret Atwood did publish a novel that year, Oryx and Crake, set in a world ruined by climate breakdown (among other causes), but the most prominent examples of its fictional treatment, the small genre sometimes known as “cli-fi”, had still to come. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, published in 2006, may never be surpassed, not even by the Book of Revelation, as the future’s most terrifying herald. Literature had good reasons to resist. I’m never sure what the German philosopher-sociologist Theodor Adorno was driving at with his statement that “to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric”; only that he might be suggesting that in the prospect or memory of such a calamity, poetry was useless and the pretension of its relevance simple-minded. And so it might be with novels and the climate crisis. Earlier writers such as Jules Verne and HG Wells entertained their readers with versions of the future that were sometimes frightening, but only in a hide-beneath-the-bedsheets way, and against the common grain of western optimism that the future would be better than the past (a feeling that survived the Eurocentric horror of the last century’s first 50 years, and, in my generation’s case, the Cuban missile crisis and the threat of nuclear war). Who believes it now? The idea of a better future has been replaced by one of a future not as bad as it could be, providing urgent steps are taken; but for more than 20 years (more than 30 years, if the counting starts with Hansen’s address to Congress) the science behind our understanding of climate breakdown was widely dismissed either as an international conspiracy or an inconvenient speculation, or relegated to a problem on a par with McKibben’s “growing trade deficits”. National electorates and their political leaders; media magnates; company stockholders and executives, especially those in the carbon fuel business: few of them wanted to know. As recently as 2015, Boris Johnson could describe worldwide concern over the climate as “global leaders driven by a primitive fear that the present ambient warm weather is somehow caused by humanity”. In 2012 Anne-Marie Trevelyan, now his international trade secretary, wrote in support of a campaign against windfarms: “We aren’t getting hotter, global warming isn’t actually happening.” As the gospel of St Luke tells us, there will be more joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous people who don’t need to bother, but here on Earth it might be appropriate to have statements such as Trevelyan’s (she made several) incised on durable measuring sticks that can be inserted along the high tidemark of her Northumberland constituency, whose coastline is so long and low. It would be wrong, however, to confine the blame for our delayed engagement to straightforward denialism. Recognising climate breakdown as a possibly terminal crisis for civilisation led to the difficulty of managing it inside our heads. As David Runciman, professor of politics at Cambridge University, wrote six years ago: “It’s hard? to come up with a good analogy for climate change but that doesn’t stop people from trying. We seem to want some way of framing the problem that makes a decent outcome look less unlikely than it often appears.” He listed the most common analogies: climate was a “moonshot problem”, a “war mobilisation problem”, a “disease eradication problem”. Beyond giving a notion of the effort required, none worked; war, for instance, needed a clear enemy in view – and in the climate crisis, Runciman wrote, “the enemy is us”. Analogies offered a false comfort: “Just because we did all those things doesn’t mean we can do this one.” Climate breakdown is like nothing that has gone before. Like an intermittent fountain, its ghastly prospect shoots high in the air one minute and then vanishes as though it had never been. On 9 August this year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a report that spread alarm and despondency everywhere. “A code red for humanity,” warned the UN secretary general. “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions … are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.” By 11 August, A-level results, Brexit lorry queues and Prince Andrew had squeezed the message from every front page. An ordinary kind of life goes on. Research shows that in 2020 the word “cake” was mentioned 10 times more often on UK television shows than the phrase “climate change’”, and that “banana bread” was heard more frequently than “wind power” and “solar power” combined. Research shows that four in 10 young people around the world are hesitant to have children, while three-quarters of them find the future frightening and more than half believe humanity is doomed. Research (by the climate scientists James Dyke, Robert Watson and Wolfgang Knorr) shows that if humanity had acted on Hansen’s testimony immediately to stop the accelerating use of fossil fuels and begun a decarbonisation process of around 2% a year, then we would now have a two-in-three chance of limiting warming to 1.5C. If that calculation is correct, the odds these days must be quite a lot longer. Is there fear in our guts? Boris Johnson spoke to the UN assembly on Wednesday like a boy who wanted the applause of the Oxford Union. He had a clever reference (Sophocles), a popular reference (The Muppet Show), and a reference to a particular kind of English life (“unlocking the drinks cabinet”) that vanished with the Austin Allegro. It seems unlikely that the world can be saved by such a speech, but there is no point complaining. For this dangerous moment, he is what we have.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/25/climate-crisis-future-emergency
     
         
      COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important? Fri, 24th Sep 2021 17:00:00
     
      The UK is hosting a summit that is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. The meeting in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. What is COP26 and why is it happening? The world is warming because of fossil fuel emissions caused by humans. Extreme weather events linked to climate change - including heatwaves, floods and forest fires - are intensifying and governments agree urgent collective action is needed. For this conference, 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. They all agreed in 2015 to make changes to keep global warming "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels - and to try aim for 1.5C - so that we avoid a climate catastrophe. This is what's known as the Paris Agreement, and it means countries have to keep making bigger emissions cuts until reaching net zero in 2050. What will be decided at COP26? Most countries will set out their plans to reduce emissions before the summit starts - so, we should get a sense of whether we are on track beforehand. But during the two weeks we can expect a flurry of new announcements. Many are expected to be very technical - including rules still needed to implement the Paris Agreement, for example. But some other announcements could include: - Making a faster switch to electric cars - Speeding up the phasing out of coal power - Cutting down fewer trees - Protecting more people from the impacts of climate change, such as funding coastal-defence systems. Up to 25,000 people are expected in Glasgow, including world leaders negotiators and journalists. Tens of thousands of campaigners and businesses will also be there to hold events, network - and hold protests. Extinction Rebellion, for example, are calling for an immediate end to the use of fossil fuels. At the end of the conference, some form of declaration is expected. Every country will be required to sign up and it could include specific commitments. Are there likely sticking points? Expect a lot of talk about money and climate justice. Developing countries tend to pollute less per head of population and are not responsible for most of emissions in the past. But they experience some of the worst effects of climate change. They need money to help reduce their emissions and to cope with climate change. It could mean more solar panels in countries that depend on energy from coal and flood defence systems. There will also be a battle over compensation for developing countries affected by climate change. Wealthy countries previously pledged $100bn (£720m) a year to help poorer nations by 2020, but that didn't happen. So, richer countries will be expected to commit more money. China's commitments at COP26 will also be very important. It is now the world's biggest polluter and has investments in coal stations all over the world. Many observers will be watching how quickly China - and other major fossil fuel producers - will be willing to reduce their reliance on them. How will COP26 affect me? Some commitments made in Glasgow could directly affect our daily lives. For example, it could change whether you drive a petrol car, heat your home with a gas boiler, or take as many flights. You will hear a lot of jargon COP26: COP stands for Conference of the Parties. Established by the UN, COP1 took place in 1995 - this will be the 26th Paris accord: The Paris Agreement united all the world's nations - for the first time - in a single agreement on tackling global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change examines the latest research into climate change 1.5C: Keeping the rise in global average temperature below 1.5C - compared with pre-industrial times - will avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists say How will we know COP26 is a success? As host nation, the UK will likely want all countries to back a strong statement that recommits to net zero emissions by 2050 - as well as big reductions by 2030. It will also want specific pledges on ending coal, petrol cars and protecting nature. Developing countries will want a significant financial package over the next five years, to help them adapt to rising temperatures. Anything short of this is likely to be judged inadequate because there simply isn't more time to keep the 1.5C goal alive. However, some scientists believe world leaders have left it too late and no matter what is agreed at COP26, 1.5C will not be achieved.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56901261
     
         
      LIVE: World leaders pledge to power humanity with clean energy Fri, 24th Sep 2021 15:41:00
     
      18:05 ‘Make these commitments a reality’, says deputy UN chief Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and UN Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed delivered some closing remarks a few minutes ago. Mr. Lui said that he was encouraged by the willingness of Member States to make Sustainable Development Goal 7 (clean energy access for all by 2030) a reality. He added that, without civil society and youth we have no shot at achieving this goal. The Dialogue, he said, marks the start of a new phase, with all the main elements in place for a global roadmap towards reaching SDG7, and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Ms. Mohammed thanked those who are “leading by example” by submitting Energy Compacts, which she described as critical if we are to keep global temperatures rises to 1.5 degrees. The response to economic recovery, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has, she said, been inadequate, and pushed millions into poverty. The commitments made today, she declared, represent a fight back. Achieving net zero carbon emissions, continued the deputy UN chief, hinges on actions taken this decade, which needs to be one of massive renewable energy expansion, with people and planet at the heart of all our initiatives. Summing up the commitments made throughout the day, Ms. Mohammed said that national governments committed to provide electricity to over 166 million people worldwide, and private companies pledged to reach just over 200 million people. Governments also committed to install an additional 698 gigawatts of renewable energy from solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and renewables-based hydrogen, and businesses, notably power utilities, pledged to install an additional 823 GW, all by 2030. “These are bold commitments” she said, “I invite you all to help make them a reality.” That wraps up our coverage of today’s event, but the statements from senior government ministers around the world continues here. Thank you for following today’s blog. You might like to subscribe to our podcasts, No Denying It and The Lid is On, where you can listen to more interviews and features on the energy transition, and climate action. 17:00 The coalitions We have heard about many national government commitments made today, but just as significant are the pledges made by several coalitions. The No New Coal compact includes Sri Lanka, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, the UK, and Montenegro. The countries involved in the coalition have committed to immediately stop issuing new permits for unabated coal-fired power generation projects and cease new construction of unabated coal-fired power generation projects as of the end of 2021. The 24/7 Carbon Free Energy (CFE) Compact, led by Google and in partnership with a group of energy buyers and suppliers including governments, aims to transform global electricity grids to “absolute zero” or full decarbonization. Signatories commit to adopting and enabling 24/7 CFE, which means that every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free electricity sources, every hour of every day, everywhere. And a Gender and Energy Compact, involving governments, and some 30 civil society and international organizations, aims to give women equal opportunity to lead, participate in, and benefit from a just energy transition, and to have equal access to sustainable energy products and services. 16:35 Nauru, the UAE and Mauritius This afternoon, as part of the “scaling up action” part of today’s event, we’ve heard pledges from countries as diverse as Nauru, a Pacific island nation, and the United Arab Emirates. The President of Nauru announced his country’s pledge to achieve 50 per cent electricity generation from renewable sources by 2023, and a 30 per cent improvement in energy efficiency by 2030, compared to this year’s figures. However, he pointed out that Naururequires technical and financial support in order to achieve these goals. The United Arab Emirates committed to providing 100 per cent of its population with access to electricity, and primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies for cooking, by 2030. The country also pledged to generate 2.5 GW from solar energy in the building sector by 2030. And Mauritius significantly scaled up its renewable energy target, from 40 per cent to 60 per cent by 2030, from the current level of about 24 per cent. The country has also decided to completely phase out coal, which represents 40 per cent of energy needs, by 2030. 16:10 Scaling up action The fourth and final leadership dialogue has kicked off, introduced by Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for all, and co-chair of today's event. Ms, Ogunbiyi said that she had been encouraged by the strong endorsement from Heads of State, UN agencies, international bodies as well as multi-stakeholder leaders, in the form of Energy Compacts that show their willingness not only to make commitments, but to also back it up with action. Welcoming the announcements of investments totalling some $67 billion towards achieving clean energy access for all, she nevertheless noted that much more needs to be done to improve clean cooking. This could be improved by public-private partnerships, which aim to leverage over $200 billion, and focus on underserved sectors both on electricity and clean cooking access. 16:00 Germany and the Netherlands During this dialogue on climate finance, we heard the German commitment to increase the proportion of renewable energy in total electricity consumption to 65 per cent by 2030, and to support partner countries in expanding use of decentralized energy and innovative technologies such as green hydrogen and “power to x”, an innovation to use surplus electric power. The German government has also committed to providing seven billion euros towards speeding up the market rollout of hydrogen technology in Germany, and another 2 billion euros for fostering international partnerships. The Netherlands will support access to clean cooking for 45 million people, access to electricity based on renewable energy for 100 million people, and a doubling of job opportunities in the energy transition for women and youth, all by 2030. 15:30 The promise of technology “There are still 789 million people without access to electricity. By scaling up low-cost swarm grid programmes, we could bring electrification to around 80 per cent of these people”. This impressive claim is made by Alexandra Soezer, a technical adviser at the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and shows that an electricity grid is not the only way to get power, and clean power in particular, to many more people. The “swarm grids” refer to sturdy power cubes, which look like large car batteries, and are charged by a solar array. They are being installed in vulnerable communities, from Laos to Mozambique to Vanuatu: the Vanuatu government has plans to extend it to many more of the country’s off-grid islands, and transition to 100 per cent renewable energy. Find out more here. 15:00 Money, money, money Welcome back to our LIVE blog on the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, the first of its kind in four decades. This morning has already seen several significant commitments made to accelerate the transition to a global economy based on renewable energy sources, which will be essential, if we are to have any hope of keeping a lid on the warming of the planet. The third of the four dialogues has just begun, and it’s all about countries putting their money where their metaphorical mouths are: finance. In short, where will the money to pay for this transition come from, and how will it be used? We will bring you some of the most important pledges being made on the finance front, later this afternoon. Over a decade ago, developed countries agreed to commit some $100 billion per year in support of climate action, which includes switching to clean energy, but that target has never been met. It might sound a lot, but it’s only around five per cent of annual military expenditure (an estimated $2 trillion in 2002), and the trillions developed countries found to finance COVID-related economic relief for their citizens. With communities in all parts of the world already suffering from the financial effects of climate change, from crop loss due to drought, or major damage to infrastructure caused by flooding or other extreme weather, it might be more pertinent to ask if we can afford not to collectively raise at least $100 billion a year to deal with all aspects of the climate crisis. Nevertheless, despite the “build back better” rhetoric we have heard so often during the pandemic, countries continue to invest in the production of fossil fuels, adding to the already dangerous emissions levels that are driving temperature rises. You can read more about climate finance – what it is, and how it works – here. 14:15 'If solar power works in the Arctic, what excuse do city folks have?' That’s the question posed in Old Crow, home of the Yukon’s new solar installation project, which, when complete, will allow the community to stop burning nearly 200,000 litres of diesel fuel annually. The initiative is being shepherded by Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, the elected chief of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, based in Old Crow, a community of around 300 in Canada, which can only be accessed by air. Chief Tizya-Tramm is the guest of the UN climate action podcast, No Denying It, which is available on all podcast platforms. The 10-part series features the voices of many inspiring climate activists, as well as high-profile advocates including Michelle Yeoh, Ed Norton and Jane Goodall. Listen to the episode here. 13:30 More to come… This afternoon, at 15:00 Eastern Time, we will see a dialogue on finance, perhaps the most crucial aspect of the transition to a clean economy, because without money, it will be impossible to put these plans into action. We’ll be finding out where the cash is coming from, and how it’s going to be used. More Energy Compacts will be announced by global leaders, and we expect the event to conclude with a wrap-up of progress made, and a look ahead to the next steps, in particular the COP26 UN climate conference, due to take place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November. 12:30 Malawi Earlier we heard Malawi's energy commitments to provide universal cleaner cooking. The Malawi office of the UN Childrens' Fund UNICEF has underlined the importance of renewable energy solutions, to reduce health issues facing children due to the lack of electricity in hard-to-reach areas. Across Malawi, only around 10 per cent of households have electricity, and in rural areas, that drops to four per cent. However, the Government has committed to achieving nationwide access to electricity by 2030, and to providing universal quality healthcare. UNICEF Malawi has developed a system for using solar-powered deeper boreholes for improved water access, and is working to provide solar energy solutions to power remote healthcare facilities that are not connected to the grid. You can find more on how UNICEF and partners in Malawi are working to improve social services for children in the country, here. 12:15 India and Sierra Leone India has made several pledges related to renewable energy production, and emission reductions. The country is committing to adding 10 GW of solar photovoltaic manufacturing capacity by 2025, increasing renewable energy installed capacity to 450 GW by 2030, and to implement a National Hydrogen Energy Mission to scale up annual green hydrogen production. The country will enhance energy efficiency in agriculture, buildings, industry and transport sectors, and promote energy-efficient appliances and equipment, in order to reduce India's emissions intensity of GDP by around a third, in comparison to 2005 levels, by 2030. Sierra Leone’s commitments included an increase in the use of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to an adoption rate of 25%, as an alternative to wood, ensuring that all households have access to energy-saving cooking solutions, and Increasing the efficiency of most biomass stoves to a minimum of 20 per cent. Please note that we’re picking out a selection of today’s announcements during today’s event, but you can find the full rundown of the Energy Compacts here. 11:50 Latin American and Nigeria In the last few minutes, Colombia’s president announced that 70 per cent of the installed capacity and electricity generation in Latin America will be from renewable energies by 2030. Governments participating in the RELAC Energy Compact include Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Nigeria committed to electrify five million homes by 2023, using solar technologies, creating 250,000 jobs, and give 30 million homes access to clean cooking and energizing agriculture, textile production, cold storage etc. using gas as a transition fuel. 11:40 A just transition The switch to clean energy is going to have a significant impact on the global economy, and affect people’s lives. As the jobs that were once supplied by, or were connected to, fossil-fuel based industries disappear, those affected will need help to find employment elsewhere. This assistance is part of a “just transition”, ensuring that no-one is left behind, and that the benefits of a clean economy are felt throughout the population. The International Labour Organization (ILO) got to grips with the issue at an event in April, with a focus on Africa. The UN jobs agency warned that, whilst a shift to renewables will create work, millions of jobs will go, and governments on the continent need to help their citizens to adjust. In the second dialogue of the day, world leaders will show how they are planning to ensure that they will support their populations through the transition to a clean global economy.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100712
     
         
      Pollution is damaging UK rivers more than public thinks, report says Fri, 24th Sep 2021 0:21:00
     
      Rivers, streams and freshwater marshes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being devastated by diffuse agricultural pollution and sewage, according to a new report. Despite only 14% of English rivers meeting the criteria for “good” ecological status, 43% of people questioned in a new survey believe that Britain’s freshwater systems are in good condition. However, the Troubled Waters report for a coalition of charities, including the RSPB, the National Trust and the Rivers Trust, reveals how even wildlife-rich protected wetlands and rivers are threatened by pollution, while restoring water quality is hampered by a lack of effective monitoring and enforcement. Fewer than half of Welsh rivers are of good ecological status, and 28 out of 45 monitored areas on the River Wye are failing to meet targets to control phosphorus levels caused by diffuse agricultural pollution. Nevertheless, planning approval continues to be given to intensive poultry farms, with an estimated 20 million chickens now being reared every year in the River Wye’s catchment. Only 31% of water bodies in Northern Ireland are of good or high quality, with 76% of the lakes in the Upper Lough Erne area classified as less than good, largely as a result of fertilisers washing from farmland into rivers and streams. In some places, sewage also imperils wildlife-rich sites, with Leighton Moss, the largest reedbed in north-west England and a site of special scientific interest, also home to 30 properties that are reliant on septic tanks and are judged a threat to springs that feed the marshes. According to a YouGov poll in the report, 88% of people agreed that Britain’s lakes, rivers and streams were a “national treasure” but just 10% identified agricultural pollution as the biggest issue for water quality. Jenna Hegarty, deputy director of policy for the RSPB, said: “It is no surprise so many people think of our waterways as a national treasure and revel in the magical sight of otters playing in our streams, dragonflies hovering like jewels above our lakes and the vibrant flash of kingfishers in flight. “But nature is in crisis and the incredible freshwater wildlife people marvelled at as they explored our countryside this summer is a fraction of what should be there. It is disturbing how it has become so normal for our waterways to be polluted and contaminated, and that many people do not realise there is something wrong.” The report calls for the end to sewage discharge into rivers and tougher fines for polluting water companies, but said there must also be “systemic change” to the planning system and legally binding targets for biodiversity and freshwater systems. In addition, enforcement agencies need much better resources to monitor sites, according to the report. In England, spending on monitoring protected sites, including freshwater, fell from about £2m in 2010 to £700,000 in 2019. Until recently, the report says, the average farm in England could expect a visit by an Environment Agency Officer once every 263 years. It has been estimated that the cost of effective enforcement in England would be £10m a year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/15/pollution-is-damaging-uk-rivers-more-than-public-thinks-report-says
     
         
      No Denying It episode 5: Jane Goodall Introduces Xiaoyuan Thu, 23rd Sep 2021 13:39:00
     
      Charlene is the founder of MyH2O, a data platform connecting clean water resources to rural communities in China. She received a B.A. from Vassar College and dual M.S. in Environmental Engineering and Technology and Policy at MIT. Over 300 million residents in rural China don't have consistent access to clean drinking water, and due to a lack of information on drinking water quality in rural China, this issue has long been neglected. MyH20 solves that issue through a nationwide collaborative youth volunteer network, to collect clean water data, diagnose water problems on a case-by-case basis, with the goal to connect data-driven water resources and solutions to the underprivileged communities in need and improve their overall health. Charlene inspires us to do citizen science - to use our on-the-ground knowledge to inform decisionmakers about what we need. Jane Goodall Jane Goodall is a pioneer in the study of chimpanzees, having spent many years living amongst them and studying their behavior in western Tanzania. Ms. Goodall’s work, which began in 1960 in the Gombe rainforest reserve, has not stopped after more than 50 years. The decades-old study holds the record for the longest-running wildlife research ever conducted. In an effort to raise awareness on wildlife habitat destruction, Ms. Goodall launched the Jane Goodall Institute, a global leader in chimpanzee habitat protection, and from this organisation founded environmental youth programme, Roots & Shoots. In 2002 Ms. Goodall was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace. In her role she calls upon all of humanity to promote peace among people and the natural world, and for future generations to come. Each year Ms. Goodall delivers a message on peace at UN Headquarters in New York during the ceremonial bell ringing and student observance of the International Day of Peace.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/interview/2021/09/1100832?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b40d85d3e0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_23_02_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-b40d85d3e0-107499886
     
         
      Window to avert devasting climate impacts ‘rapidly closing’ Thu, 23rd Sep 2021 12:33:00
     
      Drawing attention to the “deeply alarming” report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last month, Secretary-General António Guterres spelled out that “much bolder climate action is needed” to maintain international peace and security. He urged the G20 industrialized nations to step up and drive action before the UN Climate Conference (COP26) in early November. ‘Risk multipliers’ Against the backdrop of wildfires, flooding, droughts and other extreme weather events, the UN chief said that “no region is immune”. And he pointed out that the climate crisis is “particularly profound” with compounded by fragility and conflict. Describing climate change and environmental mismanagement as “risk multipliers”, he explained that last year, climate-related disasters displaced more than 30 million people and that 90 per cent of refugees come from countries least able to adapt to the climate crisis. Many of these refugees are hosted by States also suffering the impacts of climate change, “compounding the challenge for host communities and national budgets”, Mr. Guterres told ambassadors, adding that the COVID pandemic is also undermining governments’ ability to respond to climate disasters and build resilience. Prioritizing actions Maintaining that “it is not too late to act”, the top UN official highlighted three “absolute priorities”, beginning with capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. To avert catastrophic climate impacts, he urged all Member States to up their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – plans through which countries commit to increasingly ambitious climate action – before COP26 and to translate those commitments into “concrete and immediate action”. “Collectively, we need a 45 per cent cut in global emissions by 2030”, he said. ‘Forgotten half’ To address the dire impacts of climate disruption, Mr. Guterres stressed the need for adaptation and resilience, which he maintained requires committing at least half of global climate finance to build resilience and support adaptation. “We simply cannot achieve our shared climate goals – nor achieve hope for lasting peace and security – if resilience and adaptation continue to be the forgotten half of the climate equation”, he said. Mutual reinforcement Climate adaptation and peacebuilding “can and should reinforce each other”, he said, highlighting cross-border projects in West and Central Africa that have “enabled dialogue and promoted more transparent management of scarce natural resources”. And noting that “women and girls face severe risks from both climate change and conflict”, he underscored the importance of their “meaningful participation and leadership” to bring “sustainable results that benefit more people”. The UN is integrating climate risks into conflict prevention, peacebuilding initiatives and its political analysis, the Secretary-General explained. “The Climate Security Mechanism is supporting field missions, country teams and regional and sub-regional organizations…[and] work is gaining traction in countries and regions where the Security Council has recognized that climate and ecological change are undermining stability”, he said. Treading lightly Acknowledging that 80 per cent of the UN’s own carbon emissions come from its six largest peacekeeping operations, Mr. Guterres said the Organization had to do better. He assured that the UN is working on new approaches to shift to renewable energy producers, which will continue “beyond the lifetime of our missions”. “We are all part of the solution. Let us all work together to mitigate and adapt to climate disruption to build peaceful and resilient societies”, concluded the Secretary-General. Moment to act Chairing the meeting, Ireland's Prime Minister, Micheál Martin underscored the importance for the 15-member body to take a greater role in climate assessment and mitigation, including through peacekeeping operations and mandates. “People affected by climate change-driven conflict depend on this Council for leadership”, he said. “Now is the moment for the Council to act”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100912
     
         
      Climate change: Wildlife and plant species decline 'a crisis' Thu, 23rd Sep 2021 11:42:00
     
      Stopping the decline in wildlife and plant species is as important as tackling climate change, the head of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has said. Clare Pillman said nature was in "crisis" and new targets were needed. All five of the UK's environment watchdogs - including NRW - have published a report with suggestions for how the problem could be turned around. They include limiting use of fertiliser on farmland and creating new wildlife habitats on a large scale. At a recent UN conference, the UK signed up to a Leader's Pledge for Nature - which aims to stop biodiversity loss worldwide by 2030. However, the report on Wednesday said significant action and funding is needed within the next two to three years if that goal is to be achieved. "This isn't something we can put off, delay to the future or do when it's easier," Ms Pillman said. "This is a crisis and we have to see action like we've seen in addressing the pandemic." The ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero would also fail without "nature based solutions" such as restoring peat bogs and planting new woodland, she warned. As many as one in six species are at risk of disappearing from Wales in the coming decades according to a recent study. Mammals like the red squirrel and water vole, birds like the curlew and plants such as the fen orchid squeezed out by loss of habitat and pollution. The report said landowners need to be incentivised to give over more of their land for nature, with farmers paid for work to protect wildlife. It added while these reforms are already under way they need to happen quickly. The environment experts also want "ambitious" nature recovery targets introduced - similar to those designed to fight climate change. It is something the Welsh government is looking at, but said it will not be rushed into. One idea the report describes as "particularly promising" is to set a legal limit on the amount of nutrients that can be emitted, and allow landowners and others to trade their allowances within this overall limit. It also wants 30% of UK land to be protected for nature by 2030 though environment charities have said in the past this won't go far enough. Groups such as Wildlife Trust Wales said it is the "active management" of these areas that matters. It emerged recently that almost half of sites set aside for nature conservation in Wales were not being monitored due to lack of funding. The Welsh government spokesperson said: "We welcome this important report and will carefully consider the recommendations, looking for opportunities to incorporate them into our approach as we respond to the nature emergency. "We've put tackling the nature and climate emergencies at the heart of decision-making, which has seen us take action including through our nature networks programme for our protected sites and introduction of the agricultural pollution regulations to improve water quality."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58641886
     
         
      Air pollution: Even worse than we thought - WHO Wed, 22nd Sep 2021 23:17:00
     
      Air pollution is even more dangerous than previously thought, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, as it slashes maximum safe levels of key pollutants such nitrogen dioxide. An estimated seven million people die prematurely each year from diseases linked to air pollution, the WHO says. Low- and middle-income countries suffer the most, because of their reliance on fossil fuels for economic development. The WHO puts air pollution on a par with smoking and unhealthy eating. It is urging its 194 member states to cut emissions and take action on climate change, ahead of the COP26 summit in November. Decade by decade, the limits for what's considered a safe amount of pollution are being ratcheted down. It's not news to people suffering from heart and lung problems that toxic particles and gases can harm people at much lower levels than previously thought. The changes to the guidelines mean the UK's legal limits for the most harmful pollutants are now four times higher than the maximum levels recommended by the WHO. The trouble is that the worst pollution - tiny particles which can be breathed into the lungs - is so terribly hard to stop. Pollution comes from vehicle exhausts and gas central heating. But harmful particles are also released into the air in other ways - or formed in the air in reaction with other chemicals. Particle sources include paints, cleaning fluids, and solvents. Add to that car tyres wearing on the road, or brakes - meaning that even electric cars can't offer a perfect solution. How many people know that farm slurry also gives off gases that contribute to deaths in cities? That's why the new advice is so challenging to governments. If you live in a city, it's very hard to escape pollution, however hard you try. The new guidelines, released on Wednesday, halve the recommended maximum for exposure to tiny particles called PM2.5s. These are produced by burning fuels in power generation, domestic heating and vehicle engines. "Almost 80% of deaths related to PM2.5 could be avoided in the world if the current air pollution levels were reduced to those proposed in the updated guideline," the WHO said. It is also cutting the recommended limit for another class of microparticles, known as PM10s, by 25%. Other pollutants singled out in the guidelines include ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Air pollution is linked to conditions such as heart disease and strokes. In children, it can reduce lung growth and cause aggravated asthma. "Improving air quality can enhance climate change mitigation efforts, while reducing emissions will in turn improve air quality," the WHO says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58657224
     
         
      Insulate Britain: Injunction granted against M25 protesters Wed, 22nd Sep 2021 15:29:00
     
      A court ruling won by the government warns climate change protesters that they could be jailed if they continue their campaign of blocking the M25. Ministers hope the High Court injunction can prevent further disruption around London. Insulate Britain has blocked parts of the M25 five times in the last fortnight. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted that activists faced "possible imprisonment if they flout". The Department for Transport (DfT) said more than 200 Insulate Britain campaigners had been arrested at the protests, the first of which affected Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent on 13 September. Protesters have also targeted other motorways, including the M11 near Stansted Airport in Essex and the M3 in Surrey. The civil court action was taken by National Highways - the government body which runs motorways. The protest group has been calling for the installation of heat-saving measures in social housing by 2025, and all homes by 2030. Insulate Britain spokeswoman Zoe Cohen told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that protesters "understand the risks they are taking are because we have tried everything else to make the government protect us from the predicted impacts of climate chaos". "That involves the loss of all that we cherish, our society, our way of life and law and order," she said. In a reply to Mr Shapps' tweet, Insulate Britain said the government "is reckless and is putting lives at risk with its inaction on #insulation". Mr Shapps told MPs he believed the injunction would bring an end to the demonstrations. "It barely goes without saying, it's irresponsible, dangerous and completely counterproductive," he said. "Earlier in the process there was a somewhat different approach being taken. "Yesterday the police were on the scene much more quickly. The injunction will greatly strengthen their hand." Home Secretary Priti Patel, who last week described protesters' actions as "selfish", said the injunction would mean "people can get moving again" on the London orbital motorway. "We will not tolerate lives being put at risk," she said. Mr Shapps added the government would be reviewing the powers, but it was "unacceptable for people to be able to walk on to not just a major highway but a motorway, stop traffic, be released the next day and do the same thing again". "An injunction may just be an interim way of doing [stopping] that," he said. Assistant Chief Constable for Humberside Police, Chris Noble, who is the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for policing protests, told the Today programme police "aren't anti-protest but we are pro-responsibility". "This is not a benign supermarket car park that this is taking place on," he said. He said police officers were most likely to come to harm as a result of the protests because they were having to run across motorways to try to remove the campaigners. In his High Court order, Mr Justice Lavender ruled it should last until 21 March, but there would be a hearing to review the situation on 5 October. The order covers every part of the M25 and the Dartford Crossing, including slip roads and bridges, and states that demonstrators are banned from "causing damage to the surface of or to any apparatus on or around the M25 including but not limited to painting, damaging by fire, or affixing any item or structure thereto". The order means that breaching it could lead to a civil court hearing. In a statement, Insulate Britain said it would continue its protests and "as soon as the government makes a meaningful statement that we can trust, we will leave the motorway". During the recent protests, the government said it was "investing £1.3bn this year alone to support people to install energy efficiency measures, and our upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out how we decarbonise the nation's homes in a way that is fair, practical and affordable".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-58649286
     
         
      Life at 50C: Heat hitting home in Australia Wed, 22nd Sep 2021 13:39:00
     
      Australia is one of the countries already seeing an increase in the number of extremely hot days because of climate change, with places like Sydney experiencing temperatures around 50C. The intense heat has led to unusually strong bushfires and some indigenous species dying en masse. As the BBC’s Life at 50 degrees season continues, this film explores how this new reality is hitting home in Australia.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-58643237
     
         
      Support developing countries with climate mitigation: Bosnia and Herzegovina Wed, 22nd Sep 2021 12:30:00
     
      The climate issue is closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said, referring to the blueprint to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. Accelerate action now “Climate change is no longer a matter of warnings from the scientific community. It is a crisis situation that is already upon us,” said Mr. Komši?, speaking through an interpreter/ “Finding answers to climate change is a costly process. It will cost even more if we do not take the need to accelerate climate change mitigation activities seriously.” However, Mr. Komši? believed mitigation will be costly for the world’s least developed and developing countries, which still rely on fossil fuels for energy. “As a rule, those groups of countries do not have sufficient capacity or resources to make a rapid and equitable transition to green energy sources. That will affect their ability to achieve sustainable development goals in the medium term,” he said. “Therefore, financial support for the implementation of the Green Agenda is extremely important, with contributions from the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Climate Change Conference as well as regional associations such as the European Union.” Fulfilling the promise Mr. Komši? spoke of some of the challenges his country faces as it strives to meet European Union obligations under the Paris Agreement on climate change, and in line with the process for joining the regional bloc. Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has about 40 per cent “green” capacity for electricity generation, he said. “However, gradual shutdown of thermal power plants, and thus most of the mines, which is expected of us in the next 25 to 30 years, will cause a shortage of electricity that can hardly be replaced in timely fashion by the green energy capacity, while preserving rivers and ecological biodiversity, in accordance with international norms,” he added. “I believe that many other states present here face those (challenges) as well. However, Bosnia and Herzegovina stands behind its promise to contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100732
     
         
      DR Congo President asks for materialization of ‘all the promises made to Africa’ Tue, 21st Sep 2021 22:54:00
     
      “There are less than six weeks left before COP26 and nine years before 2030. For Africa, the year 2030 will be marked by a drop in GDP of up to 15 per cent reduction in agricultural yields and a sharp increase in the risk of coastal flooding and in island countries,” Mr. Tshilombo said. He noted that, to cope with the negative impacts of climate change, the African continent will need $30 billion a year to adapt. This amount should increase to around $50 billion by 2040. “Africa does not need charity,” but constructive win-win partnerships to make better use of its collective national wealth and improve the living conditions of its people, he stressed. Mr. Tshilombo was speaking at UN Headquarters at the opening of the high-level week of the General Assembly. After being held virtually last year due the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s gathering will feature “hybrid” activities that will include leaders in person along with virtual participants. Debt and financial support Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, he said Africa “Africa has not folded its arms and does not intend to capitulate” to the virus but stressed all the difficulties the countries are facing. He welcomed initiatives related to financing of the economies, in particular those of the G20 on the suspension of debt service and the common framework for debt restructuring, and pointed to the allocation of $650 billion in special drawing rights (SDRs) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For him, the $33 billion allocated to Africa “are insufficient in view of the immensity of its economic stimulus needs.” The African Union supports the objective of the Paris Summit, $100 billion in SDR for the continent. UN Mission Regarding the withdrawal of the UN Mission (MONUSCO), he agreed to the timeline approved by the UN Security Council, with a transition period that expires in 2024. He asked for the process to be “gradual, responsible and orderly” and said he expects “the United Nations and the Security Council to give all the necessary means to MONUSCO and its Rapid Intervention Brigade so that they fulfill their mandates.” “This is to ensure that the troops deployed have the required capabilities and means, including the necessary training to meet the requirements of the reality on the ground and the asymmetric warfare currently waged by armed groups and Islamist terrorists,” he explained. Speaking about the elections scheduled for 2023, he said he hopes to contribute to “the organization of a free, transparent, inclusive and credible” vote. The threat of terrorism On the topic of peace and security, the resident said “the scourge of insecurity caused by the cohorts of terrorists, armed groups, mercenaries and criminals of all stripes is undermining the institutional stability of young democracies and destroying the efforts of many African leaders to develop their countries.” He argued that the fight against DAESH was won in the Middle East, but in Africa “AQIM and other groups affiliated with DAESH are gaining more ground every day”, in places like Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Burkina Faso. About his country, he said “islamist” fundamentalism has reached the east” of the territory, which is “paying a heavy price in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema.” “Africa refuses to serve as a base for international terrorism”, he added. Economy and development Recently, political crises have erupted in a few Member States, but Mr. Tshilombo argued that “these crises cannot obscure the enormous progress made by the majority of African countries in terms of democracy and good governance.” “This is how the Congolese people continue their noble and exhilarating struggle against dictatorship, autocracy and the values ??that still structure our actions,” he said. Last June, the Democratic Republic of Congo entered into a programme with the IMF and is currently benefitting from the assistance of the World Bank to carry out major social projects and basic infrastructure. Mr. Tshilombo spoke of “courageous reforms” that should accelerate economic growth accelerated to over 5 per cent a year. He ended his speech addressing the “endless problematic of the reform of the United Nations and of the representation of Africa within its Security Council.” “It is a question of the effectiveness of the United Nations and of justice to a continent an entire section of humanity whose role continues to increase every day,” he said. He added that is country supports a proposal that adds two additional non-permanent members for Africa and two seats as permanent members, with the same rights, including veto.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100542
     
         
      At UN, Biden pledges new era of ‘relentless diplomacy’ to tackle global challenges Tue, 21st Sep 2021 22:51:00
     
      “Simply put, we stand…at an inflection point in history”, he said. “We must work together as never before”. Mr. Biden assured leaders attending the UN General Assembly that the US intends to partner with allies to “help lead the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all people”. Noting that Governments must continue to work together to build on international law to “deliver equitable prosperity, peace and security for everyone”, he described the endeavour as being “as vital and important today as it was 76 years ago”. Ambition matters President Biden defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, driving home a message that this has opened a new chapter of intensive American diplomacy. The use of force should be “our tool of last resort, not our first”, he said, arguing in favour of recalibrating priorities away from two decades of wars toward newly emerging threats. He underscored that the world must choose between democracy and autocracy, indicating the stark difference since the Taliban again took control of Kabul and reversed 20 years of democratic gains. ‘Dose of hope’ “Today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed by the force of arms”, he stated, reminding that “bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants”. Lamenting some 4.5 million COVID-related deaths worldwide, the President referred to each as “an individual heartbreak” and upheld the need to “act now to get shots in arms as fast as possible and expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments to save lives around the world.” He noted that US planes carrying vaccines have landed in more than 100 countries, offering a “dose of hope”, and said that he would be announcing additional vaccine commitments soon. Mr. Biden also called for a new global health mechanism to “finance global health security” and a global health threat council to stay ahead of emerging pandemics. Further, he said that at a time when nearly one in three people globally do not have access to adequate food — adequate food, just last year — the US is committing to rallying partners to address immediate malnutrition and to ensure that the world could be fed sustainably feed for decades to come. “To that end, the United States is making a $10 billion commitment to end hunger and invest in food systems at home and abroad,” President Biden announced. Back in the international fold Without criticizing his predecessor, the President stressed that the Biden Administration has shifted away from an ‘America firs’t style of diplomacy towards one of multilateralism. “We're back at the table in international forums, especially the United Nations, to focus attention and to spur global action on shared challenges”, he said, pointing to the US’s reengagement with the UN World Health Organization (WHO); participation in the COVAX vaccine initiative “to deliver life-saving vaccines around the world”; re-joining the Paris climate agreement; and preparing to run for a seat on the Human Rights Council next year. Zeroing-in on the “borderless” climate crisis, Mr. Biden said that all nations need to bring “their highest possible ambitions” to the UN climate conference (COP26) in November. He also elaborated on a new US goal under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases to 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and talked about investments under discussion with Congress, including for “green infrastructure and electric vehicles”. Relentless diplomacy The US President said that the world faced a choice between the democratic values espoused by the West and the disregard for them by authoritarian Governments. He upheld that the US was moving into a “new era of relentless diplomacy” as it tackles emerging technological threats and the expansion of autocratic nations. While vowing not to pursue “a new Cold War, or a world divided into rigid blocks”, Mr. Biden maintained that the US would oppose attempts by “stronger countries to dominate weaker ones”. The United States will “lead with our values and our strength to stand up for our allies and our friends”, he said. And as the US seeks to rally the world to action, Mr. Biden assured, “we will lead not just with the example of our power, but God willing, the power of our example”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100502
     
         
      Brazilian President commits country to climate neutrality by 2050 Tue, 21st Sep 2021 22:49:00
     
      “We anticipated, from 2060 to 2050, the goal of achieving climate neutrality. Human and financial resources, destined to the strengthening of environmental agencies, were doubled, with a view to eliminating illegal deforestation,” he said. Mr. Bolsonaro was speaking at UN Headquarters at the opening of the high-level week of the General Assembly. After being held virtually last year due the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s gathering will feature “hybrid” activities that will include leaders in person along with virtual participants. Brazil has opened the debate since 1955. An example on environment and climate action For the Brazilian President, the results of this action on climate “have already started to appear.” In the Amazon, he pointed to a 32 per cent reduction in deforestation in the month of August, when compared to the same month last year. He introduced the country as “an example in energy generation”, with 83 per cent coming from renewable sources, and said he would we will seek consensus on the rules of the global carbon credit market at the COP26, the UN Climate Conference that starts at the end of October in Glasgow. “We expect industrialized countries to effectively meet their climate finance commitments in relevant volumes,” Mr. Bolsonaro said. He recalled that his country’s agriculture sector feeds more than 1 billion people in the world, using only 8 per cent of the national territory, and assured that “no country in the world has such complete environmental legislation.” “Our Forest Code must set an example for other countries,” he said. He recognized the country faces “great environmental challenges”, being a nation of continental dimensions. The Amazon region alone is equivalent to the area of ??the whole of Western Europe For him, “the future of green jobs is in Brazil: renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, low-emission industry, basic sanitation, waste treatment and tourism.” He also remembered than 14 per cent of the national territory, an area equivalent to Germany and France together, is destined to indigenous reserves. “In these regions, 600,000 Indians live in freedom and increasingly want to use their land for agriculture and other activities,” he said. Pandemic and jobs As of 20 September, there have been more than 21 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Brazil. With 590,508 deaths reported to WHO, the number is only second to the United States. Mr. Bolsonaro said that “the pandemic took everyone by surprise in 2020” and that his administration “regrets all the deaths that occurred in Brazil and in the world.” He said he “always defended fighting the virus and unemployment simultaneously and with the same responsibility” and pointed to “isolation and lockdown measures” that have “left a legacy of inflation, particularly in foodstuffs around the world.” As of 17 September, according to numbers reported to WHO, more than 207 million doses have been administered in Brazil, meaning more than 66% of the population has received at least one shot. Mr. Bolsonaro assured that, until November, everyone who chose to be vaccinated in Brazil will be assisted. Peacekeeping and refugees On international affairs, the Head of State remembered his country’s participation in UN peacekeeping missions, from Suez to Congo, passing through Haiti and Lebanon. He said Brazil “has always welcomed refugees” and mentioned the 400,000 Venezuelans the country has received in the last few years. Showing “deep concern” for the future of Afghanistan, he assured Brazil “will grant humanitarian visas to Afghan Christians, women, children and judges.” In 2022, the South American nation will again occupy a seat on the UN Security Council, having been elected by 181 countries earlier this year for a two-year term as a non-permanent member. Despite this presence, Mr. Bolsonaro concluded his speech saying his country supports a reform of the Council and seeks a permanent seat.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100472
     
         
      IEA calls on Russia to send more gas to Europe before winter Tue, 21st Sep 2021 18:16:00
     
      The world’s energy watchdog has called on Russia to send more gas to Europe as the energy supply crunch bleeds across the continent, in a rare public rebuke of the Kremlin. The International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises global governments on energy policy, called out the gas-rich country for refusing to increase exports even as fierce demand has driven market prices to successive record highs, appearing to support claims that Russia is withholding supplies. “The IEA believes that Russia could do more to increase gas availability to Europe and ensure storage is filled to adequate levels in preparation for the coming winter heating season,” the Paris-based agency said. “This is also an opportunity for Russia to underscore its credentials as a reliable supplier to the European market,” it said. The IEA’s intervention has come amid growing unease in Europe over Russia’s decision not to increase gas exports to Europe next month, despite record gas market prices across the continent. It said Russia had been “fulfilling its long-term contracts with European counterparts – but its exports to Europe are down from their 2019 level”. EU politicians have accused the Kremlin of deliberately withholding gas supplies while it awaits regulatory approval for a controversial pipeline project, Nord Stream 2, which would double Russia’s capacity to export gas to Germany. Russia is not using all of its available pipeline capacity to export gas to Europe but state officials and executives at the state-owned gas company Gazprom have reportedly said it may increase gas sales to Europe once the pipeline has been approved. About 40 EU politicians have asked the European Commission to investigate the role of Gazprom’s behaviour in driving European gas prices to record levels. The IEA’s decision to speak out against Russia’s gas export policy as Europe’s crisis deepens supports the view that Moscow has played a role in the crisis, alongside global energy market drivers. The IEA, which is mostly funded by OECD countries, was originally set up to monitor global oil supplies after the 1970s oil crisis, and provides independent advice to major governments designed to safeguard international energy security. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA, said: “Today’s situation is a reminder to governments, especially as we seek to accelerate clean energy transitions, of the importance of secure and affordable energy supplies – particularly for the most vulnerable people in our societies. “Well-managed clean energy transitions are a solution to the issues that we are seeing in gas and electricity markets today – not the cause of them.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/sep/21/iea-calls-on-russia-to-send-more-gas-to-europe-before-winter
     
         
      Climate reporting reaches melting point Tue, 21st Sep 2021 13:45:00
     
      A trip to a melting glacier will shape how the BBC's new climate editor, Justin Rowlatt, reports on the story of climate change. You cannot help but be awed by the scale of Antarctica, the great white continent. I visited just before the pandemic struck and it is impossible not to feel humbled in the presence of something that seems so much bigger and more powerful than you. But that sensation is an illusion. When we finally flew over the front of the enormous glacier after weeks of travelling, I found myself staring down at an epic vision of shattered ice. As I wrote at the time, it felt like I'd reached the frontline of climate change; a place where the equilibrium that has held our world in balance for thousands of years was slipping and crashing. Satellite monitoring shows that the overall rate of ice loss from West Antarctica has increased five-fold over a 25-year period. This one glacier - Thwaite's glacier - alone now accounts for 4% of global sea level rise. Needless to say, this acceleration is a result of us humans polluting the air with greenhouse gases. That fact explodes any impression that the ice is overwhelming. The opposite is true, we are overwhelming the ice. I was surprised how moved I was by what I'd seen. In the weeks it took to travel home, I tried to process my emotions. I thought about the men and women who had set our camp, who flew the planes, cooked the meals, processed the rubbish and groomed the ice runways. And I thought about the scientists who have been studying the processes at work for decades. Our research trip was only possible because of a huge chain of human enterprise culminating with the hardworking people in the UK and US whose taxes paid for it all. As I flew back to the UK, I reflected how it is often claimed that selfishness, greed and conflict are the hallmarks of humanity, but that is wrong. Taking control The defining human characteristic is actually our ability to co-operate - our ability to solve problems together explains the dominance our species has achieved. For the first time since I had been to the front of the glacier I began to feel the stir of something I was worried I'd lost entirely: a sense of purpose. I retell this story now because I want that sense that we can come together and take control of the processes driving climate change to underpin my reporting in my new role as climate editor. Of course, the BBC has been reporting climate change for decades and we'll be keeping up that tradition, especially during a crucial UN climate conference in Glasgow in November, where nations will be asked to renew their commitments to cutting emissions. But however ambitious the deal there is, we need to continue to report the latest science on climate change and the effect it is having on our world. And use that science as a yardstick to judge the progress our societies are making to reduce emissions. That means scrutinising what politicians, business people and - yes - all of us consumers are doing to try to reduce our impact on the climate. I do not want to nag or hector. We all face the same dilemmas over how the choices we make in our lives affect the climate. And I am optimistic about what we can achieve. We humans are wary of change but we are actually extraordinarily adaptable - another key to our success as a species. And we have a vast capacity for innovation. Think of the huge offshore wind industry flourishing here in the UK, or the way our car industry is retooling as the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles approaches. Look at the UK companies at the forefront of all sorts of exciting low-carbon technologies - from nuclear fusion to plant-based foods - and consider the fortunes to be made as these new markets go global. And look at the progress being made to mobilise international finance behind the effort to tackle climate change - an endeavour being led by the City of London. But I will not forget what I saw in Antarctica. It reminds us that climate change is a process that is likely to take centuries to play out, and tens of thousands of years to reverse. Consider this: the last time CO2 levels were this high is reckoned to have been around four million years ago and it is estimated that the sea level then could have been as much as 30-40 metres higher than it is now. That's a measure of how important the climate issue is and also explains why I'm so pleased to be given this opportunity to play a role in covering it for the BBC. Tackling global warming will be the central project of the 21st Century and it is an incredible privilege to have been given a front row seat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58600725
     
         
      World’s two largest economies commit to climate action - Guterres Tue, 21st Sep 2021 13:36:00
     
      He hailed United States’ President Jose Biden’s announcement that the US would significantly increase its international climate finance to approximately $11.4 billion a year. “This increased contribution from the United States will bring developed countries closer to meeting their collective commitment to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance”, said the UN chief, in a statement. Mr. Guterres also welcomes the announcement made by President Xi Jinping that China would end all financing of coal fired power plants abroad and redirect its support to green and low carbon energy. “Accelerating the global phase out of coal is the single most important step to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach”, he underscored. Long road to climate victory While today’s announcements were most welcome, the top UN official flagged that there is still “a long way to go” to make next month’s UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow a success that ensures “a turning point in our collective efforts to address the climate crisis”. He reminded that, based on Member States’ current emission reduction commitments, “the world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7 degrees of heating”. The Secretary-General called for “decisive action by all countries”, especially the G20 leading industrialized nations, to “go the extra mile” and effectively contribute to emission reductions. “All countries must bring their highest level of ambition to Glasgow if we are to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach”, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100582
     
         
      COP 26: How much is the developing world getting to fight climate change? Tue, 21st Sep 2021 13:32:00
     
      President Biden has promised to double the amount of money the United States is providing to help poorer countries deal with climate change. His speech at the United Nations came a day after Boris Johnson said it was going to be 'tough' to meet climate finance goals in advance of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (Cop26), which takes place in Glasgow in November. The developed world had pledged to provide $100bn (£720m) a year by 2020 to poorer countries, to help them cope with climate change, but this has still not been achieved. What is the money for? It is going to be hard enough for rich countries to adjust to the need to remove fossil fuels and carbon from their own economies. But it is going to be a lot more challenging in developing nations, where there is far less money to pay for new infrastructure and technology. And there are an awful lot of people under threat. So funding is needed for: - adaptation - adjusting to the growing effects of climate change - mitigation - reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere How much has been promised? As long ago as 2009, the developed world agreed it would provide $100bn a year by 2020 to help poorer countries: - deal with the effects of climate change - build greener economies in the future But, although official figures have not yet been released, an expert report commissioned by the United Nations concludes the target has not been reached - even though a new and more ambitious target is now supposed to be set for 2025. "The $100bn commitment should be seen as a floor not a ceiling," lead author Amar Bhattacharya, from the Brookings Institution, says. "Some progress has been made - but a lot more needs to be done." For many countries, this is the biggest issue to resolve in the run-up to Cop26 - and the very poorest are demanding action. How far short are the pledges? It is quite hard to calculate what money should be included in the overall figure, because it is a complicated mix of money from governments, international lenders and private companies. But the UN and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimate that by 2019 the figure had reached just over $79bn, only a small increase on the previous year, and they say it won't have got to $100 billion by 2020. Between 2016 and 2018, 43% of the funding went to Asia, 25% to Africa and 17% to the Americas - a lot of it spent on green energy or transport infrastructure. Who is not paying enough? The rich countries recognise they have not yet met the target they set themselves. "Within the G7 [group of rich countries], the three countries that have been the leaders are Germany, Japan and France in that order," Mr Bhattacharya says. The UK and Canada are slightly behind them - but the two big laggards are the United States and, in particular, Italy. In April, the US announced it would double its 2016 climate-finance contributions to $5.7bn by 2024. In his UN speech, President Biden said he would go further. "Today I'm proud to announce that we will work with the [US] Congress to double that number again. This will make the United States the leader in public climate finance". Critics point out that even if another $5.7bn is approved, it is still a relatively modest amount given the size of the US economy. Meanwhile, Italy provides only about $0.6bn per year. Both countries have signed up to a big push to increase the overall amount of money provided, but - as Mr Biden acknowledged - that will need domestic political approval. Ministers from Germany and Canada have already been tasked with developing a "credible delivery plan" to make sure the $100bn figure is achieved. But experts say that should be only the beginning. Dr Alina Averchenkova, from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, says: "$100bn isn't going to do it - we need to move trillions in both public and private money. "The pandemic has shown us it can be done when there is the political will. "Unfortunately, climate change is quickly becoming the same kind of emergency - and it will be with us for the long term." Are there any strings attached to the money? Yes. By 2018, about three-quarters of the government money made available for climate action in developing countries was in the form of loans that need to be paid back, rather than grants that do not. And that is a big problem in countries, many already heavily in debt, where Covid has made access to international funds even more pressing. "Developing countries cannot just rely on loans, so it is going to be really important that more climate finance is provided in grants," Dr Averchenkova says. "It's never going to be the whole amount - but it needs to be more." So it is the quality as well as the quantity of funding that matters. And the message from the world's poorer countries is pretty simple - if you want ambitious climate targets, you are going to have to pay for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/57975275
     
         
      President Biden urges unity in first UN speech amid tensions with allies Tue, 21st Sep 2021 12:50:00
     
      In his first address to the United Nations, US President Joe Biden has urged global cooperation through "a decisive decade for our world". His calls for unity come amid tensions with allies over the US' Afghanistan withdrawal and a major diplomatic row with France over a submarine deal. The US also announced it was doubling its climate finance pledge by 2024. Reaffirming his support for democracy and diplomacy, Mr Biden said: "We must work together like never before." The 76th General Assembly in New York City takes place against the backdrop of a climate crisis and a once-in-a-century pandemic, both of which have sharpened global divides. Mr Biden pushed for cooperation on these fronts, saying: "Whether we choose to fight for our shared future or not will reverberate for generations to come. Simply put, we stand, in my view, at an inflection point in history." What else did Biden say? Mr Biden on Tuesday stressed that the US is "not seeking a new Cold War or a world divided into rigid blocs". The US, he said, "is ready to work with any nation that steps up and pursues peaceful resolution to shared challenges, even if we have intense disagreements in other areas". The remark appeared to be a response to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who this weekend warned the US and China were headed for "a Cold War that would be different from the past one, and probably more dangerous and more difficult to manage". The president also touted the pullout from Afghanistan, which has been criticised by allies at home and abroad, saying the US was ending a "period of relentless war" for a "new era of relentless diplomacy". Mr Biden offered a key pledge on climate finance as well, saying the US will increase funding for developing countries to $11.4bn (£8.3bn) by 2024. This means the US will offer just over half of the European Union's pledge to help poorer nations cope with climate change. Has climate pledge to poor countries been met? The developed world had pledged to provide these countries $100bn a year by 2020 but this has still not been achieved. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who is meeting with Mr Biden later on Tuesday - praised the "massive contribution" and said the US had "stepped up to the plate". At the end of his first address, Mr Biden promised that the US would lead "with our allies". "We will lead on all the greatest challenges of our time, from Covid to climate, human dignity and human rights, but we will not go it alone," he said. Why are allies sceptical? World leaders at odds with former President Donald Trump had hoped for a more stable and reliable America under his successor's leadership - but Mr Biden's most recent foreign policy moves have made some uneasy. The US' lack of coordination during the Afghanistan exit after two decades of war rankled allies and led to an international scramble to evacuate. The Nato mission at the time of the withdrawal comprised troops from 36 countries, three-quarters of whom were non-American. Last week, a trilateral US-UK deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines infuriated the French, who had their own five-year-old contract to build conventional submarines for the Australians. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the agreement as "a stab in the back", and the top French diplomats in both countries were recalled. The Biden administration has also seen international criticism over alleged US hoarding of Covid-19 vaccines and non-reciprocal travel restrictions, as well as frugality with climate aid. After four years of America First and Donald Trump's isolationist nationalism, this was a speech the leaders of the liberal democracies wanted to cheer. But Joe Biden's first appearance before the UN General Assembly will be treated with a good deal of scepticism after America's shambolic departure from Afghanistan. That said, the US president was determined to push his more outward looking view of the world. And turning a page, he was able to say this was the first time in 20 years that America wasn't at war. British diplomats will have cheered his pledge to double to $11.4bn the money to tackle climate change by 2024 - something they have been lobbying the White House relentlessly on. One issue that enjoys bipartisan support in Washington is the threat posed by China - the driving force behind the new security partnership with Britain and Australia. He didn't mention the world's other superpower by name, but it's clear who he was talking about. The US president has had a torrid, horrid summer. This speech was an attempt to reassure America's international allies - and to put flesh on the bones of his claim that "America is back".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58642139
     
         
      Climate startup taps harsh Australian sun for scalable carbon capture Tue, 21st Sep 2021 11:26:00
     
      Some questions remain over their capacity to really put a dent in the problem, but direct air capture (DAC) systems that collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are starting to take shape as new tools in the fight against climate change. A company at the cutting edge of this technology has outlined its vision to use Australia's vast, open spaces and abundant sunlight to power millions of modular DAC systems, which they say could collectively capture many hundreds of times the amount of carbon the country emits each year. Quite separately from reducing carbon emissions in the first place, the potential of DAC systems lies in their ability to remove those already in the air. This could have an important impact in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as aviation, but the idea doesn't come without controversy, with skeptics concerned it could detract from efforts to mitigate emissions, which must remain the primary focus. In any case, the IPCC has stated that the world will need to rely on technologies like DAC to avoid dangerous levels of global warming, and there are a growing number of outfits taking up the challenge. Among those is Australian renewable energy company Southern Green Gas, which is in the business of developing carbon-neutral fuels, among other endeavors. Its DAC units use porous structures called metal organic frameworks to selectively soak up CO2 as ambient air is drawn into the system, which would then be stored underground to permanently lock away the carbon. The company's managing director, Rohan Gillespie, tells us this could be achieved in a few different ways. "Underground CO2 storage could be via three options," he explains. "Into depleted oil or gas reservoirs where CO2 is stored in the pores in the rock and a sealing cap rock layer above holds it there permanently, into deep non-oil or gas bearing formations where CO2 is stored in the pores in the rock and a sealing cap rock layer above holds it there permanently, or into basalts where CO2 reacts with the salts to form carbonate rock." This last approach is the one being employed rather successfully by the CarbFix project, which in 2016 made a big breakthrough with a new technique that turns CO2 into solid rock within two years, instead of centuries or even longer. This technology is now the basis of the world's largest DAC plant operated by startup Climeworks, which was switched on in Iceland earlier this month and is expected to harvest 4,000 tons of CO2 each year. Where Climeworks' plant takes advantage of Iceland's abundant sources of sub-surface geothermal energy to power its DAC systems, Southern Green Gas is looking to the sky. Australia is among the sunniest continents on the planet and has much available land that is not used for agriculture, which the company hopes to leverage to establish a sprawling collection of solar-powered DAC plants around the country. "This solution is hugely scalable with Australia’s vast area of non-arable land with high solar intensity and estimated underground storage of over 400 billion tonnes of CO2 – about 800 times Australia’s yearly emissions," says Gillespie. Each of the company's solar-powered DAC modules can capture two tons of CO2 a year, according to Gillespie, but could be deployed in their millions. And such a feat would be necessary to tackle the more than 30 gigatons of CO2 per year the world emits each year. As it stands, there are more than a dozen small DAC plants in operation around the world, all contending with prohibitively high operating costs. Climeworks was running at a cost of around US$600 per ton of CO2 captured once its first plant was up and running, but aims to drive that down towards $100 per ton as it scales up, also using a modular approach. This is in line with the ambitions of Canadian company Carbon Engineering, which is currently developing the first large-scale DAC plant to capture up to one million tons of CO2 each year, and expects to do so at a cost of $94 to $232 per ton. Gillespie anticipates Southern Green Gas will meet the same price point. "Our unique DAC adsorbent is based on nanomaterial whose properties can be finely tuned and allow low cost," he says. "Several giga-scale manufacturing facilities are planned in regional areas throughout Australia, which will facilitate cost reduction below AU$100 (US$72) per ton for CO2." The company plans to demonstrate its technology for the first time later this year.
       
      Full Article: https://newatlas.com/environment/climate-startup-southern-green-gas-australia-carbon-capture/
     
         
      Climate change: COP26 'a turning point for the world' - Johnson Tue, 21st Sep 2021 9:07:00
     
      The November COP26 summit on climate change is the moment when “we have to grow up and take our responsibilities”, the UK prime minister has said. Boris Johnson said the gathering of leaders in Glasgow, would be “a turning point for the world”. He said people should be “optimistic” about the move from hydrocarbon sources to “new, green, clean technology”. The PM has been discussing climate change with other world leaders at a United Nations meeting in New York.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-58629052
     
         
      Rich nations must increase climate support funds, says Boris Johnson Tue, 21st Sep 2021 8:01:00
     
      Boris Johnson has renewed his call for richer countries to increase financial support to poorer ones fighting the effects of climate change. Speaking at a UN gathering in New York, the UK PM said he was "increasingly frustrated" at support offered to countries hit hard by global warming. He added many richer economies had pledged "nowhere near enough". A longstanding promise to give $100bn (£73bn) a year to poorer countries has not yet been met. Some 100 world leaders are meeting at the UN General Assembly this week, ahead of a key UN climate conference hosted in Glasgow next month. Mr Johnson said "history will judge" countries who "lacked the courage to step up" once the Glasgow conference, called COP26, has finished. As far back as 2009, the developed world agreed it would provide $100bn a year by 2020 to help poorer countries deal with the effects of climate change. But the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently estimated that by 2019 the figure had reached just over $79bn. Addressing other leaders at the UN climate meeting, Mr Johnson said the gap between what had been promised and what had been delivered "remains vast". "Too many major economies - some represented here today, some absent - are lagging too far behind," he added. 'Stay tuned' On his way to New York, Mr Johnson had downplayed the chances of the $100bn target being hit by the Glasgow summit, saying it was "six out of 10". However, US President Joe Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, has since raised hopes it could be met, hinting his boss could announce more money during his speech to the UN assembly on Tuesday. Mr Kerry told Sky News: "I think we're going to get it done by COP [26], and the US will do its part." Asked if Mr Biden will announce more funds this week, he added: "I'm telling you to stay tuned into the president's speech, and we'll see where we are." The US presents a huge obstacle to the climate talks. President Biden says he wants to undo the harm caused by President Trump's withdrawal from the international climate agreement. But he's facing a very big bill to help developing nations cope with the effects of global heating, and it's not yet clear he can persuade Congress to stump up the cash. Rich nations have agreed to help poorer countries with a $100bn annual goal as of 2017-18. Recent research from the UK think tank the Overseas Development Institute found the US paid only 4% of its "fair share". It suggested $40bn would be a reasonable US contribution - and the president may pledge additional money at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. If the cash doesn't flow, major developing nations may resist making further emissions cuts themselves. China and India already feel aggrieved that they're being asked to curb emissions at a far earlier stage in their development than western nations. Asked about Mr Kerry's comments on Monday, Mr Johnson said an increased commitment from the United States would make a "huge difference". But he cautioned: "We have been here before, we have all heard lots of pledges, lots of positive noises, let's see where we get to. "We are not counting our chickens." The UK, which has so far committed £11.6bn in international climate finance over the next five years, is under pressure to burnish its green credentials ahead of the Glasgow conference, beginning in just over a month. The lead author of a UN-commissioned expert report into the pledge, Amar Bhattacharya, says among the G7 group of rich countries, the "three countries that have been the leaders are Germany, Japan and France in that order". The UK and Canada are slightly behind them - but the United States and, in particular, Italy, are regarded as the main two laggards.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58631262
     
         
      Call for ‘decisive action now’ to avoid climate catastrophe Mon, 20th Sep 2021 22:56:00
     
      Mr. Guterres joined an emergency summit convened and attended by United Kingdom premier Boris Johnson, to press for more action on climate finance and other measures ahead of the watershed UN COP26 climate conference, which begins next month in Scotland. The Informal Climate Leaders Roundtable on Climate Action took place behind closed doors at UN Headquarters, as the high-level week of the General Assembly gets underway. World leaders addressed the gaps that remain on the actions needed from national governments, especially the G20 industrialized powers, on mitigation, finance and adaptation. “Saving this and future generations is a common responsibility,” the UN chief told journalists in a press stakeout following the event. For him, the roundtable was “a wake-up call to instill a sense of urgency on the dire state of the climate process ahead of COP26”, the UN Climate Conference happening in Glasgow at the end of October. A dire warning Last Friday, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change issued a report on the Nationally Determined Contributions of all Parties to the Paris Agreement saying the world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating. According to the report, to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, a 45 per cent cut in emissions is needed by 2030 and carbon neutrality by mid-century. Instead, commitments by countries to date, imply an increase of 16 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 levels. With COP26 just weeks away, the UN chief called on Member States to deliver on three fronts. First, keep the 1.5-degree goal within reach. Second, deliver on the promised $100 billion dollars a year for climate action in developing countries and, third, scale up funding for adaptation to at least 50 per cent of total public climate finance expenditure. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the 1.5-degree goal is still in reach, but a dramatic improvement is needed in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from most countries. For Mr. Guterres, leadership must come from the G20 countries, because they represent 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Coal challenge He then pointed to one specific energy challenge; the continued use of carbon-emitting coal. If all planned coal power plants become operational, the world will be well above 2 degrees. Instead, OECD nations need to end coal use by 2030 and developing nations need to follow suit by 2040, he said. On finance, developed nations need to implement their promise to mobilize $100 billion a year for climate action in the developing world from 2021 to 2025. They did not in 2019 and 2020, and, according to OECD calculations, there is a shortfall this year of around 20 billion dollars. Finally, on adaptation, finance for this area currently represents only 21 per cent of total climate funding. That is $16.7 billion a year. Yet adaptation costs in the developing world are $70 billion dollars a year, and they are projected to rise to as much as $300 billion, by 2030. “This is why I have been asking all donors and financiers to commit to allocating 50 per cent of climate finance to adaptation,” Mr. Guterres said. ‘History will judge’ UK’s Prime Minister warned that “history will judge” the world’s richest nations if they fail to deliver on their pledge to commit $100 billion in annual climate aid ahead of COP26. He placed the chances of securing the money before November at “six out of 10”. “We cannot let climate action become another victim of coronavirus. Let us be the leaders who secure the very health of the planet for our children, grandchildren and generations to come,” Mr. Johnson said at the event. The UK’s Prime Minister also assured his country “will lead by example, keeping the environment on the global agenda and serving as a launch pad for a global green industrial revolution.” But warned: “No one country can turn the tide, it would be akin to bailing out a liner with a single bucket.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100382
     
         
      Deadwood Releasing 10.9 Gigatons of Carbon Every Year - More Than All Fossil Fuel Emissions Combined Mon, 20th Sep 2021 10:58:00
     
      Decaying wood releases around 10.9 gigatons of carbon worldwide every year, according to a new study by an international team of scientists. This is roughly equivalent to 115 percent of fossil fuel emissions. Co-author of the study Professor David Lindenmayer from The Australian National University (ANU) says it’s the first time researchers have been able to quantify the contribution of deadwood to the global carbon cycle. “Until now, little has been known about the role of dead trees,” Professor Lindenmayer said. “We know living trees play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But up until now, we didn’t know what happens when those trees decompose. It turns out, it has a massive impact.” Professor Lindenmayer said the decomposition is driven by natural processes including temperature and insects. “The decomposition of wood and the recycling of those nutrients is a critically important process in forests,” he said. The research showed decomposition can’t happen without wood-boring insects such as Longicorn Beetles. “We knew insects such as termites and wood-boring Longicorn beetles can accelerate deadwood decomposition,” study co-author Dr. Marisa Stone from Griffith University said. “But until now, we didn’t know how much they contribute to deadwood carbon release globally. “Insects accounted for 29% of deadwood carbon release each year. However, their role was disproportionately greater within the tropics and had little effect in regions of low temperatures.” The global research project encompassed 55 forest areas on six continents. The research team studied wood from more than 140 tree species to determine the influence of climate on the rate of decomposition. “Half the wood was placed in mesh cages which kept out insects, allowing us to study their contribution,” Professor Lindenmayer said. “We found both the rate of decomposition and the contribution of insects are highly dependent on the climate, and will increase as temperatures rise. Higher levels of precipitation accelerate the decomposition in warmer regions and slow it down in lower temperature regions.” Tropical forests contribute 93 percent of all carbon released by deadwood, due to their high wood mass and rapid rates of decomposition. The study was led by Dr. Sebastian Seibold from the Technical University of Munich. “At a time of global change, we can see some dramatic declines in biodiversity and changes in climate,” Dr. Seibold said. “This study has demonstrated that both climate change and the loss of insects have the potential to alter the decomposition of wood, and therefore, carbon and nutrient cycles worldwide.” The study has been published in Nature.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/deadwood-releasing-10-9-gigatons-of-carbon-every-year-more-than-all-fossil-fuel-emissions-combined/
     
         
      Johnson defends trade secretary after climate crisis denial tweets Mon, 20th Sep 2021 8:21:00
     
      Boris Johnson has acknowledged that he has altered his views about the climate crisis over recent years, saying, “the facts change and people change their minds”. As he travelled to the US in a bid to accelerate progress towards an agreement at the Cop26 climate summit, the prime minister was asked about the views of his new international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan. The shadow international trade secretary, Emily Thornberry, had highlighted a series of tweets sent by Trevelyan between 2010 and 2012 that explicitly rejected the science of global heating. “Clear evidence that the ice caps aren’t melting after all, to counter those doom-mongers and global warming fanatics,” read one. Another, sent in support of a campaign against windfarms, said: “We aren’t getting hotter, global warming isn’t actually happening.” A third approvingly shared an article by an explicitly climate emergency-rejecting Twitter account Climate Realists. Challenged about Trevelyan’s record, the prime minister said: “Anne-Marie will do an outstanding job as secretary of state for international trade.” He then went on to raise his own past record as a climate sceptic. “I don’t want to encourage you, but if you were to excavate some of my articles from 20 years ago you might find comments I made, obiter dicta, about climate change that weren’t entirely supportive of the current struggle, but the facts change and people change their minds and change their views and that’s very important too,” he said, adding: “The fact is the UK is leading the world and you should be proud of it.” As recently as 2015, Johnson claimed “global leaders were driven by a primitive fear that the present ambient warm weather is somehow caused by humanity; and that fear – as far as I understand the science – is equally without foundation”. He also wrote an article in 2013 suggesting the government should consider preparing for a mini-ice age caused by solar activity, drawing on a discredited theory by the climate denier Piers Corbyn – brother of the former Labour leader. And in the same year, Johnson said windfarms – now a key part of the government’s plan to transition to net zero – couldn’t “pull the skin off a rice pudding”. Johnson was expressing scepticism at a time when there was already a strong scientific consensus about the science of global heating. Some friends attribute the prime minister’s newfound enthusiasm for the cause of tackling the climate crisis partly to the influence of his wife, Carrie Johnson, who is an enthusiastic advocate of conservation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/20/johnson-defends-new-trade-secretary-after-climate-crisis-denial-tweets
     
         
      Climate change: UN warning over nations' climate plans Sat, 18th Sep 2021 0:09:00
     
      Despite all the promises to take action, the world is still on course to heat up to dangerous levels. That's the latest blunt assessment of the United Nations. Its experts have studied the climate plans of more than 100 countries and concluded that we're heading in the wrong direction. Scientists recently confirmed that to avoid the worst impacts of hotter conditions, global carbon emissions needed to be cut by 45% by 2030. But this new analysis shows that those emissions are set to rise by 16% during this period. That could eventually lead to a temperature rise of 2.7C (4.9F) above pre-industrial times - far above the limits set by the international community. "The 16% increase is a huge cause for concern," according to Patricia Espinosa, the UN's chief climate negotiator. "It is in sharp contrast with the calls by science for rapid, sustained and large-scale emission reductions to prevent the most severe climate consequences and suffering, especially of the most vulnerable, throughout the world." It's a stark warning about the scale of the challenge faced at the COP26 climate conference, scheduled to take place in Glasgow in just over six weeks' time. The central aim of the giant event is to keep alive hopes of limiting the rise in global temperatures by persuading nations to cut their emissions. Under the rules of the Paris Agreement on climate change, countries are meant to update their carbon reduction plans every five years. But the UN says that of 191 countries taking part in the agreement, only 113 have so far come up with improved pledges. Alok Sharma, the British minister who will chair the COP26 conference, said nations that had ambitious climate plans were "already bending the curve of emissions downwards". "But without action from all countries, especially the biggest economies, these efforts risk being in vain." A study by Climate Action Tracker found that of the G20 group of leading industrial nations, only a handful including the UK and the US have strengthened their targets to cut emissions. In another analysis, the World Resources Institute and Climate Analytics highlight how China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - together responsible for 33% of greenhouse gases - have yet to submit updated plans. It says that Australia and Indonesia have the same carbon reduction targets they did back in 2015 - while the Paris Agreement is meant to involve a "ratchet mechanism" of progressively deeper cuts. And the study finds that Brazil, Mexico and Russia all expect their emissions to grow rather than to shrink. For the poorest countries - most vulnerable to rising sea levels and new extremes of heat and drought - seeing a rapid fall in the gases heating the planet is a priority. Sonam P Wangdi, chair of the Least Developed Countries group, said: "G20 countries must take the lead in quickly cutting emissions to mitigate climate change. "These are the countries with the greatest capacity and responsibility, and it's well past time they step up and treat this crisis like a crisis." There are hopes that China may revise its climate plans ahead of the Glasgow conference. As the world's largest emitter, it has previously said it aims to peak its emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. An announcement soon of more ambitious targets would give the talks a significant boost but there are no clues about when - or even whether - that might happen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58600723
     
         
      Paris climate deal could go up in smoke without action: Guterres Fri, 17th Sep 2021 12:05:00
     
      This is far beyond the one to 1.5 degree Celsius threshold, agreed by the international community as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The UN chief's remarks came after the UN’s climate agency (UNFCCC) published an update on national climate action plans (officially known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) submitted by the 191 countries which signed Agreement. The report indicates that while there is a clear trend that greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced over time, nations must urgently redouble their climate efforts if they are to prevent disastrous global heating in the future. Not enough The document includes updates to the NDCs of 113 countries that represent around 49% of global emissions, including the nations of the European Union and the United States. Those countries overall expect their greenhouse gas emissions to decrease by 12% in 2030 compared to 2010. “This is an important step,” the report points out, but insufficient, as highlighted by Mr. Guterres at Friday’s Forum of Major Economies on Energy and Climate, hosted by the President of the United States, Joe Biden “We need a 45 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century…It is clear that everyone must assume their responsibilities”, he emphasized. 70 countries indicated their embrace of carbon neutrality goals by around the middle of the century. If this materializes, it could lead to even greater emissions reductions, of about 26% by 2030, compared to 2010, the report explains. Code Red However, with national plans staying the way they are right now for all 191 countries, average global emissions in 2030 compared to 2010, instead of decreasing, will increase by around 16%. According to the latest IPCC findings, that would mean that unless climate action is taken immediately, it may lead to a temperature rise of about 2.7C, by the end of this century. “The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was a code red for humanity. But it also made clear that it is not too late to meet the Paris Agreement 1.5-degree target. We have the tools to achieve this target. But we are rapidly running out of time”, the UN chief highlighted. The challenge The Secretary General highlighted a particular challenge: energy still obtained from coal. “If all planned coal power plants become operational, we will not only be clearly above 1.5 degrees - we will be well above 2 degrees. The Paris targets would go up in smoke”. Mr. Guterres urged the creation of “coalitions of solidarity” between countries that still depend heavily on coal, and countries that have the financial and technical resources to support transitions to cleaner energy sources. Without pledges and financial commitments from industrialised nations to make this happen, “there is a high risk of failure of COP26”, Mr. Guterres continued, referring to the pivotal UN Climate summit in Glasgow in six weeks’ time. “G20 nations account for 80% of global emissions. Their leadership is needed more than ever. The decisions they take now will determine whether the promise made at Paris is kept or broken”, he warned. There’s still time Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, clarified during a press conference that countries can submit or update their national plans “at any time”, including in the run-up to COP26. The agency highlighted some good news. The new or updated plans included in the report, show a marked improvement in the quality of information presented, for both mitigation and adaptation, and tend to be aligned with broader long-term, low-emission development goals, the achievement of carbon neutrality, national legislative/regulatory/planning processes, and other international frameworks such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN chief was clear that by COP26, all nations should submit more ambitions plans that help to place the world on a 1.5-degree pathway. “We also need developed nations to finally deliver on the US100 billion commitment promised over a decade ago in support to developing countries. The Climate Finance report published today by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that this goal has not been reached either”. A sizeable number of national climate plans from developing countries, which define targets and actions to reduce emissions, contain conditional commitments which can only be implemented with access to enhanced financial resources and other support. Stop ignoring science For Mr. Guterres, the fight against climate change will only succeed if everyone comes together to promote more ambition, more cooperation and more credibility. “No more ignoring science. No more ignoring the demands of people everywhere. It is time for leaders to stand and deliver, or people in all countries will pay a tragic price”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100242?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=05017457fe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_17_06_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-05017457fe-107499886
     
         
      ‘Tipping point’ for climate action: Time’s running out to avoid catastrophic heating Thu, 16th Sep 2021 23:03:00
     
      According to the landmark United in Science 2021, there “is no sign of growing back greener”, as carbon dioxide emissions are rapidly accelerating, after a temporary blip in 2020 due to COVID, and nowhere close to the targets set by the Paris Agreement. “We have reached a tipping point on the need for climate action. The disruption to our climate and our planet is already worse than we thought, and it is moving faster than predicted”, UN Secretary General António Guterres underscored in a video message. “This report shows just how far off course we are”, he added. A world in danger According to scientists, the rising global temperatures are already fueling devastating extreme weather events around the world, with escalating impacts on economies and societies. For example, billions of working hours have been lost due to excessive heat. “We now have five times the number of recorded weather disasters than we had in 1970 and they are seven times more costly. Even the most developed countries have become vulnerable”, said the UN chief. Mr. Guterres cited how Hurricane Ida recently cut power to over a million people in New Orleans, and New York City was paralysed by record-breaking rain that killed at least 50 people in the region. “These events would have been impossible without human-caused climate change. Costly fires, floods and extreme weather events are increasing everywhere. These changes are just the beginning of worse to come”, he warned. A bleak future The report echoes some of the data and warnings from experts in the last year: the average global temperature for the past five years was among the highest on record, and there is an increasing likelihood that temperatures will temporarily breach the threshold of 1.5° Celsius above the pre-industrial era, in the next five years. The picture painted by United in Science is bleak: even with ambitious action to slow greenhouse gas emissions, sea levels will continue to rise and threaten low-lying islands and coastal populations throughout the world. “We really are out of time. We must act now to prevent further irreversible damage. COP26 this November must mark that turning point. By then we need all countries to commit to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century and to present clear, credible long-term strategies to get there”, urged the UN chief. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 31 October and 12 November 2021. The pivotal meeting is expected to set the course of climate action for the next decade. “We must urgently secure a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience, so that vulnerable communities can manage these growing (climate) risks…I expect all these issues to be addressed and resolved at COP26. Our future is at stake”, Mr. Guterres emphasized. “We are not yet on track towards the Paris 1.5 to 2 degrees’ limit, although positive things have started to happen and the political interest to mitigate climate change is clearly growing but to be successful in this effort, we have to start acting now. We cannot wait for decades to act, we have to start acting already in this decade”, added Prof. Petteri Taalas, World Meteorological Organization’s secretary general. The report also cites the conclusions of the most recent IPCC report: the scale of recent changes across the climate system are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years, and it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Notable findings Concentrations of the major greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) continued to increase in 2020 and the first half of 2021. According to WMO, reducing atmospheric methane (CH4) in the short term, could support the pledges of 193 Member States made in Paris. This measure does not reduce the need for strong, rapid and sustained reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, the UN Environment Program (UNEP), warns that five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the emissions gap (the difference between where emissions are heading and where science indicate they should be in 2030) is as large as ever. Although the increasing number of countries committing to net-zero emission goals is encouraging, to remain feasible and credible, these goals urgently need to be reflected in near-term policy and in significantly more ambitious actions, the agency highlights. “Last year, we estimated that there was 5.6 per cent drop in emissions and since the lifetime of carbon dioxide is so long, this one year anomaly in emissions doesn't change the big picture. We saw some improvements in air quality, these short-lived gases, which are affecting air quality. We saw positive evolution there. But now we have returned more or less back to the 2019 emission levels", further explained the WMO chief. A warmer future The report explains that the annual global average temperature is likely to be at least 1 °C warmer than pre-industrial levels (defined as the 1850–1900 average) in each of the coming five years and is very likely to be within the range of 0.9 °C to 1.8 °C. There is also a 40% chance that the average temperature in one of the next five years, will be at least 1.5 °C warmer than pre-industrial levels. However, it is very unlikely that the 5-year average temperature for 2021–2025 will pass the 1.5 °C threshold. High latitude regions, and the Sahel, are likely to be wetter in the next five years, the report also warns. Sea level rise is inevitable "We don't know what's going to happen to the Antarctic glacier, where we have the biggest mass of ice worldwide and in the worst case, we could see up to two meters of sea level rise by the end of this century if the melting of the Antarctic glacier happens in a speedier manner”, cautioned Prof. Taalas. Global sea levels rose 20 cm from 1900 to 2018, and at an accelerated rate from 2006 to 2018. Even if emissions are reduced to limit warming to well below 2 °C, the global average sea level would likely rise by 0.3–0.6 m by 2100 and could rise 0.3–3.1 m by 2300. World’s health also at risk The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that rising temperatures are linked to increased heat-related mortality and work impairment, with an excess of 103 billion potential work hours lost globally in 2019 compared with those lost in 2000. Moreover, COVID-19 infections and climate hazards such as heatwaves, wildfires and poor air quality, combine to threaten human health worldwide, putting vulnerable populations at particular risk. According to the UN health agency, the COVID-19 recovery efforts should be aligned with national climate change and air quality strategies to reduce risks from cascading climate hazards, and gain health co-benefits. “We had this temperature anomaly in western Canada and the United States, where we were up to 15 degrees warmer temperatures than normally. And that led to a record breaking, forest fires and major health problems, especially amongst elderly people”, highlighted WMO Secretary General. The United in Science 2021 report, the third in a series, is coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with input from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Global Carbon Project (GCP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Met Office (UK). It presents the very latest scientific data and findings related to climate change to inform global policy and action.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099992
     
         
      Act now to slow climate change and protect the planet, urges UN chief Thu, 16th Sep 2021 11:59:00
     
      Crediting the Montreal Protocol, which “began life as a mechanism to protect and heal the ozone layer”, Secretary-General António Guterres said that over the course of three decades, “it has done its job well”. The multilateral treaty to phase out ozone-depleting substances has, by healing the hole in the ozone layer, protected human health, economies and ecosystems. “The cooperation we have seen under the Montreal Protocol is exactly what is needed now to take on climate change, an equally existential threat to our societies”, he said. Until the protocol, old equipment such as building insulation foam, fridge-freezers and other cooling systems, were manufactured using ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which leaked the damaging gas into the atmosphere as equipment deteriorated. Other critical services This year’s World Ozone Day highlights that the landmark environmental agreement also slows down climate change and helps to boost energy efficiency for cooling products such as freezers, which then also contributes to food security. “The Montreal Protocol is more than just an example of how multilateralism can and should work, it is an active tool to help meet our global vision for sustainable development”, said the UN chief. And under the Kigali Amendment to the Protocol, nations have committed to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases used as coolants, which are less harmful than CFCs as they contain hydrogen, but are nonetheless still an ozone risk. When fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment could prevent 0.4 degrees Celsius of global warming this century. “Furthermore, as we prepare for the Food Systems Summit this month, we are reminded that the Kigali Amendment can also help us to increase food security”, flagged Mr. Guterres, explaining that by reducing HFCs, increasing energy efficiency and creating more ozone and climate-friendly technologies, “the Kigali Amendment can bring sustainable access to vital cooling services to millions of people”. These services would reduce food loss in developing countries, where it often spoils before reaching markets. Getting produce from farmers to where it is needed would, in turn, help reduce hunger, poverty and the environmental impact of the agricultural sector. Another important benefit of expanding access to safe cooling systems, is to store medicines and vaccines, including those needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment show us that by acting together, anything is possible”, said the UN chief. “So let us act now to slow climate change, feed the world’s hungry and protect the planet that we all depend on”. Work continues Although the Montreal Protocol marked “a critical turning point”, it was not a one-time fix, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The work continues, with scientists still providing the first line of defence. UNEP leads a joint effort of over 100 governments, businesses and development organizations that supports countries and industry in tackling growing cooling demand, while contributing to the Paris Agreement, Montreal Protocol and Agenda 2030 called the Cool Coalition. Together with its partners, the Coalition fosters advocacy, knowledge and action to accelerate the global transition to efficient and climate-friendly cooling. In 1994, through resolution 49/114, the General Assembly proclaimed 16 September as the International Day, commemorating the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100052
     
         
      Governments falling woefully short of Paris climate pledges, study finds Wed, 15th Sep 2021 17:16:00
     
      Every one of the world’s leading economies, including all the countries that make up the G20, is failing to meet commitments made in the landmark Paris agreement in order to stave off climate catastrophe, a damning new analysis has found. Less than two months before crucial United Nations climate talks take place in Scotland, none of the largest greenhouse gas emitting countries have made sufficient plans to lower pollution to meet what they agreed to in the 2015 Paris climate accord. This means the world is barreling towards calamitous climate impacts. Under the Paris deal, nations vowed to prevent the world’s average temperature rising 1.5C above pre-industrial times in order to avoid disastrous heatwaves, flooding, storms, drought and other consequences that are already starting to unfold. But the new analysis, by Climate Action Tracker, finds almost every country is falling woefully short of that commitment. Climate pledges made by Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia are “critically insufficient”, the analysis found, while Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and India are among those deemed “highly insufficient”. The US, the European Union bloc, Germany and Japan are ranked as “insufficient”, while the UK, the host of the upcoming climate summit, is “almost sufficient”. Of the 36 countries, plus the EU, ranked by the Climate Action Tracker only the Gambia has made commitments in line with the 1.5C Paris goal. Combined, these countries make up 80% of global emissions. Governments are supposed to periodically improve their emissions reduction targets in order to fulfil the promises made in Paris but progress has “stalled” this year, the researchers said. There was “good momentum” in May after a climate summit held at the White House by the US president, Joe Biden, according to Niklas Höhne, a researcher at NewClimate Institute, a partner organization in the Climate Action Tracker analysis. “But since then, there has been little to no improvement – nothing is moving,” he said. “Governments have now closed the gap by up to 15%, a minimal improvement since May. “Anyone would think they have all the time in the world, when in fact the opposite is the case,” he added. This intransigence comes despite the looming climate talks and increasing signs of the climate crisis manifesting itself in catastrophic weather events, including massive floods in Germany and China, severe wildfires in the US and dangerous heatwaves sweeping several countries. A survey of 16,000 people across North America, Europe and Asia on Tuesday by Pew found that 72% were worried that climate change will harm them personally at some point. In August, a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on climate science, found that the burning of fossil fuels is changing the Earth’s climate in “unprecedented” ways and that rapid cuts in greenhouse gases are needed to avert climate breakdown. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the report should act as “a code red for humanity”. But the Climate Action Tracker found a lack of urgency by all of the major emitters, such as China, India and the US, in responding to this threat. Even countries with strong climate targets are not on track to meet them, while international finance for poorer countries to help cope with the climate crisis is falling short. If current practices continue, the world is on track for nearly 3C in warming. The analysis said of “particular concern” are the governments of Australia, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia, all of which have failed to raise the ambition of their emissions cuts at all since 2015. Coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, is still being developed on a large scale by India and China, the report found, while gas infrastructure is being expanded by Australia and the EU. “An increasing number of people around the world are suffering from ever more severe and frequent impacts of climate change, yet government action continues to lag behind what is needed,” said Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, another partner in the new study. “While many governments have committed to net zero, without near-term action achieving net zero is virtually impossible.” The analysis provides a sobering reality check ahead of the UN climate talks, which were pushed back from last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A coalition of 1,000 environment groups have called for the talks to be postponed again because delegates from the poorest countries still lack access to coronavirus vaccines. This call has been rejected by the British government as well as John Kerry, the US climate envoy, who said on Monday that a further delay would be a “huge, huge mistake”. But Kerry risks entering the talks with no major climate victory to brandish, with emissions reduction provisions as part of a huge $3.5tn piece of Biden’s legislative agenda still a matter of disagreement even among Democrats in the US Congress. Environmentalists have also attacked the Biden administration for recently leasing out vast areas of the US west and the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling. The leases “will make it even harder for America to meet its climate goals”, said Jennifer Rokala, executive director for the Center for Western Priorities conservation group. “Vision is nothing without action. Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s actions to increase drilling on public lands are at odds with the president’s vision,” she added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/15/governments-falling-short-paris-climate-pledges-study
     
         
      From BTS, K-Pop heroes, to net zero: 5 things to look out for at UNGA76 Wed, 15th Sep 2021 12:12:00
     
      1) To be or not to be (at the GA in person) The format of this year’s UN General Assembly session (UNGA76) is a reflection of the current state of the world: a gradual return to in-person meetings, with plenty of delegates staying online, but also a desire to return to some version of normality, leavened by a recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Following last year’s virtual UNGA, some Heads of State will be coming to UN Headquarters in New York to deliver their set-piece General Debate speeches at the podium, whilst the majority stay at home to deliver their messages via video. One of the most valuable aspects of UNGA for Heads of State and other senior government officials, is the chance to have informal, one-on-one meetings with their counterparts, away from prying eyes. This opportunity was sorely missed last year, and private “bilateral booths” have been set up. While it is still unclear which government leaders will turn up in person you can, of course, follow our coverage of the debate on the main UN News website, and watch the proceedings live as ever, on UN Web TV. 2 A K-Pop moment, and a vaccine booster On the subject of COVID-19 vaccinations, the mantra of the World Health Organization (WHO) has been “no-one’s safe until everyone’s safe”: in other words, richer countries, which are making great strides in inoculating the majority of their citizens, need to ensure that the populations of poorer countries are also protected. However, this is clearly not happening, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the WHO. On 20 September, as part of the “SDG Moment” of the Decade of Action (the UN’s push to deliver sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges), he will discuss the current state of the global roll-out of vaccinations, with Achim Steiner, the head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and Vera Songwe, who runs the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Will BTS break the internet? Again? The all-day event will also feature a performance by Korean superstars, and friends of the UN, BTS. The seven-piece K-Pop group has been partnering with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) since 2017 on the Love Myself campaign to end bullying, and promote self-esteem. The I.T. team at the UN will doubtless be on tenterhooks as 20 September approaches, mindful of the huge internet traffic BTS attracted during their previous visit to the General Assembly in 2018, and when their video message was released at last year’s virtual GA - both of which left the system struggling to cope. 3) Hungry for change: cooking up new food systems The last year has seen a fresh impetus at the UN on the need to overhaul food systems, defined as everything involved in getting healthy and nutritious meals, from crops to meat, onto our plates. This new push was instigated by the decision of UN chief António Guterres to create the first UN Food Systems Summit, which takes place on 23 September. Several experts have warned that the current global food system is actively harmful to the planet and global population. Announcing the summit, Mr. Guterres said that food systems are “one of the main reasons we are failing to stay within our planet’s ecological boundaries”. Food systems emit around a third of global greenhouse gases; cause deforestation and cause around 80 per cent of biodiversity loss. On top of the environmental destruction, shockingly, around a third of all food produced each year is lost or wasted. The aim of the summit is to develop strategies to combat global challenges such as hunger, climate change, poverty and inequality; and create new food systems that benefit all people and protect the planet. 4) Weathering the ‘threat multiplier’ storm: climate and security The climate crisis is now recognized as an issue that is not just an environmental problem, but an existential crisis that affects us all: the UN has described climate change as a “threat multiplier”, which is adding stress to the economic, social, and political systems of every country. For example, drought in the Sahel region of North Africa is a contributing factor in conflict, displacing populations facing hunger and limited livelihood prospects. Studies have linked climate change to the Sudanese civil war, as well as more recent events such as the war in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, and the growth of armed conflict in the Lake Chad basin, a water source shared by several countries, which has shrunk by some 90 per cent since 1960. UN News will report on a special Security Council debate on climate and security, due to take place on 23 September. 5) A net zero sum game: clean, reliable energy Questions surrounding energy are at the heart of efforts to tackle the climate crisis, so it may be surprising that the last global gathering on energy held under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, took place 40 years ago. So, it’s high time for a new one, The UN High-level Dialogue on Energy on 24 September. It’s taking place in a world that views the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy, very differently than it did in the 1980s. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN’s blueprint for a cleaner, fairer future. Another challenge due to be discussed at the event will be how to bring harmful greenhouse gas emissions, the drivers of climate change, down to net zero by 2050. It’s a big task, requiring ambitious actions starting right now. This is why nations, regions, businesses, NGOs and others will be asked to present “Energy Compacts”, setting out voluntary commitments and concrete plans explaining how they’re going to make it happen. Look out for a LIVE UN News blog of the event, taking in contributions from activists, senior officials, and leaders.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099832
     
         
      The world’s biggest carbon-removal plant switches on Wed, 15th Sep 2021 6:18:00
     
      Despite high prices, customers are lining up. SHORTLY AFTER 6pm on September 9th, the Orca carbon capture plant, just outside Reykjavik in Iceland, switched on its fans and began sucking carbon dioxide from the air. The sound was subtle—a bit like a gurgling stream. But the plant’s creators hope it will mark a big shift in humanity’s interaction with the climate. Orca is, for now, the largest installation in the infant “direct air capture” industry, which aims to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. When sealed underground such CO2 counts as “negative emissions”—an essential but underdeveloped method for tackling global warming. To stop temperatures rising by 1.5°C or even 2°C above pre-industrial averages, as per the Paris climate agreement, hundreds or thousands of billions of tonnes of CO2 will have to be removed from the atmosphere in the second half of the century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/the-worlds-biggest-carbon-removal-plant-switches-on/21804774
     
         
      Pakistan: How to cool Karachi as temperatures rise Wed, 15th Sep 2021 6:13:00
     
      With 2021 set to be one of the hottest years recorded on earth, some big cities are struggling with rising temperatures. This can cause respiratory problems, exhaustion and heat strokes. But in Pakistan, whilst some struggle with air conditioning, one man is trying to find a solution by planting urban forests. Farhat Javed reports from Karachi for the BBC’s Life at 50C season.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-58557995
     
         
      Generational conflict over climate crisis is a myth, UK study finds Wed, 15th Sep 2021 6:01:00
     
      A fake generational war over the climate crisis has distorted public thinking and political strategy, when in fact older generations are just as worried about the issue as younger people, according to new research. The idea that young people are ecowarriors, battling against selfish older generations is a common trope in representations of the environment movement. It has been stoked by instances including Time magazine naming Greta Thunberg their person of the year in 2019, for being a “standard bearer in a generational battle”. The stereotypes were further strengthened when generation Z, US singer Billie Eilish said: “Hopefully the adults and the old people start listening to us [about the climate crisis]. Old people are gonna die and don’t really care if we die, but we don’t wanna die yet.” But a new UK study, Who Cares About Climate Change: Attitudes Across The Generations, has found that the generational divide over climate action is a myth, with almost no difference in views between generations on the importance of climate action, and all saying they are willing to make big sacrifices to achieve this. In fact, the research found that older people are actually more likely than the young to feel that acting in environmentally conscious ways will make a difference, with twice as many baby boomers having boycotted a company in the last 12 months for environmental reasons than gen Z. Prof Bobby Duffy, author of Generations: Does When You’re Born Shape Who You Are? said the fake conflict between generations over the climate crisis is “dangerous and destructive”. It had, he said, “crept into so many discussions about climate concern that it’s become an accepted truth that the young are at war with older generations who are not only utterly unfussed about the future of the planet, but are culpable for the current crisis. “Parents and grandparents care deeply about the legacy they’re leaving for their children and grandchildren – not just their house or jewellery, but the state of the planet. If we want a greener future, we need to act together, uniting the generations, rather than trying to drive an imagined wedge between them,” he added. The weighted study of 2,050 UK adults by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and New Scientist magazine, found that about seven in 10 people from all generations surveyed said the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and other environmental issues were big enough problems that they justified significant changes to people’s lifestyles. But it was younger generations, rather than older ones, who were most fatalistic about the impact that they could personally have in tackling the climate crisis. About one-third of gen Z (those aged under 24) and millennials (those aged 25 to 40) said there was no point changing their behaviour because “it won’t make a difference anyway”. This compared with 22% of gen X (those aged 41 to 56) and 19% of baby boomers (those aged 57 to 75). There was an even bigger gap between generations when it came to the rejection of this idea: 61% of baby boomers disagreed with the statement that there was no point altering their behaviour, compared with 41% of millennials. Richard Webb, executive editor of New Scientist, said: “There’s been a lot of talk about the attitude of different generations towards the pressing issues of the day but the findings of this survey provide food for thought for policymakers ahead of the crucial Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. “Far from being an obsession of a young, activist few, support for measures that put our lives on a more sustainable footing as we look to building back from the Covid-19 pandemic command broad support across generations,” he added. “They could be a route to increased engagement among groups increasingly disillusioned with politics.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/15/generational-conflict-over-climate-crisis-is-a-myth-uk-study-finds
     
         
      Most agricultural funding distorts prices, harms environment Tue, 14th Sep 2021 23:08:00
     
      That is the main finding of a new UN report calling for repurposing these incentives to achieve more of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and realize the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. The report, A multi-billion-dollar opportunity: Repurposing agricultural support to transform food systems, was launched on Tuesday by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Switch investments Global support to producers in the form of subsidies and other incentives, makes up 15 per cent of total agricultural production value. By 2030, this is projected to more than triple, to $1.759 trillion. The OECD defines agricultural support, as the annual monetary value of gross transfers to agriculture, from consumers and taxpayers, arising from government policies. Current support mostly consists of price incentives, such as import tariffs and export subsidies, as well as fiscal subsidies which are tied to the production of a specific commodity or input. The report says these are inefficient, distort food prices, hurt people’s health, degrade the environment, and are often inequitable, putting big agri-business ahead of smallholder farmers, many whom are women. Last year, up to 811 million people worldwide faced chronic hunger and nearly one in three people in the world (2.37 billion) did not have year-round access to adequate food. In 2019, around three billion people, in every region of the world, could not afford a healthy diet. Change, don’t eliminate The reports note that, even though most agricultural support today has negative effects, around $110 billion supports infrastructure, research and development, and benefits the general food and agriculture sector. It argues that changing agricultural producer support, rather than eliminating it, will help end poverty, eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture, foster sustainable consumption and production, mitigate the climate crisis, restore nature, limit pollution, and reduce inequalities. Wake-up call The Director-General of FAO, Qu Dongyu, said the report “is a wake-up call for governments around the world to rethink agricultural support schemes to make them fit for purpose to transform our agri-food systems and contribute to the Four Betters: Better nutrition, better production, better environment and a better life.” Agriculture is one of the main contributors to climate change. At the same time, farmers are particularly vulnerable to impacts of the climate crisis, such as extreme heat, rising sea levels, drought, floods, and locust attacks. According to the report, “continuing with support-as-usual will worsen the triple planetary crisis and ultimately harm human well-being.” Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement requires shifting support especially in high-income countries for an outsized meat and dairy industry, which accounts for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In lower-income countries, governments should consider repurposing their support for toxic pesticides and fertilizers or the growth of monocultures. For the Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, “governments have an opportunity now to transform agriculture into a major driver of human well-being, and into a solution for the imminent threats of climate change, nature loss, and pollution.” From India to the UK The report shares several case studies, such as the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, that adopted a policy of Zero Budget Natural Farming; or the Single Payment Scheme, in the United Kingdom, that removed subsidies in agreement with the National Farmers Union (NFU). In the European Union, crop diversification has been incentivized through reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and in Senegal a programme called PRACAS incentivizes farmers to cultivate more diverse crops. UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, believes repurposing agricultural support “can improve both productivity and environmental outcomes.” For him, this change “will also boost the livelihoods of the 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide, many of them women, by ensuring a more level playing field.” The report is being launched ahead of the 2021 Food Systems Summit convened by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, due to take place on 23rd September in New York. The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099792
     
         
      Spain targets energy firms as European bills surge Tue, 14th Sep 2021 19:56:00
     
      Spain's left-wing government has agreed emergency measures to cut spiralling energy bills as electricity prices climb to record levels. It aims to channel €2.6bn (£1.9bn; $3bn) in energy company profits to consumers and slash electricity taxes over the winter months. Energy bills are climbing across Europe as gas prices soar in particular. Greece is promising subsidies to consumers and Italy is also aiming to review electricity bills. But it was Spain that moved first on Tuesday. It has seen some of the highest energy prices in Europe in recent weeks, prompting protests over the summer in a number of cities. 'Shock plan' Wholesale electricity prices rose during the summer months and have continued to climb, with reports of a record high of €172.8 per megawatt hour for Wednesday, 12.6% up on Tuesday. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised Spaniards that under his "shock plan" they would pay no more for their electricity than they did in 2018 plus inflation: - Electricity taxes are being cut temporarily from 5.1% to the minimum 0.5% allowed under EU rules. VAT on bills was already reduced in July - Windfall gains for energy firms will be redirected to consumers and paying for infrastructure until next April - Spain will raise funds by selling off a further €900m in carbon emissions permits this year, on top of the existing €1.1bn - Price caps on natural gas mean bills for 10.5m households will go up by around 4.4% instead of an estimated 28%. The plan to target utility firms hit shares in Endesa in particular, which slumped 5.1% on Tuesday. Poland is facing some of the biggest increases in energy bills, as it not only has to deal with rising gas prices but hikes in the price of CO2 permits under the EU's emissions trading scheme too, because of its heavy reliance on coal. Under the system, companies receive or buy emissions allowances and then trade them. The EU carbon price is currently trading at around €61 per tonne and is also partly behind the surge in Spanish electricity costs. "Only about one fifth of the price increase can be attributed to CO2 prices rising," said Frans Timmermans, the European Commission's vice-president in charge of climate issues. He was addressing the European Parliament during a debate on EU plans to cut emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Polish MP Anna Zalewska warned that citizens would "unfortunately pay for the ambitions of the EU". Last week, the UK's energy regulator warned that the soaring cost of fossil fuels would feed into customers' energy bills. Italian minister Robert Cingolani warned on Monday that electricity bills were likely to go up by 40% in the coming quarter, after a 9.9% increase in the last one. "We have to face these things," he said, blaming the increase on the cost of both natural gas and CO2. Italy has already injected €1.2bn into the system over the summer to reduce bills but is now considering a complete overhaul of the billing system, possibly transferring the cost of supporting renewable energy to general taxation. In Greece, Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said the government was planning to offer energy subsidies to the majority of households. A one-off payment is being considered for low-income households, as well as a €9 monthly subsidy for the first 300 kilowatt hours used by 70% of the population. The French government, facing a presidential election in the spring, has acknowledged that millions of consumers have been affected by price rises. Energy grants already benefit six million people to an average of €150 a year and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire is considering whether the scheme should be extended.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58556073
     
         
      Spain cuts soaring energy prices with emergency measures Tue, 14th Sep 2021 19:39:00
     
      Spain’s government has passed emergency measures to reduce sky-high energy bills by redirecting billions of euros in extraordinary profits from energy companies to consumers and capping increases in gas prices. In the first such broad response in Europe, where wholesale prices have doubled in a year, Spain plans to limit the profits that energy companies using hydropower and other renewable power generators can make from surging electricity prices. The government expects to channel about €2.6bn (£2.2bn) from companies to consumers in the next six months. Spain’s minister for ecological transition, Teresa Ribera, told a news conference that the measure would remain in place until the end of March, when natural gas prices are expected to stabilise after consumption falls from winter peaks. Analysts at RBC Capital Markets estimated that leading utility firms Iberdrola and Endesa would take revenue hits of about €1bn as a result of the measure. Endesa shares fell 5.2% by the closing bell on Tuesday. The impact on Naturgy and EDP would be about €200m and €65m respectively, RBC said. In parallel, Spain will use an extra €900m it expects to raise by auctioning carbon emission permits this year to reduce bills, citing high market prices as the reason for the additional funds. With voracious demand for natural gas accounting for much of the recent increases in European power prices, which have stoked inflation, Spain will limit regulated price increases for the fuel at 4.4% in the third quarter, compared with forecasts for a 28% rise. Ribera said the measures under the “shock plan” would slash the average consumer’s monthly bill by 22% until the end of the year. Though companies will have to shoulder the higher costs while the measures remain in place, they will be reimbursed through higher tariffs later, meaning the overall cost to them will be neutral, the ministry said. However, Spain’s nuclear power association said the new measures would make nuclear plants financially unviable and provoke a total shutdown of the industry. The leftwing coalition government has been under pressure from the opposition and civil society organisations to reduce electricity bills as spot prices, which make up about a third of consumer power bills, have broken records for weeks. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Monday that a special electricity tax would drop to 0.5% from 5.1% until the end of the year, while a reduced VAT rate and the suspension of a 7% generation tax would be extended until January. Altogether, the measures will reduce government revenues by about €1.4 bn in 2021. Italy is also looking at changes to its energy sector to combat an expected 40% increase in retail power prices in the next quarter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/14/spain-cuts-soaring-energy-prices-with-emergency-measures
     
         
      Spain fire: Thousands flee blaze near Costa del Sol town Tue, 14th Sep 2021 14:47:00
     
      Around 2,000 people have left their homes after wildfires broke out in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia. One emergency worker has been killed in the blaze, which began on Wednesday on high ground above the popular resort town of Estepona on the Costa del Sol. The Spanish government has deployed a military unit to help firefighters in the mountainous region. Six more towns and villages were evacuated on Sunday, and huge plumes of smoke could be seen from miles away. Residents of five other communities were told to leave their homes on Friday. The wildfires have burned about 7,400 hectares (18,200 acres), according to Spanish media. Andalusia's regional forest fire agency said hundreds of firefighters were tackling the blaze, supported by 41 aircraft and 25 vehicles. Juan Sánchez, a senior official for the regional fire service, described it as the "most complex" fire seen there in recent times. He said there had been ongoing discussions about the consequences of climate change, adding: "Today we are living them." "This is inhuman, nothing like this has ever been seen," one evacuee, Adriana Iacob told Reuters news agency. "The flames of the fire as they ran through the mountains, it was amazing." "Since the fire started, we haven't slept for days. It's awful," another local resident, Pepa Rubio, said. Europe has seen a number of wildfires this summer. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58540570
     
         
      A New 555 Megawatt Floating Solar Array Will Help Ease Global Fossil Fuel Reliance Tue, 14th Sep 2021 12:47:00
     
      You don't need land to harness the sun. This is why SolarDuck, a next-gen designer and manufacturer of floating solar panel arrays, has signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of 555 Megawatt-Peak of offshore solar projects in the coming years, according to a press release shared with IE. Working with the other signatory on the memorandum, Pondera, which is a well-known consulting firm and project developer in renewable energy, SolarDuck aims to develop new floating solar array projects from 2023 to 2025. And, while the first colossal floating solar platform projects will be located in the Netherlands, future projects will see installations in South-East Asia. SolarDuck and Pondera aim for 555 MWp by 2025 Together, SolarDuck and Pondera will develop novel solar technology to deliver sustainable energy to cities and global regions that have bountiful sunlight but experience difficulty tapping solar energy because of a scarcity in available land (think crowded urban areas on islands, like Singapore). SolarDuck's novel technology offers a new way for communities and businesses in such scarce real estate scenarios to bypass constraints and gain access to clean energy at competitive prices. By 2023, the two firms aim to develop floating solar arrays equivalent to 5 MWp. Megawatt-peak is a term that describes the power output expected in ideal conditions, which means little-to-no cloud cover, with no other weather or mechanical-related disruptions to power intake. And, by the end of 2025, the sustainable duo project a total solar power output of 555 MWp. And they've already begun scouting the perfect locations for these forthcoming projects. "I am excited about our cooperation, and the scale of our combined projects," said Koen Burgers, CEO of SolarDuck, in the press release. "In Pondera, we found a partner who not only shares our global ambitions, but also the drive to make these plans become reality. They have a long and impressive track record which we intend to broaden with the addition of Offshore Floating Solar." And, by the end of 2025, the sustainable duo project a total solar power output of 555 MWp. And they've already begun scouting the perfect locations for these forthcoming projects. "I am excited about our cooperation, and the scale of our combined projects," said Koen Burgers, CEO of SolarDuck, in the press release. "In Pondera, we found a partner who not only shares our global ambitions, but also the drive to make these plans become reality. They have a long and impressive track record which we intend to broaden with the addition of Offshore Floating Solar." And, by the end of 2025, the sustainable duo project a total solar power output of 555 MWp. And they've already begun scouting the perfect locations for these forthcoming projects. "I am excited about our cooperation, and the scale of our combined projects," said Koen Burgers, CEO of SolarDuck, in the press release. "In Pondera, we found a partner who not only shares our global ambitions, but also the drive to make these plans become reality. They have a long and impressive track record which we intend to broaden with the addition of Offshore Floating Solar." And, by the end of 2025, the sustainable duo project a total solar power output of 555 MWp. And they've already begun scouting the perfect locations for these forthcoming projects. "I am excited about our cooperation, and the scale of our combined projects," said Koen Burgers, CEO of SolarDuck, in the press release. "In Pondera, we found a partner who not only shares our global ambitions, but also the drive to make these plans become reality. They have a long and impressive track record which we intend to broaden with the addition of Offshore Floating Solar." SolarDuck's solar power platforms can 'withstand hurricane forces' Both companies have headquarters in the Netherlands. Pondera has worked in renewable projects that've generated more than 10 GW, "of which over 3 GW is operational and another 3 GW" remains under construction, read the press release. SolarDuck consists of a collective of maritime and energy professionals dedicated to generating solar power offshore at utility scales. Earlier this year, the company tested a floating solar platform called the "Demonstrator," which was towed upriver in the Netherlands to simulate the composite effects of wind and water stresses expected on the open sea. And, crucially, the next Demonstrator variant, which will be 13 times larger, and "can withstand hurricane forces" that happen near Florida and Bermuda, said SolarDuck CTO Don Hoogendoorn, in a video interview with IE. SolarDuck's floating solar power platforms can resist some of the worst conditions at sea, including hurricane-force winds. But they can also be optimized for estuaries, natural harbors, and other near-shore regions, withstanding waves surpassing 10 ft (3 m) in height. While it may seem strange to build solar arrays on the water, an educated assessment reveals how crucial this idea has become. Cities around the world, from Tokyo to New York, are finally looking for viable alternatives to fossil fuels as the effects of global climate change on populations, animals, and biodiversity, in general, are mounting pressure. But coastal cities lack a crucial resource: land. "Cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, and other islands are out of land," Hoogendoorn told IE. But in teaming up with Pondera, SolarDuck has set itself on a short- and long-term path to bringing floating solar platforms to reality.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/new-555-megawatt-floating-solar-array-will-help-ease-fossil-fuel-reliance
     
         
      Climate change: Young people very worried - survey Tue, 14th Sep 2021 9:01:00
     
      A new global survey illustrates the depth of anxiety many young people are feeling about climate change. Nearly 60% of young people approached said they felt very worried or extremely worried. More than 45% of those questioned said feelings about the climate affected their daily lives. Three-quarters of them said they thought the future was frightening. Over half (56%) say they think humanity is doomed. Two-thirds reported feeling sad, afraid and anxious. Many felt fear, anger, despair, grief and shame - as well as hope. One 16-year-old said: "It's different for young people - for us, the destruction of the planet is personal." The survey across 10 countries was led by Bath University in collaboration with five universities. It's funded by the campaign and research group Avaaz. It claims to be the biggest of its kind, with responses from 10,000 people aged between 16 and 25. Many of those questioned perceive that they have no future, that humanity is doomed, and that governments are failing to respond adequately. Many feel betrayed, ignored and abandoned by politicians and adults. The authors say the young are confused by governments' failure to act. They say environmental fears are "profoundly affecting huge numbers of young people". Chronic stress over climate change, they maintain, is increasing the risk of mental and physical problems. And if severe weather events worsen, mental health impacts will follow. The report says young people are especially affected by climate fears because they are developing psychologically, socially and physically. The lead author, Caroline Hickman from Bath University, told BBC News: "This shows eco-anxiety is not just for environmental destruction alone, but inextricably linked to government inaction on climate change. The young feel abandoned and betrayed by governments. "We're not just measuring how they feel, but what they think. Four out of 10 are hesitant to have children. "Governments need to listen to the science and not pathologise young people who feel anxious." The authors of the report, to be published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, say levels of anxiety appear to be greatest in nations where government climate policies are considered weakest. There was most concern in the global south. The most worried rich nation was Portugal, which has seen repeated wildfires. Tom Burke from the think tank e3g told BBC News: "It's rational for young people to be anxious. They're not just reading about climate change in the media - they're watching it unfold in front of their own eyes." The authors believe the failure of governments on climate change may be defined as cruelty under human rights legislation. Six young people are already taking the Portuguese government to court to argue this case. The survey was carried out by the data analytics firm Kantar in the UK, Finland, France, the US, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, India, the Philippines and Nigeria. It's under peer review on open access. Young people were asked their views on the following statements: - People have failed to care for the planet: 83% agreed globally, UK 80% - The future is frightening: 75%, UK 72% - Governments are failing young people: 65%, UK 65% - Governments can be trusted: 31%, UK 28% The researchers said they were moved by the scale of distress. One young person said: "I don't want to die, but I don't want to live in a world that doesn't care for children and animals."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58549373
     
         
      Firm behind ‘world’s most powerful tidal turbine’ to head up new $31 million energy project Tue, 14th Sep 2021 8:58:00
     
      Scottish engineering firm Orbital Marine Power is to lead a consortium focused on the commercial deployment of floating tidal energy. In a statement on Monday, the company, which has previously described its 2 megawatt O2 tidal turbine as the “world’s most powerful”, said the 26.7 million euro ($31.5 million) Forward-2030 project would receive a 20.5 million euro grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program. Although the U.K. officially left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020, its companies and researchers are still able to access funding from Horizon 2020. In a statement, Orbital said the project would work on the development of a system combining “floating tidal energy, wind generation, grid export, battery storage and green hydrogen production.” The company will assume the role of both project coordinator and lead technology developer. Breaking things down, the next iteration of Orbital’s floating tidal turbine will be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an archipelago located north of mainland Scotland. There, the turbine will be integrated with battery storage and a hydrogen production facility. The new turbine will sit alongside the already-installed O2, which started grid-connected power generation earlier this year. Others involved in the project include the University of Edinburgh, which will undertake what Orbital described as a “techno-economic analysis of tidal energy.” Elsewhere, Engie Laborelec — part of Tractebel, a subsidiary of major French utility Engie — will “assess large scale integration of tidal energy to the European energy system, develop a smart energy management system and an operational forecasting tool.” Matthijs Soede, who is senior policy officer at the European Commission’s directorate general for research and innovation, said the Forward-2030 project had “the potential to accelerate the commercial deployment of tidal energy, whilst firming up Europe’s position as a leader in tidal energy.” Monday’s news represents the latest shot in the arm for the U.K.’s marine energy sector. Last week saw another Scottish company, Nova Innovation, announce it would receive £6.4 million ($8.89 million) from the Scottish National Investment Bank. The investment, Nova said, would be used to fund the manufacture and distribution of its subsea tidal turbines. The money would also be used to fund ongoing marine energy R&D, it said. While interest in marine-based energy systems appears to be growing, the current footprint of the industry and its technologies remains small. Figures from Ocean Energy Europe show that only 260 kilowatts of tidal stream capacity was added in Europe last year, while just 200 kW of wave energy was installed. By contrast, 2020 saw 14.7 gigawatts of wind energy capacity installed in Europe, according to industry body WindEurope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/14/firm-behind-most-powerful-tidal-turbine-to-head-up-new-project.html
     
         
      Life at 50C: The toxic gas flares fuelling Nigeria's climate change Tue, 14th Sep 2021 1:08:00
     
      Joy and her family are among two million Nigerians living within 4km of a gas flare in Nigeria's oil-rich south. Climate change has had a devastating impact on Nigeria. Fertile lands are turning into deserts in the north, while flash floods have become more common in the south. The country's oil industry is making things worse as the practice of flaring - the burning of natural gas that is released when oil is extracted from the ground - is common despite its illegality. The practice is a major source of greenhouse gases and a contributor to climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-58549010
     
         
      Climate change: World now sees twice as many days over 50C Tue, 14th Sep 2021 0:04:00
     
      The number of extremely hot days every year when the temperature reaches 50C has doubled since the 1980s, a global BBC analysis has found. They also now happen in more areas of the world than before, presenting unprecedented challenges to human health and to how we live. The total number of days above 50C (122F) has increased in each decade since 1980. On average, between 1980 and 2009, temperatures passed 50C about 14 days a year. The number rose to 26 days a year between 2010 and 2019. In the same period, temperatures of 45C and above occurred on average an extra two weeks a year. "The increase can be 100% attributed to the burning of fossil fuels," says Dr Friederike Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. As the whole world warms, extreme temperatures become more likely. High heat can be deadly for humans and nature, and cause major problems to buildings, roads and power systems. Temperatures of 50C happen predominantly in the Middle East and Gulf regions. And after record-breaking temperatures of 48.8C in Italy and 49.6C in Canada this summer, scientists have warned that days over 50C will happen elsewhere unless we cut fossil fuel emissions. "We need to act quickly. The faster we cut our emissions, the better off we'll all be," says Dr Sihan Li, a climate researcher at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford. "With continued emissions and lack of action, not only will these extreme heat events become more severe and more frequent, but emergency response and recovery will become more challenging," warns Dr Li. The BBC analysis also found that in the most recent decade, maximum temperatures increased by 0.5C compared with the long-term average from 1980 to 2009. But these increases have not been felt equally around the world: Eastern Europe, southern Africa and Brazil saw some maximum temperatures rise by more than 1C, and parts of the Arctic and Middle East recorded increases of more than 2C. Scientists are calling for urgent action from world leaders at a UN summit in Glasgow in November, where governments will be asked to commit to new emissions cuts in order to limit global temperature rises. Impacts of extreme heat This BBC analysis launches a documentary series called Life at 50C investigating how extreme heat is affecting lives across the world. Even below 50C, high temperatures and humidity can create severe health risks. As many as 1.2 billion people around the world could face heat stress conditions by 2100 if current levels of global warming continue, according to a study from Rutgers University in the US published last year. That is at least four times more than those affected today. People are also facing difficult choices as the landscape around them changes, as extreme heat makes drought and wildfires more likely. While, other factors can contribute, climate change is also an important driving force behind desertification. Sheikh Kazem Al Kaabi is a wheat farmer from a village in central Iraq. The land around him was once fertile enough to sustain him and his neighbours, but it has gradually become dry and barren. "All this land was green, but all of that is gone. Now it is a desert, drought." Almost all the people from his village have moved away to look for work in other provinces. "I lost my brother, dear friends and loyal neighbours. They shared everything with me, even my laughter. Now nobody shares anything with me, I'm just face-to-face with this empty land."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58494641
     
         
      Record number of environmental activists murdered Tue, 14th Sep 2021 0:01:00
     
      A record number of activists working to protect the environment and land rights were murdered last year, according to a report by a campaign group. 227 people were killed around the world in 2020, the highest number recorded for a second consecutive year, the report from Global Witness said. Almost a third of the murders were reportedly linked to resource exploitation - logging, mining, large-scale agribusiness, hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure. The report called the victims "environmental defenders" killed for protecting natural resources that need to be preserved, including forests, water supplies and oceans. Since the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed in 2015, the organisation says on average four activists have been killed each week. It said this "shocking figure" was likely to be an underestimate because of growing restrictions on journalists and other civic freedoms. Logging was the industry linked to the most murders with 23 cases - with attacks in Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru and the Philippines. Indigenous peoples, most often on the frontline of climate change, accounted for a further one third of cases. Colombia had the highest recorded attacks, with 65 people killed last year. 'Unbearably heavy burden' A senior campaigner for Global Witness, Chris Madden, called on governments to "get serious about protecting defenders." He said companies must start "putting people and planet before profit' or he warned that "both climate breakdown and the killings" would continue. "This dataset is another stark reminder that fighting the climate crisis carries an unbearably heavy burden for some, who risk their lives to save the forests, rivers and biospheres that are essential to counteract unsustainable global warming. This must stop''. The organisation called on governments to formally recognise the human right to a safe, healthy and sustainable environment, and ensure commitments made at November's UN climate change conference, COP26, integrate human rights protections. In response, COP26 president Alok Sharma told the BBC he had "prioritised meeting people on the front line of climate change," to ensure the voices of all are heard." 'Shot dead in her living room' Those murdered included South African Fikile Ntshangase, 65, who was involved in a legal dispute over the extension of an opencast mine operated by Tendele Coal near Somkhele in KwaZulu-Natal province. She was shot dead in her own living room. Her daughter, Malungelo Xhakaza, 31, said her "mother's struggle lives on." She said: "To this day no arrests have been made in the investigation into my mother's murder. There has been no accountability. It seems to me that someone wants this mine expansion and the extraction to go ahead, no matter the cost." Petmin Limited, which owns the Somkhele mine through its subsidiary Tendele Coal Mining, told Global Witness that it "acknowledges community tensions may have been a factor in Fikile's death." The company said it "strongly condemns any form of violence or intimidation" and has offered full co-operation with the police. The killings also included Óscar Eyraud Adams, who was murdered in Mexico in September 2020. He was working to help the indigenous Kumiai community in Baja California have better access to water. Global Witness said activists still under threat included communities in Guapinol in Honduras, where dozens of people have been protesting against an iron oxide mining concession that was granted by the central government in a protected area. Campaigners believe the Guapinol river, a vital water source, is threatened. The organisation says "many community members remain incarcerated."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58508001
     
         
      TUC: Jobs at risk if UK fails to hit carbon emissions target Mon, 13th Sep 2021 12:29:00
     
      Up to 660,000 jobs could be at risk if the UK fails to reach its net-zero target as quickly as other nations, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has warned. The government has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035. But the TUC fears many jobs could be moved offshore to countries offering superior green infrastructure and support for decarbonisation. The union body is calling for an £85bn green recovery package to create 1.2 million green jobs. TUC research from June shows the UK is currently ranked second last among G7 economies for its investment in green infrastructure and jobs. However, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) says the TUC's claims are untrue and that it does not recognise their methodology. The government is currently considering the recommendations of an independent report into the future of green jobs, a BEIS spokeswoman stressed. "In recent months we've secured record investment in wind power, published a world-leading Hydrogen Strategy, pledged £1bn in funding to support the development of carbon capture and launched a landmark North Sea Transition Deal - the first G7 nation to do so - that will protect our environment, generate huge investment and create and support thousands of jobs," she added. The TUC says steel industry jobs are at great risk are jobs because their manufacturing process is dependent on burning coal at high temperatures. Other nations such as Sweden are already bringing to market new technologies that enable steel production without using coal. In August, Hybrit, a joint venture between Swedish firms SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall, made its first delivery of green steel using hydrogen from the electrolysis of water with renewable electricity, while another firm H2 Green Steel is planning to open a hydrogen plant in 2024. SSAB has a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to introduce fossil-free steel into vehicle production as soon as possible. The German carmaker wants its entire car fleet to be carbon-neutral across the supply chain by 2039. The TUC's analysis suggests the jobs at risk include: - 26,900 jobs in iron and steel - 41,000 jobs in glass and ceramics - 63,200 jobs in chemicals -18,000 jobs in textiles - 79,000 jobs in rubber and plastics - 15,500 jobs in paper, pulp and printing - 7,800 jobs in refineries - 7,400 jobs in wood products - 900 jobs in cement and lime The UK's green recovery investment is currently a quarter of France, a fifth of Canada, and 6% of the US, it says. According to TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady, the clock is ticking for the UK: "Thatcher devastated Britain's industrial heartlands with the loss of industry and jobs. Boris Johnson is on the brink of doing more of the same." She said that unless the government urgently scales up investment in green tech and industry, the UK could risk losing hundreds of thousands of jobs to competing nations. Industry body the CBI agrees, although it thinks the UK has already "made excellent strides" in cutting emissions from the power sector. "Now is the time to back up this progress with concrete policies and programmes," said the CBI's decarbonisation director Tom Thackray. "CBI analysis suggests that spending in areas like electric vehicles and energy efficiency could create 250,000 net new jobs by 2030, but the window of opportunity to realise this is shrinking by the day." 'UK isn't even putting our toe in the water' Alan Coombs, 56, is a Community trade union representative at the Port Talbot steelworks, the UK's largest steel production plant with around 4,000 workers. He has worked at the plant for 40 years. "Companies overseas are already setting target dates for green steel, but the UK isn't even putting our toe in the water," he told the BBC. "We've got to have a strategy of what it looks like - how we actually make the steel going forward." He says he can't see how any firm will be able to deliver new technologies without government support, because it will be expensive. But most of all he thinks speed is needed: "We need to determine what it looks like for us and get on with it - because, environmentally, I think most every industry realises it's got to change. "We are not part of the debates, so you can imagine - people are [like], 'Where am I going to be working? What's going to happen to the plant that I work on... and what is the future going to look like?" 'We have to make that adjustment' Critiquing the TUC's analysis, Prof Jagjit Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), points out that the UK has "made significant progress since 1990" on cutting carbon emissions. "In the UK, we're almost halfway towards our target, as of last year, in part helped perversely by the Covid crisis," he said. He is not certain it is possible to tell whether the UK has lost its competitiveness in international trade, particularly since other countries generate more pollution than us. He also says that only "a very small fraction of people" - 2-3% of the labour force - is directly affected by the UK falling behind other nations in net-zero targets. But he sees it as inevitable that all industries will eventually have to go green and he wants government plans "that promote the rotation of the economy away from one that's emitting carbon emissions to one which isn't." When the UK was part of the EU, it was given about £7bn from the European Investment Bank per annum, which then led to £20bn in investment a year - the government will need to find investment to replace that. "If we think about that happening over the next 10 years, we're then talking about public and private investment public together, probably in the region of £200bn," he said. Unions and bosses aren't always on the same page, but when it comes to carving out a green future, they are broadly at one. Revolutions are rarely bloodless. The transition to a net-zero economy will inevitably have some impact on traditional jobs, especially in polluting industries. That's spelt out in the government's Green Jobs Taskforce report from July. So it's a delicate time. The extent of the impact will depend on the policy decisions we make now and whether sectors like the steel industry can be persuaded that there is a tasty enough "carrot" to go green, in the form of incentivising demand for a greener product perhaps or extra funding. And whether the "stick" - in the form of any policy to push firms to net-zero - won't be used too aggressively. It's a difficult path for the government to tread. The UK has a legally binding commitment to reduce pollution by 2050. However this will come at a massive financial cost, at a time when the pandemic has left the UK with high levels of public debt. With all that in mind, the government will set out more information on how the move to net-zero will happen and how it will be paid for, in its Net Zero Strategy, launched ahead of the COP26 summit at the end of October.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58519996
     
         
      'I care about the climate but my dad works in the oil industry' Mon, 13th Sep 2021 9:34:00
     
      Stephanie is concerned about the impact burning fossil fuels has on climate change. But her dad Andrew is a senior employee at BP and worked in the oil industry for more than 20 years. The 13-year-old from Surrey questions: “Does this mean he doesn’t care about my future? Does this mean by default that I don’t care about the planet?” Climate change is a hot topic at home. While Stephanie worries about the Earth's future, she hopes BP's sustainability commitments could make her dad part of the solution. You can find stories by other young people on the BBC Young Reporter website. With thanks to the Gaia art installation by Luke Jerram and Creative Barking and Dagenham.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-london-58522466
     
         
      COP26: UK still lagging on climate policy, report says Mon, 13th Sep 2021 9:26:00
     
      Britain is lagging way behind its schedule for cutting carbon emissions in the run-up to November's climate summit in Glasgow, a report says. Think tank the Green Alliance says current plans will deliver less than a quarter of the cuts needed to meet the UK’s 2030 climate goal. Little progress has been made in areas such as farming (a 7% improvement), power (12%), and waste (15%), it warns. The government said the UK is committed to meeting future climate commitments. The UK has vowed to cut emissions by 78% by 2035 - a world-leading target. Ministers promise that the coming Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and net zero strategy - an over-arching plan to de-carbonise the whole economy - will deliver carbon-cutting policies in time for November's summit, known as COP26. But Caterina Brandmayr, from the Green Alliance, said: “This is a make-or-break moment for the government. “COP26 will fail without the major emitters making genuine commitments in these final 50 days - and as president of COP, the UK has to lead the way to raise ambition globally. “Unless the net-zero strategy and CSR meet the scale of the challenge and opportunity, the UK will be headed into Glasgow with little to show by way of progress on cutting its emissions in this crucial decade.” Its report said over the past six months, transport has been the best performing government department. It is now almost half way to hitting its departmental target, thanks largely to plans to electrify motoring. As other departments lag behind, the report’s authors are urging swift government action in five areas: - Reducing the amount of high-carbon materials used in the economy – such as steel and cement - Producing farm subsidy policies that will capture CO2 emissions - Improving transport further by setting out a legal framework for the transition to electric vehicles and stopping airport expansion - Producing an ambitious heat and buildings strategy The buildings strategy has been held up as ministers struggle with the practicalities of helping people to insulate their homes and install expensive low-carbon heating when their gas boiler packs up. Ms Brandmayr said: “The delay has been very disappointing. We need a comprehensive set of measures that will insulate homes, install low-carbon heating and create jobs.” Green Alliance’s net zero policy tracker reports on progress every three months. It reinforces criticism by green groups that the UK is a leader in setting targets, but not in sticking to them. When approached for a comment, the government did not directly challenge the Green Alliance figures. A spokeswoman for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We are a world leader in the fight against climate change and are absolutely committed to meeting our future climate commitments, having already cut emissions by 44% over the past three decades, and are on track to outperform our current carbon budget plans which takes us to 2022. "We have clear plans to cut emissions further, having recently published our energy white paper, North Sea transition deal, transport decarbonisation plan, industrial decarbonisation and hydrogen strategies. "We have also secured new investments in offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery manufacturing and supply chains, and rolled out schemes to decarbonise homes and buildings. Further details will be set out in our net zero strategy." The government’s net zero ambitions have come under fire recently by right-wing Conservatives arguing that the cost of de-carbonisation would be too high. The Treasury is reported to be worried about the final bill. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, in an "early action" scenario the cost of the net zero transition between 2020 and 2050 could be as little as 0.4% of GDP annually. These costs would increase significantly in scenarios where climate action is delayed or abandoned.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58520330
     
         
      UK to offer £265m in subsidies for renewable energy developers Mon, 13th Sep 2021 0:01:00
     
      Renewable energy developers will compete for a share in a £265m subsidy pot as the government aims to support a record number of projects in the sector through a milestone subsidy scheme later this year. Under the scheme, offshore wind developers will compete for contracts worth up to £200m a year, and onshore wind and solar farms will be in line for their first subsidies in more than five years. Alongside the £200m funding pot for offshore windfarms, there will be a further £55m available to emerging renewable technologies such as tidal power, of which £24m will be earmarked for floating offshore wind farms. The government will also make £10m available to developers of onshore wind and solar farms for the first time since it slashed subsidies in 2015, or enough to deliver up to 5GW of renewable energy capacity. Dan McGrail, chief executive of the trade organisation Renewable UK, said the scheme could bring forward private investment of over £20bn in a boost to jobs and the UK supply chain, while reducing energy bills and helping the UK to meet its climate targets. “The sector had called on government to increase the ambition for new renewable energy capacity at the upcoming auction and that is reflected in today’s announcement,” he said. The government has referred to the upcoming auction as the “biggest ever renewable support scheme” – despite offering less than the £325m and £290m offered in 2015 and 2017 respectively – because the falling cost of renewables means it may secure more renewable energy capacity than the government’s first three auctions combined. Renewable energy developers will compete for the funds in a reverse auction scheduled for December, in which the lowest-cost projects will secure a contract that guarantees the price for the clean electricity they generate. In the last auction, offshore wind costs tumbled by a third to record lows of about £40 per megawatt-hour, well below the price of electricity in the wholesale energy market, meaning households are unlikely to face higher charges on their energy bills. Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the energy minister, said the latest round of the support scheme would “support the next generation of renewable electricity projects needed to power our homes” and help meet the UK’s climate targets. Boris Johnson set out plans almost a year ago to support 40GW of offshore wind farms by 2030, or enough to power the equivalent of every home in the UK, as part of the government’s plan to “build back greener” from Covid-19. The prime minister’s “10-point plan” also includes funding for low-carbon hydrogen and millions of electric vehicles on British roads, as well as a goal to replace gas boilers by installing up to 600,000 electric heat pumps a year by 2028. Heat pumps are considered an important tool in cutting carbon emissions from the UK’s housing stock, which is responsible for about 14% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, mostly due to a reliance on gas heating and poorly insulated homes. But the UK’s rollout is “seriously lagging” behind other European countries including Poland, Slovakia and Estonia, according to a recent analysis of industry data by Greenpeace. Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director, said that if the government “wants a chance to catch up, it needs a proper strategy and enough cash” to make the cost of installing a heat pump – and upgrading energy efficiency – the same as replacing a gas boiler. A government spokesman said the strategy paper will set out how the government plans to help the upfront costs of heat pumps to fall in the coming years while keeping “fairness and affordability for both households and taxpayers at the heart of our plans”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/uk-to-offer-265m-in-subsidies-for-renewable-energy-developers
     
         
      Why China is developing a game-changing thorium-fuelled nuclear reactor Sun, 12th Sep 2021 17:16:00
     
      China is poised to test a thorium-powered nuclear reactor in September, the world’s first since 1969. The theory is that this new molten-salt technology will be “safer” and “greener” than regular uranium reactors, and so could help Beijing meet its climate goals. Yet is the country's investment in this also geostrategic? A new page in the history of nuclear energy could be written this September, in the middle of the Gobi Desert, in the north of China. At the end of August, Beijing announced that it had completed the construction of its first thorium-fuelled molten-salt nuclear reactor, with plans to begin the first tests of this alternative technology to current nuclear reactors within the next two weeks. Built not far from the northern city of Wuwei, the low-powered prototype can as yet only produce energy for around 1,000 homes, according to the scientific journal Nature. But if the upcoming tests succeed, Chinese authorities will start a programme to build another reactor capable of generating electricity for over 100,000 homes. Beijing could then become an exporter of a reactor technology that has been the subject of much discussion for over 40 years, according to French financial newspaper Les Echos. Lower accident risks? The Chinese reactor could be the first molten-salt reactor operating in the world since 1969, when the US abandoned its Oak Ridge National Laboratory facility in Tennessee. “Almost all current reactors use uranium as fuel and water, instead of molten salt and thorium," which will be used in China’s new plant, Jean-Claude Garnier, head of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), told FRANCE 24. These two "new" ingredients were not chosen by accident by Beijing: molten-salt reactors are among the most promising technologies for power plants, according to the Generation IV forum – a US initiative to push for international cooperation on civil nuclear power. With molten-salt technology, "it is the salt itself that becomes the fuel", Sylvain David, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and nuclear reactors specialist, explained in a FRANCE 24 interview. The crystals are mixed with nuclear material – either uranium or thorium – heated to over 500°C to become liquid, and are then be able to transport the heat and energy produced. Theoretically, this process would make the installations safer. "Some accident risks are supposedly eliminated because liquid burning avoids situations where the nuclear reaction can get out of control and damage the reactor structures," Jean-Claude Garnier added. There's another advantage for China: this type of reactor does not need to be built near watercourses, since the molten salts themselves "serve as a coolant, unlike conventional uranium power plants that need huge amounts of water to cool their reactors", French newspaper Les Echos noted. As a result, the reactors can be installed in isolated and arid regions… like the Gobi Desert. China's plentiful supply Beijing has also opted to use thorium rather than uranium in its new molten-salt reactor, a combination that has drawn attention from experts for years. This is mostly because “there is much more thorium than uranium in nature”, Francesco D’Auria, nuclear reactor technology specialist at the University of Pisa, told FRANCE 24. In addition, thorium belongs to a famous family of rare-earth metals that are much more abundant in China than elsewhere; this is the icing on the cake for Chinese authorities, who could increase its energy independence from major uranium exporting countries, such as Canada and Australia, two countries whose diplomatic relations with China have collapsed in recent years. Beijing’s investment is also a long-term one. “For now, there is enough uranium to fuel all operating reactors. But if the number of reactors increases, we could reach a situation where supply would no longer keep up, and using thorium can drastically reduce the need for uranium. That makes it a potentially more sustainable option," Sylvain David explained. A 'greener' nuclear energy? According to supporters of thorium, it would also a "greener" solution. Unlike the uranium currently used in nuclear power plants, burning thorium does not create plutonium, a highly toxic chemical element, Nature pointed out. With so many positives on their side, why are molten salts and thorium only being used now? “Essentially because uranium 235 was the natural candidate for nuclear reactors and the market did not look much further," Francesco D'Auria added. Radiation, corrosion and... nuclear weapons Among the three main candidates for nuclear reaction – uranium 235, uranium 238 and thorium – the first is “the only isotope naturally fissile”, Sylvain David explained. The other two must be bombarded with neutrons for the material to become fissile (able to undergo nuclear fission) and be used by a reactor: a possible but more complex process. Once that is done on thorium, it produces uranium 233, the fissile material needed for nuclear power generation. That then becomes another problem with thorium: "The radiation emitted by uranium 233 is stronger than that of the other isotopes, so you have to be more careful," Francesco D'Auria warned. The feasibility of molten-salt reactors is also questionable as it creates further technical problems. "At very high temperatures, the salt can corrode the reactor’s structures, which need to be protected in some manner," Jean-Claude Garnier explained. The stakes are clearly high for the Chinese tests and they will be watched very closely around the world in order to see how Beijing hopes to overcome these obstacles. But even if China ends up claiming victory, they should not rejoice too quickly, Francesco D’Auria said: "The problem with corrosive products is that you don't realise their damage until five to 10 years after." Moreover, the expert claims there is no reason to celebrate a nuclear reactor that not only produces energy, but also uranium 233. "This is an isotope that does not exist in nature and that can be used to build an atomic bomb," pointed out Francesco D'Auria. As such, China could end up revolutionising the nuclear industry but, at the same time, they might once more alarm supporters of non-proliferation around the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210912-why-china-is-developing-a-game-changing-thorium-fuelled-nuclear-reactor
     
         
      Scotland's fastest-flowing river 'devastated' by hydro schemes Sat, 11th Sep 2021 7:40:00
     
      Hydro-electric schemes have had a "devastating impact" on a river dubbed the "fastest flowing in Scotland", it has been claimed. The 109-mile (175km) Spey - Scotland's second longest river after the Tay - flows through the Highlands and Moray. A Spey Fishery Board-commissioned study said too much water was being diverted away from the Spey for use in generating electricity. It said water flow and levels on the river had dropped as a result. Energy giant SSE Renewables, one of the UK's leading developers of hydro-electricity, said it prided itself in being "a responsible operator", and was working closely with regulators and fishery boards while generating "clean and flexible" hydro power. The Spey is world-famous for its salmon fishing. Its reputation as the fastest flowing in Scotland applies to a section of the river downstream of Grantown-on-Spey where it descends markedly in altitude. Spey Fishery Board (SFB), which manages the river's wild salmon and sea trout fisheries, said hydro, along with other land uses and a lack of snow melt, had affected water levels. It said this had left the Spey, and its wildlife, at greater risk to the effects of climate change. SFB has called on the Scottish government and Scottish Environment Protect Agency (Sepa) to enforce a reduction in the volume of water being diverted from the Spey's 1,158 sq mile (3,000 sq km) catchment area. Both Sepa and the Scottish government said they were aware of the concerns about the Spey. Natural flow The SFB's study by EnviroCentre Ltd suggested the Spey was one of the "most heavily-abstracted major rivers in Scotland". Water has been diverted to hydro-electric schemes in Lochaber and the Tay river system since the 1940s. But SFB said the new research showed the renewable energy projects could significantly reduce the natural flow in the Spey - by up to 24% at Boat o' Brig, near Fochabers in Moray, and by up to a 61% at Kingussie in the Highlands. The Spey's ability to store groundwater in its stony riverbed had also been badly affected due to low water levels, according to the study. SFB director Roger Knight said: "It is now abundantly clear that the scale of water transferred out of the Spey valley to generate hydro-electricity is having a devastating impact on the river. "It has denuded the groundwater storage supplies and has drastically reduced the Spey's ability to cope with hotter, drier summers which are predicted to occur more frequently under climate change." He added: "It is crucial that licensed abstraction from our upper tributaries is reappraised and appropriately regulated to give this iconic river the sustainability it deserves as the reality of the climate emergency becomes apparent." Sepa, the organisation responsible for issuing and reviewing licences to abstract water, said there were a number of projects ongoing to improve the availability of water. It said abstractions were also under review. 'Minimise impact' A spokesman said: "It's likely that water levels in the Spey are being impacted by water scarcity, and in the latest water scarcity situation report, the Spey is at 'alert' level. "During periods of water scarcity, we engage directly with operators that hold abstraction licenses to advise of the ongoing situation and ensure best practice is being followed to maximise water efficiency." He added: "Due to climate change, extreme weather including water scarcity, as well as flooding, is likely to become more common." The Scottish government said it would "carefully consider" the Spey Fishery Board's report and would respond "in due course". A spokeswoman said a wild salmon strategy was being developed and an updated River Basin Management Plan was due to be published at the end of this year. The plan will set out the government's aims and objectives to improve rivers to "good ecological status" by 2027. The spokeswoman said: "This will include measures to improve water levels on the River Spey by reviewing abstractions for hydro power, and projects to improve fish passage through our Water Environment Fund." An SSE Renewables spokesman said: "We work closely with our regulator, Sepa, and a range of stakeholders, including the district salmon fishery boards to ensure that we minimise our impact on the natural environment, while also maximising the generation of clean and flexible hydro power, which will be increasingly important in meeting Scotland's net-zero targets."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-58462914
     
         
      COP26: Poorest countries fear not reaching UK for climate summit Sat, 11th Sep 2021 1:37:00
     
      The world's poorest countries say they are worried about getting to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. Twenty are on the UK's Covid red list - meaning hotel quarantine for arrivals. They say the fortnight-long talks may involve being away for seven weeks as they will also have to isolate on return. And they warn that flights from Pacific islands have virtually stopped and that some transit hubs are refusing non-residents. The warning comes from the group made up of the world's 46 poorest countries which are on the United Nations' list of Least Developed Countries (LDC). The 20 countries that are also on the UK's foreign travel red list include Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Nepal. The chairman of the LDC group, Bhutan's Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi, said: "It's our people who are hardest hit by this ever worsening crisis. They must be well represented in the climate talks. "The world cannot risk unambitious and unfair decisions being taken at COP26, there is far too much at stake." This follows a coalition of 1,500 green groups calling for the summit to be delayed because of Covid arrangements. But the UK government and the UN say they are planning to go ahead because the massive gathering is so important and they are working to keep it safe. So what are the risks? Bringing together 30,000 people from every country on the planet - regardless of whether they've got the disease under control or not - is a challenge. Especially when the talks will be face-to-face, last for two weeks indoors during a Scottish winter when few will welcome opening windows to bring in virus-dispersing fresh air. And the event will be opened by people in the most vulnerable demographic: the Queen (aged 95), David Attenborough (95), the Pope (84) and President Biden (78). It comes as other events on a similar scale have not gone ahead as planned. China was due to hold a UN conference on biodiversity next month but switched to virtual sessions for the opening and normal talks next year. And while France has just hosted a congress in Marseilles on nature conservation, the numbers were far lower than usual with many joining via video. By contrast, officials planning COP26 say the future of the planet is at stake and that Zoom is no substitute for meeting in-person. And they insist the risks can be minimised. What is the safety plan for Glasgow? The first line of defence is vaccination - it is not mandatory but "strongly encouraged". Vaccine doses have been promised to anyone registered with the UN and those should be available now. Arrivals from red list countries will still have to quarantine - for five days if they are vaccinated, 10 days if they are not, with the UK government paying for the hotel bills. The next barrier is regular testing - probably every other day and with lateral flow tests (the more reliable PCR tests were judged too slow). In the event itself, there will be zones for global leaders and a "blue zone" for ministers, officials, observers and media - with both groups urged not to mingle. Masks will be needed when moving around, numbers will limited in meeting rooms and there will be plenty of hand sanitiser. Ventilation - a key safety measure - is mentioned in the official guidance though not spelled out. So what's the worry? In the Olympics and Paralympics in Japan recently, competitors were isolated in an athletes' village. Instead in Glasgow, delegates will be staying in hotels in and around the city and will inevitably be meeting others. I've seen for myself how informal talks and social events are a crucial part of COPs. The city's restaurants, where mixing is most likely, are being advised on Covid safety measures - but these can't be policed. Can more be done? In Marseilles, at the conservation conference, no one unvaccinated from a red list country was allowed into France. Also, face coverings had to be worn all the time indoors as well as outdoors. And it is possible a higher grade of mask may be required. When the COP26 president Alok Sharma visited China this week, the delegations wore FFP2 masks - offering protection against infectious aerosols.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58360996
     
         
      Office staff are slower and less focused in polluted air Fri, 10th Sep 2021 12:01:00
     
      The air quality in an office can have a significant impact on the mental agility and focus of the people who work there, a study suggests. The research included 300 office workers in six countries including the UK, in fields such as engineering, property investment, architecture and technology. It found that higher concentrations of fine particulate matter in the air and lower ventilation rates were associated with slower response times and reduced accuracy in cognitive tests. The study looked at a type of pollution known as PM2.5, which consists of particles less than 2.5 micrometres long and is now understood to be particularly damaging to health. It also looked at levels of carbon dioxide, which increase in poorly ventilated spaces.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/office-staff-are-slower-and-less-focused-in-polluted-air-2g6rskzbk
     
         
      Attenborough to Climate Assembly: 'You've given me a lot of hope' Thu, 9th Sep 2021 13:42:00
     
      Sir David Attenborough has met the Climate Assembly in Parliament to discuss action on climate change. The Climate Assembly brings together people from across the country to discuss ways that the UK can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-58495142
     
         
      Climate change: Fossil fuels must stay underground, scientists say Thu, 9th Sep 2021 13:39:00
     
      Almost 60% of oil and gas reserves and 90% of coal must remain in the ground to keep global warming below 1.5C, scientists say. The forecast is based on close analysis of global energy supply and demand. It is a "bleak" but realistic assessment of "what the science tells us is needed", the researchers say. And they have "painted a scenario of the future" that leaves much less room for fossil fuels to be extracted than previously estimated. 'Bouncing back' Scientists say that limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5C should help the world avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change. Globally, the researchers calculated, production of fossil fuels needed to have peaked in 2020 and be on a steady decline of 3% every year until 2050. "Through the Covid pandemic, we have seen a large decline in production - but that is bouncing back," UCL associate professor of energy systems Dr Steve Pye told BBC News. The research focuses on how much energy is required and what the limit must be on carbon emissions. Dr James Price, also at UCL, said: "We say to our model, 'Meet all those demands from now until 2100 without emitting too much carbon dioxide.' "The result we get is a rapid reduction in fossil fuels - and a large amount of fossils fuels [left in the ground] - simply because the carbon budget is so tight." 'Bleak picture' The study, in the journal Nature, also found the decline in oil and gas production required globally by 2050 - to stick to that tight carbon budget - means many regions face peak production now or during the next decade. A carbon budget is the cumulative amount of CO2 that can be released in a period of time while keeping within a temperature threshold - in this case 1.5C. Many fossil-fuel extraction projects already planned or in operation are likely to hurt the world's chances of meeting internationally agreed target limits on global warming set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. And this "bleak picture", the scientists say, "is very probably an underestimate of what is required". The carbon budget determined by the modelling would give the world a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5C. But the study says: "That does not consider uncertainties around, for example, climate-system feedbacks "So to ensure more certainty of stabilising at this temperature, [even] more carbon needs to stay in the ground." 'Stark numbers' The researchers highlight bold national policies to entirely phase out fossil-fuel extraction, including an alliance devised by Costa Rica and Denmark, set to be launched at the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Glasgow, this year, asking states to stop issuing fossil-fuel exploration permits. And the scientists say they hope the "stark numbers" will inspire the political will to make swift and urgent change to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Dr Price told the BBC: "The physics doesn't care about the political will. "We know technically how to do this, it is just about actually doing it."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58494391
     
         
      UK 'cut climate pledges' to clinch Australia trade deal Thu, 9th Sep 2021 13:35:00
     
      Ministers agreed to cut key climate pledges to help clinch the UK trade deal with Australia it has emerged. According to an email from an unnamed Cabinet official, leaked to Sky News, government ministers referred to dropping "climate asks" to get the deal "over the line". This included cutting references to limiting global warming to specific temperatures. The government said the deal will reinforce climate commitments. The email, which was sent last month, states that Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng agreed to ditch references to the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change to sweeten the Australian trade deal. As a result, the draft agreement signed in June does not include an explicit commitment to limiting global warming this century to 1.5C above pre-industrial averages. However, the government insisted that the trade agreement will include a firm commitment from both countries to the Paris goals when finalised. A spokesperson said: "Our ambitious trade deal with Australia will include a substantive article on climate change which reaffirms both parties' commitments to the Paris Agreement and achieving its goals. Any suggestion the deal won't sign up to these vital commitments is completely untrue." They added that Britain's climate change policies were some of "the most ambitious in the world", with the UK being the first major economy to pass new laws to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Australian trade minister Dan Tehan said all of the country's free trade agreements focus on meeting international environmental commitments. "Australia and the UK have agreed to work cooperatively on environmental issues, including emissions reduction," he said. The UK trade deal will be consistent with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement between countries including Australia, Canada Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore. "Our goal is to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, preferably by 2050. "Our technology not taxes approach to addressing climate change is delivering results, with updated forecasts showing Australia is on track to meet and beat our 2030 Paris target," Mr Tehan added. Moratorium call However, campaign group Greenpeace said that Australia's commitments to the Paris Agreement were currently "very weak" and that it was the only developed economy not to have improved on emissions targets set out in 2015. The country was also "nowhere close" to halving emissions by 2030, which climate scientists say is required to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement alive. "The UK government pledged to embed the environment at the very heart of trade, including supporting the Paris Agreement on climate and zero deforestation in supply chains," said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven. "Signing an Australian trade deal with action on climate temperature commitments secretly removed is the polar opposite of everything Boris Johnson publicly pledged and rips the heart out of what the agreement stands for." He called for a moratorium on trade deals with countries like Australia until they improved on their climate policies and ended deforestation.´ He also noted that Australia uses agrichemicals banned in the UK, including hormones that promote animal growth and neonicotinoid pesticides that are harmful to bees. "And on animal welfare Australia uses battery cages for hens that were banned in the UK in 2012, and female pigs confined to crates that were banned in the UK in 1999," Mr Sauven said. "No food should be imported using methods that are banned in the UK." Labour's shadow business minister, Ed Milliband, said: "This government is pursuing trade deals at the expense of our farmers and now our climate targets. This is simply a massive betrayal of our country and our planet." The leaked email comes as the UK gears up to host the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow later this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58493481
     
         
      Almost All of The World's Coal Is Now 'Unextractable', Scientists Warn Thu, 9th Sep 2021 12:40:00
     
      The vast majority of the world's fossil fuels are effectively "unextractable" and must remain in the ground if we want even half a chance at meeting our climate goals, according to a new study. For nations like Indonesia and Australia, the world's leading exporters in coal, that will require abandoning 95 percent of their natural deposits come 2050, researchers at University College London have calculated. In that same time frame, Middle Eastern nations will have to leave all their coal reserves in the ground and the United States will have to leave 97 percent of its stores untouched. These are the regions that truly have their work cut out for them, but this is, of course, a team effort. Across the world, nearly 90 percent of all coal reserves will need to stay in the ground over the next three decades, including 76 percent in China and India. Any more removal than that and this combustible black rock could easily push global warming over the 1.5 degree Celsius goal, scientists warn. Nor is it just coal we need to worry about. At the same time we tackle this particular fossil fuel, the world must also halt 60 percent of its oil and methane gas extractions, including those projects that have already started. Canada alone will have to leave 83 percent of its oil in the ground by 2050 and 81 percent of its fossil methane gas. Even if the world can tick all three of those boxes – a colossal challenge to be sure – researchers estimate we have only a 50 percent chance of keeping global temperatures below the 1.5 degree threshold. One of our best climate scenarios, it seems, boils down to the statistical toss of a coin. The findings are a grim update to an already gloomy 2015 paper, which estimated nearly a third of all oil reserves, half of all gas reserves, and over 80 percent of coal reserves will need to stay in the ground by 2050 if we want to keep warming from pushing 2 °C. The new estimates are considerably more challenging, adding 25 percent more oil reserves that will need to stay in the ground, as well as 10 percent more coal reserves that will need to remain untouched if we want to keep warming under 1.5 °C. And in all likelihood, that's still too little too late. The model in the current study, for instance, does not take into account any possible feedback systems that may trigger a whole bunch of new carbon emissions sooner than we assumed. What's more, if we want to give ourselves a greater than 50 percent chance of keeping to 1.5 °C, we will need to keep even more carbon in the ground. "The bleak picture painted by our scenarios for the global fossil fuel industry is very probably an underestimate of what is required and, as a result, production would need to be curtailed even faster," the authors write. Obviously, it's hard to predict what the future will look like. Some scientists think the rollout of renewables and the possibility of carbon capture could allow us to persist with using fossil fuels, at least to a certain extent, but this view remains highly controversial, especially since the technology we have has not yet been scaled up to the task. The new model relies on a certain amount of carbon capture and removal by 2050, but right now some question if we can even achieve that. After 2050, the authors say the only thing we should still be using fossil fuels for is aviation and feedstock for the petrochemical industry. If a worldwide energy transition is not achieved by 2050, we will not only resign ourselves to a worse climate crisis, some nations could suffer huge losses of revenue. At the moment, Middle Eastern nations, as well as Russia and other former Soviet states, are the largest fossil fuel reserve holders, which means they stand to lose the most. In Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, for instance, fossil fuels currently account for between 65 and 85 percent of total government revenue. If the fossil fuel bubble pops before these nations can transition to cleaner forms of energy, some could very well go bankrupt. There's a lot at stake and there's no more time to dawdle. The authors argue nations around the world need to start drafting domestic policies that restrict fossil fuel production and reduce demand, whether it be through subsidies, taxes, bans on new exploration, or penalties for polluters. It's imperative we find an economically viable way to keep fossil fuels buried in the ground, as that is now the only sure way to save lives and livelihoods.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/study-reveals-the-sheer-amount-of-fossil-fuels-we-need-to-keep-in-the-ground
     
         
      Solar Startup Born in a Garage Is Beating China to Cheaper Panels Thu, 9th Sep 2021 10:05:00
     
      About seven years ago, Vince Allen barged into the garage he shared with some flatmates in a Sydney suburb and set about trying to shake up the solar industry. He was at the time a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, and he had an idea for making solar panels much cheaper: replace the expensive silver typically used to pull electricity out of the devices with plentiful, cheap copper. Labs and well-funded giants had already struggled with this same attempt to ditch silver. Allen remained undeterred and built his own equipment to test one idea after another at a quick clip, until he found a technique that worked. SunDrive Solar, the company he co-founded in 2015 based on this research, proved this week that it has produced one of the most efficient solar cells of all time, according to a leading independent testing laboratory. And SunDrive did so with copper as the metal at the core. If SunDrive can mass produce its technology — and that’s a big if — the Australian startup could reduce the cost of solar panels and make the industry far less dependent on silver. “The thing about copper is that it’s very abundant and usually about 100 times cheaper than silver,” said Allen, now 32. SunDrive has raised about $7.5 million to date from Blackbird Ventures and other big-name investors. Mike Cannon-Brookes, one of Australia’s wealthiest people, has backed the startup through his Grok Ventures; so has former Suntech Power Holdings Co. chief Shi Zhengrong, sometimes called the “Sun King” for his outsized role in the solar-panel industry. The company also received more than $2 million via a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, a government body tasked with boosting green technology. About 95% of solar panels are constructed out of photovoltaic cells made from wafers of silicon. To pull electrical current from the cells, you typically need to fuse them with metal contacts. Silver has long been the metal of choice because it’s easy to work with and very stable. Solar-panel manufacturers rely on a screen printing process similar to that used to place designs on T-shirts, pushing a thick silver paste through a mesh and onto their silicon cells in a fixed pattern. If you’ve ever seen a solar cell up close, the faint, thin lines running across it are the metal electrodes. Solar panel makers now consume as much as 20% the world’s industrial silver each year. When silver prices are high, the metal alone can account for 15% of a solar cell’s price. Even after a big rally this year, copper trades for a little more than $9,000 a ton in London. That same amount of silver would cost nearly $770,000. The solar industry will need more and more silver as it continues to boom and, at some point, SunDrive's backers believe, it’s likely demand for the metal will constrain the spread of solar electricity needed to bring down greenhouse gas emissions. The issue preventing solar-panel manufacturers from ditching silver has been that copper doesn’t lend itself to the standard manufacturing techniques, in part because it doesn’t stick well to solar cells. Copper also oxidizes more easily, which impacts its ability to conduct current. The University of New South Wales has a long history of solar technology breakthroughs, and Allen zeroed in on this copper conundrum as the heart of his graduate studies. Instead of working at the school’s labs, however, Allen thought he could conduct experiments more quickly by building an R&D setup in a garage. He spent a couple years assembling machines that held a liquid copper concoction of his own creation and that could deposit the slurry onto a solar cell in a controlled fashion. “I always wanted to follow my own curiosity and try out a bunch of random, crazy ideas,” Allen said. “It required some discretion since there were neighbors, and I was walking around in a lab coat with all these chemicals.” It took hundreds of experiments, but he eventually developed technology that makes it possible to securely adhere thin lines of copper on solar cells. He started SunDrive with his former flatmate, David Hu, 33, in a bid to commercialize the technology. The company now has about a dozen employees. Hu, who grew up in China and moved to Australia at 16, handles the business affairs, while Allen sticks to the science. Just this week SunDrive received official word that it had set a record for the efficiency at which its particular design of solar cells convert light to electricity. The result came from analysis by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH), a German organization known for conducing such tests. The efficiency figure — 25.54% — will mean little to people outside of the solar industry. But it’s is one of the key metics by which cells are compared. Large Chinese solar cell makers have topped the efficiency records for years. Longi Green Energy Technology Co., which sold $8.4 billion of solar technology last year and is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers, held the previous top mark of 25.26%. Startups in this part of the solar market are rare because of the daunting prospect of competing against giant companies that produce solar cells by the millions at large, expensive factories. Chinese companies dominate, with collective control of the majority of global capacity for the supply chain. “The capital required to a start a new company is huge, and even then it’s not a terribly profitable business,” said Zachary Holman, a professor who studies solar materials at Arizona State University. Still, he said, there are a handful of companies like SunDrive that are aiming for technical breakthroughs that might give them a shot. SunDrive “would need something new like that in order to compete.” The next step for SunDrive will be proving it can mass produce solar cells reliably and cheaply. “What they have shown so far is high performance on one cell,” Holman said. “They did not show 10,000 high performance cells coming off a several-hour manufacturing run.” Allen and Hu said they’ve yet to decide on the exact path they will take moving forward. It’s likely that they will try to form a partnership with one or more of the large manufacturers rather than attempting to build an entire solar panel business from scratch. “We might purchase partially complete solar cells and then finish them with our copper process,” Hu said. Shi, the SunDrive investor nicknamed “Sun King,” said it will be hard to find enough affordable silver if the solar business grows as predicted. Over the next decade, he expects to see manufacturers move to a 50-50 split between silver and copper in the solar cells. “The shift to copper is something that we’ve long desired but has been very hard to do,” he said. He recalled visiting Allen at his homemade lab and being surprised by what the PhD student had accomplished. “He had all these simple tools and things he’d bought off Amazon,” Shi said. “Innovation really is related to the individual and sometimes the right moment, and not to being at a big company with lots of resources.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-11/net-zero-goal-forces-china-to-tackle-just-transition
     
         
      UK 'cut climate pledges' to clinch Australia trade deal Thu, 9th Sep 2021 7:13:00
     
      Ministers agreed to cut key climate pledges to help clinch the UK trade deal with Australia it has emerged. According to an email from an unnamed Cabinet official, leaked to Sky News, government ministers referred to dropping "climate asks" to get the deal "over the line". This included cutting references to limiting global warming to specific temperatures. The government said the deal will reinforce climate commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58493481
     
         
      Earth’s tipping points could be closer than we think. Our current plans won’t work Thu, 9th Sep 2021 7:00:00
     
      If there’s one thing we know about climate breakdown, it’s that it will not be linear, smooth or gradual. Just as one continental plate might push beneath another in sudden fits and starts, causing periodic earthquakes and tsunamis, our atmospheric systems will absorb the stress for a while, then suddenly shift. Yet, everywhere, the programmes designed to avert it are linear, smooth and gradual. Current plans to avoid catastrophe would work in a simple system like a washbasin, in which you can close the tap until the inflow is less than the outflow. But they are less likely to work in complex systems, such as the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere. Complex systems seek equilibrium. When they are pushed too far out of one equilibrium state, they can flip suddenly into another. A common property of complex systems is that it’s much easier to push them past a tipping point than to push them back. Once a transition has happened, it cannot realistically be reversed. The old assumption that the Earth’s tipping points are a long way off is beginning to look unsafe. A recent paper warns that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation – the system that distributes heat around the world and drives the Gulf Stream – may now be “close to a critical transition”. This circulation has flipped between “on” and “off” states several times in prehistory, plunging northern Europe and eastern North America into unbearable cold, heating the tropics, disrupting monsoons. Other systems could also be approaching their thresholds: the West and East Antarctic ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, and the Arctic tundra and boreal forests, which are rapidly losing the carbon they store, driving a spiral of further heating. Earth systems don’t stay in their boxes. If one flips into a different state, it could trigger the flipping of others. Sudden changes of state might be possible with just 1.5C or 2C of global heating. A common sign that complex systems are approaching tipping points is rising volatility: they start to flicker. The extreme weather in 2021 – the heat domes, droughts, fires, floods and cyclones – is, frankly, terrifying. If Earth systems tip as a result of global heating, there will be little difference between taking inadequate action and taking no action at all. A miss is as good as a mile. So the target that much of the world is now adopting for climate action – net zero by 2050 – begins to look neither rational nor safe. It’s true that our only hope of avoiding catastrophic climate breakdown is some variety of net zero. What this means is that greenhouse gases are reduced through a combination of decarbonising the economy and drawing down carbon dioxide that’s already in the atmosphere. It’s too late to hit the temperature targets in the Paris agreement without doing both. But there are two issues: speed and integrity. Many of the promises seem designed to be broken. At its worst, net zero by 2050 is a device for shunting responsibility across both time and space. Those in power today seek to pass their liabilities to those in power tomorrow. Every industry seeks to pass the buck to another industry. Who is this magical someone else who will suck up their greenhouse gases? Their plans rely on either technology or nature to absorb the carbon dioxide they want to keep producing. The technologies consist of carbon capture and storage (catching the carbon emissions from power stations and cement plants then burying them in geological strata), or direct air capture (sucking carbon dioxide out of the air and burying that too). But their large-scale use is described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as “subject to multiple feasibility and sustainability constraints”. They are unlikely to be deployed at scale in the future for the same reason that they’re not being deployed at scale today, despite 20 years of talk: technical and logistical barriers. Never mind: you can keep smoking, because one day they’ll find a cure for cancer. So what’s left is nature: the capacity of the world’s living systems to absorb the gases we produce. As a report by ActionAid points out, there’s not enough land in the world to meet the promises to offset emissions that companies and governments have already made. Even those who own land want someone else to deal with their gases: in the UK, the National Farmers’ Union is aiming for net zero. But net zero commitments by other sectors work only if farmland goes sharply net negative. That means an end to livestock farming and the restoration of forests, peat bogs and other natural carbon sinks. Instead, a mythical other will also have to suck up emissions from farming: possibly landowners on Venus or Mars. Even when all the promised technofixes and offsets are counted, current policies commit us to a calamitous 2.9C of global heating. To risk irreversible change by proceeding at such a leisurely pace, to rely on undelivered technologies and nonexistent capacities: this is a formula for catastrophe. If Earth systems cross critical thresholds, everything we did and everything we were – the learning, the wisdom, the stories, the art, the politics, the love, the hate, the anger and the hope – will be reduced to stratigraphy. It’s not a smooth and linear transition we need. It’s a crash course.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/09/earths-tipping-points-closer-current-climate-plans-wont-work-global-heating
     
         
      World’s biggest machine capturing carbon from air turned on in Iceland Thu, 9th Sep 2021 1:24:00
     
      The world’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turn it into rock has started running in Iceland, the companies behind the project – Switzerland’s Climeworks and Iceland’s Carbfix – said on Wednesday. The plant, named Orca after the Icelandic word “orka” meaning “energy”, consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes that look like shipping containers. Constructed by Climeworks, when operating at capacity the plant will draw 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the air every year, the companies say. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, that equates to the emissions from about 870 cars. The plant cost between US$10 and 15m to build, Bloomberg reported. To collect the carbon dioxide, the plant uses fans to draw air into a collector, which has a filter material inside. Once the filter material is filled with CO2, the collector is closed and the temperature is raised to release the CO2 from the material, after which the highly concentrated gas can be collected. Then, Carbfix’s process mixes the CO2 with water and injects it at a depth of 1,000 metres into the nearby basalt rock where it is mineralised. Carbfix says the CO2-water mixture turns to stone in about two years, and hydride of sulphur (HS2), within four months. Proponents of so-called carbon capture and storage believe these technologies can become a major tool in the fight against climate change. Critics however argue that the technology is still prohibitively expensive and might take decades to operate at scale.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/09/worlds-biggest-plant-to-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-rock-opens-in-iceland-orca
     
         
      From locusts to cyclones: The human cost of interlinked disasters Wed, 8th Sep 2021 19:12:00
     
      The huge locust swarm which hit the Horn of Africa in the Spring of 2020, and Cyclone Amphan, which struck the border region of India and Bangladesh in May that year, might not seem, on the face of it, to be connected, but a rport released on Wednesday by UN University, the academic and research arm of the UN, shows that there were connected underlying causes: greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, which are affecting the environment in unpredictable ways, and a lack of sufficient disaster risk management. Both disasters took place in 2020, with the world in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that the effectiveness of the response to both disasters was reduced, with movement restricted for both humanitarians and victims, who also found themselves more financially vulnerable. Two of the people directly affected have shared their stories with the UN: Susan Mumbi Karanja, a farmer from Nyandarua County, Kenya, and Sudhansu Shekhar Maity, who sells stationery in the Indian city of Kolkata. Surviving a swarm of biblical proportions “My name is Susan Mumbi Karanja. I live in a village called Karima, Nyandarua County. I am a farmer, and I have six children. When the locusts came in March 2020, we saw them coming from the hills. There were so many. They attacked all the food: the cabbages, carrots, potatoes, everything that was on the farm. When they came you could not even see the sun. It would get dark. You could not go to work, the cows could not even eat. We had heard about the swarm on TV, but we did not think that it would reach us. When it came, the government sent people here, and they sprayed chemicals at the locusts, even where there was food. We saw that when the chemicals were sprayed some locusts died and others just slept and waited for the sun to rise again. They ate much of the food, which was also destroyed by the chemicals. When the swarm left there was no food to eat, and none to sell. The cows did not produce milk because there was nothing for them to eat: locusts were everywhere, even in the grass. We couldn’t even eat the locusts, because they had been sprayed with chemicals. The only thing that can be done is for the government to find out where the locusts are coming from, so they can contain them or burn them. During the swarm, they even sent a helicopter to get rid of them, but it failed and left. We are wondering what we can do. There can be no planning because of the threat of locusts; it is only the government that can help.” ‘It sounded like a bombardment’: surviving Amphan “I am Sudhansu Shekhar Maity, and I am from Ramganga village in West Bengal. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures, I had to leave my job in Kolkata in March 2020 and return to my village, where I stayed for six months. Based on news from different media, there was a sense of terror about the virus spread, and we were scared to step outside. Obviously, I have faced a major financial crisis. If we stay at home days after days and cannot go to work, how are we going to generate income? During Cyclone Amphan, we could clearly see the sea from my house, and the water hitting the boundaries was horrific, with 20-25 foot waves. The moment the cyclone started coming closer, we could hear the disturbing noise of heavy wind hitting the windows. It sounded like a bombardment. The river started overflowing and water began entering into the village. People started running, along with their livestock, such as cows, buffaloes and goats, to save themselves. Most people took shelter in hotels. When the cyclone passed, I stepped out of my house and all I could see was water: most of the houses were underwater, and the mud-built homes had disintegrated. Ponds are the most reliable source of water in village areas, we farm fish in these ponds, which is good enough for our yearly consumption. Because of the floods, the ponds were filled by saltwater, and all of the fish died. All the crops were destroyed due to the cyclone and the flooding. The betel leaf farmers faced the most terrible times due the cyclone: they farm on the baked mud roofs of their homes, and these were all destroyed. Right after the cyclone, the first thing I could think of was the food and the drinking water. And how we are going to live our life? All our ponds and lands were destroyed. No vegetables and groceries, no connectivity, no electricity, all the roads were blocked and there was no access to the nearest health care centres. With the shortage of drinking water, we had to stand in a long queue to get the well water: there is one well for about 50-60 families. We have faced really hard times and my savings have been spent during the lockdown. I am still trying to recover from the situation. Around 12,000 families live in our village and most of them have suffered.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099162
     
         
      Climate action: Guterres hails Latin American and Caribbean leadership Wed, 8th Sep 2021 18:41:00
     
      Secretary-General António Guterres said he was counting on these nations to send a strong signal to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) that it is possible to achieve a resilient net zero future. He was speaking at the?High-Level Dialogue on Climate Action?in the Americas, hosted by?the Government of?Argentina.?The one-day virtual?event brought together?countries in the Americas?to discuss?their?shared?commitment to enhancing?climate ambition. The event is taking place less than two months before COP26, which will be held October 31 to November 12 in Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow. “We need to act together to overcome the current impasse”, said Mr. Guterres, adding that countries in the region were already showing their ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climatic change, even as they grapple with the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also pledged “the full support of the United Nations system to address the triple threat of COVID-19, climate change and debt.” Priorities Mr. Guterres highlighted three essential areas that need immediate action. First, keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels target within reach. According to him, at present, the world is “a long way from achieving it”. He shared some examples of how that can be accomplished, such as achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and phasing out the use of coal no later than 2030 for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, and by 2040 for all others. The UN Chief also said that “a just transition means ensuring that workers in high-carbon and fossil fuel-related sectors have decent alternative options, are supported for retraining, and have social safety nets.” Adaptation and resilience Second, Mr. Guterres asked for a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience. He called on donors and multilateral development banks to allocate at least 50 per cent of their climate finance to this end. Currently, only 21 per cent is devoted to it. Developing countries already need around $70 billion dollars a year to adapt to these changes. That figure could more than quadruple by the end of this decade. And lastly, the Secretary-General said developed nations must deliver on the solidarity agenda. “That means support to developing countries on vaccines, debt and liquidity, as well as climate finance,” he said. To achieve that goal, Mr. Guterres argued the world needs “a credible plan” for delivering on the $100 billion dollar commitment made over a decade ago, and multilateral development banks have to align their portfolios with the 1.5 degrees goal. Event The opening of the high-level event also featured remarks from US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, along with Latin American and Caribbean heads of state. The event included interventions from governments, the private and financial sectors, development banks, academia, and civil society organizations.? Panel discussions were held on topics such as enhancing climate ambition on the road to Glasgow, accelerating climate action through regional cooperation, and strengthening adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099372?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f302cfa27f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_08_04_50&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-f302cfa27f-107499886
     
         
      Climate change: Vulnerable nations call for 'emergency pact' Wed, 8th Sep 2021 17:47:00
     
      The countries most vulnerable to climate change are calling for an "emergency pact" to tackle rising temperatures. The group wants all countries to agree radical steps to avoid "climate catastrophe" at the upcoming COP26 meeting in Glasgow. Green campaigners are urging a postponement of the gathering, citing problems with vaccines for delegates. The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) says the event is critical and cannot wait. Representing some 1.2 billion people, the CVF consists of countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The group has been key in pushing the rest of the world to accept the idea of keeping the rise in global temperatures to under 1.5C this century. This was incorporated into the Paris agreement in 2015. Recent research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggests that the threshold will be passed in little over a decade at current rates of carbon emissions. In less than two months, global leaders will gather in Glasgow for COP26, the most critical meeting on climate change since Paris. Ahead of the Glasgow meeting, the CVF has issued a manifesto for what the conference must deliver to keep the planet safe and protect the most vulnerable. Environmental groups have suggested postponing the meeting, on the grounds that vaccine distribution is inequitable and that delegates from poorer countries face huge bills for quarantine hotels when they arrive in the UK. However, the CVF member states insist the meeting must go ahead in person, and are calling for support and "facilitated access" to ensure inclusive participation. The UK government has responded to these calls by agreeing to pay the quarantine hotel expenses of any delegate, observer or media from a developing country. The vulnerable group says that progress on climate change has stalled and COP26 should move forward with what it terms a "climate emergency pact". This would see every country put forward a new climate plan every year between now and 2025. At present, signatories of the Paris agreement are only obliged to put forward new plans every five years. The vulnerable nations say that richer countries must fulfil their obligations to deliver $100bn in climate finance per year over the 2020-24 period. The CVF nations want this money to be split 50-50 between cutting carbon and helping countries adapt to the threat posed by rising temperatures. The countries also want the UK to "take full responsibility" for this aspect of the negotiations, saying it is vital to restore confidence in the Paris pact. Among the other areas that the most vulnerable nations want to see progress on is the question of debt-for-climate swaps. Many of the world's poorest countries have large debt burdens, and these have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic which has stretched finances even further. In a debt-for-climate swap, a country can reduce what it owes to international creditors by directing the debt service payments to fund renewable energy or greater protection for nature. One such restructuring was recently announced by Belize where the debt money will now go to support marine conservation projects instead. "Vulnerable countries have unique needs - and public-private collaboration will be key to addressing them," said Nigel Topping, who's the UK's high-level climate action champion for COP26. "Whether it is in debt for nature swaps such as the recent Belize announcement or in increasing public sector capability to structure investment projects to attract private finance, the aim is to accelerate progress in this area so that 2022 becomes the year of climate action solidarity."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58477926
     
         
      Contest Challenges Inventors to Harness Wave Power to Desalinate Seawater Wed, 8th Sep 2021 13:54:00
     
      The struggle to build what might become the next big thing in renewable energy started in a Colorado garage. The designers had gathered about $100 worth of rubber, tubing and valves for a wave energy experiment. They used the materials to build a small, inflatable pump in 2017. Then they tied it to the bottom of a shallow body of water so it would bob underneath the surface. The pressure from waves moving above it would momentarily push in the pump’s flexible diaphragm. That compressed air inside the pump and shoved water into a tube. As the springy diaphragm recovered its old shape — getting ready for the next wave — a system of one-way valves kept the water in the tube moving. “I’ve always been tinkering,” explained Dale Jenne, a mechanical engineer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He started working with light, flexible materials as a teenager by repairing the fiberglass bodies of early Chevrolet Corvettes. His work on the sports cars came to mind years later when Jenne was called to assist other NREL researchers working on a new version of an old idea. They were trying to convert the massive amounts of energy in ocean waves “into some meaningful form or work,” Jenne explained in an interview. Many companies had tried, but their projects to extract wave power — some costing millions of dollars — had mostly fizzled. By 2015, tapping energy from the sun and wind had become big businesses, but harnessing wave energy was still a dream. Most early devices were built with steel. They were often like war tanks, designed to survive the pounding and corrosion of ocean waves. So the idea that you might extract wave power with lightweight, inexpensive materials was radical. The result was that Jenne and his fellow inventor, Yi-Hsiang Yu, another NREL researcher, decided to build the first version with their own money in Jenne’s garage. "It wasn’t just a completely crazy idea. We wanted to understand the right way to do it,” Jenne explained. The pump worked. And the idea of getting energy from a lightweight, wave-powered device has since blossomed into one of the Department of Energy’s major contests. It's called “Waves to Water,” and the goal is to harness enough wave energy to desalinate seawater.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/contest-challenges-inventors-to-harness-wave-power-to-desalinate-seawater/
     
         
      Human activity the common link between disasters around the world Wed, 8th Sep 2021 13:14:00
     
      The study from the UN University, the academic and research arm of the UN, looks at 10 different disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021, and finds that, even though they occurred in very different locations and do not initially appear to have much in common, they are, in fact, interconnected. A consequence of human influence The study builds on the ground-breaking Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment released on 9 August, and based on improved data on historic heating, which showed that human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General described the IPCC assessment as a “code red for humanity”. Over the 2020-2021 period covered by the UN University, several record-breaking disasters took place, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a cold wave which crippled the US state of Texas, wildfires which destroyed almost 5 million acres of Amazon rainforest, and 9 heavy storms in Viet Nam - in the span of only 7 weeks. Arctic-Texas link Whilst these disasters occurred thousands of miles apart, the study shows how they are related to one another, and can have consequences for people living in distant places. An example of this is the recent heatwave in the Arctic and cold wave in Texas. In 2020, the Arctic experienced unusually high air temperatures, and the second-lowest amount of sea ice cover on record. This warm air destabilized the polar vortex, a spinning mass of cold air above the North Pole, allowing colder air to move southward into North America, contributing to the sub-zero temperatures in Texas, during which the power grid froze up, and 210 people died. COVID and the Cyclone Another example of the connections between disasters included in the study and the pandemic, is Cyclone Amphan, which struck the border region of India and Bangladesh. In an area where almost 50 per cent of the population is living under the poverty line, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns left many people without any way to make a living, including migrant workers who were forced to return to their home areas and were housed in cyclone shelters while under quarantine. When the region was hit by Cyclone Amphan, many people, concerned over social distancing, hygiene and privacy, avoided the shelters and decided to weather the storm in unsecure locations. In the aftermath, there was a spike in COVID-19 cases, compounding the 100 fatalities directly caused by Amphan, which also caused damage in excess of 13 billion USD and displaced 4.9 million people. Root causes The new report identifies three root causes that affected most of the events in the analysis: human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, insufficient disaster risk management, and undervaluing environmental costs and benefits in decision-making. The first of these, human induced greenhouse gas emissions, is identified as one of the reasons why Texas experienced freezing temperatures, but these emissions also contribute to the formation of super cyclones such as Cyclone Amphan, on the other side of the world. Insufficient disaster risk management, notes the study, was one of the reasons why Texas experienced such high losses of life and excessive infrastructure damage during the cold snap, and also contributed to the high losses caused by the Central Viet Nam floods. The report also shows how the record rate of deforestation in the Amazon is linked to the high global demand for meat: this demand has led to an increase in the need for soy, which is used as animal feed for poultry. As a result, tracts of forest are being cut down. “What we can learn from this report is that disasters we see happening around the world are much more interconnected than we may realize, and they are also connected to individual behaviour”, says one of the report’s authors, UNU scientist Jack O’Connor. “Our actions have consequences, for all of us.” Solutions also linked However, Mr. O’Connor is adamant that, just as the problems are interlinked, so are the solutions. The report shows that cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions can positively affect the outcome of many different types of disasters, prevent a further increase in the frequency and severity of hazards, and protect biodiversity and ecosystems.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099172?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b6e08d7f12-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_08_03_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-b6e08d7f12-107499886
     
         
      Storm Ida: Joe Biden says climate change has reached 'code red' and is now 'everybody's crisis' Wed, 8th Sep 2021 8:46:00
     
      Speaking in New York, the president said extreme weather events are opening the eyes of climate-change sceptics but that years of unheeded warnings mean the time for action is now. President Joe Biden says climate change has reached "code red" and is now "everybody's crisis". Mr Biden spoke as he toured New York neighbourhoods severely impacted by flooding when Ida brought record amounts of rain to the northeastern states, killing at least 64 people. He met people whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged in New Jersey and Queens in New York City, stopping to hug one woman outside a wrecked home. The president said the damage everyone is seeing, from wildfires in the west, to hurricanes in the south and northeast, shows the time for action is now. "The threat is here. It is not getting any better," Mr Biden said in New York. "The question is can it get worse. We can stop it from getting worse." Some 27 people were killed in flooding in New Jersey, while in New York City, 13 people were killed due to Ida, including 11 in Queens. Mr Biden repeated his warning when he visited Manville, New Jersey, also ravaged by Ida. He walked along a street in the Lost Valley neighbourhood of Manville, where the clean-up continues. He spoke to adults and children, including Meagan Dommar, a new mother whose home was destroyed by fire as the flood occurred. She told him that she and her husband, Caesar, had left with the baby before the flooding, then returned to find destruction. "Thank God you're safe," Mr Biden replied. She said afterward she hoped the visit would speed help "along a little bit" and said she was grateful for the visit. Although, not everyone was so welcoming. He was taunted by supporters of former President Donald Trump, who yelled that Mr Biden was a "tyrant". Later during a briefing with officials Mr Biden said: "Every part of the country, every part of the country is getting hit by extreme weather." He added that the threat from extreme weather events must be dealt with in ways that will lessen the devastating effects of climate change. "We can't turn it back very much, but we can prevent it from getting worse," he said. "We don't have any more time." Mr Biden is hoping his plan to spend $1 trillion fortifying infrastructures, including electrical grids, water and sewer systems, against extreme weather will pass a House vote. On Tuesday, the White House asked Congress for an additional $24 billion in disaster aid to cover the costs of Ida and other destructive weather events. Watch the Daily Climate Show at 6.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/storm-ida-joe-biden-says-climate-change-has-reached-code-red-and-is-now-everybodys-crisis-12401815
     
         
      Blue sky thinking: 5 things to know about air pollution Tue, 7th Sep 2021 19:17:00
     
      1) Air pollution kills millions and harms the environment It may have dropped from the top of news headlines in recent months, but air pollution remains a lethal danger to many: it precipitates conditions including heart disease, lung disease, lung cancer and strokes, and is estimated to cause one in nine of all premature deaths, around seven million every year. Air pollution is also harming also harms our natural environment. It decreases the oxygen supply in our oceans, makes it harder for plants to grow, and contributes to climate change. Yet, despite the damage it causes, there are worrying signs that air pollution is not seen as a priority in many countries: in the first ever assessment of air quality laws, released on 2 September by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), it was revealed that around 43 per cent of countries lack a legal definition for air pollution, and almost a third of them have yet to adopt legally mandated outdoor air quality standards. 2) The main causes Five types of human activity are responsible for most air pollution: agriculture, transport, industry, waste and households. Agricultural processes and livestock produce methane, an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, and a cause of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Methane is also a by-product of waste burning, which emits other polluting toxins, which end up entering the food chain. Meanwhile industries release large amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulate matter and chemicals. Transport continues to be responsible for the premature deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, despite the global phase out of dangerous leaded fuel at the end of August. This milestone was lauded by senior UN officials, including the Secretary-General, who said that it would prevent around one million premature deaths each year. However, vehicles continue to spew fine particulate matter, ozone, black carbon and nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere; it’s estimated that treating health conditions caused by air pollution costs approximately $1 trillion per year globally. Whilst it may not come as a great shock to learn that these activities are harmful to health and the environment, some people may be surprised to hear that households are responsible for around 4.3 million deaths each year. This is because many households burn open fires and use inefficient stoves inside homes, belching out toxic particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead and mercury. 3) This is an urgent issue The reason that the UN is ringing alarm bells about this issue now, is that the evidence of the effects of air pollution on humans is mounting. In recent years exposure to air pollution has been found to contribute to an increased risk of diabetes, dementia, impaired cognitive development and lower intelligence levels. On top of this, we have known for years that it is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Concern about this type of pollution dovetails with increased global action to tackle the climate crisis: this is an environmental issue as well as a health issue, and actions to clean up the skies would go a long way to reducing global warming. Other harmful environmental effects include depleted soil and waterways, endangered freshwater sources and lower crop yields. 4) Improving air quality is a responsibility of government and private sector On International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the UN is calling on governments to do more to cut air pollution and improve air quality. Specific actions they could take include implementing integrated air quality and climate change policies; phasing out petrol and diesel cars; and committing to reduce emissions from the waste sector. Businesses can also make a difference, by pledging to reduce and eventually eliminate waste; switching to low-emission or electric vehicles for their transport fleets; and find ways to cut emissions of air pollutants from their facilities and supply chains. 5)…and it is our responsibility, as well At an individual level, as the harmful cost of household activities shows, a lot can be achieved if we change our behaviour. Simple actions can include using public transportation, cycling or walking; reducing household waste and composting; eating less meat by switching to a plant-based diet; and conserving energy. The Website for the International Day contains more ideas of actions that we can take, and how we can encourage our communities and cities to make changes that would contribute to cleaner skies: these include organizing tree-planting activities, raising awareness with events and exhibitions, and committing to expanding green open spaces. How clean is your air? You may well be wondering exactly how clean or dirty the air around you is right now. If so, take a look at a UNEP website which shows how exposed we are to air pollution, wherever we live. The site indicates that more than five billion people, or around 70 per cent of the global population, are breathing air that is above the pollution limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099152
     
         
      UK fires up coal power plant as gas prices soar Tue, 7th Sep 2021 18:33:00
     
      The UK fired up an old coal power plant on Monday to meet its electricity needs. Warm, still, autumn weather has meant wind farms have not generated as much power as normal, while soaring prices have made it too costly to rely on gas. As a result, National Grid ESO - which is responsible for balancing the UK's electricity supply - confirmed coal was providing 3% of national power. It said it asked EDF to fire up West Burton A, which had been on standby. On Tuesday, the use of coal returned to 2.2% of the UK's electricity generation. A National Grid ESO spokesman said there had been a three-day coal-free run in mid-August, but the country had relied on some coal power every day since then. Last year, coal contributed 1.6% of the country's electricity mix. That was down from 25% five years ago. Both the government and National Grid ESO have committed to phasing out coal power completely by 2024 to cut carbon emissions. However, coal is still used when it is better value than gas. On track A small temporary uptick in the use of coal should be kept in perspective, said Dave Jones, electricity analyst at Ember, a think tank promoting the shift away from fossil fuels. "No-one thought we'd use zero coal this year," he said. "We're going through a process where year-on-year you're relying on coal less and less. As long as you know you can make it to that fixed date, which is still three years away, it's OK. We're well on track for that journey, probably ahead of schedule." But higher gas prices could help accelerate the shift from gas to renewables over the next few years, he added. The UK government has made commitments to reducing the use of gas for power generation, but has not set a fixed deadline. Record prices More coal has been burnt this summer in particular, due to soaring prices for natural gas. Across Europe, shortages and increased demand from Asia have seen the cost of gas increase to the highest level on record, according to Reuters. A cold start to the year meant countries across the continent dipped into their gas reserves, which would normally be replenished in the summer months when demand tends to be weaker. But the economic rebound, as countries reopen from Covid-19 lockdowns, meant higher-than-expected demand led to a shortage of gas. Analysis by Rebecca Wearn, Business Reporter Britain's use of coal power on a warm September day raises two big issues. The first, is that this jars with an environmental commitment to reduce fossil fuel use. The second, is the huge impact global gas prices have on our domestic energy. Over the coming months, those sky-high gas prices are expected to remain volatile. So, as well as forcing National Grid to make some tough choices about where we get our electricity from, it could also have a big knock-on on what we pay. The cap on regulated prices will be raised in October, adding £139 to the bills of 15 million households. But that could be just the start. Now would be a good time for consumers to check what they're paying - and shop around for the best deal - before the winter weather makes this issue more acute. New nuclear "In balancing the electricity system, we take actions in economical order and not on the basis of generation type," a National Grid spokesman said. "Depending on system conditions, some power sources may be better at meeting a balancing requirement than others - so the most cost-effective solution to ensure safe, secure system operation will be sought." The Nuclear Industry Association said the decision to fire up another coal power plant highlighted the urgent need to invest in new nuclear plants. "Otherwise, we will continue to burn coal as a fall-back and fall well short of our net zero ambitions," said the trade body's chief executive, Tom Greatrex.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58469238
     
         
      Climate change: Shetland's power struggle between oil and wind Tue, 7th Sep 2021 18:28:00
     
      Nowhere else in the United Kingdom are the spoils of oil and gas more evident than on the Shetland Islands. Wide roads which sweep along rugged clifftops and through lush valleys are so smooth you could play marbles on them. In the centre of the main town, Lerwick, a stunning new school gleams in the September sunshine. Next door stands the Clickimin, an impressive leisure complex, one of eight on the islands - which are home to just 22,870 people. There is one swimming pool for every 2,859 islanders. At Sumburgh Airport, the air throbs with the noise of helicopters shuttling oil workers to and from offshore rigs and platforms. It's not as busy as it once was, but it's still going strong. Shetland is situated 110 miles north of the Scottish mainland, an archipelago of some 100 islands straddling the boundary between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean - and between cultures too. It retains strong Norse traditions but has been part of Scotland since the 15th Century. Previously known for fishing and farming, when the drills struck oil in the North Sea in the 20th Century, Shetland struck black gold. It negotiated a canny deal for the construction of a giant terminal at Sullom Voe, an inlet on the north of the largest of its 16 inhabited islands, which is known locally as the mainland. The first crude oil from the North Sea was piped ashore in November 1978, followed in later years by supplies from fields off to the west in the North Atlantic. In return for the disruption, Zetland County Council - now Shetland Islands Council - was paid a fee for every barrel processed at Sullom Voe. The money was invested in an oil fund which has so far disbursed more than £320m to social care and welfare programmes; the arts, sport and leisure; and the environment, natural history and heritage on the islands. North Sea neighbour Norway, 190 miles to the east, took a similar approach to its oil reserves and now has one of the largest sovereign wealth funds on earth. Could Scotland have done the same and become a wealthy independent country? Could the UK have adopted a similar policy and put its public finances on a stronger footing? Nearly half a century after the pro-independence Scottish National Party coined the campaign slogan "It's Scotland's Oil", these are questions which still provoke heated, and sometimes bitter, debate. But as the devastating impacts of climate change driven by the exploitation of fossil fuels have become clearer, the conversation has shifted rapidly and Shetland, along with the rest of the world, now faces a new question. Should drilling stop immediately - and, if so, how would these islands cope without their grimy golden goose? In climate campaigners' crosshairs is Cambo, a deep-water oil field around 125km (78 miles) west of Shetland which is estimated to contain about 800 million barrels of oil. Siccar Point Energy and Shell have applied for a production licence and hope to extract oil between 2025 and 2050. They say the project would create about 1,000 direct jobs in Scotland and 2,000 more in the supply chain, as well as supporting another 500 elsewhere in the UK. Cambo was discovered in 2002 but approval to exploit it has not yet been granted by the Oil and Gas Authority, a UK government agency - although British government ministers are making positive noises about the project and the OGA itself has spoken of the importance of continuing domestic production rather than relying on energy imports. The SNP has struggled to articulate a clear position on Cambo, apparently torn between its traditional support for an industry which in recent years has supported 100,000 jobs and contributed £8.8bn annually to the Scottish economy, and a desire to position Scotland as a global leader in tackling climate change, especially during the crucial COP26 summit of world leaders in Glasgow this November. "There are hard questions to ask," admitted the party's leader, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, when she was confronted by environmental activists on the subject last month - although it seemed the difficulty wasn't so much in asking the questions as in answering them with precision and detail. The UK's Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also struggled with questions about Cambo. In a recent BBC interview, he said he was "not aware" of the proposal. Even if it is given the go-ahead on economic grounds, Cambo may not provide much direct benefit to Shetland. Under the existing plans, some gas would be piped to Sullom Voe but the oil would be taken off and away by tanker, bypassing the islands. Still, the leader of Shetland Islands Council, independent councillor Steven Coutts, tells us he is not opposed to the project, which may support some jobs on the archipelago. "There is no point in stopping production of oil and gas where we can control it in the UK, to see it being imported from outside the UK," says Mr Coutts. That view is shared by the oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, who recently told the BBC it would be "absolutely crazy" to stop drilling. Mr Coutts says it is not feasible to "flick the switch" on the oil and gas industry, adding: "We can't turn it off overnight." Speaking to us in the Clickimin leisure centre, the council leader insists he is optimistic about the future, although he actually sounds rather worried. It's all very well having eight swimming pools, but maintaining them and other facilities as oil fields are drained and revenue dwindles is a huge challenge. Production at Sullom Voe peaked in the 1980s and Mr Coutts does not anticipate a similar bonanza from renewable energy. "I think that will not be repeated," he says. "I think the circumstances have changed." Charting Shetland's journey from fossil fuels to renewable technology is the daunting task now facing Claire Ferguson, the council's team leader for climate change strategy. It's her job to draw up Shetland's route map to net zero - the point where the islands are conserving more carbon than they emit. "Personally I think that we should be looking to other ways to transition to clean energy using the resource that we already have without creating new oilfields," she says. She says the net zero map will be complex, involving six areas - energy; public and residential buildings; business and industry; waste; transport; and nature-based solutions. But if Cambo is approved, she reckons it will become much harder to persuade individual Shetlanders and business owners to make the necessary changes themselves. With COP26 approaching, she adds: "I feel we should be leading by example." At the heart of the climate strategy is a vast new wind farm which is being constructed by SSE Renewables on an exposed peatland moor in the central mainland of Shetland. On the sprawling site, roads are being carved out, concrete poured and steel installed in the foundations for 103 giant 4.3MW turbines which will measure 155m (509ft) from ground to blade-tip and provide enough power, according to SSE, to meet the needs of 475,000 homes - or roughly 45 Shetlands. To the horror of some islanders, the scheme will transform the landscape, with turbines standing sentinel along a prominent ridge and visible from miles around. It will also transform the production and distribution of energy in Shetland, which is currently provided by a diesel power station in Lerwick and a gas-fired facility at Sullom Voe. The Viking Project includes the laying of a high-voltage subsea cable connecting the islands to Caithness on the Scottish mainland, linking Shetland to the UK National Grid for the first time. The transmission cable will allow electricity to flow south from the windfarm and, on the rare still day in what is the windiest part of the UK, for it to be pushed in the opposite direction to keep the lights on. According to Aaron Priest, who manages the Viking project for SSE, the cable heralds a clean energy revolution for Shetland. It will clear the way for more onshore wind projects, he says, along with floating offshore windfarms and "big potential for hydrogen production." Critics call that "the industrialisation of Shetland". "In order to get the turbines up they're displacing the peat, which is a fossil fuel," says local writer and tour guide Laurie Goodlad. Mr Priest accepts that the project is disrupting some stores of carbon, but he says the bog here was already badly eroded and insists SSE is committed to restoring 260 hectares (640 acres) of peatland on the 10,000 hectare (25,000 acre) site. The actual footprint of wind farm infrastructure is just 165 hectares (408 acres), says Mr Priest, who insists the overall impact on the environment will be positive. He says there will be "carbon payback" in less than two years, and from then on a saving of half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced annually. Ms Goodlad is not convinced. Nor does she see the economic case for Viking, which was originally a joint venture with the local council but is now, after years of controversy and planning permission battles, solely an SSE enterprise. "Our whole island is going to suffer," says Ms Goodlad. "Tourism will suffer. The lives of the people living nearby will suffer. And there's going to be absolutely no community benefit." At present, says Mr Priest, there are 200 people working on the site, including 80 locals. The company has spent £12m on the project so far, he adds, supporting 48 local businesses in the supply chain - although SSE's website suggests it will create just 35 permanent jobs. SSE is setting up a community benefit fund of £2.2m a year to be spent on the islands, he adds. "Shetland is over-dependent on oil and gas at the moment," insists Mr Priest. "It needs to diversify its economy." But Ms Goodlad replies: "In 50 years' time, 100 years' time, we'll be looking at the rusted remains of the once-glittering wind farm and asking: 'What the hell were we thinking'?" For her there is no contest between drilling for oil off the coast of these islands, and building a wind farm in the middle of them. "As an environmentalist," says Ms Goodlad, "I would still choose Cambo."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58464439
     
         
      Climate change: Green groups call for COP26 postponement Tue, 7th Sep 2021 18:23:00
     
      Green groups say that the COP26 climate conference due to be held in Glasgow in November should be postponed. They argue that vaccine inequity and unaffordable accommodation will lock out "huge numbers" of developing country delegates. But the UK government now says it will fund quarantine hotel stays for delegates, observers and media arriving from red list countries. Vaccines are being rolled out for any delegate who needs one, ministers say. The COP26 negotiations are seen as the most crucial gathering on climate change since the Paris agreement came into being in the French capital in 2015. Around 200 heads of state and government are expected to attend, with thousands of delegates, civil society members and media. Environmental groups are an important element in these global talks process. While they have no direct power to influence outcomes, they act as observers and as advisers to many poorer countries that have limited personnel and resources to cover every aspect of this sprawling negotiation. The Climate Action Network represents more than 1500 civil society organisations in over 130 countries. They have been concerned for some time that the global response to Covid-19 was likely to impact delegates, campaigners and journalists from Global South countries, many of which are on the UK's red list for the virus. In a statement, they point to the fact that, according to the WHO, around 57% of people in Europe are now fully vaccinated, while in Africa the figure is around 3%. "Our concern is that those countries most deeply affected by the climate crisis and those countries suffering from the lack of support by rich nations in providing vaccines will be left out and be conspicuous by their absence at COP26," said Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network. "There has always been an inherent power imbalance within the UN climate talks and this is now compounded by the health crisis. Looking at the current timeline for COP26, it is difficult to imagine there can be fair participation from the Global South under safe conditions and it should therefore be postponed," she added. While the UK has repeatedly said that vaccines will be made available for any delegate who needs them, environmentalists point out that attendance at COP26 is about far more than just access to a jab. The green groups say there are major issues with travel, quarantine costs and new surges in Covid-19. "The UK has been too slow in delivering its vaccines support to delegates in vulnerable countries and their quarantine requirements come with some eye-watering hotel costs," said Mohammed Adow, who's a long-time observer of the talks and director of the Nairobi-based think tank Power Shift Africa. "Some delegates are finding they cannot transit because some of the major travel hubs are closed and the alternative travel costs are beyond the reach of poorer governments and smaller civil society organisations." But in a statement, the UK minister tasked with running the talks said that every step would be taken to ensure inclusivity, including paying for quarantine hotels. "We are working tirelessly with all our partners, including the Scottish Government and the UN, to ensure an inclusive, accessible and safe summit in Glasgow with a comprehensive set of Covid mitigation measures," said COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma. "This includes an offer from the UK government to fund the required quarantine hotel stays for registered delegates arriving from red list areas and to vaccinate accredited delegates who would be unable otherwise to get vaccinated. "Ensuring that the voices of those most affected by climate change are heard is a priority for the COP26 Presidency, and if we are to deliver for our planet, we need all countries and civil society to bring their ideas and ambition to Glasgow," Mr Sharma said. The government says that the offer of funding the required managed quarantine stays is for party delegates, observers and media who are arriving from red list areas who would otherwise find it difficult to attend COP, including all those from the Global South. For some observers the row over vaccines goes to the heart of the Paris agreement which includes a reference to the "right to health" in the pact. "The right to health and concern for fellow humans lie at the heart of the Paris Agreement - no one is safe until everyone is safe," said Laurence Tubiana, who was a climate change ambassador for France during the Paris negotiations and is now the head of the European Climate Foundation. "Covid-19 is a global challenge and the G20 must show solidarity with the Global South and equitably share vaccines - beyond just offering them to delegates attending the COP negotiations in Glasgow."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58472566
     
         
      Whitehaven coal mine: Planning inquiry risks being 'hijacked' Tue, 7th Sep 2021 18:03:00
     
      An inquiry into plans for a new coking coal mine must not be "hijacked" into a wider debate about emissions, the prospective operator has said. The planning inspector is considering West Cumbria Mining's application for a mine near Whitehaven. Gregory Jones QC, for the company, told the hearing "objections to this mine amount to little more than emissions offshoring". Protesters outside claimed the mine undermined UK climate change promises. Mr Jones said: "It's all too easy to object to this development on the basis that it's a coal mine, coal is dirty and bad. "The reality is that some industries, especially the steel industry, will continue to need coking coal for many years. "Once it's recognised as a continuing need, which will be met with imports from the USA, irrespective of whether this development gets [approval], the objections to this mine amount to little more than emissions offshoring. "We won't see it here, but we will still be relying on it or steel which has been imported into this country. "Focus on the inquiry rightly should be on the effects of this development, and not hijacked into wider objections against the UK, EU and global steel industries." He added the mine would create 530 permanent jobs, with a commitment to fill 80% of those using local people. Paul Brown QC, for Friends of the Earth, said the steel industry was a "major contributor" to greenhouse gas emissions, and if the UK was to have "any chance" of meeting its climate obligations that would have to change. "Every coal mine which is allowed to open, every lump of coal that is burnt, all of it contributes directly to climate change," he said. "The United Kingdom can only credibly claim to be a world leader on climate issues if it practises what it preaches." He said the UK would lose "any moral authority" over China and India if the mine was approved while the government told them to reduce their dependence on coal. "If that happens, the implications on climate change are potentially far, far wider than the burning of an additional 2.78m tonnes of coal per year," he said. The company's case was described as "smoke and mirrors" by Estelle Dehon, representing South Lakes Action on Climate Change, a community-based charity. Ms Dehon said a "myth has been spun" that locally mined coal would be used in the UK only, instead of importing US coal, as the raw material could be exported across the world and the "magic of mitigation" and off-setting did not exist in reality. The mine was approved by Cumbria County Council in October but in February the authority suspended its decision. Planning inspector Stephen Normington said the inquiry, which is being held virtually and will last up to 16 days, will consider how the mine would conform with: - Climate change policy - Flooding and coastal change policy - The need for coal and future demand for it in steel production - Employment in the region - Effects on tourism and the area's heritage The council, which had approved the mine to operate up until 2049 before suspending the permission to further consider carbon policy "implications", has said it would adopt a "neutral position" during the inquiry. West Cumbria Mining previously said exploratory works led it to estimate there were about 750m tonnes of "excellent quality" coking coal in the area. However, the company would be limited by planning conditions to produce no more than 2.78m tonnes a year. The Cumbria mine proposal has turned into a veritable minefield for the government. Backbench Conservative MPs supporting the plan include the prime minister's own private secretary. But the scheme's being fiercely opposed by ministers charged with promoting UK climate policy. They say the move would be humiliating for a nation that's urging others to shift away from coal. It's part of a worldwide economic upheaval being provoked by the need to cut emissions urgently to limit further harm to the damaged climate. Saudi Arabia wants to suck out every last drop of oil; the US gas industry is seeking more supplies; the UK wants to squeeze more hydrocarbons from the North Sea; in Poland they value the jobs and warmth their coal industry brings. But scientists say it's foolish to seek more fossil fuels when we've discovered enough already to wreck the climate. A year of climate extremes has persuaded many of the need to cut emissions - but the politics is hard. Presentational grey line The proposed mine on the former Marchon chemical works site would remove coking coal from beneath the Irish Sea for the production of steel in the UK and Europe and it is supported by the Conservative MP for Copeland, Trudy Harrison. However, it is opposed by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, of the Liberal Democrats, who described it as an "almighty backwards step in the fight against climate change". He told the hearing it was a "massive issue" and could "rob us of the capacity to push world leaders towards the radical decarbonisation we desperately need" ahead of the COP26 climate conference. More than 2,300 other people also objected to the plan along with campaigners including Friends of the Earth, Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-58467209
     
         
      Animals ‘shapeshifting’ in response to climate crisis, research finds Tue, 7th Sep 2021 16:00:00
     
      Animals are increasingly “shapeshifting” because of the climate crisis, researchers have said. Warm-blooded animals are changing their physiology to adapt to a hotter climate, the scientists found. This includes getting larger beaks, legs and ears to better regulate their body temperature. When animals overheat, birds use their beaks and mammals use their ears to disperse the warmth. Some creatures in warmer climates have historically evolved to have larger beaks or ears to get rid of heat more easily. These differences are becoming more pronounced as the climate warms. If animals fail to control their body temperature, they can overheat and die. Beaks, which are not covered by feathers and therefore not insulated, are a site of significant heat exchange, as are ears, tails and legs in mammals if not covered by fur. The review, published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, found that the differences are particularly pronounced in birds. The author of the study, Sara Ryding of Deakin university, a bird researcher, said: “Shapeshifting does not mean that animals are coping with climate change and that all is fine. “It just means they are evolving to survive it – but we’re not sure what the other ecological consequences of these changes are, or indeed that all species are capable of changing and surviving.” While the scientists say it is difficult to pinpoint climate breakdown as the sole cause of the shapeshifting, it is what the instances studied have in common across geographical regions and across a diverse array of species. Examples include several species of Australian parrot that have shown a 4-10% increase in bill size since 1871, positively correlated with the summer temperature each year. Meanwhile, research on the North American dark-eyed juncos, a type of small songbird, showed a link between increased bill size and short-term temperature extremes in cold environments. Researchers have also reported tail length increases in wood mice, and tail and leg size increases in masked shrews. Bats in warm climates were shown to have increased wing size. The paper argues that shapeshifting is likely to continue as the climate becomes warmer. It reads: “The increased temperatures associated with climate change are likely to influence, among other things, the thermoregulatory demands placed on animals. “The increasing temperatures experienced as part of climate change may be selecting for larger appendages that facilitate efficient heat dissipation or result in relaxation of selection for small appendages through which body heat could be deleteriously lost in cold climates.” Though the changes are small, Ryding said that could change as the planet became hotter. “The increases in appendage size we see so far are quite small – less than 10% – so the changes are unlikely to be immediately noticeable,” she said. “However, prominent appendages such as ears are predicted to increase, so we might end up with a live-action Dumbo in the not-so-distant future.” Ryding intends to investigate shapeshifting in Australian birds first-hand by 3D scanning museum bird specimens from the past 100 years to see which birds are changing appendage size due to climate change. “A lot of the time when climate change is discussed in mainstream media, people are asking ‘can humans overcome this?’, or ‘what technology can solve this?’. It’s high time we recognised that animals also have to adapt to these changes, but this is occurring over a far shorter timescale than would have occurred through most of evolutionary time,” said Ryding. “The climate change that we have created is heaping a whole lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.” It is unclear whether these changes will affect the animals in other ways – for example, bigger bills could affect how birds feed, something the scientists plan to research in future work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/07/animals-shapeshifting-in-response-to-climate-crisis-research-finds
     
         
      Solar module for east-west installations on flat rooftops Tue, 7th Sep 2021 13:49:00
     
      Dutch startup Solarge has developed a 500 W panel that weighs 50% less than conventional glass-backsheet modules. The new product can be fixed to rooftops with roofing anchors, which eliminates the need for ballast, according to the manufacturer. Netherlands-based module manufacturer Solarge B.V. has developed a 72-cell monocrystalline solar module for PV systems deployed on flat rooftops with limited weight-bearing capacity. The Solarge DUO panel is based on M10 PERC cells and weighs 50% less than conventional glass-backsheet panels, with a rooftop load of just 6 kg/m2, the company claimed. “The module configuration is the typical east-west configuration with 12 degrees tilt angle, which can basically be installed on the roof in any desired orientation,” CCO Huib Van der Heuvel told pv magazine. “The mounting system is fixed to the roof by means of roofing anchors, eliminating the need for ballast.” The product measures 2,327 mm x 1,137 mm x 14 mm and weighs in at 14.5 kg, or 5.5 kg/m2. It features a power output of 500 W, an open-circuit voltage of 49 V, a short-circuit current of 12.4 A, and a fill factor of 0.78%. Its temperature coefficient is -0.39% per degree Celsius and the maximum system voltage is 1,000 V. The operating ambient temperature ranges from -40 to 85 C. Solarge offers a 10-year product warranty and a 20-year power output guarantee. Annual linear degradation over 20 years is guaranteed at a maximum of 0.5 %. The manufacturer is currently producing the modules through a pilot line at its manufacturing facility in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. It is now completing the financing of a high-volume manufacturing plant, which is scheduled to open by mid-2022 in the Netherlands. Commercial operations are scheduled to start in the second half of next year. “Next to the low weight, the sustainability performance of this innovative solar panels are remarkable,” Van der Heuve said. “The product will have a CO2 footprint which is 80% lower than conventional solar panels and the panel is completely circular in design and uses no Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) materials, unlike all other solar panels that use a polymeric film instead of glass.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/09/07/solar-module-for-east-west-installations-on-flat-rooftops/
     
         
      More global aid goes to fossil fuel projects than tackling dirty air – study Tue, 7th Sep 2021 12:09:00
     
      Governments around the world gave 20% more in overseas aid funding to fossil fuel projects in 2019 and 2020 than to programmes to cut the air pollution they cause. Dirty air is the world’s biggest environmental killer, responsible for at least 4m early deaths a year. But just 1% of global development aid is used to tackle this crisis, according to an analysis from the Clean Air Fund (CAF). Air pollution kills more people than HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, but such health issues receive vastly more funding, the report found. When compared in terms of years of life lost, HIV/Aids projects received 34 times more funding, while malnutrition programmes received seven times more. Increasing funding to similar levels to tackle air pollution would save many lives, experts said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/07/more-global-aid-goes-to-fossil-fuel-projects-than-tackling-dirty-air-study-pollution
     
         
      20 meat and dairy firms emit more greenhouse gas than Germany, Britain or France Tue, 7th Sep 2021 9:00:00
     
      Twenty livestock companies are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than either Germany, Britain or France – and are receiving billions of dollars in financial backing to do so, according to a new report by environmental campaigners. Raising livestock contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with animal agriculture accounting for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Scientific reports have found that rich countries need huge reductions in meat and dairy consumption to tackle the climate emergency. Between 2015 and 2020, global meat and dairy companies received more than US$478bn in backing from 2,500 investment firms, banks, and pension funds, most of them based in North America or Europe, according to the Meat Atlas, which was compiled by Friends of the Earth and the European political foundation, Heinrich Böll Stiftung. With that level of financial support, the report estimates that meat production could increase by a further 40m tonnes by 2029, to hit 366m tonnes of meat a year. Although the vast majority of growth was likely to take place in the global south, the biggest producers will continue to be China, Brazil, the USA and the members of the European Union. By 2029 these countries may still produce 60% of worldwide meat output. Across the world, the report says, three-quarters of all agricultural land is used to raise animals or the crops to feed them. “In Brazil alone, 175m hectares is dedicated to raising cattle,” an area of land that is about equal to the “entire agricultural area of the European Union”. The report also points to ongoing consolidation in the meat and dairy sector, with the biggest companies buying smaller ones and reducing competition. The effect risks squeezing out more sustainable food production models. “To keep up with this [level of animal protein production] industrial animal farming is on the rise and keeps pushing sustainable models out of the market,” the report says. The recent interest shown by animal protein companies in meat alternatives and substitutes was not yet a solution, campaigners said. “This is all for profit and is not really addressing the fundamental issues we see in the current animal protein-centred food system that is having a devastating impact on climate, biodiversity and is actually harming people around the globe,” said Stanka Becheva, a food and agriculture campaigner working with Friends of the Earth. The bottom line, said Becheva, is that “we need to begin reducing the number of food animals on the planet and incentivise different consumption models.” More meat industry regulation is needed too, she said, “to make sure companies are paying for the harms they have created throughout the supply chain and to minimise further damage”. On the investment side, Becheva said private banks and investors, as well as development banks such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development needed to stop financing large-scale, intensive animal protein production projects. Responding to the report, Paolo Patruno, deputy secretary general of the European Association for the Meat Processing Industry (CLITRAVI), said: “We don’t believe that any food sector is more or less sustainable than another. But there are more or less sustainable ways to produce plant or animal foods and we are committed to making animal protein production more sustainable. “We also know that average GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions in the EU from livestock is half that of the global average. The global average is about 14% and the EU average is 7%,” he added. In England and Wales, the National Farmers’ Union has set a target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture by 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/07/20-meat-and-dairy-firms-emit-more-greenhouse-gas-than-germany-britain-or-france
     
         
      Why we need a hydrogen power network to reach net-zero carbon Tue, 7th Sep 2021 7:00:00
     
      In August, the government announced its plan to provide the UK with low-carbon energy derived from hydrogen. What will the gas be used for, and will it really help us reach our emissions targets? What is the government’s plan? The main aim of the UK Hydrogen Strategy is to have the capacity to produce 5GW (five billion joules per second) of low-carbon power from hydrogen by 2030. This is equivalent to the amount of gas used by three million UK households. This hydrogen could be used in a variety of ways. Perhaps the easiest to put into place will be replacing natural gas derived from fossil fuels. Natural gas, a mixture of methane and ethane, is used for heating, cooking and generating electricity. Hydrogen can be burned in exactly the same way, producing only water and no CO2, though you would need roughly three times as much to produce the same amount of energy. The strategy outlines plans to test the use of hydrogen for heating in a neighbourhood by 2023, in a village by 2025 and a town by 2030. Hydrogen can also be used in fuel cells. In this scenario, nothing is burned. Instead, chemical energy is turned directly into electrical energy, much like a battery. These cells can be used in place of a combustion engine in vehicles – even trains or aeroplanes – or instead of petrol or diesel generators. Where will the hydrogen come from? The gas can come from two sources, known as ‘blue’ and ‘green’ hydrogen. “So-called green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen, using electricity derived from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power,” says Dr Eike Thaysen, Experimental Geosciences Technical Research Assistant at the University of Edinburgh. “Blue hydrogen is produced by the reaction of steam with methane, where the carbon emissions from this process are captured and stored.” Since green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy, it can essentially be used as a way of storing surplus renewable energy. Blue hydrogen, however, is produced using fossil fuels, and so creates carbon emissions. During the process, the CO2 is captured and stored permanently underground. However, The Guardian reported in August that the carbon capture technology fails to store between 5 and 15 per cent of emissions. Based on the government’s planned usage of blue hydrogen, this works out to eight million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2050, equivalent to what’s produced by 1.5 million fossil-fuel cars. A separate study by scientists from Cornell University and Stanford University suggested that blue hydrogen could be even worse than that. They estimate that the emissions are equivalent to 139g of CO2 per million joules of energy, with a carbon footprint 20 per cent greater than burning natural gas or coal. Why use blue hydrogen at all? If using blue hydrogen still produces carbon emissions, why not just burn the natural gas directly? Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Carbon Capture & Storage at the University of Edinburgh, doesn’t believe the study from Cornell and Stanford is applicable to the UK. “[The study] takes worst possible case assumptions based on a leaky USA system – that lots of methane will leak, and very little CO2 will be captured – and so it is not surprising that leaks and poor processes end up with a very large CO2 emission per unit of hydrogen,” he says. “Even so, I regard low carbon blue hydrogen as a transition to rapidly replace methane through diverse uses – its replacement by cleaner green hydrogen will be determined by the pace at which the price of electrolysis decreases.” Thaysen says that a more accurate estimate of the emissions for blue hydrogen would be equivalent to 10 to 20g CO2 for each million joules of energy produced. For the same amount of energy, burning natural gas produces about 63g of CO2. “This means that blue hydrogen is about three to six times cleaner than natural gas – on the condition that the carbon has been split off and permanently stored,” she says. So even if 15 per cent of the carbon dioxide escape into the atmosphere, the total emission is still much less. Furthermore, Thaysen believes that blue hydrogen is essential on our journey to net zero. “Green hydrogen enables decarbonised storage of renewable energy, thereby fuelling increased use of zero-carbon energy sources and helping the transition to a net-zero society,” she says. “However, blue hydrogen is currently more economical and uses well-established existing technologies, which helps develop value chains and can help industry cut emissions quickly. It also ensures there is a market for green hydrogen once it becomes cost-competitive. “Therefore, a combination of green hydrogen and blue hydrogen will be essential to help us get to net zero fast.” What infrastructure is still needed? Converting the gas supply to our homes to accommodate hydrogen will be comparatively simple, thanks to the infrastructure that’s already in place. Thaysen explains that hydrogen can be blended into the existing gas network without changing the infrastructure or our gas appliances, up to a total of 20 per cent of the gas volume. “This makes the conversion to hydrogen rapid and low-cost. However, this only results in a 7 per cent reduction on CO2 emissions, so we want to be aiming for 100 per cent hydrogen,” she says. “But to convert to 100 per cent hydrogen, adaptations to the current infrastructure are needed. “To get the gas from the distribution sites into our homes, we are very fortunate because the yellow polyethylene pipes that are currently being installed across the country to replace the old iron pipes are suitable for use with hydrogen.” For drivers, a Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo powered with a hydrogen fuel cell might seem like the perfect compromise between the range of a fossil-fuel car and the emissions of a battery electric vehicle. However, the main problem for consumers is where to fill up. UK H2Mobility lists only 11 hydrogen fuel stations available for cars around the country, mostly situated around London – fine if you’re staying in the capital, but once you head north from Sheffield, you can’t fill up again before Aberdeen. So, is hydrogen the answer to reaching net zero? The UK’s aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will be essential in mitigating the effects of climate change. But will the government’s Hydrogen Strategy get us there? “Hydrogen has the potential to be incredibly useful. It could literally reach the sectors other options can’t, in industry and aviation,” says Robert Gross, Professor of Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College. “But we won’t be able to use it everywhere all at once. “The sheer volume of energy needed in single sectors, like domestic heating or transport, is immense. Considering the minuscule amount of hydrogen we use for energy today, the challenge is huge. So hydrogen won’t be a quick fix or a universal panacea.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/uk-hydrogen-power/
     
         
      More global aid goes to fossil fuel projects than tackling dirty air-study Tue, 7th Sep 2021 0:44:00
     
      Governments around the world gave 20% more in overseas aid funding to fossil fuel projects in 2019 and 2020 than to programmes to cut the air pollution they cause. Dirty air is the world’s biggest environmental killer, responsible for at least 4m early deaths a year. But just 1% of global development aid is used to tackle this crisis, according to an analysis from the Clean Air Fund (CAF). Air pollution kills more people than HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, but such health issues receive vastly more funding, the report found. When compared in terms of years of life lost, HIV/Aids projects received 34 times more funding, while malnutrition programmes received seven times more. Increasing funding to similar levels to tackle air pollution would save many lives, experts said. Funding for air quality projects is also heavily skewed towards middle-income Asian countries, with African and Latin American nations receiving just 15% of the total, despite having many heavily polluted cities. For example, Mongolia, which had an estimated 2,260 deaths related to air pollution in 2019, received $437m (£316m) from 2015-2020, while Nigeria, which had 70,150 early deaths because of air pollution received just $250,000. Jane Burston, at CAF described the situation as “crazy and shocking”, adding: “When you see the incredibly and chronically low levels of funding on the one hand, and the chronically high levels of public health impacts on the other, it becomes quite obvious that more funding is needed. “Air pollution is a massive health crisis, but a lot of the projects that would reduce pollution also help limit climate change, because they’re about reducing fossil fuel burning. There can be massive wins for equity too, because the poorest communities are often the most affected by air pollution, wherever you are in the world.” Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme (Unep), said air quality funding did not match the scale of the problem: “Our relentless burning of fossil fuels pollutes our air, costing the global economy billions of dollars each year. Ending the financing of fossil-fuel development and instead investing in growing clean, carbon-free economies will bring immediate benefits. It will save many lives.” The CAF report included funding for both projects in which improving air quality was a stated objective, and projects in which air pollution was cut as a benefit of other action such as installing renewable energy or clean transport initiatives, including better urban buses in Peru. Most of the aid funding for fossil fuels was for power plants, including the Medupi coal-powered plant in South Africa. Almost $6bn in aid was given to air quality programmes from 2015-2020, with 45% going to China, which has cut air pollution by 29% in the last seven years. Mongolia, the Philippines and Pakistan were the next biggest recipients. India, with more than 1m early deaths from air pollution a year, was eighth. African and Latin American nations have more than 500,000 deaths a year because of air pollution, and that number is rising. But they receive just 5% and 10% of aid funding respectively, the report found. “Africa is where pollution is most likely to grow, because of rapid urbanisation, so there’s a huge opportunity there to tackle air pollution before it gets horrifically bad,” said Burston. “We’re not saying malnutrition, water and sanitation, and HIV/Aids projects should get less money. Deaths from these are absolutely dropping off as a consequence of large amounts of funding being spent well, but air pollution just isn’t on the same scale at all.” The report recommends increasing funding levels, stopping all new fossil fuel investments immediately and making air pollution an explicit priority for development aid. Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a World Health Organization advocate for health and air quality, said: “Filthy air is killing millions of people around the world every year.” Her daughter Ella Kissi-Debrah died in 2013, aged 9, with air pollution officially blamed. “My daughter’s case has helped raise awareness of these devastating impacts,” she said. “But campaigners can’t do it alone. Aid donors play a critical role by providing the support-base which sustains the fight for clean air.” A separate report from the Unep found that one third of the world’s countries have no legal limits in air pollution and that, in those nations that do, the limits are often weaker than WHO guidelines. Another analysis estimates that nearly 12,000 people have died early in Europe because of breaches of legal pollution limits in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. It found that the western Balkans’ 18 coal-fired power stations emitted two-and-half times more sulphur dioxide than all 221 coal plants in the EU combined.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/07/more-global-aid-goes-to-fossil-fuel-projects-than-tackling-dirty-air-study-pollution
     
         
      UK had to turn on coal power plant to help National Grid cope with low winds Mon, 6th Sep 2021 21:46:00
     
      One of the UK's last remaining coal power plants had to be fired up on Monday morning, as low winds meant the National Grid needed an additional source of energy. West Burton A, in Lincolnshire, is due to be decommissioned this time next year, but for the moment it is still at the ready if the UK needs more electricity. The lack of wind was due to the high pressure system in the North West, which has led to calm air in the regions with the most turbines. It has also caused the warm weather currently in the UK. The lack of breeze meant that West Burton was needed to provide stability to the grid. It meant that for the first time since March this year, more than 1.5GW of power for the UK was generated by coal - equivalent to 546 wind turbines worth. It also meant up to 5% of the UK's power was coming from coal. A spokesman for EDF, which runs the plant, said: "Two units at the station have helped to balance the UK electricity system in order to ensure security of supply." The use of coal power to balance the grids is not unusual, but is becoming less common as the UK moves away from a reliance on the fossil fuel. There are currently only two coal plants connected to the UK grid - West Burton, and Uniper's Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, which will be decommissioned by 2024 under current plans. As well as the lack of wind, the use of coal has been caused by rising costs of other power sources. A surge in demand for natural gas due to the reopening from the pandemic - during which output was cut - has led to rising prices of the UK's main source of power. Buying power from other European grids is also expensive currently. The grid has been using coal power in small amounts since Wednesday in a bid to optimise output.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/uk-had-to-turn-on-coal-power-plant-to-help-national-grid-cope-with-low-winds-12400835
     
         
      Drop coal or climate change will ‘wreak havoc’ across Australian economy Mon, 6th Sep 2021 19:26:00
     
      In a pre-recorded speech to an Australian National University forum, UN Special Adviser on Climate Change Selwin Hart joined calls for Australia's Government to adopt more ambitious emissions reduction goals. He reiterated the need for countries of the intergovernmental economic organization OECD , including Australia, to stop using coal by 2030 and by 2040 for all others. Most developed countries have signed up to a target of net-zero emissions by 2050. Due to its reliance on coal-fired power, Australia is one of the world's largest carbon emitters per capita, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison has resisted committing to a timeline to set a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2050. Fear of job losses Mr. Morrison has also steadfastly backed fossil fuel industries, saying tougher action on emissions would cost jobs. Noting that national governments – responsible for 73 per cent of global emissions – have now committed to net-zero by mid-century, he urged Australia to join them “as a matter of urgency”. “While crucial, these long-term national net-zero commitments are only part of what is needed. It is essential they are backed by ambitious 2030 targets and clear plans to achieve them, otherwise, we will not see the changes in the real economy we urgently need”, he told the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum. ‘Seize the moment’ Mr. Hart highlighted the extent to which this policy has isolated the Government and emphasized the importance of taking “greater action this decade. “We fully understand the role that coal and other fossil fuels have played in Australia's economy, even if mining accounts for a small fraction – around 2 per cent – of overall jobs”, Mr. Hart added, “but it's essential to have a broader, more honest and rational conversation about what is in Australia's interests”. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that Australia would update its 2030 emissions projections at UN climate talks in Glasgow in November. Mr. Hart urged Australia to “seize the moment” and switch to renewables. A ‘critical juncture’ The UN official quoted a previous call by Secretary-General António Guterres that wealthy countries phase out coal by 2030 and other countries, which have had less opportunity to develop using fossil fuels, to stop its use by 2040. “If adopted, this timetable would leave nearly a decade for Australia to ensure a just transition for its coal workers and others affected”, he said. “We are at a critical juncture in the climate crisis”, he said, noting that if G20 industrialized nations choose business-as-usual, “climate change will soon send Australia’s high living standards up in flames”. By contrast however, if countries including Australia choose bold climate action, “a new wave of prosperity, jobs, fairness and sustained economic growth is there for the taking”, said Mr. Hart. Still time to limit climate change The recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that human-induced climate change has already triggered weather and climate extremes throughout every region across the globe. Unless there are rapid and deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement “will be beyond reach” warned the panel. But IPCC experts said there is still time to limit climate change. Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, could quickly make air quality better, and in 20 to 30 years global temperatures could stabilize. In Australia, average temperatures above land have increased by about 1.4C since 1910.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099232?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=32c2c12cde-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_06_03_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-32c2c12cde-107499886
     
         
      A Decade Of Wind, Solar, & Nuclear In China Shows Clear Scalability Winners Mon, 6th Sep 2021 17:31:00
     
      In 2014, I made the strong assertion that China’s track record on wind and nuclear generation deployments showed clearly that wind energy was more scalable. In 2019, I returned to the subject, and assessed wind, solar and nuclear total TWh of generation, asserting that wind and solar were outperforming nuclear substantially in total annual generation, and projected that the two renewable forms of generation would be producing 4 times the total TWh of nuclear by 2030 each year between them. Mea culpa: in the 2019 assessment, I overstated the experienced capacity factor for wind generation in China, which still lags US experiences, but has improved substantially in the past few years. My thesis on scalability of deployment has remained unchanged: the massive numerical economies of scale for manufacturing and distributing wind and solar components, combined with the massive parallelization of construction that is possible with those technologies, will always make them faster and easier to scale in capacity and generation than the megaprojects of GW-scale nuclear plants. This was obvious in 2014, it was obviously true in 2019, and it remains clearly demonstrable today. Further, my point was that China was the perfect natural experiment for this assessment, as it was treating both deployments as national strategies (an absolute condition of success for nuclear) and had the ability and will to override local regulations and any NIMBYism. No other country could be used to easily assess which technologies could be deployed more quickly. In March of this year I was giving the WWEA USA+Canada wind energy update as part of WWEA’s regular round-the-world presentation by industry analysts in the different geographies. My report was unsurprising. In 2020’s update, the focus had been on what the impact of COVID-19 would be on wind deployments around the world. My update focused on the much greater focus on the force majeure portions of wind construction contracts, and I expected that Canada and the USA would miss expectations substantially. The story was much the same in other geographies. And that was true for Canada, the USA and most of the rest of the geographies. But China surprised the world in 2020, deploying not only 72 GW of wind energy, vastly more than expected, but also 48 GW of solar capacity. The wind deployment was a Chinese and global record for a single country, and the solar deployment was over 50% more than the previous year. Meanwhile, exactly zero nuclear reactors were commissioned in 2020. And so, I return to my analysis of Chinese low-carbon energy deployment, looking at installed capacity and annual added extra generation. I’ve aggregated this added additional capacity from multiple sources, including the World Nuclear Association, the Global Wind Energy Council, and the International Energy Agency’s photovoltaic material. In three of the 11 years from 2010 to 2020, China attached no nuclear generation to the grid at all. It’s adding more this year, but the year is not complete. The solar and wind programs had been started in the mid-2000s, and wind energy initially saw much greater deployments. Having paid much more attention to wind energy than solar for the past decade, I was surprised that solar capacity deployments exceeded wind energy in 2017 and 2018, undoubtedly part of why solar was on track to double China’s 2020 target for the technology, while wind energy was only expected to reach 125% of targets. Nuclear was lagging targets substantially, and there was no expectation of achieving them. In 2019, the clear indication was that China would make substantially higher targets for wind and solar, and downgrade their expectations for nuclear, which has been borne out. But nameplate capacity doesn’t matter as much as actual generation. As stated in the mea culpa, wind energy in China has underperformed. This was assessed in a Letter in the journal Environmental Research by European and North American researchers in 2018. “Our findings underscore that the larger gap between actual performance and technical potential in China compared to the United States is significantly driven by delays in grid connection (14% of the gap) and curtailment due to constraints in grid management (10% of the gap), two challenges of China’s wind power expansion covered extensively in the literature. However, our findings show that China’s underperformance is also driven by suboptimal turbine model selection (31% of the gap), wind farm siting (23% of the gap), and turbine hub heights (6% of the gap)—factors that have received less attention in the literature and, crucially, are locked-in for the lifetime of wind farms.” Some of the capacity factor issues are locked in, and some aren’t, but overall wind energy in China’s capacity is well below that of the US fleet still. I’ve adjusted capacity factors for wind energy to be 21% at the beginning of the decade, and up to 26% for 2020 deployments, still well below US experience. Solar, on the other hand, is less susceptible to some of the challenges of that impede wind energy’s generation, and the Chinese experienced median of 20% is used throughout the decade. China’s nuclear fleet has had much better ability to connect to the grid, and as the reactors are new, they aren’t being taken offline for substantial maintenance yet. The average capacity factor for the fleet of 91.1% for the decade is used. And this tells the tale. Even adjusted for the poor capacity factor’s wind experienced and the above global average capacity factor for nuclear, in no year did the nuclear fleet add more actual generation than wind energy. The story is more mixed in the solar vs nuclear story, but only once in the past five years was more annual generation in TWh added by the nuclear program than by solar. And as a reminder, the Chinese wind and solar deployment programs started well over a decade after the nuclear program which saw its first grid connections in 1994. What is also interesting to see is that the reversal in wind and solar deployments in China in the past two years. 2019 and 2020 saw double or more than double the actual generation in TWh added by wind than solar. To be clear, some of this is uptick is due to an expected and subsequently announced elimination of federal subsidies for utility-scale solar, commercial solar and onshore wind projects in 2021. “The new rule, effective from Aug. 1, follows a drastic fall in manufacturing costs for solar and wind devices amid booming renewable capacity in China.” This appears to have driven Chinese 2020 wind energy deployments to ensure that they would receive the compensation, just as US deployments have seen significant surges and lulls due to changes in the production tax credit. As a result, there is speculation that the announced wind generation capacity is not as fully completed as announced. However, that should not change the expected capacity factors for the coming years, and so I’ve left the 120 TWh projected delivery from the wind farms deployed in 2020 as is. It’s worth noting that as of today, 7 of the 10 largest wind turbine manufacturers, and 9 of the 10 largest solar component manufacturers are Chinese companies. China remains, as I pointed out a couple of years ago, the only scaled manufacturer of many of the technologies necessary for decarbonization. Further, it’s expanding its market share in those technologies rapidly. My 2014 thesis continues to be supported by the natural experiment being played out in China. In my recent published assessment of small modular nuclear reactors (tl’dr: bad idea, not going to work), it became clear to me that China has fallen into one of the many failure conditions of rapid deployment of nuclear, which is to say an expanding set of technologies instead of a standardized single technology, something that is one of the many reasons why SMRs won’t be deployed in any great numbers. Wind and solar are going to be the primary providers of low-carbon energy for the coming century, and as we electrify everything, the electrons will be coming mostly from the wind and sun, in an efficient, effective and low-cost energy model that doesn’t pollute or cause global warming. Good news indeed that these technologies are so clearly delivering on their promise to help us deal with the climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/05/a-decade-of-wind-solar-nuclear-in-china-shows-clear-scalability-winners/
     
         
      A Decade Of Wind, Solar, & Nuclear In China Shows Clear Scalability Winners Mon, 6th Sep 2021 13:56:00
     
      In 2014, I made the strong assertion that China’s track record on wind and nuclear generation deployments showed clearly that wind energy was more scalable. In 2019, I returned to the subject, and assessed wind, solar and nuclear total TWh of generation, asserting that wind and solar were outperforming nuclear substantially in total annual generation, and projected that the two renewable forms of generation would be producing 4 times the total TWh of nuclear by 2030 each year between them. Mea culpa: in the 2019 assessment, I overstated the experienced capacity factor for wind generation in China, which still lags US experiences, but has improved substantially in the past few years. My thesis on scalability of deployment has remained unchanged: the massive numerical economies of scale for manufacturing and distributing wind and solar components, combined with the massive parallelization of construction that is possible with those technologies, will always make them faster and easier to scale in capacity and generation than the megaprojects of GW-scale nuclear plants. This was obvious in 2014, it was obviously true in 2019, and it remains clearly demonstrable today. Further, my point was that China was the perfect natural experiment for this assessment, as it was treating both deployments as national strategies (an absolute condition of success for nuclear) and had the ability and will to override local regulations and any NIMBYism. No other country could be used to easily assess which technologies could be deployed more quickly. In March of this year I was giving the WWEA USA+Canada wind energy update as part of WWEA’s regular round-the-world presentation by industry analysts in the different geographies. My report was unsurprising. In 2020’s update, the focus had been on what the impact of COVID-19 would be on wind deployments around the world. My update focused on the much greater focus on the force majeure portions of wind construction contracts, and I expected that Canada and the USA would miss expectations substantially. The story was much the same in other geographies. And that was true for Canada, the USA and most of the rest of the geographies. But China surprised the world in 2020, deploying not only 72 GW of wind energy, vastly more than expected, but also 48 GW of solar capacity. The wind deployment was a Chinese and global record for a single country, and the solar deployment was over 50% more than the previous year. Meanwhile, exactly zero nuclear reactors were commissioned in 2020. And so, I return to my analysis of Chinese low-carbon energy deployment, looking at installed capacity and annual added extra generation. I’ve aggregated this added additional capacity from multiple sources, including the World Nuclear Association, the Global Wind Energy Council, and the International Energy Agency’s photovoltaic material. In three of the 11 years from 2010 to 2020, China attached no nuclear generation to the grid at all. It’s adding more this year, but the year is not complete. The solar and wind programs had been started in the mid-2000s, and wind energy initially saw much greater deployments. Having paid much more attention to wind energy than solar for the past decade, I was surprised that solar capacity deployments exceeded wind energy in 2017 and 2018, undoubtedly part of why solar was on track to double China’s 2020 target for the technology, while wind energy was only expected to reach 125% of targets. Nuclear was lagging targets substantially, and there was no expectation of achieving them. In 2019, the clear indication was that China would make substantially higher targets for wind and solar, and downgrade their expectations for nuclear, which has been borne out. But nameplate capacity doesn’t matter as much as actual generation. As stated in the mea culpa, wind energy in China has underperformed. This was assessed in a Letter in the journal Environmental Research by European and North American researchers in 2018. “Our findings underscore that the larger gap between actual performance and technical potential in China compared to the United States is significantly driven by delays in grid connection (14% of the gap) and curtailment due to constraints in grid management (10% of the gap), two challenges of China’s wind power expansion covered extensively in the literature. However, our findings show that China’s underperformance is also driven by suboptimal turbine model selection (31% of the gap), wind farm siting (23% of the gap), and turbine hub heights (6% of the gap)—factors that have received less attention in the literature and, crucially, are locked-in for the lifetime of wind farms.” Some of the capacity factor issues are locked in, and some aren’t, but overall wind energy in China’s capacity is well below that of the US fleet still. I’ve adjusted capacity factors for wind energy to be 21% at the beginning of the decade, and up to 26% for 2020 deployments, still well below US experience. Solar, on the other hand, is less susceptible to some of the challenges of that impede wind energy’s generation, and the Chinese experienced median of 20% is used throughout the decade. China’s nuclear fleet has had much better ability to connect to the grid, and as the reactors are new, they aren’t being taken offline for substantial maintenance yet. The average capacity factor for the fleet of 91.1% for the decade is used. And this tells the tale. Even adjusted for the poor capacity factor’s wind experienced and the above global average capacity factor for nuclear, in no year did the nuclear fleet add more actual generation than wind energy. The story is more mixed in the solar vs nuclear story, but only once in the past five years was more annual generation in TWh added by the nuclear program than by solar. And as a reminder, the Chinese wind and solar deployment programs started well over a decade after the nuclear program which saw its first grid connections in 1994. What is also interesting to see is that the reversal in wind and solar deployments in China in the past two years. 2019 and 2020 saw double or more than double the actual generation in TWh added by wind than solar. To be clear, some of this is uptick is due to an expected and subsequently announced elimination of federal subsidies for utility-scale solar, commercial solar and onshore wind projects in 2021. “The new rule, effective from Aug. 1, follows a drastic fall in manufacturing costs for solar and wind devices amid booming renewable capacity in China.” This appears to have driven Chinese 2020 wind energy deployments to ensure that they would receive the compensation, just as US deployments have seen significant surges and lulls due to changes in the production tax credit. As a result, there is speculation that the announced wind generation capacity is not as fully completed as announced. However, that should not change the expected capacity factors for the coming years, and so I’ve left the 120 TWh projected delivery from the wind farms deployed in 2020 as is. It’s worth noting that as of today, 7 of the 10 largest wind turbine manufacturers, and 9 of the 10 largest solar component manufacturers are Chinese companies. China remains, as I pointed out a couple of years ago, the only scaled manufacturer of many of the technologies necessary for decarbonization. Further, it’s expanding its market share in those technologies rapidly. My 2014 thesis continues to be supported by the natural experiment being played out in China. In my recent published assessment of small modular nuclear reactors (tl’dr: bad idea, not going to work), it became clear to me that China has fallen into one of the many failure conditions of rapid deployment of nuclear, which is to say an expanding set of technologies instead of a standardized single technology, something that is one of the many reasons why SMRs won’t be deployed in any great numbers. Wind and solar are going to be the primary providers of low-carbon energy for the coming century, and as we electrify everything, the electrons will be coming mostly from the wind and sun, in an efficient, effective and low-cost energy model that doesn’t pollute or cause global warming. Good news indeed that these technologies are so clearly delivering on their promise to help us deal with the climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/09/05/a-decade-of-wind-solar-nuclear-in-china-shows-clear-scalability-winners/
     
         
      Climate action essential to cool ‘season of fire and floods’ worldwide: Deputy UN chief Mon, 6th Sep 2021 13:10:00
     
      “The entire planet is going through a season of fire and floods”, Amina Mohammed told a high-level meeting on climate action, primarily hurting fragile and vulnerable populations in rich and poor countries alike. Speaking via video message to the Dialogue on Accelerating Adaptation Solutions Ahead of COP26, the annual UN climate conference, which will take place in Glasgow in November, the Deputy Secretary-General noted already-visible impacts with a 1.2 degree rise. “Countries and populations worldwide – particularly those most vulnerable and least responsible for the climate crisis – will experience even more devastating consequences”, she said. “The effects will reverberate through economies, communities and ecosystems, erasing development gains, deepening poverty, increasing migration and exacerbating tensions”. Climate justice With “bold and decisive steps” towards a net-zero global economy by 2050, Ms. Mohammed said that the world could still limit global warming to within 1.5 degrees. “Acting now is a question of climate justice. And we have the solutions”, she said. While a “massively scaled-up investment” in adaptation and resilience is “critical” for those at the frontlines of the climate crisis, she informed the meeting that to date, only 21 per cent of climate finance is channelled to adaptation efforts. “Of the $70 billion that developing countries need now to adapt, only a fraction is being provided”, the deputy UN chief stated, adding that adaptation costs to the developing world could rise to as much as $300 billion dollars a year by 2030. Closing the gap In addition to being a moral imperative, there is also a clear economic case for early investments in adaptation and resilience building. “Lives will be saved, and livelihoods protected”, she said, noting that this was why the Secretary-General had called on donors and multilateral development banks to allocate 50 per cent of total public climate finance to adaptation and resilience. Nevertheless, countries which need this support, continue to face severe challenges accessing climate finance. Ms. Mohammad stressed the importance of simplifying rules and easing access for least developed countries (LDCs), small islands developing States (SIDS) and other vulnerable nations and to accelerate initiatives, such as the African Adaptation Acceleration Programme jointly developed between Global Center on Adaptation and African Development Bank. The Programme has the potential to deliver rapid and transformative results that protect lives and livelihoods, she continued and will galvanize climate resilient actions to address the impacts of Covid-19, climate change and the economy. “I welcome this much needed support for people of Africa”, she said. Climate solidarity With less than 80 days to COP26, the deputy UN chief urged the participants to “act boldly now for people and planet before it’s too late”. “We must respond to the climate crisis with solidarity. Adaptation can no longer be the neglected half of the climate equation”, she concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099182?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3748fc819c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_06_09_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-3748fc819c-107499886
     
         
      Experimental reactor could hand China the holy grail of nuclear energy Mon, 6th Sep 2021 12:00:00
     
      China is due to fire up an experimental nuclear reactor this month that could revolutionise the atomic energy industry. The reactor is fuelled by thorium, a weakly radioactive element, instead of uranium. If successful it could deliver safer and cheaper nuclear energy, helping the country to reduce its carbon footprint. It will use molten salt rather than water as the coolant and its by-products are less suitable for weaponisation. The trial reactor will be small — three metres tall and 2.5 metres wide — and will only have a capacity of two megawatts (MW), enough to power up to 1,000 typical homes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/experimental-reactor-could-hand-china-the-holy-grail-of-nuclear-energy-tcsqxwp3m
     
         
      Rush to contain large oil spill in Gulf of Mexico after Storm Ida Sun, 5th Sep 2021 19:49:00
     
      Clean-up crews and the US Coast Guard are trying to locate the source of an oil spill spotted in the Gulf of Mexico after deadly Hurricane Ida. Recent satellite photos by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed the slick about two miles (3km) off Port Fourchon, Louisiana. It appears to be coming from a source underwater at an offshore drilling site, the Associated Press reports. Ida hit Louisiana last week, leaving about one million people without power. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster and released federal funds for rescue and recovery efforts. The hurricane then moved north-east, killing dozens of people and causing devastation in a number of US states. The source of the miles-long oil spill was believed to be in the Bay Marchand area of the Gulf of Mexico, the US Coast Guard said. Spokesman Lt. John Edwards said it was thought to be crude oil from an undersea pipeline owned by Talos Energy. Houston-based Talos Energy said it did not believe it was responsible for the oil in the water, according to the Associated Press. The company has nonetheless hired Clean Gulf Associates, a non-profit group that responds to oil spills, to help contain the pollution. A team of private divers are also trying to locate the source. In a statement, Talos Energy said the company "will continue to work closely with the US Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and co-ordinate a successful response"
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58446271
     
         
      New Efficiency Record Set for Solar Hydrogen Production Sun, 5th Sep 2021 18:50:00
     
      Solar hydrogen production is a clean energy system that holds great potential to bolster sustainability efforts across the globe. Unfortunately, it's also largely unfeasible due to the high costs associated with its production and operation. Now, researchers from the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales have set a new world record in efficiency for the production of renewable hydrogen from solar energy using low-cost materials, reported RenewEconomy. The team of scientists achieved a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of greater than 20 percent. The researchers focused on combining tandem solar cells with low-cost catalyst materials to split water into both hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. Research co-author Dr. Siva Karuturi of Australian National University told RenewEconomy that his team's new approach of combining solar cells with hydrogen electrolyzers into a single unit could produce significant improvements in production efficiency and reductions in cost. “In a centralized electrolyzer which usually runs on grid electricity, membrane and electrodes are stacked in multiple numbers – often hundreds of them – to achieve the desired production capacity which results in a complex system,” Karuturi said. Karuturi added that in direct photovoltaic (PV)-electrolysis, a single unit of electrodes and membrane can be directly combined with PV cells into a simplified solar hydrogen module, getting rid of the need for power infrastructure and electrolyzers, and resulting in higher power conversion efficiency and lower costs. The team speculates that their new design could lower the cost of renewable hydrogen production to $2.30 per kilogram. This would be in line with targets set by the United States Department of Energy. This is welcome news as the world strives to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, a target that is the catalyst behind a number of green hydrogen projects. In 2017, another energy innovation used a floating solar rig to produce hydrogen fuel using seawater. However, that technology continues to be quite costly.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/new-efficiency-record-set-for-solar-hydrogen-production
     
         
      The ATMs that dispense green fuel Sat, 4th Sep 2021 19:55:00
     
      Large blue boxes have been popping up across Nairobi in Kenya. They look like cash machines, but instead of money they dispense a clean cooking fuel that is good for the environment and much safer to use.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-58425184
     
         
      Then and now: Why deforestation is such a hot topic Sat, 4th Sep 2021 18:59:00
     
      In our monthly feature, Then and Now, we reveal some of the ways that planet Earth has been changing against the backdrop of a warming world. For decades, deforestation has been seen as a leading cause of environmental damage. Now, the full cost that losing our tree cover is having on the world's climate is being realised, and politicians are taking notice. If there was a poster-child of environmental degradation, surely it is deforestation. The removal of trees - for example, through logging or fires - has, for many decades, been listed as one of the main factors behind nature loss and environmental harm. In recent years, the loss of tree cover around the world has also been firmly linked to the increasingly volatile changes to the climate. Plants and trees absorb up to a third of our CO2 emissions from the atmosphere each year. Yet, as we fell vast swathes of primary forests around the globe, we are reducing our planet's ability to lock away, or sequester, the harmful gas that is released from burning fossil fuels. According to the UN, an estimated 420 million hectares (one billion acres) of forest have been lost through conversion to other land uses since 1990 - that is an area roughly equivalent to the size of Libya. However, campaigns to protect forests have had an impact during the past three decades. UN data suggests the rate of deforestation between 2015 and 2020 was an estimated 10 million hectares per year, down from 16 million hectares per year in the 1990s. While the issue of deforestation is taken very seriously at a global level, the implementation of strategies and policies to reduce deforestation ultimately rests with national governments. At this level, the track record is much more patchy. For example, Brazil - for a succession of governments - seemed to be heeding international advice and deforestation rates had been falling steadily since 2004. However, scientists writing in Nature journal last year listed the Brazilian Amazon deforestation rate for the previous 12 months as the highest in a decade. Campaigners said the deforestation rate had accelerated since Jair Bolsonaro became Brazil's president in 2019. They said Mr Bolsonaro's policy of favouring agriculture and mining within the Amazon rainforest was to blame. It illustrates that international efforts to protect these valuable habitats are meaningless unless there is support from national governments. In recent years, trees have become a well-trodden solution for policymakers grappling with the threat posed by climate change. The ability of trees to sequester carbon is a very popular topic within the political arena. They are a well-known facet of the global carbon cycle, removing millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. Therefore, policies that promote and encourage the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees are billed as a vital part of the shift to sustainability, and a key part of the solutions-based approach to tackling the climate crisis facing the planet. Growing solutions? However, there are a number of potential hurdles or limitations. Firstly, can we be sure that we are planting more trees than we are losing? Are the new saplings being offered enough protection to ensure they make it to being mature specimens? It is only once that a tree reaches maturity so that it can fully absorb CO2 - on average, about 21kg each year. What species are being planted to sequester carbon? Are they fast-growing or slow-growing? How long do they live? What happens when they die? Will the timber be used for materials and construction or will it be left to rot, releasing the carbon it had locked away from the atmosphere? It has also been identified in a number of studies in urban areas that tree planting schemes are struggling to keep up with the number of trees felled in the name of development. Secondly, as only mature trees can make a meaningful contribution to sequestering carbon, it will take many decades for a sapling to reach maturity. Therefore, the trees we are planting today will only be making a meaningful difference to the volume of CO2 in our atmosphere in half a century's time. A famous Chinese saying suggests that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. However, it adds, the second best time is today - so there is still hope. As another popular saying states: better late than never.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58399809
     
         
      North Korea: Kim Jong-un calls for urgent action on climate change Fri, 3rd Sep 2021 19:09:00
     
      North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un called on his officials to deal with food supply issues and highlighted the danger of climate change. Typhoons last year badly impacted vital crops, while weeks of drought followed by heavy monsoon rains have damaged them this year as well. He said measures to overcome "abnormal climate" were needed, and asked also officials to tackle drought and floods. His comments came in a speech to the ruling party's Politburo on Thursday. Mr Kim had said that the "danger" of climate change had become "higher in recent years adding that "urgent action" needed to be taken. Mr Kim also called for improvements to the country's flood management infrastructure saying: "River improvement, afforestation for erosion control, dyke maintenance and tide embankment projects", should be prioritised. Apart from the damage caused by natural disasters, North Korea's economy has been hit hard by international sanctions, as well as border closures and harsh lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid. Although North Korea has not reported any Covid cases, it has sealed its borders and imposed lockdowns. The border closures have affected vital imports from China. "Tightening epidemic prevention is the task of paramount importance which must not be loosened even a moment under the present situation," said Mr Kim, according to state media. Earlier this week, the UN said North Korea had rejected an offer of almost three million Covid-19 jabs. A spokesperson said the country had asked that the shots be relocated to harder hit nations in view of global vaccine shortages.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58431010
     
         
      Climate change: M4 drivers asked for views on tolls for older cars Fri, 3rd Sep 2021 19:05:00
     
      The idea of tolls for some drivers on two of Wales' busiest stretches of road has been raised by Welsh government. It asked for the public's views in a survey about some motorists paying to use parts of the M4 motorway and A470 in a bid to tackle air pollution. The survey asked for views on tolls for older cars on the M4 around Newport, Wales' busiest stretch of motorway, and the A470 around Pontypridd. But the survey said a "clean air zone" is not proposed "at this stage". An air pollution expert said any suggestion would be unlike any other air pollution measure in the UK, which normally charges motorists for driving into cities rather on stretches of road. The Welsh government has declared a climate emergency and has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The government survey asked drivers if their commuting or travelling habits would change if some vehicles had to pay to use those stretches of road. The survey discussed a toll for petrol cars registered before 2006 and diesels plated before September 2015. It suggested a charge from January 2023 for the M4 between junctions 25 and 26 through the congestion pinch point at the Brynglas Tunnels in Newport and between Pontypridd and Upper Boat on the A470 in Rhondda Cynon Taf. While it costs to cross some bridges or use some tunnels in the UK, the only toll road is the M6 toll road north of Birmingham which was built to alleviate traffic congestion on motorways in the West Midlands. A clean air zone is already in place in Birmingham, while London has a similar ultra low emission zone scheme. Toll prices could range between £3 to £12.50 Respondents to the Welsh government survey on a possible clean air toll were presented with pricing options ranging from £3 to £8 for cars and from £6 to £12.50 for light goods vehicles. It asked if drivers would switch to public transport, change destination or route, pay the charge, switch cars or not travel at all. Non-exempt heavy goods vehicle drivers have been asked for their response to a charge of £50. The survey explained if such a charge was to be implemented, it would be a "single charge applied on a daily basis". Speed limits of 50mph (80km/h) are already in place on the two roads in an effort to tackle air pollution. 'Improve air quality to protect the health of people' Respondents were told that pollution levels at the two areas under discussion were above legal limits, so the Welsh government "has been assessing potential solutions and packages of measures to improve air quality and protect the health of people". "This work is necessary as the Welsh government are legally required to improve air quality and reduce harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide in the shortest possible time and whilst at this stage a clean air zone is not proposed at these locations, all potential options must be developed should they be required in the future," the survey added. 'Different from other UK clean air zones' Air pollution expert Dr Jordan White of Earthsense said a suggestion to put a clean air or low emissions charge on a stretch of road rather than in a city centre would be unique in the UK. "It's very different from other clean air zones across the UK," he said. "More typically it would be to try to stop cars or highly emitting vehicles getting into the city centres, whereas this is for a very very particular roads. "It's a different approach but it comes from good intentions because these two stretches of road are very, very bad, the air quality is poor in these areas." 'Tolls could hit the poorest in society' But there are concerns such a charge could hit the poorest in society. Councillor Sam Trask, chairman of Rhondda Cynon Taf Conservatives, was one of those asked to complete the survey. "I drive a nine-year-old diesel car and, were I able to afford one, I'd already be driving a less-polluting car. "I feel that if the Welsh government are going to charge me to use a road that I normally use twice a day to go back and forth to work, then they're actually going to put that aspiration even further out of reach and I'm going to be even less likely to be able to afford a better car. "I think if these proposals were to go ahead, they would adversely affect the poorest in our society unfairly because these are the kinds of people who can't afford a more modern electric car." 'Move the congestion and pollution to other roads' Business leaders have also warned that tolls on roads would "just move the problem and the pollution problem elsewhere." "When you look at tolls on other roads, the M6 for instance, it's an alternative," Kevin Ward from Newport Now Business Improvement District told BBC Radio Wales "This wouldn't be an alternative because actually what we'd do is just move the problem and the pollution problem elsewhere. "What we're talking about in Newport is the area around the Brynglas tunnel, the bottleneck on the M4, the area that the M4 relief road was supposed to alleviate and that's now dead in the water. "I almost feel like the Welsh government are flailing around trying to come up with other solutions to that problem and I'm not sure that tolling is the answer." He said there needed to be range of solutions including a better public transport system in south Wales with a £750m metro set to be completed in 2023. A Welsh government spokeswoman said there were "currently no plans for congestion charges". "In a separate piece of work, in line with our legal obligations to reduce harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide, we have commissioned surveys to gain people's views on clean air zone proposals on the M4 between junctions 25 and 26 in Newport and on the A470 between Upper Boat and Pontypridd," she added. The survey ran until 31 August by which time 3,017 responses had been completed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58424221
     
         
      Air quality improvements from COVID lockdowns confirmed Fri, 3rd Sep 2021 13:29:00
     
      According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s Air Quality and Climate Bulletin, South East Asia saw a 40 per cent reduction in the level of harmful airborne particles caused by traffic and energy production in 2020. China, Europe and North America also saw emissions reductions and improved air quality during the pandemic’s first year, while countries such as Sweden saw less dramatic improvements because existing air quality contained comparatively lower microparticle levels (PM2.5) of harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3). Atmospheric experiment Dr Oksana Tarasova, chief of WMO’s Atmospheric Environment Research Division, explained that although the clean air development had been welcome for many people with breathing difficulties, the absence of harmful microparticles left the path clear for naturally occurring ozone, “which is one of most dangerous pollutants”. “So, despite such an unexpected experiment with atmospheric chemistry, we noticed that in many parts of the world, even if you take down the transport and some other emissions, air quality would not meet the requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO),” she told journalists in Geneva. ‘Godzilla’ storm Although human-caused emissions of air pollutants fell during COVID-19 movement restrictions and the accompanying global economic downturn, weather extremes fuelled by climate and environmental change triggered unprecedented sand storms including the June 2020 “Godzilla” dust cloud – the largest African dust storm on record - and wildfires from Australia to Siberia, which have worsened air quality significantly. “This trend is continuing in 2021,” said WMO, pointing to devastating wildfires in North America, Europe and the Russian tundra, that have “affected air quality for millions, and sand and dust storms (that) have blanketed many regions and travelled across continents”. 4.5 million pollution victims The UN agency noted that air pollution has a significant impact on human health. Estimates from the latest Global Burden of Disease assessment show that global mortality increased from 2.3 million in 1990 – with 91 per cent owing to particulate matter, nine per cent attributed to ozone - to 4.5 million in 2019 – 92 per cent from particulates, eight per cent from ozone). The Air Quality and Climate Bulletin – WMO’s first – is based on studying key air-pollutants from more than 540 observation stations in and around 63 cities from 25 countries, across the world’s seven geographical regions. Analysis showed decreases of up to 30–40 per cent overall of PM2.5 concentrations during full lockdown in 2020, compared with the same periods in 2015–2019. WMO noted however that PM2.5 levels “exhibited complex behaviour even within the same region, with increases in some Spanish cities, for instance, which were attributed mainly to the long-range transport of African dust and/or biomass burning”. Changes in ozone concentrations varied greatly across regions, ranging from no overall change to small increases - as in Europe - and larger increases (up 25 per cent in East Asia and up 30 per cent in South America). Sulphur dioxide concentrations were 25 – 60 per cent lower in 2020 than during 2015–2019 for all regions, according to WMO’s Bulletin. Carbon monoxide levels were lower for all regions, with the largest decrease in South America, of up to approximately 40 per cent. Wildfire cooling Paradoxically, while intense wildfires generated “anomalously high” microparticle pollution in several parts of the world in 2020, WMO explained that forest fires in southwestern Australia in December 2018 and January 2019 “also led to temporary cooling across the southern hemisphere, comparable to that caused by ash from a volcanic eruption”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099092?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e1ab7f9bd2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_03_02_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-e1ab7f9bd2-107499886
     
         
      Storm Ida: Floodwater pours into New York City subway station Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 20:14:00
     
      A state of emergency has been declared in New York after it was hit by record rainfall and deadly flash floods as a result of Tropical Storm Ida. Videos showed floodwater pouring into a subway station, as well as passengers on a flooded bus and cars being swept away. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city was "enduring an historic weather event" with "brutal flooding" and "dangerous conditions" on the roads. New Jersey also declared an emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-58418627
     
         
      Solar Domes Could Desalinate Seawater at a Commercial Scale Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 20:10:00
     
      71 percent of the Earth is covered in water, but only 3 percent of that is freshwater. The effective desalination of seawater at a mass scale would clearly be a world-changing achievement, celebrated the world over. With that goal in mind, London-based Solar Water PLC recently signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government as part of the country's clean future $500 billion "NEOM" project. The company is building the "first desalination plant with solar dome technology", a CNN Arabia report (translated on Solar Water PLC's website) explains. A future of carbon-neutral seawater desalination The agreement, made on January 29, 2020, will see the London company build its technology in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, with the solar dome plant expected to be finished by mid-2021. The plant is essentially "a steel pot buried underground, covered with a dome," making it look like a ball, Solar Water CEO David Reavley told CNN Arabia. The glass dome, a form of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, is surrounded by "heliostat" reflectors that focus solar radiation towards inwards. Heat is transferred to seawater within the dome, which evaporates and then condenses to form freshwater. The solar dome plant does not utilize polluting fibers that are typically used in reverse osmosis desalination technologies, and Reavley claims that it is cheap and fast to build at the same time as being carbon neutral. Questions remain over concentrated solar power Questions do remain about the efficacy of CSP technology. One study in 2019, for example, pointed out that there is little evidence supporting the fact that the technology could be effectively deployed at a mass scale. The stakes are high, therefore, for Solar Water PLC's 2021 experiment. If they achieve their goal, they will prove the feasibility of a new carbon-neutral desalination technique that doesn't require vast amounts of electricity and polluting chemicals. Solar Water PLC isn't the only firm aiming to provide seawater desalination services at a mass scale. Climate Fund Manager and Solar Water Solutions, for example, are installing approximately 200 carbon-neutral desalination units in Kitui County, Kenya with the long-term goal of providing clean water to 400,000 people by 2023. Solutions such as Solar Water PLC's solar dome are particularly important in the Middle East, as large regions in the area get little rainfall and there is a lack of freshwater sources. Another recent experiment has seen "rain drones" deployed in the United Arab Emirates. The controversial drones discharge electricity near clouds to encourage precipitation. Sunlight, on the other hand, is abundant, meaning it can be harnessed for electricity and, in this case, for turning seawater into drinkable freshwater.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/solar-domes-could-desalinate-seawater-at-a-commercial-scale
     
         
      Greenpeace Vorlich oilfield challenge 'largely opportunistic' Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 19:47:00
     
      A Greenpeace challenge against the UK government over a decision to allow a North Sea oilfield is "largely procedural and opportunistic", a court has heard. The environmental group believes permission should not have been granted for the Vorlich field. At the Court of Session, it is calling for the decision to be overturned, and for BP's permit to be revoked. Three judges are now considering a ruling after the two-day hearing. The Vorlich field is 150 miles east of Aberdeen. Greenpeace said it was the first time an offshore oil permit had ever been challenged in court and that if it wins, the case could have huge ramifications, such as for the Cambo field off Shetland. On Wednesday, Ruth Crawford QC for Greenpeace had said Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had been "deprived" of information about the environmental impact it could have. Roddy Dunlop QC, representing the UK government, said on Thursday that the indirect effects of eventual burning of oil and gas from the Vorlich field were not "material considerations". Mr Dunlop said: "The overall direct emissions from the development of the Vorlich field forms part of the government's clean growth strategy that includes the setting of carbon budgets for the United Kingdom. "The challenges advanced by Greenpeace are largely procedural and opportunistic." Ms Crawford said Greenpeace wanted proper public participation in important developments such as the Vorlich oilfield. Production from the Vorlich development started in November after BP was granted approval by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) in 2018. Jim Cormack, representing BP and Ithaca, said the challenge was "highly significant" as if it were overturned, production from the field would have to stop at least until a substitute consent could be obtained. He said the works for which consent was granted had been implemented by BP and Ithaca at a cost of about £230m and the project was fully operational and in the production phase. Ross McClelland, representing the OGA, also told the court that its position was that operations would have to stop. Mr Dunlop urged the judges, who are hearing the case virtually, not to quash or reduce the consent. He said: "The first respondent (the UK government) is concerned that there could be health and safety issues associated with mothballing the Vorlich field and that would be the consequence of the order if the consent were to be reduced, then the field can't be operated lawfully and it would have to be a shutdown with serious consequences." Lord President Lord Carloway, Lord Menzies and Lord Pentland deferred judgment and said they would issue a decision "as soon as we can".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-58420025
     
         
      UK’s top climate adviser says criticism of net zero goal is ‘defeatist’ Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 19:28:00
     
      The UK’s top climate adviser has pushed back strongly against “defeatist” criticism that the country’s net zero target is expensive, and urged the Treasury to pick up the currently “incremental” pace of decarbonisation. Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), urged the debate over net zero to be framed in a more positive light: “It can be done,” he said. “It is worth it … I hope we can move away from thinking about the cost and see it as a mission to modernise the economy.” Two years ago, the UK led the world in adopting a 2050 net zero target, which is essential if humanity is to have any chance of keeping global heating to the relatively safe level of 1.5C to 2C. Last December, the CCC outlined five ways to reach that goal, which the cabinet will soon have to decide on before the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in the autumn. In recent weeks, however, there has been a wave of criticism by rightwing commentators that the costs are too high, which has put the spotlight on which side of the debate the Treasury will back. Stark said it was essential for the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to endorse the government’s net zero plan because his spending review would shape its prospects. “There are some big decisions to be had in there,” he said of the cabinet talks. “We cannot keep inching forward on all this. The incremental pace we have seen in some policies over the past 12 months is not going to cut it. This is a big moment. That moment is coming ahead of Cop26. There will be a lot of focus on what that strategy contains.” He acknowledged that some of the recent criticism of the CCC had been “unpleasant” but welcomed the debate about how to move to net zero. “I hope there is a battle around the cabinet table because they have to own it.” But he argued for a change in the narrative to a more upbeat message reflecting the success so far in reducing the cost of wind and solar power prices, the phasing out of coal and the decoupling of economic growth from carbon emissions. “This is such a positive story … I would love to see the chancellor shouting this from rooftops,” he said. “Why is the framing of this often so defeatist? I think we should try to change the record on this. The scale is this transition is what is so exciting about it. We didn’t blink in the past when we made these national transitions, like from coal to town gas, and from town gas to North Sea gas. We made it a national priority and we were proud to see it through.” However, he said the government had some tough choices to make. Whichever pathway the cabinet chose, Stark said state intervention would be necessary to ensure costs and benefits were spread fairly across regions and corporate sectors. Policies would also be needed to encourage modest lifestyle changes, including less meat consumption and a switch to electric cars, he said. “This is a difficult moment for those who like less state intervention,” he said. “This is the contentious bit. For those of you on the right, this can sound a bit state-y, and a bit command-and-control-y.” But he said the market would play a vital role and the private sector needed clear policy signals to support investment decisions that would decarbonise and upgrade the nation’s transport, heating, energy and building stock. He estimated this would require an eighth more capital expenditure in the UK than is currently the case. From 2030 onwards, this would require about £50bn a year of extra spending, mostly by the private sector. Low interest rates and high efficiency benefits would take this to less than 1% of GDP. Stark said the economic and geopolitical benefits of taking a leadership position would outweigh the costs. He cited industry upgrades, health gains, increasing skill levels in the workforce, levelling up society and improving the natural world, along with greater energy independence and less reliance on fossil fuel from “potentially very nasty” import locations. He said the UK also had a responsibility as a major historical emitter and as a signatory of the Paris Agreement. Time was of the essence because fossil fuel purchases, such as cars or power stations, tended to have a life of 15 to 20 years, he said, adding that policies were needed now to encourage investment to shift over the coming decade and then be scaled up after 2030. Using the example of renewables and electric cars, he said: “It can be done. I think it is important to say that.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/02/uks-top-climate-scientist-warns-against-defeatist-net-zero-goals
     
         
      Climate-above-all plea by US fails to stir China Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 19:18:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry has told China that climate change is more important than politics as tensions between the two countries continue. He made the remarks following two days of talks with Chinese leaders in the city of Tianjin. But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Wednesday that the worsening relationship could hamper future co-operation on climate issues. Both countries have outlined steps to tackle climate change. But Mr Kerry has called on China to increase its efforts to tackle carbon emissions. Tensions between the two countries have worsened in recent months with disputes over China's human rights record, the South China Sea and the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Kerry said he had told the Chinese that "climate is not ideological, not partisan and not a geostrategic weapon". "It is essential... no matter what differences we have, that we have to address the climate crisis," he said Earlier, Mr Wang called on the US to "stop seeing China as a threat and an opponent", accusing Washington of a "major strategic miscalculation towards China". "It is impossible for China-US climate co-operation to be elevated above the overall environment of China-US relations," he said. China became the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2006 and is now responsible for more than a quarter of the world's overall greenhouse gas emissions. President Xi Jinping has said he will aim for China's emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for the country to be carbon neutral by 2060. But it is not yet clear how he plans to achieve this. Mr Kerry said he aimed to meet Chinese leaders again ahead of the upcoming COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow this year and push for stronger emission reduction targets. "We have consistently said to China and other countries... to do their best within their given capacity," he said on Thursday. "We think that China can do more." If there was to be any sign of progress between the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases you'd expect a nod to it now. This is John Kerry's second trip to China in a matter of months. Instead China has refused to accept America's terms. It won't separate talks on climate change from the broader disagreements between Beijing and Washington DC; everything is on the table. Which means John Kerry has - so far - failed in his bid to get just one thing on the table. One thing that's so important, he said, that it shouldn't be overshadowed by tariffs or sanctions or extradition. The question now is will President Joe Biden - a man who has enhanced some of the punitive measures put in place by his predecessor - change tack?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58427519
     
         
      Climate change: Arctic warming linked to colder winters Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 19:12:00
     
      A new study shows that increases in extreme winter weather in parts of the US are linked to accelerated warming of the Arctic. The scientists found that heating in the region ultimately disturbed the circular pattern of winds known as the polar vortex. This allowed colder winter weather to flow down to the US, notably in the Texas cold wave in February. The authors say that warming will see more cold winters in some locations. Over the past four decades, satellite records have shown how increasing global temperatures have had a profound effect on the Arctic. Warming in the region is far more pronounced than in the rest of the world, and has caused a rapid shrinkage of summer sea ice. Scientists have long been concerned about the implications of this amplification of global change for the rest of the planet. This new study indicates that the warming in the Arctic is having a significant impact on winter weather in both North America and East Asia. The researchers detail a complex meteorological chain that connects this warmer region to a rotating pattern of cold air known as the polar vortex. The authors show that the melting of ice in the Barents and Kara seas leads to increased snowfall over Siberia and a transfer of excess energy that impacts the swirling winds in the stratosphere above the North Pole. The heat ultimately causes a stretching of the vortex which then enables extremely cold weather to flow down to the US. There has been an increase in these stretching events since satellite observations began in 1979. The scientists believe this vortex stretching process led to the deadly Texas cold wave in February this year. "We're arguing that melting sea ice across Northwest Eurasia, coupled with increased snowfall across Siberia is leading to a strengthening of the temperature difference from west to east across the Eurasian continent," explained lead author Dr Judah Cohen, who's a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a director of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, a weather risk management company. "We know when that temperature difference increases, that leads to more disruptions of the polar vortex. And when it's weakened, that leads to more extreme winter weather such as the Texas cold wave last February." The researchers say that their findings are based on both observations and modelling and they show a physical link between climate change in the Arctic, the stretching of the polar vortex and the impacts on ground. The authors believe their work could improve predictions about the onset of extreme cold winter events. "One of the benefits of this study is that if you recognise these precursors and you know the conditions that are favourable for triggering such event, then you get to extend your forecast lead time," said Dr Cohen. "In Texas, people could have certainly prepared better with better warnings, some people froze to death in their homes and perhaps they could have gone to seek shelter." Looking at the bigger picture, the research team believes that their findings will help people understand that global warming is complex and perhaps dispel the idea that colder winters mean climate change isn't happening. "There has been a long-standing apparent contradiction between the warmer temperatures globally, however, an apparent increase in cold extremes for the United States and in northern Eurasia. And this study helps to resolve this contradiction," said fellow author, Prof Chaim Garfinkel from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "In the past, these cold extremes over the US and Russia have been used to justify not reducing carbon, but there's no longer any excuse to not start reducing emissions right away."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58425526
     
         
      Improving air quality ‘key’ to confronting global environmental crises Thu, 2nd Sep 2021 13:33:00
     
      “Yet, air quality continues to deteriorate despite the increase in laws and regulations seeking to address air pollution”, UNEP chief Inger Andersen said in the foreword to the Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation (GAAPL). Findings on air quality legislation in 194 countries and the European Union (EU), reveal that despite the international movement of pollutants which impact air quality, only one third of the countries studied, have legal mechanisms for managing or addressing transboundary air pollution. Legal measures Using Air Quality Guidelines developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the report examines legal measures for determining whether air quality standards are being met and what procedures exist if they are not. According to the study, 43 per cent of countries lack a legal definition for air pollution and 31 per cent have yet to adopt legally mandated ambient air quality standards (AAQS). Moreover, 37 per cent of States do not legally require national air quality monitoring mechanisms, which are critical to understand how air quality affects national populations. And despite that, air pollution knows no borders, the analysis also shows that only one third of countries studied, have legal mechanisms for managing or addressing transboundary air pollution. Progress made While significant challenges remain, the report importantly draws attention to the progress various countries have made, which the UN chief upheld, “can serve as the basis for strong air quality governance systems that protect human health and well-being and address the triple planetary crisis”. “Many countries now have constitutional provisions that potentially allow for the establishment of rights to clean air in law”, she said. “Information on air quality is a well-established right in many countries and, in various parts of the world, public interest litigation is improving air quality policies”. Better governance critical Recognizing that there is no silver bullet to address the air pollution crisis, the report emphasizes that robust air quality governance is critical to attaining air quality standards and public health goals that can be achieved through developing legislation for air quality control, that integrates accountability, enforceability, transparency, and public participation. Citing “a lack of enforcement capacity” as a key reason for the poor implementation of air quality laws”, the UNEP chief said the assessment was “the start of efforts to assist Member States in implementing pollution reduction measures grounded in science-based, integrated and coherent regulatory frameworks and policies”. “All countries must raise their ambition on mitigation”, she stated. Recommendations The GAAPL provides recommendations to strengthen air quality governance as well as guides countries to effectively address air pollution and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Air quality commitments include a common legal framework globally for AAQS and key regional international legal instruments on air quality, particularly in the EU, which require individual signatory countries to develop relatively robust legal systems of air quality control. Following this assessment, practical guidance is being developed by UNEP under the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme to expand its assistance to countries to address the air pollution crisis. Direct technical support to States, involving development and implementation of legal frameworks for air pollution, is also being planned, with complementary capacity-building, including for judges, prosecutors and other enforcement officials. “The air we breathe is a fundamental public good, and Governments must do more to ensure it is clean and safe”, said Ms. Andersen. “UNEP is committed to expanding its assistance to countries in addressing the pollution crisis, thereby protecting the health and well-being of all.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099042
     
         
      E10 petrol: Eco-friendly fuel being introduced to filling stations Wed, 1st Sep 2021 19:19:00
     
      A new, more eco-friendly petrol called E10 is being introduced to filling stations in the UK. It's hoped by replacing the current petrol grades in the UK, it will help cut annual emissions by 750,000 tonnes. Every petrol vehicle built after 2011 should accept E10, and the government has set up a website where drivers can check if their car is compatible with the new fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-58415587
     
         
      The end of leaded fuel use Wed, 1st Sep 2021 19:17:00
     
      The global phase-out of leaded fuel represents a “milestone for multilateralism”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, marking the end of a 20-year campaign to eliminate a major threat to the health of people and the planet. “Lead in fuel has run out of gas – thanks to the cooperation of governments in developing nations, thousands of businesses and millions of ordinary people,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098792
     
         
      E10 petrol: Eco-friendly fuel being introduced to filling stations Wed, 1st Sep 2021 18:54:00
     
      A new, more eco-friendly petrol called E10 is being introduced to filling stations in the UK. It's hoped by replacing the current petrol grades in the UK, it will help cut annual emissions by 750,000 tonnes. Every petrol vehicle built after 2011 should accept E10, and the government has set up a website where drivers can check if their car is compatible with the new fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-58415587
     
         
      China Shipped a Colossal Piece of The World's Largest Fossil Fuel Plant to Russia Wed, 1st Sep 2021 17:14:00
     
      The first part of an enormous liquid natural gas plant has just been shipped from China to its new home in the Arctic Circle. The part was loaded onto a cargo ship at Daishan manufacturing base in east China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday. The Chinese company Wison Offshore & Marine (WOM) was commissioned to produce 150,000 tonnes of modules to build the plant. The shipped piece of the plant weighs 10,000 tonnes and is due to arrive in Murmansk, northwestern Russia in about 25 days if everything goes according to plan. The section of the new LNG facility is the first of thirteen that will also be shipped out once completed piecemeal. The pieces of the plant will be assembled in the Arctic Circle to form the planned Arctic LNG 2 (ALNG2) Project. Once built this will become the world's largest LNG plant in the Arctic Ocean area. The planned plant is under development by Russia's largest independent natural gas broker, Novatek. The new LNG facility will be cited at the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region in western Siberia which is believed to have more than 40 trillion cubic meters of untapped natural gas current reserves. If true, that accounts for somewhere in the region of 85% of Russia's natural gas reserves. Not only that, but it would constitute around 37% of the world's proven natural gas reserves too. The final facility will produce millions of tonnes of natural gas every year All-in-all, the final development will consist of over 200 wells at 19 well drilling pads. Natural gas produced at the field will then be delivered to international markets in a form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. This will require the construction of a liquefaction plant consisting of four production trains. To date, three of these have already been completed, according to Novatek. "The shipping infrastructure includes a jetty with two tanker loading berths at the port of Sabetta equipped with ice protection barriers. Ice-class LNG carriers of special Arc-7 design are used to transport the LNG to international markets," explains Novatek. As previously mentioned, current plans for the facility are to have three LNG production lines that should, once complete, be able to produce around 6.6 million tonnes of natural gas a year. Construction of the first piece of the new LNG plant began in late-2019, and it is so large that it requires two ships to transport and deliver it. The second of the thirteen sections began construction in July of 2020 and is expected to take around 20 months to complete. This time includes the design, procurement of supplies, actual construction time, commissioning, and, of course, loading not delivery vessels. The entire project is currently projected to be completed by 2026 and is part of a joint venture with Saipem of Italy.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/china-shipped-a-colossal-piece-of-the-worlds-largest-fossil-fuel-plant-to-russia
     
         
      Climate and weather related disasters surge five-fold over 50 years, but early warnings save lives - WMO report Wed, 1st Sep 2021 16:08:00
     
      According to the agencies' Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes, from 1970 to 2019, these natural hazards accounted for 50 per cent of all disasters, 45 per cent of all reported deaths and 74 per cent of all reported economic losses. There were more than 11,000 reported disasters attributed to these hazards globally, with just over two million deaths and $3.64 trillion in losses. More than 91 per cent of the deaths occurred in developing countries. Lifesaving early warning boost But the news is far from all bad. Thanks to improved early warning systems and disaster management, the number of deaths decreased almost threefold between 1970 and 2019 - falling from 50,000 in the 1970s to less than 20,000 in the 2010s. the report explains. “Economic losses are mounting as exposure increases. But, behind the stark statistics, lies a message of hope. Improved multi-hazard early warning systems have led to a significant reduction in mortality. Quite simply, we are better than ever before at saving lives”, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. Statistics tell the story Of the top 10 disasters, droughts proved to be the deadliest hazard during the period, causing 650,000 deaths, followed by storms that led to 577,232 deaths; floods, which took 58.700 lives; and extreme temperature events, during which 55,736 died. Costs spiralling Meanwhile, economic losses have increased sevenfold from the 1970s to the 2010s, going from an average of $49 million, to a whopping $383 million per day globally. Storms, the most prevalent cause of damage, resulted in the largest economic losses around the globe. Three of the costliest 10 disasters, all hurricanes that occurred in 2017, accounted for 35 per cent of total economic disaster losses around the world from 1970 to 2019. In the United States, Hurricane Harvey caused $96.9 billion in damage, Maria in the Caribbean 69.4 billion, and Irma $58.2 billion in Cape Verde. Climate change footprints “The number of weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change”, said Mr. Taalas. “That means more heatwaves, drought and forest fires such as those we have observed recently in Europe and North America”. More water vapor in the atmosphere has exacerbated extreme rainfall and flooding, and the warming oceans have affected the frequency and extent of the most intense tropical storms, the WMO chief explained. WMO cited peer-reviewed studies in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, showing that over the period 2015 to 2017, 62 of the 77 events reported, revealed a major human influence at play. Moreover, the probability of heatwaves has been significantly increased due to human activity, according to several studies done since 2015. The Atlas clarifies that the attribution of drought events to anthropogenic, or human, factors, is not as clear as for heatwaves because of natural variability caused by large oceanic and atmospheric oscillations, such as El Niño climate pattern. However, the 2016-2017 East African drought was strongly influenced by warm sea-surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean to which human influence contributed. Climate change has also increased extreme sea level events associated with some tropical cyclones, which have increased the intensity of other extreme events such as flooding and associated impacts. This has augmented the vulnerability of low-lying megacities, deltas, coasts and islands in many parts of the world. Moreover, an increasing number of studies are also finding human influence exacerbating extreme rainfall events, sometimes in conjunction with other major climate influences. Examples include the extreme rainfall in eastern China in June and July 2016 and Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston in 2017. The need for adaptability Only half of WMO’s 193 member countries have multi-hazard early warning systems and severe gaps in weather and hydrological observing networks exist in Africa, some parts of Latin America and in Pacific and Caribbean island States, the report warns. “More lives are being saved thanks to early warning systems, but it is also true that the number of people exposed to disaster risk is increasing due to population growth in hazard-exposed areas and the growing intensity and frequency of weather events. More international cooperation is needed to tackle the chronic problem of huge numbers of people being displaced each year by floods, storms and drought”, said Mami Mizutori, UN Special Representative and head of the Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Ms. Mizutori called for a greater investment in comprehensive disaster risk management to ensure that climate change adaptation is integrated in national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. The UNDRR chief warned that the failure to reduce disasters losses as set out in the 2015 Sendai Framework is putting at risk the ability of developing countries to eradicate poverty and to achieve other important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Atlas further recommends countries to review hazard exposure and vulnerability considering a changing climate to reflect that tropical cyclones may have different tracks, intensity and speed than in the past. It also calls for the development of integrated and proactive policies on slow-onset disasters such as drought. The Atlas by region from 1970 to 2019 Africa - 1,695 recorded disasters caused the loss of 731,747 lives and $5 billion in economic losses. - The continent accounts for 15 per cent of weather, climate, and water-related disasters; 35 per cent of associated deaths and one per cent of economic losses reported globally. - Although disasters associated with floods were the most prevalent, at 60 per cent, droughts led to the highest number of deaths, accounting for 95 per cent of all lives lost in the region, withmost occurring in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Sudan Asia - 3,454 disasters were recorded, with 975,622 lives lost and $2 trillion reported in economic damages. - Asia accounts for nearly one third, or 31 per cent of weather, climate, and water-related disasters globally, for nearly half of all deaths and one-third of associated economic losses. - Forty-five per cent of these disasters were associated with floods and 36 per cent with storms. - Storms took 72 per cent of of lives lost, while floods led to 57 per cent of economic losses South America - The top 10 recorded disasters in the region accounted for 60 per cent of the 34,854 lives lost 38 per cent of economic losses equalling $39.2 billion. - Floods represented 90 per cent of events in the top 10 list of disasters by death toll and 41 per cent of the top ten list by economic losses. - Floods were responsible for 59 per cent of disasters, 77 per cent for lives lost and 58 per cent of economic loss for the region. North America, Central America & the Caribbean - The region suffered 74,839 deaths and $1.7 trillion economic losses. - The region accounted for 18 per cent of weather-, climate- and water-related disasters, four per cent of associated deaths and 45 per cent of associated economic losses worldwide. - Storms were responsible for 54 per cent and floods, 31 per cent of recorded disasters., with the former linked to 71 per cent of deaths and the latter to 78 per cent of economic losses. - The United States accounts for 38 per cent of global economic losses caused by weather, climate and water hazards. South West Pacific - The region recorded 1,407 disasters, 65,391 deaths, and $163.7 billion in economic losses. - 45 per cent of these disasters were associated with storms and 39 per cent with floods. - Storms accounted for 71 per cent of disaster-related deaths. - Disasters resulting from weather, climate and water hazards in Australia accounted for 54 per cent or $88.2 billion in economic losses in the entire region. Europe - 1,672 recorded disasters took 159,438 lives and $476.5 billion in economic damages. - Although 38 per cent were attributed to floods and 32 per cent to storms, extreme temperatures accounted for 93 per cent of deaths, with 148,109 lives lost. - Extreme heatwaves of 2003 and 2010 were responsible for 80 per cent of all deaths, with 127,946 lives lost in the two events.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1098662?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c013ea3365-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_09_01_12_50&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-c013ea3365-107499886
     
         
      It’s Wednesday, September 1, and the Netherlands’ advertising watchdog is calling out Shell’s greenwashing. Wed, 1st Sep 2021 16:06:00
     
      The Netherlands’ Advertising Code Committee, an independent oversight body funded by the advertising industry, ruled that Shell misled customers with a carbon-offsetting campaign that promised carbon-neutral fossil fuels for drivers. The campaign, “Drive CO2 Neutral,” tells customers that they can pay one extra cent (in euros) per liter of gasoline to completely offset their vehicle’s carbon emissions by funding conservation projects in Canada, Peru, and Indonesia. However, the advertising committee found that Shell could not prove it was fully offsetting the emissions from its gasoline. The company has two weeks to appeal the ruling, which doesn’t carry the force of law. A Shell spokesperson told Bloomberg Green that the company would “study the ruling in detail and consider any necessary changes to communications.” Shell runs similar carbon-offsetting programs for consumers in Canada and the U.K. This isn’t the first time that Shell has come under scrutiny from advertising watchdogs. Last year, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority launched an investigation but found that the oil giant’s campaign was acceptable. Earlier this year, New York City sued Shell and two other oil companies for “systematically and intentionally deceiving” the public by using words like “cleaner” and “emissions-reducing” while ignoring the role fossil fuels play in the climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/870492714/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Spain’s energy cooperatives lead charge to exploit solar power Wed, 1st Sep 2021 9:57:00
     
      Spain’s growing energy cooperative movement has received a boost after the government announced that some of the latest allocation of renewable energy will be in small lots, rather than large tranches that only big energy companies can afford. The move signals a change of attitude after successive governments have given in to the demands of the power giants. It comes as cooperatives in rural and urban areas are trying to break free from the major electricity suppliers that have exploited high demand during the recent heatwave to push prices up to record levels. Cristina Alonso, energy spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth, welcomed the government’s apparent change of heart as “a favourable measure – but not one that actually promotes energy communities because it doesn’t define what they are. These need to be defined as democratic and genuinely autonomous.” Solar installation has accelerated rapidly since the abolition in 2018 of the so-called “sunshine tax”. The rightwing government imposed this on self-sufficient consumers in 2015 for, in effect, depriving power companies of income. Consumers were also obliged to give their surplus energy to the grid free of charge. With no oil or gas and not much coal, sunshine is Spain’s greatest energy resource, and yet it remains underexploited. According to the Spanish Electric Network, in 2020 renewables accounted for 43.6% of energy production of which only 6.1% came from solar power, with the bulk coming from wind (21.7%) and nuclear (22.2%). Germany has three times as much installed solar power as Spain even though it had about 1,896 hours of sunshine in 2020, compared with almost 3,000 hours in Spain. In countries where most people live in single-family dwellings, any individual can generally decide to install solar panels. In Spain, however, 66.5% of the population live in apartment blocks, usually a mix of owner-occupiers and tenants, so the situation is more complex. To get around the problem of trying to get everyone to agree to invest in renewable energy for a multi-occupied building, one solution is to install solar panels on the roofs of public buildings such as schools, as well as factories and warehouses, that can supply electricity to neighbouring homes and businesses. The NGO Sustainability Observatory has proposed a rooftop campaign that would produce 15,400GWh, enough for 7.5 million people, on an investment that it says would be recoverable within six years. This is what Athletic Bilbao football club is offering its neighbours. When the club built a new stadium in 2013, it installed 300 solar panels and through its offshoot Tekathletic supplies electricity to 200 homes and businesses within a 500-metre radius at prices 25% below the going rate. Something similar is happening in Zaragoza, where the NGO Ecodes has teamed up with the power company EDP and the local authority to initiate the Solar Neighbourhood project. EDP has supplied and installed solar panels on the roofs of two municipal sports centres, each of which generates 50kWp, enough to supply 200 homes and businesses in the vicinity. Cecilia Foronda, the head of energy at Ecodes, explains that participants in the scheme do not pay up front for the installation, in recognition that people who are not homeowners are not motivated to invest. Participants pay a monthly quota of €6.90 (£5.90), which goes to repay the cost of the installation, and enjoy electricity prices that are about 30% cheaper than the market rate. The quota is waived for those least able to pay. Foronda says Ecodes is seeking European funding in order to replicate the scheme in six other Zaragoza neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, Som Energia (We Are Energy), which was founded in Girona in north-east Spain in 2010 and claims to be Europe’s oldest energy cooperative, has about 70,000 members. The co-op, which is run democratically, acts as an umbrella for smaller co-ops across the country, says Albert Banal-Estanol, its president. Members pay a €100 joining fee that is later reimbursed. When individuals want to install solar panels on their homes, Som Energia encourages them to form a local cooperative and then buy in bulk as it is not only cheaper but creates an energy community that in turn helps spread the word about self-sufficiency. “Last year we had a project that cost around €5m and we asked members to contribute, money that would be paid back from the income we get from selling excess electricity to the grid,” says Banal-Estanol. “We set a deadline of 15 days but we raised it all in one day.” “We want to extend this model but at the same time we’re not obsessed with growth,” he says. “We just want to see renewables grow.” Now that the big power companies can no longer rely on the government to stymie the spread of the cooperative movement, they are getting in on the act, offering to fund rooftop installations for communities in order to hang on to their customers. A genuine energy community, Alonso says, has social and environmental objectives, as well as economic ones. If it’s simply a case of a company supplying electricity from renewable sources “the company still owns the installation, you have a contract with them, and the only difference is the electricity comes from solar panels.” “The big power companies are reconfiguring themselves from selling electricity to selling services,” says Foronda. “But we need to ensure that energy self-sufficiency is in the hands of citizens because it empowers them.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/01/spains-energy-cooperatives-lead-charge-to-exploit-solar-power
     
         
      Make historic campaign to ban leaded petrol ‘blueprint to phase out coal’, says UN Wed, 1st Sep 2021 7:00:00
     
      Hailing end to toxic fuel additive, Guterres says same commitment is needed to eliminate other pollutants. The UN secretary general and environmentalists have welcomed a declaration by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on the end of leaded petrol in the face of years of “underhand” opposition. As Algeria became the last country to stop selling the toxic fuel last month, the two-decade campaign to ban it has been called a “milestone for multilateralism”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/01/make-historic-campaign-to-ban-leaded-petrol-blueprint-to-phase-out-coal-says-un
     
         
      We can’t build our way out of the environmental crisis Wed, 1st Sep 2021 6:00:00
     
      Dig for victory: this, repurposed from the second world war, could be the slogan of our times. All over the world, governments are using the pandemic and the environmental crisis to justify a new splurge of infrastructure spending. In the US, Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure framework “will make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and just”. In the UK, Boris Johnson’s build back better programme will “unite and level up the country”, under the banner of “green growth”. China’s belt and road project will bring the world together in hyper-connected harmony and prosperity. Sure, we need some new infrastructure. If people are to drive less, we need new public transport links and safe cycling routes. We need better water treatment plants and recycling centres, new wind and solar plants, and the power lines required to connect them to the grid. But we can no more build our way out of the environmental crisis than we can consume our way out of it. Why? Because new building is subject to the eight golden rules of infrastructure procurement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/01/build-environmental-crisis-infrastructure-pandemic-concrete
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, August 31, and a federal judge is reinstating protections for U.S. water bodies. Tue, 31st Aug 2021 20:24:00
     
      In July 2020, farmers and fossil fuel companies cheered as the Trump administration finalized a rule to scale back protections for streams, marshes, and wetlands. Called the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, it represented one of Donald Trump’s most significant environmental rollbacks, stripping Clean Water Act protections from thousands of bodies of water by excluding them from the official definition of “waters of the United States.” But a federal judge threw out the rule on Monday, saying that officials from the Trump administration had made too many errors in writing it. There could be “serious environmental harm” if the former president’s policy remained in place, wrote U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Márquez, who made the ruling. According to Márquez, the Trump rule had rendered 333 bodies of water reviewed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between June 22, 2020 and April 15, 2021 ineligible for federal protection. Scrapping the rule now opens the door to new protections for the nation’s drinking water supplies and wetland wildlife habitat. “This sensible ruling allows the Clean Water Act to continue to protect all of our waters while the Biden administration develops a replacement rule,” said Janette Brimmer, an Earthjustice attorney who represented Native American tribes and environmental groups in the Arizona lawsuit, in an interview with E&E News. (Disclosure: Earthjustice is an advertiser with Grist. Advertisers have no role in Grist’s editorial decisions.)
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/869749704/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Highly polluting leaded petrol now eradicated from the world, says UN Tue, 31st Aug 2021 16:28:00
     
      There is now no country in the world that uses leaded petrol for cars and lorries, the UN Environment Programme has announced. The toxic fuel has contaminated air, soil and water for almost a century. It can cause heart disease, cancer and stroke, and has been linked to problems with brain development in children. Most high-income countries had banned the fuel by the 1980s, but it was only in July that Algeria - the last country still to use leaded petrol - ran out. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the eradication of leaded petrol an "international success story". "Ending the use of leaded petrol will prevent more than one million premature deaths each year from heart disease, strokes and cancer, and it will protect children whose IQs are damaged by exposure to lead," he said. The alarm was raised as early as 1924, when five workers were declared dead and dozens more hospitalised after suffering convulsions at a refinery run by the US oil giant Standard Oil. But despite this, lead continued to be added to all petrol globally until the 1970s. Wealthier countries then started phasing out its use - but three decades later, in the early 2000s, there were still 86 nations using leaded petrol. North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan stopped selling leaded petrol by 2016, leaving only a handful of countries, including Iraq, Yemen and Algeria, still providing the toxic fuel in the latter half of the last decade. The UN's environmental body Unep has worked with governments, private companies and civic groups to end the use of leaded petrol since 2002. "Leaded fuel illustrates in a nutshell the kind of mistakes humanity has been making at every level of our societies," Inger Andersen, Unep executive director, said. But, she added, eradicating the fuel shows that "humanity can learn from and fix mistakes that we've made". Environmentalist campaign body Greenpeace hailed what it called "the end of one toxic era". "It clearly shows that if we can phase out one of the most dangerous polluting fuels in the 20th century, we can absolutely phase out all fossil fuels," Thandile Chinyavanhu, climate campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58388810
     
         
      Hartlepool sun city: Trio of massive solar projects set to turn northeast town into clean energy powerhouse Tue, 31st Aug 2021 16:25:00
     
      It is the northeast coastal town where locals sometimes joke that the weather is grey, drizzly and bracing – and the winters are even worse. Now, however, Hartlepool is hoping its future can be transformed by sunshine.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/solar-farms-hartlepool-climate-crisis-b1910123.html
     
         
      In the US, wind power is getting bigger and better, report says Tue, 31st Aug 2021 14:28:00
     
      Wind power doesn't make up the largest part of the United States' energy mix, but it grew over the last year, according to the Wind Technologies Market Report. The renewable energy source increased to more than 8 percent of the country's electricity supply—reaching 10 percent in a growing number of states—and saw a whopping $25 billion in investments in what will translate to 16.8 gigawatts of capacity, according to the report. Released by the US Department of Energy, the sizeable report draws on a variety of data sources, including government data from the Energy Information Administration, trade data from the US International Trade Commission, and hourly pricing data from the various system operators. “The report itself covers the entire gamut of the US wind industry,” Mark Bolinger, a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and one of the authors of the report, told Ars. Bigger is sometimes better According to the report, the performance of wind power operations in the US has improved a great deal. We can measure this metric based on capacity factor, a ratio of the amount of energy a turbine actually produces compared to the amount it could have made if it ran at its peak constantly. For recently constructed wind power projects, the average capacity factor has now cleared 40 percent. The biggest gains in this area, however, are seen in the US's “wind belt,” a region that stretches from the Dakotas to Texas and receives a large amount of wind. In large part, this increase is due to longer blades, which allow the turbines to generate more power as they're spun around by the wind. According to the report, in 2010, there were no turbines in the US that had rotors at or above 115 meters in diameter. However, last year, 91 percent of new turbines had rotors of this size or larger. The report also notes that this size is likely to increase. The towers these rotors are attached to are also getting taller, sometimes along with the increase in blade size. According to Bolinger, this move isn't quite as widespread, but “it is starting to creep up now.” In the past, there has been a “soft cap” of 500 feet on the total height of the turbines—from the base of the tower to the tip of the blades—because that measurement triggers greater permitting requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration, Bolinger said. But with the size of the rotors increasing recently, the size of the towers themselves also needs to increase to avoid having the blades swing too low to the ground. Developers have gotten more comfortable going over 500 feet, he said, adding that some turbines are reaching 700 feet tall. Even besides the practical reason behind them, taller towers also help the turbines generate more energy. “In general, the winds tend to be stronger at higher altitudes, so this is something that will increase the capacity factor,” Bolinger said. The “wind belt” still sees the vast majority of wind development in the US. However, this trend of larger turbines with larger rotors allows wind operators to function quite well in areas that have lower average wind speeds. “That does open up other parts of the country to economical wind development,” he said. There are larger up-front costs to build these larger turbines, but on a dollar-per-watt basis, they end up cheaper. They may be more expensive, but they produce more energy, Bolinger said. Blowin’ in the wind All of this is making wind power cheaper. In 2009, the national average price of wind power purchase agreements reached a peak of $70 per megawatt-hour. Now, in the “wind belt,” it is around $20 per megawatt-hour and averages around $30 per megawatt-hour in the country's eastern and western regions. “These are at, or near, all-time lows,” Bolinger said, although they include the impact of renewable energy tax breaks. Wind also gets indirect subsidies, since it requires power lines to get to people. Wind operations tend to be located far away from major population centers. Bolinger said that to improve the effectiveness of wind power, there should be better incentives to build these lines and more planning involved in building them. “You need that critical transmission link to move the power from the wind farm to the urban centers where the power can be consumed,” he said. Wind's growth has come in part due to tax breaks and the willingness to pay the costs of expanding the transmission grids. But it also provides benefits that aren't priced in, either. By displacing fossil fuels, wind power can reduce the emissions of various compounds such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide, among others. Human health and the climate benefit from these reductions. The report estimates that the national average economic benefits for these reductions came to $76 per megawatt-hour generated by wind last year. According to Bolinger, this year's report is the first that includes a segment about the health and environmental benefits of the renewable energy source.
       
      Full Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/in-the-us-wind-power-is-getting-bigger-and-better-report-says/
     
         
      Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate indoor air at worrying levels, study finds Tue, 31st Aug 2021 12:27:00
     
      ood and water were thought to be the main ways humans are exposed to PFAS, but study points to risk of breathing them in Toxic PFAS compounds are contaminating the air inside homes, classrooms and stores at alarming levels, a new study has found. Researchers with the University of Rhode Island and Green Science Policy Institute tested indoor air at 20 sites and detected the “forever chemicals” in 17 locations. The airborne compounds are thought to break off of PFAS-treated products such as carpeting and clothing and attach to dust or freely float through the indoor environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/31/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-air-breathing
     
         
      Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate indoor air at worrying levels, study finds Tue, 31st Aug 2021 12:27:00
     
      Toxic PFAS compounds are contaminating the air inside homes, classrooms and stores at alarming levels, a new study has found. Researchers with the University of Rhode Island and Green Science Policy Institute tested indoor air at 20 sites and detected the “forever chemicals” in 17 locations. The airborne compounds are thought to break off of PFAS-treated products such as carpeting and clothing and attach to dust or freely float through the indoor environment. Experts previously considered food and water to be the two main routes by which humans are exposed to PFAS, but the study’s authors note that many humans spend about 90% of their time indoors, and the findings suggest that breathing in the chemicals probably represents a third significant exposure route. “It’s an underestimated and potentially important source of exposure to PFAS,” said Tom Bruton, a co-author and senior scientist at Green Science. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products water-, stain- or heat-resistant. Because they are so effective, the chemicals are used across dozens of industries and are in thousands of everyday consumer products such as stain guards, carpeting and shoes. Textile manufacturers use them to produce waterproof clothing, and they are used in floor waxes, nonstick cookware, food packaging, cosmetics, firefighting foam and much more. PFAS are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down. They accumulate in animals, including humans, and are linked to cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid disease, decreased immunity, hormone disruption and a range of other serious health problems. A February Guardian analysis of household products found fluorine, an indicator of PFAS, present in 15 items. The chemicals are so widely used that it is difficult to say with precision where all the airborne PFAS are coming from, though the new study also detected their presence in carpets and clothing at some sites. The study, published on Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology, used a new PFAS measurement technique for checking air. It found particularly high levels in several kindergarten classrooms and also checked the supply room of an outdoor clothing store, offices, several university classrooms, university labs and an elevator. A 2017 study found a correlation between high levels of PFAS in the air and in human blood serum, and the new study used modeling that found that kindergarteners were probably exposed to more PFAS by breathing them in than by ingesting the compounds. “This reinforces that as long as there are PFAS in products that we have surrounding us in our homes and in our lives, there’s going to be some amount that ends up in the air, ends up in dust, and we are going to end up breathing it in,” Bruton said. Also notable are the types of PFAS that the study detected. Among the most prevalent was 6:2 FTOH, a compound used in floor waxes, stain guards and food packaging. Industry previously claimed that 6:2 FTOH was safe, but in May the Guardian revealed that two major PFAS producers had hidden studies that suggested that the compounds are highly toxic at low doses in lab animals and stay in animals’ bodies for much longer than was previously known. Science from industry, federal agencies and independent researchers now links 6:2 FTOH to kidney disease, cancer, neurological damage, developmental problems, mottled teeth and autoimmune disorders, while researchers also found higher mortality rates among young animals and human mothers exposed to the chemicals. The new study also found high levels of 8:2 FTOH, a type of compound that major PFAS manufacturers in the US claimed to have phased out of production because it is so dangerous. Its presence suggests that not all companies have phased it out, or that it is in products made in countries where the chemical has not been phased out. “To me, this is one more reason to turn off the tap on PFAS production and use,” said Bruton.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/31/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-air-breathing
     
         
      End of leaded fuel use a ‘milestone for multilateralism’ Mon, 30th Aug 2021 16:19:00
     
      “Lead in fuel has run out of gas – thanks to the cooperation of governments in developing nations, thousands of businesses and millions of ordinary people,” he said. Healthy, wealthy and wise The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) spearheaded the initiative to put the brakes on a century of leaded petrol use. The move is expected to net the global economy $2.45 trillion in savings. Mr. Guterres highlighted the health benefits. “Ending the use of leaded petrol will prevent more than one million premature deaths each year from heart disease, strokes and cancer,” he said. “And it will protect children whose IQs are damaged by exposure to lead.” Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director, echoed his message. “Overcoming a century of deaths and illnesses that affected hundreds of millions and degraded the environment worldwide, we are invigorated to change humanity’s trajectory for the better through an accelerated transition to clean vehicles and electric mobility.” Road to riddance The world officially said goodbye to leaded petrol in July, when service stations in Algeria stopped offering it to drivers. Vehicles have been running on leaded fuel since 1922, when the compound tetraethyllead was added to gasoline to boost engine performance. By the 1970s, almost all petrol produced worldwide contained lead, UNEP said. The health impacts have been catastrophic, as the Secretary-General pointed out, but the environment has suffered too, with air and soil contamination just two examples. Most high-income nations had prohibited leaded petrol use by the 1980s, but almost all low and middle-income countries were still using it as late as 2002. That same year, UNEP began the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), the public-private alliance behind the campaign. The initiative brought together all stakeholders, and its activities included raising awareness and overcoming resistance from local oil dealers and producers of lead, as well as investing in refinery upgrades and providing technical assistance. Challenges to progress Progress aside, UNEP noted that the growth in vehicle use globally contributes to air, water and soil pollution, as well as the climate crisis. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector will rise from nearly a quarter to one-third by 2050, according to the agency. Although many countries are transitioning to electric cars, with 1.2 billion new vehicles hitting the road in the coming decades, many nations, particularly in the developing world, are still dependent on fossil fuels. UNEP said millions of poor-quality used vehicles, imported to countries from Europe, the United States and Japan, are adding to global warming and air pollution, and are also bound to cause accidents. Inspiration for a greener future “That a UN-backed alliance of governments, businesses and civil society was able to successfully rid the world of this toxic fuel is testament to the power of multilateralism to move the world towards sustainability and a cleaner, greener future,” said Ms. Andersen. “We urge these same stakeholders to take inspiration from this enormous achievement to ensure that now that we have cleaner fuels, we also adopt cleaner vehicles standards globally – the combination of cleaner fuels and vehicles can reduce emissions by more than 80 per cent.” The “international success story” was an example of what countries can accomplish when they work together for the common good, the Secretary-General said, and he called for this same commitment to be directed to ending the “triple crises” of climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution. Solidarity and science Mr. Guterres repeated his longstanding appeal for Governments to shift away from fossil fuels, such as coal, to renewable sources, and to reform the energy, food, transport and financial sectors to work with nature, not against it. “To succeed, we need international cooperation. Compromise. Solidarity. All guided by science,” he said. “Let’s focus all our efforts on making peace with nature. And let’s build a cleaner, greener future for all.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098792
     
         
      Leaded petrol era ‘officially over’ as Algeria ends pump sales Mon, 30th Aug 2021 15:06:00
     
      The era of leaded petrol is officially over, the UN has announced, eliminating a major threat to human and planetary health. UN experts have called the use of the fuel, which began in 1922, a “catastrophe for the environment and public health”. By the 1970s, nearly all petrol produced around the world contained lead. Now the last country to use it, Algeria, has finally stopped selling it in petrol stations. Officials claim the end of the use of leaded petrol will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths a year. This is part of a wider push to improve air pollution levels across the world. Lead is extremely poisonous and there is no safe level of exposure. The fuel has contaminated air, dust, soil, drinking water and food crops for the better part of a century, causing heart disease, stroke and cancer. It is of particular concern for children, as it damages their developing brains and ability to learn. “The successful enforcement of the ban on leaded petrol is a huge milestone for global health and our environment,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN environment programme. “Overcoming a century of deaths and illnesses that affected hundreds of millions and degraded the environment worldwide, we are invigorated to change humanity’s trajectory for the better through an accelerated transition to clean vehicles and electric mobility.” The effects of the last use of this fuel will likely linger for decades. A recent study found that the substance, banned in London 20 years ago, still has an impact on air quality in the capital. While levels in the city are much lower than at their peak in the 1980s, they remain far above natural background levels. Lead was added to fuels in the UK from the 1930s and phased out in the decade up to 1999. The metal from the emissions was found to be deposited on urban surfaces and soils over many decades and winds stir the particles, throwing them back up into the air. It can also be disturbed by traffic and building works. By the 1980s, most high-income countries had prohibited the use of leaded petrol, yet as late as 2002, almost all low- and middle-income countries were still using the fuel. A 19-year campaign by the UN has pushed for other countries to follow suit, and Algeria was the last to stop providing the petrol this July. Now, the sale and use of this fuel has ended globally. Poisonous lead is still used in paints, batteries, and in household items. The next push from the UN will be to phase out fossil fuels in cars, and mandate the use of cleaner fuel. They warn that while many countries have already begun transitioning to electric cars, 1.2bn new vehicles will hit the road in the coming decades, and many of these will use fossil fuels, especially in developing countries, pointing out that poor-quality used vehicles from Europe, the United States and Japan, are likely to be imported to mid- and low-income countries once richer communities transition to electric. Andersen explained: “We urge these same stakeholders to take inspiration from this enormous achievement to ensure that now that we have cleaner fuels, we also adopt cleaner vehicles standards globally – the combination of cleaner fuels and vehicles can reduce emissions by more than 80%.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/30/leaded-petrol-era-officially-over-as-algeria-ends-pump-sales
     
         
      Over-50s want climate crisis addressed ‘even if it leads to high prices’ Mon, 30th Aug 2021 6:01:00
     
      The majority of over-50s believe the UK government should be doing more to address the climate crisis, even if it leads to higher prices, a study has found. A survey of more than 500 people aged 50 and over found that almost two-thirds want ministers to move faster on climate initiatives, regardless of whether it meant products and services would be more expensive over time, or more difficult to access. Stuart Lewis, the founder of Rest Less, which conducted the study, said: “Our research shows that midlifers feel a huge sense of responsibility for the health of the planet and their role in reducing climate change.” Rest Less, a website that supports and provides advice to older people, also found that only a minority of older people said they were unconcerned about the climate crisis, challenging assumptions about a generational divide on environmental issues. More than two in three people polled said they had bought fewer clothes to cut down on waste in recent years, while half reduced their vehicle use and consumed less meat and dairy. One in five said they only bought seasonal food, while half said they had reduced home energy use. “The vast majority of midlifers we surveyed are already making changes to their own habits, from recycling more to consuming less, changing their travel habits, with some even giving up their car altogether,” Lewis said. However, the findings come as other research showed older homeowners were unlikely to receive significant financial benefits from greening their properties. The government is aiming to upgrade as many homes as possible to an average energy efficiency rating of C by 2035. But the average cost of improvements – which could mean insulating water tanks and lofts, or installing solar panels and heat pumps – can be much higher for older people because they tend to own older and less energy efficient homes. A study by Nationwide building society found the cost of improvements was about £8,100 on average, but rose to £25,800 for homes with a F or G energy efficiency rating. The average annual savings of greening a home are estimated at about £1,780 a year, meaning owners of older properties would only reap financial benefits after 14 years. “This suggests a need for further incentives to help decarbonise homes,” said Andrew Harvey, Nationwide’s senior economist. Meanwhile, better energy performance certificates (EPCs) are having a limited impact on house prices. While the worst performing homes were valued 3.5% less than the average home, the greenest only attracted a premium of about 1.7%, Nationwide said. The financial implications could “disincentivise” older property owners from taking action, Harvey said. “However, the value that people attach to energy efficiency is likely to change over time, especially if the government takes measures to incentivise greater energy efficiency in future to help ensure the UK meets its climate change obligations.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/30/over-50s-want-climate-crisis-addressed-even-if-it-leads-to-high-prices
     
         
      Floating wind turbines could open up vast ocean tracts for renewable power Sun, 29th Aug 2021 13:00:00
     
      In the stormy waters of the North Sea, 15 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire, in Scotland, five floating offshore wind turbines stretch 574 feet (175 metres) above the water. The world’s first floating windfarm, a 30 megawatt facility run by the Norwegian company Equinor, has only been in operation since 2017 but has already broken UK records for energy output. While most offshore wind turbines are anchored to the ocean floor on fixed foundations, limiting them to depths of about 165ft, floating turbines are tethered to the seabed by mooring lines. These enormous structures are assembled on land and pulled out to sea by boats. The ability to install turbines in deeper waters, where winds tend to be stronger, opens up huge amounts of the ocean to generate renewable wind power: close to 80% of potential offshore wind power is found in deeper waters. In addition, positioning floating turbines much further off the coast helps avoid conflicts with those who object to their impact on coastal views. Floating offshore wind is still in its early stages: only about 80 megawatts of a total of about 32 gigawatts (0.25%) of installed offshore wind capacity is floating. But some experts say the relatively new technology could become an important part of the renewables mix, if it can overcome hurdles including cost, design and opposition from the fishing industry. The US has traditionally lagged behind Europe when it comes to offshore wind power, but that may be changing. Joe Biden has pledged to build more than 30GW of offshore wind by 2030. The Department of Energy says it has invested more than $100m in researching and developing floating offshore wind technology in an attempt to establish itself as a leader in the sector. While the reliable winds and relatively shallow waters of the US east coast have made it the favored target for offshore wind projects, such as the recently approved large-scale Vineyard Wind off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, on the west coast the waters are mostly too deep for fixed-platform turbines. It’s here that advocates hope floating wind will take off. In May, the Biden administration and California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, announced a plan to bring floating offshore wind to California. They have identified two sites: a nearly 400-square mile area north-west of Morro Bay, which could host 380 floating wind turbines, and another further north off Humboldt Bay. Together these projects could bring up to 4.6GW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power 1.6m homes. “[The announcement] was a real breakthrough,” said Adam Stern, executive director of the trade association Offshore Wind California. “At a time when the effects of climate change are evident in California every day, in the form of wildfires and drought conditions,” he said, “offshore wind can provide clean, reliable electricity for millions of California residents.” The International Energy Agency estimates that for the world to stay on the pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050 it needs to add 390GW of wind power (80GW of which would be offshore) every year between 2030 and 2050. It’s a big jump from current numbers, especially for the offshore wind industry, which installed just over 6GW of new capacity in 2020. But wind power has been growing as costs fall and countries look to move away from fossil fuels to meet climate goals. How much floating wind will factor in is unclear. Countries including Norway, Portugal, South Korea and Japan are installing or planning floating wind projects, with more than 26GW of capacity estimated to be in the pipeline, according to one estimate. “Without a doubt wind is a big part of the solution for going to zero,” said Michael Webber, an energy expert and engineering professor at the University of Texas at Austin. But he believes floating wind is likely to take time to scale up, predicting that onshore wind and fixed-bottom offshore wind would dominate for the next decade. Big hurdles certainly remain. Cost is a significant one. Floating offshore wind generation costs are about double those of fixed offshore wind, although these are expected to fall as technology advances and supply chains improve. Estimates by the research body the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) suggest floating turbine projects could achieve cost parity with their fixed-bottom counterparts around 2030. One wrinkle is the number of designs to anchor the floating turbines, which some experts believe will make it harder to drive down costs. There are three main designs. The spar-buoy – the design of the Hywind floating turbines in Scotland – has a long, weighted cylinder tube which extends down from the turbine and below the ocean’s surface to balance it. Semi-submersible platforms, which are the most common for installed and planned projects, are modular and made up of floating cylindrical structures secured by mooring lines. The tension-leg structure has a smaller platform anchored to the seabed with taut mooring lines. “I’ve lost count of how many concepts are actually out there,” said Po Wen Cheng, head of wind energy at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. “Ford didn’t make the car affordable for the big masses by making 30 different types of car – they just made a Model T. If we really want to lower the cost, we cannot tolerate so many different concepts,” he said. Parts of the fishing industry have also expressed concerns that offshore wind could interfere with their equipment, obstruct fishing areas and negatively affect their livelihoods. The first floating windfarm in the US may end up in Maine, where the University of Maine, RWE Renewables and the Mitsubishi subsidiary Diamond Offshore Wind are developing a small demonstration project that would generate 12MW of energy. It has faced enormous opposition from lobster fishers who say the turbines interfere with their business. They reached a compromise in July: this pilot project will go ahead but the state legislature approved a ban on new industrial wind projects in state waters until March 2031. Fishermen have rung alarm bells about California’s projects, too. “Far too many questions remain unanswered regarding potential impacts to marine life,” said Mike Conroy, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations in a May statement about plans for floating wind in the state. Walt Musial, NREL’s lead of offshore wind research, said even a large-scale deployment of offshore wind along the east or west coast would take up only a tiny portion of the ocean and turbines would be carefully sited. But he stressed the continued need for good communication “to ensure optimal coexistence and to help the fishing community adapt and continue to access the space within the turbines for fishing”. The California government foresees offering commercial leases for Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay next year. Stern is hopeful that floating offshore wind would create thousands of well-paying clean energy jobs in the state, as well as accelerating the retirement of natural gas plants, reducing pollution in communities that disproportionately bear the burden of environmental impacts. “There are a lot of challenges to get floating wind turbines running in US waters,” said Po Wen Cheng, “but there’s no doubt about the potential.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/29/floating-wind-turbines-ocean-renewable-power
     
         
      Scottish Greens back historic government deal Sat, 28th Aug 2021 20:33:00
     
      Members of the Scottish Greens have backed a deal that will see its leaders in government for the first time. With some proxy votes still to be counted, 83% of members who took part in an extraordinary general meeting were in favour. The deal, which required a two-thirds majority of the party's National Council, was then formally ratified. Co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater said it promoted "a sustainable Scotland that works for everyone". The pair will become government ministers under the power-sharing deal, with the Greens required to back the Scottish government in confidence votes and annual budgets as they work on a raft of agreed policy areas, including tackling the climate emergency, Scottish independence and rent controls. Public disagreement between the parties will only be allowed on a set of agreed topics. These include aviation policy, green ports, direct financial support to businesses involved in the aerospace, defence and security sectors, field sports and the economic principles related to concepts of sustainable growth and inclusive growth. However, speaking during the EGM, Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer insisted that the list of subjects could be changed if further agreements or disagreements emerge. Before this vote, Green leaders were anxious not to take membership support for granted - there are, after all, some radical elements in the party and there is more than a hint of anarchism too. In the end, the lure of power proved highly persuasive. The co-operation agreement was emphatically endorsed by ordinary Greens and by the party's National Council, as it was in a separate ballot of SNP members. That means that Nicola Sturgeon can now formally appoint Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater as ministers in the Scottish government and seek Holyrood's approval when MSPs return from their summer break next week. The outcome of that and most other parliamentary votes is now a foregone conclusion because one of the key features of an SNP-Green government is that it will have a built-in majority for what they've agreed, including an indyref2 bill. There are of course a range of policies including the desirability of economic growth, aviation, field sports and private schools that sit outside their agreement. These topics and the compromises reached over road building and oil and gas extraction could be the source of future tension between the power-sharing partners. The co-leaders insisted the agreement will be good for Scotland, the country's efforts to tackle the climate crisis and contains "transformational" policies such as implementing rent controls. Ms Slater, the newly-elected Lothian MSP, said the members' overwhelming support would give the party "the tools we need to tackle the climate crisis and implement transformative politics in Scotland". She told BBC Scotland: "With the Scottish Greens at the heart of government, we will see some real changes. Things like rent controls will be transformative for people in Scotland. "We can also accelerate the development of our renewable energy industry, which will create thousands of jobs as well as tackle the climate crisis." James Puchowski, co-convener of the Green Nation Council, believes the deal offers the chance to have a real influence on government policy. "They're weighing up some things that I don't think three or four years ago we'd ever had a chance of getting - which is basically getting ministers inside Scottish government and maintaining opposition in the background." Party member Rosie Smith backs the deal, but is worried it could backfire for the Greens. "When I first saw it, especially the rent control section, it kind of felt a little bit like Christmas. What worries me about it is just hesitancy to enter coalitions having seen how badly it can go elsewhere in the UK." Chas Booth, a Green councillor in Edinburgh, voted against the deal. He wasn't against a deal in principle, but felt this agreement didn't do enough to protect local services after years of cuts. "I didn't see enough in this deal that would protect local councils and local services like leisure services, parks and stuff like - and that's why I voted against it. "I accept there's an awful lot of stuff in here that is really good policy - on active travel, on equal rights, on energy efficiency in our hands - but I felt that gap on local authorities and local services is something that Greens shouldn't support." Ms Slater cited oil and gas extraction policies as an area of disagreement between the Scottish Greens and SNP, but added: "I am very hopeful and optimistic about the change of travel that we've seen. "When the first minister wrote to Boris Johnson the other week and asked him to reconsider the Cambo oil field, that was a significant change of direction for the Scottish government whose previous position was maximum economic extraction. "Having Greens around has even turned the dial of that far, and I know that, by having Greens in government, we can continue to push that dial around and really tackle the climate crisis." Mr Harvie, who has spent 18 years in opposition at Holyrood, said it felt "incredibly exciting" to be on the brink of government. He said: "I am delighted that our party members have given their support to this historic co-operation agreement that will see Greens enter government for the first time in Scotland, or indeed anywhere in the UK. "With Greens in government we will be able to deliver positive change for the people of Scotland." The SNP's ruling body endorsed the power-sharing agreement last weekend. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "delighted" that members of both parties had agreed to work together. She said: "This historic agreement will provide a strong platform for the transformative programme we want to deliver. "We will work collaboratively to support a fair recovery from Covid, address with urgency the impacts of the climate emergency, and give the people of Scotland a vote on independence." 'Anti-jobs party' Scottish Conservative chief whip, Stephen Kerr, said the SNP/Green deal would be "devastating for workers and our economic recovery". He said: "The SNP and Greens will put their obsession with a divisive referendum ahead of what is best for Scotland. "Nicola Sturgeon failed to win a majority in May's election and now has had to cut a deal with a radical anti-jobs party, solely to ramp up her campaign for independence." Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the deal proved the Green party was "in many ways a branch office of the SNP". He said: "The Green party over the course of the last parliament voted through big cuts to local government budgets and voted against a pay rise for care workers. "This is a deal that is not about the environment, it's about the independence agenda. "It's not about building transparency and accountability of the government. It's about control for Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP so that they can largely ignore parliament. And I think that is really unfortunate for our democracy."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-58360337
     
         
      Derretimiento de los glaciares está causando que la corteza terrestre se deforme, según científicos Sat, 28th Aug 2021 19:33:00
     
      El derretimiento del hielo de los glaciares y masas terrestres como Groenlandia y la Antártida está provocando que la corteza terrestre se deforme ligeramente, sugiere un nuevo estudio. A medida que las capas de hielo y los glaciares se derriten en todo el mundo y el agua se redistribuye a los océanos globales, la corteza terrestre se libera del peso superpuesto y se levanta, según la investigación publicada en la revista Geophysical Research Letters la semana pasada. Este derretimiento podría generar un patrón complejo de movimientos tridimensionales (3D) en la superficie de la Tierra, incluso en lugares a más de 1,000 kilómetros de distancia de la pérdida de hielo, según los científicos detrás del estudio, incluida Sophie Coulson de la Universidad de Harvard en los EE. UU. “Este movimiento de superficie en 3D es en promedio de varias décimas de milímetro por año, y varía significativamente de un año a otro”, señaló el estudio. En la investigación, los científicos utilizaron datos satelitales sobre la pérdida de hielo de Groenlandia, la Antártida, los glaciares de montaña y los casquetes polares de principios del siglo XXI para predecir cómo se deforma la corteza terrestre con los cambios en su masa. Entre 2003 y 2018, el deshielo de Groenlandia y los glaciares del Ártico han “provocado que el suelo se desplace horizontalmente” en gran parte del hemisferio norte, cambiando hasta 0.3 milímetros (mm) al año en gran parte de Canadá y Estados Unidos señalaron los investigadores. “Demostramos que, en lugar de estar localizado únicamente en las regiones de pérdida de hielo, el derretimiento de la capa de hielo de Groenlandia y los glaciares del Ártico ha causado una deformación horizontal y vertical significativa de la corteza que se extiende sobre gran parte del hemisferio norte”, escribieron los científicos en el estudio. El estudio predijo una deformación de la corteza de 0.05 a 0.3 mm por año en la mayor parte de Canadá y EE. UU., con una deformación de 0.05 a 0.2 mm por año en Europa, incluidas partes de Fennoscandia, que constituye Finlandia, Noruega y Suecia. Los investigadores del clima piden un trabajo futuro para evaluar aún más la deformación de la corteza debido al derretimiento del hielo para mejorar las mediciones horizontales y verticales realizadas por los sistemas de navegación por satélite.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independentespanol.com/noticias/mundo/glaciar-derretimiento-corteza-terrestre-cambio-climatico-b1910500.html?utm_source=redirect
     
         
      The race to give nuclear fusion a role in the climate emergency Sat, 28th Aug 2021 17:00:00
     
      Power from fusion has proved too hard to generate at scale. Can recent breakthroughs and massive investment change that? Arthur Turrell Sat 28 Aug 2021 17.00 BST 292 On 8 August 2021, a laser-initiated experiment at the United States National Ignition Facility (NIF), based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, made a significant breakthrough in reproducing the power source of the stars, smashing its own 2018 record for energy released from nuclear fusion reactions 23 times over. This advance saw 70% of the laser energy put in released as nuclear energy. A pulse of light, focused to tiny spots within a 10-metre diameter vacuum chamber, triggered the collapse of a capsule of fuel from roughly the size of the pupil in your eye to the diameter of a human hair. This implosion created the extreme conditions of temperature and pressure needed for atoms of hydrogen to combine into new atoms and release, kilogram for kilogram, 10m times the energy that would result from burning coal. The result is tantalisingly close to a demonstration of “net energy gain”, the long sought-after goal of fusion scientists in which an amount greater than 100% of the energy put into a fusion experiment comes out as nuclear energy. The aim of these experiments is – for now – to show proof of principle only: that energy can be generated. The team behind the success are very close to achieving this: they have managed a more than 1,000-fold improvement in energy release between 2011 and today. Prof Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London, said last month that “The pace of improvement in energy output has been rapid, suggesting we may soon reach more energy milestones, such as exceeding the energy input from the lasers used to kickstart the process.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/28/the-race-to-give-nuclear-fusion-a-role-in-the-climate-emergency
     
         
      COP26: Queen to attend climate conference in Glasgow Fri, 27th Aug 2021 20:30:00
     
      The Queen will attend the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, organisers have confirmed. The 95-year-old monarch will join world leaders at the event which was originally due to take place in November last year but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic. It will now be held at the Scottish Events Campus from 1-12 November. The summit is expected to attract 120 heads of state, including US President Joe Biden. Others expected to travel to Scotland include Pope Francis and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. COP26 president Alok Sharma tweeted that he was "absolutely delighted" that the Queen will attend the summit. The event comes at a critical moment for the planet. Earlier this month a major scientific report warned of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change first major review of the science since 2013 was described as a "code red for humanity". Leaders from 196 countries and around 20,000 accredited delegates are expected to attend COP26. They will discuss whether enough has been achieved since 2015's landmark Paris climate agreement. They agreed to try to keep temperature increases "well below" 2C (3.6F) and to try to limit them to 1.5C. But many scientists say efforts have fallen far short and temperature increases could reach 3C. Amid concerns over Covid the UK has even offered to provide vaccines to delegates. The summit will also be the focus of an unprecedented security operation. About 10,000 officers from across the UK will be deployed each day during the conference, which Police Scotland said was "the most complex and complicated" event ever staged in Scotland. 'Risk is clear' Earlier this month, the main architect of the Paris climate agreement said the summit should be a hybrid event with some negotiations happening virtually. Christiana Figueres told BBC Scotland that some form of in-person conference would still be needed if the talks were to be a success. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there will be no downgrading of ambitions ahead of COP26. This includes an end to coal power generation by 2030 and the planting of millions of trees around the world. Mr Johnson added: "We need to stop the world gaining another 1.5C. "The risk of that is clear. The way to do that is for countries to move to net zero."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58360381
     
         
      A 1,000-year drought is hitting the West: Could desalination be a solution? Fri, 27th Aug 2021 16:46:00
     
      The United States and many other parts of the world are reeling under the impacts of severe drought. One possible solution is the desalination of seawater, but is it a silver bullet? The Western United States is currently experiencing what one paleoclimatologist called "potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years." The region has had many droughts in the past, including "megadroughts" that last decades, but climate change is making dry years drier and wet years wetter. Higher temperatures heat the ground and air faster, and the increased evaporation dries the soil and decreases the amount of precipitation that reaches reservoirs. Warming also leads to less of the snow-pack needed to replenish rivers, streams, reservoirs and moisten soil in spring and summer. About 44 percent of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought with almost 10 percent in "exceptional drought." Wildfires currently rage in 13 states, exacerbated by the hot and dry conditions. There have been unprecedented water cuts to the Colorado River—which provides water to seven states—and shutdowns of hydroelectric power plants. The aquifers of towns that depend on well water are depleted, forcing residents to truck in water. Normally, agriculture consumes over 90 percent of the water in many western states, but the drought has caused yields to plummet; some farmers have reduced their acreage or changed crops to less water-intensive ones, while others will likely go bankrupt. Ranchers are having to sell off parts of their herds. But even as the locals contend with these difficulties, more people are moving to the area. Between 1950 and 2010, the Southwest's growth rate was twice that of the rest of the country. The U.S. population is expected to continue growing through 2040, with more than half of that growth in areas that have experienced severe drought in the last ten years. Many people continue to move to an area expected to get even drier in years to come, just as the latest IPCC report predicts that climate change will intensify droughts in these regions. Every other continent in the world is also experiencing serious drought, except for Antarctica. And the U.N. has warned that 130 more countries could face droughts by 2100 if we do nothing to curb climate change. But as soon as 2025, two-thirds of the global population could face water shortages, according to the World Wildlife Fund. This could result in conflicts, political instability, and the displacement of millions of people. The scarcity of fresh water may also make it harder to decarbonize society—something we must do to prevent catastrophic climate change—because some strategies to do this could further stress water resources. Green hydrogen, seen as key to eliminating emissions from aviation, shipping, trucking, and heavy industry, is produced by electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. However, the process requires large amounts of purified water. One estimate is that nine tons of it are needed to produce one ton of hydrogen, but actually the treatment process used to purify the water requires twice as much impure water. In other words, 18 tons of water are really needed to produce one ton of green hydrogen. Nuclear energy, seen by the IPCC as an important tool for achieving our climate goals, also depends on fresh water for cooling, but as water shortages increase, nuclear plants may be forced to reduce their capacity or shut down. Where there's water While most of our planet is covered by water, only three percent of it is fresh water and only a third of that is available to humans since the rest is frozen in glaciers or is inaccessible deep underground. Meanwhile, global warming continues to melt more glaciers each year and increase evaporation, diminishing our fresh water resources. As a result of water scarcity, some parts of the world have turned to desalination for drinking water. Desalination (desal) involves removing salt and minerals from salty water, usually seawater. This process occurs naturally as the sun heats the ocean—fresh water evaporates off the surface and then falls as rain. Arid regions like the Middle East and North Africa have long depended on desal technology for their fresh water. Today over 120 countries have desal plants with Saudi Arabia producing more fresh water through desal than any other nation. The United States also has a number of desal plants with the largest in the western hemisphere located in Carlsbad, CA. A new $1.4 billion desal plant in Huntington Beach, CA is likely to be approved soon. Desalination approaches Desal is usually done one of two ways. Thermal distillation involves boiling seawater, which produces steam that leaves the salt and minerals behind. The steam is then collected and condensed through cooling to produce pure water. The second method is membrane filtration which pushes seawater through membranes that trap the salt and minerals on one side and let pure water through. Before the 1980s, 84 percent of desal used the thermal distillation method. Today, about 70 percent of the world's desal is done with a membrane filtration method called reverse osmosis because it is the cheapest and most efficient method. In natural osmosis, molecules spontaneously move through a membrane from a solution with less dissolved substances to a more concentrated solution, equalizing the two sides. But in reverse osmosis, saltier water is moving through a membrane to a less salty solution. Because this is working against natural osmosis, reverse osmosis requires high pressure to push water through the semi-permeable membranes. The resulting fresh water is then sterilized, usually with ultraviolet light. Concerns about desalination Though desal may be the only solution for some regions, it is expensive, consumes a great deal of energy and has detrimental environmental impacts. "Desalination of seawater is one of the most expensive ways to get water," said Ngai Yin Yip, assistant professor of earth and environmental engineering at Columbia University. "This has just got to do with the fact that getting salt out of water is not an easy thing to do. But we have to have water—there's just no substitute for water. So it can be costly. But the fact that we cannot survive without water means that it is a necessary cost." Large-scale desal facilities are very expensive to build and the plants consume a great deal of energy. Thermal distillation plants require energy to boil water into steam and electricity to drive pumps. Reverse osmosis does not require energy to generate heat but relies on energy for the electricity to drive its high-pressure pumps. In addition, the fouling of membranes by less soluble salts, chemicals, and microorganisms can impact their permeability and reduce productivity, adding to maintenance and operational costs. According to Yip, the most economical way to go about doing desalination is to target sources of water that contain less salt, such as groundwater. "The less salt there is, the less work you need to do to take it out," he said. "So from a purely economic perspective, groundwater would be more economical than seawater." Desalinating groundwater can be done sustainably in places where it is abundant. But where it is decreasing, drawing up groundwater can lead to land subsidence, or in coastal areas, to saltwater intrusion of the aquifer. If there is no groundwater available, Yip feels reverse osmosis of seawater is the best technology to use. Many Middle Eastern plants, however, use older thermal plants that run on fossil fuels. As a result, desal plants are currently responsible for emitting 76 million tons of CO2 each year. As demand for desal is expected to increase, global emissions related to desal could reach 400 million tons of CO2 per year by 2050. Desal also has impacts on the marine environment because of the amount of brine it produces. For every one unit of pure water that's produced, about 1.5 units of concentrated brine—twice as salty as seawater and polluted with copper and chlorine used to pretreat the water to prevent it from fouling the membranes—results. Globally, each day over 155 million tons of brine are discharged back into the ocean. If brine is released in a calm area of the ocean, it sinks to the bottom where it can threaten marine life. A 2019 study of the Carlsbad desal plant near San Diego that dilutes its brine before releasing it, found that there were no direct impacts on marine life, however, salt levels exceeded permissible limits and the brine plume extended further offshore than permitted. Improving desalination Researchers around the world are attempting to solve desal's challenges. Here are a few examples of some of their solutions. Renewable energy NEOM is a $500 billion futuristic smart city-state being built in northwest Saudi Arabia along the shores of the Red Sea. To provide water for the estimated one million future residents, it will construct an innovative solar desal system comprising a dome of glass and steel 25 meters high over a cauldron of water. Seawater is piped through a glass enclosed aqueduct and heated by the sun as it travels into the dome. There, parabolic mirrors concentrate solar radiation onto the dome, superheating the seawater. As it evaporates, highly pressurized steam is released and condenses as fresh water, which is piped to reservoirs and irrigation systems. The system is completely carbon neutral and theoretically reduces the amount of brine waste produced. NEOM, expected to be completed in 2025, claims it will produce 30,000 cubic meters of fresh water per hour at 34 cents per cubic meter. The U.S. Army and the University of Rochester researchers have developed a simple and efficient method of desalinating water also dependent on the sun's energy. Using a laser treatment, they created a "super-wicking" aluminum panel with a grooved black surface that makes it super absorbent, enabling it to pull water up the panel from a water source. The black material, heated by the sun, evaporates the water, a process made more efficient because of its super-wicking nature. The water is then collected, leaving contaminants behind on the panel, which is easy to clean. It can be reconfigured and also be angled to face the sun, absorbing maximum sunlight, and because it is moveable, could easily be used by military troops in the field. Larger panels would potentially enable the process to be scaled up. European companies are developing the Floating WINDdesal in the Middle East, a seawater desal plant powered almost entirely by wind energy. The floating semi-submersible plant is being built in three sizes, with the largest expected to be able to produce enough water for 500,000 people. The plants can be moved by sea, making them easy to mobilize for emergencies and can be deployed in deeper water where brine disposal would have less impact on marine life. Because they float, they will not be affected by rising sea levels. Membranes Membrane research is focused on increasing membrane permeability which would reduce the amount of pressure needed, reducing the fouling that occurs, and making membranes more resilient to high pressure. A discovery by scientists at the University of Texas, Penn State and DuPont could improve the flow of water through membranes and increase their efficiency, which would mean that reverse osmosis would not require as much pressure. Using an electron microscope technique, the researchers discovered that the densely packed polymers that make up even the thinnest membranes could slow the water flow. The most permeable membranes are those that are more uniformly dense at the nanoscale, and not necessarily the thinnest. The discovery could help makers of membranes improve their performance. Reverse osmosis desal is hindered when microorganisms grow on the membrane surface, slowing the flow of water. Some coatings that have been used to prevent this "biofouling" of membranes are hard to remove, so they result in more energy use as well as more chemicals released into the sea. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) researchers created a nontoxic coating that adheres to the membrane and can be removed with a flush of high-saline solution. Desal without membranes Columbia University engineers led by Yip, developed a method called temperature swing solvent extraction (TSSE) that doesn't use membranes at all to desalinate. The efficient, scalable, and low-cost technique uses a solvent whose water solubility—the amount of a chemical substance that can dissolve in water—changes according to temperature. At low temperatures, the solvent mixed with salt water draws in water molecules but not salt. After all the water is sucked into the solvent, the salts form crystals that can easily be removed. The solvent and its absorbed water are then heated to a moderate temperature, enabling the solvent to release the water, which forms a separate layer below. The water can then be collected. Yip explained that the process is designed to deal with very salty water, which reverse osmosis cannot handle. For example, the water that comes up during oil and gas extraction can be five to seven times saltier than regular seawater. The textile industry also produces very salty water because of the solutions it uses to dye cloth. According to Yip, TSSE is not the best way to obtain drinking water, but it could help replenish our water resources for other needs. Brine Brine impacts can be lessened by how much brine is discharged and how the desal process is carried out. Stanford University researchers have developed a device that can turn brine into useful chemicals.Through an electrochemical process, it splits the brine into positively charged sodium and negatively charged chlorine ions. These can then be combined with other elements to form sodium hydroxide, hydrogen, and hydrochloric acid. Sodium hydroxide can be used to pretreat seawater going into the desal plant to minimize fouling of the membranes. It is also involved in the manufacture of soap, paper, detergents, explosives and aluminum. Hydrochloric acid is useful for cleaning desal plants, producing batteries, and processing leather; it is also used as a food additive and is a source of hydrogen. Turning brine components into chemicals that have other purposes would decrease brine waste and its environmental damage, as well as improve the economic viability of desalination. Diluting brine can also lessen its impacts. "You take more seawater, and you premix it [with the brine] in an engineered reactor," said Yip. "Now the salinity of that mix is not two times saltier than seawater. It's still saltier than seawater, but it's lower. And instead of discharging it at one point, you discharge it at several points with diffusers. These are engineering approaches to try to minimize the impacts of brine," he explained. Other solutions for the drought Despite improvements in desal's environmental and economic profile, however, it is still an expensive solution to water scarcity. This is especially so given that most water in the U.S. is used for agriculture, taking showers, and flushing toilets. Newsha Ajami, the director of urban water policy at Stanford, said "I disagree with using tons of resources to clean the water up just to flush it down the toilet." Water recycling Paulina Concha Laurrari, a senior staff associate at the Columbia Water Center, said "Water reuse definitely has to be an important part of the solution. Our wastewater can get treated, either to potable standards, like it's been done in other parts of the world and even in California, or to a different standard that can be used for agriculture or other things." Recycling the approximately 50 million tons of municipal wastewater that is discharged daily around the U.S. into the ocean or an estuary could supply 6 percent of the nation's total water use. Recycled water can be used for irrigation, watering lawns, parks and golf courses, for industrial use and for replenishing aquifers. The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to fund water recycling projects and build water recycling facilities in 17 western states through 2027. The technology to recycle water has been around for 50 years. Wastewater treatment facilities add microbes to wastewater to consume the organic matter. Membranes then are used to filter out bacteria and viruses, and the filtered water is treated with ultraviolet light to kill any remaining microbes. The water can be used for agriculture or industry, or it can be pumped into an aquifer for storage. When it is needed for drinking water, it can be pumped out and repurified. If the water is for human consumption, some minerals are added back in to make it more drinkable. Waste not Every year in the U.S., approximately 9 billion tons of drinking water are lost due to leaking faucets, pipes and water mains, and defective meters. President Biden's $1.2 billion infrastructure plan includes substantial sums for upgrading clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. In the U.S., 42 billion tons of untreated stormwater enter the sewage system and waterways and ultimately the ocean each year. This means that the rainwater that could soak into the ground to replenish groundwater supplies is lost. Green infrastructure, such as green roofs, rain gardens, trees, and rain barrels, would reduce some of this water waste. Sensible water use It's also important to figure out how to put the water that's available to the best use in a particular area. "For example, having a better planning strategy of what is the best use for water, like what to plant where," said Laurrari. "Instead of using it, say, for alfalfa, how do we use it for higher value crops? Or even tell farmers, "I will pay you not to use this water' and the state can have it to replenish our aquifers or to source cities or something else." Determining the most reasonable and economical uses for water would help everyone understand and appreciate its true value. "In some of these places where they're having droughts, there are still people who are watering their lawns, and happily paying the fine," said Yip. "So really, there's a mismatch between what is happening and what the reality is. We need to adjust our activities such that we are not putting that kind of a human-imposed strain on the water supply. We need to be thinking about how we make drastic wholesale changes to the way we organize our activities that actually make sense." Israel's example Israel is located in one of the driest regions of the world and has few natural water resources, however, it is considered "the best in the world in water efficiency" according to Global Water Intelligence, an international water industry publisher. Israeli children are taught about water conservation beginning in preschool, and adults are reminded not to waste water in television ads. Low-flow showerheads and faucets are mandatory, and Israeli toilets usually have two different flushing options for urine and bowel movements. The country adopted drip irrigation, which uses half the water than does traditional irrigation while producing more yield. Israel also resolutely attends to small leaks in pipes before they become large. In addition, 75 percent of its wastewater is recycled, more than that of any other country. And because Israelis pay for their water themselves, they are careful about how much they use and readily adopt water-saving technology. As a result, it's estimated that the average Israeli consumes half as much water each day as the average American. Israel began desalination in the 1960s. Today it has five desal plants with two more on the way and will soon get 90 percent of its water from desal. While Israel has invested a lot of money in desal, it has also made huge investments in water awareness and water efficiency. These other measures enabled the country to delay building desal plants and build them more economically and smaller than they would otherwise have needed to be because the citizens were already conserving water. 101 things you can do Here are 100 ways to conserve water. And one more. "Become more actively involved with the decisions that government makes in terms of investments of infrastructure," said Laurrari, "Because yes, you can conserve water at home, but what is really going to matter is what's done at the larger scale by politicians. So having a more active role, knowing where your water comes from, and what your local issues are is important."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-08-year-drought-west-desalination-solution.html
     
         
      It’s Friday, August 27, and Congress might actually put the U.S. on the path to meet the Paris Agreement Fri, 27th Aug 2021 15:32:00
     
      In a letter sent to colleagues this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconciliation package that are working their way through Congress would together put the U.S. on the path to meeting President Joe Biden’s climate goals. That conclusion comes from an analysis conducted by Schumer’s office, which showed that climate provisions in both bills would reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Adding in the projected effects of policies planned by states like New York, California, and Hawaii, Schumer said the U.S. would reach a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. Biden has committed to a 50 to 52 percent reduction in emissions by that year, in line with the 2016 Paris climate agreement. The most effective federal provisions are in the reconciliation package, which Democrats hope to pass with a simple majority in the Senate. That package currently contains a clean electricity payment program that would incentivize electric utilities to provide 80 percent of their power from carbon-free sources by 2030, as well as tax breaks for clean energy projects. Together, those two programs would account for 42 percent of Schumer’s projected emissions cuts from both pieces of legislation. Schumer wrote in the letter, “At the same moment that historic drought and wildfire threaten the West and powerful floods and hurricanes impact large swaths of our country, we are on the precipice of the most significant climate action in our country’s history.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/867839194/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      It’s Thursday, August 26, and the world’s largest shipping company is spending $1.4 billion on cleaner ocean vessels. Thu, 26th Aug 2021 16:59:00
     
      Shipping is responsible for nearly 3 percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, and shipping-related emissions have been growing since 2012. In an effort to tackle that trend, the Danish shipping firm Maersk announced on Tuesday it is placing an order for eight new cargo boats that can run without heavy fuel oil. “We don’t believe in more fossil fuels,” said Morten Bo Christiansen, Maersk’s vice president and head of decarbonization, in an interview with Bloomberg Green. Instead, the firm’s new ships will be capable of running on “carbon neutral” bio-methanol or e-methanol, alternative fuels that produce much less pollution than their carbon-intensive cousins. Bio-methanol can be made from biomass like crop waste, while e-methanol is made by combining hydrogen atoms with carbon dioxide. Both are currently expensive to make and hard to come by, but Maersk’s CEO said in a statement that he hoped the company’s sizable purchase — $175 million per ship for a total investment of $1.4 billion — would send a market signal that demand for green methanol is growing. Maersk expects its new ships to hit the high seas by early 2024. Eventually, the company plans to decarbonize its entire fleet, in alignment with its commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/866570752/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      No Denying It episode 1: Ezra Miller Introduces Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm Thu, 26th Aug 2021 16:56:00
     
      'If solar power works in the Arctic, what excuse do city folks have?' That’s the question posed in Old Crow, home of the Yukon’s new solar installation project, which, when complete, will allow the community to stop burning nearly 200,000 litres of diesel fuel annually. The initiative is being shepherded by Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, the elected chief of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, based in Old Crow, a community of around 300 in Canada, which can only be accessed by air. We talked to Chief Tizya-Tramm about making climate decisions that honor generations past, present, and future; and the solutions that our nations have access to right now ... if we’re only courageous enough to choose them. Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm is the elected chief of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation based in Old Crow, a fly-in community of around 300. Old Crow flies in diesel for electricity but are now building what they believe will become the largest solar installation in the Arctic. It will supply a quarter of the community's needs, displacing nearly 200,000 litres of diesel fuel annually. Tizya-Tramm is involved in sharing strategies and advocacy efforts across Arctic communities, and wants to convey that if a remote community like Old Crow can go sustainable, city folks have no excuse. Dana inspires us to not be afraid to commit to a big idea, and urges us to consider how our consumption and actions have far reaching climate effects. Ezra Miller Ezra Miller is an American actor best known for starring in the Fantastic Beasts films, spin-offs of J.K. Rowling’s hit Harry Potter fantasy novel series and the forthcoming Flash. The 28-year-old, who is also a classically-trained opera singer, got their first leading role in the film Afterschool in 2008, and rose in fame with their portrayal of a teenage murderer in We Need to Talk about Kevin three years later. Ezra also made an appearance in the drama, Perks of Being a Wallflower, and actively performs in their band, Sons of an Illustrious Father. In 2013 they completed a 10-day trek to campaign against fossil fuel exploitation in the Arctic, and have joined protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/interview/2021/08/1098442
     
         
      Gravity-based renewable energy storage tower for grid-scale operations Thu, 26th Aug 2021 16:51:00
     
      Energy Vault, maker of the EVx gravitational energy storage tower, has secured $100 million in series C funding. The investment was led by Prime Movers Lab, with additional participation from SoftBank, Saudi Aramco, Helena, and Idealab X. The company said capital raised will support plans to ramp up deployments of the EVx platform for customers in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and Australia. The first U.S. deployments are slated to begin fourth quarter 2021, with a broader global ramp-up throughout 2022, said Energy Vault. The EVx platform is a six-arm crane tower designed to be charged by grid-scale renewable energy. It lifts large bricks using electric motors, thereby creating gravitational energy. When power needs to be discharged back to the grid, the bricks are lowered, harvesting the kinetic energy. There is zero degradation in the storage capacity of the raised composite blocks, which can remain in the raised position for unlimited periods of time, said Energy Vault. Energy Vault said the composite blocks are made of local soils, as well as materials otherwise destined for landfills or incinerators, including recycled coal ash, waste tailings from mining operations, and wind turbine blades. In 2020, Energy Vault had the first commercial-scale deployment of its energy storage system and launched the new EVx platform this past April. The company said the EVx tower features 80-85% round-trip efficiency and over 35 years of technical life. It has a scalable modular design up to multiple gigawatt-hours in storage capacity. The company said its technology can economically serve both higher power/shorter duration applications with ancillary services from 2 to 4 hours and can also scale to serve longer-duration requirements from 5 to 24 hours or more. With global lithium supply considered a constraint, and, according to the Biden administration, a national security issue, alternative measures are being taken to find ways to store solar and wind energy. For example, Form Energy of Somerville, Massachusetts, has secured $240 million in series D funding for its iron-air batteries, which use iron pellets. The pellets are exposed to oxygen to create rust. The oxygen then is removed, reverting the rust to iron. Controlling this process allows the batteries to be charged and discharged. (Read: “Multi-day iron-air batteries reach commercialization… at one tenth the cost of lithium”)
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/08/26/gravity-based-renewable-energy-storage-tower-for-grid-scale-operations/
     
         
      Looking at the world’s largest solar power stations Thu, 26th Aug 2021 16:15:00
     
      Solar energy pioneer and founder of Wiki-Solar, Philip Wolfe updates his series of blogs on the world’s largest solar power stations, first published in pv magazine in 2019. At that time, there were no single solar power plants over 1 GWAC. The record now is 2.2 GWAC. In 2019, the top five solar parks had a combined capacity of 6.6 GWAC. Fast forward to 2021, and today’s top five total over 12.5 GWAC.The intervening Covid-19 pandemic has clearly done little to slow the explosive global growth of utility-scale solar. In three blogs in the coming weeks, the top solar power plants, solar parks, and solar clusters will be identified. First, however, here’s a reminder of where the records stood in 2019; and how solar parks, individual plants, and regional clusters are distinguished. In most cases, solar power plants are designed and built singly, with the project developer choosing a site with a suitable connection to the electricity grid. Project size may be dictated by the site area available, connection capacity, or financial restrictions. Where those factors do not impose limits, developers aim for economies of scale often by maximizing plant size. In 2008, the largest PV project – at about 50 MWAC – was near Olmedilla de Alarcón in Spain. By 2012, the Agua Caliente solar farm in Arizona had taken the record to over 250 MWAC. When the previous list of top plants was published two years ago, the Sweihan project was about to be commissioned in Abu Dhabi with a capacity of 938 MWAC (or 1,177 MWP). Not all solar projects are developed individually, however. There can be benefits in grouping plants together to take advantage of prime locations and strong grid connections. Plants co-located in solar parks By the second decade of the millennium, several national and state-level energy agencies had realized that solar power could be produced even more economically if multiple projects were co-located in one area, where they could share grid connection and other site related costs. Probably the most notable early example is the Charanka Solar Park in the Patan district of India. When this was first opened in 2012 by Gujarat’s then chief minister, Narendra Modi, it had a combined capacity of 224 MW from 19 individual solar power plants, of which the largest were 25 MW each. It has since been expanded to over 600 MW of overall capacity. Agencies of the state of Gujarat arranged the grid connection and leased land to the project developers. A similar approach was adopted in China most notably in the Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang provinces. This approach lends itself particularly to centralized economies where state agencies can arrange grid connections, land allocation, and other shared services. This model is also now being adopted in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with a few instances in Europe and America. The Golmud Solar Park in China’s Qinghai province was the largest at 1,800 MWAC, when the previous list was published. Many of these solar parks have been progressively expanded over the years, with several now achieving combined capacities running into the multi-gigawatt range. Solar project clusters The co-located solar park model has not been widely adopted in Europe and America where energy markets are more deregulated. However, less formal co-location of multiple projects can sometimes be found in areas where suitable land and grid connection capacity is plentiful and solar radiation is good. The Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County hosted the largest cluster in 2019, with a total of about 3,000 MWAC. The largest power stations of each type Press reports of the largest solar power station may refer to any of the above mentioned arrangements and may therefore ‘compare apples with pears’. Subsequent blogs in this short series will identify the world's largest solar power stations, distinguishing between individual plants and groups of multiple co-located projects. For consistency, the terminology solar plant will be used for an individual project that has been developed by a single developer or consortium, even if it is spread over several geographical plots or built in various phases. Where multiple plants are co-located in a discreet area under the coordination of an identified agency, this will be called a solar park. A cluster denotes several solar farms are co-located in an area without formal coordination. Single plants are often colloquially known as solar farms. Readers should note that this terminology is not universally adopted, and that some developers and owners choose to call individual plants a ‘solar park'. Also for consistency, all capacities are quoted in MWAC to allow direct comparison between PV and CSP plants (and other forms of generation). Readers will be aware that the DC peak capacity of PV plants is typically ~25% higher than the rated AC capacity, quoted here. The next blog will identify the largest individual solar plants in the world, to be followed subsequently by solar parks and then clusters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/08/26/looking-at-the-worlds-largest-solar-power-stations/
     
         
      Santos sued for ‘clean fuel’ claims and net zero by 2040 target despite plans for fossil fuel expansion Thu, 26th Aug 2021 8:59:00
     
      A shareholder activist group is taking Australian oil company Santos to court over its claims it produces “clean fuel” and plans to reach net zero emissions by 2040. Papers were filed against Santos – Australia’s second largest independent oil company – on Thursday by the Environmental Defenders Officers acting on behalf of the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/26/santos-sued-for-clean-fuel-claims-and-net-zero-by-2040-target-despite-plans-for-fossil-fuel-expansion
     
         
      ‘Use your £11bn climate fund to pay for family planning,’ UK told Thu, 26th Aug 2021 6:30:00
     
      The UK government has been urged to open up its £11bn pot of climate funding to contraception, as research from low-income countries shows a link between poor access to reproductive health services and environmental damage. In a letter to Alok Sharma, president of the UN Cop26 climate conference, an alliance of more than 60 NGOs has called for the funding eligibility rules to be changed to allow projects concerned with removing barriers to reproductive healthcare and girls’ education to access climate funds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/aug/26/use-your-11bn-climate-fund-to-pay-for-family-planning-uk-told
     
         
      Climate change: Global greenhouse gas levels were highest ever in 2020 despite lockdowns, study finds Thu, 26th Aug 2021 0:09:00
     
      Any hopes that pandemic lockdowns dented the build up of greenhouse gases have been dashed as a new report confirmed that global levels reached their highest on record in 2020. The coronavirus outbreak grounded flights and cleared streets around the world last year, with emissions from burning fossil fuels dropping by around 7%. But the reduction was too small to have any material impact on build up of carbon dioxide in the air, according to a global annual review. In fact CO2 levels were their highest in modern records as well as in ice core records dating back 800,000 years, with concentrations at 48% above pre-industrial values. Other greenhouse gases also reached new highs according to the peer-reviewed study, published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The news is a "stark reminder" that factors driving climate climate are determined "by time horizons far longer than a single year" said the State of the Climate report, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information. Friends of the Earth's director of campaigning, Jamie Peters, said: "Not even a global pandemic could halt climate-wrecking emissions for long enough to stop planetary destruction. "It's clear we need every politician, business leader and decisionmaker to pull together and change the way we do things." In 2020, Europe sweltered in its warmest year ever, the review also found, with temperatures 1.9°C above the long-term average of 1981-2010. All five of the warmest years for annual average temperatures in Europe have happened from 2014 onwards. Almost the whole European continent reported higher than usual temperatures. Russia was nearly three degrees above average, while Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus and Ukraine were all above two degrees warmer. For the UK, 2020 was the third warmest on record - at 0.8°C above average - and the winter was 143% wetter than usual. The Earth's soaring temperatures have continued to drive sea level rise - with 2020 seeing a new high for the ninth year in a row. The study is one of many that have recently sounded the alarm on climate change and extreme weather, published shortly before the UN's climate negotiations COP26 in November. Rebecca Peters, Transatlantic Academy Fellow at Chatham House's Environment and Society Programme, said quickly attributing extreme weather events to climate change is important to "drive political will and mobilise the resources needed to prepare, respond, and adapt to interlinked climate-related crises". "Yet even without attribution analysis, we know that the sooner we cut emissions, we can reduce the extreme risks associated with these increasingly intense and frequent events" she said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-global-greenhouse-gas-levels-were-highest-ever-in-2020-despite-lockdowns-study-finds-12390205
     
         
      Tidal energy has an advantage over wind and sun Thu, 26th Aug 2021 0:01:00
     
      Renewable energy from wind and sun is at the mercy of the elements. Wind turbines stop when the wind drops and solar panels need daylight. But energy from the tides works whatever the weather, and is ultimately driven by the orbit of the moon and its pull on the oceans, which makes tidal energy entirely predictable. The Outer Hebrides has a wealth of potential renewable energy from strong tides, some of the best in the world, but how can it be tapped? A tidal-powered turbine has recently started to generate electricity in Orkney in what is claimed to be the most powerful tidal generator in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tidal-energy-has-an-advantage-over-wind-and-sun-qwnmbznpb
     
         
      Could this solar farm be a climate change solution? Wed, 25th Aug 2021 18:09:00
     
      Experts say rapid innovative solutions are needed to end our dependency on fossil fuels. Could a new project in the Swiss Alps provide an answer? Switzerland is committed to being climate neutral by 2050 and there are already plans to recreate the floating solar farm across the country and abroad.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-58320618
     
         
      Madagascar on the brink of climate change-induced famine Wed, 25th Aug 2021 18:05:00
     
      Madagascar is on the brink of experiencing the world's first "climate change famine", according to the United Nations, which says tens of thousands of people are already suffering "catastrophic" levels of hunger and food insecurity after four years without rain. The drought - the worst in four decades - has devastated isolated farming communities in the south of the country, leaving families to scavenge for insects to survive. "These are famine-like conditions and they're being driven by climate not conflict," said the UN World Food Programme's Shelley Thakral. The UN estimates that 30,000 people are currently experiencing the highest internationally recognised level of food insecurity - level five - and there are concerns the number affected could rise sharply as Madagascar enters the traditional "lean season" before harvest. "This is unprecedented. These people have done nothing to contribute to climate change. They don't burn fossil fuels… and yet they are bearing the brunt of climate change," said Ms Thakral. In the remote village of Fandiova, in Amboasary district, families recently showed a visiting WFP team the locusts that they were eating. "I clean the insects as best I can but there's almost no water," said Tamaria, a mother of four, who goes by one name. "My children and I have been eating this every day now for eight months because we have nothing else to eat and no rain to allow us to harvest what we have sown," she added. "Today we have absolutely nothing to eat except cactus leaves," said Bole, a mother of three, sitting on the dry earth. She said her husband had recently died of hunger, as had a neighbour, leaving her with two more children to feed. "What can I say? Our life is all about looking for cactus leaves, again and again, to survive." Improve water management Although Madagascar experiences frequent droughts and is often affected by the change in weather patterns caused by El Niño, experts believe climate change can be directly linked to the current crisis. "With the latest IPCC report we saw that Madagascar has observed an increase in aridity. And that is expected to increase if climate change continues. "In many ways this can be seen as a very powerful argument for people to change their ways," said Dr Rondro Barimalala, a Madagascan scientist working at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Viewing the same atmospheric data at Santa Barbara University in California, director of the Climate Hazards Center, Chris Funk, confirmed the link with "warming in the atmosphere", and said the Madagascan authorities needed to work to improve water management. "We think there's a lot that can be done in the short term. We can often forecast when there's going to be above normal rains and farmers can use that information to increase their crop production. We're not powerless in the face of climate change," he added. The current drought's impact is now being felt in larger towns in southern Madagascar too, with many children forced to beg on the streets for food. "The prices in the market are going up - three or four times. People are selling their land to get some money to buy food," added Tsina Endor, who works for a charity, Seed, in Tolanaro. Her colleague, Lomba Hasoavana, said he and many others had taken to sleeping in their cassava fields to try to protect their crops from people desperate for food, but this had become too dangerous. "You could risk your life. I find it really, really hard because every day I have to think about feeding myself and my family," he said, adding: "Everything is so unpredictable about the weather now. It's a huge, huge question mark - what will happen tomorrow?"
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58303792
     
         
      Climate change: Consumer 'confusion' threatens net zero homes plan Wed, 25th Aug 2021 18:00:00
     
      Government plans to decarbonise homes are too complicated and confusing, according to a coalition of consumer and industry groups. They've written to the prime minister to say that current schemes to adapt homes go wrong far too often. The open letter, from Citizens Advice and others, calls for more financial support for making changes. Otherwise, they argue, efforts to curb emissions from millions of homes in the UK will be at risk. Tackling energy use in the residential sector is seen as key to the government's aim of getting to net zero by 2050. Net zero involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and then balancing out any further releases by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The carbon generated by home heating amounts to about 20% of all UK emissions. But the government's current efforts to help householders to adapt their homes are "too complicated", and too often things go wrong, say industry and consumer groups. The coalition includes Citizens Advice, the Federation of Master Builders, the Aldersgate Group and Which? They argue that the process of installing low-carbon heating, upgrading insulation or putting in smart technologies is "time consuming, confusing and stressful". They cite the example of the Green Homes Grant, a scheme that was designed to help people insulate their homes. It was scrapped in March this year after reaching just 10% of the houses that the government had promised would be improved. According to the coalition, simply choosing the right technology or finding a reputable installer demands huge amounts of time, knowledge and effort. Far too often, things go wrong with poor installation and technologies not working as expected. The letter to the prime minister says there are three key concerns that need to be addressed to ensure that plans to decarbonise homes don't fail. - Information: According to the coalition, people need more accessible and unbiased information on steps, including installing low-carbon heating and upgrading their insulation. - Consumer protections: The letter points out that previous energy efficiency schemes, such as the Green Homes Grant, have been marred by scammers and rogue traders. The coalition says consumer protections for decarbonising homes must be fit for purpose. - Costs: The coalition is calling for a comprehensive, long-term policy framework that provides certainty for businesses and consumers and which offers financial support such as grants, low-cost loans and financing. "Our evidence is clear. Right now, making green changes to homes is too confusing and too often things go wrong for those trying to do the right thing," said Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice. "The public is behind the net zero transition, but they need the right information and tools, particularly when it comes to adapting their home. "By getting things right now, the government can give people the confidence to make changes and play their part in getting to net zero."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58320578
     
         
      COVID, natural hazards and climate crisis in Asia and the Pacific expand ‘riskcape’ Wed, 25th Aug 2021 17:31:00
     
      In the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2021, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) described how while dealing with the pandemic, countries in the region have also been hit by multiple biological and natural disasters, such as cyclones, landslides, heatwaves and volcanic eruptions. At the same time, as climate change has continued to warm the world it is also exacerbating many of these disasters. The capacity of disaster management and public health systems to respond to this “expanded risk environment” will determine the recovery path for COVID-19 and beyond, the report argues. Countries must not ‘wait this out’ UN representatives serving throughout Asia and the Pacific met on Wednesday at the seventh session of the ESCAP Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, where they were called on to intensify efforts to prepare for and tackle these complex, overlapping crises and increase the resilience of people as well as economies. “The string of record-breaking weather events show that we do not have the luxury of ‘waiting this out’: Action must be taken now to address these risks”, said Mami Mizutori, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. “This includes increasing international funding for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, especially for countries graduating from the least-developed category”, she added. Despite progress made by many countries in devising more robust systems of early warning and responsive protection, which have led to far fewer people deaths resulting from natural disasters, ESCAP chief Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said, “the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that almost without exception, countries around the world are still ill-prepared to deal with multiple overlapping crises, which often cascade, with one triggering another”. “Tropical cyclones, for example, can lead to floods, which lead to disease, which exacerbates poverty”, she elaborated. Economic impact of ‘triple threat’ Significant economic losses have also resulted from the “triple threat” of disease, disaster and climate change, according to ESCAP. The annual average of disaster-related losses currently stands at $780 billion, which could nearly double, to around $1.4 trillion, in a worst-case climate scenario. At an annual cost of $270 billion, choosing a proactive strategy of adapting to natural and other biological hazards would be far more cost-effective. ‘Paradigm shift’ in disaster risk management The meeting – the first of a four-event series to exchange ideas and solutions to key challenges facing Asia and the Pacific – also highlighted the importance of climate change mitigation and the need for regional countries to advance digital transformations to tackle the dual challenges of climate-related disasters and Covid-19. Accentuating the urgency of building universal resilience against the vulnerabilities that the pandemic has exposed and tackling rising levels of inequality and poverty, Ms. Alisjahbana called for a “paradigm shift” from managing disasters to investing in prevention and the building of resilience.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098412?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=84185bcaaf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_08_25_05_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-84185bcaaf-107499886
     
         
      Climate solutions, changemakers, and celebrities: major UN podcast series launched Wed, 25th Aug 2021 17:19:00
     
      Across the world, young people are refusing to accept the state of the climate, and are fighting to make the planet a better place for them, their families and their communities. However, their stories tend to be overshadowed by the stream of worrying, and sometimes overwhelming, news surrounding climate change, and the real, immediate, dangers it presents to life in this planet. Young activists transforming their communities All the more reason to highlight the fact that, whilst governments and big business need to fundamentally overhaul the global economy, we all have the power to make positive changes to our communities, and influence others to do something similar: seemingly small projects can have big impacts. The activists, engineers and entrepreneurs featured in this series range from a young woman engineer in Kenya using waste to make low-cost building materials, to a social entrepreneur who has built a network for young climate leaders in South America, and the founder of the first fishing school in Greece, training fishermen to collect plastic from the sea. Each, in their own way, is working on initiatives that could be replicated in other countries and regions, helping to solve some of the big environmental problems facing the planet, such as pollution, waste, water shortages and, of course, fossil fuel use. The title of the series reflects the fact that so-called “climate change deniers” have lost the argument: the fact of man-made climate simply cannot be denied any longer. There really is no denying it – we have to tackle the climate emergency. Burning fossil fuels to get energy has to end. It's doable but it's going to take solutions in every industry, at every scale, in every nation in the world. Supporting star-power Every episode of No Denying is narrated by a high-profile celebrity, many of whom are UN Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace. They include the actor Michelle Yeoh, who features in the forthcoming Marvel Studios movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and is best known for roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies Ms. Yeoh has been associated with the United Nations for several years, as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme, where she focuses on empowering the most vulnerable, including women, those living in poverty and those facing disasters and crises. The first episode, released on 26 August, features an interview with Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, elected chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, based in Old Crow, Canada. Mr. Tizya-Tramm is helping Arctic communities to move away from polluting fossil fuels, and become more sustainable, using renewable sources such as solar power. This episode is narrated by Ezra Miller, star of the Fantastic Beasts films, and the forthcoming Flash movie. You can find more information about No Denying It, as well as all episodes, here. You can also find the series wherever you get your podcasts. The 10 episodes of the series, which is produced by UN News and Good To Do Today, an independent podcast production company, will be released every Thursday, beginning 26 August and ending 28 October, on the eve of the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, billed as a crucial step towards a more sustainable world.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098482
     
         
      Gatwick plans to proceed with conversion of emergency runway Wed, 25th Aug 2021 16:17:00
     
      Airport revives proposal for routine use as it seeks to enlarge capacity to a potential 75.5m passengers a year. Gatwick airport is to press ahead with plans to convert its emergency runway for routine use, in a sign that the aviation industry expects demand to rebound in full soon after the coronavirus pandemic. London’s second biggest airport will launch a public consultation next month on a scheme to enlarge capacity to a potential 75.5 million passengers a year – despite still only serving about a quarter of its pre-Covid traffic in August.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/25/gatwick-to-proceed-with-conversion-of-emergency-runway
     
         
      ‘How is it sustainable if only 1% can afford your food?’: the man on a quest to change farming Wed, 25th Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      Chris Newman, 38, and his wife, Annie, 35, always planned to retire with a farm. But after a health scare in 2013, the couple left their jobs as a software engineer and art gallery director to found Sylvanaqua Farms, a 120-acre operation in northern Virginia that produces pasture-raised chicken, eggs and pork and grass-fed beef. Newman has gained a sizable following online for his writing and advocacy, which focuses on producing food in ways that don’t exploit people or the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/25/sylvanaqua-farms-sustainable-food-affordable
     
         
      Oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood says halting new fields would be 'crazy' Wed, 25th Aug 2021 0:12:00
     
      It would be "absolutely crazy" for the UK to stop drilling for new oil, a business leader has claimed. Sir Ian Wood, who used to run a major oil supply company, believes it would be "detrimental, environmentally" to shut down the sector. He says new fields are necessary to stop oil and gas being imported from countries with less strict regulations. Environmentalists say drilling for new oil would be "disastrous for the climate". The claims come amid opposition to the proposed Cambo oil field west of Shetland. Sir Ian suggests any attempt to "shut down" the UK sector without a parallel drop in demand for oil would mean more emissions. The sector has previously argued this would come from the increased transportation of oil to satisfy domestic demand. But Sir Ian also claims the production process in most other countries is much more harmful than at home. For that reason he believes continued drilling and production of domestic oil and gas is a greener option than cutting off supply. In an interview with BBC Scotland, he said: "If we do that we will damage the environment. "If we don't have our own oil and gas we'll have to import it because we just don't have any other resources. "And if we import it we'll have more potent gas and we'll do more damage to the environment - it would be, frankly, absolutely crazy. It would be detrimental, environmentally." Sir Ian Wood is one of the UK oil and gas industry's most respected leaders. He ran the family-owned Wood Group - one of the world's most successful oil supply companies - until his retirement as chief executive in 2006. He then wrote the report Maximising Economic Recovery, which advised ministers on how to extend the lifespan of the sector. Green groups have mounted high-profile campaigns against the development of a new oil field west of Shetland. Siccar Point Energy says it plans to recover 170m barrels of oil from phase one of its Cambo field project. Its application for an oil field development licence is being considered by regulators. 'Disaster for the climate' Greenpeace has said it will mount a legal challenge if the government approves the development. Mel Evans, from the pressure group, said Sir Ian's comments were "a load of rubbish". "New oil would be disastrous for the climate," she continued. "Looking at our own oil production, the UK has an abysmal track record on operational emissions - we're decades behind Norway. "And we already export 80% of oil produced in the UK, so claiming that new oil is needed for our own supply is misleading." The industry body Oil and Gas UK has published a blueprint for how it intends to reduce the carbon impact of its production processes. It plans to be net-zero by 2050 with most of its platforms powered by renewable energy. In his interview, Sir Ian suggests there would be a significant impact to the economy of north east Scotland if oil and gas production ended earlier than planned. He said: "Right now there's 71,000 jobs in oil and gas in Scotland. And if they went out there quickly then these jobs would go. "Not only that, we'd have a massive balance of payments issue as well. "It does not make sense from any point of view. You're better from the economic point of view, from the environment point of view, from the jobs point of view, to carry on the path we're on."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58321884
     
         
      Fire at Mexican offshore oil platform kills five Tue, 24th Aug 2021 19:02:00
     
      At least five people have been killed and six injured in a fire at an offshore oil platform owned by Mexico's state-run company Pemex. Rescue workers are still searching for two people who are missing. The fire also caused work to be halted at 125 oil wells for which the platform provides gas and electricity. The incident comes six weeks after a gas leak in an underwater Pemex pipeline triggered a fire on the ocean's surface in the Gulf of Mexico. The July blaze was dubbed "eye of fire" with footage widely shared on social media. Both that blaze and the one which broke out on Sunday were linked to Pemex's most important oil development, Ku-Maloob-Zaap located in the Gulf of Mexico. The company's chief executive, Octavio Romero, denied that a lack of investment was to blame for the incidents. "There is not a problem of lack of resources. The oil industry is a risky industry. We have had accidents, which in numbers are less than in previous years," he said at a news conference on Monday. He added that this most recent fire had broken out as crews were performing maintenance work on the oil platform. Pemex said production at Ku-Maloob-Zaap would resume by Wednesday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-58315356
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion erects table in Covent Garden Tue, 24th Aug 2021 18:35:00
     
      Extinction Rebellion has built a huge table in Covent Garden as part of its fifth mass protest to demand the government stops using fossil fuels. The protesters put up a 13ft (4m) tall table near Leicester Square and chained themselves to its legs to highlight "that climate breakdown is here now". On Monday evening the Met issued a dispersal order saying the protest at the junction of Long Acre and St Martins Lane had to end by 19:00 BST. Eight people have been arrested. The protest group is planning to disrupt London for days. Campaigners held placards with messages including "Code red, where's the action", while four people were dressed as the sea in a warning over rising sea levels. The Metropolitan Police said it would put a "significant" operation in place to manage the protests over the busy bank holiday weekend but acknowledged the activists' "important cause". The group's latest protest comes after a major science review by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that human activity such as burning fossil fuels was unequivocally driving the climate crisis, causing deadly heatwaves, floods and storms. Kate, who travelled from Dover to lock herself on to one of the legs, said: "I don't believe the government is taking the climate emergency seriously enough. "We've just had the IPCC report that says we're basically screwed. They're not taking action anywhere fast enough. "It may be too late already. I want them to get on board with policy changes that might begin to get us out of the climate crisis." One van driver was seen arguing with police. He said: "I have deliveries to make, I'm not going to be on time. You should be talking to them, not me." Charlie Waterhouse, of the Extinction Rebellion design team, said: "We are inviting everyone in Britain to come to the table and have the kind of grown-up conversations government, industry and the media are refusing. "When those in positions of power are incapable, it is the responsibility of the people to step up. We are in the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced, and Extinction Rebellion are calling for crisis talks."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-58306278
     
         
      How to keep your cool when the office heats up Tue, 24th Aug 2021 18:32:00
     
      I mostly love working from home in East London, with its generally mild weather. The exception is when the temperature rises suddenly, and my 16th-floor flat starts to feel like a baking, heat-trap. As the sun changes position, my workstation has to migrate too: I'll start near a west-facing window in the morning, and gradually make my way toward the east-facing kitchen, propping up my laptop on makeshift stands. During heatwaves, I'm nearly useless between the hours of about 15.00 and 18.00. If I need to work during this period, low-concentration, routine tasks are about all I can handle. I'm actually one of the lucky ones. When it comes to the toll of high temperatures, (which are intensifying due to human-induced climate change), much of the focus is on the elderly, younger outdoor workers, or the vulnerable unhoused. As for indoor jobs, people who do physically taxing work, under time pressure, for instance in factories and warehouses, are much more likely to feel the heat than a laptop jockey like me. From call-centre workers to industrial bakers, productivity lags and health risks accumulate for many employees in indoor environments during spells of hot weather. This hurts their employers and the broader economies as well. For example, one estimate is that by 2100, losses to the urban economy due to increased heating could reach 9.5% in Bilbao, Spain. No one is immune: in London, the financial services, public administration and retail sectors are especially exposed to productivity losses due to high heat. It's not only paid workers who are affected. A study in the US suggested that students' exam results are poorer in hotter years. Some people may actually think that they're helping by continuing to work in the same way during periods of oppressive heat. Together with colleagues, Anna Mavrogianni, who researches sustainable building and urban design at University College London, has investigated London care homes, where there's a mismatch between thermal comfort levels of elderly residents and younger workers. "In some ways they were sacrificing; they were happy to work in these uncomfortable conditions because it was perceived as beneficial to the occupants," says Dr Mavrogianni. But these perceptions, while well-meaning, can be harmful, she says, not just to workers moving around frequently, but also to the people they are looking after - older people with health conditions that make it hard to gauge just how hot it is. Some common-sense measures can help reduce the risks of overheating. One useful example is easing restrictive uniform requirements and dress codes for workers during hot weather. In Japan, where dress codes can be very strict, the Cool Biz Campaign encourages looser attitudes toward workplace clothing in summer. Dr Mavrogianni advises building managers to switch off any equipment that's not in use, like photocopiers, as it all contributes to internal heat. "Surprisingly, it can make a lot of difference," she says. It's also important for individuals to be able to manage their local environments, Dr Mavrogianni stresses. Being able to open the closest windows or to manage temperature settings can hugely improve an indoor worker's thermal comfort. "People tend to be more tolerant of warm conditions if they're able to adjust their environment." Thankfully, for the many people who have shifted to remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic, flexibility in working hours may allow them to orient their days not only around their personal lives, but also around their environmental conditions. Along with flexible working hours, malleable building design can help to keep indoor workers healthy. In offices, workstations that are pushed up against windows could be moved away from sources of heat during the summer. While air conditioning is necessary in some places, it shouldn't be the default everywhere. As energy-hungry air conditioners worsen climate change and will strain electricity systems in some places, climate experts promote more passive cooling options to improve ventilation. Building stock should be better prepared to respond to heat stress overall. Buildings in the UK, Dr Mavrogianni says, were designed to keep heat trapped in buildings. Thus, much more heat resilience needs to be incorporated. Dr Mavrogianni comments that external shades tend to be more effective at cooling than internal shades (although they won't be affordable or feasible for all). In addition, transitional spaces, like shaded courtyards and atria, can acclimatise people to temperature differences between indoors and outdoors. Remote workers shouldn't be overlooked, given the expansion of home-based work during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I think there should definitely be some form of support for assessment for someone's home working environment," Dr Mavrogianni says. For example, companies may be able to negotiate group discounts with energy companies for the renewable energy that powers their home workers' cooling devices. Companies could also support the installation of low-flow and highly efficient appliances for remote workers in drought-stressed locations. Empty office buildings with powerful cooling systems could also be repurposed during heatwaves, so that people can use them as cooling centres. Certain devices, like thermometers and humidity meters, could help as well. Having a thermometer on every workstation, Dr Mavrogianni says, would mean that "people could flag up if there are any issues. They would have the evidence to go back to their manager and say, 'Look, there's a problem that needs to be addressed.'" Poor insulation can become an occupational health issue for home-based workers, in complex ways. Cheryl Holder, who teaches medicine at Florida International University, gives the example of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who was facing high energy bills. "She didn't even realise that the heat was worsening her COPD," Holder explains. "Her house also had a lot of leakage, because poor people also live in poor housing. So when she did run her little air conditioner, the bill went higher, because half of it went through the poor insulation and all the leaks," says Holder. "So there's so many factors, and she didn't quite connect the dots. But she just knew she couldn't pay her bills," she adds. Supporting home improvements and the landscaping around offices can improve the heat resilience of buildings and the people who live and work in them. In humid Karachi, Pakistan, where a devastating heatwave directly caused at least 1,300 deaths in 2015, new housing lacks cross-ventilation. And the city as a whole lacks green space. Installing insulating materials could be a useful employment opportunity to many builders in Karachi. The opportunities extend further - into larger-scale urban design. The UK's Office of National Statistics estimates that in 2018, urban woodlands in 11 city regions saved £229 million in labour productivity, not to mention savings on air conditioning. Ultimately, Dr Holder calls for a change in mindset among employers and policymakers, which would protect workers and the environment simultaneously: "When I protect my worker, it will protect all of us".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58055140
     
         
      Hazelnut shells could be used as potential ‘renewable energy source’, research suggests Tue, 24th Aug 2021 18:24:00
     
      Hazelnuts are delicious, but can their shells be used to create renewable energy? According to researchers in China, the nuts’ shells could be a good biomass source for creating biofuels. The new research focuses on how hazelnut shells respond to the process of pyrolysis – superheating them to between temperatures of 400 to 1,000C, and analysing what remains. The word pyrolysis comes from the Greek terms pyro for “fire” and lysis meaning “separating”. Exploring how different biomass sources respond to this kind of process could lead to new, highly efficient bio-oils which could be used in manufacturing processes such as the production of clean(er) fuels and/or chemicals. In the study, researchers from Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Machinery Sciences in China used pyrolysis to obtain from the hazelnut shells products known as “wood vinegar” and “tar fraction”. Wood vinegar is already often used in agriculture as insect repellent, fertiliser, plant growth promoter or inhibitor, or can be used as an odour remover, wood preservative and as an animal feed additive. Tar fraction could be a substitute for heavy oil for industrial boilers, or it could be used as a liquid fuel for industrial feedstock, the researchers suggested. “After these results, wood vinegar and tar obtained from residual hazelnut shells could be considered as potential source of renewable energy dependent on their own characteristics,” said study author Liu Xifeng. The researchers found the pyrolysis temperature had a significant effect on the yield and properties of wood vinegar and tar fraction in bio-oil obtained from hazelnut shells. Wood vinegar was the dominant liquid fraction with maximal yield of 31.2 per cent by weight obtained at 700C, which the researchers said was attributable to the high concentration of water. Despite the authors’ assertion that “biomass is attracting growing interest from researchers as a source of renewable, sustainable, and clean energy”, there remain concerns about its overall impact on the environment, compared to using renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power. The burning of biomass-produced fuels in industrial quantities can release large quantities of CO2, which if not effectively captured and stored, will enter the atmosphere, worsening the climate crisis. The research team said their work on hazelnut shells “sets the groundwork for further applications of bio-oil from waste hazelnut shell pyrolysis”. The research is published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/hazelnuts-biomass-renewable-energy-biofuel-b1908035.html
     
         
      Climate change: Europe's extreme rains made more likely by humans Tue, 24th Aug 2021 18:16:00
     
      The heavy rainfall behind deadly flooding in Europe in July was made more likely by climate change, scientists say. The floods in Germany, Belgium and other areas killed at least 220 people as towns and villages were swamped. Researchers say global heating made rainfall events like this up to nine times more likely in Western Europe. Downpours in the region are 3-19% more intense because of human induced warming. The dramatic and deadly floods that hit Germany, Belgium and elsewhere in mid-July were a shock to weather forecasters and local authorities. Lives were swept away and houses, motorways and railway lines destroyed by the rapidly rushing waters. The severe flooding was caused by heavy rainfall over a period of 1-2 days on already sodden ground, combined with local hydrological factors such as land cover and infrastructure. To analyse the impact of climate change in events like this, researchers from the World Weather Attribution group focused on the heavy rainfall that preceded the floods. They did this in part because some of the hydrological monitoring systems, which would have given them more accurate information about the floods, were destroyed by the waters. The rainfall data showed that in the areas around the Ahr and Erft rivers in Germany and in the Meuse region of Belgium, intense downpours brought 90mm of rain in a single day. While the scientists found a trend of increasing rainfall in these small regions, making a deduction about the influence of climate change was challenging, as there was also a large amount of natural variability from year to year in the local rainfall patterns. To really see the influence of rising temperatures, the researchers had to broaden their analysis and look at a larger section of Western Europe, including eastern France, western Germany, eastern Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and northern Switzerland. The team found that in this broad region, climate change driven by humans increased the intensity of rain that fell in a one day event in Summer by between 3% and 19%. Rising temperatures also made downpours similar to those that triggered the floods more likely to happen by a factor of between 1.2 and 9. Most rapid attribution studies to date have been carried out on extreme heat events such as the recent US and Canadian wildfires. Working on extreme rainfall events is more of a challenge. "We combined the knowledge of specialists from several fields of study to understand the influence of climate change on the terrible flooding last month, and to make clear what we can and can not analyse in this event," said Dr Sjoukje Philip who's a climate researcher, with the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and part of the WWA team. "It is difficult to analyse the climate change influence on heavy rainfall at very local levels, but we were able to show that, in Western Europe, greenhouse gas emissions have made events like these more likely." The researchers say that in the current climate, for any given location in Western Europe, they would expect a rainfall event like the one in July to happen once in 400 years. With continued greenhouse gas emissions and rising temperatures, the heavy rainfall that brought misery to parts of Europe will become more common. "Our state of the art climate models indicate increases in slow moving extreme rainfall events in a future warmer world," said Professor Hayley Fowler from Newcastle University. "This event starkly shows how societies are not resilient to current weather extremes. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible, as well as improving emergency warning and management systems and making our infrastructure 'climate resilient' - to reduce casualties and costs and make them more able to withstand these extreme flooding events." The study, which used peer reviewed methods, was carried out by 39 researchers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58309900
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, August 24th, and it turns out that banning CFCs was great news for the climate. Tue, 24th Aug 2021 17:57:00
     
      The international effort to preserve Earth’s ozone layer in the 1980s not only shielded the planet from harmful ultraviolet (or UV) radiation, it may have prevented a catastrophic spike in global temperatures, according to a recent climate-modeling study. The authors, led by researchers at Lancaster University in the U.K., explored the benefits of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which phased out the production of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, once commonly used as refrigerants and aerosol propellants. The findings suggest that the global agreement prevented the eventual collapse of the ozone layer, which would have exposed the Earth’s surface to higher levels of UV radiation, damaging plants and decreasing their ability to store carbon. Without the Montreal Protocol, simulations indicate there could have been up to 690 billion metric tons less carbon stored in plants and soils by the end of this century. Global warming would have accelerated in that scenario, not only because of the additional CO2 in the atmosphere, but also because chlorofluorocarbons and similar chemicals are potent greenhouse gases. Those combined effects would have contributed to an additional 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in global temperatures by 2100, according to the authors. “With our research, we can see that the Montreal Protocol’s successes extend beyond protecting humanity from increased UV to protecting the ability of plants and trees to absorb CO2,” said Paul Young, the lead author of the study, in a press release. “Although we can hope that we never would have reached the catastrophic world as we simulated, it does remind us of the importance of continuing to protect the ozone layer.” One group has largely been ignored by research on environmental justice: people with disabilities. However, a new study by Jayajit Chakraborty, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, found that disability status can determine how likely someone is to be exposed to environmental harm. In Houston, disabled people are “significantly” more likely to live near pollution sources like hazardous waste facilities. Last month, catastrophic flooding in Belgium and Germany killed at least 222 people — and climate change made it up to nine times more likely to happen, according to new research. Using meteorological measurements and climate models, scientists found that rising temperatures made the rainfall between 1.2 and nine times more likely to happen, and between 3 to 19 percent more intense. The Texas legislature has allocated 35 percent of a fund intended to reduce air pollution to widen the state’s freeways and ostensibly combat “congestion.” Environmental activists say the funds should be invested in frontline environmental justice communities and the promotion of electric vehicles instead.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/865451846/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Will I still be able to fly in a net zero world? Tue, 24th Aug 2021 17:28:00
     
      How much of an impact on UK lifestyles will the government's goal of net zero carbon emissions really have? A new report says that while the 2050 target will require significant efforts from consumers, these should not result in "massive lifestyle changes". The study from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change says that limitations on flying would need people to cut their travels by plane by 6% by 2035. For cars, the paper says that journeys should be cut by just 4%. Net zero is the phrase that is used to mean that any CO2 emissions that can't be curbed by clean technology by 2050 will either be buried using carbon capture and storage, or soaked up by plants and soils. This new report poses two key questions about that idea - what changes will people need to make in their lives to achieve it, and are they ready to make these changes? The study points out that most of the reductions in emissions to date have been achieved mainly by changing the nature of how we generate electricity. But reaching the UK's legally binding emissions targets for 2030, as well as hitting the net zero figure by 2050, will require "significant behavioural changes from consumers (and voters) across the country". A "politically deliverable" pathway to net zero, the Blair Institute report says, is one that "focuses on a limited number of specific behaviour changes, minimises the need for massive lifestyle changes such as an end to flying or mass conversion to plant-based diets." This view is shared by many environmentalists. "Most of the solutions needed to beat climate change can and should be designed to bring minimal disruption to our daily lives," said Caterina Brandmayr from Green Alliance. "Where some degree of change is required, politicians should be clear with the public about what's needed and make clear the wealth of benefits that would also follow, from cost savings to more comfortable homes and better health." So according to the study, the distance that people fly should be reduced by 6% per person, meaning most will still be able to fly when going on holiday in 30 years time. "I think you'll see changes to aviation by 2050, you'll see sustainable fuels and hydrogen, you'll see electric planes for shorter journeys," said Jess Ralston from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. "Look at what's happened in the last 30 years, we have the internet, we've changed the power system completely. The world is a very different place than 30 years ago, and it will be again in 2050. So I've got no doubt that we'll also still be flying on our holidays in 2050." While the majority may still be able to head for the airport in the decades to come, for a minority it's likely to be a lot more expensive. In England in 2018, just 10% of people who flew frequently were responsible for more than half of all international flights. Just under half the population didn't take a single flight that year. If the government really wanted to make a dent in aviation emissions, many experts believe it would make more sense to tax these very frequent flyers. When it comes to driving the report points out that by 2035 people will need to be behind the wheel around 4% less than they are at present. But the report also says that by then, around 60% of the car fleet is expected to be battery electric, as will all new vehicles sold. This is a significant change and will require huge investment in infrastructure so that people can charge their shiny new EVs. That type of spending might keep costs high. "Alternative technologies will improve the quality of air that we breathe, which in turn, will improve the health of many - particularly as we move away from petrol and diesel forms of transport," said Sir David King, a former government chief scientific adviser and now head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group. "We are already seeing an uptake of walking and cycling among consumers. However, a rapid transition to these alternative technologies requires progressive regulation to drive the transition, and in the short term at least, this will equate to rising costs for businesses." On diet, the Blair Institute report restates the position of the Committee on Climate Change, which earlier this year advised the government that people should eat 20% less meat and dairy by 2030, rising to 35% less by 2050. A key aspect of achieving this change will be economic. "One of the big issues is people can see that meat usually is a lot cheaper than it should be. And therefore, we have an issue of inequality," said Prof Mark Maslin from University College London. "So trying to actually allow people on low incomes to have a more plant based diet is really important." Putting the right incentives in place to nudge people to more climate friendly diets is one thing. Getting them to change their boilers is quite another. The Blair Institute study points out that by 2035 around 40% of homes would need to use low carbon heating systems. This is one of the biggest challenges facing government when it comes to net zero. Recent media reports indicate that the government is growing quite cool on the subject. A full ban on existing gas boilers is now thought unlikely by 2035. Experts say it is worth bearing in mind that some of the proposed replacement technologies such as heat exchangers have added benefits in a warming climate. "With the heat exchangers, of course they do heating and cooling," said Prof Maslin. "So for at least at least a couple of weeks per year now and then probably a month or so in about 10 or 20 years time, you'll be wanting air conditioning in your house or your flat or apartment." Although the Blair Institute report emphasises that major lifestyle changes shouldn't be necessary, some scientists argue that this will only be the case as long as all the other policies to cut carbon are working. So if replacing boilers doesn't go as fast as planned, it may well be that greater restrictions on emissions linked to consumer behaviour may be needed to make up the shortfall.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58284257
     
         
      SP Energy announces new green jobs to 'transform' power network Mon, 23rd Aug 2021 18:59:00
     
      Power company SP Energy Networks has launched a recruitment drive for 135 "green jobs" to help transform the electricity network. The company said the jobs would work to enhance the network and enable the "rapid uptake" of renewables and low-carbon technology. They will be based in central and southern Scotland. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the jobs, along with a new green academy. The New Green Jobs Workforce Academy, unveiled by the first minister at SP Energy's Cumbernauld training centre, is designed to help people find green jobs and learn new skills. Ms Sturgeon said: "To help tackle climate change Scotland is already investing in green skills and attracting new green job opportunities. "It is great to see Scottish Power creating 135 new green jobs in Scotland and I would encourage other employers to follow their lead. "The academy's career advisers stand ready to support individuals interested in these jobs access the right training to help their career progress." 'Greener future' A total of 152 green jobs were announced by the company, with some based outside Scotland. They will be in engineering, construction, sustainability, analysis, safety and environmental planning. Frank Mitchell, chief executive of SP Energy Networks, said: "With less than 100 days to go to COP26 in Glasgow, we're bringing truly green jobs to Scotland to support the country with its ambitions to be net-zero by 2045. "These roles offer a variety of career opportunities in a company that is committed to net-zero and is investing millions of pounds every single day to help bring about a cleaner, greener future." Industry body Scottish Renewables said the academy would help offer a sustainable career path in the sector. Chief executive Claire Mack added: "It also means that Scotland will continue to develop a world-class low-carbon labour market with skills that will be in demand across the globe as other countries follow in Scotland's footsteps to decarbonise their electricity, transport and heating energy demand." Fabrice Leveque, of the conservation charity WWF Scotland, said: "We're particularly pleased to see renewable energy and transport highlighted, as changing our habits in these sectors is key to not only building the workforce of the future, but to helping us reach our net zero emission targets."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-58266921
     
         
      Nature crisis: Talks resume on global plan to protect biodiversity Mon, 23rd Aug 2021 18:44:00
     
      UN negotiators have resumed work on the text of world-wide plan to protect nature and species for the next decade. The draft Global Biodiversity Framework aims to conserve at least 30% of the world's land and oceans. It will also push to eliminate plastic waste and cut pesticide use by at least two thirds. The pact was due to be agreed at a UN biodiversity summit in China this October, but face to face talks have been delayed until April next year. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a UN treaty that has been ratified by 195 countries plus the European Union. The United States signed the agreement in 1993 but has failed to ratify it and remains outside the pact. Over the past three decades, countries have agreed a series of plans under the CBD to protect nature at the global level. More than a decade ago negotiators agreed goals to preserve plants and species, in the decade from 2010-2020. However, the nations of the world failed to fully meet any of the 20 targets which included protecting coral reefs and tackling pollution. Negotiators are now working on a new, enhanced plan that would set goals for the next decade and beyond. The draft of the new agreement has already been published and proposes 21 targets for 2030 including: - At least 30% of the land and seas should be conserved through effective, equitably managed measures; - There should be a 50% or greater reduction in the rate of introduction of invasive alien species, with controls to eliminate or reduce their impacts; - Nutrients lost to the environment should be cut by at least half; - Reduce pesticide use by at least two thirds; - Eliminate the discharge of plastic waste; - Nature's contribution to global efforts to cut greenhouse gases should be increased; - Redirect or eliminate incentives harmful to biodiversity by at least $50b a year; - An increase in the funding for the conservation of nature to at least $200b a year. The framework document had been due for discussion between government ministers at the biggest conservation meeting in a decade in Kunming, China The gathering, known as COP15, was due in October 2020, but has been delayed three times due to the Covid pandemic. There will now be a two-part meeting, with the first element taking place virtually this October. The second part with two weeks of face to face meetings will convene next April in China. It's expected that the key outcome of the October discussions will be the Kunming Declaration. Observers believe it will give an important steer to the efforts to land an ambitious biodiversity treaty. "This document will be the first time that China, as COP15 president, will directly decide a specific political outcome," said Li Shuo, with Greenpeace China. "So the quality of this declaration will be a test for China, I think it will also tell us a lot about China's leadership style, and what they will do in the second half of the COP next year." Experts are concerned that much of the discussion to date has been focused on the question of targets. "If you think about targets, they really only outline the vision of where we need to be in 10 years," said Li Shuo. "The more challenging part is actually how do we get there? You need implementation, you need the rules and the national commitment. To really do the work you also need resources." Another key question that will need resolving in the negotiations is termed the digital sequence of information on genetic resources. This is a highly contentious issue and refers to digital biological data and the sharing of benefits between countries that might arise from the use of these resources. At present it is not covered by the proposed framework, but some observers believe it may form part of the final agreement. "The digital sequence of information and access and benefit sharing is one of those terms that's quite complicated," explained Georgina Chandler from the RSPB. "But it is basically another way of saying resources being mobilised from developed to developing countries, because at the heart of it, that is part of the issue as well. "And we know from countries such as Brazil and others, that they definitely want to see that integrated into the post 2020 framework for there to be an agreement around ambition as well."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58306288
     
         
      What is Extinction Rebellion and what does it want? Mon, 23rd Aug 2021 18:38:00
     
      Campaign group Extinction Rebellion has begun what it describes as two weeks of climate protests in London. It says its "Impossible Rebellion" will "target the root cause of the climate and ecological crisis". What is Extinction Rebellion? Extinction Rebellion (XR for short) describes itself as an international "non-violent civil disobedience" movement. It says life on Earth is in crisis and facing a mass extinction. It wants governments to declare a "climate and ecological emergency" and take immediate action. Extinction Rebellion was launched in 2018 and organisers say it now has groups willing to take action in dozens of countries. The group uses an hourglass inside a circle as its logo, to represent time running out for many species. What are Extinction Rebellion's aims? In the UK, Extinction Rebellion has three main demands: - The government must declare a climate "emergency" - The UK must legally commit to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 - A citizens' assembly must be formed to "oversee the changes" Can its aims be achieved? Reducing CO2 emissions to almost zero in such a short period would be extremely ambitious. Severe restrictions on flying would be needed. Diets would have to change, by drastically cutting back on meat and dairy. And there would have to be a massive increase in renewable energy, along with many other radical changes. But those involved with Extinction Rebellion say the future of the planet depends on it. "We have left it so late that we have to step up in a semi-miraculous way to deal with this situation," said co-founder Gail Bradbrook. However, the group itself doesn't say exactly what the solutions to tackle climate change should be. Instead, it wants the government to create a "citizens' assembly", made up of ordinary people. Its members would decide how to solve the climate crisis, with advice from experts. What are its tactics? On 23 August Extinction Rebellion supporters gathered in Trafalgar Square, to demand the government stops using fossil fuels. Protesters screwed chairs to the ground and chained themselves to one another to show support for nations most affected by climate change. One of its biggest protests was in April 2019, when some of London's busiest routes were brought to a standstill. Some activists glued themselves to trains and to the entrance of the London Stock Exchange. Some marched on Heathrow Airport and others chained themselves. A year later, in September 2020, the group held 10 days of action called Autumn Rebellion across London, Manchester and Cardiff. Across all the previous London protests, the Metropolitan Police has arrested more than 3,600 Extinction Rebellion protesters - for obstruction of the road and other offences, such as criminal damage. Those arrests led to 1,938 prosecutions - of which 73% resulted in a conviction. Extinction Rebellion has also take action around the world. - In Paris, activists scaled the Eiffel Tower and unfurled a banner in October 2020 - Members in Germany blocked roads in Berlin leading to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in August 2021. What have critics said about it? It is not difficult to find people who object to Extinction Rebellion's tactics - from delayed drivers on Twitter to newspaper columnists. Its supporters have been criticised as "environmental fanatics" who plan to ruin thousands of holidays and risk alienating thousands of potential supporters. Ahead of the latest protests the Metropolitan Police acknowledged the activists' "important cause". However, policing the demonstrations has come at a cost. Prior to the August 2021 demonstration, more than £50m has been spent trying to deal with the blockades. Extinction Rebellion says anyone angered by its protests should "find out more about the severity of the ecological and climate crisis". It has also defended causing criminal damage, such as smashing windows. It says such tactics are sometimes necessary and that it is "super careful" not to put anyone at risk. Who supports Extinction Rebellion? Younger people are most likely to agree with its aims, a survey of over 3,000 people carried out after the London 2019 protests suggests. Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 41% either "strongly supported" or "somewhat supported" the disruption of traffic and public transport in London to highlight Extinction Rebellion's aims. That compared with 33% of those aged 50-65 and just 26% of over-65s. It has also received support from public figures, such as the actress Emma Thompson, politicians Diane Abbott and Caroline Lucas and the bands Radiohead and Massive Attack.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48607989
     
         
      It’s Monday, August 23, and a company in Sweden has produced fossil fuel–free steel. Mon, 23rd Aug 2021 16:35:00
     
      HYBRIT, a Swedish company with the mission of creating “green” steel, has done just that. Last week, the venture reported that it had delivered the world’s first shipment of steel produced without using coal to a customer. The breakthrough has the potential to significantly lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from steel production, which currently accounts for around 8 percent of global emissions. The steel was delivered to the Swedish auto brand Volvo, which expects to implement it into its full auto fleet by 2026. Small-scale production of cars made with green steel will start in 2022, Volvo says. The announcement was met with much acclaim from the Swedish government, which helped fund the venture. “I’m happy to be minister for enterprise and energy in a country where industry is bubbling with energy for a [green] reset,” Ibrahim Baylan, Sweden’s Minister for Business, Industry, and Innovation, said at a press conference last week. Rather than using coking coal in its steel-making process, HYBRIT used fossil fuel–free electricity and hydrogen. H2 Green Steel, another green steel venture in Sweden, is planning to build a fossil fuel–free steel plant and sustainable hydrogen facility before 2024. Utilizing hydrogen in industrial processes is a key part of the European Union’s goals of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Flash floods killed at least 22 people and ravaged homes, buildings, roads, and bridges in a rural community west of Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. Parts of Humphreys County saw 17 inches of rain within 24 hours, likely breaking the state’s single-day rainfall record. As greenhouse gas emissions warm the atmosphere, it holds more water, which in turn causes more intense rainstorms and flooding. Speaking of flooding, hurricane season is officially upon us, with two major storms hitting other parts of North America last weekend. Hurricane Grace made landfall in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, Mexico, on Saturday as a Category 3 storm, unleashing “rivers of mud” and killing at least eight people. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Henri flooded communities from New Jersey to Massachusetts with heavy rainfall on Sunday. Bad news for electric vehicle enthusiasts: General Motors is recalling every Chevy Bolt, one of the more affordable electric vehicles on the U.S. market, to replace battery modules at risk of catching fire. The announcement follows a recall of earlier models in November, bringing the total number of Bolts recalled to about 142,000.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/864387438/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Algeria's desperate wildfire fight: Buckets and branches Sun, 22nd Aug 2021 17:22:00
     
      The once verdant mountains of the Algerian region of Tizi Ouzou, peppered with olive groves and coniferous trees, were ravaged by more than 100 forest fires over the past fortnight. The heat could be felt from dozens of kilometres away. At a petrol service station in the province of Bouira, a man working the pump laboured with the suffocating atmosphere. "[The heat] is coming from over the mountain. I've never seen fires like this," he said, squinting into the distance. Forest fires are not a new phenomenon for Algeria, and the north-eastern region of Tizi Ouzou in particular. On the contrary, they are regular occurrences that first responders tussle with almost every year. Yet, in the midst of a heatwave, no rain, and unrelenting gusts of wind, this year's blazes caused extensive damage. Tens of thousands of hectares around the villages of Larbaâ Nath Irathen, Beni Douala and Aït Mesbah were completely engulfed in flames, leaving charred silhouettes of the evergreen trees that used to line the hills. Early reports conclude that this year's fires inflicted more damage to Algeria's forests than all the fires from 2008 to 2020 combined. At least 90 people died fighting the flames, including 33 military personnel who received honourable funeral processions - figures far higher than ever seen before. Despite fighting fires year after year, and boasting one of Africa's biggest military budgets, Algeria does not have amphibious firefighting airplanes. Instead, a handful of Mi-26 helicopters equipped with 1,000-litre buckets and overloaded fire engines tried their best to snuff out the infernos. As a result, the government had to resort to asking the European Union to help out, and, on 12 August, French President Emmanuel Macron quickly sent out two planes. The villagers of Beni Douala joined the fight with shovels, branches or whatever other supplies were readily available to them. "Maybe its passport has expired," joked Fethi Fellah, a young volunteer, when asked if he had spotted a firefighting plane. "Besides the firefighters, no-one has come to help us out," he said, while directing a procession of cars down from the mountain and into the city of Tizi Ouzou, where families were gathered at community centres in makeshift shelters. One such establishment was the banquet hall Le Printemps, hosting dozens of people who had fled their homes. Resilience, desperation and indignation were etched on their faces as they understood that they were left to their own devices. "The authorities have not helped us evacuate, we had to rely on volunteers who went from village to village," said Ines, a volunteer who did not want to share her family name. "They are partially responsible for the elevated death toll. Every year we have forest fires and the proper mechanisms are still not in place," she said. Both Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said that the origin of the forest fires were criminal, while failing to produce concrete evidence for the claims. They blamed separatist groups fighting for self-determination in the Kabyle region around Tizi Ouzou, and also said it would "review" diplomatic relations with Morocco, which it accuses of backing the groups. However, such accusations ignore the fact that countries around the Mediterranean have also struggled with forest fires in recent weeks, including Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and France. Climate change in the region is likely to be causing an increase in the conditions in which wildfires occur. Unfortunately, global warming is not yet a significant part of Algerian public discourse. More than 90% of Algeria's exports are in the hydrocarbon sector, so fossil fuels are integral to the country's strategic interests. During the 2019 presidential election debate, for instance, not once was an environmental agenda discussed by any of the five candidates. Yet the human and environmental losses from natural disasters are becoming just too costly to ignore. Forest fires are not the only symptoms of climate change in Algeria. The Sahara desert, which makes up about 80% of the country's area, is getting bigger. It has expanded by 10% over the past century, according to the Journal of Climate, published by the American meteorological society. Increased desertification disrupts pastoral grazing routes and forces farmers to draw deeper into underground aquifers for water resources. For the already marginalised populations on the edges of the desert, global warming makes daily life in the summertime extremely difficult.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58269789
     
         
      Letters: to halt global heating, we must change our society Sun, 22nd Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      Robin McKie writes of a “society-wide vision” covering policies in transport, power generation, home heating and farming to cut climate emissions (“It’s now… or never”, Focus). Of course we need all of those policies. But what’s missing is the understanding that we can’t have “business as usual with different technology”. We need social innovations, such as a universal basic income to give every individual security, a four-day working week as standard with no loss of pay, which would reduce travel but more importantly give people more opportunities to use their time well in family and community, and a relocalisation of communities and economies. System change, not climate change is the slogan: that you can’t fix a broken society using the approaches that broke it the key understanding. Natalie Bennett, Green peer House of Lords, London SW1 The increase in road traffic in London during Covid, estimated at 30%, remains unaddressed by government. And rather than honour its 2019 election manifesto pledge to spend £9.2bn improving the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals, the government omitted it from the budget. Yet while central government has fiddled, local government has acted. More than 500 jurisdictions have declared a climate emergency. Britain doesn’t therefore need more “plans… with a programme” and “a clear strategy” (“If we want to lead on climate, we must get our own house in order”, Editorial), it just needs urgent action to fund and implement existing plans across the country. David Murray Wallington, Surrey The true cost of Christmas Michael Savage’s article about toy suppliers warning of shortages this Christmas and to “buy now” to avoid disappointment sums up a lot of issues (“Just 132 days till Christmas (and it’s best to buy now)”, News). People in developed nations are conditioned to want stuff and to want it at all costs, considering it an inherent right. Our children are equally conditioned, especially at Christmas. How many times have I heard young kids saying they have “ordered” what they want in advance, even the ones who still believe in Santa? Consumerism is destroying us and, while I realise that for people who have a hard time feeding and clothing their kids all year round, buying stuff at Christmas is an important way to try to make up for other hardships, it could be seen as perpetuating attitudes that need to be addressed. Encouraging parents in August to buy stuff for Christmas in case it runs out is manipulative and damaging. Tracy Larn Popian, France I too braved that bookshop I grew up in the same small Scottish town as Val McDermid and was a regular at the same “utterly terrifying” bookshop, James Burt on Kirkcaldy High Street (“Book bonding – how new bookshops are thriving in spite (or because?) of Covid”, the New Review). The trick to dodging the intimidating assistants was to wait outside until a grown-up was going in and tailgate them, posing as their child; 1960s shop etiquette meant the staff didn’t bother you and you could dodge behind the bookshelves and get a free read in the children’s section. I spent a lot of Saturday mornings doing that. The books and stationery smelled wonderful. Ruth Devlin Nottingham Don’t overburden teachers Peter Hyman’s solution to resolving students’ learning and assessment, varied and holistic as he intends it to be, is not ideal (“Let’s not return to flawed exams. We have better ways to assess our children”, Comment). Imagine the assembly-line experience of setting up a series of micro-assessments and completing all the paperwork to record every microsecond of achievement in the two-year A-level and GCSE courses. Yes, change is needed – but not to replace one tyranny with another. By all means adapt the examination method to the subject topic, but make it light and unobtrusive to liberate the wider educational experience. Take time to consult across the profession to make it more inspiring. Make it workable to avoid demoralising and overworking an already exhausted profession. Yvonne Williams Ryde, Isle of Wight Who needs the Dorchester? While Jay Rayner was blowing £370 on lunch at the Dorchester (“Dismal food and inexplicable prices at this Park Lane pop-up produce an eye-popping dinner”, the Observer Magazine), I went to the Square & Compass in Worth Matravers in Dorset, one of only five pubs to have graced the Good Beer Guide every year since the first edition in 1974. I had a pint of Moonlight from Hattie Brown’s Brewery in Swanage with a vegetarian pasty. Cost: £6. Result: heaven. Roger Protz, former editor, the Good Beer Guide St Albans, Hertfordshire Heat pumps: a caveat Your piece on heat pumps missed one detail when considering the switch from gas boilers to heat pumps (“Warmth from the earth and air: can heat pumps replace old gas boilers?”, Business). The vast majority of us use radiators with our gas boilers and they are designed to operate at 75-80C in the coldest winter weather. Most domestic heat pumps peak out at 55C (and for those that can go higher, the efficiency drops sharply), which means that radiators need to be increased in size when making the switch. At these temperatures, an increase in existing radiator surface area of 80% would be needed and it is the impact of this on installation cost that can often prove decisive. Many houses have already received insulation upgrades to the maximum practical extent (double glazing, loft lagging, cavity fill, etc). If the heating system isn’t upgraded at the time of switching from a gas boiler to heat pump, it’s little wonder that many people have a disappointing experience, as highlighted by a couple of the readers’ accounts in your piece. Dr Chris Underwood Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne Rewriting history Newcastle city council says that it wants to install information panels to interpret the city’s Boer War memorial (“For rightwing culture warriors, to shed light on past conflict is to insult our history”, Comment). But who shall we trust to write it? Should it be the descendants of the soldiers named on its plinth? Or perhaps those successors of the Boers who fought against them? We might leave it to a historian, but what sort? Social? Marxist? Post-colonial? Perhaps a post-modernist who will tell us we can never know anything about the truth of the conflict? Whoever is allowed to write this panel, I foresee that it will provoke as much outrage as the memorial itself does now. Simon Kennedy London NW2 Field of dreams “Innings that other batsmen play in their dreams, Root has begun to play in his sleep” (“Captain relaxes and returns to dream-like state”, Sport). Thank you, Jonathan Liew, for a phrase that will sing to me all day. Jeremy Blundell Rotherham
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2021/aug/22/to-halt-global-heating-we-must-change-our-society-observer-letters
     
         
      'Why I am giving up my home to climate activists' Sat, 21st Aug 2021 17:25:00
     
      World leaders and delegates will have no problems staying in Glasgow during the COP26 summit, despite inflated prices, according to the UK government. But climate activists are having to look to a network of city residents to help them out. Tami Pein is charging just £5 a night for the use of a spare room in her flat in the south of Glasgow. That is in contrast to hundreds of pounds for some similar properties, whose owners are looking to make extra cash from the city being the focus of the world for a fortnight at the start of November. COP26, the United Nations climate change conference, is predicted to bring together tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens from around the world in a bid to reach agreement on how tackle the emergency. Tami, who describes herself as a "passionate community organiser and climate activist", says she feels like COP26 is the most important negotiation of her lifetime. For her, it is important that people from around the world who are affected by climate change can afford to be represented in Glasgow. "We really need to create an accessible and affordable city for these activists because they don't have the means to be able to afford such expensive hotels and B&Bs," she says. Tami does not yet know who will be staying in her room but she will be using the Homestay Network, set up by the COP26 Coalition campaigners, which will allow her to chat with people who might need her spare room. "I completely understand the concerns about welcoming in a stranger into your home but, for me, we have bigger fish to fry," she says. "We've got climate change to tackle here." Martin Johnstone gave me a virtual tour around his third-floor tenement flat and the twin room that has been snapped up by two German activists - whose purse strings, like many younger people, are tighter than most. "It is vital that those who come from the poorest countries in the world and those who represent the youngest people on our planet have a voice," he says. "They couldn't afford to be here unless people were actually willing to open their homes to them." "The cost of accommodation in the city for those two weeks of COP is astronomical if you are going to hotels or guest houses.," he says. Organisers of the Homestay Network say guests and hosts are vetted and given guidance on how to stay Covid safe. Mim Black, from the COP26 coalition, says: "People from poorer countries are totally being priced out of even being able to come to COP. "This can't just be another jamboree for rich people from rich countries to come to another city and make decisions on the future of this planet." The conversation about expensive rooms in the city mirrors a bigger issue that COP26 will have to deal with: inequality. Rituraj Phukan is the founder of the Indigenous People's Climate Justice Forum. He shows me a video taken last year, near where he grew up in the Assam region of India. It shows the devastation of flooding as villagers at Morigaon are marooned. Assam is an early climate-impacted region, Rituraj says. He says the Eastern Himalayas have warmed faster than most parts of the planet and the accelerated melting of glaciers has led to changes in rainfall patterns and increased the frequency and intensity of floods, particularly in the Brahmaputra valley. "During my childhood, we used to have two waves of floods annually," he says. "Last year, we had nine waves in certain places." He is concerned that further global heating will intensify floods, erosion and conflicts. Rituraj wants to come to Glasgow to attend the events that will pop up around COP26 to raise awareness of what is happening in his country. He wants to make contacts with people who may help and use the experience to empower his work back home as an environmentalist. "For too long we have seen the negotiations happening without representation from people who are already suffering the consequences," he says. "People's lives are changing, their culture's are being affected, biodiversity is being lost and these things are not even being documented. "It is important that negotiators at COP26 somehow get to hear the stories of the global south." 'A blessing' Rituraj says his hopes of getting to Glasgow were not looking hopeful, given the prohibitive costs of accommodation. So the Homestay Network was "a blessing". "When I come back I think it will give me more credibility and more power to continue my fight for action," he says. A UK government spokesperson said: "As hosts of COP26, it is of huge importance to the UK there are a wide range of fairly-priced accommodation options available which suit the budgets of delegates attending from around the world. We have been working with our hotel provider, MCI, to make sure this is the case." But as the Homestay Network is currently experiencing a shortage of hosts and a waiting list of guests, there's clearly a need for more cheaper options.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58279470
     
         
      Alpine solar project to help fill Swiss winter energy gaps Fri, 20th Aug 2021 18:52:00
     
      LAKE MUTTSEE, Switzerland, Aug 20 (Reuters) - At a dam 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high in the Alps, construction has begun on Switzerland's largest alpine solar plant aimed at helping the small country secure renewable energy throughout the year. The 2.2 megawatt solar plant project, which developers Swiss energy group Axpo and partner IWB have said makes more environmental than financial sense, is part of Swiss plans to plug the gap left by the phase-out of nuclear energy while also aiming to reach net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. "We have a boom mainly in solar (panel installations) for small houses but not much else here in Switzerland," Christian Heierli, project leader at Axpo, told Reuters in an interview. "The idea (is) to have installations on other places as well, like here on a hydropower dam." When it is completed foreseeably by year-end, the Muttsee site will be the largest alpine solar plant in Switzerland, with nearly 5,000 solar modules producing around 3.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Heierli did not disclose the size of investment in the plant. Strategies to limit the impact of climate change have become divisive in Switzerland, where dry summers, heavy rains and snow-scarce winters are among the expected consequences of unchecked global warming. SETBACKS Under the government's "Energy Strategy 2050", Switzerland plans to increase production of energy from renewables and hydro generation as it phases out nuclear energy, aiming to add 2 terawatts of greener electricity output by 2040. But plans to curtail emissions have faced setbacks at the ballot box, with Swiss voters rejecting in June a trio of environmental proposals, including a new law intended to help the country meet its goal for cutting carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Snags in relations with the European Union, from which it imports electricity especially in the colder months, also mean Switzerland must urgently increase production to meet its winter energy needs. The world's shift towards greener transport through electric cars and other electrified systems will only increase demand, UBS noted in a study. Nuclear power last year generated a third of Switzerland's electricity, while solar-powered photovoltaics accounted for just 3.7% of the electricity used. Fossil fuels still accounted for more than 60% of Switzerland's overall energy consumption. With much of Switzerland's potential for hydropower expansion already utilised and challenges facing near-term expansion of its wind and thermal energy, the country must focus on more large-scale solar projects, Heierli said. The alpine location will let the Muttsee plant deliver half its production during the colder months of the year, when sunlight is generally in short supply in Switzerland. Solar plants at lower elevations produce only around a quarter of their electricity during this latter half of the year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/alpine-solar-project-help-fill-swiss-winter-energy-gaps-2021-08-20/
     
         
      Car use back to levels seen before first lockdown Fri, 20th Aug 2021 17:33:00
     
      Car use in Britain is now up to or higher than before the first lockdown, while the number of people using public transport has lagged behind, data from the Department for Transport shows. The data for cars compares the levels now as a percentage of the traffic on the first week of February 2020. The figures for buses compares to the third week of January, and the data for national rail services is compared to the equivalent week in 2019. It comes as the debate about getting more people on to public transport intensifies. At the start of the first lockdown - the end of March and start of April 2020 - there was between a quarter and a third of car traffic than there had been in the first week of February. National rail use dropped to as low as 4% as the same week in 2019, and bus use outside London to as low as 10%. During the summer 2020, car traffic returned to around 90%-100% of February 2020 figures and didn't drop as low as levels in the first lockdown during subsequent lockdowns. By this summer, car traffic on weekends has consistently been more than 100% of February 2020 levels, reaching as high as 111% on 15 August. Bus and train use has increased since the first lockdown and during this summer, but is still far from the levels seen before the pandemic. Bus use outside London this summer is about or below 60% during the week and under 80% on weekends. Meanwhile national rail use is still less than 60%. Although the statistics are released every week, they are of particular interest at the moment. As the end of the summer approaches, and with the COP 26 climate change conference approaching, arguments about car use are intensifying. Politicians are facing more questions about how to get travellers out of cars and on to public transport. The annual decision on whether to raise rail ticket prices from next year has still to be made. Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "If this shift towards car use becomes entrenched, we will see increased carbon emissions, air pollution and traffic-clogged streets." "With the effects of climate change being felt around the world, it's more important than ever that the government encourages people back onto public transport." Freezing rail fares for next year would be a good start, he said, but added: "We really need to rebalance pricing towards greener modes: it makes no sense that bus and rail fares continue to rise while fuel duty for drivers has been frozen for a decade and the government is considering cutting air passenger duty." The fact that car traffic is now at up to 111% of the comparable week in February 2020 does not mean this is an all time high, however. The analysis of the data says that traffic can vary by plus or minus by 20% over the course of a year. Train companies are operating around 85% of services at the moment. A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, said: "Since the relaxation of restrictions last month we have seen a 10% increase in rail journeys, driven by leisure travel, as more people take the train to see friends and family or to go on holiday. "This is good news because when people travel by train it's more than just a journey, it's part of a clean, fair recovery as leisure travellers by train spending over £100 with local businesses while on their travels." A DfT spokesperson said: "Our Safer Travel guidance is helping people to return confidently to all forms of transport, as we build back better and greener from the pandemic. "We are working with industry experts to make all options of travel sustainable as we strive towards decarbonising our transport network and delivering net zero by 2050."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58274806
     
         
      €100m awarded to German offshore wind to green hydrogen project Fri, 20th Aug 2021 17:19:00
     
      A flagship project that aims to convert wind power to green hydrogen in Germany has received €100m ($116m) in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The H2Mare project aims to establish a new turbine that integrates an electrolyser into an offshore wind turbine optimally for direct conversion of the electricity into green hydrogen. This project will involve the consideration of the entire value creation chain from the wind energy generation and hydrogen production to the conversion of hydrogen into methane, liquid hydrocarbons, methanol or ammonia right up to its use in industry and the energy sector. The goal is to create a significant cost advantage in the production of large volumes of hydrogen which can then be used to decarbonise various sectors of industry. Within four years, H2Mare, comprising four joint projects with a total of 35 partners, aims to lay the foundations for technology leadership and support the achievement of climate targets by reducing greenhouse gas emissions more rapidly. Siemens Energy is responsible for the coordination of H2Mare and is supported by institutes of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy AG, said, “Together with our partners, we want to establish the production of green hydrogen offshore with H2Mare. “We are bringing in our offshore wind and electrification capabilities as well as our expertise in electrolysis. H2Mare unites the strengths of research and industry – for sustainable decarbonisation of the economy and to the benefit of the environment. “We need the support of politics to drive forward innovative solutions for a green hydrogen economy.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/e100m-awarded-to-german-offshore-wind-to-green-hydrogen-project/
     
         
      Greta Thunberg says claims that UK is a climate leader are 'a lie' as UNICEF report finds one billion children at 'high risk' from climate impacts Fri, 20th Aug 2021 15:24:00
     
      Climate activist Greta Thunberg has hit out at the UK, saying it is a "lie that the UK is a climate leader". Earlier this year at the Leaders' Climate Summit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the "UK has managed to reduce its CO2 emissions by about 42% on 1990 levels" - a claim Ms Thunberg has opposed. The 18-year-old said that "if you don't include all emissions then the statistics are going to look much nicer", suggesting things like aviation, shipping, and the burning of biomass have not been taken into account. She added the UK is "very good at creative carbon accounting" but that "doesn't mean much in practice". The climate champion was speaking at the launch of a new UNICEF report, which looks at the impact of climate change on children. Its release coincides with the third anniversary of the 'Fridays for Future' school strike started by Ms Thunberg in 2018. The report found that around 1 billion of the world's 2.2 billion children live in countries classified by UNICEF as being at "extremely high risk" of the impacts of the climate crisis. Young people living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau are identified as being the most at risk, despite the fact these countries are among the lowest emitters of CO2. The report's authors, which include Ms Thunberg, said: "We cannot allow this injustice to continue. It is immoral that the countries that have done the least are suffering first and worst." The report urges global leaders to use the COP26 climate summit being held in Glasgow in November to take the "drastic action required to shift the economy away from fossil fuels".
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/greta-thunberg-says-claims-that-uk-is-a-climate-leader-are-a-lie-as-unicef-report-finds-1-billion-children-at-high-risk-from-climate-impacts-12385672
     
         
      Oil firms made ‘false claims’ on blue hydrogen costs, says ex-lobby boss Fri, 20th Aug 2021 8:44:00
     
      Oil companies have used false claims over the cost of producing fossil fuel hydrogen to win over the Treasury and access billions in taxpayer subsidies, according to the outgoing hydrogen lobby boss. Chris Jackson quit as the chair of a leading hydrogen industry association this week ahead of a government strategy paper featuring support for “blue hydrogen”, which is derived from fossil gas and produces carbon emissions. He said he could no longer lead an industry association that included oil companies backing blue hydrogen projects, because the schemes were “not sustainable” and “make no sense at all”. The government’s strategy for the sector, announced this week, was criticised by environmental groups for taking a twin-track approach, giving equal weight to blue hydrogen and “green hydrogen”, which has no negative climate impact because it uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. By contrast, blue hydrogen is made from natural gas, which has to be extracted from gas fields and then purified by the removal of carbon dioxide, which has to be stored back underground. The process typically fails to capture 10-15% of its greenhouse gas emissions, which would accumulate as production ramps up. Both kinds of hydrogen are much more expensive to produce than conventional fuels, so the government is proposing subsidies. It has launched a consultation to fund the difference between what producers can sell hydrogen for and what it costs them to manufacture it – similar to a scheme already used to drive down costs of offshore wind power. “The Treasury has been told that blue hydrogen is cheap and will take millions of tonnes of carbon emissions out of the economy, which is all they need to hear. It checks the boxes they’re worrying about,” Jackson said. “If the false claims made by oil companies about the cost of blue hydrogen were true, their projects would make a profit by 2030, after starting up in 2027 or 2028, because carbon prices are forecast to rise to £80 a tonne. “Instead, they’re asking taxpayers for billions in subsidies for the next 25 years. They should tell the government they don’t need it. The fact that they don’t tells you everything you need to know.” Jackson said energy companies had made the case for “big, bold” multibillion-pound blue hydrogen projects, which had proved a draw for ministers who were “trying to find ways to show that they really are doing something” to support the green agenda. “They’re desperate to find something to put their hat on. It’s been easy for big energy companies to make the case for blue hydrogen, but we need to show that there is another way. We need to be better at that,” he said. The UK’s future blue hydrogen projects include plans for BP to develop a hydrogen plant in Teesside, and for the Norwegian state oil company, Equinor to build the world’s biggest hydrogen production plant with carbon capture and storage technology near Hull. Jackson resigned from the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association on Monday, saying he could “no longer in good conscience” remain in a role in which he would be expected to hold a neutral stance. “I believe passionately that I would be betraying future generations by remaining silent on that fact that blue hydrogen is at best an expensive distraction, and at worst a lock-in for continued fossil fuel use that guarantees we will fail to meet our decarbonisation goals,” he wrote in a post on LinkedIn. He is the chief executive of Protium Green Solutions, which plans to develop green hydrogen projects. These will be “an essential part of the UK story towards net zero emissions”. “The UK has all the ingredients to be a world leader in green hydrogen, which is an essential net zero technology – we just need the will and support from government to make that happen,” he said. A government spokesperson said investing in both green and blue hydrogen would allow the foundation to be laid for a hydrogen economy that created tens of thousands of jobs and unlocked billions of pounds in investment. “Achieving the scale we need would be more challenging if we just used green hydrogen,” the spokesperson said. “We have always been clear that affordability and fairness are at the heart of our plans to reach net zero, and our hydrogen strategy is completely transparent about the estimated costs for hydrogen technologies, which are all based on thorough analysis.” BP has been contacted for comment. Equinor declined to comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/20/oil-firms-made-false-claims-on-blue-hydrogen-costs-says-ex-lobby-boss
     
         
      Beijing begins to breathe easy as pollution falls Fri, 20th Aug 2021 0:01:00
     
      Beijing recorded its cleanest air in eight years last month, with the level of dangerous particulate matter in what was once one of the most polluted cities on earth almost back to safe levels. The air was so foul in the early 2010s that Beijing officials introduced regulations to clean it. They also began to collect and publicise air quality data after the US embassy started to publish its readings of the city’s air quality on Twitter and made the Chinese public aware of the severity of the problem. In January 2013 the PM2.5 level reached 160 micrograms per cubic metre against a World Health Organisation recommendation of no more than 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/beijing-begins-to-breathe-easy-as-pollution-falls-v5vdfjs9z
     
         
      Climate change: Does Germany produce double the UK's carbon emissions? Thu, 19th Aug 2021 14:27:00
     
      The publication of a major report into climate change - warning of catastrophic consequences if the world does not act to limit global warming - has led to a renewed debate about what individual countries are doing. British Conservative MP John Redwood said the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November would not produce the desired results, unless other nations including China and the US did more to cut their carbon emissions. And he had this to say about Germany on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's only going to work if Germany, which puts out twice as much as we do, starts to take the issue seriously and closes down its coal power stations." So, is he right? What do the figures show? The Global Carbon Atlas (GCA) publishes emissions data from around the world. It says in 2018, the UK emitted 380 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO?) from the burning of fossil fuels. In the same year, Germany emitted 755 MtCO?, about twice as much as the UK, and about 2% of the global total of 36,441 MtCO?. So the figures for 2018 support Mr Redwood's claim, but some context is needed when making this direct comparison. Key differences For a start, Germany is bigger than the UK. It's home to 83 million people, 17 million more than the UK. It makes more things than the UK. Germany is a net exporter - meaning it exports more goods than it imports from other countries - whereas the UK is a net importer - meaning it imports more goods than it exports. Speaking to the BBC, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said: "Germany is a strong industrial nation. We produce and export large numbers of goods that involve energy-intensive manufacturing processes. This makes the transition to a climate-neutral economy even more of a challenge." Manufacturing accounts for twice as much of the economy in Germany as it does in the UK, according to the World Bank (23% of German national GDP, compared with just 11% in the UK). "Germany has a larger population than the UK, so it's not too surprising total energy consumption and emissions are higher, because they have more residential and commercial buildings, and more cars on the road," says Dr Mike O'Sullivan, a mathematician and climate researcher at the University of Exeter, who collects data for the GCA. There's also the question of which emissions you are measuring. Territorial v consumption emissions Climate scientists have two ways of measuring a country's carbon footprint: - Territorial emissions - this is how much CO2 is emitted within a country's borders. It takes no account of emissions generated elsewhere by the manufacture of imported goods. - Consumption emissions - this factors in emissions that come from the goods used or consumed in a country, including emissions from their production and delivery from abroad. So, every time a car is manufactured in Germany and sold to a driver in Britain, the UK's consumption emissions increase, but its territorial emissions stay the same. The emissions from the factory that makes the car would count towards Germany's territorial emissions. But once the car starts its engines in Britain, its emissions also count towards the UK's territorial emissions. A total of 950,000 German-made cars were registered in the UK in 2016, according to the consultancy firm Deloitte. By measuring consumption emissions, experts can better understand how responsible a country is for emissions produced abroad (for example, by another country making the goods which it is importing). On this measure, the gap between the UK and Germany appears smaller. We asked Dr O'Sullivan to calculate the difference. "If we account for population size and traded goods, the UK's emissions in 2018 were eight tonnes of CO2 per person, compared with 10 tonnes of CO2 per person for Germany, so 20% lower, not 50%." Some have criticised the UK - and other countries - for focusing on territorial emissions. These are the basis for the UK's net-zero target and also what countries are required to submit to the United Nations. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has accused the government of "creative carbon accounting". - Is Greta Thunberg right about UK climate claims? - Do governments meet their green targets? "They're falling short by not considering the full scope of how to reduce emissions both inside and outside the UK," argues John Barrett, a professor in energy and climate policy at the University of Leeds. "We need to consider how we could reduce the impact of what we consume, irrespective of whether it was made in the UK or not." When asked about the focus on territorial emissions, a government spokesperson told us: "Our emissions have fallen by 44% since 1990, the fastest of any country in the G7 [group of the biggest economies]". What about coal? The UK has moved significantly faster to reduce its dependency on coal than Germany. According to the Fraunhofer Research Institute, Germany generated 24.1% of its power from coal last year, while the UK was down to just 3.1%, data from the National Grid shows. Germany is currently planning to phase out the use of coal for the production of electricity by 2038, while the British government has promised to close the UK's last coal power station before October 2024. "Unlike the UK, Germany was heavily reliant on coal for far too long and started phasing out coal too late. Our goal is a sustainable, reliable and climate-friendly energy supply" says Ms Schulze. In 2019, the UK passed a law requiring the government to bring territorial emissions down to net-zero emissions by 2050. Germany has committed to reaching net-zero by 2045, five years sooner than the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58148881
     
         
      CFC ban bought us time to fight climate change, say scientists Thu, 19th Aug 2021 14:09:00
     
      A worldwide ban on ozone-depleting chemicals in 1987 has averted a climate catastrophe today, scientists say. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, banning chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, has now simulated our "world avoided". Without the treaty, Earth and its flora would have been exposed to far more of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called it "perhaps the single most successful international agreement". Tortured plants Continued and increased use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) would have contributed to global air temperatures rising by an additional 2.5°C by the end of this century, the international team of scientists found. Part of that would have been caused directly by CFCs, which are also potent greenhouse gases. But the damage they cause the ozone layer would also have released additional planet-heating carbon dioxide - currently locked up in vegetation - into the atmosphere. "In past experiments, people have exposed plants - basically tortured plants - with high levels of UV," lead researcher Dr Paul Young, of the Lancaster Environment Centre, said. "They get very stunted - so they don't grow as much and can't absorb as much carbon." The scientists estimated there would be: - 580 billion tonnes less carbon stored in forests, other vegetation and soils - an extra 165-215 parts per million (40-50%) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere "What we see in our 'world-avoided experiment' is an additional 2.5C warming above any warming that we would get from greenhouse-gas increases," Dr Young said. But similar collective action to limit greenhouse-gas emissions was likely to be much more challenging. "The science was listened to and acted upon - we have not seen that to the same degree with climate change," he told BBC Radio 4's Inside Science programme. The experiment could appear to suggest hope for an "alternative future" that had avoided the worst consequences of climate change. "But I would be cautious of using it as a positive example for the climate negotiations," Dr Young said. "It's not [directly] comparable - but it's nice to have something positive to hold on to and to see that the world can come together."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58248725
     
         
      Race is on to limit extreme weather impact on most vulnerable: Guterres Thu, 19th Aug 2021 14:07:00
     
      “Humanitarian workers are here to help the world’s most vulnerable people when disaster strikes”, the Secretary-General said. “But around the world, aid workers face growing threats. In the past 20 years, shootings, kidnappings, and other attacks on humanitarian organizations have increased tenfold. This year alone, at least 72 humanitarian workers have been killed in conflict zones.” #TheHumanRace This year's campaign for World Humanitarian Day - #TheHumanRace - underscores how climate extremes are wreeaking havoc across the world and overwhelming frontline responders. Mr. Guterres warned that the climate emergency “is a race we are losing. But it's a race we can and must win.” Hosted on exercise platform Strava, participants are asked to clock 100 minutes of exercise for the World Humanitarian Day campaign. “They can run, roll, ride, walk, swim, kick or hit a ball, each action will count towards helping us carry our message to world leaders when they meet at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November,” said UN humanitarian coordinating office, OCHA, which organized the campaign. Honouring the fallen The UN system across the world commemorated the day solemnly and words of support for the families of aid workers injured or killed while helping others. In Switzerland, UN Geneva Director-General Tatiana Valovaya and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet laid a wreath in memory of the fallen, against the backdrop a UN flag all-but-obliterated by the 2003 suicide bombing of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, where 22 UN staff lost their lives. Noting with concern the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan where more than 18 million people need emergency assistance, Ms. Valovaya insisted that aid workers would “remain faithful to their mission of providing vital services to affected communities”. Ms. Bachelet paid tribute to the “courage and commitment” of all those who had been killed in the service of human right, saying "our work breaks down hatred and violence. We are creating better, more resourceful societies – where fewer tragedies occur – but when they do, we equip people to surmount them.” Extreme weather risks Insisting that climate change is the “defining issue of our times”, the UN migration agency (IOM) pointed to the global experience of extreme temperatures, rising sea levels, drought and storms. For World Humanitarian Day 2021, IOM Director-General Antonio Vitorino urged the international community to focus on the vulnerable populations worst-hit by climate change – and the many “climate migrants” that will likely be forced away from their communities. “Last year, more than half of all new displacements worldwide were due to weather-related disasters”, Mr. Vitorino said. “Millions lost their homes, access to food and water and their entire livelihoods due to worsening and more frequent climate hazards”. With additional pressures on humanitarian aid delivery created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOM chief underscored how frontline workers were stretched even further than before. “The climate emergency is a race against time”, he said, urging Governments, the private sector and concerned citizens to help scale up emergency preparedness and resilience building, along with climate change adaptation and mitigation. Syrian woes continue In Syria, where conflict recently flared in the southwest, UN agencies paid tribute to humanitarians under ever increasing pressure there. “We continue to see crisis upon crisis in Syria, with ongoing hostilities, economic deterioration and growing inequalities, and an unrelenting pandemic,” warned the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), World Food Programme (WFP), Population Fund (UNFPA), Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), IOM and the UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis (OCHA). Pointing to the growing impacts of climate change in Syria and the “ever more severe droughts, forest fires and floods”, the agencies emphasized that it was the most vulnerable – and particularly women – who suffered most from its consequences. “This can be seen in the lack of water, food, electricity and livelihoods opportunities for millions and the resurgence of diseases, due to the ongoing drought”, they said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098092
     
         
      Minorities are 'key partners' in saving planet's biodiversity – UN expert Thu, 19th Aug 2021 14:05:00
     
      Under a UN-backed global biodiversity framework draft agreement, countries have agreed to protect 30 per cent of the planet and restore at least 20 per cent by 2030. While acknowledging that the plan is essential to conserving biodiversity, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and environment, David Boyd, warned that it “must not be achieved at the expense of further human rights violations against indigenous peoples and other rural people”. He said that special attention must be paid to indigenous peoples, people of African descent, local communities, peasants, rural women and rural youth – none of whom is adequately prioritized in the current draft plan, despite recent improvements. Natural partners These individuals and groups “must be acknowledged as key partners in protecting and restoring nature”, Mr. Boyd said. “Their human, land and tenure rights, knowledge, and conservation contributions must be recognized, respected, and supported.” The independent rights expert, who was appointed by and reports to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, cautioned against what he called “fortress conservation” approaches that aim to restore “pristine wilderness” where no humans live. This approach has had devastating human rights impacts on communities in these targeted areas, the Special Rapporteur insisted, including on indigenous peoples and other rural dwellers. “Leaving human rights on the periphery is simply not an option, because rights-based conservation is the most effective, efficient, and equitable path forward to safeguarding the planet”, Mr. Boyd said, before urging Member States “to put human rights at the heart of the new Global Biodiversity Framework”. Biodiversity Framework The call came ahead of a UN biodiversity summit, known as COP15, which is to be held virtually in October and in-person next April in Kunming, China. At that time, representatives of 190 Governments will seek to finalize the UN Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The draft text released in July highlighted the need to address threats to biodiversity, human well-being and the future of life on Earth, while seeking to establish a “world living in harmony with nature” by 2050. Maintaining that the Framework agreement does not go far enough to preserve and protect nature and its essential services to people, Mr. Boyd urged States to make rights-based approaches obligatory to conserve, restore and share the benefits of biodiversity, including conservation financing. “It is also imperative that the Framework acknowledges that everyone, everywhere, has the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a right which includes healthy ecosystems and biodiversity”, he said. Healthy biosphere Expanding on his report to the General Assembly last October, “Human Rights Depend on a Healthy Biosphere”, Mr. Boyd unveiled a policy brief calling for a more inclusive, just and sustainable approach to safeguarding and restoring biodiversity. The document outlined the human rights costs and limited efficacy of so-called exclusionary conservation, where local people are viewed as threats to natural ecosystems and kept away. Special Rapporteurs work on a voluntary basis. They are neither UN staff nor paid for their work.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098082
     
         
      Climate change: Families in Wales urged to plant more trees Thu, 19th Aug 2021 14:04:00
     
      Families with gardens should plant more trees, according to the deputy climate change minister. Lee Waters issued the call-to-action as he admitted "we're way behind where we need to be" on tree-planting targets. The Welsh government wants to plant 86 million more trees by the end of the decade. Mr Waters said he would change the process to make it easier to plant trees in some areas, to help meet the "massive challenge". He said the target was "a huge stretch for all of us. Not in my lifetime have we planted enough trees". "All of us have a responsibility. Each family, if they have a garden, needs to be planting more trees in their garden. Local authorities, anybody who owns land, can be thinking where can we plant trees, because trees are good things." While most would be planted in woodland areas, experts have urged local authorities to prioritise tree retention and planting in urban areas too. "We refer to them as the top trumps of green infrastructure," said Mary Gagen, professor of geography at Swansea University. As well as taking greenhouse gas carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, reducing air pollution and supporting wildlife, Prof Gagen added some surprising things to her list. "We know that shoppers spend more money on streets that have large trees - not just trees, specifically large trees," she said. "We know that students concentrate on their work better if they can see trees out of their window." Multiple research studies in cities in the United States have concluded that trees can help the fight against urban crime. One found that for every 10% increase in tree canopy cover, there was a 15% decrease in violent crime. Back in Wales, schemes by the Woodland Trust and Keep Wales Tidy have provided trees for people in towns and cities to plant and look after. Sean Pursey, a councillor in Port Talbot, used the Local Places for Nature project to plant a community garden at a disused end of his local park. He said he had a core of a dozen volunteers, but community support went far beyond that. "We've had neighbours surrounding the area lending us water and people pulling up in the car and offering us plants and tools. It's been fantastic," he said. "There's people stopping and talking to us all the time. We did an open day a few weeks ago and it was great to finally let people experience it." They have planted a selection of more than 100 native trees, including five varieties of apple trees. "The apple trees in particular we're really excited about, they're along the fence line and really visible and I think they're really going to transform the space," he said. "We'll have a bit of shade there and share the fruit with the residents as well." Are they planning some homemade cider as a reward for all their hard work? "We're not really sure yet, they've just started to fruit. So we're going to sample them first and see how that goes!" 'Give planning rules the chop' While planting the right trees in the right place has been welcomed, they do not provide a like-for-like replacement for mature trees on the streets of Wales' towns and cities, said Prof Gagen. She has called for a change in planning rules to make it harder to chop them down. "They are not seen… as being quite the asset that they should be. They are not seen as being an essential service, for example, so you wouldn't be allowed to just remove a post box," she said. "The post box is an essential service, there will be a greater level of planning discussion required in order to change that service, and we should really move to a position where we see large mature trees as an essential service as well." Responding to Mr Waters' call for families to plant more trees, Welsh Conservative climate change spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said: "A decade ago, the Welsh government adopted a target of planting 5,000 hectares of new woodland every year until 2030. "This target was inexplicably lowered to just 2,000 hectares. "If the Welsh Labour government want to be taken seriously on climate change then it needs start actually hitting its own targets. It cannot just shift all the onus from ministers to the public."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58259637
     
         
      To reduce vehicle pollution, a single atom can do the work of several Thu, 19th Aug 2021 13:51:00
     
      Your ride might be a modest one—but if it burns gasoline, you have precious metals on board. To reduce pollution at the tailpipe, gasoline cars and trucks today come equipped with catalytic converters that contain platinum-group metals such as rhodium and palladium. Demand for these metals is mounting as countries around the world seek to lower vehicle emissions that accelerate climate change and worsen air quality. Given that a single ounce of rhodium now costs more than $20,000, it's no coincidence that across the United States, thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise. A discovery by scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Washington State University could help reduce the amount of expensive metals needed to treat vehicle exhaust by making the most of every precious atom. In a study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, researchers demonstrated success in reducing carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions using at least three times less rhodium compared to a typical catalyst. "What we reported here is contradictory to the conventional wisdom that you need rhodium atoms adjacent to each other, in the form of a nanoparticle, to do this chemistry," said Yong Wang, a professor of chemical engineering at Washington State University who holds a joint appointment at PNNL. "We found that a single atom of rhodium can do an even better job of converting pollutants than a rhodium nanoparticle." Converting the conventional The work at PNNL relates to three-way catalysts, named for their ability to reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons such as methane. Nitrogen oxide is one of a set of pollutants known as NOx, components of smog that also indirectly contribute to atmospheric warming. Carbon monoxide in high concentrations is toxic to humans. Within a vehicle's catalytic converter, these catalysts intercept and dismantle such chemical compounds before they reach the tailpipe. A three-way catalyst will convert NOx into nitrogen and carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide. Aftertreatment systems based on such catalysts have been used for decades with internal combustion engines. But in addition to the skyrocketing prices for precious metals to build these systems, another issue threatens to lower their efficacy. As vehicles become more fuel-efficient, the exhaust isn't as hot. That is a problem for conventional catalysts that were designed to work within the high temperatures of older engines—they simply don't work as well at lower temperatures. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has partnered with domestic automotive manufacturers to meet the challenge of designing materials that can convert 90% of tailpipe emissions at 150 degrees Celsius (302 °F), which is considered "low temperature" in the world of emissions control. Such materials must also be stable enough to hold up over miles and miles of travel. Isolating atoms for increased reactivity and stability The PNNL study built on earlier work from Wang and colleagues where they "trapped" single atoms of platinum on a support of cerium dioxide, or ceria—a powder often used in ceramics—by heating the combination to 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 °F). At such high temperatures, floating metal atoms will begin to stick together, reducing their catalytic powers. But in this study, the platinum atoms became fixed to the ceria support rather than each other. These isolated atoms reacted with the target substances more effectively than if they had clumped together. The newer study took this same atom-trapping approach with rhodium. Catalysts with only 0.1 percent weight of atomically dispersed rhodium under model conditions met the DOE 150 degrees Celsius challenge, converting 100% of nitrogen oxide at temperatures as low as 120 degrees Celsius. "Buried in the scientific literature, there are reports from the 1970s showing that isolated rhodium atoms could perform this reaction, but those experiments were done in solutions, and the rhodium atoms were hydrothermally unstable," said Konstantin Khivantsev and Janos Szanyi, PNNL researchers who led the study with Wang. "What inspired us was this new approach to doing atom-trapping at high temperatures. With that, we were able to show for the first time that single rhodium atoms could be both catalytically active and stable." The researchers conducted experiments for the study at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE Biological and Environmental Research program. They used various types of high-resolution imaging, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, to verify that the rhodium atoms were dispersed individually and reacting effectively with carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. Khivantsev, Szanyi, and Wang said that their findings clear a pathway to make cost-effective, stable, and low-temperature catalysts that use rhodium far more efficiently than current ones. The scientists are also interested in extending the method to other less-expensive catalytic metals such as palladium and ruthenium.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-08-vehicle-pollution-atom.html
     
         
      Are We Finally Ready to Tackle the Other Greenhouse Gas? Wed, 18th Aug 2021 18:47:00
     
      ve long felt that one of my great failings as a climate communicator has come in trying to get across the dangers posed by methane, the second most damaging greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide. Despite long years of many people trying to underscore the risks of methane, our go-to shorthand for climate pollution remains “carbon.” That’s why companies and political leaders boast about how much they’ve reduced their carbon emissions, but, if they managed the trick by substituting gas for coal, their total contribution to global warming has barely budged—because natural gas is another word for methane, and because when it invariably leaks from frack wells and pipelines it traps heat, molecule for molecule, much more effectively than CO2. Now, finally, methane appears to be having its day in the sun. A key thing to understand about methane (CH4) is that it doesn’t hang around in the atmosphere anywhere near as long as CO2: its life span is measured in decades, not centuries. While methane is in the air, it traps a lot of heat, but a dramatic reduction in the amount of CH4 would be a quick fix that would help slow the rise of global temperatures, giving us more time to work on the carbon quandary. As Stanford University’s Rob Jackson told me, last week, the best estimate is that methane caused about a third of the global warming we’ve seen in the past decade, not far behind the contributions of CO2. The first way to reduce methane in the atmosphere, of course, is to stop building anything new that’s connected to gas: stop installing gas cooktops and gas furnaces, and substitute electrical appliances. And stop building new gas-fired power plants, instead substituting sun, wind, and battery power. And, as a really important new study by the star energy academics Bob Howarth and Mark Jacobson emphasizes, by all means do not start using natural gas to produce hydrogen, even if you’re capturing the carbon emissions from the process. This so-called “blue hydrogen,” beloved by oil and gas companies, and included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, does not cut global-warming emissions, in large part because of the methane that vents out in the process. If we have to live with some natural gas for a while (and there are an awful lot of furnaces that will take years to switch out), then we should reduce leaks as best we can—a process made infinitely harder by the Trump Administration’s decision to stop monitoring the problem at all. But methane doesn’t just—or even mostly—come from fossil fuels. It’s also emitted by cattle, by rice production, and, naturally, from wetlands. Our actions are making these sources bigger—we’re raising more cattle, for instance, and, as temperatures rise, marshes give off more of the gas. Scientists continue to fear that truly huge increases in methane could come from a warming Arctic, both from thawing permafrost and from underwater methane clathrates, or methane ice formations, which are likely to melt as temperatures rise. (Russian researchers continue to find clues that such releases may be beginning, but so far the spike in methane seems to be coming from other sources.) Given both the threat and the opportunity, some scientists have begun wondering whether there might be ways to scrub some methane from the atmosphere. As with carbon dioxide, you can remove CH4 with “direct air capture,” which uses machines that filter the atmosphere to remove the molecules. But, as with CO2, this is, for the moment anyway, too expensive to do at scale. So a group of scientists at the California nonprofit Methane Action is looking at ways to catalyze reactions in the atmosphere that could transform the methane, and they think they may have found a method that makes use of ship smokestacks. Daphne Wysham, a veteran environmentalist and the group’s C.E.O., explains, “Many ships now burn bunker fuels that contain iron. While bunker fuels are terribly polluting, one positive aspect of the combustion of bunker fuels with iron is that they may be inadvertently enhancing one of two natural ‘sinks’ for methane—the chlorine atom. Our scientists hypothesize that, when bunker fuel is burned, iron particles end up in the smokestack of the ship, and that the mix of iron, sunshine, and salt-sea spray is generating a mixture of iron trichloride and chlorine atoms, which may be oxidizing methane in the ship’s plume. To prove that hypothesis, a crew from the Netherlands plans to measure the chlorine chemistry of these shipping plumes, using special equipment to discover whether or not the methane is being oxidized in conjunction with the chlorine radicals given off by the sea spray.” (An interesting irony: on Friday, James Hansen, the world’s premier climate scientist, reported that one reason temperatures are rising right now is, as we necessarily switch off fossil fuels, the lowered levels of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere result in fewer clouds of smog blocking the sun. It is, as Hansen put it, a Faustian bargain come due. And one place that pollution is being reduced, he says, is in shipborne emissions, as mariners turn to cleaner fuels.) If the Methane Action team’s hypothesis pans out, the scientists, most of whom are European, might be able to figure out how to amp up the scale of the reaction, to remove larger quantities of methane. They have proceeded carefully, getting scores of prominent climate experts to endorse studying the idea—Americans will recognize some of them, such as Michael Mann, of Penn State. (The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the idea a nod in its most recent report.) Mann’s an interesting champion because, like many people in the climate movement, he has been unenthusiastic about the rapid adoption of another experiment that seems superficially similar: plans to “geoengineer” the atmosphere by pouring sulfur into it to block some of the sun’s rays. There are major differences between these experiments. First, as Wysham points out, the smokestack “experiment is already underway, inadvertently, with iron in bunker fuels.” Second, the moral-hazard argument—the idea that, if you block the sun, oil companies will use it as an excuse to keep churning out fossil fuels—seems a little less pressing in this case: methane removal could become a tool for the fossil-fuel industry to keep fracking for natural gas, but most of the methane that must be removed actually doesn’t come from fossil fuels. Job No. 1 is to end the combustion of fossil fuels, and fast; nothing can get in the way of that. But if, while we fight the fight, there are methods to ease the heat a little without tossing Big Oil a new lifeline, those are worth investigating. Passing the Mic Sunrun, the largest rooftop-solar-panel installer in the country, announced earlier this month that it had hired Mary Powell as its C.E.O. After a career making protective outerwear for dogs, Powell ran Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s main utility, where she focussed on sustainability. (Among other accomplishments, Green Mountain is the only utility in the country to have divested its pension fund from fossil fuels.) I wrote about some of Powell’s work in 2015, and got in touch with her again when I heard about her new appointment. (Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.) I served as the C.E.O. of Green Mountain Power from 2008 through 2019. During that time, I liked to think of G.M.P. as the “un-utility” utility. Our whole focus was to provide a low-carbon, low-cost, highly reliable, and more decentralized power grid to Vermonters. G.M.P. was the first utility to help customers go solar and go off-grid, and to provide shared storage services in their homes. We successfully reduced Vermont’s carbon footprint while decreasing customers’ bills. I plan to use my experience to help advance much faster adoption of solar power at the utilities. Fundamentally, it is about shifting from a culture of “no” to a culture of “yes.” We must embrace as much radical collaboration as possible. This isn’t about us versus them; this is about how we can get more renewables on the grid faster to make a more resilient and affordable system for customers. Saul Griffith, in his forthcoming book, “Electrify,” points out that it’s about three times as expensive to install rooftop solar power in the U.S. as in Australia. How are we going to cut those costs quickly? I’m a big fan of Saul and the work that he’s doing to help show people how to transition our energy system away from fossil fuels. In the U.S., we have a lot of what are called “soft costs.” We have more than twenty thousand local jurisdictions across the country, and the majority of them have different permitting requirements for installing solar and home batteries. This is why I was thrilled to see that the Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, recently launched a tool called SolarAPP+, which is a free software program that streamlines and significantly shortens the permitting process, and will save several thousand dollars per solar install. Lynn Jurich, the outgoing Sunrun C.E.O., has been heavily involved with SolarAPP+, and the impact it will have is quite significant. We are encouraging more and more cities and counties to sign up. Sunrun reported record growth in installations this year. What will you need from the government to keep toppling that record each year, and how much of that amount is in the various infrastructure bills? I believe that the best way to fight climate change is to fully electrify our homes, by outfitting them with electric appliances and powering them with on-site renewable energy. This is why Sunrun started installing batteries several years ago and, recently, why we partnered with Ford to develop a bidirectional charger, so that people can power their homes with clean energy day or night. The clean-energy policies that Congress is considering via the budget-reconciliation process represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to deploy the technologies we have today at a pace commensurate with the climate challenge. The investment tax credit, in particular, has been the most important federal policy to deploy solar, and a long-term extension of it will help us deploy more solar and batteries faster. We also hope to see “adder” credits for low-income Americans and residents of disadvantaged communities. Finally, Senator Martin Heinrich has introduced the Zero-Emission Homes Act, which would provide consumer rebates to help decarbonize homes, where decisions are made that account for forty-two per cent of our carbon emissions (according to Rewiring America). Climate School Prospects for a robust climate conclave in Glasgow this November increased last week, when Greta Thunberg, who’d previously planned to stay away, said that she will likely attend, now that U.N. officials have worked out a plan to make sure that representatives from countries where vaccines are scarce will be fully represented. “When these extreme weather events are happening, many say, what will it take for people in power to start acting? What are they waiting for?” Thunberg said, in an interview with Reuters. “And it will take many things, but especially, it will take massive pressure from the public.” Last week, “for the first time in recorded history,” smoke from wildfires darkened the skies above the North Pole. The blazes are in Siberia, and they are bigger than all the other fires currently burning in the world combined. Last week, the Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change explained that the reason his country is expanding a pipeline to carry tar-sands oil to the Pacific is because it needs the revenue to fight climate change. “What we’re doing is saying it’s got to be part of the transition, but part of the transition is being able to raise the revenues that enable you to actually make the investments that are required to go there.” Got that? We’ve reached the point where candidates are running for important jobs based largely on their climate plans. Eric Orts, a professor at the Wharton School, has joined the crowded Democratic primary field for the Pennsylvania Senate seat that will be vacated by the Republican Pat Toomey, and his climate platform couldn’t be much more detailed or comprehensive (or much easier for others to copy from as a template). Scoreboard Every day, there are stories from around the world about flood or fire—this one is about extensive flooding in Douala, the commercial capital of Cameroon. As a local U.N. humanitarian representative told Reuters, “in West and Central Africa the floods have doubled between 2015 and 2020.” When I hear stories like this, I sometimes go and look up the carbon emissions of the people involved, to remind myself of the rank injustice at work. So, for the record, the average citizen of Cameroon emits 0.4 tons of carbon a year, compared with 15.5 tons for the average American. David Sirota and Julia Rock offer a fascinating insight into the new census data: Americans are continuing to move into precisely the places most at risk from climate change, such as Phoenix (which saw an eleven-per-cent increase in population) or the Gulf Coast of Texas, which combines heat risk with the danger of flooding. Sirota and Rock write, “If climate change were an enemy in a war, America is not fortifying our population in the safest places—the country’s population is moving into the areas most at risk of attack.” Amid the gloom surrounding the I.P.C.C. report, the Australian climate activist Blair Palese offers ten reasons for at least a little hope. No. 4: “The EU’s recent announcement of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM, or what’s often referred to as a carbon border tax) is the first real financial mechanism that can be used to punish climate laggards. The idea of green trading zones between climate leaders that leaves laggards behind, sanctions, and, ultimately, FOMO: Fear of missing out on the massive market opportunity of new low-carbon technology are all important. Time to move from threatening with these sticks to wielding them.” Mike Brune announced his retirement as the executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest environmental group in the country. The nonprofit has had three legendary leaders: John Muir, who saved Yosemite but whose white-supremacist views were later condemned by the organization; David Brower, who saved the Grand Canyon; and Brune, under whose leadership the Club helped shut down or block scores of coal-fired power plants. The temptation for directors of big and powerful organizations is to play it safe; Brune was always willing to stand up, even to Democratic Administrations, and hence he played a key role in climate fights, including the battle over the Keystone pipeline. Warming Up Two videos from the Bay Area. Youth Vs Apocalypse are veterans of the climate fight, and their new music video, which includes some divestment advocacy, asks the excellent question “Where’s the Money At?” And watch the San Francisco artist Georgia Hodges painting a massive mural backing the Green New Deal—and figuring out what to do when a counter-muralist daubed “Commie Propaganda” across her work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/are-we-finally-ready-to-tackle-the-other-greenhouse-gas
     
         
      Are We Finally Ready to Tackle the Other Greenhouse Gas? Wed, 18th Aug 2021 15:34:00
     
      ve long felt that one of my great failings as a climate communicator has come in trying to get across the dangers posed by methane, the second most damaging greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide. Despite long years of many people trying to underscore the risks of methane, our go-to shorthand for climate pollution remains “carbon.” That’s why companies and political leaders boast about how much they’ve reduced their carbon emissions, but, if they managed the trick by substituting gas for coal, their total contribution to global warming has barely budged—because natural gas is another word for methane, and because when it invariably leaks from frack wells and pipelines it traps heat, molecule for molecule, much more effectively than CO2. Now, finally, methane appears to be having its day in the sun. A key thing to understand about methane (CH4) is that it doesn’t hang around in the atmosphere anywhere near as long as CO2: its life span is measured in decades, not centuries. While methane is in the air, it traps a lot of heat, but a dramatic reduction in the amount of CH4 would be a quick fix that would help slow the rise of global temperatures, giving us more time to work on the carbon quandary. As Stanford University’s Rob Jackson told me, last week, the best estimate is that methane caused about a third of the global warming we’ve seen in the past decade, not far behind the contributions of CO2. The first way to reduce methane in the atmosphere, of course, is to stop building anything new that’s connected to gas: stop installing gas cooktops and gas furnaces, and substitute electrical appliances. And stop building new gas-fired power plants, instead substituting sun, wind, and battery power. And, as a really important new study by the star energy academics Bob Howarth and Mark Jacobson emphasizes, by all means do not start using natural gas to produce hydrogen, even if you’re capturing the carbon emissions from the process. This so-called “blue hydrogen,” beloved by oil and gas companies, and included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, does not cut global-warming emissions, in large part because of the methane that vents out in the process. If we have to live with some natural gas for a while (and there are an awful lot of furnaces that will take years to switch out), then we should reduce leaks as best we can—a process made infinitely harder by the Trump Administration’s decision to stop monitoring the problem at all. But methane doesn’t just—or even mostly—come from fossil fuels. It’s also emitted by cattle, by rice production, and, naturally, from wetlands. Our actions are making these sources bigger—we’re raising more cattle, for instance, and, as temperatures rise, marshes give off more of the gas. Scientists continue to fear that truly huge increases in methane could come from a warming Arctic, both from thawing permafrost and from underwater methane clathrates, or methane ice formations, which are likely to melt as temperatures rise. (Russian researchers continue to find clues that such releases may be beginning, but so far the spike in methane seems to be coming from other sources.) Given both the threat and the opportunity, some scientists have begun wondering whether there might be ways to scrub some methane from the atmosphere. As with carbon dioxide, you can remove CH4 with “direct air capture,” which uses machines that filter the atmosphere to remove the molecules. But, as with CO2, this is, for the moment anyway, too expensive to do at scale. So a group of scientists at the California nonprofit Methane Action is looking at ways to catalyze reactions in the atmosphere that could transform the methane, and they think they may have found a method that makes use of ship smokestacks. Daphne Wysham, a veteran environmentalist and the group’s C.E.O., explains, “Many ships now burn bunker fuels that contain iron. While bunker fuels are terribly polluting, one positive aspect of the combustion of bunker fuels with iron is that they may be inadvertently enhancing one of two natural ‘sinks’ for methane—the chlorine atom. Our scientists hypothesize that, when bunker fuel is burned, iron particles end up in the smokestack of the ship, and that the mix of iron, sunshine, and salt-sea spray is generating a mixture of iron trichloride and chlorine atoms, which may be oxidizing methane in the ship’s plume. To prove that hypothesis, a crew from the Netherlands plans to measure the chlorine chemistry of these shipping plumes, using special equipment to discover whether or not the methane is being oxidized in conjunction with the chlorine radicals given off by the sea spray.” (An interesting irony: on Friday, James Hansen, the world’s premier climate scientist, reported that one reason temperatures are rising right now is, as we necessarily switch off fossil fuels, the lowered levels of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere result in fewer clouds of smog blocking the sun. It is, as Hansen put it, a Faustian bargain come due. And one place that pollution is being reduced, he says, is in shipborne emissions, as mariners turn to cleaner fuels.) If the Methane Action team’s hypothesis pans out, the scientists, most of whom are European, might be able to figure out how to amp up the scale of the reaction, to remove larger quantities of methane. They have proceeded carefully, getting scores of prominent climate experts to endorse studying the idea—Americans will recognize some of them, such as Michael Mann, of Penn State. (The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the idea a nod in its most recent report.) Mann’s an interesting champion because, like many people in the climate movement, he has been unenthusiastic about the rapid adoption of another experiment that seems superficially similar: plans to “geoengineer” the atmosphere by pouring sulfur into it to block some of the sun’s rays. There are major differences between these experiments. First, as Wysham points out, the smokestack “experiment is already underway, inadvertently, with iron in bunker fuels.” Second, the moral-hazard argument—the idea that, if you block the sun, oil companies will use it as an excuse to keep churning out fossil fuels—seems a little less pressing in this case: methane removal could become a tool for the fossil-fuel industry to keep fracking for natural gas, but most of the methane that must be removed actually doesn’t come from fossil fuels. Job No. 1 is to end the combustion of fossil fuels, and fast; nothing can get in the way of that. But if, while we fight the fight, there are methods to ease the heat a little without tossing Big Oil a new lifeline, those are worth investigating. Passing the Mic Sunrun, the largest rooftop-solar-panel installer in the country, announced earlier this month that it had hired Mary Powell as its C.E.O. After a career making protective outerwear for dogs, Powell ran Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s main utility, where she focussed on sustainability. (Among other accomplishments, Green Mountain is the only utility in the country to have divested its pension fund from fossil fuels.) I wrote about some of Powell’s work in 2015, and got in touch with her again when I heard about her new appointment. (Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.)
       
      Full Article: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/are-we-finally-ready-to-tackle-the-other-greenhouse-gas
     
         
      US lab stands on threshold of key nuclear fusion goal Wed, 18th Aug 2021 14:38:00
     
      A US science institute is on the verge of achieving a longstanding goal in nuclear fusion research. The National Ignition Facility uses a powerful laser to heat and compress hydrogen fuel, initiating fusion. An experiment suggests the goal of "ignition", where the energy released by fusion exceeds that delivered by the laser, is now within touching distance. Harnessing fusion, the process that powers the Sun, could provide a limitless, clean energy source. In a process called inertial confinement fusion, 192 beams from NIF's laser - the highest-energy example in the world - are directed towards a peppercorn-sized capsule containing deuterium and tritium, which are different forms of the element hydrogen. This compresses the fuel to 100 times the density of lead and heats it to 100 million degrees Celsius - hotter than the centre of the Sun. These conditions help kickstart thermonuclear fusion. An experiment carried out on 8 August yielded 1.35 megajoules (MJ) of energy - around 70% of the laser energy delivered to the fuel capsule. Reaching ignition means getting a fusion yield that's greater than the 1.9 MJ put in by the laser. "This is a huge advance for fusion and for the entire fusion community," Debbie Callahan, a physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which hosts NIF, told BBC News. As a measure of progress, the yield from this month's experiment is eight times NIF's previous record, established in Spring 2021, and 25 times the yield from experiments carried out in 2018. "The pace of improvement in energy output has been rapid, suggesting we may soon reach more energy milestones, such as exceeding the energy input from the lasers used to kick-start the process," said Prof Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London. NIF scientists also believe they have now achieved something called "burning plasma", where the fusion reactions themselves provide the heat for more fusion. This is vital for making the process self-sustaining. "Self-sustaining burn is essential to getting high yield," Dr Callahan explained. "The burn wave has to propagate into the high density fuel in order to get a lot of fusion energy out. "We believe this experiment is in this regime, although we are still doing analysis and simulations to be sure that we understand the result." As a next step, Dr Callahan said the experiments would be repeated. "That's fundamental to experimental science. We need to understand how reproducible and how sensitive the results are to small changes," she said. "After that, we do have ideas for how to improve on this design and we will start working on those next year." Prof Chittenden explained: "The mega-joule of energy released in the experiment is indeed impressive in fusion terms, but in practice this is equivalent to the energy required to boil a kettle." He added: "Far higher fusion energies can be achieved through ignition if we can work out how to hold the fuel together for longer, to allow more of it to burn. This will be the next horizon for inertial confinement fusion." Existing nuclear energy relies on a process called fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to produce lighter ones. Fusion works by combining two light elements to make a heavier one. Construction on the National Ignition Facility began in 1997 and was complete by 2009. The first experiments to test the laser's power began in October 2010. NIF's other function is to help ensure the safety and reliability of America's nuclear weapons stockpile. At times, scientists who want to use the huge laser for fusion have had their time squeezed by experiments geared towards national security. But in 2013, the BBC reported that during experiments at NIF, the amount of energy released through fusion had exceeded the amount of energy absorbed by the fuel - a breakthrough and a first for any fusion facility in the world. Results from these tests were later published in the journal Nature. NIF is one of several projects around the world geared towards advancing fusion research. They include the multi-billion-euro Iter facility, currently under construction in Cadarache, France. Iter will take a different approach to the laser-driven fusion at NIF; the facility in southern France will use magnetic fields to contain hot plasma - electrically-charged gas. This concept is known as magnetic confinement fusion (MCF). But building commercially viable fusion facilities that can provide energy to the grid will require another giant leap. "Turning this concept into a renewable source of electrical energy is likely to be a long process and will involve overcoming substantial technical challenges, such as being able to re-create this experiment several times a second to produce a steady source of power," said Prof Chittenden.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58252784
     
         
      Scotland's fishing fleet urged to take steps to go green Wed, 18th Aug 2021 14:14:00
     
      Environmental groups are calling on the fishing industry to take urgent steps to decarbonise the sector. They say they have calculated that the UK fleet emits the same carbon dioxide as 110,000 homes every year. A new report says fishing practices need to change to protect carbon stored in the sea bed. Fishing leaders say efforts to conserve fish stocks show they have already come a long way. The report has been co-written by WWF, the Marine Conservation Society and the RSPB. It says that fishing methods like bottom trawling and dredging are a threat to so-called blue carbon which is stored in the sea bed. Both methods involve dragging fishing gear along the sea floor, which conservationists argue then releases carbon into the sea and ultimately the atmosphere. The report estimates that mitigating the amount of carbon lost from these fishing methods between 2016 and 2050 will cost the economy up to £9bn. Mario Ray, policy and public affairs officer at WWF Scotland, said: "This report makes clear that governments across all four nations must help UK fisheries to re-think practices and modernise to meet the challenge of climate change and achieving net zero. "The ocean is the blue heart of our planet and, when tackling the climate and nature crises, we ignore it at our peril." The report calls for bottom-towed fishing gear to be banned from use in protected areas, which make up more than a third of the UK's waters. It also urges governments to mandate vessels to install monitoring such as cameras and GPS technology and calls for more research into the role of blue carbon. With more than half of all vessels around 30 years old, skippers should be incentivised to switch to cleaner fuels like biodiesel or hydrogen, it adds. Shetland Fishermen's Association chief executive, Simon Collins, has called on ministers to resist the "burgeoning and misguided campaign" being waged on the sector. He said: "There are more fish in the sea than ever and our boats are catching less than they have ever done. "The simple truth is that, like all sectors, we have work to do on reducing our impact on the climate, but we have come an incredibly long way and are already a climate-smart industry when it comes to the impact on stocks, as this research shows." 'Strong, sustainable and resilient' The report accuses governments of ignoring the role played by marine ecosystems in protecting our environment. But with the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change labelled as a "code red for humanity", it says ministers can no longer afford to ignore any sector. The WWF report also calls for an end to fuel subsidies paid to fishermen. A Scottish government spokesman said: "We are wholly committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045 and we have made it clear that sustainability, support for biodiversity and consideration of the wider ecosystem is at the heart of how we manage Scotland's fisheries. "We will carefully consider the findings of this report as we continue to drive forwards a strong, sustainable, and resilient fishing industry as part of our Blue Economy approach, through which we are committed to developing a clear plan of action to understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on our seas."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58246143
     
         
      What’s the mystery source of two potent greenhouse gases? The trail leads to Asia Wed, 18th Aug 2021 13:47:00
     
      The powerful greenhouse gases tetrafluoromethane and hexafluoroethane have been building up in the atmosphere from unknown sources. Now, modelling suggests that China’s aluminium industry is a major culprit. The gases are thousands of times more effective than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere. Official tallies of tetrafluoromethane and hexafluoroethane emissions from factories are too low to account for the levels in the air, which began to rise in 2015 after seven years of relative stability. Seeking to pinpoint the sources of those emissions, Jooil Kim at the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues analysed air samples collected roughly every 2 hours between November 2007 and December 2019 on South Korea’s Jeju Island. The scientists also modelled the weather patterns that transported air across the island during that period, to track the gases’ origins. The results suggest that aluminium smelters in China account for a large proportion of these chemicals in the atmosphere. Semiconductor factories in South Korea and Japan are probably also to blame.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02231-0
     
         
      --Add Article Title-- Wed, 18th Aug 2021 13:29:00
     
      The energy generation of ferroelectric crystals in solar cells can be increased by a factor of a thousand, thanks to a new innovation involving the arrangement of thin layers of the materials, according to a statement from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). Researchers from MLU found that with alternately placed crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate, they could greatly increase the efficiency of solar panels. Their findings are published in the journal Science Advances. Most solar cells are made out of silicon due to its low cost and relative efficiency; however, limits to the material's overall efficiency have led to researchers experimenting with new materials, including ferroelectric crystals. One of the benefits of ferroelectric crystals is that they do not require a pn junction, meaning no positively and negatively doped layers — as is the case with silicon solar cells. However, pure barium titanate, a ferroelectric crystal tested by the MLU researchers, for example, absorbs little sunlight. By experimenting with different combinations of materials, the scientists found that they could combine extremely thin layers of different materials to significantly increase their solar energy yield. "The important thing here is that a ferroelectric material is alternated with a paraelectric material. Although the latter does not have separated charges, it can become ferroelectric under certain conditions, for example at low temperatures or when its chemical structure is slightly modified," Dr Akash Bhatnagar, from MLU’s Centre for Innovation Competence SiLi-nano, explained in the MLU press release. Layered power surge Bhatnagar and his team embedded barium titanate between strontium titanate and calcium titanate by vaporizing the crystals with a high-power laser and redepositing them on carrier substrates. The resulting material was composed of 500 layers and was 200 nanometers thick. The researchers found that their layered material enabled a current flow 1,000 times stronger than measured in pure barium titanate of the equivalent thickness. "The interaction between the lattice layers appears to lead to a much higher permittivity - in other words, the electrons are able to flow much more easily due to the excitation by the light photons," Bhatnagar explained. The team also showed that the measurements remained almost constant over a six-month period, meaning the material may be robust enough for commercial application. Next, they will continue to research the exact cause of the photoelectric effect in their layered material, with a view to eventual deployment at a mass scale. Their work promises to be part of a potential revolution in ferroelectric materials, with possible applications in computer memory, capacitors, and other electronic devices.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/new-solar-cell-innovation-provides-1000-times-more-power
     
         
      How water shortages are brewing wars Tue, 17th Aug 2021 17:01:00
     
      Speaking to me via Zoom from his flat in Amsterdam, Ali al-Sadr pauses to take a sip from a clear glass of water. The irony dawning on him, he lets out a laugh. "Before I left Iraq, I struggled every day to find clean drinking water." Three years earlier, al-Sadr had joined protests in the streets of his native Basra, demanding the authorities address the city's growing water crisis. "Before the war, Basra was a beautiful place," adds the 29-year-old. "They used to call us the Venice of the East." Bordered on one side by the Shatt al-Arab River, the city is skewered by a network of freshwater canals. al-Sadr, a dockhand, once loved working alongside them. "But by the time I left, they were pumping raw sewage into the waterways. We couldn't wash, the smell [of the river] gave me migraines and, when I finally fell sick, I spent four days in bed." In the summer of 2018, tainted water sent 120,000 Basrans to the city's hospitals – and, when police opened fire on those who protested, al Sadr was lucky to escape with his life. "Within a month I packed my bags and left for Europe," he says. Around the world, stories like al Sadr's are becoming far too common. As much as a quarter of the world's population now faces severe water scarcity at least one month out of the year and – as in al-Sadr's case – it is leading many to seek a more secure life in other countries. "If there is no water, people will start to move," says Kitty van der Heijden, chief of international cooperation at the Netherlands' foreign ministry and an expert in hydropolitics. Water scarcity affects roughly 40% of the world's population and, according to predictions by the United Nations and the World Bank, drought could put up to 700 million people at risk of displacement by 2030. People like van der Heijden are concerned about what that could lead to. "If there is no water, politicians are going to try and get their hands on it and they might start to fight over it," she says. Over the course of the 20th Century, global water use grew at more than twice the rate of population increase. Today, this dissonance is leading many cities – from Rome to Cape Town, Chennai to Lima – to ration water. Water crises have been ranked in the top five of the World Economic Forum's Global Risks by Impact list nearly every year since 2012. In 2017, severe droughts contributed to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two, when 20 million people across Africa and the Middle East were forced to leave their homes due to the accompanying food shortages and conflicts that erupted. Peter Gleick, head of the Oakland-based Pacific Institute, has spent the last three decades studying the link between water scarcity, conflict and migration and believes that water conflict is on the rise. "With very rare exceptions, no one dies of literal thirst," he says. "But more and more people are dying from contaminated water or conflicts over access to water." Gleick and his team are behind the Water Conflict Chronology: a log of 925 water conflicts, large and small, stretching back to the days of the Babylonian king Hammurabi. It is not, by any means, exhaustive and the conflicts listed vary from full blown wars to disputes between neighbours. But what they reveal is that the relationship between water and conflict is a complex one. "We categorised water conflicts in three groups," says Gleick. "As a 'trigger' of conflict, where violence is associated with disputes over access and control of water; as a 'weapon' of conflict, where water or water systems are used as weapons in conflicts, including for the use of dams to withhold water or flood downstream communities; and as 'casualties' or 'targets' of conflicts, where water resources or treatment plants or pipelines are targeted during conflicts." Leaf through the records he and his colleagues have compiled, however, and it becomes clear that the bulk of the conflicts are agriculture-related. It's perhaps not surprising as agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater use. In the semi-arid Sahel region of Africa, for example, there are regular reports of herdsmen and crop farmers clashing violently over scarce supplies of water needed for their animals and crops. But as demand for water grows, so too does the scale of the potential conflicts. "The latest research on the subject does indeed show water-related violence increasing over time," says Charles Iceland, global director for water at the World Resources Institute. "Population growth and economic development are driving increasing water demand worldwide. Meanwhile, climate change is decreasing water supply and/or making rainfall increasingly erratic in many places." Nowhere is the dual effect of water stress and climate change more evident than the wider Tigris-Euphrates Basin – comprising Turkey, Syria, Iraq and western Iran. According to satellite imagery, the region is losing groundwater faster than almost anywhere else in the world. And as some countries make desperate attempts to secure their water supplies, their actions are affecting their neighbours. During June 2019, as Iraqi cities sweltered through a 50C (122F) heatwave, Turkey said it would begin filling its Ilisu dam at the origins of the Tigris. It is the latest in a long-running project by Turkey to build 22 dams and power plants along the Tigris and the Euphrates that, according to a report by the French International Office for Water, is significantly affecting the flow of water into Syria, Iraq and Iran. It claims that when complete Turkey's Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi (GAP) could include as many as 90 dams and 60 power plants. (See how dams such as the Ilisu are reshaping our planet.) As water levels behind the mile-wide Ilisu dam rose, the flow from the river into Iraq halved. Thousands of kilometres away in Basra, al-Sadr and his neighbours saw the quality of their water deteriorate. In August, hundreds of people began pouring into Basra's hospitals suffering from rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and even cholera, according to Human Rights Watch. "There's actually two parts to the story in Basra," Iceland says. "Firstly, you have the obvious discharge of wastewater into local waterways without any treatment. But you've also got to consider the damming at the Turkish border – with less freshwater flowing down the Tigris and Euphrates, saltwater is intruding further up the river (from the Persian Gulf). Over time, it's ruining crops and it's making people sick." It's a complicated picture, but this ability to see links between the seemingly disparate has informed Iceland's work with the Dutch government-funded Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership, a group of six American and European NGOs (including the Pacific Institute and the World Resources Institute). They've developed a Global Early Warning Tool, which uses machine learning to predict conflicts before they happen. It combines data about rainfall, crop failures, population density, wealth, agricultural production, levels of corruption, droughts, and flooding, among many other sources of data to produce conflict warnings. They are displayed on a red-and-orange Mercator projection down to the level of administrative districts. Currently it is warning of around 2,000 potential conflict hotspots, with an accuracy rate of 86%. But while the WPS Tool can be used to identify locations where conflicts over water are at risk of breaking out, it can also help to inform those hoping to understand what is happening in areas that are already experiencing strife due to water scarcity. India's Northern Plains, for example, are one of the most fertile farming areas in the world, yet today, villagers regularly clash over water scarcity. The underlying data reveals that population growth and high levels of irrigation have outstripped available groundwater supplies. Despite the area's lush-looking cropland, the WPS map ranks nearly every district in Northern India as "extremely high" in terms of baseline water stress. Several key rivers which feed the area – the Indus, Ganges and Sutlej – all originate on the Tibetan side of the border yet are vital for water supplies in both India and Pakistan. compounds the problem. Several border skirmishes have broken out recently between India and China, which lays claim to upstream areas. A violent clash in May last year in the Galwan Valley, through which a tributary to the Indus flows, left 20 Indian soldiers dead. Less than a month later there were reports that China was building "structures" that might dam the river and so restrict its flow into India. But the data captured by the Global Early Warning tool also reveals some strange trends. In some of the most water-stressed parts of the world, there appears to be a net-migration of people into these areas. Oman, for example, suffers higher levels of drought than Iraq but received hundreds of thousands of migrants per year prior to the pandemic. That's because Oman fares far better than the latter in terms of corruption, water infrastructure, ethnic fractionalisation, and hydropolitical tension. "A community's vulnerability to drought is more important than the drought itself," says Lina Eklund, of a physical geography researcher at Sweden's Lund University. The link between water scarcity and conflict, in other words, isn't as straightforward as it seems. Even where severe drought exists, a complex mix of factors will determine whether it actually leads to conflict: social cohesion being one of the most important. Take the Kurdistan region of Iraq, for example: an area which suffered through the same five-year drought that pushed one-and-a-half million Syrian farmers into urban centres in March 2011. The tight-knit Kurdish community didn't experience the same exodus, discontent, or subsequent infighting. Jessica Hartog, head of natural resource management and climate change at International Alert, a London-based NGO, explains this is because the Syrian government, aiming for food self-sufficiency, had long subsidised agriculture, including fuel, fertiliser, and ground water extraction. When Damascus abruptly scrapped these supports mid-drought, rural families were forced to migrate en masse to urban centres bringing a distrust of the al-Assad regime with them, fueling the bitter civil war that has torn the country to pieces. But if potential flash-points for conflicts over water can be identified, can something be done to stop them in the future? Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all solution to water scarcity. In many countries simply reducing loss and leaks could make a huge difference – Iraq loses as much as two-thirds of treated water due to damaged infrastructure. The WPS partners also suggest tackling corruption and reducing agricultural over-abstraction as other key policies that could help. Iceland even suggests increasing the price of water to reflect the cost of its provision – in many parts of the world, humans have grown used to getting water being a cheap and plentiful resource rather than something to be treasured. Much can also be done by freeing up more water for use through techniques such as desalination of seawater. Saudi Arabia currently meets 50% of its water needs through the process. "Grey", or waste water, recycling can also offer a low-cost, easy-to-implement alternative, which can help farming communities impacted by drought. One assessment of global desalination and wastewater treatment predicted that increased capacity of these could reduce the proportion of the global population under severe water scarcity from 40% to 14%. At the international level, extensive damming by countries upstream are likely to increase the risk of disputes with those that rely on rivers for much of their water supply further downstream. But Susanne Schmeier, associate professor of water law and diplomacy at IHE Delft in the Netherlands, says that co-riparian conflict is easier to spot and less likely to come to a head. "Local conflicts are much more difficult to control and tend to escalate rapidly – a main difference from the transboundary level, where relations between states often limit the escalation of water-related conflicts," she says. Around the world, there's plenty of examples where tensions are high though – the Aral Sea conflict comprising Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; the Jordan River conflict amongst the Levantine states; the Mekong River dispute between China and its neighbours in Southeast Asia. None have yet boiled over into conflict. But Schmeier also points towards one dispute that is showing signs it might. Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia all depend on inflow from the Blue Nile and have long exchanged political blows over the upstream Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project – a dam built at $5bn (£3.6bn), and three times the size of the country's Lake Tana. When the Ethiopian government announced plans to press ahead regardless, Egypt and Sudan held a joint war exercise in May this year, pointedly called "Guardians of the Nile." It has perhaps the highest risk of spilling into a water war of all the disputes in today's political landscape, but there are several other hotspots around the world. Pakistani officials, for example, have previously referred to India's upstream usage strategy as "fifth-generation warfare", whilst Uzbek President Islam Karimov has warned that regional disputes over water could lead to war. "I won't name specific countries, but all of this could deteriorate to the point where not just serious confrontation, but even wars could be the result," he said. Water-sharing agreements are a common way of de-escalating these kinds of dispute. More than 200 have been signed since the end of the Second World War – such as the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, and an agreement between Israel and Jordan signed before their peace treaty. But a more than decade-long attempt by the UN to introduce a global Water Convention on transboundary rivers and lakes has only resulted in 43 countries agreeing to be bound by it. Hartog says modern treaties will likely need to include a drought mitigation protocol, to assuage downstream countries' fears of being cut-off in a crisis and a dispute resolution mechanism, for when things turn ugly. In fact, that would mirror the example set by Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia who, after tensions bubbled to dangerous levels over shared resources in 2000, intensified cooperation via the Orange-Senqu River Commission (Orasecom). In that example, the establishment of shared watercourse agreements and enshrining the principles of reasonable use proved enough to de-escalate the situation. Where it becomes necessary to free up additional water, though, the research consistently suggests that desalination and wastewater treatment are two of the most efficient strategies. Perhaps Egypt is heeding this message. The country's government last year brokered a number of deals to open as many as 47 new desalination plants in the country, along with the world's largest wastewater treatment plant. Although the Egyptian authorities have accelerated construction of the plants, the bulk of these projects not due to be completed until after 2030 and the country's water situation continues to degrade. Hartog believes Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan may need to seek outside help if they are to avoid conflict. "It looks unlikely that the three countries will find an agreement themselves and international diplomatic efforts need to be stepped up to avoid an escalation," she says, adding that pressure is mounting on the increasingly-isolationist government in Addis Ababa. "This might well be the best entry point for countries like the US, Russia and China to join forces to help the riparian countries to secure a trilateral binding agreement." And what of internal conflict? Several smaller nations are blazing their own trails to better manage water. Peru requires water utility providers to reinvest a portion of their profits into research and integrating green infrastructure into stormwater management. Vietnam is cracking down on industrial pollution along its portion of the Mekong Delta, and integrating traditional-built water infrastructure to ensure a more equitable distribution amongst its urban and rural residents. As climate change and growing human populations continue to compound the problem of droughts around the world – such solutions will become ever more necessary to stop conflict and migration. In December last year – more than two years after Ali al-Sadr left Basra – fewer than 11% of households in the city had access to clean drinking water. An injection of $6.4m (£4.6m/€5.5m) from the Netherlands, facilitated by Unicef, at the end of 2020 is now helping to upgrade the city's creaking water infrastructure, but power cuts earlier this summer shut down many of the city's water pumps amid soaring temperatures. For those al-Sadr left in the city, the wider implications of their plight are hard to see when faced with daily problems getting clean water and the city was hit by further unrest in recent months. Until the situation gets better, al-Sadr fears the angry demonstrations will continue. "When I protested, I didn't know what was behind it all," says Ali. "I just wanted something to drink."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210816-how-water-shortages-are-brewing-wars
     
         
      Fuel crisis in Lebanon potential catastrophe for thousands: senior UN official Tue, 17th Aug 2021 15:08:00
     
      Najat Rochdi, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, said fuel shortages are threatening provision of essential health and water services, putting thousands of families at risk. “I am deeply concerned about the impact of the fuel crisis on access to health care and water supply for millions of people in Lebanon. A bad situation only stands to get worse unless an instant solution is found,” she said in a statement. Cutting back operations The fuel and electricity shortages have forced Lebanon’s largest hospitals to reduce their activities. At the same time, public water supply and wastewater treatment systems that rely on fuel have cut back on their operations, leaving millions without access to water, and jeopardizing environmental and public health. Lebanon’s health system is already facing significant threats due to the country’s deteriorating socio-economic conditions, including medication shortages and the loss of hundreds of personnel who have migrated abroad. With another wave of COVID-19 infections looming, the fuel crisis could worsen the health situation as continued shortages may affect delivery of lifesaving treatments, Ms. Rochdi said. Reports indicate that Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients are already a quarter full. As most patients rely on ventilators, the disruption in electricity supply could impact their recovery. Power cuts were also behind a weeklong shutdown at the water authorities in the capital Beirut, and the Mount Lebanon area. Counterparts in the north and south have also faced depleted fuel stocks, sparking rising tensions and insecurity. Restore electricity supply Meanwhile, the country’s chief electricity provider, Electricité du Liban (EDL), has halted main power service lines to water authorities, affecting roughly four million people across the country. Ms. Rochdi stressed that restoring power supply from EDL is critical for the Lebanese people and the humanitarians who support them. “The risks are simply too great. All stakeholders must work together to find a sustainable and equitable solution that serves the needs of all and protects the health and safety of communities,” she said, underlining that the UN and partners stand ready to assist affected populations.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097962
     
         
      UN weather agency: millions affected by climate change and extreme weather in Latin America and Caribbean Tue, 17th Aug 2021 15:05:00
     
      Extreme weather and climate change are threatening the entire region, “from the heights of Andean peaks to low-lying islands and mighty river basins”, the study, “State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2020”, states. Increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, storms and retreating glaciers have all had a profound impact on human health and safety, food, water, energy security and the environment. “Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is among the regions most challenged by extreme hydro-meteorological events,” WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said in a statement to mark the release of the document. ‘Far-reaching and long-lasting repercussions’ Mr Taalas noted the impacts include “water and energy-related shortages, agricultural losses, displacement and compromised health and safety, all compounding challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Concerns about fires and the loss of forests are also raised in the document. Almost half of the area of the LAC region is covered by forests, representing about 57 per cent of the world’s remaining primary forests and storing an estimated 104 gigatons of carbon. “Fires and deforestation are now threatening one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, with far-reaching and long-lasting repercussions,” the WMO Secretary-General added. Feeling the heat 2020 was among the three warmest years in Central America and the Caribbean, and the second warmest year in South America. Maximum temperatures at some stations showed record-breaking values with temperatures up to 10 °C above normal. Widespread drought across Latin America and the Caribbean had significant impacts, including lowering rivers level, the report notes, which have hampered inland shipping routes, reduced crop yields and food production, leading to worsening food insecurity in many areas. Forest loss is an important contributor to climate change due to carbon dioxide release, the study warns: between 2000 and 2016, nearly 55 million hectares of forest were lost, constituting more than 91% of forest losses worldwide. The increased rate of wildfires in 2020 caused irreversible damages to ecosystems, including adverse impacts to vital ecosystem services and livelihoods dependent on them. While it is still a net carbon sink, the Amazon teeters on the edge of becoming a net source if forest loss continues at current rates. Feeling the heat 2020 was among the three warmest years in Central America and the Caribbean, and the second warmest year in South America. Maximum temperatures at some stations showed record-breaking values with temperatures up to 10 °C above normal. Widespread drought across Latin America and the Caribbean had significant impacts, including lowering rivers level, the report notes, which have hampered inland shipping routes, reduced crop yields and food production, leading to worsening food insecurity in many areas. Forest loss is an important contributor to climate change due to carbon dioxide release, the study warns: between 2000 and 2016, nearly 55 million hectares of forest were lost, constituting more than 91% of forest losses worldwide. The increased rate of wildfires in 2020 caused irreversible damages to ecosystems, including adverse impacts to vital ecosystem services and livelihoods dependent on them. While it is still a net carbon sink, the Amazon teeters on the edge of becoming a net source if forest loss continues at current rates. Forewarned is forearmed Greater political commitment and more financial support to strengthen early warning systems and operational weather, climate and hydrological services, are identified in the report, as ways to support risk management and adaptation. Early warning systems can reduce disaster risk and disaster impacts, but the WMO study warns that they are underdeveloped in LAC region, particularly in Central and South America. Mangroves are singled out as an exceptional resource for adaptation and mitigation, with the capacity to store three to four times more carbon than most of the forests on the planet. However, the mangrove area in the region declined 20 percent between 2001-2018. The conservation and restoration of existing “blue carbon” ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes is identified an important opportunity to mitigate and adapt to global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097922
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, August 17, and one oil giant is finally being ordered to shell out money for its pollution. Tue, 17th Aug 2021 15:03:00
     
      More than 50 years after one of Shell’s pipelines ruptured, destroying farmland and marine life essential to people living in the Niger Delta region in southern Nigeria, the oil giant is being forced to pay $111 million to the Nigerian riverfront community affected by the spill. After a 32-year legal fight, the oil company has finally agreed to pay a “full and final settlement” to the Ejama-Ebubu community of Ogoniland in Rivers State within the next three weeks. A federal court ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor in 2010, and Nigeria’s Supreme Court upheld that ruling in 2019, but Shell has resisted complying with the ruling until now. The Niger Delta region is one of the most heavily polluted areas in the world. In the 20 years following Shell’s 1970 disaster — which local farmers believe was caused by company negligence — some 3,000 other oil spills took place in the region. Activists in the country who opposed the oil industry were incarcerated and executed for speaking out under Nigeria’s military dictatorship in the 1990s, but some believe the new settlement might help turn a new leaf. “They ran out of tricks and decided to come to terms,” Lucius Nwosa, a lawyer for the local community, told the AFP. “The decision is a vindication of the resoluteness of the community for justice.” For the first time ever, the U.S. government on Monday declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, triggering water apportionment cuts for Arizona and Nevada starting in January. Twenty-two years of relentless drought have desiccated the river basin, with Lake Mead and Lake Powell at roughly one-third of their historical capacity. Under pressure from the fossil fuel industry, the Biden administration is resuming the sale of oil and gas leases on public lands — at least while it appeals a district court’s ruling in favor of 12 oil and gas industry groups, which sued the administration for its “unprecedented” freeze on leasing since Biden took office in January. During a series of community hearings in 2017, the natural gas industry paid people living near the ports of Long Angeles and Long Beach to support the use of natural gas trucks in the ports instead of zero-emission electric trucks. According to a new investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Floodlight, a natural gas fueling station company called Clean Energy Fuels Corp spent at least $10,000 on the campaign, many of whose paid organizers did not know they were being funded by the gas industry.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/861057824/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Colorado River: First-ever shortage declared amid record US drought Tue, 17th Aug 2021 14:40:00
     
      For the first time ever, the US government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, a life source to millions in the southwest. The supply cuts now ordered by a federal water agency come as Lake Mead, the river's main reservoir and largest in the US, drains at an alarming rate. Officials tied the historic drought to climate change as they announced the water supply reductions on Monday. Around 40 million people in the US and Mexico rely on the river for water. Lake Mead, which was created near Las Vegas after the building of the Hoover Dam, supplies water to Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. The lake is now at its lowest level since it was first formed in the 1930s. Federal water officials predict that by the end of 2021, the reservoir will be at 34% capacity. This first round of water supply cuts triggered by the shortage are expected to mainly affect farmers in Arizona starting in January. Nevada is also expected to shrink its water use starting next year, but state officials say they have already reduced water deliveries. Further cuts could hit next year if Lake Mead's level continues to fall. Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Touton said in a news conference on Monday the decision to enact water cuts was not taken lightly. She said that "additional actions will likely be necessary in the very near future". Most of the Western US is experiencing a historic multi-year drought. A UN report released last week warned that droughts are growing more frequent and more intense as the planet warms. Droughts that typically would occur ever 10 years now happen with 70% more frequency, the report's authors found. Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58248634
     
         
      Is a new oil field climate change hypocrisy? Tue, 17th Aug 2021 13:40:00
     
      The UK government is due to meet the developers of a new oil field west of Shetland later. Scotland Office minister David Duguid said he was "eager" to hold talks with Siccar Point Energy in Aberdeen to discuss the Cambo oil field. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said proposals for the field should be re-examined over "the severity of the climate emergency". With November's COP26 summit in Glasgow approaching, the UK government has promised to take the lead role in what is seen by many as our last, best chance to prevent global temperatures from spiralling out of control. But environmental groups have accused ministers of "hypocrisy" after it emerged that the development of a vast new North Atlantic oil field at Cambo, west of Shetland, could get the green light. Tessa Khan, an international climate change lawyer who founded Uplift - one of a number of groups signing a letter against the Cambo proposals accused ministers of automatically nodding projects through without thinking about their climate impacts. "Boris Johnson aspires to be a climate leader but it requires him to understand the reality of the climate emergency and, crucially, act on it," she says. "This means government needs to stop handing out new drilling licences in the North Sea and stop giving the go-ahead to untouched fields, like Cambo. "And it means coming up with a real plan for phasing out supply while supporting workers to build what could be a globally-significant renewable energy industry in the UK." Ms Sturgeon wrote to the prime minister last week to ask him to commit to "significantly enhancing the climate conditionality" associated with offshore oil and gas production. She added: "I am also asking that the UK government agrees to reassess licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced. That would include the proposed Cambo development." "Such licences, some of them issued many years ago, should be reassessed in light of the severity of the climate emergency we now face, and against a compatibility checkpoint that is fully aligned with our climate change targets and obligations." The first minister's letter came after a UN report issued a "code red for humanity". What is the Cambo oil field? The Cambo oil field is situated approximately 125km (75 miles) to the west of the Shetland Islands in water depths of between 1,050m to 1,100m and it contains over 800 million barrels of oil. While the UK government says the original "licensing approval" for the site dates back to 2001, it is important to note that licence was an exploration licence. Before any oil or gas is discovered in a particular location, such a licence gives companies permission to seek out where it is. An industry expert has told me that there is then a lengthy, rigorous process - which can sometimes take decades - involving the creation of field development plans, environmental statements and many other requirements which require approval from the relevant bodies, before production activity can begin. If approved by the Oil and Gas Authority, drilling at Cambo could start as early as 2022. And the field is expected to produce oil and gas for approximately 25 years. It is this "licensing loophole" that is also causing concern to campaigners. A spokesperson for the UK government's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has responded to the criticisms, saying: "While we are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years, as recognised by the independent Climate Change Committee." The company behind the Cambo proposal is Siccar Point Energy, backed by private equity firm investors. It sees this as an opportunity to create more than 1,000 jobs and even more in the supply chain. "The Cambo development supports the country's energy transition, maintaining secure UK supply," says Jonathan Roger, the company's CEO. "We have proactively taken significant steps to minimise the emissions footprint through its design and Cambo will be built 'electrification-ready', with the potential to use onshore renewable power when it becomes available in the future, in line with decarbonisation targets." The other player is Shell, which has a 30% stake in the project. While a spokesperson told me they were unable to comment on the licence application because Shell is not the operator, they did tell me about the company's overall strategy. They said: "Even the most ambitious scenarios tell us that as the energy system transitions, the world will continue to need oil and gas for decades to come. "Targeted investment will generate cash to help fund the growth of our new low-carbon portfolio." But the group of campaigners protesting against the proposal do not believe this sticks, with Friends of the Earth gaining thousands of signatures on their petitions. 'Huge response' They calculate that in phase 1, emissions alone would be approximately the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 16 coal-fired power plants. They say this contradicts a number of robust targets and recommendations to keep rising temperatures in check, including the International Energy Agency recommendations for no new oil and gas fields from 2021, except those already approved. "The huge response to the open letter shows that the public understand that we must keep fossil fuels in the ground and switch to clean renewable energy," says Friends of the Earth Scotland climate and energy campaigner Caroline Rance. "Both the UK and Scottish governments must end their hypocritical support for drilling for every last drop of climate-wrecking oil and gas, and instead develop a clear plan for winding down fossil fuel extraction while retraining offshore workers and supporting communities affected by this transition."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57762927
     
         
      Hydrogen power offers jobs boost, says government Tue, 17th Aug 2021 13:36:00
     
      Thousands of new jobs could be created by investing in low-carbon hydrogen fuel to power vehicles and heat homes, the government says. Ministers have unveiled a strategy for kick-starting a hydrogen industry, which they say could attract billions of pounds in investment. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the fuel was also essential for UK efforts to reach net zero emissions. He said it had the potential to provide a third of UK energy in future. Because of the current higher cost involved in producing hydrogen compared to existing fuels, subsidies have been proposed to overcome the gap. The government has launched a consultation on this plan. Labour also backs hydrogen's potential, but said the government had failed to invest as much as other countries. Using hydrogen gas as a fuel produces no carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution. It can be used to power fuel cells - devices that generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction - used in a turbine for electricity or burned in a boiler and vehicle engine. As such, it is a low-carbon, versatile fuel that can be used by cars, trucks and trains, heat our homes and generate the power needed for industrial processes such as steel production. The government plans to deliver 5GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, estimating that the industry could be worth £900m and support more than 9,000 jobs by the same date. "Today marks the start of the UK's hydrogen revolution. This home-grown clean energy source has the potential to transform the way we power our lives and will be essential to tackling climate change and reaching net zero," said Mr Kwarteng. "Our strategy positions the UK as first in the global race to ramp up hydrogen technology and seize the thousands of jobs and private investment that come with it." Reaching net zero by 2050 will involve cutting emissions as much as possible and then balancing out any remaining ones by planting trees or burying CO2 underground. The potential role of hydrogen in achieving this target has been highlighted by a government analysis suggesting 20-35% of the UK's energy consumption by 2050 could be hydrogen-based. A low-carbon hydrogen economy could deliver emissions savings equivalent to the carbon captured by 700 million trees by 2032, the government claims. It would help decarbonise polluting industries such as chemical production and oil refining and heavy transport such as shipping and rail. Alan Whitehead MP, Labour's shadow minister for energy and the green new deal, said hydrogen power had a "significant role" to play in decarbonising the economy. But he added: "The belated publication of this hydrogen strategy needs to be followed up with urgent action. That is what we will judge the government on because too many of the Tories' warm words and targets on climate change have not been followed up with practical steps. "It is regrettable that the Conservatives have failed to match the investment shown by other countries and key decisions have been delayed, such as mandating that all boilers must be hydrogen-ready." The government is proposing subsidies for the hydrogen industry along the lines of those credited with driving down the cost of offshore wind power. It will also review the infrastructure - thought by some to be very costly - needed to underpin hydrogen power in the UK. Ministers want a twin-track approach to hydrogen production. So-called blue hydrogen is made using fossil fuels, but its environmental impact can be mitigated by capturing and storing greenhouse emissions underground. Green hydrogen, meanwhile, is made using renewable energy. Though blue hydrogen is not as clean as the green form, it is cheaper. Environmental campaigners say there is too much focus in the strategy on blue hydrogen. Jess Ralston, an analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the government should "be alive to the risk of gas industry lobbying causing it to commit too heavily to blue hydrogen and so keeping the country locked into fossil fuel based technology". This, she added, would make reaching net zero more difficult and costly. Philip Dunne MP, chair of the environmental audit committee, commented: "While the twin track approach proposed, supporting both green and blue hydrogen production, is positive, it is also important that substantial capacity for carbon capture is developed, so as to avert release of damaging emissions currently created in blue hydrogen production." In fact, one study by researchers in the US has suggested that blue hydrogen could release more carbon than burning natural gas. Dr Jan Rosenow, from the Regulatory Assistance Project, an organisation dedicated towards accelerating the transition to clean energy, said: "As the strategy admits, there won't be significant quantities of low-carbon hydrogen for some time. We need to use it where there are few alternatives and not as a like-for-like replacement of gas. He said the plan confirmed that "hydrogen for heating our homes will not play a significant role before 2030. The government's strategy shows that less than 0.2% of all homes are expected to use hydrogen to keep warm in the next decade. This means that for reducing emissions this decade, hydrogen will play only a very marginal role. "But we cannot wait until 2030 before bringing down emissions from heating. The urgency of the climate crisis requires bold policy action now."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58238367
     
         
      Climate bill will be ruination of NI agriculture, says UFU Mon, 16th Aug 2021 13:32:00
     
      The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has said a climate bill supported by most of the Stormont parties will be the "ruination" of the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland. The bill sets a binding target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. The union commissioned a report into the effect the bill's target would have on agriculture. The report, carried out by KPMG, projects that the target could lead to the loss of 13,000 jobs. It also warns of a huge cut to livestock numbers and the loss of billions of pounds in economic output. The legislation was drafted by an organisation called Climate Coalition NI and is being taken forward in the name of Green Party leader Clare Bailey. Ms Bailey said she understood the concerns that farmers had but did not believe the effect of her bill would be as harsh as the report suggested. It is supported by Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists, the Alliance Party, the SDLP and a number of independents - only the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has not signed up. Victor Chestnutt, the UFU president, said the report was shocking and that it showed the "rural way of life will disappear beyond recognition". "Farmers are going to have to change to address climate change to reduce our emissions on farm - we fully take that on board," he said. "But doing it in the way of the private member's bill will cause complete wipe out to our rural communities. "An 86% reduction in cattle and sheep production would completely decimate Northern Ireland's agri-economy. 'Make global problem worse' Another climate bill being taken forward by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots sets a lower target of an 82% cut in emissions by 2050. Mr Chestnutt said the earlier deadline and the more ambitious target in the private member's bill would have a huge impact on farmers. "The targets for 2050 are very challenging but to try to speed that up, to try to reduce our emissions even more so at a faster rate, would completely wipe our industry out. "The problem is that this will mean that we off-shore our emissions - food will have to brought in from the rest of the world. "So importing will add to the pressure on climate change rather than take away from it. "We need to make sure that we get our targets right because we will just cause carbon leakage, which would make the global problem even worse." 'Start building sustainability' Ms Bailey said there was limited data available for drawing up a report such as that commissioned by the UFU. "This report is analysing the Climate Change Commission's limited projections because of our lack of baseline figures in Northern Ireland," she said. "There are a lot of other alternatives that we need to be looking at as well to mitigate against such drastic herd reductions. "Agroecology, for example, nature friendly farming, for example - all these things need to be factored in. "And the report shows that we have a long way to go to get the information we need to start building sustainable pathways for the future."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58226642
     
         
      FROM THE FIELD: Human ‘damage’ on the front-line of the climate crisis Mon, 16th Aug 2021 12:56:00
     
      OCHA says that “time is running out for millions of people who are already losing their lives, their homes and their livelihoods” due to “extreme weather” that is “decimating” communities across the globe. The majority of those people live in some of the poorest countries in the world, which are the least to blame for the emissions of harmful greenhouse gasses that are driving climate change. Ahead of World Humanitarian Day marked annually on 19 August, read more here about the people directly affected by climate change, from Africa to Asia and Central America.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097912
     
         
      Renewable electricity deals investigated by UK government Sun, 15th Aug 2021 22:30:00
     
      The UK government has launched an investigation into renewable electricity deals amid growing concern over the extent of “greenwashing” by large energy firms claiming to offer environmental benefits to customers. In a crackdown as increasing numbers of people switch to a renewable energy deal, the government said it would review how the sector markets its green electricity tariffs to consumers. Warning that it planned to tighten the rules to stop firms from exaggerating the environmental benefits of their green electricity tariffs – a marketing tactic known as greenwashing – the business department said the investigation would focus on whether labels such as “100% renewable” or “green” remained fit for purpose. As many as nine million British households are on green tariffs, with more than half of all new deals launched by energy providers now claimed to come with environmental benefits. However, firms are currently able to advertise their tariffs as “green” even if some of the energy they supply comes from fossil fuels, which industry figures have warned risks misleading consumers. Suppliers can use several ways to achieve green status under the current rules, including through committing to use 100% of the income from their customers to invest in developing renewable energy or by striking a deal with an existing windfarm or solar array to buy the electricity they produce. Under a government scheme, energy firms buy certificates known as Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin, which are designed to show consumers how much of the electricity they sell has been acquired from clean sources. When a supplier claims that its 100% renewable energy tariff is backed in this way, it means it will match each megawatt of electricity its customers use with certificates representing the same amount of renewable energy. However, experts have warned the system is open loopholes that risk “double counting” the UK’s renewable energy supply use or even claiming foreign renewables as its own. The government said it was considering whether to reform the Rego system to make it “smarter”. Energy suppliers could also be forced to provide clearer information to consumers about their green tariffs, including the type of renewable energy used, such as wind or solar, and where and when the renewable power was generated. Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the energy minister, said there were concerns that some energy companies were overstating how environmentally friendly their products were. “Millions of UK households are choosing to make the green switch, and more and more of our energy comes from renewables. But I want people to know that when they sign up to a green tariff, they are investing in companies that make a conscious choice to invest in renewable energy. Part of that is ensuring companies are being as transparent as possible on where their power comes from,” she said. The business department said polling by YouGov showed that almost two-thirds (62%) of UK energy consumers said their purchasing decisions were influenced by how eco-friendly an energy tariff was. However, 75% believed suppliers should be open and transparent about their tariffs, including how much of their renewable energy they buy from other companies. The company Good Energy is one of those that has been a vocal critic of greenwash tariffs. In April this year it said energy suppliers had for some time been able to “mislead” customers who were trying to do the right thing in choosing green. The government is also publishing a separate call for evidence on “third-party intermediaries” in the retail energy market, such as price comparison websites, auto-switching services and other brokers. At the moment, these operate outside the retail market rules, and ministers will ask for views on whether a regulatory framework is needed. Consumer protection advocates and price comparison services have also called for greater transparency around suppliers who market their tariffs as green. Richard Neudegg, the head of regulation at Uswitch.com, the comparison service, said: “More and more people are purchasing green tariffs but it’s been difficult for bill payers to know exactly what’s under the hood of these deals. We support any measures that aim to demystify green tariffs for households.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/aug/15/renewable-electricity-deals-investigated-by-uk-government
     
         
      Germany ‘set for biggest rise in greenhouse gases for 30 years’ Sun, 15th Aug 2021 12:50:00
     
      Germany is forecast to record its biggest rise in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 this year as the economy rebounds from the pandemic-related downturn, according to a report by an environmental thinktank. Berlin-based Agora Energiewende said the country’s emissions would probably rise by the equivalent of 47m tons of carbon dioxide. The increase means Germany’s emissions will be about 37% lower than in 1990. It had aimed to cut emissions by 40% by 2020, and met the target last year but only due to the economic downturn. The government recently pledged to increase efforts to combat climate change and reduce emissions to net zero by 2045. The report draws on data from the first half of 2021 to forecast total emissions equivalent to 760-812m tons of CO2 for the full year. It also shows a significant increase in consumption of fossil fuels across the building, industrial and transport sectors. If confirmed, the German government will be required by law to introduce urgent measures to reduce those sectoral emissions. Agora Energiewende receives its funding from environmental groups such as the European Climate Foundation, and the German government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/15/germany-set-for-biggest-rise-in-greenhouse-gases-for-30-years
     
         
      It’s now or never: Scientists warn time of reckoning has come for the planet Sun, 15th Aug 2021 8:00:00
     
      At the end of the 60s sci-fi classic, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, the camera pans across the Daily Express case room to a front page proof hanging on a wall. “Earth Saved”, screams the headline. The camera pans. “Earth Doomed”, announces the proof beside it. The head printer looks baffled. Which page will he be told to select? We never find out, for the film concludes without revealing the fate of our planet whose rotation has been sent spiralling out of control by simultaneous Soviet and US atom bomb tests. All we know is that Earth’s fate hangs in the balance thanks to human stupidity. Such a vision may be the stuff of popular entertainment but it comes uncomfortably close to our own uncertain future, as highlighted last week by an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which effectively announced “a code red” warning for our species. Unequivocal evidence showed greenhouse gas emissions were propelling us towards a calamitous fiery future triggered by extreme climate change, it announced. Only urgent reductions of fossil fuel emissions can hope to save us. It was a vision vividly endorsed by scientists, normally the most circumspect of commentators about world events. “Our future climate could well become some kind of hell on Earth,” said Prof Tim Palmer, of Oxford University. Or, as Prof Dave Reay, executive director of Edinburgh University’s Climate Change Institute, put it: “This is not just another scientific report. This is hell and high water writ large.” Certainly the numbers outlined in the report were stark and strikingly emphatic in comparison with past, far more cautious, IPCC offerings. As it makes clear, humans have pumped around 2,400bn tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since 1850, creating concentrations of the gas that have not been seen on Earth in the last 2 million years. Heatwaves and the heavy rains that cause flooding have become more intense and more frequent since the 1950s in most parts of the world, and climate change is now affecting all inhabited regions of the planet. Drought is increasing in many places and it is more than 66% likely that numbers of major hurricanes and typhoons have risen since the 1970s. “If there was still a need for a proof that climate changes is caused by human activities, then this is the report that provides it,” said Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia. And the consequences of humanity’s massive act of atmospheric interference are now clear: what is hot today will become hotter tomorrow; extreme floods will become more frequent, wildfires more dangerous and deadly droughts more widespread. In short, things can only get worse. Indeed, by the end of the century they could become threatening to civilisation if emissions are allowed to continue at their present rate. “That might seem like a long way away but there are millions of children already born who should be alive well into the 22nd century,” added Prof Jonathan Bamber of Bristol University, another report author. In fact, they could become utterly catastrophic with the occurrence of world-changing events – such as continent-wide forest die-backs or collapsing Antarctic ice sheets, says Prof Andrew Watson of Edinburgh University. “The IPCC report gives a comprehensive update on the knowns of climate change, and that makes for grim reading. But it also makes the point that climate models don’t include ‘low probability-high impact’ events, such as drastic changes in ocean circulation, that also become more likely the more the climate is changed. These ‘known unknowns’ are scarier still.” The new IPCC report is certainly a very different, uncompromising document compared with previous versions, as meteorologist Keith Shine of Reading University pointed out. “I was heavily involved in IPCC’s first assessment report back in 1990. We weren’t even sure then that observed climate change was due to human activity. The IPCC now says the evidence is ‘unequivocal’. That means there is no hiding place for policymakers.” The crucial point is that this report was agreed not just by scientists but by government representatives on the committee, men and women who have made it clear they are also convinced of the urgency of the situation. “They also see the direct link between greenhouse gas emissions and forest fires, floods and other recent extreme weather events, and that makes it essential for their own governments to act,” said Lord Deben, chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee. At the Paris climate meeting in 2015, those governments pledged to try to keep temperature rises well below 2C, and not more than 1.5C if possible, from pre-industrial days. The trouble now is that the world has already heated up by almost 1.1C, which means only drastic cutbacks in emissions will succeed in preventing far more serious, intense global warming. It will be tight going. The most ambitious of emission scenarios described by the IPCC offers less than a 50% chance of keeping below that 1.5C threshold. Prospects for limiting global warming to 2C are better but will still require reductions far in excess of those that have been pledged by nations in the run up to Cop26, the UN climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November. “It is plain that any hopes that climate change might turn out to be ‘not as bad as expected’ were forlorn,” said Prof Rowan Sutton, of Reading University’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science. “It is happening now and it is happening very fast. Dealing with this crisis means taking urgent actions.” That will not be an easy task, however. As Nick Starkey, director of policy at the Royal Academy of Engineering, pointed out last week. “The UK is not on track to meet existing carbon targets and our goal of 78% emissions reduction by 2035 will not be reached without deep energy efficiency measures,” he said. What is needed is “a society wide vision”, a national plan that would be instigated to ensure implementation of all the different policies – from transport to power generation and from home heating to farming – that will be needed to make sure emissions are cut as quickly as possible. “We need to put policies in place throughout society otherwise our targets will just become empty promises,” said Joeri Rogelj, director of research at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London. It is a suggestion backed by Lord Deben. “In the UK, we need a new planning act that ensures all local authorities have to take climate change into account every time they make a planning decision. At present, they get absolutely no advice about how to go about this business.” Such processes would ensure that the fine detail of ensuring carbon emissions are controlled and mistakes – such as the recent granting of planning permission for a new coal mine in Cumbria – are not repeated, he added. However, it will take considerable, sustained effort for the nation to keep up such efforts. On Tuesday, national front pages were filled with images of burning Greek villages and lurid headlines. “PM: wake up to red alert to climate crisis,” warned the Daily Express; “As doomsday report warns of apocalyptic climate change: can UK lead world back from the brink,” asked the Mail; while the Telegraph announced “UN warns of climate ‘reality check’”. Given that many of these papers have gone to lengthy efforts in the past to denigrate climate science and to question the reality of global warming, these were radical announcements. It remains to be seen just how long each publication remains committed to the science. “The climate story was all over the front pages on Tuesday but by Friday, three days later, it was hardly mentioned,” added Prof Martin Siegert of Imperial College, London. “Yet this is the most important thing that humanity needs to do in the next 30 years. It is going to change our lives, it is going to change the way we regard ourselves on the planet. And if we don’t, we are going to stoke up huge problems for our children. But after three days we seemed to be forgotten despite the fact this is something that needs decades of consistent, persistent work.” Siegert added that it had been estimated that investment levels equivalent to 1% of GDP are needed to ensure the country’s transition to net-zero status. “However, we are currently spending about 0.01%… a 100th of that estimated price tag. And this is also well below what the government is spending on things that will actually add to our emissions, such as airport expansion plans and the tens of billions it has pledged on new road schemes, which will only make it easier to drive around and burn more fossil fuel.” These are all issues for the UK to hammer out, as a matter of urgency, over coming months, although the opening of the Cop26 conference in Glasgow is going to be an even more pressing event. At the meeting, which begins on 1 November, delegates from more than 190 nations will gather to hammer out a deal that will determine just how hot life will get on Earth. At Paris, in 2015, nations pledged emission cuts that now urgently need to be updated or global temperatures will soar to well over 2C. Similarly agreements will have to be reached on how to phase out coal power stations as quickly as possible, to protect carbon-dioxide-absorbing forests, and to agree aid for developing nations to help them survive the impacts of global warming. It will a fine-run thing and it is very likely that we will not know if negotiators succeed until the very last minutes of the Glasgow conference. In this way we will learn the planet’s fate in November, exactly 60 years after the cinematic release of The Day the Earth Caught Fire. We may then have a better idea of whether “Earth Saved” or “Earth Doomed” was the right front page headline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/15/its-now-or-never-scientists-warn-time-of-reckoning-has-come-for-the-planet
     
         
      Farmers reap double benefits with solar power in fields Sat, 14th Aug 2021 18:09:00
     
      Solar panels generate electricity in the fields, helping both farmers and climate protection. DW visits a German solar farm — and looks at other places this combination is paying off. How widely can agrovoltaics spread? Fabian Karthaus grew up with solar energy. "My father built the first photovoltaic system on the barn roof and you could see that it worked," he says. Today, the farmer is 33 and owns two large solar power systems himself. Berries now grow underneath one of them. Five years ago, Karthaus took over his father's farm near the western German town of Paderborn and runs it on the side. The trained electrical engineer works during the day as a product manager for agricultural electronics because: "I can't feed a family with the earnings from growing 80 hectares of field beans, grain, rapeseed, and corn crops." Heat and drought have also caused a significant drop in yield over recent years. "My wife and I started thinking about how we could continue to operate the farm in a meaningful way," Karthaus says. That's how the idea of growing berries under a solar roof with translucent modules was born. "We thought about which kind of berry goes with what sort of light and shade. Blueberries and raspberries are woodland plants, so that works really well," he says. The first harvest from the seedlings last year was good. Usually, the plants are grown outdoors or in foil tunnels. But Karthaus suspects the shade under the modules could increase yields. Extremely hot summers are now an increasing problem for plants, even in Germany. As Karthaus explains, roofs made of solar modules reduce evaporation and thus, save water. "We once measured it here. The evaporation is about a quarter compared to plants in the open field," he explains. Power above, berries below Of course the modules also provide electricity. With 750 kilowatts of power, the system generates about 640,000 kilowatt hours a year, which is equivalent to the electricity needs of 160 households. Karthaus receives just under €0.06 ($0.07) per kWh for feeding it into the grid. He wants to use part of the solar power himself to operate his own refrigeration and freeze-drying systems. If he had to buy the electricity from the energy supplier, that would cost him around €0.25 per kWh. "It's a win-win situation for everyone. It means that we can generate green power locally, decentralized, where the energy is consumed," says Karthaus. In Germany, this method of cultivation works well for soft fruits, apples, cherries, potatoes, and produce such as tomatoes and cucumbers. In other regions of the world, differing plants and module designs might be more suitable. Huge potential worldwide What exactly grows where, is something interested parties from all over the world can learn from Max Trommsdorff, an expert in agrivoltaics at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in the southern German town of Freiburg. Agrivoltaics is the exciting approach of using agricultural areas to simultaneously produce food and generate photovoltaic electricity. Trommsdorff and his colleagues advise governments worldwide and recently organized an international conference on solar energy and farming. Depending on the location, one has to estimate the optimal light conditions for the plants as well as local demand for electricity, says Trommsdorff. "There are big regional differences: It depends on what is being grown, what the climate zones are, what the rural structures are." The big challenge, he says, is mutual understanding: "What can photovoltaics do? What does agriculture need for successful integration?" Trommsdorff and his colleagues see huge potential for agrivoltaics worldwide. There are already some agrivoltaic plants in Europe, Mali, Gambia and Chile; but the vast majority so far are in Asia. The world's largest plant, with a capacity of around 1,000 megawatts and covering 20 square kilometers (about 8 square miles), is located on the edge of the Gobi Desert in China. The cultivation of goji berries under the module roofs is intended to make the dry earth fertile again. And in Japan, farmers are already harvesting from more than 2,000 agrivoltaics systems. "The aim here is to support structural change, stop the rural exodus, and create prospects for the rural population," says Trommsdorff. In Europe, France is a pioneer, especially in winegrowing. There, government subsidies for modular roofs are intended to protect vines. "Many grape varieties get too much sun and heat due to climate change," Trommsdorff explains. "Shade can bring some benefits here." New prospects for agriculture Fabian Karthaus is planning on expanding his solar field in the future. At the moment, his berries grow under 0.4 hectares (about 1 acre) of solar panels. "I would like to expand this to an area of 8 or 10 hectares, then it will really be worthwhile." However, Karthaus will have to be patient. So far, he says, the expansion is still cumbersome for farmers in Germany. But he hopes that will change soon. And he is already advising other farmers to "definitely start dealing with the topic," even if it still takes a while to implement in their own fields.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/farmers-reap-double-benefits-with-solar-power-in-fields/a-58284134
     
         
      Warmth from the earth and air: could heat pumps replace our gas boilers? Sat, 14th Aug 2021 16:00:00
     
      One of the greatest contributors to pollution is such a part of everyday life it is easily overlooked: the fossil fuels used in our homes for heating, hot water and cooking make up more than a fifth of the UK’s carbon emissions. This is why the government plans to ban gas boilers in new-build homes from 2025, a policy which could extend to all new gas boilers in homes from the mid-2030s. Beyond this date, newly installed heating systems would need to be low-carbon or able to be converted to use clean-burning fuel such as hydrogen. While government trials on hydrogen continue, electric heat pumps have emerged as the standout option for individual households. A heat pump, in simple terms, acts like a reverse fridge by extracting energy or warmth from the outside air, the ground or nearby water, and concentrating the heat before transferring it inside. The government is expected to set out its plans to help decarbonise homes in a long-awaited policy paper this autumn, including a replacement for the current Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which closes in March next year. The RHI pays out £6,000 in quarterly instalments over a seven-year period to help defray the costs of heat pumps. Ministers are reported to be considering replacing it with a £400m boiler scrappage scheme, which would offer £7,000 grants. Heat pumps are already popular, but the cost is many times the price of a gas boiler, starting at £6,000 for an air source pump; for a ground source pump the price could climb from £10,000. And many homes need extensive insulation work before they can be installed. “It requires a mindset change,” says Richard Lowes, a heating expert at the Regulatory Assistance Project. Rather than relying on a powerful burst of fossil fuels to quickly heat a cold house, it is more important for heat pumps to run continuously – albeit at a very low level – to gently top up the heating to an even temperature, he says. “Your fridge doesn’t blast cold air constantly,” he says. “But it keeps your food cool by adjusting to very slight increases in temperatures, and only when necessary.” At least 36,000 heat pumps were installed in homes and businesses across the UK last year, according to the Heat Pump Association, and installations are expected to almost double this year, to between 60,000 and 70,000. They will need to rise tenfold within the next seven years to meet the goal set by Boris Johnson last November to install 600,000 a year by 2028. The shift away from gas heating poses fresh challenges, and opportunities, for the UK’s energy suppliers. Currently the heat pump market is dominated by a handful of manufacturers – including Mitsubishi, Daikin, Samsung, LG, Vaillant and Calorex – and about 1,000 installers. Ovo Energy and Octopus Energy are undertaking customer trials before what could prove to be a new dawn for innovative home heating tariffs in the future. But for heat pumps to go mainstream, the government will need to tackle the three main stumbling blocks to take-up: the steep upfront cost; generally low levels of home insulation; and the negative word-of-mouth created by faulty installations. “Heat pumps are rarely faulty,” says Lowes. “So when you hear horror stories, it’s usually due to bad advice or poor installation.” All home heating schemes work best in homes which are well-insulated, Lowes says, but this is particularly the case for heat pumps, which provide a steady, gentle source of heat to maintain an even temperature rather than the blast of fossil fuels that draughty buildings require to warm up. “It’s a myth that heat pumps can’t work in old or terraced houses – they just might require a little more work. Even if you can’t manage to do internal wall insulation, a heat pump can still work – you just might have to get a bigger one,” he says. Following the collapse of the government’s Green Homes Grant scheme, the cost of undertaking a home insulation overhaul would put many homes out of the running for a low-carbon heating system. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the home heating revolution is the army of trained installers needed to carry it out, says Mark McManus, the managing director of heat pump maker Stiebel Eltron UK. “If there’s any problem in the industry, it’s probably the skills gap,” he says. “There are a small number of well-trained installers in the UK. But once this skills gap closes there is likely to be better service and greater competition, which could cause costs to fall further.” In order to bridge the gap, the Heat Pump Association has set up a new programme which could theoretically train up to 40,000 installers a year. The steps to overhaul the training route to becoming an installer were welcomed by business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng as “critical” in turning up the heat on the government’s low-carbon ambitions, and creating more jobs within the green economy. “There is a transition, and that’s something we’re focused on, and we want to try and help people make that transition,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/aug/14/warmth-from-the-earth-and-air-could-heat-pumps-replace-our-gas-boilers
     
         
      Will I ever be able to fly without feeling guilty again? Sat, 14th Aug 2021 15:10:00
     
      For Maggie Robertson, it was a long-haul flight to Texas that changed her mind about flying. It was 2017 and she was having a great holiday. But then Hurricane Harvey came along - and she and her family narrowly sidestepped floods that cost more than 100 lives. "That brush with natural disaster helped put things in perspective," she says. Previously a regular flyer, visiting friends in Scotland and holidaying abroad, she says the penny dropped during that trip. And in the end, the decision was easy. "It was a relief to say I'm not doing it any more," she says. "I knew that what I was doing wasn't consistent with what I thought was right." She is one of a small band of people who have found flying just too uncomfortable to contemplate any more. Many more people are still boarding the planes, but wrestling with a growing sense of shame. They now feel that their desire for a holiday in the sun or a far-flung adventure is playing a small but undeniable part in the growing crisis of extreme weather events, rising sea levels and melting polar ice. Flying is only responsible for around 2% of global emissions. That may not sound much, but if you are a flyer, it's a much higher proportion of your own carbon footprint. That's because more than 80% of the world's population never fly at all. One flight from London to New York emits around 1.3 tonnes of carbon according to the offsetting organisation Atmosfair. Other organisations offer lower estimates, but even if you eat vegan and cycle everywhere, you'd struggle to make up for the emissions from a return trip, according to research from the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions, which last year calculated how individuals could reduce their annual carbon footprint. Those are the kind of calculations that persuaded Maggie Robertson to sign up to Flight Free UK, a campaign group that encourages people to sign up to a pledge to avoid flying for a year at a time. Anna Hughes, its founder, says she doesn't want to make people feel guilty about flying, but she would like them to be more aware. "We're not suggesting that flying should go back to being the preserve of the rich. But we should definitely start to see it as once-in-a-while, if it is necessary, not just to go to Prague for a stag do," she says. Yet last month, the government told us it was fine to keep on flying. Saving the planet wasn't about stopping doing things, it was about doing them differently, said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, announcing the government's plan for decarbonisation. He raised the prospect of super-efficient aircraft, running on hydrogen, batteries and sustainable fuel. That's the view of the broader aviation industry, that flying is becoming cleaner and greener, thanks to the march of technology. "The industry has got a clear plan to decarbonise aviation, and there are a lot of opportunities and proven technologies that can do that," says Andy Jefferson, programme director at an organisation called Sustainable Aviation, which works on behalf of the government and the industry, including manufacturers and airports. "Part of the solution will be the evolution of existing types of aeroplanes, as each time they come online, they're in the region of 15% to 20% more efficient and better than the aircraft they're replacing," he says. In addition, things such as making sure a plane doesn't carry more fuel or water than it needs, not maintaining planes in holding patterns as they wait to land, and keeping the engines well-maintained to ensure they operate efficiently, can all make flying greener. In the longer run, aircraft could switch away from using fossil fuels altogether, says Mr Jefferson. "In terms of battery electric aircraft and hydrogen-powered aircraft, the industry has already got two-seater, five-seater type aircraft flying today," he points out. By the mid-2030s, Mr Jefferson believes we could be taking holidays to the Med in that kind of aircraft or using sustainable fuels from waste materials or crops. So does that mean people can fly with a clear conscience? The trouble with the message, "Carry on with your lifestyles, we're solving it," says Anna Hughes, is that it is rather "promise-heavy". In the past, efficiency gains from new planes and better flight management have been swallowed up by big increases in the volume of air traffic, so that aviation as a whole is still emitting more than ever. And many experts question industry optimism about how quickly renewable fuels will become mainstream. In the meantime, say environmentalists, if you fly, you are contributing to the build-up of carbon in the atmosphere that causes global warming. So short-term carbon savings are just as important as hitting longer term goals. "I think it's misleading for the consumer to say, 'Keep on flying, It's OK.' It's not giving the whole picture," says Ms Hughes. So what about offsetting? Is that the answer for travellers who want to compensate for the impact of their flight? There are hundreds of offsetting schemes around the world, offering passengers the opportunity to pay towards climate-friendly projects such as protecting the rainforests, installing renewable energy and distributing carbon efficient cookstoves in poor African communities. But offsetting is controversial. In fact, Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth's head of policy, describes it as "the greatest con on Earth". "They're trying to pretend that your emissions don't count because you can offset, but the offsets aren't real, they don't last, they're not permanent." He suggests that, instead you use the offset money to take a train next time or donate to your local nature reserve. On the other hand, he doesn't think individuals should necessarily feel racked with guilt every time they board a plane. "We have got a downer on flying, but we're not saying nobody should ever fly at all," he says. "We don't want to attack people who go on holiday once a year, who perhaps can't afford to go by train or don't have the time to go by train." Rather, he thinks it is up to governments to make change happen, by taxing aviation fuel, making long-distance train travel more affordable and putting in place policies to discourage frequent flying. "We can spend our whole life feeling guilty or we can do what we can to try and minimise [our impact]," Mr Childs says. "Some people will be carbon angels and rule out absolutely everything, but we also have to live in the real world and recognise that other people can go so far." Maggie Robertson doesn't see herself as a carbon angel. But she can't imagine being able to fly with an easy conscience again any time soon. She volunteers for Flight Free UK and has already managed a pre-pandemic summer holiday in Switzerland by train. "Low-carbon flying will be important for people who have to fly, but I'm not optimistic that it is going to transform things to the point where we can all fly as much as we want," she says. Even if it it can be achieved in the medium-term, she adds, it won't remove the emissions of the flying we do now, "so it's not an excuse to carry on as normal."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57917193
     
         
      Climate change: July world's hottest month ever recorded - US agency Sat, 14th Aug 2021 14:59:00
     
      July was the world's hottest month ever recorded, a US federal scientific and regulatory agency has reported. The data shows that the combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.93C (1.68F) above the 20th Century average of 15.8C (60.4F). It is the highest temperature since record-keeping began 142 years ago. The previous record, set in July 2016, was equalled in 2019 and 2020. Experts believe this is due to the long-term impact of climate change. In a statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that July's "unenviable distinction" was a cause for concern. "In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe." The combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.01C higher than the 2016 record. In the Northern Hemisphere, land-surface temperature reached an "unprecedented" 1.54C higher than average, surpassing a previous record set in 2012. The data also showed that July was Asia's hottest month on record, as well as Europe's second hottest after July 2018. The NOAA statement also included a map of significant climate "anomalies" in July, which noted that global tropical cyclone activity this year has been unusually high for the number of named storms. Earlier this week, a report from the United Nations said that climate change is having an "unprecedented" impact on earth, with some changes likely to be "irreversible for centuries to millennia." UN Secretary General António Guterres said that the findings were "a code red for humanity." "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses," he said. The authors of the report say that since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years. Extreme heat in July 2021 - Asia saw its hottest July ever - Europe had its second-warmest July on record, with several parts of southern Europe reaching temperatures of above 40C (104F). Since then, Italy may have registered the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe, with 48.8C (119.8F) reported in Sicily - although the reading needs to be verified - North America had its sixth-hottest July on record. In late June, Canada recorded its highest-ever temperature, with Lytton in British Columbia reaching 49.6C (121.2F) July was also Australia's fourth warmest on record and New Zealand's sixth warmest - Africa experienced its seventh-hottest July - South America recorded its 10th-warmest July
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58208792
     
         
      Climate change: Does Germany produce double the UK's carbon emissions? Sat, 14th Aug 2021 14:55:00
     
      The publication of a major report into climate change - warning of catastrophic consequences if the world does not act to limit global warming - has led to a renewed debate about what individual countries are doing. British Conservative MP John Redwood said the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November would not produce the desired results, unless other nations including China and the US did more to cut their carbon emissions. And he had this to say about Germany on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's only going to work if Germany, which puts out twice as much as we do, starts to take the issue seriously and closes down its coal power stations." So, is he right? What do the figures show? The Global Carbon Atlas (GCA) publishes emissions data from around the world. It says in 2018, the UK emitted 380 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO?) from the burning of fossil fuels. In the same year, Germany emitted 755 MtCO?, about twice as much as the UK, and about 2% of the global total of 36,441 MtCO?. So the figures for 2018 support Mr Redwood's claim, but some context is needed when making this direct comparison. Key differences For a start, Germany is bigger than the UK. It's home to 83 million people, 17 million more than the UK. It makes more things than the UK. Germany is a net exporter - meaning it exports more goods than it imports from other countries - whereas the UK is a net importer - meaning it imports more goods than it exports. Manufacturing accounts for twice as much of the economy in Germany as it does in the UK, according to the World Bank (23% of German national GDP, compared with just 11% in the UK). "Germany has a larger population than the UK, so it's not too surprising total energy consumption and emissions are higher, because they have more residential and commercial buildings, and more cars on the road," says Dr Mike O'Sullivan, a mathematician and climate researcher at the University of Exeter, who collects data for the GCA. There's also the question of which emissions you are measuring. Territorial v consumption emissions Climate scientists have two ways of measuring a country's carbon footprint: - Territorial emissions - this is how much CO2 is emitted within a country's borders. It takes no account of emissions generated elsewhere by the manufacture of imported goods. - Consumption emissions - this factors in emissions that come from the goods used or consumed in a country, including emissions from their production and delivery from abroad. So, every time a car is manufactured in Germany and sold to a driver in Britain, the UK's consumption emissions increase, but its territorial emissions stay the same. The emissions from the factory that makes the car would count towards Germany's territorial emissions. But once the car starts its engines in Britain, its emissions also count towards the UK's territorial emissions. A total of 950,000 German-made cars were registered in the UK in 2016, according to the consultancy firm Deloitte. By measuring consumption emissions, experts can better understand how responsible a country is for emissions produced abroad (for example, by another country making the goods which it is importing). On this measure, the gap between the UK and Germany appears smaller. We asked Dr O'Sullivan to calculate the difference. "If we account for population size and traded goods, the UK's emissions in 2018 were eight tonnes of CO2 per person, compared with 10 tonnes of CO2 per person for Germany, so 20% lower, not 50%." Some have criticised the UK - and other countries - for focusing on territorial emissions. These are the basis for the UK's net-zero target and also what countries are required to submit to the United Nations. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has accused the government of "creative carbon accounting". "They're falling short by not considering the full scope of how to reduce emissions both inside and outside the UK," argues John Barrett, a professor in energy and climate policy at the University of Leeds. "We need to consider how we could reduce the impact of what we consume, irrespective of whether it was made in the UK or not." When asked about the focus on territorial emissions, a government spokesperson told us: "Our emissions have fallen by 44% since 1990, the fastest of any country in the G7 [group of the biggest economies]". What about coal? The UK has moved significantly faster to reduce its dependency on coal than Germany. According to the Fraunhofer Research Institute, Germany generated 24.1% of its power from coal last year, while the UK was down to just 3.1%, data from the National Grid shows. Germany is currently planning to phase out the use of coal for the production of electricity by 2038, while the British government has promised to close the UK's last coal power station before October 2024. In 2019, the UK passed a law requiring the government to bring territorial emissions down to net-zero emissions by 2050. Germany has committed to reaching net-zero by 2045, five years sooner than the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58148881
     
         
      Green grants of £7,000 to help households replace gas boilers Sat, 14th Aug 2021 0:01:00
     
      Boris Johnson is planning to launch a £400 million boiler scrappage scheme offering people £7,000 grants to encourage homeowners to buy low carbon alternatives. Dan Rosenfield, the prime minister’s chief of staff, has drawn up plans to revamp an existing scheme for Clean Heat Grants, which is being launched in April next year. It was due to run for two years with a budget of £100 million, offering people grants of up to £4,000. The Times has been told that the prime minister wants to quadruple the budget and run the scheme over three years with an increased starting grant of £7,000. The plans will help finance the installation of nearly 60,000 heat pumps, bringing the cost more into line with gas boilers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/green-grants-of-7-000-to-help-households-replace-gas-boilers-6j05vtmd6
     
         
      New Study: Renewables Much Cheaper Than Fossils — Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) Study Fri, 13th Aug 2021 18:28:00
     
      Another study came out recently showing that solar and wind power are the cheapest options in town for new electricity supply. This has been the case for at least a few years, as study after study after study has shown, and as indicated by the majority of new power capacity coming from solar and wind. (It’s less clear why anyone is installing any fossil fuel power plants at this point in time.) Yes, this is essentially a “dog bites man” story at this point, but it’s an important one to keep telling since the majority of the population would most certainly be shocked if you told them this. It would be as if they had only ever been told that humans bite dogs. This new study comes from Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), a highly respected research institution in Germany. The study examines the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of different types of power plants, which basically means the average cost per kWh over the “life” of the projects. That often means stretching out the analysis by 20 years or so. Being a German institute, Fraunhofer ISE did the analysis for Germany. That makes it all the more impressive, though, since Germany has solar resources comparable to Alaska’s (not a joke). Less sunlight means less opportunity to recoup your costs. Nonetheless, solar panels are so cheap now and solar power plant systems are so streamlined that solar is just cheap, cheap, cheap. It helps that sunlight is free and there are no moving parts that are prone to breaking. The solar PV cost range identified in this study was from 3.12 euro cents per kWh to 11.01 euro cents per kWh. Solar power plant costs themselves were estimated to range from 530€/kWp to 1600€/kWp. This is a regular analysis that Fraunhofer ISE conducts, and this is the 5th edition of it, but this is the first time that the researchers have included energy storage as part of the analysis. In this case, a solar PV system with battery energy storage has an LCOE of 5.24 euro cents per kWh to 19.72 euro cents per kWh. In the case of a utility-scale solar PV farm with batteries, it’s still the case that nothing is expected to be cheaper except for onshore wind power, which ranges between 3.94 euro cents per kWh and 8.29 euro cents per kWh. The Fraunhofer team also forecasted how these figures will change by 2030 and by 2040. The short version is: solar and wind will get even cheaper. Though, the prices are not expected to change a tremendous amount in that time. The LCOE of natural gas, however, is expected to go up significantly. In particularly, the price of CO2 is supposed to rise, making natural gas an coal power plants even more expensive than they are today.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/08/13/new-study-renewables-much-cheaper-than-fossils-levelized-cost-of-electricity-lcoe-study/
     
         
      Climate change: July world's hottest month ever recorded - US agency Fri, 13th Aug 2021 15:57:00
     
      July was the world's hottest month ever recorded, a US federal scientific and regulatory agency has reported. The data shows that the combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.93C (1.68F) above the 20th Century average of 15.8C (60.4F). It is the highest temperature since record-keeping began 142 years ago. The previous record, set in July 2016, was equalled in 2019 and 2020. Experts believe this is due to the long-term impact of climate change. In a statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that July's "unenviable distinction" was a cause for concern. "In this case, first place is the worst place to be," NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe." The combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.01C higher than the 2016 record. In the Northern Hemisphere, land-surface temperature reached an "unprecedented" 1.54C higher than average, surpassing a previous record set in 2012. The data also showed that July was Asia's hottest month on record, as well as Europe's second hottest after July 2018. The NOAA statement also included a map of significant climate "anomalies" in July, which noted that global tropical cyclone activity this year has been unusually high for the number of named storms. Earlier this week, a report from the United Nations said that climate change is having an "unprecedented" impact on earth, with some changes likely to be "irreversible for centuries to millennia." UN Secretary General António Guterres said that the findings were "a code red for humanity." "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses," he said. The authors of the report say that since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years. Extreme heat in July 2021 - Asia saw its hottest July ever - Europe had its second-warmest July on record, with several parts of southern Europe reaching temperatures of above 40C (104F). Since then, Italy may have registered the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe, with 48.8C (119.8F) reported in Sicily - although the reading needs to be verified - North America had its sixth-hottest July on record. In late June, Canada recorded its highest-ever temperature, with Lytton in British Columbia reaching 49.6C (121.2F) July was also Australia's fourth warmest on record and New Zealand's sixth warmest - Africa experienced its seventh-hottest July - South America recorded its 10th-warmest July
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58208792
     
         
      Can Americans pull the plug on petrol-powered cars? Fri, 13th Aug 2021 15:52:00
     
      US President Joe Biden wants Americans to switch to electric vehicles. Carmakers are on board - but are consumers willing to pull the plug on petrol? Tom Beckett, a former truck and bus driver, says he's driven at least two million miles in his lifetime, and he is all for burning less gasoline to protect the environment. But like many Americans, he is "just not ready" to buy a low-emission electric car because of so-called range anxiety - the fear he won't be able to go far enough on a single charge. The 62-year-old lives in rural Arkansas where he regularly has to drive long distances to get around, and electric vehicle (EV) charging points are few and far between. "Unless the battery capacity and the range doubles, I don't think electric cars will ever become a big deal in states like this," he tells the BBC. "People need the confidence to know their cars won't run out of juice. Otherwise they'll just stick with gas." Transport accounted for almost of a third of US emissions in 2019 and the White House has pledged to bring this down. But people like Mr Beckett pose a big challenge to a new administration plan to make zero-emission vehicles account for half of all automobiles sold in the US by 2030. The goal, which is non-binding, has the backing of major automakers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler-owner Stellantis. Mr Biden has also restored tailpipe emissions rules from the Obama era, weakened under Donald Trump, which will put pressure on car companies to make greener vehicles. But none of it will make much difference if consumers don't buy in. 'Love of the open road' Outside of a few major metropolitan areas, EVs still aren't very common in the US and the country accounted for just 2% of new EV sales globally last year, compared to 10% from Europe. Moreover, while just under half of US adults say they would support a proposal to phase out production of gasoline-powered cars and trucks, a similar proportion would oppose it, according to a Pew Center survey published in June. A major concern about low-emission vehicles is price. Even with federal subsidies, EVs and hybrids tend to cost more than pure petrol cars, even though the vehicles are more economical to run. However, the bigger issue - in a country that clocks up more miles per driver than almost anywhere else - is range. Currently there are just 100,000 public charging points for plug-in electric vehicles across the US, a third of which are in California - a state that has its own, tougher transport emissions rules. At the same time, the typical range of a fully electric car before it needs to recharge is 250-300 miles, although it can be as low as 130 miles. "The US has this love affair with cars and the open road, and there's a great allure in driving long distances," says John Heitmann, professor emeritus of history at Dayton University and an expert in US automotive culture. "In Europe or Japan you might take the train, but it is very common for Americans drive 1,000 miles or more when they go on vacation or visit the national parks. Electrification has got to fit in around this." The Biden administration wants to build 500,000 charging points by 2030, and has put aside $7.5bn to fund it in the new infrastructure bill. But that's half of what the president previously hoped to spend and "falls far short", according to 28 Democrat lawmakers, who say more like $85bn is needed to build out an adequate charging network. 'Consumers will see the benefits' Yet experts believe the White House's 2030 goal is achievable and that it is only a matter of time before gas-powered vehicles start to be phased out in the US. Dan Neil, an automotive columnist for the Wall Street Journal, says battery technology is improving fast, prices are falling, and consumers will see the benefits. "EVs soon will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate than gasoline-powered cars," he says. "And as global regulations clamp down on tailpipe emissions, old cars will get less and less satisfying to drive." He agrees more cash is needed to expand the country's charging infrastructure, but thinks the utilities companies set to profit from electrification will step into the breach. Peer pressure is also likely to play a role. "People want to buy new models of car and gas powered ones will become unfashionable," he says. Inevitably, even the US will be dragged along by what happens in the rest of the world, he adds. "The US can't be the only industrial economy to hang on to gas-powered transportation - it wouldn't be economic for the country, it won't be economic for the people who will drive the cars." Job concerns Mr Biden has been clear that part of his plan is about ensuring the US car industry does not fall behind in the fast growing global EV market. Stricter rules on tailpipe emissions in the EU are already forcing continental car makers to change their assembly lines, giving them a head start. "[Joe Biden's plan] is exactly what the whole car industry has been waiting for and now gives them a clear roadmap," says Matthias Schmidt, a European automotive market analyst. "They can now scale their EV operations safe in the knowledge that those investments will go to cover all three major regions - North America, China and Europe - in a technology where standardisation and economies of scale are key." Still, Mr Biden could face other obstacles. He hopes to expand subsidies to bring down the costs of EVs for buyers and manufacturers as part of his $3.5 trillion Budget plan, but there's no guarantee it will pass. The shift to electrification is also likely to cost jobs, given the typical EV requires around three times less manpower to produce. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, expects these roles to be replaced in time, but there could be political backlash in states that are home to supply chain jobs, or those that depend on petroleum production such as Texas and Louisiana. Prof Heitt agrees we could see "big regional impacts" from the transition, but thinks ultimately the economics of electric vehicles will prevail. "There is always going to be a group of Americans that feel strongly against electric cars," he says. "But there were 17 million horses used for transport in the US around the turn of the 20th Century, and by the 1920s-30s the automobile had taken over. "The question is, are we going to stick with horses or move on to the next technology?"
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58123729
     
         
      UK political factions in the battle against the climate crisis Fri, 13th Aug 2021 15:47:00
     
      With only three months to go before the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, the prime minister wants to be seen as leading the way internationally on reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, his ambitions have been stymied by his failure to publish a roadmap on how to achieve the cuts, and a vocal group on the right of his party has begun to undermine the target by questioning the high price to consumers – ignoring the costs of inaction. After months of delay, the prime minister has been accused by Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, of being “missing in action” on tackling the climate emergency. But there are also those on the left pressing Labour and the Conservatives to take much bolder, more radical action to aim for net zero by 2030. Ahead of the publication of the government’s long-awaited climate change strategy, these are the competing political factions trying to win out in the battle over net zero. The blue environmentalists The dominance of this tribe in the Conservative party has happened gradually over two years, with the rising influence of Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, a committed environmentalist, and her circle of eco-friendly Tories. “If you want to get on these days, you need to be seen as green,” says one Conservative MP who has joined the Conservative Environment Network – apparently out of both ambition and sympathy with its aims. As a faction that also includes the environment minister Zac Goldsmith and Johnson’s father, Stanley, the environmentalist Tories are on board with tackling carbon emissions but they are just as likely to be heard campaigning on oceans, protecting animals, rewilding and reducing plastic waste. Boris Johnson, once a sceptic about the climate crisis and ways of tackling it, has form for deriding renewables, such as claiming windfarms could not “pull the skin off a rice pudding”. As recently as 2015, he suggested the idea that the warming climate was caused by humanity was a “primitive fear … without foundation”. But since about 2016 he has talked more about the environment and started mentioning climate change more when he became foreign secretary. As prime minister, he accepted Theresa May’s target of net zero by 2050 and later signed the UK up to reaching a 78% reduction by 2035. Those who know him say he views a successful Cop26 summit in Glasgow as a potential legacy achievement. However, there is a frustration among those committed to tackling the climate emergency that the Tory environmentalists – Johnson included – rarely talk about it with enough urgency and the prime minister has failed to lead from the front on Cop26, leaving the negotiations to his envoy, Alok Sharma, and most of the public discussion to his climate spokesperson, Allegra Stratton. With No 10’s net zero strategy, plus those on heating, boilers and hydrogen, having been long delayed, he has been left open to accusations that detailed thinking and motivation is lacking. His approach is backed in parliament, though, by the Conservative Environment Network, the caucus of more than 100 MPs, which is ever keen to point out that they are in the mainstream of the party when it comes to believing in a carbon neutral future. The group of backbenchers, including Sir Bernard Jenkin, Andrew Mitchell and Damian Green, argues the UK “must continue to lead the way not only in promoting adaptation but also in reducing greenhouse gas emissions”. Chaired by Zac Goldsmith’s brother, Ben, with Stanley Johnson on the board, it is a sizeable and influential faction. But their language is far from being full of alarm, and the messaging is instead focused on the practical ways of meeting the 2050 pledge, with a series of “net zero champions” looking at different policy areas, from nature-based solutions, electric vehicles and renewables to green homes, sustainable agriculture and green steel. The Tory cost-sceptics A section of Conservatives in Westminster, as well as many party members, would not rank tackling the climate crisis as a major priority. Barely any parliamentarian will publicly deny climate breakdown is happening. But there are plenty prepared to chip away at the idea that it is possible to halt dangerous climate change, especially in the case of the former chancellor Nigel Lawson and his Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF). The group is widely seen as a bastion of climate science denial, undermining the push for net zero emissions by focusing on criticising the costs to consumers of taking action. Steve Baker, the prominent Tory backbencher, recently declared he has become a trustee of the GWPF, writing of the “net zero fantasies” and “ruinous economic experiment when we can least afford it”. There is also a small group of Conservative MPs, led by Craig Mackinlay, who argue that voters in their seats will not be able to afford the price tag of net zero, with no discussion of the costs of doing nothing. At the other end of the spectrum there are those fighting politically behind closed doors for delay to action on net zero emissions or watered down proposals. No ministers will admit to being climate change deniers – despite views from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, who has argued in favour of adaptation rather than mitigation and changes in behaviour, and David TC Davies, a minister in the Wales Office. But some are known to be opposing the costs and also cautious about lecturing people on what they regard as lifestyle choices, such as driving an electric car, cutting back on flying and eating less meat. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is fully signed up to the net zero pledge and the Treasury’s interim strategy report has said it will create opportunities for green jobs and growth. “The transition on growth to 2050 is likely to be small compared to total growth over that period, and it could be slightly positive or slightly negative,” it said. However, Sunak has made it known that a major priority for him is making sure it is affordable for consumers and others have accused him of blocking funding for meeting the 2050 target while downgrading the rollout of green boilers. The Labour net zero pragmatists Starmer has said tackling the climate emergency is a “burning issue” for his leadership but he also leads the pack within Labour on pragmatism. His language is far more urgent and pressing than that of the government, explicitly referring to the climate emergency rather than change or crisis. He has also warned there is already “dystopia” caused by climate breakdown. However, Labour’s official policy on climate change is only modestly more stretching than the official government target, aiming at substantially more than 70% reductions by 2030, compared with No 10’s aim of 68%. The agreed language is for the party to aim for “considerably above 70% as an absolute minimum – and as much as we could feasibly cut depending on the situation we inherit from the government previous government”. Starmer is also reluctant to be specific about how people may have to adapt their lifestyles through eating less meat or taking fewer flights, saying only that “we are all going to have to adapt our behaviour”. With unions such as the GMB warning of the costs to industry and consumers of ditching gas boilers, Starmer has said he sympathises with those worried about the price and called on ministers to show leadership and figure out how to make the options affordable. Some unions have been instrumental in watering down the party’s ambitions, with a compromise struck at party conference under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in 2019 to downgrade the target of net zero by 2030 to a pathway to net zero by that date, after they raised concerns about the risk to jobs and industry. The Lib Dems support a more explicit trajectory than Labour, targeting 75% of emissions reductions by 2030 and net zero by 2045. The climate emergency warriors Many in the Labour party – often those on the left – as well as the Green party are warning that far more bold and radical action is needed to deal with the imminent emergency that the planet faces. At party conferences, there have been motions pushing for a “socialist green new deal” and some activists would still like to see a policy that enshrines a target of net zero by 2030. A campaign run by the group Labour for a Green New Deal has pushed for “nine concrete, radical changes” including a national food service and rapid phase-out of all fossil fuel. Their party conference motion this year will push for public ownership of industries including energy, water, transport, mail and telecommunications to aid the green transition – manifesto commitments from 2019. Starmer is likely to feel the pressure from the left on the issue of net zero in particular, which is close to the heart of many activists. This wing of the party was sorely disappointed that Rebecca Long-Bailey, an architect of Corbyn’s green deal policies, was sacked as shadow business secretary. She was replaced by Ed Miliband, a former energy secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, who is an expert on the issues, but the policies have not yet gone far enough for the liking of many grassroots activists. The Green party would like to target the UK reducing its own emissions to net zero by 2030 and seeking to reduce the emissions embedded in its imports to zero as soon as possible. The party – which will soon be under new leadership – is explicit about the need to reduce the demand for high-carbon consumption, including heating, travel and meat consumption, and recommends that UK policy should encourage small families.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/13/uk-political-factions-in-the-battle-against-the-climate-crisis
     
         
      Firms want help to measure their carbon footprint Fri, 13th Aug 2021 14:39:00
     
      Many firms are citing a lack of finance as holding them back from the ability to quantify their carbon footprint. In May, the government called on small businesses to lead the charge and pledge to reach net zero by 2050 or sooner. This refers to the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a business. It can be reduced by improving the sustainability of a business. Measures such as cutting transport and heating costs or using less packaging can drive down the carbon footprint of a company and help it reach 'net zero' - the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. Rachel Douglas, who runs The Laundry Lodge in Northumberland, says she "has no clue" how to work out her company's carbon footprint and "wouldn't know where to start". Only one in 10 of over a thousand firms surveyed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) are measuring their carbon footprint and currently 26% of larger firms with more than 50 employees are measuring theirs. "It would be useful to have clear information from the government on how to reduce the carbon we use," Ms Douglas tells the BBC. The findings also show that one in five businesses don't fully understand the term "net zero", and almost a third have yet to seek advice or information to help them develop a plan to reach net zero or improve their sustainability. In order to reduce the environmental impact, Ms Douglas uses over 600 metres of washing line to dry 90% of the items she cleans. During high season, her laundry business cleans between 5,000 and 6,000 separate items per month, costing her £260 in electricity and a dedicated member of staff working till 10pm each day to peg items to the lines. For the remaining 10% of items, she uses three higher energy consuming industrial driers, one of which is more eco-friendly but cost her an extra £1,000. Additional cleaning costs due to the pandemic have also meant less money is available to invest in sustainability. "If there was any tax relief to make it easier to buy expensive eco-friendly products, that would be a huge help," she explains. Not a high priority Almost two thirds of businesses surveyed said they don't see net zero targets as a high priority in the wake of the pandemic, although nearly half said their customers are worried about the environment. Though the government does publish emission factors which allow firms to work out their carbon footprint based on their activities, Ms Douglas says she has "had to take a lot of decisions" herself to make the business better for the environment because she wasn't clear on government advice. John Barrett, a professor of energy and climate policy at the University of Leeds, says this advice is "not widely known and not easy to find" and the alternative is to pay consultancies between £20,000-30,000 to calculate the carbon footprint. "If we want [small businesses] to make a meaningful contribution to reaching our net zero targets, we need to provide a free and professional service allowing them to understand their carbon impacts and showing them how they could reduce their impact." Historically, the government had a scheme through the Carbon Trust which meant that smaller firms could access advice for free but the scheme was later privatised. Dentist Jason Stokes, who runs the private Cathedral Street Dental practice in Norwich, also says the government carbon calculation spreadsheets aren't "specific enough", as they fail to include clinical waste which is particularly damaging for the environment. Clinical waste has to be incinerated at a cost of £2,000 per year for his business, he says. "It makes it more challenging and difficult to prioritise carbon reduction when the government's support is so generic," he tells the BBC. Mr Stokes has invested in extra insulation and energy saving light bulbs to make the business better for the environment, but the pandemic has meant higher ventilation costs and more imported single use products - counteracting that carbon saving. Builder Tom Veale, who owns a construction business based in Newent, also says he has "no idea" how to calculate his company's carbon footprint. "It would be useful to have help on calculating but without tax relief or any incentives what's the point of working our carbon footprint out?" The business spends over £600,000 annually on construction materials such as concrete and timber and as almost all are imported, Mr Veale said it's "even harder" to measure their effect on the environment. And Professor Sam Turner from the group of manufacturing research centres High Value Manufacturing Catapult says that that without "widely adopted standards" for carbon accounting across supply chains, there is "no market incentive to make the necessary investments to reduce carbon footprint". 'I don't have the staff to spare' Tina Bowden, owner of the Lavender Bake House in Stroud says she would also welcome government advice on how to improve. "I don't have the staff to spare to do the paperwork for carbon calculation and there's no financial support to make it viable for us," she explains.. The business spends £25000 on renewable energy per month and that rather than making a 20% saving on imported produce from wholesalers, she tries to buy local products as much as possible. "Any recyclable packaging is twice the price so it would help to have some sort of government subsidy so we don't soak the cost up ourselves," she says. A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy told the BBC: "We know that some businesses may find this daunting, but our 'Together for Our Planet' campaign is specifically targeted at providing SMEs with the practical tools, resources and advice they need to understand their emissions and develop a plan to tackle them." But Mike Cherry, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), is concerned that small business owners are strapped for time and money as their focus is squarely on recovery. "The starting point here should really be concrete measures to empower small firms - which want to do the right thing - to make the transport, energy and logistical changes that will reduce their emissions," he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58167618
     
         
      Council policies 'inconsistent' with climate goals Fri, 13th Aug 2021 14:16:00
     
      More than a third of English councils support policies that could increase carbon emissions despite having declared a "climate emergency", BBC research suggests. Road building and airport expansion are among examples provided by 45 out of 121 questionnaire respondents who say they have passed climate motions. Environmentalists say the findings reveal "inconsistencies" in approach. Local leaders insist they are taking action but need more funding. Between March and June the BBC surveyed all 149 top tier councils in England, of which 136 responded. - Almost nine in 10 councils (121 out of 136 respondents, 89%) have declared a "climate emergency" - Of those, more than one in three councils (45 out of 121 respondents, 37%) said they supported at least one policy that could increase carbon emissions, such as new road building or airport expansion - About two-thirds of councils (91 out of 136 respondents, 67%) said the pandemic had affected their plans to tackle climate change. The government has committed to cutting greenhouse gases to almost zero by 2050 - this target is known as net zero. This means reducing emissions as far as possible, then balancing out any remaining releases by, for example, tree planting. The similar term of carbon neutrality refers to doing this for CO2 emissions rather than all greenhouse gases. - COP26 'should be hybrid event' says ex-climate chief - Do governments meet their green targets? - A really simple guide to climate change The BBC's findings highlight the tensions faced by councils trying to balance economic, social and environmental challenges. Leeds, for example, aims to become a carbon neutral city by 2030, but the city council also backs plans to upgrade Leeds Bradford Airport. Helen Hayden, councillor for infrastructure and climate for Leeds City Council, told BBC News: "It would seem like an inconsistency. I would say that in terms of carbon emissions the airport accounts for 1.5% of our carbon emissions. "So we do have to keep it in context and not let it distract us from doing all those things that will actually tackle the bigger issues that are in our city. "We need that National Policy framework so that Leeds Bradford airport does not feel it is being punished as opposed to other airports in the country - and we can therefore work with them to get our green and sustainable future." Our survey covers England, but you would find similar results in many places round the globe. Politicians face unenviable tensions. On one hand, there's concern for existing businesses and jobs. On the other hand, there's the plea from scientists for radical emissions cuts. It's taken decades for the climate message to be heard among the clamour of voters' demands for housing, transport and education. Many councils and governments are now on a path towards curbing emissions - many are just moving far too slowly. Take Leeds. It aspires to be a leading green city, and in many ways it is. But recently, after a marathon debate, its councillors backed an upgrade of the city's airport. This will increase the emissions the council is committed to eliminate. Councillors backed it because it will improve the image of the city - and because they feared holidaymakers would use another airport. Tower Hamlets is committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2025, but has also backed the construction of the Silvertown Tunnel under the Thames. "East London has suffered from a lack of river crossings and the Silvertown Tunnel will offer the prospect of a solution to the terrible air quality and congestion problems at Blackwall Tunnel," a spokesperson for the council said. Shropshire Council is supporting efforts to make the county carbon neutral by 2030, while also pursuing the delivery of an £87m North West Relief Road in Shrewsbury. However, it adds that the ring road would bring environmental benefits through new walking and cycling routes. Dr Neil Jennings, partnership development manager at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London, said many councils have "shown leadership" but there are "apparent inconsistencies" in approach. "It's hard to see how airport expansion or investment in major new road building are consistent with net zero aspirations," he said. The National Audit Office said in a recent report that government support for councils trying to tackle climate change was inadequate and under-funded. The environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth is calling for the introduction of a legal duty for councils to take UK climate change targets into account when considering planning applications. "We won't come close to confronting the climate crisis if coal mines and airport expansions are approved," it said. Alongside their declarations, councils highlighted hundreds of green projects to tackle climate change. Some of the more innovative ideas include the funding of two deep geothermal power projects in Cornwall, per gram CO2 charges for parking permits in Kensington and Chelsea, turning Newcastle into a "15 minute city" requiring minimal travel, one of the longest living green walls in the UK in Liverpool, and the trialling of electric car hire at a library in Staffordshire. Councils that had not declared a climate "emergency" insisted they were still committed to tackling climate change. While some councils reported that the pandemic had had a positive effect on their plans to tackle change, more said the impact had been negative. In Dorset, the drop in road traffic brought about an estimated 27% reduction in carbon emissions, according to the council. "This shows us as a society what is possible in a short time when 'business as usual' is adjusted. We must not lose some of these gains and rush back to how things were before the pandemic," it added. However, St Helen's Council said the pandemic had had a "major impact" on council resources. "The commitments remain the same but progressing actions in respect of climate change have stalled," it added. The Isle of Wight Council said the Covid-19 response had delayed the delivery of its climate strategy, meaning the original aim of achieving net zero carbon emissions on the island by 2030 is likely to be "pushed back" to 2040. Cllr David Renard from the Local Government Association said: "Net zero can only be achieved if decarbonisation happens in every place, community and household. Long-term funding for councils would mean they can properly plan ahead on the needs of their local communities as a whole to support this." A government spokesperson said councils had already been provided with billions in funding.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58102578
     
         
      Sturgeon urges UK government to reassess Cambo oil field plan Fri, 13th Aug 2021 14:13:00
     
      Nicola Sturgeon has written to the prime minister to urge him to reassess the development of a new North Atlantic oil field west of Shetland. The first minister said proposals for the Cambo field should be re-examined over "the severity of the climate emergency". Her letter comes after a UN report issued a "code red for humanity". The UK government wants to reduce the use of fossil fuels, but says there is still "ongoing demand" for oil and gas. In her letter, Ms Sturgeon asked Boris Johnson to commit to "significantly enhancing the climate conditionality" associated with offshore oil and gas production. She added: "I am also asking that the UK government agrees to reassess licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced. That would include the proposed Cambo development. "Such licences, some of them issued many years ago, should be reassessed in light of the severity of the climate emergency we now face, and against a compatibility checkpoint that is fully aligned with our climate change targets and obligations." The first minister's intervention is her first on the issue. Ms Sturgeon also urged the prime minister to host to a four-nations conference ahead of November's COP26 summit in Glasgow. Environmental groups have accused ministers of "hypocrisy" over the summit, after it emerged that the Cambo development could get the green light. The oil field is situated approximately 125km (75 miles) to the west of Shetland in water depths of between 1,050m to 1,100m. It contains more than 800 million barrels of oil. When asked about Cambo during a visit to Scotland last week, the prime minister told BBC Scotland that contracts should not be "ripped up". But Mr Johnson added that "we need to transition as fast as we reasonably can" to renewable energy sources. The UK government says the original exploration licence for Cambo dates back to 2001. This licence granted permission to search for oil and gas in the area. There is then a lengthy process - involving field development plans, environmental statements and approval from relevant bodies - before production activity can begin. If approved by the Oil and Gas Authority, drilling at Cambo could start as early as 2022. The field is expected to produce oil and gas for approximately 25 years. Nicola Sturgeon has been sitting on the fence on Cambo and today she edged towards coming off it. While her reassessment call is not a straightforward "no" to the new field, it does lean in that direction. It is hard to imagine how Cambo and projects like it would pass "robust" new climate tests, as proposed by the first minister. If that amounts to a "presumption against" new oil and gas extraction it would be a major policy shift. It's not so long since the Scottish government endorsed plans to extract maximum remaining value from the North Sea and the SNP has championed the oil industry for decades. But Nicola Sturgeon has stopped short of outright opposition because she knows that jobs, investments and energy security are also at stake. Greenpeace UK branded Ms Sturgeon's letter a "PR exercise" and called on the first minister to make her "own stance clear". Campaigner Sam Chetan-Walsh said: "The first minister must stop hiding behind Boris Johnson. If she wants to show leadership on climate she must clearly say, 'Stop Cambo'." Scottish Labour net-zero spokeswoman Monica Lennon said the first minister had taken "a baby step" towards having a position. She added: "Now is not the time to reassess. It's time for Nicola Sturgeon to firmly and loudly oppose Cambo, once and for all." Scottish Green environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said: "It is welcome to see the Scottish government start to come off the fence when it comes to the Cambo oil field. "But it is clear there are still far too many hopes pinned on the oil and gas industry to get us out of the climate emergency." The Scottish Conservatives said the first minister was putting a "nationalist alliance with the Greens" ahead of the economy. 'Virtue signalling' Scottish Conservative Net Zero spokesman Liam Kerr added: "The oil and gas sector supports over 100,000 Scottish jobs and the development of the Cambo field could create thousands more. "It's a real shame the SNP government are too busy virtue signalling to work with the industry on the transition to renewables, as the UK government are doing." Industry body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) said the sector was "committed" to the Scottish and UK climate targets. OGUK energy policy manager, Will Webster, added: "Regarding Cambo and other future oil and gas investments, it is already demonstrated in projections by government and independent agencies that these are compatible with net zero." A UK government spokeswoman said it was supporting the oil and gas industry's transition to green energy by 2050. She said: "Even though demand for fossil fuels is falling and we continue to break records on our use of renewable energy, the advice of the independent Climate Change Committee is that we will continue to need oil and gas in the coming years as it is still vital to the production of many everyday essentials like medicines. "We have already ended support for fossil fuels overseas, and are already designing a climate compatibility checkpoint which will ensure any future licences will only be granted if they are aligned with the UK's climate change objectives."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58186181
     
         
      World’s Largest Solar-Powered Battery Is Now 75% Complete Fri, 13th Aug 2021 12:42:00
     
      The Manatee Energy Storage Center – the world’s largest solar-powered battery storage facility – is now 75% finished with 100 of 132 total containers already installed, reveals a press release from Florida Power and Light Company (FPL). The battery is housed in Manatee County as the name indicates and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. When completed, the system will have a 409-MW capacity with the ability to deliver 900 MWh of energy. This is enough electricity to power 329,000 homes for more than two hours. “With one milestone after another, FPL is following through on its steadfast commitment to make Florida a leader in sustainability and resiliency as we consistently deliver America’s best energy value – electricity that’s not just clean and reliable, but also affordable,” said FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. The battery will serve to replace FPL's coal plants. “In June, we said goodbye to coal by dismantling FPL’s last coal plant in Florida just as we surpassed 40% of the way toward completing our ’30-by-30’ plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030. Soon, the world’s largest solar-powered battery will begin serving customers, and we’ll turn our attention to an innovative green hydrogen pilot project – which could unlock the potential for a 100% carbon-free energy future," added Silagy. The battery will store energy in order to bring electricity to homes even when the sun’s not shining (at night and on cloudy days) meaning other more polluting power sources will not be required. Although customers are bound to see some financial benefits the main gains will be environmental. According to FPL, each battery module is capable of storing an amount of solar energy equivalent to roughly 2,000 iPhone batteries. The complete battery system will be equivalent to 100 million iPhone batteries and the energy storage containers will be organized across a 40-acre plot of land (the equivalent of 30 football fields). The battery will have a lifespan of 40 years. “With more than 12 million solar panels installed and more than 40 solar energy centers in operation, FPL is building on its rapid solar expansion with the world’s largest solar-powered battery,” said FPL Vice President of Development Matt Valle, who delivered today’s construction update. “But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. FPL is implementing innovative battery storage projects across the state, transforming Florida’s transportation landscape with more than 1,000 EV chargers and partnering with universities and municipalities on battery systems that leverage cutting-edge microgrid technology.” Read this article to find out about more battery innovations that may just change the world.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/worlds-largest-solar-powered-battery-is-now-75-complete
     
         
      Treasury blocking green policies key to UK net zero target Fri, 13th Aug 2021 11:15:00
     
      The Treasury is blocking green policies essential to put the UK on track to net zero emissions, imperilling the UK’s own targets and the success of vital UN climate talks, experts have told the Guardian. A string of policies, from home insulation to new infrastructure spending, have been scrapped, watered down or delayed. Rows about short term costs have dominated over longer term warnings that putting off green spending now will lead to much higher costs in future. The UK’s credibility as host of the Cop26 climate talks this November in Glasgow rests on a clear net zero strategy – but publication has been postponed until near the eve of the summit, giving the UK little leverage to bring other countries to the negotiating table with the tougher carbon targets needed. Meanwhile, steep cuts to overseas aid have severely damaged the UK’s standing internationally, experts on the UN talks said. Jamie Peters, director of campaigning impact at Friends of the Earth, said: “The Treasury has been helping to fuel the climate emergency for far too long. The reality is that a rapid transition to a zero carbon future would be far less expensive than delaying the green measures we so urgently need, and that will create significant economic opportunities and new jobs.” Civil society groups, thinktanks and political insiders said the Treasury had refused to commit to the spending needed to shift the UK’s economy to a low-carbon footing. Complaints about the potential short-term costs of net zero policies have been one flashpoint during weeks of high tension between the prime minister, Boris Johnson, and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, the Guardian understands. Kate Blagojevic, head of climate at Greenpeace UK, said: “There are strong reports that Rishi Sunak is intent on blocking climate spending at exactly the moment we need it most, and that his fingerprints sit heavily on moves to delay or block crucial investment to cut emissions from buildings or gas boilers.” The lengthy charge sheet against the Treasury includes: scrapping the green homes grant insulation scheme; freezing fuel duty while slashing electric car incentives; mulling cuts to air passenger duty on domestic flights, while making above-inflation train fare increases; failing to cut VAT on green home refurbishment; underfunding the new infrastructure bank; and delaying the phasing out of gas boilers. There have also been glaring omissions and delays. For instance, the transport strategy failed to back road pricing, which many believe will be essential to reducing emissions, which have remained stubbornly high as more people buy SUVs. Both the hydrogen strategy and heat and buildings strategy have been delayed until autumn, as has the overarching net zero strategy. Not all of these policies were under direct Treasury control, but the Treasury holds the purse strings and can effectively veto plans by other departments that require government investment or might raise costs for consumers. “The Treasury is at the root of this,” said Ed Matthew, campaign director at E3G, a green thinktank. “They are completely obsessed with short-term costs. It’s bonkers.” Chris Venables, head of politics at the Green Alliance thinktank, said: “The Treasury has this huge institutional resistance to medium term economic benefits [that entail short term costs]. They have to be dragged kicking and screaming to consider it.” Ministers and advisers are understood to be anxious that costs such as switching to heat pumps from gas boilers, estimated from £5,000 to £20,000 for some households, or the higher purchase price of electric cars, will hurt consumers’ pockets. But the independent committee on climate change has said the costs of net zero are affordable and falling, at about 1% of GDP by 2050, while green investment will generate new jobs, and policies can be devised that shift the costs from lower-income households and distribute them fairly. Moreover, as this week’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change spelled out, extreme weather is already here and will get worse. As recent flooding has demonstrated, the costs of inaction will far outweigh the costs of action. Even observers normally sympathetic to the government find the Treasury’s reluctance concerning. Josh Buckland, author of a report for the liberal conservative thinktank Bright Blue, said: “The Treasury is absolutely crucial to net zero. It has taken some welcome steps thus far to drive green finance and investment, but the jury is still out on how far it is willing to go given wider pressures on the public finances.” Buckland, a former environmental adviser to Johnson, believes that Sunak, known to be a fiscal “hawk” and free-marketeer, is not ideologically opposed to climate action. He said that while the Treasury was traditionally reluctant to commit spending on any issue, Sunak “also has a lot of priorities as we recover from the pandemic”. Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, disagrees. “Their ideology is standing in the way – they think that it can be done by the market and it can’t. They are held back by thinking this can all be done by the private sector, when all the evidence is that this has to be done by the public and private sectors.” Recent calls by Conservative MPs including Steve Baker and Craig Mackinlay to halt the race to net zero, which have received a warm welcome in sections of the press, have suggested that some MPs may also sniff electoral advantage in being seen to be anti-green. Blagojevic said: “The chancellor’s position may be politically expedient for him in trying to court the small number of Tory MPs intent on delaying climate action. Ultimately, though, history will not look kindly if he is the chancellor who tried to hobble our chances of reaching a low-carbon future, with all the growth, good jobs and stable better future it offers.” If the UK is to meet its net zero targets, ministers will have to face down backbench critics. E3G’s Matthew said: “It’s becoming understood [by the government] that you can’t just leave it to the market to deliver net zero, as that isn’t going to happen. For a Conservative government, that’s an inconvenient reality.” Last year, as the world was plunged into recession after the first lockdowns, Johnson appeared to grasp this when he promised to “build back greener”. Since then, however, few spending plans to reduce emissions have been brought forward, other than the green homes grant. Johnson also produced a 10-point plan setting out areas of focus, including nuclear power and offshore wind, but this was dismissed by many experts as a wishlist rather than a strategy. The Treasury said: “The government is committed to tackling climate change and the prime minister has set out an ambitious 10-point plan to help us achieve that. The Treasury is playing a crucial role in this effort, by allocating £12bn to fund the 10-point plan, setting up the UK infrastructure bank to invest in net zero, and announcing plans to issue £15bn in green bonds over the next year.” As the UK prepares to host Cop26, the government will be trying to persuade other countries to set out clear policies on emissions cuts for the next decade, a task much harder if ministers have no policies of their own. Ultimately, says Venables, only one person can sort this out: “The prime minister needs to get stuck in, to make the difficult decisions, and soon.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/13/treasury-blocking-green-policies-key-to-uk-net-zero-target
     
         
      Pollutionwatch: Olympic flame is a warning sign for hydrogen future Fri, 13th Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      The hydrogen flame above the Tokyo Olympic Stadium was symbolic of a zero-carbon future but illustrated a warning too. Hydrogen, created using zero-carbon methods, looks set to play a big role in decarbonisation as energy storage and fuel. It can then be used in fuel cells to generate electricity or burned in boilers or generators. One option to decarbonise home heating is to inject hydrogen into the existing natural (fossil) gas pipelines. Studies are under way to reduce the explosion risk from hydrogen leaks, but less attention is being paid to the air pollution from combusting hydrogen. It is widely claimed that burning hydrogen results in only water. While this is true of fuel cells it is not the case when hydrogen is burned. Like any high-temperate combustion, hydrogen flames lead to reactions between nitrogen and oxygen, and in turn to health-harming nitrogen dioxide pollution. It is unlikely that the nitrogen dioxide from hydrogen boilers will be worse than the fossil gas and oil used today, but it may not improve either. Replacing fossil gas heating with hydrogen may appear attractive compared with installing district heating, heat pumps and home insulation, but it would be a missed opportunity to reduce air pollution in towns and cities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/13/pollutionwatch-olympic-flame-warning-sign-hydrogen-future
     
         
      Italy may have registered Europe's hottest temperature on record Thu, 12th Aug 2021 17:51:00
     
      The Italian island of Sicily may have registered the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe - 48.8C (119.8F). Regional authorities reported the reading, which needs to be verified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), near Syracuse on Wednesday. According to the WMO, the current official record in Europe is 48C, registered in Athens, Greece, in 1977. The latest heatwave in Italy is being caused by an anticyclone - nicknamed Lucifer - moving up from Africa. Anticyclones are areas of high atmospheric pressure where the air is sinking. Lucifer is forecast to head north across mainland Italy, further raising temperatures in cities including the capital, Rome. Italy's health ministry has issued "red" alerts for extreme heat in several regions and the number of cities that face the highest health risk is expected to rise from eight to 15 by Friday. The Mediterranean heatwave, which has seen some countries record their highest temperatures in decades, has led to the spread of wildfires across southern Italy, with Sicily, Calabria and Puglia the worst-hit regions. Italian firefighters on Wednesday said they had been involved in more than 300 operations in Sicily and Calabria over a 12-hour period, battling through the night to control blazes burning thousands of acres of land. Three fire-related deaths - two in Calabria and one in Sicily - have been reported by Italian media. Separately, wildfires are continuing across Greece, fuelled by strong winds and parched vegetation. Foreign teams are helping to tackle blazes in what Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has described as a "nightmarish summer". Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58130893
     
         
      How North American cities are bracing for more heatwaves Thu, 12th Aug 2021 17:24:00
     
      This summer's extreme heatwave in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest was linked to hundreds of deaths. How can cities better prepare for dangerously high temperatures? Shane Sanders says it was some of the worst working conditions he's ever experienced in his eight-year career. The paramedic was on 12-hour shifts in a Vancouver suburb during the record-shattering heatwave in late June. He and his colleagues were "dripping through their uniforms, taking their shirts off just to cool down" and "kicking back as much water as they could between calls" in 35C (95F) temperatures, without factoring in humidity. "There were paramedics puking outside after calls because they were so fatigued and rundown - just getting heat exhaustion symptoms themselves," he says. A few times he ended up treating more than one patient during calls, because the wait for an ambulance meant more people in a home had been overcome by heat once they arrived, he says. Troy Clifford heard similar stories from other paramedics: one who treated an elderly woman whose home had reached a broiling 50C, another who responded to 11 cardiac arrest calls in just one shift. Clifford, president of the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia union, called the extreme heat a "perfect storm" for the paramedic services in the province, which were already straining under staffing shortages and increased call volumes during the Covid pandemic. At some points during the heatwave, there were waits of an hour or more for critical calls coming into the dispatch centre, he says. From 25 June to 1 July, over 700 deaths were reported to the BC coroner's office - three times the normal amount - the majority of which are believed linked to the extreme heat. The province and its health services were both pushed to explain why they weren't better prepared - and Vancouver has since vowed to implement a plan to be ready for when temperatures spike again, like they are expected to through this weekend Heatwaves are becoming more likely and more intense because of human-induced climate change, but have often taken a back seat when it comes to how cities prepare for extreme weather. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, which "doesn't sound like much", says Columbia University climate scientist Radley Horton, but it has "profoundly shifted the statistics of heatwaves, making them much more common, much more extreme and much longer duration". The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 600 Americans die each year from extreme heat, and some estimates place that figure much higher. While heatwaves are among the worst climate-related threats to human health, it's only in recent years that cities have become more concerned with their dangers. "Cities are in a wide range of readiness for heat - some are superstars and some are racing to catch up," says Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center. People in Phoenix, Arizona, are used to high temperatures, says deputy city manager Karen Peters. Still, the city had its hottest summer on record last year and it is now setting up something they believe to be the first of its kind in the US: an Office of Heat Response and Mitigation. "This is a desert city - we need to live in harmony with our environment and we always have. It's just getting to be a more harsh environment over time," says Peters. "We're all looking around and understanding we need to develop resilience and adapt to changing conditions and we are trying to be out in front of that." Other cities have begun looking at similar models, like Florida's Miami-Dade County, which recently hired a chief heat officer. Horton also praises cities like New York and Philadelphia for implementing robust "street level" community outreach to help care for the most vulnerable during heatwaves. Air conditioning is one of the best tools for relief from the heat. One of the factors that made the western US and Canada heatwave so dangerous was that only about half the population in the usually temperate region has home air conditioning. In places like Phoenix, it's near ubiquitous, but Peters notes it can be a struggle for some to afford and is unavailable to the city's homeless population. This summer, one creative solution being tested in Phoenix is parking air conditioned busses in places they know people might not have access to a place to cool off. Cities must also plan for power outages that could knock out air conditioning. In Florida in 2017, 12 people died in a home for the elderly during a heat wave when a hurricane cut the power. Nursing homes there must now have backup generators with four days of power available. One key public health component is making sure people take the heat seriously and teaching them easy ways to stay cool and spot the early signs of heat stroke. Cities are also looking at urban designs that can help reduce the build-up of heat. Phoenix has miles of "cool" pavements and public buildings have "cool" roofing, which use things like reflective materials that prevent that heat build-up. Typical asphalt or concrete absorb heat and then warm the surrounding environment. Miami-Dade County and Phoenix both plan to significantly increase the amount of trees to provide more shade and to reduce heat absorption. Extreme heat waves like this summer's can bring attention to an issue and help drive change, says the University of Toronto's Alexandra Rahr, who studies how people look at natural disasters. Policy changes at local and federal levels can make a difference, she says, but people also need to stop seeing them as an aberration. "We are living in a disastrous era, a disastrous moment," says Rahr. "If we keep thinking about natural disasters as something that gets done to us, then we're stripped of the ability and the responsibility to make it better." Columbia University's Horton says that with climate change, we need to consider plans for multiple problems at once - for example heat alongside the possibility of wildfires and wildfire smoke affecting a region. There is also unpredictability. "The more we turn up the dial on greenhouse gas emissions the less we can trust that our models are really capturing the full range of possible outcomes," he says. The last few years have been a wakeup call. "We need to have more imagination and think about possibilities with climate change that are outside our everyday experience," he says. "It's time to not base our planning for the future solely on what we've experienced in the past."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58015089
     
         
      Climate: WWF warns UK spending is lagging behind targets Thu, 12th Aug 2021 17:13:00
     
      A new analysis suggests the current level of UK spending to combat climate change is lagging behind what advisers say is needed. A study by the pressure group WWF says new green policies in the March 2021 Budget add up to just 0.01% of GDP. But the government's own advisory Climate Change Committee has said 1% of national wealth - or GDP - must be spent every year in the UK to ensure climate targets are met. In November the prime minister promised £12bn for a 10-point plan "green industrial revolution". WWF says its research also shows that some Budget policies that encourage pollution totalled £40bn - far more than the PM's green plan. It says that the freeze on fuel duty is costing the Treasury some £11.2bn in the financial year 2019-20 alone, rising to £13.9bn in 2022-23 if the freeze continues. A Treasury spokesman defended the government's record and said a comprehensive strategy for financing the "green revolution" would be outlined in the autumn. But WWF says the UK won't remotely deliver on its own promise of a 78% CO2 cut by 2035 at the current rate of annual spending. Isabella O'Dowd from WWF said: "It's not yet too late to prevent global warming from rising above 1.5°C - it is in our hands. "But to do that, the UK government must play its part by keeping every climate promise it has made." Low carbon transition The government's aim is to reduce UK emissions to almost nil by 2050 - that's a trajectory the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said would save the world from the very worst catastrophes that lie ahead. A Treasury spokesman said: ""The UK is a world leader in the global effort to tackle climate change, growing our economy by 78% while cutting emissions by 44% over the past three decades and being the first major economy to legislate to reach net zero emissions by 2050." The government has been urged recently by some of its own backbench MP to spell out exactly how the low-carbon transition will be funded. They fear the UK may take expensive action to cut emissions when other nations sit back. The Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC recently that policies to shield poor families from higher heating bills would be published soon. Net zero test Chris Stark, head of the advisory Climate Change Committee, told BBC News the WWF report is "an interesting snapshot" of government spending on the net zero transition. He continued: "We estimate the cost of reaching net zero to be around 1% of GDP per year, a mixture of public and private money. "Not all of that funding will be reflected in the government's Budget, but it's vital that a net zero test is applied to the Treasury spending review in the Autumn if we are to have a fighting chance of delivering net zero." Recent analysis for the All-Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group suggests the government is also falling short at a policy level on net zero ambitions. Its report said ministers have fully or partially met just 61 out of 135 policies recommended by the advisory Climate Change Committee. The prime minister has promised a full suite of policies before the vital climate summit known as COP26 that he's hosting in Glasgow in November. Experts say if the UK must prove how it can decarbonise its own economy to show other nations that it's economically possible. Hydrogen warning One of the government's new policy initiatives is to promote hydrogen as a power source. A hydrogen strategy is due soon. Lobby groups are pressing for widespread hydrogen use in home heating. But a report from Cornell and Stanford Universities warns that using hydrogen could increase emissions overall unless it's made by electrolysis from surplus wind power. That's because the most common current method of getting hydrogen is to split it from natural gas, which produces high carbon emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58170865
     
         
      Green aviation: Electric powered plane trialled over Orkney Thu, 12th Aug 2021 17:10:00
     
      Scotland's first hybrid-electric plane has taken to the skies at a new test centre in Orkney. US-based aviation company Ampaire has replaced one of the piston engines in their retrofitted Cessna aircraft with a compact electric motor. Ampaire believes hybrid technology could pave the way to flying inter-island and short haul routes with greener technologies. After initial test flights in Hawaii, the aircraft was shipped to Scotland for its first flight across open water. A 90-minute rapid charge of the plane's battery can provide around an hour of flight.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-58180367
     
         
      Youth need ‘seat at the table’ to lead struggle for better future: Guterres Thu, 12th Aug 2021 13:04:00
     
      “They are tackling inequities in food security, biodiversity loss, threats to our environment and much more”, Secretary-General António Guterres spelled out in his message for the day. And noting that COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the “dire need for…transformational change”, he upheld that young people must be “full partners in that effort”. Stand with youth From gender equality to education and skills development, the top UN official highlighted that youth exhibit drive, creativity, and commitment. “But young people cannot do it on their own”, he stated. “They need allies to make sure they are engaged, included and understood”. Guided by the UN system-wide youth strategy, Youth2030, the Organization is strengthening its work for and with young people worldwide. “I urge everyone to guarantee young people a seat at the table as we build a world based on inclusive, fair, and sustainable development for all”, said Mr. Guterres. Tap into youth UN cultural agency (UNESCO) chief, Audrey Azoulay quoted iconic New York author, poet and musician, Patti Smith, to underscore her agency’s message that young people must act for themselves, asking: “Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?” Ms. Azoulay explained that UNESCO intends to “explore the idea” of a global grant system, to finance research projects and grassroots action, led by young people. She’s convening an international conference on “the impact of the pandemic on young people” during September. Youth are also at the heart of other agency intiatives, including the UNESCO Global Youth Community initiative, Youth UNESCO Climate Action Network and various projects to prevent violent extremism. “These are the best means to reach them in a relevant and useful way”, she said, inviting young people to continue to engage and for all of civil society to “tap into the immense potential of this unique, productive and incredibly capable” group. Changemakers The newly-elected President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Collen Vixen Kelapile, said that the inclusion and involvement of youth in key activities, is a top priority. Pointing out that “youth are changemakers and their contribution is essential to realizing the mandate of the Council”, he looked forward to hearing from youth around the world on “how we can advance together the Youth Agenda and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDSGs)” while responding and recovering from COVID-19. Youth festival Meanwhile, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth welcomed thousands of young people from across the globe as it kicked off the first-ever, all virtual Youth Lead Innovation Festival. Over two days, participants will be discussing the importance of innovation and technology to achieve the SDGs and support COVID-19 recovery. Despite facing multidimensional challenges in their day-to-day lives, UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake said, “time and time again we see young people at the frontlines of developing new solutions and becoming pillars of their communities”. “Young people of today are digital natives that routinely contribute to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring transparent and inclusive political change”, she highlighted.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097652
     
         
      UN weather agency seeks to confirm 48.8°C ‘record’ heat spike in Sicily Thu, 12th Aug 2021 13:00:00
     
      The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that it could not yet confirm or deny the Sicilian temperature spike, which was recorded on Wednesday by an agricultural forecasting provider on the island, and not the official Italian weather service. Temperature check “We cannot yet make any preliminary assessment of the 48.8 °C observation, pro or con,” the WMO said in a statement via email, only days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report highlighting the “indisputable” impact of human activity on extreme weather events. WMO said that a rapid-response weather records team is now in contact with the Sicilian weather service in order to decide if the observation beats Europe’s existing high of 48 Celsius /118.4 Fahrenheit, which happened in Athens on 10 July, 1977. Alert in Algeria The development comes amid fresh heatwave alerts and concerns over wildfires in Algeria, where the national weather service forecast temperatures of at least 44 Celsius/111.2 Fahrenheit, with highs of perhaps 47 Celsius/116.6 Fahrenheit. The extent of the massive forest blazes in the north African country was clearly visible from space and published on Tuesday by NASA. One image, captured by the Aqua satellite, showed a vast plume of smoke over northern Algeria, where more than 62,000 hectares have burned so far this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. NASA’s Earth Observatory noted that some of the worst fires had been in mountainous areas near Bejaia and Tizi-Ouzou, and that the bright white portions of the smoke plume suggested the presence of pyrocumulonimbus “fire clouds”. Code red In response to the IPCC Working Group’s report on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that is was "a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable." In recent days and weeks, hundreds of wildfires have raged in Italy, Algeria, Greece, Turkey, Russia and the western United States. And according to WMO, the record-breaking heatwave in parts of the US and Canada in June would have been virtually impossible without the influence of human-caused climate change. Heatwave ‘150 times more likely’ The UN agency also insisted that climate change caused by increasing greenhouse gas emissions - such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - made the heatwave “at least 150 times more likely to happen”. Highlighting “unprecedented” heatwaves recorded in the Western United States and Canada this summer, WMO explained that these had coincided with “unusual” weather patterns over the whole of the northern Hemisphere. “This has brought unprecedented heat, droughts, cold and wet conditions in various places,” said Dr Omar Baddour, head of WMO’s Climate Monitoring and Policy Division. “The connection of this large-scale disturbance of (the) summer season with the warming of Arctic and the heat accumulation in the ocean needs to be investigated.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097622
     
         
      UK plan to replace fossil gas with blue hydrogen ‘may backfire’ Thu, 12th Aug 2021 8:13:00
     
      The government’s plan to replace fossil gas with “blue” hydrogen to help meet its climate targets could backfire after US academics found that it may lead to more emissions than using gas. In some cases blue hydrogen, which is made from fossil gas, could be up to 20% worse for the climate than using gas in homes and heavy industry, owing to the emissions that escape when gas is extracted from the ground and split to produce hydrogen. The process leaves a byproduct of carbon dioxide and methane, which fossil fuel companies plan to trap using carbon capture technology. However, even the most advanced schemes cannot capture all the emissions, leaving some to enter the atmosphere and contribute to global heating. Professors from Cornell and Stanford universities calculated that these “fugitive” emissions from producing hydrogen could eclipse those associated with extracting and burning gas when multiplied by the amount of gas required to make an equivalent amount of energy from hydrogen. Robert Howarth, a Cornell University professor and co-author of the study, said the research was the first to be published in a peer-reviewed journal to lay bare the “significant lifecycle emissions intensity of blue hydrogen”. The paper, which will be published in Energy Science and Engineering, warned that blue hydrogen may be “a distraction” or “something that may delay needed action to truly decarbonise the global energy economy”. The researchers recommended a focus on green hydrogen, which is made using renewable electricity to extract hydrogen from water, leaving only oxygen as a byproduct. “This is a warning signal to governments that the only ‘clean’ hydrogen they should invest public funds in is truly net zero, green hydrogen made from wind and solar energy,” Howarth said. A spokesperson for the UK government said hydrogen would be “essential for meeting our legally binding commitment to eliminating the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050” and promised further details in the government’s forthcoming hydrogen strategy, which is expected next month. “Independent reports, including that from the Climate Change Committee, show that a combination of blue and green hydrogen is consistent with reaching net zero but alongside the strategy, we will consult on a new UK standard for low-carbon hydrogen production to ensure the technologies we support make a real contribution to our goals,” the spokesperson said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/12/uk-replace-fossil-gas-blue-hydrogen-backfire-emissions
     
         
      UK spending far more on polluting policies than green ones, says WWF Thu, 12th Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      The UK government is spending many times more on measures that will increase greenhouse gas emissions than on policies to tackle the climate crisis, according to an analysis of the spring budget. Only £145m in the March 2021 budget was devoted to environmental spending, most of it on the post-Brexit emissions trading scheme for industry, according to an analysis by the conservation charity WWF. But the cost of tax breaks to companies to encourage investment came to more than £34bn, while maintaining the fuel duty freeze – for an 11th consecutive year – is costing about £4.5bn in lost revenues. Tensions over the government’s commitment to net zero emissions, and the potential cost of policies to meet the target, are said to be one of the chief bones of contention between the prime minister and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak. The two are said to have had at least one blazing row recently. In all, WWF found that measures in the 2021 budget that would increase emissions were worth about £40bn. The findings come from a new “budget tagging tool” developed by the charity with help from Vivid Economics, which measures the impact of policy decisions that affect the environment. Isabella O’Dowd, the head of climate at WWF, said: “The spring budget showed a disconnect between the government’s rhetoric and the reality of what it’s doing. The ambition [on emissions-cutting targets] is great, but now we really need to see the policies that will deliver.” She said the landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published on Monday, which found the world was heading for more than 1.5C of global heating within the next two decades, showed how urgent it was for ministers to act. The UK will host vital UN climate talks, called Cop26, this November in Glasgow, aimed at bringing all countries together with new national commitments to cut emissions in line with the ambition of the Paris agreement of holding temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which the impacts of climate breakdown are likely to become more devastating. “With nature in freefall and the climate in crisis, the clock is ticking for the planet,” said O’Dowd. “It’s not yet too late to prevent global warming rising above 1.5C – that is in our hands. But the UK government must play its part by keeping every climate promise it has made.” She said separate estimates showed the UK could benefit to the tune of about £90bn in the form of new jobs, health benefits and infrastructure if the government took a greener approach to investment and spending. A spokesperson for the Treasury said the government rejected the WWF analysis. “These misleading claims fail to recognise the £12bn we already pledged to spend in support of our 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution. The budget built on that with further funding allocations and ambitious plans on green finance, and the UK Infrastructure Bank, which will help finance green projects across the UK.” In the budget, Sunak announced a new measure that would allow companies to claim their spending on certain productivity investments, plus an extra 30%, against any tax they owed. This “super-deduction” was spoken of at the time as a measure that could help to spur green investment. However, there is no guarantee that any of the investment covered by it will be green, and critics have pointed out that companies investing in new fossil fuel development could claim the tax break. WWF urged the government to put in place a “net zero test” so that all policies would have to be proven to contribute to the net zero emissions target, or at least be compatible with it, in order to be adopted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/12/uk-spending-far-more-on-polluting-policies-than-green-ones-wwf
     
         
      NUEVA HERRAMIENTA DE LA NASA MUESTRA CÓMO EL AUMENTO DEL NIVEL DEL MAR PODRÍA AFECTAR EL LUGAR DONDE VIVES Wed, 11th Aug 2021 22:52:00
     
      La NASA ha creado una nueva herramienta para visualizar el aumento del nivel del mar en cualquier parte del mundo en las próximas décadas. La herramienta de proyección del nivel del mar se anunció este lunes después de la publicación del primer capítulo de su sexto informe de evaluación del Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático (IPCC). En un resumen de los hallazgos, los científicos señalaron que la crisis climática es generalizada, rápida y se está intensificando, y ninguna región de la Tierra escapará a los cambios. También es "inequívoco" que la influencia humana, en gran parte por la quema de combustibles fósiles, está calentando la atmósfera, el océano y la tierra, según el informe. Sin embargo, los 234 científicos de 66 países que redactaron el informe destacaron que las acciones de la humanidad aún tienen la capacidad de determinar el rumbo. “Sabemos que no hay marcha atrás de algunos cambios en el sistema climático”, dijo en conferencia de prensa Ko Barrett, vicepresidente del IPCC y asesor climático senior de la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica de EE. UU. "Sin embargo, algunos de estos cambios podrían ralentizarse y otros podrían detenerse limitando el calentamiento". La herramienta, alojada en el portal del nivel del mar de la NASA, permite un nuevo nivel de granularidad sobre cómo las diferentes partes del mundo se verán afectadas por el aumento del nivel del mar en una variedad de trayectorias de emisiones. Al seleccionar opciones de un menú desplegable, puedes hacer zoom en ubicaciones a través del océano y en cada línea costera entre 2020 y 2150 para ver qué sucederá dependiendo de qué tan rápido la curva se doble, o no, para reducir las emisiones. La herramienta también proporciona una mirada a los diferentes procesos detrás del aumento del nivel del mar, como el derretimiento de las capas de hielo y los glaciares, y la medida en que las aguas del océano cambian sus patrones de circulación o se expanden a medida que se calientan. Las proyecciones se basan en las conclusiones del informe del IPCC a partir de datos recopilados por satélites e instrumentos en tierra, así como análisis y simulaciones por computadora. "El objetivo es entregar los datos de proyección en el informe del IPCC en una forma utilizable y, al mismo tiempo, proporcionar una visualización sencilla de los escenarios futuros", dijo Ben Hamlington, científico investigador del Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro de la NASA en el sur de California, quien dirige el equipo científico de cambio del nivel del mar de la agencia. El informe del IPCC deja claro que algunas de las consecuencias de la crisis climática ya están sentenciadas. Es "prácticamente seguro" que los niveles del mar en todo el mundo seguirán aumentando este siglo, por ejemplo. "Independientemente de la rapidez con la que reduzcamos nuestras emisiones, es probable que estemos viendo alrededor de 15-30 cm (seis a 12 pulgadas) de aumento del nivel del mar promedio global a mediados de siglo", dijo el Dr. Bob Kopp, autor principal del capítulo que se ocupa del aumento del nivel del mar y director del Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, los Océanos y la Atmósfera de la Universidad de Rutgers. Los eventos extremos del nivel del mar que ocurrieron anteriormente una vez cada 100 años podrían ocurrir todos los años para el 2100. Sin embargo, el Dr. Kopp señaló que todavía está en nuestro poder marcar una diferencia monumental en el nivel del mar mediante la reducción de emisiones. “Más allá de 2050, las proyecciones del nivel del mar se vuelven cada vez más sensibles a las elecciones de emisiones que estamos tomando hoy”, dijo. El aumento del nivel del mar está siendo impulsado por el derretimiento de las capas de hielo en el Ártico y la Antártida y los glaciares de montaña que agregan agua al océano. En segundo lugar, el agua se expande a medida que se calienta. Los científicos han determinado que el océano absorbe más del 90 por ciento del exceso de calor de los gases de efecto invernadero. El nivel del mar ha aumentado cada vez más rápidamente desde aproximadamente 1970 y en los últimos 100 años, el nivel del mar ha aumentado más que en cualquier siglo durante al menos los últimos tres milenios. El nivel del mar promedio global ha aumentado a un ritmo de unos cuatro milímetros (0,16 pulgadas) por año durante la última década. Con casi la mitad de la población mundial viviendo a menos de 60 millas de la costa, el aumento del nivel del mar ya está afectando a las personas en muchas partes del mundo. El informe histórico del IPCC llega menos de tres meses antes de la Cop26, una cumbre climática global que se celebrará en Glasgow en noviembre próximo. Los hallazgos jugarán un papel importante en informar las discusiones de alto nivel sobre cómo reducir las emisiones globales. La herramienta ha sido diseñada para permitir que los líderes comprendan cómo la crisis climática está cambiando el panorama de sus propios países antes del evento.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independentespanol.com/estilo/espacio/nasa-aumento-del-nivel-del-mar-herramienta-b1901086.html?utm_source=redirect
     
         
      Energy commission dials back plan to charge households to send rooftop solar power to grid Wed, 11th Aug 2021 18:30:00
     
      A proposal for households with rooftop solar panels to be charged for exporting electricity into the power grid at certain times has been softened, with regulators guaranteeing a “free option” under which people will not face any cost. The Australian Energy Market Commission said its final decision on changes designed to prevent “traffic jams” of electricity at sunny times in the middle of the day, would also prevent network operators placing a blanket ban on customers sending energy to the grid. Under changes to be announced on Thursday, electricity network companies would have to offer solar customers an option under which they would not face a financial penalty, but would probably face a limit on how much electricity they can export. Other options would involve solar users paying an upfront cost in return for being paid a higher rate for energy exported when demand for grid electricity is higher. One of the goals of the paid option is to make it more attractive for people to invest in batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and appliances that allow them to timeshift household energy use. The commission said proposed network offers for solar offers would be assessed by the Australian Energy Regulator, which would have to consider the “long-term consumer interest”. Existing solar customers would not move on to the new system before July 2025. The shift follows a pushback against a draft declaration in March that critics said could penalise people who had installed solar in good faith and give too much power to networks in proposing consumer charges. A final decision was delayed due to the extent of public feedback. In a statement released to media ahead of the final announcement, the commission said the changes would impose “tough new obligations” on network companies requiring them to make their businesses solar and battery friendly. It said it was part of a plan to have more solar households, cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep costs down. The commission’s chief executive, Benn Barr, said it had listened to feedback and tightened protections for consumers to ensure people would not have to pay to export solar if they chose not to. He said people could earn by sending electricity to the grid when it was needed, or save by using delay-start functions to set appliances such as dishwashers to run on solar energy in the middle of the day. The commission’s chair, Anna Collyer, said it would turn the “current one-way street delivering power to people’s homes into a two-way super-highway where energy flows in both directions”. “Power network companies will need to deliver services to support solar and they’ll be judged on their performance on how much solar exports they allow into the grid,” she said. “These new measures to drive smart solar are fundamental to enabling a modern electricity grid.” She said the changes reflected widespread concern from industry, consumers and environment groups that the grid would not be able to handle a forecast doubling of household solar power over the next decade. About 2.8m Australian households now have solar systems. At peak moments in the middle of the day, slightly more than half the electricity across the national market is from renewable sources, compared with about 30% across the year. Advocacy group Solar Citizens has been sharply critical of the commission’s proposed change, describing it as a “sun tax”. It argued solar users should be rewarded for helping cut emissions, and that changing the rules after the fact was unfair. But the fairness principle was also invoked by those broadly supportive of the commission’s proposal. The change was a response to proposals from power distribution company SA Power Networks, the Total Environment Centre and welfare organisations the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) and St Vincent de Paul. Kellie Caught, senior adviser on climate and energy for Acoss, has said the country needed a rapid transition to renewable energy, but increased network costs to deal with the influx of household solar should not be paid by people without panels, including the third of households who rent. She told Guardian Australia last month it was important that people with solar were given a choice over whether they paid to send electricity to the grid at busy times or could accept a limit on how much they exported. State governments raised concerns about the commission’s draft proposal to varying degrees. Victoria and Queensland indicated they did not support export charges. The commission estimated under a worst-case scenario solar owners choosing paid plans would still earn at least 90% of what they do now from their panels. It said it should lead to a power bill reduction for 80% of customers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/12/energy-commission-dials-back-plan-to-charge-households-to-send-rooftop-solar-power-to-grid
     
         
      The illegal gold mines killing rivers and livelihoods in Ghana Wed, 11th Aug 2021 17:54:00
     
      Sixty percent of Ghana’s water bodies are now polluted, largely due to illegal mining activities. Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa and about 35% of it is extracted by small-scale miners, most of them operating illegally. Over the last few years, the government has been clamping down on their activities, but some communities say they're frustrated that they're not seeing enough change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-58119653
     
         
      Spain Pushes Ahead with Offshore Wind Roadmap Wed, 11th Aug 2021 17:30:00
     
      The Spanish government has closed the public consultation on the draft Roadmap for the Development of Offshore Wind and Marine Energies. According to the Roadmap, Spain intends to develop between 1 GW and 3 GW of offshore floating wind capacity by 2030. The Roadmap also includes plans to develop between 40 MW and 60 MW of wave and tidal energy by 2030. Spain also plans to set aside EUR 200 million between 2021 and 2023 for the advancement and development of offshore renewable energy technologies. The ministry also pointed out that between EUR 500 million and EUR 1 billion investment into the port infrastructure would be needed in order to implement these goals. Currently, several floating wind projects are in the development stage offshore Spain. Most notably, Spain’s energy giant Iberdrola said earlier this year that the company is planning to invest over EUR 1 billion to develop a 300 MW floating wind farm offshore Spain. The project is expected to spearhead the development of up to 2,000 MW of floating offshore wind projects identified by Iberdrola off the coasts of Galicia, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands. Last month, the Madrid-based BlueFloat Energy revealed plans to build a 1 GW floating wind farm near the Gulf of Roses in Catalonia. The wind farm could be operational as early as 2026, the developer said. Spain’s Greenalia is also planning on building up to four floating wind farms off Gran Canaria. The Dunas, Mojo, Cardon, and Guanche wind farms are independent projects, each expected to have 50 MW of capacity, located offshore the Gran Canarian South-East coast.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/08/11/spain-pushes-ahead-with-offshore-wind-roadmap/
     
         
      Shell pays $111m over 1970s oil spill in Nigeria Wed, 11th Aug 2021 17:21:00
     
      Oil giant Shell will pay a Nigerian community $111m (£80m) over an oil spill more than 50 years ago. A spokesman said the payment would mark the "full and final settlement" to the Ejama-Ebubu community over a spill during the 1967-70 Biafran War. The company has maintained that the damage was caused by third parties. A Nigerian court fined Shell the equivalent of $41.36m in 2010, but the company launched a number of unsuccessful appeals. Last year, the country's Supreme Court said that, with interest, the fine owed by the company was more than ten times greater than the original judgement, although Shell denied this. The case was launched in 1991. Shell has previously said it was not given the opportunity to defend itself against the claims, and began international arbitration over the case earlier this year. "They ran out of tricks and decided to come to terms," lawyer Lucius Nwosa, who represented the local community, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. "The decision is a vindication of the resoluteness of the community for justice." While the case dates back decades, pollution from leaking oil pipelines continues to be a major issue in the Niger Delta. Earlier this year, in a separate case, a Dutch appeals court ruled that Shell's Nigerian branch was responsible for damage caused by leaks in the Niger Delta from 2004 to 2007. The court ordered Shell Nigeria to pay compensation to Nigerian farmers, while the subsidiary and its Anglo-Dutch parent company were told to install equipment to prevent future damage. A group of farmers launched the case in 2008, alleging widespread pollution. Shell argued that the leaks were the result of "sabotage".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58181836
     
         
      Wildfires: How are they linked to climate change? Wed, 11th Aug 2021 17:16:00
     
      Recent heatwaves and wildfires around the world have caused alarm - with warnings that parts of Europe and North America could be experiencing the worst fire season ever. So how do wildfires compare with previous years? California hit hard Parts of the western US have seen record-breaking temperatures this year, which - along with severe drought conditions - have triggered a series of major wildfires. So far this year in California, more than twice as many acres of land have been burned by wildfires compared with the five-year average. Dr Susan Prichard, from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington, says: "We now have the conflagrations in California that we feared, following the record-setting heatwaves. "Given that California wildfires have burned all the way into November in recent years, I'm afraid that we might be set up for another record-breaking fire season." Across the United States, more than 3.5 million acres have been burned so far this year. That's one million more than at this point in the 2020 fire season - which ended as the most destructive season on record. The acres burned across the US in 2021 so far sit below the 10-year average, with some other states not being as badly hit as California. But experts are warning it is still very early, in what is looking like an exceptionally dry and long fire season. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. Dr Prichard says: "Extreme fire weather events including increased lightning and strong winds, are also becoming more common under climate change." Turkey fires 'worst in its history' The wildfires in Turkey have been labelled 'the worst in its history' by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 200 have affected western and southern Turkey, although the authorities say the majority of these are now contained. About 175,000 hectares have been burned so far this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. That's more than eight times the average for this time of year - measured between 2008 and 2020. Dr Yusuf Serengil, from the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Istanbul, says: "It's a very bad year all over the Mediterranean region. We believe that this is caused by an above-average hot July in the region." The Turkish authorities have been criticised for being caught off-guard by the recent fires, and not having enough planes to help tackle them. They eventually received help from France, Spain and several other nations which provided air support. Greece has also seen record-breaking wildfires - with 12 times as much land being burned than average. Much of this destruction has been caused by wildfires on the Greek island of Evia, with more than 2,000 people being evacuated by sea. There are also active wildfires in the Peloponnese region, in between the cities of Kalamata and Patras. Siberia ablaze Thick smoke from forest fires has blanketed parts of Siberia, and satellites have tracked it drifting to the Arctic Circle and beyond. Blazes in Siberia occur every summer, starting in the south - around the Chinese-Mongolian border - before gradually moving north towards the remote Arctic Circle, where the fires are difficult to reach. This fire season has seen smoke from Siberia reach the North Pole for the first time in recorded history. And there are other signs they are getting worse. The average burnt area in Siberia for the last decade (2011-2020) was more than double the previous one, according to data from the Sukachev Forest Institute. The Sakha Republic (or Yakutia) in the north-east has faced severe fires since mid-June. This type of high intensity fire emits more carbon dioxide. The volume of carbon released by fires in Sakha this year far exceeds recent years. However, some neighbouring regions haven't endured such a bad season. Scientists say that warmer and drier conditions in northern parts of Siberia increase the fire risk. And that human-caused climate change is a key factor in more extreme fire activity there. A study found Siberia's record breaking heatwave in 2020 was impossible without climate change. What's happening in the Amazon? The Brazilian Amazon is closely monitored, as deforestation and fires linked to agriculture threaten this valuable ecosystem. It's still early in the country's annual fire season, which tends to peak in August and September. So far in 2021, the area burned is less than last year, according to satellite data analysed by Dr Michelle Kalamandeen, a tropical ecologist. But the Cerrado, a vast grassland or savannah used to farm crops and cattle, has seen an increase in land affected by fires. In 2020, fires were particularly destructive at the southern edge of the Amazon, such as in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará. Here the forest meets the more fire-prone savannah. Current conditions and the rain forecast suggest another drought, meaning "we could see large fire conflagrations again in this region", says Kátia Fernandes, Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas and the fires and drought theme lead for the SERVIR-Amazonia project. In other sections of the rainforest in Brazil - and in Peru and Bolivia - a more "average" season is expected. Overall, forecasts suggest climate conditions will be less conducive to the type of severe fires seen in 2020. Human activities such as deforestation also pose a major fire risk. Deforestation levels remain high, which could provide fuel for fires when the weather becomes drier. And alongside these human activities, the impact of climate change on the Amazon is significant, says Prof Fernandes. "We have seen evidence the dry season has increased in length, and severe droughts are occurring more frequently due to natural variability exacerbated by climate change."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58159451
     
         
      Global climate objectives fall short without nuclear power in the mix: UNECE Wed, 11th Aug 2021 13:07:00
     
      Only weeks before world leaders gather in Glasgow to hammer out plans to slow climate change, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has released a document arguing that nuclear power can help deliver on the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “Nuclear power is an important source of low-carbon electricity and heat that can contribute to attaining carbon neutrality and hence help to mitigate climate change,” UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova said. In the new technology brief published on Wednesday, the agency warned that “time is running out to rapidly transform the global energy system,” as fossil fuels still account for over half of electricity generation in the UNECE region, which include the countries of Europe, but also countries in North America, Central Asia and Western Asia. The report highlights how only hydropower has played a greater role in avoiding carbon emissions over the past 50 years. Nuclear power is a low-carbon energy source that has avoided about 74Gt of CO2 emissions over this period, nearly two years’ worth of total global energy-related emissions, it noted. Yet nuclear power currently provides 20 per cent of electricity generated in the UNECE region and 43 per cent of low-carbon generation. Still time to limit climate change The publication comes as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its landmark report on Monday, warning that some climate change trends are currently now irreversible, but there is still time to limit it with strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. The UNECE document also highlighted a 2018 report by the IPCC which sees demand for nuclear generation increase six times by 2050 with the technology providing 25% of global electricity. Nuclear power, it stated, has the potential to increase its integration with other low-carbon energy sources in a future decarbonised energy mix. Powering the region According to the document, in the UNECE region, nuclear power is providing over 30% of electric generation in eleven countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine). Twenty countries currently operate nuclear power plants, and fifteen countries have new reactors under construction or under development. Seven UNECE member States are in the process of developing nuclear power programmes for the first time. A number of countries - such as Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States - have explicitly stated that nuclear power will play an important role in reducing their national emissions in the future. Climate mitigation In contrast, Belgium and Germany have announced phasing out nuclear power, in 2025 and 2023 respectively. Over 70 reactors have been shut down since 2000, for political, economic or technical reasons. In most cases, these have been replaced at least partly by fossil-fuel power generation. The report argues that this represents a setback for climate mitigation efforts. Preventing the premature closure of further nuclear power plants is seen by the International Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an urgent priority for addressing climate change, it states. Nuclear options As nuclear power plants produce both low-carbon electricity and heat, they also offer opportunities to decarbonise energy intensive industries, the UNECE report argues, such as scaling up low or zero-carbon steel, hydrogen, and chemical production to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors. Nuclear power is cost-competitive in many parts of the world, it states. But the UN agency warns that to prevent radiological accidents and manage radioactive waste, risks must be properly anticipated and handled. Some countries choose not to pursue nuclear power because they consider the risks to be unacceptable. The technology brief highlights the need for nations that use nuclear power to work together on these issues to help mitigate climate change and accelerate deployment of low-carbon technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097572
     
         
      Heatwave in Spain expected to push up cost of electricity to new highs Wed, 11th Aug 2021 12:49:00
     
      Outdoors, there is no wind to alleviate the suffocating heat; inside, millions of air conditioners are humming. It is the worst possible scenario for the electricity market in Spain. Add in other factors, such as high gas prices and the cost of releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) under the European Union’s emissions trading scheme and you get an explosive cocktail that can only end in more expensive electricity. For the past three days, Spain has seen record-high electricity prices. Now, as the country enters its first heatwave of the summer, the cost is expected to continue to rise. On the bright side, Spain’s national weather agency Aemet indicates that the high temperatures will peak at the weekend when the cost of electricity is at its cheapest in the government’s new three-tiered price system introduced at the start of June to encourage more efficient electricity consumption and to let consumers play an active role in the country’s decarbonization efforts. But until the weekend, Spain is likely to see headline-grabbing electricity prices. Wednesday is already proving to be the most expensive day ever for electricity on the wholesale market, with an average price of €113.99 per megawatt-hour (MWh). “On Thursday there may be another record and on Friday let’s see, because demand tends to drop off a little [towards the weekend],” says energy analyst Ricardo Margalejo, co-founder of the trading company Gana Energía. “We have four days of pretty intense heat coming up which will mean demand being a little higher, but there will also be no wind, so we will need to burn more gas to generate electricity.” Electricity prices on the wholesale market in Spain, up to a third of which are passed onto the consumer, especially those using the PVPC regulated tariff, depend on a daily auction. Companies producing energy offer prices by the hour. These are matched with predicted demand and the highest price is the one that determines what is paid in each hourly slot. The price over the course of the day is an average. The fact that it is not necessary to produce electricity from the more expensive fossil fuels at a certain time of day when demand is lower can drive the average down significantly. The fallout from a freezing winter But that is not currently the case. August, explains Margalejo, is the month in which there is traditionally less wind energy produced in Spain and it is not a good time for other renewables either. This means that within the combination of sources that generate electricity – the so-called pool – those that use gas, such as combined cycle power plants, gain ground. When these companies put in their offers on the wholesale market, the figures are necessarily high because international gas prices are on the rise. In fact, they have climbed to €44 per megawatt this year from around €15. According to Margalejo, future forecasts indicate they will reach €46 per megawatt. The reason for this is that last winter was colder than usual and in many countries, particularly in China, there was a greater drain on reserves than usual. Now they have to replenish these reserves, which in turn drives up prices. Then there is the cost of releasing CO2, as set by the EU emissions trading system, that must be paid by companies that are polluting the atmosphere. As the EU cracks down on fossil fuels, the cost of polluting has also risen. A report published on Tuesday by the Bank of Spain pointed out that CO2 emission allowances are responsible for 20% of the surge in electricity prices, making it the second most important factor after the increased price of gas, which is responsible for 50% of the rise. Combined, they are responsible for 70% of the current price hike. These two factors will not be changing any time soon and analysts predict high electricity prices until next February at least. But that does not mean record-breaking prices, which is what Spain is experiencing now. The Iberian Energy Market Operator (Omie), which manages Spain and Portugal’s markets – forecasts that prices for this Thursday will stand at €110 per MWh. This is the same as predicted for Wednesday, when the average finally reached €114. For Friday, the predicted average drops slightly to €105 as industrial demand begins to fall on the last day of the working week. At the weekend, lower prices are expected: just over €90 per MWh on Saturday and just under €80 on Sunday. Last August, no day exceeded €53. Lowering prices will not be easy. The government has already temporarily modified two taxes; reducing the sales tax (VAT) on the electricity bill from 21% to 10% and eliminating the tax on electricity generation. There is some margin left on the electricity tax (5.11%) and other costs and tariffs on the bill, but none of this changes what is happening at the source. There could be a European decision on the emissions trading system, but this seems unlikely, as does a reform of the wholesale market, which is basically the same for all EU member states. Autumn should bring with it more wind power. But then the markets will once again be holding their breath: “Depending on the state of the gas market, winter could be very difficult in some places and the current €100 may not cover it,” says Margalejo. Any extreme, whether hot or cold, drives up the bill.
       
      Full Article: https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-08-11/heatwave-in-spain-expected-to-push-up-cost-of-electricity-to-new-highs.html
     
         
      Panasonic Takes Japan’s Bet on Hydrogen Power to a New Level Tue, 10th Aug 2021 23:00:00
     
      Panasonic Corp. is turning a fuel-cell factory in the lakeside city of Kusatsu in central Japan into what could be the world’s first hydrogen-based plant powered entirely by renewable energy. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s October pledge to make Japan carbon-neutral has been a “tailwind” for Panasonic’s hydrogen-factory project, and the company intends to commercialize the system by fiscal 2023 and sell it globally, said Norihiko Kawamura, manager of Panasonic’s hydrogen business promotion office. Japan was an early leader in developing hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels. The country began investing heavily in the gas in the 1970s when the first of several oil shocks exposed its reliance on imported petroleum. But in recent decades, the efforts of Japan and other countries to exploit the energy source slowed. Despite growing investment, the cost of producing hydrogen has remained stubbornly high, discouraging investment in the infrastructure and technologies needed to make the fuel more widely adopted. “What’s different today is that cost isn’t the only factor at play,” Kawamura said in an interview at the Kusatsu site. National carbon pledges and targets of major customers such as Apple Inc., which aims to make its supply chain carbon-neutral by 2030, are tipping the balance. The number of inquiries the company received about its factory solution spiked following Suga’s announcement, he said. Suga sparked a flurry of activity in hydrogen in Japan from other companies too that are keen to meet emissions limits and make money from the technology. Eighty miles east of Kusatsu in Aichi prefecture, hydrogen-powered Mirai cars roll off the lines of a Toyota Motor Corp. plant, while a hydrogen charging station hums and clicks as it refuels over a hundred forklifts with the gas. In December, Toyota banded together with hydrogen producer Iwatani Corp. and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and other companies to promote the build-out of supply chains and technologies. Toyota later announced it plans to sell modular fuel-cell systems for buses, trains, ships and generators, to “strengthen its initiatives as a fuel-cell system supplier.” Home Hydrogen In the push to reduce emissions, many manufacturers have fitted factories with solar panels that charge batteries to produce power. But the solution is weather dependent, making it insufficient for many heavy electricity users that need guaranteed power. Panasonic’s plant, which makes fuel-cells for homes and condos, would be powered using a mix of solar panels and lithium-ion storage batteries together with bigger fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity. The company plans to market the commercial hydrogen system in Japan, China and Europe and expects to earn around 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in sales in 2030. Still, technological challenges remain to make the fuel competitive with rival energy sources such as liquefied natural gas and batteries. So-called green hydrogen, made with renewable energy, costs between $2.50 and $4.50 a kilogram and that price is unlikely to fall to the $1 a kilogram it takes to make the gas using fossil fuels before 2030, according to BloombergNEF. Costs can be even higher in Japan, which may have to ship green hydrogen from countries with cheaper solar power, such as Australia and Saudi Arabia. Japan’s advantage as an early adopter is also being eroded as other nations jump on the hydrogen bandwagon. “Nearly everything” from the number of countries creating hydrogen strategies to production of electrolyzers is on track to double this year, according to BNEF. By 2022, shipments of electrolyzers, the systems that break water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, are set to quadruple, with China as the biggest and cheapest manufacturer. Europe aims to increase its renewable hydrogen production sixfold by 2024, and last year unveiled a plan to channel hundreds of billions of euros into hydrogen investment. The French government has earmarked 7 billion euros ($8.2 billion) this decade to support green hydrogen development, while Germany announced an even larger 9 billion-euro plan as part of its green recovery efforts. Government Support Takaya Imai, a special adviser to Japan’s Cabinet on energy and former aide to the previous prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said in a recent interview that Japan’s hydrogen industry development will need more financial backing from the government if the country is to remain a leader in the field. Last year the government allocated 2 trillion yen for investment in green technologies such as fuel cells and batteries to help meet its 2050 goal. Imai said funding for decarbonization should be as much as 3 trillion yen a year to support efforts like the construction of infrastructure and to help small and medium-sized manufacturers bear the cost of switching to hydrogen. Panasonic’s Chief Executive Officer Yuki Kusumi said in an interview earlier this year that he’d like to see units that contribute to the environment -- such as fuel cell systems and electric vehicle batteries that the company provides to Tesla Inc. -- become a core growth area for the company. It’s a long road, and Kawamura said the company will spend the next two years testing ways of procuring hydrogen and suppressing generation costs. “This is challenging and won’t immediately bring returns,” Kawamura said. “It’s an investment in the future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-10/panasonic-takes-japan-s-bet-on-hydrogen-power-to-a-new-level
     
         
      44.01 secures $5M to turn billions of tons of carbon dioxide to stone Tue, 10th Aug 2021 18:31:00
     
      Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is an important goal, but another challenge awaits: lowering the levels of CO2 and other substances already in the atmosphere. One promising approach turns the gas into an ordinary mineral through entirely natural processes; 44.01 hopes to perform this process at scale using vast deposits of precursor materials and a $5 million seed round to get the ball rolling. The process of mineralizing CO2 is well known among geologists and climate scientists. A naturally occurring stone called peridotite reacts with the gas and water to produce calcite, another common and harmless mineral. In fact this has occurred at enormous scales throughout history, as witnessed by large streaks of calcite piercing peridotite deposits. Peridotite is normally found miles below sea level, but on the easternmost tip of the Arabian peninsula, specifically the northern coast of Oman, tectonic action has raised hundreds of square miles of the stuff to the surface. Talal Hasan was working in Oman’s sovereign investment arm when he read about the country’s coast having the largest “dead zone” in the world, a major contributor to which was CO2 emissions being absorbed by the sea and gathering there. Hasan, born into a family of environmentalists, looked into it and found that, amazingly, the problem and the solution were literally right next to each other: the country’s mountains of peridotite, which theoretically could hold billions of tons of CO2. Around that time, in fact, The New York Times ran a photo essay about Oman’s potential miracle mineral, highlighting the research of Peter Kelemen and Juerg Matter into its potential. As the Times’ Henry Fountain wrote at the time: If this natural process, called carbon mineralization, could be harnessed, accelerated and applied inexpensively on a huge scale — admittedly some very big “ifs” — it could help fight climate change. That’s broadly speaking the plan proposed by Hasan and, actually, both Kelemen and Matter, who make up the startup’s “scientific committee.” 44.01 (the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, if you were wondering) aims to accomplish mineralization economically and safely with a few novel ideas. First is the basic process of accelerating the natural reaction of the materials. It normally occurs over years as CO2 and water vapor interact with the rock — no energy needs to be applied to make the change, since the reaction actually results in a lower energy state. “We’re speeding it up by injecting a higher CO2 content than you would get in the atmosphere,” said Hasan. “We have to drill an engineered borehole that’s targeted for mineralization and injection.” The holes would maximize surface area, and highly carbonated water would be pumped in cyclically until the drilled peridotite is saturated. Importantly, there’s no catalyst or toxic additive, it’s just fizzy water, and if some were to leak or escape, it’s just a puff of CO2, like what you get when you open a bottle of soda. Second is achieving this without negating the entire endeavor by having giant trucks and heavy machinery pumping out new CO2 as fast as they can pump in the old stuff. To that end Hasan said the company is working hard at the logistics side to create a biodiesel-based supply line (with Wakud) to truck in the raw material and power the machines at night, while solar would offset that fuel cost at night. It sounds like a lot to build up, but Hasan points out that a lot of this is already done by the oil industry, which as you might guess is fairly ubiquitous in the region. “It’s similar to how they drill and explore, so there’s a lot of existing infrastructure for this,” he said, “but rather than pulling the hydrocarbon out, we’re pumping it back in.” Other mineralization efforts have broken ground on the concept, so to speak, such as a basalt-injection scheme up in Iceland, so it isn’t without precedent. Third is sourcing the CO2 itself. The atmosphere is full of it, sure, but it’s not trivial to capture and compress enough to mineralize at industrial scales. So 44.01 is partnering with Climeworks and other carbon capture companies to provide an end point for their CO2 sequestration efforts. Plenty of companies are working on direct capture of emissions, be they at the point of emission or elsewhere, but once they have a couple million tons of CO2, it’s not obvious what to do next. “We want to facilitate carbon capture companies, so we’re building the CO2 sinks here and operating a plug and play model. They come to our site, plug in, and using power on site, we can start taking it,” said Hasan. How it would be paid for is a bit of an open question in the exact particulars, but what’s clear is a global corporate appetite for carbon offsetting. There’s a large voluntary market for carbon credits beyond the traditional and rather outdated carbon credits. 44.01 can sell large quantities of verified carbon removal, which is a step up from temporary sequestration or capture — though the financial instruments to do so are still being worked out. (DroneSeed is another company offering a service beyond offsets that hopes to take advantage of a new generation of emissions futures and other systems. It’s an evolving and highly complex overlapping area of international regulations, taxes and corporate policy.) For now, however, the goal is simply to prove that the system works as expected at the scales hoped for. The seed money is nowhere near what would be needed to build the operation necessary, just a step in that direction to get the permits, studies and equipment necessary to properly perform demonstrations. “We tried to get like-minded investors on board, people genuinely doing this for climate change,” said Hasan. “It makes things a lot easier on us when we’re measured on impact rather than financials.” (No doubt all startups hope for such understanding backers.) Apollo Projects, a early-stage investment fund from Max and Sam Altman, led the round, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures participated. (Not listed in the press release but important to note, Hasan said, were small investments from families in Oman and environmental organizations in Europe.) Oman may be the starting point, but Hasan hinted that another location would host the first commercial operations. While he declined to be specific, one glance at a map shows that the peridotite deposits spill over the northern border of Oman and into the eastern tip of the UAE, which no doubt is also interested in this budding industry and, of course, has more than enough money to finance it. We’ll know more once 44.01 completes its pilot work.
       
      Full Article: https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/10/44-01-secures-5m-to-turn-billions-of-tons-of-carbon-dioxide-to-stone/
     
         
      ‘No place to hide’: pressure on Australia to end support for new fossil fuel projects after IPCC report Tue, 10th Aug 2021 18:30:00
     
      Australian politicians are facing calls to accept the era of new fossil fuel investments should end immediately after a major report on the climate crisis confirmed it was already causing havoc across the planet, with worse to come. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Tuesday the sixth assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science, confirmed the “serious implications for Australia of what’s happening globally”. But he maintained that the “technological breakthroughs” to come would ensure the world transitioned successfully to a low emissions future. “What’s important is that we ensure that the technology breakthroughs that are necessary to transform the world over the next 10, 20 and 30 years are realised,” Morrison said. The IPCC found human activities were equivocally heating the planet and causing changes not seen for centuries and in some cases thousands of years. They were already affecting weather and climate extremes in every region, including contributing to a rising number of heatwaves, heavier rainfall events and more intense droughts and tropical cyclones. Climate campaigners said the report – which also said global surface temperatures would continue to increase until at least mid-century under all scenarios – should prompt the Coalition and Labor to immediately end support for new fossil fuel projects, including gas basins and coalmine expansions. Kirsty Howey, co-director of Environment Centre Northern Territory, said the report showed the development of the territory’s vast Beetaloo basin and the offshore Barossa gas field, backed by bipartisan support, was a “kamikaze mission” and needed to be stopped. Howey said gas fields leaked significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and there was enough gas in the Beetaloo sub-basin to increase Australia’s emissions by 20%. The IPCC reported atmospheric methane concentrations had increased 156% since 1750, compared with a 47% increase in carbon dioxide. The science body said “every tonne of CO? emissions adds to global warming”. “It is negligent to suggest that gas is part of the solution to global warming,” Howey said. “With devastating fires, floods and storms across the globe, the [NT’s] Gunner government and Australia has a responsibility to stop these reckless and dangerous projects.” Andy Paine, from the group Frontline Action on Coal, said the IPCC report was “a sad and frightening read”. “What’s more sad and frightening is that there is nothing new here,” he said. “All new fossil fuel projects must be stopped immediately, including Adani’s Carmichael mine.” Gavan McFadzean, climate program manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the projections in the IPCC report showed there was no more time for delay. It left the Morrison government’s support for a gas-led recovery, including hundreds of millions of dollars of public support for new infrastructure and to build a gas power plant in the Hunter Valley, with “no place to hide”, he said. But the country’s influential oil and gas lobby group said new technology and gas were “part of the solution to reducing emissions”, a position that has been echoed by the Morrison government and some Labor MPs. The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association issued a statement saying new gas had “only half the greenhouse gas emissions of coal when used to generate electricity”. “Natural gas has a critical role to play in reducing emissions in our energy system,” the group’s deputy chief executive, Damian Dwyer, said. The government is facing pressure over a $50m grants program for companies to explore the Beetaloo basin, including $21m awarded to Empire Energy, a firm with some links to the Liberal party. The grants are the subject of a Senate inquiry and court action. Studies have suggested emissions from gas have often been underestimated due to methane leakage during extraction and transport. Morrison has resisted calls to join the more than 100 countries that have adopted a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. He has suggested his government might have more to say on Australia’s 2030 target – currently a 26-28% cut compared with 2005 – before a major climate summit in Glasgow. McFadzean said the report showed 2050 was “too late” for Australia to reach net zero emissions. He said it needed to cut them by more than two-thirds over the next decade and reach net zero by 2035 if it was to do its “fair share”. David Ritter, chief executive of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, accused the government of “sacrificing the future of our kids and our country” to protect “coal and gas corporations”. He said the science demanded targets of a 75% emissions cut this decade and net zero by 2035. “The Australian people and the world deserve better,” he said. Morrison said on Tuesday that Australia “must take action” but could not ignore that developing countries now accounted for the majority of new emissions. He said the Australian approach was to enable them to act through technology. “I won’t be signing a blank cheque on behalf of Australians to targets without plans. We will set out a clear plan, as we have been working to do,” he said. Extinction Rebellion protestors targeted Parliament House and the Lodge on Tuesday, with a small group arrested after spray painting “no time” and “duty of care” on the parliament forecourt.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/11/no-place-to-hide-pressure-on-australia-to-end-support-for-new-fossil-fuel-projects-after-ipcc-report
     
         
      Climate change: The IPCC environmental warning India cannot ignore Tue, 10th Aug 2021 18:14:00
     
      If the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was just about rushing countries to cut their carbon emissions to avoid a climate catastrophe, India could perhaps afford to look the other way. The third largest carbon emitter of the world, after China and the US, India has maintained that it is on course to outperform its Paris climate agreement pledge to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from 2005 levels by 2030. The Paris climate goal is to keep global average temperature rise to well below 2C and strive for 1.5C to prevent runaway climate change. But the IPCC report has indicated that the latter target is fast slipping out of reach because countries are not cutting down carbon emissions fast enough, causing global temperature to rise. India has not followed suit even after several other major carbon emitters announced that they would become carbon neutral by 2050, not even after China set for itself the 2060 deadline. But this IPCC report has something that the second most populous country in the world - that was ranked seventh in a major climate risk index of 2019 - cannot ignore. 'Locked-in climate systems' Among the most serious findings of the sixth assessment report of the UN's climate science organisation is that some of the climate systems of the planet have already seen irreversible changes due to unabated global warming. "The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole and the present state of many aspects of the climate system are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years," the report says. Climate scientists say that can mean extreme weather events influenced by such disturbed climate systems like oceans and atmosphere will keep getting worse and so will their impact. "Some climate systems have locked in [because of the warming humans have caused]," Professor Jonathan Bamber, a glaciologist with University of Bristol and one of the authors of the latest IPCC report, told the BBC. "So, even if we stopped all carbon emissions, there will be some damages." What's in it for South Asia? The IPCC report has projected heat waves and humid heat stress to be more intense and frequent in South Asia during the 21st Century. It also says that both annual and summer monsoon precipitation will increase during the 21st Century. "A general wetting across the whole Tibetan Plateau and the Himalaya is projected, with increases in heavy precipitation in the 21st Century." The report also highlights how urbanisation will exacerbate climate impacts like floods. "There is high confidence in an increase in pluvial flood potential in urban areas where extreme precipitation is projected to increase, especially at high global warming levels." Extreme weather events like heavy precipitation leading to floods and landslides, heat waves causing wildfires, or sea storms and cyclones are influenced by the Earth's climate systems. And if the systems have been destabilised by unabated warming, experts say, the extreme events they influence are bound to intensify and become more frequent. Extreme weather displacement Over the past 10 decades, 20 million people every year have been forced from their homes by weather-related disasters, according to the international charity, Oxfam. It says the number of such disasters has tripled in the past 30 years. The UN estimated that 1.23 million have died and 4.2 billon have been affected by droughts, floods and wildfires since 2000. India's own first-ever climate change assessment report published by the government last year found that both the frequency and intensity of droughts had increased significantly between 1951 and 2016. It warned that heat waves would intensify by four-fold by the end of the century. India is one of the 17 countries where water stress is extremely high, according to a 2019 global report by the World Resources Institute. It shows that the country is running out of ground and surface water and is listed alongside countries in the Middle East and North Africa where large swathes are deserts. Last year, a single event, Cyclone Amphan, affected 13 million people, causing $13 billion in damage, according to the Overseas Development Institute. Pandemic's punch Battered by the pandemic, the Indian economy is struggling to stand back. That may be a reason for the Indian government to not announce any date so far to become carbon neutral or to come up with new ambitious carbon reduction targets. But just because there is the pandemic, extreme weather events turbocharged by climate change will not stop or even slow down. Experts rather warn that such disasters may further intensity if countries resort to fossil fuel burning to reboot their Covid-ailed economies - ending up further warming the planet. Accelerating extreme events largely due to destabilised climate systems are something India will have to deal with head on - even if it chooses to park the issue of whether or not to raise its carbon reduction targets for now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58155294
     
         
      Algeria forest fires: Dozens killed in Kabylie region Tue, 10th Aug 2021 18:12:00
     
      At least 25 Algerian soldiers and 17 civilians have been killed in wildfires to the east of the capital Algiers, the country's prime minister has said. Several more soldiers were injured fighting the fires, in the forested Kabylie region. Temperatures of up to 46C were forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. Fires have caused devastation in several Mediterranean countries in recent days, including Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Cyprus. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. More than 100 fires have been reported across 17 Algerian provinces, the country's official news agency APS said on Tuesday evening. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune paid tribute to the soldiers who were killed, tweeting that they had succeeded in rescuing more than 100 people from the mountains of Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou. Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud said that about 50 of the blazes were "of criminal origin". Earlier this week, a major UN scientific report found that human activity was changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways. The landmark study warned of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade, but scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58165169
     
         
      Only immediate action will halt global heating Tue, 10th Aug 2021 17:31:00
     
      The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Major climate changes inevitable and irreversible – IPCC’s starkest warning yet, 9 August) paints a grim picture, with global temperature rises of 1.5C degrees or more beyond pre-industrial levels predicted unless urgent action is taken in the next few decades. The report contains a lot of detail about what this would look like, but it is summarised by Prof Tim Palmer as “hell on earth”. With such serious danger to be avoided, you would expect that our government would be taking appropriate action to prevent this. Some of the actions it is taking are promising, but its “jet zero” strategy for flying is madness. Its own Climate Change Committee recommends managing passenger numbers in some way to allow only slow growth of about 0.7% per year from 2018 to 2050, as well as investing in aircraft and fuel technology. The jet zero strategy throws away this carefully planned advice, choosing instead to allow airports and airlines to expand as much as they like and hoping for miraculous improvements in technology. I will be delighted if all the technological fixes proposed become a reality and we can enjoy air travel without damaging our planet, but until those fixes are in place, why are we gambling with our children’s future by allowing passenger numbers to grow unchecked? Why would any government propose something so irresponsible and dangerous? The answer is because it thinks that is what the people, its voters, want. I therefore urge readers to engage with the consultation on the jet zero strategy, which is open until 8 September at www.gov.uk, and say that you value protecting human lives over the unlimited opportunity to travel by air.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/10/only-immediate-action-will-halt-global-heating
     
         
      Let’s say it without flinching: the fossil fuel industry is destroying our future Tue, 10th Aug 2021 15:05:00
     
      The sixth assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is no ordinary publication. Its 4,000 pages were written by hundreds of independent scientists from 66 countries. It was commissioned by 195 governments and all of them signed off on the conclusions after reviewing them line by line and word by word. These governments, whether supportive, ambivalent or hostile to climate action, now own the messages in the report. So what does it say? The report concludes that there is now “unequivocal” evidence that human actions are changing our climate. Behind this are alarming findings. The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation has led to levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that are higher today than at any time in the past 2 million years. Alongside methane and other greenhouse gases, this has driven Earth to be warmer than at any point in the past 125,000 years. The impacts of this can be seen in the loss of Arctic sea ice, accelerating sea level rise, hotter and more frequent heatwaves, increased and more frequent extreme rainfall events and, in some regions, more intense droughts and fires. As scientists, we can now clearly and unambiguously join all the dots, linking these “climate-impact drivers” back to global heating and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. Today’s global temperature rise of 1.1C above pre-industrial levels confirms the predictions of climate scientists more than 30 years ago. The increases in heatwaves and extreme rainfall events were also long foreseen. Those in power may have heard the warnings in previous reports, but they did not listen. The current wave of devastation from heatwaves, fires and floods is causing misery across the world. Even the world’s wealthiest countries, such as Canada and Germany, are woefully ill-prepared for the escalating effects of the climate crisis. Destructive events are the consequences of failing to act on past warnings. As a result, the climate emergency is no longer a future hypothesis: it is with us here and now. Global emissions of carbon dioxide are rising again after their temporary fall during the Covid lockdowns. According to the International Energy Authority, unless new policies are enforced, CO2 emissions will probably hit record levels in 2023. And, as if that were not enough bad news, extreme heatwaves, rainfall events and droughts will get worse until carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to zero. It is hard to make sense of all this. How do we even think of a time as hot as 125,000 years ago? At that point, humans were coexisting with Neanderthals. As much carbon dioxide as two million years ago? Our species hadn’t even evolved by then. It is no wonder these incredible changes feel existential. But we must urgently make sense of them, and act fast. The problem is ultimately that the use of fossil fuels is a “progress trap”. Decades ago, fossil fuels improved lives compared alternative energy sources, but now their use does the opposite, actively destroying lives and livelihoods. Fossil fuels have gone from an ingenious enabler of human progress to a trap that undermines it. The climate crisis is not caused by vague “human actions”; nor is it a result of some innate aspect of human nature. It is caused by specific investments by specific people in specific things. Change those, and we can change the future. It may feel uncomfortable saying that fossil fuel companies, their investors and the politicians who enable them are the enemies of progress. But if we care about our collective future we need to say it, again and again, without flinching: using fossil fuels today is destroying our future. The fossil fuel industry is a powerful and complex enemy. Historically, it is where the world’s most influential lobbyists have worked. Their efforts have secured subsidies, military campaigns and a free licence to pollute, all justified in the name of access to fossil energy. Oil, coal and gas are also intimately involved in our lives, from heating our homes to powering transport. There is no single policy, technological breakthrough or activist campaign that alone can help us escape this trap. Instead we need a three-pronged attack on fossil fuels: target the industry directly, join broad social movements to secure the political changes needed to end the fossil fuel era and make changes to reduce our demand for fossil fuels. That might mean asking your pension provider to divest from fossil fuels, joining the next Extinction Rebellion protest or replacing your polluting gas cooker with a modern electric one. In this, there is a role for everyone. What also matters is talking about the climate emergency and the urgent need to end the fossil fuel era. We should be bringing this up at home, at work, at school and with our friends. While the sweeping changes needed must ultimately come from government regulation, it is us who must demonstrate that the desire for change exists. The new sixth assessment report was not all bad news. It included one unambiguously positive finding: the level of devastation we face is in our collective hands. If the world slashes emissions now and reduces them to net zero by 2050 we would keep the global temperature rise close to 1.5C and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. To achieve this, politicians will need to hear that the clamour of millions of people’s voices is greater than the might of the fossil fuel lobby. Governments accept the science of climate change. Now they need to be forced to act on what they know is true, and help us escape the fossil fuel progress trap.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/10/fossil-fuel-companies-ipcc-climate-report-governments
     
         
      Swiss government rejects call to ban fossil fuels from 2050 Tue, 10th Aug 2021 14:29:00
     
      Switzerland is in a good position to achieve its target of achieving net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the government said on Wednesday, rejecting a campaign that wants to ban fossil fuels. The government has come up with a counterproposal to the so-called Glacier Initiative referendum drive, which wants to limit the impact of climate change in the Alpine country. The topic has become sensitive in Switzerland, where dry summers, heavy rains and snow-scarce winters are among the expected consequences of unchecked climate change. The campaign "for a healthy climate (Glacier Initiative)" collected enough signatures in 2019 for a binding vote to be held under the Swiss system of direct democracy. The vote, which is due by 2024, wants a ban on the sale of fossil fuels such as oil, gasoline, or diesel in Switzerland after 2050, with some small exceptions. The government said it shared their concerns and wanted to reach the same goal of reaching net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. "As a particularly affected Alpine country Switzerland has a vested interest in limiting climate change," the government said. "However, the initiative goes too far for the Federal Council (government) in certain areas," it added. "Switzerland is strong in innovation and finance and therefore in a good position to achieve the net zero target by 2050." The government said it opposed a ban on fossil fuels from 2050 and would also like the new measures to take into account the special situation of mountain regions. The government also said the army, police and rescue services should still be allowed to use fossil fuels after 2050. It also doubted whether greenhouse gas emissions could be offset, saying there was limited capacity for permanent CO2 storage in Switzerland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-government-rejects-call-ban-fossil-fuels-2050-2021-08-11/
     
         
      Abandoned pits of former mining town fuel green revolution Tue, 10th Aug 2021 7:00:00
     
      Kevin Shaw remembers Seaham in its mining heyday, when the three pits in the town provided thousands of jobs and the network of red-brick terrace houses overlooking the sea were packed with miners and their families. “It was a totally different place then all right,” says the 63-year-old looking out from a seafront cafe across a shimmering North Sea. “It was a very strong community, everyone had a connection to the mines … coal wagons would rattle across this road and down to the docks.” But the last pit closed in the early 1990s. Now, in a nondescript warehouse on an industrial estate on the edge of Seaham a new chapter in the town’s industrial history is being written. A garden village with 1,500 homes, a primary school and shops is being planned on nearby fields: the heating and hot water for the entire development will come from water pumped from an abandoned mine shaft nearby. Chris Myers, the Durham county council regeneration officer, says: “It is really exciting to think that these are the coalmines which effectively powered the Industrial Revolution and now they are going to power the green revolution … it is a cracking thing to be involved in.” The idea is simple. Former coalmines get flooded and the water needs to be pumped out and cleaned to stop it contaminating drinking supplies. When it is brought to the surface it has been warmed by the Earth – in the case of the Dawdon pit at Seaham up to about 19-20C. Under the plans, heat pumps would increase the temperature to 55/60C – warm enough to piped into homes and provide a constant source of heat and hot water. The entire process would produce almost no carbon and a steady stream of cheap, reliable heating for homes and businesses. “It is a genuine win-win that could transform not just Seaham, not just County Durham, but huge parts of northern England,” says Myers. In the town’s pomp thousands of miners used to descend a kilometre underground into the mine shafts every day before working narrow seams stretching out under the North Sea. Now the water comes up into a warehouse on top of the old pit shaft. Here it is possible to feel the heat – and energy – coming from the water. “You can feel it,” says Myers as he comes out into the sunshine and removes his hard hat. “That is it, that is the energy we are harnessing.” The Coal Authority, which is responsible for the UK’s 23,000 abandoned deep coalmines, believes the potential of this geothermal heating is immense. It says 25% of people in the UK live on top of former coalmines and argues that refocusing the UK’s coalfields for a zero carbon, geothermal future could be transformative for energy and former mining communities. “It’s got huge potential, it is accessible and the technology already exists,” says Charlotte Adams, the manager of mine energy and innovation at the Coal Authority. “We have already got 80 sites where the water comes to the surface and that produces around 100 megawatts of heat that is currently not being used.” She said funding was available for local authorities to explore whether abandoned mines in their areas were suitable, with 40 projects already under way and more councils coming forward all the time. Advocates also say the plans would create an industry of technicians and engineers needed to build and service the new infrastructure. Prof Jon Gluyas, the executive director of the Durham Energy Institute at Durham University, agrees it has huge potential. “This is a real opportunity and since we built our houses where we mined coal there is a good match between potential supply and demand. This could play a big role in zero carbon energy from Glasgow to the north-east, Nottingham to Kent.” Back on the seafront in Seaham, as children play among the rock pools on the beaches that stretch north from the town and the cafes on the redeveloped dockside bustle with holidaymakers and locals, Shaw reflects on how much has changed. “When we were kids the beaches around the pit were black with the coal, but just look at it now.” Shaw first went down Dawdon colliery on a school trip as a 16-year-old before going on to work as a firefighter in the town for more than 20 years. He is now a local councillor and says being in the vanguard of a new energy revolution would confirm Seaham’s fightback from the dark days after the pits closed. “This place was built on coal and mining and people were proud of that. What we are doing now means that the legacy of over 100 years of mining can be used again … and that will mean a lot to the town.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/10/abandoned-pits-former-mining-town-seaham-county-durham-fuel-green-revolution
     
         
      Thunberg calls out climate impact of fashion brands in Vogue interview Mon, 9th Aug 2021 19:20:00
     
      Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has condemned the fashion industry over its "huge" contribution to climate change, in a magazine interview. Ms Thunberg told Vogue Scandinavia that fashion brands needed to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their products. In a tweet, she accused some companies of "greenwash" ad campaigns designed to make their clothes appear sustainable. Vogue Scandinavia featured Ms Thunberg, 18, on the cover of its first issue. In the interview, Ms Thunberg said she last bought a new item of clothing three years ago and "it was second-hand". "I just borrow things from people I know," Ms Thunberg said. On Sunday she tweeted a picture of Vogue Scandinavia's front cover, which showed her wearing an oversized trench coat while petting a horse in a forest. In the tweet Ms Thunberg - one of the world's best-known climate campaigners - criticised "fast fashion that many treat as disposables". The term "fast fashion" is used to describe the rapid, low-cost production of clothing to service demand for seasonal trends. Calling for a "system change", Ms Thunberg said fashion could not be mass produced and consumed "sustainably as the world is shaped today". The United Nations says the fashion industry is "widely believed to be the second-most polluting industry in the world". It accounts for more than 20% of wastewater globally, the UN says. About 93bn cubic metres of water - enough for five million people to survive - is used by the fashion industry every year. As for carbon emissions, the industry is responsible for about 8% of the total worldwide. That's more than all international flights and shipping combined, the UN says. In response to this, fashion brands have started to take action to reduce their environmental footprint. But environmental campaigners like Ms Thunberg say many of these brands are promoting solutions that only appear to address the problem. These companies are often accused of greenwashing, which is a form of marketing spin designed to mislead consumers about the environmental merits of a product. Known for her impassioned speeches, Ms Thunberg has become a figurehead for the global climate change movement. Her solo protest outside Sweden's parliament in 2018 inspired millions of young people to join her school climate strike campaign, Fridays for Future. Since then, she has received Nobel Peace Prize nominations and travelled across the Atlantic on a yacht to attend a UN climate conference in New York.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58145465
     
         
      Climate change: At-risk nations fear extinction after IPCC report Mon, 9th Aug 2021 19:17:00
     
      Nations vulnerable to climate change have warned they are on the "edge of extinction" if action is not taken. The warning by a group of developing countries comes after a landmark UN report argued that global warming could make parts of the world uninhabitable. World leaders including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have called the report a "wake-up call to the world". But some of the strongest reaction to its findings has come from countries that are set to be the worst hit. "We are paying with our lives for the carbon someone else emitted," said Mohamed Nasheed, a former Maldives president who represents almost 50 countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The Maldives is the world's lowest-lying country and Mr Nasheed said the projections by UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) would be "devastating" for the nation, putting it on the "edge of extinction". According to the latest IPCC report, heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts will become more common and extreme. The UN's chief has labelled it a "code red for humanity". The report says there is "unequivocal" evidence that humans are to blame for increasing temperatures. Within the next two decades, temperatures are likely to rise 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, it adds. That could lead to sea levels rising by half a metre, but a rise of 2m by the end of the century cannot be ruled out. That could have a devastating impact on low-lying coastal countries, said Diann Black-Layne, ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda, and lead climate negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. "That is our very future, right there," Ms Black-Layne said. The report comes less than three months before a key climate summit in Glasgow known as COP26. Boris Johnson, who is hosting the conference, said the report showed help was needed for countries bearing the brunt of climate change. "Today's report makes for sobering reading, and it is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet," he said. "We know what must be done to limit global warming - consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline." Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, more than 190 governments agreed the world should limit global warming to 2C or ideally 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. But the new report says that under all scenarios, both targets will be broken this century unless huge cuts in carbon take place. US Climate Envoy John Kerry said that to reach the targets, countries urgently needed to change their economies. "This is the critical decade for action, and COP26 in Glasgow must be a turning point in this crisis," Mr Kerry said. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who confirmed on Monday that she will attend the COP26 talks, said the report "confirms what we already know... that we are in an emergency". "We can still avoid the worst consequences, but not if we continue like today, and not without treating the crisis like a crisis," she said on Twitter. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, more than 190 governments agreed the world should limit global warming to 2C or ideally 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. But the new report says that under all scenarios, both targets will be broken this century unless huge cuts in carbon take place. US Climate Envoy John Kerry said that to reach the targets, countries urgently needed to change their economies. "This is the critical decade for action, and COP26 in Glasgow must be a turning point in this crisis," Mr Kerry said. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who confirmed on Monday that she will attend the COP26 talks, said the report "confirms what we already know... that we are in an emergency". "We can still avoid the worst consequences, but not if we continue like today, and not without treating the crisis like a crisis," she said on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58064485
     
         
      Extreme weather: How is it connected to climate change? Mon, 9th Aug 2021 19:12:00
     
      Heatwaves, deadly floods and wildfires - this summer people are having to confront the link between extreme weather and climate change. Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have been trapping heat in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era. As a consequence, average temperatures have risen by 1.2C. This additional energy is unevenly distributed and bursts out in extremes like the ones we've been seeing this summer. Without reductions in global emissions, this cycle will keep going. Here are four ways climate change is contributing to extreme weather. 1. Hotter, longer heatwaves To understand the impact of small changes to average temperatures, you need to to think of them as a bell curve, with extreme cold and hot at either end, and the bulk of temperatures in the middle. A small shift in the centre means that more of the curve touches the the extremes - and so heatwaves become more frequent and extreme. In the UK, warm spells have more than doubled in length in the past 50 years, according to the Met Office. But the record heatwaves in Western Canada and the US were made longer and more intense by another weather phenomenon - a heat dome. Weeks ago, a Pacific storm, fuelled by warmer-than-normal sea temperatures, disrupted the jet stream. When a storm distorts the jet stream, which is made of currents of fast-flowing air, it is a bit like yanking a long skipping rope at one end and seeing the ripples transferring along it. These waves cause everything to slow drastically and weather systems can become stuck over the same areas for days on end. In an area of high pressure, hot air is pushed down and trapped in place, causing temperatures to soar over an entire continent. In Lytton, Western Canada, temperatures hit 49.6C, breaking the previous record by almost 5C. Such an intense heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution network. One theory is higher temperatures in the Arctic are causing the jet stream to slow down, increasing the likelihood of heat domes. And exceptional heat has not been limited to North America this summer. In Russia, a heatwave sent temperatures soaring - matching a 120-year record. Northern Ireland broke its temperature record three times in the same week, while a new high was set in the Antarctic continent. 2. More persistent droughts As heatwaves become more intense and longer, droughts can worsen. Less rain falls between heatwaves, so ground moisture and water supplies run dry more quickly. And this in turn means the ground heats up more quickly, warming the air above and leading to more intense heat. Demand for water from humans and farming puts even more stress on water supply, adding to water shortages. And by mid-July, following the early summer heatwaves, more than a quarter of US land was experiencing "extreme" or "exceptional" drought. 3. More fuel for wildfires Wildfires can be sparked by direct human involvement - but natural factors can play a huge part. The cycle of extreme and long-lasting heat caused by climate change draws more and more moisture out of the ground and vegetation. And these tinder-dry conditions provide fuel for fires, which can spread at an incredible speed. The impact of the heatwave on fire development was seen in an explosive fashion in western Canada this summer. Fires developed so rapidly and explosively they created their own weather system, as pyrocumulonimbus clouds formed. And these colossal clouds produced lightning, igniting more fires. This same story is being repeated in Siberia. The frequency of large wildfires has increased dramatically in recent decades. Compared with the 1970s, fires larger than 10,000 acres (40 sq km) are now seven times more common in western America, according to Climate Central, an independent organisation of scientists and journalists. 4. More extreme rainfall events In the usual weather cycle, hot weather creates moisture and water vapour in the air, which turns into droplets to create rain. The warmer it becomes, however, the more vapour there is in the atmosphere, resulting in more droplets - and heavier rainfall, sometimes in a shorter space of time and over a smaller area. Historic flooding in China, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands has shown the devastating impact extreme rainfall events can have. And these rainfall events are connected to the impacts of climate change elsewhere, according to Peter Gleick, a water specialist from the US National Academy of Sciences. "When areas of drought grow, like in Siberia and western US, that water falls elsewhere, in a smaller area, worsening flooding, like Germany and Belgium," he says. The weather across the globe will always be highly variable - but climate change is making that more extreme. And the challenge now is not only limiting the further impact people have on the atmosphere but also adapting to and tackling the extremes we are already facing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58073295
     
         
      Climate change: Make coal history says PM after climate warning Mon, 9th Aug 2021 19:08:00
     
      Coal needs to be consigned to history to limit global warming, says PM Boris Johnson, describing a UN report on climate change as "sobering". He said the world must shift to clean energy and provide finance to help countries at risk from changing climates. The landmark study found it was "unequivocal" that human activity was responsible for global warming. Green campaigners said the UK must halt planned new fossil fuel projects. Despite the call to end the use of coal, the UK is considering plans for a new coking coal mine in Cumbria, as well as proposals to tap a new oil field near Shetland. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the UN group on the science of climate change - said climate change was already here and causing chaos in some places. Its authors said some of the changes, including rising sea levels, would not be reversed for hundreds or maybe thousands of years. The publication comes less than three months before the UK hosts a key climate summit, known as COP26, in Glasgow. Mr Johnson said: "Today's report makes for sobering reading, and it is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet. "We know what must be done to limit global warming - consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline." The UK government, which has adopted a 2035 deadline for a 78% emissions cut, is due to publish its strategy on cutting UK emissions to zero overall by 2050 this autumn. Net zero means cutting carbon emissions as far as possible then balancing out any remaining releases, for example by tree planting. "The UK is leading the way, decarbonising our economy faster than any country in the G20 over the last two decades," the prime minister said. "I hope today's IPCC report will be a wake-up call for the world to take action now, before we meet in Glasgow in November for the critical COP26 summit." The UK has already drastically reduced the use of coal, with consumption falling from 61 million tonnes in 2013 to eight million tonnes last year. But the country remains dependent on other fossil fuels such as natural gas, which provides most home heating and about 40% of electricity. The Climate Change Committee, the UK's independent adviser on tackling global warming, says the UK has adequate policies for only two of 21 key areas in eliminating carbon emissions. The government faces challenges both on the international stage and closer to home. The biggest will be to persuade the international community to sign up to meaningful measures in Glasgow at COP26. Some 70% of the world's economy has signed up to a net zero target - ministers want that to be higher. They are looking at the G20 in particular to drive change. At home, an increasing number of Tory MPs are worried about the cost of the UK's own targets. Will the infrastructure be in place to support the mass use of electric cars? Who will pay for more expensive boilers in homes? Answering some of those concerns won't be easy. The Treasury is said to be aware of the need to avoid "extortionate costs" for low-income families. Ministers want to bring costs down through investment, incentives and mass production. But the specifics will matter to our pockets and our politics. 2px presentational grey line The report said the world would reach or exceed temperature rises of 1.5C - seen as a threshold beyond which the worst impacts of global warming will be felt - over the next two decades. Almost every nation on Earth signed up to the goals of the Paris climate agreement in 2015, which aims to keep the rise in global temperatures well below 2C this century and to pursue efforts to keep it under 1.5C. Alok Sharma, COP26 president, said one of the key messages of the report was that "the future is not yet written" and 1.5C was still an achievable goal, although retreating fast. He said based on the conversations he had had, there was "a clear desire" among governments to "keep the 1.5C within reach". But he said far more was needed in terms of action, adding "the cost of inaction on climate change is far greater than the cost of action". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the report confirmed that the extreme weather events in recent months were "only going to become more frequent" and urgent action was needed. "The biggest threat we now face is not climate denial but climate delay," he said. "Those who, like our prime minister, acknowledge there is a problem, but simply don't have the scale of ambition required to match the moment. "Our communities and planet can no longer afford the inaction of this government, who are failing to treat the crisis with the seriousness it deserves." Labour wants to see a £30bn investment in low-carbon industry to support 400,000 jobs. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told ITV's Good Morning Britain she would be writing to the prime minister to encourage more co-operation between the devolved UK governments in light of the IPCC publication, which she described as "a grim wake-up call". But climate campaigners, Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour have called on her to oppose plans to extract more fossil fuels from the Cambo oil field near Shetland, which they said would result in the release of an estimated 135 million extra tonnes of carbon in its lifetime. The SNP has maintained that the issue is solely a matter for the UK government. The UK government also faced criticism after initially opting not to intervene in a company's plans for a new coking coal mine in Cumbria. It later reversed the decision and a minister will have the final say on the project, after a public inquiry is held next month. Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Tony Bosworth said the prime minister's pledge to consign coal to history "should mean all coal" and the prime minister must make clear the mine will not be allowed. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said that as hosts of COP26, the UK needs to lead the world in tackling the climate crisis but "Boris Johnson's dither and delay is costing us time we cannot afford, with drastic consequences". Green Party Deputy Leader Amelia Womack said "this must be the moment the government finally realises we are in an emergency", urging the introduction of a global carbon tax as "the most powerful way of rapidly eliminating fossil fuels". Climate scientist Dr Michael Byrne, a contributing author to the report, said the study was "particularly significant" as it was the first to link extreme weather events to human activities. "That evidence was inconclusive back in 2013, at the time of the previous IPCC report; now it's irrefutable." He said to slow and stop global warming, emissions of greenhouse gases needed to be "rapidly reduced" to net zero, but he added: "The UK and Scottish targets of net zero by 2050 and 2045 are not fast enough, we have to be more ambitious. "Let's hope our political leaders, as they gear up to COP26 in Glasgow this November, take heed."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58144779
     
         
      Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' Mon, 9th Aug 2021 17:36:00
     
      Human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways, a major UN scientific report has said. The landmark study warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. The report "is a code red for humanity", says the UN chief. But scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast. There is hope that deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures. Echoing the scientists' findings, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success." The sober assessment of our planet's future has been delivered by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists whose findings are endorsed by the world's governments. Their report is the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. Its release comes less than three months before a key climate summit in Glasgow known as COP26. In strong, confident tones, the IPCC's document says "it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land". According to Prof Ed Hawkins, from the University of Reading, UK, and one of the report's authors, the scientists cannot be any clearer on this point. "It is a statement of fact, we cannot be any more certain; it is unequivocal and indisputable that humans are warming the planet." Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said: "By using sports terms, one could say the atmosphere has been exposed to doping, which means we have begun observing extremes more often than before." The authors say that since 1970, global surface temperatures have risen faster than in any other 50-year period over the past 2,000 years. This warming is "already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe". Whether it's heatwaves like the ones recently experienced in Greece and western North America, or floods like those in Germany and China, "their attribution to human influence has strengthened" over the past decade. The new report also makes clear that the warming we've experienced to date has made changes to many of our planetary support systems that are irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia. The oceans will continue to warm and become more acidic. Mountain and polar glaciers will continue melting for decades or centuries. "The consequences will continue to get worse for every bit of warming," said Prof Hawkins. "And for many of these consequences, there's no going back." When it comes to sea level rise, the scientists have modelled a likely range for different levels of emissions. However, a rise of around 2m by the end of this century cannot be ruled out - and neither can a 5m rise by 2150. Such outcomes, while unlikely, would threaten many millions more people in coastal areas with flooding by 2100. One key aspect of the report is the expected rate of temperature rise and what it means for the safety of humanity. Almost every nation on Earth signed up to the goals of the Paris climate agreement in 2015. This pact aims to keep the rise in global temperatures well below 2C this century and to pursue efforts to keep it under 1.5C. This new report says that under all the emissions scenarios considered by the scientists, both targets will be broken this century unless huge cuts in carbon take place. The authors believe that 1.5C will be reached by 2040 in all scenarios. If emissions aren't slashed in the next few years, this will happen even earlier. This was predicted in the IPCC's special report on 1.5C in 2018 and this new study now confirms it. "We will hit one-and-a-half degrees in individual years much earlier. We already hit it in two months during the El Niño in 2016," said Prof Malte Meinshausen, an IPCC author from the University of Melbourne in Australia. "The new report's best estimate is the middle of 2034, but the uncertainty is huge and ranges between now and never." The consequences of going past 1.5C over a period of years would be unwelcome in a world that has already experienced a rapid uptick in extreme events with a temperature rise since pre-industrial times of 1.1C. "We will see even more intense and more frequent heatwaves," said Dr Friederike Otto, from the University of Oxford, UK, and one of the IPCC report's authors. "And we will also see an increase in heavy rainfall events on a global scale, and also increases in some types of droughts in some regions of the world." Prof Carolina Vera, vice-chair of the working group that produced the document, said: "The report clearly shows that we are already living the consequences of climate change everywhere. But we will experience further and concurrent changes that increase with every additional beat of warming." So what can be done? While this report is more clear and confident about the downsides to warming, the scientists are more hopeful that if we can cut global emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero by the middle of this century, we can halt and possibly reverse the rise in temperatures. Reaching net zero involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible using clean technology, then burying any remaining releases using carbon capture and storage, or absorbing them by planting trees. "The thought before was that we could get increasing temperatures even after net zero," said another co-author, Prof Piers Forster from the University of Leeds, UK. "But we now expect nature to be kind to us and if we are able to achieve net zero, we hopefully won't get any further temperature increase; and if we are able to achieve net zero greenhouse gases, we should eventually be able to reverse some of that temperature increase and get some cooling." Five future impacts - Temperatures will reach 1.5C above 1850-1900 levels by 2040 under all emissions scenarios - The Arctic is likely to be practically ice-free in September at least once before 2050 in all scenarios assessed - There will be an increasing occurrence of some extreme events "unprecedented in the historical record" even at warming of 1.5C - Extreme sea level events that occurred once a century in the recent past are projected to occur at least annually at more than half of tidal gauge locations by 2100 - There will be likely increases in fire weather in many regions While the future projections of warming are clearer than ever in this report, and many impacts simply cannot be avoided, the authors caution against fatalism. "Lowering global warming really minimises the likelihood of hitting these tipping points," said Dr Otto. "We are not doomed." A tipping point refers to when part of the Earth's climate system undergoes an abrupt change in response to continued warming. For political leaders, the report is another in a long line of wake-up calls, but since it comes so close to November's COP26 global climate summit, it carries extra weight.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58130705
     
         
      UK renewable energy: Major expansion confirmed on Humber Mon, 9th Aug 2021 16:54:00
     
      A wind turbine blade factory in Hull is to be doubled in size after the government confirmed it would provide financial support for the expansion. Siemens Gamesa said the £186m upgrade to its Alexandra Dock site, the UK's largest offshore wind manufacturing facility, would create 200 jobs. The scheme, first outlined in February, is set to be complete by 2023. It will receive a grant from a £160m fund but the government has not yet revealed the exact amount. The Hull plant, which has manufactured more than 1,500 offshore wind turbine blades since it opened in 2016, currently employs about 1,000 people. The giant turbines are used in wind farms being constructed in the North Sea, as well as exported around the world. They are currently being supplied to the 1.4-gigawatt Hornsea Two project off the Yorkshire coast which will be the world's largest offshore wind power plant, powering the equivalent of 1.3 million homes.´ Hull City Council leader Daren Hale said the decision was "fantastic news" for the city, which he said was at the "forefront of the green economy revolution". "This additional £186m investment will create hundreds more jobs, and the expansion will support the recovery of the city post-Covid," he added. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has previously pledged to power every home in the UK via offshore farms, said: "The Humber region embodies the UK's green industrial revolution, with new investment into developing the next generation of wind turbines set to create new jobs, export opportunities and clean power across the country. "With less than 100 days to go until the climate summit Cop26, we need to see more countries embracing new technologies, building green industries and phasing out coal power for a sustainable future." Clark MacFarlane, Siemens Gamesa's UK managing director, said: "Our investment in our existing offshore blade factory, logistics, and harbour facilities in Hull has been a key driver of the growth of the UK's world-leading offshore wind industry." Meanwhile, it was announced that a further £78m will be invested by GRI Renewable Industries (GRI) to build a wind turbine tower factory at the Able Marine Energy Park, at Killinghome, North Lincolnshire. The company said it would create 260 jobs at the site which lies on the other side of the Humber estuary. Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said he was delighted the company had chosen Killinghome as its base. "This latest development will create even more well-paid sustainable jobs - helping to create a more prosperous future," he said. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the Humber region was "vitally important" for the growth of the UK's offshore wind industry. "Our announcement backed by private investment will give a boost to this important industrial heartland, creating and supporting thousands of good quality jobs across the region while ensuring it is on the frontline of developing the next generation of offshore wind turbines." The announcement comes as the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes the first of a series of reports on climate change. It says humanity's damaging impact on the climate is a "statement of fact" and action is urgently needed to cut emissions to avert a "climate catastrophe".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-58143027
     
         
      Friends of the Earth NI reacts to UN climate change report Mon, 9th Aug 2021 16:45:00
     
      James Orr, Friends of the Earth NI director, said a UN report on climate change is "very alarming". The report "is a code red for humanity", the UN has said. Climate change legislation is being progressed at Stormont but is not yet in place. Mr Orr said the report showed the need for the Northern Ireland Assembly to take immediate action.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-58147282
     
         
      Climate change: IPCC report heralds Wales' 'last-chance saloon' Mon, 9th Aug 2021 16:38:00
     
      The UN's report on climate change heralds the "last-chance saloon" for Wales, climate change experts warned. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 42-page landmark study shows humanity's damaging impact on the climate is a "statement of fact". One Welsh academic said rising sea levels could force the "significant relocation of communities" in Wales. Wales' Climate Change Minister Julie James said "the alarm bell has been rung", and called for action. The report found ongoing emissions of warming gases could see a key temperature limit broken in just over a decade. A rise in sea levels approaching 2m by the end of this century "cannot be ruled out", its authors said. Welsh climate experts have warned there is urgency to act, but added there is hope. The IPCC report also found that deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures. How could climate change affect Wales? Prof Ian Hall, head of Cardiff University's school of earth and environmental sciences, said the "intensity and frequency" of extreme weather events in Wales "is likely to increase as global warming continues". He added it would be "a catastrophe for Wales" if the Welsh government fails to meet its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. "Wales is certainly starting to see the impacts of sea level rise around the Welsh coastline... and in terms of seeing the extreme rainfall events that have happened, the heatwaves that we've been experiencing, we're not immune to those extremes, like anywhere else on the planet," Prof Hall said. Rising sea levels could also see "significant relocation of communities" in Wales, he explained. In Wales, some impacts of climate change have already been felt, particularly in coastal communities. Coastal erosion was brought into sharp focus when a major 40m (131ft) landslide fell onto a beach in Nefyn, Gwynedd, in April. Advisors have warned 2,126 properties are in danger from sea erosion and 36,000 are at risk of coastal flooding by the end of the century, if coastal defences are not maintained. Residents of one sea-threatened north Wales village, which is facing being "decommissioned", have been labelled the UK's first climate change refugees. Gwynedd council said it could start moving residents from Fairbourne before sea defences stop being maintained in the 2050s. Across Wales, the severe weather seen during events such as Storm Dennis have been described as "a taste of things to come" by the Royal Meteorological Society. Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge in early 2020 led to record rainfall and river flows across Wales and the most widespread flooding seen since 1979. Rhondda Cynon Taf was one of the worst-hit areas, where almost 1,500 homes and businesses were affected, with people forced to leave their homes. Some areas found themselves heavily flooded several times in just a few months, with landslides a further threat to homes and businesses, particularly those near coal tips, which experts said could cost more than £500m to secure. Prof Sarah Davies, head of the geography and earth sciences department at Aberystwyth University, said the emotional and psychological impact of climate change - such as the effect on flooding victims in Rhondda Cynon Taf - is also something that needs attention. "People's livelihoods are being affected, their homes being damaged or destroyed and also there are potential personal injuries and potential loss of life," she said. "We're potentially facing big impacts on the wellbeing of people who are dealing with the trauma of going through those kind of extremes. People [who experienced flooding in the Rhondda] have been expressing those concerns when they know that heavy rainfall is forecast." She added that climate change is a complex challenge because "as well as responding to the physical impact of climate change, you're also dealing with how to support communities in adapting to change". "We've always lived with a changeable climate here, there's always been coastal erosion, but obviously with sea level rise and more storm activity, we're increasing the likelihood of these things happening and they're happening now," Prof Davies said. "It's not just something that's going to happen in the future, we're seeing the impacts of climate change around us now, globally and here in Wales. "It's a stark warning that we have to act in an integrated way at all levels of society, changing how we live our lives. It's a huge challenge, but it's one that we're up to." Prof Hall agreed there was cause for optimism if net-zero can be achieved. "There is still time but we are running out of time... we are pretty much in the last-chance saloon in terms of our ability to tackle this issue of global warming," he said. "The future, if we don't do anything, would be extremely bleak." 'A big wake-up call' Haf Elgar, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said the report was "a big wake-up call", and that people's lives in Wales and across the world "are already being devastated by floods, heatwaves, and other disasters". "To save people's lives and livelihoods, and our precious natural world, we must all treat the climate emergency like a real emergency. And Wales must play its part," she added. How can Wales fight climate change? Wales' Climate Change Minister Julie James said net-zero targets have already been made law in Wales, adding the nation needed to unite in a "Team Wales effort" to make the changes needed. "Climate change is not something to deal with in the distant future - it is here, it is happening now, and it has undoubtedly been caused by us," she said. "Without hesitation, the world must act and respond to the science." The Welsh Conservatives called for action after the world's leading climate scientists "delivered their starkest warning yet about the deepening climate emergency". "This report reinforces that we cannot sit idly by; we either act now or face a devastating climate catastrophe," the party's climate change spokeswoman, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said. Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader and spokeswoman for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Liz Saville Roberts MP, said that the report is "the damning indictment that climate change is not an inconvenience but an existential danger to us all" and called for "no more delayed plans, no more hypocrisy, and no more political manoeuvres" from the UK government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58146128
     
         
      Saudi oil giant Aramco sees profits soar by almost 300% Mon, 9th Aug 2021 15:46:00
     
      Saudi Arabian energy giant Aramco has seen its profits jump almost four times, boosted by a rise in oil prices as demand recovers. The company added that the easing of Covid restrictions, vaccinations, stimulus measures and the return of economic activity had supported results. Crude oil prices have risen by more than 30% since the start of the year. Aramco's chief executive also gave an upbeat assessment for the rest of 2021. The firm, which is the world's biggest oil producer, said net income rose by 288% to $25.5bn (£18.4bn) for the second quarter. "Our second-quarter results reflect a strong rebound in worldwide energy demand and we are heading into the second half of 2021 more resilient and more flexible, as the global recovery gains momentum," Amin Nasser said in a statement. However, the rise in profits was not welcomed by campaigners against climate change, who have described Aramco as the world's largest corporate greenhouse gas emitter. According to some estimates, it is responsible for more than 4% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions since 1965. On Monday, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in a major report that human activity was changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways. The head of the UN, Secretary General António Guterres, said the report "is a code red for humanity". Among those reacting to the report was Nafkote Dabi of Oxfam, who said it provided "the most compelling wake-up call yet for global industry to switch from oil, gas and coal to renewables". Crude prices Aramco is the latest major energy firm to report strong results in recent weeks. Last month, US energy giant Exxon Mobil posted a rise in income of $4.7bn in the second quarter, compared to a loss of more than $1bn for the same period last year. European rival Royal Dutch Shell reported its highest quarterly profit in more than two years. With economies easing Covid restrictions and opening up, global demand is recovering, boosting the price of oil. Brent crude has also been boosted to around $70 a barrel after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as Opec+, agreed to cut oil production. However, higher crude oil prices will have a knock-on effect on drivers as they push up the cost of petrol. Last week the UK motoring body, the RAC, said that country's petrol prices were at an eight-year-high after nine straight months of rises. "Prices really are only going one way at the moment - and that's not the way drivers want to see them going," warned RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58141607
     
         
      Climate change: UN report is a 'frightening wake-up call' Mon, 9th Aug 2021 15:39:00
     
      A major report from the United Nations warning about the effects of climate change should act as a "frightening wake-up call", Northern Ireland's infrastructure minister has said. Nichola Mallon was reacting to the study warning of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding. The report "is a code red for humanity", the UN has said. Climate change legislation is being progressed at Stormont but is not yet in place. Ms Mallon said she would raise the climate change report at Thursday's meeting of executive ministers. "We all rallied as a society to deal with the Covid crisis," Ms Mallon said. "We need to show the same urgency in terms of tackling the climate crisis. "That means getting legislation through the assembly with ambitious targets." Ms Mallon, the minister in charge of transport for Northern Ireland, said it was important to "accelerate choice" for people around sustainable travel options. Agriculture Minster Edwin Poots, whose portfolio includes the environment, said the report "reflected the urgency" with which his own department was responding to the risk of climate change. The DUP party leader added: "Anything we do must be informed by evidence and science and have the dual goals of protecting our environment and ensuring that we have a successful economy in the future. 'Devastating lives' "That includes ensuring that our food production processes are both environmentally sound and sustainable. "We are all moving in the same direction. I've already advanced a number of substantial strategies that will help us achieve our common goals." Philip McGuigan, Sinn Féin's environment spokesman, said climate change was no longer something to fear in the future but "devastating lives now". "Today's report is a stark reminder of just how serious a situation we are facing," he said. "It must now be a priority of all parties to deliver a Climate Change Act for the north within the remainder of this mandate."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58143040
     
         
      A Florida utility ditches coal, doubles its solar, and leaves out a big part of its story Mon, 9th Aug 2021 14:19:00
     
      Florida utility Tampa Electric Co. has announced it will retire three coal units and double its solar output within two years. That’s good news, but in an interview published last week, its CEO doesn’t mention the fact that the vast majority of its power comes from natural gas or whether it plans to transition away from the methane-producing fossil fuel. Tampa Electric’s solar… Tampa Electric has supplied electricity to the Tampa Bay area since 1899. Its electrical system currently features 655 megawatts (MW) of solar, enough to power 100,000 homes. The utility wants to add an additional 600 MW of solar in 2021, 2022, and 2023. So its new total of 1,255 MW of solar would be enough to power 200,000 homes by 2023. Tampa Electric serves 800,000 customers in west central Florida. Tampa Electric’s new-ish president and CEO, Archie Collins, who joined the utility in February, told the Tampa Bay Times in a story published on August 5: We currently have on our system 655 megawatts’ worth of renewable energy, of solar. That’s enough solar power to power 100,000 homes, just to ballpark it, and it represents between 6 and 7% of our total energy sales. So we will be at 14% by the end of 2023, and we are committed to even more beyond that. He doesn’t comment on what “beyond that” means in the interview. (And the math above doesn’t add up for me. If Tampa Electric has 800,000 customers, how is solar only going to provide 7% of total energy sales if 1,255 MW can power 200,000 homes? Am I missing something? Feel free to comment below.) As for rooftop solar, as of September 2020, only 0.7% of Tampa Electric’s customers had it. The utility also says it will upgrade its infrastructure and retire three out of four coal-burning generating units at the Big Bend coal plant in Tampa. Unit 1 will be converted to use natural gas combined-cycle technology by 2023. …and natural gas Collins continues in his interview: I think it would surprise many of our customers to know that in just the last five years, we have reduced our consumption of coal by 95%. In the last 20 years, we have reduced the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that we generate as a company by 50%, even though we produce 25% more power than we did 20 years ago. Cool. That all sounds great, right? But here’s the thing. The vast majority of Tampa Electric’s energy comes from natural gas – a fossil fuel – yet Collins doesn’t even mention the words “natural gas” in the Tampa Bay Times article. Collins says all the right things about solar, and it’s nice to see some rapid momentum and goodbye to coal, but in reality, the Florida utility has a long way to go to get clean. Natural gas fueled about 74% of Florida’s electricity net generation in 2019, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Monash University’s associate professor Shayne McGregor, a Chapter 3 lead author of today’s hugely impactful UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, said in an emailed statement: The next two decades are particularly critical. It will require sustained and concerted global efforts targeting rapid reductions in CO2, methane, and other greenhouse gases to limit warming to 1.5°C in line with the Paris agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2021/08/09/a-florida-utility-ditches-coal-doubles-its-solar-and-leaves-out-a-big-part-of-its-story/
     
         
      Climate change: Five things we have learned from the IPCC report Mon, 9th Aug 2021 13:20:00
     
      The UN report on the science of climate change is set to make a huge impact. Our environment correspondent Matt McGrath considers some of the key lessons from it. Climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying - and it's down to us For those who live in the West, the dangers of warming our planet are no longer something distant, impacting people in faraway places. "Climate change is not a problem of the future, it's here and now and affecting every region in the world," said Dr Friederike Otto from the University of Oxford, and one of the many authors on the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. It is the confidence of the assertions that the scientists are now making that is the real strength of this new publication. The phrase "very likely" appears 42 times in the 40-odd pages of the Summary for Policymakers. In scientific terms, that's 90-100% certain that something is real. "I think there's not one single kind of new surprise that comes out, it's the over-arching solidness that makes this the strongest IPCC report ever made," Prof Arthur Petersen, from University College London (UCL), told BBC News. Prof Petersen is a former Dutch government representative at the IPCC, and was an observer at the approval session that produced this report. "It's understated, it's cool, it's not accusing, it's just bang, bang, bang, one clear point after the other." The clearest of these points is about the responsibility of humanity for climate change. There's no longer any equivocating - it's us. The 1.5C temperature limit is on life support When the last IPCC report on the science of climate change was published in 2013, the idea of 1.5C being the safe global limit for warming was barely considered. But in the political negotiations leading up to the Paris climate agreement in 2015, many developing countries and island states pushed for this lower temperature limit, arguing that it was a matter of survival for them. A special report on 1.5C in 2018 showed the advantages of staying under the limit were massive compared to a 2C world. Getting there would require carbon emissions to be cut in half, essentially, by 2030 and net zero emissions reached by 2050. Otherwise, the limit would be reached between 2030 and 2052. This new report re-affirms this finding. Under all scenarios, the threshold is reached by 2040. If emissions aren't reined in, 1.5C could be gone in around a decade. Reaching net zero involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible using clean technology, then absorbing any remaining ones by, for example, planting trees. While the situation is very serious, it is not a sudden drop into calamity. "The 1.5C threshold is an important threshold politically, of course, but from a climatic point of view, it is not a cliff edge - that once we go over 1.5C, suddenly everything will become very catastrophic," explained Dr Amanda Maycock, from the University of Leeds, and one of the authors of the new report. "The very lowest emissions scenario that we assess in this report shows that the warming level does stabilise around or below 1.5C later on in the century. If that were the pathway that we would follow, then the the impacts would be significantly avoided." The bad news: No matter what we do, the seas will continue to rise In the past, the IPCC has been criticised for being way too conservative when it came to assessing the risk of sea-level rise. A lack of clear research saw previous reports exclude the potential impacts of the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Not this time. The report shows that under current scenarios, the seas could rise above the likely range, going up to 2m by the end of this century and up to 5m by 2150. While these are unlikely figures, they can't be ruled out under a very high greenhouse gas emissions scenario. That's bad enough - but even if we get a handle on emissions and keep temperatures around 1.5C by 2100, the waters will continue to rise long into the future. "The gorilla that looms large in the background is these very scary sea-level rise numbers in the long term," said Prof Malte Meinshausen from the University of Melbourne and an IPCC author. "In the paper it shows that even with 1.5C warming we're looking at the long-term of two to three metres. And under the highest scenarios, we could be looking at multi-metre sea-level rise by 2150. That is just scary, because it's maybe not at the end of our lifetime, but it is around the corner and it will be committing this planet to a big legacy." Even if the sea-level rise is relatively mild, it will have knock-on effects that we cannot avoid. "With gradual sea-level rise, those extreme sea-level events that have occurred in the past, just once per century, will occur more and more frequently in the future," said Valérie Masson-Delmotte, co-chair of the IPCC working group that prepared the new report. "Those that occurred only once per century in the past are expected to occur once or twice per decade by mid-century. The information we provide in this report is extremely important to take into account and prepare for these events." The good news: Scientists are more certain about what will work The warnings are clearer and more dire - but there is an important thread of hope running through this report. Scientists have long been worried that the climate could be more sensitive to carbon dioxide than they thought. They use a phrase - equilibrium climate sensitivity - to capture the range of warming that could occur if CO2 levels were doubled. In the last report, in 2013, this ranged from 1.5C to 4.5C, with no best estimate. This time round, the range has narrowed and the authors opt for 3C as their most likely figure. Why is this important? "We are now able to constrain that with a good degree of certainty and then we employ that to really make far more accurate predictions," said Prof Piers Forster from the University of Leeds, and an author on the report. "So, that way, we know that net zero will really deliver." Another big surprise in the report is the role of methane, another warming gas. According to the IPCC, around 0.3C of the 1.1C that the world has already warmed by comes from methane. Tackling those emissions, from the oil and gas industry, agriculture and rice cultivation, could be a big win in the short-term. "The report quashes any remaining debate about the urgent need to slash methane pollution, especially from sectors such as oil and gas, where the available reductions are fastest and cheapest," said Fred Krupp, from the US Environmental Defense Fund. "When it comes to our overheating planet, every fraction of a degree matters - and there is no faster, more achievable way to slow the rate of warming than by cutting human-caused methane emissions." Politicians will be nervous, the courts will be busy The timing of this report, coming just a couple of months before the critical COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, means that it will likely be the bedrock of the negotiations. The IPCC has some form here: their previous assessment in 2013 and 2014 paved the way for the Paris climate agreement. This new study is far stronger, clearer and more confident about what will happen if politicians don't act. If they don't act quickly enough and COP26 ends in an unsatisfactory fudge, then the courts might become more involved. In recent years, in Ireland and the Netherlands, environmental campaigners have successfully gone to court to force governments and companies to act on the science of climate change. "We're not going to let this report be shelved by further inaction. Instead, we'll be taking it with us to the courts," said Kaisa Kosonen, senior political adviser at Greenpeace Nordic. "By strengthening the scientific evidence between human emissions and extreme weather, the IPCC has provided new, powerful means for everyone everywhere to hold the fossil fuel industry and governments directly responsible for the climate emergency. "One only needs to look at the recent court victory secured by NGOs against Shell to realise how powerful IPCC science can be."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58138714
     
         
      IPCC report: ‘Code red’ for human driven global heating, warns UN chief Mon, 9th Aug 2021 13:13:00
     
      Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. Scientists are also observing changes across the whole of Earth’s climate system; in the atmosphere, in the oceans, ice floes, and on land. Many of these changes are unprecedented, and some of the shifts are in motion now, while some - such as continued sea level rise – are already ‘irreversible’ for centuries to millennia, ahead, the report warns. But there is still time to limit climate change, IPCC experts say. Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, could quickly make air quality better, and in 20 to 30 years global temperatures could stabilize. ‘Code red for humanity’ The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the Working Group's report was nothing less than "a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable". He noted that the internationally-agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels of global heating was "perilously close. We are at imminent risk of hitting 1.5 degrees in the near term. The only way to prevent exceeding this threshold, is by urgently stepping up our efforts, and persuing the most ambitious path. "We must act decisively now, to keep 1.5 alive." The UN chief in a detailed reaction to the report, said that solutions were clear. "Inclusive and green economies, prosperity, cleaner air and better health are possible for all, if we respond to this crisis with solidarity and courage", he said. He added that ahead of the crucial COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November, all nations - especiall the advanced G20 economies - needed to join the net zero emissions coaltion, and reinforce their promises on slowing down and reversing global heating, "with credible, concrete, and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)" that lay out detailed steps. Human handiwork The report, prepared by 234 scientists from 66 countries, highlights that human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. In 2019, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years, and concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide were higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years. Global surface temperature has increased faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year period over a least the last 2,000 years. For example, temperatures during the most recent decade (2011–2020) exceed those of the most recent multi-century warm period, around 6,500 years ago, the report indicates. Meanwhile, global mean sea level has risen faster since 1900, than over any preceding century in at least the last 3,000 years. The document shows that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1°C of warming between 1850-1900, and finds that averaged over the next 20 years, global temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of heating. Time is running out The IPCC scientists warn global warming of 2°C will be exceeded during the 21st century. Unless rapid and deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades, achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement “will be beyond reach”. The assessment is based on improved data on historical warming, as well as progress in scientific understanding of the response of the climate system to human-caused emissions. “It has been clear for decades that the Earth’s climate is changing, and the role of human influence on the climate system is undisputed,” said IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair, Valérie Masson-Delmotte. “Yet the new report also reflects major advances in the science of attribution – understanding the role of climate change in intensifying specific weather and climate events”. Extreme changes The experts reveal that human activities affect all major climate system components, with some responding over decades and others over centuries. Scientists also point out that evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones, and their attribution to human influence, has strengthened. They add that many changes in the climate system become larger in direct relation to increasing global warming. This includes increases in the frequency and intensity of heat extremes, marine heatwaves, and heavy precipitation; agricultural and ecological droughts in some regions; the proportion of intense tropical cyclones; as well as reductions in Arctic sea ice, snow cover and permafrost. The report makes clear that while natural drivers will modulate human-caused changes, especially at regional levels and in the near term, they will have little effect on long-term global warming. A century of change, everywhere The IPCC experts project that in the coming decades climate changes will increase in all regions. For 1.5°C of global warming, there will be increasing heat waves, longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons. At 2°C of global warming, heat extremes are more likely to reach critical tolerance thresholds for agriculture and health. But it won’t be just about temperature. For example, climate change is intensifying the natural production of water – the water cycle. This brings more intense rainfall and associated flooding, as well as more intense drought in many regions. It is also affecting rainfall patterns. In high latitudes, precipitation is likely to increase, while it is projected to decrease over large parts of the subtropics. Changes to monsoon rain patterns are expected, which will vary by region, the report warns. Moreover, coastal areas will see continued sea level rise throughout the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion. Extreme sea level events that previously occurred once in 100 years could happen every year by the end of this century. The report also indicates that further warming will amplify permafrost thawing, and the loss of seasonal snow cover, melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and loss of summer Arctic sea ice. Changes to the ocean, including warming, more frequent marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and reduced oxygen levels, affect both ocean ecosystems and the people that rely on them, and they will continue throughout at least the rest of this century. Magnified in cities Experts warn that for cities, some aspects of climate change may be magnified, including heat, flooding from heavy precipitation events and sea level rise in coastal cities. Furthermore, IPCC scientists caution that low-likelihood outcomes, such as ice sheet collapse or abrupt ocean circulation changes, cannot be ruled out. Limiting climate change “Stabilizing the climate will require strong, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and reaching net zero CO2 emissions. Limiting other greenhouse gases and air pollutants, especially methane, could have benefits both for health and the climate,” highlights IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair Panmao Zhai. The report explains that from a physical science perspective, limiting human-induced global warming to a specific level requires limiting cumulative carbon dioxide emissions, reaching at least net zero CO2 emissions, along with strong reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions. “Strong, rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions would also limit the warming effect resulting from declining aerosol pollution”, IPCC scientists underscore. About the IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide political leaders with periodic scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. In the same year the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by the WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC. It has 195 member states. Thousands of people from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC. For the assessment reports, IPCC scientists volunteer their time to assess the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive summary of what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks. 'Before our very eyes' Multiple, recent climate disasters including devastating flooding in central China and western Europe have focused public attention as never before, suggested Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “As citizens and as businesses and as governments, we are well aware of the drama,” she said “The drama exists, we have seen it and we heard about it in every news bulletin. And that’s what we need to understand, that the expression of what the science says is exhibited before our very eyes, and of course what this excellent report does is, it projects those scenarios outward, and tells us, if we do not take action, what could be the potential outcomes, or if we do take action, what will be a very good outcome.” Climate adaption critical Apart from the urgent need for climate mitigation, "it is essential to pay attention to climate adaptation", said the WMO chief, Peteri Taalas, "since the negative trend in climate will continue for decades and in some cases for thousands of years. "One powerful way to adapt is to invest in early warning, climate and water services", he said."Only half of the 193 members of WMO have such services in place, which means more human and economic losses. We have also severe gaps in weather and hydrological observing networks in Africa, some parts of Latin America and in Pacific and Caribbean island states, which has a major negative impact on the accuracy of weather forecasts in those areas, but also worldwide. "The message of the IPCC report is crystal clear: we have to raise the ambition level of mitigation."
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097362
     
         
      Global response needed to counter rising security threats at sea Mon, 9th Aug 2021 13:10:00
     
      Addressing a high-level debate on enhancing security for seafarers, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the UN Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, highlighted the need for stronger international cooperation. Incidents in Asia have nearly doubled, while West Africa, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the South China Sea, were the most affected areas, she said. The “unprecedented” levels of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, and more recently in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, were also particularly concerning. Growing interlinked threats "Maritime insecurity is also compounding the terrorist threat emerging from the Sahel,” Ms. Viotti told ambassadors. “These growing and interlinked threats call for a truly global and integrated response. A response that addresses these challenges directly as well as their root causes - including poverty, a lack of alternative livelihoods, insecurity, and weak governance structures.” Maritime security is also being undermined by challenges around contested boundaries and navigation routes, and depletion of natural resources through illegal or unreported fishing, Ms. Viotti added. She said the meeting, held via videoconference, was a chance to further advance global action on a vital but complex issue as all countries are affected, whether they are coastal or landlocked. ‘Shared global commons’ The open debate was organized by India, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month. For the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, oceans are “our shared global commons” and the “lifeline” of international trade. The UN estimates that more than three billion people worldwide, mainly in developing countries, depend on the ocean for their livelihood and well-being. “However, today this common maritime heritage of ours faces various types of threats,” said Mr. Modi. “Maritime routes are being misused for piracy and terrorism. There are maritime disputes between several countries. And climate change and natural disasters are also challenges to the maritime domain.” From commitment to action Ms. Viotti highlighted legal instruments that uphold maritime security, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. “But this framework is only as strong as countries’ commitment to full and effective implementation,” she stressed. “We need to translate commitment into action.” The UN has welcomed moves by the international community to strengthen cooperation on maritime security. The Organization also supports regional initiatives, including to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia and to try and cut down on the armed robbery of ships in Asia. Global programme afloat Ghada Waly, Executive Director at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that a 2009 programme, initially established to address the Somali piracy threat, is now its largest initiative, with a budget that has grown from $300,000 to over $230 million. The Global Maritime Crime Programme encompasses some 170 personnel based in 26 countries who provide capacity building and support for legal reform, simulated trials and maritime training centres. “Yet, the challenges to maritime security continue to grow, and our responses must keep up,” said Ms. Waly. The UN agency chief encouraged the Security Council to take action towards implementing the related legal framework, building capabilities, expanding partnerships and promoting crime prevention response. She underscored the need to reduce vulnerabilities. “Pirates, criminals, and terrorists exploit poverty and desperation to seek recruits, gain support, and find shelter. To counter these threats, we need to raise awareness and educate people, especially youth, while providing alternative livelihoods and support for local businesses,” said Ms. Waly.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1097432
     
         
      Climate crisis ‘unequivocally’ caused by human activities, says IPCC report Mon, 9th Aug 2021 9:00:00
     
      “??It is unequivocal.” Those stark three words are the first in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new report. The climate crisis is unequivocally caused by human activities and is unequivocally affecting every corner of the planet’s land, air and sea already. The report, produced by hundreds of the world’s top scientists and signed off by all the world’s governments, concludes that it could get far worse if the slim chance remaining to avert heating above 1.5C is not immediately grasped. The scientific language of the report is cold and clear but cannot mask the heat and chaos that global heating is unleashing on the world. We have already caused 1C of heating, getting perilously close to the 1.5C danger limit agreed in the Paris climate deal. Downpours of rain have been accelerating since the 1980s. Accelerating melting of ice has poured trillions of tonnes of water into the oceans, where oxygen levels are falling – suffocating the seas – and acidity is rising. Sea level has already risen by 20cm, with more now irreversibly baked in. The greenhouse gas emissions spewed out by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities are now clearly destabilising the mild climate in which civilisation began, the report shows. Carbon dioxide levels in the air are now at their highest point for at least 2m years. When was the last time we saw heating this fast? At least 2,000 years ago and probably 100,000 years. Temperatures this high? At least 6,500 years. Sea level rising so fast? At least 3,000 years. Oceans so acidic? Two million years. All this is already hurting people everywhere, the report spells out. Heatwaves and the heavy rains that lead to flooding have become more intense and more frequent since the 1950s, affecting more than 90% of the world’s regions, according to the report. Drought is increasing in more than 90% of the regions for which there is good data. It is more than 66% likely that the number of major hurricanes and typhoons has increased since the 1970s. So what of the future? Some heating is already inevitable. We will definitely hit 1.5C in the next two decades, whatever happens to emissions, the IPCC finds. The only good news is that keeping to that 1.5C is not yet impossible. But it will require “immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions” in emissions, say the scientists, of which there is no sign to date. Even cutting emissions, but more slowly, leads to 2C and significantly more suffering for all life on Earth. If emissions do not fall in the next couple of decades, then 3C of heating looks likely – a catastrophe. And if they don’t fall at all, the report says, then we are on track for 4C to 5C, which is apocalypse territory. The report is clear there are no cliff-edges to the climate crisis. Each tonne of carbon pumped out increases the impacts and risks of extreme heat, floods and droughts and so every tonne of carbon matters. It will never be too late to act, the report shows. Instead, the real question is how bad will it get? For example, extreme heatwaves expected once every 50 years without any global heating are already happening every decade. With 1.5C warming, these will happen about every 5 years; with 2C, every 3.5 years; and with 4C, once every 15 months. More heating also means more disruptions to the monsoon rains on which billions depend for food. More emissions also means the land and oceans become weaker at soaking up that carbon pollution, making heating even worse. With immediate rapid cuts, the natural world can still soak up 70% of our emissions. With no cuts, that falls to just 40%. One of the most blunt sections of the report begins: “Many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible for centuries to millennia.” This particularly affects the world’s oceans and ice, which absorb 96% of global heating, meaning ice will keep melting and the oceans rising towards our many crowded coastal cities. The likely range is between 28cm and 100cm by the end of the century. But it could be 200cm by then, or 500cm by 2150, the report warns. Extreme sea level events, such as coastal flooding, that occurred just once per century in the recent past are projected to happen at least annually in 60% of places by 2100. “That might seem like a long way away but there are millions of children already born who should be alive well into the 22nd century,” says Prof Jonathan Bamber, at the University of Bristol, UK, and a report author. The many scientific advances since the last comprehensive IPCC report in 2013 mean better projections for specific regions of the world. It finds nowhere is safe. For example, even at 1.5C of heating, heavy rain and flooding are projected to intensify in Europe, North America and most regions of Africa and Asia. “We can no longer assume that citizens of more affluent and secure countries like Canada, Germany, Japan and the US will be able to ride-out the worst excesses of a rapidly destabilising climate,” says Prof Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy. “It’s clear we’re all in the same boat – facing a challenge that will affect every one of us within our lifetimes.” The report is the sixth by the IPCC but the first to assess the risk of tipping points thoroughly. These are abrupt and irreversible changes to crucial Earth systems that have huge impacts and are of increasing concern to scientists. The collapse of major Atlantic currents, ice caps, or the Amazon rainforest “cannot be ruled out”, the report warns. “For the tipping points, it’s clear that every extra tonne of CO2 emitted today is pushing us into a minefield of feedback effects tomorrow,” says Prof Dave Reay, at the University of Edinburgh, UK. So what can be done? The final section of the IPCC report addresses how future climate change can be limited. It finds that 2,400bn tonnes of CO2 have been emitted by humanity since 1850, and that we can only leak another 400bn tonnes to have a 66% chance of keeping to 1.5C. In other words, we have blown 86% of our carbon budget already, though the report says the science is clear that if emissions are slashed then temperatures will stop rising in a decade or two and the increases in deadly extreme events will be strongly limited. “Unless there are immediate rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to 1.5C will be beyond reach,” says Abdalah Mokssit, secretary of the IPCC. “But we never dictate any policy to any country – it is for the governments to take the decisions.” The scientists have now spoken, louder and clearer than ever before. Now it is for the politicians to act.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/09/climate-crisis-unequivocally-caused-by-human-activities-says-ipcc-report
     
         
      Climate change: Low-income countries 'can't keep up' with impacts Sun, 8th Aug 2021 17:15:00
     
      Low-income countries are struggling to protect themselves against climate change, officials and experts have told the BBC. Organisations representing 90 countries say that their plans to prevent damage have already been outpaced by climate-induced disasters, which are intensifying and happening more regularly. The UN says the number of developing countries with climate adaptation plans has increased. But it stresses that there's limited evidence these plans have reduced any risks. "We need to adapt our plans to the worsening climate crisis. Our existing plans are not enough to protect our people," says Sonam Wangdi, chair of the UN's Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group on climate change. Their call for action comes as the UN's climate science body prepares to publish its latest assessment on Monday about the state of global warming. The report, compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will provide a scientific assessment of current and future climate change, and be a key reference for policymakers at the UN climate summit in Glasgow this November. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Chaos in the Caribbean Last year, the Caribbean had a record-breaking 30 tropical storms - including six major hurricanes. The World Meteorological Organisation says the region is still recovering. On islands like Antigua and Barbuda, experts say that many buildings have been unable to withstand the intense winds these storms have brought. "We used to see category four hurricanes, so that's what we have prepared for with our adaptation plans, but now we are being hit by category five hurricanes," says Diann Black Layner, chief climate negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. "Category five hurricanes bring winds as strong as 180 miles per hour which the roofs cannot withstand because it creates stronger pressure inside our houses," she said. Falling seawalls in Pacific islands Several Pacific Island countries were hit by three cyclones between the middle of 2020 and January 2021. "After those three cyclones, communities in the northern part of our country have seen the sea walls built as part of their adaptation plans crumbling," says Vani Catanasiga, head of the Fiji Council of Social Services - a group representing Fijian NGOs in the country's Disaster Management Council. "The water and the wind repeatedly battering the settlements even displaced some locals." Although it's rare to see so many storms in such a short space of time, experts say sea storms have been growing in strength. Studies suggest tropical cyclones have become more intense in the past 40 years, but an increase in the overall number of cyclones has not been established. Uganda's mountain menace In Uganda, communities in the Rwenzori region have been trying to protect themselves from landslides and floods by digging trenches and planting trees, helping to prevent soil erosion. But it has not always been a success. "The rains have become so intense that we have seen huge, sudden floods sweeping away these defences," said Jackson Muhindo, a local climate change and resilience coordinator for Oxfam. "As a result, there have been multiple landslides on mountain slopes which have buried settlements and farms," he adds. "Adaptation works based on soil conservation are proving to be increasingly useless in the wake of these extreme weather events." Adaptation low on the agenda The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change says more than 80% of developing countries have begun formulating and implementing their national adaptation plans. But a study by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), published last month, suggests that the 46 of the world's least-developed countries don't have the financial means to "climate proof" themselves. The IIED says these countries need at least $40bn (£28.8bn; €33.8bn) a year for their adaptation plans. But between 2014-18, just $5.9 billion of adaptation finance was received. Under the UN climate convention, the EU and 23 developed countries have pledged to make $100bn available every year to fund climate-related projects in developing nations - like schemes to cut emissions, and adaptations to mitigate damage caused by weather-induced disasters. From 2020, this money will be passed on through the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility and other such agencies. But developing countries argue that promise has largely been unkept. A report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed developed countries had made nearly $80bn available in 2018 as total climate finance. But it found that only 21% of that money was provided for adapting to climate impacts, while most went towards cutting carbon emissions. Developing countries have criticised climate finance figures provided by developed world, pointing out they also include money from regular aid payments. Some experts say adaptation plans have been hampered by politics. "When you have other issues like [bad] governance, poverty and now Covid, it becomes very difficult for the plans to work. They simply aren't a government's priority," according to Carlos Aguilar, a climate adaptation expert with Oxfam.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58080083
     
         
      Climate change: Time running out to stop catastrophe - Alok Sharma Sun, 8th Aug 2021 17:07:00
     
      The world is "dangerously close" to running out of time to stop a climate change catastrophe, the UK government's climate chief Alok Sharma has said. Mr Sharma - who is leading COP26, the climate summit hosted by the UK this year - said the effects were already clear with floods, fires and heatwaves. "We can't afford to wait two years, five years, 10 years - this is the moment," he told the Observer. But he did not condemn the government for allowing more fossil fuel projects. And he defended his decision to travel to more than 30 countries in seven months. Mr Sharma's interview with the Observer comes ahead of a major report being released on Monday from the United Nations' climate change researchers. The report is set to be the strongest statement yet from the UN group on the science of climate change - and will likely give details about how the world's oceans, ice caps and land will change in the next decades. The summary has been approved in a process involving scientists and representatives of 195 governments, which - having signed off on the findings - will be under pressure to take more action at COP26 in November. Doug Parr, chief scientist with Greenpeace UK, said "world leaders have done a terrible job of listening" to warnings about climate change. "This year, this has to change. We don't need more pledges, commitments and targets - we need real action right here right now." Wildfires are currently raging in Greece, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes - and fires have also been burning in Turkey and California in the US. This summer, western Europe also saw its worst flooding in decades, which killed dozens of people. - What is COP26 and what needs to be agreed? - A really simple guide to climate change Mr Sharma said if urgent action was not taken, the consequences would be "catastrophic". "I don't think there's any other word for it," he said. "You're seeing on a daily basis what is happening across the world. Last year was the hottest on record, the last decade the hottest decade on record." He added: "We're seeing the impacts across the world - in the UK or the terrible flooding we've seen across Europe and China, or forest fires, the record temperatures that we've seen in North America. Every day you will see a new high being recorded in one way or another across the world." Mr Sharma said the report released on Monday is "going to be the starkest warning yet that human behaviour is alarmingly accelerating global warming". "I don't think we're out of time but I think we're getting dangerously close to when we might be out of time. We will see [from the IPCC] a very, very clear warning that unless we act now, we will unfortunately be out of time." "Africa has been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up and act on climate change for years," Fredrick Njehu, Christian Aid's senior climate change and energy adviser for Africa, highlighting the "changing rainfall patterns or overbearing heat" endured by the continent in recent years. He added: "The important thing now is that rich world governments make up for lost time and act quickly to reduce emissions and deliver promised financial support for the vulnerable." Fossil fuel criticism Glasgow is set to host the COP26 summit in November - which is the UN climate change conference. The summit is seen as vital if climate change is to be brought under control, and leaders from 196 countries will meet to try and agree action. But campaigners have accused the UK of hypocrisy, as there are plans to tap a new oil field off Shetland. The government has also said more oil and gas wells can be drilled in the North Sea, and there are plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria. Earlier this year, the global energy watchdog the International Energy Agency said there cannot be any new investment in oil, gas or coal projects if we want to limit global warming to 1.5C. Experts say the impacts of climate change are far more severe when the increase is greater than 1.5C. Mr Sharma refused to criticise the government's plan for the projects, saying: "Future [fossil fuel] licences are going to have to adhere to the fact we have committed to go to net zero by 2050 in legislation. "There will be a climate check on any licences." Mr Sharma's interview comes after he was criticised for flying abroad for meetings - and visiting more than 30 countries in seven months. However, since then some environmental campaigners including Greenpeace have defended him, saying face-to-face meetings are important to persuade other nations to tackle climate change. Mr Sharma told the Observer that in-person meetings were "incredibly vital and actually impactful". "It makes a vital difference, to build those personal relationships which are going to be incredibly important as we look to build consensus," he said. It also emerged in the Sunday Mirror that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab did not self-isolate after returning from France, which was on the amber plus list meaning all arrivals must quarantine. A government spokesman said it was Mr Raab's job to represent the UK abroad and he followed Covid guidelines on return. There is an exemption for ministers to avoid quarantine when returning from abroad.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58132939
     
         
      Climate change: New report will highlight 'stark reality' of warming Sat, 7th Aug 2021 17:30:00
     
      After two weeks of virtual negotiations between scientists and representatives of 195 governments, the IPCC will launch the first part of a three-pronged assessment of the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change. It is the presence of these government officials that makes the IPCC different from other science bodies. After the report has been approved in agreement with governments, they effectively take ownership of it. On Monday, a short, 40-page Summary for Policymakers will be released dealing with the physical science. It may be brief, but the new report is expected to pack a punch. "We've seen over a couple of months, and years actually, how climate change is unfolding; it's really staring us in the face," said Dr Heleen de Coninck, from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, who is a coordinating lead author for the IPCC Working Group III. "It's really showing what the impacts will be, and this is just the start. So I think what this report will add is a big update of the state of the science, what temperature increase are we looking at - and what are the physical impacts of that?" So what can we expect from the upcoming report? According to many observers, there have been significant improvements in the science in the last few years. "Our models have gotten better, we have a better understanding of the physics and the chemistry and the biology, and so they're able to simulate and project future temperature changes and precipitation changes much better than they were," said Dr Stephen Cornelius from WWF, an observer at IPCC meetings. "Another change has been that attribution sciences have increased vastly in the last few years. We can make greater links between climate change and extreme weather events." As well as updates on temperature projections, there will likely be a strong focus on the question of humanity's role in creating the climate crisis. In the last report in 2013, the IPCC said that humans were the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s. It's expected that this time the IPCC will also outline just how much of an influence humans are having on the oceans, the atmosphere and other aspects of our planetary systems. One of the most important questions concerns sea-level rise. This has long been a controversial issue for the IPCC, with their previous projections scorned by some scientists as far too conservative. "In the past they have been so reluctant to give a plausible upper limit on sea-level rise, and we hope that they finally come around this time," said Prof Arthur Petersen, from UCL in London. As the world has experienced a series of devastating fires and floods in recent months that have been linked to climate change, the report will also include a new chapter linking extreme weather events to rising temperatures. What is the IPCC? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a UN body set up in 1988 to assess the science around climate change. The IPCC provides governments with scientific information they can use to develop policies on global heating. The first of its comprehensive Assessment Reports on climate change was released in 1992. The sixth in this series will be split into four volumes, the first of which - covering the physical science behind climate change - will be published on Monday. Many have welcomed this development. "I remain hopeful that the scientific evidence will show the stark reality of a world already altered by our rapidly changing climate and will motivate all nations to deliver urgent emission reductions and the necessary amount of climate finance at COP26," said Mohammed Adjei Sowah, who is the mayor of Accra in Ghana and vice chair of the C40 group of cities. "We only need to look out of our windows to see that the climate crisis is already here. Cities such as Accra and nations such as Ghana, which have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions, will experience many of the greatest impacts." One of the things that gives the report additional muscle is the fact that it is not just one particular research paper on one topic - the reviewers consider all the research carried out on each area of focus. "Sometimes the IPCC gets criticised for being focused on consensus, and it's suggested that this can weaken statements," said Dr Emily Shuckburgh, from the University of Cambridge. "But the fact that it is a summary across multiple lines of evidence is incredibly powerful and incredibly useful." One key question in the new summary will be about the 1.5C temperature target. The climate summit held in the French capital, Paris, in 2015, committed nations to try to limit the rise in global temperature from pre-industrial times to no more than 1.5 degrees. And in 2018, the IPCC released a special report on keeping to this target. "That report showed very clearly was that there are clear, clear benefits to limiting warming to 1.5C and those benefits have only become clearer over the past three years," said Dr de Coninck, who was one of the key authors of that study. "If this report says something about that temperature limit in relation to emissions and how they are developing, it will have a political influence on COP26 I think." With just a few months to go until world leaders meet in Glasgow for the climate conference that is seen as the most important since the Paris agreement came into being in 2015, this new report will be required reading for all attendees. "I think it's going to be a wake-up call, there's no doubt about that," said Richard Black, an honorary research fellow at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London. "But then again, so are some of the real world events that we're seeing around us at the moment."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58102953
     
         
      Greece wildfires: PM describes 'nightmarish summer' Sat, 7th Aug 2021 17:19:00
     
      Greece's prime minister has talked of a "nightmarish summer" as forest fires continue to ravage the country. Thousands have been evacuated from their homes, and more than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed to bring the flames under control. Greece is experiencing its worst heatwave in more than 30 years. Authorities have warned that the risk of further fires remains high in many regions, including Athens and Crete. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government's priority has been "first and foremost , to protect human lives". In the last 10 days, more than 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres) have been burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Dozens of wildfires have broken out in the last 24 hours with the largest fronts in Evia - Greece's second largest island - and areas in the Peloponnese including Arkadia and Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. In Evia, more than 2,000 people have been evacuated via ferry. Ten ships are waiting at Pefki, in the north of the island, ready to evacuate more people if needed, a Coast Guard spokesperson told AP news agency. On Saturday, a fire just north of Athens on Mount Parnitha spread smoke across the capital. Authorities set up a hotline for people with breathing difficulties, according to AP news. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the area since Thursday but by Saturday the flames had receded. However with strong winds forecast, there are concerns that the fire could flare again. One resident, who was sitting in a car park with his girlfriend, said they had only spent one night in their newly built house before they had to flee. He had spent four hours trying to use a garden hose to save his property. A number of countries have offered support to Greece. Nations including the UK, France, Romania and Switzerland have sent firefighters to the area. In Turkey, authorities have been struggling to contain a number of blazes, which have been described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the country's worst wildfires. Tens of thousands of hectares have been destroyed in Mediterranean and Aegean provinces. Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58132679
     
         
      Dixie Fire: California town decimated by largest active US blaze Fri, 6th Aug 2021 17:22:00
     
      The Dixie Fire - the largest active blaze in the US - has destroyed homes, historic buildings, and even warped the street lights in Greenville, California.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-58123369
     
         
      Funding of £16.5m to cut emissions in North Sea oil sector Fri, 6th Aug 2021 17:12:00
     
      More than £16m has been announced for projects to reduce emissions in the North Sea oil sector. Transport and Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson announced the £16.5m for a range of seven energy schemes during a visit to Aberdeen. They include how to facilitate hydrogen exports using existing pipelines. The investment is being provided through the Scottish government's Energy Transition Fund and is being matched by the industry. The schemes are being led by the Net Zero Technology Centre. Mr Matheson said: "We want to secure jobs for the energy workforce and create new jobs in the north east - and across Scotland - by seizing the huge opportunities our energy transition and wider journey to net zero present. "The Energy Transition Fund is helping the energy sector to grow and diversify and accelerate the journey to net zero." Deirdre Michie, chief executive of industry body Oil and Gas UK, said the UK's offshore oil and gas industry was changing. "This is welcome support for the Net Zero Technology Centre and for the many companies in our sector which are pioneering homegrown greener energy while continuing to support the UK's ongoing oil and gas demand", she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-58114403
     
         
      Expert: Using carbon is key to decarbonizing economy Fri, 6th Aug 2021 16:52:00
     
      Rice University carbon materials expert Matteo Pasquali is available to discuss ways to slash carbon dioxide emissions and rapidly decarbonize the global economy. Instead of burning oil and gas, Pasquali says, hydrocarbon molecules could be split into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen could then be used as a clean-burning fuel that produces no carbon dioxide, while the solid carbon could become a cheap and plentiful source of high-performance materials used by a wide range of industries. "Each year, we pull more than 10 billion tons of carbon from the ground in the form of oil, coal and natural gas," said Pasquali, a chemical engineer, chemist and materials scientist who directs the Carbon Hub. "That activity accounts for 7% of the global economy, and we need all possible sources of hydrogen. We can keep producing those hydrocarbons as long as we don't burn them." The Carbon Hub is an ambitious climate change research initiative based at Rice. It's aimed at using hydrocarbons as feedstock to produce clean hydrogen energy and solid carbon products that can be used in place of materials with large carbon footprints. In an opinion paper published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Pasquali and Carl Mesters, retired chief scientist for chemistry and catalysis at Shell, discuss how to transition from burning hydrocarbons to splitting them. Pasquali said the technology already exists to both split hydrocarbons and make solid carbon materials for broad industry adoption. He has studied carbon nanotubes for almost two decades and pioneered methods for spinning the nanomaterials into sewable, threadlike fibers that conduct electricity as well as copper. "The know-how is there," Pasquali said. "We can make nanotube fibers and composites that outperform metals, but we need to scale manufacturing processes efficiently so these materials can compete with metals on price. If high-performance carbon materials were plentiful enough to compete with metals in terms of price, market forces would take over and we could eliminate metals that today require 12% of our annual global energy budget to mine, process and refine." In the PNAS paper, Pasquali and Mesters say the transition to a world where hydrocarbons are split rather than burned "will generate robust growth in manufacturing jobs, most of which will stay at the local level where oil and gas are already established." They say no single government or coalition of governments can bring about the transition. Instead, they argue corporate leaders, philanthropists, government officials, scientists and others have incentives to bring about the transition and should work together to make it happen. "We're in a position similar to solar energy a few decades ago: We know we can deliver performance, but manufacturing and scale have to improve to drive costs down," Pasquali said. "We must get there faster than solar did." The Carbon Hub launched in December 2019 with a $10 million commitment from Shell and support from the Prysmian Group and Mitsubishi Corp. (Americas). It works with industry partners to fund and direct basic science and engineering for technologies that split hydrocarbons to make both clean hydrogen energy and valuable carbon materials.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-08-expert-carbon-key-decarbonizing-economy.html
     
         
      Tidal power project in Canada’s Bay of Fundy secures support of Japanese firms Fri, 6th Aug 2021 11:05:00
     
      Two Japanese firms have entered into a joint development agreement with Ireland-headquartered DP Energy to work on the initial phase of a tidal energy project in Canada. In statements released earlier this week Chubu Electric Power and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, or “K” Line, said the agreement related to the Uisce Tapa Tidal Energy project. The development is located at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in the Bay of Fundy, an inlet between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Both Chubu Electric Power and “K” Line described it as “the first tidal energy project in which a Japanese company will participate overseas.” According to DP Energy, the first phase of Uisce Tapa — Irish for “fast water” — is centered around three 1.5 megawatt turbines. The second aims to increase the project’s capacity to 9 MW. Uisce Tapa is backed by a 15-year power purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, which comes in at $530 Canadian dollars (around $422) per megawatt hour. It’s also benefited from a grant of around $30 million Canadian dollars from Natural Resources Canada. In its announcement Wednesday, DP Energy described the Bay of Fundy as “being home to some of the highest tides in the world.” At peak surface speed, tidal currents there are “capable of exceeding 10 knots” or 5 meters per second, it added. The project is being considered for approval by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, according to Chubu Electric Power and “K” Line. If all goes to plan, the first turbine would start operations in 2023, followed by two others in 2026. The news comes in the same week that tidal energy business Nova Innovation said it was able to move forward with a project focused on scaling up the production of tidal turbines after receiving funding from the Scottish government. The £2 million ($2.77 million) funding boost, announced Thursday, will be used to support the company’s Volume Manufacturing and Logistics for Tidal Energy project, also known as VOLT. VOLT will “develop the first European assembly line to mass manufacture tidal turbines,” according to Nova, and also “trial innovative techniques and tools to ship, deploy and monitor turbines around the world.” Last week another company, Orbital Marine Power, said its O2 turbine had started grid-connected power generation at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an archipelago north of the Scottish mainland. The 2-megawatt O2 has been dubbed “the world’s most powerful tidal turbine,” weighs 680 metric tons and is 74 meters long.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/06/tidal-power-project-in-canada-secures-support-of-japanese-firms.html
     
         
      Reduce methane or face climate catastrophe, scientists warn Fri, 6th Aug 2021 7:00:00
     
      Cutting carbon dioxide is not enough to solve the climate crisis – the world must act swiftly on another powerful greenhouse gas, methane, to halt the rise in global temperatures, experts have warned. Leading climate scientists will give their starkest warning yet – that we are rushing to the brink of climate catastrophe – in a landmark report on Monday. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will publish its sixth assessment report, a comprehensive review of the world’s knowledge of the climate crisis and how human actions are altering the planet. It will show in detail how close the world is to irreversible change. One of the key action points for policymakers is likely to be a warning that methane is playing an ever greater role in overheating the planet. The carbon-rich gas, produced from animal farming, shale gas wells and poorly managed conventional oil and gas extraction, heats the world far more effectively than carbon dioxide – it has a “warming potential” more than 80 times that of CO2 – but has a shorter life in the atmosphere, persisting for about a decade before it degrades into CO2. Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and a lead reviewer for the IPCC, said methane reductions were probably the only way of staving off temperature rises of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which extreme weather will increase and “tipping points” could be reached. “Cutting methane is the biggest opportunity to slow warming between now and 2040,” he said. “We need to face this emergency.” Zaelke said policymakers must heed the IPCC findings on methane before the UN climate talks, Cop26, in Glasgow in November. “We need to see at Cop26 a recognition of this problem, that we need to do something on this.” Cutting methane could balance the impact of phasing out coal, a key goal at Cop26 because it is the dirtiest fossil fuel and has caused sharp rises in emissions in recent years. However, coal use has a perverse climate effect: the particles of sulphur it produces shield the Earth from some warming by deflecting some sunlight. That means the immediate effect of cutting coal use could be to increase warming, although protecting the Earth in the medium and long term. Zaelke said cutting methane could offset that. “Defossilisation will not lead to cooling until about 2050. Sulphur falling out of the atmosphere will unmask warming that is already in the system,” he said. “Climate change is like a marathon – we need to stay in the race. Cutting carbon dioxide will not lead to cooling in the next 10 years, and beyond that our ability to tackle climate change will be so severely compromised that we will not be able to run on. Cutting methane gives us time.” Levels of methane have risen sharply in recent years, caused by shale gas, poorly managed conventional gas, oil drilling and meat production. Last year, methane emissions rose by a record amount, according to the UN environment programme. Satellite data shows that some of the key sources of methane are poorly managed Russian oil and gas wells. Gas can be extracted from conventional drilling using modern techniques that all but eliminate “fugitive” or accidental methane emissions. But while countries such as Qatar take care over methane, Russia, which is a party to the 2015 Paris climate agreement but has made little effort to cut its emissions, has some of the leakiest infrastructure. “Today more than 40% of EU gas is methane heavy gas from Russia, which is worse than coal for the climate,” said Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton White House climate adviser now with the Progressive Policy Institute in Washington. “The EU should begin to measure and then regulate methane emissions from all its natural gas imports to begin a cleanup of global natural gas.” Reducing methane emissions can save money. The UN’s assessment found that about half of the reductions in methane needed could be achieved with a quick payback. Zaelke urged governments to consider crafting a new deal, alongside the Paris agreement, that would cover methane and require countries to sharply reduce their gas. “I predict we will have to have a global methane agreement,” he said. Methane is also produced by melting permafrost, and there have been indications that the Siberian heatwave could increase emissions of the gas. However, large-scale emissions from permafrost melting are thought to be still some way off, while emissions of methane from agriculture and industry can be tackled today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/06/reduce-methane-or-face-climate-catastrophe-scientists-warn
     
         
      World Health Organization: The Facts about Air Pollution Thu, 5th Aug 2021 13:02:00
     
      Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO (World Health Organisation) data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds guideline limits for containing high levels of pollutants that they have set, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. WHO is supporting countries to address air pollution problems. From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to people’s health and can often result in chronic illness and early death. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household (indoor) air pollution cause about seven million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
       
      Full Article: https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1
     
         
      COP26: The oil field a few hundred miles from Glasgow that's threatening the govt's credibility over climate change Thu, 5th Aug 2021 10:30:00
     
      Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has judged that Boris Johnson's flank is exposed on climate change leadership. As the two men travel to Scotland to jockey for friends and influence, Sir Keir is accusing the prime minister of being "missing in action" and delivering "a cabaret of soundbites" rather than the global leadership necessary to make climate change summit COP26 a success. Sir Keir knows that his words will have extra resonance because of his location. COP26 is going to be held in Glasgow, and just a few hundred miles away in the North Sea, a particularly thorny problem is developing, one that illustrates the near-impossible balancing act the government must pull off in order to protect its credibility as it urges other countries to increase emission reduction commitments. The thorn is called Cambo. It is an oil field containing an estimated 800 million barrels of oil, and it is co-owned by Shell and the private equity backed Siccar Point Energy. The license to develop the field was awarded in 2001, but UK government regulator The Oil and Gas Authority is due to give it final approval to go into production. Just months before COP26, the optics of this moment are terrible. Outraged campaigners and climate scientists are piling on the pressure. Friends of the Earth Scotland has said that the first phase of development alone would extract oil that when burnt would be the equivalent of running 18 new coal fired power stations for a year. The Scottish Green party has called the approval of the field, which would operate until approximately 2050, a "catastrophic" proposal incompatible with current climate targets. The prime minister has just received an open letter signed by organisations like Oxfam and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which urges him to stop Cambo. And on Thursday, a petition signed by 80,000 people will be delivered to Downing Street demanding the same, and Greenpeace is threatening legal action if approval goes ahead. Even America's special climate envoy John Kerry came perilously close to intervening in UK domestic affairs in a recent speech when he said that the government must "measure the need [for a new oil field] very, very carefully". Tessa Khan, a climate change lawyer and the founder of campaign group Uplift, said: "Pursuing new developments undermines the UK's chances of delivering successful outcomes at COP26. "Greenlighting this development would only encourage other countries to continue to invest in fossil fuel development. In the run-up to COP26, countries will be paying more attention to what the UK does than to what it says. "The UK must lead - and be seen to be leading - from the front to ensure its successful delivery." The government has recently decided to introduce a new climate change compatibility test or 'checkpoint' to any new oil and gas developments, but these will not be applied to fields like Cambo that have already been licensed. Ministers and advisers insist that the approval of Cambo is entirely in the hands of the oil and gas regulator and that there are no plans to find a way to stop it. Any attempts to do so, they point out, would likely result in the government being taken to court by Shell and Siccar Point. A government source told Sky News: "Cambo is not a new oil field, it was licensed in 2001. "We cannot intervene. "The ongoing approval process is not within our control." There are many more Cambos out there in the North Sea. The Oil and Gas Authority continues to quietly grant licences to extract oil and gas. Last year alone for example, it handed out 113 of them. The Climate Change Committee has acknowledged that there will be an ongoing need for domestic oil production as the UK transitions to renewables. But it has also warned that the government must be more ambitious as it grapples with how to shift an entire industry away from what it has done for decades. Whatever the challenges, the government's 'sorry, but it's nothing to do with us' approach may start to feel increasingly precarious and hard to defend as COP26 draws near. Sky News has launched the first daily prime time news show dedicated to climate change. The Daily Climate Show is broadcast at 6.30pm and 9.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. Hosted by Anna Jones, it follows Sky News correspondents as they investigate how global warming is changing our landscape and how we all live our lives. The show also highlights solutions to the crisis and how small changes can make a big difference.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/cop26-sir-keir-starmer-accuses-boris-johnson-of-being-missing-in-action-ahead-of-climate-change-summit-as-row-brews-over-north-sea-oil-field-12372570
     
         
      Facebook let fossil-fuel industry push climate misinformation, report finds Thu, 5th Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      Facebook failed to enforce its own rules to curb an oil and gas industry misinformation campaign over the climate crisis during last year’s presidential election, according to a new analysis released on Thursday. The report, by the London-based thinktank InfluenceMap, identified an increase in advertising on the social media site by ExxonMobil and other fossil-fuel companies aimed at shaping the political debate about policies to address global heating. InfluenceMap said its research shows the fossil-fuel industry has moved away from outright denying the climate crisis, and is now using social media to promote oil and gas as part of the solution. The report also exposed what it said was Facebook’s role in facilitating the dissemination of false claims about global heating by failing to consistently apply its own policies to stop erroneous advertising. “Despite Facebook’s public support for climate action, it continues to allow its platform to be used to spread fossil-fuel propaganda,” the report said. “Not only is Facebook inadequately enforcing its existing advertising policies, it’s clear that these policies are not keeping pace with the critical need for urgent climate action.” The report found that 25 oil and gas industry organisations spent at least $9.5m to place more than 25,000 ads on Facebook’s US platforms last year, which were viewed more than 431m times. Exxon alone spent $5m. “The industry is using a range of messaging tactics that are far more nuanced than outright statements of climate denial. Some of the most significant tactics found included tying the use of oil and gas to maintaining a high quality of life, promoting fossil gas as green, and publicizing the voluntary actions taken by the industry on climate change,” the report said. The report noted a rise in spending on Facebook ads in July 2020, immediately after then-presidential candidate Joe Biden announced a $2tn climate plan to promote the use of clean energy. The spending remained high until after the election four months later. “This suggests the oil and gas industry uses Facebook advertising strategically and for politically motivated purposes,” the report said. InfluenceMap said it found 6,782 energy industry ads on Facebook last year promoting claims that natural gas is a green or low carbon fuel, even though research by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says otherwise. The research found that Exxon in particular used the social media site to push continued use of oil as affordable, reliable and important to keep the US from relying on other countries for its energy supply. InfluenceMap also accused the company of running misleading ads that sought to shift the greater responsibility for cutting carbon emissions from industry to the lifestyle choices of ordinary Americans. The report said that the International Energy Agency calculates that global targets to reduce emissions rely heavily on the energy industry moving to green technologies, while just 8% of reductions will come from consumer choices such as taking fewer flights. “These messages are often packaged in adverts promoting the climate-friendliness of oil and gas companies and the necessity of oil and gas for maintaining a high quality of life,” the report said. InfluenceMap also drew attention to the part played by industry-funded groups led by the American Petroleum Institute, which spent $3m on Facebook ads last year portraying fossil-fuel companies as climate-friendly. InfluenceMap said that while Facebook removed some ads for making false claims or failing to include a disclaimer identifying them as about environmental politics, it permitted many others to go unchallenged. Facebook told the Guardian it has taken action against some groups running pro- fossil-fuel ads and that multiple advertisements have been rejected because they were run without being identified as political. “We reject ads when one of our independent factchecking partners rates them as false or misleading, and take action against pages, groups, accounts, and websites that repeatedly share content rated as false,” said a Facebook spokesperson. Last year, a group of US senators wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, about concerns that the social media platform was permitting demonstrably false claims about the climate crisis to be posted on the grounds they were ‘opinion’. “Given Facebook’s long and troubling history with disinformation, it is deeply concerning that Facebook has now determined that climate disinformation is reportedly “immune to fact-checking”, said the senators, including Elizabeth Warren. “The climate crisis is too important to allow blatant lies to spread on social media without consequence.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/05/facebook-fossil-fuel-industry-environment-climate-change
     
         
      Just 5 Percent of Power Plants Release 73 Percent of Global Electricity Production Emissions Wed, 4th Aug 2021 17:50:00
     
      Cleaning up or shutting down the world’s “hyper-polluting” power plants could yield big gains in the race to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The study found that a mere five percent of the 29,000 power plants it surveyed were responsible for 73 percent of the planet’s emissions of carbon dioxide produced by the electricity generation sector, Nature reports. Researchers ranked the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel power plants by combing through 2018 emissions data for 29,000 plants in 221 countries. The results revealed the ten worst offenders were inefficient coal-fired power plants located in East Asia, Europe and India, reports Audrey Carleton for Vice. “One of the challenges climate activists face is determining who exactly is to blame for the climate crisis,” study author Don Grant, a sociologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, tells Vice. “Our study begins to address this problem in identifying super polluters.” The power plant with the highest greenhouse gas emissions is the 27-year-old Be?chatów plant in Poland. The plant produces 20 percent of Poland’s electricity, but does so by burning an especially dirty form of coal known as lignite or brown coal. Despite being Europe’s biggest coal plant, Be?chatów’s inefficiency means its capacity to generate electricity is actually lower than smaller, lower-emissions plants elsewhere in the world, according to Vice. In 2018, the plant belched 38 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is more CO2 than the entire country of New Zealand emitted that same year. Fortunately, Poland plans to shut down Be?chatów by 2036. The researchers behind the study also estimated the emissions reductions that might result if the dirtiest five percent of super polluting plants cleaned up their acts. Per Nature, super emitters could reduce their contributions to climate change by 25 percent by increasing their operating efficiency to match the global average. Switching from coal or oil to natural gas would net a 30 percent emissions reduction, and tacking on carbon-capture technologies might slash the greenhouse gases these dirty, inefficient plants emit by almost 50 percent. “The climate crisis often seems overwhelming and the product of impersonal forces beyond our control,” Grant, who is also the author of the 2020 book Super Polluters: Tackling the World’s Largest Sites of Climate-Disrupting Emissions, tells Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone. “The good news is that we can make swift and significant cuts in CO2 emissions simply by targeting the lowest hanging fruit–super polluting power plants.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-percent-power-plants-release-73-percent-global-electricity-production-emissions-180978355/
     
         
      Oil industry is blocking climate action Wed, 4th Aug 2021 16:02:00
     
      Oil and Gas UK is claiming that the sector is a “major asset” in the push to reduce carbon emissions (Letters, 2 August). But it is the oil industry that has blocked climate action for the past three decades. OGUK touting its “net zero by 2050” ambition – which covers only operational emissions and completely ignores the much more significant “scope 3” emissions from burning the fossil fuels produced – is ridiculous. On top of which, the UK’s track record on operational emissions is abysmal. The government’s North Sea transition deal failed to address the two core issues of energy transition – setting a clear path to phase down oil and gas production, and backing that up with adequate support for workers and communities affected. Where other countries have ended licensing for oil exploration, the UK government maintains its policy mandating the “maximisation of economic recovery” of oil and gas, meaning companies have to extract every last drop. They claim that this is necessary for energy security, but the controversial Cambo oilfield, currently under review by the government, is expected to export 80% of its production. There are other options, with significantly better long-term prospects. As an oil worker recently told me, anyone familiar with drilling for oil is well placed to switch to drilling for ground source heat pumps.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/04/oil-industry-is-blocking-climate-action
     
         
      Floods: Research shows millions more at risk of flooding Wed, 4th Aug 2021 13:16:00
     
      A new study shows that the percentage of the global population at risk from flooding has risen by almost a quarter since the year 2000. Satellite images were used to document the rise, which is far greater than had been predicted by computer models. The analysis shows that migration and a growing number of flood events are behind the rapid increase. By 2030, millions more will experience increased flooding due to climate and demographic change, the authors say. Flooding is the environmental disaster that impacts more people than any other, say researchers. That view has echoed around the world in recent weeks, with huge inundations destroying lives and property. In Germany and China, record downpours overwhelmed defences, amid arguments about levels of preparation. One of the challenges with flooding, according to researchers, is that most maps of where the waters will likely penetrate are based on models. These simulate floods based on information such as elevation, rainfall and data from ground sensors. But they have significant limitations: they fail to consider population or infrastructure changes and are unable to predict random events such as dam breaches. So when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, around 80,000 homes were flooded that were not on government risk maps. In this new study, researchers looked at daily satellite imagery to estimate both the extent of flooding and the number of people exposed to over 900 large flood events between 2000 and 2018. They found that between 255 and 290 million people were directly affected - and between 2000 and 2015, the number of people living in these flooded locations increased by 58-86 million. This represents an increase of 20-24% in the proportion of the world population exposed to floods, some 10 times higher than previous estimates. The increase was not evenly spread throughout the world. Countries with increased flood exposure were mainly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In European and North American nations, the risk was stable or decreasing. Around 90% of the flood events observed by the scientists were in South and Southeast Asia, around the basins of major rivers including the Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra and the Mekong. "We were able to capture a lot of floods in Southeast Asia more than other places, because they're so slow-moving and so the clouds move, and we're able to get a really clear image of the flood," explained lead author Dr Beth Tellman from the University of Arizona and chief science officer at Cloud to Street, a global flood-tracking platform. "But there was also just a lot of flooding, really high impactful flooding in southern Asia and Southeast Asia. There's also a large human population that settled near rivers for really important reasons [such as] agriculture," Dr Tellman explained. But she added that this "also, unfortunately exposes people to a lot of flooding events".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58087479
     
         
      Net zero targets 'unrealistic' says Oxfam report Wed, 4th Aug 2021 12:04:00
     
      Oxfam says governments and companies are "hiding behind unreliable, unproven and unrealistic carbon removal schemes" in order to hit targets. Global attempts are being made to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But the charity claims net zero targets are often a "greenwashing exercise". Net zero means any emissions that can't be stemmed by clean technology in 2050 will either be buried using carbon capture and storage, or soaked up by plants and soils. Reaching net zero will also mean phasing out the internal combustion engine and dramatically increasing renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar, while decreasing fossil fuel pollution. Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of charity's UK branch, said companies and governments are using the "smokescreen" of net zero to continue "dirty, business-as-usual activities". "A prime example of the doublethink we are seeing is the oil and gas sector trying to justify its ongoing extraction of fossil fuels by promising unrealistic carbon removal schemes that require ludicrous amounts of land," he told the BBC. Nafkote Dabi, climate policy lead at Oxfam and co-author of the report, told the BBC that there is only 350 million hectares of land that can be used globally for afforestation and carbon removal without compromising food security. Oxfam calculated that the total amount of land required for planned carbon removal could be five times the size of India, or the equivalent of all the farmland in the world. The charity analysed the net zero targets of four of the largest oil and gas producers: Shell, BP, Total Energies and ENI. The researchers found that their net zero plans alone could require an area of land twice the size of the UK. "It's really worrying that only four companies could use so much of the remaining land available for the world," Ms Dabi explained. "If all energy sectors follow the same plan, they would require 500 million hectares of land, which means worsening existing hunger issues in the global south." In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that if governments and companies that if governments and companies rely on reforestation only, by 2050, food prices could increase by 80% globally. Ms Dabi added that emissions reduction is the "most urgent solution that needs to happen" and explained that relying on tree planting could lead to the displacement of communities which could in turn create more food shortages. A recent analysis by the Transition Pathway Initiative, in partnership with the London School of Economics, found that none of the major oil companies' net zero targets currently align with a 1.5C future. A spokesperson for BP commented: "We do not intend to rely on offsets to meet our own 2030 emissions reduction targets or aims." However, a spokesperson told the BBC that they "may help us to go beyond those aims if we can". ENI responded that they did not "support these estimations" and said its progress toward carbon neutrality is audited independently. Shell meanwhile said is was engaged with the investor group Climate Action 100+ and the Science Based Targets initiative as they develop new reporting, accounting and target-setting frameworks for the oil and gas industry. Total Energies responded that it "prioritises lands concessions rather than lands purchase" and "will also develop other types of carbon removal techniques such as carbon sequestration in agricultural soils that avoids conflicts of uses". A number of large oil and gas firms, such as Sinopec, ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco, have not yet made a net zero pledge.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58079101
     
         
      Small increases in air pollution from tiny toxic particles can raise the risk of dementia by 16%, study finds Wed, 4th Aug 2021 8:18:00
     
      A small increase in air pollution from tiny, toxic particles raises dementia risk by 16 percent, a new study finds. Researchers from the University of Washington used decades' worth of data from two long-running projects in the Puget Sound region, one on dementia risk factors and one on air pollution. In addition to increased dementia risk, the researchers found that the same small air pollution increase raised Alzheimer's risk by 11 percent. The study suggests that improving air quality could be a key strategy for reducing dementia - especially in vulnerable neighborhoods. It's well-known among environmental researchers that air pollution can lead to respiratory issues ranging from asthma to lung cancer. One particularly dangerous type of pollution is called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 - named because the particles are 2.5 micrometers wide, about 30 times smaller than a human hair. PM2.5 pollution is tied to car exhaust, construction sites, smokestacks, fires, and other sources. This pollution has been linked to increased risk of severe COVID-19. Recent research has also established ties between PM2.5 pollution and dementia, the degradation in memory and thinking ability that often affects seniors. A new study - published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives - provides evidence for this trend. University of Washington (UW) researchers investigated decades' worth of data on dementia development and air pollution in the Seattle, Washington area. Most studies on dementia risk investigate five years of data or less, making this new research unique in its long time period. The researchers utilized the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study, a collaborative effort between UW and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute to identify risk factors for dementia. ACT researchers followed over 4,000 Seattle seniors for 25 years. The seniors did not have dementia when the study started, but received cognitive check-ups every two years. Out of those 4,000 patients, over 1,000 were diagnosed with dementia over the course of the study. For those patients who were diagnosed, the researchers investigated their exposure to air pollution using air quality data - measured regularly in Seattle since 1978. Using detailed data on where the patients lived, the researchers were able to determine how much PM2.5 pollution they'd been exposed to - and how that compared to the patients who did not develop dementia. The finding was striking - a tiny increase in long-term pollution exposure drove significant risk of developing dementia. 'We found that an increase of one microgram per cubic meter of exposure corresponded to a 16 percent greater hazard of all-cause dementia,' said Rachel Shaffer, lead author nd doctoral student in environmental health at UW. That amount - one microgram per cubic meter - is equivalent to the pollution difference between downtown Seattle and an outlying residential area. The researchers also found that an increase of one microgram per cubic meter led to a 11 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's. These comparisons were made over 10-year spans of exposure to pollution. 'We know dementia develops over a long period of time. It takes years - even decades - for these pathologies to develop in the brain, and so we needed to look at exposures that covered that extended period,' Shaffer said. Shaffer and other researchers on the study expressed thanks to the ACT Study. This study's long-term data collection made the dementia risk investigation possible. 'Having reliable address histories let us obtain more precise air pollution estimates for study participants,' said Lianne Sheppard, senior author on the paper and environmental health professor at UW. 'These high-quality exposures combined with ACT's regular participant follow-up and standardized diagnostic procedures contribute to this study's potential policy impact.' This research provides key evidence for air pollution's contribution to dementia and other neurological conditions. In another recent study, released at the July Alzheimer's Association International Conference, researchers said that improving air quality is a key dementia prevention strategy. When neighborhoods are impacted by pollution, the consequences are widespread and long-reaching. 'Over an entire population, a large number of people are exposed. So, even a small change in relative risk ends up being important on a population scale,' Shaffer said. 'There are some things that individuals can do, such as mask-wearing, which is becoming more normalized now because of COVID. But it is not fair to put the burden on individuals alone. 'These data can support further policy action on the local and national level to control sources of particulate air pollution.'
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9857965/Small-increases-air-pollution-tiny-toxic-particles-raise-risk-dementia.html
     
         
      Prudential in talks to buy out and shut coal-fired plants in Asia Tue, 3rd Aug 2021 19:14:00
     
      The British insurer Prudential is working with the Asian Development Bank on a scheme to buy out coal-fired power plants in Asia in order to shut them down within 15 years. Its backers say the plan is designed to limit use of the polluting fossil fuel while allowing workers time to find new jobs and incentivising countries to invest in clean energy alternatives. The Guardian understands there have been “promising” early talks with Asian governments and multilateral banks about the programme, known as the “energy transition mechanism” (ETM), which could also include the banking groups HSBC, Citi and BlackRock Real Assets. Don Kanak, the chair of Prudential Insurance Growth Markets, said that a “well funded mechanism like ETM” could help developing countries “make big progress on climate goals in the next 10-15 years, not deferring the heavy lifting until mid-century”. “The world cannot possibly hit the Paris climate targets unless we accelerate the retirement and replacement of existing coal-fired electricity, opening up much larger room in the near term for renewables and storage,” Kanak said. “This is especially [true] in Asia, where existing coal fleets are big and young and will otherwise operate for decades. That’s why we conceived the energy transition mechanism and worked with ADB and others to validate feasibility.” Prudential and ADB hope to have a model ready for the UN’s Cop26 climate conference, which is being held in Glasgow in November. Alok Sharma, a former UK business secretary and now president-designate of Cop26, said he would make it a “personal priority” to consign coal to history because of the major role it plays in the climate crisis by accounting for about a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Kanak added that the framework had already been presented to finance ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Commission and European development officials. A spokesperson for the ADB was not available to comment on the plans. The potential role of big UK lenders in the scheme, first reported by Reuters, has raised eyebrows among climate campaigners because of the recent track record among many banks in financing new coal plants in Asia. Adam McGibbon, a campaigner at Market Forces, which calls for financial institutions to use their wealth to protect the environment, said the initiative would “only have meaning if HSBC commits to no longer finance the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and phases out its fossil fuel financing in line with the goals of the Paris agreement. Otherwise, this is just HSBC trying to make money from both ends of the climate catastrophe,” he said. HSBC has vowed to phase out coal financing by 2040 but participated earlier this year in a $400m (£290m) loan to the Indonesian coal company Adaro Energy, which produced 54m tonnes of coal in 2020. A spokesperson for HSBC said the company “has a clear net zero ambition”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/03/uk-finance-giants-plan-to-buy-out-fossil-fuel-plants-in-order-to-shut-them
     
         
      Boris Johnson ‘missing in action’ ahead of vital climate talks, says Keir Starmer Tue, 3rd Aug 2021 19:00:00
     
      Vital UN climate talks are at risk of failure because Boris Johnson is “missing in action” while his climate spokesperson talks about freezing bread, Keir Starmer has warned. The Labour leader said there is already “dystopia” all around caused by climate breakdown, but Johnson’s ambition to tackle the scale of the crisis is irresponsibly small. The UK will host the Cop26 summit in Glasgow this November, where countries must set out plans for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions for this decade, to avoid catastrophic and irreversible changes to the climate. “As host of the summit, the world is looking to Britain to deliver,” writes Starmer in today’s Guardian. “We cannot afford to miss this moment, but I fear we will.” The government was off-track to meet its own climate targets, while ministers scrapped measures to reduce emissions such as the green homes grant insulation scheme, and were allowing high-carbon development, such as a potential new coalmine, Starmer wrote. The prime minister was delivering “a cabaret of soundbites” rather than the global leadership needed, he charged. “All over the world, unusual weather events show that dystopia is not on the horizon. It is here today, all around us,” he wrote. “At this vital moment, our prime minister is missing in action, while his climate spokesperson is busy advising people to freeze their leftover bread. When the issues at stake are so large, it really is irresponsible for the response to be so small.” Downing Street has faced mounting criticism over its conduct of Cop26, the outcome of which some observers described as “hanging in the balance”. The government’s host year kicked off with scientists chastising ministers over plans for a new coalmine in Cumbria, while diplomats despaired over the decision to slash overseas aid, considered a disastrous signal to other countries as a crucial goal of Cop26 will be raising $100bn a year for the developing world. The prime minister’s spokesperson for Cop26, Allegra Stratton, has also made headlines recently, appearing to reject electric cars, suggesting people could join the Green party, and saying the government’s 2050 net zero emissions target was too far off. Diplomatic eyebrows were also raised when John Kerry, the US climate envoy, made a major speech in Kew Gardens that no government minister attended. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “Boris Johnson has mastered the dark art of setting bold long-term targets but ducked implementing policies that will make a difference. He needs to start delivering on the tough choices needed for a successful low-carbon economy. As host of the Glasgow summit, the world’s eyes are on us to prove there is a solution to the climate emergency. If we fail, the summit fails. So far the omens are not good.” Starmer told the Guardian in an interview that the impression was one of a government long on climate rhetoric but short on action, and hampered by Johnson’s own character. “[Success at Cop26] requires leadership, diplomacy and coalition-building. But the prime minister’s reputation on the global stage is not good – he is known for rule-breaking, rather than coalition-building,” he said. Starmer said he was moved to intervene as he began a two-day visit to Glasgow, to meet members of a local youth forum and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, to discuss young people’s perspectives on the climate crisis and Labour’s plans for green investment. “Sitting by and watching this government fail to lead would be the worst possible thing Labour could do. If we can goad them into stronger leadership that would be better for Britain and the planet.” “He [Johnson] should be leading from the front,” said Starmer. He said Labour – like US president Joe Biden – would have more credible and serious ambition, with a £30bn investment in a green recovery from the pandemic. Whitehall insiders said the government was working hard behind the scenes on the talks, with Cop president-designate Alok Sharma taking on a punishing travel schedule to key countries. Last week, ministers from more than 50 countries met in London, with some progress on forging relationships among countries that have been unable to meet in person for more than 18 months, but disappointment on efforts to make a bold commitment to phase out coal. Some major countries – including China and India – have also yet to produce plans for their emissions cuts to 2030, a crucial goal for Cop26. Some participants in the talks praised the government for staying firm on its target of holding global heating to 1.5C, and said there was still time to craft a deal that would set the world on a path to meeting the 2015 Paris agreement, and staving off the worst ravages of climate breakdown. Early next week, amid recent extreme weather around the world, the stakes for Cop26 will be raised higher still, when scientists produce a long-expected landmark report on the climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected on Monday 9 August to deliver the starkest warning yet that the world is heading for widespread devastation unless emissions are brought down sharply in the next decade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/03/boris-johnson-missing-in-action-ahead-of-vital-climate-talks-says-keir-starmer
     
         
      Finance firms plan to close coal plants in Asia Tue, 3rd Aug 2021 15:35:00
     
      Some of the world's biggest financial institutions are working on a plan to speed the closure of coal-fired power plants in Asia, the BBC has been told. The initiative was developed by UK insurer Prudential, is being driven by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and includes major banks HSBC and Citi. The ADB hopes the plan will be ready for the COP26 climate conference, which is being held in Scotland in November. The plan aims to tackle the biggest human-made source of carbon emissions. Don Kanak, the chairman of Prudential Insurance Growth Markets, who developed the initiative, told the BBC: "The world cannot possibly hit the Paris climate targets unless we accelerate the retirement and replacement of existing coal fired electricity, opening up much larger room in the near term for renewables and storage." "This is especially true in Asia where existing coal fleets are big and young and will otherwise operate for decades," he added. Under the proposal, which was first reported by the Reuters news agency, public-private partnerships will buy coal-fired plants and shut them far sooner than their usual operating lifespan. "By purchasing a coal-fired power plant with, say, 50 years of operational life ahead of it and shutting it down within 15 years we can cut up to 35 years of carbon emission," Ahmed M Saeed, ADB's Vice President for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific said. The ADB hopes to launch a pilot programme in a developing South East Asian nation - potentially Indonesia, the Philippines or Vietnam - in time for the COP26 event in November. A key feature of the initiative is that it aims to raise the money for the purchases at well below the normal cost by giving lower than usual returns to investors. Aspects of the plan that are yet to be finalised include how coal plant owners can be convinced to sell them, what to do with the plants after they are closed, and what role if any carbon credits could play. It comes as commercial and development banks and other major investors have become increasingly reluctant to back new fossil fuel power plants as they strive to meet climate targets. Coal-fired electricity generation accounts for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, making it the biggest polluter. The International Energy Agency has forecast that global demand for coal will grow by 4.5% this year, with Asia making up 80% of that rise. Meanwhile, the International Panel on Climate Change has called for global coal-fired electricity generation to fall from 38% to 9% by 2030. HSBC and Citi did not immediately respond to a request for information from the BBC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58066660
     
         
      Cement industry must be regulated to eliminate its carbon emissions, says environmental expert Tue, 3rd Aug 2021 10:51:00
     
      While major producers have reduced their use of fossil fuels for energy and refined the chemical process, eliminating emissions remains an elusive goal. The production of cement - the active ingredient in concrete - accounts for around seven per cent of global carbon emissions. Governments must urgently step in to regulate the cement industry in an effort to eliminate its carbon emissions, according to a senior environmental expert. Myles Allen, an Oxford professor who has served on the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said that unless the cement trade was incentivised to reduce its emissions, efforts to reach net zero could be stymied. The production of cement - the active ingredient in concrete - accounts for around 7% of global carbon emissions, a larger proportion than aviation and deforestation combined. While those emissions are primarily located in emerging and fast urbanising economies such as China and India, and while European cement producers have made great strides in reducing their emissions, eliminating them entirely remains exceedingly challenging, because of the nature of the reaction. Cement is produced when limestone is heated to high temperatures in a kiln, and that process involves two streams of carbon dioxide emissions: first from the fuel used to heat the kiln (traditionally coal) and second from the chemical reaction itself. While major producers have reduced their use of fossil fuels for energy and refined the chemical process, eliminating emissions altogether remains an elusive goal. Andy Spencer, VP Corporate Affairs, Sustainability & ERM for CEMEX, which runs the biggest cement kiln in the UK near Rugby, said: "We are changing the formulation of concrete, and then to a much lower carbon recipe using lots of alternative materials and then the final piece that we cannot yet offset from here, we are using a certified carbon offset scheme. "We will save around half a million tonnes of CO2 emissions from [this plant] every year." However, the cement industry is reliant on a new technology - carbon capture and storage - to eliminate the emissions from the chemical process itself. Some warn that this technology is unlikely to happen at scale in the foreseeable future. But Prof Allen said the main way to make that happen would be for the government to impose rules or requirements on the industry to ensure it has an incentive to go green. He said: "Cement is a commodity industry. The margins aren't big, so you can't expect companies to do this out of the goodness of their hearts... So it's got to be regulated and it's got to be fair. Ideally, or we should set a timetable for decarbonizing cement across the whole of Europe." However, some academics are working on new recipes and new forms of cement which could eliminate carbon emissions altogether. Researchers at the University of Sheffield are using alkali formulas and waste products from the steel industry to create a form of cement that doesn't directly emit carbon in its production. These new cements are similarly resilient to most Portland cement (the traditional variety) and in some senses are even more resilient. However, Brant Walkley of Sheffield's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, said that it would be tricky to scale them up to replace Portland cement altogether. He said: "One of the biggest challenges that we have with these materials, with any replacement for Portland cement is to be able to produce it on a scale that can meet the demand for cement and concrete. "At the moment the world produces 10 billion tonnes of concrete every year - enough to cover a landmass the size of England, every year - so it's a huge amount. "Cement is the main ingredient in concrete, it's the glue that binds everything together. And so to be able to produce an alternative material at the same scale is very, very challenging."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/cement-industry-must-be-regulated-to-eliminate-its-carbon-emissions-says-environmental-expert-12370548
     
         
      Reforestation hopes threaten global food security, Oxfam warns Tue, 3rd Aug 2021 6:00:00
     
      Governments and businesses hoping to plant trees and restore forests in order to reach net-zero emissions must sharply limit such efforts to avoid driving up food prices in the developing world, the charity Oxfam has warned. Planting trees has been mooted as one of the key ways of tackling the climate crisis, but the amount of land needed for such forests would be vast, and planting even a fraction of the area needed to offset global greenhouse gas emissions would encroach on the land needed for crops to feed a growing population, according to a report entitled Tightening the net: Net zero climate targets implications for land and food equity. At least 1.6bn hectares – an area five times the size of India, equivalent to all the land now farmed on the planet – would be required to reach net zero for the planet by 2050 via tree-planting alone. While no one is suggesting planting trees to that extent, the report’s authors said it gave an idea of the scale of planting required, and how limited offsetting should be if food price rises are to be avoided. Nafkote Dabi, climate policy lead at Oxfam and co-author of the report, explained: “It is difficult to tell how much land would be required, as governments have not been transparent about how they plan to meet their net-zero commitments. But many countries and companies are talking about afforestation and reforestation, and the first question is: where is this land going to come from?” Food prices could rise by 80% by 2050, according to some estimates, if offsetting emissions through forestry is over-used. About 350m hectares of land – an area roughly the size of India – could be used for offsetting without disrupting agriculture around the world, but taken together the plans for offsetting from countries and companies around the world could soon exceed this. Dabi said: “Already, hundreds of millions of people around the world are going hungry. We need to consult countries on how they are going to use their land, and countries and companies need to reduce their emissions first [before relying on offsetting]. We also need to reduce emissions from agriculture, which is the second biggest source of emissions globally.” The report also found that two of the most commonly used offsetting measures, reforestation and the planting of new forests, were among the worst at putting food security at risk. Far better, according to the analysis, were nature-based solutions that focused on forest management, agroforestry – the practice of combining crop cultivation or pasture with growing trees – as well as pasture management and soil management in croplands. These would allow people to use the land for food while sequestering carbon. Dabi explained: “We are not against afforestation and reforestation, and we do not want to stop people doing these things. But they should not be used at a large scale and should be combined with other methods such as agroforestry.” She gave the example of Switzerland, which is planning to offset about 12.5% of its emissions through carbon credits from projects in other countries, including Peru and Ghana. To reach that target would take an area the size of Costa Rica, Oxfam estimated. Some companies are also planning to use carbon offsetting based on trees and land as part of their efforts to reach net-zero emissions. Oxfam found that many of these plans, taken together, could amount to an over-use of land. For instance, four leading energy companies would require an area twice the size of the UK for their offsetting. Shell would need about 28.6m hectares by 2050, according to Oxfam’s estimates, while TotalEnergies plans to offset about 7% of its emissions, needing about 2.6m hectares by 2050. Eni, another energy company, has plans for 8m hectares of forestry, but Oxfam calculates that double this could be needed. BP has not set out its plans in detail, but is likely to require as much as 22.5m hectares for offsetting as much as 15% of its emissions, Oxfam estimated. Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of Oxfam GB, called for companies and governments to cut their emissions drastically rather than relying on offsets. He said: “Too many companies and governments are hiding behind the smokescreen of ‘net zero’ to continue dirty business-as-usual activities. A prime example of the doublethink we are seeing is the oil and gas sector trying to justify its ongoing extraction of fossil fuels by promising unrealistic carbon removal schemes that require ludicrous amounts of land.” He added: “Net-zero targets are vital to tackling climate change. Some governments and companies are taking bold action to cut emissions but there are currently too few to give us a realistic chance of averting climate catastrophe and the widespread hunger and devastation that come with it.” A spokesperson for BP said: “BP does not intend to rely on offsets to meet either our 2025 emissions reduction targets or 2030 aims. However, they may help us to go beyond those aims if we can. We do support the use of carbon offsets or credits by companies, countries and society to achieve faster and lower cost pathways to net-zero and help meet the Paris goals.” Shell said it did not recognise Oxfam’s estimates. “Meeting a net-zero target requires fundamentally changing the forms of energy Shell supplies and then using offsets at the margin to compensate for any remaining emissions, ie we are changing the products that we sell,” said a spokesperson. “As Shell shifts its portfolio to more and more renewable and low-carbon sources of energy, it could well be that the emissions associated with energy sold by Shell in 2050 is less than the quantity of carbon credits we expect to be able to supply our customers in 2030.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/03/reforestation-hopes-threaten-global-food-security-oxfam-warns
     
         
      Climate crisis has cost Colorado billions - now it wants oil firms to pick up the bill Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 15:26:00
     
      ExxonMobil and Suncor face lawsuits in the western state but big oil’s apologists say the US consumer is to blame for emissions Supported by guardian.org About this content Chris McGreal in Gold Hill, Colorado Mon 2 Aug 2021 11.00 BST More than a decade after the Fourmile Canyon blaze drove even the firefighters out of Gold Hill, blackened hillsides and scorched trees attest to the Colorado mountain town’s close shave with destruction. “Because of the wind and the dryness, it took off,” said Chris Finn, who volunteers as the town’s fire chief when he’s not running the local inn. “That day in 2010, I felt that my business and my house might not be here any more.” Gold Hill’s few hundred residents fled as the fire moved along the ridge above a town that began life as a mining camp during the 1859 gold rush. The firefighters followed when they could not stop the flames swallowing scores of homes. By the time it was extinguished, the Fourmile blaze had destroyed 169 houses, the most by any wildfire in Colorado history. But that record was broken less than two years later, and then again within days, as the pace of fires picked up. Gold Hill was once again surrounded by flames last year, which saw a record number of wildfires in Colorado. Now, Finn is bracing for another season of record-breaking fires. “I’ve lived up here my whole life. You can see the change in the weather,” said Finn. The 65-year-old fire chief paused in the garden of his modest wooden house. “I hope that my grandson can be sitting here when he’s my age,” he said. Finn’s nagging fear that Gold Hill is living on borrowed time is replicated across western states ravaged by some of the most intense wildfires in modern American history. But angst about the immediate threat is accompanied by increasingly urgent questions for communities on the frontline of the climate crisis about the long-term financial cost of survival – who should foot the bill? Gold Hill has received a state grant to thin out the forest around the town in the hope of slowing if not stopping future fires. But that is a fraction of the cost that the surrounding county says it will take to deal with the impact of global heating. Boulder county estimates it will cost taxpayers $100m over the next three decades just to adapt transport and drainage systems to the climate crisis, and reduce the risk from wildfires. The county government says the bill should be paid by those who drove the crisis – the oil companies that spent decades covering up and misrepresenting the warnings from climate scientists. It is suing the US’s largest oil firm, ExxonMobil, and Suncor, a Canadian company with its US headquarters in Colorado, to require that they “use their vast profits to pay their fair share of what it will cost a community to deal with the problem the companies created”. Boulder county, alongside similar lawsuits by the city of Boulder and San Miguel county in the south-west of the state, accuse the companies of deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud because their own scientists warned them of the dangers of burning of fossil fuels but the firms suppressed evidence of a growing climate crisis. The lawsuits also claim that as the climate emergency escalated, companies funded front groups to question the science in order to keep selling oil. “It is far more difficult to change it now than it would have been if the companies had been honest about what they knew 30 or 50 years ago,” said Marco Simons, general counsel for Earth Rights International, which is handling the lawsuit for the county. “That is probably the biggest tragedy here. Communities in this country and around the world were essentially robbed of their options.” Boulder county’s lawsuit contends that annual temperatures in Colorado will rise between 3.5F and 6.5F by 2050 and imperil the state’s economy, including farming and the ski industry. Extremes of weather are already melting the mountain snowpack, causing increased evaporation and a shortfall in the amount of water flowing down the region’s most important river, the Colorado, which supplies drinking water to the state’s largest cities and irrigation all the way to California and Arizona. Micah Parkin, founder of an environmental coalition, 350 Colorado, moved to Boulder from New Orleans after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. “We decided to move to higher ground knowing hurricanes are getting more intense, sea levels are rising,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/02/climate-crisis-boulder-colorado-lawsuit-exxonmobil-suncor
     
         
      Finding answers to the world's drinking water crisis Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:58:00
     
      Without a doubt, water is the most abundant resource on Earth. After all, it covers over 70% of the planet - yet despite this we are facing a looming crisis as a species. Climate change, global conflict and overpopulation are just some of the factors that are devastating the water supply in many areas around the world. It means that two billion people - one-quarter of the human population - are without access to safe drinking water. As the world's population creeps ever closer to eight billion, attention is being focused on developing technologies that can help address this before it is too late. One of those offering a potential solution is Michael Mirilashvili, head of Watergen, an Israel-based firm that is using its air-to-water technology to deliver the drinking water to remote areas of the world hit by conflict or climate change. 'Basic human right' "Water is a basic human right, and yet millions don't have access to it," he tells the BBC. Pulling water out of thin air may sound like science fiction, but the technology is actually simpler than it seems. The Earth's atmosphere contains 13 billion tonnes of fresh water. Watergen's machines work by filtering this water vapour out of the air. He says if used correctly, Watergen's technology could spark a major shift within the water industry that could have a lasting impact on the planet. "A big advantage of using atmospheric water is that there's no need to build water transportation, so no worries about heavy metals in pipes for example or cleaning contaminated water from the ground or polluting the planet with plastic bottles." One obvious obstacle would appear to be air pollution, which has become a widespread cause for concern in some of the world's major cities. In the UK for example, research by Imperial College London found lead, which is toxic to the human body, still present in the city's air in 2021 despite it being banned in 1999. However, this may not matter. A study conducted by scientists from Israel's Tel Aviv University found that even in urban areas such as Tel Aviv, it is possible to extract drinking water to a standard set by the World Health Organization. In other words, clean water can be converted from air that is dirty or polluted. Watergen's largest machines can provide 6,000 litres of water in a day. It has already been used to support entire hospitals in the Gaza Strip and rural villages in central Africa, where people would otherwise have to walk hours to find water. It also helped Australia's government battle devastating bush fires in 2020 that killed 34 people and destroyed 3,500 homes. "This is not just about saving lives, it's about improving the lives of millions," adds Mr Mirilashvili. "Even in developed countries some people don't drink clean water and it has a direct effect on health and agriculture." Deadly pollution According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than two billion people only have access to water that is contaminated with faeces. Just one sip puts them at risk of illnesses such as cholera and typhoid, and it estimates around 500,000 people a year die as a result. When it comes to finding clean water there is a resource in our oceans. Icebergs contain some of the world's purest water as the glaciers they come from formed thousands of years ago. The giant blocks of ice can be a hazard to shipping and can damage marine ecosystems with huge volumes of freshwater when they melt. Harvesting them for profit first began in Canada, where it has become a big business along the country's east coast. But the practice has now reached other parts of the world. Entrepreneur and environmentalist, Abdulla Al-Shehi, is working with the United Arab Emirates' iceberg project. Water scarcity poses a great risk in the country, as climate change brings with it rising temperatures to what is already one of the hottest places on the planet. "On average a gigantic iceberg can provide a million people water for 3-5 years," he claims. "So why not take advantage of what nature can offer us? I hope one day to bring icebergs to the Arabian Peninsula." Yet the journey poses risks. Due to their size icebergs can flip over in transit, causing fatal accidents. They must be also wrapped in specially designed insulated material to reduce the melting rate during the journey. It is no surprise that the process can therefore be expensive. The UAE Iceberg project will start by harvesting a smaller iceberg and taking it to Perth in Western Australia or Cape Town in South Africa. "The estimated cost ranges from $60-80m (£42-57m) and the full project will likely cost around $150-200m," says Mr Al-Shehi. New Tech Economy is a series exploring how technological innovation is set to shape the new emerging economic landscape. Is the ocean the answer? While the kinks are still worked out of iceberg harvesting, there are other more reliable methods using the world's oceans. In the past, many civilizations have removed salt from the seawater - a process called desalination - using heat. Nowadays, desalinisation is done using seawater reverse osmosis. Some governments own desalination plants that provide water to the population, while others rely on private firms to run them. Water provider giant Dupont, based in Delaware, processes 25 million US gallons (94 million litres) of water every minute at its plants around the world. "The process allows water to pass through a filter while salts get separated. As a result, two streams are generated, one with drinkable water and one with high levels of salt," says Verónica García Molina, global market leader of DuPont Water Solutions. "The stream with high concentrations in salts is directed back to the sea, but thanks to proper dilution mechanisms and processes there is no impact in the sea." Yet while modern plants may have little to no impact on the sea, the same cannot be said for older factories that still use less advanced desalination methods. These are still pumping high levels of brine back into the ocean which can wreak havoc on ecosystems by reducing oxygen levels and increasing salt content. A large majority of these older plants are located in the Middle East, where 55% of desalination brine is pumped back into the oceans. Another major criticism of desalination is that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to process seawater, usually driven by highly polluting fossil fuels. However, Ms Molina says advances in technology in recent years have made it one of the most viable solutions to solving water shortages around the world. "Energy required for seawater reverse osmosis has been reduced by more than three times in the last decades and today it consumes four-five times or less energy than the old thermal processes," she adds. But it is not clear if these solutions will be enough. As global water resources grow increasingly scarce, the race is on for scientists to come up with other answers that have little to no impact on already-stressed ecosystems.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57847654
     
         
      Iran water: What's causing the shortages? Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:49:00
     
      Protests in Iran against a range of grievances - including a severe lack of water and power blackouts - have drawn attention to the country's wider water problems. Experts have raised concerns about the situation for many years, so what's to blame for Iran's water crisis? A very dry year In April, the Iranian Meteorological Organisation warned of an "unprecedented drought" and rainfall levels which were substantially below long-term averages. In the oil-producing province of Khuzestan, residents took to the streets over water shortages, and there were protests against hydroelectric power cuts in other cities. The government has responded with emergency assistance for the hardest-hit areas. Iran faces a range of environmental challenges from high temperatures, pollution, flooding and vanishing lakes. The amount of rainfall in Iran's main river basins between September 2020 and July 2021 was, in most places, substantially lower compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Ministry of Energy's website. We haven't been able to access government figures for historical trends, but researchers in the United States have gathered data using satellite imagery. This data compares rainfall up to March of this year against the 40-year average. The first three months of 2021 were all well below that average, according to the Center for Hydrometeorology at the University of California Irvine. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated about one-third of valuable wheat fields in Iran are irrigated, so no rain can be costly. What's happened in Khuzestan? Amid a very dry spell in the province, locals have been out protesting - some shouting "I am thirsty!" For a region which used to have plentiful water, the vital Karun river now often runs dry. Satellites show its water level has steadily fallen over the last year, according to data gathered by researchers at Stuttgart University. The spike in 2019 was due to severe flooding. A map sourced to authorities in Khuzestan shows water levels in the region's dams in July 2021. The light blue line indicates the water level. Many of the critical dams currently appear to be running low, and there have been calls for the release of remaining water to support rice and cattle farmers in the regions below them. Some blamed the oil industry for causing disruption to local eco-systems. Water diverted away from these areas and into the country's central desert regions has been another source of tension. "Climate change and drought is a catalyst here," says Kaveh Madani, former deputy head of the Iranian Environment Department, who's now based at Yale University. "But the problem is rooted in decades of bad management, poor environmental governance and lack of foresight, and not getting prepared for a situation like this." Water challenges will get worse Iran is heavily dependent on its shrinking water supplies. It experiences frequent droughts and faces the prospect of more extreme conditions brought about by climate change. Hotter and drier weather will have a greater impact on hydropower generation, which has already led to severe power disruptions this summer in Iran. Protests against chaos-causing blackouts have taken place in Tehran and other cities, disrupting telecommunications and knocking out traffic lights. Surging demand for air-conditioning to counter stifling heat has also contributed to the pressure on power grids. Meanwhile, the huge amount of electricity powering servers used in crypto-currency mining has also been blamed for sapping the country's energy supplies. Long-term water management problems While the drought has created a challenging environment, the reasons for Iran's water crisis go deeper. In 2015, an environmental expert warned there could be a mass exodus of millions if Iran didn't find a solution to its water crisis. The head of Iran's Environment Department Masoumeh Ebtekar has called for a "revolution" in agriculture to make it more efficient. Groundwater is found in aquifers below Earth's surface and is a key source of water in Iran. But it suffers from one of the worst groundwater depletion rates in the world - alongside India, United States, Saudi Arabia and China. The push for national self-reliance in food has led to farmers using up larger quantities of groundwater. Pumping out groundwater at a faster rate than it is replenished can lead to increased levels of salt in the soil, which can in turn affect soil fertility in food-producing regions. There is a "very high salinity hazard" for irrigation water in many areas, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Digging deeper for groundwater brings the threat of subsidence - cities literally sinking. Vanishing lakes There is also concern about the drying up of wetland areas and rivers, which can trigger dangerous dust storms. Lake Urmia, once one of the world's largest saltwater lakes, became a symbol of environmental disaster. Once more than 1,930sq miles, it shrank to a tenth of that size by 2015. To feed rapid agricultural expansion in the area and in the middle of drought in the 1990s, farmers resorted to pumping out groundwater for their crops and the building of numerous dams. Following public outcry, pledges from the president and improved irrigation, the lake's fortunes appear to be turning around. The lake has now grown to about half its historic size and is in better shape, but it's unclear if this is due to reforms or increased rainfall - and prolonged drought may yet threaten its recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/58012290
     
         
      COP26: How is Scotland tackling climate change? Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:45:00
     
      World leaders will gather in Glasgow in three months' time for the COP26 climate change summit. The Scottish government says its targets to reduce emissions are some of the toughest in the world. But what are those commitments - and how much progress has been made so far? What are Scotland's renewable energy targets? Scottish ministers want renewable energy generation to account for 50% of energy demand across electricity, heat and transport by 2030. The government had also set a target of generating the equivalent of 100% of its electricity demand from renewables by 2020. However, it narrowly missed that target, having achieved a total of 97.4% last year. Industry body Scottish Renewables said output had tripled in the last 10 years, and described the targets as "a tremendous motivator" for the industry. The country has been moving away from burning fossil fuels, with the last coal-fired power station, Longannet, closing in 2016. The only remaining gas-fired power station is at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, which its owners plan to rebuild with carbon capture and storage technology attached. Onshore wind delivers about 70% of capacity, followed by hydro and offshore wind as Scotland's main sources of renewable power. Scotland's largest single source is the Beatrice offshore wind farm. Its 84 turbines - each with three 75m (246ft) blades - went into operation in 2019. The wind farm is is capable of generating enough power for 450,000 homes. The Seagreen Wind Farm, under construction off Angus, will eventually be even bigger and able to power 1.3m homes. What about greenhouse gas emissions? The Scottish government has set a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole. Emissions of greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide - have already been reduced to about half of what they were 30 years ago. The latest figures for 2019 showed they had fallen by 51.5% from the baseline, although this remains well below the target of 55%. A Scottish government-appointed commission was set up to examine how to protect the economy and ensure a "just transition" so oil workers and farmers don't lose out as the world moves away from fossil fuels. The commission's report, which made 24 recommendations, says there needs to be an "orderly, managed transition to net-zero" which creates benefits and opportunities for people across Scotland. Net zero means any emissions will be balanced out by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere - such as planting trees, or using technology to capture carbon and store it. The Scottish government believes its targets are "the toughest anywhere in the world". They are certainly among the most ambitious. However, other countries - such as Sweden - have passed legislation with the same goal. Sweden did so two years before Scotland, and it has also set milestones along the way. But Scotland's milestone targets are more ambitious and include emissions from aviation and shipping. They also don't rely on international credits, which is where countries can pay for emissions to be reduced elsewhere instead of reducing their own. What about transport? Transport accounts for about a quarter of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions. Some steps have been taken to reduce this, but the overwhelming majority of vehicles on the road are still greenhouse gas-emitting petrol or diesel engines. The Scottish government has said it wants to have "phased out" the need for new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 - and hopes to reduce the use of cars generally, with the number of kilometres driven to be reduced by 20%. The number of new electric and hybrid cars registered in the UK rose by nearly 40% in a year and the availability of publicly-available charge points in Scotland is now at 1,800 and increasing. Low emission zones that will see polluting vehicles banned from entering city and town centres (and receive a penalty notice if they don't comply) are planned for Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee, with all local authorities now consulting on introducing them. So far only Glasgow has introduced measures, which only apply to 60% of buses that enter the zone. The Covid pandemic has had a major impact on travel. While restrictions have been eased in recent months, people are still being told to work from home where possible. The Scottish government had previously taken steps to discourage commuters from taking their cars to work through the Workplace Parking Levy. It allows councils to tax businesses on staff parking spaces but, so far, no councils have committed to introducing the levy this year. While car journeys in July 2021 were 5% lower than before the pandemic, Transport Scotland has estimated that air travel was down by 60% and rail was down by 50%. However, emissions from international aviation had been continuing to rise in the years before the pandemic. Heating homes About 13% of Scotland's emissions come from housing, with most homes (about 80%) still relying on gas central heating systems. The target set by ministers is that 50% of all new heating systems being installed should be zero-emissions models by 2025. Instead of gas, heating systems should use renewable energy, or rely on low-carbon alternatives such as heat pumps. And 20,000 households have benefited from better insulation and new, more efficient - although still often gas - heating systems, funded by the Scottish government. Planting trees Trees are still the most effective way of absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. To meet targets, the UK needs a net increase of 32,000 hectares of woodland planted every year for the next 30 years - equating to about 1.5bn trees. Figures show most of the trees planted in the UK were planted in Scotland - 11,000 of the 13,700 hectares planted in 2019-20. By 2024, the Scottish government aims to be creating 18,000 hectares of new woodlands per year, with the ultimate goal of having 21% of Scotland's land covered by forest by 2032 - compared to 19% today. So far, Scotland has primarily gone for the "low hanging fruit" to reduce our emissions. That is, changes most people have probably not even noticed, like switching off coal power. To continue the pace of change, you and I now need to become involved. While local and national politicians make the right noises, they're not always following through on the policy decisions that might face public pushback. We've been talking for years about low emissions zones in our cities - but in most cases they exist only on paper, or with very few vehicles actually affected. Aberdeen's design is planned for May 2022, but with a two year grace period - meaning it's nothing more than a line on a map until almost the middle of the decade. These are the sort of changes that keep being referred to as the "hard" stuff. We just need to get round to doing it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57970435
     
         
      Scotland's gas pipelines sold to Canadian consortium Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:41:00
     
      A vital part of Scotland's infrastructure, its gas supply pipeline network, has been wholly bought over by a Canadian consortium. SSE, the energy firm based in Perth, announced it has sold its one-third stake for £1225m, to focus on renewable electricity. The future owners, with 37.5% each, will be Brookfield investment fund and the Ontario teachers pension fund. The latter held 25% until this SSE transaction. A further 25% stake continues to be held by Omers, another Canadian pension provider. SGN includes the gas pipelines supplying homes and businesses in Scotland and in the south-east of England, including Oxfordshire and parts of London. These are two of the eight regulated gas pipeline regions on the British mainland. A further division of it supplies gas to the western part of Northern Ireland. SSE bought half the company 16 years ago for £505m, and sold one sixth of the total shareholding to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in 2016. That 16.5% stake is also being sold to the Canadian consortium. It has dropped its branding as Scottish/Southern Gas Networks. 'Sharpened focus' The sale of the SGN stake is part of an SSE plan to raise £2bn from sale of assets, to reduce debt and focus its investment on renewable power. Gregor Alexander, finance director of SSE, said: "SGN has been a hugely successful investment for SSE during the past 16 years. "It is a strong business delivering consistently for customers and will have a key role to play in the future development of the hydrogen economy. "However, it has become purely a financial investment for SSE as we have sharpened our focus on our low-carbon electricity core, and it is therefore the right time for SGN to continue to thrive under new ownership. Waseem Hanif, spokesman for SGN, commented: "We look forward to working with all our shareholders (new and existing) in helping the UK on its journey towards net-zero, through the development and deployment of safe, modern decarbonised gas networks, using hydrogen and other energy vectors." Gas pipelines are vital, but a bit boring in business terms. They deliver a steady, modest income, but with prospects for income growth constrained by heavy regulation. They are the kind of infrastructure that pension funds like to hold. Canada's seem to be happy to have a reputation for boring income streams. The country's public sector pension schemes manage many of their funds in-house. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan had Can$221bn (£127bn) under management at the end of 2020. And it keeps buying bits of Britain and Europe; Birmingham, Bristol and London City airports, plus those in Brussels and Copenhagen. It has a share of Italy's largest private gas distributor, Finland's largest electricity firm, and a stake in Britain's second biggest private crematorium operator. PSP is the pension fund for Canada's civil service, armed forces and the Mounties police. It has a majority stake in Forth Ports, including Grangemouth, Leith, Dundee and Tilbury.. But the investment in gas pipelines is not risk-free. The pressure of public policy towards net zero carbon puts a question mark over the future use of gas in heating homes and businesses. SGN is already engaged in pilot projects to feed hydrogen through its pipelines, and to invest in district heating schemes, transferring excess heat from industry into other uses. But that technology is commercially unclear and the future is uncertain. That helps explain why SSE got out of gas networks, as well as retail supply of power and gas, to focus much more strictly on renewable electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58063791
     
         
      Beyond Meat boss: Tax on negative impacts Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:36:00
     
      The founder of the world's biggest plant-based meat company has suggested that a tax on meat could help tackle some of the problems from growing meat consumption. Asked if he backed a tax on meat, Beyond Meat's Chief Executive, Ethan Brown told the BBC "the whole notion of a Pigouvian tax, which is to tax negative, you know, things that are high in externalities, I think is an interesting one. I'm not an economist, but overall that type of thing does appeal to me". Mr Brown added "I think taxing things we want more of such as income and not taxing things we want less of, I've always wondered about that. So in general, that type of taxation scheme is interesting to me. But I've got to leave it to others to work out the details". Critics argue that such a levy would raise the cost of living and amount to unnecessary government interference. Even without such a tax Mr Brown thinks that consumers are already starting to make the choice to eat less meat. "If you look at shopper data that we have, 93% of the people that are putting the Beyond burger in their cart are also putting animal protein in," he said. "That says we're getting more and more penetration into the broadest swath of the market, which is people who are consuming animal protein, but again, are hearing this information about their health or maybe hearing about climate, or maybe uncomfortable with factory farming, they're deciding to cut down on their consumption of animal-based products." Getting prices down Beyond Meat's products are made from ingredients such as peas and mung beans, coloured with substances such as beetroot juice and apple extract. Cost, as well as taste and texture are, according to Mr Brown, the three elements his company has to get right, as plant-based meat can be more expensive than animal meat. But he thinks that over time prices will come down. He references the three-year global deal Beyond Meat signed in February with McDonalds and a similar one with Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. "As we scale, we'll begin to be able to under-price animal protein - if you look at our facilities, and you look at the facilities of say, some of our plant or animal-based competitors, we're still a very small company [but] that's going to change. "One of the reasons I was so focused on these deals with McDonald's and with Yum is because I believe that's the route to [bringing] costs down and to scaling and to being able to make these products accessible to every consumer that wants them." Animal meat prices rising A tax on meat consumption would definitely be beneficial to companies such as Beyond Meat because it would make their products cheaper in comparison, says Rebecca Scheuneman, an equity analyst at US financial services firm Morningstar. How much of an advantage it would give "depends how significant the tax would be", she told the BBC. However, at the same time research from Morningstar shows the global meat market was worth $1.4tn (£1tn) last year and is growing. Ms Scheuneman points out the price gap is already closing: "Meat prices now have spiked up in the last couple of years [as] disruption from the pandemic caused a lot of disruption and meat production which caused higher prices. "And I do think that given the limited resources of the earth, and an increasing demand for meat, as emerging markets become wealthier, it is likely that prices for traditional animal proteins will increase over time." For consumers, pricing is an important factor. A recent survey of 3,000 US consumers by Citi Bank found that 32% of people were put off of plant-based meat by the cost, saying it was too expensive. This is an improvement, compared to Citi's previous survey in August 2020, when 38% of respondents said they found plant-based meat to be too costly - a reflection of the fact that manufacturers have been trying to cut prices. Beyond Meat's rival Impossible Foods, slashed prices by 20% earlier this year. Citi's Wendy Nicholson said one reason why consumers were not going back to be regular purchasers of plant-based meat was the higher price, so "this does seem to be a real topic for the companies to address". Focus on climate change Ms Scheuneman says demand is clearly growing for plant-based meats: "It has really been most popular with younger generations and it's really the younger generations that have the most broad-based concern about our environment." The UK government's advisory body on climate change says that ministers should be urging people to eat less meat in order to protect the climate. However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out a tax on meat consumption as a way to do this. A recent study from the University of Bristol found the costs would outweigh the benefits to the climate. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock industry accounts for about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cutting those would help tackle climate change and Mr Brown says plant-based meat has an important contribution to make. He cites a study from the University of Michigan which he says found that the Beyond burger uses 99% less water than an animal protein burger, emits 90% fewer missions in the production process that an animal protein burger, uses 93% less land and about half the energy. Mr Brown thinks these environmental benefits are important "particularly for this younger generation, the ones that are flight shaming, and marching on climate, because they're going to have to live in this environment". "For a few dollars at the centre of your plate, you can communicate what you're about, you don't have to go and buy that Tesla right away or some other electric vehicle, you can start by just doing something really simple, which is changing the protein at centre of your plate," he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58032552
     
         
      What is solarpunk and can it help save the planet? Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:33:00
     
      Lush green communities with roof top gardens, floating villages, transport fuelled by clean energy and hope-filled sci-fi tales. Imagine a world in which existing technologies are deployed for the greater good of both people and the planet. It's called solarpunk. The term, coined in 2008, refers to an art movement which broadly envisions how the future might look if we lived in harmony with nature in a sustainable and egalitarian world. "Solarpunk is really the only solution to the existential corner of climate disaster we have backed ourselves into as a species," says Michelle Tulumello, a solarpunk art teacher in New York state. "If we wish to survive and keep some of the things we care about on the earth with us, it involves a necessary fundamental alteration in our world view where we change our outlook completely from competitive to cooperative." But what impact is this burgeoning, utopian, movement having on the technology industry? Are they inspired? Are they even listening? Verne Global runs data centre services from a campus in Iceland, powered by 100% renewable energy. The company's chief technology officer, Tate Cantrell says Iceland's supernatural land-scape fits perfectly with solarpunk. "The solarpunk ethos embraces technology that disappears into the environment, and technology powered by renewable energy is a literal part of the circular economy - one that eliminates waste through the continual use of resources. This synergy makes renewable energy a very real manifestation of a solarpunk future," he says. But not all companies that work in the green economy are aware of the movement. Daniel Egger is chief commercial officer of Climeworks, a Swiss company which captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air using machines powered by renewable energy or energy-from-waste. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, are seen by many as an important way of bringing CO2 under control. "Our goal is to inspire a billion people to remove carbon from the air," he says. "It is definitely not our target to do that alone - we need to be part of an ecosystem." Yet despite aiming to tackle climate change and galvanise the wider community, Egger says the firm doesn't have much knowledge about solarpunk. "It's not that we don't appreciate what others are thinking, but the overlay between Climeworks and solarpunk isn't big." Perhaps the anarchic connotations of punk are off-putting for some? "Prescribing to people that they need to be more solarpunk is much less inviting to them than encouraging people to exercise their own imaginations," says Phoebe Tickell, scientist, systems designer, social entrepreneur and co-founder of Moral Imaginations, which works with organisations including universities, local councils and communities to encourage the reimagining of a better world. "We use imagination as the carrot on a stick because every company and corporation knows that to weather the future and be resilient they need employees who are creative, imaginative and able to flex and be resilient in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous world. "Our hope is that they go on to create and align with solarpunk visions," she says. Canadian firm Carbon Upcycling Technologies (CUT) is one organisation that is harnessing solarpunk to communicate its vision. Its reactor technology allows material to be broken down and CO2 absorbed, creating enhanced concrete additives. In 2020, CUT launched a consumer brand, Expedition Air, selling products like paintings and T-shirts made from carbon-captured material. It is a move rooted in solarpunk and is based on an Artist in Residence programme. "As soon as we started doing work with artists to demonstrate how captured carbon material can be incorporated into such a variety of products, we started to receive enquiries from companies and larger brands that want to integrate our material into their existing product lines," says Madison Savilow, venture lead, Expedition Air. One of the main drivers of its art and consumer product offerings is to allow consumers to interact with carbon-tech materials, she says, and envision a future in which products and art are actually carbon sinks. "We've used art and consumer products to de-risk the uptake of this novel material and start conversations with companies that have the production capacity to actually move the needle in terms of carbon reduction." But using art and imagination to get larger firms to act isn't enough. The solarpunk ethos also advocates knowledge sharing and community-centricity - not hierarchies, profit and excessive wealth for a minority. It demands a system change. Ms Tulumello says she knows several solarpunks who work in the tech sector. "I believe our views are gaining traction there. Small, nimble, eco-friendly high-tech startups with cooperative structures will be the kind of companies solarpunks will support. Something like a cooperative, worker-owned business model would be more likely to maintain its principles and its commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality." The open source ethos is at the heart of many such businesses. One example is US-based Open Source Ecology, which develops industrial machines, such as tractors, ovens or cement makers, that can be made for a fraction of commercial cost and shares its designs online for free. Its aim is to create an open source economy. Ellie Day, a software engineer and solarpunk enthusiast, says for something to be truly solarpunk it needs to be beyond profit. "Sure, capitalism can contribute to the technology, but people need to come before profit, always. So if tech companies can help spread the ethos of solarpunk by working with those in the space without changing what it means, I'm down with that." Solarpunk is at odds with many large tech companies, but it remains a huge and untapped opportunity for both inspiring innovation and communicating new ideas, argue its advocates. Ms Tickell says: "The tech industry, social justice, and the environmental industry often see themselves as quite separate, and even at war with each other. "Solarpunk is a very powerful cultural narrative that could really bring together efforts across these sectors in an aligned way."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57761297
     
         
      Lace up and join the UN to help win #TheHumanRace against climate change Mon, 2nd Aug 2021 12:30:00
     
      UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, on Monday launched #TheHumanRace, a global challenge to show solidarity with people in the most disaster-prone countries and those hardest hit by climate change. ‘A race we can win’ Organized in partnership with the popular exercise app Strava, the challenge encourages participants to log 100 minutes of physical activity, and culminates in the week of World Humanitarian Day, celebrated annually on 19 August. “The climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win … let’s lace up our running shoes and win the climate race for us all,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The campaign aims to carry an urgent message to world leaders attending the UN climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow in November, that solidarity begins with developed countries delivering on their decade-old pledge of $100 billion annually for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. Support from top athletes The climate emergency is wreaking havoc across the world at a scale that people and humanitarian organizations on the front lines cannot manage, OCHA said. Droughts, heatwaves, raging wildfires and horrific floods are shattering the lives of millions of people, causing them to lose their homes, livelihoods and sometimes even their lives. Top athletes from across the globe are backing the campaign. Brazilian ultramarathoner and environmental lawyer Fernanda Maciel explained why she is part of #TheHumanRace. “I am excited to run for the most important goal in our lifetime: to save our planet and the people living on it. We run every day, for ourselves. Why not run for something bigger? Everybody should join this campaign because we need compassion. It is time to run together,” she said. Delivering the message To join the #TheHumanRace, just log your 100 minutes of running, cycling, swimming, walking, or other activity, on the Strava app during the week of 16-31 August. Anyone unable to take part physically can also sign up and show their support on the campaign’s microsite: https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ OCHA said whether or not participants log 100 minutes of activity, each sign-up will help in delivering the campaign’s message to global leaders. Strava CEO Michael Horvath underscored that there is strength in numbers. “With over 88 million athletes in 195 countries, the Strava community has the power to help unlock solutions to some of the world’s most critical problems,” he said. “That’s why we invite athletes everywhere to join this challenge to raise awareness of climate change and its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1096872
     
         
      UK’s net zero goal ‘too far away’, says No 10 climate spokesperson Sun, 1st Aug 2021 19:22:00
     
      The UK’s goal of tackling the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 is “too far away”, the prime minister’s climate change spokesperson has said. Allegra Stratton, Boris Johnson’s former press secretary, said the “science is clear” that the UK must change its carbon emission output “right now”. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World This Weekend, Stratton said: “What I’m aware of is right now that we have a 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, we have FTSE 100 companies pledging to go net-zero, and not only that, but we also have the NHS and hospitals around the country saying, ‘You know what, we’ll have a go as well.’ “And I feel at the point at which we can all of us see that we’re not doing it on our own, every part of society is moving in tandem towards this net zero in 2050 … but let’s be honest, that’s too far away. She has encouraged people to “feel the fierce urgency of now” as the UK prepares for the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November. Britain has a target of a 68% reduction of emissions by 2030 and by 78% by 2035. Its goal is for net-zero emissions by 2050. The UK was the first major industrialised country in the world to sign the 2050 target into law in 2019 and is aiming to persuade other nations to follow suit at the climate change summit, which Johnson will chair. Stratton said: “Net-zero is the glide path. What we have to be doing more quickly – the science is clear – we have to be changing our carbon emissions output right now so that we can stop temperature increase by 2030. “We have to feel the fierce urgency of now … We have to bring countries to Cop26 in November in Glasgow with real substantial plans.” Stratton said progress had been delayed by the Covid pandemic and plans would be announced when parliament returned in September, with projects including replacing gas boilers with more climate-friendly alternatives. She said the goal to decarbonise the economy “is a long-term journey we are all on”. “This is a journey to 2050. This is not going to happen overnight. This is going to be a conversation we have with the British people about what is fair, protecting vulnerable families from some of the more difficult decisions they will have to make.” Last week the first analysis to calculate the mortal cost of carbon emissions found that the lifestyles of about three average Americans would create enough planet-heating emissions to kill one person. It also concluded that the emissions from a single coal-fired power plant were likely to result in more than 900 deaths. The analysis, published in Nature Communications, drew on several public health studies to conclude that for every 4,434 tonnes of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere beyond the 2020 rate of emissions, one person globally will die prematurely from the increased temperature. The additional CO2 is equivalent to the current lifetime emissions of 3.5 Americans. Stratton told the Guardian: “In recognition of 2050 being some way in the future, parliament has voted into law nearer-term goals to ensure carbon emissions are being reduced in a cost-effective way. MPs voted into law the nearer-term goal to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 and the government has said we must also reduce carbon emissions by at least 68% by 2030. “Net zero by 2050 is the ultimate goal, but the Paris agreement signed by all countries in 2015 requires nations to come to Cop26 with targets to bring down their emissions this decade. If we are going to keep global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees – ‘keep 1.5 alive’ – we must reach net-zero by 2050 and act this decade.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/01/uks-net-zero-goal-too-far-away-says-no-10-climate-spokesperson
     
         
      Earth's energy imbalance removes almost all doubt from human-made climate change Sun, 1st Aug 2021 10:30:00
     
      For decades, Earth’s energy system has been out of whack. Stability in Earth's climate hinges on a delicate balance between the amount of energy the planet absorbs from the sun and the amount of energy Earth emits back into space. But that equilibrium has been thrown off in recent years — and the imbalance is growing, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications. The changes to Earth's energy system have major ramifications for the planet's future climate and humanity's understanding of climate change. The Princeton University researchers behind the paper found that there's a less than 1 percent probability that the changes occurred naturally. The findings undercut a key argument used by people who do not believe human activity is responsible for the bulk of climate change to explain trends in global warming, demonstrating that the planet's energy imbalance cannot be explained just by Earth's own natural variations. The research also offers important insights into how greenhouse gas emissions and other consequences of human-caused climate change are upsetting the planet's equilibrium and driving global warming, sea-level rise and extreme weather events. "With more and more changes to the planet, we've created this imbalance where we have surplus energy in the system," said Shiv Priyam Raghuraman, a graduate student in atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Princeton and lead author of the study. "That surplus manifests as different symptoms." Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases from human activities trap heat in the atmosphere, meaning the planet absorbs infrared radiation that would normally be released into space. Melting sea ice, changing cloud cover and differences in the concentration of tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols — all of which are affected by climate change — also mean Earth is reflecting less of the sun's radiation back into the cosmos. "There isn't this equilibrium between energy coming in from the sun and energy going out," Raghuraman said. "The question is: Are these natural planetary variations, or is it us?" The researchers used satellite observations from 2001 to 2020 to determine that Earth's energy imbalance is growing. They then used a series of climate models to simulate the effects on Earth's energy system if human-caused climate change was taken out of the equation. The scientists found that natural fluctuations alone could not explain the trend observed over the 20-year period. "It was almost impossible — a less than 1 percent probability — that such a large increase in the imbalance was from Earth's own oscillations and variations," Raghuraman said. The study focused on cause and effect, but Raghuraman said the findings have critical societal and policy implications. Oceans store approximately 90 percent of the planet's excess heat, which causes rising seas and can trigger hurricane formation and other extreme weather events. The remaining heat is taken up by the atmosphere and land, which increases global surface temperatures and contributes to melting snow and ice. If Earth's energy imbalance continues to grow, consequences that are already being felt today will likely be exacerbated, said Norman Loeb, a physical scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, who was not involved with the study. "We're going to see temperatures rise, sea levels rise, more snow and ice melting," Loeb said. "Everything you see in the news — forest fires, droughts — those just get worse if you add more heat." Loeb led a joint study by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that found Earth's energy imbalance approximately doubled from 2005 to 2019. The paper was published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Loeb said the Princeton study confirms what was outlined in his own research, which used 14 years of observations from satellite sensors and an array of instruments in the ocean. He added that human activities, or what's known as anthropogenic forcing, are undeniably having an effect but some natural variation is likely also at play. For instance, some planetary oscillations can operate on cycles that last multiple decades, which can make it tricky to tease out the fingerprints of climate change. "Anthropogenic forcing is there for sure," he said, "but the ocean is a key player in climate and it operates on much slower time scales. Ideally, you really want to be able to have these types of measurements over 50 years or more."
       
      Full Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/earths-energy-imbalance-removes-almost-doubt-human-made-climate-change-rcna1562
     
         
      China Doubles Down On Coal Despite Global Push To Go Green Sat, 31st Jul 2021 18:00:00
     
      Despite global expectations to move away from coal, demand in China is still strong, as rising global temperatures causing heat waves are driving up electricity demand and coal prices. Thermal coal futures reached record highs in July as a heatwave in China sent electricity use soaring. In industrial areas of the country such as Zhejiang near Shanghai, electricity use exceeded 100 million kilowatts per hour as temperatures rose to 37 degrees Celsius. In response to the high energy usage across the country, coal prices exceeded 900 yuan (almost $140) a tonne in mid-July. This follows record prices for Asian coal in May, after an initially pessimistic outlook following the IEA report encouraging countries to move away from fossil fuels towards renewable alternatives. In spite of growing international pressure, coal continues to boom across much of Asia, with China at the helm. Although China is attempting to move away from coal, rationing electricity use to battle the rising demand of the major polluter, hot temperatures are forcing the government to keep on producing as well as importing to meet this demand. “Southern China has been very hot, and the daily power load is consistently breaking new highs,” Huatai Futures Co. analyst Wang Haitao stated. In the Zhejiang region, only 30 percent of its energy comes from renewable sources, meaning that industrial regions across China such as these will still rely heavily on coal for years to come. Another key driving force for coal prices has been the supply disruptions seen between Australia and China, as several fatal accidents in the industry have led to inspections as imports are halted. Chief Executive Paul Flynn of Australia's Whitehaven Coal explained on the rise in demand, "We are also getting requests to bring cargos forward from our Japanese customers as well, that certainly indicated that the market is a little short and more coal is required." The unlikely recovery of the energy source, which much of Europe and other regions have already moved away from, is owing largely to growing Asian demand. In fact, since the beginning of 2021, the price of Australian coal has risen by 86 percent, sitting at over $150 a tonne towards the end of July, the highest the market has seen since September 2008. Likewise, South African coal has climbed 44 percent in 2021. Governments may be feeling the pressure to make the switch to cleaner energy, but with growing populations meaning growing energy demand, many countries simply can’t keep up without the continued use of oil, gas and coal. As demand is rising again, Asia is not the only region looking towards a coal revival. In June, Glencore agreed on a $588 deal to buy out BHP and Anglo American to become the sole owner of the Cerrejon mine in Colombia. The IEA is now projecting a growth in coal demand by 1.8 percent in 2021, higher than anyone would have previously thought, as coal plants across Europe become more and more scarce. This has made “the world’s least liked commodity one of this year’s best-performing assets.” This also presents a dramatic shift from last year, as there was a significant slump in coal demand and prices in 2020 owing to lockdowns and other restrictions in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, as Europe continues to move dramatically away from its strong coal mining past, many parts of Asia, Australia, South Africa and South America continue to invest heavily in the traditional energy source as demand shows no plans of easing.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/China-Doubles-Down-On-Coal-Despite-Global-Push-To-Go-Green.html
     
         
      Despite climate concerns, demand for dirty fuels is surging Sat, 31st Jul 2021 12:56:00
     
      Green types had hoped that the recovery from the pandemic might jump-start the world’s decarbonisation efforts. Governments say they want to build back better and greener, and have announced ambitious plans to kick the fossil-fuel habit. In Europe, officials have unveiled policies to achieve a 55% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, compared with their level in 1990, by the end of this decade. On July 21st Japan announced plans for fossil fuels to fall from 76% of its power-generation mix in 2019 to 41% by 2030. Despite the grand talk, though, fossil fuels are resurgent. A recent report from the International Energy Agency makes for sobering reading. Global electricity demand is forecast to grow by nearly 5% in 2021 and by 4% in 2022. Fossil-fuel-based power will probably make up 45% of the extra demand this year and 40% next year. (By contrast, it made up about a quarter of new power generation in 2019.)
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/07/31/despite-climate-concerns-demand-for-dirty-fuels-is-surging
     
         
      What is climate change? A really simple guide Fri, 30th Jul 2021 13:34:00
     
      While Covid-19 has shaken much of human society, the threat posed by global warming has not gone away. Human activities have increased carbon dioxide emissions, driving up temperatures. Extreme weather and melting polar ice are among the possible effects. What is climate change? The Earth's average temperature is about 15C but has been much higher and lower in the past. There are natural fluctuations in the climate but scientists say temperatures are now rising faster than at many other times. This is linked to the greenhouse effect, which describes how the Earth's atmosphere traps some of the Sun's energy. Solar energy radiating back to space from the Earth's surface is absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-emitted in all directions. This heats both the lower atmosphere and the surface of the planet. Without this effect, the Earth would be about 30C colder and hostile to life. Scientists believe we are adding to the natural greenhouse effect, with gases released from industry and agriculture trapping more energy and increasing the temperature. This is known as climate change or global warming. What are greenhouse gases? The greenhouse gas with the greatest impact on warming is water vapour. But it remains in the atmosphere for only a few days. Carbon dioxide (CO2), however, persists for much longer. It would take hundreds of years for a return to pre-industrial levels and only so much can be soaked up by natural reservoirs such as the oceans. Most man-made emissions of CO2 come from burning fossil fuels. When carbon-absorbing forests are cut down and left to rot, or burned, that stored carbon is released, contributing to global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution began in about 1750, CO2 levels have risen by around 50%. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years. Other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also released through human activities but they are less abundant than carbon dioxide. What is the evidence for warming? The world is about one degree Celsius warmer than before widespread industrialisation, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It says the past five years, 2015–2019, were the warmest on record. Across the globe, the average sea level increased by 3.6mm per year between 2005 and 2015. Most of this change was because water increases in volume as it heats up. However, melting ice is now thought to be the main reason for rising sea levels. Most glaciers in temperate regions of the world are retreating. And satellite records show a dramatic decline in Arctic sea-ice since 1979. The Greenland Ice Sheet has experienced record melting in recent years. Satellite data also shows the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing mass. A recent study indicated East Antarctica may also have started to lose mass. The effects of a changing climate can also be seen in vegetation and land animals. These include earlier flowering and fruiting times for plants and changes in the territories of animals. How much will temperatures rise in future? The change in the global surface temperature between 1850 and the end of the 21st Century is likely to exceed 1.5C, most simulations suggest. The WMO says that if the current warming trend continues, temperatures could rise 3-5C by the end of this century. Temperature rises of 2C had long been regarded as the gateway to dangerous warming. More recently, scientists and policymakers have argued that limiting temperature rises to 1.5C is safer. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2018 suggested that keeping to the 1.5C target would require "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society". The UN is leading a political effort to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions. China emits more CO2 than any other country. It is followed by the US and the European Union member states, although emissions per person are much greater there. But even if we now cut greenhouse-gas emissions dramatically, scientists say the effects will continue. Large bodies of water and ice can take hundreds of years to respond to changes in temperature. And it takes CO2 decades to be removed from the atmosphere. How will climate change affect us? There is uncertainty about how great the impact of a changing climate will be. It could cause fresh water shortages, dramatically alter our ability to produce food, and increase the number of deaths from floods, storms and heatwaves. This is because climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events - though linking any single event to global warming is complicated. As the world warms, more water evaporates, leading to more moisture in the air. This means many areas will experience more intense rainfall - and in some places snowfall. But the risk of drought in inland areas during hot summers will increase. More flooding is expected from storms and rising sea levels. But there are likely to be very strong regional variations in these patterns. Poorer countries, which are least equipped to deal with rapid change, could suffer the most. Plant and animal extinctions are predicted as habitats change faster than species can adapt. And the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the health of millions could be threatened by increases in malaria, water-borne disease and malnutrition. As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere, uptake of the gas by the oceans increases, causing the water to become more acidic. This could pose major problems for coral reefs. Global warming will cause further changes that are likely to create further heating. This includes the release of large quantities of methane as permafrost - frozen soil found mainly at high latitudes - melts. Responding to climate change will be one of the biggest challenges we face this century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772
     
         
      Vegetable oil-powered train will transport Toyota hybrid cars Fri, 30th Jul 2021 13:31:00
     
      Hybrid cars built by Toyota in Derbyshire will soon be transported to the continent by a locomotive that runs on used vegetable oil. Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris unveiled the locomotive, named "I'm A Climate Hero", at a depot in Toton in Nottinghamshire. The Department for Transport said the locomotive can cut carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to diesel. It will transport hundreds of cars a week to France and the Czech Republic. The locomotive is owned by rail freight operator DB Cargo UK, which has been trialling the use of hydro-treated vegetable oil, known as HVO. Chief executive Andrea Rossi said: "We are very excited at the prospect of working with Toyota to trial the use of HVO on its services to and from Europe. "This will be the first time we have used HVO on an automotive service and one bound for the continent." DB Cargo UK previously announced that HVO would be used to power all of its freight trains running between Tarmac's site in Leicestershire and an asphalt plant in Birmingham. The rail freight operator, which is the largest in the country, currently has a fleet of 176 operational diesel locomotives and is hoping to convert more to use HVO.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-58014366
     
         
      Norwich considers introducing a congestion charge Fri, 30th Jul 2021 13:16:00
     
      A congestion charge and other measures to curb carbon emissions in Norwich are to be put to a public consultation. The Transport for Norwich joint committee discussed the idea as part of a transport strategy for the city. Other suggestions included workplace parking levies and banning certain vehicles from the city centre. Lib Dem county councillor Brian Watkin stressed the need for balance between achieving the zero-carbon target and economic growth. "We've got to try to move away from single-car occupancy, particularly at peak hour times," he said. "That will involve behavioural change and it will only happen if public transport is good, frequent and reliable." Nova Fairbanks, from the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said: "It's a rural county, at present the rural public transport is non-existent, so car is often the only option. "The location of the congestion charge area would also be vital." According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, while councillors from across the political divide welcomed moves to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality, the plans were criticised for being vague. Labour city councillor Mike Stonard said: "What's going to be delivered? What are the timescales? Where's the budget coming from? What's realistic?" Conservative Kay Mason-Billig, deputy leader at South Norfolk Council, stressed that in a rural county electric buses might not be viable because the technology to allow them to travel longer distances did not exist. Green Party county councillor Jamie Osborn said that as well as helping to tackle climate change, it was about reducing emissions and air pollution. Andrew Mower of the Federation of Small Businesses East Anglia said better infrastructure was needed. "Additionally, at a time when high streets are already under the cosh, these measures would hit small businesses even harder just as they are trying to recover from the pandemic," he said. "Also, by increasing car parking costs this will only deter those who already have a hybrid or electric vehicles from parking. "These measures can have hugely positive impacts, but only if the infrastructure in place supports the people and small businesses who need them most." The Norfolk-wide public consultation will start on August 25 and run until October. The joint committee is made up of representatives from Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, Broadland District Council, South Norfolk District Council and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-58013693
     
         
      Australia’s energy market operator plans for net zero by 2050 as Morrison stalls Thu, 29th Jul 2021 18:30:00
     
      While Scott Morrison is yet to give a formal commitment to achieving net zero by 2050, Australia’s energy market operator has added the mid-century scenario to its forward planning. In its latest Inputs, Assumptions and Scenarios Report, released on Friday, the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) has added new planning scenarios – including net zero by 2050 and a “hydrogen superpower” option. Aemo’s chief system design officer, Alex Wonhas, said the updated scenario planning reflected the accelerating transition in Australia’s energy market and “overwhelming” calls from stakeholders for the energy market operator to produce scenarios “to reflect the observed rapid decarbonisation of the energy sector and pathways to achieve net-zero emissions across the economy”. Stakeholders say Aemo initially floated a more prominent transitional role for gas in line with the Morrison government’s “gas-fired recovery” rhetoric, but this idea was resisted during consultation. Aemo spent 10 months consulting with consumer groups, governments, individuals and industry on its plans. In the report Aemo notes “renewable generation, complemented by firming capacity, remains the least-cost option to replace ageing coal-fired generation”. Ahead of the release of the new scenarios on Friday, Wonhas said there was “no doubt the energy transition is forging ahead” and “we have tried to capture this through a range of scenarios characterised by the growth of electricity demand and the pace of decarbonisation”. He said Aemo had developed “two central scenarios” – one forecasting “steady progress” with the transition led by existing government policy, corporate abatement goals and continued growth in home solar uptake. The second, net zero, was “driven by accelerating technology-led emission abatement based on extensive research and development, policy and progressive tightening of emission targets to meet an economy-wide net zero target by 2050”. “We have also mapped out a progressive hydrogen superpower scenario based on a power system to support the development of a renewable hydrogen export economy,” Wonhas said. The net zero scenario outlined by Aemo says domestic action towards that end point would be driven by “technology advancements” – an observation in line with government messaging. It plots the bulk of the transition happening in the 2030s and 2040s rather in the current decade, noting that “short-term activities in low emission technology research and development enable deployment of commercially viable alternatives to emissions-intensive activities in the 2030s and 2040s, with stronger economy-wide decarbonisation, particularly industrial electrification, as 2050 approaches”. Part of the transition would involve electric vehicles becoming “more prevalent over time and consumers gradually switch[ing] to using electricity to heat their homes and businesses”. Morrison is under considerable diplomatic pressure to make a stronger commitment to emissions reduction at the Cop26 in Glasgow later this year. The prime minister says he wants to achieve net zero, “preferably” by 2050, with the transition to be delivered by technology “not taxes” – a mantra that is repeated on high rotation, even though no major party is proposing a carbon tax. But it is unclear whether that aspiration will win the day, with some Nationals resisting any formal commitment. In Aemo’s “steady progress” scenario, the transition is driven by “existing government policy commitments”, by the choices of consumers, predominantly through household solar uptake, by the abatement activity of businesses “and technology cost reductions”. The point of Aemo producing scenarios is to help investors and policymakers understand market trends, which drives investment decisions in generation, transmission and storage. One of the factors Aemo took into account was the impact of the pandemic. On its “slow change” scenario, global economic growth remains suppressed because recovery from the pandemic is slow, and countries retreat into isolationism and protectionism. That pessimistic scenario sees government policy in Australia focused on “supporting the ailing domestic economy, with decarbonisation policy being less of a priority” and internationally the world falls short of current decarbonisation objectives under the Paris agreement. The worst-case scenario is countered by two upbeat alternatives – a “step change” scenario where there is coordinated “economy-wide action that efficiently and effectively tackles the challenge of rapidly lowering emissions”. In the “hydrogen superpower” scenario, there is “strong global action towards emissions reduction, with significant technological breakthroughs and social change to support low and zero emissions technologies” and “renewable energy exports via hydrogen become a significant part of Australia’s economy”. It says the object of the exercise was to identified five “plausible, distinct, internally consistent scenarios that cover a broad range of potential future worlds that could materially impact the energy sector”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/30/australias-energy-market-operator-plans-for-net-zero-by-2050-as-morrison-stalls
     
         
      Climate change: Green energy barriers 'threaten' net zero goal Thu, 29th Jul 2021 15:28:00
     
      Problems starting more green energy schemes in Wales need to be urgently addressed if climate change targets are to be met, senior MPs have said. Access to funding, skilled workers and space on power lines are all slowing a shift towards renewable energy. Parliament's Welsh Affairs Committee wants a specific action plan from UK ministers. The UK government said it had invested heavily in "bold plans for renewables" across the UK. The Welsh government has set a target for net zero emissions by 2050, but said it needed UK government support to achieve this. The cross-party committee said, with an abundance of wind and rain and sea on three sides, Wales could be a leader in generating clean energy as coal and gas stations are replaced. As of 2019, there were 72,834 renewable energy projects in operation - 3,841 more than in 2018. However, they account for only 26.9% of Wales' overall electricity generation, compared to 61.1% in Scotland, 44.6% in Northern Ireland and 33% in England. MPs fear renewable energy firms may bypass Wales if barriers are not addressed. What are the issues affecting green energy schemes? Something the industry has been complaining about for years is grid capacity "significantly hindering renewable energy development", especially in areas such as mid Wales. Developments are being put off or downgraded because of the prohibitive costs involved in upgrading power lines. The committee called on the UK government to work with energy regulator Ofgem to plan more investment across the grid network. Port infrastructure also needs attention to facilitate the development of big offshore windfarms and more innovative marine energy schemes. There are also calls for a new approach to how access to the seabed is managed by the Crown Estate so there are more regular leasing opportunities, though this is sure to prove controversial with wildlife and environment groups. Wales has huge potential when it comes to generating electricity from the sea with demonstration zones set up off the coast of Pembrokeshire and Anglesey. However, the report said gaps in subsidies paid to get projects off the ground was holding back wave and tidal schemes in particular. Failure to address this would risk development of a sector that could generate £4bn for the UK economy, the committee said. Rhys Wyn Jones, director of Renewable UK Cymru, said Wales would not "achieve net zero, decarbonise our society and unleash the skills and jobs that will really drive the Welsh economy" without making critical infrastructure investments. Awel Aman Tawe, a community energy project which has installed two wind turbines on Mynydd y Gwrhyd, north of Swansea, is already providing enough clean power for more than 2,500 homes. But manager Dan McCallum said plans to put up three more have been stalled due to the "unviable" grid connection cost of about £3m. "We all want to press ahead but we can't take the project forward until we're able to see the grid cost is reasonable," he said. Merthyr Town Football Club, which is owned and run by its, fans recently had £35,000 worth of solar panels fitted to the roof, cutting its electricity bills by 20%. Board member Rob Davies said: "The main advantage is to reduce our carbon footprint but it also saves on our energy costs which we are then able to use the savings to invest in other parts of the business." Does Wales have the skills? There is no guarantee those working on projects would be based in or come from Wales, the committee said, which wants more effort to train the Welsh workforce in skills such as learning how to install, operate and maintain solar panels. The MPs want the UK government to convene a "panel of stakeholders" to begin work on a reskilling strategy for Wales. Stephen Crabb, committee chairman, said: "It is clear there is no shortage of ambition within Wales but we need to see a clearer strategy from the UK government if Wales is to capture all the opportunities that are emerging." What has the response been? It is a complicated area with powers of energy split between both Westminster and Cardiff Bay, as well as the involvement of organisations including Ofgem, the National Grid, local distribution networks and the Crown Estate. The Welsh government said it wanted the UK government to work with it "so that we can identify and address the barriers we face and maximise opportunities". Jess Hooper, programme manager of Marine Energy Wales, said it was vital the committee's recommendations were acted upon to ensure Wales was "not left behind". The Crown Estate said it was "committed to working closely with the market and stakeholders to help optimise the potential of the seabed as a source of cost-effective and green energy". The UK government said it was working with its Welsh counterpart, looking to "build on the findings of the Green Jobs taskforce to ensure we have the skilled workforce we need to deliver on our green ambitions".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58001745
     
         
      From electric dreams to supercharged reality: the road race to a clean energy future Thu, 29th Jul 2021 13:11:00
     
      Transport is believed to be responsible for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and combustion engines are a major cause of poor air quality in urban areas, which is a factor in asthma and other respiratory diseases. Despite being around for many years, electric vehicles remain a small part of the overall car market. However, with growing concern about climate change, and some eye-catching commitments from governments and car manufacturers, which include plans to ban or end the production of combustion engines within the next few decades, that could be about to change. Formula E is so far the only sport to be certified net zero carbon since its inception, and those associated with the championship are committed to combatting the climate crisis by accelerating the adoption to electric vehicles. In July, Conor Lennon from UN News spoke to Julia Pallé, Formula E’s Sustainability Director, and Lucas di Grassi, who won the championship’s first ever race back in 2014, and is a clean air advocate for the UN. They discussed the growth of electric car racing, and why it can help convince the general public to give up combustion engines. Julia Pallé: Formula E was built with sustainability in its DNA, and it is part of the reason that teams, drivers, and partners join us. Everyone is involved in pushing electric vehicles to the mass market. We are using the championship as a platform to advance the electrification of transport by showcasing a range of products and services that are contributing to the creation of a low carbon economy. Lucas di Grassi: I joined Formula E back in 2012, and I was the third employee. I had already driven an electric car, and I was very interested in the technology. I think that the public understands that sustainability is not a choice. There are too many people consuming too much, and we need to improve everyone’s quality of life sustainably, without damaging the planet for future generations. Electric vehicles are a part of that, and Formula E is at the core of the transition, in terms of research and development, and also changing people’s perception of electric vehicles, which has changed massively over the last five years. Overcoming a resistance to change Conor Lennon: Did you encounter any scepticism in the early days of the competition? Lucas di Grassi: Yes, especially in the motor sport world, where people are very nostalgic. First of all, people laughed about the project, they thought it was a joke. Then they criticised the cars for being slow, for not making any noise, and because we would have to change cars during the races. Then they started to take it seriously, and a few years later they all wanted to join the series! The famous American physicist Richard Feynman once said that you measure intelligence by people’s ability to adapt or to understand change without getting offended. Formula E is a good example: I grew up loving combustion engine cars, but it is clear that we have to go electric. The motor sports world didn’t agree, but a large proportion of people now understand that electric vehicles can be exciting and fun. Julia Pallé: There was a lot of scepticism and a reluctance to change. We have seen many victories along the way. From finishing the first season, to more and more partners joining us, and now we are the world championship with the biggest line-up of car manufacturers! We have also seen many new electric racing series following our example, and this is the biggest testimony that we opened up the way, and showed that electric vehicle races are highly attractive. Concentrating on the low-hanging fruit Lucas di Grassi: we have to remember that electric mobility is not just about passenger cars. It ranges from e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes, to cars, vans, trucks, and buses. However, smaller vehicles are much easier to electrify than trucks travelling long distances, or planes. Large freight ships can’t just go electric, and even if we were to switch to a technology such as hydrogen or nuclear power, the cost of transporting the goods would be much higher. So we need to concentrate on the low-hanging fruit first, such as e-bikes and cars. That’s why I created the world’s first electric scooter championship. These are not regular scooters, they are very fast, and can reach up to 120 kilometres per hour. Another important development in the growth of sustainable transport is autonomous driving, which is much more efficient, and in 2015 I joined Roborace, the first global championship for autonomously driven, electrically powered vehicles. An electric race against time Conor Lennon: it seems that you’re taking a twin-track approach with Formula E, testing, and developing a fast-evolving technology, and raising awareness. But there’s a race against time, because the number of people who want to use cars is fast rising, and we have to show that is possible to massively scale up electric transportation to meet that demand. Julia Pallé: It is clear to all of us, from professionals, to those working with the UN, and the general public, that we have nine years to cut emissions by some 50 per cent in order to reach our climate action goals. To do this we have to change the way we live and, at an individual level, the biggest impact we can have is in the way that we travel. What we are trying to do is to offer concrete solutions: we are backed by many car manufacturers who are developing technology in Formula E that is used to improve the cars, which ultimately benefits consumers. We are also a showcase, giving a taste of what a future sustainable lifestyle can look like: offering plant-based food options, banning single-use plastics. So, it’s not about compromising, or giving up things we like, but doing things in a different, enhanced way.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096672
     
         
      New method to detect impact of sea level rise Thu, 29th Jul 2021 13:02:00
     
      University of Adelaide scientists have developed a new simple, inexpensive and fast method to analyze sulfur isotopes, which can be used to help investigate chemical changes in environments such as oceans, and freshwater rivers and lakes. Published in Talanta, the research opens up potential for new environmental applications of the method, such as tracing the effect of sea level rise, including detection of seawater intrusion into freshwater systems. "Sulfur isotopes can tell us a great deal about Earth cycles both now and in the past," said lead author Ph.D. student Emily Leyden from the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences. "Different water sources have different levels of sulfur isotopes within them. The processes that occur within an environment such as the intrusion of seawater into freshwater systems, and oxidation of acid sulfate soils, can change these ratios. By analyzing sulfur isotope ratios we can gain important insights into how environments are changing." The traditional method of measuring sulfur isotopes is known as mass spectroscopy (MS), where samples are ionized (split into their ions) and the ions of interest in the samples are measured depending on their mass to charge ratio, which differs between isotopes of the same chemical element. The traditional method has been notoriously difficult, as the mass to charge ratio amongst ions can disperse and overlap, which can make the results hard to differentiate. Sulfur can usually only be measured reliably if there is complex chemical purification before analysis, which is time consuming, difficult and expensive. As part of Ms Leyden's Ph.D. study, a team including members from the University of Adelaide's Metal Isotope Group with the School of Physical Sciences, the School of Biological Sciences and Adelaide Microscopy, with scientists at Flinders University, worked together to develop a novel method to measure sulfur isotopes using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) MS instrument. The new instrument enabled the team to solve the overlapping issue (known as spectral interference) by combining sulfur with another element (oxygen in this case) to increase the mass to charge ratio in order to lower the risk of spectral interference. The sulfur isotopes can then be measured accurately without the need for complex and time consuming sample purification. In the study, the University of Adelaide scientists simulated how the method would work in a real world scenario by tracing seawater flooding into a range of different coastal environments in South Australia. Following flooding, the original sulfur isotope of the soil water clearly changed to that of the seawater isotope. The sulfur isotope ratios of the samples also gave clues to their individual and unique makeup before seawater flooding. For example, acid sulfate soil impacts were detected in two soils, and the signature of historical upstream silver sulfide mining could be detected from a site in the upper Onkaparinga River. Co-author and Principal Ph.D. Supervisor Associate Professor Luke Mosley from the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences says, the new method opens up sulfur isotope measurement to a range of new environmental applications for scientists across many different disciplines. "Using this new method, scientists can measure sulfur isotopes in environmental samples easily following only simple dilution of the sample of interest," said Associate Professor Mosley. "It is particularly timely and important given there is rapid global environmental change, and the method enables easier detection of seawater intrusion into freshwater systems due to sea-level rise."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-07-method-impact-sea.html
     
         
      California approves desalination plant as western states face an epic drought Thu, 29th Jul 2021 11:18:00
     
      Environmentalists say desalination decimates ocean life, costs too much money and energy. But as Western states face an epic drought, regulators appear ready to approve a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, California.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgeWORx5DKo
     
         
      Why hydrogen-fired power plants 'will play a major role in the energy transition' Thu, 29th Jul 2021 10:38:00
     
      At first glance, the concept of a clean-hydrogen power plant seems utterly absurd. Why would anyone use renewable power to make green hydrogen and then burn it to produce electricity? The round-trip efficiency would be less than 40%, so every 10kWh of wind or solar energy would provide less than 4kWh of electricity. And why would anybody create blue hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) — with all the added expense of methane reforming and compressing/liquefying, transporting and storing the hard-to-handle H2 — when you could just add CCS to existing gas-fired power plants? And yet major energy companies such as Siemens Energy, Equinor and SSE believe there is a bright future for hydrogen-fired power plants. Why? Green-hydrogen power plants Germany’s Siemens Energy — which was spun off from its parent company Siemens last year — is now offering hydrogen-fired power plant solutions to customers. “If I have renewable power, convert it to hydrogen and re-electrify it, with a total cycle efficiency of less than 40%, it obviously only makes sense if you’re using hydrogen as long-term storage and compensation for variable renewables,” says Erik Zindel, Siemens Energy’s vice-president of hydrogen generation sales. “If you really want to [store power] for days, weeks, months, or for seasonal storage — which is using solar power from the summer in winter, or wind power from the autumn to the summer — you need to store electricity in a chemical way. “You still need [clean] power for the dark doldrums periods in winter, when there’s no sun and no wind blowing for two or three weeks — you need to have a hydrogen supply.” He tells Recharge that large-scale hydrogen storage will also be useful to reduce curtailment of wind and solar power during windy/sunny periods. “Once you go into the green hydrogen arena, you can increase the amount of renewables that you want to build in the grid because you can make use of the excess renewable energy [that would otherwise be curtailed because it cannot be sold],” Zindel explains. “So by having electrolysis [which uses electricity to split water molecules into H2 and oxygen] and by being able to store that excess energy as hydrogen, you can really allow the electric system to expand renewables by a significant amount. Because if you don't do that, it will be quickly limited, because there will be too much excess energy that you have to dump. “But once you can make use of that excess power, then you can really double, triple, quadruple the amount of renewable energy you want to build.” Blue-hydrogen power plants Norwegian oil giant Equinor and Scottish utility SSE recently announced a plan to build a brand new 1.8GW hydrogen-fired power station at Keadby in northeast England, as soon as the end of this decade. The companies say it would almost certainly be powered by low-carbon blue hydrogen and used to help back up variable renewable power, probably offshore wind. So why would a blue-hydrogen power plant be preferable to a natural-gas generator with CCS? Henrik Solgaard Andersen, Equinor’s vice-president of low-carbon technology, tells Recharge that capturing carbon at the pre-combustion stage is a lot more cost effective than capturing it post-combustion at a gas-fired power plant. “In the flue gas [at a gas-fired power station], the pressure is very low and the CO2 concentration is very low... so it's very difficult,” he explains. “It's like finding a needle in a haystack. And the more [CO2] you take out, the smaller the needle gets to find the rest [of the CO2]. And finally, you can't get it. “In a blue hydrogen plant, it's high-pressure CO2. So we have many more needles initially, and that's why you can capture much more CO2 in a blue hydrogen plant compared to a post-combustion plant, because the pressure is so high — so you can get down to [97-98%].” It would be even less cost effective to capture CO2 at a gas-fired power plant that would only be in operation for less than 50% of the time — like the Keadby back-up plant would. “The post-combustion [ie, natural gas with CCS] plant must be ready to capture 90%-plus [of the CO2] every time it runs, whether it’s a short or long time,” says Andersen. “We think that all these starts and stops would mean the capture plant warms up and cools down too much, so it will not be able to capture that amount of CO2.” He adds: “Nobody has run a dispatchable power plant with CCS before. Nobody knows really what the energy efficiency will be and the capture rate. So there are some uncertainties there.” High costs While Equinor and SSE are planning to build a brand new hydrogen power plant, Siemens Energy is basing its business model around the conversion of existing fossil-gas power plants, as well as the construction of new “hydrogen-ready” combined-cycle gas-fired facilities. Yet even though converting a gas power plant to run on H2 would be “fairly inexpensive”, using clean hydrogen to generate electricity today “is not something that makes sense economically”, says Zindel. Natural gas is simply a lot cheaper than green, blue and even unabated grey hydrogen, he explains. The cost of green H2 is estimated to be in the range of $2.50-6/kg today, with blue hydrogen at somewhere between $1.50-4/kg. If clean H2 was available at €2 ($2.35) per kg, to make it cost-competitive with fossil gas “would require a CO2 price of something between €200-250 per tonne, so it’s still far away”, says Zindel. The EU carbon price was about €53 per tonne at time of publication. Zindel believes that clean hydrogen will not be used for large-scale electricity production until 2035 — partly because it would be more cost-effective to use that H2 in other sectors such as transport and heavy industry. “We expect hydrogen electrification will occur in 2035 or the 2040s on a large scale — when we really have to go into a deep decarbonisation of the power sector,” he says. Equinor has stated that its Keadby Hydrogen facility would only go ahead “with appropriate policy mechanisms in place”. In other words, if it is heavily subsidised. “We have a market failure,” Andersen tells Recharge. “So we’re working on a business model that is probably more tailored towards some kind of producer Contract for Difference. So the offtakers would pay a price for the natural gas, and those producing blue hydrogen would get some kind of subsidy to cover [the extra cost].” Why now? If Siemens Energy does not believe the power sector will generate electricity from H2 for another 15-20 years, why is it marketing hydrogen-fired power solutions today? “For various reasons,” says Zindel. “The first one is, we know it’s the future, so we have to begin work now, and our plan is to get to 100% H2 capability by the end of the decade — so it will already be available when we get the first real commercial projects. “We expect that combined-cycle power plants will be the main technology of choice for providing the residual load in a fully decarbonised power scenario, with these combined cycles running only 20-30% of the time — not more, because you will have sufficient wind and solar in the system.” He continues: “The second — and much more important point — is that our customers need to build power plants today for natural gas. So if you have a natural-gas power plant being built today, with commercial operation in, let’s say, 2023-24, the typical lifetime expectancy [means]… these power plants will still be operational in the 2050s, when we’re supposed to be completely decarbonised. “That means every new [gas-fired] power plant to be built from now on will have to very likely be retrofitted to burn hydrogen in the future. So it’s very important that we prepare the plants today to do that. That’s what we call the ‘hydrogen-ready concept’. [So] we make sure that we have the right materials, the right electrical equipment selected, [and] we have sufficient space for additional systems [that will be needed when the plant is converted to run on H2]. “We see, at least in Europe, nearly every customer is talking about hydrogen readiness for their new power plants. But other regions of the world are now getting very aggressive [about carbon reduction] as well. So it’s a very important topic in our industry. “They have seen nuclear power plants being taken out of operation long before their commercial and technical lifetime ends — they’re now seeing coal-fired stations being taken off the grid as well… they’re getting a little bit fed up with [having] stranded assets, so they want to make sure the combined cycles built today are future-proof.” How do you convert a gas-fired power plant to hydrogen? Hydrogen has different properties to natural gas — for instance, it is a smaller molecule, has a lower energy density and leads to steel embrittlement — so various changes will need to be made to enable a gas-fired power plant to run on H2. “Lower volumetric density has mainly an effect on all the upstream equipment — the gas turbine, the fuel gas system, you would need fuel pipes with an increased diameter,” explains Zindel. “So if you know the power plant will have to run on hydrogen in the future, you can build higher diameter pipes [in the first place] using the right materials. If you want to retrofit, you might not have the space [for wider pipes].” He explains that if the turbine needs its central axis lifted to accommodate wider pipes “that immediately questions the economic viability of a retrofit”. Other changes that might be needed include new electrical and gas-detection systems, and — depending on the regulatory requirements — the addition of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in order to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions (greenhouse gases that are created when hydrogen is burned in nitrogen-rich air). But the most prominent change would be adapting the gas turbine to burn H2, which would require changes to the combustion chamber and new burners. “Hydrogen as a fuel has a much higher reactivity and a much higher flame velocity compared with natural gas,” says Zindel. “And that means the flame gets much closer to the burner itself and you have the risk that the flame ‘eats’ into the burner and then damages it. So you need a new burner design that is flashback-proof. And at the same time, you have to have a slightly higher flame temperature, which means that the NOx emissions would increase. “And then it’s all about... how do you start or shut down a unit without damaging the burner when you already have a low flow of air through the combustion chamber? “And that’s more or less the R&D challenge that we have — to design a burner that is stable and safe to combust hydrogen, while at the same time keeping NOx emissions under control. “You can’t eliminate them completely, but you can reduce them significantly.” Zindel says that a holistic view of all greenhouse gases is required. So it is not only about reducing CO2 and NOx, but also methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — which can be emitted upstream when using natural gas for blue H2. Why not use fuel cells? If burning hydrogen will always produce some NOx greenhouse gases, why not convert the hydrogen to electricity by using emissions-free fuel cells? “The fuel cell is a competitive technology compared with combined-cycle with a gas turbine — but in the end... it’s really about economics,” says Zindel. “If you look at efficiencies, today’s combined-cycle technologies... [have] efficiency levels of 63-64%. So that’s already higher than a typical fuel cell, which is usually limited to 60%. “Then investments costs for a combined cycle power plant are also much cheaper than for [similar-sized] fuel cells. It will take many, many years until [fuel cells] get close to the LCOEs [levelised cost of energy] of combined-cycle, if at all” He continues: “And then you need to look at the much higher fuel flexibility of gas turbines and the possibility to retrofit existing natural-gas combined cycles to burn hydrogen, which would reduce the required investment even further. “All that speaks for combined cycles as the main technology for future re-electrification of hydrogen. Fuel cells, despite being a very attractive technology with a significant improvement potential, will see its main application areas in mobility and in small island grids, where a combined cycle is not feasible.” Pilot plants Zindel explains that Siemens Energy is currently constructing and commissioning three pilot power plants that will either burn 100% hydrogen or a hydrogen-rich mixture of gases. Two new commercial cogeneration plants — a 500MW facility in western Russia and an 80MW project in São Paulo state, Brazil — will both use by-product hydrogen from refineries to provide power and heat back to those refineries, at concentrations of 27% and 60% respectively. Both plants are currently being commissioned. But arguably, the most important of Siemens Energy's pilots will be the 12MW Hyflexpower project in France, which will use 100% green hydrogen at an existing gas-fired cogeneration plant that provides power and heat to a paper mill in west-central France. “It’s a nice demonstration project for our new burner technologies, which are capable [of combusing] any combination of fuels between natural gas and hydrogen, and we expect to get to 100% hydrogen with low NOx emissions by 2023,” says Zindel. “And that would be our first real demonstration project in the field.” The existing facility will be converted to hydrogen by a consortium that includes Engie Solutions, the German Aerospace Centre and four European universities, and is being funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. ‘A very, very big but’ Zindel says that while Siemens Energy does not expect hydrogen power plants to be built at large scale before 2035, there’s “a very, very big but”. “Legislation needs to embrace a decarbonisation route — and rather quickly,” he explains. “Countries will need to enforce decarbonisation. And it’s easier to enforce decarbonisation targets on 50 large companies than on 30 million voters who will give an opinion at the next election about your performance in the previous four or five years. “So the risk for power plant operators is that they might be getting quicker decarbonisation targets [than they expect].” The German adds: “The important thing to understand is that regulation will lead the change, because none of these technologies are currently cheaper than the existing ones. No company is going to switch to hydrogen because it’s a more sexy, fancy thing to do. “It’s really the regulation that will enforce the switch, whether it’s through subsidies or CO2 taxes, or higher CO2 certificate prices, or by limiting emissions or whatever. It will come sooner or later. “And then it’s up to the industry to perform.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/why-hydrogen-fired-power-plants-will-play-a-major-role-in-the-energy-transition/2-1-1045768
     
         
      UK already undergoing disruptive climate change Thu, 29th Jul 2021 0:05:00
     
      The UK is already undergoing disruptive climate change with increased rainfall, sunshine and temperatures, according to scientists. The year 2020 was the third warmest, fifth wettest and eighth sunniest on record, scientists said in the latest UK State of the Climate report. No other year is in the top 10 on all three criteria. The experts said that, in the space of 30 years, the UK has become 0.9C warmer and 6% wetter. The report's lead author Mike Kendon, climate information scientist at the UK Met Office, told BBC News: “A lot of people think climate change is in the future – but this proves the climate is already changing here in the UK. “As it continues to warm we are going to see more and more extreme weather such as heatwaves and floods.” The report says the UK has become hotter, sunnier and rainier: - 2020 was the third warmest UK year since 1884; all the years in the top 10 are since 2002 - Last year was one of the least snowy on record; any snow mainly affected upland and northern areas - Spring 2020 was the UK’s sunniest on record, and sunnier than most UK summers. - 2020 was the UK’s fifth wettest year; six of the 10 wettest years have been since 1998 Scientists warn of worse extreme weather if global temperatures rise and politicians fail to curb carbon emissions. And in a separate report, scientists warned that greenhouse gas levels were already too high “for a manageable future for humanity“. The State of the Climate report also indicates that plants are responding to the changes in climate. Leaves appeared on average 10.4 days earlier than the 1999-2019 baseline for a range of common shrub and tree species. While the signs of spring got earlier, so did the indications of autumn - trees in 2020 went bare on average 4.3 days earlier than the baseline. The report also said that, while substantial snow fell in 2018, 2013, 2010 and 2009, the number and severity of such weather events have declined since the 1960s. Sir James Bevan, the head of the Environment Agency, said there were more than five million homes at risk of flooding in England - and "that risk is rising as the climate changes". "We can't remove the risk but we can reduce it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He said the EA's thinking needed to change faster than the climate, and its new strategy was not only about preventing floods, but also making communities more resilient to flooding when it does happen so that it does less damage. And Sir James said the government has made its biggest investment yet in flood defences, with £5.2bn of funding to be spent on building 2,000 new flood defence schemes over the next six years. Meanwhile, a new paper from the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, founded by the former UK chief scientist Prof Sir David King, asks whether rapid heating in the Arctic region is driving changes in the jet stream in a way that influenced the recent weather extremes. The jet stream is a core of strong winds travelling west to east about five to seven miles above the Earth. The new paper said: "We are simultaneously witnessing weather disaster in Germany, the highest temperatures for June in Finland and the US, the catastrophic heatwave in British Columbia, and extreme heat in Siberia. "These are all outlier events that exceed what one would expect if it were 'only' a 1.2C warming impact (that's the amount the Earth has already warmed since pre-industrial times). "Greenhouse gas levels are already too high for a manageable future for humanity." The paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, urges governments to start removing greenhouse gases at scale from the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57988023
     
         
      'Most powerful' tidal turbine starts generating electricity off Orkney Wed, 28th Jul 2021 23:57:00
     
      A tidal-powered turbine, which its makers say is the most powerful in the world, has started to generate electricity via the grid in Orkney. The Orbital O2 has the capacity to meet the annual electricity demand of 2,000 homes for the next 15 years. In May, it was sailed out of Dundee, where it was assembled over 18 months. The 680-tonne turbine is now anchored in the Fall of Warness where a subsea cable connects the 2MW offshore unit to the local onshore electricity network. Orbital Marine Power said its first commercial turbine, which will be powered by the fast-flowing waters, is a "major milestone". It is also providing power to an onshore electrolyser to generate green hydrogen. Orbital chief executive Andrew Scott praised his team and the supply chain for delivering the "pioneering renewable energy project" safely and successfully. He added: "Our vision is that this project is the trigger to the harnessing of tidal stream resources around the world to play a role in tackling climate change whilst creating a new, low-carbon industrial sector." The turbine's superstructure floats on the surface of the water, with rotors attached to its legs which extract energy from the passing tidal flow. It is held on station by a four-point mooring system with each mooring chain having the strength to lift over 50 double decker buses. Electricity is transferred from the turbine via a dynamic cable to the seabed and then through a static cable to the local onshore electricity network.´ The company is now aiming to commercialise its technology in a move it says will deliver a jobs boost to coastal communities. Mr Scott said: "We believe pioneering our vision in the UK can deliver on a broad spectrum of political initiatives across net zero, levelling up and building back better at the same time as demonstrating global leadership in the area of low-carbon innovation that is essential to creating a more sustainable future for the generations to come." The construction of the O2 turbine was enabled by public lenders through the ethical investment platform, Abundance Investment. It also received £3.4m from the Scottish government's Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund. Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: "With our abundant natural resources, expertise and ambition, Scotland is ideally-placed to harness the enormous global market for marine energy whilst helping deliver a net-zero economy. "The deployment of Orbital Marine Power's O2, the world's most powerful tidal turbine, is a proud moment for Scotland and a significant milestone in our journey to net zero."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-57991351
     
         
      Washington state county is first in US to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure Wed, 28th Jul 2021 16:45:00
     
      A county in Washington state has become the first such jurisdiction in the US to ban new fossil fuel infrastructure, following a lengthy battle over the impact of oil refineries on the local community. In a vote on Tuesday night, Whatcom county’s council unanimously passed a measure that bans the construction of new refineries, coal-fired power plants and other fossil fuel-related infrastructure. The ordinance also places new restrictions on existing fossil fuel facilities, such as a requirement that any extra planet-heating gases emitted from any expansion be offset. Whatcom county is located in the far north-west corner of Washington state, next to the Canadian border and abutting the Salish sea. The county hosts two of the state’s five oil refineries, with BP and Phillips 66 overseeing facilities at the Cherry Point complex that refines much of the oil from Canada and Alaska that is then distributed along the US west coast. “There will be no new refineries, they won’t be able to get permits to export their product and while we will still have these dinosaur facilities already here it will be more challenging for them to expand,” said Todd Donovan, who is serving his second term on the council and was a major proponent of the new rule. “The future is clearly in renewable energy.” The ban is the culmination of a years-long fight to curb fossil fuel activity in the county to help address the climate crisis and reduce air pollution. A huge coal export facility, which would have moved 50m tons of coal a year, was proposed for Cherry Point but was eventually blocked in 2016 following fears raised by the local Lummi Nation that it would have destroyed fisheries. Donovan said that people in the county had become increasingly alarmed about the environmental fallout of fossil fuel activity, including impacts upon fisheries and local orca whales. “We just had our hottest day on record a few days ago, the salmon are disappearing, the glaciers are melting so much that you look at Mount Baker near here and you see bare rock where there used to be ice,” he said. “With all the fires and the heat, people are connecting the dots that this is climate change caused by fossil fuels. It has galvanized them.” The fossil fuel industry previously attempted to block any new restriction upon its activity in Whatcom county, pouring money into local elections and claiming that the move would cost several thousand jobs. More recently, however, the industry entered into talks over how the new restrictions would work. “Washington’s energy industry believes that ongoing capital investment into existing refinery operations is necessary to ensure the safe, state-of-the-art, clean production of transportation fuels,” Holli Johnson, manager of north-west external affairs for the Western States Petroleum Association. Johnson added that the association’s members were a “primary driver of economic growth and prosperity” and help fund local schools and healthcare facilities through tax revenues. This relatively liberal enclave on Washington coast may be the first to call time on the fossil fuel industry but environmentalists hope it will spur other jurisdictions to do the same, then pushing the federal government to rapidly phase out oil, coal and gas in order to avoid worsening the ravages of the climate crisis, which is fueling huge heatwaves, drought and fire across the US west, along with flooding from Germany to China. To date, Joe Biden’s administration has paused new oil and gas drilling on public land and attempted to accelerate the growth of renewable energy but has declined to set an end point for fossil fuels. Republicans, meanwhile, remain staunch defenders of the industry. “This is a huge moment, it challenges the narrative that has been the default of the past century that new fossil fuel infrastructure is inevitable and will always be built,” said Matt Krogh, a campaigner at the environmental group Stand.earth who lives in Whatcom county. “There is a tipping point where if enough communities take action we will see Washington DC take notice.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/28/washington-state-whatcom-county-ban-fossil-fuel-infrastructure
     
         
      PM’s spokesperson for Cop26 suggests joining Greens to solve climate crisis Wed, 28th Jul 2021 15:55:00
     
      Boris Johnson’s former press secretary, who is now his spokesperson for the Cop26 climate summit, has said people could join the Green party as a way of saving the planet – while also saying joining the Tories would help as well. Allegra Stratton, who moved from Downing Street to the Cop26 team in April, after plans were axed for daily TV briefings which she had been expected to front, made her comments to the Independent. She told the paper: “When people say to me, ‘what can they do?’, they can do many things, they can join Greenpeace, they can join the Green party, they can join the Tory party. “So there’s lots of ways they can get involved in politics, but for those people who wouldn’t, how do you start to change your life in manageable, achievable, feasible, small ways?” It is understood Stratton was responding to a question about what people should do if they believed government actions on the climate emergency were too unambitious, and they preferred the policies of parties such as the Greens. The comments prompted a welcome from the Green party. Jonathan Bartley, the co-leader of the Greens in England and Wales, said: “After decades of inaction from both the Conservatives and Labour, we would absolutely agree with the government that joining the Green party is the best thing people can do to help tackle climate change. “As we witness the Conservatives waste time talking about loading dishwashers and fantasy projects such as Jet Zero, it is reassuring to see that they do understand it is only the Greens who can bring about the real change that is needed if we are to prevent climate catastrophe.” The reference to dishwashers follows an article Stratton wrote this week for the Telegraph in which she outlined possible “micro steps” people could take to reduce their personal environmental impact. Ideas included not rinsing plates before putting them in a dishwasher, buying shower gel as a cardboard-wrapped bar, and freezing rather than throwing out half-used loaves of bread. She said she was ‘“not pretending these steps will stop climate change” on their own, but that they could contribute. Stratton said her advice was about “trying to connect with people” who found the idea of combating the climate emergency “too much and too overwhelming to process”. She said: “You will have a net zero strategy from us before Cop26. You’ll have a series of strategies from us in the next few months. We are doing the heavy lifting. What I’m trying to do is speak to people who may not be doing anything.” The Cop26 conference in Glasgow in November is widely viewed as a crucial moment in the world’s remaining chances to avoid a runaway climate emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/28/pms-spokesperson-for-cop26-suggests-joining-greens-to-solve-climate-crisis
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: Who is the climate campaigner and what are her aims? Wed, 28th Jul 2021 15:02:00
     
      Greta Thunberg is an 18-year-old activist from Sweden. She has become one of the world's best known climate campaigners. Three moments that made Greta Thunberg a global figure 1. School strikes Thunberg started protesting outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, when she was 15. She held a sign saying "School Strike for Climate", to pressure the government to meet carbon emissions targets. Her small campaign had a global effect, inspiring thousands of young people across the world to organise their own strikes. By December 2018, more than 20,000 students - from the UK to Japan - had joined her by skipping school to protest. A year later, she received the first of three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for climate activism. 2. Challenging world leaders at the United Nations In 2019, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic on a yacht to attend a UN climate conference in New York. Delivering what is probably her most famous speech, she angrily told world leaders they were not doing enough. "You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," she said. 3. Sparring with Trump and Putin Thunberg was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in December 2019. Her growing fame caught the attention of world leaders, not all of them supportive. Donald Trump, who was US president at the time, tweeted that she should "work on her anger management problem" and go to "a good old fashioned movie with a friend". Thunberg then changed her Twitter bio to: "A teenager working on her anger management problem." She changed it again to quote Russian President Vladimir Putin's description of her as a "kind but poorly informed teenager". The following year, she told the World Economic Forum in Davos the world should be "scared" by Mr Trump's decision to leave the Paris accord - an international agreement setting countries' emissions targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49918719
     
         
      Critical measures of global heating reaching tipping point, study finds Wed, 28th Jul 2021 1:00:00
     
      A new study tracking the planet’s vital signs has found that many of the key indicators of the global climate crisis are getting worse and either approaching, or exceeding, key tipping points as the earth heats up. Overall, the study found some 16 out of 31 tracked planetary vital signs, including greenhouse gas concentrations, ocean heat content and ice mass, set worrying new records. “There is growing evidence we are getting close to or have already gone beyond tipping points associated with important parts of the Earth system,” said William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University who co-authored the new research, in a statement. “The updated planetary vital signs we present largely reflect the consequences of unrelenting business as usual,” said Ripple, adding that “a major lesson from Covid-19 is that even colossally decreased transportation and consumption are not nearly enough and that, instead, transformational system changes are required.” While the pandemic shut down economies and shifted the way people think about work, school and travel, it did little to reduce the overall global carbon emissions. Fossil fuel use dipped slightly in 2020, but the authors of a report published in the journal BioScience say that carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide “have all set new year-to-date records for atmospheric concentrations in both 2020 and 2021”. In April 2021, carbon dioxide concentration reached 416 parts per million, the highest monthly global average concentration ever recorded. The five hottest years on record have all occurred since 2015, and 2020 was the second hottest year in history. The study also found that ruminant livestock, a significant source of planet-warming gases, now number more than 4 billion, and their total mass is more than that of all humans and wild animals combined. The rate of forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon increased in both 2019 and 2020, reaching a 12-year high of 1.11 million hectares deforested in 2020. Ocean acidification is near an all-time record, and when combined with warmer ocean temperatures, it threatens the coral reefs that more than half a billion people depend on for food, tourism dollars and storm surge protection. However, there were a few bright spots in the study, including fossil fuel subsidies reaching a record low and fossil fuel divestment reaching a record high. In order to change the course of the climate emergency, the authors write that profound alterations need to happen. They say the world needs to develop a global price for carbon that is linked to a socially just fund to finance climate mitigation and adaptation policies in the developing world. The authors also highlight the need for a phase-out and eventual ban of fossil fuels, and the development of global strategic climate reserves to protect and restore natural carbon sinks and biodiversity. Climate education should also be part of school curricula around the globe, they say. “Policies to alleviate the climate crisis or any of the other threatened planetary boundary transgressions should not be focused on symptom relief but on addressing their root cause: the overexploitation of the Earth,” the report says. Only by taking on this core issue, the authors write, will people be able to “ensure the long-term sustainability of human civilization and give future generations the opportunity to thrive”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/27/global-heating-critical-measures-tipping-point-study
     
         
      Tidal turbine in Orkney starts generating power Wed, 28th Jul 2021 0:08:00
     
      What's being described as the most powerful tidal turbine device in the world has connected to the grid in Orkney. Orbital Marine Power's O2 tidal turbine is anchored in the Fall of Warness where a subsea cable connects the two-megawatt offshore unit to the local onshore electricity network. It comes as industry leaders call for government support to help the tidal industry develop commercially.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-57991442
     
         
      COP 26: How much is the developing world getting to fight climate change? Tue, 27th Jul 2021 12:21:00
     
      Rich nations "must deliver now" on long-promised funding to help poorer countries fight climate change, says the President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop26), which takes place in Glasgow in November. It has become "a matter of trust", Alok Sharma says. The developed world had pledged to provide $100bn (£720m) a year by 2020, but this has still not been achieved. Climate finance was discussed at length during a meeting in London of ministers and officials from more than fifty countries, According to the senior UN climate representative Patricia Espinosa, developing countries "were very insistent and very clear in their messages" that they expect commitments made up to 2020 to be met. It is going to be hard enough for rich countries to adjust to the need to remove fossil fuels and carbon from their own economies. But it is going to be a lot more challenging in developing nations, where there is far less money to pay for new infrastructure and technology. And there are an awful lot of people under threat. So funding is needed for: - adaptation - adjusting to the growing effects of climate change - mitigation - reducing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere How much has been promised? As long ago as 2009, the developed world agreed it would provide $100bn a year by 2020 to help poorer countries: - deal with the effects of climate change - build greener economies in the future But, although official figures have not yet been released, an expert report commissioned by the United Nations concludes the target has not been reached - even though a new and more ambitious target is now supposed to be set for 2025. "The $100bn commitment should be seen as a floor not a ceiling," lead author Amar Bhattacharya, from the Brookings Institution, says. "Some progress has been made - but a lot more needs to be done." For many countries, this is the biggest issue to resolve in the run-up to Cop26 - and the very poorest are demanding action. - Net zero targets are 'pie in the sky' How far short are the pledges? It is quite hard to calculate what money should be included in the overall figure, because it is a complicated mix of money from governments, international lenders and private companies. But the UN and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimate the total had reached nearly $79bn by 2018 - and failed to reach $100bn by 2020. Between 2016 and 2018, 43% of the funding went to Asia, 25% to Africa and 17% to the Americas - a lot of it spent on green energy or transport infrastructure. But far more will be needed. Who is not paying enough? The rich countries recognise they have not yet met the target they set themselves. "Within the G7 [group of rich countries], the three countries that have been the leaders are Germany, Japan and France in that order," Mr Bhattacharya says. The UK and Canada are slightly behind them - but the two big laggards are the United States and, particularly, Italy. In April, the US announced it would double its 2016 climate-finance contributions to $5.7bn by 2025 - but compared with the size of its economy, that is still very small. Meanwhile, Italy provides only about $0.6bn per year. Both countries have signed up to a big push to increase the overall amount of money provided, but that will need domestic political approval. "President Biden has indicated to me his total commitment to helping to make that happen," US Climate Envoy John Kerry says. "If they [the developed world] do not come together and produce that, it is going to be exceedingly hard to get any kind of broad-based agreement." So there is an expectation further announcements will be made between now and Cop26. And ministers from Germany and Canada have been tasked with developing a "credible delivery plan" to make sure the $100bn figure is achieved. But experts say that should be only the beginning. Dr Alina Averchenkova, from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, says: "$100bn isn't going to do it - we need to move trillions in both public and private money. "The pandemic has shown us it can be done when there is the political will. "Unfortunately, climate change is quickly becoming the same kind of emergency - and it will be with us for the long term." Are there any strings attached to the money? Yes. By 2018, about three-quarters of the government money made available for climate action in developing countries was in the form of loans that need to be paid back, rather than grants that do not. The share of grants was higher to the very poorest countries - but still less than half the total. And that is a big problem in countries, many already heavily in debt, where Covid has made access to international funds even more pressing. "Developing countries cannot just rely on loans, so it is going to be really important that more climate finance is provided in grants," Dr Averchenkova says. "It's never going to be the whole amount - but it needs to be more." So it is the quality as well as the quantity of funding that matters. And the message from the world's poorer countries is pretty simple - if you want ambitious climate targets, you are going to have to pay for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/57975275
     
         
      Isle of Man government outlines five-year climate change plan Tue, 27th Jul 2021 10:18:00
     
      Phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles and harnessing the resources of the ocean are among the Isle of Man government's new plans to tackle climate change. A five-year action plan has been shared in July's sitting of Tynwald. The policy and reform minister outlined key themes - energy, housing, "blue carbon", transport and fossil fuels. Ray Harmer has called for a "national conversation" this summer, as a public consultation has been launched. The area of blue carbon looks at ocean-based ways to tackle climate change, which Mr Harmer said could be achieved through enhancing "carbon-storing habitats like seagrass". "The ocean is our biggest carbon source", he added. The government has committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the European Union's Paris climate agreement. It is a target some politicians have criticised in the past for not being ambitious enough. 'Expensive decisions' The consultation aims to form how the next administration tackles the problem from September. Mr Harmer said the Climate Change Transformation Team, which was established in September 2020, would be working to "help people understand the issues", so they can "effectively participate in the climate conversation". Plans to ban the registration of fossil fuel vehicles by 2030 is also within the plan, to phase out one of the island's "biggest single contributors to our national emissions". "As an island with a particular love of the motor vehicle, I know this transition may seem particularly challenging", Mr Harmer said. A further change would introduce energy performance certificates for homes and new building regulations to develop more low-carbon buildings. Mr Harmer said the consultation, available online until 31 August, was fundamental as these were "important and expensive decisions" and it was crucial to "get good input from our community and business".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-57970671
     
         
      New CO2 battery will make wind and solar dispatchable 'at an unprecedented low price' Tue, 27th Jul 2021 9:08:00
     
      Italian start-up Energy Dome says that its new long-duration “CO2 battery” system, which only uses off-the-shelf equipment will achieve a levelised cost of storage (LCOS) of $50-60/MWh in the next few years. That would be more than twice as low as the LCOS of lithium-ion batteries — $132-245/MWh, according to Lazard — and almost twice as cheap as current long-duration storage market leader Highview Power’s CRYObattery ($100/MWh, according to a 2019 interview with Recharge). Chief executive Claudio Spadacini tells Recharge that Energy Dome's thermodynamic liquid-CO2 system has a round-trip efficiency of 75-80% — higher than any other long-duration energy storage technology currently on the market, including liquid-air, compressed-air and gravity-based solutions. “We have calculated an LCOS which is already below $100/MWh with the first commercial plant we are going to build, which is 25MW/200MWh — our standard module,” says Spadacini. “But we have a projection that we can reduce the cost of the technology quite fast. So we are aiming to be far below $60/MWh in a few years, close to $50/MWh.” But in an increasingly competitive, fast-moving sector, Energy Dome's technology might not be the cheapest energy storage on the market once it is commercialised. Highview aims to hit $50/MWh by 2030, while US-based Echogen is promising an LCOS of $50-60/MWh from its supercritical CO2-based system. And only last week, US start-up Form Energy claimed that its 100-hour iron-air battery would achieve an LCOS of less than one-tenth the cost of lithium-ion — but it has not said when, and its technology is yet to be proven outside of a laboratory. How it works The CO2 battery utilises aspects of thermal energy storage, which stores electricity as heat, and compressed-air and liquid-air systems, which reduces the volume of air (by compressing/condensing it) and then generates electricity by allowing it to rapidly expand to its natural state, with the whoosh from that expansion driving a power-generating turbine. In Energy Dome’s system, carbon dioxide is compressed at a pressure of 60 bar which heats the gas to 300°C liquid. The heat is then extracted and stored in “bricks” made of steel shot and quartzite for later use, cooling down the CO2 to an ambient temperature. The gas is then condensed into liquid form and stored in carbon-steel tanks. When electricity is required, the liquid CO2 is run through an evaporator to turn it back to a pressurised gas, which is then warmed up back to 290-300°C causing the stored heat. The gas is then introduced into an expansion turbine, where it rapidly expands at atmospheric pressure to drive a power-generating rotor, with the uncompressed CO2 then stored in a flexible dome — hence the company name — at ambient temperature and pressure for later re-use. Spadacini explains that Energy Dome uses CO2 because it can be converted into liquid under pressure at 30°C, compared to minus 150°C for air. Highview Power’s liquid-air battery therefore has to use cryogenic technology to liquefy air, but the Energy Dome system requires far less power, resulting in cheaper costs and a higher round-trip efficiency, the company says. “This idea… is fully new and fully innovative, but really based on off-the-shelf components,” says Spadacini. “So we just put together existing components and this is key in order to go to the market.” It does mean that rather than using the surrounding air, a large inflatable gas holder — ie, the dome — is needed to store the CO2 in a closed system. But this is a low-cost component, requiring little more than a strong but flexible PVC-coated textile, which is already manufactured for use in biogas plants. He explains that an inflatable dome is required, rather than a solid steel tank, because the CO2 has to be at a constant pressure. “If you have a sealed tank and you take gas out of that, you reduce the pressure. In the dome, the geometry adapts to the amount of gas we have inside and the pressure remains constant. This is a key feature of the system.” Spadacini adds: “The system is totally closed. We don’t consume any CO2, it’s just the working fluid that goes back and forth… for the life of the system, over 25 years. So we have no emissions in the atmosphere.” Modular system The Italian explains that the CO2 battery system will be modular and scalable to any size required, as any number of individual components can be added. “We are looking to build multiples of standard sizes — that can be 50MWh, 100MWh, 200MWh,” he says. “So we have a standard design for the liquid CO2 vessel, and you can just use 10, 20 or 50 of those, but production is modularised. And on the other side, that we have 10MW or 25MW compressors, and we have 10MW to 25MW or a 50MW expansion turbine “This means that owners can optimize the design by using the most appropriate charge or discharge rate, depending on their application. As to the dome, depending on the MWh storage capacity, the dome will be larger or smaller, or multiple domes can be built for capacities in excess of 200MWh.” Spadacini describes the company’s “sweet spot” as eight to ten hours of storage, as that is the “best match” for wind and solar farms, in order to enable them to have dispatchable output 24 hours a day. The system could also be used more centrally on the electricity network to store renewable energy and provide ancillary services to the grid,” he adds. To date, the 18-month-old company has only built a small pilot plant for the thermal energy storage part of the system, but it is constructing a 2.5MW/4MWh commercial demonstration facility on the Italian island of Sardinia this year, which will be put into operation in January or February 2022. Business model The engineer explains that Energy Dome does not want to build projects itself. “We don’t have the capability to grow as fast as the market requires,” he says. “So our model is to license the technology to EPC companies or IPPs, utilities, the final user, because that is the best way for us to expand geographically and by sector. “The time to market is key in this fast-transforming world.” Energy Dome has already signed a commercial agreement with Italian gas-focused power-generation equipment supplier Ansaldo Energia to bring to market the CO2 battery — as well as a sister system, the CO2 ETCC (see panel below). “We are also discussing other commercial agreements and licensing with other large OEMs in the oil & gas sector, in the steel sector, in the green chemistry sector, and also in the mining sector. So we are getting a lot of interest. “We are building a very nice and potentially big pipeline of projects.” Company expansion Energy Dome is currently attempting to raise €10m in a Series A investment round, for which it is already in talks with institutional investors and venture capital firms. The money would be used to which would be used to complete the commercial demonstration plant and cover company outgoings, Spadacini explains. “We believe that the potential growth of the company is really high, for two reasons — because we have very competitive performances and costs,” he says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/new-co2-battery-will-make-wind-and-solar-dispatchable-at-an-unprecedented-low-price/2-1-1044755
     
         
      Weatherwatch: research finds optimal size for windfarms Tue, 27th Jul 2021 6:00:00
     
      It’s always good to see wind turbines going at full tilt on a breezy day. But are more wind turbines always a good thing? Windfarms come in all shapes and sizes, from one lonely turbine producing energy for a farm, to Gansu windfarm in China, whose 7,000 wind turbines make it the largest windfarm in the world. However, extracting energy from the wind is not straightforward, and new research reveals that there is an optimal size for windfarms. Wind turbines extract energy from the wind, but their spinning blades also create turbulence, making it harder for turbines situated downstream to extract energy. Enrico Antonini and Ken Caldeira from the Carnegie Institution for Science in California modelled airflow over turbines and looked at different sizes and arrangements of wind farms. Their results, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that turbines arranged in rows facing the wind produced 50% more power than those arranged in wind-facing columns. But they also found that these gains were lost after a farm reached around 30km in size, because the drag created by large windfarms slows the wind down. Curiously windfarms further from the equator could afford to grow larger because wind energy and momentum was better replenished by the Earth’s spin.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/jul/27/weatherwatch-research-finds-optimal-size-for-windfarms
     
         
      Flash floods will be more common as climate crisis worsens, say scientists Mon, 26th Jul 2021 16:25:00
     
      Flash flooding of the type seen in London this weekend will become a more common occurrence as the climate crisis worsens, scientists have warned, and the UK government, businesses and householders must do much more to protect against future harm. Dr Jess Neumann, a hydrologist at the University of Reading, said: “Flooding from intense summer rainfall is going happen more frequently. No city, town or village is immune to flooding and we all need to take hard action right now if we are to prevent impacts from getting worse in the future.” Climate policy in the UK has focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which is a primary concern, to reduce the human impact on the climate and ensure global heating does not reach catastrophic levels. But the government has also been warned frequently that measures to cope with the impacts of extreme weather are urgently needed, and that the UK has been falling behind on such adaptive measures. Adapting to the impacts will require a thorough overhaul of the UK’s infrastructure, encompassing not only drainage and water supply systems, and transport, to ensure they are not overwhelmed, as many in London were at the weekend, but also energy supply and communications networks. Buildings will need to be redesigned and public areas revamped to include better drainage channels and storm drains, while more innovative approaches could include porous pavements. A lack of green spaces and vegetation, and the paving over of many areas without heed to flood risk, has compounded the problem in many cities, including London, and also needs to be addressed, experts warned. Neumann said: “Planning and development need to consider flood risk from all sources – river, groundwater and flash floods – and adapt accordingly. It is not acceptable to keep paving over the land and expect the public to deal with the water when it comes into their homes.” One of the problems is that responsibility for flood protection in the UK is split among many authorities, with little central oversight. Liz Stephens, associate professor of climate resilience at Reading University, said: “The UK still has a complicated set of roles and responsibilities for surface water flooding risk. Lead local flood authorities take responsibility for managing it, the Environment Agency for mapping it, and the Met Office for providing early warning. This makes it difficult for the public to have a good understanding of their own risk and what can be done.” She said there was a lack even of basic data, caused by a refusal to invest in more precise research. “The surface water flood hazard maps for the UK have not been improved since 2013. These urgently need updating. The current accuracy of surface water flood maps reflects an investment choice and not what is possible with the state-of-the-art science,” she said. “It is difficult to help people prepare for surface water flooding if they don’t know they are at risk, and if they don’t receive precise warnings of the likely impacts when heavy rain is forecast.” Parliament’s public accounts committee warned earlier this year that the government was not doing enough to prevent damage from flooding, and said councils and local authorities needed much more help, including more cash. Meg Hillier, the chair of the committee and a London MP, told the Guardian the weekend’s floods highlighted the government’s inaction. “This latest flooding underlines the committee’s concerns about the resources available for floods which are becoming more frequent,” she said. “Flash flooding from torrential rain causes havoc for those affected and yet the lack of resources for councils, which are responsible for the mitigation of urban flooding, is hampering the response which businesses and householders so desperately need.” Darren Rodwell, environment spokesperson at the Local Government Association, which represents councils, echoed her call: “Councils are best placed to ensure that flood defence money is directed towards projects that best reflect local needs, including protecting key roads and bridges to keep local residents and businesses moving. Funding for flood defences needs to be devolved to local areas and sit within a new national framework for addressing the climate emergency.” Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said his powers were limited on flood defences, but he was dealing urgently with Thames Water on the issue. “We are seeing increasing incidents of extreme weather events linked to climate change,” he said. “This is not the first time in recent weeks that London has been hit by major flooding. Despite having limited powers in the area, it remains a key priority for myself and London’s council leaders that more is done urgently to tackle flooding and the other impacts of climate change. This includes continuing to urge Thames Water to address localised issues with infrastructure that may exacerbate the impact of flooding.” Insurers are among those most concerned about the impacts of climate breakdown, and have warned that UK households and businesses in some areas could find themselves uninsurable if stronger action is not taken. Adam Winslow, the chief executive of Aviva General Insurance, said: “It’s too late to stop the effects of climate change from happening, but we can reduce the impacts it will have on our lives. Action is needed now to improve regulation about where and how properties are built, encourage the use of resilient materials, and consider innovative and natural solutions to climate change.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/26/flash-floods-will-be-more-common-as-climate-crisis-worsens-say-scientists-london-floods
     
         
      Improving air quality could reduce the risk of DEMENTIA: Slashing pollutant levels can lower the chance of developing the condition by 26%, promising study finds Mon, 26th Jul 2021 15:00:00
     
      Reducing air pollution could be the key to warding off dementia, according to a promising new analysis of scientific studies being presented today. Researchers at Chicago-based non-profit Alzheimer's Association are detailing three papers that put pressure on governments to clean our air and help reduce rates of the debilitating condition. The study's authors looked at the effect of reducing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less – about 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair – known as PM2.5. In one study, cutting NO2 levels over time lowered the chance of developing dementia by more than a quarter – up to 26 per cent. When breathed in, it's thought microscopic particles in air pollution enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain where they provoke inflammation – a problem that may be the trigger for dementia. But more research is needed into how exactly air pollution exposure could cause different dementia conditions including Alzheimer's. The new analysis is being reported today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021, which is being held in Denver and live-streamed online. 'We've known for some time that air pollution is bad for our brains and overall health, including a connection to amyloid buildup in the brain,' said Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs & outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association. 'But what's exciting is we're now seeing data showing that improving air quality may actually reduce the risk of dementia. 'These data demonstrate the importance of policies and action by federal and local governments, and businesses, that address reducing air pollutants.' PM2.5 can easily enter the lungs and then the bloodstream and mostly comes from burning coal, wood stoves, forest fires, smokestacks and other human processes that involve burning. Meanwhile, NO2 – which mainly comes from road transport emissions – damages immune system cells in the lungs and causes increased susceptibility to respiratory infections. It can make asthmatics more sensitive to allergens. Previous reports have linked long-term air pollution exposure with accumulation of amyloid beta plaques, which is a cause of Alzheimer's, a form of dementia. But today's announcement marks the first accumulated evidence that reducing pollution is linked with lower risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease. STUDY ONE The first study in the analysis was conducted by Xinhui Wang, assistant professor of research neurology at University of Southern California, and colleagues. They investigated if older women living in locations with greater reduction in air pollution may have slower decline in their cognitive function and be less likely to develop dementia. They looked at a group of women aged between 74 and 92 in the US from the National Institutes of Health-funded WHIMS-ECHO study – all of whom did not have dementia at the beginning. Participants were followed between 2008 and 2018, with cognitive function tests performed every year to determine if they'd developed dementia. Participants' home addresses were noted and mathematical models were used to estimate the air pollution levels at these locations over time. The researchers found that, in general, air quality greatly improved over the 10 years before the study began. During a median of six years of follow-up, cognitive functions tended to decline as women aged, as expected. But for every 1.2 microgram per cubic metre (?g/m3) reduction in PM2.5 there was a 14 per cent reduced risk of getting dementia. And for every 5.3 parts per billion (ppb) reduction in NO2 there was a 26 per cent reduced risk of getting dementia. This was similar to the lower level of risk seen in women two to three years younger. 1.2 ?g/m3 and 5.3 ppb are 10 per cent of the the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) current standard for both pollutants. Other benefits were a slower decline in overall cognitive function and memory, similar to women one to two years younger. Women with reduced pollution also had better results on specific tests of working memory, episodic memory and attention/executive function. These 'cognitive domains' tend to decline for dementia patients at the pre-clinical stage, according to the team. These benefits were seen regardless of age, level of education, the geographic region where they lived and whether they had cardiovascular disease. 'Our findings are important because they strengthen the evidence that high levels of outdoor air pollution in later life harm our brains, and also provide new evidence that by improving air quality we may be able to significantly reduce risk of cognitive decline and dementia,' Wang said. 'The possible benefits found in our studies extended across a variety of cognitive abilities, suggesting a positive impact on multiple underlying brain regions.' STUDY TWO In a similar study, University of California, San Diego researchers worked with a large cohort of more than 7,000 participants aged 65 or older. They found a 15 per cent reduced risk of all-cause dementia and a 17 per cent reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease for every decrease in PM2.5, measured as a microgram of gaseous pollutant per cubic meter of air (?g/m3). This decrease was independent of socio-demographic and health behaviour factors, and APOE genotype – a genetic risk factor for dementia. 'These data, for the first time, highlight the beneficial effects of reduced air pollution on the incidence of dementia in older adults.' said study author Noemie Letellier. 'The findings have important implications to reinforce air quality standards to promote healthy ageing. 'In the context of climate change, massive urbanisation and worldwide population ageing, it is crucial to accurately evaluate the influence of air pollution change on incident dementia to identify and recommend effective prevention strategies.' STUDY THREE Alzheimer's disease – the most common cause of dementia – is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called beta amyloid plaques, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells. Accumulation of beta amyloid plaques is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. While a link between air pollution and increased beta amyloid production has been found in animal and human studies, little is known about the effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on beta amyloid. The third study was led by Christina Park, doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at University of Washington. Park and colleagues examined links between exposure to PM2.5, larger particles (PM10) and NO2, and levels of A?1-40 (one of the major protein components of plaques) in more than 3,000 individuals who were originally dementia-free. The study evaluated and averaged air pollution levels at participants' addresses for time periods up to 20 years prior to taking blood tests to measure individuals' beta amyloid. People who were in the study longer – up to eight years – showed a strong link between all three air pollutants and A?1-40. This marks some of the first human data suggesting long-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with higher A?1-40 levels in the blood. 'Our findings suggest that air pollution may be an important factor in the development of dementia,' Park said. 'Many other factors that impact dementia are not changeable, but reductions in exposure to air pollution may be associated with a lower risk of dementia. More research is needed.'
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9826143/Improving-air-quality-reduces-dementia-risk-scientists-say.html
     
         
      Climate change: Israel to cut 85% of emissions by mid-century Mon, 26th Jul 2021 14:26:00
     
      Israel will cut carbon emissions by 85% from 2015 levels by the middle of the century, its government says. Its prime minister said the decision would help the country gradually shift to a low-carbon economy. Targets include cutting the vast majority of emissions from transport, the electricity sector and municipal waste. But critics want more ambitious targets for renewable energy and bigger economic incentives for change. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. But Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the move would lead to a "clean, efficient and competitive economy" and put Israel at the forefront of the battle against climate change. Israel's targets were in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement - a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted by nearly 200 countries. It aims to keep global temperatures below 2.0C above pre-industrial times, and if possible below 1.5C above pre-industrial times. Israel signed the Paris climate deal. It has set itself an interim goal of cutting emissions by 27% by 2030. Under President Donald Trump the US pulled out of the deal but President Joe Biden has recommitted to it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57965028
     
         
      Climate change: Researchers begin discussions on vital report Mon, 26th Jul 2021 14:21:00
     
      Against a backdrop of fires and floods, researchers are meeting virtually to finalise a key climate science study. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing the most comprehensive assessment on the state of global heating since 2013. Over the next two weeks, the scientists will go through their findings line by line with representatives of 195 governments. Experts say the report will be a "wake-up call" to governments. It is expected that the short, 40-page Summary for Policymakers will play an important role in guiding global leaders who will come to Glasgow in November to deal with critical climate questions. As the world has warmed over the past 30 years, the IPCC has become the most important platform for summarising the state of scientific understanding of the problem, its impacts and solutions. This year, though, the panel's report takes places as extreme weather events have shaken the US and Canada, Europe and Asia. The question of the role played by human-induced climate change is being asked more loudly than ever. What does the IPCC do and how is it relevant to me? Formed in 1988, the IPCC's role is to provide politicians with assessments every six or seven years on the science, the impacts and the potential options for tackling climate change. Over the years, its reports have become more strongly worded as the evidence has mounted. In 2013, its assessment said that humans were the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s. That document helped set the scene for the Paris climate agreement signed in 2015. As well as its six- or seven-year assessments, the IPCC has also produced special studies looking at specific scientific questions. In 2018, the IPCC released a special report on keeping global temperature rise under 1.5C. This document has had a significant impact on an emerging generation of young people, willing to take to the streets to demand a political response. "The 1.5C report was really kind of instrumental for young people to use that science to marshal their efforts towards action," said Ko Barrett, a vice chair of the IPCC and a head of research at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). "I think maybe the report surprised us all, that the report had such an impact in getting people to think, wow, this is not some big future problem. This is like right now." The IPCC's latest summary of the science, to be published on 9 August, is also likely to have a big impact. In a couple of months, world leaders will come to Glasgow to try to advance the world's efforts against rising temperatures. The IPCC's forthcoming report will be required reading for many attending COP26. "I think it's going to be a wake-up call, there's no doubt about that," said Richard Black, an honorary research fellow at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London. "But then again, so are some of the real world events that we're seeing around us at the moment." Is the IPCC just about scientists? Many people think that the IPCC is just a platform for science, but that's not the full picture. "The IPCC itself actually consists of representatives from 195 governments in all, and they basically commission the reports from the various groups of academics that do the work," said Richard Black. "And this to me is the key thing about the IPCC. It's not just a bunch of scientists producing a report; they are commissioned by governments, and they're owned by governments. And that makes them absolutely unique." So how does it work? The IPCC, while it has undoubted clout, doesn't actually conduct its own research. For its assessments, the IPCC divides the work into three different areas. The first is the physical science report, the second the study on impacts, the third is on mitigation. The impacts and mitigation studies will come out early next year, as well as a synthesis report that will pull all the threads together. For the upcoming publication on the physical science, more than 200 researchers been working together in groups to review the existing peer-reviewed literature over the last four years. Their initial draft reports were subject to discussions and comments from fellow researchers and from governments. The new study attracted around 75,000 comments as it was drafted and re-written. Over the next two weeks, a final Summary for Policymakers, running to around 40 pages, will be agreed word by word with government representatives. "The scientists come in with a proposal document that line by line gets challenged by the representative of the United Nations there, and the scientists defend their lines," said Prof Corinne Le Quéré, from the University of East Anglia who has been involved with two previous IPCC assessment reports. "Nothing gets written that is not scientifically correct. So, scientists have the right to just say this is wrong, and the documents gets really strong at the end because of that process." One of the things that gives the report additional muscle is the fact that it is not just one particular research paper on one topic - the reviewers consider all the pieces of research carried out on each area of focus. "Sometimes the IPCC gets criticised for being focussed on consensus, and it's suggested that that can weaken statements," said Dr Emily Shuckburgh, from the University of Cambridge. "But the fact that it is a summary across multiple lines of evidence is incredibly powerful and incredibly useful." So what can we expect from the upcoming report? As in previous assessments, there will likely be a strong focus on the question of humanity's role in creating the climate crisis. In the last report in 2013, the authors said that warming since the 1950s was "extremely likely" due to human activities. This will likely be further strengthened, despite the objections of some countries. "It's going to revise this overall attribution statement. Obviously, it is going to be stronger than what we had in the past because of the growing warming of the planet," said Prof Le Quéré. "That's going to be one of the main points. It will be discussed very, very carefully, and scrutinised. You can be sure it will be scrutinised by governments." However, many participants are likely to be more concerned with the present and the future than questions of past responsibility. There will be a new chapter on weather and extreme events in a changing climate. Many will want to pay more attention to questions such as storms, floods or droughts with a low probability but high impact, as have been seen around the world in recent weeks. "This time around, governments have asked the IPCC to also look at low probability events that could be potentially very damaging," said Prof Le Quéré. "So we can expect a lot more information. In fact, for almost the first time in the IPCC, (we'll get) a lot more explicit information about the risks of extreme climate events." As well as new information on sea-level rise and the state of the Arctic and Antarctic, the summary report will likely have new information on the chances of holding the global rise in temperatures to 1.5C this century. It will assess whether governments are on track to meet the targets agreed in the Paris climate pact. What could possibly go wrong? This is the first time that the IPCC has attempted an approval session remotely. These gatherings are usually a week long and often involve quite vigorous discussions between government representatives and scientists. With just a few months left before the COP26 climate conference, the stakes for the participants are perhaps higher than at any time in recent history. Given the scale of weather-related disasters we are witnessing around the world, the public and politicians are now more attuned to the issue of climate change than ever before. All this will add to the pressure on the IPCC. There are likely many long nights ahead for the participants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57944015
     
         
      Deadly street protests over Iran water shortages Mon, 26th Jul 2021 14:15:00
     
      Security forces in Iran's southwest Khuzestan province have been firing bullets at people protesting due to severe water shortages. The shortages are happening in one of the country's hottest regions, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius. Iran has called claims of a crackdown on protesters, by the UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet, "false accusations". But the protests have developed into dissent against the government, the country's Supreme Leader and have spread to different cities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-57948717
     
         
      Flooded London hospitals ask patients to stay away Mon, 26th Jul 2021 14:13:00
     
      Two east London hospitals have asked patients to stay away after their emergency departments were hit by flooding on Sunday. Whipps Cross is without power and evacuating 100 inpatients and Newham hospital is asking patients to use other A&Es for urgent care. Ambulances are being redirected after torrential rain caused severe flooding in homes, roads and stations. London Fire Brigade says it has taken more than 1,000 flooding-related calls. It rescued people trapped in cars and is helping those with flooded basements and collapsed ceilings. A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust which runs both Newham and Whipps Cross hospitals, said: "Patients are asked to attend alternative hospitals where they can. A major incident has been called across the Trust." Many of the capital's roads closed due to the flooding, including the Blackwall Tunnel, the A12 and parts of the North Circular. Stepney Green station remains closed although eight other Tube and London Overground stations have reopened. A yellow thunderstorm warning remains in place for parts of south-east England. St James's Park in London saw 41.6mm (1.6in) of rain on Sunday, making it the wettest part of the country. Residents on a street in Woodford, in east London, grabbed buckets, brooms and wooden boards to prevent rising rainwater from flooding their homes. Restaurant manager Mariya Peeva said her neighbour's bedroom was flooded and that her son helped others to protect their homes from the flooding. Ms Peeva, 46, told the PA news agency: "My son went to buy some food from the local shop - by the time he came back the whole street and the pavement were already flooded and the water was coming into our front door." The A&E department at Newham Hospital is still closed this morning, with ambulances being diverted to neighbouring hospitals. As you peer through the doors of the A&E department here, the entire floor is soaked as far as the eye can see. There are mops left on the floor, security guards are guiding people away. The hospital says it will still treat the most urgent admissions but is advising people to use other hospitals until it fixes the rainwater damage. Other parts of the hospital, such as the maternity unit, remain unaffected.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57965298
     
         
      Big Solar: Where do large solar power plants pay off? Mon, 26th Jul 2021 13:04:00
     
      Solar energy has become extremely cheap. In the desert of Saudi Arabia electricity from solar modules is now generated for just $0.01 (€0.009) per kilowatt hour (kWh), and in Portugal for $0.014 cents per kWh. An increasing number of large solar parks are being built across the globe to help solve the planet's energy needs. Just how cheap is solar electricity? Production costs for solar energy have dropped by 90% between 2009 and 2020, according to US investment bank Lazard. In 2020, electricity from large-scale solar plants cost a global average of just $0.037/kWh. By comparison, the costs of generating electricity from new coal-powered plants was three times that at $0.112/kWh, while natural gas cost $0.059, nuclear $0.163, and wind $0.04/kWh. "We're going to see solar power plants all over the world. It's the cheapest energy source in the world, with a few exceptions. In some places, wind power is still a bit cheaper," said Christian Breyer, a professor of solar economy at LUT University in Finland. With large solar farms, Breyer says, production costs can be as low as $0.01 in locations with lots of sunlight, and up to $0.04 elsewhere. He and other experts expect that new and more efficient solar panels will lower costs even more, by 5 to 10% per year. How big are large solar farms? The world's largest solar parks have a capacity of 2,000 - 2,200 megawatts (MW), most are located in desert regions in China, India, and the Middle East, Egypt being a prime example. There are also big plants with over 500 MW in the US, Mexico, and southern Europe. One of the largest solar parks, known as Al Dhafra PV2, is scheduled to begin supplying the United Arab Emirates' national energy provider beginning next year. Under construction to the tune of $1 billion, the 2,000 MW plant will be comprised of four million modules installed over an area of 20 square kilometers near the capital, Abu Dhabi. Most other solar parks around the world are smaller than the giant facilities in the desert. Germany's largest solar park, for example, located in Weesow near Berlin, has an output of just 187 MW. Its 465,000 solar modules supply the electricity needs of about 50,000 households. But even in densely populated countries like Germany, larger plants with a capacity of several thousand megawatts are conceivable. One place where they could be built are the quarries of abandoned open-cast lignite mines. Where is solar power worthwhile for industry? Globally, the industrial sector requires lots of energy. In Germany for instance it consumes about half of all electricity generated. To save costs, companies are turning to photovoltaics. International mining companies for instance have started replacing diesel power with solar power in remote locations. And more and more chemical companies, aluminum plants, car factories, cement manufacturers, and data centers are getting their power from solar farms. One example is Facebook's data center in the state of Tennessee, located in the southeastern US, which will get about 110 MW of electricity from a solar park with a capacity of 150 MW. The park is being built and operated by the German power company RWE. Another example: starting in 2022, several Bayer Group's chemical plants will run on 100% green electricity from a 590 MW-solar power plant in southern Spain. The energy-intensive steel industry is also reorienting itself. Low-cost solar power is in demand there, as is "green" hydrogen generated by solar and wind power, which is needed for the blast furnace process. Low-cost energy supply is a decisive factor when planning the location of new steel mills. Solar power is even proving to be worth the investment in regions with less exposure to the sun's rays. One example is Poland's largest solar park in Witnica, which has a capacity of 65 MW. It supplies the neighboring cement plant. "This is the best proof that solar power, without any subsidies, can be competitive with power from conventional energy sources. Even in a European country as far north as Poland," says Benedikt Ortmann from power plant operator BayWa r.e. Where should we build solar power plants? Experts estimate that in the near future, photovoltaic plants with a total capacity of around 60 million MW will be needed to supply the entire world with cost-effective electricity. That's 70 times more than all the existing solar capacity so far. The area required for solar panels would then be equivalent to 0.3% of the world's land area. "On a global average, you don't have to worry about land availability," said Christian Breyer of LTU Finland. But if the energy is to be generated as close as possible to cities and large factories, he says, it's a bit more tricky, especially in densely populated regions. One solution would be to use roofs and facades. According to Breyer, some 20% of the world's solar power demand could be generated there. So-called agrivoltaics, with solar roofs installed above fields, are also becoming increasingly important. Another option: building solar panels that float on water. According to a World Bank study, the global potential of floating PV is 400,000 MW even if only one percent of the area of reservoirs is used for this purpose. So far, the largest solar plants on inland lakes have been built in China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan. There are also smaller plants on lakes and reservoirs in many other countries, including the Netherlands, Israel and Indonesia. India is currently planning a large-scale floating plant with 1000 MW. Meanwhile, research is underway in the Netherlands to find solutions for installing floating solar farms in the rough North Sea to povide energy for the national grid. But salt water, strong currents and winds still pose huge challenges. Smaller floating facilities in offshore waters already exist, such as in the Maldives, where they provide electricity to vacation islands.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/desert-large-solar-plants-also-pay-off-in-countries-with-less-sun/a-58284114
     
         
      Saudi Arabia suspends $2B sale of desalination plant Mon, 26th Jul 2021 11:43:00
     
      Saudi Arabia has halted the sale of one of the world’s biggest water plants, which had attracted interest from investors including France’s Engie SA, in a setback for the kingdom’s privatization plans. The Ras Al Khair desalination and power facility on Saudi Arabia’s east coast had cost more than $7bn to build. The government, which had been hoping to accelerate asset sales this year, blamed disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia was looking to raise about $2bn by selling a 60% stake, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Potential bidders considered the plant’s age and use of outdated technology unappealing, said the people. Its poor environmental credentials were another deterrent, they said. “One of the main reasons for the cancellation of Ras Al Khair was the economic conditions resulting from the pandemic and its effect on transactions of this size,” a spokesman for the country’s National Centre for Privatization said on Monday. Bids from investors showed the deal would make “a limited contribution” to the government, he said, adding that officials will continue with other public-private partnerships. The kingdom aims to raise about $38bn over the next four years through privatizations, Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan told the Financial Times in May. Previous targets for such revenue-raising have been missed. The Ras Al Khair sale has been in the works since at least 2017, when BNP Paribas was appointed as financial adviser. The country shortlisted bidders earlier this year. As well as Engie, they included JERA Co. and Marubeni Corp. of Japan, India’s NTPC Ltd. and Riyadh-based Acwa Power. The winner was supposed to acquire 60% of the facility, while also managing and operating it. Saudi Arabia, much of which is desert, is the world’s biggest consumer of desalinated water. The plant serves the capital of Riyadh and eastern parts of the kingdom. It produces 1.05 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day and 2.65 gigawatts of power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/7/26/saudi-arabia-suspends-2b-sale-of-desalination-plant
     
         
      COP26 climate summit president says progress made, but not enough Mon, 26th Jul 2021 10:25:00
     
      The first in-person meeting of climate ministers in 18 months has seen some tentative progress, says the UK minister who will lead the Glasgow COP26 meeting. Alok Sharma said that the countries aligned more closely on climate issues but on some key matters they were "not yet close enough". One of the outstanding questions is the phasing out of coal for energy. Continued use was incompatible with a key climate target, Mr Sharma said. Representatives from 51 countries attended the informal gathering in London over the weekend. COP26 will aim to raise ambition on tackling climate change - in order to avoid far-reaching consequences for the planet. With just three months until the Glasgow summit, there has been a flurry of scientific and diplomatic activity in recent days related to climate change. Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the UN's climate science body - have begun two weeks of discussions to try and agree a new report on the state of the global climate. On the political front, environment ministers from the G20 group of nations met in Naples, Italy, last week to try and make progress on questions such as the elimination of coal from power generation. While there was strong support for the step, it was opposed by China and India. There was also dissent from some G20 countries on strengthening the language around the 1.5C temperature goal in the Paris agreement, drawn up in 2015. Scientists say that we must keep the global rise in temperatures to 1.5C since industrial times if we are to avoid the most dangerous effects of warming. The planet has already warmed around 1.2C compared to the pre-industrial era. However, the nations did agree that they would all submit new climate pledges before the Glasgow meeting. Many of these same ministers have spent the weekend in London, at an informal gathering organised by the UK to discuss some of the key issues that will need resolving before COP26. In all, representatives from 51 countries including the US, India, China took part in this meeting along with nations hugely vulnerable to rising temperatures such as Rwanda, Costa Rica and the Marshall Islands. One major step forward, apart from the discussions, was that the many of the participants attended in person. "This was the most important meeting since COP25 in Madrid (in 2019), and it turned out to be an extremely productive meeting," said Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UNFCCC at a news conference. Mr Sharma said there was a sense among participants that the lived experience of climate change was bringing home to people the urgency of the situation. "I sense this sense of common endeavour, and a shared desire to address the climate crisis before us," said Mr Sharma, who will chair the conference in Glasgow. "I do think we made progress over these two days, however the issues we discussed are complex, and there are still significant differences that persist. We have moved closer together over the past few days, but still on these vital issues, we are not yet close enough." Mr Sharma said that keeping the 1.5C temperature goal alive is a key outcome for Glasgow. This will require the world to get to net zero emissions by the middle of this century and would need countries to pursue substantial emissions cuts over the next decade. Net zero means that any greenhouse gas emissions that can't be avoided through the use of clean technology by 2050 will either have to be buried using the technology of carbon capture and storage, or soaked up by plants and soils. But substantial obstacles to achieving this goal remain, of which the rapid phasing out of coal is key. "We weren't able to get every country in the G20 to agree to language on unabated coal phase out, it's a simple as that," Mr Sharma told a news conference. "For me that was very disappointing and very disappointing for those countries that are supporting of this policy." Mr Sharma said there had been some progress on issues such as climate finance. The richer world promised back in 2009 that there would be $100bn for poorer countries from 2020 to help them cope with climate change. Securing the cash, even a year late, is seen as a crucial question of trust. Without it, there will be little progress on questions of substance in Glasgow. Other participants felt that the face-to-face talks had been an improvement over the virtual meetings that have taken place for the last year-and-a-half. "At the UK's ministerial [meeting], the message from small island developing states appeared to be well received. This provides a level of hope that the major emitters are beginning to understand their responsibilities and should be committed to keeping the 1.5C goal in reach," stated Minister Molwyn Joseph from Antigua and Barbuda. "Realistically, this is going to require that we continue to press for declared commitments by the major emitters ahead of COP26 in Glasgow," he added. There are also a range of issues relating to the workings of the Paris agreement that have not yet been satisfactorily resolved, such as the role of carbon markets, and common time frames for reporting progress. Mr Sharma said some small steps had been agreed on these questions. Among the ministers attending the meeting was US Climate Envoy John Kerry. He warned recently that countries like China will have to do more heavy lifting when it comes to cutting carbon, saying that without greater efforts from Beijing, the idea of keeping the rise in temperatures under 1.5C was "essentially impossible".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57975025
     
         
      Climate change: Israel to cut 85% of emissions by mid-century Mon, 26th Jul 2021 8:38:00
     
      Israel will cut carbon emissions by 85% from 2015 levels by the middle of the century, its government says. Its prime minister said the decision would help the country gradually shift to a low-carbon economy. Targets include cutting the vast majority of emissions from transport, the electricity sector and municipal waste. But critics want more ambitious targets for renewable energy and bigger economic incentives for change. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. But Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the move would lead to a "clean, efficient and competitive economy" and put Israel at the forefront of the battle against climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57965028
     
         
      Green light: a new series on the critical role of companies in the climate crisis Mon, 26th Jul 2021 8:00:00
     
      Every day the world fails to adequately address the climate emergency, the timeframe needed to drastically cut emissions shrinks and the likelihood of increasingly devastating climate impacts grows. No solution to this crisis will be possible without a wholesale change in the way corporations do business. The climate emergency is a planetary-scale problem and solving it requires sweeping action from all parts of society, not least governments. But companies, which bear so much historic responsibility for fueling climate change, are a critical lever that cannot be overlooked. The Guardian’s new series, Green light, will examine businesses’ accountability for the climate crisis and interrogate the promises, innovations and solutions they are offering to tackle it. It will explore what role companies must play in the world’s last-chance push to transform the economy and keep warming within the 1.5C ambition laid out in the Paris climate agreement. The good news is that companies have been embracing climate pledges in unprecedented numbers. Across sectors – from technology and food to fossil fuels and aviation – they are making commitments to a lower carbon world with promises to become “net zero”, “carbon negative”, “regenerative”, “deforestation free”. Yet 40% of companies in the Fortune 500 still have no public climate target whatsoever, and even for those companies that do, their pledges vary wildly in quality and ambition and are often decades in the future. And while corporations talk the climate talk in public, behind the scenes too many are quietly lobbying against climate legislation. As pressure mounts on companies from all angles – governments, investors, activists and the public – and they respond with promises to create a green future, are they truly committed to doing what it takes to address the crisis, or are they simply tinkering around the edges as the world burns? The Guardian will be producing regular stories between now and the crucial Cop26 UN climate talks in November to spotlight the crucial role of business in responding to the climate emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/26/green-light-new-series-climate-crisis
     
         
      The Great Barrier Reef is a victim of climate change – but it could be part of the solution Mon, 26th Jul 2021 4:41:00
     
      We are fast approaching unstoppable climate change. If we don’t take drastic action to cut our global greenhouse gas emissions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this November, our children and grandchildren will pay dearly for this failure. Already, average surface temperatures globally have risen 1.1C above the preindustrial levels of the late 1800s and limiting global warming to 1.5C is becoming increasingly challenging. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that 70 to 90% of warm water coral reefs that exist today will have disappeared by the time we reach 1.5C. At 2C, coral reefs will be vanishingly rare. The sobering reality reported by the World Meteorological Organization is that on our current path, we are heading to global warming of over 3C before the end of this century. This would cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems and the ocean as a whole. Science and recent experience tell us the consequences would be catastrophic globally – this is clearly something we must avoid at all costs. Australia’s vast oceans, covering around 10 million square kilometres, are a case in point. Conditions here are changing rapidly. Marine species are turning up in places they have never been before and others are simply dying out. Even the Great Barrier Reef, one of our planet’s largest living structures, has been severely damaged by unprecedented marine heatwaves, triggering three mass coral bleaching events that reduced shallow water coral reefs by as much as 50% over just the last five years. A healthy ocean is vital for a healthy planet, and healthy coral reefs lie at the heart of ocean biodiversity. Home to a quarter of all ocean life, coral reefs provide services for humanity such as food and livelihoods, as well as protection from storms, erosion and flooding. These and other services have been estimated to provide at least $29.8bn each year to local economies. But these services are in serious jeopardy as we continue to emit greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels, cutting down the world’s forests and destroying coastal habitats. The window to act is rapidly closing. This may sound shocking, but it is the unequivocal message science is giving us. At this juncture in human history, there is no sense in watering down these concerns. We must act, and act urgently. This is why the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is so important for us all. By linking specific actions to relevant sustainable development goals, this global initiative provides the horizon that we must move towards if we are to save the ocean and, in turn, our planet. It also illustrates how relevant the ocean is to the solutions and actions we must take. The ocean doesn’t have to be a victim of climate change. It can be a major solution to solving the climate crisis – some would say our strongest ally. To assist our ally, we should be investing in the sustainable blue economy, converting shipping to non-fossil fuel energy sources and financing renewable offshore energy infrastructure. We should stop polluting and over-fishing the ocean and we must protect and restore blue carbon stocks associated with mangroves, wetlands and seagrasses. Known as “carbon sinks”, these diverse coastal habitats act like enormous sponges, continually cleaning our air by absorbing carbon and storing it out of the atmosphere. As well as reducing emissions to net zero as rapidly as possible, we must build the resilience of coral reefs so they can thrive in what will be a warmer climate. The challenge confronting us all is immense, but there is hope if we combine our ideas, efforts and resources. The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for countries to work together to give us the science we need for the ocean we want. And of course, the ocean we want relies on healthy coral reefs. Organisations like the Great Barrier Reef Foundation have joined this global effort to chart the best way forward. The Foundation’s Reef Recovery 2030 plan, which has been endorsed as a Decade of Ocean Science flagship action, will boost the resilience of reef ecosystems and the wellbeing of the people who rely on them. This decade-long collective effort aims to turn the tide on the decline of tropical coral reefs and urgently needs support from around the world. One thing is sure – science must be our chief guide in these endeavours. We need the best science to develop bold, innovative ideas to protect coral reefs and slow the impacts of climate damage. We must think at our creative best, test new ideas and strategies and learn from our failures. The latter is most important if we are to successfully develop the necessary solutions in the urgent timeframe needed. It is imperative that we give the ocean the level of respect it commands as the source of life on this planet and devote our efforts and resources towards impactful action to save coral reefs and the ocean for future generations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2021/jul/26/the-great-barrier-reef-is-a-victim-of-climate-change-but-it-could-be-part-of-the-solution
     
         
      Extreme weather: What causes flash flooding? Mon, 26th Jul 2021 0:28:00
     
      Flash flooding affects cities across the world and has become more common because of climate change. Parts of London and the south of England were left underwater after heavy rain in July. What is flash flooding? Flash floods usually happen during intense rainfall - when the amount of water is too much for drains and sewers to deal with. It can occur very quickly and without much warning. Roads can become unpassable - with vehicles abandoned - and homes and shops damaged by floodwater. Floods can affect key public infrastructure including transport networks and hospitals. In London, some hospitals had to ask patients to stay away after they lost power. Why does it happen in cities and towns? Urban areas are more likely to experience this type of "surface water" flooding because they have a lot of hard surfaces - everything from paved front gardens to roads, car parks and high streets. When rain hits them it can't soak into the ground as it would do in the countryside. An example was seen when New York City was hit by Storm Elsa in July, flooding the subway system. The city's transit authority president, Sarah Feinberg, said "if the drains at the street level can't handle the water, it goes over the curb and then makes things even worse". Water had come through subway vents and down the stairs, she said. In many places - including much of the UK - old sewer systems were built based on historic rainfall projections. Dr Veronica Edmonds-Brown of the University of Hertfordshire said the growth of London was also a problem as its Victorian era drainage system "cannot cope with the huge increase in population". Is flash flooding becoming more frequent? Many factors contribute to flooding, but climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and so these storms become more intense. According to Prof Hayley Fowler, of the UK Climate Resilience Programme, flash flooding used to be "relatively unusual". But she said warming means "these heavy short-duration bursts from thunderstorms which cause flash flooding are becoming more common". Ms Fowler's research suggests flash floods - measured as 30mm of rain per hour - "will increase five fold by the 2080s", if climate change continues on its current track. What can be done? Changes could be made in towns and cities to protect against the worst effects of flash floods. Dr Linda Speight, a flood expert at Reading University, says urban areas could benefit from changes like "permeable pavements and green roofs that can help rain water to soak away rather than causing floods". Knowing that heavy rainfall is on its way can make it easier to mitigate against the risks of flash flooding. Dr Speight says "weather and flood forecasting science has improved rapidly and it is now often possible to forecast surface water flooding events in advance". How can I protect my home? You can check if your area is at risk of flooding, and sign up for flood warnings on the Met Office website. Living away from a river does not necessarily mean you are safe from flooding. The Met Office recommends creating a flood plan, for example moving valuables out of the basement and to a safe place. It is also possible to take preventative measures. If you are making changes to your home, choose tiled flooring instead of carpets and move plug sockets further up the wall. What else should I do? Drivers also need to be careful to avoid rising waters, as many flood-related deaths are in vehicles. According to the AA, just 30cm of water is enough to move a car.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57969877
     
         
      UN climate science talks open amid heatwaves, floods and drought Mon, 26th Jul 2021 0:07:00
     
      The assessment comes as record-breaking heat waves, devasting floods and drought struck across three continents in recent weeks. “This report has been prepared in exceptional circumstances, and this is an unprecedented IPCC approval session,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair, Hoesung Lee, told the opening session of the meeting. The report, Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis, by IPCC Working Group I brings together the latest advances in climate science and multiple lines of evidence to provide an up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change. ‘Climate crossroads’ “Assessments and special reports have been foundational to our understanding of climate change, the severe and growing risks it poses throughout the world and the urgent need for action to address it,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, on Monday. But she warned that the world is at a “climate crossroads” and decisions taken this year would determine whether it will be possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era by the end of the century. 3 degrees looming “The world is currently on the opposite track, heading for a 3°C rise,” she said. “We need to change course urgently.” Following the recent deadly flooding in several western European countries, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) called for all nations to do more to hold back climate change-induced disasters. “Climate change is already very visible. We don’t have to tell people that it exists,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas told the opening session. “We are seeing more extreme events. Heatwaves, drought and the flooding events in Europe and China,” he said. “Massive heating” in the Arctic is affecting the atmospheric dynamics in the northern hemisphere, as evidenced by stagnant weather systems and changes in the behaviour of the jet stream, added the WMO chief. ‘Science has spoken’ Some 234 authors have contributed to the assessment, which will provide the latest detailed assessment on past warming and future warming projections; show how and why the climate has changed and include an improved understanding of human influence on the climate. There will also be a greater focus on regional information that can be used for climate risk assessments. Time for action “We have been telling the world that science has spoken and it’s now up to the policymakers for action”, said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee. The meeting is being held remotely from 26 July to 6 August, with the aim of ensuring that the summary for policymakers is accurate, well-balanced and presents the scientific findings clearly. Subject to the decisions of the panel, the report will be released on 9 August, just weeks ahead of the UN General Assembly opening, a G20 summit, and the 197-nation COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. The document is the first part of the Sixth Assessment Report, which will be will be finalised in 2022??.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096422
     
         
      Offshore power ‘will fail without subsidies’ Mon, 26th Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      Most wind farms in Britain will not be economically viable when existing subsidies end and will close prematurely without further revenue support, new analysis suggests. A report commissioned by SSE has found that the huge expansion of wind power in the UK is likely to push wholesale electricity prices so low on windy days that most wind farms will be unable to cover their operating costs simply from selling power into the market. This could lead to mass early closures of offshore and onshore wind farms when their existing subsidy arrangements end, primarily from the 2030s. Building new wind farms to replace them could increase the costs of hitting Britain’s net zero target by £20 billion, the report says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/offshore-power-will-fail-without-subsidies-bx8908gm5
     
         
      The road to net zero will be rocky but worth it Mon, 26th Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      Ten hours on the road from London to Northumberland means a lot of time to think. It also provides glimpses of the opportunities and obstacles that face Britain on the path to a net-zero economy. We can get there, if we get the relationship between government and markets right. It’s about 60 miles north of the capital that the politics and economics of decarbonisation become visible. From the M1 in Northamptonshire, the first wind turbines of the journey appear. They’re a mundane sight now but not long ago they were a matter of fierce politics. In 2012 more than 100 Conservative MPs wrote to David Cameron telling him to abandon onshore wind power. Tellingly, they argued that wind power was expensive and inefficient.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/road-to-net-zero-will-be-rocky-but-worth-it-3thfvgnhg
     
         
      Wildfires spread from California to Nevada Sun, 25th Jul 2021 14:31:00
     
      Fire crews are battling extreme temperatures as they try to control wildfires in California and Nevada. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Across the country, in Washington DC, the moon turned a bright orange colour due to the smoke from the fires.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57961767
     
         
      Outrage as Italy faces multimillion pound damages to UK oil firm Sun, 25th Jul 2021 13:18:00
     
      Italy could be forced to pay millions of pounds in damages to a UK oil company after banning new drilling near its coast. The case has sparked outrage at the secretive international tribunals at which fossil fuel companies can sue governments for passing laws to protect the environment – amid fears that such cases are slowing down action on the climate crisis. It is also fuelling concern that the UK is particularly exposed to the risk of oil firms suing to prevent green policies, potentially hampering climate action. Rockhopper Exploration, based in Salisbury, Wiltshire, bought a licence to drill for oil off Italy’s Adriatic coast in 2014. There had already been a wave of opposition to the project, with protests that drew tens of thousands of people. Within two years, the campaign won over the Italian parliament, which imposed a ban on oil and gas projects within 12 nautical miles of the Italian coast. Rockhopper fought back using a relatively obscure legal mechanism known as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which allows companies to sue governments for introducing policies that could affect their future earnings. Reports suggest Rockhopper has spent $29m (£21m) on the offshore project to date and is claiming damages of $275m based on expected future profits from the oilfield. The company said it has been advised that it has “strong prospects of recovering very significant monetary damages” as a result of Italy’s actions. Devised in the 1950s by a banker and the chief counsel for oil company Royal Dutch Shell, ISDS was designed to protect companies’ investments in newly independent countries, where it was feared that governments might try to wrest back control of their natural resources. The concept gradually took hold and it is now written into thousands of investment treaties worldwide. Decades later, fossil fuel companies are using it to protect their assets, this time in the face of an oncoming wave of climate legislation. That is because ISDS is part of the energy charter treaty (ECT), meaning energy companies can sue any of the 53 signatory countries – including the UK – if they take action that could dent those companies’ future earnings, such as banning the exploitation of coal, oil and gas reserves. The German energy company RWE, for instance, is suing the Netherlands for €1.4bn (£1.2bn) over its plans to phase out coal. Cases like these could slow down action on the climate crisis, as governments await the outcome of legal battles that could take years to resolve. Ruth Bergan, senior adviser at the campaign group Trade Justice Movement, says: “People are watching these cases and there is evidence that they look at what is happening elsewhere and it puts the brakes on their own policies. It also just adds a huge price tag to climate action and we can’t afford it.” While the UK has not yet been sued under the ECT, an analysis by Investigate Europe shows it is the most vulnerable of all the countries in Europe, with more than £120bn worth of fossil fuel infrastructure owned by foreign companies. Bergan says there is concern that the UK could delay or water down climate change legislation for fear of being sued. Lawyers confirm that governments are acutely aware of the threat of litigation when developing policy. Toby Landau, a top QC in ISDS cases, said in an interview with the London School of Economics: “As a practitioner, I can tell you that there are states who are now seeking advice from counsel in advance of promulgating particular policies in order to know whether or not there is a risk of an investor-state claim.” There have been lengthy talks aimed at reforming the treaty, which resumed this month, but a leak of diplomatic cables suggests they face failure. France and Spain both want to withdraw from the treaty, but that would not protect them from claims related to past investments. Italy left the ECT in 2016 but is being sued under a “sunset clause” that means former members are subject to the treaty for 20 years after they have left. Several London-listed companies have recently launched lawsuits under ISDS, including mining companies Anglo American and Glencore, which are suing the Colombian government after they were banned in 2017 from exploiting part of a huge opencast coalmine because of its impact on the environment. Aim-listed Ascent Resources is suing Slovenia after the country’s environment agency asked it to carry out an environmental assessment (EIA) before embarking on a fracking project, which activists say could pollute critical water sources nearby. Ascent said six of Slovenia’s government ministries and conservation organisations concluded that an EIA was not required so the request was “manifestly arbitrary and unreasonable”. ISDS is considered particularly powerful because a state’s assets abroad can be seized in order to pay any damages. Scottish oil and gas company Cairn Energy, for example, is attempting to seize the planes of state-owned Air India after India was ordered to pay the company $1.2bn in damages under ISDS. Proponents say that by protecting companies from unfair treatment by governments, ISDS encourages foreign investment. Guillaume Croisant, managing associate at Linklaters, a magic circle law firm active in ISDS arbitrations, says: “For many companies, what is important is the deterrent effect of those protections.” The main criticism of ISDS is that the justice it provides is imbalanced because governments cannot sue companies and it is only open to foreign investors. In the past, the cost of legal fees – which average $8m a case – has also made it the preserve of multinational corporations. A number of specialist funders have, however, emerged offering a “no win no fee” service for international arbitrations. Rockhopper, which used one of these services to bring its ISDS case, has a stock market value of just £42m, so an ISDS award potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds would be significant for its finances. Daniel Slater, an analyst at stockbroker Arden Partners, says any windfall would be “tremendously helpful” for funding Rockhopper’s project off the coast of the Falklands – an as yet untapped oilfield containing 1.7bn barrels of oil which, if burned, could produce around one and a half times the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the UK, according to the climate thinktank Ember. Asked how that project fits with the International Energy Agency’s warning against investing in new fossil fuel projects, Rockhopper declined to comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/25/outrage-as-italy-faces-multimillion-pound-damages-to-uk-oil-firm
     
         
      Plans of four G20 states are threat to global climate pledge, warn scientists Sun, 25th Jul 2021 8:45:00
     
      A key group of leading G20 nations is committed to climate targets that would lead to disastrous global warming, scientists have warned. They say China, Russia, Brazil and Australia all have energy policies associated with 5C rises in atmospheric temperatures, a heating hike that would bring devastation to much of the planet. The analysis, by the peer-reviewed group Paris Equity Check, raises serious worries about the prospects of key climate agreements being achieved at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in three months. The conference – rated as one of the most important climate summits ever staged – will attempt to hammer out policies to hold global heating to 1.5C by agreeing on a global policy for ending net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. The EU and UK have outlined emission pledges that could bring the world close to these aspirations. However, those of China, Russia, Brazil and Australia – which remain reliant on continued fossil-fuel burning – would trigger temperature rises of 5C if followed by the rest of the world. This dramatic discrepancy reveals a deep division over the energy and environment policies of the world’s richest nations. “Without more ambition from China, Brazil, Russia and Australia, Cop26 will fail to deliver the future our planet needs,” warned Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF. The stark difference between the climate plans of different G20 nations – who together are responsible for 85% of all global carbon emissions – was underlined last week in Naples, when a meeting of member states’ energy and environment ministers ended with the group failing to agree on a package of commitments to tackle climate change. “The G20 is failing to deliver,” said the online activist network Avaaz. The G20 meeting had been viewed as a critically important staging post leading up to Cop26 and its failure to find common ground underlines the crucial differences that divide nations in the group and indicate it is not going to be easy to secure a meaningful accord in Scotland. This point was backed by Yann Robiou du Pont, the lead researcher for the Paris Equity Tracker analysis. “The research underlines what many of us fear: major economies are simply not doing enough to tackle the climate crisis and, in many cases, G20 countries are leaving us on track [for] a world of more heatwaves, flooding and extreme weather events.” A world that would be 5C hotter than it was before the Industrial Revolution, when fossil-fuel burning began in earnest, would be one in which a quarter of the global population would face extreme drought for at least one month a year; rainforests would be destroyed; and melting ice sheets would result in dangerous sea-level rises. In addition, loss of reflective ice from the poles could cause oceans to absorb more solar radiation, while melting permafrost in Siberia and other regions would release plumes of methane, another pernicious greenhouse gas. Inevitably, temperatures would soar even further. By contrast, scientists say that if temperature rises can be kept below 1.5C, then the worst impacts of climate change could be prevented – though they also point out that temperatures have already risen 1.2C, leaving the world facing very tight margins to avoid the worst impacts of global warming over the next 30 years. The extent of the climate crisis has also been highlighted this month with extreme weather events causing devastation across the world: deadly floods have swept through Germany, Belgium and China, while massive wildfires have gripped the US and Siberia. Global warming has been implicated in every case. “Ahead of Cop26, we now need to see action and we owe it to the most vulnerable countries to rally together. Failure to deliver on our commitments is not an option and we must not be found wanting,” said Alok Sharma, the former UK business secretary who is now president of Cop26. Sharma last week was strongly critical of countries such as “big emitters” Russia and China who must do more to tackle climate change, he warned. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries committed to submit new climate plans every five years with a goal to limit global warming to well below 2C, aiming at 1.5C, compared to pre-industrial levels. However, earlier this year, the United Nations issued a “red alert” over current climate plans, warning they were “nowhere close” to meeting the Paris goals. The International Energy Agency recently said that if the world was to stay within 1.5C of warming, all further development and exploration of new fossil fuel sources should cease from this year. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, told the Observer that the US was carefully considering the implications of the IEA report. “I know that people are very heavily aware of the need to shift our programmes and policy [in a way that] really robustly embraces that,” he said. “Everybody in the world need to be working on this. We need to think differently. We should be pushing hard in a different direction [from fossil fuels].” He said Biden was also working to ensure the US and China were aligned on the need to stay within 1.5C. “The first thing [Biden] hopes about China is that China recognises the reality of where we all are, and where China is, and what we need to do to get this job done. China is a global leader with a special responsibility to make sure we are all meeting [climate goals]. We want to find common ground.” He said there were no plans for a US-China summit, such as President Barack Obama conducted with China’s President Xi Jinping ahead of the Paris conference, but said such a meeting was “not out of the question”. He added: “A lot of conversations with China have not yet arrived at agreement.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/25/plans-of-four-g20-states-are-threat-to-global-climate-pledge-warn-scientists
     
         
      No 10's 'net zero' carbon target is in disarray as Rishi Sunak baulks at the £1.4trillion cost of making UK a 'world leader' in green policies Sun, 25th Jul 2021 0:31:00
     
      Proposals to reduce emissions to 'net zero' as part of Boris Johnson's plan to make the UK a 'world leader' in green policies have been thrown into disarray after Rishi Sunak raised objections to the eye-watering cost to the Treasury. As part of the net zero plan –which would decarbonise the economy by 2050 – No 10 had been expected to publish in the spring details of the strategy for moving away from gas boilers ahead of Glasgow's COP26 climate change conference in November. But this has been delayed until the autumn amid mounting alarm about the bill. The Chancellor – who is already looking for ways to pay back the £400 billion cost of the Covid crisis and the £10 billion a year required to reform long-term care for the elderly – is understood to have baulked at estimates of hitting net zero at more than £1.4 trillion. The independent Office For Budget Responsibility (OBR) calculated the cost of making buildings net zero at £400 billion, while the bill for vehicles would be £330 billion, plus £500 billion to clean up power generation and a further £46 billion for industry. After energy savings across the economy, this would leave a £400 billion bill for the Treasury. The OBR also warned that the Government would need to impose carbon taxes to make up for the loss of fuel duty and other taxes. The Prime Minister is considering issuing millions of households with 'green cheques' worth hundreds of pounds to compensate them for the cost of becoming more energy efficient. It is the latest claim of tensions between No 10 and No 11 over the strains on the public purse. Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed Mr Sunak had warned that reforms to social care would not be affordable without the introduction of a new dedicated tax, equivalent to an extra 1 per cent on National Insurance. After a backlash, No 10 shelved the plans until the autumn. There are also ongoing discussions about how to reduce the predicted £4 billion cost of the 'triple lock' protecting the value of the state pension, amid fears that a surge in average earnings figures will push it unaffordably high. Both the increase on National Insurance and extra green costs are controversial within Government because the burden of both fall more heavily on younger people and lower income households. The summit is expected to bring together more than 100 world leaders to make commitments on how they intend to reach global net zero and limit global warming to 1.5C. Yesterday, Allegra Stratton, Mr Johnson's COP26 spokeswoman, promised that the details will be published before November's meeting. She said the Prime Minister believed that 'if we are going to transition to net zero it needs to be in a way the British public understand and are comfortable with'. A Treasury spokesman said that No 10 and No 11 were 'on the same page' on both the triple lock and the need for an effective, affordable net zero strategy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9822139/No-10s-net-zero-carbon-target-disarray-Rishi-Sunak-baulks-1-4trillion-cost.html
     
         
      ‘I can see the industry disappearing’: US fishermen sound alarm at plans for offshore wind Sat, 24th Jul 2021 16:39:00
     
      For the past nine years, Tom Dameron has managed government relations for Surfside Foods, a New Jersey-based shellfish company. If you asked him five years ago what his biggest challenge was at work, the lifelong fisherman would have said negotiating annual harvest quotas for surf and quahog clams. Today, he’d tell you it is surviving the arrival of the offshore wind industry, which is slated to install hundreds of turbines atop prime fishing grounds over the next decade. While there isn’t a single wind turbine spinning off the coast of the Garden state yet, plans are under way for new offshore wind developments that hope to power more than a million homes with carbon-free energy over the next several years. The wind farms are expected to create thousands of new jobs, but the price tag looks steep to Dameron, who fears those jobs and climate benefits will come at the expense of his industry. If wind lease areas are fully developed across the mid-Atlantic, Dameron said clam fishermen will lose access to highly productive areas of the ocean, which could send the multimillion-dollar industry into a “downward spiral”. “I could see the clam industry in Atlantic City disappearing,” Dameron said. Dameron’s fears are being echoed by fishermen across the country as they face the arrival of a big new energy business in waters many have fished for generations. Offshore wind, which has long struggled to take off in the US due to high costs, regulatory uncertainty and fierce resistance from shoreside residents, is now surging forward under the Biden administration. In March, Joe Biden committed to building 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, enough to power 10m homes and avoid 78m metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. With strong political pressure to accelerate offshore wind development as part of the administration’s larger effort to tackle the climate crisis, fishermen feel they are being forgotten. Many say that their concerns – which range from safety issues operating around wind farms to how offshore wind development will alter the ocean environment and affect fish stocks – aren’t being meaningfully considered by regulators. Offshore wind “is one of the most consistently cited factors as a big risk to businesses and their practices”, said Annie Hawkins, the executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (Roda), a trade association representing commercial fishermen. “It is a huge, huge thing in the minds of fishermen right now.” While the European offshore wind industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with more than 5,000 turbines generating a combined 25 gigawatts of renewable power capacity as of earlier this year, America has lagged behind. Today, the entire US offshore wind fleet consists of five turbines in state waters off Rhode Island and two research turbines in federal waters off Virginia. Over the coming decades, the US is expected to catch up by installing thousands of additional turbines in lease areas spanning thousands of square miles of ocean. American fishermen are bracing for the sorts of spatial conflicts that have arisen in Europe, where fishermen are often legally forbidden to operate in the vicinity of wind farms and subsea cables, or have stopped operating in their vicinity by choice due to safety and liability concerns. In the north-eastern US and mid-Atlantic, where America’s first commercial wind farms will be built, lease areas overlap with highly productive fisheries that add billions of dollars to regional economies. While the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) hasn’t declared any of these wind energy areas off-limits for fishing, as in Europe fishermen worry that turbines and their associated infrastructure, including seafloor transmission cables and concrete foundations, will make it impossible to operate their vessels safely. “What essentially this is turning into is thousands of miles of closed areas,” said Meghan Lapp, the general manager at Seafreeze Shoreside, a Rhode Island-based fish plant. Along the US west coast, where floating offshore wind technology is expected to be deployed because of the much greater depth to seafloor, suspended transmission cables could impede fishing nets and create a “functional closure” for certain types of gear, said Mike Conroy, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). If fishing gear does become entangled with offshore wind equipment “that is an extremely dangerous situation in terms of sinking a boat or loss of life”, said Daphne Munroe, a shellfish ecologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Wind turbines can also interfere with the radar systems fishermen use to navigate. Fishermen have additional concerns about how commercial-scale offshore wind development will affect fish stocks and the ocean environment. Noise from the construction and operation of wind turbines could potentially drive fish away, while undersea foundations risk becoming artificial reefs that alter the distribution of species in wind lease areas. Wind turbines may also alter ocean currents in a way that affects the mid-Atlantic “cold pool”, a vast area of cold water near the seafloor that allows numerous species, including scallops, clams and flounder, to thrive. The large-scale, long-term environmental impacts of offshore wind have not been well researched in US waters, and the types of studies needed to address these questions are expensive, said Aran Mooney, a biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. “There is an OK amount of research funding going into this, but there certainly needs to be more to get at these bigger questions,” Mooney said. To reach the Biden administration’s goal of expanding offshore wind development, BOEM is moving quickly to review and approve offshore wind farms in federal waters, identify new ocean areas for wind energy development, and hold lease sales. By 2025, the agency aims to have completed an environmental review of at least 16 offshore wind farm construction and operations plans. The pace of offshore wind development is “going fast relative to the scale of research on these topics”, said Travis Miles, an oceanographer at Rutgers University who is exploring the potential impacts of offshore wind on the mid-Atlantic cold pool. “And it would be really unfortunate to leave our fishing industry behind” BOEM marine biologist Brian Hooker said in an email that since 2009, the agency had awarded “millions of dollars” for fisheries-related research in the Atlantic on topics ranging from how fish migrate through lease areas to how they are affected by artificial sounds and electromagnetic fields. In its fiscal year 2022-2023 research plan, BOEM proposed a new study to investigate the spatial needs of the commercial clam industry in the New York Bight, a heavily fished area between New Jersey and Long Island where the agency will be holding an offshore wind lease sale this year. The agency’s proposed sale notice for the New York Bight, released in June, also contains several provisions aimed at helping fishermen. These include a proposal for 2.5-mile-wide fishing vessel transit lanes in the proposed Hudson South lease area and a requirement that wind developers coordinate with the fishing industry and consider any “potential conflicts” when developing construction and operation plans. Some offshore wind developers are attempting to address fishing industry concerns. Drawing on its experience working with the commercial fishing industry overseas, developer Equinor held a series of meetings with fishermen as it was planning Empire Wind, a proposed offshore wind farm south of Long Island. Based on feedback it received during those meetings, Equinor redesigned the layout for the wind farm to include an open area for fishing at the western edge of the lease area. “Equinor met us halfway and negotiated something that would work well for everybody,” said Hawkins, who co-organized the meetings and attended them on behalf of Roda. In recent years in Europe, many spatial conflicts have been avoided by this sort of collaborative planning. But right now, Hawkins said that meaningful negotiations between offshore wind developers and fishermen in US waters the exception rather than the norm. “From our perspective we’ve seen less authentic engagement with fishermen” since the start of the Biden administration, Hawkins said. “It certainly has the appearance of [developers] thinking they’re going to be all right no matter what.” Hooker said that BOEM will “continue to engage with commercial fishermen to avoid or reduce potential impacts from offshore wind energy development.” BOEM, he said, works with the US coast guard and others at all stages of offshore wind development to determine how navigation and fishing will be impacted, and the agency tries to avoid leasing the most heavily trafficked parts of the ocean. But according to Hawkins: “The fishing industry feels very strongly that they still do not have a meaningful voice in the process nor an authentic seat at the table.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/24/offshore-wind-development-new-jersey-us-fishermen-ocean-life
     
         
      Formula E: 'We only have one planet', says driver Alice Powell Sat, 24th Jul 2021 14:56:00
     
      British racing drive Alice Powell has been announced as an ambassador for COP26, the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow. Powell is a development driver for Envision Virgin Racing and says "electric cars produce fantastic racing".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/motorsport/57953302
     
         
      Form Energy Reveals Iron-Air 100 Hour Storage Battery Sat, 24th Jul 2021 14:39:00
     
      Boston-based Form Energy has been diligently working on an iron-air battery since 2017, but details of its research have been sparse … until now. This week, the company said its first commercial product is a “rechargeable iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion. This battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable, secure, and fully renewable electric grid year-round.” One of the ways fossil fuel advocates attack renewable energy is to focus on the intermittency issue — the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Form Energy says its battery technology will solve that problem. The technology is dirt simple, at least in theory. According to Recharge News, in discharge mode, thousands of tiny iron pellets are exposed to the air, which makes them rust — the iron turns to iron oxide. When the system is charged with an electric current, the oxygen in the rust is removed, and it reverts back to iron. Form Energy CEO Ted Wiley says, “We have completed the science. What’s left to do is scale up from lab-scale prototypes to grid-scale power plants. At full production, the modules will produce electricity for one-tenth the cost of any technology available today for grid storage.” Wiley says a 300 MW pilot project for Minnesota-based Great River Energy will be commissioned in 2023. On its website, Form Energy explains its technology this way: “Each individual battery is about the size of a washing machine. Each of these modules is filled with a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, similar to the electrolyte used in AA batteries. Inside of the liquid electrolyte are stacks of between 10 and 20 meter-scale cells, which include iron electrodes and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that enable the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity. “These battery modules are grouped together in modular megawatt-scale power blocks, which comprise thousands of battery modules in an environmentally protected enclosure. Depending on the system size, tens to hundreds of these power blocks will be connected to the electricity grid. For scale, in its least dense configuration, a one megawatt system requires about an acre of land. Higher density configurations can achieve >3MW/acre. “Our battery systems can be sited anywhere, even in urban areas, to meet utility-scale energy needs. Our batteries complement the function of lithium-ion batteries, allowing for an optimal balance of our technology and lithium-ion batteries to deliver the lowest-cost renewable and reliable electric system year-round.” Form Energy has received major funding support from Breakthough Energy Ventures, which is funded in part by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. But it is also attracting investments from ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel makers, as well as Italian oil giant Eni and Macquarie Capital. Form has announced a Series D financing round that aims to raise $200 million. ArcelorMittal announced a further $25 million investment last Thursday. Greg Ludkovsky, global head of research and development for the company, said as part of that announcement, “Form Energy is at the leading edge of developments in the long duration, grid battery storage space. The multi-day energy storage technology they have developed holds exciting potential to overcome the issue of intermittent supply of renewable energy. They are exactly the kind of ambitious and innovative company we are seeking to invest in through our XCarb™ innovation fund. “In addition to our investment, there are obvious synergies we are exploring with them. These include from ArcelorMittal supplying iron for their battery solutions, through to the potential their batteries hold to deliver us a permanent, reliable supply of renewably generated energy for our steel plants, therefore helping us in our journey to transition to carbon-neutral steel making.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/24/form-energy-reveals-iron-air-100-hour-storage-battery/
     
         
      Form Energy Reveals Iron-Air 100 Hour Storage Battery Sat, 24th Jul 2021 14:39:00
     
      Boston-based Form Energy has been diligently working on an iron-air battery since 2017, but details of its research have been sparse … until now. This week, the company said its first commercial product is a “rechargeable iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion. This battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable, secure, and fully renewable electric grid year-round.” One of the ways fossil fuel advocates attack renewable energy is to focus on the intermittency issue — the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Form Energy says its battery technology will solve that problem. The technology is dirt simple, at least in theory. According to Recharge News, in discharge mode, thousands of tiny iron pellets are exposed to the air, which makes them rust — the iron turns to iron oxide. When the system is charged with an electric current, the oxygen in the rust is removed, and it reverts back to iron. Form Energy CEO Ted Wiley says, “We have completed the science. What’s left to do is scale up from lab-scale prototypes to grid-scale power plants. At full production, the modules will produce electricity for one-tenth the cost of any technology available today for grid storage.” Wiley says a 300 MW pilot project for Minnesota-based Great River Energy will be commissioned in 2023. On its website, Form Energy explains its technology this way: “Each individual battery is about the size of a washing machine. Each of these modules is filled with a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, similar to the electrolyte used in AA batteries. Inside of the liquid electrolyte are stacks of between 10 and 20 meter-scale cells, which include iron electrodes and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that enable the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity. “These battery modules are grouped together in modular megawatt-scale power blocks, which comprise thousands of battery modules in an environmentally protected enclosure. Depending on the system size, tens to hundreds of these power blocks will be connected to the electricity grid. For scale, in its least dense configuration, a one megawatt system requires about an acre of land. Higher density configurations can achieve >3MW/acre. “Our battery systems can be sited anywhere, even in urban areas, to meet utility-scale energy needs. Our batteries complement the function of lithium-ion batteries, allowing for an optimal balance of our technology and lithium-ion batteries to deliver the lowest-cost renewable and reliable electric system year-round.” Form Energy has received major funding support from Breakthough Energy Ventures, which is funded in part by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. But it is also attracting investments from ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel makers, as well as Italian oil giant Eni and Macquarie Capital. Form has announced a Series D financing round that aims to raise $200 million. ArcelorMittal announced a further $25 million investment last Thursday. Greg Ludkovsky, global head of research and development for the company, said as part of that announcement, “Form Energy is at the leading edge of developments in the long duration, grid battery storage space. The multi-day energy storage technology they have developed holds exciting potential to overcome the issue of intermittent supply of renewable energy. They are exactly the kind of ambitious and innovative company we are seeking to invest in through our XCarb™ innovation fund. “In addition to our investment, there are obvious synergies we are exploring with them. These include from ArcelorMittal supplying iron for their battery solutions, through to the potential their batteries hold to deliver us a permanent, reliable supply of renewably generated energy for our steel plants, therefore helping us in our journey to transition to carbon-neutral steel making.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/24/form-energy-reveals-iron-air-100-hour-storage-battery/
     
         
      Form Energy Reveals Iron-Air 100 Hour Storage Battery Sat, 24th Jul 2021 14:39:00
     
      Boston-based Form Energy has been diligently working on an iron-air battery since 2017, but details of its research have been sparse … until now. This week, the company said its first commercial product is a “rechargeable iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion. This battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable, secure, and fully renewable electric grid year-round.” One of the ways fossil fuel advocates attack renewable energy is to focus on the intermittency issue — the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Form Energy says its battery technology will solve that problem. The technology is dirt simple, at least in theory. According to Recharge News, in discharge mode, thousands of tiny iron pellets are exposed to the air, which makes them rust — the iron turns to iron oxide. When the system is charged with an electric current, the oxygen in the rust is removed, and it reverts back to iron. Form Energy CEO Ted Wiley says, “We have completed the science. What’s left to do is scale up from lab-scale prototypes to grid-scale power plants. At full production, the modules will produce electricity for one-tenth the cost of any technology available today for grid storage.” Wiley says a 300 MW pilot project for Minnesota-based Great River Energy will be commissioned in 2023. On its website, Form Energy explains its technology this way: “Each individual battery is about the size of a washing machine. Each of these modules is filled with a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, similar to the electrolyte used in AA batteries. Inside of the liquid electrolyte are stacks of between 10 and 20 meter-scale cells, which include iron electrodes and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that enable the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity. “These battery modules are grouped together in modular megawatt-scale power blocks, which comprise thousands of battery modules in an environmentally protected enclosure. Depending on the system size, tens to hundreds of these power blocks will be connected to the electricity grid. For scale, in its least dense configuration, a one megawatt system requires about an acre of land. Higher density configurations can achieve >3MW/acre. “Our battery systems can be sited anywhere, even in urban areas, to meet utility-scale energy needs. Our batteries complement the function of lithium-ion batteries, allowing for an optimal balance of our technology and lithium-ion batteries to deliver the lowest-cost renewable and reliable electric system year-round.” Form Energy has received major funding support from Breakthough Energy Ventures, which is funded in part by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. But it is also attracting investments from ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel makers, as well as Italian oil giant Eni and Macquarie Capital. Form has announced a Series D financing round that aims to raise $200 million. ArcelorMittal announced a further $25 million investment last Thursday. Greg Ludkovsky, global head of research and development for the company, said as part of that announcement, “Form Energy is at the leading edge of developments in the long duration, grid battery storage space. The multi-day energy storage technology they have developed holds exciting potential to overcome the issue of intermittent supply of renewable energy. They are exactly the kind of ambitious and innovative company we are seeking to invest in through our XCarb™ innovation fund. “In addition to our investment, there are obvious synergies we are exploring with them. These include from ArcelorMittal supplying iron for their battery solutions, through to the potential their batteries hold to deliver us a permanent, reliable supply of renewably generated energy for our steel plants, therefore helping us in our journey to transition to carbon-neutral steel making.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/24/form-energy-reveals-iron-air-100-hour-storage-battery/
     
         
      Form Energy Reveals Iron-Air 100 Hour Storage Battery Sat, 24th Jul 2021 14:39:00
     
      Boston-based Form Energy has been diligently working on an iron-air battery since 2017, but details of its research have been sparse … until now. This week, the company said its first commercial product is a “rechargeable iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion. This battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable, secure, and fully renewable electric grid year-round.” One of the ways fossil fuel advocates attack renewable energy is to focus on the intermittency issue — the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Form Energy says its battery technology will solve that problem. The technology is dirt simple, at least in theory. According to Recharge News, in discharge mode, thousands of tiny iron pellets are exposed to the air, which makes them rust — the iron turns to iron oxide. When the system is charged with an electric current, the oxygen in the rust is removed, and it reverts back to iron. Form Energy CEO Ted Wiley says, “We have completed the science. What’s left to do is scale up from lab-scale prototypes to grid-scale power plants. At full production, the modules will produce electricity for one-tenth the cost of any technology available today for grid storage.” Wiley says a 300 MW pilot project for Minnesota-based Great River Energy will be commissioned in 2023. On its website, Form Energy explains its technology this way: “Each individual battery is about the size of a washing machine. Each of these modules is filled with a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte, similar to the electrolyte used in AA batteries. Inside of the liquid electrolyte are stacks of between 10 and 20 meter-scale cells, which include iron electrodes and air electrodes, the parts of the battery that enable the electrochemical reactions to store and discharge electricity. “These battery modules are grouped together in modular megawatt-scale power blocks, which comprise thousands of battery modules in an environmentally protected enclosure. Depending on the system size, tens to hundreds of these power blocks will be connected to the electricity grid. For scale, in its least dense configuration, a one megawatt system requires about an acre of land. Higher density configurations can achieve >3MW/acre. “Our battery systems can be sited anywhere, even in urban areas, to meet utility-scale energy needs. Our batteries complement the function of lithium-ion batteries, allowing for an optimal balance of our technology and lithium-ion batteries to deliver the lowest-cost renewable and reliable electric system year-round.” Form Energy has received major funding support from Breakthough Energy Ventures, which is funded in part by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. But it is also attracting investments from ArcelorMittal, one of the world’s largest steel makers, as well as Italian oil giant Eni and Macquarie Capital. Form has announced a Series D financing round that aims to raise $200 million. ArcelorMittal announced a further $25 million investment last Thursday. Greg Ludkovsky, global head of research and development for the company, said as part of that announcement, “Form Energy is at the leading edge of developments in the long duration, grid battery storage space. The multi-day energy storage technology they have developed holds exciting potential to overcome the issue of intermittent supply of renewable energy. They are exactly the kind of ambitious and innovative company we are seeking to invest in through our XCarb™ innovation fund. “In addition to our investment, there are obvious synergies we are exploring with them. These include from ArcelorMittal supplying iron for their battery solutions, through to the potential their batteries hold to deliver us a permanent, reliable supply of renewably generated energy for our steel plants, therefore helping us in our journey to transition to carbon-neutral steel making.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/24/form-energy-reveals-iron-air-100-hour-storage-battery/
     
         
      Beware summer! As climate crisis deepens, attitudes to season shift Sat, 24th Jul 2021 8:00:00
     
      Beware summer! The season we used to anticipate as the lightest, brightest, balmiest time of the year now comes with a health warning. For the first time in the UK, the Met Office issued an extreme heat advisory this week. The warning was very staid, very British, but a clear shift away from the ethos of Keep Calm and Carry On. The amber alert urged precautions against adverse health effects for vulnerable populations, pressure on water resources, potential power cuts and increased likelihood of transport delays. Given the temperatures were only a little over 30C for a few days, this might seem risible to people living in far hotter parts of the world, but it is part of a growing global conversation that is fundamentally challenging how we think about summer in a climate-disrupted world. In the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, where most of the human population lives, the months of June, July and August have until recently been seen a season of joy, relaxation and celebration. It is when people take their longest holiday of the year, when most weddings are arranged, when Olympics and World Cups are staged. Newspapers have long filled their midsummer front pages with seasonal images of children slurping ice-creams, holidaymakers at the beach and women in bikinis. There are fewer cases of depression linked to seasonally adjusted disorder. Radio DJs fill the airwaves with upbeat seasonal staples such as Summer Breeze, Sunny Afternoon and Walking on Sunshine. But a jarring note has been struck in recent weeks by a wave of violent extreme weather that has smashed heat and rain records, killed hundreds and raised fears that summer may never seem the same again. Suddenly the full fury of the climate crisis appears almost everywhere at once. Three weeks ago, it was the deadly heatwave in the north-west Americas that smashed Canada’s all-time temperature record by more than 5C and took at least 500 lives in British Columbia, and the US states of Oregon and Washington. Last week, it was the devastating deluges that turned streets into rivers and trapped people in cellars in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and UK. In the past few days, it has been horrifying images of Chinese commuters starting to suffocate in Zhengzhou subway trains as flood waters pushed air out of the carriages. At least 33 people died in the city after a year’s worth of rain in four days. Other heat records have been set in Turkey, Finland, Estonia and elsewhere, while savage forest fires in Siberia and North America continue to rage, filling the skies with toxic smoke and sending carbon plumes up into the atmosphere. Climate scientists have long predicted extreme weather will become more intense and frequent as a result of exhaust fumes, industrial activity, deforestation and other human activities. Records of heat and rain are already being broken with increasing frequency across the world but they tend to be noticed most in the northern and southern summers. This is the time of year when global heating pushes temperate dwellers further from our comfort zone and into uncharted climate territory. Adapting will be a mental as well as physical challenge. Britons and other northern peoples have been so historically starved of sunlight that we are notoriously inclined to overcompensate by baring all in the blazing summer sun. But temperatures are already hitting levels common nearer the equator and desert regions. There, locals have learned to be wary of the sun, stay indoors, cover their skin, walk in the shade and limit their activities to the cooler morning and evening. Richard Betts, the head of climate impacts research at the Met Office Hadley Centre, said people in the UK may start to emulate Australians who describe hot, sunny weather as “awful” rather than “lovely”. “I think the British view of summer may well change,” he said. “I would not be surprised if as a nation we started to shift our view of hot weather as we become more aware of its dangers. I do still enjoy hot sunny weather, but am no longer blase about it, and take precautions to protect myself and my family from the heat, and am exceptionally careful about wildfire risks.” The seasons have already moved an alarming distance in the northern midlatitudes. A recent study found the duration of summer increased from 78 days to 95 days between 1952–2011. Without a rapid emissions phase out, this part of the world is on course have a six-month summer and only a two-month winter by the end of the century. Our seasonal temperature refuge is shrinking. In fairytale terms, an anti-Narnia trend is wiping out the Goldilocks zone. A shift in seasons is also disturbing agricultural production and the rhythm of plants, insects, birds and other species that we depend on. It is drying out soils, changing moisture patterns in the air and worsening drought. This has a knock-on effect on humans. In the US, the summer fire season is lengthening and deepening as temperatures rise, winter snow melts earlier, and soils and vegetation dry out. For every 1C rise in temperature, there is a 20% greater chance of a major wildfire, according to the UCLA Center of Climate Science. Alex Hall, the director of the centre, previously projected increases in wildfires of 64%-77% in southern California by midcentury, but he now suspects this an underestimate because fire has outpaced their forecasts. “California and the western US are an outdoor paradise for many. But for the past couple of summers, we have been living in a nightmarish scenario of intense heat, wildfire, and polluted air,” Alex Hall, the director of the centre, said. “With this year seeming to bring yet another summer of intense fire, it’s starting to seem like the new normal. I believe this is beginning to change perceptions of the region and undermine the idea of ‘paradise.’” The mental health effects of more extreme weather and relentless summers remain underreported. David Eisenman, a professor of community health sciences in California, has studied the likely impact of prolonged fire seasons on people who are be trapped indoors by smoke. “Weeks at a time, most people are resilient, but if it happens for a few months every summer, that’s a different story. And months of smoke are the new thing that we’re going to see,” he said. “Even assuming people are physically safe, fundamentally, it’s about social isolation. The joys that summer once brought become more difficult to access. It’s the experience of social isolation we felt from Covid-19 all over again.” Reassurance could come in the form of upgraded infrastructure. This will have to be stronger and cooler. As well as higher flood defences, hospitals and care homes will need more air conditioning; cities will need more parks, rivers and shade; roads will have to be designed not to melt and crack in the heat. Betts said buildings and public spaces should not be designed on the basis of past weather data because that is no longer a guide. “As weather more frequently goes outside past experience, it is going beyond what the infrastructure can cope with – so it’s more of a threshold in the human system than the climate system. We urgently need to catch up on adaptation, we are lagging well behind the changes in climate that are now occurring.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/24/as-the-climate-crisis-deepens-the-uks-attitude-to-summer-begins-to-shift
     
         
      Athens appoints chief heat officer to combat climate crisis Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 17:00:00
     
      Athens has appointed a chief heat officer to protect people from soaring temperatures and try to find ways to adapt the city to the heatwaves and extreme weather that are striking the capital more frequently as the result of the climate emergency. The appointment, made on Friday by the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, is the first in Europe and believed to be only the second in the world, after Miami-Dade county in Florida appointed a chief heat officer earlier this year. Bakoyannis said: “Climate change for our city means more frequent and dangerous extreme high temperatures for residents and for tourists who are critical for our economy. Unfortunately, Athens is not unique – heat is an emergency for cities across Europe and the world.” Eleni Myrivili, Athens’ new chief heat officer, added: “We’ve been talking about global warming for decades, but we haven’t talked much about heat.” Myrivili’s task will be to find ways to cool the city, beyond the obvious air conditioning in buildings, which only adds to the climate crisis by its massive use of energy around the world. Planting trees and plants and cultivating green spaces for shade and their cooling properties will be vital, as will redesigning roads and buildings, and examining the materials used for building. Athens has announced a programme to increase the amount of green space and shade across the city. Providing “cool routes” through areas where the density of buildings poses a particular problem will also be a priority. The city already uses a smartphone app to warn residents and tourists about the weather and provide heat-beating tips. This summer has been one of the hottest on record across much of Europe, with heat records tumbling in many areas, at the same time as floods have swept through Germany and Belgium. Across the world, China has experienced devastating flooding, while heatwaves have struck northern latitudes in Canada, and wildfires raged in the US. Heat is a particular problem for people in cities because built-up areas and concrete store heat from the sun, while energy use and transport creates its own excess heat that adds to the natural warming effect, and there is less of the natural cooling effect of trees, vegetation and water. The very young and elderly people are most at risk from overheating, though temperatures in some places are now so extreme that even healthy young people are increasingly at risk. At least 104,000 deaths among Europe’s elderly population were caused by excessive heat in 2018. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, warned that cities everywhere must take note. “Extreme heat is becoming the new normal in urban environments and occurs with a dramatic frequency. Devastating heatwaves remove any doubt that climate change affects all our lives. There is an urgent need to strengthen the actions taken in cities to address extreme heat and prevent the silent killer from causing more deaths.” Athens’ actions have been supported by the City Champions for Heat Action initiative, a programme launched by the Resilience Centre of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/athens-appoints-chief-heat-officer-combat-climate-crisis
     
         
      Athens appoints chief heat officer to combat climate crisis Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 17:00:00
     
      Athens has appointed a chief heat officer to protect people from soaring temperatures and try to find ways to adapt the city to the heatwaves and extreme weather that are striking the capital more frequently as the result of the climate emergency. The appointment, made on Friday by the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, is the first in Europe and believed to be only the second in the world, after Miami-Dade county in Florida appointed a chief heat officer earlier this year. Bakoyannis said: “Climate change for our city means more frequent and dangerous extreme high temperatures for residents and for tourists who are critical for our economy. Unfortunately, Athens is not unique – heat is an emergency for cities across Europe and the world.” Eleni Myrivili, Athens’ new chief heat officer, added: “We’ve been talking about global warming for decades, but we haven’t talked much about heat.” Myrivili’s task will be to find ways to cool the city, beyond the obvious air conditioning in buildings, which only adds to the climate crisis by its massive use of energy around the world. Planting trees and plants and cultivating green spaces for shade and their cooling properties will be vital, as will redesigning roads and buildings, and examining the materials used for building. Athens has announced a programme to increase the amount of green space and shade across the city. Providing “cool routes” through areas where the density of buildings poses a particular problem will also be a priority. The city already uses a smartphone app to warn residents and tourists about the weather and provide heat-beating tips. This summer has been one of the hottest on record across much of Europe, with heat records tumbling in many areas, at the same time as floods have swept through Germany and Belgium. Across the world, China has experienced devastating flooding, while heatwaves have struck northern latitudes in Canada, and wildfires raged in the US. Heat is a particular problem for people in cities because built-up areas and concrete store heat from the sun, while energy use and transport creates its own excess heat that adds to the natural warming effect, and there is less of the natural cooling effect of trees, vegetation and water. The very young and elderly people are most at risk from overheating, though temperatures in some places are now so extreme that even healthy young people are increasingly at risk. At least 104,000 deaths among Europe’s elderly population were caused by excessive heat in 2018. Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, warned that cities everywhere must take note. “Extreme heat is becoming the new normal in urban environments and occurs with a dramatic frequency. Devastating heatwaves remove any doubt that climate change affects all our lives. There is an urgent need to strengthen the actions taken in cities to address extreme heat and prevent the silent killer from causing more deaths.” Athens’ actions have been supported by the City Champions for Heat Action initiative, a programme launched by the Resilience Centre of the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/athens-appoints-chief-heat-officer-combat-climate-crisis
     
         
      World's cheapest energy storage will be an iron-air battery, says Jeff Bezos-backed start-up Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 15:44:00
     
      orm Energy, the billionaire-backed start-up that claimed to have developed an innovative low-cost 150-hour battery, has finally revealed its battery chemistry after more than a year of high-profile secrecy. The Boston-based company says its first commercial product is a “rechargeable iron-air battery capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion”. A cheap, safe battery able to store energy for long periods of time is the holy grail of the renewable energy sector, as it would be capable of removing the issue of wind and solar’s variability at a low cost. With French financial advisers Lazard putting the levelised cost of storage (LCOS) of large-scale lithium-ion batteries at $132-245/MWh in its industry-standard annual report, Form’s battery — at a tenth of that cost — would be the cheapest type of energy storage available by some distance. “This battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable, secure, and fully renewable electric grid year-round,” said Form Energy. Or as Greg Lydkovsky, global head of R&D at steel giant ArcelorMittal — Form Energy’s latest investor — put it, the technology “holds exciting potential to overcome the intermittent supply of renewable energy”. Form Energy president and chief operating officer Ted Wiley said: “We’ve completed the science, what’s left to do is scale up from lab-scale prototypes to grid-scale power plants. “[At full production], the modules will produce electricity for one-tenth the cost of any technology available today for grid storage.” The battery is said to work through “reversible oxidation of iron”. In discharge mode, thousands of tiny iron pellets are exposed to the air, which makes them rust (ie, the iron turning to iron oxide). When the system is charged with an electric current, the oxygen in the rust is removed, and it reverts back to iron. Wiley said that a 300MW “pilot” project for Minnesota-based Great River Energy will be commissioned in 2023. That project, announced in May last year, was originally due to be a 1MW/150MWh demonstration plant capable of outputting 1MW for 150 hours straight. The air battery is a fairly recent invention that has been the subject of research for at least the past decade. Canadian start-up Zinc8, was the first to break cover with a commercial product in 2019, announcing that it would be deploying a zinc-air battery system with the technological capability of providing 100-plus hours of storage. And Oregon-based ESS, which claims to have a market value of $1.1bn, already sells a flow battery that uses iron as its primary ingredient. Both ESS and Form Energy are part-owned by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the venture capital company backed by several high-profile billionaires, including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Current Form Energy investors also include Italian oil giant Eni and Macquarie Capital, while ArcelorMittal revealed a $25m investment in the company on Thursday. Form has also announced a Series D financing round that aims to raise $200m.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/worlds-cheapest-energy-storage-will-be-an-iron-air-battery-says-jeff-bezos-backed-start-up/2-1-1044174
     
         
      Offshore wind farm compensation 'sounds like bribery' Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 15:08:00
     
      Paying communities compensation for hosting offshore wind farms "sounds like bribery", says a campaigner. It follows a recent think tank report that called for action to avoid a "local backlash" against onshore work needed to support developments, such as pylons, cabling and substations. Policy Exchange said "offshore wind wealth funds" should be introduced. UK government officials said they wanted communities to benefit from wind farm developments. The think tank said without support, offshore wind farms would experience opposition similar to that faced by onshore wind farm and fracking developments in the UK. John Lawson-Reay, who chaired a campaign group against the £2bn Gwynt y Mor farm off Llandudno, said the report "sounds very much like bribery" and "it actually sounds like sugar-coating the pill". He said: "They're proposing this so that so-called communities - whatever they are - are going to get some sort of funding for something or other. But it's all so vague, and there's no way you can actually object to the wind farms at all. "They're suggesting that somehow, somebody is going to get some money out of this, but I just can't see it happening." He said one of the problems was defining communities. "Which little block of people are a community and how is it going to be administered?" he asked. How do offshore wind farms work? Despite being out at sea, each offshore farm currently still needs to be connected to the onshore electricity network grid. This can require significant infrastructure such on the land side, with substations, digging up the countryside for laying cables, and new pylons. According to the think tank report, that can equate to an area of land the size of a football stadium. Planned new wind farms are already causing concern in East Anglia, and could lead to similar concerns in north Wales, Humberside and the east coast of Scotland, as more offshore wind farms are developed, it said. The forward of the Policy Exchange report is written by former UK government energy secretaries, Dame Andrea Leadsom and Amber Rudd. They warned: "Local communities are rightly concerned about the sheer amount of infrastructure built by individual offshore wind companies and the government must act. "The government should urgently carry out an audit of all outstanding plans for onshore infrastructure relating to offshore wind farms and consider ways to minimise the damage to precious inland areas." They added: "We already do this for onshore wind farms through 'Community Benefit Funds', and we were planning something similar for fracking. "It's absolutely right that coastal and rural communities should be compensated for hosting new large-scale infrastructure that provides national benefits but has local negative impacts." Communities already receiving money from onshore wind farms. The Brenig Wind Ltd Community Benefit Fund is administered by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd, and is providing nearly £4m to community groups over 25 years. Ruthin Rugby Club's mini and junior teams were recently awarded £25,000 from the fund to build a new storage shed. The shed will replace old, leaking shipping containers which currently house training kit. Rob Hughes, chairman of Ruthin RFC mini and juniors section, said: "It means the world to us as a club and it's going to benefit the whole community of the rugby club. Some of our training things that we use are getting damp and a new storage shed is just what we need." On the subject of compensation, he said: "I strongly believe in it because I think the local community should benefit from having turbines close by." An official for the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The offshore wind sector is a major British industrial success story, providing cheap, green electricity while supporting thousands of good-quality jobs. "While there is a high amount of public support for offshore wind, we are determined to ensure local communities can fully share in the sector's success, and our Offshore Transmission Network Review will consider the impacts of offshore wind transmission structures on affected communities."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57931760
     
         
      Why is the Great Barrier Reef in trouble? A simple guide Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 15:05:00
     
      The Great Barrier Reef has not been added to the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger", following strong lobbying from Australia. A report from Unesco, the UN's scientific and cultural body, had said that not enough was being done to protect the reef from climate change or to meet water quality targets. But Unesco's World Heritage Committee has decided to give Australia more time. Australia says it has committed more than A$3bn (£1.bn; $2.2bn) to improving the reef's health. The reef - one of the world's natural wonders - is among Australia's most beloved tourist landmarks. But recent mass bleachings of coral and other problems have accelerated its deterioration. What is the reef and why is it so special? The Great Barrier Reef has been World Heritage-listed for 40 years due to its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance". Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast, it is actually made up of about 3,000 individual reefs. It is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world - marine and plant life teems within the coral structures. For decades, scientists have been struck by the reef's rich variety and beauty. It's home to over 400 types of coral, about 1,500 species of fish, and endangered creatures like the large green turtle. As an ocean structure, it also offers coastal protection against big waves and storms. Why is it at risk? Global warming has already led to the reef losing half its coral since 1995. Larger, branching coral types - habitats for a range of sea life - were especially harmed. Coral polyps - which form the backbone of the reef - are highly sensitive to sea temperatures. They can die if waters get too warm. And in the past five years alone, the reef has suffered three mass bleaching events. This is when under-stress corals expel the algae living within them that gives them colour and life. The corals then turn white - a process known as bleaching. Climate change also causes ocean acidification and reef erosion. If cooler waters return, it is possible for reefs to make a comeback. Recovery takes at least 10-15 years. But scientists warn the Great Barrier Reef is on the brink of breaking down. A study found that following bleaching events in 2016 and 2017, there weren't enough adult corals left to regenerate the worst-hit areas properly. In 2019, Australia downgraded the reef's long-term outlook to "very poor". The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has said climate change remains the greatest threat. What are other threats? Human activities such as coastal development and agricultural pollutants have also challenged the reef's health for many years. Sediment, nitrogen and pesticide from nearby farms have flown into the reef, reducing water quality and encouraging algae growth. Illegal fishing and even tourists damaging coral while out on trips are also problems. The crown-of-thorns starfish - a natural predator of corals - has been a huge issue too. With less sea life around, the species has thrived. A single starfish can wipe out large areas. What has been done to help protect the reef? Following the 2016/2017 bleachings, Australia's government pledged a rescue package worth A$500m ($370m; £270m). Measures included efforts to kill crown-of-thorns starfish and paying farmers to reduce their agricultural run-off. But critics said this package did nothing to address the main threat of climate change. What needs to be done? Experts warn the only way to save the reef is by urgently cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The UN says even if the world contains global warming to a 1.5C rise, 90% of the world's corals will still die. Global temperatures have already risen by about 1C since pre-industrial times. Scientists say humans have to move away from using fossil fuels. Though Australia points out climate change is a global issue, critics say its government is dragging its heels. As one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters, Australia continues to champion the use of coal, gas and oil. It lobbied against Unesco listing the reef as "in danger". And Queensland - the reef's home - has one of the world's most intensive coal-mining industries. Australia has pledged a 2030 emissions goal of a 26% cut on 2005 levels, but the UN says it's not on track to meet that. Australia has so far also resisted pressure to commit to a net zero emissions target by 2050 - despite the US, UK, and many European and Asian nations doing so.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57938858
     
         
      Solar-Powered Desalination Device Aims to Deliver Water to 400,000 Kenyans Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 14:49:00
     
      Turning seawater into potable water is typically an expensive and polluting process. Now, Climate Fund Manager and Solar Water Solutions have a revolutionary solution with zero carbon footprint. The groups are working together to install up to 200 desalination units in Kitui County, Kenya. The project's long-term goal is to provide clean water to 400,000 Kenyans by 2023. The total funding opportunity is estimated to be up to USD 15 million. Typically, desalination requires a lot of electricity to keep the water at a constant pressure. This solar-powered technique, however, works without connecting to a grid - no batteries or chemicals, ever. In a press release, Antti Pohjola, CEO of Solar Water Solutions explained, “this project marks a breakthrough in solar-powered water infrastructure. It wouldn’t have happened without the four key elements: A sustainable technology that brings down the cost of clean water, access to finance with a leading institutional investor, local partners, and a market-based business model.” The stations themselves might not be visually impressive, but they are an ideal solution for remote areas. The standalone system is installed in a 20ft container. According to a press release, "The production capacity from 3500 L/h up to 7000 L/h treated from seawater, with total dissolved solids (TDS) 36,000 ppm. From brackish water sources, the production capacity is up to 10,000 liters per hour." These shipping-container solutions offer hope to Kenyans who are suffering due to the effects of climate change on their homes, including severe droughts.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/solar-powered-desalination-device-aims-to-deliver-water-to-400000-kenyans
     
         
      New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid 'tipping point' Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 14:36:00
     
      Humid tropical forests, vital in global efforts to limit rising temperatures, are under threat as a result of changes in land use and climate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal One Earth on July 23 have developed a new way to keep tabs on the vulnerability of these forests on a global scale using satellite data. Called the tropical forest vulnerability index (TFVI), the hope is that this method will serve as an early warning for areas that are under the greatest threat to enable actions aimed at protecting these forests before it's too late. 4"Frequent droughts, higher temperature, and longer dry seasons, along with increasing pressures from deforestation and degradation in the last two decades, have pushed the tropical rainforests to the verge of a tipping point," said Sassan Saatchi of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "What we predicted using climate models a decade ago, we are observing on the ground. Now is the time to do something and not later. This work takes advantage of a suite of satellite observations made for the past few decades to show how and where the tipping points may be reached and to help policy makers plan for conservation and restoration of these forests." There have been other ways to measure the vulnerability of rainforests. However, most of them relied on local studies and couldn't easily be extended to larger regions or the globe. This lack of consistency and ability to make comparisons from one region to another has led to confusion and inaction. To get around these stumbling blocks, Saatchi and colleagues set out to develop a unique tropical rainforest vulnerability index that could work across all rainforests based on observations of climate and vegetation from satellites. The new index combines numerous measurements and indicators of forest ecological functions and services, including carbon and water fluxes and biodiversity. It also provides spatial information with monthly updates and allows researchers to identify and monitor areas with increasing vulnerability or potential threats before it's too late. Their studies have shown that different regions of the tropics are responding differently to climate threats, with some regions showing more apparent resilience than others. For instance, forests in the Americas appear to be more vulnerable to stresses than those in Africa, where they are showing relative resilience to changing climate. In Asia, tropical forests appear more vulnerable to land use and fragmentation. Individual rain forests also show important differences in their response to climate and land use pressures. For instance, the Amazon Basin shows large-scale vulnerability to drying condition in the atmosphere, with frequent droughts and large-scale land use changes. The Congo Basin, on the other hand, appears more resilient because of the historical impacts of droughts, the overall dryer condition, and smaller-scale land use change and fragmentation. The researchers also uncovered strong interactions between climate, land use, and biodiversity that define the vulnerability and resilience of forests. The new index allowed them to identify the nature of these interactions over all global rainforests. "The findings show that the vulnerability of rainforests is much larger than predicted in the past, and areas that are disturbed or fragmented have almost no resilience to climate warming and droughts," Saatchi said. "In addition, the results of our study suggest that rainforests are losing their capacity to cycle carbon and water as before. This is occurring gradually at the continental scale and more rapidly at the regional scale, with significant implications for the global carbon sink and climate." The TFVI was developed by many scientists and conservationists assembled by the National Geographic Society and Rolex and therefore represents a consensus approach from the broader community, Saatchi notes. The hope is that the larger global community of scientists and policy makers, particularly in tropical countries, will now make use of the index to systematically assess the vulnerability of rainforest resources and to develop nature-based solutions to meet their commitments to the Paris Agreement. To keep tabs on future changes and threats to the world's tropical forests, the researchers say that the new index will continue to be renewed automatically as time goes on.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-07-tropical-forest-vulnerability.html
     
         
      Climate change, a coalmine and a town that needs jobs Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 12:26:00
     
      There is a padlock on the door. A bill on the doormat. On the corner of King Street and Lowther Street, in the west Cumbrian town of Whitehaven, is the carcass of a High Street giant. Etched into the cream coloured stone work above the first floor windows are the words: Montague Burton, the Tailor of Taste. At knee height, at street level, a gold coloured inscription: "This stone laid by Arnold James Burton, 1938." Stitched into the corporate history of Burton's, the menswear shop, was a tradition to lay these stones; this one a reference to Montague's youngest son. Whitehaven is far from unique in wearing the bruises of the pandemic and the migration of shopping online. But something else is happening here. People are leaving too. I meet the directly elected Mayor of Copeland, Conservative Mike Starkie, by the main run of shops on King Street. He is candid. He has to stop the exodus - by providing people, particularly young people, with reasons to stay. He is a man of energy; enthusing about his vision for Whitehaven's future. But the name I keep seeing, as we wander along, is Peill and Co: an estate agents specialising in commercial property. To Let signs are everywhere. Burtons is one of many, many casualties here. 'Horrible shops' "There are no prospects for kids here these days. I've got a lot of family members who went to university and never came home. And that is a real shame," one woman having lunch outside Café West tells me. "It's horrible. You see the change. Look at all the horrible shops. Empty," her friend adds. These are not the authors of casual, thoughtless criticism, but the candid assessments of proud west Cumbrians whose pride has been dented by reality. "It's dead. Absolutely dead. I saw it when it was in its heyday. It was awesome. Now it's a ghost town." Enter, then, the plan for a new coal mine here, offering hundreds of well-paid local jobs and posing even more questions for the government. Yes, it is awkward because the UK is hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. But it would be awkward anyway. Steel industry The application for a new coal mine here, extracting coking, or metallurgical coal for the steel industry, is a case study in the politics of climate change; a collision between the long term commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and fiendishly difficult questions about how to get there. Does the UK want a steel industry, seen as a strategic asset, but one that is still reliant on coking coal? The government says yes, and the coal is imported. So wouldn't it be better to dig it out of the ground here? Yes, argue the mining company. No argue critics, that would increase the supply of coking coal, push down the price, and reduce the incentives to find alternative ways of making steel. In September, the Planning Inspectorate will look into the case for Woodhouse Colliery, as the proposed new mine is called. The final decision, expected later this year or early next, will be taken by the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick. Green agenda Levelling up meets getting carbon emissions down. The goal of net zero meets a binary decision involving a strategic industry, a community that feels left behind and finding a politically palatable but practical solution. And an answer can't be ducked. "You'll find that 90% of the people in Copeland are supportive of this mine going ahead," Mike Starkie, a huge enthusiast for the project says, as we chat on a bench on the marina. The old chimney of Wellington Colliery is on the hill to our left. What was William Pit is to our right. "You are talking about £160m of private investment," he says, adding: "I am not going to pretend that it is not politically awkward. It absolutely is. "But the country needs metallurgical coal. The green agenda looms large everywhere now and we're very supportive of the green agenda. Climate change is the biggest crisis the world faces but the green revolution needs a significant amount of steel. "There are many thousands of tonnes of steel that goes into a wind turbine, even more thousands of steel going into a nuclear reactor, into solar, into wave energy, they all require steel." 'An impossible position' Next, I chat to Professor Rebecca Willis from the Lancaster Environment Centre. "The science on this is absolutely crystal clear - if we're going to limit dangerous climate change, we can't open any more coalmines," she says. "It is very clear from a scientific perspective that this mine should not happen. Unfortunately, it's not so clear from a legal perspective. In the UK we have very strong climate targets, this target of net-zero by 2050, but the government hasn't set out how it's going to get there. "And if you look at planning law, our economic policy, there is all kinds of ambiguities and inconsistencies." But she and fellow opponents of the mine do concede one thing: the argument about employment. "I completely understand that need for jobs. I think local politicians have been put in an impossible position. The mining company has come along and supposedly offered all these jobs and the politicians had a choice between dirty jobs and no jobs. That's really unfair." But how on earth can the government say yes to a new coal mine in 2021? 'Righteous' "The UK still imports over 2m tonnes of coking coal per annum. For the existing steelworks to carry on using blast furnaces, then you need three quarters of a tonne of coking coal for each tonne of steel," Mark Kirkbride, the chief executive of West Cumbria Mining says. "We can't just bury our head in the sands. Importing carbon intensive products from overseas doesn't make us more righteous." But Jill Perry from the Allerdale and Copeland Green Party insists the steel industry must be incentivised to find an alternative to coking coal, not an excuse not to bother. "If we want a steel industry in this country we need the steel industry to change as rapidly as it is changing in Europe and the Far East. We need it to move away from metallurgical coal as fast as it possibly can," she argues as we sip coffee opposite the bandstand. This is a town with centuries of heritage in the coal industry, a consistent driver of wealth, pride and opportunity here ever since the grid pattern of streets were devised by Sir John Lowther in the 17th century. "If we need coking coal, why not have the prosperity here in Whitehaven? I think we deserve it," Gerard Richardson, a wine merchant and local historian says. "All we are asking for is a slice of the pie. Everyone wants a move to an environmentally safe world, but that is a transition process." "Some people would have us switch off the lights and going on horse and cart tomorrow - the world doesn't work that way. "It is going to take 30, 40, 50 years. And we'll get there. And along that way there will be money to be made, and why shouldn't some of that be made here in west Cumbria?" For the government, in time, a decision awaits. One loaded with local consequence, national import and the capacity to mould its international reputation. There is no easy answer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57927389
     
         
      Road planners able to ignore climate change, campaigners claim Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 12:21:00
     
      Planners can effectively ignore climate change when they are deciding whether to grant permission for new road schemes, environmentalists have said. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has promised a review of £27bn highways policy which will be completed within two years. But in the meantime, planners can use existing guidelines. Campaigners say these ignore the cumulative effects of major road projects. They say Mr Shapps should be blocking new schemes until a new climate-friendly policy is developed. Many scientists say no new infrastructure should be built unless it is low-carbon. The debate has been raised because government policies for infrastructure were devised before ministers committed to virtually abolishing carbon emissions for the whole UK economy. The policy debate is still catching up. Currently guidance to planners states: “Any increase in carbon emissions is not a reason to refuse development consent, unless the increase in carbon emissions resulting from the proposed scheme are so significant that it would have a material impact on the ability of government to meet its carbon reduction targets.” Campaigners say the government must take account of the cumulative climate effect of its entire roads programme – not just of individual schemes. They have been chivvying Mr Shapps for 18 months to update the roads strategy to combat the climate crisis. He has now promised to review it – but not for up to two years. Chris Todd, from Transport Action Network, said, "As our roads melt and places around the world face record temperatures and floods, the words ‘climate emergency’ appear to have no meaning within the Department for Transport. “Instead, all we seem to get are delay, delay and yet more delay. Having now finally accepted the inevitable, Mr Shapps is still fiddling while the planet burns.” Mr Todd said the test for carbon in the guidelines was "utterly ridiculous". "A road scheme's emissions, however large, are never going to be significant compared to a five year carbon budget for the whole of the UK," he said. "It's high time the government corrected this ludicrous state of affairs." However, Edmund King, AA president, said that zero emission cars will still need roads to drive on. “So while it is correct to review the roads programme and especially the expansion of smart motorways, it is naïve to think we wouldn’t need to sort out the bottlenecks and dangerous hotspots.” Mr King, though, also wants a major government investment in rural broadband to reduce the need for travel. And Mr Shapps himself says he wants to get people out of their cars to reduce emissions and improve health. A government spokesman said that the Department for Transport and Highways England have both published "ambitious plans to get to net zero highways". "This will see the UK rapidly cut carbon from?road construction, maintenance and operations, and support the transition to zero emission vehicles - putting roads at the heart of the low carbon economy," a spokesperson said. Among the schemes pending approval is the Lower Thames Crossing – a massive project that campaigners complain would produce over 5 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Other major schemes include: - A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet - A66 Northern Trans-Pennine - A417 - A27 Arundel Bypass - A5036 Port of Liverpool - A57 Link Roads - A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Scheme - Four A47 schemes in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk The campaigners also complain that smart motorways, which allow vehicles to run on the hard shoulder, are treated as permitted development without the need for planning permission or any assessment of carbon impacts. Emissions come from the creation of the road-building materials such as cement, as well as from petrol and diesel cars and lorries that will be using new road space. Only last week Mr Shapps told holidaymakers they could carry on flying because technology would solve emissions from aviation. This flew in the face of a recommendation from the Climate Change Committee which says ministers must dampen the projected increase in demand for flying – as well as seeking technology solutions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57935608
     
         
      Water-related hazards dominate list of 10 most destructive disasters Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 11:38:00
     
      The Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970-2019) – which will be published in September – finds that of the 10 disasters causing the most human fatalities in the past five decades, droughts top the list with some 650,000 deaths across the globe. Storms caused upwards of 577,000 fatalities, floods led to more than 58,000 deaths, and extreme temperatures caused over 55,000 to die. EXTREME RAINFALL EVENTS Excerpts from the report were released as temperatures in parts of North America soar, and unprecedented flooding in north-central Europe continues to dominate news headlines. The German national meteorological service said up to two months’ worth of rainfall fell in 2 days, on 14 and 15 July, affecting parts of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. According to news reports, more than 120 people have died in Germany alone, and hundreds remain missing. Meanwhile, parts of the central Chinese province of Henan received more accumulated rainfall between 17 and 21 July than the typical average for a full calendar year. ECONOMIC LOSSES The report estimates that, of the top 10 events examined between 1970 and 2019, storms accounted for approximately $ 521 billion in economic losses, while floods accounted for about $115 billion. Excerpts from the report show that floods and storms resulted in the largest losses in Europe in the past 50 years, at a cost of $377.5 billion. A 2002 flood in Germany caused $16.48 billion in losses, representing the single costliest event in Europe during the period studied. Across the continent, a total of 1,672 recorded disasters resulted in nearly 160,000 deaths and $476.5 billion in economic damages. ‘CLEARLY LINKED’ TO CLIMATE CHANGE “Weather, climate and water-related hazards are increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “The human and economic toll was highlighted with tragic effect by the torrential rainfall and devastating flooding and loss of life in central Europe and China in the past week,” he added. Also noting that the recent record-breaking heatwaves in North America are “clearly linked” to global warming, Taalas cited a recent rapid attribution analysis that climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, made the heatwave at least 150 times more likely to happen. Emphasizing that no country is immune from such changes, he said it is imperative to invest more in climate change adaptation, including by strengthening multi-hazard early warning systems.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096302
     
         
      100 days to Cop26: protesters urge Boris Johnson to take climate talks seriously Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 6:00:00
     
      Protesters will fill London’s Parliament Square on Friday morning, calling on the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to make the climate crisis his top priority, as the UK prepares to host UN talks that will determine whether the world tips into environmental catastrophe this decade. Giant alarm clocks will show time running out, while 100 protesters chant that Johnson and his chancellor, Rishi Sunak, are “missing in action” on the climate crisis. Saturday marks 100 days to the Cop26 summit, vital UN climate talks that open on 1 November in Glasgow. Scores of world leaders will fly in for the start, and officials from 196 countries will spend two weeks in high-pressure negotiations aimed at setting a new path to a safer climate. Floods across Europe and China, wildfires in the US, killer heatwaves stretching into northern latitudes and extreme weather across the planet give a glimpse into what is at stake. Scientists warn that unless global greenhouse gas emissions are halved in the next decade, temperatures will rise by more than 1.5C and the extreme heat, droughts and floods seen in recent weeks will rapidly become the norm rather than the exception, with devastating consequences. John Kerry, the special envoy for climate to the US president, Joe Biden, warned in a landmark speech at Kew Gardens this week: “Cop26 in Glasgow [is] a pivotal moment for the world to come together to meet and master the climate challenge … in little more than 100 days, we can save the next hundred years.” Alok Sharma, the UK minister who will serve as president of the summit, said: “Cop26 is our last best hope of avoiding the worst effects of climate change, and we cannot afford to fail. Over the next 100 days, we need all governments to accelerate the green transition, so that we leave Glasgow with a clear plan to limit global warming to 1.5C. This will set the course of this decisive decade for our planet and future generations.” But as Sharma prepares for a key meeting of world ministers this weekend, and as the US steps up its diplomacy before Cop26, climate experts and veterans of the UN talks told the Guardian that Johnson was failing to take the reins, both internationally and at home. “We ask ourselves every day – where is the prime minister?” said Chris Venables of the Green Alliance thinktank. “It’s clear that he has not grasped the scale of holding the biggest diplomatic event on UK soil since the second world war. This should be his No 1 priority.” Johnson should be cajoling and pushing heads of government around the world to forge a deal at Glasgow, but has yet to make a real mark, added Bernice Lee, a research director at the Chatham House thinktank. “This is mission-critical – we need another round of leader-level diplomacy from Johnson.” No government ministers were at Kew to hear Kerry’s policy intervention, in which he called on China, the world’s biggest emitter, to join the US in taking stronger climate action. Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow business secretary, who attended UN climate talks as environment secretary under Gordon Brown, was in the audience. “Cop26 is in the balance,” he told the Guardian. “The prime minister’s leadership is lacking, despite the best efforts of Alok Sharma. And we need to see much more from Rishi Sunak and [the foreign secretary] Dominic Raab. Of course, Covid-19 is going to be vital, but this should absolutely be the government’s top priority.” There has been important progress on Cop26 in the last six months. An increasing number of countries, including China, the EU and the US, have set targets to reach net zero emissions around mid-century. Many have also set targets on emissions for 2030, including the UK, the EU and the US. One of the big achievements of the UK presidency is to keep the Cop26 talks focused on limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures. The Paris agreement of 2015 set out two key goals: one firm commitment to holding temperature rises to “well below 2C” and another aspirational goal of staying within the 1.5C threshold. That compromise was forged because some big industrialised economies, chiefly China and India, were reluctant to agree to anything less than 2C, wary of putting limits on their economic growth, while small islands and low-lying states such as the Marshall Islands and Bangladesh feared they would be overwhelmed by sea level rises if temperatures exceeded 1.5C. Since then, however, a report in 2018 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world authority on climate science, found that going beyond 1.5C would be dangerous, leading to the bleaching of coral reefs, an increase in extreme weather, and widespread damage to the natural world. Many experts worry that we will overshoot 1.5C, but argue that keeping it as a goal is vital to ensure we limit the damage as far as possible. Kerry made it clear that he sees 1.5C as the goal, and under the UK’s presidency, the G7 also agreed to target the lower limit. Kerry said: “There is still time to put a safer 1.5C future back within reach. But only if every major economy commits to meaningful reductions by 2030.” Setting a strong target for the summit is just one step, however: ensuring a concrete programme of action comes out of Cop26 must be the main goal. Veterans of the UN talks warn that several key elements are still missing. The first is emissions-cutting targets for the next 10 years. National plans on emissions cuts, called nationally determined contributions or NDCs, are the bedrock of the Paris climate agreement. But the plans submitted so far to the UN would mean temperatures rising by more than 2C. China, the world’s biggest emitter, has yet to submit an NDC. Kerry said the US wanted to work with China on a way forward. “America needs China to succeed in slashing emissions. China needs America to do the same. The best opportunity we have to secure a reasonable climate future is for China and the United States to work together. And the best way to do so is to lay out specific, ambitious, near-term reduction goals, and back them up with serious policy.” Another big issue for Cop26 is funding. Developing countries were promised they would receive $100bn a year by 2020 in climate finance, to help them cut emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown. That target has not yet been met, and failing to meet it is eroding trust among developing countries. “The US is not pulling its weight – it’s the only country holding up the $100bn pledge,” said John Sauven, the executive director of Greenpeace UK. “If the US does not put its hands in its pockets and make up the shortfall, Glasgow will be in jeopardy.” Kerry told the Guardian in response that the Biden administration was “working hard” on finding more financial assistance for poor countries. “It’s very important that the US should provide finance. Our internal process on this is not complete yet.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/protesters-urge-boris-johnson-to-take-cop26-climate-talks-seriously
     
         
      Lebanon: Public water system on the verge of collapse, UNICEF warns Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 0:24:00
     
      ‘Squeezed to destruction’ A collapse could lead to water prices rising by 200 per cent a month as families rush to secure alternative or private suppliers. “The water sector is being squeezed to destruction by the current economic crisis in Lebanon, unable to function due to the dollarized maintenance costs, water loss caused by non-revenue water, the parallel collapse of the power grid and the threat of rising fuel costs,” said Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF Representative in the country. “A loss of access to the public water supply could force households to make extremely difficult decisions regarding their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs,” she added. High levels of vulnerability A UNICEF assessment based on data from Lebanon’s four main public utility companies revealed that more than 70 per cent of people are now living with “highly critical” and “critical” levels of vulnerability. Nearly 1.7 million people have access to just 35 litres a day, compared with the national average of 165 litres prior to 2020, or a nearly 80 per cent decrease. Additionally, public water utility providers can no longer afford essential spare parts, while the price of bottled water has doubled over the past year. "At the height of the summer months, with COVID-19 cases beginning to rise again due to the Delta variant, Lebanon’s precious public water system is on life support and could collapse at any moment,” Ms Mokuo said.? Urgent action needed UNICEF requires $40 million a year to secure the minimum levels of fuel, chlorine, spare parts and maintenance necessary to keep critical systems operational.? Ms. Mokuo underscored the need for urgent action as facilities such as schools and hospitals will not be able to function, and millions will be forced to resort to unsafe and expensive water sources. “The immediate adverse effect would be on public health,” she said. “Hygiene would be compromised, and Lebanon would see an increase in diseases. Women and adolescent girls would face particular challenges to their personal hygiene, protection and dignity without access to safe sanitation.” UNICEF?works with public water supply providers to reach the most vulnerable children and women?in Lebanon, and supported delivery of safe water to communities during the pandemic. “We will remain steadfast in our support to communities as resources permit, but this alarming situation requires immediate and sustained funding,” Ms. Mokuo said.? “UNICEF stands ready to support, particularly as the global pandemic evolves, to ensure that the most basic right to clean water is met for children and families at this critical time for Lebanon.” Widespread crisis According to figures from the World Bank last month, Lebanon is living through one of the world’s three worst financial and political crises since the mid-19th Century. Its currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value since late 2019, and its GDP has fallen by some 40 per cent since 2018. Last week, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, expressed deep regret over the inability of Lebanon’s leaders to reach agreement on the formation of a new government, adding that it was urgently needed to address the country’s numerous challenges. She called for swift measures to ensure the designation of a new Prime Minister, in line with constitutional requirements, and the formation of a Government able to undertake the necessary reforms to put Lebanon on the path to recovery ahead of free and fair elections next yeaR.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096312
     
         
      PBF shares tumble 10% on new California air pollution regulation Fri, 23rd Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      July 22 (Reuters) - Shares of oil refiner PBF Energy Inc (PBF.N) fell more than 10% on Thursday after new air pollution requirements were approved that could hit the company's Martinez refinery. Northern California regulators on Wednesday directed Chevron Corp's (CVX.N) Richmond plant and PBF's Martinez refinery to slash their fine particulate air pollution, which will require costly modifications at the plants. Under the stricter standard, the companies will likely have to install wet gas scrubbers to cut pollution spewed by their gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) within five years. PBF shares traded down 10.7% at $9.34. The antipollution measure is expected to cut particulate matter emissions from the two plants by about 70%, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District estimates. Health and environmental officials testified on Wednesday of harmful effects for local residents from the emissions. read more California air quality regulators estimated the installations would cost Chevron about $241 million and PBF $255 million. Chevron and PBF have said it will cost $1.5 billion and $800 million, respectively. PBF has warned that the hit could cause it to shut its facility, which it bought for about $1 billion from Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSa.L) last year. Brokerage Tudor Pickering Holt & Co said Martinez shutting down was a real possibility, as the cost is "sizable" compared to the purchase price, citing its stretched balance sheet. However, the implementation date of the new regulation was still five years out and the matter could end up in the courts, Tudor Pickering added. PBF exited the first quarter with about $1.5 billion in cash and liquidity estimated at about $2.3 billion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/pbf-shares-tumble-new-n-california-air-pollution-regulation-2021-07-22/
     
         
      Airlines need to do more than plant trees to hit net zero, MPs told Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 15:37:00
     
      The aviation industry must pay for costly carbon removal technologies rather than rely on using the planting of trees to claim they are reducing emissions, the head of the Climate Change Committee has said. Chris Stark said aviation, unlike other transport sectors, was unlikely to meet targets for net zero by 2050. He said instead the industry had to use “scaleable” offsets that matched ongoing emissions into future decades, but that these should be used as a last resort after directly cutting emissions. “We are not just talking about planting trees … I would prefer to see engineered removals matched with those residual aviation emissions,” Stark told MPs on the environmental audit committee. The processes Stark wanted to see aviation engaging in included investing in growing bioenergy crops to create alternatives to fossil fuel and techniques to capture and store carbon. He said carbon capture was a very expensive process but resulted in genuine negative emissions. “It is something the aviation sector itself should pay for and therefore will increase the cost of aviation if those offsets have to be managed and paid for,” said Stark. “These are not free passes for getting to net zero … We think that aviation should incur these costs directly and indeed that their commercial interests in those negative emissions will grow if there is a way to bring down the costs of those key technologies overall.” The government’s “jet zero” policy claims it will deliver net zero aviation within a generation. But Stark said it was heavily reliant on technology to deliver this and the Climate Change Committee believed that the sector would not reach net zero by mid-century. Instead it needed to pay for genuine processes to mop up emissions. He said the reliance on technology and the lack of any focus on reducing demand for aviation was something that would please the industry. “But obviously a big risk is that the technology doesn’t deliver. It is notable that demand management doesn’t get a look in.” The jet zero plan, which is out for consultation, is being driven by a council made up of government ministers and leading figures from the aviation industry. The government claims it can cut emissions to zero without affecting the scale of passenger travel. The consultation document says: “It is a strategy that will deliver the requirement to decarbonise aviation, and the benefits of doing so, whilst allowing the sector to thrive, and hard-working families to continue to enjoy their annual holiday abroad; we want Britons to continue to have access to affordable flights, allowing them to enjoy holidays, visit friends and family overseas and to travel for business.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/22/airlines-need-to-do-more-than-plant-trees-to-hit-net-zero-mps-told
     
         
      What to Expect from the Next Major Global Climate Report Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 12:33:00
     
      The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change grabbed the world’s attention in 2018 when it released a sobering report that warned—in no uncertain terms—world leaders needed to take drastic and immediate steps to blunt the most catastrophic impacts of global warming. Policymakers responded with a range of emotion, from denial to outrage. But the message was clear. “It’s like a deafening, piercing smoke alarm going off in the kitchen,” Erik Solheim, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, told The Washington Post at the time. Next month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—or IPCC for short—plans to release another report. And again, scientists, lawmakers and activists are bracing themselves for the news. The report will come three months before world leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland, to try and figure out a plan to avert the worst effects of climate change. And it’s all but certain the IPCC’s findings will inform that debate. So, what is the IPCC and what does it do? One thing it isn’t is a fly-by-night operation. The U.N. group has been around for more than three decades assessing the science behind climate change, projecting what’s to come and offering ways to respond. All with the eyes of the world upon it. “No other science has been scrutinized as heavily as climate science has in the past 30 years, and that’s thanks to these intergovernmental reports,” said Corinne Le Quéré, research professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia. One consistent message among them all: an ever-stronger statement about the human influence on global temperature rise as a consequence of growing greenhouse gases, said Emily Shuckburgh, director of the Cambridge Carbon Neutral Futures Initiative. On Aug. 9, the IPCC will release the first of four reports under its latest assessment cycle. Here are five things to know about the IPCC, its upcoming report and the politics that surround the effort. 1. WHAT IT IS The IPCC consists of government representatives who commission regular environmental reports from academics from around the world. Those experts have produced their assessments on a seven-year cycle since 1988, with special reports in the interim years. The IPCC is currently in its sixth assessment cycle. The assessments are divided between three working groups, each with a different focus and published on different intervals. Working Group I is a synthesis of the existing physical science. It answers questions about how much global warming is occurring and where; how warming impacts oceans, sea-level rise and weather pattern changes; and it lays out projections of what we might see in the future. This is the report that will be published in August. Working Group II, slated for February, focuses on how vulnerable humans and nature are to global warming, the costs of climate impacts or adaptation options. Working Group III, to come in March, will look at options for keeping to global temperature targets and scenarios on renewable energy or carbon capture and storage. 2. HOW IT WORKS At the end of the cycle there is a final synthesis report. This cycle also will include a task force report on national greenhouse gas inventories. On Aug. 9, the IPCC will release its summary for policymakers following a series of meetings where it will be discussed, revised and then signed off on. There are more than 230 authors from 65 countries. Men have historically comprised the majority of these contributors, though that pattern has started to change. Women now make up about 30% of the group. A gender panel and task force is working to bring more women into the process. The latest assessment will include new advances in science and a better understanding of the human impact on global warming. It will also have an interactive atlas—a novel addition—and five emissions scenarios that will explore the impact of rising emissions. 3. WHAT TO LOOK FOR A certainty statement: Each assessment has included a level of confidence that human activities are responsible for projected warming. The last one in 2013 put that confidence at extremely likely. Shifting baselines: This assessment will be fed by a new generation of computer models. A report last year, for example, suggested that historical temperature rise has been slightly bigger than previously thought, said Richard Black, a senior associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. “What will that turn into about the carbon budget left?” he asked. Other gases: Given advances in the science around the different greenhouse gases, Working Group I could separate the way they treat carbon dioxide and other long-lived greenhouse gases from methane and other short-lived ones. Timing: What impact might the report have on upcoming meetings, such as the U.N. General Assembly, the Group of 20 and the climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland? Is the window for achieving the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit of the Paris Agreement closing? How quickly? How feasible is it to meet the temperature targets? Wording: The power of the IPCC is that it’s comprehensive, said Le Quéré. It’s the only report that looks at measurements from the land to the ocean to the stratosphere. It looks at modeling and human experience. That makes the strength of the language and the coherence between the observations all the more important. She said she expects all the new information to come together in a powerful way. 4. WHAT MAKES THIS ASSESSMENT DIFFERENT The last major report from Working Group I was published in 2013. What has happened since then is seven years of a warming climate. In that time, nations also signed onto the Paris Agreement, which includes very clear objectives around warming limits of 1.5 C. It also brings out an important set of challenges about assessing the climate science. Global warming has unfolded at approximately the rate that was projected in the 1990s, Le Quéré said. “But what we see now is that the warming itself, the extreme events, we can see with our own eyes.” There is also a lot more granular information about the regional distribution of these events and the role of attribution in climate change. In many instances, attribution science has been able to demonstrate scientifically that climate change has increased the probability of extreme weather events, and a lot of that knowledge owes to new observations and modeling. Working Group I provides a variety of climate projections given an emissions scenario. In the past, it has focused on the most likely climate projections. But his time around, said Le Quéré, governments have asked the IPCC to look at low-probability events that could potentially be very damaging. That means a lot more explicit information about the risks of extreme climate events, and a lot more regional information as requested by individual governments, she added. 5. POINTS OF CONTENTION As Black points out, all the governments accept these reports, so they can’t say they didn’t know what the science was saying. The question is: Will they translate that science into action? Another weedy topic is the carbon budget. While it brings together so much of the science, it also involves all the uncertainty that goes with projection, said Le Quéré. There also could be issues around procedure because it’s the first time there’s been an attempt to adopt a summary for policymakers on Zoom, said Black. If countries are looking for an excuse to disrupt the whole thing, that’s a good one, he added. It would be better if all the reports—including Working Group II on impacts and vulnerability and Working Group III on mitigation—were released ahead of climate change talks in November, Shuckburgh said. But what next month’s report does put forth, she added, will make the risk that climate change poses abundantly clear. It will then be up to leaders to respond.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-to-expect-from-the-next-major-global-climate-report/
     
         
      Power from SSE wind farms slows Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 12:00:00
     
      SSE has reported a drop in renewable electricity generation because of low wind speeds and a lack of rain. The Perth-based energy group said that it generated 1,674 gigawatt-hours of electricity from its wind farms and conventional hydro-electric plants in the three months to June. That was down from 1,962 gigawatt-hours a year earlier, and some 19 per cent lower than it had planned to generate, “mainly due to weather conditions”. Offshore wind generation fell by 29 per cent, reflecting the lower wind speeds as well as the sale of a 25 per cent stake in the Walney offshore wind farm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/power-from-sse-wind-farms-slows-hkprzmgvb
     
         
      The world’s largest floating solar farm to be built in Indonesia Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 9:43:00
     
      Singapore-based solar energy provider Sunseap will spend more than $2 billion to build the world’s largest floating solar farm and energy storage system on Indonesia’s Batam Island, which is across the Singapore Strait from Singapore. The floating solar farm is expected to have a capacity of 2.2 gigawatt-peak. It will float on the Duriangkang Reservoir on a southern area of Batam Island and span nearly 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares). The energy storage facility will have a capacity of more than 4,000 megawatts per hour. The project will offset more than 1.8 million metric tons of emissions annually – the equivalent of 400,000 cars’ worth of emissions per year. Sunseap and the Batam Indonesia Free Zone Authority, Badan Pengusahaan Batam, announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday for the floating solar farm. It will be financed through Sunseap capital and bank debt. A portion of the energy generated from the floating solar farm will be used in Batam. The City of Batam, with a population of nearly 1.2 million, is the largest city in the Riau Islands province. The rest could be exported to Singapore (pictured above from Batam) via a subsea cable. The project’s construction is due to begin in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2024. Frank Phuan, cofounder and chief executive of Sunseap, told Reuters: This single project will double our entire portfolio, more importantly build our capability towards hyperscale solar and energy storage projects. Floating solar systems will go a long way to address the land constraints that urbanized parts of Southeast Asia face in tapping renewable energy.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2021/07/22/the-worlds-largest-floating-solar-farm-to-be-built-in-indonesia/
     
         
      Thousands of trees to be planted by 2050 in North East Community Forest Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 0:30:00
     
      Tens of thousands of trees are to be planted each year across the North East by 2050 as it becomes England's latest community forest. The equivalent of almost 6,000 rugby pitches of new canopy cover will be created as part of the 30-year project. Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and urban parts of County Durham are taking part. There are 11 further forests in England which are part of government plans to tackle the effects of climate change. The scheme, which will receive Whitehall funding, is also hoped to reduce the flood risk and create habitat for wildlife, as well as improving physical and mental health. Forestry minister Lord Goldsmith said thousands of trees would help to "rewild areas that are most in need" but locations had yet to be picked. "Our economies, livelihoods and well-being all rely on nature,?and?tackling the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are at the heart of this project," he added. The six local authorities have committed £75,000 a year towards the costs of a new forest team and funding will be matched from the Trees for Climate Fund, before further cash is sought. Defra said thousands of trees would be planted in the first year, covering an area of about 35 football pitches. When fully planted, the North East Community Forest is expected to capture 155,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the emissions from the energy needs of 30,000 homes in a year, the government said. Clare Penny-Evans, Newcastle City Council's cabinet member for climate change and public safety, said: "Independently the region's councils have been working towards their own planting targets, with some great successes, but in coming together and becoming the North East Community Forest, we can supercharge those ambitions, for the benefit of all."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-57906520
     
         
      FAO head urges G20 to invest in a healthy planet for healthy food Thu, 22nd Jul 2021 0:12:00
     
      In his appeal to G20 environment ministers, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu, highlighted the challenge of having to produce more food while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “Today, humanity faces a triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate crisis and the impact of the pandemic”, he said. “To have healthy food, we need a healthy environment”. Better water The FAO chief spoke of the need to address water scarcity, which affects more than a billion people, by increasing efficiency and sustainable management. Almost a billion hectares of rain-fed cropland and pastureland are also severely affected by recurring drought. Mr. Qu argued that water-related challenges could be addressed through digital innovation, better oversight and investment. He also called for stepping up biodiversity-friendly approaches, including more investments in related actions and slowing down biodiversity loss. “Current levels of investment are highly insufficient”, said the FAO Director-General. $1.4 trillion benefit He stressed that reversing deforestation “will help mitigate against climate change” and prevent disease outbreaks passing from animals to humans, adding that the economic benefits of halting biodiversity loss and land degradation, could amount to $1.4 trillion per year. The recently launched?UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, led by FAO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), provides an “excellent opportunity to mobilize our collective efforts”, he said. FAO is calling for urgent action to reverse the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, recommending scaled up mitigation approaches and actions across the food and agricultural sectors. Mr. Qu emphasized the UN agency’s work was guided by the need to make agri-food systems more efficient, resilient, inclusive and sustainable – all with the aim of achieving the so-called “four betters”: better production, nutrition, environment and life, leaving no one behind. Extreme tech challenge The World Food Forum (WFF) – created for and led by the Food and Agriculture’s (FAO) Youth Committee – announced on Thursday the launch of an international competition in partnership with the non-profit Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) to support and showcase entrepreneurs harnessing technology to drive the sustainable transformation of agri-food systems, to end world hunger. The WFF Startup Innovation Awards will be presented on 2 October to the successful contestants who have built companies aligned to the “four betters”. “The Extreme Tech Challenge AgTech, Food & Water competition category directly addresses FAO’s mission to defeat hunger worldwide and to achieve high-quality food security for all”, said FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol. “We are thrilled to join XTC in this partnership and to leverage their extraordinary pool of transformative startups to make a material impact in both of our organizations’ sustained efforts to tackle this global challenge”. Food systems focus Meanwhile, the Food Systems Pre-Summit is gearing to run from Monday to Wednesday next week, ahead of the major Summit itself, due to take place later this year. Journalists who have yet to register for next week’s virtual event, are being encouraged to do so here. It’s being convened as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The aim of the high-level meeting is to bring together key players from the worlds of science, business, policy, healthcare, academia and others to launch bold actions towards progress on all 17 SDGs – each of which relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096272
     
         
      Electric cars still release fewer greenhouse gases than gas vehicles - even if they're charged by energy grid that relies on 'dirty' power like coal Wed, 21st Jul 2021 23:10:00
     
      Although electric vehicles are garnering significant attention, critics question whether they're much better for the environment than gas guzzlers—especially if they're charged from a 'dirty' grid that relies on coal or other non-renewable sources. However, a new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) indicates that EVs release fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetime, regardless of the grid they plug into. 'Even for India and China, which are still heavily reliant on coal power, the life-cycle benefits of BEVs are present today,' Peter Mock, ICCT's managing director for Europe, said in a statement. The study looked at greenhouse gases (GHG) in Europe, the US, China, and India, which are responsible for about 70 percent of all new car sales combined. According to the statement from ICCT, unlike other assessments, it considered both present and projected emissions 'attributable to every stage in the life cycles of both vehicles and fuels—from extracting and processing raw materials through refining and manufacture to operation and eventual recycling or disposal.' It dug into a variety of power sources, including plug-in hybrids, biofuels, hydrogen and electricity. Building an EV is still more carbon-intensive than constructing an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, but EV drivers recoup their carbon footprint after a year or so, ICCT researcher Georg Bieker told The Verge. Over the lifetime of average medium-size electric vehicles registered today, emissions are already lower than comparable gasoline cars by 66-69 percent in Europe, 60–68 percent in the US, 37-45 percent in China, and 19–34 percent in India. That gap will only grow as the electricity mix continues to decarbonize, the authors said. 'Only battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by renewable electricity can achieve the kind of deep reductions in GHG emissions from transportation that comport with the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping global warming well below 2 °C,' the report indicates. 'There is no realistic pathway to that goal that relies on combustion-engine vehicles, including hybrids of any sort.' The new report counters a November 2020 study produced by a group of carmakers indicating that manufacturing electric vehicles generates 63 percent more carbon dioxide than making gas or diesel-powered models. That report—commissioned by Honda , Aston Martin, Bosch and McLaren—found that some so-called zero-emission vehicles have to be driven for almost 50,000 miles before they were as 'green' as autos powered by fossil fuels. It determined that producing Volvo's all-electric Polestar 2 generates 24 tons of carbon dioxide, compared with 14 tons for a gas-powered Volvo XC40. 'You would have to drive 48,700 miles in a Polestar 2 before its carbon footprint becomes smaller than a Volvo XC40,' the researchers said. 'Similar results have been shown by studies conducted by Volkswagen comparing the e-Golf against the diesel Golf.' The report was issued in response to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to ban sales of new gas and diesel vehicles starting in 2030. The carmakers claimed electric vehicles were 'no silver bullet' in helping the UK achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but ICCT says they're not looking at the whole life of the car. 'We have a lot of lobby work from parts of the automotive industry saying that electric vehicles are not that much better if you take into account the electricity production and the battery production,' Bieker told The Verge. 'We wanted to look into this and see whether these arguments are true.' Approximately 231,000 all-electric vehicles were sold in the US in 2020, down 3.2 percent from the prior year, according to Pew Research. All-EVs (excluding plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles) account for roughly 2 percent of US annual sales. There are approximately 10.2 million electric vehicles around the world, but the US only has 17 percent of them—far behind China, which has more than 4.5 million, or 44 percent of the world's total stock. High upfront costs and a lack of chargers on residential roads have been blamed for stagnating demand, with zero-emission cars still considered a luxury by many households. But incentives, like federal and state EV tax credits, can bring the price down to on par with a typical combustion-engine car. And, according to the Sierra Club, the average EV driver will save between $700 and $1,600 a year in fuel costs, and nearly 50 percent in maintenance costs 'due to a cleaner, more streamlined system under the hood.' 'Electric vehicles are cleaner than vehicles powered by burning dirty fossil fuels, full stop,' the group added. 'A fully electric vehicle uses electricity to power a battery - this means no gasoline, no dirty oil changes, and no internal combustion engine.' In regions like the West Coast of the US, which rely more on wind and hydro power, emissions are already significantly lower for electric vehicles. 'As we retire more coal plants and bring cleaner sources of power online, the emissions from electric vehicle charging drop even further,' the Sierra Club said in a statement. 'Additionally, in some areas, night-time charging will increase the opportunity to take advantage of wind power — another way to further reduce emissions.' Earlier this week, Elon Musk confirmed Tesla would soon make its more than 17,000 Supercharger stations available to other brands of EVs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9811687/Electric-vehicles-release-fewer-greenhouse-gases-charged-grid-using-dirty-power-like-coal.html
     
         
      China floods: 12 dead in Zhengzhou train and thousands evacuated in Henan Wed, 21st Jul 2021 16:43:00
     
      Twelve people have died after record-breaking rainfall flooded underground railway tunnels in China, leaving passengers trapped in rising waters. Video shared on social media shows evening commuters just managing to keep their heads above water. Water is seen rushing onto platforms. More than 500 people were eventually rescued from the tunnels in Henan province, officials said. Days of rain have caused widespread damage and led to 200,000 evacuations. Above ground, roads have been turned into rivers, with cars and debris swept along in fast moving currents. A number of pedestrians have had to be rescued. In total, 25 people have died in Henan province and more than a dozen cities are affected. President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that there had been "significant loss of life and damage to property". Several dams and reservoirs have breached warning levels, and soldiers have been mobilised to divert rivers which have burst their banks. Flights and trains in many parts of Henan have also been suspended. In the provincial capital Zhengzhou, the equivalent of a year's average rainfall has fallen in just three days. On Tuesday, some of the city's flood defences were overwhelmed and water began flowing down into the railway tunnels. Survivors have described how water leaked through the doors, rising slowly from "our ankles to our knees to our necks". "All of us who could, stood on the subway seats," one woman wrote on Chinese social network site Weibo. Children were lifted out of the water by their parents, while others threw off anything which might hold them down. After about half an hour, one passenger said it became "hard to breathe". An order to shut down the line came at 18:10 local time (10:10 GMT) so the evacuation could begin, Zhengzhou government officials said in a statement. Five people are being treated for injuries, with 12 having died. Elsewhere in the central Chinese city, children had to be rescued from a flooded nursery school. State media aired footage of them being floated out in plastic tubs by rescuers. The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou Hospital also briefly lost power on Tuesday night, though this has now been restored, said a statement on Weibo by the Zhengzhou Municipal Party Committee. It added that 600 critically ill patients had been transferred to another location. Another resident, identified as Mr Liu, 27, told BBC Chinese he had had "no water, no electricity, and no internet". "Never in my life had I seen so much rain," Mr Liu added. "There was one hour where the rain was just pouring down on us from the heavens, and everything went completely white." But the rising waters were not just confined to Zhengzhou. A 20-metre (65ft) breach has emerged in the dam in Luoyang city after it was damaged by storms, officials said. Soldiers have been deployed to the area and a statement from the army warned it could "collapse at any time". Another user said that residents in Sishui town were stuck on rooftops. "We don't know how to swim… the whole village is about to be washed away," the person wrote. What's caused the floods? Henan has experienced "rare and severe rainfall" since Saturday, China's meteorological authority said on Wednesday. Zhengzhou saw 624mm of rainfall on Tuesday, with a third of that amount falling between 16:00 and 17:00 alone, which "smashed historical records". It forecasted that parts of the region would continue to see "severe or extremely severe storms" and that the heavy rain was likely to end only on Thursday. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. Part of the Yellow River basin in China, Henan has several major river systems running through the province which are prone to flooding. Zhengzhou, which has a population of 12 million, sits on the banks of the Yellow River itself. Scientists have warned that widespread dam construction has exacerbated climate change problems in China's flood zone, says the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell. Connections between rivers and lakes have been cut and disrupted flood plains which once absorbed much of the region's annual summer downpours.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57861067
     
         
      Solar-to-Hydrogen Water Splitter Outlasts Next Best Tech By 14x Wed, 21st Jul 2021 12:53:00
     
      To split water into hydrogen on a large scale, we need technologies that are sustainable, efficient, scalable and durable. Using solar energy (or other renewable energy sources) to split water delivers sustainability, while recent research has made key inroads toward efficiency and scalability. Now Japanese researchers say they’ve made an important step toward durability. Hydrogen today comes primarily from natural gas, which pumps out a lot of carbon and methane pollution into the atmosphere. By contrast, the sustainable solar-to-hydrogen approach has concentrated on photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In PEC systems, which nominally generate no greenhouse gases, special catalyst materials absorb sunlight to directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen. But these devices have also been limited by low efficiencies and lifetime. While previous PEC technologies have typically only lasted about a week, the new system is dramatically longer-lived. “We confirmed 100 days durability, which is one of the longest periods among experimentally confirmed PEC water splitting materials,” says Masashi Kato, a professor of electrical and mechanical engineering at Nagoya Institute of Technology. Durability will be key for maintenance-free systems that can be installed at remote locations, he says. Green hydrogen research and technologies have been gaining momentum around the world. Several companies and initiatives are making it by using wind or solar electricity to split water via electrolysis. Direct solar water-splitting using PEC is a more elegant, one-step way to harness solar energy for hydrogen production. But it has proven challenging to do on a large scale. Devices aren’t cheap, efficient, or durable enough yet to move out of the lab. Photocatalysts do the heavy lifting in PEC devices. Kato and his colleagues designed a tandem PEC device that uses two electrodes each coated with a different catalyst. One is titanium dioxide, a material commonly used in white paint and sunscreen, and the other is a cubic silicon carbide that Kato’s team has developed and reported previously. The two catalysts absorb different parts of the light spectrum and work in a complementary way to split water. Titanium dioxide is an n-type photocatalyst, which soaks up ultraviolet light and generates electrons, triggering chemical reactions that produce oxygen. And the silicon carbide material the researchers have made is a p-type catalyst that absorbs visible light to produce hydrogen. Together, the two reactions sustain each other for a while to split water into hydrogen and oxygen when a voltage is applied across the device placed in water. This results in the five-fold longevity boost over previous technologies to achieve 100-day operation, Kato says. The efficiency of the system reported in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells is relatively low at 0.74 percent. Most solar-to-hydrogen technologies have achieved efficiencies in the 1-2 percent range, but some research teams have achieved substantially higher efficiencies. Researchers from Italy and Israel recently reported a method that harnesses semiconductor nanorods topped with platinum spheres that convert almost 4 percent of solar energy into hydrogen fuel. A Belgian research team at KU Leuven in 2019 reported a solar panel prototype that absorbs moisture from the air and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen with 15 percent efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 5-10 percent efficiency should be enough for a practical solar hydrogen system. Kato says that it’s the titanium dioxide electrode that limits the efficiency of the system, and the team is now looking for other photocatalysts to boost efficiency that would still work in concert with the silicon carbide electrode. However, the combination of durability and efficiency still sets their device apart, he says.
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/solar-hydrogen-converter-outlasts-next-best-by-14x
     
         
      From one Acorn, can 20,000 jobs grow? Wed, 21st Jul 2021 12:52:00
     
      Imagine if you could capture all the carbon dioxide being pumped by industry into the atmosphere. Then imagine turning it into a kind of sludge and burying it deep under the seabed, making use of North Sea oil and gas pipelines, and those subsea fields that have been emptying over the past 50 years. Better still, imagine if you created a giant vacuum pump that sucked carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, to add to that sludge. And instead of heavy transport depending on diesel, imagine if you could manufacture hydrogen for fuel cells, using oil and gas from which the emissions would be captured and stored. There's a lot more than imagination going into such plans. This is the proposal being set out for a coastal site in Aberdeenshire, and spreading far beyond, in something called the Acorn project. To help fire the imagination, the Acorn project commissioned an economic model of how it might generate jobs. Between a lot of construction and then operations, it is reckoned that the project could peak at around 21,000 direct and indirect jobs. On average, taking into account the peaks and troughs of construction work, it would be closer to 15,000 jobs over the next three decades. HEAVYWEIGHT BACKING If it works, it would not only generate jobs but it could make a sizable dent in our climate changing challenges. And the bit that really attracts industry is that it could do so, with a licence to continue extracting and burning oil and gas. You can probably begin to see why the idea has won a lot of heavyweight support and investment. Acorn is a consortium comprised of oil and gas giants such as Royal Dutch Shell and financiers such as the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore. Of all the ways of achieving Net Zero, on a cost spectrum starting from building insulation, across solar and wind power, carbon capture and storage is among the most expensive. And what it still needs is a big slice of £1bn of infrastructure funding on offer from the UK government. Acorn is one of four projects understood to be bidding for the first tranche of that funding, against one in north-east England, another in South Wales, and one that would sequester the carbon dioxide off the coast of north-west England. Sub-sea reservoirs Those who have followed the fortunes of Scotland in turning green opportunities into green jobs will note that it has a disappointing track record, particularly when it comes to industrial processes and manufacturing. They will further note that the UK government has been here before - offering £1bn of funding to the best project for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and then withdrawing it, in 2015, when George Osborne's budgets got too tight. Such people might prefer to treat the plan with some scepticism. They are unlikely to be reassured by the UK government's super-branding of these projects as "SuperPlaces". That said, this is what it might involve: • Based at the gas terminal near the village of St Fergus in Aberdeenshire, where more than a third of Britain's gas comes ashore, a lot of new plant would be installed to process the CO2. The treated CO2 would be pumped into disused or emptying oil and gas reservoirs deep under the sea bed. According to Acorn, this set-up could store the equivalent of 65 years of the UK's 2018 emissions. • The gases would be gathered from industrial users of energy, including Peterhead gas-fired power station and whisky distilleries in the north-east. CO2 could be imported by ship into Peterhead harbour. A big element of the project is a memorandum of understanding signed last week to team up with Ineos and Petroineos, the owners and operators of the vast Grangemouth refinery and petro-chemical plant. • From the same base, a new industry is envisioned which would see oil and gas burned to electrolyse water and create hydrogen. That has many uses as energy, most effectively and efficiently for industry and heavy transport and possibly for heating buildings. But creating so-called 'blue hydrogen' from oil and gas is really not liked by climate change campaigners at all. Especially when 'green hydrogen' is seen as an attractive alternative as it can be created by use of renewable power. • A bold new technology of 'direct air capture' is being trialled, filtering carbon dioxide out of the air. It remains some way off commercial application. You can read more about it here. Hydrogen jobs Bids for UK government funding required an estimate of the job impact of such plans. Today, we learn of the numbers, and how that average figure of 15,100 jobs is derived. Of those 6200 would be direct and 8900 indirect. Most would be in the hydrogen end of the plan, and between next year and 2036, around 60% of the jobs would be in construction. The biggest job impact is foreseen in hydrogen production. And Acorn lists the many sectors of the economy that would be involved in the supply chain, beyond construction, chemicals and engineering design to gas and electricity distribution, retail trades, cement, plastering, real estate, accountancy and insurance. Will it happen? It's a big ask technically, and on several fronts. Nothing like this has happened on a commercial scale. It's also a big ask of government, when it hasn't yet figured out how it's going to distribute its subsidy. It could also put pressure on Scottish and UK governments to co-operate. Two British projects are meant to get the go-ahead by the middle of this decade, and two more from 2030. But there's a clock ticking loudly - on the need to tackle climate change, and reach targets for Net Zero. Its backers say such projects are essential to meeting those wider, bigger targets. And only four months from now, eyes will be on Glasgow and the COP26 summit. Britain needs to be able to say it is making progress on such projects, if it is to have authority and momentum in the geopolitics of summitry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-57809448
     
         
      New molten salt battery for grid-scale storage runs at low temp and cost Wed, 21st Jul 2021 12:36:00
     
      As renewable forms of power like wind and solar continue to gain prominence, there will be a need for creative solutions when it comes to storing energy from sources that are intermittent by nature. One potential solution is known as a molten salt battery, which offers advantages that lithium batteries do not, but have their share of kinks to iron out, too. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have come up with a new design that addresses a number of these shortcomings, and demonstrated a working molten salt battery that can be constructed far more cheaply, while storing more energy, than currently available versions. Storing vast amounts of energy in a cheap and efficient manner is the name of the game when it comes to powering whole cities with renewable energy, and despite its many strengths, this is where expensive lithium battery technology falls short. Molten salt batteries shape as a more cost-effective solution, which use electrodes kept in a molten state with the help of high temperatures. This is something that the Sandia scientists have been working to change. "We've been working to bring the operating temperature of molten sodium batteries down as low as physically possible," says Leo Small, the lead researcher on the project. "There's a whole cascading cost savings that comes along with lowering the battery temperature. You can use less expensive materials. The batteries need less insulation and the wiring that connects all the batteries can be a lot thinner." In their commercial form, these batteries are known as sodium-sulfur batteries, and a few of these have been developed around the world but generally operate at 520 to 660 °F (270 to 350 °C). The Sandia team have set their sights much lower, although doing so required a rethink as the chemistries that work at high temperatures don't lend themselves well to lower temperatures. The scientists' design consists of liquid sodium metal that sits on the opposite side of a ceramic separator material to a novel liquid mixture made of sodium iodide and gallium chloride, which the scientists call a catholyte. When the battery discharges energy, chemical reactions take place that produces sodium ions and electrons that pass through the highly-selective separator material and produce molten iodide salt on the other side. This sodium-sulfur battery proved capable of operating at just 230 °F (110 °C), and proved its worth across eight months of testing in the lab through which it was charged and discharged more than 400 times. Further, it runs at 3.6 volts, which the scientists say is around 40 percent higher than commercially available molten salt batteries. This could equate to versions with fewer cells and therefore a higher energy density. "We were really excited about how much energy we could potentially cram into the system because of the new catholyte we're reporting in this paper," says study author Martha Gross. "Molten sodium batteries have existed for decades, and they're all over the globe, but no one ever talks about them. So, being able to lower the temperature and come back with some numbers and say, 'this is a really, really viable system' is pretty neat." The scientists are now turning their attention to lowering the cost of the battery, which could come from replacing the gallium chloride which is around 100 times more expensive than table salt. They say the technology is still five to 10 years away from commercialization, but working in their favor is the safety of the battery, which poses no risk of fire. "This is the first demonstration of long-term, stable cycling of a low-temperature molten-sodium battery," says study author Erik Spoerke. "The magic of what we've put together is that we've identified salt chemistry and electrochemistry that allow us to operate effectively at 230 °F. This low-temperature sodium-iodide configuration is sort of a reinvention of what it means to have a molten sodium battery."
       
      Full Article: https://newatlas.com/energy/molten-salt-battery-grid-scale-storage-low-temp/
     
         
      Climate change: US pushes China to make faster carbon cuts Wed, 21st Jul 2021 12:00:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry has called on China to increase the speed and depth of its efforts to cut carbon. Without sufficient emissions reductions by China, Mr Kerry said, the global goal of keeping temperatures under 1.5C was "essentially impossible". Mr Kerry said he was convinced that China could do more and the US was willing to work closely to secure a reasonable climate future. Every major economy must now commit to meaningful reductions by 2030, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57904042
     
         
      Men cause more climate emissions than women, study finds Wed, 21st Jul 2021 7:23:00
     
      Both spend similar amounts of money but men use cars much more, Swedish analysis shows. Men’s spending on goods causes 16% more climate-heating emissions than women’s, despite the sum of money being very similar, a study has found. The biggest difference was men’s spending on petrol and diesel for their cars. The gender differences in emissions have been little studied, the researchers said, and should be recognised in action to beat the climate crisis. The analysis compared single men and women in Sweden and found that food and holidays caused more than half of all emissions for both men and women. The scientists found that swapping meat and dairy for plant-based foods and switching to train-based holidays, rather than using planes or cars, cut people’s emissions by 40%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/21/men-cause-more-climate-emissions-than-women-study-finds
     
         
      Men cause more climate emissions than women, study finds Wed, 21st Jul 2021 6:00:00
     
      Men’s spending on goods causes 16% more climate-heating emissions than women’s, despite the sum of money being very similar, a study has found. The biggest difference was men’s spending on petrol and diesel for their cars. The gender differences in emissions have been little studied, the researchers said, and should be recognised in action to beat the climate crisis. The analysis compared single men and women in Sweden and found that food and holidays caused more than half of all emissions for both men and women. The scientists found that swapping meat and dairy for plant-based foods and switching to train-based holidays, rather than using planes or cars, cut people’s emissions by 40%. “We think it’s important to take the difference between men and women into account in policy making,” said Annika Carlsson Kanyama, at the research company Ecoloop in Sweden, who led the study. “The way they spend is very stereotypical – women spend more money on home decoration, health and clothes and men spend more money on fuel for cars, eating out, alcohol and tobacco.” The research, published in the Journal for Industrial Ecology, did not include fuel for work vehicles such as taxis or plumbers’ vans. Previous research found that in families with one car, men used it more often to go to work with women more likely to use public transport. Holidays accounted for about a third of emissions for both the men and women. “That is a lot more than I expected,” said Carlsson Kanyama. They used data for single people because figures for individuals living in families were not available. The changes to diet and holidays to reduce personal emissions were chosen because they do not require extra spending, such as buying an electric car. “These are substantial changes of course, but at least you don’t need to get yourself another job, or borrow money from the bank,” she said. “So it’s something within reach here and now. You just use the same money you have and buy something else.” A study in 2017 found that the greatest impact individuals can have in fighting climate change is to have one fewer child, followed by not using a car and avoiding flying. Studies in 2010 and 2012 showed that men spent more on energy and ate more meat than women, both of which cause high emissions. But Carlsson Kanyama said: “I’m surprised more studies have not been done about the gender differences in environmental impact. There are quite clear differences and they are not likely to go away in the near future.” The EU’s green deal was criticised last week for failing to include the intersection between gender and the environment. “The climate crisis is one of the key challenges of our time and affects men and women quite differently,” said Leonore Gewessler, Austria’s climate minister. “For instance, the majority of people impacted by energy poverty are women. It is, therefore, crucial to take gender differences into the equation, if we want to develop solutions and a transformation that works for everyone.” “The European Green Deal policies are, at best, gender-blind and, at worst, widen gender inequalities,” said Nadège Lharaig, at the European Environmental Bureau, which published a report – Why the European Green Deal needs ecofeminism – on Friday. The spending data in the analysis was from 2012, the latest available. Carlsson Kanyama said it was unlikely to have changed sufficiently today to change the overall conclusions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/21/men-cause-more-climate-emissions-than-women-study-finds
     
         
      BHP ‘considering exit from oil’ amid backlash against fossil fuels Wed, 21st Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      The world’s biggest mining group is said to be considering getting out of oil production as investors turn against fossil fuels. BHP is reviewing options for its oil business including a trade sale, Bloomberg reported, adding that discussions were at an early stage. The division could be worth more than $14 billion, RBC Capital Markets analysts said. An exit from oil by the Anglo-Australian group would mark a strategic shift for BHP, which has long defended retaining the business despite scepticism from investors. Shares in the company rose by 1.9 per cent yesterday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bhp-considering-exit-from-oil-amid-backlash-against-fossil-fuels-xh3kcflv0
     
         
      Climate change: US pushes China to make faster carbon cuts Tue, 20th Jul 2021 18:40:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry has called on China to increase the speed and depth of its efforts to cut carbon. Without sufficient emissions reductions by China, Mr Kerry said, the global goal of keeping temperatures under 1.5C was "essentially impossible". Mr Kerry said he was convinced that China could do more and the US was willing to work closely to secure a reasonable climate future. Every major economy must now commit to meaningful reductions by 2030, he said. Mr Kerry was speaking at Kew Gardens in London, ahead of a G20 environment ministers meeting in Italy later this week. Referring to the key COP26 gathering in Glasgow in November, the former Secretary of State said that "in little more than 100 days we can save the next 100 years". Doing so would not be easy he said. Mr Kerry said that the promises made during and since the Paris climate agreement in 2015 would still see the world's temperature increase by 2.5-3C. "We're already seeing dramatic consequences with 1.2C of warming," he said, referring to recent heatwaves in the US and Canada, and flooding in Europe. "To contemplate doubling that is to invite catastrophe." He castigated the efforts of some countries which are still building new coal-fired power stations. He was scornful of nations that are illegally cutting down the rainforest "They're removing the lungs of the world, destroying irreplaceable biodiversity and destabilising the climate all at the same time." Observers say that the envoy was likely referring to Brazil and Indonesia. Mr Kerry paid special attention to the efforts of China, saying the country was now "the largest driver of climate change". China has promised to peak emissions by 2030 - but the US diplomat said that was not good enough. "If China sticks with its current plant and does not peak its emissions until 2030, then the entire rest of the world must go to zero by 2040 or even 2035," he warned. "There is simply no alternative because without sufficient reduction by China, the goal of 1.5C is essentially impossible. China's partnership and leadership on this issue of extraordinary international consequence is essential." Mr Kerry said he was convinced that China could outperform the targets it had set itself and that despite their diplomatic differences, the US was keen to co-operate. He also said all other major economies would have to step up, with more ambitious targets and plans for the next decade. Mr Kerry's comments come as new research shows that G20 countries are continuing to support fossil fuels in ways that are incompatible with the goals of the Paris agreement. According to Bloomberg's Climate Policy Factbook, G20 nations collectively cut fossil fuel funding by 10% from 2015 to 2019. However, eight countries, including the US, Canada and Australia increased their financial support for oil, coal and gas in this period. Last week, Mr Kerry travelled to Moscow where both sides agreed that the climate issue is one of common interest. President Putin said that Moscow "attaches great importance" to achieving the goals of the Paris climate agreement. In May, Mr Kerry was criticised by some scientists for rejecting the idea that Americans would have to change their consumption habits, for example, eating less meat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57904042
     
         
      Bristol Airport: Inquiry into expansion refusal begins Tue, 20th Jul 2021 18:37:00
     
      A council has defended its decision to reject expansion proposals of an airport despite the threat of a costly planning appeal. North Somerset Council voted overwhelmingly to reject Bristol Airport's plans in February 2020. The hearing began earlier after Bristol Airport challenged the decision. Council leader Don Davies (Independent) said: "This unfortunately is used by big business the world over to try and cow members to do things for profit." HEAT DOME "This airport is not owned locally, it's owned by a Canadian pension scheme and what is the motivation for the appeal? "They barely got eight million passengers per annum previous to the planning application. "They have permission for up to 10 million passengers so there was a 12 percent window of expansion there already. "It is ironic that a country like Canada was wrecked ... by the heat dome - but they can't see the impact of the expansion on the environment here in north Somerset," Mr Davies added. The expansion will mean capacity will rise to 12 million passengers per year which the airport says will create new jobs and support the local economy. Critics protesting outside the hearing venue in Weston said more flights would increase global warming. Witnesses will range from Bristol Airport executives, industry experts, environmental campaigners and parish councillors. If the decision is overturned, there will be more flights and extra car parking spaces to grow the business. The hearing which began at 10:00 BST saw a representative for the airport put forward its case. Counsel for Bristol Airport, Michael Humphries QC said: "The government has made clear the importance it attaches to airports and their expansion. "The merits of government policy are not a matter of debate for this local planning inquiry. "The expansion of the airport does not cut across climate change ambitions that we all share. "It is consistent with and complements them." CARBON FOOTPRINT Ahead of the hearing, the airport's procurement manager Susannah Caws said: "Would you stop going on holiday? "Would you stop flying? If I asked whether they would ever stop flying because of the carbon footprint I'm not sure anybody would. "All we can do is do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint where possible. "People will always fly and it's how we mitigate that where possible." She said mitigation would include ensuring all of its vehicles were electric and that its electricity came from renewable sources. The Parish Councils Airport Association represents 30 parish councils in the area, all of which oppose the plans. Chairwoman Hilary Burn said: "I commend anybody who moves forward in an environmentally-friendly way. "Let's not forget the elephant in the room - the new modernised flights, which are coming, which are electric, don't come until 2035. "We know we have a biodiversity crisis and a climate crisis and we know that we have to act for 2030. "We have to do our utmost to reduce carbon." CEO of Bristol Airport, Dave Lees said: "Bristol Airport is important to the region and its recovery and that includes a greener future. "We want to improve connectivity - that's what businesses are telling us. "We want to avoid people having to travel up to London - it's new and existing demand from people in our region." The appeal is expected to last at least two months and will be streamed on North Somerset Council's YouTube channel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-57898791
     
         
      Resistance in the ranks: any nudge by Morrison towards net zero by 2050 will be a tough sell to LNP Tue, 20th Jul 2021 18:29:00
     
      Scott Morrison’s attempt to nudge his government in the direction of a net zero commitment by 2050 is expected to face resistance at this weekend’s annual convention of the Liberal National party in Brisbane. Policy resolutions circulated to LNP members ahead of the event include a proposal originating from George Christensen’s federal divisional council calling for the Morrison government to “oppose net zero emissions if job losses occur for little gain”. The resolution says any proposal for net zero emissions “needs to specify how it will be achieved and in what timeframe” and it adds: “Before adopting any proposal, methods of achieving such need to be modelled – and if there will be job losses, then the proposal shall be opposed.” Another resolution in circulation before the weekend LNP convention is even tougher, calling on the Morrison government to “ensure that any proposal for a carbon net zero target by 2050 is opposed, and no commitment to net-zero CO2 is made at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow”. Morrison is facing pressure from the Biden administration, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, and European leaders to bring more ambitious climate change commitments to Cop26 in Glasgow later this year. Metropolitan Liberals also want Morrison to execute a climate policy pivot. Morrison’s language on achieving net zero by mid-century – while still equivocal – has warmed considerably since Biden won the US election and brought his country back into the Paris agreement. The prime minister says achieving that goal either in 2050 or before that date is the government’s “preference”. But Morrison has faced sustained resistance from the Nationals about a net zero commitment. On Sunday, Barnaby Joyce, who has recently returned as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister, told the ABC the junior Coalition partner wanted to see how much a 2050 net zero carbon emissions commitment would cost – likening the policy decision to ordering an uncosted meal in a restaurant. Another LNP convention resolution originating from the Dawson federal divisional council also urges the Morrison government to “support the construction of a clean coal-fired power station in north Queensland”. As well as proposals on climate policy and coal, the issue of quotas is also flagged in resolutions. Recent opinion polls suggest the Coalition has significant work to do to restore its standing with female voters in the wake of parliament’s #MeToo moment, and a commitment to boosting female representation would be an obvious signal of modernity and inclusion. During the height of the Brittany Higgins furore, Morrison expressed interest in the Liberal party adopting quotas to boost female representation. The prime minister said in March he wanted more women preselected and did not hold the same “reservations” about the concept as some in his party. But a resolution in circulation before the weekend convention takes the opposite position. The policy resolution reads: “That this convention of the LNP recognise that the LNP deserves the best representation and therefore LNP candidates should be selected on merit.” “The LNP rejects gender quotas as a means of being elected to parliament,” it states. The resolution “recognises the outstanding contribution in many roles made by women and undertakes to continue to provide for the advancement of women in every role” – acknowledging selection is by merit and not by “gender-based quota systems for appointments”. There has been a push from party moderates in Queensland for the LNP to adopt critical recommendations from the Menzies Centre Gender and Politics report from 2020 – including reporting on the number of women participating in the party at all levels and setting realistic targets to improve the representation of women at all levels. But this push has faced internal opposition from right faction players. A resolution that has been circulated ahead of the weekend convention calls for a “working committee to examine the Menzies Gender and Politics Report 2020, consider its adoption with a view to collating and reporting the participation of women in the party at all levels, and subsequently set realistic targets to improve current female representation at each level”. There will also be an attempt during closed constitutional sessions of the convention on Friday to change language in the party’s constitution to gender-neutral terminology – although it is unclear whether that rudimentary attempt at modernisation will succeed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/21/resistance-in-the-ranks-any-nudge-by-morrison-towards-net-zero-by-2050-will-be-a-tough-sell-to-lnp
     
         
      Scarborough flood defence plans to be re-examined Tue, 20th Jul 2021 17:35:00
     
      Plans to protect a seaside town from flooding are to be "refreshed" in a bid to save more homes. Scarborough Council is to look again at its coastal defence scheme after getting a £468,000 grant from the Environment Agency. A report says over 1,700 homes and 200 businesses in the town are at risk from coastal erosion and flooding over the next century. The authority is due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the report. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the new report is an update of an existing plan drawn up in 2009. It has used new data and information on coastal erosion gathered over the last decade. The holiday resort has been hit by flooding in the past, with flash floods affecting parts of the town in 2017. The report says that a number of the town's existing defences are nearing the end of their serviceable life, with some more than 100 years old. The strategy will look at ways to ensure Scarborough's safety for the next century, while also planning for effects of climate change. It adds: "Specifically for Scarborough South Bay, particular attention will be given to the sea flooding risks along Foreshore Road and the physical constraints on potential options imposed by existing infrastructure and businesses." Councillors will be asked at the meeting to find a contractor to draw up the new strategy, which would then be used to apply for funding to carry out any work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-57899235
     
         
      World’s first large-scale zero-carbon steel plant will require €500m of public money Tue, 20th Jul 2021 14:40:00
     
      The world’s first full-scale zero-carbon steel plant will require a whopping €500m ($588m) of public money to go ahead, Recharge has learned. ArcelorMittal, the planet’s largest steel producer, announced last week that, after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish government, it will oversee a €1bn investment to build a green-hydrogen-powered direct reduced iron plant at its existing facility in Sestao on the outskirts of Bilbao, as well as a new electric arc furnace. Powering this redesigned plant with renewable energy would mean the Sestao plant would produce 1.6 million tonnes of zero carbon steel by 2025. “Given the significant cost associated with the transition, in terms of both capex and opex, it is ArcelorMittal’s expectation [that public] support will cover at least half of the additional cost to enable its operations to remain competitive as it accelerates its decarbonisation program,” ArcelorMittal said in a statement. A spokesman for ArcelorMittal confirmed to Recharge that this means €500m of public funding will have to come from the Spanish or Basque governments or possibly the EU — raising questions as to whether handing over so much cash to a conglomerate worth about $30bn represents a good use of taxpayer money. It also highlights the scale of the challenge needed to decarbonise heavy industry. The steel sector has traditionally used coke — a form of coal — as both a heat source and a method of removing unwanted oxygen from iron ore (iron oxides) in a process known as reduction. Consequently, the steel industry is said to produce 8% of the world’s annual carbon emissions. Clean hydrogen has long been proposed as a method for replacing coke, as it can provide both the high-temperature heat needed and remove oxygen in a way that purely electric solutions cannot. (Electric arc furnaces are used to melt scrap steel, not to process iron ore). The Sestao plant is first “meaningful” use of green hydrogen for direct reduced iron, says ArcelorMittal. “This is a hugely significant development and demonstrates the strength of innovation embedded in our people, our unparalleled technology leadership, and what can be achieved through investment in existing steelmaking infrastructure,” said chief executive Aditya Mittal. “It means ArcelorMittal will be the first company in the world to be in a position to offer its customers meaningful volumes of zero carbon-emissions steel. “The ability of the Sestao plant to become the world’s first zero carbon-emissions steel plant would not be possible without the support and partnership of the Spanish government.” ArcelorMittal also revealed in the small print of a press release: “Should green hydrogen not be available at affordable rates by the end of 2025, natural gas would be used to power the DRI furnace.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/world-s-first-large-scale-zero-carbon-steel-plant-will-require-500m-of-public-money/2-1-1042649
     
         
      ‘Reckless’: G20 states subsidised fossil fuels by $3tn since 2015, says report Tue, 20th Jul 2021 11:00:00
     
      The G20 countries have provided more than $3.3tn (£2.4tn) in subsidies for fossil fuels since the Paris climate agreement was sealed in 2015, a report shows, despite many committing to tackle the crisis. This backing for coal, oil and gas is “??reckless” in the face of the escalating climate emergency, according to the report’s authors, and urgent action is needed to phase out the support. The $3.3tn could have built solar plants equivalent to three times the US electricity grid, the report says. The G20 countries account for nearly three-quarters of the global carbon emissions that drive global heating. The report, by BloombergNEF and Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on three areas where immediate action is needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C: ending fossil fuel subsidies, putting a price on carbon emissions and making companies disclose the risks posed by climate change to their businesses. The report says all 19 G20 member states continue to provide substantial financial support for fossil-fuel production and consumption – the EU bloc is the 20th member. Overall, subsidies fell by 2% a year from 2015 to reach $636bn in 2019, the latest data available. But Australia increased its fossil fuel subsidies by 48% over the period, Canada’s support rose by 40% and that from the US by 37%. The UK’s subsidies fell by 18% over that time but still stood at $17bn in 2019, according to the report. The biggest subsidies came from China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India, which together accounted for about half of all the subsidies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/20/g20-states-subsidised-fossil-fuels-2015-coal-oil-gas-cliamte-crisis
     
         
      Wild boars ‘pose greater climate change risk than a million cars’ Tue, 20th Jul 2021 10:06:00
     
      The rising number of invasive wild pigs is having a greater impact on the climate than a million cars because the animals unearth carbon trapped in soil, a study has found. Populations of feral pigs, such as wild boar, are growing in many countries where they are not native but have spread after animals escaped from farms or were illegally released.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wild-boars-pose-greater-climate-change-risk-than-a-million-cars-t3c6t8vsp
     
         
      Wild boars ‘pose greater climate change risk than a million cars’ Tue, 20th Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      The rising number of invasive wild pigs is having a greater impact on the climate than a million cars because the animals unearth carbon trapped in soil, a study has found. Populations of feral pigs, such as wild boar, are growing in many countries where they are not native but have spread after animals escaped from farms or were illegally released. There are more than 2,500 in the UK, including in Wiltshire, Devon, Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean, where 60 were illegally released about 15 years ago and by 2019 had expanded to about 1,200. Scientists studied the spread of wild pigs across five continents to produce the first assessment of their carbon impact.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wild-boars-pose-greater-climate-change-risk-than-a-million-cars-t3c6t8vsp
     
         
      --Add Article Title--BP’s £10bn wind farm plan to turn granite city green Tue, 20th Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      BP is promising £10 billion of investment and to make Britain’s oil capital its global hub for offshore wind if it is successful in securing seabed licences around Scotland. The company is teaming up with EnBW, a German utility group, to bid to install turbines with 2.9 gigawatts of capacity in Scottish waters. Aberdeen appears to be the big beneficiary if the application in the Scotwind auction, which is being run by Crown Estate Scotland, is successful.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bp-s-10bn-wind-farm-plan-to-turn-granite-city-green-mgnfwj7t6
     
         
      Madrid building a huge urban forest in a bid to combat climate change Mon, 19th Jul 2021 19:39:00
     
      To combat climate change and pollution, Madrid is building a green wall around the city. A 75-kilometre urban forest with nearly half a million new trees “What we want to do is to improve the air quality in the whole city,” says Mariano Fuentes, Madrid's councillor for the environment and urban development. “To fight the 'heat island' effect that is happening inside the city, to absorb the greenhouse emissions generated by the city, and to connect all the existing forest masses that already exist around the city.” The project will also make use of derelict sites lying between roads and buildings to help absorb 175,000 tons of CO2 per year. When finished, Madrid's 'green wall' will be a forest of indigenous trees that can absorb CO2 but also the heat generated by human activity. Temperatures under the shade of these trees are 2 degrees lower than the rest of the city. Madrid's urban forest is part of a 360-degree approach aiming to make cities more environmentally friendly, beyond just restricting private car use in urban centres, said Fuentes. “It has to be a global strategy,” added Fuentes. “It's not only about cars, but also a pedestrianisation strategy, the creation of environmental corridors in every district... and most of all... to engage citizens in this new green culture, it is essential for every city to face the near future in the best conditions.” With desertification reaching the doorstep of southern Europe, Madrid's urban forest intends to be both a mitigation and adaptation measure to climate change. “It is not a park,” says architect and city council urban advisor Daniel González. “Because the requirements were that it would use a very little amount of water, planting indigenous trees... and looking for other ways of maintenance. Because at the end of the day an infrastructure this big needs to be preserved with a minimum effort so it can be sustainable over time.” Cities around the world consume two-thirds of the global energy supply and generate three-quarters of the world's greenhouse emissions. From restricting traffic to promoting cycling and public transport and to planting more trees or looking for sustainable sources of energy, cities around the globe have already started their transformation. They will be the most affected by climate change, but they are also an essential part of the solution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/07/16/madrid-building-a-huge-urban-forest-in-bid-to-combat-climate-change
     
         
      China frictions steer electric automakers away from rare earth magnets Mon, 19th Jul 2021 19:11:00
     
      As tensions mount between China and the United States, automakers in the West are trying to reduce their reliance on a key driver of the electric vehicle revolution - permanent magnets, sometimes smaller than a pack of cards, that power electric engines. Most are made of rare earth metals from China. The metals in the magnets are actually abundant, but can be dirty and difficult to produce. China has grown to dominate production, and with demand for the magnets on the rise for all forms of renewable energy, analysts say a genuine shortage may lie ahead. Some auto firms have been looking to replace rare earths for years. Now manufacturers amounting to nearly half global sales say they are limiting their use, a Reuters analysis found. Automakers in the West say they are concerned not just about securing supply, but also by huge price swings, and environmental damage in the supply chain. This means managing the risk that scrapping the metals could shorten the distance a vehicle can travel between charges. Without a solution to that, the range anxiety that has long hampered the industry would increase, so access to the metals may become a competitive edge. Rare earth magnets, mostly made of neodymium , are widely seen as the most efficient way to power electric vehicles (EVs). China controls 90% of their supply. Prices of neodymium oxide more than doubled during a nine-month rally last year and are still up 90%; the U.S. Department of Commerce said in June it is considering an investigation into the national security impact of neodymium magnet imports. Companies trying to cut their use include Japan's third-largest carmaker Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), which told Reuters it is scrapping rare earths from the engine of its new Ariya model. Germany's BMW AG (BMWG.DE) did the same for its iX3 electric SUV this year, and the world's two biggest automakers Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) of Japan and Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) of Germany have told Reuters they are also cutting back on the minerals. Rare earths are critical for the electronics, defence and renewable energy industries. Because some can generate a constant magnetic force, the magnets they make are known as permanent magnets. Electric cars with these require less battery power than those with ordinary magnets, so vehicles can go longer distances before recharging. They were the no-brainer choice for EV motors until about 2010 when China threatened to cut rare earth supply during a dispute with Japan. Prices boomed. Now, supply concerns are opening a divide between Chinese EV producers and their Western rivals. While automakers in the West are cutting down, the Chinese are still churning out vehicles using the permanent magnets. A Chinese rare earths industry official told Reuters that if geopolitical risks are set aside, China's capacity can "fully meet the needs of the world's automotive industry." Altogether, based on sales data from JATO Dynamics, manufacturers accounting for 46% of total light vehicle sales in 2020 have said they have scrapped, plan to eliminate, or are scaling down rare earths in electric vehicles. And new ventures are springing up to develop electric motors without the metals, or to boost recycling of the magnets used in existing vehicles. "Companies that spend tens or hundreds of millions developing a family of products... they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket - that's the Chinese basket," said Murray Edington, who runs the Electrified Powertrain department at British consultancy Drive System Design. "They want to develop alternatives." BMW says it has redesigned its EV technology to make up for a lack of rare earths; Renault SA (RENA.PA) has slotted its rare-earth-free Zoe model into a growing niche of small urban cars that do not need extended driving ranges. Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), the U.S. EV giant whose $621 billion market value is just below that of the top five automakers combined - is opting for both types of motors. "You're pulling your hair deciding whether you think supplies will be viable in the future and at what price," said Ryan Castilloux of Canada-based consultancy Adamas Intelligence. His consultancy expects global consumption of rare earths for magnets to climb to $15.7 billion by 2030, nearly four times this year's value. EVS AND WIND TURBINES Neodymium is a mighty metal. The neodymium magnets in a typical EV weigh up to 3kg (6 lb), but even at 1/12th of that weight, a neodymium magnet can support steel as heavy as prizefighter Tyson Fury, and will have about 18 times more magnetic energy than the standard variety, British magnet company Bunting told Reuters. Even though the pandemic has dented auto sales, demand for these magnets in electric vehicles shot up by 35% last year alone to 6,600 tonnes, Adamas Intelligence says. The permanent magnets in hybrid and EV motors cost more than $300 per vehicle or up to half the cost of the motor, analysts say. Analysts at investment bank UBS expect electric models to make up half of global new car sales by 2030, up from only 4% last year. The magnets are also in demand for wind turbines, global installations of which jumped 53% last year, according to the industry trade group. Over the past two decades, Western countries largely withdrew from producing rare earth metals, which involves complex processing and often noxious byproducts. Today, China's dominance runs through the entire production chain. "The upstream rare earth supply chain, including mining and processing, is definitely a big concern, but when it comes to actual RE magnet production, China has an even tighter grip," said David Merriman at Roskill, a critical materials consultancy in London. NOT ENOUGH For many EV drivers, range anxiety may not be an issue. "Most people are driving less than 100 miles a day, so for that you can have a less efficient motor," said researcher Jürgen Gassmann at Fraunhofer IWKS in Germany. Even so, automakers in the West have adopted a range of strategies. Some, like Toyota, still use permanent magnets but have trimmed use of rare earths, developing a magnet that needs 20%-50% less neodymium. Others, like BMW, have undertaken major redesigns: The German carmaker told Reuters it overhauled its drive unit to combine motor, electronics and transmission in a single housing, cutting down on space and weight. "Our goal for the future is to avoid rare earths as much as possible and to become independent of possible cost, availability and - of course - sustainability risks," said Patrick Hudde, BMW's vice president of raw material management. Tesla started in 2019 to combine engine types. Its S and X models have two motors: one with rare earth magnets, one without. The induction motor provides more power, while the one with permanent magnets is more efficient, Tesla said: Including a rare earth motor boosted the models' driving range by 10%. Volkswagen also uses both types of motors on its new ID.4 crossover SUV, it said. The use of non-rare-earth electric motors is set to jump nearly eightfold by 2030, according to Claudio Vittori, senior analyst of e-mobility at data analytics company IHS Markit. But he said permanent magnet motors will still dominate, mainly because of their power and efficiency. If the forecasts are correct, it's not certain that even these tweaks can cool the market. "I think we need these innovations to help balance the really strong demand growth that we're looking at," Castilloux says. "There's almost no scenario where supply will be enough."
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-frictions-steer-electric-automakers-away-rare-earth-magnets-2021-07-19/
     
         
      China orders power plants to build 7-day coal inventories -sources Mon, 19th Jul 2021 12:18:00
     
      BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - China's state planner has ordered power plants to build their coal inventory to the equivalent of at least seven days of consumption by July 21, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. The order came as the government strives to ensure electricity generation at coal-fired power plants amid surging power consumption from industrial and residential users. The sources pointed to a statement issued on Sunday, seen by Reuters, in which the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) asked major coal-fired power plants to submit by midday on Monday (0400 GMT) details of how they would lift inventory, and to complete the stockpile build by Wednesday. "We are in the peak power consumption period and must guarantee coal supply to power plants...and will not allow the shutdown of power generation units due to a lack of coal," the statement said. The NDRC has already announced it will release more than 10 million tonnes of coal from reserves to cool the market while adding more coal production capacity in the country. Average daily coal consumption had risen to more than 2.2 million tonnes at key power plants in eight provinces in eastern China as of July 15, the highest level in the corresponding period in history, according to data compiled by China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association (CCTD). Meanwhile, coal inventory at the power plants fell to 24.2 million tonnes, the lowest level in the same period. Eleven provinces across China recorded a record-high power load last week as warmer than normal weather led to higher use of air conditioning. The NDRC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-orders-power-plants-build-7-day-coal-inventories-sources-2021-07-19/
     
         
      Europe is hedging its bets on clean hydrogen to reach climate neutrality. Will it work? Mon, 19th Jul 2021 11:42:00
     
      As the European Union gets to work on climate ambitions that aim to encourage companies and consumers to choose greener options, the bloc and the energy industry are hedging their bets on hydrogen. But could clean hydrogen be the answer to achieving climate neutrality? Clean hydrogen, or green hydrogen, is made without fossil fuels and uses electricity from renewable energy technologies. But it is also the most expensive way to produce the gas and the cost is proving a hurdle. Currently, the most used way to produce the gas is through what is called ‘grey hydrogen’ but it is one of the most polluting methods. It works by using natural gas through steam methane reformation but the emissions are not captured. Clean hydrogen will be indispensable in helping decarbonise sectors such as industry, heavy-duty transport, and seasonal storage, according to a report by Hydrogen4EU, a research partnership made up of international organisations and energy giants. But the report makes clear that it is not the silver bullet to solve the entire climate problem. Instead, it is the missing link for sectors that cannot be easily decarbonised through electrification. Oil and gas companies and governments have also hailed clean hydrogen as the gas of the future, which could help Europe reach its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Europe’s hydrogen plan The European Commission unveiled its Fit for 55 climate package on July 14, which included some of the bloc’s most ambitious proposals to reduce carbon emissions and wean the EU 27 off fossil fuels. Part of the draft proposals to achieve this is by giving a significant boost to the development of the European hydrogen industry. As such, it details a plan for a 50 per cent target share in hydrogen consumption in the industry sector. It has also set itself an ambitious target of 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen to be produced in the EU by 2030 and for hydrogen refuelling stations to be more widely available. What will be the cost of implementing cleaner hydrogen? The challenge of clean hydrogen is getting the cost down to compete with fossil fuels. “I think what is really important at the moment is you can't make money with hydrogen projects because clean technologies are more expensive than dirty technologies,” Johannes Trüby, Director of Economic Advisory Energy and Modelling at Deloitte and one of the authors of the report, told Euronews Next. “As soon as the regulatory frameworks are in place for companies to be able to break even, then hydrogen projects will come, and then you'll get the costs down.” He said the profits will then come in turn, but that for the moment it is impossible to put a price on how much the clean hydrogen industry could be worth. “Green hydrogen certainly plays a very important role in the transition towards achieving net-zero,” Trüby said. “I think what we also acknowledge is that the amount of infrastructure you need for this green hydrogen is really gigantic.”Deloitte’s Johannes Trüby, one of the authors of the report, told Euronews Next. Blue hydrogen But even if producing green hydrogen can be more cost-effective, the Hydrogen4EU report says it will not be sufficient to meet all future clean hydrogen demand. He said that to fulfil Europe’s 2050 hydrogen demand, "1,000-1,700 GW of dedicated solar photovoltaics, a similar amount of wind power and 680 to 1500 GW of electrolysers" would be required. But that would have to increase tenfold as the EU has installed 120 GW of photovoltaics and 170 GW of wind power in total. He estimates developing hydrogen structures could cost Europe around €1.3-1.5 trillion, which would encompass the installations for hydrogen production, shipment, storage, and pipelines. Another way to boost clean hydrogen would be to scale up blue hydrogen production, which is made from natural gas and subsequent carbon capture and storage (CCS). It is considered low carbon as it buries the related CO2 emissions underground. But environmental groups and some EU members are hesitant as it is not as clean as green hydrogen. But the Commission and industry experts acknowledge blue hydrogen will be needed to grow the market. The Hydrogen4EU report advises keeping all options open when it comes to hydrogen production and argues a technologically diverse model brings down the cost of building a low-carbon hydrogen value chain by €2 trillion by 2050. A European hydrogen hub? Europe wants to be a world leader in the clean hydrogen market and is in a strong position to do so, argues Noé van Hulst, Hydrogen Advisor at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and advisor at Gasunie, a Dutch gas company. "We will need to have a policy where you re-purpose the gas pipelines," van Hulst told Euronews Next. "Then you can transport clean hydrogen from the supply sources to the demand centres, which may be further away, but luckily enough, we can do that by repurposing gas pipelines". He said Europe has, fortunately, already acknowledged this eventuality and that European gas infrastructure companies have designed the so-called hydrogen backbone plan, whereby in the next decades and already in the next five to 10 years, it can be done gradually. "By 2040 the hydrogen can be transported basically from east to west, from north to south, and vice versa across Europe. And that's what you need to build a really integrated European clean hydrogen market including storage," he said. Van Hulst predicts in the long-term we will probably see clean hydrogen being traded across the world. But to do so, we will need clarity on which product is traded and what their carbon footprint is. "There needs to be a respected, solid and trusted certificate market built on this basis. Then clean hydrogen can become a new global commodity market," he said. The International Partnership For Hydrogen and Fuel Cells is currently working on a methodology on how to calculate how much carbon is being produced for different ways of producing hydrogen. What is the future of hydrogen? For the moment, achieving the EU’s plan to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 is a long way off. Trüby’s team at Deloitte tracks the different hydrogen projects being announced across Europe and calculates how much hydrogen they could produce once they are running. He said over the last two and a half years, only one-third of the EU’s 10 million tonne ambition was produced in 2020. "The supply gap is still quite big. I mean, there are still nine years until 2030 and you might see more projects coming," Trüby said. "But it just shows that if you take the expectation from the Commission and compare it against what is happening on the ground, there is still quite a significant supply gap". That said, the uses of clean hydrogen are abundant, including for heavy transport, particularly trucks, as electric vehicles struggle with long-distance and carrying heavyweights. It can also be used for planes and ships. Hydrogen is also beneficial to heavy industries such as steelmaking, cement, and chemicals. "It's a subject that touches really upon many of the stakeholders in the energy industry and I think that's why we can expect it to be big," said Trüby. "How deep it's then going to go, that's a different story. But everybody is talking about hydrogen for exactly those reasons because it impacts everybody".
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/07/19/europe-is-hedging-its-bets-on-clean-hydrogen-to-reach-climate-neutrality-will-it-work
     
         
      How a powerful US lobby group helps big oil to block climate action Mon, 19th Jul 2021 11:00:00
     
      When Royal Dutch Shell published its annual environmental report in April, it boasted that it was investing heavily in renewable energy. The oil giant committed to installing hundreds of thousands of charging stations for electric vehicles around the world to help offset the harm caused by burning fossil fuels. On the same day, Shell issued a separate report revealing that its single largest donation to political lobby groups last year was made to the American Petroleum Institute, one of the US’s most powerful trade organizations, which drives the oil industry’s relationship with Congress. Contrary to Shell’s public statements in support of electric vehicles, API’s chief executive, Mike Sommers, has pledged to resist a raft of Joe Biden’s environmental measures, including proposals to fund new charging points in the US. He claims a “rushed transition” to electric vehicles is part of “government action to limit Americans’ transportation choice”. Shell donated more than $10m to API last year alone. And it’s not just Shell. Most other oil conglomerates are also major funders, including ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP, although they have not made their contributions public. The deep financial ties underscore API’s power and influence across the oil and gas industry, and what politicians describe as the trade group’s defining role in setting major obstacles to new climate policies and legislation. Critics accuse Shell and other major oil firms of using API as cover for the industry. While companies run publicity campaigns claiming to take the climate emergency seriously, the trade group works behind the scenes in Congress to stall or weaken environmental legislation. Earlier this year, an Exxon lobbyist in Washington was secretly recorded by Greenpeace describing API as the industry’s “whipping boy” to direct public and political criticism away from individual companies. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and strident critic of big oil’s public relations tactics, accused API of “lying on a massive industrial scale” about the climate crisis in order to stall legislation to combat global heating. “The major oil companies and API move very much together,” he said. Whitehouse said the oil and gas industry now recognizes it is no longer “socially acceptable” to outright deny climate change, and that companies are under pressure to claim they support new energy solutions that are less harmful to the environment. But that does not mean their claims should be taken at face value. “The question as to whether they’re even sincere about that, or whether this is just ‘Climate is a hoax 2.0’, is an unknown at this point,” he added. Shell has defended its funding by saying that while it is “misaligned” with some of API’s policies, the company continues to sit on the group’s board and executive committee in order to have “a greater positive impact” from within. The petroleum firm claims that its influence helped manoeuvre API, which represents about 600 drilling companies, refiners and other interests such as plastics makers, toward finally supporting a tax on carbon earlier this year. With Biden in the White House and growing public awareness of global heating, there are signs API’s influence may be weakening as its own members become divided on how to respond. The French oil company Total quit the group earlier this year over its climate policies. Shareholder rebellions are pressing Exxon and Chevron to move away from dependence on oil. Top clean energy executives at Shell quit in December over the pace of change by the company. API is also fighting a growing number of lawsuits, led by the state of Minnesota, alleging that the trade group was at the heart of a decades-long “disinformation campaign” on behalf of big oil to deny the threat from fossil fuels. But despite threats to API’s lasting influence, Whitehouse argues the trade organization represents the true face of the industry. Instead of using its considerable power to push for environmentally friendly energy laws, API is still lobbying to stall progress with the oil industry’s blessing. “Their political effort at this point is purely negative, purely against serious climate legislation. And many of them continue to fund the fraudulent climate denialists that have been their mouthpieces for a decade or more,” Whitehouse said. Since API was founded in 1919 out of an oil industry cooperation with the government during the first world war, it has evolved into a major political force with nearly $240m in annual revenue. Its board has been dominated by heavyweights from big oil, such as Rex Tillerson, the Exxon chief who went on to become Donald Trump’s secretary of state, and Tofiq Al Gabsani, the chief of Saudi Refining, a subsidiary of the giant state-owned Aramco oil giant. Al Gabsani was also registered as a lobbyist for the Saudi government. API also hired professional lobbyists, including Philip Cooney, who went on to serve under George W Bush as chief of staff of the Council on Environmental Quality until he was forced to resign in 2005 after tampering with government climate assessments to downplay scientific evidence of global heating and to emphasise doubts. Shortly afterward, Cooney was hired by Exxon. API came into its own as the realities of the climate crisis crept into public and political discourse, and the industry found itself on the defensive. The trade group, which claimed to represent companies supporting 10m jobs and nearly 8% of the US economy, played a central role in efforts to combat new environmental regulations. In many cases, API was prepared to carry out the dirty work that individual companies did not want to be held responsible for. In 1998, after countries signed the Kyoto Protocol to help curb carbon emissions, API drew up a multimillion-dollar disinformation campaign to ensure that “climate change becomes a non-issue”. The plan said “victory will be achieved” when “recognition of uncertainties become part of the ‘conventional wisdom’”. Much of this is the basis of several lawsuits against API. The first was filed last year by the Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, who accuses the group of working alongside ExxonMobil and Koch Industries to lie about the scale of the climate crisis. The suit alleges that “previously unknown internal documents” show that API and the others well understood the dangers for decades but “engaged in a public-relations campaign that was not only false, but also highly effective” to undermine climate science. The city of Hoboken in New Jersey is also suing API, claiming that it engaged in a conspiracy by joining and funding “front groups” that ran “deceptive advertising and communications campaigns that promote climate disinformation and denialism”. The lawsuits allege that API funded scientists known to deny or underplay climate changes, and gave millions of dollars to ostensibly independent organisations, such as the Cato Institute and the George C Marshall Institute, which denied or downplayed the growing environmental crisis. “API has been a member of at least five organizations that have promoted disinformation about fossil-fuel products to consumers,” Ellison alleges in Minnesota’s lawsuit. “These front groups were formed to provide climate disinformation and advocacy from a seemingly objective source, when, in fact, they were financed and controlled by ExxonMobil and other sellers of fossil-fuel products.” It wasn’t always this way. When Terry Yosie joined API in 1988 as vice-president for health and environment, the trade group had spent years funding scientists to research climate issues after hearing repeated warnings. In 1979, API and its members formed the Climate and Energy Task Force of oil and gas company scientists to share research. Yosie, who moved to API from the Environmental Protection Agency, controlled a $15m budget, part of which he used to give workshops on climate change by EPA officials and other specialists. “I brought them together in front of oil industry senior level executives for the sole purpose of making sure this industry had some understanding as to what other significant stakeholders thought about climate change, where they saw the issue evolving, what information they were relying on,” he said. When Yosie left API in 1992, he believed oil the lobby group was still serious about addressing the growing evidence of climate change. But a year later, it disbanded the task force at the same time that Exxon abandoned one of the industry’s biggest research programmes to measure climate change. Yosie believes that confronted with the true extent of the looming disaster, API and the oil companies ran scared, choosing instead to pursue an agenda informed by climate denialism. “As the climate issue began to move from the periphery to the centre stage, I think there was a collective loss of confidence in the entire industry, a fear that this was not a debate that was winnable,” he said. API and its financial backers founded a front organisation, the deceptively named Global Climate Coalition, to drum up purported evidence that the climate crisis was a hoax. In the late 1990s, the GCC’s chairman, William O’Keefe, was also API’s executive vice-president, a man who falsely claimed that “climate scientists don’t say that burning oil, gas and coal is steadily warming the earth”. API and the GCC led attacks on Bill Clinton’s support for the Kyoto protocol with a “global climate science communications plan” that misrepresented the facts about global heating. The relationship between API and big oil remained exceptionally close throughout. Exxon’s chief executive served on the lobby group’s executive committee for most of the past three decades, and the two worked together in promoting denialism over the climate crisis. The focus of API’s efforts were on Congress, where it led the industry’s opposition to policies, such as the 2009 cap-and-trade legislation to control carbon emissions. “Most of the funding for the Republican party, and probably a very considerable amount of the big dark money funding behind the Republican party, comes out of the fossil fuel industry,” said Whitehouse. Last year, API indirectly gave $5m to the conservative Senate Leadership Fund to back Republican election candidates (many of whom question climate science), and to the campaigns of members of the energy committees in both houses of Congress. Growing public disquiet, and the departure of oil-friendly Donald Trump from the White House, shifted the ground for API. In March it launched a Climate Action Framework, which for the first time endorsed policies such as carbon pricing. It also stated its support for the Paris climate agreement. API called the plan “robust” but others noted the lack of specifics and its sincerity was called into question when an Exxon lobbyist was caught on camera earlier this year saying that a carbon tax will never happen and that support for the measure was a public relations ploy intended to stall more serious measures. And between API’s lost support from Total, and the Shell executives who resigned in December over what they regarded as the company’s foot-dragging on greener fuels, there are signs of shifting attitudes within the industry itself. Shell and BP have said they will continue to review their support for API. Shell said that where it disagrees with API’s position, the company “will pursue advocacy separately”. However, Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, is sceptical that there has been any significant change in direction. “I think it’s fair to say that API and its prominent member companies have have a broadly shared goal, which is to keep the social licence of the oil and gas industry operating, and therefore enabling them to continue to extract oil and gas for as long as possible, as profitably as possible,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/19/big-oil-climate-crisis-lobby-group-api
     
         
      Doctors issue official guidance on effects of air pollution and bushfire smoke on pregnant people Mon, 19th Jul 2021 8:21:00
     
      New patient resources warning of the dangers of air pollution and bushfire smoke to pregnant people or those planning to conceive have been issued by the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), in what is thought to be a world-first. Patients are warned to avoid exposureto air pollution on heavily trafficked roads, bushfire smoke or indoor smoke from things such as cigarettes, unflued fireplaces or incense. The groundbreaking document explains that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is conclusively linked to gestational diabetes, pre-term birth and growth restriction, while studies conducted in countries with high pollution also show a link to high blood pressure, miscarriage and fertility issues. “Most airborne particles [such as PM2.5 or PM10] are not directly poisonous but can be harmful because they provoke low grade immune and stress responses in the body,” the document says. “These include increased inflammation, increased blood glucose, changes to regulation of heart rhythms, blood vessel function, and blood clotting regulation.” Tasmanian-based obstetrician Dr Kristine Barnden, who helped RANZCOG develop the document said she hopes the information “serves as a wake-up call to policymakers and the general public that action in the form of regulation and response to climate change is important to protect women and their children”. “We’re aware that no one can completely escape air pollution and that some women have less options than others,” she said. The pamphlet – which acknowledges that studies in Australia suggest low-level day-to-day exposure to air pollution may influence foetal growth – also outlines a number of actions that can be taken to mitigate risk, including use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) cleaners and apps that monitor air quality, as well as wearing masks and recommends avoidance strategies such as not walking down busy roads at rush hour. Barnden said RANZCOG first became aware of the lack of information available in 2020. “There was a lot of concern amongst pregnant women, and a lot of talk on social media about potential risk of smoke for pregnancy, but we found there was really no resource to which we could direct women and caregivers for more information,” she said. “We also wanted to be able to reassure women that if they are healthy and if they do take whatever steps they can to minimise the exposure to pollution, that the effects on pregnancy will actually be relatively small.” Barnden hopes the pamphlet will raise awareness about the various sources of air pollution, because “there is certainly a lot more than just bushfires that can affect pregnancy”, and how this exposure can be minimised. The issuing of the pamphlet follows reporting by Guardian Australia in January and March of this year, detailing how Australian public health messaging was not fully informing or explaining the risks of exposure to pregnant patients or those planning to conceive, nor did it outline concrete mitigation or minimisation strategies. “Articles published in the Guardian did an excellent job of pulling together the available research on air pollution and pregnancy and communicating it to the public, when there was really very little else around,” said Barnden. “The concern voiced by women and health professionals in response to these articles made it clear to us that a resource for women and health professionals was necessary.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/19/doctors-issue-official-guidance-on-effects-of-air-pollution-and-bushfire-smoke-on-pregnant-people
     
         
      Could China’s molten salt nuclear reactor be a clean, safe source of power? Mon, 19th Jul 2021 6:00:00
     
      A team of government researchers in China have unveiled the design for a commercial nuclear reactor that is expected to be the first in the world that does not need water for cooling, allowing the systems to be built in remote desert regions to provide power for more densely populated areas. The molten salt reactor, which is powered by liquid thorium rather than uranium, should also be safer than traditional ones because in the event of a leak, the molten thorium would cool and solidify quickly, dispersing less radiation into the environment. Construction work on the first commercial reactor should be completed by 2030 and the government plans to build several in the deserts and plains of central and western China.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3141280/china-starts-construction-its-first-small-modular-reactor?module=perpetual_scroll&pgtype=article&campaign=3141280
     
         
      How to cool your home in a warming world Mon, 19th Jul 2021 2:35:00
     
      Does your home become unbearable in hot weather? Increasingly a hot home is an overheating office too. During the pandemic, up to 30% of people in the UK were working from home compared with 5% in 2019. But it's hard to work if you live somewhere that becomes an oven in hot weather. A recent government report into climate risks warned that unless homes can be kept cool in summer and warm in winter, health and productivity will suffer. According to some forecasts, air conditioning alone could contribute to as much as a 0.5C increase in global warming by 2100. The Passivhaus Trust works to promote buildings built to the Passivhaus standard, which means they are comfortable to live in while using very little energy for heating and cooling. In 2019, the Stirling Prize for architecture went to Goldsmith Street in Norwich, a social housing scheme incorporating Passivhaus principles. "Our existing housing stock is in many cases poorly prepared to deal with rising temperatures," said the Passivhaus Trust's John Palmer. The government wants 300,000 new homes built every year, and Mr Palmer says they must be designed to cope with the heat without using energy consuming air-conditioning. COOL SHADE Good insulation won't stop a home being cool in summer, Mr Palmer says, but it will keep it warm in winter. In hot weather very little heat is transmitted through the walls, the leading source of heat in temperate climates is usually sunlight through the windows. "One metre square of south-facing solar glazing can generate 150 watts worth of heat," he said. Some hi-tech glass has what's called a low g-value, meaning less heat from the sun passes through. But while this is useful in summer, in winter it means homes are colder. Mr Palmer thinks it is better to use outside shutters, or overhangs that provide shade in summer but don't block light in winter when the sun hangs low in the sky. Buildings should ideally have windows orientated north-south, the Trust argues, with those on the north prioritising daylight, while glazing should cover less than a quarter of the property's south face. A challenge, perhaps, when many of us crave sunshine. SUMMER BREEZE Windows provide ventilation as well as light. Anastasia Mylona - head of research at the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers. has been particularly concerned about poor design in flats. Cross-ventilation, where air flows between windows on opposite walls, is very important in keeping a property cool, says Ms Mylona. But she says many "single-aspect" flats being built in urban centres have extensive glazing on one wall only, admitting heat but not allowing it to flow out. She also said housing pressures mean new homes are often built near noise sources, for example close to railways or busy roads. Residents then face an impossible choice between cool and quiet, particularly at night. Mr Palmer says it's important to appreciate how the air temperature will change over 24 hours. On the day we speak, he says his local forecast is for 25C during the day and 15C at night. The trick, in summer, is to bring the cool night air inside and keep it cold for as long as possible. Some mechanical ventilation systems can help - by using stale but cold night-time air leaving the property to cool the warm fresh air coming in. Controlling the flow of hot and cold air in underfloor spaces is the aim of UK start-up AirEx. The firm has made smart air-bricks; the ones you may see with holes in on the side of buildings. Connected to the home's wi-fi, they use sensors and "smart algorithms" to respond to temperature, humidity and air quality. In winter they help keep homes warm. In summer, AirEx hopes, the wi-fi-connected bricks can help keep homes cool. HOT ICE Heat is also generated within a property. Fridges are cold because they transfer heat from their inside to outside - the bigger the fridge the more it will heat up the house. A small fridge will generate much less heat, Mr Palmer says. Hot water systems also generate heat, with tanks and pipes working like radiators that are on even in the hottest days. Insulating pipes is can help. In one hot home previously visited by the BBC, a long stretch of uninsulated pipes in a corridor wall seemed to give off as much heat as a large conventional radiator. Mr Palmer uses a heat pump to warm water to 42C, which, although cooler than usual, is warm enough for a shower and doesn't heat the house so much. COOL MOVES Heat pumps can be thought of as two-way fridges. They cool a house by moving heat from the inside air outside, and can also warm a home by bringing heat in from the outside. They are energy-efficient, although there are concerns that the refrigerants some contain are strong greenhouse gasses if they leak. However, the use of these gasses is being reduced. A UK start-up called Ventive is putting heat pumps, mechanical ventilation and hot water together in a single box. Its system is being piloted by Nottingham City Council as one element in efforts to make existing housing stock more energy-efficient. To help make hot water, a heat pump takes heat from the air and transfers it to the water, Ventive's box uses that process to also provide cool air inside. "Currently we are heating the water and cooling the air separately wasting the energy at both ends. Combining the two would improve efficiencies by over 50%," writes Tom Lipinski, Ventive's founder and technical director. The box also contains a phase-change material, similar in principle to a big block of ice, that can act as a "heat battery" - storing heat as it melts and warms, and giving off heat as it cools and freezes. It adds to the capacity of the system to drain heat during the day, and then release it outside into the cold night air. And it contains an electrical battery, which means the heat and electricity can be stored when it's most efficient to do so, and be released when needed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57467776
     
         
      Net zero: offshore wind target ‘put at risk by planning rules’ Mon, 19th Jul 2021 0:01:00
     
      The government’s target of quadrupling Britain’s offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 will not be met without an urgent overhaul of inefficient planning processes and network connections, the industry has warned. The offshore wind industry also needs a more predictable supply of seabed leases and financial support contracts to help secure investment in new factories and jobs, Renewable UK said. Dan McGrail, the wind trade body’s new chief executive, said that it would be a “huge challenge” to meet the 2030 target. Britain needed an approach to offshore wind akin to that used to deliver the coronavirus vaccine, in which “the rule book was torn up in terms of what was done when and by whom” with unprecedented collaboration between organisations, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/net-zero-offshore-wind-target-put-at-risk-by-planning-rules-n8bdbjn6r
     
         
      Europe floods: Victims face massive clean-up as waters recede Sun, 18th Jul 2021 19:58:00
     
      Residents in regions of Germany and Belgium worst affected by recent floods have begun the huge task of clearing their neighbourhoods, as the waters start to recede. The scale of the damage is becoming clear, as rescue crews continue to look for victims. At least 180 people have died, and with many still missing the death toll could rise further. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been visiting the affected region. Mrs Merkel walked through the badly-hit village of Schuld, surveying the damage and speaking to residents and emergency workers. Flooding continued to wreak havoc in parts of Europe on Saturday. Emergency crews rescued people from homes in the Austrian region of Salzburg, where floodwaters submerged the streets of one town. The fire brigade said the capital Vienna saw more rainfall in an hour on Saturday night than in the previous seven weeks combined. Meanwhile in Germany, concern shifted south to the Upper Bavaria region, where heavy rains deluged basements and roads. In western Germany, authorities said the Steinbachtal dam remained at risk of breaching after residents were evacuated from homes downstream. European leaders have blamed climate change for the floods, which have also affected Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Experts say global warming makes torrential rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began. At least 156 people are now known to have died in the floods in Germany, including four firefighters. The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland have been the worst affected. Thousands of people were reported missing during the height of the floods, but many have since been accounted for. In the spa town of Bad Neuenahr in Rhineland-Palatinate's Ahrweiler district, residents were determined to begin the clean-up operation, scraping mud from the streets and clearing piles of debris. But the task is huge, with many businesses and livelihoods in the town swept away, electricity and gas still cut off and communication lines destroyed. "Everything is completely destroyed, you don't recognise the scenery," wine shop owner Michael Lang told Reuters. Baker Gregor Degen told AFP news agency he had gathered a group of neighbours to start clearing away mud and debris. He had been ready to go to work the day after the floods but water levels were too high, he said. More than 110 people have been killed and 670 injured in Ahrweiler, police say. In North Rhine-Westphalia emergency workers have begun removing abandoned cars from the flood-hit B265 road. Fire service spokesman Elmar Mettke said the cars had been checked for bodies while still submerged. Meanwhile a senior German politician has been criticised for laughing during a visit to affected areas. Armin Laschet, who is the conservative candidate to replace Mrs Merkel when she steps down later this year, was caught on camera apparently joking with colleagues as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was expressing sympathy to victims. Mr Laschet later tweeted (in German) that he regretted his behaviour, but commentators and politicians were quick to condemn him. "Laschet laughs while the country cries," Bild newspaper said on its website. In Belgium, the army has been sent to four of the country's 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuations. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo declared 20 July a national day of mourning. He said the floods - which have claimed at least 27 lives in Belgium - could be "the most catastrophic our country has ever seen". Rescue workers from France, Italy and Austria were sent to the Belgian city of Liege, where residents were evacuated after flash floods. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, thousands of people fled their homes in Limburg province as rising waters swamped cities and broke through a dyke. But waters were receding in the southern city of Maastricht and nearby towns, where residents were able to return to their homes on Friday. In Switzerland, lakes and rivers were also swelling after heavy rainfall. The river running through the Swiss capital Bern burst its banks on Friday. Lake Lucerne is flooding into the town and people in Basel have been told to keep well away from the River Rhine. How does climate change cause flooding? - Global heating causes more water to evaporate, which leads to an increase in the amount of annual rain and snow - At the same time, a warmer atmosphere means it can hold more moisture - which also increases the intensity of rainfall - Rather than gently watering plants, this intense rainfall leads to flooding, like we're seeing in Northern Europe now
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57876982
     
         
      How concentrated solar power could fuel the future Sun, 18th Jul 2021 17:13:00
     
      This company uses thousands of mirrors, AI, and machine learning to unlock the power of the sun. - What if we could not only harness the power of the sun, but actually use it to run the entire planet? - Concentrated solar power (CSP) has the potential to do just that — using arrays of revolving mirrors called heliostats, light is reflected into a massive receiver. Thanks to recent advancements in technology, the cost to replicate these Sunlight Refineries™ is dropping. Soon solar energy will be cleaner and cheaper than using fossil fuels, which could mean adoption on a global scale. - Heliogen, a company founded by Bill Gross and backed by Bill Gates, wants to eliminate all uses of fossil fuels. Using cameras, AI, and machine learning, they are working to make these CSP systems smarter and much more efficient. This episode is from Hard Reset, a Freethink original series about rebuilding the world from scratch and reimagining everything from first principles.
       
      Full Article: https://bigthink.com/videos/concentrated-solar-power
     
         
      How data could save Earth from climate change Sun, 18th Jul 2021 13:00:00
     
      As monikers go, Subak may seem an odd choice for a new organisation that aims to accelerate hi-tech efforts to combat the climate crisis. The name is Indonesian, it transpires, and refers to an ancient agricultural system that allows farmers to co-ordinate their efforts when irrigating and growing crops. “Subak allows farmers to carefully synchronise their use of water and so maximise rice production,” said Bryony Worthington, founder and board member of the new, not-for-profit climate action group. “And that is exactly what we are going to do – with data. By sharing and channelling data, we can maximise our efforts to combat carbon emissions and global warming. Data is going to be the new water, in other words.” Subak will be officially launched on Monday and will select and fund non-profit groups, working around the world, to combat the climate crisis. Early start-ups already helped by Subak include one group that is assisting UK local authorities to boost electric car use, while another is using accurate weather forecasts to make best use of solar power across Britain and limit fossil fuel burning to generate electricity. These efforts are being launched after a week of headlines that have highlighted how perilous life on Earth is becoming as global heating grips the planet. Floods in Germany and Belgium left more than 150 dead; scientists revealed that the Brazilian rainforest now emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs; and fires devastated vast tracts of Californian forests. In each case, scientists warned that rising temperatures – triggered by increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – are likely to have played a key role in bringing about these catastrophes. Urgent action is clearly needed, says Lady Worthington, a noted climate activist and lead author of the team which drafted the UK’s 2008 Climate Change Act, legislation that required the UK to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 80% of their 1990 levels. At the time, Worthington was working with Friends of the Earth but was seconded to government to help design the legislation. For her efforts, she was made a peer in 2010. Since then, Worthington has continued in the battle against the climate crisis, and in 2019 she read Harvard academic Shoshana Zuboff’s book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism ,which focuses – disapprovingly – on hi-tech companies’ growing use of personal data to make money. “It woke me up to the fact a whole new world of digital tools was being deployed to generate profits,” says Worthington. “I realised it would be better if those tools could be used to save the planet – to protect the global commons – and not merely to boost share value.” Worthington contacted Gi Fernando, a tech entrepreneur, and the pair hatched the idea of Subak, which has since been given funding by the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF) that was recently set up by the London investment management company, Quadrature Capital. Its aim is to provide initial funding to help groups establish themselves but also to give expert guidance over legal, management and other issues. “When you start up a company or group, you are quite alone,” says Fernando. “So if you have a community around you that can offer help – HR, finance, tools – that is incredibly helpful. And then, once that group gets on their feet, they can then start to help other startup entrepreneurs wanting to open new avenues in order to help fight climate change.” Fernando’s words are echoed by several of the groups that Subak has already helped to set up, such as Open Climate Fix. This aims to reduce carbon emissions by improving weather forecasts to make the best use of solar power plants – whose effectiveness is reduced when the weather is cloudy. “If we get very good data about forthcoming cloud cover, we will know exactly how much solar-generated electricity can be provided in the UK on a given day,” said Open Climate Fix’s co-founder, Jack Kelly. “That will mean we will not need to generate unnecessary electricity from other sources – in particular fossil fuel sources such as gas – because we have underestimated the solar power we will get that day. That will help to reduce carbon emissions.” Subak’s provision of engineers and software experts who have turned weather satellite images into cloud cover forecasts was a critical piece of assistance, added Kelly. A similar tale is told by Richard Allan of New AutoMotive, which is monitoring how electric cars are being taken up in communities across the UK. Factors include vehicle use, sales patterns and favourite types of cars and trucks. That data can be fed to local authorities to ensure charging stations, battery replacement services and other resources are provided to maximise take-up of electric cars. “Replacing petrol and diesel vehicles with electric versions as quickly as possible is going to be extremely important in reducing carbon emissions,” says Allan. “And data about take-up rates in communities will be vital in achieving that goal.” This view is endorsed by Worthington. “Just as a major corporation has lots of different companies under its control, Subak is going to help set up lots of new outfits, each aimed at boosting efforts to control climate change. “We are going to be the Diageo of climate protection, though we will not be co-ordinating drink production. We will be generating precious data about the climate.” Climate crisis in numbers 415: The number of parts per million of carbon dioxide that make up the atmosphere. Before the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700s, the global average amount of carbon dioxide was about 280ppm. Burning fossil fuels has since added a further 135ppm and if global energy demand continues to grow and is met mostly with fossil fuels, that figure could exceed 900ppm by 2100. 3.6mm: The estimated increase each year in sea level, according to measurements of tide gauges and satellite data. This is a result of human-induced warming of the planet. It is projected that the sea level will rise a further 40 to 80cm by 2100, although future ice sheet melt could make these values considerably higher. 43.1 billion: In 2019 that was the number of tons of carbon dioxide from human activities that were emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that absorbs heat and release it gradually over time, like bricks in a fireplace after the fire goes out. Current increases in greenhouse gases have tipped the Earth’s energy budget out of balance, trapping additional heat and raising Earth’s average temperature. 28 trillion: The estimated numbers of tons of ice that our planet has lost between 1994 and 2017. Global warming has a particularly severe impact at higher latitudes and this has been most noticeable in the Arctic. Scientists worry that as ice melts, less solar radiation will be reflected back into space and temperatures will rise even faster. Ice loss will become increasingly severe as a result.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/18/how-data-could-save-earth-from-climate-change
     
         
      McDonald's blockade: Arrests as Animal Rebellion protest continues Sat, 17th Jul 2021 20:04:00
     
      Four people have been arrested as activists continue a third day of protests outside one of McDonald's main UK suppliers. Animal Rebellion supporters set up a blockade at OSI Food Solutions in Scunthorpe on Thursday over demands the fast food giant become plant-based. As well as the arrests, Humberside Police said nine people had been reported for summons. Neither McDonald's or OSI have commented on the protests. Protesters claim the plant produces three million beef patties a day and is the only McDonald's burger factory in the UK. In a company brochure OSI describes itself as the "exclusive supplier of red meat products" to the chain's 1,400 UK branches. In a statement, Animal Rebellion said it would remain at site "as long as needed to cause massive disruption" but would end the blockade if McDonald's made a commitment to "becoming 20% plant-based within one year". Police said they remained at the protest on Luneburg Way. Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble said: "Whilst we recognise the right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, we also recognise the rights of local companies to go about their legitimate business."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-57860942
     
         
      On board with net zero: the transport boss trying to drive down emissions Sat, 17th Jul 2021 16:00:00
     
      David Brown of Go-Ahead is promising that his company’s bus and train operations will be carbon-free by 2035 Gwyn Topham @GwynTopham Sat 17 Jul 2021 16.00 BST ‘Personally, I think that’s quite cool!” David Brown, 60, is beaming like a young boy, having just recognised the bus controller at the terminus outside Victoria station as a colleague who joined London Transport at the same time as him, almost 40 years ago. “People stick in transport a long time. That’s what I love about it. They’re doing a frontline job, I’m just doing mine, there’s no difference really.” Except Brown is trying to steer not just buses but a multinational transport group as chief executive of Go-Ahead – in particular, to wrestle its emissions down to net zero, as the sector faces up to being the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. This year he will leave the group – whose operations include Thameslink, Southern and Southeastern trains and buses in London and nationwide – after a decade at the helm. While Covid threatens to unravel a lot of the work done to build up rail and bus services during Brown’s career, he is clear that climate change is the bigger long-term issue. Transport has far surpassed energy generation as the biggest CO2 culprit – making up a quarter of UK emissions – and last week Go-Ahead made a pledge that its 5,000 UK buses and trains would be entirely zero-emission by 2035, cutting its CO2 by 75%. It aims to hit net zero by 2045, before the national target, by offsetting the remainder. Although Go-Ahead’s decarbonisation strategy – edged off stage by the government’s, which was published the same day – sets out many ambitions, it admits that many are not in its own hands. So what exactly is the point? “It’s galvanising 30,000 people to get behind a climate strategy,” says Brown. “It’s a sense of purpose. What we deliver is helping solve climate change problems – if you get people on to public transport you’re taking them out of their cars.” About 55% of transport emissions are private cars, he says; just 3% come from buses, and 1% from trains. The pledges assume continued government spending on hydrogen and electric vehicles, and subsidy for green operations. Brown lobbied for a change announced in the government’s decarbonisation plan, improving bus operators’ grants for running electric vehicles to 22p per kilometre. “It transforms the economics for investing in new buses.” He thinks there are opportunities for more hydrogen buses, but is cautious: “The capital cost is huge and it’s unknown what the ongoing operating costs and lifetime costs will be.” Go-Ahead’s north London depot at Northumberland Park will be what Brown bills as “the first bus-to-grid virtual power station”, where electric buses charge slowly overnight, and put energy back into the network from their batteries when supplies are needed, as wind and solar supplies – and prices – fluctuate. In all this, as the small print of the strategy makes clear, there is a commercial imperative: “If Go-Ahead does not take action on this issue, our competitors will – and those with more climate-friendly reputations could ultimately take market share from us. This would weaken our business.” Brown happily concurs. “There’s an altruistic view, and a commercial reason for doing it, in terms of positioning. And a people reason: younger people especially are attracted to work for companies who have purpose and are doing the right thing environmentally.” Right now, though, public transport faces a more immediate crisis, with passenger numbers still only about half of pre-pandemic levels. And there is a renewed focus on the risks with Covid cases soaring, particularly as mask-wearing becomes optional on trains in England. Brown frowns. “Whenever anyone talks about a tight, packed environment, they talk about public transport – and I want to scream and say hold on, the average journey time on a bus is 18 minutes max, the doors are opening all the time, fresh air is coming in and out, the windows are open on the top deck. You really aren’t exposed as you would be in a packed pub sitting there for two hours, there’s no comparison.” He doesn’t mention names, but the prime minister, Brown’s former boss when mayor of London, suggested even as he was removing the legal requirement to wear masks that people “might choose to do so in enclosed spaces, such as public transport”. Brown argues: “There seems to be a little bit of demonising it and that shouldn’t be the case. There is no evidence that anyone can catch Covid on a train or a bus, none whatsoever.” That conviction comes despite the Covid deaths of a significant number of bus drivers. Brown says Go-Ahead believes none contracted Covid at the depot or while working. Another factor may be at play, he suggests, comparing the clamour to travel abroad on planes, which are more enclosed than buses or trains: “People are choosing to do that because the prize at the end is going on a holiday. They might not be choosing public transport because the prize at the end is going to work.” He sees a similar phenomenon with rail: “We have much busier trains at the weekend now, people are going to the coast – they love it, they don’t worry about what’s happening in the trains in those circumstances.” On the mask issue, he says, he wants transport “to be treated the same as other parts of the economy”. If he could choose, “I’d want to say, everyone should be doing it everywhere, in any environment, I want that consistency”. Come Monday, he will still wear a mask. “It’s not protecting you, it’s protecting other people … it’s just a polite thing to do.” Covid, he says, has only accelerated underlying changes towards working from home and ordering goods. “I don’t think we’ll go back to packed trains, because social trends are changing. Commuter journeys are going to become more discretionary.” But net-zero targets depend on people returning to public transport, rather than the car, he says. “We have to find ways of getting people back on the railways, and we have to tackle the costs, because the cost base is not sustainable now.” However, he points out that public transport is often seen abroad as part of the “fabric of society”, and subsidised accordingly. ”You need to cut your cloth, attract customers – and you may need government money, because of the social benefits.” Nowhere is this more apparent to him than in the capital. “We used to bring 150,000 people into London Bridge every morning. They’re not coming at the moment. That affects everyone. The big fear I have for places like London is how do you keep that vibrancy of the city centre, if you don’t have all those people coming in? You need all that activity and buzz – otherwise, you’re just in the suburbs.” It seems inconceivable to remember, he says, that in the job-scarce 1980s, when he started as a graduate trainee, the discussion at London Transport was about cutting back the Bakerloo and the Northern lines because the population of the capital was in decline. But without public transport, “it wouldn’t move, it wouldn’t function”. The challenge now for operators, he says, is “making sure that when people do come back, that we’re ready and we’re there for them. If they don’t find that the 7.25am is still operating or we don’t have the same frequency of service, then we’ve got a problem.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/17/on-board-with-net-zero-the-transport-boss-trying-to-drive-down-emissions
     
         
      Green transport can only succeed with a greener grid Sat, 17th Jul 2021 16:00:00
     
      The challenge of decarbonising the UK’s roads, railways and flight paths will rely on harnessing the UK’s cleaner energy system to power the future of the transport sector. Carbon emissions from the UK’s energy industry have tumbled in recent years, largely due to the shutdown of old coal power plants in favour of more renewable energy. But senior energy industry sources have warned that the UK’s ambitious targets to drive down carbon emissions from the transport sector will require an acceleration of green investment in the energy system too. “The energy industry has a huge role to play in facilitating the decarbonisation of transport,” said Graeme Cooper, the head of future markets at National Grid. He says a green transport system will require a multibillion-pound investment to rewire ageing power grids and fit vast amounts of electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Additionally, it will spur a boom in demand for green energy to produce hydrogen for heavy trucks, ferries and long-haul coach travel. “There will be an uptick in demand for energy, so we need to ensure that we are future-proofing, putting the right wires in the right place for future demand. We also want to ensure that the energy we’re plugging in for the increased demand is as green as possible,” Cooper said. The energy regulator, Ofgem, recently gave the green light to a £300m investment spree to help triple the number of ultra-rapid electric car charging points across the country over the next two years. Energy networks are expected to install 1,800 ultra-rapid charge points at motorway service stations and a further 1,750 charge points in towns and cities. It’s a taste of what’s to come if the UK hopes to meet its green transport targets. The Energy Networks Association (ENA) estimates that by 2028 the industry will have needed to invest in enough grid connections for charging points to power 8.2 million electric vehicles. A green transport system will also require the equivalent of about 30 terawatt hours of hydrogen fuel per year by the middle of the century, which will require roughly a tenth of the UK’s current electricity use to manufacture, it says. Peter Kocen at the ENA said the speed of the transition would require a new approach to regulation – one that helped energy companies invest in anticipation of the boom in green transport. “The regulatory environment sets out investment over a five-year period and requires energy networks to provide evidence of immediate ‘need’ for this investment. But energy networks also need to be able to be responsive to the energy transition, including investing before there’s the immediate need,” Kocen said. Scottish Power is the only UK energy company that invests in the full energy “value chain” – from generating renewable electricity to running power transmission lines and electricity grids, and supplying homes. It believes the challenge ahead may be even greater. The company’s chief executive, Keith Anderson, told the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders this year that the company was preparing for more than 30 million electric vehicles to be on the road by 2040. “By 2050, we’ll need something like 25 million private chargers and 3 million public ones,” he told the trade group’s international motoring summit last month. “That will only be possible if the electricity distribution networks are suitably reinforced to cope with all the additional demand, and a system of fair access for remote or deprived communities is in place.” In addition, heavy transport “like bin lorries, big buses and boats, [which] are unsuited to battery power” will need green hydrogen – made using renewable electricity and water – to help heavy vehicles, he told the Observer. The company plans to invest £10bn over the next five years in projects ranging from “wind and solar power plants to battery storage – from smart grids to EV charge points and hydrogen electrolysers” to help meet the need for car charging and low-carbon transport. “In a couple of decades’ time, UK electricity demand will double, as transport, heating and industry all make the shift from carbon. In short, we need to electrify the hell out of everything over the next few years if we’re going to meet our net zero targets,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/17/green-transport-can-only-succeed-with-a-greener-grid
     
         
      Australia’s ‘sun tax’: solar energy supporters split over how to make electricity grid fairer Fri, 16th Jul 2021 21:00:00
     
      Michael Streatfeild was an early solar adopter. About a decade ago he withdrew $15,000 from his mortgage to install a 3.6kW system of panels on a north-east facing section of his roof in western Sydney. Three years ago, in a bid to wipe out his reliance on coal-fired grid electricity, he added a 4kW system and positioned it to catch sun later in the day, when it comes from the north-west. The sharp fall in the cost of solar in recent years meant the second system, though bigger than the first, cost just $5,000, a third of what he paid in 2011. Together, the two systems have all but wiped out his electricity bills – his last two brought refunds of about $100. Streatfeild is part of a rapidly expanding Australian story. About 2.8m households have solar systems, with another 3m expected to join them over the next decade. The flood of solar energy those houses create in the middle of the day when the sun is high is rapidly and dramatically transforming the electricity grid. At peak moments, slightly more than half the electricity across the national market is now from renewable sources, compared with about 30% across the year. In his first speech this week, the new head of the energy market operator, Daniel Westerman, set a target of the entire grid being able to run entirely on renewable energy, at least for brief moments, by 2025. According to regulators and some analysts, this solar influx, while welcome, is also causing potential problems by creating “traffic jams” in a system that was largely designed to send energy from a few large generators to homes and businesses. This prompted the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) in March to propose a change that could give network providers the power to charge people who export electricity into the grid at times when it is not needed. It argued the change was necessary to make room for more household solar systems and batteries to be connected to the grid, and to make the system fairer for all users. The commission, which makes rules for the electricity system, suggested two-way pricing that better rewarded solar and battery owners who send power to the grid at peak times – the early evening, for example. It also recommended new incentives that would give customers more reason to buy batteries or electric vehicles, or set up their homes to consume the power they generate at busy times. The proposal has proved divisive, pitting against each other those who want to see a rapid expansion of solar but who have different views about what is required to get there. From Streatfeild’s perspective, the potential new impost is unreasonable, but not surprising. A former police officer and member of the advocacy group Solar Citizens, he says he was motivated to get panels by the climate stance of the then opposition leader Tony Abbott and thoughts about the future his grandchildren faced. “I wanted to be able to say to them, ‘I didn’t fuck this Earth up for you, I did the best I could’,” Streatfeild says. He believes big electricity generators and networks have a history of profiteering and should bear any transformation costs, while solar consumers should be rewarded for bringing down the wholesale electricity price by undercutting ageing – and increasingly unviable – coal-fired power plants. “It’s really bad management by the network operators, in my opinion,” Streatfeild says. “They should have foreseen the need for all this. They seem to just want to screw us again.” Solar Citizens has a similar position. It has labelled the AEMC’s proposal a “sun tax”, and says solar homes and businesses should be rewarded for the benefits they provide, not penalised. “People have invested in solar in good faith,” says Ellen Roberts, Solar Citizens’ national director. “Any time that people have invested in something and the rules change it is breaching a fairness principle.” But arguments over fairness and solar power quickly become complicated – the same principle is invoked by supporters of the AEMC proposal. They say the change is needed in part to ensure a more equitable system for poor households that cannot afford solar panels and therefore bear a greater share of network charges. The AEMC’s draft rule followed proposals from an unlikely collection of groups, including the power distribution company SA Power Networks and welfare organisations the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) and the St Vincent de Paul Society. Kellie Caught, senior adviser on climate and energy for Acoss, says the country needs a rapid transition to renewable electricity, but the question is who pays for it. Roughly a third of households are renting, so they can’t install solar panels and rely more heavily on – and pay more for – the poles and wires provided by electricity networks than those with solar. Caught says people with solar panels did not create the problem regulators are trying to address, but she believes the proposed rule change would benefit both grid security and consumers. “At the moment, the people who can least afford it are carrying more of the network costs,” she says. She says it is important the change empowers consumers with solar by giving them, and not network operators, the choice over whether they pay to export electricity at busy times or just accept a limit on how much they can send to the grid. Dylan McConnell, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne Climate and Energy College, also argues cutting emissions must be prioritised, but socially just. He cites research by the Grattan Institute in 2015 that suggests the effective subsidy paid by non-solar households to those with solar would be $3.6bn out to 2030. McConnell says at the heart of the debate is a question of whether household solar owners have a right to earn revenue by exporting to the grid, given they save money by using their self-generated solar energy at home, and whether that right comes with a responsibility to contribute to the infrastructure changes needed to ensure it is possible. Bruce Mountain, the director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, strongly disagrees. He argues the change proposed by the AEMC is based on a fallacy as the poorest households share the financial benefits of increased solar uptake at a level that far outweighs the additional network costs they face. He also suggests there is no evidence that more solar in the grid in the middle of the day is a problem that could not be addressed at low cost. “There simply isn’t good evidence of a problem to which export charging is a solution,” Mountain says. State governments have raised concerns about the change to varying degrees. Both Victoria and Queensland have indicated they do not support export charges. Some states have suggested grandfathering any cost so it does not affect people who already have panels. Other submissions to the AEMC argue to be effective the change must ensure solar owners who do what it wants – export their electricity when it is most needed – are well rewarded. They say it needs to become attractive to buy a household battery, or an EV that can both draw and export power to the grid. Neither technology has received the level of government support offered for rooftop panels when they were at similar levels of uptake a decade ago. Coincidentally or otherwise, the AEMC this week released a separate draft plan it says will make it easier for small battery owners to send electricity to the grid and earn revenue. The commission argues the average solar household with a system of between 4kW and 6kW will still do well after its proposed rule change. It estimates they will save about $900 a year on power bills – about $70 less than currently – and that households without solar would have their bills reduced as they would no longer have to pay for solar export services they do not use. It says alternatives to introducing an export cost, such as blocking people’s solar exports when the grid is under strain, or building more poles and wires to allow greater solar traffic, would be more expensive for consumers. The former would also have the effect of reducing the amount of renewable energy coming into the grid. The commission’s chief executive and chair, Benn Barr and Anna Collyer, emphasise that the rule change would not mandate an export charge, but allow networks to put forward proposals. The change would start in 2025. Barr says all governments support what he describes as a profound shift – a recognition for the first time that electricity networks need to take power from houses, not just get it to them. “What it means is those businesses now have an incentive and an obligation to upgrade the grid to get more solar, and be ready for when electric vehicles come,” Barr says. “It has kind of got lost a bit, but it will really change the ways those businesses do work, and benefit consumers across Australia.” A final decision on the rule change was initially due earlier this month but is now expected on 12 August.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/16/australias-sun-tax-solar-energy-supporters-split-over-how-to-make-electricity-grid-fairer
     
         
      Germany floods: Dozens killed after record rain in Germany and Belgium Fri, 16th Jul 2021 20:36:00
     
      At least 70 people have died in Germany and Belgium after record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks. Most of the victims were in Germany, but at least 11 have died in Belgium, with more reported missing. The German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia were worst hit, but the Netherlands is also badly affected. More heavy rain is forecast across the region on Friday, while local officials have blamed climate change. Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, blamed the extreme weather on global warming during a visit to a hard-hit area. "We will be faced with such events over and over, and that means we need to speed up climate protection measures... because climate change isn't confined to one state," he said. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, but linking any single event to global warming is complicated. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, called the flooding a "catastrophe" and said she was "grieving those who have lost their lives". "My thoughts are with you, and you can trust that all forces of our government - federal, regional and community - collectively will do everything under the most difficult conditions to save lives, alleviate dangers and to relieve distress." In Germany, police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to affected areas to help stranded residents. Dozens of people waited on rooftops to be rescued. Schools have been closed around the west of Germany, while transport links have been severely disrupted. About 25 houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the mountainous Eifel region, where a state of emergency has been declared, according to German broadcaster SWR. It said some houses had been completely cut-off and could no longer be reached by boat. Residents in the region told AFP news agency they were stunned by the disaster. "Nobody was expecting this - where did all this rain come from? It's crazy," Annemarie Mueller, a 65-year-old resident of Mayen, said. "It made such a loud noise and given how fast it came down we thought it would break the door down." Local teacher Ortrud Meyer, 36, said she had "never seen anything like this". "My father-in-law is almost 80, he's from Mayen, and he says he's never experienced anything like this," she said. In Belgium, dramatic footage of the floods showed cars being swept away along a street in the city of Verviers. Residents of Liège, Belgium's third-largest urban area after Brussels and Antwerp, were ordered to evacuate. Those unable to leave should move to the upper floors of their buildings, local officials said. The Meuse river which flows through the city is expected to rise by another 1.5 metres, despite being on the verge of overflowing already. Officials are also concerned that a dam bridge in the area may collapse and urged people to help each other. "The crisis situation is exceptional and solidarity must prevail," the local authority said in a statement. Residents of the Belgian town of Pepinster, which lies at the confluence of two rivers in Liège province, were evacuated in a large truck on Thursday, but conditions in the municipality of Trooz are so bad that evacuation efforts have been halted. In the Netherlands, there have been no casualties reported but thousands of people in towns and villages along the Meuse river have been urged to leave their houses quickly. In the Dutch city of Maastricht, 10,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. And flooding in Valkenburg, close to the Belgian and German borders, engulfed the town centre and forced the evacuation of several nursing homes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57846200
     
         
      Deadly flooding, heatwaves in Europe, highlight urgency of climate action Fri, 16th Jul 2021 20:21:00
     
      The agency said that countries including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands had received up to two months’ rain in two days from 14 to 15 July, on ground that was “already near saturation”. Photos taken at the scene of some of the worst water surges and landslides show huge, gaping holes where earth and buildings had stood until mid-week, after media reports pointed to well over 100 confirmed fatalities in Germany and Belgium on Friday morning, with an unknown number still missing across vast areas. “We’ve seen images of houses being…swept away, it’s really, really devastating”, said WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis adding that that the disaster had overwhelmed some of the prevention measures put in place by the affected developed countries. In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said he was saddened by the loss of life and destruction of property. "He extends his condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and to the Governments and people of the affected countries." The UN chief said the UN stood ready to contribute to ongoing rescue and assistance efforts, if necessary. “Europe on the whole is prepared, but you know, when you get extreme events, such as what we’ve seen - two months’ worth of rainfall in two days - it’s very, very difficult to cope,” added Ms. Nullis, before describing scenes of “utter devastation” in Germany’s southwestern Rhineland-Palatinate state, which is bordered by France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Highlighting typical preparedness measures, the WMO official noted In Switzerland’s national meteorological service, MeteoSwiss, had a smartphone application which regularly issued alerts about critical high-water levels. The highest flood warning is in place at popular tourist and camping locations including lakes Biel, Thun and the Vierwaldstattersee, with alerts also in place for Lake Brienz, the Rhine near Basel, and Lake Zurich. Dry and hot up north In contrast to the wet conditions, parts of Scandinavia continue to endure scorching temperatures, while smoke plumes from Siberia have affected air quality across the international dateline in Alaska. Unprecedented heat in western north America has also triggered devastating wildfires in recent weeks. Among the Scandinavian countries enduring a lasting heatwave, the southern Finnish town of Kouvola Anjala, has seen 27 consecutive days with temperatures above 25C. “This is Finland, you know, it’s not Spain, it’s not north Africa,”, Ms. Nullis emphasised to journalists in Geneva. “Certainly, when you see the images we’ve seen in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this week it’s shocking, but under climate change scenarios, we are going to see more extreme events in particular extreme heat,” the WMO official added. Troubled waters Concerns persist about rising sea temperatures in high northern latitudes, too, Ms. Nullis said, describing the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea at a “record” high, “up to 26.6C on 14 July”, making it the warmest recorded water temperature since records began some 20 years ago. Echoing a call by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to all countries to do more to avoid a climate catastrophe linked to rising emissions and temperatures, Ms. Nullis urged action, ahead of this year’s UN climate conference, known as COP26, in Glasgow, in November. Action, now “We need to step up climate action, we need to step up the level of ambition; we’re not doing nearly enough to stay within the targets of the Paris Agreement (on Climate Change) and keep temperatures below two degrees Celsius, even 1.5C, by the end of this century.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096012
     
         
      Germany floods: How a country was taken by surprise Fri, 16th Jul 2021 20:06:00
     
      Amid the despair and the mounting death toll in Germany and Belgium are questions about how such a disaster could have happened. The flooding followed record rainfall in parts of western Europe that caused rivers to burst their banks. Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist who set up and now advises the European Flood Awareness System - an EU programme designed to provide early warnings of dangerous floods - said alerts were sent to authorities in Europe over the weekend. "There were alerts going out... saying there's some very serious rain and floods coming: be aware. It's then for the national authorities to take that information and go with it," she said. Prof Cloke said there were places where the system had "done what it's designed to do", with early warnings heeded. But there were "also places where those warnings did not get through to the people and they did not know it was going to happen". Prof Cloke set up the warning system after deadly flooding in Europe in 2002, hoping to prevent such an event from happening again. But she said the latest flooding had exposed "breaks in the chain". "We should not be seeing this number of deaths from floods in 2021. It's just unacceptable. There's something going wrong with the system." Structures in place for flood forecasting and warning differ across European countries. Prof Cloke says Germany has a "fragmented" system involving many different authorities in different states, resulting in varying responses. A spokesman for the German weather service Deutscher Wetterdienst said it had issued a number of warnings about extreme rainfall. He said it was up to other authorities to determine the flood risk and act on evacuating people, or taking other measures. In the city of Hagen, Armin Laschet, the leading candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters authorities had been warned and had erected barriers "while the sun was still shining and nobody saw this coming". The environment ministry in Rhineland-Palatinate - one of Germany's worst affected states - says flood warnings are done for major rivers, but that information for tributaries and smaller rivers is not as detailed, so floods cannot always be prevented. Prof Cloke said there were places where people did not know the floods were coming, or did not know how to respond to protect themselves and their homes. "They were putting themselves at risk, they were walking through the floodwater," she explained. 'URGENT EDUCATION' Friederike Otto, associate director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, said "urgent education" was needed on the risks of flooding. "I think people are really not aware that weather can actually be deadly," she said. "The fact that so many soils are sealed also leads to more dramatic impacts than would be the case if the water could go somewhere," she added. Soil sealing occurs when land is covered for housing, roads or other construction work. Andreas Friedrich, a spokesman for the German weather service, said many people were not aware of how critical situations could become after weather warnings. Pensioner Annemarie Mueller, 65, told AFP news agency that the town of Mayen had been completely unprepared for the destruction. "Where did all this rain come from? It's crazy. [The floodwater] made such a loud noise, and given how fast it came down, we thought it would break the door down," she recalled. Prof Cloke said forecasters and authorities needed to "do better at getting a message across" about the risks of impending floods. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Germany "must prepare much better" in the future, adding: "This is a consequence of climate change." CLIMATE CHANGE Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. "The nature of the storm, the fact that it was extreme, that it had a lot of moisture in it, there was a lot of rainfall, it was slow moving - we have evidence that these types of storms are going to be more likely," Prof Cloke said. "This is one of those things that you expect to see under a changing climate." Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University, explained that global warming leads to a slowing in the jet stream which causes storms to be slower moving, while the warmer atmosphere is also able to hold more moisture. "Extreme rainfall events will intensify and the most extreme ones will become more frequent," she said. The flooding comes shortly after heatwaves brought record temperatures to North America. . Prof Fowler said countries needed to redesign infrastructure systems to cope with these types of events. But, she said, they could never be "completely resilient". "There will always be an event that's bigger, one that perhaps exceeds our flood defences. That's why we really need those emergency management and warning systems," she explained. In the German district of Ahrweiler, residents on Friday used snow shovels and brooms to sweep mud from their homes and shops after the floodwaters receded. "I was totally surprised. I had thought that water would come in here one day, but nothing like this," Michael Ahrend told Reuters news agency. "This isn't a war, it's simply nature hitting out. Finally, we should start paying attention to it."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57867773
     
         
      German Offshore Wind Grinds to a Standstill in 2021 Fri, 16th Jul 2021 19:53:00
     
      Germany will not install a single offshore wind turbine in 2021, marking no expansion in offshore wind capacity in a calendar year for the first time in more than ten years, the country’s wind organisations said. This expansion gap is not the expression of a lack of interest on the part of investors or a lack of strength on the part of the industry, but a consequence of political decisions, the effects of which are now becoming visible for the offshore wind industry in Germany, the industry organisations BWE, BWO, the German Foundation OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY, VDMA Power Systems, and WAB said. This development can only be counteracted by raising the expansion targets for offshore wind energy, retaining skilled workers, and concretising expansion plans for green hydrogen. “The offshore industry has met the expansion target for 2020 as expected and has long since become a pillar of the energy transition. Offshore wind energy is reliable and competitive. It is an important economic driver and will continue to play a key role in achieving Germany’s recently increased climate targets. However, some market participants have either already left the offshore wind industry entirely or have relocated to other countries. This circumstance can be attributed to increasing international competition as well as a lack of prospects for offshore wind construction activities within Germany this year. German politics can no longer stand by and watch such a development. A swift industrial policy impulse is needed,” the industry organisations said. Free capacities must be developed as quickly as possible and attractive and reliable investment conditions created to contain the expansion gap, otherwise, Germany will struggle in an increasingly international market, the industry organisations have warned. In the short term, politicians should use the capacities available to reverse and positively stabilise this negative trend. Furthermore, qualification measures and a tailored export and research initiative should be deployed to sustainably protect the German offshore wind industry. The aim is to secure employment today and to make the strengths of the domestic offshore wind industry available for upcoming challenges, such as the development of a green hydrogen economy. “In order to maintain the technological leadership of Germany as a wind industry location and to ensure domestic value creation and employment in the future, the expansion must be reignited and stabilised. Towards the second half of this decade, the German offshore wind industry expects an increasingly strong expansion. It is imperative to counteract this resulting imbalance in time. The acceleration of onshore grid expansion measures as well as an improved utilisation of the existing grids also remains important. Against the background of the climate targets specified by the German federal parliament, the existing offshore expansion targets no longer suffice. We need to adjust the targets for 2030 and 2040,” the organisations said. Lay the Groundwork for Green Hydrogen An additional opportunity for offshore wind construction in Germany arises through technologies to build a green hydrogen economy. Therefore, the necessary framework must be laid now, the oorganisations said. However, it is also clear that this will not balance out the current expansion gap. When keeping the most recent expansion targets formulated for offshore wind and green hydrogen in mind, additional areas in the North and Baltic Seas must be defined as quickly as possible. On the areas currently earmarked for the production of green hydrogen at sea – which have so far not been connected by cable or pipeline – it is not possible to produce green hydrogen in an economically feasible way. Therefore, a significant contribution to the hydrogen target of 5 GW by 2030 in Germany is unlikely, the organisations said. Conflicting interests of the maritime industry, the navy, and conservationists must be resolved in the interest of climate protection targets. The co-use approach developed by the EU Commission, according to which the scarce marine space should – if possible – be used by several actors at the same time, offers a great example. This idea can be further developed and should also be increasingly applied in Germany. “For us, it is clear that capacities of well over 50 GW of offshore wind are necessary and feasible in the German North and Baltic Seas. Recent reports speak of 54 and 57 GW total expansion potential. Since the expansion of renewable energies is important for long-term species protection, there is an urgent need to find compromises. The most recent draft of the spatial development plan is a good start,” said the industry organisations. In order to implement the National Hydrogen Strategy, policy-makers also need to create a commercially-driven basis for green hydrogen and call for such solutions at the European level. The framework for exempting green electricity from the EEG surcharge for hydrogen production is a good approach to this, which must be followed by additional steps: a binding target for the production of green hydrogen from offshore wind energy as well as reliable procurement mechanisms. In order to successfully create a green hydrogen market, it is of utmost importance to link hydrogen production with the expansion of offshore wind energy capacities. Increase 2030 Target and Plan Beyond The German government’s new goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045 should be followed up by concrete expansion targets for offshore wind and green hydrogen, including a long-term target for 2050, the organisations said. This target should be in line with demand forecasts for green electricity and green hydrogen as well as the EU’s goal of expanding offshore wind to 300 GW by 2050. This allows for planning that can be further developed through pan-European and international cooperation. Germany currently has 7,770 MW of installed offshore wind capacity and is currently the third in the world behind the UK and China. In 2020, the country added 219 MW of offshore wind capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/07/16/german-offshore-wind-grinds-to-a-standstill-in-2021/
     
         
      Fossil fuel electricity peaks as emerging markets leapfrog to renewable energy: report Fri, 16th Jul 2021 11:57:00
     
      Researchers say the amount of electricity generated from burning fossil fuels has likely peaked worldwide, as emerging markets invest in clean and cheap renewables over coal, oil and gas. That is the finding of a report published Wednesday by environmental think tanks Carbon Tracker, in the UK, and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in India. The researchers say that emerging markets will provide 88% of the growth in electricity demand over the next two decades, and say these markets are increasingly leapfrogging polluting energy sources that are uncompetitive. Clearly fossil fuel plants haven't disappeared, said Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of CEEW and co-author of the report. But the new electricity capacity is "almost entirely likely to be non-fossil fuels." REPLACING FOSSIL FUELS About one in every nine people on the planet lack access to electricity, mostly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Leaders of poorer countries have historically had to choose between raising living standards and protecting the climate and people's health. Two recent studies estimate that between 1 million and 8 million people die each year from breathing in dirty air that comes from burning coal, oil and gas. But as the cost of renewable energy plummets, that trade-off is starting to vanish. Countries like Kenya and Nigeria — with fast-growing populations but low emissions — could skip fossil fuel electricity altogether and avoid the destructive pathway taken in many industrialized countries. Other countries like India and China could switch from coal to solar and wind without relying on fossil gas. The report draws an analogy with the telecommunications industry, where emerging markets went from a small amount of fixed line phones directly to mobile without wasting money on unnecessary physical infrastructure. A similar shift has been seen in banking. But another report finds that shorter-term electricity trends are worrying. Renewable electricity generation continues to grow strongly but cannot keep up with increasing demand, according to a separate report published Thursday by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Despite the rapid increases, the authors wrote, renewables are expected to serve only around half of the projected growth in global demand in 2021 and 2022. "Fossil fuels fill most of the gap," tweeted IEA executive director Fatih Birol. The agency projects a rebound in coal that would surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2021 and could reach an all-time high in 2022. Such a rise would push the world further away from its target of keeping global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius — and ideally no higher than 1.5 C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) — compared to pre-industrial levels. Current policies put the world on track for a catastrophic 3 degrees Celsius of warming this century, but scientists caution that 4 degrees is still possible if the climate is particularly sensitive to the sunlight-trapping gases released when burning fossil fuels. A landmark IEA report published in May charted out a path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. As well as a massive expansion of renewable energy, the policy shifts include near-term changes like banning the sale of fossil fuel boilers by 2025 and new combustion engine vehicles by 2035. Starting immediately, world leaders would have to stop approving oil fields, gas fields and coal mines. They would also have to stop approving new coal plants. FALLING COST OF RENEWABLES The CEEW report finds that renewable sources like solar and wind have become the cheapest source of new electricity in 90% of the world. Electricity from burning fossil fuels peaked in rich countries in 2007 and is down 20% since then. It peaked in South Africa in 2007, Russia in 2012, Chile in 2013, Thailand in 2015 and Turkey in 2017. "The sun is shining bright in many of these countries because the economics is going to support this for quite a long time," said Marcelo Mena-Carrasco, a former Chilean environment minister who is also the director of the Climate Action Center at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. "Renewable energy provides many more jobs for megawatt installed. Countries will seize on this opportunity." But there are other barriers. The report says that while renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels over their lifetime, and the costs of building a wind farm or solar plant have fallen enough to compete with new fossil fuel plants, the costs of getting the capital to build them are still high. This is because banks are still lending to companies building coal, oil and gas plants at lower interest rates than for solar and wind projects. Some governments are locked into multiyear contracts with energy companies that they can't quickly escape from. Of the $2.6 trillion (€2.2 trillion) invested in renewable energy between 2010 and 2019, only China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa — along with several rich countries — managed to secure investments exceeding $20 billion. In other words, the authors wrote, "money does not flow yet to where the sun shines the most or the wind blows the hardest." CALLS FOR A JUST TRANSITION The report finds that vested interests like fossil fuel lobbies are holding back change. This is a particular issue for energy exporters like Russia and Saudi Arabia. But there are also about 20 million people who work extracting fossil fuels — about 1% of the global workforce — who rely on industries like coal mining for jobs. Climate justice activists like the Fridays for Future protest group have called for a "just transition" to ensure the costs of a new energy system do not fall on the poorest. Lawmakers in Europe have an investment plan to mobilize €65-75 billion between 2021 and 2027 to regions that rely on fossil fuels so that "no one is left behind." Like signing a trade deal, there will be winners and losers, said Ghosh from the CEEW. "But if the overall gains are greater than the losses, you are able to compensate for this. That is exactly what needs to be done with the energy transition." Otherwise, he added, "we'd never have had cars, we'd only have horse-drawn carriages. And we'd never have had electricity, we'd still be reading Moby Dick because we'd be running after whale blubber for lighting."
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/fossil-fuel-electricity-peaks-as-emerging-markets-leapfrog-to-renewable-energy-report/a-58290405
     
         
      China steps up climate change fight with carbon emissions trading scheme Fri, 16th Jul 2021 9:44:00
     
      China launched its long-awaited emissions trading system on Friday, a key tool in its quest to drive down climate change-causing greenhouse gases and go carbon neutral by 2060. The scheme was launched with China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, seeking to take a global leadership role on the climate crisis in the lead up to a crucial UN summit in November. China has hailed it as laying the foundations for what would become the world's biggest carbon trading market, forcing thousands of Chinese companies to cut their pollution or face deep economic hits. The programme was launched just days after the European Union unveiled its detailed plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However deep questions remain over the limited scale and effectiveness of China's initial emission trading scheme, including the low price placed on pollution. More broadly, analysts and experts say much more needs to be done if China is to meet its environmental targets, which includes reaching peak emissions by 2030. China first announced plans for a nationwide carbon market a decade ago, but progress was slowed by the influential coal-industry lobby and policies that prioritised economic growth over the environment. The scheme will set pollution caps for big-power businesses for the first time, and allows firms to buy the right to pollute from others with a lower carbon footprint. The market will initially cover 2,225 big power producers that generate about a seventh of the global carbon emissions from burning fossil-fuels, according to data from the International Energy Agency. Those power producers account for 30 percent of the 13.92 billion tonnes of Earth warming gases belched out by Chinese factories in 2019. Citigroup estimates $800 million worth of credits will be bought for this year, rising to $25 billion by the end of the decade. That would make China's trading scheme about a third the size of Europe's market, currently the biggest in the world. The scheme was originally expected to be far bigger in scope, covering seven sectors including aviation and petrochemicals. Low ambition But the government "pared down ambitions" as economic growth took precedence amid the pandemic-induced slowdown, according to Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. "China's coal, cement and steel production have all gone up as the government pours in billions of dollars to energy-intensive sectors to boost growth after the pandemic," Myllyvirta said. "Rules to limit emissions will disrupt this growth model." Another concern for environmentalists is the low price China is placing on pollution. Opening trade at the market in Shanghai started off at 52.7 yuan ($8) per ton of carbon on Friday morning. The average carbon price in China is only expected to hover around $4.60 this year -- far below the average EU price of $49.40 per ton, Citic Securities said in a recent research note. Free pollution permits given out at the start and token fines for non-compliance would keep prices low, according to analytics company TransitionZero. However China has characterised Friday's launch as just the first step. The scheme will expand to cover cement producers and aluminium makers from next year, Zhang Xiliang, chief designer of the scheme, said last week. "The goal is to expand the market to cover as many as 10,000 emitters responsible for about another 5 billion tons of carbon a year," Zhang said. Chinese state media have also pointed out the current version is already the world's largest market when assessed by the amount of greenhouse gas emissions covered, rather than trading value. Other concerns about the scheme include that a lack of technical know-how and continued pressure from powerful coal and steel lobbies could slow down progress. Local officials and companies know little about accounting for emissions or even the basics of climate science, said Huw Slater from China Carbon Forum. And regions that rely on coal and carbon-intensive industries for growth have been slow to join the scheme. "Officials are afraid that if they curb pollution too quickly it could cut jobs and lead to social unrest," Slater said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20210716-china-steps-up-climate-change-fight-with-carbon-emissions-trading-scheme
     
         
      It’s Thursday, July 15, and the Department of Energy aims to slash battery costs Thu, 15th Jul 2021 20:25:00
     
      The U.S. Department of Energy announced on Wednesday that it aims to reduce the cost of grid-scale, long-duration energy storage by 90 percent within the next decade. That mouthful is the technical way of describing batteries that are capable of storing at least 10 hours’ worth of energy and discharging it to the electrical grid when needed — which are essential to Biden’s goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. Today, the lithium-ion-based, grid-scale batteries being built by companies like LS Power and Tesla can discharge electricity for about 4 hours tops. These systems store excess power and discharge it to smooth out small fluctuations in power supply to the grid. But in order to eventually get most of our power from renewable sources, we’ll need to be able to store much more energy to use when the wind stops blowing or the sun stops shining for days or weeks at a time. There are many promising long-duration storage technologies, including new battery chemistries and mechanical and thermal processes, but today they are far too expensive to implement at scale. The Department of Energy’s goal to slash costs is part of its new “Energy Earthshots” initiative to accelerate various emerging clean energy solutions that will enable the U.S. to achieve a net-zero emissions energy system by 2050. The Amazon rainforest in Brazil has begun to shift from being a carbon sink to a carbon source. A new study, the first of its kind, found that the Brazilian Amazon is now emitting more carbon than it captures, due to deforestation, increased fires, and climate change. The findings have implications for policy initiatives that rely on forests to offset carbon emissions. Due to extreme heat that continues to persist in the West, officials are warning that there could be a “near-complete loss” of young chinook salmon in California’s Sacramento River this year. Chinook salmon are an endangered species. “There’s a very real possibility we could lose salmon forever here,” John McManus, the president of the Golden State Salmon Association, told CNN. For hours earlier this week, Los Angeles officials delayed notifying beachgoers that 17 million gallons of untreated sewage had been discharged into the Santa Monica Bay. The discharge — spurred by an overflow of debris, including construction waste and grease, into a nearby wastewater treatment plant — occurred between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/840811276/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Southampton Airport: Runway legal review request submitted Thu, 15th Jul 2021 20:13:00
     
      Opponents of the planned extension to Southampton Airport runway have formally submitted their request for a judicial review to the High Court. Eastleigh Borough Council has approved plans to lengthen the runway by 164m (538ft). Campaigners Airport Expansion Opposition (AXO) said the decision needed the "full scrutiny" of a judicial review. The council previously said it was confident its procedures were sound. The airport plans to extend the runway in order to accommodate larger planes needed for longer haul flights. Its proposals were given planning permission by Eastleigh Borough Council in April, despite objections from Southampton and Winchester city councils. Richard Mould-Ryan, from AXO, said the airport extension would "have far reaching consequences for the climate". "We believe strongly that the council's decision was wrong both in the way it was taken and the arguments to justify it," he added. "The airport has greatly overstated the economic benefits of expansion, whilst hugely underplaying the environmental impact." The group has raised more than £35,000 in donations to fund legal action. The airport's operations director, Steve Szalay, said he was "hugely disappointed" at the prospect of a legal challenge. He said: "The runway extension is a key part of our plans for the future of the airport and will deliver significant economic and employment opportunities to Eastleigh and the Central South. "Unfortunately, this legal challenge activity will delay the creation of much-needed jobs at a time of high post-pandemic unemployment, including 265 job opportunities during the construction phase," he said. If it goes to court, any legal challenge is expected to take at least six months to settle.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-57834948
     
         
      Let’s say we stop burning fossil fuels. What happens next? Thu, 15th Jul 2021 18:48:00
     
      Dear Umbra, Most people get that we have to stop emitting so much CO2. But even if we stopped today, what happens with the CO2 already in the atmosphere? Don’t we have to both stop producing emissions AND take CO2 out of the atmosphere at the same time? — These Onerous Obstacles Make Undoing Carbonization Hard Dear TOO MUCH, I can almost hear the weariness in your voice, and it resonates. We talk so much about the supreme challenge of reducing emissions — something that already requires transitioning our entire economy away from the burning of fossil fuels, adapting to existing climate threats, and doing all that in a way that at the very least doesn’t add to the burdens of already marginalized communities. It’s hard to imagine that there’s more still to do. Can it really be that, on top of all those tasks, we have to pull carbon out of the atmosphere too? Well, yes. It’s not like we can just flip a switch in order to return to preindustrial CO2 levels. Zachary Byrum, a research analyst in carbon removal at the World Resources Institute, likes to compare our atmosphere to a rapidly filling bathtub. “Even if we turn the tap off, we still have a bathtub of CO2 that is full up to the top,” he said. “It might evaporate, but that would take a very long time. You have to make a drain so that the water, or CO2 in this metaphor, can go somewhere, and carbon removal is the means to do that.” There are many types of carbon removal, but they all involve taking existing carbon out of atmospheric circulation, say, by planting new trees, improving soil quality, or using technology to suck it directly out of the air and inject it into the ground. “There is no world in which we don’t need carbon removal” to avert climate disaster, Byrum said. That urgency is because our atmospheric bathtub is already really close to “overflowing.” According to the latest reading from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, our current level of atmospheric carbon is around 419 parts per million, or ppm, and continues to rise. Way back before the Industrial Revolution — when we figured out that we could haul fossil fuels out of the ground, burn them, and use the resulting energy to power machinery on a massive scale — that CO2 figure was more like 280 ppm. It has been increasing at an alarming rate ever since. The International Panel on Climate Change estimates that 430 ppm marks the threshold beyond which the climate will heat up by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the limit set during the 2015 Paris Agreement. But some experts say even 430 ppm is too high of a CO2 threshold for many of Earth’s systems to function well. Climate scientist James Hansen has posited that 350 ppm (a benchmark we passed in 1986) is a more reasonable level for planetary health. Some climate scholars argue we have a moral obligation to return to preindustrial levels (280 ppm) if we want to ensure a truly healthy planet for future generations. Looking at the climate crisis in terms of hard numbers is deeply disconcerting, to say the least, but bear with me if you can. We are still not in a position to “turn off” the CO2 tap. As a globe, we are pumping somewhere between 40 and 50 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year. That number has grown year over year with the exception of 2020, when global COVID-19 restrictions caused emissions to drop an estimated 8 percent. I don’t think I have to tell you that an 8 percent reduction is not very much, or that a global pandemic is not a great way to solve the climate crisis. Even if all humans immediately wanted to do everything they could to avert climate disaster, it would still take time to shut down all carbon emissions. There are still billions of people throughout the world who rely on fossil fuel-powered infrastructure and greenhouse gas-emitting agricultural methods to live. The decarbonizing shift is underway, but nowhere near complete. Which brings us back to carbon removal. Importantly, it’s not quite the same thing as carbon capture, which usually happens right at a polluting point source. If you had a natural gas-powered electric plant, for example, you could put some sort of carbon trapping mechanism right on the plant itself to collect the emissions before they are released into the atmosphere. Some environmental activists have criticized this form of carbon trapping as being bad for communities located near these plants. They also claim it is a kind of Band-Aid technology that keeps fossil fuel infrastructure up and operating versus phasing it out completely and replacing it with cleaner forms of energy, like wind and solar. In contrast, carbon removal refers to a natural or engineered process in which greenhouse gases are removed from the air itself, storing it in some hopefully durable form of carbon sink. There are many natural carbon sinks such as forests and the ocean, which uptake about half of the CO2 we pour into the atmosphere. Trees are very good at storing carbon, and there has been a lot of noise over recent years that going all Johnny Appleseed on the planet and planting billions of trees is the golden ticket that will save us all, no larger adjustment required. However, that noise has been generally debunked. For one thing, the fact that a lot of trees are burning down to ashes every year in huge wildfires — made worse, in part, by climate-driven heat waves like the one that recently ravaged the Pacific Northwest — means that all the carbon they’ve been storing over decades or even centuries just gets spewed right back out into the air. Yikes! That risk is one reason some scientists say we need to look for innovative ways to store carbon for the long term once it’s removed from the atmosphere. “We cannot put this stuff back on the Earth’s surface,” said Julio Friedmann, senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. “We have to put it back into the ground. Trees can’t hold it — there’s not enough land or biomass, and even if we went back to some Jeffersonian agro-utopia, we still don’t have the storage capacity on the Earth’s surface. If we pull 2 trillion tons of carbon dioxide out of the ground, we have to put 2 trillion back into it.” One option is injecting the purified carbon taken from carbon removal or carbon capture processes deep into the Earth where it can’t escape. There’s even a way to use chemical processes to store it in rock formations. And as insane as that may seem, researchers say injecting carbon underground is a rather promising strategy. Scientists estimate that our capacity for carbon storage well exceeds what humans have released into the atmosphere throughout all of human history. There is an argument in some environmentalist circles that investing in carbon removal technology would hamper the will or the urgency to decarbonize our energy and infrastructure and everything else — the “moral hazard” argument. But the link between this argument is much less with carbon removal than, say, carbon capture or carbon offsets, which are directly used to excuse “bad” climate behaviors. Carbon removal isn’t a hall pass to get us out of our other carbon-reducing obligations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change itself has said that a pathway to 1.5 degrees of warming would “strik[e] different balances between lowering energy and resource intensity, rate of decarbonization, and the reliance on carbon dioxide removal.” Many forms of carbon removal technology are still quite nascent and operating on a comparatively small scale. Questions remain on how it would work on the level necessary to deal with, say, billions of tons of CO2 per year. “The reality is, we’re out of time,” said Jennifer Wilcox, of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management with the Department of Energy, adding that, at this point, any and all climate solutions need to be on the table. “We can’t afford to put all our eggs in one basket — we can’t afford not to do some of these things that 10 years ago didn’t seem like a responsible way forward. We’re in a position where we need all the tools in the kit, but we need to use them in a really responsible way.” Which brings us back to the climate-concerned, like you and me, TOO MUCH. So how do we process all this, emotionally — knowing that not only do we have to decarbonize our economic system, reform our political structure, and, oh, rethink the entire built environment, but we also have to pull a whole bunch of carbon out of the air? It’s a tall order, but Friedmann of Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy suggests focusing on the world as it could be. “The most valuable thing to contribute is a positive vision, which is one in which we have abundant clean energy, we choose to value the natural world in a real way and restore it, and we have invented the tools and capabilities we have to make that real, and we do it in a way to make that equitable,” he said. “And all of that is in bounds and totally within our control.” So deep breaths, TOO MUCH. As I have said before: What’s done has to be undone, there’s no real way around it, so we might as well roll up your sleeves — in whatever metaphorical way suits you best. Anxiously, Umbra
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/ask-umbra-series/lets-say-we-stop-burning-fossil-fuels-what-happens-next/
     
         
      Climate change: 'No more excuses' at COP26 climate summit - poor nations Thu, 15th Jul 2021 12:42:00
     
      More than 100 developing countries have set out their key negotiating demands ahead of the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow. These include funding for poorer nations to fight and adapt to climate change and compensation for the impacts they will be subjected to. Those backing the plan represent more than half of the world's countries. Without progress on these points, they say that COP26 will be worthless and will end in failure. COP26 in November is expected to be the most important meeting on climate change since the Paris agreement was drawn up in 2015 and there are huge expectations that it will deliver significant progress in the battle against rising temperatures. But this new position paper is a warning shot from more than 100 of the world's poorer countries, which are dismayed by the lack of progress they've seen so far - particularly at the G7 meeting in the UK in June. They've set out five key issues which they say are critical for them in the negotiations: - Cutting emissions: Despite some progress, the sum total of climate policies in place will not keep global warming within the limits that governments agreed in Paris in 2015. An acceleration of net zero targets is urgently needed, led by those with the biggest responsibility and capacity. - Finance: At the failed Copenhagen COP in 2009, richer countries promised $100bn a year in climate finance by 2020, with increased annual sums from 2025. That target has not been met, say the developing countries - and it needs fixing if they are to trust the richer countries to keep to what they negotiate. This fund is intended to help those lower-income countries adapt to and fight climate change. - Adaptation: The developing countries are calling for at least 50% of climate finance to be used to help the most vulnerable to adapt to the effects of global warming. - Loss and damage: The historical failure of richer countries to cut their emissions adequately means that the most vulnerable are already experiencing permanent losses and damage. Responsibilities have to be acknowledged, say the poorer countries and promised measures delivered. - Implementation: Since Paris, rich and poor have haggled over issues like carbon trading and transparency. The developing countries want to see these questions finally resolved and want all countries to agree five-year common timeframes for their national climate plans. "Highly vulnerable countries like Somalia are already suffering disproportionally from the impacts of climate change," said Mahdi M Gulaid, deputy prime minister of Somalia, one of the countries behind the plan. "COP 26 must be a key moment of delivery and there can be no more excuses for unfulfilled promises, particularly climate finance." The poorer nations draw parallels with the Covid-19 pandemic. They say that a failure to deliver vaccines and debt relief after Covid, will send a signal to these countries that they will be alone when climate impacts bite harder. "Despite Covid understandably taking the headlines, climate change has been getting worse over the past year as emissions continue to rise and the lives and livelihoods on the front line suffer," said Sonam P Wangdi of Bhutan, who will chair the Least Developed Countries Group at COP26. "COP26 needs to be a summit where we see action not words. We have enough plans: what we need is for major economies to start delivering on their promises. Our economies are suffering in the face of increased climate impacts and budgetary strains: either we invest our way out of this mess or we face a brutal decade of loss and damage." In the report, the countries lay out what's termed a "fair share accounting", which allocates emissions cuts based on historical responsibility and the capacity to act. Under that scenario, the US would need to reduce emissions by 195% below 2005 levels by 2030. This could be made up of a 70% cut in domestic emissions plus $80bn a year in support for developing countries. For the UK, a similar approach would see a 70% emissions cut by 2030 plus $46bn a year in climate finance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57839368
     
         
      MIGHTR: Speeding Construction of New Nuclear Plants to Help Decarbonize the Economy Thu, 15th Jul 2021 12:25:00
     
      If nuclear energy is to play a pivotal role in securing a low-carbon future, researchers must not only develop a new generation of powerful and cost-efficient nuclear power plants, but provide stakeholders with the tools for making smart investment choices among these advanced reactors. W. Robb “Robbie” Stewart, a doctoral candidate in the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is working on both these problems. “Capital construction and operational costs are limiting the nuclear industry’s ability to expand at this critical moment, and if we can’t reduce these costs then nuclear doesn’t have a chance of being a big player in decarbonizing the economy,” Stewart says. “So I decided to focus my thesis research on an estimating tool that quantifies the costs of building a nuclear power plant, and which could be useful for assessing different reactor designs,” he says. This precision cost-modeling method helps inform an ambitious project that Stewart has been pursuing alongside his dissertation work: designing and building a modular, integrated, gas high-temperature nuclear reactor, called MIGHTR, along with Enrique Velez-Lopez SM ’20. “Our entire thesis … is that we have to simplify the civil construction elements of the project,” says Stewart Costly infrastructure Both Stewart’s doctoral research and his own reactor development are motivated to a large degree by a central concern: “Managing the construction of massive nuclear plants is extremely difficult, and too likely to result in cost overruns,” he says. “That’s because we don’t do enough of this kind of construction to be good at it.” In the United States, the key challenge to launching new commercial plants is not regulatory delay or public resistance, but inefficient construction practices, he believes. Stewart views overcoming nuclear’s daunting building costs as paramount in the drive to bring more plants online in the near future. His modeling tool will make this more likely through precise estimations of construction risks and associated expenses — all based on actual U.S. Department of Energy data on the costs of thousands of items required in commercial reactors, from pressure vessels and fuel to containment buildings and instrumentation. This rigorous method of quantifying costs is aimed at smoothing the way to the next generation of nuclear reactors, such as small, modular nuclear reactor (SMRs). This type of advanced nuclear reactor can be fabricated in an economically desirable assembly-line fashion, and fit into sites where larger facilities would not. Some SMRs like MIGHTR will also be able to operate at higher temperatures. This attribute makes them uniquely suited for powering industrial processes that are currently served by greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuel plants. Commercial (typically light water) nuclear reactors supply nearly one-third of the world’s carbon-free electricity. But they must operate at temperatures that do not generally exceed 300 degrees Celsius, which means they cannot generate the heat required for petrochemical manufacturing and other power-hungry industrial needs. In contrast, next-generation reactors such as MIGHTR could turn the temperature dial up to 700 C and beyond. “Industrial process heat accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, so an important criterion for selecting an advanced reactor would be whether it can meet the need of decarbonizing industries,” says Stewart. His modeling tool could help determine which advanced nuclear designs offers the best investment bet. For instance, some SMRs might require 30 million work-hours to build, and others 8 million. Some facilities might involve technological uncertainties that make them too much of a gamble, no matter how much electricity or heat they purport to deliver. Investors, utilities, and policymakers must feel confident that their decision strikes the optimal balance of desired reactor attributes and applications with the reactor’s risk and price tag. “Not all SMRs are equally cost-competitive, and assessment can help distribute resources much more effectively,” he says. Modeling new technologies Stewart, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, gravitated early toward cutting-edge technologies with the capacity to serve society. “I knew I wanted to be an engineer from a young age, and loved reading pop culture science trying to understand what the next generation of cars or jet engines might be,” he recalls. Although tempted by aerospace studies, he found his groove in mechanical engineering as an undergraduate and then master’s student at the University of Texas at Austin. His master’s thesis on heat transfer in gas turbines led directly to work with GE Global Research. After four years spent on ventures to improve cooling efficiencies inside gas turbines, and then to model and predict the life of commercial jet engines, he grew restless. Over the years he’d felt a mounting concern about the dangers of climate change, and a growing desire to train his engineering expertise on the challenge. “I wanted to be at the forefront of a new technology, and I wanted to be able to look back at the point of retirement and say I dedicated my engineering time and knowledge to this big problem,” says Stewart. So he decided to leave his mechanical engineering career and learn a new discipline at MIT. He quickly found a mentor in Koroush Shirvan, the John Clark Hardwick (1986) Career Development Professor in NSE. “He seemed to be solving problems the nuclear industry was facing, from operational and capital costs, to new fuel and enhanced safety designs,” says Stewart. “That resonated with me.” MIGHTR drew from the kind of multidisciplinary perspective championed by Shirvan and other members of the department. Other designs for high-temperature gas reactors envision housing components in a structure 60 meters tall. Stewart and his partner thought it might be simpler to lay the entire structure flat, including the reactor core and steam generator. Building height leads to great complexity and higher construction costs. The flat design leverages cost-efficient building techniques new to nuclear, such as precast concrete panels “We took our idea to a faculty meeting, where they threw stones at it because they wanted proof we could reduce the building size five times less than other HTRs without affecting safety,” Stewart recalls. “That was the birth of MIGHTR.” Stewart and Velez-Lopez have since launched a startup, Boston Atomics, to bring MIGHTR to life. The team’s design filed a patent last October and received a $5 million grant in December from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Advanced Reactor Design Program. MIT is helping drive this venture forward, with Shirvan overseeing the project, which includes partners from other universities. Stewart’s creation of the nuclear plant cost modeling tool, sponsored by the Finnish energy company Fortum, and co-invention of the MIGHTR design have already won recognition: His research is headed for publication in several journals, and last year he received NSE’s 2020 Manson Benedict Award for Academic Excellence and Professional Promise. Today, even as he presses forward on both MIGHTR and his cost-modeling research, Stewart has broadened his portfolio. He is assisting associate provost and Japan Steel Industry Professor Richard Lester with the MIT Climate Grand Challenges Program. “The goal is to identify a handful of powerful research ideas that can be big movers in solving the climate change problem, not just through carbon mitigation but by promoting the adaptation and resilience of cities and reducing impacts on people in zones experiencing extreme weather-related conditions, such as fires and hurricanes,” says Stewart. After picking up his doctorate next year, Stewart plans on dedicating himself to Boston Atomics and MIGHTR. He also hopes that his modeling tool, free to the public, will help direct research and development dollars into nuclear technologies with a high potential for reducing cost, and “get people excited by new reactor designs,” he says.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/mightr-speeding-construction-of-new-nuclear-plants-to-help-decarbonize-the-economy/
     
         
      The climate is boiling. Why has Harvard still not fully divested from fossil fuels yet? Thu, 15th Jul 2021 11:28:00
     
      On display in every corner of the Harvard University campus, carved in stone, students find a shield with three books and the inscribed school motto: “Veritas.” Latin for truth. Ah yes, truth. The word rolls easily off the tongue, but what does it mean? If a man believes something deeply enough, does that make it true? Yes, said the Puritan ministers who founded Harvard College – male only, of course – in 1636. Their de facto credo – I believe therefore I am right – worked just fine. For them. Two centuries later, Ralph Waldo Emerson, a transcendentalist and Harvard alum, saw things differently and wrote, “God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose.” That is, between reality and tranquility. Emerson would caution us today to beware of the cozy lie and the comfortable delusion. The burning truth will exact a terrible price the more we ignore it. Consider that after decades of disinformation, outright lies, media prating and political inaction on climate change, our home planet now sets higher temperature records every year, and could, by 2100 if not 2050, be unlivable in many places, beset by unending fires, droughts, rising seas, chaos and storms. All because of a conservative fidelity to fossil fuels; an unwillingness to acknowledge what’s true, and a selfish resistance to change. Harvard, of course, is famous for its prestige and annual cost (up to $78,000 without financial aid), acceptance rate (3.43% this year, a new low) and excellence in higher education, given its curriculum (3,700 courses in 50 concentrations), faculty (161 Nobel laureates) and alumni (eight former US presidents and 188 living billionaires). It’s also somewhat notorious for the Harvard Corporation, a board that manages the world’s largest university endowment and, as our planet bakes and burns, refuses to divest entirely from fossil fuels. At $42bn, the Harvard endowment exceeds the combined monetary value of many small countries. Granted, only about 2% ($838m) is invested in fossil fuels, down from 11% in 2008. But it’s symbolic. If the oldest and most prestigious school in America were to do the right thing and file for divorce from dirty energy, it would be a clarion call heard around the world. The fossil fuel divestment movement, which began about a decade ago, has gained considerable momentum. Bill McKibben, co-founder of the international environmental group 350.org, has said many times, “Money is the oxygen on which the fire of global warming burns.” It’s time to suffocate big oil. And for Harvard to do its part. Others will follow. The Harvard Crimson, the school paper, opposed divestment at first, saying it would change nothing. The paper then reversed position, called climate change an “existential threat”, and added that “in an era in which climate change is more rampant, more destructive, and more visible than ever – not to mention the attacks on its scientific reality – we realize that we can no longer view an endowment with investments in fossil fuels as an economically sensible future”. The paper concluded: “Symbols matter, and the endowment is a symbol of Harvard’s values.” Ilana Cohen, a student leader of the Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard campaign, wrote in Teen Vogue: “Divestment shouldn’t be a difficult choice for our school. Other universities, pension funds, banks and asset managers have continued to divest from the fossil fuel industry in droves, with institutions controlling more than $14.5tn worth of funds joining the movement in whole or in part. In the last year alone, the New York Common Retirement Fund, Rockefeller Foundation, and Oxford, Cambridge, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Rutgers Universities have all committed to partial or full divestment.” More than 50 colleges and universities have divested, under the motto “Not a penny more”. The day after Oxford announced its intention to divest, Harvard said it would make its endowment fossil-fuel neutral by 2050, a move Cohen and others called inadequate and flawed. In response, Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard filed a complaint asking the Massachusetts attorney general to hold Harvard legally accountable for its complicity in the climate crisis, a bold move similar to one made earlier by students at Boston College. The complaint calls into question the obvious: how can a prestigious institution that says it envisions a “more just, fair, and promising world” continue to invest in corporations that drive the climate crisis that imperils everybody’s future? “Fossil fuels are not only the primary contributor to climate change,” the Harvard alums Morgan Whitten and Alex Marquardt wrote in the Nation, “their extraction and refinement also emit toxic pollutants – often in Indigenous and low-income communities, where environmental racism is most acutely felt … Sea-level rise caused by climate change even threatens Harvard’s campus.” Furthermore, fossil fuels are a poor investment. Coal is down, and the sun is setting on big oil. Nearly eight years ago, ExxonMobil boasted the biggest market value of any company in the world. Then last August, after announcing three consecutive quarter losses totaling $2.4bn, it was ousted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a position it had held for nearly a century. How fitting for a giant whose scientists warned about the greenhouse effect half a century ago and whose bosses, Exxon’s corporate captains, threatened by the truth, put profit over planet. Together with other oil titans, they spent hundreds of millions on a massive disinformation campaign to obscure the science and to create confusion, doubt and delay, a message rightwing media parroted to conservative America. Humans cause climate change? Don’t believe it. It’s socialism. Like those Exxon captains and the Puritan ministers of nearly 400 years ago, today’s Harvard Corporation is a prisoner of its own power, cozy in its repose and narrow beliefs that it knows what’s best, what’s right. But pro-divestment students, faculty and alumni are unrelenting. They’ve read the peer-reviewed science – the best thing ever devised to eliminate personal bias – and determined what’s true. They understand ethics, morality and their place in history. They know Harvard didn’t go co-ed until 1946, has had only one female president, and is run predominantly by cautious, comfortable white men. They also know that divestment works, as it did to help end apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, big tobacco in the 1990s, and the Darfur genocide of the 2000s. Maybe those cautious, comfortable white men will change their minds when they witness a rising, acidic ocean swallow Harvard Yard, or can fry an egg on their driveways or patios. They won’t be the only ones. How ironic that our fossil fuel habit, which powered the greatest economic growth in human history, and gave us unprecedented prosperity, now threatens our stable future. Those who know this and today fight for clean energy, from courageous Harvard freshmen to ageing professors emeriti, are heroes. They have strong opinions, but also, and equally important, they have empathy. “There are men,” Emerson wrote, “who, by their sympathetic attractions, carry nations with them, and lead the activity of the human race.” There are women, too. Veritas. It’s true.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/15/harvard-represents-reason-and-science-so-why-hasnt-it-divested-from-fossil-fuels-yet
     
         
      Emissions set to rise with growth in coal use, says IEA Thu, 15th Jul 2021 9:29:00
     
      Most of the increase in electricity demand is expected to come from the Asia Pacific region, according to the latest edition of the IEA's semi-annual Electricity Market Report released today. More than half of global growth in 2022 will occur in the China, the world's largest electricity consumer. India, the third-largest consumer, will account for 9% of global growth. Renewable electricity generation, which grew 7% in 2020, continues to rise strongly - but cannot keep up with increasing demand, the IEA says. Based on current policy settings and economic trends, electricity generation from renewables - including hydropower, wind and solar PV - will increase by 8% in 2021 and by more than 6% in 2022. However, renewables are expected to be able to serve only around half of the projected growth in global demand in 2021 and 2022. Fossil fuel-based electricity generation is set to cover 45% of additional demand in 2021 and 40% in 2022, with nuclear power accounting for the rest. As a result, carbon emissions from the electricity sector - which fell in both 2019 and 2020 - are forecast to increase by 3.5% in 2021 and by 2.5% in 2022, which would take them to an all-time high. Coal-fired electricity generation is set to increase by almost 5% this year and by a further 3% in 2022, potentially reaching an all-time high. Meanwhile, gas-fired generation, which declined 2% in 2020, is expected to increase by 1% in 2021 and by nearly 2% in 2022. Increase in emissions "Our analyses show that the short-term trend in global electricity markets is not consistent with a zero emissions pathway," the IEA said. In the pathway set out in IEA's recent Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050, nearly three-quarters of global emissions reductions between 2020 and 2025 take place in the electricity sector. To achieve this decline, the pathway calls for coal-fired electricity generation to fall by more than 6% a year. After falling by 1% in 2019 and by 3.5% in 2020, CO2 emissions from the electricity sector are forecast to increase by 3.5% in 2021 and by 2.5% in 2022, which would take them to an all-time high. The IEA sees the decline in the emissions intensity of global electricity generation slowing from more than 3% in 2020 to around 1% in 2021 and 2022. Modest growth in nuclear Nuclear generation has declined recently, with production almost 3% lower in 2020 than 10 years earlier, partly because of low demand levels forcing plants to produce below maximum capacity, especially in Europe. Nuclear generation declined by 4% in 2020, the IEA says. It expects nuclear-based production to recover slightly, by 1%, in 2021. Utilisation rates are rebounding together with demand. In addition, the Mochovce 3 unit in the Slovak Republic is expected to start commercial operation this year. However, the IEA says these increases are counterbalanced by the retirement in 2020 of the Fessenheim plant in France and Ringhals in Sweden. With the retirement of 4.3 GW at the end of 2021 in Germany, 2 GW in the UK and 1 GW in Belgium before the end of 2022, nuclear electricity generation is likely to drop again in 2022, by 3%, even if the Olkiluoto 3 EPR in Finland starts commercial operation. "When the IEA published its first Electricity Market Report in December 2020, large parts of the world were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting lockdowns," the report says. "Half a year later, electricity demand around the world is rebounding or even exceeding pre-pandemic levels, especially in emerging and developing economies. But the situation remains volatile, with COVID-19 still causing disruptions." Since the release of the first Electricity Market Report, extreme cold, heat and drought have caused serious strains and disruptions to electricity systems across the globe. In response, the IEA said it is establishing an Electricity Security Event Scale to track and classify major power outages, based on the duration of the disruption and the number of affected customers. The power crisis in the US state of Texas in February, where millions of customers were without power for up to four days because of icy weather, was assigned the most severe rating on this scale.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Emissions-set-to-rise-with-growth-in-coal-use,-say
     
         
      Electricity demand rebound will require more fossil fuel generation -IEA Thu, 15th Jul 2021 8:05:00
     
      Global electricity demand is growing faster than renewable energy capacity can be rolled out and will require more power to be generated from the burning of fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on Thursday. After falling by about 1% in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic curbed industrial activity across the world, power consumption is set to grow by close to 5% in 2021 and by 4% in 2022 as economies recover, the IEA said in the mid-2021 edition of its Electricity Market Report. Nearly half of the increase will have to be met by burning fossil fuels, notably coal, which could push carbon dioxide emissions from the sector to record highs in 2022, the agency said, adding it expects particularly strong demand in the Asia Pacific region, primarily China and India. Renewables are expanding quickly as the global community addresses the need to reduce carbon pollution, but the IEA's report shows the process will have to accelerate if cleaner energy is to keep up with overall demand. Renewable capacity, including hydropower, wind and solar photovoltaics, is on track for 8% growth in 2021 and more than 6% in 2022, while virtually emissions-free nuclear will increase by 1% and 2% respectively. "Even with this strong growth, renewables will only be able to meet around half the projected increase in global electricity demand over those two years," the IEA said. "To shift to a sustainable trajectory, we need to massively step up investment in clean energy technologies – especially renewables and energy efficiency," it said. CO2 emissions from burning coal and gas were likely to increase by 3.5% in 2021 and by 2.5% in 2022, it predicted. Turning to wholesale power prices, the IEA noted a rise of 54% in first half 2021 in advanced economies, compared with the same period in 2020. Full year average prices last year declined by a quarter from 2019. The IEA also noted that extreme cold, heat and drought have caused disruptions to electricity supply this year, notably the Texas power crisis in February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/electricity-demand-rebound-will-require-more-fossil-fuel-generation-iea-2021-07-15/
     
         
      Australia attacks sweeping EU climate plan to tax imports Thu, 15th Jul 2021 7:46:00
     
      Australia, one of the world's biggest fossil fuel exporters, has strongly criticised the European Union's proposal to enact a carbon border tax. The measure was confirmed yesterday in the EU's sweeping new climate plan. Such a tax would make exporters to the EU pay more for goods like steel and cement, to level the playing field for European firms paying carbon permits. But Australia has argued that such a tariff would be "protectionist" and could breach trade rules. Trade Minister Dan Tehan said Australia would be "looking very closely" at how it would be imposed, with a view to any potential rule breaches. "The last thing the world now needs is extra protectionist policies being put in place," Mr Tehan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday. Just 4% of Australia's exports directly go to Europe, but such a tax, if passed, will likely create flow-on costs for Australia's resource sales to China and other major Asian markets. Mined commodities such as iron ore, coal, gas and oil account for more than two thirds of Australia's export wealth. Mr Tehan suggested the EU was "unilaterally imposing its views and its ways on other countries" and such a tax would "undermine" global co-operation on reducing emissions. "[This] is not necessarily going to achieve the outcomes we're all looking for and that's why we'll be looking to discuss this further with them, " he said, referencing November's COP26 summit in Glasgow. But environmental critics say Australia has been an outlier in rebuffing such climate action. The UK and the US are also considering carbon border measures to ensure countries like Australia with weaker climate goals don't undermine their emission reduction efforts. Australia's conservative government has rejected pricing carbon as a climate action tactic since 2014, when it abolished an emissions trading scheme set by the previous Labor government. Researchers rank Australia as the third most polluting fossil fuel exporter behind Russia and Saudi Arabia. Despite pressure from allies Australia remains one of the few G20 nations that has not yet committed to a net zero 2050 emissions goal. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the nation "hopes" to reach that goal through investment in technology like carbon capture and storage systems, as opposed to carbon tax instruments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57845171
     
         
      EGEB: Here’s how much it costs to charge your EV with rooftop solar Thu, 15th Jul 2021 7:44:00
     
      In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB): Charging an electric vehicle with rooftop solar in the US is cheaper than using grid power or public chargers. El Salvador commissions its very first wind farm. UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad. Charging an EV with rooftop solar If home rooftop solar is used to charge an electric car in the US, it costs just $415 annually, compared to $662 on grid power at home annually, and $1,058 annually with a public EV charger, according to a study conducted by consumer solar panel installation reviews website SolarReviews. The study also found that it costs up to $1,260 annually to fill a gas car’s tank. A typical solar EV charging setup includes: rooftop solar panels, a central string inverter that combines DC output of the solar panels to AC, and a level 2 EV charger. SolarReviews estimates that five solar panels are needed to charge an EV. According to the US Department of Transportation, the average American drives about 13,500 miles per year, or about 40 miles per day. Home solar charging also contributes the least amount of carbon emissions, as electricity from the power grid still comes primarily from fossil fuels. In nearly every state, the long-term cost of solar roof panels is less than buying electricity from the grid, where the average kilowatt-hour cost is rising over time. The levelized cost of home solar will remain consistent, and in most cases, will be cheaper than grid power. SolarReviews estimates that charging an EV with solar for 25 years could result in $16,250 in savings by the end of the solar panels’ production warranty. El Salvador wind farm Despite the challenges of devastating hurricanes, floods, and landslides in 2020, El Salvador’s very first wind farm, the Ventus Wind Project, has now come online. The 54 megawatt wind farm, which is in Metapán, in the northwest of the country, consists of 15 Vestas V136-3.6MW turbines. Power generation developer Tracia Network Corporation, a subsidiary of Guatemalan conglomerate Grupo Centrans, commissioned the wind farm, and worked with US consultancy firm ArcVera Renewables. The new wind farm will help reduce El Salvador’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, which accounted for 69% of its total energy supply in 2019, according to IRENA. Another 19.6% comes from bioenergy. It will also provide greater energy price stability and diversify the national power grid. The Ventus wind farm will prevent the emission of around 200,000 tons of CO2 annually.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2021/07/15/egeb-heres-how-much-it-costs-to-charge-your-ev-with-rooftop-solar/
     
         
      Korindo: Korean palm oil giant stripped of sustainability status Thu, 15th Jul 2021 4:48:00
     
      A Korean palm oil giant has been rejected from the world's leading green certification body in the wake of a BBC investigation. The BBC had earlier found evidence that the Korindo group had been buying up swathes of Asia's largest remaining rainforests in the remote Indonesian province of Papua. A visual analysis suggested that fires had then been deliberately set to these forests, a clear violation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The regulator's tree logo - found on paper products throughout the UK and Europe - is meant to tell consumers the product is sourced from ethical and sustainable companies. At the time of the BBC's investigation late last year, the FSC said they would not expel Korindo but were working with the Korean company to address social and environmental problems. But now the green body says the relationship has "become untenable" and Korindo's trademark licenses with FSC will be terminated from October. "We were not able to verify improvements in Korindo's social and environmental performance," Kim Carstensen, FSC international director general said. He said the decision would "give us clarity and a breath of fresh air while Korindo continues its efforts to improve." Korindo groups chief sustainability officer Kwangyul Peck said in a statement that the company was "very shocked by the FSC decision." He insists they were following all the steps of "an agreed roadmap of improvements" and said despite their expulsion from the FSC "they remain committed to sustainability and human rights." 'A violation of traditional and human rights' Korindo controls more land in Papua than any other conglomerate. The company has cleared nearly 60,000 hectares of forests inside its government-granted concessions - an area the size of Chicago or Seoul. A 2018 report by the FSC into the allegations against Korindo was never published, after legal threats from the company, but the BBC obtained a copy. The report found "evidence beyond reasonable doubt" that Korindo's palm oil operation destroyed 30,000 hectares of high conservation forest in breach of FSC regulations and that the company was, "on the balance of probability … supporting the violation of traditional and human rights for its own benefit." A visual investigation by the Forensic Architecture group at Goldsmiths University in London and Greenpeace International, published in conjunction with the BBC, also found evidence that indicated deliberate burning. Kiki Taufik, head of the Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign said the FSC decision was "better late than never" saying they had "finally come to their senses". But he said the Indonesian government continues to "grant companies like Korindo forest concessions, allowing them to violate the rights of indigenous people." "It is crucial that buyers and certification bodies don't keep helping them create a facade of sustainability and transparency," he said. After the BBC's investigation last year, the Indonesian parliament had launched an inquiry into Korindo's conduct - though the findings have not been made public. The Korindo group strongly denies starting any fires or involvement in any human rights violations, saying it follows the law. They also insisted they paid fair compensation to tribes. Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of palm oil - found in everything from shampoo to biscuits - and Papua is its newest frontier. The rich forests in the remote province of Papua had until recently escaped relatively untouched, but the government has rapidly opened the area up to investors, vowing to bring prosperity to one of the poorest regions in the country. Vast areas of forest have been cleared to make way for row upon row of oil palm trees. Indonesia's palm oil exports were worth about $19bn (£14bn) last year, according to data from Gapki, the nation's palm oil association.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57845156
     
         
      Climate change: Amazon regions emit more carbon than they absorb Wed, 14th Jul 2021 20:15:00
     
      Deforestation and climate change are altering the Amazon rainforest's ability to soak up carbon, according to a new study. Significant parts of the world's largest tropical forest have started to emit more CO2 than they absorb. The south-east is worst-affected, say scientists, with higher rates of tree loss and an increasing number of fires. Temperatures there have risen by three times the global average during the hottest months. Areas of our planet that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere - for example, in the form of the greenhouse gas CO2 - than they store are known as sinks. The role played by the lands and forests of the Earth in soaking up carbon has been a critical factor in preventing faster rates of climate change. Since the 1960s, these sinks have taken in around 25% of carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels. The Amazon, home to the world's largest tropical forest, has played a key role in absorbing and storing much of that carbon. But the growing impacts of climate change and deforestation are taking their toll on this crucial CO2 sponge. Earlier this year, a study showed that the rainforest in Brazil released about 20% more CO2 into the atmosphere than it took in over the period from 2010-2019. This new paper underlines that change and finds that some regions of the rainforest were "a steadily increasing source" of carbon between 2010 and 2018. A source of carbon is an area of the Earth that releases more carbon than it stores. The researchers used aircraft to take around 600 air samples above selected parts of the rainforest over the years of the study. They found a very clear division between the eastern and western parts of the rainforest. "In the eastern part of the Amazon, which is around 30% deforested, this region emitted 10 times more carbon then in the west, which is around 11% deforested," said lead author Luciana Gatti, with Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). "This is a huge impact, you know directly because we are emitting CO2 to the atmosphere, which is accelerating climate change but also because it is promoting changes in the dry season conditions and stress to trees that will produce even more emissions." "This is terrible negative feedback that increases the emissions much more than we knew." The researchers say that the forest in the south-east of the Amazon have been very badly hit by deforestation and climate change. In this area, temperatures have increased in the two hottest months of the year by 3.07C - this is around the same increase seen in the Arctic and around three times the global average. "This is amazing," said Dr Gatti. "It's a complete surprise for the equator layer of the globe." The researchers are worried that the changing climate is also interfering with rainfall, which they argue, has immediate consequences for Brazil. "This is very bad news for everybody but mainly for Brazil," said Dr Gatti. "We have lots of problems with lack of precipitation, such as electricity from hydropower becoming more expensive. There are also heavy losses in agriculture." "We need to link this with Amazon deforestation and change the behaviour." Other scientists who work in this field say that the latest findings are consistent with changes that a range of studies have already shown. "Deforestation and degradation increase, while the carbon sink of intact forests is stable or is slightly increasing," said Dr Jean-Pierre Wigneron from France's Institut National de Recherche Agronomiques (INRA). "So, finding a negative carbon budget is not so surprising." Nancy Harris, from the World Resources Institute (WRI), who has co-authored previous research into the same area, said: "At the end of the day, debating whether the region already is a source - or is teetering precariously on the edge of becoming a source for carbon dioxide - misses the point. "The science is now clear that the Amazon is in trouble. High emissions from deforestation have plagued the region for decades, and climate change impacts on forests like drought, fire and heat-induced die-offs will become more and more common over the coming decade."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57839364
     
         
      EU unveils sweeping climate change plan Wed, 14th Jul 2021 16:05:00
     
      The European Union has announced a raft of climate change legislation aimed at pushing it towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. A dozen draft proposals, which still need to be approved by the bloc's 27 member states and the EU parliament, were announced on Wednesday. They include plans to tax jet fuel and effectively ban the sale of petrol and diesel powered cars within 20 years. The proposals, however, are likely to face months of negotiations. The plans triggered serious infighting at the European Commission, the bloc's administrative arm, as the final tweaks were being made, sources told the AFP news agency. "By acting now we can do things another way... and choose a better, healthier and more prosperous way for the future," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. "It is our generational task... [to secure] the wellbeing of not only our generation, but of our children and grandchildren. Europe is ready to lead the way." The measures are likely to push up household heating bills, as well as increase the cost of flights in the EU. Financial assistance will be available for people to install insulation and make other long-term changes to their homes. "We're going to ask a lot of our citizens," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said. "We're also going to ask a lot of our industries, but we do it for good cause. We do it to give humanity a fighting chance." Opposition is also expected from some industry leaders, such as airlines and vehicle manufacturers, as well as from eastern member states that rely heavily on coal. One EU diplomat told Reuters that the success of the package would rest on its ability to be realistic and socially fair, while also not destabilising the economy. "The aim is to put the economy on a new level, not to stop it," they said. The measures, billed as the EU's most ambitious plan yet to tackle climate change, have been named the Fit for 55 package because they would put the bloc on track to meet its 2030 goal of reducing emissions by 55% from 1990 levels. By 2019, the EU had cut its emissions by 24% from 1990 levels. Some of the key proposals include: - Tighter emission limits for cars, which are expected to effectively end new petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2035 - A tax on aviation fuel, and a 10-year tax holiday for low-carbon alternatives - A so-called carbon border tariff, which would require manufacturers from outside the EU to pay more for importing materials like steel and concrete - More ambitious targets for expanding renewable energy around the bloc - A requirement for countries to more quickly renovate buildings that are not deemed energy efficient In September the EU Commission set out its blueprint for reaching the 55% reduction by 2030, and said at least 30% of the EU's €1.8tn (£1.64tn; $2.2tn) long-term budget would be spent on climate-related measures. The targets are part of a global effort to tackle climate change by cutting atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The Paris climate deal, signed in 2016, aims to keep global temperature rise well under 2C, and preferably within a maximum rise of 1.5C, to prevent the worst effects of climate change. The scale of this 12-pronged plan is breathtaking. It will likely have an impact on every citizen of Europe in almost every aspect of their lives. The scope is so huge because the target is so tough. From 1990 to 2019 the EU cut carbon emissions by 24% - now it proposes to slash CO2 by another 31% in just 9 years. That's what's needed if the 2050 net-zero target is to be achieved. So as well as boosting renewables, the EU is now set to tackle the really tough issues of home heating and transport. The proposals would see the end to new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Europe's emissions trading scheme will also be reformed to include heating and road transportation. Fossil fuels used in shipping and aviation will face tax rises. One of the most eye-catching proposals is a carbon border tax on goods like steel, cement and fertilizer to ensure that European industry, which has to pay for permits to use carbon, can compete. However, the proposal is contentious and could spark a trade war with China and the US. The ambitious package will now face months of negotiations with member states, with poorer countries wary of new policies that could raise costs for consumers. The commission is betting that instead of hordes of yellow-vest protesters taking to the streets, citizens will be willing to pay a price for cleaner air, lower emissions, and more sustainable lifestyles. The rest of the world will watch this huge gamble with interest.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57833807
     
         
      Portable hydrogen fuel cell generator with power output of 400 W Wed, 14th Jul 2021 14:34:00
     
      Estonia-based hydrogen fuel cell specialist PowerUP Energy Technologies has unveiled a 400 W portable fuel cell-based generator that can be used in off-grid applications. The generator, dubbed UP400, is sold at a price of €6,500 and is claimed to have a minimum lifetime of 5,000 working hours. It operates at temperatures ranging from -20 to 52 degrees Celsius. The device has a weight of 10kg and is based on a proton exchange membrane fuel cell technology which works in three different steps: first the electrons are stripped from the hydrogen molecules through a catalytic process; then the positively charged protons pass through the membrane to the cathode and the negatively charged electrons are forced through a circuit to generate electricity; and finally, the electrons combine with the protons and oxygen from the air to generate by-products such as water and heat. The hydrogen is provided by external cylinders and its fuel cells work in parallel with a battery module, with the former acting as the main power source during operation. The solution is claimed to be ideal for sailing and yachting, camper vans or other recreational vehicles, and off-grid homes. “Whether you own a yacht, a camper van, or need a power back-up for your off-grid home, we have a powerful solution for everyone,” said the company's CEO, Ivar Kruusenberg. “These smart generators can be combined with batteries, solar panels, or even wind turbines to create a smart grid system.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/07/14/portable-hydrogen-fuel-cell-generator-with-power-output-of-400-w/
     
         
      Hydrogen-fired gas turbines vs. lithium-ion storage Wed, 14th Jul 2021 13:48:00
     
      According to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hydrogen-fired gas plants will compete with lithium-ion storage for seasonal storage and their competitiveness will strictly depend on the heat rate of the gas power plants they may replace. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have conducted techno-economic analysis to assess the potential competition between hydrogen-fired gas plants and large scale lithium-ion storage in the role of replacing gas-fired thermal power plants in the United States, and have found that lithium-ion batteries may be the most efficient solution in terms of costs, although hydrogen may represent a viable alternative in certain cases. According to their findings, which can be found in the paper Techno-economic analysis of balancing California’s power system on a seasonal basis: Hydrogen vs. lithium-ion batteries, published in Applied Energy, hydrogen-fired gas turbines (HFGTs) can currently be built at a cost of $1,320/kW and may replace natural gas-fired plants to balance the electricity network on a seasonal basis. Maintenance cost for HFGTs is assumed to be the same as that of gas-fired gas plants, at around $13/kW, per year, while transport costs for hydrogen are estimated at between $0.60/kg, for a 1,000km pipeline, to $2/kg for a 3,000km pipeline. Furthermore, the MIT scientists calculated that green hydrogen can currently be produced at a cost ranging between $3 and $10 per kilogram, depending on operating conditions, while grey or blue hydrogen can be generated at a cost of $1 and $1.50 per kilogram, respectively. “Assuming 40% utilization of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and an input power cost of $10/MWh, green hydrogen can be produced at $5/kg,” they specified. “Green hydrogen is currently more expensive than grey or blue hydrogen but these costs are projected to decrease on the order to 70% through 2050 as demand increases.” As for lithium-ion storage, the academics estimated that a 100 MW/400 MWh battery may be built at a cost of $236.50/MWh. The U.S. group compared the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of HFGTs and large scale lithium-ion storage in a scenario in which the two sources of energy have to meet the production achieved by natural-gas-fired gas turbines in California in 2019. It also assumed that the lifetime of any installed project is 15 years and the discount rate for any installed project is 10%. “The annual fuel consumption for the HFGT is calculated as the total cost associated with purchasing hydrogen to operate the facility, while the annual fuel consumption for the lithium-ion [facility] is equal to the total cost of the electric power stored in the system,” it further explained. The analysis showed that the competitiveness of HFGTs is strictly dependent on the heat rate of the gas power plants they should replace. The heat rate indicates a power plant's efficiency and represents the amount of energy it needs to generate a kilowatt-hour of electricity. According to the researchers, HFGTs become more competitive than lithium-ion storage when the heat rate is higher. Furthermore, they found that HFGTs powered by blue hydrogen produced with CO2 capture may be the more cost-competitive substitute for natural-gas-fired gas turbines. “We found the power prices in today’s market do not justify investment in this technology,” they concluded. “However, we noted the propensity for more extreme power price patterns within the market as the share of variable renewable energy grows within the market.“
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/07/14/hydrogen-fired-gas-turbines-vs-lithium-ion-storage/
     
         
      EU urged to consider impact of new climate mechanism on developing countries Wed, 14th Jul 2021 12:39:00
     
      The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) comes into force in 2023 as part of new measures to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including taxes on imports such as oil, coal and gas. In tandem with the EU announcement, UNCTAD has published a report examining the potential implications for countries both within and outside the regional bloc. “Climate and environmental considerations are at the forefront of policy concerns, and trade cannot be the exception. CBAM is one of these options, but its impact on developing countries also needs to be considered,” said Isabelle Durant, the UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General. Cutting ‘carbon leakage’ The CBAM will help reduce “carbon leakage”, a term that refers to transferring production to jurisdictions with looser constraints on emissions, the report confirmed. However, its value in mitigating climate change is limited, as the mechanism would cut only 0.1% of global CO2 emissions. "While the mechanism seeks to avoid the leakage of production and CO2 emissions to the EU’s trading partners with less stringent emissions targets, it’s so far unclear how it can support decarbonization in developing countries,” UNCTAD said. “Reducing these emissions effectively will require more efficient production and transport processes.” Support green production UNCTAD also addressed concerns expressed by EU trade partners who believe the CBAM would substantially curtail exports in carbon-intensive sectors such as cement, steel and aluminium. Changes may not be as drastic as some fear, the agency said. Exports by developing countries would be reduced by 1.4 per cent if the plan is implemented with a tax of $44 per tonne of CO2 emissions, and by 2.4 per cent at $88 per tonne. Effects would vary significantly by country, depending on their export structure and carbon production intensity. At the $44 per tonne price, developed countries would see their incomes rise by $1.5 billion, while income in developing countries would fall by $5.9 billion, according to the report. UNCTAD encouraged the EU to consider using some of the revenue generated by the CBAM to accelerate cleaner production technologies in developing countries. “This will be beneficial in terms of greening the economy and fostering a more inclusive trading system,” said Ms. Durant, the agency’s interim chief.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095852
     
         
      Banning fossil fuels in sub-Saharan Africa could slow the transition to renewable energy Wed, 14th Jul 2021 12:09:00
     
      Worldwide, the ugly consequences of a warming planet are rearing their heads. Many countries are increasing efforts to decarbonise their energy systems in a bid to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. But the path to decarbonisation is complex, requiring a unique approach from each country. Take sub-Saharan Africa’s energy systems, which are currently patchy and often unreliable. Many countries’ reliance on fossil fuels has led policymakers to suggest that fossil fuel systems should either be banned or indirectly discouraged through imposing a carbon tax. But, given that greener forms of energy exist in tandem with fossil fuel systems across the continent, this approach might harm rather than help efforts to fight climate change. If developing countries are to be successful in building more environmentally friendly energy systems, their approach cannot be directly modelled after the developed world. Technological innovation, behavioural change and an open-minded approach to combining energy systems must go hand in hand if the world is to make a successful transition from high- to low-carbon energy. For developing countries to advance their citizens’ social and economic growth, one thing is essential: reliable electricity. These countries therefore face a dual challenge of driving the energy transition from high- to low-carbon energy and increasing electrification rates. In particular, sub-Saharan Africa faces the uphill task of electrifying about half a billion of the world’s population before 2030. The availability of electricity has an enormous effect on a region’s economic growth, as well as the social welfare and wellbeing of its citizens. At an individual level, the negative effects of lacking adequate electricity are evident across countries and cultures. Increased unemployment leads to economic insecurity, which in turn drives chronic stress and increased deaths. And when it comes to public health, entirely fossil-fuel-based energy solutions, such as petrol and diesel generators – used in place of unreliable national electricity systems – pose serious concerns. At a population level, more and more people are leaving regions where patchy electricity means the quality of life is reduced. Without enough people to work, technological advancement – and thus development – is slowed down. Increasingly harsh climate conditions only perpetuate this vicious cycle. HYBRID SOLUTION Sub-Saharan Africa’s intermittent power supply has seriously stunted the region’s growth, leaving it struggling to meet UN sustainable development goals. Yet misinformed policies continue to pose a threat to the electricity market in the region, with consequences for sustainability. In Nigeria, for example, proposed policies exploring an outright ban on independent fossil fuel systems could erode the progress in extending electrification across the country. In fact, these fossil fuel systems form part of hybrid renewable energy networks that play a large part in sustainably electrifying under-served communities in sub-Saharan Africa. We carried out a simulation that analysed 20,200 potential energy solutions for Nigerian commercial buildings, studying their sustainability and carbon footprint, affordability and reliability. Our results highlighted the environmental benefits – such as reduced carbon emissions and improved local air quality – of providing hybrid energy solutions that don’t compromise electrification efforts. The transition The electricity market in the developing world differs starkly from that of its developed counterpart. While developed countries usually boast stable electricity systems and widespread investment into renewable energy, unreliable access to electricity grids tends to leave countries in the developing world getting their electricity from a mishmash of high- and low-carbon technologies. High-carbon energy systems still dominate the market thanks to their perceived reliability and the short-term financial savings they offer. But our results show that hybrid systems can help businesses make the transition to greener models while enjoying dependable electricity, by providing more flexible, secure and sustainable energy. Unfortunately, simply imposing a carbon tax is unlikely to work on its own, as many industries would put up with the little extra cost for the sake of reliable energy. Instead, changing the carbon pricing structure alongside implementing greener systems, such as solar and wind energy, is more likely to have a positive effect on the climate. Meanwhile, policymakers should focus on encouraging hybrid systems, and thus the electricity market, to flourish. A related solution could be to support the development of local energy projects. Investing both private and public funds into building microgrids in villages, and other places where electricity is scarce, is likely to help improve electrification. In turn, this will drive the development of more sustainable energy plants that are designed with the local landscape in mind. This kind of community energy development model has the potential to go a long way towards fully, safely electrifying sub-Saharan Africa.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/banning-fossil-fuels-in-sub-saharan-africa-could-slow-the-transition-to-renewable-energy-162891
     
         
      US heatwave: Could US and Canada see the worst wildfires yet? Wed, 14th Jul 2021 11:58:00
     
      After record temperatures, western parts of the US and Canada are bracing themselves for the annual wildfire season. There are warnings that this season could be another highly destructive one, so we've looked at why that might be. Potential for wildfires 'sky-high' Experts told us the potential for a record-breaking wildfire season is significant. Dr Mike Flannigan, professor of wildland fires at the University of Alberta, said that fires need three ingredients: - vegetation or fuel - ignition (caused by humans or lightning) - hot, dry and windy weather Dr Flannigan added: "It really depends on the day-to-day weather, but the potential is sky-high for parts of Canada and the American west as they are in a multi-year drought. " The US drought monitor - a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and other expert organisations - says half the nation is under some form of drought, with the most severe in western states. In June this year, parts of western Canada recorded their highest-ever temperatures. The village of Lytton in British Columbia (BC) province made headlines after it reported Canada's record temperature of 49.6C. This set off a series of wildfires, which puts the amount of land burnt in the region way ahead of the average for this time of year. Western US states are also experiencing soaring temperatures and wildfires. Another concern is the lack of compressed and hardened snow (known as snowpack) in mountainous areas this year because of higher temperatures. This usually acts as a barrier to burning, and alleviates drought conditions. Looking at the Sierra Nevada mountain range in July 2019 compared with July this year, you can see snow cover is significantly reduced in 2021. It was at a similarly low level in July 2020, a year in which California experienced record-breaking wildfires. Dr Susan Prichard, from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington, says: "That means that vegetation from low to high elevations is more predisposed to burning." The fire season normally starts in the south-west of the US, in states such as Arizona where there are several active large fires currently burning, according to a national fire database. Later in the summer, fires spark further north in California and then in Oregon and Washington. However, there are signs that the US fire season has started early, says Dr Prichard. What do the fires look like so far? In Arizona, the total acreage burned this year has already surpassed 2019 and 2018. Last year saw the biggest area burned for a decade (with the exception of 2011). "Fires are already starting in northern California, and conditions are tinder dry in eastern Oregon and Washington as well," Dr Pritchard added. In California, 42,400 more acres burned so far this year compared with the same period in 2020, according to estimates published by Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection). Last year, more than four million acres burned in California - a record for the state. Dr Prichard says: "So far, we don't have the huge conflagrations that we had along the west coast (in the US) last summer, but it's very early in what is looking like an exceptionally dry and long fire season." Year-on-year, the amount of land burned fluctuates considerably, but the trend across the US has been upwards since reliable data was first recorded in the 1980s. About 1.8 million acres have burnt this year, already more than was recorded in the same period last year. But this is below the 10-year average of 2.8 million acres. In Canada, there are large year-to-year fluctuations for the amount of land burnt, but research has shown the 10-year rolling average over the last decade is more than double what it was in the 1970s. Dr Flannigan says: "If you do a 10-year running average, the annual area burned is about one million or just over in the late 60s and early 70s and today it is about 2.6 million hectares." The total area burned across Canada at this stage in the 2021 fire season so far is below the the 10-year average - but in British Columbia, fires have already burned more than 90,000 hectares, which far exceeds the average for that province. "For BC, typically their fire season starts mid-later July, and includes August and early September, so this is really early to have fires of this size and intensity," says Dr Flannigan. Is climate change leading to more fires? In the western US and Canada, lightning rather than human activity is increasingly the main immediate cause of wildfires. Scientists believe that climate change is a factor contributing to more intense, and longer-lasting wildfire seasons because of warmer, drier conditions. Dr Flannigan says: "Warm temperatures means more lightning, longer fire seasons and drier fuel, so on average we are going to see a lot more fire, and we are going to have to learn to live with fire."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/57770728
     
         
      Carry on flying, says government green plan Wed, 14th Jul 2021 11:51:00
     
      You can carry on flying, the government has told the British public, as it outlines its plan to reduce transport emissions to virtually zero by 2050. Ministers say new technology will allow domestic flights to be almost emissions-free by 2040, and international aviation to be near zero-carbon by mid-century. The policy has been ridiculed by environmentalists, who say the government is putting far too much faith in innovation. They say demand for flying and driving must be curbed if the UK is to meet its ambitious climate targets. The comments on aviation form part of the government’s Transport Decarbonisation Strategy, announced on Wednesday. Transport is responsible for 27% of the UK's emissions, making it the single biggest emitting sector. Before the pandemic, flying made up about 7% of overall emissions. The government has pledged the entire economy will be virtually zero-carbon by mid-century and is relying on new technology to play a significant role in achieving that, especially in aviation. "It's not about stopping people doing things: it's about doing the same things differently," said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. "We will still fly on holiday, but in more efficient aircraft, using sustainable fuel. We will still drive, but increasingly in zero-emission cars." He told the BBC's Today Programme that progress towards low-carbon flying was further advanced than people realised. "We already have electric aircraft, going up in the air, and in fact the UK has become the first country in the world to have a hydrogen aircraft flying as well," he said. "In addition to those advanced technologies, we also have things like sustainable aviation fuel." Mr Shapps said the government planned to use sustainable fuel to fly home some participants in November's COP26 conference. However, critics say reductions in emissions will not be achievable without reducing the amount we fly. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas described the government's approach to aviation as "a flight of fantasy" that relied on technology that was still being developed. "The government should not hoodwink us," she told the BBC. 'Speculative' Mr Shapps said a bigger problem was road transport, which contributes 90% of transport-related carbon emissions in the UK, but that he felt progress was being made. "I think we're reaching that tipping point. When you switch on the television or or see an internet ad, you'll see that electric cars and hybrid cars are almost exclusively the ones being advertised right now," he said. The government has already said that sales of new cars and vans powered solely by petrol or diesel will be banned in the UK from 2030. The transport plan says all new lorries will be zero-carbon by 2040, running on batteries or hydrogen under a world-leading UK policy. A recent study showed that trucks accounted for 2% of vehicles in the EU, but 22% of road transport emissions. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the government's proposals on lorries were speculative, unrealistic and potentially damaging to business. "These alternative HGVs don't yet exist - we don't know when they will and what they will cost," said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett. "For many haulage companies, there are fears around cost of new vehicles and a collapse in resale value of existing lorries. The problem is even worse for coaches, which are more expensive to buy and have longer lifecycles." 'Active travel' The government's transport decarbonisation plan also says: - Vehicles will become more efficient, under a new regulatory framework for manufacturers - Smart charging for electric cars will enable drivers to top up when cheap renewable energy is available - The government's fleet of cars and vans will be all-electric by 2027 - Support for "active travel", that is walking and cycling, will increase - The rail network should be net zero by 2050. However, critics said the plans did not go far enough. Kerry McCarthy MP, Labour’s shadow transport minister, said: “This plan has been a long time coming, but it was barely worth the wait. "The government is still stalling when it comes to the tough decisions needed," she added, citing the rise in rail fares and the cut in plug-in car grants. “At a time when we should be showing global leadership and pressing ahead with this agenda, it's clear ministers still have a long way to go.” The Green Party's Ms Lucas said that it was "a missed opportunity to really rethink how we organise how we travel". Green groups said problem areas remained such as: - Building roads and HS2, which add emissions from making tarmac and concrete - Allowing the cost of driving to fall and the cost of rail to rise - Permitting car-dependent housing developments - The boom in large SUVs. ROAD PRICING The government has been discussing a proposal to work with employers on “Commute Zero” - a project that could encourage more lift-sharing and working from home. Ministers have also agreed that the whole central government fleet of 40,000 cars and vans should be fully zero-emission by 2027. However, the Treasury will face difficult choices, as revenue streams shift as a result of the zero-carbon strategy. Currently, the Treasury receives more than £30bn a year from fuel taxes on conventional cars. One alternative could be a pay-as-you-drive tax, but a government spokeswoman told BBC News there were no plans at present to introduce road pricing. She also said there were no plans for a frequent flyer levy. Where transport policy is devolved, the plan applies just to England only. Where policy is reserved, this will apply to the UK as a whole and the UK government will consult with the UK nations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57830168
     
         
      Climate change: Carmarthenshire school's zero-carbon secondary bid Wed, 14th Jul 2021 11:46:00
     
      A school is hoping to become the first carbon-neutral secondary in Wales. Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, has been working with an energy company and suppliers in an effort to cut and offset their carbon emissions. Plans include growing food on site, planting trees and wildlife gardens. But an environmental expert warned there needed to be a "cultural shift" across Wales for all public bodies to reach the zero-carbon target by 2030. Ian Chriswick, assistant head teacher at the school said: "We're looking to increase the number of solar cells on our roof space, we're also hopefully in the future going to redirect our main energy power source from the local wind turbine. "We're going to be installing electric vehicle charge points in our car park for staff and also visitors to the area to use in the future." Mr Chriswick said the school hoped it could be a "pilot case" and the first of many schools to become carbon-neutral. But he admitted the school had an advantage, with the building being only five years old. Neil Lewis, manager of Carmarthenshire Energy which has collaborated with the school, said: "We want the school spending their money on education, not on energy bills. "So we're working on plans to create a sustainable school for the future in Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, where the business model stacks up and we can demonstrate the value of that model to other schools in Carmarthenshire and further afield." The Welsh government set the goal for all public bodies, including schools, to be carbon-neutral by 2030 - just nine years away. But Dr Lewis believes more urgent action is required. "I think a cultural shift needs to happen in public bodies. It's all very well to declare a climate emergency, but you've got to act on that with a sense of urgency," he said. "From my point of view for someone who's been doing this job for 10 years, I'm not detecting the level of urgency that climate change requires." A Welsh government spokesman said: "It is absolutely right to say that we need a Team Wales approach to tackling climate change, one where we all work together and play our part. "We recently published our public sector net zero reporting guide to estimate baseline emissions, identify priority sources and to monitor progress towards meeting the target collective ambition of a carbon neutral public sector by 2030." What is Ysgol Bro Dinefwr doing? The school has been working with organisations, companies and charities on projects including a large outdoor learning area, an outdoor performance area and a peace garden. One of the largest projects, in collaboration with the Royal Society and Swansea University, involves using a polytunnel to investigate which plants might grow best using hydroponics technology. It is hoped it could lead to a "vertical farm" on school walls and roofs to produce food without the need for soil. The salad crops they are already growing will be used in cookery lessons. They are also looking at how food is procured for the school canteen to focus on local produce and reduce transport emissions. The school is also: - Creating an art wall in the outdoor learning area - Establishing a bee keeping area - Building raised beds for growing plants and vegetables - Building a pond - Creating a sensory garden for the school's autistic unit - Working to switch the school energy supply to be 100% renewable Angharad, a Year 13 pupil, said: "I think, especially in light of the growing environmental movement that our age group's been so involved in, it's really nice to have something where we have a real sense of agency and we can be involved on lots of different levels." Cerys, who is in Year 12, added: "It's a matter of our lives now. I think it should be important to everyone, and this is why we've started the outdoor learning area, so that we can protect the environment and try and combat climate change." Chloe, from Year 9, said: "This whole garden, it's supposed to focus on the environment and appreciating the world around us and I think it brings that back home to pupils in the school - because to have this area where it's full of natural beauty, it makes us appreciate what we've got here." Beyond the environmental benefits of the projects on site, teachers said they had found the pupils had engaged with subjects differently when working outdoors. Owen Rhys, head of history, said: "This is taking them out of their comfort zone and actually showing them that they really enjoy working outdoors. "As teachers and students we've been able to work on a project, outdoors, rather than being in a classroom, and definitely after the last year that we've had with Covid, it's been a godsend really in the fact that we've been able to take the students outside and get them to enjoy the fresh air and work with each other."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57823406
     
         
      EU unveils sweeping climate change plan Wed, 14th Jul 2021 11:41:00
     
      The European Union has announced a raft of climate change proposals aimed at pushing it towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. A dozen draft proposals, which still need to be approved by the bloc's 27 member states and the EU parliament, were announced on Wednesday. They include plans to tax jet fuel and effectively ban the sale of petrol and diesel powered cars within 20 years. The proposals, however, could face years of negotiations. The plans triggered serious infighting at the European Commission, the bloc's administrative arm, as the final tweaks were being made, sources told the AFP news agency. "By acting now we can do things another way... and choose a better, healthier and more prosperous way for the future," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. "It is our generational task... [to secure] the wellbeing of not only our generation, but of our children and grandchildren. Europe is ready to lead the way." The measures are likely to push up household heating bills, as well as increase the cost of flights in the EU. Financial assistance will be available for people to install insulation and make other long-term changes to their homes. "We're going to ask a lot of our citizens," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said. "We're also going to ask a lot of our industries, but we do it for good cause. We do it to give humanity a fighting chance." Opposition is also expected from some industry leaders, such as airlines and vehicle manufacturers, as well as from eastern member states that rely heavily on coal. One EU diplomat told Reuters that the success of the package would rest on its ability to be realistic and socially fair, while also not destabilising the economy. "The aim is to put the economy on a new level, not to stop it," they said. The measures, billed as the EU's most ambitious plan yet to tackle climate change, have been named the Fit for 55 package because they would put the bloc on track to meet its 2030 goal of reducing emissions by 55% from 1990 levels. By 2019, the EU had cut its emissions by 24% from 1990 levels. Some of the key proposals include: - Tighter emission limits for cars, which are expected to effectively end new petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2035 - A tax on aviation fuel, and a 10-year tax holiday for low-carbon alternatives - A so-called carbon border tariff, which would require manufacturers from outside the EU to pay more for importing materials like steel and concrete - More ambitious targets for expanding renewable energy around the bloc - A requirement for countries to more quickly renovate buildings that are not deemed energy efficient But corporate lobby BusinessEurope denounced the plan, saying it "risks destabilising the investment outlook" for sectors such as steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers and electric power "enormously". And Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, said: "Aviation is committed to decarbonisation as a global industry. We don't need persuading, or punitive measures like taxes to motivate change." At the same time, environmentalist campaigners have said the proposals don't go far enough. "Celebrating these policies is like a high-jumper claiming a medal for running under the bar," Greenpeace EU director Jorgo Riss said in a statement. "This whole package is based on a target that is too low, doesn't stand up to science, and won't stop the destruction of our planet's life-support systems." Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg said that unless the EU "tears up" its proposals, "the world will not stand a chance of staying below 1.5C of global heating".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57833807
     
         
      Wobbly moon orbit will increase flood risks over next decade, Nasa warns Wed, 14th Jul 2021 11:27:00
     
      The celestial bodies’ complex, corkscrewing orbital paths through the cosmos are far from fixed, despite how they appear from Earth, and subtle changes in how our planet, our moon, and the Sun all move and interact, can have considerable consequences for life here. One such process is how the moon orbits Earth. It doesn’t just whip smoothly round the Earth in an endless perfect spiral, but instead its revolutions fluctuate, or “wobble”, as Nasa puts it. Over an 18-year cycle, this slow wobble either suppresses or amplifies tides on Earth. During half of the cycle, high tides are higher, and low tides are lower. During the other half of the cycle, less extreme tides are recorded. Meanwhile, the human-induced climate crisis means sea levels are only going one way – up. This means that when the moon next wobbles its way into its amplification phase – beginning around 2030, higher tides, and higher sea levels could combine to impact global coastlines, Nasa has warned. This is expected to “cause a leap in flood numbers on almost all US mainland coastlines, Hawaii, and Guam”, the agency said. “Only far northern coastlines, including Alaska’s, will be spared for another decade or longer because these land areas are rising due to long-term geological processes.” High-tide floods – also known in the US as nuisance floods or sunny day floods – are already a serious concern in many cities on the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts. America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded more than 600 such floods in 2019 alone. But once the moon’s next amplification phase kicks in, the country will be in for “a decade of dramatic increases in flood numbers”, Nasa’s assessment has found. Led by the members of the Nasa Sea Level Change Science Team from the University of Hawaii, the new study shows that high tides will exceed known flooding thresholds around the country more often. Furthermore, these floods are expected to occur in clusters lasting a month or longer, depending on the relative positions of the moon, Earth, and the sun, which can supercharge the gravitational effect on the sea. Nasa said that when the moon and Earth revolve into particular alignments with each other and the sun, the resulting gravitational pull on the ocean “may leave city dwellers coping with floods every day or two”. “Low-lying areas near sea level are increasingly at risk and suffering due to the increased flooding, and it will only get worse,” said Nasa administrator Bill Nelson. “The combination of the moon’s gravitational pull, rising sea levels, and climate change will continue to exacerbate coastal flooding on our coastlines and across the world.” He added: “Nasa’s sea level change team is providing crucial information so that we can plan, protect, and prevent damage to the environment and people’s livelihoods affected by flooding.” Phil Thompson, an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii and the lead author of the new study, said: “It’s the accumulated effect over time that will have an impact.” He said because high-tide floods involve a small amount of water compared to hurricane storm surges, there was a tendency to view them as a less significant problem overall. “But if it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a business can’t keep operating with its parking lot under water. People lose their jobs because they can’t get to work. Seeping cesspools become a public health issue,” he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/moon-wobble-nasa-tides-flooding-b1883440.html
     
         
      Carry on flying, says government green plan Wed, 14th Jul 2021 10:35:00
     
      You can carry on flying, the government has told the British public, as it outlines its plan to reduce transport emissions to virtually zero by 2050. Ministers say new technology will allow domestic flights to be almost emissions-free by 2040, and international aviation to be near zero-carbon by mid-century. The policy has been ridiculed by environmentalists, who say the government is putting far too much faith in innovation. They say demand for flying and driving must be curbed if the UK is to meet its ambitious climate targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57830168
     
         
      Fossil fuel power demand has 'peaked worldwide' Wed, 14th Jul 2021 7:45:00
     
      PARIS: Electricity generation from fossil fuel has peaked worldwide as emerging markets opt for cheaper renewable technology as part of a global shift to cleaner energy, analysis showed Wednesday. Renewable options such as solar and wind are already the cheapest source of new power generation in 90% of the world's markets, meaning developing nations can avoid oil and gas as they seek to meet growing electricity demand. New research from India's Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the financial think tank Carbon Tracker showed how emerging markets are already "leapfrogging" fossil fuel infrastructure and heading straight for green power generation. These same markets account for nearly 90% of future electricity demand, the analysis found. It also showed that fossil fuel demand has already peaked in nearly all emerging markets, barring China. But with solar and wind capacity growing rapidly in the world's most-polluting nation, fossil fuel demand there is predicted to peak within five years. And, as demand plateaus, the study found that continuing to build fossil fuel-powered infrastructure could cost governments billions in stranded assets. China stands to lose up to $16 billion by 2030 if it pushes ahead with its new planned coal plants, for example. "Emerging markets are about to generate all the growth in their electricity supply from renewables," said Kingsmill Bond, Carbon Tracker energy strategist and report co-author. "The move will cut the costs of their fossil fuel imports, create jobs in domestic clean power industries, and save millions of lives lost to fossil fuel pollutants." 'Impediments' The analysis used the example of India -- a major polluter and also a main driver of electricity demand growth -- to show how power systems might be rapidly decarbonised with the right economic conditions. Since 2010, India’s solar capacity has increased nearly five-fold from 20 to 96 gigawatts. Including generation from large hydropower projects, renewables now account for 37% of India's energy production, the analysis said. Demand for fossil fuel generation "reached a plateau in 2018, and fell in 2019 and 2020". Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of CEEW and report co-author, said the international community had a "moral obligation" to help developing nations green their grids. "Around 770 million people still lack access to electricity," said Ghosh. "They are a small share of forecast growth in electricity demand." The report authors acknowledged that there were "vested interests" slowing down the green energy transition worldwide. These include fossil fuel subsidies, which run into the trillions of dollars each year, by some estimates. Bond said he expected subsidies to fall over time due to falling fossil fuel demand. "It causes additional burdens to emerging market governments," he told AFP. "And the need to reduce those subsidies is one of a number of reasons why over time fossil fuel importer countries will reduce their fossil fuel imports."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2148455/fossil-fuel-power-demand-has-peaked-worldwide
     
         
      How electric vehicles could transform the power grid Wed, 14th Jul 2021 4:00:00
     
      More electric vehicles are becoming capable of not only storing energy for driving, but also for powering buildings and the wider grid, thanks to a capability called "bidirectional charging." It's an emerging technology that could keep fridges, lights and the internet on in homes and other buildings during emergencies, eliminating or reducing the impact of most power outages. Bidirectional charging also has the potential to make the entire power grid greener and more efficient, enabling increased and better use of wind and solar power. Here's a closer look at the technology. What is bidirectional charging? Up until now, most electric vehicles have been designed around a one-way charge, taking energy from the grid to charge their batteries and releasing it only to power the vehicle. With bidirectional charging, vehicles are also able to discharge power from their batteries, feeding it back into buildings and the grid when plugged in. Which vehicles have this capability? The Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi's Outlander plug-in hybrid are currently the only consumer models on the Canadian market that have bidirectional charging, according to Nova Scotia Power. The utility is running a pilot to test the integration of such vehicles into its grid. But other manufacturers have said their vehicles will have the feature soon, including Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup truck and all Volkswagen EVs. Some non-consumer vehicles, such as school buses made by the Quebec-based Lion Electric, also support bidirectional charging. David Landrigan, vice-president of commercial for Nova Scotia Power, predicts it will eventually be the norm for EVs. "I actually can't see any electric vehicle not allowing bidirectional charging in the future, just because of the amount of value it brings," he said. Why would you want bidirectional charging? The simplest use of this technology is what's being marketed by vehicle manufacturers: spare power when you need it most. "It's your own personal power plant, automatically powering your house for three days during an outage," explained Ford's chief engineer, Linda Zhang, while unveiling the F-150 Lightning. That could be handy — and even life-saving — as climate change increases the risk of extreme weather. It could come into play during lengthy blackouts, like the February outage that cut off power and heat to millions of people for days amid a deadly cold snap in the southern U.S., or during rolling blackouts, like the ones in California in recent years, easing the strain of air conditioners on the grid and lessening the risk of wildfires during heat waves. Sending power from vehicle-to-building is known as V2B. While it might function similarly to a backup battery, like a Tesla Powerwall, a car battery typically has a much higher capacity: 155 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for the F-150 Lightning, for example, which is more than 10 times greater than a Tesla Powerwall's 13.5 kWh. Can this benefit people besides the vehicle owner? Yes. For one thing, electric vehicles can be driven to locations where extra power is needed during natural disasters and mass evacuations. But taking this one step further, feeding power beyond a single building to the grid itself is a concept known as vehicle-to-grid or V2G, which could potentially benefit the whole power system. "It's going to give a lot more grid resiliency," said Landrigan. If a generating unit goes down or a power line falls, he said, "we can use the tremendous power of these batteries for … keeping the power on for everybody." Utilities are also trying to incorporate more wind and solar — cleaner but more variable power sources that don't necessarily generate maximum power when it's most needed. Wind and solar made up 10 per cent of the global power mix in 2019, but need to grow to 60 per cent by 2050 to meet the targets of the Paris climate agreement, according to Francisco Boshell, of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). And their variability will require more storage and backup power to manage supply and demand in the system — something electric vehicles could offer through bidirectional charging. How can vehicles be used for storage and backup power? The simplest case doesn't require bidirectional charging at all — just something known as smart charging. Vehicles would be charged when there is lots of power available — when it's windy or sunny, for example — and not when electricity demand is high. Utilities can encourage this through variable pricing, which raises electricity prices when there's a shortage of power and lowers rates when there's lots available. With bidirectional charging, when vehicles aren't in use, they can sell power back to the grid. That could benefit everyone when demand is unusually high, such as during heat waves, when the power consumed by air conditioners can break records. "It would save the utility from having to turn on extra generators or potentially even hitting a brownout situation," said Wayne Groszko, an applied energy research scientist at Nova Scotia Community College who is collaborating with Nova Scotia Power on its pilot project. How much power could be available? The number of electric vehicles worldwide is expected to grow from six million in 2018, to 160 million by 2030, and more than one billion by 2050, according to IRENA. That means "a massive electricity storage capacity would be available with all these batteries on wheels," said Boshell. One billion EVs could provide 40 terawatt-hours (tWh) of storage capacity — more than quadruple the nine tWh of storage capacity expected from stationary sources, such as pumped hydro and banks of grid-scale batteries, by 2050. "I think we can call it a game-changing resource," said Landrigan. Why haven't EVs been integrated into the grid yet? A big reason is that bidirectional chargers haven't been available, said Landrigan. Some of those being tested in the Nova Scotia Power pilot haven't even been certified for general use in Canada. "They're hard to get a hold of … they're not kind of at the market stage," he said. Another is that charging and discharging a battery causes it to degrade and reduces its lifespan. A recent study by researchers at the National Research Council of Canada found that under experimental conditions, a Nissan Leaf's battery life was reduced from 10 years to six years when it was charged and discharged to help stabilize the grid. The process would also reduce the vehicle owner's power bill, it found, but only by 10 per cent — not enough to compensate for the reduced battery life. Researchers anticipate that battery improvements, improvements to the conditions for charging and discharging, and better compensation or incentives could change the equation. A recent pilot study on Lion Electric's school buses in New York found that charging and discharging their batteries to the grid once per day had a "really low" impact on degradation, similar to adding one extra route per day, said Patrick Gervais, the company's vice-president of communications. What needs to happen before EVs are an integrated part of the grid? There are still a lot of unknowns about integrating EVs into the grid, Gervais said. "No one has really done it." That includes programming charging to ensure there's enough power for the right purpose — driving or the grid — at the right time. With the Nova Scotia Power pilot, volunteers allow the utility to control their charging within certain parameters and report whether it causes any disruptions. The utility is also interested in what incentives it needs to provide customers — such as specialized rates — to allow for their battery to be partly controlled by the utility. While the technology and its regulation both need upgrades, Landrigan said he thinks we're "really close" to a future where EVs can be an integrated part of a greener, more reliable grid. "The more we can get the momentum going in terms of more and more people buying electric vehicles and using them to their maximum potential, the better all of us will be," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/ev-to-grid-1.6100454
     
         
      UN body unveils new plan to end ecological destruction, ‘preserve and protect nature’ Tue, 13th Jul 2021 19:00:00
     
      The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat on Monday, released a new Global Framework for?Managing Nature Through 2030; an evolving plan which provides a Paris-style UN agreement on biodiversity loss, to guide actions worldwide that “preserve and protect nature and its essential services to people”. The CBD goals aim to stem and reverse ecological destruction of Earth by the end of the decade, and included a plan to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and sea areas, halve the nutrients lost to the environment and eliminate plastic waste. “The framework aims to galvanize this urgent and transformative action by Governments and all of society, including indigenous peoples and local communities”, said CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. REDUCE EXTINCTIONS TENFOLD The draft framework for humanity to live “in harmony with nature” by 2050 was adopted by the CBD’s 196 member parties, with four broad milestone goals which need to be reached by the end of this decade. “The framework aims to galvanize this urgent and transformative action by governments and all of society, including indigenous peoples and local communities”, she added. It aims to expand ecosystems by 15 per cent to support healthy and resilient populations of all species and reduce extinctions by at least tenfold. And by 2030 it aims to safeguard 90 per cent of the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species. VALUING NATURE By 2050, nature’s contributions to people must be “valued, maintained or enhanced through conservation”, according to the second goal. But by 2030, they must inform all relevant public and private decisions and restore the long-term sustainability of those in decline. The third goal, to fairly share the use of genetic resources for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, sets out the shorter-term target of increasing monetary benefits to providers, including holders of traditional knowledge, as well as non-monetary allowances, such as their increased participation in research and development. Finally, to implement the framework by 2050, the aim is to progressively close the gap between available financial resources by up to $700 billion per year and by the end of the decade, deploy capacity-building and development, greater technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer. SWEEPING GOALS More than two years in development, this latest draft will be tweaked during online consultations among Governments later this summer before being presented for final text negotiation at a key summit of the CBD’s meeting of its 196 parties in the Chinese city of Kunming. “Urgent policy action globally, regionally and nationally is required to transform economic, social and financial models so that the trends that have exacerbated biodiversity loss will stabilize by 2030 and allow for the recovery of natural ecosystems in the following 20 years, with net improvements by 2050”, said Ms. Maruma Mrema.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095772
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, July 13, and New Jersey is vying to be the state with the most offshore wind Tue, 13th Jul 2021 18:58:00
     
      The Garden State is getting more offshore wind — enough to power 1.15 million homes. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously at the end of June to approve the state’s second offshore wind project, a decision that puts New Jersey just behind New York among states with the most approved offshore wind energy. Two developers, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Ocean Wind 2, a subsidiary of the Danish wind giant Ørsted, will produce 2,658 megawatts of power off the coast near Atlantic City. It is the nation’s largest offshore wind project approved in the United States, officials said. Joseph Fiordaliso, the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, said it was “an exciting day for New Jersey” and cited recent extreme weather events related to climate change as evidence that renewable energy must quickly expand. The offshore wind project is expected to generate billions of dollars for New Jersey’s economy and create 7,000 jobs. As a part of the deal, the two development companies are also providing $26 million for wildlife research and fish monitoring in the area. The new wind project is expected to come online by the end of this decade.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/838857558/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Teesside chosen for UK's first net zero emissions power plant Tue, 13th Jul 2021 12:12:00
     
      Plans for the first power station in the UK with net zero emissions have been announced. The natural gas plant at Wilton International on Teesside will capture and store carbon emissions offshore. Middlesbrough's Sembcorp Energy UK and US clean energy firm 8 Rivers Capital, who are behind the project, said it could create up to 2,000 jobs during construction and 200 during operation. Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said it was a "real game-changer". It was a "significant step forward in the UK's fight against climate change" and supported efforts to "revitalise this key industrial heartland", she said. 'Ideal location' The Whitetail Clean Energy project will use a process which combusts natural gas with oxygen, rather than air, and uses carbon dioxide in a fluid state, instead of steam, to drive turbines. A spokesman for the project said the process will eliminate all air emissions, including traditional pollutants and carbon dioxide, which will be captured and stored under the North Sea. He said if given regulatory approval, the facility could produce about 300 megawatts of electricity per hour and be in operation by 2025. The UK government has put £6m into the project since 2012. Stockton North's Labour MP Alex Cunningham said Teesside was the "ideal location for a decarbonisation cluster", but it was "critical" the resulting jobs were well paid and open to local workers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-57827711
     
         
      Environmentalists cast doubt on carbon offsets Tue, 13th Jul 2021 11:22:00
     
      Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/81d436c2-79f1-4a43-ab52-cbbcddb149df Critics of carbon offsets often compare them to the medieval Catholic practice of allowing people to pay for “indulgences”, which were meant to lessen the punishment for sins. But advocates say that, with the right standards and verification, “nature-based” offsets can contribute to the world’s transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices. By allowing businesses to buy offsets, money can be raised to pay for environmental benefits, such as tree planting, farming with minimal soil disturbance, and promoting wetlands. All of these initiatives can help to remove carbon from the atmosphere. The voluntary offset market, in which companies opt to pay for carbon-reducing activities to “offset” their own pollution, has expanded rapidly. Transactions reached about $282m in 2019, according to Ecosystem Marketplace, the information provider. A task force co-founded by Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor, has estimated that the market could be worth $50bn by 2030. That worries many climate activists, however. They argue that companies buying carbon offset “credits” can claim they are working towards climate targets while they fail to address emissions from their own operations and carry on polluting. “If they’re not used appropriately, they can be an excuse for not cutting emissions in the first place,” says Thomas Maddox, forests director at CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), a non-profit that helps companies report their climate impact. “They have to be a last resort, once you’ve cut your emissions as far as possible.” With few standards in place, it is questionable how much impact is being made by the farming and forestry practices that offsets pay for, in terms of reducing global greenhouse gases. “Everything is very, very murky at this point,” says Tim Searchinger, a senior research scholar at Princeton University.  He points to several problems with offsets. The first, known as “additionality”, is ensuring that the emissions reduction generating an offset credit would not have happened anyway. “The person selling you the cheapest credit for not cutting down their trees is the person who wasn’t going to cut them down anyway,” he explains. The second problem, known as “leakage”, is the fact that emissions avoided by one project may be generated elsewhere. In the case of deforestation for the creation of agricultural land, for example, purchasing carbon credits linked to the prevention of land clearance will not necessarily result in a net reduction in deforestation. “Say you’re cutting down the trees to grow soy beans,” says Searchinger. “The demand for soy beans hasn’t gone away, so somebody else does it.” Even when credits linked to afforestation (where new trees are planted in areas where there were no trees before) or capturing carbon in soil are credible, their impact only lasts as long as the trees are not cut down or the fields are not tilled. “Nature-based carbon solutions are inherently temporary,” notes Peter Elwin, head of the land use programme at Planet Tracker, a think-tank focused on financial markets and planetary resources.  Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/81d436c2-79f1-4a43-ab52-cbbcddb149df But Elwin, Maddox and others argue that, while flawed, carbon credits linked to soil carbon or afforestation can contribute to reducing global greenhouse gases. “It’s recognised in most IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] scenarios that there needs to be some level of carbon sequestration to meet our targets,” says Maddox.  However, he warns against seeing offsetting purely in terms of climate change. “Nature-based solutions, focused on forestry and agriculture, can be cost efficient and they have lots of other benefits,” he points out, since they also contribute to everything from soil quality to water conservation and biodiversity. “If you just look at [carbon offsetting] through a climate lens, you might conclude that it’s not worth doing, If you look through a wider lens, it’s definitely worth doing.” One initiative taking this wider approach is the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium. It is developing a trading system, expected to launch in 2022, that will support and incentivise farmers to improve soil health, by enabling them to sell carbon credits based on achieving such improvements.  Debbie Reed, ESMC’s executive director, stresses that the programme’s impact goes beyond its ability to generate carbon credits. Practices that aid the sequestration of carbon in the soil, she explains, also improve its water-holding capacity, making it more resistant to drought and erosion. “That water-holding capacity reduces need for water use such as irrigation,” she says. “And, if you have healthy soils, reducing your fertiliser inputs, you can reduce the leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus into ground and surface water.” Like others, though, Reed believes accountability must accompany the development of the offset market. “We are very concerned about integrity and credibility,” she says. “So our protocols are developed to meet all market standards?.?.?.?and we use third-party verification in all instances.” Other efforts are being made to ensure offsets have more credibility, allowing the market to play a bigger role in greenhouse gas reduction. The Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, co-founded by Carney, is developing recommendations for increasing transparency and verification in the voluntary markets. “If you do it through a legitimate structure, properly verified, with a nature-positive impact and as part of comprehensive carbon reduction, that’s a good thing,” says Elwin.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/81d436c2-79f1-4a43-ab52-cbbcddb149df
     
         
      Million cubic metre 90GWh thermal storage project in Finland could begin construction next year Tue, 13th Jul 2021 6:56:00
     
      A seasonal heat storage plant which will have a capacity of about 90GWh looks set to begin construction next year in Vantaa, Finland, with water stored in underground caverns heated to 140°C using renewable energy and waste heat. City energy company Vantaa Energy said at the beginning of this month that it has selected engineering, design and advisory group AFRY and Finnish urban development and construction company YIT as project partners. Project development begins this summer and construction in autumn next year, with the massive system expected to be online during 2026. The project, called Vantaa Energy Cavern Thermal Energy Storage (VECTES), will involve caverns around 60 metres underground in bedrock. According to project overview documents produced by Vantaa, situating the water storage that far down means the ground water’s natural pressure will prevent it from evaporating, even at temperatures above its boiling point. Four main caverns of around 220,000 cubic metres each, adding up to about a million cubic metres in total will make up the main storage chamber. The aim is to replace the use of natural gas for heating with the plant’s stored energy capacity equivalent to the annual heat consumption of an average-sized Finnish town. Thus, surplus heat from summer months can be stored and used in winter with solar, wind and geothermal energy as well as waste heat from buildings helping to feed it. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, prepared by AFRY Finland, is expected to be published in October, with a public meeting set to be held shortly after that. AFRY will also be responsible for the plant’s main design, geotechnical and rock design, structural engineering and process engineering. AFRY, YIT and Vantaa Energy will work together to do other planning and implementation, including determining the target cost and incentive scheme. Vantaa will make a decision on how to direct investment into the project and begin transitioning to implementation after the initial development phase. The contract awarded to YIT and AFRY is worth about €75 million (US$88.95 million), YIT said, with the development phase of that worth about €1.6 million. An implementation phase contract is expected to be signed in Autumn 2022 ahead of construction starting. Vantaa Energy is targeting carbon neutrality by 2030, with an interim target of phasing out fossil fuels by 2026. The VECTES project, which should help reduce the utility’s peak load in winter months, is considered the most important step towards these goals. Vantaa said it can end the use of coal in 2022, seven years ahead of Finland’s national policy target, as well as phasing out the burning of peat during this year thanks to a bio-power plant, again, much earlier than Finland’s national goal of reducing peat-based heating by at least 50% by 2030. “The seasonal heat storage is a key part of our innovative investment programme that combines new technological solutions and allows us to phase out fossil fuels in energy production as quickly as possible,” Vantaa Energy managing director Jukka Toivonen said. “We chose the flexible alliance model for the implementation of the demanding design and construction project, and I am convinced that together with our partners YIT and AFRY, we will be able to implement the project efficiently so that the outcome will – at the minimum – meet the strict goals set for it.” Vantaa is also considering a 10MW power-to-gas plant which would be commissioned in 2025 and produce carbon neutral synthetic methane produced from captured carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. The city utility signed a cooperation agreement with technology provider Wärtsilä for pre-engineering and development of the project, and Wärtsilä said in mid-June that the pair are planning “towards an investment decision”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.energy-storage.news/news/million-cubic-metre-90gwh-thermal-storage-project-in-finland-could-begin-co
     
         
      Plan to build world’s biggest renewable energy hub in Western Australia Tue, 13th Jul 2021 3:37:00
     
      An international consortium wants to build what would be the world’s biggest renewable energy hub in Australia’s south-west to convert wind and solar power into green fuels like hydrogen. The group of energy companies announced the proposal over a 15,000 sq km area that could have a 50 gigawatt capacity and cost $100bn. An area bigger than the size of greater Sydney has been identified in the south-east of Western Australia with “consistently high levels of wind and solar energy”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/13/plan-to-build-worlds-biggest-renewable-energy-hub-in-western-australia
     
         
      Conflict, climate change, COVID, forces more people into hunger Mon, 12th Jul 2021 20:47:00
     
      New data that represents the first comprehensive global assessment of food insecurity carried out since the coronavirus pandemic began, indicates that the number of people affected by chronic hunger in 2020, rose by more than in the previous five years combined. Reversing this situation will likely take years if not decades, maintained the World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. FOOD SYSTEM REFORM CALL “The pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems, which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world,” the heads of those agencies wrote in this year’s report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021 (SOFI). It notes that around a tenth of the global population – between 720 million people and 811 million – were undernourished last year. Some 418 million of that number were in Asia and 282 million were in Africa. Globally, 2.4 billion people did not have access to sufficiently nutritious food in 2020 – an increase of nearly 320 million people in one year. CLIMATE CHANGE HIT The report also highlights how climate change has left communities in developing countries most exposed to hunger - despite the fact that they contribute little to global CO2 emissions. These poorer nations are also the least prepared to withstand or respond to climate change, said WFP’s Gernot Laganda, who added that weather-related shocks and stresses were “driving hunger like never before”. This suggests that “it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030”, the agencies said in a statement, in a call for food production to be more inclusive, efficient, resilient and sustainable. YOUNG TARGETS Children’s healthy development has suffered too, with more than 149 million under-fives affected by stunting and 370 million missing out on school meals in 2020, because of school closures during the coronavirus pandemic. Today, 150 million youngsters still do not have access to a school lunch, said WFP, which urged countries to restore these programmes and put in place “even better (ones)… that give children and communities a future”. “The (report) highlights a devastating reality: the path to Zero Hunger is being stopped dead in its tracks by conflict, climate and COVID-19,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. Children’s future potential “is being destroyed by hunger”, he insisted. “The world needs to act to save this lost generation before it’s too late.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095672
     
         
      Our climate change turning point is right here, right now Mon, 12th Jul 2021 13:31:00
     
      Human beings crave clarity, immediacy, landmark events. We seek turning points, because our minds are good at recognizing the specific – this time, this place, this sudden event, this tangible change. This is why we were never very good, most of us, at comprehending climate change in the first place. The climate was an overarching, underlying condition of our lives and planet, and the change was incremental and intricate and hard to recognize if you weren’t keeping track of this species or that temperature record. Climate catastrophe is a slow shattering of the stable patterns that governed the weather, the seasons, the species and migrations, all the beautifully orchestrated systems of the holocene era we exited when we manufactured the anthropocene through a couple of centuries of increasingly wanton greenhouse gas emissions and forest destruction. This spring, when I saw the shockingly low water of Lake Powell, I thought that maybe this summer would be a turning point. At least for the engineering that turned the southwest’s Colorado River into a sort of plumbing system for human use, with two huge dams that turned stretches of a mighty river into vast pools of stagnant water dubbed Lake Powell, on the eastern Utah/Arizona border, and Lake Mead, in southernmost Nevada. It’s been clear for years that the overconfident planners of the 1950s failed to anticipate that, while they tinkered with the river, industrial civilization was also tinkering with the systems that fed it. The water they counted on is not there. Lake Powell is at about a third of its capacity this year, and thanks to a brutal drought there was no great spring runoff to replenish it. That’s if “drought” is even the right word for something that might be the new normal, not an exception. The US Bureau of Reclamation is overdue to make a declaration that there is not enough water for two huge desert reservoirs and likely give up on Powell to save Lake Mead. I got to see the drought up close when I spent a week in June floating down the Green River, the Colorado River’s largest tributary. The skies of southern Utah were full of smoke from the Pack Creek wildfire that had been burning since June 9 near Moab, scorching thousands of acres of desert and forest and incinerating the ranch buildings and archives of the legendary river guide and environmentalist Ken Slight (fictionalized as Seldom Seen Slim in Edward Abbey’s novel The Monkey Wrench Gang), now 91. Climate chaos destroys the past as well as the future. As of July 6, the fire is still burning. It wasn’t just the huge plume of smoke that filled us with dread about the adventure to come; the weather forecast of daily temperatures reaching 106 F made living out of doors for a week seem daunting. Water level in the river was far lower than normal and due to drop a lot more; the temperature on our rafts and kayaks just above the water was tolerable – but as soon as you walked any distance from the river’s edge, the heat came at you as though you’d opened an oven door. We saw an unusual amount of wildlife on the trip too – mustangs, bighorn sheep, a lean black bear and her two cubs pacing the river’s edge – but any sense of wonder was tempered by the likelihood that thirst had driven them down from the drought-scorched stretches beyond the river. We need a new word for that feeling for nature that is love and wonder mingled with dread and sorrow, for when we see those things that are still beautiful, still powerful, but struggling under the burden of our mistakes. Then came the heat dome over the Northwest, a story that didn’t appear to make the top headlines of many media outlets as it was happening. Much of the early coverage showed people in fountains and sprinklers as though this was just another hot day, rather than something sending people to hospitals in droves, killing hundreds (and likely well over a thousand) in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, devastating wildlife, crops, and domestic animals, setting up the conditions for wildfires, and breaking infrastructure designed for the holocene, not the anthropocene. It signified something much larger even than a crisis impacting a vast expanse of the continent: increasingly wild variations from the norm with increasing devastation that can and will happen anywhere. It seemed to get less coverage than the collapse of part of a single building in Florida. A building collapsing is an ideal specimen of news, sudden and specific in time and place, and in the case of this one on the Florida coast, easy for the media to cover as a spectacle with straightforward causes and consequences. A crisis spread across three states and two Canadian provinces, with many kinds of impact, including untallied deaths, was in many ways its antithesis. There was a case to be made that climate change – in the form of rising saltwater intrusion – was a factor in the Florida building’s collapse, but climate change was far more dramatically present in the Pacific Northwest’s heat records being broken day after day and the consequences of that heat. In Canada the previous highest temperature was broken by eight degrees Fahrenheit, a big lurch into the dangerous new conditions human beings have made, and then most of the town in which that record was set burned down. Later news stories focused on one aspect or another of the heat dome. A marine biologist at the University of British Columbia reported that the heat wave may have killed more than a billion seashore animals living on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Lightning strikes in BC, generated by the heat, soared to unprecedented levels – inciting, by one account, 136 forest fires. The heat wave cooked fruit on the trees. It was a catastrophe with many aspects and impacts, as diffuse as it was intense. The sheer scale and impact were underplayed, along with the implications. Political turning points are as manmade as climate catastrophe: we could have chosen to make turning points out of the western wildfires of the past four years – notably the incineration of the town of Paradise and more than 130 of its residents in 2018, but also last year’s California wildfires that included five of the six largest fires in state history. It could include the deluge that soaked Detroit with more than six inches of rain in a few hours last month or the ice storm in Texas earlier this year or catastrophic flooding in Houston (with 40 inches of rain in three days) and Nebraska in 2019 or the point at which the once-mythical Northwest Passage became real because of summer ice melt in the Arctic or the 118-degree weather in Siberia this summer or the meltwater pouring off the Greenland ice sheet. A turning point is often something you individually or collectively choose, when you find the status quo unacceptable, when you turn yourself and your goals around. George Floyd’s murder was a turning point for racial justice in the US. Those who have been paying attention, those with expertise or imagination, found their turning points for the climate crisis years and decades back. For some it was Hurricane Sandy or their own home burning down or the permafrost of the far north turning to mush or the IPCC report in 2018 saying we had a decade to do what the planet needs of us. Greta Thunberg had her turning point, and so did the indigenous women leading the Line 3 pipeline protests. Summarizing the leaked contents of a forthcoming IPCC report, the Agence France-Presse reports: “Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions […] Species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas – these and other devastating climate impacts are accelerating and bound to become painfully obvious before a child born today turns 30. The choices societies make now will determine whether our species thrives or simply survives as the 21st century unfolds…” The phrase “the choices societies make” is a clear demand for a turning point, a turning away from fossil fuel and toward protection of the ecosystems that protect us. Every week I temper the terrible news from catastrophes such as wildfires and from scientists measuring the chaos by trying to put them in the context of positive technological milestones and legislative shifts and their consequences. You could call each of them a turning point: The point last week at which Oregon passed the bill setting the most aggressive clean electricity standards in the US, 100% clean by 2040. The point at which Scotland began getting more electricity from renewables than it could use. The point at which New York State banned fracking. The Paris Climate Treaty in 2015. Of course, as with the climate itself, many of the changes were incremental: the stunning drop in cost and rise in efficiency of solar panels over the past four decades, the myriad solar and wind farms that have been installed worldwide. The rise in public engagement with the climate crisis is harder to measure. It’s definitely growing, both as an increasingly powerful movement and as a matter of individual consciousness. Yet something about the scale and danger of the crisis still seems to challenge human psychology. Along with the fossil fuel industry, our own habits of mind are something we must overcome.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/12/our-climate-change-turning-point-is-right-here-right-now
     
         
      Climate change: Technology boosts efforts to curb tree loss in Amazon Mon, 12th Jul 2021 12:15:00
     
      Technology can help indigenous communities to significantly curb deforestation, according to a new study. Indigenous people living in the Peruvian Amazon were equipped by conservation groups with satellite data and smartphones. They were able to reduce tree losses by half in the first year of the project. Reductions were greater in communities facing threats from illegal gold mining, logging and drugs. Over one-third of the Amazon rainforest lies within the territory of approximately 3,344 acknowledged indigenous communities. But for decades, these areas have been under attack from outsiders who are determined to cut down trees for a range of purposes including mining, logging and the planting of illicit crops like the coca plants used to manufacture cocaine. Over the past 40 years, governments and environmentalists have invested heavily in the use of satellite technology to monitor the removal of trees. Governments in Brazil, Peru and Colombia have put in place a system of high-resolution deforestation alerts, but there is little evidence that this information reaches the indigenous communities most affected. This new research set out to see if putting information directly into the hands of forest communities would make a difference. In this randomised, controlled study, the authors identified 76 remote villages in the Peruvian Amazon, with 36 randomly-assigned to participate in this new monitoring programme. Thirty-seven other communities served as a control group and continued with their existing forest management practices. Three members of each selected community were trained in the use of technology and shown how to carry out patrols to verify deforestation. When satellite information showed suspected deforestation activity in an area, photos and GPS coordinates were loaded onto USB drives and carried up the Amazon river and delivered by couriers. The information was then downloaded onto specialised smartphone apps which would guide the community monitors to the suspected locations. When the forest patrols confirmed any unauthorised deforestation, they would report back to a general assembly of community members to decide on the best approach. In cases where drug dealers were involved, the community could decide to report the issue to law enforcement. If the activity was perceived as less risky, community members could intervene directly and drive the offenders off their land. When the researchers examined the impact of the new approach, they found that deforestation dropped by 52% in the first year, and by 21% in the second. "It's quite a sizeable impact," said Jacob Kopas, an independent researcher and an author on the paper. "We saw evidence of fewer instances of tree cover loss in the programme communities compared with control communities." "On average, those communities managed to avert 8.8 hectares of deforestation within the first year. But the communities that were most threatened, the ones that had more deforestation in the past were the ones pulling more weight and were reducing deforestation more than in others." Indigenous groups welcomed the research, saying it is among the first peer-reviewed studies to show the benefits of empowering local communities. "The study provides evidence that supporting our communities with the latest technology and training can help reduce deforestation in our territories," said Jorge Perez Rubio, the president of the Loreto regional indigenous organization (ORPIO), where the study was carried out. The scale of the problem of deforestation in indigenous areas is significant. Between 2000 and 2015, around 17% of tree loss in the Amazon occurred on nationally-protected or areas assigned to indigenous peoples. This is expected to increase in the coming years. "Over the next decade, if nothing changes, indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin are projected to lose 4.4 million hectares of rainforest, mostly to outsiders who encroach on their territories to cut down trees," says Cameron Ellis, with the Rainforest Foundation US, who helped facilitate the study. "But if the community-based forest monitoring methodology could be widely adopted and local governance strengthened, forest loss in the Amazon could be reduced by as much as 20% across all indigenous lands." "If the approach were targeted to regions with high deforestation rates, forest loss in those areas could be cut by more than three quarters." The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57807544
     
         
      £12.5m grant for Cairngorms climate emergency projects Mon, 12th Jul 2021 12:04:00
     
      Projects to preserve the Cairngorms landscape have won a £12.5m share of National Lottery funding. The money will help fund more than 20 schemes in The Cairngorms National Park including planting thousands of trees, restoring 3,500 hectares of peatland and a new nature-based dementia centre. The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) also plans to develop an electric bike network around the park. It is hoped the 23 projects can be completed by the end of the decade. The money will go towards a series of projects aimed at tackling the climate emergency and delivering a "wellbeing economy". Cairngorms is the largest national park in the UK and home to 25% of all threatened and rare species, such as capercaillie and golden eagles. The CNPA wants to increase woodland cover in the park by 1,000 hectares by 2028 and also develop more segregated walking and cycling routes around Aviemore, the park's busiest town. Xander McDade, convener of the CNPA, which submitted the National Lottery funding bid along with 45 local community groups, said: "We believe that it is only by communities coming together that we can tackle the climate emergency and nature crisis. "This funding allows us to take forward critical work in communities and landscapes right across the national park." The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £50m to five projects across the UK. Caroline Clark, who is in charge of the fund's strategy across Scotland, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme the pandemic had underlined the importance of outdoor space. "This project, Cairngorm 2030, we feel is really ground breaking in terms of the way it's looking holistically at the communities and life in the Cairngorms National Park, but also really pushing the essential climate change work that has to happen in that area to deliver Net Zero," she said. An element of the project is citizens' assemblies that will give a voice to both residents and visitors to the park in shaping its future. "Reflecting on the last year-and-a-half of the pandemic, I think we're all really appreciative of the need for green space and connecting with the environment - and the national park is a really special place to do that."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-57809447
     
         
      25 cities are driving urban greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, says new stsudy Mon, 12th Jul 2021 10:35:00
     
      Just 25 big cities – almost all of them in China – accounted for more than half of the climate-warming gases pumped out by a sample of 167 urban hubs around the world, according to an analysis of emissions trends this week. In per capita terms, however, emissions from cities in the richest parts of the world are still generally higher than those from urban centres in developing countries, researchers found in the study published in the open access journal Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. The study compared greenhouse gas emissions reported by 167 cities in 53 countries, and found that 23 Chinese cities - among them Shanghai, Beijing and Handan - along with Moscow and Tokyo accounted for 52 per cent of the total.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/07/12/25-cities-are-driving-urban-greenhouse-gas-emissions-worldwide-says-new-stsudy
     
         
      Our climate change turning point is right here, right now Mon, 12th Jul 2021 8:30:00
     
      Human beings crave clarity, immediacy, landmark events. We seek turning points, because our minds are good at recognizing the specific – this time, this place, this sudden event, this tangible change. This is why we were never very good, most of us, at comprehending climate change in the first place. The climate was an overarching, underlying condition of our lives and planet, and the change was incremental and intricate and hard to recognize if you weren’t keeping track of this species or that temperature record. Climate catastrophe is a slow shattering of the stable patterns that governed the weather, the seasons, the species and migrations, all the beautifully orchestrated systems of the holocene era we exited when we manufactured the anthropocene through a couple of centuries of increasingly wanton greenhouse gas emissions and forest destruction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/12/our-climate-change-turning-point-is-right-here-right-now
     
         
      RIBA Architects say building demolitions cause of carbon emissions Sun, 11th Jul 2021 20:06:00
     
      Experts used to be proud to reduce emissions by replacing leaky old buildings with energy-efficient new ones. Now the Royal Institute of British Architects says that was a mistake. Instead, it says we should refurbish old buildings rather than scrap them, because of the pollution that would be involved in constructing a replacement building, otherwise known as embodied carbon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-57756991
     
         
      US heatwave: California and Nevada brace for record-breaking temperatures Sun, 11th Jul 2021 19:15:00
     
      Extreme heat is building in the western United States, with forecasts of record-breaking temperatures in the states of California and Nevada. It comes just weeks after another dangerous heatwave hit North America, and the region has experienced the hottest June on record. California's Death Valley on Friday recorded a high of 54.4C (130F), with similar heat expected this weekend. Millions of people in the US are under warnings of excessive heat. The National Weather Service has advised those affected to drink plenty of water and stay in air conditioned buildings. The temperature in Death Valley on Friday matched one recorded in August 2020 - which some argue is the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. A temperature of 56.7C (134F) was recorded in 1913, but this is contested by climate experts. Firefighters battling the many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground. In the north of Nevada, near the border with California, people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires triggered by lightning strikes tore through parts of the Sierra Nevada forest region. Forecasters say Las Vegas's record of 47.2C (117F) could also be passed. In Oregon, more evacuation orders were issued when a wildfire fanned by strong winds in the Fremont-Winema National Forest grew from nearly 26 sq miles (67 sq km) on Thursday to nearly 61 sq miles on Friday. The fire was threatening power cables that send electricity to California. Power grid operators in California have urged customers to conserve electricity by reducing their use of appliances and to keep thermostats higher during the evening when solar energy is diminished or no longer available. In Idaho, Governor Brad Little declared a wildfire emergency and mobilised the state's National Guard to help fight fires also sparked by lightning. Canada is also bracing for extreme heat, though it is not expected to approach the temperatures seen at the end of last month when the village Lytton in British Columbia reached 49.6C (121F), breaking the country's highest recorded temperature. The heatwave saw spikes in sudden deaths and increases in hospital visits for heat-related illnesses. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. But linking any single event to global warming is complicated. A study by climate researchers said the heat that scorched western Canada and the US at the end of June was "virtually impossible" without climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57788118
     
         
      US heatwave: Wildfires rage in western states as temperatures soar Sun, 11th Jul 2021 12:30:00
     
      Wildfires are raging in the west of the United States as the region is hit by a heatwave that has brought record temperatures to several areas. Communities have been told to evacuate as firefighters struggle to battle the blazes in the extreme conditions. In California, residents were urged to cut power consumption after interstate power lines were knocked out. On Saturday, two firefighters in Arizona died when their aircraft crashed while responding to a blaze. Meanwhile, Las Vegas, Nevada, matched its all-time temperature high of 47.2C (117F) on Saturday. Firefighters battling the many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground. It comes just weeks after another dangerous heatwave hit North America, in which hundreds of sudden deaths were recorded, many of them suspected of being heat-related. The region experienced its hottest June on record, according to the EU's Earth observation programme. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. But linking any single event to global warming is complicated. However, a study by climate researchers said the heat that scorched western Canada and the US at the end of June was "virtually impossible" without climate change. Arizona's Bureau of Land Management paid tribute to the two "brave wildland firefighters" who died in a plane crash while performing aerial reconnaissance, command and control over the lightning-caused Cedar Basin Fire. "Our hearts are heavy tonight with sincere condolences to families, loved ones and firefighters affected by this tragic aviation accident", the agency said. The accident occurred at around noon local time (19:00 GMT) on Saturday near the small community of Wikieup. Further information was not immediately available and the firefighters have not been officially named. In the north of Nevada, near the border with California, people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires triggered by lightning strikes tore through parts of the Sierra Nevada forest region. One fire, which more than doubled in size between Friday and Saturday, sent up a giant cloud of smoke and ash which, combined with the dry heat, generated its own lightning, according to the Los Angeles Times. "As long as it's this hot and we have these low humidities, it's kind of hard to tell when and where we're going to catch this," Lisa Cox, information officer for the so-called Beckwourth Complex fires, told the newspaper. In Oregon, a wildfire fanned by strong winds in the Fremont-Winema National Forest doubled in size to 120 sq miles (311 sq km) on Saturday. The fire damaged power cables that send electricity to California. Power grid operators in California urged customers to conserve electricity by reducing their use of appliances and to keep thermostats higher during the evening when solar energy is diminished or no longer available. In Idaho, Governor Brad Little last week declared a wildfire emergency and mobilised the state's National Guard to help fight fires also sparked by lightning. Fires have also been burning in Canada's western province of British Columbia amid unusually hot, dry weather. An entire village was wiped out in a blaze earlier this month after it recorded Canada's highest ever temperature of 49.6C (121.3F). The country on Sunday ordered new railway safety rules for areas where there is a high wildfire risk. The rules will require Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway to take a number of precautions, including reducing train speeds when there is an extreme fire risk and removing combustible material near tracks. Millions warned about heat Several areas in Nevada and California have matched or passed temperature records, according to preliminary data by the National Weather Service (NWS), and the extreme heat is expected to continue. A temperature of 54.4C (130F) was registered in California's Death Valley on Friday, matching one recorded in August 2020 - which some argue is the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. A temperature of 56.7C (134F) was registered in the area in 1913, but this is contested by climate experts. Millions of people are under an excessive heat warning, with those affected urged to drink plenty of water and stay in air-conditioned buildings where possible. Cooling centres - air-conditioned public spaces - have been set up in some areas to help residents get relief from the heatwave. Heat warnings have also been issued in parts of Canada, with those affected urged to consider rescheduling outdoor activities for cooler periods of the day, and monitor for symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57794263
     
         
      US heatwave: California and Nevada brace for record-breaking temperatures Sat, 10th Jul 2021 12:23:00
     
      Extreme heat is building in the western United States, with forecasts of record-breaking temperatures in the states of California and Nevada. It comes just weeks after another dangerous heatwave hit North America, and the region has experienced the hottest June on record. California's Death Valley on Friday recorded a high of 54.4C (130F), with similar heat expected this weekend. Millions of people in the US are under warnings of excessive heat. The National Weather Service has advised those affected to drink plenty of water and stay in air conditioned buildings. The temperature in Death Valley on Friday matched one recorded in August 2020 - which some argue is the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. A temperature of 56.7C (134F) was recorded in 1913, but this is contested by climate experts. Firefighters battling the many wildfires in the region say the air is so dry that much of the water dropped by aircraft to quell the flames evaporates before it reaches the ground. In the north of Nevada, near the border with California, people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires triggered by lightning strikes tore through parts of the Sierra Nevada forest region. Forecasters say Las Vegas's record of 47.2C (117F) could also be passed. In Oregon, more evacuation orders were issued when a wildfire fanned by strong winds in the Fremont-Winema National Forest grew from nearly 26 sq miles (67 sq km) on Thursday to nearly 61 sq miles on Friday. The fire was threatening power cables that send electricity to California. Power grid operators in California have urged customers to conserve electricity by reducing their use of appliances and to keep thermostats higher during the evening when solar energy is diminished or no longer available. In Idaho, Governor Brad Little declared a wildfire emergency and mobilised the state's National Guard to help fight fires also sparked by lightning. Canada is also bracing for extreme heat, though it is not expected to approach the temperatures seen at the end of last month when the village Lytton in British Columbia reached 49.6C (121F), breaking the country's highest recorded temperature. The heatwave saw spikes in sudden deaths and increases in hospital visits for heat-related illnesses. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. But linking any single event to global warming is complicated. A study by climate researchers said the heat that scorched western Canada and the US at the end of June was "virtually impossible" without climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57788118
     
         
      Rathlin Island: Aim to be carbon neutral by end of decade Sat, 10th Jul 2021 12:19:00
     
      Rathlin Island was only connected to Northern Ireland's main electricity grid in 2007. Prior to that it was powered by unreliable wind turbines and old diesel generators. Now islanders want to use the wind and waves that surround them to create their own green energy. The ambition is to become completely carbon neutral by the end of the decade, according to Michael Cecil from Rathlin's Development and Community Association. "The island relies on its ferry service, home heating oil, diesel and petrol for transport on island and gas for cooking," said Mr Cecil. "All of those things produce carbon dioxide and other gases that pollute the atmosphere. We're keen to remove as much, if not all of that, as possible". In cutting fossil fuel use, Mr Cecil said Rathlin wanted to lead as an example to others. "If you look around us, you'll see the beauty and the nature that surrounds us," he said. "Global warming and climate change all have impacts on that. "The residents are keen to protect and enhance what's here. If we can do our bit to reduce emissions and slow down climate change then we're very keen to do that." The island is to get a community electric car and 20 e-bicycles in coming months, under a scheme backed by the Department for Infrastructure. Researchers are also to carry out scoping studies on how else the island can become self-sustainable and green energy efficient. Some possible options may be community-owned wind turbines, solar panels and hydrogen technologies. But Mr Cecil and the community association knew its plans to become carbon neutral by 2030 are ambitious. The two diesel ferries used to get to the island are responsible for a large proportion of its emissions. John Begley is a project manager for The European Marine Energy Centre, which carries out research focusing on wave and tidal power development based in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. He said there were a few different technologies that could help decarbonise the ferry. "One is electrification where the ferry runs entirely on batteries charged by solar and wind overnight," he said. "Another technology we can use is hydrogen, which is growing. "We've seen the deployment of hydrogen busses recently and local manufacturers are making these. The ferry technology isn't much different, their engines are the same." Both Mr Begley and Mr Cecil acknowledged that while green energy technologies were being developed, other factors such as costs and planning may be bigger obstacles. "There are issues around planning to try to get permission for some of the infrastructure," Mr Begley said. "However, whenever you have the applications coming from the local community and they are going to see the benefits of the technologies deployed, its not the biggest hurdle. The biggest one will be finance. "These projects are very capital intensive. the money needs to be upfront and we need to see ways of funding those projects in the long term. "There needs to be support from government to help the communities decarbonise. I think it's essential that we see more groups like this popping up and taking the lead. "It shows great leadership in the community to be able to be the first to try to do something to improve the climate".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57794383
     
         
      UN chief urges G20 finance chiefs to support global COVID vaccine plan, climate finance Fri, 9th Jul 2021 21:37:00
     
      “To restore trust in multilateralism, we need to deliver on vaccines, economic recovery and climate finance”, he said in a video message to G20 finance ministers meeting in Venice, Italy. “With your leadership and political will, we can do it.” PLEDGES NOT ENOUGH The Secretary-General warned of the threat posed by the “global vaccine gap” as the coronavirus mutates. “Pledges of doses and funds are welcome – but they are not enough”, he said. “We need at least eleven billion doses to vaccinate 70 percent of the world and end this pandemic.” The UN chief repeated his call for a Global Vaccine Plan that would double production and ensure equitable distribution of doses through the COVAX solidarity mechanism. SUPPORT RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE Finance Ministers and Central Bank chiefs were also urged to support a new $50 billion investment roadmap, announced last month and to be led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), aimed at ending the pandemic and driving a fast recovery. As many developing countries are “teetering on the verge of debt default”, the Secretary-General encouraged the G20 to channel unused Special Drawing Rights, a type of foreign reserve asset developed by the IMF, to the Fund’s new resilience and sustainability plan for these nations. “Special Drawing Rights also need to be considered as additional funding, not deducted from Official Development Assistance,” he added. COMMIT TO NET-ZERO EMISSIONS With the world still struggling to keep global temperature rise to the 1.5 degree target under the Paris Agreement, the UN chief stressed the need for action to reduce emissions as the latest UN climate change conference, known as COP26, draws closer. “If COP26 in Glasgow is to be a turning point, we need all G20 countries to commit to achieve net zero by mid-century, and to present Nationally Determined Contributions aiming at a cut in global emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2010 levels,” he said. “Developing countries also need reassurance that their ambition will be met with financial and technical support,” he added. FUND THE GREEN TRANSITION The Secretary-General recalled the commitment richer countries made more than a decade ago to mobilize $100 billion annually for action towards climate mitigation and adaption in developing countries. However, this agreement has not been kept. “A clear plan to fulfil this pledge is not just about the economics of climate change; it is about establishing trust in the multilateral system,” he said. Developing countries will also need help in transitioning from fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, to renewable energy sources, he continued. Here, support from development banks will be essential, he said, but now large scale private financing is also available through a global alliance of more than 160 financial firms committed to the net-zero goal. “To reinforce these efforts, the G20 must set ambitious, clear and credible climate policies, and ensure the private sector has the framework it needs through mandatory climate-related financial disclosures,” he said, adding “and we need all financiers to commit to no new international funding for coal, by the end of 2021.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095582
     
         
      Is a new oil field climate change hypocrisy? Fri, 9th Jul 2021 20:11:00
     
      In a matter of months, all eyes will be on Scotland for climate crisis talks of world significance - but at the same time, a proposal is afoot to tap a new oil field west of Shetland for further fossil fuels. November's COP26 summit in Glasgow will see representatives from across the world gathering to try to reach agreements on how to reduce emissions - aka greenhouse gases. The UK government has promised to take the lead role in what is seen by many as our last, best chance to prevent global temperatures from spiralling out of control. But environmental groups have accused ministers of "hypocrisy" after it emerged that the development of a vast new North Atlantic oil field at Cambo, west of Shetland, could get the green light. Tessa Khan, an international climate change lawyer who founded Uplift, one of a number of groups signing a letter against the Cambo proposals, accused ministers of automatically nodding projects through without thinking about their climate impacts. "Boris Johnson aspires to be a climate leader but it requires him to understand the reality of the climate emergency and, crucially, act on it," she says. "This means government needs to stop handing out new drilling licences in the North Sea and stop giving the go-ahead to untouched fields, like Cambo. "And it means coming up with a real plan for phasing out supply while supporting workers to build what could be a globally-significant renewable energy industry in the UK." What is the Cambo oil field? The Cambo oil field is situated approximately 125km (75 miles) to the west of the Shetland Islands in water depths of between 1,050m to 1,100m and it contains over 800 million barrels of oil. While the UK government says the original "licensing approval" for the site dates back to 2001, it is important to note that licence was an exploration licence. Before any oil or gas is discovered in a particular location, such a licence gives companies permission to seek out where it is. An industry expert has told me that there is then a lengthy, rigorous process - which can sometimes take decades - involving the creation of field development plans, environmental statements and many other requirements which require approval from the relevant bodies, before production activity can begin. If approved by the Oil and Gas Authority, drilling at Cambo could start as early as 2022. And the field is expected to produce oil and gas for approximately 25 years. It is this "licensing loophole" that is also causing concern to campaigners. A spokesperson for the UK government's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has responded to the criticisms, saying: "While we are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years, as recognised by the independent Climate Change Committee." The company behind the Cambo proposal is Siccar Point Energy, backed by private equity firm investors. It sees this as an opportunity to create more than 1,000 jobs and even more in the supply chain. "The Cambo development supports the country's energy transition, maintaining secure UK supply," says Jonathan Roger, the company's CEO. "We have proactively taken significant steps to minimise the emissions footprint through its design and Cambo will be built 'electrification-ready', with the potential to use onshore renewable power when it becomes available in the future, in line with decarbonisation targets." Energy system transitions The other player is Shell, which has a 30% stake in the project. While a spokesperson told me they were unable to comment on the licence application because Shell is not the operator, they did tell me about the company's overall strategy. They said: "Even the most ambitious scenarios tell us that as the energy system transitions, the world will continue to need oil and gas for decades to come. "Targeted investment will generate cash to help fund the growth of our new low-carbon portfolio." But the group of campaigners protesting against the proposal do not believe this sticks, with Friends of the Earth gaining thousands of signatures on their petitions. They calculate that in phase 1, emissions alone would be approximately the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 16 coal-fired power plants. They say this contradicts a number of robust targets and recommendations to keep rising temperatures in check, including the International Energy Agency recommendations for no new oil and gas fields from 2021, except those already approved. "The huge response to the open letter shows that the public understand that we must keep fossil fuels in the ground and switch to clean renewable energy," says Friends of the Earth Scotland climate and energy campaigner Caroline Rance. "Both the UK and Scottish governments must end their hypocritical support for drilling for every last drop of climate-wrecking oil and gas, and instead develop a clear plan for winding down fossil fuel extraction while retraining offshore workers and supporting communities affected by this transition." While the Scottish government did not directly comment on the proposal, a spokesperson did reiterate a commitment to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045 and that "any Scottish government support for oil and gas businesses operating in the North Sea is conditional upon them contributing to a sustainable and inclusive energy transition, and ensuring a secure energy supply". But ultimately the decision on whether or not to allow the Cambo oil field to be drilled will be taken by officials in the Oil and Gas Authority, an organisation that says: "Oil and gas currently meet around three-quarters of UK energy demand and are forecast to remain needed in future." A public consultation on the proposals is open until Saturday 10 July.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57762927
     
         
      Spanish ministers clash over campaign to eat less meat Fri, 9th Jul 2021 20:08:00
     
      A Spanish minister has been roasted by members of his own coalition government over his efforts to reduce meat consumption in the country. This week consumer affairs minister, Alberto Garzón, launched a campaign to encourage Spaniards to eat less meat. "Eating too much meat is bad for our health and for the planet," Mr Garzón said in a video on Twitter. But for some cabinet ministers, his plea for moderation was difficult to swallow. "It seems to me the campaign is unfortunate," agriculture minister Luis Planas said in an interview with a local radio station. Mr Planas said the "Less meat, more life" campaign was "unfair" for Spain's meat industry, which is a major contributor to the country's economy. Those views were echoed in an open letter to Mr Garzón, penned by six meat-producing associations. The associations accused the minister of defaming a sector that accounts for 2.5 million jobs and exports worth almost €9bn (£7.7bn; $10.6) in Spain. This criticism raised the stakes for Mr Garzón, who went on state TV to defend his campaign and clarify his message. The idea, he said, was not to stop eating meat altogether. Rather, he urged people to follow the guidance of Spain's food regulator, which recommends eating between 200g (3.5oz) and 500g of meat a week. At the moment, the average Spaniard eats more than 1kg, he said. The World Health Organization (WHO) says many national health authorities advise people to limit intake of processed meat and red meat, which are linked to increased risks of death from heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses. The emissions produced by the meat industry have also been linked to climate change. But meat remains a dietary staple for many worldwide for cultural, economic and personal reasons. When asked about the debate during a diplomatic trip to Lithuania on Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared to side with the carnivores. For him, steaks were "unbeatable", he said in a news conference. The feud exposed political differences between parties within Spain's ruling coalition. Mr Planas belongs to Mr Sánchez 's Socialist Party, which has strong support in some rural areas and among traditional working-class voters. Mr Garzón is from the left-wing Unidas Podemos, which depends on younger and urban progressive voters. To beef or not to beef is also a contentious subject in neighbouring France, where the government criticised Lyon's mayor for removing meat from school dinners.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57766345
     
         
      UK ranked sixth in world for share of electricity generated by wind and solar Fri, 9th Jul 2021 19:49:00
     
      US and China are biggest global renewable energy producers, but fossil fuels still make up the vast majority of what they use Wind and solar power accounted for 29 percent of Britain’s electricity production last year, putting the country sixth on the global league table — but well behind first-place Denmark. Analysis by climate and energy think tank Ember noted that while, neither the US nor China were in the top 15 by share, they collectively produce more than two-thirds of the world’s solar and wind power. Globally, almost 10 per cent of the world’s electricity comes from wind and solar, a figure that has more than doubled since 2015. The analysis also noted that countries such as Vietnam, Chile and South Korea have seen rapid growth in wind and solar generation. But the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that 100% clean power is needed by 2040 worldwide to curb climate emissions to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, seen as a threshold beyond which the worst impacts of climate change will be felt. In the analysis, Ember warned that building enough wind and solar just to keep up with growing power demand will be a key challenge for many countries, as sectors such as heating and transport switch to using electricity. In the next decade, clean electricity deployment must accelerate to replace fossil fuels and meet rising demand for electricity as the world’s economy electrifies and to provide electricity access for all, the think tanks said. Charles Moore, Ember’s Europe lead, said: “Wind and solar will be the backbone of the electricity system of the future. “Countries like the UK are already proving that wind and solar are up to the job. “However, there is still work to do for advanced economies to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035 and play their part to avoid dangerous climate change.” He added: “In the last decade, the UK has led the way in a rapid coal phase-out," and said that as hosts of global Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow this year, the UK could steer the world away from fossil fuels and towards clean electricity.” The top 15 countries producing wind and solar power as a percentage of electricity production are: 1. Denmark 61% 2. Uruguay 44% 3. Ireland 35% 4. Germany 33% 5. Spain 29% 6. UK 29% 7. Greece 27% 8. Portugal 26% 9. Belgium 20% 10. Netherlands 19% 11. Italy 17% 12. Sweden 17% 13. Chile 17% 14. Australia 17% 15. Romania 16% Meanwhile 11 per cent of US power comes from solar and wind, while in China the figure is 9 per cent The analysis warned that despite global optimism for the roll out of renewables, there is an enormous gulf in terms of the speed of deployment. “Renewables only met a third of Africa’s electricity demand growth in the last five years, with fossil gas making up the rest,” the study said. “In the next decade, clean electricity deployment must accelerate to both replace fossil fuels and meet rising demand for electricity as we electrify the world’s economy and provide electricity access for all. Wind and solar are the cheapest and cleanest forms of power and are poised to lead this transformation,” the analysis concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/renewable-energy-rank-world-list-b1880639.html
     
         
      It’s Friday, July 9, and a natural gas ban is here to stay in Berkeley, California. Fri, 9th Jul 2021 12:37:00
     
      A pivotal natural gas ban in Berkeley, California, is still standing despite the California Restaurant Association’s two-year-long fight against it. On Tuesday, a district judge dismissed the restaurant association’s challenge to the ban, which has made natural gas appliances illegal in new Berkeley buildings since 2019 and inspired similar laws in other cities in California, New York, Oregon, and elsewhere. More than two dozen states have considered bills that would ban cities from targeting natural gas usage. Advocates expect even more cities and states to follow because the judge’s ruling suggested that federal law won’t stand in their way. “I think we’ll see more cities and towns show interest in passing a natural gas ban,” Amy Turner, a senior fellow for the Cities Climate Law Initiative at Columbia University, told E&E News. “This really removes some of the legal uncertainty,” The California Restaurant Association originally argued that the ban prevented Berkeley residents from opening new restaurants and violated the Energy Policy and Conservation Act by cutting off fuel supplies for gas equipment. But District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her ruling that “nothing in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires that localities provide let alone continue to maintain natural gas connections.”
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/836672884/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Covid: Can the arts lead the green recovery from the pandemic? Fri, 9th Jul 2021 12:26:00
     
      As the arts and culture sector attempts to recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic, some creatives are making eye-catching attempts to prevent another crisis - this one environmental. The likes of artists and musicians certainly have the power to influence others' behaviour. And some of them are finding that climate action is actually making their work more marketable too. But other organisations face an uncertain future due to Covid - with some struggling to return to business at all. In June 2020, hundreds of creatives signed an open letter calling for a green recovery from Covid. It was organised by Julie's Bicycle (JB), a non-profit organisation working on sustainability in the creative industries. Founder Alison Tickell believes momentum has been building over the last year. "Many people working in culture have been forced to take a time out of the day-to-day and reflect on the big stuff," she says. "And there is no bigger stuff than the environmental crisis." Festival waste in the spotlight Nearly five million people camp at UK music festivals each year, producing nearly 26,000 tonnes of waste, according to the 2020 Show Must Go On report. Wide Awake is a new one-day festival that will debut in south London's Brockwell Park in September with a climate-conscious "positive policy". This includes promises to use biofuel and eco-toilets, to bury no waste in landfill, and a ban on single-use plastics, an idea adopted by similar festivals. "We've created a template," says director Marcus Weedon. "Ideally it's something that other festivals and local authorities would start using in time." His other events in the park - Mighty Hoopla and Cross the Tracks - will be governed by the same policies. The team will report back afterwards to identify any areas for improvement. "We want to be very open," adds Jeff Boardman, who works on the projects' sustainability. "We haven't got the answers on everything. But we're certain that we can find them with other people." Galleries reconnecting with nature Globally the visual arts - including galleries and their visitors - account for some 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, according to an estimate by Julie's Bicycle. But many UK galleries and museums are promoting environmental messages as they emerge from Covid. In 2019 the Hepworth Wakefield art gallery started transforming vacant land into a new public garden. Back then it had no idea just how important the finished green space would become for local people during coronavirus lockdowns, when indoor socialising was banned. "We wanted to nurture not only the ground, the plants, and the ecosystem - but also a feeling of community," explains Katy Merrington, who holds the distinctive title of Cultural Gardener. She says her work demonstrates to others the value of looking after the environment, as the country gradually gets back to business. "We've seen with the pandemic that care is the most valuable thing we need. It's something that's not always celebrated. But here, people can see the volunteers and me caring for a garden. And I think that makes them feel a bit cared for too." Tate Modern is another gallery encouraging visitors to reconnect with nature this summer. An installation named Beuys' Acorns by the artists Ackroyd & Harvey has seen 100 oak saplings planted on the terrace there. Two years ago, the Tate galleries declared a climate emergency and pledged to cut their carbon footprint by 10% by 2023. That target has already been reached, says Tate Modern director Francis Morris, adding that the cut should be considered alongside a previous 40% reduction since 2007. She argues the pandemic helped hasten decisions along. "The system cracked, our budgets were slashed and our activity levels reduced, so we fast-forwarded some of these pretty radical changes." Morris explains that Tate Modern's post-Covid plans include changing between blockbuster exhibitions at a slower speed and doing more to maximise the art it already owns. "Ideas about reusing, recycling and repairing are so relevant to a permanent collection," she says. Pedal-powered performances Top performance venues can be energy-hungry buildings. But the Southbank Centre recently presented an entire production by its resident London Sinfonietta orchestra using only cycle power. The show's soloist, Jessica Aszodi, was among of group of cyclists who pedalled their way through new show Houses Slide, generating electricity for the stage lights and amps. The pandemic has presented an "incredible opportunity" for climate action, composer Laura Bowler told us beforehand. "People have had to find new ways to create and collaborate." The carbon footprint of the show, directed by Katie Mitchell OBE, was calculated meticulously - even down to the impact of individual Zoom calls. But was this about making a statement, or can others adopt the ideas at play? "This is a provocation," says Bowler. "At the heart of solving the problems that surround climate change is creativity." Theatre companies don't get much more creative than the HandleBards. Its actors tour Britain by bicycle, performing Shakespeare using the props they can carry on their backs. An all-female troupe is back on the road, staging Macbeth in locations from Perth to Preston and Durham to Dorchester. An electric van carrying a stage is the only automobile involved, explains Tom Dixon, who founded the company with friend Paul Moss to explore how travelling shows can cut their emissions. "What's exciting is that this is a model that other touring companies could consider," he says. From punctured tyres to saddle-sore cyclists, Dixon says there can be challenges to keeping such an eco-friendly show on the road. But as live events start up again, he thinks it's theatre's responsibility to encourage ambitious climate action. "It's one thing to cut your own footprint, but it's another thing to inspire people to cut theirs," he says. "That's where we are in a unique position." The arts are under close scrutiny on green issues because their work is so public. But is it realistic to expect organisations to prioritise such things after the devastation they've faced from Covid? Despite the financial challenges, Alison Tickell from Julie's Bicycle remains optimistic. She thinks the pandemic has made people innovate - which will also be helpful for tackling climate change. "We're seeing such an incredible resurgence of creativity at the moment, not just in this country but everywhere" she says. "That's in response to these huge catastrophic changes."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57779761
     
         
      German carmakers fined over emissions 'cartel' Fri, 9th Jul 2021 8:32:00
     
      VW group and BMW have been fined €875m (£752m) by the European Commission for colluding to curb the use of emissions cleaning technology. Daimler, which was part of the talks but blew the whistle on them, escaped without a fine. The companies had agreed not to implement more than basic EU standards, the Commission said. However, VW said that the contents of the discussions were not implemented, and that customers were not harmed. The carmaker said it was considering appealing against the decision.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57765113
     
         
      Climate change: US-Canada heatwave 'virtually impossible' without warming Thu, 8th Jul 2021 20:50:00
     
      The searing heat that scorched western Canada and the US at the end of June was "virtually impossible" without climate change, say scientists. In their study, the team of researchers says that the deadly heatwave was a one-in-a-1,000-year event. But we can expect extreme events such as this to become more common as the world heats up due to climate change. If humans hadn't influenced the climate to the extent that they have, the event would have been 150 times less likely. Scientists worry that global heating, largely as a result of burning fossil fuels, is now driving up temperatures faster than models predict. Climate researchers have grown used to heatwaves breaking records all over the world in recent years. However, beating the previous national high temperature mark by more than 4C in one go, as happened in Canada last week, is virtually unprecedented. Canada's previous national record for high temperature was 45C - but the recent heat in the village of Lytton in British Columbia saw a figure of 49.6C recorded at the height of the event. This was shortly before the village itself was largely destroyed by a wildfire. All across the region, in the US states of Oregon and Washington and in the west of Canada, multiple cities hit new records far above 40C. These temperatures had deadly consequences for hundreds of people, with spikes in sudden deaths and big increases in hospital visits for heat-related illness. Since the start of the heatwave, people have linked the unusual and extreme nature of the event to climate change. Now, researchers say that the chances of it occurring without human-induced warming were virtually impossible. An international team of 27 climate researchers who are part of the World Weather Attribution network managed to analyse the data in just eight days. Unsurprisingly, given the quick turnaround, the research has not yet been peer-reviewed. However, the scientists use well-established methods accepted by top journals. They used 21 climate models to estimate how much climate change influenced the heat experienced in the area around the cities of Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. They compared the climate as it is today, with the world as it would be without human-induced warming. "We conclude that a one-in-1000-year event would have been at least 150 times rarer in the past," said lead author Sjoukje Philip, from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. "So that's in a climate without human-induced climate change, when the climate was about 1.2C cooler than it is now. The heatwave would also have been about two degrees cooler in the past." Co-author Dr Friederike Otto, from the University of Oxford, explained what the researchers meant when they said the extreme heat was "virtually impossible" without climate change. "Without the additional greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, in the statistics that we have available with our models, and also the statistical models based on observations, such an event just does not occur," she explained. "Or if an event like this occurs, it occurs once in a million times, which is the statistical equivalent of never," she told a news briefing. This type of research, which seeks to determine the contribution of human-induced climate change to extreme weather events, is known as an attribution study. According to the analysis, if the world warms by 2C, which could happen in about 20 years' time, then the chances of having a heatwave similar to last week's drop from around once every 1,000 years to roughly once every 5-10 years. The authors say that the observed temperatures were so extreme that they lie far outside the range of historical observations. This makes it hard to quantify, with confidence, just how rare the heat dome event really was. The scientists say there are two possibilities for the extreme jump in peak temperatures seen in the region. The first is that it is just an extremely rare event, made worse by climate change, "the statistical equivalent of really bad luck", according to the paper. The other possibility is that the climate may have crossed a "threshold," that would make the kind of heatwaves witnessed recently much more likely. Up until now, researchers had seen a gradual increase in heat extremes as the world warmed. Their analysis of what happened in Canada has shaken that view. It could mean that the predictions of climate models might be underestimating the extreme temperatures the world could yet experience. "We are much less certain about how the climate affects heatwaves than we were two weeks ago," said Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. "And we are worried about the possibilities of these things happening everywhere. But we don't know how realistic that is yet, we just we need to work on it." So does mean that this exceptional heatwave could be some sort of tipping point? "It's really not the important thing if this is a tipping point or not," said Dr Otto. "What's important is what are our societies are resilient to and what can we adapt to. And in most societies, it's really a very, very stable climate, and that even a small change makes a huge difference." "And what we see here is not a small change, it's a big change. I think that is really, really the important message here."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57751918
     
         
      It’s Thursday, July 8, and a water recycling bill could provide some relief for the Western drought. Thu, 8th Jul 2021 20:15:00
     
      Members of the House of Representatives introduced a new bill, HR 4099, that would direct the Secretary of the Interior to fund $750 million in water recycling programs across 17 states. These measures would provide relief from the climate change-fueled megadrought that has been gripping parts of the American West for decades. Water recycling facilities take the “used” water from sinks, toilets, and showers, and purify it — filtering and treating it with microbes and UV light. The recycled water can then be used to replenish underground aquifers or be repurposed for agricultural and industrial use. Wastewater treatment is especially useful for periods of drought and uneven rainfall — exactly the conditions produced by climate change. The technology to recycle wastewater isn’t new, but it hasn’t yet been implemented at the scale required to address the Western drought crisis. With the right equipment, wastewater from urban centers can be treated to the point where it is drinkable, Michael Kiparsky, director of the Wheeler Water Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, told Wired. “It gives a reliable source of additional water supply — even in dry years when supply is limited.” With climate change contributing to drought conditions, it’s likely there are more dry years in the West’s future. “Severe drought is becoming the new normal for folks in California,” Representative Jared Huffman, of California, one of the four legislators who introduced the bill, said in a press release. “It’s time we invest in large-scale water infrastructure projects that will provide drought resiliency.” The heatwave that gripped British Columbia last week wasn’t just bad for humans. A Canadian researcher now estimates that the nearly 116-degree Fahrenheit heat likely caused a billion tidal creatures — barnacles, clams, starfish, and hermit crabs, for example — to cook to death along the shores of the Salish Sea, causing widespread ecological devastation. As this year’s wildfire season worsens in the West, an NPR analysis found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, denied a majority of claims from homeowners and renters for disaster aid from the last wildfire season. The investigation found that the agency denied 70 percent of claims filed after Oregon’s 2020 fire season. In California, the rejection rate was 86 percent. Residents of Wallace, Louisiana, say a proposed industrial grain terminal would add to the community’s long standing environmental justice challenges. While officials argue the resulting commerce will be good for Wallace, members of the predominantly Black community say they were not properly consulted about the project nor informed of its potential risks to their health.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/835832700/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Vauxhall owner Stellantis to invest €30bn in electric vehicles Thu, 8th Jul 2021 20:00:00
     
      Vauxhall owner Stellantis has said it will invest more than €30bn (£26bn) in electric vehicles between now and the end of 2021 It aims to make the total cost of owning an electric vehicle equal to that of a petrol-driven model by 2026. Stellantis said it would build at least five battery plants in Europe and the US to support its strategy. It has already announced two plants in France and Germany, and the third will be in Italy in Termoli. The world's fourth-biggest car maker, which was formed in January from the merger of Italian-American firm Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, is gearing up to compete with electric vehicle leader Tesla and other big car manufacturers. Stellantis said that all 14 of its vehicle brands, which include Peugeot, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Opel, will start selling fully electrified vehicles. The company said it wanted to focus on keeping the vehicles affordable and sustainable. However, a spokesman declined to indicate what sort of prices Stellantis intended to charge for passenger cars. It will also electrify its commercial vehicle line-up, and roll out hydrogen fuel-cell vans by the end of 2021. "This transformation period is a wonderful opportunity to reset the clock and start a new race," Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares said. "The group is at full speed on its electrification journey." The company said its electric cars would be built on four platforms, have driving ranges of 500 to 800 km (300 to 500 miles) on a single charge, and fast-charging capability of 32 km (20 miles) per minute. UK PLANS This week the firm announced plans to build electric vans at its Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire. The £100m investment, to which the UK government will contribute about £30m, will safeguard more than 1,000 factory jobs. The future of the plant had been in doubt after Stellantis scrapped plans to build its new Astra model there. Stellantis is currently building two battery plants, one in France and one in Germany, and it said it would establish a third at Termoli in Italy. The two "gigafactories" at Douvrin in France and Kaiserslautern in Germany will get French and German government support of €1.3bn (£1.1bn). A spokesman said Stellantis would build at least two more such plants, which are likely to be in the US. He add that the company planned to build the battery factories at its major production hubs, and did not have current plans to build any gigafactories in the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57765120
     
         
      Time running out for countries on climate crisis front line Thu, 8th Jul 2021 19:54:00
     
      Speaking to the first Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit of 48 nations systemically exposed to climate related disasters, António Guterres said they needed reassurance that financial and technical support will be forthcoming. “To rebuild trust, developed countries must clarify now, how they will effectively deliver $100 billion dollars in climate finance annually to the developing world, as was promised over a decade ago”, he said. The UN chief said that to get the “world back on its feet”, restore cooperation between governments and recover from the pandemic in a climate resilient way, the most vulnerable countries had to be properly supported. RISK OF CALAMITY Mr. Guterres asked for a clear plan to reach established climate finance goals by 2025, something he promised to emphasize to the G20 finance ministers at their upcoming meeting this week. He added that the development finance institutions play a big role supporting countries in the short-term, and they will either facilitate low carbon, climate-resilient recovery, or it will entrench them in high carbon, business-as-usual, fossil fuel-intensive investments. “We cannot let this happen”, he said. The Secretary-General reminded that the climate impacts we are seeing today - currently at 1.2 degrees above pre-industrial levels - give the world a glimpse of what lies ahead: prolonged droughts, extreme and intensified weather events and ‘horrific flooding’. “Science has long warned that we need to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Beyond that, we risk calamity... Limiting global temperature rise is a matter of survival for climate vulnerable countries”, he emphasized. MORE ADAPTATION The UN chief highlighted that only 21% of the climate finance goes towards adaptation and resilience, and there should be a balanced allocation for both adaptation and mitigation. Current adaptation costs for developing countries are $70 billion dollars a year, and this could rise to as much as $300 billion dollars a year by 2030, he warned. “I am calling for 50 percent of climate finance globally from developed countries and multilateral development banks to be allocated to adaptation and resilience in developing countries. And we must make access to climate finance easier and faster”. INVEST TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF LIVES: WMO REPORT The UN chief also welcomed on Thursday a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which reveals that an estimated 23,000 lives per year could be saved – with potential benefits of at least $162 billion per year – through improving weather forecasts, early warning systems, and climate information, known as hydromet. In a video message to mark the publication of the first Hydromet Gap Report,, the Secretary-General said that these services were essential for building resilience in the face of climate change. Mr. Guterres called once more for a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience in 2021, with significant increases in the volume and predictability of adaptation finance. He noted that Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries where large gaps remain in basic weather data, would benefit the most. “These affect the quality of forecasts everywhere, particularly in the critical weeks and days when anticipatory actions are most needed”, he said. According to WMO, investments in multi-hazard early warning systems create benefits worth at least ten times their costs and are vital to building resilience to extreme weather. Currently, only 40 percent of countries have effective warning systems in place.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095532
     
         
      Businesses and experts reveal plans for carbon offset regulator Thu, 8th Jul 2021 14:46:00
     
      Greenpeace attacks scheme as ‘get out of jail free’ card for companies who want to greenwash emissions A new independent body is to regulate carbon offsetting and try to allay fears of greenwashing raised by the controversial practice, under plans put forward by a group of businesses and experts. The regulator, proposed by the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, would begin operating later this year and oversee the issuance of carbon credits, in projects such as tree-planting or forest protection schemes, to businesses who want to buy them to make up for the impact of their own greenhouse gas emissions. However, green campaigners attacked the plans, which they said would not lead to genuine reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Charlie Kronick, senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “This plan fails to get to grips with the real challenges of carbon credits – it’s a trader’s charter, written by and for the companies that want to buy and sell pollution, not cut it. It ignores what leading scientists have made clear, that offsetting can’t be used instead of action to directly cut carbon emissions. Polluting companies will be rubbing their hands at the idea that this get out of jail free card allows them to greenwash their ongoing emissions at exactly the time the world needs to dramatically cut them.” The carbon offset market could provide a tenth of the effort needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with staying within 1.5C of global heating, according to the taskforce. Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England and envoy to the Cop26 climate talks, said: “[Carbon offsets] could provide a modest but meaningful contribution to the 1.5C goal. Carbon offsets have many benefits. They are complementary, first and foremost [to companies’ efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions] – companies must focus on absolute emissions reductions. Carbon offsets can be catalytic, used to fund projects that would otherwise not be funded, such as new technologies.” The taskforce drew up its roadmap after an extensive public consultation, with more than 130 expert responses. The roadmap sets out legal principles to guide the market and criteria for ensuring that carbon credits are genuine and that they represent real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Winters, chair of the taskforce and group chief executive at the banking company Standard Chartered, said: “Our consultation shows that diverse stakeholders across the world want to see a unified voluntary carbon market, with high-quality credits and legal standards, overseen by a strong and independent governance body. This market will allow participants to trade with confidence, safe in the knowledge that this activity is making a difference to the planet and its people, while complementing their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.” Carbon offsets are controversial because many of the carbon credit schemes used by companies to offset their emissions over the past two decades have been found problematic in various ways. Some fraudulent schemes have been uncovered, in which carbon credits did not exist or did not represent an actual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Other schemes, including schemes investigated by the Guardian earlier this year, have been found to fail to protect forests, allowing logging to continue while selling carbon credits based on keeping forests standing. Frédéric Hache, executive director of the Green Finance Observatory, said: “The elephant in the room is that offsets are fundamentally not about mitigating climate change, or even about removing past emissions, but about enabling future emissions, about protecting economic growth and corporate profits. Carbon offset markets have had an appalling track record for the past 13 years. At a time when Canada is burning, can we really afford to waste another 13 years?” Campaigners also criticise carbon credits based on tree planting, because trees take decades to grow and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while the emissions that companies release into the atmosphere cause global heating straight away. Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer at Carbon Market Watch, said the roadmap released on Thursday did not solve these problems: “The taskforce leaves most issues to a future governance body, and allows active market players to participate in that body. This creates a clear and highly problematic conflict of interests, especially since we’re still far away from seeing a clear break from the market’s existing shortcomings.” Though the carbon offset market has been tainted by fraud and failure, there have also been more robust schemes for carbon credits, including a system regulated by the UN called the clean development mechanism, and a system called the Gold Standard, which requires companies seeking credit for their carbon-cutting activities to register and pass various tests. Carney was criticised over a claim earlier this year that the investment firm he works for, Brookfield, was “net zero” because its substantial investments in coal and oil sands were balanced by investments in renewable energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/08/business-and-finance-group-reveals-plans-for-carbon-offset-regulator
     
         
      Asia public entities, led by China, supplied over 90% of cross-border coal power funding in 2013-2018 -research Thu, 8th Jul 2021 14:15:00
     
      BEIJING, July 8 (Reuters) - Asian public financing entities provided more than 90% of the funding for all new cross-border coal-fired power projects around the world excluding China in the period 2013-2018, according to a new research report, with Chinese public financiers alone supplying half the funds. The report, released on Thursday by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that on top of the $15.6 billion in Chinese public finance for new coal-fired power over the period, Japan supplied around $9.4 billion, or 30% of total global public funding, and South Korea about $3.4 billion, or 11%. China's flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a major international push to develop infrastructure across Asia and into central Europe, has been criticised for using government funds to support environmentally unfriendly international coal-fired power plants since its launch in 2013. In June, leaders from the G7 agreed to boost climate-friendly finance and signalled a desire to build a rival to China's BRI, although the details were few and far between. However, whilst acknowledging that clear and official estimates of non-Chinese international coal funding by sources of finance are currently lacking, the research report also flagged numbers showing that private, non-Chinese finance has also played a big role in funding coal power projects in recent years. It estimated that taking all global financing entities together, including state- and private-owned commercial banks and firms, Chinese capital provided just 17% of the finance for newly added coal power capacity around the world excluding China over the period from 2013 to mid-2019. "Rather than pointing fingers, the G7 should work within the G20, which includes China, and other forums to reign in public and private financing for coal, together," said the report. It also suggested that the G20 should commit to limiting all overseas fossil fuel financing, starting with overseas coal finance from the public and private sectors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/asia-public-entities-led-by-china-supplied-over-90-cross-border-coal-power-2021-07-08/
     
         
      Justin Trudeau’s love of fossil fuel will only make Canada’s extreme weather worse Thu, 8th Jul 2021 11:26:00
     
      In Canada, almost every policy to help wean us off fossil fuel has been watered down by oil and gas lobbyists After recording the country’s highest ever temperatures of 49.6C, the town of Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, burst into flames. Residents had minutes to flee a “wall of fire” with nothing but the clothing on their backs. Like people in many other places in the world struggling with heatwaves, fires, droughts and strange extreme storms, BC residents now know what it feels like to live in a changing climate on an increasingly inhospitable planet. It’s the helplessness you feel as a mother when your son is throwing up from heat exhaustion. It’s the fear you feel when your asthmatic niece struggles to breathe because of the dense smoke from wildfires. It’s the panic you feel when you know that your oldest son is out in northern British Columbia tree planting and that there are now 180 wildfires raging across the province, caused by unprecedented “fire weather” – 710,000 lightning strikes in a 24-hour period. It’s also the anger you feel when you know that our government has utterly failed to take the actions necessary to keep us safe. The most recent data, despite the Trudeau government’s claims of climate leadership, shows that Canada has made no progress in reducing emissions. Canada’s emissions are higher today than they were in 1990 and Canada is performing worse on climate change than any other G7 country. So why are we doing so poorly on addressing this emergency, in a relatively wealthy country with a stable democracy in which the majority of the population not only believes in climate change but supports strong action to move to a low carbon economy? The answer lies in part with the level of influence, lobbying and power of the fossil fuel companies in the committees, councils and commissions that are shaping our response to the climate emergency. The fox is watching the henhouse. Canada’s big banks and pension funds are among the largest fossil fuel financiers and investors in the world. Their enabling of the fossil fuel industry hinders real action on climate. The distortion of the debate is so remarkable – not only in Canada but internationally – that we are somehow still trying to convince ourselves that it is OK to finance and build more fossil fuel infrastructure, oil sands pipelines, offshore drilling and LNG plants while talking about committing to “net-zero” emissions. Climate policy is complicated. We know we have to reimagine and re-engineer how we produce goods, how we heat and power our homes and how we move about the world. But what the fossil fuel companies have been working to cover up and obfuscate is that emissions trapped in our atmosphere come from three products: oil, gas and coal. Today we have the technology to replace most of the uses of these products – from electric vehicles to renewable energies like wind and solar to large-scale battery storage. But in Canada, almost every policy proposed to help us shift away from fossil fuel production and use has been watered down, delayed or shelved because of the lobbying and influence of the oil and gas companies. Just this month, while the government announced better goals for achieving zero emission cars and trucks, no laws or tailpipe regulations have been proposed. And in climate policy the devil is definitely in the details. I have no doubt that at COP26, Canada will be lauded for its new, stronger targets and for its national carbon price. These policies are ones that, more than a decade ago, were thought to be enough. Similarly, a decade ago natural gas was considered a “bridge fuel” and along with biomass was thought to be better for the climate than coal. Today the science is clear that both exacerbate climate change, yet Canada continues to subsidize clearcutting our forests for wood pellets and fracking for liquified natural gas. In the face of the nightmare we are now living in, these policies are at best Band-Aids on a gaping wound and at worst they are throwing gas on the fire. It’s time for the Trudeau government to change direction. As Seth Klein, author of the brilliant book The Good War has argued, our government needs to shift into emergency mode, start telling the truth and spend what it takes to win. During the pandemic, billions in Canadian stimulus spending went to the fossil fuel companies. In the last budget Canada spent pitifully little on climate change while again pouring billions into oil pipelines, oil cleanup and carbon capture and storage technology that the oil companies themselves should be paying for. Pollution from oil and gas production is the fastest-growing source of Canada’s emissions, yet our government has no plan to wind down the industry and ensure a just transition for workers and their families. We cannot address the climate emergency if we refuse to honestly confront the challenges in front of us and pretend that it’s OK to keep building more of the problem instead of focusing on solutions. What the science has been telling us for decades and what we can now see in the smoke outside our windows is that every ton of carbon we don’t emit will save lives. We have run out of time for lauding yesterday’s policies, for spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars trying to keep alive a sunset industry that is literally killing us. If you are hurtling towards a cliff you don’t just attempt to slow down a bit. You change direction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/08/trudeau-love-fossil-fuel-makes-canada-extreme-weather-worse
     
         
      Recipe for ‘entirely renewable energy’ from water is nearing reality Wed, 7th Jul 2021 21:42:00
     
      Generating “entirely renewable clean energy”, from which water would be the only waste product, is feasible — and scientists are “homing in” on the exact means of achieving it, according to new research. A team from Trinity College Dublin is “fine-tuning” a means of using renewable electricity to split water molecules into their constituent atoms, to release energy-rich hydrogen, which they say could be stored and used in fuel cells. The process is already possible, and can be done using wind or solar power to generate the electricity required to split the water molecules. But the idea is yet to take off in a big way, as the amount of energy required from these renewable resources to produce hydrogen remains very high. However, the new research suggests instead of harnessing large amounts of renewable energy, the same result can be achieved through using a particular combination of other elements as catalysts which drive this reaction. It is already known that elements such as ruthenium or iridium are highly effective catalysts which can split the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water, but they are “prohibitively expensive” and too scarce to be used on an industrial scale. Instead, the scientists turned to powerful computing methods and advanced quantum chemical modelling to come up with combinations of metals which could drive the necessary reaction. Quantum chemistry is the application of quantum mechanics to chemical systems, in which the understanding electronic structures and molecular dynamics is key. So far the work has pinpointed nine earth-abundant combinations of metals and ligands (which glue them together) as “highly promising leads for experimental investigation”. Three metals stand out, the research team said. They are chromium, manganese and iron, which are believed to be particularly promising candidates. “Thousands of catalysts based around these key components can now be placed in a melting pot and assessed for their abilities as the hunt for the magic combination continues,” the team said. Dr Max García-Melchor from Trinity College, the senior author on the research, said: "Two years ago, our work had made the hunt for the holy grail of catalysts seem a little more manageable. Now, we have taken another major leap forward by narrowing the search area significantly and speeding up the way we search. “Until recently we were looking for a tiny needle in a huge haystack. After reducing the size of the haystack, we have now hoovered up plenty of the remaining hay. To put a sense of scale on this, two years ago we had screened 17 catalysts. Now we have screened 444 and believe it won’t be long before we have a database with 80,000 ‘screenable’ catalysts in it.” He added: “How can we live sustainably? That is arguably the biggest and most pressing question facing 21st century society. I believe researchers from all disciplines can help to answer that, and we feel a particular strength of our pursuit is the multi-disciplinary approach we are taking.” Michael Craig, a PhD candidate at Trinity, is the first author of the journal article. He said: “It seems hopeful that science could provide the world with entirely renewable energy, and this latest work provides a theoretical basis to optimise sustainable ways to store this energy and goes beyond that by pinpointing specific metals that offer the greatest promise. “A lot of research has focused on the effective yet prohibitively expensive metals as possible candidates, even though these are far too rare to do the heavy lifting required to store enough hydrogen for society. We are focused on finding a long-term, viable option. And we hope we will.” Scientists have recently warned that the energy demands for hydrogen production could outpace growth in renewable resources, meaning hydrogen-hungry processes could spark greater demand for fossil fuels in the short term, if there is a boom in hydrogen demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/hydrogen-clean-energy-renewable-water-b1879862.html
     
         
      Cash for carbon offsets heading offshore due to Australian climate policy uncertainty Wed, 7th Jul 2021 18:30:00
     
      Pledges from major companies to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions are driving up prices for Australia-based climate offsets to levels not seen since the 2014 repeal of the carbon pricing scheme. Prices for Australian carbon units have topped $20 a tonne with demand up 20% in the past 12 months, with analysis released today saying prices could rise to $50 by the end of the decade. But market analysts say climate policy uncertainty is holding the industry back, with more than 90% of all the offsets bought by Australian firms still going to projects based overseas. Australian carbon credits are sold through federal government auctions. Higher prices mean greater demand, but also mean more expensive technologies to remove carbon – such as carbon capture and storage – start to become viable. Carbon market analysts RepuTex says in its outlook report released on Thursday the demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units was seeing prices above $20 a tonne for the first time since the Abbott government repealed Labor’s carbon-pricing scheme in 2014. Hugh Grossman, executive director at RepuTex, said the Australian market was mirroring the European Union’s emissions trading scheme, where prices had risen 260% since March 2020. In Europe, demand is being driven by investors that are pushing companies to reduce their carbon footprint and lower their exposure to fossil fuels. As corporates in Australia set voluntary targets, they are looking to buy carbon offsets as part of their company-wide programs to align with the global Paris climate agreement. Grossman said he expected to see the Europe-style investor pressure take hold in Australia, adding to the existing demand from companies. “About 95% of the current voluntary activity is going to international offsets and they’re available for less than a $1 a tonne coming from places like China, India and Turkey. Despite that, we still see domestic prices increasing,” he said. “A lot of the capital that’s escaping overseas could be directed to domestic technologies like carbon capture and storage, blue carbon and soil carbon.” As cheaper offsets became more scarce, RepuTex is projecting a continued – if muted – rise in the cost of Australian carbon credits. The RepuTex analysis says Australia’s carbon market is not as mature as Europe’s, and “while a national policy framework is still lacking”, the country was being swept along by the shift to net zero. John Connor, chief executive of the Carbon Market Institute, said: “The reality is that this needs a firm investment signal and what Australia needs is a coherent public policy framework,” he said. The Morrison government has resisted pressure to update its existing 2015 greenhouse gas targets and has put no firm date on when it wants to reach net zero, saying only it wants to do so as soon as possible. Earlier this week, the Australia-based Investor Group on Climate Change said 128 investment managers with $57tn of assets on their books had pledged through a new initiative to work with clients to reach a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That suggests pressure on companies to cut their emissions is likely to grow. Josh Harris is co-chief executive at Climate Friendly – a developer of about 130 carbon farming projects with a goal to cut 100m tonnes of CO2 by 2025. One project is working with landholders and traditional owners on a 150,000 hectare property at Moombidary in southern Queensland, where improved management of cattle is allowing vegetation to regrow – capturing carbon. “We are definitely seeing an increase in demand and an increase in requests,” he said. Harris said Australia would need to find about 4bn tonnes of emissions reductions between now and 2050 to be aligned with a net zero target. “The level of demand in that context is very very large. And there’s a strong appetite for Australian projects,” he said. Companies in Australia can use offsets – either from overseas or from Australia – as part of the government’s Climate Active accreditation, showing they’re a company or brand that has reached carbon neutrality. Harris said offsets bought to achieve Climate Active accreditation were still heavily dominated by overseas projects, but this was also changing. He said: “We’re seeing some companies buying 100% of their offsets as Australian units. “This shift is inevitable – there is so much appetite from corporates to do the right thing on climate change. We have only really touched the sides in terms of what’s possible.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/08/cash-for-carbon-offsets-escaping-offshore-due-to-australian-climate-policy-uncertainty
     
         
      Record June temperatures point to more 'extraordinary' extremes Wed, 7th Jul 2021 9:49:00
     
      North America experienced its warmest June on record, according to the EU's Earth observation programme. That will come as no surprise given the unprecedentedly high temperatures recently recorded during the heatwave that hit Canada and parts of the US. But UK residents may be startled to learn that despite the rain and cloud they experienced, it was the second warmest June on record for Europe. It was also the fourth warmest June ever recorded worldwide. Copernicus, the EU's Earth observation programme, produces its figures for world temperatures from computer-generated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, aircraft and weather stations around the world. Climate experts say the findings point to a frightening escalation in temperature extremes. "We are getting used to record high temperatures being recorded somewhere around the world every year now," says Prof Peter Stott of the UK Met Office. He says what meteorologists like him find shocking is not that the world is experiencing more heatwaves but that temperature records are increasingly being broken by such large margins. In Canada and the north-western US, several cities recorded temperatures a full 5 degrees Celsius above previous records. A Siberian heatwave last year saw temperatures more than 5C above the previous record between January and June. A study by the Met Office on the extreme heat in the Russian region found that reaching such temperatures was almost impossible without human-caused climate change. It anticipates similar results from studies of the Canadian heatwave. Its initial calculations suggest the odds of the sort of temperatures experienced in Canada occurring without climate change are very low indeed, says Professor Stott. "It is telling us that changes in average climate are leading to rapid escalation not just of extreme temperatures, but of extraordinarily extreme temperatures," he adds. That is exactly what the science says we should expect, Prof Friederike Otto of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University told the BBC. "Every decade the world has increased the rate of greenhouse gas emissions and that has increased the rate of warming. So, of course, heat records are being broken more frequently," she maintains. Prof Otto believes the risks from the increasing number of heatwaves the world now experiences is not taken seriously enough. Storms and flood provide dramatic before-and-after images and cause widespread damage to property. Heatwaves, by contrast, do not leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Prof Otto describes them as "silent killers". "People rarely drop dead on the street, but die quietly in their poorly insulated and un-air-conditioned homes." Indeed, how many victims these events claim is often only apparent months after the event when statisticians can calculate excess mortality. Prof Otto says even if we do manage to achieve the dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that many countries around the world are now committed to, we will still see more frequent and more intense heatwaves than we have today. She advises that, alongside cutting carbon emissions, we should be investing in adaption and resilience to ensure our communities can withstand the higher temperatures we can expect in the future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57742482
     
         
      How flooded coal mines could heat homes Wed, 7th Jul 2021 9:37:00
     
      A quarter of the UK's homes sit above abandoned coal mines, long since flooded with water. Now, the mines are being put to a new, zero-carbon use. C Coal mines were the beating heart of Britain's industrial revolution. Their sooty, energy-dense output gave life to new-fangled factories and shipyards, fuelling the nation's march towards modernity. They helped shape a carbon-intensive economy, one that took little notice of the natural world around it. The mines paved the way for a global dependence on fossil fuels, and in doing so, fired the starting pistol on the climate crisis that today confronts us all. But what if, in a serendipitous circle of history, our extractive past could be repurposed for a greener, cleaner future? What if the vast maze of coal mines beneath our feet, now filled with naturally warm water, could help decarbonise the UK's – and the world's – herculean heating needs? That's the question Adam Black, a renewable energy enthusiast employed by one of Britain's largest bottling firms, asked himself a decade ago. "I had about 400,000 sq ft [37,000 sq m] of warehouse that needed heating," says the director of energy projects at Durham-based Lanchester Wines. "And it was right over four layers of mine workings, which had naturally flooded over time." With the help of a few geothermal experts from Iceland, Black sunk a borehole into the murky depths of the old High Main coal seam in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Warmed by natural geological processes, the water they pumped to the surface was a pleasant 15C (59F). With a little supplemental warmth from an electrical heat pump – "a bit like a fridge in reverse" – it was perfect for keeping the company's warehouse, and the millions of wine bottles within, at the right temperature. (Watch: how geothermal heat has been harnessed for centuries) "Nowadays we're heating a couple of warehouses, a distribution depot, a local bakery, and soon a nearby car showroom too," says Black. He's not the only one excited by the energy potential of mine water. The UK Coal Authority, which is responsible for the country's disused pits, has big plans for the coming decade. Its geologists believe one-quarter of British homes currently sit on a coalfield, stretching across Wales, central Scotland, northern England, and the Midlands. An estimated 2 billion cubic metres (2 trillion litres/4.4 bilion gallons) of warm water occupy the old mine shafts – equivalent to more than a quarter of the volume of Loch Ness in Scotland. Researchers suggest that this makes mine water one of the UK's largest underused clean energy sources. "Mining shaped our urban landscape, creating the towns and cities that we live in today," says Charlotte Adams, the Coal Authority's principle manager for mine energy. "Nine out of 10 of our largest urban centres are above areas of former coal mining activity. "Mine water is one of our best options to help with the decarbonisation of heating. The resource is readily available all year round at a steady temperature, and there is an abundance to be accessed." The UK has committed itself to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with much focus on the nation's heating needs (which account for around half of total energy usage). Natural gas remains the primary source for Britain's heat – some 70%, Adams says – though the government has pledged to phase out gas boilers in new-build homes from 2025. While almost half of Britain's electricity supply has been decarbonised, swapping residential heating to electric would require a huge ramping up of renewable-energy generation, and put monumental pressure on the grid. To help meet the country's sweeping carbon-reduction target, the Coal Authority is exploring the feasibility of some 70 mine water heating projects across the UK. It is estimated that around a quarter of the UK's population live above abandoned coal mines and that flooded shafts contain around 2.2 million GWh of heat, with the potential to store more. One of the most ambitious water heating projects being developed by the UK Coal Authority is at Seaham, a seaside town in County Durham, home to the old Dawdon colliery. An existing treatment facility pumps up millions of litres of mine water every year for ecological reasons. Mine water often contains toxic compounds, as a result of chemical reactions with the subterranean rock. At the surface, the warmth from this water is now to be used to heat buildings above ground. Once its heat has been absorbed, the water is then returned to the mine workings where it will be warmed up again. The water is hot enough to heat homes in winter, and cool enough to keep them mild when temperatures rise, with just 25% the carbon emissions of gas. "It'll be cheaper than gas, too, by around 10%," Adams says, "and we believe it will help bring new investment and jobs to the area." The north-east of England has some of the country's lowest levels of economic activity, a legacy of pit closures in the 1980s and 1990s that fractured coal-mining communities, leaving them with high unemployment and few opportunities. A few hundred miles away across the North Sea, hopes of economic resurgence were central to what is seen as the world's most advanced mine water energy scheme – Heerlen in the Netherlands. Located in the country's south-east, Heerlen was the crucible of Dutch coal mining before the mass closure of collieries a half-century ago. In 2008, geothermal experts revived the mines, striving to deliver low-impact heating and cooling for hundreds of local homes and businesses. Today, Mijnwater BV, the scheme's operator, has connected 500 houses and commercial facilities, serving over 250,000 sq m (2.7 million sq ft) of building space to the town's district heating network. The system distributes locally generated heat to a nearby community, in a similar way to the one planned at Seaham, reducing the area's carbon emissions from heating by almost two-thirds. Mijnwater is working to further decarbonise its operation, with plans for solar and wind resources to power the electrical heat pumps that supplement the minewater's temperature. "We have a closed-loop set-up," says Herman Eijdems, Mijnwater's director of innovation. "This means we pipe excess and waste energy back into the underground water to act as a heat store for when demand is high." "There is a data centre that ejects around 45C, enough to supply a nearby school, and a supermarket whose cooling provides enough heat for three hundred dwellings." This local focus offers Heerlen a high level of energy self-sufficiency – which could be useful given that the Netherlands' is set to close its main source of domestic gas production by 2022. Though ahead of the game in Europe, Heerlen wasn't the first to leverage this sort of technology. In 1989, a packaging firm in Springhill, Nova Scotia, began attempts to draw heat from a network of nearby coal mines that had lain dormant for decades. The company, now owned by Mauser Packaging Solutions, has been refining the process ever since, and now boasts a circular climate control system that is 100% renewable 12 months of the year. "In the wintertime, we take the hot water and use it as a heating source, and in the summertime, we have them all in air-conditioning mode," says plant manager David MacDonald, who was there when the first borehole went down more than 30 years ago. Proud of their town's pioneering approach to mine water heating, dozens of small Springhill businesses have since hooked up their own geothermal power supplies, with local officials eager to entice new investment with the promise of plentiful green energy. In the mountainous Asturias region of northern Spain, there's a similar story to be told. After years of decline, the area's last remaining pit shut in 2018, cutting deep into a local community reliant on coal for generations. With the advent of mine water heating technology, there's hope for an industrial rebirth. "Geothermal energy has given a second life to our coal mines," says María Belarmina Díaz Aguado, the Asturias's director of energy. "We're developing an entirely new business model, one related to pumping water and all the technical expertise that involves." In addition to hundreds of residential properties, the region's flooded mines provide heat for a hospital, a university, a secondary school, and a number of other public and private buildings. Hunosa, the company in charge of the scheme, guarantees energy prices lower than fossil fuel alternatives, and uses only sustainably generated electricity in its pumping process. In doing so, several thousand tonnes of carbon emissions are avoided each year, Díaz Aguado says. Yet, while there's mounting evidence of mine water's energy potential, the idea isn't without issue. Retrofitting houses with the means to tap into a geothermal district heating network isn't cheap, and new builds aren't often sited next to derelict collieries. And then there are the technical hurdles. "There are some pre-existing treatment plants pumping water up already, as is the case at Seaham," says Corinna Abesser, hydrogeologist and groundwater modeller at the British Geological Survey. "But the real opportunity with mine geothermal lies in drilling new boreholes into the mines wherever the heat is needed. "This comes with some technical challenges, for example stability concerns around abandoned mine shafts, which were simply left to collapse." Perhaps the greatest hurdle, however, is that which motivated the opening of the mines in the first place: money. The capital costs are much higher with mine water geothermal, though under the right conditions the energy generated can be cheaper than that from conventional sources. Adam Black at Lanchester Wines hopes that the costs will fall as the technology develops and uptake increases, "and if the energy authorities do their bit with regulation". Beyond doubt is that the resource is there and waiting: A labyrinth of warrens once laden with men and machinery, now flooded with naturally warm water, ready to be tapped.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210706-how-flooded-coal-mines-could-heat-homes
     
         
      U.S. announces millions in funding for projects focused on wave energy tech Wed, 7th Jul 2021 8:50:00
     
      The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that as much as $27 million in federal funding will be provided for research and development projects focused on wave energy. In the latest attempt to encourage innovation within a sector that has a very small footprint compared to other types of renewable energy, the DOE said Tuesday the funding would aim to “advance wave energy technologies toward commercial viability.” Selected projects will undertake their research at the PacWave South facility, which is located off the coast of Oregon. Construction of PacWave South — which has received grants from the DOE and the State of Oregon, among others — began last month and it’s hoped the site will be operational in 2023. Breaking things down, the funding will be divided into three separate pots: As much as $15 million will be set aside for the testing of wave energy convertor tech; up to $7 million will go to wave energy research and development; and a maximum of $5 million will be assigned to the advancement of wave energy converter designs for PacWave. Full applications for the funding are due in October, the DOE said. In a statement issued alongside the DOE’s announcement, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said: “With wave energy, we have the opportunity to add more renewable power to the grid and deploy more sustainable energy to hard to reach communities.” While the money will be welcomed in some quarters, preliminary figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that a lot work will be needed if the country is to move away from fossil fuels in any significant way. According to the EIA, natural gas and coal’s shares of utility-scale electricity generation in 2020 were 40.3% and 19.3%, respectively. By contrast, the total share for renewable sources came to 19.8%. The development of wave energy technologies is not exclusive to the United States. Europe, for instance, is also home to a fledgling sector, with a number of companies now working on a wide variety of systems. In one example of how wave energy firms are progressing, last month saw a firm called Mocean Energy announce that its Blue X wave machine — which is 20-meters long and weighs 38 metric tons — had started testing at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an archipelago located north of mainland Scotland. Back in March, it was announced that some £7.5 million ($10.37 million) of public funding would be used to support the development of eight wave energy projects led by U.K. universities. While there may be excitement in some quarters regarding the potential of marine energy, it has a way to go in order to catch up with other renewable technologies such as solar and wind. Figures from Ocean Energy Europe show that only 260 kW of tidal stream capacity was added in Europe last year, while just 200 kW of wave energy was installed. In comparison, 2020 saw 14.7 gigawatts of wind energy capacity installed in Europe, according to industry body WindEurope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/07/us-announces-millions-in-funding-for-projects-focused-on-wave-energy.html
     
         
      Human activity influencing global rainfall, study finds Wed, 7th Jul 2021 6:00:00
     
      Human activity such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use change were a key factor in extreme precipitation events such as flooding and landslides around the world, a study has found. In recent years, there have been numerous instances of flooding and landslides: extreme precipitation, an amount of rainfall or snowfall that exceeds what is normal for a given region, can be a cause of such events. Natural variations in climate, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (Enso), affect precipitation. But attribution research studies, such as the latest modelling study, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, work to better understand whether human actions impacting the climate, such as greenhouse gas emissions and land-use changes, contribute to the likelihood and severity of extreme events. In the study, UCLA researchers looked at global climate records to examine whether anthropogenic influence – human-induced changes to the climate – had affected extreme precipitation. By examining multiple data sets of observed precipitation, the researchers were able to build a global picture, and found evidence of human activity affecting extreme precipitation in all of them. “It is vital to identify the changes [to precipitation patterns] caused by human action, compared to the changes caused by natural climate variability,” explained lead researcher Gavin Madakumbura. “It allows us to manage water resources and plan adaption measures to changes driven by climate change.” Up till now, work in this field has been restricted to countries, rather than applied globally. But the research team utilised machine learning to create a global data set. Human-induced climate change is causing the Earth’s temperature to increase. Different mechanisms link warmer temperatures to extreme precipitation. “The dominant mechanism [driving extreme precipitation] for most regions around the world is that warmer air can hold more water vapour,” said Madakumbura. “This fuels storms.” While there are regional differences, and some places are becoming drier, Met Office data shows that overall, intense rainfall is increasing globally, meaning the rainiest days of the year are getting wetter. Changes to rainfall extremes – the number of very heavy rainfall days – are also a problem. These short, intense periods of rainfall can lead to flash flooding, with devastating impacts on infrastructure and the environment. “We are already observing a 1.2C warming compared to pre-industrial levels,” pointed out Dr Sihan Li, a senior research associate at the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the study. She said: “If warming continues to increase, we will get more intense episodes of extreme precipitation, but also extreme drought events as well.” Li said that while the machine-learning method used in the study was cutting edge, it currently did not allow for the attribution of individual factors that can influence precipitation extremes, such as anthropogenic aerosols, land-use change, or volcanic eruptions. The method of machine learning used in the study learned from data alone. Madakumbura pointed out that in the future, “we can aid this learning by imposing climate physics in the algorithm, so it will not only learn whether the extreme precipitation has changed, but also the mechanisms, why it has changed”. “That’s the next step,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/07/human-activity-influencing-global-rainfall-study-finds
     
         
      Why North America's killer heat scares me Wed, 7th Jul 2021 1:53:00
     
      We've just enjoyed our first blissful sleepover weekend with our 20-month granddaughter, Hazel, so maybe that softened me up. Or perhaps it was a week's leave away from the news that rusted my BBC armour of emotional detachment from the climate story. Either way, I confess to a gut-tightening sense of foreboding when Hazel left and I caught up with North America's killer heat dome on TV. That's not because new record temperatures were set in the north-western US and Canada - that happens from time to time. No, it's because old records were smashed so dramatically. The previous all-time Canada record of 45C was set in the 1937 Dust Bowl era when, like this year, the parched ground failed to mitigate temperatures. Normally records like this are over-topped by a fraction of a degree, but this year the former high was obliterated on three days running. The final temperature in the town of Lytton was fully 4.6C higher than the old record. Emissions from human activities inarguably contributed to the rise, increasing global average temperature by about 1.2C since the late 1800s. Climatologists are nervous of being accused of alarmism - but many have been frankly alarmed for some time now. "The extreme nature of the record, along with others, is a cause for real concern," says veteran scientist Professor Sir Brian Hoskins. "What the climate models project for the future is what we would get if we are lucky. The models' behaviour may be too conservative." In other words, in some places it's likely to be even worse than predicted. Computer models are what scientists use to try to second-guess the future behaviour of Earth's climate. But they take a very broad look across the global temperatures - they are not as accurate for smaller areas where the projected temperature extremes may be over-topped on a local level… extreme extremes, if you like. Scientists are now striving to predict some of these crazy weather events that are currently taking policy-makers by surprise. It's not just heat waves, but also pulses of torrential rain that cause devastating floods on a local level. Drains were built when no-one thought a harmless natural gas like CO2 could wreak havoc. The UK Met Office hopes its shiny new megacomputer will be able to make projections on a much more closely defined scale, although some will be sceptical about its ability to do that. Meanwhile, temperatures keep rising and shifting scientific goalposts. What's more, Canada's extreme extreme (sic) was cranked up by a global temperature rise of just 1.2C so far on pre-industrial levels. But the world is probably heading for 1.5C of heating early next decade, and temperatures will push onwards to 2C and above unless policies radically change. What do we imagine things will be like with a rise of 2C, which was until recently considered to be a relatively "safe" level of change? Baroness Worthington, a lead author on the UK's Climate Change Act, told me: "Concerned scientists are no longer concerned - they are freaked out. "They're worrying there might not be a 'safe landing' on the climate. We are working on the idea of safe carbon budgets (the amount of carbon we can put into the atmosphere without badly disrupting the climate). But what if there is no safe carbon budget? "What if the 'safe' carbon budget is zero. We can't sugar-coat the potential realities of this." Politicians are working to avert the worst of those potential realities, but even the former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher remarked in the late 1980s that making such an experiment with our only planet was folly. In 1989 she riveted the UN with her warning that greenhouse gases were "changing the environment of our planet in damaging and dangerous ways". Mrs Thatcher - formerly a research chemist - continued: "The result is that change in future is likely to be more fundamental and more widespread than anything we have known hitherto. It is comparable in its implications to the discovery of how to split the atom. Indeed, its results could be even more far-reaching. "It is no good squabbling over who is responsible or who should pay. We shall only succeed in dealing with the problems through a vast international, co-operative effort." This was extraordinarily prescient, and her words were even more devastating from the lips of a towering, right-wing world leader who couldn't be dismissed as a fretful hippy. If the world had heeded her warning back then, imagine where we would be now? But Thatcher's views were challenged by climate "sceptics" - some of them funded by a decades-long campaign of disinformation from fossil fuel firms. Rich nations fixated on economic growth rather than saving the planet from a hypothetical threat, and developing economies asserted their "right" to pollute the air just as rich nations had done. Wealthy countries stinted the cash they offered to poor nations to get clean technology. And international negotiations consistently failed to deliver the difficult and sweeping changes Mrs Thatcher thought necessary. At last many leading nations are getting round to devising policies to reduce emissions over coming decades. It's not just the heat dome they're worried about. We've learned recently about climate extremes in the Antarctic, the Himalayas and - dramatically shown on our interactive graphic - the Arctic. Some scientists are warning that areas of the world will become uninhabitable if current trends continue. So what are our leaders doing to keep us safe? Well, they're talking a good show, and doubtless some really mean to curb climate change. But the impacts of global heating are happening right now, whereas major nations plan to phase out emissions by 2050. President Biden says CO2 will be halved against 2005 levels this decade. But his proposed investments in clean technology are being resisted by Republicans. GM and others have promised to sell only vehicles that have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035. But the president has set no date for electrifying the US car fleet. What's more his climate envoy John Kerry has attracted criticism for insisting that US lifestyles don't need to change, whereas experts say protecting the climate requires new technology as well as behavioural changes such as eating less meat and driving smaller cars. And there's a gap in the policies of even a world-leading nation such as the UK, where the government plans a £27bn programme of road-building. And, even though rail use has plunged since the pandemic, Boris Johnson is spending £100bn+ on the HS2 rail project that won't be carbon neutral until around the end of the century - no-one knows for sure. The worlds of technology and business are showing some positive signs. The cost of solar and wind power, for instance, is plummeting. But these still only supply around 14% of the world's total energy demand, according to the renewables agency, IRENA. Meanwhile a fractured gas pipe in the Gulf of Mexico has turned the ocean into flames and in London an investment trust for green industries failed to raise its minimum funding and was scrapped. And in Asia 600 new coal fired power stations are planned, although admittedly, some are being withdrawn as investors realise at last that coal's a poor long-term bet. Against this backdrop the world's multi-billionaires are competing to use vast amounts of energy to put tourists into space - that's energy that could be tackling climate change. Here's the problem - the worlds of policy and business are definitely waking up to the climate crisis. But some changes in the natural world appear to be outstripping society's responses. It looks as though Mrs Thatcher was right - we needed drastic action decades ago. Tomorrow I'll return to coolly dissecting intriguing policy issues but today with Hazel at the back of my mind, please excuse me this brief visit to my more emotional side. In my 30+ years of reporting on the climate I've always taken a risk perspective on stories, because Mrs Thatcher was right that there's only one planet. And I want Hazel and her own future grand-children to enjoy it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57729502
     
         
      The Morrison government wants to bail out coal-fired generators. Guess who’ll pay? Tue, 6th Jul 2021 18:30:00
     
      Largely unnoticed by much of the press, the federal government and its Energy Security Board have dreamed up a plan to bail out the owners of coal-fired generators, and it’s you who will be paying the bill. Most of the private-sector owners of these coal-fired generators bought these power stations for a song, at prices well below the replacement cost of the power plants. One of them, Trevor St Baker (number 149 on the Financial Review Rich List 2021 with a net worth of $727m), picked up his power plant – Vales Point – for less than the price of the average Sydney home at $1m. AGL, which paid a fair bit more than $1m for Liddell and Bayswater, nonetheless still boasted to investors that it had paid so little for these power plants that it could shut Liddell immediately and the deal still made fantastic money. Now in fairness to the owners of these power stations, the reason they picked them up for such a small amount of money was because they knew, and so did everyone else in the electricity industry, that these power stations were on borrowed time. If you took politicians, including Liberal party politicians seriously, all these coal power stations had to be phased out over the next 10 to 20 years. This was in order to meet Australia’s international commitment to help contain global warming below 2C. However, what a number of the purchasers of these power stations realised was these power stations would be incredibly profitable in the next few years after they bought them. AGL and Origin Energy laid out very clearly in investor presentations the logic behind why they bought these highly polluting power stations, in spite of all their glossy sustainability reports claiming a commitment to address climate change. These presentations pointed out that gas prices were about to skyrocket due to the start-up of gas liquefaction plants that would allow huge quantities of gas to be exported to Asia. With this rise in the gas price, electricity prices would soon follow as gas power plants typically set the price in the wholesale electricity market. Their predictions were spot on. Nothing better illustrated the subsequent astronomical rise in profits of coal generators than the experience of St Baker’s Vales Point. The power station he and his business partner had bought in 2015 from New South Wales taxpayers for just $1m was by 2017 valued at $730m. But as everyone expected, eventually someone would do something a least half serious about addressing global warming and the good times would come to an end. Analysis by myself and analyst Johanna Bowyer indicates that between 2018 and 2025 Australia’s east coast grid will connect an amount of wind and solar capacity that is capable of generating as much electricity as the entire state of NSW consumes. This extra supply with no fuel cost will drive power prices down to record low levels such that five of Australia’s coal-fired power stations, including Vales Point, will be losing money. The financial industry here in Australia but also around the world has now come to realise that loans and investments involving high-polluting assets are a very risky proposition, because there are at least a few powerful politicians that take climate change seriously. Now St Baker and the owner of Loy Yang B coal power station (Chai Tai Fook Enterprises – which is predominantly owned by a very wealthy Hong Kong family) are complaining that the banks won’t lend money to their power stations. According to St Baker this is just virtue signalling by the banks. But of course, if this was just a matter of satisfying woke, inner-city lefties, rather than sensible management of financial risk, you have to wonder why the highly wealthy owners of these power stations aren’t willing to make up the financing gap themselves? Still, into this void the federal government and the Energy Security Board would like to volunteer you – the electricity consumer. Of course, they don’t put it this way. Instead, they disguise this bailout with a convoluted name – the Physical Retailer Reliability Obligation. What this will mean in practice is that you will pay these coal generators not for the electricity they actually produce, but instead for their potential capacity to generate electricity, even if it is rarely, if ever, used. The proponents of this bailout will try to suggest that this is not a unique idea, because a number of electricity markets around the world, including Western Australia, provide an extra payment to power plants for their capacity, irrespective of how much it is used. But there’s a critical difference between Australia’s east coast market (the NEM) and these other markets. Most electricity markets around the developed world impose caps on how high they allow prices to rise but Australia’s NEM has an extremely and unusually high price cap, which now stands at $15,000 per megawatt hour. To put that in perspective the average price of electricity in the NEM over the past 12 months was between around $45 to $65 per megawatt hour. Meanwhile in Western Australia’s market, the highest price allowed is less than $600 per megawatt hour. The justification historically for the east coast NEM’s very high price cap is that its wholesale spot market only pays generators when they actually generate electricity, and some power plants will only be needed for brief periods when demand spikes on very hot days. To make it worth their while, we have to pay these generators a very high price for this short burst of electricity. But if we are moving to a system like Western Australia that pays generators an extra fee just in case they might be needed, on top of a payment for their actual generation, the reason for this ultra-high price cap disappears. Bizarrely though neither the Energy Security Board nor the federal energy minister have indicated that consumers will see a compensating lowering of the extremely high price cap in return for being forced to pay coal and gas generators a universal minimum income. This exposes the reality that this isn’t any kind of thoroughly considered reform to position the electricity system for a long-term future. Instead, it is a desperate quick fix to try to bail out owners of coal generators from an onslaught of renewable energy which they should have seen coming. If we really want to improve the reliability of supply, propping up old, inflexible power plants that financiers see as the walking dead isn’t the best way to go about it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/07/the-morrison-government-wants-to-bail-out-coal-fired-generators-guess-wholl-pay
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, July 6, and a French high court has ordered the government to cut emissions faster. Tue, 6th Jul 2021 18:02:00
     
      A high court in France has ordered the government to speed up its greenhouse gas emissions cuts to keep up with Paris Agreement goals. The French Council of State, which is a kind of supreme court for the country’s administrative laws, announced in a ruling last week that France was not on track to reach its target of a 40 percent decrease in emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. (As of 2019, the country had only cut emissions by about 19 percent.) The ruling gives President Emmanuel Macron’s government until March 31, 2022 to get back on track — a date just a few weeks before the first round of the next presidential election. Macron has struggled with climate policy during his presidency, facing criticism from the “yellow vest” movement, which opposed his increase in fuel taxes, and from the citizens’ convention on climate that he established in 2019, which urged him to take more decisive action on the issue. If Macron doesn’t comply with the court ruling, he could face substantial fines. “This ruling by the Council of State is historic,” Damien Carême, a member of the European Parliament, told the Guardian. “Behind the government’s fancy speeches, there is a lack of action and ambition which is putting our joint futures in danger.” An underwater pipeline gas leak caused the Gulf of Mexico to catch on fire on Friday. The company whose pipeline caused the incident, Petróleos Mexicanos, has a history of pipeline incidents, including a leak in April, a fire in February, and an explosion in January 2019 that killed dozens of people in Hidalgo, Mexico. More and more deaths are being linked to the heatwave in the Pacific Northwest that pushed temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit last week. The heat-related death toll in Oregon has reached 95 and is expected to rise, while British Columbia saw almost 500 more sudden deaths than usual last week. Global demand for natural gas is expected to increase this year by approximately 3.6 percent, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency, or IEA. Growth in demand is expected to slow between 2022 and 2024, but the IEA says it could still be too high to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/834214956/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      The United Nations’ leading role in tackling the climate emergency Tue, 6th Jul 2021 17:59:00
     
      There is a curious anomaly in Alice Bell’s otherwise illuminating article on climate change (Sixty years of climate change warnings: the signs that were missed (and ignored), 5 July). It makes no reference to the United Nations. Yet the UN has advanced our understanding of climate change through the assessment reports of the intergovernmental panel on climate change created by the UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988. The UN has also facilitated the creation of the climate regime based on three international treaties: the 1992 UN framework convention on climate change, the 1997 Kyoto protocol, and the 2015 Paris agreement. It is also worth noting that successive secretaries general have warned about the dangers of climate change. In 1997, Kofi Annan said: “The risks of climate change pose the most critical and pervasive environmental threats ever to the security of the human community and to life on Earth as we know it ... On an issue that could have such a decisive effect on the future of humanity, we must act on the principle that precaution now is wiser than panic later.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/06/the-united-nations-leading-role-in-tackling-the-climate-emergency
     
         
      FabricNano raises $12.5M to help scale its cell-free fossil fuel alternative technology Tue, 6th Jul 2021 13:45:00
     
      It’s not often that you hear DNA described as a wafer – but that’s the analogy that Grant Aarons, the founder of FabricNano, a cell-free biomanufacturing company uses to describe his company’s major product. That DNA, the company hopes, will make a dent in a growing global petrochemical industry that currently relies on fossil fuels and their byproducts. FabricNano is a London based company founded in 2018 through Entrepreneur First, a technology startup accelerator. FabricNano is invested in the creation of cell-free biomanufacturing. Biomanufacturing, simply, uses the enzymes within a cell or microbe to produce an end-product. FabricNano’s approach is to place those enzymes on the DNA wafer instead (that process is called enzyme immobilization). Those enzymes, Aarons argues, can produce chemicals, like those used to make drugs or plastics, with higher efficiency compared to cell-based systems, and without the reliance on fossil fuels that are currently used to make those chemicals en masse.The heart of the company is the DNA scaffold, which can house enough enzymes to scale up those reactions. This week, FabricNano announced $12.5 million in Series A funding this week complete with a cadre of high profile angel investors. The round was led by Atomico, and included investment from Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, actress, UN Sustainability Ambassador Emma Watson, and former Bayer CEO Alexander Moscho. “We went out and actively tried to get the right angels for the company,” says Aarons. “We also looked at a few different technology angels. Because at the end of the day what we’re manufacturing is an enabling technology for manufacturers. “We’re not looking to manufacture bio-based plastics or bio-based monomers, at any sufficient scale,” he continues. “We’re looking to provide [manufacturers] with the technology that they can then use to manufacture at scale and at a low enough cost. It is a scalable and sustainable way to make low-value molecules, like bioplastics.” Part of FabricNano’s identity hinges on creating a bio-based alternative within the growing petrochemical sector. At the moment, about 14 percent of global oil demand goes towards making plastics. Petrochemicals, or chemicals obtained from oil and gas that can be used to make plastics or other materials, are expected to drive about half of the world’s oil demand by 2050, according to The International Energy Agency’s 2018 projections. Plastics, a major end-product of the petrochemical industry, contribute to climate change at nearly every point in their life cycles – when they’re manufactured by heating up oil or ethane or when they’re burned as waste. If both plastic production and use continue at their current pace, emissions are projected to reach 1.34 gigatons by 2030 (the equivalent of 295 coal fired power plants), according to the Center for International Environmental Law. Naturally, making more plastic, no matter how it is made, will contribute to ecological catastrophe in its own way (scientists have called for phase out of “virgin” plastic production by 2040). Additionally, the nebulous term “bioplastic” can refer to anything from a biodegradable plastic to a plastic created without the use of fossil fuels (even one that is not biodegradable), That makes the world of environmentally-friendly plastics highly susceptible to greenwashing. The question that remains is how big an impact biomanufacturing can make on reducing petrochemicals’ contribution to climate change? At this point that’s unclear. Aarons argues that part of the appeal of cell-free manufacturing can pull the industry away from using petroleum (or in the US, ethanol) to make plastics or other commodity chemicals. “We’re really talking about a new technology to take over a lot of the commodities sector, and pull a lot of those petroleum-based products away from petroleum and into the biological realm,” says Aarons. That said, there are also clear concerns with the production of plastics as-is, leaving room for alternatives to emerge if they prove to be scalable and cost-effective enough to supplant the existing petrochemical industry. There is some evidence that cell-free manufacturing has already scaled well. For instance, high fructose corn syrup is made when corn starch is broken down by enzymes into glucose. The final step requires one enzyme, glucose isomerase. Aarons calls high fructose corn syrup production “the largest implementation of cell-free in the world.” FabricNano is partially looking to build upon that concept to offer a greater suite of available chemicals. At the moment, FabricNano can already create chemicals like 1,3 propanediol, an ingredient that can be used to replace polyethylene glycol in toothpaste or shampoo. The input needed to create that product is glycerin, a major waste product of biodiesel manufacturing, which may help keep costs down and provide an alternative feedstock to fossil fuels. Aarons says that FabricNano has proved capable of making four additional products, but didn’t disclose what kinds. He says FabricNano is “interested in the pharmaceutical space”, and in commodity chemicals. “There are a lot of commodity chemicals we can manufacture. 1,3 propanediol is just the tip of the iceberg,” he says. Still, FabricNano’s distinguishing approach probably isn’t the commodity chemicals it has made so far, but the actual DNA scaffold. If the enzymes that stick to that DNA wafer and help produce chemicals are software, the DNA scaffold is FabricNano’s hardware. That hardware is a major way the company hopes to bring cell-free into the world of commodity chemicals. “The real missing piece, and why [cell-free manufacturing] has been a niche technology for a long time, is that there has been no generalizable technology to immobilize all of these proteins,” he says. With the newest round of funding, FabricNano plans to increase its employee workforce from 12 to 30 people, and move into a new London-based office. Total investment in the company stands at $16 million.
       
      Full Article: https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/06/fabricnano-raises-12-5m-to-help-scale-its-cell-free-fossil-fuel-alternative-technology/
     
         
      Coal Prices Soar As China Refuses To Buy From Australia Tue, 6th Jul 2021 13:00:00
     
      China banning Australian coal imports might be one of the most peculiar commodity stories of 2021. At a time when commodity prices are climbing, Chinese authorities decided to drop Australian coal, leading to a surge in worse-quality alternatives just as regional demand peaks. Meanwhile, China’s aim of punishing Australia for calling for an investigation into the origins of Covid has largely failed as Australian producers simply rerouted their cargoes towards India. China, on the other hand, was forced to buy increasing amounts of Indonesian and Russian coal to accommodate domestic demand, triggering a more than 25% price hike compared to January levels. China is more or less self-sufficient in coking coal yet needs substantial amounts of thermal coal for its vast metallurgical industry. Technically, China has a plethora of options to choose from. Adjacent coal-rich Mongolia might have been one of the best and cheapest options, but the closed border hinders larger trade volumes. Thus, Indonesia emerged as the prime supplier of low-calorific value coal, with imports into China hitting an all-time high of 15.9 million tons in January. As heavy rainfall and the onset of Ramadan hindered Indonesia’s exporting potential, the United States took the baton, surging from minuscule export volumes to 1.6 million tons this March. Increasing Russian flows to China became the latest trend in the Asia Pacific, riding high on strong political support from Moscow. It should not come as a surprise that Russian coal producers latched onto the opportunity at hand. Aggregate Chinese imports of Russian coal in June 2021 totaled 4.04 million tons, almost 20% higher than the previous all-time high recorded in June 2020. In a sense, Russia was preparing for such an event to take place as it had extended the transportation capacities of Eastern-Siberian railways, including but not limited to the Baikal-Amur and Transsiberian Railway networks. Several major coal mines have Chinese co-owners and co-investors such as the Elgaugol in Eastern Siberia which is configured to bring almost all of its output towards the southern neighbor. Sticking to its pledge to place commodities’ trading on a more “scientific” footing, Chinese authorities have introduced an array of measures designed to bring coal prices down. The economic planning arm of the CCP, the National Development and Reform Commission, sought to boost domestic production to counteract the impending shortage – it will take several months however before tangible results appear. Moreover, a recent string of coal mine suspensions in the Shaanxi province added salt to the wound. As China prepared to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding, regional authorities cracked down on smaller mines suspected of violating safety regulations – to be on the safe side and avoid any tragic incidents in such a memorable year - leading to the closure of four mines (potentially triggering further police investigations into alleged corruption). The NDRC also vowed to crack down on “malicious speculation”, however it would seem to be a tough job blaming the price surge on someone specific considering there is a perfectly market-based explanation. Even the fact that Chinese landed prices wield a significant premium to other Asian buyers such as India – the nation that has become the main receiver of Australian supplies – it all boils down to international traders’ understanding of China’s weak spots, i.e. the necessity to buy a lot of coal really quick. Chinese authorities have also introduced a relaxation of import controls to speed up discharge operations and customs clearances, attesting its desperate need for more coal. In the past six months there has only ever been one measure China was unwilling to take in its attempt to reduce coal prices – allowing Australian coal back into the country. Under normal conditions, coal prices would be kept within a so-called green corridor, a pricing bandwidth of 500-580 CNY that suits both domestic producers as well as end-users. The end result, however, was FOB Qinhuangdao surpassing the 1000 CNY per metric ton threshold, i.e. double the desired “green corridor” bandwidth. Meanwhile, media reports indicate that India and Russia are on the verge of signing a monster deal that would see the former securing some 40 million tons per year of coking coal. The deal seemingly has the full support of Delhi political elites, despite India having relatively little experience with Russian thermal coal. Tata Steel signed its trial agreement only last year and the overall volume this year remains far from ground-breaking. At the same time, the logic behind it is fairly straightforward as Indian buyers seek to get rid of their dependence on Australian supplies, especially given that they tend to be disrupted by massive flooding. This year’s floods in March effectively cut off the production sites in New South Wales from the main export terminal in Newcastle, so India’s preoccupation with supply security is entirely understandable.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/Coal-Prices-Soar-As-China-Refuses-To-Buy-From-Australia.html
     
         
      Huge Supply of Water is Saved From Evaporation When Solar Panels Are Built Over Canals Tue, 6th Jul 2021 11:32:00
     
      In an interview, famed astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson explained that we already have flying cars, in a way, because tunnels and overpasses allow cars to access the third dimension. By that logic, India has invented ‘flying solar panels,’ which are being suspended above irrigation canals to cut down on the evaporation of precious water droplets by providing shade from the sun’s evaporating heat. It’s also a clever way to cut down on habitat loss, too, by placing panels in already-dedicated man-made spaces. Now, California is eyeing the benefits derived from several successful canal installations in India. With the world’s largest irrigation canal network, and 290 days of average sunshine, California is uniquely positioned to ease its own severe water shortages with this emerging innovation of canal-covering solar farms. UC Santa Cruz has investigated this method for use in California and estimates that—on top of generating green energy—it would save 63.5 billion gallons of water from evaporation annually, a massive windfall for a state that sometimes rations water and which regularly suffers from droughts. However the story begins in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2014, when a pilot project covering 750 meters of canal space led to the creation of an entire canal-topped solar plant in Vadodara District, and another one totaling 100 megawatts off the Narmada River. Researchers in India found that the water running beneath the panels cooled them, too, preventing overheating and resulting in an average efficiency increase of between 2-5%. Brandi McKuin and her colleagues at UCSC wanted to model the pros and cons of covering the Golden State’s 4,000 miles of canals in solar panels, including using three separate techniques to measure water savings, and choices of construction methods that would be the most efficient to scale. (The most value conducive method of construction was thought to be steel cables.) Their results published in Nature Sustainability model a sunny future. They believe that spanning California’s canals with solar panels could create a cost savings—from water conservation, real estate costs, aquatic weed maintenance, and enhanced electricity production—which outweighed the increased cost of building the more complex solar array. Furthermore, the state uses diesel-powered water pumps to drive the flow of the canals, which could be replaced to the tune of 15-20 generators per megawatt of solar. Roger Bales, a coauthor on the paper put it simply, saying, “This study is a very important step toward encouraging investments to produce renewable energy while also saving water.” Watch a video from Punjab, India, where REC solar panels suspended by cables above canals are saving 73 million liters of water which are channeled to local farms, while generating 8.4 million kW of energy annually since 2017.
       
      Full Article: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/california-scientists-suggest-covering-the-states-canals-in-solar-panels/
     
         
      Cyprus: Nations send help to tackle worst wildfire in decades Mon, 5th Jul 2021 18:04:00
     
      Several nations have answered Cyprus's appeal to help tackle a huge wildfire, described by officials as the worst in the country's history. The UK, Greece, Italy and Israel are among those helping, including with firefighting aircraft. Cyprus said missions to drop water had helped to reduce fire outbreaks, but warned that blazes could resurge. On Sunday, four people were confirmed to have died in the fires, which have been fanned by strong winds. The blaze has spread through the southern Limassol district and forced the evacuation of several villages. More than 20 sq m (50 sq km) of forest and farmland have been destroyed, along with power lines. Firefighters are racing to prevent the wildfire from spreading to the Machairas National Forest Park. "It is the worst forest fire in the history of Cyprus," Director of the Department of Forests Charalambos Alexandrou told local television. The European Commission's head of crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, said on Saturday that a co-ordinated response was under way. The EU's emergency Copernicus satellite is tracking the blaze, the commission said. Several aircraft are already tackling the flames, assisted by British troops stationed on the island. The British Royal Air Force, which has a base at Akrotiri near Limassol, tweeted images of two helicopters taking part in the operations. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Republic of Cyprus as we work together to overcome this tragedy," said the commander of British Forces Cyprus, Maj Gen Rob Thomson. On Sunday, Cyprus's Interior Minister Nicos Mouris confirmed that all four people who died in the fires were Egyptian farm workers. Their bodies were found about 600m from their burnt-out vehicle near the village of Odos. A local policeman told AFP news agency that it appears they fled the vehicle and became trapped among the flames. President Nicos Anastasiades described the fire - in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains - as "a tragedy". In a tweet, he said it was "the largest fire since 1974" - referring to the year Cyprus was divided following a Turkish invasion - and had caused loss of life. He pledged that the government would "provide immediate assistance to the victims" and their families. Mr Anastasiades visited a relief centre in the village of Vavatsinia on Sunday morning, before travelling on to other affected areas. Meanwhile, police have arrested a 67-year-old man on suspicion of arson. A witness saw a man driving away from the village of Arakapas, north-east of Limassol, at the same time the fire started on Saturday, police said. Cyprus has been experiencing a week-long heatwave, with temperatures reaching up to 40C (104F). Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57710048
     
         
      Climate change: Planting extra trees will boost rainfall across Europe Mon, 5th Jul 2021 17:59:00
     
      Planting extra trees to combat climate change across Europe could also increase rainfall, research suggests. A new study found that converting agricultural land to forest would boost summer rains by 7.6% on average. The researchers also found that adding trees changed rainfall patterns far downwind of the new forests. The authors believe that extra rain could partially offset the rise in dry conditions expected with climate change. The findings about increasing rainfall are partly based on observations of existing patterns. But the underlying reasons are less clear - they are probably related to the way the forests interact with cloudy air. Planting trees has become a major plank of many countries' efforts to tackle climate change all over the world. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is aiming to plant some 30 million new trees every year by 2025. A number of studies have looked at the range of impacts, both positive and negative, that the boom in planting is likely to bring. This new paper considers the impact of converting agricultural land across Europe to sustainable forests. The authors use an observation-based statistical model to estimate how changes to forest cover would impact rainfall across the continent. The researchers found that if there was a 20% increase in forest, uniformly across Europe, then this would boost local rainfall, especially in winter and with greater impacts felt in coastal regions. But as well as local rain, the planting of new forests causes impacts downwind. The scientists found that rainfall in these locations was increased particularly in the summer months. Taking the two impacts together, in what the team describe as a realistic reforestation scenario, they found that precipitation overall went up by 7.6% in the summer. That's quite a significant finding, according to lead author Ronny Meier from ETH Zurich. It also has implications for climate change. "Probably the most threatening climate change signal that we expect in relation to percipitation, is this decrease in summer precipitation that is expected in the southern parts of Europe like the Mediterranean," he told BBC News. "And there, according to our study, forestation would lead to an increase in precipitation. So the forestation would probably be very beneficial in terms of adapting to the adverse effects of climate change." But the authors also point out that the increased rainfall could have potentially negative impacts by boosting rainfall patterns that have already been affected by climate change, particularly in the Atlantic region. The authors say that the reasons behind these local and distant impacts on rainfall are uncertain - they point out that the cloudy air that produces rain tends to stay longer over forested areas. And the rougher nature of these forests may trigger the rain. "A forest is a much rougher surface than agricultural land," said Ronny Meier. "So, it induces more turbulence at the land-atmosphere interface, and also, the forest exerts more drag on to the atmosphere than agricultural land." "We think that this drag, this higher turbulence over the forests is probably the main reasons for the fact that we find more precipitation in regions with more forests." The new forests tend to evaporate more moisture to the atmosphere than agricultural land and this extra supply is the main reason behind increased rainfall downwind. For the authors, the fact that trees planted in one country may have implications in another means that the world should really consider all the impacts of how we use land. It also shows once again, that the idea of solving climate change with trees is not as simple as it is often portrayed. "Planting trees is certainly not a quick fix for climate change," said Prof Wim Thiery, from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, who was not involved in the new study. "Adding new trees or restoring lost forests can never compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the burning of fossil fuels. We need to stop generating those emissions in the first place." "But cutting back on our emissions won't be enough: we will also need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere should we wish to stay below 1.5C of warming. From that perspective, tree planting emerges as a potential candidate for generating these negative emissions, but planting trees should never be an excuse for not acting on reducing our carbon emissions by all means possible."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57722879
     
         
      Green light for Scotland's largest net zero housing project in Edinburgh Mon, 5th Jul 2021 17:57:00
     
      Plans to create Scotland's largest net zero housing development in Edinburgh have been granted approval by planners. The 444-home Western Villages will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats. It is part of the £1.3bn Granton Waterfront Regeneration where more than 3,500 homes will be built over the next decade. It will focus on active travel, electric car charging points, car club spaces and public transport links. City of Edinburgh Council is working with with CCG (Scotland) and architect Cooper Cromar on the project. The homes will be built with improved insulation, low carbon heating and renewable technology. The council has set a target of 2030 to achieve net zero carbon in Edinburgh. Mandy Watt, City of Edinburgh Council's vice-convener for the housing, homelessness and fair work committee, said: "All of the steps we're taking to make homes more sustainable will reduce the energy they use once occupied, thereby helping us to tackle climate change and become net zero carbon by 2030. "It's great to see this development with a large proportion of social rent homes get planning approval." Construction of Western Villages is due to begin in mid-2022.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-57725111
     
         
      Small majority believe there is still time to avert climate disaster – survey Mon, 5th Jul 2021 7:00:00
     
      A small majority of people believe there is still time to make a difference and slow global heating, a survey of consumer attitudes in 16 countries reveals. People aged 55 and over believe most strongly that their behaviour can make a positive difference to the environment. People in Brazil, Spain, Canada, Italy, China and Thailand are the most optimistic that if we act now there is still time to save the planet, the survey by Mintel found. On average, 54% of those who were surveyed agreed that there was time to save the planet, and 51% believed their behaviour could make a positive difference to the environment. Japan was the most pessimistic: only 15% of people questioned believed their behaviour could make a difference and only 35% believed there was time to save the planet. The survey took place in 16 countries: Brazil, India, China, Japan, the UK, the US, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Canada, Ireland, France, Poland and Germany. It found that consumers wanted companies to be clear about the environmental impact of their products so they could make an informed choice about whether to buy them or not. The survey found that 47% of people wanted labelling showing the environmental impact in terms such as amount of CO2 emitted in production, and 42% were looking for information measuring impact in understandable terms such as litres of water used or distance travelled. It found that 41% wanted to see recognisable certification to prove their standards, such as B Corp status, awarded to companies that sign up to a legal declaration to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. The survey also revealed differing views on who was to blame for global heating. Consumers were more likely to think their own country was suffering from climate change than causing it, according to the research. An average of 44% of consumers from the 16 nations said the country where they lived was suffering from climate change, while an average of 33% believed that the country where they live was contributing to climate change. People in Italy (20%), Brazil (21%), South Korea (24%), and Spain (29%) were the least likely to believe their country was contributing to climate change. Those in the UK (44%), Germany (45%), the US (46%) and Canada (51%) were the most likely to believe their nation was culpable. The International Energy Agency highlighted the importance of the public understanding that their own consumption is integral to reducing emissions in its roadmap to net zero in May. It said more than half of the cumulative emissions reductions required to reach net zero were linked to consumer choices and behaviours. Richard Cope, a senior trends consultant at Mintel Consulting, said: “The good news is that in most countries a small majority still believe we have time for redemption, and where there is that optimism it is closely related to a sense that consumer behaviours can make the difference.” Despite the evidence of awareness among the buying public of climate responsibility and the impact of individual choices, the survey also revealed that in the 16 nations many individuals wanted solutions to make their lives easier, but which would put the planet more at risk. It also found that as temperatures rise around the world, increasing numbers of people are planning to install air conditioning, which drives up carbon emissions. “Global warming creates a vicious circle by increasing demand for air conditioning, which then uses more energy,” said Mintel’s report.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/05/small-majority-believe-there-is-still-time-to-avert-climate-disaster-survey
     
         
      Canada heatwave: Wildfires spread in British Columbia after lightning strikes Sun, 4th Jul 2021 18:07:00
     
      Lightning strikes have continued to spark dozens more wildfires in western Canada following a record-breaking heatwave. Emergency services say they there are now trying to control more than 170 fires across the province of British Columbia. Evacuation orders are in place in several areas and military teams are due to arrive in the coming days. Earlier in the week, people had to flee the village of Lytton. Lytton, which recorded Canada's highest ever temperature of 49.6C (121.3F) on Tuesday, was destroyed by fire. The blaze in the village - about 260km (160 miles) north-east of Vancouver - forced many of its 250 residents to leave without their belongings on Wednesday evening. "Within about 15 minutes the whole town was engulfed in flames," Mayor Jan Polderman told the BBC. Abnormally high temperatures have been recorded in swathes of North America in recent days. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated. Cliff Chapman, director of provincial operations for British Columbia Wildfire Service, told broadcaster CBC that about 12,000 lightning strikes had been recorded on Friday, many of them near Kamloops, north-east of Vancouver. Hundreds of people have been warned they may have to leave their homes. Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said the government would provide aid, including military helicopters and personnel, to help tackle the fires and reach people threatened by the flames. The blazes have forced the closure of a number of major roads. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the weather and the wildfires were having a "devastating" and "unprecedented" impact on British Columbia. "These wildfires show that we are in the earliest stages of what promises to be a long and challenging summer," he said. Health officials say extreme heat is likely to have contributed to 719 sudden deaths over the past week. "Many of the deaths experienced over the past week were among older individuals living alone in private residences with minimal ventilation," Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement. Temperatures have been easing in coastal areas of Canada, but there is not much respite for inland regions. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said it was bracing for more wildfires throughout the weekend.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57703853
     
         
      Can hydrogen fuel help drive towards green future? Sat, 3rd Jul 2021 17:45:00
     
      "There's no doubting that diesel is messy," says Dougie Choppen, who has been working on the railway for about 45 years. He is now part of a small but dedicated team at a site in Bo'ness halfway through building Scotland's first train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which will emit nothing more than steam and condensed water. "You think back to the damage that we've probably caused to the planet, the fumes that came off main line locomotives filling the shed full of fumes, filling the railway station full of fumes at times. Yeah, it does make you think," he said. The diesel "fumes" Dougie is referring to - shorthand for greenhouse gases - are not only bad for human health but are also a major contributor to the climate crisis. Big businesses are using climate change to make a case for hydrogen. Those with a stake in the industry want the UK government to nail down a "bold" hydrogen strategy, and soon, which is said to be coming this year. A new survey by business campaign group Hydrogen Strategy Now says without it we'll miss out on investment and job creation. But it's not a simple story and a critical eye from environmental groups is closely watching how this plays out. The train being built in Bo'ness will be powered by "green" hydrogen, which is made using renewable energy to power the electrolysis of water. It uses a lot of energy and is pricey - and added to that, when the hydrogen is on board the train, it will then be converted (via a fuel cell) back into electricity to power the train. Electricity - to hydrogen - back to electricity. Which begs the question: isn't this really energy inefficient? "Absolutely." A surprising answer from the CEO of Arcola Energy, the company in charge of the train build. But Ben Todd doesn't shy away from the criticisms of hydrogen, he believes it holds a place in a bigger picture. "If you want the most efficient process just go from direct electricity, overhead cables, into the motor, that's the most efficient way to drive a train," he says. "So if you've got that option, do it. "The next most efficient approach would be to take that electricity put it into a battery, use the battery to drive the motor. "The hydrogen fuel cell makes sense where those two options don't work and you're stuck with diesel." For him, decarbonisation is about using all the tools you have and hydrogen playing a role in the transport, industry and heating tasks that batteries are struggling to fulfil. "So I say use the right technology everywhere," Mr Todd says. "There are plenty of places where it makes really good sense to do fuel cells, the business case works, the technical case works, so it's horses for courses." He, like other enthusiasts, reckon the price tag on hydrogen will go down if business is scaled up, which is why he's pushing for a UK strategy to build market confidence. LOW CARBON HYDROGEN The Scottish government believes Scotland has many of the key natural resources and components necessary to grow a strong hydrogen economy and, as such, is investing £100m to drive it forward. The UK government too says "low carbon hydrogen" will be essential for achieving net zero targets - that is balancing the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. But notice the term "low carbon hydrogen". "First of all I think hydrogen is essential for the energy transition for having a chance to get to net zero, for keeping the climate in check," says Erik Dalhuijsen, who worked in the oil industry as an engineer for about 30 years before he got involved in climate change activism six years ago. "Now the problem is where does the hydrogen come from?," he says. "Because hydrogen in itself is an energy carrier so you need to make it from something. And green hydrogen has the potential for being an important part of the energy system of the future. "Whereas the "grey" and "blue" hydrogen - one of them is made from natural gas, the other one is made from natural gas but using carbon capture - cannot achieve net zero. "If the hydrogen strategy doesn't specify "green" hydrogen then it's dirty hydrogen and you cannot use that in the long term to get to net zero." Friends of the Earth Scotland, fear the push for hydrogen is fossil fuels through the back door. Climate campaigner Jess Cowell says: "Green hydrogen risks diverting currently limited renewable energy supplies away from where it is needed in powering transport and keeping homes warm. "Fossil Hydrogen should not be developed or relied upon to cut emissions." 'THINKING OF GRANDKIDS' FUTURE' Back in Bo'ness, Dougie, Alan and Steve reminisce about driving diesels as they work on the hydrogen train. In the 70s it didn't cross their minds what it was doing to the environment. But this project has exposed them to the important role innovation will play in tackling climate change. "I've got a couple of young grandkids now, and you're thinking of their future." Steve McCredie tells me. "I feel really pleased and delighted that I'm part of that."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57693635
     
         
      Gloucestershire plan to plant 35 million trees 'overly ambitious' Sat, 3rd Jul 2021 17:43:00
     
      A council has admitted its plan to plant 35 million trees by 2030 might be "overly ambitious". Gloucestershire County Council agreed the pledge in October and published it in its corporate strategy in February. The council has so far planted 10,380 trees in total, which is roughly the daily figure needed to meet its target. Cabinet member David Gray said what mattered was taking quick and pragmatic steps for tree planting but added that hedges were better for biodiversity. Opposition councillors criticised the Conservative-led council at a meeting this week. A GREENER COUNTY Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Hodgkinson asked: "Can you tell us why you are not on target so far and that you will definitely hit that 35 million?" In response Mr Gray said the council had an "ambitious" tree planting programme and was committed to planting a large number of trees and making the county greener. "Whether we get to 35 million in that [length of] time, I think that's probably overly ambitious." "We have established a number of partnership arrangements where we are talking to people like the Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission and others where substantial numbers of new trees will come forward to be planted." He said an "obsessive focus" on planting trees was unhelpful though as planting hedges was more effective in terms of biodiversity and capturing carbon dioxide, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-57697998
     
         
      Scottish Greens say SQA teaching benefits of climate change Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 17:39:00
     
      Scotland's exams body is under fire from the Scottish Greens for asking pupils to give explanations on the "positive" effects of climate change. The party says it is "deeply inappropriate" for the SQA to specify that the pros and cons of the issue should be given "equal consideration". The instruction is in the National 5 Geography course specification. The SQA said: "Analysing and evaluating a variety of views is essential to critical thinking." The geography course document provides examples of the alleged benefits of climate change such as "increased tourism to more northerly latitudes" and "improved crop yields". Ross Greer, the Scottish Greens' education spokesman, said all reputable climate science warned that increased crop failures and widespread famines are an inevitable consequence of the climate emergency. He said the climate emergency was "the single most challenging crisis we are ever going to face as a species". There might be what appear to be short-term benefits, he said, but they pale in comparison to the colossal crises that we will face. Mr Greer said Scotland will not see climate change benefitting tourism but rather millions of refugees are going to need a safe home in cooler northerly latitudes because large chunks of the world are going to uninhabitable within his lifetime. 'FALSE EQUIVALENCE' He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It would not be remotely appropriate if the history course specification said that pupils need to give 'equal consideration' to the economic benefits that came from the Second World War. "There were some huge advances and benefits to humanity but you would never claim that you should give that equal consideration to the horrors of the Second World War." "False equivalence is not critical thinking," Mr Greer said. The MSP said it would have been appropriate to say there will be things that appear to benefits but they will be quickly eliminated by the huge challenges that we face as a result. "There are no benefits that are anything close to equal to the colossal disadvantages that come from the crisis we face," he said. A spokesperson for SQA said: "SQA has worked with a wide range of external partners as part of its commitment to embedding learning for sustainability across all its qualifications. "In preparing students for the wider world it is important that they develop and employ critical skills. Analysing and evaluating a variety of views is essential to critical thinking." NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE The row comes after criticism of the BBC Bitesize revision service. Its climate change page for GCSE students noted that evidence shows the Earth's temperature is rising due to increasing greenhouse gases, and that this will lead to a "number of negative and positive effects". It listed positive impacts with benefits like "new tourist destinations becoming available" and frozen regions being able to grow crops. A spokesperson for the BBC said: "We have reviewed the page and are amending the content to be in line with current curricula."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57693633
     
         
      It’s Friday, July 2, and the U.K. is accelerating its deadline for quitting coal. Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 17:36:00
     
      The United Kingdom is planning to end all coal-fired electricity generation by October 2024, moving up the country’s previous target by a full year. The new timeline is designed to “send a clear signal around the world that the U.K. is leading the way in consigning coal power to the history books,” said Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the country’s energy and climate change minister, in a statement on Wednesday. The announcement comes months before the United Nations’ annual climate change summit, COP26, which will be hosted in November in Glasgow. Ending coal-fired electricity does not mean ending coal extraction. The U.K. will still be mining coal for export and using it in industrial processes like steel production, and a heavily protested brand-new coal mine is still under consideration in Northern England. Despite these caveats, any move to reduce coal consumption is good for the climate. Coal-fired electricity is extremely carbon-intensive, accounting for 30 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions globally. It’s also a major source of fine particulate matter, a deadly air pollutant; fine particulate pollution from fossil fuels killed 8.7 million people globally in 2018. Sam Fankhauser, a professor of climate change economics and policy at the University of Oxford, told Forbes that the target “merely formalizes a development that has all but been secured already through a combination of market forces, renewable subsidies, and climate and environmental policies.” Nonetheless, Fankhauser called the accelerated timeline “a welcome milestone of big symbolic value.” The village of Lytton in British Columbia baked in the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Canada for three days in a row this week. On Tuesday, the town hit 121 degrees Fahrenheit. A day later, a wildfire broke out, forcing the entire population to evacuate and destroying 90 percent of the village. A Des Moines-based anti-pipeline activist has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for conspiring to damage the Dakota Access pipeline. Jessica Reznicek, 39, admitted to setting fire to pipeline construction equipment and damaging four pipeline valves in Iowa in 2016 and 2017. The acting U.S. attorney general called Reznicek’s actions a “crime of terrorism.” Climate researchers have long thought that a circular current called the Beaufort Gyre would keep sea ice trapped in the Arctic’s Wandel Sea, preserving crucial habitat for polar bears and Arctic wildlife throughout the summer. But a new paper shows that the ice there is thinning and may be less resistant to global warming than researchers previously believed.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/832407096/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Climate change: Will UK mining drive a green revolution? Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 13:56:00
     
      The rapid growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles means the demand for the minerals they rely on is set to soar. By 2030, the world could need half as much tin again, and for lithium the increase is a massive 500% by 2050 according to the World Bank. With battery production set to start in the UK, could the answer to their supply lie in the rocks of Cornwall? Bumping around in the back of a truck, we descend underground. Just the headlights guide our way into the gloomy tunnels ahead. We’re heading into South Crofty mine in Cornwall, where copper and tin have been excavated for hundreds of years. "This tunnel, we believe, is Elizabethan, so it dates back to the 1500s,” says Richard Williams, CEO of Cornish Metals, as we enter one of the oldest parts of the site. But access is limited. Much of the mine flooded after South Crofty shut in 1998. Now though, it may open again. With the growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles, demand for some minerals is soaring. "Next-generation solar panels use a compound called tin perovskite; anything with an electric connection, a circuit board has tin in it," explains Mr Williams. "We'd be contributing to the UK's objective of meeting its carbon neutral target by 2050. And to have that domestic supply on your doorstep, it makes sense to see this mine put back into production." The rocks of this region hold a metal of great interest, too. Lithium was discovered in Cornwall about 150 years ago, but back then there was little need for it. It’s a very different story today. Lithium is the main component of the batteries that electric cars use. And with the UK's ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars that comes into force in 2030, we will need more and more of it. Half an hour away, we head to a site extracting the metal. It’s about as different as it gets from a deep, dusty mine. On the edge of an industrial estate, a small borehole has been drilled that reaches about a kilometre beneath the ground. "Down there are geothermal waters that are circulating naturally within fractures in the rock," explains Lucy Crane, the chief geologist at Cornish Lithium. The lithium from the rocks seeps into this underground water, and the brine is pumped back up to the surface. The company has just started testing different technologies to extract the metal. The idea is to draw out the lithium and then, once it’s removed, inject the water back underground so the process can be repeated. The energy used to power this process will be from a renewable source - the natural heat from the deep rocks can be converted into electricity, making the process carbon-neutral. "If we're going to be producing these metals to go into low-carbon technologies, then it's so important that we extract them as responsibly as possible,” Lucy Crane tells me. Currently, lithium is either mined directly from rocks in Australia or taken from salt lakes in South America. But Cornish Lithium thinks it could eventually supply about a third of the UK's future lithium needs. "The UK’s demand for lithium is going to be about 75,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate from 2035,” explains Jeremy Wrathall the founder and CEO of Cornish Lithium. "To put it into perspective, that's about a fifth of total global supply right now. So the UK is going to really need a lot of this stuff." The World Bank estimates that globally the production of lithium will need to increase by 500% by 2050. Other products essential to the green economy, such as graphite and cobalt, will need a similar boost in supply. "The irony of the green revolution is that we - at least for the medium to short term - need a supply of new metals mined out of the ground," says Prof Richard Herrington, head of earth sciences at London’s Natural History Museum. He believes an urgent conversation is needed to assess where and how these minerals are extracted. "Ideally, we should work towards a circular economy where we just recycle the metals we use. But at this moment in time, we can't do that. It's just that the growth is too fast, it's too rapid. "And to hit the target of net zero, we need those technologies now, so I think it's inevitable we will continue mining." But mining in the future will have to be different, to minimise and repair any environmental damage. "What we really need to do is make sure that mining can be done in a sustainable way, so that the legacy isn't a scarred landscape, isn't something that is causing problems for the population and for the ecosystem." A green revolution is pointless, Prof Herrington argues, unless the planet is protected in the process.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57534978
     
         
      Climate change: Extremes committee validates Antarctic record heat Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 13:52:00
     
      A new record high temperature for the Antarctic continent of +18.3C has been confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It occurred on 6 February last year at Argentina's Esperanza research station. The mark was widely reported at the time but has now been validated by a WMO committee set up to check extreme weather data from around the globe. The same group rejected an even higher Antarctic claim for 2020 of +20.75C, "recorded" on Seymour Island. This again received international headlines, but the committee found the sensor set-up incorporated into a Brazilian permafrost experiment had not been properly protected from direct sunlight. Thermometers are supposed to record air temperatures inside a ventilated covering, or screen. The WMO team said that on Seymour Island this took the form of a modified length of scaffolding pipe and would likely therefore have introduced a warming bias into any data readings. Nonetheless, temperatures on the normally frigid Antarctic continent have been rising, especially along its peninsula - the great tongue of terrain that stretches north in the direction of South America. Over the last 50 years, the peninsula warmed almost three degrees. And although no official temperature recording has yet gone above +20C on the continent and its close-by islands, it's just a matter of time, says Prof John King from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). "If you consider all the area covered by the Antarctic Treaty - that's all land south of 60 degrees South latitude - then we had a temperature of +19.8C in January 1982 on Signy Island. "Okay, that's from the maritime Antarctic rather than the continent proper, but I wouldn't rule out seeing +20C temperatures somewhere in the northeast Antarctic Peninsula sometime within the next decade," the WMO extremes committee member told BBC News. One of the drivers of the rise in temperatures is the strengthened westerlies that now blow around the continent. This powerful airflow produces warming conditions on the eastern, leeward side of the peninsula's mountainous spine. Such warm, downslope winds are well known across the Earth, and wherever they occur they tend to have a local name. The Chinook winds that drop over the Rockies and Cascades in North America are an example of this phenomenon. In the Antarctic, they are known as Foehn winds - a title originally used in Alpine Europe. The incidence of these warmer conditions has been increasing on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Foehn winds appear also to be moving poleward as well. "The occurrence of Foehn winds varies greatly from year to year," explained Prof King. "During the latter part of the last century, there was a strengthening and somewhat southward movement of the circumpolar westerly winds, which meant that this was probably contributing towards more intense Foehn on the eastern side of the peninsula and hence the rather rapid warming trend we saw there. "That strengthening trend in the westerlies eased off a bit towards the end of the 20th Century and into the first part of the 21st Century, which meant the temperature trend also eased off a bit. But I think there are now indications that this phenomenon is picking up again, and is likely to be an important contributor to future warming in the region." The Antarctic continent spans an area of 14 million sq km (roughly twice the size of Australia), and is covered by 26.5 million cubic km of ice. Its weather stations are sparse but average annual temperature are seen to range from about ?10C at the coast to -60C in the highest parts of the interior. Satellites can measure the "skin temperature", or the temperature "to the touch", of the continent and have taken readings below even -90C in places. But meteorologists are concerned with standard air temperatures and these are measured about 1.5m off the surface. Using this definition, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Antarctic stands at -89.2C. This occurred at the Russian Vostok station on 21 July 1983.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57676695
     
         
      Change needed to tackle climate crisis, Queen says Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 13:48:00
     
      Tackling climate change will mean a change to "the way we do things", the Queen has said as she met experts on global warming in Edinburgh. The Queen and the Princess Royal visited the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) ahead of COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. It was the monarch's final engagement as part of the traditional Royal Week visit to Scotland. She arrived at the University of Edinburgh in a hybrid 4x4 vehicle. During her visit she was shown a wave energy converter model, which is designed to provide cost-effective clean electricity. The Queen spoke to experts from Climate XChange, an independent research group that advises the Scottish government. Regarding the impact of tackling the global issue, she said: "It does mean we are going to have to change the way we do things really, in the end." Anne Marte Bergeseng, knowledge exchange manager at the organisation, said her discussion with the monarch covered "everything" about a greener future and what that means for our way of living. The tour coincided with the announcement of the Edinburgh Earth Initiative (EEI), a project aiming to boost global leadership on the adaption to and mitigation of climate change. EEI will be a focal point for the university's research on the climate, and will have an emphasis on supporting global partnerships to deliver solutions. The Queen and her daughter Anne also met representatives from the Children's Parliament who explained their recent contribution to Scotland's Climate Assembly. The children presented the monarch with two rowan trees that will be planted as part of the Queen's Green Canopy, a UK-wide tree planting initiative to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee next year. 'MASSIVE HONOUR' The Queen finished the event by unveiling a plaque for the institute and listening to a speech from university principal Peter Mathieson. He spoke about the challenges faced by the workforce during the pandemic and what it may mean for the future. After the presentation, the Queen said: "It's very unnatural for us, obviously we're going to have to change our lives a bit. "Nothing can be quite normal again or what we thought." Dave Reay, ECCI executive director, described the royal visit as "amazing". "It's a massive honour to have Her Majesty and Her Royal Highness come to visit the ECCI and be so interested in all the different actions we have been taking," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57683828
     
         
      The scientists hired by big oil who predicted the climate crisis long ago Fri, 2nd Jul 2021 11:00:00
     
      As early as 1958, the oil industry was hiring scientists and engineers to research the role that burning fossil fuels plays in global warming. The goal at the time was to help the major oil conglomerates understand how changes in the Earth’s atmosphere may affect the industry – and their bottom line. But what top executives gained was an early preview of the climate crisis, decades before the issue reached public consciousness. What those scientists discovered – and what the oil companies did with that information – is at the heart of two dozen lawsuits attempting to hold the fossil fuel industry responsible for their role in climate change. Many of those cases hinge on the industry’s own internal documents that show how, 40 years ago, researchers predicted the rising global temperatures with stunning accuracy. But looking back, many of those same scientists say they were hardly whistleblowers out to take down big oil. Some researchers later testified before Congress, using their insider knowledge to highlight the ways in which the oil industry misled the public. Others say they have few qualms with how the petroleum giants handled their research. Few, however, could have predicted the imprint their work would have on history in efforts to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for our climate emergency. The Guardian tracked down three of those scientists to see how they view their role today. Dr Martin Hoffert, 83, physicist and Exxon consultant from 1981 to 1987 When I started consulting for Exxon, I had already begun to understand that the Earth’s climate would be affected by carbon dioxide. There were only a small number of people in the world who were actively working on this problem because the global warming signal had not yet manifested itself in the data. So I was invited to join a research group at Exxon and one of my conditions to join was that we would publish our scientific research in peer-reviewed journals. It was a bunch of geeks trying to figure out how the planetary atmosphere works. We were doing very good work at Exxon. We had eight scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals, including a prediction of how much global warming from carbon dioxide buildup would be 40 years later. We made a prediction in 1980 of what the atmospheric warming would be from fossil fuel burning in 2020. We predicted that it would be about one degree celsius. And it is about one degree celsius. It never actually occurred to me that this was going to become a political problem. I thought: “We’ll do the analyses, we’ll write reports, the politicians of the world will see the reports and they’ll make the appropriate changes and transform our energy system somehow.” I’m a research scientist. In my field, if you discover something and it turns out to be valid, you’re a hero. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to convince people, even when they saw objective evidence of this happening. Back in 1980, there was a guy working for Exxon and he was one of the inventors of the lithium battery, which electric cars now use. This guy won the Nobel prize in chemistry for his work on lithium batteries. Just imagine if Exxon management had taken our prediction seriously! They could have easily built huge factories to make lithium batteries to facilitate the transition to electric cars. Instead, they fired this guy. They shut down all their energy work. And they started funding climate deniers. Very often people will ask me: “How much time do we have left before we can prevent this problem?” We don’t have any time left. It’s already happening. Ken Croasdale, 82, researcher and engineer at Imperial Oil from 1968 to 1992 When I was working for Imperial Oil in the late 1980s, I was heading up a small group responsible for the research and development that we were doing in relation to the Arctic. My specialty was in building offshore structures in the Arctic region. In the early 90s, I did an assessment: if we did have temperatures rise in the Arctic, what might we expect in terms of ice conditions and how would those changes influence how we operate? I was looking specifically at offshore operations. When we look at engineering structures, we’re interested in how thick the ice is. One of the issues was: how much thinner might the ice be in a warming world? How would that affect how we design our platforms? Climate research wasn’t a big deal for the company, at that time. There was a lot of uncertainty, so people would shrug their shoulders a little bit. You’d say, “you need to look at this,” and they’d say “maybe we do, maybe we don’t.” It wasn’t looming big as an issue at that time. My personal view is that climate change is occurring. But the primary driver is population and consumption. When my grandfather was born, the world population was about 1.3 billion. When I was born it was 2.2 billion, and today it is 7.5 billion. The UN predicts a population of about 10 billion by 2055. In my opinion this is the primary driver of everything relating to our worsening environment. I personally don’t have any discomfort having worked for the oil companies. All the people I worked with were just as honest and ethical as people I’ve worked with in other organizations. I don’t feel like I’m helping the “evil empire” – I don’t feel any shame. I’m just helping a company that produces a product that is still massively consumed worldwide. Steve Lonergan, 71, Exxon consultant from 1989 to 1990 I was involved in research on the social and economic impacts of climate change on Canada’s north in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At the time, there weren’t a lot of people doing this kind of work. Exxon Canada asked me if I would provide an assessment of how this would affect their operations in the north. The models were regional at best, and could only provide general projections under different levels of carbon dioxide, or CO2. This was a technical group, and I have no idea whether they had any influence on Exxon’s senior management. There were a few engineers who were concerned about the issue of global warming. Whether they spoke up is another question. Most of the scientists at the time accepted that these types of changes in CO2 emissions were going to affect temperature and precipitation. The public did not, of course, and the industries did not, and the governments generally did not. But most of the scientific community was close to unanimous. It was nothing really new to any of us. At that time, the models were very general, but they did give you a sense that the farther north you go, the greater the warming is going to be. And the main reason for that is that the ice will melt. The question was, “What does it mean in terms of permafrost? What does it mean for ice breakup?” My partner and I were interested in looking not just at average temperature or average precipitation, but the variability, the extremes. We started trying to figure out how we could model extremes in temperature and precipitation. This is important for the north because there are communities where their refrigeration is just a crate outside in the winter. So you can put reindeer meat in it and it freezes naturally. But if you get extremes with above-freezing temperatures in January, that poses a problem for food supply. We did some modeling and our conclusion was that if CO2 levels doubled, the probability was 50% that on any given day in January, a place that was normally -32 degrees would actually get above freezing. Six or seven years later, every day for two weeks was above freezing, and all the reindeer meat thawed out. I didn’t expect it would happen that quickly. That was the biggest shock. For a long time, I wasn’t a member of the Sierra Club or the Western Canadian Wilderness Society and so on, because I wanted to be seen as an objective observer. I wanted to be seen as somebody whose advocacy was through their research. Climate change is a very important environmental issue and so we need good research behind it. We have people like Greta Thunberg, and we absolutely need them. But we also need the scientific community to show the evidence for some of the changes that were happening. That’s the role I felt I played.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/02/scientists-climate-crisis-big-oil-climate-crimes
     
         
      Billions risk being without access to water and sanitation services by 2030 Thu, 1st Jul 2021 17:32:00
     
      Latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that three in 10 people worldwide could not wash their hands with soap and water at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, yet millions of people across the world lack access to a reliable, safe supply of water”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. PROGRESS MADE The Joint Monitoring Programme report,?Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000 – 2020, did, however, offer some good news on universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services (or WASH for short). Between 2016 and 2020, it showed that access to safely managed drinking water at home, increased from 70 to 74 per cent; sanitation services went from 47 to 54 per cent; and handwashing facilities with soap and water, rose from 67 to 71 per cent. And rather than sewer connections, last year for the first time, more people used pit latrines, septic tanks and other improved on-site sanitation to effectively contain and treat waste. “Despite our impressive progress to date, to scale-up these lifesaving services, the alarming and growing needs continue to outstrip our ability to respond”, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. To maintain progress, the two UN agencies underscored the need for governments to adequately support safely managed on-site sanitation, including faecal sludge. The study also made clear that if current trends persist, by 2030 billions of children and families would be left without life-saving WASH services. It notes that still only 81 per cent of the world’s population would have access to safe drinking water at home, leaving 1.6 billion without; just 67 per cent would have safe sanitation services, leaving 2.8 billion in the lurch; and only 78 per cent would have basic handwashing facilities, leaving 1.9 billion adrift. “Investment in water, sanitation and hygiene must be a global priority if we are to end this pandemic and build more resilient health systems”, Tedros stressed. INEQUALITIES PREVAIL The report also noted vast inequalities – with vulnerable children and families suffering the most. At the current rate of progress, for least developed countries (LDCs) to access safely managed drinking water by 2030, the study spelled out that there would need to be a ten-fold increase. “Even before the pandemic, millions of children and families were suffering without clean water, safe sanitation, and a place to wash their hands”, said the UNICEF chief. “The time has come to dramatically accelerate our efforts to provide every child and family with the most basic needs for their health and well-being, including fighting off infectious diseases like COVID-19.” SPOTLIGHTING WOMEN For the first time, the report also presented emerging national data on menstrual health. In many countries, it showed a significant proportion of women and girls are unable to meet their menstrual health needs. And disparities are significant among vulnerable groups, such as the poor and those with disabilities.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1095202
     
         
      Climate change: 'Last refuge' for polar bears is vulnerable to warming Thu, 1st Jul 2021 13:44:00
     
      A new study finds that an area of the Arctic Ocean critical for the survival of polar bears is fast becoming vulnerable to climate change. The region, dubbed the "last ice area" had been expected to stay frozen far longer than other parts of the Arctic. But this new analysis says that this area suffered record melting last summer. The researchers say that high winds allied to a changing climate were behind the unexpected decline. The Wandel Sea area, to the north of Greenland, is part of what scientists call the "last ice area". Normally, this region retains thick, multi-year ice all year round. "Sea ice circulates through the Arctic, it has a particular pattern, and it naturally ends up piling up against Greenland and the northern Canadian coast," said Axel Schweiger, from the University of Washington and lead author of this latest study. "In climate models, when you spin them forward over the coming century, that area has the tendency to have ice survive in the summer the longest." Scientists consider the area to be an important last refuge for Arctic marine mammals including polar bears, ice-dependent seals and walruses. Polar bears in the area use the ice to hunt for seals who build dens to raise their young on the frozen water. In August last year, the German research vessel, the Polarstern sailed across the Wandel Sea, and unexpectedly encountered stretches of open water where thick ice would normally be found. Researchers have now used a combination of satellite imagery and sea ice models to understand what happened in the region. Adding to the puzzle were satellite measurements from spring last year showing that sea ice in the Wandel Sea was thicker than in recent years. However, by August 2020, the images showed a record low of just 50% ice concentration. According to the researchers, unusually strong winds moved much of the sea ice out of the area - but this was enhanced by a thinning trend, related to warming, that's been going on for years. "During the winter and spring of 2020, you had patches of older, thicker ice that had drifted into there, but there was enough thinner, newer ice that melted to expose open ocean," said Axel Schweiger. "That began a cycle of absorbing heat energy to melt more ice, in spite of the fact that there was some thick ice." The researchers say that the record melt was 80% due to weather related factors such as the winds, and 20% from thinning related to climate change. Ironically, in 2019, Canada designated part of the last ice area as a marine protected area - named Tuvaijuittuq, which in the language of the people who live in the area means "the place where the ice never melts". The authors say their new work suggests that climate models might need to be re-examined, as most did not predict the low sea ice concentration seen in the region in 2020 for several decades or more into the future. The study also raises questions about the impacts of more open water on marine mammals in the area. "We know very little about marine mammals in the last ice area," said co-author Kristin Laidre, also from the University of Washington. "We have almost no historical or present-day data, and the reality is that there are a lot more questions than answers about the future of these populations."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57682081
     
         
      Canada heatwave: Hundreds of sudden deaths recorded Thu, 1st Jul 2021 13:38:00
     
      Hundreds of sudden deaths, many of them suspected of being heat-related, have been reported during Canada's record-breaking heatwave, officials say. Some 486 fatalities were recorded over the past five days in British Columbia alone, a 195% increase on the usual amount over that period. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered condolences to families of the victims, many of whom were elderly. Abnormally high temperatures have been recorded across North America. British Columbia Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said on Wednesday: "It is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather BC has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province." She said many of those who died in the heatwave had lived alone in homes that were not ventilated. Ms Lapointe added that the western province had only seen three heat-related deaths over the past three to five years. On Wednesday evening, the town of Lytton, British Columbia, was evacuated because of a wildfire - a day after it recorded Canada's highest ever temperature of 49.6C (121.3F). Mayor Jan Polderman told CBC News: "The whole town is on fire. It took like a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to all of a sudden there being fire everywhere." The heat over western parts of Canada and the US has been caused by a dome of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories. Temperatures have been easing in coastal areas but there is not much respite for inland regions. The weather system is now moving eastwards over the Prairie provinces - Alberta and Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba have been placed under Environment Canada heat warnings. Janice Houldsworth, who lives in the British Columbia community of Castlegar, told the BBC she had not ventured outdoors for four days. "I've never experienced anything like this in all my 70 years," she said. "We have blackened out all the windows, have fans running 24/7 constantly spraying with mist, cold foot baths, and showers and [are] drinking tons of liquid." In Vancouver alone, heat is believed to have been a contributing factor in the deaths of 65 people since Friday. At an affordable housing event in Kanata, Ontario, Mr Trudeau described heatwaves as a growing problem, and went on to talk about climate change. Canada's southern neighbour, the United States, has also seen extreme heat. In the US Pacific Northwest on Monday, temperatures hit 46.6C (116F) in Portland, Oregon, and 42.2C (108F) in Seattle, Washington, the highest levels since record-keeping began in the 1940s, the National Weather Service said. In Oregon, authorities say at least 63 people have died from health issues related to the hot weather over the past few days. Forty-five of those deaths were recorded in Multnomah County. At least 16 people have died in Washington state's King and Snohomish counties. US President Joe Biden has also linked the heatwave to climate change in a speech.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57668738
     
         
      Canada weather: Dozens dead as heatwave shatters records Wed, 30th Jun 2021 18:04:00
     
      Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records. Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 130 sudden deaths since Friday. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor. Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday - 49.6C (121.3F) in Lytton, British Columbia. The US north-west has also seen record highs - and a number of fatalities. Experts say climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated. US President Joe Biden said the heatwave was tied to climate change in a speech on Tuesday as he pitched a plan to update the country's infrastructure network. On Wednesday he is meeting with governors of western US states and fire officials, as the annual North American wildfire season begins. The heat over western parts of Canada and the US has been caused by a dome of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories. Temperatures have been easing in coastal areas but there is not much respite for inland regions. Before Sunday, temperatures in Canada had never passed 45C. British Columbia Premier John Horgan said the hottest week the province had ever experienced had led to "disastrous consequences for families and for communities". The number of heat-related fatalities is likely to rise as some areas say they have responded to sudden death incidents but have yet to collate the numbers. In Vancouver alone, heat is believed to have been a contributing factor in the unexpected deaths of 65 people since Friday. "I've been a police officer for 15 years and I've never experienced the volume of sudden deaths that have come in in such a short period of time," police sergeant Steve Addison said. Three or four a day is the normal number. He said people were arriving at relatives' homes and "finding them deceased". Dozens of officers have been redeployed in the city, while the increased volume of emergency calls has created a backlog and depleted police resources. British Columbia Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said 100 more deaths than normal had been reported in the period from Friday to Monday. The tiny village of Lytton, about 155 miles (250 km) east of Vancouver - and not much further south than London - has recorded all of Canada's recent record highs. Resident Meghan Fandrich said it had been "almost impossible" to go outside. "It's been intolerable," she told the Globe & Mail newspaper. "We're trying to stay indoors as much as possible. We're used to the heat, and it's a dry heat, but 30 [degrees] is a lot different from 47." Many homes in British Columbia do not have air conditioning as temperatures are usually far milder during the summer months. One Vancouver resident told AFP news agency that hotels seemed to be sold out, as people flocked there for air-conditioning, adding: "I've never seen anything like this. I hope it never becomes like this ever again." The country's weather service, Environment Canada, has issued heat warnings for the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, along with areas of Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. Jodi Hughes, weather anchor at Global News Calgary, told the BBC that firefighters were extremely concerned at the possibility of wild fires, possibly sparked by thunderstorms that could occur as the weather pattern changes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57654133
     
         
      UK government's 'toothless policies' failing to protect nature Wed, 30th Jun 2021 13:28:00
     
      A committee of MPs has lambasted the UK government's approach to nature, saying it is failing to stem huge losses of plants and species. Their report says that the UK has the lowest remaining levels of biodiversity among the world's richer nations. The MPs say the government spends far more on exploiting the natural environment than it does conserving it. They're calling for legally binding targets for nature similar to the UK's climate laws. Across the globe, a massive decline in the numbers of plant and animals species is ongoing, with up to a million currently under threat of extinction. According to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), the UK reflects this international picture, with 15% of species under significant threat. Over the past decade, the UK has failed to meet a raft of international targets to preserve nature, say the MPs. Among the richest G7 nations, the UK now has the lowest level of biodiversity According to the report, existing policies and targets are simply inadequate and not joined up across government. In recent months, the government has outlined a state of nature target to halt the decline in England by 2030. But MPs say that legally-binding interim targets are needed for the plan to work, and they should measure species distribution, extinction risk, habitat condition and extent. While the committee welcomed the government's pledge to protect 30% of the UK's land and seas by 2030, it said "simply designating areas as protected is not enough". These areas are often poorly-managed, say the MPs, and previous recommendations on how to improve them have not been taken up. The MPs are also calling for a ban on peat products to be brought forward, along with the removal of any subsidies that harm nature. "Although there are countless government policies and targets to 'leave the environment in a better state than we found it', too often they are grandiose statements lacking teeth and devoid of effective delivery mechanisms," said the EAC chair, Philip Dunne MP. "We have no doubt that the ambition is there, but a poorly-mixed cocktail of ambitious targets, superficial strategies, funding cuts and lack of expertise is making any tangible progress incredibly challenging." The committee says that all government departments must consistently factor nature into their policy decisions. Without effective policies, the report says that "nature will continue to decline and the next generation will inherit a more depleted, damaged natural environment". Key recommendations in the report: - Just as the Climate Change Act enshrines legally-binding targets to cut carbon emissions, there should be legally-binding interim targets for a range of government policies to halt the decline of nature - The government should find alternatives to GDP as mean of measuring economic success, for example moving towards a concept of inclusive wealth, which would measure the UK's produced, human and natural capital - A severe shortage of trained ecologists is hampering efforts by local governments to oversee biodiversity policies - the committee recommends investment in training and skills as part of the government's plans for green jobs - A legally-binding target for soil health should be established - The committee supports the establishment of a Natural History GCSE in schools and recommends nature visits and teaching outside, to ensure that future generations value and protect biodiversity Responding to the report, Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "Our Environment Bill will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on Earth and drive forward action to protect nature and improve biodiversity, including through a target for species abundance for 2030, aiming to halt the decline of nature. "This is alongside our guaranteed £640m investment in the Nature for Climate Fund for woodland creation and peat restoration, plans to treble tree planting before the end of this Parliament, and increased protections for England's waters through pilots of Highly Protected Marine Areas." Mr Eustice said the government would respond to the EAC review in due course. Green groups have welcomed the tough language in the report. "Transformative change to reverse nature's decline, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee's scathing report, requires much more than standing on a podium spouting fine words," said Rebecca Newsom from Greenpeace UK. "We need legally-binding short-term targets, proper enforcement of environmental protections on land and at sea, with the funding to match, and a fundamental overhaul of government policy and legislation which puts nature at the heart of decision making." The report has been issued ahead of a number of key political summits in the upcoming months that will tackle the crises in climate change and species loss. The threat to biodiversity must be treated with urgency and ambition and raised up the political agenda, say the MPs. This has already happened with climate, it now needs to happen to nature as well.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57655098
     
         
      Climate change: Brecon carbon offset project planting giant sequoia Wed, 30th Jun 2021 10:33:00
     
      Nearly 500 saplings of the world's largest tree, the giant sequoia, have been planted in Brecon. The team behind the One Life One Tree project said it could be the largest plantation of its type in Europe and that every tree would offset a person's lifetime carbon footprint due to its size and lifespan. Each sequoia also has its own story, like the one planted by Gareth Jones in memory of his wife, Lucy. "I think she'd appreciate it," he said. "My wife, for the last 20 years of her life, worked as an international education consultant. "She travelled all over the world and she always felt that she was contributing to this carbon dioxide," said Mr Jones, from Rhoose in the Vale of Glamorgan. "She had three gold cards with different airline companies, and they were all maxed out - she was doing a lot of flying. So, this is payback time." Founder Henry Emson came up with the idea when he started thinking about ways to offset his children's lifetime carbon footprint. "I quite quickly realised that what people wanted was to be a part of something that was positive, to be a part of the solution," he said. "We are all repeatedly reminded about how much trouble the planet is in and the climate emergency. "That triggered me to think that I could offer this to other people to help them plant their giant sequoia and to be more climate responsible." The sequoia was chosen because it grows very quickly and can live for thousands of years. "What we have here is the opportunity to plant effectively the most powerful tree species on the planet for carbon capture," he said. "Sequoias stack carbon incredibly efficiently. "Over the space of, say, a hectare, a sequoia grove left for a hundred years, versus a natural native woodland planted, will capture 10 times more CO2 for that hectare of space." But he said it would take "a couple of hundred" years for each tree to bring someone's carbon footprint down to zero. "It comes with the acknowledgement that people need to do more in the short term to reduce emissions and that planting trees takes a long time, but this is about a legacy." Lindsay Perks planted a sequoia with her husband, Matt, and their two children, Annabelle, 12, and Will, seven, in memory of her father, Trevor, who died in February. "It was very difficult for him to talk about what he wanted for his funeral and we had no idea what to do," said Ms Perks, from Bristol. "But this was an idea he was really taken with. It feels like an appropriate thing to do. My dad liked woodwork. "To leave something as monumental as a tree that takes in so much carbon is a real treat to be able to do that for someone." Sequoias are best known for growing in their native California where some grow taller than 200ft (60m). In the middle of the 19th Century, some were planted in the UK by wealthy Victorians. One such grove is not far up the road in Leighton in Powys where some of the oldest sequoias, planted in 1857, are now taller than 130ft (40m). In Brecon, 1,500 native trees are being planted at the site, which used to be a timber plantation. Alongside the sequoias, native trees like oak and beech are being planted to increase biodiversity. Mr Emson said 1,000 people had signed up to the project, each paying £395 to plant a sequoia, and another site in Abergavenny had just been purchased. The project promises to donate the sequoias to a woodland charity to ensure the trees are not cut down and so they can eventually grow to tower over generations to come.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57636376
     
         
      Record-breaking ‘pressure-cooker’ heatwave hits Canada, US northwest Tue, 29th Jun 2021 17:28:00
     
      “An exceptional and dangerous heatwave is breaking in northwestern United States of America and western Canada; this is obviously a part of the world which is more accustomed to cool weather,” said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). “Temperatures are likely to reach as high as 45C by day for perhaps five or more days; so that’s a very long spell, with extremely warm nights in between.” According to the UN agency, in 2018, vulnerable over-65s faced a record 220 million more “heatwave exposures” than between the 1986 and 2005 average. ALL-TIME HIGH Canada’s all-time temperature record was broken on Sunday in Lytton, British Columbia, with a high of 46.6C. “This smashed the previous record – normally when you break a record, it’s by a small margin – this smashed the record by a full 1.6C,” Ms. Nullis said. Less than 24 hours later, on Monday, Lytton broke the record again, this time measuring 47.9C, despite the fact that “it’s in the province of British Columbia, it’s to the Rocky Mountains, the Glacier National Park, and yet we’re seeing temperatures which are more typical of the Middle East or North Africa,” Ms. Nullis continued. EXTREME THREATS Such extreme temperatures pose a major threat to people's health, agriculture and the environment “because the region is not used to such heat and many people do not have air conditioning”, WMO said in a statement, before welcoming the fact that the authorities had issued a series of early weather warnings to limit the risk to those most vulnerable. MID-WEEK PEAK Citing Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan, WMO said that higher temperatures would likely peak early this week on the coast and by the middle of the week for the interior of British Columbia; afterwards, the baking heat is expected to move east towards Alberta. “Yukon and North West Territories have recorded their all-time highest temperatures not just in June, but any point in the year. We are setting records that have no business in being set so early in the season,” said Mr. Castellan. WMO’s Ms. Nullis explained that the extreme heat is caused by “an atmospheric blocking pattern” which has led to a “heat dome” trapped by low pressure either side. “Normally you have the jet stream which is this vast high-moving belt of wind which …moves weather on, but it’s not happening this time...it’s almost like a pressure cooker effect and you’ve got very, very high heat.” EARLY SUMMER HEAT RISK The current heatwave follows another intensely hot period less than two weeks ago that baked the US desert Southwest and California, with hundreds of record highs. Other parts of the northern hemisphere have also seen exceptional early hot summer conditions, including north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, eastern Europe, Iran and the northwestern Indian continent. Daily temperatures have exceeded 45C in several locations and passed 50C in the Sahara. Western Russia and areas around the Caspian Sea have also seen unusually high temperatures, the result of a large area of high pressure. MOSCOW SIZZLER Temperatures in the Moscow region are expected to reach mid-30C by day and remain above 20C at night, WMO said, while areas nearer the Caspian Sea are expected to experience temperatures reaching mid-40C and remain above 25C. “It is likely that some all-time temperature records will be set during this heatwave,” WMO said, underscoring the impact of human-induced climate change, which has resulted in global temperatures being 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial levels.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094972
     
         
      Up to 410 million people at risk from sea level rises – study Tue, 29th Jun 2021 16:00:00
     
      Up to 410 million people will be living in areas less than 2 metres above sea level, and at risk from sea level rises, unless global emissions are reduced, according to a new study. The paper, published in Nature Communications, finds that currently 267 million people worldwide live on land less than 2 metres above sea level. Using a remote sensing method called Lidar, which pulsates laser light across coastal areas to measure elevation on the Earth’s surface, the researchers predicted that by 2100, with a 1 metre sea level rise and zero population growth, that number could increase to 410 million people. Their maps showed that 62% of the most at-risk land is concentrated in the tropics, with Indonesia having the largest extent of land at risk worldwide. These projections showed even more risk in the future, with 72% of the at-risk population in the tropics, and 59% in tropical Asia alone. Dr Aljosja Hooijer, specialist water resources expert for Deltares, an independent institute for applied research in water and subsurface, and the lead author of the study, said while the research was inherently uncertain, more focus was needed on tropical regions for long-term flood preventions. He said: “There’s a lot of scientists looking at long-term scenarios. But it’s happening now in parts of the world, and in these parts of the world, mostly in the tropics. And not just in south-east Asia, it’s also for instance in the Niger delta and Lagos. “If you look at sea level rise, the impact research to date is mostly focused on defining sea level rise scenarios. There has been relatively little attention to elevation data, and that is simply because people didn’t feel much could be done about it, including ourselves for a long time.” He was keen to stress that while this study was not a sea-level rise research project, the new elevation data model relied on accurate data, often not available in many parts of the world. “In some countries like the Netherlands, or parts of the UK, and much of the US, they have excellent data for these coastal zones, because they fly Lidar every four years. It costs tens of millions of euros just to cover the Netherlands. Obviously in much of the world, people don’t have that kind of funding,” Hooijer said. The climate emergency has caused sea levels to rise and more frequent and severe storms to occur, both of which increase flood risks in coastal environments. Last year, a survey published by Climate and Atmospheric Science, which aggregated the views of 106 specialists, suggested coastal cities should prepare for rising sea levels that could reach as high as 5 metres by 2300, which could engulf areas home to hundreds of millions of people. Maarten van Aalst, professor in climate and disaster resilience, and a contributing lead author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said: “These numbers are another wake-up call about the immense number of people at risk in low-lying areas, particularly in vulnerable countries in the global South, where people are often experiencing these risks as part of a toxic mix with other risk factors, currently also including Covid-19. “While risks have already been rising, we have made tremendous gains by better anticipating the hazards facing vulnerable populations, enabling effective evacuation, for instance reducing the lives lost to typhoons in Bangladesh from hundreds of thousands in the 1970s to about 120 in the case of supertyphoon Amphan last year. “But those people still return to devastated livelihoods, and left more vulnerable to the next shock that is bound to hit soon. Looking at a wider set of risks we found that we could see a doubling of the people requiring humanitarian aid by 2050.” Dr Sally Brown, deputy head of life and environmental sciences at Bournemouth University, said: “This research shows once again that many millions of people around the world are living in areas of flood risk. Sea-level rise increases the threat of flooding, which could have particularly severe impacts for communities and people’s livelihoods in developing nations.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/29/risk-from-sea-level-rises-unless-emissions-reduced
     
         
      Solar device generates electricity and desalinates water with no waste brine Mon, 28th Jun 2021 22:12:00
     
      A device that can generate electricity while desalinating seawater has been developed by researchers in Saudi Arabia and China, who claim that their new system is highly efficient at performing both tasks. The device uses waste heat from the solar cell for desalination, thereby cooling the solar cell. It also produces no concentrated brine as waste, cutting its potential environmental impact. In many parts of the world, climate change and population growth are putting huge demands on freshwater supplies. In some coastal regions, desalination – removing the salt from brackish water or seawater to turn it into fresh water – is increasingly being used to meet demand. Indeed, there are now around 16,000 desalination plants around the world producing about 95?million cubic metres of freshwater every day . However, current desalination systems can be expensive and energy hungry, producing significant carbon emissions. The process can also produce highly concentrated salt water, or brine, as well as freshwater. This brine can also contain toxic chemicals introduced during the desalination process and if not disposed of properly, it can have negative environmental impacts. EFFICIENCY TRADE-OFF Climate change is also driving demand for renewable energy, like solar power. Simultaneous electricity and freshwater production using the waste heat from solar cells for desalination has been touted as a way to cut the energy required for desalination. However, this has typically resulted in a trade-off between efficient electricity generation and efficient desalination. Now, Wenbin Wang at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia and colleagues claim to have developed a new device called a PV-membrane distillation-evaporative crystallizer (PME) that combines efficient desalination and electricity generation. PME consists of a solar panel on top of a multistage membrane distillation (MSMD) component. The MSMD uses waste heat from the solar cell to drive water evaporation, and is designed to collect and reuse latent heat from vapour condensation in each distillation stage to drive evaporation in the next stage. COOLER RUNNING In laboratory tests simulating solar illumination at an ambient temperature of 24 °C, the temperature of the solar cell on the PME was around 14 °C cooler than an identical solar cell not mounted on a MSMD component. The led to almost 8% more electricity production, compared to the bare solar cell. In the same test, the PME produced fresh water from seawater at a rate of about 2.4 kg/m2h, which is almost double that previously reported for a combined solar and desalination device. “The high desalination performance of this design is attributed to the recycling of the latent heat of vapour condensation,” Wang told Physics World, adding that previous devices have not recycled latent heat. Each of the five stages of the MSMD consists of four parts: a thermal conduction layer, an evaporation layer, a hydrophobic membrane, and a condensation layer. The conduction layer transports heat from the solar cell or previous distillation stage to the evaporation layer. Seawater flows into the evaporation layer and, driven by the heat, some water evaporates. The water vapour then passes through a porous hydrophobic membrane and condenses in the condensation layer as freshwater. EVAPORATIVE CRYSTALLIZER The MSMD device sits on an evaporative crystallizer that uses latent heat from the last distillation phase to evaporate off the liquid from the final concentrated brine that is produced alongside the freshwater, leaving behind only solid salt. Evaporation and condensation through the system is governed by the vapour pressure gradient between the evaporation layer and condensation layer in each stage. A theoretical model suggests that the hydrophobic membranes are key to achieving simultaneous PV cooling and a high rate of water production. “The key development with this device is the utilization of the hydrophobic membrane with a low thickness and high porosity, which is guided by our theoretical model,” Wang says. “Previous work mainly utilized the hydrophobic membrane with a high thickness to reduce the thermal conduction loss and our theoretical model found that the reducing the thickness of hydrophobic membrane can achieve a high desalination performance and low solar cell temperature simultaneously.” “We are currently scaling up this device and planning to build a photovoltaic farm that combines electricity generation and seawater desalination,” Wang says.
       
      Full Article: https://physicsworld.com/a/solar-device-generates-electricity-and-desalinates-water-with-no-waste-brine/
     
         
      Canada weather: Heat hits record 46.6C as US north-west also sizzles Mon, 28th Jun 2021 19:13:00
     
      Canada has recorded its highest ever temperature as the country's west and the US Pacific north-west frazzle in an unprecedented heatwave. Lytton in British Columbia soared to 46.6C (116F) on Sunday, breaking an 84-year-old record, officials said. A "heat dome" - static high pressure acting like a lid on a cooking pot - has set records in many other areas. The US and Canada have both warned citizens of "dangerous" heat levels that could persist this week. Experts say that climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves. However, linking any single event to global warming is complicated. BBC forecaster Nick Miller says that "heat dome" isn't a strictly defined meteorological term but has become associated with describing large areas of high pressure, leading to clear skies and hot sunny days. The longer the high pressure pattern lasts, the longer the heatwave is and temperatures can build day by day. This high pressure zone is huge, from California right up to Canada's Arctic territories and stretching inland through Idaho. Sales of air-conditioners and fans have surged, and cooling shelters have sprung up. Some bars and restaurants - and even a swimming pool - were deemed too hot to function. Lytton, which is about 150 miles (250km) north-east of Vancouver, surged past the previous Canadian record. That was set in two towns in Saskatchewan - Yellow Grass and Midale - back in July 1937 at a balmy 45C (113F). Lytton was not alone. More than 40 other spots in British Columbia set new records. Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips told CTV: "I like to break a record, but this is like shattering and pulverising them. It's warmer in parts of western Canada than in Dubai." He said there was a chance of topping 47C somewhere, with Monday the likeliest day. British Columbia's power providers said there had been a surge in demand for electricity to keep air-conditioners running. Environment Canada said Alberta, and parts of Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, should also be on alert. In its warning, it forecast a "prolonged, dangerous, and historic heatwave will persist through this week", with temperatures 10C-15C above normal, at near 40C in many places. The Pacific north-west has also been breaking records, particularly in parts of Washington and Oregon states. The US National Weather Service called the heatwave conditions "historic" and said they would persist through the week, "with numerous daily, monthly and even all-time records likely to be set". Seattle and Portland, cities with famously rainy climates, both recorded their hottest temperatures ever on Sunday. Portland shattered its prior record when temperatures reached 44C, according to the US National Weather Service. Seattle also passed a historic high as the mercury hit 40C. Oregon eased Covid attendance restrictions to open up swimming pools and air-conditioned areas like shopping centres. But Seattle in Washington had to close one pool because of "unsafe, dangerous pool deck temperatures". Fruit growers have been rushing to pick crops, fearing the heat could shrivel cherries and other fruit. Pickers have been starting at dawn and stopping at lunchtime in the unbearable temperatures. BJ Thurlby, president of the Northwest Cherry Growers, told the Seattle Times: "We are travelling in absolutely uncharted waters." The US track and field Olympic qualifying trials had to be halted in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, as the crowd was told to leave the stadium for safety reasons. Some Covid vaccination centres also closed because of the heat. Some areas along the coast could cool a little later in the week, but Boise, Idaho, could see a week of 40C+ temperatures. The National Weather Service said parts of the state could suffer "one of the most extreme and prolonged heatwaves in the recorded history of the Inland Northwest". The warnings for all were to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities, and check on vulnerable neighbours. We can't say for certain this brutal heat storm has been caused by emissions from industrial society, but scientists studying extremes say every heatwave occurring today is made more likely and more intense by human-induced climate change. In fact scientists have got much better at linking some extreme events to climate change, such as the heatwave that scorched Europe in 2019, which researchers say was made 100 times more likely due to CO2. What's extra-concerning is that these temperatures have been reached with global temperatures just 1.1 C above preindustrial times. Science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, judges that we're likely to exceed 1.5C above that level before long. And at current rates we will overshoot a 2C rise - possibly higher. Yet China and India continue to build new coal-fired power stations. And the G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US - won't give a date to phase them out. The UK and others are still drilling for more oil and gas to burn, saying it'll be needed to 2050. It's certainly looking like a climate emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57634700
     
         
      It’s Monday, June 28, and Oregon legislators have passed a pathbreaking climate bill. Mon, 28th Jun 2021 17:25:00
     
      Oregon’s legislature passed one of the nation’s most ambitious clean energy bills this past weekend. The law would require 100 percent emissions-free electricity by 2040 and basically ban new fossil fuels generation. Under House Bill 2021, the state’s two largest power companies will have to eliminate their carbon emissions by 2040 and meet two interim goals along the way: an 80 percent reduction by 2030 and a 90 percent reduction by 2035. The bill also sets labor standards for renewable energy projects and has provisions giving the most vulnerable communities a say in how power companies switch to green energy. In the same legislative session, Oregon passed laws to increase recycling and spend nearly $200 million on wildfire resiliency. In past years, Republican state Senators fled Oregon’s state house to thwart voting on climate bills; this year, however, enough of them stuck around to allow the Senate to approve the bill, 16 votes to 12. Democratic state Senator Lee Beyer told the Salem Statesman Journal, “This common-sense approach to invest in small-scale and community-based projects is the right move to protect our environment.” Oregon’s clean power bill passed not a moment too soon: The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a vicious heatwave, with Portland and Seattle seeing all-time highs over the weekend and temperatures expected to rise even higher on Monday. Over the border in British Columbia, temperatures reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit the same weekend, setting a record high for all of Canada. A new report on climate change and Yellowstone National Park warns that drought may cause the park’s most famous attraction, a geyser called Old Faithful, to not erupt as regularly. Average temperatures in the area have increased by 2 degrees F since 1950, and average annual snowfall has decreased by 2 feet. A growing chorus of researchers and organizers are arguing that the movement for environmental justice ought to include health risks from toxic beauty products marketed to people of color. Chemicals in hair products marketed to Black women have been linked to endocrine disruption and diseases like uterine fibroids and breast cancer.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/829819196/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      New climate science could cause wave of litigation against businesses – study Mon, 28th Jun 2021 17:23:00
     
      Businesses could soon be facing a fresh wave of legal action holding them to account for their greenhouse gas emissions, owing to advances in climate science, experts have warned. More than 1,500 legal actions have already been brought against fossil fuel companies whose emissions over decades have played a major role in building up carbon in the atmosphere. Last month, in a shock ruling, the multinational oil and gas company Shell was ordered by a court in the Netherlands to cut its emissions by 45% in the next decade. Shell has said it will appeal against the decision. Earlier this month, a Belgian court ruled that the government’s failure to tackle the climate emergency was an infringement of human rights. Rupert Stuart-Smith, researcher at the Oxford University sustainable law programme, and lead author of a new study, said more such cases were likely to be successful, as new science was making it possible to attribute the damages of climate breakdown more directly to companies’ activities. “It’s no longer far-fetched to think that these companies can be taken to court successfully,” he said. “The strength of evidence is bolstering these claims, and giving a firm evidentiary basis for these court cases.” That success could in turn unleash a further new wave of litigation, he said. “It’s possible that we will see precedents made that will make it easier to file future lawsuits on climate impacts.” The impact was also likely to be felt in the form of less investment in companies with higher emissions, he said. “If more of these cases are successful, then corporate emissions could be seen as liabilities,” he told the Guardian. “There is concern in investor circles about the legal risk. This could have substantial consequences for investors.” Previous attempts to take companies to court for their carbon output have often run into trouble, as courts have rejected links between companies’ activities and specific damage to the climate, or extreme weather events. However, using more up-to-date science can overcome some of these difficulties, according to Stuart-Smith and colleagues, in a paper entitled Filling the Evidentiary Gap in Climate Ligitation, published in the peer-review journal Nature Climate Change on Monday. The paper cited the case against oil giant ExxonMobil brought by the village of Kivalina in 2008 which was thrown out because judges found a lack of evidence linking the company to climate change and to specific harms suffered by the village. If there had been access to more recent scientific techniques, the report’s authors believe, the outcome might have been different. The researchers examined 73 lawsuits around the world, and found that many failed to use the latest science in their evidence. They concluded that the chances of success of such litigants could have been improved if they had used the latest science, which is increasingly able to show clear links between companies’ activities giving rise to carbon emissions, and the damages caused by extreme weather. “Limitations in scientific evidence in the past played a role in cases,” said Stuart-Smith. He called on lawyers to work more closely with scientists to ensure that the best evidence was being used. The branch of climate study known as attribution science has moved on considerably in the last 15 years. It used to be possible only to say that increasing greenhouse gas emissions were very likely to have led to an increase in extreme weather around the world. Today, scientists can say with great accuracy that specific events were caused or made much more likely by the climate crisis, and can attribute specific damages to the human actions involved in changing the climate. Scientists can also estimate how much certain companies, which are very large emitters, have contributed to make such events more likely. For instance, research published last month found that the damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 were increased by at least $8bn from the impact of human actions on the climate, and another study found climate change responsible for $67bn of damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/28/new-climate-science-could-cause-wave-of-litigation-against-businesses-study
     
         
      Oklo has a plan to make tiny nuclear reactors that run off nuclear waste Mon, 28th Jun 2021 14:01:00
     
      The face of nuclear energy is changing, and one of the companies working to redefine what nuclear energy looks like is Oklo. The 22-person Silicon Valley start-up has a plan to build mini-nuclear reactors, powered by the waste of conventional nuclear reactors and housed in aesthetically pleasing A-frame structures. “Microreactors are an exciting innovation that completely flips the technology story for nuclear energy,” Alex Gilbert, a project manager for nuclear power think tank the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, told CNBC. Historically, nuclear energy producers aimed to be competitive with “economies of scale,” meaning they save money by being massive, Gilbert said. That strategy, however, often results in construction projects being mired in delays and cost overruns, like the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, where estimates for the project have ballooned from $14 billion to an estimated $27 billion or more. “Microreactors promise to turn this paradigm on its head by approaching cost competitiveness through technological learning,” Gilbert said. Oklo is the brainchild of the husband-and-wife co-founder team, Jacob DeWitte and Caroline Cochran, who met when they were teaching assistants in 2009 for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Reactor Technology Course for utility executives with nuclear power plants as part of their grid. VERY SMALL NUCLEAR REACTORS Bill Gates’ fission company, TerraPower, is already selling the idea that it’s building smaller reactors than are typically used in conventional nuclear power plants. But DeWitte said Oklo will build reactors “far smaller” than the ones TerraPower is building. TerraPower’s main nuclear reactor, the Natrium, will have a capacity of 345 megawatts of electrical energy (MWe), where the first Oklo reactor, called the Aurora, is expected to have a capacity of 1.5 MWe, making it a true micro-reactor. A 2019 report prepared by the Nuclear Energy Institute defined micro-reactors to be between one and 10 MWe. Other companies in the space include Elysium Industries, General Atomics, HolosGen, NuGen and X-energy, to name a few. Oklo plans to own and operate these micro-reactors, Cochran said, and customers could include utility companies, industrial sites, large companies, and college and university campuses, DeWitt said. “Today’s large reactors fit the bill to meet city-scale demand for clean electricity,” Jonathan Cobb, senior analyst at the World Nuclear Association, told CNBC. “But smaller reactors will be able to supply low-carbon electricity and heat to remote regions and other situations where gigawatt-scale capacities would be too much.” Because of their small size, micro-reactors are faster to build than conventional reactors. “Less than a year to construct the powerhouse is a conservative estimate,” Cochran told CNBC. USING WASTE AS FUEL Oklo is planning to build a specific kind of nuclear power generator called a fast reactor that is meant to be more efficient than traditional generators, allowing it to get energy out of already spent fissile fuel. In nuclear fission, when a larger atom is split into two, the resulting smaller nuclei are “going about 15,000 kilometers per second,” DeWitte told CNBC. “A ‘fast reactor’ operates in a way that does not slow down the neutrons, in comparison to ‘thermal reactors’ that contain a moderator, water in today’s reactors, that slow down the neutrons,” Marc Nichol, NEI’s senior director of new reactor deployment and the project lead for the 2019 report, told CNBC. Because fast reactors do not slow down the nuclei after the fission reaction, they are “harder to catch, so you need more fuel” to power a fast reactor, DeWitte said. But fast reactors are also more efficient with the fuel they do use, he said. The technology has been around since the 1950s, according to the World Nuclear Association. Currently, there are 20 fast neutron reactors operating around the world, and globally, Russia is leading the development of fast reactor technology, the association says. “These reactors have been built and operated before. So they’re ready to go,” DeWitte said. “In some ways, the story about what has been done with these reactors is very unheralded, which is a really cool opportunity.” One key benefit of the technology is that fast reactors are able to use the waste from conventional nuclear reactors. They can “unlock the rest of the energy in the fuel,” DeWitte said. In February 2020, the Idaho National Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s system of national laboratories that focuses on nuclear energy research and development, announced it was going to give Oklo access to nuclear waste so it can develop and demonstrate its fast reactor technology. “Oklo is planning to use uranium recovered from previously used Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II),” Jess Gehin, an associate laboratory director of the Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate at the Idaho National Laboratory, told CNBC. The EBR-II nuclear reactor operated from 1964 to 1994, he said. “As a result, the materials, which were previously destined for disposal, can be used to produce more energy.” “The reuse of materials has been long an option to better utilize natural resources, uranium in this case, as well as decreasing the amount of used fuel that must be ultimately disposed,” Gehin said. “This is a common practice in some countries like France but not in the U.S., as economics do not favor this path.” There is some recent positive movement. On Thursday, Oklo announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to help commercialize the electrorefining technology that advanced fast reactors use in the United States. The technology itself “has already been demonstrated in the U.S.,” Cochran said. Pulling more energy out of the fuel also shortens the time it takes the toxic component of radioactive waste to decay, DeWitte told CNBC. “It changes the waste picture as a whole,” DeWitte said. “What we’ve now done is take waste that you have to think about managing for 100,000 or a million years ... and now you’ve actually changed it into a form where you think about it for a few hundreds, maybe thousands of years.” What is left Oklo could turn into glass logs, in a process called vitrification, and bury those in deep bore holes underground, DeWitte said. Oklo’s fast reactors will be housed in A-frame structures that are “aesthetically pleasing,” Cochran said. Architectural Digest calls the building “sleek.” The A-frame design is also good for protection against snow and other precipitation. Oklo says the fast reactors will be self-sustaining and not require any human operators. The goal is to have “a number of plants operating by the mid-2020s,” Cochran told CNBC. WHAT STANDS IN THE WAY Oklo has big plans, but the company still has regulatory hurdles to overcome, and some safety experts dispute the company’s contention that the micro-reactors can run without people. Oklo launched in 2013 and began having discussions with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2016. In June 2020, Oklo’s application to build an advanced reactor was accepted for review by the commission. However, ”‘accepted for review’ does not mean ‘approved’ to build,” David McIntyre, spokesperson for the commission, told CNBC. “Before Oklo is allowed to construct and operate the reactor, it must receive a license to do so.” Leaving the microreactors without human guards is not safe, in the view of Edwin Lyman, director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who has put together an extensive report on the safety of advanced nuclear technologies. “The biggest problem is that because the economics is so poor — they are really going against economics of scale — that the microreactor vendors are pushing to reduce (or even eliminate entirely) personnel such as operators and security officers,” Lyman told CNBC Make It. “But even a very small reactor contains enough radioactive material to cause a big problem if it is sabotaged, and none of these reactors have demonstrated they are so safe that they can function without operators.” The fuel that microreactors use “must be rigorously guarded against theft,” Lyman said. Frank N. von Hippel, senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus at Princeton University, also raised concerns about the economics of small reactors. And he, too, worries about the expense of what he considers necessary security. “One issue would be what kind of security arrangements the regulatory authorities will require in a remote location: multiple guards around the clock could consume much of the gross revenue,” von Hippel told CNBC. In response to these concerns, Cochran said there are already nuclear reactors operating both in the United States and globally that “operate without security forces and have impeccable security records over many decades.” It’s also vital to realize that these plants are small and as such “cannot reach the scale needed for broad decarbonization alone,” Gilbert said. “Microreactors can help decarbonize smaller grids but they are only the first step we need in nuclear innovation to meet our climate challenges.” But, Cochran said, the urgent need to transition to clean energy is pointing to a strategy of “let’s use all the tools we have.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/oklo-planning-nuclear-micro-reactors-that-run-off-nuclear-waste.html
     
         
      Farmers swap crops for energy as east of England solar farm proposals double Mon, 28th Jun 2021 13:46:00
     
      The number of new solar farms planned for the east of England has more than doubled in recent months as farmers decide to swap crops for clean energy. New solar farm applications for sites across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex in the last five months have climbed to 840 megawatts, or the same as 2m household solar panels. The solar boom is expected to yield more than double the solar energy capacity that came forward for the east of England in the same months last year, and would be enough to power the equivalent of 400,000 homes with clean energy. Dr Nina Skorupska, the chief executive of the Association for Renewable Energy, said it was “crucial that this momentum is maintained” to help meet the UK’s climate targets and “also help stimulate much-needed new investment in the region”. Most of these new solar farms will be built on former agricultural land as landowners begin to swap growing crops for generating clean electricity, according to UK Power Networks, which manages the local electricity grid. The east of England is particularly popular with renewable energy developers because of its flat fields and sunny weather. However, more landowners are beginning to pursue solar power in the area after UK Power Networks scrapped the upfront cost to connect to the local energy grid. Under new rules put in place at the beginning of 2020, solar farm developers can connect to the grid cheaper and faster in exchange for allowing UK Power Networks to reduce their electricity output at times of low energy demand. The scheme led to a nine-year high in the number of solar farm applications to connect to the UK Power Networks grid last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and could help the UK to increase its renewable energy without overpowering the system when solar power outstrips local energy demand. UK Power Networks said the number of applications to connect batteries has also spiralled compared with last year. Nine new battery applications were accepted between January and May this year, with a power rating of 385MW, up from only three projects totalling 27.5MW in the same months last year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/28/solar-farm-proposals-for-east-of-england-more-than-double
     
         
      US and Canada heatwave: Pacific Northwest sees record temperatures Mon, 28th Jun 2021 9:41:00
     
      A heatwave has hit large parts of the US Pacific Northwest and Canada, sending records tumbling. The US National Weather Service has issued heat warnings for much of Washington and Oregon states. Parts of California and Idaho are also affected. On Saturday temperatures in Seattle, Washington State, reached 101F (38C), a record in the city for June. Some cities have opened cooling centres, where residents can escape the heat in air-conditioned buildings. The soaring temperatures are due to a dome of high pressure hovering over north-western United States and Canada. Experts say climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, however linking any single event to global warming is complicated. As the climate changes, there could be an increase in the number of deaths from floods, storms and heatwaves, experts say. The National Weather Service (NWS) said that even hotter temperatures were forecast for the coming days throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as parts of western Nevada and California. Despite the warnings many people have been enjoying the sunshine, with lakes busy and pools running at full capacity. Temperatures are expected to soar 20 - 30F above average in Washington and Oregon states. "Residents are urged to avoid extended periods of time outdoors, stay hydrated and check on vulnerable family members/neighbours," the NWS said. Shops have sold out of portable air conditioners and fans and a number of Covid vaccination drives have been cancelled. The area normally sees mild weather and many people do not have air conditioning. Oregon's health authority has removed Covid capacity limits at large venues with air conditioning such as cinemas and shopping malls in order for people to take shelter from the heat. In Canada, British Columbia recorded the hottest temperature in the country on Saturday - 43.2C. Parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories are under a heat warning. The heat there is also expected to continue through the week with records expected to fall.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57626173
     
         
      Climate change: Why action still ignites debate in Australia Mon, 28th Jun 2021 8:02:00
     
      In my first week as the BBC's new Australia correspondent in 2019, a state of emergency was declared in New South Wales. Bushfires blazed and came very close to Sydney. The orange haze and the smell of smoke will forever be etched in my memory. As the country woke to pictures of red skies, destroyed homes and burned koalas in smouldering bushland, the climate change debate came to the fore. But this wasn't a scientific debate. It was political and it was partisan. Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not answer questions about the issue, while then Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack dismissed climate concerns as those of "raving inner-city lefties". That was my other big memory of my first week in Australia. The leadership - after years of drought and as blazes raged across the east coast - openly throwing doubt on the effects of climate change. This was a tussle at the heart of Australian politics. Climate change is a hotly charged issue here. It draws in the powerful fossil fuel industry and regional voters fearful for their livelihoods. It's a subject that has ended political careers. 'VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP' Throughout those months of the Black Summer fire season, Mr Morrison would face fierce criticism about how his government handled the situation - and how it continued to avoid the climate crisis. The science around climate change is complex but it's clear. Yes, it was not the cause of any individual fire but experts agree it played a big role in creating catastrophic fire conditions; a hotter, drier climate contributed to the bushfires becoming more frequent and more intense. An inquiry following the Black Summer fires said further global warming is inevitable over the next 20 years - and Australians should prepare for more extreme weather. Still, Australia's government refuses to pledge net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This refers to balancing out any emissions produced by industry, transport or other sources by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. In his address to US President Joe Biden's climate conference in April, the prime minister said Australia will "get there as soon as we possibly can". "For Australia, it is not a question of if, or even by when, for net-zero but, importantly, how," Mr Morrison said. That is at the heart of the problem. The "when" is as crucial as the "how" when it comes to climate change. Scientists and global leaders say Australia is not doing enough, and not going fast enough. The country is embracing new green technologies, but that's often spearheaded by a frustrated private sector in the absence of central leadership. "You have many businesses banding together and taking matters into their own hands," says Dr Simon Bradshaw, researcher at the Climate Council, an independent advisory group. "Almost all of Australia's states and territories are committed to net zero emissions by 2050. It's really just that vacuum of leadership at the federal level," he says. Dr Bradshaw says while much of the world pushes ahead with action on climate change, Australia is becoming "increasingly isolated". THE POWER OF INDUSTRY As it resists tougher emissions targets, the Morrison government also continues to invest in the fossil fuel industry. Last month it said it will fund a new gas-fired power plant in New South Wales' Hunter Valley, despite experts warning the plant makes little commercial sense long- term. Mr Morrison recently told a conference of fossil fuel executives that oil and gas will "always" be a major contributor to the country's prosperity. If you're watching this from the outside, you'd be forgiven for being surprised. But it makes sense from a domestic political perspective. Australia is among the world's biggest exporters of coal, iron-ore and gas. This is the bedrock of the country's wealth and its thriving economy. It's proven to be political suicide to go against that. "The fossil fuel lobby continues to be very powerful in Australia," says Dr Bradshaw. With a slim majority and a looming election, Mr Morrison is aware of what a poisoned chalice climate action is here. This issue has ended the careers of leaders before him including predecessor Malcolm Turnbull, whose efforts to bring back a carbon price policy - a tax on polluting fossil fuels - led to his downfall. Mr Morrison also faces pressure from his coalition partners - the National party - and their block of voters. Many National MPs, who represent rural Australia, have been public about their opposition to the government formally embracing a net zero emissions reduction target. While still refusing to commit to a target, Mr Morrison has said he wants Australia to achieve net zero emissions "preferably" by 2050. That was enough to anger the Nationals and worry their constituents especially in regional mining communities. THE "COST" OF ACTION Part of why the politics around climate action is so toxic here is the way the narrative around it has been framed, says Australian National University climate scientist Dr Imran Ahmed. "The message to the people [has been] that action on climate change is a cost, not an investment," he says. "It is not jobs or the environment, it is both." Dr Bradshaw says the country's concentrated media landscape has also shaped views around the climate emergency. "It's been dominated by largely right wing, and conservative media, and particularly the Murdoch press that's had a heavy influence on public opinion and understanding of the climate crisis." For regional voters, the messaging around a transition to cleaner energy has been confusing and unconvincing at best - or a cause for fear and anxiety about their future at worst. "We have to be mindful of existing coal communities and the people that have jobs [in the fossil fuel industry]. "They need to be prepared with the necessary skills to transition into the new industries," says Dr Ahmed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57606398
     
         
      A billion new trees might not turn Ukraine green Mon, 28th Jun 2021 1:31:00
     
      It was an ambitious signal of green intent when Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declared this month that a billion extra trees would be planted within three years, and a million hectares would be reforested in a decade. The EU's 27 member states have set a much more modest goal of at least three billion new trees by 2030. But green experts fear that, far from improving Ukraine's environment, the pledge could have a detrimental impact on biodiversity and natural ecosystems. Up to 70% of Ukraine's lands are used for farming, which is among the highest rates in Europe and a legacy of the collective agriculture of its communist past. Many of these lands were natural steppes that were turned into fields. Steppes are belts of grassland, usually treeless plains, that stretch from Ukraine through Russia and Central Asia and into Mongolia and China. "Around 40% of Ukraine's territory is made up of steppe climate zone, but only 3% of the country has preserved the natural steppe ecosystems with their abundant flora," says Olexiy Vasyliuk, from the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group. He has spent years mapping the steppes and classifying their flora. Close to the capital Kyiv lies a forest blooming with flowers. Olexiy shows me a white orchid growing by the path. It is one of 69 types of wild orchid in Ukraine, and some can survive only in their natural habitat of Ukraine's steppes. "I fear for the fate of such beautiful flowers as this one," he tells me. "I don't feel relieved when the government says it will plant trees in degraded farmlands but won't touch the steppes. Many of Ukraine's steppes are, in fact, degraded farmlands by law." So if the government really is planning to leave other farmland untouched, the question is where the billion trees will go. Roman Abramovsky, Ukraine's minister for environmental protection and natural resources, tells the BBC the focus will be on "former industrial areas, as well as over 1,500 parks in urban areas". Planting new forests will take place only in areas where they used to grow before humans started harvesting and before industrialisation, he insists, as well as in woodland hit by fire or disease. Nowadays almost a tenth of Ukraine's 10.4m hectares of land reserved for forest has no tree cover. Only 16% of its territory is covered with forests - half the proportion of Western European countries such as France, Germany or Spain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57566701
     
         
      Labour MP Mark Tami criticises pause to A55-A494 'red route' scheme Sun, 27th Jun 2021 22:38:00
     
      A Labour MP says he is "very disappointed" in Welsh government plans to pause a new road scheme in Flintshire. Mark Tami said the so-called "red route" scheme planned to link the A55 with the A494 and the A548 would reduce air pollution in Aston and Shotton. Last week Welsh ministers said all new road-building projects would be frozen while they conducted a review. The Welsh government has been asked to respond to Mr Tami's comments. Welsh ministers have said freezing new schemes was necessary to cut carbon emissions. But the Conservatives warned the decision would be a "significant blow" to economic recovery. Plaid Cymru said the review should not mean communities were "left behind". Alyn and Deeside MP Mr Tami has now criticised the decision to halt the plans for the red route in Flintshire, which would include a new eight-mile (13km) dual carriageway. The new road would be an alternative for the congested A494 which runs past Aston and Shotton. Mr Tami said his concern with pausing the project was about "public health and air quality". "There are people that live in Aston and Shotton very close to the road," he said. "We have a 50mph speed limit for a reason there, because pollution levels are far too high and unacceptable, and so I wanted to see the route go ahead. "I'm very disappointed that it isn't. I hope it still will go ahead and just putting it off isn't really the answer." Opponents of the red route have said it will cut through ancient woodland and contribute to climate change. "The fact is it is a heavily used road," Mr Tami said. "If you get any sort of accident on it you have cars and lorries backing up, which are polluting the road. "So from a climate change point of view, I don't really see how it helps having that sort of situation and the facts speak for themselves that the air quality is just not acceptable at that level that it is now. "If we don't have the red route that's only set to get worse." Mr Tami said a "lot of time and a lot of money" had gone into planning the route. He said: "I really want to see this situation resolved so we have better quality air for the residents of Aston and Shotton." 'LONG GRASS' The Senedd petitions committee held an inquiry into the scheme after 1,400 people signed a petition opposing it. It said work to build the road should not begin until the impact Covid has had on traffic patterns had been analysed. Mr Tami said: "We obviously saw a reduction in usage of cars and perhaps lorries during the height of the Covid crisis, but if you if you look at the roads now they are pretty much getting back to normal. "And you know the problem just hasn't gone away. "I've had a number of emails from people who, like me, are concerned that after all the work that was done, and they were expecting it to go ahead, now find that it's sort of drifted into the long grass."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-57643114
     
         
      Climate change: Courts set for rise in compensation cases Sun, 27th Jun 2021 11:40:00
     
      There's likely to be a significant increase in the number of lawsuits brought against fossil fuel companies in the coming years, say researchers. Their new study finds that to date, lawyers have failed to use the most up-to-date scientific evidence on the cause of rising temperatures. As a result, there have been few successful claims for compensation. That could change, say the authors, as evidence linking specific weather events to carbon emissions increases. So far, around 1,500 climate-related lawsuits have been brought before the courts around the world. There have been some notable successes for environmental groups, such as in a recent case against Shell decided by a civil court in the Netherlands. The judge ruled that, by 2030, the company must cut its CO2 emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels. The verdict also indicated that the Shell group is responsible for its own CO2 emissions and those of its suppliers. However, there have been few successes in cases where the plaintiffs have sought compensation for damages caused by climate change linked to human activity. This new study has assessed some 73 lawsuits across 14 jurisdictions and says that the evidence presented to the courts lagged significantly behind the most recent climate research. Over the past two decades, scientists have attempted to demonstrate the links between extreme weather events and climate change, which are in turn connected to human activities such as energy production and transport. These studies, called attribution science, have become more robust over the years. For example, researchers have been able to show that climate change linked to human activities made the European summer heatwave in 2019 both more likely and more intense. A recent paper on Hurricane Sandy - the deadly storm that wreaked havoc from the Caribbean to New York in 2012 - showed that climate change was responsible for about 13% of the $62bn in losses caused by the event. If peer-reviewed evidence like this was presented to the courts, the authors say, it would be easier to prove causality and make compensation claims more likely to succeed. "Despite the clear role for attribution science evidence in these lawsuits, we found that the evidence submitted and referenced in these cases still lags considerably behind the state-of-the-art in climate science," said Rupert Stuart-Smith, the study's lead author and a PhD student at Oxford University. "Crucially, we found that this is, in fact, impeding these causal claims." "If some of these cases are successful, and the courts see a plausible route to justice or a plausible route to compensation, that would increase the likelihood that more and more communities will turn to the courts." Sophie Marjanac, from the environmental law group ClientEarth, told BBC News: "As this science improves, the boards of individual fossil fuel companies should be preparing for their day in court, to respond to charges that they are to blame for increased natural disasters and disruptions to the planet's climate stability. "And as this trend continues, we will also need to see courtrooms keep pace with the work of attribution scientists, so that their judgements are in line with the latest scientific evidence." Peruvian farmer Saul Luciano Lliuya's case against the German energy giant RWE has been ongoing since 2014. Mr Lliuya claims that rising temperatures are melting a glacier, threatening his home in Huaraz, in the west of the country, with flooding. The farmer has spent thousands of dollars trying to stem the waters to little avail. His case for compensation of around $17,000 was based on RWE being responsible for around 0.5% of global warming. While many experts believed the case was weak, in 2017, the courts in Germany recognised that there was merit to the questions that the farmer was raising. Rupert Stuart-Smith commented: "That case has got further than any other before it on compensation, and it's now in an evidentiary phase where the court has essentially asked the question, is climate change really doing this?" "And our suggestion is that plaintiffs can answer those questions in their submission to the courts."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57641167
     
         
      The trillion dollar climate finance challenge (and opportunity) Sun, 27th Jun 2021 1:04:00
     
      Investments in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure are growing, however from January 2020 to March 2021, globally, more money was spent on fossil fuels, which when burned, create the harmful gasses driving climate change. Many countries lack the financial resources to make the transition to clean energy and a sustainable way of life that could reverse climate change. The UN says that climate finance is the answer because not investing will cost even more in the long-term, but also because there are significant opportunities for investors. What is Climate finance? Broadly speaking, climate finance relates to the money which needs to be spent on a whole range of activities which will contribute to slowing down climate change and which will help the world to reach the target of limiting global warming to an increase of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. To reach this goal, the world needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to practically zero by 2050; the phrase net-zero is also heard a lot in the context of financing climate action (you can read more about it here). Initiatives that must be financed to reach net-zero, include those which reduce emissions of harmful gasses as well as enhancing or protecting the natural solutions which capture those gasses, like forests and the ocean. The finance also aims to build the resilience of populations most affected by climate change and help them to adapt to changing climatic conditions, measures which in turn will help to reduce warming. The finance exists and so do the solutions, to transition to what the UN calls a green economy. Renewable energy which provides electricity without producing carbon dioxide or other forms of air pollution is a crucial building block for powering sustainable economic growth. Why is it important? With global temperatures rising, along with changing weather patterns, sea-level rise, increases in droughts and floods, the world’s most vulnerable populations are facing ever-increasing risks, food insecurity and have fewer chances to break out of poverty and build better lives. In fact, the UN estimates that climate change could drive an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. Significant financial resources, sound investments and a systematic global approach are needed to address these worrying trends. So how much is needed? Significant investments are needed and international cooperation is critical. More than a decade ago, developed countries committed to jointly mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 in support of climate action in developing countries. It may sound like a lot but compare that to world military expenditure in 2020 which was estimated at just under $2 trillion or $2,000 billion, or the trillions of dollars spent by developed countries on COVID-related relief for their citizens. According to an expert report prepared at the request of the UN Secretary-General, the $100bn target is not being met (the latest available data for 2018 is $79bn), even though climate finance is on an “upward trajectory.” So, there is still a big gap in finance. Does it make financial sense? The real question is whether the world can afford not to invest in climate action. Communities in all parts of the world are already suffering from the financial effects of climate change, be it crop loss due to drought, or major damage to infrastructure caused by flooding or other extreme weather. The UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, Mark Carney, says the huge amount of investment required represents an opportunity and not a risk, arguing that the benefits that flow from these investments dramatically outweigh any upfront costs. It is also increasingly accepted that climate investments make economic sense. The financial and business cases for clean energy are stronger than ever. In most countries, going solar is now cheaper than building new coal power plants. Clean energy investments also drive economic growth, with a potential to create?18 million jobs by 2030; and that’s including the inevitable fossil fuel job losses. Where is the money coming from? This is where it becomes complicated but, generally speaking, finance is coming from a wide range of public and private funding sources, which are supporting innovative climate action initiatives at a local, national or transnational level. A variety of financial instruments can be used to provide climate finance from green bonds to direct project-based loans to direct investments in energy or technology providers. It’s worth remembering here that adaptation is only one part of the complicated climate action puzzle. Once mitigation and decarbonization efforts and global resiliency efforts, in both the developing and developed world are factored in the annual cost will greatly exceed $500 billion and possibly even more than a trillion dollars. But the benefits of the investments will be far greater - shifting to a green economy could yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through 2030 compared with business-as-usual. The UN says it seeks to combine the “determination of the public sector with the entrepreneurship capacities of the private sector,” supporting governments in making climate investments easier and more attractive for private sector companies. Fortunately, the UN reports that “efforts to engage the private sector?in meeting the Paris goals are gaining momentum”. A lot of climate funding is channeled through numerous UN funds and programmes. What next? The annual $100bn commitment, “is a floor and not a ceiling” for climate finance, according to the UN. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that adaptation costs alone faced by just developing countries will be in a range of $140 billion to $300 billion per year by 2030, and $280 billion to $500 billion annually by 2050. It’s worth remembering here that adaptation is only one part of the complicated climate action puzzle. Once mitigation and decarbonization efforts and global resiliency efforts, in both the developing and developed world are factored in the annual cost will greatly exceed $500 billion and possibly even more than a trillion dollars. But the benefits of the investments will be far greater-- shifting to a green economy could yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through 2030 compared with business-as-usual.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094762
     
         
      New kind of nuclear reactor to be built at retiring coal plant Sat, 26th Jun 2021 19:26:00
     
      A nuclear power startup founded by Bill Gates has announced plans to build a new kind of nuclear reactor at a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. This reactor will be the first real-world demonstration of the startup's technology, which could help power the world — without warming the climate. Nuclear power: Splitting atoms (known as nuclear fission) produces heat. At most nuclear power plants, that heat is used to boil water, which produces steam. The steam then spins a giant turbine to create electricity. Nuclear power is reliable, cost-effective, and doesn't produce any climate-harming carbon emissions. It's been used in the U.S. for decades, and today, nuclear power plants generate about 20% of the nation's electricity. The challenge: The average lifespan of a nuclear power plant is 35 years, and most of the plants in the U.S. were built between the 1970s and '90s. New facilities aren't being built at the same pace old ones are retiring, though, because getting projects approved isn't easy — nuclear power plants today tend to be massive facilities that cost $10 billion and take several years to build. Why it matters: If another form of clean energy doesn't fill the gap left by those old nuclear power plants, carbon-emitting sources, such as natural gas or coal, might. Wind and solar are options, but nuclear power is more reliable and takes up less physical space. TerraPower has designed a new kind of nuclear reactor that could be built more quickly and cheaply than traditional plants. The idea: TerraPower calls its technology Natrium, and it features a sodium-cooled fast reactor, which uses liquid salt as a coolant instead of water. The heat the plant produces is trapped in molten salt, which is stored in a giant tank. That heat can then be tapped to spin a turbine and generate electricity whenever needed — it doesn't have to be used right away if another source of cheaper or cleaner energy, such as solar or wind, is already meeting the grid's demand. The next steps: On June 2, TerraPower announced that it would be building its first Natrium reactor at the site of a retiring coal plant in Wyoming. This fully functioning plant will serve as the first demonstration project for the startup's tech. It's not clear how long the plant will take to build. However, TerraPower is expected to decide on a final site by the end of 2021 and have the plant operational before the end of the decade, so it seems eight years would be the maximum. The exact cost to build the nuclear reactor is also unknown — Reuters says $1 billion; Gates told GeekWire $4 billion in February — but even the higher estimate is 60% less than traditional plants. TerraPower's reactor will produce about 60% less power, too — 345 MW compared to the 1 GW average of traditional plants — but the smaller size and lower capital cost could make building new reactors seem less daunting, perhaps spurring the construction of more nuclear power plants in the U.S.
       
      Full Article: https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/molten-salt-reactor-replace-coal
     
         
      Why does such a rich country need such a dirty source of energy? Sat, 26th Jun 2021 12:43:00
     
      Germany is cutting its use of coal power, but it’s coming down from a high starting point. A decade ago, nearly half of the country's electricity came from coal; now that figure stands at about 24%. Germany says it will phase coal out completely by 2038, but that leaves another 17 years of use. It is a country blessed, if that's the right word, with vast coal deposits, particularly in the far east and west of the country. Among those deposits are huge amounts of lignite, which is both dirty and difficult to transport. So the power stations are very often near the mines, as they are in Garzweiler. Germany uses more electricity than any other country in Europe – hardly surprising bearing in mind its big population and its concentration of heavy industry. And there has long been pressure from those manufacturing companies to ensure that the energy supply is wholly reliable. The nation's industrial base, reliant on vast amounts of electricity, has argued that a rapid move to renewable sources heightens the risk of energy shortages, or at least of nervousness over whether the electricity network could cope with all circumstances. And so, while Germany talks about taking coal out of its life, it's happening slowly. The UK, by contrast, uses next to no coal. It's a miniscule piece of the jigsaw. But, then again, the UK does use a lot of nuclear power, which Germany decided to phase out – in a hurry – after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. So what it comes down to is this: you can phase out coal, or nuclear, in a relative hurry – but you probably can't do both if you want to guarantee to keep the lights on, and the car factories rolling. Which brings us back to Bagger 288, ripping up the land, slowly rolling its way towards the next condemned village. Wander through the streets of these condemned, or threatened, towns, and it’s hard to find anyone to say a good word about RWE, the company that owns the ever-growing mine. Protesters call them predatory, residents say they’ve been intimidated and that the company is unresponsive. So we call RWE to ask for a chat. Frankly, I’m expecting them to brush us off, but instead we’re offered an interview by Zoom the next morning with a spokesperson called Guido Steffen. Guido, it turns out, is friendly and happy to chat. So does he feel bad for people whose lives are being disrupted in pursuit of an increasingly obsolete fossil fuel? "I know that there are some people who object to lignite mining and also who object to being at risk, of course. But you can talk to many others and they will tell you that they realise that coal mining in Germany is in a big transition. "Two of our three lignite mines are being stopped at the end of 2029. There's only one mine which will last a little longer and that will be the mine you have seen - that is Garzweiler mine." His contention is that a sudden stop to coal power would not be possible for the company or the country, and would also devastate the regional economy, where thousands of jobs revolve around the industry. "You cannot dig lignite underground due to the loose material and this means that everything that is ahead of the excavators has to be removed. "And sometimes it is also villages that have to be removed. We have found agreement with 85 per cent of the homeowners involved. We have built hundreds of new homes." He says Britain, in which RWE has invested heavily, has the advantage of being windy; Austria, Sweden and Norway have easy access to enough lakes and mountains to sustain hydro power plants; France has a lot of nuclear power.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/the-villages-killed-for-coal-12341492
     
         
      E10 petrol: What is it and can my car run it? Sat, 26th Jun 2021 1:24:00
     
      A more eco-friendly petrol is due to be introduced to filling stations in the UK later this year. The government intends to make E10 the new standard petrol grade. The change will come in over the summer, the Department for Transport (DfT) says - but not all cars will be able to run on it. What is E10 petrol? It's a motor fuel that contains less carbon and more ethanol than fuels currently on sale. Ethanol is a kind of alcohol manufactured from plants, including sugar beet and wheat. It is possible to run cars on pure ethanol, as has been done in Brazil for many years. But in the UK and other European countries, it is normally blended with fuel derived from oil. Current petrol grades in the UK - known as E5 - contain up to 5% ethanol, with the other 95% being regular unleaded petrol. Their replacement, E10, will see this percentage increased to 10% - a proportion that would bring the UK in line with countries such as Belgium, Finland, France and Germany. What's the point of it? E10 will help reduce the overall quantity of fossil fuels needed to power the UK's cars. It comes as the government announced a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, as part of its climate-change targets. Introducing E10 could cut carbon emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year, the DfT says, the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road. How will E10 affect my car? Every petrol vehicle built after 2011 should accept E10. But it won't be compatible with some older vehicles - as many as 600,000 of those currently on UK roads, the RAC estimates. And if a car is not compatible with the new fuel, it could damage the engine. How can I be sure I'm OK to use E10? The government has set up a website where drivers can check whether their car will run on E10 fuel. But it warns it will not be liable for any damage to vehicles as a result of drivers using its checker - especially if their car has been fitted with replacement parts. The website features a drop-down menu listing all manufacturers whose cars are sold in the UK, with details of all the models not approved to take the new fuel. "If you're still not sure, use E5 petrol. It will still be available in the super grade at many filling stations," the government says. Can I mix E5 and E10? That shouldn't be a problem. In fact, the RAC recommends drivers with an older car who fill up with E10 by mistake top up with E5 as soon as possible after they have used a third of the tank. Are there any other drawbacks? If E10 fuel is put in an incompatible car, it will still run, according to the RAC, But in the long run, it could cause damage to rubber seals, plastics and metals. There have also been reports E10 is a less stable fuel, the RAC says. And this could make it more difficult to start a car that has not been driven for quite a while. Other motor industry analysts say E10 might be a less efficient fuel than E5, meaning cars would burn more of it to achieve the same effect and running costs rise as drivers fill up more often. How green is this really? That's a matter of some debate. Ethanol is seen as a carbon-neutral fuel, since the plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air while they are growing, offsetting the CO2 emitted when the fuel is burnt. However, no-one is quite sure whether the two really cancel each other out. And some people have moral objections to using food crops to produce fuels. They say it could cause food shortages or increases in food prices. Still, if ethanol is genuinely good for the planet, then perhaps there ought to be even more of it in petrol, some environmental campaigners say. After all, Brazil, which pioneered its use in the 1970s, has so-called "flex-fuel" vehicles on its roads that run on any mixture of petroleum and ethanol, right up to the all-ethanol E100.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57585105
     
         
      It’s Friday, June 25, and building new renewables is now cheaper than using existing fossil fuel plants. Fri, 25th Jun 2021 13:51:00
     
      Going renewable is cheaper than using fossil fuels in almost half the world, according to a new analysis from BloombergNEF, a clean energy research firm. The analysis concluded that it’s cheaper to build and operate new wind and solar plants than it is to continue using existing coal or gas plants in nations home to 46 percent of the world’s population. That includes countries with high electricity consumption, such as China, the U.K., India, and Germany. In India, the trend has helped move the country’s largest power company towards renewable energy. NTPC Limited, formerly the National Thermal Power Company, recently doubled its renewable energy target from a planned capacity of 32 gigawatts by 2032 to 60 gigawatts. BloombergNEF estimates that solar energy will overtake coal in India by the end of 2030. The new trend is a result of efficiency gains in solar and wind technology, which offset the high prices of some key materials used in renewable projects, namely steel and polysilicon. However, Seb Henbest, chief economist of BloombergNEF, told Bloomberg News that rising commodity prices “could mean that new-build renewable power gets temporarily more expensive, for almost the first time in decades.” The possible rise in prices is not expected to change the overall trend of renewables’ cheapness relative to fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/828170818/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      “Nuclear Batteries” Offer a New Approach to Carbon-Free Energy Fri, 25th Jun 2021 12:17:00
     
      Jacopo Buongiorno and others say factory-built microreactors trucked to usage sites could be a safe, efficient option for decarbonizing electricity systems. We may be on the brink of a new paradigm for nuclear power, a group of nuclear specialists suggested recently in The Bridge, the journal of the National Academy of Engineering. Much as large, expensive, and centralized computers gave way to the widely distributed PCs of today, a new generation of relatively tiny and inexpensive factory-built reactors, designed for autonomous plug-and-play operation similar to plugging in an oversized battery, is on the horizon, they say. These proposed systems could provide heat for industrial processes or electricity for a military base or a neighborhood, run unattended for five to 10 years, and then be trucked back to the factory for refurbishment. The authors — Jacopo Buongiorno, MIT’s TEPCO Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Robert Frida, a founder of GenH; Steven Aumeier of the Idaho National Laboratory; and Kevin Chilton, retired commander of the U.S. Strategic Command — have dubbed these small power plants “nuclear batteries.” Because of their simplicity of operation, they could play a significant role in decarbonizing the world’s electricity systems to avert catastrophic climate change, the researchers say. MIT News asked Buongiorno to describe his group’s proposal. Q: The idea of smaller, modular nuclear reactors has been discussed for several years. What makes this proposal for nuclear batteries different? A: The units we describe take that concept of factory fabrication and modularity to an extreme. Earlier proposals have looked at reactors in the range of 100 to 300 megawatts of electric output, which are a factor of 10 smaller than the traditional big beasts, the big nuclear reactors at the gigawatt scale. These could be assembled from factory-built components, but they still require some assembly at the site and a lot of site preparation work. So, it’s an improvement over the traditional plants, but it’s not a huge improvement. This nuclear battery concept is really a different thing because of the physical scale of these machines — about 10 megawatts. It’s so small that the whole power plant is actually built in a factory and fits within a standard container. The idea is to fit the whole power plant, which comprises a microreactor and a turbine that converts the heat to electricity, into the container. This provides several benefits from an economic point of view. You are completely decoupling your projects and your technology from the construction site, which has been the source of every possible schedule delay and cost overrun for nuclear projects over the past 20 years. This way it becomes sort of energy on demand. If the customer wants either heat or electricity, they can get it within a couple of months, or even weeks, and then it’s plug and play. This machine arrives on the site, and just a few days later, you start getting your energy. So, it’s a product, it’s not a project. That’s how I like to characterize it. Q: You talk about potentially having such units widely distributed, including even in residential areas to power whole neighborhoods. How confident can people be as to the safety of these plants? A: It’s exceptionally robust — that’s one of the selling points. First of all, the fact that it’s small is good for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the overall amount of heat that’s generated is proportional to the power, which is small. But more importantly, it has a high surface-to-volume ratio because, again, it’s small, which makes it a lot easier to keep cool under all circumstances. It’s passively cooled, to a point where nobody has to do anything. You don’t even need to open a valve or anything. The system takes care of itself. It also has a very robust containment structure surrounding it to protect against any release of radiation. Instead of the traditional big concrete dome, there are steel shells that basically encapsulate the whole system. And as for security, at most sites, we envision that these would be located below grade. That provides some protection and physical security from external attackers. As for other safety issues, you know, if you think about the famous nuclear accidents, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima, all three of these issues are mediated by the design of these nuclear batteries. Because they are so small, it’s basically impossible to get that type of outcome from any sequence of events. Q: How do we know that these new kinds of reactors will work, and what would need to happen for such units to become widely available? A: NASA and Los Alamos National Laboratory have done a similar demonstration project, which they called a microreactor, for space applications. It took them just three years from the start of design to fabrication and testing. And it cost them $20 million. It was orders of magnitude smaller than traditional large nuclear plants that easily cost a billion-plus and take a decade or more to build. There are also different companies out there now developing their own designs, and every one is a bit different. Westinghouse is already working on a version of such nuclear batteries (though they are not using that term), and they plan to run a demonstration unit in two years. The next step will be to build a pilot plant at one of the national laboratories that has extensive equipment for testing nuclear reactor systems, such as the Idaho National Laboratory. They have a number of facilities that are being modified to accommodate these microreactors, and they have extra layers of safety. Because it’s a demonstration project, you want to make sure that if something happens you didn’t foresee, that you don’t have any release to the environment. Then, the plant could go through an accelerated program of testing, subjecting it to more extreme conditions than would ever be encountered in normal operation. You essentially abuse it and show by direct testing that it can take all those external loads or situations without exceeding any failure limits. And once it’s proven there under rigorous conditions, widespread commercial installations could begin quite quickly. These nuclear batteries are ideally suited to create resilience in very different sectors of the economy, by providing a steady dependable source of power to back up the increasing reliance on intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. And, these highly distributed systems can also help to alleviate pressures on the grid by being sited just where their output is needed. This can provide greater resiliency against any disruptions to the grid and virtually eliminate the issue of transmission losses. If these become as widespread as we envision, they could make a significant contribution to reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/nuclear-batteries-offer-a-new-approach-to-carbon-free-energy/
     
         
      Rocksavage Power Station: Low carbon plant plans unveiled Fri, 25th Jun 2021 1:50:00
     
      Plans for a low carbon power plant with the potential to become carbon neutral by 2028 have been unveiled. The gas-fired Rocksavage facility in Runcorn, Cheshire, has been operating since 1998. Operators InterGen and partners HyNet aim to blend hydrogen and natural gas to produce electricity. They said the "innovative" project could reduce carbon emissions by 150,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road. The proposals aim to produce and distribute blue hydrogen, which is classed as low carbon, as well as capture and store carbon by the mid 2020s, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Low carbon hydrogen is part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 10 point plan for a green industrial revolution to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy. Councillor Phil Harris, Halton Borough Council's executive board member for climate change, said the "innovative" project would tackle carbon reduction and create "much needed greener jobs", calling it a "win win for everyone". 'Renewable energy coast' Rocksavage plant manager Dan Fosberg said as technology evolves they would explore the possibility of making the plant run 100% on hydrogen. "In order to meet the UK's net zero targets, the traditional generation needs to adapt," he said. The project is expected to play a major part in supporting Liverpool City Region's commitment to reach zero carbon by 2040 and accelerate the UK's transition to net zero by 2050. "Putting the Liverpool City Region at the heart of the green industrial revolution is one of my top priorities," Steve Rotheram, the area's metro mayor said. "With our existing strengths in green energy, we have the potential to become the UK's renewable energy coast."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-57613320
     
         
      On climate change frontline, indigenous provide pointers to save planet Fri, 25th Jun 2021 1:01:00
     
      From the Arctic to the Amazon, the Himalayas to the Sahel, the 11 indigenous communities featured in a new FAO study are revealed as “self-reliant and resilient, living sustainably and in harmony with their ecosystems, even when inhabiting harsh environments”. SELF-SUFFICIENT “They generate hundreds of food items from the environment without depleting natural resources and achieve high levels of self-sufficiency”, said the UN agency, which explored ancestral knowledge in the Solomon Islands among the Melanesians who combine agroforestry, wild food gathering and fishing to generate 70 per cent of their dietary needs. In Finland's Arctic region, FAO also noted that the Inari Sámi people generate 75 per cent of the protein they need, through fishing, hunting and herding. After an analysis of the growing threats confronting the communities and their sustainable ways of life, the authors of the report maintained that indigenous peoples worldwide play a vital role in countering global threats such as the destruction of nature, climate change, biodiversity loss and the risk of future pandemics. But their traditional ways of life - “one of the most sustainable, self-sufficient and resilient on the planet” - are at high risk from climate change and the expansion of various industrial and commercial activities, FAO warned.? There are some 478 million indigenous peoples in the world, according to FAO, whose research also explored reindeer herding by the Inari Sámi people in Nellim, Finland, the forest-based food system of the Baka indigenous people in South-eastern Cameroon and the Milpa food system of the Maya Ch’orti’ people – also known as “the maize people” - in Chiquimula, Guatemala. FUTURE THREATENED "Despite surviving for centuries, Indigenous Peoples' agri-food systems are likely to disappear in the next years due to a number of drivers threatening their future," said Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director-General of FAO partner, the Alliance of Bioversity-International and CIAT. FAO’s report also offers insight into the Khasi, Bhotia and Anwal peoples of India, the Kel Tamasheq people in Mali, Colombia’s Tikuna, Cocama and Yagua peoples and the Maya Ch'orti' in Guatemala. Their traditions combine different sustainable food generation techniques such as hunting, gathering, fishing, pastoralism and shifting cultivation, along with adaptive practices including nomadism, which are vital to linking food generation to seasonal cycles in a resilient way. RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY "Being adaptive is the main resilient element of these food systems,” said Anne Nuorgam, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. “Indigenous peoples adapt their food generation and consumption to the seasonality and natural cycles observed in their surrounding ecosystems, not in the opposite way as most other societies do.” Ms. Nuorgam underscored how the “deep observation of the environment” that had been accumulated generation after generation were key to guaranteeing biodiversity, along with a clear understanding of the elements in different ecosystems.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094812
     
         
      Water-related disasters throw up complex challenges, threaten lives and jobs Fri, 25th Jun 2021 0:55:00
     
      “For decades, natural disasters, [which] have been one of the major causes of worsening poverty, forcing some 26 million people into poverty each year and reversing developmental gains…are almost always connected to water, whether through floods, storms, droughts, tsunamis or landslides”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Fifth UN Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters.? DANGEROUS TRENDS Over the past two decades, climate-related disasters nearly doubled compared with the preceding twenty years, affecting more than four billion people, according to the top UN official. These disasters have claimed the lives of millions and resulted in over $2.97 trillion in economic losses, he said.? Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, affecting water availability, prolonging periods of drought and heat, and increasing the intensity of cyclones, which can lead to horrific flooding events.? “These trends create enormous challenges for our efforts to build more sustainable, resilient communities and societies by implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the UN chief said, warning that they will accelerate over the course of the Decade of Action. And by 2030, projections suggest a staggering 50 per cent jump in humanitarian needs stemming from climate-related disasters.? UPPING COMMITMENTS Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – national plans demonstrating commitment to increasingly ambitious climate?action – is crucial to achieve a 45 per cent drop in emissions by 2030 and reach ‘net zero’ by 2050. However, “we are far off track from meeting these goals”, Mr. Guterres said. “Current commitments are insufficient, and emissions continue to rise. Global average temperatures are already 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels”.??? BERAING DOWN ON MOST VULNERABLE At the same time, countries that are most impacted by climate change lack the fiscal space to invest in adaptation and resilience.? “Last year, cyclones lashed the shores of many countries that were already grappling with serious liquidity crises and debt burdens, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic”, the UN chief said. Underscoring that “adaptation cannot be the forgotten piece of the climate equation”, he has been advocating for rich nations to mobilize $100 billion annually to assist developing countries and calling for 50 per cent of climate finance to be used?on building resilience and adaptation. “We must ensure that this finance goes to those most in need, particularly small island developing States and least developed countries…on the verge of climate crisis now”, he added. RECOVER, REBUILD STRONGER Prevention and preparedness are essential for responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This means investing in resilience, meeting water management challenges, and providing water and sanitation services to all, according to the Secretary-General. “The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the type of biological hazard foreseen in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which emphasizes addressing multiple hazards and interconnected risks”, he recalled, urging everyone to “apply that lens” to policy-making on disaster risk reduction, COVID recovery, and climate adaptation.? Recovery measures must preserve the environment, ecosystems and biodiversity while reversing the damage that has already been done.??? INVEST IN THE FUTURE “Investing in resilient infrastructure is an investment in the future”, said the UN chief. Although more than 100?States have a disaster risk reduction strategy at least partially aligned to?the Sendai Framework, dozens have yet to sign on. Noting that “every $1 invested in making infrastructure disaster-resilient saves $4 in reconstruction”, he urged countries and local governments to accelerate implementation. In closing, the Secretary-General reminded that disasters derail the?Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sendai and the Paris Agreement. Describing the UN as a “steadfast partner in tackling water and disaster issues”, he pointed to the Decade for Action and the 2023 Water Conference as opportunities to transform water management and achieve the water-related SDGs.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094792
     
         
      GE’s Slattery Calls Hydrogen Power the ‘Real Nirvana’ Thu, 24th Jun 2021 16:42:00
     
      The boss of GE Aviation expressed confidence that everybody across the air transport business, including airlines, believes in the “noble cause” of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, not least because customers increasingly want it. Passengers eventually will want to know each of their flights’ carbon footprint, either out of environmental concerns or to know how much tax they will need to pay on their carbon production, John Slattery asserted during a Eurocontrol Straight Talk session on Thursday. “Collectively the industry will get there,” he said, stressing GE Aviation is playing its role to achieve the industry’s challenge to halve carbon emissions by 2050. Slattery pointed to the recently announced Rise (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) development program of its engine joint venture with Safran, CFM International, which aims for a 20 percent improvement in fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared with today’s CFM Leap family. “This will be the single largest leap in fuel burn reduction ever seen,” he said. “If you would apply this to the narrowbody fleet, it would be equivalent to removing more than 17 million cars from the roads.” The CFM Rise hybrid electric advanced open fan demonstrator would run on either 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or liquid hydrogen. “Hundred percent SAF will result in an 80 percent reduction in lifecycle CO2 emissions, while green hydrogen would reduce CO2 by 100 percent. Hydrogen will get us to the nirvana of flight with zero carbon emissions,” he said. Slattery, who joined GE Aviation as CEO last September 1, acknowledged it will require a lot of work to industrialize a hydrogen-burning engine but that a clear technology path exists. “The actual physics are very doable,” he said. However, he cautioned that making hydrogen, like SAF, viable will require the support of policymakers and regulators. SAF is “clearly a first step” to a meaningful reduction of carbon emissions, he said, adding that the industry is working with regulators to define standards for a 100 percent use of SAF, or double the blend now allowed. Current engines would require only minor modifications to run on 100 percent SAF, he noted, describing the availability of SAF as “the big issue.” “If [Lufthansa group CEO] Carsten Spohr or [Air France-KLM group CEO] Ben Smith were to fly the Lufthansa or Air France-KLM fleet on SAF, they would burn the world’s available SAF in one day,” he noted. The Covid-19 crisis and the Boeing 737 Max grounding had a “very meaningful” effect on GE Aviation’s business, Slattery said, while stressing he sees a clear improvement in the sector with a rise in new aircraft and engine orders and travel demand. “We are seeing a lot of momentum and we are preparing for that run,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-06-24/ges-slattery-calls-hydrogen-power-real-nirvana
     
         
      It’s Thursday, June 24, and Target is targeting sustainability goals. Thu, 24th Jun 2021 11:56:00
     
      Retail giant Target is aiming for sustainability. The company announced Tuesday that it will send no waste to landfills and bring its carbon emissions to net-zero across its supply chain by 2040. This includes ensuring that products produced by Target-owned brands are designed for a circular economy — meaning they will be more durable, recyclable, or easily repaired. “These standards are being worked on as we speak.” Amanda Nusz, Target’s senior vice president of corporate responsibility, told CNBC. “As we launch new brands, that will be more embedded in what that brand launch looks like.” Target has set other, shorter-term benchmarks that will help it meet these goals. By 2025, the retailer says it will use plastic that is recyclable, compostable, or reusable in all of its products. Two years ago, Target committed to reducing emissions at all facilities and across its supply chain 30 percent below 2017 levels by 2030. To meet that goal, the company plans to source 100 percent of the electricity used at its facilities from renewables by 2030. “It’s a new era of sustainability for our company,” Nusz told CNBC. “Although it’s not new work, we are aiming to co-create an equitable and regenerative future with our guests, our partners, and community.” A leaked draft of a highly anticipated upcoming report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that climate scientists are becoming increasingly worried about the effects of rising temperatures on the earth’s natural systems. Unless global greenhouse gas emissions are ratcheted down quickly, climate change could trigger tipping points that will fundamentally and permanently reshape the world as we know it. At a House Natural Resources committee hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland said she has no plans at the moment to permanently ban new oil and gas leases on public lands and waters. “Gas and oil production will continue well into the future,” Communities in the Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada are preparing for a historic heatwave this weekend and into next week. Inland parts of Washington and Oregon could see temperatures upwards of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In Seattle, where average high temperatures in late June hover around 70 degrees, meteorologists forecast temperatures close to 100 degrees F this weekend.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/827741150/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      Edinburgh Airport to build solar farm next to runway Thu, 24th Jun 2021 11:26:00
     
      Edinburgh Airport is to build an 11-acre solar farm next to its runway. The array of solar panels will be the first of its kind in the UK and could provide 26% of the airport's energy needs. It is hoped the solar farm, which will be located at the western end of the runway, will be operating next summer. Environmental groups said the benefits of switching to solar power were a "drop in the ocean" compared to the damage done by aviation industry. The Scottish government has put £2m towards the cost of the solar farm. Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: "Some may doubt the power of sun in Scotland, but our solar farm will deliver around 26% of our energy needs and allow us to deliver energy back into the grid when we produce more than we need. "This project illustrates our commitment to making environmental improvements and is something passengers will actually be able to see as they arrive or depart." Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Of course there should be solar panels at Edinburgh Airport but this is just a drop in the ocean compared to the aviation industry's total contribution to climate change. "Edinburgh Airport, like other big polluters, is trying to get away with reducing their local impact on the ground while ignoring the many times bigger contribution that flying makes to changing the climate. "Business as usual with some solar panels added is not an adequate response to the climate emergency."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57596248
     
         
      The massive green power projects stuck in limbo Thu, 24th Jun 2021 1:44:00
     
      Pumped storage hydro schemes are renewable energy projects with the potential to help Scotland - and the rest of the UK - cut carbon emissions and hit climate change targets, according to developers. Planning consent has been secured for new multi-million pound schemes in the Highlands and the south of Scotland, and permission is being sought to expand Argyll's Cruachan power station. But it is decades since a new scheme has been constructed in the UK, and none of the projects have yet progressed beyond the planning stage. Why is building work on hold - and what are the prospects for the future? The schemes involve two bodies of water at different heights. The water flows from one to the other through tunnels, passing through a power station inside a cavern which has been created by hollowing out part of the mountain. When there is low demand for electricity from consumers and/or when surplus power is available from wind farms, electricity is used to pump water from the lower level to fill a reservoir further up the hill. The water can then be released from the upper reservoir, flowing down the tunnels to drive turbines which generate hydro-electricity. This happens at times of high demand, or when there is not enough wind to power wind farms. The UK has four existing pumped storage projects - Cruachan and Foyers in Scotland, and Dinorwig and Ffestiniog in Wales. However, a large-scale pumped storage scheme has not been built in the UK for 30 years. They are not cheap to build - costs can run to £500m and more. They also take a long time to construct - between five to eight years. Developers argue the current energy market does not have the mechanisms to make such major projects attractive to investors. In addition, they cannot bid to sell electricity through the UK government's Contracts for Difference auction system, which offers 15-year long contracts. In a report for Scottish Renewables published in March this year, experts suggested the creation of a new market for pumped storage hydro would be the best solution to unlocking its potential. Developers argue that we do, and both the UK and Scottish governments are in favour of the schemes. Energy giant SSE Renewables says vast amounts of energy needs to be stored ready for when renewable schemes - such as wind farms - are struggling to cope with high demand, or the wind is simply just not blowing. Electricity system operator, National Grid ESO, reported in its Future Energy Scenarios last year that it expects 10GW of storage capacity would be needed by 2030, rising to about 40GW by 2050. At the moment there is only 4GW of long duration pumped storage available. There are other options for storing large amounts of energy, such as lithium-ion batteries and liquid and compressed air storage. But while those alternatives can provide a rapid burst of power when needed, SSE Renewables argues pumped storage hydro also has to be part of the storage capacity as it offers a more cost-effective solution for when power is needed over longer periods of time. Ian Innes, project director for SSE Renewables' planned Coire Glas project in the Highlands, said pumped storage hydro was a "proven technology" which was already playing a part in supplying electricity across the UK. "However, a new large-scale scheme has not been built for decades even though more is needed to maintain and improve security of supply in the most cost effective way, particularly as more renewable generation is built to meet net zero by 2050," he says. SSE Renewables wants the UK government and Ofgem to establish a framework which "appropriately values long duration storage technology and the role it will play in the net zero transition". "This in turn will help attract investment into key projects like our 1.5GW Coire Glas project," adds Mr Innes. Will Gardiner of Drax Group, which operates Cruachan, said: "Last year, the UK's lack of energy storage capacity meant wind farms had to be paid to turn off and we lost out on enough renewable power to supply a million homes. "We need to stop renewable power from going to waste by storing it, and Drax is ready to move mountains to do just that." SSE Renewables secured planning consent from the Scottish government last year for its 1,500MW Coire Glas scheme near Spean Bridge in Lochaber. Once built, it would be largest pumped storage hydro scheme in 30 years, and have generating capacity to power three million homes for 24 hours non-stop. Hamilton-based ILI Group's £550m 450MW Red John project is planned for near Dores on Loch Ness. The Scottish government granted it planning permission earlier this month. Meanwhile, a buyer is being sought for a £250m scheme at a former opencast coal mine in the south of Scotland. The project at Glenmuckloch near Kirkconnel in Dumfries and Galloway was approved more than four years ago. Drax Group has announced it is seeking planning permission to construct a new underground power station at its Cruachan site. Nicknamed Hollow Mountain, the existing station is housed within a huge cavern dug out inside Ben Cruachan. The new plans would more than double the facility's generating capacity to more than 1GW. Drax Group said work to build the new power station - which would include excavating more than a million tonnes of rock - could start in 2024. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? The UK government says its Energy White Paper published last year included a commitment to support pumped storage hydro. A spokeswoman said: "Electricity storage, including pumped hydro storage, has a key role to play in helping the UK end its contribution to climate change by 2050. "We are making significant progress in ensuring this technology can enter the market, and compete fairly alongside other, more established forms of energy. "As set out in our Energy White Paper, we will outline our next steps for removing barriers to the deployment of large scale and longer duration electricity storage shortly." The Scottish government said it had long been supportive of pumped storage hydro. Following planning permission for ILI Group's Red John project, Energy Secretary Michael Matheson said: "As we add more renewable electricity generation across Scotland, investing in pumped hydro storage will be key to balancing our electricity demand with supply and keeping the system secure, as well as creating high quality, green jobs and enabling a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-57510870
     
         
      Illegal gold miners stalk Amazon as authorities look away Thu, 24th Jun 2021 0:59:00
     
      At around midday on 11 May, Dario Kopenawa, an indigenous leader, received a desperate phone call from a remote village in the Brazilian Amazon. Palimiú has a population of about 1,000, who live in large communal houses on the banks of a river called Uraricoera. You can only reach it by plane, or after a long journey on a boat. Kopenawa, a member of the Yanomami tribe, is used to hearing pleas for help from communities in the rainforest, but this one was different. "They attacked us," a man said, "they almost killed us". They, Kopenawa was told, were garimpeiros, or illegal gold miners, who had arrived on seven motorboats, some carrying automatic weapons, and started shooting indiscriminately. Hiding behind trees, the Yanomami fought back, using shotguns and bows. An indigenous man was grazed by a bullet in the head, Kopenawa learned, and four miners were injured. The attackers left after half an hour, but threatened to come back for revenge. Terrified, women fled into the dense jungle with their children to seek refuge. It was chaotic, and two boys, aged one and five, drowned. Palimiú sits on Brazil's largest indigenous reserve, which has an area similar to Portugal and 27,000 people. Mining is illegal there, but prospectors have always found ways to do their work. "Garimpeiros are all over the place," Kopenawa said. He avoids going to places where they are because of death threats and, after the call, he alerted the authorities, saying something had to be done. The next day, a team of federal police travelled to Palimiú on a small plane, and were joined by Junior Hekukari, who heads the local indigenous health council. As he was leaving the area, Hekukari spotted some boats drifting with their engines switched off, and he guessed they were trying to avoid being noticed. As the men in the vessels approached, they shot multiple times at the village. "The agents screamed 'Police, police'," Hekukari told me, "but they didn't stop. They had no respect". The officers responded, and there was an intense gun fight. The group left five minutes later and nobody was injured. When Hekukari reported what had happened, Kopenawa was stunned. If even the police were being attacked, he said, none of his people was safe. The intrusions by garimpeiros in indigenous reserves have intensified under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who plans to open some of the areas to mining and agriculture. Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a non-profit group, estimates there are about 20,000 of them in the Yanomami territory alone, and Hekukari told me "they do what they want because they know nothing will happen to them". Alisson Marugal, the federal prosecutor in the state of Roraima, said miners had been encouraged by a surge in gold prices and an order by Funai, the government's indigenous affairs agency, that limited field work because of the pandemic. "Illegal miners did not self-isolate or do social distancing," he said. "In fact, they intensified their activities." The reserves are one of the most effective ways to protect the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest and a huge carbon store that helps slow down global warming. But President Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic who is supported by powerful agribusiness leaders, considers them too big for the number of people who live there and an obstacle to development. The president, whose own father was a garimpeiro, is particularly critical of the extension of the Yanomami territory, established in 1992 in a region where vast mineral riches are located. Kopenawa, who lives in the state capital Boa Vista where he leads the indigenous association called Hutakara, said "Bolsonaro supports the garimpeiros" and had no interest in protecting the Yanomami. "Our territory is being disrespected," he said. "And our calls for help are not being heard." In Congress, the Bolsonaro government is pushing an agenda that opponents warn poses an existential threat to the Amazon and, consequently, to indigenous people. The Chamber of Deputies is due to vote on a bill that would legalise the private occupation of public land. Another proposal could pave the way for the reduction of indigenous areas that already exist. "Illegal miners have been emboldened... by a discourse that legitimises their work," Prosecutor Marugal said. "Indigenous communities are under extreme pressure". 'It's obvious there's no political will' Kopenawa is the son of the respected shaman and leader David Kopenawa, who led the campaign that resulted in the creation of the Yanomami reserve. Nicknamed the Dalai Lama of the Rainforest, he told me when we met in 2014: "White men who have money, want more. They want to destroy more. That's their tradition: they've got no limit." Last year, illegal mining devastated an area equivalent to 500 football fields on Yanomami land, according to ISA, and is likely to result in even more destruction this year. Garimpeiros have also polluted rivers with mercury, which is used to separate gold from mud, and are blamed for bringing alcohol, drugs and, most recently, Covid-19, into the communities. If it is no secret where they are, why are they not being removed? "It's obvious there's no political will," a former official at Funai, who quit last year because he "couldn't stand it anymore," told me. "There are some powerful people involved in illegal mining who may be able to limit or prevent any action." Raids by Funai, which has suffered successive budget cuts, are carried out with the federal police, the army and Ibama, the environmental protection agency. They are so irregular, the former official added, that their impact is very limited and the garimpeiros quickly go back. Joenia Wapichana, the only indigenous member of parliament and a representative of Roraima, pointed to an ideological change at the agency, currently led by a federal police officer with links to agribusiness. "Funai used to be a friend of the indigenous people," she told me. Now, she said, they oppose demands by local communities and even ask the police to investigate indigenous leaders who are critical of them. Funai said there was no-one available for an interview, and President Bolsonaro's office did not respond to requests for comment. As the pandemic raged in the Amazon last year, the Yanomami created a barrier on the Uraricoera, Roraima's longest river, in an effort to stop the transit of boats around Palimiú. They believe the May attack was in retaliation after they intercepted a vessel and seized petrol and equipment. Audio messages shared in a WhatsApp group believed to be used by illegal miners suggested the attackers were affiliated to a facção, or criminal organisation. One of Brazil's largest gangs, the First Command of the Capital, or PCC for its initials in Portuguese, is known to operate in Roraima, a sparsely populated state situated on drug trafficking routes. Alisson Marugal said the suspicion was that criminals had been hired to protect the mining fields, and that they were believed to be behind the recent violence. "We're seeing some heavy weapons arriving in the camps," he told me. He described some areas as "no-man's land". Five days after the police visit, Palimiú was attacked again, Kopenawa said. At night, people arrived on several boats and started shooting. They also fired what appeared to be tear gas, and the Yanomami despaired when they felt their eyes and throats burn. "My people thought they were being bombed," he said. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ordered the Bolsonaro government to take measures to protect the village and other indigenous communities, and to remove the garimpeiros from the areas. But Kopenawa said the Yanomami were tired of waiting. "We're under threat," he said. "Our patience has ended."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57157017
     
         
      Why has the Hoover Dam hit an historically low water level? Thu, 24th Jun 2021 0:56:00
     
      The largest reservoir in the US has fallen to the lowest level in history. The troubling milestone at Lake Mead, which is formed by the Hoover Dam, is the latest consequence of the drought plaguing the western US. What happens when millions of Americans rely on the dam as a source of water and energy?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57535203
     
         
      Climate change: Large-scale CO2 removal facility set for Scotland Thu, 24th Jun 2021 0:38:00
     
      A large facility capable of extracting significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the air is being planned for north east Scotland. The proposed plant would remove up to one million tonnes of CO2 every year - the same amount taken up by around 40 million trees. The extracted gas could be stored permanently deep under the seabed off the Scottish coast. But critics argue that technology isn't a magic bullet for climate change. What's the plan? This Direct Air Capture (DAC) plan is a joint project between UK firm Storegga and Canadian company Carbon Engineering. It's at a very early stage of development - today's announcement is the beginning of the engineering and design of the plant. A feasibility study has already been carried out and if everything goes well, the facility would be operational by 2026. Storegga say up to 300 jobs would be created in the construction phase. However there are many hurdles, including planning and finance - and a site for the plant won't be selected until next year. If it does go ahead it would be the biggest DAC facility in Europe and depending on the final configuration, could be the biggest in the world. Why is this facility needed? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), if the world wants to stay safe, then the rise in global temperatures needs to be kept below 1.5C by the end of this century. There's not much wiggle room left: in 2020 temperatures were already 1.2C above the historical level. To keep the mercury down, we need to curb the emissions of the warming gases that are driving them up. The IPCC says that rapid cuts in carbon from cars, home heating and almost every aspect of our lives will be needed over the next decade. Even then, say the scientists, the world will still need to suck significant amounts of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere to stay below the 1.5C threshold. While planting trees is one important approach to this problem, technology is also being used to capture CO2 directly from the air. "Even if all the other measures that we're taking to avoid emissions, electric cars, renewable energy, those types of things, even if those succeed, you still need carbon removal," said Steve Oldham, CEO of Carbon Engineering. "Direct air capture I think is going to be a significant part of the UK is net zero plan." "For us a typical facility is about a million tonnes of CO2 removal per year. That's the equivalent of 40 million trees." How would the proposed plant work? Canadian company Carbon Engineering is one of the leaders in this field. At their pilot plant in Squamish, British Columbia, they've been removing CO2 from the atmosphere since 2015, pulling down around 1 tonne of CO2 every day. Their system involves a fan to suck in air, which is then exposed to a liquid mixture that binds the carbon dioxide. Through further refinement, the liquid is turned into calcium carbonate pellets. When these are treated at temperature of about 900C, the pellets decompose into a CO2 stream and calcium oxide. That stream of pure CO2 is cleaned up to remove water impurities. At that point it can be pumped underground and buried permanently, sold for commercial use or even turned into liquid fuel. Right now the plan is for Carbon Engineering licence their technology to UK firm Storegga, who will be responsible for choosing the site and building the facility. Why Scotland? According to both companies involved, north east Scotland has significant advantages for this type of technology. They point to the fact that there is abundant renewable energy sources, there's a skilled workforce from the North Sea oil industry that have the type of skills needed to build and operate a DAC facility. But a key advantage are pipelines going out under the sea to allow the permanent burial of the captured carbon. "We're keen to locate the plant as close as possible to transport and storage infrastructure so we don't actually have to suffer more and more costs to move captured carbon offshore and then underground," said Alan James from Storegga. Are fossil fuel companies involved in this process? Carbon Engineering has received significant investment from fossil fuel companies in the past and is working closely with one firm on the development of a DAC plant in Texas. Oil companies are keen on good quality CO2 because they can use it to flush out extra oil from depleted wells. That's not the plan for Scotland according Alan James from developers Storegga. "I came out of the oil industry in 2007, largely because I was getting concerned about what the impact was," he told BBC News. "None of the emissions that we take out here will be used for extracting more hydrocarbons. That's not what our business now is about. We have nothing to do with producing hydrocarbons, period." Are there concerns about this type of technology? Scientists say that DAC, if deployed widely, will have major impacts on energy, water and land use. By 2050, according to this report from last year, food crop prices could rise more than five-fold in some parts of the world. Some people are also worried that if direct air capture becomes economically viable, then governments might start to go easy on cutting emissions. However, supporters of DAC say that's not the case - they argue that for sectors that are hard to cut, including shipping, aviation and the oil and gas industry, then DAC is a good option for limiting their impact on the climate. Researchers who've studied these emerging technologies say it would be foolish to rely fully on them and neglect the basic steps of decarbonising power, transport and industry. "It's a much more sensible strategy to treat these technologies as a really nice addition, we should work hard on them and make sure that they can become cost competitive, and economic in the 2020s," said Dr Ajay Gambhir, a senior research fellow at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. "But at the same time, we need to just make sure we reduce emissions as fast as possible as far as possible. So that if DAC does come along, then then that's great. That's a really nice addition to our toolkit if you like, but we definitely don't rely on them."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57588248
     
         
      Ministers 'should urge public to eat less meat' Thu, 24th Jun 2021 0:19:00
     
      The UK public should be urged by the government to protect the climate by eating less meat and dairy produce, advisers say. Cattle are a major source of planet-heating gases, but ministers fear a backlash if they ask people to cut down on steak. But the Climate Change Committee (CCC) says people should reduce meat-eating for their health, as well as for the planet. It says the issue's one of many failings of a government which is delivering only a fifth of its pledges on climate change. People should be asked to eat 20% less meat and dairy produce by 2030, and 35% less by 2050, the CCC insists. The CCC says Boris Johnson must devise evidence-based policies to encourage healthier diets and set clear targets. Its report says the PM's "remarkable" climate leadership is undermined by inadequate policies and poor implementation in many areas of policy. A government spokesman said its net zero strategy, due in the Autumn, would show where carbon cuts would be imposed across the economy. Net zero refers to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases as much as possible and then balancing out any remaining releases by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere - by, for example, planting trees. But the committee complains that the public hasn't been engaged to make changes essential for protecting the climate. In addition to meat and dairy, they are: HEATING Sales of new gas boilers should be stopped by 2033. People will mostly convert to heat pumps instead. This will involve disruption - and the CCC says ministers will have to subsidise the installation cost. POWER BILLS Committee members want to see taxes taken off clean electricity - and maybe shifted on to more polluting gas - although power bills for poor households should not rise. FLYNG Frequent fliers will need to be curbed, the CCC believes. Even if low-carbon planes are developed, the UK still cannot let demand for aviation grow unconstrained. JOINING IN People will need to be consulted over changes ahead - perhaps by groups such as the UK climate assembly. The report says the government currently lacks policies on these issues and many others. Waste and low-carbon heat networks are said to need policies too. The committee chairman Lord Deben said the prime minister's commitments on the international stage to cut emissions 78% by 2035 are "remarkable decisions". He added that the objective of achieving near zero emissions by 2050 sets a major example to other nations. "The trouble," he said, is that the delivery has not been there. Almost all things that should have happened have either been delayed or not hit the mark. They need to step up very rapidly." The CCC's chief executive Chris Stark said he was "very concerned by the gulf between promises and actions". His report laid down some fundamental principles for the journey towards a near zero-carbon economy. It urges the Treasury to protect the poorest from the cost of climate policies. It says: "The net zero strategy must be underpinned by an approach that distributes the costs, savings and wider benefits of decarbonisation fairly. "It must encourage action across society, while protecting vulnerable people and companies at risk of adverse impacts." A government spokesman said: "Any suggestion we have been slow to deliver climate action is widely off the mark. Over the past three decades, we have driven down emissions by 44% - the fastest reduction of any G7 country. "We have set some of the most ambitious targets in the world for the future. "In recent months, we've made clear with record investment in wind power, a new UK Emissions Trading Scheme, £5.2bn investment in flood and sea defences, clear plans to decarbonise heavy industry and North Sea oil, and businesses pledging to become net zero by 2050 or earlier. "Our strategies this year will set out more of the very policies the Climate Change Committee is calling for as we redouble our efforts to end the UK's contribution to climate change." But environmental group Friends of the Earth said: "The committee's criticisms are spot on. Without a detailed strategy for combating the climate crisis, government promises to decarbonise the economy are simply more hot air. "With no climate action plan and his government's support for more roads, runways and an overseas gas project, Boris Johnson risks being a laughing stock at the UN climate summit [which the UK is hosting]." The CCC insists ministers must commit all policies to a "net zero test" to ensure that decisions are compatible with the emissions targets. But there is a Whitehall logjam of decarbonisation initiatives in the pipeline. They include the Environment Bill and several strategies for different sectors, such as a transport decarbonisation plan and a net zero aviation strategy. Mr Stark says the environment Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is lagging with policies, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is failing to integrate climate change into the Planning Bill. All these policies, though, are over-shadowed by the delayed Treasury net zero review, which will determine how much cash is invested into the projected zero-carbon economy. Some key policies are being delayed by the Treasury, and environmentalists fear that the Chancellor Rishi Sunak may be jockeying for influence with the climate sceptic wing of the Conservative Party by withholding funds needed for the PM's "green revolution". It is a huge challenge for the Treasury, which will also need to take into account another recent CCC report warning that the nation unprepared for the inevitable impact of a heating climate on the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57580254
     
         
      Report outlines 80 ways Scotland could tackle climate change Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 23:09:00
     
      A Scottish "Oyster card", green taxes and scrapping air miles are among 80 recommendations of a citizens' assembly looking at how Scotland can tackle climate change. Scotland's Climate Assembly also urges a ban on single-use plastics and a four-day working week. The assembly brought together more than 100 people from all walks of life to discuss the challenge. Their report will now be handed over to party leaders at Holyrood. Described as a "clarion call" for action, it says there should be a ban on single use plastics "unless there is no viable alternative". To encourage people out of their cars, it calls for public transport to be made "cheaper, or free", with standardised smart ticketing introduced across the whole country in what could be an "Oyster card for Scotland". The assembly backs tax changes, including the introduction of a new carbon land tax which it said would penalise those whose land is currently responsible for more emissions than it captures. Schemes such as frequent flyer and air mile bonuses should be scrapped, with a new tax brought in to discourage people from regular air travel. It also calls for a feasibility study to examine the environmental impact of introducing a universal basic income, and for a four-day working week "as standard". The assembly was created after people across Scotland were randomly selected to register an interest. More than 100 were eventually chosen, meeting to discuss the climate change challenge over seven weekends between November 2020 and March this year. Other recommendations in the report include: - Grants being made available to all homeowners by 2025 to help them to ensure their properties meet zero emissions standards by 2030 - All public service vehicles - such as ambulances and police cars - to have zero tailpipe emissions - Supermarkets and other stores encouraged to change the way they sell fruit and vegetables, and other perishable products, so people can buy only the amount they need - Creation of a new National Nature Service so people who are not in education, training or work can "contribute to rewilding, land restoration and adaptation projects" - Councils to set up a network of "resource libraries" where people can borrow tools and other equipment instead of people having to buy items they may only use occasionally The assembly is delivering its report to Holyrood just months before thousands of delegates and world leaders are due to gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate change summit Prof Dave Reay of Edinburgh University's Climate Change Institute said: "This is a clarion call for climate action right across Scotland. "For anyone who was still wondering what needs done on climate change, it's writ large here: much more, and much faster. "These recommendations span every part of our lives, from heating our homes and the daily commute, through to what we buy and what we eat." The Scottish government's Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson said Scotland's contribution to tackling climate change would be delivered by 2045 at the latest. "The responsibility for delivering this transformation, and delivering it in a way that is fair and just for everyone, falls to all of us - it must be a shared, national endeavour, with people at its heart," he said. Scottish Labour's Net Zero spokeswoman Monica Lennon said the assembly had shown that when given the chance, people would "put forward radical and ambitious proposals for change".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57595574
     
         
      Climate change: Lord Deben warns Stormont instability could affect targets Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 23:03:00
     
      Political instability at Stormont could hinder necessary moves on climate change in Northern Ireland, according to the head of the UK's top climate body. Lord Deben chairs the Climate Change Committee which advises devolved administrations and central government on emissions cuts and targets. He said Northern Ireland was "further behind the curve" than it ought to be. He blamed the three year collapse of Stormont over a renewable heat scandal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-57601499
     
         
      Climate change: Second climate bill given green light by Executive Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 23:01:00
     
      A second climate bill is to begin its path through the Northern Ireland Assembly. Agriculture and Environment Minister Edwin Poots received approval from the executive to progress it on Thursday. It joins an existing private members' Climate Bill which is already being scrutinised by assembly members. It follows a warning by Lord Deben, head of the UK's top climate body, that political instability at Stormont could hinder action on climate change. He chairs the Climate Change Committee, which advises devolved administrations and central government on emissions cuts and targets. Mr Poots' bill has a less stringent target and a longer time frame than its rival. It draws on the recommendations by Lord Deben's Climate Change Committee, which suggested Northern Ireland adopt a cut of at least 82% in emissions by 2050. The private members bill would see a tougher target which would have to be reached sooner. Opponents claim its net zero by 2045 target would damage the agriculture industry. The sector is the biggest emitter in Northern Ireland, responsible for around 26% of greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57584774
     
         
      Climate change: Red meat sector opposes proposed legislation Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 16:06:00
     
      Northern Ireland's red meat sector has been giving evidence to a Stormont committee on proposed climate legislation. It is opposed to the private member's bill which would set a net-zero emissions target by 2045. The agri-food industry says that would disproportionately affect the sector which is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. The Northern Ireland Meat Exporters' Association represents meat companies. Its spokesman Conall Donnelly said the bill had the potential to "decimate" the red meat sector which accounts for about half of Northern Ireland's agricultural output. He was joined at the evidence session before a Stormont scrutiny committee by representatives of ABP and Dunbia, two of Northern Ireland's biggest meat businesses. The bill, currently before the Northern Ireland Assembly, is a piece of framework legislation that proposes an overall target, but does not set sectoral targets for things like agriculture and industry. Assembly members (MLAs) were told that much greater work needed to be done on accounting for carbon sequestration on farm so that it could be weighed in the balance when it came to carbon cuts. Committee chairman Declan McAleer said farmers were getting confusing messages on the issue. He said they were being told climate legislation would lead to big herd reductions and at the same time being advised that some farms on marginal land were already climate neutral. The witnesses raised concerns about how emissions from livestock were measured, and that account should be taken of the fact that the main one, methane, is a short-lived pollutant. They also questioned the logic of cutting carbon efficient meat production locally while importing red meat from countries with lower climate ambitions to replace it. Dean Holroyd of ABP said the red meat sector was looking to science for answers, including genetics and diet to drive efficiency, bring cattle to slaughter weight earlier, and to cut emissions. He said on two demonstration farms it had been possible to cut methane emissions from livestock by 40% against the national average.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57598051
     
         
      White-Hot Blocks as Renewable Energy Storage? Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 15:38:00
     
      In five years, operating a coal or natural gas power plant is going to be more expensive than building wind and solar farms. In fact, according to a new study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, building a new solar farm is already cheaper than operating coal and natural gas plants in many regions of the world. Yet a full shift to intermittent energy sources desperately calls for low-cost, reliable energy storage that can be built anywhere. Some nascent startups believe the answer lies in the process that lights up toaster coils by electrically heating them to scorching temperatures. Antora Energy in Sunnyvale, Calif., wants to use carbon blocks for such thermal storage, while Electrified Thermal Solutions in Boston is seeking funds to build a similar system using conductive ceramic blocks. Their vision is similar: use excess renewable electricity to heat up the blocks to over 1,500°C, and then turn it back to electricity for the grid when needed. To beat the cost of the natural gas plants that today back up wind and solar, storing energy would have to cost around $10 per kilowatt-hour. Both startups say their Joule heating systems will meet that price. Lithium-ion batteries, meanwhile, are now at approximately $140/kWH, according to a recent study by MIT economists, and could drop to as low as $20/kWH, although only in 2030 or thereafter. Justin Briggs, Antora’s co-founder and Chief Science Officer, says he and his co-founders Andrew Ponec and David Bierman, who launched the company in 2018, considered several energy-storage technologies to meet that goal. This included today’s dominant method, pumped hydro, in which water pumped to a higher elevation spins turbines as it falls, and the similar new gravity storage method, which involves lifting 35-ton bricks and letting them drop. In the end, heating carbon blocks won for its impressive energy density, simplicity, low cost, and scalability. The energy density is on par with lithium-ion batteries at a few hundred kWh/m3, hundreds of times higher than pumped hydro or gravity, which also “need two reservoirs separated by a mountain, or a skyscraper-sized stack of bricks,” Briggs says. Antora uses the same graphite blocks that serve as electrodes in steel furnaces and aluminum smelters. “[These] are already produced in 100 million ton quantities so we can tap into that supply chain,” he says. Briggs imagines blocks roughly the size of dorm fridges packed in modular units and wrapped in common insulating materials like rockwool. “After you heat this thing up with electricity, the real trick is how you retrieve the heat,” he says. One option is to use the heat to drive a gas turbine. But Antora chose thermophotovoltaics, solar cell-like devices that convert infrared radiation and light from the glowing-hot carbon blocks into electricity. The price of these semiconductor devices drops dramatically when made at large scale, so they work out cheaper per Watt than turbines. Plus, unlike turbines that work best when built big, thermophotovoltaic perform well regardless of power output. Thermophotovoltaics have been around for decades, but Antora has developed a new system. Richard Swanson, one of the company’s advisors, was an early pioneer of the technology in the late 1970s. The efficiency with which the devices convert heat into electricity was stuck in the 20s until the Antora team demonstrated a world-record 30% efficiency in 2019. They did that by switching from silicon to higher-performance III–V semiconductors, and by using tricks like harnessing lower-energy infrared light that otherwise passes through the semiconductor and is lost. Antora’s system recuperates that heat by placing a reflector behind the semiconductor to bounce the infrared rays back to the graphite block. The technology has caught on. Antora has received early-stage funding from ARPA-E and is an alum of the Activate entrepreneurial fellowship program and Shell/NREL GameChanger accelerator program. More recently, they have gotten funding from venture capitalists and the California Energy Commission [PDF] to scale up their technology, and will build a pilot system at an undisclosed customer site in 2022. Electrified Thermal Solutions, which is part of Activate’s 2021 cohort and was founded in 2020, is much younger. The company’s cofounders Joey Kabel and Daniel Stack chose ceramic blocks as their thermal storage medium. Specifically, honeycomb-shaped ceramic blocks used today to capture waste heat in steel plants. Since ceramics don’t conduct electricity, they dope the bricks to make them conductive so that they can be electrically heated to 2,000°C. Stack says they plan to target a wide market for that stored heat. They could use it to drive a gas turbine for electricity, or to run any other high-temperature process such as producing cement and steel. The duo is still working out some technical challenges such as keeping the ceramic from oxidizing and vaporizing over time. Eventually the system should have a lifetime of 20-plus years, another big advantage over batteries. They are now building a benchtop prototype, Kabel says, but the final full-scale system should look like a large grain silo that should store about 1 MWh/m3, besting Antora’s energy density. It will be a few years before either company is ready to build a full-scale installation. If they can prove themselves, though, these companies could pave a way for a cost-effective storage technology for the 21st century electrical grid. “We want to decarbonize the industrial and electric sector by replacing the combustion process with a renewable heating system,” Stack says.
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/batteries-storage/could-storing-electricity-in-whitehot-blocks-give-supercheap-renewables-storage
     
         
      COP 26: Police disruption 'inevitable' from Glasgow climate summit Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 10:58:00
     
      It is "inevitable" that the UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow will cause disruption to day-to-day policing, a review has warned. The event in November was postponed last year because of the pandemic. About 10,000 officers from across the UK will be deployed each day during the conference, which is expected to attract 120 heads of state. Police Scotland said it was "the most complex and complicated" event ever staged in Scotland. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) said the policing plans were "progressing well" for the event at Glasgow's Scottish Events Campus. The watchdog body said: "Given the complexity and challenge of policing COP26, the size and scale of the event which will put exceptional demand on resources, HMICS believes it to be inevitable there will be an element of disruption in day-to-day policing." Gill Imery, Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, said: "It will place significant demands across policing and necessitate the largest mass mobilisation of police officers that has taken place in the UK in many years. "I am confident the leadership of Police Scotland, its officers and staff are committed to the effective and efficient policing of the event whilst maintaining delivery of business as usual and monitoring and supporting staff wellbeing." COP26, or the 26th Conference of the Parties, is the key forum for countries all over the world to tackle climate change. It is hoped the meeting in Glasgow will see countries agree a number of key steps to deal with rising temperatures. 'ICONIC WORLD LEADERS' Each member of the United Nations has been invited, meaning nearly 120 heads of state are expected to attend along with around 20,000 accredited delegates. Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said the event will see "the greatest mass mobilisation of police officers from across the UK" for up to three weeks. Mr Higgins said US President Joe Biden is among those confirmed to attend, while police believe Pope Francis could also travel to Glasgow. He said: "If you take the two most iconic world leaders, the president and the pontiff, and put them in one place then the likelihood is that that will absolutely encourage a significant number of other world leaders to attend." Mr Higgins said Police Scotland, which recently sent some of its officers to the G7 summit in Cornwall, is contributing 45% of the numbers required for COP26. The huge security operation will involve local policing officers from each of Scotland's 13 divisions and specialist resources, such as firearms officers and dog handlers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57596249
     
         
      Most new wind and solar projects will be cheaper than coal, report finds Wed, 23rd Jun 2021 10:28:00
     
      Almost two-thirds of wind and solar projects built globally last year will be able to generate cheaper electricity than even the world’s cheapest new coal plants, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). The agency found that the falling cost of new windfarms and solar panels meant 62% of new renewable energy projects could undercut the cost of up to 800 gigawatts (GW) worth of coal plants, or almost enough to supply the UK’s electricity needs 10 times over. Solar power costs fell by 16% last year, according to the report, while the cost of onshore wind dropped 13% and offshore wind by 9%. In less than a decade the cost of large-scale solar power has fallen by more than 85% while onshore wind has fallen almost 56% and offshore wind has declined by almost 48%. Francesco La Camera, Irena’s director general, said the agency’s latest research proved the world was “far beyond the tipping point of coal”. He said: “Today renewables are the cheapest source of power. Renewables present countries tied to coal with an economically attractive phase-out agenda that ensures they meet growing energy demand, while saving costs, adding jobs, boosting growth and meeting climate ambition.” In Europe, the cost of a new coal plant would be well above the cost of new wind and solar farms including mandatory carbon prices. The report found that in the US renewable energy could undercut between three-quarters and 91% of existing coal-fired power plants, while in India renewable energy would be cheaper than between 87% and 91% of new coal plants. Replacing hundreds of existing coal plants with unsubsidised renewable energy sources could save $32.3bn (£22.8bn) every year in energy system costs and avoid about 3 gigatonnes of CO2 annually, the report said. The carbon saving from phasing out 800GW of coal power capacity would be the equivalent of shaving 9% from the world’s energy-related emissions last year, according to the report, or 20% of the carbon savings needed by 2030 to help limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The report predicts the cost of renewable energy will continue to fall in the coming years. Over the next two years three-quarters of all new solar power projects will be cheaper than new coal power plants, and onshore wind costs will be a quarter lower than the cheapest new coal-fired option. “The trend confirms that low-cost renewables are not only the backbone of the electricity system, but that they will also enable electrification in end uses like transport, buildings and industry and unlock competitive indirect electrification with renewable hydrogen,” the report said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/23/most-new-wind-solar-projects-cheaper-than-coal-report
     
         
      Unesco: Great Barrier Reef should be listed as 'in danger' Tue, 22nd Jun 2021 16:58:00
     
      Australia's government has lashed out after a United Nations report claimed it had not done enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef from climate change. UN body Unesco said the reef should be put on a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger" due to the damage it has suffered. Key targets on improving water quality had not been met, it said. Environment minister Sussan Ley said UN experts had reneged on past assurances. She confirmed that Australia planned to challenge the listing, which would take place at a meeting next month, saying: "Clearly there were politics behind it; clearly those politics have subverted a proper process." The World Heritage Committee is a 21-nation group chaired by China, which has had a vexed diplomatic relationship with Canberra in recent years. "Climate change is the single biggest threat to all of the world's reef ecosystems... and there are 83 natural World Heritage properties facing climate change threats so it's not fair to simply single out Australia," said Ms Ley. Environmental groups say the UN's decision highlights Australia's weak climate action, however. "The recommendation from Unesco is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change," said Richard Leck, Head of Oceans for the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia. The latest row is part of an ongoing dispute between Unesco and Australia over the status of the iconic site. The reef, stretching for 2,300km (1,400 miles) off Australia's north-east coast, gained World Heritage ranking in 1981 for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance". After Unesco first debated its "in danger" status in 2017, Canberra committed more than A$3 billion (£1.bn; $2.2bn) to improving the reef's health. However, several bleaching events on the reef in the past five years have caused widespread loss of coral. Scientists say the main reason is rising sea temperatures as a result of global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. In 2019, Australia's own reef authority downgraded the reef's condition from poor to very poor in its five-year update. But Australia remains reluctant to commit to stronger climate action, such as by signing up to a net zero emissions target by 2050. The country, a large exporter of coal and gas, has not updated its climate goals since 2015. Its current emissions reduction target is 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2030. These have been a tough few months for Australia and its climate change policy. International pressure has been mounting on Scott Morrison's government to pledge net zero emissions by 2050 and the prime minister has time and time again refused to commit - including as recently as last week at the G7 meeting in the UK. In his address to US President Joe Biden's virtual climate conference with global leaders in April, the prime minister said the country will "get there as soon as we possibly can," adding that "for Australia, it is not a question of if, or even by when, for net-zero but, importantly, how". That in itself is at the heart of the problem. The "when" is as crucial as the "how" when it comes to climate change. Scientists and global leaders say Australia is not doing enough or going fast enough. The Great Barrier Reef row between Unesco and the Australian government is not new, but it will be quite embarrassing if the country's World Heritage Site is downgraded to the "in danger" list. It's another reminder that if Australia does not get serious about tackling climate change with clear and decisive measures, this will affect its standing in the world, not just diplomatically and economically but culturally too. If the reef is downgraded, it will be the first time a natural World Heritage Site has been placed on the "in danger" list primarily due to impacts of climate change. Listing a site as "in danger" can help address threats by, for example, unlocking access to funds or publicity. But the recommendation could affect a major tourism destination that creates thousands of jobs in Australia and was worth A$6.4bn prior to the pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57562685
     
         
      It’s Tuesday, June 22, and Volvo is planning to make cars with fossil-fuel-free steel. Tue, 22nd Jun 2021 12:53:00
     
      Volvo announced last week that it plans to make steel for its cars with hydrogen by 2026, dramatically slashing carbon emissions from its supply chain and adding to the Swedish automaker’s existing environmental goals. Steel — one of the top materials used in cars — is currently manufactured with coal, since the metal requires forging temperatures of almost 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. That extra-hot production process is responsible for almost 7 percent of the world’s current carbon emissions. Volvo plans to partner with SSAB, a Swedish firm working on ways to forge steel without coal, by heating furnaces with hydrogen. (“Green” hydrogen can be made with just renewable electricity and water.) If the project works, it could cut about 20 to 35 percent of the emissions from the production of each Volvo car. It won’t be easy: Making steel with hydrogen is still projected to be significantly more expensive than using coal, and hydrogen has historically failed to live up to its green hype. But experts agree that some alternative steel production process will be necessary to reach net-zero emissions globally. “As we continuously reduce our total carbon footprint, we know that steel is a major area for further progress,” Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive at Volvo, said in a statement. A United Nations panel recommended on Tuesday that the Great Barrier Reef be added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger,” a decision that Australia’s environment minister called “flawed” and politically motivated. The Great Barrier Reef, like many coral reef ecosystems, is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and experienced three mass bleaching events in the five years between 2016 and 2020 due to rising temperatures. A new oilfield in Botswana and Namibia proposed by a Canadian oil and gas company could threaten the Okavango Delta, a World Heritage Site and expansive wilderness. The region impacted by the proposed oilfield provides critical water supplies and is home to 130,000 elephants, almost a third of the remaining elephants in Africa. An enormous plume of methane that appeared over Russia in early June has been attributed to a leak from a pipeline owned by Gazprom, a majority state-owned energy corporation. The leak released 1,830 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere at a rate of 395 metric tons per hour, according to geoanalytics firm Kayrros SAS — making it the worst oil and gas leak since September 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://go.grist.org/webmail/399522/825815132/9a7b995ea6aa0a47af273fbc06a38a63f1b9ce041e2996a1e70686b7ccd742da
     
         
      The Hydrogen Stream: Off-grid hydrogen power solution based on alkaline fuel cell from Israel, first green hydrogen production in Russia Tue, 22nd Jun 2021 11:31:00
     
      Israel-based manufacturer of fuel cell energy solutions, GenCell Energy, has completed an advanced testing period of its experimental GenCell A5 off-grid hydrogen power solution, based on alkaline fuel cell (AFC) technology, at the site of an active emergency communications system (ECS) station outside Reykjavik, Iceland, operated by state-owned Icelandic telecom provider Neyðarlínan. “GenCell and Neyðarlínan ohf have agreed to carry out a second testing period in the extreme weather conditions typical of the Arctic regions in the winter months, between December 2021 and February 2022. Following the satisfactory completion of the winter evaluation, the two companies will negotiate the deployment of GenCell A5 units at 112 active emergency communication sites across Iceland,” reads the note released on Monday. Representatives of Italian utility Enel and Russian innovation development agency Rusnano have discussed collaboration opportunities to create Russia’s first green hydrogen production project at a wind farm in the Murmansk region. “The joint project with Rusnano will be our first step in starting to explore this promising area in various parts of Russia,” said Simone Mori, the head of Enel’s Europe division. The two companies had signed a memorandum of understanding to look into the option to produce hydrogen at Enel Russia’s Kola Wind Power Plant (capacity: 201 MW), which is being constructed in the Murmansk region. According to Rusnano, it will be the largest wind farm in the Russian Arctic, and will be able to generate 750 GWh of electricity per year. “Russia has a huge potential, both as a producer and as a consumer of green hydrogen … The successful implementation of this joint project with Enel will prove that there is a real demand for the production of green hydrogen, and enable us to scale up the project in the future, thus contributing to the development of Russia’s national hydrogen strategy,” said Sergey Kulikov, chairman of the executive board of Rusnano. The meeting happened during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier this month. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) presented, last week, the country's “green growth strategy,” aiming to accelerate the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality in 2050. “Pursue hydrogen as an option to the maximum possible extent. Increase supply and demand, improve infrastructure, and reduce costs. Create a hydrogen industry and fuel ammonia industry,” reads the strategy to 2050 published by Japan’s trade and industry ministry. Japan wants to become the leader in the growing ‘green-steel' market. METI plans to subsidize technology innovation in steelmaking processes using part of a ¥2 trillion (€15.2 billion) government fund meant to support green innovation in the next 10 years. The Japanese government and national companies are looking into carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, indicating that the country could give priority to blue hydrogen. On Tuesday, for instance, Tokyo-based general trading company Itochu said it is joining the Geological Carbon Dioxide Storage Technology Research Association, to participate in a project to research and develop technologies for the underground sequestration of carbon dioxide. On Tuesday, Hiroshi Kajiyama, Japan’s minister of economy, attended the first Asia CCUS Network Forum and announced the launch of the “Asia CCUS Network.” The Colombian Congress has approved the Energy Transition Law. The law, which now only requires the president’s signature, recognizes green and blue hydrogen as non-conventional sources of renewable energy. This means that the technologies behind these two types of hydrogen will be eligible for the tax benefits of Law 1715: Income deduction, VAT exclusion, zero tariffs, and accelerated depreciation. Regarding sustainable mobility, the text of the law suggests that the national government will adopt programs to promote the use of hydrogen and gas fuel in land transportation, for both goods and passengers. California-based developer NewHydrogen signed an agreement to further expand the existing sponsored research agreement with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to develop technology to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production. “With an increased budget, the new agreement expands the scope of the non-precious-metal-based oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst development program,” reads the note released on Tuesday. The UCLA researchers came up with a non-precious-metal-based catalyst that “demonstrated significant improvement of OER in acidic conditions by substituting part of the existing metal element in the aforementioned catalyst material structure.” NewHydrogen sees, in the catalyst’s low cost and high durability, two good reasons to use the non-precious-metal instead of platinum. Australia’s federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, has rejected the latest plans proposed for the 26 GW, AU$50-billion (€31.6 billion) Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) in Western Australia. The project, possibly the largest green energy and hydrogen endeavor in the world, was granted major project status by the Commonwealth government last year. The reversal of fortune is due to the AREH’s alleged impacts on wetlands near Eighty Mile Beach, which are designated as having international significance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. AREH consortium members include green hydrogen developers Intercontinental Energy, renewable energy developer CWP Global, wind-turbine system manufacturer Vestas, indigenous people the Nyangumarta, and the Australian National University’s Energy Change Institute. “We will take concerns on board as we continue to work on the detailed design and engineering aspects of the project,” the group said. According to the original timeline, green hydrogen exports should start in 2027/2028. Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser, a division of Norway-based hydrogen company Nel ASA, has entered into a collaboration for a fossil-free hydrogen facility in Hofors, Sweden, together with partners Ovako, Volvo, Hitachi ABB, and H2 Green Steel. “We are very excited to enter into this shared initiative to jointly develop fossil-free alternatives for the steel industry. Green hydrogen has the characteristics to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from steel rolling and milling, and this will be the first project in the world to heat steel with hydrogen prior to rolling,” Jon André Løkke, Nel’s CEO, commented in a note released on Tuesday. According to Nel, the conversion to hydrogen will enable reduction of CO2 emissions for steel production in Hofors by 50%, with additional positive externalities. “The plant can be used flexibly and can therefore support the stability of the electrical grid, which in turn will permit more use of renewable energy sources. Additionally, it will be a step in the direction of developing a hydrogen infrastructure for the transportation sector, with locally produced fossil-free hydrogen for fuel cell vehicle trucks.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/06/22/the-hydrogen-stream-off-grid-hydrogen-power-solution-based-on-alkaline-fuel-cell-from-israel-first-green-hydrogen-production-in-russia/
     
         
      Your house could be a geothermal power station Sun, 20th Jun 2021 6:00:00
     
      The way we heat and cool buildings is broken. In the US, temperature control accounts for more than half the average home’s annual energy consumption, which makes up over 12 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. But a few metres below the ground, the temperature is stable at between 10 to 16 degrees Celsius all year round. For decades, geothermal heat pumps have offered a way to harness this heat to warm and cool our homes in a cleaner, more efficient way – but the installation process has historically been expensive and lengthy, and has required digging up a lot of one’s garden. That’s where Kathy Hannun comes in. In early 2015, she was working at X, the subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet that focuses on breakthrough technology, when she saw geothermal heat pumps mentioned on a company email list. She had never heard of them, but at the time, her job was to look for transformative opportunities in energy, so she was immediately intrigued. Geothermal heat pumps use a system of underground pipes, called ground loops, that are filled with water and antifreeze to absorb heat from the ground. This heat is then extracted to warm a home or provide hot water. In summer, the process can be reversed and excess heat in homes can be stored underground. As she learned more about the installation of the pumps, Hannun saw an opportunity to streamline the process. “The more I learned about geothermal heat pumps, the more it really seemed like all of the things holding them back and keeping them a niche technology in the US were very superficial,” she says. Hannun always had a keen eye on climate, and she pitched the idea of a startup that installed geothermal heat pumps to X leadership. “At the time, I was terrified, because I had no idea how to do that,” she says. But she managed to convince them, and in April 2017, Dandelion Energy was born. “And then after six months of very hard work trying to spin out this company it was like: congratulations, you’ve spun this out. Now you are unemployed.” In the past, a heat pump system would have cost up to $100,000 (£72,000) – Dandelion Energy offers its products for a total cost of less than $30,000 (£21,500) which can be financed over 20 years. Demand was strong: in 2017, the company sold more systems than it had the capacity to install. But this initial success was followed by product and financial setbacks: the startup came within tens of thousands of dollars of running out of money entirely during the winter of 2017-2018, at a time when Hannun was heavily pregnant. Dandelion raised $4.5 million of funding the day before Hannun gave birth. For now, Dandelion’s service is only available in New York and Connecticut, but the company is looking to expand to other parts of the US, as well as to colder climates, such as Canada. Hannun says its biggest goal is to get prices low enough to compete with natural gas, which will happen as the company scales. The prospects look good as consumer attitudes begin to shift: in 2019, 20 million households installed heat pumps, according to the International Energy Agency, up from 14 million in 2010. Every part of society relies on energy, “but we can’t totally ruin our planet in the process,” Hannun says. “So, even playing just a tiny part in solving that problem, I can’t think of something more useful to do with my time.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/dandelion-geothermal-energy
     
         
      Climate change: How can you make your home eco-friendly? Sat, 19th Jun 2021 17:12:00
     
      With new homes being built with eco-friendly design in mind, older properties can prove the worst offenders when it comes to their carbon footprint. But making alterations to your existing home can be costly, running into hundreds or even thousands of pounds. So, how can homeowners make their properties kinder to the environment while keeping costs down? We spoke to the Welsh government and Energy Saving Trust to find out. How do you make an old house eco-friendly? All homes have the potential to become more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions. The Energy Saving Trust's head of UK energy Laura McGadie said the first step in cutting carbon emissions - and bills - was to take control of your heating. "Make sure you understand your heating controls and set them to only heat the rooms you need, when you need them, and not above the required temperature," she said. "To do this effectively, you will need a decent set of heating controls which, for most central heating systems, includes a timer or programmer, a room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves. Fitting and using these properly could save you £75 a year on your bills and reduce your carbon emissions by 320kg." For a quick and cost-effective improvement, insulate any exposed hot water pipes, along with your hot water cylinder if you have one. Around a third of heat in an insulated home is lost through the walls, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Most homes in the UK have either solid walls, which can be insulated from the inside or outside, or cavity walls, which have a gap that can be filled with insulation. Installing solid-wall insulation could save a gas-heated, semi-detached home around 930kg of carbon dioxide emissions a year. The Welsh government said changes should be tailored to each home. "The changes are likely to be a mixture of improvements to the building fabric (better insulation), changes to the heating systems (low carbon heat system), together with energy storage and renewable energy generation such as batteries and solar PV," said a spokesperson. "The electricity supplied by the grid is becoming more environment-friendly every day as additional renewable generation increases. This in turn makes homes greener when using that electricity. "Choosing a green energy supply or a flexible low-carbon tariff is a simple step towards greening your home." How much does it cost to make my home eco-friendly? The costs of reducing your home's carbon footprint can vary from a few pounds for better draught proofing or using low-energy lightbulbs, to hundreds of pounds for loft insulation or a larger investment of thousands of pounds for renewable generation such as whole-house insulation systems. Schemes are available to support lower income households meet the cost of home energy efficiency improvements, such as the Welsh Government's Warm Homes Programme. This has led to more than 61,400 lower-income households improving their home energy efficiency, reducing fuel bills and carbon emissions. Welsh households can also benefit from the UK government's Energy Company Obligation Scheme, which provides insulation and low-carbon heating to lower income households. Will it make my home ugly? Some eco-friendly changes to homes, such as solar panels and external heat pumps, have been criticised as being bulky, ugly or noisy. So how can homeowners make their house more energy efficient without compromising on style? A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Using a whole-house survey as the basis for any decisions, the range of potential measures would be identified that work for that house. "The homeowner would use the suggested measures that worked best for them to achieve energy efficiency and acceptable aesthetics." Will my bills be lower? Currently, 22% of the UK's carbon emissions come from our homes, with three quarters of this coming from our heating. According to the Welsh government, energy efficiency improvements would reduce bills and make properties both more affordable for the current occupants and potentially more attractive for those in the future. On average, households benefitting from improvements under the Warm Homes Programme have reduced their annual household fuel bills by an estimated £280. Smart heating controls offer more options for managing home heating systems and are available for all types of heating, including electric storage heating. Some systems include advanced features, such as automation, to help determine exactly when to turn the heating on and off, saving on energy use. Homes can lose heat through gaps around windows and doors, floorboards or through chimneys, which tends to occur more often in older properties. Draught-proofing these areas can be an easy and cost-effective way to save energy and reduce costs. "Quick and simple DIY solutions include fitting foam strips, plastic seals or brushes around doors and windows," said Ms McGadie. For a quick easy and cheap fix, gaps between floors and skirting boards can be sealed with sealant bought from any DIY store or online. Professional draught-proofing could cost around £200, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). One of the best ways to cut bills is to generate your own electricity, said Ms McGadie. Solar electric panels, also known as photovoltaics (PV), allow you to generate your own renewable electricity. Although a south-facing, unshaded roof is the most effective, others can still benefit. A roof area of around 20 square metres could generate as much electricity as you use, averaged out over the year, says the EST. Solar panels will typically cut your electricity bills by between 15% and 35% and you can earn extra by selling surplus electricity back to the grid. To maximise your savings, you could install a battery to store your solar-generated energy to use in the evening. But the costs of installation are high, with solar panels costing an average of £5,940 in the UK, according to government data released earlier this year. Do I need planning permission? Simple draught-proofing and insulation measures would not need permission, but for any major changes, such as external wall insulation, you will probably need planning permission from your local council and need to tell your insurers. There are restrictions on solar panels to minimise the effect on the appearance of the building and the amenity of the area. According to the Welsh government, to reduce their visibility "they should not be installed above the ridgeline of a roof and should not project more than 200mm from the surface of a roof or wall". Panels on listed buildings need planning permission and are likely to need an application for listed building consent. A Welsh government spokesperson said: "In a conservation area, or in a World Heritage Site, planning consent is required when panels are to be fitted on the principal or side elevation walls and are visible a highway. "If panels are to be fitted to a building in your garden or grounds, they should not be visible from the highway. "On a flat roof, solar panels cannot be sited within a metre of the external edge of the roof; or protrude more than a metre above the plane of the roof." How can the Welsh government help homes get greener? In Wales, the Optimised Retrofit Programme aims to make more than 1,700 homes more energy efficient. It has been trialling a combination of building fabric improvements and low and zero-carbon technologies such as solar panels, battery storage and heat pumps, to see what difference this makes to a home's energy use. Minister for Climate Change Julie James said: "This scheme is essential to tackling climate change and driving down household energy costs now and in the future. Helping people, including those on lower incomes, to reduce their fuel bills while keeping their homes warm."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57226425
     
         
      Estamos más cerca de resolver uno de los mayores desafíos de la fusión nuclear: la estabilización del plasma a 150 millones de ºC Sat, 19th Jun 2021 10:58:00
     
      Para que el reactor de DEMO (DEMOnstration Power Plant) consiga demostrar la viabilidad comercial de la fusión nuclear durante la década de los 50 es imprescindible que los técnicos logren resolver varios retos. Uno de los de mayor envergadura consiste en desarrollar los materiales que será necesario utilizar en la construcción del reactor nuclear de DEMO. Este es el desafío al que se enfrenta el proyecto IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility DEMO-Oriented NEutron Source). El otro gran escollo que pone ante nosotros esta forma de obtención de energía requiere que encontremos la manera de estabilizar el plasma que actúa como combustible para evitar que degrade el manto, la cámara de vacío y otros componentes del reactor. Lograrlo sin mermar el rendimiento de la reacción de fusión nuclear no es sencillo, especialmente si tenemos presente que la interacción entre los núcleos de deuterio y tritio que contiene el plasma tiene lugar a una temperatura cercana a los 150 millones de grados centígrados. Actualmente varios grupos de investigación están trabajando en esta área, y la afrontan utilizando varias estrategias diferentes. Uno de los descubrimientos recientes más interesantes nos invita a ser moderadamente optimistas debido a que los núcleos de helio-4 ionizados que resultan de la fusión de los núcleos de deuterio y tritio, junto al neutrón que sale despedido hacia las paredes del contenedor con una energía de unos 14 MeV, tienen un efecto estabilizador sobre la zona periférica del plasma. Un grupo de investigadores del MIT también ha realizado una contribución muy interesante en esta área. Propone utilizar en los imanes del reactor un nuevo material superconductor conocido como YBCO (Yttrium-Barium-Copper Oxide) que combina óxido de itrio, bario y cobre, y que persigue generar un campo magnético sensiblemente más intenso que el que producen los imanes convencionales. Y hace tan solo unos días el MIT, Princeton y otras instituciones estadounidenses nos han sorprendido con una contribución conjunta que aspira a marcar la diferencia en las estrategias de estabilización del plasma. El modo Super-H puede ayudarnos a resolver uno de los grandes retos de la fusión nuclear Los modelos con los que trabajan los investigadores reflejan que una manera eficaz de evitar que la altísima temperatura del plasma dañe el manto, que es la cobertura interior de la cámara de vacío, y, sobre todo, el divertor, que es la estructura de acero y tungsteno que da forma a la base de la cámara de vacío, consiste en refrigerar sus capas externas. El problema es que no es fácil hacerlo sin degradar perceptiblemente la reacción de fusión que tiene lugar en el núcleo del gas. El modo Super-H propone incrementar la temperatura y la presión en las capas más externas del plasma para provocar que la producción de energía en la región interior sea mayor. Pero hacerlo requiere refrigerar la zona del gas más próxima al divertor. Los investigadores han intentado hacerlo inyectando gases en el plasma que ejercen el efecto refrigerante buscado, pero han tropezado con un problema: estos gases acaban siendo transportados desde la región exterior hacia el núcleo del gas, y el rendimiento de la reacción se degrada perceptiblemente. Afortunadamente, hace unos días han comunicado que han dado con una solución muy prometedora a este desafío que consiste en inyectar nitrógeno en el plasma, actuando simultáneamente sobre el campo magnético generado por los imanes del reactor para controlar la forma del gas y atenuar su impacto sobre el divertor. Esta estrategia tiene un efecto refrigerante en la periferia del plasma sin degradar significativamente el rendimiento de la reacción en el núcleo del gas. Los responsables de ITER han recibido esta noticia con los brazos abiertos debido a que este enfoque puede tener un impacto muy positivo en la puesta a punto del reactor de fusión nuclear que está siendo construido en la localidad francesa de Cadarache. No obstante, es probable que los reactores de fusión comerciales que, en teoría, llegarán después de DEMO, combinen varias de las estrategias de estabilización del plasma de las que hemos hablado en este artículo. Y, quizá, alguna más que posiblemente está por llegar. La fusión nuclear sigue su curso con un propósito claro: afrontar su incursión comercial en la década de los 60.
       
      Full Article: https://www.xataka.com/investigacion/estamos-cerca-resolver-uno-mayores-desafios-fusion-nuclear-estabilizacion-plasma-a-150-millones-oc
     
         
      Scottish government provides £26m to help green energy transition Fri, 18th Jun 2021 17:06:00
     
      An energy transition zone in Aberdeen is being allocated £26m by the Scottish government to help the transition from oil and gas jobs to green energy. This almost matches funds provided by the UK government. The zone aims to transform the area into a hub for cleaner energies such as offshore wind and hydrogen. Planned projects include manufacturing for floating offshore wind farms, a skills academy and facilities for testing hydrogen power. The Aberdeen Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) is being built south of Aberdeen harbour and is expected to directly support 2,500 green jobs by 2030, alongside a further 10,000 transition-related jobs. The Scottish government money comes from its five-year £62m energy transition fund. The fund has already provided £6.5m for a global underwater hub as well as £4.65m to Aberdeen City Council to expand its hydrogen bus fleet. Further funding announcements are expected to be made in the coming months. Net Zero, Energy and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The Scottish government is wholly committed to ending our contribution to climate change by 2045, and doing so in a way that ensures a just transition to net-zero, making sure no-one is left behind. "One year ago, we launched the £62 million energy transition fund, recognising the impact of Covid-19 on the energy, but also the need to support our energy sector to grow and transition in a fair way." He said urgent, collective action was needed to ensure transition to a net-zero economy. "By capitalising on our strengths in energy, innovation, and our skilled workforce, Scotland can show the rest of the world how it's done - and ensure our people, businesses and communities are at the forefront of our new green economy," he said. 'Great opportunity' Maggie McGinlay, chief executive of ETZ, said: "ETZ Ltd's clear ambition is to transform the region into a globally-integrated energy cluster, focused on accelerating to net zero through energy transition activities. Today's announcement, alongside the UK government's commitment of similar levels of funding toward the project, will help ensure this ambition becomes a reality. "The north east is uniquely positioned within Scotland and the UK to take advantage of this great opportunity. As we continue to transition from oil and gas, the Energy Transition Zone will enable us to develop a world-class supply chain and create significant new green employment and investment opportunities." The oil and gas industry is estimated to support more than 20,000 direct jobs in the Aberdeen area. The Scottish government has set itself a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole. But earlier this week, it emerged it had again missed its target for reducing emissions. Figures for 2019 show they fell 51.5% against the baseline, well short of the 55% target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-57539254
     
         
      Turow: Vast Polish coal mine infuriates the neighbours Thu, 17th Jun 2021 17:40:00
     
      Access to running water is taken for granted by almost everyone in Europe. But that's not the case for thousands of Czech villagers living near a gigantic open-pit coal mine just across the border in Poland. Several times in recent years, Milan Starec, a 39-year-old father of four from the village of Uhelna, has turned on his tap and nothing has come out. The water level is dropping because of the Turow mine, which he says is getting closer each year to the Czech border. "There is one common well in our village and all the houses are connected to it. If the water disappears from this well then our village will dry out in one moment, because we have no other possibility to get water," he told the BBC. The well is 65m (213ft) deep: last year he says the water level went down by 8m. Already the Czech Republic has asked the European Court of Justice - the EU's top court - to fine Poland €5m (£4.3m; $6m) daily for disobeying the Court's order to halt mining there. Polish and Czech ministers are due to meet in Prague on Thursday in a bid to resolve the dispute. And water is not the only issue. Turow contributes to CO2 pollution - a particular problem for Poland, whose energy sector is still about 80% dependent on coal. In the mine, excavating machines that dwarf small tower blocks dig soft brown coal, also known as lignite, to provide fuel for the adjacent power plant. The mine is owned by Poland's largest power company, state-controlled PGE. It must pump water from the pit into a nearby river to prevent the mine turning into an enormous lake. Mr Starec says pumping drains 40 litres every second from groundwater on the Czech side of the border. "A lot of the villages in this area are having the same problem," he complains. There are many vast open-pit mines excavating lignite in this region, most of them fuelling power plants in the Czech Republic and nearby Germany. But unlike the others, Turow lies right on the border with both Germany and the Czech Republic and the mining has a direct impact on both countries. According to a geological study, continued mining would contaminate and lower groundwater, and cause soil subsidence in the German city of Zittau. WHY IT´S COME TO A HEAD For years the Czechs have tried and failed to resolve the problem, suggesting that Poland fund water management improvements. But when Turow obtained a six-year extension to its mining licence in 2020, the Czech authorities decided they had had enough - they took Poland to the European Court and last month it ordered the immediate suspension of mining, pending a final judgment. Before the ruling Warsaw extended Turow's mining licence again, to 2044. Why Poland is clinging to coal Warsaw has refused to implement the ruling, saying Turow is essential to energy security because it generates about 5% of Poland's electricity. Suspending mining would deprive the adjacent power plant of its fuel, meaning a temporary shutdown threatening the livelihoods of 80,000 people, says PGE. That plant is also the sole provider of heat and hot water to hospitals, schools and 1,400 homes in the nearby Polish town of Bogatynia. Last week thousands of Polish energy sector workers protested in Warsaw against potential job losses in Turow and elsewhere. There was anger towards the EU's climate policy. Outside the European Commission's office, protesters held up signs with the words "Hands off Turow" and "Yesterday Moscow, today Brussels is taking away our sovereignty". "This is a warning for the European Commission: take your paws off the Polish economy and Polish workers," said Solidarity trade union leader Piotr Duda. "We live in a nation state and we are not a colony of the German state." For centuries coal has fuelled Poland's economy and Poland is one of the few European countries still building coal power plants: - It's home to the EU's largest hard coal reserves - It has extensive lignite deposits, like Germany and the Czech Republic: for decades, lignite was the cheapest and dirtiest way to generate electricity - Coal mining was glorified under communism and miners were paid well - When communism fell in 1989, coal mining unions wielded considerable political influence in Warsaw - Successive governments, including the current one, promised miners that coal would remain king for decades to come. Poland is the only EU member state yet to sign up to the bloc's 2050 carbon neutral goal, and a new coal unit was opened at Turow only last month. Can Poland abandon coal? And yet Polish cities have some of the worst air quality in the EU. Rising public disapproval of smog and falling profits have prompted state-run power companies to announce large investments in renewable energy and gas, including Poland's first offshore wind farms. According to public policy think-tank Instrat, 45% of Polish coal-fired power plants were already losing money in 2020. That's because EU energy firms have to buy allowances for emitting CO2, which have got more expensive in recent years: from €26.5 per tonne in 2020 to €36.7 in 2021 alone. What next for Polish power? Polish coal plants are only viable because they receive state subsidies, says Instrat economist Pawel Czyzak. "The government's inability to set a coal phase-out date blocks the transformation of the power sector, because it makes it difficult to get funding for energy projects and access to EU funds," he told the BBC. Poland is set to be the biggest recipient of the EU's Just Transition Fund to help retrain workers in coal-dependent regions. But first the government must draw up plans to phase it out. And it must reach a deal with the neighbouring Czechs too. Milan Starec believes after years of frustration "a happy ending" is in sight. He wants to see Turow close in five years, or by 2030 at the latest. "I would be happy if the mining stopped tomorrow, but there are 4,000 people working in the mine and it's not my wish to make anyone homeless.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57484009
     
         
      UK warned it is unprepared for climate chaos Thu, 17th Jun 2021 17:20:00
     
      The UK is woefully unprepared to deal with changes occurring to the climate, government advisers say. A report by the independent Climate Change Committee predicts warming will hit the UK harder than first thought. It warns of more severe heatwaves, especially in big cities, and more intense rainfall, with an increased flood risk across most of the UK. It says homes, infrastructure and services must be made resilient to floods, heat and humid nights. The authors of the report on adaptation, or "climate-proofing", warn that global warming can cause damage running into tens of billions of pounds over short periods - and they say they're frustrated at the lack of government action. The committee, also known as the CCC, says the UK is even worse prepared than it was five years ago, at the time of its last report on the risks of climate change. The CCC is an independent group of experts set up to provide the government with advice on the climate crisis. The chairwoman of the CCC's sub-committee on adaptation, Baroness Brown, said ministers appeared to be deterred from taking action by the upfront costs of protecting infrastructure. This is because the benefits sometimes are not seen for several years. "They think they can put adaptation off until tomorrow," she said. "But now's the time for urgent action." Responding to the report's findings, a government spokesman said many of the issues raised were being addressed in policy. Here's what the CCC says the government must do to better prepare for the impacts of climate change: Buildings There's a need to insulate buildings to save emissions, but overheating has emerged as a deadly risk - especially in flats. The government must force landlords to improve cooling by, say, installing sunshades. Ministers must ensure all new homes are built for a hotter climate. Nature The state of UK nature has been declining for some time, with habitat loss one of the factors driving the loss of plant and animal species. Climate change will make the situation worse. Beech trees won't be able to tolerate conditions in southern England by 2050. Three-quarters of upland species are likely to struggle by the end of the century, the report says. Meanwhile, peat bogs currently help reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. But if the world continues to warm at the current rate, peatlands could dry out, and begin releasing their stored carbon into the air. The government must re-wet 100% of upland peat moors urgently, the report says. Supply chains Climate change will place pressure on our increasingly connected world and the effects can take us by surprise. For example, about 10 years ago, flooding in Thailand caused a global shortage of computer hard drives. Rising temperatures will put supply chains at risk for food, medicines, goods and services. The report says businesses must be told to make information available to the public on threats to their supply chains. The electrical grid As the UK makes the transition to a low-carbon economy, we'll need more electricity for heating, lighting, and for our vehicles. So power cuts because of extreme weather will hurt the country more. In one recent example, a lightning strike caused power cuts across England and stranded people on trains in August 2019. The committee says a heating climate will bring some opportunities for the UK - such as the ability to grow different crops, a longer growing season that will benefit farmers and fewer winter deaths from cold - but it says these are massively outweighed by the risks. The committee's chief executive, Chris Stark, said CCC members were so frustrated with the lack of progress on climate-proofing the UK that they deliberately made this report "spiky". He said: "It's really troubling how little attention the government has paid to this." He told BBC News: "The extent of planning for many of the risks is really shocking. We are not thinking clearly about what lies ahead." While the world could warm by an average of 4C by 2100, the report say the UK government's plans are inadequate to cope even with a 2C temperature rise. Ministers must factor climate change more into policy-making, the committee says. The report notes that, over the last five years, more than 500,000 homes have been built to inadequate standards. These will now need to be adapted at considerable expense to cope with more severe heatwaves. The report foresees a potential "cascade" of problems from extreme weather, in which different risks combine. These might include heatwaves and floods leading to IT failures and problems with sewage, water, power and transport.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57487943
     
         
      California declares state of emergency amid heatwave Thu, 17th Jun 2021 17:16:00
     
      California has declared a state of emergency to address power system concerns, as parts of the US south-west reported dangerously high temperatures. An excessive heat warning is in place for much of Arizona and California, and southern areas of Nevada and Utah. People are being told to stay in air-conditioned areas and out of the sun. Californians have also been urged to conserve energy during peak times, as temperatures are expected to remain between 100-110F (37-43C) until Sunday. Governor Gavin Newsom said the state of emergency, which is in effect until 23:59 on Saturday (06:59 GMT on Sunday), was to "reduce the strain on the energy infrastructure and increase energy capacity". The California Independent System Operator, which controls most of the state's power grid, asked people to set thermostats to 78F (25C) or higher, avoid using major appliances and unnecessary lights. In California's Death Valley National Park, typically one of the hottest spots in the world, a thermometer at the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center marked 130F (54C) on Thursday. Willo Alford, who runs a general store in Death Valley Village and has lived there most of her life, told Reuters news agency: "Up to a certain temperature, it's OK, like maybe 120F (49C), but once it gets above that is when it really gets hard." Higher temperatures were felt in the San Francisco Bay Area, where several cities have set up cooling centres. In Phoenix, Arizona, the temperatures reached 118F (48C) on Thursday, while Las Vegas reported 115F (46C) and Denver reached 100F (38C) for the third day in a row. About 50 million people were under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories across the south-west. Higher temperatures were felt in the San Francisco Bay Area, where several cities have set up cooling centres. In Phoenix, Arizona, the temperatures reached 118F (48C) on Thursday, while Las Vegas reported 115F (46C) and Denver reached 100F (38C) for the third day in a row. About 50 million people were under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories across the south-west.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57525251
     
         
      Climate change: UN virtual talks make little progress Thu, 17th Jun 2021 17:04:00
     
      Exhausted delegates have concluded three weeks of virtual climate negotiations with little progress on key issues. The UN subsidiary bodies meeting was meant to clear the decks ahead of the major COP26 gathering in Glasgow in November. But technical glitches, and multiple time zones scuppered attempts to find common ground. Ministers from 40 countries will meet in July to push the process forward. Developing nations are also concerned that a lack of vaccines may limit their ability to take part in the Glasgow conference. But the UK says it will ensure all accredited delegates will get their jabs ahead of the summit. Thanks to the pandemic, this virtual gathering was the first significant meeting of UN negotiators since December 2019, when COP25 ended in Madrid. That meeting had failed to find a way forward on a number of important technical questions including the role of carbon markets in curbing climate change. Despite an extended session that ran for three weeks of talks, these important issues have still not been resolved. The challenges of delegates in differing time zones with varying internet connections made these difficult negotiations a real struggle. "I think this was technically challenging for many parties, connectivity problems compounded and complicated the trust deficits that exist," said Quamrul Chowdhury, a climate negotiator from Bangladesh. "Even the low hanging fruits couldn't be harvested," he told BBC News. As well as the technical challenges, there were issues with access for observers with China objecting to their presence at talks on transparency. With little movement from the negotiators, it will require ministerial intervention to push the process forward. "The past three weeks have made one thing very clear - the most dangerous stumbling blocks on the road to COP26 are political, not technical," said Jennifer Tollmann, a senior policy advisor at environmental think-tank E3G. "Parties know each others' positions, it's the will to find compromise options that drive ambition that's frequently missing." The technical challenges mean there is a strong appetite among delegates for face to face talks in Glasgow. However the question of Covid-19, especially in developing countries is a key issue of concern for many. "Covid-19 remains a serious concern for many of us, and travel restrictions continue for many countries," said Ambassador Diann Black-Layne of Antigua and Barbuda, who is a lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. "A significant portion of our membership face onerous travel restrictions regardless of their personal vaccination status. Some islands in the Pacific have just two flights per month, with one month of quarantine, while other islands still have closed borders. This will not change unless their entire populations have vaccine access." But UK minister Alok Sharma, who will chair the global gathering, told a news conference that delegates unable to get jabs from their own countries "will get support from us". Details are still being worked out in discussions with the UN, according to Mr Sharma. The incoming COP president says that he hopes to speed up the climate talks process by hosting a ministerial meeting in London in July with representatives from about 40 countries. Across all these meetings, one issue keeps coming to the surface and that's the question of finance. The richer nations have promised $100bn a year in climate finance from 2020. The developed world has still not succeeded in raising that total. "History will not be kind to rich nations if they do not step up and fulfil their climate action commitments," said Harjeet Singh, with climate campaign group Climate Action Network International. "We are already at a point where the world faces multiple crises, and the reality is that the rich world are offering a bandage when surgery is needed."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57520510
     
         
      UN chief: Desertification and drought destabilizing well-being of 3.2 billion people Wed, 16th Jun 2021 18:27:00
     
      “Humanity is waging a relentless, self-destructive war on nature. Biodiversity is declining, greenhouse gas concentrations are rising, and our pollution can be found from the remotest islands to the highest peaks”, Secretary-General António Guterres?said, adding: “We must make peace with nature”. DEFEND ‘GREATEST ALLY’ The top UN official said that while “land can be our greatest ally”, currently it’s “suffering”. Land degradation is harming biodiversity and enabling infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, to emerge, he explained. “Restoring degraded land would remove carbon from the atmosphere…help vulnerable communities adapt to climate change…and it could generate an extra $1.4 trillion dollars in agricultural production each year”, Mr. Guterres spelled out. And best of all, land restoration is “simple, inexpensive and accessible to all”, he added, calling it “one of the most democratic and pro-poor ways of accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. RESERVE LAND PRODUCTION, SAVE ECOSYSTEMS To meet an ever-growing demand for food, raw materials, roads and homes, humans have altered nearly three quarters of the earth’s surface, beyond land that is permanently frozen. Avoiding, slowing and reversing the loss of productive land and natural ecosystems now, is both urgent and important for a swift recovery from the pandemic and for guaranteeing the long-term survival of people and the planet. Restoring degraded land brings economic resilience, creates jobs, raises incomes and increases food security, according to the UN. Moreover, it helps biodiversity to recover and locks away carbon, while lessening the impacts of climate change and underpinning a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “This year marks the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”, reminded the Secretary-General, calling on everyone to “make healthy land central to all our planning”. DESERTIFICATION´S SEVERE REPERCUSSIONS Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) pointed to the “dramatic impact” that desertification is having on “our common environmental heritages”, posing a “considerable threat” to the health of communities, global peace and sustainable development. Having contributed to the collapse of biodiversity and promoting zoonoses - diseases which jump from animals to humans - she called desertification “another reminder” that human health and that of the environment, are “deeply intertwined”. Desertification and drought also increase water scarcity, at a time when two billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, said Ms. Azoulay, adding that “over three billion may have to confront a similar situation by 2050”. Citing the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, she said that by 2030, the phenomenon is likely to cause 135 million people to migrate worldwide by 2030. “These migrations and deprivations are in turn a source of conflict and instability, demonstrating that desertification is also a fundamental challenge to peace”, she stressed. LOOKING AHEAD Underscoring that “working together is crucial”, the UNESCO chief maintained that sustainable progress cannot be achieved without the participation of everyone, “especially the youngest”. “Together, let us build a sustainable future so that the fertile lands of the past do not become deserts emptied of their populations and their biodiversity”, she concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094122
     
         
      Euro 2020 - France 1-0 Germany: Several in hospital after parachute protest Wed, 16th Jun 2021 17:53:00
     
      Several people have been taken to hospital to receive treatment for injuries caused by a protester who parachuted into the Allianz Arena during France's win over Germany. European football's governing body Uefa said "law authorities will take the necessary action" for what it called a "reckless and dangerous" act. Debris fell on to the pitch and stands when the parachutist got tangled in wires carrying an overhead camera. The man landed heavily on the pitch. He had the words "Kick out oil Greenpeace" written on his parachute and was given medical attention before being escorted away by security. France head coach Didier Deschamps was seen ducking out of the way of a large piece of equipment near the dugout. Environmental campaign group Greenpeace took responsibility for the stunt and in a statement apologised to those who were hurt, blaming "technical difficulties" for the paraglider unintentionally landing on the pitch. Greenpeace campaigner Benjamin Stephan said the plan was to "fly over" the stadium and release a light ball with a message encouraging German car manufacturer Volkswagen "to do more to protect the climate". It added that "safety is at the heart of Greenpeace's action" and it will support any investigation. "We sincerely and emphatically apologise to the two injured and hope that they will get better soon," said Stephan. "We would also like to apologise to the players and spectators for the moment of shock." In a statement, Uefa called it a "reckless and dangerous act". "This inconsiderate act - which could have had very serious consequences for a huge number of people attending - caused injuries to several people attending the game who are now in hospital and law authorities will take the necessary action," the governing body added. France won the game 1-0 courtesy of Mats Hummels' own goal in the first half.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57488478
     
         
      Climate change: Warnings of flooding, drought and wildfires in NI Wed, 16th Jun 2021 17:27:00
     
      Rising temperatures in NI are one of a series of climate indicators needing more urgent attention, an advisory body to government has said. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) warned about greater risks of flooding, summer droughts and wildfires. These pose real challenges to communities, food production and infrastructure in the years ahead. The changing climatic conditions also threaten habitats and biodiversity. The findings are contained in an assessment of the risks posed by climate change to the devolved nations. The report is the work of the CCC which is an independent advisory body to government. The report found while Northern Ireland's risks were similar to those around the UK, less reliable evidence and fewer climate policies "increased the uncertainty" around future impacts. The report found Northern Ireland's average annual land temperature between 2010-2019 was 0.7 of a degree warmer than the period from the mid 1970s to the mid 2010s. It predicted summer heatwaves would become more common. Winters would be warmer and wetter, and sea levels could rise by almost 20cm by the 2050s, the report suggests. The report is completed every five years to assist government in deciding climate adaptation plans. It is aimed at civil servants and ministers charged with formulating policy to mitigate the risks. The CCC found that across the UK, action was failing to keep pace with the threat. It said the longer it was postponed, the greater the price to be paid by the government and the taxpayer. Baroness Brown, chairwoman of the CCC's adaptation committee, said the severity of the risk faced should not be underestimated. "These risks will not disappear as the world moves to net zero. Many of them are already locked in," she said. "A detailed, effective action plan that prepares the UK for climate change is now essential and needed urgently." The CCC said the government had not heeded its advice on the importance of such an adaptation plan or the need to properly fund it. "This needs to change," it said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57491770
     
         
      Gigafactories: Europe tools up against US and Asia as a car battery force Tue, 15th Jun 2021 17:37:00
     
      Surrounded by a forest of tall green pine trees, 125 miles south of the Arctic circle, a giant electric battery factory is rapidly taking shape on a site as big as 71 football pitches. The project will be a gigafactory, a term coined by Tesla founder Elon Musk to describe his first high-volume plant for producing lithium-ion electric battery cells, deep in the Nevada desert. Startup Northvolt, co-founded by two former Tesla executives, is in Skellefteå, a much chillier location, in northern Sweden. But from here, as well as a base in Västerås just outside Stockholm, it is hoping to provide a quarter of Europe's electric batteries, as demand for electric vehicles surges amidst the global race to cut carbon emissions. By 2030, 40% of all new cars sold will be electric according to the latest forecast by the investment bank UBS, rising to almost 100% of the new car market by 2040. "If you look at the agenda for all the automotive manufacturers to actually make those electric cars, the amount of cells that you'll need to access, is going to be humongous," says the plant's manager Fredrik Hedlund. Although many of the imposing grey buildings are yet to have much equipment installed, Mr Hedlund is confident everything will be in place in time for production to start by the end of 2021. In its first phase Northvolt aims to make enough batteries to power almost 300,000 electric vehicles a year, but with the potential to raise that figure to 1 million. The company has already received a $14bn order from Volkswagen to produce its batteries for the next decade, and has plans for a long-term partnership with Swedish truck and bus maker Scania. It recently announced that it had raised another $2.75bn (£1.94bn; €2.26bn) to fund its expansion. "We are building a totally new industry that hasn't really existed, especially in Europe, at this scale," says Mr Hedlund, striding across the high-security site in a neon yellow jacket. "I think, not only myself but a lot of people, think that this is the coolest project in Europe right now." In northern Sweden at least, there hasn't been a more-hyped project since miners literally struck gold 100 years ago. But for Northvolt, water is now the region's most valuable asset as the manufacturer seeks to make "the world's greenest battery", by ensuring its production techniques are as climate-friendly as its product. Renewable hydroelectric energy from the Skellefte river will fuel the battery-making process on the site, which includes using giant mixers to combine lithium, cobalt and other metals, and drying out active material in rows of industrial ovens, which have just been installed. Local access to raw materials and plans for an on-site battery recycling plant will also keep down the plant's own carbon footprint. There are still gaps in the green loop though, with some employees commuting weekly by plane from other Swedish cities and many others driving non-electric cars to the site. But the firm's efforts are far from greenwashing, according to Math Bollen, a professor in electric power engineering, at Luleå University of Technology's campus, on the other side of the Skellefte river. "It's certainly going to be more green than what others are making," he says. "They [have] taken a very good first step - let's hope others follow it." While Northvolt's green credentials (and perhaps its picturesque and far-flung location) have put the Swedish project in the spotlight, the company is one of a growing number of European companies making inroads in the gigafactory industry, which, alongside Tesla, has largely been dominated by Asian players. Norwegian energy company Freyr is planning a gigafactory fuelled by wind and hydro energy in Mo i Rana, a remote coastal town close to one of the country's most popular ski resorts. Daimler and BMZ have already set up energy-efficient gigafactories in Germany. French start-up, Verkor, is planning a facility north of Toulouse. The UK is running slightly behind its northern European neighbours, although a 235-acre (95 hectare) site in Northumberland is set to become the first operational gigafactory by late 2023. Run by a firm called Britishvolt (which has nothing to do with Sweden's Northvolt despite its similar name), it will be fuelled by hydroelectric energy sourced from Norway, as well as offshore wind farms. "We're certainly sprinting very hard now to catch up with the others," says the company's chairman Peter Rolton. He has ambitious plans to not just "give the UK its own local supply of electric vehicle batteries," but produce enough products to plug gaps in other European countries as demand for electric cars grows. London-based Sandy Fitzpatrick, who monitors vehicle trends for global technology analysis firm Canalys, is confident there will be plenty of room in the market for the new rush of European players. She says a plentiful supply of locally sourced batteries will be good for the electric car market, but it will also be an important branding strategy for European carmakers. They're facing increasing pressure to offer genuinely sustainable business models after the so-called diesel-gate scandal, which saw Volkswagen caught using illegal software to manipulate the results of diesel emissions tests. "Saying that their whole supply chain has components that are green and sustainably manufactured is a very good message to go out to consumers with," says Ms Fitzpatrick, "as opposed to using components that are flown in and have a high carbon footprint because they are transported from all over the world and are produced with very coal-intensive methods". But she believes European car and battery manufacturers will continue to face tough competition from major Asian brands, many of whom have already set up their own gigafactories in the EU. These include LG Chem, which has a plant in Poland, and Samsung SDI and SK Innovation who've built factories in Hungary. "They've got the experience. They've got the market know-how... and more importantly, they've got the capital," says Ms Fitzpatrick. "Battery manufacturing is hugely capital intensive. So they're going to enter Europe with deep pockets." If European gigafactory firms want to thrive against this competition, she says they'll need continued investment, alongside practical support from national and regional governments to optimise trading conditions, and provide "perks [and] incentives to help them along". Back in Skellefteå, Northvolt does seem to be ticking those boxes. The company has secured substantial funding, including a $350m loan from the European Investment Bank, and financial support from the state-funded Swedish Energy Agency as well as the German government, following the Swedish startup's multimillion dollar deal with Volkswagen. The company is also collaborating closely with universities in the region, and has strong backing from the local municipality, which lobbied Northvolt to choose Skellefteå as a base because of it's hydropower, even before the startup had it on its shortlist. "It's a win-win for both of us," says the town's Deputy Mayor Evelina Fahlesson. "We want to be a role model in the green transition... and we have an ageing population, so we need to have a growing labour market." Northvolt's presence is expected to create around 10,000 new jobs in the region, and the city is already investing in thousands of new energy-efficient homes, electric buses, winter-friendly cycle lanes and even an electric plane project, all designed to create a green and liveable city for the new influx of national and global talent. There is already something of a "boom town" atmosphere, with buzzing waterfront bars, shiny new shopfronts and an almost-finished cultural centre which will be one of the world's tallest wooden buildings. "It will get harder to find an apartment because prices are going up," says 20-year-old student Gabriel Kitebwini, who's enjoying a drink on the riverside. "But I think it is good. Because we get more new people from around the world travelling, coming into our city - we get a bigger city." "It's a new atmosphere in the municipality," agrees Ms Fahlesson. "Before, people moved out of Skellefteå, but today we see them moving back."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57382472
     
         
      Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions target missed again Tue, 15th Jun 2021 17:34:00
     
      The Scottish government has again missed its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Figures for 2019 show they fell 51.5% against the baseline, well short of the 55% target. The statistics reveal Scotland's land is no longer regarded as a "carbon sink" to soak up some carbon dioxide. Although year-on-year emissions fell, figures for all years have been revised up significantly, meaning more gases were released than previously thought. The Scottish government has set itself a legal target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. That is five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole. There is also an interim target to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030 which was beyond what the Climate Change Committee believed was feasible. Greenhouse gases - like carbon dioxide and methane - accumulate in the atmosphere and are responsible for the planet warming. In 2019, the equivalent of 47.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide was emitted in Scotland. Domestic transport continues to be the industry which emits the most, followed by business and then agriculture. Significantly more offshore wind capacity means emissions from the electricity sector fell after a blip the previous year. Fossil fuels were used to generate just 12.7% of Scotland's power. Most sectors saw a slight decrease in emissions, but there was virtually no change from agriculture and international aviation and shipping. Emissions from residential properties fell slightly, driven by a warmer than usual first three months of the year. Scotland has traditionally been able to offset some of its emissions from a carbon sink made up of trees and peatlands, both of which absorb and lock-in CO2. But a new assessment of peatlands shows that historical draining and rewetting of these areas means Scotland's land use is actually a net-contributor to emissions. 'Half way to target' The Scottish government accepted the latest figures were "undoubtedly disappointing". But a spokesman said it was clear "that we have already achieved significant progress in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions". He added: "We are now more than half way to our target of becoming a net-zero nation. This is something we can all be proud of. "We have always been clear that the second half of our journey to net-zero will be more challenging - and it will require urgent, collective action across government, parliament and indeed across every corner of society, in order to achieve it. Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour's spokeswoman for net zero, energy and transport, said the government's "rhetoric on climate emergency is not being matched by action". She added: "It's hugely worrying that Scotland's carbon sink is shrinking, with the level of greenhouse gases soaked up by forestry and land use falling sharply since 2011. "Empty promises and missed targets are not good enough in a climate emergency. In the year of COP26, when Scotland should be leading the world, we are instead failing on the basics." 'Degraded state' WWF Scotland said the figures showed "some positive progress" but that it was clear Scotland needed to do more on climate change. The organisation's head of policy, Fabrice Leveque, said: "It's critical that transformative action is taken, especially in agriculture where emissions are flatlining. "Peatlands have the potential to lock away huge amounts of carbon but, due to their degraded state, they're releasing this back to the atmosphere. "Increased effort in these areas could revitalise rural economies and restore our precious nature, helping to ensure a fair and green recovery from the Covid pandemic."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57482228
     
         
      Labor power for green power Tue, 15th Jun 2021 16:26:00
     
      It’s Tuesday, June 15, and California oil workers are supporting the clean energy transition. United Steelworkers Local 675 — a 4,500-person union in Southern California made up primarily of workers in oil refining and extraction — is on board with moving to wind, solar, and other forms of clean energy. The union helped to fund and endorsed a report released last week that shows California could add 418,000 clean energy jobs per year over the next decade. Dave Campbell, the union’s secretary-treasurer, likened the energy transition to an oncoming train in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “The choice for us is, do we stand on the track and face whatever happens?” Campbell asked. “Or do we get up on the platform and try to catch that train going out of the station?” The report, by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, found that the cost of creating an equitable transition to new jobs for fossil fuel workers in California would only come to about $470 million per year, or around 0.02 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. That would include retraining, relocation, and three years of guaranteed salary. Local 675 isn’t the first fossil-fuel heavy union to support green energy. The United Mine Workers of America announced in April that it endorses renewables — provided that miners are provided with “good-paying jobs” during and after the transition.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/beacon/labor-power-for-green-power/
     
         
      Gas Is So Scarce in Europe That Coal Is Making a Comeback Tue, 15th Jun 2021 8:00:00
     
      Europe is so short of natural gas that the continent -- usually seen as the poster child for the global fight against emissions -- is turning to coal to meet electricity demand that is now back to pre-pandemic levels. Coal usage in the continent jumped 10% to 15% this year after a colder- and longer-than-usual winter left gas storage sites depleted, said Andy Sommer, team leader of fundamental analysis and modeling at Swiss trader Axpo Solutions AG. As economies reopen and people go back to the office, countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Poland turned to coal to keep the lights on. Europe has long been at the forefront of the battle to reduce global warming. The continent has the world’s largest carbon market, charging the likes of utilities, steel producers and cement makers for polluting the environment. But even with record carbon prices this year, low gas reserves mean burning coal -- the dirties of fossil fuels -- has become more widespread again. “Energy demand has been pretty strong in Europe and we have seen a recovery from the pandemic,” Sommer said in an interview. “Gas storage is so low now that Europe cannot afford to run extra power generation with the fuel.” The return of coal is a setback for Europe ahead of the climate talks in Glasgow later this year. Leaders of the world’s biggest economies failed to set a firm date to end coal burning at the meeting of the Group of Seven at the weekend in Cornwall, U.K. Europe faced freezing temperatures earlier this year, boosting demand for heating at a time liquefied natural gas cargoes were being sent to Asia instead. Russia sent less gas to the continent via Ukraine ahead of the start of the Nord Stream 2 link to Germany, expected later this year. All of that mean that European storage is currently 25% below the five-year average and benchmark Dutch gas surged more than 50% this year. Futures are currently trading near their highest level for this time of the year since 2008. “People thought Russia was going to book more capacity via Ukraine and that just hasn’t happened in a meaningful way,” said Trevor Sikorski, head of natural gas and energy transition at consultants Energy Aspects in London. “The market is super tight, it’s trying to get less gas into power.” Electricity demand, which crashed as the coronavirus locked down cities from Frankfurt to London, is now back. Usage in countries including Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic are above the five-year average, while demand is flat in Italy and France, Morgan Stanley said in a report Monday. With gas supplies already tight amid heavy maintenance cutting flows from Norway, utilities have turned to coal to keep the lights on. While the price of carbon is trading near a record, many have hedged it years in advance. That means burning coal could still be profitable. Generators with “highly efficient” new plants can probably manage to produce power from coal until 2023, even with high carbon prices, Axpo’s Sommer said. The G-7 recognized that coal is the single biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in its final communique. But the group promised only to “rapidly scale-up technologies and policies that further accelerate the transition away from unabated coal capacity.” “It’s not a great a message to be sending,” said Ursula Tonkin, portfolio manager of the Whitehelm Capital Low Carbon Core Infrastructure Fund, the Australia-based company that has $4.4 billion of assets under management in all of its funds. While it would be “fantastic” if politicians came to a deal, coal is likely to be phased out anyway by 2030, 2035, said Tonkin. “Politics are important, but you also have the economics of the transition really kicking in within that timeframe,” she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-15/gas-is-so-scarce-in-europe-that-coal-is-making-a-comeback
     
         
      Queensland budget forecasts coal power revenue will disappear amid influx of renewables Tue, 15th Jun 2021 5:04:00
     
      The Queensland government anticipates its state-owned power generators – mostly coal-fired power stations – will be unable to pay dividends to taxpayers within two years, due to an influx of renewables and lower power prices. One of the most significant measures in the state’s budget, handed down on Tuesday, was a “watershed” $2bn fund that would build renewables and further develop industries linked to clean energy. The budget is being sold by the treasurer, Cameron Dick, as a vindication of Covid lockdowns, border closures and the decision to use debt to fund the economic recovery. Dick said that since the onset of the pandemic, Queensland’s job numbers have grown by 253,000 and the state’s economy has outperformed the rest of the country. “Our economy is succeeding because we protected the health of Queenslanders,” Dick said. “In this budget we are reducing our debt because our economy is growing strongly, because our jobs are coming back and because it makes sense to rebuild our borrowing capacity. “In future, debt may well rise again, to respond to another crisis … or to build the infrastructure of our state. “As we see the commonwealth government engaging in a borrowing spree that dwarfs anything the state might do, it is my hope that [the opposition] and those in the media finally come to grips with the fact that debt is not a dirty word.” Dick projects Queensland will return to surplus in 2024-25. In the process, perhaps inadvertently, the budget highlights how the state’s future planning is being gradually decoupled from once-critical revenue streams – including coal royalties and dividends from power companies. Both have been frequent boasts by the fossil fuel sector to underscore their importance to the state. Total revenue is predicted to increase $11.7bn over the forward estimates. At the same time the state projects its royalties income – mostly from mining – will be down $767m. Those numbers only tell part of the story. In 2019-20, Queensland made $3.52bn from royalties paid by coal exporters. The following year – in part due to the pandemic – the state made less than half that amount ($1.75bn). While treasury’s projections show coal exports bouncing, they are not predicted to ever return to heady pre-2020 levels. Power generation and electricity networks have long been a reliable income stream for the state – in the 2017-18 financial year these returned $1.6bn to the state’s coffers. In three years, 90% of the state’s dividends from its power companies has evaporated – in 2020-21, the figure is estimated at $152m. By the 2022-23 financial year, Queensland no longer expects to receive any dividends from its power generators. “The entry of significant volumes of renewables boosting supply into the grid [has put] sustained downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices,” the budget papers say. “Given the soft market outlook, dividends from the [energy] generation sector have not been assumed in the later years of the forward estimates.” On the morning of the budget, the Queensland Conservation Council released an analysis that showed the state’s coal-fired power stations will become loss-makers from 2023. The state’s landmark spend on renewables – a commitment of $2bn – has been broadly well-received. However, Queensland continues to insist each of its coal-fired power stations will remain operational until their scheduled closure dates – in most cases decades away – even as its state-owned power companies begin to confront the rapid pace of market transition. The failure and substantial damage of a unit at the Callide C coal-fired power station last month – resulting in blackouts across the state – has already hastened calls for more aggressive measures to wind down coal generation, and to begin in earnest plans to support the transition of workers and communities. “The Queensland government can no longer rely on its coal power stations to bring in revenue,” the QCC director, Dave Copeman, said “Their profitability is tanking and creating a giant budget black hole. “Refusing to acknowledge the transition to renewable energy and the looming profitability crisis for coal power will only lead to uncertain futures for workers, and high carbon emissions.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/15/queensland-budget-forecasts-coal-power-revenue-will-disappear-amid-influx-of-renewables
     
         
      Rich countries urged to come up with detailed plans to cut emissions Mon, 14th Jun 2021 17:53:00
     
      Laurence Tubiana, a key player in 2015 Paris summit, says UK and others must explain how they will achieve climate goals Rich countries must come forward with detailed plans on how they hope to meet their climate targets, and Boris Johnson must forge much closer relationships with developing countries to bring about the breakthrough needed on the climate crisis this year, one of the architects of the Paris agreement has said. The G7 summit, which ended on Sunday in Cornwall, achieved much less than campaigners had hoped, with no significant new cash forthcoming for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, on the frontlines of climate breakdown. There were promises by the world’s richest economies to halt funding for coal, but they fell short of the pledge to end all new fossil fuel development that experts have said will be needed. The UK now has just 20 weeks to forge a global consensus on the climate crisis before UN climate talks called Cop26 to be held in Glasgow this November. Cop26 will be the most important climate meeting since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, and one of the last chances to put the world on track to meet its goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Laurence Tubiana, the chief executive of the European Climate Foundation, who was the top French diplomat in charge of the 2015 Paris summit, said the key was for rich countries to build trust among other countries by drawing up detailed plans on how to meet their own targets on greenhouse gas emissions, and come up with improved offers of finance for the most vulnerable. “Cop26 will be a moment of truth,” she told the Guardian. “Countries have to display their precise plans and accountability mechanisms [to ensure that emissions cuts take place]. There is a lot of work to do to deliver this. We are at the end of the era of coal, oil and gas burning, and that [shift] has to start in earnest.” She added: “Leaders will need to use the next four months before they meet again at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow to crack on with fleshing out the details of this global Marshall plan for green recovery and getting everyone everywhere vaccinated – and crucially, that means putting up the investment to make all this possible.” The G7 meeting left Johnson looking exposed on the world stage to some observers. Pledges by the G7 club of the richest democracies – the UK, US, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the EU – on vaccines were disappointing to many, and the summit was overshadowed by tensions over Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol. The UK row about overseas aid spending – which Johnson is cutting from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5%, with the loss of £4bn to the developing world – also put him in a poor position to browbeat his fellow leaders into stumping up more cash for climate finance. Poor nations were promised $100bn a year from the rich world to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, but that longstanding pledge has fallen short by about $20bn. Mohamed Adow, the director of the Power Shift Africa thinktank, said: “It’s clear the G7 was a huge disappointment and it has undermined Johnson’s credibility. It’s hard not to think that the host of Cop26 cutting their aid budget is going to undermine efforts to raise climate finance from other countries. Overpromising and underdelivering is a bad look for the man overseeing the biggest climate talks since the Paris agreement.” Saleemul Huq, the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, said: “The UK having reneged on their own parliamentary act [on overseas aid] made the situation of Johnson as chair of the G7 non-credible for the other leaders. All of this does not bode well for Cop26.” Tubiana said Johnson must do much more to reassure the developing world. At Cop26, every one of the 196 signatory countries to the Paris agreement has – in theory, at least – an equal say, and a deal can only be forged by consensus, so developing countries can make or break any compromise. “You have to deliver a signal to developing countries that they are taken seriously,” she said. “Overseas aid is not just about aid, it is about political outreach and it shows developing countries that they have a seat at the table, alongside the US and China and so on.” Johnson can take comfort from the fact that the road to the Paris agreement was far from smooth. Tubiana recalls that a key meeting of the leaders of the G20 nations – the G7 and 13 other less democratic or smaller economies, including China, India, Russia, Brazil, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey – just weeks before the climactic summit in Paris in December 2015 went very badly. “Six months before Paris it was super-pessimistic, people thought there would not be an ambitious agreement,” she said. “And the G20 just before Paris was a disaster. After the G20, anyone would have said it is not worth even going to Paris.” Yet with painstaking diplomacy the French repaired the tensions and managed to achieve a global consensus in the final weeks. Fortunately, the previous two years had been spent carefully listening to developing country concerns and building reserves of trust that meant the French were seen as honest brokers for a fair deal. Given the outcome of the G7, Johnson must hope he has as much credit to draw upon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/14/rich-countries-urged-to-come-up-with-detailed-plans-to-cut-emissions
     
         
      Restoring nature ‘the test of our generation’: UN General Assembly President Mon, 14th Jun 2021 17:12:00
     
      Addressing a high-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought, Volkan Bozkir described restoring nature as “the test of our generation”, outlining the cost of inaction. EXISTENCIAL CRISIS “Our planet is facing an environmental crisis that encompasses every aspect of the natural world: land, climate, and biodiversity, and pollution on land and at sea”, he said. “Our existence and ability to thrive in this world is entirely dependent upon how we reset and rebuild our relationship with the natural world, including the health of our land.” The General Assembly meeting, the first of its kind in a decade, is being held at a time when half of all agricultural land is degraded, threatening livelihoods but also driving extinction and intensifying climate change. “Without a change in course, this will only get worse”, Mr. Bozkir warned. “By 2050, global crop yields are estimated to fall by 10%, with some suffering up to a 50% reduction.? This will lead to a sharp 30% rise in world food prices, threatening progress on hunger and nutrition, as well as a myriad of associated development goals.” The fallout could also see millions of farmers pushed into poverty, while some 135 million people could be displaced by 2045, upping the risk of instability and tension. PATH TO PROGRESS Mr Bozkir brought countries together to galvanize international cooperation to avert further degradation and revive degraded land, ahead of UN summits this year on the topics of land, biodiversity and climate. The Organization has been clear on what steps they need to take, he said. “First, countries should adopt and implement Land Degradation Neutrality targets, which revive land through sustainable land and water management strategies, and restore biodiversity and ecosystem functions”, he advised. As the world embarks on 10 years of action on ecosystem restoration through 2030, Mr. Bozkir said countries should also apply lessons learned over the Decade to Fight Desertification, which concluded last year. “Land restoration must be at the heart of existing international processes, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to combat climate change, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and COVID-19 recovery and stimulus plans”, he added. With “unsustainable agriculture” being a main driver of desertification, the Assembly President called for governments to conduct national dialogues on agricultural reform ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit in September. He also stressed the need for “greater synergy” between peace, development and humanitarian action, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serving as a roadmap. Cooperation here can be achieved through universal implementation of a UN framework on disaster risk reduction, which he said will enhance prevention efforts. RESTORE NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS He further stressed the need to devote a greater share of climate finance to forests and agriculture. “For an estimated $2.7 trillion per year – comfortably within the scope of the proposed COVID spending – we could transform the world’s economies by restoring natural ecosystems, rewarding agriculture that keeps soils healthy, and incentivizing business models that prioritize renewable, recyclable or biodegradable products and services. Within a decade, the global economy could create 395 million new jobs and generate over $10 trillion,” he said. The rights of the world’s more than one billion agricultural workers must also not be forgotten. Most do not own the lands on which they work, he said, as currently, one per cent of farms control more than 70 per cent of the world’s farmlands. “Investing directly in land workers is an investment in our land and our planet’s future”, Mr. Bozkir stated. “When we enable workers to invest in their land, we support agricultural productivity. Environmental stewardship, wealth generation, civic participation, and the rule of law benefit, especially indigenous and small-scale producers, including female farmers.” ‘SOIL IS THE SOLUTION’ To reinforce the importance of soil for survival, Mr. Bozkir gave each representative a basil plant, along with a request to update him on their growth. “Restoring nature is the test of our generation and indeed of this multilateral institution. This is the challenge the UN was born to meet,” he stated. “If we upscale land action today we can safeguard global food and water security, reduce emissions, conserve biodiversity and guard against future systemic health and environmental risks. Put simply, soil is the solution.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093942
     
         
      The rush to ‘go electric’ comes with a hidden cost: destructive lithium mining Mon, 14th Jun 2021 11:45:00
     
      The Atacama salt flat is a majestic, high-altitude expanse of gradations of white and grey, peppered with red lagoons and ringed by towering volcanoes. It took me a moment to get my bearings on my first visit, standing on this windswept plateau of 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles). A vertiginous drive had taken me and two other researchers through a sandstorm, a rainstorm and the peaks and valleys of this mountainous region of northern Chile. The sun bore down on us intensely – the Atacama desert boasts the Earth’s highest levels of solar radiation, and only parts of Antarctica are drier. I had come to the salt flat to research an emerging environmental dilemma. In order to stave off the worst of the accelerating climate crisis, we need to rapidly reduce carbon emissions. To do so, energy systems around the world must transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Lithium batteries play a key role in this transition: they power electric vehicles and store energy on renewable grids, helping to cut emissions from transportation and energy sectors. Underneath the Atacama salt flat lies most of the world’s lithium reserves; Chile currently supplies almost a quarter of the global market. But extracting lithium from this unique landscape comes at a grave environmental and social cost. In the mining installations, which occupy more than 78 sq km (30 sq miles) and are operated by multinationals SQM and Albemarle, brine is pumped to the surface and arrayed in evaporation ponds resulting in a lithium-rich concentrate; viewed from above, the pools are shades of chartreuse. The entire process uses enormous quantities of water in an already parched environment. As a result, freshwater is less accessible to the 18 indigenous Atacameño communities that live on the flat’s perimeter, and the habitats of species such as Andean flamingoes have been disrupted. This situation is exacerbated by climate breakdown-induced drought and the effects of extracting and processing copper, of which Chile is the world’s top producer. Compounding these environmental harms, the Chilean state has not always enforced indigenous people’s right to prior consent. These facts raise an uncomfortable question that reverberates around the world: does fighting the climate crisis mean sacrificing communities and ecosystems? The supply chains that produce green technologies begin in extractive frontiers like the Atacama desert. And we are on the verge of a global boom in mining linked to the energy transition. A recent report published by the International Energy Agency states that meeting the Paris agreement’s climate targets would send demand skyrocketing for the “critical minerals” used to produce clean energy technologies. The figures are particularly dramatic for the raw materials used to manufacture electric vehicles: by 2040, the IEA forecasts that demand for lithium will have increased 42 times relative to 2020 levels. These resources have become a new flashpoint for geopolitical tensions. In the US and Europe, policymakers increasingly talk about a “race” to secure the minerals linked to energy transition and shore up domestic supplies; the idea of a “new cold war” with China is frequently invoked. As a result, northern Portugal and Nevada are slated for new lithium projects. Across the global lithium frontier, from Chile to the western United States and Portugal, environmental activists, indigenous communities and residents concerned about the threats to agricultural livelihoods are protesting over what they see as the greenwashing of destructive mining. Indeed, natural resource sectors, which include extractive activities like mining, are responsible for 90% of biodiversity loss and more than half of carbon emissions. One report estimates that the mining sector produces 100bn tons of waste every year. Extraction and processing are typically water- and energy-intensive, and contaminate waterways and soil. Alongside these dramatic changes to the natural environment, mining is linked to human rights abuses, respiratory ailments, dispossession of indigenous territory and labour exploitation. Once the minerals are wrested from the ground, mining companies tend to accumulate profits and leave behind poverty and contamination. These profits only multiply along the vast supply chains that produce electric vehicles and solar panels. Access to these technologies is highly unequal, and the communities who suffer the harms of extraction are frequently denied its benefits. The transition to a new energy system is often understood as a conflict between incumbent fossil fuel firms and proponents of climate action. As existential as this conflict is, battles between competing visions of a low-carbon world are intensifying – and they will become increasingly central to politics across the world. These competing visions reflect the reality that there are multiple paths to rapid decarbonisation. The question is not whether to decarbonise, but how. A transportation system based on individual electric vehicles, for example, with landscapes dominated by highways and suburban sprawl, is much more resource- and energy-intensive than one that favours mass transit and alternatives such as walking and cycling. Likewise, lowering overall energy demand would reduce the material footprint of technologies and infrastructure that connect homes and workplaces to the electricity grid. And not all demand for battery minerals must be sated with new mining: recycling and recovering metals from spent batteries is a promising replacement, especially if governments invest in recycling infrastructure and make manufacturers use recycled content. Moreover, mining operations should be required to respect international laws protecting indigenous rights to consent, and governments ought to consider outright moratoria on mines in sensitive ecosystems and watersheds. Movements on the ground in Chile are articulating this vision. The Plurinational Observatory of Andean Salt Flats (Opsal, of which I’m a member) links environmental and indigenous activists across the so-called “lithium triangle” of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina and has advocated for holistic regulation of this vulnerable desert wetland, prioritising its intrinsic ecological, scientific and cultural value and respecting communities’ right to participate in its governance. This alternative vision now has a chance of becoming a reality. In May, progressives swept elections for an assembly tasked with rewriting Chile’s dictatorship-era constitution, and for local and regional offices. Many of the constitutional convention delegates are connected with student, feminist, environmental and indigenous movements; one of them is Cristina Dorador, a microbiologist and a forceful advocate for protecting the salt flat from rampant extraction. Meanwhile, Opsal is working with members of Congress to draft a law that would preserve the salt flats and wetlands currently threatened by lithium and copper mining, and hydroelectric plants. Chilean activists are clear: there is no zero-sum conflict between fighting climate breakdown and preserving local environments and livelihoods. Indigenous communities in the Atacama desert are also on the frontlines of the devastating impacts of global heating. Rather than an excuse to intensify mining, the accelerating climate crisis should be an impetus to transform the rapacious and environmentally harmful patterns of production and consumption that caused this crisis in the first place.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/14/electric-cost-lithium-mining-decarbonasation-salt-flats-chile
     
         
      The Scots Are Unlocking the Ocean’s Energy Potential Mon, 14th Jun 2021 9:00:00
     
      Scotland is the source of many great exports: scotch (of course), Gordon Ramsay, and the Young brothers of iconic rock group AC/DC. Its next gift to the world might be a way to harness renewable energy from the ocean. In April, Scottish-based Orbital Marine Power launched the O2, the world’s most powerful tidal turbine, to be tested off the coast of the Orkney Islands.* Tidal turbines harness the power of underwater currents to turn turbine blades and produce electricity. Jon Kelman, an energy policy instructor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability, says this is especially efficient “because water is so much denser than air, you don’t actually need a very big turbine in order to make a lot more electricity.” (Disclosure: I recently graduated from ASU, where I took an energy policy class with Kelman; ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.) To wrap your mind around this, think how much harder it is to walk in your pool than in air. This new turbine has a capacity of 2 megawatts and represents a modular technology that could be applied to a virtually untapped renewable resource. For context, it takes roughly 1,130 pounds of coal to produce 1 megawatt hour of electricity in the U.S. That means, if these turbines operate at full capacity, they can replace 2,260 pounds of coal for electricity generation per hour. Power generation devices never operate at full capacity and a singular generator still represents a very small amount of global energy demands—but a flexible fleet of turbines could prove immensely useful at a large-scale. Another Scottish company—Mocean Energy—also began sea trials in Orkney last month of its new utility-scale wave power device called Blue Horizon. Unlike O2, this device captures kinetic energy directly from waves on the surface. Both new technologies require further testing but offer the potential of harvesting low-carbon renewable energy from the ocean with minimal impact to the surrounding environment. These new marine technologies could have a big effect in coastal and island areas without access to much existing renewable infrastructure. Take Hawaii, where each island has its own independent electrical grid and relies heavily on energy imports, creating exorbitant costs and fossil fuel dependence. This is because, as Kelman notes, the Hawaiian islands are “one of the most remote [populated] places on Earth.” However, given minimal land area available for energy generation, solutions can be more difficult to implement than on the mainland. Tidal turbines and wave generators could provide a unique solution for the island state—and coastal communities worldwide. This is even more pertinent for Hawaii, which has set an ambitious goal of having 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2045. Estimates of the total available supply of accessible marine energy are variable, but likely represent hundreds—if not thousands—of gigawatts of capacity globally. Wave power resources represent some 2.11 terawatts of supply globally, with academic estimates determining that roughly 5 percent of that total is extractable. For context, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics, the average American home consumes roughly 0.011 gigawatt hours each year. In case your eyes skimmed over all of those statistics: What you need to know is the theoretical supply is immense. A certain amount of tidal power is already being generated, but current methods of marine energy extraction have significant drawbacks. The historical model for tidal energy has been a barrage—a dam-like structure built across a marine inlet that uses extreme tidal differences to produce energy much like a hydroelectric dam (aka water flow through a turbine). Examples like the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea and the decades-old La Rance Tidal Power Plant in France use this model for a generating capacity of over 200 MW. However, these plants require extreme tidal variation from high to low tide and are expensive to construct, severely limiting the areas they can be installed. While tidal variation exists everywhere, the necessity of a bay to house the barrage and the dramatic variation required for plants to be economical just aren’t common enough to be a central component of renewable energy generation. Furthermore, they effectively “close off an estuary” which interrupts “ecosystem services that humans rely on,” like reduced stormwater flood management and local water cleaning, according to Kelman. Soils and plants in estuaries absorb floodwater, prevent erosion, and remove sediment and nutrient loads that can lead to eutrophication—which depletes dissolved oxygen in water ecosystems and threatens their health. While tidal turbines and wave generators avoid these environmental pitfalls, there are big hurdles to jump through for these marine technologies to be applied on a larger scale. Kelman says, “There are two main questions in regard to tidal turbines.” First: “How cheap can you make it in the future?” Second, “What is the capacity factor?” Capacity factor is a ratio of a power unit’s actual electricity output compared to the maximum possible output over a given period. Many renewables with intermittent supply fail to achieve efficient capacity factors—so finding reliable power sources is key for a clean energy future. Orbital Marine is working to address both questions. On the cost front, Orbital Marine Power’s commercial director, Oliver Wragg, explains that by the 2030s, the company hopes to “streamline our production processes” so that “we will have accelerated down the cost curve and will be delivering … projects at a cost cheaper than nuclear energy can be produced in the U.K. today.” And while there aren’t exact calculations of the O2’s capacity factor yet, official communications from the company claim that the initial O2 turbine will have the ability to reliably meet the power needs of 2,000 U.K. homes once deployed. And one thing Kelman and Orbital Marine definitely agree on: A key benefit of this power source is that tides—unlike sunlight or wind speeds—are highly predictable, making the output more predictable as well.
       
      Full Article: https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/orbital-marine-power-scotland-ocean-energy.html
     
         
      Swiss voters reject key climate change measures Sun, 13th Jun 2021 18:10:00
     
      Switzerland's policy on fighting climate change has been thrown into doubt after voters rejected key measures in a popular vote. A referendum saw voters narrowly reject the government's plans for a car fuel levy and a tax on air tickets. The measures were designed to help Switzerland meet targets under the Paris Agreement on climate change. Many voters appear to have worried about the impact on the economy as the country tries to recover from Covid-19. Opponents also pointed out that Switzerland is responsible for only 0.1% of global emissions, and expressed doubts that such policies would help the environment. The vote, under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, went 51% against, 49% in favour. The Swiss government wants to bring emissions down to half of 1990 levels by 2030. Two more national votes on environmental issues were also defeated, though the results were expected.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57457384
     
         
      G7 to agree tough measures on burning coal to tackle climate change Sun, 13th Jun 2021 18:07:00
     
      World leaders meeting in Cornwall are to adopt strict measures on coal-fired power stations as part of the battle against climate change. The G7 group will promise to move away from coal plants, unless they have technology to capture carbon emissions. It comes as Sir David Attenborough warned that humans could be "on the verge of destabilising the entire planet". He said G7 leaders faced the most important decisions in human history. The coal announcement came from the White House, which said it was the first time the leaders of wealthy nations had committed to keeping the projected global temperature rise to 1.5C. That requires a range of urgent policies, chief among them being phasing out coal burning unless it includes carbon capture technology. Coal is the world's dirtiest major fuel and ending its use is seen as a major step by environmentalists, but they also want guarantees rich countries will deliver on previous promises to help poorer nations cope with climate change. The G7 will end the funding of new coal generation in developing countries and offer up to £2bn ($2.8bn)to stop using the fuel. Climate change has been one of the key themes at the three-day summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Leaders of the seven major industrialised nations - the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy - are expected to set out plans to reduce emissions from farming, transport, and the making of steel and cement. They will commit to protecting 30% of global land and marine areas for nature by 2030. They are also expected to pledge to almost halve their emissions by 2030, relative to 2010 levels. The UK has already surpassed that commitment. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a news conference on Sunday afternoon, the final day of a summit where he has clashed with EU leaders over the Brexit deal's requirements for checks on goods from Britain to Northern Ireland. 'Plain to see' A video message from Sir David Attenborough was played to world leaders in Cornwall on Sunday as they set out their plans for meeting emissions targets. Speaking beforehand, Sir David said: "The natural world today is greatly diminished... Our climate is warming fast. That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly plain to see. "But the question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether as a result of these intertwined facts we are on the verge of destabilising the entire planet." He said the decisions facing the world's richest countries were "the most important in human history". As well as the measures on coal and ending almost all direct government support for the fossil fuel sector overseas, the G7 is expected to phase out petrol and diesel cars. China, which according to one report was responsible for 27% of the world's greenhouse gases in 2019 - the most of any country - is not part of the G7.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57456641
     
         
      Climate change: Wales 'needs to do twice as much' in next decade Sun, 13th Jun 2021 18:04:00
     
      Wales needs to do twice as much on climate change in the next decade "as we've done in the previous 30 years", the climate change minister has said. Julie James said it was "stretching an ambitious target" but that it would be possible to reach it. All road schemes in Wales are set to be reviewed and a new law to tackle air pollution will be introduced in this term of the Welsh Parliament. Wales is aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But a December 2020 report by the Climate Change Committee, which advises governments in the UK, said: "Underlying indicators and the lack of a cohesive, economy-wide strategy for 2050 - at both UK and Welsh government level - mean that Wales was not currently on track for the existing 80% target, let alone net zero." Speaking on the BBC Politics Wales programme, the newly appointed climate change minister said: "It is possible to do it but it will mean all of us playing our part. "So, there will be some things that will need to change... but what we need to do is put the conditions in place so that people aren't sacrificing things in order to assist the climate." Friends of the Earth Cymru has called for a ban on new roads in Wales. Asked if there should be a ban, Ms James said: "It's tempting, isn't it, to say, 'of course we won't build new roads', but there are really complex issues here around air quality, what traffic routes people take, how many cars on the road and so on." The Deeside "red route" plan for the A55 in Flintshire includes a new eight-mile (13km) dual carriageway. The minister said, as part of a new transport strategy, the government "will do a rapid review of all our road schemes and we will do a review of both new road schemes and existing roads". Cardiff council is set to decide on Thursday whether a key road in the capital will reopen to private vehicles. Ms James said it was a decision for the Labour-led council but added: "Cardiff did incredibly well in putting active travel routes in across the city [during the height of the pandemic] and we'd very much want to encourage them to continue on that journey." A Clean Air Act, as promised by Welsh Labour in the Senedd election, is "absolutely" a priority for the government, the minister said. She added: "We will be bringing that forward. "We've got a lot of work to do to make sure we've got all the proper infrastructure in place to monitor the air quality and to make sure people do the right things." A review will also be conducted of the Welsh government's subsidy for the Holyhead to Cardiff air route. Ms James said she was open-minded about the route's future: "I don't know what the effect of that plane on the environment is because I don't know what people who go on the plane would do if they weren't on the plane. "So, it's a more complex thing than the simple, plane bad, car good, because if all those people go in to cars we might make the situation worse and I genuinely don't know the answer to that." The government has announced a moratorium on new biomass plants, many of which have proved controversial. Asked if it was a mistake to allow existing biomass plants, the minister said: "Well, you know, life is changing, isn't it? "We didn't know 10 years ago what we know now so we're keeping up with that. "So, the government is moving forward as we learn new science," she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-57461279
     
         
      G7 summit: Leaders pledge climate action but disappoint activists Sun, 13th Jun 2021 18:01:00
     
      The G7 nations have agreed to step up action on climate change and renewed a pledge to raise $100bn a year to help poor countries cut emissions. After a summit in Britain, G7 leaders also promised to help developing countries move away from coal. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hosted the three-day meeting, said on Sunday: "We were clear this weekend that action needs to start with us." However some environmental groups said the promises lacked detail. Developed countries agreed in 2009 to contribute $100bn a year in climate finance to poorer countries by 2020. But the target was not met, in part because of the Covid pandemic. While the G7 agreed to raise contributions to meet the target, Teresa Anderson, from Action Aid said: "The G7's reaffirmation of the previous $100 billion a year target doesn't come close to addressing the urgency and scale of the crisis." Catherine Pettengell, director at Climate Action Network, told Reuters news agency: "We had hoped that the leaders of the world's richest nations would come away from this week having put their money their mouth is." Climate change has been one of the key themes at the summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. The G7 - which include the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy - committed to keeping the projected global temperature rise to 1.5C. In the final statement they said: "We reaffirm the collective developed countries goal to jointly mobilise $100bn/year from public and private sources, through to 2025." The commitment to help nations move away from coal power, which initially came from the White House, includes a plan to phase out coal burning unless it includes carbon capture technology. The G7 will end the funding of new coal generation in developing countries and offer up to £2bn ($2.8bn) to stop using the fuel. Coal is the world's dirtiest major fuel and ending its use is seen as a major step by environmentalists, but they also want guarantees rich countries will deliver on previous promises to help poorer nations cope with climate change. In a separate announcement, the UK joined Germany and the US to declare it would spend hundreds of millions of pounds protecting the world's vulnerable communities from climate change. The funding would "enable quicker responses to extreme weather and climate-linked disasters in countries bearing the brunt of climate change," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-57461670
     
         
      G7 summit: How significant are group's climate pledges? Sun, 13th Jun 2021 17:57:00
     
      The world's rich nations which caused the climate crisis know what's expected of them - but they consistently fail to deliver in full. This summit made some progress, especially on heralding the demise of coal - the fuel that drove the industrial revolution and sent emissions soaring. But for the umpteenth time the rich club has failed to deliver on its promise to channel $100bn a year to poor nations coping with a heating climate. Yes, bilateral deals have offered top-up funding to developing nations - but although we haven't seen the details yet, it's clear that they won't tot up to the magic 100 mark. And campaigners are warning there will be no over-arching deal to protect the climate unless that sum is reached and guaranteed at the vital COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in December. Teresa Anderson, from Action Aid said: "The G7's reaffirmation of the previous $100 billion a year target doesn't come close to addressing the urgency and scale of the crisis. "Rich countries have so far failed to deliver on climate finance pledges. The majority of what has been provided so far has been in the form of loans, which are pushing vulnerable countries further into debt and poverty. "The G7 must announce real finance through grants and stop turning a blind eye while the world's poorest and most marginalised are hit hardest." The finance issue - a running sore in climate negotiations - has been compounded by demands from poor nations for more Covid help. This row overshadowed some more promising moves from G7. President Biden talked up the end of coal for power generation in America (with no details of a date, or of how he would get legislation through Congress). Germany and Japan will face difficulty on this issue, too. The president also trumpeted the end of coal finance for poor nations. This will heap pressure on China to follow suit. The initiative to specifically target coal was led originally by the UK, which deserves credit for spotting a deliverable policy in the morass of vague talk about climate action. There's another detail on coal, too: a handful of rich nations will offer up to $2bn a year to help emerging economies turn away from coal. It's another sign that the world is in this climate fight together, although the sum is small. There's also an important initiative on specific targeting of sectors of the economy, including agriculture, steel, cement and transport. Campaigners wanted G7 to follow the UK's lead and announce a global phase-out of the sales of fossil fuel powered vehicles. The leaders agreed - but significantly - they didn't give a date. A global power game was also suggested by Boris Johnson to combat China's geo-political through it's gargantuan Belt and Road programme bringing roads and ports to Africa.. The PM offered instead a G7 new Marshall Plan offering railways and solar farms, although that initiative did appear to have been invented without details. Laurence Tubiana, the former French climate negotiator - a key actor in the triumphant Paris climate conference in 2015 - said: "In the face of a perfect storm of planetary crises - the world's richest democracies have responded with a plan to make a plan." And swelling the challenge still further is the inconvenient fact that 20 years ago the G7 wealthy countries could really determine the fate of the climate. Now we'd have to add India to the list. And Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, Nigeria and South Africa. Oh yes, and China. All these wakening giants will be more ready to act if they can see their rich counterparts put their finance where their words are.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57462040
     
         
      G7 summit: Sir David Attenborough presses leaders to show the 'global will' to tackle climate change Sun, 13th Jun 2021 13:51:00
     
      Sir David Attenborough has told the Group of Seven leaders we already have the skills to tackle climate change, but what we need is the "global will to do so". The 95-year-old environmentalist told the heads of the world's leading democracies that tackling climate change was now as much a political challenge as it was a scientific one. "We know in detail what is happening to our planet, and we know many of the things we need to do during this decade," he said in a pre-recorded video address. "Tackling climate change is now as much a political and communications challenge as it is a scientific or technological one. We have the skills to address it in time, all we need is the global will to do so." On the leaders' final day of discussions, Sir David called on them to take urgent action to avoid human-caused environmental catastrophe. The broadcaster and naturalist said the scientific response to the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated "just how much we can achieve together when the goal is clear and urgent". It comes after various climate groups staged protests across Cornwall to lobby G7 leaders on environmental issues this weekend. In their conclusions from this weekend's summit, G7 leaders are expected to include a pledge to almost halve their emissions by 2030 relative to 2010. This will also include promises to end almost all direct government support for fossil fuels and the phasing out of petrol and diesel cars. And the G7 is also expected to commit to increasing their contributions to international climate finance, to help developing countries deal with the impact of climate change and to support sustainable growth. But environmentalists have warned that previous climate finance targets have already been missed, and that aspirations to conserve 30% of our land and sea lack any form of plan as to how the areas will actually be protected. Ahead of his address to world leaders, Sir David had said: "The natural world today is greatly diminished. That is undeniable. "Our climate is warming fast. That is beyond doubt. Our societies and nations are unequal and that is sadly is plain to see. "But the question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether as a result of these intertwined facts we are on the verge of destabilising the entire planet? "If that is so, then the decisions we make this decade - in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations - are the most important in human history." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has used the summit to launch a £500m fund to support countries, including Ghana, Indonesia and Pacific island states, to tackle unsustainable fishing, protect and restore coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs, and reduce marine pollution. "Protecting our planet is the most important thing we as leaders can do for our people," he said. "There is a direct relationship between reducing emissions, restoring nature, creating jobs and ensuring long-term economic growth. "As democratic nations we have a responsibility to help developing countries reap the benefits of clean growth through a fair and transparent system. "The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global Green Industrial Revolution, with the potential to transform the way we live." For their final day of discussions on Sunday, G7 leaders will once again be joined by guest nations Australia, South Korea, South Africa and India. On Saturday night, the leaders enjoyed a beach BBQ in Carbis Bay and witnessed a flypast by the Red Arrows. Critics questioned the display by nine aerobatic jet aircraft amid the summit's focus on climate change. Every day at 6.30pm, Sky News broadcasts the first daily prime time news show dedicated to climate change. Hosted by Anna Jones, The Daily Climate Show follows Sky News correspondents as they investigate how global warming is changing our landscape and how we all live our lives. The show also highlights solutions to the crisis and how small changes can make a big difference.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/g7-summit-attenborough-to-tell-g7-leaders-they-face-biggest-climate-change-decisions-in-human-history-12331232
     
         
      Shell considering sale of holdings in largest U.S. oil field, worth up to $10 billion Sun, 13th Jun 2021 12:20:00
     
      Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is reviewing its holdings in the largest oil field in the United States for a possible sale as the company looks to focus on its most profitable oil-and-gas assets and grow its low-carbon investments, according to sources familiar with the matter. The sale could be for part or all of Shell’s about 260,000 acres (105,200 hectares) in the Permian Basin, located mostly in Texas. The holdings could be worth as much as $10 billion, the sources said, on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. CNBC has independently confirmed that a sale is not imminent, but ongoing talks with a buyer or potentially multiple buyers are ongoing. Some of the acreage in question is part of a joint venture with Occidental. Shell declined to comment. Shell is one of the world’s largest oil companies, all of which have been under pressure from investors to reduce fossil-fuel investments to stem changes to the global climate brought on by carbon emissions. Shell, BP Plc and TotalEnergies have pledged to lower emissions through increased investment in renewables while divesting some oil and gas holdings. Mergers and acquisitions activity in the top U.S. shale field jumped in the last year as some firms sought to bolster holdings and others looked to take advantage of rising prices to sell. U.S. oil futures are up 49% this year to nearly $72 per barrel, more than double their 2020 low as oil demand returned with the pandemic ebbing. Earlier this year, Shell set out one of the sector’s most ambitious climate strategies, with a target to cut the carbon intensity of its products by at least 6% by 2023, 20% by 2030, 45% by 2035, and by 100% by 2050 from 2016 levels. However, a Dutch court said last month that Shell’s efforts are not enough, ordering it to lower emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. Last month, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report that investments in new fossil fuel projects should stop immediately if consumers wanted to meet U.N.-backed targets aimed at limiting global warming. Oil majors, including Shell, say the world will need substantial new investment in oil and gas for some years to come to meet demand for motor fuels and chemicals. Shell’s oil and gas production in the Permian from company-operated and non-operated rigs averaged 193,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020, around 6% of its total output that year, according to its website. The Permian produces roughly 4.5 million barrels of oil a day, or about 40% of overall U.S. production. More deal-making could take place this year, with Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others looking to shed unwanted assets and raise cash, according to industry experts. Last week, Occidental Petroleum agreed to sell some of its Permian holdings to Colgate Energy for $508 million in a move to reduce its debt. Most Permian deals this year have been concluded at between $7,000 and $12,000 per acre, said Andrew Dittmar, an M&A analyst at energy researcher Enverus. Rising activity has pushed up prices. In April, closely held DoublePoint Energy sold to Pioneer Natural Resources for about $40,000 per acre, a level not seen since the 2014-2016 rush by producers to grab positions in the Permian. Several smaller shale companies including KKR-owned Independence Energy have combined this year. A lack of interest in oil IPOs have private equity owners aiming to increase their production while awaiting investor interest in new offerings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/13/shell-considering-sale-of-holdings-in-largest-us-oil-field.html
     
         
      UN-backed report finds no G7-based stock exchange indices align with Paris climate goals Thu, 10th Jun 2021 12:41:00
     
      The Global Compact partnered with international non-profit?CDP, on behalf of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a body supporting businesses to set ambitious emissions reduction goals. In December 2015, more than 190 signatories in Paris, agreed to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below 2° C (3.6° F) above pre-industrial levels, in the hope of keeping it as close as possible to 1.5° C (2.7° F). Just ahead of the G7 Summit in the United Kingdom, which begins on Friday, the Taking the Temperature report shows that indices on the main exchanges of G7 countries are on average at 2.95° C, while four of the seven are on temperature pathways of 3° C or above – way over the Paris benchmark. Stock indices consist of the most significant companies listed on a country’s largest exchange and are vital benchmarks to understand market trends and direction. DELIVER ON PARIS As G7 economies cover nearly 40 per cent of the global economy and approximately 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the businesses making up the G7 have a responsibility to lower their emissions, according to SBTi. “G7 companies have the potential to cause a ‘domino effect’ of positive change across the wider global economy”, said Lila Karbassi, Chief of Programmes, UN Global Compact and SBTi Board Chair, calling upon the largest listed G7 companies to urgently increase climate action. INVEST IN THE PLANET Currently 70 per cent of Canada's SPTSX 60 index stands at a 3.1° C temperature rating and almost 50 per cent of Italy's FTSE MIB at a 2.7° C. While passive investing currently makes up around 40 per cent of United States and 20 per cent of European funds, investors are being warned that just 19 per cent of listed companies in the G7 indices, have climate targets allied with the Paris Agreement. G7 ministers responsible for climate and the environment, recently urged businesses and investors to align their portfolios with the Paris goals, and set science-based net zero emissions targets by 2050 – at the latest. “This report highlights the urgent need for markets and investors to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement...Governments must go further to incentivize ambitious science-based target setting”, said Ms. Karbassi. ROOM FOR OPTIMISM Despite these findings however, momentum for action in G7 countries is growing, with the analysis citing 2020 as an overall milestone year for climate commitments. Some 64 per cent of all corporate greenhouse gas emission reduction targets disclosed to CDP last year, were set by companies headquartered in G7 countries, and the annual rate of science-based targets doubled in 2020 versus 2015 to 2019. URGENT ACTION The report also identified four urgent priorities for climate action. It recommended that businesses and Governments collaborate to harness a positive feedback cycle whereby private actions and Government policies reinforce each other. Secondly, corporations must work with suppliers to decarbonize supply chains. Third, it calls for investors to embed science-based targets into sustainability-linked bonds and climate financial standards. Finally, the report advised financial institutions to set portfolio-level science-based targets with underlying assets to create a domino effect in all sectors of the economy.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093822
     
         
      Shell promises to accelerate shift to low carbon Wed, 9th Jun 2021 18:17:00
     
      The oil giant Shell will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions more quickly than planned following a legal ruling in the Netherlands, its chief executive has promised in a blog post. Shell would take "bold but measured steps", Ben van Beurden wrote, but would still appeal against the ruling. Environmentalists won a court case in May, arguing Shell was failing to reduce emissions quickly enough. Friends of the Earth said if Shell were serious, it would drop the appeal. Mr van Beurden's post on networking site LinkedIn acknowledged that the firm would have to respond to the court's ruling without waiting for the outcome of the appeal, and that it applied to the energy giant's worldwide business. However, he sought to reassure investors that it would not disrupt Shell's plans. "For Shell, this ruling does not mean a change, but rather an acceleration of our strategy," he wrote. The campaign group Milieudefensie, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth, which brought the case, successfully argued that Shell had a human rights obligation to bring its business into line with international agreements on avoiding faster heating of the planet. As a result, Shell must cut its CO2 emissions by 45% compared with 2019 levels, by 2030. Shell's lawyers argued the firm was already taking "serious steps" to move away from fossil fuels. 'Singled out' Mr van Beurden said: "I still feel disappointed that Shell is being singled out by a ruling that I believe does not help reduce global CO2 emissions." But he said the firm was determined to "rise to the challenge". A press spokesperson for Shell said the chief executive's statement did not represent a change of strategy for the company, but that it was looking at whether the existing strategy could be implemented more quickly. Mr van Beurden said the firm had set "rigorous, short-term reduction targets" aimed at achieving net zero by 2050, including an energy transition strategy published in April, which came too late to be considered by the court. Net zero means that while the firm will still be responsible for some greenhouse gas emissions, they will be reduced where possible and the rest offset with investments that reduce emissions elsewhere. "For a long time to come we expect to continue providing energy in the form of oil and gas products both to meet customer demand, and to maintain a financially strong company," Mr van Beurden's post said. "We need this financial strength to keep attracting investment in Shell. So we can deliver the energy the world needs, invest in lower-carbon energy and support livelihoods in communities where we operate, as well as those of our customers, employees and contractors." Action counts Mr van Beurden said in order to achieve transition away from fossil fuels, measures should be taken to address demand not just supply. "Imagine Shell decided to stop selling petrol and diesel today. This would certainly cut Shell's carbon emissions. But it would not help the world one bit. Demand for fuel would not change. People would fill up their cars and delivery trucks at other service stations." Rachel Kennerley, international climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "Shell will always say the things to allow business as usual on its terms, but it's what they do that counts and these promises don't go nearly far enough. "If Mr van Beurden was as serious about this as he claims he'd stop dismissing his company's role in driving this devastating situation and would use the court ruling as an intervention to do the right thing, rather than appealing it with all of Shell's corporate might."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57415965
     
         
      Keystone XL pipeline halted after Biden blocks permit Wed, 9th Jun 2021 18:12:00
     
      The Keystone XL pipeline's developer has halted all construction on the project months after its permit was revoked by the Biden administration. The pipeline was set to carry oil 1,200 miles (1,900km) from the Canadian province of Alberta down to Nebraska. Environmentalists and Native American groups had fought against the project for more than a decade. President Donald Trump revived the pipeline in 2017, two years after it was rejected by President Barack Obama. In a statement on Wednesday, Calgary-based TC Energy said it would work with regional regulators to dismantle their equipment and "ensure a safe termination of and exit from" areas where construction had been planned. On his first day in office President Joe Biden cancelled a permit to allow the project to cross into the US amid concerns that it would worsen climate change. Mr Biden's decision came over the objections of US lawmakers, including members of his own party, who said the project would have created energy sector and construction jobs for American workers. On Wednesday, a group of Republican senators introduced legislation that would force the Biden administration to account for the number of jobs lost due to the project's cancellation. "The Keystone XL pipeline would have strengthened US energy independence while supporting thousands of high-paying jobs in the US and Canada," Idaho Senator and bill sponsor Jim Risch said in a statement. The group also condemned the Biden administration for waiving sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 project - a Russian pipeline intended to deliver gas to Germany. The bill, which is not expected to become law, would require the Secretary of Labor to report to Congress the number of jobs estimated to have been lost due to the project's cancellation. While visiting US troops stationed in the UK during a trip to the G7 conference on Wednesday, Mr Biden said that climate change represents the "greatest threat" to US national security. "This is not a joke. You know what the Joint Chiefs told us the greatest physical threat facing America was? Global warming," he said. "There will be significant population movements, fights over land, millions of people leaving places because they're literally sinking below the sea in Indonesia, because of the fights over what is arable land anymore," he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57422456
     
         
      Halogen lightbulb sales to be banned in UK under climate change plans Wed, 9th Jun 2021 18:09:00
     
      Sales of halogen lightbulbs are to be banned in the UK from September, with fluorescent lights to follow, under government climate change plans. The move will cut 1.26 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year and deliver consumers savings, officials say. The UK began phasing out the sale of higher-energy halogen lightbulbs in 2018 under EU-wide rules. Now retailers will no longer be able to sell most remaining halogen bulbs, such as kitchen spotlights. Legislation for the plans is being brought forward this month by the government. The plan will help continue the shift to low-energy LED lightbulbs, which account for about two-thirds of lights now sold in Britain. It is expected to mean LEDs will account for 85% of all bulbs sold by 2030, officials said. LED lights last five times longer than traditional halogen bulbs and produce the same amount of light, but use up to 80% less power. 'LESS WASTE' To help people to choose the most efficient lightbulbs, changes to the energy labels that consumers see on bulb packaging are being brought in, with the A+, A++ and A+++ ratings abandoned and efficiency graded between A-G, with only the most efficient bulbs given an A rating. LED bulbs could be incorporated into the fluorescent light fittings as a more energy-efficient alternative, officials said. Legislation will also include moves to phase out high-energy fluorescent lightbulbs - such as strip lights commonly found in offices - with a view to bringing an end to their sale from September 2023. There was a time when the humble light bulb became the centre of a political storm over "green madness". The EU had announced a ban on old-fashioned incandescent bulbs - the ones that give off more heat than light and use a lot of electricity in the process. It was a move that led to a campaign of resistance with one newspaper even giving away the bulbs to encourage their use. But this latest move - the final step in ending sales of halogen lights - comes in very different times. Many types of halogen bulbs were already banned several years ago, so this is a tightening of the screw on energy waste rather than a massive upheaval. But it does provide another signal that if the UK is to meet its promises to tackle the heating of the climate, every sector of the economy - in fact almost every aspect of our lives - will have to see some kind of change. The cut in carbon emissions as a result of the new rules is the equivalent of removing more than half a million cars from the UK's roads, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy said. It is part of a package of measures which it says will save consumers money and includes the right to get goods repaired, new energy labels and higher efficiency standards for white goods, TVs and other appliances. Energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: "We're phasing out old inefficient halogen bulbs for good, so we can move more quickly to longer-lasting LED bulbs, meaning less waste and a brighter and cleaner future for the UK. "By helping ensure electrical appliances use less energy but perform just as well, we're saving households money on their bills and helping tackle climate change." Stephen Rouatt, chief executive of Signify UK, which owns Philips lighting, said: "Using energy-efficient LED equivalents for halogen and fluorescent lighting on an even broader scale will significantly help the UK on its journey to decarbonisation, as well as lowering the annual electricity bills for consumers."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57407233
     
         
      Whitehaven coal mine plans: Calls to press ahead with project as need for jobs 'desperate' Wed, 9th Jun 2021 12:15:00
     
      Controversial plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria shouldn't fall victim to Boris Johnson's ambitions to be a global leader on the climate, according to the mayor of the area where it would be built. His comments were made as the UK prepares to host a G7 meeting in Cornwall of the world's most powerful leaders. And amidst speculation the prime minister wants G7 heads to use the summit to commit to helping developing countries decarbonise their economies. The row over the mine near Whitehaven in Cumbria illustrates the challenges faced by Mr Johnson - balancing the need for new jobs at the same time as telling the world to end its reliance on fossil fuels. Mike Starkie, mayor of Copeland, said: "If he sets an objective in that conference to every other country to get to where this country is now environmentally we'll take a huge leap forward. But we've got to have a balanced approach." The mayor disagrees with environmentalists who say no new coal mines should be opened whatever the type of coal and that coal from overseas mines should be used up first. Coking coal - which the proposed new mine would produce - is needed for the making of steel and cement in the UK and would otherwise have to be imported. The government faced intense criticism for failing to intervene in the planning row - eventually, it was decided there will be a public inquiry. But all the prevarication is hugely frustrating for local people in Whitehaven where the vast majority of the community seem to be behind the mine and the investment and jobs it will bring. "It's very annoying. Everybody is interfering," said Billy McCracken who was a miner for 25 years. "The county council said open it up. Then other people say no close it. I'll throw them in the dock," he says gesturing towards the harbour. "Get it open ASAP," says his friend John Robinson, describing the need for jobs as "desperate". But environmentalists say an investment plan to secure more green jobs is needed in such a rural county. On the other side of Cumbria, Sky News visited the speciality paper mill James Cropper PLC which employs 600 people. They manufacture paper for high-end products; produce plastic-free packaging and recycle coffee cups. But the same technology is being developed to make components for hydrogen fuel cells - a growth area for a business dating back to the 1800s. Phil Wild, chief executive of James Cropper PLC, said: "We're ahead of the curve, we're building products that go into hydrogen. "We also manufacture products that go into wind energy as well. "A few years ago those didn't exist but we've invested in those because we felt it was the right thing to do but what we're looking for is an investment for other people to follow suit as well." The paper mill is also involved in a community energy project which organisers say is an example of how not just businesses but communities can help to reduce emissions and build green initiatives for the future. But they too need greater government support. On the roof of the paper mill, there are solar panels bought by local people. The paper mill pays for the energy the panels produce which makes a small profit for the community to plough back into community projects such as solar panels for the village school. Phil Davies, co-founder of Burneside Community Energy Project, said: "Our mission is to reduce carbon emissions and benefit the community. But even projects like this are complex to set up. "We need more help in terms of regulation and in the financial arena to get this going in every community."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/whitehaven-coal-mine-plans-calls-to-press-ahead-with-project-as-need-for-jobs-desperate-12328069
     
         
      The Keystone XL pipeline project has been terminated Wed, 9th Jun 2021 10:27:00
     
      The Canadian pipeline company that had long sought to build the Keystone XL pipeline announced Wednesday that it had terminated the embattled project, which would have carried petroleum from Canadian tar sands to Nebraska. The announcement was the death knell for a project that had been on life support since President Biden’s first day in office and had been stalled by legal battles for years before that, despite support from the Trump administration. On the day he was inaugurated, Mr. Biden, who has vowed to make tackling climate change a centerpiece of his administration, rescinded the construction permit for the pipeline, which developers had sought to build for over a decade. That same day, TC Energy, the company behind the project, said it was suspending work on the line.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/business/keystone-xl-pipeline-canceled.html
     
         
      Chilliest Spring in years is cold comfort as CO2 emissions rise: WMO Tue, 8th Jun 2021 13:19:00
     
      “Europe had its coldest spring since 2013; the average March-May temperature was 0.45 degrees Celsius (C) below the 1991-2020 average,” said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). “Just because this year has got off to a relatively cool start by recent standards, does not mean that we’ve hit the pause button on climate change”, Ms. Nullis added, reiterating a recent WMO warning that there is a 90 per cent chance that one of the next five years will be the warmest on record. GLOBAL AVERAGES STILL HIGH According to data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (ECMWF), Europe’s cold May contrasted with the global average temperature for the month, which was 0.26°C higher than the 1991-2020 mean. Temperatures were well above average over western Greenland, north Africa, the Middle East and northern and western Russia while below-average May temperatures were reported over the southern and central United States, parts of northern Canada, south-central Africa, most of India, eastern Russia, and eastern Antarctica. EMISSIONS LATEST Reiterating how carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to be a key driver of climate change, the WMO spokesperson relayed the latest data from the world's benchmark atmospheric monitoring station in Hawaii, the Mauna Loa Observatory, issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Monday evening. “According to the new figures, the May monthly average figures of CO2 in the atmosphere at Mauna Loa - this one particular site - was 419.13 parts per million; that’s up and it’s quite a considerable rise, that’s up from 417.31 in May of last years.” And because CO2 has “such a long lifetime in the atmosphere”, Ms. Nullis explained that “many generations” would likely endure a series of natural shocks linked to climate change: “rising temperatures, more extreme weather, melting ice, rising sea level and all the associated impacts.” OCEAN BLUES In a message for World Oceans Day 2021, on 8 June, the WMO official also underscored that the latest CO2 emissions data signalled increasing acidification of the seas and, linked to this, a drop in the amount of CO2 that can be absorbed. “These CO2 figures which I just mentioned are going to have a very real and very serious impact on the ocean; and this is because and this is because the ocean absorbs more than 23 per cent of CO2 emissions.” Ocean acidification and marine heatwaves have already weakened coral reefs which shield coastlines and are vital marine ecosystems, WMO noted. In the last 30 years, between 25 and 50 per cent of the world’s live coral have been lost “and it is predicted that by mid-century we could lose functional coral reef ecosystems around most of the world”, according to a UNEP/FAO report issued for World Environment Day. In a tweet on Tuesday WMO highlighted the risks to the “blue economy” which is estimated to be worth $3 to $6 trillion a year, providing livelihoods for more than six billion people.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093592
     
         
      Could this be California's worst year for drought? Tue, 8th Jun 2021 12:55:00
     
      Dry conditions in the western US have made experts worried about a wildfire season unlike any other. BBC Meteorologist Matt Taylor explains what's behind this "particularly bad year".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57389681
     
         
      End war on nature and ensure ocean health, UN chief says in message for World Oceans Day Tue, 8th Jun 2021 12:53:00
     
      The annual commemoration on 8 June is a reminder of the major role oceans have in everyday life as “the lungs of our Planet” and as a source of food and medicine. Although this year’s theme focuses on their importance for the cultural and economic survival of communities worldwide, the Secretary-General cited a recent report which confirmed that many of the benefits oceans provide are being undermined by human activity. POLLUTION, OVERFISHING, ACIDIFICATION “Our seas are choking with plastic waste, which can be found from the remotest atolls to the deepest ocean trenches”, he said. But the list does not end there. “Overfishing is causing an annual loss of almost $90 billion in net benefits – which also heightens the vulnerability of women, who are vital to the survival of small-scale fishing businesses”, he added. “Carbon emissions are driving ocean warming and acidification, destroying biodiversity and causing sea level rise that threatens heavily inhabited coastlines.” SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LINK World Oceans Day falls as countries continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the ongoing assault on oceans, seas and marine resources, the Secretary-General said. With more than three billion people worldwide, mainly in developing countries, relying on the ocean for their livelihood, he called for action. “As we strive to recover from COVID-19, let’s end our war on nature”, Mr. Guterres said. “This will be critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, keeping within reach the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement, and ensuring the health of our oceans for today’s and future generations.” DECADE OF ACTION As part of the World Ocean Day celebrations, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the selection of an initial series of actions to drive what it calls the “ocean knowledge revolution”. Led by diverse partners from science, government, civil society and other sectors, they fall under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which runs through 2030. “From restoring the Great Barrier Reef to mapping 100% of the ocean floor in high resolution, these innovative programmes and contributions make up the first set of Ocean Decade Actions that will contribute to help deliver the ocean we want by 2030”, said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General. EXPLORATION AND INNOVATION The flagship Ocean Decade Actions were selected from hundreds of applications submitted to the agency’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the UN entity that supports global ocean science and services. They include initiatives to expand deep sea research and exploration of the “twilight zone” of the ocean. Little is known about this layer, which extends from 200 to 1,000 metres (roughly 650 to 3,300 feet). Other actions focus on developing knowledge and solutions to reduce the multiple pressures on marine ecosystems, including from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as measures to improve sustainable management of fish stocks. “The hundreds of responses to the Ocean Decade’s first Call for Decade Actions showcase the success of and huge interest around this global movement”, said Vladimir Ryabinin, the IOC Executive Secretary. “The initial Actions are just the first building blocks of the Decade – there will be many chances to engage.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093572
     
         
      Banks tested on climate crisis risks Tue, 8th Jun 2021 12:52:00
     
      Britain's banks and insurers will be tested on how well-prepared they are to cope with climate change emergencies. The Bank of England will examine the risks rising temperatures and sea levels could pose for the UK's big banks and insurers. It will put 19 firms through stress tests involving three climate scenarios projected over the next 30 years. The Bank said the tests will help it "understand the risks presented by climate change" to the economy. Banks will be tested for the first time and assessed on their credit books. They were due to be tested last year but the Bank of England put the process on hold during the pandemic. Insurers will be assessed on the risks to their assets and liabilities, but were tested last year. "This is the first time we are testing both banks and insurers to allow us to capture interactions between them," the Bank said. "The end result will be more robust management of climate related financial risks across the sector," said Andrew Bailey the Governor of the Bank of England. It will examine banks such as Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander UK and Standard Chartered as well as insurers including Aviva, Legal & General, Direct Line, and Scottish Widows. The results of the tests will be published by May 2022 although the Bank said it will release only aggregate results and not identify individual businesses. 'Fiendishly complicated' The stress tests will put the banks and insurers through three climate scenarios. The worst-case is based on governments failing to take any further steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in average temperature increases of 3.3C and a 3.9-metre rise in sea levels. In the scenario the Bank suggests there would be "chronic changes in precipitation, ecosystems and sea level" and "a rise in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, tropical cyclones and flooding". In contrast, the Bank has set out an "early action" scenario where carbon taxes and other policies intensify "relatively gradually". It suggests in that case carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced to net zero by 2050 and the rise in temperatures limited to 1.8C. It said some sectors would be worse affected than others but the overall impact on GDP would be muted. Under the Bank's third scenario it said "late action" delayed until 2031 could see climate policies achieve the same goals by 2050 but because emissions are reduced over a shorter timescale, would mean greater economic disruption. It said that would result in sharp UK and global economic contraction, job losses and market turbulence. The Bank will monitor how the different scenarios could affect banks and insurers, such as potential loan losses, as customers default due to slowing growth and economic uncertainty. Sarah Breeden, the Bank of England executive sponsor for climate change said: "Though fiendishly complicated, climate scenario analysis is a critical part of our toolkit to address future uncertainty about what might happen to our planet, our economy and our financial system. "By highlighting the risks of tomorrow, they can help guide actions today. I encourage all firms, not just those participating, to engage in and learn from this exercise."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57402955
     
         
      Gas and coal companies among recipients of $50m in Coalition grants from carbon capture fund Tue, 8th Jun 2021 10:52:00
     
      The Morrison government has announced the first $50m in grants from a new carbon capture, use and storage (CCS) fund, including awarding up to $15m to gas company Santos and $5m to a coal power project owned by mining giant Glencore. The funding is drawn from a promised $263.7m for the controversial technology, which most often involves capturing industrial greenhouse gas emissions as they are released and injecting them underground. Santos will receive public support for its long-mooted Moomba liquified natural gas (LNG) export project in the Cooper Basin in South Australia. The company says it is expected to store 1.7m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Up to $5m is dedicated to the Carbon Transport and Storage Company, a project wholly owned by Glencore, to help trial the viability of CCS at a Queensland coal-fired power station and develop a geological storage basin in the Surat Basin. Three other projects to win backing promise to use the captured CO2 in product development, rather than store it underground. The sixth is for Australia’s first demonstration of direct-air capture and storage, an energy-intensive “negative emissions” technology that is intended to draw emissions from the atmosphere and bury them underground. CCS has been a contentious area of public policy in Australia, having been promised billions of dollars in public funding for little result. The first significant project in Australia, Chevron’s Gorgon liquefied natural gas development in the Pilbara, started operating in 2019 after years of delay before it stopped working properly earlier this year. Globally, it has not proven commercially viable in reducing emissions from coal power, and supporters say it is more likely to play a role at industrial sites. Both the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said it has a role in addressing the climate crisis. Opponents say it has failed to deliver on scale over two decades and takes funding away from cheaper clean technology. Announcing the funding on Tuesday, the emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, said there had been “overwhelming demand”, with the government having received applications to support $1.2bn of private investment. It was “further proof of the viability and importance of carbon capture technologies”, he said. “The projects we have supported through this program include a number of exciting, Australian-first technology demonstrations,” he said. Santos said its grant was recognition of the “national and international significance” its $210m CCS project in the South Australian outback. Its chief executive, Kevin Gallagher, said it would be one of the cheapest CCS projects in the world, with burial costing $25 to $30 a tonne and pushing for the Morrison government’s goal of less than $20 a tonne. Gallagher said he was “looking forward” to a final investment decision on the project later this year. Richie Merzian, the Australia Institute’s climate and energy director, said the announcement suggested the government’s policy was “failed technologies, not taxes”. “We know CCS has already benefited from $1.3bn in support and there is not a single fully operational project in Australia to show from it,” he said. “Even the department of energy admitted that they don’t expect any emissions reductions from CCS in the next 20 years under the government’s technology investment roadmap.” Taylor last year named CCS as one of five priorities that would receive taxpayer backing through the government’s “technology, not taxes” approach to emissions reduction. Others nominated in the government’s first low-emissions technology statement were “clean” hydrogen, soil carbon, energy storage and low-emissions steel and aluminium. The projects to receive funding other than Santos and Glencore were: Up to $14.6m for Mineral Carbonation International to help build a mobile demonstration plant on Kooragang Island, New South Wales, that uses CO2 to produce manufacturing and construction materials, such as concrete, plasterboard and fire-retardant materials. Up to $9m for Energy Developments Pty Ltd to use CO2 emitted from the production of biomethane at landfill sites in cement carbonation curing. Up to $4m for Corporate Carbon Advisory Pty Ltd for Australia’s first demonstration of a direct-air capture and storage project to geologically sequester CO2 in an existing injection well in Moomba, South Australia. Up to $2.4m for Boral Limited for a pilot-scale CO2-use project to improve the quality of recycled concrete, masonry and steel slag aggregates at New Berrima, NSW. Taylor said the six projects would create “close to 470 direct jobs and deliver $412m of investment, much of this in regional areas”. The Morrison government also announced that the Australian Renewable Energy Agency would invest $15m in a pilot “solar hydro” power plant at Carwarp, in northwest Victoria. Taylor said the “innovative” technology, to be built by the company RayGen, would offer up to 17 hours energy storage. Australia’s industrial emissions have risen significantly since 2005, the baseline year against which the country pledged to cut carbon pollution under the Paris climate agreement, but overall emissions are down due to reductions from land-clearing and electricity generation. Official projections released in December said the Morrison government was not yet on track to meet its 2030 target, a 26% to 28% cut.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/08/gas-and-coal-companies-among-recipients-of-50m-in-coalition-grants-from-carbon-capture-fund
     
         
      Global carbon dioxide levels continued to rise despite pandemic Tue, 8th Jun 2021 8:00:00
     
      The data is in: carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit 419 parts per million in May. The levels have now reached the dangerous milestone of being 50% higher than when the industrial age began – and the average rate of increase is faster than ever. The figure is the highest measurement of the crucial greenhouse gas in the 63 years that data has been recorded at the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Hawaii – despite slowdowns in air travel and industry during a global pandemic in the past year. The 10-year average rate of increase also set a record, now up to 2.4 parts per million per year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the reason is complex. Global emissions fell by 6.4% in 2020, but given the seasonal and natural variability, modest decreases wouldn’t make a big impact on the global tally of carbon emissions. And even as emissions dropped, wildfires burning through trees released carbon dioxide – maybe even at a similar rate as the modest lowering of emissions from the pandemic’s slowing impact on the global economy. “The ultimate control knob on atmospheric CO2 is fossil-fuel emissions,” geochemist Ralph Keeling, whose father started gathering data at the Mauna Loa site, told Noaa. “But we still have a long way to go to halt the rise, as each year more CO2 piles up in the atmosphere. We ultimately need cuts that are much larger and sustained longer than the Covid-related shutdowns of 2020.” In order to meet the goals of the Paris climate accords – to keep temperature rise to 1.5C – the United Nations Environment Programme report finds countries need to cut their global emissions by 7.6% every year for the next decade. “Reaching 50% higher carbon dioxide than pre-industrial is really setting a new benchmark and not in a good way,” said the Cornell University climate scientist Natalie Mahowald, who wasn’t part of the research. “If we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we need to work much harder to cut carbon dioxide emissions and right away.” The laboratory at Mauna Loa, which sits on a volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, combines two complementary observations to come up with the all-important value for carbon dioxide. The current level hasn’t existed on Earth since the Pliocene era, between 4.1m and 4.5m years ago – and global seas were 78ft higher than current day levels. The annual increase of 1.8 parts per million in May was slightly less than in previous years, though monthly measurements from 2021 show this year may be closer to the average increase of 2.3 parts per million. Scientists focus on May as the month with the highest carbon dioxide levels of the year, because it comes before plants and trees in the northern hemisphere start to suck up carbon dioxide during their growing season of the summer. Then in the fall and winter, plants and soils release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/08/carbon-dioxide-levels-pandemic-emissions
     
         
      Global push needed to ensure ‘clean, affordable and sustainable electricity’ for all Mon, 7th Jun 2021 13:51:00
     
      The seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), SDG7, aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. However, those nations which remain most off the grid, are set to enter 2030 without meeting this goal unless efforts are significantly scaled up, warns the new study entitled Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, published by the International Energy Agency (IAE), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), World Bank, and World Health Organization (WHO). “Moving towards scaling up clean and sustainable energy is key to?protect human health and to?promote healthier populations, particularly in remote and rural areas”, said Maria Neira, WHO Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.? COVID SETBACKS The report outlines significant but unequal progress on SDG7, noting that while more than one billion people globally gained access to electricity over the last decade, COVID’s financial impact so far, has made basic electricity services unaffordable for 30 million others, mostly in Africa. “The Tracking SDG7 report shows that 90 per cent of the global population now has access to electricity, but disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, if left unaddressed, may keep the sustainable energy goal out of reach, jeopardizing other SDGs and the Paris Agreement’s objectives”, said Mari Pangestu, Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships at the World Bank. While the report also finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed some progress, Stefan Schweinfest, DESA’s Director of the Statistics Division, pointed out that this has presented “opportunities to integrate SDG 7-related policies in recovery packages and thus to scale up sustainable development”. MODERNIZING RENEWABLES The publication examines ways to bridge gaps to reach SDG7, chief among them the scaling up of renewables, which have proven more resilient than other parts of the energy sector during the COVID-19 crisis. While sub-Saharan Africa has the largest share of renewable sources in its energy supply, they are far from “clean” – 85 per cent use biomass, such as burning wood, crops and manure. “On a global path to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, we can reach key sustainable energy targets by 2030 as we expand renewables in all sectors and increase energy efficiency”, said IAE Executive Director, Fatih Birol. And although the private sector continues to source clean energy investments, the public sector remains a major financing source, central in leveraging private capital, particularly in developing countries and in a post-COVID context. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically increased investors’ risk perception and shifting priorities in developing countries, international financial flows in public investment terms, are more critical than ever to leverage the investment levels needed to reach SDG 7, according to the report. “Greater efforts to mobilize and scale up investment are essential to ensure that energy access progress continues in developing economies”, he added. OTHER KEY TARGETS The report highlighted other crucial actions needed on clean cooking, energy efficiency and international financial flows. A healthy and green recovery from COVID-19?includes?the importance of ensuring a quick transition to clean?and sustainable?energy”, said?Dr.?Neira. FEEDING INTO AUTUMN SUMMIT This seventh edition of the report formerly known as the Global Tracking Framework comes at a crucial time as Governments and others are gearing up for the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy in September 2021 aimed to examine what is needed to achieve SDG7 by 2030 and mobilize voluntary commitments and actions through Energy Compacts. The report will inform the summit-level meeting on the current progress towards SDG 7, “four decades after the last high-level event dedicated to energy under the auspices of UN General Assembly”, said Mr. Schweinfest.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093502
     
         
      FLYING CAR BATTERY BREAKTHROUGH MAKES FUTURISTIC TRANSPORT ‘COMMERCIALLY VIABLE’ Mon, 7th Jun 2021 13:25:00
     
      Researchers have figured out a way to rapidly recharge ultra dense batteries capable of powering flying cars, theoretically making them suitable for everyday use. The breakthrough with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles could enable the commercialisation of next-generation transport systems in the near future, according to the researchers from Penn State university who made the discovery. “I hope that the work we have done in this paper will give people a solid idea that we don’t need another 20 years to finally get these vehicles,” said Chao-Yang Wang, director of the Electrochemical Engine Center, Penn State. “I believe we have demonstrated that the eVTOL is commercially viable.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/flying-car-battery-evtol-transport-b1861124.html
     
         
      It’s time to nationalize Shell. Private oil companies are no longer fit for purpose Mon, 7th Jun 2021 11:15:00
     
      It has been a bad month for big oil. A Dutch court just ruled that Shell must cut its carbon pollution by 45% by 2030. The court’s decision has rightly been celebrated: it is a much more stringent requirement than the ineffective regulations imposed to date. Meanwhile, shareholders are waging rebellions at various oil giants – ExxonMobil shareholders won two seats on the board to pressure the oil company towards a greener strategy, and shareholders at Chevron and ConocoPhillips passed nonbinding resolutions pressuring the companies to disclose their lobbying efforts and emissions amounts. Private oil and gas companies are finally up against the wall. Shell has promised to appeal the Dutch court decision, but oil prices went negative last year and put companies on bankruptcy notice, and last week the International Energy Agency said to stop digging. Politicians have floated the idea of oil and gas magnates becoming “carbon management companies” as a way for those companies to have a “future in a low-carbon world” while retaining control over oil, gas, and profit in a planet increasingly aware of and hostile to their emissions-generating activity. But as far as the Dutch court’s ruling or the new bout of shareholder activism goes, neither go far enough. Nor should Shell be turned into a “carbon management company”. Like all private oil companies, Shell should not exist. Oil and gas companies are a political structure: they possess private, authoritarian dominion over the pace and volume of oil and gas production, and thus of important determinants of global emissions. These emissions and their consequences do not respect any sort of public/private distinction, nor borders, nor the rights to clean air or clean water. For decades, private oil companies have intentionally and recklessly obscured their role in the destruction of countless local environments as well as their role in the global climate crisis. Private oil companies have propped up an ever-failing business on a complex system of national and international government subsidies, all of which function to privatize the benefits of oil and gas production while socializing its financial, environmental, and social costs – making the public pay in tax dollars, human rights abuses, and an unlivable climate. Now that these companies fear being left behind by a changing political context, their public relations strategy is to insist to a public increasingly aware of the dire need to stop carbon emissions that there is still a place for private oil companies in a “green” world. There is a role for the workers, their skills and knowledge, and the equipment and infrastructure of oil and gas companies. But there is no longer a role for companies or profit-seeking as an organizing principle of this aspect of human society – not if we want to continue to have human society. Under continued private management, the most likely scenario is that Shell delays and defers action as long as the company can get away with it, shedding workers without a safety net and leaving extraction sites polluting. Similarly, the success of the small shareholder “coup” at ExxonMobil likely has less to do with genuine desire to save the environment and more to do with the company’s billions in back to back quarterly losses. But winding down a major industry shouldn’t be constrained by the need to make money. Governments like the Netherlands could better follow through on mandates to reduce emissions if they held control over oil companies themselves. It is time to nationalize big oil. Public ownership, by itself, does not guarantee that we will fully replace oil and gas with renewable energy in time to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis. As detractors to public ownership often note, three-quarters of the world’s oil reserves are already owned by states rather than private companies, which are far from immune from corruption. But we don’t advocate public ownership because it is a magic bullet – we advocate it because it is our only shot. The profit math is just as clear as the climate math: corporations exist to generate profit and enrich shareholders, both of which require them to produce their product. No amount of shareholder activism can possibly do better than slowing or attenuating the rate at which corporations pursue this basic mandate. “Market-based solutions”, in this case, are a contradiction in terms: the market is the problem. If we are to limit climate change, we have to take the very unprofitable step of virtually eliminating emissions. There is no way to square the pace and depth of needed emissions reductions with the dictates of profit-seeking – Shell’s best scientists have already tried and failed. Government organizations, which respond to more interests than just those of financial profit, are our only recourse. What’s more, companies like Shell or ExxonMobil nationalized today would be taken on with an express mandate to wind down their assets – not to line the coffers of the national government. This means governments would manage companies’ decline based on social benefit. They could hire Shell’s workers to reverse their infrastructure to lower or even put carbon back into the ground rather than extract it for profit. For instance, workers could retool their skills on offshore oil rigs to build offshore wind production. With what little carbon production there is left, government should decide the most equitable way to distribute that oil and gas and limit harm as much as possible. Even considering responsibilities beyond profit, countries with nationalized production, especially in the Global South, will need good reason to strand the fossil fuel assets that have paid for much of the world’s wealth – especially in countries that are dependent on extraction for public revenue. Debt cancellation, as proposed by the Latin American Ecosocial Pact of the South, could allow oil-dependent countries to build less destructive forms of energy and continue to fund needed social services. Moving this much political and financial capital will be a big task; if we don’t have institutions up for the job, we should make them. This is also an opportunity to help communities that have been subject, in some cases for decades, to the nasty side-effects of extraction – from Groningen’s fracked-gas earthquakes to Ogoniland’s water contamination – and support them in building a new sort of economy. Divorcing profit incentives from energy doesn’t only need to be a play for ending fossil fuels. It is an opportunity to build out of an extractive and private supply chain something entirely different – an energy system for the decades to come. Public, community-level control over new renewable energy could also be critical to creating and maintaining an energy system that treats access to clean energy as a human right, supports all families (not just the white and rich) in facing the extreme weather events that may become more and more frequent, and confronts wealth extraction head-on. Nationalization is the best shot the world has got to decommission a recalcitrant industry in time to stave off climate disaster. And it is an opportunity to build something better in its place.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/07/its-time-to-nationalize-shell-private-oil-companies-are-no-longer-fit-for-purpose
     
         
      Republicans pledge allegiance to fossil fuels like it’s still the 1950s Mon, 7th Jun 2021 10:00:00
     
      Joe Biden may be pressing for 2021 to be a transformational year in tackling the climate crisis, but Republicans arrayed in opposition to his agenda have dug in around a unifying rallying theme – that the fossil fuel industry should be protected at almost any cost. For many experts and environmentalists, the Republican stance is a shockingly retrograde move that flies in the face of efforts to fight global heating and resembles a head in the sand approach to the realities of a changing American economy. In a recent letter sent to John Kerry, Biden’s climate envoy, more than a dozen Republican state treasurers accused the administration of pressuring banks to not lend to coal, oil and gas companies, adding that such a move would “eliminate the fossil fuel industry in our country” in order to appease the US president’s “radical political preferences”. The letter raised the extraordinary possibility of Republican-led states penalizing banks that refuse to fund projects that worsen the climate crisis by pulling assets from them. Riley Moore, treasurer of the coal heartland state of West Virginia, said “undue pressure” was being put on banks by the Biden administration that could end financing of fossil fuels and “devastate West Virginia and put thousands of families out of work”. “If a bank or lending institution says it is going to do something that could cause significant economic harm to our state … then I need to take that into account when I consider what banks we do business with,” Moore, who has assets of about $18bn under his purview, told the Guardian. “If they are going to attack our industries, jobs, economy and way of life, then I am going to fight back.” The shunning of banks in this way would almost certainly face a hefty legal response but the threat is just the latest eye-catching Republican gambit aimed at propping up a fossil fuel industry that will have to be radically pared back if the US is to slash its planet-heating emissions in half this decade, as Biden has vowed. In Louisiana, Republicans have embarked upon a quixotic and probably doomed attempt to make the state a “fossil fuel sanctuary” jurisdiction that does not follow federal pollution rules. In Texas, the Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has instructed his agencies to challenge the “hostile attack” launched by Biden against the state’s oil and gas industries while Republicans in Wyoming have even set up a legal fund to sue other states that refuse to take its coal. The messaging appears to be filtering down to the Republican electorate, with new polling by Yale showing support for clean energy among GOP voters has dropped dramatically over the past 18 months. But critics say Republicans are engaged in a futile attempt to resurrect an economic vision more at home in the 1950s, rather than deal with a contemporary reality where the plummeting cost of wind and solar is propelling record growth in renewables and a cavalcade of countries are striving to cut emissions to net zero and, in the case of some including the UK and Germany, completely eliminate coal. “We are seeing desperate attempts to delay the inevitable, to squeeze one more drop of oil or lump of coal out of the ground before this transition,” said Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at New York University. “They are looking to go back to a prior time, but the trend is absolutely clear. The stone age didn’t end for the lack of stones and the oil age won’t end for the lack of oil,” he added, paraphrasing a quote attributed to the former Saudi oil minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani. The Republican backlash is characterized by a large dose of political posturing, according to Wagner. “If you have aspirations of higher office in some states, you just want to signal you will sue those hippie liberals,” he said. “These are delay tactics and some of them are very ham-fisted.” The US emerged from the second world war with more than half a million coalminers but this workforce has since dwindled to barely 40,000 people, amid mass automation and utilities switching to cheap sources of gas. Large quantities of jobs are set to be created in renewable energy, but some places built upon fossil fuels risk being left behind. Biden has proposed a huge infrastructure plan which would, the president says, help retrain and retool regions of the US long economically dependent upon mining and drilling. The administration has promised a glut of high-paying jobs in expanding the clean energy sector and plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, all while avoiding the current ruinous health impacts of air pollution and conditions like black lung. But unions have expressed wariness over this transition, with Republicans also highly skeptical. The promise to retrain miners is a “patronizing pipe dream of the liberal elites completely devoid from reality”, said Moore, who added that previous promises of renewable energy jobs have not materialized. “And now they are trying to sell us on the same failed idea again.” However the shift to cleaner energy happens, it’s clear the transition is under way – last year renewable energy consumption eclipsed coal for the first time in 130 years and US government projections show renewables’ overall share doubling by the middle of the century. A key question is whether the completion of this switch will be delayed long enough to risk triggering the worst impacts of disastrous global heating. “The Republican response is predictable and pathetic. It is from a very old playbook,” said Judith Enck, who was a regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency under Barack Obama. “The party will cling to fossil fuels to the bitter end. It’s so sad because so many Republican voters are damaged by climate change, if you look at deaths from the heat or wildfires we are seeing in California. But the party right now is just completely beholden to the fossil fuel industry.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/07/republicans-fossil-fuels-coal
     
         
      Climate crisis to shrink G7 economies twice as much as Covid-19, says research Mon, 7th Jun 2021 7:00:00
     
      The economies of rich countries will shrink by twice as much as they did in the Covid-19 crisis if they fail to tackle rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to research. The G7 countries – the world’s biggest industrialised economies – will lose 8.5% of GDP a year, or nearly $5tn wiped off their economies, within 30 years if temperatures rise by 2.6C, as they are likely to on the basis of government pledges and policies around the world, according to research from Oxfam and the Swiss Re Institute. The economies of G7 nations contracted by about 4.2% on average in the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic losses from the climate crisis by 2050 would be roughly on the scale of suffering a similar crisis twice every year, according to the research. The UK’s economy would lose 6.5% a year by 2050 on current policies and projections, compared with 2.4% if the goals of the Paris climate agreement are met. Other nations will be hit much worse, including India, whose economy will shrink by a quarter owing to a 2.6C temperature increase, while Australia will suffer a loss of 12.5% of output, and South Korea will lose nearly a tenth of its economic potential. The leaders of the G7 countries – the UK, the US, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy – and the EU will meet in Cornwall on Friday to discuss the global economy, Covid-19 vaccines, taxes on business, and the climate crisis. The modelling by the insurance firm Swiss Re took account of the forecast direct impacts of climate breakdown, including extreme weather such as droughts and floods, as well as the effects on agricultural productivity, health and heat stress. Jerome Haegeli, group chief economist at Swiss Re, said: “Climate change is the long-term number one risk to the global economy, and staying where we are is not an option – we need more progress by the G7. That means not just obligations on cutting CO2 but helping developing countries too, that’s super-important.” He said vaccines for Covid-19 were also a key way to help developing countries, as their economies were hit hard by the pandemic and would need help to recover on a green path, rather than through boosting fossil fuels. The insurer found that policies and pledges by governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were still inadequate to meet the goals of the Paris agreement. As well as hosting the G7 summit, the UK will host vital UN climate talks, called Cop26, this November in Glasgow. Ahead of Cop26, the UK is calling on all countries to come forward with tougher pledges on carbon in order to meet the Paris targets of limiting global heating to well below 2C, and preferably no more than 1.5C, above pre-industrial levels. The lower limit is increasingly imperilled, as greenhouse gas emissions are forecast to jump sharply this year, by the second highest leap on record, owing to the rebound from the Covid-19 recession and increasing use of coal. Danny Sriskandarajah, the chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: “The climate crisis is already devastating lives in poorer countries, but the world’s most developed economies are not immune. The UK government has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the world towards a safer, more liveable planet for all of us. “It should strain every diplomatic sinew to secure the strongest possible outcome at the G7 and Cop26, and lead by example by turning promises into action and reversing self-defeating decisions like the proposed coalmine in Cumbria and cuts to overseas aid.” The record of Boris Johnson’s government has come under close scrutiny in the run-up to the G7 and Cop26 meetings. Leading figures in climate diplomacy have said the prime minister must “get a grip” of the UN talks in order to ensure their success, as rows over a proposed new coalmine, the decision to slash overseas aid from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP, and issues such as new oil and gas licences for the North Sea, the scrapping of the green homes grant and of incentives for electric vehicles, and airport expansion, have all undermined the government’s green credentials. Overseas aid has been the key sticking point for many, described as a diplomatic disaster when the success of Cop26 hinges in part on the UK persuading other rich nations at the G7 summit to come up with far higher pledges of financial assistance to the developing world, to help poor countries cut their emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown. Dozens of Conservative rebels are planning to try to force the government to back down on the aid cuts in a key vote on Monday. The row, and the rise in Covid cases from new variants of the virus, threaten to overshadow what Johnson had hoped would be an uplifting meeting celebrating the success of vaccines, and laying the groundwork for a successful Cop26 in Glasgow this November.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/07/climate-crisis-to-shrink-g7-economies-twice-as-much-as-covid-19-says-research
     
         
      UN launches Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to counter ‘triple environmental emergency’ Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:37:00
     
      It calls for stepping up efforts to prevent, halt and reverse degradation of areas such as grasslands, forests, oceans and mountains, essential to all life on Earth. REACHING ‘POINT OF NO RETURN’ With humanity facing a “triple environmental emergency” of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, now is the time to act, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message for the online virtual gala. “We are reaching the point of no return for the planet,” he warned. “We are ravaging the very ecosystems that underpin our societies, and in doing so, we risk depriving ourselves of the food, water and resources we need to survive.” The UN Decade runs through 2030, which is the timeline scientists have identified as humanity’s last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. A ROLE FOR EVERYONE The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are co-leading this global movement to re-imagine, recreate and restore ecosystems, which is crucial particularly as countries strive to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director, said Governments must ensure their stimulus packages contribute to recovery that is sustainable and equitable. “Businesses and the financial sector must reform operations and financial flows so that they restore and not destroy the natural world”, she added. Recent research from the UN agency and partners revealed that investments in nature-based solutions will have to triple by 2030 to counter the climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises. Ms. Andersen also highlighted a to-do list for individuals and consumers: “Re-think your choices, demand deforestation-free products, vote for sustainability in the polling booth, and raise your voice loud and clear.” AGAINST ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’ As the world moves to recover from the pandemic, healthy ecosystems are more vital than ever, according to the FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu. With pressure on the planet’s natural resources increasing, undermining the well-being of 3.2 billion people, or roughly 40 per cent of the global population, he stressed that “business as usual is not an option. “We need to prevent this and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, including farmland and forests, our rivers and oceans”, said Mr Qu. “More efficiency and inclusive, resilient AgriFood systems can help restore ecosystems and safeguard sustainable food production, leaving no one behind,” he added, echoing the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which, like the UN Decade, have a deadline of 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093362
     
         
      Still time to reverse damage to ‘ravaged’ ecosystems, declares UN chief, marking World Environment Day Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:29:00
     
      Kicking off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, he said the planet was rapidly reaching a “point of no return”, cutting down forests, polluting rivers and oceans, and ploughing grasslands “into oblivion”. “We are ravaging the very ecosystems that underpin our societies”, the UN chief warned in his message for the Day, being marked on Saturday. Our degradation of the natural world is destroying the very food, water and resources needed to survive, and already undermining the well-being of 3.2 billion people – or 40 per cent of humanity. But fortunately, the Earth is resilient and “we still have time to reverse the damage we have done”, he added. SAFEGUARDING THE PLANET By restoring ecosystems, he said that “we can drive a transformation that will contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. “Accomplishing these things will not only safeguard the planet’s resources. It will create millions of new jobs by 2030, generate returns of over $7 trillion dollars every year and help eliminate poverty and hunger.” ‘GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION’ The UN chief described the decade of restoration as “a global call to action” that will draw together “political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration”. He pointed out that the next 10 years are “our final chance to avert a climate catastrophe, turn back the deadly tide of pollution and end species loss”. “Everyone can contribute”, said the Secretary-General. “So, let today be the start of a new decade – one in which we finally make peace with nature and secure a better future for all”. CALL FOR NEW HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARD Meanwhile, UN independent human rights experts have called on the UN to formally recognize that living in a safe, healthy and sustainable environment is “indeed a human right”. “Of the UN’s 193 members, 156 have written this right into their constitutions, legislation and regional treaties, and it is time for the United Nations to provide leadership by recognising that every human is entitled to live in a clean environment”, they said in a joint statement marking World Environment Day. “The lives of billions of people on this planet would improve if such a right were adopted, respected, protected and fulfilled”, the UN experts added. Nearly 50 years after the Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment, in which Member States declared that people have a fundamental right to “an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being,” the time is ripe for concrete action, they said, calling on both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly to take action. CATALYST FOR ACTION A surge in emerging diseases that jump from animals to humans, such as COVID-19, along with the climate emergency, pervasive toxic pollution and a dramatic loss of biodiversity, have brought the future of the planet to the top of the international agenda. The experts said that human rights must be put at the centre of any measures to tackle the environmental crisis. “Putting human rights at the heart of these actions clarifies what is at stake, catalyses ambitious action, emphasizes prevention, and above all protects the most vulnerable people on our planet”, they stated. ?“We could, for example, truly transform our world by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy, creating a circular, waste-free economy, and moving from damaging exploitation of ecosystems to living in harmony with nature”. In a world where the global environmental crisis causes more than nine million premature deaths every year and threatens the health and dignity of billions of people, the experts upheld that “the UN can be a catalyst for ambitious action by recognising that everyone, everywhere, has the right to live in a healthy environment”. Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. They are not UN staff or paid for their work. A YOUTH CALL FOR ACTION Youth from different sectors, media personalities, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders celebrated World Environment Day during a virtual meeting on Friday, where they echoed the Secretary General’s call to action for the planet. The event was headlined by the young writer Jordan Sanchez, reading the signature poem she wrote for this year’s celebration. Ms. Sanchez, well known for mixing urgency with hope in her poetry, left listeners with a passionate call to action. “I want people to understand that situation we are in is serious but there is always something we can do, we have to remain positive and we have to act,” said the 19-year-old poet. Dr. Mike Varshavski commonly known as “Doctor Mike”, a young internet celebrity and family medicine physician from Russia, also participated in the panel reminding that a healthy environment often underpins a healthy life. “For example, when the ozone layer becomes depleted, we see an increase in skin cancer. When we see the corals being destroyed in our oceans, we are actually losing the ability to create medicine because the coral reefs are nature’s health cabinet. We can start by taking small steps to institute changes like meatless Mondays and riding a bike to work or school”, he said. According to a recent study from the UN Development Programme, about 70% of young people between 14 and 18, think the climate emergency is real, and upon us. “Young people have a lot of power and they need to make sure the leaders they select are leading with intergenerational justice in mind...Power is not given, it is taken, so grab it”, urged UNEP chief Inger Andersen during the youth-led conversation. The UN Under Secretary General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, also participated in the event. She underscored that restoring ecosystems is the key to solving many other environmental challenges including biodiversity loss and climate change, and it ensures local communities have jobs and can build sustainable economies. “Repairing nature in short means a healthy planet”, she stressed.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093382
     
         
      Bus depot bid to be UK's largest electric vehicle charging hub Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:17:00
     
      Scotland's biggest bus operator has announced it is building the UK's largest electric vehicle charging hub. First Bus will install 160 charging points and replace half its fleet with electric buses at its Caledonia depot in Glasgow. The programme is expected to be completed in 2023 with the first 22 buses arriving by autumn. Charging the full fleet will use the same electricity as it takes to power a town of 10,000 people. The scale of the project means changes are needed to the power grid to accommodate the extra demand. First Glasgow managing director Andrew Jarvis told BBC Scotland: "We've got to play our part in society in changing how we all live and work. A big part of that is emissions from vehicles. "Transport is stubbornly high in terms of emissions and bus companies need to play their part, and are playing their part, in that zero emission journey." First Bus currently operates 337 buses out of its largest depot with another four sites across Glasgow. The new buses will be built by Alexander Dennis at its manufacturing sites in Falkirk and Scarborough. The transition requires a £35.6m investment by First with electric buses costing almost double the £225,000 bill for a single decker running on diesel. But the company says maintenance and running costs are then much lower. The buses can run on urban routes for 16 hours and be rapidly recharged in just four hours. This is a big investment which the company wouldn't be able to achieve on its own. Government grants only cover 75% of the difference between the price of a diesel and an electric bus so it's still a good bit more expensive for them. But they know they have to do it as a social responsibility and because the requirements for using Low Emissions Zones are likely to become stricter. The SNP manifesto committed to electrifying half of Scotland's 4,000 or so buses within two years. Some are questioning whether that's even achievable in the timescale, given the electricity grid changes that would be necessary for charging. But it's a commitment that environmental groups will certainly hold them to. 1px transparent line Transport Scotland is providing £28.1m of funding to First Bus as part of the Scottish government's commitment to electrify half of Scotland's buses in the first two years of the parliamentary term. Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson said: "It's absolute critical that we decarbonise our transport system and what we have set out are very ambitious plans of how we go about doing that. "We've set out a target to make sure that we decarbonise as many of the bus fleets across Scotland as possible, at least half of it over the course of the next couple of years, and we'll set out our plans later on this year of how we'll drive that forward." Transport is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland which are responsible for accelerating climate change. In 2018 the sector was responsible for 31% of the country's net emissions. First Glasgow has been trialling two electric buses since January 2020. Driver Sally Smillie said they had gone down well with passengers because they were much quieter than diesel buses. She added: "In the beginning it was strange for them not hearing them coming but they adapt very easily and they check now. "It's a lot more comfortable. You're not feeling a gear change and the braking's smoother. I think they're great buses to drive."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57352972
     
         
      G7: 'I believe we can make significant progress' - Sunak Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:14:00
     
      Chancellor Rishi Sunak says he is confident of reaching a global agreement on digital taxation ahead of a meeting of world finance leaders. Tax on big tech and multi-nationals has been a source of friction between the US and countries including the UK. The US announced sanctions this week but immediately suspended them to give more time for talks. Finance minsters will also discuss climate change at the two day meeting which starts in London on Friday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-57357191
     
         
      Southampton Airport activists 'taken aback' by runway sign-off Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:11:00
     
      Airport protestors have said a council formally approved an airport runway extension despite an earlier agreement with the government to delay. On Thursday Eastleigh Borough Council issued formal planning permission for Southampton Airport to lengthen its runway by 164m (538ft). Campaign group Airport Expansion Opposition (AXO) said it was "taken aback" by the announcement. The council said it gave the government time to intervene but had no response. In a statement, the authority said it agreed in April to give the government time to review the plan. It said it subsequently warned ministers on 14 May that planning permission would be issued at the end of the month, but received no reply. However a government email to AXO, dated 19 May, said the delay agreement was still in force. The email, seen by the BBC, said: "The department has an agreement with Eastleigh Borough Council that it will not... issue the decision notice... until the Secretary of State has completed his consideration of the application." John Lauwerys, from AXO, said the planning process had been "pretty extraordinary". He said: "We always thought the matter should be called in by the Secretary of State because it affects more than just Eastleigh. "Forty-six thousand people in Winchester, Southampton and elsewhere will suffer additional noise." He said rising emissions from flights would undermine the government's climate change targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-57363049
     
         
      Denmark parliament approves giant artificial island off Copenhagen Fri, 4th Jun 2021 13:07:00
     
      Plans for an artificial island to house 35,000 people and protect the port of Copenhagen from rising sea levels have been approved by Danish MPs. The giant island, named Lynetteholm, would be connected to the mainland via a ring road, tunnels and a metro line. The approval by Denmark's parliament paves the way for the 1 sq mile (2.6 sq km) project to begin later this year. But it faces opposition from environmentalists who have concerns over the impact of its construction. Plans for Lynetteholm include a dam system around its perimeter, with the aim of protecting the harbour from rising sea levels and storm surges. If construction goes ahead as planned, the majority of the foundations for the island off Denmark's capital should be in place by 2035, with an aim to fully complete the project by 2070. A case against the development of Lynetteholm has been brought before the European Court of Justice by environmental groups. Concerns include the transportation of materials by road involving large numbers of vehicles. One environmental assessment suggested that up to 350 lorry journeys a day through Copenhagen would be required to deliver the raw materials once construction had begun. Building the artificial island, the size of about 400 football pitches, would require some 80 million tonnes of soil to be delivered to the area to create the peninsula alone, local media report. There are also concerns among environmentalists about the movement of sediment at sea and the possible impact on ecosystems and water quality. Protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Copenhagen as the bill passed on Friday with a majority of 85 in favour and 12 against, according to Danish broadcaster DR. One demonstrator from Copenhagen, Eva Larsen, said she was "very worried" about the prospect of construction lorries passing through the city on a daily basis, DR reported. Another protester, Nicholas Woollhead, said a decision on Lynetteholm should not have been made before local elections in November. "This project, which is the largest in Copenhagen's history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in Danish history, is simply pulled down over our heads between election periods where we do not have a chance to be heard," he said. Carina Christensen, the head of the association for the Danish road transport of goods (IDT), said more "climate-friendly" transport was an option when delivering materials for the construction of Lynetteholm, but that it would require the go-ahead from government officials. "Electric trucks will, for example, remove CO2 emissions and reduce noise, but in return cost more and lead to more trips," she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57348415
     
         
      Fears of environmental disaster as oil-laden ship sinks off Sri Lanka Thu, 3rd Jun 2021 15:25:00
     
      A chemical-laden cargo ship is sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka, sparking fears of an environmental disaster. The Singapore-registered X-Press Pearl had been on fire for almost two weeks before the blaze was put out this week. Hundreds of tonnes of oil from fuel tanks could leak into the sea, devastating nearby marine life. The Sri Lankan and Indian navies had worked jointly over the past days in an attempt to put out the fire and prevent the ship from breaking up and sinking. But rough seas and monsoonal winds hampered the operation, just outside the port of Colombo. On Wednesday, salvage experts tried to tow the wreck into deeper water to minimise the pollution risk to the coastline. But the back section hit the seabed and the operation was abandoned. The ship's operators, X-Press Feeders, said on Thursday that the "aft portion is sitting on the seabed at a depth of about 21m (69ft), and the forward section is settling down slowly". The Sri Lankan navy said the bow of the ship was still above the waterline. "Even if the bow also hits the sea bed, still there will be a section of the upper deck and bridge sticking out of the water," spokesman Indika de Silva told AFP news agency. "There is no oil leak from the ship yet, but arrangements are in place to deal with a possible spill which is the worst-case scenario," he added. Sri Lanka's marine protection agency said it was preparing booms, oil dispersants, booms and skimmers. Environmentalist Dr Ajantha Perera told the BBC that the sinking posed "the worst environmental scenario". "With all the dangerous goods, the nitric acid and all these other things, and the oil in the ship, if it's sinking it will basically destroy the whole bottom of the sea," she said. The coastal stretch near the city of Negombo - home to some of the country's most pristine beaches - has already seen oil and debris pollution for days. On Wednesday, the fisheries ministry said emergency measures were in place to protect the Negombo lagoon and surrounding areas and all fishing from Panadura to Negombo had been suspended. Joshua Anthony, head of the regional fishing union, warned that the sinking could be "a death blow" for the industry. "We can't go to the sea, which means we can't make a living," he said. Sri Lankan officials believe the fire was caused by a nitric acid leak which the crew had been aware of since 11 May. The ship was carrying 25 tonnes of the highly corrosive acid, which can be used in the manufacture of fertilisers and explosives. The ship's owners confirmed the crew had been aware of the leak, but said they were denied permission by both Qatar and India to leave the ship there before the fire broke out. The fact that Sri Lanka allowed the vessel to enter its waters after it was rejected by two other nations has led to widespread public anger. Officials have lodged a police complaint against the captain of the ship, who was rescued along with other crew members last week. Sri Lanka police on Tuesday said they questioned the captain and the engineer of the ship for more than 14 hours. A court has issued an order preventing the captain, chief engineer and the additional engineer from leaving the country. The 186m-long (610ft) vessel left the Indian port of Hazira on 15 May carrying 1,486 containers. As well as the nitric acid, the cargo included several other chemicals and cosmetics.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57327300
     
         
      Restoration call for area ‘the size of China’ to protect falling biodiversity and food insecurity Thu, 3rd Jun 2021 13:44:00
     
      The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) call to reinstate at least one billion degraded hectares of land by 2030 must also be matched by a similar commitment to the oceans, or else risk a growing threat to global food security, they added. In a new report marking the start of a Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, the agencies warned that humans are already using 1.6 times the resources that nature can provide sustainably. FOREST LOSS Some 420 million hectares of forest have been lost since the 1990s, the UN report noted, and Member States are “not on course” to meet pledges to increase the overall amount of woodland by three per cent by 2030, said Mette Wilkie, Director of FAO’s Forestry Division. “Conservation efforts alone will be insufficient to prevent large-scale ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss”, FAO and UNEP maintained, before underscoring the need for countries to “reprogramme” their post-COVID-19 recovery and move away from massive subsidies to carbon-heavy sectors such as fossil fuels. PARIS CHALLENGE “It is no longer enough just to protect what we have, we have to go beyond that and restore, not only to halt the loss of biodiversity, but also to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets”, said Tim Christophersen, head of UNEP’s Nature for Climate Branch, Ecosystems Division, in reference to the 2015 summit, where countries committed to limit global average temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial level, and preferably 1.5C. “If we do this at the necessary scale it will have benefits far beyond climate change and biodiversity…for food security, for health, for clean water, for jobs. Restoration can benefit all these Sustainable Development Goals”, he explained. NATURAL PROTECTION Ecosystems - from forests and farmland to rivers, oceans and coastal areas – offer natural protection from the triple threat of climate change, loss of nature and pollution, but “poor stewardship of the planet" threatens the well-being of future generations, the agencies warned. Those places in most urgent need of attention include farmland and forest, grasslands and savannahs, mountains, peatlands, urban areas, freshwaters, and oceans, FAO and UNEP insisted, adding that communities living in almost two billion degraded hectares of land include some of the world's poorest and marginalized. Launching the joint UN report, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, urged all countries to commit to a “global restoration effort” to protect and promote natural spaces, as this will bring cleaner air and water, mitigate against extreme weather shocks, promote human health and biodiversity, whose benefits include improved plant pollination. "Degradation is already affecting the well-being of an estimated 3.2 billion people - that is 40 per cent of the world's population”, said Ms. Andersen and Mr. Dongyu. “Every single year, we lose ecosystem services worth more than 10 per cent of our global economic output,” but "massive gains” are possible if these trends can be reversed, they added. $200 BILLION A YEAR NEEDED To achieve land restoration targets by 2030, UNEP and FAO estimate that investment of at least $200 billion per year by 2030 will be needed. Amid concerns about where this funding might come from, the UN report noted that every $1 invested in restoration is expected to create up to 30 times that amount in economic benefits. While the need for land restoration is urgent – as recognised by a UN General Assembly-sponsored UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, coastal and marine protection is even more important for everyone’s wellbeing, the UN agencies insisted. “We speak of two thirds of ocean ecosystems being damaged, degraded and modified, and if you consider that the planet is 70 per cent ocean, that is an enormous amount, including plastic pollution which is so ubiquitous that it is very hard to avoid plastic - even in fish that we catch and eat,” said UNEP’s Mr. Christophersen.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093272
     
         
      Scottish climate campaign to highlight net-zero benefits Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 15:19:00
     
      People across Scotland are being urged to help tackle the climate emergency ahead of COP26 in Glasgow later this year. A major TV, radio and digital campaign called Let's do Net Zero has been launched to highlight the benefits a net-zero society would bring to the economy, health and the environment. It also aims to raise awareness of climate change and biodiversity loss. Scotland is committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Capital investment of £1.9bn will be spent on low-carbon projects in 2021/22 to tackle climate change and create green jobs. The Scottish government's domestic campaign will provide information and resources on how people can help reduce emissions while improving their health and wellbeing. It will also highlight the achievements of communities, businesses and organisations that have already taken action to reduce emissions and introduce more environmentally-sustainable practices. The international campaign will demonstrate the action that Scotland is taking to protect the planet, inviting global collaboration ahead of COP26. Surveys suggest that at least three quarters of the Scottish public agree that action on climate change must be taken now, while under a quarter consider themselves knowledgeable about the consequences of failing to act. Michael Matheson, secretary for net zero, energy and transport, said: "Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to declare a climate emergency and we are wholly committed to ending our contribution to climate change, definitively, by 2045. "We can be proud that we have already halved our greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, but the second half of the journey to becoming a net-zero nation will be far more challenging, and require everyone to play their part." He added: "Climate change is the greatest threat facing the world's population. It's not a distant, far away problem: we're already seeing the impact here in Scotland." Mr Matheson said the journey to net zero would "transform every aspect of our lives: how we live, how we work, how we travel". "2021 is a vital year for climate action and COP26 in Glasgow puts Scotland centre stage," he said. "The time for action is now. It is the people living on this planet, at this moment, who can secure the future of our climate for the next generations. "Scotland can show the rest of the world how it's done - and ensure our people, businesses and communities are at the forefront of our new green economy."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57319098
     
         
      Chinese scientists built an ‘artificial sun’ that gets mind-bogglingly hot Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 14:10:00
     
      Scientists over in China have been working away on a nuclear fusion reactor that’s capable of reaching temperatures ten times hotter than the sun. According to state media, the country’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) machine hit a record 160million°C this week. That’s ten times hotter than the giant ball of fire in the sky. What’s more, the machine apparently lasted at this temperature for 100 seconds without reducing everything around it to a lump of molten metal. The tokamak was first fired up in December and is being used as a pioneering way to generate energy. As China (and the world) tries to limit its carbon emissions, many scientists see nuclear fusion as the best way forward. Its next goal could be to run at a consistent temperature for a week, according to Li Miao, director of the physics department of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. ‘The breakthrough is significant progress, and the ultimate goal should be keeping the temperature at a stable level for a long time,’ he told China’s state-run newspaper the Global Times. Located in China’s eastern Anhui province, the reactor has earned the nickname ‘artificial sun’ because, well, it produces a gigantic amount of heat and power. ‘The development of nuclear fusion energy is not only a way to solve China’s strategic energy needs, but also has great significance for the future sustainable development of China’s energy and national economy,’ said the People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party. What is fusion energy anyway? Fusion energy is based on the same principle by which stars create heat and light. Using a tokamak (a machine that uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus), a fusion power station will heat plasma, enabling types of hydrogen fuel to fuse together to release energy that can generate electricity. Simple, eh? A key challenge in getting tokamaks on the electricity grid is removing excess heat produced during fusion reactions. Without an exhaust system to handle the intense heat, materials will have to be regularly replaced, significantly affecting the amount of time a power plant could operate for. Is that different to normal nuclear power? Sort of. Every nuclear reactor currently operating on Earth is a fission reactor – using energy released when heavy atoms such as uranium decay into smaller atoms. This is pretty similar to the process used in the first nuclear weapons. A fusion reactor works in the opposite way, harvesting the energy released when two smaller atoms join together, releasing tiny, fast-moving particles smaller than atoms. Chris Russell, managing director of British renewable electricity supplier Tonik Energy said, ‘Nuclear fusion has long been held up as a the future of energy despite the significant scientific and engineering barriers that must be overcome. ‘Although advances have been made in the field over the last 5 years in particular, projects have always struggled to achieve an energy surplus – meaning more energy is consumed by the technology itself than it generates. Russell added: ‘A world powered by carbon neutral, clean technology is ultimately the only sustainable long term solution so we hope that fusion can eventually sit alongside other proven, sustainable and distributed technologies such as wind and solar in delivering that vision.’ What are the Chinese doing? Chinese scientists working on the artificial sun plan to use it in collaboration with scientists working on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is the world’s largest nuclear fusion research project based in France. It’s expected to be completed in 2025. Together, the project will form the largest global scientific co-operation effort since the creation of the International Space Station more than 20 years ago.
       
      Full Article: https://metro.co.uk/2021/06/02/china-built-an-artificial-sun-that-gets-mind-bogglingly-hot-14695878/
     
         
      Invasive pest spread another fallout from climate change, UN-backed study finds Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 13:50:00
     
      The scientific review looks at 15 plant pests that have spread or may spread due to climate change. Risks are increasing, the authors warn, with a single, unusually warm winter capable of providing conditions suitable for insect infestations. “The key findings of this review should alert all of us on how climate change may affect how infectious, distributed and severe pests can become around the world,” said Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), speaking at the launch. "The review clearly shows that the impact of climate change is one of the greatest challenges the plant health community is facing,” he added. BILLIONS LOST ANNUALLY The study was prepared by Professor Maria Lodovica at the University of Turin in Italy, along with 10 co-authors from across the globe, under the auspices of the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, which FAO hosts. Some 40 per cent of global crop production is currently lost to pests, the UN agency said, and plant diseases rob the global economy of more than $220 billion annually. Invasive pests cost countries at least $70 billion, and they are also one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Species such as fall armyworm, which feeds on crops that include maize, sorghum and millet, have already spread due to warmer climate. Others, such as desert locusts, which are the world’s most destructive migratory pests, are expected to change their migratory routes and geographical distribution. Movements like these threaten food security as a whole, the report said, and small holder farmers, as well as people in countries where food security is an issue, are among those especially at risk. PRESERVING PLANT HEALTH The report is among the key initiatives of the International Year of Plant Health, which concludes this month. "Preserving plant health is fundamental to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, said Mr Qu, the FAO Director-General. “Sustaining plant health is an integral part of our work towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.” The authors have outlined several recommendations to mitigate the impact of climate change, starting with stepping up international cooperation, as effective management of plant pests in one country affects success in others. As half of all emerging plant diseases are spread through travel and trade, improved measures to limit transmission, while adjustments to plant protection policies are also critical. They also stressed the need for more research, and more investments in strengthening national systems and structures related to plant health.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093202
     
         
      Major project aims to clear clean energy hurdle Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 13:23:00
     
      A major project aims to overcome a barrier to electricity grids that are entirely supplied by renewable energy. Output from wind turbines varies because wind speeds fluctuate; output from solar cells changes according to cloud cover and other factors. This is called variability, and overcoming it is crucial for increasing the share of renewables on the grid. A group of leading nations will invest $248m over the next decade to solve the issue by 2030. The effort has emerged from a clean-tech research programme called Mission Innovation (MI). Environmentalists say the sum’s a fraction of the many trillions of dollars of damages that climate change is projected to wreak on society, unless it’s curbed. But the 23 member governments involved in the programme are spending US$5.8bn per year more than in 2015 – and they say they’ll commit more public funds to clean tech if they can afford it. Solutions to the variability problem will include energy storage; for example, smart power systems which respond to changes in demand; advanced controls and artificial intelligence. Those behind MI say that half of the global emissions reductions required to achieve climate targets by 2050 depend on technologies that exist today, but are only at demonstration or prototype phase. These include hydrogen power, advanced battery storage and zero-emission fuels. Solar power and wind power are already widely affordable, but the statement says nations need to develop whole energy systems to match. The other main areas of the group’s research will be hydrogen power, shipping, long-distance transportation, and carbon dioxide removal from the air. Members of the partnership include the US, UK, the EU and China. Each member has agreed to open three “hydrogen valleys” - clusters of industries powered by clean hydrogen fuel. A few of the partners want to produce some of this hydrogen by splitting it from natural gas, and seizing the CO2 emissions by carbon capture technology. Environmentalists say this fossil fuel hydrogen is an inefficient technology being promoted by the oil and gas industry. They want to derive all hydrogen from renewable electricity. The project also says it will help develop ships capable of running on zero-emission fuels such as green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol, and advanced biofuels. Tom Burke from the climate think tank E3G told BBC News: “John Kerry, Bill Gates, et al. are wrong about the importance of R&D [research and development]. Deployment of what we already have is what matters and for which we need big bucks.” Jennie Dodson, head of secretariat at MI, told BBC News: “There’s recognition that more investment is still needed – but all the countries in MI are committing to maintain and seek to increase wherever possible." She said R&D investment levels were always smaller than infrastructure spending, but act as a catalyst for investment. She gave two examples. One is a $5m prize for cooling buildings which produced technologies delivering cooling that's five times more efficient. The other is the announcement, in 2016, that the Swedish government would work with industries to pilot fossil fuel-free steel manufacturing. “They've provided around 50 million euros for pilot scale plants, with additional funding from industry", she said. "The Swedish government’s support has provided political backing and financial de-risking of the initial demonstration phases of these projects. “This is now leading to billions of dollars investment by the industry - and influencing other steel manufacturers and companies to develop fossil-free steel manufacturing.” Mission Innovation was first launched in parallel with the 2015 Paris agreement on climate. A recent analysis from the development charity Tearfund, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Overseas Development Institute showed that G7 nations were still channelling more cash to fossil fuel firms than to renewables. This included Covid-19 grants to the aviation and car industries, which received $115bn from the G7 countries. Of that, 80% was given with no attempt to force the sectors to cut their emissions in return for the support.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57313991
     
         
      Scotland's largest council pension fund backs climate change move Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 13:20:00
     
      Scotland's largest council pension fund is to end investments in fossil fuel companies that are not strongly committed to reducing emissions. Environmental groups have been calling for years for local authorities to divert investments away from coal, oil and gas. The £24bn Strathclyde Pension Fund covers 12 councils including Glasgow. It will now carry out an assessment of energy sector companies in its portfolios and set minimum standards. Environmental campaigners said that while the agreement meant divestment could take place in principle, councillors had effectively deferred the decision by not setting a clear timeline. They called for strong climate standards and a timeline to be agreed in the coming months to ensure that divestment actually happened. The pension fund move came in response to a call from Glasgow City Council which passed a motion in April. Glasgow - which manages the fund - asked the pension fund committee to formally commit to ending fossil fuel investment before the city hosts the major climate change conference, COP26, in November. It added that divestment should be completed no later than 2029. Energy sector firms in the fund's portfolio will be assessed and if they do not meet minimum standards then the fund will divest. Divestment will be completed "as quickly as possible whilst ensuring no detriment to the financial stability of the fund". Standards will be set by investment managers and Sustainalytics, a company that rates the sustainability of firms based on environmental and social performance. Divestment is not as simple as it used to be. Not that it was ever that simple. Five years ago it was fairly clear cut that companies like BP, which drilled for oil, were the baddies while those like Vattenfall building wind farms were the goodies. Now everyone's into everything. BP runs one of the larger electric vehicle charging networks in England and Shell have been investing in offshore wind in the North Sea. SSE, which has long been into renewables, now runs Scotland's most polluting industrial site at Peterhead Power Station. And a lot of the engineering in the oil and gas supply chain will now be used to develop carbon capture and storage technology. So the fund managers who look after the massive Strathclyde Pension Fund have a challenging task ahead in deciding what's green and what's not. 'Not a panacea' Glasgow City Council is responsible for the local government pension scheme on its own behalf, for 11 other west of Scotland councils and more than 200 employers. It has more than 250,000 members. The other councils covered by the scheme include all the councils in Lanarkshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire as well as Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde. Strathclyde Pension Fund director Richard McIndoe said: "If any of those companies don't meet the minimum standards that we set, then we can disinvest from them." The fund would be able to disinvest from "bad oil companies", he said, but added "disinvestment is not a panacea". A Friends of the Earth Scotland study estimated the pension fund holds £508m of investments in what it calls "highly polluting fossil fuel companies", including Shell, BP, Chevron and Exxon. FoE Scotland's divestment campaigner Sally Clark said: "The decision by councillors today is a positive step, but there is much more to do in order to set Scotland's largest public pension fund on a fossil free path." She said: "Similar funds such as the Cardiff, Lambeth and Waltham Forest pension funds have already committed to go fossil fuel free and the Strathclyde Pension Fund can join them."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57331904
     
         
      Eighteen million trees to be planted around Glasgow Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 12:19:00
     
      An urban forest, consisting of 18 million trees, is to be planted in and around Glasgow over the next 10 years. The Clyde Climate Forest will be part of the city region's commitment to reaching Net Zero. It will increase woodland cover in the area from 17% to 20%. Inter-connected woodlands will be created across Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, and North and South Lanarkshire council areas. The number of trees being planted is equivalent to 10 trees per resident. The planting aims to reconnect about 29,000 hectares of broad-leaved woodland in the region that has been fragmented due to urban development. Community groups and land managers are being asked to help identify places to plant new trees, or replace those lost in the past. George Anderson, from the Woodland Trust, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that interconnecting woodland would help wildlife. "We are seeking to link up existing woodlands as far as possible," he said. "One of the great problems that wildlife has is that habitats like woodland are very fragmented and that means wildlife can't move around as easily as it should." 'Vast undertaking' He said the Woodland Trust would ultimately like to see a network of woodland from Helensburgh to Lanark. "But we are looking at making a native forest wherever we can," he said. "It's a really vast undertaking so we are looking for everyone to get on board in the wider region." Mr Anderson said trees could be planted in streets or in former industrial or mining areas as well as in the countryside or on the edges of farming land. "We are looking to plant trees wherever we can get at the moment because of climate change," he said. "Glasgow is hosting COP26 in November. This is Glasgow making a commitment to reaching net zero." He said a variety of native species would be planted to bring benefits to wildlife as well as capturing carbon. "We just hope people will get involved and make a better future for the area and the planet," he added. Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: "New community woodlands, trees and forests will bring multiple benefits to our local communities as well as wildlife. "The pandemic has brought into focus like never before the value of local spaces as places to exercise, de-stress and engage with nature and this project can help to deliver the green recovery. "The economic, ecological and social benefits will be extensive." The project has secured £400,000 from the Woodland Trust's Emergency Tree Fund as well as £150,000 from Scottish Forestry over the next two years to recruit a project team and begin the development of new planting schemes. Dave Signorini, Scottish Forestry chief executive, said: "The Clyde Climate Forest will deliver social and economic benefit to the population of the City Region. It will also provide a place for nature to connect, recover and thrive. "Planting trees can help us reduce our carbon footprint and strengthen communities." Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens co-leader and MSP for Glasgow, said increasing Glasgow and Clyde's tree cover by a fifth was welcome in the year of the COP26 conference and followed Glasgow becoming the first city in Scotland to declare an ecological emergency in 2019. "The project's ambition must be realised quickly, and with a significant proportion of the trees being native woodland, so that it can play a major part on nature recovery," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-57315467
     
         
      Chile Considers Converting 30 Coal Plants into “Carnot” Batteries Wed, 2nd Jun 2021 8:08:00
     
      By 2050 Chile plans to be carbon neutral. A crucial part of that goal is the decarbonisation of its energy mix. To do this, all coal-fired power plants will stop operating by 2040. To deliver maximum benefit, two additional challenges must be met: replacing Chile’s energy currently produced by coal; and finding a use for the 30 plants that will be closed. So what else could they be used for? Several options are being considered by the government and companies. They include their conversion to biomass or biogas, into desalination plants, or to house the development of new technologies such as Carnot batteries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/chile-considers-converting-30-coal-plants-into-carnot-batteries/
     
         
      Hamble BP oil terminal entrance blocked by protesters Tue, 1st Jun 2021 15:21:00
     
      Environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion have blocked the entrance to an oil terminal in Hampshire. Members of the campaign group laid across the entrance to a BP depot in Hamble, near Southampton, to protest against "greenwashing" by the fossil fuel industry and government. A government spokesperson said it was "working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels" while supporting jobs. BP said it has plans to reduce its oil and gas production. A spokesperson for the oil and gas company said the demonstration had blocked road tanker traffic in and out of the Hamble terminal, which supplies fuel to service stations across the south of England. Some of the protesters locked arms inside oil barrels, while others dressed as cleaning ladies armed with scrubbing brushes. Officers from Hampshire Constabulary have spoken to the campaigners, but are currently allowing the protest to continue. Greenwashing is a term used for companies that allegedly use misleading information to make products or services sound more environmentally friendly. James Hill, from Extinction Rebellion, said: "The government continues to announce paper targets to reduce emissions but it is still business as usual for fossil fuel companies. "This is incompatible with the urgent need for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees." Mr Hill said they called "on the government to stop the greenwash" and "end the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and accelerate the transition to renewables". Mr Hill said the protest was one of a number taking place across the country in the lead up to the G7 summit in Cornwall from 11 to 13 June. A BP spokesperson said it aimed to become a net zero company, meaning it will not impact the climate with greenhouse gas emissions, by "2050 or sooner". They added: "To achieve this, our strategy will see us increase our spending on renewable energy ten-fold over this decade, to around $5 billion a year, and also reduce our oil and gas production by 40%." A government spokesperson said: "We share the passion of many in ending our contribution to climate change and protecting our planet for this generation and those to come. "We are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, but as the independent Climate Change Committee recognises, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas. "As part of the UK's shift towards green energy, we are the first G7 country to set out an ambitious plan to back the decarbonisation of the oil and gas industry while supporting tens of thousands of jobs."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-57318154
     
         
      Hamble BP oil terminal entrance blocked by protesters Tue, 1st Jun 2021 15:21:00
     
      Environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion have blocked the entrance to an oil terminal in Hampshire. Members of the campaign group laid across the entrance to a BP depot in Hamble, near Southampton, to protest against "greenwashing" by the fossil fuel industry and government. A government spokesperson said it was "working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels" while supporting jobs. BP said it has plans to reduce its oil and gas production. A spokesperson for the oil and gas company said the demonstration had blocked road tanker traffic in and out of the Hamble terminal, which supplies fuel to service stations across the south of England. Some of the protesters locked arms inside oil barrels, while others dressed as cleaning ladies armed with scrubbing brushes. Officers from Hampshire Constabulary have spoken to the campaigners, but are currently allowing the protest to continue. Greenwashing is a term used for companies that allegedly use misleading information to make products or services sound more environmentally friendly. James Hill, from Extinction Rebellion, said: "The government continues to announce paper targets to reduce emissions but it is still business as usual for fossil fuel companies. "This is incompatible with the urgent need for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees." Mr Hill said they called "on the government to stop the greenwash" and "end the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and accelerate the transition to renewables". Mr Hill said the protest was one of a number taking place across the country in the lead up to the G7 summit in Cornwall from 11 to 13 June. A BP spokesperson said it aimed to become a net zero company, meaning it will not impact the climate with greenhouse gas emissions, by "2050 or sooner". They added: "To achieve this, our strategy will see us increase our spending on renewable energy ten-fold over this decade, to around $5 billion a year, and also reduce our oil and gas production by 40%." A government spokesperson said: "We share the passion of many in ending our contribution to climate change and protecting our planet for this generation and those to come. "We are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, but as the independent Climate Change Committee recognises, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas. "As part of the UK's shift towards green energy, we are the first G7 country to set out an ambitious plan to back the decarbonisation of the oil and gas industry while supporting tens of thousands of jobs."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-57318154
     
         
      Earth's ancient climate warns that we need to take urgent action, study suggests Tue, 1st Jun 2021 13:40:00
     
      "If we allow fossil fuel burning to continue to grow, our grandchildren may experience CO2 levels that haven't been seen on Earth for around 50 million years, a time when crocodiles roamed the Arctic," lead researcher James Rae said. Scientists looked into Earth's ancient history and found that it would take serious action in reducing fossil fuel emissions to prevent our climate from reaching prehistoric warming levels. An international team of researchers has peered into the past to piece together the most complete history to date of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels on Earth over the last 66 million years in a new study. With this work, they aimed to bolster our understanding of the link between CO2 and climate, show how things have really changed since the time when dinosaurs last walked planet Earth and look to Earth's future as climate change continues to threaten our planets and its inhabitants. With this study, the team showed how, without a significant reduction in fossil fuel emissions, Earth will soon reach CO2 levels as high as they were about 50 million years ago. "If we allow fossil fuel burning to continue to grow, our grandchildren may experience CO2 levels that haven't been seen on Earth for around 50 million years, a time when crocodiles roamed the Arctic," lead researcher James Rae, a researcher at the University of St. Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Scotland, said in a statement. "CO2 has transformed the face of our planet before," Rae said, and "unless we cut emissions as quickly as possible, it will do it again." In this study, which was published Monday (May 31) in the journal the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team analyzed data taken over the last 15 years. This data came from previous research that took samples of ancient mud from the deep-sea floor. These ancient mud cores contained microscopic fossils and molecules that accumulated over time. These samples contain preserved information about CO2 levels and climate conditions from the past. In this study, which was published Monday (May 31) in the journal the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team analyzed data taken over the last 15 years. This data came from previous research that took samples of ancient mud from the deep-sea floor. These ancient mud cores contained microscopic fossils and molecules that accumulated over time. These samples contain preserved information about CO2 levels and climate conditions from the past. In this study, which was published Monday (May 31) in the journal the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team analyzed data taken over the last 15 years. This data came from previous research that took samples of ancient mud from the deep-sea floor. These ancient mud cores contained microscopic fossils and molecules that accumulated over time. These samples contain preserved information about CO2 levels and climate conditions from the past. In this study, which was published Monday (May 31) in the journal the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team analyzed data taken over the last 15 years. This data came from previous research that took samples of ancient mud from the deep-sea floor. These ancient mud cores contained microscopic fossils and molecules that accumulated over time. These samples contain preserved information about CO2 levels and climate conditions from the past. In this study, which was published Monday (May 31) in the journal the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the team analyzed data taken over the last 15 years. This data came from previous research that took samples of ancient mud from the deep-sea floor. These ancient mud cores contained microscopic fossils and molecules that accumulated over time. These samples contain preserved information about CO2 levels and climate conditions from the past. So, by looking at these records of ancient climate history, the team was able to map out CO2 levels over time. This allowed them to compare modern-day CO2 levels with prehistoric levels and get a sense of what our world might look like if we return to these extreme climate conditions. "For instance," Rae said, "the last time CO2 was as high as it is today, enough ice melted to raise sea level by 20 meters [66 feet], and it was warm enough for beech trees to grow on Antarctica."
       
      Full Article: https://www.space.com/earth-climate-change-prehistoric-carbon-dioxide
     
         
      ‘Simply no scenario’ where humanity can survive on an ocean-free planet Tue, 1st Jun 2021 13:12:00
     
      “Simply speaking, our relationship with our planet’s ocean must change”, Assembly President Volkan Bozkir told a?high-level thematic debate on the ocean and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14): Life Below Water. Against the backdrop that human activities have threatened to undo the delicate balance of this ecosystem, that supports nutritional, economic and social value to billions the world over, he upheld that there is “simply no scenario” wherein we live on a planet without an ocean. Appetite for change People do not want to live in “a world of one crisis after the next”, Mr. Bozkir said, preferring instead the “security, sustainability and the peace of mind” that comes with a healthy planet. Policy makers too are increasingly aware of how a healthy ocean is integral to a strong economy. “We have seen this in countries and cities that have prioritized coastal and marine areas over tourism…in protected wetlands…in efforts to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and regulate shipping and resource extraction”, he said. ‘Blue recovery’ New governance, policy and market approaches that incentivize both profit ability and sustainability – for people and planet – provide an opportunity for a “blue recovery” to build resilience, particularly in small island developing States, upheld the Assembly President. “Building a sustainable ocean economy is one of the most important tasks and greatest opportunities of our time”, he spelled out, urging governments, industries, civil society and others to “join forces to develop and implement ocean solutions”. As the SDG14 targets will be among the first to mature, Mr. Bozkir encouraged everyone to “think ahead” and arrive at the second Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, with “demonstrable evidence of progress”. Rather than wait until the Conference opens to re-discuss these issues, he reminded that the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has already begun. “Let us choose to arrive in Portugal with accomplishments and progress that inspire hope and optimism for a better tomorrow”, he concluded. Blue economy ‘bedrock’ Peter Thomson, Special Envoy on Oceans, emphasized the need to improve our relationship with the sea to one of respect and balance. He underscored the importance of delivering on SDG14, saying that “ocean acidification cannot continue unabated” while pointing out that greenhouse gas emission reductions are “required to meet 2030 goals”. And while spotlighting progress that is being made on ocean awareness, marine protected area coverage and ocean science, Mr. Thomson highlighted the urgent need to scale up. “At the heart of SDG14 is the sustainable blue economy”, Mr. Thomson said, “from nutrition to medicine, from energy to carbon sequestration and pollution-free transportation, the sustainable blue economy is the bedrock of upon which a secure future for humanity can be build. ‘No silver bullet’ In a world dependent on plastic, the UN official said that there was “no silver bullet for the plague of marine plastic pollution”. However, he advocated measures to battle the scourge, including by “exponentially” increasing funding for developing countries to invest in waste collection and disposal infrastructure as well as widely implementing systems of reduction, recycling and plastic substitution. He concluded by highlighting the interconnectivity of the world, calling it “the fundamental lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic”. “We are connected within nature’s nurturing embrace”, he said, upholding that if we poison nature, we are in effect “poisoning ourselves”. Engaging with the ocean From Portugal, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea, also spoke about the importance of ocean health for human and planetary well-being, pointing to the 2022 goal of “a more inclusive and more connected” engagement with the ocean. “We are gathered here today to rekindle the tone of the Conference” next year, he said, elaborating on the need to “scale up ocean action…increasing and improving coordination at all levels…financing and continued monitoring”. Mr. Serrão Santos underlined Portugal’s support for science, as being “critical to cross-cutting in every ocean action”. Seeking sustainable recovery Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Raychelle Omamo, drew attention to the impact of COVID-19, not only in delaying the Conference but also the havoc it has wreaked on jobs in coastal economies an on vulnerable coastal communities. “We seek a recovery that will promote sustainable development and harmony between people and the natural resources that sustain us”, she said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093142
     
         
      Then and now: Pandemic clears the air Tue, 1st Jun 2021 12:29:00
     
      Air pollution has long been one of the most severe forms of environmental damage. Figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that air pollution kills seven million people worldwide every year. Its data also shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits on high levels of pollutants. Stark difference Emissions from fuel combustion account for almost a quarter of CO2 emissions from human activities. So the impact of lockdowns on transport around the globe in the Covid-19 pandemic has been stark. According to the International Energy Agency, average activity on the world's roads fell by almost 50% compared with 2019. The improvement in air quality was clear to see. In a short space of time, urban areas were recording massive reductions in a range of pollutants associated with internal combustion engines. Data collected by the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science shows marked reductions in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and in particulate matter (PM2.5) across 10 cities. In India, people took to social media to post images of clear skies after an estimated 90% of road journeys stopped during the lockdown. Speaking in April, Sunil Dahiya from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air told BBC News: "The current crisis has shown us that clear skies and breathable air can be achieved very fast if concrete action is taken to reduce burning of fossil fuels." However, as quickly as air quality improved during lockdowns, so it appears to have returned to normal just as fast once lockdowns were eased or lifted. Little impact on CO2 The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the global response to the Covid-19 crisis has had little impact on the continued rise in atmospheric concentrations of CO2. Carbon emissions did fall dramatically as lockdowns cut transport and industry sharply. But data from the WMO showed that it had only marginally slowed the overall rise in concentrations. The details were published in the WMO's annual greenhouse gas bulletin. During the lockdowns, there were widespread calls for the environmental benefits to be maintained. Proponents said it was essential that economic growth after the pandemic focused on following a low emission, sustainable path. Despite calls to build back greener, it seems as if the priority has been business as usual, regardless of cost.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57149747
     
         
      Ancient shells from seabed show rising CO2 levels Tue, 1st Jun 2021 12:26:00
     
      Microscopic shells have been used by geologists at the University of St Andrews to chart the earth's climate over millions of years. They have concluded that it is three million years since current carbon dioxide (CO2) levels were last experienced on earth. The shells were extracted from mud samples taken from the deep ocean bed. Experts then related the make-up of the shells with the acidity of the sea water and then atmospheric CO2 levels. They predict that if the burning of fossil fuels continues to grow, CO2 levels within two generations will match those of around 50 million years ago when crocodiles roamed the Arctic. Dr James Rae, co-author of the study, told BBC Scotland: "That record of CO2 changes in the past is really trying to tell us a message about where we're headed in the future. "If we allow earth's climate system to catch up with that level of CO2, we are heading back towards worlds that haven't been experienced ever before by the human species and that really are prehistoric in terms of the climate change involved." Greenhouse gas concentrations are the cumulative result of past and present emissions of a range of substances, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Through the Paris Agreement, countries are trying to reduce emissions of these pollutants which are generated through, for example, the burning of fossil fuels. These greenhouse gases trap heat close to the Earth's surface, driving up temperatures. This planetary warming threatens global food supplies, makes weather events - such as tropical storms and heatwaves - more extreme and increases the risk of flooding caused by sea level rise. In the deep ocean, the sea bed is principally created from dead marine creatures which gradually form layers over tens of millions of years. The shells looked at by the St Andrews University team were taken from different depths of mud samples, some of which were several kilometres deep. After establishing their age, the shells were sifted from the mud and then broken down in the lab to reveal the chemical element - boron. Research fellow Dr Hana Jurikova explained: "In this case, boron works as an indicator of ocean pH (its acidity level). "Because the atmospheric CO2 and the ocean pH are closely coupled, knowing the ancient ocean pH enables us to understand how CO2 evolved over this time." The geologists say their findings are the most complete history of CO2 levels over the past 66 million years. They say the last time it was at current levels, there was much less ice on Greenland and Antarctica, driving up sea level by around 20 metres. The findings are part of a five year project, led by the University of St Andrews, which still has three years to run.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-57288676
     
         
      Superfast but not so clean: China’s 5G network is causing its carbon emissions to soar Mon, 31st May 2021 14:20:00
     
      China's digital sector is on track to almost triple its energy consumption by 2035, according to a new report released on Friday by environmental charity Greenpeace. Electricity demand from China's internet infrastructure is expected to rise 289 per cent by the middle of the next decade, putting pressure on the country's pledge to go carbon neutral by 2060. China is currently the world's biggest producer of CO2 emissions. 5G is one of the main drivers of the increase, the report said. Annual power consumption from the next-generation technology is forecast to increase by 488 per cent by 2035 to roughly 296.5 billion kilowatt-hours, similar to the total amount Spain currently uses in a year. According to Greenpeace, emissions from China's digital sector are expected to rise through 2035. By contrast, traditional big polluters like the steel and concrete industry are expected to hit peak carbon in 2025. "Explosive growth in digital infrastructure does not need to mean growth in emissions,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Ye Ruiqi. “Technology companies have the potential to catalyze real emissions reductions via investment in distributed renewables projects and direct purchase of wind and solar energy, among other strategies". However, few of China's internet giants have committed to going carbon neutral. According to Greenpeace, only two major Chinese data centre operators – Chindata and AtHub – have committed to using 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030. It's not all bad news though. The report notes that in many parts of China, solar and wind power have reached "grid parity," meaning they generate power at a cost that's the same or less than traditional fossil fuels. The cost of renewables is forecast to keep going down, meaning China's digital sector – as well as those in other parts of the world – won't find the transition to renewables prohibitively expensive. A report published by Swedish telecoms company Ericsson in March last year warned that the switch to 5G would "dramatically" increase energy consumption if it were done in the same way that the rollouts of 3G and 4G were. "Some communications service providers have even estimated a doubling of their energy consumption to meet increasing traffic demands while improving their network and rolling out 5G. This is not sustainable from a cost or environmental perspective," wrote Erik Ekudden, head of group function technology at the company. A crucial step would be "breaking the energy curve," Ericsson said, severing the link between more data and more electricity. So, how do you break the curve? According to the 2020 Ericsson report, 5G operators should prepare by upgrading network hardware, use software with energy-saving features, build networks more precisely to minimise duplication, and use AI to allow their infrastructure to respond proactively to demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2021/05/28/superfast-but-not-so-clean-china-s-5g-network-is-causing-its-carbon-emissions-to-soar
     
         
      Small hydropower plants do more harm than good: Conflicting goals in European environmental and energy policy Mon, 31st May 2021 13:28:00
     
      Hydropower is renewable, but mostly not environmentally friendly. A study led by the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) shows for Romania how the expansion of hydropower runs counter to the goals of EU environmental policy. Hydropower conflicts with the requirements of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive (Natura 2000) and the European Water Framework Directive (WFD): Around half of the existing and planned hydropower plants in Romania are located in nature conservation areas. These are mostly small plants that contribute only 3 percent of Romania's electricity generation, but threaten biodiversity. Therefore, European energy policy urgently needs to be aligned with the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the researchers warn. Otherwise, there is a risk of significant losses of freshwater biodiversity, and the goals of the EU Green Deal would not be achievable. Compared to other European countries, Romania still has many natural and near-natural freshwaters that are biodiversity hotspots. Yet at least 545 hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) have been built so far, and the construction of more is to be subsidized. In their overview of the geographic distribution, the researchers show that 49 percent of the existing and planned power plants are located in EU Flora-Fauna-Habitat areas or other protected areas; 17 percent of the HPPs were built in near-natural or natural river systems that are in "very good" or "good" ecological status under the European Water Framework Directive and therefore should not be harmed. "It is true that a European guideline basically specifies the requirements that hydropower plants located in EU Flora-Fauna-Habitat areas must meet. Unfortunately, however, there is a lack of implementation of these requirements, because small hydropower plants become uneconomical if, for example, they are equipped with functioning fish passes in order to meet the environmental requirements. Unfortunately, the legally binding nature of environmental requirements at hydropower plants is also controversial, both for new and existing hydropower plants," said Martin Pusch, co-author of the study from IGB, explaining the basic problem. The hydropower plants studied significantly affect fish populations both upstream and downstream of the dam, for example by diverting water from the main course, as a barrier to migration, and through river regulation. The research team compared current abundances of brown trout and the EU-protected European bullhead at 32 monitoring sites in Carpathian streams to reference data collected before the HPP construction. "Sixty-two percent of upstream and downstream reaches of the streams have lost one or both fish species compared to the reference period. Thirty-eight percent of upstream and 19 percent of downstream reaches now lack one fish species, and 24 percent of upstream reaches and 43 percent of downstream reaches lack both fish species that were expected there. This is a frighteningly negative result," emphasized Gabriela Costea, first author of the study and former IGB-researcher. The hydropower boom in Romania is mainly due to the implementation of the European Renewable Energy Directive, which is accompanied by subsidies for the construction and operation of HPPs. As a result, many small HPPs with up to 10 MW capacity were built, which hardly contribute to energy production—only three percent of total energy production comes from these more than 500 small plants. Environmental standards were often not sufficiently taken into account during construction. "Environmental impact assessments are carried out for very large hydropower projects in Romania, but very rarely for smaller ones. And in the few cases where these reviews are made, their quality is far from meeting the standards of the relevant European directive," explained Martin Pusch. At present, numerous other HPPs are in the planning or construction stage. Particularly controversial is the construction of the Dumitra HPP in the Jiu River Gorge National Park on one of the last unobstructed rivers in the Southern Carpathians. The construction permit for this HPP was annulled by the Court of Appeal in Bucharest because it is expected to have a negative impact on the protected habitats and animal species in this EU Flora-Fauna-Habitat area. However, the national environmental protection agency does not want to recognize this legally binding ruling and wants to carry out a new environmental assessment in order to obtain a building permit after all. "However, the problem does not only concern Romania or Southeastern Europe, but requires fundamental clarification. The EU should urgently make its own environmental and energy policies coherent in order to resolve the serious conflicts of objectives. Otherwise, the goals of the EU Green Deal will hardly be achieved with the current regulations. Fortunately, there is the possibility to switch to renewable energy supply and to preserve or renaturalize most of the streams and small rivers in Europe—because their low hydropower is negligible for the success of the energy transition," Martin Pusch summed up.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-05-small-hydropower-good-conflicting-goals.html
     
         
      Dual-Use Hydrogen Energy Storage Could Put Food Cold Chain On Road To Net Zero Sat, 29th May 2021 14:53:00
     
      The University of Nottingham is kick-starting a new £1m project to develop dual-use energy storage technology, capable of delivering hydrogen to a fuel cell and generating direct cooling for refrigeration. The system would allow hydrogen power to become a key part of the UK’s sustainable energy future and to help decarbonise the UK’s food cold chain, which is responsible for 18% of the country’s total energy use. What is the issue?The technology will target commercial food operations where refrigeration can be responsible for 30-60% of electricity usage (1.2% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions). In addition to factories and processing plants, the UK food industry also operates a network of 84,000 refrigerated heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) to transport perishable goods. Up to 24% of the power output of refrigerated trucks used across the network is required to meet refrigeration demand, resulting in significant CO2 emissions. Successful implementation of the technology will reduce the UK food cold chain’s dependency on imported energy and accelerate the large-scale roll out of hydrogen fuel cells for HGV applications. This could lead to an increase in operating efficiency with a corresponding reduction in commercial operating costs, potentially making the UK more economically competitive. The project aims to produce a highly-efficient, innovative and cost-effective dual-use hydrogen storage technology that, due to its versatility, can be used in a range of industrial cooling processes. “We aim to develop integrated hydrogen storage technologies that will simultaneously provide the controlled release of hydrogen to service fuel cell power needs and direct cooling. Our new technology provides an opportunity to assist in the decarbonisation of the UK food cold chain from farm to fork. This is essential as heating and cooling accounts for over a third of CO2 emissions in the UK.” Dr Sanliang Ling, project lead for the University of Nottingham. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the three-year project, which involves expertise from the Faculty of Engineering and Nottingham University Business School, has three key objectives: 1) Formulate and validate a new intermetallic alloy suitable for dual-use hydrogen storage system for different applications in the UK food cold chain. Critical properties of the alloy include the hydrogen gravimetric/volumetric density and the pressure at which hydrogen can be supplied to a fuel cell across relevant cooling temperatures. 2) Design and develop a prototype dual-use intermetallic alloy based hydrogen store. The effective use of the store’s hydrogen and thermal capacities, system efficiency and cooling power of a dual-use hydrogen system will be tested under operational conditions commensurate with the requirements of commercial operators prevalent in the UK food cold chain. 3) Survey key operators in the UK food transport industry to identify barriers to using hydrogen technology to decarbonise current practices. Part of the research will be supported by University’s Propulsion Futures Beacon and will utilise their world-class facilities and equipment including the Beacon Devices Lab and the Hydrogen Systems Test Bed based in the Research Acceleration and Demonstration Building supported by the Energy Research Accelerator initiative. Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said: “The way we use energy in our buildings makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions. Reducing that to virtually zero is going to be key to eradicating our contribution to climate change by 2050. “That’s why it’s important that innovative projects like Decarbonisation Of Food Cold Chain Through Integrated Hydrogen Technologies and Variable-Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage System (VTTESS) in Nottingham receive backing to develop new and effective ways to heat and cool our homes and workspaces, helping drive down the costs of low-carbon technologies so everyone can feel the benefits of cheaper and greener energy.”
       
      Full Article: read://https_fuelcellsworks.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuelcellsworks.com%2Fnews%2Fdual-use-hydrogen-energy-storage-could-put-food-cold-chain-on-road-to-net-zero%2F
     
         
      Biden’s Fossil Fuel Moves Clash With Pledges on Climate Change Fri, 28th May 2021 10:26:00
     
      Despite President Biden’s pledge to aggressively cut the pollution from fossil fuels that is driving climate change, his administration has quietly taken actions this month that will guarantee the drilling and burning of oil and gas for decades to come. The clash between Mr. Biden’s pledges and some of his recent decisions illustrates the political, technical and legal difficulties of disentangling the country from the oil, gas and coal that have underpinned its economy for more than a century. On Wednesday, the Biden administration defended in federal court the Willow project, a huge oil drilling operation proposed on Alaska’s North Slope that was approved by the Trump administration and is being fought by environmentalists. Weeks earlier, it backed former President Donald J. Trump’s decision to grant oil and gas leases on federal land in Wyoming. Also this month, it declined to act when it had an opportunity to stop crude oil from continuing to flow through the bitterly contested, 2,700-mile Dakota Access pipeline, which lacks a federal permit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/climate/biden-fossil-fules-climate-Willow.html
     
         
      Oil Giants Face Pressure to Act on Climate Change Thu, 27th May 2021 17:29:00
     
      Some of the world’s biggest oil companies are under pressure to take more action to address climate change. ExxonMobil shareholders Wednesday elected at least two members proposed by hedge fund Engine No. 1 to serve on the company’s 12-member board of directors. The fund said in a statement earlier this week that the board needed “directors with experience in successful and profitable energy industry transformations who can help turn aspirations of addressing the risks of climate change into a long-term business plan, not talking points.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.voanews.com/science-health/oil-giants-face-pressure-act-climate-change
     
         
      ‘Cataclysmic day’ for oil companies sparks climate hope Thu, 27th May 2021 14:38:00
     
      A “cataclysmic day” for three major oil companies in which investors rebelled over climate fears and a court ordered fossil fuel emissions to be slashed has sparked hope among campaigners, investors, lawyers and academics who said the historic decisions marked a turning point in efforts to tackle the climate crisis. A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered Shell to cut carbon emissions from its oil and gas by 45% by 2030. A tiny activist investor group simultaneously won two places on ExxonMobil’s board and Chevron’s management was defeated when investors voted in favour of forcing the group to cut its carbon emissions. Chevron is second on the list of fossil fuel firms with the biggest cumulative carbon emissions, ExxonMobil is third and Shell sixth. “It may be the most cataclysmic day so far for the fossil fuel industry,” said the climate campaigner and author Bill McKibben. “If you want to keep the temperature low enough that civilisation will survive, you have to keep coal and oil and gas in the ground. That sounded radical a decade ago. Now it sounds like the law.” Sara Shaw at Friends of the Earth International said: “This is a landmark victory for climate justice. Our hope is that the Shell verdict will trigger a wave of climate litigation against big polluters.” Andy Palmen of Greenpeace Netherlands said: “The verdict is a historic victory. We can now hold multinational corporations accountable for the climate crisis.” Andrew Logan at Ceres, which coordinates climate action by investors, told the Financial Times: “This will be seen in retrospect as the day when everything changed for big oil. How the industry chooses to respond to this clear signal will determine which companies thrive through the coming transition and which wither.” Nick Stansbury from Legal and General Investment Management said: “There is a valid question about whether this is a watershed moment in the same way the first big tobacco legal suits were.” Michael Burger at Columbia Law School in the US said there was no question that the Shell court defeat was a significant development in global climate litigation, and that “it could reverberate through courtrooms around the world”. Tom Cummins at the UK law firm Ashurst said: “This is arguably the most significant climate change-related judgment yet,” and Joana Setzer at the London School of Economics called it “mind-blowing, basically changing what Shell is at the core”. Scott Addison of the communications firm Infinite Global said: “Today’s ruling puts into stark relief just how high the commercial and reputational costs can get for inaction on climate change.” Two other major oil companies, ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, had already suffered investor revolts over climate inaction in recent weeks, but Shell’s court defeat set a new precedent, according to Roger Cox, a lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which pursued the case along with 17,000 citizens. “This is a turning point in history,” he said. “It is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting corporation to comply with the Paris climate agreement.” Oil and gas majors have posted record losses and write-downs during the coronavirus pandemic. The International Energy Agency said earlier this month that if governments were serious about the climate crisis, there could be no new investments in oil, gas and coal from this year, contrasting with most companies’ plans for further exploration. Shell said it expected to appeal against what it described as a disappointing judgment, which could take two years, and Chevron’s chief executive, Mike Wirth, said the company could boost financial returns and cut carbon at same time. Exxon’s chief executive, Darren Woods, said he had heard shareholders’ desire for change and? that the company was well positioned to respond. Oil company climate plans have been criticised for not including all of their products, moving too slowly and being overly reliant on carbon offsets. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal, which has frequently been sceptical about global heating, said: “The usual suspects are casting ExxonMobil’s partial defeat in a proxy shareholder battle as a Waterloo for fossil fuels. [But] this wasn’t a revolt by retail investors against fossil fuels. It was a progressive political coup. Fossil fuels aren’t going away, and Exxon won’t prosper if it acts like they will.” Michael Holder from the BusinessGreen website said: “The events [on Wednesday] are still only baby steps towards these companies credibly transforming their businesses in line with the goals of the Paris agreement. Has the day of reckoning finally arrived for big oil? If it has, they can’t say they weren’t warned.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/27/cataclysmic-day-for-oil-companies-sparks-climate-hope
     
         
      Boost investments in nature to combat climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises Thu, 27th May 2021 14:01:00
     
      The State of Finance for Nature report calls for scaling up funding from the current level of $133 billion, most of which comes from public sources, to a total investment of $8.1 trillion, by 2050. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said biodiversity loss is already costing the global economy 10 percent of its output each year. “If we do not sufficiently finance nature-based solutions, we will impact the capacities of countries to make progress on other vital areas such as education, health and employment”, she added. “If we do not save nature now, we will not be able to achieve sustainable development.” The UN agency has produced the report alongside the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative, hosted by German development agency GIZ in collaboration with Vivid Economics. To overcome the gap, the partners call for Governments, financial institutions and businesses to put nature at the centre of economic decision-making going forward. This requires building back more sustainably from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other measures, such as repurposing agricultural and fossil fuel subsidies and creating other economic and regulatory incentives. Although investing in nature supports the health of all beings, improves quality of life, and creates jobs, it accounts for just 2.5 per cent of projected economic stimulus spending in the wake of the pandemic. Therefore, private capital will have to be increased to close the investment gap. Solutions such as the management, conservation and restoration of forests, will alone require some $203 billion in total annual expenditure globally. The report suggests coupling investments in restoration with financing for conservation, as an example. The private sector has already developed several initiatives, but the authors stressed the need for companies and institutions to commit to boost finance and investment, in nature-based solutions.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092922
     
         
      Natural Gas Liquids Drive Geothermal Tech Thu, 27th May 2021 13:46:00
     
      Commonly associated with water via hot springs, geysers, or plumes of steam, geothermal energy relies on underground heat. A Canada-based firm has developed geothermal technology that removes water from the equation, potentially expanding where the renewable resource can be tapped. “Geothermal, derived from its Greek roots, means ‘earth’ and ‘hot’ and quite literally means that we bring heat up from the ground,” Chris Cheng, senior development engineer with Eavor, told Rigzone. “This heat can then be used directly or converted to electricity with a power generation unit.” Unlike conventional approaches to harness geothermal energy, Eavor’s technology uses a closed-loop energy system that eliminates the need to find hot water or steam resources, Cheng continued. “Since there is heat under the ground everywhere, Eavor technology is applicable in many more places than traditional geothermal, places where that hot water or steam resource may not exist,” he said. Cheng explained that his company’s technology generates electricity by bringing heat up to the earth’s surface with a working fluid inside the “Eavor-Loop” system, exchanging heat with the working fluid – often one of two natural gas liquids – used by the power-generating unit. “For an Organic Rankine Cycle application, this working fluid is usually butane or pentane, shown in the red loop and is chosen for its lower-than-water boiling temperature,” Cheng said, referencing the diagram below that illustrates Eavor’s closed-loop technology. “The working fluid is allowed to vaporize and expand in the power turbine which turns this into rotational energy, making electricity. The working fluid is cooled and condensed back to a liquid and is ready to collect heat from the Eavor-Loop once again.” “While the power generation unit is not unique to Eavor, Eavor’s novelty in its closed-loop design reduces exploration risk – no need for hot aquifers – and allows for more predictability and operational control, including dispatchability,” Cheng said. The geothermal technology’s novelty evidently appeals to two major oil and gas players, which have steered investment dollars to Eavor. Find out which companies are supporting the technology developer in the following excerpts from Rigzone’s conversation with Cheng. Rigzone: Where in North America is there sufficient geothermal potential to sustainably diversify the energy mix? Chris Cheng: The average geothermal gradient around the world is about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) per kilometer (0.6 miles), which means that, on average, the temperature increases by 30 degrees for every kilometer you drill into the earth. It all comes down to price, and Eavor believes there is geothermal potential in most places in the world, including all of North America, for both heat and electricity. For now, while the technology is new and costs are high, Eavor is targeting locales where the price for heat and electricity is also high, such as in Germany, the Netherlands, or Japan. These countries have what we call feed-in tariffs in place to help support the transition to renewables. Eavor is working hard to reduce the cost of its technology so that it can be economic anywhere, comparable to the prices we see now for wind and solar but with the added benefit of dispatchability and small footprint. Rigzone: What makes geothermal stand out as a renewable resource? Cheng: Compared to wind and solar, geothermal has a relatively small surface footprint which is important in jurisdictions where surface space may be at a premium. Secondly, as previously mentioned, Eavor’s closed-loop design allows for improved operational control, making the Eavor-Loop both load following and dispatchable. The heat in the ground is always present, while the wind and the sun may not always be there. Rigzone: Where do you see geothermal contributing to the energy transition, particularly in North America? Cheng: Eavor sees itself fitting into the energy mix alongside other renewables. It can fill in the gaps where wind, solar and traditional geothermal are less effective, such as during the night, when the weather is unfavorable, or where the geology doesn’t support traditional geothermal. Rigzone: What are the biggest misconceptions you hear about geothermal energy, perhaps from the oil and gas community? How do you overcome them? Cheng: We get a lot of questions about induced seismicity or fracing, which can be a non-starter in some places. With Eavor’s closed-loop system, there is no fracing and a very, very low probability of induced seismicity, so it’s important that we educate potential clients and partners about what separates our technology from the incumbents. While we are adopting technology from oil and gas, Eavor’s technology eliminates some of the perceived negative aspects that may be associated with enhanced geothermal systems or hydrocarbon extraction, such as fracing. In the grand scheme of things, the misconceptions are not that major – something that a few technical meetings can overcome – and the overall reception has been positive. Our latest round of investment back in February of 2021, which included bp (NYSE: BP) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX), are a good indicator that we have been embraced by at least some major players in the oil and gas industry as a viable solution. Rigzone: Where do you see geothermal market opportunities for oil and gas industry players such as operating companies, drilling companies, service and equipment providers, etc.? Cheng: One of the reasons Eavor is based in Calgary is because of the vast amount of geoscience and engineering expertise that exists due to the oil and gas roots of this city. There is a lot of opportunity for technical staff, service and equipment providers to pivot into geothermal due to the amount of overlap between the two industries. For example, as a development engineer, the work that I do is remarkably similar to oil and gas. We have to select a good place to drill an Eavor-Loop, which begins with good geological and geophysical work, then we have to design the well and spend capital to drill the well and construct the facility, and finally sell a commodity for a forecasted price over many years. Sound familiar? For geothermal, instead of oil and gas the commodity is heat and power, but the development process and the financial modelling is very similar! To contact the author, email mveazey@rigzone.com. Find out more about geothermal energy in recent Rigzone articles discussing orphaned oil and gas wells, market opportunities and collaboration, and ultra-deep drilling technology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rigzone.com/news/natural_gas_liquids_drive_geothermal_tech-27-may-2021-165530-article/
     
         
      Shell: Netherlands court orders oil giant to cut emissions Thu, 27th May 2021 12:57:00
     
      A court in the Netherlands has ruled in a landmark case that the oil giant Shell must reduce its emissions. By 2030, Shell must cut its CO2 emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels, the civil court ruled. The Shell group is responsible for its own CO2 emissions and those of its suppliers, the verdict said. It is the first time a company has been legally obliged to align its policies with the Paris climate accords, says Friends of the Earth (FoE). The environmental group brought the case to court in 2019, alongside six other bodies and more than 17,000 Dutch citizens. Though the decision only applies in the Netherlands, it could have wider effects elsewhere. BBC Netherlands correspondent Anna Holligan tweeted that it was a "precedent-setting judgement". A Shell spokesperson said they "fully expect to appeal today's disappointing court decision" and added that they are stepping up efforts to cut emissions. "Urgent action is needed on climate change, which is why we have accelerated our efforts to become a net-zero emissions energy company by 2050," the spokesperson said, adding that Shell was investing "billions of dollars in low-carbon energy, including electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, renewables and biofuels". "This is really great news and a gigantic victory for the earth, our children and for all of us," FoE director Donald Pols said in a statement. "The judge leaves no doubt about it: Shell is causing dangerous climate change and must now stop it quickly." Under the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change, nearly 200 nations agreed to keep global temperatures "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels. The legally binding treaty came into force on 4 November 2016. The US withdrew under former President Donald Trump but has since rejoined under President Joe Biden. A number of groups around the world are now trying to force companies and governments to comply with the accords through the courts. Shell has previously said it wants net zero emissions for itself and from products used by its customers by 2050. In December its defence lawyers told the Dutch court the company was already taking "serious steps" to move away from fossil fuels, and said there was no legal basis for the case. Other major oil companies are also making changes amid a greater global focus on cutting emissions. On Wednesday Chevron investors voted in favour of a proposal to cut its customer emissions, while shareholders at Exxon elected two climate activists to its board after months of wrangling over its business direction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57257982
     
         
      Royal Mail's first 'all-electric' delivery office in Bristol Thu, 27th May 2021 12:34:00
     
      Royal Mail has announced its first delivery office to have an all-electric fleet of collection and delivery vehicles. Bristol East Central Delivery Office's 23 diesel vehicles have been replaced by fully-electric ones. Royal Mail said Bristol was selected because of its plans to introduce a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) later this year. Chief executive Simon Thompson described the move as a "really positive step". Six electric charging posts have also been installed on the site, with electricity for powering the office and charging the vehicles coming from renewable sources. Mr Thompson said the move would allow them to assess the impact of the changes on customers and staff, and consider changes to other delivery offices. "It's clear to me that customers increasingly want less environmentally impacting deliveries," he said. "We are delighted to transform Bristol East Central into the very first Royal Mail 'all-electric' delivery office." The electric vans have a bigger load space than the vehicles they have replaced, giving them additional capacity to deal with growing parcel volumes, and have lower maintenance requirements. 'Reducing emissions' Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said it was "fantastic news". "Their 23 electric vehicles will join Bristol's 99 bio-gas buses already on our streets in reducing emissions and improving air quality. "We want to support people and businesses in transitioning our fleet to cleaner and more efficient vehicles," he added. Rob Wotherspoon of the Communication Workers Union said: "This is not just about the fight against climate change but about the air that our communities breathe."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-57256872
     
         
      Oman plans to build world’s largest green hydrogen plant Thu, 27th May 2021 11:31:00
     
      Oil-producing nation aims plant powered by wind and solar energy to be at full capacity by 2038 Oman is planning to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world in a move to make the oil-producing nation a leader in renewable energy technology. Construction is scheduled to start in 2028 in Al Wusta governorate on the Arabian Sea. It will be built in stages, with the aim to be at full capacity by 2038, powered by 25 gigawatts of wind and solar energy. The consortium of companies behind the $30bn (£21bn) project includes the state-owned oil and gas company OQ, the Hong Kong-based renewable hydrogen developer InterContinental Energy and the Kuwait-based energy investor Enertech.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/27/oman-plans-to-build-worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-plant
     
         
      Mast Upgrade: UK experiment could sweep aside fusion hurdle Wed, 26th May 2021 19:21:00
     
      Initial results from a UK experiment could help clear a hurdle to achieving commercial power based on nuclear fusion, experts say. The researchers believe they now have a better way to remove the excess heat produced by fusion reactions. This intense heat can melt materials used inside a reactor, limiting the amount of time it can operate for. The system, which has been likened to a car exhaust, resulted in a tenfold reduction in the heat. The tests were carried out at the Mast (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment at Culham in Oxfordshire. The £55m device began operating in October last year, after a seven-year build. Nuclear fusion is an attempt to replicate the processes that power the Sun - and other stars - here on planet Earth. ELUSIVE GOAL But the trick is getting more energy out of the reactions than you put in. This goal continues to elude teams of scientists and engineers around the world, who are working to make fusion power a reality. Existing nuclear energy relies on a process called fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to produce lighter ones. Fusion works by combining two light elements to make a heavier one. One common fusion approach uses a reactor design called a tokamak, in which powerful magnetic fields are used to control charged gas - or plasma - inside a doughnut-shaped container. An international fusion megaproject called Iter is currently under construction in southern France. Prof Ian Chapman, chief executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), said it would be crucial for demonstrating the feasibility of bringing fusion power to the grid. But he added that Iter's size and cost meant that "if every time you wanted to build a unit, you had to raise that sum of money, then the penetration into the market would be determined by economics, not technology". 'HOTTER THAN THE SUN' Mast Upgrade is one attempt to come up with a template for more compact, cheaper fusion reactors. It makes use of an innovative design known as a spherical tokamak to squeeze the fuel into a 4.4m-tall, 4m-wide space. By comparison, the containment vessel Iter will use to control its fusion reactions is 11.4m tall and 19.4m wide. But Mast Upgrade's bijou dimensions come at a price: "You're making something that's hotter than the Sun... in a smaller volume. How you then get the heat out becomes a big challenge," said Prof Chapman. The core of the plasma within the tokamak reaches temperatures of 100 million C. Without an exhaust system that can handle this unimaginable heat, materials in the design would have to be regularly replaced - significantly affecting the amount of time a power plant could operate for. The new exhaust system being trialled at Culham is known as a Super-X divertor. This would allow components in future commercial tokamaks to last for much longer; greatly increasing the power plant's availability, improving its economic viability and reducing the cost of fusion electricity. Tests at Mast Upgrade have shown at least a tenfold reduction in the heat on materials with the Super-X system. Researchers said the results were a "game-changer" for the promise of fusion power plants that could provide affordable, efficient electricity. Against the background of climate change, fusion could offer a clean and virtually limitless source of energy. Dr Andrew Kirk, lead scientist on Mast Upgrade, said the results were "the moment our team at UKAEA has been working towards for almost a decade". "We built Mast Upgrade to solve the exhaust problem for compact fusion power plants, and the signs are that we've succeeded. "Super-X reduces the heat on the exhaust system from a blowtorch level down to more like you'd find in a car engine. This could mean it would only have to be replaced once during the lifetime of a power plant." The success of the exhaust system for Mast Upgrade delivers a boost to plans for a prototype fusion power plant in the UK called Step. It is expected to come online sometime in the 2040s. The Mast Upgrade facility will have its official opening ceremony on Wednesday, where guest of honour, astronaut Tim Peake, will create his own artificial star by running a plasma test on the machine.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57232644
     
         
      World now likely to hit watershed 1.5 °C rise in next five years, warns UN weather agency Wed, 26th May 2021 14:23:00
     
      The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there was a 40% chance of the watershed global warming mark being met during the time frame, and these odds are increasing with time. The 1.5°C mark was established as the desirable target for all the countries of the world who signed up to the Paris Agreement to limit temperature rises, in order to prevent permanent changes that threaten the wellbeing of all life on earth. The agreement calls for limiting rises to 2°C or below. There is a 90% likelihood of at least one year between 2021-2025 becoming the warmest on record, which would dislodge 2016 from the top ranking, according to the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, produced by the United Kingdom’s Met Office, the WMO lead centre for such predictions. Up to the end of 2025, high-latitude regions and the Sahel are likely to be wetter, the report suggests, and there is an increased chance of more tropical cyclones in the Atlantic compared to the average, taken from the start of the 1980s. The annual update harnesses the expertise of internationally acclaimed climate scientists and the best prediction systems from leading climate centres around the world to produce actionable information. “These are more than just statistics”, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Increasing temperatures mean more melting ice, higher sea levels, more heatwaves and other extreme weather, and greater impacts on food security, health, the environment and sustainable development,” he said. “This study shows – with a high level of scientific skill – that we are getting measurably and inexorably closer to the lower target of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. “It is yet another wakeup call that the world needs to fast-track commitments to slash greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality”, said Professor Taalas. “Technological advances now make it possible to track greenhouse gas emissions back to their sources as a means of precisely targeting reduction efforts”, he noted. He said the report also underlines the need for climate adaptation. “Only half of 193 WMO Members have state of the art early warning services. Countries should continue to develop the services that will be needed to support adaptation in climate-sensitive sectors – such as health, water, agriculture and renewable energy – and promote early warning systems that reduce the adverse impacts of extreme events” he said. “Besides limitations in early warning services we are having severe gaps in weather observations especially in Africa and island states. This has a major negative impact on the accuracy if the early warnings in those areas and globally. We need to invest in the basic networks as well.” he concluded. In 2020 – one of the three warmest years on record – the global average temperature was 1.2 °C above the pre-industrial baseline, according to the WMO’s report on the State of the Global Climate 2020, released in April. It highlighted the acceleration in climate change indicators like rising sea levels, melting sea ice, and extreme weather, as well as worsening impacts on socio-economic development. And Thursday’s update confirms that trend. In the coming five years, the annual mean global temperature is likely to be at least 1°C warmer - within the range 0.9°C – 1.8°C - than preindustrial levels. The chance of temporarily reaching 1.5°C has roughly doubled compared to last year’s predictions, said WMO. This is mainly due to using an improved temperature dataset to estimate the baseline rather than sudden changes in climate indicators. This current year and the crucial climate change negotiations, COP26, in November, have been widely described as a “make-or-break” chance to prevent climate change spiralling ever more out of control, noted WMO. Tackling climate change is high on the agenda of the G7 leaders summit, due to be hosted by the UK from 11-13 June.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092842
     
         
      Street by street: How we’re mapping air quality in Europe Wed, 26th May 2021 13:44:00
     
      Since 2015, dozens of Street View cars outfitted with pollution sensors have been cruising the roads to track air quality in cities all over the world — from Oakland to Sydney. Over the past six years, these cars have collected more than 100 million street-by-street air quality measurements, all for Project Air View — our effort to bring detailed air quality maps to scientists, policymakers and everyday people. These hyperlocal air quality measurements are helping governments and communities make more informed choices about changes that can help city residents breathe cleaner air. In celebration of EU Green Week next week, we are sharing a new air quality map for Copenhagen and recently started working with the City of Dublin to collect air quality measurements with Aclima technology in our first-ever, all-electric Street View car. This is all part of Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE), our free tool that provides thousands of cities with actionable data and insights to reduce their emissions. In 2018, we started mapping hyperlocal air quality in Copenhagen, working closely with the City of Copenhagen and Utrecht University, in collaboration with Aarhus University. The map — which is already being put to use — includes measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon, and ultrafine particles. Through mapping street-by-street air quality we found that Copenhagen’s major access roads have nearly three times more ultrafine particles and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and five times higher black carbon levels when compared to less trafficked residential areas. Armed with these air quality insights, the City of Copenhagen and urban planners are working to design future neighborhoods that include “Thrive Zones.” These zones aim to build places, like schools and playgrounds, away from high-pollution zones to provide young children with access to cleaner air. The city also plans to use the air quality data to encourage more sustainable transportation and create healthier bicycle and walking routes away from car traffic. We’ve also partnered with the City of Dublin to gather hyperlocal air quality measurements in Ireland’s capital, where our first all-electric Street View vehicle, a Jaguar I-PACE, has hit the roads. This is the first time an all-electric Google Street View car is being used to capture air pollution and greenhouse gas measurements and Google Street View imagery — a feat made possible due to Jaguar Land Rover engineers integrating Google's Street View technology and specialized Aclima sensors into the vehicle. Our Jaguar I-PACE is able to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and ozone (O3). Aclima’s platform analyzes and quality assures pollution measurements to develop these maps. Project Air View’s air quality insights will be integrated into the European Commission-funded European Expanse project, which is exploring how pollution is impacting the health of Europeans and how hyperlocal air quality measurement efforts can inform policy development. We also plan to equip more Street View cars with air quality mapping capabilities so that we can continue sharing hyperlocal air quality insights. By mapping air quality in more cities, we can equip people with the information they need to create more sustainable cities that protect the health of everyone.
       
      Full Article: https://blog.google/products/maps/100-million-air-quality-measurements-with-air-view/
     
         
      Japan wants to use the Olympic games to promote hydrogen to the world Wed, 26th May 2021 8:33:00
     
      Despite a surge in covid-19 cases, Japan is doggedly pushing ahead with its preparations for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games. In January, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said they should continue as “proof of human victory against the coronavirus”. But there is another reason too: Japan wants to use the events to showcase its efforts to become a “hydrogen society” and to inspire other countries to join it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25033362-100-japan-wants-to-use-the-olympic-games-to-promote-hydrogen-to-the-world/
     
         
      Commercially viable electricity from nuclear fusion a step closer thanks to British breakthrough Wed, 26th May 2021 7:00:00
     
      The dream of pollution and radiation-free electricity derived from nuclear fusion could be a step closer to reality thanks to a breakthrough by British scientists. They have developed an exhaust system that can deal with the immense temperatures created during the fusion process and which so far have limited the viability of commercial fusion power plants. Initial results from the UK Atomic Energy Authority's MAST Upgrade experiment suggest that the world-first could mean developing fusion energy becomes easier. Producing electricity using a fusion reactor is still in the experimental stage but experts have said fusion energy - based on the same principle by which stars create heat and light - could be a safe and sustainable part of our energy supply in the future. A fusion power station uses a machine called a tokamak to enable hydrogen atoms to fuse together, releasing energy that can make electricity. But fusion reactions can produce a lot of heat and, without an exhaust system to handle this, materials need to be replaced more often. This limits the operating ability of the power plant and makes energy cost more. The system used by the MAST Upgrade experiment - the Super-X divertor - helped tokamak parts to last longer, however. Tests showed at least a 10-fold reduction in heat, a result that could make the power plants more economically viable to run, in turn reducing the cost of fusion electricity. UKAEA's lead scientist at MAST Upgrade, Dr Andrew Kirk, said the results were "fantastic", adding: "They are the moment our team at UKAEA has been working towards for almost a decade. "We built MAST Upgrade to solve the exhaust problem for compact fusion power plants, and the signs are that we've succeeded. "Super-X reduces the heat on the exhaust system from a blowtorch level down to more like you'd find in a car engine. "This could mean it would only have to be replaced once during the lifetime of a power plant. "It's a pivotal development for the UK's plan to put a fusion power plant on the grid by the early 2040s - and for bringing low-carbon energy from fusion to the world."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/commercially-viable-electricity-from-nuclear-fusion-a-step-closer-thanks-to-british-breakthrough-12317089
     
         
      Mast Upgrade: UK experiment could sweep aside fusion hurdle Wed, 26th May 2021 1:20:00
     
      Initial results from a UK experiment could help clear a hurdle to achieving commercial power based on nuclear fusion, experts say. The researchers believe they now have a better way to remove the excess heat produced by fusion reactions. This intense heat can melt materials used inside a reactor, limiting the amount of time it can operate for. The system, which has been likened to a car exhaust, resulted in a tenfold reduction in the heat. The tests were carried out at the Mast (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment at Culham in Oxfordshire. The £55m device began operating in October last year, after a seven-year build. Nuclear fusion is an attempt to replicate the processes that power the Sun - and other stars - here on planet Earth. But the trick is getting more energy out of the reactions than you put in. This goal continues to elude teams of scientists and engineers around the world, who are working to make fusion power a reality. Existing nuclear energy relies on a process called fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to produce lighter ones. Fusion works by combining two light elements to make a heavier one. One common fusion approach uses a reactor design called a tokamak, in which powerful magnetic fields are used to control charged gas - or plasma - inside a doughnut-shaped container. An international fusion megaproject called Iter is currently under construction in southern France. Prof Ian Chapman, chief executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), said it would be crucial for demonstrating the feasibility of bringing fusion power to the grid. But he added that Iter's size and cost meant that "if every time you wanted to build a unit, you had to raise that sum of money, then the penetration into the market would be determined by economics, not technology". Mast Upgrade is one attempt to come up with a template for more compact, cheaper fusion reactors. It makes use of an innovative design known as a spherical tokamak to squeeze the fuel into a 4.4m-tall, 4m-wide space. By comparison, the containment vessel Iter will use to control its fusion reactions is 11.4m tall and 19.4m wide. But Mast Upgrade's bijou dimensions come at a price: "You're making something that's hotter than the Sun... in a smaller volume. How you then get the heat out becomes a big challenge," said Prof Chapman. The core of the plasma within the tokamak reaches temperatures of 100 million C. Without an exhaust system that can handle this unimaginable heat, materials in the design would have to be regularly replaced - significantly affecting the amount of time a power plant could operate for. The new exhaust system being trialled at Culham is known as a Super-X divertor. This would allow components in future commercial tokamaks to last for much longer; greatly increasing the power plant's availability, improving its economic viability and reducing the cost of fusion electricity. Tests at Mast Upgrade have shown at least a tenfold reduction in the heat on materials with the Super-X system. Researchers said the results were a "game-changer" for the promise of fusion power plants that could provide affordable, efficient electricity. Against the background of climate change, fusion could offer a clean and virtually limitless source of energy. Dr Andrew Kirk, lead scientist on Mast Upgrade, said the results were "the moment our team at UKAEA has been working towards for almost a decade". "We built Mast Upgrade to solve the exhaust problem for compact fusion power plants, and the signs are that we've succeeded. "Super-X reduces the heat on the exhaust system from a blowtorch level down to more like you'd find in a car engine. This could mean it would only have to be replaced once during the lifetime of a power plant." The success of the exhaust system for Mast Upgrade delivers a boost to plans for a prototype fusion power plant in the UK called Step. It is expected to come online sometime in the 2040s. The Mast Upgrade facility will have its official opening ceremony on Wednesday, where guest of honour, astronaut Tim Peake, will create his own artificial star by running a plasma test on the machine.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57232644
     
         
      The 'messy' alternative to tree-planting Tue, 25th May 2021 14:37:00
     
      At a former intensive dairy farm in Sussex, England, oak trees now tower up to 20 feet tall (6 metres), sucking in carbon from the atmosphere, providing habitat for birds, mammals and insects, purifying air and water, and protecting land from flooding. Alder, hornbeam, ash and birch trees are also thriving. Twenty years ago, these trees weren't here at all. The transformation is the kind of story that many countries are aiming for with large-scale tree planting programmes, from India to the US to Ethiopia. But they might be surprised to learn of the secret to this farm's success – none of these trees were "planted" here at all. Instead, the trees at Knepp Castle Estate in southern England were allowed to spread naturally. Birds such as jays can disperse as many as 7,500 acorns in four weeks. "Not a single tree was planted, no saplings were bought from commercial nurseries, no tanalised wooden stakes, no polypropylene tubes and plastic ties, no direct financial or carbon costs – no effort," says Isabella Tree, co-owner of Knepp Castle Estate. The trees' growth was aided by thorny scrub that had also been allowed to grow at the farm, which acts as "nature's barbed wire", protecting the saplings from nibbling deer and the estate's free-roaming cattle and ponies. The method described by Tree is known as natural forest regeneration. Distinct from active tree-planting, trees are allowed to grow back spontaneously, or with limited human intervention, on land where the original forest cover had been cleared for uses such as agriculture or destroyed by fire. Trees grow from seeds blown in by the wind, carried there by animals or birds, or from plant parts such as stems, leaves or roots. For this reason, the greatest potential for natural regeneration is in areas next to existing forest, according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization. It does not necessarily involve sitting back and letting nature take its course. Some intervention, such as removing competing plants or grazing animals, may be needed to give natural processes a kickstart. This is known as assisted natural regeneration. Far from being a new way for tree cover to increase in landscapes around the world, natural forest regeneration has taken place in countries as diverse as Norway, Brazil, Costa Rica, Nepal and Ukraine, according to research published last year by Robin Chazdon, professor emerita in the ecology and evolutionary biology department at the University of Connecticut. But this has largely taken place unintentionally, as people have abandoned farmland to move to more productive areas, or in search of jobs in cities. Chazdon, who has studied natural regeneration for more than 30 years, questions the commonly held assumption that trees need to be actively planted to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. "There's a perspective that humans did this damage and it's our job to fix it, and that we should govern the process, and just let nature help when it can," she says. "Another view is that forest restoration is fundamentally natural, and that humans can assist it, but ultimately it should be governed by natural processes." In January, scientists at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK warned that tree planting was often being presented as an easy answer to the climate crisis, and a way out for businesses to mitigate their carbon emissions. But it was not as simple as it seemed. The wrong trees in the wrong place can cause considerably more damage than benefits, and fail to help people, nature or capture carbon. For example, South Africa spends millions of dollars to clear Australian acacias that became invasive after being introduced to stabilise sand dunes during the 19th and 20th centuries. Instead, the trees took over heathlands and grasslands, and lowered the water table, the experts at Kew noted. (Read more about why planting trees doesn't always help climate change.) In a new publication, the Kew scientists say that, where new trees are needed, the focus should be on letting forests grow naturally, as long as the conditions at the site like soil quality and proximity to existing forests were suitable. Proponents are arguing for natural regeneration to be taken more seriously in national and international efforts to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. Recent research has shown that natural regeneration can potentially absorb 40 times more carbon than plantations, and provide a home for more species. It is also significantly cheaper than tree planting, with different studies in Brazil showing costs reduced by 38%, or even up to 76%. This could make a significant difference to the costs of international ambitions to restore forests, such as the Bonn Challenge, which is targeting 350 million hectares (1.4 million square miles). This could cost $12 trillion (£8.5tn) if only active tree planting is used. Not only that, but the ability of naturally regrowing forests to absorb carbon has been underestimated by 32% by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), according to research by US-based environmental organisations the World Resources Institute and The Nature Conservancy, which was published in the journal Nature in September. The IPCC's rates are used by many countries to estimate the capacity of forests to absorb carbon, and to report progress towards climate change goals. This strengthens the case for a greater focus on allowing forests to regrow as a climate change mitigation policy, alongside active tree planting, says Susan Cook-Patton of The Nature Conservancy and an author of the report. The rate at which trees accumulate carbon varies up to 100-fold, depending on factors like climate and soil quality, so the researchers also produced a global map, down to a 1km (0.6 mile) resolution, highlighting areas with the greatest carbon returns from allowing lands to reforest naturally. They hope this will help decision-makers see where natural forest regrowth could have the most impact for climate change mitigation, taking the guesswork out of using the approach. "There are lots of ways to get trees back into the landscape, including actively planting them, setting up a timber plantation, or letting them grow naturally," says Cook-Patton. "Our goal is to help people have the information they need to decide which makes the most sense." So far, the potential for natural forest regeneration has been overlooked in national and international efforts to increase tree cover. Reasons include a lack of recognition that it is a viable restoration option; perverse incentives that favour the clearing of young tree growth for plantation development or other land uses; lack of support by government agencies and other organisations; lack of incentives for local communities; and uncertainty about processes and outcomes, according to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization. Natural regeneration is sometimes criticised for looking "messy", says Tree. "Humans are such control freaks. The more compelling the climate emergency becomes, the more we feel like we physically have to do something, and our instinct is often to tidy up," she says. As more policymakers, conservation organisations and members of the public see the approach in action, the mindset will change, Tree believes. She agrees with Kew's scientists that natural regeneration of trees should be the default unless there is a specific reason for active planting. Tree believes that funding models need radical change to recognise the benefits of natural regeneration. "The current system for establishing trees in the UK is entirely dictated by the commercial forestry model, which is all about numbers of trees per hectare," she says. However, the UK government is now considering the evidence base for natural regeneration in its new Tree Action Plan. A simple change in the language used could make a difference, according to Karen Holl, professor of environmental studies at the University of California. "I'd like to see 'tree planting' campaigns called 'tree growing' campaigns. It's about keeping the forest standing, and allowing for natural regeneration – you don't necessarily have to plant the trees. There's an obsession with digging a hole," she says. Cook-Patton agrees that natural regeneration of trees may seem a bit passive and intangible to some people. Tree planting is also often easier to justify in order to get funding, and to prove progress. "When it comes to climate mitigation, it's very important to demonstrate that you're doing something additional beyond what would have happened otherwise, and it's much easier to demonstrate that when you're planting a tree," she says. She acknowledges that active tree planting could be necessary if a particular type of tree is needed to support certain wildlife species, or for timber. "With natural regrowth you're at the whim of what is blown or carried in, so planting does give you more control over what the ecosystem ultimately looks like. But natural regrowth should at least be considered first, because it can be cheaper and easier," she says. Socio-economic issues are the greatest barriers to natural regeneration, according to Chazdon. For example, farmers in Costa Rica are given $125 (£88) a year for each hectare of plantation they establish, but only $39 (£27) a year if that land is used to protect natural regeneration, she notes. This means that clearing young forest regrowth for plantations is the more financially attractive option. Landowners should be given sufficient financial compensation to leave land for natural regeneration, Chazdon suggests. In the longer term, natural regeneration can pay back, for example, by providing jobs in eco-tourism, she says. In other parts of the world, the regenerative approach is already paying off. In Rwanda, a project by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in the Nyungwe Forest National Park is creating jobs for local people in regenerating around 6,000 hectares (23 sq miles) of forest lost to fires set by poachers and wild honey collectors in the 1990s. The forest had failed to grow back by itself due to the proliferation of ferns that suffocated tree seeds buried in the soil. Previous experiments with active tree planting were not successful, and proved expensive, says Mediatrice Bana, WCS Rwanda's project lead in Nyungwe. In January 2020, they began using assisted natural regeneration instead, with 125 local people employed to remove ferns that had flourished in the area, to give tree seeds latent in the soil a chance to germinate by themselves. The process will need to be repeated three times a year, for three years, till the naturally growing saplings are established, Bana explains. But it is already showing signs of success, with new tree shoots visible on the forest floor across 70ha (0.27 sq miles) of the park. The government of Rwanda is now supporting the project so it can be scaled up across more than 5,000ha (19 sq miles) of remaining deforested area. Another country where awareness of the power of allowing trees to grow naturally is growing rapidly is Scotland. This has partly come from comparisons of the Scottish Highlands with south-west Norway – both areas are very similar in climate and geology, yet much of the Highlands is treeless, while Norway is covered in forest. The difference is that land in the Highlands is heavily grazed by deer, while unmanaged natural regeneration has taken place in Norway, where farmland was largely abandoned in the early 20th Century as farmers migrated en-masse to the US, according to Duncan Halley, a wildlife biologist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. "There very much used to be a presumption in Scotland that trees could not grow unless they were planted behind fences, and given the grazing pressure from deer in the Highlands that was true in most places," he says. Now that deer have been removed in the Cairngorms by the landowning partners Wildland, RSPB and NatureScot, trees are growing at over 800m (2,640ft) above sea level, more than 150m (500ft) higher than previously, he says. In the past year, estates in the Highlands have achieved record values, largely driven not by their potential for shooting deer as had typically been the case, but by their potential for restoration, as rich people and corporations look to invest in the concept, pointing to a potentially radical shift in thinking, he adds. Chazdon is optimistic that the concept of natural regeneration is coming to the fore. There are several existing opportunities where trees could be brought back in this way such as on the outskirts or buffer zones of protected areas, where there is no competition for commercial use. It could also be done in areas populated by indigenous people who already understand how nature regenerates due to their lifestyle of moving herds around different areas. Another option is to do it on land where cattle is kept, since there is often sufficient space to keep the same numbers of cattle as well as fence off areas for natural regeneration. Back at Knepp, thousands of wild trees are now flourishing, and providing wildlife habitats and carbon storage that is not just vital, but resilient in the face of change. "Their random appearance, spontaneously generated from seed and pollen sources near and far, mean they have astonishing genetic diversity. Nothing human beings can do in terms of planting and propagation can ever replicate the genetic diversity of wild trees," says Tree. "This is the best hope for the survival of our trees in the face of climate change, extreme weather, pollution and disease."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210524-the-reason-wild-forests-beat-plantations
     
         
      Turkey struck by ‘sea snot’ because of global heating Tue, 25th May 2021 10:36:00
     
      When seen from above, it looks like a brush of beige swirled across the dark blue waters of the Sea of Marmara. Up close, it resembles a creamy, gelatinous blanket of quicksand. Now scientists are warning that the substance, known as sea snot, is on the rise as a result of global heating. The gloopy, mucus-like substance had not been recorded in Turkish waters before 2007. It is created as a result of prolonged warm temperatures and calm weather and in areas with abundant nutrients in the water. The phytoplankton responsible grow out of control when nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are widely available in seawater. These nutrients have long been plentiful in the Sea of Marmara, which receives the wastewater of nearly 20 million people and is fed directly from the nutrient-rich Black Sea. In ordinary amounts, these tiny, floating sea plants are responsible for breathing oxygen into the oceans, but their overpopulation creates the opposite effect. Under conditions of stress, they exude a mucus-like matter that can grow to cover many square miles of the sea in the right conditions. In most cases, the substance itself is not harmful. “What we see is basically a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat,” said Dr Neslihan Özdelice, a marine biologist at Istanbul University. But the sticky substance attracts viruses and bacteria, including E coli, and can in effect turn into a blanket that suffocates the marine life below. This year’s event, the largest yet seen, began in deep waters in late December, and was initially only a nuisance to fishers, who have been unable to cast their nets since the sea snot appeared. Around this time, Dr Bar?? Özalp, a marine biologist at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, had a chance encounter with the substance in the Çanakkale strait, the narrow passage that connects the Aegean and Marmara seas. Özalp was startled by the extent of the sea snot he encountered during his regular dive to monitor corals, his main research focus. It is particularly damaging to immobile organisms such as corals as it gets wrapped around them, inhibiting their ability to feed or breathe and often killing them. “The gravity of the situation set in when I dived for measurements in March and discovered severe mortality in corals,” Özalp said, naming gold coral (Savalia savaglia) and the violescent sea-whip (Paramuricea clavata) as the most affected species. He warned that if the sea snot were to persist, invertebrate life at the bottom of the Sea of Marmara would be under severe threat. When the mucus eventually reached the shoreline in the following months, it also started to threaten the breeding ground of fish. “Once the mucilage covers the coasts, it limits the interaction between water and the atmosphere,” said Dr Mustafa Sar?, the dean of Band?rma Onyedi Eylül University’s maritime faculty, who is leading a study into the economic effects of the sea snot. It further depleted oxygen during decomposition, essentially sucking air out of the area, Sar? explained. He also noted that thousands of fish started dying a few weeks ago in Band?rma, a coastal town on the southern banks of the Marmara. Scientists are calling for urgent action to reduce wastewater pressures on the Sea of Marmara in order to diminish nutrients. “The main trigger is warming related to climate change, as phytoplankton grow during higher temperatures,” said Özdelice, noting that the seawater had warmed by 2-3C since preindustrial times. But since countering climate change requires a global and concerted effort, she urged Turkey to focus on factors it could control: overfishing and waste water discharges. “This is also an outcome of overfishing because as filter feeders which consume phytoplankton are excessively hunted, it allows room for [phytoplankton and sea snot] to breed,” she said. Even before the added pressure of climate change, the semi-enclosed Sea of Marmara could barely shoulder the burden of the densely populated and industrialised Marmara basin, Sar? said. “But as temperatures rise, the sea reacts in a completely different manner. “We are experiencing the visible effects of climate change, and adaptation requires an overhaul of our habitual practices. We must initiate a full-scale effort to adapt.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/25/turkey-struck-by-sea-snot-because-of-global-heating
     
         
      Drax carbon-capture plan could cost British households £500 – study Tue, 25th May 2021 0:01:00
     
      The plan put forward by Drax to fit its wood-burning power plant with carbon-capture technology could cost British energy bill payers £31.7bn over 25 years, or £500 a household, according to research. The climate thinktank Ember said that Drax was already on track to earn £10bn in subsidies through energy bills by burning wood chips, and warned that the cost of supporting its future bioenergy plans could climb to more than the cost of subsidising Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. Ember’s report was based on research commissioned by the government into the cost of bioenergy combined with carbon capture, and assumes that Drax could clinch a subsidy contract to run four generating units at its North Yorkshire plant for the full 25-year lifetime of the project. The report has emerged as the latest point of dispute between the FTSE 100 company and green groups over the UK’s divisive bioenergy strategy. Drax plans to become a “carbon negative” power generator by retrofitting its giant power plant with carbon-capture technology that traps emissions from burning wood chips. It claims that biomass is already carbon neutral because trees absorb as much CO2 to grow as they release when they are burnt. But dozens of green groups have warned government ministers and Drax shareholders against supporting the company’s controversial plans over fears that burning biomass will not deliver “negative emissions” and could prove to be an expensive misstep in the UK’s path to a carbon-neutral economy. Drax has dismissed Ember’s findings because the government study on which it was based used cost estimates for developing a new power plant, rather than retrofitting an existing plant, which it claims would be cheaper. The company added that the report inflated the total potential cost to bill payers by assuming that the subsidy contract would run for 25 years, which is 10 years longer than the period currently envisaged by government officials for carbon-capture projects. The spokesperson said the project “will save the UK more than £4.5bn over the coming decade, as well as removing millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere and supporting tens of thousands of jobs”. A government spokesperson declined to comment directly on Drax’s plans ahead of a formal planning process. “At every step on the path to net zero, we will put affordability and fairness at the heart of our reforms. The UK only supports biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria,” the they said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/25/drax-carbon-capture-plan-could-cost-british-households-500-study
     
         
      Unusual Property in Hydrogen Fuel Device Discovered – Could Be Ultimate Guide to Self-Improvement Mon, 24th May 2021 14:33:00
     
      Three years ago, scientists at the University of Michigan discovered an artificial photosynthesis device made of silicon and gallium nitride (Si/GaN) that harnesses sunlight into carbon-free hydrogen for fuel cells with twice the efficiency and stability of some previous technologies. Now, scientists at Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley national laboratories – in collaboration with the University of Michigan – have uncovered a surprising, self-improving property in Si/GaN that contributes to the material’s highly efficient and stable performance in converting light and water into carbon-free hydrogen. The research, reported in Nature Materials, could help radically accelerate the commercialization of artificial photosynthesis technologies and hydrogen fuel cells. Materials in solar fuels systems usually degrade, become less stable, and as a result produce hydrogen less efficiently, but the team found an unusual property in Si/GaN that somehow enables it to become more efficient and stable. Previous artificial photosynthesis materials are either excellent light absorbers that lack durability or they are durable materials that lack light-absorption efficiency. But silicon and gallium nitride are abundant and cheap materials that are widely used as semiconductors in everyday electronics such as LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and solar cells, said co-author Zetian Mi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan who invented Si/GaN artificial photosynthesis devices a decade ago. When Mi’s Si/GaN device achieved a record-breaking 3 percent solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, he wondered how such ordinary materials could perform so extraordinarily well in an exotic artificial photosynthesis device – so he turned to senior author and Berkeley Lab scientist Francesca Toma for help. Mi had learned about Toma’s expertise in advanced microscopy techniques for probing the nanoscale (billionths of a meter) properties of artificial photosynthesis materials through HydroGEN, supported by the DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. HydroGEN is a national lab consortium led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to facilitate collaborations between national labs, academia, and industry for the development of advanced water-splitting materials. Toma and lead author Guosong Zeng, a postdoctoral scholar in Berkeley Lab’s Chemical Sciences Division, suspected that GaN might be playing a role in the device’s unusual potential for hydrogen production efficiency and stability. To find out, Zeng carried out a photoconductive atomic force microscopy experiment to test how GaN photocathodes could efficiently convert absorbed photons into electrons, and then recruit those free electrons to split water into hydrogen, before the material started to degrade and become less stable and efficient. They observed 2-3 orders of magnitude improvement in the material’s photocurrent coming from tiny facets along the “sidewall” of the GaN grain. The material also had increased its efficiency over time, even though the overall surface of the material didn’t change that much. To gather more clues, the researchers recruited scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) at the National Center for Electron Microscopy in Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, and angle-dependent X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). Those experiments revealed that a 1 nanometer layer mixed with gallium, nitrogen, and oxygen – or gallium oxynitride – had formed along some of the sidewalls. A chemical reaction had taken place, adding “active catalytic sites for hydrogen production reactions,” Toma said. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations, carried out by co-authors Tadashi Ogitsu and Anh Pham at LLNL confirmed their observations. “By calculating the change of distribution of chemical species at specific parts of the material’s surface, we successfully found a surface structure that correlates with the development of gallium oxynitride as a hydrogen evolution reaction site,” Ogitsu said. “We hope that our findings and approach – a tightly integrated theory-experiments collaboration enabled by the HydroGEN consortium – will be used to further improve the renewable hydrogen production technologies.” Looking ahead, Toma said that she and her team would like to test the Si/GaN photocathode in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell, and that Zeng will experiment with similar materials to get a better understanding of how nitrides contribute to stability in artificial photosynthesis devices – which is something they never thought would be possible. “It was totally surprising,” Zeng said. “It didn’t make sense – but Pham’s DFT calculations gave us the explanation we needed to validate our observations. Our findings will help us design even better artificial photosynthesis devices.”
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/unusual-property-in-hydrogen-fuel-device-discovered-could-be-ultimate-guide-to-self-improvement/
     
         
      Illegal clearing for agriculture reported to drive tropical deforestation Mon, 24th May 2021 12:37:00
     
      A report by NGO Forest Trends found that tropical forests cleared for agricultural activities between 2013 and 2019 done in violation of national laws and regulations contributed significant greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical forests around the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate, even in 2020 when the global economy slowed dramatically during the pandemic. A new report released this week offers insight into a primary driver of this deforestation – and our unwitting complicity as consumers. In its report, Illicit Harvest, Complicit Goods, NGO Forest Trends found that at least 69 per cent of tropical forests cleared for agricultural activities such as ranching and farmland between 2013 and 2019 was done in violation of national laws and regulations. The actual amount of illegally deforested land is immense during that period – 31.7 million hectares, or an area roughly the size of Norway. The report reveals the climate impact of this illegal agro-conversion is equally significant, making up 42 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions of all tropical deforestation. The related emissions total of 2.7 gigatonnes of CO2 annually during the seven-year period is more than India’s fossil fuel emissions in 2018. The study notes that if tropical deforestation emissions tied to commercial agriculture were a country, it would rank third behind China and the US At the 26th United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, world leaders must complete the final details necessary to implement the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement to slow the rate of global warming. Figuring out how to feed a growing global population without further damaging the most effective climate-mitigation system we have – intact, biodiverse tropical forests as carbon sinks – will be a high priority. “We should all be shocked that illegal clearing for commercial agriculture is the largest driver of deforestation – and it’s getting bigger,” said Arthur Blundell, an advisor to Forest Trends who led the research and co-authored the report. “If we don’t stop this unlawful deforestation, we don’t have a chance to beat the three crises facing humanity: climate change, biodiversity loss and emerging pandemics.” This is Forest Trends’ second such report, the first released in 2014. Since then, the NGO estimates that the unlawful clearing of tropical forests for commercial agriculture – primarily for cattle, palm oil, soy and pulp plantations – has increased by a third. “When you think about deforestation, 20 years ago we were talking about illegal logging,” Michael Jenkins, Forest Trends’ president and CEO, told Mongabay. “About 10 years ago, we recognised that the drivers of deforestation had shifted. Commodity agriculture jumped into first place with products going to the places such as the US, China, UK, Europe.” “When you think about this as a value chain,” he added, “a lot of these products end up in our shopping centers (as food, soaps, cosmetics). We are buying these products, and as a result, we are complicit with the illicit business of converting forests. That was an amazing eye-opener for us. We started thinking – what can we do about this?” To Jenkins, the key was the amount of illegal land conversion in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. He explained that countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others, are not enforcing their conservation laws or policing their protected areas and Indigenous territories. They were losing out on tax revenue. The tainted commodities then head to the supply chains of major food and consumer-goods producers. And destinations like the US and European Union, both vocal in their calls to protect tropical forests for climate mitigation, end up subsidising the problem. “We really need to sharpen our understanding of what’s driving deforestation and develop the necessary responses,” Jenkins said. “A massive effort is going to be required, including international regulations, certification processes and corporate policies. It’s going to start with you and me as consumers saying we don’t want to be a part of this illegal deforestation.” Mikaela Weisse is project manager for World Resources Institute’s monitoring platform Global Forest Watch, from which Forest Trends researchers obtained their overall deforestation numbers between 2013-2019. Global Forest Watch doesn’t determine where deforestation is legal or illegal. “Going beyond deforestation to say how this is linked to trade and illegality is really important,” Weisse told Mongabay. “It’s a challenging question to answer and it’s very helpful that they’ve attempted to tackle that.” The issue could provide a rallying point for international policymakers heading to Glasgow, she said: “In larger discussions in Europe and North America about how we deal with deforestation and the legality of the products we’re importing, this [report] is an important step in answering those kinds of questions.” In what Forest Trends described as an imperfect assessment that likely underestimates the scope of illegal land conversion, here’s how the NGO describes arriving at its numbers: Researchers evaluated the change in tree cover in tropical countries between 2013-2019 based on data from the University of Maryland and accessed via Global Forest Watch, including all forests with greater than 50 per cent canopy cover – primary as well as secondary forests and plantations. It drilled down deeper into the data to assess how much forest-clearing was converted to agriculture. Forest Trends completed 23 country studies of those affected most by deforestation for more granular detail. The report states: “Legality is framed in the context of recognising each country’s sovereign rights. ‘Illegality’ is therefore defined as the conversion of forests that takes place in (opposition to) a country’s legislative framework, including its laws, regulations, instructions, and any other legal instrument that penalises noncompliance…For each of the country studies, the literature was reviewed to evaluate compliance of forest clearing (agro-conversion) against the relevant legislative framework at the time the deforestation took place.” Forest Trends concluded from specific examples that at least 95 per cent of Brazilian deforestation was illegal. Indonesia’s Supreme Audit Agency found that more than 80 per cent of palm oil operations did not comply with national laws. In countries with weak governance and environmental oversight, illustrating illegality is nearly impossible. “Fully understanding the scope of the illegality crisis is a challenge given that so many countries fail to report data about illegal deforestation, and reliable country-wide data is scarce,” said Cassie Dummett, co-author of the Forest Trends report. “Nonetheless, we lay out clear evidence in this report that the problem is too large—and growing too fast—to ignore.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.eco-business.com/news/illegal-clearing-for-agriculture-reported-to-drive-tropical-deforestation/
     
         
      Scott Morrison’s claim Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling does ‘not stack up’ Sun, 23rd May 2021 18:30:00
     
      Despite official accounts showing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling, its contribution to the climate crisis has increased over the past 15 years once areas beyond the federal government’s control – the drought and emissions from land and forests – are excluded. Scott Morrison told a climate leaders summit hosted by the US president, Joe Biden, last month that Australia had cut its emissions by 19% since 2005. The prime minister said it was “more than most other similar economies” had done and the country was “on the pathway to net zero”. An analysis by the Australia Institute found the reduction in emissions over the past 15 years was largely due to two major shocks beyond government control – the drought and the pandemic – and mostly historical changes in the amount of CO2 released from the land and forests. Fossil fuel and other emissions not linked to the land or agriculture sectors – those from electricity, industry, mining, transport and landfill – actually increased by 7% prior to Covid-19. The institute found on this basis Australia had done much less to reduce emissions than several comparable countries, including the US, UK and members of the European Union. Richie Merzian, the institute’s climate and energy director, said it showed the Morrison government’s claims the country was on track to meet its 2030 emissions target (a 26-28% cut) and was doing more than others did “not stack up”. He said emissions reductions from Australia’s electricity generation due to an influx of solar and wind had been more than eclipsed by increases from big industry and transport, and federal policies that had helped drive the growth in renewable energy pre-dated the Coalition’s election in 2013. “The harsh truth is that the Australian economy has not decarbonised over the last 15 years,” Merzian said. “This might explain why the Australian government has been so reluctant to commit to a net zero target when the economy is headed in the wrong direction.” The Australia Institute presented its analysis to officials from nearly 50 diplomatic missions in Canberra last week in what Merzian said was an attempt to show Morrison’s suggestion his government was acting more than others on climate was “not the full picture”. Merzian said there was “a strong interest in understanding Australia’s climate position, especially because Morrison went out of his way to compare us favourably to other countries”. He said the government’s claim Australia was cutting emissions was taking credit for changes in CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and the land and forests. The institute’s report showed there had been a spike in emissions from forest destruction in Queensland in 2005 that reduced in the years that followed. Emissions also fell due to a structural decline in native forestry that was accelerated by the global financial crisis. Neither were due to federal climate policy. “There has been no structural change in the economy,” Merzian said. “By contrast, key allies like the United Kingdom and United States have decreased their net emissions and are exercising real credible climate leadership.” A spokesperson for the emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, did not specifically address the analysis, but said the Australia Institute was a “leftwing political group” that would “never acknowledge Australia’s achievements in this space, because it doesn’t suit their biased agenda”. “Their work has zero credibility,” the spokesperson said. Diplomatic pressure on Australia to do more on climate has increased significantly in recent months as Britain has focused on boosting global action at a major UN climate summit in Glasgow in November, and Biden has said he will make climate action central to his presidency. All G7 members have lifted their climate commitments for the next decade, reflecting that scientists say deep cuts in emissions are needed now if the world is to live up to the goals of the Paris agreement. Morrison’s unwillingness to do the same has had ramifications. He was denied a speaking slot at a global climate ambition summit in December for not offering new commitments. The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, and the Biden administration have made it publicly clear they expect Australia to do more. The EU is working on a carbon border tax that is not aimed at Australia but could affect it, and is seen as a forerunner of what other countries may do. Next month Morrison will be a guest at a G7 summit in England that is expected to make climate a priority. On Friday, G7 environment ministers released a communique that said their countries could not tackle climate change on their own. They called on “all countries, in particular other major emitting economies, to join the growing numbers that have made 2050 net zero commitments”, to present “specific and credible strategies for achieving them” and to boost 2030 goals accordingly to keep limiting global heating within 1.5C “within reach”. The G7 has pledged to stop all overseas financing of coal. A major report by the International Energy Agency last week said there was a “narrow and extremely challenging” pathway through which the world could meet the Paris commitments. It would require no new investments in coal, oil and gas, starting immediately. The Morrison government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a “gas-fired recovery” from the pandemic, including last week committing $600m for the publicly owned Snowy Hydro to build a new gas-fired power plant in New South Wales. Experts say the plant is not needed to replace the Liddell coal plant, which closes in 2023.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/24/scott-morrisons-claim-australias-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-falling-does-not-stack-up
     
         
      Electric-car charging wars: the battle for our pavements Sun, 23rd May 2021 0:01:00
     
      When Chris Priest, 40, and his wife bought a hybrid Volvo XC90 last December for their family of three children, the couple wanted to do the right thing for the planet. That meant keeping the car charged up on the street outside so they could drive it in zero-emission electric mode, rather than generate emissions by burning petrol. He had no idea quite how much worry it would create. Priest, an IT consultant, lives in Redhill, Surrey, where the county council forbids owners of electric vehicles from trailing a power line from their home mains supply across the pavement. Legislation is piecemeal and inconsistent across the country.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/electric-car-charging-wars-the-battle-for-our-pavements-wkllmhtdl
     
         
      Will The World’s Largest Oil Region Become A Hydrogen Hub? Sat, 22nd May 2021 18:00:00
     
      The biggest oil-exporting region in the world, the Middle East, has set its sights on becoming a major clean energy exporter of green hydrogen. The largest oil producers in the Arab Gulf have jumped on the hydrogen bandwagon — especially its so-called green variety produced from water electrolysis using electricity from solar or wind — as it gains momentum with governments and the world’s largest international oil companies. Hydrogen is expected to play a prominent role in lowering carbon emissions from energy-intensive industries. And the Middle East doesn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. On the one hand, it wants to show the world it can export clean energy—not only crude oil—as the global energy transition accelerates. On the other hand, the oil-dependent economies of some of OPEC’s largest producers are determined to diversify into green energy exports and away from oil. This past week, two announcements of green hydrogen projects in the Middle East made headlines: Dubai launched the first industrial-scale green hydrogen project in the region, while Oman announced plans to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world. Dubai, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is currently OPEC’s third-largest oil producer, launched the first industrial-scale, solar-powered green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa in collaboration with Siemens Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Expo 2020 Dubai. During the day, the plant uses some of the photovoltaic electricity from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis. At night, the green hydrogen is converted into electricity to power the city with sustainable energy, Siemens Energy says. The Solar Park is expected to generate as much as 5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy by 2030 as the largest single-site solar park in the world. Companies in the region, international technology partners, and analysts believe that Dubai and the whole of the Middle East have a bright future in solar power generation, considering the abundant sunshine in the region. “Against the background of low costs of electricity for solar PV and wind power in the region, hydrogen has the potential to be a key fuel in the energy mix of the future and could open up energy export opportunities for those areas with access to abundant renewable energies,” Siemens Energy said. The UAE could become an exporter of hydrogen, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch told CNBC’s Dan Murphy in an interview this week. “I do believe it must be, it will be, it should be, one of the key future commercial models in the UAE and the wider region, to be also, in future, an energy exporter for the world,” Bruch told CNBC. Another oil producer in the Middle East, Oman—not an OPEC member but part of the OPEC+ alliance—also made a major announcement involving green hydrogen this week. Oman’s state-held energy company OQ, Hong-Kong-based green fuels developer InterContinental Energy, and Kuwait’s government-backed clean energy investor and developer, EnerTech, announced a plan for one of the biggest facilities of green hydrogen in the world. The plant will be powered by 25 GW of renewable energy and could cost as much as US$30 billion. “Given the site’s strategic location between Europe and Asia, as well as excellent solar irradiance and wind resource facing the Arabian Sea, the development is well-positioned to offer a secure and reliable supply of green fuels globally at a highly competitive price,” InterContinental Energy said. “Alternative energy is a key driver for OQ’s long-term growth and a cornerstone of its strategy. It is also in line with the country’s ambitious Oman Vision 2040 that aims to diversify the nation’s resources and maximize the financial value derived,” said Salim Al Huthaili, CEO Alternative Energy at OQ. The region’s top oil producer and the world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, is also eyeing green hydrogen projects and a share of the emerging clean hydrogen market. NEOM, the future sustainable city promoted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signed last year a deal with Air Products and Saudi ACWA Power for a $5 billion green hydrogen-based ammonia production project, which will export the product. All these plans suggest that the oil powerhouse Middle East is not immune to the energy transition and growing global demand for clean energy products.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Will-The-Worlds-Largest-Oil-Region-Become-A-Hydrogen-Hub.html
     
         
      Climate change: G7 ministers agree new steps against fossil fuels Sat, 22nd May 2021 13:15:00
     
      The world's major nations have taken further significant steps to help limit climate change. G7 environment ministers have agreed that they will deliver climate targets in line with limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C. That's far more ambitious than the previous 2C maximum. Ministers also agreed to stop direct funding of coal-fired power stations in poorer nations by the end of 2021. There's wriggle room in the statement, but the decision will send a clear message to development banks that still fund coal power in poor countries. There's also an important commitment to safeguarding 30% of land for nature by 2030 to boost wildlife and help soak up carbon emissions. Environment ministers from the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, France, Italy and Germany took part in the virtual G7 meeting, which is one of a series leading to the leaders' gathering in Cornwall in June. The online meeting was led by the UK, and a government source told BBC News: "We're pretty encouraged by the outcomes." The decisions that have been taken are an important stepping-stone on the road towards the vital global climate summit in Glasgow in November called COP26. The move to keep their policies in line with 1.5C implies much faster action to cut emissions by 2030, rather than by mid-century. Nick Mabey from the climate think tank E3G told BBC News: "This is looking good. "It puts the burden on any fossil fuel development now to prove that it's 1.5C compatible." The ministers are said to have been heavily influenced by a recent report from the rich nations' energy think tank, the IEA. The study said that if the world wanted to reach net-zero emissions by the middle of the century, then there could be no new coal, oil or gas development from now on. The G7 ministers agreed much more cash was needed to help fast-growing economies such as India and Indonesia to get clean technology. This decision will be pushed forward at the G7 Finance ministers' meeting on 4 June. The communique issued by the ministers at the end of the meeting said: "We will phase out new direct government support for carbon-intensive international fossil fuel energy." This is expected to mean coal and oil. But there's no date for enactment of the policy, with Japan arguing against strong strictures against coal. The UK hopes Japan will bend further on this by the Glasgow conference in November. Another statement in communique said: "We commit to take concrete steps towards an absolute end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by end of 2021." The UK Environment Secretary George Eustice told a news conference that the G7 would work towards ending unregulated fishing - and strive to improve marine biodiversity in international waters. The US special climate envoy John Kerry said the meeting showed a unique sense of urgency - and unity. He said the G7 had understood the need to make sure some groups of people aren't left behind by the coming low-carbon revolution. The ministers agreed that the world should move towards zero emission vehicles. The G7 were joined by India, Australia, South Africa and South Korea who have guest status at the meeting. The elephant not in the room was China. The UK's tactic is not to blame the world's biggest carbon emitter, but to lay down a challenge. One UK source said: "It's a question of us saying 'this is what we are doing to protect the planet - what are you going to do to protect yourselves and the planet?'". UK sources were keen to emphasise that with President Biden as US leader, western democracies had now re-taken charge of the international agenda. The G7 nations now need to prove they have policies to back their intentions. The UK government told BBC News it supported the IEA report, but wouldn't be revoking recent North Sea drilling licences. Ministers have also declined to halt the proposed Cumbria coal mine, and they're pushing ahead with a £27bn roads programme and the HS2 rail project - both of which will increase emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57203400
     
         
      SDGs: Greater urgency needed to meet environmental goals, improved data likely key Sat, 22nd May 2021 13:09:00
     
      Despite making progress in areas such as clean water, sanitation, clean energy and forest management, the world is still living unsustainably and biodiversity loss and climate change have continued to deteriorate. “We have still not embraced the rate of change necessary to come in line with the 2030 Agenda”, said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which produced the study together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). GOING BACKWARDS “The report makes it clear that we are falling short, and, in some cases, actually receding. The world cannot sustain our rate of use and abuse forever, and it is imperative that we accept the changes in lifestyles and livelihoods necessary to achieve the 2030 goals.” The SDGS are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlines internationally agreed targets in areas such as poverty, hunger, health, climate action, clean energy and responsible consumption. The Measuring Progress report reviews data and information about the environmental aspects of each of the 17 goals, and how countries are making headway based on assessment through respective SDG indicators. The authors found there has been an increase in downward trends among more indicators when compared with the previous progress report published in 2019. As the SDGs are interlinked, achieving one goal or target could contribute to realizing other goals or targets, while the pursuit of one objective may conflict with the achievement of another. Researchers tested the relationship between the SDG indicators, using an analytical approach driven by data. Among the links they found was that Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) related to biomass extraction is “negatively correlated” with species at risk of extinction. On the other hand, increasing protected areas and other measures to safeguard biodiversity have not led to reductions in the number of species at risk of disappearing, meaning a decade-long global strategy to conserve biodiversity by 2020 has been missed. BETTER DATA FOR A GREENER PLANET The report calls for improved data, and indicators, to understand how to ensure development progresses in a practical way. Gaps were identified in the diversity and use of environmental data and statistics to inform government policies, particularly “big environmental data” produced through technologies such as remote sensing and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, many existing data products, statistics and indicators appear to be under-utilized, while governments also have failed to put emphasis on that data in policy formation or decision-making. “Our comprehension of the environmental dimension of the SDGs is lagging”, said Jian Liu, Director of the Science Division at UNEP. “Our limited capacities to collect, disseminate and effectively use environmental data have hindered our holistic understanding of the environment and the effect of socio-economic factors – we hope this report will support countries as they strengthen action on the environmental dimensions with a view to meeting the 2030 Agenda.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092532
     
         
      Tiny 22-lb Hydrogen Engine May Replace the Traditional Combustion Engine Fri, 21st May 2021 14:15:00
     
      Israel-based Aquarius Engines unveiled a new hydrogen engine that it says could do away with the global reliance on hydrogen fuel cells and fossil fuels, the company explained in a press statement via PR Newswire. The machine, which weighs only 22 lb (10 kg), is a single-piston-linear-engine, that runs exclusively on hydrogen. As it has only 20 components and one moving part, the engine is also much cheaper to produce and maintain than traditional engines. Though Aquarius Engines has so far released little in the way of specifications for their new engine, the company says the Aquarius Hydrogen Engine's "lightweight design and unique internal-gas-exchange-method would greatly reduce emissions and lower the global carbon footprint." The company said its new hydrogen engine has successfully passed a test by Austrian engineering firm AVL-Schrick, showing that the model does indeed operate on hydrogen. "It was always our dream at Aquarius Engines to breathe oxygen into hydrogen technology as the fuel of the future," said Gal Fridman, Chairman of Aquarius Engines. "From initial tests it appears that our hydrogen engine, that doesn't require costly hydrogen fuel-cells, could be the affordable, green and sustainable answer to the challenges faced by global transport and remote energy production," Fridman continued. "As the world moves away from fossil fuel, our new hydrogen engine could spark the dawning of the age of Aquarius." Indeed, as with many green initiatives, the financial incentive behind going hydrogen is set to play a big role, and will likely determine whether we eventually drive hydrogen cars or electric at a mass scale. Really, the main selling point of the new Aquarius Hydrogen Engine, with its one moving part, is the fact that it's much cheaper than hydrogen fuel cells. The company adds that the machine doesn't even need lubrication for maintenance. Still, it might take more for the current trend to veer away from electric vehicles. This week, Volkswagen Auto Group CEO Herbert Diess criticized hydrogen cars on Twitter and stated the group is backing electrification. Elon Musk was quick to reply, saying "Diess is right. Hydrogen is a staggeringly dumb form of energy storage for cars. Barely worth considering it for a rocket upper stage, which is its most compelling use." That's not to say plenty of companies aren't exploring hydrogen fuel as a sustainable method for transportation — including Segway with its bonkers Tron-inspired hydrogen-fueled motorbike. In fact, Aquarius Engines recently announced partnerships with auto-parts manufacturers TPR and Honda-affiliate Musashi Seimitsu. Japan is one of the few countries to have bet big on hydrogen as part of its Green Growth Strategy. Aquarius Engines unveiled the first iteration of its 22-lb engine in 2014, though that one didn't run on 100 percent hydrogen. It was designed to be used as an onboard power generator in vehicles or as a stationary electricity generator.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/tiny-22-lb-hydrogen-engine-may-replace-the-traditional-combustion-engine
     
         
      School Strike 4 Climate: Thousands join Australia protest Fri, 21st May 2021 13:13:00
     
      Thousands of Australian children are walking out of school to attend protests, calling for action on climate change. Up to 50,000 students are expected at School Strike for Climate rallies across the country. It's the latest grassroots campaign by young people pushing for action on the climate crisis. Australia has long faced criticism for refusing to set more ambitious emissions targets. David Soriano, a 17-year-old attending a Sydney rally told the BBC he was worried about the future and wants the government to see the youth movement "as one to be reckoned with". "We're scared and concerned. We're doubtful that there might not be a future in store for the generations after us, and even our own generation," he said. Mr Soriano said he had experienced increasing heatwaves and low air quality, in Western Sydney where he lives. The protesters are also calling for no new coal, oil and gas projects in Australia, including the controversial Adani mine. India's Adani Enterprises has attracted criticism in parts of Australia for developing a new thermal coal mine. Protesters want 100% renewable energy generation and exports by 2030 too, along with plans for the transition away from fossil fuel jobs. "I also fear for my extended family in the Philippines who, because of climate change, have been seeing more severe typhoons at an unpredictable rate," Mr Soranio said. "I hope the government will hear our voices," he added. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has faced sustained criticism over climate policy and international pressure to step up efforts to cut emissions. At a global climate summit last month, Mr Morrison resisted calls to set more ambitious carbon emission targets while other major nations vowed deeper reductions. "Future generations... will thank us not for what we have promised, but what we deliver," Mr Morrison said at the summit. Australia is one of the world's biggest carbon emitters on a per capita basis. The country has warmed on average by 1.4C since national records began in 1910, according to its science and weather agencies. That has led to an increase in the number of extreme weather events, including forest fires. The government has said action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would focus on technology. It is leaning heavily on a gas-led transition, and this week announced plans for a new $600m ($465m; £328) gas power plant in New South Wales. Critics argue Australia should not be focusing so heavily on gas, and instead invest more in renewable energy sources. "Simply put, gas doesn't make economic sense in Australia any more... it increases emissions at a time when the rest of the world is reducing emissions, and it creates very few jobs," Nicki Hutley, economist at the Climate Council, said. The announcement of the new plant came as a report from the International Energy Agency recommended that no new oil and natural gas fields are required beyond those that have already been approved for development, in order to reach net zero-emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57181034
     
         
      Boosting Energy Production at US Wind Plants With Wake Steering Thu, 20th May 2021 14:08:00
     
      Wake steering is a strategy employed at wind power plants involving misaligning upstream turbines with the wind direction to deflect wakes away from downstream turbines, which consequently increases the net production of wind power at a plant. In Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, by AIP Publishing, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) illustrate how wake steering can increase energy production for a large sampling of commercial land-based U.S. wind power plants. While some plants showed less potential for wake steering due to unfavorable meteorological conditions or turbine layout, several wind power plants were ideal candidates that could benefit greatly from wake steering control. Overall, a predicted average annual production gain of 0.8% was found for the set of wind plants investigated. In addition, the researchers found that on wind plants using wake steering, wind turbines could be placed more closely together, increasing the amount of power produced in a given area by nearly 70% while maintaining the same cost of energy generation. “We were surprised to see that that there was still a large amount of variability in the potential energy improvement from wake steering, even after accounting for the wake losses of different wind plants,” said author David Bensason. Just as umbrellas may cast a shadow, wind turbines create a region of slower, more turbulent air flow downstream of their rotor, which is known as a wake. When these wakes flow into another turbine, they reduce its power production capacity. The wake steering strategy “steers” these wakes away from turbines by offsetting the angle between the rotor face and the incoming wind direction. This technique sacrifices the power efficiencies of a few turbines in order to increase the performance of the wind power plant as a whole. Wake steering can only increase energy production if there are wake losses to start. Consequently, the benefits of wake steering tend to increase for wind plants with higher wake losses. The study is one of the first to use the Gauss-Curl-Hybrid wake model, which NREL developed. This model predicts wake behavior in a wind plant more accurately than prior models and captures effects that are more prominent in large-scale plants. The researchers also combined several publicly available databases and tools that together make the investigation of wake steering potential for a large sample of U.S. wind plants possible. “We hope that this study, which highlighted the potential for wake steering for a large sample of existing commercial wind plants in the U.S., motivates wind plant owners to implement wake steering in their wind plants to increase energy production and contribute to making wind energy a widely deployed affordable clean energy source,” said co-author Eric Simley.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/boosting-energy-production-at-us-wind-plants-with-wake-steering/
     
         
      If We Put Solar Panels on Top of Airports, We Could Power Entire Cities Thu, 20th May 2021 14:04:00
     
      Airports aren't surrounded by trees—they're (mostly) surrounded by wide-open spaces, replete with sunlight. Now imagine those airports' rooftops, bejeweled with solar panel arrays. This isn't a fantasy vision of a green tech future, but the subject of new research at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University). There, scientists have incorporated real-world data into a software program. The results, published in the Journal of Building Engineering, show that if Australia installed solar panels on top of all 21 of its government-owned airports, the country could produce an estimated 466 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of electrical energy each year. That's enough to power about 136,000 homes per year. "Australia is facing an energy crisis, yet our solar energy resources—such as airport rooftops—are being wasted," Chayn Sun, senior lecturer at RMIT, and one of the scientists involved in the new research, said in a prepared statement. "Harnessing this power source would avoid 63 kilotons of coal being burned in Australia each year, an important step towards a zero-carbon future." How did the scientists come up with these figures? First, they combined all the roof real estate data for Australia's 21 federal airports, arriving at a total of 2.61 square kilometers of available space. Then, they compared the amount of energy the country could conceivably generate with solar panels on these commercial roofs, versus the amount of energy currently generated with solar panels in residential areas. Because residential roofs are usually built at an angle—creating slanted structures that are prone to shadows from trees and other structures—they can be tricky for ample solar collection. Commercial roofs, meanwhile, are usually flat and unobstructed. In fact, the RMIT scientists found solar panels installed on commercial roofs could collect 10 times more energy than those installed on residential roofs. What's in this deal for the airports? There's the plentiful energy, of course. This approach could reduce overall operating costs by decreasing an airport's overhead energy cost. Airports are strangely energy-dense in a way very few other places are, crowded with people all day, every day. The solar roofs could also offset a significant amount of airport carbon emissions, which could improve the environmental optics for an industry that emits a lot of greenhouse gases. Australia is in a special position, as an enormous nation with a relatively small population and a lot of sunshine. Because of that, the country has become a global leader in renewable energy infrastructure, even using it to help stabilize rural grids that previously struggled. Elon Musk has had runaway success there, with storage batteries in South Australia. And the country has so much sun that it's even shipping some off to Singapore. This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Using its growing pool of battery farms and microgrids, Australia could store the solar energy generated at airports and tip it back into the grid during outages or at peak usage times. Homeowners with solar panels are, of course, welcome to plug in their setups. But the researchers say large-scale energy demand requires large-scale energy production in the form of larger projects like a hypothetical airport solar grid. It'll be trickier to bring this idea to life in the U.S., where nearly half of all Americans believe environmental policymaking does no good or does more harm than good, according to April 2020 data from Pew Research Center. Wired reports on a few persistent counterarguments against such solar proposals, down to the question of whether or not solar panels could reflect glare into pilots' eyes. (This shouldn't be a problem thanks to new coatings.) And even though some airports, like Denver International Airport, have already embraced solar panels on the ground, it'll be a costly project to retrofit the panels for old rooftops. Then there's the whole other issue of sunlight: we get a lot less of it in certain parts of the U.S., and in places like Denver, there's snow to think about, which will obstruct the panels. Australia is poised to make the switch, though, and maybe that sort of success story—and proof of the related economic benefits that come along with it—could sway key stakeholders in the U.S.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a36385191/solar-powered-airport-australia/
     
         
      Nord Stream 2: Biden waives US sanctions on Russian pipeline Thu, 20th May 2021 14:02:00
     
      The Biden administration has waived sanctions on a company building a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. The US also lifted sanctions on the executive - an ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin - who leads the firm behind the Nord Stream 2 project. The move came in a report on Russian sanctions delivered to Congress by the Department of State. Critics say the pipeline is a major geopolitical prize for the Kremlin. The project, which would take gas from the Russian Arctic under the Baltic Sea to Germany, is already more than 95% complete. The Department of State report notes that Nord Stream 2 AG and its chief executive, Matthias Warnig, a former East German intelligence officer, engaged in sanctionable activity. But it concludes that it is in the US national interest to waive the sanctions. The Department of State also imposed sanctions on four Russian ships involved in the building of Nord Stream 2, though detractors said that would not be enough to stop the pipeline. President Joe Biden has said he opposes the $11bn (£7.8bn) project. His Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during his confirmation hearing that he was "determined to do whatever we can to prevent that completion" of Nord Stream 2. What's the world reaction? On Wednesday, America's top diplomat met his Russian counterpart at an international summit in Iceland. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia and the US had "serious differences", but should work together "in spheres where our interests collide". Mr Blinken said Mr Biden wanted "a predictable, stable relationship with Russia". Earlier Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports of the impending US sanctions waiver were "a positive signal". And Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by the state-run Tass news agency as welcoming "a chance for a gradual transition toward the normalisation of our bilateral ties". German officials also welcomed the sanctions waiver as "a constructive step" from the Biden administration. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters: "It's an expression of the fact that Germany is an important partner for the US, one that it can count on in the future." But Yuriy Vitrenko, the chief executive of Ukraine's state-owned energy company, Naftogaz, said Kyiv would press Washington to impose sanctions to stop the pipeline. Mr Vitrenko said Nord Stream was Russia's most "dangerous geopolitical project". What's the US political reaction? The Biden administration's decision was criticised by a member of the president's own party, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez. The New Jersey Democrat said in a statement: "I urge the administration to rip off the Band-Aid, lift these waivers and move forward with the congressionally mandated sanctions." He added that he failed to see "how today's decision will advance US efforts to counter Russian aggression in Europe". US congressional Republicans also condemned the waiver. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was "a gift to Putin that will only weaken the United States' leverage in the lead up to the impending Biden-Putin summit". Mr Biden will travel to Europe next month and a potential summit with the Russian president is in the works. Michael McCaul, the top-ranking House Republican on foreign affairs, said: "If the Putin regime is allowed to finish this pipeline, it will be because the Biden Administration chose to let it happen." He added: "It is a Russian malign influence project that threatens to deepen Europe's energy dependence on Moscow, render Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian aggression and provide billions of dollars to Putin's coffers." When Mr Biden came into office he sought to draw a contrast between himself and his predecessor, Donald Trump, by vowing there would be no more "rolling over in the face of Russia's aggressive actions". But analysts say the US president was reluctant to risk a trans-Atlantic rift with Germany at a time when he has been trying to reach out to European allies. The sanctions waiver comes after cyber-criminals who the US government says were based in Russia took a major American oil pipeline offline this month, leaving thousands of petrol stations across the US south-east with fuel shortages. It also comes after Mr Biden was lambasted in January for cancelling the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the US, citing the need to combat climate change. That project had been forecast to generate tens of thousands of jobs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57180674
     
         
      Could an app help protect Vietnam's paddy fields? Thu, 20th May 2021 13:33:00
     
      Vietnam is one of the biggest producers and exporters of rice in the world, but the livelihood of some farmers is under threat. Seawater intrusion has long been a problem in the low-lying Mekong Delta, where more than half of the country's rice is grown. During the dry season, the salty water can leach into fields and ruin crops. It's thought rising sea levels are exacerbating the problem. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of Vietnam have launched a smartphone app, which monitors the saltiness of the water. The data helps rice farmers decide when to flush out the paddy fields with freshwater to protect their crops.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-57170773
     
         
      Climate change: The Antarctic ice shelf in the line of fire Thu, 20th May 2021 13:31:00
     
      Will it be next, and if so, when? These are questions often asked about Larsen C, a huge ice shelf, twice the size of Wales, attached to the eastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula. A dozen or so smaller floating ice platforms, mostly to the north, have either disintegrated or substantially retreated in recent decades, as the region's climate has warmed. So it's with interest that we learn from new research that Larsen C may be more resilient than we dared hope. Scientists have been drilling through the ice shelf, and just in front, to get at sediments that record past ice behaviour. And what these investigations tell us is that Larsen C has maintained integrity throughout the last 10,000 years. It's had a couple of phases of retreat in previous warm spells - roughly 9,000 and 4,000 years ago - but it's never collapsed like its northern cousins. "It's clearly a robust ice shelf; it's hung in there for a long time," says study leader Dr James Smith from the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, UK. "So with that resilience we could potentially prevent a collapse if we curb carbon emissions and get a good grip on atmospheric warming. But what I would say is that Larsen C is probably as vulnerable as it's ever been in terms of the last 10,000 years because it's likely at the thinnest it's ever been over that period," he told BBC News. Larsen C is an amalgam of ice from many glaciers that flow off the Peninsula into the Weddell Sea. There's a point - it's called the grounding line - where this protruding mass becomes buoyant and lifts up to form a wide, 300m-thick, floating wedge. Occasionally it will spit out icebergs, some on a gargantuan scale, such as the trillion-tonne A68 block that broke off in 2017 and later grabbed social media attention as it wandered up into the South Atlantic. Larsen C's importance - and it's the same for all ice shelves - is that it buttresses the glaciers behind. Remove the shelf and ice streams to the rear flow faster, putting more mass into the ocean to further raise sea-levels. This was documented in those northern collapses, the most spectacular of which was next-door Larsen B, which shattered in 2002. The feeding glaciers accelerated. Larsen C bounds some 300-400km of coastline, so it's critical it stays intact for as long as possible as we further warm the planet in the decades ahead. Dr Smith and colleagues can be confident about what's happened in the past because of what they see in the layers of mud pulled up in the drill cores. Sequences that hold compacted sediments speak to times when heavy, grounded ice must have been present. Sections where there was more organic material - the remains of marine organisms - record times when the ice retreated to some degree to allow seawater to circulate in the cavity under the floating front of the shelf. "What was immediately obvious is that there was no evidence for major retreat or collapse," explains Dr Smith. "[At ice shelves where there have been past collapses], you generally see a distinctive, open marine type of sediment that reflects open-ocean productivity. So this is phytoplankton and other marine microfossils. It's a big marine signal. But we didn't see that under Larsen C, so we're fairly certain there was no significant retreat or collapse." Going back to those opening questions: How long can Larsen C resist today's climate change challenge? The pressures are rising. For example, there's evidence now that the ice platform is increasingly being confronted by warm winds that come down off the peninsula mountains and melt its surface. Prof Adrian Luckman will head down to Larsen C shortly to study its suture zones. These are the areas where the feeding glaciers are glued together to make the continuous shelf structure. The nature of the ice in these zones works to dampen the activity of cracks and so helps keep the shelf intact. "Predicting the future evolution of Larsen C is tricky," the Swansea University researcher says. "It sits in the cold Weddell Sea, so is not subject to the same rapid ocean warming seen elsewhere in Antarctica such as at Thwaites Glacier (in the west of the continent), and there is some evidence of ice shelf thickening rather than thinning. "On the other hand, Larsen C has progressively lost area during the satellite era - quite spectacularly during the 1980s and in 2017 - so that trend is likely to continue." The investigation of Larsen C's history is being published in the journal Geology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57169003
     
         
      Climate change: EU official backs German Greens on curbing flights Thu, 20th May 2021 13:22:00
     
      The EU's top official on climate action has backed the German Greens' call for tax and pricing changes to make rail travel more popular than flying. EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said "I support taxing kerosene like other fuels" and "nobody has to fly 10 or 12 times a year". He did not, however, back German Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock's call for a ban on short-haul flights. The Greens' popularity has soared ahead of a September general election. In Germany, as in many other countries, jet fuel based on kerosene is exempt from energy taxes. Ms Baerbock is the Greens' candidate to replace Angela Merkel of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) as chancellor. Mrs Merkel, now in her fourth term, became Germany's first woman chancellor in 2005, and is not running again. Opinion polls suggest the Greens have drawn level with the CDU, on just under 25%. If they keep up that momentum, the Greens could lead the next governing coalition, with Ms Baerbock becoming chancellor. The CDU's junior partner in government, the centre-left Social Democrat Party (SPD), is on about 15%. "A family travelling by train should pay less for a train ticket than for short-haul flights. Short-haul flights should no longer exist in the longer run," Ms Baerbock told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. She said that a Greens-led government would make budget flights - such as those to Majorca costing just €29 (£25; $35) - a thing of the past. "Climate-friendly taxation of flights would stop such dumping prices," she said. She also said the Greens' emergency climate programme would include making solar panels compulsory for new buildings. Speaking to Germany's Funke Media group, Mr Timmermans said that if EU citizens could be persuaded to limit themselves to one flight a year, "then there would be no problem - neither for the climate, nor for their wallets". Last month, members of the French National Assembly voted in favour of a bill to end short-haul flights where the same journey could be made by train in under two-and-a-half hours. The upper house - the Senate - has not yet voted on the bill to make it law. About 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation. Together with other gases and the water vapour trails produced by aircraft, the industry is responsible for around 5% of global warming. But aviation emissions are growing fast - outpacing improvements in fuel efficiency. In Germany, there was criticism of the Greens' stance from Mrs Merkel's centre-right group and from the opposition liberal Free Democrats (FDP). Ulrich Lange of the CDU's Bavarian allies, the CSU, said "it's clear that aviation must make its contribution to protecting the climate. But banning short-haul flights and massive price hikes for flights are the wrong way to go".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57185261
     
         
      'No more gas boilers, petrol cars or investment in oil and gas': A roadmap for net zero by 2050 is revealed but how will we get energy and heat our homes? Thu, 20th May 2021 7:45:00
     
      There should be a total ban on new fossil fuel boilers from 2025 if the global target of net zero emissions by 2050 is to be met, a new report has said. Sales of new petrol and diesel cars around the world should also end by 2035, and there should be a total ban on investment in new coal mines, oil and gas wells, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. The agency, which advises countries around the world on clean energy, said there was a 'narrow but achievable' pathway for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 - but only if immediate action was taken. It also recommended a four-fold increase in the use of solar and wind power, which reached a record level last year. In addition, the IEA said public charging points for electric cars should be increased from around one million worldwide today to 40million by 2030. Overall, the agency set out 400 steps to transform how energy is produced, transported and used. Several countries, including the United States and the European Union, have pledged to achieve net zero emissions - meaning only as much planet-warming gas is released into the atmosphere as can be absorbed - by the mid-century under the Paris climate agreement. Many of these countries will meet for the COP26 in Glasgow this November, where they will attempt to agree on the measures needed to put the Paris agreement into practice. However, the IEA said that climate pledges by governments to date would fall short of what was required to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050, and give the world an even chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celsius. The IEA's executive director, Fatih Birol, said that meeting this challenge would create millions of new jobs and boost economic growth worldwide. He said: 'The scale and speed of the efforts demanded by this critical and formidable goal – our best chance of tackling climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius – make this perhaps the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced. 'We have to ensure that developing economies receive the financing and technological know-how they need to build out their energy systems to meet the needs of their expanding populations and economies in a sustainable way.' The IEA's pathway calls for enough new solar panels to produce 630 gigawatts of energy by 2030, and enough wind power generators to reach 390 gigawatts. Together, this would mean producing four times the record level of solar and wind energy that was seen in 2020. For solar panels, it would mean installing the equivalent of the world's current largest solar park almost every single day. The IEA anticipates that, by 2050, the energy world will look completely different with global demand around 8 per cent smaller than today. However, it will be serving an economy more than twice as big and a population of two billion more people. The IEA believes that by 2050 almost 90 per cent of electricity generation will come from renewable sources, with wind and solar panels accounting for almost 70 per cent. Most of the remainder will come from nuclear power, it said. It also predicts that solar will be the world's single largest source of total energy supply, with fossil fuels falling from almost four-fifths of total energy supply today to slightly more than one-fifth. Fossil fuels that remain, it believes, will be used in goods where the carbon is embodied in the product such as plastics; in facilities fitted with carbon capture; and in sectors where low-emission technology options are scarce. The report's proposals will require major investment from all countries and co-operation on a universal scale. Jonathan Parr, investment manager of the Triple Point Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Company, said: 'The transition to a net-zero economy is going to require huge investment in energy efficiency if we are to meet the narrow pathway that the IEA has outlined today. 'Cleaner forms of energy such as wind and solar power are critical, of course, but we also need to be creative in how we use our resources more efficiently to streamline global energy demand.' Charlie Mullins, boss of Pimlico Plumbers, said that getting the right infrastructure and skills to switch UK homes to renewable energy sources would be a huge challenge. 'If we're going to have any chance of pulling the climate game back in our favour, scientists need to take a look around at the current state of play in UK towns and cities,' he said. 'In reality, hydrogen boilers are only at the prototype stage and the UK has something like 30million homes to heat - that kind of change out doesn't happen overnight. 'Even if the boiler units were available and in the quantities necessary, there are nothing like the number of qualified heating engineers to perform such a radical retooling of the UK's domestic heating. 'Next there is the small matter of creating the infrastructure to deliver clean hydrogen gas to 70million Britons. Can you imagine digging up every street in the country to lay new gas lines in the period of three and a half years? Simply not going to happen. 'An alternative might be electricity generated from green sources. Of course, if we switched all the UK over to electric heating, we'd need to build a load of new power stations, and they seem to take a decade to get off the drawing board, let alone built and up and running.' 'If the IEA want to be taken seriously they need to come up with some sensible solutions and timeframes.' Birol described the pathway towards net zero energy as 'narrow but still achievable.' Staying on it will require immediate and large-scale deployment of all available clean and efficient energy technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-9591201/Ban-gas-boilers-2025-net-zero-heat-homes.html
     
         
      Gravitricity reveals hydrogen storage plans Wed, 19th May 2021 13:57:00
     
      Energy storage specialist Gravitricity has revealed plans to add hydrogen and heat storage to their underground gravity energy system. The Edinburgh innovators have submitted a global patent to turn purpose-built shafts into pressurised energy stores, capable of safely accumulating significant quantities of the gas. Company founder Martin Wright said: "The future hydrogen economy will need to find economic and safe ways to store hydrogen where it’s needed. "At present our domestic gas network has vast amounts of storage built in – under the North Sea. "The gas grid of the future will be powered by intermittent renewables – and that means we need to find ways to store green hydrogen when energy is plentiful, close to where it’s required. "Our idea is to make each Gravitricity shaft serve as a very large, sealed pressure vessel, and to use the shaft itself to hold significant quantities of gas. "We believe this will be far more economic and safer than above-ground storage pressure vessels – and will massively increase the storage capacity of the system. "We envisage building single or multiple shafts which, when co-located with a green hydrogen electrolysis plant, would have a very clear dual function: to store excess electricity for use by the electrolysers when needed, and to store the plant’s output as a buffer into the gas grid. "This will not only smooth the input and output of the green hydrogen plant, but it will improve the economics, bringing down the cost of green H2. "The hydrogen store could also be used as a fuelling point, providing low (or zero) carbon hydrogen fuel for heavy goods vehicles, ships or trains, or be used to generate significant additional quantities of electricity if required." The innovator – who co-established the world’s first successful tidal current turbine with his former company Marine Current Turbines – believes a pilot Gravitricity hydrogen storage system can be in place within a few years. To date, Gravitricity is currently operating its 250kW demonstrator in Edinburgh and is scaling up to commence work on their first 4-8MW scheme later this year. Company managing director Charlie Blair added: "The majority of early schemes will be built in existing mine shafts, but we are already in discussion with a major UK concern with plans to build a purpose-built shaft – solely for our gravity system. "In the decade ahead, we believe that the capacity to sink single or multiple shafts exactly where required could result in the rapid scale-up of our technology. "Not just in the UK, but around the world. "Building below-ground hydrogen storage into our system will become another extremely valuable revenue stream for Gravitricity projects. "Longer term, we can also build inter-seasonal heat storage into our system to provide a further service making best use of our infrastructure."
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/69678/gravitricity-reveals-hydrogen-storage-plans/
     
         
      How would a peat-based compost ban affect Scotland? Wed, 19th May 2021 13:29:00
     
      Peat extractors in Scotland could be hit by a proposed ban announced in England on the sale of peat-based compost. Very little extraction is undertaken south of the border but there are still several sites in Scotland where it is removed commercially. The practice is considered damaging to the environment because it is such an important store of carbon. Peat has been used by commercial growers and amateur gardeners since the mid 20th Century, though today peat-free products are available. Scottish peat extraction sites include one at Moy near Inverness, where the soil goes to a company in the Lothians for growing mushrooms. It is unclear at this stage whether the proposed ban would affect this sector, but if it does the site's operator Brian MacGregor said it would cost jobs. He said: "We have six staff employed here and it will have an impact on them. We are just satisfying demand from the UK mushroom industry. "We are the only folk in the whole of the UK mainland extracting peat for the mushroom industry. Our product grows 500 tonnes of mushroom per week." Mr MacGregor has signed a £50,000 bond to restore the peatland site to the satisfaction of environment agencies. He said there was no alternative to peat available to the mushroom industry. "I can understand why the conservationists have targeted the hobby gardener, as they are a very easy target," he added. In peak condition, such as in the massive Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, peatlands act as a store of harmful greenhouses gases. But once exposed, the sun's rays cause those gases to escape. While the proposed ban affects England, the SNP pledged a similar move in its 2021 Holyrood election manifesto. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said it understood the UK government would consult with the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to achieve a wider ban. Emma Goodyer, of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme, said an end to the sale of peat-based compost was the right move to help tackle climate change. She said the ban would also cover "huge amounts" of peat exported from the Republic of Ireland and Baltic states. "Peatlands are layers and layers of carbon from vegetation that built up in a waterlogged environment over thousands of years in most cases," she said. "It is about protecting that peat in the ground where it is formed."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-57159649
     
         
      Why Peru is reviving a pre-Incan technology for water Wed, 19th May 2021 13:18:00
     
      Pre-pandemic, in the austral winter, I drove north out of Lima, up into Peru's highlands to the village of Huamantanga (wa-mon-TONG-a). I was traveling with scientists who were studying local farmers' use of a 1,400-year-old technique to extend water availability into the long dry season. Wending our way through the narrow Chillón River Valley, a slim swath of irrigated green crops hemmed in by sheer walls of tawny rock, we crossed the river and began grinding up a single-lane dirt road clinging to the side of a steep mountain. At about 3,500m (11,500ft), we reached a plateau with fields of avocados, hops, potatoes and beans and, finally, the village, where two-storey buildings of mud bricks and concrete lined narrow dirt streets. Burros, horses, cows, dogs and people puttered around. The Andes Mountains are one of six places in the world where complex civilisations emerged, spurred by precipitation so seasonal it was a catalyst for hydrological innovations again and again. People cultivated deep knowledge of water and the underground, deploying strategies that still astonish – and which some still use. Today, modern Peruvians are redeploying that ancient knowledge and protecting natural ecosystems such as high-altitude wetlands to help the country adapt to climate change. It's one of the world's first efforts to integrate nature into water management on a national scale. Peru is among the world's most water-insecure countries. The capital Lima, home to a third of the country's population, sprawls across a flat desert plain and receives just 13mm (0.5 inches) of annual rainfall. To support that human abundance, it relies on three rivers born in the Andes that rise behind the city, soaring to 5,000m (16,400ft) in just 150 kilometres (93 miles). Lima residents are not alone in this reliance on mountain water. An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide could depend on water flowing from mountains by 2050, up from 200 million in the 1960s. Water scarcity in Peru is getting worse as a result of climate change. Within living memory, mountain glaciers have melted and the rainy season has shrunk to just a couple of months. Already Lima's water utility Sedapal can only supply customers 21 hours a day, a rate that Ivan Lucich, executive director of the national water regulator Sunass, says he expects to further decline in the coming years. A 2019 World Bank report evaluating drought risk in Peru concluded that the capital's current strategies to manage drought – dams, reservoirs, storage under the city – will be inadequate by as early as 2030. Several years ago, desperate for water security, the country's leaders did something radical: they passed a series of national laws requiring water utilities to invest a percentage of their customers' bills in "natural infrastructure". These funds – called Mechanismos de Retribucion por Servicios Ecosistemicos (Mechanisms of Reward for Ecosystem Services) or MRSE – go to nature-based water interventions, such as restoring ancient human systems that work with nature, protecting high-altitude wetlands and forests, or introducing rotational grazing to protect grasslands. Before, it was considered a misuse of public funds if utilities invested in the watershed. Now it's required. As climate change brings water change worldwide, conventional water control structures are increasingly failing. Such human interventions tend to confine water and speed it away, erasing natural phases when water stalls on land. Nature-based solutions, on the other hand, make space and time for these slow phases. In researching my forthcoming book on the subject, I've come to think of them as "slow water". Like the slow food movement, slow water approaches are bespoke: they work with local landscapes, climates and cultures rather than try to control or change them. They provide multiple other benefits too, including carbon storage and homes for threatened plants and animals. For these reasons, conserving wetlands, river floodplains and mountain forests for water management is a growing movement worldwide, including among institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank. But most projects to date are small and disconnected, so people tend to think of them as attractive side features, rather than a key tool. It's akin to the long-held attitude toward solar and wind power that is swiftly becoming outdated: they're nice but were thought not to be capable of playing a major role in meeting our energy needs. Peru's national programme, however, has the potential to demonstrate how effective slow water solutions can be when implemented on the scale of watersheds. Yet despite Peru's forward-thinking policies, putting it into practice has been slow going, due in part to high turnover in government – including five presidents in five years. Another big hurdle, and one that most countries face: overcoming ingrained practices in the water sector to try something new. In 2018, Global Affairs Canada and the United States Agency for International Development pledged to invest $27.5m (£19.6m) over five years to help Peru get its innovative programme off the ground. The money went to Forest Trends, an NGO that has been working on nature-based solutions for water in Peru since 2012. The executive director of its Lima office, Fernando Moimy, has long championed the idea, first in government as the former chief of Sunass, then via Forest Trends. The NGO's initiative, called Natural Infrastructure for Water Security, aims to provide technical know-how, says Gena Gammie, deputy director of the project. Now the effort is gaining momentum. Forty of the country's 50 water utilities are collecting MRSE funds and have raised more than $30m (£21m). Sunass expects them to raise at least $43m (£31m) by 2024. That money is being invested in more than 60 projects across the country. Among those being supported by Lima's water utility Sedapal are projects shoring up an ancient water storage technique and protecting rare, high-altitude cushion bogs. PLANTING THE WATER This is what had brought me on the precipitous journey through the Peruvian highlands north of Lima, to the village of Huamantanga, with scientists studying the region's age-old water management techniques. The people who live here are comuneros: members of an agricultural collective. They use water canals called amunas – a Quechua word meaning "to retain" – to divert wet-season flows from mountain streams and route them to natural infiltration basins. The strategy, invented by an ancient people called the Huari (WAR-i), is still practiced here and in a few other Andean villages. Because the water moves more slowly underground as it travels through gravel and soil, it emerges downslope from springs months later, when the comuneros collect it to water their crops. Because much of their irrigation soaks into the ground and eventually makes its way back to the rivers that supply Lima, repairing abandoned amunas scattered throughout the highlands could extend water into the dry season for city dwellers too. Hence Sedapal's interest. In Huamantanga's main square, in front of a Catholic church, I met Katya Perez, a social researcher with the NGO Condesan who studies how people interact with water systems. She has cultivated relationships with the comuneros here, collecting their knowledge and traditions for maintaining the amunas. For example, they have ceremonies around cleaning and blessing the canals, because they know that annual silt removal keeps them functioning well. From town, the amunas lie further above us, at about 4,500m (14,800ft), so we rent horses from villagers and ride up through the sun-drenched puna grassland, which is scattered with scrubby chamise bushes and lupine in decadent purple flower. The mountains stack behind each other into seeming infinity and a giant bird – possibly an Andean condor – wafts overhead. Finally, I spy an amuna. Built by carefully placing rocks together, it's about two feet wide and a couple of feet deep and winds like a sinuous snake along the contour of the hills. It's July, mid-dry season, and the amuna is nearly empty of water, having delivered its liquid riches to a rocky, bowl-shaped depression where it infiltrated into the ground. One comunera, Lucila Castillo Flores, a grandmother in a skirt and white-brimmed hat, likens what happens here to sowing water, using the verb sembrar: to plant. "If we plant the water, we can harvest the water," Flores says. "But if we don't plant the water, then we will have problems." Just before the diversion into the amuna, researchers installed a small weir, a metal plate set vertically across the stream with a V-shaped notch. A classic tool to monitor stream flow, the weir creates a small pond, raising the water level so it flows through the V even when low, explained one of my scientist companions, hydrological engineer Boris Ochoa-Tocachi, chief executive of the Ecuador-based environmental consultancy firm ATUK and an advisor to Forest Trends. Water height is measured with a pressure transducer, an instrument submerged in the weir's pond. Greater weight on the sensor means higher water. Data collected here informed a study of the amunas that was part of Ochoa-Tocachi's thesis at Imperial College in London and published in Nature Sustainability in 2019. Hopping back onto the horses, we rode partway down the mountain and dismounted at a spring fed by amunas. Here, water that had been traveling through rock and soil seeped out into a burbling stream. "You see, it's actually a lot of water compared to the stream that we saw in the weir," Ochoa-Tocachi says, with obvious satisfaction. One of the most remarkable things about the amunas is that the comuneros know which canal feeds which spring, meaning they understand the path water takes underground. Co-author Perez's interviews with local people documented this knowledge, which had been passed down through the generations. Urbanites tend to discount the expertise of rural and Indigenous people, says Ochoa-Tocachi, but the researchers were able to verify their information as "very accurate" by adding tracers to amunas' flows and then using sensitive detectors to track those molecules' emergence in the spring-fed ponds. This finding "surprised us", says Ochoa-Tocachi. "It shows that we can use indigenous knowledge to complement modern science to provide solutions to current problems." He and his coauthors then modeled how restoring the many abandoned amunas scattered throughout the Andean highlands could increase water supply for Lima, which already comes up about 5% short – a deficit of about 43 million cubic metres.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210510-perus-urgent-search-for-slow-water
     
         
      Final phase of ‘world’s largest offshore wind farm’ will use GE’s giant turbines Wed, 19th May 2021 10:29:00
     
      The final phase of a development dubbed “the world’s largest offshore wind farm” is to use 14 megawatt versions of GE Renewable Energy’s huge Haliade-X turbine after a contract for their supply was confirmed. In an announcement Tuesday, GE said a service and warranty contract had also been finalized. All in all, 87 of its Haliade-X 14 MW turbines will be used at Dogger Bank C, a 50-50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor that will have a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts. This week’s news follows on from an announcement at the end of last year that revealed GE’s renewable energy division had been chosen as the preferred turbine supplier for Dogger Bank C. Dogger Bank C is part of the larger Dogger Bank Wind Farm and will complement Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B. The latter two projects are owned by SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni, who have stakes of 40%, 40% and 20% respectively. Between them, Dogger Bank A and B will use 190 of GE’s Haliade-X 13 MW turbines. The scale of the Haliade-X turbine is considerable. It will have a tip-height of 260 meters (853 feet), 107-meter long blades and a 220-meter rotor. It is one of several large wind turbines now in development. In February, Vestas revealed plans for a 15 MW turbine. Another company, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, is working on a 14 MW model, the SG 14-222 DD, which can also be boosted to 15 MW if required. The Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be situated off the coast of northeast England in the North Sea and have a total capacity of 3.6 GW. When fully up and running, it will be able to power millions of homes per year. Those behind the project have repeatedly described it as “the world’s largest offshore wind farm.” SSE Renewables will oversee construction and delivery of the facility, with Equinor — better known as an oil and gas major — taking responsibility for operations. If all goes to plan, Dogger Bank C’s turbines will be installed in 2025, with the entire project being completed by 2026. According to GE, an estimated 470 new jobs could be generated to support the Dogger Bank development. The U.K. is home to a mature offshore wind sector that looks set to expand in the coming years, with authorities targeting 40 GW of capacity by 2030. The European Union, which the U.K. left in January 2020, is targeting 300 GW of offshore wind by the middle of this century. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. has a long way to go to catch up with Europe. America’s first offshore wind facility, the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm in waters off Rhode Island, only started commercial operations in late 2016. The U.S. sector did, however, take a major step forward last week after authorities gave the green light for the construction and operation of the 800 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts. The U.S. Department of the Interior described the development as “the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States.” In March, the Departments of Energy, Interior and Commerce said they wanted offshore wind capacity to hit 30 gigawatts by 2030, a move President Joe Biden’s administration hopes will generate thousands of jobs and unlock billions of dollars in investment in the coming years. Preliminary figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that, for 2020, wind’s share of utility-scale electricity generation came to 8.4%. By contrast, natural gas and coal’s shares were 40.3% and 19.3% respectively. Overall, fossil fuels had a 60.3% share while nuclear and renewables had shares of 19.7% and 19.8%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/19/last-phase-of-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-to-use-ge-turbines.html
     
         
      Air pollution causes big increase in child visits to GP Wed, 19th May 2021 0:01:00
     
      The number of visits to doctors by children with asthma problems rises significantly after a week of heightened air pollution, a study has shown. The number of inhaler prescriptions also shows a big increase. It has already been established that dirty air heightens the need for hospital treatment for severe asthma attacks and other respiratory problems. However, the study is the first using clinical data to show increased illness among the much larger number of people who seek treatment from their GP. The research was conducted in south London over five years and analysed more than 750,000 respiratory consultations at GPs and inhaler prescriptions. Children came off worst but increases in GP consultations and inhaler prescriptions occurred for of all ages.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/air-pollution-causes-big-increase-in-child-visits-to-gp-0cnkxxzzv
     
         
      IEA Drops Bombshell Report On Oil And Gas Tue, 18th May 2021 14:00:00
     
      The IEA made headlines today when it suggested that there should be no new oil and gas investments after 2021... If that were to happen - with a supply crunch already looming - the oil traders at OPC Markets would have a great time. - U.S. residential energy consumption declined by 4% in 2020, despite people spending more time at home during the pandemic. - Relatively warmer weather reduced heating needs during winter months, offsetting the 2 percent increase in electricity sales. - Space-heating and water-heating are usually the most energy-intensive uses in the average U.S. home. Market Movers - BP (NYSE: BP) is in advanced talks to sell its 28% stake in a North Sea oil field. - Natural gas stocks rose in concert with prices following new weather forecasts showing hotter-than-average temperatures later this month. Nymex natural gas was up more than 5% on Monday. Coal stocks also rose on the news. - Gran Tierra Energy (TSX: GTE) announced that it was shutting some of its oil wells in Colombia due to unrest. Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Oil prices took a breather Tuesday morning, but Brent is once again testing $70 per barrel, with expectations of improved demand on the heels of widespread vaccinations in the U.S. IEA: No new fossil fuel exploration. The IEA is out with a landmark report on a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050. Among the many important points in the 200-plus-page report is the call to end fossil fuel exploration. “[N]o exploration for new resources is required,” the agency said. It also listed a series of restrictive policies that are necessary, including phasing out sales of the internal combustion engine and bans on new natural gas hookups in buildings. The conclusion is a dramatic shift in tone. Supply crisis coming? The steep cuts to capex and the increasingly stringent climate policy have forced the oil majors to lower their growth plans. Some analysts warn that this could set the market up for a supply crunch in the coming years. India demand takes 500,000-bpd hit in May. India’s oil demand could be off by as much as 500,000 bpd for the month of May, according to Reuters. The negative effects from the Covid-19 spike are expected to extend into June. Gas industry faces an existential threat from renewables. The Wall Street Journal details the gas industry’s looming decline from renewables. “I’m hellbent on not becoming the next Blockbuster Video,” said Vistra (NYSE: VST) Chief Executive Curt Morgan. “I’m not going to sit back and watch this legacy business dwindle and not participate.” Vistra owns 36 gas-fired power plants but said it will not build anymore, instead it will invest $1 billion in solar and batteries. Central banks step up climate scrutiny. A coalition of 90 central banks from around the world – the Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System – is scheduled to meet next month at a major conference to address risks from climate change. Gasoline shortages ease. Over 1,000 retail gasoline stations were resupplied over the weekend, easing the shortages from the Colonial Pipeline outage. Iran planning oil export boost. Iran is preparing to boost production and exports of crude oil as talks on the nuclear deal with the United States continue to progress, government officials said. OPEC+ production rising by 1 mb/d. OPEC’s oil exports have jumped by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in May, while the OPEC+ group started easing the production cuts by 350,000 bpd this month. Spain to end fossil fuel production. Spain’s parliament voted in favor of a new climate law that commits the country to cut emissions 23% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The law also bands coal, natural gas, and oil production by 2042, and outlaws new permits immediately. Shell says Nigerian assets not compatible with energy transition. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) acknowledged that its operations in Nigeria are incompatible with its green transition. “The balance of risks and rewards associated with our onshore portfolio is no longer compatible with our strategic ambitions,” CEO Ben van Beurden told investors. “We cannot solve community problems in the Niger Delta.” Shell has been selling off assets in Nigeria incrementally in the past decade, so a “full retreat would be an obvious end point,” Bloomberg said. Offshore wind turbines require 63,000 pounds of copper. Renewables—and especially offshore wind—are set to drive a surge in copper demand that will push prices even higher, as the amount of copper required per wind turbine is staggering, at 63,000 pounds. Activist investors get another boost against ExxonMobil. Glass Lewis & Co. agreed with investor activist Engine No. 1 in its quest to revamp the board of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), another boost for the effort. Washington State’s most aggressive climate policy. Washington State just enacted the most aggressive climate policy in the nation, a cap-and-trade system that would take emissions down close to zero by 2050. Utilities need to be carbon neutral by 2030. The law covers more of the economy (70% of overall emissions) than most other state policies. UK seeks G-7 deal to end fossil fuel subsidies. The UK is helping the G-7 move close to an agreement to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Oil industry gets a partial win at Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the oil industry a partial win in a highly-anticipated court case. The City of Baltimore has sued 20 international oil companies seeking damages related to climate change, and the Supreme Court decided that the case should be heard in federal court, which the oil industry views as more favorable terrain. The case now goes back to federal court. Shell wins backing from shareholders. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) won backing from shareholders in a non-binding vote on its green transition plans, with 88% of shareholders voting in favor. Shale comeback would be disastrous for oil. Experts are now warning that OPEC+ could see its efforts thwarted by a chief rival: U.S. shale. According to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, rising oil prices could allow for a significant return of U.S. shale to the market in 2022, potentially upsetting the delicate rebalancing of the global oil market.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/IEA-Drops-Bombshell-Report-On-Oil-And-Gas.html
     
         
      Climate change: Ban new gas boilers from 2025 to reach net-zero Tue, 18th May 2021 13:40:00
     
      The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century. It's one of 400 steps on the road to net-zero proposed by the agency in a special report. The sale of new petrol and diesel cars around the world would end by 2035. The IEA says that from now, there is no place for new coal, oil or gas exploration or supplies. The report has been welcomed as an important contribution on the road to COP26 in Glasgow, when countries will attempt to agree the measures needed to put the Paris climate agreement into practice. In that context, tackling the issue of how the world produces and consumes energy is the most critical endeavour. The energy sector, according to the IEA, is the source of around 75% of the emissions of greenhouse gases that are driving up global temperatures. Models designed so they could switch to burn hydrogen could be an option - and will probably be around £100 more than the £2,000 standard gas boiler. This will help the climate because hydrogen from renewables burns with no emissions. But climate advisors say it will probably only heat around 11% of homes, because hydrogen supply will be limited. So most are expected to be warmed by heat pumps, which extract warmth from the air or the ground, or from water - a bit like a fridge operating in reverse which sell for between £6,000 and £18,000. They're subsidised, but MPs say the government needs to offer more help to home owners. What's more, heat pumps need high levels of insulation which aren't always possible. There are other technologies being considered. Geothermal heat may warm places such as Cornwall. Nuclear might figure, too. But the great task of shifting heating from gas will be expensive and difficult. To keep the world safe, scientists say that global heating has to be limited to 1.5C by the end of this century. To keep close to that mark, emissions of warming gases need to drop by half by 2030, and essentially hit zero in 2050. The IEA's new study sets out what it believes to be a realistic road map to achieve that aim, while at the same time creating millions of jobs and boosting economic growth. By 2050 it envisions a global economy that is twice as big as today, with two billion extra people but with the demand for energy dropping by 8%. The authors say their plan achieves this with no carbon offsets and a low reliance on technologies to remove carbon from the air. Crucially, it sees no place for new supplies of coal, oil or gas. However, the IEA's route to net-zero will require massive investments and international co-operation on an unprecedented scale. It will also have direct impacts on consumers all over the world. Home heating with gas or oil is currently a major source of carbon emissions in many countries, responsible for around 20% of CO2 in the US and the UK. The IEA path to net-zero says that in just four years' time, there should be no new fossil fuel boilers sold, except where they are compatible with hydrogen. This will not be an easy shift for the building sector. "It will be very difficult, because it means a massive turn in the consumption behaviour," said Maria Pastukhova, from the E3G environmental think tank. "The building sector is maybe one of the toughest ones because aside from the emphasis that the IEA has put on efficient buildings, all the old existing infrastructure has to be retrofitted. And that's a particular challenge for governments." The IEA says that as well as greening the energy system it will need to be expanded to provide electricity to the 785 million people in the world who have no access at present. To meet this challenge the world will need to install four times the amount of wind and solar energy than it did in 2020. This equates to adding a massive solar park every day over the next nine years. By 2035 the report says there would be no more sales of new cars with petrol or diesel engines. All of the world's electricity would be emissions free by 2040. While the scale of the change is unprecedented, the IEA believes it will create around 14 million jobs by 2030, while investments in energy production soar to $5tn, boosting global GDP. "The scale and speed of the efforts demanded by this critical and formidable goal - our best chance of tackling climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5C - make this perhaps the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced," said Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director. "The IEA's pathway to this brighter future brings a historic surge in clean energy investment that creates millions of new jobs and lifts global economic growth. Moving the world on to that pathway requires strong and credible policy actions from governments, underpinned by much greater international co-operation." One issue that has caused concern among environmentalists is the reliance in the report on unproven technologies, such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). There are also worries about bioenergy which involves the use of trees, crops and plants to make liquid fuel or to generate electricity. The IEA path to net-zero sees a significant increase of around 60% in this energy source, with an estimate that energy crops and forestry plantations will take up 25% more land than is used today for bioenergy production. "Burning forests for energy is the latest in a parade of false climate solutions," said Hannah Mowat from Fern, a Brussels-based NGO campaigning to protect forests and people. "Sadly, the IEA has bought into it by proposing wholly unrealistic levels of bioenergy, which will damage forests the world over and worsen climate change. Instead of burning trees for energy, we should focus on cutting fossil fuel use, maximising energy efficiency and increasing renewables such as solar, wind, heat pumps and geothermal."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57149059
     
         
      Gas Boilers: What are heat pumps and how much do they cost? Tue, 18th May 2021 13:37:00
     
      No new gas boilers should be sold from 2025 in order to meet environmental goals for the middle of the century, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) think tank. But why are they a problem - and what alternatives are available? What's wrong with my gas boiler? It may perch innocently on a wall in the corner, but your natural-gas boiler gives out emissions that contribute to overheating the planet. So when will the the trusty boiler be consigned to the scrap heap in the UK? And what will replace it? Step one of the process - obliging manufacturers to make boilers that can be easily switched to run on hydrogen in future - is likely in a few years' time. Step two - a ban on the sale of new gas-only boilers - is likely to happen in the 2030s, so if you're buying a boiler now, there's no need to panic. If by the late 2040s you're still running a clapped-out natural-gas boiler, you may be obliged to rip it out - but that's a long way ahead. What's good about hydrogen? Surplus electricity from wind farms at night can be used to split hydrogen from water to produce a clean fuel. But there's a problem. The government's climate advisers say we'll be able to produce enough hydrogen to heat only 11% of the UK's homes. And these are likely to be in north-east Scotland - near wind-turbine hubs. So do we really want to add maybe £100 to the £2,000 typical cost of every new boiler in the country if only a minority of people will actually need it? Ministers are wrestling with that question. If hydrogen won't always work, what about heat pumps? Climate advisers anticipate that most homes in future will be warmed by heat pumps. These devices extract warmth from the air or the ground, or from water - a bit like a fridge operating in reverse. They are on the market already but they are costly - between £6,000 and £18,000, depending on the sort you install and the size of your home. Heat pumps are subsidised under a scheme called the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. People receive payments for seven years based on the amount of renewable heat made by their heating systems. However, MPs say people need much better incentives to have heat pumps fitted. Depending on the type of technology used, installation can be a lot of hassle - involving fitting bigger radiators and maybe sometimes digging into floors. What's more, heat pumps need high levels of insulation which aren't always possible on older solid-walled homes that populate many of the UK's cities. The government's recent Green Homes Grant was supposed to help get heat pumps established. But it failed and was scrapped after six months, to the dismay of MPs who want a multi-decade scheme to help people heat their homes cleanly. What other options are there? Well, 14% of UK greenhouse gases come from our homes - a similar level to emissions from cars - so we have to find answers. But in truth, there won't be just one solution to clean home heating. New housing estates increasingly will be warmed by district networks of pipes supplying many homes from a single low-carbon source - a heat pump in a river, for instance. In a very few places heat might come from burning wood or fuel crops, where these are readily available in the right quantities. Burning wood in home log burners may be a delight, but it will be frowned upon, particularly in cities, where the fine smoke particles get deep into people's lungs. Some places, such as Cornwall, will be able to use geothermal energy - from hot underground rocks. There's already a geothermally heated swimming pool in Penzance, for instance. But such opportunities nationwide will be scarce. The agency that looks after decommissioned coal mines is pushing the idea that warm water could be drawn from old mine shafts to help with home heating. The nuclear industry has also recently got into the act, arguing that surplus heat from nuclear stations could prove useful. Heat batteries - like giant high-tech storage heaters - will play a part. So may infrared indoor heat panels that heat the inhabitants rather than the room - these are already used in some pub gardens. So lots of options… but be warned: the great task of shifting heating from gas will be expensive and difficult. Politicians don't like those words much, which is why the government's Heat and Buildings Strategy, expected next month, has been so long-delayed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57159056
     
         
      GridScale: Storing Renewable Energy in Stones Instead of Lithium Batteries Tue, 18th May 2021 12:58:00
     
      When there is a surplus of electricity from wind or solar, the energy storage is charged. This is done by a system of compressors and turbines pumping heat energy from one or more storage tanks filled with cool stones to a corresponding number of storage tanks filled with hot stones. This makes the stones in the cold tanks very cold, while it gets very hot in the hot tanks, up to 600 degrees. Credit: Claus Rye, Stiesdal Storage Technologies The concept of storing renewable energy in stones has come one step closer to realization with the construction of the GridScale demonstration plant. The plant will be the largest electricity storage facility in Denmark, with a capacity of 10 MWh. The project is being funded by the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) under the Danish Energy Agency. Pea sized stones heated to 600°C in large, insulated steel tanks are at the heart of a new innovation project aiming to make a breakthrough in the storage of intermittent wind and solar electricity. The technology, which stores electrical energy as heat in stones, is called GridScale, and could become a cheap and efficient alternative to storing power from solar and wind in lithium-based batteries. While lithium batteries are only cost-effective for the supply of energy for short periods of up to four hours, a GridScale electricity storage system will cost effectively support electricity supply for longer periods – up to about a week. “The only real challenge with establishing 100 percent renewable electricity supply is that we can’t save the electricity generated during windy and sunny weather for use at a later time. Demand and production do not follow the same pattern. There are not yet commercial solutions to this problem, but we hope to be able to deliver this with our GridScale energy storage system,” says Henrik Stiesdal, founder of the climate technology company Stiesdal Storage Technologies, which is behind the technology. In brief, the GridScale technology is about heating and cooling basalt crushed to tiny, pea-sized stones in one or more sets of insulated steel tanks. The storage facility is charged through a system of compressors and turbines, which pumps heat energy from one or more storage tanks filled with cool stones to a similar number of storage tanks filled with hot stones, when there is surplus power from wind or the sun. This means the stones in the cold tanks become very cold, while they become very hot in the hot tanks; in fact up to 600oC. The heat can be stored in the stones for many days, and the number of sets of stone-filled tanks can be varied, depending on the length of storage time required. When there is demand for electricity again, the process reverses, so the stones in the hot tanks become colder while they become warmer in the cold tanks. The system is based on an inexpensive storage material and mature, well-known technology for charging and discharging. “Basalt is a cheap and sustainable material that can store large amounts of energy in small spaces, and that can withstand countless charges and discharges of the storage facility. We are now developing a prototype for the storage technology to demonstrate the way forward in solving the problem of storing renewable energy – one of the biggest challenges to the development of sustainable energy worldwide,” says Ole Alm, head of development at the energy group Andel, which is also part of the project. The GridScale prototype will be the largest storage facility in the Danish electricity system, and a major challenge will be to make the storage flexibility available on the electricity markets in a way that provides the best possible value. Consequently, this will also be part of the project. The precise location of the prototype storage facility has yet to be decided. However, it will definitely be in the eastern part of Denmark in south or west Zealand or on Lolland-Falster, where production from new large PV units in particular is growing faster than consumption can keep up. The full name of the innovation project is ‘GridScale – cost-effective large-scale electricity storage’, and it will run for three years with a total budget of DKK 35 million (EUR 4.7 million). The project is being funded with DKK 21 million (EUR 2.8 million) from the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP). In addition to the companies Stiesdal and Andel, the partner group comprises Aarhus University (AU), the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Welcon, BWSC (Burmeister Wain Scandinavian Contractor), Energi Danmark and Energy Cluster Denmark. The partners will provide an energy system analysis and design optimization for a stone storage facility as well as optimize the technical concepts and mature the GridScale technology to a ready-to-market scalable solution. For example, the European energy system model developed by AU will be combined with the model for optimizing turbines developed by DTU to gain insight into the potential role of the stone storage facility in a European context and to optimize the design: “The transition to renewable energy changes the way the energy system works – simply because wind and solar energy are not necessarily produced when we need it. Therefore, we need to find out how the technical design can best be adapted to the energy system and in which countries and when in the green transition the technology has the greatest value. We will look to identify the combination of energy technologies that will provide the greatest value for the storage solution. I think that stone storage technology has a huge potential in many places around the world and could be of great advantage in the green transition,” says Associate Professor Gorm Bruun Andresen from the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering at Aarhus University.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/gridscale-storing-renewable-energy-in-stones-instead-of-lithium-batteries/
     
         
      How could the weather impact sport in 2050? Tue, 18th May 2021 12:17:00
     
      BBC Weather meteorologist Simon King looks at how the weather could impact sport in 2050. This is not the actual weather forecast, but gives examples of plausible weather based on climate projections.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/57124206
     
         
      John Kerry: US climate envoy criticised for optimism on clean tech Mon, 17th May 2021 12:23:00
     
      America’s climate envoy John Kerry has been ridiculed for saying technologies that don’t yet exist will play a huge role in stabilising the climate. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, he said the US was leading the world on climate change - and rapidly phasing out coal-fired power stations. But he rejected a suggestion that Americans need to change their consumption patterns by, say, eating less meat. He said: “You don't have to give up quality of life to achieve some of the things we want to achieve. “I’m told by scientists that 50% of the reductions we have to make (to get to near zero emissions) by 2050 or 2045 are going to come from technologies we don’t yet have.” But his faith in unknown technologies has left some leading engineers aghast. Julian Allwood, professor of engineering and the environment at the University of Cambridge, told BBC News: "It's virtually impossible for new energy infrastructure technologies to have a significant effect on global emissions in the time we have left to act." He warned that with every new energy-infrastructure technology so far, it's taken 30-100 years from invention to 5% penetration of existing markets. "Firstly," he said, "the new idea is developed from laboratory through increasing pilot scales to initial introduction to national systems. “We have to solve physical and operational issues, solve problems with integration, develop legal and environmental regulations, understand financing requirements and explore social consent as the first accidents occur. “Growth then occurs at a linear rate, as government appetite for risk is constrained, and the incumbent technology fights to avoid closure." He said no country has ever introduced a new electricity generating technology at an average rate faster than 2% of national demand per year. “Despite politicians' wishful thinking," he continued, "the most important innovation opportunities will be not about new technologies, but new businesses in areas such as remote working." Dr Jen Baxter, a spokeswoman for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, agreed that John Kerry’s timescale “seems very optimistic”. She said some vital existing technologies such as capturing carbon from power stations and sucking CO2 directly from the air are not yet ready for mass usage. So, rather than putting faith in start-up technologies, the world should focus on existing technologies. “We need to make use of every technology,” she said. “It’s going to be a massive amount of work and these time frames are going to be long.” “There needs to be lifestyle changes, too - such as getting people on to public transport.” The prominent British engineer, Baroness Brown, said the climate crisis couldn’t be solved without eating less meat. Some scientists, though, applauded Mr Kerry’s techno-optimism. The UK’s former chief scientist, Professor Dave King, is a leading voice in Mission Innovation - a global initiative working to accelerate clean energy innovation. It’s spending $25bn of public money between the 25 nations in the coalition, rising to more than $40bn by 2025. He said: "We need regulatory measures to bring the new technologies rapidly into the market place, and carbon pricing on oil, gas and coal extraction to speed up the process." But he, too, agreed we also need lifestyle changes - and new rules to force clean technologies on to the market. Craig Bennett from the UK Wildlife Trusts told BBC News Mr Kerry’s remarks were “frankly ridiculous”. He said: “Of course we will benefit from new technologies, but they are most likely to be in industries that already exist such as renewables and energy storage - rather than some widget that we can’t imagine at the moment.” “We also need some forms of behaviour change, like walking and cycling more and eating less meat. These policies deliver health benefits anyway.” In his interview, Mr Kerry defended the US record on combating climate change, saying President Biden was leading the charge to get to net zero. He said some 58 US coal-fired power stations were slated for closure, and said it was impossible to get finance to build new ones: "The marketplace has made a decision about coal. You couldn’t build a new coal fired power plant in the United States because you can’t finance it, nor even in Europe and other places. “We’ve been pushing very hard for countries to begin to move away from fossil fuel and towards alternative, renewable, sustainable energy sources and I think, again, the marketplace is going to make that happen." He said it was US policy to switch to renewable energy sources as quickly as possible: "We are moving to alternative renewable energy. Our incentives are towards renewable alternative energy. Seventy-five percent of the electricity that’s new, that came online in the last years, came online through renewables. “So, we’re going to do what we need to do to do our fair share of this and to take a leadership role and we’re doing that now." He rejected pessimism on climate change and said: “We’ll not only get there (to Net Zero emissions), we’ll get there sooner than people think."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57135506
     
         
      Campaign launched to mark Queen's Platinum Jubilee Mon, 17th May 2021 12:13:00
     
      People across the UK are being urged to plant trees in an initiative to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The Queen joined the Prince of Wales as he planted the first Jubilee tree at Windsor Castle earlier this year to launch the scheme honouring the monarch's 70-year reign. The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) will see new trees planted, as well as ancient woodlands and forests protected. Prince Charles encouraged people to "plant a tree for the jubilee". "In other words, a 'tree-bilee'", he said in a video message. Taking part in the scheme, hosted by climate charity Cool Earth, could range from individuals planting trees in their own gardens to the creation of platinum jubilee copses on council land or avenues in cities or housing developments. Schools and community groups will be able to apply for a share of three million free saplings from the Woodland Trust as part of the project. The prince said: "Whether you are an individual hoping to plant a single sapling in your garden, a school or community group planting a tree, a council, charity or business intending to plant a whole avenue of trees or a farmer looking to create new hedgerows, everyone across the country can get involved." He said it is vital more of the right species of trees are planted, in the right places and that more woodlands, avenues, hedgerows and urban planting schemes should be established, while protecting and sustaining what we already have. Describing it as a "statement of hope and faith in the future", the prince said planting trees and hedgerows and protecting existing woodlands and forests were simple, cost-effective ways to protect the planet. The initiative will also highlight 70 irreplaceable ancient woodlands across the UK and identify 70 ancient trees. A pilot training programme for unemployed young people aged between 16 and 24 to plant and manage trees will also be created and run through Capel Manor College, London's only specialist environmental college, of which the Queen Mother was patron. Donations to the scheme will go to deprived areas and urban schools via one of the partner organisations of the Queen's Green Canopy, Trees for Cities. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thrown his support behind the initiative. He said: "Our trees stand at the frontline of our fight against climate change and by sustaining our beautiful countryside for generations to come. "The Queen's Green Canopy is a fitting tribute to her majesty's years of service to this country. I urge everyone to get involved." The Queen has herself planted more than 1,500 trees around the world during her reign. Woodland Trust chief executive, Darren Moorcroft, said the last year had "emphasised the central role that trees and woods play in the life of the nation". He added: "We need more projects like this, giving people access to our natural heritage, opportunities to do something positive for the environment, and helping to safeguard it for our children in the face of a combined climate and nature crisis."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57137057
     
         
      John Kerry: 50% carbon emission cuts to come from technology 'we don't yet have' Mon, 17th May 2021 12:11:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry has said that 50% of carbon emission reductions needed to get to net zero will come from technology not yet invented. Speaking to The Andrew Marr Show ahead of a visit to London, he also said that we didn't have to give up our current quality of life to achieve our climate goals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-57134655
     
         
      The UK’s Brilliant Plan To Repurpose Abandoned Coal Mines Sat, 15th May 2021 12:00:00
     
      A plan to convert Britain’s disused, flooded coal mines into geothermal power plants is now gaining traction as permission is granted for a testing phase. Abandoned and flooded underground coal mines are plentiful in the North of England, Britain’s industrial revolution hub. In South Tyneside, in the northeast of England, the Council has approved plans to “draw geothermal energy from abandoned flooded mines in the former Hebburn Colliery.” The mine was shut down in 1932 and has been disused since. The pilot project will involve the drilling of two wells to transport water from the flooded mines, with drilling and testing for viability expected to be completed by Q3 2021. Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental Ltd hope to extract the water via vertical boreholes at a depth of 300-400 meters. A heat pump will be used to extract heat from the water, which will be compressed to a higher temperature. A powerplant on the mining site will distribute the energy to heat local buildings, such as residential tower blocks. The plan is to use solar panels and a combined heat and power unit to generate electricity to power the system. The leader of South Tyneside Council, Tracey Dixon, stated, “The Minewater scheme is expected to deliver a reduction of 319 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, which will make a significant contribution to our ambition for carbon neutrality by 2030.” In 2015, the U.K. government vowed to end coal production completely within a decade. For a country that pioneered the world’s coal production, and still generated enough energy from coal in 2013 to power 3 million U.K. homes, this marked a distinct shift in the government’s energy strategy. The U.K.’s coal mining towns were hit hard by the closures of hundreds of mines from the 1980s onwards, sending unemployment in local communities soaring. New renewable energy projects such as this could rejuvenate towns, encouraging alternative energy developments and bringing much-needed jobs back to the north of England. The European Regional Development Fund has pledged £3.9 million ($5.4 million) for the ground-breaking renewable energy project, which will be developed in partnership with the Coal Authority and Durham University. This is just one of several mines that have the potential to thrust the U.K.’s geothermal energy production in action, as the country’s industrial past has the potential to fuel Britain’s renewable future. Jeremy Crooks, head of innovation at the Coal Authority, believes that converting existing coal mines into geothermal power generators is “an asset of strategic importance to the U.K.” In 2020, the Coal Authority had about 30 different projects that aimed to produce around 2.2 GWh of geothermal energy from disused mines every year. Assuming the Hebburn Colliery goes to plan, it is likely that several more conversion projects will go ahead across the U.K. An added cost saver for the conversion projects is the U.K. abandonment policy, which requires mine operators to have documentation outlining the exact areas in which they mined. The area and heat of the abandoned mines can be more easily determined from this existing information to mitigate the risks of developing a geothermal project using the mines. A similar project won public approval last year after researchers at the University of Strathclyde won early-stage funding to develop abandoned mines in Scotland through their project HotScot. The group believes that the development of geothermal power from mine water across Scotland could deliver economic growth of around £303 million ($424 million) and as well as 9,800 jobs. Should the pilot project be successful, this could lead the way for the conversion of disused coal mines around the world to geothermal energy plants to power our future.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/The-UKs-Brilliant-Plan-To-Repurpose-Abandoned-Coal-Mines.html
     
         
      COP26: Alok Sharma urges nations to banish coal Fri, 14th May 2021 12:34:00
     
      The head of a vital UN climate summit due to be held in Glasgow in November says his personal priority is to banish coal. Speaking ahead of the COP26 conference, Alok Sharma will urge nations to abandon coal power generation, with rich countries leading the way. He will add that wealthy nations must help poorer ones make the same change. And he will tell banks and institutions to stop lending money to countries to build coal power stations. In his speech, the former business Secretary will say: "The days of coal providing the cheapest form of power are in the past. And in the past they must remain. “The coal business is, as the UN secretary general [António Guterres] has said, going up in smoke. It’s old technology. “So let’s make COP26 the moment we leave it in the past where it belongs, while supporting workers and communities to make the transition and creating good 'green' jobs to fill the gap.” His apparent passion explains why he was reportedly "apoplectic" when Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick allowed plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria – a decision that’s now gone to a planning review. Mr Sharma is set to re-iterate the UK’s main themes for the summit, which will bring together climate negotiators from 196 countries, the EU, as well as businesses, organisations, experts and world leaders. They are: limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees; helping people and nature adapt to climate warming that will inevitably happen; and drumming up finance for poorer nations to get clean technology. He will be supported by government ministers who will be taking part in climate-related visits throughout Friday to show how the UK is attempting to "green" all parts of society - from hospitals and prisons, to jobs and transport. Mr Sharma will say: "I have faith that world leaders will rise to the occasion and not be found wanting in their tryst with destiny." And he will invoke a message from his children: "In preparing for this speech, I asked my daughters what message I should give to world leaders about their priorities. Their response was simple: 'Please, tell them to pick the planet.'" He and the summit face enormous challenges. More and more nations are signing up for ambitious climate targets but many of them - including the UK - are falling behind on existing targets. The UK is criticised by environmentalists for failing to curb emissions from its housing stock, and for planning a £27bn road programme that will increase emissions. Last week came a slightly hopeful analysis from the think tank Climate Action Tracker following US President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit. It estimated that newly agreed targets have reduced projected warming by the end of century by 0.2C. The forecast increase now stands at 2.4C - a small improvement, but still higher than the 1.5C threshold nations are aiming for under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. And that’s assuming that nations actually keep their promises - and that Covid doesn't wreck the summit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-57108066
     
         
      Building's hard problem - making concrete green Fri, 14th May 2021 12:32:00
     
      A time-travelling Victorian stumbling upon a modern building site could largely get right to work, says Chris Thompson, managing director of Citu, which specialises in building low-carbon homes. That's because many of the materials and tools would be familiar to him. The Victorian builder would certainly recognise concrete, which has been around for a long time. The world's largest unreinforced concrete dome remains the one at Rome's Pantheon, which is almost 2,000 years old. The Colosseum is largely concrete too. Today we use more concrete than any substance, other than water. That means it accounts for about 8% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) we emit into the atmosphere. That is substantially more than the aviation industry, which makes up about 2.5% of emissions. But some companies are developing concrete that has a much lower CO2 impact. Citu is building its headquarters in Leeds from a new low-carbon concrete that it says cuts CO2 emissions by 50% compared to traditional concrete. It has used 70 cubic metres of it for the building's foundations. This concrete, released last year by Mexico's Cemex under the label Vertua, is one of a series of recent developments helping pave the way to greener concrete. Making cement, which makes up 10-15% of concrete, is a carbon-intensive process. Limestone has to be heated to 1,450C, which normally requires energy from fossil fuels and accounts for 40% of concrete's CO2. This separates calcium oxide (which you want) from carbon dioxide (which is the problem). This calcium oxide reacts further to form cement. Grind some into powder, add some sand, gravel and water, and it forms interlocking crystals. Voilà, concrete. So how can you do all this without releasing so much CO2? One way is by replacing much of the conventional cement with heated clay and unburnt limestone, says Karen Scrivener, a British academic and head of the construction materials laboratory at Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. For a long time, people (think, Romans) knew you could substitute some of the cement with ash from burning coal (or volcanoes). Or more recently, slag from blast furnaces. This even improved concrete's strength and durability. Prof Scrivener was approached by Prof Fernando Martirena from Cuba, who thought it might be possible to use clay in the production of concrete. So together they worked out a way to replace a really big chunk of conventional cement, and produce equally strong concrete. Not only would that mean 40% less CO2, it also works with existing equipment, according to Prof Scrivener. And that's crucial for a material that has to be competitively priced. Two companies last year began commercially cooking up this product, called LC3 (for limestone calcined clay cement). "I reckon next year about 10 plants are going into operation, and really we can see an exponential take-off after that," she says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56716859
     
         
      Ignore hype over hydrogen heating, government told Fri, 14th May 2021 12:26:00
     
      Environmentalists are warning the government to ignore what they call “hype” over the use of hydrogen to provide heat. New natural gas boilers will be phased out next decade because their emissions add to climate change. Oil and gas firms are pushing for so-called “blue” hydrogen to be used to provide heat instead. But environmentalists say electric heat pumps are a much better option for most homes. In a letter to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday, groups including climate think tank E3G, WWF, and Greenpeace urged the government to drop funding for “blue” hydrogen. They said that it appears to be environmentally-benign, but really it’s not. What is blue hydrogen and why is it being promoted? Most homes are heated by gas, and the domestic gas market is worth £28bn a year. The push to use hydrogen as a substitute comes from the oil and gas giants who supply the fuel; the firms that make the boilers; and gas network operator Cadent. Most investment so far is going into “blue” hydrogen, produced by splitting natural gas at high temperatures. This process does produce carbon emissions, but these can be captured by a chemical solvent and forced into underground rocks using carbon capture and storage (CCS). The Hydrogen Taskforce, an industry body, wants hydrogen blended into the existing gas network to reduce emissions overall. And it wants all boilers to be made to be “hydrogen-ready”. If blue hydrogen involves capturing CO2, what’s the problem? “Blue” hydrogen is much better for the climate than natural gas – but green groups writing to the government say it’s incompatible with a zero-carbon Britain. That’s because fracking for the natural gas to produce hydrogen creates leaks of methane – a potent planet-heating gas. Emissions are also created in the exploration for gas and its transport. What’s more, many environmentalists don’t trust the carbon capture technology essential for blue hydrogen because it’s been touted for decades as a planetary saviour, but is still not locking up carbon dioxide at scale. They ask why consumers should face the extra cost of hydrogen-ready boilers when the advisory Climate Change Committee projects that only 11% of homes will eventually run on hydrogen. This minority of hydrogen-heated homes is expected to be in the north east of the UK, to capitalise on the local wind energy industry producing “green” hydrogen. So, what’s the future role for “green” hydrogen? “Green” hydrogen is an environmentalist’s dream – using surplus electricity produced on stormy nights by wind farms to liberate hydrogen from water using electrolysis. It’s a way of storing energy. This “green” hydrogen is expensive and the process is inefficient – but it does produce genuinely clean hydrogen, and industry experts agree that there’s huge scope for cost reductions from innovation. Today’s letter argues that any precious “green” hydrogen should be used to fuel industrial processes needing huge amounts of heat, not to heat homes. What’s driving the blue vs green debate? Until a few years ago hydrogen was not seen as a significant technology for combating climate change. But a realisation of the need for energy storage and industrial-grade heat driven by business enthusiasm has pushed it up the political agenda around the world. Mr Kwarteng, whose portfolio also includes energy, will shortly publish a hydrogen strategy. He's being advised by the government's Hydrogen Taskforce, which is funded by Shell, BP and Cadent, among others. And a recent parliamentary question showed that around 75% of public hydrogen investment in the industrial decarbonisation strategy has gone to the “blue” type. What does the government say? The government says it want to support both blue and green hydrogen, and is working on a standard to define “low-carbon hydrogen”. A government spokeswoman told BBC News: “Scaling up the production of low-carbon hydrogen is a key part of our plan to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. “The government has already supported a range of green hydrogen projects, including Project Dolphyn, where floating offshore wind is combined with an electrolyser, and ITM Power’s Gigastack project – the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing facility.” The spokeswoman added: “The Hydrogen Advisory Council includes representatives from industry, academia and the public sector, with expertise in both blue and green hydrogen.” What does the blue team say? “Blue” hydrogen campaigners back the government’s plan to continue supporting both technologies. They agree the costs of “green” hydrogen will fall, but say there’s a key role for blue hydrogen to provide hydrogen at relatively low cost in the short to medium term. The Hydrogen Taskforce wants rules changed to "enable hydrogen blending into the gas grid and take the next steps towards 100% hydrogen heating through supporting public trials and mandating hydrogen-ready boilers by 2025." It says both types of hydrogen will be needed. What does the green team say? The organisations behind the letter to government include the climate think tank E3G and the green groups WWF and Greenpeace. They say if the government embraces “blue” hydrogen, it would lock fossil fuels into the UK energy mix and ultimately cost customers more. They want governments worldwide to focus on energy efficiency and heat pumps for homes rather than promoting the blending of hydrogen into the gas grid or mandating of hydrogen- ready boilers. Juliet Phillips from E3G said: "Hope in hydrogen must not be clouded by hype, particularly when it comes to heating our homes. "The government mustn’t block near-term progress on cheaper, more effective and readily available solutions of energy efficiency, heat pumps and renewable heat networks.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57103298
     
         
      Why renewable energy is seeing a new dawn Thu, 13th May 2021 15:55:00
     
      ur world is on the verge of a renewable energy renaissance. Technological achievements in the last couple decades offer us the opportunity to break free from the fossil fuels that societies currently rely on and move on to a cleaner alternative. There's no promise that change will be easy or fast, but if we take the first steps, there's hope for a future where renewable energy provides the vast majority of our growing energy needs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/why-renewable-energy-is-seeing-a-new-dawn
     
         
      Electric car mechanics to be trained at Wrexham college Thu, 13th May 2021 0:47:00
     
      A college will begin training a new generation of electric and hybrid car mechanics in what it described as a "revolution". Coleg Cambria's Bersham Road campus in Wrexham will teach students to service and repair the ever-increasing fleet of greener vehicles from September. According to the RAC, just 5% of the UK's 202,000 vehicle technicians are qualified to work on electric cars. Course tutor Alex Woodward said the motor trade "will need to be prepared". "Like with a petrol or diesel car, when the warranty runs out, motorists will be looking to take their vehicle to an independent garage," he added. "At present they're not in a position to do the work." There are 239,000 electric vehicles and about 900,000 hybrid vehicles on UK roads and the numbers will rise as the car industry moves towards zero emission travel by 2030 and sales of new petrol or diesel cars are banned. Some hybrids will still be sold, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last year. The Covid-delayed course at the college's automotive centre will offer an Institute of the Motor Industry hybrid/electric vehicle repair level three qualification. Mr Woodward, an automotive trainer mentor, said the college was at the forefront of "a revolution". He said safety was top priority when training technicians to work on electric cars due to the dangerous voltages involved, so the college has bought a simulator where students can learn to work on an engine without any risks. Apprentice mechanic Sam Conway works at a garage in Llanferres, Flintshire, while studying diagnostics at Coleg Cambria and hopes to start the new course in September. He said: "I'll be a fully-qualified mechanic by then so hopefully I can go on to do the electric and hybrid course. It's the way the future's going. We need to know this kind of stuff." Fellow apprentice, Liam Jackson, who works at a garage in Chirk, Wrexham, said the course was a "good opportunity." Prof Peter Wells, director of Cardiff University's centre for automotive industry research, said more electric car technicians would benefit consumers as there was currently a struggle to find mechanics outside of the dealer network. Mr Woodward said the college hoped to initially train about six automotive students in electric and hybrid technology, but anticipated that would increase.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57056960
     
         
      US environmental agency releases climate report delayed by Trump Thu, 13th May 2021 0:38:00
     
      The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said for the first time that climate change is being driven at least in part by humans. The agency made the acknowledgement in a new report that had been delayed by the Trump White House since 2017. The Climate Change Indicators report charts the extent to which glaciers are shrinking, sea levels are rising and flooding is increasing. The impacts are being felt by Americans "with increasing regularity", it says. Under former President Donald Trump, the EPA's Climate Change Indicators website was not updated, as it had been under his predecessor, Barack Obama. Mr Trump has long been a sceptic of human-caused climate change, at times calling it a "hoax". A press officer for the EPA told the BBC that until Wednesday's report, the agency had never before - not even during the Obama years - attributed global warming at least in part to human activities. EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement announcing the resumption of the survey: "Combatting climate change - it's not optional. It's essential at EPA." "We will move with a sense of urgency because we know what's at stake. The report takes in data from dozens of US agencies, and shows the damage climate change has already caused. What does the report say? Coastal flooding is becoming more common, especially in cities along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Floods are now five times more common in the cities surveyed than in the 1950s. Arctic sea ice is thinning, and the minimum extent of its coverage has been getting smaller each summer. September 2020 saw the second smallest amount of Arctic sea ice ever recorded. The average decrease for that month amounts to about 900,000 sq miles (1,450,000 sq km) - "a difference three and a half times the size of Texas", the report says. Ocean temperatures also hit a record-breaking high in 2020 and the water has grown more acidic over the past decade. Wildfire season and pollen season are both starting earlier and lasting longer. Heat waves are occurring about three times more often than in the 1960s. The amount of energy use in the summer has nearly doubled since 1973. In 2015, air conditioning accounted for 17% of the average American household's energy consumption. Incidents of Lyme disease have nearly doubled since 1991. It comes as ticks, the blood-sucking insects that spread the virus, appear in regions such as parts of Canada where they were previously unable to survive the cold.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57095347
     
         
      Tesla will no longer accept Bitcoin over climate concerns, says Musk Thu, 13th May 2021 0:33:00
     
      Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin due to climate change concerns, its CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet. Bitcoin fell by more than 10% after the tweet, while Tesla shares also dipped. Tesla's announcement in March that it would accept the cryptocurrency was met with an outcry from some environmentalists and investors. The electric carmaker had in February revealed it had bought $1.5bn (£1bn) of the world's biggest digital currency. But on Thursday, it backtracked on its previous comments. "We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel," Mr Musk wrote. "Cryptocurrency is a good idea... but this cannot come at great cost to the environment." He also said the electric carmaker would not sell any of its Bitcoin, and intends to use it for transactions as soon as mining shifts to using more sustainable energy. Market analysts see the move as an attempt by Tesla to assuage the concerns of investors who are focused on climate change and sustainability. "Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) issues are now a major motivation for many investors. Tesla, being a clean energy-focused company, might want to work better in the environmental area of ESG," Julia Lee from Burman Invest told the BBC. "But a cynic might suggest that this is just another move by Elon Musk to influence the cryptocurrency market, as he has done on so many other occasions," she added. Last month, Tesla announced profits for the first three months of the year were $438m, up from $16m last year, boosted by sales of Bitcoin and environmental credits. Mr Musk has been one of the world's most high profile proponents of cryptocurrencies, often tweeting about Bitcoin and the once-obscure digital currency Dogecoin. His tweets in recent months helped to turn Dogecoin, which was started as a social media joke, into the world's fourth-biggest cryptocurrency. What are the climate concerns around Bitcoin? Bitcoin is created by miners using high-powered computers to compete against each other to solve complex mathematical puzzles. It is an energy-intensive process that often relies on electricity generated with fossil fuels, particularly coal. The dominance of Chinese Bitcoin miners and lack of motivation to switch from cheap fossil fuels to more expensive renewable energy sources could mean there are few quick solutions to the emissions concerns over Bitcoin. China accounts for more than 75% of Bitcoin mining around the world, according to recent research. The cryptocurrency's carbon footprint is as large as one of China's 10 largest cities, the study found. That is because those Bitcoin miners tend to use electricity produced with fossil fuels, primarily coal, for most of the year, only shifting to renewable energy, mostly hydropower, during the rainy summer months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57096305
     
         
      Oceans' extreme depths measured in precise detail Wed, 12th May 2021 1:01:00
     
      Scientists say we now have the most precise information yet on the deepest points in each of Earth's five oceans. The key locations where the seafloor bottoms out in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern oceans were mapped by the Five Deeps Expedition. Some of these places, such as the 10,924m-deep (6.8 miles) Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, had already been surveyed several times. But the Five Deeps project removed a number of remaining uncertainties. For example, in the Indian Ocean, there were two competing claims for the deepest point - a section of the Java Trench just off the coast of Indonesia; and a fracture zone to the southwest of Australia. The rigorous measurement techniques employed by the Five Deeps team confirmed Java to be the winner, but this lowest section in the trench - at a depth of 7,187m - is actually 387km from where previous data had suggested the deepest point might be. Likewise, in the Southern Ocean, there is now a new place we must consider that region's deepest point. It's a depression called Factorian Deep at the far southern end of the South Sandwich Trench. It lies 7,432m down. There is a location in the same trench, just to the north, that's deeper still (Meteor Deep at 8,265m) but it's technically in the Atlantic Ocean. The dividing line with the Southern Ocean starts at 60 degrees South latitude. All of the new bathymetry (depth data) is contained in a paper published in the Geoscience Data Journal. Its lead author is Cassie Bongiovanni from Caladan Oceanic LLC, the company that helped organise the Five Deeps Expedition, which had as its figurehead the Texan financier and adventurer Victor Vescovo. The former US Navy reservist wanted to become the first person in history to dive to the lowest points in all five oceans and achieved this goal when he reached a spot known as the Molloy Hole (5,551m) in the Arctic on 24 August, 2019. But in parallel to Mr Vescovo setting dive records in his submarine, the Limiting Factor, his science team were taking an unprecedented number of measurements of the temperature and salinity (saltiness) of the seawater at all levels down to the ocean floor. This information was crucial in correcting the echo-sounder depth readings made from the hull of the sub's support ship, the Pressure Drop. The reported depths therefore have high confidence, even if they come with uncertainties of plus or minus 15m. In this context, refining the observations any further will be extremely hard. The wider context here is the quest to get better mapping data of the seabed in general. Current knowledge is woeful. Roughly 80% of the global ocean floor remains to be surveyed to the modern standard delivered by the likes of the Five Deeps Expedition. "Over the course of 10 months, as we visited these five locations, we mapped an area the size of continental France. But within that was an area the size of Finland that was totally new, where the seafloor had never been seen before," explained team-member Dr Heather Stewart from the British Geological Survey. "It just shows what can be done, what still needs to be done. And the Pressure Drop continues to work, so we are gathering more and more data," she told BBC News. All of this information is being handed over to the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, which aims to compile, from various data sources, a full-ocean depth map by the end of the decade. It would be a critical resource. Better seafloor maps are needed for a host of reasons. They are essential for navigation, of course, and for laying underwater cables and pipelines. They are also important for fisheries management and conservation, because it is around the underwater mountains that wildlife tends to congregate. Each seamount is a biodiversity hotspot. In addition, the rugged seafloor influences the behaviour of ocean currents and the vertical mixing of water. This is information required to improve the models that forecast future climate change - because it is the oceans that play a pivotal role in moving heat around the planet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57063396
     
         
      Fresh bid to capture emissions from Peterhead power station Wed, 12th May 2021 0:45:00
     
      Carbon capture and storage technology will be installed at a rebuilt gas-fired power station at Peterhead by 2026, SSE Thermal has said. The energy company has agreed a deal with Norwegian firm Equinor to capture 1.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually and store it under the North Sea. Peterhead is the last power station in Scotland to run off fossil fuels. Some environmentalists have criticised the carbon capture technology. They fear it gives big companies a licence to continue burning fossil fuels instead of phasing them out. But Peterhead was Scotland's most polluting site in 2018 after problems at the Hunterston nuclear power station in Ayrshire caused demand for electricity from gas to rise significantly. SSE has been attempting to install carbon capture technology at Peterhead power station since 2006 but no scheme has come to fruition so far. Equinor is the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy firm. SSE Thermal's managing director Stephen Wheeler said: "Through cutting-edge carbon capture technology, we can decarbonise this vital flexible power generation, as well as heavy industry and other hard-to-reach-sectors of the economy, which will be crucial in Scotland transitioning to a net zero future." Carbon capture and storage takes CO2 emissions from industrial processes and turns them into liquid which can then be injected into rocks. Depleted oil and gas fields under the North Sea are ideal locations for storing the carbon. The technology is a vital part of the calculations made by government advisors on how our greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced to "net-zero" by 2045 in Scotland and 2050 for the whole UK. But previous efforts to develop it have repeatedly failed. An initial £500m venture with BP to create "the world's first CCS power plant" was scrapped after a year because of government delays over support. A similar plan was revived in 2011 in a partnership with Shell which would have seen the CO2 sent to its Goldeneye field. It was down to the final two - along with the White Rose scheme in North Yorkshire - of a UK government competition to stimulate investment in the technology worth £1bn. But the competition was cancelled in 2015 after £100m had been spent on it. Previous attempts to use the technology at the now closed Longannet coal-fired power station in Fife were also cancelled. Chris Stark, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee,said: "I think it's very likely to happen this time around and the reason for that is because ministers at UK and Scottish level have been very clear that they want to see carbon capture technology developed." But Jess Cowell, from Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "CCS is not vital to meet net-zero if we have the right policies in place to decarbonise. "If we're going to pursue net-zero what we need to see is just a managed phase out of high polluting fossil fuels."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-57064161
     
         
      Forests the size of France regrown since 2000, study suggests Wed, 12th May 2021 0:39:00
     
      An area of forest the size of France has regrown naturally across the world in the last 20 years, a study suggests. The restored forests have the potential to soak up the equivalent of 5.9 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide - more than the annual emissions of the US, according to conservation groups. A team led by WWF used satellite data to build a map of regenerated forests. Forest regeneration involves restoring natural woodland through little or no intervention. This ranges from doing nothing at all to planting native trees, fencing off livestock or removing invasive plants. William Baldwin-Cantello of WWF said natural forest regeneration is often "cheaper, richer in carbon and better for biodiversity than actively planted forests". But he said regeneration cannot be taken for granted - "to avoid dangerous climate change we must both halt deforestation and restore natural forests". "Deforestation still claims millions of hectares every year, vastly more than is regenerated," Mr Baldwin-Cantello said. "To realise the potential of forests as a climate solution, we need support for regeneration in climate delivery plans and must tackle the drivers of deforestation, which in the UK means strong domestic laws to prevent our food causing deforestation overseas." The Atlantic Forest in Brazil gives reason for hope, the study said, with an area roughly the size of the Netherlands having regrown since 2000. In the boreal forests of northern Mongolia, 1.2 million hectares of forest have regenerated in the last 20 years, while other regeneration hotspots include central Africa and the boreal forests of Canada. But the researchers warned that forests across the world face "significant threats". Despite "encouraging signs" with forests along Brazil's Atlantic coast, deforestation is such that the forested area needs to more than double to reach the minimal threshold for conservation, they said. The project is a joint venture between WWF, BirdLife International and WCS, who are calling on other experts to help validate and refine their map, which they regard as "an exploratory effort". One of the simplest ways to remove carbon dioxide from the air is to plant trees. But scientists say the right trees must be planted in the right place if they are to be effective at reducing carbon emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57065612
     
         
      Electric cars: Cardiff 'needs 9,900 more charging points by 2025' Wed, 12th May 2021 0:36:00
     
      Cardiff needs an extra 9,900 charging points for electric cars by 2025 to cope with an increase in demand, a council report has said. The city currently has fewer than 100 charging points and needs about 10,000 in four years. The report detailing the council's push to get the city carbon neutral by 2030 suggested nine out of 10 cars could be electric by 2035. The council said it was trying to find "the right balance". According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the call for thousands of extra charging points is just one part of a massive shift in how the city's transport will change over the coming decade. Other major shifts to how people get around the city include car clubs similar to the Nextbike bike-sharing scheme, potential pilots of electric scooter-sharing schemes, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and charging drivers from outside of Cardiff £2 a day to use the roads. About 40% of carbon emissions in Cardiff come from transport - in 2018, road transport in the city emitted 645 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change. To reduce carbon emissions, sales of vehicles fuelled only by diesel or petrol will be banned in 2030, which is expected to fuel a surge in the number of electric vehicles. The city will need 40,000 charging points by 2030, according to the Welsh government, assuming nine out of 10 vehicles will be electric in 2035. Council leader Huw Thomas said: "I think this technology has some way to go in maturing. "The idea of wholly shifting our car usage to a system charged via domestic household electricity actually has significant implications for climate change, in terms of generating that electricity. So there is that degree of impracticality." The challenges around the shift to electric vehicles were discussed by the council's environmental scrutiny committee on Tuesday. Councillors were given an embargoed report of the One Planet strategy, the action plan to get Cardiff to net zero by 2030. The report includes the Welsh government's prediction on how many charging points will be needed, the projects the council is already working on to cut carbon emissions and the responses to a huge public consultation held over the winter about the net zero plan. Andrew Gregory, the council's director of planning, transport and environment, said: "We're moving as quickly as possible. There's a wide range of proposals coming forward for fast chargers, chargers in residential areas, new technologies in terms of how that is provided through specific bespoke charging points or through existing infrastructure like bollards. "But we don't want to go ahead of the technology and make some presumptions about how this is going to be in two to three years, in terms of the type of connections. "Other cities have done that and are now finding they have got a load of redundant infrastructure that they have put in. So [we're] trying to get the right balance."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57092012
     
         
      Global renewable energy industry grew at fastest rate since 1999 last year Tue, 11th May 2021 7:00:00
     
      The world’s renewable energy industry grew at its fastest pace since 1999 last year, despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and may have established a standard for growth in the future, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The global energy watchdog revealed that the delivery of renewable energy projects, including windfarms and solar power projects, grew by 45% last year in a step change for the global industry. Wind power capacity doubled over the last year, while solar power grew by almost 50% more than its growth before the pandemic, due to the growing appetite for clean energy from governments and corporations. The clean energy boom has prompted the IEA to revise its renewable energy forecasts for the coming years up by about 25% from its previous growth estimates due to the faster than expected expansion of renewables in China, Europe and the US. Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA, said governments need to “build on this promising momentum” by putting in place policies that “encourage greater investment in solar and wind, in the additional grid infrastructure they will require, and in other key renewable technologies such as hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal”. “A massive expansion of clean electricity is essential to giving the world a chance of achieving its net zero goals,” Birol added. China remains at the heart of the renewable energy industry’s growth after accounting for more than 40% of the global growth in the market for the last few years. It is also one of the largest suppliers of the raw materials needed to make wind turbines and solar panels including silicon, glass, steel, copper and other rare earth materials. However, China is also the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases because of its use of coal-fired power plants to meet the country’s rising energy demand. The country’s president, Xi Jinping, has pledged that China will become carbon neutral by 2060, but experts have warned that it will need to develop enough renewable energy to shut down nearly 600 of its coal-fired power plants in the next 10 years to meet this target. The passing of a key industry deadline for state subsidies in China is expected to cause the country’s renewable energy growth to slow in the years ahead. But the IEA believes booming demand for clean energy across Europe and the US will keep the global industry’s annual growth close to last year’s level. Heymi Bahar, the IEA’s lead author of the report, described last year’s renewables boom as “unprecedented” because although it matched the rate last seen in 1999 the industry has become far larger in the last two decades. He said record levels of government auctions for new renewable energy projects combined with a rising number of companies seeking to switch to renewables powered the “exceptional increase”, which is set to become “the new normal for renewable energy”. “The momentum is there from business and government,” he added. The IEA’s latest forecasts do not take into account the new US president, Joe Biden, whose administration is expected to spur an even faster rate of renewables growth. Biden has pledged to cut US emissions by half in the next 10 years. In the UK, the growth of the offshore wind industry is forecast to account for a quarter of the world’s offshore wind capacity by 2022, making it the only country in the world to have more wind power generated off its coast than on its land.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/11/global-renewable-energy-industry-grew-at-fastest-rate-since-1999-last-year
     
         
      Electric cars ‘will be cheaper than fossil fuel vehicles by 2027’ Tue, 11th May 2021 1:04:00
     
      Electric cars will be cheaper than cars that burn fossil fuel by 2027 and could begin to dominate new vehicle sales in Europe within fifteen years, according to new research. A study carried out by BloombergNEF (BNEF) found that improved designs, falling battery costs and dedicated production lines will make all forms of electric vehicle cheaper to produce than those that consume petrol within a decade. Light vans are expected become cheaper to buy on average than those that use fossil fuels, even before subsidies, in 2025, followed by heavy vans, sedans and SUVs the following year and small cars in 2027. The average small electric car will cost around €500 (£430) less than its fossil fuel-consuming equivalent by 2027, the research group forecasts, and around €1,000 (£860) less by 2030. The study also found that battery-powered vehicles could completely replace sales of conventional cars by 2035, but only if their production is scaled up in coming years and more new buyers are attracted. Brussels-based campaign group Transport & Environment, a nonprofit advocating for clean transport who commissioned the study, want the EU to set this date as the end of fossil fuel car production. The group’s senior director for vehicles and e-mobility, Julia Poliscanova, said: “With the right policies, battery electric cars and vans can reach 100 per cent of sales by 2035 in western, southern and even eastern Europe. “The EU can set an end date in 2035 in the certainty that the market is ready. New polluting vehicles shouldn’t be sold for any longer than necessary.” The UK, as well as numerous EU countries including France, Germany and Spain, already have similar policies in place. Denmark attempted to propose an EU-wide ban on petrol and diesel cars in 2018, but found doing that this would break EU regulations. The EU has, however, set goals to cut emissions by 55 per cent in 2030 and to become carbon-neutral by 2050. Last year, electric cars made up around ten per cent of car sales in Europe, with the UK the third largest market, according to data compiled by The International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT). The EU is collectively the second largest electric vehicle market in the world according to the ICCT, behind China but ahead of the United States.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/electric-cars-fossil-fuel-europe-b1844817.html
     
         
      NI climate bill progress to be decided by MLAs Mon, 10th May 2021 10:33:00
     
      Northern Ireland's first ever climate bill will reach an important milestone on Monday as MLAs decide if it should progress. The legislation is backed by the main parties in the assembly, except the Democratic Unionist Party. The bill would commit Northern Ireland to reaching net zero emissions by 2045. However, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots and farming leaders oppose it, claiming the bill goes too far, too fast. They believe it will have a detrimental impact on the agri-food industry. Agriculture is the sector which gives off most greenhouse gases in Northern Ireland. It accounts for 27% of emissions, mostly methane from livestock. Other big emitting sectors are transport, power, industry and domestic heat. The climate bill provides a framework for targets but not specific reductions for individual sectors. They would follow later under departmental plans. Mr Poots is working up an alternative bill which would include an emissions reduction of at least 82% by 2050. This is in line with the recommendation of an independent advisory body to government on climate. The committee on climate change said on its current analysis there was "no credible pathway" for Northern Ireland to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It found the 82% reduction would be a fair contribution to the wider UK target. It said there was no technical reason the net zero target could not be achieved in Northern Ireland, but it would require a greater than 50% reduction in meat and dairy output. At the weekend, Mr Poots said draft policy proposals for his bill had been submitted to the Executive for approval in March, but had not yet made it onto the agenda. Ms Bailey told MLAs recently that the bill was not a threat to farming, that other sectors which were ready to move quicker could do the "heavy lifting" and that agriculture could have a more "gradual transition". But farmers' leaders have called for their members to lobby politicians against the bill. Ulster Farmers' Union deputy president David Brown said the body had explained its potential impact to MLAs, but they had continued to support it. He said: "Climate change legislation is required in NI, but we need a framework that is backed up with expert advice and allows local farmers to continue to feed the nation while reducing emissions on farm without drastic livestock reductions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57051232
     
         
      Sir David Attenborough: Problems that await greater than the epidemic Mon, 10th May 2021 10:14:00
     
      Sir David says the problems that await the world in the next five to 10 years because of climate change are greater than the coronavirus pandemic. His comments come six months ahead of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, where he'll be addressing global leaders and key decision-makers, after being appointed People's Advocate for climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/57050259
     
         
      Free up ‘bottlenecks’ stifling Africa’s agri-food sector, urges FAO chief Mon, 10th May 2021 1:09:00
     
      “Let's unblock the bottlenecks that are holding back potential by increasing coordination and upskilling human capacity in African nations”, urged QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Speaking at the launch of FAO's latest report,?Public Expenditure on Food and Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, he added that funds must also be unlocked and public finance systems streamlined, “so that the scarce resources we have do not go unspent”. Based on “rigorous analysis over the last 15 years, made possible thanks to strong collaboration with our Members in the region”, the FAO chief explained that the report brings to light a gap between long-standing political commitments and the financial realities facing 13 sub-Saharan countries. Despite meetings of African Union (AU) Member States, beginning in 2003, where they vowed to fuel social and economic growth by pledging 10 per cent of their national budgets to food and agriculture, this undertaking remains unfulfilled. A survey of the Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) programme, an FAO initiative that tracks public expenditure in Africa, revealed that only Malawi has consistently met that target. In some years, Mali has also achieved it, but Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, have never succeeded in doing so. In some cases, food and agriculture hover at only three per cent of national budgets, and on average, little of that is made available for food and agricultural development. Insufficient implementing capacity has also left a fifth of the funding undisbursed. According to the report, agriculture is being implicitly penalized.? Spend better Marco Sánchez, Deputy Director of FAO's Agri-food Economics Division, outlined research showing that technical efficiency in agriculture, increases dramatically as spending nears $80 per capita. And while it begins to taper off after that, most African countries come nowhere near that amount. While acknowledging a “narrow fiscal space” to expand public investment in Africa – particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic – he argued that it was possible to generate efficiency gains through better spending.? According to the report, the lion's share of national expenditure on food and agriculture in Africa subsidizes fertilizer, tools and other inputs, which Mr. Sánchez said tend to exhibit diminishing returns over time. At the same time, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero, stressed the importance of generating quality data to guide agricultural investment decisions, with today’s report being a significant step along that path. Moreover, public investments should be monitored more closely, and their results used to catalyse private investment.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091612
     
         
      Net zero faces fierce criticism Mon, 10th May 2021 0:57:00
     
      "The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect one" Carl von Clausewitz, 1780-1831 The backlash is underway. And it's coming from the unlikeliest of quarters. For much of the past two years the global push to deliver net-zero emissions has enjoyed a remarkable golden run. National and state governments have rushed to announce long term net-zero emissions goals, to the point where around two-thirds of global GDP is covered by some form of target. Businesses and investors have followed suit, with over 2,100 of the world's largest corporates having set net-zero goals under the U.N.-backed Race to Zero campaign while asset managers and owners worth trillions of dollars have pledged to deliver net-zero emission portfolios by mid-century at the latest. These various goals have helped trigger billions of dollars of investment in low carbon infrastructure and R&D, as well as an entire new ecosystem of campaigners, academics, regulators, investors, politicians, and business executives who are working round the clock to translate long-term net-zero ambitions into credible near term decarbonization strategies. While still daunted by the epic and tragic scale of the climate crisis, this community has been buoyed by the way in which their work already has helped deliver both plummeting clean technology costs and a decoupling of greenhouse gas emissions and global GDP. Less than six years on from the Paris Agreement, the combination of the landmark accord's 1.5 degree Celsius temperature goal and its commitment to "achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century" has unleashed one of the fastest and most consequential corporate trends since the inception of the first Industrial Revolution. It is, in many regards, one of the most successful environmental campaigns in history. And now it is facing fierce criticism not just from the perennial climate-denying opponents of climate action, who allege the net-zero mission is an exorbitantly expensive and unnecessary pipe dream, but also from a growing number of the world's most influential and respected environmental campaigners and scientists. Trials and tribulations It seems each story announcing a fresh net-zero pledge now sparks outraged warnings on social media that "net-zero is not zero" or heartfelt explanations as to why net-zero commitments are meaningless "greenwash" and what is needed is "real zero," like, yesterday. This critique has been amplified by Greta Thunberg, who has used her huge Twitter platform and vital position as one of the world's only functioning accountability mechanisms to warn that "net-zero targets" are "being used as excuses to postpone real action." "Yes we need to balance out some emissions that can't be eliminated (agriculture etc)," she argued in April. "But as it is now I dare to claim that these distant net-zero targets aren't about that, rather they're about communication tactics and making it seem like we're acting without having to change." She also shared a "Friends" meme which offered a similar, if pithier, analysis: These widespread and understandable concerns were expanded upon in an article for The Conversation from three of Europe's leading environmental scientists. Under the headline "Climate scientists: concept of net-zero is a dangerous trap," the University of Exeter's James Dyke, the University of East Anglia's Robert Watson and the University of Lund's Wolfgang Knorr condemned the "fantasy of net-zero" and concluded "current net-zero policies will not keep warming to within 1.5C because they were never intended to." The article was quickly shared by Thunberg, who hailed it as "one of the most important and informative texts I have ever read on the climate- and ecological crises." In further evidence that Shakespeare was right about the way in which trials and tribulations can lead to "strange bedfellows," these attacks on the net-zero movement's entire conceptual underpinning already has been seized upon by traditional opponents of climate action who wilfully misunderstand environmentalists' legitimate concerns about the efficacy of emissions targets and twist their analysis to argue decarbonization goals are all a crock. As one observer noted to me privately, when The Australian newspaper is praising Thunberg for exposing "the emptiness" of climate promises then something has gone pretty awry. Why now? So, what is going on here? Why is the concept of net-zero emissions under fire just as it emerges as the "North Star" for economic and industrial strategy in many of the world's most powerful economies? And does it matter? Will well-intentioned critiques of demonstrably inadequate net-zero strategies catalyze more ambitious decarbonization plans or will they inadvertently undermine a trend that has helped successfully push climate issues up the corporate and political agenda? The first thing to say is that much of the criticism of net-zero strategies from Thunberg, Dyke, Watson, Knorr, et al is entirely justified. There is an old jokey disclaimer deployed by journalists where we protest that we "don't write the headlines." It is a defense against the condemnation that comes our way when an eager subeditor uses a headline to overstate or simplify the details contained in the rest of an article. Last month's long read in The Conversation is something of a case in point. The headline may bluntly describe net-zero as a "dangerous trap," but the article itself offers a nuanced and in-depth assessment of the risks attached to the net-zero concept. It acknowledges the goal of ensuring residual emissions of greenhouse gases are balanced by technologies to remove them from the atmosphere is "a great idea, in principle," just as it accepts how "in principle there is nothing wrong or dangerous about carbon dioxide removal proposals." But it also warns that the net-zero narrative's focus on negative emissions technologies and techniques — all of which face massive technological, economic and land use challenges when used at scale — risks being used to justify continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure and distract from the urgent need to deliver "sustained radical cuts to greenhouse gas emissions in a socially just way." Amen to all of that. It is possible to disagree with the authors' belief that "net-zero has licensed a recklessly cavalier 'burn now, pay later' approach which has seen carbon emissions continue to soar" and share their concerns that emerging negative emissions technologies and techniques, such as biomass with carbon capture and storage, direct air carbon capture, mass nature-based solutions and even geo-engineering, can be used to bolster the business case for extremely high risk investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure. It is possible to reject the idea that net-zero policies are primarily designed to perpetuate business as usual and still share the fears of Dyke et al that such policies in their current guise are often poorly defined, insufficiently ambitious and inadequately policed. It is possible to think Thunberg's attacks on net-zero goals could prove counterproductive if they are not very carefully targeted and still think she is one of the best things to happen to the environmental movement in years and a vital voice holding governments and businesses to account. As analyses from the likes of Carbon Tracker and CDP repeatedly have stressed, many net-zero pledges put forward by the world's leading carbon intensive corporates and investors are deeply flawed and are not backed by credible strategies to wind down fossil fuel infrastructure and pivot towards clean technologies at sufficient pace. These inadequate strategies have been enabled by the continuing failure to establish clear standards that properly define what delivering net-zero emissions entails — a problem that was highlighted recently by Mark Carney's quickly repudiated suggestion that a portfolio containing fossil fuel-related assets could describe itself as "net-zero" so long as it also invested in renewables. Meanwhile, at the national level you would be hard pressed to find a government with a genuinely comprehensive net-zero strategy. The U.K. was the first major economy to set a net-zero target, has the most impressive decarbonization track record of any industrialized country, and has just set some of the world's most ambitious medium-term emissions goals. And yet the government is still tying itself in knots as it combines support for a world-leading renewables industry and a relatively rapid phase out of internal combustion engine vehicles with plans for a new coal mine and a refusal to rule out a fresh wave of North Sea oil and gas exploration. Against this backdrop Thunberg's fear net-zero targets can be used as cover for continued investment in fossil fuel assets is completely legitimate and understandable. As Dyke et al argue every one of the prospective negative emissions industries — whether they are focused on tree-planting or mechanically scrubbing the atmosphere of its CO2 — face immense technical, financial, and political barriers hampering their adoption at scale. And yet they are routinely factored into official decarbonization models at both a governmental and corporate level, disguising the fact there is a very real risk these negative emissions strategies could fail and necessitate even steeper emissions cuts to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. It amounts to an extremely high risk, perhaps even reckless strategy, even before you consider the existential dread that comes with recent news from the IEA that global emissions are already spiraling back towards pre-pandemic levels. The entire global economy continues to resemble an obese man ordering a box of doughnuts because he has just read that a diet pill trial has delivered some modestly encouraging results. Defending net-zero And yet, I can't help feel these legitimate critiques of the weaknesses of various net-zero strategies risk tipping over into a knee-jerk dismissal of the concept as a whole — a concept that will be right at the heart of any attempt to avert a climate catastrophe, regardless of the rhetorical framing deployed. The elision of "net-zero" and "not zero" may be largely confined to social media, but as it gathers momentum it risks tarnishing the credibility of all the myriad good faith attempts to harness a portfolio of solutions to slash emissions as quickly as possible and deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. A blanket dismissal of the net-zero concept demands not that polluters come forward with credible strategies that could work in both principle and in practice, but rather fuels the impression any and all plans are "greenwash" and are not worthy of consideration. Counterintuitively, it establishes a discourse that makes life easier for "greenwashers" and makes it harder to distinguish between those net-zero strategies that will help the world deliver on its climate goals and those that nefariously seek to delay meaningful action. Dyke et al allege net-zero targets "were and still are driven by a need to protect business as usual, not the climate." It is a serious charge to level at the architects of the Paris Agreement and the many businesses around the world striving to transform themselves as part of an epoch-shaping attempt to drive the fastest industrial revolution in history. It is certainly true of some net-zero strategies. But it is a funny sort of business as usual that has in the space of five years helped create a scenario where the bulk of the global auto industry is publicly committed to electrifying all their models, renewables are the default source of new capacity in most markets around the world, coal companies are going bankrupt and oil majors are totting up their write-downs, national climate laws are being rushed onto statute books, the public is routinely demanding climate action is treated as a top priority and billions of dollars of R&D funding is flowing into green aviation and shipping, smart grids and energy storage, and, yes, nature-based carbon sinks and carbon capture and use technologies. This edging away from business as usual undoubtedly has come decades too late and thus far only has delivered a plateauing of global emissions. As such the sense of anger and frustration that pervades attacks on the net-zero movement is both palpable and understandable. But it is also true the Paris Agreement and the net-zero ambitions it has unleashed has established the conditions in which a shift away from coal mines, oil refineries, gas boilers, and internal combustion engines, and towards renewables, hydrogen, heat pumps and batteries looks not just possible but all but inevitable. The world is still a long way from being on track to meet its net-zero targets, but a global emissions peak is finally within grasp. Steep emissions reductions could then follow, powered by the pursuit of those much-disparaged net-zero goals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/net-zero-faces-fierce-criticism
     
         
      Researchers Warn Against Becoming Too Dependent On Hydrogen To Power Cars Sun, 9th May 2021 17:00:00
     
      Using hydrogen as a source of power for vehicles certainly has its drawbacks—among them the cost and the inefficient use of energy—but researchers are now warning against hydrogen for another reason, The Guardian reports: scarcity and a subsequent dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrogen-based fuels are already expensive, and while there’s also research to suggest that a growing demand could enable cheaper prices, even a large-scale swap isn’t going to create the infrastructure needed to distribute hydrogen on a large scale. Demand also isn’t going to immediately solve hydrogen’s other main issues: that you get less energy per unit volume than other fuels, that liquefaction (as in, the simple ability to easily refill a fuel tank at a pump) is challenging and costly, and hydrogen’s volatility. You’re going to face the same exact problems you currently have with the meager electric charging infrastructure, but things are amplified. But perhaps the biggest issue is the fact that hydrogen could enable us to stick with the same fossil fuels that we’re trying to eradicate. In other words, if hydrogen turns out to be scarce and we still have a combustion engine in our car, we’re likely to just turn back to gasoline. “Hydrogen-based fuels can be a great clean energy carrier, yet their costs and associated risks are also great,” said Falko Ueckerdt, at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, who led the research. “If we cling to combustion technologies and hope to feed them with hydrogen-based fuels, and these turn out to be too costly and scarce, then we will end up burning further oil and gas,” he said. “We should therefore prioritise those precious hydrogen-based fuels for applications for which they are indispensable: long-distance aviation, feedstocks in chemical production and steel production.” Basically, the research found that it took six to 14 times more electricity to power in-home gas boilers with hydrogen-based fuels than with other fuels. I’ll let the experts explain: The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, calculated that producing and burning hydrogen-based fuels in home gas boilers required six to 14 times more electricity than heat pumps providing the same warmth. This is because energy is wasted in creating the hydrogen, then the e-fuel, then in burning it. For cars, using e-fuels requires five times more electricity than is needed than for battery-powered cars. Basically, it’s massively inefficient to use hydrogen fuel when you could just be using electricity and getting the job done with much quicker. As researcher Falko Ueckerdt noted, there are some industries where it's much harder to utilize electric power as a more eco-friendly option: long-distance air travel, steel production, shipping, and other chemical manufacturing. In those instances, it's not a problem to consider hydrogen-based fuels as a stepping stone to more efficient options, as going fully electric all at once will be a challenge. For cars or amenities in our homes, we should stick to straight electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://jalopnik.com/researchers-warn-against-becoming-too-dependent-on-hydr-1846855657
     
         
      Bill seeks to make Louisiana ‘fossil fuel sanctuary’ in bid against Biden’s climate plans Sun, 9th May 2021 10:30:00
     
      Just south of Oil City, where Louisiana representative Danny McCormick is from, is the predominantly Black city of Shreveport. Residents there breathe some of the most toxic air in the country. Oil refineries owned by UOP and Calumet contribute to the town’s toxic emissions, according to the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory. But McCormick, a Republican, introduced a bill at the Louisiana capitol last week that would protect oil companies and not residents in his district who have to breathe in that air. The bill would establish Louisiana as a “fossil fuel sanctuary state” and ban local and state employees from enforcing federal laws and regulations that negatively impact petrochemical companies. The idea for the bill, McCormick said, came about after President Joe Biden began putting new restrictions on oil and gas companies, including a pause on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. “Look at what they did to the coal industry,” he said at a Louisiana house committee hearing. “We already know what the game plan is. They already picked off coal. Now they’re going after oil and gas.” The bill – which is unlikely to move forward in its current state because of legality concerns – is among several bills introduced at the Louisiana legislature this session that would likely reduce regulation of oil and gas companies in the state. Lawmakers say that deregulation is necessary to preserve tax revenues generated by oil and gas companies and to stop further job losses. A separate bill introduced by McCormick would redefine gas pipelines from modes of transportation to facilities, in order to prevent Louisiana state police from fining pipeline companies for failing to immediately report gas leaks. Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, has also pushed back on the Biden administration’s energy agenda, penning a letter to the president that included petrochemical lobbyists’ talking points, according to HuffPost. Documents showed an oil and gas trade group coordinated between top officials in Louisiana and their counterparts in New Mexico – another oil state with a Democratic governor. Although the states are headed by Democrats, they remain obstacles to Biden’s climate plans. Texas, which has a Republican governor and legislature is also advancing bills to protect the oil and gas industry from climate efforts. Nixing environmental requirements would disproportionately hit communities of color. Shreveport, which is 57% Black, is in the 90th to 95th percentile for cancer risk from breathing in air toxics, according to the EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment. In 2013, the EPA fined the Calumet refinery $326,000 for nine air violations, prompting a new fenceline monitoring system. Shreveport is in north-west Louisiana, almost on the border with Texas. But south-east Louisiana, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is also known for its heavy industrial presence and pollution. It has been dubbed “Cancer Alley”. Louisiana’s US senator Bill Cassidy has bristled at Biden using the term and opposed campaigns from Democrats to revoke permits from a major plastics plant proposed for the corridor. McCormick runs M&M Oil. Before he was a legislator, he was a member of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, an industry lobbying group. Last week, when asked by other lawmakers about the constitutionality of the bill, McCormick said he wasn’t aware anyone was opposed to the legislation. “I don’t know who would have a problem with it, honestly,” he said. But Velma White, 71, who lives in McCormick’s district said she’s concerned about the proposed legislation. “It’s going to hurt the people,” she said of McCormick’s bill. “I don’t think it’s right to the people.” White lives a block away from Calumet Shreveport Refining and believes her family’s health problems were brought on by air emissions from the facility. White’s daughter was diagnosed with renal failure at a young age. White’s husband and sisters have also had health issues. “They have literally put me and my family through hell,” she said of the refinery. “I know there ought to be somebody who cares about the people’s lives.” White and other residents filed a lawsuit against the previous owners of the Calumet refinery, Pennzoil-Quaker State, in 2001. White said she hoped the lawsuit would open a dialogue with the company about buyouts to help residents relocate away from the pollution. “These people can’t get out of that community,” White said. “They’re going to continue to be exposed by what’s going on at that refinery. You can’t just pull up and run.” In January, White received an offer to settle her 20-year-old claim against the oil companies for $2,500. She’s experienced nausea, breathing difficulties and a miscarriage in 1987, according to E&E News. “That’s what they offered me,” she said. “I’m just dumbfounded.” White believes that federal regulators should take steps that would force companies to lower emissions. But if McCormick’s bill became law the state would not be able to enforce those regulations. McCormick’s bill was tabled because of concerns that the current language could cause the US Environmental Protection Agency to revoke the state’s authority to enforce federal rules. But his colleagues still offered their support. The chairman of the Louisiana House Natural Resources and the Environment Committee, Jean-Paul P Coussan (R-Lafayette), said he would work with McCormick to resolve issues with the bill that could give the federal government more power over oil and gas companies in Louisiana. “You’re not going to find a bigger support of oil and gas in his legislature than maybe you and I,” Coussan said to McCormick at the committee hearing. “We can tighten this up so all our oil and gas constituents can be proud of the bill. The intent is to help industry not to end up in court just for a headline.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/09/louisiana-bill-fossil-fuel-sanctuary
     
         
      Cutting human sources of methane would reduce global warming and improve human health - scientists Fri, 7th May 2021 13:28:00
     
      Cutting human sources of methane would be a quick win for the climate, according to a new United Nations report. Roughly halving emissions of the greenhouse gas from human activity, often with existing, cost-effective solutions, would reduce the future rise in global temperatures by around 0.3C by the 2040s, it is claimed. The analysis was carried out by the UN Environment Programme and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). Scientists have hailed the strategy as a "win-win" because it would reduce global warming and simultaneously improve human health and the economy. Levels of methane in the atmosphere have doubled since pre-industrial times. It is a potent greenhouse gas that is 10 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. According to the UN's Global Methane Assessment, human activity results in around 380 million tonnes of methane being released into the atmosphere every year. Agriculture accounts for 40% of the emissions, largely from livestock and rice cultivation, while another 32% comes from oil and gas extraction and coal mining. The report says reducing the emissions by 45%, or 180 million tonnes a year, by 2030 is critical for limiting global heating to 1.5C, the point where the climate would become increasingly and significantly unstable. Professor Drew Shindell, chair of the CCAC and one of the report authors, told Sky News: "It's vital to tackle methane because it's the strongest lever we have to reduce the rate of warming in the near term. "And that warming rate is what's leading to stronger hurricanes, more intense heatwaves, flooding, droughts all those consequences. "Three tenths of a degree accounts for 70 billion lost hours of labour. "That's people working outside in places that can't be air conditioned like agriculture and construction, so they are real costs to the economy, human wellbeing and more people dying from heat exposure. "All these 10ths of a degree sound minor, but they're not at all." The report says the target could be achieved with known solutions, many of which would pay for themselves within a few years. They include reducing methane leaks from gas pipelines, better management of coal mines, eliminating organic waste from landfill and reducing meat consumption. Reducing emissions would have a swift impact on global warming because the gas only survives in the atmosphere for around 10 years, whereas carbon dioxide stays there for several centuries. Professor Grant Allen, professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Manchester, said: "This does not mean that cutting methane emissions alone can solve the warming problem. "We must also continue to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to meet Paris Agreement targets and avoid dangerous warming. "But it does mean that we can help to quickly slow the rate of global temperature increase and avoid some significant degree of warming in the near future." As well as warming the climate, methane results in increased ozone air pollution. Meeting the 45% target for reduced emissions would prevent 255,000 premature deaths and 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits every year, the report concludes. Professor Dave Reay, executive director of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, University of Edinburgh, said: "Seldom in the world of climate change action is there a solution so stuffed with win-wins. "This blunt report makes clear that slashing emissions of methane - a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas - will deliver large and rapid benefits for the climate, air quality, human health, agriculture, and the economy too. "Meeting the Paris Climate Goals will need every climate action trick in the book. Cutting methane emissions should be on page 1." Sky News has launched the first daily prime time news show dedicated to climate change. The Daily Climate Show is broadcast at 6.30pm and 9.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. Hosted by Anna Jones, it will follow Sky News correspondents as they investigate how global warming is changing our landscape and how we all live our lives. The show will also highlight solutions to the crisis and show how small changes can make a big difference.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/cutting-human-sources-of-methane-would-reduce-global-warming-and-improve-human-health-scientists-12298535
     
         
      Using hydrogen fuel risks locking in reliance on fossil fuels, researchers warn Thu, 6th May 2021 16:14:00
     
      Using hydrogen-based fuels for cars and home heating risks locking in a dependency on fossil fuels and failing to tackle the climate crisis, according to a new analysis. Fuels produced from hydrogen can be used as straight replacements for oil and gas and can be low-carbon, if renewable electricity is used to produce these “e-fuels”. However, the research found that using the electricity directly to power cars and warm houses was far more efficient. The analysis estimated that hydrogen-based fuels would be very expensive and scarce in the coming decade. Therefore, equipment such as “hydrogen-ready” boilers could end up reliant on fossil gas and continue to produce the carbon emissions driving global heating. However, a few sectors such as aviation, shipping, steel and some chemicals are extremely hard to electrify. The researchers said hydrogen-based fuels would be needed for these by 2050, when the world needs to have reached net zero emissions. But they said enormous investment in technology and fast-rising carbon taxes would be needed to achieve this. Renewable electricity production is increasing rapidly as costs tumble. But it still makes up a small proportion of all energy used, which is mostly provided by coal, oil and gas. Using the electricity directly is efficient, but requires investment in new types of car and heating systems. Using the electricity to create hydrogen from water and then using carbon dioxide to manufacture other fuels can produce “drop-in” replacements for fossil fuels. But the new study concludes this cannot work on a large enough scale to tackle the climate emergency in time. “Hydrogen-based fuels can be a great clean energy carrier, yet their costs and associated risks are also great,” said Falko Ueckerdt, at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, who led the research. “If we cling to combustion technologies and hope to feed them with hydrogen-based fuels, and these turn out to be too costly and scarce, then we will end up burning further oil and gas,” he said. “We should therefore prioritise those precious hydrogen-based fuels for applications for which they are indispensable: long-distance aviation, feedstocks in chemical production and steel production.” Prof Gunnar Luderer, also at PIK and part of the study team, said: “As climate targets require immediate emission reductions, direct electrification should come first to assure a safe future. It is clear that the contribution of e-fuels and hydrogen will be marginal on the timescale of 2030.” The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, calculated that producing and burning hydrogen-based fuels in home gas boilers required six to 14 times more electricity than heat pumps providing the same warmth. This is because energy is wasted in creating the hydrogen, then the e-fuel, then in burning it. For cars, using e-fuels requires five times more electricity than is needed than for battery-powered cars. Romain Sacchi, from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland and part of the study team, said: “We are currently far from 100% renewable electricity. If produced with the current electricity mixes [in Europe], hydrogen-based fuels would increase – not decrease – greenhouse gas emissions, [compared with] using fossil fuels.” Daryl Wilson, the executive director of the global, industry-backed Hydrogen Council, said hydrogen could become the most competitive low-carbon solution for some sectors by 2030, such as long-haul trucking and steel. “Other applications such as buildings and power will require a higher carbon cost to become cost-competitive,” he said. “However, these are currently also seeing strong momentum as large-scale and long-term solutions to decarbonise the gas grid.” Members of the global Hydrogen Council include Saudi Aramco, BP and Total, and some critics say hydrogen provides a “cover story for fossil fuels”. Luderer said the EU target for green hydrogen production in 2030 was a thousand times higher than current levels of production, suggesting the scale-up would have to go far faster than even the rapid solar energy rollout of the last decade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/06/hydrogen-fuel-risks-reliance-on-fossil-fuels
     
         
      First nanoscale look at a reaction that limits the efficiency of generating clean hydrogen fuel Thu, 6th May 2021 15:58:00
     
      Transitioning from fossil fuels to a clean hydrogen economy will require cheaper and more efficient ways to use renewable sources of electricity to break water into hydrogen and oxygen. But a key step in that process, known as the oxygen evolution reaction or OER, has proven to be a bottleneck. Today it's only about 75% efficient, and the precious metal catalysts used to accelerate the reaction, like platinum and iridium, are rare and expensive. Now an international team led by scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has developed a suite of advanced tools to break through this bottleneck and improve other energy-related processes, such as finding ways to make lithium-ion batteries charge faster. The research team described their work in Nature today. Working at Stanford, SLAC, DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Warwick University in the UK, they were able to zoom in on individual catalyst nanoparticles—shaped like tiny plates and about 200 times smaller than a red blood cell—and watch them accelerate the generation of oxygen inside custom-made electrochemical cells, including one that fits inside a drop of water. They discovered that most of the catalytic activity took place on the edges of particles, and they were able to observe the chemical interactions between the particle and the surrounding electrolyte at a scale of billionths of a meter as they turned up the voltage to drive the reaction. By combining their observations with prior computational work performed in collaboration with the SUNCAT Institute for Interface Science and Catalysis at SLAC and Stanford, they were able to identify a single step in the reaction that limits how fast it can proceed. "This suite of methods can tell us the where, what and why of how these electrocatalytic materials work under realistic operating conditions," said Tyler Mefford, a staff scientist with Stanford and the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) at SLAC who led the research. "Now that we have outlined how to use this platform, the applications are extremely broad." The idea of using electricity to break water down into oxygen and hydrogen dates back to 1800, when two British researchers discovered that they could use electric current generated by Alessandro Volta's newly invented pile battery to power the reaction. This process, called electrolysis, works much like a battery in reverse: Rather than generating electricity, it uses electrical current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The reactions that generate hydrogen and oxygen gas take place on different electrodes using different precious metal catalysts. Hydrogen gas is an important chemical feedstock for producing ammonia and refining steel, and is increasingly being targeted as a clean fuel for heavy duty transportation and long-term energy storage. But more than 95% of the hydrogen produced today comes from natural gas via reactions that emit carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Generating hydrogen through water electrolysis driven by electricity from solar, wind, and other sustainable sources would significantly reduce carbon emissions in a number of important industries. But to produce hydrogen fuel from water on a big enough scale to power a green economy, scientists will have to make the other half of the water-splitting reaction—the one that generates oxygen—much more efficient, and find ways to make it work with catalysts based on much cheaper and more abundant metals than the ones used today. "There aren't enough precious metals in the world to power this reaction at the scale we need," Mefford said, "and their cost is so high that the hydrogen they generate could never compete with hydrogen derived from fossil fuels." Improving the process will require a much better understanding of how water-splitting catalysts operate, in enough detail that scientists can predict what can be done to improve them. Until now, many of the best techniques for making these observations did not work in the liquid environment of an electrocatalytic reactor. In this study, scientists found several ways to get around those limitations and get a sharper picture than ever before. The catalyst they chose to investigate was cobalt oxyhydroxide, which came in the form of flat, six-sided crystals called nanoplatelets. The edges were sharp and extremely thin, so it would be easy to distinguish whether a reaction was taking place on the edges or on the flat surface. About a decade ago, Patrick Unwin's research group at the University of Warwick had invented a novel technique for putting a miniature electrochemical cell inside a nanoscale droplet that protrudes from the tip of a pipette tube. When the droplet is brought into contact with a surface, the device images the topography of the surface and electronic and ionic currents with very high resolution. For this study, Unwin's team adapted this tiny device to work in the chemical environment of the oxygen evolution reaction. Postdoctoral researchers Minkyung Kang and Cameron Bentley moved it from place to place across the surface of a single catalyst particle as the reaction took place. "Our technique allows us to zoom in to study extremely small regions of reactivity," said Kang, who led out the experiments there. "We are looking at oxygen generation at a scale more than one hundred million times smaller than typical techniques." They discovered that, as is often that case for catalytic materials, only the edges were actively promoting the reaction, suggesting that future catalysts should maximize this sort of sharp, thin feature. Meanwhile, Stanford and SIMES researcher Andrew Akbashev used electrochemical atomic force microscopy to determine and visualize exactly how the catalyst changed shape and size during operation, and discovered that the reactions that initially changed the catalyst to its active state were much different than had been previously assumed. Rather than protons leaving the catalyst to kick off the activation, hydroxide ions inserted themselves into the catalyst first, forming water inside the particle that made it swell up. As the activation process went on, this water and residual protons were driven back out. In a third set of experiments, the team worked with David Shapiro and Young-Sang Yu at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source and with a Washington company, Hummingbird Scientific, to develop an electrochemical flow cell that could be integrated into a scanning transmission X-ray microscope. This allowed them to map out the oxidation state of the working catalyst—a chemical state that's associated with catalytic activity—in areas as small as about 50 nanometers in diameter. "We can now start applying the techniques we developed in this work toward other electrochemical materials and processes," Mefford said. "We would also like to study other energy-related reactions, like fast charging in battery electrodes, carbon dioxide reduction for carbon capture, and oxygen reduction, which allows us to use hydrogen in fuel cells."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-05-nanoscale-reaction-limits-efficiency-hydrogen.html
     
         
      Cutting methane gas 'crucial for climate fight' Thu, 6th May 2021 13:55:00
     
      Reducing emissions of methane gas is vital for tackling climate change in the short-term, a major UN report says. Methane is produced when living things decompose; it's also in natural gas. It persists for just a short time in the atmosphere - unlike carbon dioxide - but methane is a much more potent global warming gas than CO2. The report says "urgent steps" are necessary in order to reduce methane if global warming is to be kept within a limit laid down in the Paris deal. This agreement, signed by 200 countries, aims to keep the global temperature rise to within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century. The 1.5C target is regarded as the gateway to "dangerous" warming, where the planet could experience serious adverse effects of climate change. The report comes as data showed both CO2 and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere reached record highs last year. This happened despite pandemic lockdowns, which massively reduced economic activity. The good news is that the UN report says rapid and significant reductions in the greenhouse gas are possible using existing technologies and a very low cost. Methane is also a source for another gas - ozone - in the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere (known as the troposphere) In addition to saving money, cutting methane would yield significant health benefits by reducing the amount of ground-level ozone - a pollutant that's harmful to the human body. The recommendations come from an international team of scientists, who have produced the Global Methane Assessment for the UN Environment Programme (Unep). Drew Shindell, the study's lead author, and a professor of Earth science at Duke University in Durham, US, agrees CO2 is the number one target in the fight against climate change, but says cutting methane will have a more rapid impact. "So many aspects of climate change are happening faster than expected", he said. "We see more fires, more of the strongest hurricanes, more heatwaves, and methane is the best lever we have to reduce the growth in those over the next 30 years." Scientists regard a temperature rise of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels as a gateway to "dangerous" warming of the planet. The Paris agreement, signed by nearly 200 countries, aims to keep the increase to within the 1.5C target. The new report says measures available now could reduce emissions from human activities by as much as 180 million tonnes a year by 2030 - 45% of the total per year. The main sources of human-related methane are the fossil fuel industry, which accounts for 34% of total emissions, agriculture which contributes another 40% and the waste sector 20%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56933443
     
         
      Young Christians in pilgrimage to UN climate change conference Thu, 6th May 2021 12:58:00
     
      Young Christians from across the country are walking in relay from Cornwall to Glasgow to raise awareness of a climate change conference. The UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties will be held in Glasgow in November. Some young Christians say the Church could be doing far more to combat climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-57002535
     
         
      Cut methane emissions to avert global temperature rise, UN-backed study urges Thu, 6th May 2021 12:29:00
     
      The Global Methane Assessment outlines the benefits of mitigating methane, a key ingredient in smog, which include preventing some 260,000 premature deaths and 775,000 asthma-related hospital visits annually, as well as 25 million tonnes in crop losses. The study is the work of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), a global partnership of governments and non-State partners, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years and complements necessary efforts to reduce carbon dioxide. The benefits to society, economies, and the environmental are numerous and far outweigh the cost”, said Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director. Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, responsible for around 30 per cent of warming since the pre-industrial era. Most human-caused methane emissions come from three sectors: fossil fuels, such as oil and gas processing; landfills and waste; and agriculture, chiefly related to livestock. The report underscores why international action is urgently needed as human-caused methane emissions are increasing faster than at any time since record keeping began in the 1980s. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic causing an economic slowdown in 2020, which prevented another record year for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the amount of methane in the atmosphere reached record levels last year. However, unlike CO2, which stays in the atmosphere for centuries, methane breaks down quickly and most is gone after a decade, meaning action can rapidly reduce the rate of global warming in the near-term. Methane accounts for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Rick Duke, Senior Advisor to John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change. “The United States is committed to driving down methane emissions both at home and globally—through measures like research and development, standards to control fossil and landfill methane, and incentives to address agricultural methane”, he said. The Assessment identifies readily available solutions that would reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, mainly in the fossil fuel sector. Most, or around 60 per cent, are low cost and half have “negative costs”, meaning companies will make money from taking action. So-called “mitigation potential” varies between countries and regions, according to the report. For example, whereas the largest potential in Europe and India is in the waste sector, in China it is from coal production and livestock, while in Africa it is from livestock followed by oil and gas. “But targeted measures alone are not enough”, the partners warned. “Additional measures that do not specifically target methane, like a shift to renewable energy, residential and commercial energy efficiency, and a reduction in food loss and waste, can reduce methane emissions by a further 15 per cent by 2030.” Drew Shindell, a Professor of Climate Science at Duke University in the USA, who chaired the assessment for the CCAC, said urgent steps must be taken to reduce methane emissions this decade. “To achieve global climate goals, we must reduce methane emissions while also urgently reducing carbon dioxide emissions,” Dr Shindell said. “The good news is that most of the required actions bring not only climate benefits but also health and financial benefits, and all the technology needed is already available.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091402
     
         
      Guterres renews zero-emissions appeal to avoid falling into climate abyss Thu, 6th May 2021 11:57:00
     
      In his keynote speech at a high-level climate gathering in Petersberg, Germany - six months before world leaders convene in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 Climate Summit - the UN chief also offered a message of hope, insisting that it was still possible to avert the worst impacts of emissions-fuelled environmental shocks. “I see encouraging signs from some major economies”, he said, referring to countries that represent 73 per cent of emissions having committed to net zero emissions by mid-century. All countries – especially in the G20 – need to close the mitigation gap further by COP26, he insisted, highlighting the threat already faced by developing countries, where “people are dying, farms are failing (and) millions face displacement”. “The bottom line is that, by 2030, we must cut global emissions by 45 per cent compared to 2010 levels to get to net zero emissions by 2050. That is how we will keep the hope of 1.5 degrees alive.” The world’s top priority should be to dispense with polluting coal-fired power stations altogether and replace them with renewable energy, the UN Secretary-General maintained. This should happen by 2030 in the wealthy countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and by 2040 across the globe. Dramatic as this transition away from fossil fuel will be, it must be inclusive and “just…involving local governments, unions and the private sector to support affected communities and generate green jobs”, Mr. Guterres continued. After hailing governments that had pledged to end fossil fuel subsidies, the UN Secretary-General insisted that it was time for all countries to “put a price on carbon and shift taxation from income to carbon”. And in a direct appeal to concerned citizens, he asked “shareholders of multilateral development banks and development finance institutions” to push for funding solutions for “low-carbon, climate-resilient development that is aligned with the 1.5 degree (2015 Paris Agreement) goal”. Developing countries needed this financial support in particular, as annual adaptation costs in the developing world alone are estimated at $70 billion “and these could rise to $300 billion by 2030”, the UN chief explained. “I reiterate my call to donors and multilateral development banks to ensure that at least 50 per cent of climate finance is for adaption and resilience”, Mr. Guterres said, noting that “adaptation finance” to developing countries represents only 21 per cent of climate finance today. To help these poorer nations in particular, “developed countries must honour their long-standing promise to provide $100 billion annually for climate action in developing countries”, the Secretary-General continued, adding that the success of the upcoming COP26 “rests on achieving a breakthrough on adaptation and finance. This is a matter of urgency and trust.” The Petersberg Climate Dialogue is an annual event that has been convened by Germany since 2010. It brings together ministers from over 30 countries, top executives, civil society and subnational leaders in preparation for the annual climate COP, which will be held in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091412
     
         
      Boycott threatened over Shell's sponsorship of Science Museum carbon capture exhibition Thu, 6th May 2021 10:21:00
     
      Climate activists say they'll call for people to boycott a new exhibition at London's Science Museum if the oil company Shell isn't dropped as a major sponsor. The UK Student Climate Network has already sent an open letter to the museum in protest but says it's had no response. It's two weeks until the exhibition on carbon capture technology is due to open. A contributor who has now partly withdrawn her involvement says she was disappointed and embarrassed to learn about the sponsorship after already agreeing to take part. Dr Emma Sayer, reader in Ecosystem Ecology at the University of Lancaster, contributed to a display on capturing carbon in woodlands. She said: "My contribution to the exhibition is about soil carbon storage. I was really excited. The Science Museum is a great place and it was fantastic to be involved. "But this sponsorship issue has created a big conundrum for me because on the one hand, I want to support the exhibition, and the key messages of the exhibition, but then on the other hand, I don't want to be associated with sponsorship by big oil companies." Dr Sayer added: "We need to be reducing our fossil fuel use and we need to be doing it urgently. And that's really why it creates such an issue for me. "I'm very aware of the need to mitigate the impacts of climate change and I think we should be transitioning away from fossil fuels as fast as possible and that creates a conflict with that kind of sponsorship." Dr Sayer has now withdrawn consent to use video footage for a film in the exhibition but because she still supports the message of the exhibition is leaving her display there. Anya Nanning Ramamurthy of the UK Student Climate Network says if Shell is not dropped they will be calling for a boycott of the exhibition which begins on 19 May. She said: "Surely the Museum can put on an exhibition like this without Shell's money. Fossil fuel companies shouldn't be sponsoring exhibitions around solutions to climate change."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/boycott-threatened-over-shells-sponsorship-of-science-museum-carbon-capture-exhibition-12297979
     
         
      We can’t stop rising sea levels, but we still have a chance to slow them down Thu, 6th May 2021 9:00:00
     
      Sea levels are going to rise, no matter what. This is certain. But new research I helped produce shows how much we could limit the damage: sea level rise from the melting of ice could be halved this century if we meet the Paris agreement target of keeping global warming to 1.5C. The aim of our research was to provide a coherent picture of the future of the world’s land ice using hundreds of simulations. But now, as I look back on the two years it took us to put the study together, what stands out is the theme of connection running through it all – despite the world being more disconnected than ever. Connecting digitally: our study brought together 84 people working at 62 institutes in 15 countries (nine in Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China). I led the study but haven’t met many of my co-authors. Even if we had planned to meet, over half the 120 days I spent on the study have been since the first UK lockdown. Connecting parts of the world: the world’s land ice is made up of global glaciers in 19 regions, and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets at each pole. Our methods allow us to use exactly the same predictions of global warming for each. This may sound obvious, but is actually unusual, perhaps unique at this scale. Each part of the world is simulated separately, by different groups of people, using different climate models to provide the warming levels. We realigned all these predictions to make them consistent. Connecting the data: at its heart, this study is a join-the-dots picture. Our 38 groups of modellers created nearly 900 simulations of glaciers and ice sheets. Each one is a data point about its contribution to future sea level rise. Here, we connected the points with lines, using a statistical method called “emulation”. Imagine clusters of stars in the sky: drawing the constellations allow us to visualise the full picture more easily – not just a few points of light, but each detail of Orion’s torso, limbs, belt and bow. Our process of joining the dots meant we could make a more complete prediction of the full range of possible futures – mapping out our uncertainties in the levels of the rising seas. For instance, if we reduce emissions from current pledges to meet the Paris agreement targets, which would reduce warming from more than 3C to 1.5C, the median predictions for sea level rise from melting ice reduce by half, from 25cm to 13cm, by 2100. For the upper end, there is a 95% chance the level would be less than 28cm if we limit warming to 1.5C, compared with 40cm under current pledges. Connecting to each other: some of the initial conversations for the study were in person. Most memorable and important among them were visiting the ice sheet project lead, Sophie Nowicki, at Nasa to analyse their data in June 2019, and long walks discussing the statistical methods with my mentor and friend Jonty Rougier in Hastings. But even when we went digital, many of us kept a personal, sometimes emotional, connection under the pressures of work and family life amid the pandemic, and with a number of people involved in the research living in California close to the huge wildfires last summer. Connecting to the planet: we are nearly all modellers on this study, translating the world into computer code and digital numbers. But I was lucky enough to do much of this work close to the ocean, watching waves lap the shores whose future we aimed to predict. And many of my co-authors work in the cold, often punishing environments of glaciers and ice sheets. We always had in mind the real-world implications – the irreversible loss of these unique landscapes, and the impacts on those who live at the coasts. So, for those most at risk, we made a second set of predictions in a pessimistic storyline where Antarctica is particularly sensitive to climate change. We found the losses from the ice sheet could be five times larger than the main predictions, which would imply a 5% chance of the land ice contribution to sea level exceeding 56cm in 2100 – even if we limit warming to 1.5C. Such a storyline would mean far more severe increases in flooding. Connecting the dots: predictions like these are not just abstract sets of numbers. Not just ones and zeroes or lines on a page. They link our actions with consequences. In the runup to Cop26 this November, we wait to see whether nations will revise their pledges – their “nationally determined contributions”. Limiting future greenhouse emissions with more ambitious pledges – and, crucially, detailed plans to fulfil them – would help to limit the damage done by flooding to people around the world, and the costs to try to protect them. We must connect – with each other, and with reality – to deal with uncertainty about the future. Covid-19 has urgently highlighted the need for good communication, collaboration and coordination. We can find resilience to uncertainty in groups and networks. But at the same time, we must acknowledge inevitable certainty: sea levels are going to go up. How much, though, is still up to us.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/06/stop-rising-sea-levels-scientists-climate-forecast
     
         
      Airlines must reduce emissions instead of offsetting, say experts Wed, 5th May 2021 18:22:00
     
      Airlines should focus on reducing emissions from flights instead of using carbon offsets for climate commitments, experts and environmental campaigners have warned. British Airways and easyJet are among several leading carriers that use carbon offsets to back up claims of “carbon-neutral flying” and net zero pledges by buying credits on behalf of passengers or offering customers that opportunity to buy them when booking tickets. On Tuesday, an investigation by the Guardian and Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative arm into the forest protection carbon offsetting market used by airlines found it had a significant credibility problem, with experts warning the system is flawed and can produce credits with no climate benefit. Environmental campaigners said the airline industry must focus on reducing emissions from aviation and the use of offsets distracts from rising emissions from flights. In response to the investigation, several leading airlines said the use of offsets was an intermediary measure while new technologies were developed. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Oxford Net Zero Initiative, said there had been progress on developing standards of what counts as a high quality climate target, including Race to Zero and Science Based Targets (SBTi), but cautioned the area was still a “wild west”. “I think there can be a role for offsetting,” Smith said. “But I think the first priority for any organisation has to be that they address their own carbon footprint directly. So for airlines, that means reducing emissions from their operations and fossil fuel use, and for passengers to think carefully about their flying habits. “Avoided emissions credits are not going to get us to net zero in the long run.” Under schemes like the SBTi, companies follow a step-by-step process to make a climate commitment that is in line with the goals of the Paris agreement, ensuring their operations help limit global warning well below 2 degrees. Companies that follow the initiative must track and disclose their progress every year and are not allowed to use offsets to contribute to their goals. Carbon credits are only considered an option for organisations that want to make additional reductions. In response to the findings of the investigation, airlines said they trusted the quality of Redd+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) credits they used for climate commitments, which were often sourced through a third party. British Airways said it was committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and offsetting remained a key part of its near-term plan while alternatives to fossil fuels were developed. It added: “In the medium to longer term we’re investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuel and looking at how we can help accelerate the growth of new technologies such as zero emissions hydrogen-powered aircraft and carbon capture technology.” EasyJet, which offsets fuel emissions on behalf of all customers for “carbon-neutral flying”, said it was an interim measure while zero-emission technology was developed and the airline was confident the projects it supported were in effect preventing forest loss. They are also applying a number of techniques in order to reduce current carbon emissions, such as single-engine taxi, using advanced weather information to optimise routing, and reducing the use of aircraft flaps on approach to landing. “Alongside this we’re already supporting the development of radical new technologies to achieve zero-emission flying in the future which we are committed to transitioning to as soon as they are available and viable.” Cait Hewitt, deputy director of the UK NGO Aviation Environment Federation, said offsetting using avoided emission credits, such as those from forestry protection, cannot be the solution because emissions in the atmosphere still increase. “Even if you did correctly manage to invest in a project and therefore avoid some carbon, that doesn’t solve the problem of the emissions from your flight,” Hewitt explained. “I think a lot of these projects probably do really good things. But we shouldn’t kid ourselves that this somehow delivers carbon neutral flying. That’s that’s just not the case. “Almost all other sectors are now getting on to the path of cutting emissions and aviation has a real problem. One of the dangers with offsetting is that it risks creating the impression that airlines are taking real action on this issue.” Leo Murray, an environmental campaigner that co-founded Plane Stupid and now runs the NGO Possible, said carbon offsetting was an alternative to reducing emissions from air travel and was stopping people from confronting difficult truths about the climate crisis. “A carbon neutral flight is just a comforting fiction,” he said. “It doesn’t exist in technological terms: you can’t get on a flight that doesn’t emit carbon. But also, the idea that you can emit loads of carbon on a flight and pay to mop it up elsewhere is just not true.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/05/reducing-emissions-should-be-airlines-first-priority-not-buying-carbon-offsets
     
         
      Local elections 2021: Young voters on why the environment matters Wed, 5th May 2021 14:34:00
     
      Ahead of local elections in Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, we speak to young voters to find out why environmental issues matter to them. Gloucestershire climate justice activist Tomeia Gregory, 23, says she sees many links between environmental policies and social injustice. Her preferred candidate would seek to address social policies with an environmental solution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-gloucestershire-56977032
     
         
      Retail pushback: Europe firms threaten Brazil over deforestation Wed, 5th May 2021 12:37:00
     
      A group of European companies including Tesco and Marks & Spencer have threatened to stop using Brazilian agricultural commodities if the country’s Congress passes a law expanding property rights for squatters on public land. Environmental advocates warn that the proposal would encourage deforestation by rewarding land grabbers in the Amazon rainforest who occupy properties illegally, often clear-cutting areas for agricultural use in the process. Proponents of the bill say that only by bringing properties into the legal system can they be forced to comply with Brazil’s strict laws that limit deforestation in the Amazon to 20 percent of private property. The retailers, also including Metro and John Lewis, as well as investors such as Norway’s biggest pension company KLP, said that Brazil’s environmental protections were increasingly inadequate, while the land bill potentially risked even greater threats to the Amazon. “If this or other measures that undermine these existing protections become law, we will have no choice but to reconsider our support and use of the Brazilian agricultural commodity supply chain,” the European companies wrote in an open letter to Brazilian legislators released on Wednesday. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of soy and beef. The bill was scheduled for a vote in Brazil’s Senate last week but was shelved amid criticisms from environmentalists. Congressional leaders said the issue needed more discussion and indicated it could be put up for a vote again this week. That proposal was the second push by the government and congressional allies to win approval for such a plan. Similar legislation was withdrawn in May 2020 after a boycott threat from many of the same companies. The current Senate bill would allow for much larger and more recently settled properties to receive deeds. The move comes at a testing time for the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, as deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon surged to a 12-year high in 2020. Under international pressure led by the United States, Bolsonaro promised at a leaders summit in April to strengthen environmental enforcement and reaffirmed a commitment to end illegal deforestation by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/5/retail-pushback-europe-firms-threaten-brazil-over-deforestation
     
         
      Climate change: Promises will mean rise of 2.4C - study Wed, 5th May 2021 12:18:00
     
      Recent climate change promises by major nations will bring the world a fraction closer to the prospect of a more stable climate, analysis suggests. The Climate Action Tracker group says the new targets have reduced projected warming by the end of century by 0.2C. The forecast now stands at 2.4C – a small improvement, but higher than the 1.5C threshold nations are aiming for under the Paris climate agreement. Final calculations by researchers of the emissions gap in 2030 between Paris pledges and a 1.5C pathway show it’s been narrowed by 11-14%. The biggest prospective contributors to reducing emissions are the US, EU countries, China and Japan. The researchers noted that Canada announced a new target at President Biden’s recent climate summit while South Africa is consulting on an increased target. Argentina has increased its target, and the UK has a stronger target of a 78% emissions cut by 2035. The research comes with a warning about the potential gap between aspiration and achievement. Based on current national policies the estimated warming is 2.9C - that's nearly twice what governments agreed it should be when they sealed the big climate deal in Paris in 2015. Bill Hare from Climate Analytics, one of the partner organisations for the report, said: “It is clear the Paris Agreement is driving change, spurring governments into adopting stronger targets. “But there is still some way to go, especially given that most governments don’t yet have policies in place to meet their pledges.” He said Brazil, for instance, had brought forward its climate neutrality goal, but changed the baseline from which it was calculated - actually making its 2030 target weaker. Some governments also continue to build coal-fired power plants, and to increase the usage of natural gas for electricity. The report also identifies a major problem with automobiles, as drivers steer towards larger, less efficient SUVs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56984691
     
         
      UK supermarkets warn Brazil over Amazon land bill Wed, 5th May 2021 11:43:00
     
      Nearly 40 UK food businesses have threatened to stop sourcing products from Brazil over proposed land reforms. An open letter from the group calls on Brazil's legislature to reject a bill which could legalise the private occupation of public land. The letter said the proposal could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon. The bill is being considered just months after Brazil pledged to end illegal logging. Sainsbury's, Aldi, Greggs, the Co-Op, the British Retail Consortium, and the Hilton Food Group are among the major organisations to sign the open letter. A vote in the Senate on the bill is expected within days. The companies say they "consider the Amazon as a vital part of the earth system that's essential to the security of our planet, as well as being a critical part of a prosperous future for Brazilians and all of society." Rainforests are critical to mitigating the effects of climate change, as they store vast amounts of carbon. Under the leadership of right-wing President Jair Bolsanaro, the level of deforestation in the Amazon is reported as being the highest since 2008. This year alone around 430,000 acres of the Amazon have been logged or burned, according to the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project. The vast majority of land is cleared either to graze cattle for beef exports, or to grow soy, which goes in to animal feed around the world. At a summit in April hosted by US President Joe Biden, Mr Bolsanaro declared that Brazil would end illegal logging. The letter says these measures "run counter" to this "narrative and rhetoric." The new law would allow land that has been illegally occupied after 2014 to be put up for sale. This would potentially allow illegal occupants to buy it. Similar controversial measures were first put forward in a different bill last year, but were withdrawn after more than 40 organisations made the same threat over supply chain sourcing. The group says the existing protections and land designations have been "instrumental" in their organisations having "trust" in Brazilian producers. The companies say that the "door remains open to work with Brazilian partners" to develop sustainable land management practice in Brazil. However, if this or other measures that undermine existing protections become law, they will have "no choice but to reconsider our support and use of the Brazilian agricultural commodity supply chain." Commenting on the imminent vote, Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at WWF-UK, said: "We cannot fight the climate crisis without the Amazon, yet its future hangs in the balance as deforestation pushes it closer to the point of collapse. "If passed, this vote in the Brazilian Congress will fuel further destruction and place greater risk on the lives of the people and wildlife who call it home. "As global efforts to protect the Amazon threaten to be undermined, it's encouraging to see major businesses sounding the alarm." Cathryn Higgs, head of policy at the Co-op, said it was "imperative" the proposed legislation wasn't "given any airtime by the Brazilian government." Supporters of the bill say it would help small-scale farmers to clarify title deeds to land. The Brazilian government has been approached for comment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56989711
     
         
      Young people key to transforming world’s food systems Tue, 4th May 2021 13:58:00
     
      The online discussions, which centred around topics such as agriculture, education and climate change, will serve as direct input to a landmark UN Food Systems Summit, due to be held in September. Transforming food systems is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said in a video message for the event. She highlighted how “food is much bigger than what is on your plate”, noting key connections with health, environment and culture. “This is a complex challenge, but only together will we transform our food systems to be more equitable, inclusive and sustainable and deliver the SDGs by 2030”, she said. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, explained why food systems much change on a planet where half of all children do not have access to healthy diets, amid a “worrying increase” in overweight and obesity. “Too often, food systems put profit over purpose. This places the most nutritious foods often out of reach for many households”, she said. “Families are forced to turn to heavily marketed and unhealthy alternatives. These may be cheaper and more available. But they also lead to poor nutritional outcomes, threatening children’s development and growth and — in the worst cases — survival itself.” The UN Food Systems Summit is organized around five “Action Tracks” to foster initiatives on issues such as boosting “nature-positive” food production and shifting to sustainable consumption patterns. Janya Green from the United States is a youth co-chair on Action Track 1, which covers ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for all. She has been working on community food gardens since she was 12. “As you all know, hunger worldwide is a huge problem. The number of undernourished people continued to increase in 2019. Even before taking COVID-19 into account, hunger was predicted to rise. If we do not reverse these current trends, the SDG zero-hunger target will not be met,” she warned. The pandemic has exposed deep-rooted inequities, including in food systems, the UN Deputy Secretary-General observed. While young people are among those hit hard by the aftershocks, Ms. Mohammed said they have also been resilient, converting challenges into opportunities. Agnes Kalibata, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to the Food Systems Summit, stressed that it would be impossible to hold the event without engaging with youth. Ms. Kalibata, who is from Rwanda, recalled that young people make up 77 per cent of the total population in Africa, and around 50 per cent of the global population. “This is about the future”, she said. “The future is youth. The future of our world is our youth.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091232
     
         
      Carbon: How calls for climate justice are shaking the world Mon, 3rd May 2021 14:36:00
     
      Young activists are breathing new life into the long-running debate over climate justice - the framing of global warming as an ethical issue rather than a purely environmental one. When world leaders took to the (virtual) stage at President Biden's climate summit, they were given a gentle telling off by 19-year-old climate activist, Xiye Bastida. "Solutions must be aligned with the fact that climate justice is social justice," she said, echoing the words of Greta Thunberg. The Mexican-born teenager is among a new generation of climate activists drawing attention to environmental and social injustices they say are blighting lives worldwide. Her words cut through the noise in a video that has been viewed more than a quarter of a million times. Harriet Lamb of the climate solutions charity, Ashden, says people have been talking about the problem of climate injustice for decades but young activists are giving it new momentum. "It has undoubtedly changed the agenda," she says. For her, climate justice is about making sure we address historic injustices over emissions, including the carbon footprint of the wealthy, whose lifestyles have contributed most to global warming. At the same time, climate change is predominantly impacting those who've done the least to contribute to carbon pollution and who have the least resources to deal with it because they are living below the poverty line. The starkest inequalities are seen in the poorest countries of the world, where people leaving only a tiny carbon footprint are at the front line of climate chaos, from floods to ruined crops. But even in wealthy countries like the UK, there are warnings of carbon inequality. Amy Norman, a researcher at the think-tank, The Social Market Foundation, says politicians need to level with voters on what the transition to net zero will mean for the way we live. There's potential for a public and political backlash over issues of unfairness, she says, which could damage trust and ultimately the wider transition to net zero (removing as many emissions as we produce). "This is an entire economical, societal shift and transition that we need to make," she says. "Politicians need to have the public on board and bringing them alongside - if you're hitting lower incomes where it hurts with their finances you're going to lose support quickly and especially if that's seen to be unfair." Anyone driving around in a clapped-out car they rely on for the school run might well wonder how to afford a shiny new electric car. And if you live in a tower block, where would you even charge one? And those dreading a hefty bill to fix a faulty boiler will be shuddering at the thought of an expensive heat pump. These are some of the issues politicians must wrestle with as they work out how to deliver on their promises for curbing emissions. Amy Norman says there needs to be a package of support for low-income households to help meet the costs of electric vehicles and funding for local authorities to install public charging points. Issues of climate justice are thrown into even sharper relief when looking at emissions through a global lens. Studies show that the combined emissions of the richest 1% of the global population account for more than the poorest 50%. The global south will bear the brunt of economic impacts from rising temperatures, with those on lower incomes more vulnerable to the likes of floods, drought and extreme heat. In Nigeria, for instance, the poorest 20% of people are 50% more likely to be affected by a flood, 130% more likely to be affected by a drought, and 80% more likely to be affected by a heat wave than the average Nigerian. And in Bangladesh, India, and Honduras, poor people are losing two to three times more than the wealthy when hit by a flood or storm. One recent study found that enacting policies to fight climate change will push an additional 50 million people into poverty by 2030. Study researcher, Dr Bjoern Soergel of Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, says the drive towards net zero could mean higher prices for food and energy, which will have a greater impact on the poor. But he says there is a "win-win" situation by which you can protect the climate and reduce extreme poverty. This would involve carbon pricing - essentially a carbon tax on polluting fossil fuels - with governments re-distributing some of the profits on a per capita basis. Richer countries would then need to give a fraction of the money to the countries where people live in extreme poverty. "Making [climate policies] in an equitable way really needs to be at the core of climate action first of all because the currently rich industrialised countries are responsible for the large majority of emissions in the past," he says. "They have contributed most to the issue so far. But also they have the biggest means to tackle the problem both in terms of financial resources and technology."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56941979
     
         
      Covid: 'Urgent change' needed to get people back on trains Sat, 1st May 2021 14:45:00
     
      Urgent changes are needed to get people out of cars and back on trains after Covid travel restrictions are eased, campaigners have warned. Passenger numbers plummeted by about 95% as "non-essential" travel was banned at the height of the pandemic. Now there are fears people will switch back to cars unless action is taken to make rail more affordable, attractive and address safety fears. Transport for Wales (TfW) said trains were safe and changes were being made. Over the past 20 years, the number of people using trains to travel into, out of and across Wales increased by about 80%, with about 31.1 million journeys in 2019, compared to about 16.6 million in 1999-2020. Commuters have complained of packed carriages, delays and cancellations, while queues were seen outside stations as thousands used trains to get into Cardiff on match and concert days. In December, during the national "stay at home" lockdown, passenger numbers on services run by TfW dropped to 5-10% of pre-Covid levels and the hit to ticket income led to TfW being nationalised in February, in a bid to keep services running. In April, after travel bans were lifted, allowing people to travel anywhere in England and Wales, TfW reported a rise in passengers to 20-30% of pre-pandemic levels, with footfall in stations up to 39% by 12 April. It said had done all it could to keep services going during "challenging times", and the rail service was "adapting" to changes in demand and lifestyle due to Covid-19. Alexia Course, director of rail operations, said as many moved away from office based 9-5 working, it aimed to make rail a "more attractive option" for day-trips and holidays, and working on new fares and ticketing options. But transport experts and green campaigners have warned safety messaging about avoiding public transport could have a "lasting impact" and it could take years for passengers to get back on board. With some of Wales major employers now considering allowing employees to work from home full-time, campaigners fear the rail network will be unsustainable, unless it adapts to people's lifestyle changes, with a knock-on effect for the environment if more of us choose cars over public transport as restrictions are eased. Peter Kingsbury, of Rail Future Wales, warned getting people back on the trains and out of cars was essential for the "wider good of society". "Future generations will potentially have a much lower quality of life if we are not able to change our habits over the next decade or two," he said. The Welsh government wants 45% of journeys to be made by public transport, walking or cycling by 2040 and all political parties have made promises for more sustainable transport in the run-up to the election. However, Christine Boston, director of sustainable travel charity Sustrans Cymru, said the rail service must adapt quickly or there was a "real danger" people who previously used trains could switch back to cars. Figures obtained by BBC Wales show traffic on Welsh roads increased by 62% in the last stay-at-home lockdown, compared with the first lockdown in March 2020, while public transport levels remained comparably low. With a surge in cycling in lockdown, the charity wants to see cycle routes and train stations joined up, with more space for bikes on trains, in a bid to help people "travel green". "The fall in passenger numbers risks pushing the cost of travel far beyond the means of many," Ms Boston said. "Car use has crept back up to pre-pandemic levels, with a real risk of a car-led recovery, which would be devastating for us all." Norman Baker, of Campaign for Better Transport, said the rise in traffic showed there was an "urgent need" for incentives to get people out of their cars. "If you don't get people back on trains and buses there will be gridlock on the roads," he warned.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56429693
     
         
      Brazilian Amazon released more carbon than it absorbed over past 10 years Fri, 30th Apr 2021 23:03:00
     
      The Brazilian Amazon released nearly 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the past decade than it absorbed, according to a startling report that shows humanity can no longer depend on the world’s largest tropical forest to help absorb manmade carbon pollution. From 2010 through 2019, Brazil’s Amazon basin gave off 16.6bn tonnes of CO2, while drawing down only 13.9bn tonnes, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study looked at the volume of CO2 absorbed and stored as the forest grows, against the amounts released back into the atmosphere as it has been burned down or destroyed. “We half-expected it, but it is the first time that we have figures showing that the Brazilian Amazon has flipped, and is now a net emitter,” said co-author Jean-Pierre Wigneron, a scientist at France’s National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA). “We don’t know at what point the changeover could become irreversible,” he told AFP in an interview. The study also showed that deforestation – through fires and clear-cutting – increased nearly four-fold in 2019 compared with either of the two previous years, from about 1m hectares (2.5m acres) to 3.9m hectares (9.6m acres). “Brazil saw a sharp decline in the application of environmental protection policies after the change of government in 2019,” the INRA said in a statement. Terrestrial ecosystems have been a crucial ally as the world struggles to curb CO2 emissions, which topped 40bn tonnes in 2019. Over the past half-century, plants and soil have consistently absorbed about 30% of those emissions, even as those emissions increased by 50% over that period. Oceans have also helped, soaking up more than 20%. The Amazon basin contains about half of the world’s tropical rainforests, which are more effective at soaking up and storing carbon than other types of vegetation. If the region becomes a net source rather than a “sink” of CO2, tackling the climate crisis will be that much harder. Using new methods of analysing satellite data developed at the University of Oklahoma, the international team of researchers showed for the first time that degraded forests were a more significant source of planet-warming CO2 emissions that outright deforestation. Over the same 10-year period, degradation – caused by fragmentation, selective cutting, or fires that damage but do not destroy trees – caused three times more emissions than outright destruction of forests. The data examined in the study only covers Brazil, which holds about 60% of the Amazonian rainforest. Taking the rest of region into account, “the Amazon basin as a whole is probably (carbon) neutral”, said Wigneron. “But in the other countries with Amazon rainforest, deforestation is on the rise too, and drought has become more intense.” Climate change looms as a serious threat, and could – above a certain threshold of global heating – see the continent’s rainforest tip into a much drier savannah state, recent studies have shown. This would have devastating consequences not only to the region, which is host to a significant percentage of the world’s wildlife, but globally as well.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/30/brazilian-amazon-released-more-carbon-than-it-absorbed-over-past-10-years
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion block Faslane nuclear base entrance Fri, 30th Apr 2021 14:40:00
     
      Climate activists set up a blockade at the Faslane nuclear base by attaching themselves to plant pots. Members of Extinction Rebellion Scotland staged the protest at the north gate of the base on the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute. The all-female group placed three planters painted with the words "Safe", "Green", and "Future" on the road. Police Scotland said they were made aware of the incident at 06:20 and officers were at the scene. HMNB Clyde - known as Faslane - is the Royal Navy's main presence in Scotland. It is home to the core of the submarine service, including the UK's nuclear weapons, and the new generation of hunter-killer submarines. The protest group said they were demanding a future "safe from the threat of nuclear weapons and environmental destruction". Extinction Rebellion said the action was part of the Peace Lotus campaign, a global day of anti-war resistance celebrating the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. An HMNB spokesman confirmed police were in attendance and assisting Ministry of Defence officers in dealing with the protest. He added: "Well-established, fully co-ordinated procedures are in place to ensure the effective operation of HMNB Clyde is not compromised because of protest action."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-56941041
     
         
      Brazilian Amazon released more carbon than it absorbed over past 10 years Fri, 30th Apr 2021 8:23:00
     
      International team of researchers also found that deforestation rose nearly four-fold in 2019 The Brazilian Amazon released nearly 20% more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the past decade than it absorbed, according to a startling report that shows humanity can no longer depend on the world’s largest tropical forest to help absorb manmade carbon pollution. From 2010 through 2019, Brazil’s Amazon basin gave off 16.6bn tonnes of CO2, while drawing down only 13.9bn tonnes, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study looked at the volume of CO2 absorbed and stored as the forest grows, against the amounts released back into the atmosphere as it has been burned down or destroyed. “We half-expected it, but it is the first time that we have figures showing that the Brazilian Amazon has flipped, and is now a net emitter,” said co-author Jean-Pierre Wigneron, a scientist at France’s National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA).
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/30/brazilian-amazon-released-more-carbon-than-it-absorbed-over-past-10-years#:~:text=The%20Brazilian%20Amazon%20released%20nearly,help%20absorb%20manmade%20carbon%20pollution.
     
         
      ‘Historic’ German ruling says climate goals not tough enough Thu, 29th Apr 2021 16:44:00
     
      Germany’s supreme constitutional court has ruled that the government’s climate protection measures are insufficient to protect future generations, after a complaint brought by environmentalist groups. In a groundbreaking ruling, the judges of the Karlsruhe court, Germany’s highest, said the government now had until the end of next year to improve its Climate Protection Act, passed in 2019, and to ensure it met 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals more immediately. One of the complainants, Luisa Neubauer, an activist from Fridays for Future, welcomed the ruling, saying: “This is huge. Climate protection is not nice to have; climate protection is our basic right and that’s official now. This is a huge win for the climate movement, it changes a lot.” The court said it was unconstitutional for emission reduction targets to have been postponed for so many years and stated that the law was not detailed enough about how reductions would happen. The case was brought by young environmental activists, backed by Fridays for Future along with Greenpeace, Germany’s Friends of the Earth (BUND) and other NGOs. Among them was Sophie Backsen, 22, an agricultural science student from the North Frisian island of Pellworm, on Germany’s North Sea coast, together with her younger brothers, Hannes, Paul and Jakob. Her parents, who run an organic farm on the island that Backsen hopes one day to manage, had taken a similar case to Berlin’s administrative court two years ago, together with Greenpeace, but it had ruled against them. The Backsens were joined by two other families from the East Frisian island of Langeoog and another complainant from Brandenburg, all of whom are involved in either farming, sustainable tourism or both. In their complaint, they told the court they had all experienced first-hand the effects of the climate crisis, including flooding and heatwaves. The group also secured the support of Neubauer, Germany’s Fridays for Future’s main representative who is seen as the country’s leading climate activist. The judges ruled that young people’s “fundamental rights to a human future” were threatened and that the law in its current state jeopardised their freedom because the goals set were too focused on dates too far in the future. It said that it was only possible to reduce the rise in average global temperatures to between 1.5C and 2C – as set out in the 2015 Paris agreement – with “more urgent and shorter term measures”. “The challenged rules violate the freedoms of the complainants, some of whom are still very young,” the judges said in a statement. They added: “Virtually every freedom is potentially affected by these future emission reduction obligations because almost every area of human life is associated with the emission of greenhouse gases and is therefore threatened by drastic restrictions after 2030.” The government responded quickly to the ruling, promising a swift implementation of changes to the law. The finance minister, Olaf Scholz, said he would begin work immediately with the environment ministry to make the amendments, which would then be put to the government for approval. Oliver Krischer, for the Green party, told the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, the ruling was “both a slap and a wakeup call for the government to finally start on an ambitious climate protection policy”. Claudia Kemfert, an energy expert at the German Institute for Economic Research, called the ruling “trailblazing and historic”. In future, decisions on all levels would have to be critically reviewed to see if they corresponded with long-term climate goals, she said. Peter Altmaier, the minister for energy and the economy, called the ruling “big and significant”. Despite criticism he faced for his role as one of the main authors of the law, he called it a welcome decision for the economy as it would help it “plan for the future”. Altmaier said he was relieved that the court had supported the “most important” obligation in his 2020 climate initiative, which required that reduction targets up to the year 2050 were “broken down into concrete reduction targets for each individual year between 2022 and 2050”. Neubauer said the climate lobby’s success at Karlsruhe was only the beginning, emphasising that the five months leading up to the federal elections in September, in which the pro-environmental Greens have a good chance of entering government, would be crucial. “We will continue to fight for a 1.5 degree policy which protects our future freedoms, instead of endangering them,” she said, adding, “gone are the days when we were called ignorant for demanding climate action”. Under the 2019 law Germany is obliged to cut greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. Annual upper limits for greenhouse gas emissions across the energy, transport, agriculture and construction sectors are also set in the law. If targets are missed, there are penalties and the obligation to make more stringent improvements.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/29/historic-german-ruling-says-climate-goals-not-tough-enough
     
         
      Barcelona installs Spain’s first solar energy pavement Thu, 29th Apr 2021 16:19:00
     
      Barcelona city council has installed Spain’s first photovoltaic pavement as part of the city’s drive to become carbon neutral by 2050. The 50 sq metres of non-slip solar panels, installed in a small park in the Glòries area of the city, will generate 7,560kWh a year, enough to supply three households. The city has contributed €30,000 (£26,000) towards the cost, the remainder being met by the manufacturer, Platio Solar. The viability of the scheme will be assessed after six months. “We’ll have to assess the wear and tear because obviously it’s not the same as putting panels on a roof, although they are highly resistant,” says Eloi Badia, who is responsible for climate emergency and ecological transition at Barcelona city council. “As for cost benefits, with a pilot scheme like this it’s difficult to know yet how much cheaper it would be if it were scaled up. We’re keen to install more on roofs and, if this scheme is successful, on the ground, to power lighting and other public facilities.” However, he points out that Barcelona’s high population density means it would be difficult to generate enough electricity within the city limits to become self-sufficient. “If we’re going to reach a target of zero emissions, we’re going to have to think about supplying electricity to blocks of flats, but we’ll also have to think of using wind and solar parks outside the city,” Badia says. “But installations on the ground like this open up new possibilities, and not just for Barcelona.” The Barcelona scheme follows the installation of a 25-metre stretch of solar cycle lane in the Dutch city of Utrecht last year. The electricity generated is used to power lighting and also heat the path in winter to prevent it from icing over. Most of Spain’s solar power comes from large farms in remote areas where land is cheap but which are a long way from centres of population. The move now is to increase capacity close to where it’s most needed, in cities. “What we need to focus on is green policies to create employment, specifically to install solar panels on 1m rooftops,” says Fernando Prieto, executive director of the independent think tank Sustainability Observatory. “This would take five years, generate enough electricity for 7.5 million people, create over 15,000 jobs and cut CO2 emissions by 4.2m tonnes.” He adds that it would lower the price of electricity and help citizens to become independent of the few power companies that dominate the industry. “However, instead of this simple project, we are building installations of over 1,000 hectares on agricultural land and woodland, often with a negative impact on the environment,” Prieto says. Under the previous conservative government solar installation came to an abrupt halt after punitive taxes were introduced. In 2018, the incoming socialist coalition scrapped the tax, triggering a boom in solar, with Spain now ranked 11th in the world for solar power and eighth for renewables overall. Major retailers have got in on the act and now firms such as Ikea, electronics giant Media Markt and the department store El Corte Inglés are offering domestic solar installations at an average cost of €5,000 for a three-bedroom house. Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to invest €1.5bn of EU Covid-recovery funds in the production of “green” hydrogen, using renewable energy to break up water molecules and release the hydrogen. Spain’s energy companies have said they will raise this to €8.3bn by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/29/barcelona-installs-spains-first-solar-energy-pavement
     
         
      Increased cancer risk for petroleum industry workers and people living near plants: New UN study Thu, 29th Apr 2021 14:48:00
     
      The findings add to increasing evidence of the health consequences of air pollution from petroleum extraction and refining. The review identified an increased risk of mesothelioma, skin melanoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the prostate and urinary bladder, and conversely, decreased risk of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, and pancreas. Offshore petroleum work was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and leukaemia. Living close to petroleum facilities was also associated with an increased risk of childhood leukaemia. Scientists in the Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch of the agency carried out 41 cohort studies, 14 case–control studies, and two cross-sectional studies to compile their review. Their findings have been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The authors point out that further studies on the effect of exposure to petroleum and its closest derivatives (e.g. benzene) are needed in order to identify how they modify cancer risk. In particular, there is a need for targeted studies in under-researched areas of high petroleum production with presumably higher exposures. The scientists argue that the best way forward may be an international consortium to guide new studies in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, in order to harmonize how studies are carried out and how exposure is assessed.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090912
     
         
      New hydrogen-powered Viritech Apricale hypercar unveiled Thu, 29th Apr 2021 12:48:00
     
      British technology startup Viritech has revealed plans to launch a new limited edition, hydrogen-powered hypercar, called the Apricale. The Apricale will be a hydrogen fuel cell alternative for the pure-electric Lotus Evija and the upcoming Tesla Roadster, although it’ll be considerably more exclusive than its rivals. Production will be limited to just 25 cars. Viritech has made its home right here in the UK. It will run development and testing on the Apricale’s platform and powertrain at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, for the next two years. The first Apricale prototypes will appear in 2022. Specifications for the Apricale are yet to be confirmed, but the company has said the car will “challenge the world’s fastest battery hypercars.” So a power figure surpassing 1,000bhp and a top speed in excess of 200mph could be on the cards. Production of the Apricale is due to start in 2023, with the company targeting an annual sales volume of between eight and 12 vehicles. That might seem a little low, but the brand has focussed its ambitions on much more than just selling hypercars. Viritech is using the Apricale as a technology showcase, with the ultimate aim of becoming the “world’s leading supplier of hydrogen powertrain solutions.” Eventually, the company plans to sell its storage tanks, control units and powertrains to OEMs across every sector of the transport industry, in automotive, marine and even aerospace applications. The brand will finalise the design of its lightweight hydrogen storage tanks, complete the development of its hydrogen vehicle control systems while piecing together a production line for the Apricale. Viritech has developed a new type of hydrogen storage tank made from graphene, which acts as a stressed member in the car’s chassis, helping to reduce the vehicle’s weight and improve performance. Viritech is also developing a new, modular vehicle control system to be used in not just the Apricale hypercar, but also any piece of hydrogen-powered machinery, including boats, aircraft, power stations and off-grid energy storage systems. The Apricale isn’t the only automotive project Viritech has planned. It has started development of a new hydrogen-powered HGV and a family SUV, both of which will feature the same structural hydrogen storage tanks and control system. The HGV is called the Jovian. Viritech says its hydrogen system makes far better sense in this application than a battery-electric powertrain, due to the potential weight savings. To maintain the same performance as a diesel-engined truck, Viritech says, an electric HGV could need up to nine tonnes of battery capacity, which ultimately limits the amount it can haul. Viritech claims its hydrogen powertrain is a comparable weight to a diesel engine and offers comparable refuelling times. Viritech’s concept for a family SUV is called the Tellaro. It’s being used as an example project for OEMs to show how a hydrogen SUV could be taken from concept to market, using the same hydrogen powertrain as the Apricale hypercar.
       
      Full Article: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/354858/new-hydrogen-powered-viritech-apricale-hypercar-unveiled
     
         
      German climate change law violates rights, court rules Thu, 29th Apr 2021 12:22:00
     
      Germany's climate change laws are insufficient and violate fundamental freedoms by putting the burden of curbing CO2 emissions on the young, its highest court has ruled. It says the law fails to give enough detail on cutting CO2 emissions after current targets end in 2030. "The provisions irreversibly offload major emission reduction burdens on to periods after 2030," it found. The government will now have to revise the law by the end of the next year. The decision comes a week after the EU unveiled ambitious new climate change targets. Under the law, which was agreed between member states and the European Parliament, the bloc will cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. Like the EU legislation, Germany's domestic climate change law provides for a 55% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. The 2019 law was agreed as part of Germany's response to the 2016 Paris climate deal, which aims to keep the global temperature rise well under 2C - and preferably to 1.5C - to prevent the worst effects of climate change. But the German Constitutional Court said on Thursday that current measures "violate the freedoms of the complainants, some of whom are still very young" because they delay too much of the action needed to reach the Paris targets until after 2030. "In order to achieve this, the reductions still required after 2030 will have to be achieved more urgently and at short notice," it said. Should Germany use up most of its permitted CO2 emissions by this time, future generations could face a "serious loss of freedom". "Virtually any freedom is potentially affected by these future emission reduction obligations, because almost all areas of human life are still associated with the emission of greenhouse gases and are therefore threatened by drastic restrictions after 2030," the court said. Thursday's ruling partially upheld complaints brought by climate change activists - most of them young - and environmental groups between 2018 and 2020. German climate activist Luisa Neubauer from the Fridays for Future movement and one of the plaintiffs in the case, described the decision as a "huge win for the climate movement". "Today's inaction mustn't harm our freedom & rights in the future," she said. One of the lawyers involved in the case, Felix Ekardt, hailed the "ground-breaking victory". Following the announcement, German organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) tweeted a letter written by an 11-year-old girl (in German) in 2019, which had led to its own involvement in the case. "I would like to take the government to court because the politicians aren't taking the impending climate catastrophe seriously enough, and I want people in 100 to 150 years to still know what snow is," the pupil wrote. German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze also welcomed the decision, which she described as "a clear strengthening of climate protection". "I would have liked to have included a further interim goal for the 2030s in the [2019] law but at the time there was no majority for that," she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56927010
     
         
      Air pollution in parts of Dartford worse than Paris, Madrid and Rome amid calls for more effective monitoring sites Thu, 29th Apr 2021 11:52:00
     
      You'll take a breath approximately 20,000 times a day but just how clean the air you take in is will depend on where you live. Air pollution in parts of Dartford is reported to be worse than Paris, Madrid, and Rome, according to research conducted by the author of a new science book examining the threat to health posed by toxic fumes. "I've spent three years researching world air pollution and it shocks me to hear that the air in Dartford is so bad," says Chris Woodford, the author of "Breathless" a new book which seeks to examine "why air pollution matters" and "how it affects you". "The levels of fine particulates, technically called PM2.5s, here are far worse than in comparable western European cities like Paris, Madrid, and Rome," he claimed. Some of the readings recorded above the legal limit – set at 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air – were similar to parts of eastern Europe such as Warsaw, Bucharest, and Moscow, the education author added. Last year researchers discovered a square kilometre on the approach to the Dartford Tunnel near Bean produced the worst air quality in 2018 – the most recent year for which national data is available across England, Scotland and Wales. Dirty air in some parts of town are said to be equivalent to smoking 144 cigarettes a year. PM2.5 dust is reported to be particularly dangerous to public health as it can accumulate deep in the lungs and penetrate into other organs and the bloodstream. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that reducing PM2.5 to its own guideline level would improve people's life expectancy by anything from nine months to two years. Mandy Cook, teacher and founder of Dartford Clean Air, and Dartford Cllr Laura Edie have set up a joint petition calling on Dartford council to monitor air quality more effectively. "We believe that it is vital that we accurately measure the current levels in order to take action and protect lives," said Mandy. "Air pollution can, and does, kill. Many of our friends and family in Dartford suffer with asthma, COPD, respiratory illnesses, heart and lung disease and this is just the tip of the iceberg." The issue is particularly pertinent for the mum-of-four whose newborn baby was left on life support by a severe respiratory infection nearly two years ago. Son Henry, two, has now fully recovered and recently took to the streets with mum Mandy as part of a local campaign to fight for air quality improvements in Dartford. Mandy added: "My son was on life support with a machine helping him to breathe at six weeks old. Thankfully he has made a full recovery... but my children are still breathing this deadly air. "Research shows that children are especially vulnerable as their bodies are still developing. "Following a respiratory pandemic when many people will already be suffering damage to their heart and lungs it is absolutely critical that we are monitoring PM2.5 accurately. We must then take appropriate action." Dartford council is under a legal duty to report air quality breaches and has set up Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) at four of the known hotspots. These are located at the approach to the Dartford Crossing, Dartford town centre, London Road, and the Bean Interchange. The latest air quality annual status report was considered by the council last year where an assessment of the latest data from roadside monitoring sites painted an overall cleaner image of the borough. Following this, officers concluded the authority may be in a position to consider scrapping some of its monitoring sites. However, the council does not currently monitor particles smaller than PM10 and does not have equipment capable of assessing PM2.5. When quizzed on this aspect the authority responded saying this would require "quite an expensive retrofit" to convert. Unfortunately, owing to the pandemic, work to review the existing sites has not progressed as quickly as was initially intended. The council has not responded to a request for an update on progress. Cllr Edie has been discussing the ongoing problem with affected Dartford residents. She said: "A resident whose house directly overlooks the A282 says the pollution levels are so high she can physically taste the pollution when lorries come to a stand-still in heavy traffic. "Residents suffer from an increase in ill health along this road, with many long term developing heart and lung conditions. "It's vital that the air quality is effectively measured, so that we will be able to build up a more accurate picture of the situation and work out ways to tackle this." Earlier this year a coroner ruled that air pollution from traffic was a cause of the death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah from Lewisham, London, who lived near the South Circular Road. Following the hearing, a prevention of future deaths report was published last week which called for maximum levels of PMs to be legally brought into line with WHO levels. Kent County Council elections are taking place on Thursday, May 6. Standing for election in Dartford North East division is Laura Edie (Green Party), Kelly Grehan (Labour Party), Barry Taylor (Reform UK) and Peter Whapshottt (Conservative and Unionist Party). "Breathless: Why Air Pollution Matters – and How it Affects You" is out now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/air-pollution-in-town-worse-than-paris-madrid-and-rome-246386/
     
         
      Clean energy jobs will revive coal communities in Europe, says new WWF report Thu, 29th Apr 2021 9:14:00
     
      With Europe’s fossil fuel industry in serious trouble, a new report finds that sustainable jobs are the future for the continent. In coal-heavy regions like Poland, Greece and Bulgaria, jobs in the coal industry are becoming harder to find. The mining sector is shrinking which is threatening many livelihoods. In Silesia, Poland, 15,000 to 18,000 workers in mining-related companies are at risk of losing their jobs by 2030 due to the inefficiency of the mining process and EU and national climate policy. 2,200 coal jobs in Greece are also under imminent threat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/29/clean-energy-jobs-will-revive-coal-communities-in-europe-says-new-wwf-report
     
         
      Farmers struggle to break into booming carbon-credit market Wed, 28th Apr 2021 18:03:00
     
      When Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) made a massive purchase of carbon credits in January, it turned to a relatively new source: farmers who plant crops meant to trap carbon in the soil. The credits are financial instruments generated by projects that reduce or avoid the release of greenhouse gases, such as solar farms or tree-plantings. The projects' owners can sell the credits to companies who then use them to make claims of offsetting the climate impact of their operations. Microsoft bought nearly 200,000 of the farm-based credits at an undisclosed price - among the largest-ever purchases of agricultural credits - as part of a larger deal to buy 1.3 million credits. But the tech giant rejected far more of the more than 5 million credits offered by agriculture projects because of systemic problems with measuring their climate benefit. The Microsoft purchase underscores both the promise and the problems of the emerging industry in agriculture-based climate credits. "For row-crop agriculture, the big opportunity it offers is scale. But it also has a measurement and monitoring problem," said Lucas Joppa, Microsoft's chief environmental officer. The company received proposals from agriculture projects that made carbon-removal claims without scientific validation, Joppa said. Others led to deforestation or were found to capture some carbon but leak it back into the atmosphere quickly. Simply tilling a field, for example, can release carbon meant to be stored. Solving such problems will be key to fully capitalizing on what could be a huge opportunity in selling credits to major firms such as Microsoft. Joppa said the company might need to buy 6 million carbon credits annually by 2030. "And that is going to require a lot greater transparency" on the part of agricultural credit producers, he said. Each credit should represent a metric ton of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Companies buy them to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers and to prepare for expected government climate regulations. Agriculture is among the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, including those from tractor emissions and from manure and fertilizer applications. But the sector is also a promising part of the solution. Global croplands and grasslands can capture and store the equivalent of up to 8.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide a year, according to a 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That's equal to about 1.3 times all U.S. emissions that year, according U.S. government data. BUILDING A NEW MARKET Farmers of commodity crops can capture carbon in their fields by planting an extra crop in the off season or reducing their plowing. Some programs also issue environmental credits for conserving water or reducing fertilizer runoff. Typically, farm carbon programs establish a field's soil carbon with soil sampling and laboratory testing. Programs then estimate how much carbon is captured and stored by analyzing everything from weather and seed type to farming practices. They use data gathered by humans, satellites and sensors on farm machines. Third-party verifiers validate the data and generate credits, which are issued to program managers or to farmers. The high costs of measuring and verifying soil carbon credits have prevented more farmers from participating in such programs. The Microsoft purchase showed buyers are willing to pay for high-quality credits, but farmers say they need help covering costs to ensure their efforts are worthwhile. A U.S. Department of Agriculture study estimated that a shift to sustainable agriculture practices can hurt yields of row crops like corn and soybeans in the first two years they are used. But thereafter, captured soil carbon can improve yields, research shows. When farmers reduce tilling, they allow old crop roots to break down into soils and nourish the next crop, reducing fertilizer costs. INTEREST FROM BIG AG A climate push from the Biden administration is spurring more interest in farm-based carbon credits. The administration has, for instance, proposed creating a carbon bank, effectively a guaranteed buyer for agricultural credits. A bipartisan bill proposing the USDA establish science-based standards for carbon-removal claims was passed by the Senate agriculture committee last week. The USDA is monitoring the success of private-sector projects to potentially expand climate-focused programs in future farm bills. Agricultural companies from Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) to Cargill Inc (CARG.UL) have subsidized projects that encourage farmers to reduce emissions, save water and plant off-season crops that restore nutrients to soil and limit erosion. They hope to aid development of a broader marketplace for credits they sell, or keep the credits to counter pollution in their own supply chains. Lukas Fricke, a farmer from Ulysses, Nebraska, planted rye and tiller radishes this winter as part of a program launched by Land O'Lakes. He is among the farmers generating credits being purchased by Microsoft. But the $20 he expects for each credit will not cover the cost of cover-crop seed and hiring specialized labor to prepare his fields for planting. "It's very new," he said. "It's still the wild west." Fricke, however, expects to recoup his investment by growing bigger corn, soybean and sorghum crops as his efforts bolster soil fertility and cut fertilizer costs. Minnesota farmer Ben Mergen devoted 60 of his 500 acres to oats and rye this winter for a pilot project funded partly by the nonprofit environmental group The Nature Conservancy. The program, with the help of other grants, will pay Mergen $50 per acre for the environmental credits generated, more than offsetting his $30-an-acre investment in seed and labor. Without the subsidies, Mergen would not recoup his costs of creating credits. But farmers and program managers anticipate that participation costs will decline and prices offered for carbon will rise. "I think it will catch on," Mergen said. "The hope is that in three to five years we'll see the benefit of it." PROMISING PARTNER Companies and nonprofits have launched pilot projects to cover soil-sampling costs and help farmers find credit buyers. Verifying carbon-capture claims accounts for about 75% of the cost of generating credits, said Debbie Reed, executive director for the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), a nonprofit group that includes environmental and agricultural organizations along with companies like General Mills and McDonald's. To cut sampling costs and reassure credit buyers, ESMC is investing in satellite and remote-sensing technologies that measure soil-carbon concentrations. The organization aims to launch an environmental credit marketplace in 2022. "Until we get to a market where there is liquidity, we will continue to see projects without buyers and we will continue to see buyers without the supply they need," Reed said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/farmers-struggle-break-into-booming-carbon-credit-market-2021-04-28/
     
         
      'Impossible to adapt': Surprisingly fast ice-melts in past raise fears about sea level rise Wed, 28th Apr 2021 13:16:00
     
      Studies of ancient beaches and fossilised coral reefs suggest sea levels have the potential to rise far more quickly than models currently predict, according to geologists who have been studying past periods of warming. At one point in a comparable period they were rising at three metres per century, or 30mm a year, according to Dr. Fiona Hibbert, a geologist at York University in the UK. The current rate of rise is 3.2mm per year. Dr. Hibbert is working on a project called ExTaSea, which predicts worst-case scenarios for sea level rise around the globe. The goal is to help policymakers take long-term decisions, for example about the siting of enduring infrastructure such as nuclear power stations. Devising models that can make such predictions is notoriously difficult, she says. "We're not entirely sure of all the processes involved. When you melt an ice sheet sometimes it's really long-time scales that they operate over, which is quite difficult to put into a model." And melting itself alters the system—for example, by lightening the load on the Earth's crust which then undergoes a slow-motion rebound over thousands of years. A further issue is that data on recent sea levels dates back only 150 years—for tide gauges—and just 20-25 years for satellite measurements. Because of this, geologists such as Dr. Hibbert, and Professor Alessio Rovere, a geoscientist at the University of Bremen in Germany, are looking back to see what happened during the last interglacial period. "The geological record is great because it includes all the processes," said Dr. Hibbert. We live in an interglacial period known as the Holocene. "For the last 6,000 years, humans have enjoyed rather stable climate and sea level conditions, and prospered thanks to this," said Prof. Rovere. The closest analogue to the Holocene in the geological past is the last interglacial, which occurred between 125,000 and 118,000 years ago. During this time, the global temperature was about one to two degrees higher than the baseline pre-industrial temperatures used to measure climate change today, due to slight differences in the Earth's tilt and orbit. Geologists can find clues to the sea level at this time from fossilised coral reefs that were stranded as cliff layers when seas subsided, as well as the chemical composition of tiny, marine organisms known as foraminifera, which give an idea of the reach of the sea in the past, says Dr. Hibbert. And Prof. Rovere, who runs a project called WARMCOASTS, also considers what ancient beaches—which also became layers in the cliffs—can tell us. "A beach today has sands forming along the shoreline … imagine that all of this … can be frozen in time because it becomes rock. So we can go back, and look at rocks that were former beaches," he said. From their characteristics and the shells preserved inside them, 'we can make connections to the changing sea level," he said. Teasing out the right message from stranded reefs and beaches is tricky, however. A receding sea might leave remnants of its presence in one place, only for them to be uplifted—or dropped—by subsequent geological activity. Prof. Rovere experienced these problems when trying to solve the enduring puzzle of mysterious, huge boulders which lie atop 15-metre cliffs on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas. While some in the field believe they were flung there by super-storms, others, including him, think a combination of higher sea levels plus lesser storms were responsible. Despite these challenges, Dr. Hibbert amalgamated ancient coral reef analyses done by scientists around the globe and concluded that sea levels rose at 'really high' rates—of up to three metres per century, 'which is about ten times higher than current rates." Prof. Rovere is gathering data on geological features such as ancient corals and beaches to create a database that will help give a nuanced story of how sea levels changed in different places and the strength of the waves during the last interglacial. It's hard interpreting geological data, so Prof. Rovere is also drawing on models more commonly used by engineers to understand the impact of waves and currents on harbours—they can help him understand how sand was deposited along interglacial shores. "By combining these two different disciplines … we can say much more about the past than we can do with just the geological interpretation of the rocks," he said. His work is producing slightly different figures. "In some rock records—there are some characteristics that make us think that at some point during this warm period the sea level jumped, from three metres to six metres," he said. This equates to about 10 mm a year. The jump occurred in a relatively short time, he says. "This is really interesting because today we are in a warm period—naturally as well as because of climate change—and in the last interglacial, even without us giving warmth to the system, some data suggest that there was this jump. "Now this is a very debated idea but what if it is true? It means there is this possibility of rapid melting of ice, on top of what we do as humans." Prof. Rovere says that a 10mm a year sea level rise would be 'almost impossible' to adapt to with sufficient speed. "It means we just have to abandon our cities," he added. The prospect of a sudden acceleration in ice melting is further supported by work done by Dr. Yucheng Lin, a student of Dr. Hibbert's as part of the ExTaSea project. This time the reference period is 24,000 to 11,000 years ago, Earth's most recent deglaciation, which preceded the Holocene. This period was substantially different from today which makes it 'not so great for looking at the future," said Dr. Hibbert. For example, there were huge ice sheets over North America and Europe. But they found that, at the peak of the ice-melt, seas rose at 3.6 metres per century. "Again, these are really high numbers, so ice sheets can lose mass really quite quickly," said Dr. Hibbert. She is now considering how such a rapid melting would play out this century on different coasts. Just how are our seas changing and rising with climate change and the melting of Earth's ice caps? In this three-part series, we look at the past, present and future of extreme sea level rise. Coming next, in part two we will look at rise of atmospheric 'meteotsunamis."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-04-impossible-surprisingly-fast-ice-melts-sea.html
     
         
      Sizewell C nuclear plant could kill 500m fish, campaigners say Wed, 28th Apr 2021 13:15:00
     
      More than 500 million fish, including protected species, could be sucked into the cooling system of a proposed £20bn nuclear power plant in Suffolk if construction goes ahead, environmental campaigners say. A local campaign group, Together Against Sizewell C (Tasc), claims the subsequent deaths of millions of fish is “inhumane and unacceptable” and flies in the face of the government’s green agenda. Also opposing the development, the bird conservation group RSPB expressed concern over predicted levels of fish loss on the marine birds that feed on them. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), a government agency, has assessed the marine impacts of the plant and said it was confident the mortality rates caused by Sizewell C would be “sustainable” and the impact on the wider marine community “insignificant”. EDF, the French state-owned company behind the plan to build Sizewell C, claims the proposed plant could generate 3.2GW of electricity, enough to provide 7% of the UK’s electricity needs, or power 6m homes. The Nuclear Industry Association describes it as “a vital next step” in the UK’s efforts to secure new low-carbon electricity as older nuclear reactors are shut down. However, environmental campaign groups, including Greenpeace, argue that nuclear reactors are unnecessary and expensive, compared with a combination of renewable energy and battery storage technology. The RSPB and the local community group Stop Sizewell C said the reactor poses a risk to the natural habitats along the Suffolk coast and the adjacent Minsmere nature reserve. Planning documents published by EDF have revealed that almost 8 million fish were “impinged” – or sucked into the cooling system – by the existing plant Sizewell B each year between 2009 and 2013. Extrapolating from these figures, Tasc has estimated that 28 million fish could be impinged in the cooling system of both plants each year, which is 560 million over the two decades the plants are expected to operate, between 2035 and 2055. The proposed plant is larger than Sizewell B and will take in 2.5 times the amount of seawater, Tasc said. Pete Wilkinson, the chair of Tasc and a co-founder of Greenpeace UK, said the estimates were “staggering”. Such wildlife loss was the “tip of the iceberg”, he said, as it did not take into account fish fry, eggs, crustacea and other aquatic life. “Tens of millions of fish, crustaceans and other marine biota will be sacrificed for the purposes of cooling a plant which is not needed to keep the lights on, which will do nothing to reduce global carbon emissions, which will be paid for from the pockets of all UK taxpayers and bill-paying customers, leaving future generations with a lasting legacy of an impoverished environment,” he said. Wilkinson said he expected Cefas to condemn the impact on fish at the inquiry stage of the Sizewell C planning process. “Cefas’s stated aim is ‘to help keep our seas, oceans and rivers healthy and productive, and our seafood safe and sustainable … ’ Instead, it seems that Cefas appears quite at ease presiding over the deaths of millions of fish and clearly feels the huge number of fish deaths is acceptable in that the overall health of fish stocks will not be compromised.” Adam Rowlands, the RSPB’s Suffolk area manager, said: “It is our position that the project should not go ahead. The potential impacts on the environment are too great. Fish impingement is one of our concerns. These fish provide a valuable food supply to rare birds nesting and breeding in the area.” Protected species breeding in the area include little and common terns and in the winter there are a number of internationally important red-throated divers. “They won’t feed on dead fish,” Rowlands said. Asked what impact such a loss of fish might have, Rowlands said: “We haven’t seen evidence to convince us that removing that amount of fish from the population wouldn’t have an impact.” If the plant goes ahead, it will be built on part of Sizewell marshes, a site of special scientific interest. It will also be adjacent to the southern boundary of the RSPB-owned Minsmere nature reserve, a Ramsar (internationally important wetland) site and special protection area. Minsmere is one of only five sites in Britain to receive the Council of Europe European Diploma for protected areas award, whose renewal depends on Sizewell C not causing any damage. A spokesperson for Cefas said: “There is no scientific evidence that the proposed new nuclear developments will cause large-scale destruction of marine life or impact protected species.” Its role in relation to the Sizewell C project was to ensure “the marine evidence base is scientifically robust, to fully assess the potential marine impacts and, where feasible, to work with EDF engineers to reduce potential impacts by design optimisation”, the spokesperson said, adding that issuing any objection to the proposal was outside its remit. “Our objective is to ensure that the adverse impacts of human activities don’t affect the long-term viability of communities, habitats, or populations of vulnerable and declining species. “Where impacts do occur, such as mortality of fish on power station intake screens, we assess these against other sources of mortality (natural and anthropogenic) and the ability of the population to withstand such losses. Compared to the natural population size, relatively few fish will be impacted and we are confident that mortality rates caused by the new nuclear industry are sustainable and the impact on the wider marine ecosystem will be insignificant.” It said it had produced three chapters of the environmental statement, including on marine ecology and fisheries, submitted by Sizewell C to the planning process for public and regulatory scrutiny. It added: “In undertaking this nationally important work for EDF to develop UK’s new nuclear capability, we avoid conflicts of interest by not providing advice to government regulators on new nuclear developments.” A spokesperson for Sizewell C said: “Our assessments show that the fish impacted are mainly sprat and herring. The intake of these species by Sizewell C is 0.01% of the stock in the area. Fisheries scientists describe the impact of new nuclear power stations on the marine ecosystem as ‘insignificant’.” The spokesperson said they would use a more modern “fish returns system” than the one at Sizewell B, to ensure higher survival rates and that the returned fish that did not survive would be “eaten by other sea life”. A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said it was responsible for “stringent regulation” of the nuclear industry to prevent harm to the environment and local communities. Speaking about an EDF subsidiary created to build and run Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C nuclear power stations, they said: “We are currently considering NNB Generation Company’s environmental permit application for their proposed cooling water discharge, and will determine it once we have assessed the impacts to the marine environment – including fish populations.” The Sizewell C planning process began in May 2020 and an examination is now under way by the Planning Inspectorate. This stage of the process is expected to take about six months, during which local people and organisations can make representations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/28/sizewell-c-nuclear-plant-could-kill-500m-fish-campaigners-claim
     
         
      Climate change: World's glaciers melting at a faster pace Wed, 28th Apr 2021 13:09:00
     
      The world's glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate, according to a comprehensive new study. A French-led team assessed the behaviour of nearly all documented ice streams on the planet. The researchers found them to have lost almost 270 billion tonnes of ice a year over the opening two decades of the 21st Century. The meltwater produced now accounts for about a fifth of global sea-level rise, the scientists tell Nature journal. The numbers involved are quite hard to imagine, so team member Robert McNabb, from the universities of Ulster and Oslo, uses an analogy. "Over the last 20 years, we've seen that glaciers have lost about 267 gigatonnes (Gt) per year. So, if we take that amount of water and we divide it up across the island of Ireland, that's enough to cover all of Ireland in 3m of water each year," he says on this week's edition of Science In Action on the BBC World Service. "And the total loss is accelerating. It's growing by about 48Gt/yr, per decade." The worldwide inventory of glaciers contains 217,175 ice streams. Some are smaller than a football pitch; others can rival in area a mid-sized country like the UK. What nearly all have in common is that they are thinning and retreating in a changing climate, either through stronger melting in warmer air or because the patterns of snowfall that feed the glaciers have shifted. The research team, led by Romain Hugonnet from the University of Toulouse, France, used as its primary source of data the imagery acquired by Nasa's Terra satellite, which was launched in 1999. Immense computing power was brought to bear on the process of interpreting these pictures and pulling out the changes in the glaciers' elevation, volume and mass up to 2019. The team believes its approach has hammered down the uncertainties in its results to perhaps less than 5% overall. That's in large part because every single glacier examined in the study is represented based on the same methodology. "This new study is a major advance as we get a high spatial resolution and, at the same time, it also provides the temporal change over the two decades directly based on satellite data, which is novel," explained co-author Matthias Huss from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. "This data-set has been validated with an immense amount of additional, independent measurements and is highly accurate so that the uncertainties of previous studies are strongly reduced." A group led from Leeds University published its own assessment of glacier ice loss in January in the journal The Cryosphere. It arrived at very similar numbers. It reported a 289Gt/yr average loss over the period 2000-2019, with a 52Gt/yr/decade acceleration. An 8% difference. Leeds professor Andy Shepherd told BBC News: "Glacier melting accounts for a quarter of Earth's ice loss over the satellite era, and the changes taking place are disrupting water supplies for billions of people downstream - especially in years of drought when meltwater becomes a critical source. "Although the rate of glacier melting has increased steadily, the pace has been dwarfed by the accelerating ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland, and they remain our primary concern for future sea-level rise."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56921164
     
         
      Cracking the case for solid state batteries Wed, 28th Apr 2021 13:04:00
     
      Scientists in the UK used the latest imaging techniques to visualize and understand the process of dendrite formation and electrolyte cracking in an all solid-state battery. With new insight into the mechanisms by which these cracks form and ultimately lead to battery failure, the results could help direct the focus of future research into solid-state battery technology. Among the many different routes pursued by researchers to improve on today’s battery energy storage technologies, solid-state batteries could be the most promising. And many in the industry are optimistic that the approach will eventually bring about a “step change” in battery technology, greatly improving the capacity, lifetime and safety of lithium-ion batteries. Swapping out the current generation of liquid/gel electrolytes with a solid material could eliminate any fire risk from the battery, as well as improving energy-to-weight ratios and removing the additional “energy redundant” packaging materials required to hold a liquid, among several other advantages. The key development though is that the solid electrolyte would allow for the use of a lithium-metal anode, with far higher energy density than the graphite that’s commonly used today. Though there is research into integrating lithium-metal with liquid or semisolid electrolytes, all-solid-state is viewed by many as the best approach. But lithium metal's tendency to form dendrites – branching structures that grow from the anode into the electrolyte and can cause short circuits and battery failure – is an issue for solid-state batteries as well. With ceramic-based solid electrolytes, dendrite formation can lead to cracks in the electrolyte and short-circuiting in the battery cell. Given the solid nature of the battery and the tiny scale at which these mechanisms occur, observing and understanding how they progress is a difficult task. A group of scientists led by the UK-based Faraday Institution seeks to address this in new research, where they use sophisticated imaging techniques to observe the batteries in operation, building on earlier insights gained from imaging the batteries after operation. “Ex-situ and destructive methods, involving sectioning the ceramic electrolyte and imaging the lithium metal within using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, have proved valuable in demonstrating the problem,” the group explains. “However, it is important to follow the development of cracks and the ingress of lithium metal into the ceramic during operation of the cell in order to understand the mechanism of dendrite penetration and cell failure.” Using X-ray computed tomography – an imaging technique similar to the CAT scans used in medicine – the group followed the progression of cracking and lithium ingress into the electrolyte, in a battery comprising a solid argyrodite (Li6PS5Cl) electrolyte sandwiched between two lithium metal electrodes. Their results are found in the paper Visualizing plating-induced cracking in lithium-anode solid-electrolyte cells, published in Nature Materials. Their observations confirmed that the cracks propagate through the electrolyte ahead of the lithium dendrite, proceeding along a path where the electrolyte porosity is above the material’s average. “Continued Li ingress widens the cracks and drives their propagation, but from the rear, not the crack tip,” the group explains. They note that even once a crack grows the whole way across the electrolyte, no short-circuiting occurs until later on when lithium has filled the crack completely. “We show that cracks propagate through the electrolyte far ahead of the lithium dendrites, rather than the lithium metal driving the crack tip forward,” the group explains. By confirming that dendrites drive the crack formation from the base of the crack and that no lithium metal is present in the tip of the crack, the group is able to suggest better strategies to suppress both mechanisms. “Our findings suggest focussing more attention on blocking dry crack propagation to block dendrite propagation, for example by ceramic toughening and crack block-ing, including strategies such as fiber reinforcement and transformation toughening”, they conclude.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/04/28/cracking-the-case-for-solid-state-batteries/
     
         
      Green economy: MPs warn over lack of plan to manage fossil fuel tax loss Wed, 28th Apr 2021 6:00:00
     
      The Treasury cannot explain how it will manage declines in tax revenues worth £37bn from fossil fuels as the UK shifts to a clean economy, MPs have warned. A report from the influential parliamentary public accounts committee also warned that the Treasury had not set out how the tax system was going to help the government meet the target to cut emissions to “net zero” by 2050. With just six months until the UK hosts the crucial UN Cop26 climate summit, the committee’s chair, Meg Hillier, warned that the Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) needed to “catch up fast” in the face of the climate storm. Meeting the net zero goal to curb global temperature rises and tackle the climate crisis requires cutting emissions as close to zero as possible and offsetting any remaining pollution with steps such as planting trees. It will mean significant shifts in how people live their lives in the next few years, including ending sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and shifting to electric vehicles – which will eat into the £28bn a year in fuel duty revenues. The committee said the Treasury had told the MPs the government did not have a plan for the reduction in tax revenue on fossil fuels and greenhouse gases, which, in addition to fuel duty, includes £9bn of other taxes. The report also warned that immediate priorities have also often outweighed action needed to support long term environmental objectives, for example the freeze in fuel duty to help with the cost of living. And with just four taxes defined as environmental taxation, the Treasury and HMRC do not sufficiently assess the green impacts of taxes such as fuel duty or air passenger duty, the report said. The committee called for the Treasury to set out a clear vision of how it would help the UK achieve net zero, before Cop26 in November in Glasgow. The Treasury should also set out a timetable for consulting on options for replacing fuel duty and other fossil fuel-based taxes, it said. And from the next budget the Treasury should assess the environmental impact of every tax change considered and publish the green impacts of all measures in the budget, it urged. The committee’s report said tax was an important tool for pursuing the government’s environmental goals. But it warned of a lack of leadership and coordination and said the exchequer departments had taken a “very limited view of the role of tax so far”, adding that HMRC had not done enough to evaluate how taxes changed behaviour. The MPs called for the Treasury to be clear and transparent on the role tax will play in the shift to net zero so taxpayers can make informed decisions and other government departments could plan. Hillier said: “The economic revolution required to abandon fossil fuels and reach net zero must be the greatest coordinated ask, of governments around the globe, in history. “But the UK government has been blithely issuing ever more ambitious climate targets for years now, with no sign of a roadmap to reach any of them. “The departments in charge seem stuck in a bygone era, with little sign of the innovative thinking needed to achieve all this. “Every week brings reports of some climate record disturbingly broken – the hottest year, the hottest decade, warming seas rising faster than we feared, carbon emissions raging even as the economy takes more faltering steps. “Now we are six months from hosting the next major global climate summit and the climate storm is breaking all around us. HMRC and HM Treasury need to catch up fast.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/28/green-economy-mps-warn-over-lack-of-plan-to-manage-fossil-fuel-tax-loss
     
         
      SDGs will address ‘three planetary crises’ harming life on Earth Tue, 27th Apr 2021 14:44:00
     
      Executive Director Inger Andersen told an online discussion that the “significant and pathbreaking” information contained in the UN agency’s synthesis report Making Peace With Nature, not only breaks down the science, but also shines a light on “the kind of gearshifts” needed for a steady trajectory forward. This includes reaching for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12, on sustainable production and consumption, as well as making societies “much more aware of our footprint” on Earth. “It speaks to the urgency of now”, she said. Notwithstanding the need to lift people out of poverty, turn the wheels of economy and end world hunger, the report looks at what the earth can provide, and how it must be treated, to remain sustainable. Unless improvements are made, the planet is set to lose about a million species, out of an estimated eight million, Ms. Andersen warned. During the discussion, report writers Ivar Andreas Baste and Robert Watson, along with scientific advisor Joyeeta Gupta explained how the key findings rested upon a range of assessments, including from UN agencies, intergovernmental environmental bodies and multilateral environmental agreements. “Overall about 50 leading experts helped us prepare and guide this synthesis”, Mr. Watson said, adding that the “options for action” within the report are consistent with each other. They also outlined that the interconnectivity of the three challenges putting the world’s well-being at risk can be tackled jointly within the SDG framework. Since the Stockholm Conference on the environment over 50 years ago, Mr. Watson pointed out that both the number of environmental issues and their severity have grown, “we clearly know we have a planetary emergency”, he said. “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is senseless and suicidal”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in the foreword. “The consequences of our recklessness are already apparent in human suffering, towering economic losses and the accelerating erosion of life on Earth". The report maintains the need for “ambitious and coordinated action” by governments, businesses and people around the world to prevent and reverse the worst impacts of environmental decline by rapidly transforming energy, water and food systems to support sustainability. And while the COVID-19 emergency rightly preoccupies government budgets and political action, the response to this pandemic must ultimately accelerate the economic and social transformations needed to address the planetary emergency. “These are not just environmental issues, they are economic, development, security, social, moral and ethical issues”, said Robert Watson. Transforming social and economic systems means improving our relationship with nature – understanding its value and putting that value at the heart of decision making, according to the report. “By transforming how we view nature, we can recognize its true value. By reflecting this value in policies, plans and economic systems, we can channel investments into activities that restore nature and are rewarded for it”, said the UN chief.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090762
     
         
      Electric cars: What will happen to all the dead batteries? Tue, 27th Apr 2021 11:22:00
     
      "The rate at which we're growing the industry is absolutely scary," says Paul Anderson from University of Birmingham. He's talking about the market for electric cars in Europe. By 2030, the EU hopes that there will be 30 million electric cars on European roads. "It's something that's never really been done before at that rate of growth for a completely new product," says Dr Anderson, who is also the co-director of the Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials. While electric vehicles (EVs) may be carbon neutral during their working lifetime, he's concerned about what happens when they run out of road - in particular what happens to the batteries. "In 10 to 15 years when there are large numbers coming to the end of their life, it's going to be very important that we have a recycling industry," he points out. While most EV components are much the same as those of conventional cars, the big difference is the battery. While traditional lead-acid batteries are widely recycled, the same can't be said for the lithium-ion versions used in electric cars. EV batteries are larger and heavier than those in regular cars and are made up of several hundred individual lithium-ion cells, all of which need dismantling. They contain hazardous materials, and have an inconvenient tendency to explode if disassembled incorrectly. "Currently, globally, it's very hard to get detailed figures for what percentage of lithium-ion batteries are recycled, but the value everyone quotes is about 5%," says Dr Anderson. "In some parts of the world it's considerably less." Recent proposals from the European Union would see EV suppliers responsible for making sure that their products aren't simply dumped at the end of their life, and manufacturers are already starting to step up to the mark. Nissan, for example, is now reusing old batteries from its Leaf cars in the automated guided vehicles that deliver parts to workers in its factories. Volkswagen is doing the same, but has also recently opened its first recycling plant, in Salzgitter, Germany, and plans to recycle up to 3,600 battery systems per year during the pilot phase. "As a result of the recycling process, many different materials are recovered. As a first step we focus on cathode metals like cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese," says Thomas Tiedje, head of planning for recycling at Volkswagen Group Components. "Dismantled parts of the battery systems such as aluminium and copper are given into established recycling streams." Renault, meanwhile, is now recycling all its electric car batteries - although as things stand, that only amounts to a couple of hundred a year. It does this through a consortium with French waste management company Veolia and Belgian chemical firm Solvay. "We are aiming at being able to address 25% of the recycling market. We want to maintain this level of coverage, and of course this would cover by far the needs of Renault," says Jean-Philippe Hermine, Renault's VP for strategic environmental planning. "It's a very open project - it's not to recycle only Renault batteries but all batteries, and also including production waste from the battery manufacturing plants." The issue is also receiving attention from scientific bodies such as the Faraday Institution, whose ReLiB project aims to optimise the recycling of EV batteries and make it as streamlined as possible. "We imagine a more efficient, more cost-effective industry in future, instead of going through some of the processes that are available - and can be scaled up now - but are not terribly efficient," says Dr Anderson, who is principal investigator for the project. Currently, for example, much of the substance of a battery is reduced during the recycling process to what is called black mass - a mixture of lithium, manganese, cobalt and nickel - which needs further, energy-intensive processing to recover the materials in a usable form. Manually dismantling fuel cells allows for more of these materials to be efficiently recovered, but brings problems of its own.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56574779
     
         
      Global alliance for phasing out coal not fit for purpose, says NGO Tue, 27th Apr 2021 9:53:00
     
      An attempt by the UK government to encourage countries and businesses around the world to quit coal for power generation is failing to make an impact, and in danger of being used as “greenwash”, an assessment has found. The Powering Past Coal Alliance, led by the UK and Canada, with 111 members including 24 governments, local governments and businesses, is a key plank of Boris Johnson’s strategy for vital UN climate talks to be hosted in Glasgow in November. Members are required to show they are on a pathway to eliminating coal-fired power plants before 2030 in the case of developed countries, and 2050 for developing states, to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement. But the NGO Reclaim Finance has found that some members, including the UK and Canada, are continuing to expand the use of coal, in ways that will increase greenhouse gas emissions and could help to bust the global carbon budget. Paul Schreiber, the author of the report from Reclaim Finance, said: “The PPCA may be well-intentioned, but it is not fit for purpose. It could be helpful, if done right, but today it is not helpful [to global carbon reductions]. Members are not following up on their pledges. It serves as a greenwashing engine for financial institutions.” He said there were loopholes in the alliance’s requirements. For instance, Canada is continuing to develop scores of new coalmines, which will be used to export coal for use in power plants in other countries, despite remaining within the rules by planning to phase out coal domestically. Schreiber also pointed to the UK’s plans for a new coalmine, which is subject to a public inquiry. Ministers argued it should be allowed under the PPCA rules as it would produce coking coal for steel-making, even though the exported coal would increase emissions overseas and could delay the take-up of low-carbon steel-making. There is also poor enforcement of the existing requirements. Germany has set a coal phase-out date of 2038, well beyond the deadline for developed countries. Mexico is building two coal-fired power plants, and major new coal investments, while Senegal is also considering coal expansion. A UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is leading the world in tackling climate change and phasing out coal, having gone over 5,000 hours without using coal for electricity last year. As part of this commitment, we launched the Powering Past Coal Alliance along with the Canadian government to advance the transition from unabated coal power electricity generation. “We intend to bring forward our target to eliminate all coal-fired power stations to October 2024, which could mean that in 10 years, the UK would have reduced its reliance on coal for electricity from around a third to zero.” Some business members of the alliance were also continuing to back coal in various forms, the report found. The US pension fund Calpers had about $8bn invested in coal, according to the latest data available, from September 2019, and the investment house Schroders had more than $5bn in such investments. A spokesperson for Calpers said: “We invest in companies which use coal, and are through Climate Action 100+, driving towards the net zero goal.” A Schroders spokesperson said: “Our membership of the PPCA reflects our concern about the threat climate change poses and the view that the coal industry in particular is at the forefront of that climate challenge. It’s clear that global greenhouse gas emissions must decline, which will require structural changes in many of the most exposed companies. “We have engaged with these companies and many across the sector extensively over a number of years on their climate change ambitions and strategies and continue to believe that our, and our industry’s, influence and voice will be an important driver of the changes needed in the global energy market.” Schreiber called for the loopholes in the PPCA declaration to be closed, and for its deadlines on coal phase-out to be brought forward, in line with scientific advice, to target a global elimination of coal-fired power by 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/27/global-alliance-coal-not-fit-for-purpose-ngo
     
         
      Disneyland Paris is building a solar farm as big as 24 football fields Tue, 27th Apr 2021 7:08:00
     
      Disneyland Paris is constructing a giant solar power plant to fully decarbonise its energy supply. The park is Europe’s number one private tourist destination and has welcomed more than 320 million visitors since its creation in 1992, hailing from across France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and many more. Now, it is taking an important step towards an ecological transition.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/27/disneyland-paris-to-build-largest-solar-farm-in-europe-equivalent-to-24-football-fields
     
         
      Rapid retreat of glaciers leading world towards ‘humanitarian crisis’, says top scientist Mon, 26th Apr 2021 18:43:00
     
      The rapid retreat of glaciers is leading the world towards a large-scale “humanitarian crisis”, a scientist has warned. Around 70 per cent of Earth’s freshwater is stored in glaciers – vast rivers of ice that slowly ooze their way across land. But rising global temperatures are causing these icy rivers to quickly melt away, said Prof Jemma Wadham, a top glaciologist and director of the Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol. The rapid loss of glacial ice poses a particularly high risk in developing regions where many millions depend on glaciers for drinking water, said Prof Wadham, who has spent more than 20 years studying how glaciers across the world are responding to the climate crisis. “Working in the Himalayas and the Andes has made me really realise that this is potentially leading to a very large humanitarian crisis across the world,” she told The Independent. “In the Himalayas, if we manage to keep global warming to 1.5C we might lose about a third of the ice there. If we carry on the unabated greenhouse gas emissions we lose two-thirds of the ice. “There are 250 million people – a population almost four times the size of the UK – living in this region that rely on rivers fed by glacial melt. In the dry period, the glacial tap turns on and provides the water. But if you turn the tap off, you’ve got a really difficult situation.” A study published in 2019 found that the rate of glacier retreat in the Himalayas has doubled since the late 20th century. Prof Wadham recounts her vast experience of studying glaciers and the risks they face in Ice Rivers, a memoir available in the UK from 6 May. She was motivated to write about the plight of the world’s rapidly melting glaciers after suffering from her own health crisis in 2018. “I started to get strange symptoms over about 18 months,” she said. “There was a field trip up high in the Himalayas and I started to get these excruciating headaches and I couldn’t work out why, I thought it was the altitude. “A year later I was in Patagonia and the headaches by then were explosive. I remember I couldn’t take down my tent because the pain was so much, I was sort of crawling around trying to get the tent pegs out. I ended up passing out on the plane back from Chile just from the pain.” After returning home, Prof Wadham underwent a head scan which revealed that she had a non-cancerous brain tumour. She had emergency surgery to remove the tumour and wrote Ice Rivers while in recovery. “As I was recovering I realised that I nearly lost my life and I became quite passionate about communicating some of the amazing discoveries I’ve made over the past 25 years with a wider audience,” she said. “I think particularly at a time when glaciers are in a health crisis of their own – there’s quite strong parallels between what I’ve been through and what glaciers are going through.” She added that she first became aware of the huge threat that the climate crisis posed to glaciers while on a field trip to Greenland in 2008. “Working on Greenland gave me an appreciation of the sheer vastness of an ice sheet – and the enormity of the amount of freshwater that is locked up in an ice sheet,” she said. “You can see the absolutely phenomenal amount of water that comes off the sheet and goes into the oceans. Seeing it with your own eyes, just the vastness of it, that’s when it really hits home.” A study published in 2020 found that Greenland’s largest glaciers are currently melting at levels close to what scientists had previously expected under a future worst-case scenario. Prof Wadham said that “radical change” would be needed to help stem dramatic glacier loss. “We need to make radical change now and that is going to involve uncomfortable choices for everyone, from an individual to a government,” she said. “It’s not a wait-and-see situation anymore.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/glaciers-retreat-humanitarian-crisis-b1837772.html
     
         
      New electric car hoovers up pollution from other vehicles Mon, 26th Apr 2021 17:00:00
     
      An electric car that hoovers up pollution from other vehicles could be on the road in two years under plans drawn up by a British designer. London-based Heatherwick Studio has announced proposals for a Chinese-built green car that uses a powerful internal filtering system to suck in pollutants that can contribute to breathing problems and even premature death. Under the proposal, the Airo car is also capable of being used in driverless mode, with a flexible interior designed to be easily reconfigured to suit different needs. This includes creating a dining room-style space complete with a table and facing seats to allow occupants to enjoy a meal or reclining seats that can be turned into a double bed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-electric-car-hoovers-up-pollution-from-other-vehicles-wg6hp33lk
     
         
      ‘Make-or-break moment’ for forests Mon, 26th Apr 2021 14:36:00
     
      Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said we were at a “make-or-break moment”, adding that woodlands provide vital functions, including as guardians of fresh water sources and biodiversity protection. “Forests are at the core of the solutions that can help us make peace with nature”, she underscored, stressing that "we need all-hands-on-deck" to support of forests worldwide. Moreover, failure to protect them would have a major, negative impact on damaging and rising carbon emissions. The deputy UN chief said that forests must be adequately financed, including through alleviating debt burdens for those States which are expected to do more for woodland protection and sustainable agriculture overall. Pointing out that the world is facing “wide-ranging global crises” that are “intrinsically linked” to the health and sustainability of our environment, General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir called the discussion “particularly timely”. “Clearly our world is telling us that there is a problem in our relationship with nature”, he said, noting the impact of COVID-19, a zoonotic disease that highlights the risks associated with human encroachment; species extinction rates, which range from 100 to 1,000 times above the baseline rate; and rising global warming, with 2016 and 2020 tied as the warmest years on record. “Unfortunately, as a society, we tend to focus on the symptoms and not the underlying conditions, and we have ignored the Earth’s messages for far too long”, said the Assembly president. “Hopefully, we can help change that”. The UN official drew attention to a high-level dialogue on 20 May that will focus on pandemic recovery and highlight how to help tackle desertification, land degradation and drought. It will encompass a “strong push around the need to use this momentous recovery effort to create jobs and shovel-ready projects that support land restoration, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as investments in sustainable land management”, said Mr. Bozkir. He hoped that the discussion would also help support the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, degradation neutrality targets and national drought plans – in line with the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Nationally Determined Contributions of countries’ commitments to increasing climate?actions through the 2015 Paris Agreement, and future commitments under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The Assembly president noted that 2021 will be “a milestone year for the three Rio Conventions on Desertification, Biodiversity and Climate Change”, adding that these important issues are linked and actions must be coordinated for maximum impact. “As we move from the Decade to Fight Desertification into a new Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, let us take this opportunity to renew our commitment to creating a future that is more equitable, where all people benefit from living in harmony with nature”, he said. Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, spoke about new research linking successful forest restoration with rolling back biodiversity loss and species extinction. He maintained that well preserved habitats and healthy agriculture are key pathways forward and also underscored the importance of indigenous people in forest protection and preservation, calling their role “paramount”. “Investing in forests is investing in our future”, he said. “We must strengthen our global efforts to protect and restore forests and support the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. Only then can we realize our shared vision for a more just, equitable and sustainable world”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090622
     
         
      Prioritize people and planet, UN chief urges Asian and Pacific nations Mon, 26th Apr 2021 14:33:00
     
      In a message to the annual session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as the blueprint for a strong recovery, leaving no one behind. “That starts with universal health coverage and social protection, and decent work.” The UN chief also called for making “peace with nature” and stronger efforts to tackle the climate crisis, including investing in renewable energy, sustainable food systems, and nature-based solutions. “Looking forward, recovery plans cannot be based on outdated, unsustainable economic models. Investments to rebuild the economy must be centred around inclusive, sustainable development that prioritizes people and planet”, he added. Convened in a virtual setting from 26 to 29 April, countries at the 77th session of ESCAP will discuss how regional cooperation can help countries “build back better” from the pandemic. Also on the agenda is the impact of the pandemic on the region’s least developed and landlocked developing countries, and small islands, including equitable distribution of vaccines and financial support initiatives, debt reliefs and debt service suspension. The Commission will also discuss the status of implementation of sustainable development in the region amid the pandemic and its socio-economic fallout, with several countries reeling under successive waves of coronavirus infections. Established in 1947, ESCAP is the largest of the UN’s five regional commissions – both in terms of geographic coverage and population served – its membership spanning from the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, to Turkey in the west, and Russia in the north, to New Zealand in the south. ESCAP’s membership also includes France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Outlining priorities necessary to ensure a recovery in line with the 2030 Agenda, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP, called on countries to integrate health risk management into their socio-economic strategies, and to scale up of social protection policies to include all segments of the society, especially those working in informal sectors, persons with disabilities, and older persons. She also underlined the need for sustainable financing, with a focus on investment in resilient economies, as well as strengthening regional trade and transport connectivity to better withstand shocks and disruptions. In addition, countries must ensure that the COVID-19 recovery is strong, clean and green, Ms. Alisjahbana said. “It is high time for governments to adopt a climate and environmentally responsive approach in line with the Paris Agreement. Let us urgently invest in renewable energy, energy efficient production system, green infrastructure and ecosystem restoration”, she added.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090572
     
         
      Wells dry up, crops imperiled, farm workers in limbo as California drought grips San Joaquin Valley Mon, 26th Apr 2021 10:00:00
     
      VISALIA, Calif. — As yet another season of drought returns to California, the mood has grown increasingly grim across the vast and fertile San Joaquin Valley. Renowned for its bounty of dairies, row crops, grapes, almonds, pistachios and fruit trees, this agricultural heartland is still reeling from the effects of the last punishing drought, which left the region geologically depressed and mentally traumatized. Now, as the valley braces for another dry spell of undetermined duration, some are openly questioning the future of farming here, even as legislative representatives call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a drought emergency. Many small, predominantly Latino communities also face the risk of having their wells run dry. Drought is nothing new to California or the West, and generations of San Joaquin Valley farmers have endured many dry years over the last century. Often, they have done so by drilling more wells. However, some growers say they are now facing a convergence of forces that is all but insurmountable — a seemingly endless loop of hot, dry weather, new environmental protections and cutbacks in water allotments. “I’m proud of our family’s history in this part of the state,” said John Guthrie, president of the Tulare County Farm Bureau. “If not for that, I would seriously consider bowing out of this business.” The cattle rancher and farm owner said his family has been working the land here for more than 150 years. However, he wonders how much longer that will continue. Most recently, state and federal allocations of surface water were slashed to a trickle due to less snowpack in the Sierra Nevada — a move expected to force some growers to search underground for additional sources of water to keep their farms from ruin. Even more frustrating, growers say, is a complex law passed in 2014 — during the last drought — that requires all groundwater taken from wells to match the amount of water returned to aquifers by 2040. Experts say meeting its requirements will mean taking about 1 million acres of farmland out of production statewide. “Things were tough enough without having to deal with regulations that are becoming more onerous by the day,” Guthrie said. In recent weeks Central Valley Republicans in particular have urged Newsom to declare a statewide drought emergency, which would allow state regulators to relax water quality and environmental standards that limit deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California’s water hub. They were enraged recently when Newsom declared drought emergencies in Sonoma and Mendocino counties only. Much of Tulare County sits atop groundwater basins that have helped farmers compensate when there was little or no available surface water. But unlimited pumping during the historic drought of 2012-16, and the 2007-09 drought before that, has set off a cascade of events that has proved disastrous. Large farms drilled to depths of more than 1,000 feet to sustain thirsty citrus orchards and almond and pistachio groves that had drawn hedge funds and big corporations into the business. As farmers punched more wells into the earth, the groundwater table plummeted, drying up old wells and causing the land to sink up to 2 feet a year in some places, damaging infrastructure. Also, as groundwater levels fell, pesticides and nitrates from fertilizer and animal waste leached into the private groundwater supplies of impoverished farmworker communities in such locations as Tooleville, East Orosi and East Porterville in Tulare County and Tombstone Territory in Fresno County. These and other rural burgs got international attention after wells that had served them for more than half a century went dry or became polluted. Unincorporated areas of Tulare County were hit particularly hard. As a result, families were forced to forgo showers and dump a bucket of water into toilets to flush. Cheers and chants of “Si se puede!” — yes, we can — rang out when Newsom visited Tombstone Territory to sign into law Senate Bill 200, the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. The bill set aside up to $130 million a year for safe drinking water projects. “The governor did his part by coming out here to listen to our problems before signing the bill. But our problems didn’t end that day,” said Jovita Torres, a resident and community activist. “I’ve still got dirty water coming out of my tap,” she said, “and bottled water is still being delivered to our community every Friday.” Her neighbor, Rodolfo Romero, 95, was not surprised. “What’s happening right now,” he said with a wry smile, “involves climate changes and political forces that are too big to stop. “The people making important decisions are elected officials and big farmers who have money and power,” he added. “We have no power. So, the way I see it, there is no way to live off our wells anymore. Those days are over.” Leslie Martinez of the advocacy group Leadership Counsel would not go that far. “State and county agencies are to blame,” she said, “and must be held accountable for overlooking contaminant plumes due to heavy groundwater pumping and failing to address a basic human right in disadvantaged communities to have reliable sources of clean water. “They have treated these people like disposable labor,” she added, “which is heartbreaking and wrong, because they helped build this region’s agricultural industry.” Seasonal droughts are typical to California’s Mediterranean climate, but the effects of global warming, due to the burning of fossil fuels, have now made it easier for the state to slip into periods of dryness, and harder for it to get out, experts say. This trend toward more frequent and more severe droughts comes at a time of immense change in agriculture. Tulare County, one of Central California’s top agricultural producers, was named after Tulare Lake, once the largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi. Farmers drained the lake dry in the 1930s to transform desert scrub into croplands. The 4,839-square-mile county just west of Sequoia National Park is the domain of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, which in the 1960s boasted 5,000 members. Since then, membership has dwindled to a record low of 1,200, the result of smaller growers selling out and consolidation as agricultural production shifts toward larger farms. This year, with half the county enshrouded in severe drought conditions, ranchers are culling cattle herds for sale months earlier than usual, and farmers are making tough decisions about idling row crops such as lettuce and onions in order to devote precious water supplies to higher-value permanent plantings like almonds and pistachios. This latest drought has also raised the once-unthinkable specter of croplands yielding to a new future of subdivisions, industrial parks and habitat development. “If things continue in the direction they’re headed right now, there’s going to be lots of new open space around here and that ground will have to be used for something,” said Denise England, Tulare County Water Commission’s water resources program director. “In the long term, I’m hopeful our economy might be replaced with something else, perhaps factories or business parks,” she said. That’s not the future that grower Dino Giacomazzi wants to see, but he concedes that change is inevitable. In 2014, midway through the worst drought in state history, Giacomazzi closed his family’s 126-year-old dairy farm — the state’s oldest — and took up almond farming instead. “We just didn’t see a path forward in ‘cowdom,’” he said. “We had a very old 400-acre facility in an increasingly regulated world when it comes to air, food and water, and we were facing years of low milk prices.” It wasn’t a smooth transition, however. “As it turned out ... California farmers planted too many almonds and oversupplied the market,” the 52-year-old said. “Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which raised the price of getting almonds to market out of the country.” Whiplashing weather patterns due to climate change and state groundwater regulations that are just beginning to take effect are making the future even more uncertain. “American people have an important decision to make,” Giacomazzi said. “Do they want their agricultural food grown locally, or in Mexico and China?”
       
      Full Article: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-04-26/as-drought-deepens-california-growers-see-grim-futurequin
     
         
      Brazil: Environment police battle for Amazon rainforest Sun, 25th Apr 2021 12:25:00
     
      Brazil's environmental police force, IBAMA, is facing new challenges due to government policy changes, an anonymous senior officer has told the BBC. Cuts to government funding and equipment from abroad, as well as the coronavirus pandemic and rioting have left the authority with little resources to protect the Amazon from illegal logging and mining. The BBC's Chief Environment Correspondent Justin Rowlatt investigates. Brazil´s enviromental police are under attack. Footage shows loggers and farmers blocking roads to officers as the war to protect the Amazon rainforest intensifies. In 2020, Brazil saw its highest levels of deforestation for over a decade. Around 4,200 square miles of forest have been cut down. Now one senior enviromental officer says his force´s efforts are not being supported by the Brazilian government. It has become a guerrilla warfare. The job is getting more and more risky. People feel they have the support from the government. Brazil´s environment minister in a cabinet meeting, he says: "We have the chance at this moment when the media´s attention is almost exclusively on Covid and not the Amazon. While things are quite, let´s do it all at once and change all the rules." He later said he actually meant "simplify" the rules. The BBC followed an environmental police raid in 2014. At the time, the environment force had more rosources could rely on backing from the local police and had a free hand to destroy the equipment used to deforestation. But the practice has since been criticised by Brazil´s President Jair Bolsonaro. His government slashed funding for the environment police and rolled back forest protection rules. It´s led foreign governments to withdraw funds for helicopters and vehicles used by the environmental police. Some of those involved in deforestation now believe their actions will be pardoned by the government. The Brazilian government told the BBC it takes protecting the Amazon very seriously. It said some local officials have withdrawn protection of environmental officers but this is not official policy and denies the rules on burning equipment have changed. But environmental police told the BBC that in January none of their officers were patrolling the Amazon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56847298
     
         
      Prof Niklas Höhne: China cautious on climate change promises Sat, 24th Apr 2021 10:29:00
     
      The international community has made a good start in tackling climate change, says Prof Dr Niklas Höhne of the New Climate Institute. But he told BBC World News more still needed to be done and China was still cautious with its commitments. He said: "The developed countries need to go first and I think they have done that now. So the US has put on an ambitious target. The EU has done so. Canada and Japan have followed yesterday. That's good. "And China is a bit cautious. [The] positive about China is that they have really said they want to go to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, which was a very, very good announcement and has had a big impact."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56860975
     
         
      Northern Ireland agri-food sector set for major review Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 15:00:00
     
      A review has been ordered into Northern Ireland's key agri-food sector, with its recommendations potentially influential for future policy. The sector generates sales of about £5bn a year and supports 100,000 jobs. The agriculture and economy ministers have asked that the challenges and opportunities are looked at. The six-month review will be chaired by the former leader of the National Farmers' Union Sir Peter Kendall. He and his team will be asked to examine how agri-food can increase productivity while reducing its carbon footprint. They will also consider market opportunities and the implications of a new UK trade policy. Sir Peter said he was looking forward to the work. "There's no denying that the climate change and environmental challenges are massive," he said. "But they also give Northern Ireland agri-food a chance to set itself apart as a sector which is rising to those challenges while driving forwards to be internationally competitive." Nick Whelan, the chair of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, said it was a crucial time to be assessing the future of the industry. "These are difficult times, however as we begin to emerge from the pandemic the focus of government must be on developing a path to recovery for the local economy," he said. "Ultimately a strong agri-food sector will be crucial to securing that recovery."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56858900
     
         
      Scottish election 2021: Is this Scotland’s climate election? Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 14:48:00
     
      Is this Scotland’s climate election? For many people, climate change is the most important issue facing the country – and indeed the planet. As the country prepares for the Holyrood election, the BBC’s Noor Abdel-Razik takes a look at the subject. There's no let-up for the leaders of the larger parties, who are back out on the campaign trail again today. The Conservatives' Douglas Ross will be campaigning in Fife this morning, while Nicola Sturgeon will be promoting the SNP's policies in Glasgow. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie - renowned for his photo calls on the campaign trail - will be taking a karate lesson in The Meadows in Edinburgh. Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens will also be out and about in the nation's capital. Labour leader Anas Sarwar will be highlighting the party's plans for jobs and the environment, while Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie will be stressing the need for bold action on the climate.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-56848288
     
         
      Climate change: Woman's plan for product traffic light system Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 12:14:00
     
      A woman has called for a traffic light system to be introduced which displays how environmentally-friendly products are. Lisa Condron wants everyday products to feature a red, amber or green colour, indicating its environmental harm. This would better educate people about their impact on the planet, she said. Lisa, from Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "I hear a lot of talk about it, but don't actually see anything happening." Lockdown prompted Lisa to begin thinking about the impact she had on the planet. She later discovered none of her clothes were made in the UK - which led her to wonder how much CO2 was emitted transporting them from east Asia to Wales. Had all these items featured traffic light-style warnings - similar to the ones on food products which indicate their levels of fat, sugar and salt - she said she would have been able to make more educated decisions. Asked what she would if she was leader of Wales for a day, she said: "I think it's time that we made some action on climate change and our environment. "So my idea was to have a traffic light system as you do on food. Everyone's familiar with them because they've been on food for years now. "We can see from the traffic light system the impact of fats, sugars and saturates and salt. "If this was on all sorts of products that you buy, you would know whether one product was better for the environment than another. "I just want to switch over to being more environmentally friendly. But I don't know what is environmentally friendly and what is not. "So I just thought of a traffic light system - where if there's a range of products on the shelves and I can see them. "(If) one was red for the environment and the other one was green then I would go for the green."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56821602
     
         
      Australia resists calls for tougher climate targets Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 10:43:00
     
      Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has resisted pressure to set more ambitious carbon emission targets while other major nations vowed deeper reductions to tackle climate change. Addressing a global climate summit, Mr Morrison said Australia was on a path to net zero emissions. But he stopped short of setting a timeline, saying the country would get there "as soon as possible". It came as the US, Canada and Japan set new commitments for steeper cuts. US President Joe Biden, who chaired the virtual summit, pledged to cut carbon emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by the year 2030. This new target essentially doubles the previous US promise. By contrast, Australia will stick with its existing pledge of cutting carbon emissions by 26%-28% below 2005 levels, by 2030. That's in line with the Paris climate agreement, though Mr Morrison said Australia was on a pathway to net zero emissions. "Our goal is to get there as soon as we possibly can, through technology that enables and transforms our industries, not taxes that eliminate them and the jobs and livelihoods they support and create," he told the summit. "Future generations... will thank us not for what we have promised, but what we deliver." Australia is one of the world's biggest carbon emitters on a per capita basis. Mr Morrison, who has faced sustained criticism over climate policy, said action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would focus on technology. The prime minister said Australia is deploying renewable energy 10 times faster than the global average per person, and has the highest uptake of rooftop solar panels in the world. Mr Morrison added Australia would invest $20bn ($15.4bn; 11.1bn) "to achieve ambitious goals that will bring the cost of clean hydrogen, green steel, energy storage and carbon capture to commercial parity". "You can always be sure that the commitments Australia makes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are bankable." Australia has seen growing international pressure to step up its efforts to cut emissions and tackle global warming. The country has warmed on average by 1.4 degrees C since national records began in 1910, according to its science and weather agencies. That's led to an increase in the number of extreme heat events, as well as increased fire danger days. Ahead of the summit, President Biden's team urged countries that have been slow to embrace action on climate change to raise their ambition. While many nations heeded the call, big emitters China and India also made no new commitments. "Scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade - this is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis," President Biden said at the summit's opening address. Referring to America's new carbon-cutting pledge, President Biden added: "The signs are unmistakable, the science is undeniable, and the cost of inaction keeps mounting."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56854558
     
         
      Emmanuel Macron urges world to 'move more quickly' in tackling climate change Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 10:38:00
     
      French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the world to "move more quickly" in tackling climate change. Speaking at a virtual summit in the White House he said: "Basically 2030 is the new 2050".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56845037
     
         
      Climate change: Net-zero cannot be achieved by planting a few trees or keeping lights switched off a bit more Fri, 23rd Apr 2021 9:13:00
     
      How much of the world's emissions are down to aviation? How much of the greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere are coming from our homes, whether in the form of the electricity we use or the gas that goes in our boilers? What about deforestation, or agriculture, or manufacturing? These questions are worth pondering because it turns out the answers are actually rather surprising. Indeed, there is a serious disconnect between the stuff you often see depicted on screens and in newspapers to symbolise the environmental movement, and what the data actually tells you about the realities of carbon emissions. Did you know, for instance, that we create far, far more greenhouse gas emissions through the manufacture of cement than the entire total emissions from the aviation industry? Cement is responsible for a double-whammy of carbon emissions: first, through the chemical reaction you need to carry out to turn limestone into lime and then, on top of that, further carbon emissions attributed to the fossil fuels that power the cement kilns themselves. Put those two together (each is roughly 3-4%) and cement accounts for anywhere between 6 and 8% of global emissions - that's more than the entire combined emissions of every plane in the sky, every train on a track and every ship in the ocean. Yet given cement is one of the key building blocks in, well, buildings, primarily as a crucial ingredient in concrete, we cannot simply stop making it. Or consider another example. Consider the billions of homes around the world where we all live: they are responsible for about 10.9% of total global carbon emissions. That's everything from electricity which comes from fossil fuel power stations to coal and wood burnt at home to gas in boilers. However, the combined emissions of the iron/steel industry and chemical sector are similar or greater, depending on what you're including (10.8% if you only consider the energy powering these plants, a whopping 13% if you include the emissions puffed into the sky from chemical plants). On the one hand, nearly eight billion people; on the other, a few thousand plants. These calculations matter, because whatever you think about the wisdom of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero, the fact is that the government here in the UK has committed to doing precisely that by 2050, as have most other developed nations. Today Joe Biden took a step in that direction by aiming to cut US emissions by more than 50% compared with 2005 levels by 2030. If we are going to eliminate those emissions we need to understand where they're coming from: which countries and indeed which processes. In some cases, the answer is the same. China produces comfortably the most greenhouse gas emissions in the world and it also produces the most steel and the most cement. However, other emissions come from somewhat unexpected places. For instance, a full 1.3% of the world's emissions comes from rice farming. In the case of rice farming, this is more about methane emissions than carbon since bacteria in the waterlogged paddy fields used for growing rice tend to emit a lot of greenhouse gas. This is nonetheless about the same contribution to global carbon emissions as every other crop in the world, combined. In some cases, we already know what to do about these emissions. Around the world many countries are reducing their use of coal to generate electricity, replacing this with renewables like solar or wind power. While steel production accounts for some 7.2% of global carbon, there are already pilot schemes to create steel using processes other than the carbon-intensive blast furnaces which are mostly used for industrial steel - though they are at very early stages. Others are trickier: while there are some ideas knocking around to create carbon-free cement, they remain mostly conceptual. There is no such thing as zero-carbon cement. And given an enormous 18% of global emissions are down to agriculture and our use of the land, there remain big questions about how we can reduce those emissions while continuing to produce enough food for everyone and enabling farmers to carry on making a living. These are thorny issues and while many economists assume that all the investment put into green technologies and solutions will eventually pay for itself, eliminating all these sources of emissions will be incredibly expensive and will involve lots of dead ends. It is important to be open-eyed about this. Reducing emissions to net-zero isn't a simple thing, in part because those emissions come from so many places and involve so many processes upon which we've become entirely reliant. Net-zero cannot be achieved by planting a few trees or keeping lights switched off a bit more - much as that may help at the margins. Just as important - if not more important - is to work out novel ways to procure the materials upon which modern life depends - everything from steel to aluminium to concrete. If net zero is the goal, the route will involve essentially rewriting the rules of the industrial world.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-net-zero-cannot-be-achieved-by-planting-a-few-trees-or-keeping-lights-switched-off-a-bit-more-12283818
     
         
      Climate Basics: Your carbon footprint explained Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 19:23:00
     
      Tackling climate change is a big task and can feel impossible to do alone. But there are clear ways of cutting your contribution to carbon emissions, also known as your carbon footprint. BBC Reality Check's Chris Morris explains how changing three aspects of how you live can make a difference
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56822950
     
         
      Boris Johnson urges leaders to ‘get serious’ at climate summit Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 16:52:00
     
      With just over six months to go until vital UN climate talks, Boris Johnson has urged world leaders at a virtual White House summit to step up with plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions this decade. “It’s vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct green act of ‘bunny hugging’ or however you want to put it,” the prime minister told the possibly slightly puzzled leaders. “Nothing wrong with ‘bunny hugging’ but you know what I’m driving at.” “Cake have eat,” he went on to suggest as an overriding motto, arguing that reducing carbon emissions could also be good for the economy. This followed his famous line on Brexit that when it came to cake he was “pro having it and pro eating it”. But green experts said Johnson was failing to match rhetoric with action and that the UK would need to bring forward clear new policies and sweeping changes to government departments to show the leadership needed to galvanise action around the world. President Joe Biden of the US, the world’s second biggest emitter, made a new pledge to halve his country’s emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, which was cheered by many leading climate experts, though some campaigners said the US should go further. Japan and Canada also brought forward tougher targets. However, China, the world’s biggest emitter, has still to set out details of its plans for emissions in the next decade. Its current target, announced last year, of emissions peaking by 2030 is regarded as insufficient, and climate analysts are calling for the country to set a peak date of 2025. The emissions pledges, called nationally determined contributions, are the bedrock of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and essential to meeting its goals of holding global temperature rises to well below 2C, and preferably no more than 1.5C, above pre-industrial levels. Governments will meet in November in Glasgow for the UN Cop26 climate summit to assess the pledges and try to get on track to meet the Paris goals. Even with the announcements at the US climate meeting on Thursday, the world is still far off track, and the UK, as host of the vital talks, will face a difficult diplomatic task. Johnson has accepted the recommendations of the UK’s Climate Change Committee to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035, and by 68% by 2030. He called on other nations to follow suit. “The UK has shown that it’s possible to slash emissions while growing the economy, which makes the question of reaching net zero not so much technical as political,” he said. “If we actually want to stop climate change, then this must be the year in which we get serious about doing so. Because the 2020s will be remembered either as the decade in which world leaders united to turn the tide, or as a failure.” He called on all countries to come to Glasgow in November “armed with ambitious targets and the plans required to reach them. And let the history books show that it was this generation of leaders that possessed the will to preserve our planet for generations to come.” However, the UK has surprised many leading figures in climate diplomacy with recent actions that many said appeared to run counter to the government’s green ambitions. Chief among these has been the cut in overseas aid, from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP, which experts said would hurt countries trying to cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, although climate aid is ringfenced at £11.6bn over five years. The initial green light for a new coalmine in Cumbria also raised questions, as did UK support for Australia’s climate sceptic former minister Mathias Cormann as next head of the OECD. There were also a series of domestic measures – including new oil and gas licences in the North Sea; the scrapping of the green homes grant for insulation and low-carbon heating; airport expansion; and reducing incentives for electric cars – that observers said appeared to show a lack of joined-up thinking on green issues across the government. Labour’s Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, who led the UK delegation at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, said the government must push nations harder to strengthen their targets further, in order to make Cop26 a success. “We should not think that pledges made in April are the last word ahead of a summit in November,” he said. “There is room to do more.” But he added that in order to do so, the UK government would need a more convincing strategy. “What they’re doing, with the overseas aid cut, the new coalmine, and so on – we would have greater strength and greater moral authority if we were talking the walk instead of just talking the talk.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/22/boris-johnson-urges-leaders-to-get-serious-at-climate-summit?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Biden vows to slash US emissions by half to meet ‘existential crisis of our time’ Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 15:11:00
     
      Joe Biden has called upon the world to confront the climate crisis and “overcome the existential crisis of our time”, as he unveiled an ambitious new pledge to slash US planet-heating emissions in half by the end of the decade. Addressing a virtual gathering of more than 40 world leaders in an Earth Day climate summit on Thursday, Biden warned that “time is short” to address dangerous global heating and urged other countries to do more. Shortly before the start of the summit, the White House said the US will aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by between 50% and 52% by 2030, based on 2005 levels. Biden said the new US goal will set it on the path to net zero emissions by 2050 and that other countries now needed to also raise their ambition. “Particularly those of us that represent the world’s largest economies, we have to step up,” the US president said in a speech opening the gathering. “Let’s run that race, win a more sustainable future than we have now, overcome the existential crisis of our time.” Biden said a shift to clean energy will create “millions of good paying union jobs” and that countries that act on the climate crisis will “reap the economic benefits of the clean energy boom that’s coming”. He said: “This is a moral imperative, an economic imperative, a moment of peril, but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities. Time is short but I believe we can do this and I believe we will do this.” The Biden administration has also outlined a new plan to double the amount of funding the US gives to developing countries struggling to adapt to the ravages of drought, flooding and other climate impacts. Other wealthy countries and the private sector should shift financing away from fossil fuels towards clean energy, Biden said. “This moment demands urgency – good ideas and good intentions aren’t good enough,” the president said. “We need to ensure the financing is there, public and private, to meet the moment on climate change and help us seize the opportunity for good jobs, strong economies and a more secure world.” A procession of world leaders then followed Biden, with Xi Jinping, president of China, urging countries to be “committed to harmony between man and nature” and stating that China will peak its emissions more quickly than other major economies. Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, stressed the importance of financial aid for countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis and said that cutting emissions wasn’t just an “expensive politically correct green act of bunny hugging”. Substantive new announcements came from Japan, with the prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, revealing it will slash emissions 46% by 2030, based on 2013 levels, an increase on its previous commitment. South Korea, meanwhile, committed to not financing any more overseas coal projects. Canada also upped its goal, to a 40% to 45% reduction in emissions by 2030, based on 2005 levels. The new US target, to be formally submitted to the UN, represents a stark break from the climate denialist presidency of Donald Trump and will “unmistakably communicate that the United States is back”, according to a White House official who was briefed on the emissions goal. “The US isn’t going to wait. The costs of delay are too great and our nation is resolved to act right now,” the administration official added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/us-emissions-climate-crisis-2030-biden?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      The planet’s on ‘red alert’ UN chief warns leaders at President Biden’s climate summit Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 14:36:00
     
      “Mother Nature is not waiting”, the UN chief warned, as the past decade was the hottest on record, and the world continues to see rising sea-levels, scorching temperatures, devastating tropical cyclones and epic wildfires. “We need a green planet — but the world is on red alert,” he said. “We are at the verge of the abyss. We must make sure the next step is in the right direction. Leaders everywhere must take action.” The Secretary-General thanked President Biden for hosting the two-day Leaders Summit on Climate, and applauded US commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In his introductory remarks, President Biden announced the country would slash emissions in half, by 2030. He spoke of the “extraordinary job creation and economic opportunity” that climate response provides, proposing investments in sectors such as energy, transportation, construction and farming. President Biden acknowledged that no nation can solve the climate emergency alone, and he called for leaders of the world’s largest economies to “step up” in the race to a sustainable future. “Scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade. This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,” he said. Mr. Guterres used the Summit to amplify his call for a global coalition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and for countries to ramp up their commitments under the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change. The 2015 treaty aims to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and requires governments to commit to increasingly ambitious climate action through plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). “All countries – starting with major emitters – should submit new and more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions for mitigation, adaptation and finance, laying out actions and policies for the next 10 years aligned with a 2050 net-zero pathway”, he said. These commitments also must be translated into “concrete, immediate action”, he added, as it is estimated that less than a quarter of pandemic recovery spending will go towards mitigating emissions, reducing air pollution or strengthening natural capital. “The trillions of dollars needed for COVID-19 recovery is money we are borrowing from future generations.??We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden them with a mountain of debt on a broken planet.” The UN chief appealed for leaders to “put a price on carbon” through taxation. He called for ending subsidies for fossil fuels and instead, ramping up investment in renewable energy and green infrastructure.? “Stop the financing of coal and the building of new coal power plants. Phase out coal by 2030 in the wealthiest countries, and by 2040 everywhere else.? Ensure a just transition for affected people and communities”, he said. Building the global net zero coalition will require a breakthrough in both finance and adaption, the Secretary-General said. He urged donors, as well as banks, to move from 20 to 50 per cent in all climate finance flows to resilience and adaptation. “Before the United Nations climate conference in November in Glasgow, we need concrete proposals that ease access to greater finance and technological support for the most vulnerable countries,” he added. “Developed States must deliver on public climate finance, including the long-promised US $100 billion for climate action in developing countries, at the G7 Summit in June.” Growing danger The head of the UN climate convention body (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa, issued a statement on the Summit, noting that the global climate change emergency was “a clear, present and growing danger to all people on this planet. “It recognizes no borders and while nations may be impacted differently, none are immune”, she said. “This is a time for leadership, courage and solidarity by global leaders; a time they must make the tough decisions necessary to finally fulfill the promises of the Paris Agreement and move the world away from disaster and towards an unprecedented era of growth, prosperity and hope for all.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090382?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=5568c448a0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_04_22_08_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-5568c448a0-107499886
     
         
      Climate change link to displacement of most vulnerable is clear: UNHCR Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 13:39:00
     
      Coinciding with Earth Day on Thursday 22 April, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, published data showing how disasters linked to climate change likely worsen poverty, hunger and access to natural resources, stoking instability and violence. “From Afghanistan to Central America, droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather events are hitting those least equipped to recover and adapt”, said the UN agency, which is calling for countries to work together to combat climate change and mitigate its impact on hundreds of millions of people. Since 2010, weather emergencies have forced around 21.5 million people a year to move, on average. UNHCR said that roughly 90 per cent of refugees come from countries that are the most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change. These countries also host around 70 per cent of people internally displaced by conflict or violence. Citing the case of Afghanistan, UNHCR noted that it is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, as nearly all of its 34 provinces have been hit by at least one disaster in the past 30 years. The country is also ranked the least peaceful globally, owing to longstanding conflict that has killed and injured thousands of people and displaced millions. Recurring floods and droughts – along with population growth - have compounded food insecurity and water scarcity and reduced the prospects of refugees and IDPs being able to return to their home areas, UNHCR said. It pointed to indications that 16.9 million Afghans – nearly half of the country’s population - lacked enough food in the first quarter of 2021, including at least 5.5 million facing emergency levels of food deprivation. As of mid-2020, more than 2.6 million Afghans were internally displaced and another 2.7 million were living as registered refugees in other countries, mainly Pakistan and Iran, according to UNHCR. Mozambique is experiencing a similar confluence of conflict and multiple disasters, says the agency, with one cyclone after another battering the country’s central region while increasing violence and turmoil to the north displaces hundreds of thousands of people. Many of the countries most exposed to the impacts of climate change are already host to large numbers of refugees and internally displaced. In Bangladesh, more than 870,000 Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar are now exposed to increasingly frequent and intense cyclones and flooding. “We need to invest now in preparedness to mitigate future protection needs and prevent further climate caused displacement,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, earlier this year.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090432
     
         
      Climate Basics: Your carbon footprint explained Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 12:45:00
     
      Tackling climate change is a big task and can feel impossible to do alone. But there are clear ways of cutting your contribution to carbon emissions, also known as your carbon footprint. BBC Reality Check's Chris Morris explains how changing three aspects of how you live can make a difference. Motion Graphics by Jacqueline Galvin
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56822950
     
         
      First Person: ‘Youth won’t stay silent’ says Madagascar climate activist Thu, 22nd Apr 2021 10:22:00
     
      Marie Christina Kolo, who describes herself as a climate activist, ecofeminist and social entrepreneur, was one of two young people who spoke to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres ahead of International Mother Earth Day marked annually on 22 April. She expressed her concerns, about the dual impact on the Indian Ocean island of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis: “Climate change didn’t stop with COVID-19 and that’s true of my country, Madagascar. The current pandemic has taught us lessons". The first one is that global trade requires global cooperation. In developing countries like mine, we were able to receive lots of donations and support from the international community. It was also a good opportunity for us to prove again, our traditional solidarity and solidarity among countries. However, the question we face is how can we promote healthy water and sanitation initiatives like handwashing, which play a part in defeating the virus when three out of four people in Madagascar don’t have access to clean water and sanitation services? How can you promote these initiatives when there are droughts and floods which are related to climate change? So, we need to focus on climate actions that are relevant in terms of increasing access to water, for example, rehabilitating wetland areas. We need to learn how to focus on climate-smart agriculture. We need to learn how to be self-sufficient in food production, to depend less on tourism and trade. The second lesson for me is important as well. When we think about support, we need to consider climate change adaptation and resilience. Health is one of the key areas of adaptation, so it’s a perfect time to invest in health infrastructure and in human resources. COVID-19 also disrupted the supply chain, so that’s another area for countries like mine to consider. Last but not the least, COVID-19 relief and recovery investment must address the disproportionate ways in which women and other marginalized populations have been affected. I think my country’s biodiversity has been put at risk during the pandemic, because, you know, in this context, where people are suffering from poverty, they go to the forest to just find a way of living. Here most of the poorest people, depend on natural resources; 80 per cent of the population of Madagascar live in rural areas. They only think about their daily life; they can bring food to their families from the forest. So, when you talk about biodiversity in this pandemic, we are looking at a crisis in terms of protecting our natural habitat. At this time of crisis, it’s really a big challenge for us to mobilize, to bring awareness to people that we need to protect these natural resources, that we need to find a balance between our livelihoods and protecting the natural world. I keep saying that I’m optimistic because more and more young people are trying to promote a greener economy, and to prove that we don’t need to exploit these natural resources too much. I want to say that the youth won’t stay silent, we have a voice, and we will be heard and that we need to be included in decision-making. We need to do it first at the national level. We can work together, we can share best practices. So, I take this opportunity to call on all the youth movements around the world to work together to bring change.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090272?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7fd06da631-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_04_22_02_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-7fd06da631-107499886
     
         
      Climate change: Shipping industry calls for new global carbon tax Wed, 21st Apr 2021 14:53:00
     
      The global shipping industry is calling on the world's governments to tax its carbon emissions. Groups that represent more than 90% of the global fleet say the measure is needed to tackle climate change. "A global solution is the only one that's going to work", Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping told the BBC. The tax would incentivise ship owners to invest in new technology, he said. The shipping sector is one of the big carbon emitters, and is responsible for more than 2% of global emissions. If the industry was a country it would be the sixth biggest polluter, above Germany. While shipping was not directly included in the Paris climate change agreement the sector has been making efforts to clean up its act. A recognition of this need to change led the UN agency that regulates shipping, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to target cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, this plan was criticised by environment groups which said the plan will see emissions from ships grow for several decades. There have been other efforts, including the development of a $5bn fund to develop carbon free shipping technology. But now the industry wants all governments to impose "a price on carbon" to give ship owners a commercial imperative to change, says Mr Platten. A worldwide carbon pricing scheme would need to be negotiated through the IMO. A group led by the ICS has asked the agency for discussions to start "as soon as possible and before 2023, with a view to taking some decisions". As well as the ICS, the call has backing from the shipowner's organisation Bimco, Cruise Lines International Association and the World Shipping Council. The timeline is a recognition that this will be a complex process that is likely to take at least two years to enact. Such a tax will almost certainly lead to extra costs for shipping companies that will be passed on to their customers, which could be problematic for export dependent economies. Mr Platten said: "We need to reassure governments who, perhaps from the more remote places, feel that their supply chains might be disrupted because shipping becomes more expensive". That is likely to filter through to consumers. The boss of the world's biggest shipping company, Maersk, recently told the BBC the cost of tackling climate change in the industry would "translate into something like six cents per pair of sneakers". Amid concern that rising sea levels threaten the future of their countries, the Pacific nations of the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands are calling on the IMO to introduce a $100 per tonne levy on greenhouse gas emissions. This is seen as ambitious by some and it's not clear what shape a carbon tax on the shipping industry will take. It would also have a bigger impact on smaller shipping companies who are likely to struggle more with the costs of new, cleaner technology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56835352
     
         
      Renewables Wed, 21st Apr 2021 13:10:00
     
      Renewable energy use increased 3% in 2020 as demand for all other fuels declined. The primary driver was an almost 7% growth in electricity generation from renewable sources. Long-term contracts, priority access to the grid, and continuous installation of new plants underpinned renewables growth despite lower electricity demand, supply chain challenges, and construction delays in many parts of the world. Accordingly, the share of renewables in global electricity generation jumped to 29% in 2020, up from 27% in 2019. Bioenergy use in industry grew 3%, but was largely offset by a decline in biofuels as lower oil demand also reduced the use of blended biofuels. Renewable electricity generation in 2021 is set to expand by more than 8% to reach 8 300 TWh, the fastest year-on-year growth since the 1970s. Solar PV and wind are set to contribute two-thirds of renewables growth. China alone should account for almost half of the global increase in renewable electricity in 2021, followed by the United States, the European Union and India. Wind is set for the largest increase in renewable generation, growing by 275 TWh, or almost 17%, which is significantly greater than 2020 levels. Policy deadlines in China and the United States drove developers to complete a record amount of capacity late in the fourth quarter of 2020, leading to notable increases in generation already from the first two months of 2021. Over the course of 2021, China is expected to generate 600 TWh and the United States 400 TWh, together representing more than half of global wind output. While China will remain the largest PV market, expansion will continue in the United States with ongoing policy support at the federal and state level. Having experienced a significant decline in new solar PV capacity additions in 2020 as a result of Covid-related delays, India’s PV market is expected to recover rapidly in 2021, while increases in generation in Brazil and Viet Nam are driven by strong policy supports for distributed solar PV applications. Globally, solar PV electricity generation is expected to increase by 145 TWh, almost 18%, to approach 1 000 TWh in 2021. We expect hydropower generation to increase further in 2021 through a combination of economic recovery and new capacity additions from large projects in China. Energy from waste electricity projects in Asia will drive growth of bioenergy, thanks to incentives. Increases in electricity generation from all renewable sources should push the share of renewables in the electricity generation mix to an all-time high of 30% in 2021. Combined with nuclear, low-carbon sources of generation well and truly exceed output from the world’s coal plants in 2021. In 2021, the biofuels market is likely to recover and approach 2019 production levels as transportation activity slowly resumes and biofuel blending rates increase. Biofuels are consumed mostly in road transportation, blended with gasoline and diesel fuels, and thus are less affected by continued depressed activity in the aviation sector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2021/renewables
     
         
      ILO kicks off Green Week to ‘jump-start’ a sustainable future Wed, 21st Apr 2021 13:09:00
     
      The International Labour Organization event highlighted how a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies can take place while also addressing the imperatives of decent work. For a sustainable future, the UN agency stressed the need for a “strong social consensus” on the goals and pathways to move forward, maintaining that social dialogue must be an integral part of institutional frameworks for policymakers, with the inclusion of workers and employers being critical for an equitable transition at all levels. “Working together, Governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations can jump-start a just transition to a sustainable future, today”, said ILO. Although Africa generates a low share of global carbon emissions, the continent is highly vulnerable to climate change. According to ILO, global warming and heat stress will lead to the loss of nearly five per cent of total working hours in western Africa alone – equivalent to losing nine million full-time jobs. Climate vulnerability could also reduce yields from rain-fed agriculture, affecting millions of jobs and livelihoods. Rich in minerals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron - needed for electric vehicles and machinery, the continent has all the elements needed to “win the battle against climate change”, along with the potential to generate some two million additional jobs, ILO said. Africa is home to the Congo Basin, the world’s second largest rain forest, which absorbs significant amounts of global carbon dioxide emissions caused by human activity and possess 60 per cent of the world’s arable land, which, the UN agency pointed out “could drive a new green, sustainable agricultural revolution”. Moreover, it is home to the Great Green Wall – the world’s largest solar power station, located in the Moroccan desert – and has the potential to use its ocean resources for sustainable economic development. “With assets like these, Africa can have a more sustainable future, with more and better jobs”, ILO said, while also cautioning that as a leading producer of oil, coal and natural gas, it must end its dependence on fossil fuels, which could lead to the loss of some two million jobs. In the context of Green Week and this year’s Earth Day, ILO and its partners hosted a regional launch of the Climate Action for Jobs Initiative to showcase how jobs feature at the heart of global action to protect the environment and promote climate-neutral and climate-resilient economies and societies. Countries need to adopt clear and comprehensive policies that address income and job losses, skills and enterprise development, and labour mobility to achieve a “human-centred future of work in Africa”, said ILO. With its young and dynamic population, vast natural resources, and political and social engagement, the UN agency upheld that “Africa offers solutions to the world”. “There is indeed an urgent need to put African young people and women as agents of change, to drive innovation and green job creation”, Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, said at the event.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090312?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=69b00882af-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_04_21_07_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-69b00882af-107499886
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Wed, 21st Apr 2021 13:09:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? We looked at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. n Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      Sir David Attenborough's new doc: 'Humans are intruders' Wed, 21st Apr 2021 10:23:00
     
      Sir David Attenborough has urged people to remember their impact on the natural world, ahead of his new documentary on the impacts of lockdown on nature. He spoke to the BBC's David Shukman about his hopes for the project, the upcoming global climate summit and his young fan base. 'The Year Earth Changed' airs Friday 16 April on Apple TV+.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56752541
     
         
      Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel Wed, 21st Apr 2021 1:25:00
     
      New research questions the environmental impact of rising imports of used cooking oil (UCO) into the UK and Europe. Chip fat and other oils are considered waste, so when they are used to make biodiesel it saves carbon emissions by displacing fossil oil. But such is the demand across Europe that imports now account for more than half of the UCO that's made into fuel. According to the study, there's no way to prove these imports are sustainable. With no testing of what's coming in, experts believe it is also ripe for fraud. Reducing emissions from transport is proving to be one of the toughest challenges for governments all over the world. They've encouraged the use of biofuels as an important means of curbing carbon from cars and lorries. Biofuels are normally a blend of fossil fuel and oil made from plants or vegetables. The fact that these crops can be re-grown and soak up more CO2 means they cancel out the carbon emitted when used in engines. Soy and palm oil were once widely used as components of biodiesel but this practice has been widely discredited because it encourages deforestation. So for the last decade or so, the use of used cooking oil has expanded massively as an alternative feedstock for fuel. Chip fat and other waste oils have become a key component of biodiesel with an effective industry springing up across Europe to collect and process the product. But with the amount of biodiesel made from UCO increasing by around 40% every year since 2014, there simply isn't enough chip fat to go around. According to a report from the campaign group Transport & Environment, more than half of the UCO used in Europe is imported. Their study suggests this is highly problematic when it comes to impacts on the environment. While UCO is considered a waste material in the UK, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia it has long been used to feed animals. The report raises the question of what people in these countries are replacing the UCO with, when it is exported. In 2019, Malaysia exported 90 million litres of UCO to the UK and Ireland. Figures for their exports to other European countries aren't available but the flow of UCO is likely to be similar. With a population of around 33 million, that's close to three litres per head of used oil that's collected and exported to the UK and Ireland alone. By comparison, Thailand, which has a population of 70 million people, managed to collect around five million litres of UCO in 2019. "Because we are buying it, they have less used cooking oil to use on the things that they were previously using it for," said Greg Archer with Transport & Environment. "And they're just buying more virgin oil and that virgin oil is largely palm oil, because that's the cheapest oil available. "So indirectly, we're just encouraging more deforestation in Southeast Asia." Another major problem with UCO is the suspicion of fraud. Because of demand from Europe, the price of UCO is often higher than palm oil. The worry is that some unscrupulous traders are simply diluting shipments of UCO with palm. As oils of different types are mixed in bulk for transport, and no testing of the materials is carried out, some experts believe fraud is rife.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56819257
     
         
      Oxford University received £112m from fossil fuel industry Wed, 21st Apr 2021 1:22:00
     
      Oxford University has received more than £112m in research grants and donations from the fossil fuel industry since 2015, a new report has found. The findings were published by the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign (OCJC), which has demanded the university cuts its ties to the industry. Of the figures mentioned in the report, by far the largest is a single £100m donation from chemical company INEOS. The institution said donations benefitted climate-related research. The OCJC said the funding undermined the work Oxford researchers were carrying out to promote sustainability. Last year the university announced it was cutting its ties to the fossil fuel industry, and that it would ask its fund managers to show evidence of net-zero carbon business plans. But Molly Clark from the OCJC said it was withdrawing its investments "with one hand" while "receiving research grants and donations from these same companies with the other". She said it was "maintaining a range of financial, institutional, and personnel connections" with an industry "responsible for shameful social and racial injustice across the world". She added: "The biggest impacts Oxford has on the world are through its research and the education it provides. "It is meaningless to claim Oxford will be net-zero if its research and education continue to aid the fossil fuel industry to extract more resources." BP scholarships and a donation the company made to the computer science department are also mentioned in the report. Responding to the findings, the university said it "safeguards the independence of its teaching and research programmes, regardless of the nature of their funding". It added: "Those donating money or sponsoring programmes at the university have no influence over how academics carry out their research or what conclusions they reach. "Researchers publish the results of their work whether the results are seen to be critical or favourable by industry or governments."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-56827962
     
         
      Climate change: EU to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 Wed, 21st Apr 2021 1:20:00
     
      The EU has adopted ambitious new targets to curb climate change, with a pledge to make them legally binding. Under a new law agreed between member states and the EU Parliament, the bloc will cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. The EU parliament had pushed for a higher target of a 60% reduction. "Our political commitment to becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050 is now also a legal one," said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. "The Climate Law sets the EU on a green path for a generation." The deal comes ahead of a virtual summit of world leaders later this week, where the US is expected to announce its own climate targets for 2030. US President Joe Biden, who will lead the meeting, rejoined the Paris climate agreement in his first day in office and has previously committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The UK, meanwhile, announced radical plans to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 earlier this week, although environmentalists warn that the government has consistently failed to achieve previous targets set by its independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). The EU Climate Law was agreed in the early hours of Wednesday after months of talks. It sets a limit on the levels of CO2 removal that can count towards the 2030 target, to ensure that states actively lower emissions rather than removing them from the atmosphere through forests, for example. A 15-member independent council will also be established to advise the EU on climate measures and targets. The EU Commission will announce a package of climate laws in June to support the plans. The target to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 was initially announced by EU leaders in December but there had been pressure from the EU Parliament and environmental groups for the law to go even further. Previous EU targets had called for a 40% cut. EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmerman described the agreement as "a landmark moment for the EU and a strong signal to the world". However, Greens MEP Michael Bloss tweeted that the climate law was a "big disappointment", adding: "We fought hard but achieved little". In September the EU Commission set out its blueprint for reaching the 55% target by 2030, and said at least 30% of the EU's €1.8tn (£1.64tn; $2.2tn) long-term budget would be spent on climate-related measures. The targets are part of a global effort to tackle climate change by cutting atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The Paris climate deal, signed in 2016, aims to keep global temperature rise well under 2C, and preferably within a maximum rise of 1.5C, to prevent the worst effects of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56828383
     
         
      Redcar and Cleveland Council sends recycling 300 miles Wed, 21st Apr 2021 1:17:00
     
      A council is sending household recycling more than 300 miles to be processed after previously declaring a climate change "emergency". Redcar and Cleveland Council has signed a 12-month contract with the Re-Gen waste management group in Newry, Northern Ireland. It had to find a replacement after its current operator, Ward Recycling Limited, went into liquidation. The authority said the decision was made under "urgency provisions". Growth, enterprise and environment scrutiny committee vice chairman Cliff Foggo said the new contract was a "bit more expensive" but there had already been a reduction in items being rejected due to contamination. There was only a limited number of firms available to take on recycling contracts and the council had to find a contractor "in a very short period of time", he said. A report to the authority said, due to the "urgent need to secure service delivery, the usual forward plan notice requirements could not be met and the decision was made in accordance with special urgency provisions". Ward Recycling Ltd was registered in Northallerton and has a materials recycling facility in Middlesbrough and a fibre-sorting plant in Hartlepool creating recycled paper. It recorded a pre-tax loss of more than £1m in its last published accounts in April last year and had warned of difficult trading conditions, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The council, which is due to put out a longer contract to tender later this year, declared a climate emergency in March 2019. Its recent corporate plan includes measures aimed at creating a zero carbon borough.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-56828230
     
         
      Climate change: UK to speed up target to cut carbon emissions Tue, 20th Apr 2021 16:01:00
     
      Radical new climate change commitments will set the UK on course to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, the UK government has announced. Hitting the targets would require more electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity and, for many, cutting down on meat and dairy. For the first time, climate law will be extended to cover international aviation and shipping. But Labour said the government had to match "rhetoric with reality". It urged Boris Johnson to treat "the climate emergency as the emergency it is" and show "greater ambition". The prime minister's commitments, which are to become law, bring forward the current target for reducing carbon emissions by 15 years. This would be a world-leading position. Homes will need to be much better insulated, and people will be encouraged to drive less and walk and cycle more. Aviation is likely to become more expensive for frequent fliers. The government has accepted the advice of its independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) to adopt the emissions cut, which is based on 1990 levels. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a major surge in CO2 emissions from energy this year, as the world rebounds from the pandemic. The UK's new commitments come as US President Joe Biden prepares to stage a climate summit from Washington DC. Environmentalists welcomed the government's move, but warned that ministers had consistently failed to achieve previous CCC-set targets. And they insisted that Chancellor Rishi Sunak must show clearly how the transition is to be funded. Tom Burke, who chairs the environmental think tank E3G, explained what policy changes were needed to achieve the goal: "The most important thing, I think, is for [the prime minister] to focus his policy around energy efficiency, around wind and solar, and around storage of electricity and the management of the grid," he said. However, he told the BBC's Today programme: "At the moment, it's... a bit of a Boris blunderbuss and is a huge range of marginal things instead of a concentration of effort on those things that will deliver the most emissions reductions in the fastest time." Leo Murray of the climate charity Possible called the announcement "fantastic", but added: "We're not on track to meet previous climate commitments and in many ways the government is still failing." Mr Murray said ministers were "facing both directions at the same time", as they had scrapped the Green Homes Grant for insulating homes, had not stopped airport expansion and were "still pushing a £27bn roads budget".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56807520
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: Meeting David Attenborough was 'indescribable' Mon, 19th Apr 2021 16:21:00
     
      Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg says meeting with fellow campaigner Sir David Attenborough was "indescribable." He features in the 18-year-old's new BBC documentary on climate change, A Year to Change the World. Speaking to Greg James on the Radio 1 Breakfast show, Greta said Sir David was the kind of person everyone looked up to. "Whatever he says you agree with it basically. I have so much respect for him," she said. "He's done so much in his life, he has so many stories to share." The documentary shows how the Swedish teen became a household name after skipping school for her one-person climate strikes. Her action has gone on to inspire other young people across the world to carry out similar protests. She said the fact Sir David is older made a huge difference. "Maybe the thing that I admire most with him is that even though he may be a certain age, he still is keeping his mind very open and he has started speaking up. "He has really started to speak up more than he did before and I think that's really admirable and that's something that we should all strive to be like." Greta has not been shy in her campaigning - she has hit out at world leaders for not doing enough to tackle rising temperatures. In 2019 she accused governments of 'empty words' at a climate change meeting in New York and was famously captured glaring at President Trump who had pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-56802655
     
         
      Climate change: Future-proofing coffee in a warming world Mon, 19th Apr 2021 16:10:00
     
      Scientists say a "forgotten" coffee plant that can grow in warmer conditions could help future-proof the drink against climate change. They predict we could soon be sipping Stenophylla, a rare wild coffee from West Africa that tastes like Arabica coffee, but grows in warmer conditions. As temperatures rise, good coffee will become increasingly difficult to grow. Studies suggest that by 2050, about half of land used for high-quality coffee will be unproductive. To find a wild coffee that tastes great and is heat and drought tolerant is "the holy grail of coffee breeding", said Dr Aaron Davis, head of coffee research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. "Being somebody who's tasted a lot of wild coffees they're not great, they don't taste like Arabica so our expectations were pretty low," he told BBC News. "And we were completely blown away by the fact that this coffee tasted amazing. It has these other attributes related to its climate tolerance: it will grow and crop under much warmer conditions than Arabica coffee." Coffea stenophylla is a wild coffee species from West Africa which, until recently, was thought to be extinct outside Ivory Coast. The plant was recently re-discovered growing wild in Sierra Leone, where it was historically grown as a coffee crop about a century ago. A small sample of coffee beans from Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast were roasted and made into coffee, which was then tasted by a panel of coffee connoisseurs. Over 80% of judges could not tell the difference between Stenophylla and the world's most popular coffee, Arabica, in blind tastings, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Plants. They also modelled climate data for the plant, which suggests it can potentially tolerate temperatures at least 6C higher than Arabica. Seedlings will be planted this year in order to start assessing the wild coffee's potential in safeguarding the future of high-quality coffee. Dr Davis hopes Stenophylla will one day be grown again in Sierra Leone on a major scale. "It's not going to be in coffee shops in the next couple of years, but I think within five to seven years we'll see it entering the market as a niche coffee, as a high value coffee, and then after that I think it will be more common," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56804147
     
         
      Belfast to get new 250-acre woodland near Cavehill Mon, 19th Apr 2021 16:07:00
     
      Belfast is to get a new 250-acre woodland which is to be developed close to Cavehill Country Park in the north of the city. The Woodland Trust has spent £600,000 acquiring the site. The bulk of the money has come from an environment fund with top-up cash from Stormont's Environment Department. Two thirds of the land is suitable for native woodland, the rest is species rich grassland which supports a wide range of important plants. The charity plans to open the site to the public once planting and other works have taken place. "To be able to create woodlands on this scale means more for nature, more for climate change and more for people," said Ian McCurley, the Woodland Trust's director in Northern Ireland. "We need to rapidly increase tree cover to help reach net zero carbon emissions and tackle the declines in wildlife. We want to conserve the land in the Belfast Hills and restore it to a beautiful habitat for people and nature." Northern Ireland has the lowest level of tree cover in Europe at 8% although there is a target to get that to 12% by 2050. The Environment Department has plans to plant 18 million trees across Northern Ireland by 2030. Almost 700,000 of them have already been planted. The Woodland Trust estimates that those 18m trees will add about 1% to Northern Ireland's tree density.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56802665
     
         
      UN chief to Indigenous Forum: ‘Prioritize inclusion and sustainable development’ Mon, 19th Apr 2021 15:54:00
     
      And as their languages and cultures remain under constant threat, indigenous peoples have taken a major blow from the COVID-19 pandemic.? “An already vulnerable group risks being left even further behind”, warned Secretary-General António Guterres. Moreover, their lack of participation in decision-making has often meant their specific needs are overlooked or ignored.? “As we work to recover from the pandemic, we must prioritize inclusion and sustainable development that protects and benefits all people”, said the top UN official. Indigenous peoples’ lands are among the world’s most biodiverse and resource-rich, which has led to increased exploitation, conflicts over resources and land misuse, the UN chief said.? “Violence and attacks against indigenous leaders and women and men working to defend indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories and resources have grown dramatically”, he added. Mr Guterres urged everyone to “do better” at fostering inclusive, participatory laws and policies with strong and accountable institutions that provide justice for all; and to “promote and uphold” the right to health for people and the environment.? “We must implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, he stressed, adding that they are “indispensable to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and their voices need to be heard”.? The Secretary-General reminded of the need to ensure “equal and meaningful participation, full inclusion and empowerment” towards the realization of human rights and opportunities for all indigenous peoples. General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, underscored that in preparing for the next pandemic, “we must engage indigenous communities who are at a higher risk for emerging infectious diseases as a result of the destruction of ecosystems from extractive industries and climate change”, he said. And as indigenous peoples are the stewards of more than 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity, they must be included in addressing the climate crisis, said Mr. Bozkir. “Decision makers should reflect the population who is governed by the decisions made”, he said. “This is the only approach that will end stigmatization, discrimination, and cultural threats, and improve access to vital services such as education, healthcare, and justice”. Highlighting the “intrinsic link between language and identity”, the Assembly President encouraged everyone to use the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, which kicks off next year, to promote it widely. “Our strength lies in our diversity. If we fail to realize this, we will not only fail indigenous communities, but everyone, everywhere”, said the UN official. Forum?Chair Anne Nuorgam said that violence against indigenous peoples, as well as indigenous human rights defenders, is a “major concern”. She stated that of the at least 331 human rights defenders were killed in 2020; two-thirds were working on environmental and indigenous peoples’ rights. And in the case of murdered indigenous women, “the overwhelming majority of these crimes” go unpunished. Ms. Nuorgam asserted that these atrocities “do not happen in vacuums”. “As governments increasingly criminalize the activities of indigenous people’s organizations and use anti-terrorism legislation to damage and demise their human rights activism, we see a sharp rise in violence against indigenous human rights defenders”, she attested. “This must stop”, she said, headlining them as clear violations of internationally-recognized human rights law that “make our societies less stable, less secure and less equal”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090112
     
         
      World on the verge of climate ‘abyss’, as temperature rise continues: UN chief Mon, 19th Apr 2021 15:49:00
     
      According to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) flagship State of the Global Climate report, the global average temperature in 2020 was about 1.2-degree Celsius above pre-industrial level. That figure is “dangerously close” to the 1.5-degree Celsius limit advocated by scientists to stave off the worst impacts of climate change. The six years since 2015, have been the warmest on record, and the decade beginning up to this year, was the warmest ever. “We are on the verge of the abyss”, Secretary-General António Guterres said at a press conference announcing the findings. The stark warning from WMO comes ahead of the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate this week, convened by United States President Joe Biden, to galvanize efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the targets of the historic 2015 Paris Agreement, agreed by all the nations of the world. The UN chief underscored that 2021, “must be the year for action”, calling for a number of “concrete advances”, before countries gather in Glasgow in November, for COP26 – the 26th session of Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “Countries need to submit ambitious new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that were designed by the Paris Agreement. Their climate plans for the next 10 years must be much more efficient.” He also urged that climate commitments and plans must be backed with immediate action, and that the trillions of dollars invested by mostly richer nations for domestic COVID-19 recovery, be aligned with the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and that subsidies directed to fossil fuels be shifted to renewable energy. “Developed countries must lead in phasing out coal – by 2030 in OECD countries, and 2040 elsewhere. No new coal power plants should be built”, Mr. Guterres stressed. The State of the Global Climate report also noted how climate change undermines sustainable development efforts, through a cascading chain of interrelated events that can worsen existing inequalities, as well as raise the potential for feedback loops, perpetuating the deteriorating cycle of climate change. Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-Secretary, cautioned that the “negative trend” in climate could continue for the coming decades independent of mitigation efforts, calling for greater investments in adaptation. “The report shows that we have not time to waste. The climate is changing, and the impacts are already too costly for people and the planet. This is the year for action”, he said, calling for all countries to commit to zero emissions by 2050. “One of the most powerful ways to adapt is to invest in early warning services and weather observing networks. Several less developed countries have major gaps in their observing systems and are lacking state-of-the-art weather, climate and water services”, he highlighted.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090072
     
         
      The best climate solution you've never heard of Mon, 19th Apr 2021 14:41:00
     
      Around the world, there are teams of people who are working to track down and destroy hidden sources of greenhouse gases - stopping them from harming the planet. Some of the gases, which are used in refrigeration, have many times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. On the outskirts of Guatemala City, Ángel Toledo runs a waste disposal company dealing with metal, plastic and glass. For the last three years they've also started dealing with refrigerant gases - which contribute to climate change. He siphons the gases from household appliances like fridges into refrigerant recovery machines. They are then transferred to a huge tank that's taken to be destroyed once it's full. It's a tangible measure of what Ángel has helped save. "I feel fulfilled," he says. "I've had this plant for 16 years working with plastic and glass and other waste but I've been working on refrigerants for the last three years. "I feel it's like a dream, helping the environment. Avoiding these gases from reaching the atmosphere. It's an ecstasy being able to help the planet through this work. It's very important for me." But not everyone is disposing of refrigerant canisters or fridges in the right way. "Unfortunately, you see that a lot and one of the biggest challenges we face is having to change the common practice. You see the cylinders on the street," he explains. "They vent the gases as they're dealing with equipment or the cylinders and it's going to the atmosphere." Ángel is part of a chain of people working to stop these gases causing damage to the planet. Teams from Tradewater, a company funded through climate offsetting, are working around the world negotiating with governments, private companies and individuals to find ways to find, secure and destroy the gases safely. Once they get an agreement from the owner and local authorities, they take them somewhere they can be disposed of safely. These teams are jokingly referred to as "ghostbusters", because of the way their cinematic counterparts gathered up troublesome phantoms and stored them together in large "containment units". They doggedly track, trap and destroy rogue gases before they can escape and cause climate havoc. They're also sometimes known as "chill hunters". Almost all fridges and air conditioning units use a gas to transfer the chill or warmth within the unit. This gas is a great insulator - handy in a fridge but not in the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56758056
     
         
      CowCredits: Firm behind low methane cattle feed launches CO2 offsetting scheme Mon, 19th Apr 2021 10:44:00
     
      A British-Swiss firm behind cattle food which reduces a cow's methane emissions by 30% has begun selling carbon credits to allow companies to offset their CO2 footprint. Mootral has developed the special feed at their laboratories in Abertillery in the Welsh Valleys. It works by using an extract of garlic in a special formulated food supplement for cattle, which removes micro-organisms in a cow's stomach that create methane. Now the firm wants companies and individuals to offset their carbon footprint by purchasing so-called "CowCredits" for around £60 - equivalent to one tonne of CO2. The credits are similar to other carbon offsetting schemes which see trees planted but instead involves the purchase of cattle feed which can reduce methane output. Mootral claims that if all 1.5 billion cows in the world consumed their feed for one year, it would reduce CO2 output equivalent to removing more than 330 million cars from the road. Dan Neef, one of the company's senior scientists, said: "It is a gamechanger - cows are a huge problem, they put an enormous amount of methane into the atmosphere, and what people don't appreciate is methane is so much more powerful than carbon dioxide even as a global warming gas."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/cowcredits-firm-behind-low-methane-cattle-feed-launches-co2-offsetting-scheme-12275760
     
         
      China and US pledge climate change commitment Sun, 18th Apr 2021 14:35:00
     
      China and the US say they are committed to working together and with other countries on tackling climate change. It comes after several meetings between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his US counterpart John Kerry in Shanghai last week. They both agreed on further specific actions to reduce emissions, a joint statement on Sunday confirmed. US President Joe Biden is holding a virtual climate summit this week, which China says it is looking forward to. However it is not yet known if Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the world leaders who have pledged to attend. "The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands," the statement said. It added that both nations will continue to discuss "concrete actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach". Both nations also agreed to help developing countries finance a switch to low-carbon energy. Li Shuo, senior climate adviser for environmental group Greenpeace, described the statement as "positive". "It sends a very unequivocal message that on this particular issue (China and the United States) will co-operate. Before the meetings in Shanghai this was not a message that we could assume, " Mr Li told Reuters news agency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56790077
     
         
      These teenage climate activists are pushing for change in Australia Sun, 18th Apr 2021 14:22:00
     
      Bushfires in Australia in January 2020 destroyed lives, homes and wildlife. A study by the World Weather Attribution consortium said that global warming boosted the risk of the hot, dry weather likely to cause fires by 30%. Teenage climate activists Airly, Ava and Will want more to be done to tackle climate change in Australia, one of the world's biggest per capita greenhouse gas emitters. "Climate Action" is Goal 13 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a set of targets announced in 2015 to transform lives around the world by 2030. The UN wants countries around the world to take "urgent action" to combat climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56765408
     
         
      A68: Iceberg that became a social media star melts away Sun, 18th Apr 2021 14:18:00
     
      The iceberg that was for a time the biggest in the world is no more. A68, as it was known, covered an area of nearly 6,000 sq km (2,300 sq miles) when it broke away from Antarctica in 2017. That's like a small country; it's equal to a quarter of the size of Wales. But satellites show the mega-berg has now virtually gone, broken into countless small fragments that the US National Ice Center says are no longer worth tracking. A68 calved from the Larson C Ice Shelf on the edge of the Antarctic Peninsula, and for a year it hardly moved. But then it started to drift north with increasing speed, riding on strong currents and winds. The billion-tonne block took a familiar route, spinning out into the South Atlantic towards the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia. The small island is where many of the biggest icebergs go to die. Caught in the local shallows, they are doomed to gradually melt away. But this one somehow managed to escape that particular fate. Instead, it was the waves, the warm water and higher air temperatures in the Atlantic that eventually consumed A68. It simply shattered into smaller and smaller fragments. "It's amazing that A68 lasted as long as it did," Adrian Luckman, from Swansea University, told BBC News. "If you think about the thickness ratio - it's like four pieces of A4 paper stacked up on top of one another. So this thing is incredibly flexible and fragile as it moved around the ocean. It lasted for years like that. But it eventually broke into four-to-five pieces and then those broke up as well."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56779687
     
         
      US and China commit to cooperating on climate crisis Sun, 18th Apr 2021 1:34:00
     
      The US and China have “committed to cooperating” on the pressing issue of climate change, the two sides said in a joint statement on Saturday, following a visit to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry. “The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands,” said the statement from Kerry and China’s special envoy for climate change, Xie Zhenhua. Kerry, the former US secretary of state, was the first official from president Joe Biden’s administration to visit China, signalling hopes the two sides could work together on the global challenge despite sky-high tensions on multiple other fronts. It comes as world leaders prepare for a virtual summit on climate change this week as Joe Biden leads a new push to cut emissions. The US president has invited 40 leaders, including Chinese president Xi Jinping, to take part in the two-day summit starting on Friday 22 April, Earth Day, to galvanise efforts by major economies to combat climate change ahead of key UN talks hosted by the UK this year. The statement said both countries “look forward” to the summit, but did not specify if Xi would attend. “We very much hope he will take part,” Kerry, who is now in South Korea, told reporters on Sunday. “Of course, every country will make its own decisions,” he said, adding: “We’re not seeking to force anybody. We’re seeking cooperation.” China currently has about half of the world’s coal power, Kerry said, adding that he “talked a lot” about it with officials in Shanghai. “I am not pointing fingers,” said Kerry. “We’ve had too much coal, other countries have too much coal, but China is the biggest, biggest coal user in the world. And because it’s such a big and powerful economy and country, it needs to move.” The joint statement listed multiple avenues of cooperation between the US and China, the world’s top two economies that together account for nearly half of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. It stressed “enhancing their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement”. The nations also agreed to discuss specific “concrete” emission reduction actions including energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen, and agreed to take action to maximise financing for developing countries to switch to low-carbon energy sources. While Biden hoped countries would make climate commitments ahead of the Earth Day summit, Chinese vice foreign minister Le Yucheng signalled last week that China was unlikely to make any new pledges. “For a big country with 1.4 billion people, these goals are not easily delivered,” Le said during an interview with the Associated Press in Beijing, conducted while Kerry was still in Shanghai for talks. “Some countries are asking China to achieve the goals earlier. I am afraid this is not very realistic.” On whether Xi would join the summit, Le said “the Chinese side is actively studying the matter”. During a video meeting with German and French leaders on Friday, Xi also said that climate change “should not become a geopolitical chip, a target for attacking other countries or an excuse for trade barriers,” though he called for closer cooperation on the issue, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Li Shuo, senior climate adviser for the environmental group Greenpeace, welcomed the joint statement, saying China could soon respond to a new US pledge with one of its own, building on the “momentum” of the Shanghai talks. “The statement in my view is as positive as the politics would allow: it sends a very unequivocal message that on this particular issue (China and the United States) will cooperate. Before the meetings in Shanghai this was not a message that we could assume,” Li said. Biden has made climate a top priority, turning the page from his predecessor Donald Trump, who was closely aligned with the fossil fuel industry. The US president has rejoined the 2015 Paris accord, which Kerry negotiated when he was secretary of state, and committed nations to taking action to keep temperature rises at no more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Biden has pledged the US will switch to an emissions-free power sector within 14 years, and have an entirely emissions-free economy by 2050. Kerry is also pushing other nations to commit to carbon neutrality by then. Xi announced last year that China would be carbon-neutral by 2060 and aims to reach a peak in its emissions by 2030. In March, China’s Communist party pledged to reduce carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 18% over the next five years, in line with its goal for the previous five-year period. But environmentalists say China needs to do more.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/18/us-and-china-commit-to-cooperating-on-climate-crisis
     
         
      Senedd 2021: Could reservoirs create green energy? Sun, 18th Apr 2021 1:28:00
     
      There are few things more predictable in Wales than rain. Areas of Snowdonia and Powys see high levels, with much of it collected in reservoirs to provide water. So, why are we not harnessing more renewable energy from the grey clouds that often hover ominously in the sky? We asked readers what they'd do if they ran Wales, and Andrew Fullman, of Cardiff, said he'd like hydroelectric reservoirs to be considered after the Senedd election on 6 May. The 51-year-old has heard politicians advocate the use of solar panels, wind turbines on land and at sea, and even examine a tidal barrage as we try to cut carbon emissions and provide greener energy. He now wants a commission to examine the viability of utilising reservoirs more, adding: "We have over 100 in Wales, the infrastructure is already there. "There can't be many places that have as many reservoirs as us, certainly not in terms of the size of the area, and we supply half of England with water. "So let's put it to some use." According to the Met Office, areas of Snowdonia and Powys, as well as locations in the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District, receive more than four metres (13ft) of rainfall a year. Mr Fullman believes this puts sites such as Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Llyn Conwy in north-west Wales and Ystradfellte Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons in a prime position to provide energy as they export water to our taps. There are currently 363 hydropower projects in Wales, which use turbines to generate electricity as water flows through, and contribute 2% of the country's needs. While some reservoirs, such as Caban Coch in the Elan Valley, produce this form of renewable power, most are small initiatives, such as farmers using streams running through their land. However, a grant scheme for these ends this month. Much renewables focus has been on wind farms - with one capable of generating enough energy to power 3.4 million homes proposed off the north Wales coast. There are also plans to put floating turbines in the Celtic Sea about 28 miles (45km) off Pembrokeshire. A £1.3bn tidal lagoon was also explored in Swansea, but plans did not progress after the UK government decided not to back them. Some proposals have been controversial, such as the Parc Solar Traffwll development on Anglesey, which supermarket giant Tesco plans to source renewable energy from. Mr Fullman believes reservoirs could be an alternative, adding: "The infrastructure is already there, with water running through them. "Any hydroelectric plant could be incorporated into the countryside, which would not affect the beauty of the landscape such as when you put big (wind) turbines there." Another big plus, he said, was "it rains all the time" in Wales, making it "an endless supply of energy".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56744609
     
         
      Chinese firms prepare to charge into Europe’s electric car market Sat, 17th Apr 2021 16:00:00
     
      Tesla boss Elon Musk is not known for admiring his competition, but when Chinese manufacturer Nio made its 100,000th electric car last week, he offered his congratulations. It was a mark of respect from a chief executive who had been through “manufacturing hell” with his own company. Yet it is also a sign of the growing influence of China’s electric carmakers. They are hoping to stake out a spot among the heavyweights of the new industry and bring a significant new challenge to Tesla – and to the rest of the automotive industry as it scrambles to catch up. Tesla mania and cheap money have pushed the market valuations of a clutch of electric carmakers to astonishing levels. Tesla’s value topped $830bn (£600bn) in January (it is now down at about $700bn – still almost three times the size of its nearest rival, Japanese carmaker Toyota). Chinese rivals Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto have all rapidly risen in value to rival much bigger and longer-established manufacturers – despite having never made an annual profit – on the back of US stock market listings that brought access to retail investors, although their values have fallen steeply from highs earlier this year. Their fundraising successes have allowed them to pour money into competing with Tesla in China. Now they are eyeing the European electric car market – the biggest in the world. This would further squeeze legacy carmakers such as Volkswagen, which are trying to rapidly expand electric car production. Premium carmakers including the UK’s Jaguar Land Rover or Germany’s BMW could also lose out if Chinese brands take some of their wealthy customers. Jaguar has pledged go all-electric by 2025 and BMW said last month that half its European sales will be electric by 2030. China’s government spotted the opportunity to dominate a new sector by giving big subsidies to its electric car industry. The resulting crop of Chinese manufacturers is following the Tesla playbook and it, too, is unencumbered by the costs of winding down internal combustion engine factories, according to Philippe Houchois, automotive analyst at US investment bank Jefferies. Li Auto, Nio and Xpeng could grow into some of Tesla’s biggest rivals – Reuters reported last month that all three are eyeing listings in Hong Kong. Another Chinese-owned startup, Faraday Future, said in January that it would list in the US via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (Spac), raising $1bn. “If you’re Tesla, all of a sudden they are competing on the ground, but they are also competing in access to capital,” Houchois says. Some Tesla rivals have comparable technology and similarly aspirational brands. Hui Zhang, Nio’s executive vice-president for Europe, told the Observer the luxury carmaker aims to combine elements of Tesla and of Apple, the world’s most successful consumer technology company. Nio, known as Weilai in its home market, aims to start selling vehicles in Europe later this year. Its factory can currently produce about 120,000 cars a year, significantly fewer than the near-500,000 Tesla made in 2020. Nio avoided bankruptcy in early 2020 when the city of Hefei bailed it out, but it has raised more than $4.5bn in stock and bond offerings in recent months, amid soaring investor demand. Tesla will have an advantage in Europe when it opens a factory in Berlin as early as this summer, but China’s carmakers have the capital to open production in Europe too. Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based automotive analyst, says Chinese manufacturers will have an opportunity while Europe’s giants are eking out profits from their petrol and diesel models, plus hybrids. “Chinese manufacturers hoping to introduce battery electric vehicles,” says Schmidt, “ have a four-year window in which to gain traction in a market that is to some extent playing with a B team array of electrified products, with limited supply until the end of the first half of the decade.” Chinese companies are already heavily involved in the electric car boom through lithium ion battery manufacturing. China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology – better known as CATL – is a supplier to Tesla, has a factory in Germany, and last year said it had developed a battery capable of surviving a million miles of driving and recharging. Another battery maker that also produces electric cars is BYD, backed since 2008 by US investment billionaire Warren Buffett. Shares in the company, listed in Shenzhen, have more than tripled since the start of 2020 – even after falling from record highs at the start of February. It capitalised on investor interest in January, selling stock worth $3.9bn. Deep-pocketed rivals can spend heavily on technology, which adds to the pressure on Tesla. Nio’s big selling point is that its batteries can be swapped in minutes by robots – removing the threat of range anxiety for drivers of electric vehicles. Xpeng, valued at $24bn, has invested heavily in autonomous driving software, so could rival Tesla through lucrative sales of subscription-based self-driving capabilities. Its P7 sports saloon could target potential buyers of Tesla’s Model 3 and Model S in Europe, rather than the wealthier customers courted by Nio. Xpeng, chaired by tech entrepreneur He Xiaopeng, has already launched its G3 SUV in Norway –which, thanks to government subsidies, last year became the first country to see sales of electric cars outstrip those of internal combustion engines. Xpeng is now deciding which European markets to target next, its vice chair, Brian Gu, told Automotive News in January. Analysts have repeatedly cautioned that the electric car industry, from Tesla downwards, is in the midst of a bubble. Yet even if valuations tumble further after recent steep declines, the makers have already enjoyed cheap funding that will allow them to vie for a significant slice of the market. “Underneath what happens with the stock price, it’s a belief in the electric vehicle industry,” said Nio’s Zhang. “It’s a belief in the business model that a company like Nio or Tesla is trying to strike.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/apr/17/chinese-firms-prepare-to-charge-into-europes-electric-car-market
     
         
      Welsh election 2021: 'Empower young people to save Wales' beauty' Sat, 17th Apr 2021 14:58:00
     
      Young climate activists are calling on their peers to use their vote to "amplify and empower the youth voice". Two members of the Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales said if politicians did not listen to young voters "they could be out of a job". They added that it would change the perception of young people as "naughty, immature or not as knowledgeable". In May, people aged 16 and 17 will be able to vote in the Welsh Parliament election for the first time. Shenona Mitra, 17, from Bangor, and Poppy Stowell-Evans, 16, from Newport, said the impact of young activists like Greta Thunberg had fuelled the passion of other young people to campaign for the environment. They said it had also put climate change on the agenda of world leaders who now had no choice but to listen to their younger voters. Shenona, who is vice-chair of the Youth Climate Ambassadors for Wales and plans to study medicine, said: "For quite a long time the youth voice has been overlooked. The youth voice is extremely important, not only do we bring a new perspective, but I believe we're also a lot more engaged than people would believe. "With issues like climate change, I think it's even more important to involve the youth voice because this is something that will affect future generations, my generation, more than it will affect older people." The apolitical group of 12 climate change activists is supported by charity Size of Wales and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs (WCIA). They have already taken part in a mock United Nations climate change conference and have drawn up their own manifesto with six key focus points, including deforestation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56675704
     
         
      Nepal fires: 'We saw huge flames coming towards our garden’ Sat, 17th Apr 2021 14:49:00
     
      Nepal is seeing its worst wildfires in more than a decade, according to experts. This year’s wildfire season has been worse than usual with more fires, burning longer. It has led to record levels of air pollution. Scientists think climate change may have made the forests ‘tinder dry’. One eyewitness told BBC Minute she could see the fire approaching her house.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-56773816
     
         
      Carbon neutral: You'll fund the green economy - but what is it? Sat, 17th Apr 2021 14:44:00
     
      Billions of pounds of your money will seemingly be spent on the green economy whoever wins May's Welsh Parliament elections. But what does that mean? Is this just wind farms and solar panels, more recycling and people switching to electric cars? Well, it's a bit more than that. One party pledges to spend £6bn on making Wales greener while another has promised £1bn a year. Other parties say they'll build low-carbon homes and will invest in the green economy. Wales has already declared a climate emergency and pledged to be at least 95% carbon neutral by 2050 , with the ambition of becoming a zero waste nation and for the public sector in Wales to be net zero by the end of this decade. So when Senedd election candidates knock on your door ahead of the 6 May ballot, what do they mean when they promise "green jobs" and a Covid "green recovery"? In the drive to reduce our use of carbon because of climate change, companies and governments see "green jobs" as much wider than that. Green jobs could mean using Welsh timber and wool to build cheap-to-run buildings, like they do at a social enterprise on the Gower peninsula. There they teach green construction skills to patients recovering from brain injury or illness as part of their rehabilitation while also giving them skills for jobs in the future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-56759644
     
         
      Carbon neutral: What is meant by the green economy? Sat, 17th Apr 2021 10:34:00
     
      Billions of pounds of money is expected be spent on the green economy whoever wins May's Welsh Parliament elections. But what does that mean? Is this just wind farms and solar panels, more recycling and people switching to electric cars? Well, it's a bit more than that. One party pledges to spend £6bn on making Wales greener while another has promised £1bn a year. Other parties say they'll build low-carbon homes and will invest in the green economy. Wales has already declared a climate emergency and pledged to be at least 95% carbon neutral by 2050 , with the ambition of becoming a zero waste nation and for the public sector in Wales to be net zero by the end of this decade. So when Senedd election candidates knock on your door ahead of the 6 May ballot, what do they mean when they promise "green jobs" and a Covid "green recovery"? In the drive to reduce our use of carbon because of climate change, companies and governments see "green jobs" as much wider than that. Green jobs could mean using Welsh timber and wool to build cheap-to-run buildings, like they do at a social enterprise on the Gower peninsula. There they teach green construction skills to patients recovering from brain injury or illness as part of their rehabilitation while also giving them skills for jobs in the future. The Down To Earth project, involving young people and adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, has just built six semi-detached homes for a housing association. Welsh timber has been used to build them and they generate their own renewable energy from solar panels on the roof, making them cheap to heat. "The structural frame is all Welsh timber, sheep wool insulation, wood fibre and the internal and external cladding, all Welsh timber," director Mark McKenna said. "It creates jobs in how it's built and the whole supply chain generates green jobs." The renewable energy sector is the industry that jumps to mind in discussions about green jobs. The so-called green economy is growing rapidly and in many traditional sectors companies are radically changing the way they operate and what they make. A lawyer in clean energy and sustainability believes there are big opportunities for Wales as companies have to decarbonise and change their energy use because it will soon become law. "What we have to do as a nation is make sure that those jobs are in Wales and are not created somewhere else," said Michelle T Davies, head of clean energy and sustainability at Eversheds Sutherland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-56759644
     
         
      Gas Is the New Coal With Risk of $100 Billion in Stranded Assets Sat, 17th Apr 2021 6:00:00
     
      Natural gas is falling out of favor with emissions-wary investors and utilities at a quicker pace than coal did, catching some power generators unaware and potentially leaving them stuck with billions of dollars of assets they can’t sell. Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are among the banks that strengthened their financing restrictions on thermal coal under pressure from shareholders wanting to avoid the fuel, and the expectation is that gas is next. Executives at some western European companies say they’re already struggling to sell gas-fired facilities. “If you find out somebody who is ready to offer a good price for our gas plants in Spain, then we are ready to sell,” said Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galan, chief executive officer at Iberdrola SA in Spain. “We are not finding people.” The cost of renewables has dropped dramatically during the past decade, making gas-fired stations less competitive. Phasing out gas in power generation is just a first step. Cutting back use of the fuel in heating, transport and industry would wreak more potential damage. Europe wants to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, which is at odds with plans to build numerous infrastructure projects, like pipelines and terminals. If these are built but no longer needed, there’s a potential 87 billion-euro ($104 billion) stranded-asset risk, according to calculations by Global Energy Monitor. In Italy there are plans to build 14 gigawatts of new gas capacity mostly to replace coal, according to Carbon Tracker Initiative Ltd. Europe’s biggest utility, Enel SpA, is a global renewables supermajor. Still, about 40% of the company’s 88 gigawatts of installed capacity is made up of coal, oil and gas, but the Italian company is planning to reduce coal generation by 74% in 2022. Although a gas phase-out is also coming down the track, it has plans to build more capacity. “The important thing is that the direction is clear, it will not change,’’ Salvatore Bernabei, head of global power generation at Enel said in an interview. “Everyone should understand that we cannot change the world in one day.’’ Coal has been slow and difficult to phase out in countries where mining provides thousands of jobs. Gas will be quicker because it doesn’t have the same tradition attached, and renewables are now a cost-effective alternative, according to Carbon Tracker. “Gas will be a repeat of coal but quicker,” said Catharina Hillenbrand von der Neyen, head of company research at the London-based firm. “When we look at power generation, you can see that going really, really quickly.” This is already happening in Britain, where it’s unlikely any further large-scale gas plants will be built without technologies that cut emissions – such as carbon capture. SSE Plc, which trades on the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index, said it can’t see a future for new gas stations that don’t incorporate carbon capture or hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-17/gas-is-the-new-coal-with-risk-of-100-billion-in-stranded-assets
     
         
      China 'can save $1.6 trillion by scrapping coal', report says Fri, 16th Apr 2021 14:46:00
     
      China can save up to $1.6 trillion (£1.2 trillion) over 20 years by switching from coal power to renewables, a report says. The authors say China must close 588 coal-fired power plants in a decade to meet climate pledges - but they insist the move will save cash. That's because renewables are now so much cheaper than coal. It mirrors the situation in the US, where coal tumbled from being the cheapest major fuel to the most expensive. China is currently running 1,058 coal plants – more than half the world’s capacity. The authors of the report from the climate think tank, TransitionZero, say to meet its stated goal of becoming "carbon neutral" by 2060, China must take radical action now. China has announced it’s building five new nuclear stations to supply clean power – and President Xi has announced he will join a French-German climate summit on Friday. It's also the world leader in wind turbines and solar panels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56761344
     
         
      Guterres urges cities to embrace ‘generational opportunity’ for climate action, sustainable development Fri, 16th Apr 2021 14:30:00
     
      Addressing the C40 Mayors Climate Alliance, Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the that cities and urban centres are “on the frontlines” of the climate crisis, emitting more than 70 per cent of global greenhouse gases as well as facing risks ranging from rising sea levels to deadly storms. But cities can also boost climate action, clean energy and sustainable development, through more effective strategies and policies, especially as they recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, he added. “Investment in recovery is a generational opportunity to put climate action, clean energy and sustainable development at the heart of cities’ strategies and policies”, Mr. Gtuerres said. “How we design power generation, transport and buildings in cities – how we design the cities themselves – will be decisive in getting on track to achieve the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” The UN chief called for urgent action in three key areas, urging Mayors to work with national leaders to develop and present ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs, well before the 26th session of Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this November in Glasgow. “They need to hear from you that climate action coupled with policies for a just transition brings decent work and higher living standards and is supported by your residents”, he said. Mr. Guterres also called on the local leaders to commit their cities to net-zero by 2050, make ambitious plans for the next decade. He also urged them use the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate investment and implementation in clean, green infrastructure and transport systems. The Secretary-General also highlighted the importance of ending the use of coal as the “single most important step” the world can take to ensure temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degree Celsius. “Cities stand to gain most from phasing out coal: clean air, green outdoor spaces, healthier people”, he said, calling for at least 80 per cent of power generation in cities from renewable energy sources by 2030. Mr. Guterres also noted that innovations urban transport and urban planning, would further help cut emissions and improve wellbeing. He also highlighted the importance of financial resources for cities to address gaps in the investments needed to drive such efforts.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1089942?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=482d31dd1f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_04_16_05_50&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-482d31dd1f-107499886
     
         
      Carbon tracking satellite network to launch this decade Fri, 16th Apr 2021 13:51:00
     
      A constellation of satellites will be flown this decade to try to pinpoint significant releases of climate-changing gases, in particular carbon dioxide and methane. The initiative is being led by an American non-profit organisation called Carbon Mapper. The prototypes will launch in 2023, with the rest of the constellation of 20 or so spacecraft going up from 2025. This animation shows how the satellites will circle the globe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56763509
     
         
      Carbon Mapper satellite network to find super-emitters Fri, 16th Apr 2021 10:28:00
     
      A constellation of satellites will be flown this decade to try to pinpoint significant releases of climate-changing gases, in particular carbon dioxide and methane. The initiative is being led by an American non-profit organisation called Carbon Mapper. It will use technology developed by the US space agency over the past decade. The satellites - 20 or so - will be built and flown by San Francisco's Planet company. Planet operates today the largest fleet of Earth-observing spacecraft. There are already quite a few satellites in the sky that monitor greenhouse gases, but the capability is far from perfect. Most of these spacecraft can sense the likes of methane over very large areas but have poor resolution at the local level, at the scale, say, of a leaking pipeline. And those systems that can capture this detail will lack the wide-area coverage and the timely return to a particular location. The Carbon Mapper project wants to fix this either-or-situation by flying multiple high-resolution (30m) sensors that can deliver a daily view, or better. They will look for super-emitters - the actors responsible for large releases of greenhouse gases. These would include oil and gas infrastructure, or perhaps poorly managed landfills and large dairy factory facilities. Often these emitters want to know they have a problem but just don't have the data to take action. "What we've learned is that decision support systems that focus just at the level of nation states, or countries, are necessary but not sufficient. We really need to get down to the scale of individual facilities, and even individual pieces of equipment, if we're going to have an impact across civil society," explained Riley Duren, Carbon Mapper's CEO and a research scientist at the University of Arizona. "Super-emitters are often intermittent but they are also disproportionately responsible for the total emissions. That suggests low-hanging fruit, because if you can identify and fix them you can get a big bang for your buck," he told BBC News. The aim is to put the satellite data in the hands of everyone, and with the necessary tools also to be able to understand and use that information.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56762972
     
         
      Torres Strait 8: Australian Islanders in landmark climate fight Thu, 15th Apr 2021 16:33:00
     
      A group of Indigenous islanders from Australia’s Torres Strait has launched a world-first legal battle in a bid to protect their homes. They argue Australia has breached their rights to culture and life by failing to adequately address climate change. The low-lying islands, located on the northern tip of Australia, have seen rising sea levels, coastal erosion and flooding in recent years. It’s the first time a claim of this kind has been taken to the UN Human Rights Committee.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56741961
     
         
      Climate crisis pushing polar bears to mate with grizzlies, producing hybrid ‘pizzly’ bears Thu, 15th Apr 2021 11:57:00
     
      Back in 2006, a strange polar bear was seen in the Northwest Territories of the Canadian Arctic. It had patches of brown on its otherwise white fur and an unusual face shape. Hunters shot the bear dead and DNA tests confirmed what had been suspected: it was the hybrid offspring of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. In 2010, another hybrid bear was shot by a hunter in the western Canadian Arctic. Tests revealed this animal was a second-generation cross born of a hybrid mother and grizzly father. These were the first recorded instances of so-called “pizzly” or “grolar” bears. But over the last decade researchers have noted an increase in sightings of the hybrid creatures, and believe the climate crisis is behind the rise. As the world has warmed, temperatures in the Arctic have risen about twice as fast as they have elsewhere in a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Larissa DeSantis, a paleontologist and associate professor of biological sciences at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, told The Independent the climate crisis “was definitely playing a role” in the hybridisation of bears. The rapid changes to the Arctic environment have resulted in declining sea ice, which the polar bears depend on to hunt, but scientists also believe it is allowing grizzly bears to expand their territories further north. The result is that grizzly bear ranges are now within polar bear ranges and the two species are coming into contact with each other with greater regularity. Dr DeSantis’s recent research has been into the dietary habits of bears and how the climate crisis is impacting them, with polar bears increasingly forced to scavenge from human waste as they look for alternative food sources. “Polar bears are so specialised on hunting seals that they may have a harder time adapting to the warming Arctic,” she said. “The shift to eating hard foods in a handful of bears in the 21st century is also concerning. Polar bears may be reaching a tipping point and may now be forced to consume less-preferred foods.” Unlike polar bears, Dr DeSantis said, grizzlies are well adapted to eating hard foods such as plant tubers or to scavenge carcasses when resources are limited. The changing terrain brought about by the warming climate also means that grizzly bears can venture further north and compete with polar bears for whatever food is available. Some scientists have warned that greater instances of hybridisation could threaten biodiversity, if the process results in the loss or replacement of existing species. But it is not the first time hybrid species have been recorded in the Arctic. According to the journal Nature, in the late 1980s, a whale found in west Greenland was believed to be a narwhal–beluga mix dubbed the narluga. In 2009, a whale appearing to be a hybrid of a bowhead whale and right whale was photographed in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. Meanwhile Dall’s porpoises have been recorded mating with harbour porpoises off the coast of British Columbia, and numerous seal hybrids have been identified in museum specimens and in the wild. ‘Pizzly bears’ Q&A with Dr Larissa DeSantis Is it known how many hybrid polar-grizzly bears are in existence? This is not known and remains a big question. But, we do know that this has happened numerous times, including in the past based on genetic data. There is evidence of admixture in bears, times when polar bear DNA has become integrated with grizzly bear DNA. We also know that they only diverged about 500-600 thousand years ago. Why has this happened, and what is the role of the climate crisis in this? Climate change and in particular arctic warming is definitely playing a role. The warming arctic is resulting in grizzly bears moving north due to warming conditions, while at the same time polar bears are having difficulty hunting from sea ice and [finding] bowhead whale carcasses where these bears engage in opportunistic mating. Are there clear benefits for the hybrid bears? We need to study the effects of hybridisation on these bears. Most of the time hybrids are not more vigorous than either of the two species, as grizzlies and brown bears have unique adaptations for their particular environments. However, there are a few examples where hybrids can be more vigorous and better able to adapt to a particular environment, particularly if the environment is deviating from what it once was. This requires further study and careful monitoring. Time will tell if these hybrids are better able to withstand a warming Arctic. These hybrids might be better suited for a broader range of food sources, like the grizzly bear, and in contrast to polar bears which are hyper-specialised. Can hybrid bears mate and produce offspring with either polar bears, grizzly bears or other hybrid bears? This is difficult to assess, but overall there is clear evidence of hybridisation. There is also evidence that these hybrids are fertile and there are second generation hybrids, where hybrids have mated with grizzly, for example. Additionally, hybridisation has been observed in captivity. Do the hybrid bears stand a better chance of long-term survival than polar bears? Unfortunately, what we are learning about the polar bear and what we know about hyper-specialised apex predators in the past, such as sabertooth cats, does give us reason to be concerned with the ability, or rather inability, of polar bears to adapt to a warming Arctic, especially when climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate. The hybrids do have certain features like intermediate skull forms that may make them better suited for eating mechanically challenging food, but this comes with trade offs: they are not as strong swimmers as polar bears. If the warming Arctic makes seal hunting from sea ice untenable, then perhaps the hybrid pizzly or grolar bears can give hope for the survival of these types of bears. That being said, more research and monitoring is needed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/pizzly-bear-polar-grizzly-hybrid-b1831847.html
     
         
      Facebook announces global operations now supported by 100% renewable energy Thu, 15th Apr 2021 11:05:00
     
      Global operations at Facebook are now supported by 100 per cent renewable energy and have reached net-zero emissions, says the tech giant in a milestone announcement today. In the last three years, the company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 94 per cent, exceeding its 75 per cent reduction goal. It set out these goals in 2018, and is now one of the largest corporate buyers of renewable energy. The 63 renewable projects are new and located on the same electrical grids as the data centres they support. “We have massively and rapidly ramped up our progress on climate, we’re now working with energy providers to procure enough renewable energy to run our offices and our data centres,” Eoghan Griffin, sustainability manager for EMEA at Facebook, tells Euronews Living.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/15/facebook-announces-global-operations-now-supported-by-100-renewable-energy
     
         
      Archipelago off the coast of England to explore potential of wave, tidal and floating wind power Thu, 15th Apr 2021 10:26:00
     
      A year-long research project that will focus on the potential of tidal, wave and floating wind technology in waters off the coast of England has secured support from Marine-i, a program centered around innovation in areas such as marine energy. The project will be based on the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago located off the south-west coast of England, and led by Isles of Scilly Community Venture, Planet A Energy and Waves4Power. In a statement earlier this week, Marine-i — which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund — said the overarching aim of the Isles of Scilly initiative was to “build a new databank of wave and tidal resource data.” This data will include information on a range of metrics including wave height, wind speed and tidal stream velocities. Marine-i’s support will come in the form of providing the consortium with access to experts at its partners: the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. “Being located nearly 30 miles off the south west coast of England, marine power is a natural choice for us and could make Scilly self-sufficient in energy,” Jim Wrigley, from Isles of Scilly Community Venture, said Tuesday. “However, an obstacle to this is that the key data that developers need to assess its viability does not currently exist in the level of detail required,” he added. Wrigley said the new databank “could be the key that unlocks some really exciting green energy solutions for Scilly.” Marine energy With miles and miles of coastline, it’s perhaps no surprise that the U.K. is home to a number of projects and initiatives related to marine energy. Last month, it was announced that some £7.5 million ($10.3 million) of public funding would be used to support the development of eight wave energy projects led by U.K. universities. March also saw the Port of London Authority give the go ahead for trials of tidal energy technology on a section of the Thames, a move which could eventually help to decarbonize operations connected to the river. Research and development focused on these kinds of technologies is not restricted to the U.K. This week marine energy firm Minesto, which is developing a tidal energy project in the Faroe Islands, said its DG100 power plant had “delivered grid-compliant electricity at new record levels” during recent production runs. And back in February, it was announced that a tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland had been installed in waters off a Japanese island chain. In a statement at the time, London-listed firm Simec Atlantis Energy said its pilot turbine had generated 10 megawatt hours in its first 10 days of operation. There is growing interest in marine-based energy systems, but it should be noted that the current footprint of these technologies remains small. Recent figures from Ocean Energy Europe show that only 260 kilowatts (kW) of tidal stream capacity was added in Europe last year, while just 200 kW of wave energy was installed. By contrast, 2020 saw 14.7 gigawatts of wind energy capacity installed in Europe, according to industry body WindEurope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/archipelago-to-explore-potential-of-wave-tidal-floating-wind-power.html
     
         
      China ‘must shut 600 coal-fired plants’ to hit climate target Thu, 15th Apr 2021 0:01:00
     
      China must shut down nearly 600 of its coal-fired power plants in the next 10 years, replacing them with renewable electricity generation, to meet its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, a report has said. But replacing the 364GW of coal generation with renewable power would achieve a net saving of $1.6tn (£1.2tn) over the period, since wind and solar power are now much cheaper than coal, according to the analysis company TransitionZero. The coal consumption of China, the world’s biggest emitter, is of global concern. The country has ramped up plans for new coal-fired power stations in an effort to spur economic growth after the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Last September the country’s president, Xi Jinping, surprised the world by pledging that China would achieve net zero emissions by 2060, and that its emissions would peak before 2030. However, while climate experts have applauded the long-term goal they are concerned that allowing emissions to rise for the next 10 years will bust the global carbon budget. Matthew Gray, the co-chief executive of TransitionZero, said: “If China fails on coal, the rest of the world will fail on containing dangerous climate change. But the stars are now somewhat aligning on breaking China’s addiction to coal.” The finding that China could save money in both the short and longer term by replacing coal with renewable energy brightens the prospect of it moving decisively away from coal in the next few years. Al Gore, who wrote a foreword to the TransitionZero analysis, said: “This shows that not only can China meet their climate goals, the country and its leaders can accelerate them rapidly. The economic opportunity presented by a transition from coal to clean energy shows that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.” China is preparing to submit a new climate plan, called a nationally determined contribution, or NDC. Such plans are a requirement for all countries under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and will form the key part of Cop26, the vital UK climate talks taking place in Glasgow this November. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, has urged China to move swiftly away from coal, but the International Energy Agency has warned that China’s coal consumption is rebounding strongly after the shock of Covid-19. Gray said the transition away from coal would still be difficult politically since the fuel was “deeply embedded” in China’s economy and society. Vast amounts of infrastructure, from railways carrying coal from mines across the country, to steel and cement plants, are reliant on coal today. The new report, said Gray, did not examine jobs in detail, but he said a transition from coal to clean energy in China was likely to create as many, if not more, jobs as had been lost in traditional coal industries. “Moving to net zero will be jobs intensive,” he said. Reducing the country’s reliance on coal would also bring many health benefits, for instance by cutting air pollution, and go some way to easing looming water shortages in central Chinese regions, Gray added. Coal-fired power stations require vast quantities of water, in increasingly water-stressed regions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/15/china-must-shut-600-coal-fired-plants-to-hit-climate-target
     
         
      Why Renewable Electricity Powers Decarbonization — And Pays Off Wed, 14th Apr 2021 20:23:00
     
      Amid the 1970s Arab oil embargo, a gasoline company’s TV ads showed an aging wooden windmill. As the wind died, it slowed to stillness. The ad asked: “But what do you do when the wind stops?” For the next several decades fossil fuel providers continued to denigrate renewable energy. Big power utilities piled on with claims that fluctuating solar and wind power could black out the grid. Even the U.S. Energy Department deemed renewables “too rare, too diffuse, too distant, too uncertain, and too ill-timed” to meaningfully contribute, as a top agency analyst put it in 2005. Today we know that’s not true, especially in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. New research shows we are collectively poised to pioneer a climate-friendly energy future for the globe – that renewable electricity can not only move Cascadia off of fossil fuels, but do so at an affordable price while creating some jobs along the way. After decades of disinformation, this may sound like a wishful vision. But building a cleaner and more equitable economy — and doing so in just a few decades to head off the worst effects of climate change — is backed by a growing body of regional and international research. Getting off fossil fuels is “feasible, necessary … and not very expensive” when compared to the earnings of the overall economy, said Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and global development expert at Columbia University. Much of the confidence about the price tag comes down to this: Innovation and mass production have made wind and solar power installations cheaper than most fossil-fueled power plants and today’s fastest-growing source of energy worldwide. The key to moving Cascadia’s economies away from fossil fuels, according to the latest research, is building more to make renewable electricity our go-to “fuel.” However, doing that in time to help head off a cascading climatic crisis by mid-century means the region must take major steps in the next decade to speed the transition, researchers say. And that will require social buy-in. The new research highlights three mutually supporting strategies that squeeze out fossil fuels: - increasing energy efficiency to trim the amount of power we need, - boosting renewable energy to make it possible to turn off climate-wrecking fossil-fuel plants, and - plugging as much stuff as possible into the electrical grid. Recent studies in Washington state and British Columbia, and underway for Oregon, point to efficiency and electrification as the most cost-effective route to slashing emissions while maintaining lifestyles and maximizing jobs. A recent National Academies of Science study reached the same conclusion, calling electrification the core strategy for an equitable and economically advantageous energy transition. Home » Environment » Decarbonizing Cascadia » Why Renewable Electricity Powers Decarbonization — and Pays Off Plugging in more stuff can slash Cascadia’s climate-warming emissions at modest cost. But that means moving much faster. "Getting to Zero: Decarbonizing Cascadia" and "Investigate West" in gold and dark gray font next to a digital illustration of a mountain against a yellow half-circle.Amid the 1970s Arab oil embargo, a gasoline company’s TV ads showed an aging wooden windmill. As the wind died, it slowed to stillness. The ad asked: “But what do you do when the wind stops?” For the next several decades fossil fuel providers continued to denigrate renewable energy. Big power utilities piled on with claims that fluctuating solar and wind power could black out the grid. Even the U.S. Energy Department deemed renewables “too rare, too diffuse, too distant, too uncertain, and too ill-timed” to meaningfully contribute, as a top agency analyst put it in 2005. Today we know that’s not true, especially in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. New research shows we are collectively poised to pioneer a climate-friendly energy future for the globe – that renewable electricity can not only move Cascadia off of fossil fuels, but do so at an affordable price while creating some jobs along the way. After decades of disinformation, this may sound like a wishful vision. But building a cleaner and more equitable economy — and doing so in just a few decades to head off the worst effects of climate change — is backed by a growing body of regional and international research. Getting off fossil fuels is “feasible, necessary … and not very expensive” when compared to the earnings of the overall economy, said Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and global development expert at Columbia University. Much of the confidence about the price tag comes down to this: Innovation and mass production have made wind and solar power installations cheaper than most fossil-fueled power plants and today’s fastest-growing source of energy worldwide. The key to moving Cascadia’s economies away from fossil fuels, according to the latest research, is building more to make renewable electricity our go-to “fuel.” However, doing that in time to help head off a cascading climatic crisis by mid-century means the region must take major steps in the next decade to speed the transition, researchers say. And that will require social buy-in. The new research highlights three mutually supporting strategies that squeeze out fossil fuels: increasing energy efficiency to trim the amount of power we need, boosting renewable energy to make it possible to turn off climate-wrecking fossil-fuel plants, and plugging as much stuff as possible into the electrical grid. Recent studies in Washington state and British Columbia, and underway for Oregon, point to efficiency and electrification as the most cost-effective route to slashing emissions while maintaining lifestyles and maximizing jobs. A recent National Academies of Science study reached the same conclusion, calling electrification the core strategy for an equitable and economically advantageous energy transition. Flourish logoA Flourish data visualization However, technologies don’t emerge in a vacuum. The social and economic adjustments required by the wholesale shift from fossil fuels that belch climate-warming carbon emissions to renewable power can still make or break decarbonization , according to Jim Williams, a University of San Francisco energy expert whose simulation software tools have guided many national and regional energy plans, including two new U.S.-wide studies, a December 2020 analysis for Washington state, and another in process for Oregon. Williams points to vital actions that are liable to rile up those who lose money in the deal. Steps like letting trees grow many decades older before they are cut down, so they can suck up more carbon dioxide — which means forgoing quicker profits from selling timber. Or convincing rural communities and conservationists that they should accept power-transmission lines crossing farms and forests. “It’s those kinds of policy questions and social acceptance questions that are the big challenges,” said Williams. Washington, Oregon and British Columbia already mandate growing supplies of renewable power and help cover the added cost of some electric equipment. These include battery-powered cars, SUVs and pickups on the road. Heat pumps — air conditioners that run in reverse to push heat into a building — can replace furnaces. And, at industrial sites, electric machines can take the place of older mechanical systems, cutting costs and boosting reliability. As these options drop in price they are weakening reliance on fossil fuels — even among professional chefs who’ve long sworn by cooking with gas (see Cooking quick, clean and carbon-free, below). “For each of the things that we enjoy and we need, there’s a pathway to do that without producing any greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jotham Peters, managing partner for Vancouver-based energy analysis firm Navius Research, whose clients include the B.C. government. Key to decarbonization planning for Cascadia are computer simulations of future conditions known as models. These projections take electrification and other options and run with them. Researchers run dozens of simulated potential future energy scenarios for a given region, tinkering with different variables: How much will energy demand grow? What happens if we can get 80% of people into electric cars? What if it’s only 50%? And so on. Accelerating the transition requires large investments, this modeling shows. Plugging in millions of vehicles and heat pumps demands both brawnier and more flexible power systems, including more power lines and other infrastructure that communities often oppose. That demands both stronger policies and public acceptance. It means training and apprenticeships for the trades that must retrofit homes, and ensuring that all communities benefit — especially those disproportionately suffering from energy-related pollution in the fossil fuel era. Consensus is imperative, but the new studies are bound to spark controversy. Because, while affordable, decarbonization is not free. Projections for Washington and British Columbia suggest that decarbonizing Cascadia will spur extra job-stimulating growth. But the benefits and relatively low net cost mask a large swing in spending that will create winners and losers, and without policies to protect disadvantaged communities from potential energy cost increases, could leave some behind. By 2030, the path to decarbonization shows Washingtonians buying about $5 billion less worth of natural gas , coal and petroleum products, while putting even more dollars toward cleaner vehicles and homes. No surprise then that oil and gas interests are attacking the new research. And the research shows a likely economic speed bump around 2030. Economic growth would slow due to increased energy costs as economies race to make a sharp turn toward pollution reductions after nearly a decade of rising greenhouse gas emissions. “Meeting that 2030 target is tough and I think it took everybody a little bit by surprise,” said Nancy Hirsh, executive director of the Seattle-based NW Energy Coalition, and co-chair of a state panel that shaped Washington’s recent energy supply planning. But that’s not cause to ease up. Wait longer, says Hirsh, and the price will only rise. CHARING UP What most drives Cascadia’s energy models toward electrification is the dropping cost of renewable electricity. Take solar energy. In 2010, no large power system in the world got more than 3% of its electricity from solar. But over the past decade solar energy’s cost fell more than 80%, and by last year it was delivering over 9% of Germany’s electricity and over 19% of California’s. Government mandates and incentives helped get the trend started. Once prohibitively expensive, solar’s price now beats nuclear, coal and gas-fired power, and it’s expected to keep getting cheaper. The same goes for wind power, whose jumbo jet-sized composite blades bear no resemblance to the rickety machines once mocked by Big Oil. Home » Environment » Decarbonizing Cascadia » Why Renewable Electricity Powers Decarbonization — and Pays Off Plugging in more stuff can slash Cascadia’s climate-warming emissions at modest cost. But that means moving much faster. "Getting to Zero: Decarbonizing Cascadia" and "Investigate West" in gold and dark gray font next to a digital illustration of a mountain against a yellow half-circle.Amid the 1970s Arab oil embargo, a gasoline company’s TV ads showed an aging wooden windmill. As the wind died, it slowed to stillness. The ad asked: “But what do you do when the wind stops?” For the next several decades fossil fuel providers continued to denigrate renewable energy. Big power utilities piled on with claims that fluctuating solar and wind power could black out the grid. Even the U.S. Energy Department deemed renewables “too rare, too diffuse, too distant, too uncertain, and too ill-timed” to meaningfully contribute, as a top agency analyst put it in 2005. Today we know that’s not true, especially in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. New research shows we are collectively poised to pioneer a climate-friendly energy future for the globe – that renewable electricity can not only move Cascadia off of fossil fuels, but do so at an affordable price while creating some jobs along the way. After decades of disinformation, this may sound like a wishful vision. But building a cleaner and more equitable economy — and doing so in just a few decades to head off the worst effects of climate change — is backed by a growing body of regional and international research. Getting off fossil fuels is “feasible, necessary … and not very expensive” when compared to the earnings of the overall economy, said Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and global development expert at Columbia University. Much of the confidence about the price tag comes down to this: Innovation and mass production have made wind and solar power installations cheaper than most fossil-fueled power plants and today’s fastest-growing source of energy worldwide. The key to moving Cascadia’s economies away from fossil fuels, according to the latest research, is building more to make renewable electricity our go-to “fuel.” However, doing that in time to help head off a cascading climatic crisis by mid-century means the region must take major steps in the next decade to speed the transition, researchers say. And that will require social buy-in. The new research highlights three mutually supporting strategies that squeeze out fossil fuels: increasing energy efficiency to trim the amount of power we need, boosting renewable energy to make it possible to turn off climate-wrecking fossil-fuel plants, and plugging as much stuff as possible into the electrical grid. Recent studies in Washington state and British Columbia, and underway for Oregon, point to efficiency and electrification as the most cost-effective route to slashing emissions while maintaining lifestyles and maximizing jobs. A recent National Academies of Science study reached the same conclusion, calling electrification the core strategy for an equitable and economically advantageous energy transition. Flourish logoA Flourish data visualization However, technologies don’t emerge in a vacuum. The social and economic adjustments required by the wholesale shift from fossil fuels that belch climate-warming carbon emissions to renewable power can still make or break decarbonization , according to Jim Williams, a University of San Francisco energy expert whose simulation software tools have guided many national and regional energy plans, including two new U.S.-wide studies, a December 2020 analysis for Washington state, and another in process for Oregon. Williams points to vital actions that are liable to rile up those who lose money in the deal. Steps like letting trees grow many decades older before they are cut down, so they can suck up more carbon dioxide — which means forgoing quicker profits from selling timber. Or convincing rural communities and conservationists that they should accept power-transmission lines crossing farms and forests. “It’s those kinds of policy questions and social acceptance questions that are the big challenges,” said Williams. Washington, Oregon and British Columbia already mandate growing supplies of renewable power and help cover the added cost of some electric equipment. These include battery-powered cars, SUVs and pickups on the road. Heat pumps — air conditioners that run in reverse to push heat into a building — can replace furnaces. And, at industrial sites, electric machines can take the place of older mechanical systems, cutting costs and boosting reliability. As these options drop in price they are weakening reliance on fossil fuels — even among professional chefs who’ve long sworn by cooking with gas (see Cooking quick, clean and carbon-free, below). “For each of the things that we enjoy and we need, there’s a pathway to do that without producing any greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jotham Peters, managing partner for Vancouver-based energy analysis firm Navius Research, whose clients include the B.C. government. Key to decarbonization planning for Cascadia are computer simulations of future conditions known as models. These projections take electrification and other options and run with them. Researchers run dozens of simulated potential future energy scenarios for a given region, tinkering with different variables: How much will energy demand grow? What happens if we can get 80% of people into electric cars? What if it’s only 50%? And so on. Cascadia Accelerating the transition requires large investments, this modeling shows. Plugging in millions of vehicles and heat pumps demands both brawnier and more flexible power systems, including more power lines and other infrastructure that communities often oppose. That demands both stronger policies and public acceptance. It means training and apprenticeships for the trades that must retrofit homes, and ensuring that all communities benefit — especially those disproportionately suffering from energy-related pollution in the fossil fuel era. Consensus is imperative, but the new studies are bound to spark controversy. Because, while affordable, decarbonization is not free. Projections for Washington and British Columbia suggest that decarbonizing Cascadia will spur extra job-stimulating growth. But the benefits and relatively low net cost mask a large swing in spending that will create winners and losers, and without policies to protect disadvantaged communities from potential energy cost increases, could leave some behind. By 2030, the path to decarbonization shows Washingtonians buying about $5 billion less worth of natural gas , coal and petroleum products, while putting even more dollars toward cleaner vehicles and homes. No surprise then that oil and gas interests are attacking the new research. And the research shows a likely economic speed bump around 2030. Economic growth would slow due to increased energy costs as economies race to make a sharp turn toward pollution reductions after nearly a decade of rising greenhouse gas emissions. “Meeting that 2030 target is tough and I think it took everybody a little bit by surprise,” said Nancy Hirsh, executive director of the Seattle-based NW Energy Coalition, and co-chair of a state panel that shaped Washington’s recent energy supply planning. But that’s not cause to ease up. Wait longer, says Hirsh, and the price will only rise. Charging up What most drives Cascadia’s energy models toward electrification is the dropping cost of renewable electricity. Take solar energy. In 2010, no large power system in the world got more than 3% of its electricity from solar. But over the past decade solar energy’s cost fell more than 80%, and by last year it was delivering over 9% of Germany’s electricity and over 19% of California’s. Government mandates and incentives helped get the trend started. Once prohibitively expensive, solar’s price now beats nuclear, coal and gas-fired power, and it’s expected to keep getting cheaper. The same goes for wind power, whose jumbo jet-sized composite blades bear no resemblance to the rickety machines once mocked by Big Oil. Solar panels.The solar array at Puget Sound Energy’s Wild Horse facility east of Ellensburg Washington was the region’s largest at the time of its installation over a decade ago. But its 502-kilowatt output is dwarfed by the generation from each of the site’s wind turbines. Today solar is cheaper than wind power, per kilowatt, and the largest solar plants generate several thousand times more power than the Wild House array. (Photo: Dan DeLong/InvestigateWest) In contrast, cleaning up gas- or coal-fired power plants by equipping them to capture their carbon pollution remains expensive even after decades of research and development and government incentives. Cost overruns and mechanical failures recently shuttered the world’s largest “low-carbon” coal-fired power plant in Texas after less than four years of operation. Innovation and incentives are also making equipment that plugs into the grid cheaper. Electric options are good and getting better with a push from governments and a self-reinforcing cycle of performance improvement, mass production and increased demand. Battery advances and cost cuts over the past decade have made owning an electric car cheaper, fuel included, than conventional cars. Electric heat pumps may be the next electric wave. They’re three to four times more efficient than electric baseboard heaters, save money over natural gas in most new homes, and work in Cascadia’s coldest zones. Merran Smith, executive director of Vancouver-based nonprofit Clean Energy Canada, says that — as with electric cars five years ago — people don’t realize how much heat pumps have improved. “Heat pumps used to be big huge noisy things,” said Smith. “Now they’re a fraction of the size, they’re quiet and efficient.” Electrifying certain industrial processes can also cut greenhouse gases at low cost. Surprisingly, even oil and gas drilling rigs and pipeline compressors can be converted to electric. Provincial utility BC Hydro is building new transmission lines to meet anticipated power demand from electrification of the fracking fields in northeastern British Columbia that supply much of Cascadia’s natural gas. Simulating low-carbon living The computer simulation tools guiding energy and climate strategies, unlike previous models that looked at individual sectors, take an economy-wide view. Planners can repeatedly run scenarios through sophisticated software, tinkering with their assumptions each time to answer cross-cutting questions such as: Should the limited supply of waste wood from forestry that can be sustainably removed from forests be burned in power plants? Or is it more valuable converted to biofuel for airplanes that can’t plug into the grid? Evolved Energy Research, a San Francisco-based firm, analyzed the situation in Washington. Its algorithms are tuned using data about energy production and use today — down to the number and types of furnaces, stovetops or vehicles. It has expert assessments of future costs for equipment and fuels. And it knows the state’s mandated emissions targets. Researchers run the model myriad times, simulating decisions about equipment and fuel purchases — such as whether restaurants stick with gas or switch to electric induction ‘burners’ as their gas stoves wear out. The model finds the most cost-effective choices by homes and businesses that meet the state’s climate goals. Rather than accepting that optimal scenario and calling it a day, modelers account for uncertainty in their estimates of future costs by throwing in various additional constraints and rerunning the model. (See Multiple Paths to Net-Zero.) That probing shows that longer reliance on climate-warming natural gas and petroleum fuels increases costs. In fact, all of the climate-protecting scenarios achieve Washington’s goals at relatively low cost, compared to the state’s historic spending on energy. The end result of these scenarios are net-zero carbon emissions in 2050, in which a small amount of emissions remaining are offset by rebounding forests or equipment that scrubs CO2 from the air. But the seeds of that transformation must be sown by 2030. The scenarios identify common strategies that the state can pursue with low risk of future regrets. One no brainer is to rapidly add wind and solar power to wring out CO2 emissions from Washington’s power sector. The projections end coal-fired power by 2025, as required by law, but also show that, with grid upgrades, gas-fired power plants that produce greenhouse gas emissions can stay turned off most of the time. That delivers about 16.2 million of the 44.8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions cut required by 2030 under state law. All of the Washington scenarios also jack up electricity consumption to power cars and heating. By 2050, Washington homes and businesses would draw more than twice as much power from the grid as they did last year, meaning climate-friendly electricity is displacing climate-unfriendly gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas. In the optimal case, electricity meets 98% of transport energy in 2050, and over 80% of building energy use. By 2050, the high-electrification scenarios would create over 60,000 extra jobs across the state, as replacing old and inefficient equipment and construction of renewable power plants stimulates economic growth, according to projections from Washington D.C.-based FTI Consulting. Scenarios with less electrification require more low-carbon fuels that cut emissions at higher cost, and thus create 15,000 to 35,000 fewer jobs. Much of the new employment comes in middle-class positions — including about half of the total in construction — leading to big boosts in employment income. Washingtonians earn over $7 billion more in 2050 under the high-electrification scenarios, compared to a little over $5 billion if buildings stick with gas heating through 2050 and less than $2 billion with extra transportation fuels. Rocketing to 2030 Evolved Energy’s electrification-heavy decarbonization pathways for Washington dovetail with a growing body of international research, such as that National Academy of Sciences report and a major U.S. decarbonization study led by Princeton University. (See Grist’s 100% Clean Energy Video for a popularized view of similar pathways to slash U.S. carbon emissions, informed by Princeton modeler Jesse Jenkins.) Washington’s projected future also broadly matches other research in Cascadia. Extensive modeling for BC by Navius Research shows electrification carrying the load. Brianne Riehl, an environmental policy researcher and Navius’ communications manager, notes that the firm’s recent Canada-wide study with 62 different scenarios identified electrification as British Columbia’s primary carbon-cutter. As Navius described the road forward for BC’s provincially owned utility, BC Hydro, last year: “The results do not show a future where other potential low-(greenhouse gas) energy pathways out-compete electricity.” Electrification even sweeps sectors that use British Columbia’s cheap home-drilled natural gas. Peters said that Navius’ model taps electrification for the “vast majority” of predicted emissions reductions from buildings, for example. And its modeling foresees large-scale electrification of BC’s gas fields and the gas liquefaction plants under construction on the coast to ship liquified natural gas to Asia, which currently are fueled by gas itself. The challenge is accelerating these transitions. Action by 2030 is needed across Cascadia to deliver on societal demand to fight climate change and to lay the tracks for the difficult, long-term task of squeezing out nearly all carbon emissions a few decades later.
       
      Full Article: https://www.invw.org/2021/04/14/why-renewable-electricity-powers-decarbonization-and-pays-off/
     
         
      NZ to launch world-first climate change rules Wed, 14th Apr 2021 10:39:00
     
      New Zealand is to become the world's first country to bring in a law forcing its financial firms to report on the effects of climate change. The country wants to be carbon neutral by 2050 and says the financial sector needs to play its part. Banks, insurers and fund managers can do this by knowing the environmental effect of their investments, says its Climate Change Minister James Shaw. Legislation is expected to receive its first reading this week. "This law will bring climate risks and resilience into the heart of financial and business decision making," said Mr Shaw. About 200 of the country's biggest companies and several foreign firms that have assets of more than NZ$1bn ($703m, £511m) will come under the legislation. "Becoming the first country in the world to introduce a law like this means we have an opportunity to show real leadership and pave the way for other countries to make climate-related disclosures mandatory," said New Zealand's Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark. The law will force financial firms to assess not only their own investments, but also to evaluate the companies they are lending money to, in terms of their environmental impact. "While some businesses have started publishing reports about how climate change may affect their business, strategies and financial position, there is still a long way to go," added Mr Clark. Once the law is passed, companies will have to start reporting on climate change impact in 2023. Banks have come under increasing pressure to step up efforts to help fight climate change. Last week, the Duke of Cambridge urged banks to "invest in nature" to help fight global climate change. Speaking at an IMF and World Bank meeting, Prince William said protecting nature continued to play only a small part in combating global warming. "We must invest in nature, through reforestation, sustainable agriculture and supporting healthy oceans… because doing so is one of the most cost effective and impactful ways of tackling climate change," he said. In the US, more than 300 businesses and investors, including tech giant Apple, called on the Biden administration to set an ambitious climate-change goal on Tuesday. This would cut US greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. This target is nearly double America's previous commitment on emissions reduction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56728381
     
         
      What ‘energy transition’? Global fossil fuel use is accelerating and set to get even worse Wed, 14th Apr 2021 4:56:00
     
      The world’s dependency on fossil fuels is likely to get even worse in the coming decades, exacerbating the risk of a climate catastrophe as world leaders and CEOs repeatedly tout their commitment to the so-called “energy transition.” Policymakers are under intensifying pressure to deliver on promises made as part of the Paris Agreement ahead of this year’s COP26, due to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in early November. Yet, even as politicians and business leaders publicly acknowledge the necessity of transitioning to a low-carbon society, hopes of limiting global warming — and meeting a crucial global target — are quickly deteriorating. Almost 200 countries ratified the Paris climate accord at COP21, agreeing to pursue efforts to limit the planet’s temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It remains a key focus ahead of COP26, although some climate scientists now believe that hitting this target is already “virtually impossible.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that human-caused warming as a result of past and ongoing emissions is adding roughly 0.2 degrees Celsius to global average temperatures every decade. And, if this continues, the IPCC has forecast that warming is likely to hit 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052. To keep it below this level, climate scientists have called for a 45% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, before reaching net zero around 2050. “It is absolutely the case that the transition is moving too slowly from the climate perspective, but what is important to recognize is that it is primarily a matter of political will and economic choices,” Carroll Muffett, chief executive at the non-profit Center for International Environmental Law, told CNBC via telephone. “It is not a matter of the absence of the technology or the inability to do it. If you actually look at what are the cheaper sources of the energy supply right now, it is not really even a matter of economics. It is much more about embedded power structures and continued support of dying industry,” he added. One of the “very best examples” of this disconnect, Muffett said, is that some governments and companies’ net-zero strategies depend on increasing fossil fuel use “for decades to come.” These policies typically “rely heavily on unproven and potentially very hazardous carbon removal strategies to make that carbon dioxide magically disappear.” “We are seeing that in the U.S., particularly in the context of proposed massive investment in carbon capture and storage,” Muffett added. At present, Earth’s carbon dioxide levels are higher than at any time in the past 3.6 million years, according to research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The findings, published last week, found that levels of CO2 and methane — the two most important greenhouse gases — continued their “unrelenting rise” last year despite a sharp economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Human activity is driving climate change,” said Colm Sweeney of NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory. “If we want to mitigate the worst impacts, it’s going to take a deliberate focus on reducing fossil fuels emissions to near zero — and even then we’ll need to look for ways to further remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.” The burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming. The IPCC has found that emissions from fossil fuels and industry are the dominant cause of global heating, accounting for 89% of global CO2 emissions in 2018. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has said it expects global carbon dioxide emissions from energy-related sources to continue to grow in the coming decades. In 2019, the EIA projected that global energy-related CO2 emissions would rise 0.6% per year between 2018 through to 2050, with China set to retain its position as the world’s single largest emitter of energy-related CO2 throughout this period. Clark Williams-Derry, energy finance analyst at IEEFA, a non-profit organization, described the so-called “energy transition” as “the process of shifting a 19th-century energy system into the 21st century.” “There is a transition underway, but is it fast enough to prevent the worst ravages of climate change? Is it fast enough to relieve air quality concerns in developing world cities?” Williams-Derry said, citing dangerous levels of air pollution in countries such as India, China, Bangladesh and Vietnam, among others. “We are anchored down by a legacy of choices, technologies and local economies that want to keep us back,” he continued. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recognized that the transition away from fossil fuels is a huge undertaking and will require “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes” across all aspects of society. It also underscores the point that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius “could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society,” with clear benefits to both humans and natural ecosystems. However, a United Nations analysis published on Feb. 26 found that pledges made by countries around the world to curb greenhouse gas emissions were “very far” from the profound measures required to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate breakdown. The UN’s latest report card on national climate action plans — sometimes referred to as Nationally Determined Contributions — included countries responsible for only about one-third of global emissions. That’s because just 75 of the 195 signatories to the Paris agreement submitted their NDCs for reducing emissions through to 2030 in time to be assessed. The U.S., China and India, some of the world’s biggest emitters, are yet to formulate their respective NDCs. In response, UN climate change executive secretary Patricia Espinosa has urged policymakers to “step up” ambitious plans to cut emissions this year. “If this task was urgent before, it’s crucial now.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/14/climate-global-fossil-fuel-use-accelerating-and-set-to-get-even-worse.html
     
         
      EU is the world's second biggest importer of tropical deforestation, says WWF Wed, 14th Apr 2021 0:43:00
     
      The EU is one of the world’s largest importers of tropical deforestation and the carbon emissions associated with it, second only to China. A new report from the WWF has found that 16 per cent of tropical deforestation from international trade was linked to EU imports in 2017, the last year for which data is available. That’s a total of 203,000 hectares and 116 million tonnes of CO2 caused by products and commodities brought into EU countries. Eight of the largest economies, including Germany, Italy, Spain and Netherlands, were together responsible for 80 per cent of the EU’s embedded deforestation between 2015 and 2017. The European Commission is set to present a new proposal for legislation to tackle deforestation this spring. WWF says the report emphasises the “urgent need” for strong and effective laws to address the EU’s global environmental footprint. It says that they should prevent any product that has contributed to the destruction of nature, either ‘legally’ or illegally, from entering EU markets. Anke Schulmeister-Oldenhove, one of the report’s lead authors, says that the bloc needs to lead in encouraging countries with ambiguous regulations to address the underlying drivers of deforestation and human rights violations. “We want clear legislation that ensures products cannot be placed on the market if they are very high risk and those risks cannot be minimised,” she tells Euronews Living. “They [companies] should at least be able to ask their suppliers, can you tell me where this came from, do you know what the supply chain is. If not, we think that might be a challenge they need to address.” Should we be looking to buy deforestation-free products? Some of the commodities with the largest destruction of tropical forests were soy, palm oil and beef. But, Schulmeister stresses, the burden of reducing deforestation shouldn’t lie with consumers. “The decision on whether I choose something which is deforestation-free or not, should not be on our shoulders. But I think we also need to think about what goes beyond that. One of the challenges is that we have an issue, I think, with overconsumption of meat.” Removing the burden from individuals, however, doesn’t mean that transparency and awareness are not important. Almost 1.2 million people joined an EU public consultation on deforestation in 2020 after a campaign from a group of NGOs, including WWF. It was the largest participation for an environmental topic in the history of the EU. Providing the information necessary for people to understand what products are linked to the destruction of nature and potential human rights violations is also part of the solution - even when that link might not be obvious. “About 80 per cent, or more of what the EU imports for soy is to feed livestock," says Schulmeister. "So it actually goes to that chicken that makes your breakfast egg, it goes to the pig that makes your breakfast bacon and it goes to the cow that brings your milk or yoghurt.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/14/eu-is-the-world-s-second-biggest-importer-of-tropical-deforestation-says-wwf
     
         
      California Dairy Farmers are Saving Money—and Cutting Methane Emissions—By Feeding Cows Leftovers Tue, 13th Apr 2021 20:23:00
     
      A bovine diet of almond hulls, cotton seed, spent grains and other by-products reduces water and energy costs and the land needed to grow feed. It also helps the planet. As California farmers work to curb methane emissions from the state’s sprawling dairy farms, they’ve found a convenient solution that helps control costs—and happens to offer benefits for the climate. By feeding leftover nut shells from nearby almond orchards, dairy farmers not only support their neighboring farmers, they divert waste that would otherwise go into landfills where it generates methane. These leftovers also provide nutrition for the animals, replacing traditional forage like alfalfa that requires big swathes of farmland and copious amounts of water to grow.
       
      Full Article: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13042021/california-dairy-farmers-are-saving-money-and-cutting-methane-emissions-by-feeding-cows-leftovers/
     
         
      Sea levels are going to rise by at least 20ft. We can do something about it Tue, 13th Apr 2021 11:00:00
     
      The climate emergency is bigger than many experts, elected officials, and activists realize. Humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions have overheated the Earth’s atmosphere, unleashing punishing heat waves, hurricanes, and other extreme weather – that much is widely understood. The larger problem is that the overheated atmosphere has in turn overheated the oceans, assuring a catastrophic amount of future sea level rise. As oceans heat up the water rises in part because warm water expands but also because the warmer waters have initiated major melt of polar ice sheets. As a result, average sea levels around the world are now all but certain to rise by at least 20 to 30 feet. That’s enough to put large parts of many coastal cities, home to hundreds of millions of people, under water. The key questions are how soon this sea level rise will happen and whether humans can cool the atmosphere and oceans quickly enough to prevent part of this. If seas rise 20 feet over the next 2,000 years, our children and their descendants may find ways to adapt. But if seas rise 20 feet or more over the next 100 to 200 years — which is our current trajectory – the outlook is grim. In that scenario, there could be two feet of sea level rise by 2040, three feet by 2050, and much more to come. Two to three feet of sea level rise may not sound like much, but it will transform human societies the world over. In south Florida, where I live, residents will lose access to fresh water. Sewage treatment plants will fail, large areas will persistently flood, and Miami Beach and other barrier islands will be largely abandoned. In China, India, Egypt and other countries with major river deltas, two to three feet of sea level rise will force the evacuation of tens of millions of people and the loss of vast agricultural lands. Attempting to limit sea level rise therefore must become an urgent priority, including for the world leaders Joe Biden is inviting to a climate summit on Earth Day, 22 April. We must reframe how the climate emergency is understood and what it means to combat it. Certainly, it is essential to meet the Paris agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 to 2C – but that will not be sufficient. The solution to rapidly rising sea levels is twofold: humans must stop putting more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, and we must extract much of what we’ve already put up there. Since the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has soared due to human activities, principally the burning of carbon-based fossil fuels. To minimize future sea level rise, we need to lower that amount from today’s 417 parts per million towards the 280 ppm that prevailed before industrialization. Halting heat-trapping emissions requires rapidly moving the economy off fossil fuels to renewable energy as well as ending deforestation, shifting to climate-friendly agriculture, planting soil-building forests, and more. But even if we succeed on this front — and so far, we are falling well short — only the atmosphere would stop getting hotter. Cooling the oceans will be harder. This requires pulling massive amounts of CO2 from both the atmosphere and the oceans and storing it where it cannot leak. There are prototypes of such “carbon negative” technologies. Methods like incorporating pulverized basaltic lava into fertilizers can lead to CO2 removal and other approaches must be aggressively developed. It is crucial that both strategies – halting further emissions of CO2 and extracting CO2 that’s already been emitted – be pursued. Doing one cannot be an excuse for not doing the other or we will fail. Our dilemma is rooted in basic physics. Once CO2 is emitted, it remains in the atmosphere for millennia, trapping heat and warming the planet like a blanket warms a human body. What’s insufficiently appreciated is that most of this warming – over 93% – has transferred to the oceans and significantly warmed the upper 2,000 feet. This is accelerating polar ice melt and global sea level rise and will continue to do so for centuries. And sea level rise is accelerating at a dangerous pace. In 1900, global sea levels were rising 0.6 millimeters a year. After 1930, as ocean warming and water expansion kicked in, the rate of sea level rise doubled and doubled again, reaching 3.1mm a year by 1990. Since then, as ever-warmer oceans have driven polar ice melt, the rate of sea level rise has quickened further. Today, oceans are rising 6 mm a year (over two inches a decade), and this pace will continue to dramatically accelerate. Two inches a decade may seem a trifle but remember: we are just at the beginning of this acceleration. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projected in 2017 that global mean sea level could rise five to 8.2ft by 2100. Four years later, it’s clear that 8ft is in fact a moderate projection. And regional influences – subsidence, changing ocean currents, and redistribution of Earth’s mass as ice melts – will cause some local sea level rise to be 20-70% higher than global. Sea level rise of 8ft would be catastrophic. Absent extensive and very expensive adaptation measures, it would put much of New York and Washington DC, Shanghai and Bangkok, Lagos, Alexandria and countless other coastal cities underwater. It would submerge south Florida. And building sea walls won’t help in south Florida: the land rests on porous limestone, so rising seas will simply seep under. Even the levee-protected Netherlands and New Orleans will be in deep trouble. Worse, on current trends, we will be lucky for seas to rise “only” 8ft by 2100. The reason is that the computer models used by Noaa and others do not reflect what we know about how seas have risen in the past. These models assume that sea level rise unfolds gradually, but the geological record shows that in fact it can occur in rapid pulses. Warmer temperatures following the previous ice age caused disintegration of one polar ice sector after another, causing seas to rise in pulses of three to 30ft per century. Today, accelerating ice melt in Greenland and Antarctica are almost certainly the beginning of a new pulse of rapid sea level rise. It is urgent that humanity transition to renewable energy, stop burning fossil fuels, and develop and deploy technologies to extract CO2 from the skies and seas. We must also get realistic about adapting to the sea level rise that can no longer be prevented. Rather than building more in low-lying regions and spending public money on coastal defenses that are bound to fail, we should prepare to assist the eventual relocation of people and infrastructure from the most threatened areas (and clean the land before inundation). Without such measures, there will come a point, sooner than many people realize, when civilization as we know it will greatly weaken or outright collapse. We can only prevent this scenario with serious planning, funding, and effort. Our children, and their children, deserve much better than we are doing now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2021/apr/13/sea-level-rise-climate-emergency-harold-wanless
     
         
      Why India and Nepal's forest fires are worrying scientists Mon, 12th Apr 2021 14:54:00
     
      The lush-green mountains in the background usually make the famous Nainital lake in Uttarakhand state of northern India more picturesque. But for several weeks now haze from forest fires has hidden the mountains, and the lake's beauty has visibly shrunk. "You can smell the haze from this side of the lake where I live," said Shekhar Pathak, an expert on the history of forests in the region. "Not just the pine trees that are highly prone to fires, even the oak forests are burning and that means the situation is quite serious." Locals in areas worst-affected by forest fires told the BBC they don't sleep at night these days. "We wake up in the middle of the night and check around the forests to make sure the fires are not approaching us," said Kedar Avani of Banaa village in Pithoragarh district, the eastern-most Himalayan district in the state. "Fires have eaten up our haystacks and grass stored for our livestock, and now we fear our houses will be gutted too." Mr Avani said that the fires were so strong that the heat could be felt even at a distance of 20 metres. "There is no way we can put them out," he said. Scientists say the forest fires in some parts of northern India and neighbouring Nepal have been the strongest in the past 15 years. The European Union's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) said that Uttarakhand's forest fires emitted nearly 0.2 mega tonnes of carbon in the past one month, a record since 2003. Based on the analysis of satellite pictures, it estimated Nepal emitted nearly 18 mega tonnes of carbon in the same period, the highest since 2016 when it emitted 27 mega tonnes of carbon. "This shows the intensity with which the fires are burning in the region and it is quite worrying," said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at CAMS. Nearly 20 people have been reportedly killed by the fires in Uttarakhand and Nepal. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests are believed to have been razed although official figures are yet to be published.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56671148
     
         
      France moves to ban short-haul domestic flights Mon, 12th Apr 2021 13:59:00
     
      French lawmakers have moved to ban short-haul internal flights where train alternatives exist, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. Over the weekend, lawmakers voted in favour of a bill to end routes where the same journey could be made by train in under two-and-a-half hours. Connecting flights will not be affected, however. The planned measures will face a further vote in the Senate before becoming law. Airlines around the world have been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with website Flightradar24 reporting that the number of flights last year were down almost 42% from 2019. The measures could affect travel between Paris and cities including Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. The French government had faced calls to introduce even stricter rules. France's Citizens' Convention on Climate, which was created by President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 and included 150 members of the public, had proposed scrapping plane journeys where train journeys of under four hours existed. But this was reduced to two-and-a-half hours after objections from some regions, and the airline Air France-KLM. Francois Pupponi, a member of the French National Assembly, also told Reuters news agency that the plan was "not the right one". "The environmental choice must take precedence, but let's not abandon the social and economic choices around industry and around airports - the two are complementary," he said. But French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir called on lawmakers to retain the four-hour limit. "On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes," it said. It also called for "safeguards that [French national railway] SNCF will not seize the opportunity to artificially inflate its prices or degrade the quality of rail service". Saturday's vote came days after the French government more than doubled its stake in Air France. The government had previously offered €7bn ($8.3bn, £6bn) in loans to help the airline weather the pandemic, although France's economy minister said at the time the funding was dependent on the airline scrapping some of its domestic flights.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56716708
     
         
      Women's Six Nations 2021: England's Claudia MacDonald on tackling climate change Sat, 10th Apr 2021 14:56:00
     
      For England back Claudia MacDonald, it is all about the 1%. She thinks concentrating on the smallest possible things they can change could eventually help England win a World Cup. More importantly, MacDonald believes this approach could also help in the fight against climate change. In September 2020 the Wasps back - who plays scrum-half and wing - decided she would try a new way to make herself more sustainable each month, writing about her experience in a blog. The idea was to focus on the 1%. Instead of making massive life changes, she would take on small, manageable tasks in the hope that if everyone took on such small alterations it would have a large cumulative impact. For example, the 25-year-old now tries to cycle to training instead of using her car but accepts that her career as an international rugby player perhaps rules out a blanket ban on some forms of transport. Should she be in the squad for next year's postponed World Cup, MacDonald will definitely be flying to New Zealand. "When people talk about sustainability it can sometimes be quite daunting," she explains. "You go into this whole new world of feeling you are being judged for everything you do. "What I am trying to communicate is that every small change you make is important. It's not necessarily about completely flipping your lifestyle over."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/56691976
     
         
      COP26: Greta Thunberg says Glasgow summit should be postponed Fri, 9th Apr 2021 14:58:00
     
      Greta Thunberg has told the BBC she does not plan to attend the UN climate conference due to be held in Glasgow this November. The 18-year-old Swedish climate campaigner is concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on attendance at COP26. She believes the summit should be postponed. She says the UK government, which is hosting the summit, should wait until global vaccination rates have risen. The summit will bring together world leaders with the aim of agreeing a plan to tackle climate change. Ms Thunberg's decision is likely to be a significant blow for the UK government. The activist has attended every major climate conference since her first protest outside the Swedish parliament two and a half years ago. She said: "This needs to happen in the right way. Of course, the the best thing to do would be to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible so that everyone could take part on the same terms." The UN meeting has already been delayed once, from November 2020, and there have been rumours that it may be postponed again. The last two Conference of the Parties (COP) summits have had more than 20,000 attendees and the UK is understood to have been working on the basis that as many as 30,000 people could attend in Glasgow. At the end of last month, sources in Downing Street and Holyrood were adamant that no decision had been made on a further delay to the conference. However, the BBC was told a final decision on whether to delay or move ahead with the summit was likely to be taken shortly after Easter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56686163
     
         
      Prince William: Banks must do more to protect environment Fri, 9th Apr 2021 14:14:00
     
      The Duke of Cambridge has urged banks to "invest in nature" to help fight global climate change. Speaking at an IMF and World Bank meeting, Prince William said protecting nature continued to play only a small part in combating global warming. He said investing in reforestation and sustainable agriculture were "cost effective" ways of tackling the issue. Banks have come under increasing pressure to step up efforts to help fight climate change. Just this week, Barclays' London headquarters was the target of a protest staged by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion. Members held placards and broke several windows as they called on the bank to stop financing fossil fuel companies. Addressing central bankers and finance ministers at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, the duke said the world's natural habitats continue to decline at an "alarming rate". "We cannot recover sustainably from coronavirus, eradicate global poverty, achieve net-zero emissions, or adapt to climate change, without investing in nature," he said. The duke said investing in nature accounted for only a "fraction of the money that is spent on the fight against climate change". "We must invest in nature, through reforestation, sustainable agriculture and supporting healthy oceans… because doing so is one of the most cost effective and impactful ways of tackling climate change. "It removes carbon from the atmosphere, helps build more resilient communities, tackles biodiversity loss and protects people's livelihoods." The spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank are taking place virtually this week bringing together central banks, policymakers and business leaders to discuss the state of the world's economy. A key focus of the discussions will also centre on climate risks and building a sustainable economic recovery post Covid. The duke said: "All of you here at the World Bank and across each of the multilateral development banks have that crucial part to play by supporting a green, inclusive and resilient recovery from the pandemic, by valuing nature and putting it at the heart of your work, and by increasing investment in a future where the natural world can thrive." The decisions taken at the next UN climate change summit in Glasgow later this year will be a "vital step" in putting nature centre stage, the duke added. The duke has become a vocal campaigner on environmental issues. He launched a competition to try to inspire people to solve "some of the world's greatest environmental challenges". The Earthshot Prize will recognise ideas and technologies that can safeguard the planet offering five prizes of £1m to support environmental and conservation projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56681050
     
         
      The water fight over the shrinking Colorado River Thu, 8th Apr 2021 14:21:00
     
      Scientists have been predicting for years that the Colorado River would continue to deplete due to global warming and increased water demands, but according to new studies it's looking worse than they thought. That worries rancher Marsha Daughenbaugh, 68, of Steamboat Springs, who relies on the water from the Colorado River to grow feed for her cattle. "That water is our lifeblood and without it we would not have the place that we do," says Daughenbaugh, who was raised on this ranch and is hoping to pass it down to her children and the next generation. "Ranching is not only an economic base for us, it's a way of life." But with a two-decade drought in the southwestern US and record-low snowfalls, that lifestyle could be in jeopardy. "Things seem to be happening even faster than the models or scientists were warning just a few years ago," says Brad Udall, a water and climate scientist at Colorado State University. "If you're not worried about all this, you're not paying attention." Recent reports show that the river's water flows were down 20% in 2000 and by 2050 that number is estimated to more than double. It's a problem we can't engineer our way out of any longer, Udall says. "We have massive dams on the Colorado River already. A bigger bank account with less income doesn't do you a whole lot of good," he warns. Many, like Jim Lochhead, agree there is only one solution - use less water. "Despite the complexities of how we reach the solutions, the problem is really quite simple. It's a mass balance equation. We have too many demands and not enough water," says Lochhead, CEO of Denver Water, Colorado's largest water utility. "And so at the end of the day, demands overall will need to be reduced and managed in order to keep the bank account solvent."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56608180
     
         
      Study says bitcoin could derail China's climate change targets Thu, 8th Apr 2021 14:16:00
     
      Bitcoin mining in China is so carbon intensive that it could threaten the country's emissions reduction targets, according to new research. China wants its emissions to peak in 2030, and has plans to be carbon neutral by 2060. The cryptocurrency's carbon footprint is as large as one of China's ten largest cities, the study found. China accounts for more than 75% of bitcoin mining around the world, researchers said. The study was written by academics from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Cornell University and the University of Surrey. It was published by the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications. "Without appropriate interventions and feasible policies, the intensive bitcoin blockchain operation in China can quickly grow as a threat that could potentially undermine the emission reduction effort taken place in the country," it warned. Some rural areas in China are popular among bitcoin miners, mainly due to the cheaper electricity prices and undeveloped land to house the servers. Miners play a dual role, effectively auditing bitcoin transactions in exchange for the opportunity to acquire the digital currency. The process requires enormous computing power, and in turn consumes huge amounts of energy. Already, bitcoin-related emissions in China exceed the total emissions of the Czech Republic and Qatar in 2016.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56671488
     
         
      Deep sea mining to help make electric vehicles Thu, 8th Apr 2021 14:09:00
     
      As the world begins to move away from petrol and diesel-power cars, there are questions over how the metals needed for batteries in electric vehicles will be sourced. One possibility is to mine the deep ocean floor. A number of companies are lining up to exploit the minerals found there, but campaigners warn it could have a disastrous impact on the marine environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56678976
     
         
      Paris goals still ‘long way off’, says President of UN climate conference Thu, 8th Apr 2021 14:01:00
     
      British politician Alok Sharma was speaking during a global discussion on the ‘green’ transition in sectors such as energy, transport and food systems, held as part of the 2021 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Oceans are warming, storms are intensifying, and yet we are a long way off meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement”, he told the virtual meeting. “Unless we act now, the human, economic and environmental cost will dwarf anything that humanity has seen before.” COP26, which will be held this November in Glasgow, Scotland, aims to accelerate action towards the Paris treaty goals, which centre around limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels by curbing greenhouse gas emissions. John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, called the conference “the last best opportunity we have to get real and serious.” He particularly urged developed countries to step up efforts to reduce emissions. “It is essential we raise ambition; we make Glasgow the next step in defining not what we’re willing to do but what we really need to do in order to be able to get the job done.” For Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, COP26 represents an opportunity to put nature at the heart of the climate fight. He called for banks to invest in nature, noting that spending so far has been minimal. “We cannot recover sustainably from coronavirus, eradicate global poverty, achieve net-zero emissions, or adapt to climate change, without investing in nature”, he said. Energy access must also be part of the green transition, according to Damilola Ogunbiyi, Chief Executive Officer at Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), a UN partner. Globally, nearly 800 million people do not have access to electricity, while 2.8 billion lack access to clean cooking sources, she said, which is equivalent to the populations of Africa, Europe and China combined. To change their lives, she recommended that governments focus on policies in the areas of promoting renewable and sustainable energy, and on ease of doing business and regulations. Again, financing here is needed, together with commitment. “We all see that globally, when we come together, just the amazing work we can do, and the COVID vaccine is a perfect example”, said Ms. Ogunbiyi, who is also the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All. “We literally have to have a COVID vaccine response to help a lot of developing countries because it’s not that they don’t want to transition, or they don’t want to do the right thing. It’s a fact that if you do need to transition, there is a lot of funding that is needed.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1089332
     
         
      Climate change: Electric trucks 'can compete with diesel ones' Thu, 8th Apr 2021 13:38:00
     
      The view that battery-powered heavy goods lorries can't compete with diesel is being challenged by new research. It had been felt that the extra batteries needed for freight would make electric vehicles too expensive. But a new study says that if fast charging networks are built for trucks, then they can beat diesel in terms of cost. With fast charging, the bigger the vehicle, the greater the advantage for electric, say researchers. In the UK, and around the world, there's a strong shift among consumers towards electric-powered cars. Figures for March in the UK saw sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars reach 14% of the market. When it comes to pure electric vehicles, Western Europe is the global hotspot with over 700,000 battery-powered cars sold in 2020. But it is a different story when moving heavy freight. For climate change, this is an important issue. Around 7% of global carbon emissions are generated by heavy transportation trucks. While Tesla and other manufacturers have taken small steps into this market, critics argue that they will struggle to be cost-competitive with diesel. Adding extra batteries to carry the bigger loads just doesn't add up financially is the view. But this new study from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), says that we are looking at the issue the wrong way round. In their research paper, the authors say that fast charging and not bigger batteries is the key to commercial competition for large-scale electric lorries. "If you take that average value, which is our default analysis in the paper, we are really at the tipping point where this starts to make sense," said lead author Björn Nykvist from SEI. "It doesn't really matter [about] the size of the battery pack in the truck. You really just need more power from the charger." "The key here is that, basically, a heavier vehicle consumes more energy. The more energy you consume, the more saving potential there is. So, a very heavy truck uses more diesel per kilometre than a lighter one, but that's also a big savings potential if you can switch to electricity." In their study, the authors developed a model where an electric lorry operated for 4.5 hours and then charged for 40 minutes on a high-powered device. With heavy goods transportation focused on main roads, ports and terminals, it's likely that a smaller number of chargers would be required than is needed for electric cars. The only problem is that this type of commercial fast charger doesn't yet exist. However, the researchers are confident that this technology will come on-stream quite rapidly. Governments concerned about climate change might be best placed to provide incentives in this area say experts. "It might be a good idea to get the electric truck market going by using a purchase price incentive from government," said Dr Heikki Liimatainen from Tampere University of Technology in Finland, who was not involved in the study. "But I think it's more important that if subsidies are given then they should be given to build the charging networks along the main roads." Large manufacturers agree that the move to electric lorries will depend on fast charging facilities in key locations. "The potential to decarbonise road transport is great," said Lars Mårtensson, environment & innovation director at Volvo Trucks. "But it is clear to us that an infrastructure of fast chargers is important and we see the greatest need for governmental incentives to establish these at hauliers' home depots and at logistics centres." While there have been reservations about the use of electric trucks, there has been a lot of noise about the potential for hydrogen-powered vehicles at the heavier end of the market. "The key is the price of the hydrogen fuel cell, that price has been going down, but not as fast as the price of batteries," says Dr Liimatainen. "If they come down, they will be quite competitive in the largest trucks, but it all depends on price."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56678669
     
         
      Paris goals still ‘long way off’, says President of UN climate conference Thu, 8th Apr 2021 12:12:00
     
      The world is "a long way off" from meeting the goals of the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the President of the crucial upcoming UN climate conference, COP26, said on Thursday. British politician Alok Sharma was speaking during a global discussion on the 'green' transition in sectors such as energy, transport and food systems, held as part of the 2021 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "Oceans are warming, storms are intensifying, and yet we are a long way off meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement", he told the virtual meeting. "Unless we act now, the human, economic and environmental cost will dwarf anything that humanity has seen before."
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1089332
     
         
      City drivers 'should think twice' before buying SUVs Wed, 7th Apr 2021 10:47:00
     
      Drivers in crowded cities should think twice before buying a big SUV, says the head of a motoring organisation. Steve Gooding, from the RAC Foundation, said: "We should all choose the right vehicle for the right trip to cut the size of our carbon footprint. "It is right to question if suburban drivers need a car capable of ploughing over rivers, across fields and up steep hills just to pop to the shops." His comments come as research confirms most SUVs are bought by urban drivers. It shows that large SUVs - often known as Chelsea tractors - are indeed most prevalent in places such as Chelsea. They are typically defined by their extreme size, and off-road features such as high ground clearance and four wheel drive. They often face complaints from other road users about their bulk and their pollution - especially during the school run. The report from the think-tank New Weather Institute said: "The numbers stand up long-held suspicions that these vehicles ostensibly designed for off-road are actually marketed successfully to urban users where their big size and higher pollution levels are a worse problem." The report says: - Three quarters of all SUVs sold in the UK are registered to people living in towns and cities - The largest SUVs are most popular in three London boroughs - Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Westminster - One in three new private cars bought in these areas is a large SUV. These boroughs also top the league for popularity of most polluting cars by UK sales volume, all of which are SUVs - The most likely large SUV to be owned by a city driver is the Lexus NX300 The report says areas where SUV owners dominate are also the places where road space is most scarce, and where the highest proportion of cars are parked on the street. It says many large SUVs are too big for a standard UK parking space. Andrew Simms, from the New Weather Institute, said: "It turns out that the home of the 'Chelsea tractor' really is Chelsea. One of advertising's biggest manipulations has persuaded urban families that it's perfectly 'normal' to go shopping in a two-tonne truck. "But the human health and climate damage done by SUVs is huge and needs to be undone. Just as tobacco advertising was successfully ended, it's time to stop promoting polluting SUV's." The UK Citizens' Assembly on climate change has supported restrictions on SUVs. But motoring organisations said the analysis was too simplistic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56647128
     
         
      Britain's electricity system 'greenest ever' over Easter Wed, 7th Apr 2021 9:10:00
     
      Great Britain's electricity system was the greenest it had ever been at lunchtime on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, its operator has said. Sunny and windy weather, coupled with low demand for power, led to a surge in renewable sources of energy, National Grid Electricity System Operator said. It meant low-carbon energy sources made up almost 80% of Britain's power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56657299
     
         
      Bank boards have conflicts of interest over climate – and it shows in the fossil fuels they back Wed, 7th Apr 2021 8:34:00
     
      Analysis finds 77% of directors on boards of seven US banks have ties to ‘climate-conflicted’ groups, as banks continue to finance projects like the Line 3 oil pipeline. US banks are pledging to help fight the climate crisis alongside the Biden administration, but their boards are dominated by people with climate-related conflicts of interest, and they continue to invest deeply in fossil fuel projects. Three out of every four board members at seven major US banks (77%) have current or past ties to climate-conflicted companies or organizations – from oil and gas corporations to trade groups that lobby against reducing climate pollution, according to a first-of-its-kind review by climate influence analysts for the blog DeSmog.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/06/banks-climate-change-line-3-pipeline-conflict-interest
     
         
      Climate change: Carbon emissions from England's £27.4bn roads scheme '100 times greater than government claims', experts tell court Tue, 6th Apr 2021 23:20:00
     
      Carbon emissions from England's £27.4bn roadbuilding scheme will be about 100 times greater than the government has claimed, expert witnesses have told a court. The government has said the carbon impact of its "Road Investment Strategy 2" (RIS2) will be too small to be material, at just 0.28 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 equivalent from October 2020 until 2032. Under the plan, running from April 2020 to 2025, schemes will include the Stonehenge tunnel and the new Kent to Essex route called the Lower Thames Crossing - as well as 4,000 miles of road. Environmental campaigners Transport Action Network (TAN) are seeking a judicial review as they claim the plan will not meet climate change commitments made by the UK government to reach net-zero by 2050. Testimony from two expert witnesses, both of whom have previously advised the government, said the Department for Transport (DfT) "substantially underestimates the full impacts of RIS2" because it has only analysed parts of the project's emissions. Phil Goodwin, emeritus professor of transport policy at University College London and the University of the West of England, told the High Court: "There is a glaring problem, on which DfT's witnesses make no comment, that the total emissions of carbon from RIS2 schemes reported by Highways England in its separate scheme appraisals give a number which is roundly 100 times greater than that suggested by DfT witnesses." He said the DfT has not published an assessment of the "full impact" of RIS2 and the 0.28Mt figure only relates to five "new" schemes out of 50, not the "total capital/construction emissions".
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-carbon-emissions-from-englands-27-4bn-roads-scheme-100-times-greater-than-government-claims-experts-tell-court-12267975
     
         
      Renewable energy access key to climate adaptation in Africa: UN chief Tue, 6th Apr 2021 14:29:00
     
      “As the continent that has contributed least to the climate crisis, Africa deserves the strongest possible support and solidarity”, he told an online dialogue for leaders convened by the African Development Bank. Mr. Guterres warned that “adaptation must not be the neglected half of the climate equation”. Although Africa has abundant and untapped renewable resources, it has received just two per cent of global investment in renewable energy over the past decade, he reported. Old models of development and energy use have failed to provide Africans with universal energy access, he said, meaning hundreds of millions of people still lack reliable and affordable electricity or are cooking with polluting and harmful fuels. “We can provide universal access to energy in Africa primarily through renewable energy. I call for a comprehensive package of support to meet this objective ahead of COP26,” Mr. Guterres said, referring to the UN climate change conference in November. “It is achievable. It is necessary. It is overdue. And it is smart: climate action is a $3 trillion investment opportunity in Africa by 2030," he added. However, the Secretary-General pointed to “the major finance” gap blocking progress towards this goal. He urged developed countries to deliver on their $100 billion climate commitment made over a decade ago. “Developed countries and main financers must ensure a swift shift of the billions to support African green investments, to increase resilience and to create the conditions for scaled-up private finance”, he said. “And the private sector must step up and get organized to provide immediate, concrete solutions to governments. Local authorities can work with unions and community leaders on reskilling and social security nets.” While African Governments also can lead the way by committing to ambitious adaptation and mitigation plans, they first need to regain their fiscal autonomy, he said. The Secretary-General stressed the need to extend the debt moratorium for developing countries, made last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and even cancelling debts where appropriate. Furthermore, Special Drawing Rights, a type of supplementary foreign reserve maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), must also be made available to support Africa’s recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1089122
     
         
      Extreme E: Jenson Button says future of motorsport will always be electric Sat, 3rd Apr 2021 11:55:00
     
      Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, who will compete in the new Extreme E racing series for his own team, says the future of motorsport "will always be electric". The Inaugural Extreme E season gets under way this weekend with live coverage on the BBC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/motorsport/55958932
     
         
      Green energy tariffs often 'misleading' Fri, 2nd Apr 2021 12:02:00
     
      Energy suppliers offering environment-friendly tariffs are not always as green as they sound, experts say. Many "100% renewable" electricity tariffs use energy generated by fossil fuels, which is then "offset" for a small price. Sustainable energy think tank Regen complains of "loose language and loose marketing" around green energy tariffs. But industry body Energy UK says all renewable tariffs help to transform the grid for a low-carbon future. The vast majority of energy suppliers now offer green tariffs and many promise 100% renewable electricity as standard. However, some energy companies accuse others of "greenwashing" - using marketing spin to make "dirty" electricity seem clean. "The sale of green tariffs increased remarkably in the period since 2015. In fact, it doubled between 2017 and 2018," says Rob Gross, the director of the UK Energy Research Centre. For many consumers, electricity which is environmentally friendly plays a role in which supplier they choose. That was the case for Su in Gainsborough, who told the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2: "The tariff we're on at the moment has 100% renewable electricity, so they source all their energy from renewables. So wind, solar, hydro." We explained to Su that the supplier she was with sources the majority of its electricity from the wholesale market, which includes energy generated by gas and coal. Then it purchases cheap renewable energy certificates called REGOs to effectively "offset" this. That allows her supplier to legally call the electricity "100% renewable". In response, Su said: "I'm not very impressed with that at all. To claim that all your energy is sourced renewably and then to do that is very misleading. "That's not giving consumers an informed choice about where they're getting their electric from." Johnny Gowdy is a director at Regen, a not-for-profit organisation supporting the transition to a net-zero energy future. He says: "The good news is, there's a lot of demand for green energy products and that's why the industry is responding to that. "So there's a success story here which has been muddied somewhat by loose language and loose marketing around green energy tariffs."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56602674
     
         
      It may look rude, but this vibrating wind turbine is producing clean energy Fri, 2nd Apr 2021 11:06:00
     
      Nicknamed 'the Skybrator' by the internet, a bladeless wind turbine has been designed to generate energy from its vibrations alone. Global wind power growth must triple over the next decade to achieve carbon neutrality, says the UN. But traditional wind turbines are struggling to meaningfully contribute to this goal. They are widely criticised for being expensive, noisy and harming wildlife. However, the majority of these problems come down to the traditional windmill design that is dating back to the ninth century. Spanish start-up Vortex Bladeless has decided to break with this tradition. The company came up with a bladeless design, which they call an environmentally friendly aerogenerator. The technology harnesses energy from the wind through oscillation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/02/it-may-look-rude-but-this-vibrating-wind-turbine-is-producing-clean-energy
     
         
      Then and now: Rising temperatures threaten corals Fri, 2nd Apr 2021 10:56:00
     
      In our monthly feature, Then and Now, we reveal some of the ways that planet Earth has been changing against the backdrop of a warming world. Here, we look at coral bleaching, and how warming waters are threatening the survival of a true wonder of the seas. Coral reefs are hives of activity in the ocean, where many different species can be found. Scientists refer to such zones as biodiversity hotspots. Although reefs take up less than 1% of the area covered by ocean, they are estimated to be home to more than a third of life under the waves. Yet they too face an uncertain future as a result of a warming world. Scientists list climate change as the main cause of damage to the world's reefs. Corals can't tolerate very high temperatures, so as ocean water warms, they effectively become "sick". Thermal stress of this kind can lead to the coral becoming bleached, meaning they lose their striking colours and turn white or very pale. Coral can survive bleaching events, but in this state they are also more likely to die. The before and after photos show an episode of bleaching and coral mortality in American Samoa, a territory in the Pacific Ocean, back in 2015. A US team of scientists observed at the time: "Severe bleaching and mortality occurred on shallow inshore and [lagoon] reefs along southern Tutuila [American Samoa's main island]. "These shallow habitats have limited water circulation, which worsens the effects of high temperature stress." Despite this worrying event, the state of the reefs in this area are currently deemed to be "good".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56567237
     
         
      US fossil-fuel companies took billions in tax breaks – and then laid off thousands Fri, 2nd Apr 2021 10:00:00
     
      Fossil-fuel companies have received billions of dollars in tax benefits from the US government as part of coronavirus relief measures, only to lay off tens of thousands of their workers during the pandemic, new figures reveal. A group of 77 firms involved in the extraction of oil, gas and coal received $8.2bn under tax-code changes that formed part of a major pandemic stimulus bill passed by Congress last year. Five of these companies also got benefits from the paycheck protection program, totaling more than $30m. Despite this, almost every one of the fossil-fuel companies laid off workers, with a more than 58,000 people losing their jobs since the onset of the pandemic, or around 16% of the combined workforces. The largest beneficiary of government assistance has been Marathon Petroleum, which has got $2.1bn in tax benefits. However, in the year to December 2020, the Ohio-based refining company laid off 1,920 workers, or around 9% of its workforce. As a comparative ratio, Marathon has received around $1m for each worker it made redundant, according to BailoutWatch, a nonprofit advocacy group that analyzed Securities and Exchange Commission filings to compile all the data. Phillips 66, Vistra Corp, National Oilwell Varco and Valero were the next largest beneficiaries of the tax-code changes, with all of them shedding jobs in the past year. In the case of National Oilwell Varco, a Houston-headquartered drilling supply company, 22% of the workforce was fired, despite federal government tax assistance amounting to $591m. Other major oil and gas companies including Devon Energy and Occidental Petroleum also took in major pandemic tax benefits in the last year while also shedding thousands of workers. “I’m not surprised that these companies took advantage of these tax benefits, but I’m horrified by the layoffs after they got this money,” said Chris Kuveke, a researcher at BailoutWatch. “Last year’s stimulus was about keeping the economy going, but these companies didn’t use these resources to retain their workers. These are companies that are polluting the environment, increasing the deadliness of the pandemic and letting go of their workers.” The tax benefits stems from a change in the Cares Act from March last year that allowed companies that had made a loss since 2013 to use this to offset their taxes, receiving this refund as a payment. The extended carry-back benefit was embraced by the oil and gas industry, with many companies suffering losses even before Covid-19 hit. Pandemic shutdowns then severely curtailed travel by people for business or pleasure, dealing a major blow to fossil-fuel companies through the plummeting use of oil, with the price of a barrel of oil even entering negative territory at one point last year. A spokesman for Marathon, the one company to answer questions on the layoffs, said the business made “the very difficult decision” to reduce its workforce, providing severance and extended healthcare benefits to those affected. “These difficult decisions were part of a broader, comprehensive effort, which also included implementing strict capital discipline and overall expense management to lower our cost structure, to improve the company’s resiliency, and re-position it for long-term success,” the spokesman said. “We look forward to better days ahead for everyone as the nation emerges from the pandemic.” This expense management didn’t extend to the pay of Marathon’s chief executive, Michael Hennigan, who made $15.5m in 2020. According to BailoutWatch, Marathon’s chief executive is paid 99 times the average company worker’s salary. “They had no problem paying their executives for good performance when they didn’t perform well,” said Kuveke. “There is no problem with working Americans retaining their jobs but I don’t believe we should subsidize an industry that has been supported by the government for the past 100 years. It’s time to stop subsidizing them and start facing the climate crisis.” Faced by growing political and societal pressure in their role in the climate crisis and the deaths of millions of people each year through air pollution, the oil and gas industry has sought to paint itself as the protector of thousands of American workers who face joblessness due to Joe Biden’s climate policies. “Targeting specific industries with new taxes would only undermine the nation’s economic recovery and jeopardize good-paying jobs, including union jobs,” said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice-president for policy, economic and regulatory affairs at lobby group American Petroleum Institute, following Biden’s announcement of a new climate-focused infrastructure plan on Wednesday. “It’s important to note that our industry receives no special tax treatment, and we will continue to advocate for a tax code that supports a level playing field for all economic sectors along with policies that sustain and grow the billions of dollars in government revenue that we help generate.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/02/fossil-fuel-companies-billions-tax-breaks-workers
     
         
      Climate-concerned gardeners demand UK ban on peat compost Fri, 2nd Apr 2021 7:00:00
     
      The UK government must ban the sales of peat compost this year after its goal of a voluntary phaseout by 2020 proved an “abject failure”, according to a group of gardening experts, conservationists and scientists. Peat bogs store huge amounts of carbon and must be retained to help tackle the climate crisis. In a letter to the environment secretary, George Eustice, seen by the Guardian, the group say the UK as host of the UN climate summit talks this year should show leadership on the issue. The Easter weekend is traditionally the biggest gardening weekend of the year, and the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 is estimated to have created 3 million new gardeners. In a survey by the Wildlife Trusts published on Friday, just one of the 20 leading garden retailers – Travis Perkins – said it would end peat compost sales in 2021. The trusts said there was no sign of the government’s long-awaited peat strategy. “In 2011, the government set voluntary targets to end sales of peat-based compost for domestic use by 2020. This has been an abject failure,” said the letter to Eustice signed by the TV gardeners Alan Titchmarsh, Kate Bradbury and James Wong, the conservationist Isabella Tree and dozens of others. “If the government wants to show global leadership on the climate crisis before it hosts the Cop26 climate conference, this is a vital step.” Prof Dave Goulson, a scientist at the University of Sussex who drafted the letter, said: “Allowing this precious store of carbon to be pillaged so that we can grow ornamental flowers is a needless environmental travesty, given that there are high-quality peat-free alternatives available.” UK peatlands hold more than 3bn tonnes of carbon, three times more than UK woodlands, but only about 20% remain in a near natural state. As well as extraction, draining of the bogs and fens for farming and forestry, overgrazing, and burning of heather on grouse shooting estates have damaged peatlands. Peatlands grow by the slow buildup of plant material in waterlogged landscapes. Their degradation means they are losing more carbon than they are gaining. Craig Bennett, the chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Countless promises have been broken and targets missed, with the result that precious peatland habitats are still being unnecessarily destroyed in the name of gardening. The time for delay and excuses is over. The government can ensure these important carbon stores function as nature intended by banning peat sales now.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/02/climate-concerned-gardeners-demand-uk-ban-on-peat-compost?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      Rapid global heating is hurting farm productivity, study finds Thu, 1st Apr 2021 16:00:00
     
      The climate crisis is already eating into the output of the world’s agricultural systems, with productivity much lower than it would have been if humans hadn’t rapidly heated the planet, new research has found. Advances in technology, fertilizer use and global trade have allowed food production to keep pace with a booming global population since the 1960s, albeit with gross inequities that still leave millions of people suffering from malnutrition. But rising temperatures in this time have acted as a handbrake to farming productivity of crops and livestock, according to the new research, published in Nature Climate Change. Productivity has actually slumped by 21% since 1961, compared to if the world hadn’t been subjected to human-induced heating. With the global population set to rise to more than 9 billion by 2050, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that food production will have to increase by about 70%, with annual crop production increasing by almost one 1bn tonnes and meat production soaring by more than 200m tonnes a year by this point. Meanwhile, global temperatures are rising at a rate that scientists warn is extremely dangerous for human civilization. “The impact already is larger than I thought it would be,” said Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, an economist at Cornell University who led the research. “It was a big surprise to me. The worry I have is that research and development in agriculture takes decades to translate into higher productivity. The projected temperature increase is so fast I don’t know if we are going to keep pace with that.” The research measured productivity by inputs – such as labor, fertilizer and equipment – and the output in food they produce, using a model to determine how climate change has influenced this relationship. While farming has generally become far more efficient in recent decades, it is increasingly menaced by heatwaves that exhaust farm workers and wither certain crops. Extreme weather events and drought can also affect the output of a farm, particularly smaller operations in poorer countries. In 2019, scientists who analyzed the top 10 global crops that provide the majority of our food calories found that climate change is reducing the worldwide production of staples such as rice and wheat. Again, less affluent countries are suffering worst from this situation. The intensification of farming to boost output has in itself caused major environmental damage, through the deforestation of grazing land, loss of valuable topsoil, pollution from pesticides and the release of vast amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute to global heating. “Ultimately we want to increase productivity in a changing climate but a bad way to do that is by increasing inputs such as land and water,” said Ortiz-Bobea. “If we were more productive we could produce more with less of an environmental footprint.” Weston Anderson, a researcher of food security and climate at Columbia University who was not involved in the study, said the new research provides fresh insight into the magnitude of the impact upon agriculture. “The regions that this paper highlights as experiencing the largest reductions in agricultural productivity – Central America and the Sahel – contain some of the least food secure countries in the world, which is a real concern,” he said. “It means that populations that were already food insecure are shouldering the heaviest burden of climate change, and highlights the importance of doing all that we can to improve agricultural production in these vulnerable regions immediately.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/01/climate-crisis-global-heating-food-farming-agriculture
     
         
      Should airports be allowed to expand? Thu, 1st Apr 2021 10:51:00
     
      Airports around the UK want to expand and increase flights, despite a government commitment to cut emissions. Are their plans bad for the environment, and will they interfere with the UK's ambition to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050? Why do airports want to expand? Airports are privately run and they want to grow to increase profits. British airports also employ hundreds of thousands of people, and the owners say a strong aviation sector is vital for the UK's future as a trading nation. Many pension funds are invested in the industry. That's why councillors have approved a new terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport, and a runway extension at Southampton may be agreed later this month. In total, eight airports round the UK have plans to grow. Covid restrictions have hit aviation hard, with few people currently flying. But the industry hopes numbers will bounce back. What are the arguments against? Flying creates noise and local pollution - and it adds to greenhouse gases that are overheating the planet. British Airways' CO2 emissions alone were similar to those of all of the UK's vans put together, says the green group Transenv. BA doesn't deny the figure but says it's committed to reducing its impact. At the moment flying produces around 6% of the UK's emissions - but aviation has been allowed merely to stabilise its emissions while other sectors have to cut theirs. So the effects of flying will grow proportionately over time. Planes also damage the climate in other ways. They emit nitrogen oxide (NOx) gas, a pollutant. They also create contrails - ribbons of cloud that can warm the atmosphere. Scientists believe the overall effect of non-CO2 emissions at altitude is between two and four times that of the CO2 emissions alone.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56567182
     
         
      Climate change: Net zero targets are 'pie in the sky' Thu, 1st Apr 2021 10:47:00
     
      Sharp divisions between the major global emitters have emerged at a series of meetings designed to make progress on climate change. India lambasted the richer world's carbon cutting plans, calling long term net zero targets, "pie in the sky." Their energy minister said poor nations want to continue using fossil fuels and the rich countries "can't stop it". China meanwhile declined to attend a different climate event organised by the UK. Trying to lead 197 countries forward on the critical global issue of climate change is not a job for the faint hearted, as the UK is currently finding out. As president of COP26, this year's crucial climate meeting due to take place in Glasgow in November, Britain is charged with ensuring a successful summit of world leaders and their negotiators. To that end, the UK team have embarked on a series of meetings to find the building blocks of agreement, so that the world keeps the temperature targets agreed in Paris in 2015 within reach. To have a decent chance of keeping the increase in global temperature under 1.5C - which is now considered as the gateway to dangerous warming - carbon emissions need to reach net zero by 2050. Net zero refers to balancing out any greenhouse gas emissions produced by industry, transport or other sources by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. A range of major carbon-producing countries, including the US, the UK, Japan and the EU, have signed up to the idea. Last September, China said it would get there by 2060.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56596200
     
         
      PENISES ARE SHRINKING BECAUSE OF POLLUTION, WARNS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST Wed, 31st Mar 2021 13:56:00
     
      In case you needed another reason to care about the climate crisis, it has been found that pollution is causing human penises to shrink. A leading epidemiologist and environmental scientist has published a book which examines the link between industrial chemicals and penile length. Dr Shanna Swan's book, Count Down, argues that our modern world is altering humans' reproductive development and threatening the future of our species. The book outlines how pollution is leading to higher rates of erectile dysfunction, fertility decline, and growing numbers of babies born with small penises. Though the headline fact about shrinkage may sound like a laughing matter, the research paints a bleak portrait of humanity's longevity and ability to survive. "In some parts of the world, the average twenty-something today is less fertile than her grandmother was at 35," Dr Swan writes, dubbing the situation a "global existential crisis" in the book. “Chemicals in our environment and unhealthy lifestyle practices in our modern world are disrupting our hormonal balance, causing various degrees of reproductive havoc." According to the book, humans meet three of the five possible criteria used to define whether or not a species is endangered. "Only one needs to be met," writes Dr Swan, "the current state of affairs for humans meets at least three." WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLLUTION THAT'S CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS? According to Dr Swan's research, this disruption is caused by phthalates, chemicals used in plastic manufacturing, which can impact how the hormone endocrine is produced. This group of chemicals is used to help increase the flexibility of a substance. They can be found in toys, food packaging, detergents, cosmetics, and many more products. But Dr Swan believes that these substances are radically harming human development. "Babies are now entering the world already contaminated with chemicals because of the substances they absorb in the womb," she says. Much of Dr Swan's recent work has focused on the effects of phthalates, initially looking at phthalate syndrome in rats. In 2000, however, there was a breakthrough in the field, and it became possible to measure low doses of phthalates in humans.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/03/23/penises-are-shrinking-because-of-pollution-warns-environmental-scientist
     
         
      Climate change: China absent from key UK meeting Wed, 31st Mar 2021 12:32:00
     
      A critical meeting on climate change, organised by the UK, appears to be the latest victim of an ongoing row with China. Ministers from around 35 countries are due to participate in today's summit on climate and development. But while the US, EU, India and others are taking part, China is notable by its absence. The UK says that China was invited to the event but is not participating. Relations between the UK and China have deteriorated in recent weeks after angry exchanges about human rights. Just a few days ago China imposed sanctions on nine UK citizens - including five MPs- for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country. Today's climate and development summit is being described by the UK as a "key moment" in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow later this year. A list of invitees was published two weeks ago including China. But when the final list of participants was circulated, they were absent. A UK COP26 spokesman said China had been invited, adding: "We look forward to working with them on climate change issues in this critical year ahead of COP26." When pressed on the reasons for the non-participation, no further comment was forthcoming. With major emitters such as the US, EU and India taking part, it would be expected that China would play a leading role in this type of event. Not only is it the world's biggest carbon emitter but it also likes to portray itself as a key ally for developing countries. "To have the ministerial taking place without China is far from ideal," said Richard Black, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. "China is a major lender, trading partner and diplomatic presence across much of the developing world, and will of course be a hugely important power broker for COP26." "As John Kerry recently said, the logical approach of western nations is to carve out a constructive place to engage with China on climate change amid the very real differences on other issues. However, it's not yet clear if Chinese leaders will be prepared to go along with this - and the UK, as COP26 hosts, has a very tricky diplomatic path to steer."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56584575
     
         
      Scottish election 2021: Greens say focus should be climate change Wed, 31st Mar 2021 12:30:00
     
      Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the focus of the election must be climate change in order to cut Scotland's emissions. He claimed other parties were "sleepwalking" to climate breakdown by supporting fossil fuel exploration. The Scottish government has a legally-binding net-zero target for 2045. But the Scottish Greens said without further action, global warming is on track to rise by more than double the target agreed in the Paris agreement. The Scottish Lib Dems confirmed on Tuesday they would also be campaigning on taking action on climate change. MSPs passed a bill in 2019 which put the net-zero target - the aim of having all emissions offset by 2045 - in law. The plans were overwhelmingly backed by MSPs, although the Scottish Greens abstained in the vote having called for more ambitious milestones to be set along the way. The party said the plans failed to commit to moving away from fossil fuels and were "heavily reliant on untested technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage to keep the oil and gas industry running at maximum levels of extraction". On Tuesday, Mr Harvie said that within nine years the climate crisis will be "irreversible" and that Scotland "can't afford to continue this complacency". He said: "The SNP are stuck in a repeating loop, setting eye-catching targets and missing them; sticking with their discredited climate plan while still supporting the fossil fuel industry. "And of course, they are also united with Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems on road and aviation expansion too. They are sleepwalking this country to disaster. "Only the Scottish Greens have the solutions to the climate crisis, and have announced green recovery investment plans that would slash emissions and create over 100,000 jobs." Mr Harvie added: "This cannot be fixed by the behaviour of individuals or left to market forces. "We need state intervention to invest in renewable energy, integrated public transport, warm homes and restoring Scotland's natural environment. We need to vote like our future depends on it, because it does."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56575904
     
         
      A few frequent flyers 'dominate air travel' Wed, 31st Mar 2021 12:20:00
     
      A small minority of frequent flyers dominate air travel in almost all countries with high aviation emissions, analysis suggests. In the UK, 70% of flights are made by a wealthy 15% of the population, with 57% not flying abroad at all. There are calls for a frequent flyer levy - a tax that increases the more you fly each year. Greenpeace supports the tax and also wants air miles banned because they say it encourages frequent flying. The UK government said it is reviewing aviation taxes, but insisted that a frequent flier levy would have many problems. The campaigners believe frequent flyer levies would be broadly popular because they disproportionately affect the rich, who fly the most. The UK Citizens' Assembly last year supported the principle that people who fly more should be taxed more. Research for the climate campaign group Possible says that, in the US, just 12% of people take two-thirds of flights. The government's advisory Climate Change Committee wants a levy on frequent fliers. The Possible research suggests the frequent flyer trend is mirrored in other wealthy countries. Alethea Warrington, from Possible, said: "This report shows the same pattern of inequality around the world - a small minority of frequent flyers take an unfair share of the flights. "While the poorest communities are already suffering the impacts of a warming climate, the benefits of high-carbon lifestyles are enjoyed only by the few. A lot of people travel. But only the privileged few fly often." John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, told BBC News: "Taxing frequent fliers is a good idea - but we also have to do something about air miles, which reward frequent fliers for flying more frequently. This is obscene during a climate crisis - and it should be stopped." A UK Treasury spokesman told BBC News: "We're leading the global fight on climate change and will use our hosting of COP26 (the Glasgow climate summit) later this year to galvanise global support for aviation decarbonisation. "Frequent flyers already pay more under the current APD (Air Passenger Duty) system, but we are currently consulting on aviation tax reform and welcome views." He said there were many drawbacks to a frequent flyer levy. These include that it would be complex to administer, could pose data processing and privacy concerns, could be difficult to impose where passengers hold multiple passports and could be a challenge for those who have an essential need to fly frequently. The government's consultation on aviation tax reform closes on 14 June. The spokesman did not comment on the proposal to make air miles programmes illegal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56582094
     
         
      Climate change: Plans revealed to slash carbon emissions in NI Wed, 31st Mar 2021 12:16:00
     
      Ideas to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from homes, businesses, transport and power sectors go out to public consultation on Wednesday. It comes as Northern Ireland begins to formulate plans to deal with the climate challenge. People in NI are heavily reliant on fossil fuels for almost every aspect of their lives. The plans announced today aim to all but eliminate carbon emissions from our energy use. It will mean more renewables, greater energy efficiency in homes, an end to petrol and diesel cars and a move to clean power sources like hydrogen. Among the proposals is a new target of generating 70% of electricity from renewables by 2030. But the scope is much wider than simply power generation and will affect how we get around and heat our homes. The ideas are in the Economy Department's Energy Strategy, which aims to set future policy in the area and now goes out to public consultation until 30 June. Once the public has had its say, the executive will use the responses to set policies that will attempt to deliver huge reductions in carbon emissions. Alongside attempts to cut emissions will be a commitment to keep costs down for consumers and protect the most vulnerable. Retrofitting existing homes to make them much more energy efficient is one of the central planks - creating green jobs. So too is improving public transport and encouraging drivers to move to electric vehicles. We will be expected to decarbonise home heating, with existing natural gas customers moved onto clean fuels such as hydrogen supplied through the existing network. People reliant on home heating oil could be asked to burn a green fuel, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, or switch to heat pump technology. There's also to be a push for off-shore wind, something that has so far not been achieved here. There are proposals for a new support mechanism for renewables, similar to the one in Britain. Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: "In order to eliminate carbon emissions from energy, our business and domestic consumers will need to make cleaner, leaner energy choices which will include moving away from fossil fuels by switching to renewable technologies and doing more with less." A recent executive-funded report by academics at Exeter University criticised the overly complex governance arrangements for energy in NI, with different departments having responsibility for different sectors such as housing and transport.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56581482
     
         
      Climate change top challenge over the next decade, UNESCO global survey finds Wed, 31st Mar 2021 11:53:00
     
      More than 15,000 people worldwide contributed to the survey, which was held online between May and September 2020, and made available in 25 languages. Respondents were mainly young people, with 57 per cent under age 35, and 35 per cent under 25. Results also were analyzed along regional, gender, age and other demographic lines. “Greater efforts are needed to address people’s specific concerns, and multilateralism is the way to do this. Restoring confidence in multilateralism requires the implementation of concrete and impactful projects, and this is at the heart of our Organization's role”, said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General. The World in 2030 survey invited people from across the globe to share their specific worries about 11 challenges, and solutions for overcoming them. Most participants, or 67 per cent, selected climate change and loss of biodiversity as their top concern, mainly due to issues such as increasing natural disasters and extreme weather. Respondents felt investment in ‘green’ solutions, education on sustainability, promoting international cooperation and building trust in science, were the best ways to address the issue. Violence and conflict, discrimination and equality, and lack of food, water and housing were other big challenges, the survey revealed. Participants believed that overall, more education was the crucial solution to every single challenge. They also felt that it was the area that most needed to be re-thought, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the overall relationship between humankind and nature. The survey further showed that while 95 per cent of respondents extoll the importance of global cooperation in overcoming common challenges, only one in four felt confident that the world would be able to address these issues. UNESCO said that “taken together, the results suggest not a lack of appreciation of the importance of multilateralism but rather a crisis of faith in its effectiveness.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088812
     
         
      More climate action needed during ‘make-or-break year’ for people and planet Wed, 31st Mar 2021 11:49:00
     
      With countries across the world having agreed through the Paris Agreement to a goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels to mitigate global warming, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spelled out at the Climate and Development Ministerial Meeting: “We now need to spare no effort to achieve it in this ‘make-or-break year’”. ‘Moral, economic and social imperative’ She painted a picture of climate financing to Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States at 14 and two per cent respectively; one person in three not adequately covered by early warning systems; and women and girls – who make up 80 per cent of those displaced by the climate emergency – often excluded from decision-making roles. She said the need to adapt and be resilient, was “a moral, economic and social imperative”, pointing out that it receives just one-fifth of total climate finance. She said “we cannot wait until 2030 or 2050 to rectify these failings”. Year of action The UN has identified five concrete and achievable actions to help countries throughout the year respond to the climate emergency and “secure the breakthrough that the Secretary-General has called for”, said the Deputy UN chief. Firstly, donors need to increase their financial support to climate adaptation by least 50 per cent by June, when the United Kingdom hosts the G7 Summit of industrialized countries, followed by national and multilateral development banks once the UN climate conference (COP26) convenes in November. Access to climate support must be “streamlined, transparent and simplified”, especially for the most vulnerable and for a “significant scale-up” of existing financial instruments designed to handle disasters, along with new instruments to “incentivize resilience-building”. Next, the deputy UN chief said that developing countries needed to have the tools at their disposal to embed climate risk in all planning, budget, and procurement strategies. “Risk information is the critical first step for risk reduction, transfer and management”, she said. The final action highlighted, was to support locally and regionally led adaptation and resilience initiatives in vulnerable countries, cities and communities, at the frontlines of climate disruption.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088792
     
         
      Uganda climate change: The people under threat from a melting glacier Tue, 30th Mar 2021 13:23:00
     
      Ronah Masika remembers when she could still see the snowy caps of the Rwenzori mountains, a Unesco World Heritage site on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The view was stunning every time she travelled from her home in Kasese town to the Ugandan capital, Kampala - and it was not even that long ago. But now she cannot even catch a glimpse of the ice because the glacier is receding. And it is not only the view that has changed. Ms Masika recalls her grandmother used to grow beans to feed her family, and they would last until a new crop was ready to be harvested. "Now I and other people find it difficult to sustain ourselves with what we plant at home, because everything gets destroyed by floods or drought. It's either too much drought or too much rain. "It's making me uncomfortable, thinking of how the next generation is going to survive this horrible situation," says Ms Masika, who now works on a project to mitigate the impact of the shifting environment. Climate change is affecting the Rwenzori Mountains in different ways. The most visible is the rapid loss of the ice field, which shrunk from 6.5 sq km in 1906 to less than one sq km in 2003, and could completely disappear before the end of this decade, research shows. In 2012, forest fires reached altitudes above 4,000m, which would have been inconceivable in the past, devastating vegetation that controlled the flow of the rivers downstream. Since then, the communities living at the foot of the Rwenzori have suffered some of the most destructive floods the area has ever seen, coupled with a pattern of less frequent but heavier rainfall.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56526631
     
         
      Climate change: Welsh charities join forces with campaign Tue, 30th Mar 2021 12:52:00
     
      More than 60 Welsh charities and organisations have joined forces to launch the Climate.Cymru campaign. They are seeking 50,000 messages on the topic from Wales. Already, 1,000 individuals, families and businesses have contributed their own personal stories and suggestions about addressing the threat of global warming. Campaigner Susie Ventris-Field has said poorer communities must not have their lives made harder by reshaping the economy to combat global heating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-56570437
     
         
      Climate change: Consumer pose 'growing threat' to tropical forests Tue, 30th Mar 2021 12:48:00
     
      Rising imports in wealthy countries of coffee, cocoa and other products are a "growing threat" to forests in tropical regions according to a new study. Research shows consumer behaviour in the UK and other rich nations is responsible for the loss of almost 4 trees per person per year. Increasing numbers of trees are now being planted in the developed world, the authors say. But imports of products linked to deforestation undermine these efforts. This growing international trade is doing more harm than good for climate and for biodiversity say the researchers. Among the world's forests, trees growing in tropical areas are said to be the most valuable in protecting species and limiting global heating. Tropical forests are home to between 50-90% of all terrestrial plants and animals. They are also critical for the climate, soaking up and storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide. But in the Amazon, central Africa, Indonesia and parts of Asia, growing numbers of trees have been cut down in recent decades so farmers can grow commodity crops like soybeans, and graze cattle for beef. This new study looks at the global deforestation picture over the years between 2001 and 2015. Using high-resolution forest maps and a global supply chain model, the researchers were able to compile a comprehensive and highly detailed account of how deforestation is being driven by consumer behaviour, especially in richer countries. So while countries like the UK, Germany, China and India have all planted more trees at home in recent years, all are linked to rising deforestation outside their borders, particularly in tropical forests. The researchers were able to be remarkably precise about the impacts of this trade. Cocoa consumption in Germany poses the highest risk to forests in Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana, in Tanzania it's the demand for sesame seeds among Japanese consumers that's a key driver. It's not just the wealthier nations - demand in China is responsible for deforestation in Northern Laos as land is cleared for rubber plantations. "The imports of tropical deforestation-related commodities tend to be increasing, while the global deforestation rate was reported to be decreasing," said first author Nguyen Tien Hoang from the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto. "Obtaining net forest gains domestically but expanding non-domestic deforestation footprints, especially in the tropics, might do more harm than good for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation," he told BBC News.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56566377
     
         
      UN-Habitat?report?calls?for cities post-pandemic to lead the way to a fairer, greener, healthier future Tue, 30th Mar 2021 12:12:00
     
      ‘Cities and Pandemics: Towards a more just, green and healthy future’, launched on Tuesday, describes how urban areas have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis. “95 per cent of all cases”?were?recorded in cities in the first months?of the pandemic,?Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN-Habitat Executive Director, said. Cities on the frontline “Throughout this pandemic, it has been up to local governments and communities to move quickly and decisively to stop the spread of COVID-19 and ensure an effective response,”?Ms. Sharif added. Despite these pressures, many local governments and community leaders responded quickly and effectively to prevent the spread of the pandemic and mitigate its effects.? The UN-Habitat report?recommends?actions for a sustainable recovery?based on?evidence from?more than 1,700 cities. Life and death inequalities It found that patterns of inequality,?due to?a?lack of access to basic services, poverty and overcrowded living conditions, have been key destabilising factors in increasing the scale and impact of COVID-19.? Eduardo Moreno, Head of Knowledge and Innovation at UN-Habitat, said that due to the pandemic, an estimated?“120 million people in the world will be pushed into poverty and living standards will reduce by 23 per cent”.? “The conclusion is that income matters”,?he added. According to the?text, urban leaders and planners must rethink how people move through and in cities, using lessons learned from the last year of COVID-19. This?includes?an increased focus at the local level on planning neighbourhoods and communities that are multi-functional and inclusive? Planning, affordability The?report explores how well-planned cities combining residential and commercial with public spaces, along with affordable housing, can improve public health, the local economy and the environment.? It?calls for cities to be at the forefront of moves towards a Social Contract between governments, the public, civil society and private sector.? The?new social contract?should?“explore the role of the?state and cities to finance universal basic income, universal health insurance, universal housing”,?said Sharif. For one real-world example, Claudia Lopez Hernandez, Mayor of Bogota, explained how in the Colombian capital, their new social contract prioritises women and children.? It is a?“social contract that includes women, that provides them with time, with time to take care of themselves, with time to educate themselves, and with time and education skills to come back to the labour market”.? “To have self-sustainable women is to have self-sustainable societies”,?Hernandez explained. New priorities The Report outlines how a new normal can emerge in cities?“where health, housing and security are prioritised for the most vulnerable, not only out of social necessity, but also from a profound commitment to human rights for all.”? This requires governments to focus on policies to protect land rights, improve access to water, sanitation, public transport, electricity, health and education facilities and ensure inclusive digital connectivity. The Report recommends strengthening access to municipal finance to enable city leaders to build a new urban economy that reduces disaster risk as well as addressing climate change by developing nature-based solutions and investing in sustainable infrastructure to enable low carbon transport.? The Cities and Pandemics Report makes it clear that the way urban environments recover from the pandemic, will have a major impact on the global effort to achieve a sustainable future for all – in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088622
     
         
      Why are people not doing more about climate change? Mon, 29th Mar 2021 14:12:00
     
      I drive a diesel car, eat meat and just a few months ago had a gas boiler installed in my house, that's quite an admission for an environment correspondent who reports on climate change. The problem is that greener options are financially out of reach for me and - it seems - most Scots. That is something I have been investigating for BBC Scotland's Disclosure. We commissioned a survey of 1,009 Scots, conducted by Savanta ComRes, which suggests price is putting many people off making greener lifestyle choices. Of the people who indicated that they had considered buying an electric vehicle in the past year, 71% said they had not bought one because of the cost. Price was a factor too when it came to switching from gas and oil home heating to greener alternatives such as heat pumps. In that question, 64% of those who had considered the switch said the cost had put them off. Both these changes and many others will be necessary over the next 25 years if Scotland is to meet its targets for reducing emissions. But Dr Sarah Ivory from the University of Edinburgh, who has studied climate-related behaviour change, believes it will difficult to bring them about. She says: "We're all a little bit sick of hearing about how bad it is, hearing that something needs to happen and really not knowing how to act. "We have people say, 'why should we change now?'. I think the answer to that is, if we don't change now, we really are on a pathway to some catastrophic changes in our climate." Those catastrophic changes are not just being felt in faraway countries. Experts told Disclosure that Scotland would see more wildfires, droughts and impacts from rising sea levels. But our survey suggests most people are unaware of the changes that are coming. Only 16% expected more wildfires, despite Scotland already seeing a dramatic rise in these. Even fewer, just 13%, thought increasing droughts would be a problem, despite more than 100,000 private water supplies being at risk. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says it has seen a 30% rise in wildfires since 2010 and believes a similar rise is likely in the next decade. In May 2019 fire spread across 22 square miles of peatland in the Flow Country in Sutherland. Area Commander Bruce Farquharson said: "If things don't change in relation to where the climate is differing and to human behaviour then the fires we will see in the UK will be similar to those that are being seen in Portugal right now. "If we look at the fire behaviour that we see in Portugal, unfortunately that will lead to loss of life." In 2017, dozens were killed in their cars while trying to flee a wildfire in Portugal. It often takes hundreds of firefighters to bring them under control. Our investigation suggests there are clear barriers preventing people making environmentally-beneficial lifestyle changes. About 29% of respondents had considered buying an electric vehicle (EV) in the past year but most had been put off by the price which is still more than for a similar petrol or diesel car. EV driver Elinor Chalmers has had her vehicle since 2015 and is a passionate advocate of them. She says: "It's something completely new and it does require quite a habit change. "We are used to driving up to the petrol station, standing there fuelling up. But most of our cars are sitting doing nothing the majority of the time so your car can be fuelling while it's stationary." Arguably the individual action with the greatest short-term benefit is reducing the amount of meat we eat. That's because the greenhouse gas generated by livestock rearing, methane, is up to 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But unlike CO2, which hangs around for centuries, methane is relatively short-lived, lasting just decades. Government advisers have suggested we should cut our meat consumption by a quarter over the next 10 years. But our survey suggests a reluctance, with 30% saying they would not follow the advice. Most (79%) said it was because they liked eating meat while 39% said they did not believe eating meat was bad for the environment. In Scotland, researchers also forecast that half of the country's private water supplies are at risk of regularly running dry because of drought. That would affect more than 100,000 people in places such as the north east and Dumfries and Galloway. New boreholes are now being drilled in areas which have never run dry before. Dr Mike Rivington, from the James Hutton Institute, says: "It's not unusual to have localised areas suffering drought. What is increasing is the probability of that happening more often. "We look at years like 2018, which was a fairly exceptional year, where (drought) was much more widespread across the country. "We're going to see a lot more of years like 2018. In fact that's going to become the norm rather than the exception." Before the pandemic, school strikes were being staged right across Scotland with young people protesting that governments were not doing enough to tackle climate change. The idea came from the Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg who held a weekly vigil outside the country's parliament. But our poll suggests only 32% of people have been influenced by the protests to make lifestyle changes for the benefit of the planet. And 29% believe the actions of individuals have only a minor impact, or no impact at all, on tackling the issue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56500739
     
         
      If everyone on Earth sat in the ocean at once, how much would sea level rise? Mon, 29th Mar 2021 14:07:00
     
      Hypothetical questions, like what would happen if everyone on Earth went for an ocean swim at once, are fun to think about. And using math, you can get pretty close to a real answer. Let’s start by considering a smaller version of the same question. Bathtub math If you fill a bathtub all the way to the top and hop in, you know you’re in for a soggy cleanup. The water overflows because your body pushes it out of the way – something called displacement. Since the tub has a solid bottom and sides, the only direction the water can go is up and out. The amount of space an object – in this case, you – takes up is called volume. The volume of water that overflows the tub is equal to the volume of your body. Now think about a situation where the bathtub is only half full. As you hop in, the volume of your body still pushes the water up. You can calculate how much the water level in the tub will rise with a few simple math equations. Suppose the bathtub is a rectangular box. You can figure out how much the water level will rise when you sit down in the tub by considering how much volume you are adding to the tub and what size area you are spreading this volume over. The amount the water level rises is equal to the added volume divided by the area. For a bathtub that is 5 feet long and 2 feet wide, the area is 10 square feet. Now, let’s figure out your volume. To make the math easier, let’s suppose that you, like the bathtub, are also a rectangular box. Let’s say you are about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide (from left to right) and 1 foot deep (from front to back). The volume of your body would be 4 feet x 2 feet x 1 foot, or 8 cubic feet. When you sit down, you are adding the volume of approximately half your body to the tub. This means the height of the water level rise is equal to the volume of half your body, divided by the area of the tub. Using the estimates above, this leads to a water level rise of 4 cubic feet divided by 10 square feet, which equals about 5 inches. You would certainly notice that! Scaling up You can think about the oceans as a gigantic bathtub. More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is ocean, giving this bathtub an area of about 140 million square miles. To figure out how much the water will rise, we need to know the volume of people sitting in it and divide it by this ocean area. Currently, there are almost 8 billion people on Earth. Human beings come in all sizes, from tiny babies to large adults. Let’s assume the average size is 5 feet tall – a bit bigger than a child – with an average volume of 10 cubic feet. Only half of each person’s body would be submerged when they sit down, so only 5 cubic feet adds to the water level. With 8 billion people total, you can calculate 5 x 8 billion which gives a whopping 40 billion cubic feet that would be added to the oceans. But remember, this volume would be spread over the vast area of the oceans. Using the same bathtub math as before, we divide the 40 billion cubic feet of volume over the 140 million square miles of ocean. The answer? The total rise in sea level would be about 0.00012 of an inch, or less than 1/1000th of an inch. If everyone completely submerged themselves, this would double the answer to 0.00024 inches, which is still only about the width of a human hair. It turns out the oceans are enormous – and humans are just a drop in the bucket.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/if-everyone-on-earth-sat-in-the-ocean-at-once-how-much-would-sea-level-rise-156626
     
         
      China-Russia joint nuclear power plant sees second operation incident in 10 months Mon, 29th Mar 2021 12:35:00
     
      The Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant, the largest technical and economic cooperation project between China and Russia at the moment, reported in March another operation incident within 10 months. On March 9, the temperature difference between No. 1 and No. 2 steam generators resulted in the closure of the main steam isolation valve of No. 2 steam generator. The incident happened during a refueling overhaul of reactor at the Tianwan Nuclear Plant, in East China's Jiangsu Province, the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) announced on Wednesday. The No.2 reactor, which used the Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactor devices, was built under a 1992 cooperation agreement between China and Russia. Its construction started in October 1999 and was commissioned in September 2007. After the incident, the faulty regulating valve was replaced and the overhaul proceeded as planned, the NNSA said. In May 2020, during the refueling overhaul of Unit 1, a defect on nine welding lines on pipes in the low-pressure injection system was found. Both incidents were classified as 0 level according to international standards, indicating that there is a deviation in the operation, but without any breaches of safety. This level of events do not have any impact on nuclear safety, the health of employees, the public and the environment in the vicinity. The NNSA said that during the March 9 incident, the reactor protection system responded normally, the safety barriers remained intact, and there were no radioactive consequences, no human exposure, and no environmental pollution. The China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) holds 50 percent of the shares of the Tianwan Nuclear Plant. The Tianwan and the Xudapu nuclear plants, in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, are part of a 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) nuclear deal signed in June 2018 between the CNNC and Rosatom State Corp Engineering Division, the Russian state nuclear company. The deal is currently the biggest bilateral cooperation project on nuclear energy. The Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant is planned to have eight units, which will generate about 70 billion kilowatt hours annually. The first four reactors used the Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactor device. Reactors No. 7 and No. 8 will use Russia’s third-generation VVER-1200 model. Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, announced on March 11 that the construction of the No. 7 reactor at Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant will start in 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1219680.shtml
     
         
      Guterres calls on US to lead global vaccination plan effort, climate action, welcoming Blinken to Headquarters Mon, 29th Mar 2021 10:40:00
     
      “I welcome the many initiatives the new United States administration has already taken to support multilateral responses to global challenges, and to strengthen cooperation between the US and the UN”, said António Guterres, sharing a screen with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and the host country’s new UN Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Back in the multilateral fold The UN chief cited rejoining the Paris Agreement, re-committing to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the face of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, and re-engaging with the Human Rights Council, as vital reversals of the previous Trump administration’s withdrawal from the multilateral stage. “The commitment and contribution of the United States are essential to resolve the many serious global challenges we face – starting with the COVID-19 pandemic”, said Mr. Guterres. Ending the pandemic “To end the pandemic everywhere, I have been insisting and I strongly believe we need a global vaccination plan, and I think the United States can play a very important role on this because, as you know, I have proposed that the G20 should establish an emergency task force to develop and coordinate such a plan but there is no way that this can work without an effective American leadership.” On the need to drastically slow the pace of global warming and take climate action to fulfil the promises made in Paris, the UN chief said the postponed COP26 in Glasgow, was a true make or break moment “for our planet”. Climate coalition “We are working closely together to build a global coalition for net zero emissions by mid-century, which has been a top priority for us in the UN for 2021, and to mobilize an immediate quantum leap in adaptation, and in finance to support developing countries”, he told the top US diplomats. “Adaptation cannot be the forgotten part of climate action and we very much count on US leadership in this regard. In my last contacts with John Kerry, he was very keen on working very strongly on adaptation and financing.” Fighting famine Famine is already destroying lives across six countries, and Mr. Guterres said he was happy to see the US using its presidency of the Security Council this month, to lead debates on fighting hunger and using diplomacy for peace. “We will work to reach lasting agreements in Afghanistan and Yemen; to consolidate our efforts in Libya; to achieve tangible progress through the political dialogue in Syria that has not yet happened; and to restart the Middle East peace process”, he said. We need a new movement for peace, from war zones to people’s homes, where women and girls are facing an epidemic of gender-based violence. On the other hand I am very keen that we can deliver on what I call my Call to Action on Human Rights.” The Secretary-General said that people everywhere were “demanding an end to systemic racism, discrimination and persecution, and protection for the rights of women, the marginalized, and minorities of all kinds. “The United Nations is I believe the place to tackle our joint challenges and reaffirm our common values.” UN ‘the anchor’ of multilateralism: Blinken In response, Mr. Blinken said the UN was “the anchor of the multilateral system”, which the Biden administration sees as “vitally important”. “When we think about virtually all of the problems and challenges that are actually going to affect the lives – are affecting the lives – of our citizens, whether it’s COVID-19, whether it’s climate, whether it is the disruption of emerging technologies, not a single one can be dealt with by any one country acting alone, even the United States”, he said. “We need to find ways to cooperate, to coordinate, to tackle problems together. And of course, the United Nations is where countries come together to work on common challenges.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088602
     
         
      The real reason humans are the dominant species Sun, 28th Mar 2021 12:45:00
     
      Energy is the key to humanity's world domination. Not just the jet fuel that allows us to traverse entire continents in a few hours, or the bombs we build that can blow up entire cities, but the vast amounts of energy we all use every day. Consider this: a resting human being requires about the same amount of energy as an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb to sustain their metabolism - about 90 watts (joules per second). But the average human being in a developed country uses more like 100 times that amount, if you add in the energy needed to get around, build and heat our homes, grow our food and all the other things our species gets up to. The average American, for example, consumes about 10,000 watts. That difference explains a lot about us - our biology, our civilisation and the unbelievably affluent lifestyles we all lead - compared, that is, with other animals. Because unlike virtually every other creature on Earth, we human beings do much more with energy than just power our own metabolism. We are a creature of fire. Humanity's exceptional relationship with energy began hundreds of thousands of years ago, with our discovery of fire. Fire did much more than just keep us warm, protect us from predators and give us a new tool for hunting. A number of anthropologists believe fire actually refashioned our biology. "Anything that allows an organism to get energy more efficiently is going to have huge effects on the evolutionary trajectory of that organism," explains Prof Rachel Carmody of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She believes the decisive development was cooking. Cooking transforms the energy available from food, she argues. The carbohydrates, proteins and lipids that provide our bodies with nutrition are unravelled and exposed when they are heated. That makes it is easier for our digestive enzymes to do their work effectively, extracting more calories more quickly than if we ate our food raw. Think of it as a way of "pre-digesting" food.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56544239
     
         
      Earth Hour: ‘Make peace with nature’ – UN chief Sat, 27th Mar 2021 12:35:00
     
      In his message to mark the event, Secretary-General António Guterres said that “we must all do our part to safeguard the planet”. “We need to make peace with nature. Without nature’s help, we cannot thrive or even survive on this planet Earth”, he spelled out. Warning that climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution “threaten lives, jobs and health”, the UN chief called 2021 “a year to change course”. “It’s time to re-evaluate and reset our relationship with nature”, he said. The Secretary-General upheld that solutions are “available, affordable, practical and realistic”. “We can provide renewable energy and sustainable food systems for all. We can reduce emissions and use nature-based solutions to help us build a more resilient, carbon-neutral world”, he said. In short, together the world can “build a brighter and more prosperous future”. The UN chief reminded that “small actions can make a big difference” and said that “the United Nations is proud to join in the global effort to mark Earth Hour”. “In this ‘make-or-break’ year, let your actions and voices send a clear message to leaders everywhere: now is the time to be bold and ambitious”, he stated. “Let’s show the world that we are determined to protect the one home we all share”, concluded the Secretary-General. As in previous years, the UN will switch off it lights at Headquarters in New York at 8:30 p.m. NY time.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088432
     
         
      Canada's Supreme Court rules in favour of national carbon tax Fri, 26th Mar 2021 10:14:00
     
      Canada's national carbon tax will remain intact after the country's Supreme Court ruled in favour of its legality. The federal law sets minimum standards for carbon pricing with the intent to price out emissions over time. Three provincial governments had pushed back on the plan, arguing Ottawa overstepped its role with the scheme. The court's decision bolsters the key component in a national effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The tax plan has been the central driving force in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. But it was a topic of contention in the last federal election, with conservative opponents arguing it hurts consumers and energy producers. - Canada 'warming faster than rest of world' - Is Trudeau doing enough on climate change? What is Trudeau's carbon tax? The 2018 Greenhouse Gas Pricing Act is a national framework for carbon pricing. It sets minimum pricing standards for provinces to meet. Provinces were allowed to implement their own plans. However, the law gives the federal government in Ottawa the power to apply its own carbon tax, known as the "backstop", on those provinces that either fall short of the national standard or have not implemented their own system. Seven of Canada's 13 provinces and territories currently pay the "backstop" rate. Its current price sits at C$30 (£17.35) per tonne of carbon dioxide released and will rise sharply to C$170 (£98.38) per tonne by 2030. The Trudeau government has expressed a desire to exceed its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate accords. What did the Supreme Court say? The top court in the country ruled in a split decision on Thursday that climate change is a threat to the whole country and demands a coordinated national approach. "Climate change is real. It is caused by greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities, and it poses a grave threat to humanity's future," Chief Justice Richard Wagner wrote, on behalf of the majority. Six justices agreed, with Mr Wagner writing: "Parliament has jurisdiction to enact this law as a matter of national concern." Shortly after the ruling, federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson released a statement hailing it as "a win for the millions of Canadians who believe we must build a prosperous economy that fights climate change".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56526115
     
         
      'Dimming the sun': $100m geoengineering research programme proposed Thu, 25th Mar 2021 15:00:00
     
      The US should establish a multimillion-dollar research programme on solar geoengineering, according to the country’s national science academy. In a report it recommends funding of $100m (£73m) to $200m over five years to better understand the feasibility of interventions to dim the sun, the risk of harmful unintended consequences and how such technology could be governed in an ethical way. The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) said cutting fossil fuel emissions remained the most urgent and important action to tackle the climate crisis. But it said the worryingly slow progress on climate action meant all options needed to be understood. Outdoor experiments should be allowed only if they provide critical knowledge that cannot be obtained by other means, said the report, and the research programme “should not be designed to advance future deployment of these interventions”. Harvard University is hoping to gain imminent approval from an independent committee for test flights, which are opposed by environmental groups. The report considers three types of solar geoengineering to allow more heat to escape the Earth’s atmosphere: injecting tiny reflective particles into the stratosphere to block sunlight; using the particles to make low-lying clouds over the oceans more reflective; and thinning high-altitude cirrus clouds. Major volcanic eruptions are already known to cool the climate by pumping particles high into the atmosphere. Proponents of geoengineering argue that impacts of global heating could be so great that every option to limit these must be explored. Opponents argue that such research increases the risk that such technologies could be deployed, perhaps by rogue states, instead of cutting emissions. Critics also warn that solar geoengineering could cause damage such as crop failures, and would need to be maintained to avoid a sudden hike in temperature, unless carbon emissions fall rapidly. “Given the urgency of the climate crisis, solar geoengineering needs to be studied further,” said Prof Marcia McNutt, the president of the academy. “But just as with advances in fields such as artificial intelligence or gene editing, science needs to engage the public to ask not just can we, but should we?” She said questions of governance – who will decide to deploy this intervention and for how long – were as important as the scientific questions. “The US solar geoengineering research programme should be all about helping society make more informed decisions,” said Prof Chris Field of Stanford University, who was chair of the committee that wrote the report. “Based on all of the evidence from social science, natural science, and technology, this research programme could either indicate that solar geoengineering should not be considered further, or conclude that it warrants additional effort.” The report said: “A reasonable initial investment for this solar geoengineering research programme is within a range of $100-200m total over five years.” It said the programme would be a small fraction of the US budget for climate change research and should not shift the focus from other projects. It said the programme should be designed to “move forward in a socially responsible manner” with researchers following a code of conduct, research catalogued in a public registry, and public engagement undertaken. Outdoor experiments should be subject to appropriate governance including impact assessments, said the report. The academy said the programme should include scientific research on the possible climate outcomes of geoengineering and impacts on ecosystems and society. Social dimensions cited for research included “domestic and international conflict and cooperation” and “justice, ethics, and equity”. Prof Gernot Wagner of New York University, whose research includes geoengineering, said: “The report’s focus on research and research governance is important for one simple reason: the current discussion is – and should be – all about research into solar geoengineering, certainly not about deploying the technology, where, if anything, a firm moratorium would be appropriate.” “Solar geoengineering is an extremely risky and intrinsically unjust technological proposal that doesn’t address any of the causes of climate change,” said Silvia Ribeiro, Latin America director for the ETC campaign group. “The report asking for more research into a technology we don’t want is essentially flawed.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/25/top-us-scientists-back-100m-geoengineering-research-proposal
     
         
      Direct Observations Confirm that Humans are Throwing Earth’s Energy Budget off Balance Thu, 25th Mar 2021 13:22:00
     
      Earth is on a budget – an energy budget. Our planet is constantly trying to balance the flow of energy in and out of Earth’s system. But human activities are throwing that off balance, causing our planet to warm in response. Radiative energy enters Earth’s system from the sunlight that shines on our planet. Some of this energy reflects off of Earth’s surface or atmosphere back into space. The rest gets absorbed, heats the planet, and is then emitted as thermal radiative energy the same way that black asphalt gets hot and radiates heat on a sunny day. Eventually this energy also heads toward space, but some of it gets re-absorbed by clouds and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The absorbed energy may also be emitted back toward Earth, where it will warm the surface even more. Adding more components that absorb radiation – like greenhouse gases – or removing those that reflect it – like aerosols – throws off Earth’s energy balance, and causes more energy to be absorbed by Earth instead of escaping into space. This is called a radiative forcing, and it’s the dominant way human activities are affecting the climate. Climate modelling predicts that human activities are causing the release of greenhouse gases and aerosols that are affecting Earth’s energy budget. Now, a NASA study has confirmed these predictions with direct observations for the first time: radiative forcings are increasing due to human actions, affecting the planet’s energy balance and ultimately causing climate change. The paper was published online March 25, 2021, in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “This is the first calculation of the total radiative forcing of Earth using global observations, accounting for the effects of aerosols and greenhouse gases,” said Ryan Kramer, first author on the paper and a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “It’s direct evidence that human activities are causing changes to Earth’s energy budget.” NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project studies the flow of radiation at the top of Earth’s atmosphere. A series of CERES instruments have continuously flown on satellites since 1997. Each measures how much energy enters Earth’s system and how much leaves, giving the overall net change in radiation. That data, in combination with other data sources such as ocean heat measurements, shows that there’s an energy imbalance on our planet. “But it doesn’t tell us what factors are causing changes in the energy balance,” said Kramer. This study used a new technique to parse out how much of the total energy change is caused by humans. The researchers calculated how much of the imbalance was caused by fluctuations in factors that are often naturally occurring, such as water vapor, clouds, temperature and surface albedo (essentially the brightness or reflectivity of Earth’s surface). For example, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite measures water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere. Water vapor absorbs energy in the form of heat, so changes in water vapor will affect how much energy ultimately leaves Earth’s system. The researchers calculated the energy change caused by each of these natural factors, then subtracted the values from the total. The portion leftover is the radiative forcing. The team found that human activities have caused the radiative forcing on Earth to increase by about 0.5 Watts per square meter from 2003 to 2018. The increase is mostly from greenhouse gases emissions from things like power generation, transport and industrial manufacturing. Reduced reflective aerosols are also contributing to the imbalance. The new technique is computationally faster than previous model-based methods, allowing researchers to monitor radiative forcing in almost real time. The method could be used to track how human emissions are affecting the climate, monitor how well various mitigation efforts are working, and evaluate models to predict future changes to the climate. “Creating a direct record of radiative forcing calculated from observations will allow us to evaluate how well climate models can simulate these forcings,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) in New York City. “This will allow us to make more confident projections about how the climate will change in the future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/direct-observations-confirm-that-humans-are-throwing-earth-s-energy-budget-off-balance
     
         
      Crown paves way for more floating wind farms off Wales Thu, 25th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Plans to allow more floating wind farm projects to be developed off the Welsh coast have been described as "significant and exciting" for Wales. Renewable UK Cymru said it could lead to thousands of jobs along the south west coast. The Crown Estate announced it was preparing to take fresh bids from those wanting to use the technology. Seabed rights have already been granted for Wales' first floating wind farm off the Pembrokeshire coast. Mooring lines are used to tether floating turbine towers to the sea base. The next leasing round for the Celtic Sea - the waters off south Wales and the south west of England - will focus on wind farms up to three times larger than any rights previously awarded to the technology in the UK. Rhys Wyn Jones, director of Renewable UK Cymru, said it "paved the way for a burgeoning, commercial-scale floating wind industry in the Celtic Sea from which Wales stands to benefit not only in meeting our net zero obligations and our targets for producing renewable energy, but also economically as well". He said there was a "huge amount of work" happening to develop a supply chain for floating wind and other marine technologies in Wales and the industry was "very excited [that] things are coming together". Huub den Rooijen, director of The Crown Estate's energy, minerals and infrastructure portfolio, said floating offshore wind was "the next frontier of the UK's clean energy ambitions, offering an exciting opportunity to deliver more green energy, in new areas". He added the announcement was an "important step in providing the market the confidence it needs to plan and invest, bringing with it huge opportunities for jobs and the supply chain".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56496954
     
         
      Why cutting down trees can be good for the climate Thu, 25th Mar 2021 10:19:00
     
      A massive tree felling operation has been going on in the vast Kielder Forest of Northumberland for the last few weeks. Thousands of trees have been cut down as part of a project that claims to be improving the environment and tackling climate change. The BBC's chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt reports on work to restore an ancient ecosystem which can store far more carbon than trees can.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56450965
     
         
      Australians could be charged for exporting energy from rooftop solar panels to the grid Wed, 24th Mar 2021 23:24:00
     
      Australian households with rooftop solar panels could be charged for exporting electricity into the power grid at times when it is not needed under proposed changes to the national electricity market. The recommendation is included in a draft deliberation by the Australian Energy Market Commission that is designed to prevent “traffic jams” of electricity at sunny times that could destabilise the network. The commission, which makes the rules for the electricity system, said the change was necessary to allow more household solar systems and batteries to be connected to the grid and make the system fairer for all electricity users. Benn Barr, the commission’s chief executive, said it was expected an average solar household with a system of between 4 and 6 kilowatts would still save about $900 a year on power bills after the change, about $70 less than currently. He said it would reduce bills for the 80% of households who do not have solar as they would no longer have to pay for solar export services they were not using. “We can decarbonise the electricity sector faster and cheaper if we connect more small solar customers and make it worthwhile for them to install batteries,” he said. “Within 10 years, half of all energy users will be using energy options like solar. We must make sure this seismic shift doesn’t leave anyone behind because every Australian, whether they have solar or not, deserves an affordable, sustainable power system.” The “traffic jams” are a result of a fundamental transformation of a grid that was designed to flow power from large generators to distributed homes and businesses, not the other way around. About 20% of households – 2.6m in total – have solar, up from 0.2% in 2007. The proposal is opposed by some solar household groups concerned about having to pay more for electricity than they expected when they installed rooftop photovoltaic panels. Consumer group Solar Citizens said it would be “yet another handbrake for Australia’s energy transition”. “As we transition our energy system and clean up our power supply, we need to be encouraging more rooftop solar, not penalising people for putting panels on their roof,” the group’s national director, Ellen Roberts, said. Barr said the alternative was blocking people’s solar exports when the grid was under strain, but that would cost more and mean less cheap renewable energy in the system. Another alternative canvassed was building more poles and wires to allow greater solar traffic. Barr said that would be “very expensive and end up on all our energy bills, whether we have solar or not”. The commission’s draft deliberation, released on Thursday, was a response to proposals from power distribution company SA Power Networks and welfare groups including St Vincent de Paul and the Australian Council of Social Service, which had argued households without solar could face an unfair burden under the current system. It recommended two-way pricing that better rewarded solar and battery owners that send power to the grid when it is needed, and new incentives that would give customers more reason to buy batteries or set up their homes to consume the power they generate at busy times on the grid. They would include electricity network owners offering a menu of price options to customers that could, for example, allow free export of power into the grid up to a certain level or a paid premium model that would guarantee consumers they would be paid for export during busy times. Energy Consumers Australia, representing residential and small businesses energy consumers, welcomed the draft decision and said it should be the first step in a series of changes that prioritises consumer needs. Its chief executive, Lynne Gallagher, said any change that put a cost on exporting solar at busy times should also increase benefits at other times. “What is clear is that the changes proposed open up the opportunity for more consumers to provide electricity to the grid and be rewarded for doing so,” Gallagher said. The Clean Energy Council said the draft decision raised more questions than answers. Its chief, Kane Thornton, said there was little detail about the terms and conditions of any charges and how they would be implemented. “We need to know whether state and territory energy ministers will allow networks to charge customers whenever they export electricity to the grid and, if so, what customer protections will be put in place.” Barr said electricity networks should offer “tailored options, not blanket solutions”. If a network wanted to introduce a change for solar exports it would need to consult extensively with customers and have a transition plan approved by the Australian Energy Regulator. He said the goal was to allow more Australians to install solar. “We expect networks to deliver pricing proposals in close consultation with consumers, which may include options where they don’t have to pay for exports,” he said. The commission is taking feedback on its draft determination until 13 May.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/25/australians-could-be-charged-for-exporting-energy-from-rooftop-solar-panels-to-the-grid
     
         
      Labour to outline plan to spark electric car 'revolution' across UK Wed, 24th Mar 2021 22:30:00
     
      Interest-free government loans should be made available to help up to a million households buy electric cars over the next two years, the shadow business secretary, Ed Miliband, is to argue. In a speech on Thursday, Miliband will set out Labour’s plans for an “electric vehicle revolution” to promote a rapid increase in the take-up of electric cars as the UK moves towards net zero carbon. With Boris Johnson already promising a “green industrial revolution” to bring new jobs to former industrial areas, Labour is keen to underline the fact that its own plans would be more radical. Miliband will say a Labour government would: - part-finance three more gigafactories by 2025 to build the batteries for electric vehicles; - fund interest-free loans for low- and middle-income households to help them cope with the upfront costs of buying an electric car; - accelerate the creation of charging points, including in less well-served areas including Yorkshire, the north west of England and the West Midlands. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, recently announced £20m to help fund new charging points, as the government works towards its target of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 – but Labour believes the government is not acting fast enough. In prereleased remarks, Miliband said: “To back the car industry and create jobs, Labour would bring forward ambitious proposals to spark an electric vehicle revolution in every part of the country. “By extending the option to buy an electric car to those on lower incomes and accelerating the rollout of charging points in regions that have been left out, we would ensure that everyone could benefit.” Labour estimates the cost to the government of each 100,000 new vehicles paid for via loans at £156m, and argues that the taxpayer should be willing to fund up to 1m purchases over the next two years. Last year 108,205 electric vehicles were sold, up 180% on a year earlier. They argue this would help to create new jobs in the industry by giving manufacturers certainty about future demand – and the funding should form part of a total £30bn investment in green jobs. In his speech, Miliband will stress the importance of tackling deep inequalities in the UK, at the same time as confronting the climate emergency. Keir Starmer has repeatedly pointed to dealing with inequality as one of the political dividing lines between his party and the government, highlighting the fact that some of the poorest households were those left most exposed to the Covid pandemic. Miliband is expected to say: “What we cannot do is put a green coat of paint on our unequal, insecure economy. Every worker whose job might change, every consumer who may face a change in what they pay, every single person in this country has got to be at the centre of our concerns. This is the DNA of Labour: green and fair. Green and red together.” Miliband is keen to show that Labour remains as committed to the cause of environmentalism as it was under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Plans for a “green industrial revolution” were at the heart of the 2019 manifesto – a phrase since appropriated by the Tories. The government is hoping for a successful outcome from the crucial Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November, as Johnson tries to rebuild the UK’s reputation as a collaborative global player in the wake of Brexit. Climate is expected to be on the agenda when the G7 nations meet in June – a gathering the prime minister hopes can be held in Cornwall, if coronavirus travel restrictions allow.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/24/labour-to-outline-plan-to-spark-electric-car-revolution-across-uk
     
         
      World's biggest coal company bets on solar power Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:38:00
     
      The world’s largest coal mining firm is to "aggressively" pursue solar energy and continue to close smaller mines. Coal India Limited (CIL) plans to invest in a 3,000 megawatt solar energy project in a joint venture with state-run NLC India. The company also wants to compete in India’s solar auctions and win projects by offering the lowest prices for clean power. It marks a major shift for the firm, which produces most of India’s coal. “Coal as you know, we’re going to lose business in the next two, three decades. Solar will take over (from) coal slowly as a major energy provider in the coming years,” CIL’s chairman Pramod Agarwal said in an interview with Reuters. The company’s solar project with NLC India will be worth 125bn rupees ($1.73bn ; £1.26bn), with CIL expected to invest roughly half of that figure by 2024. The group closed 82 mines in the three years to March 2020, and reduced its workforce by 18,600 employees. Mr Agarwal said he expected further reductions to the workforce, with the savings potentially reinvested into solar wafer production. ENERGY TRANSFORMATION: India currently uses about one billion tons of coal annually, making it the world's second largest consumer behind China. CIL is by far the country’s biggest producer, with the company aiming to produce 710 million tons of coal in 2020-21, according to India’s coal ministry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56506529
     
         
      UK seeks to drill more oil and gas from North Sea Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:36:00
     
      More oil and gas wells are to be drilled in the North Sea, the UK government has announced. The decision has angered environmental campaigners, who say the government should refuse new licences. Ministers say permission to drill will be granted as part of a careful transition away from fossil fuels, safeguarding jobs and the economy. But the environmentalists say that enough fossil fuels to ruin the climate have already been found. In light of this, they say, the government should have refused the new licences. They add that the decision undermines the UK position as leader of the vital UN climate conference in November, known as COP26. But ministers insist that their strategy will work. So-called "checkpoints" will be introduced that take into account domestic demand for oil and gas, projected production levels, the increase in clean technologies such as offshore wind, and the sector’s progress in cutting emissions. The sector will face targets to reduce emissions by 10% by 2025 and 25% by 2027. It is also committed to cut emissions by 50% by 2030. It will be helped by joint government and private investment of up to £16bn by 2030. This will include up to £10bn for hydrogen production and £3bn for a technology called carbon capture, usage and storage - where carbon emissions are either turned into other products such as plastics or buried. The government says the deal should cut pollution by up to 60 million tonnes by 2030, while also supporting up to 40,000 jobs across the supply chain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56503588
     
         
      China's biggest car brand to launch rival to Tesla Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:33:00
     
      China's biggest carmaker Geely is launching a premium electric car brand it hopes will take on Tesla. The Chinese company, which owns Volvo and Lotus, announced its Zeekr brand on Tuesday to tap into China's demand for electric vehicles (EVs). It comes as Elon Musk goes on the charm offensive in China praising its plans to tackle carbon emissions. The Tesla founder has seeking to allay Chinese concerns about his cars' onboard cameras. Geely said it would develop and manufacture high-end EVs under the Zeekr brand and expected to begin deliveries in the third quarter of 2021. It already has exposure to premium electric cars through the brands it owns. Polestar, owned by Volvo Cars, develops electric performance cars. It is headquartered in Sweden with vehicle production taking place in China. Lotus, which is majority-owned by Geely, is working on an electric-powered supercar called Evija.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56493572
     
         
      Citizen's Assembly: 'Ordinary folk' outline climate change plan Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:31:00
     
      Individuals need to play their part in tackling climate change, according to a report by Scotland's Climate Assembly. The interim report calls for politicians to have the courage to act now to help reduce carbon emissions. Scotland's Climate Assembly was set up to allow people to make recommendations on tackling climate change. The assembly is made up of about 100 people who broadly represent Scottish society and is designed to influence decision making at Holyrood. Their report concludes that everyone has a part to play in minimising the use of energy. Another issue is reducing the carbon footprint caused by consumption, according to the report, with members citing the need to get people to buy fewer new goods. The assembly has set out 16 goals agreed by a consensus of members for tackling the climate emergency in a fair and effective way. These cover a broad range of issues including domestic heating, taxation and the economy. Ruth Harvey, co-convener of the Climate Assembly, paid tribute to the group's members for "grappling with so much complex, technical evidence". She added: "This is a learning journey I believe all of us in Scotland now need to take together. "For the first time, ordinary folk are today setting out for our parliament a concrete programme so that Scotland can take the lead in tackling the climate emergency."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56501005
     
         
      Offshore Oil & Gas Spending Set To Jump To $44 Billion In 2021 Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:29:00
     
      After last year’s lowest spending on new field developments in 30 years, the offshore oil and gas sector is set to significantly increase capital expenditures this year to around US$44 billion, according to Westwood Global Energy Group. Offshore upstream oil and gas spending is expected to surge to around US$44 billion this year, compared to just US$12.3 billion worth of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts awarded in 2020. In 2019, before the pandemic hit oil demand and prices, the EPC contracts in the offshore oil and gas industry were around US$40 billion. “In 2021, we will see a significant uptick in activity,” Thom Payne, Head of Offshore at Westwood Global Energy Group said at Riviera Maritime Media’s Annual Offshore Support Journal virtual conference and exhibition on Wednesday. Most of this year’s capital expenditure and the biggest EPC contracts will go to major natural gas projects offshore Australia and deepwater oil project developments offshore South America. The major increase in 2021, part of which will come from the deferred spend in 2020, will also help the offshore rig and support vessel markets this year, Payne said at the conference. Last month, Payne wrote in an analysis that offshore investment is set for a rapid rebound this year, driven by deferred projects from 2020 and a “resurgent Petrobras.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Offshore-Oil-Gas-Spending-Set-To-Jump-To-44-Billion-In-2021.html
     
         
      The journey from black gold to green Wed, 24th Mar 2021 17:28:00
     
      - Two reports this week tackle the tough choices of how to reduce harmful emissions in a country with a big oil and gas industry. - One seeks to make that transition a fair one: the other signals that further drilling will have to be justified. - Local capture of the economic benefits of that shift is a priority in both cases: if not, support for this vast project cannot be taken for granted. Claiming 150,000 jobs - direct and indirect - supporting high value exports, avoiding high cost imports, driving technology and productivity, and providing some energy security in an insecure world: the oil and gas industry in the UK is a big deal. So it ought to be a big deal also when it transitions to something very much greener. That process is under way, and a significant milestone is reached with the North Sea Transition Deal (UKTD), agreed between the industry, its regulator and the UK government. Published on Wednesday, it was preceded this week with a "Just Transition" report by a Scottish government-appointed commission: - by planning ahead, trying to align another round of industrial change with fairness - support to those affected, helping them gain the skills to share in the benefits and to avoid paying the price - buy-in from communities, to control transition rather than having it done to them, with an emphasis on wellbeing more than economic benefit - It calls for this to be a "national mission - a collective endeavour" Both reports carefully tiptoe round the reality for the economy of north-east Scotland in particular, and for those tens of thousands employed in extracting oil and gas. Oil and Gas UK has claimed that one in 25 Scottish jobs is dependent on the industry. These reports also try to walk the very narrow line between maximising the remaining value from oil and gas under the seabed, and being true to the rhetoric about climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56506943
     
         
      Canterbury City Council gives Herne Bay solar farm bid green light Wed, 24th Mar 2021 15:55:00
     
      A bid to build Herne Bay’s second solar farm has been given the go-ahead – prompting claims the town’s abundance of green energy could spark a rush of jobs. Global energy firm Vattenfall first unveiled plans to erect hundreds of panels, set to power as many as 5,000 homes a year, south of the A299 Thanet Way in August. With Canterbury City Council’s decision to green light the scheme earlier this month, it will become the latest source of renewable energy in the coastal town. Greenhill councillor Dan Watkins says this could trigger a wave of new businesses and jobs in the area as he believes firms keen to cut their carbon levels will now be drawn to the Bay. “Because we’re getting a reputation for renewable energy in Herne Bay – we must be the cleanest, greenest town in Kent now – there’s a lot that can follow on from this,” the Tory said. “There’s a lot of companies looking to relocate their offices and factories to towns where they can get a carbon-free source of energy. “It can be a real source of investment in the town, and if a manufacturing plant or factory is built, you’re talking about a much higher numbers of jobs. “It has to happen. Manufacturing industries are going to have to locate themselves near sources of renewable energy and the Government’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions isn’t far away now [2050].” The town already has hundreds of panels in Owl’s Hatch Road, which form one of Britain’s largest solar farms, producing enough energy to power 14,000 homes Forty-five turbines are also located off the coast at the Kentish Flats Wind Farm. The development, which is also run by Vattenfall, creates enough electricity for 62,000 households a year. And last year, a bid to construct a hydrogen plant creating fuel for buses on a former BMX track in Westbrook Lane was granted by councillors. “Nowhere else has a hydrogen factory – this is the first one in the country,” Cllr Watkins added. “We’ll soon have a huge amount of solar and wind energy, so we have a natural lead over other towns because we’ve already got many of these assets built.” The new solar farm, called Solar@Kentish Flats, will cover a 66-acre parcel of farmland off the main road. According to council papers, the project was supported by locals who argued it will “strengthen Herne Bay’s position as the leading town for renewable energy investment in Kent”. In documents outlining their decision, officers from the local authority noted: “There would be jobs created as a result of the proposal. “Given the size of the development and the renewable energy contribution it would make, the benefits associated with the installation of the proposed solar farm are considered to be of significant weight.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/green-light-for-solar-farm-near-town-244438/
     
         
      The rivers that 'breathe' greenhouse gases Wed, 24th Mar 2021 13:49:00
     
      At first glance you would assume the New Territories were one of Hong Kong's greenest areas – the region that borders the Chinese mainland and makes up the bulk of Hong Kong's territory seems a world removed from the bustling streets and dense cluster of skyscrapers that tower over much of the city centre. By contrast, the New Territories are mostly rural and home to large swathes of farmland, rolling greenery, wetlands, mountains, parks and rivers. On the surface, the New Territories appear to be Hong Kong's green lung, but the reality is rather more disconcerting. The rivers that snake through this lush landscape are in fact breathing out large quantities of greenhouse gases, according to a study of 15 of the area's waterways. "All the river waters were supersaturated with the three main greenhouse gases, namely carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide," says Derrick Yuk Fo Lai, a professor in the department of geography and resource management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lai found that the concentrations of these gases were sometimes 4.5 times higher than the atmospheric concentrations. The study, which assessed the impact of water pollution on greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong, indicated that rivers in the area are persistent sources of atmospheric greenhouse gases and could contribute to climatic warming. "We found that all our studied rivers would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions," says Lai. The team found that the more polluted the river was, the greater its emissions. Discharge from livestock farms, misconnections in old buildings and unsewered premises were the main reasons for the pollution. In fact, the mean saturation levels of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the more polluted rivers were about 2.2, 1.5 and 4.0 times, respectively, than those in the less polluted rivers. "While the magnitude of carbon emissions from our rivers is small relative to that arising from fossil fuel combustion in our daily activities, their contribution to the total greenhouse gas budget of Hong Kong should not be ignored and should be minimised as far as practicable to mitigate future climate change," says Lai. The rivers in Hong Kong's New Territories region are not unusual in this regard. Surprisingly, rivers are a significant source of greenhouse gases globally. It's estimated that rivers and streams release up to 3.9 billion tonnes of carbon each year (around four times the amount of carbon emitted annually by the global aviation industry). When you take into account the relatively small area taken up by rivers on the planet, that figure is remarkably large. In addition, it's estimated that aquatic systems like rivers and lakes contribute more than 50% to atmospheric methane, and global river N2O emissions have come to exceed 10% of human emissions. The reason being, “rivers receive large inputs of carbon and nitrogen from the landscapes they drain”, says Sophie Comer-Warner, a biogeochemist and research fellow at University of Birmingham. “It used to be thought that rivers just transported these elements to the ocean, but we now know that they have high rates of biogeochemical reactivity.” In other words, the various forms of carbon and nitrogen the microbes receive are broken down into other forms, usually through aerobic or anaerobic respiration, which release CO2 and may also release methane and N2O. "To some extent rivers acting as a source of CO2 and other greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere is a natural part of the ecosystem," says Comer-Warner. "However, emissions are likely to become higher due to the condition or health of rivers." For urban rivers in particular, higher emissions are becoming a growing problem. In some cases, urban rivers have been found to emit four times more than of the amount of greenhouse gases than rivers in natural sites.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210323-climate-change-the-rivers-that-breathe-greenhouse-gases
     
         
      Hydrogen production is a ‘climate killer’ says Enel boss Wed, 24th Mar 2021 13:29:00
     
      The production of hydrogen today is a “climate killer” according to Carlo Zorzoli of Enel Green Power. He said some “98% of it is produced from steam reforming and gasification, which equates to yearly carbon emissions comparable to that of Indonesia and the UK combined. Just 2% is produced from electrolysis.” “Today, hydrogen is anything but clean. That 98% produced today is an industrial feedstock. Just 2% is produced from electrolysis.” “Hydrogen today is not a solution to decarbonisation: hydrogen is a part of the problem. So the very first thing to do is convert grey hydrogen to green.” Zorzoli, who is head of business development at Enel Green Power, was speaking in an Enlit Europe webcast titled ‘Scaling up renewables for smart electrification and carbon neutrality’, in which he stressed Enel’s belief that “electrification is by far the cheapest and simplest way to decarbonise our economies”. But he acknowledged that “of course you cannot electrify everything – and so there is a need for something to complement electrification. And green hydrogen is definitely a complement.” And to make it ‘green’, he said it was a priority for the energy sector to bring down the cost of electrolysers. “Because the future for the not-electrifiable sector relies mostly on hydrogen or hydrogen-based vectors. We need to focus on making green hydrogen cheaper.” He said Europe’s road to decarbonisation was “a big task we’re on” and added that Enel Green Power had orgainised its sustainable business model around four major trends: decarbonisation, electrification; digitalisation; and new customer needs. In addressing a question around what needed to change to speed up a greater deployment of renewables, he said: “We see a slow permitting process – and a lack of capability to deliver enough permits. We definitely have a problem – there is an issue of timing with permits and, in my view, permitting in most countries is a bottleneck.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.powerengineeringint.com/hydrogen/hydrogen-production-is-a-climate-killer-says-enel-boss/
     
         
      New generation of carbon dioxide traps could make carbon capture practical Wed, 24th Mar 2021 12:45:00
     
      Windmills and solar panels are proliferating fast, but not fast enough to stave off the worst of climate change. Doing so, U.N. climate experts say, will also require capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the tens of thousands of fossil fuel power plants and industrial smokestacks likely to keep belching for years to come. Today’s most popular approach for capturing CO2 is too expensive for widespread use. But researchers are now developing a new generation of chemical CO2 traps, including one shown this month to reduce the cost by nearly 20%. When existing U.S. tax credits are added to the mix, carbon capture is nearing commercial viability, says Joan Brennecke, a carbon capture expert at the University of Texas, Austin. Today’s technology uses CO2-grabbing chemicals called amines, dissolved in water. The problem is that once the amines capture CO2, the greenhouse gas must be stripped off and stored so the amines can be reused. Releasing the CO2 requires boiling the water and later recondensing the water vapor, which requires a vast amount of energy and increases the cost. Enter new “water lean” capture materials, including one described in the latest report. “This is a beautiful, very complete study,” Brennecke says. For decades, researchers have worked to find ways to capture carbon from industrial emissions and either use it to make chemicals or store it underground. Last year, companies captured some 40 million tons of CO2 emissions, and the additional 30 carbon capture facilities planned worldwide could up that figure to 140 million tons—still minuscule compared with current annual global emissions of some 35 billion tons. For carbon capture efforts to be scaled up by orders of magnitude, the U.S. Department of Energy projects that by 2035, the cost needs to fall from roughly $58 per ton with state-of-the-art water-based amines to $30 per ton. Typically, water that contains amines is sprayed into the top of an exhaust tower. As the droplets fall through the gas, they sop up CO2. At the bottom of the tower, the CO2-rich liquid gets pumped into a separate vessel and heated to boil off the water. Then, applied pressure causes water vapor to condense, leaving a pure stream of CO2 to be captured and stored. The condensed water is added back to the amines and piped to the tower for another round of CO2 capture. In 2009, David Heldebrant, a chemist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), sought a new approach: “The goal was to get away from the water,” he says. Over the next decade, he and his team created a collection of liquid organic solvents, eventually settling on one containing C02-grabbing amine groups with no need for water or dissolved capture agents. Organic solvents can release CO2 when heated but, unlike water, need not be boiled and recondensed, potentially saving energy. It wasn’t an instant success. Heldebrant’s team found that when the solvent captured CO2, carbon-rich solids precipitated out, making the liquid viscous and difficult to pump. A collaboration with a team led by Robert Perry, a chemist at GE Global Research, revealed that when the amines bound CO2, hydrogen atoms on solvent molecules became attracted to neighboring molecules, tying them together. So, the researchers tweaked the structure of the solvent, creating a molecule called 2-EEMPA. When the new solvent bound CO2, the hydrogen bonds were more likely to form within individual 2-EEMPA molecules, rather than between neighbors, they reported in November 2020 in Energy & Environmental Science. Now, in the March issue of International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, the PNNL team, together with researchers at the Electric Power Research Institute and the engineering giant Fluor, have published a detailed analysis showing that a full-scale coal-fired power plant using 2-EEMPA would require 17% less energy than today’s state of the art carbon-capture systems. That would drop the cost of CO2 capture to $47 per ton, not including the cost of transporting and pumping the CO2 underground. “It’s a very promising solvent,” says Marty Lail, a carbon capture chemist at RTI International. Next year, the PNNL team plans to test 2-EEMPA at a small 0.5 megawatt coal-fired carbon capture testbed in Alabama. Other researchers have made progress with their own solvents. In 2014, Brennecke and colleagues developed an ionic liquid-based CO2 absorbent that has been projected to capture carbon at about the same cost as 2-EEMPA. And Lail and his colleagues have devised their own low-cost, proprietary water-lean solvent, which they will begin testing at a power plant in Norway early next year. Organic capture solvents “have a real future,” he says. They could also get a boost from policymakers. The United States already offers companies a tax credit of $50 for each ton of CO2 they capture and store underground. And last week, a bipartisan group in Congress introduced a bill that would provide $4.9 billion for carbon capture projects. Both environmentalists and fossil fuel backers support the legislation, a rare alignment in today’s divided political landscape.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/new-generation-carbon-dioxide-traps-could-make-carbon-capture-practical
     
         
      Deforestation and Palm Oil Plantations Are Fueling a Disease Boom, Study Suggests Wed, 24th Mar 2021 12:30:00
     
      New research presents evidence that activities such as deforestation, building palm oil plantations, and even converting grassy areas into new forests are associated with outbreaks of disease, particularly those transmitted by mosquitoes and other vector animals. The researchers behind the study, published Wednesday in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, looked at different sources of data from 1990 to 2016. This included information on the building of plantations, the loss or gain of forest land, and reported disease outbreaks throughout the world. Then they created a model to see if these events could be connected to one another. Overall, the global incidence of zoonotic outbreaks—outbreaks that begin with animal-to-human transmission—rose during those years, as did vector-borne outbreaks. The team found a clear link between these activities and more of these diseases, though not always in the same way. In tropical countries where deforestation was more common, the researchers found a correlation to increased outbreaks of diseases like malaria and Ebola. In more temperate countries where afforestation (the practice of converting land into forests) took place, they found a link to increased outbreaks of illness like Lyme disease and scrub typhus, which are spread by ticks and mites. Other research has shown a relationship between the intentional loss or gain of forests and increased zoonotic outbreaks. But according to the authors, much of this research has focused on individual countries or individual diseases. They say their work is the first attempt to quantify how much of a problem this really is on a global scale. “We don’t yet know the precise ecological mechanisms at play, but we hypothesize that plantations, such as oil palm, develop at the expense of natural wooded areas, and reforestation is mainly monospecific forest made at the expense of grasslands,” said lead author Serge Morand, an evolutionary ecologist and parasite researcher, in a statement released by the journal’s publisher. “Both land use changes are characterized by loss of biodiversity and these simplified habitats favor animal reservoirs and vectors of diseases.” While there has been some recent progress in slowing down the rate of deforestation, the loss of forests and their rich biodiversity continues to be immense. Between 2004 and 2017, according to the World Wildlife Fund, the most well-known areas of deforestation in the world have lost more than 43 million hectares of forest—enough to cover the entire country of Morocco. In 2019, tropical forest loss actually increased from the previous year, led by Brazil. Of course, more diseases that harm humans aren’t the only drawback of these activities. Aside from simply destroying the native environment of countless species, deforestation is thought to accelerate climate change and contribute to the desertification of once-fertile soil. And though there have been attempts to reseed forests, the introduction of forests to places they weren’t before can have its own risks, as this study highlights. Rather than try to build new forests, the authors say, it’s for the best to preserve the ones we have today. “We hope that these results will help policymakers recognize that forests contribute to a healthy planet and people, and that governing bodies need to avoid afforestation and agricultural conversion of grasslands,” said Morand. “We’d also like to encourage research into how healthy forests regulate diseases, which may help better manage forested and planted areas by considering their multidimensional values for local communities, conservation and mitigation of climate change.”
       
      Full Article: https://earther.gizmodo.com/deforestation-and-palm-oil-plantations-are-fueling-a-di-1846543313
     
         
      North-south divide on air pollution 'a threat to economies and health' Wed, 24th Mar 2021 11:53:00
     
      The delayed introduction of measures to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis will exacerbate the glaring health inequalities and entrench the north-south divide, according to a report. Several local authorities in the north have scrapped or deferred plans to introduce clean air zones, regarded as the best way to tackle toxic air, while cities in other parts of the UK are pressing ahead with the schemes to limit dirty vehicles. A report published on Wednesday from the Green Alliance thinktank finds that failing to address dangerous levels of air pollution will worsen public health and damage regional economies. Experts have also warned that rising air pollution exacerbates the risk from Covid-19. “There’s a strong economic case for clean air zones and the north is once again set to lose out,” said Philippa Borrowman from Green Alliance. “Over the next couple of years, as the UK economy recovers from the pandemic, clean air could become yet another factor that divides the country and leads to different life chances.” In 2018, judges told the government to bring air pollution levels within legal limits in the shortest possible time, after being taken to court three times by Client Earth, an environmental charity. Ministers directed 37 local authorities to develop plans for clean air zones, but Wednesday’s report says that while schemes are going ahead in Bristol, Birmingham and London, many northern cities are lagging behind. Leeds cancelled its planned zone during the pandemic and the report says several other cities including Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester are yet to finalise their schemes. Borrowman said: “Local authorities must now take action to reduce dangerous air pollution, by consulting with communities and businesses to ensure policies are implemented fairly and effectively.” The study found that by tackling clean air, cities would benefit from a healthier environment, saving thousands of lives and reducing long-term illness for millions of people. This would have a huge knock-on economic benefit, from reduced hospital admissions and GP visits to more active lifestyles and fewer sick days.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/24/north-south-divide-on-air-pollution-a-threat-to-economies-and-health
     
         
      Towards a rigorous understanding of societal responses to climate change Wed, 24th Mar 2021 10:39:00
     
      A large scholarship currently holds that before the onset of anthropogenic global warming, natural climatic changes long provoked subsistence crises and, occasionally, civilizational collapses among human societies. This scholarship, which we term the ‘history of climate and society’ (HCS), is pursued by researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including archaeologists, economists, geneticists, geographers, historians, linguists and palaeoclimatologists. We argue that, despite the wide interest in HCS, the field suffers from numerous biases, and often does not account for the local effects and spatiotemporal heterogeneity of past climate changes or the challenges of interpreting historical sources. Here we propose an interdisciplinary framework for uncovering climate–society interactions that emphasizes the mechanics by which climate change has influenced human history, and the uncertainties inherent in discerning that influence across different spatiotemporal scales. Although we acknowledge that climate change has sometimes had destructive effects on past societies, the application of our framework to numerous case studies uncovers five pathways by which populations survived—and often thrived—in the face of climatic pressures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03190-2
     
         
      UN chief urges ‘clear and credible’ plans to achieve net zero Wed, 24th Mar 2021 10:15:00
     
      Addressing a ministerial meeting on climate action, Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that 2021 is a “make-or-break” year to limit the global temperature rise by 1.5 degree Celsius, as set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change. “We need credible, coherent plans to cut emissions by 45 per cent compared to 2010 levels, by 2030”, Mr. Guterres said, urging countries to submit, or re-submit, ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) “as a matter of urgency”. He also called on development banks and donors to commit half their climate finance annually to adaptation, and to ensure those resources are accessible to the most vulnerable. ‘Phase out coal’ Alongside, the Secretary-General also underlined the need for a “breakthrough on ending coal”. “Phasing out coal is the most important step to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. We must end the financing of coal-fired power. No new coal plants should be approved”, he said, noting coal must be phased out by 2030 in OECD countries, and by 2040 globally. In particular, the UN chief urged the G7 nations to “take the lead by committing to this by their summit in June”. G20 countries should do the same, he added. COVID ‘cannot delay’ climate action Mr. Guterres also cautioned against any delays for climate action, including due to the coronavirus pandemic. He urged countries to “move forward immediately” with virtual negotiations in reparation for the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held this November, in Glasgow. “A successful resolution at COP 26, including on Articles 6 and 13 of the Paris Agreement concerning carbon markets and transparency, depends on this effort”, he highlighted, underscored the “full support” of the Organization “to ensure all countries are included, and all voices heard”. Co-convened by Canada, China and the European Union, the Ministerial on Climate Action is an annual meeting ministers and representatives from a number countries, including from the G20 and chairs of key party groupings in the UN climate negotiations. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the high-level event was held in a virtual setting.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088142
     
         
      Scientists need to face both facts and feelings when dealing with the climate crisis Wed, 24th Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      ver the course of my career, the climate crisis has changed from something only experts could see – reading clues trapped in frozen air bubbles or statistical patterns in long-term data sets – to something that everyone on Earth is living through. For me, it has gone from being something I study to a way that I see the world and experience my life. It’s one thing to publish a study on the hypothetical impact of increasing temperature on California’s people and ecosystems; it’s another to feel my stomach gripped by fear as my parents flee a catastrophic California wildfire cranked up by longer, hotter, drier summers. Bearing witness to the demise or death of what we love has started to look an awful lot like the job description for an environmental scientist these days. Over dinner, my colleague Ola Olsson matter?of?factly summed up his career: “Half the wildlife in Africa has died on my watch.” He studied biodiversity because he loved animals and wanted to understand and protect them. Instead his career has turned into a decades-long funeral. As a scientist, I was trained to be calm, rational, and objective, to focus on the facts, supporting my claims with evidence and showing my reasoning to colleagues to tear apart in peer review. I was trained to use my brain but not my heart; to report methods and statistics and findings but not how I felt about them. In graduate school, I was surrounded by brilliant, serious men who spoke in even, measured tones about the loss of California snowpack and crop yields; I tried to do the same. I felt my credibility as a scientist was on the line, as was the respect of those who would sit on my future hiring committee and determine whether I would get a tenure- track job. I internalised the idea that scientists should be “policy-relevant and yet policy-neutral, never policy-prescriptive.” I was not supposed to have a preference, much less an emotional attachment, to one outcome or another, even on matters of life and death; that was for “policymakers” to decide. (This reticence goes against the wishes of 60% of Americans, as expressed in Pew Research polling, that scientists take an active role in policy debates about scientific issues.) My dispassionate training has not prepared me for the increasingly frequent emotional crises of climate change. What do I tell the student who chokes up in my office when she reads that 90% of the seagrasses she’s trying to design policies to protect are slated to be killed by warming before she retires? In such cases, facts are cold comfort. The skill I’ve had to cultivate on my own is to find the appropriate bedside manner as a doctor to a feverish planet; to try to go beyond probabilities and scenarios, to acknowledge what is important and grieve for what is being lost. Only in the most recent decade of my life have I realised that feelings, manifested as physical sensations in the body such as my stomach clenching or my heart lifting, have their own wisdom. I don’t have to react to these feelings in any dramatic way if I don’t want to; all I have to do is make eye contact, wave, and not run away. Like all feelings, sadness is valid; it need not dictate my actions singlehandedly, but it deserves acknowledgment. I know that there is much greater suffering than my own, such as in the low-lying communities in Bangladesh where rising seas are salting their drinking water and threatening their homes. I know that I have been shielded from many hardships and inequities. But I’ve decided it’s pointless to try and place the consequences of climate breakdown in competition with one another. It does not diminish the monumental losses to also grieve my personal, smaller ones.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/24/scientists-facts-feelings-climate-crisis-sadness
     
         
      Big banks’ trillion-dollar finance for fossil fuels ‘shocking’, says report Wed, 24th Mar 2021 5:00:00
     
      The world’s biggest 60 banks have provided $3.8tn of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2015, according to a report by a coalition of NGOs. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic cutting energy use, overall funding remains on an upward trend and the finance provided in 2020 was higher than in 2016 or 2017, a fact the report’s authors and others described as “shocking”. Oil, gas and coal will need to be burned for some years to come. But it has been known since at least 2015 that a significant proportion of existing reserves must remain in the ground if global heating is to remain below 2C, the main Paris target. Financing for new reserves is therefore the “exact opposite” of what is required to tackle the climate crisis, the report’s authors said. US and Canadian banks make up 13 of the 60 banks analysed, but account for almost half of global fossil fuel financing over the last five years, the report found. JPMorgan Chase provided more finance than any other bank. UK bank Barclays provided the most fossil fuel financing among all European banks and French bank BNP Paribas was the biggest in the EU. Overall financing dipped by 9% in pandemic-hit 2020, but funding for the 100 fossil fuel companies with the biggest expansion plans actually rose by 10%. Citi was the biggest financier of these 100 companies in 2020. A commitment to be net zero by 2050 has been made by 17 of the 60 banks, but the report describes the pledges as “dangerously weak, half-baked, or vague”, arguing that action is needed today. Some banks have policies that block finance for coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, but almost two-thirds of funding is for oil and gas companies. The report’s authors said targeting of banks by campaigners and activist shareholders could help change bank policies but that action by governments was also needed. “When we look at the five years overall, the trend is still going in the wrong direction, which is obviously the exact opposite of where we need to be going to live up to the goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Alison Kirsch, at Rainforest Action Network and an author of the report. “None of these 60 banks have made, without loopholes, a plan to exit fossil fuels.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/24/big-banks-trillion-dollar-finance-for-fossil-fuels-shocking-says-report
     
         
      Universities offer first climate change degrees Tue, 23rd Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Climate change degrees are taking off at pioneering universities to cater for demand for greener courses. Students started a BSc in climate change for the first time this academic year at Liverpool John Moores University. This autumn, Greenwich University will follow suit and Northampton University will launch its climate change degree in 2022. All decided to set up the courses after growing interest from students and employers. Other degrees cover climate change but these are thought to be the first standalone courses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/universities-offer-first-climate-change-degrees-fztcv8v7j
     
         
      Bill Gates backs bid to cool Earth with chalk dust Tue, 23rd Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      A large balloon will be released in Sweden this summer near the Arctic town of Kiruna. As it climbs to an altitude of 12 miles it will cross a historic threshold: the first serious attempt to explore whether global warming could be kept in check by dimming the sun. The balloon will drop particles of calcium carbonate — chalk dust, essentially — to see if releasing them into the stratosphere could eventually deflect a portion of the sun’s energy and lower temperatures on Earth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bill-gates-backs-bid-to-cool-earth-with-chalk-dust-llrbmwlmr
     
         
      On an island north of Scotland, tidal power is providing juice for electric vehicles Tue, 23rd Mar 2021 5:34:00
     
      An electric vehicle charging point which uses tidal energy has started operations, providing road users on an island north of mainland Scotland with a new, renewable option for running their cars. The facility is located on Yell, which is part of Shetland, an archipelago of roughly 100 islands. The charging point gets its electricity from Nova Innovation’s Shetland Tidal Array, a four turbine installation in Bluemull Sound, a strait between Yell and another island called Unst. In an announcement Monday, Nova Innovation described the project as “the first ever electric vehicle … charge point where drivers can ‘fill up’ directly from a tidal energy source.” A battery storage system has also been deployed to ensure a constant supply for vehicles. The Scottish government is one of many around the world looking to move away from internal combustion engine vehicles. It wants to phase out the need for new diesel and gasoline vans and cars by the year 2030. Funding for the project on Yell has come from Transport Scotland, the country’s transport agency. Among those reacting to Monday’s announcement about the project on Yell was Fabrice Leveque, who is head of policy at WWF Scotland. “It’s great to see tidal technology being used to help decarbonise part of Scotland’s transport sector in the islands,” he said, adding that Scotland was “well placed to continue to lead in developing this technology, which will help to cut climate emissions and create skilled, green jobs.” “Our islands have an abundance of renewable resources, including wind, tidal and solar, which when harnessed with care, could bring multiple economic and social benefits to remote and rural communities across Scotland,” Leveque went on to state. The waters around Scotland are home to a number of interesting projects focused on tidal power. These include the first phase of the MeyGen tidal stream development, which uses four 1.5 megawatt turbines. The project’s majority owner is London-listed Simec Atlantis Energy. While there is excitement surrounding the potential of marine energy, its current footprint remains small. Recent figures from Ocean Energy Europe (OEE) show that only 260 kilowatts (kW) of tidal stream capacity was added in Europe last year, while just 200 kW of wave energy was installed. By contrast, 2020 saw 14.7 gigawatts of wind energy capacity installed in Europe, according to industry body WindEurope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/23/tidal-power-is-providing-juice-for-electric-vehicles-on-an-island-.html
     
         
      Green groups dispute power station claim that biomass is carbon-neutral Tue, 23rd Mar 2021 0:00:00
     
      The UK’s plan to burn more trees to generate “renewable” electricity has come under fire from green groups and sustainable investment campaigners over the controversial claim that biomass energy is carbon-neutral. A letter to the government signed by more than a dozen green groups including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth warns ministers against relying too heavily on plans to capture carbon emissions to help tackle the climate crisis. The plans are being pioneered by Drax Group, which claims that burning wood pellets is carbon-neutral because trees absorb as much carbon dioxide when they grow as they emit when they are burnt. Capturing the carbon emissions from biomass power plants would then effectively create “negative carbon emissions”, according to Drax. The green groups have disputed these claims and warned that the plans “will be costly” and “will not deliver negative emissions” after accounting for the full carbon footprint of biomass in the power sector. “At the same time, it would create enormous demand for forest and other biomass and come at serious risks for land use, agriculture and biodiversity in the UK and abroad,” the letter said. Drax was once one of the largest coal power generators in Europe before it converted four of the generating units at its North Yorkshire site to burn biomass instead. It received over £800m in government subsidies and tax breaks last year and expects further support to develop the carbon-capture phase of its biomass plan. Meanwhile, over 20 environmental organisations, including the sustainable investment group Share Action, have written an open letter to Drax shareholders to urge them to vote against the company’s $625m (£450m) attempt to double its wood pellet supplies by buying the Canadian producer Pinnacle. The letter warned that burning more imported wood pellets could accelerate the climate crisis, increase the company’s contribution to biodiversity loss, and the potential for Indigenous people’s land rights violations. A rising number of scientists and environmental campaigners, including Greta Thunberg, have cast doubt on Drax’s “carbon neutral” claims because they doubt that forests can be replaced quickly enough to absorb the carbon emissions required to slow the climate crisis. Wolfgang Kuhn, of shareholder group Share Action, one of the signatories of the letter, said: “Pretending that burning trees is sustainable just because an equivalent quantity of carbon is going to be absorbed somewhere, sometime in the future is nonsense. “But the tide is turning and governments are starting to see through the confused biomass logic. Investors should be clear with Drax – the last thing the company needs is additional reputational risks,” he added. The letter also warned that Pinnacle uses wood from a climate-critical forest that has been home to Indigenous peoples for millennia, and is a breeding site for more than 3 billion North American birds and the home of many endangered animals. It added that Pinnacle has “a poor track record” of noise and air pollution management, and has had problems with fires at its facilities. The UK’s climate change committee has said that biomass could play a role in reaching climate targets, but only with strict safeguards in place to ensure its sustainability. A spokesperson for Drax said it was committed to “ensuring best practice in health and safety, operational efficiency and sustainability” and “intends to invest accordingly to deliver this outcome”. The spokesman added that the plans to capture the carbon emissions from burning biomass had been proven at its North Yorkshire site to be “the most cost-effective negative emissions technology available now”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/23/green-groups-dispute-power-station-claim-biomass-carbon-neutral
     
         
      Plan unveiled for world’s first carbon neutral skyscraper Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 21:02:00
     
      Birmingham could be home to the world’s first mixed-use high-rise net zero carbon development. Local developer Woodbourne Group has put the masterplan out to consultation of an ambitious scheme consisting of three residential blocks and an office building. The developer claims the energy-efficient credentials of its Curzon Wharf proposals would make it the first mixed-use build of its kind to achieve net zero operational emissions. Its masterplan envisages nearly one million square feet of space being built alongside the A38 Aston Expressway just south of Dartmouth Circus. The build-to-rent element would stand 53 storeys high, making it Birmingham’s tallest building at 172m. Student accommodation would be housed in an adjacent 41-storey tower and the co-living element in a 14 storey building. Proposals also include nearly 130,000 sq ft of office, R&D and life science space, shops, over 15,000 sq ft of leisure space and improved public realm including walking and cycling routes. Chief executive Tani Dulay said Curzon Wharf would reinvent the 1960s site with a new breed of residential and student living offering large public spaces. He said: “Curzon Wharf isn’t just a development, it’s a manifesto that will position Birmingham as UK’s leading smart and sustainable city, helping to pave the way for the UK’s Green Revolution. It reinforces Birmingham position as the UK’s second city. “It will act as a catalyst for the wider transformation of the Eastside area, where a number of masterplans have been earmarked which otherwise would not be possible. It signposts Birmingham’s route to delivering transformational change to the city.” The proposal has been welcomed by senior civic leaders including West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who said: “This is an incredibly exciting plan, with the potential to create more than 1,000 jobs at what will be a critical time for our region’s economy as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/03/15/plan-unveiled-for-worlds-first-carbon-neutral-skyscraper/
     
         
      ‘Explosive’ legal opinion says agents may be negligent if they do not disclose air pollution levels Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 18:15:00
     
      A campaign group is urging people to sign an online petition demanding that estate agents – and property websites like Rightmove and Zoopla – disclose air quality information to buyers and renters at the earliest opportunity. COPI, the Central Office of Public Interest, is backing up its call with what it calls an ‘explosive’ twenty-page QC’s legal opinion which says there is a ‘strong legal argument’ that estate agents not doing so would be ‘negligent’. addresspollution.org gives free air-quality reports for every address in the United Kingdom using annualised data, accurate to 20 meters squared, to reveal the levels of three toxic pollutants – PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 – at each address. PM (Particulate Matter) are particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause haze. NO2 is nitrous oxide that chemically contributes to the creation of PM and of itself can cause irritation in human lungs. The data, from Imperial College London, is displayed in an Air Quality Report (AQR). The AQR gives each address a Low, Medium, Significant, High or Very High rating. The ratings are based around the World Health Organisation limits – a ‘Significant’ rating means the address exceeds the limit for one pollutant. The health implications for living at the address are also given. Commenting on the data and legal findings – and the potential effect on agents’ responsibilities – the Property Ombudsman, Rebecca Marsh, said: “Air pollution is information all consumers should be aware of, before they make a decision on a specific property. Arguably, this is material information that all sellers or landlords should be providing to potential buyers or tenants.” The new national rating system also reveals the best and worst UK addresses for air pollution. On London’s famous Harley Street 100% of addresses have a ‘Very High’ rating. Properties in this area cost over £2.3 million on average. At the other end of the scale, in HU7 4, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, homes are worth just under £150,000 on average. Yet every address has a ‘Low’ rating. With such detailed data now publicly available, and increased understanding of the health impacts of living with toxic air, UK mortgage lenders are also keen to understand the potential impact on property prices in high pollution areas. Mark Cunningham, CEO and co-founder of Whenfresh, which supplies property data to lenders, said: “Air pollution has a major impact on human health and as public awareness of this issue grows, and the problem isn’t dealt with, it will clearly have an impact on the saleability and value of properties in high pollution areas. “So like asbestos, radon, flood risk and Japanese knotweed, if data is available the mortgage lenders will want to understand it. Lenders take any environmental issues that might impact the value of the properties they effectively co-own very seriously.” The site, and the addresspollution.org campaign, is the initiative of the Central Office of Public Interest (COPI), a ‘non profit creative industry alliance’ founded in 2018, ‘to make and run awareness campaigns to deepen public understanding on issues that matter to people, but which government prefers to ignore.’ Humphrey Milles, founder of the Central Office of Public Interest, said: “Air pollution affects everyone. It is a dangerous, invisible killer. With this national roll out, it would be shameful for the property industry to not start acting in an honest, transparent way. Lives depend on it. Everyone has a right to know what they’re breathing. ”
       
      Full Article: https://propertyindustryeye.com/explosive-legal-opinion-says-agents-may-be-negligent-if-they-do-not-disclose-air-pollution-levels/
     
         
      Oceans under threat like never before, warns World Meteorological Organization Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 17:44:00
     
      In an alert that warmer seas helped to fuel a record Atlantic hurricane season last year, along with intense tropical cyclones in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also underscored the long-term threat from sea level rise. “About 40 per cent of the global population live within 100 kilometres of the coast, there is an urgent need to protect communities from coastal hazards, such as waves, storm surge and sea level rise” via “multi-hazard” warning systems and forecasting, said Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General. Big blue economy According to the UN agency, the “blue economy” is estimated at $3-6 trillion a year, accounting for more than three quarters of world trade and providing livelihoods for more than six billion people. Millions of dollars in goods and hundreds of lives are still lost at sea each year, due to extreme weather conditions such as high winds, large waves, fog, thunderstorms, sea ice and freezing spray, WMO noted. It described the ocean as “the Earth’s thermostat”, absorbing and transforming a significant portion of the sun’s radiation and providing heat and water vapour to the atmosphere. Although vast ocean currents circulate this heat around the planet, often for thousands of kilometres, human activities have increasingly distorted this natural ocean/atmosphere equilibrium, WMO maintained. The UN agency pointed to the fact that oceans absorb over 90 per cent of excess atmospheric heat trapped by greenhouse gases, which has come “at a heavy price as ocean warming and changes in ocean chemistry are already disrupting marine ecosystems and people who depend on them”. This impact “will be felt for hundreds of years”, WMO chief Taalas continued, before pointing to the profound repercussions of ice melt for the rest of the globe, through changing weather patterns and accelerating sea level rise. “In 2020, the annual Arctic sea ice minimum was among the lowest on record, exposing Polar communities to abnormal coastal flooding, and stakeholders such as shipping and fisheries, to sea ice hazards,” he explained. Threat observation Ahead of World Meteorological Day on Tuesday 23 March, the UN agency highlighted the value of the “24/7 work” of national weather centres in protecting lives and property “not just on land but also at sea”. Although the accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasting have improved, WMO explained that vessels lacking the latest technology often went without this crucial shipping news. “It is vital to improve decision support services to help mariners reach a balance between minimizing costs and routing, whilst also maximizing safety and avoiding hazardous maritime weather,” WMO said in a statement. A key concern is increasing sea ice loss as the world warms up, it explained. “Less ice does not mean less danger and the consequences of a major accident in Arctic waters would be devastating for the environment. WMO is therefore trying to improve forecasts and warnings of both weather and ice conditions in polar regions.” Gaps to be filled Despite technological advances that have revolutionized ocean monitoring globally and helped to understand its link to weather and climate, the UN agency cautioned that “big geographical and research gaps” remain in the Global Ocean Observing System, amid increasing demand for forecasts and services. The COVID-19 crisis made matters worse when in March 2020, governments and oceanographic institutions recalled nearly all oceanographic research vessels home. “It also reduced the capacity of commercial ships to contribute vital ocean and weather observations,” WMO said. “Ocean buoys and other systems could not be maintained, in some cases leading to their premature failure.” Sea level has risen by around 15 centimetres during the 20th century, according to WMO, from glacier melt, the expansion of warmer sea waters and additions from former ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Projections show that sea level rise could be in the order of 30-60 centimetres by 2100, even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced and global warming is limited to well below 2°C. However, if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the increase will be between 60-110 centimetres.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087932
     
         
      Recognize ‘true value’ of water, UN urges, marking World Day Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 17:42:00
     
      “For me, water means protection”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message. He explained that a well-managed water cycle, encompassing drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, wastewater, transboundary governance and other key issues, “means defence against ill-health and indignity”. It means a “response to challenges from a changing climate and increasing global demand”, Mr. Guterres added. The fundamental question has been asked to understand water’s “true value” to better protect the vital resource for every person and every purpose, amid a growing global water crisis. Today, about one in three people lack access to safe drinking water, and there are fears that by 2050, as many as 5.7 billion people could be living in areas where water is scarce for at least one month a year. Furthermore, it is estimated that by 2040, global water demand could increase by more than 50 per cent, putting additional stress on the vital resource. Preventing waste and misuse According to a new UN report, one of the key reasons for water waste and misuse is the inability to recognize the value of water. “Recognizing, measuring and expressing water’s worth, and incorporating it into decision-making, are fundamental to achieving sustainable and equitable water resources management”, the report, Valuing Water, highlighted. Launched in conjunction with World Water Day, the report also offers best practices and in-depth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water and related sectors.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087922
     
         
      Deforestation: The $53bn threat to agri-businesses Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 14:08:00
     
      Global businesses sourcing commodities such as cattle, soybeans or rubber stand to lose some $53 billion due to deforestation unless they take action. In a survey of more than 500 global businesses, climate-disclosure platform CDP identified risks such as extreme weather, changes in consumer preferences, as well as market and reputational impacts from commodity-related forest loss. It would cost $6.6 billion in the coming years to address those risks, the London-based nonprofit said in a report Monday. “The destruction of the world’s vital forests poses huge risks to the climate, nature, the economy, and also increases the risk of future pandemics,” Sareh Forouzesh, CDP’s associate director of forests, said in a statement. “There is a solid business case for companies sourcing commodities sustainably and taking steps to protect forests.” While more companies report their carbon footprint and make emission-reduction pledges, action on deforestation has lagged behind, partly because of the opaque supply chains for some commodities. CDP assessed 553 companies in 2020 with exposure to seven key commodities against 15 performance indicators of what firms can do to tackle deforestation. Those measures include board-level oversight, ambitious targets and robust supply-chain controls. While there’s been some progress, only 1% demonstrated what CDP deemed to be best practice in addressing forest loss. Companies using soy or cattle products such as meat or leather trailed those with exposure to palm oil or timber in setting up traceability and certification targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/22/bbbusinesses-that-depend-on-sourcing-commodities-could-lose-53bn
     
         
      Fossil fuel polluters are the new tobacco Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 14:06:00
     
      At the 2021 Australian Open tennis championships the prominent courtside sponsors included a fossil fuel company, an airline and a car maker. Sponsorship of sport by major, high-carbon polluters has replaced once common and now disgraced deals with tobacco companies. Sport used to rely heavily on tobacco sponsorship until the importance of public health overcame vested interests and largely ended the practice. In 1990 more than 20 different televised sports were sponsored by cigarette brands in the United States alone, and a single tobacco company, RJ Reynolds, admitted in 1994 to sponsoring 2,736 separate sporting events in a year. As a child Andrew used to sit watching county cricket matches in England sponsored by the cigarette company Benson & Hedges. At the time, smoking’s health impacts were well known - just as today the climate science is we'll established - but tobacco sponsorship was still widespread, promoting tobacco products and smoking to everyone, including children, sat watching cricket games. Now the world faces a climate emergency and sport is floating on a sea of high carbon sponsorship deals with major polluters. How long will it be before it catches up with the lessons of the eventual ban on tobacco deals? In the 1970s, when advertising was allowed, around half the UK population smoked. Now, with it gone, that number is less than one in five. Sport is in the frontline of the climate emergency, but finds itself promoting a different kind of combustion, the ‘smoking’ of fossil fuels. At over eight million deaths per year, the latest estimate of the number of people who are killed by air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, is on a par with the number killed by smoking. Worse, not only is it established that fossil fuel companies knew for decades of the link from their products to climatic upheaval whilst lobbying against climate action, now it has emerged that they also knew at least 50 years ago of their chronic health risks, but publicly sowed uncertainty about what they knew. Sponsorship agreements that promote fossil fuel intensive products and activities make the health and climate crises worse by normalising high-carbon, polluting lifestyles, and reducing the pressure for action on climate and public health. Having replaced once common tobacco companies as big sports sponsors, deals with major polluters should be ended for the same reason tobacco sponsorship stopped, for the health of people, sports and the planet. In our new research - Sweat not oil: why sports should drop advertising and sponsorship from high-carbon polluters –for the Badvertising campaign, which aims to stop adverts fuelling the climate emergency, we found over 250 prominent deals across multiple sports. The issues this raises for sport are several. First of all, from the melting of winter sports, to the flooding of football grounds and the cancellation of flagship sporting events due to heat waves and air pollution, global heating and the emissions that cause it are a huge problem. Secondly, sport itself is contributing to the problem directly through all the emissions linked to it. Thirdly, direct association with promoting high carbon products and lifestyles not only contradicts the pledges of climate action that many clubs and sports bodies are beginning to endorse, but it poses an increasing reputation risk to sport, which is meant to represent a better, healthier way of life. How large is the problem? The global sports industry was worth an estimated $471 billion in 2018. Corporate sponsorship in sport is a multi-million dollar business with an estimated $46.1 billion spent in 2019. Some aspects of it go back a long way. In the early days of pre-Olympic, modern athletics, professionalism was common and many races were sponsored by local public houses to attract drinkers. But, after wrapping itself in an elite, ‘amateur’ flag, it was only in 1984 that the Los Angeles Olympic Games became the first Olympics to sign a corporate sponsorship deal. Since then, the sector has gone through significant changes from the time when only a handful of brands were able to use sports for self-promotion. Now sports sponsorship, with its celebrity athletes, huge audiences and associations with healthy lifestyles, is arguably one of the most important weapons in the advertising armoury. Among the biggest sponsorship deals, we find a vast range of companies from very different sectors from telecoms, banking and insurance, to soft drinks as well as sportswear. Also heavily present in the field are a number of major polluters, companies with high carbon credentials, in particular the automotive and aviation industries. In our report, we found more than 250 sponsorship deals involving these high carbon industries. In first position are car manufacturers with 199 sponsorship deals. Airlines comes second place with 63 sports sponsorships. Other high carbon companies listed are fossil fuel companies, such as the Russian giant Gazprom and British-owned multinational chemical companies Ineos, BP and other companies invested in fossil fuel extraction and product derivatives. Car maker Toyota and the airline, Emirates, are the two largest sponsors according to our survey, with deals secured in most sports categories. Other high-carbon companies listed include some airports, a multinational travel agency and a cruise ship company. The car industry is a significant player with an approximate $1.285 billion spent on general sports, and an estimated 64 percent of car companies’ sponsorship budget dedicated to sports compared to spending on other sectors. Football clubs in particular are often targeted by car companies via ownership or sponsorship deals. When it comes to airlines’ sports sponsorship, Middle East airlines especially have positioned themselves as a leader in the global market. Among them, the UAE-based airline Emirates comes top of the list, having signed countless partnerships with football, tennis, rugby, sailing, horse racing and golf clubs around the world. These sponsors are all from sectors that rank among the highest in terms of carbon emissions and have business models that are in direct contradiction with the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement, which aim to drastically reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. At the same time that some oil and gas companies have been promoting themselves as leaders in the green energy transition, in reality a mere one percent of the sector’s investments go into renewable energy. Car companies on the other hand have shifted their production towards ever-larger gas-guzzling vehicles - SUV sales have doubled over the last 10 years - which shifts carbon emissions in the opposite direction to the much needed reduction in transport emissions. Before the pandemic hit the aviation sector hard, airlines had also recorded steady levels of passenger and emissions growth in recent years. Sports sponsorship deals cover a range of popular outdoor and indoor sports, focussing on international sports federations, associations, clubs, teams, leagues and other sporting events. The list features sporting fields such as football and basketball, tennis, cycling, rugby, cricket, the Olympics and athletics. All are targets for sponsors due to their far-reaching audiences. Other less mainstream sports like motorsport or sailing, which attract brands that want to connect with their more prestigious, materially aspirational images, also feature. Sport has been a game changer in raising awareness and rapidly shifting opinions and policy on vital issues ranging from child poverty to racism, now it could be set to do the same for climate change. The mass following of sport acts as a weather vane for the rest of society. Athletes are key role models, and know at first hand the health consequences of air pollution and extreme weather events. That means that when sport blows the whistle on major polluters, their sponsorship deals should leave the pitch just like adverts from tobacco companies once did. Pressure for change is already growing within sport too. Etienne Stott was an Olympic Champion at the London 2012 Olympics and is now speaking out for action. He said: “It’s wrong for these companies, who are fully aware of the deadly impact of their products, to use the power and beauty of sport to normalise and hide their behaviour. Sport has a unique power to connect and inspire people. "I would like to see it use its voice to promote the idea of care and stewardship of our planetary resources, not insane exploitation and destruction.” Melissa Wilson is a member of the GB Rowing Team and qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics. She said: “As athletes, we focus a lot on keeping sport 'clean' through prioritising anti-doping. Yet continuing to pollute in the face of the climate emergency is the Earth-equivalent of doping, or scoring own goals. By keeping polluting sponsors on board, sports detract from their opportunity to play a productive part in the race to zero carbon. It’s time for sports and athletes to change that.” Sport needs to stop lighting-up with promotions from major polluters. By doing so it will help tackle a public health emergency for the same reason that tobacco sponsorship was ended. And, this time there’s a bigger reason too, preserving the very climate that sport, and all other human activities depend on. We recommend a number of steps that sport can take, including: - Positively screen corporate sponsors and turn down any from major polluters - Sign up to the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework and publish a ten-year plan to get to zero carbon by 2030. - After 2030, any global sports events or tours that are not zero carbon should be cancelled or postponed until they are. Sports federations that are not zero carbon should be excluded from the Olympics. - Global sport must actively cut its reliance on air travel. - Zero carbon plans must be a condition of public support. - Increase support to low-carbon, local grassroots sport. These policy shifts, alongside practical carbon reduction measures, must form the building blocks of any climate plan that sports organisations sign onto. Otherwise, as the popular saying goes, there will be no sport on a dead planet. It’s time for sport to show the red card to major polluters.
       
      Full Article: https://theecologist.org/2021/mar/22/fossil-fuel-polluters-are-new-tobacco
     
         
      Melting ice: What's the big deal? Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 14:05:00
     
      The melting of the polar ice caps has often been portrayed as a tsunami-inducing Armageddon in popular culture. In the 2004 disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, the warming Gulf Stream and North Atlantic currents cause rapid polar melting. The result is a massive wall of ocean water that swamps New York City and beyond, killing millions in the process. And like the recent polar vortex in the Northern Hemisphere, freezing air then rushes in from the poles to spark another ice age. The premise is obviously ridiculous. Or is it? Rapid glacial retreat in Alaska in 2015 did in fact trigger a huge landslide and a mega tsunami that was nearly 200 meters (650 feet) high when it hit shore. Few knew or cared because it luckily happened at the end of the Earth where no one was living. Many of us might believe we won't be directly impacted by the breakup of trillions of tons of ice due to global heating. We figure that unless we live on a small island in the Pacific, or have a house on the beach, it's not our problem. It's complicated. While it's true that the glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets covering 10% of the Earth's land mass are mostly in the middle of nowhere, their rapid breakup has a cascading effect. Consider how all the extra fresh water in the ocean is diluting salt levels. And how that messes with the balance of the Gulf Stream, one of the world's most important ocean currents. The result is climate extremes, especially tropical storms and hurricanes in places like the Gulf of Mexico, but also more frequent floods and droughts on both sides of the Atlantic. It's gonna suck for a lot of people. To put this meltdown in context, the rate of ice sheet retreat has increased nearly 60% since the 1990s. That's a 28 trillion ton net loss of ice between 1994 and 2017. Antarctica's epic ice sheet, the world's largest, and the world's mountain glaciers have suffered half of this loss.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/melting-ice-whats-the-big-deal/a-56872079
     
         
      Britain down to its last coal power station Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Britain will have only one power station still burning coal by the end of next year under plans by EDF to close its West Burton A plant. The French energy giant is expected to confirm this week that it will shut the Nottinghamshire power station by September 2022 at the latest after more than half a century of operations. Unions have been informed before a formal announcement to the plant’s 170 staff whose jobs will now be at risk.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-down-to-its-last-coal-power-station-rkvxftjg6
     
         
      Is The World’s Most Controversial Pipeline About To Pivot To Hydrogen? Mon, 22nd Mar 2021 11:00:00
     
      Keeping the position of key energy supplier to the Old Continent comes at a price. And it looks like it’s a price Russia is ready to pay it. Moscow is silently investing in the production of hydrogen, potentially aiming to make it flow through its new NordStream 2 pipeline. While the future of the controversial project still fuels debates and uncertainties, Russia decided to adapt to its neighbor's needs for cleaner energy sources, and in particular for hydrogen, which the European Commission put at the forefront of its recovery agenda. A dialog between Berlin and Moscow is currently underway to produce green hydrogen on a large scale. That information was revealed during a conference held at the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce on February 16th. But as surprising as it may appear, this narrative is not new. Firstly mentioned in 2018, the hydrogen option for Nord Stream 2 was then put on the table by Uniper who, in March 2020, envisioned the ability of the pipeline to transport up to 80% hydrogen. "One of the key arguments against NordStream 2 is that adding natural gas contradicts the decarbonization objectives of Europe. Here, Russia's counter-argument is that NordStream 2 also has a hydrogen potential, and can fulfill those decarbonization objectives", according to Luca Franza, a researcher on EU-Russia gas relations. The choice of hydrogen investment by Russia can be interpreted as a tactic to make the project more appealing and to change Western countries’ stance on Nord Stream 2 sanctions. But beyond the geopolitical aspect, it raises several questions on its actual feasibility. Firstly, will this hydrogen be blue (produced from fossil fuel sources) or green (carbon neutral)? The question is difficult to answer since the EU is not adopting a “color-blind” approach to hydrogen anymore. According to Luca Franza, "Russia has a better comparative advantage along the blue hydrogen value chain: it is, therefore, better positioned to send blue hydrogen rather than green, for which costs are still very high”. Stephan Weil, prime minister of Lower Saxony State, remains hopeful about Russia’s renewable energy potential for green hydrogen. “Russia can offer giant land potential as a basis to build up solar and wind power, and huge water resources for hydropower,” he commented, quoted by Reuters. However, looking at Russia's current energy mix, the country still relies for more than 60% on coal and natural gas and is far from being a role-model in renewable energy production. Moving to a 100% green hydrogen economy implies using blue hydrogen as a transition fuel until at least 2045 when costs are expected to begin to converge. The cooperation framework set between Russia and Germany seems to ignore these considerations and is determined to pursue green hydrogen production. The second major question then: how will this hydrogen be transported?
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-The-Worlds-Most-Controversial-Pipeline-About-To-Pivot-To-Hydrogen.html
     
         
      Will This NASA Award-Winning Fuel Cell Tech Catalyze Hydrogen Aircraft? Sun, 21st Mar 2021 17:57:00
     
      With airlines and the wider aviation industry announcing their commitment to reach ambitious sustainability goals over the next few decades, hydrogen will feature prominently. The element can allow for clean aviation fuel and contains nearly three times as much energy as standard fossil fuels. While the cultivation of hydrogen in air travel is still in its infancy, there have been questions about the timeline of its application. However, there have been significant recent breakthroughs achieved by HyPoint, a specialist in the field. Earlier this month, the firm unveiled the first operable prototype of its turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system. This has been worked on by a global engineering team and has even achieved a 2020 NASA iTech Cycle II award. It delivers a combination of specific power and energy density and has passed crucial verification testing to prove its technical viability. Full-scale versions are expected to begin being delivered next year. Notably, they are being billed to drive the commercial development of zero-emission aircraft. Candidates to deploy the tech include e-aircraft, eVTOL, and urban air mobility vehicles. HyPoint highlights that the introduction of zero-emission air travel has been knocked “by the energy density limitations of lithium-ion batteries and the specific power limitations of hydrogen fuel cells.” Nonetheless, testing has proved that the company’s turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system would achieve up to 2,000 watts per kilogram of specific power, over “triple the power-to-weight ratio of traditional hydrogen fuel cells systems.” Furthermore, it will also provide up to 1,500 watt-hours per kilogram of energy density, allowing for longer-distance trips. Overall, by tackling these hurdles, years could be cut off the commercial delivery timeline for hydrogen aircraft. HyPoint uses next-generation high temperature membrane (HTPEM) fuel cells instead of a low temperature membrane (LTPEM). This factor increases the efficiency of a cooling system by at least 300%. Traditional LTPEM fuel cells require heavy cooling systems. However, the utilization of HTPEM ones allows the development of a lightweight, efficient cooling system. Moreover, HyPoint uses air-cooling rather than liquid-cooling, which reduces the weight of the fuel cells and subsystems. Thereafter, supplying compressed air raises the power produced by the fuel cell system, and the increase in power considerably overrides the cost of compressing the air. When it comes to commercial passenger jets, Boeing remains pragmatic when it comes to the near use of hydrogen. Earlier this year, the manufacturer shared that it believes its next aircraft won’t be powered by this fuel. However, Airbus recently shared that it has ambitions to develop the first zero-emission commercial aircraft in the world by 2035, and hydrogen propulsion will be integral to this motive. The European outfit revealed three ZEROe concepts based on hybrid-hydrogen systems. Last month, it even announced that it wants to turn Paris airports into ‘hydrogen hubs’. Alex Ivanenko, the CEO and co-founder of HyPoint, explained to Simple Flying that he believes that with recent breakthroughs, hydrogen processes in the commercial field aren’t so far away. He feels that companies just need to keep working together to achieve the common goal. “It’s just a question of the desire of aircraft manufacturers. We adjusted our prototype, and now we have proof that that is possible.” Ivanenko told Simple Flying. “I am really happy that Airbus announced its plans to build that hydrogen aircraft. This is a really huge announcement, and amazing for companies involved in hydrogen renewable technologies.” British/American aircraft developer ZeroAvia is equally as excited. Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of the company said in a statement that these progressions prove that hydrogen-electric aircraft are not only possible but inevitable. The firm is now intent on launching a 100-seat zero-emission aircraft in the air before the end of this decade. The executive concluded that hydrogen fuel cells are the technological force supporting e-aircraft. So, ZeroAvia is working closely with HyPoint to test its systems for potential integration in its future models. What are your thoughts about the future of hydrogen aircraft? What do you make of the progress made over the last year? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
       
      Full Article: https://simpleflying.com/will-this-nasa-award-winning-fuel-cell-tech-catalyze-hydrogen-aircraft/
     
         
      Australia's miners urge Europe to define nuclear power and fossil fuels with carbon capture as 'sustainable' Sun, 21st Mar 2021 16:30:00
     
      The Minerals Council of Australia has weighed into a European Commission climate policy debate, urging it to back fossil fuels with carbon capture use and storage (CCS) and nuclear power on a list of environmentally friendly developments. In a written submission to the commission, the minerals council (MCA) said a proposed EU taxonomy for sustainable activities intended to shape investment under a European green deal was inconsistent in how it dealt with clean technologies because it favoured solar, wind and biofuels over nuclear and CCS. The mining lobby group said it was concerned this approach would have a flow-on effect on the types of energy investments backed by EU-based companies across the globe and “increase the cost of reducing CO2 emissions”. It called for an overhaul. InfluenceMap, a London-based thinktank that tracks corporate climate lobbying, said the MCA’s submission suggested it wanted to export its “negative approach to climate policy” by pushing for changes in other parts of the world that would allow continued use of coal and gas. The MCA submission argued there was “no valid basis” for treating CCS and nuclear differently given EU countries currently used coal, gas and nuclear. It quoted the International Energy Agency in saying emissions from existing energy fleets needed to be significantly reduced by 2030 if countries were to achieve the widely held goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The minerals council said this would require technologies such as CCS. “Underpinning the MCA’s concern is the broad-ranging investment impacts the taxonomy will have, not just within the European Union but anywhere European Union-based firms invest,” the submission said. But InfluenceMap’s program manager, Rebecca Vaughan, said the MCA appeared concerned a science-led approach to dealing with the climate crisis would hurt the industries it represented. “While the MCA says it wants the EU to take a technology neutral position, its submission appears to advocate for the continued use of coal and gas with carbon capture utilisation and storage, which is clearly at odds with the commission’s science-based policy,” Vaughan said. The MCA has long been accused of hindering action to tackle the climate crisis in Australia, and campaigned aggressively against Labor’s two attempts to introduce a carbon pricing scheme. In recent years it has come under pressure to change its anti-climate stance from its biggest members, BHP and Rio Tinto. It followed the big mining companies facing repeated calls from their investors to abandon the MCA over its commitment to coal. It resulted in the MCA releasing a climate plan that said it was committed to the Paris agreement and reaching net zero emissions, but did not include a timeframe in which that target should be reached. The EU taxonomy is intended to help it meet a target of at least a 55% cut in its emissions below 1990 levels by 2030 on the way to net zero by 2050. It considers a development sustainable if it makes a substantial contribution to one of six environmental objectives, does no significant harm to any of the other five and complies with minimum business safeguards. The environmental objectives are: climate change mitigation, climate adaptation, sustainable use and protection of water resources, transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, and protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/21/australias-miners-urge-europe-to-define-nuclear-power-and-fossil-fuels-with-carbon-capture-as-sustainable
     
         
      AquaVentus Offshore Wind-to-hydrogen Initiative Is Growing Faster and Faster Sun, 21st Mar 2021 14:18:00
     
      Eight new members have strengthened the AquaVentus team since the beginning of February – including an offshore pioneer and a hydrogen newcomer. - The Green Hydrogen Initiative now includes 40 internationally leading companies, organizations and research institutions – and the trend is rising. - The visionary goal is to be implemented with combined expert knowledge: one million tons of green hydrogen per year, generated from offshore wind energy, transported to land via a pipeline. Helgoland / Berlin –The know-how along the entire hydrogen value chain continues to grow strongly at AquaVentus. It wasn’t until January that five new partners joined. Since then, eight other companies have joined the initiative. The now 40-member consortium has set itself the goal of installing ten gigawatts of electrolysis power from offshore wind energy in the North Sea by 2035. With the offshore wind power, green hydrogen is to be generated on the high seas and then brought to land via a pipeline. The new members combine many years of expertise in the core area of ??hydrogen, in the fields of economic development, offshore energy generation, pipeline maintenance as well as port logistics and transport. Strong H2 competence and economic development In the area of ??hydrogen generation, transport, storage and distribution, the AquaVentus team will in future be supported by the traditional company and H2 pioneer Linde. The company with its German headquarters in the Munich area is one of the world’s largest gas producers and operates an H2 pipeline network around 1,000 kilometers long. Linde is leading the transition to green hydrogen and has one of the most modern electrolysis technologies in its joint venture ITM Linde Electrolysis GmbH. Industry newcomer Hynamics also promises strong hydrogen competence. The subsidiary of the French energy supplier EDF, which was founded in 2019 as part of the “West Coast 100” H2 real-world laboratory, focuses entirely on projects for green hydrogen in Germany. The company would also like to contribute its expertise in electrolyser operation to AquaVentus. The development company Brunsbüttel (egeb) has set itself the goal of advancing the region around the northern mouth of the Elbe. It promotes entrepreneurial commitment in the districts of Dithmarschen and Steinburg through advice and mediation as well as funding and has many years of experience in the location management of Schleswig-Holstein’s largest industrial area – the ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/aquaventus-offshore-wind-to-hydrogen-initiative-is-growing-faster-and-faster/
     
         
      Climate change: NI-specific bill to go before assembly Sun, 21st Mar 2021 10:52:00
     
      Northern Ireland's first ever piece of climate legislation will be introduced to the assembly on Monday. The bill, drafted by academics and environmentalists, proposes a net zero target of 2045. It also suggests measures to address water quality and biodiversity loss. It will begin its journey through the legislative process ahead of a departmental climate bill which is expected to propose a different outcome. That bill is still being worked up by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and suggests at least an 82% cut in Northern Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is not yet clear which piece of legislation might take precedence. Until now, Northern Ireland has been the only part of the UK without its own climate legislation, though it is contributing to wider UK reduction targets. The legislation being introduced on Monday was drafted by an organisation called Climate Coalition NI and is being taken forward as a private members bill in the name of Green Party leader Clare Bailey. It has the backing of Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists, Alliance, the SDLP along with a number of independents - only the DUP has not signed up. That means it should have the necessary political support to facilitate its passage through the various stages. Tomorrow is the first reading of the bill, a technical stage which sees its formal introduction to the assembly. The first major test will be the second reading when MLAs get to debate the bill and vote on whether it progresses to committee stage for detailed examination. There is likely to be much discussion around the level of the proposed cuts and the date by which they are to be achieved. Last year the government's climate advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, suggested an 82% reduction by 2050 would be an equitable contribution for Northern Ireland to the UK's net zero ambition. It said the economic reliance on agriculture, Northern Ireland's biggest emitting sector, would make it difficult to go further and faster without a significant reduction in agricultural output. Last week an assembly scrutiny committee was told that the officials hoped to have draft proposals for the department's climate bill ready for executive consideration shortly.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56476513
     
         
      Climate fight 'is undermined by social media's toxic reports' Sun, 21st Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      Fake news on social media about climate change and biodiversity loss is having a worrying impact in the battle to halt the growing environmental threats to the planet, a group of scientists and analysts have warned. In a report published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, they say measures needed to create a healthier, more resilient planet – by reducing fossil fuel emissions, overfishing and other threats – will be hard to enforce if they continue to suffer targeted attacks in social media. The international cooperation that is needed to halt global heating and species loss could otherwise be jeopardised, they say. “Social media reports have created a toxic environment where it’s now very difficult to distinguish facts from fiction,” said one author, Owen Gaffney, of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. “One of the biggest challenges now facing humanity is our inability to tell fact from fiction. This is undermining democracies, which in turn is limiting our ability to make long-term decisions needed to save the planet.” This view was supported by the report’s lead author, Professor Carl Folke, director of Sweden’s Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics. “Improvements are occurring – we are getting a lot of promises from big nations about tackling environmental threats – but the media still causes polarisation of views and that is not helpful. We need to tackle that.” The group’s report is published on Monday as a background paper to the first Nobel Prize Summit, which will be held next month, on the subject “Our Planet, Our Future”. Originally scheduled to take place in Washington last year, the meeting was postponed because of Covid-19. This time it will be held – from 26 to 28 April – as a virtual event. Those taking part will include Nobel laureates such as Al Gore, the gene-editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna, and immunologist Peter Doherty, as well as Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to US president Joe Biden, and the Dalai Lama. “The aim is to highlight ways to reduce climate change, biodiversity loss and inequalities and suggest how new technologies such as AI and synthetic biology could help save the planet,” added Gaffney, who is also one of the summit’s organisers. However, the report makes it clear that this task is a daunting one. As it points out, humanity’s dominion over nature has now reached startling levels. Three hundred years ago, there were 1 billion people on our planet. By the end of this century that figure will approach 10 billion or possibly surpass it. As a result of these dramatic increases, the totality of human beings alive today, plus the livestock that provides us with food, represent 96% of the sum weight of all mammals on Earth. The residual 4% is made of the planet’s remaining wild animals. Today, there is no place on our world that is untouched by homo sapiens, state the report’s authors. Three-quarters of all Earth’s ice-free land has now been directly altered by humans. Every eight days, we build the equivalent of a city the size of New York. We simplify landscapes to ensure they provide maximum economic benefits and in the process erode the biosphere’s resilience. One result is the emergence of new pathogens such as Covid-19. The relatively cool years that make up the Holocene epoch, which began 11,700 years ago, have now been replaced by the Anthropocene, an epoch in which humanity is the main driver of ecological events. We are destroying rainforests that absorb carbon dioxide and are driving countless species – from insects to gorillas and chimpanzees, our closest evolutionary cousins – towards extinction. At the same time, global heating – caused by our continued burning of fossil fuels – is triggering unprecedented heatwaves, droughts, storms, floods and wildfires. “Climate change impacts are now hitting people harder and sooner than was envisaged only a decade ago,” states the report, Our Future in the Anthropocene Biosphere. Given the vast scale of the problem, the report concludes that “modest adjustments” to our current industrial and agricultural practices are now going to be insufficient. “Transformative changes are now necessary,” it concludes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/21/climate-fight-is-undermined-by-social-medias-toxic-reports
     
         
      The UK’s pathway to net zero carbon emissions is about to get harder Sat, 20th Mar 2021 18:50:00
     
      In 1990, as UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher was about to leave office, the economy was slipping into recession and construction workers on the Channel Tunnel had just reached the shores of France. At the time, the country was emitting about 794 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. Thirty years later, emissions are less than half that level, according to a new analysis, putting the country well on its way to reaching its legally-binding target of net zero emissions by 2050. The UK’s progress puts its well ahead of other major emitters with similar goals—Germany is 35% of the way there, and in the US emissions are about equal to where they were in 1990. China’s emissions aren’t likely to peak before 2030. In fact, the last time the UK’s emissions were this low was in 1879, when the county was at war in modern-day South Africa, based on an analysis by the UK climate policy analysis group Carbon Brief.
       
      Full Article: https://qz.com/1986681/the-uk-has-cut-its-carbon-emissions-in-half-since-1990/
     
         
      Canadian Conservative party votes not to recognize climate crisis as real Sat, 20th Mar 2021 18:19:00
     
      Canada’s main opposition Conservative party members have voted down a proposal to recognize the climate crisis as real, in a blow to their new leader’s efforts to embrace environmentally friendly policies before a likely federal election this year. The rejected motion included the willingness to act against climate risks and to make highly polluting businesses take more responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On Friday, the Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole, urged party members to rally around an ambitious climate agenda, in order to avoid a defeat at the hands of Liberals. He asked members to be open to new ideas if they were serious about toppling the Liberals in the next election, even if that went against the party’s conventional thinking. He did not want Conservative candidates to be branded as “climate change deniers”, he said. On Saturday, Conservative delegates rejected the policy shift by 54% to 46%. Climate change was a polarizing issue in the last election campaign. While Justin Trudeau stresses that the environment is a priority, Canada has failed to meet any of its climate pledges amid resistance from politicians who say the targets threaten the oil industry. Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis. The prime minister’s Liberal supporters rank it among their top concerns. Joe Biden’s aggressive climate policies are expected to galvanize Canada to march in step with Washington’s tough measures to avoid being disadvantaged.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/20/canada-conservative-party-climate-change-real?CMP=share_btn_tw
     
         
      Canadian Conservative party votes not to recognize climate crisis as real Sat, 20th Mar 2021 18:19:00
     
      Canada’s main opposition Conservative party members have voted down a proposal to recognize the climate crisis as real, in a blow to their new leader’s efforts to embrace environmentally friendly policies before a likely federal election this year. The rejected motion included the willingness to act against climate risks and to make highly polluting businesses take more responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On Friday, the Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole, urged party members to rally around an ambitious climate agenda, in order to avoid a defeat at the hands of Liberals. He asked members to be open to new ideas if they were serious about toppling the Liberals in the next election, even if that went against the party’s conventional thinking. He did not want Conservative candidates to be branded as “climate change deniers”, he said. On Saturday, Conservative delegates rejected the policy shift by 54% to 46%. Climate change was a polarizing issue in the last election campaign. While Justin Trudeau stresses that the environment is a priority, Canada has failed to meet any of its climate pledges amid resistance from politicians who say the targets threaten the oil industry. Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis. The prime minister’s Liberal supporters rank it among their top concerns. Joe Biden’s aggressive climate policies are expected to galvanize Canada to march in step with Washington’s tough measures to avoid being disadvantaged.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/20/canada-conservative-party-climate-change-real
     
         
      Forest restoration provides a path to pandemic recovery, greener future Sat, 20th Mar 2021 17:47:00
     
      Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), issued the call during a virtual event to commemorate the International Day of Forests, observed annually on 21 March. He said the forest sector has provided essential and lifesaving health products during the pandemic, such as face masks, cleaning supplies and ethanol used in sanitizers. Forests under threat Meanwhile, green spaces, parks and forests have been vital during “these times of social distancing”, and healthy, well-managed forests also act as natural buffers against zoonoses, thus warding against the risk of future pandemics. “Yet, despite their obvious importance, forests continue to be under threat”, Mr. Liu said. “Every year, seven million hectares of natural forests are converted to other land uses such as large-scale commercial agriculture, and other economic activities. And while the rate of deforestation has slowed over the past decade, tree-cover loss has continued unabated in the tropics – largely due to human and natural causes.” A path to recovery The UN believes sustainable management of forests is critical to combating climate change and to ensuring a better future for all. The theme for this year’s International Day – "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being” – also aligns with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, from 2021-2030. “If we fail to act now, we risk a point of no return”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in his message for the Day, though noting it is not too late to act. “The crises our planet faces require urgent action by all - governments, international and civil society organizations, the private sector, local authorities and individuals”, Mr. Guterres said. “Indigenous peoples are leading the way. They care for the Earth’s biodiversity and achieve conservation results with very few financial resources and little support.” For people and planet The Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu, underscored how restoring forests and managing them sustainably, benefits both people and the planet. This investment will also contribute to economic recovery from the pandemic, he added, as “forest restoration activities create green jobs, generate incomes, improve human health and increase human security.” While COVID-19 has been “a harsh wake-up call”, it also presents a unique opportunity to recover better and stronger, according to Mr. Liu. “Let us use this International Day of Forests to send a strong message,” he said. “Let us restore and protect our forests, our planet, and all its vital ecosystems for generations to come."
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087772
     
         
      Bottom Trawling in The Ocean Is Running The Tap on Earth's Largest Carbon Sink Sat, 20th Mar 2021 15:44:00
     
      Fishing trawlers that drag big nets along the ocean floor potentially release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the world's commercial aviation industry. The first study to estimate the real carbon footprint of bottom trawling globally has found this type of fishing releases roughly 1.47 billion tonnes of aqueous CO2 from the marine soil annually. That number only represents 0.02 percent of all sedimentary carbon in the ocean – the largest pool of organic carbon on the planet – but as the authors point out, that's up to 20 percent of the atmospheric CO2 absorbed by the ocean each year and is "comparable to estimates of carbon loss in terrestrial soils caused by farming." How much of that aqueous carbon makes its way up into our atmosphere is still unclear, but even if all those emissions remain in the marine environment, they can have detrimental effects on ocean acidification and biodiversity. "The ocean floor is the world's largest carbon storehouse. If we're to succeed in stopping global warming, we must leave the carbon-rich seabed undisturbed," argues aquatic ecologist Trisha Atwood of Utah State University. "Yet every day, we are trawling the seafloor, depleting its biodiversity and mobilizing millennia-old carbon and thus exacerbating climate change. Our findings about the climate impacts of bottom trawling will make the activities on the ocean's seabed hard to ignore in climate plans going forward." Satellite data from 2016 to 2019 shows industrial trawlers are dredging up roughly 1.3 percent of the seafloor each year, equivalent to roughly 5 million square kilometers of untouched seafloor (nearly 2 million square miles). The worst carbon emissions occur in the first year after an area is trawled, mostly because of changes in the carbon metabolism of the sediment. After nine years of continuous trawling in the same spot, emissions stabilize to roughly 40 percent of their initial surge. If the current rate of trawling is maintained, an international team of 26 researchers found it will take about 400 years to completely deplete the first top meter of all sedimentary carbon in our oceans. Their comprehensive new model, which was published in advance of the 2021 United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), supports the emerging idea that we should protect up to 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. The authors say that not only will this save over 80 percent of ocean habitats for endangered marine species, but that it could also boost the productivity of fisheries and secure critical carbon stocks in our oceans. "Rather than viewing protection versus extraction as a zero-sum game, we ask whether strategic conservation planning can simultaneously yield benefits for biodiversity conservation, food provisioning, and carbon storage," the authors explain. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can be effective ways to safeguard certain habitats and restore ocean biodiversity for ecosystems and industry. Unfortunately, as of March 2021, MPAs cover a mere 7 percent of the ocean, and only 2.7 percent of these areas are highly protected. To figure out where future MPAs could prove most useful, researchers examined a range of conservation goals, including a reduction in species extinction risk and improvements in biodiversity, food provisions, and carbon storage. The multi-faceted framework also considers how and where we can reduce human impact to reduce nutrient pollution, ocean warming, and acidification. Compared to a business-as-usual scenario, this new model suggests that strict protections for just 21 percent of the ocean (including 43 percent of the coasts and 6 percent of the high seas) would provide 90 percent of all the possible biodiversity benefits examined. This would increase the average protection of endangered species from just over 1 percent of their current range to between 82 and 87 percent. The most irreplaceable ecosystems are those that reside in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of a nation's coastline, where most fishing occurs, but even in the deep seas of Antarctica, the Indian Ocean, and the mid-Atlantic, MPAs could be implemented to great success, the authors say. Of course, such protections will require global action and teamwork. By protecting just 4 percent of the ocean from bottom trawling, mostly within national waters, we could eliminate 90 percent of the current risk of carbon disturbance. The countries with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change are those with the largest EEZs and industrial fisheries, including China's EEZ, Europe's Atlantic coastline, and other key areas where ocean upwelling occurs. "Perhaps the most impressive and encouraging result is the enormous gain we can obtain for biodiversity conservation – if we carefully choose the location of strictly protected marine areas," says marine ecologist David Mouillot from the Université de Montpellier in France. "One notable priority for conservation is Antarctica, which currently has little protection, but is projected to host many vulnerable species in a near future due to climate change." Past attempts from environmentalists to create a large marine reserve in Antarctica have failed due to competing industry interests, but this new research suggests we can appease both groups to some extent. If we strategically place MPAs in 28 percent of the ocean, the new blueprint shows we could increase food provisions by 5.9 million metric tonnes compared to what we're doing now. Expanding MPAs to cover between 3.8 and 5.3 percent of the ocean would achieve 90 percent of this target. "It's simple: When overfishing and other damaging activities cease, marine life bounces back," says marine and fisheries ecologist Reniel Cabral from the University of California Santa Barbara. "After protections are put in place, the diversity and abundance of marine life increase over time, with measurable recovery occurring in as little as three years. Target species and large predators come back, and entire ecosystems are restored within MPAs. With time, the ocean can heal itself and again provide services to humankind."
       
      Full Article: read://https_www.sciencealert.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencealert.com%2Fbottom-trawling-in-the-ocean-is-running-the-tap-on-earth-s-largest-carbon-sink
     
         
      ‘Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination’: the scientists turning the desert green Sat, 20th Mar 2021 12:00:00
     
      Flying into Egypt in early February to make the most important presentation of his life, Ties van der Hoeven prepared by listening to the podcast 13 Minutes To The Moon – the story of how Nasa accomplished the lunar landings. The mission he was discussing with the Egyptian government was more earthbound in nature, but every bit as ambitious. It could even represent a giant leap for mankind. Van der Hoeven is a co-founder of the Weather Makers, a Dutch firm of “holistic engineers” with a plan to regreen the Sinai peninsula – the small triangle of land that connects Egypt to Asia. Within a couple of decades, the Weather Makers believe, the Sinai could be transformed from a hot, dry, barren desert into a green haven teeming with life: forests, wetlands, farming land, wild flora and fauna. A regreened Sinai would alter local weather patterns and even change the direction of the winds, bringing more rain, the Weather Makers believe – hence their name. “If anybody doubts that the Sinai can be regreened,” Van der Hoeven told the Egyptian delegates, an assortment of academics, representatives of ministers and military top brass, “then you have to understand that landing on the moon was once thought unrealistic. They didn’t lay out a full, detailed roadmap when they started, but they had the vision. And step by step they made it happen.” Van der Hoeven is nothing if not persuasive. Voluble, energetic and down-to-earth, the 40-year-old engineer’s train of thought runs through disciplines from morphology to esoteric mysticism, often threatening to jump the tracks. But he is keenly focused on the future. “This world is ready for regenerative change,” he says. “It’s going to be a complete change of our behaviour as a species in the longer term. It is going to be a step as big as fire was for humanity.” It sounds impossibly far-fetched, but not only is the Weather Makers’ plan perfectly feasible, they insist, it is precisely the type of project humanity should be getting its head around right now. In recent years, discussion about the climate crisis has predominantly focused on fossil fuels and greenhouse gases; now, we’re coming to realise that the other side of that coin is protecting and replenishing the natural world. There is no better mechanism for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than nature, but in the past 5,000 years, human activity has reduced the Earth’s total biomass by an estimated 50%, and destroyed or degraded 70% of the world’s forests. As UN secretary general António Guterres put it last year: “Human activities are at the root of our descent toward chaos. But that means human action can help to solve it.” The Weather Makers know this very well: their origins are in dredging, one of the heaviest industries there is. Over the past few centuries, dredging has helped humans alter the face of the planet on ever-greater scales. Trained as a morphological engineer, Van der Hoeven has spent the past decade in the industry, working on projects across the world, including the artificial islands of Dubai, whose creation involved large-scale dredging and land reclamation. He got sucked into the expat lifestyle there, he admits: drinking, eating, partying, “I lost a little bit of my soul.” Returning to the Netherlands in 2008, he began to reexamine his own profession: “What I could see is that the dredging industry had so much potential; we were just misusing it.” Working for the Belgian company Deme, he devised a new method of dredging that was both more eco-friendly and more efficient. He used inexpensive sensors to model maritime conditions in real time – waves, currents, tides – so as to determine more precisely where and when it was safe to work. Trialling the system, he won over sceptical colleagues by living on the vessel with them, even cooking meals. Head office was also convinced when his technique saved a small fortune. In January 2016, Van der Hoeven was contacted by Deme’s Egyptian representative, Malik Boukebbous, who had been asked by the Egyptian government to look into restoring Lake Bardawil, a lagoon on the north coast of the Sinai. The lake was once 20 to 40 metres deep, but today is just a few metres deep. Dredging the lake and cutting channels to allow more water in from the Mediterranean would make it deeper, cooler and less salty – all of which would boost fish stocks. But Van der Hoeven did not want to stop there. “If I feel I’m on the right track, it’s difficult for people to distract me,” he says. He began looking at the Sinai peninsula in more detail: its history, weather patterns, geology, tides, plant and animal life, even religious texts. He took himself off other projects and spent long hours in his apartment surrounded by charts, maps, books, sketched diagrams. “People were afraid for me because I was forgetting myself. My friends were cooking for me.” The deeper he looked, the more potential he saw. There is evidence that the Sinai once was green – as recently as 4,500 to 8,000 years ago. Cave paintings found there depict trees and plants. Records in the 1,500-year-old Saint Catherine’s monastery, near Mount Sinai, tally harvests of wood. Satellite images reveal a network of rivers flowing from the mountains in the south towards the Mediterranean. What turned the Sinai into a desert was, most likely, human activity. Wherever they settle, humans tend to chop down trees and clear land. This loss of vegetation affects the land’s ability to retain moisture. Grazing animals trample and consume plants when they try to grow back. The soil loses its structure and is washed away – hence the silt in Lake Bardawil. Van der Hoeven calculated the lake contained about 2.5bn cubic metres of silt. If one were to restore the Sinai, this vast reserve of nutrient-rich material was exactly what would be needed. “It became clear we had a massive opportunity,” he says. “It wasn’t the solution to a single problem; it was the solution to all the problems.” By this stage, Van der Hoeven and Deme agreed that he would be best off working as a separate entity, so in 2017 he founded the Weather Makers with two friends: Gijs Bosman and Maddie Akkermans. Both appear to be steadying influences. Bosman, a project manager at Dutch engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV and a friend since student days, had the ability to translate Van der Hoeven’s grand vision into actionable technical detail. Akkermans has a background in finance and economics. “Ties said, ‘I’m too chaotic. So I can’t do this alone,’” she says. “Having someone like me who could tell him the truth and keep him on track gave him the confidence to start a company.” They consulted with experts across disciplines, in particular a handful of veterans who have been ploughing the eco-restoration furrow for decades. Van der Hoeven calls them his “Jedi”. The first of these is John D Liu, a Chinese-American ecologist with a background in broadcasting. Restoring a landscape as large and as degraded as the Sinai sounds like science fiction, but it has been done before. While Van der Hoeven was immersed in his research, a friend implored him to watch a documentary called Green Gold, which Liu had made for Dutch television in 2012. It chronicles the story of the Loess plateau, an area of northern China almost the size of France. In 1994, Liu, who was working as a television journalist in Beijing, was asked by the World Bank to film the start of an ambitious restoration project, led by a pioneering Chinese scientist, Li Rui. At that time, the Loess plateau was much like the Sinai: a dry, barren, heavily eroded landscape. The soil was washing away and silting up the Yellow river. Farmers could barely grow any crops. The plan to restore it was huge in scale but relatively low tech: planting trees on the hilltops; terracing the steep slopes (by hand); adding organic material to the soil; controlling grazing animals; retaining water. The transformation has been astonishing. Within 20 years, the deserts of the Loess plateau became green valleys and productive farmland, as Green Gold documents. “I watched it 35 times in a row,” says Van der Hoeven. “Seeing that, I thought, ‘Let’s go for it!’” The Loess plateau project was also a turning point for Liu, he says – away from broadcasting and towards ecosystem restoration: “You start to see that everything is connected. It’s almost like you’re in the Matrix.” Despite his Jedi status, 68-year-old Liu is easygoing and conversational, more midwestern ex-hippy than cryptic Zen master. Since 2009, he has been an ambassador for Commonland, a Dutch nonprofit, and an adviser to Ecosystem Restoration Camps – a global network of hands-on, volunteer communities. After watching Green Gold, the Weather Makers practically burst into Commonland’s Amsterdam headquarters to share their plans. “They were not going to be denied!” Liu recalls. “I said, ‘We have to work with these people, because this is the most audacious thesis I’ve ever seen.’” Liu brought Van der Hoeven to China to see the Loess plateau first-hand. “To be in a place that had been essentially a desert where now it’s raining cats and dogs, and it’s not flooding, because it’s being infiltrated and retained in the system – it was all just so impressive to him.” Through Liu, Van der Hoeven met another Jedi: Prof Millán Millán, a Spanish meteorologist. In the 1990s, Millán began investigating the disappearance of summer storms in eastern Spain for the European commission. “What I found is that the loss is directly linked to the building up of coastal areas,” he says. Rainfall in the region comes almost entirely from Mediterranean sea breezes. However, the breeze alone doesn’t carry enough water vapour to create a storm inland; it needs to pick up extra moisture, which it used to do from the marshes and wetlands along the coast. Over the past two centuries, however, these wetlands have been built on or converted to farming land. No additional moisture; no more storms. “Once you take too much vegetation out, it leads to desertification very quickly,” says Millán. Such changes do not just affect the weather at a local level, Millán discovered: “The water vapour that doesn’t precipitate over the mountains goes back to the Mediterranean and accumulates in layers for about four or five days, and then it goes somewhere else: central Europe.” In other words, building on the Spanish coast was creating floods in Germany. Millán’s findings have gone largely unheeded by the European commission, he says. Now 79 and retired, he speaks with the gentle weariness of a long-ignored expert: “My criticism to them was: the old township barber would pull your teeth with pliers. It hurt, but it was effective. You’re still using those procedures, but you could save all your teeth.” Millán’s research and Liu’s experience in the Loess plateau arrived at essentially the same conclusion. Chop down the trees, destroy the ecosystem, and the rains disappear; restore the ecosystem, make a wetter landscape, and the rains come back. Millán distilled his work down to a simple maxim: “Water begets water, soil is the womb, vegetation is the midwife.” Regreening the Sinai is to some extent a question of restarting that “water begets water” feedback loop. After restoring Lake Bardawil, the second phase is to expand and restore the wetlands around it so as to evaporate more moisture and increase biodiversity. The Sinai coast is already a major global crossing point for migratory birds; restored wetlands would encourage more birds, which would add fertility and new plant species. When it comes to restoring inland areas of the Sinai, there is another challenge: fresh water. This is where another Jedi came into play: John Todd, a mild-mannered marine biologist and a pioneer in ecological design. In the 1970s, frustrated by the narrowness of academia, Todd established the New Alchemy Institute, an alternative research community in Massachusetts dedicated to sustainable living. One of his innovations was the “eco machine” – a low-tech installation consisting of clear-sided water barrels covered by a greenhouse. “An eco machine is basically a living technology,” Todd explains. The principle is that water flows from one barrel to the next, and each barrel contains a mini ecosystem: algae, plants, bacteria, fungi, worms, insects, fish; like a series of manmade ponds. As the water flows, it becomes cleaner and cleaner. “You could design one that would treat toxic waste or sewage, or you could design one to grow food. They are solar-driven, and have within them a very large amount of biodiversity – in a sense, they reflect the aggregate experience of life on Earth over the last 3.5bn years.” In the Sinai, eco machines would be used to grow plants and to produce fresh water. Last autumn, the Weather Makers built their own eco machine on a pig farm on the outskirts of the Dutch city of s’-Hertogenbosch, where they are based. For the first step in a plan to change the world, it is not exactly prepossessing. It looks like a standard agricultural polytunnel. On a cold, drizzly day, Weather Maker Pieter van Hout gives me a virtual tour. Inside the greenhouse are six clear-sided barrels filled with water of various shades of green and brown. In some of the tanks is leaf litter and dead plant material. Van Hout points out the brown algae growing on the sides: phytoplankton, the basis of the food web, which feeds life further up the chain: insects, snails and, in one tank, fish (in the Sinai these would be edible tilapia). Some water evaporates from the barrels and condenses on the inside skin of the greenhouse, where it is collected by a system of gutters. Even on a cold day in the Netherlands, there is a constant trickle into a container on the ground. In the heat of the Sinai, the cycle would run much faster, says Van Hout. The water feeding the eco machine would be salt water, but the water that condenses inside would be fresh water, which can then be used to irrigate plants. If the structure is designed correctly, one would only need to drum on the outside to create an artificial “rain” inside. When the plants and the soil inside the greenhouse reach a certain maturity, they become self-sustaining. The greenhouse can then be removed and the process repeated in a different spot. “The idea is that you may have 100 of these structures,” says John Todd. “And they’re spending five years in one site and then they’re moved, so these little ecologies are left behind.” In the Sinai, the sediment from Lake Bardawil would be pumped up to the hills, 50km inland, where it would then trickle back down through a network of eco machines. The saltiness of the sediment is actually an asset, says Van Hout, in that it has preserved all the nutrients. Flushing them through the eco machines will “reactivate” them. Around the water tanks, they are now testing to see which salt-tolerant plant species, or halophytes, grow best. Van Hout proudly points out a stack of white plastic tubs containing silt freshly scooped from the bottom of Lake Bardawil. “This is what ecosystem restoration looks like in real life,” he laughs, “buckets of very expensive mud.” Estimates of how much difference a regreened Sinai could make are hard to quantify. In terms of carbon sequestration, it would doubtless be “billions of tons”, says Van der Hoeven. But such metrics are not always helpful: if you convert atmospheric carbon into, say, phytoplankton, what happens when a fish eats that phytoplankton? Or when a bigger fish eats that fish? The effect of regreening deserts is the subject of some debate. Deserts play a crucial role in cooling the planet since they reflect up to 30% of the solar radiation that falls on them back into space – a measure known as albedo. Areas covered by vegetation are darker and less reflective, so have a lower albedo (10-15%), and thus absorb more sunlight, which could have a warming effect. Furthermore, of the remaining 70% of the solar radiation that is not reflected in deserts, around two-thirds is emitted back into the atmosphere as long-wave radiation; in other words, heat. With little cloud cover or moisture, much of that heat leaves the atmosphere and out into space – another key mechanism for cooling the planet. Were the deserts regreened, some climate scientists argue that these mechanisms would be affected. But the Weather Makers say these objections discount the effects a functional, biodiverse ecosystem would have on the earth’s weather and water systems. In wet, green areas the solar energy that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere as heat instead goes into evapotranspiration - evaporating water from the landscape - which has a cooling effect. Secondly, ecosystems remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which deserts do not, thus helping alleviate the greenhouse effect. While other points of difference remain – including around likely impacts of the latent heat released when the water vapour returns to rain – the Weather Makers believe that on a global scale, restored ecosystems and water cycles would help re-stabilise the out-of-balance weather systems that Millán Millán first identified. “The climate regulator on earth is the biosphere,” says Bosman. “All cycles depend on it. In the last 10,000 years we have removed more than half of this biosphere.” At present, the hot Sinai acts as a “vacuum cleaner”, drawing moist air from the Mediterranean and funnelling it towards the Indian Ocean. A cooler Sinai would mean less of that moisture being “lost”. Instead, it would fall as rain across the Middle East and north Africa, thus boosting the entire region’s natural potential. Van der Hoeven describes the Sinai peninsula as an “acupuncture point”: “There are certain points in this world where, if we accumulate our joint energy, we can make a big difference.” The Sinai is also an acupuncture point geopolitically, however. Post-Arab spring, the region has become a battle zone between Egyptian security forces and Islamist insurgents. There have been numerous terrorist incidents: the bombing of a Russian airliner in 2015 killed 224 people; an attack on a Sufi mosque in 2017 killed more than 300 worshippers. Northern Sinai is currently a no-go area to outsiders, controlled by the military, and plagued by poverty, terrorism and human rights abuses. Since 2018 the military has restricted access to Lake Bardawil for local fishermen to just a few months a year, says Ahmed Salem, founder of the UK-based Sinai Foundation for Human Rights. “There’s a lot of suffering,” he says, “because they don’t have any other way to earn money and feed their families.” A restored landscape would bring tangible benefits to locals, says Salem, but it all depends on the president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. “If Sisi really wants to help them [the Weather Makers], it will be OK for them because he’s like a god in Egypt. But if he doesn’t, they will fail.” But the Sisi government seems to have recognised that ecosystem regeneration could fix many problems at once: food security, poverty, political stability, climate goals, as well as the potential for a green project of international renown. The government is close to signing contracts for the first phase of the restoration plan, which covers the dredging of Lake Bardawil. Subsequent phases may well require financial support from external bodies such as the EU. As outsiders, the Weather Makers are aware their plan will require local support, cooperation and labour. Because of the military restrictions, none of them has visited Lake Bardawil, although they have forged links with an organic farm in southern Sinai named Habiba. Habiba was established in 1994, by Maged El Said, a charismatic, Cairo-born tour operator who fell in love with the region. Originally it was a beach resort, but in 2007 El Said branched into organic farming, and Habiba now connects other farms, local Bedouin tribes and academic institutions. El Said has some reservations about the Weather Makers’ plan: “It’s a big shiny project, but also you’re drastically changing the environment, the flora and fauna. I don’t know if there will be side-effects.” But in terms of the larger mission, they are very much aligned: “We are all in the same boat. Desertification and climate change is happening so fast, so we need action on the ground. Enough of workshops, enough seminars, talks, talks, talks.” On a global level, the tide is turning in the Weather Makers’ direction. Discussions about regreening, reforestation and rewilding have been growing in volume and urgency, boosted by high-profile advocates such as Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough and British ecologist Thomas Crowther, who made headlines in 2019 with research suggesting the climate crisis could be solved by planting 1tn trees (he later acknowledged it was not quite that simple). This year marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, “a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world”. The UN hopes to restore 350m hectares of land by 2030, which could remove an additional 13 to 26 gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere. After decades of compartmentalising environmental issues and missing its own targets, the UN, too, has come to realise that the only viable solution is to do it all at once. It particularly wants to rally younger people to the cause; its social media campaigns carry a “generation restoration” hashtag. “Ecosystem restoration is not a technical challenge; it’s a social challenge,” says Tim Christophersen, head of the Nature for Climate branch at the UN Environment Programme. Nations and corporations are also making ever more ambitious commitments to regreening, even if they are struggling to live up to them. The UK, for example, plans to create 30,000 hectares of woodland a year by 2025. India has pledged to restore 26m hectares of degraded land by 2030. Africa’s Great Green Wall, “the world’s largest ecosystem restoration project”, aims to plant an 8,000km line of trees across the Sahara Desert, from Senegal to Djibouti (14 years on, it is only around 15% complete). Meanwhile, green companies are taking root, such as Ecosia, the Berlin-based search engine, which to date has planted more than 120m trees around the world. “The main challenge,” Christophersen says, “is the lack of human imagination; our inability to see a different future because we’re staring down this dystopian path of pandemic, climate change, biodiversity loss. But the collective awareness that we are in this together is a huge opportunity. People don’t have a problem imagining what a four-lane highway would look like. But to imagine a restored landscape of over a million hectares – nobody knows what that would look like because it hasn’t really been done before.” Van der Hoeven would agree. He cites Yuval Noah Hariri’s book Sapiens, which argues that humans prevailed because of our ability to share information, ideas, stories: “We were able to believe in a myth – in something which was not there yet.” Regreening the Sinai is presently little more than a myth, just as the Apollo missions once were; but it now exists in the imagination, as a signpost for the future we aspire to. The more it is shared, the more likely it is to happen. It could come to be a turning point – an acupuncture point: “We’re not going to change humanity by saying, ‘Everything has to be less,’” says Van der Hoeven. “No, we have to do more of the good things. Why don’t we come together and do something in a positive way?” This article was amended on 13 April 2021. An earlier version said that “deserts are heat producers, reflecting around 60% to 70% of the solar energy that falls on them straight back into the atmosphere”, and that increasing green areas would “help cool the planet”. That paragraph has been replaced to acknowledge the debate among climate scientists, some of whom argue that regreening deserts would actually warm the planet. A quote from Gijs Bosman about the importance of the biosphere was also added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/20/our-biggest-challenge-lack-of-imagination-the-scientists-turning-the-desert-green
     
         
      Australia Is Jumping On The Green Hydrogen Bandwagon Sat, 20th Mar 2021 12:00:00
     
      It’s not news that COVID-19 wreaked havoc on energy markets across the world throughout 2020. But just to recap, it was a real doozy; total energy demand sank by 5 percent, liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand went down by 4 percent, coal by 5 percent, and energy investment tanked by a whopping 20 percent. But amidst the chaos, renewable energy generation managed to grow by a very respectable 7 percent, fuelling plenty of headlines and speculative columns wondering if the era of fossil fuels is already over. In fact, many experts contend that we’re already experiencing peak oil. While oil prices and demand have rebounded impressively since their rock-bottom moment in April 2020 when the West Texas Intermediate crude benchmark plunged below zero, effectively paying people to take oil off the market, many world leaders and investors have already begun to aggressively pursue a post-petroleum world. Even fossil-fuel-consuming juggernauts like China are assertively trying to change their trajectory toward a more climate-friendly energy future. Australia, too, has emerged as one of the leaders of this worldwide movement. The country, which has historically relied on fossil fuel extraction for a considerable portion of its economy, is now leaning into decarbonization efforts. This is significant, as Australia is the world’s largest exporter of the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel: coal. The emissions-heavy fuel source accounts for more than half of the country’s coal exports and the country itself is largely run on the other black gold. According to a government website, “Australia’s primary energy consumption is dominated by coal (around 40 percent), oil (34 percent) and gas (22 percent). Coal accounts for about 75 per cent of Australia’s electricity generation, followed by gas (16 percent), hydro (5 percent) and wind around (2 percent).” But all that is set to change in the very near future. This week NERA (National Energy Resources Australia), an affiliate of the country’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, released a report entitled “Looking ahead: COVID-19 and Australia’s new energy future,” which describes a move away from exporting primary materials such as coal, LNG, iron ore and other minerals. “By moving up the value chain, Australia can become a global leader in the advanced manufacturing of smart technologies that can help decarbonise the world’s economies and be commercialised and scaled across different industry sectors, including mining, energy resources, agriculture, space and defence.” A big part of this new and improved Australian energy future will revolve around much-buzzed about green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is lauded for its potential as a clean-burning fuel source because when it is combusted it leaves behind nothing but water vapor. Hydrogen is only as green as the resources used to make it, however. Hydrogen made with fossil fuels is referred to as gray hydrogen (and some refer to hydrogen made using less emissions-intensive natural gas as “blue hydrogen.”) Green hydrogen, by definition, is made using clean energy. Australian mining company QEM has already begun looking into green hydrogen opportunities at its flagship Julia Creek site in Queensland, a particularly symbolic green energy pivot at a shale oil deposit site. The green hydrogen venture is not intended to overtake the site’s shale oil and vanadium extraction, but to “underpin its continued development” in a more climate-friendly way and help to more responsibly grow the shale sector, rather than replace it. The studies, which are already underway, will examine the use of a “green” solar-powered electrolyzer at the Julia Creek site, paying special attention to such a project’s financial and regulatory requirements. If proven viable, in the short term the hydrogen would be used to power other kinds of non-renewable resource extraction such as those at the Julia Creek site and others across the ‘North West Minerals Province’ of Queensland. In the long term, green hydrogen would feature prominently as a carbon-free resource for “hydrogeneration of QEM’s raw oil into transportation fuels.” In addition to being an environmentally salient development, it’s also an economically savvy move. “QEM on Monday said its strategic progression comes amid a buoyant market, supportive government policy and optimal project location,” Upstream reported on Monday. “The company’s advancement of its green hydrogen production strategy comes amid growing investment and interest in such renewable energy ventures from both the private and public sectors.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Australia-Is-Jumping-On-The-Green-Hydrogen-Bandwagon.html
     
         
      PV-thermal technology earns tick of approval from IEA Fri, 19th Mar 2021 15:40:00
     
      The International Energy Agency (IEA) this week released a paper highlighting the merits of PVT, declaring the production of solar PV energy combined with energy from the heat transfer provides an increased yield per square meter. Glen Ryan, co-founder of Perth-based solar PV innovator Sunovate, is among those who participated in the preparation of the Technology Position Paper on PVT and said the hybrid technology has the potential to improve conversion efficiency by diverting the heat away from the modules while utilizing the heat for an alternative purpose. “Globally, heating typically accounts for more than 50% of final energy consumption, very little of which is powered by renewable energy,” Ryan said. “PVT allows us to harness clean solar energy, improve PV panel output, and convert the heat removed for application directly such as space heating or enhancing it by combining it with heating appliances such as heat pumps. “It’s a remarkable combination of technologies that is improving efficiency, output and longevity of PV modules and allowing more applications to access clean energy.” The IEA said by combining electricity and heat generation within the same component, the technologies can reach a higher overall seasonal efficiency than PV or solar thermal alone. By day the solar PV modules convert sunlight into electricity. With PVT, a solar thermal collector is added to transfer the otherwise unused excess heat from the PV module to a heat transfer fluid. By night, the technology transforms into a large heat radiative surface that can provide renewable cooling. The IEA said the solar electricity production of an uncovered PVT module is not less than that of a PV-only module and can even be slightly higher if the collector is operated at temperatures below those of a PV-only module thanks to the thermal energy extracted and used. PVT collectors can be uncovered, glazed, or concentrating. Depending on their type, PVT collectors can produce heat at temperatures from about -20° to +150°C and serve a wide range of applications. PVT systems are already being used in residential, agricultural and industrial settings with the IEA saying payback times as low as four years have been observed in hotel case studies in Spain. The Australian Photovoltaics Institute (APVI) said tests, including those conducted by Sunovate, found yields can more than double compared to PV or solar thermal alone. The efficiency is however dependent on the temperature of the heating application, with pool heating more efficient than space heating, and both are more efficient than hot water heating. The APVI said the potential for PVT is particularly strong for commercial businesses where heating requirements are elevated during the day, such as agro-industrial processes (greenhouses, dairies) and solar water desalination operations. The IEA report also indicated PVT provided increased solar PV efficiency due to removal of heat from the modules while the lifespan of the cells was increased due to less thermally induced degradation. The IEA said PVT can also help address the emerging issues of space and network constraints, noting the hybrid technology uses the same area as a PV or thermal module to provide both electricity and heat, and in some cases cooling. “PVT systems deliver high-yielding solutions per unit of area and maximize the existing electrical infrastructure through their distributed application,” the IEA said in the report. The APVI said Australia is already home to a number of PVT technology manufacturers, as well as international distributors, but with 2 million m2 of PVT, that is 270 MW PV and 1.400 GW solar thermal installed worldwide over the past five years, the country has some catching up to do. Australia had only 547 m2 of installed PVT capacity in 2019, well adrift of pacesetters France (485,000 m2), South Korea (281,000 m2), China (133,000 m2) and Germany (112,000 m2).
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/03/19/pv-thermal-technology-earns-tick-of-approval-from-iea/
     
         
      Cheaper Carbon Capture Is on the Way – Marathon Research Effort Drives Down Cost Fri, 19th Mar 2021 15:35:00
     
      As part of a marathon research effort to lower the cost of carbon capture, chemists have now demonstrated a method to seize carbon dioxide (CO2) that reduces costs by 19 percent compared to current commercial technology. The new technology requires 17 percent less energy to accomplish the same task as its commercial counterparts, surpassing barriers that have kept other forms of carbon capture from widespread industrial use. And it can be easily applied in existing capture systems. In a study published in the March 2021 edition of International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—along with collaborators from Fluor Corp. and the Electric Power Research Institute—describe properties of the solvent, known as EEMPA, that allow it to sidestep the energetically expensive demands incurred by traditional solvents. “EEMPA has some promising qualities,” said chemical engineer Yuan Jiang, lead author of the study. “It can capture carbon dioxide without high water content, so it’s water-lean, and it’s much less viscous than other water-lean solvents.” Carbon capture methods are diverse. They range from aqueous amines—the water-rich solvents that run through today’s commercially available capture units, which Jiang used as an industrial comparison—to energy-efficient membranes that filter CO2 from flue gas emitted by power plants. Current atmospheric CO2 levels have soared higher in recent years than at any point within the last 800,000 years, as a new record high of 409.8 parts per million was struck in 2019. CO2 is primarily released through human activities like fossil fuel combustion, and today’s atmospheric concentrations exceed pre-industrial levels by 47 percent. At a cost of $400–$500 million per unit, commercial technology can capture carbon at roughly $58.30 per metric ton of CO2, according to a DOE analysis. EEMPA, according to Jiang’s study, can absorb CO2 from power plant flue gas and later release it as pure CO2 for as little as $47.10 per metric ton, offering an additional technology option for power plant operators to capture their CO2. Jiang’s study described seven processes that power plants can adopt when using EEMPA, ranging from simple setups similar to those described in 1930s technology, to multi-stage configurations of greater complexity. Jiang modeled the energy and material costs to run such processes in a 550-megawatt coal power plant, finding that each method coalesces near the $47.10 per metric ton mark. One of the first known patents for solvent-based carbon capture technology cropped up in 1930, filed by Robert Bottoms. “I kid you not,” said green chemist David Heldebrant, coauthor of the new study. “Ninety-one years ago, Bottoms used almost the same process design and chemistry to address what we now know as a 21st century problem.” The chemical process for extracting CO2 from post-combustion gas remains largely unchanged: water-rich amines mix with flue gas, absorb CO2 and are later stripped of the gas, which is then compressed and stored. But aqueous amines have limitations. Because they’re water-rich, they must be boiled at high temperatures to remove CO2 and then cooled before they can be reused, driving costs upward. “We wanted to hit it from the other side and ask, why are we not using 21st century chemistry for this?” Heldebrant said. So, in 2009, he and his colleagues began designing water-lean solvents as an alternative. The first few solvents were too viscous to be usable. “’Look,’” he recalled industry partners saying, “‘your solvent is freezing and turning into glass. We can’t work with this.’ So, we said, OK. Challenge accepted.” Over the next decade, the PNNL team refined the solvent’s chemistry with the explicit aim to overcome the “viscosity barrier.” The key, it turned out, was to use molecules that aligned in a way that promoted internal hydrogen bonding, leaving fewer hydrogen atoms to interact with neighboring molecules. Heldebrant draws a comparison to children running through a ball pit: if two kids hold each other’s hands while passing through, they move slowly. But if they hold their own hands instead, they pass as two smaller, faster-moving objects. Internal hydrogen bonding also leaves fewer hydrogen atoms to interact with overall, akin to removing balls from the pit. Where the team’s solvent was once viscous like honey, it now flowed like water from the kettle. EEMPA is 99 percent less viscous than PNNL’s previous water-lean formulations, now nearly on par with commercial solvents, allowing them to be utilized in existing infrastructure, which is largely built from steel. Pivoting to plastic in place of steel, the team found, can further reduce equipment costs. Steel is expensive to produce, costly to ship and tends to corrode over time in contact with solvents. At one tenth the weight, substituting plastic for steel can drive the overall cost down another $5 per metric ton, according to a study led by Jiang in 2019. Pairing with plastic offers another advantage to EEMPA, whose reactive surface area is boosted in plastic systems. Because traditional aqueous amines can’t “wet” plastic as well (think of water beading on Teflon), this advantage is unique to the new solvent. The PNNL team plans to produce 4,000 gallons of EEMPA in 2022 to analyze at a 0.5-megawatt scale inside testing facilities at the National Carbon Capture Center in Shelby County, Alabama, in a project led by the Electric Power Research Institute in partnership with Research Triangle Institute International. They will continue testing at increasing scales and further refine the solvent’s chemistry, with the aim to reach the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal of deploying commercially available technology that can capture CO2 at a cost of $30 per metric ton by 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/cheaper-carbon-capture-is-on-the-way-marathon-research-effort-drives-down-cost/
     
         
      Offshore Wind Could Meet Nearly All of US 2050 Electricity Demand – Report Fri, 19th Mar 2021 14:58:00
     
      Offshore wind has the potential to deliver 90 per cent of America’s projected 2050 electricity demand, according to a report released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. The report, Offshore Wind for America, examined the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, and Great Lakes regions and found that each has the capacity to develop offshore wind. The Atlantic region is the clear frontrunner in terms of its potential to generate offshore wind, with the capacity, if fully developed, to generate four times as much electricity as the region used in 2019. The Gulf is second, followed by the Pacific, and then the Great Lake regions in their potential capacity. Based on research by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US offshore wind has a technical potential to deliver 7,203 TWh of electricity each year. The country’s electricity usage with full electrification is projected to stand at 7,930 TWh in 2050. ”Offshore wind is a renewable energy gold mine begging to be used,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. ”If we went out today and maximized its potential, offshore wind alone could provide almost double the amount of electricity used by the entire U.S. in 2019. But even if we just unlock a fraction of America’s offshore wind capacity, it would help put us on track for a future powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Coupled with other renewable energy sources like solar and onshore wind, offshore wind promises to throw open the gates to a cleaner, healthier future for our kids and future generations.” In total, 29 states were examined in the report. Massachusetts has the potential to generate the most offshore wind power of any state, while Maine has by far the highest ratio of potential offshore wind power to its current and future electricity needs. For projections of 2050 electricity demand, the report assumes that US buildings, industry, and transportation will all be powered by electricity rather than fossil fuels by mid-century. ”Nineteen states have the potential to produce more power from offshore wind than all the electricity they used in 2019,” said co-author Bryn Huxley-Reicher of Frontier Group. ”And eleven states have the technical capacity to produce more electricity than they would be expected to use in 2050, even if they go all-electric. When you pair that potential with energy conservation and efficiency, you can start to imagine a world that really is fossil fuel-free.” The report also highlights how the rise of offshore wind in Europe and Asia has played an important role in advancing offshore wind technologies. Notably, turbine size, generation capacity and efficiency are improving, while the introduction of floating turbines will be crucial for expanding offshore wind potential in states with especially deep coastal water, such as Maine and California. ”Offshore wind has already proven to be a tremendous success internationally, so these are not uncharted waters,” said Hannah Read, Go Big on Offshore Wind associate with Environment America Research & Policy Center. ”America needs to follow the trend and develop renewable energy sources close to where we need the power, on our coasts where 40 percent of Americans live.” The US currently has two operational offshore wind farms and dozens of projects in the pipeline. Several Atlantic states have set enforceable targets for offshore wind in their energy mixes, but the report concludes that more state leadership and regional collaboration is needed to drive demand for offshore wind. ”For offshore wind to succeed, we need to set strong, enforceable targets around it,” Read said. ”The sheer abundance of this incredible renewable resource should convince our state leaders to make bold commitments to start powering our homes with offshore wind.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/03/19/offshore-wind-could-meet-nearly-all-of-us-2050-electricity-demand-report/
     
         
      Climate change bill plan due before NI Executive Fri, 19th Mar 2021 14:50:00
     
      Draft proposals for Northern Ireland's first climate change bill will be brought to the Executive shortly. A Stormont scrutiny committee heard they would set a legally binding target of "at least" an 82% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. They will also include interim targets, plans on how to achieve them and a reporting system to assess progress. If approved, the policy proposals will be drafted into a Climate Change Bill for assembly debate and scrutiny. The ambition is to have the bill passed by the end of the current Stormont term next year. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK not to have its own climate legislation and targets. But it does contribute to the overall UK effort in emissions reduction. Last year, the government's climate advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, said an 82% reduction was Northern Ireland's fair share towards the UK's stated ambition of Net Zero by 2050. It said going further and faster would be challenging due to the economic reliance on agri-food, the biggest emitting sector. Stormont's Agriculture and Environment Committee was told that as well as putting that target on a legislative footing, the bill would allow scope for greater ambition. Draft proposals include setting five-year carbon budgets to cap the amount of emissions and reports to the assembly on progress against those targets. The Committee on Climate Change would also be asked to provide independent oversight. Several committee members said the bill should take account of the importance of agri-food to the Northern Ireland economy and the ability of that sector to sequester as well as emit greenhouse gases. It would be wrong, they said, to force agriculture to make cuts
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56442406
     
         
      Climate change to put farming sectors under stress Fri, 19th Mar 2021 14:42:00
     
      A new study by the Met Office gives examples of how two of the UK’s most important farming sectors are likely to be impacted by climate change. The study – published in Climate Risk Management – examines the effect of climate change on the dairy and potato farming sectors over the next thirty to fifty years. The research found that heat stress in dairy cattle is projected to increase significantly in key dairy regions of the UK, particularly South Western England. The study also covered the climate change impacts on the potato sector due to late blight, a disease affecting potato crops which occurs in warm, humid weather. Dr Freya Garry is the author of the study. She said: “Projections show potential for major climate change impacts on UK farming. Our study found that future dairy cattle in parts of the South East may be exposed to heat stress for an extra two months per year. At the moment, cattle in the South East experience around a week per year of these stressful conditions.” The UK region with the largest herd of dairy cattle is the South West, where there are around 750,000 dairy cattle (according to the latest figures from Defra). The study shows that heat stress conditions are met around two-to-three days per year, but in the period 2051-2070, this could extend to around one month per year on average. The study is based on a climate projection known as RCP 8.5: a high emissions future. The pathway is credible as mitigation efforts to achieve the more drastic greenhouse gas emissions representative of other pathways can’t be guaranteed. Dr Garry added: “Given the potentially serious consequences for UK farming, we felt it was appropriate to work with a high impact scenario. Even under lower emission pathways, we know that our climate will continue to change so even if the impacts are smaller than identified in this study, our study provides useful information for adaptation planning.” On average the East of England and the South East England regions are likely to see the greatest number of days per year where cattle experience heat stress – around a month and a half on average across the region. Locally some areas in these regions, such as near London, will experience more days, whilst some areas will experience fewer. Other regions of the UK which are likely to see prolonged periods of heat stress in dairy cattle are the West Midlands and the East Midlands, which may both see increases of heat stress conditions of around a month per year on average in the future climate using these projections. In the future climate of 30-50 years’ time, late blight (a disease affecting potato crops which occurs in warm, humid weather) is likely to occur more often across the UK, with the greatest increases in western and northern regions. In east Scotland, a region which currently has a high concentration of potato farming, potato blight may occur around 70 % more often. Most potatoes are grown in the east of the UK, where potato blight occurs less often, and so there are likely to be smaller increases of 20-30 % in key regions for potato growing in England compared to today. Both food for cattle, crops for humans, and potato growing will all be threatened by increased drought in the future, which we tend to experience when we have particularly hot dry summers, such as 2018. Last year, another group of scientists from the Met Office demonstrated that the summer temperatures of 2018 may occur every one in two years by the middle of the century. In this work, the scientists also look at how often we are likely to see both hot and dry months during summers through the twenty-first century, and how this is likely to increase. The paper – “Future climate risk to UK agriculture from compound events”– has been published in the journal ‘Climate Risk Management’. This work was funded under the Strategic Priority Fund for UK Climate Resilience. The UK Climate Resilience programme is supported by the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund. The programme is co-delivered by the Met Office and NERC on behalf of UKRI partners AHRC, EPSRC and ESRC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/dairy-cattle-and-potato-blight-research
     
         
      The citizen regulators taking on big polluters when the EPA won't Fri, 19th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      The headaches, asthma attacks and serious nosebleeds that plagued Diego Mayens as a child in West Long Beach, California were all triggered by one basic activity – playing outdoors. He suspects the foul emissions from nearby refineries and other heavy industry were behind his problems. “It had to do a lot with the air quality in the area,” Mayens told the Guardian. “I feel particularly bad seeing kids playing outside and people who live here walking around who might not know what they’re breathing in.” Among the toxins hanging in the air was benzene, a dangerous carcinogen that a 2017 California investigation found two nearby Phillips 66 refineries were emitting levels over 200 times higher than the company had reported. In the investigation’s wake, residents expected swift and forceful action from regulators at the South Coast Air Quality Management District, but that never happened. Instead, in 2018, the community took action. Activists and environmental attorneys raised awareness of the health threat, documented Phillips’ ongoing benzene violations and filed a federal citizen lawsuit under the Clean Air Act. Facing clear evidence of wrongdoing and a court battle it was unlikely to win, Phillips quickly settled and is beginning to address its benzene leaks. The case represents a major win for the communities near the refineries, but the larger narrative isn’t unique. Environmental attorneys and activists around the country are increasingly holding industry and regulators accountable when environmental agencies fail to protect residents, becoming, in effect, “citizen regulators”. “Many of these environmental agencies view the community as lacking political power and resources to hold them accountable, but what we’re seeing now is a shift – communities are increasingly prepared to take on industry and hold agencies to their missions, which are to reduce emissions and protect public health,” said Oscar Espino-Padron, an attorney with San Francisco-based Earthjustice. The firm, which takes cases around the country, partnered with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, an organization with about 150 people, to sue Phillips. The battles are a defense to the decades-long Republican-led assault on regulatory agencies that peaked under the Trump administration. Many agencies are gutted, defunded and demoralized. Some are also run by industry allies or former executives and are unwilling to take on polluters. Data shows the fallout from lax oversight and industrial pollution disproportionately harms low-income communities of color – the NAACP recently found Black people are 75% more likely to than white people live in “fenceline” communities next to industrial polluters. Over the last decade a new generation of activists has significantly grown, while focusing on “the intersection of race, class, environment and colonialism – how they’re all interconnected”, said Jan Victor Andasan, an East Yard organizer. “There’s more collaboration and more understanding of all the ‘isms’ that we’re facing – like environmental racism,” they said. “It’s not like everyone said five to 10 years ago, ‘Let’s care about the environment’ … but it’s that there’s a lot more cohesion, there’s a lot more ground game in Black, indigenous, people-of-color communities, and there’s new leadership.” And while largely white-led national environmental groups once made most decisions about lawsuits, attorneys have become more “culturally competent”, Andasan said, and residents living near polluters are taking on leadership roles in the court cases. The confluence of these developments has led to more significant wins around the country, and the legal weapons commonly employed are citizen lawsuits under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and other federal environmental statutes. “Citizen suits are designed to wake up slumbering agencies and give them a chance to do their job,” Espino-Padron said. “It’s an important accountability tool that allows communities to hold polluters accountable when regulatory agencies are unwilling to act or lack political courage.” ‘Protecting the financial interest of the oil industry’ Andason describes the region around the Phillips refineries in Carson and Wilmington as “inundated and overburdened”, with pollution. Rail yards, the west coast’s largest docks, busy freeways and industrial polluters pump the region full of toxins. Phillips, however, had “by far has the worst record of all”, Espino-Padron said. Though the company allegedly reported releasing 508lb of benzene at one refinery in 2018, Earthjustice and East Yard found it had really emitted an alarming 102,616lb. Meanwhile, the company had allegedly emitted up to eight times more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than reported, and flares are a regular problem. The South Coast AQMD in 2017 ordered Phillips to check hundreds of thousands of parts in its refineries for leaks, as is required by state rules, Espino-Padron said. Phillips agreed to comply, but turned in “sloppy and incomplete” progress reports, and it was clear the company wasn’t repairing components, maintaining an accurate database or following state rules. Though the South Coast AQMD issued violation notices, it didn’t meaningfully pressure Phillips to address benzene leaks, Espino-Padron said. However, Earthjustice and East Yard monitored records as they prepared the suit, “basically doing the work of the agency” in the process. He pointed to “industry-friendly” political appointments in the South Coast AQMD’s management who he alleged “are very much invested in protecting the financial interest of the oil industry, even at the expense of public health” as the likely reason for the agency’s weak response. The South Coast AQMD and Phillips declined to comment. Industry influence over environmental agencies is a hallmark of such cases, especially in recent years at the EPA, which the Trump administration packed with former industry executives. Regulatory apparatuses suffer “longstanding problems” like underfunding, understaffing and underenforcement, said Richard Revesz, an environmental law professor and dean emeritus at New York University School of Law. But since 2016, the overall problem grew to be much more acute “when combined with the shocking disregard for environmental enforcement that we saw during the Trump administration”. ‘We’re going to figure out how to defend our neighborhood’ Following the state’s 2017 benzene investigation, East Yard began researching Phillips’ operation and knocking on neighbors’ doors to alert them to the health threat. That’s when the nearby plants’ human toll came into focus, Andasan said. At house after house, they heard similar stories – nearly every family had someone in it who suffered or died from cancer. Most households had multiple people with respiratory illnesses, and Andasan and their brother each suffer from asthma, while their mother, who moved to the largely working-class and immigrant neighborhood from the Philippines, struggles with asthmatic bronchitis. Similarly, each member of East Yard member Maria Reyes’s family, which lives within a mile of the Phillips 66 Carson refinery, suffers from respiratory illnesses. Reyes testified that she twice lost consciousness while exercising outdoors, and her doctor advised her and her three children to stop doing outdoor activities to limit exposure to air pollution. She reported “yellow droplets” that fall from the sky and irritate her family’s skin, and said she was worried that the pollution was harming her family, but they can’t afford to leave the neighborhood. “We are unable to spend lots of time outside as a family because of air pollution, including bad odors from Phillips 66 that are unbearable, make me nauseous and irritate my throat,” Reyes added. Andasan noted a study that found West Long Beach residents’ life expectancy is shorter than those in Long Beach, who live further away from the refineries. In a neighborhood short on resources, organizing is the only way to protect families from these issues, Andasan said. “We’re fighting even if there aren’t resources – we’re going to figure out how to defend our neighborhood, organize with other families and build out our power,” they said. Beyond canvassing, East Yard began engaging regulators, policymakers and polluters. It made comments during South Coast AQMD’s permitting process, organized a climate march and held “toxic tours” that educated residents about the area’s worst polluters. The action around the issue caught the attention of Earthjustice, which was monitoring the situation and approached East Yard about working together on a suit. East Yard internally discussed a potential partnership, and viewed it as an opportunity to use the neighborhoods’ compelling stories to effect change, Andasan said. “There are stories that residents can recall, painful stories about how pollution has affected their entire lives, that are part of this lawsuit,” they said. In short, East Yard brought ground knowledge and stories that can move courts, juries and judges. Earthjustice provided the legal resources, and that’s the sort of synergy that can make these cases difficult for regulators and industry to defend against, attorneys say. “The courts are very strict in requiring standing and showing that there are people who are injured, and people from the communities can write very powerfully about the nature of the harm that they are suffering,” Revesz said. In April 2020, after two years of collecting data, Earthjustice and East Yard filed a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act, naming the South Shore AQMD, Phillips 66, and the EPA as defendants. Phillips soon approached Earthjustice about a settlement, Espino-Padron said, and agreed to reduce its emissions, document its work and be transparent about the process. While those who spoke to the Guardian say activism shouldn’t have to be a substitute for a robust regulatory system, it’s an example of a community successfully defending itself. “What you’re seeing in this case, and this is the trend – communities are stepping into this legal space and reclaiming their power,” Espino-Padron said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/19/citizen-regulators-epa-pollution-environment
     
         
      Rio Tinto backs activist resolution to set emissions targets consistent with Paris agreement Fri, 19th Mar 2021 7:46:00
     
      The board of Rio Tinto has backed a shareholders push that would require the company to set emissions targets consistent with the Paris agreement and suspend membership of industry associations that lobby against action on the climate crisis. In a statement to the ASX on Friday afternoon, the mining company recommended shareholders endorse two resolutions brought by activist groups, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) and Market Forces, ahead of Rio’s annual general meeting in May. “For the first time, the board of an Australian company has supported a shareholder resolution, Rio Tinto should be commended for this,” Dan Gocher, the director of climate and environment at the ACCR, said. “The board of Rio Tinto, already under significant pressure from shareholders, has finally acknowledged that its funding of Australia’s climate stalemate goes against its own long-term interests.” In an addendum to its notice of its 2021 AGM, the company said it was recommending shareholders vote in favour because its current approaches were already “substantially consistent” with both of the proposed resolutions. The ACCR’s resolution calls on Rio Tinto to strengthen its annual review process examining industry and lobby groups of which it is a member, such as the Minerals Council of Australia, the Queensland Resources Council and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia. The resolution proposes the company suspend its membership if the association’s record of advocacy and lobbying is found, on balance, to be inconsistent with the Paris agreement. Gocher said Rio Tinto’s most recent review, published last month, failed to identify any misalignment within its Australian industry associations, despite an advertising campaign run by the Queensland Resources Council during last year’s state election and the council’s support for the Morrison government’s so-called gas-fired recovery. “Yet Rio Tinto has steadfastly refused to comment on this advocacy, or attempted to rein it in,” he said. Rio Tinto said on Friday it would consider suspending its membership if it identified significant inconsistencies but remained of the view that “securing advocacy aligned with the Paris agreement is best pursued from a position of influence from within such associations”. “In weighing up the relative merit of continued membership, the board will exercise a balanced judgement of what is in the best interests of the company and will consider suspension of membership as a measure of last resort,” the statement said. The resolution moved by Market Forces asks Rio Tinto to disclose its short, medium and long-term targets for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, its performance against those targets, and for those targets to be independently verified as consistent with the goals of the Paris agreement. Scope 1 emissions are the direct emissions from a company’s operations, while Scope 2 emissions are the indirect emissions from the energy used by the company. Julien Vincent, the executive director of Market Forces, said the board’s recommendation was an “important recognition from Rio Tinto that its climate ambition has been inadequate so far”. Rio Tinto said its 2020 annual report set out its Scope 1 and 2 targets and its performance against them was “independently assured”. It said the company described how these targets aligned with the Paris agreement in its climate change report. “Rio Tinto will continue to disclose these targets and its independently assured performance against them in its annual reports in the decade ahead,” the company said. Market Forces, in its supporting statement to its shareholder resolution, said targets announced by Rio Tinto in February last year to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 15% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline fell well short of what could be considered consistent with the Paris agreement. Vincent said that assessing the company’s performance against those targets was not sufficient if they were not also being independently audited for consistency with the Paris agreement. “The material supporting our resolution makes clear that Rio Tinto’s current targets fall well short of what’s required to be in line with the Paris agreement,” Vincent said. “It’s a really odd contradiction – Rio Tinto is claiming to be Paris aligned while endorsing a resolution that establishes how it isn’t.” Vincent said the bigger task would be to address Scope 3 emissions and the organisation intended to lodge a shareholder resolution on Scope 3 emissions ahead of Rio Tinto’s 2022 AGM. Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions that occur in the value chain, such as from the processing and use of products a company sells and the transportation of those products, both domestically and overseas. “The main game on climate is Rio Tinto’s Scope 3 emissions, which are 94% of the company’s total carbon footprint, and equivalent in size to Australia’s total emissions,” Vincent said. “Rio Tinto’s next climate risk report needs to clarify its risk appetite to this massively carbon liability, and tell shareholders how much it is prepared to be exposed to Scope 3 emissions in future.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/19/rio-tinto-backs-activist-resolution-to-set-emissions-targets-consistent-with-paris-agreement
     
         
      Protect our ocean 'to solve challenges of century' Thu, 18th Mar 2021 14:45:00
     
      Protecting the ocean has a triple whammy effect, safeguarding climate, food and biodiversity, according to new research. A global map compiled by international scientists pinpoints priority places for action to maximise benefits for people and nature. Currently, only 7% of the ocean is protected. A pledge to protect at least 30% by 2030 is gathering momentum ahead of this year's key UN biodiversity summit. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, sets a framework for prioritising areas of the ocean for protection. The ocean covers 70% of the Earth, yet its importance for solving the challenges of our time has been overlooked, said study researcher Prof Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "The benefits are clear," he said. "If we want to solve the three most pressing challenges of our century - biodiversity loss, climate change and food shortages - we must protect our ocean." What did the study look at? The ocean supports a unique web of life and harbours valuable food resources, while acting as a sink for greenhouse gases.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56430542
     
         
      Billions without clean water and sanitation a ‘moral failure’: UN General Assembly President Thu, 18th Mar 2021 14:35:00
     
      For Volkan Bozkir, the discussion was long overdue, given statistics such as three billion worldwide still lack basic handwashing facilities, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “If I may be candid: it is a moral failure that we live in a world with such high levels of technical innovation and success, but we continue to allow billions of people to exist without clean drinking water or the basic tools to wash their hands,” he said. No excuse for action The meeting centred around implementation of the water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, the blueprint for a better, more sustainable world. It promises to leave no one behind, with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 specifically addressing access to water and sanitation. Additionally, the UN General Assembly has declared 2018 to 2028, the Water Action Decade, which also addresses the increased global pressure on water resources, and exacerbated risk of droughts and floods. Mr. Bozkir said the fact that during the pandemic, billions have not had basic handwashing facilities, while health workers in some of the Least Developed Countries do not have running water, represents a “stark example of global inequality” that requires action. “While we cannot go back and change what has happened, we must acknowledge our failings and use this opportunity to root out the systemic gaps that have allowed the crisis to flourish”, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087682
     
         
      Time is running short – but we can get a grip on the climate crisis Thu, 18th Mar 2021 14:30:00
     
      The climate crisis represents a clear and present danger to people and our planet. Its real-world consequences are now all too visible. In Nepal last month, I met communities displaced by melting glaciers. In Ethiopia, I saw how floods, droughts and locusts have decimated crops. Around the world, oceans are warming, and storms, floods and wildfires are intensifying, while here at home, our coastal towns face serious long-term threats from rising seas. Unless we act now, we will be out of time to hold back the worst impacts. Our planet is heating up, fast. On course, scientists tell us, for temperature rises of some 3.5C by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels. The impact of such a rise will be nothing less than catastrophic. Yet, at the same time, we are increasingly waking up to the danger, and the direction of travel is changing. Countries responsible for 65% of global emissions now have net zero or carbon neutral commitments. The world is moving towards a low-carbon future, with clean energy now the cheapest source of electricity. But the pace of change needs to pick up. Globally, we must halve emissions over the next decade alone if we are to meet the goals of the Paris agreement – which aims to keep global temperature rises well below 2C and closer to 1.5C. That means taking action today. Of all the competing issues, fighting climate change and preserving biodiversity is now the UK’s number one international priority. That is the clear message from the prime minister’s comprehensive strategy for international policy – the integrated review – published this week, which also affirms our commitment to aligning all future UK aid with the Paris agreement. Cop26 – the UN climate conference being held in Glasgow in November – plays a key role in the UK’s efforts. This must be the moment the world gets a grip on the climate crisis and, as Cop26 president, I have four clear aims. The first: global net zero. I want to put the world on a path to reach net zero by the middle of the century, which is essential to keeping 1.5C within reach. Today’s global targets for 2030 are nowhere near enough to meet the Paris agreement temperature goal, as a recent UN report made clear. So, the UK is using the Cop presidency to urge all countries to set 2030 emissions reductions targets that put us on a path to net zero. We also need policies in place to make such targets a reality. Over this year we want to see countries making ambitious commitments on ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, taking inspiration from UK plans for a 2030 phase-out. We need a green thread running through all Covid-19 recovery packages. And we want significant new commitments on ending new coal power and phasing out existing plants. The UK will champion this. As the integrated review laid out, we aim to become the world’s leading centre for green technology, finance and wind energy. The world is already at a tipping point when it comes to power. In the past five years, plans for 900 gigawatts of new coal power plants have been abandoned – the equivalent of more than 10 times the UK’s power supply. It is increasingly clear that clean power is the future, coal is a relic of a bygone age, and this year we need a final push to leave it in the past where it belongs. The second goal: adaptation; protecting our communities and natural habitats from the destructive impact of climate change, the effects of which will grow in force and ferocity, even on a path to net zero. We have seen the enormous value of investing in preparing for extreme weather. When Cyclone Amphan struck India and Bangladesh in 2020, early warning systems saved tens of thousands of lives. So, by Cop26, we want every country to have a credible plan for managing the unpredictable and often damaging weather patterns that are the result of climate change. We are bringing nations together to share solutions, through the new Adaptation Action Coalition, which countries around the world are joining. And we are working to increase the funds going into the technologies and systems that protect people and nature. That is part of our third goal: finance. Sufficient funds are vital to tackling the climate crisis. Developed countries have promised to raise $100bn a year for climate action. In the UK we have committed £11.6bn over the next five years in climate finance and are pushing others to follow our lead. In tandem, we are working with the former Bank of England governor and prime minister’s finance adviser for Cop26, Mark Carney, to generate the trillions in private finance needed to meet global net zero. And in a few weeks’ time, we will hold a climate and development ministerial meeting to look for ways to approach challenging issues like access to finance and debt that make it difficult for developing countries to fully implement the Paris agreement. My fourth goal is working together to make the negotiations in Glasgow a success. We are bringing together communities, governments, third-sector organisations and businesses to accelerate the global move to net zero. We are inviting them to work together on vital challenges, like protecting natural habitats and boosting clean energy, to help deliver the emissions reductions needed at the speed the crisis demands. The climate crisis is the greatest challenge that we face. But it is entirely within our power to address it. To accelerate the move to our green future, to turn ambition into action and to come together. Cop26 is our chance. We must take it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/18/climate-crisis-cop26-president-global-targets
     
         
      Natural disasters occurring three times more often than 50 years ago: new FAO report Thu, 18th Mar 2021 14:23:00
     
      At no other point in history have agri-food systems faced more hazards such as megafires, extreme weather, unusually large desert locust swarms, and emerging biological threats, as during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nor have they been seen at such frequency, intensity, and complexity, the agency said in a new report . These disasters devastate agricultural livelihoods, inflicting cascading negative economic consequences from household to national levels, that could potentially endure for generations. According to FAO, disasters happen three times more often today, than in the 1970s and 1980s. Agriculture absorbs a disproportionate 63 per cent share of their impact, compared to other sectors, such as tourism, commerce and industry. Poorest countries most at risk The least developed and low to middle income countries have fared worst of all. From 2008 to 2018, natural disasters have cost the agricultural sectors of developing economies more than $108 billion in damaged crop and livestock production. Over the same period, Asia was the most hard-hit region, with overall economic losses of $49 billion, followed by Africa at $30 billion, and Latin America and the Caribbean at $29 billion.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087702
     
         
      Is the world on the verge of a new commodities supercycle? Thu, 18th Mar 2021 14:22:00
     
      Rising commodity prices have bank analysts and strategists asking if resurgent demand for raw materials and insufficient supply will create a new commodities supercycle. Price swings, of course, are as old as business itself. A commodities supercycle is different, though. In the usual business cycle, demand pushes prices up, and supply increases to try to capture that windfall, sending prices down again. In a supercycle, supply is so inadequate to demand growth that prices rise for years, even a decade or more. Before we examine the current possible supercycle, we should take a brief look back at the last two. In the 1970s, spiking oil prices created a boom that lasted into the early 1980s. In the early 2000s, China’s demand for copper, steel, aluminum, coal, and copper kept prices high through 2014, with a spike thanks to record high oil prices in 2008. On this long timeline, we can just see the emergence of today’s possible supercycle. Two components of this potential supercycle – oil and gas and metals – are relevant to decarbonization prospects. They’re also increasingly connected to each other. First, oil and gas. One indicator in favor of a potential supercycle is the very low investment in oil and gas exploration. As prices fell from above $100 a barrel in 2014, capital expenditure fell, too. In real dollar terms, oil and gas capex is at about the same level as 15 years ago, when oil demand was 10% lower than at the end of 2020, and more than 15% lower than it was prior to the pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/18/are-we-on-the-verge-on-a-new-commodity-supercycle
     
         
      Place your bets on fuel of the future Thu, 18th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      The hype around ethical investing has not died down. Amounts flowing into funds based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles have ballooned by £84 billion over the past three years, while inflows to non-ESG funds actually shrank by £46 billion, according to Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager. At its most basic, ESG screens out “sin stocks”, which proponents say is just good risk management. The lawsuits and punishing regulation faced by the tobacco industry demonstrate how an ethical issue can fast become an investment issue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/place-your-bets-on-fuel-of-the-future-6qjpgjvj5
     
         
      UK slashes grants for electric car buyers while retaining petrol vehicle support Thu, 18th Mar 2021 10:51:00
     
      The UK government has cut grants for electric car buyers, to the horror of the automotive industry as it tries to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels. The maximum grant for electric cars was reduced from £3,000 to £2,500 with immediate effect on Thursday. The government also lowered the price cap for cars eligible for the subsidy from £50,000 to £35,000. The cut is likely to be controversial, only a fortnight after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, extended a generous implicit subsidy for drivers of petrol and diesels by freezing fuel duty. Electric cars cost more than those with internal combustion engines, but they are seen as a crucial part of meeting the UK’s decarbonisation targets. Other European countries such as Norway, Germany and France subsidise electric cars. The UK government’s announcement means it has unilaterally increased the cost of an electric car, which produces no carbon dioxide exhaust emissions while keeping the costs of burning petrol and diesel down – in the same year the country is hosting the UN’s Cop26 climate conference. The government said it wanted to target help at people less able to afford electric cars, rather than wealthier buyers of premium vehicles. It also said cutting the grant would mean funding would last longer and be used by more people. Environmental campaigners tend to be ambivalent about grants. Some argue the money would be better spent elsewhere. Greg Archer, the UK director of the campaign group Transport & Environment, said the changes to the grants were “inevitable and reasonable given the rapid growth in sales that is under way”, but that the vehicle taxation system also needed to be overhauled. “The Department for Transport cannot continue to chip away at grants without the Treasury simultaneously reforming car taxation to ensure it remains attractive for car buyers to make the shift to battery electric cars,” he said. The transport minister Rachel Maclean said the government wanted as many people as possible to be able to switch to electric vehicles, but flagged rising costs. She said taxpayers’ money would “make more of a difference” at the cheaper end of the market. Kerry McCarthy, the shadow minister for green transport, said the grant cut sent out “all the wrong signals” so soon after the government moved to ban petrol and diesel sales completely by 2035. The car industry, which has lobbied for increased government support, criticised the move, which means the government has cut the support for electric cars by £1,000 in little more than a year. Sunak cut the grant from £3,500 to £3,000 and introduced the £50,000 eligibility cap in the March 2020 budget. When the support was introduced in 2011, it was worth up to £5,000 a car. Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motors Manufacturers and Traders, said: “The decision to slash the plug-in car grant and van and truck grant is the wrong move at the wrong time. “This sends the wrong message to the consumer, especially private customers, and to an industry challenged to meet the government’s ambition to be a world leader in the transition to zero-emission mobility.” The Confederation of British Industry said it was “the wrong time to stunt a green recovery” by cutting the grants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/18/uk-slashes-grants-for-electric-car-buyers-while-increasing-petrol-vehicle-support
     
         
      BP plans to build Britain's largest hydrogen plant Thu, 18th Mar 2021 9:21:00
     
      The Teesside plant in northern England will have capacity of up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of so-called blue hydrogen, about a fifth of Britain’s target of 5 GW of hydrogen capacity by the end of the decade. Blue hydrogen is produced by converting natural gas into hydrogen and storing the CO2 emissions from its production. BP has begun a feasibility study on the project to explore technologies that could capture up to 98% of carbon emissions from the hydrogen production process. The Teesside project, dubbed H2Teesside, is expected to capture up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year and pipe it into storage below the North Sea, BP said. H2Teesside will be linked with Net Zero Teesside (NZT), a planned industrial zone that will also be linked to a carbon capture and storage project. The hydrogen could also be used for heating residential homes in the region or for transportation, BP added. Governments and energy companies are placing large bets on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but its future uses and costs are highly uncertain. Britain on Wednesday announced an industrial decarbonisation strategy aiming to cut emissions from industry by two thirds in 15 years through projects including carbon capture and hydrogen. “Clean hydrogen is an essential complement to electrification on the path to net-zero carbon emissions,” said Dev Sanyal, BP’s head of gas and low carbon energy. “Blue hydrogen ... can also play an essential role in decarbonising hard-to-electrify industries and driving down the cost of the energy transition.” The company will make a final investment decision on the H2Teeside project in early 2024 and production could begin in 2027 or earlier, it said. Norwegian energy company Equinor last year announced plans to construct a blue hydrogen plant in the Humber region in northern England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-decarbonisation-idUSKBN2BA0PZ
     
         
      BP plans to build Britain's largest hydrogen plant Thu, 18th Mar 2021 9:21:00
     
      The Teesside plant in northern England will have capacity of up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of so-called blue hydrogen, about a fifth of Britain’s target of 5 GW of hydrogen capacity by the end of the decade. Blue hydrogen is produced by converting natural gas into hydrogen and storing the CO2 emissions from its production. BP has begun a feasibility study on the project to explore technologies that could capture up to 98% of carbon emissions from the hydrogen production process. The Teesside project, dubbed H2Teesside, is expected to capture up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year and pipe it into storage below the North Sea, BP said. H2Teesside will be linked with Net Zero Teesside (NZT), a planned industrial zone that will also be linked to a carbon capture and storage project. The hydrogen could also be used for heating residential homes in the region or for transportation, BP added. Governments and energy companies are placing large bets on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but its future uses and costs are highly uncertain. Britain on Wednesday announced an industrial decarbonisation strategy aiming to cut emissions from industry by two thirds in 15 years through projects including carbon capture and hydrogen. “Clean hydrogen is an essential complement to electrification on the path to net-zero carbon emissions,” said Dev Sanyal, BP’s head of gas and low carbon energy. “Blue hydrogen ... can also play an essential role in decarbonising hard-to-electrify industries and driving down the cost of the energy transition.” The company will make a final investment decision on the H2Teeside project in early 2024 and production could begin in 2027 or earlier, it said. Norwegian energy company Equinor last year announced plans to construct a blue hydrogen plant in the Humber region in northern England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-decarbonisation-idUSKBN2BA0PZ
     
         
      What is climate change? The causes, effects and solutions explained in charts Thu, 18th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      If it were not for carbon dioxide, the temperature of the Earth would average minus 18C. Four million years ago, when trees grew near the South Pole and global temperatures were 3C warmer, CO2 levels were the highest they had been until modern times. Fifteen thousand years ago, when ice sheets covered Northern Europe and temperatures were 6C cooler, they had dropped by more than half. Ten thousand years ago, as we came out of that ice age, there was a sharp rise in CO2 in the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/what-is-climate-change-causes-effect-solutions-charts-jb6vdlgv7
     
         
      Oil firms knew decades ago fossil fuels posed grave health risks, files reveal Thu, 18th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      The oil industry knew at least 50 years ago that air pollution from burning fossil fuels posed serious risks to human health, only to spend decades aggressively lobbying against clean air regulations, a trove of internal documents seen by the Guardian reveal. The documents, which include internal memos and reports, show the industry was long aware that it created large amounts of air pollution, that pollutants could lodge deep in the lungs and be “real villains in health effects”, and even that its own workers may be experiencing birth defects among their children. But these concerns did little to stop oil and gas companies, and their proxies, spreading doubt about the growing body of science linking the burning of fossil fuels to an array of health problems that kill millions of people around the world each year. Echoing the fossil-fuel industry’s history of undermining of climate science, oil and gas interests released a torrent of material aimed at raising uncertainty over the harm caused by air pollution and used this to deter US lawmakers from placing further limits on pollutants. “The response from fossil-fuel interests has been from the same playbook – first they know, then they scheme, then they deny and then they delay,” said Geoffrey Supran, a researcher at Harvard University who has studied the history of fossil-fuel companies and climate change. “They’ve fallen back on delay, subtle forms of propaganda and the undermining of regulation.” The effects of burning large amounts of coal, oil and gas from factories, cars and other sources has long been evident, with major cities in the US and Europe sometimes shrouded in smog before the advance of modern clean-air laws. However, a mass of historical documents from the 1960s onwards from corporate archives at libraries in the US and Canada, scientific journals and paperwork released in legal cases shows the oil industry began to grasp the damage to health caused by the burning of fossil fuels. In internal memos and reports, Imperial Oil, an Exxon subsidiary, acknowledged in 1967 the petroleum industry was a “major contributor to many of the key forms of pollution” and took surveys of “mothers who worried about possible smog effects”. In an internal technical report in 1968, Shell went further, warning that air pollution “may, in extreme situations, be deleterious to health” and acknowledging the oil industry “reluctantly” must accept that cars “are by far the greatest sources of air pollution”. The report states that sulphur dioxide, given off by the burning of oil, can cause “difficulty in breathing” while nitrogen dioxide, also given off by vehicles and power plants, can cause lung damage and that “there will be a clamor to reduce [nitrogen dioxide] emissions, probably based on suspected long-term chronic effects”. Small particles given off by fossil fuels, meanwhile, are the “real villains in health effects”, the Shell report admits, as they can bring toxins, including carcinogens, “deep into the lungs which would otherwise be removed in the throat.” These microscopic specks of soot and liquid, known as particulate matter, are expelled when fuels are burned and inhaled by people. In 1971, Esso, a forerunner to Exxon, sampled particles in New York City and found, for the first time, the air was rife with tiny fragments of aluminium, magnesium and other metals. Esso scientists noted that gases from industrial smokestacks were “hot, dirty and contain high concentrations of pollutants” and suggested further testing was needed for symptoms including “eye irritation, excess coughing, or bronchial effects”. By 1980, Imperial Oil had outlined plans to investigate incidences of cancers and “birth defects among industry worker offspring”. Esso experts, meanwhile, raised the “possibility for improved particulate control” in new vehicle designs to reduce the emission of harmful pollution. Ten years later, an internal Exxon report stated: “We have become more aware of the potential impacts our operations might have on safety and health.” By this point, independent scientists in academia were amassing their own evidence of the influence of air pollution. “The body is set up to keep particles out but these very small, fine particles are good at picking up toxins, bypassing your defenses and getting a free ride down into the lungs,” said George Thurston, an environmental health expert at New York University who co-authored a landmark 1987 study that found the smaller particles were far more deadly than larger fragments that could be coughed out. Thurston and others have established fumes from car exhausts or power plants produce far more toxic particles than from other sources, such as wood burning or dust. “I don’t recommend breathing in wood smoke, but it’s far less toxic than fossil-fuel combustion particles, given the same concentrations,” Thurston said. Following a further major report in 1993, known as the Harvard “six cities” study, which found air pollution was spurring deaths from heart disease and lung cancer, pressure began to mount on the US Environmental Protection Agency to set pollution limits for the smallest particles, known as PM2.5 as they measure less than 2.5 micrometers across, or about a 30th of the diameter of a human hair. Faced with the prospect of federal government regulation, the fossil-fuel industry swung into action. “The health issue is increasing in importance,” noted the minutes of a meeting of the Global Climate Coalition, which was a business lobby group, in 1997. “The GCC has got to be prepared to respond to the issue this year.” A scientist commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API), a US oil and gas industry group, promptly told a congressional hearing in 1997 the link between air pollution and mortality was “weak”, before Exxon pushed out its own study claiming “there is no substantive basis” for believing PM2.5 was causing more deaths. This undermining of air-pollution science is likened by some researchers to efforts by tobacco companies to muddy the connection between cigarette smoking and cancer. “The fossil-fuel industry was sowing uncertainty to maintain business as usual, and in all likelihood they were collaborating with other groups, such as the tobacco industry,” said Carroll Muffett, chief executive of the Center for International Environmental Law. “When you look at these historical documents in context it becomes clear that the oil and gas industry has a playbook they’ve used again and again for an array of pollutants. They used it around climate change but absolutely we are seeing it around PM2.5 as well. It’s the same pattern.” The EPA did, however, impose the first standards for PM2.5 emissions in 1997 and scientists have since uncovered more on air pollution’s assault on the human body. Once in the bloodstream, particles can cause dangerous inflammation and degrade the immune system, affect women’s fertility, heighten the risk of stroke, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s and pneumonia, and even damage people’s eyesight. In a major finding last month, a team of US and UK researchers calculated that nearly one in five of all deaths worldwide each year is due to particulate pollution, a stunning death toll that is greater than that caused by HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined. About 350,000 of these deaths occur annually in America. While overall air pollution trends have improved in recent decades in the US, pockets of stubborn pollution remain, often concentrated in poorer communities, among people of color and those living in the rust belt. “There is now very consistent and solid evidence across many countries of the link between fine particulate matter and harm to health,” said Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard. “There is also a ton of evidence that lots of people are dying in the US from exposures even below the current limits. This pollution is very harmful and stricter regulation is needed.” Knowledge of the health impact of air pollutants was “relatively thin” in the 1970s and some skepticism over the link was understandable for a while, according to Arden Pope, an air pollution expert at Brigham Young University who said he got a “lot of pushback” from industry over his work, which includes the six cities study. “But the evidence has grown dramatically and, boy, it’s just hard to deny now,” he said. It’s overwhelming.” Undeterred, oil and gas interests have sought to stymie tighter standards on air pollution while mobilizing an effort to cast doubt over this science. A gathering called by the Heartland Institute, a conservative thinktank, in 2006 on clean-air rules helped set the tone – two speakers were from Exxon and the title of one session was “Uncertainty of NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) Health Science”. Industry-funded consultants published studies disputing the link between emissions and deteriorating health or simply disparaged the work of other researchers. “Their goal is to undermine the scientific method, science itself,” said Thurston. Even as the major oil companies publicly accepted the reality of climate change and vowed to address it, they have continued to dismiss the mounting evidence of harm caused by direct air pollution. Exxon has told the EPA that estimating a risk of death from particulate matter is “unreliable and misleading” while, in 2017, API demanded the agency relax standards around nitrogen dioxide – a pollutant linked to asthma in children and higher mortality in adults from heart disease and cancer – claiming there was no proven association with harm and existing rules were “more stringent than necessary”. “We’ve seen the oil and gas industry’s disinformation campaign come full circle with the renewed attacks on research that tells us what we’ve known for decades – air pollution kills,” said Kert Davies, director of Climate Investigations Center, which uncovered some of the historical documents. The industry’s approach bore fruit during Donald Trump’s administration, when senior executives from Exxon, Chevron, Occidental Petroleum and API met the then US president in the White House. A cavalcade of clean air regulations were scaled back, such as rules to limit pollution from cars and trucks, while a so-called “transparency” rule for science risked invalidating studies based on confidential medical data, which is vital for bedrock air pollution research. Under Trump, Tony Cox, a researcher who received funding from API and allowed the lobby group to copy-edit his findings, was named as chairman of a key EPA clean air advisory board. Cox, whose previous work has questioned the harm caused by particulates, accused EPA experts of bad science and subjectivity when they found that particles can be deadly even in low concentrations. Last year, in the midst of an historic pandemic of respiratory disease, Trump’s EPA decided to not strengthen standards around fine soot particles. A Harvard study found that air pollution was associated with worse outcomes for people with Covid-19. API said the Harvard paper merely included “preliminary findings” that had provoked “scare headlines and erroneous media reports”. The attacks on the Harvard research were “very hard and very stressful”, according to Dominici, one of the paper’s authors. “If you’re breathing pollution for a long time and get Covid you will have worse consequences. This is very unsurprising,” said the researcher, who has since established there are now more than 60 studies from around the world that associate air pollution with poor Covid outcomes. “I was surprised there was such a ferocious criticism. It’s really unfortunate that it’s easier to discredit science than produce good science. Gosh, that’s so frustrating.” In a statement, Bethany Aronhalt, spokeswoman for API, said: “Our industry’s top priority is advancing public health and safety while delivering affordable, reliable and cleaner energy. “Largely due to increased use of natural gas in the power sector and cleaner motor fuels, the US has seen significant environmental progress over the years – including improved air quality – with annual concentrations of PM2.5 declining 43% since 2000.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/18/oil-industry-fossil-fuels-air-pollution-documents
     
         
      Feeding cows seaweed could cut their methane emissions by 82%, scientists say Thu, 18th Mar 2021 5:00:00
     
      Feeding seaweed to cows is a viable long-term method to reduce the emission of planet-heating gases from their burps and flatulence, scientists have found. Researchers who put a small amount of seaweed into the feed of cattle over the course of five months found that the new diet caused the bovines to belch out 82% less methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The finding builds on previous research that showed that seaweed could reduce cows’ methane output over a shorter timespan. “We now have sound evidence that seaweed in cattle diet is effective at reducing greenhouse gases and that the efficacy does not diminish over time,” said Ermias Kebreab, director of the World Food Center and an agricultural scientist at University of California, Davis. Kebreab conducted the research, published in Plos One, with Breanna Roque, a PhD graduate student. Cows produce methane via microbes in their stomachs as they digest their fibrous food, in a process a little like fermentation. Methane is shorter-lived in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide but is more than 30 times as effective in trapping heat, making it a major greenhouse gas. A type of seaweed called Asparagopsis taxiformis can partially counteract these emissions from cows. Agriculture makes up about 10% of emissions in the US, much of it from cows that belch, and to a lesser extent, fart out methane. This has led to some climate campaigners to urge people to eat less meat but the UC Davis researchers said that existing meat production could be made better for the climate by putting seaweed on the menu for cattle. Two years ago, separate research by Kebreab and Roque found that the seaweed supplements reduced methane in dairy cows, with a blind taste test of milk finding that it didn’t affect the milk output of the ruminants. The latest research, this time on beef cattle, similarly found no difference in the taste of the meat from seaweed-consuming animals. The next challenge, according to the researchers, will be finding ranchers enough supply of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a crimson marine grass that drifts on waves and tides, given there isn’t a bountiful supply of it available to farms. “There is more work to be done, but we are very encouraged by these results,” Roque said. “We now have a clear answer to the question of whether seaweed supplements can sustainably reduce livestock methane emissions and its long-term effectiveness.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/18/cows-seaweed-methane-emissions-scientists
     
         
      Gas pipelines could switch to hydrogen in ‘green’ plans Thu, 18th Mar 2021 0:01:00
     
      A quarter of Britain’s gas transmission pipelines could be converted to carry clean-burning hydrogen within a decade under ambitious plans from National Grid. The FTSE 100 energy company is exploring proposals to repurpose 2,000km of steel pipes to link a series of new industrial clusters that are expected to produce hydrogen and use it to decarbonise manufacturing. The proposed “hydrogen backbone” would be expected to cost many billions of pounds as compressor equipment that pumps gas through the pipes is not suitable for use with hydrogen and would need to be replaced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gas-pipelines-could-switch-to-hydrogen-in-green-plans-w2qbkdfl5
     
         
      Analysis: UK is now halfway to meeting its ‘net-zero emissions’ target Thu, 18th Mar 2021 0:00:00
     
      The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 were 51% below 1990 levels, according to new Carbon Brief analysis. This means the UK is now halfway to meeting its target of “net-zero” emissions by 2050. The milestone was reached after a record-breaking 11% fall in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Emissions are likely to rebound this year or next as the economy recovers. The nature of the decline in 2020 shows how challenging it will be for the UK to eliminate its remaining emissions. It also illustrates the progress made so far, ahead of the UK hosting the COP26 UN climate summit in November. Here, Carbon Brief sets out what contributed to the fall in emissions in 2020 and what it means for the next phase of the UK’s legally binding net-zero goal. In 1990, the year Margaret Thatcher resigned after more than a decade as prime minister, the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions stood at 794m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This is conventionally taken as the baseline for the UK’s climate goals, including the net-zero target under its legally binding Climate Change Act and its international pledge to the Paris Agreement. (Net-zero is formulated in law as cutting greenhouse gas emissions to “at least 100%” below 1990 levels by 2050. As it stands, the target currently does not directly include emissions from international aviation and shipping, though the government’s climate advisers want this to change.) It has taken 30 years for UK emissions to fall 51% below 1990 levels, according to Carbon Brief’s new analysis of government data. This is halfway to net-zero, with another 30 years to reach the target. (Progress would have been slightly slower if including international aviation and expected changes to the UK’s greenhouse gas inventory. The target will not include emissions associated with UK consumption of goods and services imported from overseas.) A look back to 1990 helps to explain why emissions have fallen so far in those intervening years – and what remains to be tackled on the road to net-zero. Despite Thatcher’s clash with mining unions in the 1980s, coal still made up two-thirds of electricity in 1990, making the power sector the largest contributor to the nation’s emissions at that time. The “dash for gas” had yet to reshape the electricity market – and oil power still made up 10% of generation. Renewables made up just 2% of the mix, almost exclusively from hydro. Industrial processes released powerful greenhouse gases, such as halocarbons and nitrous oxide, with limited controls. Methane leaked from gas fields, landfill sites and coal mines. By 2019, the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions had been dramatically reduced, falling to 45% below 1990 levels even as the economy grew by nearly 80%. Almost all of the fall in emissions between 1990 and 2019 had been due to major changes in just three areas, which together account for roughly 90% of the decline: - Electricity supplies that no longer rely on coal (in round numbers, about 40%); - Cleaner industry (40%), including manufacturing and waste industry emissions controls on landfill methane, halocarbons and nitrous oxide (25%), as well as more efficient industrial processes and a structural shift away from carbon-intensive manufacturing (15%); - A smaller and cleaner fossil fuel supply industry, with lower methane emissions from coal mines and leaky gas distribution pipes (10%). Much slower progress had been made on the gas used to heat homes and offices, which by 2019 made up a fifth of the UK’s emissions, despite more efficient boilers and better insulation. Meanwhile, almost no progress had been made in transport, which was by 2019 responsible for more than a quarter of the UK’s emissions and was the single largest contributor. In 2020, the pattern of emissions reductions was very different to that seen in previous years, largely as a result of the unique impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Based on analysis of government energy use data, Carbon Brief estimates that UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by 11% in 2020. (See methodology note, below, for more details.) This would be the largest percentage reduction since at least 1990, as the chart below shows, eclipsing the fall in the wake of the global financial crisis. Looking at CO2 only, the estimated 13% drop in 2020 would be the fastest annual decline on record in figures stretching back to 1850, excluding years with widespread industrial action. The drop in 2020 marks a record eighth consecutive year of reductions in the UK. (Notably, one of the largest recent annual increases came in 2010, as the economy rebounded after the financial crisis. The big jump in 2012 was due to a surge in coal power output, partly caused by cheap imports from the US in the wake of its shale-gas revolution.) Looking at the causes of the record fall in UK emissions in 2020, the largest contribution was from lower oil use, making up around 60% of the overall reduction. Oil demand crashed by 18% year-on-year in 2020, largely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Reduced petrol and diesel sales account for around 88% of the fall in UK oil demand last year overall, with a further 4% from the drop in domestic aviation. This contrasts with the situation up until 2019, where transport emissions had barely changed for 30 years. The reduction in oil demand is clearly reflected in lower fuel duty receipts for 2020, which were down by a fifth compared to 2019 and by nearly three-fifths during the height of the first lockdown. In total, this means that Covid-related lockdowns cost the Treasury around £5bn in lost revenues from petrol and diesel sales alone. Within the total for road transport fuels, different segments have been affected more or less strongly, as shown in the chart below. Cars saw the largest reductions in miles driven during the first three quarters of 2020, whereas deliveries by vans and trucks were less strongly hit. Notably, the figures show government fuel-duty receipts remaining more than a fifth below normal levels during January 2021, as the UK’s Covid lockdowns continued. Nevertheless, the fall in oil use can still be expected to reverse as restrictions unwind, because there have not been structural shifts to push transport away from its heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The expected move towards greater home working and consequent reduced commuting by car may be counterbalanced by a reluctance to use public transport, for example, potentially meaning heavier use of private vehicles. Efforts to encourage cycling and walking will likely take time to bear fruit. Meanwhile, although plug-in electric vehicles are seeing rapid growth and now account for more than 10% of new UK car sales, they still make up less than 1% of the 32m cars on the roads. This means they are, for now, having a negligible impact on transport emissions. The second-largest factor in 2020 was lower gas use, down 8% due to a combination of warmer weather and reduced gas power output. More than half of UK CO2 emissions are now from gas. Most of the fall in gas use – around three-fifths of the total – was due to lower gas-fired electricity generation. This is explored in more detail in the next section and was only partly Covid-related. The other two-fifths of the fall in gas use was mainly down to reduced heating demand, as a result of warmer weather and Covid restrictions, which saw shops and hospitality closed for long periods. In 2020, the number of “heating-degree days” – a measure of building heat demand – was 14% below the long-term average for 1981-2010, as the chart below shows. But the 2020 figure – including a particularly mild January – was also 6% lower than in 2019. The long-term shift towards fewer heating degree days in the UK is due to the escalating impact of global warming. A year as warm as 2020 would historically have been expected only once every 90 years, whereas climate change has increased the likelihood to once every other year. Nevertheless, the gas used to heat the majority of buildings in the UK will remain a major issue on the road to net-zero, as it still accounts for a fifth of overall emissions. The electricity sector is where the large majority of UK emissions cuts have occurred over the past decade, during which the country’s power supplies have been transformed. In 2020, emissions in the power sector fell again, as its structural shift away from coal and gas continued. Lower coal power output pushed demand for the fuel down again, from already very low levels, meaning this made a relatively small contribution to the overall change in UK emissions. Coal met just 1.6% of generation and the UK went without coal power on 180 of the 366 days last year (49%). This compares with just 83 days in 2019 and 21 days in 2018. Last year also saw a marked 15% drop in gas generation thanks to lower demand and another increase from renewables. The longer-term trend towards lower electricity demand continued and was accelerated by the impact of Covid lockdowns, with a 4% reduction in 2020. Since 2010, UK electricity demand has fallen by 58 terawatt hours (TWh, 15%), an amount equivalent to more than two Hinkley Point C new nuclear plants (26TWh). At the same time, the UK has significantly expanded its capacity of windfarms, solar parks and bioenergy plants, meaning the 43% share of electricity generated by renewables was larger than from fossil fuels for the first time in 2020. Wind power alone contributed 25% of electricity generation in 2020 after an 18% annual increase, thanks to the completion of two new offshore windfarms, Hornsea One and East Anglia One. These added an extra 2 gigawatts (GW) and brought the total for offshore wind capacity to more than 10GW. The year was also windier than 2019, with average wind speeds up 10%. Bioenergy generated 13% of electricity, rising by 6% year-on-year. Note that the burning of wood pellets at Drax makes up only around a third of overall biomass electricity supplies. A further third comes from smaller plants that burn plant biomass, most of which is also wood. These smaller plants – such as the Iggesund cardboard factory in Workington, Cumbria – typically rely on domestic sources and predominantly take low-value forestry streams or waste wood. The final third of biomass electricity comes from landfill gas, anaerobic digestion and sewage sludge. Meanwhile, nuclear generation fell by 11% due to prolonged outages at Dungeness, Hunterston and Hinkley Point B, but the sector still made up 16% of the UK total. All but one of the UK’s remaining nuclear plants are due to retire by 2030. EMISSIONS LIKELY TO REBOUND IN 2021 OR 2022 The UK’s progress in cutting emissions has been built on structural shifts away from coal power and towards renewables, as well as a cleaner, less carbon-intensive industrial base. Yet the reductions in 2020 were largely one-off and unique to the coronavirus pandemic, with lockdowns persisting through much of the year in the UK. As a result, the country’s economic output declined by an estimated 10%, posting the biggest hit in the G20 group of nations. The government’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast a bounceback in economic growth of 4% this year and 7% in 2022, naturally raising questions about the impact on emissions. Since so much of the reduction in UK emissions last year was due to cars parked on driveways, an emissions rebound is also likely, though its timing and strength will depend on the pace of the recovery, the length of ongoing Covid restrictions and the impact of ongoing structural changes. The chart below shows how UK greenhouse gas emissions have changed each year since 1990 and the contributions to these changes from economic growth and from changes in the emissions associated with each unit of GDP. The chart also shows what would happen to emissions growth in 2021 and 2022, assuming GDP follows the OBR forecast and if the UK’s emissions intensity improves at the same rate as it has, on average, each year since 2000. If these assumptions hold, then emissions might not increase this year – but 7% GDP growth in 2022 would all but guarantee an emissions rebound. It is worth emphasising, however, that there are at least two reasons to doubt these assumptions will hold true. First, the OBR’s GDP forecast has changed significantly since November and is likely to change again. Second, the chart shows that the UK’s emissions intensity failed to follow the historical trend during the recovery from the global financial crisis. Given the uniqueness of last year’s conditions, there is every reason to believe the trend could be broken again in the post-Covid recovery. The likelihood of an emissions rebound as the economy recovers makes it all the more clear that the UK will need to focus on structural changes – rather than one-off events – if it is to meet its net-zero emissions target over the next 30 years. UK CO2 EMISSIONS NOW LOWEST SINCE 1879 As Carbon Brief has documented the decline in UK emissions over the past five years it has become traditional to compare the current total to the historical record. In 2018, Carbon Brief analysis showed that UK CO2 emissions had fallen to levels last seen in 1890, during the late Victorian era, a point repeated in press reports and by ministers in parliament. The record decline last year means the UK’s CO2 output in 2020 was the lowest since 1879, outside years affected by general strikes, as the chart below shows. That year, Benjamin Disraeli was British prime minister, the country was at war with the Zulus and Thomas Edison had just applied to patent his lightbulb. Intriguingly, the chart shows that the UK’s CO2 emissions in 2020 were lower than the amount released from coal burning alone in 1970. It also highlights how gas is the largest contributor to the total, with oil a close second and coal far behind after its near-elimination from the power sector. PER CAPITA UK EMISSIONS NOW CLOSE TO WORLD AVERAGE On a per-capita basis, given the UK population has more than doubled over the past century, CO2 emissions are now as low as they were in 1853. At 4.5tCO2 per person, the average UK resident’s emissions are now roughly in line with the global average. The UK’s per-capita emissions are now not only substantially lower than in the US, at 13.8tCO2 per person, but also the 7.5tCO2 for China. However, the UK’s per-capita figure remains around three times those for the average Indian. At the global level, while the timing of net-zero is expected to vary between countries, overall human-caused greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero in order to stabilise the world’s temperature. HOW CARBON BRIEF ESTIMATED UK EMISSIONS IN 2020 Carbon Brief’s estimates of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 are based on analysis of provisional energy use figures published by BEIS on 25 February 2021. The same approach has accurately estimated year-to-year changes in emissions in previous years (see table). One large source of uncertainty is the provisional energy use data, which BEIS revises at the end of March each year and often again later on. Emissions data is also subject to revision in light of improvements in data collection and the methodology used. The table above applies Carbon Brief’s emissions calculations to the latest energy use and emissions figures, which may differ from those published previously. Another source of uncertainty is the fact that Carbon Brief’s approach to estimating the annual change in emissions differs from the methodology used for the BEIS provisional estimates. This is largely because BEIS has access to more granular data, which is not available for public use. In Carbon Brief’s approach, UK CO2 emissions are estimated by multiplying the reported consumption of each fossil fuel, in energy terms, by its emissions factor. This is the amount of CO2 released for each unit of energy consumed and it varies for different fuels. For example, diesel, petrol and jet fuel have different emissions factors and Carbon Brief’s analysis accounts for this where possible. This adjustment is based on the quantity of each fuel type used per year, drawn from separate BEIS figures covering oil, coal and gas. Emissions from land use and forestry are assumed to remain at the same level as in the previous year. Carbon Brief also uses the same approach as the BEIS methodology for estimating the change in emissions from greenhouse gases other than CO2. Note that the figures in this article are for emissions within the UK measured according to international guidelines. This means they exclude emissions associated with imported goods, including imported biomass, as well as the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published detailed comparisons between various different approaches to calculating UK emissions, on a territorial, consumption, environmental accounts or international accounting basis. The UK’s consumption-based CO2 emissions increased between 1990 and 2007. Since then, however, they have fallen by a similar number of tonnes as emissions within the UK. Bioenergy is a significant source of renewable energy in the UK and its climate benefits are disputed. Contrary to public perception, however, only around one quarter of bioenergy is imported. International aviation is considered part of the UK’s carbon budgets and faces the prospect of tighter limits on its CO2 emissions. The international shipping sector has a target to at least halve its emissions by 2050, relative to 2008 levels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-is-now-halfway-to-meeting-its-net-zero-emissions-target
     
         
      Bottom trawling releases as much carbon as air travel, landmark study finds Wed, 17th Mar 2021 18:44:00
     
      Fishing boats that trawl the ocean floor release as much carbon dioxide as the entire aviation industry, according to a groundbreaking study. Bottom trawling, a widespread practice in which heavy nets are dragged along the seabed, pumps out 1 gigaton of carbon every year, says the study written by 26 marine biologists, climate experts and economists and published in Nature on Wednesday. The carbon is released from the seabed sediment into the water, and can increase ocean acidification, as well as adversely affecting productivity and biodiversity, the study said. Marine sediments are the largest pool of carbon storage in the world. The report – Protecting the global ocean for biodiversity, food and climate – is the first study to show the climate impacts of trawling globally. It also provides a blueprint outlining which areas of the ocean should be protected to safeguard marine life, boost seafood production and reduce climate emissions. Only 7% of the ocean is under some kind of protection. The scientists argue that, by identifying strategic areas for stewardship – for example, regions with large-scale industrial fishing and major economic exclusion zones or marine territories – nations could reap “significant benefits” for climate, food and biodiversity. Protecting “strategic” ocean areas could produce 8m tonnes of seafood, they say. “Ocean life has been declining worldwide because of overfishing, habitat destruction and climate change,” said Dr Enric Sala, explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and lead author of the paper. “In this study, we’ve pioneered a new way to identify the places that – if strongly protected – will boost food production and safeguard marine life, all while reducing carbon emissions. “It’s clear that humanity and the economy will benefit from a healthier ocean. And we can realise those benefits quickly if countries work together to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.” The scientists identified marine areas where species and ecosystems face the greatest threats from human activities. They developed an algorithm to identify regions where safeguarding would deliver the greatest benefits across three goals: biodiversity protection, seafood production and climate mitigation. They then mapped these to create a practical “blueprint” that governments can use, depending on their priorities. The top 10 countries with the most carbon emissions from bottom trawling, and therefore the most to gain, were China, Russia, Italy, UK, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Croatia and Spain. The analysis shows that the world must protect a minimum of 30% of the ocean in order to provide multiple benefits. The scientists say their results lend credence to the ambition of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, which is part of the target adopted by a coalition of 50 countries this year to slow the destruction of the natural world. Zac Goldsmith, the UK minister for Pacific and the environment, described the paper as “an important contribution to the science on ocean protection and highlights the need for countries to work together to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030”. He said the UK was playing a leading role in a global ocean alliance supporting this target and promised: “We will do all we can to deliver it at the UN biodiversity conference in China.” “There is no single best solution to save marine life and obtain these other benefits. The solution depends on what society – or a given country – cares about, and our study provides a new way to integrate these preferences and find effective conservation strategies,” said Dr Juan S Mayorga, a report co-author and a marine data scientist with the Environmental Market Solutions Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Pristine Seas at the National Geographic Society. The study calculates that eliminating 90% of the present risk of carbon disturbance due to bottom trawling would require protecting only about 4% of the ocean, mostly within national waters. Dr David Mouillot, a report co-author and a professor at the Université de Montpellier in France, said: “One notable priority for conservation is Antarctica, which currently has little protection, but is projected to host many vulnerable species in the near future due to climate change.” The study estimated the emissions at between 0.6 and 1.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide a year, or an average of 1 gigaton annually. Aviation emissions of carbon dioxide in 2019 were 918m tons. The UN’s biodiversity conference, Cop15, which is to be held in Kunming, China, this year, is expected to produce a global agreement for nature, building on the targets already set by some nations to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/17/trawling-for-fish-releases-as-much-carbon-as-air-travel-report-finds-climate-crisis
     
         
      Protect our ocean 'to solve challenges of century' Wed, 17th Mar 2021 17:36:00
     
      Protecting the ocean has a triple whammy effect, safeguarding climate, food and biodiversity, according to new research. A global map compiled by international scientists pinpoints priority places for action to maximise benefits for people and nature. Currently, only 7% of the ocean is protected. A pledge to protect at least 30% by 2030 is gathering momentum ahead of this year's key UN biodiversity summit. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, sets a framework for prioritising areas of the ocean for protection. The ocean covers 70% of the Earth, yet its importance for solving the challenges of our time has been overlooked, said study researcher Prof Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "The benefits are clear," he said. "If we want to solve the three most pressing challenges of our century - biodiversity loss, climate change and food shortages - we must protect our ocean." What did the study look at? The ocean supports a unique web of life and harbours valuable food resources, while acting as a sink for greenhouse gases. The researchers developed an algorithm to identify where in the world ocean protections such as marine protected areas and responsible fisheries management could deliver the greatest benefits across three goals of biodiversity protection, seafood production and climate mitigation. Locations were mapped to create a "blueprint" that governments can use in planning and implementing commitments to protect the ocean from overfishing and habitat destruction. Rather than a single map for ocean conservation, the researchers created a framework for countries to decide which areas to protect depending on their national priorities. How much ocean needs protection? The analysis suggests that 30% is the minimum amount of ocean that the world must protect in order to provide multiple benefits to humanity. This fits with a pledge to protect 30% of world and land by 2030, to which a growing number of countries have signed up, including the US, UK, Canada and the European Commission. Many of the priority places identified in the research fall under the jurisdiction of countries that can enact proactive and sustainable ocean policies, Jennifer McGowan of the Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University and The Nature Conservancy, said. "Often times we think about protection as just being about saving the whales, but the oceans provide so much more to us - they are providing food for the planet, providing refuges for species under climate change, it's a huge carbon sink that really matters to our climate," she told BBC News. "What this research is suggesting is that with one of our strongest mechanisms, which is ocean protection, we can help deliver good outcomes for all of those things." Priority areas for protection for biodiversity include the Antarctic Peninsula, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Mascarene Plateau and the Southwest Indian Ridge. What does the ocean do for the climate? The study revealed for the first time figures on the amount of carbon released into the ocean through trawling of the ocean floor. This fishing method, which drags heavy nets across the ocean floor, is pumping one gigatonne of carbon emissions into the ocean every year, equivalent to all emissions from global aviation, the scientists said. If we're to succeed in stopping global warming, we must leave the carbon-rich seabed undisturbed, said Dr Trisha Atwood of Utah State University. "Our findings about the climate impacts of bottom trawling will make the activities on the ocean's seabed hard to ignore in climate plans going forward," she added. The study found that eliminating 90% of the present risk of greenhouse gas release due to bottom trawling would require protecting only about 4% of the ocean, mostly within national waters. The study is funded by the National Geographic Society and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56430542
     
         
      UK to spend $1.4bn to cut carbon emissions from industry Wed, 17th Mar 2021 17:33:00
     
      The United Kingdom says it plans to invest one billion pounds ($1.39bn) to cut emissions from industry, schools and hospitals as part of wider “green revolution” designed to create thousands of jobs and meet climate targets. The UK has a target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and is also seeking to boost jobs and repair economic damage caused by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. “Today’s plans will make a considerable dent in the amount of carbon emissions emitting from our economy and put us on the path to eliminate our contribution to climate change by 2050,” Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement on Wednesday. The measures will create and support up to 80,000 jobs over the next 30 years and help the country cut emissions from industry by two-thirds in 15 years, the statement said. Cutting emissions from industry is one of the toughest areas in the fight against climate change. Furnaces reaching 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,700 Fahrenheit) are needed to forge steel or produce cement and renewable energy alone can not produce those sorts of temperatures. The government’s new strategy sets an expectation for industry to switch 20 terawatt-hours of its energy from fossil fuels to low carbon sources by 2030. That is equivalent to 17 percent of all renewable energy generated by the UK in 2019. Ultra-high temperatures have conventionally been produced by burning coal or gas. That now has to change and the government is betting on the development of hydrogen to help replace fossil fuels, especially in energy-intensive industries. Some 932 million pounds ($1.3bn) will be directed to 429 projects across England to help reduce emissions from public buildings such as schools, hospitals and council buildings through low-carbon schemes including energy-efficient insulation, low-carbon heating systems, installing solar panels and efficient lighting. A further 171 million pounds ($238m) will be allocated to nine projects in Scotland, South Wales and North West, Humber and Teesside in England to help decarbonise industry. These include projects to capture, store and use carbon emissions and projects to use cleaner fuels such as hydrogen. “The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will send a clear signal to the market by setting out how the government expects decarbonisation to happen, while improving investor confidence,” Kwarteng said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year announced a “green revolution” which he said would mobilise a total of 12 billion pounds ($16.7bn) of government money and create 250,000 highly skilled green jobs by 2030. More climate ambition Meanwhile, policymakers from around the world are calling for more ambition ahead of November’s crucial United Nations climate talks in the UK. Johnson’s government on Tuesday committed to making climate change its top priority for foreign policy as the UK seeks to carve out a new role in the world after leaving the European Union. There is pressure on the UK to lead by example, an aspiration that has been called into question over its plans to build a new deep coal mine in northern England. Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has argued that the mine, in Cumbria, will help the steel industry become greener because it will allow steel plants to use coal dug up at home rather than importing emissions. Planning permission for the mine will now be subject to a public inquiry following concerns that it would derail the UK’s efforts to meet its target for net zero emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/17/uk-to-spend-1-4bn-to-cut-carbon-emissions-from-industry
     
         
      Nebraska declares pro-meat day to rival Colorado's meatless day Wed, 17th Mar 2021 14:54:00
     
      After the state of Colorado issued a proclamation urging citizens to avoid eating meat, neighbouring state Nebraska fired a fierce rebuttal. Speaking from a butcher shop, Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts, a Republican, said Colorado's action was a "direct attack on our way of life". He declared 20 March - the same day as Colorado's "MeatOut Day" - to be "Meat on the Menu Day". Beef is the largest industry in Nebraska, he said. The state's agriculture industry accounts for one out of every four jobs and ranchers in the state sell $12bn (£8.6bn) in meat products each year, according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture director, Steve Wellman. At a news conference in Omaha, the largest city in the mid-western state, Mr Ricketts said Nebraska would have a pro-meat eating day to directly counter Colorado's non-binding vegetarian resolution, passed last month. "MeatOut Day" was started in 1985 by the Farm Animal Rights Movement, and seeks to inform people about the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Colorado's proclamation, calling on residents to consider not eating meat on 20 March, states that "removing animal products from our diets reduces the risk of various ailments", including heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. "A plant-based diet helps protect the environment by reducing our carbon footprint, preserving forests, grasslands, and wildlife habitats, and reduces pollution of waterways," the order adds. Colorado governor Jared Polis is a meat-eater but his partner is a long-time vegan. In Monday's news conference, Nebraska's governor added: "If you were to get rid of beef in our country, you would be undermining our food security, an important part of a healthy diet, and also destroying an industry here in our state that's very important." Nebraska declares May as "Beef Month" each year and also sells "Beef State" vehicle license plates. This is not the first time that Mr Ricketts has lashed out at the state's western neighbour, most notably against Colorado's legal marijuana industry. "If you legalise marijuana, you're gonna kill your kids," he said in a news conference last week, in response to a bill in the Nebraska legislature that would legalise medical cannabis there. Mr Polis has not responded to the Nebraska governor's pro-meat order.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56419396
     
         
      Southampton Airport expansion recommended for approval Wed, 17th Mar 2021 14:42:00
     
      Plans to lengthen the runway at Southampton Airport have been recommended for approval by council officers. The airport wants to extend the runway by 164m (538ft) to facilitate the use of larger planes for holiday flights. It has said it is "critical to the airport's survival" and refusal would put more than 2,000 jobs at risk. Eastleigh Borough Council officers recommended councillors approve the plans at a meeting on 25 March. However, council officers said planning permission would be subject to several conditions, which include restrictions on night-time flying, air quality and noise monitoring, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The council said the project was "inevitably controversial" and said officers had "carefully considered" the "high numbers of comments received both in favour and against". Southampton City Council and local campaigners have previously objected on the grounds of climate change and noise. The city council upheld its objection after the airport submitted revised plans which it said included "significant mitigation" to noise and environmental impacts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-56430416
     
         
      Government sets out £1bn plan to cut industrial carbon emissions Wed, 17th Mar 2021 14:39:00
     
      A blueprint to cut industrial carbon emissions by two-thirds within 15 years has been announced by the government. It wants firms to waste less energy, develop low-carbon technologies and invest in equipment that can store carbon emissions in rocks underground. It's set out details of a previously-announced £1bn fund to help industrial buildings, schools and hospitals get better insulation and conserve energy. Opposition parties said the policy lacked urgency and ambition. However, the clarity of the strategy has been welcomed by industry groups. They say it will help to guide investment choices. The CBI said it was a vital step in the UK's commitment to cutting out almost all carbon emissions by 2050. Ministers have given details of support for nine green technology projects in Scotland, South Wales, the North West, Humber and Teesside. Studies will be funded to design a low-carbon infrastructure using hydrogen and carbon capture, which strips emissions from industrial exhausts. To reduce carbon emissions from public buildings including hospitals, schools and council buildings, £932m has been directed to 429 projects across England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56426928
     
         
      Air pollution breaking WHO limits surrounds 25% of UK homes, analysis finds Wed, 17th Mar 2021 14:30:00
     
      One in four UK homes are surrounded by air pollution exceeding safety limits set by the World Health Organization, an analysis has shown following research revealing that road pollution affects virtually every part of Britain. Nearly 8m UK addresses are affected by high levels of particulate matter or nitrogen dioxide, the data analysis commissioned by campaigning group the Central Office of Public Interest (COPI) showed. Researchers at Imperial College London used computer models to produce estimated concentrations of the levels of three toxic pollutants – PM (particulate matter) 2.5, PM10 and NO2 – at each address, accurate to 20 sq metres (24 sq yards). The results have been compiled into a searchable national database, where people can input an address to receive a rating of low, medium, significant, high or very high, with anything above “medium” meaning the address exceeds the limit for a pollutant. The analysis follows research revealing that 94% of land in Great Britain has some pollution above background levels, despite roads occupying less than 1% of the country. The University of Exeter study found that the most widespread pollutants are tiny particles, mostly from fossil fuel burning, nitrogen dioxide from diesel vehicles, and noise and light. More than 70% of the country is affected by all of these, with the only land to escape road pollution being almost entirely at high altitudes, affecting wildlife as well as seriously harming human health. Research indicates that air pollution at up to 500 metres (547 yards) from roads damages human health. COPI is pushing for estate agents and property websites to disclose pollution levels when advertising properties, having obtained a legal opinion from a QC stating that there is a “strong argument” that estate agents would be in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 if they failed to inform customers about potential health risks. The COPI founder, Humphrey Milles, called for transparency around the risks of air pollution: “Air pollution affects everyone. It is a dangerous, invisible killer. With this national rollout, it would be shameful for the property industry to not start acting in an honest, transparent way. Lives depend on it. Everyone has a right to know what they’re breathing.” Jemima Hartshorn, the founder of the campaign group Mums for Lungs, described the statistics as “shocking”, but said the group was pleased the data was now publicly available. “We hope it will really help to raise awareness of the high levels of air pollution that are making so many of us sick. We really need to see urgent action on this and foremost we continue to call on the government to commit to reaching WHO levels, at the very latest by 2030 for all major pollutants across the UK,” Hartshorn said. “We also need to see the government committing real funds to addressing this issue, and providing many more cities with progressive clean air zones. We need to finally address the issue of wood burning that has become the major contributor to particulate matter across the country.” The UK government is planning a £27bn expansion of England’s road network, but the Guardian reported in February that the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, had overridden official advice from civil servants to review the policy on environmental grounds. It has been a legal requirement to take into account the environmental impact of such projects since 2014. Dirty air is estimated to cause 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/17/air-pollution-breaking-who-limits-surrounds-25-of-uk-homes-study-finds
     
         
      Pollinators are our secret weapon in the fight against global warming Wed, 17th Mar 2021 12:24:00
     
      YOU would be forgiven for not knowing that there are two large United Nations environmental events happening this year. The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, UK, is receiving a huge amount of media attention; the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Kunming, China, much less so. At least, outside New Scientist. This is a source of frustration to us ecologists, but it is fairly typical: the climate emergency often overshadows the ecological emergency, even though the two overlap both in their causes and their solutions. Although ceasing the extraction of fossil fuels is a priority, if we are going to reverse the effects of climate change we need nature-based solutions, built on conservation of biodiversity, to capture the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Pollinators are crucial to this, but their numbers are declining, some species have gone extinct and others are critically endangered. Around 75 per cent of the world’s main types of crops rely on pollinators. Without them, our diets and farmers would be poorer. But their value in combating climate change is often overlooked. Almost 90 per cent of the 352,000 species of flowering plants are pollinated by insects and vertebrates such as birds and bats. As such, pollinators ensure the continuation of plant populations that lock up carbon in their woody stems, roots, bulbs and tubers. The best way to restore natural habitats to help fight global warming is through natural regeneration from seeds, and for that we need pollinators. But this may not be the most important role of pollinators in relation to climate change; how they affect soils may be more critical. When a pollinator visits a flower it sets in motion a chain of events that leads not just to seeds, but also to a series of structures that support plant reproduction. These include woody fruit casings that protect the developing embryo, as well as dispersal structures such as the wings of sycamore seeds. All of these contain a very high proportion of carbon. Once they have fulfilled their function, they fall to the ground where they enter the soil as a source of locked-in carbon. Soils are the world’s second-most important carbon store, and much more important than the vegetation that they support. In fact, three-quarters of terrestrial carbon accumulates in soils. Only the oceans contain more carbon by mass. How much carbon enters the soil thanks to the activities of pollinators? We have no idea as it hasn’t been measured. Ecologists studying forest carbon dynamics use fine nets strung between stakes to measure the “litter” that falls from trees each year. The contribution of reproductive litter, as opposed to leaves or twigs, isn’t always calculated, but when it is values of 10 to 20 per cent of the total litter are typical, depending on the type of plant. We have limited understanding of what happens when this material enters the soil. A large number of seeds are stored in the soil and they can be persistent, and reproductive litter can be very woody compared with leaves, and thus their carbon storage capacity may be greater. For these reasons, it is vital that we pay more attention to international agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, and enact policies that safeguard pollinators, for example by banning harmful pesticides and creating larger protected areas. This requires action now at all levels, from governments to conservation groups, to create and restore habitats in which pollinators can thrive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933260-100-pollinators-are-our-secret-weapon-in-the-fight-against-global-warming/
     
         
      Talk of $100-a-barrel oil ‘supercycle’ is misplaced, warns IEA Wed, 17th Mar 2021 12:00:00
     
      Oil demand is likely to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023 and will keep rising until at least 2026 unless the world takes more radical action on climate change, the International Energy Agency has said. But talk of a new oil “supercycle” with sustained high prices is misplaced as the market has ample spare supply capacity to meet resurgent demand, the agency forecast. Global oil demand fell by 9 million barrels per day, or almost a tenth, last year as the pandemic led to restrictions on travel for billions of people worldwide. Brent crude, the global benchmark oil price, tumbled to less than $20 a barrel in April.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/talk-of-100-a-barrel-oil-supercycle-is-misplaced-warns-iea-wsqnvmxj6
     
         
      Massive Attack star 'livid' over 'high-polluting' festivals and gigs Wed, 17th Mar 2021 11:23:00
     
      Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja has said he is "livid" with the music industry for making green pledges but not reducing its carbon footprint. He told MPs it was an "embarrassment" that artists often wear "the climate T-shirt, waves the placard, while simultaneously operating in a high carbon, high-polluting sector". He was speaking to a select committee about green issues at festivals. "It's all about collective solutions, everyone has to work together." Del Naja, known as 3D in the groundbreaking Bristol band, explained that performers "have very little control" over the organisation of gigs and festivals, including how they are powered and how ticket-holders travel to venues. "It's been frustrating to experience the lack of meaningful activity within our sector, and as an activist, I've also felt pretty livid about it," he told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee "The industry seems to have been locked in a cycle of green pledges and carbon calculations while emission rates remain really high." He added that bands "don't want to be greenwashing for our own industry" by making environmental statements while little action is taken behind the scenes. He also said Coldplay's decision to halt touring due to concerns over the environmental impact of concerts was not the answer. In November 2019, frontman Chris Martin said they would not tour until they had worked out how to do so sustainably. "I understand their frustration, all bands have been feeling like this for a long time - how do you square touring with climate change?" Del Naja said. "All of us end up looking like hypocrites... reduced to being messengers. "But everyone knows that's not the solution - one band stopping touring. Even all bands stopping touring isn't the solution. Culture is important," he added. When live music returns, Massive Attack will perform a low-carbon gig in Liverpool, a collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, to track and reduce emissions from live events.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56416102
     
         
      North Star triumphs in Equinor's $376m wind farm vessel tender Wed, 17th Mar 2021 9:27:00
     
      Aberdeen owner makes stunning entry into SOV sector by winning international battle for Dogger Bank ships. Aberdeen-based North Star Renewables has emerged from a wide field to clinch a "transformative" deal to move into the wind-farm ship sector. The contract to supply three service operation vessels (SOVs) to Norwegian major Equinor is worth £270m ($376m). North Star, which is better known as an emergency response and rescue-vessel owner, beat an international array of companies in a tender launched last year. The ships will service the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the UK, which is the largest in the world. SSE Renewables and Eni are also involved in the project. The deal creates 130 new full-time UK-based jobs in crewing and shore-based roles, and positions North Star as a "major player" in offshore wind, the shipowner said. BIG BATTLE FOR BUSINESS TradeWinds first broke the news in June last year that Equinor was seeking three or four SOVs, with up to 18 bidders expected. Interested parties included wind power companies and offshore shipping names, as well as a big conventional merchant shipping outfit that had been sniffing around, looking to "make a big splash, at least before the pandemic hit", according to one market observer. UK operator Bibby Marine, Norway's Solstad Offshore and Denmark's Esvagt were also named as likely bidders. North Star said the tender was "highly competitive". The vessels will be delivered to Equinor from summer 2023, with 10-year charters attached. There are also three one-year options. North Star chief executive Matthew Gordon said: "We have been working with our existing energy clients in the North Sea for over 40 years, with an outstanding reputation for delivering and operating offshore emergency support vessels safely." He added: "We are now committed to building on the momentum of this contract award to further our diversification and firmly establish ourselves at the forefront of vessel design and delivery in the global renewables market." SIX MILLION HOMES TO BE POWERED Dogger Bank is located more than 130 km off the Yorkshire coast and will generate enough renewable energy to power six million UK homes. North Star will deliver one SOV to be used for scheduled maintenance at Dogger Bank A and B, the first two phases of the farm. This ship is due to be delivered in January 2024 and will also serve Dogger Bank C when this phase of the wind farm is operational. A further two SOVs will carry out corrective maintenance at A and Bank B. Delivery of these vessels is scheduled for July 2023 and July 2024, respectively. A further contract for an SOV to be used for corrective maintenance at Dogger Bank C will be awarded at a later stage. The ships will run from Port of Tyne. TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING North Star’s designs, which have been two years in the making, come with digital decision support technology, advanced propulsion systems, hybrid power management, a waste heat recovery system and a new daughter-craft design. "We are pleased that a UK supplier wins these contracts in a tough international competition," Halfdan Brustad, vice president for Dogger Bank at Equinor, said. "The high-end SOVs will ensure our teams have a comfortable stay offshore, which is important before a day’s work on the turbines. We have incorporated leading technology to ensure we can operate the wind farm safely, sustainably and efficiently." EUROPEAN YARDS IN POLE POSITION? No shipyard has been announced, but European yards are specialists in this kind of ship, including Spain's Astilleros Gondan and Zamakona Yards, Norway's Ulstein Verft and Havyard Group, Turkey's Cemre Engineering Shipbuilding Industry and Trade, and Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands. Equinor has wind-farm interests in the UK, US and Poland, as well as Norway. In 2026, the state energy company expects production capacity from renewable projects of between 4 GW and 6 GW. This is around 10 times higher than today’s capacity, implying an annual average growth rate of more than 30%. Towards 2035, Equinor expects to increase installed renewables capacity further to 12 GW to 16 GW, dependent on availability of attractive project opportunities. The wind-farm sector is becoming increasingly important to offshore vessel owners as energy companies' renewables spending outstrips oil and gas. On Tuesday, Norwegian company Edda Wind, which is owned by Ostensjo Rederi and Wilhelmsen, said it was preparing for an Oslo initial public offering to raise cash for expansion. It also ordered another two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) at Gondan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.tradewindsnews.com/offshore/north-star-triumphs-in-equinors-376m-wind-farm-vessel-tender/2-1-981887
     
         
      Carbon Capture Is Key to Companies’ Net Zero Pledges Wed, 17th Mar 2021 6:09:00
     
      Many companies’ plans to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions to “net zero” rely heavily on technologies to capture carbon. Some are more speculative than others. Nearly 1,400 companies have promised to cut their net carbon dioxide emissions to zero over the coming decades. So-called carbon offsets, where the gas is removed from the atmosphere, are central to many of these plans. The latest of the almost daily announcements: French oil giant Total said on Tuesday that it will plant a 40,000-hectare forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo to sequester 10 million tons of CO2 over 20 years. Planting trees is a popular choice. Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and certification is well established. But there are drawbacks. The gas is released if they are cut or burned down. Land also is a limited resource, making many goals unrealistic. Greenpeace has estimated that the reforestation targets of just two companies—Italian oil and gas giant Eni and British Airways owner IAG—would use about 12% of land available for new forests globally by 2050. Another widespread technique is carbon capture and storage, or CCS, where CO2 is removed from factory chimneys and pumped underground or stored in a solid form. The method has been around for decades, but until recently wasn’t widespread. The economics didn’t add up, partly because the carbon prices charged in Europe and the carbon-capture tax credit paid in the U.S. were too low. That is changing as emissions become more expensive and as costs fall with improving plant design, construction and capture methods. CCS will be useful in producing cleaner hydrogen and in hard-to-green industries such as steel and cement. New, bigger facilities are being built at emissions hubs such as Rotterdam’s port, which cuts costs and increases utilization. Project economics depend on the volume and purity of CO2 and the distance to the carbon reservoir, but it is “highly likely” a facility can be economic at carbon prices of around $100 a ton, says Syrie Crouch, vice president of CCS at Shell. CCS can give new life to depleted oil and gas reservoirs as carbon sinks, hedge heavy emitters against rising carbon prices and even provide a green revenue source for the technology providers. A less proven, more expensive method is capturing CO2 directly from the air. Costs are expected to fall with bigger projects and better technology. It requires far less land than other offset methods but is very energy-intensive. It could be cost-effective eventually, but for now remains an unlikely way for companies to net off significant emissions. Agriculture generates about a fifth of global CO2 emissions, but can also help capture it with regenerative farming techniques, including reduced soil tillage, planting cover crops and cyclical grazing by livestock. Such methods can also cut farmers’ fuel and chemical bills and even provide additional income from selling offset credits. Farm carbon-credit markets are recent developments, but the farming methods are well established. Many expect a boost from President Biden. Regenerative farming in the U.S. could capture 250 million tons of greenhouse gases annually—around 5% of 2019 domestic emissions—estimates the National Academy of Sciences. Some industries can shift quickly to renewable electricity, but others will require decades to clean up. As carbon prices rise and emissions regulations tighten, investors will need to pay ever closer attention to how companies get to their trumpeted net-zero commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/carbon-capture-is-key-to-companies-net-zero-pledges-11615975780
     
         
      Dangerous air pollution levels outside quarter of homes Wed, 17th Mar 2021 0:01:00
     
      A quarter of homes are in areas with dangerous levels of pollution, according to the first nationwide study of air quality that allows the public to check if their properties are affected. The Central Office of Public Interest, a campaign group, found that the air on the doorsteps of nearly eight million homes in the UK exceeds at least one of the World Health Organisation’s recommended limits for particulate matter or nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dangerous-air-pollution-levels-outside-quarter-of-homes-dblxg3r9g
     
         
      Risk of blackouts if coal-fired plants not replaced in time Tue, 16th Mar 2021 23:26:00
     
      The Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) has issued a clear warning regarding the stability of the national grid during periods of high power demand if the withdrawal of coal-fired plants by 2023 is not combined with the addition of new capacity. However, this is not expected to happen before mid-2022, when Mytilineos’ natural gas-fired unit and the interconnection with the Bulgarian grid are expected to launch. In that case, ADMIE expressed serious reservations about maintaining the power supply at peak demand periods this year and next, while there might also be a problem in 2023 too if all lignite plants have been withdrawn.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1157227/risk-of-blackouts-if-coal-fired-plants-are-not-replaced-in-time/
     
         
      Retrofitting solar parks for agrivoltaics Tue, 16th Mar 2021 20:48:00
     
      Enel Green Power, the renewable energy unit of multinational energy group Enel, has launched a series of agrivoltaic pilot projects at nine demonstration sites in Europe, including two in Greece, five in Spain, and two in Italy. “Our initial approach to agrivoltaics is based on the idea of utilizing existing and operational solar parks,” Giovanni Tula, Enel Green Power's head of sustainability, told pv magazine. “We are trying to understand if different kinds of agricultural activities can be integrated in an efficient way into plants that have been active in the power generation business for several years.” Its approach is designed to utilize agricultural surfaces that have already been used for the construction of large-scale solar plants, so there is no need to occupy new plots of land. According to Tula, there is plenty of room for crops between the trackers and the panels. “A conventional solar park does not change the nature of the ground and agriculture is still possible,” he said. “Our goal is to explore the agrivoltaic option in large-scale PV parks or sites in which the energy business remains the most important one.” This business model, according to Tula, would be completely different from more “conventional” agrivoltaic projects, where the agricultural business dominates and the panels are usually mounted on special structures at a certain height to enable the use of farm equipment beneath them. “We are planning to develop a concept that doesn't affect the existing power generation without altering the plant design and, at the same time, which enables a profitable crop business,” Tula explained. “We are not simply adding some agricultural activity on the edge of a plant to make it appear greener.” The company will manage the demonstration projects in an analytical manner with scientific partners. “The first answers for our approach should come within 24 months and the collected data should come from test-cultivating an overall surface of nearly 30 hectares scattered across the nine PV facilities, 2 or 3 hectares each,” Tula said, adding that the extent of the new agricultural activity still needs to be evaluated. “It may be around one-third of the plant’s surface. But the right proportion between the crop cultivation and the power generation business will depend on the specific characteristics of each project.”‘ The model can also be adopted in solar plants that already benefit from feed-in tariffs or incentives of different kinds. This could make the integration of agriculture an additional, rather than negligible source of revenue for the plant owners. Once it is validated by research, the proposed approach should be applied to existing PV plants and new projects. “We do not expect major design modifications of new projects, except some fine tuning in their layout in order to optimize the integration of the agricultural solution into the PV plant,” Tula said. “Tests on existing plants have been launched with the aim to assess the optimal conditions to scale-up crop cultivation activities, without altering PV design nor plant profitability.” The company will test several kinds of crops at the pilot projects. “We will test crops that do not grow too much and we will also see how these crops can alter the albedo in bifacial plants,” Tula said. “We want to plant herbs, flowers, or plants that can act as catalysts for biodiversity, but we also want to test courgettes, broccoli, aubergines, asparagus, legumes, and even animal fodder.” Enel Green Power also might test certain forms of livestock farming at the solar parks. “We are thinking, for example, of breeding rabbits of a certain type in central Italy in the province of Viterbo,” Tula explained. AGRICULTURAL ALTERNATIVES Tula said agrivoltaics will probably not be developed on a big scale in the years to come. “But I am also sure it will come sooner than expected,” he said. “I think it is important, however, that we try to define what agrivoltaics could be in the future and, as for now, we are trying to help understand how the agribusiness may find an interesting niche in existing solar parks.” Tula said a big growth driver for agrivoltaics might come from the agricultural sector itself, as it may decide to opt for PV surfaces for certain kinds of crops. “We may see PV specializing in some specific agricultural products, excluding of course all kinds of plants with a high stem,” Tula concluded.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/03/16/retrofitting-solar-parks-for-agrivoltaics/
     
         
      Green Brexit didn't happen, says environmental coalition Tue, 16th Mar 2021 20:40:00
     
      The so-called “green Brexit” promised by the government has not been delivered, a coalition of environment groups says. In 2017, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove promised: “Leaving the EU gives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reform agriculture and fisheries." That, he said, would allow the UK to reshape the way it cares for its land, its rivers and its seas. “In short,” Mr Gove pledged, “it means a Green Brexit.” Over four years and 11 reports, an environmental coalition called Greener UK has tracked policies - and concluded that improvement across the board has not been realised. Environment Secretary George Eustice said Brexit enabled the UK to create "world-leading legislation, delivering better environmental outcomes in an effective and efficient way". The group says protections for climate, farming, fisheries and water quality are similar to 2016; but for chemicals, nature, air quality and waste are weaker. The coalition, which includes The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and ClientEarth, says: - New institutions – including the post-Brexit watchdog the Office for Environmental Protection – will be weaker than those they are replacing - Crucial environmental principles are being watered down. - There’s been a lack of coordination with the EU on mutually beneficial issues, from carbon pricing to wildlife protection - The UK has left the EU’s gold standard chemical regulation system – and created a domestic version with fewer staff, less funding and restricted access to existing data. The groups agree there are positives developments – especially the scrapping of the EU’s controversial Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which used to pay farmers grants depending on how much land they farm. The report says the UK's own new farm subsidy regime offers a good opportunity to restore wildlife. Similarly, while the UK Fisheries Bill does not prevent overfishing, there are potential improvements in sustainability and monitoring, it adds. Craig Bennett, from The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We were solemnly promised that the UK would maintain and enhance our environmental standards after Brexit. "Although that might have happened in some areas, massive gaps have opened up as a result of this process – and enforcement is weaker across the board. “To take a few of many examples, it is a disgrace that many of our offshore Marine Protected Areas are still being damaged through trawling and dredging, and that our rivers are still routinely polluted. The interests of big businesses prevail.” Beccy Speight, from the RSPB, said: "What we were promised was a Green Brexit with protections at least as strong if not stronger than those that applied before Brexit - what we have seen so far suggests a legacy of weakening many of the policies, regulations and legislation.” Sarah Williams of Greener UK said: “There is still time for the government to make its plans stronger, particularly for chemicals and air pollution, and follow through on promising proposals for farming. We really hope it does so.” Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC News the government was determined to create the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on Earth. "Now more than ever, it's vital that we protect our precious natural environment," he said. "That's why we are working hard - rewarding farmers for managing their land in a way which preserves it for future generations, championing sustainable fishing and setting legally binding targets to help restore nature and biodiversity. "Our exit from the EU enables the UK to set our own world-leading legislation, delivering better environmental outcomes in an effective and efficient way and in line with our own regulatory systems - ensuring we protect and improve our precious environment for future generations."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56408138
     
         
      Capturing the Renewable Energy Shift Tue, 16th Mar 2021 18:47:00
     
      As the impacts of climate change and the importance of decarbonization have started to become clear, it’s hard to ignore the ongoing shift towards embracing renewables. Today, the renewables energy market has already become the energy industry’s biggest driver of growth, and both governments and businesses have been pressed to solidify their commitments to green energy. This infographic from eToro highlights the many developments propelling the shift towards renewable energy, and shines a spotlight on what investors should expect in the market. Investments in clean energy have been growing both quickly and consistently. Before 2010, annual global investment in clean energy climbed from just tens of billions to $177 billion in 2009. But in the following decade, annual investment in renewables regularly surpassed $200 billion, reaching $303.5 billion in 2020. Early spending in the field was led by the EU, but recently China and the U.S. have become the world’s largest spenders in clean energy. As interest in renewables has grown, so has the sector’s impact on capital markets. Of the 174 announced M&A deals in the U.S. power and utilities industry slated for 2021, 83% involve renewables. Combined with increasing pressure from shareholders of public companies (and especially energy producers) for climate-related resolutions, 2021 is expected to be the first time renewable energy surpasses oil & gas as the energy industry’s largest area of spending. At the same time, governments are feeling pressured to commit to the Paris climate accords beyond mere statements, with many countries signing net-zero emission laws. Knowing where the shift towards clean energy is happening is equally as important. Early investments in clean energy transitions were spread out across many promising sectors, including hydro, nuclear, and carbon-capture for fossil fuel production. But over the past 10 years, wind and solar energy have been leading the charge. Levelised costs for solar electricity are already estimated as lower than gas or coal as of 2020, thanks to rapidly dropping output costs. In terms of capacity, the global installation of wind and solar has already eclipsed hydro electricity, and is expected to pass both gas and coal by 2024. Expected increases in renewable energy capacity are estimated to almost match the increasing global demand for energy. However, much of that demand is still expected to be met by fossil fuels, especially for regions with massive, scalable demand. But as the renewable energy shift continues to pressure greater adoption of clean energy measures, further investment in renewable production and cost cutting, the market demand is expected to shift to green as well. How Can Investors Take Part? eToro’s RenewableEnergy CopyPortfolio* gives investors direct access to the valuable renewable energy market. Curated by experienced and proven investment teams, the thematic portfolio offers exposure to both veteran companies and up-and-coming pioneers in the renewable energy space, with no management fees.
       
      Full Article: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/capturing-the-renewable-energy-shift/
     
         
      PM accused of hypocrisy over claim that climate is 'foremost priority' Tue, 16th Mar 2021 18:14:00
     
      Boris Johnson put the global climate crisis at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy on Tuesday, setting out his vision of “global Britain” after a government review placed climate as “the UK’s foremost international priority”. The prime minister told MPs: “We will host Cop26 [climate summit] in Glasgow in November, and rally as many nations as possible behind the target of net zero [greenhouse gas emissions] by 2050, leading by example since the UK was the first major economy to accept this obligation in law.” However, green campaigners questioned whether the prime minister’s rhetoric was matched by action, and accused him of “hypocrisy” over measures that could increase greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and overseas. The integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy, published on Tuesday, is the first post-Brexit assessment of the UK’s role on the world stage, and represents the government’s view of how Britain will help to shape global relations and tackle global problems for decades to come. This year, the UK takes on a key role in the increasingly urgent fight for climate action, hosting vital UN climate talks, called Cop26, the most important climate meeting since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, as well as holding the presidency of the G7 group of nations. The statement in the review that climate was now “the UK’s foremost international priority” will provide a boost to civil servants in the UK and in embassies around the globe, who have been stepping up the urgency of preparations for Cop26. The review also made it clear that strong action would be needed within the UK to meet climate targets, emphasising the need to “accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero by 2050”, and pointing to £12bn of spending on projects from green public transport and offshore wind, to electric vehicles and hydrogen technology. Alok Sharma, president-designate of Cop26, tweeted: “Delighted to see tackling climate change and biodiversity loss as the UK’s number 1 international priority in the integrated review. As hosts of Cop26, the UK is committed to securing our path to global net zero.” All overseas aid is to be aligned with the goals of the Paris agreement, which will include phasing out support for fossil fuels, and the UK will also prioritise the health of global ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, and the health of the oceans. Cooperating with China on the climate crisis was also singled out in the review as a key priority. Lord Nicholas Stern, the climate economist, said: “It is right that the UK government should make tackling climate change and biodiversity loss its top foreign policy priorities because both pose growing threats to lives and livelihoods around the world. It is also enormously important to invest in building and maintaining long-term relationships between the people of the UK and the people of China.” However, campaigners said the government’s green rhetoric was at odds with many recent ministerial actions. The government is embroiled in a row over its support for a new coalmine, while cutting overseas aid, planning new gas-fired power stations and thousands of miles of roads, and cutting taxes on flights. Last week, the UK is also understood to have helped the former Australian finance minister Mathias Cormann, who has frequently expressed hostility to climate action, to be appointed head of the OECD group of rich countries, despite strong opposition from green groups. Rachel Kennerley, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “Political and financial support for coal, oil and gas needs to stop, at home and internationally, before the UK can congratulate itself on being a climate leader.” Mohamed Adow, director of the Power Shift Africa thinktank, said developing countries would watch the UK’s actions rather than “greenwash” statements. “When you actually look at what this government is doing it’s hard to take these claims seriously,” he said. “Approving the Cumbrian coalmine, the botched green homes grant scheme and very little on climate in the recent budget, while slashing the aid budget and backing a climate blocker to become the new boss of the OECD. Boris Johnson likes to talk about building back better. This is a unique opportunity to have a truly green recovery from Covid-19 but so far they are failing miserably to live up to that.” Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, pointed to other aspects of the review, which boosted defence spending. “It’s welcome that the government says climate is its ‘number one priority’, but increasing nuclear warheads and upgrading high-speed missiles is a funny way of showing it.” Tim Wainwright, chief executive of WaterAid UK, said: “The government has an opportunity as host of the G7 and Cop26 to lead by example and deliver on their promises. Now is not the time to turn our backs on those who need us most.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/uk-government-makes-climate-its-foremost-international-priority
     
         
      Why noise pollution is bad for your heart Tue, 16th Mar 2021 17:57:00
     
      In 2011, Germany's Frankfurt Airport – the country's busiest – unveiled its fourth runway. The addition sparked major protests, with demonstrators returning to the airport every Monday for years. "It's destroying my life," one protester told Reuters a year later. "Every time I go into my garden, all I can hear and see are planes right above." The new runway also channelled dozens of aircraft directly over the house of Thomas Münzel, a cardiologist at the University Medical Center of Mainz. "I have lived close to the German Autobahn and close to inner city train tracks," he says. "Aircraft noise is the most annoying by far." Münzel had read a 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report linking noise to heart problems, but evidence at the time was thin. Driven in part by concern for his own health, in 2011 he shifted the focus of his research to learn more. Exposure to loud noise has long been linked with hearing loss. But the ruckus of planes and cars takes a toll beyond the ears. Traffic noise has been flagged as a major physiological stressor, second to air pollution and on roughly equal footing with exposure to second-hand smoke and radon. In the last decade, a growing body of research has linked noise from aircraft and road traffic to a heightened risk for a number of cardiovascular ailments. And scientists are also beginning to pinpoint the mechanisms at play. Estimates suggest that roughly a third of people in Europe and the US are regularly exposed to unhealthy levels of noise, typically defined as starting around 70 to 80 decibels. For comparison, normal conversation is typically about 60 dB, cars and trucks range around 70 to 90 dB and sirens and airplanes can reach 120 dB or more. Numerous studies link chronic exposure to such environmental noise to an increased risk of heart-related troubles. People living near the Frankfurt Airport, for example, have as much as a 7% higher risk of stroke than those living in similar but quieter neighbourhoods, according to a 2018 study that investigated health data of more than one million people. An analysis of nearly 25,000 cardiovascular deaths between 2000 and 2015 among people living near Switzerland's Zurich Airport saw significant increases in night time mortality after airplane flyovers, especially among women, a team reported recently in the European Heart Journal. As researchers probe the physiology underlying noise's cardiovascular consequences, they are zeroing in on a culprit: dramatic changes to the endothelium, the inner lining of arteries and blood vessels. This lining can go from a healthy state to one that's "activated", and inflamed, with potentially serious ramifications. The path from noise to blood vessels goes something like this: when sound reaches the brain, it activates two important regions – the auditory cortex, which interprets noise, and the amygdala, which manages emotional responses to it. As noise gets louder, and especially during sleep, the amygdala activates the body's flight-or-fight response – even if the person isn't aware of it. Once initiated, this stress response releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into the body. Some arteries constrict, others dilate, blood pressure rises, digestion slows while sugars and fats flood the bloodstream for quick use by the muscles. The cascading stress response also prompts the creation of harmful molecules that cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the lining of blood vessels. This dysfunctional endothelium meddles with blood flow and affects numerous other processes that, when impaired, contribute to a range of cardiovascular illnesses, including high blood pressure, plaque build-up in the arteries, obesity and diabetes. Studies on people and mice show that the endothelium doesn't work as well after just a few days of night time airplane noise exposure, suggesting that loud noise isn't a concern only for people already at risk for heart and metabolic problems. Healthy adults subjected to train recordings as they slumbered had impaired blood vessel function almost immediately, according to a 2019 study by Münzel and his colleagues. "We were surprised that young people, after hearing these sounds for just one night, had endothelial dysfunction," says Münzel, who also co-authored a review of noise and cardiovascular health. "We always thought this was something that takes years to develop." While the data continues to accumulate, untangling cause and effect can be tricky. It's not easy to conduct long-term sleep experiments or to distinguish between the effects of daytime and night time noise, or effects of the noise itself versus the combined effects of noise and air pollution (which often go hand-in-hand). The consequences of environmental noise are also tough to parse due to the subjective nature of sound, says Andreas Xyrichis, a health services scientist at King's College in London. Xyrichis studies hospital intensive care units, where ringing telephones and clattering food dishes can be comforting or counteractive to recovery, depending on the patient. "We are really trying to make this distinction between decibel levels and perception of noise," he says. (Learn more about the effect noise has on hospital patients.) But despite the remaining questions, there is a growing recognition of the connections between noise pollution and reduced physical health. A 2018 report by the WHO noted that each year, western Europeans are collectively losing more than 1.6 million years of healthy life because of traffic noise. This calculation is based on the number of premature deaths caused directly by noise exposure as well as the years lived with noise-induced disability or illness. And that number is likely to grow. In 2018, 55%of people lived in cities, and by 2050 that count is expected to reach nearly 70%, the United Nations estimates. Some governments, heeding public protests, have tried to quiet the clamour of urbanisation by adopting night time flight bans, incentivising quieter technologies and issuing fines for noise complaints. Individuals can help themselves by ensuring that bedrooms are as quiet as possible by retrofitting windows or hanging noise-reducing curtains or, if they can afford it, moving to quieter neighbourhoods. Cheaper solutions may be wearing earplugs at night or moving bedrooms to a quieter part of the house, according to Mathias Basner, a psychiatrist and epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania and president of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise. He believes people should take such steps even if they don't find themselves especially fazed by noise. "If you're living in Manhattan, you won't notice how loud it is after a while because it is normal," he says. "But if you have habituated to it psychologically, that doesn't mean it doesn't have negative health consequences."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210315-why-noise-pollution-is-bad-for-your-heart
     
         
      Breakthrough technology could produce green hydrogen at $1/kg Tue, 16th Mar 2021 17:22:00
     
      Israel-based H2Pro has secured a $22m investment to push forward the production of its water splitting device that could produce green hydrogen at $1/kg. Founded in 2019, H2Pro hopes it can make a big impression in the hydrogen space, with its develop device expected to reach 95% efficiency, operate at higher pressure and cost significantly less than an electrolyser. In a statement, H2Pro said that, coupled with anticipated reductions in the cost of renewable energy, the technology will enable the low-cost production of hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/breakthrough-technology-could-produce-green-hydrogen-at-1-kg/
     
         
      From minnow to colossus Tue, 16th Mar 2021 16:33:00
     
      When looking at European Union renewable energy statistics, the Netherlands was, and still is in many ways, the laughingstock of Europe. But in recent years the country has come to rank near the top in solar deployments. In 2021 this small nation may even surpass neighboring Germany with new installed capacity. Rolf Heynen, the CEO of Dutch New Energy Research, takes a look at what is going on. From afar, the Netherlands’ progress towards its national renewable energy targets doesn’t look great. In the European rankings, only Malta and Luxembourg produce less renewable energy as a percentage of gross final energy consumption. So how is it possible then, that this small country is close to surpassing Germany’s annual solar installations of 4.88 GW in 2020, and is even approaching a second milestone of installed PV capacity relative to its number of inhabitants? Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Dutch solar market grew by 14%. In 2019, almost 2.6 GW were installed and in 2020 just short of 3 GW were added – bringing total installed capacity in the Netherlands to 10 GW. 10 GW solar capacity in the Netherlands makes its annual share in the nation’s electricity mix 6.6%, but during the long summer days, solar’s share can come close to 100%. RESIDENTIAL SEGMENT The Netherlands is one of the few strong residential markets in Europe. Although many countries have favorable policies in place for the residential segment, Holland can be considered a forerunner, passing the threshold of 1 GW of new capacity last year, and has shown year on year growth of more than 20%. This strong residential market is primarily due to the country’s net-metering scheme. The program and tariff levels have kept the payback period around the seven-year mark in recent years. Net metering has resulted in over one million households, or one in eight, with PV panels installed on their roof. The successful net-metering system was planned to be phased-out between 2023 and 2031. However, in February 2020 the Dutch parliament declared that the phasing-out of net-metering was “controversial”, which means the law will not be brought to a vote until after the elections this month. As a result of this delay, its implementation in 2023 may not occur. Several organizations continue to lobbyat various levels with an aim to keep the unlimited net-metering system in place over a longer timeframe. For now, this means residential PV is highly likely to continue its growth in coming years. C&I AND UTILITY SCALE An astonishing volume of almost 11 GW of unrealized PV-capacity is allocated in the SDE+(+)-feed-in subsidy scheme. Following a revision of this scheme in 2020, it now allows annual applications for an available budget of €5 billion. With the revision of the scheme, the focus is directed more towards CO2 emissions reduction instead of merely electricity production, and more technologies, like CCS and hydrogen, can apply. Since 2017 most projects, and between one quarter to half of the available budget, has gone to solar. Under current policy, the SDE++ scheme is expected to fund new capacity for renewable generation until 2025. In the wake of the pandemic, realization deadlines were postponed for projects funded through the SDE-scheme by twelve months. This gives developers and EPCs somewhat more leeway in their planning and in securing project financing. Despite challenging conditions for project realization, 1.8 GW of new capacity was installed in the commercial sector, and more to come in the upcoming years. Aside from Covid-19, there are other challenges for large scale projects, which lie in their ability to innovate with regard to grid congestion problems. If companies can uphold their business case by increasing flexibility with, for example, curtailment, demand-response and storage, this will increase a project’s prospects for the future expansion of its PV capacity. Overall, prospects for the Dutch market are sunny. Firstly, increasing the share of renewable sources in electricity supply are safeguarded by legislation under the climate agreement. Secondly, there is increasing attention to electrification of transport and heating along with backup capacity to ensure demand rising along with the renewable energy supply. Thirdly, increasing focus on interconnectedness suggests a tendency to solve challenges of the energy transition on a European level. The Netherlands is one of only a few countries in Europe that has thriving and mature markets for both residential and non-residential solar. Although it will probably not surpass Germany this year, it will surely surpass the 3 GW threshold by a wide margin, and with luck may be crowned Europe’s solar champion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/03/16/from-minnow-to-colossus/
     
         
      Ending over mending: planned obsolescence is killing the planet Tue, 16th Mar 2021 16:30:00
     
      In his novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley writes of a society in which recorded voices subliminally prepare babies for their future role as consumers. “I do love flying, I do love having new clothes,” they whisper. “But old clothes are beastly. We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending. Ending is better than mending.” Huxley depicts a dystopia. But the slogans he describes might equally apply to common products today. “Before Apple, everything was interchangeable. Sure, every phone had its own special part, like different cars. But now, each year, Apple is changing its design on purpose to make it harder for us to fix them.” That’s Nicholas Muradian from the repair company Phone Spot, talking about the serialisation of components for the new iPhone 12. The latest iteration of Apple’s flagship product can’t be repaired – or, at least, not without using the company’s expensive proprietary service. That’s not uncommon. Some manufacturers now build with special screws or glue parts together, specifically to prevent home maintenance. Others simply don’t provide the basic components that would give their products a longer life. As the Australian Productivity Commission takes submissions into its Right to Repair inquiry, it’s worth thinking about how the items we use daily became so disposable. When the second world war ended, the tremendous productivity of the wartime American economy suddenly posed a problem, with manufacturers desperately requiring new markets to keep their assembly lines humming. Disposability was one of the solutions adopted, as the industrial designer Brooks Stevens explained. “Our whole economy is based on planned obsolescence,” he said, “and everybody who can read without moving his lips should know it by now. We make good products, we induce people to buy them, and next year we deliberately introduce something that will make those products old fashioned, out of date, obsolete. We do that for the soundest reason: to make money.” Consumers in America and throughout the world were encouraged to become dissatisfied with perfectly serviceable items, so that instead of making one-off purchases they updated seasonally. That psychological campaign was reinforced by mechanisms that made the continued use of household items difficult. As one designer exulted the “planned existence spans of products” was “the greatest economic boost to the American economy since the origination of time payments.” Environmentalists now refer to the late 1940s as the “Great Acceleration” – the period in which humanity’s impact on the planet increased exponentially. If you’re 80 years old or more, something like 90% of carbon emissions ever generated by humans can be dated to your lifetime, a consequence of the deliberately wasteful economy unleashed during the post-war economic boom. The lack of repairability does not merely exemplify the problem with how we consume. It’s also symptomatic of the way we now produce. Until a few hundred years ago, people made or did things because those things were immediately useful to them or someone they knew. Today, however, we live on a system dependent on commodity exchange. Capitalists don’t make items because they’re needed. They make them because they can be sold – which isn’t the same at all. An item of plastic tack counts as a sale, just as valuable as a vial of Covid vaccine. The relationship between human labour and its consequences become obscured by a process focused on the abstractions of profit. Climate change thus manifests as something entirely out of our control, rather than the result of particular choices made by particular people. If we want to reverse the ecological catastrophe engulfing our planet, we must refocus attention on what is produced and how. By tinkering in their garages, the hobbyists who take apart electronic devices exert a skerrick of agency over the gadgets churned out by multinationals. And that’s all to the good. In an increasingly fragile world, we need more — much more — control over production. We need conscious choices which resources we use and which we don’t, instead of letting giant corporations do whatever makes them the most money. Obviously, we are not going to end global warming just by repairing our iPhones. Yet if we can’t even do that, what chance do we have? Last year tied with 2016 as the warmest ever recorded. In the era of catastrophic climate change, it’s very clear where ending over mending leads.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/17/ending-over-mending-planned-obsolescence-is-killing-the-planet
     
         
      Met Office: Atmospheric CO2 now hitting 50% higher than pre-industrial levels Tue, 16th Mar 2021 16:09:00
     
      Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is now reaching levels 50% higher than when humanity began large-scale burning of fossil fuels during the industrial revolution. Recent measurements from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii show that for several days in February and March 2021, atmospheric CO2 levels exceeded 417 parts per million (ppm). Pre-industrial levels were about 278ppm. In the coming weeks, CO2 levels will continue to increase further. As a result, 2021 is expected to be the first year on record that sees CO2 levels of more than 50% above pre-industrial levels for longer than a few days. Monitoring the CO2 build-up Records derived from ice core measurements show that the average global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere for 1750 to 1800 was around 278ppm. This is the value that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) used as the pre-industrial baseline for CO2 in its fifth assessment report (pdf), published in 2013-14. Atmospheric CO2 has been rising ever since – driving ongoing warming of the global climate. Now, in March 2021, levels have reached around 417ppm – a 50% increase over the 1750-1800 average. The plot below shows atmospheric CO2 levels from 1700 to 2021. This is based on ice core data before 1958, then the instrumental record at Mauna Loa from the Scripps CO2 program and, finally, the 2021 CO2 forecast from the Met Office. (The apparent change in 1958 is because ice core records do not capture the seasonal cycle seen in instrumental records.) The human-driven CO2 rise is, therefore, halfway towards “doubled-CO2” – the long-standing benchmark for quantifying long-term future global warming in terms of Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS). Systematic long-term measurements of atmospheric CO2 were started in 1958 by Charles David Keeling at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. This CO2 record is the data behind the iconic “Keeling Curve”. Since then, additional measurement sites around the world have enabled the global average CO2 concentration to be estimated. In combination with the ice core data, these records show several important things. First, the annual average CO2 concentration is increasing year-on-year. This is mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels, with further contributions from deforestation. Second, as human-driven emissions have increased, the rise in CO2 has accelerated. It took over 200 years to reach a 25% increase by 1986. By 2011 – 25 years later – the increase reached 40%. Now after one more decade it is reaching 50%. Third, each year there is a clear seasonal swing in atmospheric CO2 levels, with the Mauna Loa record showing a peak around May and a low point around September. This is due to vegetation taking up CO2 in the growing season and releasing it in the autumn and winter. A 50% increase in CO2 In May last year, scientists recorded CO2 concentrations of 417ppm at Mauna Loa for a few days. In 2021, 417ppm has so far been measured for several days in February and early March, but the usual springtime upward trend will soon take concentrations above this level for the next three to four months. Therefore, 2021 is expected to be the first year on record with CO2 levels more than 50% above pre-industrial levels for longer than a few days. The Met Office predicts that the monthly average CO2 at Mauna Loa will peak at 419.5ppm (±0.6) in May, after which it is expected to temporarily drop back down below 417ppm from around late July onwards. It is then predicted to return to around 417ppm at the end of the year. The plot below shows the annual cycle of atmospheric CO2 level. Observed CO2 levels are shown in black, and the 2021 forecast is shown in red. Overall, the annual average CO2 concentration for 2021 is predicted to be 416.3ppm (±0.6). With the annual rise being about 2.5ppm – even last year when emissions fell sharply due to economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic – it is clear that 2022 will be the first year with the annual average CO2 at 50% above pre-industrial levels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/met-office-atmospheric-co2-now-hitting-50-higher-than-pre-industrial-levels
     
         
      Four New Natural Gas Pipelines Come Online In The U.S. Tue, 16th Mar 2021 13:30:00
     
      The United States increased its natural gas pipeline transportation capacity by around 4.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in just three months as four new pipelines entered into service, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday. Between November 2020 and January 2021, four natural gas pipeline projects entered into service across America. The Saginaw Trail Pipeline of Consumer Energy came online in late November 2020. The intrastate project replaced and expanded natural gas pipelines and infrastructure in Saginaw, Genesse, and Oakland Counties in Michigan, increasing natural gas capacity by 0.2 Bcf/d. The Buckeye Xpress Project with 0.3 Bcf/d capacity began operations in December 2020. Columbia Gas Transmission’s $709 million project involved infrastructure improvements and replaced 66 miles of existing natural gas pipeline with a more reliable 36-inch pipe in Ohio and West Virginia. Buckeye Xpress boosted natural gas transportation capacity out of the major gas basin Appalachia into Columbia Gas Transmission’s interconnection in Leach, Kentucky, and the TCO Pool in West Virginia. Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway Pipeline, which entered service in early January 2021, brought an additional 2.1 Bcf/d of natural gas capacity from the Waha Hub in West Texas near production sites in the Permian, to Katy, Texas, near the Gulf Coast. The Permian Highway Pipeline has additional connections to Mexico. Finally, the Agua Blanca Expansion Project of Whitewater/MPLX started operations at the end of January, connecting to nearly 20 natural gas processing sites in the Delaware Basin and transporting an additional 1.8 Bcf/d of natural gas to the Waha Hub. Agua Blanca is planned to also connect with the Whistler Pipeline scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2021 and expected to carry 2.0 Bcf/d of natural gas from the Permian to the Texas Gulf Coast. More natural gas pipelines could enter into service in the U.S. in coming years, despite the Biden Administration’s climate agenda and the shift in federal support to renewables from fossil fuels. Earlier this month, the Biden Administration backed a natural gas pipeline project in a legal fight about eminent domain that ended up in the Supreme Court, a move that shocked environmentalists who had hoped the Administration would not support any oil and gas pipeline projects.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Four-New-Natural-Gas-Pipelines-Come-Online-In-The-US.html
     
         
      Second Nottinghamshire site identified for possible nuclear power plant Tue, 16th Mar 2021 12:15:00
     
      Nottinghamshire County Council has identified a second site for a potential nuclear fusion plant as part of a national drive to find a home for the UK’s future nuclear power base. Talks are taking place over placing a second site at West Burton, close to the existing coal-fired power plant, into the running to be selected from applicants from all over the UK. The issue will be discussed at the County Council’s Policy Committee, due to meet on Thursday, March 17, ahead of a deadline for applications at the end of this month. The identification of a second site comes after Nottinghamshire Live revealed last month that the council was working with a number of local partners to prepare a bid as part of a national competition led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to find possible locations for the country’s next nuclear fusion plant. The council had marked a site close to the existing coal power plant at Ratcliffe on Soar, which is scheduled for closure in 2025, as a target location to be entered into the competition. And now it has been confirmed the second location, near Retford, is also likely to be put forward. Plans are being drawn up to submit an area of land close to the West Burton Power Plant, close to the Lincolnshire border, which is also set to be phased out. Nottinghamshire County Council leader Kay Cutts said: “It is very early days of course in the process, but it would be a tremendous boost for Nottinghamshire and the rest of the region. “Generations to come would benefit from new skills, training and thousands of highly skilled jobs, attracting investment and bringing massive benefits to our regional economy, not to mention lucrative opportunities for the local supply chain to help construct the plant. “Located at the heart of the country, we are very well-placed to host a world-leading green energy site. “Plans are already taking shape to work with a new regional organisation to help secure more Government and private investment. “One of the key regeneration sites is the proposed International Centre for Zero Carbon at part of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar site. The centre aims to help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets, as well as creating thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships.” Both commissioned and built in the 1960s, the power plants at Ratcliffe on Soar and West Burton are two of only three coal fired plants still operating in Britain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/second-nottinghamshire-site-identified-possible-5182405
     
         
      Oil industry fights ban on exploring the North Sea Tue, 16th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Proposals to ban new exploration licences in the North Sea would be catastrophic for Scotland’s oil and gas sector, the industry has warned. Oil and Gas UK, the trade body, expressed its concern at a dramatic change in policy, warning that it would result in job losses, damage investment plans worth billions of pounds and hamper energy security. Details of the potential ban were first reported at the weekend and are said to include moves for an immediate pause in issuing licences or a complete stop from 2040. It is also possible that there will be no changes in the regime that allows companies to bid for the right to explore in the North Sea.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/oil-industry-fights-ban-on-exploring-the-north-sea-5tn2lzd3k
     
         
      Don't believe hydrogen and nuclear hype – they can’t get us to net zero carbon by 2050 Tue, 16th Mar 2021 11:05:00
     
      Big industry players pushing techno-fixes are ignoring the only realistic solution to the climate crisis: renewables Now that the whole world seems to be aligned behind the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the nuclear industry is straining every sinew to present itself as an invaluable ally in the ambitious aim. Energy experts remain starkly divided on whether or not we can reach this global net zero target without nuclear power, but regardless, it remains a hard sell for pro-nuclear enthusiasts. The problems they face are the same ones that have dogged the industry for decades: ever-higher costs, seemingly inevitable delays, no solutions to the nuclear waste challenge, security and proliferation risks. The drawbacks to nuclear are compounded by the burgeoning success of renewables – both solar and wind are getting cheaper and more efficient, year after year. There is also a growing realisation that a combination of renewables, smart storage, energy efficiency and more flexible grids can now be delivered at scale and at speed – anywhere in the world. While the majority of environmentalists continue to oppose nuclear power, there is now a significant minority, increasingly concerned about accelerating climate change, who just don’t see how we can get to that net zero comfort zone without it. They’re right to be concerned – it is a truly daunting challenge. All emissions of greenhouse gases (across the entire economy, including those from transport, heating, manufacturing and refining, farming and land use, as well as from shipping and aviation) must be brought down to as close to zero as possible, with all residual emissions compensated for by the removal of an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. It’s the sheer scale of that challenge that has led a lot of people (including Boris Johnson with the government’s 10-point plan in November) not just to keep a flag flying for the nuclear industry, but to revisit the idea of hydrogen doing some of the heavy lifting. Hydrogen hype has become all the rage over the last 18 months, with some offering up this “clean energy technology”, as government officials insist on describing it, as the answer to all our net zero prayers. For those prayers to be answered, there will need to be a complete revolution in the way in which hydrogen is produced. As it is, 98% of the 115m tonnes used globally is “grey hydrogen”, made from natural gas or coal, that emits around 830m tonnes of CO2 per annum – 2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond that, there’s a tiny amount of so-called “blue hydrogen” – essentially grey hydrogen but with its CO2 emissions captured and stored – and an even tinier amount of “green hydrogen” from electrolysing water, both of which are much more expensive than the climate-wrecking grey hydrogen. The gulf between that current reality, one rarely mentioned by hydrogen enthusiasts, and the prospect of readily available and affordable green hydrogen that could help us get to net zero, is absolutely vast. Don’t get me wrong: we will indeed need significant volumes of green hydrogen and it’s good that the government has set an ambitious target for 2030, in the hope that this will significantly reduce the costs of electrolysis to create it. But we need to be clear about what that green hydrogen should be used for: not for electricity; not for heating homes and non-domestic buildings; and not for cars, where electric vehicles will always be better. Instead we will need it for what are called the “hard-to-abate” sectors: for steel – replacing carbon-intensive coking coal – cement and shipping. Much of the hype for hydrogen is coming from the oil and gas sector, in the hope that gullible politicians, seduced by an unattainable vision of limitless green hydrogen, will subsidise the vast investments needed to capture the emissions from gas-powered hydrogen. Their motivation couldn’t be clearer: to postpone the inevitable decline of their industry. The nuclear industry is also desperate to get in on that game. One has to admire its capacity to pivot opportunistically. In February, the Nuclear Industry Council (made up of both industry and government representatives in the UK) published a shiny new Hydrogen Roadmap, exploring how either large-scale nuclear or small modular reactors could generate both the electricity and the heat needed to produce large amounts of green hydrogen. But the entire plan is premised on spectacular and totally speculative reductions in the cost of electrolysis. Rather than being the solution we have been waiting for, this nuclear/hydrogen development would actually be a disastrous techno-fix. Low-carbon nuclear power will always be massively more expensive than renewables and we can never build enough reactors to replace those coming offline over the next decade. We also know that producing hydrogen is always going to be very expensive. The truth is, you need a lot of electricity to produce not a lot of hydrogen. All of which makes pipe-dreams about substituting hydrogen for conventional gas in the UK’s gas grid, or of producing millions of tonnes of blue hydrogen, look almost entirely absurd. This, then, could lead to a double economic whammy of quite monstrous proportions. It would either have to be paid for through general taxation or through higher bills for consumers. That’s particularly problematic from the perspective of the 10% of households in England still living in cruel and degrading fuel poverty. Environmentalists who are tempted by this new nuclear/hydrogen hype should remember that our transition to a net zero world has to be a just transition. Every kilowatt hour of nuclear-generated power will be a much more expensive kilowatt hour than one delivered from renewables plus storage. So let’s just hold back on both the hydrogen hype and the nuclear propaganda, and concentrate instead on ramping up what we already know is cost-effectively deliverable: renewables. We need to do it as fast as we possibly can.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/16/hydrogen-nuclear-net-zero-carbon-renewables
     
         
      Don't believe hydrogen and nuclear hype – they can’t get us to net zero carbon by 2050 Tue, 16th Mar 2021 11:05:00
     
      Big industry players pushing techno-fixes are ignoring the only realistic solution to the climate crisis: renewables Now that the whole world seems to be aligned behind the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the nuclear industry is straining every sinew to present itself as an invaluable ally in the ambitious aim. Energy experts remain starkly divided on whether or not we can reach this global net zero target without nuclear power, but regardless, it remains a hard sell for pro-nuclear enthusiasts. The problems they face are the same ones that have dogged the industry for decades: ever-higher costs, seemingly inevitable delays, no solutions to the nuclear waste challenge, security and proliferation risks. The drawbacks to nuclear are compounded by the burgeoning success of renewables – both solar and wind are getting cheaper and more efficient, year after year. There is also a growing realisation that a combination of renewables, smart storage, energy efficiency and more flexible grids can now be delivered at scale and at speed – anywhere in the world. While the majority of environmentalists continue to oppose nuclear power, there is now a significant minority, increasingly concerned about accelerating climate change, who just don’t see how we can get to that net zero comfort zone without it. They’re right to be concerned – it is a truly daunting challenge. All emissions of greenhouse gases (across the entire economy, including those from transport, heating, manufacturing and refining, farming and land use, as well as from shipping and aviation) must be brought down to as close to zero as possible, with all residual emissions compensated for by the removal of an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere. It’s the sheer scale of that challenge that has led a lot of people (including Boris Johnson with the government’s 10-point plan in November) not just to keep a flag flying for the nuclear industry, but to revisit the idea of hydrogen doing some of the heavy lifting. Hydrogen hype has become all the rage over the last 18 months, with some offering up this “clean energy technology”, as government officials insist on describing it, as the answer to all our net zero prayers. For those prayers to be answered, there will need to be a complete revolution in the way in which hydrogen is produced. As it is, 98% of the 115m tonnes used globally is “grey hydrogen”, made from natural gas or coal, that emits around 830m tonnes of CO2 per annum – 2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond that, there’s a tiny amount of so-called “blue hydrogen” – essentially grey hydrogen but with its CO2 emissions captured and stored – and an even tinier amount of “green hydrogen” from electrolysing water, both of which are much more expensive than the climate-wrecking grey hydrogen. The gulf between that current reality, one rarely mentioned by hydrogen enthusiasts, and the prospect of readily available and affordable green hydrogen that could help us get to net zero, is absolutely vast. Don’t get me wrong: we will indeed need significant volumes of green hydrogen and it’s good that the government has set an ambitious target for 2030, in the hope that this will significantly reduce the costs of electrolysis to create it. But we need to be clear about what that green hydrogen should be used for: not for electricity; not for heating homes and non-domestic buildings; and not for cars, where electric vehicles will always be better. Instead we will need it for what are called the “hard-to-abate” sectors: for steel – replacing carbon-intensive coking coal – cement and shipping. Much of the hype for hydrogen is coming from the oil and gas sector, in the hope that gullible politicians, seduced by an unattainable vision of limitless green hydrogen, will subsidise the vast investments needed to capture the emissions from gas-powered hydrogen. Their motivation couldn’t be clearer: to postpone the inevitable decline of their industry. The nuclear industry is also desperate to get in on that game. One has to admire its capacity to pivot opportunistically. In February, the Nuclear Industry Council (made up of both industry and government representatives in the UK) published a shiny new Hydrogen Roadmap, exploring how either large-scale nuclear or small modular reactors could generate both the electricity and the heat needed to produce large amounts of green hydrogen. But the entire plan is premised on spectacular and totally speculative reductions in the cost of electrolysis. Rather than being the solution we have been waiting for, this nuclear/hydrogen development would actually be a disastrous techno-fix. Low-carbon nuclear power will always be massively more expensive than renewables and we can never build enough reactors to replace those coming offline over the next decade. We also know that producing hydrogen is always going to be very expensive. The truth is, you need a lot of electricity to produce not a lot of hydrogen. All of which makes pipe-dreams about substituting hydrogen for conventional gas in the UK’s gas grid, or of producing millions of tonnes of blue hydrogen, look almost entirely absurd. This, then, could lead to a double economic whammy of quite monstrous proportions. It would either have to be paid for through general taxation or through higher bills for consumers. That’s particularly problematic from the perspective of the 10% of households in England still living in cruel and degrading fuel poverty. Environmentalists who are tempted by this new nuclear/hydrogen hype should remember that our transition to a net zero world has to be a just transition. Every kilowatt hour of nuclear-generated power will be a much more expensive kilowatt hour than one delivered from renewables plus storage. So let’s just hold back on both the hydrogen hype and the nuclear propaganda, and concentrate instead on ramping up what we already know is cost-effectively deliverable: renewables. We need to do it as fast as we possibly can.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/16/hydrogen-nuclear-net-zero-carbon-renewables
     
         
      Net zero 'not enough' to combat climate change, Environment Agency warns Tue, 16th Mar 2021 6:22:00
     
      Sir James Bevan urges both the private and public sector to adopt what he called "net zero plus". Focusing efforts on reducing emissions will not be enough to stop the climate change emergency, the Environment Agency chief executive has warned. Sir James Bevan said "even with the ambitious global and national actions we all want to see to reduce emissions, some further climate change is now inevitable". He added: "That is why as a nation we need to be climate ready so that we are resilient to the future hazards and potential shocks that would otherwise impact our economy, our prosperity, and our lifestyle." Speaking at the Whitehall and Industry Group's Net Zero Roundtable, Sir James warned the increased frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding and droughts, along with coastal erosion and damage to biodiversity, was as a result of average global temperatures rising to 1C above pre-industrial temperatures. He called for the private and public sector to adopt what he called "net zero plus" - reducing emissions whilst also adapting to the worst impacts of climate change. He said: "We need to design and build our infrastructure, our cities and our economy so that they are resilient to the effects of the changing climate." Under the landmark climate change treaty signed in Paris in 2015, almost 200 countries pledged to limit greenhouse gas emissions, with a view to keeping global warming below 2C - ideally 1.5C. The UK government last year promised to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by more than two thirds (68%) of what they were in 1990 by 2030, as part of its Paris commitments. The UK will host the COP26 UN climate talks in Glasgow in November this year, where it is hoped that the success of the Paris talks will be replicated as all signatory countries sign up to progressive emissions reduction targets. But despite its ambitious 68% target, the UK government has come under fire in recent months for its climate policies - last week communities secretary Robert Jenrick decided to "call in" the controversial application for a new mine near Whitehaven.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/net-zero-not-enough-to-combat-climate-change-environment-agency-warns-12247271
     
         
      Good vibrations: bladeless turbines could bring wind power to your home Tue, 16th Mar 2021 6:00:00
     
      The giant windfarms that line hills and coastlines are not the only way to harness the power of the wind, say green energy pioneers who plan to reinvent wind power by forgoing the need for turbine towers, blades – and even wind. “We are not against traditional windfarms,” says David Yáñez, the inventor of Vortex Bladeless. His six-person startup, based just outside Madrid, has pioneered a turbine design that can harness energy from winds without the sweeping white blades considered synonymous with wind power. The design recently won the approval of Norway’s state energy company, Equinor, which named Vortex on a list of the 10 most exciting startups in the energy sector. Equinor will also offer the startup development support through its tech accelerator programme. The bladeless turbines stand at 3 metres high, a curve-topped cylinder fixed vertically with an elastic rod. To the untrained eye it appears to waggle back and forth, not unlike a car dashboard toy. In reality, it is designed to oscillate within the wind range and generate electricity from the vibration. It has already raised eyebrows on the forum site Reddit, where the turbine was likened to a giant vibrating sex toy, or “skybrator”. The unmistakably phallic design attracted more than 94,000 ratings and 3,500 comments on the site. The top rated comment suggested a similar device might be found in your mother’s dresser drawer. It received 20,000 positive ratings from Reddit users. “Our technology has different characteristics which can help to fill the gaps where traditional windfarms might not be appropriate,” says Yáñez. These gaps could include urban and residential areas where the impact of a windfarm would be too great, and the space to build one would be too small. It plugs into the same trend for installing small-scale, on-site energy generation, which has helped homes and companies across the country save on their energy bills. This could be wind power’s answer to the home solar panel, says Yáñez. “They complement each other well, because solar panels produce electricity during the day while wind speeds tend to be higher at night,” he says. “But the main benefit of the technology is in reducing its environmental impact, its visual impact, and the cost of operating and maintaining the turbine.” The turbine is no danger to bird migration patterns, or wildlife, particularly if used in urban settings. For the people living or working nearby, the turbine would create noise at a frequency virtually undetectable to humans. “Today, the turbine is small and would generate small amounts of electricity. But we are looking for an industrial partner to scale up our plans to a 140 metre turbine with a power capacity of 1 megawatt,” says Yáñez. Vortex is not the only startup hoping to reinvent wind power. Alpha 311, which began in a garden shed in Whitstable, Kent, has begun manufacturing a small vertical wind turbine that it claims can generate electricity without wind. The 2 metre turbine, made from recycled plastic, is designed to fit on to existing streetlights and generate electricity as passing cars displace the air. Independent research commissioned by the company has found that each turbine installed along a motorway could generate as much electricity as 20 sq metres of solar panels, more than enough electricity to keep the streetlight on and help power the local energy grid, too. A scaled down version of the turbine, standing at less than 1 metre, will be installed at the O2 Arena in London where it will help to generate clean electricity for the 9 million people who visit the entertainment venue in a usual year. “While our turbines can be placed anywhere, the optimal location is next to a highway, where they can be fitted on to existing infrastructure. There’s no need to dig anything up, as they can attach to the lighting columns that are already there and use the existing cabling to feed directly into the grid,” says Mike Shaw, a spokesperson for the company. “The footprint is small, and motorways aren’t exactly beauty spots.” Perhaps the most ambitious divergence from the standard wind turbine has emerged from the German startup SkySails, which hopes to use an airborne design to harness wind power directly from the sky. SkySails makes large fully automated kites designed to fly at altitudes of 400 metres to capture the power of high-altitude winds. During its ascent the kite pulls a rope tethered to a winch and a generator on the ground. The kite generates electricity as it rises into the sky and, once completely unspooled, uses only a fraction of the electricity generated to winch back towards the ground. Stephan Wrage, the chief executive of SkySails, says the airborne wind energy systems mean “the impact on people and the environment is minimal …The systems work very quietly, practically have no visible effect on the landscape and barely cast a shadow,” he adds. Today, the design can generate a maximum capacity of 100 to 200 kilowatts, but a new partnership with the German energy firm RWE could increase the potential output from kilowatts to megawatts. A spokesperson for RWE said the pair are currently looking for the ideal kite-flying site in the German countryside.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/good-vibrations-bladeless-turbines-could-bring-wind-power-to-your-home
     
         
      Melting glaciers could be accelerating climate change by causing more carbon emissions, say researchers Mon, 15th Mar 2021 17:33:00
     
      The process has been measured in six mountain ranges across the world - Austria, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway and the US. The melting of the world's mountain glaciers could be releasing damaging carbon emissions into the atmosphere and accelerating climate change, researchers have said. Experts believe the "unexpected form of climate feedback" means global warming is driving glacier loss and "rapidly" recycling carbon in rivers. The process has been measured in 57 rivers in six mountain ranges across the world in Austria, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway and the US. The melting of mountain glaciers continues to accelerate at an unprecedented rate, with climate change predicted to drive continued ice loss. As global warming speeds up the loss of glaciers, downstream rivers have warmer temperatures and are less prone to sediment movement and variable water flow. The researchers, led by the University of Leeds, said this is creating favourable conditions for fungi to thrive. The fungi living in the rivers then break down organic matter such as plant leaves and wood, eventually leading to the release of carbon dioxide into the air. It is the first time a link has been established between glacier-fed mountain rivers and higher rates of plant material decomposition, which is a major process in the global carbon cycle. Lead author of the study, Sarah Fell of Leeds' School of Geography and water@leeds, said: "We found increases in the rate of organic matter decomposition in mountain rivers, which can then be expected to lead to more carbon release to the atmosphere. "This is an unexpected form of climate feedback, whereby warming drives glacier loss, which in turn rapidly recycles carbon in rivers before it is returned to the atmosphere." As part of the research, teams used canvas fabric strips to mimic plant materials that accumulate naturally in rivers. The fabric was left in the rivers for about a month and then tested to see how easily they could be ripped. The strips ripped more easily as aquatic fungi colonised them, showing that decomposition of the carbon molecules happened more quickly in rivers which were warmer because they had less water flowing from glaciers. The findings were mostly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and have been published in Nature Climate Change journal.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/melting-glaciers-linked-to-increased-carbon-emissions-in-unexpected-discovery-12246837
     
         
      Climate change: Jet fuel from waste 'dramatically lowers' emissions Mon, 15th Mar 2021 17:23:00
     
      A new approach to making jet fuel from food waste has the potential to massively reduce carbon emissions from flying, scientists say. Currently, most of the food scraps that are used for energy around the world are converted into methane gas. But researchers in the US have found a way of turning this waste into a type of paraffin that works in jet engines. The authors of the new study say the fuel cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 165% compared to fossil energy. This figure comes from the reduction in carbon emitted from airplanes plus the emissions that are avoided when food waste is diverted from landfill. The aviation industry worldwide is facing some difficult decisions about how to combine increased demand for flying with the need to rapidly cut emissions from the sector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56408603
     
         
      Woodside delivers first carbon offset condensate cargo Mon, 15th Mar 2021 13:49:00
     
      Australia’s Woodside Petroleum has delivered its first cargo of carbon offset condensate to independent commodity trading company Trafigura. Woodside confirmed the delivery of the 650,000- barrel condensate cargo on Monday, which was loaded at its Pluto liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia, where it is also partnered by Japanese companies Kansai Electric and Tokyo Gas. The Australian producer claims it is the first carbon offset condensate cargo to be traded globally, with carbon dioxide emissions generated by extraction, storage and shipping of the cargo to be jointly calculated by Woodside and Trafigura. Woodside said the CO2 emissions calculated to be associated with the cargo would be offset through a combination of "efficiency measures” it claims reduce emissions. Providing further clarification around those efficiency measures, a Woodside spokesperson told Upstream: "Woodside as operator of the Pluto LNG facility will seek to maximise Pluto facility reliability to optimise condensate production per tonne of CO2 equivalent and minimise flaring through the production period." Woodside also revealed in Monday's announcement the cargo's CO2 emissions would be further offset through the surrender of “high quality carbon offsets”, which it claims have been sourced from nature-based projects located in the Asia-Pacific region. It added that Trafigura was also working with the vessel owner to minimise actual emissions associated with the transport of the cargo to its final destination. The Woodside spokesperson told Upstream that measures being taken by Trafigura with the vessel owner included reducing the charter party speed throughout the voyage, as well as consuming fuel with a lower life-cycle green house gas emission factor. “We are very pleased to be working with Woodside and its Pluto LNG joint venture participants on what we believe to be the first carbon offset condensate cargo, and for Trafigura our first carbon offset shipment,” global head of naphtha and condensates for Trafigura, Dmitri Croitor, said in Monday's statement. “We’ve set ambitious targets to reduce our operational greenhouse gas emissions and by working with Woodside, which has similar ambitions, it is now possible to offset emissions associated with the cargo from wellhead to delivery. We are developing this offering for other oil products for our customers around the world.” Woodside also revealed Monday it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Trafigura to further explore opportunities for carbon management in the marketing of carbon offset condensate, oil and liquefied petroleum gas in the future. “The MoU is consistent with Woodside’s and Trafigura’s respective objectives to explore a market for carbon offset products over the long term and reduce emissions intensity across the value chain,” Woodside’s vice president for marketing, trading and shipping, Mark Abbotsford, said. Woodside is currently aiming to achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050, having also set an interim target of a 15% reduction by 2025 and a 30% reduction by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.upstreamonline.com/energy-transition/woodside-delivers-first-carbon-offset-condensate-cargo/2-1-980012
     
         
      The device that reverses CO2 emissions Mon, 15th Mar 2021 13:26:00
     
      Cooling the planet by filtering excess carbon dioxide out of the air on an industrial scale would require a new, massive global industry – what would it need to work? The year is 2050. Walk out of the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas, and drive north across the sun-baked scrub where a few remaining oil pumpjacks nod lazily in the heat, and then you'll see it: a glittering palace rising out of the pancake-flat ground. The land here is mirrored: the choppy silver-blue waves of an immense solar array stretch out in all directions. In the distance, they lap at a colossal grey wall five storeys high and almost a kilometre long. Behind the wall, you glimpse the snaking pipes and gantries of a chemical plant. As you get closer you see the wall is moving, shimmering – it is entirely made up of huge fans whirring in steel boxes. You think to yourself that it looks like a gigantic air conditioning unit, blown up to incredible proportions. In a sense, that's exactly what this is. You're looking at a direct air capture (DAC) plant, one of tens of thousands like it across the globe. Together, they're trying to cool the planet by sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. This Texan landscape was made famous for the billions of barrels of oil pulled out of its depths during the 20th Century. Now the legacy of those fossil fuels – the CO2 in our air – is being pumped back into the emptied reservoirs. If the world is to meet Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5C by 2100, sights like this may be necessary by mid-century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210310-the-trillion-dollar-plan-to-capture-co2
     
         
      2021 Kia EV6 is all-new electric flagship with 310-mile range Mon, 15th Mar 2021 11:28:00
     
      The new EV6 is Kia’s first bespoke production electric car and pairs a radical new design with unprecedented levels of performance for the brand. Revealed ahead of its official full debut later this month, the EV6 will spearhead a wave of new-era electric cars from Kia. Each will be badged EV followed by a number corresponding to its size. So the EV6 crossover is a mid-sized car, which leaves room below for compact SUVs, hatchbacks and saloons, and for larger SUVs at the top of the range. Kia will launch a further six bespoke EVs by 2027. Full technical specifications are yet to be confirmed, but the EV6 shares its E-GMP platform with the recently revealed Hyundai Ioniq 5. This means it will have 800V hardware for charging speeds of up to 220kW and it should charge from 10% to 80% capacity in 18 minutes. The E-GMP platform is compatible with rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts and can accommodate a 72.6kWh battery pack for a range of around 310 miles – which the EV6 is expected to use.
       
      Full Article: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2021-kia-ev6-all-new-electric-flagship-310-mile-range
     
         
      FROM THE FIELD: Solar power lights up Sudanese refugee camp Mon, 15th Mar 2021 11:26:00
     
      “Cutting trees is the only option, since we don’t have the money to buy charcoal,” says mother of three Kibrat Rizgay, one of the tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees seeking shelter in Sudan, and struggling to find ways to find fuel, and a source of income. The sudden demand for firewood, which is seeing many trees cut down, is causing friction with local communities, and creating environmental damage. In response, the UN Development Programme has looked to renewable energy for a solution, providing hundreds of solar box cookers, which can feed five people per day, and installing dozens of solar-powered streetlights in refugee camps and nearby communities. Thanks to the improved lighting, humanitarian operations can continue at night, security is improved, and health centres and other community facilities benefit.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1087322
     
         
      Should the hurricane season begin earlier? Mon, 15th Mar 2021 10:37:00
     
      The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on 1 June. But over the past six years, significant storms have been forming earlier than this. So does the hurricane season need to start earlier - and is climate change to blame? At a regional meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) this week, meteorologists and officials will be discussing a possible change to how the hurricane season is defined. "The 2020 hurricane season was one of the most challenging in the 40-year history of [the] WMO's Tropical Cyclone Programme," says WMO Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas. "The record number of hurricanes combined with Covid-19 to create, literally, the perfect storm." The hurricane season has officially started on the 1 June since the mid-1960s, when hurricane reconnaissance planes would start routine trips into the Atlantic to spot storm development. - Hurricanes get stronger on land in a warmer world - Warming makes bigger hurricanes more damaging Over the past 10 to 15 years, though, named storms have formed prior to the official start about 50% of the time. And the way they are defined and observed has changed significantly over time. "Many of these storms are short-lived systems that are now being identified because of better monitoring and policy changes that now name sub-tropical storms," Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist at the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) told BBC Weather. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record with a total of 30 named storms. Two of those storms - Arthur and Bertha - formed in May.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56408192
     
         
      Should the hurricane season begin earlier? Mon, 15th Mar 2021 10:37:00
     
      The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on 1 June. But over the past six years, significant storms have been forming earlier than this. So does the hurricane season need to start earlier - and is climate change to blame? At a regional meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) this week, meteorologists and officials will be discussing a possible change to how the hurricane season is defined. "The 2020 hurricane season was one of the most challenging in the 40-year history of [the] WMO's Tropical Cyclone Programme," says WMO Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas. "The record number of hurricanes combined with Covid-19 to create, literally, the perfect storm." The hurricane season has officially started on the 1 June since the mid-1960s, when hurricane reconnaissance planes would start routine trips into the Atlantic to spot storm development. - Hurricanes get stronger on land in a warmer world - Warming makes bigger hurricanes more damaging Over the past 10 to 15 years, though, named storms have formed prior to the official start about 50% of the time. And the way they are defined and observed has changed significantly over time. "Many of these storms are short-lived systems that are now being identified because of better monitoring and policy changes that now name sub-tropical storms," Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist at the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) told BBC Weather. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record with a total of 30 named storms. Two of those storms - Arthur and Bertha - formed in May.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56408192
     
         
      Recognizing ‘historic tipping point’, UN begins push towards more sustainable energy future Mon, 15th Mar 2021 10:23:00
     
      “Our challenge is clear: to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the world must cut carbon emissions by at least 45 per cent below 2010 levels within the next decade”, Secretary-General António Guterres?said. He joined more than 20 ministerial-level "Global Champions" for the virtual launch of substantive preparations for the High-level Dialogue on Energy, a summit-level event he will convene in September. He underscored that the world was “way off track” and needed to use the COVID-19 recovery period to build a sustainable economy, driven by renewables. “If we want this energy transition to be just, and to succeed in creating new jobs, a cleaner and healthier environment and a resilient future, developing countries need strong support”, said the top UN Official. Leading up to the summit in September, Mr. Guterres saw the dialogue as an opportunity to “accelerate the deployment of renewables globally and ensure that the developing world has access to them”. Governments, businesses and others will be urged to present stronger commitments in the form of voluntary Energy Compacts, for how to accelerate action and achieve clean, affordable energy for all by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086882
     
         
      The race to zero: can America reach net-zero emissions by 2050? Mon, 15th Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      If America finally weans itself off planet-heating emissions, the country will look and feel very different. Landscapes from coast to coast would be transformed, carpeted in wind turbines and solar panels, with enough new transmission lines to wrap around Earth 19 times. The populace would whiz past in their electric cars, to and from homes equipped with induction stoves and heat pumps. The air would be near-pristine. Hundreds of thousands of people who would have prematurely died from the toxic fossil-fuel age would still be alive. It’s an appealing vision, according to Eric Larson, senior research engineer at Princeton University. “In general, it will be a more pleasant place to be living in when we get to net zero emissions,” he said. “We will have cleaner air, and [will] have done our part to avoid disastrous climate change. That’s a good thing for us and the rest of the world.” Getting to this point by 2050 is a key goal set by Joe Biden in the effort to stem the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, which is already turning large parts of the US west to charcoal and pushing water to lap at the doorsteps of the nation’s coastal cities. But avoiding cataclysm requires a metamorphosis unlike any other in American history in a narrowing window of time. “In terms of the pace of change, it’s unprecedented,” said Larson, who led a Princeton team’s exhaustive analysis of the path to net zero emissions that is helping guide the longer-term thinking of Biden’s administration. “It’s not going to be a walk in the park. We need to start now. And if we delay starting now, we’re going to have to go even faster.” How quickly societies move away from coal, oil and gas is in many respects the defining, existential challenge of our time, one that the White House frames in both grim realism and fresh opportunity. “Right now we are robbing young people of their future,” Gina McCarthy, the president’s top climate adviser, told the Guardian. “But there’s a bright future ahead if we work together. It’s doable and must-do at the same time.” So what will it take to reach net zero emissions? The fading era of coal, which once helped forge the US as the globe’s economic Goliath, has to completely end a decade from now, with more than 1,000 coalmines and associated power plants shutting. Use of oil and gas will have to be severely scaled back, too, albeit over a longer time frame. n their stead, a gargantuan effort to erect solar panels and wind turbines – first an extra 300GW of wind and 300GW of solar by 2030, before supply soars further to five times today’s transmission capacity by 2050. This endeavor will require around 590,000 sq km (or 227,800 sq miles) of America to be blanketed in turbines and panels, around a tenth of all the land in the contiguous US. If you took a stroll along an Atlantic-facing beach there would be a good chance you’d see renewable energy in all directions, with an expanse of ocean the size of Belgium dotted with towering offshore wind turbines. uch hyperactive construction will inevitably become ensnared in local opposition over aesthetics, but will also require an enormous reworking of America’s electricity grid. As solar and wind are intermittent, moving clean energy to all corners of the country will require the current electricity transmission system to triple in size, an extraordinary rollout of new poles, wires and substations. “The current power grid took 150 years to build,” said Jesse Jenkins, another Princeton researcher. “Now, to get to net zero emissions by 2050, we have to build that amount of transmission again in the next 15 years and then build that much more again in the 15 years after that. It’s a huge amount of change.” On America’s roads, 300m new electric vehicles (EV) will replace what is currently the US’s largest source of planet-heating gases. By the 2030s, $25bn will need to be spent per decade to build a sprawling network of EV charging plugs so drivers don’t grind to a halt on the highway. Around the same time, half of all cars sold would be battery-electric before a total abandonment of the internal combustion engine is achieved by 2050. The middle of the century would also have to see heavy-duty trucks become either electric or powered by hydrogen fuel cells. At this point, Will Ferrell may be finally able to claim the US has beaten, or at least matched, Norway in shifting to electric vehicles. All of this would require more than $50bn of investment in public-charging plugs, carpeting even the most remote parts of the country in charging stations. Everyday household activities cause a large chunk of current emissions, and so the net zero vision will extend to almost all facets of domestic life. Gas for heating is phased out entirely in favor of newly clean electricity by 2050. About 130m homes across the US will be fitted with heat pumps, an electric device installed outside the home that shifts heat in or out of the dwelling, depending on the seasonal need. Gas for water heating is also phased out in favor of electric heat pumps. Gas for cooking becomes a thing of the past, with induction systems making up all new sales of stove tops 15 years from now. Other pockets of emissions will prove more stubborn to remove – there isn’t an immediate alternative to burning coal in the production of concrete or steel, for example. Larson envisions the use of something called an electric arc furnace, a sort of industrial Eye of Sauron that melts scrap to help turn it into new steel. Fuel for airplanes, meanwhile, will have to come from some sort of biomass or hydrogen concoction currently too expensive for airlines’ balance sheets. The “net” in net zero, therefore, acknowledges that some leftover emissions will have to be offset, through a vast restoration of nature’s carbon storage – soils and trees – across an area three times the size of California alongside a ramp-up in manmade versions, with about 1,000 industrial facilities fitted with technology to capture their emissions. This, in itself, will be a mind-boggling undertaking, involving the construction of 110,000km of new pipelines – an “interstate CO2 highway system” – to convey the trapped carbon dioxide to be injected underground in rock formations found in the south-east, midwest and west coast. Overall, a $2.5tn investment in new energy, buildings and transport would be needed over the next decade. Not cheap, but relatively affordable in the long term given wind and sunshine are essentially free, and the alternative – runaway climate change – would involve trillions more in economic and health damages and the upending of ordered society. Significantly, the Princeton study is based upon current technologies and doesn’t hinge upon lifestyle changes, such as a switch to vegetarianism or an end to flying, favored by some environmentalists. “I’ve heard the Impossible Burger is pretty good. I’ve never tried one, but our analysis doesn’t assume anything about changing diets or anything like that,” Larson said. A transition without the personal hardship is a vision the Biden administration is keen to espouse. “This isn’t a time for sacrifice, people have had enough of that,” said McCarthy. “This is a time for a crisis properly addressed in a way that grows jobs.” Larson and his colleagues largely agree with the administration that millions of new jobs will flow from churning out new electric cars, solar panels and wind turbines but they also point out that places like West Virginia, a coal heartland, will suffer in the short term. “That’s the social contract we will have to make as a country if we want to get to net zero,” Larson said. “We will need policies in place for certain communities to cushion those blows.” The dizzying transformation will further alter a situation where, already, Tesla is the world’s most valuable car company, the US coal industry is in steep decline and, in part due to Biden’s actions, large oil and gas pipeline projects look untenable. Some people risk being left behind and simply pushing worker retraining won’t be enough. “We risk a yellow vest moment in this country that could derail the transition,” warned Stephen Pacala, co-author of another recent net-zero report, by the National Academies, in reference to the protests over gasoline and diesel taxes that roiled France. Some jobs will be lost, such as those in the coal, oil and gas sectors, although the Biden administration is banking on these being more than offset by many more jobs emerging in wind, solar and grid upgrades. Many of these jobs will be open to newcomers and there will be plenty of need for those will little experience in their given fields. The biggest growth will be in jobs that require a high school diploma or less; jobs requiring college degrees will also grow, but by only a fraction of the total number. Still it’s a huge transition that could give Americans some pause. Republicans have sought to exploit such latent fears, despite clear public support for climate action, and it’s uncertain which options Congress will settle upon to yank down emissions – a clean electricity standard for utilities, a green bank to back billions of dollars worth of renewables projects or, even, the longstanding hope of a tax on emissions. “I’m not expecting everyone will come along, I’m not Pollyanna-ish,” said Senator Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat who supports the clean power standard. “But this transition will happen. The question is whether we will lead it or follow others.” The jarring pace of change is required because emissions cuts have been left so late. The US currently sucks about 11m barrels of crude oil from its territory every day, has its cities routinely choked by overwhelmingly polluting cars and burns fossil fuels when most Americans switch on their lights or crank up the air conditioning to beat the rising heat. The deep roots of this status quo mean that hundreds of thousands of people are routinely killed each year from air pollution alone. Those numbers will plummet in a net zero America. The federal government estimates that renewable energy is currently on track to double to 42% of electricity generation by 2050 – which won’t be enough. Even the slump in emissions from pandemic shutdowns last year won’t make much of a dent, with a 4% rebound in emissions forecast for 2021. Getting “back to normal” after the pandemic spells utter catastrophe in a decade where scientists have said emissions must be cut in half to avoid dangerous global heating. “We only have so much time left,” said John Kerry, Biden’s new climate envoy. “A small window within which to make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. Americans understand this is a crisis and we need to address it.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/15/race-to-zero-america-emissions-climate-crisis
     
         
      Car industry lobbied UK government to delay ban on petrol and diesel cars Mon, 15th Mar 2021 6:00:00
     
      Britain’s biggest car manufacturers lobbied the government to delay a ban on petrol and diesel cars by warning that sales would plunge and jobs would be at risk from accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, the Guardian can reveal. The government announced in November that it would move forward a ban on the sale of pure internal combustion engine cars from 2040 to 2030, but said that it would allow the sale of hybrid vehicles until 2035, in a significant victory for the car industry. Carmakers including BMW, Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren argued strongly against a ban earlier than 2040, in written submissions to the government obtained by the Guardian. They also said plug-in hybrid cars should be exempted from the earlier deadline. Some of the claims made by the firms contradicted findings by environmental campaigners. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group, claimed in private modelling that a 2030 ban would cause UK car sales to drop from 2.3m in 2025 to only about 800,000 in that year. The 2035 ban would reduce UK car sales to about 1.2m in that year, it claimed, compared with more than 2m if a 2040 deadline was allowed. BMW, which also owns Mini and Rolls-Royce factories in the UK, said there was “no scientific evidence to support such ambitious market uptake in the UK” for the previous 2040 ban, let alone an earlier date. A BMW spokesman said the claim related to modelling of consumer demand for electric cars. The government decision to bring forward the deadline was partly based on advice from scientists on the Committee on Climate Change, which argued a total ban – including for hybrids – was needed by 2032 for the UK to meet its decarbonisation goals. Ministers admitted in December they had relented on plans to ban hybrids in 2030, partly because of the threat to British car factories, most of which produce hybrids. Honda and Ford both raised the spectre of job losses in manufacturing as part of their evidence. Lower sales would represent another heavy blow to the embattled industry. The warnings were made last summer, when the coronavirus pandemic had shut much of the UK car industry’s manufacturing and retail operations. That added to the challenge of trying to prepare for new post-Brexit trade rules and continued heavy investments in electric technology. The SMMT said any date earlier than 2040 “would put a significant strain on commercial viability”. The lobby group said its forecasts, made in June, did not reflect changes to the car market since the start of the pandemic. It called for the government to stop referring to the phase-out date as a ban, in the belief it would dent sales. It also argued vehicles like ambulances and hearses should be exempt, while McLaren argued supercars should be excluded. Greg Archer, UK director of Transport and Environment, a thinktank, said the industry was scaremongering about the transition from fossil fuels and that the forecasts for plummeting sales were “wholly pessimistic and unrealistic”. “The submissions made by carmakers illustrate their desperation to try to stop the government bringing forward the ban,” he said. “It illustrates a lack of honesty within large parts of the industry, painting a picture that the shift to electric cars will devastate UK carmaking when most companies are already making this transition. The debate about the type of cars we will drive in the future is now over: they will be battery electric.” Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, said the new deadline left the industry with less than nine years to convince consumers to switch to electric vehicles. “Our concern is that until the cost and convenience of purchasing, running and charging an electric vehicle is as affordable and convenient as a conventional petrol or diesel one across all segments and for all types of drivers, some drivers will hold on to their trusted existing car,” he said. A government spokesperson said it was giving significant financial support to help the car industry’s transition to electric. “Bringing forward the phase-out date for all new cars and vans will put us on course to be the fastest in the G7 to do so, reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 4m fewer cars on the road each year out to 2050.” A Jaguar Land Rover spokeswoman said the company had accelerated its plans to electrify its products since the consultation response, including making its Jaguar brand electric only. A Honda spokesman said the company backed decarbonisation using technologies including battery electric, advanced hybrid, e-fuels and hydrogen. A McLaren spokesman said it supported the shift to zero-emission vehicles, but that hybrids should be included in the near term.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/15/car-industry-lobbied-uk-government-delay-ban-petrol-diesel-cars
     
         
      Wind farm towers could be home win Mon, 15th Mar 2021 0:01:00
     
      Turbine towers for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm could be made in Scotland under plans for a £100 million factory that would create hundreds of jobs. The UK and Scottish governments are understood to be in talks over possible financial support for the Global Energy Group to produce some of the largest wind turbine towers ever made, at a new facility at Nigg on the Cromarty Firth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wind-farm-towers-could-be-home-win-s68w9qrk9
     
         
      Peat restoration on grouse moors ‘cutting tons of carbon emissions’ Mon, 15th Mar 2021 0:00:00
     
      More than 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide are being prevented from entering the atmosphere every year due to acres of peat restoration, grouse moor managers in England and Wales have claimed. A survey of Moorland Association (MA) members suggests 3,157 hectares (7,800 acres) of bare peat has been restored on their land in the past 10 years. It also found that 2,945km (1,830 miles) of old agricultural drains, put in to make the land more productive for farming, have been blocked to re-wet the upland peat to protect it, reduce run-off and prevent carbon emissions escaping – helping to restore the equivalent of a further 6,000 hectares.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/uk-news/peat-restoration-grouse-moors-carbon-emissions-b1816983.html
     
         
      Climate change: 'Forever plant' seagrass faces uncertain future Sun, 14th Mar 2021 12:29:00
     
      The green, underwater meadows of Posidonia seagrass that surround the Balearic Islands are one of the world's most powerful, natural defences against climate change. A hectare of this ancient, delicate plant can soak up 15 times more carbon dioxide every year than a similar sized piece of the Amazon rainforest. But this global treasure is now under extreme pressure from tourists, from development and ironically from climate change. Posidonia oceanica is found all over the Mediterranean but the area between Mallorca and Formentera is of special interest, having been designated a world heritage site by Unesco over 20 years ago. Here you'll find around 55,000 hectares of the plant, which helps prevent coastal erosion, acts as a nursery for fish, but also plays a globally significant role in soaking up CO2. "These seagrass meadows are the champion of carbon sequestration for the biosphere," said Prof Carlos Duarte, of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. He's recently published the first global scientific assessment of the environmental value of Unesco's marine world heritage sites. "Posidonia acts as a very intensive sediment trap and captures carbon into these sediments. It is also very resistant to microbial degradation, so the carbon is not degraded when it's deposited on the sea floor. And much of that stays unaltered during decades to millennia." Depending on the water temperature, the species reproduces either sexually through flowering or asexually by cloning itself. This ability to clone itself means it can live an extremely long time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56378397
     
         
      Solar & Wind In South Africa Contributed More Than Nuclear For 1st Time Ever In 2020 Sun, 14th Mar 2021 11:22:00
     
      South Africa’s grid is dominated by coal. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), published in its latest “Statistics of utility-scale power generation in South Africa in 2020? report, coal still accounts for a whopping 83.5% of power generation. South Africa’s coal power plants provided 184.4 TWh of electricity in 2020. Nuclear energy contributed 11.5 TWh (5.2%), and for the first time ever, variable renewable energy surpassed nuclear, contributing 12.4 TWh (5.6%). The rest was met by other sources, including diesel, hydro, and pumped storage plants. In total, South Africa’s power plants generated 227 TWh of electricity. Variable renewable energy refers to utility-scale wind, solar PV, and concentrating solar power (CSP) — excluding hydro. Nuclear’s contribution comes from Eskom’s Koeberg nuclear power station. The Koeberg plant is the only nuclear power station in Africa. It is a pressurised water reactor (PWR). According to Eskom, Koeberg has the largest turbine generators in the Southern Hemisphere and is the most southerly-situated nuclear power station in the world. It has two 970 MW units giving an installed capacity of 1,940 MW. South Africa has been gradually adding utility-scale wind, solar PV, and concentrating solar power (CSP) for years, increasing the installed capacity from 467 MW in 2013 to 5,027 MW by the end of 2020. 414 MW of wind and 558 MW of solar PV were added in 2020 alone.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/13/solar-wind-in-south-africa-contributed-more-than-nuclear-for-1st-time-ever-in-2020/
     
         
      First there was Netflix. Now you can subscribe to an electric car Sun, 14th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      You’ve already got a monthly Netflix subscription, and maybe a veg box delivery service. So why wouldn’t you start leasing an electric car on the same month-to-month terms? Hot on the heels of bicycle and other monthly subscription services, drivers can now get electric cars on a renewable monthly basis, with everything included – even free charging. A number of firms are now offering this fresh take on driving, effectively giving people a chance to try electric vehicles without the commitment of buying or entering a lengthy leasing agreement. For £389 a month – with no up front deposit – Onto will provide a Renault Zoe 135 capable of about 190 miles on a full charge. As with Netflix, the contract automatically renews each month unless you cancel, meaning that as long as you keep paying, the car stays outside your house.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/mar/14/first-there-was-netflix-now-you-can-subscribe-to-an-electric-car
     
         
      Top Chinese steelmaking city to punish firms that stray from anti-pollution plan Sun, 14th Mar 2021 7:55:00
     
      Tangshan, China’s top steelmaking city, said it will punish firms that either have not taken the steps spelled out under its emergency anti-pollution plan or have illegally discharged pollutants, following weeks of smog in northern China. All enterprises must strictly meet the requirements of the city’s environmental protection plan, Vice Mayor Li Guifu said in an emergency municipal meeting on Saturday night. Firms in the city’s heavy industry, including the steel and cement sectors, have been told to limit or halt production during heavily polluted days to reduce overall emissions of air pollutants – such as sulphuric dioxide or nitrogen oxide – by 50%. Tangshan, the economic centre of northern Hebei province, is historically one of China’s most polluted cities due to its heavy industry. It is also a source of smog for the region, which includes nearby Beijing. For companies that do not meet the environmental requirements, all their pollutant discharge permits will be revoked and their discharge performance rating will be cut to “D”, which would demand them to suspend production. Last week, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment urged Tangshan to severely crack down on violations of atmospheric environment rules after it found four steel mills had failed to implement production curbs during heavy pollution. China has pledged to cut its crude steel output in 2021 from the record 1.06 billion tonnes it churned out last year to reduce carbon emissions. The steel sector accounts for 15% of the country’s total emissions, topping all other manufacturing categories.
       
      Full Article: https://www.mining.com/web/top-chinese-steelmaking-city-to-punish-firms-that-stray-from-anti-pollution-plan/
     
         
      The Times view on new coal mines: Coke Zero Sat, 13th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      The government was right to order an inquiry into a proposed new coal mine in Cumbria which threatens to undermine Britain’s climate change objectives. Ordinarily governments should be encouraging investment and not turning it away. Certainly ministers should not lightly block the launch of a legitimate enterprise that had previously secured planning permission and which promises to create 500 jobs in a part of the country that the government has committed to levelling up. It is therefore hardly surprising that many Conservative MPs for northern constituencies are up in arms over Robert Jenrick’s decision to hold a public inquiry into a new deep coal mine, the first in Britain for 30 years. It has already been approved three times by Cumbria county council, and the delay could put it back by a year or even scupper it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-times-view-on-new-coal-mines-coke-zero-2b79638fl
     
         
      Alan Titchmarsh opposes plans for solar farm 15 miles from his home Sat, 13th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Alan Titchmarsh is going up against environmentalists and academics by describing plans for a large solar farm 15 miles from his Hampshire home as “totally inappropriate”. The TV gardener claimed proposals to build more than 22,000 solar panels over almost 54 acres of secluded agricultural fields were “irresponsible and short-sighted”. The site sits on a 640-metre long section of the Three Castles Path, a 60-mile walking route from Windsor to Winchester based upon the 13th-century journeys of King John at the time of Magna Carta. Titchmarsh, 71, has formally opposed the scheme in writing to Winchester city council and suggested the solar farm be moved to a brownfield site where the environmental impact would be less damaging.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/alan-titchmarsh-opposes-plans-for-solar-farm-15-miles-from-his-home-q0qfh0l23
     
         
      Russia Refuses To Give Up On Senegal’s Oil Boom Sat, 13th Mar 2021 12:00:00
     
      Russia seems to be going through a tumultuous period. Internally, the Putin Administration has been kept busy with a wave of dissent, externally it is struggling to regain its geopolitical mojo as most of its international efforts are focused on overcoming the COVID pandemic. Amidst all of this, Russian oil and gas companies a striving to keep operations as close to normal as possible, despite the mandatory participation in OPEC+ production curtailments and hefty CAPEX cuts. Normal operations would involve Russian majors investing in projects abroad in order to diversify their production base, but the post-Crimean landscape has seen relatively few deals of this kind. The one notable exception to that rule is Africa, a continent to which many Russian majors are now turning, attracted by vast untapped reserves and negotiable upstream terms. Attentive readers of Oilprice.com might perhaps remember the story of Russia’s LUKOIL attempting to get into Senegal’s offshore. The Moscow-based firm stated in June 2020 that it would buy Cairn Energy’s 40% stake in the Rufisque-Sangomar-Sangomar Deep (RSSD) project for $400 million. The final investment decision on RSSD was taken in January 2020 and production was slated to start in 2023. As of today, the 2200km2 block contains two commercial fields – FAN and Sangomar – totaling 500 MMbbls, and there is ample potential to see that reserve tally edge even higher. The RSSD fields are predicted to ramp up to 100kbpd at plateau production, allocated between the project stakeholders on the basis of a production sharing agreement (the other participants were Woodside, with 35%, FAR, with 15%, and the Senegalese NOC Petrosen, with a 10% stake).
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Russia-Refuses-To-Give-Up-On-Senegals-Oil-Boom.html
     
         
      Mathias Cormann set to head OECD despite climate record Sat, 13th Mar 2021 10:10:00
     
      Mathias Cormann, Australia's longtime former finance minister, is set to take over as chief of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Mr Cormann, a centre-right politician, had faced opposition stemming from his record on climate change. He tried to abolish Australia's renewable energy targets and has called carbon pricing a "very expensive hoax". Sweden's Cecilia Malmström was also vying to lead the group, which includes 37 of the world's biggest economies. The Paris-based OECD, which helps develop and coordinate policies among its members, is expected to finalise Mr Cormann's selection next week. He would serve a five-year term starting in June. Greenpeace International, which helped spearhead outside opposition to Mr Cormann's candidacy, called his selection a "missed opportunity" for the group, which includes the US, UK, Germany and Japan among others. "We have little confidence in Mr Cormann's ability to ensure the OECD is a leader in tackling the climate crisis when he himself has an atrocious record on the issue, including opposition to carbon pricing," executive director Jennifer Morgan said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56381202
     
         
      Colombia Will Back Its Coal Industry For Decades To Come Sat, 13th Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      The world’s fifth-largest coal exporter, Colombia, is confident that continued coal demand in Asia will warrant Colombian government support to the industry for at least two more decades, even after Glencore said it would relinquish its mining contracts in the country. “Coal demand from China and India is going to continue. It’s impossible for them to switch their power matrix overnight and stop depending on thermal coal,” Colombia’s Mines and Energy Minister Diego Mesa told Bloomberg in an interview this week. “We are going to continue to give support to the operations we currently have,” Mesa said, adding that the high-quality mines could continue to operate for “a couple more decades.” Last month, Glencore said that its Colombian subsidiary Prodeco would begin handing back its mining contracts to the government after it found it would be uneconomic to restart operations at mines that were put on care and maintenance in March last year. Colombia’s National Mining Agency declined in January 2021 Prodeco’s request for the Calenturitas and La Jagua coal mines to remain on care and maintenance (C&M). Glencore and Colombia’s Mines and Energy Ministry have been in contact with companies interested in potentially taking over the Glencore mines, minister Mesa told Bloomberg. There has been interest from Asia for the mines, he added. Colombia is banking on coal demand from Asia, including China and India, to justify its support for coal mining in the country, while most developed economies are working to reduce their reliance on coal and phase it out as a source of electricity supply.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Colombia-Will-Back-Its-Coal-Industry-For-Decades-To-Come.html
     
         
      The Global Energy Transition Could Transform African Economies Sat, 13th Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      Covid-19 and the resulting fall in oil prices and demand has helped to accelerate a global shift towards renewable energy. While a number of sub-Saharan African countries continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels, the region is expected to benefit from the growing market for minerals central to this shift. The move towards renewable energy technologies is likely to result in a significant drop in global demand for hydrocarbon fuels like coal, oil, and gas. In a sign of the impact that the pandemic could have on the energy market, the “World Energy Outlook 2020” report – released by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) in October – estimated that global energy investment fell by 18.3% last year. While investment in oil, coal, and gas was projected to have fallen by 8.5%, 6.7%, and 3.3%, respectively, investment in renewable projects was expected to increase by 0.9%. Looking forward, the report also included a projection model stating that renewables could meet 80% of all energy demand growth over the next decade, largely at the expense of coal and oil. Given that hydrocarbons accounted for 48.5% of sub-Saharan Africa’s exports between 1995 and 2018, the transition could have a significant impact on the region. The extraction industries account for around 50% of GDP and 89% of exports in Angola, while in Nigeria, the continent’s largest oil and gas producer, the sector makes up an estimated 86% of exports and generates $64.8bn in revenue annually.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/The-Global-Energy-Transition-Could-Transform-African-Economies.html
     
         
      ‘We are seeing a crisis in values’ – an exclusive extract from Mark Carney’s book Sat, 13th Mar 2021 10:00:00
     
      A few summers ago when a range of policymakers, business people, academics, labour leaders and charity workers gathered at the Vatican to discuss the future of the market system, Pope Francis surprised us by joining the lunch and sharing a parable. He observed that: Our meal will be accompanied by wine. Now, wine is many things. It has a bouquet, colour and richness of taste that all complement the food. It has alcohol that can enliven the mind. Wine enriches all our senses. At the end of our feast, we will have grappa. Grappa is one thing: alcohol. Grappa is wine distilled. He continued: Humanity is many things – passionate, curious, rational, altruistic, creative, self-interested. But the market is one thing: self-interest. The market is humanity distilled. And then he challenged us: Your job is to turn the grappa back into wine, to turn the market back into humanity. This isn’t theology. This is reality. This is the truth. In my experience, the upheaval the world has been experiencing demonstrates that it is vital to rebalance the essential dynamism of capitalism with our broader social goals. This is not an abstract issue or a naive aspiration.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/13/crisis-in-values-exclusive-extract-mark-carneys-book
     
         
      Climate change: Former UN vice chair calls on UK to review policies on burning wood for energy Sat, 13th Mar 2021 9:33:00
     
      A former vice chairman of the United Nations' climate advisory body has called on the British government to review its policies surrounding the burning of wood for energy. Jean Pascal van Ypersele, Professor of Environmental Sciences at Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, has told Sky News he believes subsidies given to the industry by the UK government are "contradictory" to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement - signed by countries in 2015 to try to limit global warming. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial strategy says subsidies are only given to biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria and biomass is a "valuable" part of the National Grid. Trees are a natural way to tackle climate change and soak up carbon. But Mr van Ypersele, who was vice chairman of the IPCC - the body which assesses science on climate change - says burning wood pellets creates a 'carbon debt' and accounting rules don't properly take into consideration the time it takes for replacement trees to grow back. He said: "We release the CO2 now hoping that future woods will absorb the CO2 in the future. But that's a very strong assumption. Burning wood doesn't make much sense if you want to reduce CO2 emissions." The UK is the world's biggest importer of wood pellets. In the move away from coal over recent years there has been a switch towards burning biomass to generate power. Last year in the UK, biomass powered 6.5% of the National Grid. Biomass can be scaled up when needed to support the increasing use of wind and solar. It is classed as renewable energy - and subsidies have been committed to the industry by the government until 2027. Data shared with Sky News from the think tank Ember showed that two UK power stations got more than a £1bn in subsidies and were excused from paying carbon taxes totalling more than £300m. Mr van Ypersele said: "To subsidise an activity that has negative consequences for the climate and the environment is totally contradictory with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the goals of the conference (COP26) due to take place in Glasgow at the end of the year." Drax power station in north Yorkshire survived by switching from coal to biomass and sees itself as part of the climate solution. Drax stopped commercial coal generation this month. It is the UK's largest single-site renewable power generator, providing 11% of the UK's renewable power. Its ambition is to be carbon negative by 2030 and Drax says it is confident the forests it sources from are growing at a greater rate than they are harvested. Nearly two-thirds of the wood pellets used by Drax come from forests in the southern United States. Rebecca Heaton is Head of Sustainability at Drax Group and has responsibility for the sustainability of the global forest supply chains used to deliver biomass to its power station. She said: "Whenever you remove wood from a forest you have to account for the CO2 you've removed. And that's the system we work under and adhere to. So I'm aware there are calls for these systems to be looked at. But I would say there is good biomass and bad biomass and you have to be really clear where your biomass has come from and be able to audit every part of the supply chain." Five hundred leading scientists - including Mr van Ypersele - recently wrote to world leaders - including the US president - calling for biomass not to be classed as carbon neutral. In the letter, they wrote: "We urge you not to undermine both climate goals and the world's biodiversity by shifting from burning fossil fuels to burning trees to generate energy… To meet future net zero-emission goals your government should work to preserve and restore forests and not to burn them." The status of biomass as a green energy source means its emissions when burnt at the smoke stack - which are actually greater than coal - are not counted in government statistics. Duncan Brack was special adviser at the Department of Energy and Climate Change between 2010 and 2012 and has spent years researching biomass. He said: "If you did include emissions from burning biomass we'd be making much slower progress towards net zero than some people tend to think. And that's because we're importing biomass from overseas and kind of the problem is sort of shunted off to other countries. And I think that's not right. I think countries have to take responsibility for the emissions. So that means having another look at biomass and the policy framework that surrounds the biomass industry."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-former-un-vice-chair-calls-on-uk-to-review-policies-on-burning-wood-for-energy-12243870
     
         
      Simulations show how city building configurations affect pedestrians' air quality Fri, 12th Mar 2021 21:40:00
     
      The next time you're walking or biking in a city, take a look around—you may be able to get a sense of air quality by how the buildings are laid out. When buildings are aligned in rows with no gaps between them, pedestrians are usually exposed to higher concentrations of vehicle-related, ultrafine particles that harm human health, according to a study co-authored by UCLA air quality expert Suzanne Paulson. "It turns out that the most important factor for determining how severe street level pollution will be is whether there is space between buildings," said Paulson, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and a member of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. It didn't matter whether that empty space was green space or parking lots; just that the open space allows air to circulate and clear out the pollution. Using a computer simulation, researchers studied three virtual layouts: buildings in rows, buildings in square clusters and buildings in a checkerboard pattern. To simulate the effect that wind blowing through the layout would have on the circulation of air pollution, the scientists used a computer model that was created to predict the dispersal of biological weapons, which have particles about the same size as ultrafine pollution. In the scenarios they used, buildings were 10 to 12 stories high and covered a quarter of a city block. The arrangement that led to the highest accumulation of street-level pollution was buildings in rows. Pollution was about 50% higher than in the checkerboard pattern, which created the least pollution of the layouts studied—because, the researchers wrote, open space on each side of each building would allow wind to circulate and clear the air. The cluster arrangement performed substantially better than rows, but the model showed that pollution would still accumulate in some places. The paper, published in ScienceDirect, also examined a variation on the three layouts, placing shorter buildings instead of empty space among the tall buildings. The models showed that more pollution would accumulate with the short buildings than without them, but the differences among the three basic layouts were less dramatic. Another finding was that pollution would be worst at street level but would be more dispersed as elevation increases, up to about 10 meters (around 33 feet)—at which point the concentration of pollutants is about the same as it would be in the city environment in general. That finding could be important to people living in tall apartment buildings. "I often have people ask me things like "I live on the 12th floor, am I going to be OK?'" Paulson said. "This research shows that even the fourth or fifth floor is fine." Ultrafine particles are particulate matter smaller than 0.1 micrometer in diameter (an average human hair is about 100 micrometers wide). They are associated with a slew of serious health problems, including respiratory diseases, heart attacks, strokes and cancer, as well as developmental problems in children. Still, governments around the world generally don't regulate ultrafine particles at the source of the pollution. And although gas-powered vehicles are a major source of pollution, Paulson said that even if most or all vehicles went electric, ultrafine and larger particles from tires, brakes or other sources would still accumulate and cause health problems. The paper's findings could help guide urban planners, building owners and other decision-makers, particularly in rapidly developing cities—places like Beijing, China, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Planners in already-developed cities such as Los Angeles or Chicago could adopt the same lessons for new construction projects, but Paulson noted it would be harder for them to implement changes until older buildings in densely built blocks are demolished. While building vertically instead of sideways might seem like one way to improve air quality at street level, the way many of today's skyscrapers are designed—"wedding cake" style, with parking garages taking up more space at street level and then a slimmer profile for higher stories—erases the benefit. Such buildings still inhibit air circulation at street level, Paulson said. In future studies, Paulson plans to examine the effects of other factors, such as the presence or absence of trees, on street-level pollution.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-simulations-city-configurations-affect-pedestrians.html
     
         
      Carbon offsets offer a fantasy of capitalism without crises Fri, 12th Mar 2021 15:32:00
     
      Governments, companies and sometimes entire sectors are increasingly proposing to use carbon offsets in response to the deepening climate crisis. In theory, offsetting allows organisations to compensate for their own emissions by paying towards low-carbon projects elsewhere, but the practice has been mired in scientific problems and scandals, and it has been widely critiqued in the social sciences. With the UK government now seeking to turn London into a global hub for the carbon offset trade, it’s worth asking why it is still so prominent. My research on what I have called the fantasy of carbon offsetting helps explain the situation. Carbon offset credits are created when a standards organisation declares that a project has reduced or avoided greenhouse gas emissions (a solar farm that “replaces” a coal power plant, say) or instead has removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stored it somewhere (by planting lots of trees, for instance). The standards body issues carbon credits, the project owner sells them, and they can be traded in the financialised carbon economy until the point when a buyer “retires” them. The buyer that retires the credit is said to have caused the reduction, avoidance or removal of a defined quantity of greenhouse gases – in this sense, their emissions have been “offset” by the reductions of someone else. It sounds far-fetched, and it is. Grave uncertainties in the accounting process are exploited by project developers, overlooked by standards agencies, and forgotten by auditors. These actors all have conflicts of interest – developers want to sell more credits, while standards agencies and auditors want to gain market share. The resulting credits they certify are offered as a cheap means to appear green. Many companies are pledging to use offsets to remove carbon in their “net-zero” climate strategies. A high-profile report launched at the World Economic Forum seeks to rapidly expand the market, and offsetting will be on the agenda at the next big UN climate summit, COP26 in Glasgow. Governments including Japan and Switzerland have set up bilateral offset schemes. The international aviation sector plans to offset some of its emissions. Almost every day we are told of absurd new offsetting plans, like shipments of “carbon neutral” crude oil, or Canadian cows who will eat chemicals to reduce methane belches to offset emissions from tar sands in Alberta. Its failures are already accounted for To help explain the new hype around carbon offsetting and its return to a central position in climate policy, I argue in a new paper in the journal Environmental Politics that one of the reasons carbon offsetting continues is because of fantasy. According to a psychoanalytic approach to the critique of ideology – which has been advanced prominently by the philosopher Slavoj Žižek – fantasy is a means by which ideology takes its failures into account, in advance. Fantasy helps explain why knowledge about intractable problems may not stop carbon offsetting: its failures are already accounted for within the ideological formation. To research this further, I linked psychoanalytic theory to transcripts of interviews that I conducted with 65 practitioners involved with carbon offset markets. My analysis suggests that many of those involved recognise, at different levels, the gap between the spectacular portrayals of carbon offsetting and its deficiencies in practice. Awareness of this gap is managed through cynical forms of reasoning and knowledge disavowal. Problems are known – but suppressed Cynical reasoning involves knowledge that one is perpetuating an illusion or a problem, but doing it anyway. It sometimes involves laughter which mocks the predicament of the self. For example, one person selling offsets told me they only partly believe in carbon offsetting, and then laughed. Knowledge disavowal involves knowing about the existence of problems, but suppressing that knowledge. Those involved in carbon offsetting need not laugh at themselves all the time – disavowal also works for them. Cynical reasoning and disavowal are not very disruptive to the social fantasy, which circulates through markets populated by experts who proclaim that offsets are genuine and legitimate. Figures of authority in the offset market – people with claims to expertise who talk about “high-quality” offsetting – reinforce fantasy. Doubts about offsetting are calmed, because even if one person does not (fully) believe, someone else will do it for them, in a process that repeats. Furthermore, fantasy shapes our desires, so this account helps explain the emotions, enthusiasm and hype. On some level, people want to believe in carbon offsetting because it offers to rekindle capitalism’s promise that we can enjoy consumerism without being too concerned about ecological crisis, by delivering a seductive story of power and status in which somebody else cleans up the mess. Even if you are already an offset sceptic, we had better recognise that this fantasy runs deep.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/carbon-offsets-offer-a-fantasy-of-capitalism-without-crises-155730
     
         
      VW & Quantumscape Bring Solid State Batteries Closer To Reality Fri, 12th Mar 2021 13:02:00
     
      A couple weeks ago, Volkswagen and Quantumscape claimed to have solved a key problem in the development of solid state batteries. Solid state batteries would give great benefits to both the automotive world and other industries, but have so far been frustrated by the inability to come up with a separator that can keep the battery from failing prematurely. Quantumscape claims that it has come up with a better separator that has been proven to work. For those unfamiliar, batteries have cathodes and anodes, the positive and negative electrodes. These must be separated to prevent the battery from short circuiting. At worst, separation failures can cause fires and explosions, while at best, they prevent the battery from holding a charge. This separator must also be permeable to lithium or other ions that have to pass from one side of the battery or the other during charge an discharge.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/12/vw-quantumscape-bring-solid-state-batteries-closer-to-reality/
     
         
      Abu Dhabi Jack-Up Owner Wins First Offshore Wind Contract in China Fri, 12th Mar 2021 12:32:00
     
      The UAE-based Zakher Marine International (ZMI) has secured its first contract to provide a jack-up vessel for an offshore wind project in South China. Mobilized from the shallow waters of Abu Dhabi, ZMI’s jack-up QMS Gladiator arrived at the deeper South China Sea loaded on a heavy lift on 10 March. With the USD 100 million contract, the company said it is the first UAE and GCC offshore contractor to be awarded a contract with the Chinese government to support the development of an offshore wind farm. The award is said to represent a fundamental part of ZMI’s strategic plan to expand into markets beyond the GCC region. “We are very proud to be the first company from the GCC to work closely with the Chinese government to provide jack-ups and a testament that we are on track to deliver our growth plans, expanding into new geographies and renewables business. This is going to be the first of many, but it serves as a foothold for the Group in this growing market,” said Ali El Ali, Managing Director of ZMI.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/03/12/abu-dhabi-jack-up-owner-wins-first-offshore-wind-contract-in-china/
     
         
      So Big It’s Boring: The Rise of Utility-Scale Solar Fri, 12th Mar 2021 12:17:00
     
      In 2015, I was sitting with representatives of Strata Solar, Southern Company and the Arkansas Public Service Commission, waiting to go onstage. We were the last session of the last day of the conference in question — a tough time slot. The speakers were talking about that bit of bad luck and joking that utility solar doesn’t get any love. Then someone chimed in, “Demand response, EVs, flow batteries — those are cool subjects. But the four of us know utility solar makes the real impact. We are big, but boring.” In the second quarter of 2020, the U.S. hit 50 gigawatts of cumulative operating utility solar, without much pause to consider how momentous a milestone it was. In 2011, utility solar reached 1 gigawatt. It took roughly nine years for the country to hit 50 gigawatts, but now it’s on track to reach 100 gigawatts by the end of 2023. Under Wood Mackenzie’s current forecast, U.S. utility solar will surpass 250 gigawatts by 2029 and reach more than 1 terawatt of utility PV somewhere between 2042 and 2045. Onshore wind currently is the top technology for annual capacity additions in the U.S. It will hold the No. 1 spot until 2022 when the combination of the stepdown of the federal Production Tax Credit and the growth in solar causes wind to drop to second place.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/so-big-its-boring-the-rise-of-utility-scale-solar
     
         
      Déjà vu as palm oil industry brings deforestation, pollution to Amazon Fri, 12th Mar 2021 11:48:00
     
      Palm oil, a crop synonymous with deforestation and community conflicts in Southeast Asia, is making inroads in the Brazilian Amazon, where the same issues are playing out. Indigenous and traditional communities say the plantations in their midst are polluting their water, poisoning their soil, and driving away fish and game. Scientists have found high levels of agrochemical residues in these communities — though still within Brazil’s legal limits — while prosecutors are pursuing legal cases against the companies for allegedly violating Indigenous and traditional communities’ rights and damaging the environment. Studies based on satellite imagery also disprove the companies’ claims that they only plant on already deforested land. A Portuguese language version of this report is published on Mongabay Brasil TOMÉ-AÇU, Brazil — Guided by an Indigenous leader, we drove down dusty roads in the Turé-Mariquita Indigenous Reserve, a “green island” encircled by oil palm plantations in the Brazilian Amazon. Uniform rows of oil palms cover huge swaths of land here in the northeast of the state of Pará, once home to a vibrant expanse of rainforest. Our Mongabay reporting team was there to discover if the palm oil business, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is sustainable and ecologically responsible, as industry representatives told us.
       
      Full Article: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/deja-vu-as-palm-oil-industry-brings-deforestation-pollution-to-amazon/
     
         
      Climate change: 'Default effect' sees massive green energy switch Fri, 12th Mar 2021 10:53:00
     
      When Swiss energy companies made green electricity the default choice, huge numbers of consumers were happy to stick with it - even though it cost them more. Four years after the switch, researchers found that around 80% of customers were still on green tariffs. This "default effect" happened partly because people didn't want the hassle of switching back to fossil fuels. The authors say the idea could have a big impact on global emissions of CO2. Kerry calls on top polluters to cut emissions now Climate threats to historic sites identified Is China set for 'great leap' on climate change? Hundreds of sewage leaks detected thanks to AI In the study, the researchers looked at what happened when two Swiss energy suppliers changed the default electricity offering for their customers from a mixture of fuels to renewables only. This change affected around 234,000 private households and 9,000 businesses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56361970
     
         
      HSBC plans to phase out coal financing by 2040 Fri, 12th Mar 2021 10:44:00
     
      HSBC has said it plans to ramp up its climate change policies and stop financing coal projects by 2040, as long as shareholders back the move. It follows pressure from a coalition of investment firms and pension funds who called for stronger action from the bank on climate change. Charity Shareaction, which led the group, said HSBC had put $15bn (£11bn) into coal developers since 2018. HSBC said it welcomed the group's decision to back its new plan. The bank already has a "net zero" strategy, under which it aims to ensure all its investments are carbon neutral by 2050. But its new resolution, which needs the support of 75% of shareholders, would see the bank phase out financing for coal-fired power stations and thermal coal-mining by 2030 in the EU and OECD countries. The same would apply by 2040 for the rest of the world. It would also set targets to align it with articles of the Paris Climate agreement concerning limits on global warming and emissions when deciding on funding for sectors including oil and gas. HSBC said it expects to provide between $750bn (£540bn) and $1trn to support its corporate customers to decarbonise.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56352203
     
         
      Road pollution affects 94% of Britain, study finds Fri, 12th Mar 2021 10:08:00
     
      Pollution from roads affects virtually every part of Britain, with 94% of land having some pollution above background levels, according to research. Roads, which occupy less than 1% of the country, “form vast, pervasive and growing networks, causing negative environmental impacts”, the scientists said. The most widespread pollutants are tiny particles, mostly from fossil fuel burning, nitrogen dioxide from diesel vehicles, and noise and light. More than 70% of the country is affected by all of these, with the only land to escape road pollution being almost entirely at high altitudes. The serious impact on human health from road pollution in urban areas is well known. But the researchers said even low levels of pollution may harm wildlife including birds, mammals and insects, although research to date is limited. The findings are likely to apply to densely populated regions around the world, the scientists said, and roadless areas are expected to become increasingly scarce due to the predicted 65% expansion of the global road network by 2050. Today, there are an estimated 64m kilometres of road on Earth, a length equivalent to travelling 1,600 times around the equator.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/12/road-pollution-affects-94-of-britain-study-finds
     
         
      London’s River Thames set to trial new tidal energy technologies Fri, 12th Mar 2021 3:33:00
     
      The Port of London Authority has given the go ahead for trials of tidal energy technology on a section of the Thames, in a move which could eventually help to decarbonize operations connected to the river. The mooring for the trials is situated on a part of the river between the areas of Thamesmead and Woolwich, in southeast London, which is passed by commercial cargo ships, cruise ships and recreational river users. Against this backdrop, the PLA says it’s looking to “encourage the use of microgeneration,” with the new site enabling developers to undertake both scale and full size trials of their systems. In a statement issued Tuesday, Tanya Ferry, the organization’s head of environment, said research had shown the river “could provide a power supply for operators and pier owners.” Ferry went on to explain that although traditional tidal turbine technology was unlikely to be a viable option because of diminishing space, the mooring would provide developers with the “opportunity to test other emerging technologies on the Thames.” The PLA says it will use information gathered from the trials to “inform future investment decisions.” London is not the only major city looking to assess the feasibility of tidal power. In the United States, New York’s East River is home to Verdant Power’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy project, which has been in development since 2002. In late October 2020, the initiative took another step forward when a new tidal power array consisting of three turbines was installed. While there is growing interest in marine based energy systems, the current footprint of these technologies remains quite small. Recent figures from Ocean Energy Europe show that only 260 kilowatts (kW) of tidal stream capacity was added in Europe last year, while just 200 kW of wave energy was installed. By contrast, 2020 saw 14.7 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy capacity installed in Europe, according to industry body WindEurope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/12/londons-river-thames-set-to-trial-new-tidal-energy-technologies.html
     
         
      Evolution of 'twilight zone' ocean creatures linked to climate change Thu, 11th Mar 2021 20:32:00
     
      New research has revealed how creatures within the so-called twilight zone of the ocean, extending from 200 to 1,000 metres below the surface, have evolved as a result of climate change. Led by scientists from Cardiff University, the study has been able to track for the first time how the largest and least understood habitat on Earth has developed as oceans have cooled over the past 15 million years. The habitat is home to some of the most mysterious creatures on the planet, from plankton and jellies through to squid and very strange looking fish. "It is a true hidden treasure of biomass and biodiversity that is key to the health of our oceans," according to Cardiff University. All life in the twilight zone is dependent on "marine snow", the organic matter that sinks down from the surface, as a source of food. The study analysed tiny fossil shells obtained from mud at the bottom of the sea to track how deep-sea creatures had changed and diversified over time. "During our study, we observed evidence of species migrating from the surface to progressively deeper regions of the oceans over the 15-million-year period, which was puzzling," said palaeontologist Dr Flavia Boscolo-Galazzo, one of the two lead authors of the study. "The temperature of the water turned out to be key to the mystery," added fellow lead author Dr Katherine Crichton, who developed a computer model simulation of the way the marine carbon cycle developed through time. "The interior of the ocean has cooled markedly over this period. That had a refrigeration effect, meaning that the sinking marine snow is preserved longer and sinks deeper, delivering food." Dr Boscolo-Galazzo continued: "The cooling of the deep ocean gave life a boost and allowed it to thrive and diversify." The researchers penetrated into the mud beneath the floors of all of the world's oceans to build up a history of what plankton communities would have inhabited the oceans over millions of years. Fossil plankton contained in the mud contained evidence of the depths that the creatures lived, as well as the density of the marine snow sinking around them. The team say the results raise fresh concerns about the future of our planet's oceans as they heat up under the pressure of global climate change. "Many of the strangest forms of life are found in the ocean depths including comb jellies that look like alien spaceships and ugly fang-tooth fish. But they are also vital for the ocean's food webs," said project leader Professor Paul Pearson. "Deep-living fish account for a billion tonnes of biomass and are a major food source for whales and dolphins and also large diving fish like tuna and swordfish," Professor Pearson added. If changes to the ocean temperature impacted that stage of the food-chain it could reverberate through the entire planet's ecosystem.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/evolution-of-twilight-zone-ocean-creatures-linked-to-climate-change-12242588
     
         
      U.S. Needs To Cut Emissions By 57% To Meet Paris Agreement Goals Thu, 11th Mar 2021 17:30:00
     
      The United States needs to reduce its emissions by at least 57 percent by 2030 below 2005 levels to fulfill its share of the cuts consistent with the Paris Agreement, which the Biden Administration has rejoined, Climate Action Tracker (CAT) said in a new report on Thursday. After rejoining the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, U.S. President Joe Biden and his Administration are preparing a new 2030 Paris Agreement target, or Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), expected to be announced in time for the Leader’s Climate Summit on Earth Day on April 22. According to CAT’s analysis, the United States now needs to significantly boost its domestic action to reduce emissions and strengthen its own target consistent with the Paris Agreement goals to limit global warming. The U.S. should aim to reduce its national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 57-63 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, Climate Action Tracker said. This target would also be consistent with the U.S. achieving a net-zero emission target by 2050, the analysis showed. However, to make a fair contribution to the Paris Agreement, the U.S. will also need “to provide support to help other countries drive their own transitions to help shape global ambition on climate change,” CAT said. The analysis also examined President Biden’s policies for decarbonizing the U.S. electricity, transport, and building sectors. Decarbonizing the U.S. power sector by 2035 is consistent with a Paris Agreement pathway, but the Administration’s target for cutting emissions from the buildings sector by 50 percent by 2035 will not be compatible with the Paris Agreement, as more aggressive reductions would be needed. In the transportation sector, which is the largest source of emissions in the U.S., “there is still a long way to go,” CAT said. A target compatible with the Paris Agreement would be 95-100 percent of sales of new light-duty vehicles in the U.S. to be zero-emissions at the national level by 2030. The U.S. doesn’t have any such targets or timelines, although President Biden has vowed to replace the almost 650,000-strong federal vehicle fleet with electric cars as part of his climate agenda.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Needs-To-Cut-Emissions-By-57-To-Meet-Paris-Agreement-Goals.html
     
         
      Commitment to post-pandemic ‘green’ recovery falling short, UN-backed study finds Wed, 10th Mar 2021 10:18:00
     
      The study analyses pandemic-related fiscal policies of 50 leading economies and reveals that only $386 billion of the $46 trillion spent last year, could be considered green and sustainable. The research was led by Oxford’s Economic Recovery Project and the Global Recovery Observatory, an initiative based at the university, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “Humanity is facing a pandemic, an economic crisis and an ecological breakdown - we cannot afford to lose on any front”, said Inger Anderson, UNEP’s Executive Director. “Governments have a unique chance to put their countries on sustainable trajectories that prioritize economic opportunity, poverty reduction and planetary health at once - the Observatory gives them the tools to navigate to more sustainable and inclusive recoveries.” Tackle inequalities, stimulate growth The report, Are We Building Back Better? Evidence from 2020 and Pathways for Inclusive Green Recovery Spending, calls for governments to invest more sustainably and tackle inequalities as they stimulate economic growth in the wake of the pandemic. Other key findings reveal just over $66 billion was invested in low carbon energy, mainly due to Spanish and German subsidies for renewable energy projects and hydrogen and infrastructure investments.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086852
     
         
      Commitment to post-pandemic ‘green’ recovery falling short, UN-backed study finds Wed, 10th Mar 2021 10:18:00
     
      The study analyses pandemic-related fiscal policies of 50 leading economies and reveals that only $386 billion of the $46 trillion spent last year, could be considered green and sustainable. The research was led by Oxford’s Economic Recovery Project and the Global Recovery Observatory, an initiative based at the university, together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “Humanity is facing a pandemic, an economic crisis and an ecological breakdown - we cannot afford to lose on any front”, said Inger Anderson, UNEP’s Executive Director. “Governments have a unique chance to put their countries on sustainable trajectories that prioritize economic opportunity, poverty reduction and planetary health at once - the Observatory gives them the tools to navigate to more sustainable and inclusive recoveries.” Tackle inequalities, stimulate growth The report, Are We Building Back Better? Evidence from 2020 and Pathways for Inclusive Green Recovery Spending, calls for governments to invest more sustainably and tackle inequalities as they stimulate economic growth in the wake of the pandemic. Other key findings reveal just over $66 billion was invested in low carbon energy, mainly due to Spanish and German subsidies for renewable energy projects and hydrogen and infrastructure investments.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086852
     
         
      World stands at critical moment to deliver on 2030 Agenda – UN deputy chief Wed, 10th Mar 2021 10:13:00
     
      Multilateral engagement is key to responding to the pandemic and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the deputy chief highlighted the importance of the UN’s strategic partnership with the EU. “It is a critical moment for global action to deliver on the 2030 Agenda. The UN is eager to strengthen this strategic partnership with the EU to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, and the work is more urgent than ever”, she said. Decade of Action The discussion with Hautala focused on the ‘Decade of Action’, an ambitious global effort to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, which commit among other things, to eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development by 2030 worldwide. With less than ten years left to go, many of the goals are still far from being met, including those related to climate and environment, socio-economic inequalities, and human rights. “Progress has been achieved in some areas - improving maternal and child health, expanding access to electricity, and increasing women’s representation in government. But some of these advances are offset elsewhere, by growing food insecurity, deteriorations of the natural environment, and persistent and pervasive inequalities”, Hautala said. The COVID-19 pandemic is further threatening progress made towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. “The pandemic has claimed more than 2.5 million lives and caused an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis that has threatened decades of our advances”, said Ms. Mohammed, who is also Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group. “It has highlighted and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities in Europe and across the world, but it has also underscored the relevance and the urgency of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086902
     
         
      Biden looks to boost offshore wind energy with Mass. project as a model Tue, 9th Mar 2021 11:32:00
     
      Biden aims to double offshore wind production by 2030 as part of his administration’s efforts to combat climate change. A huge wind farm off the Massachusetts coast is edging closer to federal approval, setting up what the Biden administration hopes will be a model for a sharp increase in offshore wind energy development along the East Coast. The Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha’s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would create 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes in New England. If approved, the $2 billion project would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. A smaller wind farm operates near Block Island in waters controlled by the state of Rhode Island.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-looks-boost-offshore-wind-energy-mass-project-model-n1260163
     
         
      Food systems account for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions Tue, 9th Mar 2021 10:56:00
     
      Food system emissions were estimated at 18 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2015, or 34 per cent, though down from 44 per cent in 1990, indicating gradual decline even as these emissions kept increasing. The report was co-authored by Francesco Tubiello, a senior statistician and climate change specialist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with researchers at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. It presents a database, known as EDGAR FOOD, which can be used to assess how changes in consumer behaviour or technology, may impact food system-derived greenhouse gas emissions. EDGAR FOOD incorporates key land-use data for over 245 countries that has been compiled by FAO. The information goes back to 1990 and spans multiple sectors, which will enable tracking of ongoing and future trends. Food systems more energy intensive The report highlights how global food systems are becoming more energy intensive, reflecting trends in retail, packaging, transport and processing, whose emissions are growing rapidly in some developing countries. Roughly two-thirds of food system emissions come from agriculture, land use and changes in land use. The figure is higher for developing countries, but is also declining significantly as deforestation decreases and food processing, refrigeration and other “downstream activities” increase.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086822
     
         
      Oxford Zero Emission Zone: Final consultation completed Tue, 9th Mar 2021 10:41:00
     
      The final public consultation on making Oxford a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) has been completed. Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council sought feedback on rules that could be introduced in August. Under the plan non-zero emission vehicles using the zones between 07:00 and 19:00 would be subject to charges. Yvonne Constance, the county council's cabinet member for environment, said it would make the city a "healthier and cleaner place for all". The latest consultation was launched in November after the previous one was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A pilot is due to start on Bonn Square, Queen Street, Cornmarket, part of Market Street, Ship Street, St Michael's Street, New Inn Hall Street, and Shoe Lane, in the so-called "red zone". A wider ZEZ covering the rest of the city centre is expected to be introduced in spring 2022. Oxfordshire County Council said it had made several changes following the consultation, including: - Residents within the zone to get a 90% discount until 2030 - Businesses within the zone to get a 90% discount until 2025 - Blue badge holders exempt until 2025 - Care and health workers carrying out formal duties exempt - Certain hybrid private hire vehicles to get 50% discount until 2025 - Students delivering or collecting at the beginning and end of terms in "acute financial hardship" exempt
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-56333716
     
         
      Bialowieza: Poland to resume logging in primeval forest Tue, 9th Mar 2021 10:31:00
     
      Poland is to resume logging in the primeval Bialowieza forest. The forest, a Unesco World Heritage Site shared with Belarus, was the centre of discord between the EU and Poland from 2016 to 2018. Logging was suspended in 2018 after the European Court of Justice ruled that Poland had broken EU law by felling trees that were older than 100 years. The government says logging is needed to clear paths and protect trees from an infestation of spruce bark beetle. Officials have been working on new forest management quotas to increase tree felling, and the Polish climate and environment ministry signed new quotas for two of the three forestry districts on Tuesday. The European Commission has previously threatened Poland with financial penalties if it does not comply with the ECJ ruling.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56341837
     
         
      Land could be worth more left to nature than when farmed, study finds Mon, 8th Mar 2021 16:12:00
     
      The economic benefits of protecting nature-rich sites such as wetlands and woodlands outweigh the profit that could be made from using the land for resource extraction, according to the largest study yet to look at the value of protecting nature at specific locations. Scientists analysed 24 sites in six continents and found the asset returns of “ecosystem services” such as carbon storage and flood prevention created by conservation work was, pound for pound, greater than manmade capital created by using the land for activities such as forestry or farming cereals, sugar, tea or cocoa. The study, which was led by academics at Cambridge University with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), suggests further modifying nature for human use could be costing society more than it benefits it, but these “natural capital” costs are often not taken into account by decision-makers. It echoes the findings of a landmark review released last month by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, the Cambridge economist, which warned that the failure of economics to take into account the depletion of the natural world was putting the planet at “extreme risk”. For the latest study, scientists worked out the annual net value of the chosen sites if they stayed “nature-focused” compared with an “alternative” non-nature focused state over 50 years. They valued each tonne of carbon as worth $31 (£22) to global society, a calculation generally considered to be quite conservative. More than 70% of these nature-rich sites were found to be worth more in net economic benefits to people if they were left as natural habitats, and all forested sites were worth more with the trees left standing, according to the paper, published in Nature Sustainability. This suggests that even if people were only interested in money – and not nature – conserving these habitats still makes financial sense. Researchers found a salt marsh called Hesketh Out Marsh on the Ribble estuary in Lancashire, was worth $2,000 (£1,450) a hectare ($800 an acre) in mitigating carbon emissions alone, which was greater than any money that could be made from growing crops or grazing animals on it. Many ecosystem services are still not easily evaluated economically and the results are likely to be conservative estimates, researchers say. The study’s lead author, Dr Richard Bradbury, head of environmental research at the RSPB and an honorary fellow at Cambridge University, said: “As a conservation scientist at RSPB, you have to be acutely aware of your potential prejudices and be as neutral as possible in the analysis. Yet I was still surprised at how strongly the results favoured conservation and restoration.” This analysis assumes that carbon is properly accounted for, but even without taking into account the value of carbon, natural sites are still more valuable 42% of the time when left as they are. Dr Kelvin Peh, of Southampton University, a co-author of the study, said: “People mainly exploit nature to derive financial benefits. Yet in almost half of the cases we studied, human-induced exploitation subtracted rather than increased economic value.” Converting land for farming is sometimes driven by government subsidies, which encourages the production of goods that do not pay for themselves on the market. This is partly why the UK’s post-Brexit farming policy is moving towards a new environmental land management (ELM) system, which will pay farmers for environmental services their land provides. “The spirit of ELMs in England is spot on,” said Bradbury. The authors insist that their study should not be used to argue for widespread abandonment of human-dominated landscapes, but said it shows there are lessons to learn about the way we treat natural capital. “We dismiss the flow of services that aren’t easily captured on markets at our peril,” said Bradbury. “As much as I’d like the world to work in a different way, people make economic decisions on the basis of information like this.” Researchers used a system called TESSA (Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment) to calculate the monetary value of land depending on which ecosystem services it provided. Some sites were as small as 10 hectares in size, others were thousands of hectares. Most of them were forests and wetlands, but also included were habitats such as grasslands and sand dunes. Dr Alexander Lees, a tropical ecologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, who was not involved in the study, said the paper’s “robust global analysis” was a reminder of the value of the planet’s remaining wild spaces. “The policy implications are clear: land ownership is a privilege which comes with great responsibility,” he said. “We should incentivise and reward nature-focused land management with subsidies or payment for ecosystem services whilst penalising those who manage land unsustainably via taxes and regulation.” Prof Ben Groom, a biodiversity economist at Exeter University who was not involved in the study, said the TESSA sites were quite selective and the results may not be representative of the financial benefits of protecting natural sites more generally. “This is a call for more analysis of such interventions, not a criticism of this study, which does the best possible in a difficult area where there is not much data to speak of,” he said. Groom added: “The general nature of land-use decisions by large organisations in agriculture and forestry, and the difficulties faced by local communities to realise ecosystem services, are not discussed a great deal. The paper highlights that addressing these missing parts of the puzzle is going to be worth it in terms of local and global ecosystem services.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/08/land-could-be-worth-more-left-to-nature-than-when-farmed-study-finds-aoe
     
         
      Humans Now Control The Majority of All Surface Freshwater Fluctuations on Earth Mon, 8th Mar 2021 14:57:00
     
      A regime change of almost unimaginable scale has taken place in the natural world, reflecting humanity's vast and growing dominance over one of our planet's most vital resources: freshwater.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-have-seized-control-of-the-majority-of-all-surface-freshwater-on-earth
     
         
      Carbon-negative crops may mean water shortages for 4.5 billion people Mon, 8th Mar 2021 10:54:00
     
      Billions more people could have difficulty accessing water if the world opts for a massive expansion in growing energy crops to fight climate change, research has found. The idea of growing crops and trees to absorb CO2 and capturing the carbon released when they are burned for energy is a central plank to most of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s scenarios for the negative emissions approaches needed to avoid the catastrophic impacts of more than 1.5°C of global warming. But the technology, known as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), could prove a cure worse than the disease, at least when it comes to water stress. Fabian Stenzel at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and his colleagues project that the water needed to irrigate enough energy crops to stay under the 1.5°C limit would leave 4.58 billion people experiencing high water stress by 2100 – up from 2.28 billion today. That is 300 million more people than a scenario in which BECCS isn’t used at scale and warming spirals to a devastating 3°C. “I was a little bit shocked. The takeaway message is, so far, we haven’t looked at side effects enough. To limit all the trade-offs that we might face in terms of climate change and climate change mitigation, it’s really important to look at the holistic Earth system,” says Stenzel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2270227-carbon-negative-crops-may-mean-water-shortages-for-4-5-billion-people/
     
         
      Global Warming’s Deadly Combination: Heat and Humidity Mon, 8th Mar 2021 10:48:00
     
      A new study suggests that large swaths of the tropics will experience dangerous living and working conditions if global warming isn’t limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Here’s one more reason the world should aim to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal of the international Paris Agreement: It will help keep the tropics from becoming a deadly hothouse. A study published Monday suggests that sharply cutting emissions of greenhouse gases to stay below that limit, which is equivalent to about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit of warming since 1900, will help the tropics avoid episodes of high heat and high humidity — known as extreme wet-bulb temperature, or TW — that go beyond the limits of human survival. “An important problem of climate research is what a global warming target means for local extreme weather events,” said Yi Zhang, a graduate student in geosciences at Princeton University and the study’s lead author. “This work addresses such a problem for extreme TW.” The study is in line with other recent research showing that high heat and humidity are potentially one of the deadliest consequences of global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/climate/climate-change-heat-tropics.html
     
         
      Climate change: Kerry urges top polluters to cut emissions now Mon, 8th Mar 2021 10:37:00
     
      US climate change envoy John Kerry has urged the world's top 20 polluters which create 81% of emissions between them to reduce CO2 immediately. He was speaking after meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other senior UK figures in London to plan two upcoming international climate summits. He praised the UK for phasing out coal, and for its "ambitious" climate goals. But he told BBC Newsnight that the UK - along with other major nations - must deliver their proposed emissions cuts. "China, the US, Russia, India, the EU, Korea, Japan and others all have to be part of this effort," he said. "Twenty countries. Eighty one percent of the emissions." Asked during the interview whether the UK should be planning a controversial new coal mine in Cumbria, he replied: "The marketplace has made a decision that coal is not the future. - Government has no climate change plan - MPs - No 'green revolution' in Budget, critics say - COP26: What, where, when?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56321456
     
         
      Could lab-grown meat help tackle climate change? Mon, 8th Mar 2021 10:27:00
     
      Last year, Singapore became the first country to allow the sale of lab-grown meat. BBC Minute takes a look at what lab-grown meat is and whether it could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Producer: Mora Morrison
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56294169
     
         
      Gas Imports Surge As China Sees Coldest Winter In Decades Mon, 8th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      Natural gas imports to China jumped by 17.4 percent on the year in the first two months of the year to 28.68 billion cubic meters thanks to the coldest winter in decades, according to Platts data. The harsh winter in Asia drove a huge spike in demand for natural gas in the region, which led to a surge in spot market LNG prices. Now, this demand is retreating, and prices are down to more normal levels. China is among the world’s top natural gas importers, along with Japan and South Korea, and therefore a prime target for gas exporters. PetroChina, for example, doubled the amount of Russian gas it receives via the Power of Siberia pipeline to 28.8 million cu m daily over the first two months of the year. Sinopec, for its part, ordered 30 cargos of liquefied natural gas for the period to make sure there was an adequate supply of the fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Gas-Imports-Surge-As-China-Sees-Coldest-Winter-In-Decades.html
     
         
      Danish pension group criticised for fossil fuel exposure Sun, 7th Mar 2021 14:45:00
     
      Leverage our market expertise Expert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends, risks and opportunities. Join over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/88b07cc1-544b-472e-b399-b11a029046cc
     
         
      UK coal mine plan pits local needs against global green ambitions Sun, 7th Mar 2021 14:24:00
     
      Energy coverage from Saudi Arabia to Texas Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy. Don’t miss our exclusive newsletter, Energy Source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/0e731ce2-1f45-4f50-bcb2-729467156d75
     
         
      Things are hotting up in quest for energy’s holy grail: nuclear fusion Sun, 7th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Several times a day, for a few seconds, a village in rural Oxfordshire becomes the hottest place in the solar system. Culham, population 450, is the site of the world’s most powerful nuclear fusion experiment. And this summer it is set to make history as scientists prepare for the biggest advance in decades on the road to limitless energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/things-are-hotting-up-in-quest-for-energys-holy-grail-nuclear-fusion-dqcb0l906
     
         
      Getting to net zero isn't all pain and expense - there are huge opportunities for Australia Sat, 6th Mar 2021 19:00:00
     
      Opponents of net zero emissions targets and the policies required to get there like to frame their arguments around the political ideology of climate change. Left versus right, cities versus regions and so on. But the warming of the planet is not some arbitrary political concept one either subscribes to or doesn’t — it is a scientific reality that we have to deal with. Anyone with even the mildest interest in climate change and emissions policy has no doubt noticed the increasing pace at which the current landscape is shifting. International commitments to net zero emissions by 2050 are coming thick and fast in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow later this year. With this growing pace, Australia is fast becoming isolated as one of the few major advanced economies which has not yet committed to a scientifically compatible mid-century net zero emissions target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/07/getting-to-net-zero-isnt-all-pain-and-expense-there-are-huge-opportunities-for-australia
     
         
      Launching The World’s Largest Carbon Credit System Sat, 6th Mar 2021 14:00:00
     
      Late last year, in a shockingly ambitious pledge, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced that his country would reach peak domestic greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade and that China would bring its carbon footprint all the way down to net zero by just 2060. The targets are as timely as they are ambitious; according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the world’s premier authority on the issue) we have just a decade left to change our emissions outputs drastically enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. So it’s great news for all of us that China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter by a considerable margin, is getting serious about curbing their carbon footprint. However, there remains a considerable gap--nay, a chasm--between Beijing’s lofty climate-friendly rhetoric and the country’s actual and projected emissions--both of which are hefty to say the least. China currently produces about a third of the world’s total carbon emissions each year (to the tune of more than 10 gigatonnes), with about a third of those emissions coming directly from coal. While Beijing has sped to ramp up domestic clean energy production in recent years, the world’s second-largest economy is still dependent on the especially dirty fossil fuel for over half of its power production. In fact, at the same time that President Xi has touted Beijing’s climate goals, much of the country has gone back to coal for reasons of energy and economic security. As of last year, according to reporting by Forbes, China was either presently adding or planning to add more coal-fired capacity than the present total capacity of either the U.S. or India. And that’s just domestic--China has considerably increased overseas coal production as well.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Launching-The-Worlds-Largest-Carbon-Credit-System.html
     
         
      Air pollution: Most schools fail to restrict parking Sat, 6th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Fewer than one in 100 primary schools outside London have imposed restrictions on traffic during drop-off and pick-up periods, potentially exposing children to high levels of toxic emissions, according to research. A study shows that only 0.7 per cent of primaries outside the capital have put road closures in place for the school run, despite government requests. Researchers said there was a “significant imbalance” in the distribution of “school street” schemes that have been championed by ministers to encourage more children to walk or cycle. In London 320 primaries — or 17.6 per cent — have some form of traffic restrictions, often using cameras or barriers to prevent parking close by. However, the number drops to 107 — or 0.7 per cent – outside London.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/air-pollution-most-schools-fail-to-restrict-parking-xxvc6z7rz
     
         
      Money is pouring into carbon removal technologies, but the companies involved struggle to pay for it Sat, 6th Mar 2021 9:00:00
     
      Experts agree that lowering our carbon emissions is no longer enough. In a 2018 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that, if we are to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to actually remove between 100 to 1,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the 21st century. Carbon removal can be done naturally by planting trees or improving carbon storage in the soil through more sustainable farming practices, such as crop rotation and improved cattle management. But a number of companies are also working on engineered solutions for carbon removal. The process, which is known as direct air capture, sucks CO2 straight out of the atmosphere and buries the captured CO2 underground.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/06/why-companies-in-carbon-removal-tech-struggle-to-pay-for-it.html
     
         
      Government has no climate change plan - MPs Fri, 5th Mar 2021 13:47:00
     
      The government has been hit by a double whammy of reports from MPs criticising its performance on climate change. The influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says ministers have "no plan" to meet climate change targets, two years after setting them in law. And the business committee says the vital UN climate conference scheduled for Glasgow in November will fail unless its goals are made clear. The government says both reports are inaccurate and unfair. The PAC's report says ministers still don't have a coordinated strategy to realise the goal of removing almost all the carbon emissions from Britain by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56285239
     
         
      National Trust maps out climate threats to historic places Fri, 5th Mar 2021 13:45:00
     
      The National Trust has mapped climate change threats to its stately homes, countryside and coastline. The map paints a "stark picture", which will help plan interventions to save its sites, says the charity. The data is based on a "worst-case scenario" where emissions of heat-trapping gases continue unabated. Sites facing a high level of threat from the likes of extreme heat or flooding could rise from 5% in 2020 to 17% in 2060, the map predicts. The map will be used to help pinpoint locations for peat bog restoration to counteract flooding or tree planting to provide shade in areas likely to experience high temperatures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56287005
     
         
      Offshore Oil & Gas Projects Set For Record Recovery Fri, 5th Mar 2021 13:30:00
     
      Operators are expected to commit to developing a record number of offshore oil and gas projects over the next five years, with deepwater projects set for the most impressive growth, Rystad Energy said in a new report this week. The energy research firm has defined in its analysis a project as ‘committed’ when more than 25 percent of its overall greenfield capital expenditure (capex) is awarded through contracts. Offshore oil and gas development is not only set to recover from the pandemic shock to prices and demand, which forced operators to slash development expenditures and delay projects. It is set for a new record in project commitments in the five-year period to 2025, according to Rystad Energy. Offshore oil has already started to show signs of emerging from last year’s crisis, as costs have been slashed since the previous downturn of 2015-2016. Deepwater oil breakevens have dropped to below those of U.S. shale supply, making deepwater one of the cheapest new sources of oil supply globally, Rystad Energy said last year. In its new report this week, the energy research firm expects 592 offshore project commitments between 2021 and 2025, up from 355 projects in the 2016-2020 period and up from the 478 project commitments in the period 2011 to 2015. Over the next five years, deepwater is set to show the most impressive growth in the number of commitments, with the number of projects rising to 181 from 106 in 2016-2020 and 115 in the five years before that, Rystad Energy has estimated. “The search for large new fields in deep and remote waters became much more economically viable after dayrates for drilling rigs and offshore supply vessels fell in the wake of the oil price crash in 2014 and 2015. This offers significant support for companies interested in deepwater,” said Rajiv Chandrasekhar, energy service analyst at Rystad Energy.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Offshore-Oil-Gas-Projects-Set-For-Record-Recovery.html
     
         
      Antarctica: Close-up view of crack that made mega-iceberg Fri, 5th Mar 2021 13:02:00
     
      Very high resolution imagery has been released of the crack that resulted in the calving of Antarctica's latest mega-iceberg. A74, as the 1,290-sq-km (500-sq-mile) block is known, broke away from the Brunt Ice Shelf exactly a week ago. The new pictures from last Saturday show the widening "North Rift" a day after calving. They were acquired by the UK satellite Vision-1 for the British Antarctic Survey. BAS has its Halley Research Station on the Brunt, positioned about 23km from the rift. Also in the hands of BAS is new radar imagery captured on Thursday by the EU's Sentinel-1 spacecraft. This gives a wider view of the 150m-thick A74 pushing out into Antarctica's Weddell Sea.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56294690
     
         
      National Trust's climate change threat map a 'game-changer' Fri, 5th Mar 2021 11:34:00
     
      A "game-changing" new map shows the threats climate change may have on the UK's stately homes and landscapes. The National Trust warns the number of its sites facing a high level of threat from issues such as coastal erosion, extreme heat and flooding could rise from 5% to 17% over the next 40 years. Its map plots a worst-case scenario where nothing is done over that time to drive down global carbon emissions. The charity says planning for the worst will help it protect sites effectively. The map is intended to help highlight potential future hazards in heritage or countryside sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56284831
     
         
      Budget 2021: No 'green revolution' from Sunak Thu, 4th Mar 2021 16:23:00
     
      Critics have said Budget measures did not go far enough to address the scale of the challenge of climate change. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a change to the Bank of England's remit as part of green measures in the Budget. He also confirmed a infrastructure bank to invest mainly in green projects. But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Budget stopped "way short" of the action needed to tackle the climate emergency. Mr Sunak shielded drivers from a fuel duty rise and he clawed back money from a key home insulation scheme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56270528
     
         
      Then and now: A 'megadrought' in California Thu, 4th Mar 2021 15:06:00
     
      In our monthly feature, Then and Now, we reveal some of the ways that planet Earth has been changing against the backdrop of a warming world. Here, we look at the effects of extreme weather on a crucial reservoir that supplies water to millions of people in northern California. This year is likely to be critically dry for California. Winter storms that dumped heavy snow and rain across the state are not expected to be substantial enough to counterbalance drought conditions. Lake Oroville plays a key role in California's complex water delivery system.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56225862
     
         
      Amazonian groups sue French supermarket chain over deforestation Thu, 4th Mar 2021 14:00:00
     
      French supermarket chain Casino is being sued by indigenous groups from the Amazon, for allegedly selling beef linked to deforestation. The 11 indigenous groups, backed by NGOs in the US and France, are seeking €3.1m ($3.7m; £2.7m) in damages. In a statement, the groups linked Casino meat to an area of deforestation "five times the size of Paris". Casino told AFP and Reuters news agencies that it took a "rigorous" approach to its supply chains. The company is being taken to court under a French law enacted in 2017. Under the law, businesses must avoid human rights and environmental violations in their supply chains. The indigenous groups from Brazil and Colombia have accused Casino of "damages done to their customary lands and the impact on their livelihoods". In the statement they said deforestation in South America, particularly in Brazil, was mainly driven by cattle ranching.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56278819
     
         
      International climate scientists join call to halt Leeds Bradford airport expansion Thu, 4th Mar 2021 13:47:00
     
      Leading international climate scientists are among more than 200 academics who have written to the government calling on it to halt what they say would be an ecologically destructive expansion of Leeds Bradford airport. Almost 250 professors, academics and researchers from Leeds University, including two of the lead authors of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, have written to Robert Jenrick, the minister for housing, communities and local government, predicting dire consequences for the climate crisis if the plans go ahead. They argue the proposals would breach guidelines set out by the Climate Change Committee in its sixth carbon budget, published in December, and make it “much more difficult and costly” for the UK to achieve its net zero climate targets. Prof Julia Steinberger, a lead author with the IPCC, said: “The Leeds Bradford airport expansion represents a firm commitment to worsening climate breakdown now and in the future … If we want to avoid the worsening of the greatest threat humanity has ever faced, we must ramp down fossil-fuelled sectors.” The plans for the airport, which would allow passenger numbers to increase from 4 to 7 million a year by 2030, were given conditional approval by Leeds city council last month, despite widespread opposition from local MPs, residents and environmental groups.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/04/international-climate-scientists-join-call-to-halt-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion
     
         
      Britain is second best in the world at cutting carbon emissions Thu, 4th Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      Britain has one of the world’s best records on cutting emissions since the Paris agreement on climate change five years ago but reductions globally must increase tenfold to meet the treaty’s targets, a study has found. UK carbon dioxide emissions declined by an average of 3.6 per cent a year during 2016-19 compared with an average fall of 0.8 per cent among high-income countries. Only Ukraine had a faster rate of decline among those, down 4 per cent a year, according to the research led by University of East Anglia and Stanford University
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-is-second-best-in-the-world-at-cutting-carbon-emissions-3cc0rmrw6
     
         
      Climate change: Will China take a 'great leap' to a greener economy? Thu, 4th Mar 2021 11:11:00
     
      Tackling climate change may emerge as a key goal for China when it unveils its future economic roadmap in Beijing on Friday. The 14th five-year plan will be the blueprint for the country's short-term development. It's expected to outline stronger steps in limiting carbon from the world's biggest emitter. But concerns over the impact on the economy could stem the shift towards greener policies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56271465
     
         
      Is This The World’s Next Big Offshore Oil Region? Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 17:00:00
     
      The COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 crude oil price crash and ongoing global petroleum supply glut have done little to slow the growth of South America’s massive offshore oil boom. The colossal oil boom underway in the tiny South American nation of Guyana is gaining momentum, while Suriname is on the cusp of experiencing its own and the region’s largest economy Brazil is now the world’s tenth largest oil producer. It is their booming offshore oil industries which will be responsible for South America becoming the world’s leading offshore petroleum producing regions, even surpassing North America. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 oil price crash, Brazil’s offshore oil industry experienced strong growth. Annual average hydrocarbon output grew 5% year over year to barrels of oil equivalent daily. It was Brazil’s pre-salt oilfields and national oil company Petrobras’ focus on developing those ultra-deep-water fields which was responsible for that healthy growth. Pre-salt oil output soared by almost 18% to 2.6 million barrels daily to make up 69% of Brazil’s total hydrocarbon output. Petrobras announced its best-yet operational results, including record exports and annual average oil production of 2.28 million barrels per day. For January 2021, Brazil’s national oil company’s exports reached a new peak of 19.3 million barrels through its Angra dos Reis terminal. Unflagging demand from China, even at the height of the global pandemic, was responsible for Brazil’s strong 2020 performance. Latin America’s largest oil producer, by the end of 2020, was the fourth largest petroleum supplier to the world’s second largest economy. This can be attributed, in part, to the January 2020 introduction of IMO2020 which significantly reduced the sulfur content of maritime fuels causing the popularity of Brazil’s pre-salt Buzios and Lula crude oil varieties to soar. It is the attractive economics of Brazil’s pre-salt oil region which will drive greater investment and production growth. Many of those assets are pumping sweet medium grade crude oil at a breakeven price of $35 per barrel or even less, making them highly profitable in an operating environment where Brent is expected to average $60 to $70 per barrel.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Is-This-The-Worlds-Next-Big-Offshore-Oil-Region.html
     
         
      Ingka Group (IKEA) Case Study: Co-Creating Zero Emission Deliveries Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 15:25:00
     
      IKEA Retail (Ingka Group) is no stranger to issues around supply and volume of commercial electric vehicles. With a target to achieve zero emission deliveries globally by 2025, there is no time to wait around for the solutions to come to them. Instead, IKEA is co-creating fit-for-purpose vehicles themselves. Developing a vehicle suited to their needs required strong collaboration, which they found from OEMs Renault and MAN. The result is a 20m3 box body truck enabling the company to load its vans with full pallets specific to IKEA’s needs, with a range capable of reaching most of their customers in cities from stores or logistics centres. The bespoke design enables them to optimise deliveries and reduce the number of vehicles on the road.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theclimategroup.org/ev100-ingka-group-case-study
     
         
      IEA Head: India’s Coal Exit Cannot Happen Without Financial Support Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 14:30:00
     
      India and other developing nations should get international financial support, as well as strong government commitment and aid, in order to phase out coal and contribute to emissions reduction, Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said on Wednesday at an energy event. The world as a whole needs to exit coal, he said, but noted that for many coal-dependent nations, including India, the exit would need a lot of international financial assistance, and it would not be fair to ask emerging economies to stop using coal without support. “Therefore it is extremely important on how we on one hand get out of the coal and at the same time do not have a negative impact on emerging markets,” Birol said at the Energy Horizons Leadership Dialogue organized by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), cited by Indian outlet PTI. “So in my view, we have to exit coal worldwide,” the head of the IEA said. “But how we make this transition needs on one hand domestic governments to move and make the right decisions, and at the same time we need some change support from the international financial architecture,” Birol added.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/IEA-Head-Indias-Coal-Exit-Cannot-Happen-Without-Financial-Support.html
     
         
      UN report calls for scaling-up carbon capture, use and storage Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 14:21:00
     
      The net-zero emissions goal is crucial to limit global warming, as outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the technology brief calls for rapid scale-up of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). The process involves capturing CO2 emissions from coal and gas power plants, and from heavy industry, for deep underground storage or re-use. UNECE said large-scale deployment of CCUS technology in the region would allow countries to “decarbonize” these sectors, thus bridging the gap until “next generation” carbon energy technologies become available.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086312
     
         
      Protect forests for ‘people, planet and prosperity’, Guterres urges on World Wildlife Day Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 14:14:00
     
      “In so doing, we will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for people, planet and prosperity”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message commemorating World Wildlife Day. Highlighting the benefits of forests, home to about 80 per cent of all terrestrial wild species, Mr. Guterres explained that “they help regulate the climate and support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people”. Providing livelihoods and cultural identity In addition, forests resources support, in one way or another, about 90 per cent of the world’s poorest people, a fact especially true for indigenous communities that live in or near them.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086222
     
         
      Seawater-splitting system could scale-up renewable hydrogen production Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 14:09:00
     
      Saltwater could be used to produce green hydrogen using a system that combines electrochemical water splitting with forward osmosis. The approach could allow up-scaling of hydrogen fuel production using the planet’s predominantly salty natural water sources without pre-treatment or purification. Using solar energy to electrochemically split water into oxygen and hydrogen, akin to how plants photosynthesise, shows much promise for renewable energy. The hydrogen that’s liberated can then be mixed with carbon dioxide to make hydrogen fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/seawater-splitting-system-could-scale-up-renewable-hydrogen-production/4013332.article
     
         
      'UK first' nuclear fusion plan for Nottinghamshire power station Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 14:01:00
     
      A "groundbreaking" nuclear fusion reactor could be built on the site of a coal power station in Nottinghamshire. Fusion is a potential source of almost limitless clean energy but is currently only carried out in experiments. The government is seeking sites to build what it said would be the UK's, and potentially the world's, first prototype commercial reactor. Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, which is due to be decommissioned, is set to be put forward by a council.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-56256144
     
         
      Wales farming pollution rules row set for Senedd vote Wed, 3rd Mar 2021 13:47:00
     
      A long-running row over plans to limit the use of slurry and fertiliser on farmland in Wales in a bid to tackle agricultural pollution is set to culminate in the Senedd later. Opposition parties will try to scrap strict new rules the Welsh Government hopes to bring in from April. Farmers expressed "fury" and unions say it could cost the industry £360m. But the fishing community and environment groups say it is vital the plans go ahead. The Welsh Government says it has to act as there are on average three agricultural pollution incidents a week that kill fish and other wildlife, as well as threatening public health.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56255009
     
         
      Nuclear fusion power plant could be created in Nottinghamshire Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 18:33:00
     
      Nottinghamshire may be in the running to become the home of the UK’s future nuclear fusion programme as part of a nationwide initiative to find suitable locations led by the Atomic Energy Authority. Discussions are taking place between Nottinghamshire County Council and various stakeholders across the region as to whether a site close to the existing Ratcliffe on Soar power plant should be put up as a potential location for the UK's next nuclear plant.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nuclear-fusion-power-plant-could-5062689
     
         
      County Fermanagh bog restoration a mossy business Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:53:00
     
      A bog in County Fermanagh is being harvested in a bid to combat climate change. Workers are collecting brightly-coloured sphagnum mosses, with the aim of supercharging peatland restoration by speeding up its growth. The sphagnum tips are included in a liquid mix that is powerhosed over areas that have been restrored after forestry felling. The scheme is part of an EU-funded NI Water pilot, which aims to restore the bog with a view to it helping to store carbon and bring back wildlife.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-56247214
     
         
      Climate change: Private hydropower schemes 'on cliff edge' Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:49:00
     
      Private hydropower schemes are "on a cliff edge" in Wales due to a decision to withdraw business rate relief for some projects from April, according to the British Hydropower Association. It wants the Welsh government to follow Scotland's example where the rate relief scheme was extended until 2032. In Wales, it is estimated it would cost less than £500,000 a year. The Welsh government said over half of Wales' energy needs were met through renewable sources. It said this included a 2% contribution from 363 hydropower projects, and it had "no evidence of any projects ceasing to operate due to unsustainable costs".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56242378
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: Rewilding plan for College Green rally site Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:45:00
     
      A rewilding project will start at the site in Bristol that hosted a climate rally attended by Greta Thunberg. Greta, 18, spoke at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate at College Green on 28 February 2020, which was attended by more than 15,000 people. A fundraiser to repair the green that was left without grass has raised £15,575 and another £5,000 has been donated by a green energy company. Meadows will be created at the site following lawn repairs. The Bristol and Bath Parks Foundation has been the custodian of funds to repair the green after an appeal was started by resident Jon Usher.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-56237863
     
         
      Price of going net zero about to be driven home for Britons Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:36:00
     
      Energy coverage from Saudi Arabia to Texas Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy. Don’t miss our exclusive newsletter, Energy Source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/fdbfd592-4455-44be-a1b1-a689ee32e2aa
     
         
      Brussels probes Germany's €4.35 billion coal plant pay-off plan Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:25:00
     
      Brussels announced on Tuesday that it has launched an in-depth probe into plans by Berlin to compensate coal-fired power plants for their early closure. Germany has planned to phase out coal from its energy mix by 2038. As part of this, it has proposed to give €4.35 billion to plant operators to compensate for lost profits due to the early closures. But the European Commission believes the funds proposed by Berlin may constitute state aid and violate EU rules.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/02/brussels-probes-germany-s-4-35-billion-coal-plant-pay-off-plan
     
         
      Secretary-General urges countries to end ‘deadly addiction’ to coal Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:23:00
     
      Addressing members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the UN chief stressed that keeping temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is achievable over this decade. “Once upon a time, coal brought cheap electricity to entire regions and vital jobs to communities. Those days are gone”, he said in a video message. “Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5 degree goal.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086132
     
         
      Toyota packages up a 'crate' fuel cell module you can use for anything Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 14:14:00
     
      Fuel cells generate electricity from hydrogen, so they're a key part of the powertrain for hydrogen-powered electric vehicles and aircraft. But they can also be useful in a range of other applications, and in order to promote developments outside its own product lineup, Toyota has packaged up a fuel cell module you can buy more or less like a crate engine, ready to plumb into whatever device you'd like to power with hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://newatlas.com/energy/toyota-fuel-cell-module/
     
         
      Lithuania to start supplying LNG to Poland next year Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 13:54:00
     
      Lithuanian state-controlled energy company Ignitis Group will start supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Poland next year when a new pipeline between the two countries comes online, its CEO said on Monday (1 March). The pipeline between Poland and Lithuania, called GIPL, is due to be completed by December 2021 and will also give Finland, Estonia and Latvia access to pipeline gas from continental Europe. The region currently imports pipeline gas from Russia and LNG via an import terminal at Lithuania’s Klaipeda port. “As GIPL comes online, we expect to begin gas exports to Poland, similarly to what we did in Finland,” Ignitis Group CEO Darius Maikstenas told an online press conference on Monday. “Potentially, most of the gas would be LNG from the port of Klaipeda,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/lithuania-to-start-supplying-lng-to-poland-next-year/
     
         
      Volvo Cars to go fully electric by 2030 Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 12:51:00
     
      Volvo Cars is only going to sell electric vehicles by 2030, the Swedish firm has said. It will phase out all car models with internal combustion engines by then, including hybrids. The carmaker is also planning to invest heavily in online sales and simplifying its products. It is trying to capitalise on growing demand for electric cars, including in China, which is already one of its biggest markets. Carmakers are also responding to pressure from governments around the world to beef up their electric car plans. New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, for example. Volvo's chief technology officer, Henrik Green, said the company needed to switch focus: "There is no long-term future for cars with an internal combustion engine."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56245618
     
         
      The Times view on ‘green’ cars: Electric Shocker Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 12:01:00
     
      It is unlikely to come as news to any owner of a plug-in hybrid car that their fuel economy is nowhere near as impressive as claimed. Typically marketed as a cleaner, greener alternative to internal combustion engine cars and a transitional alternative to fully electric vehicles, they are also billed as cheaper to run, as the driver has the option of using the small electric battery for short journeys rather than the petrol or diesel engine. Yet a new study by consumer group Which? suggests that these cars in fact use up to four times as much fuel as advertised, leading to far higher running costs and increased emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-times-view-on-green-cars-electric-shocker-hjm980mzg
     
         
      Fossil fuel emissions in danger of surpassing pre-Covid levels Tue, 2nd Mar 2021 6:00:00
     
      The world has only a few months to prevent the energy industry’s carbon emissions from surpassing pre-pandemic levels this year as economies begin to rebound from Covid-19 restrictions, according to the International Energy Agency. New figures from the global energy watchdog found that fossil fuel emissions climbed steadily over the second half of the year as major economies began to recover. By December 2020, carbon emissions were 2% higher than in the same month the year before.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/02/fossil-fuel-emissions-in-danger-of-surpassing-pre-covid-levels
     
         
      'A duty of care': Australian teenagers take their climate crisis plea to court Mon, 1st Mar 2021 16:30:00
     
      Eight teenagers and an octogenarian nun head to an Australian court on Tuesday to launch what they hope will prove to be a landmark case – one that establishes the federal government’s duty of care in protecting future generations from a worsening climate crisis. If successful, the people behind the class action believe it may set a precedent that stops the government approving new fossil fuel projects. As with any novel legal argument, its chances of success are unclear, but the case is not happening in isolation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/02/a-duty-of-care-australian-teenagers-take-their-climate-crisis-plea-to-court
     
         
      Hydrogen project pipeline tops $300bn, UK installs hydrogen homes, progress for solid-oxide electrolysis Mon, 1st Mar 2021 14:15:00
     
      The pipeline of investment in projects focused on developing hydrogen production, distribution or applications by 2030 current exceeds US$300bn, according to the latest report from the Hydrogen Council and McKinsey. With the acceleration in hydrogen project developments last year and into 2021, leading to renewable hydrogen production costs falling rapidly, one of the main conclusions of the report was that a major hurdle for governments and industry now is to improve transmission and distribution costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/941822/hydrogen-project-pipeline-tops-300bn-uk-installs-hydrogen-homes-progress-for-solid-oxide-electrolysis-941822.html
     
         
      A third of top UK firms' CO2 emissions not in line with global climate goals Mon, 1st Mar 2021 13:02:00
     
      Three out of 10 of the UK’s biggest public companies emit carbon dioxide at a rate that would contribute significantly to the climate crisis, according to analysis that shows the scale of the challenge for corporate Britain to cut emissions to zero. Thirty-one members of the FTSE 100, the index of Britain’s largest listed companies, are emitting carbon dioxide at a rate consistent with global temperature increases of 2.7C or more by 2050, according to analysis by Arabesque, a company that provides climate data to investors. Highlighting the mounting risks to the planet, the rise would be above the target set under the 2015 Paris climate accords to limit global heating to below 2C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C. A temperature rise of 2.7C is thought to be likely to lead to severe damage to the environment and to human life.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/01/a-third-of-top-uk-firms-emit-enough-co2-to-push-up-global-warming-by-27c
     
         
      Examining the Limits of ‘Energy Return on Investment’ Mon, 1st Mar 2021 12:49:00
     
      The energy transition isn’t just sounding the death knell for fossil fuels. According to some experts, it has also revealed flaws in an idea that has bugged some academics for decades: As we move to less energy-dense fuels, could we end up without enough surplus for society? At the heart of this debate is one of the most important physical metrics you’ve never heard of: energy return on investment, or EROI. Devised in the 1980s by systems ecologist Charles A.S. Hall and others, the basic principle behind EROI, also called energy returned on energy invested, is simple: A source of energy is only useful if you can get more energy out of it than what you put in.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/examining-the-limits-of-energy-return-on-investment
     
         
      A Texas city had a bold new climate plan – until a gas company got involved Mon, 1st Mar 2021 11:00:00
     
      When the city of Austin drafted a plan to shift away from fossil fuels, the local gas company was fast on the scene to try to scale back the ambition of the effort. Like many cities across the US, the rapidly expanding and gentrifying Texas city is looking to shrink its climate footprint. So its initial plan was to virtually eliminate gas use in new buildings by 2030 and existing ones by 2040. Homes and businesses would have to run on electricity and stop using gas for heat, hot water and stoves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/01/a-texas-city-had-a-bold-new-climate-plan-until-a-gas-company-got-involved
     
         
      Renewables need land – and lots of it. That poses tricky questions for regional Australia Mon, 1st Mar 2021 6:12:00
     
      Renewable energy capacity in Australia is expected to double, or even triple, over the next 20 years. There is one oft-overlooked question in this transition: where will it all be built? Many renewable energy technologies need extensive land area. Wind turbines, for instance, cannot be located too close together, or they won’t work efficiently. Some land will be in urban areas. But in the transition to 100% renewable energy, land in the regions will also be needed. This presents big challenges, and opportunities, for the farming sector. Two important factors lie at the heart of a smooth transition. First, we must recognise that building renewable energy infrastructure in rural landscapes is a complex social undertaking. And second, we must plan to ensure renewables are built where they’ll perform best.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/renewables-need-land-and-lots-of-it-that-poses-tricky-questions-for-regional-australia-156031
     
         
      Aviva sets target for net zero carbon footprint by 2040 Mon, 1st Mar 2021 0:01:00
     
      Aviva has become the first leading insurer worldwide to set a target to shrink its carbon footprint to net zero by 2040, a decade earlier than most banks. The firm, one of the UK’s top asset managers with £300bn of investments under management, said it had written to the 30 biggest CO2 emitters in its portfolio, comprising companies in the oil and gas, utilities and mining sectors, asking them to sign up to the science-based targets aligned to the Paris climate agreement and to set net zero emission goals with fixed deadlines of 12 to 36 months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/01/aviva-sets-target-net-zero-carbon-footprint-2040
     
         
      Aalborg CSP Can Retrofit Coal Plants into Thermal Energy Storage Sun, 28th Feb 2021 20:06:00
     
      Researchers at DLR, and NREL, and the Bill Gates-funded start-up Malta have been investigating converting coal plants into grid-scale thermal energy storage for curtailed intermittent renewable energy, as low-cost heat “batteries.” (Thermal energy storage was originally developed as storage for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), but it can alternatively be deployed “standalone” to store energy for the grid.) Conversion would repurpose most of a coal plant’s assets. Instead of burning coal for the heat, tanks of molten salts would be heated electrically by surplus PV and wind on the grid to “charge” the storage, which could then be “discharged” back to the grid on demand using the former coal plant’s existing power generation and transmission assets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/aalborg-csp-can-retrofit-coal-plants-into-thermal-energy-storage
     
         
      Aalborg CSP Can Retrofit Coal Plants into Thermal Energy Storage Sun, 28th Feb 2021 20:06:00
     
      Researchers at DLR, and NREL, and the Bill Gates-funded start-up Malta have been investigating converting coal plants into grid-scale thermal energy storage for curtailed intermittent renewable energy, as low-cost heat “batteries.” (Thermal energy storage was originally developed as storage for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), but it can alternatively be deployed “standalone” to store energy for the grid.) Conversion would repurpose most of a coal plant’s assets. Instead of burning coal for the heat, tanks of molten salts would be heated electrically by surplus PV and wind on the grid to “charge” the storage, which could then be “discharged” back to the grid on demand using the former coal plant’s existing power generation and transmission assets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/aalborg-csp-can-retrofit-coal-plants-into-thermal-energy-storage
     
         
      Why Big Oil Expects Record Cash Flow In 2021 Sun, 28th Feb 2021 18:00:00
     
      The world’s largest oil companies are set for a cash flow bonanza this year, probably at record levels, as massive cost cuts in the wake of the 2020 oil price and oil demand collapse have significantly lowered the corporate cash flow breakevens for many firms. After posting record losses in 2020, a year which company executives described as one with “the most challenging market conditions,” Big Oil is looking at 2021 with increased optimism, mostly because oil prices have rallied in recent weeks. Moreover, the ultra-conservative capital spending plans and the huge cost cuts have allowed international oil companies (IOCs) to materially lower their cash flow breakevens.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-Big-Oil-Expects-Record-Cash-Flow-In-2021.html
     
         
      Asian banks are failing on climate by channeling billions into coal, report says Sun, 28th Feb 2021 17:09:00
     
      Many of the world's leading financial institutions have pledged in recent years to slash their support for the coal and oil industries. But a new report has found that hundreds of billions of dollars are still being channeled into fossil fuels, and Asia's banks are doing much of that business. Globally, 380 commercial banks lent the coal industry $315 billion over the past two years, according to the report, which was compiled by more than two dozen non-governmental organizations, including Urgewald, Reclaim Finance, Rainforest Action Network and 350.org Japan. The groups say their research is the first to analyze the financiers and investors supporting the entire coal industry.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/25/business/asia-coal-banks-climate-intl-hnk/index.html
     
         
      Asian banks are failing on climate by channeling billions into coal, report says Sun, 28th Feb 2021 17:09:00
     
      Many of the world's leading financial institutions have pledged in recent years to slash their support for the coal and oil industries. But a new report has found that hundreds of billions of dollars are still being channeled into fossil fuels, and Asia's banks are doing much of that business. Globally, 380 commercial banks lent the coal industry $315 billion over the past two years, according to the report, which was compiled by more than two dozen non-governmental organizations, including Urgewald, Reclaim Finance, Rainforest Action Network and 350.org Japan. The groups say their research is the first to analyze the financiers and investors supporting the entire coal industry.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/25/business/asia-coal-banks-climate-intl-hnk/index.html
     
         
      Russia launches satellite to monitor climate in Arctic Sun, 28th Feb 2021 16:41:00
     
      Russia launched its space satellite Arktika-M on Sunday on a mission to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic amid a push by the Kremlin to expand the country's activities in the region. The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last three decades and Moscow is seeking to develop the energy-rich region, investing in the Northern Sea Route for shipping across its long northern flank as ice melts.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/28/europe/russia-satellite-climate-arctic-intl/index.html
     
         
      China Chips Away at Coal Addiction to Chase Climate Goals Sun, 28th Feb 2021 16:00:00
     
      China’s use of coal in its energy mix continued to decline in 2020, but more aggressive measures may be needed to reduce emissions in order to meet Beijing’s climate goals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-28/china-chips-away-at-coal-addiction-to-chase-climate-goals
     
         
      Aalborg CSP Can Retrofit Coal Plants into Thermal Energy Storage Sun, 28th Feb 2021 8:18:00
     
      Researchers at DLR, and NREL, and the Bill Gates-funded start-up Malta have been investigating converting coal plants into grid-scale thermal energy storage for curtailed intermittent renewable energy, as low-cost heat “batteries.” (Thermal energy storage was originally developed as storage for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), but it can alternatively be deployed “standalone” to store energy for the grid.) Conversion would repurpose most of a coal plant’s assets. Instead of burning coal for the heat, tanks of molten salts would be heated electrically by surplus PV and wind on the grid to “charge” the storage, which could then be “discharged” back to the grid on demand using the former coal plant’s existing power generation and transmission assets. Now Denmark’s Aalborg CSP A/S has taken a first step to commercialization. Their Integrated Energy System (IES) department, led by Executive Vice President Peter Badstue Jensen now offers their retrofitting of coal plants into thermal energy storage commercially.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/aalborg-csp-can-retrofit-coal-plants-into-thermal-energy-storage
     
         
      Key moment in aviation as Rolls-Royce develops its electric plane Sun, 28th Feb 2021 8:16:00
     
      British company's Spirit of Innovation electric aircraft taxies out for first time ahead of world speed bid. ‘Shall we give it a go, then?” asks pilot Phill O’Dell as he and a small group of engineers quietly prepare to take a step towards making history at sleepy Gloucester airport.... Their small, sleek and low-slung, silver-and-blue aircraft – named Spirit of Innovation – attracts envious looks from pilots of other planes that look dated by comparison as it taxies out on to the runway for the first time, beginning essential tests ahead of its first planned flight in a few weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/02/28/key-moment-aviation-rolls-royce-develops-electric-plane/
     
         
      Climate change: Carbon emission promises 'put Earth on red alert' Sat, 27th Feb 2021 12:46:00
     
      The world will heat by more than 1.5C unless nations produce tougher policies, a global stocktake has confirmed. Governments must halve emissions by 2030 if they intend the Earth to stay within the 1.5C “safe” threshold. But the latest set of national policies submitted to the UN shows emissions will merely be stabilised by 2030. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called it a red alert for our planet. He said: "It shows governments are nowhere close to the level of ambition needed to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees and meet the goals of the Paris (Climate) Agreement. "The major emitters must step up with much more ambitious emissions reductions targets."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56208651
     
         
      Bishops would welcome Pope to Glasgow's COP26 climate summit Sat, 27th Feb 2021 12:44:00
     
      Scotland's Catholic bishops say they would "warmly welcome" a visit from Pope Francis to the COP26 summit. It follows claims in The Times that the pontiff was "considering" attending the UN climate conference, due to be held in Glasgow in November. Pope Francis has said it is time to "change course" on the environment and has committed the Vatican to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. If agreed, it would be the first Papal visit to Scotland since 2010. In a statement the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, which represents the country's eight dioceses, said: "While the decision on whether or not the Pope attends the UN climate summit in Glasgow will be a matter entirely for the Holy See, Scotland's Catholic bishops would warmly welcome his presence, however briefly, in this country."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56207658
     
         
      How Bitcoin's vast energy use could burst its bubble Sat, 27th Feb 2021 12:43:00
     
      We've all heard the stories of Bitcoin millionaires. Elon Musk is the latest. His electric car company Tesla made a paper profit of more than $900m (£646m) after buying $1.5bn (£1bn) -worth of the cryptocurrency in early February. Its high profile support helped pushed the price of a single Bitcoin to more than $58,000. But it isn't just the digital asset's price that has hit an all-time high. So has its energy footprint. And that's caused blowback for Mr Musk, as the scale of the currency's environmental impact becomes clearer. It also helped prompt a series of high profile critics to slate the digital currency this week, including US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56215787
     
         
      Somerset Waste Partnership tests electric recycling trucks Sat, 27th Feb 2021 12:08:00
     
      Trials are being held in Somerset to test the viability of using electric recycling trucks for bin collections. Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) and its recycling contractor Suez say they need to see whether the trucks are cost effective as well as being greener. An electric truck costs about £400,000, double the cost of a diesel one. SWP managing director Mickey Green said: "We know the technology isn't yet mature enough for us to have them all over Somerset." "We're hoping that changes, but we want to work out where we can use them, how they work in practice, to help us understand the fuel saving," Mr Green added. A week-long trial took place in February and another longer-term trial covering more of the county's market towns is planned in the spring. SWP has said that some parts of the county, such as Exmoor, would not be suitable for electric vehicles due to the hilly terrain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-56171555
     
         
      Government urged to target 40GW solar capacity by 2030 Fri, 26th Feb 2021 17:33:00
     
      Greenpeace, the Green Finance Institute, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), and others call on government to set ambitious solar target The government should aim to ramp up UK solar power capacity to 40GW at a minimum by the end of the decade, backed by a comprehensive skills development and financing deal to support the sector's growth...
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4027722/government-urged-target-40gw-solar-capacity-2030
     
         
      Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists Fri, 26th Feb 2021 12:06:00
     
      The Atlantic Ocean circulation that underpins the Gulf Stream, the weather system that brings warm and mild weather to Europe, is at its weakest in more than a millennium, and climate breakdown is the probable cause, according to new data. Further weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could result in more storms battering the UK, more intense winters and an increase in damaging heatwaves and droughts across Europe. Scientists predict that the AMOC will weaken further if global heating continues, and could reduce by about 34% to 45% by the end of this century, which could bring us close to a “tipping point” at which the system could become irrevocably unstable. A weakened Gulf Stream would also raise sea levels on the Atlantic coast of the US, with potentially disastrous consequences.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/25/atlantic-ocean-circulation-at-weakest-in-a-millennium-say-scientists
     
         
      Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads Fri, 26th Feb 2021 11:39:00
     
      Parts of Brazil's Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered. The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples. Some of the plots listed via Facebook's classified ads service are as large as 1,000 football pitches. Facebook said it was "ready to work with local authorities", but indicated it would not take independent action of its own to halt the trade. "Our commerce policies require buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations," the Californian tech firm added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56168844
     
         
      K-pop superstars Blackpink in climate change message Fri, 26th Feb 2021 10:52:00
     
      K-pop superstars Blackpink have emerged as the latest force in the global fight against climate change. The all-female group, who have billions of fans around the world, have decided to speak out just months before a major conference on climate change will be held in Britain. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written to thank them for supporting the UN Climate Summit known as COP26.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56202985
     
         
      Renewable energy listed for first time as one of Australia's top infrastructure priorities Thu, 25th Feb 2021 16:30:00
     
      Australia should prioritise large-scale renewable energy options to replace ageing thermal generators, infrastructure body says. Renewable energy zones and dispatchable energy storage have been listed as “high priority initiatives” by Infrastructure Australia for the first time. The energy initiatives are among 44 new infrastructure proposals on the priority list, released on Friday, which together represent a $59bn pipeline of potential investments. A number of projects on the list – which has been significantly influenced by the country’s changing needs since the Covid-19 pandemic – emphasise the importance of digitisation, decentralisation, localism, service innovation and adaptability.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/26/renewable-energy-listed-for-first-time-as-one-of-australias-top-infrastructure-priorities
     
         
      Bangladesh scraps nine coal power plants as overseas finance dries up Thu, 25th Feb 2021 15:05:00
     
      Bangladesh plans to scrap nine new coal projects as the cost of imported coal rises and overseas investors slash finance for polluting fossil fuels. The country’s power secretary Habibur Rahma decided to axe the planned coal-fired power plants with a combined power capacity of 7,461 MW at a monthly review meeting of the power sector, Bangladeshi newspaper the Daily Sun reported this week. Analysts told Climate Home News that a number of factors have contributed to this decision, ranging from the high cost of imported coal to the drop in financial support from overseas investors. They said that exact details of Bangladesh’s transition away from coal are expected this summer, when the government outlines its power sector master plan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/02/25/bangladesh-scraps-nine-coal-power-plants-overseas-finance-dries/
     
         
      How heat can be used to store renewable energy Thu, 25th Feb 2021 12:09:00
     
      The effect that fossil fuels are having on the climate emergency is driving an international push to use low-carbon sources of energy. At the moment, the best options for producing low-carbon energy on a large scale are wind and solar power. But despite improvements over the last few years to both their performance and cost, a significant problem remains: the wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine. A power grid that relies on these fluctuating sources struggles to constantly match supply and demand, and so renewable energy sometimes goes to waste because it’s not produced when needed. One of the main solutions to this problem is large-scale electricity storage technologies. These work by accumulating electricity when supply exceeds demand, then releasing it when the opposite happens. However, one issue with this method is that it involves enormous quantities of electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/how-heat-can-be-used-to-store-renewable-energy-130549
     
         
      Climate Change: Wales could be 'first deforestation free nation' Thu, 25th Feb 2021 10:43:00
     
      Food linked to the felling of rainforests must be banned in Welsh school dinners in a bid to help tackle climate change, campaigners have said. Every year an area of woodland about nine times the size of Wales is lost globally. Charities say the Welsh Government must curb the use of some goods in a bid to make Wales the "world's first deforestation-free nation". The Welsh Government said tackling deforestation was "vital". A report, complied by WWF Cymru, RSPB Cymru and Size of Wales, calls for action to limit the amount of goods being imported into Wales linked to deforestation. The campaigners want the next Welsh Government to make changes to public procurement rules, to stop school and hospital canteens serving up dishes containing certain products.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56185205
     
         
      Shell Sees LNG Demand Nearly Doubling By 2040 Thu, 25th Feb 2021 10:00:00
     
      Global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is set to nearly double from 360 million tons last year to 700 million tons by 2040, thanks to continued solid demand from Asia and a rise in gas use for powering hard-to-electrify sectors, Shell said in its annual LNG Outlook 2021 published on Thursday. Last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, world LNG demand grew slightly to 360 million tons from 358 million tons in 2019, Shell said. “LNG provided flexible energy which the world needed during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating its resilience and ability to power people’s lives in these unprecedented times,” Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions Director at Shell, said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Shell-Sees-LNG-Demand-Nearly-Doubling-By-2040.html
     
         
      Attenborough gives stark warning on climate change to UN Wed, 24th Feb 2021 12:51:00
     
      Climate change could, within a lifetime, destroy "entire cities and societies", Sir David Attenborough has told the UN Security Council. "I don't envy the responsibility that this places on all of you," the naturalist said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56175714
     
         
      Climate change is a threat to our security - Boris Johnson Wed, 24th Feb 2021 12:45:00
     
      "Climate change is a threat to our security," Boris Johnson told world leaders as he chaired a United Nations Security Council session. It is the first time a British PM has chaired such a meeting since 1992. Other speakers included broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, UN Secretary General António Guterres and Sudanese climate activist Nisreen Elsaim. The UK holds the presidency of the Security Council this month and hosts the COP26 climate summit in November. The summit in Glasgow will be attended by dozens of world leaders and is likely to be the most significant round of talks since the global Paris Agreement to tackle climate change was secured in 2015.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56158437
     
         
      Climate change: West Antarctica's Getz glaciers flowing faster Wed, 24th Feb 2021 12:44:00
     
      Wherever you look in West Antarctica right now, the message is the same: Its marine-terminating glaciers are being melted by warm seawater. Scientists have just taken a detailed look at the ice streams flowing into the ocean along a 1,000km-stretch of coastline known as the Getz region. It incorporates 14 glaciers - and they've all speeded up. Since 1994, they've lost 315 gigatonnes of ice - equivalent to 126 million Olympic swimming pools of water. If you put this in the context of the Antarctic continent's contribution to global sea-level rise over the same period, Getz accounts for just over 10% of the total - a little under a millimetre. "This is the first time anyone has done a really detailed study of this area of West Antarctica. It's very inaccessible to people to go and do field work because it's so mountainous; most of it hasn't ever been stepped on by humans," explained Heather Selley, a glaciologist at the Nerc Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds, UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56171302
     
         
      Disha Ravi: India activist, 22, granted bail by court Wed, 24th Feb 2021 12:03:00
     
      An Indian court has granted bail to a 22-year-old climate activist who was arrested for sharing a document intended to help farmers protesting against new agricultural laws. Police said Disha Ravi was a "key conspirator" in the "formulation and dissemination" of a protest "toolkit". They have accused her of sedition and conspiracy - charges she has denied. Activists have called her arrest a warning to those who want to show support for anti-government protests. Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting for three months against new laws, which they say will benefit only big corporations. These protests have come to represent one of the biggest challenges faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56164865
     
         
      A solar panel in space is collecting energy that could one day be beamed to anywhere on Earth Wed, 24th Feb 2021 10:08:00
     
      Scientists working for the Pentagon have successfully tested a solar panel the size of a pizza box in space, designed as a prototype for a future system to send electricity from space back to any point on Earth. The panel -- known as a Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module (PRAM) -- was first launched in May 2020, attached to the Pentagon's X-37B unmanned drone, to harness light from the sun to convert to electricity. The drone is looping Earth every 90 minutes. The panel is designed to make best use of the light in space, which doesn't pass through the atmosphere, and so retains the energy of blue waves, making it more powerful than the sunlight that reaches Earth. Blue light diffuses on entry into the atmosphere, which is why the sky appears blue. "We're getting a ton of extra sunlight in space just because of that," said Paul Jaffe, a co-developer of the project.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/23/americas/space-solar-energy-pentagon-science-scn-intl/index.html
     
         
      Budget 2021: Chancellor must 'make finance green', say campaigners Wed, 24th Feb 2021 10:07:00
     
      Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being urged to use the Budget to change the financial system to better protect the environment. One group wants him to impose a carbon tax and use the proceeds to protect the poor from high energy bills. A second petition is calling for Bank of England rules to encourage banks not to invest in fossil fuels. Mr Sunak is expected anyway to update the Bank’s mandate to include a greater focus on climate. But campaigners want the new wording to stop the Bank from supporting fossil fuel firms through schemes such as its £20bn corporate bond purchase programme, which involves buying debt issued by firms such as Shell and BP. The Bank responded to similar calls in January by saying that it has "an ambitious work programme on climate change, from the stress testing of the largest UK banks and insurers against climate-related financial risks through to working internationally with the central bank network for greening the financial system".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56168723
     
         
      Texas freeze casts renewable energy as next battle line in US culture wars Wed, 24th Feb 2021 8:00:00
     
      The frigid winter storm and power failure that left millions of people in Texas shivering in darkness has been used to stoke what is becoming a growing front in America’s culture wars – renewable energy. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), which oversees the Texas grid, has been clear that outages of solar and wind energy were only a minor factor in blackouts which, at their peak, left 4 million Texans without electricity, with many resorting to burning furniture or using outdoor barbecues to desperately warm themselves amid the shocking blast of Arctic-like conditions. Crucially, the supply of natural gas, which supplies about half of Texas’s electricity, seized up due to frozen pipes and a lack of standby reserves. The grid failed after about a third of Ercot’s total capacity – supplied by coal, nuclear and gas – went offline as demand for heating dramatically surged. Regardless, the Republican leadership in Texas, abetted by rightwing media outlets and a proliferation of false claims on social media, has sought to pin the crisis on wind turbines and solar panels freezing when the Lone Star state needed them most. “The Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America,” Greg Abbott, Texas’s governor, told Fox News last week, in reference to a plan to rapidly transition the US to renewable energy that currently only exists on paper. “Our wind and our solar got shut down … It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary.” Abbott subsequently walked backed these comments but others have been less hesitant to use the crisis to attack renewables. Sid Miller, Texas’s agriculture commissioner, stated that “we should never build another wind turbine in Texas” on Facebook, while Tucker Carlson, the prominent rightwing Fox News host, said “windmills” were “silly fashion accessories” prone to failure. Fox News blamed renewables for the blackouts 128 times in just a 48-hour period last week, according to Media Matters. The distortions were amplified by social media, with a picture of a helicopter de-icing a wind turbine widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, even though the photo was taken in Sweden in 2014. A YouTube live stream by the conservative commentator Steven Crowder blaming the blackouts on “the failures of green energy” has been viewed about a million times, while the Texas Public Policy Foundation used paid Facebook adverts to urge people to “thank” fossil fuels for keeping them warm while assailing “failed” wind energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/24/texas-renewable-energy-culture-wars
     
         
      Attenborough's stark warning on climate change: 'It's already too late' Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 19:13:00
     
      TV environmentalist and campaigner Sir David Attenborough has issued a grim warning to world leaders on climate change: "It's already too late." Speaking on the invitation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the United Nations' Security Council (UNSC) session on climate, Sir David said simply: "Please make no mistake - climate change is the biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/attenboroughs-stark-warning-on-climate-change-its-already-too-late-12226694
     
         
      Why Is Mexico Returning To Coal? Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 15:00:00
     
      As the world transitions away from fossil fuels and weans itself off emissions-heavy energy sources, one country is running against the current and right back into the arms of coal. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has bucked all convention as he tries to make good on his campaign trail promise to establish a norm of energy sovereignty for his country. Bringing down the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and curbing the extraction and combustion of dirty fuels - particularly coal - is paramount to the increasingly urgent missive of avoiding catastrophic climate change. In order to keep the globe’s temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial averages - the threshold set by scientists to stave off the very worst effects of climate change - we will need to cut oil use by 37% and gas use by 25% and cut out oil altogether by just 2030. Put simply, this decade will make all the difference in the future of our species. This is why it’s particularly alarming that a sizeable economic and industrial force like Mexico has thrown caution and a fair amount of carbon dioxide to the wind and doubled down on its anachronistic dedication to ramping up its coal industry at the very time that most countries are attempting to phase out the particularly dirty fossil fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-Is-Mexico-Returning-To-Coal.html
     
         
      Texas weather: Are frozen wind turbines to blame for power cuts? Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 13:01:00
     
      Critics of green energy in the United States have blamed the failure of wind turbines for the power shortages in Texas during the recent freezing conditions there. "The windmills failed like the silly fashion accessories they are, and people in Texas died," said Fox News's Tucker Carlson. The power grid was clearly overwhelmed, but to what extent was a loss of wind power to blame?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-56085733
     
         
      Is it worth tracking your carbon footprint? Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 12:48:00
     
      Increasingly concerned about the environment, for the past few years Alya Annabi, 26, has taken steps to live a more sustainable lifestyle, with the digital learning manager refilling goods at plastic-free stores, making her own skincare from scratch and composting her kitchen waste. But in the past year Ms Annabi has decided to take her environmental mission to the next level by tracking her carbon emissions. Using an app called Capture, which calculates users' monthly CO2 targets by asking a series of questions such as how many flights per year you take and what kind of diet you adhere to, and using GPS tracking to predict emissions from transportation, Ms Annabi is able to view an estimate of her carbon environmental impact. "I've been on a more conscious journey for the past couple of years," says Ms Annabi, who lives in Singapore. "I like to measure things so it's a nice way to have real numbers."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55907643
     
         
      Fossil fuels: Wales' local authority pension funds 'invest £500m' Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 12:38:00
     
      More than half a billion pounds was being invested in fossil fuels by Wales' local authority pension funds at the end of 2019-20, new research shows. The report by Friends of the Earth and Platform also shows local authority pension funds UK-wide had fossil fuel investments of almost £9.9bn. But the campaign groups acknowledged there had been a reduction since 2017. The body representing local authorities in Wales said they were committed to the decarbonisation agenda. A spokesman for the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said it encouraged the development of ethical investment principles by the Welsh pension funds that ultimately make decisions And the Wales Pension Partnership said funds were working to reduce their exposure to fossil fuels. The Welsh Government said investments were "matters for the pension authority".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56105872
     
         
      Climate crisis and economic shocks leave millions food insecure across Central America Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 11:59:00
     
      According to WFP, the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic and years of extreme climate events have left almost 8 million people in Central America chronically hungry so far this year. ‘Long and slow’ recovery “Considering the level of destruction and setbacks faced by those affected, we expect this to be a long and slow recovery”, said Miguel Barreto, WFP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. A WFP survey in January showed that around 15 percent of people indicated they were making “concrete plans” to migrate, as a result of livelihood losses and unemployment. Moreover, 6.8 million people were hit hard by record-setting hurricanes Eta and Iota, which left them homeless or jobless as well as destroying over 200,000 hectares of staple food and cash crops across the four countries, and more than 10,000 hectares of coffee farmland in Honduras and Nicaragua.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085512
     
         
      FROM THE FIELD: Poor and vulnerable bear brunt of climate change Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 11:57:00
     
      The UN is warning that much more needs to be done to anticipate, and plan for, the extreme weather events that put millions in need of urgent assistance. In 2019, 34 million people globally were acutely food insecure due to climate extremes, and weather-related hazards triggered some 24.9 million displacements in 140 countries. Find out more about the impact that the changing climate is having on humanitarian crises, from South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, to the countries of South Asia, here.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085272
     
         
      Trinity College Cambridge to dump fossil fuel companies this year Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 10:58:00
     
      Leverage our market expertise Expert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends, risks and opportunities. Join over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/fbb179c7-e098-48cd-a980-93e673172a72
     
         
      2021: Critical year to ‘reset our relationship with nature’ – UN chief Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 10:47:00
     
      Painting a picture of the turmoil wreaked by COVID-19, whereby millions are being pushed into poverty, inequalities are growing among people and countries, and “a triple environmental emergency” of climate disruption, biodiversity decline and a pollution epidemic that is “cutting short some nine million lives a year”, Secretary-General António?Guterres upheld in his video message that now is “a critical year to reset our relationship with nature.” Much to accomplish Referencing the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) newly launched Making Peace with Nature report, the UN chief acknowledged the need for a healthy planet for sustainable development. Following the assembly, Member States will gather to address biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, ocean health, desertification and climate disruption. Calling these events “opportunities to increase ambition and action”, Mr. Guterres pointed out the year ahead would be a busy one with “a great responsibility to articulate the environmental dimension of sustainable development”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085382
     
         
      2021: Critical year to ‘reset our relationship with nature’ – UN chief Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 10:47:00
     
      Painting a picture of the turmoil wreaked by COVID-19, whereby millions are being pushed into poverty, inequalities are growing among people and countries, and “a triple environmental emergency” of climate disruption, biodiversity decline and a pollution epidemic that is “cutting short some nine million lives a year”, Secretary-General António?Guterres upheld in his video message that now is “a critical year to reset our relationship with nature.” Much to accomplish Referencing the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) newly launched Making Peace with Nature report, the UN chief acknowledged the need for a healthy planet for sustainable development. Following the assembly, Member States will gather to address biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, ocean health, desertification and climate disruption. Calling these events “opportunities to increase ambition and action”, Mr. Guterres pointed out the year ahead would be a busy one with “a great responsibility to articulate the environmental dimension of sustainable development”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085382
     
         
      2021: Critical year to ‘reset our relationship with nature’ – UN chief Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 10:47:00
     
      Painting a picture of the turmoil wreaked by COVID-19, whereby millions are being pushed into poverty, inequalities are growing among people and countries, and “a triple environmental emergency” of climate disruption, biodiversity decline and a pollution epidemic that is “cutting short some nine million lives a year”, Secretary-General António?Guterres upheld in his video message that now is “a critical year to reset our relationship with nature.” Much to accomplish Referencing the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) newly launched Making Peace with Nature report, the UN chief acknowledged the need for a healthy planet for sustainable development. Following the assembly, Member States will gather to address biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, ocean health, desertification and climate disruption. Calling these events “opportunities to increase ambition and action”, Mr. Guterres pointed out the year ahead would be a busy one with “a great responsibility to articulate the environmental dimension of sustainable development”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085382
     
         
      Kiribati and China to develop former climate-refuge land in Fiji Tue, 23rd Feb 2021 8:32:00
     
      President of Kiribati says China will provide ‘technical assistance’ to convert land in Fiji into a working farm to ‘supply produce to Kiribati’ A block of land the government of Kiribati bought in Fiji half a decade ago – ostensibly to serve as a refuge when their country disappeared under a rising ocean – will be transformed into a commercial farm to help feed the i-Kiribati people, with “technical assistance” from China. The president of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau, announced last week that China would help fulfil his administration’s plan to resume farming on a 22 km sq parcel of land in Fiji, sparking widespread speculation the land would be gifted or sold to China. Maamau has ruled out any military application – “any land or sea base” – for the land.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/24/kiribati-and-china-to-develop-former-climate-refuge-land-in-fiji
     
         
      Hydrogen steel plant planned for France Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 14:47:00
     
      Plans are being developed for a major hydrogen-based steel making plant to be located France. Liberty Steel Group, Paul Wurth and Stahl-Holding-Saar (SHS) today (22nd Feb) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assess the building and operation of the facility that could be one of the first operations of its type in the country. Sharing details of the development, the companies said they will collaborate to incorporate a two million tonnes direct reduce iron (DRI) plant, with an integrated 1GW capacity hydrogen electrolysis production unit. The DRI plant will initially use a mix of hydrogen and natural gas as the reductant to produce DRI and hot-briquetted iron (HBI), before transitioning to using 100% hydrogen once the electrolysis production unit is complete. DRI/HBI produced will primarily be used in the electric arc furnace of LIBERTY Ascoval in France. Any surplus will be used at LIBERTY’s Ostrava and Galati integrated steelworks as well as the SHS-group’s Dillinger and Saarstahl plants in Germany.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/hydrogen-steel-plant-planned-for-france/
     
         
      What’s Really Behind Corporate Promises on Climate Change? Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 14:44:00
     
      Many big businesses have not set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Others have weak goals. For the past several years, BlackRock, the giant investment firm, has cast itself as a champion of the transition to clean energy. Last month, Laurence D. Fink, BlackRock’s chief executive, wrote that the coronavirus pandemic had “driven us to confront the global threat of climate change more forcefully,” and the company said it wants businesses it invests in to remove as much carbon dioxide from the environment as they emit by 2050 at the latest. But crucial details were missing from that widely read pledge, including what proportion of the companies BlackRock invests in will be zero-emission businesses in 2050. Setting such a goal and earlier targets would demonstrate the seriousness of the company’s commitment and could force all sorts of industries to step up their efforts. On Saturday, in response to questions from The New York Times, a BlackRock spokesman said for the first time that the company’s “ambition” was to have “net zero emissions across our entire assets under management by 2050.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/business/energy-environment/corporations-climate-change.html?searchResultPosition=1
     
         
      The Carbon Footprint of Trucking: Driving Toward A Cleaner Future Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 14:38:00
     
      The pandemic may have temporarily curbed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but even a global recession can’t negate the impact of transportation—especially the carbon footprint of trucking. In 2020, lockdowns resulted in an 8% average global decrease in GHG emissions over the first half of the year, when compared to 2019. As this infographic from dynaCERT shows, trucking remains a significant contributor of GHGs amid booming ecommerce and increased international trade. But innovative solutions can help.
       
      Full Article: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/carbon-footprint-of-trucking/
     
         
      Texas weather: Are frozen wind turbines to blame for power cuts? Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 14:13:00
     
      Critics of green energy in the United States have blamed the failure of wind turbines for the power shortages in Texas during the recent freezing conditions there. "The windmills failed like the silly fashion accessories they are, and people in Texas died," said Fox News's Tucker Carlson. The power grid was clearly overwhelmed, but to what extent was a loss of wind power to blame?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-56085733
     
         
      Comment: SMRs will supercharge UK’s net zero ambitions Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 12:27:00
     
      The UK’s small modular reactor (SMR) programme could make a key contribution to net zero and position the UK at the forefront of a huge global market writes Richard Deakin, Challenge Director of the Low Cost Nuclear challenge, UKRI Born the son of a coal miner in South Yorkshire in the 60’s, I grew up in a region then dominated by deep mining and heavy industry. That coal industry with all its risks and damaging environmental consequences no longer exists, but the demand for energy and power continues to grow both here in the UK, and also globally, where innovation in the sector is key to lifting huge tracts of the world’s population out of poverty. Nuclear power as a product can be delivered in a standardised, replicable form with certainty, in volume and at pace The Committee on Climate Change recently forecast that by 2050, the need for energy in the UK will likely near double what it is today. Energy production has to switch towards low carbon sources, meaning an estimated 40-55 GW of extra low-carbon electricity will be needed to power the UK to achieve net zero.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/uk-smr-industry-net-zero/
     
         
      Liquefied natural gas terminals to be banned in law Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 12:01:00
     
      A policy statement is being put together by government to put a ban on developing LNG terminals on a legislative footing, the environment minister has confirmed. LNG terminals work by importing natural gas in a liquefied state at an extremely low temperature — making it easier to transport — and then turning it back into gas for use in a new market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/liquefied-natural-gas-terminals-to-be-banned-in-law-53xj7x8rx
     
         
      Cable makers wired into clean energy boom Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 11:49:00
     
      Energy coverage from Saudi Arabia to Texas Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy. Don’t miss our exclusive newsletter, Energy Source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/3f7925c0-4e62-473b-a330-f117393c96fc
     
         
      Scotland can become the richest nation of the British Isles with our abundance of renewables Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 11:40:00
     
      ALL independence-minded politicians should be able to answer this question: what is Scotland’s global sustainable competitive advantage that will underpin its economy with a green footprint? The answer is, of course, abundant natural resources, especially wind, wave and tide. In a comprehensively researched report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s renewable energy potential is claimed to be several times greater than its total domestic needs for not just electricity, but heat, transport and everything else.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thenational.scot/news/19107315.scotlands-rich-renewable-future/
     
         
      Russian Gas Tanker Shows Arctic Is Navigable Year-Round Now Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 11:26:00
     
      Every day, the Arctic slips further into an unstable state. The latest sign: A Russian icebreaker and liquid natural gas ship have traversed the Northern Sea Route in February for the first time due to exceptionally low and weak sea ice cover. The new Arctic is untethered from the past, and the ship’s trip is a huge red flag for what the future could hold for the region as countries race headlong into the region and plant their flag over the vast resources it holds.
       
      Full Article: https://earther.gizmodo.com/russian-gas-tanker-shows-arctic-is-navigable-year-round-1846325141
     
         
      How close are we to reaching a global warming of 1.5°C? Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 10:49:00
     
      The impacts associated with a temperature increase of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels would be severe. Such a rise could seem like a distant reality, but we may reach it sooner than you think. 1.5°C is the target limit set out in the Paris Agreement. This agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by limiting global temperature rise in the 21st century to 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to curb it further to an increase of 1.5°C. Global warming has already resulted in significant alterations to human and natural systems; by limiting temperature increase to 1.5°C, it is expected that adaptation will be less difficult, and our world will suffer fewer negative impacts. Experts suggest that the 1.5°C limit is likely to be reached between 2030 and the early 2050s, unless concerted action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is taken.
       
      Full Article: https://climate.copernicus.eu/how-close-are-we-reaching-global-warming-15degc
     
         
      Israel pollution: Tar globs disfigure coast after oil spill Mon, 22nd Feb 2021 9:49:00
     
      Large globs of tar have washed up on much of Israel's Mediterranean coastline in what officials are calling one of the worst environmental disasters to hit the country. Thousands of volunteers and soldiers are helping to clear the pollutant which is damaging wildlife. Israel is trying to track the source of the pollution, which is thought to have come from a ship spilling oil. The general population has been told to avoid the beaches. Dozens of tonnes of tar have been found on many stretches of Israel's 190km (120 miles) Mediterranean coastline and there are fears it will take months, or even years to clean up. NGOs have reported turtles and birds covered in oil.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56147305
     
         
      The Texas Cold Blast Was A Warning To Hydrogen Investors Sun, 21st Feb 2021 18:00:00
     
      The Texas storm has exposed an energy grid ill-prepared for climate change, with electric grid regulators now saying that the United States needs to rapidly develop vast supplies of power storage--including giant batteries and hydrogen storage. So, it might be wise for investors to avoid any fear associated with the wild valuations of hydrogen stocks. Leading hydrogen companies like Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG), Bloom Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:BE) and Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) could still be prime long-term investment candidates despite currently trading at stratospheric valuations.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/The-Texas-Cold-Blast-Was-A-Warning-To-Hydrogen-Investors.html
     
         
      Climate graphic of the week: Polar vortex sends Texas into deep freeze Sun, 21st Feb 2021 14:59:00
     
      Make informed decisions with the FT Keep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world. Stay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert commentary and analysis you can trust.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/dc74a4fc-9b24-4e77-a8dd-c055f5e0c884
     
         
      Wind power is not to blame for Texas blackout Sun, 21st Feb 2021 14:01:00
     
      Hear it from the experts Let our global subject matter experts broaden your perspective with timely insights and opinions you can’t find anywhere else.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/adc21f2b-ccf7-4b8b-8604-53cae556a7dd
     
         
      Biomass power: Is the UK’s second-largest source of renewable energy sustainable? Sun, 21st Feb 2021 13:16:00
     
      he rise of renewable power in the UK has occurred at an astonishing pace. Last year renewable power overtook fossil fuels to become the nation’s largest source of electricity for the first time. Just a decade earlier, three quarters of the UK’s electricity came from coal and fossil gas. Wind power has played the leading role in the transformation of the nation’s electricity grid. It now supplies nearly a quarter of the electricity. In 2010, it supplied just 3 per cent. The UK’s second-largest source of renewable electricity is the burning of “biomass” – a term for organic fuels such as wood, other types of plant matter and animal waste. Biomass power accounted for around 12 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/biomass-power-renewable-energy-sustainable-b1805168.html
     
         
      THIS SOLAR-POWERED PAVEMENT HARVESTS ENERGY FROM UNDER YOUR FEET Sun, 21st Feb 2021 12:54:00
     
      A company called Platio makes solar panels out of plastic waste - and then uses them as pavements. Based in Hungary, the team can power buildings and electronic devices through people's footsteps. The more you walk on the solar panels, the more they generate energy. The pavements deliver solar energy "to places where it was not possible before," says co-founder of Platio, Miklós Illyés. Illyés is one of the three Hungarian friends who came up with the idea back in 2015.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/21/this-solar-powered-pavement-harvests-energy-from-under-your-feet
     
         
      THIS SOLAR-POWERED PAVEMENT HARVESTS ENERGY FROM UNDER YOUR FEET Sun, 21st Feb 2021 12:54:00
     
      A company called Platio makes solar panels out of plastic waste - and then uses them as pavements. Based in Hungary, the team can power buildings and electronic devices through people's footsteps. The more you walk on the solar panels, the more they generate energy. The pavements deliver solar energy "to places where it was not possible before," says co-founder of Platio, Miklós Illyés. Illyés is one of the three Hungarian friends who came up with the idea back in 2015.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/21/this-solar-powered-pavement-harvests-energy-from-under-your-feet
     
         
      Variations in Sunlight Have More to Do With Pollution Than Clouds, Says Study Sun, 21st Feb 2021 12:26:00
     
      The amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface has been fluctuating for decades now, and a new study supports the idea that human activity is to blame. In the late 1980s, researchers first noticed a steady decline or 'dimming' in Earth's brightness in various parts of the world, including a near 30 percent drop in sunlight since the 1950s over a particular region in the Soviet Union.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/variations-in-sunlight-have-more-to-do-with-human-pollution-than-clouds
     
         
      SCIENTISTS UNEARTH A CONSEQUENCE OF SOLAR PANELS IN THE SAHARA Sun, 21st Feb 2021 11:00:00
     
      THE WORLD’S MOST FORBIDDING DESERTS could be the best places on Earth for harvesting solar power — the most abundant and clean source of energy we have. Deserts are spacious, relatively flat, rich in silicon – the raw material for the semiconductors from which solar cells are made — and never short of sunlight. In fact, the ten largest solar plants around the world are all located in deserts or dry regions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.inverse.com/science/why-turning-the-sahara-into-a-giant-solar-farm-could-damage-the-global-climate
     
         
      US rejoins Paris accord: Biden's first act sets tone for ambitious approach Sat, 20th Feb 2021 13:15:00
     
      Make no mistake, returning to the Paris climate agreement is not mere symbolism - it is an act cloaked in powerful, political significance. While re-joining the pact was actually quite simple - the signing of a letter on Biden's first day in office and then a 30-day wait which ends on Friday - there could be no more profound signal of intention from this incoming administration. Coming back to Paris means the US will once again have to follow the rules. Those rules mean that sometime this year the US will need to improve on their previous commitment to cut carbon made in the French capital in 2015. This new target, possibly for 2030, and President Biden's commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, will be the guide rails for the US economy and society for decades to come. Coming back to Paris really means it is no longer "America First".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55732386
     
         
      US rejoins Paris accord: Biden's first act sets tone for ambitious approach Sat, 20th Feb 2021 13:15:00
     
      Make no mistake, returning to the Paris climate agreement is not mere symbolism - it is an act cloaked in powerful, political significance. While re-joining the pact was actually quite simple - the signing of a letter on Biden's first day in office and then a 30-day wait which ends on Friday - there could be no more profound signal of intention from this incoming administration. Coming back to Paris means the US will once again have to follow the rules. Those rules mean that sometime this year the US will need to improve on their previous commitment to cut carbon made in the French capital in 2015. This new target, possibly for 2030, and President Biden's commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, will be the guide rails for the US economy and society for decades to come. Coming back to Paris really means it is no longer "America First".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55732386
     
         
      Human damage done to more than half of all rivers worldwide Sat, 20th Feb 2021 13:12:00
     
      For people who enjoy nature, seeing animals in rivers is a pretty cool sight. But in more than half of all of them, life has been impacted by human activity, a major new study says. Research published in the journal Science analysed almost 2,500 rivers around the world. It found centuries of activities such as overfishing, water pollution, and climate change have had an effect, threatening what lives in them. Only 14% of rivers with fish populations had escaped major damage. The worst-hit areas are places with large and wealthy populations, such as western Europe and North America - including the River Thames in London.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-56101167
     
         
      Getting to Net Zero Carbon Emissions – and Even Net Negative – Is Surprisingly Feasible and Affordable Sat, 20th Feb 2021 11:45:00
     
      Reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished by rebuilding U.S. energy infrastructure to run primarily on renewable energy, at a net cost of about $1 per person per day, according to new research published by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the University of San Francisco (USF), and the consulting firm Evolved Energy Research.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/getting-to-net-zero-carbon-emissions-and-even-net-negative-is-surprisingly-feasible-and-affordable/
     
         
      Ceramic Fuel Cell with Improved Stability by Reducing Nickel: Performance is Also Increased by 1.5 times Sat, 20th Feb 2021 11:43:00
     
      A domestic research team developed a ceramic fuel cell that secured both stability and high performance while reducing the amount of catalyst to 1/20. Accordingly, it is expected that the application range of ceramic fuel cells, which could only be used for large-scale power generation, can be expanded to new fields due to the difficulty of frequent starting. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, Director Seok-Jin Yoon) is a nickel catalyst in the anode, an electrode in which hydrogen fuel is injected using thin film technology through a joint research by Dr. Jiwon Sohn’s team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST, President Seongcheol Shin). It was revealed that it has developed a new concept technology that suppresses the destruction caused by the oxidation-reduction cycle, which is a major cause of the destruction of ceramic fuel cells by significantly reducing the amount and size of the ceramic fuel cell.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/ceramic-fuel-cell-with-improved-stability-by-reducing-nickel-performance-is-also-increased-by-1-5-times/
     
         
      Future generations bill sounds 'namby pamby' but it's start, says Lord Bird Sat, 20th Feb 2021 9:50:00
     
      Politicians are often accused of not being able to look beyond the next day's headlines or, perhaps, the next election. John Bird is aiming to change that. As the founder of the Big Issue, he has helped thousands of homeless people turn their lives around. But - to his frustration - he has not been able to do very much about the underlying causes of homelessness. That's because, he says, like other social problems, it is always treated as an emergency. "About 80% of the money that goes into social crises around the world goes into emergencies. Very little gets invested in prevention, and very little goes into the cure."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55920793
     
         
      How to reduce your food’s carbon footprint, in 2 charts Sat, 20th Feb 2021 8:30:00
     
      “Eat local.” It’s a recommendation you’ve probably heard before. Environmental advocates and even the United Nations have hyped a “locavore” diet as a way to reduce your carbon footprint and help the climate. The basic idea is that more transportation leads to more emissions, so you want to reduce the distance your food has to travel to get to you. And certainly, if you can eat local, that’s great. But it’s not the most effective way to reduce your food’s carbon footprint. The website Our World in Data recently explained, with some great charts, why your focus should really be elsewhere. “Eating locally would only have a significant impact if transport was responsible for a large share of food’s final carbon footprint. For most foods, this is not the case,” writes Hannah Ritchie. “Emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of the emissions from food and what you eat is far more important than where your food traveled from.” Take a look at the chart below, which examines 29 different food products, from beef to nuts, and breaks down how much greenhouse gas emissions each stage in the supply chain is responsible for. The data comes from the biggest meta-analysis of worldwide food systems we’ve got so far, published in Science in 2018. As you can see, the share of emissions from transport (shown in red) is generally pretty tiny; the distance our food travels to get to us actually accounts for less than 10 percent of most food products’ carbon footprint. Processes on farms (shown in brown) and changes in land use (shown in green) typically account for much more of the emissions from our food. Translation: What you eat is much more important than whether your food is local. So, next time you find yourself trying to choose between a couple of different dinner options — local prawns versus non-local fish, let’s say — remember that from an emissions standpoint, the fish is the better choice even though it comes from farther away. One caveat: Although transport has a small climate impact for most food products, that’s not true for products that travel by air. Now, very few products actually fall into that category — just 0.16 percent of food is air-freighted, while the vast majority travels by boat (including those beloved avocados). But it’s worth noting which products do travel by air, and avoiding them when they’re not in season, since air travel is so bad for the climate. It can be hard to know which products in your grocery store are air-freighted, since they’re almost never labeled as such. But a good rule of thumb is to avoid fresh fruits and vegetables that have a short shelf-life and that come from far away (check the label for their country of origin). Berries, green beans, and asparagus are examples of foods that are often air-freighted. Locally sourced berries, green beans, and asparagus, though, have a low carbon footprint. What about “sustainable meat” versus plant-based foods? At this point, you might be wondering where plant-based foods fit into all this. With so many grocery stores and restaurants now selling Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, it’s reasonable to wonder about the carbon footprint of products made from protein sources other than meat. Some have argued that you can have a lower footprint if you eat beef or lamb sourced from low-impact producers than if you switch to plant-based alternatives. But the evidence suggests that’s just not true. “Plant-based foods emit fewer greenhouse gases than meat and dairy, regardless of how they are produced,” Ritchie writes. Here’s another chart, which shows that less meat is nearly always better than sustainable meat when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint. The data comes from the same 2018 meta-analysis mentioned above, which considered the food systems in 119 countries. As you can see, beef and lamb are way over on one extreme in terms of the amount of emissions they produce. By contrast, plant-based protein sources like tofu, beans, peas, and nuts have a very low carbon footprint. “This is certainly true when you compare average emissions. But it’s still true when you compare the extremes: there’s not much overlap in emissions between the worst producers of plant proteins, and the best producers of meat and dairy,” Ritchie notes. Translation: Eating plant-based food is almost always going to be better for the environment than eating even the most sustainable meat. That said, it’s worth noting that some types of meat are much harsher on the environment than others. Replacing beef or lamb with chicken or pork — again, regardless of where you get the products from — is an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. This is all coming strictly from an emissions standpoint, mind you. It doesn’t take into account animal welfare. Perhaps you think the welfare of animals like pigs, which show signs of high intelligence, is an important consideration here; if so, you might think it’s a bad idea to substitute pork for other types of meat. And we have to slaughter about 200 chickens to get the same amount of meat we’d get from one cow, which raises environmental as well as animal welfare concerns. There are multiple factors to consider when making food choices, and your final decision may shake out differently depending on how you weight each of them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/20/21144017/local-food-carbon-footprint-climate-environment
     
         
      China’s carbon neutral push gathers pace as coal-fired power plants drop below 50 per cent for first time Sat, 20th Feb 2021 8:15:00
     
      China’s coal-fired power plants fell to less than 50 per cent of its total power generation mix for the first time last year, while separately, power generated from non-fossil fuels rose to make up more than a third of the country’s power output, according to a new report. Coal-fired generators still produced 60 per cent of the nation’s power needs last year, with non-fossil fuels now accounting for 34 per cent of China’s total power output in 2020 – 1 per cent higher than in 2019. This change comes amid a ban on coal imports from Australia that sees no sign of being lifted and China’s fresh commitment towards reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by “at least” 65 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, previously “up to” 65 per cent, and achieving carbon neutrality in 2060.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3122419/chinas-carbon-neutral-push-gathers-pace-coal-fired-power
     
         
      Hearths on fire: UK residents incensed by pollution from wood burners Sat, 20th Feb 2021 7:00:00
     
      If you’re looking to perfect your rural idyll, you can’t go wrong with a wood burner. A mainstay of glamorous Instagram “cottagecore” accounts and Airbnb listings with a cachet somewhere between an Aga and a yurt, they produce a mood of peace and warmth that glows as softly as their embers. But lately, some of their owners have ascended the temperature scale from cosy to hot and bothered – and so have their neighbours. With the sale of smoky wet wood and bags of house coal banned from 1 May, two government reports this week painted a damning picture of domestic wood burning’s contribution to small particle air pollution. They suggested that in 2019, closed and open fires were now responsible for 38% of pollution particles below 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5) – and, in a separate survey, found that just 8% of the population was responsible. Dry wood and solid fuels are much less polluting.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/20/hearths-on-fire-uk-residents-incensed-by-pollution-from-wood-burners
     
         
      Climate Change: How much did it cost US economy in 2020? Fri, 19th Feb 2021 14:38:00
     
      The year 2020 saw a record number of costly hurricanes, wildfires, and storms, resulting in billions of dollars in damages. Since records began in 1980, billion-dollar climate disasters have become much more frequent, and in total have cost the US economy $1.875tn over those four decades, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-56107358
     
         
      Earth’s Magnetic Field Reversal 42,000 Years Ago Triggered a Global Environmental Crisis Fri, 19th Feb 2021 14:23:00
     
      Nearly 42,000 years ago, when Earth’s magnetic fields reversed, this triggered major environmental changes, extinction events, and long-term changes in human behavior, a new study reports. The findings, made possible by a new radiocarbon record derived from New Zealand’s ancient kauri trees, raise important questions about the evolutionary impacts of geomagnetic reversals and excursions throughout the deeper geological record, the authors say. “Before this work,” says author Chris Turney in a related video, “we knew there were a lot of things happening around the world at 42,000 years ago, but we didn’t know precisely how… For the first time, we’ve been able to precisely date what happened when Earth’s magnetic fields last flipped.” Written in the geological record are numerous instances where the planet’s magnetic poles flipped. Today, such an event would almost certainly wreak havoc with modern electronic and satellite technologies. However, the potential environmental impacts of such events are virtually unknown.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/earths-magnetic-field-reversal-42000-years-ago-triggered-a-global-environmental-crisis/
     
         
      Highlands jobs in prospect if power plant project goes ahead Fri, 19th Feb 2021 14:21:00
     
      UMPED hydro storage schemes could cut the costs of operating the UK’s energy system by around £700m a year according to a study commissioned by SSE, which is working on plans for a bumper development in the Highlands. The Perth-based energy giant expects to be able to generate huge amounts of hydro-electricity at the Coire Glas plant from the movement of water between two reservoirs. The scheme near Loch Lochy would be the largest of its kind in the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/19101838.highlands-jobs-prospect-power-plant-project-goes-ahead/
     
         
      Is ammonia the fuel of the future? Fri, 19th Feb 2021 13:59:00
     
      Ammonia saved the world once; it might do it again. A century ago, the world faced a looming food crisis. A booming population was pushing farmers to grow crops faster than nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil could keep up, and the South American deposits of guano and natural nitrates they applied as fertilizer were dwindling.
       
      Full Article: https://cen.acs.org/business/petrochemicals/ammonia-fuel-future/99/i9
     
         
      Last coal shipment leaves River Tyne Fri, 19th Feb 2021 13:02:00
     
      What is thought to be the last shipment of coal from the North East of England has left the River Tyne. Extracted in County Durham, the 12,000-tonne load, bound for Belgium, raises questions for those who once worked deep down the pits, and for the next generation looking to a cleaner future. The fact that coal was still being exported from the Tyne came as something of a surprise to former colliery mechanic Billy Middleton. Now aged 79, he started work when he was 15 at County Durham's Wheatley Hill Colliery, before moving on to Thornley and then nearby Easington. "I'm more shocked than anything, I didn't even know," the former blacksmith said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-56071386
     
         
      Aker Horizons Launches Aker Clean Hydrogen to Industrialize Clean Hydrogen and Reduce Co2 Emissions Globally Fri, 19th Feb 2021 12:54:00
     
      Aker Clean Hydrogen to develop, build, own, and operate clean hydrogen production at scale, leveraging domain expertise across Aker group Cooperation with Statkraft and Yara to establish Europe’s first industrial-scale green ammonia project in Norway – the 450 MW Herøya plant Partnering with Mainstream Renewable Power to unlock the green hydrogen and ammonia economy in Chile and with Aker BioMarine to enable emission free shipping in Antarctica Portfolio of nine projects and prospects with total net capacity of 1.3 GW in development Aims to reach a net installed capacity of 5.0 GW and to remove more than 9 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030 Aker Horizons AS (“Aker Horizons”) announces the launch of a new platform company, Aker Clean Hydrogen, a pure-play industrial clean hydrogen producer to serve a fast-growing global market. With a proven execution model and unique end-to-end asset integration and optimalization capabilities, Aker Clean Hydrogen aims to emerge as the most efficient hydrogen value chain integrator on a global scale.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/aker-horizons-launches-aker-clean-hydrogen-to-industrialize-clean-hydrogen-and-reduce-co2-emissions-globally/
     
         
      China’s Coal Supply Crisis Means High Prices, Blackouts Fri, 19th Feb 2021 11:41:00
     
      TAIPEI - As the cost of coal spikes during China’s severely cold winter, what is an economic and uncomfortable hardship for many citizens could turn into a hot political problem for one man: President Xi Jinping. China’s coal prices rose just as temperatures dropped in December, when demand was already surging because of China’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Fossil fuels, mostly coal, provide nearly 70% of China’s power. But even those with money to burn couldn’t buy coal, according to local media reports, and in a nation where thermal coal fuels electrical power plants, winter’s darkness has taken on new depths. Thermal coal, also known as “steaming coal” or just “coal,” "differs from coking coal, which has a higher energy content and is chiefly used in metal making rather than electricity production," according to Robeco, an asset management firm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/chinas-coal-supply-crisis-means-high-prices-blackouts
     
         
      Meet the Latest ‘Super Plant’ to Fight Air Pollution Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:57:00
     
      Planting greenery is often touted as one solution to the threat of air pollution, but which species are actually the most effective against this major public health hazard? Researchers at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK set out to answer that exact question and in the process revealed a new "super plant" — Franchet's cotoneaster, or Cotoneaster franchetii. "We estimate the Cotoneaster franchetii traps 20% more emissions than other hedges we have tested so would be ideal along busy roads in pollution hot spots," RHS principal horticultural scientist and study lead author Dr. Tijana Blanusa said in a press release.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ecowatch.com/plants-fighting-air-pollution-2650611803.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2
     
         
      Earth's magnetic field flipped 42,000 years ago, creating a climate 'disaster' Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:39:00
     
      A reversal in Earth's magnetic field thousands of years ago plunged the planet into an environmental crisis that may have resembled "a disaster movie," scientists recently discovered. Our planet's magnetic field is dynamic and, numerous times, it has flipped — when the magnetic North and South Poles swap places. In our electronics-dependent world, such a reversal could seriously disrupt communication networks. But the impact could be even more serious than that, according to the new study. For the first time, scientists have found evidence that a polar flip could have serious ecological repercussions. Their investigation connects a magnetic field reversal about 42,000 years ago to climate upheaval on a global scale, which caused extinctions and reshaped human behavior.
       
      Full Article: https://www.livescience.com/magnetic-flip-42000-years-ago.html
     
         
      UN offers science-based blueprint to tackle climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:35:00
     
      “For too long, we have been waging a senseless and suicidal war on nature. The result is three interlinked environmental crises”, Secretary-General António Guterres told a virtual press briefing on the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report, Making Peace with Nature. Pointing to climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution, which “threaten our viability as a species”, he detailed their cause as “unsustainable production and consumption”. “Human well-being lies in protecting the health of the planet”, said Mr. Guterres. Linking challenges According to the UNEP report, the world can tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together, but the UN chief said that these interlinked crises require “urgent action from the whole of society”. Noting that some two-thirds of global CO2 emissions are linked to households, he underscored that “people’s choices matter”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085092
     
         
      UN offers science-based blueprint to tackle climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:35:00
     
      “For too long, we have been waging a senseless and suicidal war on nature. The result is three interlinked environmental crises”, Secretary-General António Guterres told a virtual press briefing on the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report, Making Peace with Nature. Pointing to climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution, which “threaten our viability as a species”, he detailed their cause as “unsustainable production and consumption”. “Human well-being lies in protecting the health of the planet”, said Mr. Guterres. Linking challenges According to the UNEP report, the world can tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together, but the UN chief said that these interlinked crises require “urgent action from the whole of society”. Noting that some two-thirds of global CO2 emissions are linked to households, he underscored that “people’s choices matter”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085092
     
         
      Cumbria coal mine: Tory MPs urge council to give plans the green light Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:17:00
     
      More than 40 Conservative MPs are calling for the UK's first new deep coal mine in 30 years to be given the go-ahead. Plans to open the West Cumbria mine are on hold over climate change concerns. Cumbria County Council had originally backed the scheme but is now reviewing its decision. The MPs - many from former mining areas in the North of England - say blocking the project would pose "a serious risk to Cumbria's economic growth". In a letter to the council's Labour leader, they argue that the mine, in Whitehaven, West Cumbria, would fall "within the government agendas for net-zero carbon emission by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56109690
     
         
      Cumbria coal mine: What is the controversy about? Thu, 18th Feb 2021 13:04:00
     
      Over 40 Conservative MPs have signed a letter in support of plans to open the UK's first new deep coal mine in 30 years. The plans are being reviewed by Cumbria County Council following controversy about the proposal. Supporters say it will create hundreds of jobs and produce coal needed for UK steel. But the government's climate advisers say the mine is bad for the planet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-56023895
     
         
      Global hydrogen project pipeline expected to exceed $300 billion by 2030 Thu, 18th Feb 2021 7:40:00
     
      A new report from the Hydrogen Council has estimated that the current hydrogen project pipeline, if realized, would exceed investments of $300 billion by 2030. The report comes amid an acceleration in hydrogen project announcements worldwide and great expectation of hydrogen’s potential in the energy transition. According to a new report by the Hydrogen Council, the release of national hydrogen strategies by over 30 countries has led to a rapid increase in the volume of investment in hydrogen projects worldwide. The Hydrogen Council is made up of 109 constituent members, representing in excess of US$8.8 trillion in market capitalization and including companies such as BP, Shell, Siemens Energy, Toyota, Anglo American, Snam, and Fortescue. The report, developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and entitled “Hydrogen Insights 2021: A Perspective on Hydrogen Investment, Deployment and Cost Competitiveness”, estimates the total investment in hydrogen projects will surpass $300 billion by 2030, including US$80 billion in mature projects. Of course, these figures, it should be noted, assume all announced projects are successfully achieved.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/18/global-hydrogen-project-pipeline-expected-to-exceed-300-billion-by-2030/?fbclid=IwAR1NZeDglz1swNl44SkO4qvltEDNqi7sTzHMEjkFRUOU3IUK2MKhyuhWKDs
     
         
      Experts identify 'super-plant' that absorbs roadside air pollution Thu, 18th Feb 2021 6:01:00
     
      Bushy, hairy-leafed cotoneaster is a “super plant” that can help soak up pollution on busy roads, horticultural experts have said. Scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) looked at the effectiveness of hedges for soaking up air pollution, comparing different types of shrubs including cotoneaster, hawthorn and western red cedar. The study forms part of work by the charity to ease environmental problems such as air pollution, flooding and heatwaves, boosting the benefits of gardens and green spaces. On roads with heavy traffic, the denser, hairy-leaved Cotoneaster franchetii was at least 20% more effective at soaking up pollution compared with other shrubs, the researchers said, though it did not make a difference on quieter streets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/18/experts-identify-super-plant-that-absorbs-roadside-air-pollution
     
         
      DEFORESTATION COULD BE COOLING THE PLANET DOWN, SAY SCIENTISTS Wed, 17th Feb 2021 13:55:00
     
      More trees do not make for a cooler planet, according to a new study in the US. One environmental scientist argues that deforestation is not always harmful for the planet. Christopher A. Williams, a professor at Clark University's Graduate School of Geography (Worcester, Massachusetts), says that instead of warming up the Earth, deforestation can actually cool it down. But some experts are concerned that Williams' work is likely to be misconstrued as permission to continue deforesting, which is not his intention. It's widely accepted that our existing forests are vital carbon sinks, and the best course of action is to stop deforestation, while rewilding and reforesting areas already lost. Deforestation contributes to climate change, can cause wildfires, desertification, soil erosion and most of all - releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide which causes global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/17/deforestation-could-be-cooling-the-planet-down-say-scientists
     
         
      LCOE of off-grid solar-plus-storage in Russia’s remote areas ranges between $0.19 and $0.29/kWh Wed, 17th Feb 2021 13:04:00
     
      Although Russia has a huge national grid, more than 10,000 villages across the country are currently disconnected from this network and their power supply is ensured by highly-polluting diesel power generators or small sized coal-fired electricity production. “These solutions, however, not only cause regular electricity shortages but are also very expensive,” Anton Usachev, president of the Russian Solar Energy Association, told pv magazine. “At some locations, logistics [are] very complicated, as diesel fuel is delivered twice a year due to difficult weather conditions.” According to him, the Russian authorities are now considering solar power generation coupled with storage to replace diesel generation as a cheap and easy-to-implement power supply solution for remote areas, due to its perfect combination of economic efficiency, environmental sustainability, and affordable logistics. “The size of the off-grid solar-diesel market in Russia’s Far East regions only, can reach 800 MW,” he further explained. “Several regions, such as Krasnoyarsk, Altay, and Tyva in Siberia, Chukotka, Magadan, Zabaikalskiy, and Yakutia in the Far East, are already on the way of building up PV power generation in a bid to replace diesel-fueled generation.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/17/lcoe-of-off-grid-solar-plus-storage-in-russias-remote-areas-ranges-between-0-19-and-0-29-kwh/
     
         
      EuroTrough Helped Cut Ramp-Up Time of China’s 100 MW Urat CSP Tue, 16th Feb 2021 14:29:00
     
      The 100 MW Urat CSP first connected to the grid in January of 2020, with 3 months of commissioning, and by December, met its full production target within just one year, according to CSNP. Typically, thermal plants require up to four years to ramp-up to 100% operating level. At Urat, the solar collector field covers an area 2.6 km long and 1.7 km wide. It consists of 352 loops comprising 16,896 individual solar collector elements, each 12 m long and 5.8 m wide. The firm’s existing EuroTrough design was originally developed for 50 MW plant sizes, and has been successfully used in many trough power plants in Spain, Egypt, India, Kuwait and previously in China. But Urat presented challenges. “It would have been uneconomical to just copy the design for the 100 MW Urat CSP plant, as extremely high wind loads, the influence of high altitude on air pressure, and a wide temperature range, from -45 °C in winter to over 30 °C in summer, made re-engineering necessary,” said Axel Schweitzer, sbp solar engineer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/eurotrough-cut-ramp-up-in-china-100-mw-urat-csp%E2%80%A8
     
         
      Hydrogen Trains Could put the UK Government’s ‘Green Plan’ on Track Tue, 16th Feb 2021 14:23:00
     
      The government’s 10-point green plan includes an ambitious proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2030, as well as a promised boost to hydrogen production in the UK. With decarbonising transport a high priority and a major investment in hydrogen on the cards, it makes sense to look at how these two ambitions can be combined. Batteries may still be the most efficient way of powering electric vehicles and vans, but for heavy transport, such as trains, hydrogen has some major advantages.
       
      Full Article: read://https_fuelcellsworks.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuelcellsworks.com%2Fnews%2Fhydrogen-trains-could-put-the-uk-governments-green-plan-on-track%2F
     
         
      Britain will build its first hydrogen fueled homes by April, offering public a glimpse of the future Tue, 16th Feb 2021 10:34:00
     
      The first U.K. houses where appliances including boilers, stoves and ovens are fueled exclusively by hydrogen are due to be opened by April, with authorities hoping the buildings will provide the public with “a glimpse into the potential home of the future.” The project to develop the two semi-detached properties has received £250,000 (around $347,175) in funding from the U.K. government’s Hy4Heat program. In addition, two companies — Northern Gas Networks and Cadent — will each provide £250,000 for the initiative. The homes will be located at a Northern Gas Networks site in Low Thornley, Gateshead, in the northeast of England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/16/britain-will-build-its-first-hydrogen-fueled-homes-by-april.html
     
         
      Growing renewable energy options help businesses meet carbon-reduction targets Tue, 16th Feb 2021 10:27:00
     
      Shorter-term corporate PPAs offering contract terms of as little as three to five years are becoming increasingly common, explains ENGIE's Russell Reading Renewable energy is in demand like never before. Businesses of all sizes are prioritising carbon reduction and environmental responsibility, driven both by government targets and by demand from customers for more sustainable products and services. In a recent survey of businesses by ENGIE, more than three quarters (79 per cent) indicated that energy usage is the major contributor to carbon emissions in their organisations - which means decarbonising energy supplies must be the top priority for any net zero or carbon-reduction programme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessgreen.com/sponsored/4026972/growing-renewable-energy-options-help-businesses-meet-carbon-reduction-targets
     
         
      Could churches do more to fight climate change? Tue, 16th Feb 2021 10:19:00
     
      Both the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis have spoken out about climate change in recent years, but some young Christians say they want to see more action in their own churches. A recent survey of young Christians suggested that a large proportion of young people questioned were concerned about climate change, but around two-thirds had never heard a Sunday sermon on the issue. BBC News heard from young churchgoers on their thoughts about faith and the battle to halt climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-56001191
     
         
      Big oil invests in geothermal energy startup Tue, 16th Feb 2021 9:01:00
     
      Companies including the venture arms of BP and Chevron invested $40 million in a startup that aims to use the fossil fuel industry’s drilling experience to expand a technology that harvests low-carbon energy from heat below the earth’s surface. Eavor Technologies plans to expand geothermal power beyond places like Iceland that have volcanic conditions. The technology could be a way to replace fossil fuels and nuclear power plants as a low-carbon source of electricity that can be dispatched to the grid whenever it’s needed. Along with BP and Chevron, new investors in the Calgary, Canada-based company include Temasek Holdings, BDC Capital Corp, Eversource and Vickers Venture Partners.
       
      Full Article: https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/299866/bp-chevron-geothermal-energy/
     
         
      Oil giants BP and Chevron become part-owners of 'world-changing' deep-geothermal innovator Eavor Tue, 16th Feb 2021 7:20:00
     
      BP and Chevron have become part-owners of Eavor, the Canadian start-up that offers unlimited, on-demand renewable energy anywhere in the world through an innovative deep-geothermal solution. The two oil majors were among six strategic investors who took part in a $40m funding round, and both are now likely to further assist Eavor financially and practically as the company builds out its first commercial projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/technology/oil-giants-bp-and-chevron-become-part-owners-of-world-changing-deep-geothermal-innovator-eavor/2-1-963275
     
         
      Adding copper salts to coal may increase combustion efficiency – study Tue, 16th Feb 2021 6:15:00
     
      Russian scientists published a study where they propose adding copper salts to coal products to modify the fuel’s combustion efficiency. According to the researchers, the addition of copper salts reduces the content of unburnt carbon in ash residue by 3.1 times and CO content in the gaseous combustion products by 40%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.mining.com/adding-copper-salts-to-coal-may-increase-combustion-efficiency-study/
     
         
      Bill Gates: Solving Covid easy compared with climate Mon, 15th Feb 2021 11:01:00
     
      Fifty-one billion and zero - the two numbers Bill Gates says you need to know about climate. Solving climate change would be "the most amazing thing humanity has ever done", says the billionaire founder of Microsoft. By comparison, ending the pandemic is "very, very easy", he claims. Mr Gates's new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, is a guide to tackling global warming. Don't underestimate the scale of the challenge, he told me when we spoke last week. "We've never made a transition like we're talking about doing in the next 30 years. There is no precedent for this." Fifty-one billion is how many tonnes of greenhouse gases the world typically adds to the atmosphere each year. Net zero is where we need to get to.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56042029
     
         
      Jaguar car brand to be all-electric by 2025 Mon, 15th Feb 2021 10:45:00
     
      Jaguar Land Rover's Jaguar brand will be all-electric by 2025, the carmaker has said. The company will launch electric models of its entire Jaguar and Land Rover line-up by 2030, it added. The firm said it would keep all three of its three British plants open as part of its new strategy. But it has dropped plans to build an electric version of its XJ saloon at the Castle Bromwich plant, meaning the site will eventually stop making cars. Chief executive Thierry Bolloré said the plant would focus instead on "non-production" activities in the long term, without giving details.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56072019
     
         
      Disha Ravi: The jailed Indian activist linked to Greta Thunberg Mon, 15th Feb 2021 10:12:00
     
      In India's southern city of Bangalore, Disha Ravi was a cheerful, familiar figure among local climate activists. The sprightly 22-year-old helped clean up lakes, plant trees and campaigned against plastic. She attended workshops, walked the streets demanding climate action, loved animals and spoke out against sexism and capital punishment. A vegan and the sole-earning member in her family, she worked with a local company that makes plant-based food. Ms Ravi is also one of the founders of the local wing of Fridays For Future, a global movement begun by climate change activist Greta Thunberg. Here, she participated in campaigns to preserve the lion-tailed macaque in an Indian bio-diversity spot, and stall a hydro power plant, among other causes. Living in a low-lying neighbourhood in a city which would get easily flooded during rains, she worried about climate change. Bangalore, she said, was experiencing severe rainfall and flooding these days. She had lived in the family home for 13 years, and found that the city had never experienced such heavy rains as it had in recent years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56068522
     
         
      We found the first Australian evidence of a major shift in Earth’s magnetic poles. It may help us predict the next Mon, 15th Feb 2021 5:00:00
     
      About 41,000 years ago, something remarkable happened: Earth’s magnetic field flipped and, for a temporary period, magnetic north was south and magnetic south was north. Palaeomagnetists refer to this as a geomagnetic excursion. This event, which is different to a complete magnetic pole reversal, occurs irregularly through time and reflects the dynamics of Earth’s molten outer core. The strength of Earth’s magnetic field would have almost vanished during the event, called the Laschamp excursion, which lasted a few thousand years. Earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield against high-energy particles from the Sun and outside the solar system. Without it the planet would be bombarded by these charged particles. We don’t know when the next geomagnetic excursion will happen. But if it happened today, it would be crippling. Satellites and navigation apps would be rendered useless — and power distribution systems would be disrupted at a cost of between US$7 billion and US$48 billion each day in the United States alone.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/we-found-the-first-australian-evidence-of-a-major-shift-in-earths-magnetic-poles-it-may-help-us-predict-the-next-155040
     
         
      Climate Change: Government may review road-building policy Sat, 13th Feb 2021 10:34:00
     
      The government may review its road-building policy in England following a legal challenge from environmentalists. Green campaigners argue that the policy does not fit with the UK’s climate change targets. The case is being debated between lawyers for the government and the campaigners. It could lead to a revision of the roads policy which underpins the government’s controversial £27bn highways programme. The BBC has learned that lawyers for Transport Secretary Grant Shapps have asked in a letter for more time to decide if he is willing to review the roads policy on environmental grounds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56042430
     
         
      Climate change: UK not checking if green taxes work - spending watchdog Sat, 13th Feb 2021 10:32:00
     
      The UK government is too focused on raising money from green taxes, rather than checking they are actually working, a spending watchdog says. Taxes aimed at helping the environment raised £34.7bn in 2019, according to the National Audit Office. But in most cases the tax authorities do not measure whether they are having any impact, the NAO says in a report. HM Revenue and Customs said the government was fully focused on hitting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But the NAO said too little was known about the effect of environmental taxes, and government departments must monitor their impact to help reach climate goals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56040410
     
         
      'I saved £5,000 by charging my electric car for free' Sat, 13th Feb 2021 10:13:00
     
      Elinor Chalmers knew that she would have to rely on public charging points when she bought her electric car. The 36-year-old was living in a second floor flat in Dundee and could not plug in at home where it is usually cheaper. She had no idea that the public charging points in her area were free to use. "It was a pleasant surprise", says Elinor who got her Nissan Leaf because she was concerned about the impact of fossil-fuelled cars. "The majority of the chargers across Scotland were free and I think in those first three years, I saved about £5,000 equivalent of what I would have been paying in diesel". The devices which she relied upon are no longer free for everyone to use, but Radio 4's You & Yours has found that free charging is patchy but still widespread.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55941244
     
         
      Oil major shifts to minor key Fri, 12th Feb 2021 13:11:00
     
      This is a time of unprecedented challenge to the old ways - disease control, curtailed travel, the digital economy, automation of jobs, voters in revolt, and, not least, tackling climate change. Some are going to be swept out of the way. Oil and gas producers are trying to find a way to ensure they're not among them, and can instead catch the tide. The easy bit is declaring your company is now about "energy". Several companies have set out their intention of becoming big in wind and solar power. But these are capital-intensive and not high-margin. Much more difficult is reducing the dependence on oil and gas for generating shareholder returns. Royal Dutch Shell is the latest to set out its vision and targets. In a lengthy presentation by chief executive Ben van Beurden on Thursday, one word that only snuck out on two occasions (that I noticed), was "oil". It seems to have become a dirty word, more commonly referred to as "upstream".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-56025451
     
         
      The global race to produce hydrogen offshore Fri, 12th Feb 2021 13:11:00
     
      Last year was a record breaker for the UK's wind power industry. Wind generation reached its highest ever level, at 17.2GW on 18 December, while wind power achieved its biggest share of UK energy production, at 60% on 26 August. Yet occasionally the huge offshore wind farms pump out far more electricity than the country needs - such as during the first Covid-19 lockdown last spring when demand for electricity sagged. But what if you could use that excess power for something else?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55763356
     
         
      Shell in Nigeria: Polluted communities 'can sue in English courts' Fri, 12th Feb 2021 11:39:00
     
      The UK Supreme Court has ruled that oil-polluted Nigerian communities can sue Shell in English courts. The decision is a victory for the communities after a five-year battle, and overturns a Court of Appeal ruling. The Niger Delta communities of more than 40,000 people say decades of pollution have severely affected their lives, health and local environment. The oil giant had argued it was only a holding company for a firm that should be judged under Nigerian law. Shell described the legal ruling as disappointing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56041189
     
         
      The global race to produce hydrogen offshore Fri, 12th Feb 2021 11:32:00
     
      Last year was a record breaker for the UK's wind power industry. Wind generation reached its highest ever level, at 17.2GW on 18 December, while wind power achieved its biggest share of UK energy production, at 60% on 26 August. Yet occasionally the huge offshore wind farms pump out far more electricity than the country needs - such as during the first Covid-19 lockdown last spring when demand for electricity sagged. But what if you could use that excess power for something else? "What we're aiming to do is generate hydrogen directly from offshore wind," says Stephen Matthews, Hydrogen Lead at sustainability consultancy ERM. His firm's project, Dolphyn, aims to fit floating wind turbines with desalination equipment to remove salt from seawater, and electrolysers to split the resulting freshwater into oxygen and the sought-after hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55763356
     
         
      Cumbria coal mine: What is the controversy about? Fri, 12th Feb 2021 11:01:00
     
      Plans to open the first new deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years are being reviewed by Cumbria County Council following controversy about the proposal. Supporters say it will create hundreds of jobs and produce coal needed for UK steel. But the government's climate advisers say the mine is bad for the planet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-56023895
     
         
      Cumbria coal mine: What is the controversy about? Fri, 12th Feb 2021 10:51:00
     
      Plans to open the first new deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years are being reviewed by Cumbria County Council following controversy about the proposal. Supporters say it will create hundreds of jobs and produce coal needed for UK steel. But the government's climate advisers say the mine is bad for the planet. What is the case for the mine? The area, in north-west England, is dominated by the giant Sellafield nuclear plant, and West Cumbria Mining promises hundreds of well-paid jobs. Coal from the mine could support steel-making in the UK and using British coal would save the carbon emitted by shipping it from Australia or North America.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-56023895
     
         
      Charles de Gaulle: Plans for huge new airport terminal in Paris scrapped Fri, 12th Feb 2021 10:49:00
     
      The French government has abandoned plans to build a huge new terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The coronavirus pandemic and changing environmental priorities were the reasons given for the move. A fourth terminal would have allowed the airport to handle up to 40 million extra passengers a year. France has radically changed its transport priorities, with airport developments now requiring plans for electric or hydrogen-fuelled planes. Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili told Le Monde newspaper that the project was now "obsolete". "We will always need planes, but we must move towards a more reasonable use of air travel, and reach a reduction in the sector's greenhouse gas emissions," she said. Julien Bayou, head of France's Green Party, said it was "a great victory for environmentalists" against what he called "an idiotic project". Charles de Gaulle airport, which opened in 1974, is the second busiest airport in Europe after London Heathrow, with more than 76 million passengers passing through in 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56021908
     
         
      Isle of Man grants for tree planting could be rolled out Fri, 12th Feb 2021 10:45:00
     
      Financial incentives for landowners to plant trees could be rolled out as part of a bid to increase carbon capture on the Isle of Man. Under the proposals, grants of up to £3,330 per hectare spread over a five-year period could be awarded for the development of woodlands. It is part of government plans to meet a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. A consultation on the proposals will run until 7 March. Under the proposed Woodland Grant Scheme, payments would include a one-off payment for planting the trees and additional funds each year for maintenance while the woodland is established. Grants would be allocated on a sliding scale depending on the type of trees being planted, and would be available for up to a maximum of 10 hectares per claim. Additional funding would also be available for stock fencing and gates and rabbit proofing to protect the saplings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-56028597
     
         
      Forests the size of tennis courts Fri, 12th Feb 2021 10:21:00
     
      Hundreds of tiny forests are being planted in towns and cities around the world. The British government has announced funding for 12 of them in the UK. But what's the point of a forest the size of a tennis court?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-56003562
     
         
      Isle of Man grants for tree planting could be rolled out Thu, 11th Feb 2021 13:09:00
     
      Financial incentives for landowners to plant trees could be rolled out as part of a bid to increase carbon capture on the Isle of Man. Under the proposals, grants of up to £3,330 per hectare spread over a five-year period could be awarded for the development of woodlands. It is part of government plans to meet a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. A consultation on the proposals will run until 7 March. Under the proposed Woodland Grant Scheme, payments would include a one-off payment for planting the trees and additional funds each year for maintenance while the woodland is established. Grants would be allocated on a sliding scale depending on the type of trees being planted, and would be available for up to a maximum of 10 hectares per claim. Additional funding would also be available for stock fencing and gates and rabbit proofing to protect the saplings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-56028597
     
         
      Shell: Europe's biggest oil firm sets out carbon neutral plans Thu, 11th Feb 2021 12:16:00
     
      Oil giant Shell has said it wants net zero emissions both for itself and from products used by its customers by 2050. It has boosted targets to reduce the net amount of carbon dioxide that ends up in the atmosphere. The company also said that its oil production, which peaked in 2019, will be gradually reduced. Last week, Shell reported a huge loss after the Covid pandemic caused a slump in oil demand. Shell wants to expand its renewables, biofuels, and hydrogen businesses as it comes under increasing pressure from investors and creditors. In particular, it is shifting its long-term focus from oil and gas to selling renewable energy, partly by taking stakes in renewable energy projects. Chief executive Ben van Beurden said: "We want to be a leading power player, and the focus will be very much on selling clean power. "Will we be producing the electrons ourselves? No. But a major player in power we will be."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56022908
     
         
      Fossil fuel subsidies amount to hundreds of billions of dollars a year – here’s how to get rid of them Thu, 11th Feb 2021 12:13:00
     
      Any feasible pathway out of the climate crisis involves dramatically lowering our consumption of fossil fuels. It’s astonishing, then, that many countries not only don’t reflect the damage caused by burning fossil fuels in the taxes imposed on them, but actively subsidise their extraction and use. Despite an agreement at the G20 in 2009 to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, the US, China and Russia alone spent US$909 billion (£656 billion) on them in 2017, the most recent year available – that’s nearly 40% more than in 2009. Subsidies exist when fossil fuel prices fail to reflect their true costs, including how much pollution they cause. This encourages us to use more of them. Emissions from burning fossil fuels were responsible for one in five premature deaths in 2018, but the IMF has estimated that raising the price of fossil fuels to fully reflect their wider social costs could cut this number in half.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/fossil-fuel-subsidies-amount-to-hundreds-of-billions-of-dollars-a-year-heres-how-to-get-rid-of-them-153740
     
         
      Bitcoin consumes 'more electricity than Argentina' Thu, 11th Feb 2021 11:24:00
     
      Bitcoin uses more electricity annually than the whole of Argentina, analysis by Cambridge University suggests. "Mining" for the cryptocurrency is power-hungry, involving heavy computer calculations to verify transactions. Cambridge researchers say it consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) a year - and is unlikely to fall unless the value of the currency slumps. Critics say electric-car firm Tesla's decision to invest heavily in Bitcoin undermines its environmental image. The currency's value hit a record $48,000 (£34,820) this week. following Tesla's announcement that it had bought about $1.5bn bitcoin and planned to accept it as payment in future. But the rising price offers even more incentive to Bitcoin miners to run more and more machines. And as the price increases, so does the energy consumption, according to Michel Rauchs, researcher at The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, who co-created the online tool that generates these estimates.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56012952
     
         
      'Hanging' glacier broke off to trigger India flood Thu, 11th Feb 2021 10:38:00
     
      A devastating flash flood in India's northern state of Uttarakhand killed at least 32 people and trapped workers in underground tunnels. It also sparked informed speculation on what caused Sunday's deluge. Did an avalanche cause a glacial lake to burst? Or could an avalanche or landslide have dammed a river for some time, causing it to overflow? Or did ice blocks break off a glacier due to a rise in temperature? Rescue efforts are still continuing, with more than 170 people missing - 12 workers were pulled out from a tunnel after being trapped in the freezing dark. Now a team of scientists investigating the incident believe a piece of a Himalayan glacier did fall into water and trigger the huge flood in Uttarakhand state. A glacier is a slowly flowing river of ice, accumulating snow, rock, sediment and often liquid water.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56007448
     
         
      Shift to green energy 'could cost oil states $13 trillion' by 2040 Thu, 11th Feb 2021 10:18:00
     
      A new report says that oil and gas producing countries face a multi-trillion-dollar hole in their government revenue. The report from the think-tank Carbon Tracker looks at the financial impact as the world cuts back on fossil fuels. It says some countries could lose at least 40% of total government revenue. It estimates the cumulative total revenue loss for all oil-producing countries by 2040 will be $13 trillion (in 2020 dollars). That is as efforts to contain the rise in global temperatures drive the decarbonisation of energy supplies. Carbon Tracker describes its report as a wake-up call to oil producing countries and international policymakers. It says they have planned on the basis that demand for oil will increase until 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56017415
     
         
      UN talks ‘honestly’ about the environment and avoids ‘scaremongering’ Wed, 10th Feb 2021 13:20:00
     
      The challenge of tackling climate change is one that the UN needs to talk about “honestly, without scaremongering” and by focusing on scientific fact, according to Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The UN agency which Ms Andersen describes as the “environmental conscience of the United Nations”, is at the centre of the global debate about sustainability, the environment and climate change. The UNEP chief was interviewed by the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the UN, Melissa Fleming, as part of the podcast series Awake at Night. Ms Fleming began by asking Inger Andersen to explain UNEP’s role. Inger Andersen: We really are the environmental conscience of the United Nations, across all the 50-odd agencies which make up the UN. We try to support all our sister agencies with environmental understanding. In a broader sense, our job is to tell the world honestly, without scaremongering, what science tells us and then to support countries with capacity building, with enablement, with technical assistance, with science, with data, and with on-the-ground action.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084382
     
         
      'Invisible killer': fossil fuels caused 8.7m deaths globally in 2018, research finds Tue, 9th Feb 2021 19:50:00
     
      Air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil was responsible for 8.7m deaths globally in 2018, a staggering one in five of all people who died that year, new research has found. Countries with the most prodigious consumption of fossil fuels to power factories, homes and vehicles are suffering the highest death tolls, with the study finding more than one in 10 deaths in both the US and Europe were caused by the resulting pollution, along with nearly a third of deaths in eastern Asia, which includes China. Death rates in South America and Africa were significantly lower.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/09/fossil-fuels-pollution-deaths-research
     
         
      Cooling La Niña is on the wane, but temperatures set to rise: UN weather agency Tue, 9th Feb 2021 13:29:00
     
      It noted that above-normal temperatures in the next three months are expected in western, central and eastern Asia and over the southern half of North America, and that there is a moderate likelihood (65 per cent) that the La Niña event will continue into April. Above-normal temperatures are also likely over most northern high latitudes - except northwestern North America - southern, central and eastern parts of South America, and equatorial and northern Africa. Below-normal temperatures are more likely for northern South America. ‘Unusually wet’ Turning to rainfall, WMO said that there were “increased chances of unusually wet conditions” that were consistent with La Niña’s effects on regional climates, over much of South East Asia, Australia and northern South America and islands in Melanesia. Southern Africa may also see above-normal rainfall, the agency continued, along with “an increased probability of above-normal precipitation (possibly as snow) over much of the Northern Hemisphere north of about 45 degrees North”, although WMO credited the “ongoing negative Arctic Oscillation” climate driver for this trend, which has been observed since December, rather than La Niña.Drier-than-normal conditions are however likely over much of western and central Asia “and along about 30 degrees North in East Asia, as well as parts of the Greater Horn of Africa, parts of Central Africa, sub-tropical latitudes of North America, islands in Polynesia and some parts of southeastern South America” says WMO’s Global Seasonal Climate Update (GSCU).
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084222
     
         
      Cooling La Niña is on the wane, but temperatures set to rise: UN weather agency Tue, 9th Feb 2021 13:29:00
     
      It noted that above-normal temperatures in the next three months are expected in western, central and eastern Asia and over the southern half of North America, and that there is a moderate likelihood (65 per cent) that the La Niña event will continue into April. Above-normal temperatures are also likely over most northern high latitudes - except northwestern North America - southern, central and eastern parts of South America, and equatorial and northern Africa. Below-normal temperatures are more likely for northern South America. ‘Unusually wet’ Turning to rainfall, WMO said that there were “increased chances of unusually wet conditions” that were consistent with La Niña’s effects on regional climates, over much of South East Asia, Australia and northern South America and islands in Melanesia. Southern Africa may also see above-normal rainfall, the agency continued, along with “an increased probability of above-normal precipitation (possibly as snow) over much of the Northern Hemisphere north of about 45 degrees North”, although WMO credited the “ongoing negative Arctic Oscillation” climate driver for this trend, which has been observed since December, rather than La Niña.Drier-than-normal conditions are however likely over much of western and central Asia “and along about 30 degrees North in East Asia, as well as parts of the Greater Horn of Africa, parts of Central Africa, sub-tropical latitudes of North America, islands in Polynesia and some parts of southeastern South America” says WMO’s Global Seasonal Climate Update (GSCU).
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084222
     
         
      How the race for renewable energy is reshaping global politics Tue, 9th Feb 2021 12:42:00
     
      Energy coverage from Saudi Arabia to Texas Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy. Don’t miss our exclusive newsletter, Energy Source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/a37d0ddf-8fb1-4b47-9fba-7ebde29fc510
     
         
      Climate change: New targets to eliminate Wales' gases Tue, 9th Feb 2021 10:21:00
     
      New targets to eliminate the gases driving climate change from Wales' economy and way of life are to become law. The Welsh Government said "business as usual" was no longer an option. Changing weather patterns are already "wreaking havoc" and acting now is "the right thing to do for our children and grandchildren", it says. The move brings Wales into line with the UK push for "net zero emissions" by 2050. However, environment minister Lesley Griffiths said she wanted to "get there sooner". It will mean huge upheaval - from replacing hundreds of thousands of gas boilers in people's homes, to potentially finding new ways of making steel at Port Talbot without burning coal. But the process will lead to new green jobs, and improvements to people's health while meeting international obligations to try and avoid a dangerous rise in global temperatures, the government said. It will publish a revised action plan ahead of the major UN climate change conference - COP26 - in Glasgow later this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55985367
     
         
      An invisible, odorless gas is pitting Texas against the Biden administration Mon, 8th Feb 2021 17:53:00
     
      Deep in the heart of Texas, above an oil patch about the size of Kansas, a little team in a small plane is trying to reveal a big problem. They are methane hunters. With an infrared camera and a Picarro Cavity Ring-Down Laser Spectroscope, they fly spirals over pumps and compressor stations that stretch to both horizons. With each tight corkscrew, the little airplane sniffs out and measures planet-cooking, climate-changing pollution as the region below braces for an energy revolution amid a cold civil war. The Picarro spectrometer is so sensitive, it caught the number of carbon dioxide molecules in my breath as we walked around the hangar. In the sky, it counts the density of carbon dioxide molecules on their way to heating up the sea, land and sky for the next 300 to 1,000 years.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/05/us/climate-crisis-texas-methane-emissions-weir-wxc/index.html
     
         
      Fuel Cells: The Promise of Hydrogen Power Mon, 8th Feb 2021 13:20:00
     
      Fuel cells and hydrogen are necessary, inevitable power sources of the future. But technological challenges, high cost, required fuel infrastructure, and other issues have allowed photovoltaics, wind, and batteries to become the short-term interventions for our fossil fuel addiction. Bloom Energy has been making fuel cells since 2009, originally promoting them as a future source of inexpensive, sustainable onsite power for everything from homes to utilities. The marketing hype never matched reality, but the company continues to sell them in select markets for microgrids, buildings with critical systems, and organizations marketing their “green” initiatives. Despite massive outside investments, it has posted a financial loss every year since its founding. These losses, combined with overreaching promises, the use of natural gas as a fuel source, and the release of CO2 emissions during use, have led some green building professionals to write off the company and its technology as the ultimate greenwashing. (Bloom Energy pointed BuildingGreen to its website and press releases but declined requests for an interview.)
       
      Full Article: https://www.buildinggreen.com/product-review/fuel-cells-promise-hydrogen-power
     
         
      Planting of 85,000-tree Isle of Man 'people's wood' begins Mon, 8th Feb 2021 12:11:00
     
      A new "people's wood" of 85,000 trees will create a "wonderful amenity" for the Manx community as well as helping to combat the island's carbon emissions, the chief minister has said. Howard Quayle planted the first tree in the new 113 acre woodland at Meary Veg in Santon on Friday. The project is part of the government's strategy to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. All the trees are expected to be planted by the end of the year. Mr Quayle said while the woodland would take many years to mature, it would "boost natural carbon storage and benefit people and wildlife for generations to come". The project, which aims to plant a tree for every resident on the island, was originally announced in June 2019 and will predominately feature broadleaf trees, including crab apple, hazel and oak.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-55983977
     
         
      Leeds Bradford Airport expansion: Open letter opposes plan Mon, 8th Feb 2021 12:08:00
     
      Plans to expand Leeds Bradford Airport must be halted "for the good of generations", a group of MPs, councillors and scientists has urged. Plans to demolish the terminal and build a new one costing up to £150m have been recommended for approval. An open letter signed by 114 people says plans to increase the airport's size and passenger numbers is "fundamentally wrong". Leeds City Council is due to make a final decision on Thursday. The authority said the case would be referred to a government minister if approved by councillors. Leeds Bradford currently has about four million passengers annually but hopes to increase numbers to seven million over 10 years. In July 2020, a group of climate scientists said the expanded airport's greenhouse gas emissions would be higher than those allowed for the whole of Leeds in 10 years' time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-55979376
     
         
      2021 a ‘crucial year’ for climate change, UN chief tells Member States Mon, 8th Feb 2021 11:43:00
     
      António Guterres was speaking to Member States meeting as part of the preparations towards the latest annual UN climate conference, known as COP26, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. Originally scheduled for last year, it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Way off target’ While acknowledging progress made over the past year, including towards cutting carbon emissions, it is not enough, he said. “The world remains way off target in staying within the 1.5-degree limit of the Paris Agreement,” Mr. Guterres told ambassadors. “This is why we need more ambition, more ambition on mitigation, ambition on adaptation and ambition on finance.” Describing 2021 as “a crucial year in the fight against climate change”, the Secretary-General looked to Member States to build on this momentum on the road to Glasgow.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084132
     
         
      Cumbria coal mine: Climate tsar urged to quit over 'reckless' plan Mon, 8th Feb 2021 10:34:00
     
      The UK's climate tsar, Alok Sharma, has been urged to resign unless the prime minister scraps plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria. Mr Sharma, who will lead a vital UN climate conference in Glasgow in November, is said to be "apoplectic" over the decision to approve the mine. The Lib Dems say the project, earmarked for a site near Whitehaven, undermines Mr Sharma's position. They have called for him to tender his resignation over the issue. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey - a former energy secretary and climate negotiator - said in his letter to Mr Sharma: "I want to urge you in the strongest possible terms to advise the prime minister... that he must find a way to overturn the recent decision to grant planning permission to the Cumbrian coal mine to 2049. "I would ask you, whether you would consider tendering your resignation as COP president to the prime minister if he fails to act?" The mine plans were agreed initially by Cumbria County Council last year. Councillors said there was no good reason to reject the application, and the mine's supporters said it would bring hundreds of well-paid jobs to the area. They say it will produce coking coal for the UK's steel industry, and save on imports.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-55953887
     
         
      'Flawed' Scottish climate plan could miss emissions targets Sun, 7th Feb 2021 18:21:00
     
      Scotland's climate plan is at risk of not delivering the emission reductions needed to meet targets, environmental campaigners have warned. Friends of the Earth Scotland accused the Scottish government of "flawed thinking" and "unjustified optimism". The updated plan, published in December, is meant to help cut carbon emissions to achieve net-zero by 2045. It sets out what the Scottish government says are "bold actions" to help meet emissions reduction targets. These include cutting car journey distance by a fifth by 2030, £180m in funding for carbon capture and hydrogen technologies and £120m towards zero-emission buses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55966625
     
         
      Victoria gives $10m for hydrogen hub which will study storage and clean energy vehicles Sun, 7th Feb 2021 0:08:00
     
      The Victorian government has given $10m for a hub in Melbourne’s south-east that will test and improve hydrogen technologies. The hub will be based at Swinburne University of Technology and study both clean energy vehicles and hydrogen storage. The government says about 300 jobs will be created and construction is expected to take about 18 months after it commences in 2022. Swinburne will partner with the CSIRO to establish it. “This hub will help give Victorians the skills and experience we need to unlock the hydrogen industry – driving down emissions while creating green jobs in a growing industry,” Victoria’s energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said on Saturday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/07/victoria-gives-10m-for-hydrogen-hub-which-will-study-storage-and-clean-energy-vehicles
     
         
      'The future of motorsport will always be electric' Sat, 6th Feb 2021 18:38:00
     
      Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button, who will compete in the new Extreme E racing series for his own team, says the future of motorsport "will always be electric".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/sport/av/motorsport/55958932
     
         
      Mark Carney: Climate crisis deaths 'will be worse than Covid' Sat, 6th Feb 2021 17:49:00
     
      The world is heading for mortality rates equivalent to the Covid crisis every year by mid-century unless action is taken, according to Mark Carney. The former central banker said the investment needed to avert millions of deaths was double current rates. But with governments ploughing billions into keeping economies afloat, a question mark hangs over whether the recovery will be green enough. The answer lies in smarter investment, Mr Carney said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55944570
     
         
      Mark Carney: Climate crisis deaths 'will be worse than Covid' Sat, 6th Feb 2021 17:49:00
     
      The world is heading for mortality rates equivalent to the Covid crisis every year by mid-century unless action is taken, according to Mark Carney. The former central banker said the investment needed to avert millions of deaths was double current rates. But with governments ploughing billions into keeping economies afloat, a question mark hangs over whether the recovery will be green enough. The answer lies in smarter investment, Mr Carney said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55944570
     
         
      Mark Carney: Climate crisis deaths 'will be worse than Covid' Sat, 6th Feb 2021 17:49:00
     
      The world is heading for mortality rates equivalent to the Covid crisis every year by mid-century unless action is taken, according to Mark Carney. The former central banker said the investment needed to avert millions of deaths was double current rates. But with governments ploughing billions into keeping economies afloat, a question mark hangs over whether the recovery will be green enough. The answer lies in smarter investment, Mr Carney said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55944570
     
         
      China´s First "Hydrogen Energy into Ten Thousand Homes" Demo Community to be in Nanhay District, Foshan Sat, 6th Feb 2021 14:21:00
     
     
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/subscribers/chinas-first-hydrogen-energy-into-ten-thousand-homes-demo-community-to-be-in-nanhai-district-foshan/
     
         
      US Offshore Wind Potential Relies On Intelligent Grid Integration Sat, 6th Feb 2021 14:14:00
     
      Flip a switch and the lights come on. That’s what Americans expect, thanks to an electricity grid that feeds energy from renewable and traditional sources into millions of homes and businesses. The wind turbines starting to go up in waters off the nation’s shores have the potential to provide abundant clean energy to heavily populated coastal cities and the larger national grid. But first, the power they generate must be relayed across many miles of ocean waters and coastline, using transmission systems that were not designed to handle large amounts of power being transmitted from offshore.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2021/02/05/us-offshore-wind-potential-relies-on-intelligent-grid-integration/
     
         
      Hyosung Heavy Industries to Construct the World’s Largest Liquid Hydrogen Plant Sat, 6th Feb 2021 13:33:00
     
      Hyosung Chairman Hyun-Joon Cho has begun to activate the hydrogen economy by preparing to construct the world’s largest liquid hydrogen factory following a large-scale investment in carbon fiber last year. Hyosung joined hands with the Linde Group, a global chemical company specializing in industrial gas, to establish a value chain encompassing the production and transportation of liquid hydrogen and installation and operation of charging stations by investing KRW 300 billion in all by 2022. For this purpose, an MOU was signed by Hyosung Chairman Hyun-Joon Cho and Linde Korea Chairman Baek-Seok Seong on April 28 at the head office of Hyosung in Mapo, Seoul.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hyosung-heavy-industries-to-construct-the-worlds-largest-liquid-hydrogen-plant/
     
         
      Green energy tariffs: how Brexit puts yours at risk Sat, 6th Feb 2021 12:01:00
     
      Green energy tariffs from leading suppliers such as British Gas could be at risk because of Brexit. Many companies that sell “green energy” in the UK do not actually produce all of it themselves but instead buy certificates from renewable energy sources, which allow them to market their tariffs as green.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/green-energy-tariffs-how-brexit-puts-yours-at-risk-hjtkrr37z
     
         
      How will we heat homes in zero carbon Britain? Sat, 6th Feb 2021 11:56:00
     
      When it comes to winter warming, you can't beat gas central heating. It's been keeping us cosy for more than half a century. But when your beloved boiler packs up, be prepared for a change - because gas heating can't play a part in zero carbon Britain. At some date in the future, you will need to install clean heating. And be warned - it won't always be cheap, or convenient. What's more, we'll have to radically improve insulation, too, because some of the new-style kit can't heat the UK's cold, draughty houses. There are two main contenders for the £28bn market to heat our homes - hydrogen and heat pumps
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55948531
     
         
      Less than 5% of green homes grant budget paid out, Labour reveals Sat, 6th Feb 2021 8:00:00
     
      Labour is calling for the government’s green homes grant scheme to be extended by at least a year after revealing that less than 5% of the allocated budget has been given to householders. Nearly five months in, only £71m of the allocated £1.5bn budget for householders has been awarded to those seeking help to move from fossil fuel heating to renewable alternatives. With just over a year to run, Labour says this rate of delivery exposes significant delays and problems with how the scheme is being administered. Ministers awarded the contract to run the programme to ICF, a large American consulting corporation based in Virginia.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/06/government-green-homes-grant-budget-labour
     
         
      How Steel Might Finally Kick Its Coal Habit Sat, 6th Feb 2021 8:00:00
     
      Coal’s grip on the global electricity sector is loosening as more utilities and companies invest in renewable energy. But one major coal consumer—the steel industry—is finding it harder to kick its habit. Steel companies make nearly 2 billion tons of high-strength material every year for bridges, buildings, railways, and roads. The furnaces that melt iron ore to make steel consume vast amounts of coal. As a result, the industry accounts for roughly 8 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a toxic soup of air pollutants. Steelmakers worldwide are facing mounting pressure from government regulators and consumers to decarbonize operations. Doing so is essential to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and staving off most of the worst effects of climate change, experts say. In recent months, the world’s three top producers—Europe’s ArcelorMittal, China’s Baowu Steel, and Japan’s Nippon Steel—committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, echoing targets set in their home countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/how-steel-might-finally-kick-its-coal-habit/
     
         
      Why Are We Still Talking About Hydrogen? Sat, 6th Feb 2021 5:07:00
     
      Any conversation about how to deal with the emissions problem from fossil fuel-powered vehicles will sooner or later end up turning to hydrogen. For a lot of people, it’s the obvious solution to the problem – it just needs a little more time to develop. But there is one very significant reason why hydrogen is not the solution the world needs to its ecological problems, at least not for any form of personal transportation. It can’t seem to escape how massively inefficient it is compared to battery-powered alternatives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmorris/2021/02/06/why-are-we-still-talking-about-hydrogen/?sh=1ee44bb7f044
     
         
      Exclusive: Amazon orders hundreds of trucks that run on natural gas Fri, 5th Feb 2021 22:07:00
     
      Amazon.com Inc has ordered hundreds of trucks that run on compressed natural gas as it tests ways to shift its U.S. fleet away from heavier polluting trucks, the company told Reuters on Friday. The coronavirus pandemic caused delivery activity to surge in 2020, with truck volumes exceeding 2019 levels on average while passenger car traffic fell. But that increase in road activity means more pollution, as heavier-duty trucks emit higher levels of greenhouse gases than passenger vehicles. Transportation companies are building their stable of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions. Much of the nation’s freight is delivered via medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which account for more than 20% of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions even though they make up less than 5% of the road fleet, according to U.S. federal data. “Amazon is excited about introducing new sustainable solutions for freight transportation and is working on testing a number of new vehicle types including electric, CNG and others,” the company said in a statement. Amazon has ordered more than 700 compressed natural gas class 6 and class 8 trucks so far, according to the company. The online retailer’s sales rose 38% in 2020; it plans to run a carbon neutral business by 2040. The engines, supplied by a joint venture between Cummins Inc and Vancouver-based Westport Fuel Systems Inc, are to be used for Amazon’s heavy duty trucks that run from warehouses to distribution centers. More than 1,000 engines that can operate on both renewable and non-renewable natural gas have been ordered by the supplier, according to a source familiar with the situation. Natural gas emits approximately 27% less carbon dioxide when burned compared with diesel fuel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Electric-powered motors are considered less viable for heavy-duty trucks than for the average passenger vehicle. In 2019, Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vans from startup Rivian Automotive LLC. The first of those vans, to be used for last-mile delivery to customers, are to be delivered this year. The company also ordered 1,800 electric vans from Mercedes-Benz for its European delivery fleet. Other transportation companies are also experimenting with ways to reduce emissions. In 2019, United Parcel Service Inc announced plans to buy more than 6,000 natural gas-powered trucks over three years and step up purchases of renewable natural gas (RNG) as part of a $450 million investment to reduce the environmental impact of its 123,000-vehicle fleet. RNG and natural gas from fossil fuel are both methane gases and can be used interchangeably. RNG is derived from decomposing organic matter such as cow manure on dairy farms, discarded food in landfills and human waste in water treatment plants. It also prevents naturally occurring methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - from being released into the environment. Amazon shares were down 0.1% in post-close trading. Shares of Cummins rose 4%, while the U.S.-listed shares of Canada-based Westport surged, gaining 47% in the aftermarket session.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-engines-natural-gas-exclusive/exclusive-amazon-orders-hundreds-of-trucks-that-run-on-natural-gas-idUSKBN2A52ML?il=0
     
         
      Queen's property manager banks huge windfarm bonanza Fri, 5th Feb 2021 16:54:00
     
      The Queen and the Treasury are in line for a multibillion-pound bonanza from renewable energy, after a major auction of seabed plots for windfarms off the coasts of England and Wales attracted runaway bids. The crown estate, which manages the monarch’s property portfolio, holds exclusive rights to lease the seabed around the British Isles. With its first auction of windfarm licences in a decade understood to have reached record highs, the Queen’s income is expected to leap by at least £100m a year, while the takings will generate over £300m a year for the Treasury. Two windfarm sites within the Irish Sea have reportedly attracted the most frenzied bidding, with energy firms offering to pay as much as £200m for each – a total revenue of £400m a year. Awards for another three areas have yet to be decided. The licences are for 10 years, meaning the auction will raise at least £4bn over a decade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/05/queens-property-manager-banks-huge-windfarm-windfall
     
         
      Melting glaciers, rising seas: Approaching climate tipping points Fri, 5th Feb 2021 16:15:00
     
      There are some extraordinary ‘then and now’ photos appearing in news feeds, alarming pictures revealing the extent of glacier recession in Iceland. Photographs taken in 1989 and 2020 give a very visual demonstration of how serious our planet’s ice loss is.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/5/melting-glaciers-rising-seas-climate-tipping-points
     
         
      Oil Major Total Buys Texas Solar Projects Fri, 5th Feb 2021 14:30:00
     
      France’s oil and gas supermajor Total is buying four large-scale solar power projects plus battery storage assets in Texas, with which it plans to meet the electricity demand of all its industrial sites in the United States, including the Port Arthur refining and petrochemicals platform and La Porte and Carville petrochemical sites. The French oil major, which has been boosting its renewable electricity portfolio and has been signing lots of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for green energy in recent months, is buying the four solar projects of a total of 2.2 gigawatts (GW) plus 600 MW of battery storage assets from SunChase Power and private energy investment firm MAP RE/ES. All projects, each with co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS), are in industrial areas near Houston with high electricity demand and are expected to come online between 2023 and 2024, Total said on Friday. The oil major will commit to a 1-GW corporate PPA sourced from this solar power and energy storage portfolio to cover all the electricity consumption of its operated industrial sites in the U.S., including those in Port Arthur, La Porte, and Carville.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Major-Total-Buys-Texas-Solar-Projects.html
     
         
      Oil Major Total Buys Texas Solar Projects Fri, 5th Feb 2021 14:30:00
     
      France’s oil and gas supermajor Total is buying four large-scale solar power projects plus battery storage assets in Texas, with which it plans to meet the electricity demand of all its industrial sites in the United States, including the Port Arthur refining and petrochemicals platform and La Porte and Carville petrochemical sites. The French oil major, which has been boosting its renewable electricity portfolio and has been signing lots of power purchase agreements (PPAs) for green energy in recent months, is buying the four solar projects of a total of 2.2 gigawatts (GW) plus 600 MW of battery storage assets from SunChase Power and private energy investment firm MAP RE/ES. All projects, each with co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS), are in industrial areas near Houston with high electricity demand and are expected to come online between 2023 and 2024, Total said on Friday.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Major-Total-Buys-Texas-Solar-Projects.html
     
         
      Carbon-capture company Svante raises $75M to trap emissions at their source Fri, 5th Feb 2021 13:29:00
     
      Vancouver, B.C.-based Svante has closed a $75 million funding round. The company calls it “the largest private investment into point source carbon capture globally to date.” Since launching in 2007, the Canadian company has developed a technology for trapping industrial carbon emissions where they’re released — such as facilities responsible for cement manufacturing, blue hydrogen production and natural gas boilers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.geekwire.com/2021/carbon-capture-company-svante-raises-75m-trap-emissions-source/
     
         
      Denmark to build 'first energy island' in North Sea Fri, 5th Feb 2021 12:27:00
     
      A project to build a giant island providing enough energy for three million households has been given the green light by Denmark's politicians. The world's first energy island will be as big as 18 football pitches (120,000sq m), but there are hopes to make it three times that size. It will serve as a hub for 200 giant offshore wind turbines. It is the biggest construction project in Danish history, costing an estimated 210bn kroner (£24bn; €28bn: $34bn). Situated 80km (50 miles) out to sea, the artificial island would be at least half-owned by the state but partly by the private sector. It will not just supply electricity for Danes but for other, neighbouring countries' electricity grids too. Although those countries have not yet been detailed, Prof Jacob Ostergaard of the Technical University of Denmark told the BBC that the UK could benefit, as well as Germany or the Netherlands. Green hydrogen would also be provided for use in shipping, aviation, industry and heavy transport.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55931873
     
         
      New research shows geothermal heating may have limited longevity Fri, 5th Feb 2021 12:27:00
     
      Though the Earth's deeper layers have been raging at thousands of degrees for billions of years, new research involving Florida Tech has shown that tapping into that heat to produce geothermal heating for urban regions on the surface has a far, far shorter lifespan. Maybe just a few decades. Florida Tech astrobiology assistant professor Manasvi Lingam, along with Alto University researcher Eero Hirvijoki and University of Western Australia researcher David Pfefferlé, recently published the paper, "Longevity and power density of intermediate-to-deep geothermal wells in district heating applications" in the European Physical Journal Plus. The team explored how practical it to use geothermal heating in northern, colder latitudes, places like Boston, Toronto London and Helsinki, Finland.
       
      Full Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2021-02-geothermal-limited-longevity.html
     
         
      Melting glaciers, rising seas: Approaching climate tipping points Fri, 5th Feb 2021 12:11:00
     
      There are some extraordinary ‘then and now’ photos appearing in news feeds, alarming pictures revealing the extent of glacier recession in Iceland. Photographs taken in 1989 and 2020 give a very visual demonstration of how serious our planet’s ice loss is.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/5/melting-glaciers-rising-seas-climate-tipping-points
     
         
      South Korea Launches EUR 36 Billion Offshore Wind Project Fri, 5th Feb 2021 11:59:00
     
      South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in oversaw the signing of the agreement to build the offshore wind complex in the country’s southwest. The agreement is said to involve 33 public and private entities, including regional governments, utilities such as Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), original equipment manufacturers such as Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, and engineering and manufacturing companies such as SK E&S, Hanwha Engineering & Construction Corp, CS Wind Corp, and Samkang M&T Co. The Sinan offshore wind project is expected to be completed in phases by 2030 and help create around 120,000 jobs. To support the development of the project, large-scale offshore wind manufacturing complexes will be built in the counties of Yeongam and Sinan, President Moon said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/02/05/south-korea-launches-eur-36-billion-offshore-wind-project/
     
         
      South Korea Signs $43 Billion Deal for 'World's Biggest' Offshore Wind Farm Fri, 5th Feb 2021 11:08:00
     
      South Korea just signed a $43 billion deal to build what it claims will be the world's biggest offshore wind power facility in a move to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, according to an initial report from Reuters. South Korea just signed $43 billion deal for 'world's biggest' offshore wind farm This deal will help South Korea overcome its inherent energy challenges — since it has few energy resources and imports coal to support roughly 40% of its electricity. President Moon Jae-in said the relatively small nation's geographical position on the Korean peninsula provides a distinct advantage for sustainable energy rollouts. "We have the infinite potential of offshore wind power to the sea on three sides, and we have the world's best technology in related fields," said Moon.
       
      Full Article: https://interestingengineering.com/south-korea-43-billion-worlds-biggest-offshore-wind-farm
     
         
      How To Get To Zero Carbon Emissions By 2050 Thu, 4th Feb 2021 18:32:00
     
      Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the University of San Francisco (USF), and Evolved Energy Research have developed a blueprint to reduce US CO2 emissions to zero by 2050. “By methodically increasing energy efficiency, switching to electric technologies, utilising clean electricity (especially wind and solar power), and deploying a small amount of carbon capture technology, the United States can reach zero emissions,” claim the researchers. “The decarbonization of the U.S. energy system is fundamentally an infrastructure transformation,” says researcher Margaret Torn, “it means that by 2050 we need to build many gigawatts of wind and solar power plants, new transmission lines, a fleet of electric cars and light trucks, millions of heat pumps to replace conventional furnaces and water heaters, and more energy-efficient buildings – while continuing to research and innovate new technologies.” In this transition, very little infrastructure would need “early retirement,” or replacement before the end of its economic life. “No one is asking consumers to switch out their brand-new car for an electric vehicle,” says Torn “the point is that efficient, low-carbon technologies need to be used when it comes time to replace the current equipment.” The pathways studied have net costs ranging from 0.2% to 1.2% of GDP, with higher costs resulting from certain tradeoffs, such as limiting the amount of land given to solar and wind farms. In the lowest-cost pathways, about 90% of electricity generation comes from wind and solar. One scenario showed that the U.S. can meet all its energy needs with 100% renewable energy (solar, wind, and bioenergy), but it would cost more and require greater land use. “We were pleasantly surprised that the cost of the transformation is lower now than in similar studies we did five years ago, even though this achieves much more ambitious carbon reduction,” adds Torn. “The main reason is that the cost of wind and solar power and batteries for electric vehicles have declined faster than expected.” The scenarios were generated using new energy models complete with details of both energy consumption and production – such as the entire U.S. building stock, vehicle fleet, power plants and more – for 16 geographic regions in the U.S. Costs were calculated using projections for fossil fuel and renewable energy prices from DOE Annual Energy Outlook and the NREL Annual Technology Baseline report. The cost figures would be lower still if they included the economic and climate benefits of decarbonizing our energy systems. The economic costs of the scenarios are almost exclusively capital costs from building new infrastructure. “All that infrastructure build equates to jobs, and potentially jobs in the U.S., as opposed to sending money overseas to buy oil from other countries,” points out Torn. For the next 10 years the need is to increase generation and transmission of renewable energy, make sure all new infrastructure, such as cars and buildings, are low carbon, and maintain current natural gas capacity for now for reliability. The US could become a source of negative CO2 emissions by mid-century, meaning more carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere than added, say the researchers. With higher levels of carbon capture, biofuels, and electric fuels, the U.S. energy and industrial system could be “net negative” to the tune of 500 metric tons of CO2 removed from the atmosphere each year. (This would require more electricity generation, land use, and interstate transmission to achieve). The authors calculated the cost of this net negative pathway to be 0.6% of GDP – only slightly higher than the main carbon-neutral pathway cost of 0.4% of GDP. “This is affordable to society just on energy grounds alone,” Williams said. When combined with increasing CO2 uptake by the land, mainly by changing agricultural and forest management practices, the researchers calculated that the net negative emissions scenario would put the U.S. on track with a global trajectory to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations to 350 parts per million (ppm) at some distance in the future. The 350-ppm endpoint of this global trajectory has been described by many scientists as what would be needed to stabilize the climate at levels similar to pre-industrial times. The study was supported in part by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative of the United Nations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/democracy-and-standards/get-zero-carbon-emissions-2050-2021-02/
     
         
      Bid to speed up Manx climate targets rejected Thu, 4th Feb 2021 13:40:00
     
      An attempt to bring forward the Isle of Man government's target of achieving net zero carbon emissions from 2050 to 2035 has been rejected by politicians. Members of the House of Keys voted seven in favour and 17 against an amendment to the Climate Change Bill. Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said speeding up the change would be setting the island up for "failure". Lawrie Hooper MHK, who tabled the amendment, said the government needed to be more "ambitious" with its goal. Under the proposed bill, the 2050 date would be set in law, fossil fuel boilers would be banned by 2025 and restrictions on single-use plastics would be allowed. It also ties the government to reaching the net zero goal entirely through domestic efforts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-55920721
     
         
      Whitehaven coal mine opposition provokes real anger, mayor says Thu, 4th Feb 2021 13:38:00
     
      Criticism of plans for the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years is misplaced and has provoked "real anger", the local mayor has said. The mine, near Whitehaven, was approved by Cumbria County Council and the government has declined to intervene. Coking coal from the mine, to be used in producing steel, would "drive forward green energy projects", Copeland mayor Mike Starkie claimed. Opponents say the site will cause significant environmental damage. Mr Starkie said he believed people across West Cumbria were overwhelmingly in favour of the scheme as it would "underpin an economic revitalisation" by providing hundreds of jobs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-55917464
     
         
      Hydrogen trains Could put the UK Government's 'Green Plan' on Track Thu, 4th Feb 2021 7:13:00
     
      The government’s 10-point green plan includes an ambitious proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2030, as well as a promised boost to hydrogen production in the UK. With decarbonising transport a high priority and a major investment in hydrogen on the cards, it makes sense to look at how these two ambitions can be combined. Batteries may still be the most efficient way of powering electric vehicles and vans, but for heavy transport, such as trains, hydrogen has some major advantages.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hydrogen-trains-could-put-the-uk-governments-green-plan-on-track/
     
         
      Government 'painfully slow' on protecting environment Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 13:34:00
     
      Progress towards protecting the UK’s environment has been “painfully slow”, a government spending watchdog has warned. The Public Accounts Committee pointed out that ministers had first pledged a decade ago to improve the natural environment within a generation. But it complained of serious delays in tackling “critical” issues like air pollution, water quality and wildlife loss. The committee - made up of MPs - said the 25-Year Environment Plan, published in 2018, lacked a coherent set of long-term objectives or interim targets. But a government statement said significant progress had been made and its Environment Bill would be “transformative”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55911645
     
         
      Climate change: Wales 'must take advantage of COP26' Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 13:27:00
     
      Wales must take advantage of the major UN climate change conference set to take place on its doorstep, a top government advisor says. Glasgow is due to host the global gathering - known as COP26 - in November. Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe said it should motivate Wales' efforts to cut emissions. The Welsh Government said its officials were working closely with event organisers. Ms Howe said there were "significant opportunities" for Wales to showcase achievements in fighting climate change "on a global platform". She told BBC Radio Cymru "lots of discussions" were taking place, including on hosting fringe events.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55904380
     
         
      Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering honours LED pioneers Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 13:14:00
     
      This year's Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering salutes five pioneers whose genius has literally lit up our world. Nick Holonyak, George Craford, Russell Dupuis, Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura all made critical interventions in the development of Light Emitting Diodes, or LEDs. From car headlamps to computer screens, their technologies' applications are now myriad and ubiquitous. The men's achievements have earned them a share in a £1m ($1.4m) award. They've also received a message of congratulation from Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. "A QE Prize winner must not only be a fantastic technical innovation, it should have global impact for the good of humanity; and we want it also to be something that inspires young people to become engineers. The story of LEDs is all that," Sir Chris Snowden, the chair of judges, told BBC News.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55896164
     
         
      New Catalyst Moves Seawater Desalination, Hydrogen Production Closer to Commercialization Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 11:38:00
     
      University of Houston–A team of researchers led by Zhifeng Ren, director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH, has reported an oxygen evolving catalyst that takes just minutes to grow at room temperature and is capable of efficiently producing both clean drinking water and hydrogen from seawater. Seawater makes up about 96% of all water on earth, making it a tempting resource to meet the world’s growing need for clean drinking water and carbon-free energy. And scientists already have the technical ability to both desalinate seawater and split it to produce hydrogen, which is in demand as a source of clean energy.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/new-catalyst-moves-seawater-desalination-hydrogen-production-closer-to-commercialization/
     
         
      Oil companies are facing the moment of truth. The stakes couldn't be higher Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 8:15:00
     
      The climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic are rapidly dividing the titans of the oil industry into two camps. There are big consequences depending on which side they choose. One group is made up of European oil giants like BP (BP), Shell (RDSA) and Total (TOT), which are trying to pivot away from oil and gas production and transform their companies. Then there are America's ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX), where executives are betting that oil demand will boom again after the pandemic despite global pressure to decarbonize the economy, reducing the need for dramatic overhauls. Both camps were hit with billions of dollars in losses in 2020 and face an uncertain 2021, according to recent earnings reports. But while the BP and Shell can point to their green initiatives, US producers are under growing pressure, especially given the change in direction of climate policy on day one of the Biden administration.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/03/energy/oil-companies-climate/index.html
     
         
      Oil companies are facing the moment of truth. The stakes couldn't be higher Wed, 3rd Feb 2021 8:15:00
     
      The climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic are rapidly dividing the titans of the oil industry into two camps. There are big consequences depending on which side they choose. One group is made up of European oil giants like BP (BP), Shell (RDSA) and Total (TOT), which are trying to pivot away from oil and gas production and transform their companies. Then there are America's ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX), where executives are betting that oil demand will boom again after the pandemic despite global pressure to decarbonize the economy, reducing the need for dramatic overhauls. Both camps were hit with billions of dollars in losses in 2020 and face an uncertain 2021, according to recent earnings reports. But while the BP and Shell can point to their green initiatives, US producers are under growing pressure, especially given the change in direction of climate policy on day one of the Biden administration.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/03/energy/oil-companies-climate/index.html
     
         
      Sea level rise could be worse than feared, warn researchers Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 17:00:00
     
      The rise in the sea level is likely to be faster and greater than previously thought, according to researchers who say recent predictions are inconsistent with historical data. In its most recent assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the sea level was unlikely to rise beyond 1.1 metre (3.6ft) by 2100. But climate researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute believe levels could rise as much as 1.35 metres by 2100, under a worst-case warming scenario. When they used historical data on sea level rise to validate various models relied on by the IPCC to make its assessment, they found a discrepancy of about 25cm, they said in a paper published in the journal Ocean Science.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/02/sea-level-rise-could-be-worse-than-feared-warn-researchers
     
         
      Biden wants millions of clean-energy related jobs. Can it happen? Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 15:30:00
     
      Last week, President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to addressing climate change by creating green energy jobs, building out a "modern and sustainable infrastructure" toward his continued goal of reaching a carbon-free energy sector in the US by 2035. In remarks last week before signing several executive orders focused on his climate agenda, Biden tied his energy policy directly to his plans to rebuild the US economy, citing the need for new, green infrastructure that would generate millions of jobs. During his campaign, Biden's climate agenda included the goal of creating 10 million new jobs related to clean energy on top of the 3 million clean energy jobs the campaign said currently exist. "If executed strategically, our response to climate change can create more than 10 million well-paying jobs in the United States," the plan says, without laying out a timeline for that jobs-creating goal.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/01/politics/joe-biden-green-energy-jobs/index.html
     
         
      Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 12:55:00
     
      A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a "devastating" cost to the natural world. The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity. It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward. At its heart is the idea that sustainable economic growth requires a different measure than Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature's goods and services with its capacity to supply them," Prof Dasgupta said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55893696
     
         
      Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 12:55:00
     
      A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a "devastating" cost to the natural world. The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity. It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward. At its heart is the idea that sustainable economic growth requires a different measure than Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature's goods and services with its capacity to supply them," Prof Dasgupta said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55893696
     
         
      Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 12:55:00
     
      A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a "devastating" cost to the natural world. The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity. It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward. At its heart is the idea that sustainable economic growth requires a different measure than Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "Truly sustainable economic growth and development means recognising that our long-term prosperity relies on rebalancing our demand of nature's goods and services with its capacity to supply them," Prof Dasgupta said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55893696
     
         
      My elderly relative insists on turning on his oven and opening the door to heat his home for hours at a time: How dangerous and energy sapping is it? Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 12:51:00
     
      I recently found out that my elderly relative has a rather unique way of trying to warm his home in the winter. He turns on the oven and leaves the door open for hours at a time to keep his kitchen toasty, despite also having central heating on in there. Although he sees no issue with it, I think there are several problems. Firstly, the oven is between 35 to 40 years old and so is already not very energy efficient compared to today's standards. By leaving it on for hours, it must be using much energy and money?
       
      Full Article: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-9210497/Is-leaving-oven-door-open-dangerous-energy-sapping.html
     
         
      Canadian gas giant to build 325 MW pumped hydro project in Australia Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 11:12:00
     
      Canadian behemoth Atco has purchased the rights to develop the 325 MW Central West Pumped Storage Hydro Project in Central West New South Wales and credits the investment to policy certainty from the NSW Government. As a significant firming agent the project is ideally placed in the state’s proposed Central West-Orana Renewable Energy Zone. Canadian gas giant Atco has bought the rights to develop the $500m 325 MW Central West Pumped Storage Hydro Project near Yetholme in Central West New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The project marks Atco’s first major move into renewables in the National Energy Market (NEM) and could prove a significant one considering its centrality to the proposed Central West-Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWOREZ).
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/02/canadian-gas-giant-to-build-325-mw-pumped-hydro-project-in-australia/
     
         
      Canadian gas giant to build 325 MW pumped hydro project in Australia Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 11:12:00
     
      Canadian behemoth Atco has purchased the rights to develop the 325 MW Central West Pumped Storage Hydro Project in Central West New South Wales and credits the investment to policy certainty from the NSW Government. As a significant firming agent the project is ideally placed in the state’s proposed Central West-Orana Renewable Energy Zone. Canadian gas giant Atco has bought the rights to develop the $500m 325 MW Central West Pumped Storage Hydro Project near Yetholme in Central West New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The project marks Atco’s first major move into renewables in the National Energy Market (NEM) and could prove a significant one considering its centrality to the proposed Central West-Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWOREZ).
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/02/canadian-gas-giant-to-build-325-mw-pumped-hydro-project-in-australia/
     
         
      Study: China's New Coal Power Plant Capacity in 2020 More Than 3 Times Rest of World's Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 10:33:00
     
      China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals. The country won praise last year after President Xi Jinping pledged to make the country "carbon neutral" by 2060. But regulators have since come under fire for failing to properly control the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas. Including decommissions, China's coal-fired fleet capacity rose by a net 29.8 GW in 2020, even as the rest of the world made cuts of 17.2 GW, according to research released on Wednesday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a U.S. think tank, and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). "The runaway expansion of coal-fired power is driven by electricity companies' and local governments' interest in maximizing investment spending, more than a real need for new capacity," said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA lead analyst.
       
      Full Article: https://www.voanews.com/science-health/study-chinas-new-coal-power-plant-capacity-2020-more-3-times-rest-worlds
     
         
      Study: China's New Coal Power Plant Capacity in 2020 More Than 3 Times Rest of World's Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 10:33:00
     
      China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals. The country won praise last year after President Xi Jinping pledged to make the country "carbon neutral" by 2060. But regulators have since come under fire for failing to properly control the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas. Including decommissions, China's coal-fired fleet capacity rose by a net 29.8 GW in 2020, even as the rest of the world made cuts of 17.2 GW, according to research released on Wednesday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a U.S. think tank, and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). "The runaway expansion of coal-fired power is driven by electricity companies' and local governments' interest in maximizing investment spending, more than a real need for new capacity," said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA lead analyst.
       
      Full Article: https://www.voanews.com/science-health/study-chinas-new-coal-power-plant-capacity-2020-more-3-times-rest-worlds
     
         
      Study: China's New Coal Power Plant Capacity in 2020 More Than 3 Times Rest of World's Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 10:33:00
     
      China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals. The country won praise last year after President Xi Jinping pledged to make the country "carbon neutral" by 2060. But regulators have since come under fire for failing to properly control the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas. Including decommissions, China's coal-fired fleet capacity rose by a net 29.8 GW in 2020, even as the rest of the world made cuts of 17.2 GW, according to research released on Wednesday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a U.S. think tank, and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). "The runaway expansion of coal-fired power is driven by electricity companies' and local governments' interest in maximizing investment spending, more than a real need for new capacity," said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA lead analyst.
       
      Full Article: https://www.voanews.com/science-health/study-chinas-new-coal-power-plant-capacity-2020-more-3-times-rest-worlds
     
         
      Australia's proposed gas pipelines would generate emissions equivalent to 33 coal-fired power plants Tue, 2nd Feb 2021 5:12:00
     
      Australia has $56bn worth of gas pipelines in development that, if all built, would be expected to allow pumping of greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 coal-fired power stations, an analysis has found. The report by the Global Energy Monitor, an anti-fossil fuel research group based in San Francisco, said there are more than US$1tn ($1.3tn) in oil and gas pipeline projects on the books globally. It said if they go ahead they would threaten the goals of the Paris climate agreement, undermine the pledges by most of the world’s major economies to be carbon neutral by mid-century and could lead to billions of dollars in stranded assets as countries move towards net zero emissions. Australia ranks fifth on a list of countries planning new pipelines, behind China, the US, India and Russia, with nearly 8,500km at pre-construction stage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/02/australias-proposed-gas-pipelines-would-generate-emissions-equivalent-to-33-coal-fired-power-plants
     
         
      UK North Sea oil rigs release as much CO2 as coal-fired power station – study Mon, 1st Feb 2021 16:01:00
     
      The UK’s North Sea oil rigs release as much carbon dioxide as a coal-fired power plant every year by deliberately burning unwanted gas into the atmosphere as giant flares, according to research. A report has revealed that almost 20m tonnes of CO2 was released into the atmosphere in the five years to the end of 2019 by “flaring and venting” the extra gas released from oil wells. The UK’s oil authorities have allowed the controversial practice to continue almost 50 years after routine gas flaring was banned by Norway’s government, making UK oil rigs the most polluting in Europe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/01/uk-north-sea-oil-rigs-release-as-much-co2-as-coal-fired-power-station-study
     
         
      Hydrogen trains Could put the UK Government's 'Green Plan' on Track Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:56:00
     
      The govenrment's 10-point green plan includes an ambitious proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicles sales by 2030, as well as a promised boost to hydrogen production in the UK. With descarbonising transport a high priority and major investment in hydrogen on the cards, it makes sense to look at how these two ambitions can be combined. Batteries may still be the most efficient way of powering electric vehicles and vans, but for heavy transport, such as trains, hydrogen has some major advantages.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hydrogen-trains-could-put-the-uk-governments-green-plan-on-track/
     
         
      Hydrogen trains Could put the UK Government's 'Green Plan' on Track Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:56:00
     
      The govenrment's 10-point green plan includes an ambitious proposal to ban petrol and diesel vehicles sales by 2030, as well as a promised boost to hydrogen production in the UK. With descarbonising transport a high priority and major investment in hydrogen on the cards, it makes sense to look at how these two ambitions can be combined. Batteries may still be the most efficient way of powering electric vehicles and vans, but for heavy transport, such as trains, hydrogen has some major advantages.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hydrogen-trains-could-put-the-uk-governments-green-plan-on-track/
     
         
      World needs to kick its coal habit to start green recovery, says IEA head Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:52:00
     
      Dependency on coal in key parts of the world is preventing a global green recovery from taking off, and the shift away from coal needs to be made a global priority, the head of the world’s energy watchdog has said Coal still forms a key part of China’s energy system, and plans are in train for further coal-fired power plants in the country. India is also heavily dependent on coal, and despite increasing its renewable energy generation has shown little sign of reducing its use of the fossil fuel. China’s greenhouse gas emissions last year climbed higher than their 2019 levels, preliminary data shows, in a blow to hopes that the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic would set the world on a greener path.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/01/world-kick-coal-habit-start-green-recovery-iea-fatih-birol
     
         
      Renewable-powered lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Norway begins construction Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:44:00
     
      A lithium-ion battery recycling plant is under construction in Norway, focusing initially on electric vehicle (EV) batteries, but the CEO of the company behind it has said that it will also be capable of processing batteries from stationary energy storage systems (ESS). The plant will be capable of processing more than 8,000 tonnes of EV battery modules annually when it opens later this year and is being built by Hydrovolt, a joint venture (JV) formed between Norwegian materials processing company Hydro and Sweden-headquartered lithium battery manufacturing startup Northvolt.
       
      Full Article: https://www.energy-storage.news/news/renewable-powered-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-plant-in-norway-begins-cons
     
         
      How to reduce your exposure to air pollution Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:35:00
     
      An intelligent take on global lifestyle, arts and culture Insightful reads Interviews & reviews The FT Crossword Travel, houses, entertainment & style
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/pollutiontips
     
         
      Liverpool green projects win £500k funding boost Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:22:00
     
      Projects to improve the environment across Liverpool and the wider area have been awarded funding of £500,000. The 58 successful schemes are set to contribute to the city region's target of being net carbon zero by 2040. They include creating community gardens, wild flower meadows and reducing food waste. Mayor Steve Rotheram said "tackling the climate crisis" had been one of his top priorities and he was "excited" to see the impact of the plans. He added: "It's not something we can tackle alone and that's why I launched the Community Environment Fund - to empower local communities to take action to improve their local environment. "Together, lots of small actions can help us make a big contribution to making our region cleaner, greener and more sustainable."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-55889198
     
         
      Aviva will use its ‘ultimate sanction’ to force action on global warming Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:10:00
     
      Leverage our market expertise Expert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends, risks and opportunities. Join over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/596e8402-2dcb-45f9-915c-c5ecfabc7c7a
     
         
      Nuclear | Hinkley and Wylfa woes add to Sizewell uncertainty Mon, 1st Feb 2021 14:09:00
     
      The latest setbacks for Hinkley Point C and Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plants are weakening the case for Sizewell, according to Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit analyst Jess Ralston. Last week EDF revealed that the cost of building Hinkley C had risen by around £500M with its start date pushed back to June 2026, while Horizon Nuclear Power officially withdrew its planning application for Wylfa. “There’s quite a lot of uncertainty still around the nuclear industry and how it’s going to be funded, when power stations will be finished and how much they’ll cost,” Ralston said. “What’s happening with Hinkley and Wylfa is impacting Sizewell because it’s adding to that uncertainty and meaning the industry doesn’t really know what the future is. That creates more uncertainty about how much money they’ll have to put into it and how long it will take.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/nuclear-hinkley-and-wylfa-woes-add-to-sizewell-uncertainty-01-02-2021/
     
         
      'I got my Florida school district to convert to electric buses' Mon, 1st Feb 2021 13:55:00
     
      Middle school student Holly Thorpe's science fair project measured CO2 levels inside and outside school buses - and her findings were a catalyst for the change. The funding for the electric school buses is coming from the Volkswagen Settlement Fund, which provides money for zero emission vehicles after the company admitted it cheated emission tests.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-55861908
     
         
      Inside the industry: How will history judge hydrogen EVs? Mon, 1st Feb 2021 10:57:00
     
      t's strange, isn't it, that hydrogen is the most abundant fuel on Earth, yet its use in vehicles (rockets and a few fringe machines aside) remains the subject of so much debate? If a journalist’s job is to seek out the truth and report it, I’m afraid that I’m going to disappoint you. Such is the depth of expertise and opinion on each side that it’s beyond my capabilities to draw a conclusion. It’s clear, though, that there’s worthy debate to be had. On the one side you have Tesla boss Elon Musk, who described hydrogen’s use on the road as “mind-bogglingly stupid” in reference to the amounts of energy required to produce it. On the other you have Sae Hoon Kim, Hyundai’s head of fuel cell research since 2003, who said last year: “People will come to realise that hydrogen is the answer to emissions regulations.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news-technology/inside-industry-how-will-history-judge-hydrogen-evs
     
         
      What is carbon capture and storage and why are environmentalists concerned? Mon, 1st Feb 2021 10:46:00
     
      In the race to contain the climate emergency, governments worldwide are scrambling to cut carbon emissions. From encouraging people to walk instead of drive, to planting millions of trees, the aim is to limit global warming to 1.5°C. But some are planning to put them - yes, the actual CO2 emissions - into the ground, using a form of technology called Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). This allows us to trap up to 90 per cent of the CO2 that would normally enter the atmosphere, under our feet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/01/what-is-carbon-capture-and-storage-and-why-are-environmentalists-concerned
     
         
      Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers Mon, 1st Feb 2021 10:24:00
     
      Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier. In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape. Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55346329
     
         
      Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers Mon, 1st Feb 2021 10:24:00
     
      Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier. In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape. Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55346329
     
         
      Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers Mon, 1st Feb 2021 10:24:00
     
      Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier. In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape. Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55346329
     
         
      Renewables firm Next Energy set for London IPO Mon, 1st Feb 2021 7:27:00
     
      Renewables firm Next Energy has this morning announced that it will list on London’s main market. The company is seeking to raise £300m at an issue price of £1 per share. Founded in 2007, the investment company has around $2.3 in assets under management around the world. It invests both in established renewable energy sources and new developments such as hydrogen and battery storage. It has already set up a fund to focus on operating and new-build solar developments , with a target size of $750m. Next Energy is targeting returns at a rate of 9-11 per cent per year, with an initial target dividend of 5.5p.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cityam.com/renewables-firm-next-energy-set-for-london-ipo/
     
         
      Shell targets power trading and hydrogen in climate drive Mon, 1st Feb 2021 2:07:00
     
      Shell and its European rivals are seeking new business models to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels and appeal to investors concerned about the long-term outlook for an industry under intense pressure to slash greenhouse gas emissions. Shell will present its strategy on Feb. 11 and unlike Total and BP the company will focus more on becoming an intermediary between clean power producers and customers than investing billions in renewable projects, the sources said, giving previously unreported details of the plan. Shell announced in October it would increase its spending on low-carbon energy to 25% of overall capital expenditure by 2025 and the sources said that would translate into more than $5 billion a year, up from $1.5 billion to $2 billion now. The Anglo-Dutch company will, however, keep its overall oil and gas output largely stable for the next decade to help fund its energy transition, though gas is set to become a bigger part of the mix, the sources told Reuters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-shell-strategy-insight/shell-targets-power-trading-and-hydrogen-in-climate-drive-idUSKBN2A10ZO
     
         
      DOE Announces $160 Million for Projects to Improve Fossil-Based Hydrogen Production, Transport, Storage, and Utilization Mon, 1st Feb 2021 0:09:00
     
      WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) announced plans to make $160 million in federal funding available to help recalibrate the Nation’s vast fossil-fuel and power infrastructure for decarbonized energy and commodity production. The funding, for cost-shared cooperative agreements, is aimed to develop technologies for the production, transport, storage, and utilization of fossil-based hydrogen, with progress towards net-zero carbon emissions. Fossil fuels currently provide the lowest cost pathway for producing hydrogen, according to cost data in a recent DOE/FE Hydrogen Strategy Document. The U.S. will authorize advanced and novel technologies capable of improving the performance, reliability, and flexibility of methods to produce, transport, store, and use hydrogen. This will enable the U.S. to continue to extract the maximum economic value from fossil fuel energy resources. When coupled with carbon capture and storage capabilities, low-cost hydrogen sourced from fossil energy feedstocks and processes will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of these processes and enable progress toward hydrogen production with net-zero carbon emissions.
       
      Full Article: read://https_fuelcellsworks.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuelcellsworks.com%2Fnews%2Fdoe-announces-160-million-for-projects-to-improve-fossil-based-hydrogen-production-transport-storage-and-utilization%2F
     
         
      New Zealand needs urgent action to cut emissions, says climate change commission Sun, 31st Jan 2021 15:42:00
     
      New Zealand needs to urgently increase its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if it is to meet its obligations under the Paris climate accords. The country’s climate change commission – an independent body – has delivered its draft advice to the prime minister, on the vital steps that must be taken if it wants to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change. “Current government policies do not put Aotearoa on track to meet our recommended emissions budgets and the 2050 targets,” the report found, after a year of research and analysis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/new-zealand-needs-urgent-action-to-cut-emissions-says-climate-change-commission
     
         
      Biden's climate agenda: Is this the beginning of the end for fossil fuels? Sun, 31st Jan 2021 14:37:00
     
      Fossil fuels have been the bedrock of US prosperity for more than a century. The country's economy, security and society depend on them. But in the few days since his inauguration, the new American president has gone to war against coal, oil and natural gas with a decisiveness that has caught everyone by surprise. This week I spoke to the man Joe Biden has tasked with drawing up his climate change battle plans - John Kerry. "It is one of his top priorities, without any question whatsoever," Mr Kerry assured me. "He'll make more progress on the issue than any previous president." That seriousness is reflected in his choice of John Kerry as his special envoy on climate.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-us-canada-55872331
     
         
      Nuclear winter for Britain as power plants close Sun, 31st Jan 2021 12:01:00
     
      Hitachi president Hiroaki Nakanishi had a grand dream when the Japanese giant paid £696 million for the right to build two nuclear power stations in the UK. “Today starts our 100-year commitment to the UK and its vision to achieve a long-term, secure, low- carbon and affordable energy supply,” declared Nakanishi in 2012, as he signed a deal to buy the Horizon nuclear project from Germany’s RWE and Eon. Nakanishi’s plan was to use the UK as a shop window for its reactors, installing them at Wylfa on Anglesey in north Wales and Oldbury-on-Severn in south Gloucestershire. Wylfa would provide enough power to supply the whole of Wales. Together, the two sites could power about 10 million homes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nuclear-winter-for-britain-as-power-plants-close-gb8c5dx07
     
         
      Fossil fuel transition: Expect oil price spikes as capital investment declines Sun, 31st Jan 2021 10:35:00
     
      LONDON (Bloomberg) --Nobody loves oil companies. Tesla Inc., the emblem of an emissions-free future, is worth more today than the top five Western supermajors combined. Yet the world’s disdain for its petroleum giants could carry a sting in the tail -- a jarring price spike. Oil may be on the way out, but it will be a long goodbye. Even if demand peaks, companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc need to keep investing tens of billions of dollars every year into fossil fuels just to stand still. Right now, many investors would prefer to take that cash in dividends, or see it channeled into renewables.
       
      Full Article: https://www.worldoil.com/news/2021/1/29/fossil-fuel-transition-expect-oil-price-spikes-as-capital-investment-declines
     
         
      Climate change: Minister rapped for allowing Cumbria coal mine Sun, 31st Jan 2021 10:29:00
     
      The government’s climate change advisors have rapped ministers for allowing a new coal mine in Cumbria. They say the site will increase global emissions and compromise the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets. They warn the decision could undermine its leadership of the vital COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. The new deep coking coal mine was agreed by Cumbria County Council and the government previously said it did not want to intervene. The rebuke comes in the form of a letter from the chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), Lord Deben, to the planning minister Robert Jenrick, which says: The decision to award planning permission to 2049 will commit the UK to emissions from coking coal, for which there may be no domestic use after 2035. 85% of the coal is planned for export to Europe It is not the CCC’s role to act as a regulator or a planning authority, but we would urge you to consider further the UK’s policy towards all new coal developments, for whatever purpose This decision also highlights the critical importance of local councillors and planning authorities considering the implications of their decisions on climate targets. In this regard, I would ask that we discuss the provision of guidance to local authorities It is for ministers to decide how the effort to reach Net Zero (almost nil carbon emissions) should be allocated across the economy, but it is also important to note that this decision gives a negative impression of the UK’s climate priorities in the year of COP26 In response to the letter, a government spokesperson said the decision to allow the coal mine would not be reversed. Cumbria councillors told BBC News there were no good planning grounds for them to refuse permission for the mine, near Whitehaven, and said it would help to diversify local employment prospects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55871503
     
         
      Too many boardrooms are climate incompetent Sun, 31st Jan 2021 5:00:00
     
      Not that long ago, I found myself on a video call with a group of business people where a man who once ran a very large company said something unexpected. He revealed a survey of boardrooms he had been involved with had found that just 7 per cent of board members were “climate competent”, meaning they knew enough about climate change to understand how it could affect their business. There were audible gasps when he said this, but there should have been no surprise. The dearth of boardroom climate expertise is actually worse in some places, according to a new study from New York University’s Stern Center for Sustainable Business.
       
      Full Article: https://amp.ft.com/content/611522b7-8cf6-4340-bc8a-f4e92782567c#aoh=16121716623956&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s
     
         
      Climate activists on Biden plans: 'We're celebrating key victories today' Sat, 30th Jan 2021 17:13:00
     
      As President Joe Biden sets out his plans to fight climate change, two young US activists give their reactions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-55836480
     
         
      Olive is the new green in fighting climate change Fri, 29th Jan 2021 14:46:00
     
      Leverage our market expertise Expert insights, analysis and smart data help you cut through the noise to spot trends, risks and opportunities. Join over 300,000 Finance professionals who already subscribe to the FT.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/e37bb0b5-3362-497a-8df7-7c28b95d0cb4
     
         
      5 Things You Should Know About the Earth’s Warming Ocean Fri, 29th Jan 2021 14:01:00
     
      Part of Joellen Russell’s job is to help illuminate the deep darkness — to shine a light on what’s happening beneath the surface of the ocean. And it’s one of the most important jobs in the world right now. Russell is a professor of biogeochemical dynamics at the University of Arizona. From that dry, landlocked state, she’s become a leading expert on how the climate is changing in the Southern Ocean — those vast, dark waters swirling around Antarctica. “This is an age of scientific discovery,” she says. But also, “it’s very scary what we’re finding out.” Researchers like Russell have been ringing alarm bells in report after report warning that the world’s ocean waters are dangerously warming. Most of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gas emissions we’ve spewed into the air for decades has actually been absorbed by the ocean. Over the past 25 years, that heat amounts to the equivalent of exploding 3.6 billion Hiroshima-sized atom bombs, according to Lijing Cheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and lead author of a new study on ocean warming.
       
      Full Article: https://therevelator.org/ocean-climate-change/
     
         
      John Kerry: UK climate summit is world's 'last best chance' Thu, 28th Jan 2021 17:21:00
     
      US climate envoy John Kerry has told the BBC a UN climate summit in the UK this November is "the last best chance" to avert the worst environmental consequences for the world. He said years were lost on the climate issue under President Donald Trump, "who didn't believe in any of it". Dozens of world leaders will attend the COP26 conference in Glasgow. Mr Kerry spoke as President Joe Biden signed a flurry of executive orders designed to address climate change. His latest edicts include a freeze on new oil and gas leases on public lands and set out to double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. Mr Biden - who re-entered the US into the 2016 Paris climate accord in one of his first acts as president - said America must lead the response to the crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55836163
     
         
      Split signals end for remnant of Antarctic iceberg A68a Thu, 28th Jan 2021 13:34:00
     
      The once-mighty iceberg A68a looks to be in its death throes. The largest fragment from a block of Antarctic ice that originally measured some 5,800 sq km (2,240 sq miles) in area has suffered another major split. Satellite imagery shows at least two segments drifting close together about 135km south-east of the British territory of South Georgia. They will no doubt soon move further apart. For more than three years, A68a was the biggest iceberg in the world. At its greatest extent, it was about a quarter of the size of Wales - or New Jersey or Israel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55843384
     
         
      Stampede from fossil fuels 'would cost UK jobs' Thu, 28th Jan 2021 10:22:00
     
      Being green is not black and white. That's according to the man who runs the world's biggest money management firm. BlackRock manages nearly $9tn (£6.6tn) of pension and investments. This week the chief executive, Larry Fink, sent his annual letter to the bosses of the companies around the world in which that colossal sum is invested. He said the Covid-19 pandemic had focused minds on the fragility of the global economic system and made people think about a potentially bigger crisis. "I believe that the pandemic has presented such an existential crisis - such a stark reminder of our fragility - that it has driven us to confront the global threat of climate change more forcefully and to consider how, like the pandemic, it will alter our lives," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55849898
     
         
      Biden: 'Time to act' on climate crisis Wed, 27th Jan 2021 17:10:00
     
      President Joe Biden signs executive orders on climate change, saying the US has waited too long.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-55835264
     
         
      John Kerry: 'The stakes couldn't be higher' Wed, 27th Jan 2021 13:14:00
     
      Former Secretary of State John Kerry, now the Biden administration's climate tsar, outlined a series of executive actions to curb climate change. "The president is totally seized by this issue," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-55835353
     
         
      How to be more eco-friendly in everyday life Wed, 27th Jan 2021 12:51:00
     
      We've been hearing so much about climate change recently, and the facts don't look good. The evidence shows that, thanks to human activity, global temperatures are rising at a level which isn't sustainable for the environment to be able to survive. It might be the middle of a pandemic, but almost two thirds of people around the world see climate change as a global emergency, according to the largest opinion poll ever done on the issue. That's partly why over the years people were taking their clothes off in parliament and school kids going on strike.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47990742
     
         
      Climate change: Biggest global poll supports 'global emergency' Wed, 27th Jan 2021 12:50:00
     
      Despite the pandemic, almost two thirds of people around the world now view climate change as a global emergency. That's the key finding from the largest opinion poll yet conducted on tackling global warming. More than a million people in 50 countries took part in the survey, with almost half the participants aged between 14 and 18. Conserving forests and land emerged as the most popular solution for tackling the issue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/science-environment-55802902
     
         
      Biden signs 'existential' executive orders on climate and environment Wed, 27th Jan 2021 12:48:00
     
      US President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders aimed to address climate change, including a new ban on some energy drilling. The orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections. "Today is climate day at the White House," said Mr Biden on Wednesday. "We have already waited too long," Mr Biden told reporters. "And we can't wait any longer." The series of executive orders that Mr Biden signed on Wednesday establishes a White House office of domestic climate policy and announces a summit of leaders to be held in April on Earth Day. Climate change, under Mr Biden's plan, will become both a "national security" and "foreign policy" priority, officials say. Mr Biden is also calling upon the US Director of National Intelligence to prepare an intelligence report on the security implications of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55829189
     
         
      France villagers land a knockout blow on noisy wind turbine farm Wed, 27th Jan 2021 12:01:00
     
      Opponents of wind power are celebrating a landmark order that five French turbines must be turned off because they are too noisy. People living near turbines in France regularly complain about the disturbance they cause, but the residents of Échauffour, a village in the Orne département west of Paris, are the first to have their grievances upheld.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/france-villagers-land-a-knockout-blow-on-noisy-wind-turbine-farm-g0sqr205q
     
         
      Shell Takes Majority Stake in Irish Floating Wind Project Wed, 27th Jan 2021 11:52:00
     
      Dutch oil and gas major Shell has agreed to take a majority stake in a 1 GW floating wind project offshore Ireland. Shell New Energies, the renewable energy trading, generation, and supply arm of Shell, has signed an agreement with Simply Blue Energy to acquire 51 per cent in Simply Blue Energy’s Kinsale venture. Kinsale was set up to develop the Emerald floating wind project, a floating wind farm in the Celtic Sea, off the south coast of Ireland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/01/27/shell-takes-majority-stake-in-irish-floating-wind-project/
     
         
      Climate change is a ‘global emergency’, people say in biggest ever climate poll Wed, 27th Jan 2021 10:30:00
     
      Described as the biggest climate survey yet conducted, UN Development Programme (UNDP)’s “People’s Climate Vote” poll also showed that people supported more comprehensive climate policies to respond to the challenges. The survey covered 50 countries with over half the world’s population. “The results of the survey clearly illustrate that urgent climate action has broad support amongst people around the globe, across nationalities, age, gender and education level,” Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator said in a news release. The poll also showed “how” people want their policymakers to tackle the climate crisis. “From climate-friendly farming to protecting nature, and investing in a green recovery from COVID-19, the survey brings the voice of the people to the forefront of the climate debate. It signals ways in which countries can move forward with public support as we work together to tackle this enormous challenge,” Mr. Steiner added.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1083062
     
         
      Rating agency S&P warns 13 oil and gas companies they risk downgrades as renewables pick up steam Wed, 27th Jan 2021 2:02:00
     
      Rating agency S&P has warned 13 oil and gas companies, including the some of the world’s biggest, that it may downgrade them within weeks because of increasing competition from renewable energy. On notice of a possible downgrade are Australia’s Woodside Petroleum as well as multinationals Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Imperial Oil, Royal Dutch Shell, Shell Energy North America, Canadian Natural Resources, ConocoPhillips and French group Total. S&P said it was also considering downgrading four large Chinese producers – China Petrochemical Corp, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, China National Offshore Oil Corp and CNOOC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/27/rating-agency-sp-warns-13-oil-and-gas-companies-they-risk-downgrades-as-renewables-pick-up-steam
     
         
      Biden prepares to ban new oil and gas leases on federal land Tue, 26th Jan 2021 18:27:00
     
      U.S. President Joe Biden has designated Wednesday as "climate day" at the White House to announce a series of execution actions. The main focus will be the president's order on federal agencies asking them to determine the parameters of the federal land oil and gas lease ban. President Biden will order the preservation of "30 to 30," to protect nearly a third of all federal land and water by the end of the decade. He will create a working group and issue a memorandum that will make climate change a national security priority, a source told The New York Times.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independentespanol.com/politica/ee-uu/biden-petroleo-gas-triunfo-tierras-federales-b1792968.html?utm_source=redirect
     
         
      First UK carbon neutral road improvement project Tue, 26th Jan 2021 17:38:00
     
      Contractor A E Yates teamed up with supplier Aggregate Industries and designers at Amey to deliver the landmark dual carriageway resurfacing project between M6 junction 6 and Brettarg Holt. Highways England set highly ambitious carbon reduction targets that were met with extensive asphalt recycling through a Foamix asphalt. Existing road surface planings were recycled and encapsulated back into the pavement by producing a site batched cold recycled asphalt using Aggregates Industries SuperLow asphalt. This approach captured a huge 43% carbon reduction, compared with conventional resurfacing methods. In total, 50,000 tonnes of material was extracted from the original pavement and 39,000 tonnes recycled over the course of just six weeks. This included 11,600 tonnes of asphalt and 27,000 tonnes of foamix laid using wide pavers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/01/26/first-uk-carbon-neutral-road-improvement-project/
     
         
      Blackrock chief: ‘How Covid could help save the planet’ Tue, 26th Jan 2021 13:08:00
     
      The pandemic has exacted a terrible toll on human life and livelihoods. It is hard to see how anything that could possibly be described as positive could come out of such a devastating crisis. But the world's biggest money manager suggests there may be one. Blackrock manages $8.7 trillion dollars of savers' money. It is probably the most influential financial firm in the world. Larry Fink, the chief executive of Blackrock, in his annual letter to the bosses of all the companies in which that colossal sum is invested, says the pandemic could ultimately help in the fight against an even greater crisis. "I believe that the pandemic has presented such an existential crisis - such a stark reminder of our fragility - that it has driven us to confront the global threat of climate change more forcefully and to consider how, like the pandemic, it will alter our lives." Sustainable investments He argues this is not just talk: you can measure it and that it has accelerated a re-allocation of global capital towards environmentally sustainable businesses. When the pandemic hit, investors ran to the hills. They dumped their shareholdings and turned them into cash. The Dow Jones index of the biggest companies in the US lost 10,000 points, nearly a third, in a matter of days.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55811332
     
         
      Oxford 'tiny forests' planted to promote biodiversity Tue, 26th Jan 2021 13:05:00
     
      Two "tiny forests" are being planted in Oxford to create wildlife havens and help city-goers connect with nature. About 600 densely planted trees will fill each tennis court-sized plot at Meadow Lane Nature Reserve and Foxwell Drive. Oxford City Council is working with environment charity Earthwatch Europe on the scheme, which was postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UK's first tiny forest was planted in nearby Witney in March. The two new forests were due to be planted with the help of schoolchildren, but due to Covid-19 landscaping contractors are instead carrying out the work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-55811698
     
         
      Waste-to-Energy Technology Future for Hydrogen Fuel Cells Tue, 26th Jan 2021 12:07:00
     
      People are continually interested in creative ways to get rid of waste. The world has too much of it, so how could technology solve that problem by addressing another need? Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are an emerging possibility. The processes used by many forward-thinking companies center on converting waste into hydrogen energy. Here’s a look at what the future may hold.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/waste-to-energy-technology-future-for-hydrogen-fuel-cells/
     
         
      Climate litigation spikes, giving courts an ‘essential role’ in addressing climate crisis Tue, 26th Jan 2021 12:00:00
     
      The UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review, finds that climate cases have nearly doubled over the last three years and are increasingly pushing governments and corporations to implement climate commitments, while setting the bar higher for more ambitious climate change mitigation and adaptation. “Citizens are increasingly turning to courts to access justice and exercise their right to a healthy environment”, said Arnold Kreilhuber, Acting Director of UNEP’s Law Division.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1083032
     
         
      Kawasaki Heavy completes world’s first liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal Tue, 26th Jan 2021 11:45:00
     
      Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries has announced the completion of the Kobe LH2 Terminal, the world’s first liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal. The terminal is built for Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA) for a demonstration project of transporting liquefied hydrogen from Australia to Japan. It accommodates a liquefied hydrogen storage tank with a capacity of 2,250 cu m, as well as other equipment including a loading arm system specially designed for transferring liquefied hydrogen between land-based facilities and ships. Operation testing has already started at the facility. Kawasaki Heavy said it will use the technologies developed through the project to pursue even larger tanks in the future.
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/kawasaki-heavy-completes-worlds-first-liquefied-hydrogen-receiving-terminal/
     
         
      Blow to clean hydrogen sector as major truck maker rules out H2 for long-distance transport Tue, 26th Jan 2021 11:36:00
     
      Clean hydrogen has long been touted as the only long-term green solution for long-distance trucking, due to claims that batteries will never be able to provide the power and energy required. But one of the world’s largest heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers, Volkswagen-owned Scania, which has produced both battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles, has concluded that H2 will be too inefficient and expensive for long-distance transport.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/blow-to-clean-hydrogen-sector-as-major-truck-maker-rules-out-h2-for-long-distance-transport/2-1-951345
     
         
      Warmingham could welcome new solar farm to power 5,000 homes Tue, 26th Jan 2021 10:51:00
     
      MORE than 5,000 homes are set to be powered by solar energy, thanks to a proposed new solar farm in Warmingham. Cheshire East planning officers have recommended that the scheme off Drury Lane, which would provide approximately 17 Megawatts (MWp) of electricity at its peak generation, be approved at Wednesday’s (January 27) meeting of the borough’s strategic planning board. The 26 hectare site would therefore have the capability to power approximately 5,200 homes annually. In a pre-meeting report to councillors, planning officers said: “This would contribute to tackling the challenges of climate change, lessening dependence on fossil fuels and benefitting energy security.
       
      Full Article: https://www.winsfordguardian.co.uk/news/19037642.warmingham-welcome-new-solar-farm-power-5-000-homes/
     
         
      Is It Time for an Emergency Rollout of Carbon-Eating Machines? Tue, 26th Jan 2021 8:00:00
     
      THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY demands that we dramatically and rapidly cut emissions. There’s no substitute for that, full stop. But it also demands a technological revolution to reverse years of out-of-control emissions: The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change notes that if we want to meet the Paris climate agreement’s most optimistic goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, we have to deploy some sort of negative emissions technologies. One promising technique is known as direct air capture (DAC), machines that scrub the atmosphere of CO2. Early versions of these facilities already exist: One firm called Carbon Engineering has been developing the technology for over a decade. DAC facilities use giant fans to suck in air, which then passes over special plastic surfaces, where it reacts with a chemical solution that binds to the CO2. The air leaves the facility minus the carbon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/is-it-time-for-an-emergency-rollout-of-carbon-eating-machines/
     
         
      Scientists address myths over large-scale tree planting Tue, 26th Jan 2021 6:54:00
     
      Scientists have proposed 10 golden rules for tree-planting, which they say must be a top priority for all nations this decade. Tree planting is a brilliant solution to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity, but the wrong tree in the wrong place can do more harm than good, say experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The rules include protecting existing forests first and involving locals. Forests are essential to life on Earth. They provide a home to three-quarters of the world's plants and animals, soak up carbon dioxide, and provide food, fuels and medicines.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55795816
     
         
      Air pollution linked to higher risk of irreversible sight loss Tue, 26th Jan 2021 6:00:00
     
      Small increases in air pollution are linked to an increased risk of irreversible sight loss from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a large UK study has found. Previous work had already found a link between dirty air and glaucoma and a link to cataracts is suspected. The scientists said the eyes have a particularly high flow of blood, potentially making them very vulnerable to the damage caused by tiny particles that are breathed in and then flow around the body. The study is the first to assess the connection between air pollution and both diagnoses of AMD that the patients said they had been given, and measurements of harmful changes in the retina. It found a small increase in exposure to tiny pollution particles raised the risk of AMD by 8%, while small changes in larger pollution particles and nitrogen dioxide were linked to a 12% higher risk of adverse retinal changes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/26/air-pollution-linked-to-higher-risk-of-irreversible-sight-loss
     
         
      Field of dreams: is superconducting wind power finally coming of age? Mon, 25th Jan 2021 18:16:00
     
      Lightweight, rare earth magnet-free and 'low temperature', a new generator from GE using hospital MRI technology could carve a further 10% out of the offshore sector's cost of energy, writes Darius Snieckus
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/field-of-dreams-is-superconducting-wind-power-finally-coming-of-age-/2-1-950257
     
         
      Renewables outstrip fossil fuels as the EU’s main source of power Mon, 25th Jan 2021 17:42:00
     
      Renewables overtook fossil fuels as the European Union’s main source of electricity for the first time in 2020 as new projects came online and coal power shrank, a report shows. Renewable sources such as wind and solar generated 38 percent of the 27-member bloc’s electricity in 2020, with fossil fuels such as coal and gas contributing 37 percent, the report published on Monday by think-tanks Ember and Agora Energiewende showed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/25/renewables-overtook-fossil-fuels-as-the-eus-main-source-of-power
     
         
      Scale up funding for climate adaptation programmes, Guterres urges Mon, 25th Jan 2021 14:35:00
     
      “Adaptation cannot be the neglected half of the climate equation”, Secretary-General António Guterres said at the Climate Adaptation Summit. The need is all the more pressing in developing countries, which require an estimated $70 billion to meet their adaptation plans. But the figure could reach up to $300 billion in 2030, and $500 billion in 2050, according to the latest edition of UN’s Adaptation Gap report, released earlier this month. Mr. Guterres called for 50 per cent of the total share of climate finance provided by all developed countries and multilateral development banks to be allocated to adaptation and resilience. “I urge all donors and multilateral development banks to commit to this goal by COP26 and deliver on it at least by 2024", he added, referring to the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in November, in Glasgow.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1082842
     
         
      Energy / New battery storage system will help to lower power station’s carbon footprint Mon, 25th Jan 2021 14:28:00
     
      A NEW energy storage system is set to be installed at Lerwick Power Station, with hopes that it will bring a “significant reduction” in emissions at the diesel-powered facility. The Wärtsilä battery system is expected to be delivered by mid-summer before becoming fully operational in September. The 8MW/6MWh system will provide grid balancing and back-up capabilities, and give increased stability to “enable existing wind turbines greater penetration onto the electricity grid”. A spokesperson for SSE said the benefit of renewable contribution to the network through the energy storage system means a reduction in the use of diesel generation. It is estimated that the battery will reduce fuel consumption by 1,000 tonnes and overall CO2 emissions from Lerwick Power Station by five per cent annually. The investment from SSEN comes ahead of Shetland being connected to the national grid by a transmission link, which is expected in 2024. The ageing power station is set to close around this time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2021/01/25/new-storage-system-will-help-to-lower-power-stations-carbon-footprint/
     
         
      Biden plans to replace government fleet with electric vehicles Mon, 25th Jan 2021 12:00:00
     
      President Joe Biden plans to replace the government's fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., he said Monday when signing a new "Buy America" executive order. The government is a major purchaser of vehicles. However, replacing such a fleet with American-produced EVs will be costly and take time. There are currently only a handful of all-electric vehicles being assembled in the U.S. Tesla, General Motors and Nissan Motor produce EVs domestically, while Ford Motor and others have announced plans to do so. "The current offerings are pretty slim, but the industry's about to unleash an avalanche of new product, and a lot of it built in North America," Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research, told CNBC. "Just about every U.S. plant is going to have a hybrid or electric product." It's unclear whether Biden's plan includes plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which use a combination of EV motors and traditional internal combustion engines. When discussing the plans, he referred to the new fleet being made up of electric vehicles "that are net zero emissions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/01/25/biden-plans-to-replace-government-fleet-with-electric-vehicles.html
     
         
      Biden plans to replace government fleet with electric vehicles Mon, 25th Jan 2021 12:00:00
     
      President Joe Biden plans to replace the government's fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., he said Monday when signing a new "Buy America" executive order. The government is a major purchaser of vehicles. However, replacing such a fleet with American-produced EVs will be costly and take time. There are currently only a handful of all-electric vehicles being assembled in the U.S. Tesla, General Motors and Nissan Motor produce EVs domestically, while Ford Motor and others have announced plans to do so. "The current offerings are pretty slim, but the industry's about to unleash an avalanche of new product, and a lot of it built in North America," Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research, told CNBC. "Just about every U.S. plant is going to have a hybrid or electric product." It's unclear whether Biden's plan includes plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which use a combination of EV motors and traditional internal combustion engines. When discussing the plans, he referred to the new fleet being made up of electric vehicles "that are net zero emissions."
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/01/25/biden-plans-to-replace-government-fleet-with-electric-vehicles.html
     
         
      Bank of England criticised for financing carbon-intensive firms Mon, 25th Jan 2021 9:07:00
     
      The Bank of England has been criticised by MPs for providing finance to carbon-intensive companies without attaching environmental strings. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has written to the Bank's governor, urging him to ensure any firms receiving Bank finance should disclose their climate-related activities. The letter adds to the drumbeat for change in the financial sector. The Bank said it was committed to reducing its impact on the climate. It added it would reply to the MPs in due course
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55794292
     
         
      Scientists develop anode-free zinc battery for storing renewable energy Mon, 25th Jan 2021 6:15:00
     
      Researchers at Stanford University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a prototype of an anode-free, zinc-based battery that uses low-cost, naturally abundant materials. In a study published in the journal Nano Letters, scientists Yunpei Zhu, Yi Cui, and Husam Alshareef say they drew inspiration from previous explorations of “anode-free” lithium and sodium-metal batteries and decided to make a battery in which a zinc-rich cathode is the sole source for zinc plating onto a copper current collector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.mining.com/scientists-develop-anode-free-zinc-battery-for-storing-renewable-energy/
     
         
      Big Oil hits brakes on search for new fossil fuels Mon, 25th Jan 2021 1:23:00
     
      LONDON (Reuters) - Top oil and gas companies sharply slowed their search for new fossil fuel resources last year, data shows, as lower energy prices due to the coronavirus crisis triggered spending cuts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-exploration-cuts-idUSKBN29U00V
     
         
      Helping poorest tackle climate crisis will boost global growth, says IMF head Mon, 25th Jan 2021 0:01:00
     
      Helping the most vulnerable people to cope with the climate crisis can boost the global economy during the Covid crisis and governments should make this a priority, the head of the International Monetary Fund has said. Kristalina Georgieva said international responses to the pandemic must urgently take account of the need to adapt to the impacts of extreme weather and other climate shocks, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Otherwise, the world risked billions of dollars of economic damage in the near future, as most countries were unprepared for the effects of a rapidly heating climate, she warned. “The good news is that it can be win-win-win-win,” she said. “Building resilience can be good for nature and ecosystems; it can be good for economic growth; at a time when economies have lost low-skilled jobs, it boosts job creation; and the fourth win is that it can bring health benefits [such as reduced air pollution].” Georgieva pledged help from the IMF to countries hit by the climate crisis, and to those seeking to fulfil the Paris agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/25/helping-poorest-tackle-climate-crisis-will-boost-global-growth-says-imf-head
     
         
      Meet the team shaking up climate models Fri, 22nd Jan 2021 13:52:00
     
      Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin was tall and rugged, with the flowing beard and raucus mustache popular in the late 1800s. As a young geology professor, he hiked the flatlands of southeast Wisconsin, surveying tracks of long-gone glaciers. It was popular at the time to speculate on what caused the rise and fall of ice ages, and Chamberlin seized on one theory that pointed to a gas. “The effect of the carbon dioxide and water vapor is to blanket the earth with a thermally absorbent envelope,” he wrote in 1899. He concluded that doubling that gas in the atmosphere would raise the temperature of the Earth by 8 or 9 degrees Celsius. This relationship between carbon dioxide and the Earth’s temperature came to be known as the greenhouse effect. Chamberlin was right about the linkage, though he was off in the numbers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2021/0122/Meet-the-team-shaking-up-climate-models
     
         
      Botswana is Now Looking for Bids to Build 200 MW of CSP Fri, 22nd Jan 2021 12:15:00
     
      Under a new integrated resource plan published by the government in December 2020, Botswana plans to build 200 MW of CSP capacity by 2026. The procurement process will start this year, it said. The plan, which received the backing of Botswana and Namibia government officials and the World Bank, proposed a phased approach to large-scale PV and CSP construction. In 2019, the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Energy proposed a giant solar expansion plan in Botswana and neighbouring Namibia that could provide over 4.5 GW of PV and CSP power to customers in southern and eastern Africa. In total, the government has approved the construction of 1.5 GW of new capacity by 2040, starting with 135 MW of PV capacity by 2022. Under the plan, Botswana will build up to 800 MW of new PV capacity, 200 MW of CSP, 50 MW of wind, 140 GW of battery storage, as well as 300 MW of coal-fired and 250 MW of coal bed methane (CBM) capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/botswana-is-now-looking-for-bids-to-build-200-mw-of-csp/
     
         
      Coalition granting fossil fuel companies up to $250,000 to attend industry events Fri, 22nd Jan 2021 6:54:00
     
      International mining conference among forums involving oil, coal and gas industries approved for subsidies in program touted as boosting events sector. The Morrison government is offering fossil fuel companies grants of up to $250,000 to attend industry events as part of a program that is supposed to help the Australian conference industry recover from a coronavirus-induced slump. A dozen events involving the oil, coal and gas industries are among 150 so far approved by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission as part of the $50m stimulus package.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/22/coalition-granting-fossil-fuel-companies-up-to-250000-to-attend-industry-events
     
         
      Biden sets to work on reversing Trump policies with executive orders Thu, 21st Jan 2021 18:26:00
     
      US President Joe Biden has begun to undo some of Donald Trump's key policies, hours after being sworn in. In his initial acts as the 46th US president, he signed 15 executive orders - the first to boost the federal response to the coronavirus crisis. Other orders reversed the Trump administration's stance on climate change and immigration. President Biden set to work at the Oval Office having been sworn in earlier on Wednesday at the US Capitol.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55738746
     
         
      Nord Stream 2: MEPs call for halt to Russian gas pipeline Thu, 21st Jan 2021 18:19:00
     
      Germany has come under increased pressure to halt a Russian gas pipeline following the detention in Moscow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The European Parliament has backed a call for Nord Stream 2 to be scrapped. MEPs called on EU states to impose sanctions on any Russians involved in jailing Mr Navalny after he returned from Germany where he had been recovering from a nerve agent attack. The US has imposed sanctions on a Russian ship laying the pipeline. Washington argues the project will increase Russian influence over Europe. The US Treasury's action against the ship Fortuna came in the final days of the Trump administration, but President Joe Biden is expected to pursue the same policy, according to his nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken. In 2016, Mr Biden said the pipeline was a "bad deal" for Europe. Asked about the US move on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her "basic attitude" on the €10bn ($11bn) project to double Russian gas exports to Germany had not changed, but she wanted to discuss the issue with the Biden administration. "We have to talk about which economic relations in the gas sector are acceptable with Russia and which aren't," she said, reminding reporters in Berlin that the US itself traded with Russia in oil.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55756282
     
         
      China's wind-power capacity nearly tripled in 2020 Thu, 21st Jan 2021 15:47:00
     
      The construction of new wind and solar power plants in China more than doubled in 2020 since the previous year, government data showed. China, the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gas, added 71.67 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity last year, nearly triple the 2019 level, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA). The figure is ahead of the 60.4 GW of new wind capacity added globally in 2019, according to data from the Global Wind Energy Council. New solar power capacity also rebounded in 2020 to 48.2 GW after falling in 2018 and 2019, the data showed, beating forecasts of 40 GW. It comes as China had pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy consumption to 15 per cent by 2020 from 6.8 per cent in 2005. President Xi Jinping said this figure would rise to 25 per cent by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://capital.com/china-s-wind-power-capacity-nearly-tripled-in-2020
     
         
      Climate change: Group warns of 'significant' flood risk for 75,000 homes Thu, 21st Jan 2021 14:14:00
     
      The number of homes at "significant" risk of flooding in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk could double to 75,000, a climate change group has warned. The Essex Climate Action Commission is recommending a number of green initiatives in a bid to protect homes. These include changes to farm practices and the introduction of sustainable drainage systems for towns. Essex County Council chief executive Gavin Jones said a "generational change" was needed. The two-year commission was set up by Essex County Council to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve air quality and increase biodiversity in the county. Its latest report calls for all farms in Essex to adopt sustainable land stewardship practices by 2050, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Rob Wise, an NFU environment adviser who sits on the commission, said farms needed to be "more carbon friendly in the first place". "That is what we mean by sustainable land stewardship," he said. "I don't think that there is really a farmer left these days that wouldn't in their heart of hearts agree that trying to get to a point where all of their land is farmed using these principles is a good idea."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-55757395
     
         
      Climate change: Trump's Paris withdrawal was 'reckless' - John Kerry Thu, 21st Jan 2021 13:16:00
     
      US Special Envoy on climate change John Kerry has said the country will now push for rapid action after four years of "reckless behaviour" under Donald Trump. Mr Kerry said that withdrawing the US from the Paris agreement had threatened people's futures all over the world. One of President Biden's first acts following his inauguration was to re-apply to join the climate pact. Mr Kerry said the US would now move forward with "humility and ambition". And this year's climate meeting in Glasgow would be the "last, most important opportunity" to make progress, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55751936
     
         
      Avoid hydrogen for heating homes, urges energy efficiency coalition Thu, 21st Jan 2021 13:03:00
     
      A coalition of 33 business and civil society groups have urged the European Commission to prioritise renewables and energy efficiency over hydrogen as part of Europe’s efforts to decarbonise buildings. Europe’s upcoming gas market reform, expected to be tabled in June, “should be aimed at designing an energy system that goes beyond fossil gas” in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050, the coalition says in an open letter on Thursday (21 January). The buildings sector needs to cut emissions by 60% over the next 10 years in order to reach the bloc’s 2030 climate goals, the signatories underline. And to achieve this, renewables and energy efficiency should be prioritised – not hydrogen, they argue. “While some believe that challenging renovation of buildings and the retrofitting of renewable heating systems could be avoided by introducing hydrogen for heating our buildings, the reality is different,” the signatories write.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/avoid-hydrogen-for-heating-homes-urges-energy-efficiency-coalition/
     
         
      ‘Gas is over’: EU bank chief signals phaseout of fossil fuel finance Thu, 21st Jan 2021 11:07:00
     
      Europe needs to acknowledge that its future is no longer with fossil fuels, said the president of the European Investment Bank as he presented the bank’s 2020 results on Wednesday. “To put it mildly, gas is over,” Werner Hoyer said at a press conference on the EIB’s annual results. “This is a serious departure from the past, but without the end to the use of unabated fossil fuels, we will not be able to reach the climate targets,” he added. The EU aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and is expected to adopt a new carbon reduction target of -55% for 2030. However, gas has remained a grey area, with the European Commission saying it will still be needed to help coal-reliant EU member states transition away from fossil fuels. Under its climate bank roadmap published in 2020, the EIB plans to use 50% of its activity to support climate and environmental sustainability, unlocking €1 trillion for green funding by 2030. It will also ensure that all activity is aligned with the Paris Agreement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/01/21/gas-eib-president-signals-complete-phase-unabated-fossil-fuels/
     
         
      Biden raises hopes of addressing climate crisis as Cop26 nears Thu, 21st Jan 2021 6:00:00
     
      Joe Biden’s pledges of strong action on the climate crisis have buoyed international hopes that 2021 can be a breakthrough year, resetting the world on a greener path to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Climate experts cheered the inauguration of the new US president, who has vowed to rejoin the Paris agreement, rethink US reliance on fossil fuels, and devote hundreds of billions of dollars in stimulus spending to low-carbon economic growth. Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and chair of the Elders group of former world leaders, told the Guardian: “Joe Biden’s presidency offers the chance for a global reset, and his anticipated executive order to rejoin the Paris agreement is an excellent step in the right direction. We are also expecting to see similar commitments to international cooperation on the existential threats posed by nuclear weapons and future pandemics. I welcome the fact that we will now see sustained US support for multilateralism, underwritten by a solid commitment to universal human rights.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/21/biden-raises-hopes-of-addressing-climate-crisis-as-cop26-nears
     
         
      Engineers have built machines to scrub CO? from the air. But will it halt climate change? Wed, 20th Jan 2021 20:08:00
     
      On Wednesday this week, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was measured at at 415 parts per million (ppm). The level is the highest in human history, and is growing each year. Amid all the focus on emissions reduction, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it will not be enough to avoid dangerous levels of global warming. The world must actively remove historical CO? already in the atmosphere - a process often described as “negative emissions”. CO? removal can be done in two ways. The first is by enhancing carbon storage in natural ecosystems, such as planting more forests or storing more carbon in soil. The second is by using direct air capture (DAC) technology that strips CO? from the ambient air, then either stores it underground or turns it into products.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/engineers-have-built-machines-to-scrub-co-from-the-air-but-will-it-halt-climate-change-152975
     
         
      Climate change: Biden's first act sets tone for ambitious approach Wed, 20th Jan 2021 18:23:00
     
      Make no mistake, returning to the Paris climate agreement is not mere symbolism - it is an act cloaked in powerful, political significance. While re-joining the pact involves the simple signing of a letter and a 30-day wait, there could be no more profound signal of intention from this incoming administration. Coming back to Paris means the US will once again have to follow the rules. Those rules mean that sometime this year the US will need to improve on their previous commitment to cut carbon made in the French capital in 2015. This new target, possibly for 2030, and President Biden's commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, will be the guide rails for the US economy and society for decades to come. Coming back to Paris really means it is no longer "America First". It signals that the spirit of that awkward word, "multilateralism", is alive and well and living once again in the White House.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55732386
     
         
      Air pollution: over three billion people breathe harmful air inside their own homes Wed, 20th Jan 2021 14:10:00
     
      You might think air pollution can be avoided indoors. But worldwide, more than 3 billion people are exposed to it within their own homes through cooking, heating and lighting with traditional fuels. These are fuels that can be gathered locally and burned on an open fire, such as wood, charcoal, coal, animal dung and the wheat straw and corn cobs that make up farm waste. The smoke that’s generated by these fires is rich in soot – otherwise known as black carbon. These dark particles absorb UV radiation from the sun and warm the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. But the problem doesn’t end there. Black carbon is just one component of PM2.5 – particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres that emanates from car exhausts, factory furnaces and open fires, among other sources. Once inhaled, these tiny particles can affect the heart and lungs, exacerbating asthma symptoms and contributing to heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and lung cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) has created guidelines that identify when indoor air is no longer safe to breathe, and one target recommends limiting concentrations of these fine particles to 35 micrograms per cubic metre.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/air-pollution-over-three-billion-people-breathe-harmful-air-inside-their-own-homes-152986
     
         
      New pipeline to boost Israel’s gas export to Egypt Wed, 20th Jan 2021 14:07:00
     
      Partners in Israel’s largest natural gas fields Leviathan and Tamar will invest in new pipeline system to export the fuel to Egypt. Chevron, as the operator of both gas fields, has entered into an agreement with Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) for the provision of transmission services of natural gas from the Tamar reservoir and Leviathan reservoir. According to the stakeholder Delek Drilling, INGL will construct a transmission system between the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. The Leviathan and Tamar partners will pay 56.5 per cent of the overall cost of construction of the Ashdod-Ashkelon pipeline, which is estimated at 738 million Israeli shekels ($228 million).
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/new-pipeline-to-boost-israels-gas-export-to-egypt/
     
         
      Floating solar power set for trials off Canary Islands Wed, 20th Jan 2021 12:44:00
     
      The other partners in the consortium are Innosea, the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). During the project, the partners will perform state-of-the art analyses, laboratory tests and build a full-scale 0,25MWp floating solar power unit in the sunniest part of Europe, off the coast of Gran Canaria. The offshore test location poses challenging sea conditions with up to 10-meter wave heights and high winds, according to Norwegian floating solar specialist Ocean Sun. As such, the project presents an ‘excellent opportunity for Ocean Sun to explore the outer limits of its technology’, the company said. The project will also serve to qualify and certify Ocean Sun’s patented floating solar technology for offshore applications in non-sheltered locations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/floating-solar-power-set-for-trials-off-canary-islands/
     
         
      Green hydrogen: ITM Power’s new gigafactory will cut costs of electrolysers by almost 40% Wed, 20th Jan 2021 12:30:00
     
      When the history of green hydrogen is written, the completion of the world’s first gigawatt-scale electrolyser factory might well be seen as a turning point. ITM Power’s new 1GW plant, in Sheffield, northern England, which was completed earlier this month, will cut the cost of electrolysers by almost 40% in the next three years, thanks to increased automation and economies of scale, the company’s chief executive tells Recharge
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/green-hydrogen-itm-power-s-new-gigafactory-will-cut-costs-of-electrolysers-by-almost-40-/2-1-948190
     
         
      Ørsted Takes Final Investment Decision on Green Hydrogen Project Wed, 20th Jan 2021 12:06:00
     
      The project, to be built at Avedøre Holme in Copenhagen, will comprise a 2 MW electrolysis plant with appurtenant hydrogen storage, with the production powered by Ørsted’s two Siemens Gamesa 3.6 MW offshore wind turbines at the Avedøre Power Station. H2RES will produce up to around 1,000 kilograms of green hydrogen daily, which will be used to fuel road transport in Greater Copenhagen and on Zealand. In December 2019, Ørsted and six industrial partners were awarded DKK 34.6 million (EUR 4.6 million) in funding for the demonstration project. For H2RES, the company has partnered with Everfuel Europe, NEL Hydrogen, Green Hydrogen Systems, DSV Panalpina, Hydrogen Denmark, and Energinet Elsystemansvar.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/01/20/orsted-takes-final-investment-decision-on-green-hydrogen-project/
     
         
      COP26: Photographer to highlight climate change in exhibition Tue, 19th Jan 2021 13:35:00
     
      A photographer is hoping to raise awareness around climate change by displaying wildlife pictures at a summit of world leaders. Brian Matthews, from Hartlepool, travels the world photographing animals, from polar bears in Canada to orang-utans in Borneo. He wants to highlight the challenges and successes of nature conservation at COP26 in Glasgow this November. "I hope my images, especially the polar bears, help people smile," he said. Mr Matthews, who is in talks with the UK government about engaging the public through a UK wildlife photography competition and exhibition at COP26, said he hopes pictures of animals in their natural environment will "make people understand and care a little more". "Getting even a little message out there that there's loads and loads of cool animals that you can see and we can look after, we can work with to make sure that they don't become extinct or in trouble, is really important."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-55705195
     
         
      Coal mine go-ahead 'undermines climate summit' Tue, 19th Jan 2021 12:51:00
     
      Britain's climate change leadership is being undercut by a government decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria, MPs have warned. The UK is hosting a UN climate summit in November, where it will urge other nations to phase out fossil fuels. The MPs say the government's decision to allow a new colliery at home will make it harder to secure a deal. The Woodhouse mine was approved by Cumbria County Council because it will create jobs in an area of high unemployment. The planning minister Robert Jenrick could have overruled it, but said the issue was best decided at a local level. That verdict was derided by environmentalists, who pointed out that climate change from fossil fuel burning is a global problem.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55721919
     
         
      Keystone pipeline: Biden 'to cancel it on his first day' Mon, 18th Jan 2021 16:40:00
     
      US President-elect Joe Biden is to cancel the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office, North American media report. The pipeline is projected to carry oil nearly 1,200 miles (1,900km) from the Canadian province of Alberta down to Nebraska, to join an existing pipeline. Environmentalists and Native American groups have fought the project for more than a decade. Work had been halted but restarted in 2019 under President Donald Trump. Mr Trump overturned a decision by his predecessor, Barack Obama, who vetoed a bill approving construction in 2015. The privately financed pipeline is expected to cost about $8bn (£5.8bn; CAD $10bn).
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55709261
     
         
      Air pollution within legal limit 'for first time' Sun, 17th Jan 2021 12:11:00
     
      Air pollution in Scotland has remained within legal limits for the first time, according to environmental campaigners. Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) say effects of the March 2020 lockdown were enough to keep overall pollution levels low for the entire year. They are urging ministers to work with councils to ensure the reductions can be maintained sustainably. The Scottish government says air pollution levels had been improving even before the pandemic. The sudden fall last year came when the first lockdown removed most vehicles from city centres where air quality levels are monitored.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55661358
     
         
      Air pollution within legal limit 'for first time' Sun, 17th Jan 2021 12:11:00
     
      Air pollution in Scotland has remained within legal limits for the first time, according to environmental campaigners. Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) say effects of the March 2020 lockdown were enough to keep overall pollution levels low for the entire year. They are urging ministers to work with councils to ensure the reductions can be maintained sustainably. The Scottish government says air pollution levels had been improving even before the pandemic. The sudden fall last year came when the first lockdown removed most vehicles from city centres where air quality levels are monitored.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55661358
     
         
      Offshore Wind Power Is Ready to Boom. Here’s What That Means for Wildlife Sun, 17th Jan 2021 9:47:00
     
      A key part of the United States' clean energy transition has started to take shape, but you may need to squint to see it. About 2,000 wind turbines could be built far offshore, in federal waters off the Atlantic Coast, in the next 10 years. And more are expected. East Coast states from Maine to North Carolina are working to procure nearly 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035 — a huge leap from the five turbines currently generating 30 megawatts in Rhode Island waters. If a regulatory backlog of projects awaiting approval from the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is finally unstuck — as experts hope will happen this year — the buildout of offshore wind will arrive during a crucial decade for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ecowatch.com/offshore-wind-power-and-wildlife-2649970581.html
     
         
      The biggest Coalition conspiracy theory is climate change denial Sat, 16th Jan 2021 19:00:00
     
      Nasa announced this week that 2020 – a year which included a La Niña event normally associated with lower temperatures – was the hottest year on record. It was also the week in which the Morrison government used racist tropes to distract and excuse conspiracy statements made by its MPs. Remember the good old days when climate change deniers would proclaim that “the world has not warmed since 1998”? Since then there have been 16 years when it has been hotter – including nine of the past 10 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2021/jan/17/the-biggest-coalition-conspiracy-theory-is-climate-change-denial?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco
     
         
      Project 17: One girl's quest for clean water in Rwanda Sat, 16th Jan 2021 16:57:00
     
      Seventeen-year-old Joyce lives in Rwanda, Africa. She set out to discover out why some rural communities in her country don't have access to clean water. Joyce heard about the dangers some residents face trying to obtain water, and met people who are working to create solutions. "Access to clean water for all" is goal six in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a set of targets announced in 2015 to transform lives around the world by 2030. This video is part of Project 17, a World Service series produced in collaboration with the Open University, in which 17-year-olds look at progress on the UN's 17 goals. It was filmed before the coronavirus pandemic and so social distancing has not been observed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-55683775
     
         
      Hydrogen? Just add water and sunlight Sat, 16th Jan 2021 11:43:00
     
      Hydrogen has been sold to the public as having the potential to be the ultra-clean fuel for the future’s economy. What’s less likely to be mentioned is that 96% of hydrogen is produced from natural gas, coal or other fossil fuels – producing it using renewable electricity is simply too expensive. To realise hydrogen’s full potential, the world needs better means of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Professor Kazunari Domen at the University of Tokyo/Shinshu University is performing research into how we can improve a method which generates hydrogen from only water and sunlight: photocatalysis. Hydrogen has developed a name for itself as the ultra-clean fuel of the future. If you ran a car on hydrogen, only water would come out of its exhaust pipe. But there’s a problem. About 96% of the world’s hydrogen is formed from fossil fuels, the majority of which is produced by the steam reforming of natural gas. Methane has its hydrogen atoms removed, forming hydrogen gas, and the atoms are replaced with oxygen – forming carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. One tonne of hydrogen comes at the expense of creating 9 to 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
       
      Full Article: https://researchoutreach.org/articles/hydrogen-just-add-water-sunlight/
     
         
      Wylfa: New hybrid nuclear power plan for Anglesey Sat, 16th Jan 2021 11:08:00
     
      Small nuclear reactors and a wind farm could be built in north Wales under new plans from a UK energy firm. Shearwater Energy said it could build the hybrid plant for "less than £8bn" and start generating carbon-neutral power by late 2027. It said a site has been earmarked at Wylfa on Anglesey, separate to the stalled Wylfa Newydd nuclear plans. Shearwater said it had signed an understanding with US power firm NuScale for the modular reactors. Shearwater Energy's director Simon Forster said his company started pulling together proposals after Japanese energy giant Hitachi pulled out of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant project in September. The company said its hybrid model was a "flagship opportunity" for Wylfa and the UK power sector. Mr Forster said the plans were "designed to provide decision-makers with alternatives and to ensure that the taxpayer and consumer gets the very best value for money" when the UK invests in zero-carbon power generation, something "the country is critically short of".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55682005
     
         
      Norway wants to lead on climate change. But first it must face its legacy of oil and gas. Fri, 15th Jan 2021 13:50:00
     
      Norway’s ambition to be an international leader on climate change is at odds with its status as one of the world’s largest oil and gas exporters. In 2019, the country was 15th on the list of the world’s top oil-producing countries, according to provisional data from the International Energy Agency, and ranked eighth in the world for natural gas production, behind Australia but ahead of Saudi Arabia. The bulk of revenue from Norway’s oil and gas production is kept in a sovereign wealth fund, which was created to keep the money for the Norwegian people and future generations. The fund, which has amassed $1 trillion since its inception in the 1990s, is a source of stability for the nation in times of economic instability, like the coronavirus pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/22227063/norway-oil-gas-climate-change
     
         
      Driftwood LNG construction to start this summer Fri, 15th Jan 2021 12:52:00
     
      Speaking to Reuters, the co-founder of US LNG developer Tellurian Charif Souki said that the company aims to begin construction of its LNG project in Louisiana this summer. Driftwood LNG export project in Louisiana is worth $16.8 billion. It is to answer the growing need for additional liquefaction capacity, as countries like China and India shift power generation away from coal-fired plants, and the demand for the fuel rises worldwide. Driftwood was delayed together with numerous projects in North America over the past two years, as customers were unwilling to sign long-term deals needed to finance the projects while natural gas prices plunged. The pandemic caused gas prices in Europe and Asia to drop to record lows below $2 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), while US gas prices fell to their lowest in 24 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/driftwood-lng-construction-to-start-this-summer/
     
         
      Portugal on track to become coal-free by year end Fri, 15th Jan 2021 11:49:00
     
      The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 January), leaving the country with just one remaining coal power station in operation, which is scheduled for closure in November. Portuguese energy utility EDP announced its decision to shut down the 1,296 MW Sines coal plant in July last year, bringing the closure forward by two years – from 2023 to 2021. EDP’s initial plans were to close Sines in 2030. The decision is “part of EDP group’s decarbonisation strategy” and was taken in a context where energy production increasingly depends on renewable sources, the company said back in July. EDP’s decision to accelerate the phase out of coal was “a natural consequence of this energy transition process,” “in line with European carbon neutral targets” and the country’s national energy and climate plan, which puts the emphasis on renewables, EDP said in a statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/portugal-on-track-to-become-coal-free-by-year-end/
     
         
      Air pollution will lead to mass migration, say experts after landmark ruling Fri, 15th Jan 2021 11:28:00
     
      Air pollution does not respect national boundaries and environmental degradation will lead to mass migration in the future, said a leading barrister in the wake of a landmark migration ruling, as experts warned that government action must be taken as a matter of urgency. Sailesh Mehta, a barrister specialising in environmental cases, said: “The link between migration and environmental degradation is clear. As global warming makes parts of our planet uninhabitable, mass migration will become the norm. Air and water pollution do not respect national boundaries. We can stop a humanitarian and political crisis from becoming an existential one. But our leaders must act now.” He added: “We have a right to breathe clean air. Governments and courts are beginning to recognise this fundamental human right. The problem is not just that of Bangladesh and the developing world. Air pollution contributes to around 200,000 deaths a year in the UK. One in four deaths worldwide can be linked to pollution.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/air-pollution-will-lead-to-mass-migration-say-experts-after-landmark-ruling
     
         
      Why everyone’s talking about hydrogen Fri, 15th Jan 2021 11:05:00
     
      What is all the excitement about? Renewable energy can and will decarbonise power generation. Renewable energy and batteries can and will decarbonise the automotive sector. But these technologies will not be as viable for aviation, shipping, commercial vehicles, steel or fertiliser manufacturing. In all of these vital industries it looks as though hydrogen will be needed, or at least that hydrogen will be one of the most viable solutions, for decarbonisation. Hydrogen can be burnt in a combustion engine or boiler for transportation and heating; used to power a fuel cell for transportation or heating; or used as a reduction agent for iron to make steel. It can also be used as an energy storage agent by using excess solar energy in the summer to produce hydrogen, which can then be stored and converted back to electricity for use in the winter. All of these processes have zero or much lower CO2 emissions than current alternatives.
       
      Full Article: https://www.trustnet.com/news/5253369/why-everyones-talking-about-hydrogen
     
         
      Pollutionwatch: major sources of air pollution often overlooked Fri, 15th Jan 2021 6:00:00
     
      When I talk to people about air pollution sources they normally blame the nearest busy road. In new research, 16,000 people were asked where they thought air pollution came from, revealing some important misunderstandings. Respondents from seven European countries were asked to pick the two main sources of air pollution. Top choices everywhere were industry and traffic. However, the reality is very different. Despite being in the top two, industry was responsible for less than 10% of the particle pollution measured in each country. This reflects decades of controls on the pollution that factories can dispose of up their chimneys. The top source of particle pollution breathed in six out of the seven countries, including the UK, was agriculture. This is frequently overlooked since agriculture emits little particle pollution directly. However, the ammonia from livestock and fertiliser reacts in the atmosphere to produce the smogs that plague Europe each spring. Home heating was also ranked low in people’s perception, but it is an important source in all the seven countries, especially in Italy as a result of wood burning, and in Poland where many homes are warmed by coal stoves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/pollutionwatch-major-sources-of-air-pollution-often-overlooked
     
         
      Step up action and adapt to 'new climate reality', UN environment report urges Thu, 14th Jan 2021 17:48:00
     
      According to the 2020 Adaptation Gap Report, released on Thursday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), as temperatures rise and climate change impacts intensify, nations must urgently step up action to adapt to the new climate reality or face serious costs, damages and losses. “The hard truth is that climate change is upon us,” Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, said in a news release announcing the findings. “Its impacts will intensify and hit vulnerable countries and communities the hardest, even if we meet the Paris Agreement goals of holding global warming this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing 1.5 degree Celsius.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1082072
     
         
      Climate change: 'Exceptionally hot' 2020 concludes warmest decade Thu, 14th Jan 2021 16:55:00
     
      Global meteorological agencies agree that 2020 was a scorching year but they are divided on just where it ranks in the temperature records. For Nasa, last year is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the warmest year. Others, including the UK Met Office, believe it is second in the rankings dating back to the 19th Century. But all the agencies reporting on Thursday agree that last 12 months are part of the warmest decade on record.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55663544
     
         
      Has coronavirus made us more ethical consumers? Thu, 14th Jan 2021 16:53:00
     
      Kimberley Bird says the coronavirus pandemic has turned her into a more ethical, more environmentally-conscious consumer. And she is far from alone. "This year has really kicked my awareness into overdrive," says the 32-year-old, from Yeovil, in the South West of England. "I look at products I'm using, and find more environmentally-friendly alternatives," she says. "And I reuse whatever I can. Anything I don't need, I donate or give away." With Covid-19 and the resulting lockdowns increasing work and financial insecurities for many of us, you might think that we have had to quietly drop our ethical and environmental concerns when shopping. However, numerous reports and studies have in fact shown that the opposite is true, and that coronavirus has focused our minds on helping to create a better, healthier world. Take a 2020 global survey by management consultancy firm Accenture. It said that consumers "have dramatically evolved", and that 60% were reporting making more environmentally friendly, sustainable, or ethical purchases since the start of the pandemic. Accenture added that nine out of 10 of that percentage said were likely to continue doing so. Meanwhile, a study by research group Kantar said that since Covid-19 sustainability was more of a concern for consumers than before the outbreak. And 65% of global respondents told a survey by pollsters Ipsos Mori "that it is important that climate change is prioritised in the economic recovery after coronavirus". Are we seeing an ethical and environmental consumer revolution that is here to stay?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55630144
     
         
      Growing food: Call to give vegetable growers public cash Thu, 14th Jan 2021 16:51:00
     
      Three-quarters of the Welsh population's recommended daily intake of vegetables should be grown in Wales by 2030, food experts have urged. Food Policy Alliance Cymru said this could be achieved in a sustainable way with more support for small-scale horticulture farms and gardens. Rules around the procurement of food by schools and other public bodies could also be reviewed to push local produce. The Welsh Government said it funded advice and training for businesses. Currently less than 0.1% of Wales' land is used to grow vegetables. If what is produced in the country at present had to be shared out to everyone in Wales, it would only equate to a quarter of a vegetable portion per person each day, a recent study suggested. Public Health Network Cymru recommends people eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Campaigners said scaling up production would bring benefits for health and the rural economy and reduce reliance on imports, while helping address climate change. They want to see an independent food system commission set up to oversee a "major transformation" in what we grow and eat. The group - made up of environmental charities, agricultural organisations and academics - has presented its ideas in a manifesto for the political parties ahead of May's Senedd election.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55650274
     
         
      Government defends Cumbria coal mine green light Thu, 14th Jan 2021 16:48:00
     
      The government’s chief planning officer has defended its recent decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria. Joanna Averley told a conference the decision to approve the mine application was left to Cumbria Council, as it was only a local issue. Environmentalists have reacted with astonishment and disbelief, saying the carbon from burning coal is clearly a global concern. They warned the decision will diminish the UK’s credibility. This will be tested at the crucial climate summit being held in Glasgow later in the year. As it hosts the meeting, the UK will play a crucial role in persuading other countries to cut their emissions. Ms Averley’s comments came in a conference on planning policy arranged by the countryside charity CPRE.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55668507
     
         
      NGOs seek to convict French state of failing to tackle climate crisis Thu, 14th Jan 2021 14:23:00
     
      A Paris court has been asked to convict the French state for its alleged failure to act to halt the climate crisis. The legal case, which is being brought by four environmental groups after a petition was signed by more than 2 million citizens, seeks to hold the country responsible for ecological damage and its detrimental health and social effects. The NGOs hope the case will trigger greater action to limit the climate breakdown by regarding it as a human right, and say convicting the French would represent an important symbolic victory and could force other governments to do more. The Paris agreement signed five years ago aimed to limit global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial levels. Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2017. Environmental experts say governments, including the French administration, have failed to meet their commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/14/ngos-seek-convict-french-state-failing-tackle-climate-crisis
     
         
      Outdated carbon credits from old wind and solar farms are threatening climate change efforts Thu, 14th Jan 2021 13:36:00
     
      French global energy giant Total recently announced it had delivered its first shipment of “carbon neutral liquid natural gas”. Natural gas is, of course, a fossil fuel and so can’t itself be carbon neutral. Instead, emissions from transporting the cargo were partly “offset” by investing in a wind farm in China. But here’s the problem: that wind farm has been operating since 2011 and has already issued more than 2 million tonnes of these so-called “carbon credits”. A project like this clearly happened nine years ago without the additional funding from selling credits to Total, so it is highly unlikely that the recent purchases resulted in additional removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/outdated-carbon-credits-from-old-wind-and-solar-farms-are-threatening-climate-change-efforts-151456
     
         
      Carbon capture and storage won’t work, critics say Thu, 14th Jan 2021 11:57:00
     
      Carbon capture and storage, trapping carbon before it enters the atmosphere, sounds neat. But many doubt it can ever work. LONDON, 14 January, 2021 ? One of the key technologies that governments hope will help save the planet from dangerous heating, carbon capture and storage, will not work as planned and is a dangerous distraction, a new report says. Instead of financing a technology they can neither develop in time nor make to work as claimed, governments should concentrate on scaling up proven technologies like renewable energies and energy efficiency, it says. The report, from Friends of the Earth Scotland and Global Witness, was commissioned by the two groups from researchers at the UK’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. CCS, as the technology is known, is designed to strip out carbon dioxide from the exhaust gases of industrial processes. These include gas- and coal-fired electricity generating plants, steel-making, and industries including the conversion of natural gas to hydrogen, so that the gas can then be re-classified as a clean fuel. The CO2 that is removed is converted into a liquid and pumped underground into geological formations that can be sealed for generations to prevent the carbon escaping back into the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://climatenewsnetwork.net/carbon-capture-and-storage-wont-work-critics-say/
     
         
      2020, one of three warmest years on record: World Meteorological Organization Thu, 14th Jan 2021 11:53:00
     
      “The confirmation by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that 2020 was one of the warmest years on record is yet another stark reminder of the relentless pace of climate change, which is destroying lives and livelihoods across our planet”, said Secretary-General António Guterres. He pointed out that at 1.2 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, the world is already witnessing unprecedented weather extremes in every region and on every continent. “We are headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius this century”, he warned. “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top priority for everyone, everywhere.”?
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1082132
     
         
      Amy Coney Barrett Should Recuse Herself from Big Oil’s Supreme Court Case Wed, 13th Jan 2021 13:41:00
     
      January 19th, the day before Joe Biden’s Inauguration, is one of those moments when past, present, and future will collide, this time in the halls of the Supreme Court. The Justices will hear a case (BP P.L.C. v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore), and the most interesting question is: How many Justices will there be? Because, as new research makes clear, Amy Coney Barrett, the junior member of that august bench, should recuse herself. The case before the Supreme Court hinges on a narrow procedural question, but the underlying lawsuit is one of almost two dozen brought by cities and states that want the oil companies to compensate them for the damages—the rising seas and the gathering winds—caused by the fossil-fuel industry’s products. They contend, and the record leaves little doubt, that the industry knew for decades that it was triggering dangerous climate change. These were the biggest lies that companies have ever told: if Philip Morris killed us one smoker at a time, BP and ExxonMobil and the rest are taking out the entire planet, as the new record that the world set for billion-dollar “natural” disasters in 2020 makes clear. That list of duplicitous companies includes Shell, which is where Barrett comes in: her father, Michael, was an attorney for Shell for almost three decades. During her Senate-confirmation hearings, Barrett provided a recusal list that she’d used during her years as an appeals-court judge—it included four Shell subsidiaries, but not Shell Offshore, Inc., even though her father represented that Shell entity in court and administrative forums for at least thirteen years. He also worked for the American Petroleum Institute for two decades, chairing its subcommittee on exploration and production law. And those two roles could be crucial to the case before the Supreme Court: as Lee Wasserman, the director of the Rockefeller Family Fund, which has played a key role in the fight to hold oil companies responsible, points out, Barrett père could be called for a deposition. “Justice Barrett’s father potentially has direct knowledge of and operational involvement in how Shell managed climate threats. He also faces reputational risk from his association with colleagues engaged in decades of corporate deception.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/amy-coney-barrett-should-recuse-herself-from-big-oils-supreme-court-case
     
         
      Clean air: Coal burning ban and wet wood restrictions planned Wed, 13th Jan 2021 12:33:00
     
      New laws could see burning traditional house coal banned entirely in Wales within two years. The Welsh Government also wants the sale of wet wood for home fires to be heavily restricted in a bid to tackle air pollution. The proposals are part of a consultation published alongside plans for a new clean air law for Wales. Only the most efficient and least polluting wood burning stoves could soon be available to buy and install. Similar measures have already been set out in England. Under the proposed Clean Air Bill in Wales, new air quality targets would be set by ministers and a requirement for a review of plans to tackle air pollution every five years. However, there is no time to pass it into law until after the Senedd elections due to be held in May, and it would be 2023 before any coal ban measures were introduced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55636395
     
         
      North Yorkshire river project aims to combat climate change Wed, 13th Jan 2021 9:57:00
     
      A £2.5m project to protect a river valley from the effects of climate change has been approved. Improvements to the River Skell in North Yorkshire aim to protect properties - including the historic Fountains Abbey - from flooding, and improve the habitat for wildlife. A 12-mile stretch of river will have trees planted and meadows and ponds created to slow the flow of water. Work is expected to start in March and will last four years. The National Trust, which looks after the 12th Century ruined abbey and gardens, warned they are at risk of being irreparably damaged by flooding, which has worsened in northern England in the past 50 years as the climate warms. There have been several instances in recent years when the popular tourist attraction, which is a World Heritage Site, has been inundated by water. In 2007, a significant flood caused substantial damage to the abbey, the water garden and nearby Ripon. Harry Bowell, from the National Trust, said the work was "an important moment". "Climate change is eroding away nature and heritage and only by working across our boundaries, with local people and partners, and with nature, will we be able to make a real difference," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-55645013
     
         
      Direct air capture: silver bullet or red herring? Wed, 13th Jan 2021 9:47:00
     
      The Committee on Climate Change’s Sixth Carbon Budget is clear that to achieve the UK’s net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 will require engineering solutions to remove greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, as the November date for the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow draws ever closer, member nations’ will be considering how to capture emissions in their own plans to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement. Enter direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), one of the negative emission technologies (NETs) highlighted by the Sixth Carbon Budget and being trialled around the world. It‘s a simple solution: direct air capture (DAC) technologies use low carbon energy to take carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions straight from the air for either storage in geological sinks or reuse. But as the technology is in its infancy and unproven at scale, does DAC offer a silver bullet to the climate change conundrum? What is direct air capture and how does it work?
       
      Full Article: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/direct-air-capture-net-zero/
     
         
      Why are ocean warming records so important? Wed, 13th Jan 2021 9:00:00
     
      As if 2020 could get any worse, the latest research showed that oceans hit their highest recorded temperatures, a record that keeps getting broken year after year. Why are the oceans so important? It is quite simple: almost all of the extra heat we gain because of greenhouse gases ultimately ends up in the oceans. In fact, the oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat. Consequently, if you want to understand global warming, you have to measure ocean warming. I am part of a team of 20 climate scientists who just published new research in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. We collected temperature measurements spread out across the world’s oceans – measurements that in some cases, went back to the 1950s and even earlier. These data paint an unambiguous picture of a warming planet – warming that is a direct consequence of human emission of greenhouse gases. Ocean warming has been continuing apace for as long as we have made measurements. Scientists acknowledge year-to-year records, but the long-terms trends are what matter most. Any single year that is warm or cold cannot prove or disprove global warming. The more important issue is, what happens year after year after year? Is there a trend?
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2021/jan/13/why-are-ocean-warming-records-being-broken-year-after-year
     
         
      Ocean pollutants 'have negative effect on male fertility' Tue, 12th Jan 2021 13:07:00
     
      Long-lived banned industrial chemicals may be threatening the fertility of male porpoises living off the UK. Polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs) were phased out decades ago, but can build up in whales, dolphins and porpoises. Scientists say harbour porpoises exposed to PCBs had shrunken testicles, suggesting an effect on sperm count and fertility. They say that while these are preliminary findings, more must be done to clean up the oceans. PCBs have been linked with a number of threats to whales and dolphins, but research has focused on mothers and their young. A study led by scientists at the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found high levels of PCBs were linked to smaller testicles in otherwise healthy animals. They think this could have an impact on sperm count, with obvious implications for reproductive success. "In porpoises, reduced testes weights have been associated with lower sperm counts so we think that if PCBs are reducing testes weights they may also be reducing sperm counts but we hope to do further research to confirm this," said lead researcher Rosie Williams of ZSL. Populations of harbour porpoises around the UK are believed to be stable, though the animals face threats from pollution, accidental fishing and infection. The situation is much more dire for killer whales, which are down to a handful of individuals. What are PCBs? PCBs were used widely in industry during the last century in everything from plastics and paints to electrical equipment. A series of bans were put in place around the world from the 1970s onwards after concerns were raised about toxicity. The chemicals take a long time to break down and can linger in the environment, particularly in landfill sites where they can escape into waterways and on into the sea. PCBs can build up in the marine food chain, affecting dolphins and porpoises. One killer whale found dead off Scotland in 2016 contained among the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, ever recorded. 'Shocking' pollutant levels in UK whale Although levels of the chemicals are declining, they take a very long time to disappear entirely. What effects could PCBs be having on dolphins and porpoises? PCBs have been linked with a number of risks to whales and dolphins, particularly in the early stages of life. A recent study found dolphins living in the English Channel were exposed to a "cocktail of pollutants", which are passed down from mother to calf. 'Toxic chemical cocktail' passed to baby porpoises 'Cocktail of pollutants' found in dolphins Scientists think PCB exposure at high levels can cause a number of effects on the animals' immune system, reproductive system and brain. In humans, researchers have found a correlation between high PCB exposure and changes in sperm quality. How did scientists investigate the effects? Strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises happen regularly around the UK coast. The deaths are investigated by scientists from the Cetacean Strandings Investigations Programme to find out more about underlying causes, such as mistaken capture in fishing lines, collisions with boats and infections. In the latest study scientists compared PCBs in blubber and testes weights of more than 250 harbour porpoises that had washed up on the UK coast over the past two decades. The study used testes weight as a measure of male fertility. "Testes weight has been shown to correlate with other measures of fertility such as sperm production and we found that higher levels of PCBs were associated with lower testes weights," said Rosie Williams. Populations of harbour porpoises off the UK have pregnancy rates less than half that of populations in areas less contaminated with PCBs, she said, which may be a result of an impact on both male and female fertility. "This is the first time that we have investigated and found that PCBs have a negative effect on male fertility," she said. "That's really important because it means that current risk assessments might be underestimating the threat to our marine mammals." There are particular concerns for predators at the top of the food chain, such as killer whales and bottlenose dolphins, which accumulate the highest levels of PCBs in their blubber. The study, carried out in collaboration with experts at the Scottish Marine Stranding Scheme, Brunel University, Exeter University and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), is published in the journal, Environment International.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55625096
     
         
      Climate change: US emissions in 2020 in biggest fall since WWII Tue, 12th Jan 2021 12:12:00
     
      US greenhouse gas emissions tumbled below their 1990 level for the first-time last year as a result of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. A preliminary assessment from research group Rhodium says that overall emissions were down over 10%, the largest fall since World War II. Transport suffered the biggest decline, with emissions down almost 15% over 2019. Energy emissions also fell sharply, due to a decline in the use of coal. The widespread impact of Covid-19 on the US saw over 20 million people infected with the virus, and to date more than 350,000 have died as a result. With stay-at-home orders in place, economic activity ground to a halt in March and April and this had significant implications for greenhouse gas emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55632050
     
         
      Activist appeals against plans to expand offshore wind farm Tue, 12th Jan 2021 12:01:00
     
      An environmental activist has launched a High Court challenge over a decision to allow investigative works to take place as part of a plan to expand an offshore wind farm. Last October the housing minister granted a foreshore licence to carry out site investigation works in an area off the coast of Co Wicklow, near the town Arklow. The purpose of the site investigation is to expand the number of wind turbines from seven to a maximum of 200, it is claimed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/activist-appeals-against-plans-to-expand-offshore-wind-farm-mm27m5knr
     
         
      Peat bogs: restoring them could slow climate change – and revive a forgotten world Mon, 11th Jan 2021 16:43:00
     
      Bogs, mires, fens and marshes – just their names seem to conjure myth and mystery. Though today, our interest in these waterlogged landscapes tends to be more prosaic. Because of a lack of oxygen, they can build up vast quantities of organic matter that doesn’t decompose properly. This is known as peat. Peatlands could contain as much as 644 gigatons of carbon – one-fifth of all the carbon stored in soil on Earth. Not bad for a habitat that stakes a claim to just 3% of the planet’s land surface. Peatlands were once widespread throughout the UK, but many have been dug up, drained, burned, built on and converted to cropland, so their place in history has been forgotten. But while most of the debate around using natural habitats to draw down carbon from the atmosphere concerns planting trees and reforestation, some ecologists argue that a far better solution lies in restoring the peatlands that people have spent centuries draining and destroying.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/peat-bogs-restoring-them-could-slow-climate-change-and-revive-a-forgotten-world-139182
     
         
      Climate change: Africa's green energy transition 'unlikely' this decade Mon, 11th Jan 2021 13:45:00
     
      Fossil fuels are set to remain the dominant source of electricity across Africa over the next decade, according to a new study. Researchers found that around 2,500 power plants are planned, enough to double electricity production by 2030. But the authors say that less than 10% of the new power generated will come from wind or solar. The authors say that Africa now risks being locked into high carbon energy for decades. They argue that a rapid, decarbonisation shock is needed to cancel many of the plants currently planned.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55620848
     
         
      Positive ‘tipping points’ provide fresh hope for climate, study says Mon, 11th Jan 2021 13:29:00
     
      Positive “tipping points” in the uptake of electric vehicles and the decarbonisation of electricity generation could spark a global transition to a climate neutral economy, scientists say, providing fresh hope in the fight against global warming. Tipping points are moments of small change that trigger a large, often irreversible response. The world is already “dangerously close” to several tipping points that could worsen climate change, warned co-author Professor Tim Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. But positive changes could help tip the scale, with a small coalition of countries triggering “upward-scaling tipping cascades” to rapidly decrease carbon emissions, according to Lenton and Simon Sharpe, who co-authored a study on the matter, published on 10 January. “We have left it too late to tackle climate change incrementally,” said Lenton. “Limiting global warming to well below 2°C now requires transformational change, and a dramatic acceleration of progress.” The Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, but research shows the world has already reached 1.1°C warming. World nations will need to rapidly decrease their carbon emissions in order to keep the planet well below 2°C and avoid the most catastrophic consequences of global warming, like rising sea levels and increased extreme weather events. “For example, the power sector needs to decarbonise four times faster than its current rate, and the pace of the transition to zero-emission vehicles needs to double,” said Lenton. “Many people are questioning whether this is achievable. But hope lies in the way that tipping points can spark rapid change through complex systems,” he explained.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/positive-tipping-points-provide-fresh-hope-for-climate-study-says/
     
         
      Terra Carta: Prince Charles asks companies to join 'Earth charter' Mon, 11th Jan 2021 13:25:00
     
      The Prince of Wales is urging firms to back a more sustainable future and do more to protect the planet, as he marks 50 years of environmental campaigning. Prince Charles wants companies to join what he is calling "Terra Carta" - or Earth charter. The charter is being launched alongside a fund run by the Natural Capital Investment Alliance. It aims to mobilise $10 billion towards natural capital by 2022. Terra Carta will harness the "irreplaceable power of nature", the prince said in his virtual address to the One Planet Summit on Monday. He said: "I can only encourage, in particular, those in industry and finance to provide practical leadership to this common project, as only they are able to mobilise the innovation, scale and resources that are required to transform our global economy." In his foreword to Terra Carta, the prince writes: "If we consider the legacy of our generation, more than 800 years ago, Magna Carta inspired a belief in the fundamental rights and liberties of people. "As we strive to imagine the next 800 years of human progress, the fundamental rights and value of nature must represent a step-change in our 'future of industry' and 'future of economy' approach."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55613924
     
         
      Shell's Prelude FLNG Restarts LNG Shipments Mon, 11th Jan 2021 12:55:00
     
      Shell's Prelude LNG, the world's largest floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project, offshore Australia, has resumed LNG cargo shipments, almost one year after a shutdown caused by an electrical trip. In a brief statement sent to Offshore Engineer, a Shell spokesperson said Monday that the Prelude project had restarted LNG cargo shipping. The Shell spokesperson said: “LNG cargoes have resumed from Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility. Prelude is a multi-decade project, and our focus remains on delivering sustained performance over the long-term.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.oedigital.com/news/484420-shell-s-prelude-flng-restarts-lng-shipments
     
         
      £3bn UK climate finance to be spent on supporting nature Mon, 11th Jan 2021 12:27:00
     
      The UK will spend at least £3bn of international climate finance on nature and biodiversity over five years, the Prime Minister has said. Boris Johnson made the announcement in a virtual address to the One Planet Summit for biodiversity in Paris. The PM said the investment was needed to protect nature, including marine life, forests and sustainable food production. Prince Charles has also spoken at the event. In his address, Mr Johnson said humanity is destroying species and habitats at "an absolutely unconscionable rate". He said the £3bn, which forms part of the UK's £11.6bn contribution to a climate finance initiative, would go to "protecting nature, whether it's marine life or timber conservation or sustainable food production".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55621664
     
         
      UN chief calls for ‘urgent transition’ from fossil fuels to renewable energy Mon, 11th Jan 2021 12:17:00
     
      “All countries need credible mid-term goals and plans that are aligned with this objective”, Secretary-General António Guterres said, addressing the virtual COP26 Roundtable on Clean Power Transition. “To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we need an urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy”. Energy for Africa Painting a picture of some 789 million people across the developing world without access to electricity – three-quarters of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa – the top UN official called it “both an injustice and an impediment to sustainable development”. He signaled “inclusivity and sustainability” as key to support African countries, while underscoring that all nations need to be able to provide access to clean and renewable energy that prevents “the dangerous heating of our planet”. Mr. Guterres asked for a “strong commitment from all governments” to end fossil fuel subsidies, put a price on carbon, shift taxation from people to pollution, and end the construction of coal-fired power plants. “And we need to see adequate international support so African economies and other developing countries’ economies can leapfrog polluting development and transition to a clean, sustainable energy pathway”, he added. Adaptation ‘ a moral imperative’ Against this backdrop, Mr. Guterres repeated his appeal to developed nations to fulfill their annual pledge for $100 billion dollars to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. Pointing to vulnerabilities faced by Africa – from prolonged droughts in the Sahel and Horn of Africa to devastating floods in the continent’s south – he underscored “the vital importance of adaptation” as “a moral imperative”. The UN chief said that while only 20 per cent of climate finance is earmarked for it, adaptation requires “equal attention and investment”. “The forthcoming climate adaptation summit on 25 January is an opportunity to generate momentum in this much neglected area”, he added. Reversing a dangerous trend Despite huge amounts of money that have been reserved for COVID-19 recovery and stimulus measures, the Secretary-General noted that “sustainable investments are still not being prioritized”.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081802
     
         
      Hitachi pulls plug on Horizon nuclear offshoot Sun, 10th Jan 2021 12:01:00
     
      A project to build a huge nuclear power station in north Wales is to be wound down by the end of March, threatening hopes of its resurrection via a sale. Japan’s Hitachi has told staff it will shut its Horizon subsidiary, which was to build a £20bn nuclear power plant at Wylfa on Anglesey, by March 31. That could scupper a sale of the site, despite interest from bidders including a US consortium of Bechtel, Southern Company and Westinghouse, and dent Britain’s clean energy aims.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hitachi-pulls-plug-on-horizon-nuclear-offshoot-q0tp0kcpx
     
         
      ‘There’s a red flag here’: how an ethanol plant is dangerously polluting a US village Sun, 10th Jan 2021 9:00:00
     
      For the residents of Mead, Nebraska, the first sign of something amiss was the stench, the smell of something rotting. People reported eye and throat irritation and nosebleeds. Then colonies of bees started dying, birds and butterflies appeared disoriented and pet dogs grew ill, staggering about with dilated pupils. There is no mystery as to the cause of the concerns in Mead, a farming community so small that its 500 residents refer to it as a village and not a town.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/10/mead-nebraska-ethanol-plant-pollution-danger
     
         
      Supreme Court to Review Refinery Waivers From Biofuel Quotas Sat, 9th Jan 2021 14:05:00
     
      The Supreme Court will review the ability of oil refineries to win exemptions from federal biofuel-blending quotas, a blow to producers of ethanol and biodiesel that had challenged the waivers. The justices, without comment, agreed to hear an appeal by units of HollyFrontier Corp. and Wynnewood Refining Co., which said a 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling wrongly deprived small refineries of economic relief specifically authorized by Congress. At issue is the Renewable Fuel Standard law that requires refineries and fuel importers to blend plant-based alternative fuels such as corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel into their products. The law also empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to give some small refineries exemptions from the biofuel-blending mandates if they faced an “economic hardship” in complying. However, after the exemptions soared under the Trump administration, biofuel advocates challenged the EPA’s handling of the issue in court, arguing the agency had too freely handed out the waivers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-09/supreme-court-to-review-refinery-waivers-from-biofuel-quotas
     
         
      Net zero Sat, 9th Jan 2021 13:47:00
     
      What does net zero mean? For nations: A national net zero target requires deep reductions in emissions, with any remaining sources being removed from the atmosphere with greenhouse gas removals. Country-level emissions accounting across the world is conducted on a territorial basis, with each country only counting emissions that directly arise from activity within their geographical boundary. This prevents double counting of emissions and also more closely links to levers available at the country level to reduce emissions. The UK, for example, has set a net zero target for 2050, that relates to its territorial (or production) emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbontrust.com/what-we-do/net-zero
     
         
      Norway's electric car drive belies national reliance on fossil fuels Sat, 9th Jan 2021 8:00:00
     
      Norway became the first country to sell more electric cars than petrol, hybrid and diesel engines put together last year, new data shows, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for two-thirds of sales in the final months of 2020. Norway has one of the world’s most ambitious green targets, planning to phase out sales of all new fossil-fuel vehicles by 2025, five years earlier than the UK. It is quite a contradiction in a country that has become one of the richest in the world on the back of its oil and gas revenues, has made itself dependent on oil, and clings to further production even as the world increasingly rejects fossil fuels in pursuit of zero emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/09/norways-electric-car-drive-belies-national-reliance-on-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Growing Mongolian coal exports alarm dry bulk owners Fri, 8th Jan 2021 14:31:00
     
      Dry bulk owners are watching customs stats out of Beijing closely to see where China is sourcing coal to replace banned Australian products – the choice will have an enormous ramifications for the overall tonne-mile picture of the sector. Relations between Canberra and Beijing have soured in recent months after Australia called for an international probe into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the government of Xi Jinping to ban a range of Australian products including coal. The start to 2021 has seen no sign of a thaw in China’s Australian coal stance. “China is not backing down on this. Very little Australian thermal coal will go to China in 2021. It’s the chicken game,” commented Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO. Sand said that for the sake of shipping, he was crossing his fingers that China turns to Colombia and Canada and not Mongolia and Russia for its coal needs.
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/growing-mongolian-coal-exports-alarm-dry-bulk-owners/
     
         
      UK Debuts Geothermal Plant Using Heat From the Earth to Power 10,000 Homes Fri, 8th Jan 2021 14:13:00
     
      In Cornwall, the UK’s first-ever geothermal power plant has just put pen to paper on a 10-year deal to sell its supply of electricity to 10,000 local homes. The plant creates power by mixing water down two wells, one of which is three miles deep, that pass through the Porthtowan fault zone and the red hot water and granite rocks within. The United Downs Deep Geothermal Power Project was funded throughout the 2010s by a mixture of private and public support. Now set to be fully operational in 12 months’ time, Ecotricity, the world’s first renewable energy company, has signed a deal to buy three megawatts of geothermal power for the area. “Geothermal is a really exciting form of energy that is currently untapped in the UK. We’re pleased to be part of this project and to add the power to our customer’s energy mix,” said Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity. “It has a big role to play in our plans to decarbonize the country.” Another buyer came in the form of a local rum distillery, which is preparing a £10 million ($14 million) contract to mature nearly half a million liters of their rum using a geo-heated/powered biome.
       
      Full Article: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/cornwall-site-of-the-uks-first-geothermal-power-plant/
     
         
      The Southwest’s Race Against the Climate Clock Fri, 8th Jan 2021 13:58:00
     
      In the headwaters of the Rio Grande, last winter’s snowpack hit close to the historical norm. Yet, in the spring, summer and fall of 2020, the state’s largest river dried for more than 40 miles. Even after water managers ended the irrigation season early, and farmers stopped drawing water from the river for fields and orchards, the Rio Grande dropped to record lows through the city of Albuquerque — nearly drying up entirely in October. In the coming years, as human-caused warming continues, New Mexicans will face even more dire conditions. And while some New Mexico lawmakers plan to introduce bills on solar energy, prescribed fire and statewide greenhouse gas reductions in the coming legislative session, the physical world — from the forests to the farm fields — is changing at a pace that far exceeds political action.
       
      Full Article: https://capitalandmain.com/new-mexicos-race-against-the-climate-clock-0108
     
         
      Climate change: Weakened 'ice arches' speed loss of Arctic floes Fri, 8th Jan 2021 13:52:00
     
      Look down on the Arctic from space and you can see some beautiful arch-like structures sculpted out of sea-ice. They form in a narrow channel called Nares Strait, which divides the Canadian archipelago from Greenland. As floes funnel southward down this restricted conduit, they ram up against the coastline to form a dam, and then everything comes to a standstill. "They look just like the arches in a gothic cathedral," observes Kent Moore from the University of Toronto. "And it's the same physics, even though it's ice. The stress is being distributed all along the arch and that's what makes it very stable," he told BBC News. But the UoT Mississauga professor is concerned that these "incredible" ice forms are actually being weakened in the warming Arctic climate. They're thinning and losing their strength, and this bodes ill, he believes, for the long-term retention of all sea-ice in the region.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55594585
     
         
      Greener planes of the future... or just pretty plans? Fri, 8th Jan 2021 13:21:00
     
      At an undisclosed location Airbus has spent months testing a radical looking plane. At 10ft (3m) wide, it is only small, but it could be the start of something very big in the aerospace industry. It looks like a flying wedge - known in the trade as a blended-wing design. Airbus calls the remote-controlled aircraft Maveric and is keen to emphasise that, at the moment, it is only exploring how the configuration works. But it says the design has "great potential". One day it could be scaled up to the size of a regular passenger jet. In traditional aircraft the fuselage is basically dead weight and needs big wings to keep it in the sky. Under a blended-wing design, the whole airframe provides lift, so it can be lighter and smaller than current designs, but can potentially carry the same payload. Maveric is one of several initiatives from Airbus, and there are many by other aerospace firms, to meet an industry target to halve emissions from air travel by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. "There is a really big challenge there. And there is a big expectation from society which we think it is our duty to find answers to," says Sandra Bour-Schaeffer, the chief executive of Airbus UpNext, which evaluates new technologies for the European aerospace giant. "We believe that we have to go into a really… breakthrough technology," she says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51751984
     
         
      'Why I quit my job after my home burned down' Fri, 8th Jan 2021 12:55:00
     
      Jack Egan and his partner Cath Bowdler survived a bushfire which destroyed their home in North Rosedale, NSW, Australia. For Jack it was a life-changing day – one that prompted him to quit his job and dedicate himself to campaigning for tougher action on climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-55553242
     
         
      COP26: Alok Sharma leaves business job to focus on climate role Fri, 8th Jan 2021 12:37:00
     
      Alok Sharma is to leave his position as business secretary to focus full-time on his role as president of the UN COP26 climate conference in November. The Glasgow event is expected to be the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted. Mr Sharma, who will remain in the cabinet, said he was "delighted to have been asked by the PM to dedicate all my energies" to the position. Kwasi Kwarteng replaces him as business secretary while Anne-Marie Trevelyan becomes the new energy minister. The government says a successful summit will be critical if the UK wants to meet the objectives set out by the Paris Agreement and reduce global emissions. The event had originally been scheduled for November 2020 but was delayed by a year due to Covid-19.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55588750
     
         
      Climate change: 2020 in a dead heat for world's warmest year Fri, 8th Jan 2021 12:34:00
     
      New data from EU satellites shows that 2020 is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the world's warmest year. The Copernicus Climate Change Service says that last year was around 1.25C above the long-term average. The scientists say that unprecedented levels of heat in the Arctic and Siberia were key factors in driving up the overall temperature. The past 12 months also saw a new record for Europe, around 0.4C warmer than 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55576736
     
         
      This Yorkshire town has one of the highest air pollution rates in England Fri, 8th Jan 2021 5:00:00
     
      Doncaster has consistently had the highest level of vehicle use in South Yorkshire for almost three decades and has the oldest and most polluting buses, a new report has revealed. The recently published Environment and Sustainability Strategy 2020-2030 shows vehicle traffic has increased by 67 per cent since 1993 with a recent 16 per cent increase between 2014 and 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/yorkshire-town-one-highest-air-19580697
     
         
      Atmospheric carbon dioxide to pass iconic threshold Fri, 8th Jan 2021 0:01:00
     
      In 2021, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will reach levels 50% higher than before the industrial revolution, due to human-caused emissions, says a Met Office forecast. The Met Office predicts that annual average CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, will be 2.29?± 0.55?parts per million (ppm) higher in 2021?than in 2020. This rise is driven by emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation, but will be slightly smaller than usual due to a temporary strengthening of natural carbon sinks. Weather patterns linked to the current La Niña event are expected to promote a temporary burst of growth in tropical forests that soak up some of humanity’s emissions. Despite these La Niña-related effects, CO2 will still continue to build up in the atmosphere, and will exceed 417 ppm for several weeks from April to June. This is 50% higher than the level of 278 ppm in the late Eighteenth Century when widespread industrial activity began.
       
      Full Article: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2021/2021-carbon-dioxide-forecast
     
         
      No signs of thawing in coal ties as China suffers freezing winter Thu, 7th Jan 2021 13:33:00
     
      Amid its coldest winter since 2013, China shows no sign of thawing its coal impasse with key supplier, Australia. Beijing’s insistence on avoiding Australian coal is leading to blackouts in many parts of China over the past fortnight. Relations between Canberra and Beijing have soured in recent months after Australia called for international probes into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the government of Xi Jinping to ban a range of Australian products including coal. Remarkably it has emerged that there were no coal shipments bound for China from two major Australian ports, Gladstone and Newcastle, throughout the whole of November and December, and no sign that China is relenting on the issue in the first week of 2021. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed Australian coal exports to China plunged from more than A$823.3m ($640m) in November 2019 to A$121.7m in November 2020. The trade tension also sees around 80 ships and more than 1,100 seafarers stranded off China’s coast.
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/no-signs-of-thawing-in-coal-ties-as-china-suffers-freezing-winter/
     
         
      Norwegian Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Project Gets Financial Boost Thu, 7th Jan 2021 12:54:00
     
      A consortium led by TechnipFMC is working on a pilot project that will see a green hydrogen offshore energy system being constructed and tested in Norway. The scope includes the development and testing of an advanced control and advisory system and a dynamic process simulator. The pilot project, worth EUR 9 million, will enable the development of an advanced energy system for green hydrogen production powered by offshore wind and allow the consortium partners to prepare the system for large-scale offshore commercial use. Deploying these systems offshore is an advantage from an environmental perspective and designing them autonomously and at scale is critical to accelerating the energy transition, according to TechnipFMC. “Securing the approvals and funding to proceed with a scale pilot is a critical step in the path to commercialization”, said Jonathan Landes, President Subsea at TechnipFMC. “We are grateful to our partners and to Innovation Norway for collaborating with us as we advance sustainable renewables production. Deep Purple is another example of our commitment to working with clients and industry to develop transformative technologies, leveraging our industry know-how and subsea expertise to serve the Energy Transition”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2021/01/07/norwegian-offshore-wind-to-hydrogen-project-gets-financial-boost/
     
         
      Is Serbia manipulating data to cover up its air pollution problem? Thu, 7th Jan 2021 12:29:00
     
      Serbia has been accused of manipulating data in a bid to play down its air pollution problem. The country has been under increased scrutiny since a December 2019 report claimed it had Europe's worst per capita record for pollution-related deaths: 175 per 100,000 people. A few months earlier, a real-time worldwide ranking put the capital Belgrade in the world's worst top five cities for PM 2.5 air pollution. Now, say activists, the new government (elections were held last June) is doing everything it can to downplay the issue. Pollution chief sacked after data spat In December, Milenko Jovanovic was fired as head of the air quality department at the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). The official reason for sacking him after 17 years of service was because he opposed his superiors and Serbia's air quality monitoring stations were not properly maintained. Jovanovic and other experts say the latter claim is untrue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/07/is-serbia-manipulating-data-to-cover-up-its-air-pollution-problem
     
         
      Mozambique: How Total plans to protects its $15bn major gas project Thu, 7th Jan 2021 10:21:00
     
      Despite the armed insurgency that has been plaguing Mozambique since 2017, Total intends to continue its major gas project there. It trusts the authorities to ensure its safety, in return for a solid financial contribution. Since 2017, an armed insurgency has been targeting the central government in Maputo in the Cabo Delgado province, where most of the major gas discoveries have been made in recent years. The insurgency is led by al-Shabab, a group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic state in 2019 and who is increasing attacks in this predominantly Muslim region. On 12 August, the coastal town of Mocimboa da Praia temporarily fell into their hands following intense fighting against the regular army. This port, used by the oil companies and their subcontractors, is located 80 km south of the Afungi Peninsula. It houses the facilities of the liquefied natural gas project – Mozambique LNG – led by Total, which took over from Anadarko in September 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theafricareport.com/57551/mozambique-how-total-plans-to-protects-its-15bn-major-gas-project/
     
         
      Climate Change Is Turning Cities Into Ovens Thu, 7th Jan 2021 7:00:00
     
      WHICHEVER SIDE OF the subjective city-versus-rural debate you’re on, the objective laws of thermodynamics dictate that cities lose on at least one front: They tend to get insufferably hotter, more so than surrounding rural areas. That’s thanks to the urban heat-island effect, in which buildings and roads readily absorb the sun’s energy and release it well into the night. The greenery of rural areas, by contrast, provides shade and cools the air by releasing water. Climate change is making the urban heat-island effect all the more dire in cities across the world, and it’s only going to get worse. Like, way worse. An international team of researchers has used a new modeling technique to estimate that by the year 2100, the world’s cities could warm by as much as 4.4 degrees Celsius on average. For perspective, that figure obliterates the Paris agreement’s optimistic goal for a global average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees C from preindustrial levels. In fact, the team’s figure more than doubles the agreement’s hard goal of limiting that global rise to no more than 2 degrees C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/climate-change-is-turning-cities-into-ovens/
     
         
      Trump auction of oil leases in Arctic refuge attracts barely any bidders Wed, 6th Jan 2021 20:33:00
     
      The Trump administration’s last-minute attempt on Wednesday to auction off part of a long-protected Arctic refuge to oil drillers brought almost zero interest from oil companies, forcing the state of Alaska into the awkward position of leasing the lands itself. The coastal plain of the Arctic national wildlife refuge was up for sale to drillers as part of the Trump administration’s plan to pay for Republicans’ tax cuts with oil revenue. Conservatives argued the leases could bring in $900m, half for the federal government and half for the state.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/06/trump-arctic-refuge-auction-oil-leases
     
         
      Climate change: Alaskan wilderness opens up for oil exploration Wed, 6th Jan 2021 14:10:00
     
      The Trump administration is pushing ahead with the first ever sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The giant Alaskan wilderness is home to many important species, including polar bears, caribou and wolves. But after decades of dispute, the rights to drill for oil on about 5% of the refuge will go ahead. Opponents have criticised the rushed nature of the sale, coming just days before President Trump's term ends. Covering some 19 million acres (78,000 sq km) the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is often described as America's last great wilderness. It is a critically important location for many species, including polar bears. In the winter months, pregnant bears build dens in which to give birth. As temperatures have risen and sea ice has become thinner, these bears have started building their dens on land. The coastal plain of the ANWR now has the highest concentration of these dens in the state. The refuge is also home to Porcupine caribou, one of the largest herds in the world, numbering around 200,000 animals. In the spring, the herd moves to the coastal plain region of the ANWR as it is their preferred calving ground. The same coastal plain is now the subject of the first ever oil lease sale in the refuge. The push for exploration in the park has been a decades long battle between oil companies supported by the state government and environmental and indigenous opponents. Many of Alaska's political representatives believe that drilling in the refuge could lead to another major oil find, like the one in Prudhoe Bay, just west of the ANWR. Prudhoe Bay is the largest oil field in North America and supporters believe the ANWR shares the same geology, and potential reserves of crude oil. Oil revenues are critical for Alaska, with every resident getting a cheque for around $1,600 every year from the state's permanent fund. In 2017, the Trump administration's tax cutting bill contained a provision to open up the ANWR coastal plain for drilling. It was seen as a way of offsetting the costs of the tax cuts. The US Bureau of Land Management is now selling the drilling rights to 22 tracts of land covering about one million acres. These oil and gas leases last for 10 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55561536
     
         
      Sheffield hydrogen specialist opens 'world's largest' electrolyser factory Wed, 6th Jan 2021 12:30:00
     
      ITM Power has started manufacturing at its ‘Gigafactory’ at Bessemer Park, off Shepcote Lane, near Meadowhall. Bosses say it will make enough equipment to produce one billion watts of energy every year - a gigawatt – enough to power several hundred thousand homes. The firm makes electrolysers which split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used to fuel cars, power factories or pumped into the national gas grid.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/sheffield-hydrogen-specialist-opens-worlds-largest-electrolyser-factory-3086953
     
         
      The 10 Ways Renewable Energy’s Boom Year Will Shape 2021 Wed, 6th Jan 2021 10:00:00
     
      Even after Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on almost everything else, the new year begins with surging growth for renewable energy. “2020 was the year of positive surprises for the environment in a way that very few saw coming,” says Jeff McDermott, head of Nomura Greentech. “It was the breakout year in sustainability and infrastructure.” Growth will likely continue into 2021, fueled in part by last year’s major turning points. China has now committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2060, putting the world’s biggest market for solar and wind power on the path to ramp up installations as it begins its next five-year plan. Some analysts have started predicting that the U.S. power sector is approaching peak natural gas. That would leave room for solar-panel installations to build on the ongoing boom. To understand what’s driving the renewable expansion—as well as what might hold it back—we’ve put together a guide to the biggest recent developments and the major forces shaping the global renewable market in 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/the-10-ways-renewable-energy-s-boom-year-will-shape-2021
     
         
      Going off-grid with solar: what does it mean and how much will it cost? (Part 2) Mon, 4th Jan 2021 19:53:00
     
      The notion of living off-the-grid is becoming increasingly popular. Given the rising cost of electricity throughout the country, it’s hard to not at least consider cutting the cord every time a utility bill comes through the mail. But what does it really mean to go “off-grid”? For such a simple concept, the logistics of going off-grid are in fact rather complicated and very costly. What does it mean to go “off-grid”? Taking your home off-grid from an electricity perspective means completely removing any connection to the larger electric grid, which powers the large majority of homes, buildings and businesses throughout the country. This means that to go off-grid, you’ll need to meet all of your household needs with electricity produced on-site. Importantly, installing solar panels on your roof does not mean that you’ve gone off the grid. Most solar energy systems are not designed to consistently generate enough electricity to be a home’s only power source, which is why the vast majority of solar homeowners maintain a connection with their utility company. In these cases, a policy called net metering allows you to put the electricity produced by your solar panels back onto the electric grid when you aren’t using it, and to then pull from the grid when your solar panels aren’t producing, at night or when the weather is less than ideal. At the end of the month or year, you’re billed by your electric utility on the net of production from your solar panels and the electricity you used from the grid, hence the term net-metering. In an off-grid solar energy system, you don’t have access to the larger electric grid when you need it, either at night when your solar panels aren’t producing or in the event of a prolonged period of cloudy weather. Instead, you need to create your own personal “grid”, installing on-site battery storage to store the output from your solar panels for use at a later point in time. Two examples of off-grid solutions Instead of looking at averages across the whole U.S. and making several uniform assumptions, as we did in Part 1 of this series, let’s look at what it would take to go off-grid in two real, specific places: Massachusetts and Arizona, two states where solar energy has seen significant growth and support over the last decade. Example: going off-grid in Massachusetts In order to go off-grid successfully in Massachusetts, you’ll need to plan for the cold, snowy winter months that typically might have days with only 3 sun hours each. For this example, we’ll assume a residential home using 750 kWh of electricity per winter month, which comes out to 25 kWh of electricity per winter day. Fewer sun hours in a winter day means you’ll need to install a much larger storage system and solar array to harness enough electricity for your property. What’s more, extended periods of cloudy weather and snow reduce sun hours further. To be safe, let’s say you want to install an off-grid solar energy system with storage that will be able to run your home on solar electricity for one week. How does the math on an off-grid system in Massachusetts pan out? 7 days of electricity use in the winter adds up to 175 kWh (25 kWh/day x 7 days). Using Tesla Powerwall batteries with 95% depth-of-discharge, that means you’ll need a storage system with a total capacity of about 184 kWh, which comes out to 14 individual Tesla Powerwall batteries. Even if you allow for the small amounts of sunlight that will get through to your solar panels during cloudy and snowy days, you’re still looking at potentially 10 or more batteries. Once you’ve sized your battery storage setup, you can calculate the panel array size needed to keep it full. Assuming you want to be able to charge 184 kWh worth of battery storage in a week, you’ll need to install an 8.8 kW system (8.8 kW x 3 sun hours gets you 26.3 kWh of electricity per day, and multiplied out over a full week, that adds up to about 184 kWh of solar electricity). Example: going off-grid in Arizona In order to go off-grid successfully in Arizona, you’ll need to plan for the hot summer months when you’ll be running your AC at full blast. Unlike winter in Massachusetts, there is plenty of sun to go around, so we’ll assume 7.5 sun hours each day during the summer months in Arizona. We’ll also assume a residential home using 1050 kWh of electricity per month, which comes out to 35 kWh of electricity per summer day. More sun hours per day means you won’t need to install a much larger solar panel system than usual, but a high electricity load leads to an increased need for storage. And to be safe in the case of cloudy weather, let’s say you want to install an off-grid solar energy system with storage that will be able to run your home on solar electricity for three days. How does the math on an off-grid system in Arizona pan out? 3 days of electricity use in the summer adds up to 105 kWh (35 kWh/day x 3 days). Using Tesla Powerwall batteries with 95% depth-of-discharge, that means you’ll need a storage system with a total capacity of about 111 kWh, which comes out to a little less than 8 individual Tesla Powerwall batteries. Once you’ve sized your battery storage setup, you can calculate the panel array size needed to keep it full. Assuming you want to be able to charge 111 kWh worth of battery storage in 3 days, you’ll need to install a 4.9 kW system (4.9 kW x 7.5 sun hours gets you about 37 kWh of electricity per day, and multiplied out over a full week, that adds up to about approximately 111 kWh of solar electricity). Reduce the cost of going off-grid with energy efficiency If you’re determined to go off-grid and don’t want to break the bank in doing so, taking appropriate energy efficiency measures around your home to reduce your electricity load is a necessity. In the examples above we assumed standard home setups and standard energy use habits, but by using efficient appliances, properly insulating your home, and shifting your habits to use less energy, you can reduce your electricity load in any type of weather, sometimes dramatically. It’s important to keep in mind that making energy efficient decisions is a way to cut down on the amount of electricity you use, and possibly make going off-grid more affordable. Bottom line: off-grid is possible, but it might cost more than you think Going off-grid isn’t cheap. And considering the cost of going solar and staying connected to the grid averages continues to fall in 2021, it’s hard to justify the extra cost of going off-grid. For property owners with unusually low electricity loads, an off-grid solar solution might be practical. However, for the vast majority of solar shoppers, going off the grid with solar is a much more involved and expensive process than you might initially think. Costs, physical space constraints, and energy-hungry habits all contribute to make going off the grid a daunting proposition. Staying connected to the grid provides the benefit of backup power whenever you need it. Instead of installing 8 extra home batteries to protect against the edge case of an extended period with low solar energy production, you can simply rely on the grid to provide electricity. Of course, that means you’ll need to pay a utility electricity bill. But installing solar panels can reduce your average bill significantly, especially when you consider the added financial advantages of net metering credits. Going off-grid is entirely possible, and it’s even possible to do it while keeping modern conveniences. But it’s rarely as simple or cost-effective as installing solar panels and staying connected to the grid.
       
      Full Article: https://news.energysage.com/going-off-grid-with-solar-examples/
     
         
      'Snub': Australia leaves 2030 climate goals unchanged in UN submission Mon, 4th Jan 2021 18:39:00
     
      Australia has resubmitted its Paris climate goal and modified its target as "a floor" that can be met without using credits from the previous accord, but has omitted any indication it will join other nations in raising its ambition. In its first update in five years to the so-called nationally determined contribution (NDC), the federal government defended its unchanged plan to cut 2005-level emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 as an "ambitious, fair and responsible" effort to keep global average temperature rises to below two degrees. "The target is a floor on Australia’s ambition," the statement, released to the United Nations without any media release, said. "We are aiming to over-achieve on this target and newly released emissions projections show Australia is on track to meet and beat our 2030 target without relying on past over-achievement." Australia was one of dozens of countries to submit updated NDCs late in 2020. Most of the country's biggest trading partners have set targets for reaching net-zero, and some of them - including the United Kingdom, the European Union and South Korea - have also lately lifted their previous 2030 goals. Climate groups welcomed the government's recognition that Australia likely won't need to resort to tapping any "carbon credits" generated from the 2012-2020 Kyoto Protocol to meet its Paris target, but said its failure to lift its ambition was disappointing. "Australia's re-submission without improvement is a snub and de facto a denial of the urgent need for more action on climate," Bill Hare, director of Climate Analytics, said, noting that all nations were requested to have increased their Paris commitment by the end of 2020 because pledges made in 2015 fell well short of what was needed to prevent dangerous climate change. Professor Hare said Australia's updated submission also doesn't definitively rule out the use of Kyoto credits in future. "The Morrison government is having two bob each way and is leaving the door open, he said. "To be real on this Australia should join other countries in ensuring the [still unfinished] Paris rule book does not permit carryover." Angus Taylor, the Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister, said Australia's emissions trajectory had improved significantly in the past two years alone, with projected pollution out to 2030 coming in some 639 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent. "This improvement is largely due to the Morrison government committing $5.3 billion to new emissions reduction measures through the last two budgets," he said. "We are confident that we will meet and beat our 2030 target without relying on over-achievement from our Kyoto-era targets," he said. "But make no mistake, those credits were hard-earned by Australians." Greens leader, Adam Bandt, though, said in not lifting Australia's 2030 target, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was "giving up the fight against global warming", since existing goals were far from what was needed. The PM "brags about meeting his 2030 targets, but that’s like boasting he will drive the country over a cliff at 200km/hour instead of 250km/hour," Mr Bandt said. Frank Jotzo, director of the Centre for Climate and Energy Policy at the Australian National University, said the absence of a higher NDC target was "pretty much as expected" but still left Australia exposed as a laggard as other nations develop plans to decarbonise their economies by 2050. "It's now clear the existing 2030 target is easy to meet, and it's likely a significantly stronger goal could be met," Professor Jotzo said. "If the federal government isn't willing to engage fully on this, it may be in the interest of states to push ahead with a proper, long-term lower emissions strategy [of their own]." Tom Arup, a spokesman for the Investor Group on Climate Change, said major economies, including the UK, EU, the United States and Japan were moving towards explicit new and more ambitious 2030 targets and Australia "remains at risk of being internationally isolated on climate change".
       
      Full Article: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/snub-australia-leaves-2030-climate-goals-unchanged-in-un-submission-20210104-p56rng.html
     
         
      The coronavirus effect: Germany achieves its 2020 climate targets Mon, 4th Jan 2021 18:09:00
     
      In 2007, under Chancellor Angela Merkel's leadership, the German government pledged a 40% carbon emissions cut by 2020. According to analysis by Berlin-based think tank Agora Energiewende — which translates to energy transition — last year's carbon emissions were down by 42.3% over 1990 levels, meaning the country has clearly achieved its stated goal. According to Agora analysis, Germany emitted 722 million tons of CO2 last year, 82 million tons less than in 2019 — which amounts to a decrease of 10%. Agora attributes two thirds of the reduction to the coronavirus pandemic: most notably a signifcant drop in energy usage in industry, resulting in a CO2 emissions fall of more than 50 million tons compared to 2019. Without the crisis, the drop would have been closer to 25 million tons, Agora estimates. In this scenario, Germany would only have achieved a 38% reduction in emissions compared to 1990, and would therefore have missed its target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/the-coronavirus-effect-germany-achieves-its-2020-climate-targets/a-56126506
     
         
      Renewable Energy Facts Mon, 4th Jan 2021 17:45:00
     
      These days it seems that terms like “renewable and sustainable energy” are on everyone’s lips. And despite all the talk and hype, there are still many popular misconceptions about renewable energy and what it means for our planet’s future. Yes, we know that it’s better for the environment, but what exactly does that mean for us? So, let’s take a moment to look at the facts. What is renewable energy? The term renewable energy refers to any energy source that can be utilized more than once. For example, fossil fuels like coal can only be burned once to create energy. Once that lump of coal is burned up, there’s no way to use it again quickly. On the other hand, when we use a resource like the wind to turn a turbine, it does not stop blowing as soon as we take energy from it. We take some of its kinetic energy, but there will always be more wind. As another example, when we use biomass (plant matter) for energy, we may burn a singular plant, but we can always grow more relatively quickly. What is the most widely used type of renewable energy? Hydropower (water) is the most widely used type of renewable energy. This form of energy is generated by dams, and it currently generates over 54% of the world’s renewable energy capacity. And that, in turn, accounts for 18% of the world’s electricity. What is the fastest-growing source of energy in the world? Renewable energy, of course! Consumption of renewable energy is set to rise by 78% between 2015 and 20401. Global demand is increasing quickly, thanks to forward-thinking people like our Inspire members. As for which type of renewable energy specifically, solar power is the fastest-growing source of energy, projected to grow from providing 11% of the US’s renewable energy to 48% by 20502. How efficient is renewable energy? Using renewable energy is generally far more efficient than fossil fuels because it is, by nature, renewable. That means that with renewables we typically don’t have to dig into the ground or do anything dangerous to source the fuel, which is a pretty efficient way of fueling our world compared to fossil fuels. Most renewable energy plants or farms can be set up once and generate energy efficiently for decades. When you build a wind turbine, it will generate energy with just a little maintenance; you don’t need to continue to find a fresh supply of wind to power it. Provided it’s built in a suitable location with consistent wind access, it will work extremely efficiently. It’s also worth noting that the output of many fuels is inefficient. For example, coal only gives off 29% of its original value in energy. Meanwhile, wind provides 1,164% of its original value in energy. That’s a pretty substantial difference! You can learn more about Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy here! Here are our top 5 renewable energy fun facts: 1. Renewable energy creates 5x more jobs than fossil fuels Fortunes have been made in the oil industry, so this is a statistic few oil tycoons want you to know about. However, clean energy jobs outnumber fossil fuel jobs by more than 2.5 to 1, and when it comes to exclusively coal and gas (excluding oil), that number rises to 5 to 1. That means for every 1,000 people employed in the coal and gas industries, there are 5,000 jobs available in the renewable energy sector. Best of all, these jobs are created locally. Much of our oil and fuel comes from overseas, and so there is even more opportunity to create jobs here in the US with the help of renewables. Already, clean energy jobs outnumber fossil fuel jobs in almost all US states, and the margin between them is increasing daily3. 2. Solar power could be the world’s top power source by 2050 According to a report by the International Energy Agency, solar power is set to be the number one power source by 20504. Why? The solar industry is growing fast each and every year, as it is one of the few renewable energy sources that can be utilized by businesses and individuals alike. Virtually any open space or rooftop can be used to place solar panels. While solar panels lack some efficiency currently, that is quickly changing. As the panels themselves become more sophisticated, they’ll be even more eagerly adopted. 3. One wind turbine can power up to 1,500 homes for a year Yes, you read that correctly. The average on-land wind turbine (2.5-3MW capacity) can produce enough electricity to power 1,500 average homes5. If you look to offshore turbines, this number increases exponentially due to their advantageous positioning, with the capacity to power an impressive 3,312 households! That single wind turbine also creates jobs and requires little maintenance over its lifetime. The average wind turbine lasts for 20-25 years, meaning it can power 1,500 homes each year for a quarter of a century. If that’s not clean energy, we don’t know what is! 4. Massive corporations are pledging to go green The switch to renewable energy is everyone’s responsibility, and so numerous top companies have pledged to go green or even achieve net-zero soon. Here are some of the most innovative: - Tesla: Tesla, of course, is no stranger to thinking green. Since they build some of the world’s most popular electric vehicles, it’s no surprise to learn that they are also developing super-efficient batteries to store renewable energy sources. - McDonald’s: Not often looked to for being good for us or the planet, McDonald’s is actually making major changes to ensure that they do less damage to the planet. They’ve switched to energy-efficient appliances, encouraging hybrid and electric vehicles in their parking lots, and are doing more to source their animal products from considerate sources. - Bank of America: Within a 5-year period, Bank of America cut down on its paper use by 32% and implemented an internal paper recycling program that successfully recycles around 30,000 tons of paper per year. - Dell: Dell implemented a recycling policy so their products don’t fill landfills. Customers can give back any of their old branded products for free, so they can recycle and dispose of them responsibly. - Google: Google constructed the most energy-efficient data centers in the world and is a voice for good when it comes to the need to conserve energy. Google continues to support and fund green energy initiatives and projects, and even buys and installs solar panels and wind turbines. - Walmart: Walmart has done a significant amount to ensure their supply chains are as green as possible. They cut off any suppliers that weren’t doing anything to ensure their distribution and manufacturing methods were cutting down on carbon emissions. 5. Renewable energy can help you save money We often hear the argument that we can’t switch to renewable energy sources because it’s too costly to build the new infrastructure. While building any new infrastructure is costly, did you know that if we were on 100% renewable energy, it would actually save $321 billion in energy costs each year? A study by Rewiring America found that households would save a significant amount of money by switching to clean energy sources6. If all elements within a household ran on clean energy (that includes things like your furnace), it could save the average household a tantalizing $2,500 a year. Who wouldn’t like that much money back in their pocket? In many cases, we’re told that switching to renewable energy will require sacrifice, but that’s simply not the case. In the long term, we can expect to see significant savings for our actions, especially for those who can afford to be early adopters of electric vehicles. Want more information about renewable energy? Did some of these facts surprise you? All too often we hear negativity around the concept of renewables, but this is often due to society’s unwillingness to change or a skewed view that has trickled down from those who have made a lot of money from fossil fuels. Fortunately, the facts about renewable energy are quickly becoming common knowledge, and huge companies are making positive changes. If you want to be a part of this global change for the better, you don’t need to wait! You have the power to choose clean energy now for your home. Our customers are just like you: decided to make a positive change by switching their homes to clean energy at a fixed monthly price. If you too would like to drastically reduce your carbon footprint and increase the demand for clean energy, find out about our clean energy plans and join us in as little as five minutes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/renewable-energy-facts
     
         
      Climate crisis will cause falling humidity in global cities – study Mon, 4th Jan 2021 16:00:00
     
      Urban regions around the world are likely to see a near-universal decrease in humidity as the climate changes, a study has found. The research suggests that building green infrastructure and increasing urban vegetation might be a safe bet for cities looking to mitigate rising temperatures. Half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, but cities only account for about 3% of global land surface. Lei Zhao, a scientist from the University of Illinois and the lead author of the paper published in Nature Climate Change, says this has meant that previous climate models have not produced data specific to cities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/04/climate-crisis-will-cause-falling-humidity-in-global-cities-study
     
         
      Why I'm feeling hopeful about the environment in 2021 Mon, 4th Jan 2021 14:33:00
     
      This year, 2021, a number of things are coming together to help achieve a low-carbon future. In 25 years of reporting the environment patch I've never been so convinced that the world has the potential to change. It's about politics: recent bolder climate commitments from the UK, the EU, incoming American President Joe Biden and even China. It's about business: for the first time ever renewable energy investment will exceed that in fossil fuels. And it's about timing: a post-Covid recovery year running up to the global COP26 climate summit in November. But mostly it's about ideas - an eruption of climate change solutions. Applied human intelligence is the vaccine against climate change. I've been exploring 39 inspiring ideas - some already happening, some in development - and meeting the people behind the projects, who each put a big grin on my face. Here are five of the most intriguing: * Robots driving a new wave of wind power BladeBUG is a rectangular robot which crawls over turbine blades. Imagine a suitcase that sprouted six legs with suction cup feet. Having humans on site to look after marine turbines is risky and expensive, making up 40% of their overall lifetime cost. But drones will be able to carry BladeBUG to the offshore wind farm before it crawls over the tower and blades using sensors to detect damage or anything reducing its efficiency or lifespan. It can even fill and polish small defects itself. The International Energy Agency says offshore wind could deliver 18 times today's global electricity demand - and innovations like this will make it even more affordable and achievable. The BladeBUG will undergo commercial trials this year and plans to reach the market in 2022. * Climate friendly rice Growing rice has a similar climate impact to flying - about 2-3% of global warming. Paddy fields are like giant marshlands emitting huge quantities of methane. Rothamsted Research, in Hertfordshire, has developed 'Direct Seeded Rice' (DSR) which doesn't need to be grown in a puddle so uses less water. The plant has also been bred to grow its first roots and shoots more rapidly which is vital for success in a conventional field system. It's crossed with existing high-yield varieties and initial results are promising. The water in paddy fields does help to suppress weeds and so this system could need more herbicide but the developers believe farm-ready seeds will be ready in a couple of years with most of the world's rice grown this way in a decade. * Wood for good Every seven seconds the sustainable forests of Europe yield enough wood to build a four-person family home. Carbon is absorbed by the growing trunk, locked up in the house and then trees are replanted. Wooden construction also lessens the enormous carbon impacts of using concrete and steel. Cross Laminated Timber - like a super-thick plywood - enables the use of wood for large areas of floors and walls. The French government has ruled that all new public buildings must be made from at least 50% timber and a 'plyscraper' race is under way with the 18-storey Mjosa Tower in Brumunddal, Norway the current winner. Around the world taller buildings are on the drawing board but in the UK, building regulation changes in response to the Grenfell Tower fire might limit the use of wood in tall buildings. * Graze the Arctic In deepest Siberia, Nikita Zimov runs Pleistocene Park. Populated by musk-ox, wild horses and bison, it's like Jurassic Park but with a friendlier crowd. He wants to protect the frozen ground from thawing and releasing carbon in rising temperatures, but to achieve that he says something that sounds like heresy: "Here trees worsen climate change". Arctic forest cover only arrived when humans killed most of the grazing animals including the now-extinct mammoth. As forests are a darker colour than snow-covered grassland, less of the sun's energy is reflected resulting in more ground heating. Grazing animals also trample the snow to a thin layer which allows the chill of the air to penetrate into the ground, rather than allowing a thick fluffy snow layer to insulate it. Nikita, and many supporters in Western universities, would like to see trees suppressed across a vast area of the tundra by mass introductions of grazing animals and some deliberate felling. For them, this would mean a re-wilding and potential re-cooling of the Arctic. The experimental park is 50 sq-miles (129.5 sq-km) but to have fuller impact he'd like it to be thousands of times bigger. * Super solar The International Energy Agency says solar electricity is now being made more cheaply than any other method of production. But solar panels currently only convert around a fifth of the sun's energy that falls on them into electricity. Sunlight is made up of the spectrum you see in a rainbow and silicon, found in nearly all solar panels, is best at converting the red part into electricity. But UK-based company Oxford PV is combining silicon with a material called perovskite - a semi conductor mineral with a crystal structure of titanium calcium oxide - which turns the blue wavelengths into electrical energy. This chemical sandwich can increase the panels efficiency to 30-40%. They are going into production this year and expect early applications to be on rooftops where customers want to maximise the wattage from a confined area.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55429607
     
         
      Is Pakistan prepared to deal with climate migration? Mon, 4th Jan 2021 14:07:00
     
      A report by ActionAid International and Climate Action Network South Asia recently revealed that in the past few decades, more than 18 million people in South Asia have been forced to migrate due to climate change. By 2050, up to 63 million people could be displaced as a result of it, the report said. Many of these environmental migrants are from Pakistan, which has been hit hard by climate change. In the past decades, the South Asian country has witnessed a drastic change in rain patterns and an increase in droughts and floods. At the same time, experts say ground water is rapidly depleting across the country. Sitara Parveen, an environmental expert, told DW that the northern Gilgit-Baltistan area and the southern coastal belt of Sindh have been worst hit by climate change. "Northern glaciers are melting as a result of rising temperatures. It has triggered flooding in some areas, and at the same time we see a shortage of water in some parts of the country. This has affected our agriculture sector and has forced thousands of people to migrate to other areas," Parveen said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-climate-migration-crisis/a-56126512
     
         
      Greens track deniers ahead of Biden climate push Mon, 4th Jan 2021 13:58:00
     
      A coalition of environmentalists is tracking online disinformation about climate change in response to a rising tide of conspiratorial thinking among the American electorate. The informal group is led by representatives of Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Defense Fund, and includes members of around a dozen environmental groups. This is the first time the initiative is being reported on. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the coalition has been working with a data analytics firm to monitor online conversations about climate change ahead of an expected push for environmental policies during the Biden administration. The group has found overlap among climate deniers, vaccine skeptics, supporters of QAnon and other conspiracy theory adherents. The coalition may use its findings to rebut lies and confusion about potential climate legislation and push to reform social media regulations, according to members. "Climate change disinformation is a real and fundamental threat to our ability to pass any climate change initiatives in any future government," said Michael Khoo, the co-CEO of the communications firm UpShift Strategies, who helped launch the group while he was working as Friends of the Earth's communications director. Climate disinformation is deliberately misleading information about the causes and consequences of global warming. Some fossil fuel companies and think tanks have pushed inaccurate claims for decades in an effort to stave off the regulation of products that cause global warming. Deceptive communication has flourished in the age of social media, mixing with the broader problem of misinformation about climate change. Due to a belief in conspiracies, strong ideological ties or other reasons, some people don't accept the scientific consensus on climate change: that the Earth is warming mainly due to human activities like burning fossil fuels and converting forests to cropland. On platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, those inaccurate climate views — whether the product of disinformation, misinformation or a combination of both — can now go viral and reinforce falsehoods. "If you want to pass climate change legislation, you may win or fail based on communications," Khoo said. "And this is a new considerable influence on communications." 'Everybody is inundated' Friends of the Earth began worrying about the spread of climate falsehoods around 2018, according to Khoo, who is now a disinformation consultant for the group. He began talking with environmentalists at other groups to see if they were also following the issue. At the Environmental Defense Fund, he found a partner for the nascent coalition. Lauren Guite, a senior marketing strategist at EDF who puts together its internal "Misinformation Brigade" newsletter, said in an interview that she had been researching climate denial for several years and was interested in learning more. Other organizations involved in the coalition include the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Earthjustice, the Union of Concerned Scientists and InfluenceMap, a London-based group that tracks corporate climate efforts. But the coalition leaders "pretty quickly realized that we need to talk to other movements," Khoo said. So they began contacting a diverse collection of progressive groups that had been the targets of online disinformation campaigns. "Fighting disinformation is unfortunately everyone's job now — whether you're working on women's rights issues or Latino voters or climate change," Khoo said. "Everybody is inundated by this." Then in January 2020, the coalition scraped together money from its partner organizations to hire Graphika to map and analyze the online conversations around climate change. Khoo and Guite gave the social media monitoring firm a list of people deemed climate deniers by DeSmogBlog, a website critical of corporate claims against climate action, and some initial search term suggestions. DeSmog's list includes well-known deniers like Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who wrote a book calling climate change "the greatest hoax," and Marc Morano, a former Inhofe staffer who now works for a think tank that receives funding from the fossil fuel industry. But it also includes former government officials who don't question the scientific consensus around climate change, such as Heather Zichal, a campaign adviser to President-elect Joe Biden and former liquefied natural gas company board member. Since last February, Graphika's algorithms and analysts have been mapping the connections between the people on that list and other individuals and groups that have been participating in the climate debate on Twitter. The firm now produces reports summarizing its findings every two weeks; the coalition uses those reports to guide regular discussions. The coalition has also had meetings with officials from Facebook and Twitter and invited academics who study climate disinformation to make presentations to the group. QAnon and coronavirus falsehoods Graphika's research revealed that many promoters of climate denial "spread hateful and anti-science content about lots of things," Khoo wrote in an August blog post with Melissa Ryan, CEO of the consulting firm CARD Strategies. "While they were focused on denying climate change in January, the group moved on to denying COVID-19 by March, and then by June, moved to conspiracy content to discredit the Movement for Black Lives," Khoo wrote. Some climate deniers, like the Heartland Institute's Naomi Seibt, have even begun dabbling in memes associated with QAnon, the conspiracy theory that depicts President Trump as the leader in a war against satanic pedophiles in the "deep state" and the Democratic Party. "Defund pizza delivery services," she tweeted in July, a reference to the QAnon-related Pizzagate conspiracy. The Heartland Institute did not response to a request for comment. In 2019, an FBI bulletin warned that QAnon posed a domestic terrorism threat. The bulletin cited several violent attacks and plots linked to QAnon, including an attempt by a California man to blow up a monument to "make Americans aware of 'Pizzagate' and the New World Order." A survey published last month by NPR and the polling firm Ipsos found that less than half of Americans were confident that the QAnon conspiracy theory is false, a sign that even wild misinformation is finding a foothold in the minds of many. "If a future Congress wants to craft a Green New Deal to stop climate change, you can be sure that QAnon will be the most virulent opponent," Khoo and Card asserted. In recent weeks, climate deniers have mainly been focused on spreading misinformation regarding COVID-19, according to Graphika's latest report, which the coalition shared with E&E News. One of the most commonly tweeted links in the denier community, according to Graphika's algorithms, was a discredited article minimizing the impact of the pandemic. It was published on Nov. 22 by The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, the university's student-run newspaper. As an editor's note now explains, the piece was full of inaccuracies and failed to provide additional information about the effects of COVID-19. "We decided on Nov. 26 to retract this article to stop the spread of misinformation," the note said. But Graphika found that climate deniers continued to tweet the story as well as an archived version that doesn't include the editor's note. "Excellent news from Johns Hopkins University. COVID-19 has cured all other diseases," Tony Heller, who runs Real Climate Science, a blog that rejects climate science, said in a tweet linking to the archived article. Heller couldn't be reached for comment. 'Inoculate' against misinformation While climate deniers are currently promoting misinformation around other topics, experts expect them to ramp up their attacks on climate science as soon as the Biden administration or lawmakers begin advancing efforts to curb emissions. John Cook, a professor at George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication, has seen that pattern play out in the past. He helped develop a machine-learning program that could detect and document online climate misinformation over the last few decades. "What we find is a surge in misinformation the closer you get to some substantive policy," Cook said in an interview. He anticipates climate deniers will play a similar role in the coming months and years. "The closer that the Biden administration gets to actually passing or promoting any kind of climate policy, you will see a surge of misinformation to try to cast doubt on it, malign it, and erode public support for it as well as bolster the opposition, such as Republican leaders," Cook predicted. Cook has spoken with the coalition and urged it to "inoculate" potential targets of climate disinformation. That process involves "exposing people to a weakened form of misinformation in the same way that we vaccinate by exposing people to a weakened form of a disease," he said. "So we need to develop inoculating messages and find ways to disseminate them to as many people as possible in order to try to achieve herd immunity and try to eradicate the misinformation." That basically involves educating social media users about common climate myths and the rhetorical techniques behind them. For example, Cook said environmentalists could tell potentially persuadable Facebook friends about how climate deniers wrongly say the sun — rather than human-made emissions — is to blame for the Earth's warming trends. "This myth commits the fallacy of cherry-picking," Cook said. "It doesn't look at all the available data, which finds that the sun and climate have been going in the opposite direction over the last 30 or 40 years." That inoculation process introduces "the myth, but also the technique that the myth uses to distort the science," Cook explained. Greens vs. Silicon Valley? The coalition is working on a plan to put Cook's peer-to-peer online inoculation strategy into practice. But it's also considering more systemic fixes to address climate disinformation on social media networks. "What we all want as a baseline is platform accountability and transparency on how they are managing and suppressing the blatant disinformation," Khoo said, noting that Facebook and Twitter have done a good job limiting the spread of coronavirus conspiracies on their sites. "There are technically ways the platforms can stop dangerous disinformation from going viral," he said at the end of 2020. "Does it require regulator action or legislation to further spur that on? I think that's the conversation for this next year." But it remains to be seen if the coalition members could get the green groups they represent to go along with any action targeting powerful tech companies, some of which are facing antitrust lawsuits from both federal and state governments. "If someone on the Hill wants to do something about misinformation, I'm guessing we want to get involved with that and maybe support certain legislation about it," said Guite, the senior marketing strategist at EDF. Then she paused to reconsider. "It's hard because a lot of us who are in the coalition, we're not the ones making those decisions for our organizations."
       
      Full Article: https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063721645
     
         
      Is Canada betting big on small nuclear reactors? Here’s what you need to know Mon, 4th Jan 2021 13:04:00
     
      The federal government could be preparing to bet big on small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs. There have been rumblings about the technology for years, but the SMR Action Plan, due to be released this month, is expected to lay out Ottawa’s role in advancing the technology. The governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick have already thrown their support behind SMRs, signing a memorandum of understanding this summer. “This safe, emerging technology has the potential to provide needed power to remote communities, to lower emissions and further to diversify Alberta’s energy sector,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said in an August speech announcing the agreement. There is a real need for new electrical and energy technologies in remote communities. Diesel fuel is the current standard for off-the-grid communities and mines, causing air pollution, service disruptions and environmental liability. But whether small modular nuclear reactors are up to the task of replacing diesel is another question. Here, we break down the details and through the spin surrounding modular nuclear reactors.
       
      Full Article: https://thenarwhal.ca/canada-smr-nuclear-reactors-explained/
     
         
      Biden Climate Plan Looks For Buy-in From Farmers Who Are Often Skeptical About Global Warming Mon, 4th Jan 2021 11:01:00
     
      When the incoming Biden administration released its policy roadmap in November, it was clear that tackling climate change would be a top priority and agriculture will be a key part of a broad, cross-agency effort. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the administration said, “has not historically received the sustained political attention of other agencies that play a role in climate policy.” But it would become “a lynchpin of the next Administration’s climate strategy.” The incoming administration’s clear focus on climate change was remarkable. That it would enlist the country’s farms and farmers—who are largely skeptical of climate change—in the battle was even more so. In mid-December, as he introduced his climate team, Biden restated a goal he first rolled out last year on the campaign trail. “We see farmers making American agriculture first in the world to achieve net-zero emissions and gaining new sources of income in the process,” he said. Now, questions are percolating about how, exactly, farmers will reach that target and how progressive the new administration actually will be.
       
      Full Article: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04012021/biden-climate-plan-agriculture-farmers-tom-vilsack/
     
         
      Watch out LA: Feds calculate riskiest, safest places in US Sat, 2nd Jan 2021 13:46:00
     
      Spending her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen knows natural disasters all too well. In college, an earthquake shook her home hard. Her grandfather was affected by recent wildfires in neighboring Orange County. “It’s just that constant reminder, ‘Oh yeah, we live somewhere where there’s natural disasters and they can strike at any time,’” said the 29-year-old marketing executive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has calculated the risk for every county in America for 18 types of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcanoes and even tsunamis. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the highest ranking in the National Risk Index. 1 of 10 FILE - In this Monday, June 20, 2016 file photo, smoke from wildfires burning in Angeles National Forest fills the sky behind the Los Angeles skyline. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has calculated the risk for every county in America for 18 types of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcanos and even tsunamis. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the highest ranking in the National Risk Index. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) Spending her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen knows natural disasters all too well. In college, an earthquake shook her home hard. Her grandfather was affected by recent wildfires in neighboring Orange County. “It’s just that constant reminder, ‘Oh yeah, we live somewhere where there’s natural disasters and they can strike at any time,’” said the 29-year-old marketing executive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has calculated the risk for every county in America for 18 types of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, volcanoes and even tsunamis. And of the more than 3,000 counties, Los Angeles County has the highest ranking in the National Risk Index. ADVERTISEMENT The way FEMA calculates the index spotlights places long known as danger spots, like Los Angeles, but some other places highlighted run counter to what most people would think. For instance, eastern cities such as New York and Philadelphia rank far higher on the risk for tornadoes than tornado alley stalwarts Oklahoma and Kansas. And the county with the biggest coastal flood risk is one in Washington state that’s not on the ocean, although its river is tidal. Those seeming oddities occur because FEMA’s index scores how often disasters strike, how many people and how much property are in harm’s way, how vulnerable the population is socially and how well the area is able to bounce back. And that results in a high risk assessment for big cities with lots of poor people and expensive property that are ill-prepared to be hit by once-in-a-generation disasters. While the rankings may seem “counterintuitive,” the degree of risk isn’t just how often a type of natural disaster strikes a place, but how bad the toll would be, according to FEMA’s Mike Grimm. Take tornadoes. Two New York City counties, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Hudson County, New Jersey, are FEMA’s top five riskiest counties for tornadoes. Oklahoma County, Oklahoma — with more than 120 tornadoes since 1950, including one that killed 36 people in 1999 — ranks 120th. “They (the top five) are a low frequency, potentially high-consequence event because there’s a lot of property exposure in that area,” said University of South Carolina Hazards & Vulnerability Research Institute Director Susan Cutter, whose work much of the FEMA calculations are based on. “Therefore, a small tornado can create a large dollar loss.” In New York, people are far less aware of the risk and less prepared — and that’s a problem, Grimm said. The day before he said that, New York had a tornado watch. Days later, the National Weather Service tweeted that in 2020 several cities, mostly along the East Coast, had more tornadoes than Wichita, Kansas. In general, Oklahoma is twice as likely to get tornadoes as New York City, but the damage potential is much higher in New York because there are 20 times the people and nearly 20 times the property value at risk, FEMA officials said. “It’s that risk perception that it won’t happen to me,” Grimm said. “Just because I haven’t seen it in my lifetime doesn’t mean it won’t happen.” That sort of denial is especially true with frequent and costly flooding, he said, and is the reason only 4% of the population has federal flood insurance when about one-third may need it. Disaster experts say people have to think about the big disaster that happens only a few times a lifetime at most, but is devastating when it hits — Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, the 2011 super outbreak of tornadoes, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or a pandemic. “We’re bad at taking seriously risks that happen only infrequently,” said David Ropeik, a retired Harvard risk communications lecturer and author of “How Risky Is It, Really?” “We simply don’t fear them as much as we fear things that are more present in our consciousness, more common. That’s practically disastrous with natural disasters.” Something like FEMA’s new index “opens our eyes to the gaps between what we feel and what is,” Ropeik said. FEMA’s top 10 riskiest places, in addition to Los Angeles, are three counties in the New York City area — Bronx, New York County (Manhattan) and Kings County (Brooklyn) — along with Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis and Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California. By the same measurement, Loudoun County, a Washington, D.C. outer suburb, has the lowest risk of any county, according to FEMA. Three other Washington suburban counties rank among the lowest risks for larger counties, along with suburban Boston, Long Island, suburban Detroit and Pittsburgh. Some of FEMA’s risk rankings by disaster type seem obvious. Miami has the highest risk for hurricanes, lightning, and river flooding. Hawaii County is tops in volcano risk and Honolulu County for tsunamis, Dallas for hail, Philadelphia for heat waves and California’s Riverside County for wildfires. Outside risk expert Himanshu Grover at the University of Washington called FEMA’s effort “a good tool, a good start,” but one with flaws, such as final scores that seem to downplay disaster frequency. Risks are changing because of climate change and this index doesn’t seem to address that, Ropeik said. FEMA officials said climate change shows up in flooding calculations and will probably be incorporated in future updates. This new tool, based on calculations by 80 experts over six years, is about “educating homeowners and renters and communities to be more resilient,” FEMA’s Grimm said, adding that people shouldn’t move into or out of a county because of the risk rating.
       
      Full Article: https://apnews.com/article/fema-riskiest-safest-places-in-us-a689e0b281611d5bbe94ca8e6c0ca2c6
     
         
      Green boost for regions to cut industry carbon emissions Sat, 2nd Jan 2021 13:27:00
     
      Six projects across the UK will today receive a share of £8 million in government funding as part of a drive to create the world’s first net-zero emissions industrial zone by 2040. Six projects across the UK will today receive a share of £8 million in government funding as part of a drive to create the world’s first net zero emissions industrial zone by 2040. Projects in the West Midlands, Tees Valley, North West, Humber, Scotland and South Wales will see local authorities working with industry to develop plans to reduce carbon emissions, with one scheme alone - across the North West of England and North East Wales - aiming to create over 33,000 new jobs and more than £4 billion of investment as it bids to become the world’s first net zero industrial zone. A net zero industrial zone will see all industries in a region collectively reducing their carbon dioxide emissions to as close to zero as possible using low-carbon energy sources and new technology like carbon capture. All 6 areas receiving funding today have high concentrations of industrial activity and will get a share of up to £8 million towards the development of decarbonisation plans. Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said: The UK is leading the world’s green industrial revolution, with ambitious targets to decarbonise our economy and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. As we continue to level up the UK economy and build back greener, we must ensure every sector is reducing carbon emissions to help us achieve our commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. This funding will help key industrial areas meet the challenge of contributing to our cleaner future while maintaining their productive and competitive strengths. Decarbonising UK industry is a key part of the government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution, which is laid out in its Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper and is set to create 220,000 jobs as we build back greener over the next decade. The Industrial Clusters Mission aims to support the delivery of 4 low-carbon regional zones by 2030 and at least one net zero green hotspot by 2040, kickstarted by the government’s £170 million Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge. The 6 winners will now produce detailed plans for reducing emissions across major areas of industrial activity, where related industries have congregated and can benefit from utilising shared clean energy infrastructure, such as carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution. All the winners have produced initial plans for reducing emissions across major industrial clusters across the UK and, in subsequent years, will build on these preliminary successes by bringing together industry and public sector bodies in a comprehensive effort to devise a route to net zero emissions. Bryony Livesey, UKRI Challenge Director, Industrial Decarbonisation, said: Today’s announcement shows that the industrial clusters campaign is proceeding at pace. This second phase of the competition asks companies and partners to plan for comprehensive changes to industries, products and supply lines. This is a crucial step in the government’s plans to develop cost-effective decarbonisation in industrial hubs that tackle the emissions challenge UK industry faces. The move to low carbon industry is a huge opportunity, with the chance for the UK to take the lead and seize a large share of a growing global market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/green-boost-for-regions-to-cut-industry-carbon-emissions
     
         
      Five ways to reduce your carbon footprint Sat, 2nd Jan 2021 11:16:00
     
      We need to drastically cut our carbon emissions to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change. Global leaders have set targets to reach net zero emissions by the second half of this century. That means putting the same amount of greenhouse gases into the air as we take out.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-55437567
     
         
      Making sense of Australia’s climate exceptionalism Fri, 1st Jan 2021 12:51:00
     
      2020 has had no shortage of images of catastrophe and suffering, but the ones that haunt me the most are from the inferno that engulfed my home country, Australia, at the very beginning of the year. For us Australians, the year started with images of giant flames climbing up the cliffs of the Blue Mountains and the news that over a billion animals had perished in the fires raging across the continent. Over the previous month, we had witnessed the Sydney skyline disappear under a dystopian, orange pall of smoke and would soon watch in worry as hundreds of vacationing families huddled together on beaches to be rescued from fast-approaching fires. We Australians have long imagined ourselves as a uniquely nonchalant and irreverent nation. But at the dawn of 2020, long before COVID-19 even reached our shores, we found ourselves dismayed by our apocalyptic present and terrified of what likely lies in our future. This year’s bushfires, and the unprecedented devastation they caused, have left an indelible scar on the collective consciousness of Australians. As the carnage we experienced made clear that the climate is changing faster than our worst fears, we hoped that our elected representatives would finally take the necessary steps to address the global climate emergency. Yet, just a few months after the fires, in an attempt to swiftly lift Australia out of the COVID-19 recession it found itself in, Prime Minister Scott Morrison authorised a “Gas-Fired recovery”: a raft of new policies that completely ignores the country’s gloomy ecological reality and aims to revitalise the economy by getting “more gas into the market”. Australia’s seemingly suicidal posture towards climate change often puzzles foreign observers. Indeed, the Australian state’s persistent reluctance to take meaningful action as the country wilts from the worst effects of climate change defies rational explanation. Noting that “Australia is already having to deal with some of the most extreme manifestations of climate change”, renowned British conservationist David Attenborough once described the Australian government’s disinterest in responding to the climate emergency as “extraordinary”. Coming to terms with our exceptionalism Australia’s apparent indifference towards this global emergency is not so much a case of climate change denialism as it is exceptionalism. There are some climate change deniers on the far right who exercise an inordinate amount of political power relative to the size of their support base. However, more fundamentally, what guides the Australian state’s problematic stance on climate change is a form of exceptionalism. Australia’s climate change exceptionalism rests on several pillars. First, the conviction on the part of successive Australian governments that our national consumption patterns have no material effect on climate change and the resulting belief that we can extract ourselves from the global effort to combat it without this causing much harm. Second, a purposeful downplaying of the contributions of Australian extractive industries to carbon supply chains, which paints the country as an incidental intermediary in the production of global emissions, encourages Australians to view climate change as somebody else’s problem. This, despite Australia now being the third-largest exporter of carbon dioxide in fossil fuels, behind Russia and Saudi Arabia. These convenient fictions allow Australian governments to ignore the scientific consensus on climate change when politically and economically convenient and opt in an out of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures as they see fit. This was not always the case. In the 1980s, when the public first became aware of the “greenhouse effect”, as it was then commonly termed, Australia was among the countries taking the problem seriously, developing policy frameworks that began to address the problem and participating in international forums on the issue in good will. The turning point on this issue was the election of the conservative Liberal-National Party (LNP) leader, John Howard, as prime minister in 1996. Howard defied expectations and became Australia’s second-longest-serving prime minister, remaining in office for eleven long years. During his time in power, he fundamentally altered Australian political discourse in ways that influence the country’s stance on important issues, such as climate change, to this day. In the international sphere, Howard’s tenure saw Australia break its commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation and focus solely on its relations with “countries that share its values” – namely the Anglosphere. Under Howard’s leadership, Australia quickly signed up to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but refused to ratify the Kyoto pact on climate change. Trying to explain his reasons for refusing to ratify the protocol in 2002, Howard claimed such a move would “would cost us jobs and damage our industry”. He and his ministers persistently argued that purposefully reducing greenhouse gas emissions would unnecessarily harm the economy while bringing marginal environmental gain. After all, what was the point in us making sacrifices while more populous nations like India and China were free to pollute all they liked? This cynical reasoning has since become a cornerstone of Australia’s environmental exceptionalism – it is not so much that Australian politicians do not believe the climate is changing, they simply do not think they should be the ones paying the price to fix it. Racism and a chronic indifference towards the suffering of communities of colour, both inside and outside Australia, also play a significant role in the country’s climate exceptionalism. In 2015, for example, three of Howard’s former ministers – Peter Dutton, Tony Abbot and Scott Morrison – were overheard mocking and ridiculing the plight of Pacific Island nations facing rising seas from climate change. During a conversation about Pacific Island leaders supposedly arriving late to a meeting, Dutton quipped that “time doesn’t mean anything when you’re about to have water lapping at your door”. It was textbook environmental racism, marrying, in a single breath, the old white colonialist trope of non-western peoples not respecting industrial capitalism’s nexus between time and work-discipline with callous indifference to the communities of colour that are most exposed to climate change. A similarly hostile indifference has been displayed by successive governments towards Australia’s own Indigenous citizens. Torres Strait Islanders, whose homes are at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels in the near future, have taken the extraordinary step of launching a complaint with the UN’s Human Rights Committee against the national government over its failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Coalaphilia and Its Legacies Australia’s current Prime Minister Scott Morrison is very much an inheritor of the Howardesque technique of appealing to the so-called “silent” Australians, against the troublesome noise of critics and environmentalists. In a theatrical stunt in the national parliament in 2017, Morrison brandished a lump of coal and shook it in the air as he goaded his opponents, whom he accused of being afflicted by the malady of “coalaphobia” – an “ideological, pathological fear of coal” that allegedly harms the economic prosperity of everyday Australians. Morrison’s performance of coalaphilia, while containing a decent dose of “petro-masculinity”, was not entirely chest-thumping cosplay. His unshakeable conviction in the inherent benefits of mining tapped a deep reservoir of cognitive dissonance. Like other settler-colonial nations, Australia’s official identity has always been built upon twin, mutually-reinforcing logics: the erasure of Indigenous sovereignty over the land, and overreaching optimism in the national territory’s boundless potential for capital investment and extraction of mineral resources. While extractive industries have always played a prominent role in Australian politics and economy, their power has paradoxically grown over the past quarter-century alongside the necessity to regulate their atmospheric “externalities”. The mining industry, in concert with the Murdoch press, has the power to make and break elected governments in Australia. In his first tenure as prime minister (2007-2010), in the midst of a phenomenal mining boom tied to China’s rising demand for minerals, Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Kevin Rudd attempted to increase the government’s take of the super-profits from mining, in the form of a Minerals Resource Rent Tax. The backlash, orchestrated by mining tycoons employing tactics similar to the Koch brothers in the US, was astonishing. After months of hostile press and slipping approval ratings, Rudd was deposed in an internal coup and replaced by Julia Gillard. After taking office in June 2010, Gillard immediately dropped the fight with the mining magnates. But when she tried a modest route towards emissions reduction, in the form of a tax on carbon, she received her own drawn-out political crucifixion. Upon assuming office as prime minister in 2013, Tony Abbott’s first item of business was to repeal Gillard’s maligned “Carbon Tax”, which, during its brief period of operation, had succeeded in reducing our emissions. Australia thereby became the first country in the world to abolish a demonstrably effective pricing mechanism on carbon. Having crushed the brief interregnum on climate inaction, Abbott restored the environmental exceptionalism in which we remain mired to this day. Tragically, at precisely the moment Australia needed to take radical action to decarbonise its economy, its government determined that the country’s economic prosperity was irrefutably tied to its capacity to allow multinational corporations to dig minerals and fossil fuels out of the ground. This, despite the said corporations paying minimal contributions back to the citizenry. However, in Australia, the psychological inability to accept the scale and implications of the climate crisis is not limited to the government. In 2019, for example, Australians responded to the emerging calls to reduce unnecessary air travel on environmental grounds with near-universal derision. Even the left-wing press baulked at the suggestion that like others living in Asia, the Americas and Europe, Australians too should alter their travel plans to help the global fight against climate change. It was as though geographical remoteness gave us a free pass not to act: Surely the famous “tyranny of distance” that shaped Australia’s history would also mean its residents would continue to fly as often as they wish, without even considering their carbon footprints, amid a climate crisis? This is a classic feature of Australian environmental exceptionalism: any uncomfortable discussion is closed before it begins, bargained away into a corner of the collective Australian consciousness where it might not bother anyone too much. The end of exceptionalism? Will 2020 prove, finally, to be the turning point in Australia’s climate exceptionalism? In July of this year, a substantial and sudden erosion of the New South Wales shoreline near Sydney demonstrated how vulnerable the majority of Australia’s inhabitants who live in proximity to the coast will be to future sea level rises, king tides, and other extreme weather events. Further north, the main beach at Byron Bay, one of Australia’s most famous beachfronts, has dramatically collapsed into the sea. For a nation obsessed with the pursuit of homeownership, it may be the threat of a changing climate to individual private property that will strike the strongest chord. There are warnings that flood- and bushfire-prone communities will face increasing insurance premiums and may even become uninsurable in the near future. As pressure mounts on the federal government to change course, the corrosive influence of the Murdoch media empire on our political discourse has been highlighted from various angles. The current government and the Murdoch press have been accused of working as a team, coordinating messaging, and the timing of the release of sensitive information. News Corp’s active promotion of climate scepticism has been more meticulously documented. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd launched a petition for a Royal Commission into media ownership in Australia; this has garnered more than half-a-million signatures from Australians fed up with Murdoch’s monopolisation of the media. Meanwhile, internationally, a series of developments this year have highlighted the distance between our glaring inaction and the gathering action of other countries. As our major trading partners have announced they will enforce new standards for environmental reporting among agricultural producers, calls are being made for Australian exports to be subjected to “climate tariffs”. Importers of Australian coal – China, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines – have all announced in recent months that they are banning coal in the near future as part of moves towards zero net emissions. Perhaps most significantly, as measured by the political calculus of Morrison’s government, even our allies in the Anglosphere are abandoning us, like the uncomfortable, drunk cousin at a birthday party we have consistently shown ourselves to be. Morrison was reportedly “livid” when sidelined by Boris Johnson from speaking at a UN-sponsored climate summit because of Australia’s well-publicised laggardness on climate action. Likewise, Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election promises a definitive shift in international carbon politics that may punish Australia or at least further expose our carbon isolationism. Perhaps, finally, the pressure will have become too great for us to keep making excuses. Lame explanations for why our history, our geography and our culture render us uniquely exceptional when, across the globe, other countries are taking responsibility for tackling the climate emergency. Perhaps we can finally acknowledge that on a continent highly vulnerable to climate change and as a nation that has wreaked especially damaging ecological and cultural harm through colonisation, claiming exceptionalism is a particularly disturbing – and self-destructive – form of delusion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/1/1/making-sense-of-australias-climate-exceptionalism
     
         
      Losing Ground: Climate Change Is Altering the Rules of Ecosystem Hierarchy Fri, 1st Jan 2021 11:08:00
     
      Tidal creeks cross Sapelo Island's salt marshes. Credit: John Schalles Halfway down Georgia's coastline, Sapelo Island is surrounded by more than 4,000 acres of salt marshes, with vast stretches of lush grasses that blaze gold in the colder months. But this beautiful barrier island is experiencing some of the harshest effects of climate change: seawater intrusion, intense storms and flooding. And scientists have noticed something more subtle and unusual happening to the island in the past several years. A once inconspicuous burrowing crab is suddenly wiping out swaths of marsh cordgrass, a plant that holds much of the South's coastal marshland in place and protects vulnerable species. The tiny purple marsh crab, Sesarma reticulatum, seems to be reshaping—and fragmenting—the island's marshes. Sinead Crotty, an ecologist and project director at Yale University's carbon-containment laboratory, used aerial images to document the crab's impact on marshland along the U.S.'s southeastern coast. To investigate the cause of the changes, Crotty and her colleagues combined analysis of the aerial imagery with historical tide data and numerical models of sea-level rise. These tidal creeks are expanding because of purple marsh crabs. Credit: Sinead Crotty Their results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, show the crabs are altering salt marshes' response to sea-level rise by gorging on cordgrass at the heads of tidal creeks. The researchers say rising water levels caused by climate change have softened marsh soil, creating optimal burrowing conditions for the crabs. The crabs' increased activity then results in longer and broader creeks that drain the marshes into the ocean. Over years this process transforms marshes from contiguous grasslands into patches fractured by crab-grazed creeks. This finding challenges the long-standing paradigm that only water flow, sediment, plants and human activity—not animals—shape how salt marshes respond to sea-level rise. The researchers say this crab may be the first identified organism to reach the status of a keystone species, an organism that has disproportionate importance and influence in its ecosystem, because of climate change. It is unlikely to be the last. Crotty says it is mind-boggling that “this very small organism, an inch or two in diameter, can alter something as large as an entire marsh landscape visible from Google Earth images.” Scientists working on Georgia's coast already knew Sesarma crabs were enlarging tidal creeks by grazing cordgrass, says Merryl Alber, director of the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island. But this new work suggests the crabs' actions may be accelerating the long-term loss of the marsh to rising seas. “This shows that our marshes may be more vulnerable than we thought,” she says. Alber was not directly involved in the study, but the institute provided logistical support to the research team. Crotty first encountered Sesarma as an undergraduate in co-author Mark Bertness's Brown University lab. In 2011 Bertness's team discovered that the crabs were behind sudden marsh die-offs on Cape Cod, after overfishing had diminished predator populations such as striped bass. Marsh soils farther south had previously been too hard for the crabs to gain a significant claw-hold, and Crotty and her colleagues wondered if sea-level rise could be making them softer. The team analyzed tidal data and found that southern marshes are now submerged up to an hour longer a day than they were in the 1990s. The researchers say this process has indeed softened the soil, helping the burrowing crabs thrive. Aerial photographs along the U.S.'s southeastern coast indicate the number of Sesarma-grazed marsh creeks increased by an average of two and a half times from the 1990s to late 2010s. In study areas, the team found that the rapid expansion of crab-grazed creeks increased drainage of the marsh by up to 35 percent. By wiping out cordgrass, crabs also destroy protective cover for ecologically critical animals, including snails and other mollusks. The researchers checked predation levels on Sapelo Island by tethering snails and mussels to fishing line near grazed and ungrazed creeks. They found this loss of cover can make small invertebrates—which provide food to commercially important species such as blue crab and redfish—more vulnerable to predator feeding frenzies, Crotty says, potentially disrupting entire ecosystems. Human activities are resetting which species hold the most sway over ecosystem behavior, says Christine Angelini, an ecologist at the University of Florida and principal investigator for the study. Because of overfishing and climate change, she observes, purple marsh crabs are “wreaking havoc everywhere” across their range.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/losing-ground-climate-change-is-altering-the-rules-of-ecosystem-hierarchy/
     
         
      Wang Xiangjun: China's 'Glacier Bro' presumed dead Thu, 31st Dec 2020 14:11:00
     
      A popular Chinese social media influencer and environmentalist dubbed "Glacier Bro" is presumed dead after falling into icy waters in Tibet. Wang Xiangjun, 30, was reportedly exploring a glacial waterfall when he disappeared on 20 December. His body has not yet been found, but his social media account appeared to confirm his death on Saturday. Wang was known for his videos exploring glaciers and his efforts to highlight the impact of climate change. Footage shared on Chinese social media appears to show him lose his balance while climbing near the base of a waterfall and he is seen slipping into fast-flowing icy waters. The incident took place in Lhari county, northern Tibet, according to reports. Rescuers are still searching for him, but a member of the rescue team quoted by China's Global Times newspaper said it was likely that Wang had been swept under an ice floe - a sheet of floating ice - and that it was "almost impossible" that he had survived. At the weekend, a sorrowful tribute posted by the administrator of Wang's official Kuaishou social media account appeared to confirm his death. "My brother... lies forever in his favourite waterfall. I hope everyone does not hype up [his death], and respect the deceased," read the statement. "For all of his life he was obsessed with glaciers, and gave his life to glaciers. This is the best resting place for him." Born in rural Sichuan province to a family of farmers, Wang became interested in glaciers when he saw a tourism advert for a snow-capped mountain, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. In the years that followed, he visited dozens of glaciers and posted videos on social media under the handle Tibetan Adventurer. His clips, which usually featured him clambering across icy terrain and enthusiastically exploring glacial caves and tunnels, quickly went viral. He was also known in China for photographing more than 70 glaciers in seven years, and had addressed the UN Climate Change Conference last year to share his experience of melting glaciers. As a result of his travels, he became passionate about raising awareness of the impact of climate change. "Almost all the glaciers I visited looked different from the images on my phone," he told Xinhua in January. "You need to stand in front of the glaciers to realise how fast they are melting." China, which is the world's biggest source of carbon dioxide, said in September that it aimed to hit peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55484544
     
         
      BP’s Caspian Sea project emerges as Russia’s rival for European gas market Thu, 31st Dec 2020 12:00:00
     
      Azerbaijan started commercial natural gas exports to Europe via the U.S.-backed Southern Gas Corridor, helping the region to diversify supplies away from Russia. Gas pumped from the BP Plc-led Shah Deniz deposit in the Caspian Sea began flowing into Italy, Greece and Bulgaria on Thursday, BP and Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar said in a joint statement. The European Union has worked for years to ease its dependence on Russia, which accounts for about a third of the region’s gas supplies. The Southern Gas Corridor, which took $33 billion and seven years to build, includes the Shah Deniz field and more than 2,000 miles of pipelines connecting the Caspian Sea with Europe via Georgia and Turkey. Azerbaijan will ship 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe every year over the next quarter-century, with 8 billion of that going to Italy and 1 billion each to Greece and Bulgaria. “Some people were skeptical about the project” at the outset, Socar President Rovnaq Abdullayev said. “Now the mission is accomplished. Azerbaijan’s natural gas has arrived in Europe.” Shah Deniz, which means King of the Sea in Azeri, is the nation’s largest gas deposit, containing about 1 trillion cubic meters of the fuel and 2 billion barrels of condensate, according to BP estimates. Azerbaijan plans to ship gas to more countries in Europe in the future as additional Caspian Sea fields start production. BP leads Shah Deniz with a 28.8% interest. Other partners in the project include Socar, Turkiye Petrolleri AO, Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Lukoil PJSC and a unit of Iran’s national oil company.
       
      Full Article: https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/12/31/bp-s-caspian-sea-project-emerges-as-russia-s-rival-for-european-gas-market
     
         
      A German Initiative Seeks to Curb Global Emissions of a Climate Super-Pollutant Wed, 30th Dec 2020 14:10:00
     
      The Donaldsonville Nitrogen Complex in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and the Navoiyazot chemical plant in Navoi, Uzbekistan, have a lot in common. Both tap an abundance of low-cost natural gas to produce nitric acid, a chemical used to make fertilizer, and both have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in their plants in recent years to boost fertilizer exports. When viewed through a climate lens, however, the difference between the two plants is stark. The Uzbek plant employs low-cost, state-of-the-art abatement technology that reduces 97 percent or more of its emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas and an unwanted byproduct of nitric acid production. The U.S. plant reduces approximately one quarter of its total nitrous oxide emissions using alternative abatement technology that was installed primarily to reduce other pollutants. In 2019, the Donaldsonville plant released 6,665 tons of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, according to information plant owner CF Industries submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. That is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 430,000 automobiles. Nitrous oxide, or N2O, the “laughing gas” long administered by dentists, is a climate super-pollutant nearly 300 times more warming of the planet than carbon dioxide. Emissions of the gas, which do not cause local health impacts, are unregulated in most countries, including the United States and Uzbekistan. The divergent paths the plants’ owners have chosen to address N2O emissions highlight how global climate policies have largely failed to address an easy, low-cost fix that could dramatically curb global greenhouse gas emissions. The Uzbek plant also shows how some of the world’s poorest countries, aided by the German government, may soon surpass the U.S. in efforts to mitigate a potent greenhouse gas. In December 2015, at the Paris climate conference, the German Ministry of Environment launched an ambitious, though little-known, effort to help countries around the world mitigate nitrous oxide emissions from nitric acid plants. There are approximately 580 nitric acid plants worldwide, only about a quarter of which abate their nitrous oxide emissions, according to an estimate by the Nitric Acid Climate Action Group of the German Corporation for International Cooperation, a government agency overseeing the mitigation effort. The remaining 75 percent of plants worldwide collectively emit around 700,000 tons of nitrous oxide per year, equal to the annual emissions of roughly 45 million cars, according to the group. The German effort seeks to have the majority of these plants reducing their collective emissions by 90 percent or more in the next four years. “The vision is ambitious, but it’s also necessary to limit global warming to 2 degrees or less, and it is not unrealistic,” said Malte Plewa, an advisor to the German Corporation for International Cooperation. “This is really a low hanging fruit. It is a cheap and cost effective, no-regret sector where you can easily mitigate a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions.” Chemical reactors that treat emissions from nitric acid plants can reduce 97 percent or more of the plants’ emissions at a cost of $1 to $5 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. By comparison, retrofitting existing coal plants with carbon capture and storage technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would cost more than $80 per ton. The Nitric Acid Climate Action Group (NACAG) will provide funding and technical assistance to developing countries interested in abating nitrous oxide emissions from their nitric acid plants. The group has identified 30 countries that meet their eligibility requirements, 14 of which have expressed interest in participating, including Uzbekistan. The Navoiyazot plant there began abating nitrous oxide emissions on its own and is not part of the German initiative. Four countries—Georgia, Mexico, Tunisia and Zimbabwe—have gone a step further, signing a formal commitment, qualifying plants for financial support. The UN’s Experience Incentivizing Abatement in China Notably absent from the list of eligible countries is China. In the early 2000s, China benefited more than any other country from a United Nations program that incentivized nitrous oxide emissions reductions from nitric acid plants. In China alone, 18 nitric acid plants destroyed tens of thousands of tons of nitrous oxide through a U.N. program known as the Clean Development Mechanism, according to United Nations Environment Programme data. Those emission reductions were then sold to developed countries as carbon offsets, resulting in windfall profits for the Chinese plants. While exact revenue figures remain confidential, some of the plants likely made tens of millions of dollars destroying nitrous oxide, far more than the cost of abatement technology. However, after funding for the program dried up in 2012, the plants that had been abating for years stopped reporting their emissions reductions to the U.N. and likely stopped abating, according to NACAG. Dozens of other Chinese plants that had just installed or were in the process of installing the technology when funding was reduced never reported emissions reductions and likely never operated their abatement reactors. NACAG seeks to ensure that what happened in China and elsewhere under the U.N. abatement program will not be repeated under the German government’s efforts. The new initiative will provide funding for emissions abatement technology as well as ongoing operations and maintenance costs to participating plants through 2024. However, as part of the agreement, countries must commit to enacting regulations that require the plants to continue abating their nitrous oxide emissions after support from the German government stops. “The whole idea was to come up with a concept that would lead to sustainable results,” Volker Schmidt, an advisor to German Corporation for International Cooperation, said. “It was from the beginning meant to incentivize long term mitigation action.” The initiative will also provide a limited amount of money through 2024 to incentivize plants in eligible countries to use, or restart, installed abatement technology. The German government is also offering technical support to China and other countries that are not eligible for funding. “Every country that is taking climate negotiations seriously and that wants to contribute to mitigation, sooner or later they will realize that it definitely makes sense to [address] these emissions from nitric acid production,” Schmidt said. The US Lags Behind in Emissions Controls Many of the nitric acid plants that abate their nitrous oxide emissions today are in the European Union, where a mandatory emissions trading program incentivizes chemical plants to reduce their emissions. A similar policy recently introduced in Australia has led to a significant uptick in Australian plants that abate their emissions, according to NACAG. With developing countries embracing German support and many developed countries addressing the issue, the United States could increasingly become an outlier in failing to address nitrous oxide emissions from nitric acid. The U.S. government doesn’t regulate or encourage nitrous oxide emissions reductions from chemical plants. Some plants have voluntarily initiated abatement measures and sell carbon credits to other businesses looking to offset their own emissions. The amount of money nitric acid producers can make on these markets, however, is relatively low, and most plants do not participate. Of the approximately 30 plants that produce nitric acid in the United States, few abate their emissions, according to EPA data. Those that do not abate include two nitric acid plants whose product is used to make adipic acid, another large and unregulated source of nitrous oxide emissions in the United States and China. In 2009, Vermont Law School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic sued the EPA on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Project and the Sierra Club in an unsuccessful effort to try to force the agency to set standards that would regulate N2O emissions from nitric acid plants. The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), an industry group representing nitric acid fertilizer producers, later stated in its 2011 annual report that it had kept the EPA, “through TFI’s extensive lobbying and regulatory efforts,” from adopting a standard for reducing nitrous oxide emissions by nitric acid plants. The organization preferred to give its member companies the opportunity to voluntarily reduce emissions. At the time, five nitric acid plants were voluntarily abating, reducing their emissions by a total of 8,700 tons of nitrous oxide per year. This demonstrates “that the industry is voluntarily reducing N2O emissions and that, as a result, EPA properly exercised its discretion not to propose a N2O standard,” William Herz, TFI’s then vice president of scientific programs, stated in written comments submitted to the agency. Since 2011, at least two more plants have begun to abate at least some of their emissions. One of them is the Donaldsonville Nitrogen Complex in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, which treats emissions from one of the facility’s four nitric acid production lines. The remaining emissions from the Donaldsonville plant, and all other nitric acid plants in the U.S., totaled 34,000 tons of nitrous oxide in 2019, according to data self-reported by the plants to the EPA. That is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 2.2 million automobiles. The Donaldsonville plant is the largest emitter. CF Industries, the owner of the plant, declined to comment other than to note that they have set a goal to reduce total CO2 equivalent emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In a recent financial report, the company said that more stringent greenhouse gas regulations, “if they are enacted, are likely to have a significant impact on us, because our production facilities emit GHGs such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.” The company said that “to the extent that GHG restrictions are not imposed in countries where our competitors operate or are less stringent than regulations that may be imposed in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, our competitors may have cost or other competitive advantages over us.” Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, one of the environmental organizations that filed the 2009 lawsuit against the EPA to try to require nitrous oxide regulations, said that if developing countries can move forward on emissions reductions, the U.S. can too. “Getting whipped by Uzbekistan is pretty bad,” Schaeffer said. “We ought to be able to hold our own against the old Soviet Republics.”
       
      Full Article: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30122020/chemical-plant-nitrous-oxide-climate-warming-emissions/
     
         
      We all have a role to play for a better tomorrow, UN Assembly President says in New Year message Wed, 30th Dec 2020 14:09:00
     
      In a message for the New Year, Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said that each individual, community, and country has a role to play, locally and globally, to reduce inequalities, protect the most vulnerable people, and create more just, safer societies “‘We the peoples’ are resilient,” he highlighted, referring to preambular words of the United Nations Charter. “Together, we can build peace around the world, uphold the human rights, and inherent dignity of every person, and implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Looking out for each other Mr. Bozkir also recalled the challenges humanity faced in 2020, and hoped for a better 2021. “We can be proud that, as individuals, we looked out for our neighbours over the past year,” he said, adding: “We have made it through a dark period in history, but there are brighter days ahead in 2021, as we begin the roll out of vaccines for all, which will be fundamental to our collective efforts, to safeguard humanity.” Power to achieve impossible The General Assembly President also applauded the “power of humanity” to achieve what may seem impossible, “just like the founders of the United Nations did seventy-five years ago.” “In 2021, there is only one New Year’s resolution that has the power to change the course of history, and that is, to work together to create a better world for all,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1081112
     
         
      Questions and answers about the UN mission to the SAFER oil tanker in Yemen Wed, 30th Dec 2020 12:05:00
     
      The vessel was converted in 1986 from the single hull oil carrier “Esso Japan”, initially built in 1976, to FSO SAFER. SAFER is legally owned by the national oil company, the Safer Exploration & Production Operation Company (SEPOC). Prior to the escalation of the conflict in 2015, the vessel was used to store and export oil from fields around Ma’rib. The de-facto authorities in Sana’a have controlled the waters where the SAFER is moored since 2015. 2. What would happen if there is a spill or other disaster onboard the SAFER? The tanker is reportedly holding nearly 1.1 million barrels of oil, which is about four times as much oil as spilled from the Exxon Valdez in 1989. The aging tanker has not undergone regular maintenance since the escalation of the conflict in 2015. SAFER’s structure, equipment and operating systems are deteriorating, leaving the tanker at risk of leaking, exploding or catching fire. A spill would have catastrophic environmental and humanitarian consequences. Research by independent experts indicates that a major oil spill would severely impact Red Sea ecosystems on which almost 30 million people depend, including at least 1.6 million Yemenis. All the fisheries along the Yemeni west coast would be impacted within days and the livelihoods of the fishing communities would collapse, at a time when 90 per cent of these populations are already dependent on humanitarian aid. The shores of Hudaydah, Hajjah and Taiz will likely be the worst-hit. If fire erupts on SAFER for any reason, more than 8.4 million people could be exposed to harmful levels of pollutants. A worst-case scenario could lead to the immediate closure of the key port of Hudaydah, which is estimated to cause steep increases in the prices of food and fuel and hinder the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to millions of Yemenis. Yemen, particularly in the north, cannot afford the closure of Hudaydah port. Yemen imports about 90 per cent of its staple food and almost everything else, and so the majority of Yemenis heavily rely on imports to meet their basic needs. A majority of imports enter through Hudaydah. The risk of Hudaydah port closing is even more alarming at a time when Yemen is facing a renewed risk of famine, as confirmed by recent food security assessments. Overall, the economic cost of an oil spill from the SAFER tanker to Yemen fisheries could run to an estimated $1.5 billion over 25 years. Other Red Sea littoral countries, including Djibouti, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia, are also likely to be impacted. A spill could also debilitate one of the world’s busiest commercial shipping routes through the Red Sea, which accounts for about 10 per cent of global trade. 3. What has the UN been doing to address the issue? The United Nations has been seeking to deploy an expert mission to assess the condition of the tanker and conduct initial repairs for over two years. In August 2019, the United Nations deployed a team of experts to Djibouti, which was to serve as the staging location for the mission, based on agreement in principle from all parties. That mission was cancelled after the de-facto Houthi authorities withdrew their approval the night before departure. Negotiations with the de-facto authorities in Sana’a have been ongoing ever since to deploy another mission. These discussions accelerated following reports of a leak of seawater into the SAFER engine room in May 2020. That leak was contained, but it is unclear how long the fix will last. Since then, the United Nations has been engaging with the de-facto authorities to agree on a detailed Scope of Work for the proposed mission, which has three clear objectives: To assess the condition of the SAFER oil tanker through analysis of its systems and structure; To conduct urgent possible initial maintenance that might reduce the risk of an oil leak until a permanent solution is applied; To formulate evidence-based options on what solutions are possible to permanently remove the threat of an oil spill. The United Nations received a letter on 21 November 2020 from the de-facto authorities in Sana’a officially signaling their approval of the Scope of Work. In light of this approval, the United Nations is now in a position to commence the logistical preparations for the mission, including by using donor funds to secure the technical experts and procure the necessary equipment. The Government of Yemen has expressed its full support for the proposed technical mission as well. The deployment of the initial expert mission will not eliminate the threat of an oil spill from SAFER. The mission is designed to produce the needed assessment and generate evidence-based options to permanently address the threat posed by the tanker. The United Nations has no prejudgment as to the outcome of the assessment. The technical experts will conduct light maintenance tasks in accordance with an agreed Scope of Work document, subject to having practical access, as well as environmental limitations, and other considerations regarding the personal safety of the mission’s staff, upholding the integrity of the vessel and its systems, and other relevant factors. In addition to working on the deployment of an expert mission, UN entities are also supporting contingency planning efforts aimed at strengthening readiness for assistance and response, should a spill occur. 4. What has changed since 2019? The situation is now even more urgent than it was in 2019. On 27 May, seawater leaked into the engine room, threatening to destabilize or sink the vessel and to cause a massive oil spill. It took the divers from the SAFER corporation a total of 28 hours under water over five days to contain the relatively small leak through a temporary fix. This was a dangerous and a very difficult task and it remains unclear how long this patch may hold. The next incident might not be something that can be contained. The explosion in the port of Beirut serves as a tragic reminder of the cost of inaction. The international community has been clearer than ever that it expects progress on this critical issue to be made, including at a special Security Council meeting dedicated to the SAFER on 15 July 2020. The mission will be deploying based on multiple rounds of constructive technical discussions with the de-facto authorities and a detailed, mutually-agreed Scope of Work document. 5. What is the Scope of Work document? The Scope of Work is a mutually-agreed technical document that outlines in detail the objectives of the mission and the tasks the mission staff will undertake once onboard the SAFER. It has been finalized following weeks of consultations with the de-facto authorities in Sana’a in an effort to ensure clarity and to avoid any misunderstandings that could lead to the mission’s delay or cancellation later. The Scope of Work was endorsed by the de-facto authorities in a formal letter dated 21 November. This has provided the United Nations with the required confidence to start spending donor money and begin the ongoing procurement process for the specialized equipment needed by the mission. The Scope of Work document can be found at this link 6. What is the timeline for the mission’s deployment? As of late December 2020, the United Nations estimates the mission team can arrive on site by midFebruary. However, the timing of deployment will depend on a number of factors including the market availability of the needed equipment and staff, shipping times and routes, transit weather conditions and funding availability. The mission will continue to require facilitation as planning progresses including additional permits and authorizations to enable the mission’s success. As such, the continued cooperation of all stakeholders, particularly the de-facto authorities in Sana’a, will be a crucial factor in the timely deployment of the mission. The United Nations appreciates the commitments received from all stakeholders to continue this facilitation.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1081162
     
         
      Bristol filmmaker says lockdowns are ‘opportunity’ against pollution Wed, 30th Dec 2020 11:24:00
     
      A young filmmaker has asked politicians to look to the various lockdown periods as an "opportunity" to tackle air pollution. Bristol-born Patch de Salis, 21, made Lessons From Lockdown to push his council to do more to protect people. He said: "Babies' lives are still being impacted from birth so what are we doing about it?" A Bristol City Council spokesman said plans are under way to quickly get to "compliant" levels of air pollution." Bristol has long suffered from poor air quality, particularly from high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The council is now under a legal obligation to reduce NO2 levels to within legal limits. The authority will be submitting its final plans to the government for reducing traffic air pollution in the city by February 2021. It hopes not to have to introduce a clean air zone (CAZ) if it can sustain the better air quality seen during the coronavirus pandemic. 'Chance to change' Mr de Salis said: "Young people are still not told enough about air pollution and how it's limiting our lives in Bristol so I hope my film can be used as a resource to inform. "Lockdown is an opportunity to fight air pollution so right now we have a chance to change. "A lot of people started running during lockdown and using their bikes more, so the situation for pollution was better. "We should try new things now whilst people are more conscious of their travel choices and health. "It's horrible to know that in working class areas like Lawrence Hill people don't really own cars but it's the most hit by air pollution and that's just not right." The council spokesman added: "We are continuing to work with citizens and businesses in the city to help sustain the less polluting travel behaviour we have seen during the periods of Covid-19 lockdown this year. "We are continuing to pursue all options that will get us to compliance in the shortest possible time." In the documentary, Bristol GP Dr Victoria Stamford says air pollution is a "silent public health emergency", causing asthma and reduced lung capacity in children. She said: "It affects people across their lifespan and all systems in the body from cradle to grave." Mr de Salis is looking to release a documentary on homelessness in Bristol in 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-55410805
     
         
      Turkey seeks gas discount and flexible contracts Wed, 30th Dec 2020 10:20:00
     
      The expiry of long-term, oil-indexed natural gas contracts at the end of 2021 offers Turkey an opportunity to negotiate more competitive gas prices based on more flexible terms, particularly with Russia. Next year will be a critical one for the gas sector, with the expiry of natural gas contracts amounting to 15.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) out of a total of 58 bcm. Of these expiring contracts, 6.6 bcm is from Azerbaijan, 8 bcm from Russia and 1.3 bcm from Nigeria. This is in conjunction with the expired gas contract of 2.1 bcm this September with Qatar, which is up for renewal in 2021. However, experts think that the gas contract renewal of 6.6 bcm with Azerbaijan is unlikely, as Turkey is already importing 6 bcm of natural gas via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP). Therefore, excluding imports from Azerbaijan; 11.4 bcm from Russia, Nigeria and Qatar, accounting for 20% of Turkey's total gas contract capacity, are up for negotiation. The ending of these contracts is considered a determinant of Turkey’s gas import costs and for the gas sector overall. Turkey is seeking to have a more flexible gas contract structure with Russia’s Gazprom following the expiry of the oil-indexed contracts, which were based on a take or pay obligation and did not allow for the re-export of imported gas. As Turkey no longer wants to carry the burden of restrictive contracts, it has, over the last few years, developed LNG and Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) storage facilities to allow for more flexible gas trade. "Thanks to this flexibility, Turkey benefited from LNG prices that hit the lowest levels in the second quarter of this year to supply a significant part of its gas needs via LNG," Volkan Yi?it, a partner at consultancy firm APLUS told Anadolu Agency. Turkey imported a record high level of around 12 bcm of LNG this year, considering Turkey's annual gas imports of around 45 bcm. These developments, he said, have strengthened Turkey's hand ahead of the critical year, 2021. - Lowest gas import cost in Q1 of 2021 Yi?it reiterated that Turkey wants to purchase gas at discounted rates, particularly from Russia. "The country expects this because Russia already made a 40% discount to Bulgaria at the beginning of this year. Russia made other price cuts during its negotiations with other European countries," he said. "We cannot limit Turkey's relationship with Russia in only natural gas trade as there are many other common issues, but I expect more advantageous contract conditions for Turkey after the negotiations." He stressed the importance of obtaining acceptable gas prices, as these will set a precedent in 2025 when the contract for 16 bcm of gas via the Blue Stream expires. Oil prices impact oil-indexed gas prices with a lag of six to nine months. Gas import costs were $285 per bcm in 2019 and dropped to around $210 this year, but Yi?it said that "Turkey will pay around $170 per bcm in the first quarter of 2021, which will be the lowest cost for gas imports for a long time due to falling oil prices this year.” However, he said that prices afterward would be higher in line with oil product pricing. Partner and Manager at ADG Natural Gas Consultancy, Gökhan Yard?m, highlighted the fact that Turkey is secure in its energy supplies, thanks to the country’s LNG infrastructure, storage facilities and the natural gas discovery in the Black Sea, even if all the capacity of the expiring contracts are not renewed. Turkey discovered the biggest offshore gas discovery in the world in 2020 with 405 bcm of natural gas in the Black Sea this year. Yard?m concluded that Turkey's demand for flexibility and discounted prices run in parallel with global developments in natural gas markets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-seeks-gas-discount-and-flexible-contracts-161262
     
         
      ‘Urgent action’ needed after air pollution levels soared in Nottingham after lockdown Wed, 30th Dec 2020 7:32:00
     
      There is a warning after Nottingham’s air pollution levels spiked this year compared to most other UK cities. Despite a fall in pollution in spring, levels rebounded in many areas of the country, with Nottingham coming up at 7th place. Data from the Centre for Cities shows that toxic air is set to rise significantly as it urges councils to press ahead with their stalled pollution reduction plans. The new analysis shows that, while the spring lockdown reduced NO2 levels by 38% on average across 49 cities and large towns, they rose again in the second half of the year as activity increased. As a result, NO2 levels have now hit or exceeded pre-pandemic levels in around 80% of places studied during the second half of 2020. This is despite 98% of the country remaining under significant lockdown restrictions – raising concerns that air quality will significantly worsen once life returns to normal next year. The Government has received final plans and approved Nottingham City Council to implement their plans for non-charging measures including traffic management, bus retrofits and taxi upgrades to deliver compliance with NO2 limits. Councillor Sally Longford, deputy leader of Nottingham City Council and Portfolio Holder for Energy and the Environment, said: “Any large city like Nottingham would have expected to see an increase in air pollution once the first national lockdown restrictions ended in the summer. “We currently have traffic back up to between 70 and 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, but the impact of the Clifton Bridge closure can’t be overlooked. This has affected the whole transport network for months, directly caused congestion on the ring road, disrupted bus routes, and drivers have lengthened their journeys to avoid it. All have unfortunately added to emissions levels. “However, our successful Emergency Active Travel schemes have encouraged more people to walk or cycle in Nottingham, helping to reduce air pollution. These have included new cycle lanes, widening of footpaths, car-free streets and pedestrianisation of Victoria Embankment. “We will make further cycling and walking improvements in Derby Road, Porchester Road, St Ann’s Wells Road and the A60, create reduced-traffic zones in Sherwood, support pupils and staff to travel to school in a more environmentally-friendly way, while introducing community cycle centres and hubs." Centre for Cities says policy makers must urgently revisit stalled pre-pandemic plans to reduce air pollution – which has been linked to 40,000 UK deaths per year. Councillor Longford continued: “In terms of air pollution, the Council’s 2018 action plan to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions helped to ensure that a Clean Air Zone was not required in Nottingham. But we want to go further and are developing plans which will require future developers to consider air quality during the planning and construction. “Nottingham also has a world-class public transport system which links miles of cycle lanes and footpaths with frequent electric trams and buses. Increasing sections of our own fleet are powered by electricity, including having some of the world’s first electric bin lorries, while we have made electric vans available to hire on short and long-term loans. “We continue to make good progress with our ambitious Carbon Neutral Action Plan, which was launched in July this year and sets out our aim to be the first city in the UK to be carbon-neutral by 2028. We expect to see improvements in air quality in the near future.” It comes as a UK charity which advises on tackling air pollution called the data "troubling". Sarah MacFadyen, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: “This analysis makes for troubling reading. Air pollution has a devastating impact on everyone's health and tackling this problem needs to go hand in hand with the Covid-19 response. "This includes reducing road traffic by proceeding with Clean Air Zones without further delay in the most polluted areas and setting world-leading limits on PM2.5 - the most worrying form of air pollution for lung health - within the Environment Bill. We also need detailed plans that set out how people will be supported to choose cleaner travel options. “The pandemic has shown us the importance of resilient lungs and improving air quality must be at the forefront of the recovery effort.” Centre for Cities says the data shows that increased post-pandemic home working will not keep air pollution down. Private vehicle usage, the main generator of toxic air pollution, has increased since May in line with the return of private cars to the road. Meanwhile, public transport usage has remained low. Because of this, mayors and council leaders must press ahead with plans to reduce private vehicle-related emissions. The charity advised that council leaders should discourage car usage by introducing clean air zones that charge drivers, encourage more public transport usage through improvements to bus, rail and tram systems and improve cycling and walking infrastructure to encourage more active forms of travel. Centre for Cities’ chief executive Andrew Carter said: “Toxic air has contributed to the deaths of thousands of Covid-19 victims this year and, even after the pandemic ends, will remain a big threat to health – particularly for those living in urban areas. “City leaders can reduce the threat of air pollution, but it will take political will. Discouraging car usage will be unpopular in the short-term but, if coupled with the necessary improvements to public transport, the long-term benefits to public health and the economy will be huge and our cities will become better places to live. Now is not the time for politicians to delay on this.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/urgent-action-needed-after-air-4818559
     
         
      Iceland's innovations to reach net-zero – in pictures Wed, 30th Dec 2020 7:00:00
     
      Isolated and challenged by a harsh climate and battered by the financial crisis of 2008, Iceland has successfully moved away from fossil fuels and shifted to 100% electricity production from renewable sources. The island nation has developed high-tech greenhouses to grow organic vegetables and embraced sustainable fish farming, ecotourism, breakthrough processes for carbon capture and disposal, and efforts to restore the forests that were lost in earlier centuries
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/dec/30/icelands-innovations-to-reach-net-zero-in-pictures
     
         
      Iraqi Kurdistan Finally Moves To Develop Massive Gas Resources Tue, 29th Dec 2020 18:00:00
     
      In tandem with Iraq’s reiterated target for crude oil production of 7 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2025, from the previous 5 mbpd, Baghdad has also stated that it will stop flaring gas by the same point (and to halt importing fuel from Iran by 2025 as well). These moves would be in line with Iraq’s endorsement in May 2017 of the United Nations and World Bank ‘Zero Routine Flaring’ initiative aimed at ending this type of routine flaring by 2030 and with the commitments made by Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, during his recent visit to Washington to reduce Baghdad’s dependence on Tehran. Since making the commitment to reducing gas flaring nearly three years ago, little of real significance has yet been achieved in the south of the country but there is some reason for optimism founded on economic necessity and on recent progress made in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq. The gas sector across Iraq as a whole can be regarded as a lost opportunity of epic proportion, as the official estimates are that its proven reserves of conventional natural gas amount to 3.5 trillion cubic metres (Tcm) - or about 1.5 per cent of the world total, placing Iraq 13th among global reserve-holders – with around three-quarters of these proven reserves consisting of associated gas. The International Energy Agency (IEA), though, estimates that ultimately recoverable resources will be considerably larger, at 8.0 Tcm, of which around 30 per cent is thought to be in the form of non-associated gas. Despite its commitment to reduce gas flaring, Iraq still ranks as the second worst offender for flaring associated gas in the world, after Russia, burning off around 18 billion cubic metres (Bcm) in 2019 alone (up from 16 Bcm around a year before). In practical terms, this costs the economy billions of dollars in lost revenue and has also contributed to the frequent power outages in Iraq, particularly during the summer months, which is difficult to equate with Iraq’s status as a leading global oil and gas power. In the semi-autonomous northern area of Iraqi Kurdistan, though, there have been some more tangible achievements in recent months, with an announcement just last week being illustrative of progress. UAE-based Dana Gas announced that it has restarted a key gas expansion project in the region, having reached a record 430 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) output level from the Khor Mor field in the middle of December. According to the company, it is looking to expand its capacity by another 250 mmcf/d by the first quarter of 2023, as part of its overall first phase expansion of Khor Mor gas production (to 650 mmcf/d) that had been scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2022 but had been delayed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second phase of the Khor Mor gas expansion - from 650 mmcf/d to 900 mmcf/d – is now likely to occur in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a comment last week from Dana Gas’s chief executive officer, Patrick Allman-Ward. This progress comes after a slew of delays from various other developers in the region in recent years, despite the huge gas resources in the area. Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources estimates that there is 25 Tcf of proved gas reserves and up to 198 Tcf of unproved gas resources, around 3 per cent of the world’s total deposits. The figures look realistic, given that the US Geological Survey (USGS) believes that undiscovered resources in just the Zagros fold belt of Iraq, a large part of which falls in the KRG area, amounts to around 54 Tcf of gas. Discovered reserves, though, total less than 10 Tcf of proved plus probable reserves, and less than 30 Tcf of contingent resources, with the bulk of this being non-associated gas located in the Iraq Kurdistan region’s central and southern areas, especially those in the Bina Bawi, Khurmala, Miran, and Chemchemal fields, in addition to the Khor Mor site. Additionally, judging from the 65 per cent success rate of drilling activity in its oil operations, the IEA believes that a high degree of prospectivity in gas operations is also likely. In the south of the country, there are initiatives underway but, as with so many such projects in the endemically-corrupt business environment in the country in the past it remains to be seen whether anything particularly tangible will emerge. The latest major announcement came in August from Iraq’s new Oil Minister, Ihsan Ismaael, that the long-stalled Ar Ratawi project is finally set to move forward. According to Ismaeel, the Ar Ratawi project – that will initially produce 300 mmcf/d before increasing output to 1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), which will allow for the production of 1.2 gigawatts (GW) GW of electricity – is still going to be pushed forward by Honeywell. This would likely be achieved, he added, by the same time that Iraq is able to produce 7 million bpd of oil – that is, 2025 – and 5 Bcf/d of gas, which is capable of generating 20 GW of electricity (although Iraq’s estimated power requirement by 2030 will be at least 35 GW).
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Iraqi-Kurdistan-Finally-Moves-To-Develop-Massive-Gas-Resources.html
     
         
      After record heat comes extreme cold to Russian Arctic coast Tue, 29th Dec 2020 15:30:00
     
      Temperatures have been extreme in the Arctic all through 2020. But not in the low end of the thermometer. As a matter of fact, heat records have come one after another across the vast northern region. The abnormal weather situation culminated in November and early December with average temperatures reaching 10-15 °C above normal in major parts of the Russian Arctic. However, as if in a last counter offensive, a wounded Arctic in late December hit back with a freeze harsher than far below normal. According to Russia’s weather research institute Roshydromet, the temperatures in several places in Siberia have now dropped to record lows. In the northern parts of the Krasnoyarsk region, the cold is in the days 29-31 December expected to descend to minus 48-50 °C. That extreme cold has persisted in the Taymyr Peninsula and Yamal for almost a week. In Igarka, the small town on the Yenisey river, the night-time temperature on the 25th December was between minus 45-50 °C and the same goes for the northern and eastern parts of the Yamal-Nenets region, Roshydromet informs. The extreme temperatures have complicated ship traffic in the area, and the military cargo ship Sparta-3 and its accompanying support vessel Kigoriak got stuck in the sea ice of Yenisey Bay for more than a week. The low temperature will lead to a significant freeze of the far northern rivers, bays and oceans that this year have stayed ice-free far longer than normal. By early November, major parts of the Laptev Sea remained ice-free and by early December, almost all the southern part of the Kara Sea was all open for shipping. Temperatures have been extreme in the Arctic all through 2020. But not in the low end of the thermometer. As a matter of fact, heat records have come one after another across the vast northern region. The abnormal weather situation culminated in November and early December with average temperatures reaching 10-15 °C above normal in major parts of the Russian Arctic. However, as if in a last counter offensive, a wounded Arctic in late December hit back with a freeze harsher than far below normal. According to Russia’s weather research institute Roshydromet, the temperatures in several places in Siberia have now dropped to record lows. In the northern parts of the Krasnoyarsk region, the cold is in the days 29-31 December expected to descend to minus 48-50 °C. That extreme cold has persisted in the Taymyr Peninsula and Yamal for almost a week. In Igarka, the small town on the Yenisey river, the night-time temperature on the 25th December was between minus 45-50 °C and the same goes for the northern and eastern parts of the Yamal-Nenets region, Roshydromet informs. Arctic temperatures on the 29th December 2020. Map by Roshydromet The extreme temperatures have complicated ship traffic in the area, and the military cargo ship Sparta-3 and its accompanying support vessel Kigoriak got stuck in the sea ice of Yenisey Bay for more than a week. The low temperature will lead to a significant freeze of the far northern rivers, bays and oceans that this year have stayed ice-free far longer than normal. By early November, major parts of the Laptev Sea remained ice-free and by early December, almost all the southern part of the Kara Sea was all open for shipping. ADVERTISEMENT However, the low temperatures will not stay for long. Meteorologists predict a continuation of the long-term dramatic warming of the Arctic. And temperature maps show that more eastern parts of the Russian Arctic at the same time experience temperatures far above normal. The town of Tiksi on the 29th December had temperatures up to 12 degrees °C above normal. Despite the current temperature dip in Taymyr and Yamal, the year 2020 is likely to become the warmest on record, not only in the Arctic, but on the planet as such.
       
      Full Article: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/2020/12/after-record-heat-comes-extreme-cold-russian-arctic-coast
     
         
      Wind powers more than half of UK electricity for first time Tue, 29th Dec 2020 13:25:00
     
      Wind power accounted for more than half of Britain's daily generated electricity on Saturday in the wake of Storm Bella, according to energy giant Drax. The percentage of wind power in the country's energy mix hit a record 50.67 percent on Saturday, the company said over the weekend, beating the previous record of 50 percent in August. "For the first time ever (on Saturday), amid #StormBella, more than half of Great Britain's electricity was generated by the wind," Drax Group tweeted. It added: "This is the first time ever wind has supplied the majority of the country's power over the course of a whole day." The encouraging news comes ahead of COP26, the UN's global climate change summit, which will be held in Glasgow next year. The British government wants offshore wind farms to provide one third of the country's electricity by 2030, as part of its strategy to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 to help meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord. The UK has also placed nuclear power at the heart of its low-carbon energy policy. "Britain has experienced a renewables revolution over the last decade with the growth of biomass, wind and solar power," Drax said. Added to the brightening picture, National Grid's Electricity System Operator (NGESO) division declared Tuesday that this year was a historic year for UK renewables. "2020 was the greenest year on record for Britain's electricity system, with average carbon intensity—the measure of CO2 emissions per unit of electricity consumed—reaching a new low," NGESO said in a statement. National Grid also revealed that on Christmas Day, December 25, the share of coal in the UK electricity mix stood at zero for the first time. That compared with just 1.8 percent the previous year—and 20 percent in 2009.
       
      Full Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-powers-uk-electricity.html
     
         
      Illegal deforestation rises in South America’s Indigenous territories, parks Tue, 29th Dec 2020 13:19:00
     
      Satellite data show tree cover loss in South America rose 2.8% between 2018 and 2019. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia had particularly big surges in deforestation. Preliminary data indicate the rate of deforestation has increased further in 2020 in many areas. Among the areas affected are Catatumbo Barí Natural National Park in Colombia, Siona Indigenous territory in Ecuador, Santa Martha Indigenous territory in Peru and the Concepción Lake Ramsar site in Bolivia, which together lost more than 36,000 hectares of forest cover over the past two decades. Sources say illegal agriculture is the driving force behind these incursions. Between 2010 and 2020, South America lost an average of 2.6 million hectares of forest per year, according the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In other words, the continent lost an area of forest the size of Ecuador in the space of a decade. And this rate of forest loss only appears to be increasing. Satellite data from the University of Maryland visualized on the online platform Global Forest Watch show tree cover loss in South America rose 2.8% between 2018 and 2019. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia had particularly big surges in deforestation. “We’ve been noticing an upsurge in deforestation in recent years in the Amazon, in general,” says María Olga Borja, a deforestation specialist at EcoCiencia, in Ecuador, and an analyst at the Amazon Network of Georeferenced Socio-environmental Information (RAISG). Preliminary UMD data for 2020 indicate a similar trend in 2020, with many regions registering higher numbers of deforestation alerts than during the same periods in 2019. For instance, between January and October 2020, UMD registered some 16,300 deforestation alerts in just two protected areas: Catatumbo Barí National Natural Park in Colombia and Concepción Lake Ramsar site in Bolivia. In addition, UMD recorded 57,600 alerts in two Indigenous territories: the Siona territory located on the border between Ecuador and Colombia and the Cacataibo Santa Martha Indigenous community in Peru. These four protected areas have lost more than 36,000 hectares in the last two decades, according to UMD data – the equivalent of more than 21,000 soccer fields. Sources say that among those responsible for this deforestation are armed narco-terrorist groups, smallholder farmers from surrounding areas and Mennonite communities. Data from UMD show that between January and October 2020, 4,700 deforestation alerts were recorded in Catatumbo Barí National Natural Park, which is located in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander. Experts say the alerts are associated with small-scale agriculture. “There are very profound changes in the protected area, which may indicate the presence of illegal crops judging by where they are located,” said Mikaela Weisse, a manager at Global Forest Watch, which is an initiative of World Resources Institute. Weisse said that the illegal crops in question are most likely coca plants – from which cocaine is made. Coca cultivation is expanding in Catatumbo Barí, according to Colombia’s Integrated Illicit Crops Monitoring System (SIMCI). In 2018, 872 hectares of coca crops were reported within the park; SIMCI’s latest report finds that that number had nearly doubled to 1,448 hectares in 2019, making Catatumbo Barí the most affected park in the country. “In general, deforestation seems to have continued steadily in the area since the beginning of this century,” Weisse said. Down along the Colombia/Ecuador border, satellite data show deforestation alerts cropping up throughout a territory that’s home to the Siona people. In the Colombian Siona community of Buenavista, satellite data show deforestation has been increasing since 2009, and preliminary data suggest 2020 may be the biggest year yet for deforestation in the territory. Deforestation appears to be particularly high in the area surrounding the Wisuyá community. “We found small patches of deforestation that are far from the roads, which makes us suspect the presence of coca,” Weisse said. Investigation by Mongabay Latam revealed that the small patches of deforestation found in Wisuyá are linked to clearing by drug traffickers to make space for mobile homemade drug laboratories where cocaine is processed. Colombia isn’t the only South American country seeing an increase in deforestation in its protected areas and Indigenous territories. Many sensitive areas of Peru are also losing their forests. For instance, satellite data shows deforestation in the Indigenous territories of central Peru increased between 2019 and 2020, particularly around the Cacataibo community in the Santa Martha Indigenous territory. “The pattern here is interesting, since the deforested spaces outside the community look very different from those inside it,” Weisse said. According to UMD data, Santa Martha lost 14% of its forest cover between 2001 and 2019, with with 2,535 deforestation alerts recorded between January and October, 2020. “We found that deforestation had restarted in August and there was a peak of 1,253 alerts in early October,” Weisse said. The accelerated loss of forest in Santa Martha and other Indigenous territories is linked to a wave of violence. At least one Indigenous leader has been killed this year and many others feel threatened and trapped after they confronted land invaders and drug traffickers, according to community members. Bolivia is also keenly feeling the repercussions of forest loss. Concepción Lake in the department of Santa Cruz is a Ramsar site, which denotes wetlands of international importance. But while Concepción Lake and the land surrounding it are protected on paper, it seemingly cannot escape the agricultural expansion that is gobbling up native habitat across the country. Over the past eight years, Mennonite communities have enlarged their agricultural holdings, using heavy machinery to extend their fields of soybeans, sorghum and other crops. This large-scale agriculture is violating environmental regulations and is subject to fines. But sources say laws are not enough to dissuade the communities from clearing land for commodity crops. “It is disturbing that when we try to inspect them and ask who authorized them, they reply that they have already paid their fine and, on that basis, they consider that the issue is already closed,” said Nair Arias, head of the environmental arm of the mayor’s office in Pailón, a district that includes the lake. “There has been quite a lot of large-scale agriculture in this area since around 2012,” said GFW’s Weisse. Weisse said deforestation has increased particularly quickly in the area just south of the lake. “We have two instances where incursions were made in the protected area this year: January and August,” she said. Illegal deforestation often takes a big toll on the communities that depend on the forest to survive. In Catatumbo Barí, residents of the Barí Indigenous territory report invasions by growers of illegal coca crops. Even government intervention can inflict collateral damage on communities, with anonymous sources alleging that spray used to eradicate illegal crops also destroyed the community’s subsistence farms. Most of Catatumbo Barí overlaps with Barí indigenous Territory, which contains two reservations: Motilón Barí and Gabarra-Catalaura. In 2019 1,448 hectares of forest were cleared for the illegal cultivation of coca within the park, according to SIMCI, representing a 66% jump over 2018. A report produced by SIMCI found that the most significant problem in the park is the presence of four narco-terrorist groups: the National Liberation Army (ELN), the dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). As of November this year, seven leaders and human rights defenders have been killed in the Catatumbo region, and more than 50 death threats have been reported for reasons related to drug trafficking, according to the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace in Colombia (INDEPAZ). Local authorities say this climate of violence makes it impossible to have monitoring bases and guard posts in the protected area. The Siona Indigenous territory, located in the Putumayo watershed of Ecuador and Colombia, as well as the Cacataibo Indigenous Territory of Peru are report similar issues of violence fueled by deforestation activities. “What we observed in Putumayo is that key people in the Indigenous territories represent a kind of barrier to deforestation,” said María Olga Borja from Ecociencia. She urges greater involvement from Ecuadorian and Colombian authorities. “We see the greatest deforestation on the outskirts of the Indigenous territories, but over the years more deforestation has been observed inside them,” Borja said. In Buenavista, the Siona community located in Colombia, the latest SIMCI data indicate 172 hectares were deforested for coca cultivation in 2019. Community advocates say one of the most important ways to protect Indigenous territories is to formally recognize community ownership through land titles. And that, all too often, this official recognition is lacking. “From a regulatory perspective, Indigenous territories remain unprotected,” said Pedro Tipula, a specialist at the Institute for the Common Good (IBC) in Peru. Currently, only around 30% of native Colombian communities are registered, according to the National Superintendency of Public Registries (SUNARP). “And even if they are, sometimes you just find a plan or a description, but you don’t have a complete determination,” Tipula said. “They have imperfect titles.” Lack of official land ownership isn’t just an issue in Colombia, but is a common problem for Indigenous communities around the world. For instance, the Cacataibo Indigenous community that inhabits Peru’s Santa Martha territory possesses titles for its land; however, sources say that because the titles don’t contain specific language regarding communal use, outsider-driven deforestation activities are still commonplace within the territory. “The area that the locality requested as an extension of its territory is now subdivided into individual parcels of land,” Tipula said. “It is these areas that are now deforested.”
       
      Full Article: https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/illegal-deforestation-rises-in-south-americas-indigenous-territories-parks/
     
         
      The environmental argument in favour of HS2 Tue, 29th Dec 2020 13:11:00
     
      A report has been published looking at the environmental impact of HS2, and with some caveats, is largely positive about how HS2 will improve the environment. Commissioned by the High-Speed Rail Group, it doesn’t look at CO2, but at biodiversity in nature along the railway, before and after it’s built and what impacts the railway will have. Let’s get the elephant out of the room, a report by an organisation called High-Speed Rail Group is never going to put out a report critical of high-speed rail, just as a group called, for example, StopHS2 is unlikely to ever put out a report that’s positive about HS2. The facts sit somewhere between the two, and reports by both sides of the debate should be read to get a balanced approach to the debate. While the detractors say that HS2 has a damaging effect on wildlife, the report suggests that once construction works are over, the benefits of the “green corridor” being built around HS2 turns the project in effect, into an environmental positive. That’s just in terms of plant and wildlife alone. The benefits from shifting road and air traffic to rail, and boosting commuter rail is a substantial CO2 and environmental benefit of its own. One of the bigger benefits of a long railway is that it’s able to create links between pockets of wildlife otherwise isolated in bubbles of modern farmland. The ribbon of nature running alongside existing railways is one of the lesser appreciated aspects of the UK’s railway infrastructure. It does, however, fit in with modern thinking about how to support biodiversity in the countryside, rather than trying to protect the bubbles as isolated entities, to join them up into larger bubbles, using the railway as the linking joints. The report notes the Phase 1 of the HS2 project creates more of these green bridges than currently exist in the UK. One of the reasons why HS2 can be better at creating these wildlife corridors is because of the thing that often makes anti-railway campaigners hate the railway — it’s wider than a normal railway. Although the trackbed is only about a metre wider than a slower railway, because it needs to be straighter, that often involves more embankments and cuttings than a slower railway would need — and those wider slopes needed by HS2 aren’t used for farming, and so make for much wider nature corridors between isolated pockets of woodland. It’s seemingly a paradox that high-speed rail can do more to improve biodiversity than a slower railway could achieve. However, one of the controversial aspects of HS2 is ancient woodland. As has been previously shown, the practical impact is — to use a loaded term — negligible as a percentage of the total remaining. And as so much more woodland is being planted than destroyed, the long term effect is a net gain in woodland — some of which will, in turn, go on to become ancient itself over time. HS2 could have reduced the ancient woodland impact further by being more curvey in design — that is fewer straight lines cutting into small woods scattered along the route — but curvey railways tend to be slower railways, and a slow railway cannot be upgraded later to a fast one, whereas woodland regrows. Responding to the seemingly inevitable rise in temperatures, about a third of the newly planted trees are species that thrive in slightly warmer climates. A sensible mitigation to climate change, if a regrettable necessity. The impact of climate change is also a reminder that railways are a far less damaging way of travel than cars and planes, and railways been fast is likely to be a key selling point for long-distance travel. As the report notes, the UK is unlikely now to ever be a biodiversity hotspot, too much damage has been done in the past, but the opportunity caused by the construction of HS2 should be a trigger to improve wildlife along the route and help join up those isolated wildlife bubbles severed by the rise of modern life. It does, however, highlight a disappointing situation, in that the anti-railway lobby is now so angry that environmental mitigations are being hidden from view or otherwise delayed to avoid too much local publicity. This causes a feedback loop of only the bad news being reported, so HS2 looks worse than it is, leading to more angry voices joining the protests. Landowners and engineers are deferring environmental improvements to avoid becoming targets for the activists. Regardless of your views about something, people living in fear is not a solution to anything. That sort of thing has to stop. The railway is being built – let’s work to maximise the environmental benefits that come from it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2020/12/29/the-environmental-argument-in-favour-of-hs2/
     
         
      PivotBuoy Floater Assembly Underway in Gran Canaria Tue, 29th Dec 2020 11:45:00
     
      At the beginning of December, the components of the part-scale PivotBuoy floating wind platform arrived at the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where they are now being assembled. The manufacturing commenced this summer at DEGIMA facilities in Santander, Spain, after X1 Wind and its partners completed and approved the design of the single point mooring system platform for floating wind turbines at the beginning of the year. The platform will be installed at a test site at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) in Gran Canaria. The prototype, which will feature a part-scale platform with a Vestas V29 turbine, was planned to have been installed this autumn at the test site in Spain. X1 Wind, which leads the PivotBuoy floating wind project, announced this month that it had been selected in the last round of funding in the pilot phase of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/12/29/pivotbuoy-floater-assembly-underway-in-gran-canaria/
     
         
      When Greta Thunberg met Margaret Atwood... on Zoom Tue, 29th Dec 2020 10:27:00
     
      This is what happened when teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and veteran author and environmentalist Margaret Atwood were brought together by Radio 4's Today Programme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-55363631
     
         
      Is nuclear fusion the answer to the climate crisis? Mon, 28th Dec 2020 10:00:00
     
      If all goes as planned, the US will eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions from its electricity sector by 2035 – an ambitious goal set by President-elect Joe Biden, relying in large part on a sharp increase in wind and solar energy generation. That plan may soon get a boost from nuclear fusion, a powerful technology that until recently had seemed far out of reach. Researchers developing a nuclear fusion reactor that can generate more energy than it consumes have shown in a series of recent papers that their design should work, restoring optimism that this clean, limitless power source will help mitigate the climate crisis. While the new reactor still remains in early development, scientists hope it will be able to start producing electricity by the end of the decade. Martin Greenwald, one of the project’s senior scientists, said a key motivation for the ambitious timeline is meeting energy requirements in a warming world. “Fusion seems like one of the possible solutions to get ourselves out of our impending climate disaster,” he said. Nuclear fusion, the physical process that powers our sun, occurs when atoms are pushed together at extremely high temperatures and pressure, causing them to release tremendous amounts of energy by merging into heavier atoms. Since it was first discovered last century, scientists have sought to harness fusion, an extremely dense form of power whose fuel – hydrogen isotopes – are abundant and replenishable. Moreover, fusion produces no greenhouse gases or carbon, and unlike fission nuclear reactors, carries no risk of meltdown. Harnessing this form of nuclear power, though, has proven extremely difficult, requiring heating a soup of subatomic particles, called plasma, to hundreds of millions of degrees – far too hot for any material container to withstand. To work around this, scientists developed a donut-shaped chamber with a strong magnetic field running through it, called a tokamak, which suspends the plasma in place. MIT scientists and a spinoff company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, began designing the new reactor, which is more compact than its predecessors, in early 2018, and will start construction in the first half of next year. If their timeline goes as planned, the reactor, called Sparc, will be capable of producing electricity for the grid by 2030, according to researchers and company officials. This would be far faster than existing major fusion power initiatives. Existing reactor designs are too large and expensive to realistically generate electricity for consumers. Through the use of cutting-edge, ultra-strong magnets, the team at MIT and Commonwealth Fusion hope to make a tokamak reactor that is compact, efficient and scalable. “What we’ve really done is combine an existing science with new material to open up vast new possibilities,” Greenwald said Having demonstrated that the Sparc device can theoretically produce more energy than it requires to run in the research papers published in September, the next step involves building the reactor, followed by a pilot plant that will generate electricity onto the grid. Scientists and entrepreneurs have long made promises about fusion being just around the corner, only to encounter insurmountable problems. This has created reluctance to invest in it, particularly as wind, solar and other renewables — although less powerful than fusion — have become more efficient and cost effective. But the tide is changing. In Biden’s $2tn plan, he named advanced nuclear technologies as part of the decarbonization strategy, the first time the Democrats have endorsed nuclear energy since 1972. There is also significant investment coming from private sources, including some major oil and gas companies, who see fusion as a better long term pivot than wind and solar. According to Bob Mumgaard, chief executive of Commonwealth Fusion, the aim is not to use fusion to replace solar and wind, but to supplement them. “There are things that will be hard to do with only renewables, industrial scale things, like powering large cities or manufacturing,” he said. “This is where fusion can come in.” The plasma science community is generally enthusiastic about Sparc’s progress, though some question the ambitious timeline, given engineering and regulatory hurdles. Daniel Jassby, who worked as a research scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab for 25 years, is skeptical about whether a fusion reactor like SPARC will ever provide a feasible alternative source of energy. Tritium, one of the hydrogen isotopes that will be used as fuel by Sparc, is not naturally occurring and will need to be produced, he said. The team at MIT propose that this substance will be regenerated continuously by the fusion reaction itself. But Jassby believes that this will require a huge amount of electricity, which will make the reactor prohibitively expensive. “When you consider we get solar and wind energy for free, to rely on fusion reaction would be foolish,” he said. Mumgaard concedes that the challenges that lie ahead are daunting. But he remains confident. “There is a broader trend in acknowledging how important climate is and that we need all hands on deck,” he said. “We got into this problem with technology, but with fusion there are big opportunities to solve this with technology.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/28/nuclear-fusion-power-climate-crisis
     
         
      Russian Sustainability Scores Rise, But Climate Goal Still Lags Mon, 28th Dec 2020 6:00:00
     
      A disconnect between Russia’s climate policies and the sustainability ratings of some of its biggest companies highlights the challenges investors face in assessing environmental, social and governance performance. While ESG scores for companies like Novatek PJSC and Polyus PJSC rank on par or better than many of their international peers, their ambitious growth plans will contribute to a forecast increase in Russia’s greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. Favorable ratings have become a priority as impact investments, which are designed to be both socially and financially rewarding, surge in popularity and many funds demand more accountability. Assets in impact funds swelled to $715 billion at the end of last year from $8 billion in 2012, according to the Global Impact Investing Network. “ESG ratings are a valuable tool for investors and sustainability advocates alike, but they are not uniformly standardized, transparent, or accountable,” said Ariel Pinchot, an associate with the World Resource Institute’s Sustainable Finance Center. “They should be interpreted with some caution.” The improving scores in Russia, the world’s fourth-biggest carbon emitter, exposes the difficulties of assessing companies involved in extractive industries in an economy that needs them for growth. Russia remains a resource-based economy where oil and gas taxes account for nearly a third of revenues. After President Vladimir Putin ratified the Paris Agreement last year, the Economy Ministry published a strategy in March that foresees an increase in emissions while reducing carbon intensity over the next decade. ESG Emphasis Concepts of socially-acceptable policies in Russia, where domestic violence was partially decriminalized in 2017 and “homosexual propaganda” to minors is outlawed, also differ widely from European and U.S. investors’ expectations. Russian companies “lag global peers on climate targets and lack biodiversity management approaches while disclosure of controversies, particularly around social issues, remains limited,” said Bonnie Saynay, head of Research and Data Strategy for ISS ESG. Still, many large Russian companies are placing more emphasis on ESG, including environmental remediation, according to Saynay. “Directionally, this is what investors are looking for,” she said. Cleaning Up Large Russian companies are improving their MSCI ESG ratings Natural gas producer Novatek this month was upgraded by MSCI ESG to A, the highest rating held by a Russian oil and gas company and just two steps below the top score. Polyus, Russia’s largest gold miner, scored ahead of 72% of its peers in the 2020 SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment. MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC received an overall rating upgrade from FTSE4Good despite being responsible for the largest Arctic fuel spill ever in May. “The improvements reflect the fact that Russia’s biggest companies are really devoting resources to environmental and social issues,” said Boris Krasnojenov, chief of research at Alfa Bank. “It’s also due to increased attention to ESG by investor relations departments.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-28/russian-sustainability-scores-rise-but-climate-goal-still-lags
     
         
      Speeding Toward Improved Hydrogen Fuel Production With a New Nanomaterial Sat, 26th Dec 2020 18:07:00
     
      A new nanomaterial helps obtain hydrogen from a liquid energy carrier, in a key step toward a stable and clean fuel source. Hydrogen is a sustainable source of clean energy that avoids toxic emissions and can add value to multiple sectors in the economy including transportation, power generation, metals manufacturing, among others. Technologies for storing and transporting hydrogen bridge the gap between sustainable energy production and fuel use, and therefore are an essential component of a viable hydrogen economy. But traditional means of storage and transportation are expensive and susceptible to contamination. As a result, researchers are searching for alternative techniques that are reliable, low-cost and simple. More-efficient hydrogen delivery systems would benefit many applications such as stationary power, portable power, and mobile vehicle industries. Now, as reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have designed and synthesized an effective material for speeding up one of the limiting steps in extracting hydrogen from alcohols. The material, a catalyst, is made from tiny clusters of nickel metal anchored on a 2D substrate. The team led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab) Molecular Foundry found that the catalyst could cleanly and efficiently accelerate the reaction that removes hydrogen atoms from a liquid chemical carrier. The material is robust and made from earth-abundant metals rather than existing options made from precious metals, and will help make hydrogen a viable energy source for a wide range of applications. “We present here not merely a catalyst with higher activity than other nickel catalysts that we tested, for an important renewable energy fuel, but also a broader strategy toward using affordable metals in a broad range of reactions,” said Jeff Urban, the Inorganic Nanostructures Facility director at the Molecular Foundry who led the work. The research is part of the Hydrogen Materials Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC), a consortium funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (EERE). Through this effort, five national laboratories work towards the goal to address the scientific gaps blocking the advancement of solid hydrogen storage materials. Outputs from this work will directly feed into EERE’s H2@Scale vision for affordable hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization across multiple sectors in the economy. Chemical compounds that act as catalysts like the one developed by Urban and his team are commonly used to increase the rate of a chemical reaction without the compound itself being consumed—they might hold a particular molecule in a stable position, or serve as an intermediary that allows an important step to be reliably to completed. For the chemical reaction that produces hydrogen from liquid carriers, the most effective catalysts are made from precious metals. However, those catalysts are associated with high costs and low abundance, and are susceptible to contamination. Other less expensive catalysts, made from more common metals, tend to be less effective and less stable, which limits their activity and their practical deployment into hydrogen production industries. To improve the performance and stability of these earth-abundant metal-based catalysts, Urban and his colleagues modified a strategy that focuses on tiny, uniform clusters of nickel metal. Tiny clusters are important because they maximize the exposure of reactive surface in a given amount of material. But they also tend to clump together, which inhibits their reactivity. Postdoctoral research assistant Zhuolei Zhang and project scientist Ji Su, both at the Molecular Foundry and co-lead authors on the paper, designed and performed an experiment that combatted clumping by depositing 1.5-nanometer-diameter nickel clusters onto a 2D substrate made of boron and nitrogen engineered to host a grid of atomic-scale dimples. The nickel clusters became evenly dispersed and securely anchored in the dimples. Not only did this design prevent clumping, but its thermal and chemical properties greatly improved the catalyst’s overall performance by directly interacting with the nickel clusters. “The role of the underlying surface during the cluster formation and deposition stage has been found to be critical, and may provide clues to understanding their role in other processes” said Urban. Detailed X-ray and spectroscopy measurements, combined with theoretical calculations, revealed much about the underlying surfaces and their role in catalysis. Using tools at the Advanced Light Source, a DOE user facility at Berkeley Lab, and computational modeling methods, the researchers identified changes in the physical and chemical properties of the 2D sheets while tiny nickel clusters occupy pristine regions of the sheets and interact with nearby edges, thus preserving the tiny size of the clusters. The tiny, stable clusters facilitated the action in the processes through which hydrogen is separated from its liquid carrier, endowing the catalyst with excellent selectivity, productivity, and stable performance. Calculations showed that the catalyst’s size was the reason its activity was among the best relative to others that have recently been reported. David Prendergast, director of the Theory of Nanostructured Materials Facility at the Molecular Foundry, along with postdoctoral research assistant and co-lead author Ana Sanz-Matias, used models and computational methods to uncover the unique geometric and electronic structure of the tiny metal clusters. Bare metal atoms, abundant on these tiny clusters, more readily attracted the liquid carrier than did larger metal particles. These exposed atoms also eased the steps of the chemical reaction that strips hydrogen from the carrier, while preventing the formation of contaminants that may clog the surface of the cluster. Hence, the material remained free of pollution during key steps in the hydrogen production reaction. These catalytic and anti-contamination properties emerged from the imperfections that had been deliberately introduced to the 2D sheets and ultimately helped keep the cluster size small. “Contamination can render possible non-precious metal catalysts unviable. Our platform here opens a new door to engineering those systems,” said Urban. In their catalyst, the researchers achieved the goal of creating a relatively inexpensive, readily available, and stable material that helps to strip hydrogen from liquid carriers for use as a fuel. This work came out of a DOE effort to develop hydrogen storage materials to meet the targets of EERE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and to optimize the materials for future use in vehicles. Future work by the Berkeley Lab team will further hone the strategy of modifying 2D substrates in ways that support tiny metal clusters, to develop even more efficient catalysts. The technique could help to optimize the process of extracting hydrogen from liquid chemical carriers. Reference: “Enhanced and stabilized hydrogen production from methanol by ultrasmall Ni nanoclusters immobilized on defect-rich h-BN nanosheets” by Zhuolei Zhang, Ji Su, Ana Sanz Matias, Madeleine Gordon, Yi-Sheng Liu,Jinghua Guo, Chengyu Song, Chaochao Dun, David Prendergast, Gabor A. Somorjai and Jeffrey J. Urban, 24 November 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/speeding-toward-improved-hydrogen-fuel-production-with-a-new-nanomaterial/
     
         
      China Grabs Control Of LNG Infrastructure In Move To Bolster Energy Security Sat, 26th Dec 2020 16:00:00
     
      In recent months China has earned itself a prime spot in lots of energy headlines thanks to President Xi Jinping’s ambitious carbon curbing and clean energy goals. China is currently the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter by a huge margin--its emissions are almost double that of the next runner up, the United States. It’s therefore huge news and a ray of hope for all of us Earthlings that Beijing has announced that it will be reaching peak emissions in just ten years and then bringing its currently considerable carbon footprint all the way down to zero by just 2060. This is no small feat. While this is great news for the climate and has been some truly excellent PR for China and President Xi’s administration, this development was largely unmotivated by climate concerns. China’s decision to double down on renewable energy has far more to do with energy security--one of Beijing’s primary concerns. China’s voracious appetite for energy has so far been met with huge volumes of foreign energy imports, and China is doing everything in its power to wean itself off of foreign fossil fuels and become an energy producing giant in its own right. So far that has involved making aggressive moves into largely undeveloped foreign energy markets, ramping up coal production abroad where the emissions will not be attributed to China but to the countries where China is now operating, and big inversions into nuclear energy. Now, just this week, China has revealed the newest phase in its energy security strategy, and it involves a new state-owned and -run pipeline buying out a huge chunk of the assets owned by Kunlun Energy Co., the country's biggest pipeline company. “China’s pipeline network behemoth inked a $6.3 billion asset purchase in the latest step to bolster the nation’s energy security and break down market barriers,” World Oil reported this week. Kunlun shares received a huge bump after the news came out that the company would be selling a whopping 60% stake in a natural gas pipeline located in beijing and an even heftier 75% stake in its liquefied natural gas subsidiary company Dalian for a 40.9 billion yuan price tag. The buyer is China’s brand new state-owned firm aptly called PipeChina, which began operations in October. Kunlun, too, is the subsidiary of a state-owned energy company. It exists under the umbrella of PetroChina Co., the majority owner of a Beijing pipeline and other key LNG transport infrastructure. “China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corp. is part of an effort by President Xi Jinping’s government to consolidate the nation’s major pipelines and other midstream facilities into a single firm, intended to boost competition among drillers and downstream oil and gas sellers,” World Oil elaborated. Even before these developments, China was on track to reach record LNG imports in the coming year. In September, Reuters reported that Chinese LNG imports were projected to grow 10%, with the nations total gas use expected to expand 4-6% this year even as the rest of the world sees its natural gas markets shrink. “China is the only major bright spot on the world gas market, where demand is set to fall by about 4% as the global economy contracts due to coronavirus lockdowns,” read the report. At this rate China will unseat Japan as the global leader of LNG imports in just two years. While it's unlikely that China will be able to replace these imports with domestically produced energy in the short term, this latest move by President Xi to consolidate China’s pipeline infrastructure will allow his administration to bolster their control of the industry and contribute to Beijing’s long-term energy security goals.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/China-Grabs-Control-Of-LNG-Infrastructure-In-Move-To-Bolster-Energy-Security.html
     
         
      Sutton Bridge Parish Council pleased that plans have been submitted for solar farm Sat, 26th Dec 2020 6:47:00
     
      Sutton Bridge Parish councillors have expressed their happiness over the announcement that plans have been submitted for a solar farm project in the village. Speaking during the parish council’s final meeting of the year, held virtually, councillors revealed that plans had been submitted by EDF Renewables (EDF R) to install what would be the company’s largest solar farm project in the country on land neighbouring Sutton Bridge Power Station. Following consultations with residents, the parish, district and county councils and, the renewable energy operator and developer has submitted the plans to South Holland District Council to install the 49.9 MW solar farm. Speaking during their district councillor reports at the meeting, both Coun Chris Brewis and Coun Michael Booth confirmed that the application had been submitted. Coun Booth said: “The planning application which was hoping to be submitted in September has now gone in. “This is the first planning application for a large scale solar farm project in the UK by EDF so it could be one of the biggest we have seen. “It should generate enough power for 16,100 households annually which I think would be good news.” EDF R has said that the solar farm would be capable of generating enough renewable electricity for the domestic needs of 16,100 households annually if given approval, saving around 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. As part of consultations, EDF R sent out leaflets and put on a virtual exhibition to gain comments and address concerns. Areas raised included transport and access, glint and glare and community benefits. In response to feedback from members of the public, EDF R has said it will be offering a community benefit fund of up to £10,000 every year for the duration of the project, and will offer additional planting, including native species hedgerows, to screen the panels from view. The planning, design and access statement provided with the application states: “The construction phase of the development is expected have a duration of approximately 6 months and planning permission is sought for an operational period of 40 years. The site would be fully decommissioned and restored at the end of the planning permission period.” The company has also carried out a number of ecological and other feasibility surveys and is satisfied the site is an excellent location for solar, with high levels of irradiation and a nearby grid connection. The statement reads: “Considerable care has been taken in the design of the development to avoid unacceptable environmental and amenity effects, whilst ensuring that the development can make a significant contribution to the UK’s requirement for renewable energy generation.” EDF Renewables head of development, Stephen Walls said: “We are really pleased to be able to respond positively to some of the feedback received from local people. EDF Renewables is an experienced renewables developer and Sutton Bridge is the forefront of several solar projects we have planned in the UK. Our renewables projects will enable us to contribute to the UK’s green economic recovery from COVID-19 and help the country reach its net zero targets.” A decision is due to be made on the application by early February, 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/plans-go-in-for-solar-farm-9146481/
     
         
      New Zealand readers say 'everything' must be prioritised in battle against climate change Fri, 25th Dec 2020 19:00:00
     
      Reducing emissions from transport and agriculture topped the list but readers also believe there are no easy answers After prime minister Jacinda Ardern declared a climate emergency this month, we asked you what New Zealand should prioritise to meet its climate change goals. The responses varied widely, although there was broad consensus that more needed to be done to reduce emissions from agriculture and transport. Some of you argued for better urban design, while others advocated the introduction of a carbon tax, investment in renewable energy and more sustainable housing, efforts to reduce plastic waste and an increase in the planting of native trees. Many of you also urged Ardern to exhibit the same leadership she showed during the Covid-19 crisis, to be brave in making decisions and honest with New Zealanders about the changes required to meet her government’s goals. Here is a selection of your answers: ‘No easy fix’ Like the rest of the world it [NZ’s climate response] needs to do everything. Climate change is complex and there’s no easy fix. The solution is to reduce emissions across the board, and that means moving away from a lifestyle based on individual “success” to one based on collective wellbeing. That means bigger government, with more regulation and a stronger influence on what people and businesses do. It means a fairer distribution of wealth, better education, better public facilities (including transport), more emphasis on quality of life and less on material wealth, less “development” and more “conservation”. To put it simply, less greed and more sharing. It means changing society, and you can’t do that by focusing on one or two things. David Briggs, 72, Mapua ‘Farmers need time and support to change their practices’ It’s very hard to choose any one priority because we need to do EVERYTHING we can. I do, however, see a big opportunity in the agricultural sector that is being neglected. Farmers need time and support to change their practices. We have one of the top agricultural universities in the world and the government needs to start working with our local experts to solve the problems of agricultural emissions in a fair way that does not make farmers pay the bill. This is a time to be brave and start early, not avoid difficult decisions. Krista, 40, Auckland ‘Invest in public transport over highways and roads’ The government should invest heavily in New Zealand’s public transport systems which have been underfunded for decades. Public transport should be prioritised over highways and roads. With projects including light rail, busways and cycleways within the country’s cities and intercity high-speed rail connecting them. This should be done to remove the necessity to own a car in New Zealand and allowing for the goal of banning all non-electric car imports by 2030 at the earliest. Ethan Maxwell-Garner, 19, Auckland ‘Remove our money from those that supply or support fossil fuel industries’ New Zealand should focus on transitioning to lower emissions transport choices, including private vehicles and freight. There should also be more focus on our buildings and construction sector to make our long term infrastructure fit for the future. For individuals, one of the best things we can do is remove our money from those that supply or support fossil fuel industries. Moving our KiwiSavers and other investments into carbon neutral or carbon negative industries. This divestment should be done across public and civic institutions, with a heavy move by responsible private entities to do the same. The farming industry needs to be brought on board, but with a strategic plan and adequate support to transition their practices. That may mean more use of offsetting emissions, if they aren’t avoidable. Jade Kasoof, 27, Auckland ‘Bins are getting bigger and bigger as we waste more’ I would like us to focus on reduction of waste. I think it’s crazy the amount of stuff that gets made as packaging or single use products that is then just thrown in a hole in the ground ... We never actually address the fact that manufacturers just don’t seem to care about it ... the energy the raw materials etc etc that are all used and then just dumped ... yet we focus on farmers or single use plastic bags at the supermarket … but I tell you what, my wheelie bins were never full of “single-use plastic bags” and its only getting worse ... bins are getting bigger and bigger as we waste more and more ... this consumer economy based on an endless supply of cheap crap is really scary. Ben Wilden, 41 , Central Otago ‘We need the government to be brave’ I think the government’s recent pledges are good but agriculture must be pressed to make the necessary changes. Some farmers will need financial incentives to change from the dairy and meat industries. Transport is another high priority – getting rid of diesel vehicles and subsidising public transport further. Housing – all new housing should have solar power and water collection and the renovation of existing homes to follow suit. We need the government to be brave and lead the way – but also that individuals need to recognise that we must all do our bit to reduce our carbon footprint. We don’t have time to dither – we need to recognise this as a real threat to our very existence. Bob Gray, 60, Auckland ‘Start leading’ If the government of NZ has declared a climate emergency then they need to start leading by telling everyone what we need to be doing. They were extremely effective in communicating what we needed to do with Covid. Now they need to do the same with the climate emergency. Treat it as an emergency. What are we all doing to combat this crises. Come on Jacinda – step up, front up like you did with Covid. Ruth Caisley, 67, Northland ‘Stop allowing fossil-fuel-derived carbon to be offset with trees’ Put a meaningful price on carbon, that reflects the true damage costs: somewhere over $100 / tonne of CO2. Stop subsidising companies with free carbon credits. And stop allowing fossil-fuel-derived carbon to be offset with trees, as they are not equivalent – unless you can guarantee your forest will stand untouched for the next 100 million years! Many companies say they’d love to operate more sustainably, if only the price signals were there. There’s a reluctance to raise carbon prices, because of the perception that end consumers would have to foot the bill. But why not simply return all the proceeds to consumers via a citizens’ dividend? Most people would end up better off, unless they’re very frequent flyers or own a large boat. The idea of saving us money by doing nothing is appalling. It’s like ignoring debt with an enormous interest rate. We and our children will pay dearly for it later. Ben Whitmore, 43, Raglan
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/26/new-zealand-readers-say-everything-must-be-prioritised-in-battle-against-climate-change
     
         
      Korean Artificial Sun – KSTAR Fusion Reactor – Sets New World Record Fri, 25th Dec 2020 17:03:00
     
      KSTAR sets the new world record of 20-sec-long operation at 100 million °C. Aims to continuously operate high-temperature plasma over the 100-million-degree for 300 seconds by 2025. The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), a superconducting fusion device also known as the Korean artificial sun, set the new world record as it succeeded in maintaining the high temperature plasma for 20 seconds with an ion temperature over 100 million degrees. On November 24, 2020, the KSTAR Research Center at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KEF) announced that in a joint research with the Seoul National University (SNU) and Columbia University of the United States, it succeeded in continuous operation of plasma for 20 seconds with an ion-temperature higher than 100 million degrees, which is one of the core conditions of nuclear fusion in the 2020 KSTAR Plasma Campaign It is an achievement to extend the 8 second plasma operation time during the 2019 KSTAR Plasma Campaign by more than 2 times. In its 2018 experiment, the KSTAR reached the plasma ion temperature of 100 million degrees for the first time (retention time: about 1.5 seconds) To re-create fusion reactions that occur in the sun on Earth, hydrogen isotopes must be placed inside a fusion device like KSTAR to create a plasma state where ions and electrons are separated, and ions must be heated and maintained at high temperatures. So far, there have been other fusion devices that have briefly managed plasma at temperatures of 100 million degrees or higher. None of them broke the barrier of maintaining the operation for 10 seconds or longer. It is the operational limit of normal-conducting device* and it was difficult maintain a stable plasma state in the fusion device at such high temperatures for a long time. In its 2020 experiment, the KSTAR improved the performance of the Internal Transport Barrier(ITB) mode, one of the next generation plasma operation modes developed last year and succeeded in maintaining the plasma state for a long period of time, overcoming the existing limits of the ultra-high-temperature plasma operation. Director Si-Woo Yoon of the KSTAR Research Center at the KFE explained, “The technologies required for long operations of 100 million- plasma are the key to the realization of fusion energy, and the KSTAR’s success in maintaining the high-temperature plasma for 20 seconds will be an important turning point in the race for securing the technologies for the long high-performance plasma operation, a critical component of a commercial nuclear fusion reactor in the future.” “The success of the KSTAR experiment in the long, high-temperature operation by overcoming some drawbacks of the ITB modes brings us a step closer to the development of technologies for realization of nuclear fusion energy,” added Yong-Su Na, professor at the department of Nuclear Engineering, SNU, who has been jointly conducting the research on the KSTAR plasma operation. Dr. Young-Seok Park of Columbia University who contributed to the creation of the high temperature plasma said “We are honored to be involved in such an important achievement made in KSTAR. The 100 million-degree ion temperature achieved by enabling efficient core plasma heating for such a long duration demonstrated the unique capability of the superconducting KSTAR device, and will be acknowledged as a compelling basis for high performance, steady state fusion plasmas.” The KSTAR began operating the device last August and plans to continue its plasma generation experiment until December 10, conducting a total of 110 plasma experiments that include high-performance plasma operation and plasma disruption mitigation experiments, which are joint research experiments with domestic and overseas research organizations. In addition to the success in high temperature plasma operation, the KSTAR Research Center conducts experiments on a variety of topics, including ITER researches, designed to solve complex problems in fusion research during the remainder of the experiment period. The KSTAR is going to share its key experiment outcomes in 2020 including this success with fusion researchers across the world in the IAEA Fusion Energy Conference which will be held in May. The final goal of the KSTAR is to succeed in a continuous operation of 300 seconds with an ion temperature higher than 100 million degrees by 2025. KFE President Suk Jae Yoo stated, “I am so glad to announce the new launch of the KFE as an independent research organization of Korea” “the KFE will continue its tradition of under-taking challenging researches to achieve the goal of mankind: the realization of nuclear fusion energy,” he continued. As of November 20, 2020, the KFE, formerly the National Fusion Research Institute, an affiliated organization of the Korea Basic Science Institute, was re-launched as an independent research organization The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy(KFE) is Korea’s only research institute specializing in nuclear fusion. Based on our development and operation of KSTAR, a superconducting fusion research device, the KFE seeks to achieve groundbreaking research results, develop core technology for commercializing nuclear fusion, and train outstanding nuclear fusion personnel. In addition, the institute is spearheading a joint effort to open the era of nuclear fusion energy in the mid-21st century through active participation in the ITER Project.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/korean-artificial-sun-kstar-fusion-reactor-sets-new-world-record/
     
         
      Photocatalyst that can Split Water into Hidrogen and oxygen at a Quantum Efficiency Close to 100% Fri, 25th Dec 2020 14:12:00
     
      A research team led by Shinshu University's Tsuyoshi Takata, Takashi Hisatomi and Kazunari Domen succeeded in developing a photocatalyst that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen at a quantum efficiency close to 100%. The team consisted of their colleagues from Yamaguchi University, The University of Tokyo and National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/photocatalyst-that-can-split-water-into-hydrogen-and-oxygen-at-a-quantum-efficiency-close-to-100/
     
         
      Japan unveils green growth plan for 2050 carbon neutral goal Fri, 25th Dec 2020 12:36:00
     
      Japan on Friday unveiled plans to boost renewable energy, phase out gasoline-powered cars and reduce battery costs as part of a bid to reach an ambitious 2050 carbon-neutral goal. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the new 2050 goal in November, significantly moving up Japan's timeline for carbon-neutrality. On Friday, his government laid out for the first time what meeting that target will involve, including setting a provisional goal of generating more than half of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2050. "The government's actions on the environment reflect our belief that a significant change of mindset is required and that these are not constraints for growth, rather they are drivers of growth," top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato told a regular briefing. Japan, which is a signatory to the Paris climate deal, has been seen as reluctant to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel, despite its self-professed pride as a nation of energy-saving technologies. The country was the sixth-biggest contributor to global greenhouse emissions in 2017, according to the International Energy Agency. The world's third largest economy still relies heavily on coal and liquefied natural gas, with most of its nuclear reactors offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Japan expects demand for electricity to surge 30-50 percent by 2050, but the nation's conservative ruling party has so far stayed lukewarm about renewable energy, though Suga has shifted the tone in recent weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-japan-unveils-green-growth-carbon.html
     
         
      Friday FallBack Story: Storengy and GazelEnergie Join Forces-Coal Fired Power Stations to be Converted to Hydrogen Fri, 25th Dec 2020 10:37:00
     
      Storengy, ENGIE’s subsidiary specialising in gas storage and the development of renewable gases, and GazelEnergie, electricity producer and natural gas and power supplier, have signed a partnership agreement to develop a hydrogen territory in the Saint-Avold Agglomeration Community, based on the site of the Emile Huchet coal-power station which is to be restructured after the State decision to shut down all coal-fired power stations in France. The aim of this partnership is to engage the territory in the energy transition and decarbonise the local industry and mobility by using green, locally produced hydrogen. This project is fully integrated into the Territorial Pact signed with the State, and the France Relance recovery programme. A major project in favour of local, carbon-free energy production The Emil’Hy project, located in the region of Warndt Naborien, aims to connect the production and use of renewable hydrogen. For this purpose, an electrolytic hydrogen production unit shall be created by 2023 at the site of the Emile Huchet coal-power station in Saint-Avold (Moselle department). The latter will enable to benefit from existing power transportation infrastructures and water supply required to produce hydrogen. Power supply of the electrolyser will be ensured by local renewable energy projects. The project comprises two stages: The first stage will start in 2023 with production capacities of up to 5 MW. It will allow to respond to mobility requirements and fuel 15 buses of the Agglomeration Community; The second stage, to be deployed as of 2025, will allow for larger-scale usage to be developed. The estimated electrolytic production ranging from 50 to 100 MW might supply more mobility needs, as well as industrial requirements. The construction of dedicated infrastructures could lead to the creation of a larger hydrogen territory extending to Germany and Luxembourg (MosaHyc initiative). By creating a salt cavern at the Storengy storage site in Cerville (Meurthe-et-Moselle department), surplus hydrogen may be stored to ensure security of supply and the project’s flexibility requirements. Career changes possible Employees affected by the closure of coal-fired power stations are going to receive priority consideration when it comes to taking part in the project, as provided by the social assistance ordinance issued in application of the Energy-Climate Bill. Furthermore, measures have been taken by the ENGIE group to enable the employees of the Emile Huchet coal-power station to benefit from assistance when retraining in future-oriented professions. Creation of a hydrogen territory As a first step, the Emil’Hy project will be a means to structure a new, territorial hydrogen sector which shall become regional later-on, and even cross-border during the second stage. By extending from the French region of Grand Est to Saarland (Germany) and Luxembourg, this project may become the first virtuous and fruitful Franco-German cooperation in hydrogen. According to Jean-Michel Mazalerat, Chairman of EP France and GazelEnergie, “This project is a recovery opportunity for the staff in Saint-Avold and another concrete example of GazelEnergie’s wish to invest in France and be an important player in the energy transition in our territories. “ As for Cécile Prévieu, Storengy CEO, “This project is the foundation stone for a larger-scale programme aiming to build up a cross-border hydrogen territory in the long term. This agreement illustrates Storengy’s ambition to accompany territorial players in their ecologic transition, as well as the launch of a new industrial sector. “ Salvatore Coscarella, Chairman of the Saint-Avold Agglomeration Community, underlines: “Historically, the Saint-Avold area has always been closely linked to the energy sector and determined to promote the industrial change towards decarbonised usages. Its ambition is to favour the creation of an ecosystem around the production and use of green hydrogen by assisting those who share this vision. “
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/friday-fallback-story-storengy-and-gazelenergie-join-forces-coal-fired-power-stations-to-be-converted-to-hydrogen/
     
         
      Korean artificial sun sets the new world record of 20-sec-long operation at 100 million degrees Thu, 24th Dec 2020 14:23:00
     
      The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), a superconducting fusion device also known as the Korean artificial sun, set the new world record as it succeeded in maintaining the high temperature plasma for 20 seconds with an ion temperature over 100 million degrees (Celsius). On November 24 (Tuesday), the KSTAR Research Center at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) announced that in a joint research with the Seoul National University (SNU) and Columbia University of the United States, it succeeded in continuous operation of plasma for 20 seconds with an ion-temperature higher than 100 million degrees, which is one of the core conditions of nuclear fusion in the 2020 KSTAR Plasma Campaign.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-korean-artificial-sun-world-sec-long.html
     
         
      Scientists descended into Greenland’s perilous ice caverns — and came back with a worrying message Wed, 23rd Dec 2020 16:23:00
     
      he scientists prepped for their descent into the maw of the Greenland ice sheet by drilling deep into the ice. They created two intersecting holes into the bed of a now frozen-over ice river, running a rope through them in the shape of a V to anchor their lines. It would be more than strong enough to carry their weight, but they drilled a second anchor as well — just in case. Then Matt Covington, a geologist and cave explorer who has spent more than a year of his life beneath the ground, was ready. He began to lower himself into the vertical cavern that, in the summer, fills with the chaos of a waterfall — a moulin. The sharp crampons on his boots gripped the ice. The fact that it was October now made the moulin a little safer, but Covington could still hear running water somewhere. Below him, as he backed over the edge and looked down the shaft, he saw white ice, then bluer ice, then darkness. The hole, scientists believe, ultimately penetrates more than 1,500 feet deep into the ice, joining a network of channels extending all the way to the base of the ice sheet.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/23/climate-moulins-greenland/
     
         
      ‘No immediate decline in sight’ for global coal-fired power demand, says IEA Tue, 22nd Dec 2020 13:25:00
     
      There is “no immediate decline in sight” for coal-fired power demand, concludes a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA’s Coal 2020 report finds that the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted coal use to decline to an extent not seen since the Second World War. However, the report forecasts that global coal demand will begin to rise again in 2021 as the world emerges from the pandemic. “We expect some recovery in 2021 – about a 2.6 per cent increase when compared with this year,” Carlos Fernández Alvarez, senior energy analyst at the IEA, told The Independent. “So we will still be at lower consumption levels than 2019 in 2021.” Coal is the most polluting of the fossil fuels and its use for power generation alone currently accounts for about 30 per cent of global CO2 emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/global-coal-power-demand-iea-b1776299.html
     
         
      Europe's wind and e-car industry dependent on China's magnetic metals Tue, 22nd Dec 2020 13:14:00
     
      The green energy industry, in particular the wind energy sector, has become increasingly dependent on China for vital magnetic metals, writes Stefan Hajek in WirtschaftsWoche Online. Wind farms are set to play an ever larger role in the world’s future energy supply. Offshore wind power capacity in the EU alone is expected to increase 25-fold by 2050. Magnetic metals such as neodymium are an essential component for wind turbines as well as for every modern electric motor, including those used in almost every electric car and plug-in hybrid. That’s leading to a bottleneck in two main sectors of the energy transition that very few political leaders and industry executives have addressed, Hajek notes. The extraction and processing of neodymium almost entirely in the hands of one country, China. The country already used its market power once before, in 2009, and paralysed entire industries worldwide with an export boycott on rare earths for computers. Hajek warns that China could do this again in other industries in view of its ongoing trade conflicts with the US, which he says are not expected to ease under President-elect Joe Biden. “This time there is even more at stake than in 2009,” Hajek writes. “Without a sufficient supply of magnetic metals, climate protection will be much more difficult, protracted and much more expensive,” says Oliver Gutfleisch, professor of Functional Materials at the Technical University of Darmstadt. “The energy transition is also a material transition -- it doesn't work without certain raw materials. That is often overlooked.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/europes-wind-and-e-car-industry-dependent-chinas-magnetic-metals
     
         
      Could Carbon Dioxide Be Turned Into Jet Fuel? Tue, 22nd Dec 2020 11:00:00
     
      A team at Oxford University has reverse engineered fuel from the greenhouse gas—but so far just in the lab. THE AVIATION INDUSTRY has been looking for ways to reduce its global carbon footprint for the past decade, such as purchasing so-called carbon offsets—like tree-planting projects or wind farms—to make up for the carbon dioxide spewed out by high-flying jets. At the same time, airports in San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles, along with a dozen in Europe, are fueling planes with greener alternative fuels to help reach carbon-reduction goals. Now a team at Oxford University in the United Kingdom has come up with an experimental process that might be able to turn carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas emitted by all gas-burning engines—into jet fuel. If successful, the process, which uses an iron-based chemical reaction, could result in “net zero” emissions from airplanes. The experiment, reported today in the journal Nature Communications, was conducted in a laboratory and still needs to be replicated at a larger scale. But the chemical engineers who designed and performed the process are hopeful that it could be a climate game-changer. “Climate change is accelerating, and we have huge carbon dioxide emissions,” says Tiancun Xiao, a senior research fellow at Oxford’s Department of Chemistry and an author on the paper. “The infrastructure of hydrocarbon fuels is already there. This process could help relieve climate change and use the current carbon infrastructure for sustainable development.” When fossil fuels like oil or natural gas burn, their hydrocarbons are turned into carbon dioxide, and water and energy are released. This experiment reverses the process to turn carbon dioxide back into a fuel using something called the organic combustion method (OCM). By adding heat (350 degrees Celsius, which is 662 degrees Fahrenheit) to citric acid, hydrogen, and a catalyst made of iron, manganese, and potassium to the carbon dioxide, the team was able to produce liquid fuel that would work in a jet engine. The experiment was done in a stainless-steel reactor and only produced a few grams of the substance. In the lab, the carbon dioxide came from a canister. But the idea for adapting the concept for the real world would be to capture large amounts of the greenhouse gas from either a factory or directly from the air in order to remove it from the environment. Carbon dioxide is the most common of the planet-warming greenhouse gases, and it is produced by factories, cars, and wood burning, including forest fires and slash-and-burn agriculture. Keeping it out of the atmosphere might help reduce global warming, although the world’s carbon emissions have been rising for the past few decades and are on a path to warm the planet by 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Xiao and colleagues say the new method would also be cheaper than existing methods that turn hydrogen and water into a fuel, a process called hydrogenization, mainly because it would use less electricity. Xiao foresees installing a jet fuel plant next to a steel or cement factory or a coal-burning power plant, and capturing its excess carbon dioxide to make the fuel. The process could also involve sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, something called direct-air capture. The catalyst that does the trick is abundant on earth, and it requires fewer steps than other methods of synthesizing high value-added chemicals, the authors say. One expert who was not involved in the experiment says the concept appears to be promising, as long as the authors can figure out how to go from producing minuscule amounts of the jet fuel in the lab to making larger amounts in a pilot plant. “This does look different, and it looks like it could work,” says Joshua Heyne, associate professor of mechanical and chemical engineering at the University of Dayton. “Scale-up is always an issue, and there are new surprises when you go to larger scales. But in terms of a longer-term solution, the idea of a circular carbon economy is definitely something that could be the future.” In such a “circular carbon economy,” carbon dioxide would become both a waste stream and a source of fuel. A bigger bang for the carbon buck would happen if an alternative jet fuel factory could operate on green electricity from wind or solar power. That way both the jet fuel and the source of the carbon dioxide would be produced in a sustainable way, according to Oskar Meijerink, project lead for future fuels at SkyNRG, a Dutch-based firm that produces, buys, and sells sustainable aviation fuels to various airports. “You need to use renewable electricity,” Meijerink says. “The challenge is if we are using CO2 from a steel mill, how can we push the steel mill to be carbon neutral itself? The perfect solution would be to have all these industries be more sustainable, and use this to do direct-air capture.” As for the Oxford experiment and its new carbon-dioxide-based jet fuel, it will probably have to get in line with a host of other candidates that are being tested right now as alternatives to traditional jet fuel. These alternative fuels are made from feedstocks that include municipal solid waste, straw, woody biomass, and even waste cooking oil, a process which is being pursued by energy giant BP. Oxford’s Xiao believes the new CO2 fuel has a fighting chance to compete with these alternatives. Xiao founded the green fuel firm Oxford Catalysts, now known as Velocys, back in 2006. Velocys is developing alternative aviation fuels for Shell and British Airways at a British facility using municipal waste as a feedstock, and diesel fuel for trucks from waste paper and wood at a plant in Mississippi. He says he is discussing the new carbon dioxide conversion method with several large industrial partners. “There are no big challenges,” he says, “but we need to optimize the process and make it more efficient.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/could-carbon-dioxide-be-turned-into-jet-fuel/
     
         
      Politics come first’ as ban on Australian coal worsens China’s power cuts Mon, 21st Dec 2020 10:10:00
     
      Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/e83fffeb-3ef2-4b67-8989-6d17f153d8d4
     
         
      Joe Biden says 'no time to waste' as climate team unveiled Sun, 20th Dec 2020 17:45:00
     
      US President-elect Joe Biden has introduced his climate and energy team, saying they will lead an "ambitious plan" to combat climate change. Mr Biden has vowed to make the issue a top priority in an agenda that reverses many Trump administration policies. He said there was "no time to waste". If confirmed by the Senate, the team will include the first black man to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the first Native American cabinet member. Mr Biden, who is set to be inaugurated on 20 January, has pledged to build a diverse administration that reflects the US. "We're in a crisis," he said. "Just like we need to be a unified nation to respond to Covid-19, we need a unified national response to climate change." Mr Biden has pledged to break away from climate policy under the Trump administration. He says he will re-join the Paris climate agreement immediately upon taking office and "put America back in the business of leading the world on climate change". Under President Donald Trump, the US this year became the first country to formally withdraw from the Paris agreement, which commits countries to working to limit the global temperature rise. Mr Biden described his picks for his new climate and energy team as "brilliant, qualified and tested, and barrier-busting". Nominees include North Carolina's top environmental regulator Michael Regan, who would be the first African-American man to head the EPA, and New Mexico representative Deb Haaland who would be the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior. Ms Haaland hailed her nomination as a "profound" moment in the history of the country. Environmental lawyer and Obama administration official Brenda Mallory was nominated to run the Council on Environmental Quality. If confirmed, she would be the first African American to hold the position. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was nominated for the position of energy secretary. Last month Mr Biden named John Kerry, a former secretary of state and one of the leading architects of the Paris agreement, as his climate envoy. The Biden transition team said the position would see him "fight climate change full-time". He is also set to be the first official dedicated to climate change to sit on the National Security Council.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55382209
     
         
      Deploying 5G will lead to spike in CO2 emissions, French climate council warns Sun, 20th Dec 2020 14:31:00
     
      Rolling out 5G technology could lead to a sharp increase in power consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, a report published by France's High Council on Climate warns. The report, published Saturday, found that 5G networks could be responsible for an extra 3 to 7 billion extra tonnes of CO2 released into atmosphere. The plan to roll out 5G technology has been a subject of controversy in France. Dozens of parliament members have asked for a moratorium on its deployment, because of uncertainties surrounding the network’s impact on health and the environment. The high council’s new report warns that the technology is only the tip of the iceberg. Additional carbon emissions would come mainly from data centres and the manufacturing of new electronic devices. “We request a moratorium and our request is even more relevant today, now that the high council has said that we need to assess the technology's environmental impact before deploying it,” said Éric Piolle a lawmaker with Europe Écologie-Les Verts, the French Green party.
       
      Full Article: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20201220-deploying-5g-will-lead-to-spike-in-co2-emissions-french-climate-council-warns
     
         
      Could Coal Help Canada Out Of Its Oil Slump? Sun, 20th Dec 2020 10:00:00
     
      Things may be looking up for Canadian oil, but improving on something as dismal as the condition of our northern neighbors’ oil sector doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be going gangbusters--it could just mean that they’ll be eking out another year with a modicum less of hardship. Wall Street may be feeling bullish about Canadian oil, but Alberta, the province that the Canadian oil sands call home, is hedging its bets and looking toward another fossil fuel as its possible road to salvation. And no, the answer isn’t green energy or the ever-more popular ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) investment trend. In fact, Alberta is headed in the opposite direction, looking to the past for their future. Alberta is betting on, of all things, a “coal rush.” The province, which depends on fossil fuel extraction to power its economy--and, to a considerable extent, the entire Canadian economy--already has eight coal mines currently operating to extract the region’s more than 91 billion tonnes of mineable coal. But that number might be about to nearly double--an unusual occurrence in a world that’s increasingly moving away from coal mining at a brisk clip. And, ironically, until now Canada has been a more than willing member of the movement to phase out coal, a dirty fuel that is a particularly egregious contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. As recently as 2015, the Albertan government had pledged to phase out coal-fired electricity altogether by 2030, which was, amazingly, even three years earlier than the Canadian government made the same commitment as part of their cooperation with meeting the goals and benchmarks set by the Paris climate accord. And the very same Canada that’s poised for a coal renaissance launched the Powering Past Coal Alliance along with the United Kingdom at the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference. And now, after all Canada has done to place itself at the helm of clean energy leaders around the globe, Alberta is quietly on track to bring back coal. After 44 years of a restrictive coal mining policy designed to protect the drinking water of millions of Albertan residents, the limits have been lifted under a new conservative government eager to ramp up coal production in spite of the province and the nation’s anti-coal commitments. The province is now looking at “at least six new or expanded open-pit coal mines built up and down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, mostly by Australian companies,” The Guardian reported this week. “Together, these projects could industrialize as much as 1,000 sq km of forests, waterways, and grasslands.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Could-Coal-Help-Canada-Out-Of-Its-Oil-Slump.html
     
         
      Spillway tunnels for Chinese mega hydropower project completed Sun, 20th Dec 2020 7:49:00
     
      KUNMING - The construction of the Baihetan hydropower station in southwest China is proceeding smoothly, with the main part of the spillway tunnel project completed on Saturday. The hydropower station is equipped with three spillway tunnels, with a maximum discharge capacity of about 12,000 cubic meters per second and a flow speed of about 47 meters per second. Baihetan is on the Jinsha River, the upper section of the Yangtze, straddling the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. Baihetan is the second-largest in China after the Three Gorges Dam project in the central province of Hubei in terms of installed capacity. The first batch of Baihetan's generating units is scheduled to start operation in July 2021. The mega power station is expected to generate more than 62 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year on average after its completion and will play a vital role in reducing emissions and preventing floods.
       
      Full Article: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202012/20/WS5fde918ca31024ad0ba9cd6a.html
     
         
      Wind Energy: Blessing or Curse? Sat, 19th Dec 2020 13:26:00
     
      In Rhine-Westphalia, residents don't trust wind turbines. They think they're a blight on the landscape and believe that the wind farms are making locals ill. As a result, approvals for new installations have been dragging on for years. Germany's green energy transition could be in danger. This programme by German channel WDR is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SSR SRG and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.
       
      Full Article: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/097886-010-A/wind-energy-blessing-or-curse/
     
         
      Sir David Attenborough on Joe Biden, Christmas wrapping... and flamingos Sat, 19th Dec 2020 12:35:00
     
      Like many of us, Sir David Attenborough has had to adapt to new ways of working since the coronavirus pandemic took hold this spring. For his latest series, the 93-year-old - who has been shielding - had to record some of his voiceovers from his home in south-west London. "I'm very lucky, I don't have a huge garden... I live in suburban Richmond-upon-Thames but I have a reasonable-sized garden and it has a pond. I've lived here about 60 years." But anyone tuning into BBC One's Perfect Planet will feel as far away from London as it is possible to be. The five-part series transports viewers to numerous parts of the world including the tidal islands of the Bahamas, Kamchatka in Russia and the Galapagos Islands. Not particularly unusual for a Sir David documentary, you might think. - Attenborough says Covid is 'threat to environment' - Attenborough warns leaders over extinction crisis - Attenborough spent lockdown 'listening to birds' - Attenborough to show threat to 'perfect planet' - David Attenborough: 'People thought we were cranks' But this time, the focus is on how the forces of nature - weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes - drive and support life on earth, and how wildlife adapts to whatever the environment throws at it. The opener looks at the impact of volcanoes, featuring the inhospitable but vast breeding ground for the lesser flamingo at Lake Natron in Tanzania, in the shadow of the active volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai (Mountain of God). Filmed by drone for the first time, the episode homes in on the intimate scene of these leggy birds laying their eggs on tiny nests built on the highly caustic soda flats of the lake. Later, the chicks tentatively emerge and begin to find their feet. "That flamingo sequence is one of the most incredible sequences I've seen on television. It's been filmed so beautifully, the use of drones - it's so skilful, the pictures are indelibly planted in the mind. It's extraordinary," says Sir David. Unsurprisingly, filming in such a harsh environment wasn't easy. The soda flats are pretty inaccessible, says Matt Aeberhard, one of Perfect Planet's camera operators. "More people had landed on the moon until fairly recently than had landed on the flats. It's a highly caustic environment. The pH there is about 12 - not far off household bleach. The only option to get there is a hovercraft, which was fun but the rubber skirt is shredded by the jagged soda crystals."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55042006
     
         
      Climate change: Law used as stick to beat government Sat, 19th Dec 2020 12:27:00
     
      Environmentalists are using the law to hound the government to force infrastructure plans into line with its climate change commitments. Ministers are facing a fusillade of legal challenges on airports, energy and roads. And now they have been threatened with new legal action unless their airports strategy reflects the drive towards a zero-emissions economy. A separate legal challenge to the government's road building strategy from campaign group Transport Action Network is already under way. Earlier this week, campaigners won a battle to force ministers to review their energy policy statement so it reflects climate concerns. Heathrow wins court battle to build third runway New roads face Heathrow-style court action threat A really simple guide to climate change The new action against the airports strategy comes from a not-for-profit group, the Good Law Project. It is undaunted by this week's Supreme Court defeat, when judges said the 2018 document didn't break the law because at the time the UK was aiming for a 80% emissions cut by 2050. Good Law accepts the Supreme Court ruling - but insists that the UK airports strategy must now be aligned with the Climate Change Act, which is now in force and which demands almost zero emissions by 2050. The aviation strategy was agreed in the light of fears that airport capacity in south-east England was becoming over-loaded. Good Law says the strategy should be reviewed because of the likely long-term dampening effect on business travel from the Covid pandemic - that's as well as the carbon impacts of the runway. A government spokesperson said it had always been clear that Heathrow expansion is a private sector project which must meet strict criteria on air quality, noise and climate change. "We take our commitments on the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions seriously," they added. "The government is planning to consult next year on an aviation decarbonisation strategy, which will set out proposals for how the aviation sector will play its part in delivering our net zero commitments." But Good Law's hopes for an immediate aviation review are based on a near-identical action it started in March to force the government to revise its Energy National Policy Statement in the light of net zero commitments. At first, Business and Energy Secretary Alok Sharma refused to comply, but earlier this week he capitulated. Good Law expects the government to follow suit by revising the airports strategy shortly, too - especially as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously voiced opposition to Heathrow expansion and is reputed to be looking for an easy way to stop it. A spokesperson for Good Law said: "Boris Johnson won't need to 'lie down in front of those bulldozers and stop the construction of that third runway" (as he promised previously). "He'll merely need to ensure that the proposed development of Heathrow is considered under the legal regime that prevails today. It's not too late to stop Heathrow expansion."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55368922
     
         
      Forests in Brazil emitting more carbon than they absorb due to climate change: Study Fri, 18th Dec 2020 23:10:00
     
      Tropical forests in Brazil have begun to release more carbon than they absorb as the warming climate kills more of the trees, researchers said. The forests play an important role in the climate fight for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere, but dry and warm seasonal forests in southeastern Brazil have been progressively absorbing less carbon while releasing more over time, with the region transitioning "from a carbon sink to a carbon source" in 2013, according to a study published Friday in Science.
       
      Full Article: https://abcnews.go.com/International/forests-brazil-emitting-carbon-absorb-due-climate-change/story?id=74716578
     
         
      Coal Sales to Rebound With First Gains in Years in U.S., Europe Fri, 18th Dec 2020 17:56:00
     
      Global coal demand is poised to rebound next year as the economy recovers and the U.S. and Europe may see the first increase in consumption in several years, the International Energy Agency said. Despite the global shift toward economies based on renewable energy, the dirtiest fossil fuel looks set to keep its role as the world’s biggest power source although its share will slip to 35% in 2021 from 36.5% last year. Coal use in power generation globally is expected to increase by as much as 2.8% next year as electricity demand rebounds particularly in Asia, the IEA said in its 2020 coal report.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-18/global-thirst-for-coal-to-return-once-pandemic-ends-iea-says
     
         
      Scottish renewable energy: Almost all of Scotland's electricity generated by clean sources Fri, 18th Dec 2020 14:38:00
     
      Scotland generated enough electricity from renewable sources last year to meet the equivalent of 90.1 per cent of its total electricity consumption, according to latest figures. In 2019, the country generated 30.5 TWh of electricity from renewable sources, 13.4% up on 2018, Scottish Government data showed. This was enough to charge almost 6.7 billion mobile phones for a year and boil around 700 billion kettles. The target is for 100% of the country’s electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18955259.scottish-renewable-energy-almost-scotlands-electricity-generated-clean-sources/
     
         
      Climate change: 2021 will be cooler but still in top six warmest Fri, 18th Dec 2020 14:16:00
     
      UK Met Office scientists are forecasting that 2021 will be a little cooler around the world, but will still be one of the top six warmest years. The La Niña weather phenomenon will see temperatures edge down but greenhouse gases will remain the biggest influence. Researchers say the world will likely be around 1C warmer than the pre-industrial era. It will be the seventh year in a row close to or above this mark.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55365414
     
         
      How well is Scotland tackling climate change? Fri, 18th Dec 2020 14:07:00
     
      The Scottish government is due to publish its updated climate change plan later. This time next year, Scotland will be hosting a major UN climate change conference. COP26 was postponed this year due to the pandemic. And while the pandemic has led to a temporary dip in greenhouse gas emissions, there is still requirement for fundamental changes in the way we live our lives. So are we currently living up to the ambitious targets to tackle climate change that have been set? Scotland's targets What are Scotland's climate change targets, and are they the most ambitious in the world as has been claimed? The Scottish government has set itself a legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the date set for the UK as a whole. Net zero means any emissions will be balanced out by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere - such as planting trees, or using technology to capture carbon and store it. The Scottish government says its targets are "the toughest anywhere in the world". They are certainly among the most ambitious. However, other countries - such as Sweden - have passed legislation with the same goal. Sweden did so two years before Scotland, and it has also set milestones along the way. But Scotland's milestone targets are more ambitious and include emissions from aviation and shipping. They also don't rely on international credits, which is where countries can pay for emissions to be reduced elsewhere instead of reducing their own. Much progress has been made, but the hardest changes are still to come. Emissions of greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide - have been cut to about half of what they were 30 years ago. Answers to your questions about climate change However, experts say much of this progress has been accomplished by picking off the "low hanging fruit" - the most cost effective or publicly-acceptable changes to make. The areas that need tackling are transport (about a third of all emissions), farming and land use (about a quarter), business and heavy industry (about a fifth) and how we heat our homes. Tricky decisions will have to be made, especially with so much of Scotland's economy based around the oil and gas industry. A Scottish government-appointed commission is grappling with the question of how to protect the economy and ensure a "just transition" so oil workers and farmers don't lose out as the world moves away from fossil fuels. The commission has already published some advice to the Scottish government on how to make recovery from the pandemic greener. It says immediate actions that can be taken include investing in warmer homes, supporting bus travel, and attaching green conditions to funding. Transport Transport accounts for about a third of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions and some steps have been taken to reduce this but the overwhelming majority of vehicles on the road are still greenhouse gas-emitting petrol or diesel engines. There are now more than 1,200 publicly-available charge points in Scotland for electric vehicles and the number of new EV and hybrid cars registered in the UK was up nearly 40% on the same period last year. Should my next car be an electric one? But for many drivers an EV is prohibitively expensive and concerns over the range the cars can currently offer is a concern for some potential owners. Their popularity is expected to increase significantly as the technology gets better but this will see demand for electricity generation rise too. The UK government's Department for Transport says Scotland now has more than 1,500 charging devices, and across the UK there are now more charging locations than petrol stations. Of course, this year has seen some huge changes to everyone's lives. During lockdown, the whole country was asked to stay at home unless leaving was essential. In Scotland, everyone who can work from home is being asked to keep doing so. That has had a big impact on how often we travel, how far, and how we get to places - and as the number of Covid cases has risen, travel has dropped again. Last week, compared with the same time last year, train travel was down by 80%, air by 70%, concessionary bus travel by 55%, and ferry journeys by 40%. Despite the public being advised to avoid public transport where possible and not to car share, car journeys were still down by 20%. But the pandemic doesn't mean planning for a greener future has stopped. Low emission zones that will see polluting vehicles banned from entering city centres (and receive a penalty notice if they don't comply) are planned for Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee but so far only Glasgow has introduced any measures and, in its first phase, this only applies to 20% of buses that enter the zone. Because of the pandemic, implementing the low emission zones was paused over the summer, but officials have vowed to see the changes through "at the earliest possible time". In a bid to discourage commuters from taking their cars to work, the Scottish government brought in the Workplace Parking Levy. It allows councils to tax businesses on staff parking spaces but, so far, no councils have committed to introducing the levy this year. As well as cutting road transport emissions, the government needs to find a way to stop the growth in emissions from air travel. Since 1990, emissions from international aviation from Scotland have increased by 181% and the latest data, from 2018, showed they were still increasing. The overall statistics have not been released yet to show the impact lockdown had on aviation emissions. But, according to the Global Carbon Project, the mass grounding of flights during the peak of the pandemic saw CO2 emissions from aviation reduced by up to 60%. The Scottish government has also scrapped plans to cut the amount of tax paid by passengers flying from Scottish airports after facing a backlash over the environmental impact. Electric-powered planes could be a solution to aviation emissions, but they are still at an early stage. Plans for the shortest scheduled flight in the world - the 1.7 mile jump between the Orkney islands of Westray and Papa Westray - to use an electric-powered plane could happen soon. Farming methods The UN says high consumption of meat and dairy produce is fuelling global warming, and researchers based in Scotland have been investigating ways of reducing the environmental impact of farming. For example, one group of scientists has found a way of reducing the methane produced by cattle. Heating homes About 15% of Scotland's emissions come from domestic housing, with most homes (about 80%) still relying on gas central heating systems. But new rules say that by 2024 all new homes built in Scotland will have to use renewable or low-carbon heating. Instead of gas, heating systems should use renewable energy, or rely on low-carbon alternatives such as heat pumps. And 20,000 households have benefited from better insulation and new, more efficient - although still often gas - heating systems, funded by the Scottish government. Planting trees Trees are still the most effective way of absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. To meet targets, the UK needs a net increase of 32,000 hectares of woodland planted every year for the next 30 years - equating to about 1.5bn trees. Figures claim most of the trees planted in the UK were planted in Scotland - 11,000 of the 13,700 hectares planted in 2019-20. But there's more to it than just planting trees - it's important that the right trees are planted in the right places, taking into consideration factors such as soil type, water levels, temperatures and the surrounding landscape and tree species. The Scottish government has set a target of having the equivalent of 100% of Scotland's electricity demand coming from renewable energy sources by the end of this year. It was 90.1% in 2019 - compared with only 27.2% back in 2009. In order to achieve the target, Scotland has been moving away from burning fossil fuels, with the last coal-fired power station, Longannet, closing in 2016. The only remaining gas-fired power station is at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Can Scotland ever be 'the Saudi Arabia of renewables'? Onshore wind delivers about 70% of capacity, followed by hydro and offshore wind as Scotland's main sources of renewable power. Scotland's largest single source is the Beatrice offshore wind farm. Its 84 turbines - each with three 75m (246ft) blades - went into operation last year. The wind farm is is capable of generating enough power for 450,000 homes. The Seagreen Wind Farm, under construction off Angus, will eventually be even bigger and able to power 1.3m homes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-51088089
     
         
      The batteries that could make fossil fuels obsolete Fri, 18th Dec 2020 13:21:00
     
      The twin smokestacks of the Moss Landing Power Plant tower over Monterey Bay. Visible for miles along this picturesque stretch of the north Californian coast, the 500-foot-tall (150m) pillars crown what was once California's largest electric power station – a behemoth natural gas-fired generator. Today, as California steadily moves to decarbonise its economy, those stacks are idle and the plant is largely mothballed. Instead, the site is about to begin a new life as the world's largest battery, storing excess energy when solar panels and wind farms are producing electricity and feeding it back into the grid when they're not. Inside a cavernous turbine building, a 300-megawatt lithium-ion battery is currently being readied for operation, with another 100-megawatt battery to come online in 2021. These aren't the only super-sized batteries that will soon be operating at the Moss Landing plant. An additional 182.5 megawatts produced by 256 Tesla megapack batteries are scheduled to begin feeding into California's electric grid in mid-2021, with plans to eventually add enough capacity at the site to power every home in nearby San Francisco for six hours, according to the Bay Area utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, which will own and operate the system. Elsewhere in California, a 250-megawatt storage project went online this year in San Diego, construction has begun on a 150-megawatt system near San Francisco, a 100-megawatt battery project is nearing completion in Long Beach, and a number of others are in various stages of development around the state.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201217-renewable-power-the-worlds-largest-battery
     
         
      Wood burners triple harmful indoor air pollution, study finds Fri, 18th Dec 2020 13:18:00
     
      Wood burners triple the level of harmful pollution particles inside homes and should be sold with a health warning, says scientists, who also advise that they should not be used around elderly people or children. The tiny particles flood into the room when the burner doors are opened for refuelling, a study found. Furthermore, people who load in wood twice or more in an evening are exposed to pollution spikes two to four times higher than those who refuel once or not at all. The particles can pass through the lungs and into the body and have been linked to a wide range of health damage, particularly in younger and older people. The research was conducted in 19 homes in Sheffield over the course of a month at the start of 2020. The wood burners used were all models certified by the government as “smoke exempt appliances”, meaning they produce less smoke. But this and the new EcoDesign standard, due to become compulsory by 2022, only assess outdoor pollution. The government is phasing out the sale of wet wood, which produces more smoke, but the people in the study used only dry, seasoned wood. Wood and coal burning in homes is estimated to cause almost 40% of outdoor tiny particle pollution, but the new research is among the first to analyse indoor pollution in real-life settings. Almost 16% of people in the south-east of England use wood fuel, and 18% in Northern Ireland, according to 2016 government data, and about 175,000 wood burners are sold annually.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/18/wood-burners-triple-harmful-indoor-air-pollution-study-finds
     
         
      CIP Invests in 250 MW Floating Wind Farm in Italy Fri, 18th Dec 2020 13:10:00
     
      Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has invested in the development company 7 Seas Med, which has been developing a 250 MW floating wind project off the coast of Italy, in the Sicily Strait. CIP, Nice Technology and 7 Seas Wind Power have joined forces to develop the wind farm, for which 7 Seas Med already filed a concession request, according to Green Giraffe, which acted as sole financial advisor to 7 Seas Med to raise equity and develop the 250 MW project. As reported in July, 7 Seas Med requested a 30-year maritime state concession in the Sicilian Channel. According to the application document, the wind farm would comprise 25 wind turbines with an individual capacity of 10 MW, installed on semi-submersible TetraSpar floating foundations. The project, called Hannibal and valued at EUR 740 million, is anticipated to enter the construction phase in 2023. CIP’s involvement in the 250 MW development has been reported earlier in Italian media, which said that the project was being developed by Copenhagen Offshore Partners with assistance from CIP.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/12/18/cip-invests-in-250-mw-floating-wind-farm-in-italy/
     
         
      Pakistan raises eyebrows by dropping plans for new coal plants Fri, 18th Dec 2020 13:05:00
     
      n a surprise move, Pakistan has abandoned plans to build 27GW of coal power plants between 2030 and 2047, and will invest in renewable energy instead. The announcement was made by Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, during a virtual gathering of global leaders. He told the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 on Saturday: “We have already scrapped two coal power projects that were supposed to produce 2.6GW of energy. We have replaced them with hydroelectricity.” He added: “We have also decided that by 2030, 60% of all energy produced in Pakistan will be from clean energy, renewables, and also 30% of all our vehicles will be powered by electricity.” Some $6bn of plants under construction will be completed, but no new projects will be undertaken. Pakistan had based its energy strategy on the discovery, in the early nineties, of a huge coal deposit beneath the Thar desert in Sindh Province. The country has just begun to exploit this with a Chinese-financed coal mine and 330MW power plant, completed last year. A series of coal power plants were planned, reducing Pakistan’s dependence on imported fuel and ending its chronic black-outs – there is a 2GW shortfall in generation during peak seasons, and demand is growing by 7% a year. Khan said that Pakistan’s coal may be converted to liquid or gas fuels. Over the last five years, Pakistan has built 18 wind power projects generating 937MW, six solar power projects producing 418MW. However, wind, solar, hydro and nuclear make up only 36% of the energy mix, and the remainder is produced by fossil fuels – mainly natural gas. Khan’s announcement took commentators by surprise, and some expressed scepticism about the move.
       
      Full Article: https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/pakistan-raises-eyebrows-dropping-plans-new-coal-p/
     
         
      Energy Stocks Soar And Oil Prices Climb Fri, 18th Dec 2020 13:00:00
     
      Crude oil prices held their gains this week and pushed to new highs. In midday trading on Friday, Brent was over $52. Optimism on vaccinations is outpacing the bearish winds from record Covid-19 infections in the United States. Analysts differ on what happens next, but some say oil has more room on the upside. Investors turn bullish on North American oil. Having been savaged for much of 2020, stocks for North American oil and gas producers have surged in recent weeks. The Canadian Energy Sector Index is up 40% since November 9, and U.S. energy stocks are having their best quarter since 1989.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Energy-Stocks-Soar-And-Oil-Prices-Climb.html
     
         
      Creating animal food from a greenhouse gas Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:48:00
     
      "I've tasted it, and it's great. If I had to put a flavour on it, I'd say it's slightly umami," says Peter Rowe, chief executive of biotech firm Deep Branch. Mr Rowe clearly takes his work seriously, as he is not talking about food for humans. Instead, he has sampled an artificial protein that has been created to feed to animals. Mr Rowe and his partners are trying to reduce the carbon footprint of animal feed which is often shipped around the world. "If you take soy production, which is the primary protein source for feeding things like chickens, or if you take fishmeal production, which is the primary protein source for salmon, both of these tend to be done in South America," says Mr Rowe. In the case of fishmeal, anchovies are caught off the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile, processed and shipped around the world. Similarly, soy plantations in Brazil or Argentina may involve clearing forest and require large quantities of fertiliser, heavy usage of agricultural machinery and, again, long-distance shipping. "So a lot of the carbon intensity comes from the processes themselves, and a big part is the carbon intensity of shipping it over," says Mr Rowe. One answer is to base animal feeds on single-cell proteins (SCPs), produced through a fermentation process involving yeast, bacteria or algae. Plants can be located anywhere that there's an available feedstock for the micro-organisms: methane, ethanol, sugar, biogas or even wood. Through a project called React-First, which has received £3m in funding from Innovate UK, scientists are working to reduce the carbon footprint of animal feeds. Along with Deep Branch, the project involves academics and companies including Drax, the UK's largest renewable energy producer, and supermarket Sainsbury's. It's now producing a high-protein feed called Proton - more or less from thin air. The process is based on a proprietary gas fermentation process, by which microbes are fed carbon dioxide, along with hydrogen - produced using an electrolyser - and water. They then produce the Proton protein as waste material. The biggest challenge for any SCP manufacturer is achieving commercial scale, says Laura Krishfield, a research associate at analyst firm Lux Research. "Single-cell proteins come with a huge investment cost," she says. "We've seen claims that commercial facilities are going to cost over the $100m (£72m) mark, so these facilities are not going to be cheap. And many of these facilities also come with other key challenges, such as access to the gas feedstock." In the case of Deep Branch, industrial emissions provide the CO2 feedstock, both for the UK pilot and for a "scale-up centre" at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 EIC Accelerator programme. "We see great value in partnering with people like Drax, and the reason for this is that they are working towards having a process whereby all the CO2 they create is stored and captured underneath the North Sea," says Mr Rowe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55014403
     
         
      Electric cars will leave hole in tax revenues, says Treasury Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:42:00
     
      Taxes must increase or services be cut to compensate for the loss of fuel tax income thanks to the advent of electric cars, the Treasury has admitted. Officials have been long concerned about the future loss of more than £30bn in revenue from drivers. In a new review the Treasury has acknowledged the problem in a way that will spark a debate about how driving should be taxed in the future. One idea would be to charge motorists for every mile they drive. But the AA says such road pricing will be tough to sell politically. Instead, the motoring organisation is proposing a system of "Road Miles" in which motorists are allowed to drive free of charge for 3,000 miles (4,000 in rural areas) before they start paying. The Treasury review offers another striking conclusion from a government department traditionally worried about harm to the economy from cleaning up the UK's emissions. Electric cars: Your questions answered Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 The latest message is the opposite - that tackling climate change might even benefit the economy by giving the UK a lead in clean technologies. It says: "Overall, in the context of the rest of the world decarbonising, the net impact of the transition on growth to 2050 is likely to be small compared to total growth over that period. "It could be slightly positive or slightly negative." The document continues: "Climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Without global action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the climate will change catastrophically with almost unimaginable consequences for societies across the world." Environmentalists welcome what they say is a dramatic change in tone from the Treasury, Doug Parr from Greenpeace told BBC News: "Finally the Treasury has admitted that tackling climate change could actually be good for the economy. "For years it's been a total drag on climate policies - it used to get in the way of any good proposals." He said the Treasury should save money by scrapping the £27bn roads programme and the £100bn HS2 rail line - both of which will increase carbon emissions. Nick Mabey from the think tank e3g told BBC News the document raised false fears that the UK would lose industries to nations with dirty economies if the UK decarbonised. He said: "This report shows the Treasury still has a lot of homework to do to understand the full implications of the clean energy revolution for Britain. "The report talks about the opportunities of moving to net zero but still underplays the benefits of cleaner air and healthier cities. "[The Treasury has] still not grasped that British industry is not at risk from dirty imports but from industries powered by cheap solar power in Tunisia, the Gulf and Australia." "The obvious implication of this report is that the UK can afford to move faster to reduce climate risks." But both men praised the Treasury for accepting that the big challenge for climate policy will be fairness, not technology. Its document - an interim review - said poorer people must be protected from the changes in employment and taxation, or the government would lose support for cleaning up emissions. This message was strongly advocated by the Citizens Assembly devised to gauge the opinions of the public on climate policy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55358100
     
         
      Enough renewables to meet 90% Scottish electricity demand Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:16:00
     
      Scotland generated enough electricity from renewable sources last year to meet the equivalent of 90.1% of its total electricity consumption, according to latest figures. The Scottish government data for 2019 showed an increase of 13.4% on 2018 - meaning the country generated 30.5 TWh of electricity from renewable sources. That's enough to charge almost 6.7bn mobile phones for a year, or boil about 700bn kettles. The target is for 100% of the country's electricity to be generated from renewable sources by the end of 2020. And good progress is being made - in 2009, it was only 27.2%. But we won't know whether Scotland has met this target or not until more data is published next year. Although electricity only makes up part of the mix of the energy Scotland needs, the amount of energy produced in Scotland from renewable resources increased between 2017 and 2018 to 21.1%. The Scottish government said to decarbonise energy-intensive industries, heating buildings and transport, renewable electricity supplies would need to be further enhanced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-51088089
     
         
      Deepest Offshore Asia Gas Field Comes Online Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:15:00
     
      BP (NYSE: BP) and Reliance Industries Limited (NSE: Reliance) announced Friday the start of production from the R Cluster ultra deepwater gas field, which is located in block KG D6 off the east coast of India. Situated at a water depth of greater than 2,000 meters, R Cluster is the deepest offshore gas field in Asia. The field is expected to reach plateau gas production of about 12.9 million standard cubic meters per day in 2021. BP and RIL are developing three deepwater gas projects in block KG D6 – R Cluster, Satellites Cluster and MJ – which together are expected to meet around 15 percent of India’s gas demand by 2023. The projects will utilize the existing hub infrastructure in the KG D6 block. “This start-up is another example of the possibility of our partnership with Reliance, bringing the best of both companies to help meet India’s rapidly expanding energy needs,” BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney said in a company statement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rigzone.com/news/deepest_offshore_asia_gas_field_comes_online-18-dec-2020-164143-article/
     
         
      Dewey Hill coal mine: Plan for Newcastle greenbelt mine rejected Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:15:00
     
      Plans for an opencast coal mine on greenbelt land in Newcastle which opponents said would be "noxious" have been unanimously rejected. Durham-based the Banks Group had proposed the 250-acre operation at Dewley Hill, near Throckley. Newcastle Council planners rejected the scheme as not "environmentally acceptable" after a three-hour hearing. The refusal is a third blow for Banks' mining operations in the North East this year. It previously lost bids to extend the use of its Bradley mine in County Durham and was also refused permission for an opencast site near Druridge Bay in Northumberland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55366948
     
         
      Oil, Gas Rigs Increase For Fourth Week In A Row Fri, 18th Dec 2020 12:15:00
     
      The total number of active oil and gas rigs increased for the week by 8. The oil and gas rig count has risen for four weeks in a row for a four-week gain of 36. Oil rigs increased by 5 and gas rigs rose by 2. Miscellaneous rigs rose by 1. Total oil and gas rigs in the United States are now down by 467 compared to this time last year. The EIA’s estimate for oil production in the United States fell to 11.0 million barrels of oil per day, 2.1 million bpd off the all-time high reached earlier this year. Canada’s overall rig count also decreased this week, by 9 for the second week in a row. Oil and gas rigs in Canada are now at 112 active rigs, and down 47 year on year. The Permian basin saw an increase of 6 rigs this week, bt rigs in the basin are still down 240 from a year ago, for a total of 174 rigs. Check back later today for the Frac Spread Count by Primary Vision. WTI and Brent were both trading up on Friday, extending the gains made earlier in the week on OPEC and vaccine optimism. Oil prices are now at 9-month highs. At 11:46 a.m. EDT, WTI was trading up 1.34% on the day at $49.01 and up roughly $2.50 on the week. Brent was trading up 1.13% on the day, at $52.08, up $2 week on week. At 1:07 p.m. ET, Brent had slipped , trading at $51.97, with WTI trading at $48.90. Both benchmarks were still up on the day and the week.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Oil-Gas-Rigs-Increase-For-Fourth-Week-In-A-Row.html
     
         
      Newcastle Coal Mine: ‘Huge Disappointment’ as application refused – Britain out of steam locomotive coal by 2022? Fri, 18th Dec 2020 11:34:00
     
      The Heritage Rail Association has released a statement after Newcastle City Council refused the planning permission application for a new coal mine at Dewley Hill, near Newcastle. The decision means that coal production in the UK has come to an end and has slashed the hopes of Britain’s heritage railways, who need affordable coal to continue running steam trains. Heritage railways in Britain will now have to find ways to import, store and handle the coal it needs. The HRA has said that English steam coal supplies will run out in 2021, whilst coal supplies in Wales will run out in 2022. We reported earlier this week that the HRA had said this coal mine was a last shout for heritage railways. Steve Oates, Chief Executive of the Heritage Railway Association said ‘The decision is a huge disappointment. We spoke at the planning committee meeting and we had argued a strong case. UK-produced coal generates a fraction of the CO2 emissions created by extracting and then shipping coal half-way round the world to the UK. And it costs less in money terms, too. Keeping Britain’s heritage railways running with affordable locally-produced coal would secure the future of a sector which sits at the heart of the country’s industrial and cultural heritage, and generates millions for the leisure and travel sector.’
       
      Full Article: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/12/newcastle-coal-mine-council-refuses-application-steam-locomotive-coal-supplies-in-britain-to-run-out-in-2022.html
     
         
      Batteries and hydrogen to make residential off-grid PV technically feasible Fri, 18th Dec 2020 11:19:00
     
      Scientists at the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) in Finland have found that residential off-grid PV solutions are technically feasible in northern climates only if coupled simultaneously with short-term battery storage and seasonal hydrogen storage, and if the household's peak consumption is not too high. In the paper Technical feasibility evaluation of a solar PV based off-grid domestic energy system with battery and hydrogen energy storage in northern climates, published in Solar Energy, the research team simulated a model for a similar approach in an existing single-family house in Finland with a 21 kW rooftop array and a ground source 6 kW heat pump for heating that is incorporated in the electricity consumption. Data on hourly average power data for PV electricity generation and electricity consumption were collected for three years from January 2017 to December 2019. The two-story house is designed as a zero-energy building and has a PV system that is south and east-west oriented. It consists of a 10.4 system with a 9 kVA string inverter facing south and a 10.7 kW array with a 7 kVA inverter facing east-west. “Undersizing the inverter compared to the PV peak power capacity is economically preferable for installations in northern locations,” the scientists said. “The capacity of the PV system is sized to the point where further improvement in self-sufficiency by increasing PV peak power is no longer feasible,” they further explained, adding that the home's self-sufficiency was found to be 36.81%, which is in line with values of all northern European countries. The average annual surplus PV power was estimated at around 200%. In their simulation, the academics used a battery bank for short-term energy storage and for controlling peak demand, and a hydrogen tank linked to a water electrolyzer and fuel cell for seasonal storage. Surplus PV electricity is used primarily for charging the battery and only when the latter is charged is it used to power the electrolyzer. Overdemand, on the other hand, is always met first by the battery itself. “Unnecessary sudden powering on and off of the fuel cell is minimized by limiting its output power based on the battery state of charge,” they also specified. Through sensitivity analysis and power balance analysis, the Finnish group was able to collect data on unmet power demand after storage stages and total annual hydrogen consumption and production. “Based on the simulation results, it is clear that neither a battery nor a hydrogen energy storage system alone is sufficient for year-round off-grid operation to be maintained in northern climate and insolation conditions,” the authors of the study concluded. According to their findings, using only a battery would require an “impractically” large system for this kind of project and hydrogen production alone would be wasteful due to its low round-trip efficiency. When combined together, however, the two techs could make residential off-grid solar a viable solution, although limiting high peak power consumption would be crucial. The proposed system could only work by employing a battery with a minimum storage capacity of 20 kWh and a fuel cell and electrolyzer with an installed capacity of at least 4 to 7 kW. “Hydrogen storage capacity of about 170 kg to 190 kg is needed to maintain system operation during the winter months, thus, unless additional compressors are used, a relatively large area in a residential home would be required for physical storage of hydrogen,” the scientists affirmed. The validity of these findings, the research team went on to say, is limited to northern climates, as higher levels of solar radiation in more southern locations would mean a reduced need for seasonal storage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/12/18/batteries-and-hydrogen-to-make-residential-off-grid-pv-technically-feasible/
     
         
      The Guardian view on air pollution risks: make Ella’s experience count Thu, 17th Dec 2020 19:12:00
     
      Air pollution in British cities must urgently be reduced. The public, and particularly people who have asthma – or other conditions that place them at increased risk from breathing particulate matter or gases including nitrogen dioxide – must be much better informed about the threat to their health. These are the only rational and humane conclusions to be drawn from dramatic events at a London coroner’s court this week, where it was recorded that exposure to air pollution was among the causes of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death from asthma in February 2013 – a finding that has never before been recorded by a coroner with regard to the death of an individual. The verdict is a victory for Ella’s mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, who, with the support of lawyers and medical reports, pushed hard for an earlier inquest verdict to be quashed. In the years leading up to her daughter’s death, Ms Kissi-Debrah lived with Ella and her siblings in Lewisham, within 30 metres of the South Circular road, where nitrogen dioxide emissions regularly exceeded national and EU legal limits. Ella was hospitalised 27 times in the three years before she died. Yet her mother was not warned by doctors, nor by any more general public health messaging, about the elevated risk to her asthmatic daughter from air pollution, the vast majority of it produced by traffic fumes. Public understanding of the dangers has moved on as the issue of air pollution has risen up the political and environmental agenda; so have the government’s ambitions. In 2018 Michael Gove, who was then environment secretary, produced a clean air strategy that promised “comprehensive action”, after the government’s air pollution policy was ruled illegal for the third time, in a series of cases brought by the activist organisation ClientEarth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/17/the-guardian-view-on-air-pollution-risks-make-ellas-experience-count
     
         
      Floating 'mini-nukes' could power countries by 2025, says startup Thu, 17th Dec 2020 18:00:00
     
      Floating barges fitted with advanced nuclear reactors could begin powering developing nations by the mid-2020s, according to a Danish startup company. Seaborg Technologies believes it can make cheap nuclear electricity a viable alternative to fossil fuels across the developing world as soon as 2025. Its seaborne “mini-nukes” have been designed for countries that lack the energy grid infrastructure to develop utility-scale renewable energy projects, many of which go on to use gas, diesel and coal plants instead. The ships are fitted with one or more small nuclear reactors, which can generate electricity and transmit the power to the mainland. The first ship of this kind began supplying heat and electricity to the Russian port of Pevek on the East Siberian Sea in December 2019. Troels Schönfeldt, the chief executive of Seaborg, said the company’s 100-megawatt compact molten salt reactor would take two years to build and would generate electricity that would be cheaper than coal-fired power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/17/floating-mini-nukes-could-power-countries-by-2025-says-startup
     
         
      Shell faces Dutch court in case testing how Paris climate goals apply to businesses Thu, 17th Dec 2020 17:23:00
     
      Green groups have taken Royal Dutch Shell to court in the Netherlands, in a case testing whether the Paris Agreement can be used to force oil companies to radically change their business model. Campaigners say that Shell is breaching its international climate obligations and threatening the lives of these citizens by continuing to invest billions of dollars each year in the production of fossil fuels. Seven environmental groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth the Netherlands, also known as Milieudefensie, filed the lawsuit against Shell in April last year, on behalf of over 17,000 Dutch citizens. They are demanding that Shell cut its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 and to zero by 2050, compared to 2019 levels, in line with the toughest 1.5C temperature limit in the Paris pact. This would force one of the world’s largest energy companies to quickly phase down production of oil and gas and invest in clean energy sources instead. Four public hearings took place in December in the district court of the Hague, where Shell has its headquarters, concluding on Thursday. A verdict is expected in May next year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/12/17/shell-faces-dutch-court-case-testing-paris-climate-goals-apply-businesses/
     
         
      Mass blackouts after China cuts Australian coal imports Thu, 17th Dec 2020 17:00:00
     
      China is suffering mass power cuts in the south, prompting cities to dim street lights, suspend factory production and tell office blocks to turn off heating unless the temperature falls below 3C. The electricity crisis appears to have been prompted by a shortage of coal after Beijing banned imports from Australia. China imposed trade bans against Australia after Canberra demanded an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus and criticised Beijing’s treatment of the people of Hong Kong.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mass-blackouts-after-china-cuts-australian-coal-imports-phx3fgvtg
     
         
      EU agrees its green transition fund will not support natural gas Thu, 17th Dec 2020 14:31:00
     
      The European Union’s flagship fund to wean regions off fossil fuels will not finance natural gas projects, EU governments said on Wednesday (16 December), ending a debate over whether to make the fuel eligible for support. Gas emits roughly 50% less CO2 than coal when burned in power plants, but it is associated with leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Envoys from the EU’s 27 member countries endorsed the deal on Wednesday, which was struck between EU governments and the European Parliament last week. Under the deal, the fund cannot be used to support any investments linked to fossil fuels, including natural gas. The Just Transition Fund will not back investments in nuclear energy either.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/eu-agrees-its-green-transition-fund-will-not-support-natural-gas/
     
         
      Giant iceberg A68a prangs seabed and loses corner Thu, 17th Dec 2020 12:52:00
     
      The icy colossus that is A68a has knocked off a corner, seemingly as a result of striking the seafloor. The 3,800-sq-km iceberg, which has been bearing down on the island of South Georgia, looked in recent days to be turning with the prevailing current. But as it spun around, it appears part of the frozen block may have scraped the bed, inflicting damage on itself. Satellite images on Thursday revealed a roughly 150-sq-km chunk to be floating free of the main berg. The new piece of debris is so large that it's likely from now on to be called A68d, under the iceberg nomenclature operated by the US National Ice Center. Two other large lumps that broke away previously from the primary block were designated A68b and A68c. Mission to investigate gigantic iceberg A68a RAF cameras capture world's biggest iceberg World's biggest iceberg is fraying at its edges Originating in Antarctica in 2017, A68a is the world's largest iceberg "in the open ocean". There is another great tabular berg called A23a which is slightly bigger but this has hardly moved from its calving position at the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. A68a, on the other hand, has travelled more than 1,500km in the past 3.5 years to get up into the South Atlantic. It's running in a fast stream of water known as the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front, which is one of the White Continent's main export routes for ice. The SACCF is like a conveyor belt that routinely delivers icebergs to the vicinity of South Georgia. Indeed, it's often said the British Overseas Territory is "where icebergs go to die" because so many get caught on the island's shallow continental shelf and end their days melting to nothing. Scientists are watching A68a with greater than normal interest. Its great bulk means that if it anchors at South Georgia, it could pose feeding problems for the island's famous penguins and seals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55355381
     
         
      Palm oil: Could a lab-made alternative save our rainforests? Thu, 17th Dec 2020 7:28:00
     
      Scientists are making an alternative to palm oil which they hope could help endangered species like the orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino. C16 Biosciences is a laboratory in New York, and its scientists have been busy creating a synthetic alternative to palm oil - that means it's made from non-natural things - and it doesn't involve burning or clearing any rainforest land. Palm oil is in lots of the things we buy, like shampoo, soap, toothpaste and lipstick, as well as food products such as some breads, crisps, biscuits, margarine, ice cream and chocolate. "Over the last 30 years, half (50%) of palm oil plantation growth has come at the hands of deforestation of tropical forest and peatland," said Shara Ticku, founder of C16 Biosciences. "That is really the core of the problem we're trying to solve." C16 Biosciences is not the only organisation looking to come up with an alternative. Researchers at the UK's University of Bath and a California-based company called Kiverdi are also looking into alternatives. Palm oil comes from the fruit of the African oil palm tree and is mostly grown in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a type of vegetable oil, like sunflower or rapeseed oil. It's cheap to make, has a smooth and creamy texture, doesn't smell of anything, and can help things stay fresher for longer, making it a useful ingredient in many products. But the way some palm oil is made, is causing serious damage to the environment. One of the biggest problems is deforestation. If the plantations where palm fruit is grown aren't sustainable, then some farmers will clear the tropical rainforests around them to make more land for planting. This can have a big impact on local communities and wildlife, for example orangutans, who call the forests their home. Scientists think that the worldwide use of palm oil will rise to between 264 and 447 million tonnes by 2050. So an alternative lab-made palm oil may help. Shara Ticku said: "If we can get enough people to change then there is no longer any justified reason for burning forest to produce this vegetable oil, and that is a success." But price may be an issue with alternatives. "The real problem is cost, because natural palm oil is extremely cheap, and that's what a synthetic alternative is competing against," said Professor Chuck from Bath University. Palm oil can be tricky to spot in things, as it can be called a different name in the ingredients list on products. According to the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) - an environmental charity - alternative names for palm oil and its by-products include: - Vegetable oil - Palm fruit oil - Palmitate - Glyceryl - Stearate - Stearic Acid - Elaeis Guineensis - Palmitoyl - Sodium Laureth Sulfate - Sodium Kernelate (This is not a complete list - there are many other names for palm oil.) The UK Government recently announced it was bringing in new laws as part of an Environment Bill, which help stop people in the UK from unknowingly buying products which have come from rainforests that have been illegally chopped down. Is all palm oil bad? It might be a while before synthetic palm oil hits our shelves, as it will need to go through lots of testing - but there are ways to help. Choose products that use sustainable palm oil. Many small farmers and farm workers depend on palm oil production to make enough money to live. A fifth (20%) of the world's palm oil is certified as sustainable, and 70% of palm oil imported to the UK is sustainable too. Products will often carry a certificate on their packaging if they use sustainable palm oil - but this is not always the case. If you're not sure if a product contains sustainable palm oil, this can be checked on the company's website or by contacting them to ask. Anita Neville works for one of the world's largest privately-owned palm oil plantation companies, and she said that if synthetic palm oil takes off, it could cause farmers to turn to other plants. She said: "You're still going to have something in the region of 4.5 million farmers in Indonesia, who are growing palm oil today and who might be moved into crops that are more land hungry, for example rubber or timber. "So it's not necessarily synthetic's good, traditional agriculture bad. It's finding the right balance."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/55317487
     
         
      Australia's newest coal-fired power plant deemed worthless by Japanese owner Thu, 17th Dec 2020 7:21:00
     
      The Japanese part-owner of Australia’s newest coal-fired power plant has written off its investment amid dimming prospects for coal. The conglomerate Sumitomo and another Japanese company, Kansai, each own half the Bluewaters power plant, which provides about 15% of Western Australia’s electricity, after buying it for a reported $1.2bn in 2011. But in accounts for the six months to the end of September, released last month, Sumitomo said it had written off the “total amount” of its investment in the power plant, built in 2009. This translated into a loss of 26bn yen (about A$330m) on the now-worthless plant, the company said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/17/australias-newest-coal-fired-power-plant-deemed-worthless-by-japanese-owner
     
         
      Lloyd's market to quit fossil fuel insurance by 2030 Thu, 17th Dec 2020 0:01:00
     
      Lloyd’s, the world’s biggest insurance market, has bowed to pressure from environmental campaigners and set a market-wide policy to stop new insurance cover for coal, oil sands and Arctic energy projects by January 2022, and to pull out of the business altogether by 2030. In its first environmental, social and governance report, Lloyd’s, which has been criticised for being slow to exit fossil fuel underwriting and investment, said the 90 insurance syndicates that make up the market would phase out all existing insurance policies for fossil fuel projects in 10 years’ time. Less than 5% of the market’s £35bn annual premiums comes from insurance policies in this area. “We want to align ourselves with the UN sustainability development goals and the principles in the Paris [climate] agreement,” said the Lloyd’s chairman, Bruce Carnegie-Brown.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/17/lloyds-market-to-quit-fossil-fuel-insurance-by-2030
     
         
      Wind plus solar to outstrip global gas plant by 2023 off 'sprightly' post-Covid growth Wed, 16th Dec 2020 15:52:00
     
      Wind and solar power plant are on track to together outstrip natural gas in installed capacity by 2023 – and coal a year later – globally, driven by record investment in renewables as the world's economies rebound from the impact of the Covid pandemic and clean-energy technology costs continue to fall, according to latest calculations from IHS Markit. The clean-energy market is expected to see a “sprightly return to growth” in 2021, rising 8.5% from $235bn this year to $255bn and sustaining this level of spending through to mid-decade, a 9% increase over cumulative capex in 2015-2019, said the energy research group.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/wind-plus-solar-to-outstrip-global-gas-plant-by-2023-off-sprightly-post-covid-growth/2-1-932419
     
         
      Farming: ‘Radical’ changes set out in post-Brexit plan Wed, 16th Dec 2020 14:20:00
     
      A "radical" new approach to agriculture in Wales has been set out by the Welsh Government as it plans to pay farmers to help fight climate change. It will be the biggest shake up of farming policy in Wales in a generation as subsidies based on how much land a farmer owns will be phased out. Farming unions say they need more details and it is important the changes are not rushed through. The government said it would help the sector be "more competitive". Wales' Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths said the current payments farms receive under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) had not adequately supported efforts to protect and enhance the Welsh countryside. The Welsh Conservatives accused the Welsh Government of leaving the work to the "last minute" and said there was a "lack of substantive detail". Plaid Cymru has warned that without a form of stability payment or subsidy, "farms are being asked to jump off a cliff without a safety net". A new Sustainable Farming Scheme will place a "proper value on environmental outcomes" - including improved soils, clean air and water, enhanced biodiversity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In the new proposals, there will also be support for creating and maintaining woodland, and better management of animal health and welfare. "We know the climate emergency isn't something that's coming down the track, we are living in it," Ms Griffiths said. "We need our farmers to be part of mitigating climate change and they are not being rewarded for that in the way they should be at the moment." For many farmers the changes will mean huge upheaval, while concern has also been expressed about the loss of direct payments - handed out on the basis of how much land is farmed - given the Scottish Government intends to keep them in some form. For most farmers in Wales, CAP direct payments make up the majority of their income. Farmers look after 80% of Wales' land area - about 1.84 million hectares - so the proposals matter hugely for both nature and the rural economy. Ms Griffiths said she wanted farmers to see the changes as "an opportunity rather than an approach that restricts their "freedom to farm". Polly Davies, who runs an organic livestock and arable farm near St Brides Major on the Vale of Glamorgan coast, supports the changes and says paying farmers in this way is a "much more sensible approach". Having applied for funding from existing agri-environment schemes, the family has fenced off the stream that runs across their land to prevent pollution and created new habitats for small mammals such as voles and field mice - "the perfect diet" for a breeding pair of endangered barn owls that also live nearby. "It's an amazing thing to produce food and look after nature at the same time," she said. "We've got major problems across the whole of Wales in terms of massive reductions in numbers of insects, small mammals and birds and we need to reverse that." She suggested the government was "taking a leap" with this new approach to payments and that farmers needed to "grab it and give it a go". The government's white paper paves the way for a new Welsh Agriculture Bill - the first big piece of farming legislation in the history of the Welsh Parliament. It says the new approach will lead to "visible changes at a landscape scale" - including increased woodland cover and habitats for wildlife, as well as different types of farming - including more arable and horticultural production. Farms will have shorter supply chains, more emphasis on buying and selling locally, and will significantly reduce their carbon footprint as well as contributing to public health through ensuring better air and water quality. But there's no time to pass it before the Senedd elections in May so what happens next will be up to the next government. With exact details of how the new payments will be calculated and delivered still being developed, Ms Griffiths said her hope would be to phase them in from 2024. The government's white paper also includes proposals to develop a set of national minimum standards for agriculture as well as a new enforcement regime. Welsh Conservative rural affairs spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said she was "astounded in the lack of substantive detail". "Whilst I am pleased that the Welsh Labour-led government have finally seen that Brexit is a real opportunity to bring tangible benefits to Welsh Farmers, allowing us to develop a system of agricultural support which is specially tailored for Wales, I do have to question why this work was left to the very last minute", she added. She called for urgent clarity on how the new payments would be delivered. Plaid Cymru said although the party was "not necessarily wedded to the current basic payment model", they were concerned "farms are being asked to jump off a cliff without a safety net". "Retaining at least an element of basic income should be part of these proposals," said Plaid's rural affairs spokesman Llyr Gruffydd. "We still have no idea what our trading relationship will be with our biggest export market post-Brexit." Aled Jones, NFU Cymru deputy president, called for more detail on the plans and urged the government not to "rush ahead" with changes. Glyn Roberts, president of the Farmers' Union of Wales said the document contained "too many aspirations" and not enough detail.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55320005
     
         
      Scottish government sets out plans to hit net-zero emissions Wed, 16th Dec 2020 13:08:00
     
      The Scottish government has set out details of how it plans to hit its climate change targets and reduce emissions to net-zero by 2045. MSPs passed a bill in 2019 which put the targets down in law - including a 75% cut in emissions by 2030. New policies designed to hit these goals include increased tree planting and use of low carbon technology. Ministers have also brought forward a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030, in line with UK plans. Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said there was an "unprecedented" challenge ahead to deliver targets while rebuilding the economy in the wake of Covid-19. However, she said the government was "determined" to grasp the opportunities of "a transition to a fairer, more sustainable and greener economy". MSPs passed a bill in 2019 which put the "net-zero" target - the aim of having all emissions offset by 2045 - in law. The plans were overwhelmingly backed by MSPs, although the Scottish Greens abstained in the vote having called for more ambitious milestones to be set along the way. The plans published by the government on Wednesday set out how it intends to build towards the initial goal of a 75% reduction in emissions - compared to 1990 levels - by 2030. By 2022, the government wants to have implemented a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, and to have a series of technology funds backing the hydrogen and carbon capture and storage industries up and running. By 2024 it aims to be creating 18,000 hectares of new woodlands per year, with the ultimate goal of having 21% of Scotland's land covered by forest by 2032 - compared to 19% today. Ministers have set a target of having 50% of all new heating systems being installed to be zero-emissions models by 2025, and to reduce food waste by 33% compared to 2013. They want to have "phased out" the need for new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 - and there is a goal of reducing the use of cars generally, with the number of kilometres driven to be reduced by 20%. The government also aims to restore 250,000 hectares of peatland, which is helpful in storing carbon and is seen as a "nature based solution" to emissions. By that year ministers also want renewable energy generation to account for 50% of energy demand across electricity, heat and transport. Beyond this, there is also a goal of fully decarbonising the passenger rail network by 2035
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55332761
     
         
      Heathrow wins court battle to build third runway Wed, 16th Dec 2020 12:57:00
     
      The Supreme Court has breathed new life into plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The scheme was previously blocked by the Court of Appeal, who said the government’s airports strategy didn’t meet up-to-date UK climate targets. But the Supreme Court has ruled the strategy was legitimately based on previous, less stringent, climate targets at the time it was agreed. The firm behind Heathrow can now seek planning permission for the runway. But it still faces major obstacles, including having to persuade a public enquiry of the case for expansion. And if planning inspectors approve the scheme, the government will still have the final say. What are the Heathrow third runway plans? Ministers have been advised by their Climate Change Committee that, in order to keep emissions down, Heathrow should only expand if regional airports contract. This will pose a problem for a government that’s committed to improving infrastructure away from the South-East. And a full application from Heathrow Airport may still be more than a year away as the airport re-assembles a planning team and strives to cope with Covid. 'Huge moment': A Heathrow spokesman called the decision to lift the ban "the right result for the country". "Only by expanding the UK's hub airport can we connect all of Britain to all of the growing markets of the world, helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in every nation and region of our country. "Demand for aviation will recover from Covid-19, and the additional capacity at an expanded Heathrow will allow Britain as a sovereign nation to compete for trade and win against our rivals in France and Germany." The business coalition Back Heathrow said it would boost the UK once it stops following EU trading rules on 31 December. “It is a huge moment for the UK as it moves towards an uncertain Brexit, but now with the confidence that international trade could be boosted by additional capacity at the country’s only hub airport," said executive director Parmjit Dhanda. “We believe this news reflects a unity of purpose between the highest court in the land and our parliament – which has already delivered a majority of 296 for sustainable expansion at Heathrow,” he added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55322340
     
         
      One Russian scientist hopes to slow the thawing of the Arctic Wed, 16th Dec 2020 11:23:00
     
      Perched on top of a cliff on the northern edge of Russia, Sergei Zimov doffs his beret, letting his long grey hair tumble down his back. His eyes glow as he leans his weathered face toward the frozen ground. Under the haze of never-ending northern days, he looks like a figure lifted from the golden background of a Russian Orthodox icon. Mr Zimov, whose name comes from the Russian word for “winter”, lives with his wife Galina in a simple wooden house outside Chersky, an outpost in Russia’s outer reaches, farther north than Reykjavik and farther east than Tokyo. Inside their home, woolly-mammoth tusks lie scattered across the bedroom floor. The Kolyma river beckons from the window. This is a land unsuited for human life, where temperatures dip below minus 50ºC in winter and where mosquitoes blacken the skies in summer. “To be a prophet, you must live in the desert,” says Mr Zimov.
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2020/12/19/one-russian-scientist-hopes-to-slow-the-thawing-of-the-arctic
     
         
      In Boost for Renewables, Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is on the Rise Tue, 15th Dec 2020 19:42:00
     
      Driven by technological advances, facilities are being built with storage systems that can hold enough renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes. The advent of “big battery” technology addresses a key challenge for green energy — the intermittency of wind and solar. The twin smokestacks of the Moss Landing Power Plant tower over Monterey Bay. Visible for miles along this picturesque stretch of the Northern California coast, the 500-foot-tall pillars crown what was once California’s largest electric power station — a behemoth natural gas-fired generator. Today, as California steadily moves to decarbonize its economy, those stacks are idle and the plant is largely mothballed. Instead, the site is about to begin a new life as the world’s largest battery, storing excess energy when solar panels and wind farms are producing electricity and feeding it back into the grid when they’re not. Inside a cavernous turbine building, a 300-megawatt lithium-ion battery is currently being readied for operation, with another 100-megawatt battery to come online in 2021. Together, they will be able to discharge enough electricity to power roughly 300,000 California homes for four hours during evenings, heatwaves, and other times when energy demand outstrips supply, according to project developer Vistra Energy. These aren’t the only super-sized batteries that will soon be operating at the Moss Landing plant. An additional 182.5 megawatts produced by 256 Tesla megapack batteries are scheduled to begin feeding into California’s electric grid in mid-2021, with plans to eventually add enough capacity at the site to power every home in nearby San Francisco for six hours, according to the Bay Area utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, which will own and operate the system. Elsewhere in California, a 250-megawatt storage project went online this year in San Diego, construction has begun on a 150-megawatt system near San Francisco, a 100-megawatt battery project is nearing completion in Long Beach, and a number of others are in various stages of development around the state. California is currently the global leader in the deployment of high-capacity batteries. Driven by steeply falling prices and technological progress that allows batteries to store ever-larger amounts of energy, grid-scale systems are seeing record growth in the U.S. and around the world. Many of the gains are spillovers from the auto industry’s race to build smaller, cheaper, and more powerful lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. In the U.S., state clean energy mandates, along with tax incentives for storage systems that are paired with solar installations, are also playing an important role. California is currently the global leader in the effort to balance the intermittency of renewable energy in electric grids with high-capacity batteries. But the rest of the world is rapidly following suit. Recently announced plans range from a 409-megawatt system in South Florida, to a 320-megawatt plant near London, England, to a 200-megawatt facility in Lithuania and a 112-megawatt unit in Chile. The mass deployment of storage could overcome one of the biggest obstacles to renewable energy — its cycling between oversupply when the sun shines or the wind blows, and shortage when the sun sets or the wind drops. By smoothing imbalances between supply and demand, proponents say, batteries can replace fossil fuel “peaker” plants that kick in for a few hours a day when energy demands soar. Experts say that widespread energy storage is key to expanding the reach of renewables and speeding the transition to a carbon-free power grid. “Energy storage is actually the true bridge to a clean-energy future,” says Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association. How quickly that future arrives depends in large part on how rapidly costs continue to fall. Already the price tag for utility-scale battery storage in the United States has plummeted, dropping nearly 70 percent between 2015 and 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This sharp price drop has been enabled by advances in lithium-ion battery chemistry that have significantly improved performance. Power capacity has expanded rapidly, and batteries can store and discharge energy over ever-longer periods of time. Market competition and rising battery production also play a major role; a projection by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory sees mid-range costs for lithium-ion batteries falling an additional 45 percent between 2018 and 2030. “We’re almost entirely piggybacking on the growth of lithium-ion battery technology, which is driven mostly by electric vehicles and consumer electronics,” says Ray Hohenstein, market applications director for Fluence, an energy developer with storage projects totaling nearly 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) set to come online in California within a year. The money put into research for those applications is driving down costs across the board, says Hohenstein. “It’s just like what we saw with solar panels.” In California, falling battery prices, coupled with the state’s aggressive push toward a carbon-free electrical grid by 2045, have led to a packed pipeline of storage projects. A 2013 bill set a target of 1.325 gigawatts of storage to be commissioned for the state’s grid by 2020. With 1.5 gigawatts of projects now approved — including more than 500 megawatts installed so far — that goal has already been surpassed, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. While there is no precise figure for how much storage California will require to meet its carbon-free goal — the amount depends on the future technology mix, energy use, and other changing factors — some analyses estimate that at least 30 gigawatts of utility-scale storage will be needed by 2045. In the U.S., a record 1.2 gigawatts of storage have been installed so far this year. When the gigantic Moss Landing project becomes fully operational in mid-2021, it will more than double the amount of energy storage in California. Several other states are also now embarking on major energy storage projects. Among them: New York’s 316-megawatt Ravenswood project will be able to power more than 250,000 homes for up to eight hours, replacing two natural gas peaker plants in the New York City borough of Queens. And the 409-megawatt Manatee system planned for South Florida will be charged by an adjacent solar plant. Touted by utility Florida Power & Light as the world’s largest solar-powered battery system, the facility will replace two aging natural gas-fired units. Nationwide, a record 1.2 gigawatts of storage have been installed so far this year, according to Wood MacKenzie, a natural resources research and consulting firm. That number is projected to jump dramatically over the next five years, rising to nearly 7.5 gigawatts in 2025. Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the U.S. Energy Storage Association, says that battery storage additions doubled in 2020, and would likely have tripled had it not been for construction slowdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite its leadership in renewable energy development, Europe has been slower to get on board with storage. “In general, Europe is a bit more conservative,” says Daniele Gatti, analyst for IDTechEx, a United Kingdom-based market research firm specializing in emerging technology. Energy storage development in Europe has been hindered by a restrictive electricity market dominated by government auctions that tend to undervalue storage. Still, some big-battery projects are now taking shape, including the 320-megawatt Gateway system to be built at a new port facility near London. Globally, Gatti projects rapid growth in energy storage, reaching 1.2 terawatts (1,200 gigawatts) over the next decade. Key players include Australia, which in 2017 became the first nation to install major battery storage on its grid with the 100-megawatt Hornsdale Power Reserve, and is now planning to add another 300 megawatts near Victoria. The new system will dispatch electricity between states on an as-needed basis, maximizing the efficiency of existing transmission infrastructure and reducing the need for building new power lines that would sit idle most of the time. Similar projects are gearing up in Germany and elsewhere, highlighting an emerging role for batteries as transmission tools. And Saudi Arabia has just announced plans to overtake Moss Landing’s standing as the world’s largest battery with a massive solar-plus-storage system on the country’s west coast. The facility will provide 100-percent renewable energy around the clock to a resort complex of 50 hotels and 1,300 homes being built along the Red Sea. With a recent report concluding that most fossil fuel power plants in the U.S. will reach the end of their working life by 2035, experts say that the time for rapid growth in industrial-scale energy storage is at hand. Yiyi Zhou, a renewable power systems specialist with Bloomberg NEF, says that renewables combined with battery storage are already an economically viable alternative to building new gas peaker plants. Pairing electricity generation with storage works especially well with solar energy, which generally follows a predictable daily pattern. In the U.S., costs have also been helped by the federal Investment Tax Credit, a 30-percent tax rebate for new solar installations. In fact, says Zhou, as more solar energy enters the grid, the cost of operating gas plants actually goes up. Batteries are beginning to reach a size that enables renewables to replace medium-sized natural gas generators. “That’s mainly because they are forced to cycle on and off much more now because of solar penetration,” Zhou says. “This adds wear-and-tear, and shortens their lifetime.” Batteries are even beginning to reach a size — around 200 megawatts — that enables renewables to replace small- to medium-sized natural gas generators, Hohenstein says. “Now we’re able to truly build these hybrid resources — solar, storage, wind — and do the job that was traditionally done by fossil fuel power plants,” says Hohenstein, whose company is seeing a surge of interest in such large projects. Adding storage also makes renewable energy more profitable, says Wesley Cole, an energy analyst with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “One of the challenges of renewable energy is the more you put on the grid, the more the value declines,” Cole says. Storage helps deal with that by soaking up excess energy that would have been lost in the middle of the day, when electricity demand is lower, and moving it to a time when it is more valuable. While energy storage is thriving in high-value markets, such as California, battery prices still need to come down more to reach large-scale global deployment. In the U.S., proponents hope the incoming Biden administration will pursue more favorable energy policies, including extending the Investment Tax Credit — which ramps down to 10 percent for commercial solar systems and ends for residential solar in 2022 — and expanding the benefit to stand-alone storage. ALSO ON YALE E360 How Biden can put the U.S. on a path to carbon-free electricity. Read more. Even without further incentives, however, analysts are optimistic that battery prices will eventually drop low enough for widespread energy storage use. “We see storage being a large player across effectively every future we look at,” says Cole. “And not just one or two gigawatts… but tens to hundreds of gigawatts.”
       
      Full Article: https://e360.yale.edu/features/in-boost-for-renewables-grid-scale-battery-storage-is-on-the-rise
     
         
      New climate models suggest faster melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet Tue, 15th Dec 2020 16:00:00
     
      Greenland’s vast ice sheet could melt faster than previously thought over the 21st century, according to a new study. The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest mass of ice on Earth, holding enough water to raise global sea levels by 7.2 metres. Even if warming in the coming decades is kept to low levels, melting from the Greenland ice sheet is expected to reach unprecedented rates in the coming decades, contributing significantly to global sea level rise. The study, published in Nature Communications, compares estimates of future sea level rise from the Greenland ice sheet in new (CMIP6) models to the previous generation (CMIP5). The study finds that the 21st century sea-level contribution from the Greenland ice sheet is always higher in the CMIP6 models than in the corresponding CMIP5 models running the same emissions scenario. (See Carbon Brief’s detailed CMIP6 explainer.)
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/new-climate-models-suggest-faster-melting-of-the-greenland-ice-sheet
     
         
      People, planet on ‘collision course’, warns UN Development Programme Tue, 15th Dec 2020 13:49:00
     
      Countries must redesign their development pathways to reduce damage to the environment and the natural world, or risk stalling progress for humanity overall, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned in a major new report. The coronavirus pandemic is the latest crisis facing the world, and societies everywhere need to “release their grip on nature”, or risk more of the same, the agency said in this year's Human Development Report, entitled The Next Frontier, released on Tuesday. “Humans wield more power over the planet than ever before. In the wake of COVID-19, record-breaking temperatures and spiraling inequality, it is time to use that power to redefine what we mean by progress, where our carbon and consumption footprints are no longer hidden”, said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “As this report shows, no country in the world has yet achieved very high human development without putting immense strain on the planet. But we could be the first generation to right this wrong. That is the next frontier for human development.” ‘Experimental’ index The 30th anniversary edition of UNDP’s Human Development Report, The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene, includes a new experimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint. Anthropocene is an unofficial unit of geological time; it describes an era in which humans are a dominant force shaping the future of planet Earth. By adjusting its annual Human Development Index – the measure of a nation’s health, education, and standards of living – to include two more elements: a country’s carbon dioxide emissions and its material footprint, the new index shows how the global development landscape would change if both the wellbeing of people and also the planet were central to defining humanity’s progress. With the resulting Planetary-Pressures Adjusted HDI – or PHDI - a new global picture emerges, painting a less rosy but clearer assessment of human progress. Working with nature Progress in human development, UNDP says, “will require working with and not against nature, while transforming social norms, values, and government and financial incentives.” For instance, estimates suggest that by 2100 the poorest countries in the world could experience up to 100 more days of extreme weather due to climate change each year – a number that could be cut in half if the Paris Agreement on climate change is fully implemented. Similarly, reforestation and taking better care of woodlands could alone account for roughly a quarter of the pre-2030 actions needed to stop global warming from reaching 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, the report notes. Dismantling power imbalances The report also outlines the impact of inequalities between and within countries, lack of involvement of indigenous peoples in decision making, and discrimination, leaving affected communities exposed to high environment risks. Easing planetary pressures in a way that enables all people to flourish in this new age requires dismantling the gross imbalances of power and opportunity that stand in the way of transformation, it adds. Lead report author and head of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, Pedro Conceição, highlighted that the choice is not “between people or trees”. “It is about recognizing, today, that human progress driven by unequal, carbon-intensive growth has run its course … by tackling inequality, capitalizing on innovation and working with nature, human development could take a transformational step forward to support societies and the planet together,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080042
     
         
      Young Champions of the Earth: Indian’s burning desire for energy Tue, 15th Dec 2020 13:43:00
     
      An Indian engineer has been recognized by the United Nations for developing innovative technology which not only produces energy, but which helps to keep the air cleaner and reduce climate change. Vidyut Mohan has pioneered a portable machine which burns agricultural waste without releasing harmful greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere turning it into charcoal and fertilizer which can be used by farmers in India. Farmers have traditionally burnt waste in their fields which not only pollutes the atmosphere worsening health conditions like asthma and heart disease but also contributes to climate change by releasing tiny particles of black carbon into the atmosphere. Vidyut Mohan is one of seven innovators recognized, on Tuesday, as United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Young Champions of the Earth for 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080072
     
         
      All Politics Is Local, Including Climate Politics Tue, 15th Dec 2020 12:13:00
     
      The idea that climate change is a “collective action problem” has held back international negotiations for years, researchers say. Nobody likes cheaters. Is it possible to hate them too much? The 30-year record of climate diplomacy suggests the answer is absolutely yes, according political scientists Michaël Aklin of University of Pittsburgh and Matto Mildenberger of University of California, Santa Barbara. To understand how that could be, consider for a minute how we’ve been encouraged to think about international climate talks since 1992, when leaders agreed in Rio de Janeiro to the framework that still governs climate talks to this day. Climate change is frequently called a “collective action problem,” meaning that victory requires participation from everyone and that any diplomatic agreement must prevent and punish “free riders,” or countries that benefit from global progress without cutting their own emissions. Yale economist and 2018 Nobel laureate William Nordhaus wrote in 2015 that treaties have largely failed because of “the strong incentives for free-riding in current international climate agreements.” The late Harvard economist Martin Weitzman wrote two years later that “the core problem” in global climate politics is “to overcome the obstacles associated with free-riding.” The U.S. isn't a member of the Paris Agreement anymore (a condition President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to reverse once he's inaugurated in January). Leaders from Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey—all still parties to the 2015 pact—have been criticized for setting climate goals too lax to be taken seriously. By the logic of the free-rider doctrine, all these nations are cheaters. Fearing they'll be taken advantage of, climate champions should also drop out of the Paris Agreement and unwind their climate policies. So why did 75 countries announce stronger climate commitments this past Saturday at a virtual conference to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement and preview next year’s round of climate talks in Glasgow? The U.K. just tightened its 2030 emissions goal to 68% below 1990 levels. European Union leaders agreed to change their target to a 55% emissions drop by 2030. Denmark, the EU's biggest oil producer, will phase out oil production by 2050. China shocked the world in September by vowing to zero out its emissions by 2060, a move heralded potentially as “the single biggest piece of climate news in the last decade.” While still woefully insufficient, climate efforts are growing stronger, not weaker, the U.S. and other cheaters notwithstanding. There’s a better explanation than free-riding to explain how countries negotiate, Aklin and Mildenberger say: domestic political factions and special interests. The core problem negotiators face isn’t fear that other nations will betray them, it’s getting domestic support for their positions. “Climate policies create new economic winners and losers,” the two academics write. These potential winners and losers vie to control national discussions, and that's primarily what guides the big talks. Aklin and Mildenberger run through the history of climate diplomacy to show that the classic examples of the free-rider hypothesis in action don't really hold up. Before world leaders—including U.S. Vice President Al Gore—signed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the Senate overwhelmingly voted against the idea over concerns that it wouldn't bind developing nations as it would rich ones. The George W. Bush White House formally ended U.S. support for Kyoto in 2001 after relentless lobbying from the oil industry, and the treaty has entered collective memory as a missed opportunity. Despite not solving climate change, however, the Kyoto Protocol raised awareness around the world, with national commitments increasing despite the U.S. absence, Aklin and Mildenberger write. The agreement prompted the EU to start its Emissions Trading System, and created a "clean development mechanism" that let rich nations buy carbon credits from emissions-avoiding projects in developing countries. Opposition to free-riding “is an idea that's very intuitive,” Mildenberger said in an interview. But what's “created the most friction has been economic conflicts between winners and losers at the national level.” But aren’t politicians such as the U.S. officials who point fingers at China for standing to benefit from U.S. emissions curbs clearly responding to the free-rider threat? No, the authors write. It’s a “rhetorical flourish to disguise just outright opposition,” Mildenberger said. By casting themselves as willing to cooperate under the right conditions, these officials are hiding the likelier fact that they are unwilling to cooperate under any conditions. The Paris Agreement already represents a monumental shift in diplomatic approach. The pact is an aggregation of domestic pledges, not a centralized litany of instructions. It’s not “the kind of straight jacket that was imposed in the past,” Aklin said. “It also allowed each country to focus on what they were good at.” The three most important stories to watch in the coming year aren't related to Paris agreement sticking points at all, Aklin said, further underscoring the flexibility of this diplomatic agreement. How will Biden implement his climate strategy? What details can China add to its dramatic September announcement? And how will India phase out its coal? In the next phase of climate diplomacy, cheaters are only cheating themselves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-15/all-politics-is-local-including-climate-politics
     
         
      Dunleavy wants state to cut ties with banks that won’t fund Arctic oil projects Mon, 14th Dec 2020 19:36:00
     
      Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants the state government to sever its ties with financial institutions that won’t finance oil and gas development in the Arctic. Dunleavy announced in a news release Monday that his administration will introduce a bill during the upcoming legislative session that would require state departments and agencies to end any existing relationships with the businesses. The proposed move by Dunleavy follows a string of announcements from major banks and lenders that say they won’t invest in oil and gas projects in the Arctic. Those companies include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. Environmental groups trying to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have lobbied the banks to rule out investing in Arctic oil development. Monday’s news release from the governor’s office said the proposed legislation would “protect Alaska’s economy.” “It makes no sense for Alaska to allow financial institutions to benefit handsomely from Alaska’s financial activities on one hand, while working against our interests on the other,” Dunleavy said. The exact impact Dunleavy’s proposal would have on state agencies wasn’t immediately clear. Jeff Turner, the governor’s spokesman, said the scope of the change would be included in the draft legislation, and he said that document was not yet available Monday. He also said he did not have a list Monday of the financial institutions that the proposal would bar state agencies from using. Alaska Wilderness League, a vocal opponent of drilling in the Arctic, swiftly criticized Dunleavy’s plans to introduce the bill, saying the governor is missing the broader point that “speculative, high cost projects in places like Alaska’s Arctic are no longer attractive to investors, especially with the realities of climate change and as more lucrative opportunities in renewable energy or unconventional oil plays down south exist.” The federal government plans to hold its first-ever oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain on Jan. 6.
       
      Full Article: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/12/14/dunleavy-wants-state-to-cut-ties-with-banks-that-wont-fund-arctic-oil-projects/
     
         
      A Third of the World’s Population Are Left Without Steady Power Mon, 14th Dec 2020 16:55:00
     
      The Rockefeller Foundation announced a global coalition aimed at providing sustainable energy for one billion people within this decade. Organizations joining this call to action include the African Development Bank, CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, European Investment Bank, International Energy Agency, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Today one in ten of the world’s people (800 million) lack access to electricity, including half the sub-Saharan Africa population. Another 2.8 billion people lack access to reliable electricity to secure their livelihoods or power modern healthcare facilities and schools. The pandemic has only exacerbated the inequality of global energy access. “In this era of unprecedented crises—including the coronavirus pandemic—we have a responsibility and remarkable opportunity to harness the power that can lead to a more equitable, safer world,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, “Our goal is ambitious yet achievable: to bring reliable and sustainable electricity, powered by renewable technologies, to a billion people by the decade’s end. Our success will empower millions of people to participate in a modern economy, growing economic opportunity for us all.” As the world begins to focus on vaccine distribution and stimulus to help bring about a rapid end to the devastation of Covid-19, the new coalition is focused on unleashing the full potential of distributed renewable energy systems, including technologies such as mini-grids; grid-connected local generation, and storage; renewable power solutions for industrial and commercial clusters; and stand-alone commercial appliances. Over the past decade, technological breakthroughs have made these systems more affordable and easier to deploy; harnessing their impact is essential for rapidly providing electricity to power modern economies and critical social services.
       
      Full Article: https://ritzherald.com/a-third-of-the-worlds-population-are-left-without-steady-power/
     
         
      Exxon Mobil plans to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 Mon, 14th Dec 2020 15:32:00
     
      (Reuters) -Oil major Exxon Mobil Corp said on Monday it planned to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions over the next five years to support the goals of the Paris Agreement. The world's top oil and gas companies are under heavy pressure from investors and climate activists to meet the 2015 Paris climate goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels. On Thursday, Church Commissioners for England joined growing investor campaigns that demanded changes at Exxon and backed calls for a board refresh and development of a strategy for the U.S. oil company's transition to cleaner fuels. Exxon on Monday said it would reduce the intensity of operated upstream greenhouse gas emissions by 15% to 20% by 2025, compared to 2016 levels. The reduction would be supported by a 40% to 50% decrease in methane intensity and a 35% to 45% decrease in flaring intensity across Exxon's global operations, the company said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/exxon-mobil-plans-to-lower-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-2025-2020-12
     
         
      Sizewell C: What might a new nuclear plant mean for Suffolk? Mon, 14th Dec 2020 15:04:00
     
      The government has announced talks with French firm EDF about building a new £20bn nuclear power plant in Suffolk, capable of providing 7% of the UK's energy needs. But what might this mean for the community living nearby? Sizewell has long been earmarked as a front-runner for a new nuclear power plant. Although still a long way from being approved, the proposals have taken a step forward. EDF wants to build the new two-reactor station directly to the north of the existing Sizewell B plant. What is in Sizewell? Sizewell is a fishing hamlet on the North Sea coast between the popular towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is already home to two separate power stations - the decommissioned Magnox Sizewell A and pressurized water reactor (PWR) Sizewell B. The first nuclear plant - Sizewell A - was opened in 1967. Government in talks to fund £20bn nuclear plant While about 5,500 people live in the Leiston area, it is understood fewer than 100 live in the hamlet of Sizewell itself. Sizewell is hemmed in with every kind of protected area. The whole coast is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the shingle beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Sizewell Marshes, just behind the plant is a Special Protected Area (SPA), and the Leiston Sandlings to the south are another SPA. What would happen in Sizewell? Building the new power station would involve turning a large swathe of wood, marsh and grassland into a temporary construction site, housing a 1,000-space car and bus park and a 2,400-bed worker campus. The temporary construction site, says EDF, would eventually be returned to a natural environment. EDF says a "significant amount of construction material and equipment will need to be transported". In practical terms, this will mean up to an extra 300 HGVs a day coming in and out of Sizewell and an upgrade to branch line rail links. A new Sizewell link road would be built and a new park and rides set up. A new bypass set up to avoid traffic having to go through the villages of Stratford St Andrew and Farnham is also part of the plans. Also planned is a freight management facility on the A14 at Seven Hills, near Ipswich, and a new landing facility on the beach for loads to be brought in by ship. Monday's announcement is not a "green light" for construction, the business secretary Alok Sharma said. EDF must, he said, prove the project would offer value for money for consumers "and all other relevant approvals" before a final decision is made. Simone Rossi, EDF's UK chief executive, said: "By investing in renewables and nuclear at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, we're supporting decarbonisation while creating jobs across the UK. "The time for action is now and we look forward to working with the government to implement its energy and climate policies, including the financing of new nuclear." Short presentational grey line What are the environmental concerns? Alison Downes, executive director of the protest group Stop Sizewell C, says there remains numerous "obstacles" to a Sizewell C ever being built. "The challenges surrounding a build at Sizewell C are completely unique," she says. "This idea that Sizewell C will show value for money is just pie in the sky stuff. "Extending the life of Sizewell B makes sense, if it could be done safely. "There's still everything to play for in this campaign." Edwina Galloway, a member of Kelsale-cum-Carlton Parish Council, says her council had repeatedly voted against the new power plant proposals. "We have been supplying a decade of responses saying that it is too big for this area, it is going to cause too much environmental damage and there are so many issues," she said. "It is still not properly thought through and we are really quite shocked that at this stage it still feels like somebody is writing this on the back of an envelope with the most massive environmental damage. "This is such a precious area in a time when the government is saying it wants to increase biodiversity." Short presentational grey line What has been the reaction in Sizewell? "Would you want to come here if there's a nuclear power plant being built?" asks Trevor Fisk, a 71-year-old who has called Sizewell his home for the past 25 years. Mr Fisk says he is not against nuclear power. But he is against building the power plant here in Sizewell. Up to 3,600 construction roles, 1,500 management and a further 550 support roles will be needed during the building phase, EDF says. As the project progresses, these jobs will be replaced by up to 3,300 mechanical, electrical and heating specialist positions. Once finished, Sizewell C would need about 900 skilled operators to run it. Kate Thrumble, 34, and her husband Luke are on holiday on the Suffolk coast from the Chelmsford area of Essex. Staying at nearby Orford, the family decided to visit Sizewell for a walk with their dog. Mrs Thrumble says: "It's nice here and really good to see the sea." But she said they would think twice about visiting again if a third nuclear plant was built. Linda Mackinnon says she is happy for the power station to be built. "We've got two power stations here already and they've got to go somewhere," she says. "I feel that we're going to need it. We need all sorts of sources of power and nuclear is one of them. "It makes sense and we cannot rely on what's out there. We've just got to get on with it. "We were here when Sizewell B started to be built and the difference was amazing. The employment for younger people was great." Waveney's Conservative MP Peter Aldous, whose constituency is further along the Suffolk coast, says the proposals offer a "significant opportunity for people to work on the construction and also to acquire skills that we can use across the area". If Sizewell C does eventually go ahead - and plans have been sent to the Infrastructure Planning Commission, which deals with nationally important developments - it is expected the project would take up to 10 years to build.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-55300856
     
         
      The moon controls the release of methane in Arctic Ocean Mon, 14th Dec 2020 10:12:00
     
      It may not be very well known, but the Arctic Ocean leaks enormous amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane. These leaks have been ongoing for thousands of years but could be intensified by a future warmer ocean. The potential for this gas to escape the ocean, and contribute to the greenhouse gas budget in the atmosphere, is an important mystery that scientists are trying to solve. A recent paper in Nature Communications even implies that the moon has a role to play. Small pressure changes affect methane release The moon controls one of the most formidable forces in nature—the tides that shape our coastlines. Tides, in turn, significantly affect the intensity of methane emissions from the Arctic Ocean seafloor. "We noticed that gas accumulations, which are in the sediments within a meter from the seafloor, are vulnerable to even slight pressure changes in the water column. Low tide means less of such hydrostatic pressure and higher intensity of methane release. High tide equals high pressure and lower intensity of the release," says co-author of the paper Andreia Plaza Faverola.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-moon-methane-arctic-ocean.html
     
         
      Hurricane season 2020: Is global warming making hurricanes stronger? Sun, 13th Dec 2020 15:02:00
     
      The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most active on record, according to the US National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. There were a record-breaking 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the continental United States. It was the fifth consecutive year of above-normal Atlantic hurricane activity. But is this a result of global warming? BBC World Service's Climate Question podcast spoke to Renato Redentor Constantino, director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-55274117
     
         
      Recycling: What if things never, ever got thrown away? Sun, 13th Dec 2020 14:57:00
     
      What if things never, ever, got thrown away? That is a future some hope will become the reality in Wales as we move towards what they think is the only way for business and society to go - a so-called circular economy. In Wales, there is a growing movement of people getting behind the idea, with some moving their whole business model to this new way of working. It includes one car-maker in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, that "hopes never to sell a car". Now they hope to encourage more of us to take up a "circular" approach to our lifestyles and help make Wales a leading proponent of a sustainable future. Filmed and edited by Nick Hartley.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-55276055
     
         
      'Not enough' climate ambition shown by leaders Sun, 13th Dec 2020 14:30:00
     
      Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made a speech at a virtual climate change conference and stressed the importance of taking action to save our planet. In it he outlined a 10-point plan for a 'green industrial revolution', which he says will create millions of jobs. The virtual conference is taking place on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement. Over 70 world leaders are sparking at the meeting. The UK minister tasked with leading UN climate talks says world leaders are failing to show the necessary level of ambition. Alok Sharma was speaking at the conclusion of a virtual climate summit organised by the UK, UN and France. He said "real progress" had been made and 45 countries had put forward new climate plans for 2030. But these were not enough to prevent dangerous warming this century, Mr Sharma explained. Taking place on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, the summit heard the UN Secretary General warn that every country needed to declare a climate emergency. Around 70 heads of state and government took part in the meeting, which was organised by the UK, UN and France. They outlined new pledges and commitments to curb carbon. China's contribution was eagerly awaited, not just because it is the world's biggest emitter, but because it has recently promised to reach net zero emissions by 2060. Achieving net zero means that emissions have been cut as much as possible and any remaining releases are balanced by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. But while President Xi Jinping outlined a range of new targets for 2030, many analysts felt these did not go far enough. India brought little in the way of new commitments but Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country was on track to achieve its goals under the Paris agreement and promised a major uptick in wind and solar energy. According to the UK, some 24 countries had outlined net zero commitments and 20 had now set out plans to adapt and become more resilient to rising temperatures and their impacts. But despite these commitments, Mr Sharma said not enough had been achieved. "Have we made any real progress at this summit? And the answer to that is: yes," he said. "But they will also ask, have we done enough to put the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C, and protect people and nature from the effects of climate change? To make the Paris Agreement a reality. "Friends, we must be honest with ourselves, the answer to that, is currently: no. As encouraging as all this ambition is. It is not enough." Mr Sharma re-stated a commitment made last year to double the UK's international climate finance spend. This will bring it to at least £11.6bn over the next five years. Earlier on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Mr Johnson said advances in renewable energy technologies would "save our planet and create millions of high-skilled jobs". He added: "Together we can use scientific advances to protect our entire planet - our biosphere - against a challenge far worse, far more destructive even than the coronavirus. And by the promethean power of our invention, we can begin to defend the Earth against the disaster of global warming." Meanwhile, UN Secretary General António Guterres criticised rich countries for spending 50% more of their pandemic recovery cash on fossil fuels compared to low-carbon energy. Mr Guterres said that 38 countries had already declared a climate emergency and he called on leaders worldwide to now do the same. On Covid recovery spending, he said that this is money being borrowed from future generations. "We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet," he said. The meeting is taking place after the pandemic caused the postponement of the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting, which had been due to take place in Glasgow this year. The UK has announced an end to support for overseas fossil fuel projects, and has today deposited a new climate plan with the UN. It's the first time that Britain has had to do this, as it was previously covered by the European Union's climate commitments. The UK pointed to its new commitment on overseas fossil fuel projects as well as a new carbon cutting target of 68% by 2030, announced last week by the prime minister. The EU presented a new 2030 target of a 55% cut in emissions, agreed after all-night negotiations this week. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: "It is the go-ahead for scaling up climate action across our economy and society." China's President Xi Jinping announced that the country would reduce its carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by over 65% compared with 2005 levels. China will also increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption by about 25%. And President Xi pledged to increase forest cover and boost wind and solar capacity. But Manish Bapna, managing director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) said: "The strengthened renewable energy, carbon intensity, and forest targets are steps in the right direction, but recent WRI analysis shows that China would benefit more economically and socially if it aims higher, including by peaking emissions as early as possible." Although President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris pact, the summit saw statements from the Republican governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, and the Democrat governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, who said the US was "all-in" on tackling climate change. Pope Francis said the Vatican had committed to reaching net zero emissions, similar to carbon neutrality, before 2050. "The time has come to change course. Let us not rob future generations of the hope for a better future," he said. A number of big emitters, including Australia, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Mexico, did not take part, as their climate actions were not deemed ambitious enough. Some observers believe this hard line on some countries is justified. "From a kind of symbolic procedural point of view, it's good to have everybody on board," said Prof Heike Schroeder from the University of East Anglia. "But from a proactive, creating some kind of sense of urgency approach, it also makes sense to say we only get to hear from you if you have something new to say." The five years since the Paris agreement was adopted have been the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and emissions have continued to accrue in the atmosphere. But many countries and businesses have started the process of decarbonisation in that time. The progress they've made now needs to be acknowledged and encouraged, says former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres. "That progress that's been seen in the real economy has to be reflected and incentivised further by those additional commitments," she said. One area that yielded little progress at this meeting was the question of finance. Rich countries had promised to mobilise $100bn a year from 2020 under the Paris agreement - but the commitments on cash are not forthcoming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55276769
     
         
      Not enough' climate ambition shown by leaders Sun, 13th Dec 2020 13:37:00
     
      The UK minister tasked with leading UN climate talks says world leaders are failing to show the necessary level of ambition.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55276769
     
         
      'Not enough' climate ambition shown by leaders Sat, 12th Dec 2020 23:14:00
     
      The UK minister tasked with leading UN climate talks says world leaders are failing to show the necessary level of ambition. Alok Sharma was speaking at the conclusion of a virtual climate summit organised by the UK, UN and France. He said "real progress" had been made and 45 countries had put forward new climate plans for 2030. But these were not enough to prevent dangerous warming this century, Mr Sharma explained. Taking place on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, the summit heard the UN Secretary General warn that every country needed to declare a climate emergency. Around 70 heads of state and government took part in the meeting, which was organised by the UK, UN and France. They outlined new pledges and commitments to curb carbon. China's contribution was eagerly awaited, not just because it is the world's biggest emitter, but because it has recently promised to reach net zero emissions by 2060. Achieving net zero means that emissions have been cut as much as possible and any remaining releases are balanced by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere, What is climate change? EU leaders raise target for emissions cut to 55% Covid drives record emissions drop in 2020 Have countries kept their climate change promises? But while President Xi Jinping outlined a range of new targets for 2030, many analysts felt these did not go far enough. India brought little in the way of new commitments but Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country was on track to achieve its goals under the Paris agreement and promised a major uptick in wind and solar energy. According to the UK, some 24 countries had outlined net zero commitments and 20 had now set out plans to adapt and become more resilient to rising temperatures and their impacts. But despite these commitments, Mr Sharma said not enough had been achieved. "Have we made any real progress at this summit? And the answer to that is: yes," he said. "But they will also ask, have we done enough to put the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C, and protect people and nature from the effects of climate change? To make the Paris Agreement a reality. "Friends, we must be honest with ourselves, the answer to that, is currently: no. As encouraging as all this ambition is. It is not enough." Mr Sharma re-stated a commitment made last year to double the UK's international climate finance spend. This will bring it to at least £11.6bn over the next five years. Earlier on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Mr Johnson said advances in renewable energy technologies would "save our planet and create millions of high-skilled jobs".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55276769
     
         
      The end of coal? Why investors aren't buying the myth of the industry's 'renaissance' Sat, 12th Dec 2020 19:00:00
     
      There were more than 70 coal ships in the offshore gridlock in December 2017. This year there are just 12 waiting – equalling a record low mark set at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/13/the-end-of-coal-why-investors-arent-buying-the-myth-of-the-industrys-renaissance
     
         
      What is climate change? Sat, 12th Dec 2020 14:27:00
     
      The UK, France and the UN are hosting a virtual climate meeting on Saturday. About 75 world leaders will attend, marking five years since the adoption of the Paris climate agreement. Pope Francis will also address the meeting. This virtual gathering is taking place after the pandemic caused the postponement of the annual Conference of the Parties, due to take place in Glasgow this year. Nations will be revealing how they intend to cut their greenhouse gas emissions which means we’ll find out if their commitments are ambitious enough to stop the worst effects of climate change. But just what is climate change? And why are scientists calling for urgent action? The BBC's global science correspondent Rebecca Morelle explains.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-51129250
     
         
      EU bets on blue hydrogen ‘to break chicken-and-egg problem’ Sat, 12th Dec 2020 12:39:00
     
      The European Commission has a clear long-term objective of supporting green hydrogen produced 100% from renewables, but the EU will also rely on fossil-based hydrogen with carbon storage as a stepping stone in order to grow the market in the early stages, a senior EU official has said. Future EU funding for gas infrastructure – including hydrogen storage and pipelines – will be clarified in an upcoming EU regulation on trans-European energy networks, which the European Commission is expected to publish on 15 December. And with EU funding at stake, pressure is building on the EU executive to provide support for infrastructure that will accelerate the transition to clean energy. “For gas pipelines, we will need to design them – with help of EU money – to be ready to transport also hydrogen and be ready for the future,” said Cristian Bu?oi, a Romanian lawmaker who chairs the European Parliament’s industry committee.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/eu-bets-on-blue-hydrogen-to-break-chicken-and-egg-problem/
     
         
      Scientists cheered by bowhead whale recovery despite Arctic warming Sat, 12th Dec 2020 11:00:00
     
      Biologists hail ‘one of the great conservation successes’ but species’ fate uncertain as warming rapidly transforms Arctic Supported by SEJ About this content Rachel Fritts Sat 12 Dec 2020 11.00 GMT Last modified on Mon 14 Dec 2020 20.57 GMT 790 In some rare good news from the top of the world, bowhead whale populations have rebounded and are nearing pre-commercial whaling numbers in US waters. US plans to protect thousands of miles of coral reefs in Pacific and Caribbean Read more Surprisingly, the whales’ recovery has actually accelerated as the Arctic warms, according to an update on the species published this week by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. “This is really one of the great conservation successes of the last century,” said J Craig George, a retired biologist with the North Slope borough department of wildlife management. Bowhead whales – the only baleen whale that lives in the Arctic year-round – were once on the brink of disappearing forever. The population near Alaska was targeted by commercial whalers beginning in the 1700s for their oil, blubber and baleen. Their large, rotund bodies and slow-moving nature made them easy targets, and they were nearly hunted to extinction by the turn of the 20th century. Once commercial whaling ceased, the western Arctic population living in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas began to rebound. The whales’ recovery has been in large part thanks to the natural inaccessibility of their ice-covered home, which has shielded them from commercial shipping and fishing activities that threaten their right whale cousins to the south. George also credits sustainable management and stewardship of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), who have fought against offshore oil drilling and other activities that could harm the species. “No one has fought harder than the AEWC to protect bowhead habitat from industrial development in the US Arctic,” George said. Researchers work with Alaska native communities such as the Inupiat of Utqia?vik, Alaska, who have hunted the whales at sustainable levels for at least 1,000 years, to monitor and study the species. “The general understanding of cetacean biology, anatomy and physiology and ecology has been greatly enhanced in the partnership with indigenous hunters,” George said. “It was the Inupiat captains that taught us how to properly count whales.” Bowhead whales can provide broader insights into Arctic marine ecosystem health. The species’ longevity and sensitivity to annual fluctuations help biologists track changes in the Arctic over long periods of time. Bowhead whales’ accelerated population expansion in recent decades has come as a surprise to biologists, who expected the cold-adapted whale species to suffer from the melting sea ice. Bowheads are highly specialized to their Arctic environment, with a pronounced bump on their heads used to break ice and blubber over a foot and a half (half a meter) thick. So far, however, the whales have proven resilient in the face of dramatic changes and have even benefited in unexpected ways. The Arctic is becoming more productive as temperatures rise and more light reaches the ocean surface layer where sea ice is thinner or absent. Less ice and more nutrients flowing north from the Bering Sea have led to an increase in bowhead whale foods like krill and copepods in northern latitudes. These changes have been helpful to bowheads around Alaska, resulting in fatter whales and more babies, according to Noaa. Advertisement Bowheads have also been able to expand their territory north into waters where the ice was once too thick for them to break. While the western Arctic population was hunted down to just a few thousand individuals by the end of commercial whaling, they had rebounded to about 10,000 individuals by the turn of the 21st century and now number at least 16,800. But the species’ fate is far from certain as the Arctic rapidly transforms. Their thick blubber, which provides insulation against frigid icy waters, could become a disadvantage during warmer summers. They are also more likely to get tangled in fishing gear, face competition for food from other baleen whales, and attacked by their only natural predators – orcas – as the ice retreats and can no longer shield them. “They really are headed into an uncertain future,” George said. Since you’re here... … and it’s nearly the end of the year, we have a small favour to ask. Millions have turned to the Guardian for vital, independent, quality journalism throughout a turbulent and challenging 2020.Readers in 180 countries around the world, including Spain, now support us financially. Will you join them? You’ve read this year We believe everyone deserves access to information that’s grounded in science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That’s why we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This means more people can be better informed, united, and inspired to take meaningful action. In these perilous times, a truth-seeking global news organisation like the Guardian is essential. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning our journalism is free from commercial and political influence – this makes us different. When it’s never been more important, our independence allows us to investigate fearlessly, and challenge those in power. In this unprecedented year of intersecting crises, we have done just that, with revealing journalism that had real-world impact: the inept handling of the Covid-19 crisis, the Black Lives Matter protests, and the tumultuous US election. We have enhanced our reputation for urgent, powerful reporting on the climate emergency, and moved to practice what we preach, rejecting advertising from fossil fuel companies, divesting from oil and gas companies and setting a course to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Your funding powers our journalism, it protects our independence, and ensures we can remain open for all. You can support us through these challenging economic times and enable real-world impact. Every contribution, however big or small, makes a real difference for our future
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/12/bowhead-whale-arctic-recovery-scientists
     
         
      Climate change: NI 'should cut carbon emissions by 82% by 2050' Fri, 11th Dec 2020 20:14:00
     
      Northern Ireland has been advised to cut its carbon emissions by at least 82% by 2050 to help the UK achieve its net zero ambition. It is the first time such a target for NI has been set by the government's advisory body. The Committee on Climate Change said it had been able to advise on a target as NI was now committed to introducing binding climate legislation. The UK government set its 2050 net zero target in law in 2019. "The contribution from Northern Ireland is hugely important because we will not get to net zero unless Northern Ireland commits to this kind of target," said chief executive Chris Stark. The committee's report said stubborn agricultural emissions meant Northern Ireland would not be able to reach net zero in the next 30 years. There is an acceptance that given the sector's importance to the economy, other mitigations like mass tree planting will be required to compensate. The environment minister has launched a public consultation on new climate laws. Edwin Poots said tackling emissions was the "defining issue of our time." People are being asked for views on two options. One would see laws which would require NI to get to net zero by 2050. The other would see laws which would require it to make an appropriate contribution to the wider UK net zero effort. In 2018, Northern Ireland produced almost 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases - a reduction of 20% from the 1990 baseline. Some 27% of it was from agriculture including methane from cattle. Transport was the other big one at 23%. Reaching the target will need behavioural change on travel and diet, as well as new policies on energy and the environment, the committee said. The recommendation on emission cuts is in its sixth carbon budget published on Wednesday - the first since the net zero target was set. It sets out targets for government and the devolved administrations on how to hit the target and comply with commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement. It means it has to eliminate emissions as much as possible and mitigate for any it can't by capturing carbon or planting trees. The Committee on Climate Change said the next decade is key and will require people to change behaviour to help cut emissions. There will have to be fewer flights; a reduction of 20% in meat and dairy consumption and less waste of food and other resources. Electric vehicles will have to replace conventional ones and a greater concentration on recycling and energy efficiency will be required. Fossil fuel boilers will have to be banned and home heating provided by renewables and technologies like heat pumps. Industry will have to change too, switching to electricity for power and hydrogen for heavy transport, and there'll be new industries to generate hydrogen and capture carbon. There will also have to be a huge effort to restore degraded peatland and plant millions more trees. It will require substantial investment, much of it by private companies, with the savings from lower-cost technologies eventually expected to cover the costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55238653
     
         
      Climate change: NI 'should cut carbon emissions by 82% by 2050' Fri, 11th Dec 2020 20:14:00
     
      Northern Ireland has been advised to cut its carbon emissions by at least 82% by 2050 to help the UK achieve its net zero ambition. It is the first time such a target for NI has been set by the government's advisory body. The Committee on Climate Change said it had been able to advise on a target as NI was now committed to introducing binding climate legislation. The UK government set its 2050 net zero target in law in 2019. "The contribution from Northern Ireland is hugely important because we will not get to net zero unless Northern Ireland commits to this kind of target," said chief executive Chris Stark. The committee's report said stubborn agricultural emissions meant Northern Ireland would not be able to reach net zero in the next 30 years. There is an acceptance that given the sector's importance to the economy, other mitigations like mass tree planting will be required to compensate. The environment minister has launched a public consultation on new climate laws. Edwin Poots said tackling emissions was the "defining issue of our time." People are being asked for views on two options. One would see laws which would require NI to get to net zero by 2050. The other would see laws which would require it to make an appropriate contribution to the wider UK net zero effort. In 2018, Northern Ireland produced almost 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases - a reduction of 20% from the 1990 baseline. Some 27% of it was from agriculture including methane from cattle. Transport was the other big one at 23%. Reaching the target will need behavioural change on travel and diet, as well as new policies on energy and the environment, the committee said. The recommendation on emission cuts is in its sixth carbon budget published on Wednesday - the first since the net zero target was set. It sets out targets for government and the devolved administrations on how to hit the target and comply with commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement. It means it has to eliminate emissions as much as possible and mitigate for any it can't by capturing carbon or planting trees. The Committee on Climate Change said the next decade is key and will require people to change behaviour to help cut emissions. There will have to be fewer flights; a reduction of 20% in meat and dairy consumption and less waste of food and other resources. Electric vehicles will have to replace conventional ones and a greater concentration on recycling and energy efficiency will be required. Fossil fuel boilers will have to be banned and home heating provided by renewables and technologies like heat pumps. Industry will have to change too, switching to electricity for power and hydrogen for heavy transport, and there'll be new industries to generate hydrogen and capture carbon. There will also have to be a huge effort to restore degraded peatland and plant millions more trees. It will require substantial investment, much of it by private companies, with the savings from lower-cost technologies eventually expected to cover the costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55238653
     
         
      Climate change: NI 'should cut carbon emissions by 82% by 2050' Fri, 11th Dec 2020 20:14:00
     
      Northern Ireland has been advised to cut its carbon emissions by at least 82% by 2050 to help the UK achieve its net zero ambition. It is the first time such a target for NI has been set by the government's advisory body. The Committee on Climate Change said it had been able to advise on a target as NI was now committed to introducing binding climate legislation. The UK government set its 2050 net zero target in law in 2019. "The contribution from Northern Ireland is hugely important because we will not get to net zero unless Northern Ireland commits to this kind of target," said chief executive Chris Stark. The committee's report said stubborn agricultural emissions meant Northern Ireland would not be able to reach net zero in the next 30 years. There is an acceptance that given the sector's importance to the economy, other mitigations like mass tree planting will be required to compensate. The environment minister has launched a public consultation on new climate laws. Edwin Poots said tackling emissions was the "defining issue of our time." People are being asked for views on two options. One would see laws which would require NI to get to net zero by 2050. The other would see laws which would require it to make an appropriate contribution to the wider UK net zero effort. In 2018, Northern Ireland produced almost 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases - a reduction of 20% from the 1990 baseline. Some 27% of it was from agriculture including methane from cattle. Transport was the other big one at 23%. Reaching the target will need behavioural change on travel and diet, as well as new policies on energy and the environment, the committee said. The recommendation on emission cuts is in its sixth carbon budget published on Wednesday - the first since the net zero target was set. It sets out targets for government and the devolved administrations on how to hit the target and comply with commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement. It means it has to eliminate emissions as much as possible and mitigate for any it can't by capturing carbon or planting trees. The Committee on Climate Change said the next decade is key and will require people to change behaviour to help cut emissions. There will have to be fewer flights; a reduction of 20% in meat and dairy consumption and less waste of food and other resources. Electric vehicles will have to replace conventional ones and a greater concentration on recycling and energy efficiency will be required. Fossil fuel boilers will have to be banned and home heating provided by renewables and technologies like heat pumps. Industry will have to change too, switching to electricity for power and hydrogen for heavy transport, and there'll be new industries to generate hydrogen and capture carbon. There will also have to be a huge effort to restore degraded peatland and plant millions more trees. It will require substantial investment, much of it by private companies, with the savings from lower-cost technologies eventually expected to cover the costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55238653
     
         
      Paris climate agreement: 54 cities on track to meet targets Fri, 11th Dec 2020 18:34:00
     
      Mayor of Paris praises ‘important milestone’ on fifth anniversary of the landmark agreement More than 50 of the world’s leading cities are on track to help keep global heating below 1.5C and tackle the worst impacts of the climate crisis, according to a new report. From mass tree-planting in Buenos Aires to new public transport networks in Mexico City, 54 of the world’s leading cities are now rolling out plans that will cut their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement, according to a new study by the C40 cities network. The findings will be presented to Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, on Friday at an event in the French capital to mark the fifth anniversary of the landmark climate agreement. “I was chair of C40 cities when Deadline 2020 was set, challenging global cities to set their own climate action plan that will protect residents, create green jobs, address inequality and build the future we want,” Hidalgo said ahead of the event. “Now, five years on I am proud to see so many cities from all over the world launch their plans to keep global temperature rises below 1.5°C. This marks an important milestone in our efforts to accelerate climate action and demonstrates the incredible leadership from cities on this issue.” The C40 report calculates that taken together the cities’ plans will prevent at least 1.9 gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions being released into the atmosphere between 2020 and 2030, equivalent to five times the UK’s annual emissions. Michael Doust, programme director at C40, said it was a key moment when cities could demonstrate what was possible ahead of tomorrow’s climate ambition summit and next year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow. Doust said the plans were a challenge to national governments to scale up their efforts and “collaborate with city leaders to tackle the escalating climate emergency”. But he added that this was not just about climate action, it was also an effort to build a better future following the pandemic, from improved housing and secure green jobs to affordable, clean public transport and tackling inequality. He said: “Climate change is the catalyst but these plans are about a lot more, about how we can create cleaner, more inclusive, more equal cities with better housing and better jobs.” Among the cities assessed to be on course to hit their emissions reductions targets are: • Houston, Texas, a city known as a centre for the US oil and gas industries, which is aiming to build 500 miles (800km) of new cycle lanes and establish 50 green energy companies by 2025, as well as plant 4.6m trees in the next 10 years. It also has a large-scale flood protection programme following devastating hurricanes, which includes turning a golf course into a series of ponds and flood basins. • Rio de Janeiro is doubling tree cover in the city’s streets, squares and parks, rehousing residents that live in high flood risk areas, and has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050. It is also recommending the use of low-carbon concrete for future building projects and is planning a network of new bike lanes connecting residential areas to the centre. • Milan has transformed large swathes of the city that are now dedicated to walking and cycling. It is also planting 220,000 new trees, halving food waste, and says it will be carbon neutral by 2050. Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, said the effort to rebuild the city after the pandemic was inseparable from its ongoing efforts to address the climate crisis. “To deliver on the goals of the Paris agreement, we must deliver a green and just recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic that creates a fair economy, cuts emissions and creates jobs,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/11/paris-climate-agreement-54-cities-on-track-to-meet-targets
     
         
      Climate Check Fri, 11th Dec 2020 18:06:00
     
      It’s been five years since the Paris Agreement, when countries across the world agreed a common aim to limit global temperature rise to 'well below' 2C above pre-Industrial levels at a UN climate summit. So how does 2020, a year of pandemic, measure up? In the latest Climate Check from BBC Weather, Sarah Keith-Lucas looks back at a year of extreme heat, exceptional rainfall and record CO2 levels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/55280683
     
         
      EU27 leaders agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 55% by 2030 Fri, 11th Dec 2020 13:18:00
     
      EU leaders on Friday announced they had agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 55% by 2030 after negotiations that lasted all night at the summit of 27 member states in Brussels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2020/12/11/eu27-leaders-agree-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-at-least-55-by-2030
     
         
      Nature’s ticking time bomb? Fri, 11th Dec 2020 10:25:00
     
      Ecosystems are the unsung heroes of our planet. Absorbing huge amounts of greenhouse gases, they are one of the most effective tools we have in tackling the climate crisis. Known as “carbon sinks,” mangroves, peatlands and boreal forests have helped cool the Earth for thousands of years. By storing billions of tons of CO2 in their soil and vegetation, and locking it away underground, they protect us from the worst effects of global warming. Now they are under threat from deforestation, agriculture and global warming, with the potential to release catastrophic amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere – putting us on a trajectory for devastating climate change. Here’s the good news. Managed properly, these extraordinary ecosystems can recover and play a vital role in helping us turn the tide in the fight against climate change. Around the world people are working against the clock to protect and restore them. And they need your help. Mangroves are small, hardy trees and shrubs that grow in brackish or saline water in coastal regions, where their complex root systems anchor them to withstand the tides. They are one of the best carbon sinks on the planet. Mangrove soil worldwide holds 4.5 times as much carbon as the US emits every year. Each acre can store up to twice as much carbon as tropical rainforests, like the Amazon, and three to four times as much as other terrestrial forests. Mangroves are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the tropical region. Once the trees are destroyed, the carbon stored in the soil is released into the atmosphere as CO2, further adding to climate change. Mangrove trees grow through photosynthesis, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere with the help of sunlight and water. When leaves and organic matter fall off the trees, they take their stored carbon with them. This organic matter builds up amongst the mangrove's roots, where the water slows down the rate of decomposition, locking much of the carbon in place. Eventually this sediment builds up to create a dense soil, which stores the carbon until it is disturbed by extreme weather events (like tsunamis or hurricanes) or human activity. Mangroves are an amazing buffer against coastal erosion, tidal surges and tsunamis, which are increasing due to global warming. They provide an estimated $82 billion-worth of storm protection worldwide. They support incredibly rich biodiversity both above and below the water, including fish, crabs, shellfish and octopuses. They are also the main source of food and livelihoods for many coastal communities, benefiting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Despite their natural value, mangrove forests are being destroyed and degraded across the planet to make way for shrimp farms, agricultural land, coastal developments and charcoal production. Recent studies show that manmade destruction of mangroves has dropped dramatically in the early 21st century, offering hope for conservationists. But mangroves aren’t out of danger yet – they are at increasing risk from sea-level rise due to climate change, making their preservation more important than ever.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/12/world/ticking-time-bomb/
     
         
      Battery gigaplant at demolished coal-fired power station could create 8,000 jobs Fri, 11th Dec 2020 5:07:00
     
      The UK's first so-called battery gigaplant could create 3,000 jobs at the site of a demolished coal-fired power station in Northumberland. Britishvolt had previously announced plans to produce lithium-ion batteries for electric cars in the Vale of Glamorgan, only for differences over timescales with local authorities to scupper the project. The company said on Friday it had secured the 95-hectare former power station site in Blyth and was about to submit its planning application with the support of the local county council's development arm and MP. Britishvolt said it hoped to break ground next summer and begin battery production in 2023 using renewable energy. This could be hydro-electric power delivered via North Sea cables from Norway, it added. Its original plan for the South Wales plant had involved solar power. The company said the £2.6bn investment secured so far, which includes private investment, was subject to additional backing from the UK government's Automotive Transformation Fund. The Fund is aimed at boosting the drive to electric vehicles. It was announced last month that the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars had been brought forward again and now banned from 2030. In addition to the 3,000 permanent jobs at the plant, Britishvolt said 5,000 more would be grown in the supply chain as the climate agenda gathers speed. It said the plant formed one of the "key pillars" of Boris Johnson's ten-point plan for the UK's green recovery in the wake of Brexit and the COVID crisis and wider 2050 net zero climate target. Chief executive Orral Nadjari said: "Now we can really start the hard work and begin producing lithium-ion batteries for future electrified vehicles in just three years. "It is crucial for the UK automotive industry and for the entire economy that we are able to power the future. The sooner we start, the better." Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley, said: "I can't think of anything comparable in the North East since Nissan invested in Sunderland more than 35 years ago." He added: "These jobs will not only return the area to the status of an industrial powerhouse but will help us retain our graduates and provide a huge boost to struggling high streets."
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/battery-gigaplant-at-demolished-coal-fired-power-station-could-create-8-000-jobs-12157265
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:59:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? Just ahead of the five year anniversary of the deal, we look at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. The UK As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. In Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that was increased by the government from 80% cuts in 2019. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The new 2030 plan, released on 3 December, has mainly won plaudits for its ambition. But critics say there are some major hurdles ahead. Under the new NDC, around 87% of our electricity would need to come from low carbon sources by the end of this decade, up from over 50% now. Almost half the cars on the road would need to be electric, up from around 6% at present. As well as making major changes to transport, energy and food emissions, the UK will have to take a tough stand internationally so that it doesn't simply substitute carbon cuts at home with emissions-laden products from abroad. "It's what you do at home, but it's also what you invest in internationally," Dr Alison Doig, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), told BBC News. "The UK needs to ensure with our export finance credits and with our Brexit deals, that we are strongly signalling overseas, what we're doing domestically." Australia Australia matters because not only is it one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels, it is also a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country is now the world's largest exporter of coal and gas, according to a recent study. Emissions of greenhouse gases from Australian exports are responsible for 3.6% of global emissions according to research. On a per capita basis, and including exports, Australians are responsible for four times as much CO2 as people living in the US. Politically, Australia is also very important in climate change terms as well. Over the past five years, it has moved further away from the majority of nations in the UN, which have been urging rapid cuts in carbon. Prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised by other politicians for downplaying the role of climate change after recent, devastating wildfires. Has Australia lived up to its promises? Not really. While it is set to hit a rather low 2020 target set under a previous global agreement, its actions under the Paris climate agreement are not measuring up, according to experts. Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels. Projections published at the end of last year suggested Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030. This year's UN Emissions Gap report says that, right now Australia is projected to fall short on what should be a very easy target. "That 26% reduction needs to be at least double that to be in the Paris Agreement pathway," says Dr Bill Hare, who's part of the Climate Action Tracker group of scientists who have rated Australia's plans as "insufficient". "There's very little going on whether you're talking about electric vehicles, motor vehicle standards, it's alone in the OECD in not having fuel efficiency standards, it has virtually nothing on energy efficiency, and virtually nothing on building efficiency." "It is really an embarrassment actually." There's a lot of focus on Australia now because of changing world politics. A dispute with China has threatened its exports of coal, while the result of the recent US election has taken away a climate ally of the Australian government. There's even been some talk in recent weeks that the country might soon set a long-term net-zero emissions goal. And according to newspaper reports, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce that the country will no longer use carbon credits carried over from a previous international climate agreement. Australia had planned to use these questionable credits as a way of making up the shortfall in its 2030 target. "I think if Trump had won the election then Australia would see themselves as part of a gang with Brazil and Saudi Arabia and a few others," said Dr Alison Doig, from the ECIU. "But with Biden coming into office, they know are in a position that's becoming more outcast. So that might be why there's some softening on local language and the rhetoric." While action at the federal level in Australia might be slow, lower down there's a good deal of movement. "Our energy market operator has said that for the power sector in Australia, we're looking at the fastest transition in the world," said Dr Bill Hare. "Everyone knows that we're famous for our sunshine, our wind and our space. And that means that renewables are cheap, they are rapidly outcompeting coal and gas, and those technologies are going to be replaced very quickly." The EU The EU represents about a fifth of the world's economy - and was responsible for around 9% of the global share of CO2 emissions in 2019, the third largest emitter. Climate change is seen as a key issue for Europe, because it's an international problem where acting together makes sense to many citizens. Europe's political leaders also see tackling climate as important in showing the global relevance of the Union. During the Trump administration, the EU has stepped up in a leadership role, attempting to build bridges with China on how to tackle the challenge. The EU is well regarded generally among developing countries and small island states because they are seen as wanting to push for greater ambition in terms of cutting carbon. In terms of building a global alliance of rich and poor countries the EU is key. Has the EU lived up to its targets? Again, the answer is mostly yes. But back in 2007, EU leaders set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 levels by 2020. By 2018, the collective efforts had cut warming gases by 23.2%. This over-achievement caused many to think that the initial targets had been set far too low. The EU currently has a 40% target for 2030, which experts believe is also behind the times. "It's basically 10 years old," said Dr Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker group. "If the EU would implement all the targets that it has for renewables and energy efficiency, it would already reduce emissions by 45%." "So, the official target that they use today is outdated and needs to be revised." The EU has adopted the aim of having a climate-neutral economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. And in the European Green Deal, announced in September, the European Commission proposed a new target for cuts of around 55%. European leaders are expected to agree the new 2030 goal when they meet on 10-11 December. The European Parliament and many environmentalists want them to go further and aim for a 60% cut. But the proposal has already run into trouble with Eastern European member state who argue this is too much, too soon. "It will open up this Pandora's box again, because the eastern countries will want to have compensation for it," said Dr Susanne Dröge, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Brexit will increase the pressure to find compromises and to pay for it," she said. "After all, it is always about compensation." China China is key to solving the global problem with climate change, because it is the world's biggest contributor to the root cause, CO2 emissions. As China's economy rapidly expanded over the past two decades, using coal as their main energy source, their emissions have overtaken the US and now comprise around 28% of the global CO2 output. But China is also the reason for a recent burst of optimism that has spread through the international community since September, when China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country would reach carbon neutrality by 2060. Has China lived up to its promises? Again the answer is mostly yes, but with some caveats. Seeing itself as a developing country, China has always been reluctant to take on targets to cut carbon, arguing that the West should go first and farthest to rein in CO2. Instead, China has focussed on carbon intensity rather than cuts. This means limiting the amount of CO2 used per unit of economic activity. This is easier to achieve than outright emissions reductions but the downside is that as GDP increases so does the overall total of carbon used. Before the Copenhagen conference of the parties meeting (COP) in 2009, China pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 40-45%, compared to 2005 levels. At the end of 2017, China had cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 46% from the 2005 level. In the Paris Agreement, China promised to cut carbon intensity by 60-65%, and to peak its emissions by 2030. The country remains on course to meet these goals. In fact, according to some research, it could meet them years ahead of schedule. "I think China took the conservative approach to the Paris Agreement, they only proposed something that they were very sure that they could meet," says Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker. "It was also clear that at, the moment when they proposed their 2030 target, that they would over-achieve it. And that doesn't mean that that it's a bad target, per se, but that's their way of approaching it." When President Xi Jinping told the UN in September that China would reach net-zero in 2060 and peak its emissions well before 2030, the statement was welcomed all over the world. The key for China will be the next five-year energy plan, that will be issued in the early part of next year. If the shift to renewable energy sources, away from coal is really going to happen, the evidence will be in that document. That could also form part of a new Chinese national commitment to be submitted to the UN, in the run up to the Glasgow COP next year. But there are significant challenges. "The nature of the peaking in 2030 target can be only measured in a 100% certain way after the fact," said Dr Shuwei Zhang, from the Draworld Environment Research Centre in Beijing. "The 2060 neutrality goal is theoretically possible, but could become unfeasible in reality, if action is continuously delayed." "From now, there is no leeway to accommodate coal any longer." China will have to limit coal for energy, not just inside the country but outside as well. The financing of overseas coal power plants will have to wind down. Right now, the country's emissions have rebounded in the wake of the pandemic, as coal continues to burn brightly. But many remain optimistic, that if China says it can do something, then it will get there. "I assume if China proposes the target of carbon neutrality by 2060, it's already quite sure that they can achieve it," said Dr Niklas Höhne. "And that makes me a bit hopeful that they can indeed make that transition." The Philippines The Philippines is one of the countries suffering the most from the impacts of climate change. Like many other developing economies, the country is very keen to use energy to bring people out of poverty and raise living standards. In the past, the Philippines has looked to significantly increase investment in coal to foster development. But its current approach seeks to move away from coal, and experts say the country could be a role model for many developing nations in similar situations. Has the Philippines lived up to its promises? Up until the Paris Agreement, the Philippines had not had any international requirements to curb its carbon. But in the Paris pact, it committed to cut its emissions by 70% below "business as usual" by 2030. According to the Climate Action Tracker analysis, its actions to date are compatible with keeping warming well below 2C this century. In 2019, around half the country's electricity came from coal - and plans in the pipeline would have more than doubled the country's coal fired capacity. But in October 2020, the government announced a moratorium on new coal plants, preferring instead to pursue a more mixed energy strategy. According to the Climate Action Tracker, this could curb emissions from the Philippines by 35% on top of their current policy projections by 2030. "I think that one of the most critical factors is that the market has been very important in the power sector," said Dr Bill Hare. "In other countries in Southeast Asia, we have what's called political economy, vested interests dominate in places such as Vietnam or Indonesia." "But in the Philippines, the market has been really important in determining investments for quite some time. And I think that's what we're seeing unfolding, multiplied by a government predisposition now towards renewables, and a realisation that, as a very vulnerable country, they really need to be getting their act together." The expectation of observers is that with funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and more focus on sustainability from international banks, the move away from fossil fuels in the Philippines in the longer term will likely speed up. The Philippines has not yet set a long-term goal, but it says it is committed to submitting a new national climate plan with enhanced targets. The country will also likely push for further action on a concept known as "loss and damage" within the UN negotiation process. For developing nations, this means financial recompense for the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided or adapted to. But richer countries are strongly resistant, believing that because they contributed the most to carbon emissions, they will be on the hook for compensation for centuries to come. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:59:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? Just ahead of the five year anniversary of the deal, we look at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. The UK As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. In Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that was increased by the government from 80% cuts in 2019. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The new 2030 plan, released on 3 December, has mainly won plaudits for its ambition. But critics say there are some major hurdles ahead. Under the new NDC, around 87% of our electricity would need to come from low carbon sources by the end of this decade, up from over 50% now. Almost half the cars on the road would need to be electric, up from around 6% at present. As well as making major changes to transport, energy and food emissions, the UK will have to take a tough stand internationally so that it doesn't simply substitute carbon cuts at home with emissions-laden products from abroad. "It's what you do at home, but it's also what you invest in internationally," Dr Alison Doig, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), told BBC News. "The UK needs to ensure with our export finance credits and with our Brexit deals, that we are strongly signalling overseas, what we're doing domestically." Australia Australia matters because not only is it one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels, it is also a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country is now the world's largest exporter of coal and gas, according to a recent study. Emissions of greenhouse gases from Australian exports are responsible for 3.6% of global emissions according to research. On a per capita basis, and including exports, Australians are responsible for four times as much CO2 as people living in the US. Politically, Australia is also very important in climate change terms as well. Over the past five years, it has moved further away from the majority of nations in the UN, which have been urging rapid cuts in carbon. Prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised by other politicians for downplaying the role of climate change after recent, devastating wildfires. Has Australia lived up to its promises? Not really. While it is set to hit a rather low 2020 target set under a previous global agreement, its actions under the Paris climate agreement are not measuring up, according to experts. Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels. Projections published at the end of last year suggested Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030. This year's UN Emissions Gap report says that, right now Australia is projected to fall short on what should be a very easy target. "That 26% reduction needs to be at least double that to be in the Paris Agreement pathway," says Dr Bill Hare, who's part of the Climate Action Tracker group of scientists who have rated Australia's plans as "insufficient". "There's very little going on whether you're talking about electric vehicles, motor vehicle standards, it's alone in the OECD in not having fuel efficiency standards, it has virtually nothing on energy efficiency, and virtually nothing on building efficiency." "It is really an embarrassment actually." There's a lot of focus on Australia now because of changing world politics. A dispute with China has threatened its exports of coal, while the result of the recent US election has taken away a climate ally of the Australian government. There's even been some talk in recent weeks that the country might soon set a long-term net-zero emissions goal. And according to newspaper reports, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce that the country will no longer use carbon credits carried over from a previous international climate agreement. Australia had planned to use these questionable credits as a way of making up the shortfall in its 2030 target. "I think if Trump had won the election then Australia would see themselves as part of a gang with Brazil and Saudi Arabia and a few others," said Dr Alison Doig, from the ECIU. "But with Biden coming into office, they know are in a position that's becoming more outcast. So that might be why there's some softening on local language and the rhetoric." While action at the federal level in Australia might be slow, lower down there's a good deal of movement. "Our energy market operator has said that for the power sector in Australia, we're looking at the fastest transition in the world," said Dr Bill Hare. "Everyone knows that we're famous for our sunshine, our wind and our space. And that means that renewables are cheap, they are rapidly outcompeting coal and gas, and those technologies are going to be replaced very quickly." The EU The EU represents about a fifth of the world's economy - and was responsible for around 9% of the global share of CO2 emissions in 2019, the third largest emitter. Climate change is seen as a key issue for Europe, because it's an international problem where acting together makes sense to many citizens. Europe's political leaders also see tackling climate as important in showing the global relevance of the Union. During the Trump administration, the EU has stepped up in a leadership role, attempting to build bridges with China on how to tackle the challenge. The EU is well regarded generally among developing countries and small island states because they are seen as wanting to push for greater ambition in terms of cutting carbon. In terms of building a global alliance of rich and poor countries the EU is key. Has the EU lived up to its targets? Again, the answer is mostly yes. But back in 2007, EU leaders set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 levels by 2020. By 2018, the collective efforts had cut warming gases by 23.2%. This over-achievement caused many to think that the initial targets had been set far too low. The EU currently has a 40% target for 2030, which experts believe is also behind the times. "It's basically 10 years old," said Dr Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker group. "If the EU would implement all the targets that it has for renewables and energy efficiency, it would already reduce emissions by 45%." "So, the official target that they use today is outdated and needs to be revised." The EU has adopted the aim of having a climate-neutral economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. And in the European Green Deal, announced in September, the European Commission proposed a new target for cuts of around 55%. European leaders are expected to agree the new 2030 goal when they meet on 10-11 December. The European Parliament and many environmentalists want them to go further and aim for a 60% cut. But the proposal has already run into trouble with Eastern European member state who argue this is too much, too soon. "It will open up this Pandora's box again, because the eastern countries will want to have compensation for it," said Dr Susanne Dröge, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Brexit will increase the pressure to find compromises and to pay for it," she said. "After all, it is always about compensation." China China is key to solving the global problem with climate change, because it is the world's biggest contributor to the root cause, CO2 emissions. As China's economy rapidly expanded over the past two decades, using coal as their main energy source, their emissions have overtaken the US and now comprise around 28% of the global CO2 output. But China is also the reason for a recent burst of optimism that has spread through the international community since September, when China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country would reach carbon neutrality by 2060. Has China lived up to its promises? Again the answer is mostly yes, but with some caveats. Seeing itself as a developing country, China has always been reluctant to take on targets to cut carbon, arguing that the West should go first and farthest to rein in CO2. Instead, China has focussed on carbon intensity rather than cuts. This means limiting the amount of CO2 used per unit of economic activity. This is easier to achieve than outright emissions reductions but the downside is that as GDP increases so does the overall total of carbon used. Before the Copenhagen conference of the parties meeting (COP) in 2009, China pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 40-45%, compared to 2005 levels. At the end of 2017, China had cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 46% from the 2005 level. In the Paris Agreement, China promised to cut carbon intensity by 60-65%, and to peak its emissions by 2030. The country remains on course to meet these goals. In fact, according to some research, it could meet them years ahead of schedule. "I think China took the conservative approach to the Paris Agreement, they only proposed something that they were very sure that they could meet," says Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker. "It was also clear that at, the moment when they proposed their 2030 target, that they would over-achieve it. And that doesn't mean that that it's a bad target, per se, but that's their way of approaching it." When President Xi Jinping told the UN in September that China would reach net-zero in 2060 and peak its emissions well before 2030, the statement was welcomed all over the world. The key for China will be the next five-year energy plan, that will be issued in the early part of next year. If the shift to renewable energy sources, away from coal is really going to happen, the evidence will be in that document. That could also form part of a new Chinese national commitment to be submitted to the UN, in the run up to the Glasgow COP next year. But there are significant challenges. "The nature of the peaking in 2030 target can be only measured in a 100% certain way after the fact," said Dr Shuwei Zhang, from the Draworld Environment Research Centre in Beijing. "The 2060 neutrality goal is theoretically possible, but could become unfeasible in reality, if action is continuously delayed." "From now, there is no leeway to accommodate coal any longer." China will have to limit coal for energy, not just inside the country but outside as well. The financing of overseas coal power plants will have to wind down. Right now, the country's emissions have rebounded in the wake of the pandemic, as coal continues to burn brightly. But many remain optimistic, that if China says it can do something, then it will get there. "I assume if China proposes the target of carbon neutrality by 2060, it's already quite sure that they can achieve it," said Dr Niklas Höhne. "And that makes me a bit hopeful that they can indeed make that transition." The Philippines The Philippines is one of the countries suffering the most from the impacts of climate change. Like many other developing economies, the country is very keen to use energy to bring people out of poverty and raise living standards. In the past, the Philippines has looked to significantly increase investment in coal to foster development. But its current approach seeks to move away from coal, and experts say the country could be a role model for many developing nations in similar situations. Has the Philippines lived up to its promises? Up until the Paris Agreement, the Philippines had not had any international requirements to curb its carbon. But in the Paris pact, it committed to cut its emissions by 70% below "business as usual" by 2030. According to the Climate Action Tracker analysis, its actions to date are compatible with keeping warming well below 2C this century. In 2019, around half the country's electricity came from coal - and plans in the pipeline would have more than doubled the country's coal fired capacity. But in October 2020, the government announced a moratorium on new coal plants, preferring instead to pursue a more mixed energy strategy. According to the Climate Action Tracker, this could curb emissions from the Philippines by 35% on top of their current policy projections by 2030. "I think that one of the most critical factors is that the market has been very important in the power sector," said Dr Bill Hare. "In other countries in Southeast Asia, we have what's called political economy, vested interests dominate in places such as Vietnam or Indonesia." "But in the Philippines, the market has been really important in determining investments for quite some time. And I think that's what we're seeing unfolding, multiplied by a government predisposition now towards renewables, and a realisation that, as a very vulnerable country, they really need to be getting their act together." The expectation of observers is that with funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and more focus on sustainability from international banks, the move away from fossil fuels in the Philippines in the longer term will likely speed up. The Philippines has not yet set a long-term goal, but it says it is committed to submitting a new national climate plan with enhanced targets. The country will also likely push for further action on a concept known as "loss and damage" within the UN negotiation process. For developing nations, this means financial recompense for the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided or adapted to. But richer countries are strongly resistant, believing that because they contributed the most to carbon emissions, they will be on the hook for compensation for centuries to come. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:59:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? Just ahead of the five year anniversary of the deal, we look at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. The UK As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. In Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that was increased by the government from 80% cuts in 2019. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The new 2030 plan, released on 3 December, has mainly won plaudits for its ambition. But critics say there are some major hurdles ahead. Under the new NDC, around 87% of our electricity would need to come from low carbon sources by the end of this decade, up from over 50% now. Almost half the cars on the road would need to be electric, up from around 6% at present. As well as making major changes to transport, energy and food emissions, the UK will have to take a tough stand internationally so that it doesn't simply substitute carbon cuts at home with emissions-laden products from abroad. "It's what you do at home, but it's also what you invest in internationally," Dr Alison Doig, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), told BBC News. "The UK needs to ensure with our export finance credits and with our Brexit deals, that we are strongly signalling overseas, what we're doing domestically." Australia Australia matters because not only is it one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels, it is also a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country is now the world's largest exporter of coal and gas, according to a recent study. Emissions of greenhouse gases from Australian exports are responsible for 3.6% of global emissions according to research. On a per capita basis, and including exports, Australians are responsible for four times as much CO2 as people living in the US. Politically, Australia is also very important in climate change terms as well. Over the past five years, it has moved further away from the majority of nations in the UN, which have been urging rapid cuts in carbon. Prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised by other politicians for downplaying the role of climate change after recent, devastating wildfires. Has Australia lived up to its promises? Not really. While it is set to hit a rather low 2020 target set under a previous global agreement, its actions under the Paris climate agreement are not measuring up, according to experts. Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels. Projections published at the end of last year suggested Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030. This year's UN Emissions Gap report says that, right now Australia is projected to fall short on what should be a very easy target. "That 26% reduction needs to be at least double that to be in the Paris Agreement pathway," says Dr Bill Hare, who's part of the Climate Action Tracker group of scientists who have rated Australia's plans as "insufficient". "There's very little going on whether you're talking about electric vehicles, motor vehicle standards, it's alone in the OECD in not having fuel efficiency standards, it has virtually nothing on energy efficiency, and virtually nothing on building efficiency." "It is really an embarrassment actually." There's a lot of focus on Australia now because of changing world politics. A dispute with China has threatened its exports of coal, while the result of the recent US election has taken away a climate ally of the Australian government. There's even been some talk in recent weeks that the country might soon set a long-term net-zero emissions goal. And according to newspaper reports, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce that the country will no longer use carbon credits carried over from a previous international climate agreement. Australia had planned to use these questionable credits as a way of making up the shortfall in its 2030 target. "I think if Trump had won the election then Australia would see themselves as part of a gang with Brazil and Saudi Arabia and a few others," said Dr Alison Doig, from the ECIU. "But with Biden coming into office, they know are in a position that's becoming more outcast. So that might be why there's some softening on local language and the rhetoric." While action at the federal level in Australia might be slow, lower down there's a good deal of movement. "Our energy market operator has said that for the power sector in Australia, we're looking at the fastest transition in the world," said Dr Bill Hare. "Everyone knows that we're famous for our sunshine, our wind and our space. And that means that renewables are cheap, they are rapidly outcompeting coal and gas, and those technologies are going to be replaced very quickly." The EU The EU represents about a fifth of the world's economy - and was responsible for around 9% of the global share of CO2 emissions in 2019, the third largest emitter. Climate change is seen as a key issue for Europe, because it's an international problem where acting together makes sense to many citizens. Europe's political leaders also see tackling climate as important in showing the global relevance of the Union. During the Trump administration, the EU has stepped up in a leadership role, attempting to build bridges with China on how to tackle the challenge. The EU is well regarded generally among developing countries and small island states because they are seen as wanting to push for greater ambition in terms of cutting carbon. In terms of building a global alliance of rich and poor countries the EU is key. Has the EU lived up to its targets? Again, the answer is mostly yes. But back in 2007, EU leaders set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 levels by 2020. By 2018, the collective efforts had cut warming gases by 23.2%. This over-achievement caused many to think that the initial targets had been set far too low. The EU currently has a 40% target for 2030, which experts believe is also behind the times. "It's basically 10 years old," said Dr Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker group. "If the EU would implement all the targets that it has for renewables and energy efficiency, it would already reduce emissions by 45%." "So, the official target that they use today is outdated and needs to be revised." The EU has adopted the aim of having a climate-neutral economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. And in the European Green Deal, announced in September, the European Commission proposed a new target for cuts of around 55%. European leaders are expected to agree the new 2030 goal when they meet on 10-11 December. The European Parliament and many environmentalists want them to go further and aim for a 60% cut. But the proposal has already run into trouble with Eastern European member state who argue this is too much, too soon. "It will open up this Pandora's box again, because the eastern countries will want to have compensation for it," said Dr Susanne Dröge, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Brexit will increase the pressure to find compromises and to pay for it," she said. "After all, it is always about compensation." China China is key to solving the global problem with climate change, because it is the world's biggest contributor to the root cause, CO2 emissions. As China's economy rapidly expanded over the past two decades, using coal as their main energy source, their emissions have overtaken the US and now comprise around 28% of the global CO2 output. But China is also the reason for a recent burst of optimism that has spread through the international community since September, when China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country would reach carbon neutrality by 2060. Has China lived up to its promises? Again the answer is mostly yes, but with some caveats. Seeing itself as a developing country, China has always been reluctant to take on targets to cut carbon, arguing that the West should go first and farthest to rein in CO2. Instead, China has focussed on carbon intensity rather than cuts. This means limiting the amount of CO2 used per unit of economic activity. This is easier to achieve than outright emissions reductions but the downside is that as GDP increases so does the overall total of carbon used. Before the Copenhagen conference of the parties meeting (COP) in 2009, China pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 40-45%, compared to 2005 levels. At the end of 2017, China had cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 46% from the 2005 level. In the Paris Agreement, China promised to cut carbon intensity by 60-65%, and to peak its emissions by 2030. The country remains on course to meet these goals. In fact, according to some research, it could meet them years ahead of schedule. "I think China took the conservative approach to the Paris Agreement, they only proposed something that they were very sure that they could meet," says Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker. "It was also clear that at, the moment when they proposed their 2030 target, that they would over-achieve it. And that doesn't mean that that it's a bad target, per se, but that's their way of approaching it." When President Xi Jinping told the UN in September that China would reach net-zero in 2060 and peak its emissions well before 2030, the statement was welcomed all over the world. The key for China will be the next five-year energy plan, that will be issued in the early part of next year. If the shift to renewable energy sources, away from coal is really going to happen, the evidence will be in that document. That could also form part of a new Chinese national commitment to be submitted to the UN, in the run up to the Glasgow COP next year. But there are significant challenges. "The nature of the peaking in 2030 target can be only measured in a 100% certain way after the fact," said Dr Shuwei Zhang, from the Draworld Environment Research Centre in Beijing. "The 2060 neutrality goal is theoretically possible, but could become unfeasible in reality, if action is continuously delayed." "From now, there is no leeway to accommodate coal any longer." China will have to limit coal for energy, not just inside the country but outside as well. The financing of overseas coal power plants will have to wind down. Right now, the country's emissions have rebounded in the wake of the pandemic, as coal continues to burn brightly. But many remain optimistic, that if China says it can do something, then it will get there. "I assume if China proposes the target of carbon neutrality by 2060, it's already quite sure that they can achieve it," said Dr Niklas Höhne. "And that makes me a bit hopeful that they can indeed make that transition." The Philippines The Philippines is one of the countries suffering the most from the impacts of climate change. Like many other developing economies, the country is very keen to use energy to bring people out of poverty and raise living standards. In the past, the Philippines has looked to significantly increase investment in coal to foster development. But its current approach seeks to move away from coal, and experts say the country could be a role model for many developing nations in similar situations. Has the Philippines lived up to its promises? Up until the Paris Agreement, the Philippines had not had any international requirements to curb its carbon. But in the Paris pact, it committed to cut its emissions by 70% below "business as usual" by 2030. According to the Climate Action Tracker analysis, its actions to date are compatible with keeping warming well below 2C this century. In 2019, around half the country's electricity came from coal - and plans in the pipeline would have more than doubled the country's coal fired capacity. But in October 2020, the government announced a moratorium on new coal plants, preferring instead to pursue a more mixed energy strategy. According to the Climate Action Tracker, this could curb emissions from the Philippines by 35% on top of their current policy projections by 2030. "I think that one of the most critical factors is that the market has been very important in the power sector," said Dr Bill Hare. "In other countries in Southeast Asia, we have what's called political economy, vested interests dominate in places such as Vietnam or Indonesia." "But in the Philippines, the market has been really important in determining investments for quite some time. And I think that's what we're seeing unfolding, multiplied by a government predisposition now towards renewables, and a realisation that, as a very vulnerable country, they really need to be getting their act together." The expectation of observers is that with funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and more focus on sustainability from international banks, the move away from fossil fuels in the Philippines in the longer term will likely speed up. The Philippines has not yet set a long-term goal, but it says it is committed to submitting a new national climate plan with enhanced targets. The country will also likely push for further action on a concept known as "loss and damage" within the UN negotiation process. For developing nations, this means financial recompense for the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided or adapted to. But richer countries are strongly resistant, believing that because they contributed the most to carbon emissions, they will be on the hook for compensation for centuries to come. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:59:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? Just ahead of the five year anniversary of the deal, we look at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. The UK As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. In Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that was increased by the government from 80% cuts in 2019. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The new 2030 plan, released on 3 December, has mainly won plaudits for its ambition. But critics say there are some major hurdles ahead. Under the new NDC, around 87% of our electricity would need to come from low carbon sources by the end of this decade, up from over 50% now. Almost half the cars on the road would need to be electric, up from around 6% at present. As well as making major changes to transport, energy and food emissions, the UK will have to take a tough stand internationally so that it doesn't simply substitute carbon cuts at home with emissions-laden products from abroad. "It's what you do at home, but it's also what you invest in internationally," Dr Alison Doig, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), told BBC News. "The UK needs to ensure with our export finance credits and with our Brexit deals, that we are strongly signalling overseas, what we're doing domestically." Australia Australia matters because not only is it one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels, it is also a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country is now the world's largest exporter of coal and gas, according to a recent study. Emissions of greenhouse gases from Australian exports are responsible for 3.6% of global emissions according to research. On a per capita basis, and including exports, Australians are responsible for four times as much CO2 as people living in the US. Politically, Australia is also very important in climate change terms as well. Over the past five years, it has moved further away from the majority of nations in the UN, which have been urging rapid cuts in carbon. Prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised by other politicians for downplaying the role of climate change after recent, devastating wildfires. Has Australia lived up to its promises? Not really. While it is set to hit a rather low 2020 target set under a previous global agreement, its actions under the Paris climate agreement are not measuring up, according to experts. Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels. Projections published at the end of last year suggested Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030. This year's UN Emissions Gap report says that, right now Australia is projected to fall short on what should be a very easy target. "That 26% reduction needs to be at least double that to be in the Paris Agreement pathway," says Dr Bill Hare, who's part of the Climate Action Tracker group of scientists who have rated Australia's plans as "insufficient". "There's very little going on whether you're talking about electric vehicles, motor vehicle standards, it's alone in the OECD in not having fuel efficiency standards, it has virtually nothing on energy efficiency, and virtually nothing on building efficiency." "It is really an embarrassment actually." There's a lot of focus on Australia now because of changing world politics. A dispute with China has threatened its exports of coal, while the result of the recent US election has taken away a climate ally of the Australian government. There's even been some talk in recent weeks that the country might soon set a long-term net-zero emissions goal. And according to newspaper reports, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce that the country will no longer use carbon credits carried over from a previous international climate agreement. Australia had planned to use these questionable credits as a way of making up the shortfall in its 2030 target. "I think if Trump had won the election then Australia would see themselves as part of a gang with Brazil and Saudi Arabia and a few others," said Dr Alison Doig, from the ECIU. "But with Biden coming into office, they know are in a position that's becoming more outcast. So that might be why there's some softening on local language and the rhetoric." While action at the federal level in Australia might be slow, lower down there's a good deal of movement. "Our energy market operator has said that for the power sector in Australia, we're looking at the fastest transition in the world," said Dr Bill Hare. "Everyone knows that we're famous for our sunshine, our wind and our space. And that means that renewables are cheap, they are rapidly outcompeting coal and gas, and those technologies are going to be replaced very quickly." The EU The EU represents about a fifth of the world's economy - and was responsible for around 9% of the global share of CO2 emissions in 2019, the third largest emitter. Climate change is seen as a key issue for Europe, because it's an international problem where acting together makes sense to many citizens. Europe's political leaders also see tackling climate as important in showing the global relevance of the Union. During the Trump administration, the EU has stepped up in a leadership role, attempting to build bridges with China on how to tackle the challenge. The EU is well regarded generally among developing countries and small island states because they are seen as wanting to push for greater ambition in terms of cutting carbon. In terms of building a global alliance of rich and poor countries the EU is key. Has the EU lived up to its targets? Again, the answer is mostly yes. But back in 2007, EU leaders set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 levels by 2020. By 2018, the collective efforts had cut warming gases by 23.2%. This over-achievement caused many to think that the initial targets had been set far too low. The EU currently has a 40% target for 2030, which experts believe is also behind the times. "It's basically 10 years old," said Dr Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker group. "If the EU would implement all the targets that it has for renewables and energy efficiency, it would already reduce emissions by 45%." "So, the official target that they use today is outdated and needs to be revised." The EU has adopted the aim of having a climate-neutral economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. And in the European Green Deal, announced in September, the European Commission proposed a new target for cuts of around 55%. European leaders are expected to agree the new 2030 goal when they meet on 10-11 December. The European Parliament and many environmentalists want them to go further and aim for a 60% cut. But the proposal has already run into trouble with Eastern European member state who argue this is too much, too soon. "It will open up this Pandora's box again, because the eastern countries will want to have compensation for it," said Dr Susanne Dröge, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Brexit will increase the pressure to find compromises and to pay for it," she said. "After all, it is always about compensation." China China is key to solving the global problem with climate change, because it is the world's biggest contributor to the root cause, CO2 emissions. As China's economy rapidly expanded over the past two decades, using coal as their main energy source, their emissions have overtaken the US and now comprise around 28% of the global CO2 output. But China is also the reason for a recent burst of optimism that has spread through the international community since September, when China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country would reach carbon neutrality by 2060. Has China lived up to its promises? Again the answer is mostly yes, but with some caveats. Seeing itself as a developing country, China has always been reluctant to take on targets to cut carbon, arguing that the West should go first and farthest to rein in CO2. Instead, China has focussed on carbon intensity rather than cuts. This means limiting the amount of CO2 used per unit of economic activity. This is easier to achieve than outright emissions reductions but the downside is that as GDP increases so does the overall total of carbon used. Before the Copenhagen conference of the parties meeting (COP) in 2009, China pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 40-45%, compared to 2005 levels. At the end of 2017, China had cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 46% from the 2005 level. In the Paris Agreement, China promised to cut carbon intensity by 60-65%, and to peak its emissions by 2030. The country remains on course to meet these goals. In fact, according to some research, it could meet them years ahead of schedule. "I think China took the conservative approach to the Paris Agreement, they only proposed something that they were very sure that they could meet," says Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker. "It was also clear that at, the moment when they proposed their 2030 target, that they would over-achieve it. And that doesn't mean that that it's a bad target, per se, but that's their way of approaching it." When President Xi Jinping told the UN in September that China would reach net-zero in 2060 and peak its emissions well before 2030, the statement was welcomed all over the world. The key for China will be the next five-year energy plan, that will be issued in the early part of next year. If the shift to renewable energy sources, away from coal is really going to happen, the evidence will be in that document. That could also form part of a new Chinese national commitment to be submitted to the UN, in the run up to the Glasgow COP next year. But there are significant challenges. "The nature of the peaking in 2030 target can be only measured in a 100% certain way after the fact," said Dr Shuwei Zhang, from the Draworld Environment Research Centre in Beijing. "The 2060 neutrality goal is theoretically possible, but could become unfeasible in reality, if action is continuously delayed." "From now, there is no leeway to accommodate coal any longer." China will have to limit coal for energy, not just inside the country but outside as well. The financing of overseas coal power plants will have to wind down. Right now, the country's emissions have rebounded in the wake of the pandemic, as coal continues to burn brightly. But many remain optimistic, that if China says it can do something, then it will get there. "I assume if China proposes the target of carbon neutrality by 2060, it's already quite sure that they can achieve it," said Dr Niklas Höhne. "And that makes me a bit hopeful that they can indeed make that transition." The Philippines The Philippines is one of the countries suffering the most from the impacts of climate change. Like many other developing economies, the country is very keen to use energy to bring people out of poverty and raise living standards. In the past, the Philippines has looked to significantly increase investment in coal to foster development. But its current approach seeks to move away from coal, and experts say the country could be a role model for many developing nations in similar situations. Has the Philippines lived up to its promises? Up until the Paris Agreement, the Philippines had not had any international requirements to curb its carbon. But in the Paris pact, it committed to cut its emissions by 70% below "business as usual" by 2030. According to the Climate Action Tracker analysis, its actions to date are compatible with keeping warming well below 2C this century. In 2019, around half the country's electricity came from coal - and plans in the pipeline would have more than doubled the country's coal fired capacity. But in October 2020, the government announced a moratorium on new coal plants, preferring instead to pursue a more mixed energy strategy. According to the Climate Action Tracker, this could curb emissions from the Philippines by 35% on top of their current policy projections by 2030. "I think that one of the most critical factors is that the market has been very important in the power sector," said Dr Bill Hare. "In other countries in Southeast Asia, we have what's called political economy, vested interests dominate in places such as Vietnam or Indonesia." "But in the Philippines, the market has been really important in determining investments for quite some time. And I think that's what we're seeing unfolding, multiplied by a government predisposition now towards renewables, and a realisation that, as a very vulnerable country, they really need to be getting their act together." The expectation of observers is that with funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and more focus on sustainability from international banks, the move away from fossil fuels in the Philippines in the longer term will likely speed up. The Philippines has not yet set a long-term goal, but it says it is committed to submitting a new national climate plan with enhanced targets. The country will also likely push for further action on a concept known as "loss and damage" within the UN negotiation process. For developing nations, this means financial recompense for the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided or adapted to. But richer countries are strongly resistant, believing that because they contributed the most to carbon emissions, they will be on the hook for compensation for centuries to come. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      Climate change: Have countries kept their promises? Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:59:00
     
      Agreed by 196 parties in the French capital in December 2015, the Paris climate deal aims to keep the rise in global temperatures this century "well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C." We look at five key countries and how well they have kept their promises. Every one of the signatories to the Paris climate agreement has had to lodge a climate action plan with the UN to spell out what steps they are taking to curb carbon. Overall, according to a new assessment from global consultancy Systemiq, low-carbon solutions have been more successful in this period than many people realise. The growth in coal for energy outside of China has declined significantly. "We have to translate what we can do into what we will do," said Lord Nicholas Stern, from the London School of Economics (LSE). "But a big part of that is understanding what is happening and that's why I think this report is important. It will change people's perspectives of what is possible and translate that into action." So the big picture might be improving, but what about individual nations? Just ahead of the five year anniversary of the deal, we look at how five key countries have lived up to their promises under the pact. The UK As well as being the world's fifth largest economy, the UK is the incoming president of the Conference of the Parties or COP, the main UN climate negotiating forum, which will take place in Glasgow in November 2021. This global gathering of world leaders will try and work out how to improve the collective effort to tackle climate change, and take the next steps. COP26 in Glasgow will be the most important meeting since the Paris climate agreement was signed five years ago. The president of the meeting is a key influence on the success or failure of the event. In Paris in 2015, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius was seen as a hugely effective, impartial leader who gained the trust of nations rich and poor. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma has already been tasked with the job by Boris Johnson, but already there are worries that he has too much on his plate. Has the UK lived up to its promises? The answer to this is mostly yes. Since 2008, the UK government has had to set five-year greenhouse gas targets by law, based on advice from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC). Targets set under the first three carbon budgets have been met. While it was part of the EU, the UK's target for 2020 was a reduction of 16% on 2005 emissions. The UK easily achieved this. In fact, right now, Britain's total output of warming gases has gone down by around 45% from 1990 levels. As a result of leaving the EU, the UK has to register its own standalone plan to cut carbon with the UN. This is known as a "nationally determined contribution" or NDC. It focuses on targets for 2030, which are meant to show the pathway to net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that was increased by the government from 80% cuts in 2019. Reaching net zero requires that any carbon emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere by, for example, planting trees. The new 2030 plan, released on 3 December, has mainly won plaudits for its ambition. But critics say there are some major hurdles ahead. Under the new NDC, around 87% of our electricity would need to come from low carbon sources by the end of this decade, up from over 50% now. Almost half the cars on the road would need to be electric, up from around 6% at present. As well as making major changes to transport, energy and food emissions, the UK will have to take a tough stand internationally so that it doesn't simply substitute carbon cuts at home with emissions-laden products from abroad. "It's what you do at home, but it's also what you invest in internationally," Dr Alison Doig, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), told BBC News. "The UK needs to ensure with our export finance credits and with our Brexit deals, that we are strongly signalling overseas, what we're doing domestically." Australia Australia matters because not only is it one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels, it is also a country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country is now the world's largest exporter of coal and gas, according to a recent study. Emissions of greenhouse gases from Australian exports are responsible for 3.6% of global emissions according to research. On a per capita basis, and including exports, Australians are responsible for four times as much CO2 as people living in the US. Politically, Australia is also very important in climate change terms as well. Over the past five years, it has moved further away from the majority of nations in the UN, which have been urging rapid cuts in carbon. Prime minister Scott Morrison was criticised by other politicians for downplaying the role of climate change after recent, devastating wildfires. Has Australia lived up to its promises? Not really. While it is set to hit a rather low 2020 target set under a previous global agreement, its actions under the Paris climate agreement are not measuring up, according to experts. Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels. Projections published at the end of last year suggested Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030. This year's UN Emissions Gap report says that, right now Australia is projected to fall short on what should be a very easy target. "That 26% reduction needs to be at least double that to be in the Paris Agreement pathway," says Dr Bill Hare, who's part of the Climate Action Tracker group of scientists who have rated Australia's plans as "insufficient". "There's very little going on whether you're talking about electric vehicles, motor vehicle standards, it's alone in the OECD in not having fuel efficiency standards, it has virtually nothing on energy efficiency, and virtually nothing on building efficiency." "It is really an embarrassment actually." There's a lot of focus on Australia now because of changing world politics. A dispute with China has threatened its exports of coal, while the result of the recent US election has taken away a climate ally of the Australian government. There's even been some talk in recent weeks that the country might soon set a long-term net-zero emissions goal. And according to newspaper reports, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to announce that the country will no longer use carbon credits carried over from a previous international climate agreement. Australia had planned to use these questionable credits as a way of making up the shortfall in its 2030 target. "I think if Trump had won the election then Australia would see themselves as part of a gang with Brazil and Saudi Arabia and a few others," said Dr Alison Doig, from the ECIU. "But with Biden coming into office, they know are in a position that's becoming more outcast. So that might be why there's some softening on local language and the rhetoric." While action at the federal level in Australia might be slow, lower down there's a good deal of movement. "Our energy market operator has said that for the power sector in Australia, we're looking at the fastest transition in the world," said Dr Bill Hare. "Everyone knows that we're famous for our sunshine, our wind and our space. And that means that renewables are cheap, they are rapidly outcompeting coal and gas, and those technologies are going to be replaced very quickly." The EU The EU represents about a fifth of the world's economy - and was responsible for around 9% of the global share of CO2 emissions in 2019, the third largest emitter. Climate change is seen as a key issue for Europe, because it's an international problem where acting together makes sense to many citizens. Europe's political leaders also see tackling climate as important in showing the global relevance of the Union. During the Trump administration, the EU has stepped up in a leadership role, attempting to build bridges with China on how to tackle the challenge. The EU is well regarded generally among developing countries and small island states because they are seen as wanting to push for greater ambition in terms of cutting carbon. In terms of building a global alliance of rich and poor countries the EU is key. Has the EU lived up to its targets? Again, the answer is mostly yes. But back in 2007, EU leaders set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% of their 1990 levels by 2020. By 2018, the collective efforts had cut warming gases by 23.2%. This over-achievement caused many to think that the initial targets had been set far too low. The EU currently has a 40% target for 2030, which experts believe is also behind the times. "It's basically 10 years old," said Dr Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker group. "If the EU would implement all the targets that it has for renewables and energy efficiency, it would already reduce emissions by 45%." "So, the official target that they use today is outdated and needs to be revised." The EU has adopted the aim of having a climate-neutral economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. And in the European Green Deal, announced in September, the European Commission proposed a new target for cuts of around 55%. European leaders are expected to agree the new 2030 goal when they meet on 10-11 December. The European Parliament and many environmentalists want them to go further and aim for a 60% cut. But the proposal has already run into trouble with Eastern European member state who argue this is too much, too soon. "It will open up this Pandora's box again, because the eastern countries will want to have compensation for it," said Dr Susanne Dröge, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Brexit will increase the pressure to find compromises and to pay for it," she said. "After all, it is always about compensation." China China is key to solving the global problem with climate change, because it is the world's biggest contributor to the root cause, CO2 emissions. As China's economy rapidly expanded over the past two decades, using coal as their main energy source, their emissions have overtaken the US and now comprise around 28% of the global CO2 output. But China is also the reason for a recent burst of optimism that has spread through the international community since September, when China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country would reach carbon neutrality by 2060. Has China lived up to its promises? Again the answer is mostly yes, but with some caveats. Seeing itself as a developing country, China has always been reluctant to take on targets to cut carbon, arguing that the West should go first and farthest to rein in CO2. Instead, China has focussed on carbon intensity rather than cuts. This means limiting the amount of CO2 used per unit of economic activity. This is easier to achieve than outright emissions reductions but the downside is that as GDP increases so does the overall total of carbon used. Before the Copenhagen conference of the parties meeting (COP) in 2009, China pledged to cut its carbon intensity by 40-45%, compared to 2005 levels. At the end of 2017, China had cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 46% from the 2005 level. In the Paris Agreement, China promised to cut carbon intensity by 60-65%, and to peak its emissions by 2030. The country remains on course to meet these goals. In fact, according to some research, it could meet them years ahead of schedule. "I think China took the conservative approach to the Paris Agreement, they only proposed something that they were very sure that they could meet," says Niklas Höhne from the Climate Action Tracker. "It was also clear that at, the moment when they proposed their 2030 target, that they would over-achieve it. And that doesn't mean that that it's a bad target, per se, but that's their way of approaching it." When President Xi Jinping told the UN in September that China would reach net-zero in 2060 and peak its emissions well before 2030, the statement was welcomed all over the world. The key for China will be the next five-year energy plan, that will be issued in the early part of next year. If the shift to renewable energy sources, away from coal is really going to happen, the evidence will be in that document. That could also form part of a new Chinese national commitment to be submitted to the UN, in the run up to the Glasgow COP next year. But there are significant challenges. "The nature of the peaking in 2030 target can be only measured in a 100% certain way after the fact," said Dr Shuwei Zhang, from the Draworld Environment Research Centre in Beijing. "The 2060 neutrality goal is theoretically possible, but could become unfeasible in reality, if action is continuously delayed." "From now, there is no leeway to accommodate coal any longer." China will have to limit coal for energy, not just inside the country but outside as well. The financing of overseas coal power plants will have to wind down. Right now, the country's emissions have rebounded in the wake of the pandemic, as coal continues to burn brightly. But many remain optimistic, that if China says it can do something, then it will get there. "I assume if China proposes the target of carbon neutrality by 2060, it's already quite sure that they can achieve it," said Dr Niklas Höhne. "And that makes me a bit hopeful that they can indeed make that transition." The Philippines The Philippines is one of the countries suffering the most from the impacts of climate change. Like many other developing economies, the country is very keen to use energy to bring people out of poverty and raise living standards. In the past, the Philippines has looked to significantly increase investment in coal to foster development. But its current approach seeks to move away from coal, and experts say the country could be a role model for many developing nations in similar situations. Has the Philippines lived up to its promises? Up until the Paris Agreement, the Philippines had not had any international requirements to curb its carbon. But in the Paris pact, it committed to cut its emissions by 70% below "business as usual" by 2030. According to the Climate Action Tracker analysis, its actions to date are compatible with keeping warming well below 2C this century. In 2019, around half the country's electricity came from coal - and plans in the pipeline would have more than doubled the country's coal fired capacity. But in October 2020, the government announced a moratorium on new coal plants, preferring instead to pursue a more mixed energy strategy. According to the Climate Action Tracker, this could curb emissions from the Philippines by 35% on top of their current policy projections by 2030. "I think that one of the most critical factors is that the market has been very important in the power sector," said Dr Bill Hare. "In other countries in Southeast Asia, we have what's called political economy, vested interests dominate in places such as Vietnam or Indonesia." "But in the Philippines, the market has been really important in determining investments for quite some time. And I think that's what we're seeing unfolding, multiplied by a government predisposition now towards renewables, and a realisation that, as a very vulnerable country, they really need to be getting their act together." The expectation of observers is that with funding from the UN's Green Climate Fund and more focus on sustainability from international banks, the move away from fossil fuels in the Philippines in the longer term will likely speed up. The Philippines has not yet set a long-term goal, but it says it is committed to submitting a new national climate plan with enhanced targets. The country will also likely push for further action on a concept known as "loss and damage" within the UN negotiation process. For developing nations, this means financial recompense for the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided or adapted to. But richer countries are strongly resistant, believing that because they contributed the most to carbon emissions, they will be on the hook for compensation for centuries to come. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55222890
     
         
      COP26: Ellie Goulding and Emma Watson join call for climate talks change Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:41:00
     
      Four hundred women - including a host of female stars - have signed an open letter to the UK government calling for more women in "decision-making roles" at a global climate summit next year. One woman has so far been appointed to the UK's four-person leadership team for the UN's COP26 summit, in Glasgow. A letter, signed by actress Emma Watson and singer Ellie Goulding, says the gender balance was "incomprehensible". The government says it is committed to diversity. The UK is hosting COP26, a UN climate change summit, in November 2021. It was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic but is seen as a crucial moment for global leaders to agree on further action to tackle climate change. Conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed as the COP26 adaptation and resilience champion. She will work alongside her all-male colleagues, COP26 president Alok Sharma, businessman Nigel Topping and former governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney. But the letter, addressed to Mr Johnson and Mr Sharma, calls for the UK government to guarantee 50:50 gender balance at the leadership level. It has also been signed by Hollywood actress Emma Thompson, MP Caroline Lucas, and Google's Kate Brandt. 'Not good enough' A government spokesperson told the BBC that 45% of the senior management in the COP26 team is female, including the chief operating officer. But campaigners, including those who signed the letter, say these roles are mainly operational and there are not enough women in "influencing" leadership positions. At last year's COP25 climate change conference, 21% of the 196 heads of delegation were women, according to the UN. The youth climate movement has been led by prominent young women, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. But for Mexican indigenous activist, Xiye Bastida, the lack of representation at high level talks is disheartening. "When you attend conferences, events, and panels, most of the people talking about climate are older white men," she says. "I've found myself in a position of feeling that I don't know enough, or that my voice doesn't matter enough, because there is a white man who dismisses my contributions. This is why I have signed this letter, because I believe that women bring heart and optimism into the fight for our lives." Fellow signatory, professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST). said evidence shows "diversity in decision-making - including women and men - usually leads to better outcomes". "So a more gender balanced leadership of COP26 will not only be fairer, it will likely improve decision-making", she says. An International UN climate conference to be held in Glasgow Originally scheduled for November 2020, it was delayed by a year due to Covid COP26 is expected to be the biggest summit that the UK has ever hosted It's been described as the most significant climate event since Paris in 2015 2px presentational grey line A government spokesperson added: "The UK recognises that the full, meaningful and equal participation and leadership of women in climate policy is vital for achieving long-term climate goals." It comes after a 2019 report by the UN found that climate change will "disproportionately affect" women and "amplify existing gender inequalities", especially in rural areas. Almost one third of employed women work in agriculture worldwide - and as droughts get worse their livelihoods could suffer. The letter also comes ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit that will be hosted by Mr Johnson and UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 12 December.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55254771
     
         
      'Dog kennel' satellite returns first ocean observations Thu, 10th Dec 2020 19:16:00
     
      The new satellite that will become the primary orbital tool for tracking sea-level rise is in excellent shape. Sentinel-6 "Michael Freilich" was only launched three weeks ago, but already it is mapping ocean features in exquisite detail. The dog kennel-shaped spacecraft is a joint endeavour between Europe and the US. It is the latest iteration in a series of missions that have been measuring sea-surface height going back to 1992. These earlier satellites have shown unequivocally that the oceans globally are rising at a rate in excess of 3mm per year over the 28-year period, with an acceleration apparent in the last decade. The new Sentinel-6 data was processed to show a more recognisable type of picture (main box). Here it is compared with familiar images obtained by an optical camera from the Sentinel-2 spacecraft and a radar imager from Sentinel-1. It proves the Sentinel-6 instrument will get very good data on small-scale features, even in coastal waters and over inland water bodies Presentational grey line Space agency officials released sample data on Thursday to illustrate the progress in commissioning Sentinel-6 and its main observation payload, an altimeter. This is an instrument that fires microwave pulses down to Earth and then counts the time it takes to receive the return signal, converting this into an elevation. Normally, the data is presented as a "waveform", in which the power of the return signal traces sea surface height and roughness (wave height and wind speed). But for Thursday's mission update, sample data was given special processing to produce an image that would be more recognisable to the lay observer. The target was a coastal lagoon in northeast Russia - a location known as Ozero Nayval. Sentinel-6's altimeter was able to pick out information about the surface in this area that versions of the instrument flown on the earlier satellites could never have detected. These details included partial ice cover in the lagoon, small ponds, a nearby river and wave action immediately offshore. "This is the best altimeter in space - no question," Dr Craig Donlon, the Sentinel-6 mission scientist at the European Space Agency, told BBC News. "This image is a super demonstration of the fidelity of the radar altimeter and the ultra low noise of the instrument's digital back end. It's very beautiful, very coherent. In a noisy altimeter, you wouldn't see hardly anything." One of the great promises of Sentinel-6 and its new high-resolution capabilities is that it will show what is happening to sea levels right up against shorelines. The behaviour next to the land can be different from what's occurring further out to sea because of the influence of local currents, river outflows and the shape of the seafloor. But, of course, it's right on the coast that so many people live. Fifteen out of the 23 global mega-cities are located at the coast. Indeed, coastal zones are developing and urbanising up to two times faster than inland locations. "Sentinel-6 can really help us to detect early on which sea-level rise scenario we are heading for," said Dr Jochen Hinkel, a senior researcher at the Global Climate Forum and a member of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "This can help us to better time and also more efficiently design coastal infrastructure. This will save us billions of US dollars per year." Sentinel-6 is currently being moved into a position 1,336km above the Earth's surface where it can track 30 seconds behind its predecessor satellite, Jason-3. Once their altimeters have been cross-calibrated, the ageing Jason-3 platform will be shifted on to a separate path and Sentinel-6 will assume the lead measurement role, a duty it will fulfil until a follow-on Sentinel is launched in five years' time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55266869
     
         
      EBRD and TAQA Arabia promote private-to-private renewable energy in Egypt Thu, 10th Dec 2020 18:56:00
     
      EBRD loan to TAQA PV for Solar Energy, renewable energy arm of TAQA Arabia First tranche of loan to finance construction of 6 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant to supply dairy producer Dina Farms One of Egypt’s first private-to-private renewable energy projects The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is promoting the expansion of renewable energy in Egypt by supporting one of the first green private-to-private projects in the country, with an initial US$ 4.2 million loan to TAQA PV for Solar Energy, TAQA Arabia’s renewable energy subsidiary. The loan is part of a financing package of up to US$ 10 million to expand TAQA Arabia’s private-to-private renewable energy business. The EBRD funds will finance the construction and operation of a 6 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant located at Dina Farms in the Beheira governorate, 80 km from the Egyptian capital Cairo. This photovoltaic power plant will enable Dina Farms, the largest dairy farm in Africa, to cover part of its energy consumption with clean energy. TAQA PV for Solar Energy will sell all of its generated energy to Dina Farms under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The plant is the first private-to-private renewable energy project financed by the EBRD in Egypt involving direct electricity supply from a privately owned generator to a private off-taker through a corporate PPA. The EBRD’s investment will contribute to Egypt's ongoing energy transition by supporting the growth of renewable energy. The Egyptian government has declared a target of achieving 20 per cent of the country’s electricity generation capacity from renewable sources by 2022 and 42 per cent by 2035. The government has pursued energy diversification and liberalisation by facilitating a market for private renewable energy development in recent years. The price of electricity produced by renewable projects in the country has been steadily decreasing to become more competitive than energy produced using conventional fossil fuel sources. This has created strong demand in Egypt from heavy consumers of electricity in the commercial and industrial sectors seeking access to electricity from private renewable energy producers. Heike Harmgart, EBRD Managing Director for the southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region, said: “We are very proud to partner with TAQA Arabia, Egypt’s largest private integrated energy company, and to support its ambitious plans to scale up green private-to-private capacity. Private energy solution providers such as TAQA Arabia have a key role to play in supporting Egypt's ongoing energy sector transition and liberalisation.” Pakinam Kafafi, TAQA Arabia’s CEO, said: “I am thrilled about TAQA and the EBRD’s partnership in the development of such a great sustainable project and the launch of one of the first private-to-private renewable energy projects in Egypt. I believe that this is just the beginning of further fruitful cooperation.” TAQA PV for Solar Energy is a project company incorporated in Egypt for the purposes of developing the private-to-private renewable energy business of TAQA Arabia SAE, an Egyptian joint stock company TAQA Arabia and Dina Farms are part of the core subsidiaries of Qalaa Holdings. Qalaa Holdings builds responsible and sustainable businesses that create social and economic value, and operates in sectors such as energy, cement production, agrifoods, transport and logistics, mining, printing and packaging. This is the EBRD’s first project in Egypt under the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Private Renewable Energy Framework (SPREF), which supports the development and financing of innovative business models and to mobilise private finance for renewable energy projects in the SEMED region. The framework is supported by the Global Environment Facility and the Clean Technology Fund. SPREF is also under the umbrella of the Regional Dialogue Platform on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, created by the Union for the Mediterranean, to promote the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in energy generation, transmission, distribution and end use. To date, the EBRD has invested more than €7 billion in 125 projects in Egypt, where the Bank’s areas of investment include the financial sector, agribusiness, manufacturing and services, as well as infrastructure projects such as in the power sector, municipal water and wastewater services and transport.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ebrd.com/news/2020/ebrd-and-taqa-arabia-promote-privatetoprivate-renewable-energy-in-egypt-.html
     
         
      The Bumpy Road to a Hydrogen Economy Thu, 10th Dec 2020 18:39:00
     
      In this week’s episode of The Interchange, we try to figure out where hydrogen is headed. In the universe of clean energy, the world seems to rally around one big technology push each decade. This is when governments introduce subsidies, incumbents announce big projects and a nascent technology gets a chance to scale from tiny to small in the hopes of achieving liftoff. In the 1990s, it was wind. In the 2000s, solar. In the 2010s, lithium-ion batteries. And in the 2020s, it seems increasingly clear it's going to be hydrogen. But hydrogen is a different beast. For one thing, you can't just harness it like you can solar or wind — you have to make it. For another, there is a dizzying array of potential end markets for it, ranging from power to transportation to industry. And finally, there's the pesky problem of the midstream. Assuming we start producing lots of clean hydrogen, and we find a market for it, how will we store it? How will we transport it? This week, Shayle is joined by Gniewomir Flis, who spends most of his days thinking about these questions. He's an energy and climate adviser at Agora Energiewende and has spent the last few years laser-focused on the thornier issues of building a hydrogen economy. We're brought to you by Nextracker. Nextracker is building connected power plants of the future by integrating new solar technologies, storage and advanced control software. At the end of the show, we’ll tell you about some really important tech trends in solar with Nextracker CEO and industry veteran Dan Shugar. Support for The Interchange comes from Trina Solar, a global leader in PV modules and smart energy solutions. With decades of industry recognition and awards, Trina Solar is committed to delivering reliable and fully bankable solar technology to the world. Download the free TrinaPro Solution Guide Book on how to optimize utility-scale solar projects. The Interchange is brought to you by S&C Electric Company. Today, non-wires alternatives such as microgrids can provide more sustainable, resilient and economical ways to deliver reliable power. S&C helps utilities and commercial customers find the best solutions to meet their energy needs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-bumpy-road-to-a-hydrogen-economy
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: 'We are speeding in the wrong direction' on climate crisis Thu, 10th Dec 2020 17:47:00
     
      Exclusive: Climate striker speaks before UN event marking five years since the Paris accord The world is speeding in the wrong direction in tackling the climate emergency, Greta Thunberg has said, before a UN event at which national leaders have been asked to increase their pledges for emissions cuts. Thunberg, whose solo school strike in 2018 has snowballed into a global youth movement, said there was a state of complete denial when it came to the immediate action needed, with leaders giving only distant promises and empty words. The fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord is on Saturday and should have seen countries set out new plans to keep global heating below 2C and close to 1.5C. Current pledges would mean a catastrophic 3C rise in temperatures. But the planned summit has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic until next November and a virtual one-day UN meeting will take place instead, involving up to 70 world leaders. The European Union will also try to agree a new 2030 emissions target on Friday at a Brussels summit. Thunberg has released a video which calls leaders to account for failing to reverse rising carbon emissions. “We are still speeding in the wrong direction,” she said. “The five years following the Paris agreement have been the five hottest years ever recorded and, during that time, the world has emitted more than 200bn tonnes of CO2. “Distant hypothetical targets are being set, and big speeches are being given,” she said. “Yet, when it comes to the immediate action we need, we are still in a state of complete denial, as we waste our time, creating new loopholes with empty words and creative accounting.” She told the Guardian: “Leaders should be telling the truth: that we are facing an emergency and we are not doing nearly enough. We need to prioritise the action that needs to be taken right here and right now, because it is right now that the carbon budget is being used up. “We need to stop focusing on goals and targets for 2030 or 2050,” she said. “We need to implement annual binding carbon budgets today.” Thunberg said recent pledges by the UK – to cut carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels – and by China, Japan and South Korea to become net carbon zero were creating a sense of progress, and she added: “That is a very dangerous narrative because of course we’re not going in the right direction. We need to call this out.” But Thunberg, who has given speeches at previous UN climate summits, concludes her video message by saying: “There is hope … we are the hope – we, the people.” She said: “For me, the hope lies in democracy – it is the people who have the power. If enough people stand up together and repeat the same message, then there are no limits to what we can achieve.” The Fridays for Future movement of youth climate strikers expects more than 2,500 protests to take place on Friday, though like Thunberg’s, many will be online due to Covid-19 restrictions. Adélaïde Charlier, from Fridays for Future Belgium, said: “All decisions not taken now will fall back on our generation’s shoulders. [Coronavirus] has had a huge impact, we cannot deny that. But what’s incredible is seeing the energy inside a movement that does not want to die, but wants to continue to push through.” Vanessa Nakate, from Fridays for Future Uganda, also had a stark message for leaders: “You have already determined our present, which is obviously catastrophic. Now fix the future, and start now. You have everything you need to stop this war against the planet and the people. But you just won’t do it. We want deep cuts from you right now.” “I see the hope in the young people who are speaking out from different parts of the world,” Nakate said. “But the only way we can strengthen that hope is to continuously create awareness about the challenge that we are facing, so that we get everyone involved.” Parents’ climate action groups are also targeting leaders in the run-up to the UN and EU summits. At the latter, Poland and Hungary are threatening to block a deal. Marzena Wichniarz, from Parents for Future Poland, said: “I was pregnant with my daughter when the Paris agreement was signed. It was an amazing message to the world: leaders pledged to fight for a better future for all our children. But we are disappointed, in fact furious, with the Polish government now.” Agnes Imgart, from Parents For Future Global, said: “Our children have changed so much in the last five years, but the Paris agreement is still crawling.” News is under threat … … just when we need it the most. Millions of readers around the world are flocking to the Guardian in search of honest, authoritative, fact-based reporting that can help them understand the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetime. But at this crucial moment, news organisations are facing a cruel financial double blow: with fewer people able to leave their homes, and fewer news vendors in operation, we’re seeing a reduction in newspaper sales across the UK. Advertising revenue continues to fall steeply meanwhile as businesses feel the pinch. We need you to help fill the gap. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to vital public service journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from those who can afford to pay, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world. Reader financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful. We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as £1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/10/greta-thunberg-we-are-speeding-in-the-wrong-direction-on-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other%3Cspan%20id=%22ms-outlook-android-cursor%22%3E!~OMSelectionMarkerEnd~
     
         
      Global citizens' assembly planned to address climate crisis Thu, 10th Dec 2020 14:48:00
     
      People around the world will have a chance to discuss responses to the climate crisis in a planned global citizens’ assembly to inform UN talks in Glasgow in 2021, organisers said on Thursday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/10/cop26-global-citizens-assembly-planned-to-address-climate-crisis
     
         
      Global citizens' assembly planned to address climate crisis Thu, 10th Dec 2020 14:48:00
     
      Project hopes to influence policymakers at Cop26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow People around the world will have a chance to discuss responses to the climate crisis in a planned global citizens’ assembly to inform UN talks in Glasgow in 2021, organisers said on Thursday. The project aims to build on similar initiatives in individual countries such as Ireland, France and Canada, where citizens’ assemblies have given politicians a steer by generating ambitious proposals on divisive issues. “Young people are not just frustrated by rising temperatures and declining ecosystems; we’re also frustrated by the constant recycling of outdated political solutions,” said Susan Nakyung Lee, 19, a South Korean student working on the project. The plan is to launch a core virtual assembly made up of 1,000 people chosen by lottery from around the world, in spring or early summer, to run for several months ahead of the Cop26 talks in November. Organisers are working with other groups to hold local events around the world to broaden participation and build a lasting platform to host deliberations on global heating. Advocates say citizens’ assemblies can provide a counterweight to hyper-partisanship and disinformation on social media by convening people outside of adversarial political systems who can call in expert testimony. The Oscar-winnning actor Mark Rylance provided a voiceover for a crowdfunder film, and organisers are enlisting celebrities from Senegalese rappers to British rock stars to raise awareness. Although the assembly has no power to compel governments, supporters hope its recommendations will carry enough moral authority to influence policymakers. “The global citizens’ assembly for Cop26 will be the biggest ever process of its kind – building new relationships between people across the world, but also between citizens and leaders,” said Nigel Topping, the British government’s climate champion for Cop26.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/10/cop26-global-citizens-assembly-planned-to-address-climate-crisis
     
         
      Finland Shuts Down Nuclear Reactor After ‘Severe Abnormal Disturbance’ Thu, 10th Dec 2020 14:31:00
     
      A nuclear reactor was shut down after a severe abnormal event at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant with elevated radiation levels inside the unit, but no radioactive release in the environment, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) said on Thursday. The abnormal event at Unit 2 at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, located on the Olkiluoto Island about 220 kilometers (137 miles) northwest of Helsinki, was “possibly caused by a fault in the purification system for the reactor water,” the Finnish authority said in a statement. The authority has also informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the event. “There is no danger outside the unit and no radioactive release is expected. Iodine tablets shall not be taken, and it is no need for other actions as staying inside. The radiation situation outside the unit is normal,” the Finnish authority said. No personnel have been exposed to radiation and there are no personnel injuries, STUK added. “There is no indications of fuel leakage and there are no more abnormal radiation levels at the unit,” the authority said. At present, Finland has four nuclear reactors, which generate around 30 percent of the country’s electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. As of August 2020, Finland had a fifth reactor under construction, and another is planned. The two additional nuclear reactors are expected to raise the share of nuclear power to around 60 percent and replace coal. According to Statistics Finland, renewable energy sources—including a large share of hydropower—accounted for 47 percent of Finland’s electricity generation in 2019. Nuclear power generation came second with a share of 35 percent, followed by hard coal and natural gas with a share of 6 percent each. Finland aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, the government said last year, and will rely on nuclear power, among others, for this. As part of the plan, the country has pledged to phase out the use of fossil fuel oil in heating by the beginning of the 2030s.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Finland-Shuts-Down-Nuclear-Reactor-After-Severe-Abnormal-Disturbance.html
     
         
      New silicon/perovskite solar cell world record nears 30% efficiency Thu, 10th Dec 2020 13:59:00
     
      Silicon has long been the gold standard for solar cells, but it’s beginning to reach its limit. Perovskite is emerging as a promising partner, and now engineers have achieved a new efficiency record closing in on 30 percent for this kind of tandem solar cell.
       
      Full Article: https://newatlas.com/energy/tandem-silicon-perovskite-solar-cells-record-efficiency/
     
         
      Plants are soaking up far less extra CO2 than we thought they would Thu, 10th Dec 2020 13:45:00
     
      Rising carbon dioxide levels have been boosting plant growth, but this “fertilisation effect” has been declining faster than predicted by computer models, according to an analysis of satellite records. This means plants will soak up less CO2 than forecast and we will need to make bigger cuts in carbon dioxide emissions than we thought to limit global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2262530-plants-are-soaking-up-far-less-extra-co2-than-we-thought-they-would/
     
         
      China Must Close Coal Power Plants By 2045 To Meet Climate Goal Thu, 10th Dec 2020 13:30:00
     
      China must shut down by 2045 at the latest all coal power plants operating without carbon capture if Beijing is to meet its goal to become “carbon neutral” by 2060, researchers said on Thursday. The new report, published today by Energy Foundation China, features contributions from 21 authors from 8 different organizations, and was led by Energy Foundation China and coordinated by the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland. “Through an immediate halt of new construction of coal-fired power plants, rapid retirements of a small portion of old, dirty, inefficient coal plants in the near term, and gradually reduced utilization for operating plants, China can phase out coal power generation without CCUS by around 2040-2045, when the majority of existing plants reach a 30- year lifetime,” the authors of the report wrote. “Taking actions like phasing out coal power in lieu of renewable energy or transitioning to low-carbon transportation will support other development goals such as improved air quality and international science and technology leadership,” Leon Clarke, Research Director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, said in a statement. Yet, coal continues to play an essential role in China’s energy mix, accounting for 58 percent of China’s total primary energy consumption in 2019. China, the world’s top coal consumer, uses a lot of coal in electricity generation, steel and cement production, chemicals, and buildings, the report said. China needs to start phasing out coal now if it wants to meet its carbon-neutrality goals, but this could be a challenge in the near term because many regions in the country rely heavily on coal for economic activity and employment, according to the report. China continues to approve coal-fired capacity, contributing to the rise in the world’s net capacity additions of coal-fired power generation in 2019 for the first time since 2015. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Must-Close-Coal-Power-Plants-By-2045-To-Meet-Climate-Goal.html
     
         
      Activists are fighting for a renewable future in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chinese coal projects threaten to dirty those plans Thu, 10th Dec 2020 11:27:00
     
      When the Ghanaian government agreed to coordinate with Shenzen Energy Group, a Chinese energy company, to build a 7,000-megawatt coal power plant in the country's Ekumfi district, Chibeze Ezekiel was concerned. He knew the proposed plant's wastewater, ash pit and mercury emissions posed serious health and environmental risks to the local fishing and farming communities. Access to clean drinking water was under threat from the plant's sulfur dioxide emissions and associated acid rain, and there would have been a clear impact on the regional climate. Ezekiel, who is from the capital, Accra, was already the founder of an NGO focused on good environmental governance and started what became a successful grassroots youth movement to stop the construction of the $1.5 billion plant, which included a shipping port to bring in coal. He ran a social media campaign emphasizing the threats of the proposed plans to the environment and local communities, detailing the possible long-term job creation that might come with a shift to renewable energy.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/09/business/africa-coal-energy-goldman-prize-dst-hnk-intl/index.html
     
         
      Amazon topples Google as world's largest corporate renewable energy buyer after huge wind and solar spree Thu, 10th Dec 2020 9:52:00
     
      Web retail giant Amazon said it is now the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy after a 3.4GW clean power buying-spree that spanned 26 wind and solar projects in eight countries. The US-based group said the deals take its total renewable energy supply portfolio to 6.5GW. That would outstrip fellow tech giant Google, which has 5.5GW of clean procurement under contract globally, according to latest figures on its website. The latest addition to its portfolio covers projects in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, and the US, giving Amazon positions in 127 projects globally, including 59 utility-scale wind and solar plants. Among the new agreements are a 250MW offtake agreement from Orsted's 900MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 German offshore wind farm, which is due in service from 2025. The Danish developer said that is the largest corporate power deal in European offshore wind so far. In the UK, the plants include a 129MW wind farm in Scotland that Amazon said will be Britain's largest corporate renewable power deal to date. Amazon will use the clean power to cover energy use at its global data centres, warehouses and offices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/amazon-topples-google-as-worlds-largest-corporate-renewable-energy-buyer-after-huge-wind-and-solar-spree/2-1-928359
     
         
      The climate crisis should be at the heart of the global Covid recovery Thu, 10th Dec 2020 7:00:00
     
      In the early hours of 12 December, 2015, I stood together with world leaders to welcome the adoption of the Paris agreement on climate change. Years of negotiations and frustrating setbacks were capped by a two-minute round of applause for French foreign minister Laurent Fabius as he banged the gavel and ushered in an ostensibly greener, more sustainable future. Five years on, the memory of Paris is bittersweet. Progress on what are termed the “nationally determined contributions” – the self-identified climate goals of each country – has been patchy at best, and action on all of the commitments remain worryingly low. But there have been plenty of encouraging developments since 2015. In November 2021, Britain will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. Boris Johnson has set out a target to cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030 – the fastest rate of any major economy so far. China announced at the UN general assembly in September that it plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, and Japan and South Korea have pledged zero net emissions by 2050. The United States, under its new president Joe Biden, will rejoin the Paris climate accord.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/10/the-climate-crisis-should-be-at-the-heart-of-the-global-covid-recovery
     
         
      Air pollution roars back in parts of UK, raising Covid fears Thu, 10th Dec 2020 6:00:00
     
      Air pollution in many towns and cities across the UK now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, exacerbating the risk of Covid-19 and putting the health of millions of people at risk. A study published on Thursday says that although air quality improved dramatically in the first half of the year as the country went into lockdown, pollution now meets or exceeds pre-Covid levels in 80% of the 49 cities and large towns that were analysed. There is growing evidence that exposure to toxic air increases the risks from Covid-19 and the authors of the study say their findings underscore the need for local councils to do more to reduce car use and improve air quality by prioritising walking and cycling.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/10/air-pollution-roars-back-in-parts-of-uk-raising-covid-fears
     
         
      Climate change: NI 'should cut carbon emissions by 82% by 2050' Wed, 9th Dec 2020 20:14:00
     
      Northern Ireland has been advised to cut its carbon emissions by at least 82% by 2050 to help the UK achieve its net zero ambition. It is the first time such a target for NI has been set by the government's advisory body. The Committee on Climate Change said it had been able to advise on a target as NI was now committed to introducing binding climate legislation. The UK government set its 2050 net zero target in law in 2019. "The contribution from Northern Ireland is hugely important because we will not get to net zero unless Northern Ireland commits to this kind of target," said chief executive Chris Stark. The committee's report said stubborn agricultural emissions meant Northern Ireland would not be able to reach net zero in the next 30 years. There is an acceptance that given the sector's importance to the economy, other mitigations like mass tree planting will be required to compensate. The environment minister has launched a public consultation on new climate laws. Edwin Poots said tackling emissions was the "defining issue of our time." People are being asked for views on two options. One would see laws which would require NI to get to net zero by 2050. The other would see laws which would require it to make an appropriate contribution to the wider UK net zero effort. In 2018, Northern Ireland produced almost 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases - a reduction of 20% from the 1990 baseline. Some 27% of it was from agriculture including methane from cattle. Transport was the other big one at 23%. Reaching the target will need behavioural change on travel and diet, as well as new policies on energy and the environment, the committee said. The recommendation on emission cuts is in its sixth carbon budget published on Wednesday - the first since the net zero target was set. It sets out targets for government and the devolved administrations on how to hit the target and comply with commitments made under the Paris Climate Agreement. It means it has to eliminate emissions as much as possible and mitigate for any it can't by capturing carbon or planting trees. The Committee on Climate Change said the next decade is key and will require people to change behaviour to help cut emissions. There will have to be fewer flights; a reduction of 20% in meat and dairy consumption and less waste of food and other resources. Electric vehicles will have to replace conventional ones and a greater concentration on recycling and energy efficiency will be required. Fossil fuel boilers will have to be banned and home heating provided by renewables and technologies like heat pumps. Industry will have to change too, switching to electricity for power and hydrogen for heavy transport, and there'll be new industries to generate hydrogen and capture carbon. There will also have to be a huge effort to restore degraded peatland and plant millions more trees. It will require substantial investment, much of it by private companies, with the savings from lower-cost technologies eventually expected to cover the costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55238653
     
         
      Can dairy adapt to climate change? Wed, 9th Dec 2020 19:18:00
     
      Amid polarised debate, Emily Kasriel asks how dairy farmers see the role of their industry in climate change – and finds a mixture of doubt, denial and commitment to change. "Nothing beats the feeling when you see a cow take its first breath, after battling to get it to breathe. I milk each cow twice a day every single day of the year, so they know I want the best for them," says Hannah Edwards, standing proudly in the midst of the herd of Holstein cows she's tended for the last 11 years. They are grazing on her favourite hillside, high up on the farm with a commanding view of peaks and valleys. "I love coming up here. On a clear day, you can see for miles. That's Wales, Lake Bala is over there, and there you can see Snowdonia." With a growing public awareness of the importance of consuming less dairy to meet tough climate change targets, I've come to meet Hannah to try and understand how family dairy farmers see climate change. After climbing into her tall green wellies, I drive with her and her Labrador, Marley, to the farm where she works, spread across the border between Wales and Shropshire in the west of England. I want to test whether a communication approach called deep listening could help understand better the attitudes of dairy farmers to the environment and climate change. Media representations of the climate change narrative have become increasingly polarised, with each side of the discussion represented by partisan outlets as a caricature. But behind these stereotypes are the nuanced stories of how people's life experiences contribute to their worldview. By having these conversations, perhaps there is common ground that will get us closer to sustainable change. Where better to start than dairy: in 2015, the industry's emissions equivalent to more than 1,700 million tonnes of CO2 made up 3.4% of the world's total of almost 50,000 million tonnes that year. That makes dairy's contribution close to that from aviation and shipping combined (which are 1.9% and 1.7% respectively). Not long after I arrive at the farm, Hannah, armed with a thick super-sized blue apron and a razor-sharp focus, announces it is time to enter the parlour, where she milks the 140 cows, in a true state of flow. Wrapped in blue gloves, her hands dance in swift parallel moves as they reach diagonally up and then across as she wipes each teat with a disinfecting cloth before attaching it on to the milk sucking equipment. Amid the flurry of muscle action I can feel Hannah's calm aura of awareness, watching the millilitres on the glass vials track the bubbly white liquid while she reads each cows' emotional state to pick up on any illness or mood requiring more close attention. "They can't talk to you, just have to look out for different emotions," she says. "Their eyes become bulgy when they are scared. It's really teamwork, cows and farmers working together to produce milk." Between 2005 and 2015, the dairy cattle industry's greenhouse gas emissions increased by 18% as demand for milk grows The following morning, Hannah and I sit in blistering sunshine on a picnic bench in her family garden alongside her mother Ruth and brother David. "The cows don't like the heat," Hannah says. "They won't sit down as the ground is too hot. Their feet get tender; they get abscesses that cause them to go lame." Together, the family reflects on the changing weather and climate patterns they have witnessed. "I remember we used to get frost when we were kids, but we don't get it anymore," says David. "We don't get those nice crisp mornings." Ruth recalls that when she first came to the farm, the cherry blossom tree would bloom in May. "Now it's April," she says. "The climate does seem to be different over the years. We don't seem to get proper seasons anymore." Hannah's opinions about climate change prove complex over the course of our conversations. "Obviously climate change is happening," she says. "Greenhouse gases are helped by humans, isn't it. Part of it is a natural process, like when the Ice Age ended. But it is speeded up, there's no doubt about that." And what about the role of farmers? "Farmers have an extra responsibility to take care both of the environment and of emissions," she says. But at other moments, Hannah quickly moves the subject away from dairy farming's contribution. "There are more people, so you need more animals to feed everyone. The bottom line is that we are overpopulated," she says. "It's not just this country – there are more people all over the world." Overall, a quarter of global emissions come from food. The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) calculated that between 2005 and 2015, the dairy cattle industry's greenhouse gas emissions increased by 18% as demand for milk grows. These gases – mainly methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide – are produced at different stages of dairy farming. Methane, the most potent of these greenhouse gases, is first produced as the cow digests its food. Then, as the manure is managed on the farm, methane as well as nitrous oxides are also emitted. These gases all contribute to global warming. "Carbon dioxide has relatively weak warming effects, but its effects are permanent, lasting hundreds of thousands of years," says Tara Garnett, who researches greenhouse gas emissions from food at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. "A tonne of methane has a far stronger warming effect, but its effect disperses rapidly – in about a decade." I sense a conflict between the family's shared worldview – a deep love and connection with the environment – and to the possibility that dairy farming could be harming the planet But for Hannah, there is a level of distrust in such facts. "With regard to scientific information, you hope that it's true," she says. "But there's a little bit of me that is quite sceptical. Are they just scaremongering, and forcing us to do things that they want to do?" As I listen to Hannah and her family, I try to be completely present, using deep listening. I focus on their words, but also try to sense the meaning behind them to better understand their world view. The theory behind deep listening, first explored by psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1950s, is that you convey the attitude that "I respect your thoughts, and even if I don't agree with them I know that they are valid for you". When a speaker feels they are being deeply heard they are more likely to convey a richer, more authentic narrative. I sense a conflict between the family's shared worldview – a deep love and connection with the environment and the animals they tend – and to the possibility that dairy farming could be harming the planet. "I think [climate change] is a lot to do with cars and aeroplanes," says Hannah's brother David. "I don't think it's anything to do with farming as we look after the wildlife and the environment… We are not out to damage things." The experience and family history of being dairy farmers is critical to the family's identity, so an idea that appears to threaten that heart-felt identity is hard to embrace. Hannah's love for the cows, and desire to do everything she can for animal welfare, is the prism through which she sees the world, including climate change I come to understand that Hannah's love for the cows, and desire to do everything she can for animal welfare, is the prism through which she sees the world, including climate change. Whenever we talk about a potential measure to reduce carbon footprint or methane emissions, her immediate thoughts are whether the cows will benefit. After we reach the main farmhouse, her Labrador Marley leads us to Hannah's boss, Philip Davies, who denies that climate change is happening. "Climate change is the biggest load of tosh. It's lies beyond lies," he says, leaning his arm on the corner of his concrete cowshed, scanning his pregnant cows lying down on the straw inside. "When I was at school not far from here, some of the boys ordered Chairman Mao's Little Red Book. When the books arrived, the headmaster, who used to deliver the post to us boys every morning, would throw them into your porridge. I feel the same about climate change." Philip is a tall man who stands erect with piercing blue eyes; he has been a dairy farmer for more than five decades. "I was born a dairy farmer milking a cow when I was six or seven. I remember that first cow, Sylvia, in that farm just down the road, and my father and grandfather before him," he says. Each precious cow in his herd has a number, but also a name. Mabel, Beryl, Megan, Antoinette, Estelle: names that have echoed through the family herd since the 1950s. Last year, Philip and his three brothers invited 150 neighbours, friends and those they do business with to a marquee to share a meal of meat pies, and bread and butter pudding, listening to stories of their grandparents to celebrate the century their family has been milking cows. As I hear more from Philip about his experience of farming, a pattern begins to emerge of periodic catastrophes that have shaped his history. "I remember foot-and-mouth disease in the late 1960s," he recalls. "I was at school, it was the start of October, and I went to play sports. I could see fires all the way from Manchester with the cows burning." Philip then tells me about the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak – better known as "mad cow disease" – when he lost 30 cows overall. He vividly remembers the day the vet condemned three of his cows in one day, putting them down in his yard. "It was a tragedy," he says. After BSE, there has come a drive to reduce tuberculosis levels in cattle. "It changed from something we lived with to a massive issue," he says, his voice filled with frustration and sadness. Farmers are the most optimistic people I know, but scratch under the surface, we are carrying disappointment and anger – Philip Davies Philip feels that cattle farmers have a raw deal. "It's toughest on the youngsters like Hannah." Philip is keenly aware of how hard Hannah works, not only with the cows but also in masterminding all the paperwork. He says he would love her to have a more secure future in dairy farming, in which the price of milk would reflect the extraordinary hours and hard toil she pours into the job. On the second day of my trip to the farm, I awake early to walk in the surrounding fields, to try and make sense of Philip's outlook – one that rejects humanity's huge contribution to the warming of the planet as well as the significant emissions caused by dairy farming. The dry yellow corn is thigh high, and the morning mist hangs heavy, prescient of another intensely hot day. The wide landscape gives me a sense of perspective, and an insight into Philip's "deep story". I sense the pride he feels about the intensity of his lifetime of labour alongside a disappointment about the lack of respect that such toil is given and a fear when he looks to the future. Philip is uncertain whether he can sell his cows and retire in the coming years without his farm being clean of tuberculosis. He feels powerless that he's forced to send cows who test positive for tuberculosis to be slaughtered, when he has no faith in the validity of the test, though research shows that the rate of false positives for a skin test is around one in 5,000. While on the surface tuberculosis tests have nothing to do with the evidence for climate change, I sense a wider distrust of scientific authority connecting the two. "We feel voiceless and weighted down," Philip says. "Farmers are the most optimistic people I know, but scratch under the surface, we are carrying disappointment and anger. We've been silenced by everyone pointing the fingers at us. 'You naughty people, you are ruining the planet.'" Two days after this conversation, Philip calls me, wanting to tell me about the very first time he felt wrongly accused as a dairy farmer. He remembers sitting round the table with his family listening to the radio in the 1970s and hearing a story about how drinking milk was causing cancer, a story later dismissed as untrue. He conveys the depth of traumatic experiences he has endured and the multiple occasions on which he feels dairy farming, his own calling, had been unjustly targeted. In his eyes, climate change is yet another example of the "faceless men in dark corridors" looking for a scapegoat and seizing on the usual suspect – farmers. Now that Philip has had time to reflect, I want to know how he found our conversation."It was refreshingly honest," he replies. "I just felt that you were actually listening. You hadn't got an agenda and came with a clean piece of paper. That was very noticeable." On the final evening of my visit, Philip, Hannah and I eat together in the garden of the local 17th-Century pub, a focus for the community. Philip has brought reams of the farm's paperwork, proudly pointing to a figure of 7,520 litres, the average quantity of milk produced per cow over the year. It's a high number but less than what cows on intensive farms are producing, according to the University of Oxford's Garnett. "We don't push the cows – forcing them to produce more milk," says Hannah. "We don't think it's good for them." Hannah feels that the small-scale dairy herds in her family and among those closest to her aren't really the big greenhouse gas contributors. "When people complain about dairy farmers, they are probably thinking about the way people farm in the US, much more intensively with little regard for the land." How does the science stack up on small scale versus intensive dairy farming when it comes to climate change? I turn to Taro Takahashi, a sustainable livestock systems researcher at the Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol. "While less intensive farming is generally better for animal welfare and in many cases also beneficial to local ecosystems, its carbon footprint is almost always greater per litre of milk compared to more intensive farming," says Takahashi. "This is because much of the methane and nitrous oxide emissions attributable to a cow would happen regardless of how much milk they produce. If the cow produces more milk, the emissions per litre declines." At the same time, Taro points me to a recent study which suggests the intensive approach is only more beneficial if it is linked to more wilderness being spared the plough. Despite Philip's denying climate change, the dedication to the welfare of the cows that he shares with Hannah does in fact align with one evidence-based recommendation for lowering greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy industry. Improving animal health monitoring and preventing illness is one of the 15 top measures identified by the management consultancy McKinsey to reduce farming emissions. With fewer calves dying young and less sickness, less methane and other emissions are released per litre of milk. Lorraine Whitmarsh, director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations at the University of Bath, studies the challenges of communicating the reality of climate change. It gets tougher when climate change messages are threatening to our values, lifestyles or political ideology. She tells me we are motivated to agree only with the parts of the climate change narrative that align with our livelihoods or core beliefs, denying our responsibilities if the implications of accepting them would be challenging for us. This is a psychological behaviour termed "motivated reasoning", and it keeps us on the lookout for facts or opinions that reinforce our values and beliefs. I recall Hannah, who is strongly rooted in her community, telling me proudly about the positive impact on the environment of buying more locally produced food. And, working alongside motivated reasoning, there is another psychological behaviour that acts to help us ignore or dismiss information that threatens our values and beliefs: "confirmation bias". So, for example, Philip ignores the evidence for significant global warming from human activity, but is finely tuned to stories revealing mistakes by climate scientists. How can we encourage a more constructive discussion with people who either deny anthropogenic climate change or their own contributions to it? Whitmarsh points to the importance of understanding someone's values and identity. Her research in the UK demonstrates the effectiveness of narratives emphasising saving energy and reducing waste to reach people less concerned and more sceptical about climate change. Meanwhile, research led by Carla Jeffries of the University of Queensland, Australia, suggests that framing climate change action as showing consideration for others, or improving economic or technological development, can have more impact with climate deniers than focusing on avoiding climate risk. Whitmarsh also tells me we are also more likely to trust climate change messaging if it comes from someone within our own community. Back on the farm, Hannah receives a call from Philip, who wants to introduce me to his youngest brother, Peter, who owns 220 cows, the other half of the original family herd. Given that Philip is convinced the Earth is not heating up and he's keen that I meet his brother, I anticipate that I'll hear a similar perspective. But that's not quite the case. There's a definite change in the climate – and it's making our job a lot harder – Peter Davies Hannah and I sit at a table in Peter's lovingly tended garden at the edge of his fields, alongside his son Ben, 29, who works full-time with him on the farm. "There's a definite change in the climate – and it's making our job a lot harder," says Peter. His son Ben agrees that the weather is getting hotter and more extreme. "Being in the country, outdoors all day, you notice things more," says Ben. "You see the change in weather patterns and with the rivers – you can see flooding and damage and what's it doing." Father and son lead us round the back of the garden to the huge steel and concrete shed they have built to house the cows in separate cubicles, alongside a steel fibreglass tower that stores manure. The cows spend all winter in the shed on rubber mats, and the manure flows down with gravity into a channel. The manure then gets pumped into the tower, where it is ready to be injected into the soil as fertiliser in spring and late summer. Using this stored manure means there is less need for synthetic fertilisers, reducing costs as well as the carbon footprint of fertilising the fields. Injecting manure in this way also reduces emissions of ammonia, which can damage ecosystems and break down into nitrous oxides (a greenhouse gas). Before moving to this system, the cows were kept on hay and mucked out every three weeks. "This new cubicle system, it's a lot less work, with far less waste," says Ben. I think there is a strong need for more action, we are going too slowly – Ben Davies I have a sense from Peter and Ben that rather than feeling like victims of the changing climate, their understanding of the bigger picture has given them a sense of agency, a desire to adapt and a willingness to take risks to do so. Peter, spurred on by Ben, has recently made these significant investments, amounting to some £400,000 ($530,000), to make their farm more efficient and reduce its climate and environmental impact. "Ben is the driving force," Peter says. "It's people between 25-35 years old, in their prime. You need to let them get on with it when they are at their most persuasive." I'm curious about how Ben came to have these insights into climate change and learn about the adaptations needed to reduce the farm's methane and carbon footprint. "I learned on the internet. I'm self-taught, and then I taught it to others in the pub," Ben replies. More than just reducing his own footprint, Ben is in favour of larger policy changes, such as farms needing to meet environmental targets before they are allowed to expand. "I think there is a strong need for more action, we are going too slowly," he says. Peter agrees: "We've got to change." Among this small group of Shropshire farmers, the views on dairy and climate cover much of the spectrum of debate. So how do they make sense of each others' differing views on climate? "My uncle Philip is one of the old generation," Ben says. "He will be retiring soon. I don't think you can win over people. It's more about our generation making an impact." Given his knowledge and commitment to reducing climate change, how does Ben respond to critics who argue that we may have to stop eating meat and dairy entirely to make a significant dent in emissions? He pauses. "I think it's a small minority, who are trying to ruin our future and a business that our family has tried to develop over 100 years. Come to my farm and have a look," he says. "I can show you what we are doing to reduce our emissions footprint, and all the infrastructure we are investing so heavily in." When it's time to leave, I ask Hannah if hearing from Peter and Ben has changed her perspective. She harbours dreams of renting her own dairy farm with a small herd and setting up an ice cream business. If she is able to realise her ambitions, would she take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? "I suppose you would have to see the figures, but if we could catch the rainwater to wash the milking parlours and got wind turbines and solar panels to supply electricity, it wouldn't affect us farmers," she says. "If there was a way to do our bit and our country did start making steps to improve our emissions, maybe other countries would follow." But her doubts seem to catch up with her quickly. "But maybe Philip is right? We don't know who is right and wrong – we don't know the facts." Where Hannah remains unsure about dairy farming's climate impact, there is another certainty that she will always come back to: her guiding principle. "Cows are the most important thing. That's the way I look at it. As long as the cows are happy, we are happy." -- The BBC's Emily Kasriel is also a practitioner in residence at the London School of Economics' Marshall Institute, focusing on deep listening. -- The emissions from travel it took to report this story were 13kg CO2, travelling by bus, train and car. The digital emissions from this story are an estimated 1.2g to 3.6g CO2 per page view. Find out more about how we calculated this figure here. -- Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called "The Essential List". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201208-climate-change-can-dairy-farming-become-sustainable
     
         
      Powerhouses Join 10 GW Offshore Wind to Hydrogen Project Wed, 9th Dec 2020 19:17:00
     
      The newly established AquaVentus association has presented a project to install 10 GW of offshore wind capacity in the German North Sea for the production of green hydrogen. 27 companies, research institutions, and organizations are part of the AquaVentus association. These include RWE, Shell, Siemens Gamesa, MHI Vestas, Parkwind, Vattenfall, and Northland Power. The wind farms would be built between the Heligoland island and the Dogger Bank sandbank by 2035. The electricity generated at the wind farms would be used to produce hydrogen at electrolysis plants installed at sea. The hydrogen would then be transported to Heligoland and further to the German mainland via the AquaDuctus pipeline system. Some of the hydrogen stored at the AquaPortus in the Heligoland outer port would be used to power vessels such as crew transfer vessels. The association estimates that the project could yield up to one million tonnes of green hydrogen annually. ”Offshore wind can provide electricity reliably and inexpensively and is therefore perfect for producing green hydrogen on an industrial scale,” Sven Utermöhlen, COO Wind Offshore Global of RWE Renewables and Deputy Chairman of AquaVentus, said. ”However, the production of hydrogen at sea requires substantial start-up investments in pilot projects. Making a clear statement on offshore production and transforming the hydrogen strategy into legislation will enable German policy-makers to speed up the development of this technology and tap into its potential for climate protection.“ In the first sub-project, AquaPrimus, RWE plans to install two 14 MW wind turbines off Mukran, Sassnitz by 2025. Each turbine will be fitted with an electrolyser plant installed at the foundation platform.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/12/09/powerhouses-join-10-gw-offshore-wind-to-hydrogen-project/
     
         
      Most of America’s dirty power plants will be ready to retire by 2035 Wed, 9th Dec 2020 15:32:00
     
      The U.S. energy transition is well underway. Electricity from solar and wind is increasingly competitive with natural gas power, and the grid is hemorrhaging coal plants that no longer make economic sense. But without any real national climate policy managing the decline of fossil fuels, the transition is scattershot, messy, and full of carnage. Power companies announced more than 13 coal plant retirements this year, in many cases moving up previously announced closures and shortening the window of time the communities that live near and work at those plants have to think about what comes next. In May, a company called GenOn gave workers at one of its coal-fired power plants in Maryland just 90 days’ notice that it was closing. A new analysis published in the journal Science last week offers a potential roadmap for the incoming Biden administration to manage the wind-down of all fossil fuels plants, not just coal plants, more systematically. Even better, it shows that shutting down the nation’s fossil fuel–burning power plants in the next 15 years to achieve Biden’s goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 isn’t as economically risky as previously thought.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/energy/most-of-americas-dirty-power-plants-are-old-enough-to-retire-by-2035/
     
         
      Major Fossil Fuel PR Group is Behind Europe Pro-Hydrogen Push Wed, 9th Dec 2020 15:05:00
     
      The recent deluge of pro-hydrogen stories in the media that tout hydrogen as a climate solution and clean form of energy can now be linked in part to FTI Consulting — one of the most notorious oil and gas industry public relations firms. According to a new report, titled The Hydrogen Hype: Gas Industry Fairy Tale or Climate Horror Story?, released by a coalition of groups in Europe including Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Food and Water Action Europe, details the work of FTI to push hydrogen as a clean climate solution in Europe. So far it appears FTI is being quite successful in this endeavor. As the report notes, the “European Commission is most definitely onboard” with the idea of a hydrogen-based economy. FTI Consulting’s previous and ongoing work promoting the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to sell natural gas as a climate solution were recently featured in an article by the New York Times. Among FTI’s misleading claims which it defended to the New York Times was that the Permian region in Texas — the epicenter of the U.S. shale oil industry’s fracking efforts — was reducing methane emissions. This claim, however, was based on government data that did not include emissions for actual oil and gas wells, which are major emitters of methane emissions. FTI's argument is easily disproved as methane emissions in Texas continued to break records in 2019. And now FTI is taking the same approach for hydrogen as it has for natural gas — promoting it as a climate solution despite the evidence to the contrary. The Hydrogen Council Lobbying efforts for Europe to transition to hydrogen as a fuel source are led by The Hydrogen Council. According to the new report, The Hydrogen Council was formed in 2017 with members including Europe’s top fossil fuel producers such as Aramco (Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company), Shell, BP, Toyota, Honda, Microsoft, Total and many others in the energy and transportation industries. According to the new report, FTI consulting was directly involved in setting up The Hydrogen Council and the contact address for the council is even the same as FTI’s Brussels headquarters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.desmogblog.com/2020/12/09/fti-consulting-fossil-fuel-pr-group-behind-europe-hydrogen-lobby
     
         
      Building back better – Raising the UK’s climate ambitions for 2035 will put Net Zero within reach and change the UK for the better Wed, 9th Dec 2020 14:47:00
     
      The Climate Change Committee (CCC) today presents the first ever detailed route map for a fully decarbonised nation. A world first. Last year, the UK became the first major economy to make Net Zero emissions law. In its new landmark 1,000-page report, the CCC sets out the path to that goal over the next three decades, including the first ever detailed assessment of the changes that will result – and the key milestones that must be met. The Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037) charts the decisive move to zero carbon for the UK. The CCC shows that polluting emissions must fall by almost 80% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels – a big step-up in ambition. Just 18 months ago this was the UK’s 2050 goal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theccc.org.uk/2020/12/09/building-back-better-raising-the-uks-climate-ambitions-for-2035-will-put-net-zero-within-reach-and-change-the-uk-for-the-better/
     
         
      New York state’s $226bn pension fund plans rolling fossil fuel divestment Wed, 9th Dec 2020 14:02:00
     
      The New York State Common Retirement Fund, the third largest pension fund in the US with a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets, has pledged to purge its portfolio of energy companies that do not have a plan to cut emissions and transition away from fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/67e87d22-f733-4914-8c6a-e447e61d9ea2
     
         
      Three Signs a ‘New Arctic’ Is Emerging Wed, 9th Dec 2020 13:35:00
     
      A “new normal” is settling over the Arctic, experts warned yesterday. Temperatures are rising, ice is melting, snow is disappearing and the region’s delicate ecosystems are rapidly evolving. It’s already not the same place it was a few decades ago, and it won’t be the same place a few more decades into the future. That’s the stark conclusion of this year’s Arctic Report Card, an annual update on the Arctic climate from NOAA. The report was released yesterday with a virtual press conference hosted at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/three-signs-a-new-arctic-is-emerging/
     
         
      Writing the book on the net zero transition Wed, 9th Dec 2020 13:30:00
     
      The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has just published the book on the net zero transition. At around 1,000 pages perhaps it is the War and Peace of the green industrial revolution, an exploration of every corner of society at a time of historic flux. Or maybe it's the Middlemarch, a realist depiction of a community responding to legislative reform and technological disruption. Let's hope it is not the Don Quixote or Infinite Jest. There must be no tilting at windmills and the last thing we need right now is another post-modern meditation on a future dystopia - we can get that from watching the news. What the CCC's Sixth Carbon Budget has in common with those various masterpieces - apart from the fact it too will be referenced by far more people than ever read to the end - is that it is about to become, in its own way, a canonical text. The 1,000 pages on the Sixth Carbon Budget stretched across three documents - The UK's Path to Net Zero, the Methodology Report, and Policies for the Sixth Carbon Budget and Net Zero - are a remarkably in-depth and meticulously referenced blueprint for how to transform a modern industrialised nation into a net zero emission sustainable economy within just three decades. Spare a thought for the climate sceptic bloggers who are even now trying to scan all 1,000 pages in a desperate attempt to find the one out of context footnote or cherry-picked graph they can hang their entirely predictable critique upon. For everyone else, here is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how a net zero emission economy can be built while still improving living standards, bolstering competitiveness and resilience, and maintaining public and political consent. As such you can make a case for it being one of the most important documents ever published. This is not necessarily hyperbole. Like any classic work, the reports draw heavily on the tradition of which they are a part. In its broadest sense, the CCC's analysis today simply reiterates what advocates of climate action have been saying at least since the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, and arguably for decades previous. The costs of inaction on climate change far outweigh the costs of action. When you correct the market failure that results in greenhouse gas emissions it is entirely possible to tackle the climate crisis and build a healthier, fairer, and more prosperous economy for all. The deployment of clean technologies creates a virtuous circle of economies of scale, green jobs, reduced climate impacts, and myriad co-benefits that mean net zero emissions can be achieved at likely net benefit to the economy. The alternative is around 3C of warming this century that would pose a cataclysmic threat to civilisation as we know it. This analysis now has a remarkably solid evidence base and is widely, if imperfectly, accepted by almost every government on the planet, investors with trillions of dollars of assets under management, and the thousands of powerful companies that have publicly pledged to deliver net zero emissions. However, the report also contains the shock of the new. The unifying thread that runs through the 1,000 pages is the analysis of how the costs of decarbonisation have fallen far faster than even advocates of clean technologies expected. Renewables and energy storage costs have plummeted, there are very good reasons to think hydrogen, heat pumps, and electric vehicles can follow suit. Just a year ago the CCC estimated the UK would need to invest around one per cent of GDP a year to deliver net zero by 2050, but it now believes it may require investment equivalent to around 0.6 per cent of GDP in the 2030s before falling to just 0.5 per cent by 2050. These surprisingly rapid cost reductions have opened up remarkable possibilities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/4024736/writing-book-net-zero-transition
     
         
      Fueled by Innovation: How Technology is Boosting Efficiency in Oil & Gas Wed, 9th Dec 2020 13:29:00
     
      In the oil and gas industry, there’s no shortage of opportunities for innovation. One recent report by IBM found that, while 82% of oil and gas executives believe innovation is important to fueling the success of their company, only 40% are currently executing on an innovation strategy. Why is there a disconnect between the intent to innovate and putting those plans into action? The IBM report cites a lack of internal digital skills as one of the main barriers to entry—which is why finding the right partner to assist with technical management can make a world of a difference. Today’s graphic by mCloud gives an overview of how its asset management solution, AssetCare™, uses innovative technology such as AI and IoT to increase efficiency, manage assets, and ultimately cut costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-technology-is-boosting-efficiency-in-oil-gas/
     
         
      Richest 1% in UK produce 11 times the carbon emissions of poorest 50%, says study Tue, 8th Dec 2020 20:42:00
     
      Oxfam calls for higher taxes on private jets and SUVs to curb pollution by top earners The richest 1 per cent of people in the UK produce 11 times the amount of carbon emissions as those in the poorest half of society, according to a new report. Estimates released ahead of an international climate event hosted by Boris Johnson showed that those with an income of at least £92,000 after tax were responsible for 7 per cent of the pollution over a 25-year period. The “one-percenters” – made up of 657,840 people, roughly equivalent to the population of Sheffield – are also the only income group whose total consumption emissions did not fall between 1990 and 2015. Their carbon footprint is six times that of the national average. All other groups reduced their carbon footprint over this period, while emissions across the population as a whole fell by 12 per cent. Those in the wealthiest 10 per cent, with income after tax of at least £41,000 per year, have a carbon footprint more than double the national average and four times the poorest half of the population. They are responsible for 27 per cent of total emissions during the same 25-year period, roughly the same as the poorest half of the population. The figures come from an analysis of carbon emissions of income groups around the world by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute. The charity also urges Boris Johnson to use the Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December to encourage countries to adopt tougher emission reduction targets to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C and ensure that developing countries on the frontline of the climate crisis get increased financial support. Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: “In the UK and around the world we see the same picture – a minority of elite emitters produce far more carbon than poorer communities. Extreme weather and record temperatures are forcing people from their homes and destroying their crops. It can’t be right that the poorest people in the world are being forced to pay the bill run up by the wealthiest. “It is vital that our recovery from Covid-19 not only sets the UK on track to net zero emissions, but also rebalances our economy and society, so that the benefits of new green jobs, improved health and cleaner air are enjoyed by all. As the host of pivotal UN climate talks, it’s vital the UK government drives ambitious new emission reduction commitments, and an increase in support to help developing countries cope with climate change.” Last week the prime minister pledged to cut emissions to 68 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, up from the previous commitment of 53 per cent. The EU and other nations are also expected to announce new targets in the next few days. Previous studies have shown the 12 per cent fall in overall emissions between 1990 and 2015 were partly a result of a shift to cleaner fuels for generating electricity and away from coal, and improved energy efficiency in homes and businesses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-carbon-emissions-one-percent-wealthiest-pollution-b1767733.html
     
         
      Climate change: Welsh farms told to cut more carbon emissions Tue, 8th Dec 2020 19:35:00
     
      Welsh farmers must do more to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions despite already being among the world's most sustainable, a new report has said. It carried out detailed analysis of 20 sheep and beef farms, including researching how much carbon they stored through grassland and trees. Hill farms in particular were found to have a lower impact than expected. Agriculture accounts for around 12% of Wales' emissions, much of it methane from livestock. Government advisers at the Climate Change Committee (CCC) have warned this is a challenging area for Wales, given the importance of farming to rural communities. It was one of the reasons they suggested aiming for a 95% cut in emissions by 2050, a lower target than for the rest of the UK. In the coming weeks a first draft of a proposed new Welsh Agriculture Bill is set to be unveiled, with rewarding efforts to fight climate change central to new subsidy arrangements for farmers in future. The new report by Meat Promotion Wales, alongside researchers from Bangor University and the University of Limerick, says farms should focus on improving productivity. Optimising the health, welfare and breeding capacity of their animals will mean they produce more meat, more quickly with fewer inputs and emissions. Improving soil health and levels of carbon sequestration on farms could also have a "significant positive effect on net emissions", while using land for renewable energy generation. But while the CCC has urged for a fifth of UK farmland to be given over to efforts to store carbon, the report says "maintaining a critical mass of livestock production" is important to "ensure the economic and cultural sustainability of Wales". It emphasises that Welsh agriculture has among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of comparable systems worldwide. This is down to the fact that sheep and beef farms are non-intensive and - thanks to the Welsh climate - have a plentiful supply of grass and water, resulting in far less animal feed having to be imported in. The report found that beef cattle at the farms studied were responsible for a net 11-16kg of CO2 equivalent emissions per kilo on average, compared with a global average of around 37kg of CO2 equivalent emissions per kilo. Sheep and lambs were associated with 10-13kg of CO2 equivalent emissions, again placing Wales towards the lowest end of studies conducted elsewhere in the world. Dr Prysor Williams, senior lecturer in environmental management at Bangor University, said the findings offered a "valuable insight into what Welsh farms are already doing well in terms of sustainability, and where further improvements can be made". Meat Promotion Wales said it had decided to commission the research because it felt recent debate around agriculture's impact on the environment had centred on a global picture, "which can be misleading". Gwyn Howells, their chief executive, said the industry had to "do much better in future and... must accept and acknowledge (that) we must play our part in achieving a reduction in emissions in line with the Paris Agreement by 2050". He said Welsh farmers could sell their meat with confidence as a "sustainable product" but also had to "hone production methods" to minimise and mitigate environmental impact in future. Katie-Rose Davies, whose family have run their hill farm for almost 100 years, has about 1,000 south Wales mountain ewes and 40 suckler cows. "We farm using a range of sustainable and traditional methods - lots of things that we do are focused on really minimising our environmental impact," said the agricultural lecturer from Nantymoel in Bridgend county. "So mixed grazing for instance - cattle and sheep together - we find that improves the Molinia or mountain grass which creates a better environment for peat which stores carbon and also creates new habitats for rare species such as the Golden Plovers we have here on the farm. "It's really important that people understand the difference between farming here in Wales and the industry globally - there's been a lot of talk about reducing how much red meat you eat... but it should be about buying meat that has been sustainably produced."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55217228
     
         
      Tesla: German court halts factory plan over snake and lizard habitats Tue, 8th Dec 2020 19:21:00
     
      Tesla has been ordered again to suspend preparations for a car factory in Germany after a successful court injunction by environmentalists. The electric carmaker has been clearing forest land near the capital, Berlin, for its first European car and battery plant. But opponents argued this will endanger the habitats of lizards and snakes. A court in Frankfurt an der Oder ordered forest clearing to be halted, pending further examinations. A similar court order was made earlier this year about Tesla's plans for what it calls the Gigafactory in Grünheide, in the eastern state of Brandenburg. The earlier ruling was in response to concerns about wildlife and the water supply. Tesla has not publicly commented on the latest ruling, resulting from an ongoing legal dispute with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and Green League. A final decision on the case is still pending. The environmentalist groups say Tesla's deforestation will destroy the habitats of sand lizards and smooth snakes, both of which are protected species. They have also expressed concern that the building work will disturb these reptiles during their winter hibernation. "Even Tesla cannot and must not place itself above the law," said Heinz Herwig Mascher, chairman of the Green League in Brandenburg, in a statement. To much fanfare, Tesla's boss Elon Musk announced plans for the factory last November, and said he aimed to have it operational by 1 July 2021. The aim is to produce 500,000 cars a year. Mr Musk has also said the company is looking at building the world's largest battery factory at Grünheide, alongside its car plant. But the site has become a flashpoint between environmentalists, and Germany's Christian Democrat and Free Democrat parties, who fear the issue could damage the country's attractiveness to businesses. The dispute has also highlighted the risks for the US carmaker, which has not been officially granted permission to build the factory. Tesla has been granted permission by Germany's environment ministry to begin site preparations "at its own risk." This has involved clearing about 91 hectares (225 acres) of forest and the felling of thousands of trees. But Tesla's permission to start construction hinges on approval by local authorities, who have to consult environmental groups and the local community. Building work was also set back after seven bombs dating from World War Two were discovered on the site. Tesla held a consultation process with local residents and groups in October, and over 400 complaints and observations were lodged. After concerns about the impact the factory could have on local water resources, the firm agreed to cut its water consumption. Tesla currently has two Gigafactories in the US and one in Shanghai, China. Earlier this year, Tesla overtook Toyota as the world's most valuable carmaker.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55235802
     
         
      RAF plane flies low over world's biggest iceberg Tue, 8th Dec 2020 18:49:00
     
      The RAF has now released footage from its low-level reconnaissance flight over the giant iceberg, A68a. An A400m transporter was recently sent on reconnaissance missions to assess the state of the 4,200 sq km behemoth. As the previously published stills have shown, A68a is crumbling – but the video footage also underscores the berg's great size. Read more: RAF release video of world
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-55237686
     
         
      Why are we building gas-powered ships? Tue, 8th Dec 2020 18:33:00
     
      The two new ferries still being built in Port Glasgow have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Glen Sannox and "hull 802" are the first UK-built ships capable of running off liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as well as conventional diesel. They were once hailed as a step towards a greener future for Scotland's state owned CalMac ferry fleet. But they are three years late, £100m over budget and have dragged Scotland's last commercial Clyde shipyard into administration, prompting nationalisation. And some have questioned just how "eco-friendly" they really are. Was LNG the wrong choice - or a wise decision, poorly executed? What is LNG ? If you have a gas boiler or cooker in your home, you'll already be familiar with natural gas - which mainly consists of methane. If you cool this gas to minus 162C it turns into a liquid occupying only 1/600th of its original volume. This Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is much easier to transport and can be used as a portable fuel for ships or even trucks and cars. But it is still a fossil fuel that produces carbon dioxide when burned. Ending our reliance on natural gas in our homes is seen as a key climate change goal - so why are we building gas-powered ships? A 'bridge' fuel on the journey to zero emissions? Advocates of LNG argue it's less harmful to the environment than traditional marine fuels such as oil or diesel. LNG engine manufacturers say they produce up to 30% less carbon dioxide than diesel equivalents. But that doesn't take into account greenhouse emissions during extraction and transport of the gas. The UK currently has no facilities to liquefy natural gas so LNG would have to be imported - probably from the Gulf state of Qatar. The LNG for CalMac's new ships first has to make an 8,000-mile journey by sea, arriving at the Isle of Grain terminal on the Kent coast. It will then travel a further 460 miles by road tanker to Ardrossan in North Ayrshire or more than 600 miles to Uig on the Isle of Skye. Together, the two ships would require between four and six road tanker loads of LNG a week. There are other problems - methane, the main component of natural gas, is itself a greenhouse gas, 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. A small amount of this methane can pass through an engine unburned - something known as methane slip - and enter the atmosphere. CMAL, the government-owned agency which owns the ships used by CalMac, says the latest engines minimise methane slip. It also hopes Scotland will eventually have its own bulk LNG storage capacity, which would improve the overall carbon footprint. NOx, SOx and other nasties While the greenhouse emission benefits of LNG can be debated, when it comes to air quality there are clear benefits. The smoke you see from a ship's funnel contains nitrogen and sulphur oxides - NOx and SOx as they're known - and other harmful particulates. These can contribute to global warming indirectly, but the main concern is their link to respiratory diseases and cancers. Using LNG dramatically cuts NOx emissions and almost eliminates SOx pollution. New legally-binding regulations, known as IMO 2020 kicked in on 1 January, requiring marine diesel to contain less than 0.5% sulphur. Shipping firms have three main choices: switch to expensive low sulphur fuel, fit "scrubbers" to remove the pollutants from exhaust gases - or use alternative fuels such as LNG. Scottish ferries have been using low sulphur fuel for years so they're already IMO 2020 compliant, but LNG offers further air quality improvements. Is it a technically-difficult fuel to use? The bulk tankers that transport LNG across the seas have been using it as a fuel for decades. Even with powerful refrigeration, a small amount of LNG turns back to gas while it is being transported. Shipping firms learned they could save money by burning this boil-off gas (or Bog as it's known) to drive their ships' steam turbines. Since 2003 the Finnish firm Wartsila has been selling dual-fuel marine engines that can run off LNG directly, switching seamlessly back to diesel when required with no impact on performance. This is the system used on CalMac's new ferries. But while the technology isn't particularly new, it does pose extra design challenges compared to an all-diesel vessel. A large cryogenic storage tank - like a giant chilled thermos flask - is required on the ship along with special refrigerated refuelling pipes. While the technology has been around for some time, CalMac's new ferries are the first to be built in the UK. Design decisions have to be approved by insurers and regulators. Major investment is also needed in infrastructure to supply the LNG to these ships (or "bunkering" - a term that dates from the days of coal when a ship's fuel was literally stored in a bunker). The Scottish government plans to spend £5m on new LNG bunkering facilities at Ardrossan and Uig. What about 'future fuels' like hydrogen? There are currently several hundred LNG-powered ships in use or under construction worldwide, and that figure is rising rapidly. But in the face of a "climate change emergency" some argue we should be looking at more radical zero-emission solutions such as hydrogen. When hydrogen is used as a fuel - either burned in an engine or used in a fuel cell to generate electricity - the only by-product is water. Before the ferry fiasco dragged it into administration, Ferguson Marine had teamed up with the University of St Andrews and others to develop a prototype hydrogen-powered ship. The plan was to build a small ferry for the five-mile route in Orkney between Kirkwall and Shapinsay. The turmoil at Ferguson hasn't helped that project - it is still in development. Elsewhere, the Norwegian firm Norled is already building the world's first hydrogen ferry, due to be operating in the fjords in late 2021. Hydrogen could work well for island communities like Orkney which have plenty of renewable energy sources. The cleanest way of obtaining the gas is by splitting water molecules using electrolysis, a process which requires electricity. Orkney is already using wind and tidal schemes to produce hydrogen locally - storing it in tanks and using it as a fuel for cars, or to generate electricity from fuel cells when it's needed. How hydrogen is transforming these tiny Scottish islands For short routes, hydrogen could be carried on a ferry in compressed form rather than as a liquid. But for longer journeys where more fuel is needed, there are technological challenges - storing hydrogen as a liquid requires temperatures of minus 260C. A better solution may be to turn the hydrogen into ammonia, which is far easier to store in liquid form - a German firm is developing engines that could run on ammonia. Battery-powered ships The world's first all-electric ferry, MV Ampere, began operating on a short route in Norway six years ago. In the summer of 2019, the 197ft (60m) long all-electric "Eferry" Ellen went into service in southern Denmark, and can travel 25 miles (40km) between charges. CalMac already operates the world's first seagoing diesel/electric hybrid ferries (three small ships, all built on-time and on-budget at Ferguson shipyard). They run for 40% of the time on battery power, before having to switch to diesel generators. The batteries are recharged from the mains overnight. Plug in and sail: Meet the electric ferry pioneers The main constraint is the weight of the batteries (more batteries, less cargo) and concerns over how long the batteries will last before they need replacing. At the moment it is only an option for short routes, but as technology advances, battery-power looks set to become more common, either on all-electric ships or in hybrid systems. Other "future fuels" such as hydrogen and ammonia are developing rapidly but it is early days for these technologies. One ferry user group has suggested as an interim solution we should look at conventional diesels coupled with fuel-efficient hull designs like catamarans. Pentland Ferries has recently taken delivery of such a vessel - MV Alfred, built in Vietnam at a cost of just £14m - but CMAL which procures ships for CalMac, says that would conflict with its remit of having ships interchangeable between routes. The world's shipping industry seems to view LNG as a sensible, well-tested option. A recent study predicted that by 2025 60% of shipbuilding orders would involve LNG. So it looks like shipyards will be building a lot more gas-powered ships - whether that will satisfy climate change concerns is another matter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-51114275
     
         
      The Paris agreement five years on: is it strong enough to avert climate catastrophe? Tue, 8th Dec 2020 7:00:00
     
      With Trump no longer a threat, there is a sense of optimism around what the accord could achieve – but only if countries meet their targets No one who was in the hall that winter evening in a gloomy conference centre on the outskirts of the French capital will ever forget it. Tension had been building throughout the afternoon, as after two weeks of fraught talks the expected resolution was delayed and then delayed yet again. Rumours swirled – had the French got it wrong? Was another climate failure approaching, the latest botched attempt at solving the world’s global heating crisis? Finally, as the mood in the hall was growing twitchy, the UN security guards cleared the platform and the top officials of the landmark Paris climate talks took to the podium. For two weeks, 196 countries had huddled in countless meetings, wrangling over dense pages of text, scrutinising every semicolon. And they had finally reached agreement. Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister in charge of the gruelling talks, looking exhausted but delighted, reached for his gavel and brought it down with a resounding crack. The Paris agreement was approved at last. Nicholas Stern, the climate economist, found himself hugging Xia Zhenhua, the normally reserved Chinese minister, while whoops and shouts echoed round the hall. “I felt that the Paris agreement was the moment when the world decided it really had to manage climate change in a serious way,” he said. “We were all in it together, that’s what people realised.” At Paris, for the first time rich and poor countries joined together in a legally binding treaty pledging to hold global heating to heating well below 2C, the scientifically-advised limit of safety, with an aspiration not to breach 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Those two weeks of tense talks in the French capital were the climax of 25 years of tortuous negotiations on the climate, since governments were warned of the dangers of climate chaos in 1990. The failure, discord and recriminations of those decades were left behind as delegates from 196 countries hugged, wept and cheered in Paris. Advertisement Todd Stern, climate envoy to President Barack Obama, recalls: “My team and I had been working toward this for seven years … and the story of climate negotiations had so often been one of disappointment. And yet here we were and we knew that we had – all together – done a really big thing. A very special moment. An unforgettable one.” The accord itself has proved remarkably resilient. Bringing together 196 nations in 2015 was not easy – even as Fabius brought down the gavel on the agreement, there was a little chicanery as Nicaragua had planned to object to the required consensus, but was ignored. Yet that consensus has remained robust. When the US – the world’s biggest economy and second biggest emitter – began the process of withdrawal from Paris, under President Donald Trump in 2017, a disaster might have been expected. The Kyoto 1997 protocol fell apart after the US signed but failed to ratify the agreement, leaving climate negotiations in limbo for a decade. If Trump was hoping to wreck Paris, he was disappointed: the rest of the world shrugged and carried on. There was no exodus of other countries, although some did pursue more aggressive tactics at the annual UN talks. The key axis of China and the EU remained intact, deliberately underlined by China’s President Xi Jinping when he chose to surprise the world with a net zero emissions target at the UN general assembly in September, just as the UN election race was hotting up. Remy Rioux, one of the French government team who led the talks, now chief executive of the French Development Agency, said: “The Paris agreement has proven to be inclusive and at scale, with the participation of countries representing 97% of global emissions, as well as that of non-state actors such as businesses, local government and financial institutions – and very resilient, precisely because it is inclusive. The Paris agreement is a powerful signal of hope in the face of the climate emergency.” On some measures, Paris could be judged a failure. Emissions in 2015 were about 50 bn tonnes. By 2019, they had risen to about 55bn tonnes, according to the UN Environment Programme (Unep). Carbon output fell dramatically, by about 17% overall and far more in some regions, in this spring’s coronavirus lockdowns, but the plunge also revealed an uncomfortable truth: even when transport, industry and commerce grind to a halt, the majority of emissions remain intact. Far greater systemic change is needed, particularly in energy generation around the world, to meet the Paris goals. Ban Ki-moon, former UN secretary-general, told the Guardian: “We have lost a lot of time. Five years after the agreement in Paris was adopted with huge expectations and commitment by world leaders, we have not done enough.” What’s more, we are still digging up and burning fossil fuels at a frantic rate. Unep reported last week that production of fossil fuels is planned to increase by 2% a year. Meanwhile, we continue to destroy the world’s carbon sinks, by cutting down forests – the world is still losing an area of forest the size of the UK each year, despite commitments to stop deforestation – as well as drying out peatlands and wetlands, and reducing the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon from the air. Global temperatures have already risen by more than 1C above pre-industrial levels, and the results in extreme weather are evident around the world. Wildfires raged across Australia and the US this year, more than 30 hurricanes struck, heatwaves blasted Siberia, and the Arctic ice is melting faster. António Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, put it in stark terms: “Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Nature always strikes back – and it is already doing so with growing force and fury. Biodiversity is collapsing. One million species are at risk of extinction. Ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes.” But to judge Paris solely by these portents of disaster would be to lose sight of the remarkable progress that has been made on climate change since. This year, renewable energy will make up about 90% of the new energy generation capacity installed around the world, according to the International Energy Agency, and by 2025 will be the biggest source of power, displacing coal. That massive increase reflects rapid falls in the price of wind turbines and solar panels, which are now competitive or cheaper than fossil fuel generation in many countries, even without subsidy. “We never expected to see prices come down so fast,” said Adair Turner, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission and former chief of the UK’s committee on climate change. “We have done better than the most optimistic forecasts.” Oil prices plunged this spring as coronavirus lockdowns grounded planes and swept cities free of cars, and some analysts predict that the oil business will never recover its old hegemony. Some oil companies, including BP and Shell, now plan to become carbon-neutral. Electric vehicles have also improved much faster than expected, reflected in the stunning share price rise of Tesla. The rise of low-carbon technology has meant that when the Covid-19 crisis struck, leading figures quickly called for a green recovery, and set out plans for ensuring the world “builds back better”. Most importantly, the world has coalesced around a new target, based on the Paris goals but not explicit in the accord: net zero emissions. In the last two years, first a trickle and now a flood of countries have come forward with long-term goals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to a fraction of their current amount, to the point where they are equal to or outweighed by carbon sinks, such as forests. The UK, EU member states, Norway, Chile and a host of developing nations led the way in adopting net zero targets. In September, China’s president surprised the world by announcing his country would achieve net zero emissions in 2060. Japan and South Korea quickly followed suit. US president-elect Joe Biden has also pledged to adopt a target of net zero emissions by 2050. That puts more than two thirds of the global economy under pledges to reach net zero carbon around mid-century. If all of these countries meet their targets, the world will be almost on track to meet the upper limit of the Paris agreement. Climate Action Tracker, which analyses carbon data, has calculated that the current pledges would lead to a temperature rise of 2.1C, bringing the world within “striking distance” of fulfilling the 2015 promise. Niklas Hohne of NewClimate Institute, one of the partner organisations behind Climate Action Tracker, said: “Five years on, it’s clear the Paris agreement is driving climate action. Now we’re seeing a wave of countries signing up [to net zero emissions]. Can anyone really afford to miss catching this wave?” The key issue, though, is whether countries will meet these long-term targets. Making promises for 2050 is one thing, but major policy changes are needed now to shift national economies on to a low-carbon footing. “None of these [net zero] targets will be meaningful without very aggressive action in this decade of the 2020s,” said Todd Stern. “I think there is growing, but not yet broad enough, understanding of that reality.” Advertisement Renewing the shorter term commitments in the Paris agreement will be key. As well as the overarching and legally binding limit of 1.5C or 2C, governments submitted non-binding national plans at Paris to reduce their emissions, or to curb the projected rise in their emissions, in the case of smaller developing countries. The first round of those national plans – called nationally determined contributions – in 2015 were inadequate, however, and would lead to a disastrous 3C of heating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/08/the-paris-agreement-five-years-on-is-it-strong-enough-to-avert-climate-catastrophe
     
         
      Climate change threatens 'most Alps glaciers' Mon, 7th Dec 2020 20:12:00
     
      Up to 92% of glaciers in the Alps could be lost by the end of the century due to climate change, say researchers. The mountain range's 4,000 glaciers include popular skiing resorts such as Zermatt in Switzerland and Tignes in France. The findings by Aberystwyth University suggest those ski resorts' glaciers would be all but gone. Water run-off, storage and Alpine eco-systems would also be affected. The university's research covers the entire European Alps region and is based on 200 years of climate records and forecasts covering 1901 to 2100. They modelled what is called the environmental "equilibrium line altitude" (ELA) of valley glaciers across the Alps. This is the altitude where the amount of snow and ice that accumulates is the same as the amount that melts or evaporates over a one-year period. This measure helped the researchers make predictions of the glaciers' likely response to climate change, which they expect will be "rapid and highly variable". 'Canary in the mine' Prof Neil Glasser, who is coordinator of the European Union-funded "Change" project, said: "Glaciers are the 'canary in the mine' for climate change - their retreat is so fast. "If, as we expect, we see these patterns replicated on a global basis, the retreat of mountain glaciers will have significant implications for sea level rise. "There will be bigger changes to come from climate change, but this dramatic disappearance of glaciers from the Alps is one of the most immediate and visible effects. "One of the biggest impacts on the local population in the Alps is on water resources and the change in melt and run-off. "That will have implications for drinking water, crops, irrigation, sanitation and hydro power." The research found popular skiing destinations that could be lost include the famous Klein Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland, the Hintertux Glacier in Austria and La Grand Motte Glacier in Tignes, France. They also found by 2050 almost all the glaciers below 3,500 metres in the Alps are likely to have melted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55206215
     
         
      Beer and crisps used to help tackle climate change Mon, 7th Dec 2020 19:26:00
     
      The much-loved combination of beer and crisps is being harnessed for the first time to tackle climate change. Crisps firm Walkers has adopted a technique it says will slash CO2 emissions from its manufacturing process by 70%. The technology will use CO2 captured from beer fermentation in a brewery, which is then mixed with potato waste and turned into fertiliser. It will then be spread on UK fields to feed the following year's potato crop. Creating fertiliser normally produces high CO2 emissions, but the technology adopted by Walkers makes fertiliser without generating CO2. So, the beer-and-crisps combo performs a dual function. It stops the emission of brewery CO2 into the atmosphere – and it saves on the CO2 normally generated by fertiliser manufacture. This ingenious double whammy was developed with a grant from the UK government by a 14-employee start-up called CCm. The fertiliser was trialled on potato seed beds this year, and next year Walkers will install CCm equipment at its Leicester factory to prepare for its 2022 crop. A decision has not yet been made on which brewery Walkers will work with on this. The new technology adds to carbon-saving techniques already under way. The firm has installed an anaerobic digester, which feeds potato waste to bacteria to produce useful methane. The methane is burned to make electricity for the crisp-frying process – so this saves on burning fossil fuel gas. The new system will go a step further by taking away potato “cake” left after digestion - and stirring the brewery CO2 into it to make an enriched fertiliser which will help put carbon back into the soil as well as encouraging plant growth. It’s an example of scientists finding ways to use CO2 emissions which otherwise would increase the over-heating of the planet. Zero emissions target The CCm Technologies falls into the industrial category of Carbon Capture and Usage (CCU). Related inventions are already being harnessed in novel ways to create fuels, polymers, fertilisers, proteins, foams and building blocks. CCU is currently at a tiny scale, though - partly because the technologies are new, and partly because production of waste CO2 from society vastly outweighs demand for it. CCU is a sister technology to the better-established Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) which catches emissions from chimneys, compresses them and pumps them into underground rocks where they can’t heat the climate. The prime minister is keen on CCS, which can be used on a large scale. Katy Armstrong, manager of the Carbon Utilisation Centre at Sheffield University, previously told BBC News: “We need products for the way we live - and everything we do has an impact. "We need to manufacture our products without increasing CO2 emissions, and if we can use waste CO2 to help make them, so much the better.” Many of the young carbon usage firms are actually carbon-negative: that means they take in more CO2 than they put out. These firms are pioneers in what’s known as the circular economy, in which wastes are turned into raw materials. The EU is trying to prompt all industries to adopt this principle, because firms will need to emit zero emissions by 2050. Walkers brand owner, PepsiCo, is looking to extend the CCm project by feeding oats and corn with the “circular” fertiliser. 'Baby steps' David Wilkinson from PepsiCo’s said: “This innovation could provide learnings for the whole of the food system, enabling the agriculture sector to play its part in combating climate change. “This is just the beginning of an ambitious journey, we’re incredibly excited to trial the fertiliser on a bigger scale and discover its full potential.” CCm says it produces CO2-based fertiliser at roughly the same price as the conventional product. CO2 from the production of conventional fertilisers has been a large factor in keeping emissions from agriculture static as most other emissions across society have been falling. Peter Hammond from CCm told BBC News: “There has been an increase in public awareness that we should get something done about the climate – and lot of baby steps have come together to make something significant. “The key challenge for us as a business wasn’t getting down the cost – it was marketing the fertiliser. This link with PepsiCo takes care of that for us.” PepsiCo has a mixed record on the environment. It has long been among the leaders in tackling carbon emissions, and it recently committed to eliminating all virgin plastic from its bottles sold in nine European states by 2022. But a recent survey from by the Break Free From Plastic Campaign ranked it second highest (after Coke) in the amount of plastic pollution it creates. Some environmentalists consider Pepsi to be among the symbols of the throwaway culture, with its plastic waste found in 43 countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55207597
     
         
      Climate change: Snowy UK winters could become thing of the past Sun, 6th Dec 2020 19:44:00
     
      Snowy winters could become a thing of the past as climate change affects the UK, Met Office analysis suggests. It is one of a series of projections about how UK's climate could change, shared with BBC Panorama. It suggests by the 2040s most of southern England could no longer see sub-zero days. By the 2060s only high ground and northern Scotland are still likely to experience such cold days. The projections are based on global emissions accelerating. It could mean the end of sledging, snowmen and snowball fights, says Dr Lizzie Kendon, a senior Met Office scientist who worked on the climate projections. "We're saying by the end of the century much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground," she told Panorama. If the world reduces emissions significantly the changes will be less dramatic, the Met Office says. The average coldest day in the UK over the past three decades was -4.3 Celsius. If emissions continue to accelerate, leading to a global temperature rise of 4C, then the average coldest day in the UK would remain above 0 Celsius across most of the country throughout winter. Even if global emissions are reduced dramatically and world temperatures rise by 2C, the average coldest day in the UK is likely be 0 Celsius. The Met Office says these temperatures are subject to variation and some years may see days colder than the average. Its projections explore how the UK's climate might change. "The overarching picture is warmer, wetter winters; hotter, drier summers," Dr Kendon says. "But within that, we get this shift towards more extreme events, so more frequent and intense extremes, so heavier rainfall when it occurs." The Met Office says we are already seeing dramatic changes in the UK climate. "The rate and nature of the climate change that we're seeing is unprecedented," says Dr Mark McCarthy of the Met Office's National Climate Information Centre. Most of the country has already seen average temperatures rise by 1C since the Industrial Revolution and we should expect more of the same, he warns. That may not sound like much, but even these small changes in our climate can have a huge impact on the weather and on many plants and animals. Hotter drier summers The Met Office says there could be significant temperature rises in the decades ahead for both winter and summer. It says the biggest increases will be in the already warmer southern parts of the UK. At the same time extreme weather is expected to become more frequent and more intense. Heatwaves are likely to become more common and last longer, with record temperatures being exceeded regularly. Not every summer will be hotter than the last, the Met Office says, but the long-term trend is steadily upwards, particularly if emissions remain unabated. That high-emissions scenario shows peak summer temperatures could rise by between 3.7 C and 6.8 C by the 2070s, compared with the period 1981 to 2000. If the world succeeds in reducing emissions, these temperature rises will be considerably smaller. The level of detail in the models mean it is possible to see how the climate might change in neighbourhoods across the country. Hayes in west London, for example, is likely to see some of the most dramatic temperature rises of all, the new data suggests. The average hottest day in Hayes was 32C around 20 years ago. If emissions continue to accelerate, the new Met Office data suggests the average hottest day could reach a sweltering 40C by around 2070. If global emissions reduce, this temperature rise will not be so severe. "I mean, I think it's really frightening. That's a big change, and we're talking about in the course of our lifetime. It's just a wake-up call really as to what we're talking about here," says Dr Kendon. Summers might not just be hotter, they could be drier too, the Met Office predicts. Summer rain could become less frequent, but when it does rain it is likely to be more intense. The combination of longer dry periods with sudden heavy downpours could increase the risk of flooding because dry ground doesn't absorb water as well as damp ground. Warmer wetter winters Rainfall is expected to increase in many parts of the country in winter too, the Met Office says. The projections suggest western parts of the UK may get even wetter under a high-emissions scenario. Of course, some years will always buck the trend by being wetter or cooler than others - and there will be significant regional variations. This pattern of wetter winters and more intense summer downpours across much of the country risks putting infrastructure under greater strain. Roads, railways, reservoirs, sewers, bridges and other infrastructure is all designed for the sort of rainfall we have had in the past and much of it may need to be upgraded or even rebuilt to cope with the storms and floods to come. Last week, the UK government announced ambitious new targets for tackling climate change. The new goal is to cut the UK's greenhouse gas emission by 68% by the end of the decade, based on 1990 levels. Boris Johnson hopes the new targets will set an example to other nations, which will join a virtual climate pledges summit on 12 December. This virtual event will occur in place of annual UN climate talks, which were set to have taken place in Glasgow this year, but were postponed because of Covid-19.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55179603
     
         
      Fighting air pollution: 'Without solidarity the world will be doomed' Sat, 5th Dec 2020 20:23:00
     
      Nineteen-year-old Abhiir Bhalla has been campaigning against air pollution in India's capital Delhi, since being diagnosed with bronchitis as a child. He asked the United Nation's Secretary-General António Guterres what the world can do to ensure cleaner air for all of us.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-55193232
     
         
      Denmark set to end all new oil and gas exploration Fri, 4th Dec 2020 20:03:00
     
      Denmark will end all new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, as part of a wider plan to stop extracting fossil fuels by 2050. Its government also agreed to cancel its latest licensing round on Thursday, which gives firms permission to search for and produce oil and gas. "We are now putting a final end to the fossil era," said Denmark's climate minister. Greenpeace Denmark described the announcement as a "watershed moment". However, the country's latest licensing round was facing uncertainty, after Total of France pulled out in October, leaving only one other applicant. Denmark is currently the largest oil producer in the European Union, although it produces much less than non-EU members Norway or the UK. It pumped 103,000 barrels a day in 2019, according to analysis by UK oil giant BP There are 55 drilling platforms on its territory, across 20 oil and gas fields. "We're the European Union's biggest oil producer and this decision will therefore resonate around the world," Danish climate minister Dan Jorgensen said on Thursday. The decision will cost Denmark about 13 billion kroner (£1.1bn), according estimates by the energy ministry, though it said this amount was subject to substantial uncertainty. Presentational grey line A historic milestone By Adrienne Murray, Denmark This move marks a historic milestone. No other sizeable oil producer has taken such a step, Dan Jorgensen tells the BBC. Denmark has been positioning itself as a frontrunner fighting climate change, but its oil production had presented a dilemma. Since the 1970s, Denmark has earned billions of dollars from its North Sea oil. That's also helped finance the country's generous welfare state. "We want to be climate neutral in 2050. And if we are to have any credibility in that, then this is a necessary decision," says Mr Jorgensen. When the current government came to power, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "the first climate election". But recently it has faced criticism for not taking more ambitious steps to reach its climate goal. This latest decision now sends a stronger message. Economic factors have played a role. Lower oil prices and higher costs have seen interest wane in the latest round of oil bloc tenders. Even so, about 4,000 jobs depend on the sector - mostly on Denmark's west coast. As part of the new plan, Mr Jorgensen says carbon capture and storage technology will be developed in the area, and new job creation will come from the country's growing off-shore wind sector. Presentational grey line 'Green frontrunner' Denmark is regarded as having one of the world's most ambitious climate targets. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 70% by 2030, as well as reach net zero emissions by 2050 - both targets which have been passed into law. Helene Hagel, head of climate and environmental policy at Greenpeace Denmark, said that the new announcement meant "the country can assert itself as a green frontrunner and inspire other countries to end our dependence on climate-wrecking fossil fuels. "This is a huge victory for the climate movement and all the people who have pushed for many years to make it happen." Governments around the world have also committed to take further action on climate change as part of a wider plan to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The UK will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday. Scientists have said, however, that even if the UK and other nations keep their promises on cutting emissions there was no guarantee the world would avoid serious global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55184580
     
         
      Denmark set to end all new oil and gas exploration Fri, 4th Dec 2020 20:03:00
     
      Denmark will end all new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, as part of a wider plan to stop extracting fossil fuels by 2050. Its government also agreed to cancel its latest licensing round on Thursday, which gives firms permission to search for and produce oil and gas. "We are now putting a final end to the fossil era," said Denmark's climate minister. Greenpeace Denmark described the announcement as a "watershed moment". However, the country's latest licensing round was facing uncertainty, after Total of France pulled out in October, leaving only one other applicant. Denmark is currently the largest oil producer in the European Union, although it produces much less than non-EU members Norway or the UK. It pumped 103,000 barrels a day in 2019, according to analysis by UK oil giant BP There are 55 drilling platforms on its territory, across 20 oil and gas fields. "We're the European Union's biggest oil producer and this decision will therefore resonate around the world," Danish climate minister Dan Jorgensen said on Thursday. The decision will cost Denmark about 13 billion kroner (£1.1bn), according estimates by the energy ministry, though it said this amount was subject to substantial uncertainty. Presentational grey line A historic milestone By Adrienne Murray, Denmark This move marks a historic milestone. No other sizeable oil producer has taken such a step, Dan Jorgensen tells the BBC. Denmark has been positioning itself as a frontrunner fighting climate change, but its oil production had presented a dilemma. Since the 1970s, Denmark has earned billions of dollars from its North Sea oil. That's also helped finance the country's generous welfare state. "We want to be climate neutral in 2050. And if we are to have any credibility in that, then this is a necessary decision," says Mr Jorgensen. When the current government came to power, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "the first climate election". But recently it has faced criticism for not taking more ambitious steps to reach its climate goal. This latest decision now sends a stronger message. Economic factors have played a role. Lower oil prices and higher costs have seen interest wane in the latest round of oil bloc tenders. Even so, about 4,000 jobs depend on the sector - mostly on Denmark's west coast. As part of the new plan, Mr Jorgensen says carbon capture and storage technology will be developed in the area, and new job creation will come from the country's growing off-shore wind sector. Presentational grey line 'Green frontrunner' Denmark is regarded as having one of the world's most ambitious climate targets. It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 70% by 2030, as well as reach net zero emissions by 2050 - both targets which have been passed into law. Helene Hagel, head of climate and environmental policy at Greenpeace Denmark, said that the new announcement meant "the country can assert itself as a green frontrunner and inspire other countries to end our dependence on climate-wrecking fossil fuels. "This is a huge victory for the climate movement and all the people who have pushed for many years to make it happen." Governments around the world have also committed to take further action on climate change as part of a wider plan to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The UK will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday. Scientists have said, however, that even if the UK and other nations keep their promises on cutting emissions there was no guarantee the world would avoid serious global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55184580
     
         
      Humans waging 'suicidal war' on nature - UN chief Antonio Guterres Wed, 2nd Dec 2020 15:10:00
     
      "Our planet is broken," the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, will warn on Wednesday. Humanity is waging what he will describe as a "suicidal" war on the natural world. "Nature always strikes back, and is doing so with gathering force and fury," he will tell a BBC special event on the environment. Mr Guterres wants to put tackling climate change at the heart of the UN's global mission. In a speech entitled State of the Planet, he will announce that its "central objective" next year will be to build a global coalition around the need to reduce emissions to net zero. Net zero refers to cutting greenhouse gas emissions as far as possible and balancing any further releases by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere. Mr Guterres will say that every country, city, financial institution and company "should adopt plans for a transition to net zero emissions by 2050". In his view, they will also need to take decisive action now to put themselves on the path towards achieving this vision. The objective, says the UN secretary general, will be to cut global emissions by 45% by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. Here's what Mr Guterres will demand the nations of the world do: Put a price on carbon Phase out fossil fuel finance and end fossil fuel subsidies Shift the tax burden from income to carbon, and from tax payers to polluters Integrate the goal of carbon neutrality (a similar concept to net zero) into all economic and fiscal policies and decisions Help those around the world who are already facing the dire impacts of climate change Apocalyptic fires and floods It is an ambitious agenda, as Mr Guterres will acknowledge, but he will say radical action is needed now. "The science is clear," Mr Guterres will tell the BBC, "unless the world cuts fossil fuel production by 6% every year between now and 2030, things will get worse. Much worse." Climate policies have yet to rise to the challenge, the UN chief will say, adding that "without concerted action, we may be headed for a catastrophic three to five-degree temperature rise this century". The impact is already being felt around the world. "Apocalyptic fires and floods, cyclones and hurricanes are the new normal," he will warn. "Biodiversity is collapsing. Deserts are spreading. Oceans are choking with plastic waste." Moment of truth Mr Guterres will say the nations of the world must bring ambitious commitments to cut emissions to the international climate conference the UK and Italy are hosting in Glasgow in November next year. As well as pressing for action on the climate crisis, he will urge nations to tackle the extinction crisis that is destroying biodiversity and to step up efforts to reduce pollution. We face, he will say, a "moment of truth". But he does discern some glimmers of hope. He will acknowledge that the European Union, the US, China, Japan, South Korea and more than 110 other countries have committed to become carbon neutral by the middle of this century. He will say he wants to see this momentum turned into a movement. Technology will help us to reach these targets, Mr Guterres will say he believes. "The coal business is going up in smoke," because it costs more to run most of today's coal plants than it does to build new renewable plants from scratch, he will tell the BBC. "We must forge a safer, more sustainable and equitable path", the UN chief will conclude. He will say it is time for this war against the planet to end, adding: "We must declare a permanent ceasefire and reconcile with nature." Follow Justin on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55147647
     
         
      Aston Martin in row over 'sockpuppet PR firm' pushing anti-electric vehicle study Wed, 2nd Dec 2020 12:07:00
     
      Aston Martin in row over 'sockpuppet PR firm' pushing anti-electric vehicle study Aston Martin is at the centre of a climate lobbying controversy after a study co-commissioned by the company that cast doubt on the green credentials of electric vehicles was found to have been attributed to a PR company registered to the wife of a director at the luxury carmaker. The study, which has since been widely debunked by experts, was presented as “groundbreaking” third-party research and appeared to show that electric cars would have to travel as far as 50,000 miles before matching the carbon footprint of a petrol model. Thursday’s report was commissioned by companies including Aston Martin, Bosch, Honda and McLaren shortly after the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, called for a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles from 2030, and presented as the work of Clarendon Communications. But it can be revealed that the same companies that commissioned the study collaborated to write the report themselves, and the communications firm is a company registered under the name of Rebecca Stephen, who is the wife of Aston Martin’s government affairs director, James Stephen. The company was set up in February, and registered to the address of a property jointly owned by the married couple. The study was first reported in the Times, before the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, among other news publications, followed suit. Rebecca Stephen, a part-time NHS nurse, told the Guardian via email that the report attributed to Clarendon was “compiled” by the same companies that commissioned the study. She added that Clarendon was contracted by Bosch “to provide public affairs and stakeholder support” so its logo and contact details appear on the back of the report “for this purpose”. A spokeswoman for Bosch said the company fully supports the report “which has been drawn from independent, referenced data”, and called for “greater transparency” on the carbon footprint of vehicles. Concerns over the report were first raised by Michael Liebreich, the founder of Bloomberg’s clean energy research arm BNEF, in a Twitter thread which has become known within the industry as “Astongate”. “We need to have a proper discussion about how we are going to get to net zero,” he said. “What we can’t have is the auto industry and fossil fuel incumbents twisting the discussion to their own advantage using sockpuppet PR companies and underhand tactics. The time for that is over.” Independent experts including Auke Hoekstra, an authority on the emissions of electric vehicles (EVs), have refuted the findings of the report and warned that the data presented may have overstated the carbon footprint of EVs threefold by failing to account for a number of factors within the data. Francis Ingham, the director general of the Public Relations and Communications Association, said: “We have a duty to fight misinformation, not purvey it. PR agencies should be fully transparent about who they represent. Failure to disclose client relationships damages trust in our industry and lends credence to misleading perceptions of PR as a sinister practice.” The Labour MP Matt Western, who wrote the foreword for the report, said he had agreed to be involved in the project “to push this agenda forward, rather than the opposite”. “I am disappointed that the report has since been used to push an anti-electrification line in the media,” he said. “I was not aware of any link between the PR firm involved and Aston Martin.” Aston Martin confirmed it “contributed” to the report before the government’s decision on fossil fuel vehicles “to emphasise how best to achieve the government’s stated aim”. The Warwickshire-based carmaker has been slow to adapt to electrification, and does not yet manufacture any electric models. Instead, the company handed a fifth of its equity to Mercedes Benz in exchange for access to the latter’s hybrid and electric vehicle technology in an effort to adjust to a low-carbon future. The spokesman said Aston Martin engaged with the government regularly on its plans to cut carbon emissions from the UK’s road transport “to ensure the opportunities and challenges are both understood and addressed”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/02/aston-martin-pr-firm-anti-electric-vehicle-study?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
     
         
      UK climate targets too low, economists say Tue, 1st Dec 2020 14:49:00
     
      The UK prime minister’s recent 10-point climate plan won’t do enough to achieve his goal of curbing the country's greenhouse emissions, a report says. A consultancy has calculated that the UK will need to go further and faster to achieve its commitment of net zero emissions by mid-century. UN scientists say massive emissions cuts are needed immediately to stop CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere. So, the year 2030 is a key date for avoiding dangerous climate change. The analysis by Cambridge Econometrics suggests Mr Johnson’s plan will reduce emissions 59% per cent by 2030, based on 1990 levels. It says they should really fall by 70% by that date. It’s rumoured that government advisers the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) will tell ministers that a percentage target reduction in the upper 60s will be needed. The analysis released on Monday was commissioned by the Prince of Wales Corporate Leaders Group – a network of business heads concerned about climate change. Sixty of them have written to the PM to urge him to reduce emissions further still by 2030. The intervention comes at an important time, because the UK is set next month to declare its 2030 climate target to other nations in the hope of persuading them all to do more. Global meeting The formal announcement will come at a special global meeting called by Mr Johnson for 12 December, but it’s believed that the UK’s 2030 target will be unveiled in coming days, in order to encourage other countries to raise their ambition. Nations' climate commitments will come in the form of what’s known as an NDC – a nationally determined contribution towards the world goal of keeping temperature rise as close as possible to 1.5C. The business leaders’ letter states: “As the UK calls on other governments to set their own increased NDCs, it has a unique opportunity to catalyse action globally and lead the way for other countries to reflect this level of ambition. “We hope you will announce an ambitious UK (target) before the end of the year.” Eliot Whittington, director of the group, urged the government to go further in order to generate British jobs in “green” industries. He told BBC News: “There’s a major problem with plans to decarbonise Britain’s buildings. It’s a huge challeng, but the government has only committed £1bn for next year. The scheme is barely off the ground, and one year doesn’t offer enough longevity to let industries get up and running.” One signatory to the letter, Keith Anderson, who is chief executive of Scottish Power, said: “Setting an ambitious target of 70% by 2030 would be a clear signal to investors that the UK is ready to build back greener and that it’s happening now.” Sarah Bentley, chief executive of Thames Water, said: “Setting an ambitious NDC will help to stimulate low carbon innovation, solutions and actions across the economy.” Scotland has confirmed that it will aim for a 75% emissions cut by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55138338
     
         
      Climate change: Temperature analysis shows UN goals 'within reach' Tue, 1st Dec 2020 14:46:00
     
      A new analysis, seen by the BBC, suggests the goals of the UN Paris climate agreement are getting "within reach." The Climate Action Tracker group looked at new climate promises from China and other nations, along with the carbon plans of US President-elect Joe Biden. These commitments would mean the rise in world temperatures could be held to 2.1C by the end of this century. Previous estimates indicated up to 3C of heating, with disastrous impacts. But the experts are worried the long-term optimism is not matched by short-term plans to cut CO2. For more than a decade, researchers from the Climate Action Tracker have kept a close eye on what countries' collective carbon-cutting pledges mean for our warming world. After the failed Copenhagen summit in 2009, the group estimated that global temperatures would rise by 3.5C by the end of this century. But the creation in 2015 of the Paris climate agreement, which was designed to avoid dangerous warming of the Earth, made a considerable impact. As a result of the international deal, countries slowly started to switch away from fossil fuels. In September this year, the group concluded that the world was heading for warming of around 2.7C by 2100. This figure was still far above the 2C goal contained in the wording of the Paris pact, and nowhere near the more challenging 1.5C target that scientists endorsed as the threshold to destructive warming in 2018. Their new "optimistic analysis" now suggests a rise of 2.1C by 2100. So what's really changed? The past three months have seen some key developments. In September, China's President Xi Jinping told the UN that his country will reach net zero emissions by 2060, and that its emissions will peak before 2030. According to the CAT researchers, this could reduce warming by 0.2 to 0.3C by the end of the century. Japan and South Korea have both followed suit, pledging to reach net zero by 2050. South Africa and Canada have also announced their own net zero targets. The other significant change is the election of Joe Biden in the US. Tackling climate change is a major part of his agenda. He has promised to bring the US to net zero emissions by 2050. That move would reduce global temperatures by 0.1C by 2100. "We now have north of 50% of global emissions covered by big countries with a zero emissions by mid-century goal," said Bill Hare from Climate Analytics, who helped lead the Climate Action Tracker analysis. "When you add all that up, along with what a whole bunch of other countries are doing, then you move the temperature dial from around 2.7C to really quite close to two degrees." "It's still a fair way off from the Paris Agreement target, but it is a really major development," he told BBC News. Potential difficulties The CAT researchers say they have taken a fairly conservative approach but they readily acknowledge that their optimistic analysis comes with some major caveats. The biggest problem as they see it, is that the near-term plans to cut carbon by 2030 are just not up to the job. "Countries have not yet adjusted their short-term actions to be on a pathway towards the long-term target," said Niklas Höhne, from the NewClimate Institute, who also works on the Climate Action Tracker. "Long-term targets are easier, they are far away. But short-term actions are happening right now and they affect citizens, they affect voters. And that's why this is much more difficult," he told BBC News. The countries that have signed up to the Paris agreement are expected to lodge new carbon-cutting plans for 2030 by the end of this year. It's expected that a number will do so, including the UK and the EU. But there are several countries who are still reluctant to set goals, and many poorer nations are still looking to invest in coal. "There are countries that still remain bad actors, including Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Australia, Russia, and a few others," said Bill Hare. "And we also have a pipeline of coal plants in the region where I'm working now in Asia. It has not collapsed, it has not gone away, so yes, there's much to be concerned about. And there's much that can go wrong." What about the response to Covid-19? According to observers, the response of countries to the Covid crisis is a huge opportunity to focus their short-term spending on renewable energy and increased decarbonisation. "The pandemic opened a window to not only get countries to outline their long-term goal, but to actually move onto the right path so that they can actually achieve the long term goal," said Dr Maisa Rojas, who is the director of the Center for Climate and Resilience Research at the University of Chile in Santiago. "Are we going to harness that opportunity? My impression is that many, including the EU, are harnessing it."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55073169
     
         
      Fife town will be first in world to heat and cook using zero carbon hydrogen Mon, 30th Nov 2020 21:00:00
     
      Residents in a Fife town are set to become the first in the world to heat and cook using zero carbon hydrogen. Energy regulator Ofgem has awarded up to £18 million to gas network company SGN to build its H100 Fife hydrogen demonstration project. It will take the Kingdom Fife one step closer to becoming home to the world’s first zero carbon hydrogen-to-homes network. SGN will build its 100 per cent green hydrogen-to-homes network in Levenmouth, where up to 300 homes will be connected to the new network.
       
      Full Article: https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/business/fife-town-will-be-first-world-heat-and-cook-using-zero-carbon-hydrogen-3051735
     
         
      Hindu scriptures can 'inspire greener living', eco-activists say Mon, 30th Nov 2020 18:39:00
     
      An environmental group is using Hindu scriptures to inspire people to make greener choices in their lives. Hindu Climate Action has been working with temples to be less wasteful during religious festivals. Co-founding member Priya Koria, 21, from Bristol, said: "There's a big lack of representation in terms of the Hindu community of the climate activism front, especially I think in the UK." Due to coronavirus, the group has moved its work online to spread the message. Ms Koria, a chemistry student at the University of Bristol, added that festivals did tend to use a lot of flowers, rice and other materials. During the Rakhi festival the bond between siblings is celebrated where, traditionally, the sister ties red string on her brother's wrist to pray for his health and prosperity. "Typically, for Rakhi, we have flowers, rice and a lot of that stuff that typically won't be sourced in an environmental way just because in terms of tradition of how it's been done for so long," said Ms Koria. "There's never really been alternative or better ways suggested." The group's co-founder, Rajesh Purohit, 26, from Leicester, said: "The Maharabat talks about not displaying malice towards any living beings through your actions or words and having that level of kindness and giving in charity. "It signs off by saying that is Sanatana dharma - that is Hinduism. That is what we're trying to achieve - we're trying to drive that level of giving back. "Just as Mother Earth gives to us, let's aim to give back." The group has convinced Wellingborough temple, in Northamptonshire, to stop using single-use plastic cutlery, but it is these "little actions" they say will translate to a "bigger picture". "For me it's about using things wisely. When you do pujas, you don't need to use gallons of water or loads of flowers," added Mr Purohit. He added that traditionally Hinduism was a vegetarian faith, saying it has less impact on the environment. Buying less, using less energy in the home and adopting more sustainable pollution-free ways to travel are also part of their core message to the Hindu Diaspora across the UK. Ashok and Hema Patel run the Hindu Cultural Association in Gloucester and both felt adding a religious slant was not always the best way forward. "Hinduism is a very individual religion, where everyone has their individual perspective of that religion," said Hema. "There a lot of people in many parts of India who do eat meat. The thing is to educate people on how important it is in terms of climate change but nobody should be forced." Over the past 10 years, the group has run educational trips for their members. They also use reuseable and biodegradable items for festivals, such as clay for making figurines during Ganesh Chaturthi, which celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesh. "Even if it's a small thing you do, it helps," said Mrs Patel, adding that picking up plastic on walks can help. "We try to keep the countryside clean and make kids and adults aware and get them to look at their surroundings." The Swindon Hindu Temple opened in 2016 where flowers are grown within the temple grounds for ceremonies. Milk donated to celebrate Lord Shiva's birthday is used to make devotional food offered to the deity. Afterwards this is shared out to temple-goers after prayers. Temple chairman Pradeep Bhardwaj agreed that most Hindus were not vocal about environment issues but believed it was "deeply embedded in the Hindu consciousness". "What we have to recognize as Hindus, and obviously as human beings, is the kind of small, small things we do on a day-to-day basis," he said. "This planet is the most important thing that we have got collectively as a human race and we should do whatever it takes to not just respect and sustain, but to enhance our planet."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-54978415
     
         
      Brazil's Amazon: Deforestation 'surges to 12-year high' Mon, 30th Nov 2020 17:26:00
     
      Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has surged to its highest level since 2008, the country's space agency (Inpe) reports. A total of 11,088 sq km (4,281 sq miles) of rainforest were destroyed from August 2019 to July 2020. This is a 9.5% increase from the previous year. The Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming. Scientists say it has suffered losses at an accelerated rate since Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019. The Brazilian president has encouraged agriculture and mining activities in the world's largest rainforest. The Amazon is home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people. The latest data marked a major increase from the 7,536 sq km announced by Inpe in 2018 - the year before Mr Bolsonaro took office. The new figures are preliminary, with the official statistics set to be released early next year. Brazil had set a goal of slowing the pace of deforestation to 3,900 sq km annually by 2020. In addition to encouraging development in the rainforest, President Bolsonaro has also cut funding to federal agencies that have the power to fine and arrest farmers and loggers breaking environmental law. Mr Bolsonaro has previously clashed with Inpe over its deforestation data. Last year, he accused the agency of smearing Brazil's reputation. In a statement, Brazilian non-governmental organisation Climate Observatory said the figures "reflect the result of a successful initiative to annihilate the capacity of the Brazilian State and the inspection bodies to take care of our forests and fight crime in the Amazon". But some officials said the fact that the rate of increase was lower than that recorded last year was a sign of progress. "While we are not here to celebrate this, it does signify that the efforts we are making are beginning to bear fruit," Vice-President Hamilton Mourão told reporters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55130304
     
         
      Rotor sail partnership launches to take technology mainstream Mon, 30th Nov 2020 14:38:00
     
      Lloyd’s Register (LR) has taken a significant step in addressing what it believes to be one of the most significant roadblocks for the commercial adoption of emission abatement technology – the collaboration between original equipment manufacturer, designer, regulator and shipowner to agree a pathway for the commercial success of installed technology onboard vessels. The British class society has signed a joint development project (JDP) with rotor sail producer Anemoi Marine Technologies (Anemoi) and Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) to develop a series of energy efficient vessel designs equipped with rotor sails. Along with the installation of rotor sails, the vessels could also incorporate new hull forms, new energy management systems, a new powering arrangement and modified operational requirements. This will help owners and charterers select rotor sail technology to future-proof their vessels in line with regulatory, environmental and commercial drivers “By opening the JDP to shipowners, the parties can ensure that the technology fits the market needs and can provide better decision support for the installation of this technology across the range of common ship types demanded by the wet and dry bulk markets,” LR explained in a release. Mark Darley, LR marine and offshore chief operating officer, said: “As the need to decarbonise the shipping industry becomes more imminent, this JDP marks an important milestone in the journey that the industry is taking and further demonstrates LR’s commitment to accelerating this transition. Through this JDP we look forward to working with the key stakeholders to develop designs that will meet current and future environmental targets.” Nick Contopoulos, Anemoi chief operating officer, commented: “Anemoi are proud to be teaming up with industry leaders in ship design and classification to develop new energy efficient rotor sail vessel designs for bulkers and tankers. This partnership will help owners and charterers select rotor sail technology to future-proof their vessels in line with regulatory, environmental and commercial drivers. The AiP approved rotor sail vessel designs will give owners confidence when evaluating the technology for either wind ready or full installations. This development, coupled with our collaboration with Wartsila will facilitate volume production and technology roll out at scale.” In related wind propulsion news, Japan’s largest shipowner, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has joined a wide-ranging corporate-academic partnership in a zero-emission initiative called the Wind Hunter Project, seeking new applications for hydrogen fuel and wind power. In addition to MOL, the participants include Ouchi Ocean Consultant, the National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) of National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology (MPAT), Smart Design, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences of The University of Tokyo, West Japan Fluid Engineering Laboratory, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), and Miraihene Planning. “The Wind Hunter Project is the ultimate zero emission driving project, which combines wind propulsion sailing technology and wind energy converted to generate a stable supply of hydrogen. The project team aims to give a new and first step to realize a decarbonized and hydrogen society,” MOL stated in a release, backing up the Japanese government’s bid to lead the world towards the greater adoption of hydrogen for energy use. The Wind Hunter Project applies sail technology and combines hydrogen carriers and fuel cells with hydrogen generated by electrolyzer. This combination of sail and hydrogen technology will enable vessels to sail on schedule even in the periods of low wind and the project team plans to study supplying hydrogen generated at sea for onshore use. As a first step, the project team will demonstrate a feasibility study using a concept sailing yacht. The next step will be a demonstration using a larger vessel.
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/rotor-sail-partnership-launches-to-take-technology-mainstream/
     
         
      Shell in court over claims it hampered fossil fuels phase-out Mon, 30th Nov 2020 11:12:00
     
      Environmentalists say firm broke Dutch law by expanding its fossil fuel operations A court in The Hague will hear claims that Royal Dutch Shell has broken Dutch law by knowingly hampering the global phase-out of fossil fuels, in a case that could force the company to reduce its CO2 emissions. Lawyers for a consortium led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands will argue on the first of four days of public hearings on Tuesday that Shell has been aware for decades of the damage it has inflicted and is acting unlawfully by expanding its fossil fuel operations. It is claimed the Anglo-Dutch company is breaching article 6:162 of the Dutch civil code and violating articles 2 and 8 of the European convention on human rights – the right to life and the right to family life – by causing a danger to others when alternative measures could be be taken. Last year, the Dutch supreme court upheld a groundbreaking 2015 ruling ordering the Netherlands government to do much more to cut carbon emissions, following a legal battle pursued by the non-profit Urgenda foundation on similar grounds. The Friends of the Earth Netherlands director, Donald Pols, said: “This is a unique lawsuit with potentially significant consequences for the climate and the fossil fuel industry globally. We are confident that the judge’s final verdict will force Shell to adhere to international climate goals and stop causing dangerous climate change.” A Shell spokesman said the company agreed with the plaintiffs that the climate crisis needed to be tackled but added that legal challenges would not speed up the move to renewables. The spokesman said: “What will accelerate the energy transition is effective policy, investment in technology and changing customer behaviour. None of which will be achieved with this court action. Addressing a challenge this big requires a collaborative and global approach. Shell is playing its part. “We have set an ambition to be a net zero emissions energy business by 2050, or sooner, which means moving in step with society to address our own emissions and help customers to reduce theirs.” Shell’s activities and products are responsible for about 1% of global emissions every year but the company is investing billions more in oil and gas, according to the legal claim. It will be heard that a cache of internal and external documents proves that Shell has known about climate change at least since the 1950s and has been aware of its large-scale consequences at least since 1986. It is argued that despite seeking to become more sustainable in the 1990s, the company changed course in 2007 to focus on some of the most polluting fossil fuels including shale gas. It will be further claimed the company invested in public relations campaigns that misled the public about Shell’s real intentions and lobbied against ambitious climate action and policies. In 2014, the company is alleged to have indicated that the Paris targets were unlikely to be achieved and that on this basis concluded that the business model did not need to change. Last year, Shell’s chief executive, Ben van Beurden, told investors: “Shell’s core business is, and will be for the foreseeable future, very much in oil and gas.” The company raised its targets in April to reduce its relative CO2 emissions by 30% by 2035 and by 65% by 2050 compared with 2016. But those targets are still said by the plaintiffs to be insufficient as such relative changes could be achieved simply by investing in renewables at the same time as expanding fossil fuel investment. Friends of the Earth Netherlands, backed by 17,379 Dutch co-plaintiffs and six other organisations, is calling on Shell to start reducing its CO2 emissions to at least 45% by 2030 compared with 2010 and to net zero in 2050. Under Dutch law, the plaintiffs need to prove an alternative business model is available. They will point to the changes made by the energy company Danish Oil and Natural Gas, which announced it would transform from a fossil-based to a renewable energy company under a new name, Ørsted. The company is said to be growing rapidly while its carbon emissions are decreasing rapidly, with a goal to reduce them by 96% by 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/30/shell-in-court-over-claims-it-hampered-fossil-fuels-phase-out
     
         
      An offshore wind farm with the ability to ‘power one million households’ is fully up and running Mon, 30th Nov 2020 9:53:00
     
      A major offshore wind farm in the Netherlands is now fully operational, with its owners, Danish energy firm Orsted, claiming it provides enough green electricity to power one million households. Situated 23 kilometers (around 14.3 miles) off the coast of Zeeland, in the southwest of the Netherlands, the 752 megawatt (MW) Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm spans an area of 112 square kilometers. It uses 94 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa. In an announcement Friday, Orsted described the facility as the second-largest operating offshore wind farm in the world. The largest, Hornsea One, has a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts (GW) and was also developed by Orsted. News of Borssele 1 & 2?s commissioning is the latest example of European countries embracing offshore wind and comes after the European Union said it wanted to increase its offshore wind capacity from 12 to 300 GW by 2050. The “Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy” from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, also aims for 40 GW of ocean energy such as tidal and wave power within the same time frame. A number of major offshore wind projects located in European waters are now in the pipeline. These include the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in Britain, which left the EU in January 2020. A 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, the Dogger Bank facility will have a total capacity of 3.6 GW once completed, making it the largest in the world. At the end of last week, it was announced that a deal to fund the first two phases of the project had been completed. According to SSE, investment for Dogger Bank A and B will amount to approximately £6 billion (around $8 billion). While Europe is now home to a mature offshore wind sector, the one in the U.S. is still relatively new. The country’s first offshore wind farm – the 30 MW, five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm, which is also operated by Orsted – only started commercial operations at the end of 2016. The next few years could see the sector develop, however, with companies starting to invest large amounts of money in schemes located off the East Coast. Back in September, for instance, oil and gas giant BP took 50% stakes in Equinor’s Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, which are located off the coasts of New York State and Massachusetts respectively.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/30/wind-farm-with-ability-to-power-one-million-households-up-and-running.html
     
         
      European states ordered to respond to youth activists' climate lawsuit Mon, 30th Nov 2020 8:54:00
     
      European court of human rights case could result in countries being bound to take greater action The European court of human rights has ordered 33 European governments to respond to a landmark climate lawsuit lodged by six youth campaigners, the Guardian has learned. The plaintiffs’ British barrister says it could be the most important case ever tried by the Strasbourg-based judges. In a sign of the urgency of the climate crisis, the court will announce on Monday that it has green-lighted the crowdfunded case, which was filed two months ago. It has already confirmed it will be treated as a priority, which means the process will be fast-tracked. The states – the EU27 plus Norway, Russia, Switzerland, the UK, Turkey and Ukraine – are obliged to respond by 23 February to the complaints of the plaintiffs, who say governments are moving too slowly to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are destabilising the climate. If the defendant countries fail to convince the Strasbourg-based judges, lawyers say they will be legally bound to take more ambitious steps and to address the contribution they – and multinational companies headquartered in their jurisdictions – make to overseas emissions through trade, deforestation and extractive industries. “It is no exaggeration to say that this could be the most important case ever tried by the European court of human rights,” said Marc Willers QC, who is representing the young plaintiffs. He said the onus was on the 33 governments. “We know they are not yet doing enough and the court’s decision to give the case priority status will add to the ever-growing pressure on European governments to act on the science and take the necessary steps to tackle climate change.” The plaintiffs – four children and two young adults from Portugal – argue tougher climate action is needed to safeguard their future physical and mental wellbeing, to prevent discrimination against the young and protect their rights to exercise outdoors and live without anxiety. The case was filed in September after Portugal recorded its hottest July in 90 years. It was initiated three years ago after devastating forest fires in Portugal that killed more than 120 people in 2017. Four of the plaintiffs are from Leiria, one of the worst-hit areas. The two other applicants live in Lisbon, which sweltered through record-breaking 44C (111F) heat in 2018. Twelve-year-old André Oliveira, one of the youth applicants, said in a statement: “It gives me lots of hope to know that the judges in the European court of human rights recognise the urgency of our case. But what I’d like the most would be for European governments to immediately do what the scientists say is necessary to protect our future. Until they do this, we will keep on fighting with more determination than ever.” The young applicants are being represented by British barristers, including Willers, who is an expert in environmental and climate change law, and supported by the London- and Dublin-based NGO Global Legal Action Network (Glan). “These brave young people have cleared a major hurdle in their pursuit of a judgment which compels European governments to accelerate their climate mitigation efforts,” said Gerry Liston, Glan’s legal officer. “This comes just weeks ahead of the EU decision on its 2030 emissions target. Nothing less than a 65% reduction by 2030 will be enough for the EU member states to comply with their obligations to the youth applicants and indeed countless others.” More than 1,300 climate-related lawsuits have been filed worldwide since 1990. The most successful so far was in the Netherlands, where the Urgenda Foundation forced the government into scaling back coal-fired power plants and taking other compliance measures worth about €3bn (£2.7bn). The impact the Strasbourg judges could have is potentially greater as they sit on a standard-setting court and this case crosses multiple international boundaries. The court has also taken the unusual step of expanding its consideration of the case by asking the 33 countries to explain whether their failure to tackle global heating violates article 3 of the European convention on human rights, which protects the right not to be subjected to ‘inhumane and degrading treatment’. The Glan director, Gearóid Ó Cuinn, said he was encouraged by the judges’ sense of urgency. “As only a tiny minority of cases filed with the European court of human rights are fast-tracked and communicated, this development is highly significant. This is an appropriate response from the court given the scale and imminence of the threat these young people face from the climate emergency.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/30/european-states-ordered-respond-youth-activists-climate-lawsuit
     
         
      In-depth Q&A: Does the world need hydrogen to solve climate change? Mon, 30th Nov 2020 8:00:00
     
      Hydrogen gas has long been recognised as an alternative to fossil fuels and a potentially valuable tool for tackling climate change. Now, as nations come forward with net-zero strategies to align with their international climate targets, hydrogen has once again risen up the agenda from Australia and the UK through to Germany and Japan. In the most optimistic outlooks, hydrogen could soon power trucks, planes and ships. It could heat homes, balance electricity grids and help heavy industry to make everything from steel to cement. But doing all these things with hydrogen would require staggering quantities of the fuel, which is only as clean as the methods used to produce it. Moreover, for every potentially transformative application of hydrogen, there are unique challenges that must be overcome. In this in-depth Q&A – which includes a range of infographics, maps and interactive charts, as well as the views of dozens of experts – Carbon Brief examines the big questions around the “hydrogen economy” and looks at the extent to which it could help the world avoid dangerous climate change. What is hydrogen and how could it help tackle climate change? Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe. It is also an explosive and clean-burning gas that contains more energy per unit of weight than fossil fuels. In a hydrogen economy, hydrogen would be used in place of the fossil fuels that currently provide four-fifths of the world’s energy supply and emit the bulk of global greenhouse gas emissions. This could aid climate goals because hydrogen only emits water when burned and can be made without releasing CO2. (Its production currently emits 830m tonnes of CO2 [MtCO2] each year.) The hydrogen economy could be all-encompassing. Or it could fill a series of niches, depending on hydrogen availability, cost and performance relative to alternatives, for each potential application. In between these two extremes, there is still the potential for hydrogen to play a hugely significant role in reaching net-zero emissions, requiring a dramatic scaling up of its production and use. “Are you for or against hydrogen? That seems to be the wrong question. I think the question is: where do you really need to use it?” says Dr Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Hydrogen could help tackle “critical” hard-to-abate sectors, such as steel and long-distance transport, says Timur Gül, head of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) energy technology division and lead on its major 2019 report on the future of hydrogen. He tells Carbon Brief: “I think hydrogen has its place, has quite an important place…but I think if you’re aiming towards net-zero emissions, you don’t look for building a hydrogen economy, you look for a decarbonised energy sector. It’s a means to an end.” Hydrogen can be made by splitting water with electricity – electrolysis – or by splitting fossil fuels or biomass with heat or steam, using “reforming” or “pyrolysis”. Any CO2 can be captured and stored. Hydrogen can be stored, liquified and transported via pipelines, trucks or ships. And it can be used to make fertiliser, fuel vehicles, heat homes, generate electricity or drive heavy industry. This potential hydrogen “economy” is shown in the graphic, below. The illustrations, with numbered captions from one to three, show how hydrogen could be made, moved and used. Some advocates for a hydrogen economy describe an expansive vision of the future where it replaces most of the societal, economic and geopolitical positions now occupied by fossil fuels. Dr Saehoon Kim, head of the fuel cell division at Hyundai, told an Energy UK webinar in July: “In the past, our technology and industry was all about collecting oil, delivering oil and using oil. And now, in the future, it will be collecting sunshine, delivering sunshine and using sunshine – and what will make that possible is hydrogen.” This vision would see the sun’s energy – in the form of solar radiation and wind – turned into hydrogen, using electrolysis, and then transported around the world. As a globally traded commodity, hydrogen could then remake the map of geopolitics, ending reliance on fossil fuel exporting nations and improving energy security for importers. In its 2019 report, the IEA adds industrial development and skilled jobs to the list of potential advantages for hydrogen. It says hydrogen is flexible and versatile, able to act as a fuel, as well as an energy carrier between locations and – via storage – between different times of day or year. It could also extend the life of fossil fuels and associated infrastructure, such as gas pipelines, the IEA’s 2019 hydrogen report says: “[I]f CCUS [carbon capture, use and storage] is used to reduce the CO2 intensity of fossil fuel hydrogen production, that would enable some fossil fuel resources to continue to be used.” Moreover, the hydrogen economy could help to balance the use of variable renewables to generate electricity. Electrolysis could absorb excess supplies and, when there is little wind or sun, hydrogen could be burned in gas turbines to ensure electricity demand is met. The IEA explains: “By producing hydrogen, renewable electricity can be used in applications that are better served by chemical fuels. Low-carbon energy can be supplied over very long distances, and electricity can be stored to meet weekly or monthly imbalances in supply and demand.” This means hydrogen could help reinforce and connect the largely separate energy systems that are used today for heat, power, industry and transportation, an idea known as “sector coupling”. And the technology needed to make and use hydrogen has the potential to benefit from the policy and cost reduction experience that has seen renewables become cheap. Given all these advantages, the IEA’s report says “it may be tempting to envisage an all-encompassing low-carbon hydrogen economy in the future”. But it adds: “However, other clean energy technology opportunities have greatly improved recently, most importantly solutions that directly use electricity, which means that the future for hydrogen may be much more one of integration into diverse and complementary energy networks. This is especially so since the use of hydrogen in certain end-use sectors faces technical and economic challenges compared with other (low-carbon) competitors.” In a similar vein, Micheal Liebreich, senior contributor to BloombergNEF, wrote in a recent article: “On the surface, [hydrogen] seems like the answer to every energy question.” But he adds: “Sadly, hydrogen displays an equally impressive list of disadvantages.” Advantages of hydrogen Burns cleanly, releasing only water and energy. Stores more energy per unit of weight than most other fuels. Can be made from low-carbon sources. Can be used as a fuel, to transport energy from one place to another, as a form of energy storage or as a chemical feedstock. Can be used to decarbonise “hard to abate” sectors with few alternatives. Offers wider benefits for energy security, industrial strategy and air quality. Disadvantages of hydrogen Almost all production today is from high-carbon sources. Currently expensive to produce and cost reductions are uncertain. Bulky and expensive to transport and store. Inefficient to produce, raising costs and requiring a larger energy supply overall, with even faster scaling up of clean energy production. Supply and value chains for its use are complex and need coordination. Needs new safety standards and societal acceptance. The IEA says challenges include high costs, which make hydrogen uncompetitive today, with uncertainty over how costs will develop over time (see below). It adds: “Hydrogen comes with safety risks, high upfront infrastructure costs and some of the industrial dynamics of fossil fuel supply and distribution, especially when paired with CCUS [carbon capture, use and storage]. It is not yet clear how citizens will react to these aspects of hydrogen.” The IEA also says there is a risk of a chicken-and-egg situation because of the complexity of hydrogen supply and value chains, which makes gradual deployment more difficult. For example, replacing fossil gas for building heat would rely on the availability of large quantities of low-carbon hydrogen and suitably upgraded infrastructure to distribute and safely burn the fuel. There is also uncertainty over government and policy support for hydrogen, though a growing list of countries are developing dedicated hydrogen strategies (see below). Low efficiency is another significant challenge, with more energy being wasted at each step in the production and use of hydrogen than for many alternatives. The IEA says: “Hydrogen-based fuels could take advantage of existing infrastructure with limited changes in the value chain, but at the expense of efficiency losses.” The Economist says hydrogen is “inescapably inefficient”, while the Energy Technology Institute’s chief engineer wrote in 2018: “A strategy to enforce comprehensive adoption of hydrogen across the economy looks grossly inefficient based on current understanding of the relevant technologies.” The figure below shows why electric vehicles are several times more efficient than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, or those running on synthetic fuels derived from hydrogen. It is a similar story when comparing electric heat pumps with hydrogen boilers, or when looking at the efficiency of storing excess electricity in the form of hydrogen for later use. The IEA explains: “All energy carriers, including fossil fuels, encounter efficiency losses each time they are produced, converted or used. In the case of hydrogen, these losses can accumulate across different steps in the value chain. After converting electricity to hydrogen, shipping it and storing it, then converting it back to electricity in a fuel cell, the delivered energy can be below 30% of what was in the initial electricity input. “This makes hydrogen more ‘expensive’ than electricity or the natural gas used to produce it. It also makes a case for minimising the number of conversions between energy carriers in any value chain. That said, in the absence of constraints to energy supply, and as long as CO2 emissions are valued, efficiency can be largely a matter of economics, to be considered at the level of the whole value chain.” Indeed, conventional energy systems based on fossil fuels are already highly inefficient, with combustion engine cars returning as little as 20% of the energy in petrol as useful forward motion. Similarly, the average efficiency of coal-fired power plants is just 33%. This suggests low efficiency is not a fundamental barrier to the use of hydrogen. Instead, low efficiency may hold back hydrogen via higher costs and the need for a larger energy supply. Finally, although cost, efficiency and technical performance are all important factors for hydrogen to address, “there are some really critical drivers beyond techno-economics”, says Thomas Blank, senior principal for industry and heavy transport at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Referring to the EU’s recently published hydrogen strategy (see below), he tells Carbon Brief: “Ultimately for the EU, it’s not necessarily driven by cost, it’s driven by security of energy supply, reduction of exposure to Vladimir Putin [for Russian oil and gas imports], job creation. Those aspects of the hydrogen opportunity are underplayed at the moment and they are what is going to drive things forward.” Which countries are exploring the use of hydrogen? Last year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) produced a major report on the future of hydrogen, noting it was “currently enjoying unprecedented political and business momentum”. It described 2019 as a “critical year” for the energy carrier and outlined a steady increase in policies and research supporting its use in energy applications. Influential organisations, including the IEA, Hydrogen Council and BP, have all revealed their visions for its future significance and others have heralded the 2020s as the “decade of hydrogen”. The pipeline for “green” hydrogen – produced using renewable electricity – is expanding rapidly, nearly tripling in just five months earlier this year. However, these projects still make a marginal contribution to the global energy system. Only six of the 197 parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement mentioned “hydrogen” in their first nationally determined contributions to the deal, but interest is growing as a wave of countries, encouraged by net-zero targets, set out national hydrogen strategies. A recent review by the World Energy Council’s German chapter found that 20 countries have introduced such strategies or are “on the verge of doing so”. The map below is based on updated analysis by the council shared with Carbon Brief. It shows another 33 countries moving in this direction. This led the group to conclude that by 2025 these strategies will likely cover countries representing over 80% of global GDP. One of the most significant announcements was the European Commission’s “hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe”, released in July 2020, which includes an ambitious target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of European electrolyser capacity to produce “green” hydrogen by 2030. For context, between 2000 and 2019, a total capacity of just 0.25GW of green hydrogen projects was deployed globally, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. In a press conference launching the strategy, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans described “clean” hydrogen as “crucial” for the EU’s “green deal”, which targets net-zero emissions by 2050. “Much of the energy transition will focus on direct electrification, but in sectors like steel, cement, chemicals, air traffic, heavy-duty transport, shipping, we need something else.” This ambition has been bolstered by several European nations, including Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands, releasing hydrogen strategies of their own, some in the context of a “green recovery” from the Covid-19 pandemic. Under pressure to keep up with European neighbours, UK ministers have said they will soon announce a “world-leading” hydrogen strategy to help reach its 2050 net-zero goal. The National Grid has said hydrogen will be “required” to meet this target. Acknowledging the “flurry” of recent national hydrogen strategies in a recent Environmental Audit Committee hearing, UK business secretary Alok Sharma said the government expected to release its own “early on next year [2021]”. Prime minister Boris Johnson’s “10-point plan” for a “green industrial revolution” mentioned spending of “up to £500m ($667m)” on hydrogen, including a target of 5GW low-carbon hydrogen production capacity over the next decade. This is significantly less than some other European nations. Germany alone has said it will spend €9bn on clean hydrogen production and exporting the technology overseas, but with the same target of 5GW domestic capacity by 2030. The map below illustrates current and planned hydrogen capacity around the world and shows how Europe is currently leading with its plans for future production. (Toggle between the two using the switch in the top-left corner.) However, in his speech, Timmermans said that while Europe has been leading, other nations are catching up, referring to plans for a large hydrogen plant in Saudi Arabia powered by 4GW of wind and solar. “[Hydrogen] has become the rockstar of new energies all across the world,” he said. The competition over this market and rush to fund new projects was dubbed “the hydrogen wars” by one energy professional recently speaking to Bloomberg. Japan, in particular, has been exploring hydrogen as an energy source since the 1970s and in its 2017 hydrogen strategy announced plans to build the first “hydrogen-based society”. Prior to the event’s postponement due to Covid-19, the Japanese government intended to showcase its advances at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, using hydrogen to power the Olympic flame and a fleet of 100 buses serving the games. South Korea has been another early adopter. Other nations, including Australia and New Zealand, have released plans to mobilise their abundant renewable resources and become major exporters of green hydrogen to parts of Asia and Europe. However, China is seen as Europe’s biggest rival when it comes to green hydrogen technology and competition between the two powers could help bring down prices. Already the world’s largest producer and user of hydrogen, China has been developing hydrogen fuel cells for around 20 years. Former science minister Wan Gong, who pioneered the nation’s electric car strategy, has said it “should look into establishing a hydrogen society”. Energy companies, such as Shell and BP, are also coming forward with hydrogen plans, committing to deploying low-carbon hydrogen projects as components of their net-zero emissions goals. Meanwhile, the US, once considered a leader in hydrogen technology, has been falling behind in recent years. (While the map above shows considerable planned hydrogen capacity, it is skewed by one large project proposed by the energy company SGH2, which says it intends to have a facility producing hydrogen from biomass in operation by 2023.) A recent report backed by several of the country’s oil firms and car manufacturers stated that hydrogen has a “key role to play in maintaining US global energy leadership”: “Other countries, such as Germany, Japan and China, are developing hydrogen infrastructure and investing in the groundwork for a hydrogen economy. The US should not fall behind.” How much hydrogen is needed to limit climate change? In more than two dozen interviews for this article, there was broad consensus that hydrogen will be needed to avoid dangerous climate change by reaching net-zero emissions. There is less agreement on how much hydrogen the world will need and which sectors it will be used in. Like electricity, hydrogen is an “energy carrier” or “energy vector”. In simple terms, this means it is a convenient way to store, move and use energy extracted from other sources. Crucially, the production of both electricity and hydrogen can be decarbonised. (See: Which countries are exploring the use of hydrogen?) These zero-carbon energy carriers will be vital for reaching net-zero. While electrification plays the leading role in pathways identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it cannot currently unlock some sectors, such as long-distance transport. This makes hydrogen “essential” to reaching net-zero, says Dr David Joffe, head of carbon budgets at the UK’s advisory Climate Change Committee. He tells Carbon Brief: “In our view, you should be looking to electrify wherever you can. Where that’s prohibitively expensive, or where it’s not feasible, that’s the role that you’re looking for hydrogen.” Unlike electricity, the energy stored in hydrogen is carried in relatively stable chemical bonds rather than a more ephemeral electrical charge. This means its energy is easier to store, transport and convert into other molecules for use as fuels or chemical feedstocks. “There are always going to be some applications where electrification is not appropriate,” says Meredith Annex, acting lead on hydrogen and head of heating and cooling at BloombergNEF: “That might be because you need a molecule of fuel for the [higher] energy density, or for the chemical reaction, or for the durability in terms of storage. So we see hydrogen and low-carbon fuels as a general catch-all as being indispensable for a net-zero economy.” Even though hydrogen is expected to play a lesser role than electricity in reaching net-zero emissions, its production and use could still need to scale up dramatically from today. Just how dramatically hydrogen expands will depend on policy decisions, societal choices, relative costs and technical performance, across each potential application of the fuel. There is also uncertainty over how much low-carbon hydrogen will cost to make in the future and how easy it will be to successfully deploy the fuel at scale, across multiple sectors of the economy. As a result, there is a broad range of hydrogen use in pathways that model how the world – and individual countries or regions – can cut their emissions to avoid dangerous climate change. Carbon Brief analysed hydrogen use in a range of deep decarbonisation scenarios to gauge the level of adoption overall and in specific end-use sectors. The chart below shows the share of final energy supplied by hydrogen, in 2050, in deep decarbonisation pathways for the world (top), the EU (centre) and the UK (bottom). Each row shows the findings of a single report or organisation, with a range of hydrogen shares indicated for different scenarios, as appropriate, by the light blue bars. Central estimates and maximum potentials are shown as mid-blue and dark blue circles, respectively. For the global studies in the top segment of the chart, hydrogen meets anything between zero and 30% of final energy in 2050. The top end is a theoretical maximum rather than a realistic potential. The scenarios that cover the EU have a similar range, with a maximum of 23% in a net-zero by 2050 pathway from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Notably, the UK pathways analysed for this article include up to half of final energy in 2050 being met by hydrogen, much higher than the share in EU and global studies. Carbon Brief understands new advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), due on 9 December, will have scenarios with hydrogen’s share at less than one fifth to one third of the total. Importantly, a scenario’s hydrogen use depends on several factors, including the assumptions of the modellers, the level of detail in their models and the ambition of the modelled pathways. Former UK government adviser Guy Newey has argued that “in many ways hydrogen [is] the big winner” after the UK raised its ambition from an 80% emissions cut by 2050 to 100%. This is supported by research showing a correlation between a scenario’s ambition and hydrogen uptake. Low rates of hydrogen use in any particular model or scenario might reflect outdated assumptions about its cost or technical potential, relative to other decarbonisation options for each end use. Similarly, scenarios showing widespread use of hydrogen might reflect over-optimistic assumptions about the potential cost reductions that can be achieved in hydrogen production and use, or might see its output scaling up at unrealistically rapid rates. “[H]ydrogen has historically had a limited role in influential global energy scenarios,” according to a study from Dr Sheila Samsatli at the University of Bath, with international colleagues. It adds: “The results and conclusions obtained from an oversimplified model can be misleading and possibly erroneous. In the context of hydrogen, if a technology does not appear in the results then it is not possible to determine whether this is because of an inherent disadvantage of the technology or whether it is due to the inadequacy of the model to represent the technology’s benefits.” Looking at the global studies in the chart, above, the lowest levels of hydrogen use are in the IPCC’s 2018 special report on 1.5C. This low uptake is likely to partly reflect the age of the modelling literature available at the time, with hydrogen likely to have been considered costly. Hydrogen features more strongly in BP’s latest energy outlook, building on “more comprehensive modelling of the role that hydrogen and bioenergy may play in the energy transition”. Its “net-zero” pathway – which BP says is broadly in line with 1.5C scenarios – sees hydrogen use reaching 58 exajoules (EJ) by 2050 and meeting around 15% of final global energy demand. BP notes that the use of hydrogen in this pathway is at the “top end of the range” of IPCC scenarios, where demand is between 15-60EJ at the point when emissions reach net-zero. The company’s outlook adds that this “may reflect that many of the IPCC scenarios were compiled before the increase in policy and private-sector interest in hydrogen over the past few years”. In a report published in March 2020, BloombergNEF set out an even stronger case for hydrogen. It identified maximum technical potential for the gas to meet 30% of final global energy demand in 2050. In a pathway that limits warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and energy use overall is much lower, BNEF sees hydrogen meeting 24% of final global energy demand, as shown in the chart above. The company’s more recent “new energy outlook” sees 800m tonnes of hydrogen (MtH2) being used in 2050 to meet a quarter of final global energy demand, while keeping warming to well-below 2C. If this were all made using electrolysis, it would require 36,000 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. “[T]his is 38% more electricity than is produced in the world today,” BNEF notes. BNEF’s new energy outlook expects hydrogen use to be split between the power sector (30%), industry (30%), transport (25%) and buildings (15%), as shown in the chart below. Another recent study is the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy Technology Perspectives, published in September 2020. This sees hydrogen use meeting less than 7% of final energy demand in 2050, of which transport (44%), industry (28%), power (19%) and buildings (9%). By 2070, in a scenario keeping warming well-below 2C, the IEA sees hydrogen meeting 13% of final energy demand, with this total spread unevenly between sectors. Hydrogen would meet large shares of energy use in shipping and aviation, but hardly any for buildings, as shown below right. The study by Samsatli and colleagues concludes that industry and heavy-duty transport offer the greatest opportunities for hydrogen use. It adds that if large-scale hydrogen infrastructure is built to serve these sectors, then the gas could also offer flexibility elsewhere, such as the power sector. Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade group Energy UK, tells Carbon Brief: “The strongest business case for hydrogen is in sectors where there are few alternatives.” This might include shipping, heavy industry or heating, Pinchbeck says, though she notes: “Electrification is going to have to be a big part of the answer on heat.” Pinchbeck adds: “Fundamentally, a lot of the future value in the energy market will be in electrons and flexibility. So hydrogen needs to work out how it’s going to fit into that model…Hydrogen is a really attractive solution, but the challenge is about how it can be commercially attractive to fit into the gaps in the economy, where electricity can’t do it.” Why is hydrogen being ‘hyped’ again now? Hydrogen has been lauded by many newspaper editorials and world leaders as a fix to today’s problems, from driving a “green recovery” following the Covid-19 pandemic to reducing the UK’s reliance on China for electric vehicle batteries. This enthusiasm for hydrogen as an energy solution is not new. The first hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine was constructed in 1807 and debate around the use of hydrogen from electrolysers to replace coal emerged as early as 1863. Dr Tom Brown, an energy-system modeller at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, outlined some of this early history in a series of recent Twitter threads. He tells Carbon Brief: “The fact is that…anything basically can be done with hydrogen if you’re smart enough. People basically realised that very early on and it keeps recurring as a theme, but it doesn’t really become relevant until you have very low-cost power.” An early example of this came from hydrogen electrolysers of more than 100 megawatts (MW) built from the 1920s to supply the fertiliser industry, using cheap hydropower in places such as Norway and India. These early efforts were edged out as electricity demand grew in other sectors and cheap fossil fuels became available for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, there have since been several “hype cycles” and government drives to get hydrogen off the ground. The term “hydrogen economy” was first coined in 1970 by the chemist Prof John Bockris, who had a vision of a world powered by solar- and nuclear-generated hydrogen. In the same year, a paper titled “towards a liquid hydrogen fuel economy” by Prof Lawrence Jones, a physicist at the University of Michigan, concluded: “As a pollution-free fuel, [hydrogen] must be seriously considered as the logical replacement for hydrocarbons in the 21st century.” The develop­ment of hydrogen fuel cells for commercial applications began shortly after as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed an oil embargo on the US, Japan and western Europe, driving up prices and prompting a search for alternative fuels. Interest waned as the embargo lifted, new fossil fuels were exploited and oil prices fell. The next “false dawn” of the hydrogen economy came in the 1990s, when carmakers in particular poured investment into the technology. This time, according to the IEA, oil prices “remained low through the second half of the decade, stifling support that could have moved these projects closer to the mainstream”. Amid concerns about “peak oil” in 2003, US president George W Bush announced a $1.2bn hydrogen fuel initiative in his state of the union address in the hope that “the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by hydrogen”. However, once again this hype was relatively short-lived and, as the chart below shows, after a peak in 2008 global government spending on hydrogen went into decline. (Note that the chart only includes the 30 IEA member countries and the EU. This does not include China.) “When the hydrogen economy didn’t really materialise in the second half of the 2000s it got put on the back burner again,” Gniewomir Flis, an energy and climate adviser at the thinktank Agora Energiewende, tells Carbon Brief. Climate change has been a consistent theme in hydrogen discussions, but concerns about oil supply and price have dominated and road vehicles have been seen as the main target market. Therefore, in each round of interest, whenever oil costs have dipped or new fossil fuel supplies have been unlocked, the excitement around hydrogen has tended to subside. Prof Ad van Wijk, a professor of future energy systems at the Delft University of Technology, tells Carbon Brief that this time the circumstances are different: “What you see now is, of course, a very different system change and that is that renewables have become very cheap. That is the major driver.” Falling costs of renewables have brought a fresh wave of enthusiasm as the abundant, low-cost power many see as a prerequisite for hydrogen’s success now appears achievable. Crucially, the climate targets of the Paris Agreement in 2015 are unlikely to be met unless decarbonisation reaches every corner of the economy, including “hard-to-decarbonise” sectors, such as steel production, shipping and aviation. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) suggests hydrogen could be the “missing link” in the global energy system, helping to cut emissions in all of these sectors that are difficult to electrify. Sunita Satyapal, director of the US Department of Energy’s hydrogen office, tells Carbon Brief that the availability of relatively cheap hydrogen means interest now extends far beyond road transport: “A key benefit of hydrogen is that it can provide value for various applications and help integrate sectors,” she says. Meanwhile, Flis points out that oil and gas majors have started pushing hydrogen as an alternative fuel. “They started to realise that they will have to eventually change to something,” he says. CEOs from some of the world’s biggest oil producers, as well as car manufacturers and industrial firms, formed the Hydrogen Council in 2017 to promote hydrogen, and interest from bodies including the IEA and IRENA has helped push it into the spotlight. The recent launch of the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition by key trade bodies shows how the wind and solar industries are also backing hydrogen, with key trade bodies pledging to help “develop the business models and markets that will make renewable hydrogen mainstream”. Ben Gallagher, an analyst specialising in the hydrogen economy at consultancy Wood Mackenzie, tells Carbon Brief that, ultimately, the most important factor is that this technology simply “makes more economic sense…than ever before”. How is low-carbon hydrogen produced? Demand for hydrogen has already been rising steadily for decades and stands at around 70Mt, according to the IEA. The vast majority of this is made from fossil fuels, with high CO2 emissions. The agency says that satisfying all of this demand using electricity would require 3,600 terawatt hours (TWh) of dedicated production – “more than the total annual electricity generation of the EU”. An additional 45Mt of hydrogen is used in industries, such as steel and methanol production, in a mixture with other gases. Virtually all pure hydrogen today is used in applications such as oil refining and fertiliser production, not to heat buildings, drive trucks or generate electricity. In a report on the status of the industry, released in early 2020, Wood Mackenzie concluded that while hydrogen demand has grown 28% over the past decade this growth is “small compared to many other new technologies”. (Wind and solar output has rocketed over the same period.) “If demand for low-carbon hydrogen grows, the market will see an upsurge in growth. But we have not seen that explosion yet,” Wood Mackenzie notes, in an unfortunately worded press release. The term “low-carbon hydrogen” is essential here because while all hydrogen burns without producing greenhouse gas emissions, the climate impacts of different production methods varies considerably. Hydrogen production is often known by different colours. For the purposes of decarbonisation, the two most prominent varieties are “green” and “blue”. (The IEA avoids these labels as the environmental impact of production can vary widely within a single colour category.) Types of hydrogen production Green: Generated using electrolysis powered by renewable electricity. Blue: Production is based on fossil fuels but with CO2 emissions captured. Grey: Made using fossil gas with no emissions captured. Black: Made using coal. Brown: Made using lignite. Turquoise: Heat is used to split fossil gas in a process known as “pyrolysis”. Purple, pink or yellow: Electricity and heat from nuclear reactors could both be used to produce hydrogen, but there is no widely agreed colour for such methods. Not agreed: Production from biomass. Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis, a process that uses an electrical current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, using power generated from renewables. This label is sometimes misleadingly applied to hydrogen derived from grid electricity, which will only be as “renewable” as the grid itself is. Blue hydrogen, on the other hand, is generally produced by reacting methane gas with steam and then capturing and storing the resulting CO2 emissions. In steam methane reforming, the most common method, fossil gas is both burned to fuel the process and used as the feedstock. As it stands, the vast majority of hydrogen is not green or blue, but instead is made using fossil fuels without any carbon capture. Production methods based on coal, lignite and gas without carbon capture and storage (CCS) are termed “black”, “brown” and “grey”, respectively. According to the IEA, 76% of hydrogen comes from gas and 23% from coal – the latter mostly in China – with just 2% coming from electrolysis. Less than 0.7% of current hydrogen production is from low-carbon green or blue supplies. Moreover, hydrogen production consumes 6% of all the world’s gas and 2% of all coal and generates 830MtCO2 each year, slightly more than the annual emissions of Germany. In the near term, grey hydrogen is likely to remain the cheapest and most widespread production route as no low-carbon production method is currently cost-competitive against it. (See: “How much is it going to cost?”) For the purposes of achieving net-zero emissions, hydrogen production will need to be switched from grey to green and blue. The role these two varieties play is discussed in the next section – “Does ‘blue’ hydrogen have a place in a net-zero future?” Beyond the basic palette of colours, there are a handful of other production methods – some of them low-carbon – that could contribute to future hydrogen demand. Hydrogen can also be generated using nuclear power to drive electrolysis. According to the IEA there is “no established colour” for hydrogen produced via nuclear power, but reports have variously referred to it as “yellow”, “pink” and “purple”. In addition, heat from nuclear reactors could have applications in hydrogen production by producing steam for more efficient electrolysis or fossil gas-based steam methane reforming. In the longer term, the very high temperatures of advanced nuclear reactors could directly extract hydrogen from water by thermochemical splitting. Such projects are still in the very early stages of development. Prof Robin Grimes, nuclear chief scientific adviser at the UK’s Ministry of Defence, recently authored a Royal Society paper on “nuclear cogeneration”, the process of using heat from reactors in “hard-to-decarbonise” sectors, as well as producing electricity. While no large-scale hydrogen production facility using nuclear energy has so far been built anywhere, Grimes tells Carbon Brief the two industries would benefit from greater integration: “Rather than nuclear being orphaned as something that can only produce baseload electricity, actually nuclear is part of the solution because…its heat can be used directly when the electricity is not needed. That’s this cogeneration idea.” Using nuclear power to produce hydrogen was a popular idea in the early days of hydrogen research and is still being advocated by France, Russia and the US, nations that already rely on nuclear for much of their power supply. A report by consultancy Lucid Catalyst argues that the amount of hydrogen required to reach international climate targets is “far more than can be produced with renewables”, making nuclear-sourced hydrogen a necessity. The Lucid report contends that there is a clear path to cheap nuclear energy and that this, combined with cheap high-temperature electrolysers, will make nuclear-driven production the cheapest way to make hydrogen, in part due to higher conversion efficiency. However, the solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) required to make electrolytic hydrogen using nuclear heat are far more expensive than other varieties, according to the IEA. It puts their cost at up to $5,600 per kilowatt today, around three to five times higher than other electrolysers. The agency also notes in its hydrogen report that SOECs are the “least developed electrolysis technology” and are yet to be commercialised. Hydrogen can also be produced using biomass, although the IEA concludes the need for complex processing and lack of sufficient cheap and sustainable biomass makes this less appealing than other “low-carbon” techniques. No colour has been assigned to hydrogen from biomass. There is also “turquoise” hydrogen, generated as a by-product of methane pyrolysis, which uses heat to split fossil gas into hydrogen and carbon. This is still a niche strategy that only exists on a small scale, but there has been industry interest given the potentially useful applications of its carbon by-product. Turquoise hydrogen has potential as a low-emission option if the process is powered by renewables or nuclear and the resulting carbon is stored. However, a recent study concluded that like blue hydrogen it would still generate substantial emissions due to the production of the gas used to provide the necessary heat for the process. Does ‘blue’ hydrogen have a place in a net-zero future? There is considerable debate around blue hydrogen’s contribution to achieving net-zero emissions. Some see a significant role for it, while others say that at most it should be used as an interim solution while green hydrogen is scaled up. Meanwhile, some campaigners and scientists have argued that blue hydrogen locks nations into a future of fossil fuel use and methane emissions leakages, meaning it should be avoided altogether. There are currently plans to rapidly scale up both green and blue capacity around the world, as the chart below indicates. (Note that not all proposals will be realised and around half the planned capacity in the chart comes from just three major schemes: Solena’s “plasma gasification” proposal in the US, marked “other” in the chart; the H21 blue hydrogen scheme in the UK; and the Asian Renewable Energy Hub planned in Australia.) The pipeline of projects in the chart, above, roughly mirrors the split in production methods envisaged in the net-zero scenario of BP’s energy outlook, which has 16% of final energy consumption coming from hydrogen in 2050 – half green and half blue. Oil majors are not alone in picturing a future for blue hydrogen. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) indicative pathway to net-zero for the UK relies primarily on blue hydrogen, although Carbon Brief understands updated guidance, expected in December, will point to a larger share for green. Proponents of blue hydrogen argue that it is necessary for net-zero as it is both more immediately available and allows for better use of renewable electricity resources in the short term. It could also be integrated into existing fossil gas infrastructure. At the energy outlook’s launch, BP group chief economist Spencer Dale said focusing exclusively on green hydrogen would “constrain the pace at which the hydrogen economy can grow”. A report by energy trade expert Ralf Dickel for the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies concluded that overreliance on green hydrogen would mean “cannibalising the success of renewable electricity in the power sector…And for what? Blue hydrogen can do the job of decarbonising the non-electric sector starting now”. Governments have shown support for blue hydrogen, at least in the short term. Julian Critclow, director general of energy transformation and clean growth in the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has said it has “a role in the middle times”. In an address about the European Commission’s hydrogen strategy, vice-president Timmermans emphasised that green hydrogen would be prioritised in Europe, but there would be temporary support for CCS production to “help us to replace dirty hydrogen”. The European Environmental Bureau described the commission’s support for blue hydrogen as a “gift to the fossil fuel industry”. While the commission’s own analysis supports Timmerman’s comments, it also mentions one of the key issues with retaining blue hydrogen: “In the decarbonised future, hydrogen obtained from electrolysis using decarbonised electricity is the preferable option, including ‘green’ hydrogen obtained from renewables. ‘Blue’ hydrogen obtained from steam reforming of natural gas coupled with CCS may also play a role, provided the inherent constraints of CCS are lifted.” These “inherent constraints” are highlighted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which notes in its hydrogen report that CCS technology is not currently reaching its potential, remaining “off track in both power generation and industry”. It also states that blue hydrogen is “not inherently carbon free”, given that CCS generally only cuts CO2 emissions by 80-90%. Higher carbon capture rates exceeding 90% are possible according to the IEA, especially if an alternative hydrogen production method termed autothermal reforming is used instead of the more conventional steam methane reforming. Nevertheless, blue hydrogen will not be zero-carbon – even at a 100% capture rate – because of emissions during methane production. Thomas Blank from the Rocky Mountain Institute tells Carbon Brief: “In the nascent discussions around hydrogen, I think it’s been assumed that blue hydrogen is zero carbon – like there was an assumption for biofuels – and it’s just not a zero-carbon fuel.” He notes that while high carbon capture rates can be achieved, this makes the process more expensive. “I think policymakers are starting to wake up to that reality,” he says. A net-zero report by the UK’s Energy Systems Catapult states that while “speculative innovation measures” that result in 99% carbon capture would make blue hydrogen “highly appealing”, anything less would effectively rule it out: “Without speculative innovation measures, methane reforming at a 95% capture rate is too high carbon to meet net-zero.” The IEA chart below shows the emissions that still arise from the use of fossil fuels with CCS, compared to electrolysis driven by renewables or nuclear power. However, this chart only shows CO2 intensity. It does not account for upstream methane emissions resulting from leakages in the gas production and distribution system, which would not necessarily be avoided even if CCS were able to capture 100% of the CO2 released by the process. Gniewomir Flis of Agora Energiewende tells Carbon Brief that when considering blue hydrogen he is “very concerned” about these emissions. “No publication to my knowledge – the IEA or others – accounts for these upstream emissions reliably,” he says. Upstream emissions could significantly alter the climate impact of blue hydrogen, as highlighted in a report which accounts for these leakages, by the Pembina Institute thinktank. It focuses on Canada, where plans are underway to ramp up blue hydrogen production in the fossil fuel-rich province of Alberta. It estimates a range of 2.3-4.1kgCO2e per kg for blue hydrogen, which the report says reflects the variation in upstream methane emissions seen across the country. The CCC’s net-zero technical report for the UK says that low-carbon hydrogen could be produced from fossil gas with emissions of around 0.3kgCO2 per kg, with a 95% capture rate. By comparison, the IEA estimates 0.9kgCO2 per kg of hydrogen with a 90% capture rate, as shown in the chart above. However, when upstream emissions from fossil gas production are included, the committee says the emissions would be around 0.7-2.5kgCO2e per kg of hydrogen, at a rate of 95% capture. To put this in context, BNEF’s “new energy scenario” envisages 800m tonnes of global hydrogen use in 2050. If all of this were to be made from blue hydrogen at a 95% capture rate, it would be associated with lifecycle emissions of 600-2,000m tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Dr David Joffe, the CCC’s head of carbon budgets, tells Carbon Brief that there is room for some blue hydrogen within the UK’s net-zero target, but not the very large quantities that would be required to meet all potential demand in large-scale sectors, such as heating and transport. He says: “There is no specific threshold beyond which it is definitely not OK…[But] as you get closer to net-zero, those residual emissions really start to matter.” Finally, there is also evidence that hydrogen released into the atmosphere from infrastructure leakages could have a direct impact on climate change. A report prepared for the UK government noted that while hydrogen is not a pollutant by itself it can act as an “indirect greenhouse gas” by speeding up the accumulation of methane and ozone in the lower atmosphere. According to the report, the one model study that has evaluated the global warming potential of hydrogen arrived at a value of 4.3. It concluded that while the climate impact of hydrogen emissions is likely to be small, the issue merits further examination. How much is low-carbon hydrogen going to cost? The role that green and blue hydrogen will play in decarbonising the economy will largely depend on how much both of them cost. Not only do these forms of “low-carbon” hydrogen have to compete with each other and hydrogen derived from fossil fuels without the additional cost of CCS, they also need to contend with other alternative energy solutions, from electric vehicles to biofuels. While the cost of producing hydrogen is an important component, it is not the only factor contributing to the final price paid by consumers. The cost of transportation can be a significant factor, particularly if the hydrogen is imported from overseas, as well as the cost of distributing the hydrogen within a nation. There are also the profits taken by companies, which are added onto the final price. The IEA is forthright about the uncertainty around this topic, noting that “the relative costs of producing hydrogen from different sources in different regions, and how they will compete in the future, are unclear”. As it currently stands, grey hydrogen is the cheapest option, costing around $1/kg – if sourced from Middle East gas, but going as high as $3/kg in some regions. For China and India, both of which import most of their gas supplies, coal-based hydrogen tends to be the cheapest option. If CCS is used to turn the lowest-cost grey hydrogen blue, it brings costs to around $1.5/kg, according to the IEA. By comparison, the agency states that green hydrogen generated using solar power or onshore wind is generally between $2.5 and $6/kg. (Others make lower estimates, see below.) While hydrogen from some renewable sources may already be cost-competitive in certain applications, it still has a long way to go before it edges out its fossil fuel-derived equivalents. Nevertheless, there is widespread optimism about green hydrogen’s ability to compete, with the falling costs of renewable electricity frequently cited as the key driver. The chart below shows that under “optimistic” assumptions by BNEF, the cheapest renewable hydrogen could outcompete even the cheapest low-carbon hydrogen from gas by 2030. For many, reports of record-low prices for solar power from Saudi Arabia to Portugal in recent months support the idea that, despite its low efficiency and potentially high transport costs, green hydrogen imports could become a cost-effective solution for much of the world. Another key factor is the rollout of electrolysers used to produce the green hydrogen, which have already fallen in price by 60% over the past decade. According to the European Commission, prices “are expected to halve in 2030 compared to today with economies of scale”. In China, where such an economy of scale has already been achieved for alkaline electrolysers, production costs are already 80% lower than in Europe and North America, according to BNEF. European producers hope to do the same for “innovative” newer electrolyser models. A report by industry group the Hydrogen Council concludes that “low-carbon” hydrogen, including both green and blue, would be competitive in 22 hydrogen applications comprising around 15% of global energy consumption by 2030. Meanwhile, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has asserted that “future costs of green hydrogen will be below those for blue hydrogen fossil fuels”. It says that hydrogen from low-cost renewables will be comparable with blue hydrogen from fossil fuels within five years. Despite its acknowledged uncertainty, the IEA states that the cost of green hydrogen is on a clear downwards trajectory and could fall 30% by 2030 “as a result of declining costs of renewables and the scaling up of hydrogen production”. An assessment of recent cost studies by Dr Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project shows the range of estimates that have been made for green hydrogen, with most centring around $2 to $4/kg. There are several factors that can contribute to different outlooks for the cost of hydrogen production. For example, as the chart below shows, the IEA’s projections – represented by the blue bars – are generally more conservative than those of BNEF, shown in red. The main difference between the IEA and BNEF figures for green hydrogen is the result of electrolyser installation cost estimates, which are twice as high in the IEA’s forecasts, says Gniewomir Flis of Agora Energiewende, as well as slightly higher electricity price assumptions by the agency. To make the investment in electrolysers worthwhile, there needs to be relatively cheap electricity available fairly consistently. An issue with connecting electrolysers directly to variable renewables is that they will not operate all the time, leading to higher costs for the resulting hydrogen. It may be cheaper to connect them to the grid, where production will be constant, but the electricity costs will be higher and will include paying for the grid connection. Unless the grid is completely decarbonised, this would also mean the hydrogen could not be called “green”. Even if electricity is free, as in the case of “curtailed” electricity from renewables, there needs to be a considerable amount of usage to make the investment pay off. This is why building electrolysers to store curtailed power may not always make economic sense (See: “Electricity” below). High electrolyser usage rates can help make the initial capital costs in hydrogen production worthwhile, although this has to be balanced against the cost of electricity as it is used. Ultimately, fuel costs are expected to have the biggest impact on future hydrogen prices, meaning the most significant drivers of the relative success of green and blue hydrogen will be future electricity and gas costs. A report by the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult on the potential of offshore wind to generate hydrogen estimated – based on “conservative assumptions” – that green hydrogen could be cheaper than blue hydrogen by 2050. It then points to indicators that offshore wind and electrolyser costs could fall more rapidly than expected, noting that “decision-makers have been continually blind-sided by the unexpectedly rapid fall in the costs of wind and solar energy”. In that case, ORE says, green hydrogen could be cheaper than blue by 2030, “approximately 20 years ahead of our forecast”. Another big factor when considering the cost of hydrogen is transport, as moving the gas around is more challenging and expensive than moving methane. Importing cheap hydrogen from sunny or windy regions is an appealing strategy that some nations are exploring (See: “How will hydrogen affect global geopolitics?” below). However, these imports may end up not being particularly cheap, owing to the high costs of transporting hydrogen around the world in special containers at high pressures and low temperatures. Flis tells Carbon Brief that using IEA estimates, or even using more optimistic transport cost assumptions from the Japanese research agency Nedo, imported hydrogen may struggle to compete with domestically sourced supplies. For example, green hydrogen made in the UK might cost $3.20/kg in 2030, versus US$1.70/kg in Portugal and $1.30/kg in Saudi Arabia. But the cost of transporting the fuel – some $2.70-4/kg, according to the IEA – would mean the imported option remains more expensive. Nevertheless, nations may require imported hydrogen if they lack sufficient renewable resources to generate enough on their own soil. The cost of transport also depends on the route. The cost of transporting hydrogen via pipelines increases rapidly with distance, whereas when using a ship the starting cost is much higher but remains relatively stable with increasing distances. Transmission and distribution of hydrogen gas via pipeline is cheaper for distances up to around 1,500km, the IEA says. In early 2020, a group of European gas infrastructure companies came forward with a plan to connect the continent with a “backbone” of pipelines. However, for longer distances it makes more economic sense to convert hydrogen into a “liquid carrier”, such as ammonia. (For more on transporting hydrogen and ammonia, see: “Shipping and aviation” below.) Finally, supply and demand can also have an impact on final price. A report by Aurora Energy Research concluded that in a scenario with high hydrogen demand, green hydrogen is “significantly more expensive than blue”. In comparison, if demand is lower, the cost of a hydrogen rollout based primarily on green sources comes at “negligible extra cost”. How would hydrogen use affect global geopolitics? For decades, the fossil fuels – and oil, in particular – have played a critical role in international relations and driven many of the world’s major conflicts. In his 2002 book The Hydrogen Economy, social theorist Jeremy Rifkin imagined a world in which the mass rollout of hydrogen put an end to this: “The road to global security lies in lessening our dependence on Middle East oil and making sure that all people on Earth have access to the energy they need to sustain life. The hydrogen economy is a promissory note for a safer world.” Rifkin’s book came out at a time of great enthusiasm for hydrogen, but this was before the fracking boom, when it was thought US oil reserves would run dry within a decade and alternatives were urgently needed. (See: “Why is hydrogen being ‘hyped’ again now?”) Hydrogen is currently a very localised industry, with 85% produced and used on site – in part, due to high transport costs. As most hydrogen is “grey”, it is cheapest in regions with low gas prices, such as the Middle East and North America. In the “rapid” pathway of its latest energy outlook, BP says there is a growing role for electricity and hydrogen, adding: “These energy carriers are more costly to transport than traditional hydrocarbons causing energy markets to become more localised.” However, while Rifkin’s optimism about hydrogen may have been premature, he is not alone in comparing hydrogen to oil and speculating about its impact on geopolitics. As one paper published in June 2020 by Prof Thijs Van de Graaf of Ghent University and colleagues titled “the new oil?” puts it: “Over time, cross-border maritime trade in hydrogen has the potential to fundamentally redraw the geography of global energy trade, create a new class of energy exporters, and reshape geopolitical relations and alliances between countries” The expansion of green hydrogen has the potential to shift the existing balance of trade so that nations rich in solar and wind energy, such as Chile, Australia and Morocco, become major exporters. The Economist has dubbed these future energy powerhouses “electrostates”. Prof Ad van Wijk of Delft University of Technology says that, while many of the nations planning to expand their hydrogen use would struggle to do so on their own soil, there will be more than enough renewable energy available worldwide. As an example, he tells Carbon Brief that covering around 8% of the Sahara Desert in solar panels could generate the entire global energy demand. “Of course, it takes time to build the solar and wind, but in the end there is no limit.” Lacking sufficient cheap renewables, he says European nations will, ultimately, turn to imports: “That is the same thing we do today. We import a lot of our energy, in Europe at least, from sites where you have cheap production of oil and gas or coal.” This is evident in existing hydrogen strategies, which show that prospective hydrogen leaders only see a fraction of their supply being produced locally. In its strategy, Germany proposed a modest 14 terawatt-hours (TWh) of its 110TWh requirements for green hydrogen coming from within its borders by 2030. For this reason, Germany has also earmarked funds to support use of its electrolyser equipment overseas, to make hydrogen for use at home. Limited international trade is already underway, with Japan recently receiving the “world’s first” shipment of hydrogen from Brunei and Germany signing a deal with Morocco to make use of its “ideal” conditions for green hydrogen production. Japanese and Australian ministers met earlier this year to agree on a future of hydrogen trade, to supply the resource-poor Asian nation with hydrogen. The Australian government has since backed a AUS$53bn ($39bn) “Asian Renewable Energy Hub” that will contribute to this. Germany is also looking as far afield as the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a major hydropower site is being considered as a potential location for a hydrogen plant “add on”. Such dealings have raised concerns of a new dynamic alluded to by Van de Graaf and his collaborators: “To the extent that developing countries are seen solely as the providers of raw materials, the hydrogen revolution carries a risk of ‘green colonialism’.” The future of hydrogen trade – and the trade in hydrogen-derived fuels, such as ammonia – will be influenced by the cost of transporting them around the world (See: “How much is low-carbon hydrogen going to cost?”). The IEA has stressed the need for international shipping routes for hydrogen, stating that such trade “needs to start soon if it is to make an impact on the global energy system”. Van Wijk tells Carbon Brief that in Europe, at least, another key component will be expanding and retrofitting gas pipelines to transport hydrogen from Africa. Others have warned that the “slow and incomplete globalisation” of gas markets suggests the hydrogen trade may not take off as fast as some assume. If the export market does ramp up, it will not guarantee the “safer world” proposed by Rifkin. A report released in March 2020 by Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs concluded that rather than disrupting the “hegemony” of oil-rich nations, a green hydrogen economy may play out in a similar way to the existing fossil fuel-based one: “Future market dynamics will likely resemble today’s regional natural gas markets – with corresponding potential for geopolitical conflict”. In an article for Foreign Policy, published in October 2020, Prof Jason Bordoff, a former senior director at the US National Security Council, described the risks that could face seaborne trade in hydrogen and ammonia. He said, in addition, that nations such as Saudi Arabia and Russia may be among those that end up dominating the market. Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman recently outlined his plans to ensure the nation is the “biggest exporter of hydrogen on earth”. “To defy the conventional wisdom…consider that some of today’s petrostates may be tomorrow’s electrostates,” Bordoff wrote. How could hydrogen help different sectors reach net-zero? In theory, hydrogen has the potential to decarbonise everything from the steel used to make someone’s car to the gas heating their home. However, in practice, hydrogen is unlikely to be taken up universally. Moreover, the volume required to satisfy all the possible applications for low-carbon hydrogen would likely far exceed the amount available, even if production is significantly scaled up. This section breaks down how hydrogen could be applied in transport, industry, heating and the power sector to help them achieve net-zero emissions. Transport The focus on using hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels in transport has a history dating back to the earliest waves of enthusiasm, when it was promoted as an alternative to oil. This is evident from the policies that have been brought in to support hydrogen, which are predominantly directed at cars, refuelling stations and buses. Nevertheless, mobility is currently the smallest component in the entire hydrogen market, representing less than 0.1% of global demand. There is enthusiasm from many industry actors for hydrogen to succeed in the transport sector and it is already being applied in some niche markets. For example, around 25,000 forklift trucks are now powered using hydrogen. However, the rise of battery electric cars means they are widely viewed as the vehicles of a net-zero future. The UK’s Climate Change Committee concluded in 2018 that electric vehicles are “now well placed to deliver the bulk of decarbonisation for cars and vans”. Hydrogen may still have a significant role to play for transport that is harder to decarbonise, from long-distance trucks to planes, but progress in many of these sectors is still in its early days. Road transport As of 2019, there were just 11,200 passenger vehicles running on hydrogen fuel cells in operation, mostly in California, Europe and Japan. As a comparison, the global battery electric car fleet exceeds 7m, after reaching the first million just five years ago. The hydrogen fuel cell vehicle industry has been limited by a “chicken-and-egg” problem. Not enough cars have been produced to bring prices down and the lack of demand means hydrogen refuelling stations, which are expensive, have not been widely installed. This, in turn, has helped limit demand. A recent Hydrogen Council report concluded that a “radical” increase in production to around 1m cars each year will be necessary to make fuel-cell vehicles competitive. Meanwhile, electric cars, which were very expensive during the early days of fuel-cell vehicles, have seen costs drop considerably and extensive charging infrastructure rolled out. The hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai costs £66,000 ($88,015), compared to the battery electric Tesla Model 3 at around £45,000 ($60,010), or a medium-sized conventional UK car which tends to fall in the range of £22,000-£36,000 ($29,338-48,008). Hydrogen fuel cells have some vocal detractors, with the outspoken Tesla chief executive Elon Musk calling them “fool cells” and dismissing the technology as “mind-bogglingly stupid”. Prof Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director at the University of Duisburg-Essen’s Centre for Automotive Research, tells Carbon Brief he has always been sceptical about hydrogen cars: “I don’t believe in hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles as passenger cars at all, because the technology is very cost intensive…If you want to sell a car for €30,000 or so it makes no sense to increase the price very sharply by [using] fuel cell technologies.” While there have been attempts to get fuel-cell vehicles into the mass market, Dudenhöffer says it is now widely accepted this is unlikely to happen. This year, Mercedes-Benz has cancelled its fuel-cell programme after three decades due to high costs and Volkswagen has published a statement concluding: “Everything speaks in favour of the battery and practically nothing speaks in favour of hydrogen”. Prof Jenny Nelson of Imperial College London, who co-authored a recent European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) commentary on the subject, tells Carbon Brief that transport is a good example of hydrogen being an inefficient use of renewable energy: “It will require approximately 2.5 times as much electricity to run the same vehicle with renewable hydrogen and fuel cells as it would with batteries, and about five times as much electricity to run the same vehicle with synthetic fuels made from renewable hydrogen.” However, hydrogen analyst Gniewomir Flis says there is still a lot of interest in making a success out of this technology: “So much money was sunk into it over the years and it would be quite embarrassing to admit that after all these years battery electric vehicles are just a better solution.” Japan has announced plans to get 800,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles onto its roads by 2030 and South Korea says it will go even higher with 1.8m. Fuel cells do have advantages over batteries, not least their far shorter refuelling times. Some have suggested that people living in dense East Asian cities are less likely to have space to charge an electric car overnight and will instead opt for hydrogen. Japanese and Korean car manufacturers Toyota and Hyundai have announced ambitious plans to scale up their production. Toyota recently launched a new version of its Mirai – the Japanese word for “future” – despite low sales of the previous model. However, there are signs that even these industry leaders are undergoing “u-turns”, as they reveal plans to ramp up their production of battery electric vehicles. Toyota has plans to scale up global sales of electric and hybrid cars to 5.5m in 2025, while sales of hydrogen cars remain in the tens of thousands. Jon Hunt, manager of alternative fuels at Toyota, tells Carbon Brief that while they are also pushing electric vehicles they, ultimately, see fuel-cell cars being “as attainable as hybrids”. Hunt says that as production scales up, prices will drop. He also emphasises that while batteries are expensive and have limited lifetimes, the fuel stacks in hydrogen cars “will keep running and running”, meaning they can be re-sold. Crucially, he also notes that the Mirai’s fuel stack (the assembly of fuel cells that use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity) is around twice as powerful as it needs to be. This makes it more expensive, but provides an insight into Toyota’s motivation, he says: “The reason for doing that is that you standardise the unit and that unit that goes into the Mirai can be used in trucks, as we are doing, or in buses as we are doing, or in ships as we are doing, and it doesn’t need to be changed very much.” The fate of fuel-cell cars is, to some extent, wrapped up with larger road vehicles, where there could be greater demand for hydrogen. For regular buses, electric vehicles are already dominating the transition away from fossil fuels. According to thinktank Carbon Tracker, 59% of bus sales in China last year were electric. However, for heavy-duty trucks and intercity coaches that have high power demands and need to cover long distances, direct electrification using batteries is more challenging. Fuel cells may, therefore, have a competitive advantage for these vehicles. Hunt tells Carbon Brief that for these applications to succeed, particularly for commercial vehicles, the technology must be demonstrated “beyond doubt”. “You can’t just turn up to [haulage company] Eddie Stobart and say ‘look, can you just throw a couple of fuel-cell trucks on to haul around your goods, just to try it,” he says: “The strategy is, get cars on the road because cars are quite an easy market to penetrate… we know that we can sell enough of those cars to specific users to demonstrate the technology works and help the infrastructure get developed.” However, even though heavy-duty vehicles are a significant source of emissions and also a “hard-to-decarbonise” sector, the switch to fuel cells is not a foregone conclusion. Patrik Akerman, head of business development at Siemens eHighway, sees these vehicles as a “risky bet”, if you assume battery electric cars have “won the race against fuel-cell cars”. He tells Carbon Brief that if you “take the word of Hyundai and others”, then the size of the market for fuel cells will be too small to achieve economies of scale within trucks alone: “Then that means that, not only will the fuel be too expensive for trucks, but also the vehicles will never come down in price to be competitive.” According to BloombergNEF, while hydrogen could still have a role for long-haul trucks, the bulk of the future bus, light truck and car market will likely be electric and getting a fuel-cell industry off the ground would require $105bn in subsidies by 2030. The clear alternative, according to Akerman, is to install overhead charging cables of the type his company is already trialling in Germany. A literature review of research into climate-friendly trucking found virtually every study that included these “catenary” wires concluded this was the preferable decarbonisation technology, outperforming hydrogen fuel cells. The chart below, from a white paper by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), demonstrates that hydrogen fuel cells, represented by purple bars, are more expensive than catenary wires, as well as other alternatives to conventional fossil fuels for trucks in Germany. There is also potential for the development of electric trucks that do not rely on catenary wires, which may be feasible despite concerns about the size and weight of batteries required. Auke Hoekstra, a senior advisor in smart mobility at the Eindhoven University of Technology, found that in a scenario comparing its costs to other options from an IEA report on trucking, the electric truck came out on top. A key problem is the ever-present question of low-carbon hydrogen availability. According to the IEA, if every car, truck and bus currently in operation was replaced with a fuel-cell vehicle, hydrogen demand could reach 300Mt each year, more than four times current levels for all uses. With low-carbon hydrogen likely to be in limited supply and demand set to continue rising as vehicle ownership increases, Akerman tells Carbon Brief that, wherever possible, it is better to electrify: “[Siemens makes] the electrolysers [for hydrogen]. We are very happy to supply this to the market, but we see that this is a massive undertaking just to handle the existing demand.” He adds that there are some sectors, such as long-haul shipping, which are unlikely to switch to batteries, making their need for green hydrogen even greater. “Anything where you can [directly] use electricity…you should,” he concludes. Shipping and aviation Aviation and shipping are responsible for around 5% of global emissions and are also difficult to electrify. Hydrogen or hydrogen-based fuels, such as ammonia, could, therefore, be crucial for net-zero goals. The past year has seen Japan launch the first ocean-going liquid hydrogen carrier ship, dubbed Hydrogen Frontier, and seen the first hydrogen-powered small passenger plane take flight. However, these demonstration projects, both of which used hydrogen ultimately derived from fossil fuels, are currently the upper limit of hydrogen’s progress in these sectors. Xiaoli Mao, a maritime researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), tells Carbon Brief she thinks it is unlikely shipping will decarbonise without hydrogen, but there are barriers preventing it from replacing fossil fuels: “The industry has said that hydrogen is one of the main options they are interested in pursuing, but without dedicated funding, not much is happening.” To reach the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) target of a sector-wide 50% emissions cut by 2050 compared to 2008, industry figures have agreed that commercially viable zero-emission vessels must enter the global fleet by 2030. Yet, despite various early-stage projects using hydrogen-based fuels in shipping, this capital-intensive industry is gripped by “deadlock”, according to a report by Shell. Another report by maritime organisation Lloyds Register concluded in 2019 that “there is still uncertainty when choosing one fuel, one technology and one route”. Hydrogen in ships could be either burned in engines or used to generate electricity in fuel cells, but both options would require expensive new infrastructure to transport and store the gas on ships. Hydrogen requires at least five times more storage volume than oil-based fuels and there are concerns it could eat into cargo storage and, therefore, profits. However, Mao conducted a modelling study earlier this year that found 99% of the container ships travelling the busy route between China and the US could be powered by hydrogen “with only minor changes to fuel capacity or operations”. Nevertheless, Ole Graa Jakobsen, head of fleet technology at the world’s largest container shipping firm Maersk, tells Carbon Brief that, while it could have uses in smaller vessels like ferries, they “do not expect hydrogen to be a relevant fuel” for their ships. “We…believe that it will make more sense to convert hydrogen to methanol or ammonia and use this as a fuel,” he says. While it still requires more space than fossil fuels, ammonia is more energy dense than hydrogen and is already transported around the world on ships. Methanol, too, is being considered as a more practical alternative to hydrogen. As the chart below shows, in long-distance shipping, ammonia in particular is likely to be cheaper than hydrogen, largely due to lower storage costs (shown in green). While hydrogen is difficult to liquify, ammonia is easily stored as a liquid at modest pressures and temperatures. Like hydrogen, both ammonia and methanol can be low-carbon, but most of the current demand is supplied by fossil fuels (See: “Industry”). A report released in September 2020 by Shell based on interviews with 80 industry figures identified green hydrogen and ammonia as popular options for decarbonising shipping with 65% and 55% of respondents saying they saw them as part of the future mix. Methanol was “rarely mentioned”, with only 10% saying they saw it as important for the future. However, the report also concluded that there is “little evidence” that other industries consider ammonia as a future fuel: “For that reason, if shipping was to select ammonia as its dominant fuel, it is likely that the infrastructure costs would be borne entirely by this sector.” Ultimately, mandates requiring ships to cut emissions, effective carbon pricing and low-carbon fuel standards are among proposals that will likely be required to make these alternatives competitive. Aviation is another difficult industry to decarbonise and one for which hydrogen could have a pivotal role, says Dr Ahmad Baroutaji, an engineer at the University of Wolverhampton who published an overview of this topic last year. He tells Carbon Brief: “The aviation industry has a target of achieving a 50% reduction in net CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels and such an ambitious target is only possible via deploying more hydrogen technologies into the sector.” The gas could be directly combusted, used to power fuel cells or combined with CO2 to create liquid synthetic fuels similar to kerosene, which would require relatively few changes in existing infrastructure. One issue with hydrogen use in planes is the water vapour it produces when combusted, given water’s contribution to the greenhouse effect at high altitudes. This issue led to the UK’s Climate Change Committee dismissing this option altogether, stating in 2018 “there does not therefore appear to be a role for hydrogen in decarbonising aviation”. Recent assessments have been more positive. A report for the European Commission in May proposed targets of 2035 and 2040 for the introduction of hydrogen-powered short- and medium-range flights, which in total cause two thirds of current aircraft emissions. The same report concluded that hydrogen combustion could cut each flight’s overall climate impact by 50-75%, accounting for non-CO2 impacts including water vapour, soot and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well. Fuel-cell propulsion would have an even larger benefit of between 75-90%. According to the report, hydrogen fuel cells produce water vapour that is cool enough to capture and store on the plane, therefore avoiding the climate impact. While this is not possible for hydrogen combustion, its climate impact is still lower than kerosene. Baroutaji says that despite fuel cells’ promise and use in test flights they are still “only suitable for powering light and small aircraft”. Nevertheless, he says there is considerable industry interest in hydrogen technology. Airbus has released three concepts for the ”world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft”, which the company wants to enter service by 2035. The planes would rely on hydrogen combustion with some support from hydrogen fuel cells. Following the launch of Airbus’ 2035 target, Boeing product developer Michael Sinnett said he did not think hydrogen flight is “something that’s right around the corner”, according to aviation website FlightGlobal. Although Boeing itself launched the first-ever hydrogen aircraft in 2008, Sinnett cited limits to hydrogen production and storage as barriers for commercial applications. Liquified hydrogen would need four times the storage volume of kerosene. In the shorter term, companies may use synthetic fuels made from hydrogen and CO2 to replace kerosene, despite high production costs. They would also have the major drawback of emitting CO2. However, if the CO2 used to create the fuel had been captured in a power plant it could theoretically cut overall emissions, because each molecule of CO2 would be used twice. They could even be net-zero if they were produced using CO2 captured from the air. As with shipping, the European Commission report concluded that for any of these options to scale up and compete with alternatives such as biofuels, a long-term policy framework and significant research funding will be required. Rail The final mode of transport that could benefit from hydrogen is rail. Hydrogen-powered trains are being rolled out slowly, with two operating in Germany and trials taking place in the UK and Austria. Plans are also underway in France and Japan. Rail is already the most electrified mode of transport in the world, with three-quarters of passenger transport taking place on electric trains. However, the IEA says that under “optimistic assumptions about fuel-cell cost reductions”, unlike some other forms of transport, hydrogen may actually be competitive for rail, particularly for infrequently used lines and large, long-distance trains, such as the kind used to carry freight. Despite this, a recent report by Great Britain’s railway network owner Network Rail concluded that hydrogen technologies are “unsuitable for long-distance high-speed and freight services”. Specifically, the report cited the need for eight times the storage volume for hydrogen fuel compared to diesel, as well as the fact that, to date, no hydrogen-powered freight or high-speed trains are available. Instead, the report frames hydrogen primarily as a solution to low-speed passenger train lines in rural areas, or to deal with “off-wire” sections, such as tunnels and bridges, that are hard to electrify with overhead wires. Some have suggested that the high cost of installing overhead wires in some locations makes hydrogen a more economic option in certain cases. Another report, produced last year for the UK rail minister by the Rail Industry Decarbonisation Task Force, notes that “the future cost of hydrogen is unpredictable, especially given the lack of certainty on means of production”. In the UK, CO2 emissions from trains have already been cut by 50% over the past decade as further lines have been electrified and as the electricity system has been decarbonised. National Rail envisions electrification as the solution for at least around three quarters of the remaining unelectrified rail in the country. Hydrogen is identified as the best option for just 5%. Its report also notes that, even in circumstances where it is technically possible to use batteries or hydrogen, electrification may still “represent the most sensible option”. Industry Hydrogen’s flexibility means it has a broad range of existing and potential applications in industry, including the production of fertilisers, steel and cement. It can be a chemical feedstock, a combustible fuel or a reactant to remove impurities. All of this means that industry, particularly oil refining, ammonia and methanol production, currently makes up the bulk of hydrogen demand. This hydrogen is sourced almost entirely from fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the fact that this demand already exists means some of these sectors could be relatively “low-hanging fruit” for decarbonisation. To get there, the gas they use must be replaced with hydrogen from low-carbon sources. Scaling up low-carbon hydrogen production for these existing sources of demand alone would be a significant undertaking, due to the sheer volumes required. One industry that has been the focus of this discussion is steelmaking. According to Our World in Data, energy-related emissions from iron and steel manufacture account for around 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Dr Alexander Fleischanderl, a technology officer at engineering firm Primetals Technologies, tells Carbon Brief that steel manufacturers have been working to cut emissions by optimising their processes, but these efforts can only go so far: While direct electrification of steelmaking using a process called “electrowinning” could be an option in the future, it has so far only been demonstrated at a pilot scale. Some steel is already recycled from scrap using furnaces powered by electricity, which could potentially be decarbonised. However, according to Fleischanderl, most steel still needs to come from virgin iron ore if it is to be a high enough grade for use in the automotive industry, for example. This relies on a process that has remained roughly the same for more than a century. Iron ore is smelted in blast furnaces with coke, which is both the fuel and the reducing agent to remove oxygen and leave pure metal behind, emitting CO2. Hydrogen can be injected into these furnaces as a fuel, cutting emissions by up to 20%. This technique, which is being tested by German steel producer Thyssenkrupp, still ultimately relies on coal for reduction of the ore. A newer production method called direct reduced iron (DRI) uses hydrogen gas as the reducing agent. This does not require a furnace to melt the ore and only water is emitted. As it stands, around 7% of steel is made using DRI, enough to make steelmaking the fourth biggest user of hydrogen. Scaling this process up would help the industry decarbonise if low-carbon hydrogen is used instead of hydrogen from fossil fuels, as Fleischanderl explains: “Technologically, there is not a big issue. Most of the things have been solved… the real roadblock is the availability of sufficient amounts and also the price of green hydrogen.” According to the IEA, replacing all steelmaking with DRI and electric furnaces would result in a 15-fold increase in hydrogen demand from the sector. Pilot projects are underway in Europe to integrate low-carbon hydrogen into steelmaking, but the question of when “green steel” will be competitive remains open. Swedish steel company SSAB is running the HYBRIT project, which it says will achieve “fossil-free steel products” from 2026 and enable it to eradicate fossil fuels from all its operations by 2045. Prof Ad van Wijk of Delft University of Technology says he is sceptical about how quickly the process will take off compared to other sectors: “People think that green hydrogen will first replace the grey hydrogen in industry, but I doubt if that is really going to happen…In the end it will, but at first it is difficult because of the price and the volume [required].” One estimate from BloombergNEF, shown in the chart below, suggests green hydrogen could compete with the most expensive coal-based steel by 2030, assuming a cost of around $2/kg for the hydrogen. Such estimates rely on a considerable fall in the cost of electrolysers and extensive renewable deployment. In a report on the topic, consultancy McKinsey places the date when “pure hydrogen-based steel production” is cost-competitive at “between 2030 and 2040” in Europe, where the majority of green steel deployment is expected to be. However, green steel is likely to still need considerable support from governments, potentially including an emissions trading scheme that supports the switch and quotas for green steel. Fleischanderl also emphasises the importance of a carbon border adjustment mechanism in Europe to enable green steel to compete with cheap imports from China, the world’s largest steel producer. “Otherwise you won’t manage it because it’s clear that green steel will cost more. That has to be accepted,” says Fleischanderl. Thomas Blank of the Rocky Mountain Institute tells Carbon Brief that with many policymakers keen to protect steelmaking as a strategic industry, price is far from the only consideration. He notes that while the most cost-effective location for green steel production is likely the dry north west of Australia, where iron ore is mined and renewable electricity could be cheap and plentiful, the EU and India will likely accept more expensive steel if it means keeping production local. Another “hard-to-decarbonise” sector that could benefit from the introduction of hydrogen is cement. CO2 from the chemical process of cement production makes up 3% of global emissions, although this does not include emissions from energy inputs involved. Burning hydrogen could reach the high temperatures needed to manufacture cement, avoiding fossil fuel combustion which currently accounts for a third of its emissions. However, progress in this area is currently very limited and replacing fossil fuels would require a whole new infrastructure as existing cement kilns would not work with pure hydrogen. A UK government feasibility study published last year examined a mix of biomass and hydrogen to manufacture “net-zero” cement, noting that hydrogen had “never been tested” in this context. A project has since received £6m ($8m) in funding to test the idea. Other industrial sectors, such as the manufacture of glass, paper and aluminium, also rely on heat sources for a variety of processes including melting, drying and driving chemical reactions. Hydrogen could be combusted or used in a fuel cell to meet some of this heat demand, although a strong policy framework will likely be needed to compete with cheap fossil gas and make up for the need for new heating equipment and what one paper called “moderate technology readiness levels of some emerging solutions”. As it stands there is “virtually no dedicated hydrogen production for generating heat” and it is expected to “compete poorly” with biomass and CCS, according to the IEA. The agency says it could compete with electrification of industrial heat, although electricity is already far more developed. One study found that 78% of European industry’s energy demand is already electrifiable using established technologies. As for industrial processes that already rely heavily on hydrogen, while efficiency improvements may curb some of their demand, overall it is expected to grow. This means businesses will need to seek low-carbon hydrogen sources in order to decarbonise. The single sector with the largest demand is oil refining, where hydrogen is used to remove sulphur and other impurities. While oil use is likely to decline in line with climate action, tightening regulations on sulphur content in fuels mean there is still likely to be sizable demand for hydrogen in this sector. Hydrogen is also a major feedstock for the chemical industry, particularly to make ammonia for fertilisers and methanol for solvents, adhesives and various other substances. Demand for these substances is expected to grow in the coming decades. However, it could grow even further if these chemicals become established as either ways of transporting hydrogen over long distances, or as alternative fuels in their own right. Despite its toxicity, ammonia in particular is being discussed as an alternative to hydrogen in some applications, particularly shipping (See: “Transport”). It can potentially be stored and transported more easily than hydrogen as it is a liquid at relatively low pressure and either converted back into hydrogen or burned without generating CO2. At a recent EurActiv event, European Commission energy adviser Tudor Constantinescu said he saw such hydrogen-derived fuels playing “a very important role” in a fully decarbonised economy. Low-carbon hydrogen could be critical to decarbonising all of these applications, but its success will depend on competition with gas using CCS and biomass, both of which could also be used to cut emissions from industry. Dr Tom Brown of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, tells Carbon Brief that this helps to explain why there is so much variation in projections of hydrogen use. “I don’t think anyone knows quite which one will make the most headway,” he says. Whichever solutions come out on top, the IEA illustrates the urgency of scaling them up quickly to tackle emissions from industry. In its hydrogen report, the agency calculates that to meet future ammonia and methanol demand while limiting warming to well-below 2C using fossil gas, CCS units capturing 1MtCO2 each year would have to be built at a rate of four per month between now and 2030. If green hydrogen is used to achieve the same goal, six or seven new 100MW electrolysers would have to be built every week until 2030. According to the IEA, 2021 is currently set to see closer to the equivalent of four 100MW electrolysers becoming operational across the entire year. Electricity Hydrogen’s versatility means it could have various applications in the power sector, including replacing fossil gas in retrofitted power plants and providing electricity on remote islands using fuel cells. In particular, there are two valuable roles that hydrogen could play in the power system. First, it has been proposed as a flexible source of potentially low-carbon electricity that can be used to complement grids dominated by variable renewables, such as wind and solar. Second, electrolysers could be used to produce hydrogen using “curtailed” electricity generation that would otherwise go to waste during particularly sunny or windy periods when renewable supply exceeds demand. As renewables supply more of the world’s power, hydrogen advocates see the gas as an essential component for “deep decarbonisation”, providing electricity when the sun and wind are insufficient. In this case, hydrogen could be a useful form of energy storage, covering seasonal variation in renewable-heavy systems when batteries are insufficient. Renewable electricity, sourced from domestic grids at times when it is abundant and cheap, can be converted into hydrogen. Alternatively, it can be imported from nations that have a surplus of wind or sun (See: “How will hydrogen affect global geopolitics?”) Hydrogen can be stored by compressing it into underground salt caverns or depleted fossil fuel sites, blended with fossil gas or used to produce other fuels. It can then be converted back into power when required, or used for other purposes in the energy system, such as transport fuels. In the short term, batteries tend to provide a superior storage system, with round-trip efficiency (ratio of energy in to energy out) of more than 80%, compared to 35-41% for hydrogen. However, hydrogen can be used when energy needs to be stored for days or weeks as batteries suffer from self-discharge over longer time periods. It also makes more sense for larger-scale storage requirements, which would require “immense” numbers of batteries compared to the space taken up by hydrogen storage, according to the IEA. Despite these applications, Dr Tom Brown of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, who has modelled deep decarbonisation pathways for Europe, says the power sector is unlikely to be the first priority for an extensive hydrogen rollout. He tells Carbon Brief: “If you were removing a tonne of CO2, it would make more sense to put the hydrogen in the steel or ammonia sectors than worrying about the last 10% of the electricity demand decarbonisation.” Brown says it is “more economical” to source as much electricity from renewables as possible before turning to electrolysis and green hydrogen. After the production and storage infrastructure is in place to supply other sectors, such as industry, hydrogen for backup power generation could naturally follow, he says: “You sort of get the hydrogen and this last 10-20% of a 100% renewable world for free, essentially.” According to a report from the European University Institute, using hydrogen for electricity storage is “largely overestimated” simply because, in Europe at least, periods without sun or wind are not actually very common: “There is more production of offshore wind in winter than in summer and transmission grids connect the countries in Europe quite effectively.” However, making use of curtailed power has been proposed as a strategy that makes sense not only to cut emissions, but to save money. A report on net-zero opportunities for the UK power sector by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) concludes that producing hydrogen from curtailed electricity “could help to reduce system costs in highly renewable mixes”. IRENA states that this “can significantly help improve the economics of hydrogen production” and also provide revenues for renewable asset owners. These periods are becoming more common with rising renewable penetration, as Ben Gallagher of Wood Mackenzie tells Carbon Brief: “[In] California, Germany, western China and west Texas, the frequency of curtailments and negative power price events is increasing, so hydrogen via electrolysis, very similar to energy storage, is thought of as a potential tool to help manage grid flexibility.” While this is a promising idea it may not be practical, even assuming a significant rollout of renewables in the coming years. The NIC notes that “it will be challenging to absorb all curtailed renewable generation at low cost due to the volatility of its production”. Electrolysers built solely to make use of this otherwise wasted power may only operate around 10% of the time, IRENA notes. This is due to curtailment being an occasional event, when conditions are particularly sunny or windy. Such low utilisation rates mean the hydrogen they produce may not be competitive, owing to the costs associated with the electrolysers themselves. On the other hand, as Gniewomir Flis of Agora Energiewende has pointed out, declining electrolyser costs could help hydrogen from curtailed power compete with fossil fuel hydrogen. This analysis is based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers, which, unlike the more widely used alkaline electrolysers, are able to quickly ramp up and capture curtailed energy. While China, the world’s biggest electrolyser producer, has pioneered the production of relatively cheap alkaline electrolysers, PEM electrolysers are currently too expensive to produce cost-competitive hydrogen from curtailed power. But as the EU ploughs ahead with its hydrogen strategy, it has committed to investing in the production of “innovative technologies”, such as PEM, in a bid to keep its economy competitive and bring prices down. Heat for buildings Space heating and hot water supply for buildings is one of the most contested areas of potential hydrogen use and is often the subject of heated debate. Many energy experts are dismissive of the idea of hydrogen playing a large role in decarbonising building heat, because it is far less efficient than electric heat pumps, making it more costly to run. Others argue it can tackle the problem of decarbonising heat without disrupting peoples’ lives, at lower upfront cost and while reusing valuable gas distribution assets. They also point to constraints on the electricity grid, which might need upgrading to cope with fully electrified heat. Overall, efficiency and electrification are the primary routes to decarbonising heat, says Jenny Hill, head of buildings and international action at the UK’s advisory Climate Change Committee, but hydrogen could play an important secondary role. She tells Carbon Brief: “Efficiency is the essential first step or the heat problem gets too big. While electrification is of primary strategic importance, hydrogen can play an incredibly useful role in meeting peaks – in the power sector, or through use of hybrid heat pumps [see below] – as well as a role regionally.” Heat for buildings is a major problem to address. According to the IEA, heat use in buildings accounts for more than 20% of global final energy demand, including space heating, hot water and cooking. This 20% share can be compared with hydrogen uptake in the deep decarbonisation scenarios shown above (See: How much hydrogen is needed to limit climate change?), where a maximum 24% of final energy in 2050 is supplied by hydrogen, for all uses. Moreover, most hydrogen in these studies is used for industry, transport or power, rather than buildings. This suggests it would not be cost optimal to use hydrogen to decarbonise most of the world’s building heat demand. Nevertheless, it may be needed where alternatives are not viable. Some countries have already made rapid strides towards decarbonising the provision of heat, using electricity or district heating. But, in many others, there has been limited progress. Tackling heat emissions is generally recognised as challenging, particularly for less well insulated existing buildings, which the IEA says will still make up two-fifths of the global stock by 2050. Globally, some 41% of building heat currently comes from burning gas, the IEA says, with wide variation from country to country. This is shown in the chart, below, with gas (dark grey) supplying around 80% of heat in the Netherlands and the UK, but closer to zero in Nordic countries. The widespread use of gas-fired heating is an opportunity for hydrogen, advocates say, because it can act as a “like-for-like” replacement for the fuel. Hydrogen can be burned in a modified gas boiler or hob, with fuel supplied by a repurposed network of gas distribution pipes. Coalitions of companies in the UK have been working to test the idea for several years, with the aim of converting “significant parts of the UK gas grid to be 100% hydrogen”. The government’s recent climate plan aims to test hydrogen heat in a whole town by 2030. Internationally, there are at least 37 projects testing the blending of hydrogen into existing gas grids, thought to be safe up to 20% by volume without changes for consumers. This is seen as a “low-regrets” way to reduce CO2 from heating and scale up hydrogen use. The UK’s network of gas transmission pipes – historically made from leaky and corrosion-prone iron – is already being replaced with “hydrogen-ready” plastic pipes, though compressors and other parts of the network would also need replacement to cope with 100% hydrogen use. The iron mains replacement will be complete by 2032, says Matthew Hindle, head of gas at the Energy Networks Association, which represents gas and power distribution companies in the UK. Carl Arntzen, chief executive of boiler manufacturer Worcester Bosch, tells Carbon Brief that, in his view, hydrogen is the best solution for all of the 85% of UK homes currently heated with fossil gas. He points to practical challenges for heat pumps, including the need to upgrade building energy efficiency, replace radiators and find space for hot water tanks and heat pump equipment. The idea of disruptive change to homes and behaviours is often “front of mind” for people thinking about the future of heat, says the ENA’s Hindle. (Recently, the UK climate assembly found strong support for hydrogen, heat pumps and heat networks to tackle heat decarbonisation.) But while major efficiency upgrades may be disruptive, they are likely to be needed in any case. Dr Richard Lowes at the University of Exeter, tells Carbon Brief: “In every bit of analysis I’ve seen, whether it’s hydrogen or electrification, you have to do efficiency to make things cost effective.” On costs, recent analysis shows hydrogen for heat would be around three times more expensive than gas, whereas heat pumps are as cheap to run as gas boilers in some circumstances. BNEF’s Meredith Annex says using hydrogen for heat is an “expensive use case” and that the fuel “struggles” relative to heat pumps, even on a total cost-of-ownership basis. Another frequently cited issue for the widespread use of heat pumps is that it would significantly increase peak demand on the electricity grid, particularly in high-latitude countries, such as the UK. This point is often accompanied by versions of the chart, below, showing seasonal variations in half-hourly UK energy demand currently met by electricity (blue line) versus gas for heat (red). (Carbon Brief understands a similar chart is on the business card of some within the gas industry.) This chart suggests meeting peak heat demand with electricity could require a massive increase in the size of the power system, with peak electricity demand rising as much as five- or six-fold. But more recent evidence shows that demand for heat energy is some 40-50% lower than thought, at closer to 170 gigawatts (GW) rather than the peak of 300GW shown in the chart above. This would be reduced further with the energy efficiency improvements required on the road to net-zero. Moreover, heat pumps work by drawing warmth from outside air, multiplying the energy used to run them by two or three times, depending on device performance and ambient temperatures. This could cut the highest peaks in heat energy demand in half again. Even so, the remaining additional peak demand for electric heat during cold winter evenings could strain the electricity grid. Although it would be possible to cover these peaks, it could be expensive. This is where hydrogen could step in, according to analysts including the CCC and BNEF. They point to the use of “hybrid” heat systems that mostly run on electricity, but use hydrogen boilers to “top up” on the coldest days, much as gas with carbon capture and storage or hydrogen-fired peaking electricity plants could be used to fill gaps in output from wind and solar power. Another option would be for certain areas to be heated with hydrogen, particularly around regional “hubs” where use of the fuel – and associated infrastructure – is widespread. In research published in August, Lowes and colleagues argue that heating industry “Incumbents are over-selling ‘green-gas’ to policymakers in order to protect their interests and detract from the importance and value of electrification.” Their paper says: “Techno-economic analysis by academia, the UK government and its advisors has repeatedly suggested that electrification of much heat demand, primarily using heat pumps alongside the reduction in heat demand, represents the lowest cost pathway to near fully decarbonised heating.” A review of the options from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) concludes that “electrification and energy efficiency remain the two main strategies for decarbonising the building sector”. It says hydrogen could play a role if “significant uncertainties” are resolved. While Lowes and others support large hydrogen trials to evaluate the potential of the fuel, they warn that this work should not be used as an excuse to avoid making progress with other options. In a recent blog, Stian Westlake, executive director at UK innovation foundation Nesta, discussed the broader, related problem of “bionic duckweed”, where the promise of new technological solutions in the future is used to hold back the use of existing options. He wrote: “While I don’t doubt there are some good-faith enthusiasts for hydrogen home heating, I wonder if a lot of the enthusiasm is about deploying a warm fuzz of futurism to block the present-day threat of heat pumps.” Dr Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project tells Carbon Brief: “I think a reasonable approach would be stepwise, where you test hydrogen use and then roll out the infrastructure more gradually, rather than having a grand plan that it’s all going to be about hydrogen…To me, that seems misguided. And it’s a deeply dangerous strategy that could completely fail – and then in 10 years time you haven’t done anything.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-does-the-world-need-hydrogen-to-solve-climate-change
     
         
      In-depth Q&A: Does the world need hydrogen to solve climate change? Mon, 30th Nov 2020 8:00:00
     
      Hydrogen gas has long been recognised as an alternative to fossil fuels and a potentially valuable tool for tackling climate change. Now, as nations come forward with net-zero strategies to align with their international climate targets, hydrogen has once again risen up the agenda from Australia and the UK through to Germany and Japan. In the most optimistic outlooks, hydrogen could soon power trucks, planes and ships. It could heat homes, balance electricity grids and help heavy industry to make everything from steel to cement. But doing all these things with hydrogen would require staggering quantities of the fuel, which is only as clean as the methods used to produce it. Moreover, for every potentially transformative application of hydrogen, there are unique challenges that must be overcome. In this in-depth Q&A – which includes a range of infographics, maps and interactive charts, as well as the views of dozens of experts – Carbon Brief examines the big questions around the “hydrogen economy” and looks at the extent to which it could help the world avoid dangerous climate change. What is hydrogen and how could it help tackle climate change? Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe. It is also an explosive and clean-burning gas that contains more energy per unit of weight than fossil fuels. In a hydrogen economy, hydrogen would be used in place of the fossil fuels that currently provide four-fifths of the world’s energy supply and emit the bulk of global greenhouse gas emissions. This could aid climate goals because hydrogen only emits water when burned and can be made without releasing CO2. (Its production currently emits 830m tonnes of CO2 [MtCO2] each year.) The hydrogen economy could be all-encompassing. Or it could fill a series of niches, depending on hydrogen availability, cost and performance relative to alternatives, for each potential application. In between these two extremes, there is still the potential for hydrogen to play a hugely significant role in reaching net-zero emissions, requiring a dramatic scaling up of its production and use. “Are you for or against hydrogen? That seems to be the wrong question. I think the question is: where do you really need to use it?” says Dr Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project. Hydrogen could help tackle “critical” hard-to-abate sectors, such as steel and long-distance transport, says Timur Gül, head of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) energy technology division and lead on its major 2019 report on the future of hydrogen. He tells Carbon Brief: “I think hydrogen has its place, has quite an important place…but I think if you’re aiming towards net-zero emissions, you don’t look for building a hydrogen economy, you look for a decarbonised energy sector. It’s a means to an end.” Hydrogen can be made by splitting water with electricity – electrolysis – or by splitting fossil fuels or biomass with heat or steam, using “reforming” or “pyrolysis”. Any CO2 can be captured and stored. Hydrogen can be stored, liquified and transported via pipelines, trucks or ships. And it can be used to make fertiliser, fuel vehicles, heat homes, generate electricity or drive heavy industry. This potential hydrogen “economy” is shown in the graphic, below. The illustrations, with numbered captions from one to three, show how hydrogen could be made, moved and used. Some advocates for a hydrogen economy describe an expansive vision of the future where it replaces most of the societal, economic and geopolitical positions now occupied by fossil fuels. Dr Saehoon Kim, head of the fuel cell division at Hyundai, told an Energy UK webinar in July: “In the past, our technology and industry was all about collecting oil, delivering oil and using oil. And now, in the future, it will be collecting sunshine, delivering sunshine and using sunshine – and what will make that possible is hydrogen.” This vision would see the sun’s energy – in the form of solar radiation and wind – turned into hydrogen, using electrolysis, and then transported around the world. As a globally traded commodity, hydrogen could then remake the map of geopolitics, ending reliance on fossil fuel exporting nations and improving energy security for importers. In its 2019 report, the IEA adds industrial development and skilled jobs to the list of potential advantages for hydrogen. It says hydrogen is flexible and versatile, able to act as a fuel, as well as an energy carrier between locations and – via storage – between different times of day or year. It could also extend the life of fossil fuels and associated infrastructure, such as gas pipelines, the IEA’s 2019 hydrogen report says: “[I]f CCUS [carbon capture, use and storage] is used to reduce the CO2 intensity of fossil fuel hydrogen production, that would enable some fossil fuel resources to continue to be used.” Moreover, the hydrogen economy could help to balance the use of variable renewables to generate electricity. Electrolysis could absorb excess supplies and, when there is little wind or sun, hydrogen could be burned in gas turbines to ensure electricity demand is met. The IEA explains: “By producing hydrogen, renewable electricity can be used in applications that are better served by chemical fuels. Low-carbon energy can be supplied over very long distances, and electricity can be stored to meet weekly or monthly imbalances in supply and demand.” This means hydrogen could help reinforce and connect the largely separate energy systems that are used today for heat, power, industry and transportation, an idea known as “sector coupling”. And the technology needed to make and use hydrogen has the potential to benefit from the policy and cost reduction experience that has seen renewables become cheap. Given all these advantages, the IEA’s report says “it may be tempting to envisage an all-encompassing low-carbon hydrogen economy in the future”. But it adds: “However, other clean energy technology opportunities have greatly improved recently, most importantly solutions that directly use electricity, which means that the future for hydrogen may be much more one of integration into diverse and complementary energy networks. This is especially so since the use of hydrogen in certain end-use sectors faces technical and economic challenges compared with other (low-carbon) competitors.” In a similar vein, Micheal Liebreich, senior contributor to BloombergNEF, wrote in a recent article: “On the surface, [hydrogen] seems like the answer to every energy question.” But he adds: “Sadly, hydrogen displays an equally impressive list of disadvantages.” Advantages of hydrogen Burns cleanly, releasing only water and energy. Stores more energy per unit of weight than most other fuels. Can be made from low-carbon sources. Can be used as a fuel, to transport energy from one place to another, as a form of energy storage or as a chemical feedstock. Can be used to decarbonise “hard to abate” sectors with few alternatives. Offers wider benefits for energy security, industrial strategy and air quality. Disadvantages of hydrogen Almost all production today is from high-carbon sources. Currently expensive to produce and cost reductions are uncertain. Bulky and expensive to transport and store. Inefficient to produce, raising costs and requiring a larger energy supply overall, with even faster scaling up of clean energy production. Supply and value chains for its use are complex and need coordination. Needs new safety standards and societal acceptance. The IEA says challenges include high costs, which make hydrogen uncompetitive today, with uncertainty over how costs will develop over time (see below). It adds: “Hydrogen comes with safety risks, high upfront infrastructure costs and some of the industrial dynamics of fossil fuel supply and distribution, especially when paired with CCUS [carbon capture, use and storage]. It is not yet clear how citizens will react to these aspects of hydrogen.” The IEA also says there is a risk of a chicken-and-egg situation because of the complexity of hydrogen supply and value chains, which makes gradual deployment more difficult. For example, replacing fossil gas for building heat would rely on the availability of large quantities of low-carbon hydrogen and suitably upgraded infrastructure to distribute and safely burn the fuel. There is also uncertainty over government and policy support for hydrogen, though a growing list of countries are developing dedicated hydrogen strategies (see below). Low efficiency is another significant challenge, with more energy being wasted at each step in the production and use of hydrogen than for many alternatives. The IEA says: “Hydrogen-based fuels could take advantage of existing infrastructure with limited changes in the value chain, but at the expense of efficiency losses.” The Economist says hydrogen is “inescapably inefficient”, while the Energy Technology Institute’s chief engineer wrote in 2018: “A strategy to enforce comprehensive adoption of hydrogen across the economy looks grossly inefficient based on current understanding of the relevant technologies.” The figure below shows why electric vehicles are several times more efficient than hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, or those running on synthetic fuels derived from hydrogen. Which countries are exploring the use of hydrogen? Last year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) produced a major report on the future of hydrogen, noting it was “currently enjoying unprecedented political and business momentum”. It described 2019 as a “critical year” for the energy carrier and outlined a steady increase in policies and research supporting its use in energy applications. Influential organisations, including the IEA, Hydrogen Council and BP, have all revealed their visions for its future significance and others have heralded the 2020s as the “decade of hydrogen”. The pipeline for “green” hydrogen – produced using renewable electricity – is expanding rapidly, nearly tripling in just five months earlier this year. However, these projects still make a marginal contribution to the global energy system. Only six of the 197 parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement mentioned “hydrogen” in their first nationally determined contributions to the deal, but interest is growing as a wave of countries, encouraged by net-zero targets, set out national hydrogen strategies. A recent review by the World Energy Council’s German chapter found that 20 countries have introduced such strategies or are “on the verge of doing so”. One of the most significant announcements was the European Commission’s “hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe”, released in July 2020, which includes an ambitious target of 40 gigawatts (GW) of European electrolyser capacity to produce “green” hydrogen by 2030. For context, between 2000 and 2019, a total capacity of just 0.25GW of green hydrogen projects was deployed globally, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. In a press conference launching the strategy, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans described “clean” hydrogen as “crucial” for the EU’s “green deal”, which targets net-zero emissions by 2050. “Much of the energy transition will focus on direct electrification, but in sectors like steel, cement, chemicals, air traffic, heavy-duty transport, shipping, we need something else.” This ambition has been bolstered by several European nations, including Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands, releasing hydrogen strategies of their own, some in the context of a “green recovery” from the Covid-19 pandemic. Under pressure to keep up with European neighbours, UK ministers have said they will soon announce a “world-leading” hydrogen strategy to help reach its 2050 net-zero goal. The National Grid has said hydrogen will be “required” to meet this target. Acknowledging the “flurry” of recent national hydrogen strategies in a recent Environmental Audit Committee hearing, UK business secretary Alok Sharma said the government expected to release its own “early on next year [2021]”. Prime minister Boris Johnson’s “10-point plan” for a “green industrial revolution” mentioned spending of “up to £500m ($667m)” on hydrogen, including a target of 5GW low-carbon hydrogen production capacity over the next decade. This is significantly less than some other European nations. Germany alone has said it will spend €9bn on clean hydrogen production and exporting the technology overseas, but with the same target of 5GW domestic capacity by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-does-the-world-need-hydrogen-to-solve-climate-change
     
         
      Sydney records hottest November night on record Sun, 29th Nov 2020 19:25:00
     
      Sydney has reported its hottest November night on record, with the official start of summer still days away. The city recorded a minimum overnight temperature of 25.4C and then hit 40C during the daytime on Sunday. Dozens of bush fires are already burning in New South Wales with hotter weather predicted on Tuesday. The states of Victoria and South Australia also reported soaring heat over the weekend. "November has been quite unusual in many ways. We have only seen about half our normal rainfall and it is quite possible it will be one of our hottest Novembers on record," Andrew Watkins, of the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) noted on Friday. Sydney's record temperature was recorded at Observatory Hill in the Central Business District. By 04:30, the temperature had risen back up to 30C, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The previous record at Observatory Hill was 24.8C in 1967. Images from Sydney show huge crowds of people flocking to the beach. The New South Wales health department has reminded people to keep to social-distancing regulations in order to stop the potential spread of coronavirus. BOM has predicted a five- or six-day heatwave in parts of northern NSW and south-east Queensland. And the Rural Fire Service (RFS) has warned of a "very high to severe fire danger forecast" in eastern and north-eastern parts of New South Wales. On Sunday the RFS reported 62 bush and grass fires. It is the first weekend of significant bushfire activity since the end of last summer, which saw Australia's most intense bushfire season on record, though not its most deadly. The bushfire season of 2019-20 saw fires sweep across 24 million hectares of land. The blazes affected every Australian state, destroyed over 3,000 homes, and killed or displaced nearly three billion animals. At least 33 people were killed. A visual guide to Australia's bushfire crisis On Friday, RFS Deputy Commissioner Peter McKechnie urged people to have fire plans ready. "This is the first time since the devastating season last year we've seen widespread elevated fire danger," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-55118406
     
         
      Like a Leaf – New Artificial Photosynthesis Method to Capture CO2 Directly From the Air and Turn It Into Fuel Sun, 29th Nov 2020 18:47:00
     
      Argonne and SLAC will develop artificial photosynthesis methods to enable direct air capture of CO2 while expanding sources of energy through the conversion of CO2 to fuels and other useful chemicals. Leaves make it look easy, but capturing and using carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air is a challenging process for scientists to mimic. To artificially capture CO2, chemists have developed ways to “scrub” it from air using chemicals that react very favorably with it. But even after it is captured, it’s often difficult to release and use for artificial photosynthesis. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will receive $4.5 million over three years from the DOE for research aimed at capturing carbon dioxide directly from air and converting it to useful products by artificial photosynthesis. “We were thrilled to get the opportunity to do new science and to work on this challenge. It would be enormously satisfying to open up a new, environmentally sound means of generating energy. A major advancement in this area would be the highlight of my career.” — Ksenija Glusac, Argonne chemist, Solar Energy Conversion group, Chemical Sciences and Engineering division CO2 capture involves trapping the gas, transporting it to a storage location and isolating it. Together, Argonne and SLAC will focus on developing photochemical methods that enable CO2 capture directly from air and that combine this capture with photochemical conversion to fuels and value-added chemicals. Their goal is to improve the environment and expand sources of energy through the conversion of CO2 to fuels and other value-added chemicals such as methanol and acrylic acid derivatives — both of which are used by the chemical industry to make polymers, including resins, plastics and glues. Methanol also can be used as a fuel to generate electricity. Ksenija Glusac, a chemist with the Solar Energy Conversion group in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering division at Argonne, will lead Argonne’s efforts as the principal investigator for the group. Glusac has worked in the field of artificial photosynthesis since 2000, but combining CO2 capture with photosynthesis is a new direction for her and her team. “We were thrilled to get the opportunity to do new science and to work on this challenge,” said Glusac, who is also an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “It would be enormously satisfying to open up a new, environmentally sound means of generating energy.” This photoreactor will be built up of molecular lego pieces, each designed to perform a certain function: chromophores that absorb and harvest the sunlight, molecules that capture CO2 from the atmosphere and catalysts that convert CO2 to value-added chemicals. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory Glusac’s team has already contributed significantly to the field of artificial photosynthesis. After years of studying the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation, they expanded scientists’ understanding of what happens in materials in regard to the absorption of light — and the conversion of that light to energy. “The current project builds on our extensive experience and opens up the opportunity of combining CO2 capture with photosynthesis,” Glusac said. Glusac and her team plan to use Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source (APS), SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) — all are DOE Office of Science User Facilities — to collect X-ray absorption and scattering measurements to better understand the CO2 capture and photo-conversion mechanisms. The APS’s high-energy storage ring generates ultrabright, hard X-ray beams for research in almost all scientific disciplines while SSRL provides electromagnetic radiation in the X-ray, ultraviolet, visible and infrared realms produced by electrons circulating in a storage ring. LCLS takes X-ray snapshots of atoms and molecules at work, providing atomic resolution detail on ultrafast timescales to reveal fundamental processes in materials, technology and living things. Glusac and her team will take these measurements from samples of supramolecular structures called MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) that can absorb and harvest solar light and nodes that host two types of catalysts: reduction catalysts that can capture CO2 from the air and reduce it to value-added chemicals and oxidation catalysts that can convert water to oxygen. “Our approach aims to combine CO2 capture and artificial photosynthesis into a single process, called photoreactive capture,” Glusac said. “We will explore molecular photoreactors that can both scrub CO2 and use sunlight to convert it into useful chemicals. We have great hope for this endeavor.” Argonne’s Laboratory Computing Resource Center will be used to perform the computational investigations of CO2 capture and conversion mechanisms. In addition to Glusac, Argonne’s team includes Lin Chen, David Kaphan, Karen Mulfort, Alex Martinson, David Tiede and Peter Zapol. Amy Cordones-Hahn from SLAC rounds out the group. Projects were selected by competitive peer review and supported by DOE’s Office of Science.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/like-a-leaf-new-artificial-photosynthesis-method-to-capture-co2-directly-from-the-air-and-turn-it-into-fuel/
     
         
      NSW's clean energy plan means the federal government is even more isolated on fossil fuels Sun, 29th Nov 2020 16:30:00
     
      Angus Taylor’s dire warnings about abandoning coal are going unheeded as the states forge their own path towards renewables There may have been other weeks that packed in as many transformative developments in clean energy in Australia as the past seven days, but they don’t come often. On Friday, the New South Wales parliament passed laws to build 12 gigawatts of clean energy – roughly equivalent to the country’s entire existing large-scale renewable capacity – and 2GW of energy storage in the state over the next decade. Remarkably, given Australia’s tortured national climate politics, the legislation had near-unanimous parliamentary support from the Coalition government, the Labor opposition, the Greens and most other crossbenchers. One Nation opposed the bill, filibustering through the night before its eventual passage. The scale of what the NSW plan will mean for the grid and – despite the cautiousness of MPs when the issue is raised – the early closure of coal-fired power is yet to be fully appreciated. “It’s massive,” says Tristan Edis, a director with the analysis firm Green Energy Markets. “It will produce almost as much electricity as is consumed across South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.” Three days earlier, the Victorian government’s budget included $543m to develop six renewable energy zones. Part of a $1.6bn clean energy commitment, it will be used to buttress and make best use of the solar and windfarms built to meet a state renewable energy target. Meanwhile, the energy company AGL, the country’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, announced it would build a large-scale battery next to its Loy Yang A coal plant in Gippsland. It was the third major battery announcement in three weeks, following others near Geelong and Adelaide. All are bigger than anything currently in operation in Australia. Up north near Townsville, a zinc refinery owned by Sun Metals became the first business of its type to pledge it would be run entirely on renewable energy by 2040. Down south, the Tasmanian government boasted the near-complete construction of the Granville Harbour wind farm had tipped the state over to running 100% on renewable energy. The ramifications of the change were the focus of speakers at an online summit hosted by the Australian Financial Review. Some marvelled at the pace, while others expressed frustration at what they saw as a leap away from a national electricity market towards the sort of state-based central planning that was supposed to have died in the 20th century. Several analysts said the rapid shift raised another question: where does it leave the Morrison government’s case for new fossil fuel power as part of its touted gas-fired recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic? Scott Morrison and his federal energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, have claimed NSW will need 1,000 megawatts of new flexible electricity capacity that can be called on at any time – so not solar and wind – to replace the Liddell coal plant when it shuts in 2023. They warned the private sector they will instruct the taxpayer-owned Snowy Hydro to build some of it if companies have not made commitments by April. The idea more gas was needed was heavily contested at the time – and is even more so now. Taylor responded to the NSW plan by warning it will drive away private investors, pointing to AGL and EnergyAustralia saying they would now delay decisions on gas and battery projects. The NSW’s plan architect, the energy and environment minister Matt Kean, who has emerged as a media-friendly clean energy evangelist within the Coalition, says his assessment is new gas will not be needed when Liddell shuts. “We think there are other means that could achieve this,” he said on Friday. “What I am focused on is delivering the infrastructure that will keep the lights on here and drive prices down.” Kean describes the NSW plan as a “historic victory for the people of NSW” that will spark $58bn in investment over the next 20 years and create thousands of jobs. “Ultimately, NSW is its own government and my job is to put the people of NSW first, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he says. On gas, he argues it has an ongoing role to play in generating electricity “but it’s a very expensive way to do that”. In terms of actual generation, gas plays a relatively minor role in the national grid, providing about 8% of electricity. It plays a much smaller role in NSW, providing just 1.4% of the electricity over the past year. The state’s existing gas plants have been operating at just 6% of their capacity. The main reason is pretty clear: the average wholesale price for gas power has been more than twice as expensive as the average across the grid. Dr Dylan McConnell, a researcher at the University of Melbourne’s climate and energy college, is among those who say the state commitments are pushing gas further out of the picture. “Practically, that is what’s happening,” he says. “At the moment renewable energy is cheaper, but in future it will be the batteries and the 2GW of storage in NSW pushing out gas.” Simon Holmes à Court, also at the University of Melbourne and a clean energy commentator, says this is in line with forecasts by the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo), which suggest a shrinking amount of gas-fired generation over the next 10-15 years. “We are already using less and gas prices are down,” he says. “The fact is, it is struggling because it is competing with cheaper renewables.” The price of energy is expected to fall further as more solar and wind comes into the system. In both NSW and Victoria, the commitment is not to build the plants, but to sign contracts guaranteeing private investors a minimum price for the electricity they generate. This is already happening in Victoria under the state’s renewable energy target, which has backed 928 megawatts of wind and solar and promised at least another 600MW. The NSW scheme will support not just solar and wind energy but also two types of storage – long-duration technologies that can provide backup power for eight hours or more (expected to be pumped hydro and batteries) and “fast-start” generators that can whir into action to ensure grid stability when needed (batteries and possibly gas). Both NSW and Victoria will help pay for the grid connections and other infrastructure needed to get the clean energy online. Tristan Edis says Victoria has perhaps had less credit for its policy than it might have because it has rolled it out gradually, where NSW opted for one big hit. Other states are heading down a similar path. Queensland has a similar renewable energy zone and auction model run by the state-owned renewable company CleanCo, while Tasmania has contentiously promised 200% renewable energy generation – twice the state’s local demand – by 2040 through a yet-to-be-announced model. The Morrison government has been critical of some state intervention in the national electricity market, particularly when it believes it is unclear what it will mean for electricity prices. Its opponents argue the states would not be taking these steps if the federal Coalition had not abandoned the field by repealing a national carbon price, dropping plans for some sort of replacement and choosing not to extend the national renewable energy target when it was filled last year. They also point out the Morrison government is planning its own interventions, particularly to push for new gas-fired power that others say is not needed. In addition to threatening to build a new gas plant in NSW if private companies don’t, Taylor is trying to push through legislation to allow the taxpayer-owned green bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, to underwrite five “fast-start” gas plants. The need for additional gas-fired generation to replace the Liddell coal plant is heavily contested. Neither Aemo nor a government-commissioned taskforce looking at the Liddell closure found there would be a shortfall in generation capacity. Taylor says new gas is needed less to ensure reliable supply, and more to prevent a spike in electricity prices – as happened around the time the Hazelwood coal plant in Victoria shut much more abruptly in 2017. Again, this has been challenged by analysts who have considered alternatives to new fossil fuels. Research released on Friday by analysts at RepuTex, commissioned by Greenpeace, found the NSW government’s model – renewables backed mostly by batteries – was by far the cheapest option when compared with doing nothing or building a new gas plant. Where does this leave the case for a gas-fired recovery? There is a separate, and more complicated, argument about the use of gas for heating and as a chemical feedstock in manufacturing and industry, where it is not always as easily replaced (though independent analysis has found even here the need for new gas, rather than making better use of existing resources and backing cleaner alternatives where possible, is significantly overstated). But in electricity, the case for new gas in the short-term appears limited. In its assessment of what an optimal future grid would look like, Aemo found it would increasingly run on large and small-scale renewable energy – potentially by 2035 up to 90% of electricity from solar and wind at times – supported by “dispatchable” generation that can be called on when needed. That dispatchable generation can come from a range of sources including pumped hydro, batteries and, yes, gas. But Aemo suggested investment in gas was less likely to make sense than cleaner options due to cost. It didn’t consider the impact of the emissions from gas, but it was the only fossil fuel on the list. Analysts make a similar case, with a caveat. While the amount of gas-fired power generation is expected to continue to fall in the next few years, McConnell and Edis say there may be a case for new plants to be built as more of the country’s coal fleet shuts, depending on how much other technologies have developed. These plants would hardly ever be used, and would not contribute much to emissions. Gas plants differ from batteries and pumped hydro at the moment in that they can sit idle for all but a few hours a year and be called on only at times of absolute need, as diesel generators are in some places now. By comparison, pumped hydro and batteries need to be called on more regularly to justify their existence. McConnell says if companies or governments do feel compelled to back gas plants, they would be wise to ensure they can also run on hydrogen, given where the future of energy is headed. “The reality is complex,” McConnell says. “I’d like to think the answer on new gas is ‘no’ but having gas turbines that are hydrogen-ready may not be the worst thing we can do. But we don’t need them now.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/30/nsws-clean-energy-plan-means-the-federal-government-is-even-more-isolated-on-fossil-fuels
     
         
      First fully carbon-neutral cargo flight set to take off from Frankfurt airport Sat, 28th Nov 2020 19:34:00
     
      For the first time in commercial aviation history, a CO2-neutral cargo flight is set to take off from an airport. Lufthansa Cargo's Boeing 777F will depart from Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday and head to Shanghai, China, with its fuel requirements using only Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Peter Gerber, the CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, one of the firms behind the scheme called it a "milestone because it is the first flight of this kind that will have flown 100% CO2 neutral." Sustainable Aviation Fuel refers to sustainable, synthetic kerosene. It is produced mainly from biomass, such as sustainable or recyclable vegetable and cooking oils. In future, non-plant-based renewable fuels will also be available. By using SAF, the fossil CO2 emissions of a flight with conventional kerosene are completely avoided. During combustion in the engine, the only CO2 that is released was previously removed from the atmosphere, during plant growth for example. This means that SAFs’ overall GHG emissions are 65-95% lower than traditional fossil-kerosene fuels, claims a report by Lombard Odier, The flight, however, only uses a small amount of biofuel, which is added to conventional kerosene as a so-called drop-in fuel. The joint venture has been organised by cargo transport and logistics firms DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo. The flight claims to be CO2-neutral because the companies say they have offset its emissions by reforestation and by injecting biomass fuels into other flights to a level that matches a return trip to Shanghai. The organisations have signed a joint declaration of intent to work on a "Zero Carbon Emission 2050 Strategy" in the future. However, environmental groups say using biomass for plane fuel is not a good use of agricultural resources. Greenpeace says that to replace half of our fossil fuels with biofuels, a third of the world’s croplands would need to be taken out of other production. This, it claims, will lead to an unprecedented expansion that will require enormous additional forest areas to be logged resulting in exposure and atmospheric release of vast quantities of carbon. On top of this, it will have a strong detrimental effect on our biodiversity. Lombard Odier has said these first-generation biofuels remain expensive — two to five times more costly than conventional jet fuel, so lack the sustainability that would make them a true game-changer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/28/first-fully-carbon-neutral-cargo-flight-set-to-take-off-from-frankfurt-airport
     
         
      Hyzon motor: 100000 hydrogen trucks on the road by 2030 Sat, 28th Nov 2020 19:31:00
     
      n all-star line-up of vehicle manufacturers, technology and infrastructure providers have signed a coalition statement certifying their joint commitment to slashing greenhouse gas emissions in the European transport and logistics industry by 90 percent within the next 30 years, through the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell trucks.
       
      Full Article: HYZON Motors: 100,000 Hydrogen Trucks on the Road by 2030
     
         
      Polar scientists wary of impending satellite gap Sat, 28th Nov 2020 19:20:00
     
      There is going to be a gap of several years in our ability to measure the thickness of ice at the top and bottom of the world, scientists are warning. The only two satellites dedicated to observing the poles are almost certain to die before replacements are flown. This could leave us blind to some important changes in the Arctic and the Antarctic as the climate warms. The researchers have raised their concerns with the European Commission and the European Space Agency. A letter detailing the problem - and possible solutions - was sent to leading EC and Esa officials this week; and although the US space agency (Nasa) has not formally been addressed, it has been made aware of the correspondence. At issue is the longevity of the European CryoSat-2 and American IceSat-2 missions. These spacecraft carry instruments called altimeters that gauge the shape and elevation of ice surfaces. They've been critical in recording the loss of sea-ice volume and the declining mass of glaciers. What's unique about the satellites is their orbits around the Earth. They fly to 88 degrees North and South from the equator, which means they see the entire Arctic and Antarctic regions, bar a small circle about 430km in diameter at the poles themselves. In contrast, most other satellites don't usually go above 83 degrees. As a consequence, they miss, for example, a great swathe of the central Arctic Ocean and its frozen floes. The worry is that CryoSat-2 and IceSat-2 will have been decommissioned long before any follow-ups get launched. CryoSat-2 is already way beyond its design life. It was put in space in 2010 with the expectation it would work for at least 3.5 years. Engineers think they can keep it operating until perhaps 2024, but battery degradation and a fuel leak suggest not for much longer. IceSat-2 was launched in 2018 with a design life of three years, but with the hope - and expectation - it can operate productively deep into the decade (see footnote). "Without successful mitigation, there will be a gap of between two and five years in our polar satellite altimetry capability," the scientists' letter states. "This gap will introduce a decisive break in the long-term records of ice sheet and sea-ice thickness change and polar oceanography and this, in turn, will degrade our capacity to assess and improve climate model projections." The only satellite replacement currently in prospect is the EC/Esa mission codenamed Cristal. It will be like Cryosat, although with much greater capability thanks to a dual-frequency radar altimeter. Industry has started work on the spacecraft but it won't launch until 2027/28, maybe even later because full funding to make this date a reality is not yet in place. Dr Josef Aschbacher, the director of Earth observation at Esa, said his agency was working as fast as it could to plug the gap. "This is a concern; we recognise it," he told the BBC. "We've put plans in motion to build Cristal as quick as we can. Despite Covid, despite heavy workloads and video conferences by everyone - we have gone through the evaluation... and Cristal was kicked off in early September." Just over 10% of the near-600 signatories to the letter are American scientists. Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, the head of science at Nasa, is not being sent the letter because it is primarily aimed at European funders - and most of the signatories are European. Nonetheless, Dr Zurbuchen is aware of the letter and its contents. He said he was hopeful any polar gap could be plugged or minimised. "I think there are multiple options at this moment in time that we can deploy to that end, in partnership or otherwise," he commented. One of those solutions in Europe would be to run a version of Nasa's IceBridge project. This was an airborne platform that the US agency operated in the eight years between the end of the very first IceSat mission in 2010 and the launch of IceSat-2 in 2018. An aeroplane flew a laser altimeter over the Arctic and the Antarctic to gather some limited data-sets that could eventually be used to tie the two IceSat missions together. There are many who think a European "CryoBridge" is the most affordable and near-term option to mitigate the empty years between CryoSat-2 and Cristal. The cost of manufacture of the airborne radar altimeter could be accomplished for perhaps €5m (£4.5m), scientists believe, but its design and fabrication would likely take two years. Such a project would therefore have to get under way relatively soon. It would, of course, also need an operational budget. The signatories to the letter sent to the EC and Esa include leading scientists using CryoSat and IceSat data, the president of the International Glaciology Society, and lead authors on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which prepares the authoritative state-of-the-climate reports for world governments.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55109092
     
         
      Top 10 States For Renewable Energy, & Their Renewable Energy Splits Sat, 28th Nov 2020 19:17:00
     
      The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently published a special short profile on New York’s renewable energy leadership and split. What I found particularly interesting in the piece, though, was the variation in renewable energy splits in the different top states. Whereas hydropower is the dominant source of renewable electricity in New York, Oregon, and Washington, wind power is absolutely dominant in Texas, and California has a notable split between solar power, hydropower, wind power, geothermal power, and even electricity from biomass. Further down the ladder, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois all have renewable energy industries that are dominated by wind power. And then North Carolina demonstrates something more akin to California’s balanced split again — with a big chunk from solar and another chunk from hydropower. With wind and solar power both so cheap now, a more balanced renewable energy split should develop in more and more states. There’s an enormous amount of solar potential in every state in the country, and solar could quickly climb to levels seen in North Carolina, in California, and beyond. In fact, Texas is headed in that direction at the moment. As we’ve been covering for more than a decade, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) also emphasizes the long-term shift toward renewables in this country, and links it to New York’s own shift. “In the United States, the sources of electricity generation have been shifting from coal to natural gas and renewables since the mid-2000s. Changes in New York’s electricity generating mix have contributed to this trend. Coal’s share of New York’s electricity generation fell from 14% in 2005 to less than 1% in 2019, and natural gas-fired electricity grew from 22% to 36%. “Electricity generation from renewable energy technologies collectively grew from 19% to 29% in the same period. New York adopted a renewable portfolio standard in 2004 and the Clean Energy Standard (CES) in 2015. The CES currently requires New York to generate 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and attain economy-wide net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” Similar trends have been seen in California, Texas, Iowa, and beyond. However, with the long cost-dropping trends for renewables hitting more and more disruptive points, the coming decade should see an even faster transition to renewables. Imagine solar power bars in other states like you see for California in the chart above, and growing wind power bars. As I wrote a few months ago, solar PV panels were 12× more expensive in 2010 than they are now, and were 459× more expensive in 1977. More recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that solar power now offers the cheapest electricity in history. Additionally, leading analyst Lazard has shown that the cost of electricity from new solar and wind power plants should now be competitive with electricity from existing natural gas, coal, and nuclear power plants. The revolution is rising. While the growth of electricity generation from renewables may have been strong but gradual in recent years, it seems that we should now be on the cusp of strong and, well, quicker growth — especially in leading states. Related story: Elon Musk Explains Why Tesla Solar Power Is So Cheap — CleanTechnica Exclusive. Note: If you’d like to go solar anywhere in the USA and decide to go solar via Tesla, feel free to use my Tesla referral code — ts.la/zachary63404 — for $100 off.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/28/top-10-states-for-renewable-energy-split-by-source/
     
         
      UK's sole hydrogen car maker bets on green revolution Sat, 28th Nov 2020 19:11:00
     
      Hydrogen-powered car manufacturer Riversimple is hoping to steal a march on competitors ahead of Britain's promised "green revolution" that would see petrol-powered cars banned within 10 years. While conventional battery-powered electric cars may be a few miles ahead in the zero-emission vehicle race, the company is betting that nascent hydrogen technology will fuel the cars of the future. South Korea's Hyundai claims to be the current world leader, selling 5,000 units of its Nexo model in 2019, followed by the Toyota Mirai. Their sales are dwarfed by those of battery powered cars, of which there now around five million on the world's roads. Riversimple is only an ambitious upstart compared with the Asian automotive giants, but is currently the only British manufacturer in the sector with its flagship model, the Rasa. Founder Hugo Spowers is keen to take on the big boys with his self-designed model, whose name derives from the Latin 'tabula rasa', or clean slate. Starting from scratch will give him an advantage, he hopes, over manufacturing giants that are focussed on adapting petrol-driven models to run on hydrogen fuel. He also believes hydrogen has a clear advantage over electric batteries because it offers a much greater range. "A short-range car can be brilliant running on batteries, and we need them and there's a role for them," he said. "But if you want the sort of range to which we've become accustomed, of 300 miles (482 kilometres) or more, hydrogen is head and shoulders ahead in terms of the overall efficiency," he added. Rasa will begin advanced testing over the next few months, with paying customers including Monmouthshire District Council in south Wales, which has approved a hydrogen refuelling station in the town of Abergavenny. It is the only such site in the region, but recharging takes only a few minutes, compared with several hours for an electric battery. Hire-purchase The cars turn hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water, offering the advantages of electric cars—sharp acceleration, torque and quiet operation—with no pollutants emitted. Their environmental footprint is still a problem however, with the hydrogen mainly sourced from CO2-emitting natural gas. As electricity is increasingly made from renewable sources, there is hope this could be used to create hydrogen from water via electrolysis. Another problem is the vehicle's cost. Riversimple is trying to resolve that via a hire-purchase scheme that includes maintenance and fuel costs. The vehicle would still belong to Riversimple, giving it a stake in sustainability. "You pay for it monthly by direct debit and everything's all under one umbrella, which I think is fantastic," Jane Pratt, a member of Monmouthshire County Council, told AFP. "This is a much more sustainable method of having a car," she added. Spowers said he expected the total outlay to be competitive with that of a Volkswagen Golf. "Even though the car costs us more to build, because of these long revenue streams, and because our operating costs will be lower," the cost should even out, said Spowers, who plans to launch the Rasa in three years. The company looks set to benefit from the British government's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and specifically the goal announced a few days ago of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. British chemical giant Ineos and market leader Hyundai this week announced a partnership to develop hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and capitalise on the expected boom. Hyundai suggested it could supply its hydrogen fuel cell technology to equip the Ineos all-terrain model Grenadier.
       
      Full Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-uk-sole-hydrogen-car-maker.html
     
         
      France Pushes For Sanctions On Turkey As Mediterranean Gas Crisis Escalates Sat, 28th Nov 2020 12:00:00
     
      France's leading efforts to push for European sanctions on fellow NATO member Turkey has picked up steam, with Paris expected to propose the punitive action next month with the backing of Greece and Cyprus, but so far with lack of enthusiasm from other EU governments. It comes after the months-long standoff in the Eastern Mediterranean over Turkish hydrocarbon exploration and drilling, which France says is a violation of Cyprus and Greece's territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones. According to Reuters, "Paris says Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has not heeded EU leaders' warnings on Oct. 1 to back down in a dispute over gas exploration in the Mediterranean or face consequences." "The European Parliament on Thursday is expected to call for sanctions, decrying Erdogan’s visit earlier this month to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the island of Cyprus," Reuters continues. It's expected that the French sanctions would target shipping, banking, and energy sectors - all vital to Turkey's oil and gas exploration initiatives. Related: Why Iraq Isn’t Producing 10 Million Barrels Per Day Yet France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian issued a bit of an ultimatum at a French parliamentary hearing this week: "Confrontation or collaboration, it’s up to them," he said. But one unnamed EU diplomat cited in Reuters underscored that "Turkey is a key partner in many areas, so there’s no consensus in the Council (of EU governments). It is still too early" - which suggests a likely uphill battle before any European sanctions actually become a reality. France in the past months has gone so far as to join naval and aerial exercises with the Greek and Cypriot militaries in the Mediterranean as a "warning" to Turkey. However, Erdogan has appeared undeterred. By Zerohedge.com
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/France-Pushes-For-Sanctions-On-Turkey-As-Mediterranean-Gas-Crisis-Escalates.html
     
         
      RAY MASSEY: Hyundai's hydrogen-powered Nexo is so green it actually purifies polluted air... but at £65,495 will anyone buy it? Fri, 27th Nov 2020 21:50:00
     
      As Britain's motorists are forced by the Government into a future of electric cars charged from the mains, some experts are asking: should we be stepping on the gas instead? By that they mean hydrogen - the most abundant element in the universe. The question came into sharp focus this week when billionaire British tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe signed a landmark deal with Korean car giant Hyundai to produce zero-emission versions of his forthcoming new INEOS Grenadier 4x4 that will run off hydrogen-powered electricity. Many experts believe hydrogen fuel cells are the real green future: part of what might become 'a hydrogen economy' featuring cars, trucks, buses, planes and even homes. Fuel cell cars are effectively 'green' power stations on wheels. They have zero emissions as their only by-product is water. Remarkably, they also purify the surrounding air as they drive by filtering out harmful particulates. Fuel-cell champion Hyundai aims to leapfrog the battery-technology of electric cars. Its five-seater Nexo fuel cell is not cheap, from £65,495, but its 414-mile range beats most electric cars. It does rest to 62 mph in 9.54 seconds up to a top speed of 111 mph. A fuel cell car such as the Nexo doesn't burn hydrogen. Hydrogen from its high pressure fuel tank is used in a chemical reaction - reverse electrolysis - which takes place in a micro-thin membrane. The membrane acts as a catalyst for a reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen from the air, which generates electricity In a trial, a single Nexo purified 918.75kg of London air: the same amount one person breathes in 60 days. But not everyone is convinced. A recent report by Cambridge-based IDTechEx says battery technology is catching up on range and found that fuel-cell cars are 60 per cent more expensive to buy and three times as much to run. One hour of driving a NEXO will purify 25.9kg of air – enough for 42 people. Other hydrogen fuel-cell cars include Toyota's Mirai (with a sleek new second-generation version arriving in 2021) and Honda's Clarity. British-start up Riversimple uses hydrogen power which is also being explored by BMW and Daimler. Some commercial vehicles including buses, council van fleets, and police cars use fuel cells. UK firm ITM Power is creating a national network of hydrogen filling stations with those established already including Teddington, South West London, Cobham off the M25 in Surrey, Beaconsfield off the M40, Sheffield, Swindon, Slough, Gatwick, Birmingham, and Aberdeen. A five-minute fill-up will take you from London to Sheffield and back. Despite fears about lighter than air but highly explosive hydrogen – which created lift for the ill-fated Hindenburg airship which exploded in flames – backers insist it is safer than petrol as it does not 'pool' when spilt. Canny Sir Jim Ratcliffe's own refineries can produce and supply hydrogen to filling stations. He already produces 300,000 tons of hydrogen a year, mainly as a by-product from its chemical manufacturing operations. The Hyundai and INEOS deal came just days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a ban on new pure petrol and diesel cars by 2030, with some hybrids having a stay of execution until 2035. Nissan backs Sunderland plant American writer Mark Twain sent a telegram noting: 'Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.' Nissan must have been similarly tempted this week when a trade press gossip column in Germany claimed the Japanese company and its French partner Renault were about to announce they were closing their Sunderland plant over Brexit and quitting the UK. The reports were gleefully leapt on by arch-Remainers eager to exploit any Brexit Schadenfreude, and given wider circulation by the motor industry's Automotive News and the BBC. But with a Brexit deal deadline looming, Nissan, which has invested £400 million to produce the third-generation Qashqai in Britain from next year, said: 'These rumours are not true.' However, they did say a no- deal Brexit and resulting tariffs could threaten the plant's long-term sustainability. BMW has faced a furious global backlash over a social media ad that 'insults' the post-war Baby Boomer generation who are its core customers. The @BMW Twitter account for its new £85,000 flagship iX electric SUV, with BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, challenges readers: 'OK, Boomer. And what's your reason not to change?' But Richard Auckock, chairman of Britain's Guild of Motoring Writers, posted: 'Do you always talk to your customers like this? Outrageous.' BMW has apologised.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-8994741/RAY-MASSEY-Hyundais-hydrogen-powered-Nexo-purifies-polluted-air.html
     
         
      Replacing A Coal Plant Takes An Infinite Number Of Wind Turbines Fri, 27th Nov 2020 19:24:00
     
      Coal is going away. What will it take to replace all of the things it provides us with? An infinite number of wind turbines would be required to replace everything a coal plant gives us. If it was just the electricity, only 120 to 350 modern wind turbines would be required, but that’s just the start. These are averages and capacity factor-based. It’s an approximation. Capacity factor is the percentage of a year’s potential maximum generation that is actually achieved. If a generation unit could generate 100 MWh but actually generates 70 MWh — that’s a capacity factor of 70%. It’s based on a demand, market conditions, supply, maintenance, and the like. As coal plants are shutting down, they’ve also been dropping in capacity factor, and now have an average of under 50%. We’ll use 50% as our capacity factor for coal. In 2016, there were 381 coal plants with just under 800 generating units. The average coal plant was running around 720 MW of capacity. We’ll use 720 MW of capacity for coal as the basis. 720 MW of capacity running 24/7/365 with a capacity factor of 50% would generate about 3.15 TWh of electricity in a year. The average capacity factor for modern wind turbines in the US is 41.9%. The average size of new wind turbines in the USA is 2.43 MW in capacity. The first question is how many wind turbines would be required to generated 3.15 TWh of electricity. 3.15 TWh divided by 2.43 MW capacity divided by 24 hours divided by 365 days divided by a capacity factor of 41.9% gives us about 353 wind turbines. So the first answer is that just over 350 wind turbines are required to replace a coal generation plant which likely has 2–3 generating units. That means that about 120–175 wind turbines are required to replace a single generating unit. So far, so good. But coal plants do more than provide electricity. What else do they provide, and can wind turbines provide that too? Let’s start with CO2, the primary greenhouse gas. Coal generation produces about a ton of CO2 per MWh of generation. That means that the 3.15 TWh of generated electricity from coal produced over 3 megatons of CO2. Wind energy doesn’t generate any CO2 from operation, but the full lifecycle of materials, manufacturing, distribution, construction, operations, and decommissioning does currently have a CO2 debt that must be divided by generated electricity. Lifecycle cost analyses shows that wind turbines produce 5–8.2 kg of CO2e per MWh. That’s 0.5% to 0.82% of the CO2 per MWh of coal. That suggests that to get the same CO2, we’d have to have 43,000 to 71,000 wind turbines. Using the same generation calculation, in order to get the same CO2 as from the coal, the wind turbines would generate 385–631 TWh. Gee, that kind of sucks, doesn’t it? So many wind turbines to create the same things coal does! But wait, there’s more. Coal generation also produces 84 kg of coal ash per MWh, so that coal plant produces about 265,000 tons of it a year. Wind generation doesn’t produce any coal ash, or indeed anything like it, so an infinite number of wind turbines would be required. Coal generation also produces about 2.4 kg of sulphur dioxide, a nasty air pollutant, per MWh, so that coal plant produces about 7,540 tons per year. Wind generation doesn’t produce any sulphur dioxide, so yet again, an infinite number of wind turbines would be required. Coal generation also produces just under a kilogram of nitrous oxide, another nasty air pollutant, per MWh, so about 3,000 tons of that per year. Another infinite number of wind turbines required. Coal generation also produces about 0.1 kg of particulate matter per MWh, so that’s another 315 tons of PM2.5 and PM10 particulates that clog lungs. Once again, an infinite number of wind turbines are required. Oh, wait, there’s more! Coal emits about 13 milligrams of mercury, a toxic heavy metal and bioaccumulator that causes insanity and organ failure, per MWh. That means that coal plant is pumping about 41 kg of mercury into the air every year too! Sadly, yet another case where wind turbines don’t emit any mercury, so another infinite number of them required. Coal generation produces half of all mercury emissions annually, so that’s a big loss. Finally, there’s background radiation. The majority of radiation from human sources that the average person is exposed to is from coal emissions as carbon-rich dirt with trace radioactive elements is burned. Once again, zero radiation from wind turbines, so an infinite number required. All that nets out to about 78 deaths due to air pollution and accidents from that one coal plant per year as the rate is estimated at 24.6 deaths per TWh. Meanwhile, wind energy has about 0.04 deaths per TWh, 615 times fewer. Once again, coal is clearly the leader by this metric. That means it would take about 217,000 wind turbines to kill as many people per year. Coal generation also produces about 2.4 kg of sulphur dioxide, a nasty air pollutant, per MWh, so that coal plant produces about 7,540 tons per year. Wind generation doesn’t produce any sulphur dioxide, so yet again, an infinite number of wind turbines would be required. Coal generation also produces just under a kilogram of nitrous oxide, another nasty air pollutant, per MWh, so about 3,000 tons of that per year. Another infinite number of wind turbines required. Coal generation also produces about 0.1 kg of particulate matter per MWh, so that’s another 315 tons of PM2.5 and PM10 particulates that clog lungs. Once again, an infinite number of wind turbines are required. Oh, wait, there’s more! Coal emits about 13 milligrams of mercury, a toxic heavy metal and bioaccumulator that causes insanity and organ failure, per MWh. That means that coal plant is pumping about 41 kg of mercury into the air every year too! Sadly, yet another case where wind turbines don’t emit any mercury, so another infinite number of them required. Coal generation produces half of all mercury emissions annually, so that’s a big loss. Finally, there’s background radiation. The majority of radiation from human sources that the average person is exposed to is from coal emissions as carbon-rich dirt with trace radioactive elements is burned. Once again, zero radiation from wind turbines, so an infinite number required. All that nets out to about 78 deaths due to air pollution and accidents from that one coal plant per year as the rate is estimated at 24.6 deaths per TWh. Meanwhile, wind energy has about 0.04 deaths per TWh, 615 times fewer. Once again, coal is clearly the leader by this metric. That means it would take about 217,000 wind turbines to kill as many people per year.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/27/replacing-a-coal-plant-takes-an-infinite-number-of-wind-turbines/
     
         
      China labels Australian coal as poor quality, 66 bulk carriers and more than 1,000 seafarers left stranded Thu, 26th Nov 2020 19:30:00
     
      China has labelled Australian coal as poor quality as hundreds of seafarers languish on stranded bulk carriers off the Chinese coastline, unable to offload their cargoes in the ongoing political spat between Beijing and Canberra. More than $500m worth of Australian coal is on ships anchored off Chinese ports, according to Bloomberg with data intelligence firm Kpler tracking about 5.7m tons of coal and approximately 1,000 seafarers on the 66 stranded vessels at anchorage in China, most of them off the northeast coast near the ports of Jingtang and Caofeidian. Canberra and Beijing have seen relations sour significantly this year with Australia leading the charge to investigate the origins of the coronavirus. China has slapped bans on a host of Australian products in response. In 2019, China’s global purchases of coal totalled $18.9bn, with almost 50% coming from Australia. The crew on board is like political hostages and slaves owned by charter and cargo owners China yesterday said imported coal had failed to meet local environmental standards. “In recent years Chinese customs have conducted risk monitoring assessments on the safety and quality of imported coal, and we found that many coal imports have failed to meet environmental standards,” a government spokesperson said in Beijing yesterday. Crew of one bulk carrier stuck at the Jingtang anchorage over the past five months issued a public letter on their plight this week. “The crew on board is like political hostages and slaves owned by charter and cargo owners. This is a violation of human rights. We are humans and have rights for our freedom,” the crew of the Knightship bulk carrier wrote in an urgent plea to resolve the political impasse. One winner from the Australian coal ban has been Russia. In the first 10 months of the year seaborne imports of Russian coal to China have leapt 40% year-on-year. However, Russia does not have the production capabilities to fill in for all of the potential missing Australian coal with brokers Braemar ACM suggesting recently this could translate to more long-haul trade from Canada and the US, as well as a likely increase in the flow of overland coal volumes into China from Mongolia.
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/china-labels-australian-coal-as-poor-quality-66-bulk-carriers-and-more-than-1000-seafarers-left-stranded/
     
         
      Address water scarcity ‘immediately and boldly’, urges UN agriculture agency chief Thu, 26th Nov 2020 18:34:00
     
      The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) flagship report, noted that available freshwater resources have declined globally by more than 20 per cent per person over the past two decades, underscoring the importance of producing more with less, especially in the agriculture sector – the world’s largest user of water. “With this report, FAO is sending a strong message: Water shortages and scarcity in agriculture must be addressed immediately and boldly if our pledge to achieve the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] is to be taken seriously”, emphasized FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in the foreword of the report. Paths for action From investing in water-harvesting and conservation in rainfed areas to rehabilitating and modernizing sustainable irrigation systems in irrigated areas, actions must be combined with best agronomic practices, the report stressed. These could involve adopting drought-tolerant crop varieties and improving water management tools – including effective water pricing and allocation, such as water rights and quotas – to ensure equitable and sustainable access. However, effective management strategy must start with water accounting and auditing. Mapping the SDG target Achieving the internationally agreed SDG pledges, including the zero hunger, “is still achievable”, maintains the SOFA report, but only by ensuring more productive and sustainable use of freshwater and rainwater in agriculture, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of global water withdrawals. Against the backdrop that FAO oversees the SDG indicator that measures human activities on natural freshwater resources, the report offers the first spatially disaggregated representation of how things stand today. Meshed with historical drought frequency data, this provides a more holistic assessment of water constraints in food production. SOFA reveals that some 11 per cent of the world’s rainfed cropland faces frequent drought, as does about 14 per cent of pastureland. Did you know? Total water withdrawals per capita are highest in Central Asia. In least developed countries, 74 per cent of rural people do not have access to safe drinking water. While 91 countries have national rural drinking water plans, only nine have implementation funds. Around 41 per cent of global irrigation impacts the environmental flow requirements that are essential for life-supporting ecosystems. Biofuels require 70 to 400 times more water than do the fossil fuels they replace. As important sources of water vapor for downwind areas, forests such as in the Amazon, Congo and Yangtze river basins are crucial to rainfed agriculture. Meanwhile, more than 60 per cent of irrigated cropland is water stressed and 11 countries, all in Northern Africa and Asia, need to urgently adopt sound water accounting, clear allocation, modern technologies and to shift to less thirsty crops. Water math Although “the inherent characteristics of water make it difficult to manage”, the SOFA report upholds that it “be recognized as an economic good that has a value and a price”. “At the same time, policy and governance support to ensure efficient, equitable and sustainable access for all is essential”. Noting that the rural poor can benefit substantially from irrigation, the report recommends that water management plans be “problem-focused and dynamic”. Despite that water markets selling water rights are relatively rare, SOFA says that when water accounting is well performed, rights well established and beneficiaries and managing institutions participating, regulated water markets can provide equitable allotments while promoting conservation.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1078592?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dc853a57fe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_27_01_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-dc853a57fe-107499886
     
         
      British coal plants fired up to meet temporary electricity shortfall Thu, 26th Nov 2020 15:07:00
     
      Remaining UK coal plants, including Drax, supply 6% of grid’s electricity to cover power supply drop and colder weather Britain has fired up some of its last remaining coal power plants to help keep the lights on as the country’s wind turbines slow over a few days and the demand for electricity rises. Three of the UK’s last coal power plants, operating at Drax, West Burton, and Ratcliffe, were called on to supply 6% of electricity on Thursday morning. Coal’s share of the electricity mix was roughly double the share of wind and solar power in the electricity mix, and six times the average contribution made by coal plants in the final months of last year. The coal plants are likely to keep running over the next few days, alongside a fleet of gas-fired power plants, before breezy weather returns to help meet the rising demand for electricity from renewable energy sources. The electricity system operator said that the UK still had enough electricity to meet demand, but the cushion of extra power supplies was lower than usual “owing to a number of factors” including “varying renewable generation levels and colder temperatures”. It is the third time in recent weeks that National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO) has warned that energy supplies are under pressure. Tom Edwards, an energy analyst at Cornwall Insight, said the supply squeeze had caused market prices for electricity generated in the early evening, when electricity demand typically spikes, to climb to over £313 per megawatt hours (MWh). He said that renewable electricity was in relatively short supply in western Europe too, meaning the UK would need to keep running its coal plants while exporting power to France and to the Netherlands via cable interconnectors. The UK is poised for a multi-billion pound boom in renewable energy in the next 10 years, alongside big investments in energy storage technology and nuclear power to help cut fossil fuels from the energy system. SSE and the Norwegian energy firm Equinor on Thursday gave the green light to the first two phases of the world’s largest offshore windfarm, at Dogger Bank, after completing the financing for the £3bn project. The Dogger Bank windfarm is also one of the most cost competitive offshore windfarms in the world after driving its costs down to record lows of between £39.65/MWh and £41.61/MWh in the government’s support contract auction last year. Orsted, the offshore wind power company, and Shell, have agreed to buy the electricity generated by Dogger Bank when it starts operations in the middle of the decade. Orsted will take a 40% share of the electricity generated, and Shell a 20% share.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/26/british-coal-plants-fired-up-to-meet-temporary-electricity-shortfall
     
         
      Lorde urges climate action ahead of new book on Antarctica trip Thu, 26th Nov 2020 4:20:00
     
      New Zealand singer says Donald Trump, Great Thunberg and California wildfires spurred her to visit before it turns ‘to slush’ The singer Lorde has written an impassioned entreaty for the world to face the climate emergency head-on after visiting Antarctica. Lorde said Donald Trump, California wildfires and the advocacy of Greta Thunberg spurred her to “head south” in a bid to visit the frozen continent before it turned “to slush”. In addition to the essay for Metro magazine, Lorde will be releasing a book called Going South – her first – about the journey, with the proceeds directed towards funding a PhD student to study climate change in Antarctica. She said: “The heated global discourse around climate change was coming to a furious, bubbling head. The Trump administration had the previous year announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris agreement. In August, Swedish 15-year-old Greta Thunberg painted her simple sign and, taking a seat outside her nation’s parliament, mobilised a generation of passionate youths desperate for climate-protecting law reform. “That summer, while our skin burned, my friends and I sat on beaches reading The Uninhabitable Earth. “I envisioned Antarctica slowly turning to slush, flooding the Southern ocean. The urgency I had once felt about making the trip south returned. I made phone call after phone call, got several dozen booster shots, and then it was happening – this dreamy musician was hitching a ride to the end of the world.” 'Everything is different': Lorde to delay album release after death of pet dog Read more During her five-day trip Lorde interviewed scientists and climate experts, and became increasingly conflicted about her visit and whether she was participating in “last-chance tourism”. “It can’t be tamed, or domesticated, or possessed. Antarctica is not your mother. It’s not going to cushion your fall. “Being in Antarctica isn’t always fun, exactly. It’s thrilling and spiritually intense, but as the days go on, I find it hard to shake the thought that I really shouldn’t be here. It’s so clearly not an environment fit for humans to inhabit. The sheer effort it takes me to stay alive for five days while the continent does its best to expel me is exhausting. “Being in Antarctica has clarified how deeply vulnerable, how in need of protection, it is. But it took coming here for that knowledge to galvanise – and in coming here, I have also been a small part of its deterioration.” Lorde has said that the trip served as a “palette cleanser” and “inspiration” for her upcoming album as the continent presents a kind of alternative reality. “That’s the thing about Antarctica: this harsh environment feels eternal, but is dangerously vulnerable; it is vitally important to the future of civilisation, yet essentially uninhabitable, and for most people, impenetrable. “My eyes never adjust to the flat whiteness or the gnarly mirage duplicating the mountains over and over on the horizon. There’s often an eerie lack of sound – no whisper of breeze, nothing for it to blow through.” According to climate scientists, Antarctica has been one of the fastest-changing places on Earth in the past 30 years, with its centre warming over three times more rapidly than the rest of the world. In February the continent logged its hottest temperature on record, with an Argentinian research station thermometer reading 18.3C, exceeding the previous record by 0.8C. Antarctica’s peninsula – the area that points towards South America – is one of the fastest-warming places on earth, heating by almost 3C over the past 50 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/26/lorde-urges-climate-action-ahead-of-new-book-on-antarctica-trip
     
         
      NI Water to plant one million trees on its estate Wed, 25th Nov 2020 21:19:00
     
      Northern Ireland Water has announced plans to plant one million trees on its estate and hopes to complete the work within a decade. All the trees will be native species and most will be deciduous broadleaves. It will contribute to an executive proposal to plant 18 million trees over the next 10 years. Environment Minister Edwin Poots attended the launch in the Mournes, where the first planting will take place. From January 2021 almost 15,000 trees will be planted on land bordering NI Water's Fofanny Dam and water treatment works outside Hilltown. Northern Ireland is one of the least wooded areas in Europe, with about 8% tree cover. 'Right tree in the right place' A further 25,000 will be planted next to the Dunore Water Treatment Works on the shores of Lough Neagh in County Antrim. The work will be done under the guidance of the Woodland Trust. Its chief executive, Ian McCurley, said the idea was to plant the "right tree in the right place" for carbon sequestration and to improve biodiversity. Environmental impact assessments will be done on every site where planting is planned. NI Water's Alistair Jinks said as the second biggest landowner in Northern Ireland the utility believed it could help with progress on climate action. Another 220,000 trees will be planted in a second phase by March 2022 subject to funding approval with the rest in subsequent years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55078860
     
         
      Spending review 'undermines UK green vision' Wed, 25th Nov 2020 21:15:00
     
      The UK chancellor's Spending Review has been accused of undermining the prime minister’s “green” vision by pushing ahead with a £27bn roads programme. After several speeches in which Boris Johnson pledged to rescue the economy by “building back greener”, Rishi Sunak’s speech on Wednesday barely mentioned the climate. He said he was pursuing the nation’s priorities. Mr Sunak put detailed numbers on the PM’s recent green technology plan. But he offered no increase on the £12bn Mr Johnson says the government has mobilised to tackle climate change – even though the sum is much less than what’s been agreed in France, Germany and others. Environment groups are most angry at the roads programme. The chancellor said it would ease congestion, improve commute times and “keep travel arteries open.” It was essential, he said, because people are shunning public transport during the Covid-19 pandemic. Campaigners said it would attract more traffic and increase emissions, when the PM says they should be falling. Friends of the Earth’s Mike Childs said: "He (Mr Sunak) has completely undermined the Prime Minister. "With billions of pounds earmarked for a climate-wrecking road-building programme and inadequate funding for home insulation, eco-heating, buses and cycling this strategy falls woefully short. "We need to head off the climate emergency. Ministers must ensure every major development is in line with meeting the net zero target." The union boss Manuel Cortes general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) accused the government of “abandoning all pretence of ambition over decarbonisation”. He said: “The Spending Review was a moment to unleash the green economic revolution, but Sunak failed. "Instead of grasping the nettle and resetting our country on an economic course based around green jobs and investment – we had barely a mention on the climate crisis we face.” But Ian Taylor, from the campaign group, Alliance of British Drivers, told BBC News: "We're glad they appear to have stuck to the roads programme. We don't object to spending on the railways and underground as well as roads, but the road network is a necessary part of infrastructure on which the economy depends." There was, though, a hint that the government’s appetite for further road-building may be on the wane. Road builders have been planning to spend £90bn in the long-term on new tarmac – but the document has not embraced that figure. Several environmentalists, meanwhile, applauded the chancellor for setting up an infrastructure bank to fund new projects such as offshore wind farms. Kate Levick, from the think tank E3G, said: “It can play a transformative role in leveraging private sector investment into the green industrial revolution. It must also be given full banking powers, an independent remit, and the capital needed to drive our green recovery.” Her colleague, Pedro Guertler, was less complimentary about the absence of any new commitment to tackle what many see as the UK’s biggest carbon challenge – refurbishing our buildings. He said: “The chancellor has confirmed vital extra funding for greening buildings next year but missed the opportunity to set out multi-year funding which is so desperately needed to give the supply chain the confidence to invest.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55077760
     
         
      Germany's Energiewende, 20 Years Later Wed, 25th Nov 2020 20:00:00
     
      In 2000, Germany launched a deliberately targeted program to decarbonize its primary energy supply, a plan more ambitious than anything seen anywhere else. The policy, called the Energiewende, is rooted in Germany’s naturalistic and romantic tradition, reflected in the rise of the Green Party and, more recently, in public opposition to nuclear electricity generation. These attitudes are not shared by the country’s two large neighbors: France built the world’s leading nuclear industrial complex with hardly any opposition, and Poland is content burning its coal. The policy worked through the government subsidization of renewable electricity generated with photovoltaic cells and wind turbines and by burning fuels produced by the fermentation of crops and agricultural waste. It was accelerated in 2011 when Japan’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima led the German government to order that all its nuclear power plants be shut down by 2022. During the past two decades, the Energiewende has been praised as an innovative miracle that will inexorably lead to a completely green Germany and criticized as an expensive, poorly coordinated overreach. I will merely present the facts. The initiative has been expensive, and it has made a major difference. In 2000, 6.6 percent of Germany’s electricity came from renewable sources; in 2019, the share reached 41.1 percent. In 2000, Germany had an installed capacity of 121 gigawatts and it generated 577 terawatt-hours, which is 54 percent as much as it theoretically could have done (that is, 54 percent was its capacity factor). In 2019, the country produced just 5 percent more (607 TWh), but its installed capacity was 80 percent higher (218.1 GW) because it now had two generating systems. The new system, using intermittent power from wind and solar, accounted for 110 GW, nearly 50 percent of all installed capacity in 2019, but operated with a capacity factor of just 20 percent. (That included a mere 10 percent for solar, which is hardly surprising, given that large parts of the country are as cloudy as Seattle.) The old system stood alongside it, almost intact, retaining nearly 85 percent of net generating capacity in 2019. Germany needs to keep the old system in order to meet demand on cloudy and calm days and to produce nearly half of total demand. In consequence, the capacity factor of this sector is also low. It costs Germany a great deal to maintain such an excess of installed power. The average cost of electricity for German households has doubled since 2000. By 2019, households had to pay 34 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 22 cents per kilowatt-hour in France and 13 cents in the United States. We can measure just how far the Energiewende has pushed Germany toward the ultimate goal of decarbonization. In 2000, the country derived nearly 84 percent of its total primary energy from fossil fuels; this share fell to about 78 percent in 2019. If continued, this rate of decline would leave fossil fuels still providing nearly 70 percent of the country’s primary energy supply in 2050. Meanwhile, during the same 20-year period, the United States reduced the share of fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption from 85.7 percent to 80 percent, cutting almost exactly as much as Germany did. The conclusion is as surprising as it is indisputable. Without anything like the expensive, target-mandated Energiewende, the United States has decarbonized at least as fast as Germany, the supposed poster child of emerging greenness.
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/germanys-energiewende-20-years-later
     
         
      Hydrogen Solaris buses go to Sweden Wed, 25th Nov 2020 19:38:00
     
      The Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen bus has won yet another client. Operator Transdev has signed a contract with Solaris Bus & Coach to supply two hydrogen buses The Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen bus has won yet another client. Operator Transdev has signed a contract with Solaris Bus & Coach to supply two hydrogen buses. The vehicles will roll out onto the streets of the Swedish city of Sandviken in autumn 2021. Transdev signing the contract with Solaris for the supply of two hydrogen buses is a result of the region’s long-term transport strategy. Sandviken is a nearly 25,000 strong town located in the Swedish region of Gävleborg, which has lately been betting on eco-friendly solutions. “Gävleborg is seizing the initiative regarding the green transition. It is being underlined both at a national and European level that hydrogen is crucial in the transition to electrified transport, and Gävleborg, with its local and regional firms, can boast particularly favourable conditions in this regard. The green transition must proceed much faster than it is now, so it is obvious that we will spur its development and test this technology”, says Eva Lindberg, chairwoman of the District Council for the region of Gävleborg. “It is amazing to be able to implement this new technology in Sandviken. The buses will offer even more travel comfort to passengers and will contribute to cleaner air and lower noise levels throughout the town. This is also a step forward for the whole region of Gävleborg”, says Johnny Struwe, fleet manager at Transdev Sverige AB. The Urbino 12 hydrogen buses that will soon run on these Swedish streets are quiet and emission-free vehicles fuelled with power generated by 70 kW fuel cell. They will be driven by an axle with electric motors. Besides that, the ordered vehicles will be fitted with Solaris High Power battery acting as an additional electric power storage facility. In hydrogen buses, electric power is generated via reverse electrolysis and then transferred directly to the driveline. The sole by-products of the chemical reaction taking place in the fuel cell are heat and steam. Hence, the vehicles are environmentally friendly and do not release any noxious exhaust fumes into the atmosphere. As for hydrogen storage technology, the Urbino 12 hydrogen bus features cutting-edge solutions. The hydrogen is stored in gaseous form in five tanks, mounted on the bus roof, boasting a total capacity of 1560 l. The ordered vehicles can accommodate 85 people. Passengers will be able to board through doors arranged in a 2-2-0 layout. Air conditioning, CCTV cameras, and a modern passenger information system will ensure the safety of travellers. Passengers will be able to recharge their mobile phones using USB ports and use wireless Internet on board. For persons with reduced mobility, a wheelchair bay is envisaged. In addition, the buses will be fitted with the so-called Scandinavian package, i.e. additional equipment and thermal insulation elements, specifically designed so that the bus can face low temperatures and ensure the travel comfort of passengers and the driver even in the coldest of winters. “Solaris has been committed to e-mobile solutions for many years now, focussing on the future of public transport. The first electric bus made by Solaris was delivered to Sweden back in 2014. Now we deliver the first hydrogen bus. We feel honoured that the region of Gävleborg and operator Transdev have trusted our experience and opted for Solaris solutions. This order is an important and strategic breakthrough in the implementation of the latest generation of electric buses of the future”, says Klaus Hansen, Managing Director of Solaris Sverige AB. The ordered Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses will be the first hydrogen buses to be operated by Swedish public transport. However, e-buses made by Solaris have wended their way through Sweden’s streets for over 6 years now. The partnership between Solaris and Swedish operators dates back to 2003. Since then, Solaris has supplied its customers in Sweden with over 600 vehicles, the vast majority of which are low- or emission-free vehicles. SOURCE: Solaris
       
      Full Article: https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/hydrogen-solaris-buses-go-to-sweden/#:~:text=yet%20another%20client.-,Operator%20Transdev%20has%20signed%20a%20contract%20with%20Solaris%20Bus%20%26%20Coach,of%20Sandviken%20in%20autumn%202021.&text=This%20is%
     
         
      How sunshine can make the railways greener Wed, 25th Nov 2020 14:17:00
     
      A solar farm plugged directly into the rail network is just one way that the railways are using solar energy to power trains. A film for People Fixing the World by Richard Kenny.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-55044198
     
         
      Biden cabinet: Inner circle get key posts as John Kerry named climate envoy Tue, 24th Nov 2020 23:15:00
     
      Former US Secretary of State John Kerry will act as "climate tsar" when US President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Mr Kerry was one of several people named for top positions by the Biden transition team on Monday. Other key picks include Avril Haines as the first woman to lead intelligence, and long-time Biden aide Antony Blinken as secretary of state - the most important foreign policy position. It comes as calls are growing for Donald Trump to concede the election. He has made unsubstantiated claims of widespread electoral fraud and is continuing to pursue legal challenges over the result. Mr Biden is projected to beat President Trump by 306 votes to 232 when the US electoral college meets to formally confirm the winner on 14 December. This is far above the 270 votes he needs. In a statement following the announcement on Monday, Mr Biden said: "I need a team ready on day one to help me reclaim America's seat at the head of the table, rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face, and advance our security, prosperity, and values. This is the crux of that team." Some of the positions require confirmation in the US Senate. Several key roles are yet to be officially announced. Economist and former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen is reported to be Mr Biden's pick to lead the treasury department. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to hold the position in US history. The president-elect previously said he had chosen someone for the role who would "be accepted by all elements of the Democratic Party". What will John Kerry do? Mr Kerry was chosen for the role of special presidential envoy for climate. The Biden transition team said the position would see him "fight climate change full-time". He is also set to be the first official dedicated to climate change to sit on the National Security Council. Mr Kerry signed the Paris climate agreement on behalf of the US in 2016. The deal committed countries to working to limit the rise in global temperature. Under Mr Trump, the US this month became the first country to formally withdraw from the agreement. But Mr Biden has said he plans to rejoin the accord as soon as possible. Under the rules, all that is required is a month's notice and the US should be back in the fold. Mr Kerry tweeted: "America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is. I'm proud to partner with the President-elect, our allies, and the young leaders of the climate movement to take on this crisis as the President's Climate Envoy." Covid pandemic has little impact on rise in CO2 Mr Kerry previously served as secretary of state during Barack Obama's second term as president. A veteran Democratic politician, he lost to incumbent Republican George W Bush in the 2004 presidential election. He was a senator for 28 years and chairman of the foreign relations committee. He endorsed Mr Biden to be the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2020 race and joined him on the campaign trail. What about the other roles? Mr Blinken was nominated as secretary of state. The 58-year-old is a long-time adviser to the president-elect. He was deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration, in which Mr Biden served as vice-president. He is expected to manage a Biden foreign policy agenda that will emphasise re-engaging with Western allies. Avril Haines was nominated director of national intelligence. Ms Haines is a former deputy director of the CIA and deputy national security adviser. The Biden transition team said Alejandro Mayorkas was the first Latino and immigrant nominated to serve as secretary of homeland security. He previously served as deputy secretary of homeland security under President Obama. Jake Sullivan was named White House national security adviser. Mr Sullivan served as Mr Biden's national security adviser during Mr Obama's second term. In a tweet following the announcement, he said Mr Biden had "taught me what it takes to safeguard our national security at the highest levels of our government". Long-time diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated US ambassador to the UN. She also served under President Obama, including as assistant secretary of state for African affairs between 2013 and 2017. Biden projects stability and familiarity In his choice of a national security team, Joe Biden has signalled that the US is resuming its conventional international role, after four turbulent years of Donald Trump's America First. He's appointing Obama administration veterans to top positions and elevating a long-serving career diplomat sidelined by the Trump administration. His pick for secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, is an advocate of global alliances. Mr Blinken will lead the charge to re-establish ties with allies and rejoin agreements and institutions rejected by Trump. And there's no doubt that he'll be speaking for the man in the White House: Mr Blinken has advised Biden on foreign policy for so long he's been described as an alter ego. Another familiar face is former Secretary of State John Kerry. The president-elect's decision to give him a new cabinet-level position as climate envoy shows he's treating the issue as a significant national security threat. But even with the old team this is not going to be Obama 2.0: the landscape has shifted in both America and the world during the last four years. Still, Mr Biden is projecting stability and familiarity, and international leaders know what they will be getting What about the calls for Trump to concede? President Trump is continuing to refuse to concede and facilitate a smooth presidential transition. He has been pursuing so-far fruitless legal challenges in several states to try to overturn his loss, but calls are growing for him to accept defeat. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a prominent Trump ally, called the president's legal team a "national embarrassment". "I have been a supporter of the president's. I voted for him twice. But elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something happened here that didn't happen," he told ABC. How is President Trump challenging the result? 'Overvoting' and other US fraud claims fact-checked High-profile Trump supporter Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of investment company Blackstone, also said it was time for Mr Trump to accept he lost. "Like many in the business community, I am ready to help President-elect Biden and his team as they confront the significant challenges of rebuilding our post-Covid economy," he said in a statement reported by US media. Maryland's Republican Governor Larry Hogan told CNN that the Trump camp's continued efforts to overturn the election results were "beginning to look like we're a banana republic". Some Republican lawmakers have also moved to acknowledge Mr Trump's defeat in the election. What's the latest with the challenges? The Trump campaign has lost a slew of lawsuits contesting results from the election, and its latest efforts focus on stopping the swing states that handed Mr Biden his win certifying the results - an essential step for the Democrat to be formally declared victor. The president's latest legal setback came on Saturday when a judge dismissed his attempt to have millions of postal votes in Pennsylvania invalidated. In a scathing ruling, Judge Matthew Brann said his court had been presented with "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations". The move paves the way for Pennsylvania to certify Mr Biden's win. However, the Trump campaign is appealing against the ruling.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55046714
     
         
      Sheikh Mohammed opens third phase of park bearing his name Tue, 24th Nov 2020 20:09:00
     
      The latest 800 MW of the 5 GW solar field to go live takes Dubai past its 2020 clean energy target of 7% by ensuring 9% of the emirate’s power comes from clean sources, according to the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority. The massive project has more than 1 GW of operational capacity with a further 1.85 GW of solar and CSP in the pipeline The Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA) today announced the official inauguration of the 800 MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park – by the man himself. UAE prime minister and vice president Sheikh Mohammed visited the site to open the third phase and take its operational capacity to 1,013 MW. The ruler of Dubai also had a tour of the fourth phase of the site, which is under construction and involves 700 MW of concentrating solar power generation capacity plus 250 MW of conventional photovoltaic panels. The opening of the third phase of the giant park at Saih Al-Dahal, south of Dubai, means the emirate now obtains 9% of its electricity from clean energy sources, exceeding the emirati target of attaining 7% this year en route to a hoped-for 75%-clean-energy mix in Dubai by mid century. The latest slice of operational capacity at a solar park which is set to stretch to 5 GW by 2030 has been under construction by French energy firm EDF since 2017 and is being jointly developed by DEWA and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. The source of numerous world record-low solar energy prices, the huge development has been described as the world's largest single-site solar park with DEWA labelling the phase currently being built the world's largest single-site investment project and adding, it will feature the world's tallest solar power tower, at 262.44m. Phase three of the project was developed at a cost of AED3.47 billion ($945 million), according to DEWA, and Phase IV, which is expected to start coming online from the third quarter of next year, has a price tag of AED15.78 billion. In September, Saudi utility ACWA Power – which already holds the tender for Phase IV – announced it had closed financing for the 900 MW fifth phase of the solar park for $564 million. pv magazine reported in February last year the fifth phase of the solar field would be commissioned by the end of June 2021. The AED50 billion ($13.6 billion), 5 GW mega project is intended to help the UAE towards its target of sourcing half its energy from clean sources by mid century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/24/sheikh-mohammed-opens-third-phase-of-park-bearing-his-name/
     
         
      Petition puts Midsomer Norton gas power plant on hold Tue, 24th Nov 2020 14:25:00
     
      Plans for a gas power plant in Midsomer Norton have been put on hold after 1,700 people signed a petition. Bath and North East Somerset Council used delegated powers to allow the scheme in May, meaning councillors did not vote on the decision. The plans were approved despite dozens of local objections and sparked outcry from opposition members. Conrad Energy said its project would "provide flexible power to balance the local electricity network". Cabinet members promised a review of the way the decision had been made, saying it "flew in the face" of the council declaring a climate emergency. More than 1,700 people have signed a petition urging Conrad Energy to rethink its plans and switch to a more sustainable, low carbon alternative. The applicant has now agreed to put the application on hold until the spring. Reducing carbon footprint Chris Shears from Conrad Energy said: "We have taken on board the feedback from councillors and from local residents and will work in partnership with the community to develop a solution in Midsomer Norton that works for everybody." The Liberal Democrat administration said the ward's Conservative and independent councillors could have called the application in to the planning committee but "chose not to do so". However, the Conservatives dismissed the claim as "nonsense", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). Councillor Sarah Warren, cabinet member for climate emergency, said: "I am delighted that Conrad is considering greener business models that will support us in reducing our carbon footprint, as part of our plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2030."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-55062297
     
         
      Isle of Man 'pay as you go' charging points rolled out Tue, 24th Nov 2020 14:23:00
     
      A "pay as you go" system for using public electric vehicle charging points is being rolled out on the Isle of Man. Government-owned Manx Utilities (MU) is currently replacing its 37 charging points with updated stations that allow payments via an app. The cost was previously subsidised by the environment department to encourage the initial uptake of the transport. There are currently about 400 electric vehicles registered on the island. Users will now be charged 19p per kWh, which equates to a cost of about 5p per mile - 10p cheaper than the costs associated with petrol or diesel cars. Plans to introduce a payment system for using the stations were announced in March, but the roll-out was held-up by the coronavirus pandemic. The planned introduction of a £14 road tax charge for the vehicles, which had been due to come into force in April, was not brought forward. Plans are in place for an additional two points in Castletown and four in Ramsey, which will see the island meet the EU target of one publically available charging point per 10 vehicles, and the Douglas Promenade refurbishment project will see another 30 put in place. Plans for a rapid charge point at the Sea Terminal have also been submitted. MU chairman Tim Baker MHK said the increase in charging points was "imperative" in order to "support those moving to cleaner transport choices".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-55062097
     
         
      Spending Review: Will the Treasury go green? Tue, 24th Nov 2020 14:21:00
     
      Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his 10-point plan to create jobs and cut carbon emissions. It included investment in wind and solar power, carbon capture, hydrogen and nuclear. But here’s a question – as Mr Johnson is driving emissions down, is his chancellor preparing to drive them back up? It’s a key issue as the PM strives for green credibility as he prepares the ground for the climate summit he’ll host this time next year. So far his plans have raised only two cheers. Campaigners starved of positive climate news applauded his 10-point approach to driving down emissions across society - from cars, to industry, power generation and home heating. But they complained that the sum allotted was paltry – just £4bn - way lower than “green” measures imposed by France and Germany to create jobs while cutting emissions. A Downing Street source told me the Treasury’s spending review would not increase that figure. That’s bad news for people concerned about the climate – but here’s worse… The Treasury has long been planning a £27bn programme of road-building that will actually increase emissions by attracting more cars on to the roads. It’s part of a long-term £90bn roads investment that appears to run contrary to the wish of even the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for people to drive less to combat global heating. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has stated that his priority is creating jobs and getting the economy back on its feet. But recent analysis suggests that the labour-intensive task of insulating homes, which reduces emissions, creates at least four times more jobs than highly mechanised road building. Using government data, the think tank e3g calculated that every job created in highly-mechanised road building costs the taxpayer £250,000, whereas a job in home insulation costs £59,000. So, is Mr Sunak backing the PM’s stated “green” agenda – or is he making his own path? BBC News asked the Treasury if it has even calculated the amount of carbon that would be emitted as a result of its spending programme. So far, after many hours and phone calls, we’ve had no reply… not even a “no comment.” The pressure group WWF demanded greater transparency behind the decision-making. The group’s head, Tanya Steele, said: “We need the chancellor to live up to the ambition expressed (by Mr Johnson), through a spending review that tests every line of public spending to ensure it’s compatible with meeting our climate goals.” So far there’s no evidence that’s happening. And the absence of Treasury commitment would make the the PM's aspiration towards global leadership very difficult indeed. Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55066576
     
         
      AIR LIQUIDE TO PRODUCE BIOMETHANE IN ITALY Tue, 24th Nov 2020 6:35:00
     
      The company will also open a filling station in Italy for the supply of bio-LNG and bio-CNG. BY: JOE MURPHY France's Air Liquide has announced it will build its first two biomethane production units in collaboration
       
      Full Article: https://www.naturalgasworld.com/air-liquide-to-produce-biomethane-in-italy-83628
     
         
      UK government to subsidise onshore renewable energy projects Tue, 24th Nov 2020 0:01:00
     
      Energy companies will compete for contracts in auction at end of 2021 The government plans to double the amount of renewable energy it will subsidise next year after agreeing to include onshore wind and solar power projects for the first time since 2015. Energy companies will compete for subsidy contracts in a competitive auction to be held at the end of 2021, which could support up to 12GW of renewable energy, or enough clean electricity to charge up to 20m electric vehicles a year. The government expects the auction to be almost double the size of the last 5.8GW auction held in September 2019, in which offshore wind costs tumbled by a third to record lows, and believes it may deliver lower costs too. The next round will include three separate auctions for different renewable energy technologies to compete for a contract which guarantees a price for the clean electricity they generate. There will be one “pot” for offshore wind projects and another for less-established technologies including floating offshore windfarms, energy-from-waste plants and tidal stream projects. The third pot will allow onshore wind and solar farms to compete for a support contract for the first time in six years after the government agreed to drop its opposition to the projects earlier this year. Kwasi Kwarteng, the energy minister, said the new auction would build on the prime minister’s 10-point climate plan to move the UK towards its goal of ending its contribution to rising global carbon emissions by 2050. Boris Johnson’s climate plan includes growing Britain’s offshore windfarms four-fold to 40GW over the next decade, as well plans for green hydrogen and millions of electric vehicles on British roads, which will require a boom in renewable energy. Kwarteng credited the government’s support contracts, known as Contracts for Difference (CfDs) for making the UK “a world leader in clean energy” and added that the next CfD auction would “put us firmly on the path towards building a new, green industrial revolution”. Analysts at the consultancy firm Cornwall Energy said earlier this year that there could be projects totalling 13GW ready to vie for a contract in the next auction. These include 5.5GW of onshore wind and solar farms, 6GW of offshore wind power and the balance made up of more nascent renewable energy technologies. The analysts said this pipeline might change because many renewable energy developers were able to build their projects subsidy-free and might choose not to compete. In the last auction, the cost of offshore wind fell to a price of about £40 per megawatt hour, which is less than the price of electricity in the wholesale energy market and means that consumers will not need to pay extra to support the cost of the projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/24/uk-government-to-subsidise-onshore-renewable-energy-projects
     
         
      Climate change: Covid pandemic has little impact on rise in CO2 Mon, 23rd Nov 2020 23:24:00
     
      The global response to the Covid-19 crisis has had little impact on the continued rise in atmospheric concentrations of CO2, says the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This year carbon emissions have fallen dramatically due to lockdowns that have cut transport and industry severely. But this has only marginally slowed the overall rise in concentrations, the scientists say. The details are published in the WMO's annual greenhouse gas bulletin. This highlights the concentrations of warming gases in the atmosphere. The global response to the Covid-19 crisis has had little impact on the continued rise in atmospheric concentrations of CO2, says the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This year carbon emissions have fallen dramatically due to lockdowns that have cut transport and industry severely. But this has only marginally slowed the overall rise in concentrations, the scientists say. The details are published in the WMO's annual greenhouse gas bulletin. This highlights the concentrations of warming gases in the atmosphere. Preliminary estimates suggest that CO2 will continue to increase this year but that rise will be reduced by 0.08 to 0.23ppm. This falls within the 1ppm natural variability that occurs from year to year. "We breached the global threshold of 400 parts per million in 2015, and just four years later, we crossed 410 ppm, such a rate of increase has never been seen in the history of our records," said WMO secretary general, Prof Petteri Taalas. "The lockdown-related fall in emissions is just a tiny blip on the long-term graph. We need a sustained flattening of the curve," he said. While there isn't an overall figure for 2020 concentrations, individual monitoring stations show that the rise has continued this year despite the pandemic. Monthly average CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa in Hawaii - a key atmospheric monitoring station, where carbon dioxide data is gathered - were 411.29ppm in September 2020, up from 408.54 the previous year. Similarly, at Cape Grim in Tasmania, another key air pollution measurement station, September 2020 saw CO2 concentrations reach 410.8ppm - up from 408.58 in 2019. While there are no details of methane levels for 2020, concentrations of that gas also went up in 2019. Methane concentrations increased by more than the average over the past decade, although the increase was slightly lower than in previous years. More than half of the methane emitted comes from human activities such as raising cattle, growing rice and drilling for oil and gas. Concentrations of nitrous oxide grew by about the average of the past decade. Emissions come from agriculture, energy and waste management. This gas damages the ozone layer as well as contributing to global warming. While the Covid-19 pandemic hasn't slowed down the increase in concentrations of all these warming gases in the atmosphere, the decline in emissions in the early part of this year shows what's possible. "The Covid-19 pandemic is not a solution for climate change," said Prof Taalas. "However, it does provide us with a platform for more sustained and ambitious climate action to reduce emissions to net zero [balancing out any emissions by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere] through a complete transformation of our industrial, energy and transport systems. "The needed changes are economically affordable and technically possible and would affect our everyday life only marginally." Meteorologists expect CO2 levels to vary by 1ppm between years due to natural fluctuations in the climate - for reasons other than human releases of carbon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55018581
     
         
      Teck increases steelmaking coal sales to China Mon, 23rd Nov 2020 12:32:00
     
      Canada’s Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A TECK.B) (NYSE: TECK) announced that it has increased its steelmaking coal sales to China for Q4 2020 in response to increased demand. Teck said sales have been at higher pricing levels compared to markets outside China. Estimated total fourth-quarter sales remain within the company’s existing guidance of 5.8-6.2 million tonnes, with approximately 20% of these sales now to Chinese customers. SIGN UP FOR THE ENERGY DIGEST Pricing in China for Teck’s steelmaking coal started to increase around the middle of the current quarter when a large portion of overall sales was already concluded, the company said. Additional spot sales to China were concluded gradually as the price was rising and achieved an average premium in excess of $35 per tonne above Australian FOB spot pricing at the time each sale was concluded. Teck, the world’s second-largest seaborne coking coal miner, is seeing stronger-than-expected met coal demand in China, after authorities reportedly warned buyers to avoid Australian coal. In October, China suspended purchases of Australian coal as Beijing continued to tightly control imports of the fuel amid soured political relations with Canberra, after the capital called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. China reportedly told coal traders and users to stop imports from Australia with immediate effect in a move that would choke a major trade channel for both countries, a major escalation of political tensions between the pair. Teck said its contract sales to Chinese customers are also priced on the basis of CFR China price assessments. The most recent three cargos, it said, were sold at prices between $160/tonne and $165/tonne CFR China.
       
      Full Article: https://www.mining.com/teck-increases-steelmaking-coal-sales-to-china/
     
         
      Extinction Rebellion launches campaign of financial disobedience Mon, 23rd Nov 2020 11:00:00
     
      Group stages debt and tax strikes to expose ‘political economy’s complicity’ in ecological crisis Extinction Rebellion is launching a campaign of financial civil disobedience aimed at exposing the “political economy’s complicity” in the unfolding ecological crisis. The group – which has staged some of the UK’s biggest civil disobedience protests over the past two years – is turning its attention to what it says will be a sustained campaign of debt and tax strikes. It is also asking people to “redirect” loans from banks that finance fossil fuel projects to frontline organisations fighting for climate justice. Gail Bradbrook, a co-founder of XR, which was set up two years ago, said: “It’s time to tell the politicians who prop up this way of living: no more. We want an economy that grows health and wellbeing, not debt and carbon emissions. An economy that prepares and protects us from shocks to come, rather than making them worse. An economy that shares resources to meet all our needs, regardless of background. An economy that lets us live.” Organisers hope that in the coming months the “Money Rebellion” will involve thousands of people in the “redistributing debt” scheme and the debt strikes. XR says it also has a growing number of small businesses that are planning to divert a portion of their taxes to help fund investment into green, sustainable business models and initiatives rather than pay them to the government. Bradbrook said: “We need a grownup conversation about why our political economy is killing life on Earth.” XR says the Money Rebellion is the latest stage of its campaign centred around three demands – that the UK government tells the truth about the scale of the climate and ecological emergency, that if commits to zero carbon emissions by 2025 and that it agrees to a binding citizens’ assembly to devise policies to address the crisis. The group has held three major events since its launch, bringing motor traffic in parts of central London to a standstill. Organisers say that despite its success in raising awareness of the escalating climate crisis, the government has failed to respond appropriately.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/23/extinction-rebellion-launch-campaign-of-financial-disobedience
     
         
      Climate pledge on gas boilers for 2023 'vanishes' Sat, 21st Nov 2020 18:03:00
     
      The prime minister’s pledge to ban gas boilers from new homes by 2023 has been withdrawn. The promise first appeared on the Downing Street website this week attached to Mr Johnson’s climate plan. But the date was later amended, with the PM’s office claiming a “mix-up”. The original statement from Number 10 announced this goal; "2023 - Implement a Future Homes Standard for new homes, with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency.” That means no room for gas central heating, which is a major contributor to the emissions over-heating the climate. The latest version of the 10-point climate plan on the Number 10 website includes the line: "Homes built to Future Homes Standard will be ‘zero carbon ready’ and have 70-80% lower carbon emissions than those built to current standards." Crucially there’s no target attached to the new version of the policy - the 2023 date has disappeared. A Downing Street spokesperson told BBC News there had been a “mix-up”, saying: “The government wants to implement the measures under the Future Homes Standard in the shortest possible timeline. “We’ve consulted on introducing this by 2025 and will set out further details in due course.” But Andrew Warren from the British Energy Efficiency Federation said: “It’s unbelievable to think there would have been a ‘mix-up’ on a really important prime minister’s document like this. “Are we expected to believe they can't tell the difference between a 3 and a 5? Here we go again.” Mr Warren harked back to 2015, when the government was preparing to introduce a zero-carbon home standard. At the last minute, the home-builder Persimmon lobbied the Chancellor George Osborne to get the measure scrapped. Persimmon said the standard would make homes unaffordable, but engineers said better-insulated homes saved money on bills. If homes are well insulated they can also use low-energy electric heat pumps, which suck warmth from the surrounding ground or air – a bit like a fridge in reverse. Hydrogen will also be used to heat some low-carbon homes, although it’s expensive, so it’s not ideal for poorly insulated houses. Timeline 2011-12 Government agrees standards for zero-carbon new homes - and sets implementation date for 2016 2015 House-builder lobbies against standards, and government delays - with no suggestion of a new date 2019 Government announces consultation for Future Homes Standard, with a view to 2025 implementation date 2020 PM announces regulations will be brought forward to 2023 (from 2025). But the date soon disappears from website. Presentational white space Mr Warren added: “Some of the major house-builders simply don’t want to change the way they build homes. They have a plan for building and they want to stick with it.” A spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation rejected that. He said: "The industry is committed to deliver its carbon saving objectives as soon as can be realistically achieved. "The Future Homes Standard contains ambitious deadlines that pose enormous challenges for all parties involved including developers, suppliers, energy companies in terms of skills, design, energy infrastructure and the supply chain. "We will continue to engage to ensure requirements are realistic and deliverable - but any proposals to advance the timetables already set out (for 2025) would cause significant concern." A Persimmon spokesperson said it hadn't contacted the government to get the 2023 date removed. Joe Giddings from the Architects Climate Action Network told BBC News: "The industry needs to halve emissions by 2030. As such, the more ambitious timeline for 2023 was welcome - we called for this when the government ran its consultation earlier this year. “To see this ambition speedily retracted is frustrating and will set the industry back.” He said the 10-point plan should include not just emissions from heating and cooking, but also the emissions from building a new property. More and more architects are urging the government to reduce demolition and re-building to reduce construction emissions. Alan Whitehead MP, shadow minister for energy and the green new deal, said: "It's deeply worrying the Government is already rowing back on one of its key pledges and can't make its mind up on the future of home heating. "Boris Johnson's low-carbon 10-point plan is already falling to pieces within just days of being announced with one commitment mysteriously vanishing and government admitting that only £3bn of the funding is new."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55020558
     
         
      New rules for Arctic shipping 'a missed opportunity' Sat, 21st Nov 2020 18:01:00
     
      The International Maritime Organization has passed a series of restrictions on ships which use and transport heavy grade oils. It hopes these will help protect the lands, communities and wildlife of the Arctic. But the new rules include a series of waivers and exemptions for ships from Arctic coastal states. The decision has been condemned by environmentalists as a "massive missed opportunity". Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is widely used to power commercial ships. HFO's have been banned in Antarctic waters since 2011 over fears that oil spills could cause pollution. Dr Sian Prior, from the Clean Arctic Alliance, said the IMO and its member states "must take collective responsibility for failing to put in place true protection of the Arctic, indigenous communities and wildlife from the threat of heavy fuel oil". The IMO's plan "would allow 74% of HFO-fuelled ships to keep using HFO in the Arctic," said Dr Bryan Comer, from the International Council for Clean Transportation. "(It) would result in a reduction of HFO carried of just 30% and a cut in black carbon emissions of only 5%," he added. And John Maggs, senior policy advisor at Seas at Risk said: "A 'ban' that affects just a quarter of ships is not a ban at all." A coalition of green groups had proposed a much tougher set of restrictions but they were rejected by delegates. HFO produces emissions of harmful pollutants, including sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon. Furthermore, an accident which resulted in an HFO spill from a ship could wreak havoc on the Arctic's fragile ecosystem. Analysts say with the amount of sea ice reducing in the Arctic, more and more ships will use the Northern Sea Route. The new restrictions, which will come into force in July 2024, aim to reduce the number of ships that can use and transport HFO in the Arctic. But included are a whole string of exclusions and waivers for ships that carry the flag of the five central Arctic coastal countries (Russia, Norway, Denmark (Greenland), Canada and the US) until July 2029. Russia has the largest number of vessels in the Arctic area. It told IMO delegates that the NGO proposal was "irresponsible". Earlier this month, Norway announced its own proposed HFO ban from all the waters around the Arctic island archipelago of Svalbard. "This is yet another sad day for the Arctic," said Sigurd Enge, manager of Shipping, Marine and Arctic Issues, Bellona. "The Arctic environment is threatened from all sides, from climate change, toxic contamination, plastic pollution, oil exploration and other extractive industries. What the Arctic needs now is better protection and bold politicians."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55022257
     
         
      Global map of bees created in conservation first Fri, 20th Nov 2020 9:57:00
     
      Scientists have mapped the distribution of all 20,000 bee species on earth. The new global map of bees will help in the conservation of the insects we rely on to pollinate our crops, say researchers in Singapore and China. Bee populations are facing pressure from habitat loss and the use of pesticides. Yet little is known about the array of species living on every continent save Antarctica, ranging from tiny stingless bees to bees the size of a human thumb. Bees provide essential services to our ecosystems and are the major pollinators of many of our staple foods, said Dr Alice Hughes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan. Yet, until now, we have not had the data to show where on the planet most species are. "Here we combine millions of records to create the first maps of global bee richness, and understand why we see these patterns," she told BBC News. "These maps, and our framework, can then form the basis of future work, enabling us to better understand patterns of bee richness and ensure that they are effectively conserved into the future." Some bee populations, such as bumblebees in Europe and North America, are well studied. But in other regions, such as large parts of Asia and Africa, documentation has been sparse. While there remains a lot to learn about what drives bee diversity, the research team hopes their work will help in the conservation of bees as global pollinators. Dr John Ascher of the National University of Singapore said by establishing a reliable baseline we can characterise bee declines and "distinguish areas less suitable for bees from areas where bees should thrive but have been reduced by threats such as pesticides, loss of natural habitat, and overgrazing". Facts about bees There are over 16,000 known bee species in seven recognised families. Some species, such as honeybees, bumblebees and stingless bees, live in colonies, while others are solitary insects Although some groups, such as bumblebees, are well studied, the vast majority, more than 96% of bee species are poorly documented Many crops, especially in developing countries, rely on native bee species, not honey bees, How was the map made? To create their map, the researchers compared data about the occurrence of individual bee species with a checklist of over 20,000 species compiled by Dr Ascher. This gave a clearer picture of how the many species of bees are distributed around the world. The study has confirmed that unlike other creatures, such as birds and mammals, more bee species are found in dry, temperate areas away from the poles than in tropical environments nearer the equator. There are more in the Northern Hemisphere than the Southern, with hotspots in parts of the US, Africa and the Middle East. There are far fewer bee species in forests and jungles than in desert environments because trees tend to provide fewer sources of food for bees than plants and flowers. Why do we need to keep track of insect populations? The reported plunge in some insect populations has caused alarm, with calls for better monitoring. The sheer number of insect species on the planet - upwards of 900,000 - makes this is a monumental task, with millions of specimens awaiting identification in museums. Insects are often overlooked in global assessments of biodiversity, in favour of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The research is published in the journal Current Biology. Follow Helen on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55006902
     
         
      Oxford Zero Emission Zone: Final consultation launched Fri, 20th Nov 2020 9:54:00
     
      A final consultation on making Oxford a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) has been launched. Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council are asking for feedback after a previous consultation was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the plan non-zero emission vehicles using the zones between 07:00 and 19:00 will be subject to charges. Tom Hayes, the city council's deputy leader, said emissions standards "will be the toughest possible". A pilot is due to start on Bonn Square, Queen Street, Cornmarket, part of Market Street, Ship Street, St Michael's Street, New Inn Hall Street, and Shoe Lane in the summer, in the so-called "red zone". A wider ZEZ covering the rest of the city centre will be introduced in spring 2022. Discounts have been proposed for residents and business vehicles, as well as Blue Badge holders, for the first few years. Mr Hayes, who is also cabinet member for green transport, said: "The city has joined together in recent years to develop this ZEZ scheme and we hope for the largest number of responses to our final consultation." Analysis: Bethan Nimmo, BBC Oxford political reporter This is being billed as the first "true" zero emission zone in the world. But you will still be able to drive into the zone in a petrol or diesel car - you'll just have to pay for the privilege. That's led to previous criticisms that it's not really a zero emission zone. Both councils involved here insist it is, and that it will make a real difference to air quality. Initially it will only cover a few streets, with plans to roll it out to the rest of the city centre in 2022. There's also an ambition to implement this across the whole of Oxford in 2030. Taking this scheme together with plans for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and new bus gates, it's set to get a lot more difficult, and costly, to drive a private car into the city in the next few years. Yvonne Constance, the county council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "Tackling air pollution and climate change is a great priority for us." She said people could "look forward to a city that will be a healthier and cleaner place for all". The responses to the consultation will be reported to the councils' cabinets in March. Both councils are also preparing a separate business case to make Oxford Britain's "first all-electric bus town" with the Department for Transport. Prime minister Boris Johnson recently announced that new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-55002053
     
         
      Climate pledge on gas boilers for 2023 'vanishes' Fri, 20th Nov 2020 9:50:00
     
      The prime minister’s pledge to ban gas boilers from new homes by 2023 has been withdrawn. The promise first appeared on the Downing Street website this week attached to Mr Johnson’s climate plan. But the date was later amended, with the PM’s office claiming a “mix-up”. The original statement from Number 10 announced this goal; "2023 - Implement a Future Homes Standard for new homes, with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency.” That means no room for gas central heating, which is a major contributor to the emissions over-heating the climate. The latest version of the 10-point climate plan on the Number 10 website includes the line: "Homes built to Future Homes Standard will be ‘zero carbon ready’ and have 70-80% lower carbon emissions than those built to current standards." Crucially there’s no target attached to the new version of the policy - the 2023 date has disappeared. A Downing Street spokesperson told BBC News there had been a “mix-up”, saying: “The government wants to implement the measures under the Future Homes Standard in the shortest possible timeline. “We’ve consulted on introducing this by 2025 and will set out further details in due course.” But Andrew Warren from the British Energy Efficiency Federation said: “It’s unbelievable to think there would have been a ‘mix-up’ on a really important prime minister’s document like this. “Are we expected to believe they can't tell the difference between a 3 and a 5? Here we go again.” Mr Warren harked back to 2015, when the government was preparing to introduce a zero-carbon home standard. At the last minute, the home-builder Persimmon lobbied the Chancellor George Osborne to get the measure scrapped. Persimmon said the standard would make homes unaffordable, but engineers said better-insulated homes saved money on bills. If homes are well insulated they can also use low-energy electric heat pumps, which suck warmth from the surrounding ground or air – a bit like a fridge in reverse. Hydrogen will also be used to heat some low-carbon homes, although it’s expensive, so it’s not ideal for poorly insulated houses. Presentational white space Timeline 2011-12 Government agrees standards for zero-carbon new homes - and sets implementation date for 2016 2015 House-builder lobbies against standards, and government delays - with no suggestion of a new date 2019 Government announces consultation for Future Homes Standard, with a view to 2025 implementation date 2020 PM announces regulations will be brought forward to 2023 (from 2025). But the date soon disappears from website. Mr Warren added: “Some of the major house-builders simply don’t want to change the way they build homes. They have a plan for building and they want to stick with it.” A spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation rejected that. He said: "The industry is committed to deliver its carbon saving objectives as soon as can be realistically achieved. "The Future Homes Standard contains ambitious deadlines that pose enormous challenges for all parties involved including developers, suppliers, energy companies in terms of skills, design, energy infrastructure and the supply chain. "We will continue to engage to ensure requirements are realistic and deliverable - but any proposals to advance the timetables already set out (for 2025) would cause significant concern." A Persimmon spokesperson said it hadn't contacted the government to get the 2023 date removed. Joe Giddings from the Architects Climate Action Network told BBC News: "The industry needs to halve emissions by 2030. As such, the more ambitious timeline for 2023 was welcome - we called for this when the government ran its consultation earlier this year. “To see this ambition speedily retracted is frustrating and will set the industry back.” He said the 10-point plan should include not just emissions from heating and cooking, but also the emissions from building a new property. More and more architects are urging the government to reduce demolition and re-building to reduce construction emissions. Alan Whitehead MP, shadow minister for energy and the green new deal, said: "It's deeply worrying the Government is already rowing back on one of its key pledges and can't make its mind up on the future of home heating. "Boris Johnson's low-carbon 10-point plan is already falling to pieces within just days of being announced with one commitment mysteriously vanishing and government admitting that only £3bn of the funding is new." Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55020558
     
         
      Satellite will track the steady rise of the oceans Fri, 20th Nov 2020 9:47:00
     
      Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will become the primary means of measuring the shape of the world's oceans. Its data will track not only sea-level rise but reveal how the great mass of waters are moving around the globe. It's equipped with a radar altimeter. This instrument sends down a microwave pulse to the surface and then counts the time it takes to receive the return signal, converting this into an elevation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-55025194
     
         
      New rules for Arctic shipping 'a missed opportunity' Fri, 20th Nov 2020 9:40:00
     
      The International Maritime Organization has passed a series of restrictions on ships which use and transport heavy grade oils. It hopes these will help protect the lands, communities and wildlife of the Arctic. But the new rules include a series of waivers and exemptions for ships from Arctic coastal states. The decision has been condemned by environmentalists as a "massive missed opportunity". Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is widely used to power commercial ships. HFO's have been banned in Antarctic waters since 2011 over fears that oil spills could cause pollution. Dr Sian Prior, from the Clean Arctic Alliance, said the IMO and its member states "must take collective responsibility for failing to put in place true protection of the Arctic, indigenous communities and wildlife from the threat of heavy fuel oil". Summit aims for clean-up of shipping industry Small steps taken to make shipping greener The IMO's plan "would allow 74% of HFO-fuelled ships to keep using HFO in the Arctic," said Dr Bryan Comer, from the International Council for Clean Transportation. "(It) would result in a reduction of HFO carried of just 30% and a cut in black carbon emissions of only 5%," he added. And John Maggs, senior policy advisor at Seas at Risk said: "A 'ban' that affects just a quarter of ships is not a ban at all." A coalition of green groups had proposed a much tougher set of restrictions but they were rejected by delegates. HFO produces emissions of harmful pollutants, including sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon. Furthermore, an accident which resulted in an HFO spill from a ship could wreak havoc on the Arctic's fragile ecosystem. Analysts say with the amount of sea ice reducing in the Arctic, more and more ships will use the Northern Sea Route. The new restrictions, which will come into force in July 2024, aim to reduce the number of ships that can use and transport HFO in the Arctic. But included are a whole string of exclusions and waivers for ships that carry the flag of the five central Arctic coastal countries (Russia, Norway, Denmark (Greenland), Canada and the US) until July 2029. Russia has the largest number of vessels in the Arctic area. It told IMO delegates that the NGO proposal was "irresponsible". Earlier this month, Norway announced its own proposed HFO ban from all the waters around the Arctic island archipelago of Svalbard. "This is yet another sad day for the Arctic," said Sigurd Enge, manager of Shipping, Marine and Arctic Issues, Bellona. "The Arctic environment is threatened from all sides, from climate change, toxic contamination, plastic pollution, oil exploration and other extractive industries. What the Arctic needs now is better protection and bold politicians."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55022257
     
         
      Climate change: Can sending fewer emails really save the planet? Thu, 19th Nov 2020 11:00:00
     
      Are you the type of person who always says thank you? Well, if it's by email, you should stop, according to UK officials looking at ways to save the environment. The Financial Times reports that we may all soon be encouraged to send one fewer email a day, cutting out "useless" one-line messages - such as "thanks". Doing so "would save a lot of carbon", one official involved in next year's COP26 climate summit in Glasgow said. But would it really make a huge difference? Most people tend to think of the internet as a cloud that exists outside their computing hardware. But the reality is when you send an email - or anything else - it goes along a chain of energy-burning electronics. Your wi-fi router sends the signal along wires to the local exchange - the green box on the street corner - and from there to a telecoms company, and from there to huge data centres operated by the tech giants. Each of those runs on electricity, and it all adds up. But a single email's effect on such massive infrastructure is tiny. Are my emails a big environmental problem? The Financial Times report says the officials promoting this idea referred to a press release from renewable electricity firm Ovo Energy from one year ago. It claimed that if every British person sent one fewer thank you email a day, it would save 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year, equivalent to tens of thousands of flights to Europe. The problem, however, is that even if the sums involved roughly worked out, it would still be a splash in the pond. The UK's annual greenhouse gas emissions were 435.2 million tonnes in 2019 - so the amount in question here is about 0.0037% of the national picture. And that's if every single British person reduced their email output. Mike Berners-Lee, a respected professor on the topic whose research was used in the Ovo Energy work, told the Financial Times it was based on "back-of-the-envelope" maths from 2010 - and while useful to start conversations, there were bigger questions. On top of that, the estimate of how much carbon an email generates "takes into account absolutely everything involved", according to Chris Preist, professor of sustainability and computer systems at the University of Bristol. It tries to include the energy used by servers, your home wi-fi, your laptop - even a very small share of the carbon emitted to construct the data centre buildings. "The reality is that a lot of the system will still have impact, whether or not the email is sent," Prof Preist explains. "Your laptop will still be on, your wi-fi will still be on, your home internet connection will still be on, the wider network will still use roughly the same amount of energy even with a reduction in volume. "There will be a small saving in the data centre hosting the email, particularly if it allows them to use a few less servers. But the carbon saved will be far far less than 1g per email." What can make a difference? Rather than worrying about relatively low-impact emails, some researchers suggest we should turn our attention to services such as game and video-streaming and cloud storage which have a much larger effect. But the topic is immensely complicated, and there is a debate about how estimates should be calculated - and who should be responsible for it. Big tech firms such as Google, for example, are already proudly carbon-neutral: they pay subsidies for environmental projects to offset the carbon they burn providing your emails - and other services like YouTube. "What really makes a difference is buying less kit, and keeping it for longer," Prof Preist explains. "But even this is small fry compared with your travel, heating your home, and what you eat." He said consumers should focus their "eco-guilt" on things that make a difference - and not sweat the small stuff. "That is the job of the companies providing the services, who should be designing their systems to deliver services in as energy and resource efficient way as possible." His advice on email etiquette and thank you messages? "Send an email if you feel that the other person will value it, and don't if they won't," he said. "The biggest 'waste' both from an environmental and personal point of view will be the use of time by both of you."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55002423
     
         
      Climate change: Aberystwyth elephant grass research could help unlock greener energy Thu, 19th Nov 2020 10:51:00
     
      Researchers in Wales have helped unlock the DNA of a plant that could have a key role in fighting climate change. The scientists from Aberystwyth University were part of a global team to sequence the genome of miscanthus, known as elephant grass. Native to Africa and South Asia, it grows up to 10ft (3m) and can be used as biomass to generate electricity. Unlocking the genome means varieties better suited to other climates and uses can be developed more quickly. This could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Currently only one hybrid type of miscanthus is grown and used in the UK for combustion for low-carbon electricity generation. But the versatile plant could replace fossil fuels in many other applications, including in home insulation and the manufacture of vehicles. 'Secrets of the genome' Kerrie Farrar, a member of the research team from Aberystwyth University, said they were very excited to finally have the miscanthus genome. "It's a very large grass, and the genome is also very large and complex so it's been a long time coming and a big collaborative effort to sequence the genome," she said. "Unlocking the secrets of the genome means that we can accelerate the development of new varieties with enhanced productivity that will contribute to tackling climate change." The team have been forced to minimise their celebrations because of the pandemic. "There might have been a better celebration if it hadn't been for Covid," said Dr Farrar. "Usually we all get together in January in a big conference in San Diego, but that won't be happening, so unfortunately the timing for celebration isn't ideal, but we're all happy anyway."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54990548
     
         
      COP26: Frustrated by delay, young activists stage virtual Mock COP Thu, 19th Nov 2020 10:47:00
     
      Hundreds of young environmental activists from around the world are meeting virtually to call for greater action on climate change. With the international climate talks that were due to be held in Glasgow this year delayed until November 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, young people have decided to create their own. Unlike the UN summit, COP26, the youth-led Mock COP is not based anywhere physical. Workshops and talks are being hosted virtually across multiple time zones, reducing carbon emissions by 1,500 times that of previous COP events, according to organisers. From Thursday until 1 December, more than 350 young environmental activists from 150 countries will hold discussions and hear from a range of climate experts to produce a final statement of demands. The aim? For countries to consider adopting them into law. 'We are the leaders of today' Co-organiser Dom Jaramillo, 21, from Ecuador, says the event was born of frustration at the postponement of climate talks. Dozens of world leaders will attend the summit between 1 and 12 November next year - in the most important round of talks since the global Paris Agreement to tackle climate change in 2015. "We decided we had to do something because we are in a climate emergency," she told BBC News. "We want to raise ambitions and show world leaders how a COP should be run. We are not the leaders of the future. We are the leaders of today," Dom added. Business Secretary Alok Sharma, who is president of COP26, will speak on the first day of Mock COP. He says the event will further show "the appetite that exists across the world for governments and organisations to take ambitious climate action". Low-carbon talks Josh Tregale, 18, from the UK, decided to defer his place at university to get more involved with environmental work. He says he wants to set an example for how COP could be run in a low-carbon way. "At a normal COP summit, delegates fly in from around the world. They can emit more than 50,000 tonnes of CO2 - whereas ours will emit around 39 tonnes of CO2," he said. "If each year those carbon savings were made by government meetings that could have a huge impact." Diversity Mock COP organisers say they want to address complaints about a lack of diversity in the climate movement and fears that countries most affected by climate change are not being heard. They have given countries from the Global South more young delegates and speaking time than richer countries. Dom says the Global South - which refers broadly to areas in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania which would previously have been described as developing countries - needs greater representation in climate talks. "We feel voiceless because we are the most affected," she said. Growing up on a banana farm in Ecuador, she says she has seen the impact of climate change firsthand. "We didn't have enough water, our soil was deteriorating. We are really worried about what is happening. I'm worried about my future," she said. Research suggests that Africa is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns. Hundreds of millions of people depend on rainfall to grow their food. In Zambia, where young activist David Watson Mwabila lives, temperatures are predicted to rise by 5C or more. David is concerned that these changes could lead to malnutrition. "Climate change is going to make it difficult for us to grow food. As a result, it would directly contribute to malnutrition and stunted growth in children," he said. "Keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C is very unlikely because the current political climate is too hostile. We need to work together as a global village taking decisive steps to combating climate change." How it will work? For Josh, this is an important moment to raise ambitions for COP26 next year. "We can show world leaders that young people can do more than just protest, we can come up with ideas and put things in place as well," he said. The delegates will work with scientists and environmental law charity ClientEarth to produce a final statement of demands that could be developed into a legal treaty for countries to consider adopting into law. It is thought one of the demands will call for young people to be included in each country's delegation at COP26.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54990281
     
         
      What is climate change: a guide to its causes, effects and solutions Wed, 18th Nov 2020 14:05:00
     
      Climate change is happening right now, as you’re reading this. It’s a crisis that affects our whole planet and everyone on it. We stand at a crucial moment in history – and there’s still time to do something about it. This is our opportunity. Let’s grab it! But first things first... What’s the difference between climate change and global warming? A very good question. These terms are often used interchangeably, but in fact are quite different: Climate change refers to both human and naturally-produced warming, and the effects it has on our planet. It’s a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates. Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s climate system observed since the pre-industrial period due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning. So what is the greenhouse effect? When sunlight hits the earth, about 30% of solar energy is reflected back into space. The other 70% gets absorbed by our oceans and land, which also radiate heat into the atmosphere. There are naturally-occurring greenhouse gases in our atmosphere ? such as carbon dioxide. These gases absorb the heat and radiate it back out again, like tiny microscopic heaters ? acting as a blanket, keeping the earth warm. This is known as ‘the greenhouse effect’. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth's average surface temperature would be -18°C. Pretty chilly! Instead, today it’s a rather pleasant 15°C. That means greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) make life on Earth possible. If carbon dioxide isn’t all bad, what’s the problem? Well, the issue is how much carbon is being released into our atmosphere ? and how fast. This has upset the delicate balance of what we call the earth’s ‘carbon cycle’. Carbon takes many different forms as it moves between plants, animals, soil, oceans, and the air, via processes like photosynthesis and respiration. Nature keeps everything in balance, by taking carbon dioxide out of the air, thanks to the trees and the plants. The water in the oceans dissolves carbon dioxide too. This is our natural carbon cycle ? and it's one which exists in a state of dynamic equilibrium. So many processes on the planet are constantly rebalancing the amount of carbon. It’s nature's way of recycling carbon atoms, using them again and again to become all kinds of things. Learn the difference between "carbon neutral", "zero carbon", and "net zero" by reading our useful guide. Causes of climate change For thousands of years, the Earth’s carbon cycle was perfectly balanced, and the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stayed almost the same. In fact, the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere was stable for 800,000 years! But then, in the late 18th century, the Industrial Revolution happened and carbon levels began to climb. Since then, they’ve risen over 40%1. We know that it’s humans who are causing this. And it’s mainly down to us burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. When these are burned they release a lot of energy. That’s why humans have used them to power modern society. But they also release lots of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And we’re burning them more and more, causing carbon dioxide concentrations to increase 100 times faster than the natural rate. Half of all the carbon emissions released since 1751 have occurred in the past 30 years! We’re also responsible for two other causes of climate change: Agriculture – large-scale farming releases large amounts of nitrous oxide and methane, two powerful GHGs. Methane is released by livestock when they pass wind – which they can do a lot – and also by their manure. And widespread use of fertiliser has resulted in a dramatic rise in nitrous oxide, the third most potent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and methane. Deforestation – trees are nature’s best way of absorbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere. But farming is causing vast deforestation. Not only does cutting down trees mean less absorption, but they also release the carbon they’ve absorbed when they're removed. Double the reason to not chop down our carbon-munching friends. Climate change: the facts It’s difficult to ignore the scientific facts, no matter what climate-deniers say. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up in 1988 to give objective scientific information on climate change, its causes, impacts, future risks, and possible solutions. Since then they’ve written several reports, all with the same conclusion: “climate change is real and human activities are the main cause.” The world has already warmed by 1°C since pre-Industrial times – and that’s down to human activity. If this carries on, the temperature would pass 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052. Why is 1.5 degrees celsius so important? Scientists tell us that the global temperature rise must be kept below 1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Even a rise of above just 2 degrees would have catastrophic consequences. The 1.5°C target could: Prevent small island states and coastal areas and cities from being swallowed by the ocean. (Sea levels are expected to rise 10cm higher this century under 2°C of warming. That could expose an extra 10 million people to impacts like flooding, and saltwater getting into their fields and drinking-water). Help millions of people avoid the disasters of extreme weather, such as drought, hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. Limit the chances of an ice-free Arctic in the Summer. A rise of 2°C would virtually wipe out coral reefs, compared to a 70-90% decline at 1.5°C. Stop loss of biodiversity: out of 105,000 species studied, the rate doubles between 1.5 and 2°C of warming. An estimated 1.5 - 2.5 million square kilometres more permafrost would thaw this century with 2°C of warming, compared to 1.5°C (that’s the equivalent to the size of Mexico). Thawing permafrost also releases methane, a toxic greenhouse gas, and the vicious circle continues. How hot can it get?´ A leading scientist at Carnegie Institute for Science, Dr Ken Caldeira, says that if emissions continue without check as they have been, “there is a 93% chance that global warming will exceed 4 degrees celsius by the end of this century”. The IPCC’s ‘worse-case scenario’ even goes as far to say that 5°C could be reached. Which really is game over for planet Earth as we know it. What are the effects of global climate change? Mother Earth has seen plenty of fluctuations between tropical climates and ice ages throughout her 4.5-billion-year history. But Earth’s average temperature is now rising unnaturally. There are serious environmental and social knock-on effects – including changing weather patterns, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and mass migration. The higher the temperature increase, the worse the impact on the planet. All this is bad news. But we must remember, Earth will survive, as it always has. The physical impacts mentioned above only seriously affect everyone living on the Earth, not the Earth itself. It’s humans (and animals) who can’t adapt quickly enough. Mother Earth will still be turning long after we’ve caused our own extinction. A sobering thought. Extreme weather events As the Earth heats up, ice caps melt, sea levels rise and rainfall increases. In turn, these cause extremes in weather – from floods, hurricanes and cyclones, to heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. Here are just a few global examples of how climate change is affecting our weather: UK – flooding 2019 and 2020 saw many rivers reach their highest levels on record, causing devastating floods across England and Wales. Floods are made more likely by extreme weather patterns linked to long-term climate change. And when vegetation is cleared, those changes in land cover also increase the risk of flooding. Read our complete guide to protecting your home against flooding and extreme weather Western Europe – heatwaves It’s official. On average, the world’s temperature has risen by about 1°C since pre-industrial times. It doesn’t sound like much, but we’re feeling the heat. The 10 years to the end of 2019 have actually been the hottest decade on record, with temperatures above 40°C in Belgium and the Netherlands, for the first time ever. Experts say these extreme heatwaves are now 10 times more likely to happen, all because of the climate crisis. California – wildfires A dangerous combination of heatwaves, dry vegetation, and more lightning strikes has caused years of ferocious, lethal wildfires in California. Scientists say the situation has been made far worse by climate change. Central America – hurricanes Scientific analysis tells us that hurricanes have become stronger worldwide over the past 4 decades. Climate change is making these storms even more destructive. Health risks The 4 pillars of good health are clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food and shelter. All of these are affected by climate change, as well as causing rising infection rates from diseases and viruses: Spread of pests and diseases – deforestation creates favourable conditions for mosquitoes, so malaria, dengue fever and zika are on the rise. For example, in Ethiopia, areas troubled by malaria have grown since the climate has warmed up. 40 years ago, you wouldn’t find a single case of malaria in the highlands. But, today, outbreaks there are common. This is because climate change has made it hotter at night, allowing malaria-infected mosquitoes to live at altitudes where they couldn’t survive before. The risk of pandemics such as Covid-19 and bird flu is much higher, due to wild places being destroyed for farming and trade. And that brings humans into contact with unknown dangerous microbes. Lack of fresh, clean water – caused by droughts. And ironically, heavy rainfall can cause cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks, due to water sources getting contaminated. Reduced food supply/agricultural yields – extreme weather destroys crops. This leads to a huge impact on the global food supply, leading to malnutrition and even starvation. For example, parts of Africa are facing long droughts that damage food crops. In Zimbabwe, for several years, the rainy season has been getting later and shorter, ruining the traditional farming cycle. In 2019, the harvest was catastrophic for the second year running, with up to 70% of crops lost. The World Food Programme says that 60% of Zimbabwe's 15 million people are now in danger of going hungry. Lack of shelter – caused by storms, hurricanes and droughts. For example, there are over a million displaced climate refugees in Somalia, forced from their homes by drought in the past few years. “Many remain in a protracted state of displacement,” says the United Nations Refugee Agency3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates around 250,000 deaths will be caused by climate-sensitive diseases between 2030 and 2050. Impact on the ocean Did you know that over 70 percent of the world’s surface is ocean? As explained above, the ocean naturally absorbs the heat of the sun, and also some emissions. But with the unnaturally-quick rise in carbon emissions and temperatures caused by us, there are dangerous knock-on effects: Rising sea levels. With the speed Arctic ice is melting, by 2100 the ocean could have risen one to four feet. This could mean catastrophic flooding in low-lying and coastal areas, affecting 190 million people. Major cities such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai and Sydney would be affected. Rising ocean temperatures. Water expands as it warms, also contributing to flooding. Warmer oceans also cause coral bleaching and irreversible damage to underwater ecosystems. Ocean acidification. Scientists reckon around a quarter to a third of the carbon we emit is absorbed by the ocean. This makes the ocean more acidic, causing a devastating impact on marine life. Ocean warming causes red algae blooms, which kill fish and animals, and can also cause illness in humans. Released toxic gas. Thawing ice in the Arctic releases vast quantities of methane, a toxic GHG, adding to the greenhouse effect. Danger to ecosystems Due to climate change, wildlife tries to adapt in a few different ways. This includes changing migration patterns and seasonal behaviour. In turn, these shifts have effects through entire ecosystems, impacting biodiversity. It’s estimated that a quarter of mammals, a fifth of reptiles, a sixth of birds, and a third of marine life are heading towards total extinction. Take, for instance, the Asian elephant. Lower rainfall and higher temperatures are damaging its habitat. There are a number of reasons why these elephants are vulnerable to a changing climate. They’re sensitive to high temperatures. They’re also prone to disease, so they’re easily affected by altered disease patterns caused by the climate crisis. The plants they like to eat are also being driven out by invasive species, which have taken over with changing conditions. The result? Falling birth rates for a species already in danger of dying out. Can we slow down climate change? This is a critical decade for action on climate change. It's not too late. We have a chance to take action and prevent the worst impacts of climate change. If we act now, climate change can be slowed, or even paused – to an extent. Though even this would require dramatic action everywhere, by everyone, right now. It's also important to know how much damage is being done to the environment through food waste. It creates 6 times the carbon emissions as global aviation! Find out more about how food waste is damaging the environment and what we can do to stop it in our new blog. What is being done to combat climate change? In 2015 in Paris, all 195 members of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change made the momentous agreement to keep global temperatures well below 2°C. By 2018, UN scientists revealed what a huge difference it would make to keep temperatures at 1.5°C (see above). Following the Paris Agreement, the United Kingdom became the first country to commit to net zero by 2050. Then suddenly, in 2020, a flurry of countries followed suit, including Japan, South Korea and most importantly, China. The world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide now aims to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060. With the election of Joe Biden came a promise to reverse President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and also be net zero by 2050. This means the economies producing more than half of the global carbon emissions have publicly made this critical pledge. Because of these pivotal promises, fossil fuel is fast becoming a dirty word and change is being seen the world over: Fossil fuel divestment (meaning the opposite of investing in fossil fuels) Legal cases being brought against fossil fuel companies/governments Renewable energy becoming cheaper than fossil fuels Businesses driving an innovative ‘circular’, rather than linear, economy (stopping waste and keeping resources in use as long as possible) Veganism on the rise Of course, the point is that climate change can’t be solved by just one person or group – everyone needs to take up the cause. Governments, businesses, investors and individuals. So let’s change the way we live, move towards zero carbon living, and encourage others to do the same. What can I do to help stop climate change? We all know about that 15-year-old girl who one day took a stand outside Swedish Parliament and became a globally-recognised environmental activist. Her Fridays for the Future movement mobilised over 13 million people across 7,500 cities worldwide. We can’t all be a Greta Thunberg. But we can make small, simple shifts in our everyday lives to reduce our carbon footprint and help stop climate change. Reducing carbon emissions and using green energy is the way forward – so how do you go about it?
       
      Full Article: https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/what-is-climate-change.html
     
         
      What is climate change? A really simple guide Wed, 18th Nov 2020 12:35:00
     
      While Covid-19 has shaken much of human society, the threat posed by global warming has not gone away. Human activities have increased carbon dioxide emissions, driving up temperatures. Extreme weather and melting polar ice are among the possible effects. What is climate change? The Earth's average temperature is about 15C but has been much higher and lower in the past. There are natural fluctuations in the climate but scientists say temperatures are now rising faster than at many other times. This is linked to the greenhouse effect, which describes how the Earth's atmosphere traps some of the Sun's energy. Solar energy radiating back to space from the Earth's surface is absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-emitted in all directions. This heats both the lower atmosphere and the surface of the planet. Without this effect, the Earth would be about 30C colder and hostile to life. Scientists believe we are adding to the natural greenhouse effect, with gases released from industry and agriculture trapping more energy and increasing the temperature. This is known as climate change or global warming. What are greenhouse gases? The greenhouse gas with the greatest impact on warming is water vapour. But it remains in the atmosphere for only a few days. Carbon dioxide (CO2), however, persists for much longer. It would take hundreds of years for a return to pre-industrial levels and only so much can be soaked up by natural reservoirs such as the oceans. Most man-made emissions of CO2 come from burning fossil fuels. When carbon-absorbing forests are cut down and left to rot, or burned, that stored carbon is released, contributing to global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution began in about 1750, CO2 levels have risen more than 30%. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years. Other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also released through human activities but they are less abundant than carbon dioxide. What is the evidence for warming? The world is about one degree Celsius warmer than before widespread industrialisation, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It says the past five years, 2015–2019, were the warmest on record. Across the globe, the average sea level increased by 3.6mm per year between 2005 and 2015. Most of this change was because water increases in volume as it heats up. However, melting ice is now thought to be the main reason for rising sea levels. Most glaciers in temperate regions of the world are retreating. And satellite records show a dramatic decline in Arctic sea-ice since 1979. The Greenland Ice Sheet has experienced record melting in recent years. Warmth shatters section of Greenland ice shelf Satellite data also shows the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing mass. A recent study indicated East Antarctica may also have started to lose mass. The effects of a changing climate can also be seen in vegetation and land animals. These include earlier flowering and fruiting times for plants and changes in the territories of animals. How much will temperatures rise in future? The change in the global surface temperature between 1850 and the end of the 21st Century is likely to exceed 1.5C, most simulations suggest. The WMO says that if the current warming trend continues, temperatures could rise 3-5C by the end of this century. Temperature rises of 2C had long been regarded as the gateway to dangerous warming. More recently, scientists and policymakers have argued that limiting temperature rises to 1.5C is safer. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2018 suggested that keeping to the 1.5C target would require "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society". The UN is leading a political effort to stabilise greenhouse-gas emissions. China emits more CO2 than any other country. It is followed by the US and the European Union member states, although emissions per person are much greater there. But even if we now cut greenhouse-gas emissions dramatically, scientists say the effects will continue. Large bodies of water and ice can take hundreds of years to respond to changes in temperature. And it takes CO2 decades to be removed from the atmosphere. How will climate change affect us? There is uncertainty about how great the impact of a changing climate will be. It could cause fresh water shortages, dramatically alter our ability to produce food, and increase the number of deaths from floods, storms and heatwaves. This is because climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events - though linking any single event to global warming is complicated. As the world warms, more water evaporates, leading to more moisture in the air. This means many areas will experience more intense rainfall - and in some places snowfall. But the risk of drought in inland areas during hot summers will increase. More flooding is expected from storms and rising sea levels. But there are likely to be very strong regional variations in these patterns. Vietnam's children and the fear of climate change Would you give up beef to help the planet? Poorer countries, which are least equipped to deal with rapid change, could suffer the most. Plant and animal extinctions are predicted as habitats change faster than species can adapt. And the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the health of millions could be threatened by increases in malaria, water-borne disease and malnutrition. As more CO2 is released into the atmosphere, uptake of the gas by the oceans increases, causing the water to become more acidic. This could pose major problems for coral reefs. Global warming will cause further changes that are likely to create further heating. This includes the release of large quantities of methane as permafrost - frozen soil found mainly at high latitudes - melts. Responding to climate change will be one of the biggest challenges we face this century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772
     
         
      Climate change: Warmer winters linked to increased drowning risk Wed, 18th Nov 2020 10:40:00
     
      Winter activities on ice are becoming increasingly dangerous as the world warms, scientists say. When researchers looked at data on drowning accidents in largely frozen lakes or rivers, they saw a "strong correlation" to rising temperatures. They found that deaths from drowning were five times higher when warmer weather made the ice thinner and weaker. Children aged under nine years and younger adults were most at risk. World's last-known white giraffe fitted with GPS Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 Small steps taken to make shipping greener For indigenous peoples in many northern regions of the world, livelihoods often depend on access to frozen lakes in winter for hunting, fishing and travel. In countries like the US, Canada and Russia, winter leisure activities such as skating or tobogganing on ice are also hugely popular. But as the world warms, winter ice is becoming less stable and scientists believe it poses a greater threat of accidental drowning. Canadian researchers looked at data on 4,000 drowning events in 10 countries over three decades since the 1990s. They found that higher temperatures were a good predictor of the number of deaths by drowning. "We can confidently say that there is a quite a strong correlation between warmer winter air temperatures and more winter drownings," said study leader Sapna Sharma, from York University in Toronto, Canada. "Almost half of the winter drownings were associated with warmer temperatures." The researchers collated data from official sources including coroner's offices. They were able to compare these figures to longstanding records from lakes showing when ice formed and melted each winter. Canada and the US had the highest number of drownings related to ice, an issue that was particularly acute among indigenous communities further north. The use of snowmobiles on lakes was associated with many of the lake fatalities. One of the saddest aspects of the study was the fact that many of the victims were very young. "We found that almost half of those drowned in Minnesota where there was no vehicle involved were children under nine years old," said Sapna Sharma. "They were playing on the ice, tobogganing or ice skating and they just weren't able to recognise when the ice was unsafe. They may not have recognised that slushy ice or a little open patch of water could be so fatal." Even where lake or river accidents weren't deadly, they often had life-changing results. In cold water accidents where children suffered cardiac arrest, some 90% also experienced significant neurological damage - and only 27% were alive a year later. However, some countries have managed to limit the number of drownings during winter, including Germany and Italy. Local laws prohibit the use of snowmobiles on lakes and activities like skating are often limited until local authorities deem the ice to be safe. Education is also seen to be a key element. According to Barbara Byers from the Canadian Lifesaving Society, people just don't recognise the personal threat that a changing climate can pose. "People think that ice is ice but appearances can be deceiving," she told BBC News. "People may think it's cold out, the ice must be fine but it really is the quality of the ice or the type of ice that's really important. "Ice now gets frozen and thawed and when that happens there's water in-between the layers of the ice. So it may look hard and frozen, but it's not." Researchers say that despite efforts to educate, they expect that drowning events will likely increase in the future. They are particularly worried about this winter, as people may be spending more time outdoors due to the pandemic, with potentially fatal results. "Everything's closed right now, and more people are spending time in nature and where they might not have done so before," said Sapna Sharma. "This year, it's forecast to be a warmer, wetter winter in Canada, so in combination with more people going outside that could be that could be quite dangerous." The study has been published in the journal Plos One. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54989046
     
         
      Climate change: Warmer winters linked to increased drowning risk Wed, 18th Nov 2020 10:40:00
     
      Winter activities on ice are becoming increasingly dangerous as the world warms, scientists say. When researchers looked at data on drowning accidents in largely frozen lakes or rivers, they saw a "strong correlation" to rising temperatures. They found that deaths from drowning were five times higher when warmer weather made the ice thinner and weaker. Children aged under nine years and younger adults were most at risk. World's last-known white giraffe fitted with GPS Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 Small steps taken to make shipping greener For indigenous peoples in many northern regions of the world, livelihoods often depend on access to frozen lakes in winter for hunting, fishing and travel. In countries like the US, Canada and Russia, winter leisure activities such as skating or tobogganing on ice are also hugely popular. But as the world warms, winter ice is becoming less stable and scientists believe it poses a greater threat of accidental drowning. Canadian researchers looked at data on 4,000 drowning events in 10 countries over three decades since the 1990s. They found that higher temperatures were a good predictor of the number of deaths by drowning. "We can confidently say that there is a quite a strong correlation between warmer winter air temperatures and more winter drownings," said study leader Sapna Sharma, from York University in Toronto, Canada. "Almost half of the winter drownings were associated with warmer temperatures." The researchers collated data from official sources including coroner's offices. They were able to compare these figures to longstanding records from lakes showing when ice formed and melted each winter. Canada and the US had the highest number of drownings related to ice, an issue that was particularly acute among indigenous communities further north. The use of snowmobiles on lakes was associated with many of the lake fatalities. One of the saddest aspects of the study was the fact that many of the victims were very young. "We found that almost half of those drowned in Minnesota where there was no vehicle involved were children under nine years old," said Sapna Sharma. "They were playing on the ice, tobogganing or ice skating and they just weren't able to recognise when the ice was unsafe. They may not have recognised that slushy ice or a little open patch of water could be so fatal." Even where lake or river accidents weren't deadly, they often had life-changing results. In cold water accidents where children suffered cardiac arrest, some 90% also experienced significant neurological damage - and only 27% were alive a year later. However, some countries have managed to limit the number of drownings during winter, including Germany and Italy. Local laws prohibit the use of snowmobiles on lakes and activities like skating are often limited until local authorities deem the ice to be safe. Education is also seen to be a key element. According to Barbara Byers from the Canadian Lifesaving Society, people just don't recognise the personal threat that a changing climate can pose. "People think that ice is ice but appearances can be deceiving," she told BBC News. "People may think it's cold out, the ice must be fine but it really is the quality of the ice or the type of ice that's really important. "Ice now gets frozen and thawed and when that happens there's water in-between the layers of the ice. So it may look hard and frozen, but it's not." Researchers say that despite efforts to educate, they expect that drowning events will likely increase in the future. They are particularly worried about this winter, as people may be spending more time outdoors due to the pandemic, with potentially fatal results. "Everything's closed right now, and more people are spending time in nature and where they might not have done so before," said Sapna Sharma. "This year, it's forecast to be a warmer, wetter winter in Canada, so in combination with more people going outside that could be that could be quite dangerous." The study has been published in the journal Plos One. Follow Matt on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54989046
     
         
      Green targets: Do governments meet them? Wed, 18th Nov 2020 10:34:00
     
      Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to tackle climate change is the latest in a long list of government pledges and targets on the environment. Successive prime ministers - both Labour and Conservative - have set targets on everything from carbon emissions to tree planting. "UK government's record on environmental targets is a bit hit and miss - but mostly miss," says Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK. "Targets are a great way of expressing government vision and ambition, but they become meaningless without the policies, funding, regulation and enforcement necessary to see them delivered." So how successful have British governments been in meeting their green targets? 1. Cut CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010 During its first year in office, the Labour government under Tony Blair committed to cutting UK carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2010 to 20% below 1990 levels. In 1990, total CO2 emissions stood at 595.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e), according to official data. By 2010, this figure had decreased to 498.5 MtCO2e. That's a reduction of 16.3%, which means Labour fell short of its target. The Labour government did, however, succeed in meeting a less ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% by 2010 as part of an international agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol. Greenhouse gases include not just carbon dioxide but other polluting gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. Between 1990 and 2010, total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 24.3%. 2. Net zero emissions by 2050 In 2019, the UK became the first country to pass a law requiring the government to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Net zero would mean the country would be removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as it was emitting. Having targets that far in the future creates problems. "Nobody can speak for future governments, so unless targets can be future-proofed they are unlikely to be effective," said Ruth Chambers from Greener UK, a coalition of environmental organisations. But the Climate Change Committee, an independent public advisory body, is monitoring whether the UK is on track to meet this one. Its recent report concluded that the UK power sector was adapting to meet the net-zero target thanks to contracts to construct large-scale wind and solar energy projects. However, the report also warned the government that it would have to move faster to decarbonise industry, transport and construction if it was going to stay on track for its target. 3. 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010 In 2000, the Labour government outlined plans to increase the use of renewable energy to power the UK's electricity grid, pledging to generate 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010. Renewable energy refers to energy sources such as wind and solar, which are not depleted when used and tend to generate power without causing pollution or emissions. When Labour left government in 2010, however, renewable energy sources generated enough power to fuel just 6.9% of the electricity grid. According to government data, renewables - mainly wind, solar and biomass - contributed 26.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) out of a total of 382.1 TWh. However, the use of renewables did more than double over this period - it had only been 2.8% in 2000. 4. All new homes zero-carbon by 2016 In 2006, then-Chancellor Gordon Brown pledged to make the UK one of the first countries to adopt a low-carbon housebuilding policy by introducing the Code for Sustainable Homes. His government then announced that from 2016 all new homes would be zero carbon thanks to changes to the planning system and a gradual tightening of building regulations. This would involve new homes generating power using solar panels and wind turbines to offset their emissions of greenhouse gases. In 2011, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government under David Cameron carried over this pledge to that year's Budget, but added that carbon emissions could be offset by the use of devices both on-site and off-site. But in 2015 the Conservative government scrapped the new regulations, meaning there would no longer be an obligation on housebuilders from 2016 onwards to achieve zero-carbon. Of the more than 210,000 houses built in 2016 only 18,922 (or 9.0%) achieved the highest environmental impact rating, meaning the vast majority were not zero-carbon. 5. Plant 5000 hectares of trees a year In 2018, Theresa May's government announced a commitment to reach 12% forest cover in England by 2060, which would involve planting 5000 hectares a year. A hectare can contain between 1,000 and 2,500 trees, so at a midpoint, 5,000 hectares would be just under nine million trees. In the first year after the announcement, 1,420 hectares were planted. Trees currently cover about 10% of English land, far behind the EU average of 38%. The government says it wants to work with landowners to grow woodland cover, and highlights schemes like a £19m fund to encourage large-scale planting and grants of up to £6,800 per hectare to plant and protect trees. 6. Meet air quality targets The UK's targets on air quality come from the EU's Air Quality Directive of 2008, which sets limits for the amount of certain pollutants that may be found in the air. It became part of UK law in 2010, with separate legislation in each of the four nations. The government has been clear that it does not plan to change these targets after Brexit, although clearly they will no longer be enforced by EU institutions. In 2014, the EU Commission began proceedings against the UK for failing to meet nitrogen dioxide (NO2) targets, which was followed by a final warning in 2017 for repeated breaches. There was then action in the European Court of Justice against the UK in 2018. The EU directives also allow private groups to take legal action in the UK courts against the government for failing to meet air quality targets. A group called ClientEarth did just this, which led to the Supreme Court repeatedly ordering the government to come up with new air quality plans because existing ones were not good enough. 7. Achieve good water quality by 2015 The UK adopted the EU's 2000 Water Framework Directive, which required all member states to achieve at least "good" status for all bodies of water by 2015. Water quality is a devolved matter, but the combined statistics show that in 2015, 30% of bodies of surface water were "good" and 5% were "high", with the proportion being good or better having barely changed since 2008. The directive allowed for the target to be extended to 2027 at the latest and for lower targets to be set under certain circumstances. A Defra official said in 2012 that the UK would not meet the 100% "good" target by 2027 and was instead hoping to achieve 75% "good" by that time. An Environment Agency report earlier this year said all of the rivers, lakes and streams in England are polluted and there had been no progress towards the target of 100% healthy waters by 2027. Reporting by Oliver Barnes, Nicholas Barrett & Anthony Reuben
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/54988317
     
         
      PM's climate vision: 10 steps forward, 10 steps back? Wed, 18th Nov 2020 10:19:00
     
      Prime Minister Boris Johnson's long-awaited climate plan includes hastening the end of petrol and diesel cars, new nuclear, hydrogen, and carbon capture. But as our Environment Analyst Roger Harrabin reports, other policies are leaving emissions untouched, or even driving them up. The prime minister's ambitious 10-point plan has been broadly welcomed by businesses and environmentalists. But while Mr Johnson creates jobs and cuts carbon dioxide with one hand, he's either increasing emissions - or leaving them uncut - in at least 10 other areas. These are road-building, SUVs, high-speed rail, aviation, overseas finance, oil and gas, coal mining, farming, meat-eating and peat. Roads The £27bn roads programme will actually increase emissions. Increased road capacity not only encourages driving but also leads to car-dependent developments such as retail and business parks. It will be decades before electric vehicles rule the tarmac. The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says people should be driving less, and even the AA's president Edmund King concedes: "Arguably in future, we should invest more in broadband [so people can] work from home." Switch road cash to broadband, adviser says. There's secrecy and confusion over the calculations for CO2 emissions from the roads programme, and the government is facing court action by greens complaining that road-building doesn't fit with a zero emissions economy. Building highways doesn't create many jobs either because most work is mechanised. SUVs Large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) emit a quarter more CO2 than medium-sized cars, yet the PM's doing nothing to deter people from buying them. The motoring industry says electric SUVs will eventually be the answer. But some academics argue that the most polluting SUVs should be removed from the roads immediately. HS2 There's controversy over emissions from HS2 - the planned high-speed railway linking cities in the north and the Midlands with London. A previous report said it wouldn't reduce CO2 overall for more than 100 years, largely because of the emissions created during tunnelling and construction. HS2 says that forecast is out of date - and points to measures it has taken to reduce construction emissions by using less steel to do the same job. HS2's environment director Peter Miller said: "HS2 is playing a crucial role in supporting the green economic recovery and ensuring the UK is on track to achieve net-zero by 2050." Greens don't trust the revised CO2 figures, and say the £100bn cost of HS2 could have been spent better on more effective climate policies. Aviation Aviation poses another transport CO2 challenge. The PM hopes to develop large commercial planes that can fly long-haul passengers planes with zero emissions (Jet Zero, he calls it), but these are decades away. Right now, some maintain, the government should dampen demand for flying when the economy picks up. The Citizens' Assembly - set up to gauge popular opinion on climate change - recommended a frequent fliers' tax. Overseas finance Finance is another area requiring attention, with the UK accused of carbon hypocrisy over its £1bn finance guarantee for a gas project in Mozambique. It's part of a broader package for fossil fuel ventures in developing countries. Friends of the Earth is taking the government to court for contradicting UK climate policy. Its campaigner, Rachel Kennerley, said: "The government is keen to talk up its climate plans, yet it pours billions into oil and gas projects globally." The prime minister is said to have felt "bounced" into accepting the Mozambique project, but he's not announced any revision so far. Oil and gas What about oil and gas in UK waters? Scientists say fossil fuel firms have already found far more hydrocarbons than society can burn without major damage to the climate. Yet the government aims to enhance oil and gas production in the North Sea. The UK Oil and Gas Authority said the fuels would form an important part of the UK energy mix for the foreseeable future. The government is reviewing the offshore licensing regime to make it "greener", while preserving jobs. What if your job is bad for the planet? OGUK's chief executive Deirdre Michie said this is "an opportunity to shine a light on how our industry is changing". Oxford University's Prof Myles Allen says firms extracting and importing fossil fuels should pay to dispose of the resulting CO2 emissions by the technique of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Coal Meanwhile, there's even a bid to resurrect production of the dirtiest fuel, coal, in the UK. The Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick is deliberating over a decision on whether to allow a new deep mine to extract coal from under the sea in Cumbria. Coal mine approved for third time despite protests Environmentalists say it's irrational to look for more of something there's too much of already. The coal firm says it will create 500 jobs. Farming Farming in the UK is emerging as a substantial source of greenhouse gases. Ministers say their post-Brexit subsidy regime for farms will incentivise farmers to reduce emissions and capture CO2 in the soil and in trees. Farmers are frustrated because no details - or cash - has been provided. Peat Protecting and restoring peat bogs is the simplest, quickest and cheapest way to combat climate change. The moss covering the bogs locks carbon into the soil indefinitely, unlike trees which soak up CO2 then release it when they rot. Ministers have promised a strategy to protect peat, but the PM hasn't put laws into place. A £40m grant for countryside restoration announced previously is said to be a fraction of what's needed. Meat The Citizens' Assembly on Climate Change, which brought together people from all walks of life to discuss solutions to global warming, foresees a gradual reduction in meat-eating over coming decades to meet emissions targets. But campaigners say the prime minister should take a public lead on this issue by pledging to eat less meat and inviting others to follow suit. Follow Roger on Twitter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54990030
     
         
      Electric Cars: Is it time to buy one? Wed, 18th Nov 2020 10:11:00
     
      Electric cars are increasingly taking to our roads but many people still have reservations. Common worries include the price of the vehicles, where you can charge, charging times and the wider environmental costs of manufacturing them. Reality Check looks at how valid these concerns are.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-48108627
     
         
      What does Boris Johnson's Green plan mean for Scotland? Wed, 18th Nov 2020 9:15:00
     
      Boris Johnson's plan for a "green industrial revolution" will need to look heavily across Hadrian's Wall for both the natural and the technical fixes to tackle climate change. The most eye-catching announcement in the UK prime minister's 10-point plan is the earlier switch to electric vehicles but there is much more that will be harder to achieve without Scottish input. The aim of decarbonisation could rely in part on capturing the emissions created by industrial processes and burying them underground. For years now, Peterhead on the north east coast of Scotland has been in the vanguard of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) with the Acorn project aiming to grab those greenhouse gas emissions and store them under the seabed. Point eight in Mr Johnson's plan is to have the first CCUS facility ready by the middle of the decade. Having already received funding from both the Scottish and UK governments, the Acorn project looks the most likely contender. UK climate plan: what do the terms mean? Why the UK's carbon-free future will need rules A really simple guide to climate change It could also help with point two, a massive boost to the production of hydrogen, which is seen as playing a key role in the transition to a sustainable energy future. Hydrogen can be created from water by a process of electrolysis, using renewable energy, but this is currently expensive and there is little capacity. Acorn has been exploring the creation of "blue hydrogen" using the North Sea gas which comes ashore at the St Fergus terminal, instead of renewable energy. The emissions from the process would be captured and sent back out to sea for storage. Not everyone supports these types of fixes though. Friends of the Earth Scotland describes them as 'false solutions' which allow us to carry on burning fossil fuels. They want us to reduce our emissions even further and plant more trees which soak up carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen. The PM's commitment - point nine - is to plant 30,000 hectares of trees every year across the UK. The Climate Change Committee - the government's independent advisors - identified that Scotland has the land to achieve that level of "aforestation" and its one of the reasons our 'net-zero' date is 2045 - five years ahead of the UK as a whole. Plus, the Scottish Government is well on the way having planted almost 11,000 hectares last year compared with 2,300 in England. But there are some sectors powered by fossil fuels which are proving tricky to change. Shipping is one of them. Imagine your vessel's giant electric motor running out of charge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Orkney - home to the European Marine Energy Centre - will potentially be asked to develop clean, green maritime technology with £20m on offer. The islands are well placed for this as they are already at the centre of a competition to fly the first electric powered flights. Wind capacity In terms of jobs, there is much in the announcement which will not benefit Scotland. The North East of England, the Midlands and Wales will be the focus plans to develop mass production of batteries for electric vehicles. A half a billion pound pledge to develop new nuclear power stations on varying scales is also unlikely to come to Scotland given the SNP's opposition to it. But our uncanny ability to quickly dry a line full of washing means a pledge to quadruple offshore wind capacity will have benefits. But the manufacturing of those turbines is not necessarily destined to come to Scotland. The big factory for making blades is in Hull and Bifab workers in Fife know only too well that the jackets can be made more cheaply overseas. A lot of this is headline-grabbing political intentions and the devil will be in the detail. Plus, the cash needs to come with it and some are saying there isn't enough on offer for the scale of ambition. The Scottish government will publish its own updated Climate Change plan by the end of the year which will set out a roadmap to achieving a 75% reduction in emissions by 2030. That's almost a 30 percentage points increase in 10 years after it has taken 30 years to achieve 45%. The new plan will probably see a date for ending new fossil fuel vehicles being brought forward since there's no point in being behind the UK from either a political or practical perspective. But with that interim target being incredibly stretching it will be interesting to see the level of changes necessary and quickly to achieve that rapid level of decarbonisation Offshore wind: Produce enough offshore wind to power every home in the UK, quadrupling how much it produces to 40 gigawatts by 2030, and supporting up to 60,000 jobs. Hydrogen: Have five gigawatts of "low carbon" hydrogen production capacity by 2030 - for industry, transport, power and homes - and develop the first town heated by the gas by the end of the decade. Nuclear: Pushing nuclear power as a clean energy source and including provision for a large nuclear plant, as well as for advanced small nuclear reactors, which could support 10,000 jobs. Electric vehicles: Phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and investing in grants to help buy cars and charge point infrastructure. Public transport, cycling and walking: Making cycling and walking more attractive ways to travel and investing in zero-emission public transport for the future. Jet zero and greener maritime: Supporting research projects for zero-emission planes and ships. Homes and public buildings: Making homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient, including a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028. Carbon capture: Developing world-leading technology to capture and store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target to remove 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 - equivalent to all emissions of the industrial Humber. Nature: Protecting and restoring the natural environment, with plans to include planting 30,000 hectares of trees a year. Innovation and finance: Developing cutting-edge technologies and making the City of London the global centre of green finance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54989410
     
         
      UK ban on new fossil fuel vehicles by 2030 'not enough' to hit climate targets Wed, 18th Nov 2020 8:00:00
     
      UK ban on new fossil fuel vehicles by 2030 'not enough' to hit climate targets Thinktank says deadline of 2026 is needed for government to meet its own carbon budget The prime minister’s plan to bring forward a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 10 years to 2030 will still not go far enough to meet the government’s own legally binding climate targets, according to new research. Boris Johnson is expected to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles by setting out a new deadline for the sales of polluting passenger cars as part of a 10-point plan to tackle the climate crisis due to be revealed this week. But a report from New Automotive, a transport thinktank backed by Quadrature Climate Foundation, has warned that the number of fossil fuel cars likely to roll onto British roads before the ban will be enough to blow the UK’s carbon budgets. The widely anticipated decision to set a 2030 ban on new fossil fuel vehicles would help cut car emissions to the equivalent of 46m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, according to the report, from an equivalent of 68 MtCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) today. But this forecast is still almost 40% higher than the interim target set by the government’s official climate advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, to cut car emissions to 32.8MtCO2e by 2030. The thinktank estimates that the government would need to set a sales ban of 2026 for internal combustion engine vehicles or introduce extra measures to reduce car use if it hopes to meet its own 2030 carbon budget. “A ban in the 2030s will do nothing to tackle the long tail of polluting cars that will be left on our roads for many years to come,” the report said. Ben Nelmes, the head of policy at New Automotive, said that banning the sale of new fossil fuel cars by 2030 would still leave 21m polluting passenger vehicles on the road by the end of the decade, compared with 31m today. Sign up to the Green Light email to get the planet's most important stories Read more This would mean that almost two-thirds of the miles travelled by car in the UK would be in polluting passenger vehicles, rather than the even split between electric and fossil fuel “car miles” needed to meet the government’s interim climate targets. The interim emissions goal is considered a key milestone on the UK’s path to ending its contribution to the climate crisis by cutting its carbon emissions to virtually zero by 2050. Road transport is the single largest contributor to the UK’s carbon emissions, yet little to no progress has been made reducing transport emissions since 1990, according to the thinktank. It has called on the government to help reduce traffic by encouraging cycling, walking and more flexible home working. “Reducing car emissions means reducing petrol and diesel car miles travelled,” said the report. “These miles will mostly be replaced by electric car miles, but they could also be reduced by modal shift including public transport as well as cycling and walking. The Department for Transport must work with departments across government to ensure that policy supports a reduction in petrol and diesel car miles.” As the climate crisis escalates ... … the Guardian will not stay quiet. You’ve read in the last nine months. And you’re not alone; millions are flocking to the Guardian every day, and thousands read our environmental reporting every week. Readers in 180 countries, including Spain now support us financially. Amid the various crises of 2020, we continue to recognise the climate emergency as the defining issue of our lifetimes. We’re determined to uphold our reputation for producing powerful, high-impact environmental journalism that reflects the urgency of the situation and is always grounded in science and truth. Last year we published a climate pledge, outlining the steps we promised to take in service of the planet. And we’ve made good institutional progress since: we no longer accept advertising from fossil fuel companies and we’re on course to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. We believe everyone deserves access to quality, trustworthy news and analysis, so we choose to keep our journalism open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. When it’s never been more pertinent, the Guardian’s independence means we can scrutinise, challenge and expose those in power on their climate policies and decisions. We have no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning all of our journalism is free from commercial and political influence – this makes us different. We can investigate and report without fear or favour. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. You have the power to support us through these volatile economic times and enable our journalism to reach more people, in all countries. Every contribution, however big or small, makes a difference.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/18/uk-ban-on-new-fossil-fuel-vehicles-by-2030-not-enough-to-hit-climate-targets
     
         
      Woman's Hour Power List: The women protecting our planet Tue, 17th Nov 2020 20:05:00
     
      The 2020 Woman's Hour Power List has been revealed and this year it's celebrating women who are making an impact by helping to protect our planet. Here are just some of the inspiring women who feature, from Green Party MP Caroline Lucas to young activists and campaigners like Mya-Rose Craig, Mikaela Loach and Ella Daish.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-54968308
     
         
      Artificially cooling the Earth would not provide ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ from climate crisis Tue, 17th Nov 2020 19:58:00
     
      Study finds solar geoengineering would not be able to prevent extreme warming if emissions were left to spiral for more than a century Artificially cooling the Earth through technologies that reduce incoming sunlight would not be sufficient at preventing extreme warming over long timescales, if not coupled with cuts to greenhouse gases, a new study has confirmed. The research uses modelling to examine what would happen if, hypothetically, greenhouse gases were left to spiral over the coming century while “solar geoengineering” was used to reduce global warming. Solar geoengineering is a term used to describe a set of largely still-hypothetical technologies that would reflect sunlight away from the Earth in order to reduce global temperature rise and some of its associated impacts. The most commonly proposed method for achieving this would be through the release of reflective particles, known as aerosols, into the stratosphere. Once released, the aerosols would form a protective sheath around the Earth, scientists expect, reflecting away incoming sunlight. The idea has a natural analogue in volcanic eruptions, which in the past have temporarily cooled global temperatures. When a volcano erupts, it often sends an ash cloud high into the atmosphere, which can lead to the production of aerosols that reflect away sunlight. Although solar geoengineering would theoretically be able to lower temperature rise, it would not be able to directly address its root cause, which is greenhouse gas emissions released by humans. The new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that, hypothetically, solar geoengineering would not be effective at reducing warming if greenhouse gases were left to climb to extremely high levels. This is because extremely high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would cause low-lying clouds, known as stratocumulus clouds, to thin and eventually break apart. Stratocumulus clouds themselves cool the Earth by shading large portions of its surface from sunlight. If the straocomumlus clouds covering the subtropical oceans were to break up entirely, it could lead to additional 5C of global warming, the research says. “Stratocumulus clouds thin under increased greenhouse gas concentrations and their reflection of sunlight diminishes,” study lead author Prof Tapio Schneider, a climate scientist at the California Institute of Technology, told The Independent. “Solar geoengineering may not be fail-safe to prevent strong warming if it is prolonged for more than a century and greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase during that time.” The research found that, in the simulations including solar geoengineering, subtropical stratocumulus clouds break up when levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceed 1,700 parts per million (ppm). This is more than four times the current level. “I think the paper provides yet another argument for why solar geoengineering can’t be a ‘get out-of-jail-free’ card that lets us off the hook for the need to cut our CO2 emissions; we can’t just burn all the fossil fuels in the ground and solve the problem with solar geoengineering,” Dr Doug MacMartin, a senior research associate at Cornell University in New York who was not involved in the paper, told The Independent. “It is equally important to stress, though, that the scenario they consider is really quite extreme.” Levels of carbon dioxide would only reach 1,700ppm in a “super-extreme worst case scenario” where little is done to tackle emissions past the 21st century, added Dr Pete Irvine, a lecturer in climate change at University College London who was also not involved in the study. So far, most research into solar geoengineering has been carried out using computer simulations, meaning little is known about its potential real-world implications. However, in the future, a team of scientists from Harvard University plan to carry out one of the first solar geoengineering field tests. The project, known as the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), plans to use a high-altitude balloon to release a package containing aerosols 20km up into the stratosphere. The amount of aerosols released will not be enough to have a cooling effect on the planet, the researchers say, but could allow the scientists to collect data on how aerosols particles interact with the air. The scientists originally announced their intentions to carry out the experiment in 2017, but the project has so far been delayed by “technical issues”, according to the project’s blog. Previous research has highlighted various social and ethical considerations associated with solar geoengineering. One is, if the technology were to be developed, it could be perceived as a “quick fix” to the climate crisis, leading to countries stalling on their commitments to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. Another is that the technology could be misused by single actors or states with malicious intentions. “The question of whether to pursue solar geoengineering is not purely scientific, but it involves governance, ethical, and policy questions,” said Prof Schneider.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/solar-geoengineering-climate-change-crisis-b1723644.html
     
         
      Simulations suggest geoengineering would not stop global warming if greenhouse gasses continue to increase Tue, 17th Nov 2020 19:48:00
     
      A trio of researchers, two with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the other the California Institute of Technology, developed computer simulations suggesting that using geoengineering to cool the planet would not be enough to overcome greenhouse effects if emissions continue at the current rate. Tapio Schneider, Colleen Kaul and Kyle Pressel have published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As scientists have become frustrated with the lack of progress toward greenhouse gas emission reductions, some are championing other ways to save the planet. One approach involves geoengineering—altering the Earth to solve a problem. Geoengineering to reduce global warming would involve emitting particulate material into the stratosphere to reflect heat from the sun back into space. Ideas for such an effort involve releasing reflective particles into the stratosphere where they would surround much of the Earth, reflecting back heat and cooling the planet. The idea is based on prior research demonstrating that parts of the Earth become cooler after volcanic eruptions due to ash spewed into the atmosphere. It has not been tested in the real world, and some researchers suggest there could be significant unforeseen side-effects. Additionally, the same technology could, in theory, be used as a weapon. In this new effort, the researchers built a computer simulation to determine whether such an approach would work. They found that geoengineering could work, but only up to a certain point. If greenhouse gasses are not curbed, they will rise to levels that would have a negative impact on stratocumulus clouds, making them thin, and in some cases, eliminating them. Without this cloud cover, even the introduction of particles into the atmosphere would not be enough to prevent global warming. They suggest that geoengineering would not be a solution that some have proposed if levels of greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-simulations-geoengineering-global-greenhouse-gasses.html
     
         
      Dipping into lakes: why offshore wind has moved into inland waters Tue, 17th Nov 2020 19:44:00
     
      Installing wind turbines in lakes offers developers similar wind speeds to offshore projects, but with lower construction and operations costs, writes Bernd Radowitz Wind power on lakes is a little-discussed but growing offshore energy niche with similar strong winds.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/dipping-into-lakes-why-offshore-wind-has-moved-into-inland-waters/2-1-907526
     
         
      Oxford Net Zero launches to tackle global carbon emissions Tue, 17th Nov 2020 19:28:00
     
      The Oxford Net Zero initiative, launched this week, draws on the university’s world-leading expertise in climate science and policy, addressing the critical issue of how to reach global ‘net zero’ – limiting greenhouse gases – in time to halt global warming Leading academics from across the university’s disciplines, including Geography, Physics, Economics, Biology, Law and Earth Sciences, will come together to focus on the long-term questions necessary to achieve equitable, science-based solutions. The team will be led by research director Professor Sam Fankhauser, who is joining Oxford from his current position as director of the LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and director Professor Myles Allen, physicist and head of the Climate Research Programme in Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. Oxford Net Zero is a growing network and collaboration of leading researchers from across the university to provide advice and expertise in the global ‘race’ to net zero by national governments, global industry leaders and international organisations. Oxford Net Zero convenes and undertakes research to support policy interventions, and this month has been boosted by a £2.2M investment from the University’s new Strategic Research Fund (SRF). The SRF was formed in early 2020 to re-invest some of the University’s revenues from commercialisation activities into transformative research programmes. ‘We’ve left it too late to meet our climate goals simply by phasing out all activities that generate greenhouse gas emissions: hence the ‘net’ in net zero,’ says Professor Allen. ‘Aggressive emission reductions must be complemented by equally aggressive scale-up of safe and permanent greenhouse gas removal and disposal. Getting this balance right, and fair, calls for both innovative ideas and far-sighted policies.’ Professor Fankhauser says, ‘If we are serious about climate change, we have to start tackling the “difficult” emissions from industry, transport and other sources – and safely remove from the atmosphere whatever residual emissions remain. ‘Informing this challenge is central to Oxford Net Zero, and I am proud to be part of this important initiative.’ ‘Since Oxford’s own students are the generation that will be footing the bill for delay in taking informed climate action, it is great to see the University putting its resources behind this initiative: there is no time to waste’, says Kaya Axelsson, former Vice-President of the Oxford Student Union and recently-appointed Net Zero Policy Engagement Fellow. To achieve net zero and avoid the worst impacts of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions must be drastically reduced, and any residual emissions removed from the atmosphere and stored. More than 120 countries are committing to net zero, representing more than 49% of global economic output, but official commitments with developed plans cover less than 10% of global emissions. Oxford Net Zero’s key aim is to address the issue of how we limit the cumulative net total carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This means tackling emission sources and removing surplus carbon from the atmosphere – since more CO2 may be generated by the energy, industry and land-use change than can safely be emitted, if the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement are to be met. Professor Patrick Grant, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Oxford says, ‘Oxford Net Zero brings together our research in how to effectively realise the carbon transition, involving many departments and different disciplinary perspectives. We anticipate that more researchers and external stakeholders will become engaged in the programme, strengthening the impact of the ideas and insights that our researchers can provide.’ Essential questions that Oxford Net Zero will address include: How will carbon dioxide be distributed between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and lithosphere? Where will it be stored, in what forms, how stable will these storage pools be, who will own them and be responsible for maintaining them over the short medium and long terms? How does net zero policy extend to other greenhouse gases? How will the social license to generate, emit, capture, transport, and store carbon dioxide evolve over the coming century? The international net zero narrative is being drafted now, and Oxford is at the forefront. In 2021, the UK will host the 26th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with crucial issues such as the role of international transfers in meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement still outstanding. The Oxford Net Zero initiative will provide key insights and resources at this critical junction for international action on climate change. Academic leadership will include Professor Myles Allen (Environmental Change Institute, Physics); Professor Sam Fankhauser, Professor Cameron Hepburn, Dr Stephen Smith, Dr Radhika Khosla and Kaya Axelsson (Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment), Dr Aoife Brophy Haney (Smith School; Saïd Business School); Charmian Love (Saïd Business School), Professor Nathalie Seddon (Biology), Professors Mike Kendall and Ros Rickaby, and Tim Kruger (Earth Sciences); Professors Lavanya Rajamani and Thom Wetzer (Law); Professor Javier Lezaun (Institute for Science, Innovation and Society); Professor Tom Hale (Blavatnik School of Government), Professor Michael Obersteiner and Gillian Willis (School of Geography and the Environment; Environmental Change Institute).
       
      Full Article: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-17-oxford-net-zero-launches-tackle-global-carbon-emissions
     
         
      Norwegians and Japanese Ink Offshore Wind MoU Tue, 17th Nov 2020 19:02:00
     
      The Japanese Kiso-Jiban Consultants (KJC) and the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for offshore wind energy in Japan. The two parties plan to jointly undertake work related to geotechnical investigations, site characterization and foundation design, as well as collaborate on research activities in the field of offshore geohazard assessment. KJC will contribute with the know-how of site-specific conditions and practices related to offshore geophysical and geotechnical investigations in Japan, and subsequent evaluations related to offshore wind farms. NGI will provide knowledge related to scoping and planning site investigations, design of foundations and anchors and experience related to the installation and performance of fixed and floating structures, in addition to competence related to seismic/geohazard assessment for offshore wind farms outside of Japan. KJC’s President Yoshiyuki Yagiura and the NGI Managing Director of Perth office Noel Boylan signed the agreement remotely due to the pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/11/17/norwegians-and-japanese-ink-offshore-wind-mou/
     
         
      GE wins 121MW Cypress order in Lithuania Tue, 17th Nov 2020 18:46:00
     
      GE Renewable Energy has won a 121MW turbine order for its Cypress platform for wind projects in Lithuania. European Energy placed the order for 22 units that will be installed across three wind farm sites. The installation of the wind turbines will take place in the second half of 2021. The deal includes a 25-year service contract The wind farm projects are located about 80km north of the capital Vilnius. When operational they will add 23% of green power capacity to the country’s current wind power production. European Energy will operate the Cypress turbines at 5.5MW hosted on 151 metre high towers. European Energy chief executive Knud Erik Andersen said: “We are delighted to sign this important deal with GE Renewable Energy thereby ensuring 22 state-of-the-art Cypress turbines perfectly designed for our three Lithuanian projects. “This deal will ensure 121MW of green power capacity and be central to driving the green transition and support the local production of renewable energy in a country currently heavily dependent on the import of energy.” According to the Lithuanian wind power association, Lvea, Lithuania has a goal to produce 100% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2050. There are currently 23 wind parks operating in Lithuania with a combined capacity of 480MW.
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/64502/ge-wins-121mw-cypress-order-in-lithuania/
     
         
      Climate Targets Could Slash Natural Gas Investment By $1 Trillion Tue, 17th Nov 2020 16:00:00
     
      Limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above the temperature in pre-industrial times could mean significantly reduced investments in natural gas supply through 2040, analysts warn. If the world is to go down the 2-degree pathway, investment in new natural gas exploration and production could be slashed by 65 percent, from nearly US$2 trillion to US$700 billion, by 2040, because gas demand would peak earlier than previously thought, Wood Mackenzie said in a recent report. While international agencies and supermajors are now competing in calling the date for peak oil demand, talk of peak demand for natural gas is not so mainstream. There may be a reason for that—as things stand with the global energy mix and the rise of renewable energy sources, natural gas—a fossil fuel—will be fueling the energy transition, at least at these early stages, and at least until battery and energy storage technologies evolve so much as to allow cost-effective seamless integration of solar and wind power into the energy mix. Environmental Concerns And Natural Gas These days, investors are increasingly looking at the environmental credentials of every source of energy. While burning cleaner than coal, natural gas emits methane, which is incomparably more carbon-intensive than carbon dioxide. Methane emissions, including from flaring and leaks, are a thorn in the side of natural gas developers and Big Oil, which continue to bet big on gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) even as they pledge to become net-zero businesses by 2050 or sooner. After decrying coal and oil for years, climate activists have now turned to attacking natural gas as the latest fossil fuel that should be kept in the ground. Investors, who are becoming more and more Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) conscious, also increasingly demand evidence of carbon reduction, carbon capture technology, and efforts at sustainability from gas projects and developments. “Sustainable investment is booming and investor activism on carbon has gone mainstream as more fund managers embrace ESG screening. This increasing scrutiny of gas’ carbon intensity is shaping investment decisions on future supply,” Wood Mackenzie Asia Pacific vice president Gavin Thompson said in a news release. Natural Gas Is Here To Stay Despite the environmentalist backlash against emissions in the natural gas supply chain, the world will need natural gas to fuel the energy transition, at least in the first couple of decades. Global gas consumption will continue to grow. San Francisco may have just banned natural gas in new buildings to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, but the two fastest-growing economies and most populous countries in the world, India and China, are still relying on coal for a large part of their energy mix. China and India will need increased amounts of natural gas if they are to kick their coal addiction and clean up air pollution in cities. In India, for example, natural gas is the only fossil fuel set to grow through 2050 in all three BP scenarios, according to the supermajor’s Energy Outlook 2020, which in general sees the global outlook for gas as more resilient than those for either coal or oil. In India, renewables will grow strongly regardless of the scenario, and natural gas will help to incorporate them into the energy mix. Natural gas could also help ‘hard to abate’ emissions in the industrial sector with emerging technologies involving the use of gas, according to the Global Gas Report 2020 of the International Gas Union (IGU), research company BloombergNEF (BNEF), and Italian gas infrastructure firm Snam. “Gas technologies can play a major role in the low-carbon transition. As countries and regions pursue a low-carbon transition, technologies such as biomethane, hydrogen and gas with carbon capture could play an important role, serving to decarbonize sectors of the economy that are currently seen as ‘hard to abate’, and providing opportunities for long-term growth for the gas industry,” the report said. Big Oil Doubles Down On LNG Biomethane, hydrogen, and production of ‘blue hydrogen’, where natural gas is used to make hydrogen with carbon capture, are part of the low-carbon technologies on which Europe’s Big Oil bet in their net-zero emissions goals. LNG also continues to be an important part of portfolios as everyone expects global natural gas demand to continue growing for the foreseeable future. While it pledged to cut oil and production by 40 percent through 2030, BP aims to boost its LNG portfolio from 15 million tons per annum (mtpa) now to 25 mtpa by 2025 and 30 mtpa by 2030, chief financial officer Murray Auchincloss said on BP’s new strategy presentation in August. To reduce emissions and become a broad energy company, France’s Total will grow its energy production by one third, with half the growth coming from LNG and half from electricity, mainly from renewables. Total’s chief executive Patrick Pouyanné told French newspaper Le Parisien in September that the firm aims to be among the world’s top five producers of renewable energy. The company’s operations mix today is 55 percent oil, 40 percent gas, and less than 5 percent electricity from renewables, Pouyanné said, noting that in 2050, Total’s operations will be divided into 20 percent oil, 40 percent gas, and 40 percent renewable energy. Big Oil is convinced that natural gas will play an important role in the energy transition. Now the global gas industry needs to convince skeptics and environmentally-conscious investors that they can address the emission elephant in the room. “Gas has a bright future, critical to combating air pollution and transitioning the world to a net-zero future. Addressing emissions and exposure to carbon is vital. The gas industry of the future must become synonymous with ESG,” WoodMac’s Thompson says.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Climate-Targets-Could-Slash-Natural-Gas-Investment-By-1-Trillion.html
     
         
      Government to invest £4bn to create 250,000 new green jobs Tue, 17th Nov 2020 9:20:00
     
      The government is to invest £4bn in creating 250,000 new green jobs as part of its plan to hit net zero emissions. It also aims to equip a generation of workers with new green skills. The government will release its long-awaited 10-point plan to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050 later on Tuesday. It will emphasise the potential jobs that the so-called green industrial revolution could bring to regions that have suffered industrial decline. The BBC can confirm that technology to capture and store carbon created in industrial processes will receive substantial government investment. Give us green post-Covid recovery, urges CBI boss The plan will also include investment in offshore wind as already announced by the prime minister at the Conservative Party conference. Residential heating is one of the biggest emitters of carbon and there will be government grants towards making homes more energy efficient - which again it hopes will create thousands of new jobs. It is thought the final plan will also include investments in hydrogen power and there may be a commitment to new nuclear energy. In October, the BBC learned that the government was close to giving the green light to a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. It comes after the collapse of nuclear projects in Anglesey and Cumbria after Japanese firms Hitachi and Toshiba pulled out. The figure of £4bn will be considered by many as a small down-payment on a transformation that the Committee on Climate Changes estimates will cost £1 trillion over the next 30 years. The full 10-point plan will be published tonight at 22:30 ahead of a press conference and round table with key stakeholders on Wednesday. Petrol and diesel car ban There has also been speculation that a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be brought forward to 2030 - five years earlier than previously planned. Hybrid vehicles, which have petrol or diesel engines but also use electric power, will have a stay of execution until 2035. Bentley reveals plan to go fully electric by 2030 Plans for a ban on the sale of traditional petrol and diesel cars were first announced in 2017, as part of a strategy to clean up city air. It was meant to take effect in 2040. In February, that target was brought forward to 2035, as the government sought to burnish its environmental credentials ahead of a now-postponed UN climate summit in Glasgow, but it now looks set to be revised again. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders, believes that meeting the government's target will require serious support for the industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54978454
     
         
      Arsenal: Premier League club join UN climate action plan Mon, 16th Nov 2020 20:28:00
     
      Arsenal believe they can inspire fans across the globe to be more sustainable after signing up to a United Nations plan to help tackle climate change. The club are the first in the Premier League to join the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. It means pledging to help fight climate change and helping others do the same. "We've already implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices across the club," Arsenal operations director Hywel Sloman said. "We will continue to use the power and reach of Arsenal to inspire our global communities and push each other towards a more sustainable future," he added. Signing up to the framework commits the club and their staff to five key principles aimed at reducing their climate impact as part of attempts to limit global warming: Undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility Reduce overall climate impact Educate on climate action Promote sustainable and responsible consumption Advocate for climate action through communication. In 2019 Arsenal finished joint-top in a BBC Sport Premier League sustainability table - produced in partnership with UN-backed Sport Positive Summit. "One year on, we are proud to build on the work we are already doing in this area and encourage positive climate action to our millions of supporters around the world," the club said. "Football inspires so many of us around the world and there is a remarkable potential for the game to become greener, more climate-resilient and lead by example for millions of global fans," said Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, Sports for Climate Action Lead at UN Climate Change. Arsenal are the third British club to sign up to the framework after League Two side Forest Green Rovers and Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. Going green - what Arsenal are doing to help tackle climate change These are just some of the environmentally friendly initiatives undertaken by Arsenal so far: The UK's first football club to install large-scale battery energy storage in 2018. The battery storage system can power the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium for an entire match. Planted more than 29,000 trees at the club's training centre in London Colney since 1999, to create the Colney Wood. Installed a water recycling system at the training centre to reuse water that comes from the pitch - in the last year, this has seen more than 4.5 million litres of water recycled. Became the first Premier League club to switch to 100% green electricity. Saves 20,000 single-use plastic cups per game when Emirates Stadium is full through a reusable cup scheme. Has water dispensers across all sites - saving 150,000 single-use plastic water bottles per year. Reduced energy by installing automated LED lighting at all club sites.
       
      Full Article: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/21b818c02d1d54e631e9898160bca7403a6b0a34/0_210_4134_2480/master/4134.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5f28e21c0f9d9171a47089c63019747c
     
         
      EU plans to increase offshore windfarm capacity by 250% Mon, 16th Nov 2020 19:50:00
     
      Proposal would create 62,000 jobs and help towards carbon neutrality, says commission A windfarm near Gdansk, Poland. Photograph: Gregory Wrona/Alamy The capacity of the EU’s offshore windfarms in the North Sea, the Baltic, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea will be increased by 250%, under a draft plan drawn up by the European commission. The move follows Boris Johnson’s announcement this year of his intention to generate enough electricity to power every home in the UK within a decade from the country’s offshore sites.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/16/eu-plans-increase-offshore-windfarm-capacity
     
         
      Russia resists tougher climate targets in dash for Arctic gas Mon, 16th Nov 2020 19:10:00
     
      Russia has no plans to end its contribution to climate change before the end of the century and is aggressively expanding Arctic gas production for the Asian market By Chloé Farand Russia has no plans to achieve carbon neutrality before the end of the century and is betting on Asian demand to support a huge expansion of its Arctic gas industry. It was only in September last year that Vladimir Putin used executive powers to formally endorse the Paris climate agreement, under which countries have committed to limit global heating “well below 2C” and strive for 1.5C by the end of the century. Since then, Moscow has done little to align its climate plan with the Paris deal. Instead, it has continued to support fossil fuel expansion, spending $8.4 billion to prop up its oil and gas industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, Putin signed another executive order to reduce emissions by 30% from 1990 levels by 2030. That is the more ambitious end of its existing target but still allows emissions to rise significantly, as Russia’s emissions plummeted following the collapse of the Soviet Union and remain at about half the level they were in 1990. Climate Action Tracker ranks the target as “critically insufficient” to meet the Paris goal and consistent with a pathway towards 4C of warming by the end of the century. With China, Japan and South Korea recently joining the club of nations aiming to cut their emissions to net zero by the middle of the century, Russia could be one of the last major developed economies to decarbonise, Ryan Wilson, a climate and energy policy analyst at Climate Analytics, told Climate Home News. A draft long-term climate strategy published in March shows the government is considering reducing its emissions by up to 48% from 1990 levels by 2050 under an “intensive scenario”. This would allow Russia’s emissions to continue to rise for at least another nine years before reducing them just above 2017 levels — far from the 2050 net zero goal demanded by the UN. Russia would achieve carbon neutrality “in the second half of the 21st century, closer to its end,” the draft said. Under a baseline scenario proposed for adoption, emissions would fall by 36% compared to 1990 levels – equivalent to 26% above 2017 levels. Emissions cuts would be achieved by boosting energy efficiency and reducing forest clearance. The country is not on track to meet its 2024 target of generating 4.5% of its energy from renewables, excluding hydropower – one of the lowest targets in the world, Wilson said. Russia “has shown the least interest in taking the kind of action that most of the rest of the world has agreed to. It sits outside the spirit and intent of the Paris Agreement,” he added. “There has been a lack of pressure [on Russia] as a result of their intransigence on this issue. The expectations are just so low. They are doing the bare minimum.” While political pressure may be lacking, a move away from fossil fuels in the European Union, Russia’s biggest gas export market, poses an economic threat. Brussels is considering a carbon border tax on imports and no longer considers gas power to be a “sustainable” or “transition” investment. “There is an existential threat to Russia’s gas industry regarding the European energy transition,” Sergey Kapitonov, gas analyst at the Skolkovo Energy Center in Moscow, told CHN. “Coal is not the only evil now. Natural gas [demand] has already started to decline in some places.” In response, Russia is turning its attention east. With large Asian economies expected to turn away from coal to meet their net zero goals, Russia, the world’s top energy exporter, is banking on a surge in natural gas demand. The vast majority of Russia’s gas reserves are located above the Arctic circle, a region that is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, with temperatures reaching a scorching 38C in June. The government plans to grow its liquified natural gas (LNG) production in the Arctic ten-fold between 2018 and 2035, according to its 2035 Arctic strategy published last month, with the Yamal peninsula in northwest Siberia the focus of recent LNG developments. The melting Arctic sea ice will allow to ships to export LNG to Asian markets across the Northern sea route. By 2035, Russia hopes to increase the volume of maritime cargo transportation in the Arctic more than four-fold. “In the mind of Russian policy makers, gas is still destined to play a huge role. They say that coal is the fuel of the past and natural gas is the fuel of tomorrow,” Kapitonov said. “It’s a risky game… Russia has to play” to monetise its huge gas reserves, he added. “It’s the destiny of these resource-production nations.” LNG exports to China are already on the rise and gas exports are expected to grow by 10% during the 2020-2021 heating season, according to Chinese state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec. In anticipation of growing demand, Russian state-owned Gazprom has started a feasibility study for the construction of a second gas pipeline between eastern Siberia and China. “If China opens its domestic market to Russian gas, it could become its biggest market,” said Vladimir Chuprov, head of Greenpeace Russia’s energy programme. But Russia faces competition from wind and solar power, as well as Australian and Qatari LNG, he added. Investing in greenfield oil and gas Arctic projects is “economically suicidal,” said Chuprov. “It means Russia is still in the 20th century and doesn’t understand that it needs its own green deal.” Climate news in your inbox? Sign up here Indra Øverland, head of the Centre for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, told Climate Home “Russia’s dependence on oil and gas exports is leaving them vulnerable” to an international move away from fossil fuels. “Russia still has its head in the sand,” he said, describing it as Russia’s “Kodak moment,” blind to the impact global climate policies will have on its economy. In an interview with the Guardian earlier this month, energy minister Alexander Novak – since promoted to deputy prime minister – said Russia planned to become a global leader in producing “clean burning hydrogen”. At present, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels in a process that emits carbon dioxide. Russia is working on technology to capture the CO2, Novak said, and can also produce hydrogen by hydrolysis using renewable energy. Yuriy Melnikov, senior analyst on the power sector at the Skolkovo Energy Center in Moscow, was sceptical. He told Climate Home that in the absence of ambitious climate targets, Russian businesses had little incentive to invest in green hydrogen. For Chuprov, of Greenpeace, Putin’s support for the oil and gas industry allows him to exert political control over the handful of oligarchs that runs it – and is therefore unlikely to change. “Phasing out oil and gas is phasing out that political system,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/11/16/russia-resists-tougher-climate-targets-dash-arctic-gas/
     
         
      UK government looking at harvesting solar power in space Mon, 16th Nov 2020 19:07:00
     
      The UK government has announced that it has commissioned research into space-based solar power (SBSP) systems. Sparking this surprising announcement it sees potential for an unlimited constant zero carbon power source using very large solar power satellites and a system which can beam the energy to ground-based receivers connected to the national grid. Interestingly the official government press release admits the idea behind the SBSP system comes from science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who wrote about this concept back in 1941. The idea seems to be a sound one but economics and technology have just started to catch up with it, namely; low cost commercial space launches, lightweight solar panels, and advances in wireless power transmission. Some other inherent advantages of SBSP are that the sun never sets in space, and if the UK can pioneer this technology it could be a boost to GDP. The commissioned study seeks to find out whether SBSP is truly viable, sustainable, and safe. Assessing the project from an engineering and economics standpoint will be the Frazer-Nash Consultancy. It is already foreseen that assembling the massive satellites in space will be one of the biggest challenges as it will be beyond the scale of anything before. SBSP will have a target operational date of 2050, but it must be more than just successful in its own right. The consultancy will have to make sure it offers advantages above other viable forms of renewable energy. Safety gets a mention too and I wonder what would happen to a plane or flock of geese (for example) that passed through the high-frequency high-energy radio wave beam being sent to earth. Also could hackers redirect these energy beams and wreak destruction upon their targets at the speed of light? In 2019 the UK already passed an important milestone in electricity generation – it generated more electricity from low carbon sources like wind, solar and nuclear power than it did from fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://hexus.net/ce/newsgeneral/146884-uk-government-looking-harvesting-solar-power-space/
     
         
      Jeff Bezos announces first beneficiaries of his $10 billion climate fund Mon, 16th Nov 2020 18:58:00
     
      Unlike other tech giants with climate change pledges, Bezos focuses on funding advocacy groups Jeff Bezos named 16 environmental organizations that will get the first chunk of his $10 billion fund for climate action on Instagram today. Collectively, they’ll get $791 million from the richest man on Earth, although Bezos did not specify how much would go to each group. “I’ve spent the past several months learning from a group of incredibly smart people who’ve made it their life’s work to fight climate change and its impact on communities around the world,” Bezos said on Instagram. “I’m inspired by what they’re doing, and excited to help them scale.” The Amazon CEO announced the creation of his personal $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund in February. "Support for mainstream environmental groups" His fund is equivalent to more than 7 percent of his net worth. It’s also 10 times as much as philanthropic foundations gave globally in 2018 to efforts to slow climate change. For his first round of funding, Bezos chose to back a handful of legacy organizations with an established history of advocacy on behalf of the planet. His choice in recipients so far signals support for mainstream environmental groups rallying for new policies and research on climate change. It’s also somewhat of a departure from contributions that Amazon and other giants have made recently to climate tech startups. Amazon, Microsoft, and Stripe, in contrast to Bezos, have all pledged to funnel money toward developing brand-new technologies to reduce and capture their industries’ greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the first round of funding from Amazon’s $2 billion climate fund will go toward getting more electric vehicles on the road and capturing carbon dioxide emissions, the company announced in September. Microsoft said in January that it would spend $1 billion over four years on technologies that remove planet-heating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. "Carbon-capture tech favored by tech companies is still in its infancy" But the carbon-capture tech favored by tech companies is still in its infancy. In contrast, some of the advocacy groups Bezos pledged to fund today have been fighting for environmental protections since close to the birth of the modern environmental movement in in the US in the 1960s. That includes the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which is led by Gina McCarthy, an Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency administrator and vocal critic of Trump’s environmental rollbacks. “This generous gift from the Bezos Earth Fund enables NRDC to move even faster on achieving the climate solutions we need at the federal, state and local levels to protect people’s health, strengthen nature’s ability to help fight climate change and grow the clean energy sector and all the jobs that come with it,” McCarthy said in a statement. Bezos also named the Environmental Defense Fund, which tends to take a more corporate-friendly approach to its advocacy. It’s worked with companies like Walmart and McDonald’s on their sustainability goals. “The needs are enormous,” Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp told The Verge after the Bezos fund was announced in February. “No matter what organization receives this funding, what’s important is that the money be put to work.” Krupp and McCarthy’s organizations will each receive $100 million, according to statements from each group. Some of the big green groups Bezos chose, however, have been beset by scandal lately. Human rights abuses came to light in a 2019 BuzzFeed News investigation into the nearly 60-year-old conservation charity World Wildlife Fund. The organization’s anti-poaching efforts supported paramilitary groups that captured, tortured, and killed villagers and indigenous peoples in Asia and Africa, BuzzFeed reported. Two more groups Bezos will fund have had recent shifts in leadership as part of a broader reckoning with systemic racism and sexism within science fields and environmentalism. The CEO of conservation group Nature Conservancy decided to leave his post in June 2019 following allegations of gender discrimination within the organization. The president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Ken Kimmell, said that he would step down at the end of the year. Kimmell’s decision follows the high-profile resignation of the organization’s former coalitions coordinator, Ruth Tyson, who penned a public letter saying, “It was really stressful and traumatic for me working [at the Union of Concerned Scientists] and I hope no other Black people ever have to share this pain.” World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy said they would each get $100 million from Bezos’ fund, while the Union of Concerned Scientists said it’s been given $15 million. Among the established organizations, Bezos also decided to fund a recently formed group that centers racial equity in its work, the NDN Collective. It was founded by a diverse group of Native American activists in 2018 to fund and support indigenous-led movements and sustainability initiatives. Bezos will also fund the new Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, which was launched in 2019 with a focus on supporting women in the Southeast US. Bezos is funding research groups, too, like the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute and World Resources Institute. Bezos has so far avoided key activist groups that have been critical of him and Amazon, like the Sunrise Movement, which has spearheaded campaigns for a Green New Deal. “A reminder that Jeff Bezos has made over $48 Billion during the pandemic while over 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Imagine if he actually had to pay taxes and what that money could help fund,” Sunrise Movement tweeted in September. Still, Sunrise Movement hasn’t necessarily ruled out accepting funding from Bezos to promote its campaigns. “It’s better his extreme wealth sits with organizations like the Climate Justice Alliance and Sunrise than in some offshore tax haven,” Stephen O’Hanlon, Sunrise Movement communications director, said to The Verge in an email after the Bezos fund was announced in February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/16/21569902/jeff-bezos-first-recipients-10-billion-climate-change-fund
     
         
      The Hype and Hope of Sahara Desert Green Hydrogen Mon, 16th Nov 2020 11:54:00
     
      Past supergrid plans have failed. Can a transcontinental hydrogen pipeline connect the energy futures of Europe and Africa? Desert energy is back. As the European Union sets its sights on a green hydrogen boom as part of its plans to meet decarbonization pledges and rebuild economies ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, North Africa has emerged as a possible source for a significant chunk of Europe’s future hydrogen supply. A 2020 version of the European Commission’s hydrogen strategy referenced a proposal that the EU could meet some of its future supply from neighboring countries such as Ukraine, as well as the desert regions of North Africa, which offer both huge renewables potential and geographic proximity. The idea originated in a paper published in March by trade body Hydrogen Europe setting out the "2 x 40 GW green hydrogen initiative." Under this concept, the EU by 2030 would have in place 40 gigawatts of domestic renewable hydrogen electrolyzer capacity and import a further 40 GW from electrolyzers in neighboring areas, among them the deserts of North Africa, via revamped versions of the natural-gas pipelines that already connect to Europe. If it sounds like a familiar idea, that’s because it isn’t entirely new. A little over a decade ago, a similar plan enjoyed its moment in the sun when a coalition of industrial corporations and finance institutions joined forces to push what was dubbed the Desertec concept. At one stage, RWE, Siemens and First Solar were all involved. The thinking behind Desertec was that up to 20 percent of Europe’s energy needs could be met with huge solar and wind arrays located in the Sahara, brought into the bloc via a trans-Mediterranean high-voltage power network. For a few years, Desertec generated hyperbolic headlines about the Sahara eventually providing clean power for the entire world. But the venture ultimately foundered amid criticism that it would have been an excessively costly boondoggle underpinned by outdated notions of Africa’s natural resources being up for grabs by the rest of the world. However, this idea now seems to have been granted a new lease of life, this time as the possible answer to Europe’s renewable hydrogen needs. Some of the thinking can be traced back to the legacy organization of the Desertec initiative, Dii, which addressed the proposal in a North Africa-Europe hydrogen "manifesto" document published last year. One of the authors of that manifesto also co-wrote Hydrogen Europe’s 2 x 40 GW initiative paper. Underestimating Europe’s renewables potential Perhaps because of Desertec's decidedly mixed legacy, the idea of a renewable hydrogen superhighway between Europe and Africa has garnered a lukewarm reception, attracting similar objections to those aimed at its predecessor, mainly around cost and practicality. According to Aurélie Beauvais, head of policy and deputy CEO of trade body SolarPower Europe, the idea of an EU-Africa hydrogen mega-project is something of a “chimera” based on what she says is a misconception that Europe lacks abundant renewable energy resources. “This is based on a bit of a prehistoric vision that you only have solar in the south and you only have wind in the north, whereas [in truth] resources are much better distributed,” said Beauvais, citing a study by SolarPower Europe and Finland’s LUT University published earlier in the year showing Europe’s renewables potential to be “immense.” “The EU is heavily underestimating their resources in renewable electricity,” she added. Preoccupation with the idea that Europe will not be able to meet its envisioned future demand for renewable hydrogen with domestic resources overlooks the potential for innovation in decentralized solutions, Beauvais argues. With these types of innovations, renewable hydrogen could be both produced and consumed locally “without the need for huge plants or huge pipes.” “We are at the beginning of a revolution, so it's a moment where we need to encourage technology and innovation, and decentralized production of hydrogen is very interesting because it does not require the same amount of infrastructure,” she said. Pipelines or pipe dreams? This echoes concerns voiced by others about the idea of Europe relying on renewable hydrogen produced overseas and the logistics of transporting the fuel to market. As Wood Mackenzie analyst Ben Gallagher has pointed out, hydrogen has low volumetric energy density compared to natural gas, which makes its transportation more of a challenge. “It would need to be highly pressurized, liquefied [or] turned into ammonia, or...some other carrier [would have to be used] for transportation,” Gallagher said. “Currently, hydrogen is compressed and put on trucks, but that's for pretty small-scale distribution; it's never been done on a large scale.” Martin Lambert, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, agreed that the cost of transporting hydrogen produced in North Africa or elsewhere through repurposed natural-gas pipelines would be substantial. “You need to do some quite deep engineering work to convert a gas pipeline system to hydrogen; hydrogen is quite different stuff to methane, so you can't convert it easily,” he said. Lambert is broadly supportive of the idea of tapping the potential of regions such as the Sahara to either supply power directly to Europe or produce renewable hydrogen. But he questioned the feasibility of the timescales involved and achieving as much as 40 GW of capacity by 2030. Models of the development of the hydrogen market that Lambert and others have undertaken are more in line with the decentralized approach suggested by SolarPower Europe, building from a few local clusters initially developed around big industrial centers such as Teesside, Humberside or Merseyside in the U.K. or the Ruhr in Germany. “A few clusters could develop, and from that, you then start to integrate the link between them. To say as a first step you're going to have massive hydrogen pipelines running across Europe sounds a bit premature,” he said. New tech and revived momentum bring renewed optimism Still, backers of the concept stand by its aims. Constantine Levoyannis, Hydrogen Europe’s head of policy, agrees that a decentralized approach should be the first focus of the development of a renewable hydrogen market in Europe. But he argues that the huge numbers involved in the energy and industrial “revolution” the European Commission is proposing in its hydrogen strategy will inevitably require an outward-looking approach to achieve. “We want European industry to invest in electrolyzers and help us achieve this objective. On the other hand, we're cognizant that we don't have enough space to be able to do more than 40 or 50 GW [within the EU]. So we're going to need a strategy that engages external parties as well,” Levoyannis said. Levoyannis recognizes that some of the same criticisms lobbed at Desertec are now being made of the 2 x 40 GW initiative, but he emphasizes the extent to which factors such as technological advances, substantially greater political momentum and the dramatic decline in the costs of renewables have created a very different context from the one in which Desertec operated. “There will always be the naysayers, but I think the facts speak for themselves. It's a completely different discussion that we're having today than we were 10 years ago,” he said. On the question of how renewable hydrogen might be physically transported to market in Europe, Levoyannis acknowledged that significant engineering would indeed be required. But the cost of repurposing existing pipelines to carry hydrogen would still be cheaper than building new ones and more efficient than trying to bring renewable electricity from, say, North Africa into the EU in electron form, he said. “You can transport much more renewable energy via pipeline, as in molecular form, than via the grid,” he said. The Hydrogen Europe paper claims that transporting hydrogen by pipeline costs 10 to 20 times less than electricity transported by cables. The inclusion of the 2 x 40 GW initiative in the European Commission’s July strategy proposal does not mean that it is official EU policy. But Levoyannis said the fact it was included highlights the extent to which the idea is being taken seriously at the highest levels of the EC. That view is bolstered by activity already underway at a legislative level to pave the way for the development of a hydrogen “backbone” in Europe to support the hydrogen economy. Others agree that the EU is right to look beyond its borders if it is serious about hydrogen playing a central role in achieving climate neutrality. The plan can bring Africa into the hydrogen economy According to Nils Røkke, chairman of the European Energy Research Alliance, closer collaboration between the EU and Africa in areas such as energy would bring mutual benefits. Those could include enabling Europe to tap into its neighbor’s vast renewable energy resources and allowing African countries to enjoy greater domestic energy access as a benefit from that investment. “Africa would be in a much better situation and Europe would be in a much better situation if there was a cooperation between the development of renewable energies and to develop renewable fuels such as hydrogen,” Røkke said. “And there will be will be spillover benefits, I'm pretty sure about that; not doing it would be isolating Africa from taking part in the industrial development of these kinds of technologies.” It is far too early to predict whether these factors will be enough to lead to the realization of 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers in North Africa piping fuel across the Mediterranean. What seems clear is that in official circles at least, there is a growing view that at least some of Europe’s future renewable hydrogen needs must be met from outside its own borders. Already, moves are afoot to mobilize industry to begin finding ways to put the European Commission’s plans into action, including the launch of a Clean Hydrogen Alliance to bring together key stakeholders. The EU is also gearing up on the diplomatic front, with commission efforts such as the Africa-Europe Green Energy Initiative exploring opportunities for clean hydrogen collaborations. As these ventures start to take shape and legislative changes begin laying the foundations for a future clean hydrogen market, a clearer picture should begin to emerge of whether the prospect of a hydrogen revolution substantially powered by the sun and wind of the Sahara is just a mirage or a solid vision of a greener future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-hype-and-hope-of-desert-green-hydrogen
     
         
      AGL long-duration battery planned for Adelaide marks another leap for renewables Mon, 16th Nov 2020 11:21:00
     
      The 250MW battery will provide power for four hours, supporting evening peak demand, and is not subsidised by state or federal governments The announcement of a large, long-duration battery in Adelaide has been hailed as a milestone in the developing technology that is competing with fossil fuels to support wind and solar energy. The energy company AGL, which owns several coal plants and is Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, announced on Monday it would build a large-scale battery on the site of the Torrens Island gas station, which is due to shut by 2022. It said the battery would be built in stages and have an eventual power capacity of up to 250 megawatts - greater than an existing battery at Hornsdale in South Australia, but less than a 300MW facility planned for a site near Geelong. The AGL development differs markedly from existing and other proposed Australian batteries in having a storage capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours, which equates to a duration of up to four hours. Existing batteries in Australia are used to bolster the security of the grid when something goes wrong, such as a major transmission line being taken out or a power station “tripping”. They are able to rapidly fill the gap to prevent the grid collapsing. The AGL battery would be the first in the country specifically designed to store energy generated when the sun is shining or the wind blowing and release it into the grid when electricity use reaches a peak. The company’s decision is noteworthy for having been made without government support or intervention, unlike other recent proposals for gas, battery and pumped hydro projects backed by the federal government and other states. AGL’s chief executive, Brett Redman, said the company was “getting on with the business of energy transition”. “This battery is another step in the state’s energy transition, while at the same time allowing a rapid response to changes in renewable generation when our customers and communities need it,” he said. He said the Torrens Island battery was part of a plan to build 850MW of energy storage capacity by 2023-24. Battery technology has taken off more rapidly than was predicted. An Australian Energy Market Operator forecast in 2016 suggested the country might have only 4MW of large-scale batteries by 2020, and build no more than that before 2036. A report released earlier this month said the country already had 287MW in operation or committed to construction. That does not include the Victorian government announcement of the 300MW battery near Geelong, billed as one of the biggest in the world. Simon Holmes à Court, a senior adviser to the Climate and Energy College at Melbourne University, said the Torrens Island battery was a significant milestone, as the company could have opted for a new gas-fired plant. “It is the first battery that is competing with gas generators in Australia, and it’s completely unsubsidised,” he said. “This will be moving solar from the middle of the day to the evening, when demand is at its peak.” The South Australian government said it would support the battery by granting a planning exemption. The energy minister, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, said it would help “restore the grid to strength” and meet its aspirational goal of net-100% renewable energy. South Australia has generated 57% of its electricity from renewable sources over the past year. The Morrison government argues that new gas-fired power plants are essential for the reliability and security of the national grid as variable wind and solar replaces ageing coal-fired power plants. It plans to underwrite up to five new “fast-start” gas plants and six pumped hydro plants, and has said the government-owned Snowy Hydro would build an additional gas generator in New South Wales to help replace AGL’s outgoing Liddell coal plant if the private sector has not made an equivalent commitment by April. The latter proposal was announced as part of its promised “gas-led” recovery from the economic shock caused by Covid-19. Earlier this year the market operator found additional gas-fired power was an option, but not essential, for an electricity grid increasingly based on renewable energy, and gas prices would need to stay at lower levels than expected if it was to compete with pumped hydro, batteries and other alternatives. Gas is often described as having half the emissions of coal when burned, but recent studies have suggested that underestimates its impact on the climate.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/16/agl-long-duration-battery-planned-for-adelaide-marks-another-leap-for-renewables
     
         
      A youth group helped Biden win. Now they want him to fix climate crisis Mon, 16th Nov 2020 8:00:00
     
      The Sunrise Movement helped reach 3.5m voters in swing states and are determined to hold the president-elect to his promises Joe Biden will have to navigate a path for the most ambitious climate agenda ever adopted by a US president through not only stubborn Republican obstruction but also an emergent youth climate movement that is already formulating plans to hold him to account. A record turnout of young voters, a cohort riven by anxiety over the climate crisis, helped Biden beat Donald Trump on the 3 November election. The Sunrise Movement, the youth-led progressive climate group, reached 3.5 million young voters in swing states and now wants to see a return on these efforts. “We will have to see if Joe Biden is true to his word when he says that climate change is his number one issue but rest assured the movement will be there to remind him every moment of the way,” said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the group, which surged to fame last year after a viral video showed a fractious encounter between the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein and young climate activists who had occupied her office. “We delivered for Biden, now it’s his time to deliver for us.” Biden has called the climate crisis an “existential threat” to the US and has outlined a $2tn plan to decarbonize the electricity sector and create millions of jobs in clean energy. This package is far more ambitious than the Democrat’s original climate plan, which groups, including Sunrise, successfully pushed to go further. “His ratings among young people were abysmal six months ago but, to his credit, he came back with a much better climate plan,” said Prakash. “It’s clear we don’t have time to wait. Young people are terrified of what is to come and they will push Joe Biden to do everything in his power to ensure climate action.” An animating fear for climate activists is a repeat of Barack Obama’s failure to enact climate legislation, after the collapse of a grand bipartisan attempt to institute a price on carbon emissions. Biden will be pressured to push ahead without Republicans, with activists holding talks with the incoming administration to create an office of climate mobilization, in the vein of the war mobilization office set up by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943, to coordinate efforts. Protests are also brewing over Biden’s cabinet appointments, with disquiet over the rumored return of Ernest Moniz, a former secretary of energy who is in favor of using gas rather than solely renewable energy. “I have the fear that the cabinet that makes it through the nomination process won’t be considered full of climate champions,” said Prakash. That nomination process, like much of Biden’s agenda, will hinge upon a Senate that appears likely to remain in Republican hands. Sweeping climate legislation would almost certainly be blocked in this scenario, testing Biden’s ability to force down emissions through executive actions or brokered deals with Republicans. “Biden will attempt to legislate first while retaining the prerogative to regulate and I think there is still an opportunity to do that – he spent 30 years in the Senate and knows how to cut a deal,” said Paul Bledsoe, a strategic adviser at the Progressive Policy Institute and a Biden ally. Republicans could be swayed by an economic stimulus package that includes green elements such as new electric vehicle recharge stations, retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient and support for solar and wind power, Bledsoe said. “I expect him to be very aggressive,” Bledsoe added. “If he had Congress it would be easier, Sunrise understands that. But I don’t think he intends to disappoint this new generation of climate activists.” Public opinion will, at least, be broadly in Biden’s favor. Polling shows there is a record level of concern among Americans over the climate crisis, with a clear majority demanding a response from government. “The electorate has clearly said it wants action on climate change,” said Heather McTeer Toney, a former regional administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency and now senior director of the Moms Clean Air Force. “It’s exciting that climate is a top line priority. I know it’s not going to be easy but it now feels possible. We should be energized.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/16/joe-biden-climate-crisis-ennvironment-energy
     
         
      Extra £40m for green spaces in England, Boris Johnson pledges Sun, 15th Nov 2020 20:02:00
     
      A further £40m is to be ploughed into green spaces in England as part of a plan to restore species and combat climate change. The government says the cash will fund thousands of jobs in conservation. The prime minister also promised new national parks and greater protections for England’s iconic landscapes. Environmentalists welcomed the investment but said it was a fraction of what is needed to restore Britain’s depleted wildlife. Boris Johnson said the scheme was part of his 10-point plan for combating climate change, which Downing Street said would be unveiled this week. The plan has been widely leaked and it is thought to include a commitment to: energy efficiency and heat for homes and business offshore wind the power system nuclear – including small modular reactors carbon capture/storage hydrogen innovation funding for net-zero transport green financing natural environment investment The natural environment funding will go to environmental charities creating or restoring important habitats like peatland and wetland; preventing or cleaning up pollution; creating woodland; and helping people connect with nature. Mr Johnson said this will in turn create and retain skilled and unskilled jobs, such as ecologists, project managers, tree planters and teams to carry out nature restoration. The projects could give a home to species that flourished in similar initiatives across the country, including the curlew, nightingale, horseshoe bat, pine marten, red squirrel and wild orchids. Mr Johnson said: “Britain’s iconic landscapes are part of the fabric of our national identity - sustaining our communities, driving local economies and inspiring people across the ages. “That’s why, with the natural world under threat, it’s more important than ever that we act now to enhance our natural environment and protect our precious wildlife and biodiversity.” There are currently 10 national parks in England - including the South Downs, Lake District and Peak District - as well as 34 areas of outstanding national beauty (AONB). The government says the process for designating new national parks and AONB will start next year. And 10 long-term "landscape recovery" projects will be initiated between 2022 and 2024 to restore wilder landscapes. Enormous task' Craig Bennett, from the Wildlife Trusts, said: "Of course this is welcome, but it’s a tiny amount compared with what’s needed. “A previous promise of £40m was over-subscribed seven times over. “The government has pledged to protect 30% of the countryside by 2030, but at the moment only 5% is protected for wildlife. We need £1bn every year for this enormous task." Tony Juniper, head of government agency Natural England, said: "I warmly welcome this as part of the delivery of the National Nature Recovery Network - and I’m really pleased to have all this coming from the PM.” The government has slashed funding for his organisation and earlier this week he told MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee that its current funding is below the level required to carry out statutory duties to a good standard. Mr Juniper said taking action to protect species at risk of extinction, ceasing management duties for National Nature Reserves and engaging only a small number of planning authorities to support landscape and biodiversity activities are some of the areas where Natural England has had to scale back support.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54947577
     
         
      Volvo Boss Wants to Replace Diesel with Fuel Cells in Large Trucks - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 15th Nov 2020 19:27:00
     
      Hydrogen and fuel cells instead of diesel in the trucks. Several large truck manufacturers, including AB Volvo, believe that this is the way to more sustainable transport. AB Volvo aims for rapid electrification in the future. Within 20 years, the company expects that almost all vehicles will be powered by electricity, either from batteries or from hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Lars Stenqvist, technical manager at AB Volvo, believes that for the long-distance transports, the fuel cells will be what counts. They expect large volumes of fuel cells in trucks, construction machinery, buses and at Volvo Penta with marine and industrial uses.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/volvo-boss-wants-to-replace-diesel-with-fuel-cells-in-large-trucks/
     
         
      La revolución verde aúpa a Iberdrola al récord Sun, 15th Nov 2020 13:43:00
     
      El nuevo plan de negocio para 2020-2025 ha reforzado el interés de los inversores, que sitúan a la compañía como la abanderada en la transición hacia las renovables Iberdrola es de las pocas compañías que ha podido dar dosis de alegría a sus accionistas buena parte del año: beneficios, reparto de dividendo, crecimiento en el exterior, operaciones corporativas y estratégicas, previsiones optimistas… Y para rematar, acaba de anunciar un ambicioso plan de negocio para 2020-2025 y ha elevado la estimación de beneficio para 2022 un 8%, hasta 4.200 millones de euros. La compañía presidida por Ignacio Sánchez Galán tuvo un tropiezo coincidiendo con el inicio de la pandemia, pero se recuperó enseguida y acumula una subida de casi el 25% en 2020, ha tocado récord y ha alcanzado una capitalización cercana a los 72.500 millones, que la sitúa como la segunda mayor compañía del Ibex, recortando distancia con Inditex. Iberdrola es de las pocas compañías que ha podido dar dosis de alegría a sus accionistas buena parte del año: beneficios, reparto de dividendo, crecimiento en el exterior, operaciones corporativas y estratégicas, previsiones optimistas… Y para rematar, acaba de anunciar un ambicioso plan de negocio para 2020-2025 y ha elevado la estimación de beneficio para 2022 un 8%, hasta 4.200 millones de euros. La compañía presidida por Ignacio Sánchez Galán tuvo un tropiezo coincidiendo con el inicio de la pandemia, pero se recuperó enseguida y acumula una subida de casi el 25% en 2020, ha tocado récord y ha alcanzado una capitalización cercana a los 72.500 millones, que la sitúa como la segunda mayor compañía del Ibex, recortando distancia con Inditex. El conjunto de analistas también aplauden la estrategia y la mayoría se inclina por mantener el valor: un 60% según el consenso de Bloomberg, frente al 33% que aconseja compra. El fuerte impulso de los últimos meses apenas deja recorrido a la acción, ya que el precio objetivo está situado en 11,12 euros, prácticamente el nivel actual. Banco Santander es de las firmas con la estimación de precio más baja, pese a mejorarla: pasa a 10,10 euros frente a los 8,40 euros anteriores. “La acción ya recoge el potencial de aceleración de inversión y el crecimiento previsto”, explican. No obstante, el banco reconoce que “Iberdrola se encuentra en un entorno favorable para las utilities, sobre todo para las que ofrezcan crecimiento a largo plazo con cierto grado de visibilidad”, y destaca “los excelentes activos”, “el buen posicionamiento”, “una adecuada estrategia” y un “robusto equipo gestor” por parte de la empresa española. HSBC ha subido la valoración hasta 12,2 euros y la recomendación de mantener a comprar. La firma destaca los “progresos significativos” que ha realizado en la actividad de renovables. “Creemos que la diversificación de Iberdrola, en particular en el ámbito de las renovables, junto con la claridad y el dinamismo de la toma de decisiones implican que merezca una prima más amplia”, argumenta. HSBC añade que la posición de Iberdrola en offshore –energía eólica marina– “está infravalorada, teniendo en cuenta la expansión en nuevos mercados de crecimiento y arrendamientos sustanciales en el Reino Unido y Estados Unidos que proporcionan una fuerte visibilidad”. Bankinter, por su parte, va más allá en el precio objetivo y lo coloca en 12,40 euros. El banco reitera el consejo de comprar, además de por “el modelo de negocio” y su “capacidad de crecimiento”, por su solidez financiera, con un apalancamiento bajo control y una amplia posición de liquidez, así como por su política de retribución al accionista. “Iberdrola es un claro ganador en el proceso de mayor electrificación de la demanda y rápida descarbonización al que se enfrenta el nuevo modelo energético”, detallan desde la entidad.
       
      Full Article: https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2020/11/13/mercados/1605280276_508816.html
     
         
      Renewable energy: Could floating turbines power our homes? Sun, 15th Nov 2020 13:30:00
     
      Wind turbines floating miles out to sea could one day provide electricity to our homes, experts believe. Wales currently meets about 50% of its needs from renewable sources, including solar and wind. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to see fixed offshore wind farms power UK homes by 2030, while Plaid Cymru believes Wales could be self-sustainable through renewables by then. But how big a part could turbines floating off the Welsh coast play? World's first floating offshore wind farm in Scotland Wind farms could power every home by 2030 A 96 megawatt (MW) wind farm capable of powering 90,000 homes is proposed for an area of sea 28 miles (45km) off Pembrokeshire by 2027.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54643828
     
         
      Wind & Solar Are Cheaper Than Everything, Lazard Reports Sun, 15th Nov 2020 12:21:00
     
      We recently saw the International Energy Agency (IEA) report that solar power offers the cheapest electricity in history. That was a global report. A US-focused report from Lazard recently reported something similar. The highly regarded energy analysts showed that wind and solar offer the cheapest electricity in the country, even significantly undercutting natural gas combined cycle power plants now. But that’s only half of it. Solar & Wind Energy Are Cheaper — Much Cheaper Historically, when we write about such reports, we — and the analysts we’re referencing — are comparing estimated electricity costs from new power plants. However, for at least a few of these reports, Lazard has been including average electricity cost from already built power plants — just the operational costs (the brown diamonds in the chart below). The latest report shows that new wind and solar power plants can even provide electricity more cheaply than existing, in-operation natural gas, coal, and nuclear power plants! This is where things get interesting. We’re at a kind of crossover point right now, but if solar and wind continue to come down in cost while the others stay the same or get more expensive, there will be serious pressure to retire fossil and nuclear power plants early and scale up wind and solar power production even faster. Why pay more for electricity from old, dirty power plants when you can get it more cheaply from new, clean, green electricity? (Side notes: the light blue diamond is for offshore wind, the green diamond captures the price with 20% green hydrogen used in the natural gas combined cycle power plant, and the dark blue diamond captures the price with 20% “blue hydrogen” used in the natural gas combined cycle power plant.) Here’s another chart looking at electricity costs from new wind and solar power plants versus marginal costs from existing fossil and nuclear power plants: Not too bad. Much more is available in the Lazard report examining levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) — aka the average cost of electricity production from a power plant across an estimated plant lifetime, or 20 years — including shorter comparisons in several other nations. The short story, though, is that solar and wind are much cheaper basically everywhere. Powering the World with 100% Renewable Energy Mark Z. Jacobson at Stanford University and Mark A. Delucchi, affiliated with UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have been telling us for many years that wind, water, and solar can power the world — and should power the world. In a report published in late December 2019, they and several other researchers published a highly detailed plan of how 143 different countries could be power by these renewable energy sources, including a close look at what is needed and what’s expected to be available throughout the day on each day of the year. The researchers call these analyses “Green New Deal all-sector energy roadmaps.” They look at expected job creation, grid stability changes, social cost savings, and energy cost savings from a fully shift to wind, water, and solar by 2050. Overall, this clean new world of wind, water, and solar (WWS) “reduces energy needs by 57.1%, energy costs by 61%, and social costs by 91%.” The upfront costs total $73 trillion, but the long-term savings are well worth it. The WWS focus will also create an estimated 28.6 million more jobs than under a business as usual (BAU) scenario. “This paper evaluates Green New Deal solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity for 143 countries. The solutions involve transitioning all energy to 100% clean, renewable wind-water-solar (WWS) energy, efficiency, and storage. WWS reduces global energy needs by 57.1%, energy costs by 61%, and social (private plus health plus climate) costs by 91% while avoiding blackouts, creating millions more jobs than lost and requiring little land. Thus, 100% WWS needs less energy, costs less, and creates more jobs than current energy.” Wind & Sunshine — Cheaper, Cheaper, Cheaper Analysis after analysis, study after study, the message is the same — busting out the solar and the wind like we just won an NBA three-peat is the cheapest way to go. Whether talking social costs, environmental costs, or just simply energy costs, transforming wind and sunshine into electricity will save humans billions or trillions of dollars. Now, the story is shifting from cheaper to much cheaper. Perhaps we will get a lot of stories of early fossil power plant retirements in 2021 and beyond.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/15/wind-solar-are-cheaper-than-everything-lazard-reports/
     
         
      First offshore wind farm goes offline: An industry warning? Sun, 15th Nov 2020 11:43:00
     
      In the new year, the first offshore wind farm in the United States will shut off its turbines, and its customers on nearby Block Island in Rhode Island will revert to diesel generation. The sun rising at Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Deepwater Wind. The rocky seabed around Block Island has been worn away by tides and storms, sometimes exposing high-voltage cables in a popular swimming location that developers failed to bury deep enough when the facility was brought online in 2016. To splice in newly buried cables, the wind farm will go offline for a brief period this spring. At $30 million for one leg of the fix and an undisclosed amount for the other, it’s a costly problem to crop up for the nation’s first offshore wind farm, and it’s not totally isolated. High-voltage lines that will be buried at sea to carry power from the burgeoning offshore wind sector and inject it into the onshore grid represent the most complicated, and as yet uncertain, aspect of an industry poised to boom, experts say. From grid congestion to technical troubles, the offshore wind’s transmission challenge is the focus of growing attention as the industry advances. “We cannot afford to develop the offshore grid in piecemeal,” Judy Chang, the undersecretary of energy for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conference held on offshore’s transmission challenges Tuesday. Block Island represents just 30 megawatts of power, a pilot project that preceded what could be a wind boom driven by state commitments to buy offshore wind and decarbonize power systems. Block Island is leftover rock and gravel from a glacier’s ancient retreat. The seafloor surrounding it proved too rocky for the cost-saving technique that developer Deepwater Wind and utility National Grid PLC used to lay the Block Island cables. State regulators had flagged that problem, but a state board ruled in favour of the developer’s proposal. John Dalton, president of the consultancy firm Power Advisory LLC, said the technical issue is not one likely to be repeated in the region and called the point where subsea cables have to climb ashore as a common pinch point for environmental issues, if only because it’s “where offshore wind becomes most apparent to stakeholders.” The geography of the seafloor is a critical aspect of wind siting that happens at the federal and company level and can make whole regions unfeasible until technology advances — such as in the Gulf of Maine, where researchers are testing floating technology in hopes of bringing offshore wind power to the deep gulf. Ørsted A/S — the Danish power company that acquired Block Island when it bought Deepwater Wind in 2018 — is bearing the cost of reburying the Block Island cable connecting its turbines to the island grid. Ørsted is focused on replacing the original cable to achieve a greater burial depth. Over the next few months, new portions of cable will be thread at 20 to 50 feet below the seabed, compared to the current 4- to 6-foot depths.
       
      Full Article: https://ocean-energyresources.com/2020/11/15/first-offshore-wind-farm-goes-offline-an-industry-warning/
     
         
      First offshore wind farm goes offline: An industry warning? Sun, 15th Nov 2020 11:43:00
     
      In the new year, the first offshore wind farm in the United States will shut off its turbines, and its customers on nearby Block Island in Rhode Island will revert to diesel generation. The sun rising at Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Deepwater Wind. The rocky seabed around Block Island has been worn away by tides and storms, sometimes exposing high-voltage cables in a popular swimming location that developers failed to bury deep enough when the facility was brought online in 2016. To splice in newly buried cables, the wind farm will go offline for a brief period this spring. At $30 million for one leg of the fix and an undisclosed amount for the other, it’s a costly problem to crop up for the nation’s first offshore wind farm, and it’s not totally isolated. High-voltage lines that will be buried at sea to carry power from the burgeoning offshore wind sector and inject it into the onshore grid represent the most complicated, and as yet uncertain, aspect of an industry poised to boom, experts say. From grid congestion to technical troubles, the offshore wind’s transmission challenge is the focus of growing attention as the industry advances. “We cannot afford to develop the offshore grid in piecemeal,” Judy Chang, the undersecretary of energy for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conference held on offshore’s transmission challenges Tuesday. Block Island represents just 30 megawatts of power, a pilot project that preceded what could be a wind boom driven by state commitments to buy offshore wind and decarbonize power systems. Block Island is leftover rock and gravel from a glacier’s ancient retreat. The seafloor surrounding it proved too rocky for the cost-saving technique that developer Deepwater Wind and utility National Grid PLC used to lay the Block Island cables. State regulators had flagged that problem, but a state board ruled in favour of the developer’s proposal. John Dalton, president of the consultancy firm Power Advisory LLC, said the technical issue is not one likely to be repeated in the region and called the point where subsea cables have to climb ashore as a common pinch point for environmental issues, if only because it’s “where offshore wind becomes most apparent to stakeholders.” The geography of the seafloor is a critical aspect of wind siting that happens at the federal and company level and can make whole regions unfeasible until technology advances — such as in the Gulf of Maine, where researchers are testing floating technology in hopes of bringing offshore wind power to the deep gulf. Ørsted A/S — the Danish power company that acquired Block Island when it bought Deepwater Wind in 2018 — is bearing the cost of reburying the Block Island cable connecting its turbines to the island grid. Ørsted is focused on replacing the original cable to achieve a greater burial depth. Over the next few months, new portions of cable will be thread at 20 to 50 feet below the seabed, compared to the current 4- to 6-foot depths.
       
      Full Article: https://ocean-energyresources.com/2020/11/15/first-offshore-wind-farm-goes-offline-an-industry-warning/
     
         
      World Food Production Also Having Big Effect on Climate Change Sun, 15th Nov 2020 11:09:00
     
      Most of the efforts aimed at reducing climate change center on reducing the use of fossil fuels. But a new study warns that pollution caused by the world’s food production system is also a major driver of rising temperatures on the planet. The study found that if the world food system stays on its current growth path, it will produce nearly 1.4 trillion metric tons of greenhouse gases over the next 80 years. That pollution is expected to come from fertilizers used in agriculture, mismanaged soil, food waste and methane gas released from cows and other animals. Other causes include land-clearing operations and deforestation. Cows graze in an enclosure near Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises for a sunny warm summer day on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Oxford in Britain led the study, which recently appeared in the publication Science. The researchers predict that even if fossil fuel emissions were halted now, emissions from the world food system would make it impossible to reach current international climate change targets. They say that emissions from food production alone could push world temperatures past 1.5 degrees Celsius by the middle of this century and above 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. A main goal of the 2015 United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change is to keep rises in the Earth’s temperature during this century to between 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. The U.N. has said that in order to stay below the 1.5 Celsius level, emissions must fall at least 7.6 percent each year through 2030. In this Friday Nov. 29, 2019, image, Plants grow with artificial lights and regulated climate conditions in greenhouses near Gouda, Netherlands, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) The new study calls for immediate “improvements in farming practices, as well as changes in what we eat and how much food we waste,” to help reach the Paris Agreement goals. Jason Hill is a professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Minnesota. He helped lead the study. He said in a statement that the research clearly demonstrates that food has a much greater effect on climate change than is widely known. Hill also noted that fixing the problem would not require the world’s population to completely stop eating meat. “The whole world doesn’t have to give up meat for us to meet our climate goals,” he told the Associated Press. “We can eat better, healthier foods. We can improve how we grow foods. And we can waste less food.” Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, center, D-N.J., tours the Three Square food bank Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) The researchers say such efforts are achievable and can also lead to many other improvements beyond controlling climate change. These include making humans healthier, reducing water pollution, improving air quality, preventing animal extinctions and improving farm profitability. The study makes the following predictions: A nearly complete change to a plant-rich diet around the world could cut nearly 650 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. If almost everyone ate the right number of calories based on age - around 2,100 calories a day for many adults - it would reduce emissions by about 410 billion metric tons. This Friday, July 21, 2017 photo shows an irrigation system at a farm in Farmville, N.C. The system is used to spray hog waste onto nearby crops instead of using commercial fertilizers. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) If farming could reduce carbon levels - by using less fertilizer, managing soil better and doing better crop rotation - it would cut greenhouse gases by nearly 540 billion metric tons. And if people wasted less food - at home, in restaurants or by getting it to people in poorer countries – emissions could be cut by about 360 billion metric tons. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the University of Minnesota and the United Nations. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
       
      Full Article: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/world-food-production-also-having-big-effect-on-climate-change/5658495.html
     
         
      Snam Enters Israel: MOU Signed in LNG and Hydrogen - FuelCellsWorks Sat, 14th Nov 2020 18:32:00
     
      Three partnerships announced as part of the Italian State visit: with Delek Drilling and Dan in liquefied natural gas for public transportation, with Dan for the development of green mobility projects, and with the start-up H2Pro in hydrogen research San Donato Milanese (MI), Italy — Snam enters the Israeli market with the launch of new collaborations in the energy transition, in particular in natural gas sustainable mobility, biomethane and hydrogen and in new green hydrogen production technologies. Snam signed three Memorandums of Understanding with Israeli companies within the framework of the State visit of Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio in Tel Aviv.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/snam-enters-israel-mou-signed-in-lng-and-hydrogen/
     
         
      Where are the jobs? NSW coal towns cling to the past until a better future emerges Sat, 14th Nov 2020 13:25:00
     
      Joel Fitzgibbon’s resignation from Labor’s frontbench has concentrated minds on transition in the Hunter region, but solid plans remain elusive Sue Moore, the mayor of Singleton, was eating lunch at a conference last year when an inner Sydney councillor sat down next to her and asked: “What do we have to do to get the people of Singleton off coal?” “You’ve got to tell them where their jobs are going to be,” Moore replied. “It’s got nothing to do with opposing climate action.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/15/where-are-the-jobs-nsw-coal-towns-cling-to-the-past-until-a-better-future-emerges
     
         
      Big UK offshore windfarms push risks harming habitats, say campaigners Sat, 14th Nov 2020 13:23:00
     
      Boris Johnson has promised that every home will be powered by offshore wind by 2030 Offshore windfarms risk harming delicate landscapes and vulnerable wildlife habitats if the government fails to coordinate the planning system in its push for a big expansion of clean energy, green campaigners have warned. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has promised that every home will be powered by offshore wind by 2030, which will require dozens of new sites for large turbines around the coast.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/14/big-uk-offshore-windfarms-push-risks-harming-habitats-say-campaigners
     
         
      Millions of homes could be powered by solar power beamed down from space by 2050 Sat, 14th Nov 2020 12:17:00
     
      Government has commissioned a study to look into the economic and engineering feasibility of generating vast amounts of energy in space. Millions of British homes could be powered by a giant solar power station 24,000 miles up in space within three decades, under proposals being considered by the government. Under the plan, a system of five huge satellites – each more than a mile wide, covered in solar panels and weighing several thousand tonnes – would deliver laser beams of energy down to Earth.
       
      Full Article: https://inews.co.uk/news/science/millions-uk-homes-solar-power-beamed-down-from-space-2050-759491
     
         
      U.S. Department of Energy Coal FIRST Initiative Invests $80 Million in Net-Zero Carbon Electricity and Hydrogen Plants Fri, 13th Nov 2020 18:21:00
     
      WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) announced selection of four projects for cost-shared research and development under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA), DE-FOA-0002180, Design Development and System Integration Design Studies for Coal FIRST Concepts. When fully negotiated and awarded, it is estimated that approximately $80 million in federal funding will be provided to these projects. DOE’s early stage research for the Coal FIRST Initiative supports the development of 21st century electricity and hydrogen energy plants that have net-zero carbon emissions. These plants will be fueled by coal, natural gas, biomass, and waste plastics and incorporate carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies. The Coal FIRST energy plant concepts will be capable of Flexible operation to meet the needs of the grid; use Innovative components that improve efficiency and achieve net-zero emissions, including the potential for net-negative (CO2) emissions when co-firing moderate amounts of biomass; provide Resilient power; be Small (50-350MWe) compared to today’s conventional utility-scale power plants; and Transform how coal power plant technologies are designed and manufactured. The Coal FIRST Initiative recognizes the importance of hydrogen production from coal, biomass, and waste plastics. A hydrogen economy is gaining global attention as part of a technology-based approach for reducing global carbon emissions. Even a partial move toward a hydrogen economy will require vast quantities of hydrogen at low cost. Fossil fuels with CCUS are already – and by far – the lowest cost source of low-carbon hydrogen. Gasification of coal and biomass with CCUS can be a large-scale source of carbon-negative hydrogen. Plastic waste could also be added to the fuel mix, mitigating plastics waste in the environment. The selected projects will complete (1) design development; (2) host site evaluation and an environmental information volume; (3) an investment case analysis; and (4) a system integration design study to advance the design of an engineering-scale prototype. The National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the selected projects, which can be found here. ### News Media Contact: (202) 586-4940
       
      Full Article: https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-department-energy-coal-first-initiative-invests-80-million-net-zero-carbon-electricity
     
         
      Toshiba to stop taking new orders for coal-fired power stations Fri, 13th Nov 2020 17:22:00
     
      Energy coverage from Saudi Arabia to Texas Journalists in 50+ countries follow the constant flow of money made and lost in oil & gas while tracking emerging trends and opportunities in the future of energy. Don’t miss our exclusive newsletter, Energy Source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/83ecf3f5-68c1-4c61-8c0c-eaf34a3c7fef
     
         
      Sweden's new car carrier is the world's largest wind-powered vessel Fri, 13th Nov 2020 13:46:00
     
      Oceanbird might look like a ship of the future, but it harks back to ancient maritime history -- because it's powered by the wind. The transatlantic car carrier is being designed by Wallenius Marine, a Swedish shipbuilder, with support from the Swedish government and several research institutions. With capacity for 7,000 vehicles, the 650 foot-long vessel is a similar size to conventional car carriers, but it will look radically different. The ship's hull is topped by five telescopic "wing sails," each 260 feet tall. Capable of rotating 360 degrees without touching each other, the sails can be retracted to 195 feet in order to clear bridges or withstand rough weather. The sails, which will be made of steel and composite materials, need to be this size to generate enough propulsive power for the 35,000-ton ship.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/oceanbird-wind-powered-car-carrier-spc-intl/index.html
     
         
      Study: Urban Greenery Plays a Surprising Role in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fri, 13th Nov 2020 10:50:00
     
      A recent study focusing on "the L.A. megacity" - an area encompassing all of Los Angeles County and areas beyond - found that urban greenery added a small unexpected amount to the region's overall output of carbon dioxide. › Larger view A new study tracing the sources of carbon dioxide, the most significant human-generated greenhouse gas, reveals the unexpectedly large influence of vegetation in urban environments. Burning fossil fuels in densely populated regions greatly increases the level of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. The largest carbon dioxide sources are cars, trucks, ports, power generation, and industry, including manufacturing. Urban greenery adds CO2 to the atmosphere when vegetation dies and decomposes, increasing total emissions. Urban vegetation also removes this gas from the atmosphere when it photosynthesizes, causing total measured emissions to drop. Understanding the role of urban vegetation is important for managing cities' green spaces and tracking the effects of other carbon sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7772
     
         
      Renewable energy: Floating windfarm plan 'really exciting' Thu, 12th Nov 2020 17:15:00
     
      A plan to build a floating windfarm off the Pembrokeshire coast is a "really exciting" opportunity for jobs and for meeting climate change targets, one of the developers has said. Blue Gem Wind would see seven to 10 wind turbines built in the Celtic Sea, about 45km (28 miles) off the coast, able to power almost 90,000 homes. David Jones, from Blue Gem, which is a collaboration between French energy giant Total and Simply Blue Energy, said it would create more than 3,000 jobs and help the UK meet its climate change targets. It could be built by 2027 if it gets the necessary planning and regulatory consent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-54924850
     
         
      Delhi's Covid cases spike as temperatures drop and pollution rises Thu, 12th Nov 2020 17:07:00
     
      India's capital, Delhi, is battling a winter surge in Covid-19 cases as temperatures plummet and air pollution rises to dangerous levels. The city confirmed more than 8,500 cases on Wednesday alone, its highest daily record yet. It also added 85 deaths in a day, putting the total beyond 7,000. The sharp spike in cases after a months-long lull has also put pressure on hospitals - more than half the available beds are already occupied. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the federal government asking for more beds at government hospitals as public pressure mounts. At 8.6m and counting, India currently has the world's second-highest caseload. But it had been on the decline from the middle of September: daily case counts dropped from nearly 100,000 to as low as 37,000 in the weeks that followed, even as testing remained consistent. The daily national tally continues to hover between 40,000-50,000 - India recorded some 48,200 cases on Wednesday. But Delhi has seen an alarming spike in recent weeks, recording more new cases than any other state. The capital has confirmed just over 450,000 cases so far, some 42,000 of which are active. It comes as large swathes of northern India confront a winter season and dangerously high levels of air pollution - two factors that could significantly worsen efforts to control the virus, according to experts. The rising numbers also coincide with a busy festival season in India, with Hindus celebrating Diwali this weekend. Delhi has banned the sale and use of fireworks and officials have reinforced the need for social distancing, but visuals of crowds thronging markets in the city have caused alarm. Authorities found a high positivity rate among shopkeepers in some of the oldest markets, which are at risk of becoming hotspots. "Two elderly patients of mine had to wait for more than 20 hours to get a bed," said Dr Joyeeta Basu, a physician in Delhi. Nearly 8,600 beds out of the 16,573 Covid beds in Delhi's public and private hospitals were full as of Wednesday evening, according to the government's Corona app. But more worryingly, unoccupied beds in intensive care units (ICU) are more scarce - only 176 beds with ventilators and 338 beds without ventilators are available. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court said some 33 private hospitals could reserve 80% of ICU beds for Covid patients due to spiralling cases and strained hospital resources. Doctors say the pandemic is raging inside the city's hospitals, where free beds are getting filled up by the minute. Thousands of beds in the government-owned hospitals remain free, according to the app. But there are no vacant beds in at least 24 private hospitals and less than 50 are available across 80 private hospitals listed on the app. But many who can afford private healthcare will not choose to go to a public hospital in India, where the quality of infrastructure is often poorer. India has an abysmal record in public health, spending just over 1% of its GDP on it. "All of my patients would only go to a private hospital. But with the way things are going, we may have to settle for whatever beds we can get in the coming days," Dr Basu added. Dr Randeep Guleria, director at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, one of India's biggest public hospitals, told local media that the spike means patients requiring admission into hospitals will rise. "Additionally, there is an increase in the number of patients coming to the emergency [room] with acute respiratory problems because of air pollution and respiratory viral infections," he told NDTV. Air quality monitors show that pollution levels are 14 times greater than the World Health Organization's (WHO) safe levels. Another worrying factor is that general immunity in colder weather is reduced regardless of one's age or comorbidities, according to Prof K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, a Delhi-based think tank. Cold weather is also more hospitable to the virus, whose survival time rises in dry and chilly air, he said. "Cold air is heavier and less mobile, which means viral clouds or viral particles will hover closer to the ground, making it easier to get into one's lungs." Add pollution to this scenario, and it's "a double whammy", he added, as cooler air means that pollutants will stick around longer. Studies around the world have linked air pollution to higher Covid-19 case numbers and deaths. A Harvard University study showed that an increase of only one microgram per cubic metre in PM 2.5 - dangerous tiny pollutants in the air - is associated with an 8% increase in the Covid-19 death rate. Another study by Cambridge University found a link between the severity of Covid-19 infection and long-term exposure to air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, car exhaust fumes or burning of fossil fuels. "We have to keep our fingers crossed," said Prof Reddy, adding that Delhi initially felt a strain when cases shot up in April. "It started to come back down in June when we had warmer weather and much better air." European countries like France and Italy, which grabbed headlines at the start of the pandemic for rising cases, were hit hard in January and February under a harsh winter, he said. "This is the first time we will have to deal with the virus under a winter season so we can't go by what happened in the summer. We will certainly be more vulnerable."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-54912871
     
         
      Hylias Hydrogen Powered Ship to Launch in 2023 - FuelCellsWorks Thu, 12th Nov 2020 15:01:00
     
      In the Gulf of Morbihan Regional Natural Park, the use of ships is inevitable to move from island to island. Passenger transport is a daily activity. However, passenger ships consume as much energy at the quayside as during navigation (propulsion and onboard), thus emitting a large number of greenhouse gases USE HYDROGEN FOR ZERO EMISSION TRANSPORT! Hydrogen could be a solution to decarbonise the land and maritime transport sector. Indeed, the hydrogen molecule is particularly energetic. For example, the combustion of a kilogram of hydrogen releases about three times more energy than a kilogram of gasoline, and produces only water. Making hydrogen the energy of tomorrow is the ambition of the Hylias project (HYdrogen for Land, Integrated renewables And Sea), coordinated by the CIAM® (Collaborative Integration for Alternative Motorization) brand of the EUROPE TECHNOLOGIES group and its 25 partners or supporters, in particular ADEME, the Region and the Banque des Territoires de Bretagne who are financially helping this project.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hylias-hydrogen-powered-ship-to-launch-in-2023/
     
         
      Climate change: Hurricanes get stronger on land as world warms Thu, 12th Nov 2020 14:38:00
     
      North Atlantic hurricanes are retaining far more of their strength when they hit land because of global warming, say scientists. Previously, experts believed these storms died down quickly once they made landfall. But over the past 50 years, the time it takes for hurricanes to dissipate on the coast has almost doubled. This year, the North Atlantic has already broken the record for the number of named storms, with Hurricane Theta becoming the 29th storm of the season - beating the 28 that formed in 2005. Now, researchers have shown that climate change is preventing these storms from decaying quickly when they move onto dry land.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54902068
     
         
      Invisible Air Rivers in The Sky Have Been Leaving Giant Holes in Antarctic Ice Thu, 12th Nov 2020 13:20:00
     
      It appeared in 1973, seemingly out of nowhere: a hole in the sea ice off the coast of Antarctica. But this was no ordinary hole. It was so big it could swallow California. The mysterious opening remained in place for the following three winters. Then it seemed to largely disappear before emerging again in 2017, with a giant maw the size of Maine. This giant hole with a sometimes state-sized appetite is what's called a polynya – an area of open water surrounded by sea ice, kind of like the opposite of an iceberg.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/invisible-rivers-of-air-flowing-in-the-sky-are-leaving-giant-holes-in-antarctic-ice
     
         
      MHI Vestas installs first 9.5MW floater Wed, 11th Nov 2020 14:41:00
     
      Debut unit at Kincardine project is expected to be anchored off Scotland in December 2020 MHI Vestas has installed the most powerful turbine on a floating offshore wind platform. The V164 9.5MW turbine has been installed on a Principle Power WindFloat platform at the installation harbour for the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm, off Scotland. The first 9.5MW unit is expected to be anchored at the project site in December 2020. It is the first of five units to be installed at the Kincardine project. Kincardine, which is being developed by Cobra Group, is set to be the largest floating wind farm in the world by nameplate capacity. The five turbines and platforms will be installed about 15km off the coast of Kincardineshire, at water depths ranging from 60-80 metres.
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/64360/first-95mw-turbine-installed-on-floating-platform/
     
         
      The burning scar: Inside the destruction of Asias last rainforests Wed, 11th Nov 2020 14:29:00
     
      A Korean palm oil giant has been buying up swathes of Asia's largest remaining rainforests. A visual investigation published today suggests fires have been deliberately set on the land. Petrus Kinggo walks through the thick lowland rainforest in the Boven Digoel Regency. "This is our mini market," he says, smiling. "But unlike in the city, here food and medicine are free." Mr Kinggo is an elder in the Mandobo tribe. His ancestors have lived off these forests in Papua, Indonesia for centuries. Along with fishing and hunting, the sago starch extracted from palms growing wild here provided the community with their staple food. Their home is among the most biodiverse places on earth, and the rainforest is sacred and essential to the indigenous tribes. Six years ago, Mr Kinggo was approached by South Korean palm oil giant Korindo, which asked him to help persuade his tribe and 10 other clans to accept just 100,000 rupiah ($8; £6) per hectare in compensation for their land. The company arrived with permits from the government and wanted a "quick transaction" with indigenous landholders, according to Mr Kinggo. And the promise of development was coupled with subtle intimidation, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-54798452
     
         
      MHKs criticise 'wishy washy' Isle of Man climate change bill Wed, 11th Nov 2020 13:18:00
     
      A bill that would enshrine measures to tackle climate change on the Isle of Man into law has been branded "toothless" and "wishy washy" by an MHK. The proposed law would set the government the target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But Daphne Caine said the legislation lacked concrete targets and would allow the opportunity to "cop out" of goals. Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said it needed to be "flexible". It would be wrong to set "specific targets or commitments" for future administrations, he added. Speaking during a reading of the bill in the House of Keys, Ms Caine said it needed to speak in terms of "must" instead of "may" when setting out its targets. She said: "The more I read and re-read the bill, the more concerned I was that this is green-washing - the government apparently taking action to combat climate change but in reality nothing meaningful will be implemented or might be implemented as part of this bill." In addition to the 2050 goal, the Climate Change Bill 2020 provides for the Council of Ministers to set interim targets but it does not necessitate them to do so.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-54905446
     
         
      Rolls-Royce to create 6,000 UK jobs to build 16 mini nuclear power stations Wed, 11th Nov 2020 6:28:00
     
      A consortium led by the engine maker is hoping to secure a further £217m of funding from the government for the project. A group led by Rolls-Royce has pledged to create 6,000 regional UK jobs within the next five years under plans to build 16 mini nuclear power stations. The consortium said the jobs would help support the government's "levelling up" agenda, with up to 80% of the power station components set to be made in factories across the Midlands and the north of England. The plans come at a crucial time for the UK amid rising unemployment caused by the pandemic. They could also help revive the fortunes of the engine maker Rolls-Royce, which is slashing 9,000 jobs to offset the hit from coronavirus, around two-thirds of them in the UK. Advertisement As well as the potential to create 6,000 jobs by 2025, the nuclear power plant plans could deliver a further 34,000 roles in 15 years, most of which would be high value manufacturing jobs. The consortium - which also includes National Nuclear Laboratory and the construction company Laing O'Rourke - said it is hoping to get a "clear commitment" from the government for the flat-packed power station project. The government handed the Rolls-Royce-led coalition £18m last year to design the small modular reactors (SMR). The consortium matched the funding and is now looking to secure a further £217m, which would also be matched by industry. Tom Samson, interim chief executive of the consortium, said: "This creates a unique opportunity to revitalise the UK's industrial base and paves the way for the future commercialisation of advanced reactor solutions, including fusion technology. "Our ambition to accelerate the deployment of a fleet these power stations across the UK will contribute massively to the 'levelling up' agenda, creating sustainable high value manufacturing jobs in those areas most in need of economic activity." He added: "The fleet approach will bring huge value to the communities of which these power stations will be a part, with economic activity spanning 60 years of operations." The jobs would be created across the joint venture - including manufacturing and assembly, as well as the supply chain that supports the programme and in the companies that will ultimately operate the power stations. The consortium also believes the project will help the UK meet its net-zero carbon commitments, while it has export potential of at least £250 billion by 2050 and could lead to further British jobs. The group has sealed two new agreements in the past week, with US power giant Exelon Generation and Czech Republic firm CEZ looking at how the reactors could be used in their power stations.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/rolls-royce-to-create-6-000-uk-jobs-to-build-16-mini-nuclear-power-stations-12129634
     
         
      Hydrogen is and isn't the future Tue, 10th Nov 2020 18:08:00
     
      Japan’s first hydrogen import terminal on Kobe Airport Island. Japan will have to accelerate the closure of coal plants and ramp up renewable energy capacity over the next decade to meet Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to be emissions neutral in 30 years. Surely hydrogen is the future of energy. Why else would the European Union, as part of its Green Deal, plan to shovel 470 billion euros (17 trillion baht) into infrastructure to electrolyse and use the stuff? Why else would China, Japan and South Korea be placing their own huge bets on the gas? The enthusiasm about hydrogen has a simple reason: Whether it's used in a fuel cell or burned to create heat, the only "exhaust" it emits is innocently clean water. Therefore, wherever hydrogen replaces fossil fuels, it helps slow global warming. That explains the worldwide race to dominate the various niches of a market projected by some banks to be worth trillions of dollars by 2050. Then again, perhaps this is just the latest of several hydrogen bubbles, destined to pop like all the others. A first one, inflated by a seminal essay from 1970, ballooned the following decade before going pfft in the 1980s. A second expanded and popped along with the tech bubble around 2000. Maybe hydrogen is the future and always will be. It certainly has daunting disadvantages. Yes, it's the most common element in the universe. But it doesn't appear in its pure form on earth. So it must be separated by running an electric current through water to split the oxygen and hydrogen atoms apart. That takes energy, which better be "green" -- that is, captured from the sun, wind or other renewables. Otherwise, what's the point? This process makes green hydrogen expensive relative to both fossil fuels like natural gas and hydrogen captured in less clean ways. BloombergNEF, our parent company's energy institute, reckons that technological improvements will rapidly make it cheaper in the coming years. But even then, it's still hard to transport and store. Unless combined with other chemicals, it must be compressed to 700 times atmospheric pressure or refrigerated to -253 degrees Celsius. Hydrogen also likes to explode. These drawbacks all but disqualify hydrogen from the application that currently gets the most hype: as a fuel to power cars, vans and trucks. On almost every count, vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells lose against their "clean-energy" rivals, electric cars running on batteries. For a start, the hydrogen cars are only half as efficient. If an electric car converts 86% of the energy originally harnessed by a wind turbine into moving the vehicle forward, the hydrogen car has access to only about 45%. A car with a fuel cell also has more moving parts and is more expensive to maintain than one with a battery. And, unlike the battery car, it can't be "reloaded" at home. This is bad news especially for Toyota, Hyundai and Honda, the carmakers that are placing the biggest bets on hydrogen in transportation. The case for hydrogen trucks is also weak. Michael Liebreich, BloombergNEF's founder, reckons hydrogen doesn't even make sense for trains. It would merely eliminate the need to electrify the track, while locking in a more complex and less efficient solution. It's only in long-haul aviation or oceanic shipping where hydrogen might beat electric batteries, thanks to its higher energy density. The batteries to get a plane to the other side of the world would be too big and heavy. Hydrogen doesn't work much better in heating residential buildings: It's usually easier to use green electricity to power heat pumps, which can also be "reversed" for cooling. In most industrial uses for heat, hydrogen also loses out to electricity. The long-term solution to slow global warming is therefore to electrify everything, as long as that electricity comes from renewable sources. Aye, there's the rub. We simply can't run everything on electricity. And we won't ever have sun and wind amply and reliably enough to keep the lights on all the time and everywhere. So here at last is the killer app for hydrogen. It could be the fuel that picks up the slack whenever the clean power grids of the future can't keep up. For once, the gas seems unequivocally superior to all other options, including nuclear energy. We can electrolyse the hydrogen whenever we have excess sun or wind. As Mr Liebreich predicts, we will then store it in massive underground caverns near the central nodes of our power grids, where it can be fired up at short notice during lulls in direct electricity generation. Hydrogen is thus the plug-in technology to make the overall project of electrification and decarbonisation possible.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2016955/hydrogen-is-and-isnt-the-future
     
         
      Standalone PV with pumped storage could deliver LCOE of $0.053/kWh Tue, 10th Nov 2020 17:40:00
     
      A new Indian study shows that standalone PV systems combined with pumped storage could be a solution to energy poverty in developing nations. This easily deployable, chemical-free approach might be best in countries that lack battery-recycling rules, the researchers said. Researchers from India's National Institute of Technology have proposed a combination of off-grid PV and pumped hydro storage (PHS), based on open wells, as a feasible way to bring renewable energy to remote regions in developing countries. The scientists said that the proposed solution do not include the deployment of any kind of chemical storage, which is seen as dangerous for many developing countries. as they do not have advanced technologies for recycling. Batteries must be charged and discharged for long periods of time and are often sources of failure in standalone PV systems in remote areas, where replacements and repairs can be extremely problematic. By contrast, pumped hydro storage (PHS) is a well-established, mature technology with a negligible environmental impact, although it does have some issues, such as the need for water. “This technology is reliable, promising and efficient with the ability to supply continuous power,” the researchers said. “As the PHS cost is concerned, it is one of the energy storage devices that have lowest cost/kWh. Its efficiency ranges from 65% to 87% and its life span is more than 40 to 60 years.” The inverter-free system consists of solar power generator coupled with a DC motor to provide electricity to a water pump that extracts water from a well into a PHS tank. “The capacity of this tank is made to store the desired quantity of water needed for continuous operation of the system,” they said. A second bigger tank is then built on the ground close to the open wells, at a higher elevation. “Its function is to receive water from water tank, and to maintain the pico hydro turbine head and discharge constant throughout the system operation,” the scientists explained. “The water pump and hydro turbine generator (HTG) are mounted on two separate strong foundations, which are constructed slightly over the water surface inside the open well.” The system can store energy energy when output surpasses demand, but also in a continuous manner, throughout the whole day, when the water pump is powered by the PV array. All the generated electricity is used for water storage in the form of potential energy. This is then used for electric power generation during the day and night. After passing through the HTG, the water is then discharged into the open well again and the cycle can restart. The Indian group said that the proposed system may have a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.053/kWh, with a payback period of 18.81 years and an expected lifecycle of around 50 years. However, the scientists said that these estimations may vary from country to country and from region to region within countries. Optimization techniques can be implemented to further improve efficiency and reduce costs, they said. They described the system in “Uninterrupted sustainable power generation at constant voltage using solar photovoltaic with pumped storage,” which was recently published in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/10/standalone-pv-with-pumped-storage-could-deliver-lcoe-of-0-053-kwh/
     
         
      What a Republican Senate really means for the climate Tue, 10th Nov 2020 12:05:00
     
      Spending on green infrastructure likely under Biden, but any hopes for climate requirements for businesses much farther off. Climate advocates rejoicing at Joe Biden’s presidential victory are also quietly absorbing the blow of Republicans possibly keeping control of the US Senate – which would kneecap significant efforts to fight globe-heating pollution. If Joe Biden is president and Congress is still divided, there will probably still be large-scale spending on green infrastructure, like renewable power, electric vehicles and transit. But any hopes for climate requirements for businesses, like a clean energy standard, would feel much farther off.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/10/us-senate-climate-action-republican-control
     
         
      Shell’s Largest Refinery Reduces Crude Processing Capacity By 50% Tue, 10th Nov 2020 12:00:00
     
      Shell will halve the crude oil processing capacity of its largest wholly owned refinery in the world, Pulau Bukom in Singapore, as part of its ambition to be a net-zero emissions business by 2050 or sooner, the supermajor said on Tuesday. Pulau Bukom hosts the largest wholly-owned Shell refinery globally in terms of crude distillation capacity, 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), and it also has an ethylene cracker complex with a capacity of up to a million tons per year and a butadiene extraction unit of 155,000 tons annually. As Shell is looking to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and is transforming its refining business for the new future, it will cut the crude processing capacity at Pulau Bukom by about half, the company said. In that new future, the Pulau Bukom Manufacturing Site will be one of Shell’s six energy and chemicals parks, and will pivot from a crude-oil, fuels-based product slate towards new, low-carbon value chains. “Our businesses in Singapore must evolve and transform, and we must act now if we are to achieve our ambition to thrive through the energy transition. Our decisive action today will help Shell in Singapore stay resilient and build a cleaner, more sustainable future for all of us,” said Aw Kah Peng, Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore. The reduced refinery capacity in Singapore will result in fewer jobs at the site, Shell said, while a Shell spokeswoman told Reuters that the supermajor would cut around 500 jobs by the end of 2023. Currently, Pulau Bukom employs around 1,300 people. Shell is implementing a new downstream strategy to reshape its refining business towards a smaller, smarter refining portfolio focused on further integration with Shell Trading hubs, Chemicals, and Marketing. As part of this strategy, Shell has sold the Martinez Refinery in California to PBF Holding Company for US$1.2 billion. Shell is also set to shut down its 211,000-bpd refinery in Convent, Louisiana, after failing to find a buyer for the site. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Shells-Largest-Refinery-Reduces-Crude-Processing-Capacity-By-50.html
     
         
      Joe Biden: How the president-elect plans to tackle climate change Tue, 10th Nov 2020 9:15:00
     
      Joe Biden's plan to tackle climate change has been described as the most ambitious of any mainstream US presidential candidate yet. Our environment correspondent Matt McGrath considers what he wants to do, and how he might get it done. Much will be made about Joe Biden's pledge to re-join the Paris climate agreement, the international pact designed to avoid dangerous warming of the Earth. President Trump pulled out of the deal after the Obama administration had signed up in 2016, and during the drawn-out election count, Mr Biden confirmed that reversing the decision would be one of his first acts as president.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54858638
     
         
      Farming faces 'historic' shift to cut greenhouse gas emissions Mon, 9th Nov 2020 18:51:00
     
      Tackling greenhouse gas emissions in farming will require the biggest change since the shift from horses to tractors, a report says. The Farming for 1.5C inquiry looked at practical ways in which the industry could help tackle climate change. Its report says methane from livestock must drop while improvements are needed in soil and fertiliser management through precision farming. But it says farmers need financial help if they are to deliver improvements. Agriculture accounted for 15% of Scotland's total emissions in 2018, according to the most recent Scottish government assessment. However, the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere through land use and forestry is equal to 72% of agricultural emissions. The transformation would be in five phases over 25 years but with some flexibility for farmers to choose their own speed of change. The aim of the independent inquiry was to find a consensus on the best way for Scottish agriculture to reduce its emissions. The panel was made up of farmers, scientists and environmentalists and was headed by the former NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller. He told BBC Scotland: "Government is going to have to invest if it wants to see real change. It's not just investing in agriculture, it's investing in landscape and biodiversity. For farmers, he said, it needs "a new mindset". "We've got to think not just about producing food, we've also got to think more about managing carbon." The report has come up with 15 recommendations including the creation of a transformation steering group. Food additives It says there needs to be technical and political clarity about what is expected of Scotland's agricultural land and businesses which goes beyond the five-year political cycle. Highly potent methane from the digestion process in livestock needs to fall by 30%, it says, with nutrition and food additives helping to limit those emissions. Integrating renewable energy into new electricity-powered farming technologies should be able to reduce fossil fuel use, it adds. It also says there should be more "multifunctional land use" - such as agroforestry, where trees which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are planted in fields where livestock are kept. By 2030, it says there needs to be a change of land use on all farms where some crop land is planted with grass or trees. Farmers have felt under siege over greenhouse gas emissions for several years now, with much focus on what we eat and the way they produce it. Those I speak to insist they're not against change. In fact, most will tell you how different it is now compared to when their fathers ran the farms. Most know that change is coming but nobody's been telling them what that entails - until now. It boils down to precision farming and new techniques which put the environment on an equal footing with food production. But food is what pays and some farmers will say it doesn't pay that much. So the only way they're going to be able to do this is through farming subsidies. Brexit means we're already having to design a new system for that anyway, and so it's now over to politicians to put their money where their mouth is. The report comes ahead of publication of the Scottish government's updated Climate Change plan which should set out the emissions reductions individual sectors need to achieve. That is due by the end of the year and will reflect the updated legal requirement to reduce emissions by 75% in 10 years. Animal welfare Agriculture is currently the third biggest contributor to greenhouse gases after transport and business. Professor Geoff Simm, an expert of agriculture and food security at the University of Edinburgh, was also on the panel. He explained: "I think it will have a big impact. What we have to achieve here is a balance because livestock, particularly ruminants, also have the ability to use resources that we can't use directly. "By integrating, for instance, forestry with livestock production then inevitably there would be some reduction in the total output. "But in doing so we would be achieving systems that have lower carbon emissions, better biodiversity and potentially higher animal welfare." NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick called for a long-term commitment from the Scottish government to help the agriculture sector "play its part" in tackling climate change. He added: "The industry must be supported, guided by policy and equipped with science-led advice if we are to reduce emissions while continuing to produce high-quality food and drink."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54844546
     
         
      Japan Eyes Replacing Oil With Hydrogen Amid Carbon Neutral Push Mon, 9th Nov 2020 18:46:00
     
      Tucked into a port in western Japan sits a spherical tank that may soon hold the country’s energy future. The import terminal in the city of Kobe, is slated to get its debut hydrogen shipment in March. Over the next 30 years deliveries of the zero-emission fuel are expected to ramp up exponentially as the world’s fifth-biggest polluter seeks ways to replace its heavy fossil fuel use and meet a pledge to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. The monumental shift would require Japan to import the fuel using an armada of specialized tankers, according to Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., the tank owner and the country’s only developer of a hydrogen supply chain. It would also represent a shot in the arm for the nascent industry, which BloombergNEF estimates could meet almost a quarter of the world’s energy needs by mid-century. “Hydrogen is indispensable for Japan to reach the zero-emission goal,” Motohiko Nishimura, the head of KHI’s hydrogen project development center, said in an interview in Kobe, where the company is based. “Renewable energy alone isn’t enough to meet the nation’s hefty energy needs.” While many countries are building out wind, solar and batteries as they intensify efforts to move away from fossil fuels in the fight against climate change, that is a challenge in densely populated Japan. Hydrogen offers the greatest potential to decarbonize difficult-to-abate sectors like steel, cement and heavy duty transport, according to BNEF. That could be especially critical as the world’s fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter embarks on its pathway toward net-zero emissions. To be sure, hydrogen poses somewhat of a dilemma in the clean-energy transition as it is still cheaper to produce from fossil fuels rather than from renewable energy. However, the European Union and South Korea are betting on hydrogen generated from renewables to become more economical as solar and wind costs fall. Investment of as much as $425 billion would be needed if hydrogen is to account for 40% of Japan’s energy needs, said Shin Furuno, a senior manager with Asia Investor Group on Climate Change. He based the estimate on an extrapolation of South Korea’s hydrogen roadmap, which sees investment of $136 billion for the fuel to reach a 20% share of its energy requirement by 2050. The shift to hydrogen would be an echo in resource-poor Japan’s development of the liquefied natural gas industry more than 50 years ago through large investments in import infrastructure and by being a key buyer for numerous export projects. “It won’t take decades” for the hydrogen industry to develop, like it took for LNG, Jochen Eickholt, an executive board member at German technological behemoth Siemens Energy AG, said in an interview in Singapore. “But it won’t happen overnight.” KHI is eager to get the ball rolling. The company is creating a global supply chain -- producing hydrogen from brown coal in Australia, building ships and storage tanks as well as hydrogen-fired generation facilities for power and heat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-22/green-is-good-for-power-traders-chasing-430-billion-market
     
         
      Joint venture sealed as vast Scottish offshore wind farm with 72 turbines pushes ahead Mon, 9th Nov 2020 18:22:00
     
      Edinburgh-based Red Rock Power has formed a joint venture with Irish energy group ESB as a vast Scottish offshore wind farm pushes ahead. The 50:50 partnership will harness the “wealth of expertise” that both companies have within the wind energy sector and support their “mutual growth ambitions”. As well as powering up to one million homes, the Inch Cape offshore wind farm development is poised to play a key role in a green economic recovery through the creation of skilled jobs and opportunities for the local supply chain. Inch Cape is set to be built some 15 kilometres off the Angus coast. The project recently received approval to increase its capacity to up to one gigawatt having already secured both onshore and offshore consents in 2019. The wind farm will connect into the national grid at Cockenzie in East Lothian. Guy Madgwick, Red Rock Power chief executive, said: “Inch Cape will, without a doubt, make a considerable impact on the country’s clean energy targets and create significant opportunities to support a green economic recovery. “We look forward to working alongside our colleagues at ESB on the project and to applying synergies within our teams to drive the development forward to a successful build.” Jim Dollard, executive director generation and trading at ESB, said: “We look forward to pooling our expertise and experience with a partner of the calibre of Red Rock Power to deliver the Inch Cape project. “With consent for up to one gigawatt and 72 turbines, this is a milestone investment in offshore wind for ESB and our ambition to lead the transition to a low-carbon future. “This builds on similar partnerships ESB has with leading renewable energy companies in developing offshore wind projects off the coast of Ireland and Great Britain.” Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse added: “Offshore wind will play a vital part in achieving our net zero ambitions while helping to drive a strong, green economic recovery. “Inch Cape has the potential to significantly contribute to this recovery, to help deliver Scotland’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and to support the Scottish supply chain. Therefore I welcome the partnership between Red Rock and ESB as the project moves forward to the next phase.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.scotsman.com/business/joint-venture-sealed-vast-scottish-offshore-wind-farm-72-turbines-pushes-ahead-3027444
     
         
      In a warming world, Cape Town's 'Day Zero' drought won't be an anomaly Mon, 9th Nov 2020 17:53:00
     
      Today, the lakes around Cape Town are brimming with water, but it was only a few years ago that South Africa's second-most populous city made global headlines as a multi-year drought depleted its reservoirs, impacting millions of people. That kind of extreme event may become the norm, researchers now warn. Using new high-resolution simulations, researchers from Stanford University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that human-caused climate change made the "Day Zero" drought in southwestern South Africa—named after the day, barely averted, when Cape Town's municipal water supply would need to be shut off—five to six times more likely. Furthermore, such extreme events could go from being rare to common events by the end of the century, according to the study, published November 9 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "In a way, the 'Day Zero' drought might have been a sort of taste of what the future may be," said lead author Salvatore Pascale, a research scientist at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). "In the worst-case scenario, events like the 'Day Zero' drought may become about 100 times more likely than what they were in the early 20th-century world." Factoring multiple climate scenarios Using a climate modeling system known as the Seamless System for Prediction and EArth System Research (SPEAR), the researchers simulated the response of atmospheric circulation patterns to increasing levels of carbon dioxide. The model found that in a high greenhouse gas-emissions scenario, a devastating drought like the one that crippled Cape Town could impact the region two or three times in a decade. Even in an intermediate-emissions scenario, the risk of multi-year droughts that are more extreme and last longer than the "Day Zero" drought will increase by the end of the century. The new research uses higher resolution models than were previously available and supports the conclusions of past studies that projected an increase in drought risk. The findings underscore the area's sensitivity to further emissions and need for aggressive water management. "The information we can provide now with these new tools is much more precise," Pascale said. "We can say with a higher degree of confidence that the role anthropogenic climate change has had so far has been quite large." Preparing for the future Other parts of the world with similar climates to South Africa—including California, southern Australia, southern Europe and parts of South America—could experience their own Zero Day droughts in the future, according to the researchers. "Analysis like this should be conducted for thorough water risk management," said co-author Sarah Kapnick, a research physical scientist and deputy division leader at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. "Given the dramatic shift in multi-year drought risk, this work also serves as an example for other regions to explore their changing drought risks," Kapnick said. "Emerging drought risks may not be on the radar of managers in other regions in the world who have not experienced a recent rare drought event." Meteorological droughts, or rainfall deficits, like the one that affected Cape Town have high societal and economic impacts. According to estimates, lower crop yields from the "Day Zero" drought caused an economic loss of about $400 million, in addition to tens of thousands of jobs. "This study shows these events will be more likely in the future depending on how energetic we are in addressing the climate problem," Pascale said. "It can be either catastrophic or just a little bit better, but still worse than what it is now—this is trying to give some indication about what the future might look like." Three consecutive years of dry winters from 2015-17 in southwestern South Africa led to the severe water shortage from 2017-18. Cape Town never actually reach "Day Zero," in part because authorities implemented water restrictions throughout the period, banning outdoor and non-essential water use, encouraging toilet flushing with grey water and eventually limiting consumption to about 13 gallons per person in February 2018. That level of conservation was foreign to many residents of the coastal tourist destination and would likely be jarring to many in the U.S., where the average person goes through 80 to 100 gallons per day, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). "I'm sure that many Cape Town residents have forgotten what happened now that lakes and water reservoirs are back to normal," Pascale said. "But this is the moment to rethink the old way of managing water for a future when there will be less water available."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-world-cape-town-day-drought.html
     
         
      Scallop fishermen threaten to sink Emmanuel Macron’s wind farm Mon, 9th Nov 2020 16:26:00
     
      President Macron’s hopes of launching French offshore wind farms are being threatened by scallop fishermen. Protests could scupper plans to build 62 turbines off Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, which are expected to be operational within three years. “We’ve been nice so far,” Alain Coudray, chairman of the local fishing committee, said. “We are going to be a bit less so from now on. “We have a prolific scallop bed here and we manage it very carefully and we are worried that all our work will be destroyed by the wind farm.” Paris has struggled for years to overcome a coalition of stubborn opponents whenever plans for offshore wind farms have been proposed. The latest threat risks serious harm to Mr Macron’s attempt to portray himself
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scallop-fishermen-threaten-to-sink-emmanuel-macrons-wind-farm-vzfzrx230
     
         
      El Gobierno da luz verde ambiental a la mayor planta fotovoltaica de Europa que desarrollará Iberdrola en Cáceres con 590 MW Mon, 9th Nov 2020 16:13:00
     
      El Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica ha formulado la declaración de impacto ambiental favorable al proyecto de planta fotovoltaica «FV Francisco Pizarro» promovida por Iberdrola en la provincia de Cáceres, que con una potencia de 590 MWp la convierte en la más grande de Europa. El Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) ha publicado este lunes la resolución de la Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental por la que se da el visto bueno ambiental a este proyecto, que se desarrollará en los términos municipales de Aldeacentenera y Torrecillas de la Tiesa. En ella se establecen las condiciones ambientales, incluidas las medidas preventivas, correctoras y compensatorias, que resultan de la evaluación ambiental practicada, en las que se debe desarrollar el proyecto para la adecuada protección del medio ambiente y los recursos naturales. La instalación ocupará una superficie aproximada de 1.078 hectáreas en cinco recintos, de las cuales, aproximadamente 310 corresponden a la superficie neta ocupada por las infraestructuras proyectadas. Estará compuesta de 142 instalaciones -138 de 14.162,5 kWp y 4 de 3.862,80 kWp-, las cuales disponen de un centro de inversión-transformación. La subestación eléctrica elevadora de 30/400 kV se ubica en el término de Aldeacentenera y ocupa una superficie de 5,67 hectáreas. La infraestructura de evacuación afecta, además de a este municipio y el de Torrecillas de la tiesa, a las localidades de Deleitosa, Jaraicejo, Casas de Miravete, Higuera, Almaraz, Saucedilla y Romangordo y Aldeacentenera, todos ellos en la provincia de Cáceres. La compañía anunció que esta planta comenzaría a operar en 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://elperiodicodelaenergia.com/el-gobierno-da-luz-verde-ambiental-a-la-mayor-planta-fotovoltaica-de-europa-que-desarrollara-iberdrola-en-caceres-con-590-mw/
     
         
      El Gobierno da luz verde ambiental a la mayor planta fotovoltaica de Europa que desarrollará Iberdrola en Cáceres con 590 MW Mon, 9th Nov 2020 16:13:00
     
      El Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica ha formulado la declaración de impacto ambiental favorable al proyecto de planta fotovoltaica «FV Francisco Pizarro» promovida por Iberdrola en la provincia de Cáceres, que con una potencia de 590 MWp la convierte en la más grande de Europa. El Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) ha publicado este lunes la resolución de la Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental por la que se da el visto bueno ambiental a este proyecto, que se desarrollará en los términos municipales de Aldeacentenera y Torrecillas de la Tiesa. En ella se establecen las condiciones ambientales, incluidas las medidas preventivas, correctoras y compensatorias, que resultan de la evaluación ambiental practicada, en las que se debe desarrollar el proyecto para la adecuada protección del medio ambiente y los recursos naturales. La instalación ocupará una superficie aproximada de 1.078 hectáreas en cinco recintos, de las cuales, aproximadamente 310 corresponden a la superficie neta ocupada por las infraestructuras proyectadas. Estará compuesta de 142 instalaciones -138 de 14.162,5 kWp y 4 de 3.862,80 kWp-, las cuales disponen de un centro de inversión-transformación. La subestación eléctrica elevadora de 30/400 kV se ubica en el término de Aldeacentenera y ocupa una superficie de 5,67 hectáreas. La infraestructura de evacuación afecta, además de a este municipio y el de Torrecillas de la tiesa, a las localidades de Deleitosa, Jaraicejo, Casas de Miravete, Higuera, Almaraz, Saucedilla y Romangordo y Aldeacentenera, todos ellos en la provincia de Cáceres. La compañía anunció que esta planta comenzaría a operar en 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://elperiodicodelaenergia.com/el-gobierno-da-luz-verde-ambiental-a-la-mayor-planta-fotovoltaica-de-europa-que-desarrollara-iberdrola-en-caceres-con-590-mw/
     
         
      ‘Hypocrites and greenwash’: Greta Thunberg blasts leaders over climate crisis Mon, 9th Nov 2020 16:00:00
     
      Exclusive: Leaders are happy to set targets for decades ahead, but flinch when immediate action is needed, she says Greta Thunberg has blasted politicians as hypocrites and international climate summits as empty words and greenwash. Until humanity admits it has failed to tackle the climate crisis and begins treating it as an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic, society will be unable to stop global heating, she said. In an interview with the Guardian, Thunberg said leaders were happy to set targets for decades into the future, but flinched when immediate action to cut emissions was needed. She said there was not a politician on the planet promising the climate action required: “If only,” said the teenager, who will turn 18 in January. But she is inspired by the millions of students who have taken up the school strike she began by herself in Sweden 116 weeks ago. Since then she has addressed the UN and become the world’s most prominent climate campaigner. She also has hope: “We can treat a crisis like a crisis, as we have seen because of the coronavirus. Treating the climate crisis like a crisis – that could change everything overnight.” Thunberg said the scale and speed of the emissions reductions needed to keep global temperature close to the limit set by the Paris climate agreement are so great that they cannot be achieved by the normal operation of society. “Our whole society would just shut down and too many people would suffer,” she said. “So the first thing we need to do is understand we are in an emergency [and] admit the fact that we have failed – humanity collectively has failed – because you can’t solve a crisis that you don’t understand,” Thunberg said. A vital UN climate summit had been scheduled to begin on Monday in Glasgow but has been postponed for a year because of Covid-19. Thunberg, however, said she was not disappointed by the delay: “As long as we don’t treat the climate crisis like a crisis, we can have as many conferences as we want, but it will just be negotiations, empty words, loopholes and greenwash.” She is also unimpressed with pledges by nations including the UK, China and Japan to reach net zero by 2050 or 2060. “They mean something symbolically, but if you look at what they actually include, or more importantly exclude, there are so many loopholes. We shouldn’t be focusing on dates 10, 20 or even 30 years in the future. If we don’t reduce our emissions now, then those distant targets won’t mean anything because our carbon budgets will be long gone.” Thunberg is particularly scathing about the EU’s MEPs who in October approved almost €400bn (£360bn) in subsidies for farmers, the majority of which has weak or non-existent green conditions attached. Agriculture is responsible for about a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, and Thunberg said: “It is a disaster for the climate and for biodiversity.” She said MEPs had asked for her support in September when the EU was deciding its target for emissions cuts by 2030. “When it’s about something that is in 10 years’ time, they are more than happy to vote for it because that doesn’t really impact them. But when it’s something that actually has an effect, right here right now, they don’t want to touch it. It really shows the hypocrisy.” Thunberg said she will back the best party available when she reaches voting age, but that there were no politicians she rates as good: “If only. I wish there was one politician or one party that was strong enough on these issues. Imagine how easy it would be if you could just support a politician.” Justice is at the heart of her campaigning, Thunberg said. “That is the root of all this,” she said. “That’s why we are fighting for climate justice, social justice. They are so interlinked, you can’t have one without the other.” “The climate crisis is just one symptom of a much larger crisis, [including] the loss of biodiversity, the loss of fertile soil but also including inequality and threats to democracy,” she said. “These are symptoms that we are not living sustainably: we have reached the end of the road.” On campaigning, Thunberg said: “We need to do everything we can to push in the right direction. But I don’t see the point of being optimistic or pessimistic, I’m just realistic. That doesn’t mean I’m not happy, I’m very happy. You need to have fun, and I’m having much more now than before I started campaigning for this. When your life gets meaning you become happy.” She said she was inspired by fellow school strikers. “It is so inspiring to see them because they are so determined and so brave,” Thunberg said. “In some countries, they even get arrested for striking. For instance, Arshak Makichyan in Russia, he had troubles with the police, but he just continues because he knows what he’s doing is right. And then also in places like China, Howey Ou is incredibly brave.” The school strikers brought headline-grabbing crowds to the streets of cities and towns around the world before the coronavirus pandemic, but are now largely confined to online activism. “We are still around and we will have to keep pushing, unfortunately. But we will. We’re not planning to go away,” Thunberg said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/hypocrites-and-greenwash-greta-thunberg-climate-crisis
     
         
      France at risk of losing 2 GW of solar capacity due to retroactive FIT cuts Mon, 9th Nov 2020 13:52:00
     
      The retroactive FIT cut proposed by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition has now reached the French parliament. Around 300 companies of the PV sector have asked the MPs to reject a measure that could destroy investor confidence for years. The parliament will run the rule over the proposed feed-in tariff changes. The French parliament began, on Saturday, the discussion about France's upcoming budget law, including an amendment which, if approved, would introduce retroactive FIT cuts granted to PV projects between 2006 and 2010 with capacities exceeding 250 kW. “If approved by the members of parliament, this measure would mean the immediate termination of contracts for the majority of the 800 impacted PV plants,” Xavier Daval, CEO of French solar technical advisory KilowattSol, told pv magazine. “This decision would force them to file for bankruptcy, as these plants were built with non-recourse financing.” According to Daval, banks and lenders behind these projects will be those who will suffer the most because the remainder of the borrowed money will never be repaid. “But the most disastrous consequence is that these plants, which will no longer have an operator and no longer have a purchase contract, will stop producing power,” he further explained. “And France will thus see its deployed solar capacity fall by nearly 2 GW. At a time when Europe is calling for a Green Deal, we must once again speak of a French exception.” Meanwhile, a group of 300 companies from the renewable energy sector, including the associations SER and Enerplan but also the major French and foreign solar players in France – with the exception of the major energy companies – said that the government is proposing a measure that will bring limited financial gains to the state budget, which the government had previously quantified as between €300 million and €400 million, but at the same time it will jeopardize all independent operators of solar electricity. “The implementation of this measure would mean months of major economic uncertainty for small and medium-sized enterprises and bigger companies that are engaged in the fight against the Covid-19 crisis and working on the development of new renewable energy projects”, the group of companies said, in a joint statement. “The energy transition will not happen without a stable framework conducive to investment,” it also stated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/09/france-at-risk-of-losing-2-gw-of-solar-capacity-due-to-retroactive-fit-cuts/
     
         
      Trump Administration Removes Scientist in Charge of Assessing Climate Change Mon, 9th Nov 2020 13:50:00
     
      Michael Kuperberg was told he would no longer oversee the National Climate Assessment. The job is expected to go to a climate-change skeptic, according to people familiar with the changes. WASHINGTON — The White House has removed the scientist responsible for the National Climate Assessment, the federal government’s premier contribution to climate knowledge and the foundation for regulations to combat global warming, in what critics interpreted as the latest sign that the Trump administration intends to use its remaining months in office to continue impeding climate science and policy. Michael Kuperberg, executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which produces the climate assessment, was told Friday that he would no longer lead that organization, people with knowledge of the situation said. According to two people close to the administration, he is expected to be replaced by David Legates, a deputy assistant secretary at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who previously worked closely with climate change denial groups. Dr. Kuperberg’s departure comes amid a broader effort, in the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s defeat last week by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., to remove officials who have fallen afoul of the White House. Also on Friday, Neil Chatterjee, head of the agency that regulates the nation’s utility markets, was demoted by the White House, after he publicly supported the use of renewable power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/climate/michael-kuperberg-climate-assessment.html
     
         
      Trump Administration Removes Scientist in Charge of Assessing Climate Change Mon, 9th Nov 2020 12:26:00
     
      Michael Kuperberg was told he would no longer oversee the National Climate Assessment. The job is expected to go to a climate-change skeptic, according to people familiar with the changes. WASHINGTON — The White House has removed the scientist responsible for the National Climate Assessment, the federal government’s premier contribution to climate knowledge and the foundation for regulations to combat global warming, in what critics interpreted as the latest sign that the Trump administration intends to use its remaining months in office to continue impeding climate science and policy. Michael Kuperberg, executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which produces the climate assessment, was told Friday that he would no longer lead that organization, people with knowledge of the situation said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/climate/michael-kuperberg-climate-assessment.html
     
         
      Qatar, Singapore natural gas deal will detail carbon emissions Mon, 9th Nov 2020 12:24:00
     
      The natural gas industry is under increasing pressure to reduce emissions in the fight against climate change. Each cargo delivered under the 10-year deal with Qatar Petroleum's trading arm and Pavilion Energy Pte will come with a statement on how much greenhouse gas emissions it caused. Qatar and Singapore signed the first long-term liquefied natural gas deal that details pollution from the fastest growing fossil fuel. The accord is the latest sign of how the gas industry is focusing on getting cleaner. Even if the fuel is much less polluting than oil and coal, the sector is under increasing pressure to reduce emissions as nations are seeking to meet strict climate targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2020/11/9/bbnew-qatar-singapore-natural-gas-deal-seeks-to-reduce-emissions
     
         
      Spanish government to allocate over 10 GW of PV in auctions until 2025 Mon, 9th Nov 2020 12:19:00
     
      In this year’s procurement exercise, the Spanish authorities should assign more than 1 GW of solar capacity while in next year’s auction, over 1.8 GW is expected to be allocated. Participants will have to pay €100,000/MW to be eligible, €60,000 of which can be refunded as projects reach set milestones. he Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has published a calendar for the period 2020-2025 for the renewable energy auctions that will be held under a new procurement regime approved by the government last week. In the first and only auction that will be held this year, the Spanish authorities are planning to allocate around 3.6 GW of renewable energy capacity, of which 1 GW for the PV technology, 1 GW for wind power, and 80 MW for biomass projects with the remaining, around 1.5 GW being allocated with no technology restrictions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/09/spanish-government-to-allocate-over-10-gw-of-pv-in-auctions-until-2025/
     
         
      World is running out of time on climate, experts warn Mon, 9th Nov 2020 7:00:00
     
      In wake of Covid, leading figures call for bold green measures to boost economy World leaders are running out of time to forge a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, with only a year to go before a crunch UN summit that will decide the future of the global climate, leading experts have warned. Progress on a green recovery, which would reduce emissions while repairing the damage from the pandemic, has been hampered by the need for an emergency rescue of stricken economies around the world and the resurgence of the coronavirus in Europe, the US and some other countries. But with global heating showing no sign of slowing, and the danger signals of climate breakdown increasingly evident – from the Arctic ice to American wildfires – the race is on to build the global economy back better. Ban Ki-moon, former UN secretary-general, told the Guardian: “It is important to build back the economy but if we do not keep global temperature rises below 1.5C this will create a huge, huge problem. Cities and countries across the world may simply cease to exist in a 3C world [which is where current climate commitments would lead]. So we must redouble our efforts before we pass the point of no return.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/world-is-running-out-of-time-on-climate-experts-warn
     
         
      Steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta offloads Scottish power station Sun, 8th Nov 2020 19:09:00
     
      teel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has quietly offloaded a hydro-electric power station in the Scottish Highlands as his empire struggles for cash amid the pandemic. Investor Equitix took over Kinlochleven power station last month from the Indian-born trader’s Simec subsidiary, filings show. Gupta has become one of Europe’s biggest steel-makers during a five-year spree. He bought Kinlochleven from miner Rio Tinto — along with another hydro-electric power station and aluminium smelter in nearby Lochaber — in 2016 for £330m, promising to revive Scottish industry. Gupta, whose businesses trade under the GFG Alliance umbrella, then used those assets to sell hundreds of millions of pounds of bonds, via the finance firm Greensill, to Swiss fund manager GAM. The controversial bond sales were lubricated with a 25-year Scottish
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/steel-tycoon-sanjeev-gupta-offloads-scottish-power-station-vj3g0nxr6
     
         
      Global experts question UK’s commitment to tackle climate crisis Sun, 8th Nov 2020 19:01:00
     
      Boris Johnson pledged to put environment at centre of post-Covid strategy, but report says funding needed is so far badly lacking Boris Johnson’s government is investing only 12% of the funds needed to tackle the climate emergency and the growing threat to nature, according to a new report that will raise fresh international concerns about the UK’s commitment to the green agenda. The study – released before an expected major speech on the environment by Johnson – says ministers need to commit £33bn each year of this parliament to green causes. So far only £4bn a year has been pledged. The report by the IPPR thinktank comes as Johnson faces increasing global pressure to act, most notably from the next US president Joe Biden, who is committed to green causes. Donald Trump took the US out of the Paris agreement on climate change, but Biden has promised to rejoin iton 20 January, the day he takes power. Next year the UK will chair the Glasgow COP26 climate change summit. It is seen by Biden and other leaders as a critical test of the world’s determination to limit global warming. However, experts are concerned by what they see as the UK’s lack of preparation, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has placed huge financial burdens on governments. Carsten Jung, IPPR’s senior economist, said: “So far only about a 10th of funds needed for the clean investment revolution has been made available. Scaling up investment and following the 10-point action plan can create up to 1.6 million jobs and bring economic opportunity to every corner of the country while lowering emissions and restoring nature and tackling inequality.” In addition, the government’s own climate change committee recently warned that the UK is not on track to meet its interim emissions targets for the Fourth and Fifth Carbon Budgets for the periods 2023-2027 and 2028-2032 and identified some critical areas for action. These would include bringing forward the 2035 ban on sales of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars, an increase in strategic investments in the development of carbon capture and storage for industries, such as steel, and much more investment in zero-carbon alternatives to gas central heating. Without these measures, analysts warn there is a danger the UK’s net zero carbon target will not look credible, undermining its authority as COP26 host. For his part, Johnson has promised to put a green economic recovery at the heart of his government’s post-Covid planning, with pledges to boost greatly offshore wind investment. But in September it emerged that EU-China climate talks, which were credited with helping to secure a breakthrough from Beijing, were attended by senior politicians from across Europe but not the UK. The European commission has called for the EU to raise its 2030 target for emission cuts from 40% to 55% compared with 1990 levels. China too announced it would set a net zero target for the first time to shift the world’s biggest economy on to a greener path. Taken together these moves have hugely raised expectations for COP26 in Glasgow. Climate scientists have said if enacted, China’s new target alone would reduce global warming levels by 0.3C. By contrast, the UK has not yet announced any new 2030 target, but there are expectations that Johnson may do so soon. This week, Johnson will announce details of his 10-point plan, including a repeat of his pledge to make the UK the Saudi Arabia of offshore wind. He will also highlight the importance of conserving and expanding forests to cut carbon dioxide and help wildlife. He is also expected to signal more support for the hydrogen economy to replace fossil fuels in steel and chemical manufacturing, and carbon capture and storage technology to capture industrial emissions . It is also likely that he will call for measures to speed up the development of zero-carbon alternatives to gas central heating and possibly announce the creation of an investment bank to provide public funding to build zero-carbon infrastructure. For its part, the IPPR urges government to do more in several areas including improving the energy efficiency of homes and buildings, preparing them for the switch to low-carbon heating systems, and building new zero-carbon social housing, which could generate 560,000 jobs. Its estimates suggest an additional £8bn annually is needed to achieve the decarbonisation of existing homes and buildings. On nature restoration, it says an investment of £4.7bn is needed annually through schemes such as tree planting and peatland restoration across the country. This could also create 46,000 new jobs. In addition, it urges more sustainable public transport, including rail and electric bus services could generate more than 230,000 jobs while installing electric vehicles charging points nationwide could create 47,000 jobs. Luke Murphy, IPPR associate director, said: “In announcing the government’s 10-point plan, the prime minister must significantly raise both the UK’s ambitions and targets on climate and nature, and radically scale-up the policies and investments needed to achieve them.” News is under threat … … just when we need it the most. Millions of readers around the world are flocking to the Guardian in search of honest, authoritative, fact-based reporting that can help them understand the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetime. But at this crucial moment, news organisations are facing a cruel financial double blow: with fewer people able to leave their homes, and fewer news vendors in operation, we’re seeing a reduction in newspaper sales across the UK. Advertising revenue continues to fall steeply meanwhile as businesses feel the pinch. We need you to help fill the gap. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to vital public service journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from those who can afford to pay, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world. Reader financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful. We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/08/global-experts-question-uks-commitment-to-tackle-climate-crisis
     
         
      Hydrogen Car Drives for Efficiency World Record Sun, 8th Nov 2020 18:31:00
     
      A team of Dutch engineers competing to develop the world’s most efficient hydrogen-fuelled car has used a British torque sensor to determine that their next-generation vehicle needs a custom-designed and built hub motor. To measure the efficiency of the car’s drivetrain, Green Team Twente has built a bespoke test rig based on the Torqsense torque sensor made by sensor technology Ltd on Banbury in the UK
       
      Full Article: https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2098295612666/hydrogen-car-drives-for-efficiency-world-record
     
         
      Green Hydrogen Nail, Meet Shale Gas Coffin (& Nuclear Could Be Next) Sun, 8th Nov 2020 16:21:00
     
      If US President-Elect Joe Biden doesn’t do the fossil fuel industry any favors, he’ll only be following in the footsteps of outgoing President* Donald J. Trump. Intentionally or not, Trump has already overseen the demise of the domestic coal, oil, and natural gas industries. The latest development occurred right around Election Day, when a $7 billion, 20-year plan to export liquid natural gas from the US to France suddenly evaporated. That could have something to do with the launch of a new investor-driven green hydrogen R&D center in Europe, and Trump’s own Department of Energy is determined to mirror the hydrogen angle right here in the US. What Is This Green Hydrogen Of Which You Speak? President* Trump won the Oval Office in 2016 with a promise to save coal jobs, but it’s been downhill for coal, oil, and gas ever since. The writing was already on the wall during the Obama administration, as leading US and global businesses lined up in favor of wind and solar power. Private sector dollars have continued to energize the wind and solar industries all throughout Trump’s tenure, with a generous assist from the US Department of Energy, no less. What few were talking about during the 2016 election cycle was the potential for green hydrogen to pull the rug out from under the US fossil fuel industry, especially in regards to shale gas. Hydrogen has been a major force propping up the fossil gas industry, because hydrogen does not exist on its own. It has to be extracted from something, and for generations that something has been fossil gas. They should have seen it coming. Hydrogen is a widely used industrial chemical, with applications in fuel, food processing, refining, metallurgy, fertilizer production, medicines, and personal care products to name a few. A whole lot of sustainability-curious companies would be very interested in the idea of cleaning up their supply chains by ditching fossil-sourced hydrogen. CleanTechnica caught a whisper of a hint of a sustainability makeover for hydrogen back in August of 2015 during a visit to Switzerland, where researchers were zeroing in on something called power-to-gas. Power-to-gas refers to electrolysis systems, which deploy electricity to split hydrogen gas from water. That’s a sustainability no-go if the electricity comes from a fossil power plant, but the advent of low-cost wind and solar power is changing the game, in more ways than one. Wind and solar are intermittent resources, so they also unlock the energy storage and transportation value in hydrogen. As an energy carrier, hydrogen can store renewable energy in bulk, for long periods of time. Hydrogen can also be transported by pipeline, truck, ship, or rail, which means that it can be deployed to overcome gaps or transmission bottlenecks in electricity infrastructure. Sure enough, in November of 2015 the US Department of Energy included green power-to-gas in a group of six “transformational” energy projects to be funded through its ARPA-E office. Green hydrogen is good news for fans of fuel cell passenger cars, but that’s just one small aspect of the market potential. Fuel cell activity is picking up in long-haul trucking, maritime operations, and aircraft, and green. Steel makers and cement makers are also among the high carbon industries with an interest in transitioning to hydrogen-powered operations. Green Hydrogen Up, Fossil Gas Down That brings us right up to the 2020 General Election. In October, just four weeks before Election Day, the Energy Department decided it would be a good idea to announce a new clean power R&D partnership with the Netherlands, a nation that is all over green hydrogen like white on rice due to its rich offshore wind resources, which the US also happens to have in abundance. Also in October, the Energy Department announced the formation of a new R&D consortium aimed squarely at green hydrogen for the fuel cell industry, which builds on its other sustainable hydrogen initiative launched in June. As if those flags weren’t red enough for US gas stakeholders, in October the government of France put the stinkeye on a proposed liquid natural gas deal that would bring shale-sourced LNG from the US to France. The deal was to have been brokered by the global firm Engie on behalf of the US gas firm NextDecade. This is all in a shaky past tense, because last week, Engie let word slip that the plan was all but dead. Perhaps NextDecade can find some other deal maker, but according to our friends over at SP Global, the firm has already delayed the start of construction on its planned Rio Grande LNG facility more than once. Somewhat ironically, Trump’s own environmental policies may have helped quash the deal. Environmental advocates have pointed out that US shale gas does not comply with France’s climate action goals due Trump’s relaxation of methane emission rules. If shale gas stakeholders are looking to the US petrochemical industry for salvation, they may want to guess again. Plans for a network of five new petrochemical plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio have been falling apart over the past several years, and a massive new $9 billion petrochemical facility in Louisiana ran into a roadblock last week, when the US Army Corps of Engineers suspended its permit. Nuclear Energy Not Looking So Hot These Days, Either It’s not just the Netherlands. The whole EU has been showcasing green hydrogen for a while now, and the activity is picking up as part of EU green recovery planning. That’s where this new green hydrogen R&D enterprise comes in, and that’s where things get interesting for nuclear energy stakeholders. Of all the publicity events surrounding the signing of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, one particular attention-getter was the new Breakthrough Energy Coalition and its Breakthrough Energy investor group, co-founded by leading clean power fan Bill Gates. At the time, Gates was including nuclear energy in the clean power slot under a firm called TerraPower, but as far as Breakthrough goes, those plans appear to be slow-walking as the green hydrogen trend picks up steam. Last week, Breakthrough announced that it is supporting a new green hydrogen R&D venture under the banner of the leading sustainable energy center EIT InnoEnergy. Dubbed the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center, the new project is eyeballing “the development of an annual €100 billion green hydrogen economy by 2025 that could create half a million direct and indirect jobs across the green hydrogen value chain,” through the “substantial displacement of hydrocarbons in energy intensive industrial applications (i.e. steel, cement, chemicals), heavy transport (i.e. maritime and heavy duty) and fertilisers.” “Green hydrogen can also be used to store energy, which makes it a key enabler for the expansion of volatile renewable sources, in particular wind and solar energy,” EIT InnoEnergy also points out. Also lending its firepower to the energy storage angle is the European Battery Alliance. As for the green recovery angle, according to Breakthrough Energy senior director Ann Mettler the EU’s plans for a green recovery make it “the perfect launching pad for the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center.” “Building on the political momentum, the Center will use green hydrogen as a driver for the deep decarbonisation of European industry,” Mettler enthuses. “Against this backdrop, it will create a pipeline of pioneering large-scale projects, launch a new generation of public-private partnerships and accelerate the speed of delivery from mega- to gigawatts.” If that doesn’t sound like good new for fossil gas, it isn’t. It could also spell trouble for the nuclear industry as well. Once upon a time, nuclear fans had an idea that nuclear power plants could piggyback on green hydrogen production, but that idea is losing its luster as the cost of wind and solar power continues to fall, alongside the growth of companion technologies like floating solar panels, distributed wind turbines, and pumped storage hydropower. A quick look over at the US demonstrates that trouble is a-brewing among the very few new conventional nuclear power plants to sprout up, way behind schedule and way over budget. The US nuclear industry has been pinning its hopes on a new approach that involves assembling small scale, modular nuclear power plants in a factory, and then shipping them out for installation. Unfortunately for nuclear fans, the idea appears to have hit a brick wall. A company called NuScale was set to install 12 modular nuclear power plants on the grounds of the Energy Department’s Idaho National Laboratory, and the arrangement got a shot of adrenaline in October, in the form of a $1 billion grant from the Energy Department. Nevertheless, 8 of the 36 utilities that signed on to the plan turned tail and ran in recent weeks. As reported by our friends over at Science magazine, the bailouts followed a dire announcement by the plant’s intended buyer, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, which projected a 3-year delay and an additional $1.9 billion in cost, pushing the completion date back to 2030 at a total cost of $6.1 billion. Ouch! Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Idaho National Laboratory has a longstanding hydrogen research program under its belt, and it is also one of the Energy Department labs spearheading that new sustainable hydrogen consortium. Also, Utah is the scene of a major new energy project that will transition a coal power plant into an initial mix of fossil gas and green hydrogen, deploying new Mitsubishi turbines that are designed to handle 100% hydrogen whenever available. *Developing story. Photo: “Dr. Dong Ding (right) and his GEM fellow student, Joshua Gomez (Left) are checking a house-made solid oxide electrolysis cell, which will be used for hydrogen production through high temperature steam electrolysis” (credit: Idaho National Laboratory via Eurekalert).
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/08/green-hydrogen-nail-meet-shale-gas-coffin-nuclear-could-be-next/
     
         
      Improving Manufacturing Processes To Reduce Hydrogen Production Costs - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 8th Nov 2020 12:22:00
     
      NREL partners with industry and national laboratories to conduct research to optimize roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing for low-cost water electrolyzers. Nel Hydrogen has partnered with NREL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory to investigate R2R manufacturing for advanced electrolysis electrodes. The goal of the project is to develop coating processes to directly coat electrodes on membranes. To achieve this, the project team compares results in the following areas: - Ink characterization and optimization - R2R coating - Advanced electrode characterization - Metrology development capabilities.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/improving-manufacturing-processes-to-reduce-hydrogen-production-costs/
     
         
      Joe Biden’s move to net zero emissions will leave Australia in the (coal) dust Sat, 7th Nov 2020 21:21:00
     
      Australia will be increasingly isolated as the US joins the club of countries, including China, with ambitious mid-century goals The election of Joe Biden to the White House is likely to see Australia increasingly isolated as the world heads to net zero emissions, with quite fundamental implications for our economy. Let’s have a look at what has happened in the last two months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/08/joe-bidens-move-to-net-zero-emissions-will-leave-australia-in-the-coal-dust
     
         
      2 °C of Warming Could Open The Floodgates For 230 Billion Tons of Carbon to Escape Sat, 7th Nov 2020 19:14:00
     
      Most of us know about the vast stores of carbon in our atmosphere, and yet beneath our feet, Earth's soil contains nearly three times as much CO2, absorbing roughly a quarter of all human emissions each year. If the world warms by 2 °C or more, we risk turning that vital sink into a carbon spout. An updated model on carbon soil turnover has found such warming could release 230 billion tons of carbon dioxide, give or take 50 billion tons. And that's just from the top metre of soil, which includes roughly the same amount of carbon as our atmosphere. That number is a little under what China has emitted since 1900 and slightly less than double what the United States has emitted since the same year. Restricting a model to such shallow depths might sound like an oversight at first, but by confining their measurements, scientists have made it easier to model changes in soil turnover. This has also helped halve the uncertainty produced by other similar models. "We have reduced the uncertainty in this climate change response, which is vital to calculating an accurate global carbon budget and successfully meeting Paris Agreement targets," says climate scientist Peter Cox from the Global Systems Institute. While warming temperatures are known to increase decomposition and shorten the amount of time carbon spends in the soil, it's still not clear how sensitive this system is to temperature changes. In fact, the way soil responds to our rapidly changing world is one of the greatest uncertainties in our current climate models. And while the new research isn't the worst prediction out there, it's still not good news. "Our study rules out the most extreme projections – but nonetheless suggests substantial soil carbon losses due to climate change at only 2°C warming, and this doesn't even include losses of deeper permafrost carbon," says climate modeller Sarah Chadburn from the University of Exeter. Nor does it include other greenhouse gases, like methane, which are also stored in the soil and which are many times more powerful as a global warmer than carbon dioxide. Of course, not all soil holds the same amount of carbon, and while some parts of the world hold the potential to increase their soil sink, other parts are not so lucky. Most soil carbon is stored in peatland or permafrost, and unfortunately, these common Arctic habitats are on the frontlines of global warming. Today, with rapid permafrost collapse under way, scientists are worried we will soon hit a tipping point, where vast stores of carbon trigger more melt and increased emissions at a runaway pace. Recent research, for instance, has found that as permafrost melts, rising temperatures are stimulating plant growth, and these spreading roots are 'priming' permafrost for further thawing. Such minute interactions are easy to overlook in such a complicated system, but they could blow holes in our current climate goals. "Climate–carbon cycle feedbacks must be understood and quantified if the Paris Agreement Targets are to be met," researchers of the new model write. "Changes in soil carbon represent a particularly large uncertainty, with the potential to significantly reduce the carbon budget for climate stabilisation at 2?°C global warming." The carbon in Earth's soil has been building up for millennia. If we lose it, we might not get it back again. What we do about it now will determine our future. The study was published in Nature Communications.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/2-c-of-warming-could-open-the-floodgates-for-billions-of-tons-of-soil-carbon
     
         
      NASA’s Electric Aircraft With ‘Folding Propellers’ Successfully Completes Wind Tunnel Test: WATCH Sat, 7th Nov 2020 18:57:00
     
      Once again, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is on a pathbreaking mission to develop an electric propulsion-powered aircraft, which would be quieter, more efficient, and environmentally friendly than today’s commuter aircraft. Is This US Air Force’s ‘Highly Classified’ B-21 Stealth Bomber Spotted By A Netizen Over California? NASA’s X-57 project is an independent project to develop the X-57 Maxwell experimental aircraft. The unique feature of the aircraft is the folding propellers of the lift motors. Instead of two conventional engines, it has 14 electric motors. Two of them, cruise with fixed blades, and the rest of the 12 blades (six on each side) can be folded. According to NASA, it successfully completed the wind tunnel testing at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Positioned along the leading edge of X-57’s cruise-efficient wing, these motors and propellers will be utilized first during takeoff, providing lift augmentation to the X-Plane at low aircraft speeds,” NASA said in a statement. “Once X-57 goes into cruise mode, these motors will deactivate, and the propeller blades will fold inward to prevent creating additional drag while two larger electric cruise motors remain active on the wingtips. Then, when it’s time to land, the smaller high-lift motors will reactivate, unfolding the propeller blades to create the appropriate lift for landing at approach speed,” it added. The test was conducted to gather valuable operational and performance data for flight conditions, using two of the full-scale propeller assemblies provided by Empirical Systems Aerospace. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the first X-plane designation in a decade during his keynote speech in June 2016 at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) annual Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition in Washington. “With the return of piloted X-planes to NASA’s research capabilities – which is a key part of our 10-year-long New Aviation Horizons initiative – the general aviation-sized X-57 will take the first step in opening a new era of aviation,” Bolden had said. The project started with a prototype of the Italian high-winged, twin-engined all-metal light aircraft, Tecnam P2006T under Modification I. Under Modification II, gas-powered engines were replaced by two electric motors to turn the propellers. The rear passenger seats and cargo area were used to hold the X-57 battery packs used to power the electric motors. The new electric propulsion system was tested under Modification II. Under Modification III, the original wing was replaced with a smaller, skinnier “high aspect ratio” wing, changing the look of the aircraft. Two large electric motors from Modification II were moved to the wingtips, and 12 pods were placed under the wing that will eventually hold smaller electric motors. X-57’s high-speed cruise efficiency would be tested under this stage of Modification III. Finally, under Modification IV, 12 high-lift motors and propellers into the final configuration of X-57 will be placed. Under the wind tunnel test, the hardware was exposed to wind speeds from zero to over 90 knots, with 14 hours of powered propeller operation. Weighing 3,000 pounds, the futuristic aircraft can reach a maximum operational altitude of 14,000 feet cruising at a speed of 172 mph (at 8,000 feet). As the aircraft successfully folded and returned the blades to the working condition, the aircraft is now ready for test flights.
       
      Full Article: https://eurasiantimes.com/nasas-electric-aircraft-with-folding-propellers-successfully-completes-wind-tunnel-test-watch/
     
         
      A Global Breakdown of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector Fri, 6th Nov 2020 19:28:00
     
      A Global Breakdown of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector In a few decades, greenhouse gases (GHGs)—chiefly in the form of CO? emissions—have risen at unprecedented rates as a result of global growth and resource consumption. To uncover the major sectors where these emissions originate, this graphic from Our World in Data pulls the latest data from 2016 courtesy of Climate Watch and the World Resources Institute, when total emissions reached 49.4 billion tonnes of CO? equivalents (CO?e). Sources of GHG Emissions Global GHG emissions can be roughly traced back to four broad categories: energy, agriculture, industry, and waste. Overwhelmingly, almost three-quarters of GHG emissions come from our energy consumption. Sector Global GHG Emissions Share Energy Use 73.2% Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use 18.4% Industrial processes 5.2% Waste 3.2% Within each category, there are even more granular breakdowns to consider. We’ll take a closer look at the top two, which collectively account for over 91% of global GHG emissions. Energy Use Within this broad category, we can further break things down into sub-categories like transport, buildings, and industry-related energy consumption, to name a few. Sub-sector GHG Emissions Share Further breakdown Transport 16.2% • Road 11.9% • Aviation 1.9% • Rail 0.4% • Pipeline 0.3% • Ship 1.7% Buildings 17.5% • Residential 10.9% • Commercial 6.6% Industry energy 24.2% • Iron & Steel 7.2% • Non-ferrous metals 0.7% • Machinery 0.5% • Food and tobacco 1.0% • Paper, pulp & printing 0.6% • Chemical & petrochemical (energy) 3.6% • Other industry 10.6% Agriculture & Fishing energy 1.7% - Unallocated fuel combustion 7.8% - Fugitive emissions from energy production 5.8% • Coal 1.9% • Oil & Natural Gas 3.9% Total 73.2% Billions of people rely on petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to get around. As a result, they contribute to almost 12% of global emissions. But this challenge is also an opportunity: the consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could significantly help shift the world away from fossil fuel use, both for passenger travel and for freight—although there are still speedbumps to overcome. Meanwhile, buildings contribute 17.5% of energy-related emissions overall—which makes sense when you realize the stunning fact that cities use 60-80% of the world’s annual energy needs. With megacities (home to 10+ million people) ballooning every day to house the growing urban population, these shares may rise even further. Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use The second biggest category of emissions is the sector that we rely on daily for the food we eat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, methane from cows and other livestock contribute the most to emissions, at 5.8% total. These foods also have some of the highest carbon footprints, from farm to table. Sub-sector GHG Emissions Share Livestock & Manure 5.8% Agricultural Soils 4.1% Crop Burning 3.5% Forest Land 2.2% Cropland 1.4% Rice Cultivation 1.3% Grassland 0.1% Total 18.4% Another important consideration is just how much land our overall farming requirements take up. When significant areas of forest are cleared for grazing and cropland, there’s a clear link between our land use and rising global emissions. Although many of these energy systems are still status quo, the global energy mix is ripe for change. As the data shows, the potential points of disruption have become increasingly clear as the world moves towards a green energy revolution. For a different view on global emissions data, see which countries generate the most CO? emissions per capita.
       
      Full Article: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/a-global-breakdown-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-sector/
     
         
      Shell To Shut Down Louisiana Refinery Fri, 6th Nov 2020 19:25:00
     
      Royal Dutch Shell will shut down its Convent refinery in Louisiana after failing to find a buyer for the facility, Bloomberg reports, citing a statement by the company. The move, due to be completed before the end of the month, is in line with Shell’s plans to reduce the number of refineries it operates from 14 to 6 over the next four years. The plans, in turn, are part of its strategy to shift away from its core business and into alternative energy. The supermajor will “invest in a core set of uniquely integrated manufacturing sites that are also strategically positioned for the transition to a low-carbon future,” Shell said in the statement. “A key advantage of these core sites will also come from further integration with Shell trading hubs, and from producing more chemicals and other products that are resilient in a low-carbon future.” Last year, Shell sold its Martinez refinery to PBF Holding Company for $1 billion, but last year oil was trading a lot higher than it is trading now, and demand for oil and oil products was not devastated by a coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 47 million people so far. The Convent refinery has a capacity of 211,100 barrels of oil daily, and it appears that no other company with downstream operations is interested in additional refining capacity. On the contrary, as Bloomberg points out, refiners are closing facilities in response to the demand slump. Phillips 66 and Marathon Petroleum both have refinery closure plans as well as plans to convert other refining facilities to biodiesel production sites. Shell, for its part, wants to keep the refineries that also have petrochemical units, including one in Louisiana, one in Texas, one each in Germany and the Netherlands, one in Singapore, and one in Canada. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Shell-To-Shut-Down-Louisiana-Refinery.html
     
         
      Railway electrification needed to meet zero carbon goals Fri, 6th Nov 2020 19:18:00
     
      The UK needs “a rolling programme of electrification” for its railways if the Government wants to meet net zero carbon targets for 2050, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has said. Electric upgrades to lines have been occurring at a slow pace over the last decade, and more ambitious plans for the North were scrapped in 2017 after other projects went overbudget and took longer than anticipated. Recent data published by rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road shows 251km of track was electrified in the year to March 31, due to work on the Great Western and West Anglia lines. But this means that just 38 per cent of the 6050km network is currently electrified with some 648 million litres of diesel used by passenger and freight trains in 2019-2020. Paul Tuohy, CBT chief executive, said: “It’s great to see rail lines being electrified and new stations opened, but now we need to step up our game. Only 38 per cent of the railway is electrified: we need a rolling programme of electrification to meet the Government’s net zero targets. And too many communities are unable to access the rail network: new or reopened rail lines and stations could transform these places.” “Now more than ever, we need investment in rail infrastructure - not just to enable more sustainable travel, but to create jobs, tackle social exclusion and help the economy to recover.” Running trains with electricity can cut CO2 emissions, boost journey times and reduce maintenance costs, compared with diesel. Earlier this year, a technological stopgap solution was proposed by Hitachi Rail that would see trains upgraded with batteries that would allow them to run on electric power when using lines that had not yet undergone electrification. The batteries would be charged while connected to the electric lines and Hitachi believes they could be fitted to over 400 trains in the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/11/railway-electrification-needed-to-meet-zero-carbon-goals/
     
         
      Arctic time capsule from 2018 washes up in Ireland as polar ice melts Thu, 5th Nov 2020 23:32:00
     
      Cylinder left in ice by 50 Years of Victory ship travelled 2,300 miles to county Donegal Conor McClory and Sophie Curran found the metallic tube along Bloody Foreland in Gweedore, County Donegal on Sunday. When the crew and passengers of the nuclear-powered icebreaker ship 50 Years of Victory reached the north pole in 2018, they placed a time capsule in the ice floe. The metal cylinder contained letters, poems, photographs, badges, beer mats, a menu, wine corks – ephemera from the early 21st century for whomever might discover it in the future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/05/arctic-time-capsule-from-2018-washes-up-in-ireland-as-polar-ice-melts
     
         
      Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Food Production Is Urgent, Scientists Say Thu, 5th Nov 2020 23:27:00
     
      Efforts to limit global warming often focus on emissions from fossil fuels, but food is crucial, too, according to new research Cattle in Hereford, Texas, being shipped to a slaughterhouse. Global emissions from food amount to roughly 30 percent of humanity’s carbon output.Credit...George Steinmetz for The New York Times Rising greenhouse gas emissions from worldwide food production will make it extremely difficult to limit global warming to the targets set in the Paris climate agreement, even if emissions from fossil-fuel burning were halted immediately, scientists reported Thursday. But they said that meeting one of the targets, limiting overall warming this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, could be achieved through “rapid and ambitious” changes to the global food system over the next several decades, including adopting plant-rich diets, increasing crop yields and reducing food waste. “If we’re trying to meet the 1.5-degree Celsius target there is no single silver bullet that is going to get us there,” said Michael Clark, a researcher at the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford in England and the lead author of the new research, an analysis of the climate effects of global food production published in the journal Science. “But together all of them will.” Meeting the 2-degree Celsius target would be easier, Dr. Clark said. But in both cases, he added, the analysis is based on immediately reaching “net zero” emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, transportation and industry. Although countries have pledged to reduce them, current fossil-fuel emissions are nowhere near zero, and once they are factored in, he said, “any food transition probably needs to be larger and faster.” Food production results in emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other planet-warming gases in many ways, including land clearing and deforestation for agriculture and grazing, digestion by cattle and other livestock, production and use of fertilizers and the cultivation of rice in flooded paddies. Overall emissions are equivalent to about 16 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, or about 30 percent of total global emissions. While the world tends to focus on reducing emissions from fossil-fuel burning, the new study shows cutting emissions from food is crucial, too, the researchers said. “Food systems are sort of the dark horse of climate change,” said Jason Hill, senior author of the paper and a professor at the University of Minnesota. The researchers forecast how emissions would change in coming decades as the world population grows, diets and consumption patterns change as some countries become more affluent, and crop yields increase. They found that food-related emissions alone would quite likely result in the world exceeding the 1.5 degree Celsius limit in 30 to 40 years. Food emissions alone would bring the world close to the 2-degree limit by 2100. Scientists say that without a reduction of consumption of red meat and some other foods, emissions from food production would double by 2050 Brent Loken, the global lead food scientist for the World Wildlife Fund, who was not involved in the research, said the study was “one more piece of evidence that supports what many people are saying,” that climate goals cannot be reached without changes in the food system. “It’s really less about where food system is today, and more about where it’s heading,” he said. Analyses in recent years have pointed to the need to alter diets and make other changes in the food system both to improve human health and make the system more sustainable. Dr. Loken, for example, was a co-author of a report by the EAT-Lancet Commission, an international group of scientists, that recommended a 50 percent reduction in global consumption of red meat and some other foods by 2050. Dr. Loken said that without changes, food emissions were expected to double by 2050. “And the wiggle room to meet the Paris limits is so small,” he said. Dr. Hill said that the study did not consider potential shifts like the entire world population adopting a vegan diet. “We wanted to present the ones that were realistic goals,” he said. “A plant-rich diet is a realistic goal. We’re not saying in this paper to hit these targets we have to give up animal products. But there need to be some dietary shifts toward the healthier diets.” Dr. Clark said that he was optimistic that dietary shifts and other changes in the food system could be made in time to have an effect on global warming. He and others are currently working on determining what policies and behavioral changes it may be possible to implement. “Maybe it’s a combination of nudges at grocery stores, and top-down policies from governments,” he said. “It could be very bureaucratic or individualistic.” Editors’ Picks Snapshots of Daily Life in a Remote Region of Portugal The Celebrity Gossip You Won’t Find in the Tabloids He Finished His First Marathon. Then His Arm Felt Weak. “There are so many different ways we can do this,” Dr. Clark added. “Every person has a role to play, every corporation as well. Through collective action and political will we can actually do this pretty rapidly.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/climate/climate-change-food-production.html
     
         
      Machine learning tackles fuel consumption Thu, 5th Nov 2020 19:50:00
     
      i4 Insight, a Lloyd’s Register company that provides a single point of access for multiple data streams and applications, is partnering with GreenSteam, a firm focused on vessel-based machine learning for hull and improved vessel performance. The i4 Insight Platform allows shipowners, operators and charterers to access insights on performance and fuel consumption across all ships in their fleet. The addition of GreenSteam’s advanced machine learning technology means that platform users will have a more accurate picture of the leading contributors to excessive fuel consumption as well as access to actionable recommendations on how to optimise fleet performance. Machine learning is essential to help make sense of complex factors impacting vessel performance to help ensure operational efficiency “Given the sheer volume of performance data available, machine learning is essential to help make sense of complex factors impacting vessel performance to help ensure operational efficiency,” a press release from Lloyd’s Register stated. GreenSteam was one of the first companies to apply machine learning to vessel performance data and its system can analyse data from thousands of vessels, continually learning, adapting and updating what it knows about each vessel. Shaun Gray, executive chairman of GreenSteam, commented: “An in-depth, data-driven approach to understanding and acting on fuel consumption has never been more necessary for the industry. GreenSteam’s machine learning technology uses real ship performance data to provide owners and operators with actionable advice. Unlike traditional analytic approaches that fail to use and model 90% of performance data, by using machine learning, GreenSteam includes all ship performance data in its models to deliver insights other standard methodologies just cannot see.”
       
      Full Article: https://splash247.com/machine-learning-tackles-fuel-consumption/
     
         
      The future of nuclear: power stations could make hydrogen, heat homes and decarbonise industry Wed, 4th Nov 2020 23:53:00
     
      Frédéric Paulussen/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Nuclear power has provided low-carbon electricity to the UK for over 60 years and today it generates 17% of the country’s electricity. Until mid-2018, 15 nuclear reactors were the country’s largest source of low-carbon energy. Of these, only Sizewell B is planned to remain operating in 12 years’ time. The only new plant under construction is Hinkley Point C, and with a total generating capacity of 3.26 gigawatts, it would provide just 8% of the UK’s current electricity demand. The Committee on Climate Change advises the UK government on the effort to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Its proposals are strangely silent on nuclear power, occasionally lumping it in with “other low-carbon generation”. It supports a massive increase in renewable energy generation and continued burning of natural gas, using carbon capture and storage technology to mop up the CO? emitted. Elsewhere, the plan is to electrify transport, heating and industrial processes, meaning batteries in cars, and heat pumps powered by electricity in homes and factories. While reducing the amount of gas and oil burned, this would at least double the amount of electricity the national grid will need by 2050. Perhaps this could be met with renewables and electricity storage in batteries, to cover those moments when the Sun isn’t shining and there’s no wind to generate green energy. But sadly, battery technology isn’t currently powerful enough to store energy at that scale. Even today’s largest battery stores can only provide back-up electricity for a few hours, which is not always enough to cover extended periods of low wind or shorter daylight hours during winter. Battery technology is improving all the time, but it may not do so fast enough to meet rising electricity demand. Rolling out lots of electric vehicles could squeeze the supply of batteries even further, potentially even increasing their cost. Carbon capture and storage is not a proven technology either, so it would be unwise to put too many of eggs in that basket. Aside from other technical issues – storing the CO? produced by burning natural gas is a potential safety hazard – the unexpected release of gas stored underground could suffocate life at the surface. While plans are afoot to make “green hydrogen” the new lifeblood of the economy, producing enough of the low-carbon fuel would take a lot of electricity. Can renewables generate enough to do that while having enough left over for the surge in electricity demand elsewhere? Simply put, we need to start rebuilding the UK’s capacity to generate nuclear power. A new generation of reactors Future nuclear reactors will not just be big kettles making steam to drive turbines that generate electricity. The heat produced during the nuclear reaction can be diverted to power processes that are currently difficult to decarbonise. Take heating in buildings, for example. Heat cooler than 400°C can be extracted after the turbine, and pumped into district heating systems, replacing fossil fuels like natural gas. This is a process that is already carried out daily from municipal waste incinerators across Europe. High-temperature heat (between 400 and 900°C) could be diverted from nearer the reactor, before it reaches the turbine in a nuclear plant. It could be used to power processes that produce low-carbon hydrogen fuel, ammonia and synthetic fuels for ships and jets. This heat could also supply industries such as steel, cement, glass and chemical manufacturing, which often otherwise use burners powered by fossil fuels. This flexibility links perfectly with renewables. While the sun is shining and the wind’s blowing, nuclear reactors can continue generating hydrogen or other fuels that serve as an energy store – a standby source that can be burned to generate additional energy when needed. That energy could also heat homes or produce aluminium, steel, bricks, cement and glass. When it’s cloudy and still, the reactor can still generate electricity for the grid. The smaller reactors currently being developed worldwide typically generate about 300 megawatts of electricity each. They’re much cheaper to build than the current fleet of larger reactors which generate over 1,000 megawatts, such as the UK’s Hinkley Point C. Because they burn the fuel more efficiently, this new generation of reactors also produces much less nuclear waste. Many contain passive safety measures too, which can flood an overheating reactor with cool water or remove the fuel source if there’s a problem. They’re designed to serve multiple purposes, either making electricity for the grid when renewable generation is low or making hydrogen and other fuels when it’s high. Because they’re smaller, these reactors can even be placed in industrial parks, providing a guaranteed electricity and heat supply to neighbouring factories. We don’t believe that reaching net-zero emissions within the time we have left is possible without building new nuclear reactors. Fortunately, the new models awaiting construction can do so much more than just generate electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-nuclear-power-stations-could-make-hydrogen-heat-homes-and-decarbonise-industry-148445
     
         
      Iberdrola selects electrolyser for Spanish hydrogen plant Wed, 4th Nov 2020 23:40:00
     
      Nel's Proton PEM solution has been lined up for 20MW plant that is planned to be operating by 2021 berdrola has selected Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser as its preferred supplier of the electrolyser for the former's planned green hydrogen complex at Puertollano in Spain. Nel's Proton PEM solution is in line to be used as part of a commercial green hydrogen project with 20MW of installed capacity. The €150m green hydrogen project, which is being developed jointly by Iberdrola and Fertiberia, aims to be operational in 2021. It will comprise a 100MW solar plant, a lithium-ion battery system with a storage capacity of 20 megawatt-hours and the 20MW green hydrogen component. The green hydrogen produced will be used in the Fertiberia ammonia factory in the same town. Iberdrola and Fertiberia plan to eventually expand the green hydrogen plant's capacity to 800MW at the Fertiberia plants in Puertollano and Palos de la Frontera in Huelva by 2027.
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/64214/iberdrola-selects-electrolyser-for-spanish-hydrogen-plant/
     
         
      Hydrogen fuel for Glasgow ‘in time for COP26’ Wed, 4th Nov 2020 23:38:00
     
      By Kristy Dorsey @KristyDorsey Business Correspondent The companies behind proposals for a new £45 million hydrogen production hub in central Scotland have confirmed the location of the facility, which is expected to be partially up and running before next year’s delayed COP26 convention in Glasgow. The plant is being developed by Scottish energy company Hy2Go, and will be located at Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire. Work is expected to start early next year after Ryse Hydrogen, run by industrialist and JCB heir Jo Bamford, agreed to a “significant offtake” of fuel once production begins. The 51-acre site will have its own wind turbines and solar panels that will feed a 9MW electrolyser to extract hydrogen from water, meaning the entire process is completed without any carbon emissions. There will be capacity to increase the electrolyser size to 20MW in a second phase of expansion, taking initial production from 800,000kg of hydrogen per year to one million kg per annum. At the top end of production, this would be the equivalent of removing 7,500 cars from Scotland’s roads every year. In addition to Ryse, Mr Bamford also owns Wrightbus, creators of what are claimed are the world’s first hydrogen double deckers. The first of these were launched onto the streets of Aberdeen last month. Hy2Go chairman Brendan Flood said he is “excited” about the Glasgow project. “With the fleet of Wrightbuses on the streets of Aberdeen, and Glasgow already in possession of a fleet of hydrogen-powered gritters with refuse trucks on their way, the need for Scotland to produce its own green hydrogen is clear,” he said. The confirmation follows the announcement of a similar project in September, in which ScottishPower, BOC and ITM Power will join forces to build a 10MW hydrogen production facility near Whitelee Windfarm. Planning permission on those proposals is expected to be submitted within the next few months, with supply to the commercial market within the next two years. Mr Bamford said the plans by Ryse and Hy2Go provide the “inspirational prospect” of Scottish-made hydrogen being used to transport COP26 delegates around Glasgow. “This would be an ideal demonstration to the world that Scotland is perfectly placed to be a world-leader in hydrogen production because of its abundance of wind and water, which are the two ingredients you need to make hydrogen,” he said. The project is expected to create 16 jobs during the construction of the facility, with a further 16 permanent jobs thereafter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/18844258.developers-making-hydrogen-fuel-glasgow-in-time-cop26/
     
         
      Solar-powered hydrogen generation hub in Oman Wed, 4th Nov 2020 19:42:00
     
      Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone may become the Middle East’s first green hydrogen generation hub powered by several gigawatts of solar. The project is being supported by the Port of Rotterdam, which owns a 50% stake in the Omani port. Around 3.5 GW of PV is being planned for its area. Port chief executive Mark Geilenkirchen said plunging solar costs have made the plan feasible. Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone, a deep-sea port and adjacent free zone located in the homonymous coastal city, is planning to host a large scale green hydrogen generation hub powered by solar power plants. According to the whitepaper SOHAR Port and Freezone Going Green, published by the port's CEO, Mark Geilenkirchen, the project is being developed with the cooperation of the Port of Rotterdam, which owns a 50% stake in Sohar Port and Freezone, and Germany-based hydrogen specialist Hydrogen Rise AG. “The planned facility will create carbon-free hydrogen from low-cost solar power, stored for use on demand,” Geilenkirchen stated. This new hydrogen hub should be mostly powered by several solar plants under development in the port's area. “With declining costs for solar PV generation, building electrolyzers at our Sohar location with excellent renewable resource conditions could become a low-cost supply option for hydrogen,” the CEO explained. “Apart from our small scale solar park powering our headquarters in Sohar, we are planning larger, utility scale power generation facilities within the industrial port and the adjoining free zone in line with our strategy to offer competitively priced, solar photovoltaics-based electricity to industrial end-users and other tenants operating within the hub.” This plan envisages the deployment or around 3.5 GW of PV capacity, which is equivalent to the port's total electricity consumption. Around 300 MW of this capacity will be deployed by the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas provider Shell, which in April 2019 announced a plan to build its first 25 MW PV plant at a carbon ferrochrome smelter facility owned by Al Tamman Indsil Ferrochrome LLC. This project, according to Geilenkirchen, will come online by the end of this year. The Portuguese and Dutch governments announced in September a plan to connect the hydrogen project of Sines, in Portugal, to the Port of Rotterdam and to develop a strategic export-import value chain to ensure the production and transport of green hydrogen to the Netherlands and its hinterland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/11/04/solar-powered-hydrogen-generation-hub-in-oman/
     
         
      Back to overview BlueSATH Floating Wind Prototype Capsizes During Hurricane Epsilon Wed, 4th Nov 2020 19:37:00
     
      The scaled-down BlueSATH floating wind turbine prototype has capsized offshore Santander, Spain, during what is described as a ”historic swell generated by Hurricane Epsilon”. The 1:6 BlueSATH prototype, installed in El Abra del Sardinero back in August, had already completed its testing campaign in operational and extreme scenarios and was to be decommissioned when the Hurricane Epsilon struck, Saitec Offshore, the platform’s developer, said. The platform has already been retrieved and transported to a shipyard. The waves with which the scaled-down model was hit during the hurricane were up to ten metres high at the installation site, equivalent to 60-metre waves hitting the full-scale platform, Saitec Offshore said. Prior to that, the floating turbine withstood waves up to eight metres high during the storms Odette and Alex. BlueSATH was designed to overcome the worst-case scenario for its dimensions which meant facing five metres high waves, equivalent to 30 metres high waves for the full-scale model, covering extreme environmental scenarios a full-scaled unit could be exposed to around the world, the developer said. The installation of the prototype, initially planned for last Spring, had to be postponed to August, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the short time of testing within the operational environment, it was decided to extend the offshore deployment for one extra month in Autumn to explore the technology’s behavior under extreme conditions even if most of the scenarios were unrealistic scenarios in full-scale, according to the developer. The removal of the platform and transport to the Port of Santander was planned for the coming weeks, since the hydrodynamic trials were accomplished and considering that the metocean conditions were not representative anymore when scaled and wave condition exceeded design scenarios. ”In any case, the results obtained during the deployment have proven an excellent behavior in harsh design scenarios which even exceeded extreme events to be encountered in offshore sites for wind farms. Consequently, Saitec Offshore feels even more confident of the suitability of SATH technology and continues to push all its projects and opportunities forward,” Saitec Offshore said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/11/04/bluesath-floating-wind-prototype-capsizes-during-hurricane-epsilon/
     
         
      World first: Dutch brewery burns iron as a clean, recyclable fuel Wed, 4th Nov 2020 18:19:00
     
      Many industries use heat-intensive processes that generally require the burning of fossil fuels, but a surprising green fuel alternative is emerging in the form of metal powders. Ground very fine, cheap iron powder burns readily at high temperatures, releasing energy as it oxidizes in a process that emits no carbon and produces easily collectable rust, or iron oxide, as its only emission. If burning metal powder as fuel sounds strange, the next part of the process will be even more surprising. That rust can be regenerated straight back into iron powder with the application of electricity, and if you do this using solar, wind or other zero-carbon power generation systems, you end up with a totally carbon-free cycle. The iron acts as a kind of clean battery for combustion processes, charging up via one of a number of means including electrolysis, and discharging in flames and heat. Recently, Swinkels Family Brewers in the Netherlands has become the first business in the world to put this process to work at an industrial scale. The company has been working with the Metal Power Consortium and researchers at TU Eindhoven to install a cyclical iron fuel system at its Brewery Bavaria that's capable of providing all the heat necessary for some 15 million glasses of beer a year. “We are enormously proud to be the first company to test this new fuel on an industrial scale in order to help accelerate the energy transition,” said Peer Swinkels, CEO of Royal Swinkels Family Brewers. “As a family business, we invest in a sustainable and circular economy because we think in terms of generations, not years. We combine this way of thinking with high-quality knowledge in the collaboration with the Metal Power Consortium. Through this innovative technology, we want to make our brewing process less dependent on fossil fuels. We will continue to invest in this innovation.” As a burnable clean energy storage medium, iron powder's advantages include the fact that it's cheap and abundant, the fact that it's easy to transport and has a good energy density, its high burning temperature of up to 1,800 °C (3,272 °F), and the fact that (unlike hydrogen, for example) it doesn't need to be cryogenically cooled, or lose any energy during long periods of storage. The round-trip energy cycle efficiency of this system is dependent on the processes used to put the energy into the iron in the regeneration process. High-efficiency electrolysis of iron oxide can store as much as 80 percent of your input energy in the iron fuel, according to this 2018 paper – a figure similar to what you get with modern hydrogen splitting. There are bigger plans for this technology than just firing up individual industrial applications – or even just applications where the main output is heat. “While we’re proud of this huge milestone, we also look at the future,” says Chan Botter, who leads student team SOLID at TU Eindhoven, a group dedicated to the advancement of metal fuels. “There’s already a follow-up project which aims to realize a 1-MW system in which we also work on the technical improvement of the system. We’re also making plans for a 10-MW system that should be ready in 2024. Our ambition is to convert the first coal-fired power plants into sustainable iron fuel plants by 2030.” Using this kind of cyclical process to generate electricity could approach a theoretical efficiency around 40 percent, again according to this 2018 paper. It might seem a little odd to generate renewable energy, then toss 60 percent of it out in the form of inefficient steam turbine generation processes, but this could end up being a flexible and cost-effective way to capture, distribute and even export renewable energy that's generated at inconvenient times when there's no demand for it to be fed directly into the grid. Running iron powder through existing power generation infrastructure, which may simply need retro-fitting to deal with a different combustion process, would enable a very clean, yet load-responsive power grid that could operate on an easily-stored stash of raw material trucked in either from clean, renewable energy regeneration operations as described above, or from any number of industrial manufacturing operations. Economics will eventually determine how far this idea gets, of course, and that remains in question at this early stage. But the idea certainly seems to have some advantages over hydrogen, pumped hydro, batteries or kinetic energy storage, depending on what you're using it for, and it's an interesting idea we'll be keeping an eye on. See a simple video about the process below.
       
      Full Article: https://newatlas.com/energy/bavarian-brewery-carbon-free-renewable-iron-fuel/
     
         
      Hydrogen fuel cell train to be developed with EU funding Wed, 4th Nov 2020 18:02:00
     
      EUROPE: The FCH2RAIL consortium’s €14m project to design, develop and test a prototype hydrogen fuelled train has been awarded a €10m grant from the European Commission’s Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Joint Undertaking as part of the Horizon 2020 Programme FCH2RAIL aims to produce a zero-emission train offering an operating performance which is competitive with existing diesel trains, using technology which could be applied to both new and refurbished vehicles. The overall budget is €14m, of which 70% would come from EU funds, and the remainder from the project partners. The consortium is led by CAF, which has experience with fuel cell technology through its recently acquired Solaris bus subsidiary. The other members are German aerospace research centre DLR, Spanish national operator RENFE and infrastructure manager ADIF, car maker Toyota Motor Europe, Portuguese infrastructure manager IP, Spanish national hydrogen centre CNH2 and rolling stock component supplier Faiveley Stemmann Technik. Each consortium member will be allocated specific tasks by the end of the year, enabling work on the four-year project to begin in January 2021. The prototype will be produced by modifying a CAF Civia Class 463 three-car EMU, a type which is found on many Spanish commuter networks. This will be equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system and lithium-titanate batteries, giving the ability to operate through from electrified routes onto non-electrified lines. Testing and authorisation is to take place in Spain, Portugal and a third country still to be determined. The project will explore the use of waste heat from fuel cells to improve energy efficiency. The work programme also includes the drafting of new and updated European technical standards to ensure the interoperability of future hydrogen trains.
       
      Full Article: https://www.railwaygazette.com/technology/hydrogen-fuel-cell-train-to-be-developed-with-eu-funding/57731.article
     
         
      The UK's nuclear waste could be buried underground in Cumbria Wed, 4th Nov 2020 17:57:00
     
      Illustration of a geological disposal facility for nuclear waste RWM A long-running search to find a site for an underground nuclear waste store in the UK has received a boost today as a community in north-west England took the first formal step towards hosting the £12 billion facility. Two years ago, the UK and Welsh governments rebooted their hunt for an area willing to voluntarily host a geological disposal facility, a long-term underground store for half a century’s worth of radioactive waste. Today, the waste sits at about 30 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, most of it above …
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2258859-the-uks-nuclear-waste-could-be-buried-underground-in-cumbria/
     
         
      The young Norwegians taking their own country to court over oil Wed, 4th Nov 2020 14:36:00
     
      Despite Norway's green credentials, its infamous state wealth is due to its huge oil exports. This week, Norwegian youths are challenging what they describe as a double standard, in court. In the Barents Sea in June, the sun is still shining at 2am. Small waves refract the orange sunlight into the hazy air. A sailing boat cuts through the freezing Arctic waters. Far beyond it, on the horizon, rises a giant. This is Goliat, the world's northernmost operating oil rig, drilling for fuel on the Norwegian continental shelf. The boat's radio crackles. Goliat's workers are warning the ship's crew to stay out of the rig's exclusion zone. "And enjoy sailing," the rigger adds. "And you guys," the 21-year-old captain, Thor Due, says, "enjoy drilling!" Thor's natural politeness overrides his true feelings. It is 2018, and Thor and his crewmates are on their way home from Bear Island, south of the Svalbard archipelago, where they have been documenting the area's rich wildlife. They worry this unique landscape would be threatened by any oil spills. But their main concern is far bigger. It is just a few months after Thor and other members of Norway's Nature and Youth group - environmentalists under the age of 25 - lost the first round of what has become a long-running legal fight with the Norwegian state over oil. On 4 November, this battle will come to a head when the two sides face each other for a final hearing in Norway's Supreme Court. Thor and his fellow activists want to set their country on a new course - to force one of the wealthiest states in the world to abandon its biggest source of income. They say that oil and gas being extracted from Norwegian waters, to be sold on to the rest of the world, is contributing to devastating climate change. Norway is Europe's second-biggest oil producer after Russia. The activists contend that by issuing new licences for oil exploration in the Arctic in May 2016, the state breached its own constitutional obligation to ensure a clean environment for its citizens and future generations. The group, together with members of Greenpeace Norway, lost the initial case - the court ruling that Norway could not be held responsible for pollution beyond its borders. They also lost a subsequent appeal, with the court still ruling that the state was not in contravention of its constitution, although it did this time agree that Norway should be held accountable for its foreign emissions. But in Norway a court case can be appealed twice, hence the final debate in the Supreme Court. Short presentational grey line Thor's early years were spent sailing with his father, zig-zagging across the North Sea to avoid the various rigs' exclusion zones - an experience that brought him up close to the industry he is now taking on. Oil is a sensitive subject in Norway. The petroleum industry, majority-owned by the state, is credited with transforming the country from a poor fishing nation to the owner of the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. If all its citizens stopped working, they could live off the oil money for three years. Norway's oil production is estimated to account for approximately 0.7% of global emissions from fossil fuels, making the country the source of roughly 100 times the greenhouse gas emissions per capita of the world average. And yet Norway has impressive green credentials in other ways. It was the first industrialised nation to ratify the Paris climate change agreement, which pledges to try and limit global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial times. It is also a major donor to the Green Climate Fund, which finances environmental initiatives in developing countries, and has pledged that its oil fund money will never be invested in companies it judges particularly harmful to the environment. Norway also has the highest per capita use of electrical cars of all countries in the world - 42,4% of cars sold in 2019 were electric. "The Norwegian paradox is that its leadership in some aspects of addressing the global climate emergency is enabled by wealth generated by a large petroleum industry," David Boyd, the United Nations' special rapporteur on the environment and human rights, said in a 2019 report. Thor spent much of his early university life volunteering to help prepare for the two first court cases. Even though two more organisations eventually came on board, there were only a handful of paid staff - everything else was done by volunteers. He and other members of Nature and Youth immersed themselves in the subject and became experts on marine oil and drilling. "It took six months before my parents realised that I wasn't actually studying," he says. Thor grew up in the small town of Molde, where many people work directly or indirectly in oil. "The best students were expected to become oil engineers," he says about his school days. Emma Bugge Gjerdevik, a local leader for Nature and Youth, feels this pressure even more keenly. She is from Stavanger, which was a struggling fishing community until oil was discovered on the continental shelf nearby in 1969. It is now one of Norway's wealthiest towns, with the highest rate per capita of oil workers in the country. "It is impossible not to know anyone who works in oil," the 17-year-old says of Stavanger, adding that this includes her own mother. "The only sources of information you have when you are little are the school and your parents - who often work in the oil industry," she adds. "No-one said anything about the consequences of oil." When she learned about climate change, Emma was scared. The only thing she could think to do, she says, was to become engaged in the issue. "Many young people say: 'I can't be part of Nature and Youth, because my parents work in oil'," Emma says. "I try to explain to people that we must start exploring other supply and energy alternatives as well." Emma and Thor are both frustrated about how adults react to their arguments. They get invited to meetings, they say, and are told how good it is that they take an interest, but feel the invites are only symbolic. "Adults often think that they know more [about the oil issue] just because they are older," Emma says. "But we have resources." She remembers one oil manager she debated with, who accused her of making him "a villain". But she has come to view the real villain as the Norwegian state, which makes the decisions to extract petroleum. "Oil is absolutely incredible," Emma says. "There is no other resource like it. It has contributed so much good. It is a safety net. So of course the older generations find it hard to think beyond it." #Proud oil workers The overall trend among Norway's public, who are regularly polled on their views about oil, is that just over half support the drilling. "The petroleum industry has been one of the main engines of the Norwegian economy for more than 50 years," said Prime Minister Erna Solberg in a statement this spring. "If we lose the growth potential of this industry, we will also lose much of the momentum in Norway's transformation." But as climate change concerns have grown among the Norwegian population, the country's media has started writing about "oil shame". In 2019, oil electrician Idar Martin Herland started the hashtag #stoltoljearbeider (#proud oil worker) to challenge this view. "I saw that my colleagues felt exposed," he says. "But we produce something that the world needs." People criticise the oil workers, but that's unfair, he says. "These same people drive [petrol] cars." Green energy 'not ready' Hilde-Marit Rysst, who used to work as an oil rig technician, and is now the leader of the labour union in which Idar Martin is active, stresses that oil workers care about the planet too, but people need to be realistic. "The green energy isn't ready [to meet all our needs] yet," Hilde-Marit says. "For a long time to come, renewable energy will go hand in hand with fossil fuels." "Young people are eager and impatient," Idar Martin adds. "But we really have to do this step by step." And the Norwegian oil business is trying. Offshore drilling activities have been subject to a carbon tax since 1991, and by 2018, around 80% of greenhouse gas emissions were taxed. Norway is one of the world leaders in carbon capture, utilisation and storage. "Norwegian oil is the greenest oil in the world - the best of the worst - and we invest the profits in the environment," Hilde-Marit says. "We can't get flak for that!" She argues that as long as there is the demand for more energy, Norway is fulfilling a valuable role. Future generations will want cars and mobile phones too, she says. But Thor and Emma believe it is possible to scale down consumption. "In a post-oil Norway, we may not have the same economic progress, but it is much more important to me that I can breathe, have children with a clear conscience, than Norway being the richest country in the world," says Emma. "If not even the richest country in the world can start rebuilding, who will?" Thor points out that Norway's neighbours have succeeded in creating flourishing societies without the economic benefits of "black gold". "Sweden and Finland have managed to build a welfare state without oil," he says. "Still, we'll have to remove a little of our most luxurious and extravagant habits if we remove the oil; hold back a little." Even if Emma and Thor don't win their case at the Supreme Court, they believe bringing this discussion to such a high profile stage is valuable. Around 90 countries have constitutions similar to Norway's which explicitly recognise the right to a healthy environment. Thor and Emma hope that their case will set an international precedent. And if they do win? "It will be a game changer," says Thor. "It will show that Nature and Youth were right all along. They would have to listen to us." All images subject to copyright
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54604738
     
         
      Tiny air pollution rise linked to 11% more Covid-19 deaths – study Wed, 4th Nov 2020 14:28:00
     
      Evidence is now strong enough that preventive action should be taken, scientists say A small rise in people’s long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with an 11% increase in deaths from Covid-19, research has found. Another recent study suggests that 15% of all Covid-19 deaths around the world are attributable to dirty air. The available data only allows correlations to be established and further work is needed to confirm the connections, but the researchers said the evidence was now strong enough that levels of dirty air must be considered a key factor in handling coronavirus outbreaks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/04/tiny-air-pollution-rise-linked-to-11-more-covid-19-deaths-study
     
         
      Ex-'321' demonstrator to be hydrogen pioneer Tue, 3rd Nov 2020 18:10:00
     
      The first Alstom Breeze Class 600 hydrogen multiple unit (HMU) will be converted from 321448. The four-car electric multiple unit is owned by Eversholt Rail, which is working with Alstom on the project. It was moved by road to Alstom’s Edge Hill depot near Liverpool in mid-October, ahead of a move to the company’s Widnes facility. Alstom has recently invested an extra £1 million in preparing the site for the Breeze conversion work. Greater Anglia last used 321448 in 2018. The EMU was deemed non-standard as it had been refurbished internally with two interior designs (one suburban, one metro) and TSA AC traction motors, as part of an evaluation of plans for what would become the Renatus project that involved a substantial refurbishment and re-tractioning of 30 GA Class 321/3s. For the FULL story, read RAIL 919, published on November 18, and available digitally from November 14.
       
      Full Article: https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/ex-321-demonstrator-to-be-hydrogen-pioneer
     
         
      We need to talk to our kids about the climate crisis. But courage fails me when I look at my son Tue, 3rd Nov 2020 0:11:00
     
      As the news darkens, I’m having difficulty talking to young people about it’: Prof Tim Flannery. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian Tim Flannery has been speaking about climate change for decades – but he’s finding it harder and harder to be the bearer of bad news Being a bearer of bad news is never easy. I’ve been writing and talking about climate change for decades now. Constant exposure hardens one to even the most horrific reality, and I’ve coped by acting like a jolly hangman – or at least not giving in publicly to the helplessness I sometimes feel as I relate the latest findings. But as the news darkens, I’m having difficulty talking to young people about it. I can tell an optimistic story about developing technologies and the role they can play in helping avert the worst of the crisis. But we have now left action so late that some very severe climate impacts seem unavoidable. When I try to imagine how I, as a young person, would react to such news, I find it hard to continue my work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/04/we-need-to-talk-to-our-kids-about-the-climate-crisis-but-courage-fails-me-when-i-look-at-my-son
     
         
      Climate change: You've got cheap data, how about cheap power too? Sat, 31st Oct 2020 14:30:00
     
      You're probably reading this on your phone. If not, take it out your pocket and look at it. It's a smartphone, isn't it? Think how often you use it and all the useful things it helps you do. Now, think back. How long since you bought your first smartphone? It will be about 10 years, most likely a bit less. Not long. Yet they are now ubiquitous: virtually everyone, everywhere has one and uses it for hours every day. It shows how quickly new technology can take off. The original iPhone was only introduced in 2007 and - bizarre as it now seems - it wasn't regarded as revolutionary back then. Check out this Forbes magazine cover published nine months after the iPhone was released. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter And Forbes wasn't alone. The iPhone was just "one more entrant into an already very busy space," according to the boss of the company that made Blackberrys. Remember them? Not only have smartphones crushed all other phone technologies, they have upended dozens of other industries too. They've killed the camera and powered the rise of social media and dating apps. They've decimated the traditional taxi industry. So what has this got to do with energy? It proves an important point about all successful new technologies: it is easy to see why they were so transformative in hindsight, much harder to predict how they will reshape our world in advance. Which brings me to green technology - wind turbines, electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries, that kind of thing. If you still think adopting these new technologies will be an expensive chore, think again. Green tech is at a tipping point where it could take off explosively - just like the smartphone did. And, just like the smartphone, it could bring a revolution in how we do much more than just create energy. So why did the smartphone do so well? Its success was down to a unique convergence of technologies. For the first time, touchscreens, batteries, data networks, compact computer chips, micro-sensors and more were cheap, reliable and small enough to make a $600 (£460) smartphone possible. And as demand for smartphones picked up, manufacturers learned how to make those technologies even cheaper and better too. Something similar is now happening with green tech. After years of development, it is becoming much cheaper and more effective. The world's best solar power schemes are now the "cheapest source of electricity in history", the International Energy Agency (IEA), which analyses energy markets, said this month. "Renewable energy is likely to penetrate the energy system more quickly than any fuel ever seen in history," predicts Spencer Dale, the chief economist at the oil giant BP. And BP is putting its money where Mr Dale's mouth is. It's pledged to cut its oil and gas production by 40% in the next 10 years, and to plough money into developing its low-carbon business instead. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, announced a £160m investment that he said would see offshore wind producing more than half of current UK electricity demand by 2030. That's right. An investment of just £160m in offshore wind when the new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point, in Somerset, is costing at least £22.5 billion. How is it so cheap? Because the UK government won't be paying for the new wind turbines, the private sector will. In the UK, offshore wind will soon be profitable without subsidy. Indeed, developers may soon have to pay for access to our continental shelf. Think what that means. You don't need governments offering inducements for companies to build new renewable power, they'll be paying us for the privilege of doing so. But that is just the beginning. What happens when the world doubles down on cutting carbon? The European Union has already signed up to a €1tn-plus green stimulus plan. China says it is on board too. At the United Nations' General Assembly meeting in New York this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an unconditional commitment that China would cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2060. Japan and South Korea both announced a 2050 net zero pledge this week, and if Joe Biden wins the American presidential election, he has similarly ambitious carbon cutting plans. Both Biden and the EU have warned they will introduce carbon tariffs to penalise countries that haven't abated emissions selling high-carbon products in their markets. That'll be a powerful encouragement for the rest of the world to follow suit. But even if they don't, we'd have America, China and Europe - half of world emissions and more than half of world GDP - doubling down on cutting carbon. That means even more investment in wind, solar, batteries, electric cars, electrolysis, carbon capture and storage, and any other green technology you can think of. Just like with the smartphone, it becomes a virtuous cycle. A learning curve "What we've seen up to now is called a learning curve," explains Spencer Dale. "The more you produce something, the better you get at producing it." As the amount of solar and wind capacity in the world has doubled and doubled again, the costs have steadily fallen - something documented by the clean tech advocate Ramez Naam. "And at the moment there doesn't seem to be any sign that those learning curves are flattening out," says Mr Dale. If he's right, then costs will continue to fall, making renewables increasingly competitive, which in turn will lead to more investment and more renewable power. You get the idea.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54723147
     
         
      NATURE IS NOT HEALING Fri, 30th Oct 2020 9:30:00
     
      Dolphins did not return to cleaner canals in Venice, Italy this year. Nor was the critically endangered Malabar civet spotted on the streets of Kerala, India. And, contrary to one meme, there definitely were not dinosaurs in Times Square. Most of the memes that claimed “nature is healing” while COVID-19 shut down business around the world were misleading or just a joke to lighten up a heavy year. The reality is, even if it managed to keep people holed up for parts of the year, the pandemic is not leaving us with a healthier planet. There were fewer plane trips and car trips this year, which means fewer tailpipe emissions. But that didn’t result in huge environmental gains. If anything, this year actually showed us how much further we have to go to clean up the giant mess we’ve made on our planet. For starters, assessing air quality in 2020 is complicated. As early as January, it seemed as if skies had cleared over China — the first country to cope with the novel coronavirus and its economic fallout. Nitrogen dioxide levels over China plummeted dramatically in maps released by NASA and ESA. As the pandemic progressed, similar reports of cleaner skies emerged across the globe. In November, NASA figured out that the pandemic led to an almost 20 percent drop globally in nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Nitrogen dioxide is a toxic gas found in tailpipe emissions, so it makes sense that it dropped as people stayed home. But that’s only part of the picture when it comes to air quality. As nitrogen dioxide pollution fell, another dangerous type of pollution seemed to stagnate and even rise in some places in the US. Particulate matter pollution — made up mostly of soot from burning fuels — didn’t seem to let up during the peak of pandemic-induced stay-at-home orders in April, a recent study found. That’s especially dangerous during the pandemic because of how much damage particulate pollution can do to people’s lungs and hearts — organs that COVID-19 impairs, too. The pandemic may not have made a significant dent in pollution, but pollution certainly made the pandemic worse for some hard-hit communities. Living with air pollution — especially particulate matter — is linked to an increased risk of dying from COVID-19, research found this year. Black and Latino people, who are disproportionately burdened with air pollution in the US, also faced way higher hospitalization and death rates during the pandemic than white Americans. Researchers have some ideas about why particulate pollution grew and nitrogen dioxide shrank in the US this year. It might be because more particulate matter comes from diesel-burning trucks, which delivered more packages than usual as people shopped from home, but they still need to test this hypothesis. “That is the mystery that we’re going to try to solve,” says Cristina Archer, lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. Even if some pollution dropped temporarily, that doesn’t really do us much good moving forward, Archer cautions. “We’re going to go back eventually to normal life,” she says. Nitrogen dioxide levels already started roaring back toward the middle of the year in cities around the world as COVID-19 restrictions lightened up. “Reduction [in pollution] that is temporary, but is not actually intentional — I don’t think it helps much. What helps are strategies, and planning, and conscious efforts to reduce air pollution.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theverge.com/22178714/2020-nature-heal-pollution-greenhouse-gases-emissions-dip-covid
     
         
      Could restoring peatlands be key to saving the planet? Fri, 16th Oct 2020 12:02:00
     
      While historically the world’s peatlands were considered cumbersome wastelands, a new appreciation for these complex ecosystems and the role they play in regulating our climate has evolved in recent years. Perhaps your familiarity with peatlands comes from the infamous “bog bodies”, which were buried and perfectly preserved in bogs around the world for thousands of years. From an ecological perspective, peatlands are recognized as harsh, intricate, and diverse habitats in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing due to lack of oxygen. As a result, organic matter, like plants, get trapped and buried along with the carbon captured from the air. As a result of this carbon capture capability, peatlands actually play a critical role in regulating the world’s climate. Covering 3% of the world’s land surface, they store twice as much carbon as forests and help to stabilize the planet’s carbon cycle. However, when it comes to research and policy aimed at mitigating the disastrous effects of climate change, peatlands have been largely left out. According to experts, like Dr. Franziska Tanneberger, researcher at the Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University and co-director of the Greifswald Mire Centre, they have been overlooked for far too long.
       
      Full Article: https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/could-restoring-peatlands-be-the-key-to-saving-the-planet/
     
         
      Superconductors: Material raises hope of energy revolution Thu, 15th Oct 2020 10:02:00
     
      Scientists have found the first material that displays a much sought-after property at room temperature. It is superconducting, which means electrical current flows through it with perfect efficiency - with no energy wasted as heat. At the moment, a lot of the energy we produce is lost as heat because of electrical resistance. So room temperature "superconducting" materials could revolutionise the electrical grid. Until this point, achieving superconductivity has required cooling materials to very low temperatures. When the property was discovered in 1911, it was found only at close to the temperature known as absolute zero (-273.15C). Since then, physicists have found materials that superconduct at higher - but still very cold - temperatures. The team behind this latest discovery says it's a major advance in a search that has already gone on for a century. "Because of the limits of low temperature, materials with such extraordinary properties have not quite transformed the world in the way that many might have imagined," said Dr Ranga Dias, from the University of Rochester, in New York State. "However, our discovery will break down these barriers and open the door to many potential applications." Dr Dias added that room temperature superconductors "can definitely change the world as we know it". In the US, electrical grids lose more than 5% of their energy through the process of transmission. So tackling this loss could potentially save billions of dollars and have an effect on the climate. The scientists observed the superconducting behaviour in a carbonaceous sulphur hydride compound at a temperature of 15C. However, the property only appeared at extremely high pressures of 267 billion pascals - about a million times higher than typical tyre pressure. This obviously limits its practical usefulness. So Dr Dias says the next goal will be to find ways to create room temperature superconductors at lower pressures, so they will be economical to produce in greater volume. These materials could have many other applications. These include a new way to propel levitated trains - like the Maglev trains that "float" above the track in Japan and Shanghai, China. Magnetic levitation is a feature of some superconducting materials. Another application would be faster, more efficient electronics. "With this kind of technology, you can take society into a superconducting society where you'll never need things like batteries again," said co-author Ashkan Salamat of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The results are published in the prestigious journal Nature.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54551527
     
         
      The invisible hand of the market won't protect our food or fields Wed, 14th Oct 2020 16:49:00
     
      The defeat of the agriculture bill is a blow to the many who believe Britain could lead the world in sustainable farming In a world of polarised debates, there is a broad, non-partisan consensus on the issue of trade and standards. So it was disappointing – even if predictable – that the government whipped against amendments to protect UK food standards in the agriculture bill, which returned to the House of Commons this week. The key amendment was defeated last night by 332 votes to 279. Curiously, many Tory shire MPs voted against the expressed concerns of their farming constituencies, while Ed Davey and Keir Starmer donned their wellies and backed British farming. Farming minister Victoria Prentis argued that the amendments were not needed, since the government had already promised to uphold UK standards in future trade deals. Although they lost the Commons vote, credit should go to the combined efforts of the campaigning organisations – from the National Farmers’ Union, CLA and Tenant Farmers Association, to Green Alliance, RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, Which?, Sustain, WWF and many more – that have shifted farming standards and trade debates to the front pages of the tabloids. Leavers and remainers have come together, with Prue Leith supporting Jamie Oliver’s spirited #saveourstandards campaign, connecting children’s health and the future of small farmers. Campaigners have focused on chlorine-washed chicken, hormone-fed beef or ractopamine-dosed pigs, all features of US industrial production systems that we know are bad for people and planet. But it goes much further than this. Let’s be clear: trade is a good thing. It gives us choices and flexibility. It builds reciprocal relationships between countries, for a more stable and secure world. We can import what we don’t produce at home; countries can specialise in those things that grow better in their climate or conditions; and we can offset risk, if our own production fails – a point relevant for UK wheat markets, after floods and droughts over the last 12 months affected our own production. But it also has downsides. The kind of buccaneering free trade anticipated by the likes of Liz Truss is about handing over more power to the markets to drive down costs, producing cheaper goods and a greater range of options. This might be great for certain businesses and those that invest in them. But when the cost of production falls too low, someone, somewhere, pays. Some of the most talked-about television programmes in the last few years have been those that reveal to us the true cost of the way our global economy works. When David Attenborough shows us the heart-wrenching images of fields of plastic waste suffocating turtle breeding grounds, orangutans fending off bulldozers as their rainforest homes are destroyed for palm oil production, live pigs bulldozed into burial pits because disease has swept through their intensive housing, and people with chronic diet-related health conditions dying because of coronavirus, we see the results of markets that have prioritised profit over the health of people and the planet – and the trading environment that enables this to happen. Declining to write UK standards into legislation assumes that we can always rely on markets to do the right thing. And the evidence suggests that this is too big a risk to take. When MPs argued last night that upholding standards is likely to damage the interests of developing countries, just whose interests are they protecting? The global farmers movement La Via Campesina is clear that it is not the interests of small farmers, who see their land and their livelihoods taken over by global businesses, exploiting cheaper labour and lax protections. When government policies enable intensive, industrialised agricultural systems, it has serious impacts on UK farmers, driving them in a direction of travel that puts ever greater pressure on the environment and the land they farm. The agriculture bill should be about creating the conditions to deliver a compelling vision for the future of British farming – farming for the climate, nature and health. Farmers want to be a force for change, but without the right legislative levers to help them make the transition, and to prioritise sustainable farming systems, they have to take their chances in the marketplace – or leave farming to big global agri-businesses. Most businesses want a level playing field of globally agreed, simple and rising standards that helps them play their part in tackling the climate and nature crisis. What do British citizens want? The Climate Assembly report published last month demonstrated that – with the right information and evidence – citizens want a fair, transparent and sustainable food system. The public consistently say they do not want to compromise on food standards – they are outraged that poor and vulnerable people are most at risk of diet-related illnesses, and the most unhealthy and ultra-processed foods, made from cheap commodities, are promoted most aggressively. Proposals to improve labelling alone will not do. Governments must put legislation in place to uphold safe and secure standards, to act on the climate and nature crisis and improve public health and wellbeing. Upholding and raising standards in the UK helps raise standards around the world. Enshrining food and welfare standards in law would be a powerful way to position the UK globally, but we need to go further. Decisions we make about trade help us define who we are as a nation and strengthen our mandate for global leadership on climate, nature, and a sustainable future for all. We are in a strong position, as we head towards COP26, to push for bolder international commitments for climate and nature. Establishing our commitments in our trade agreements would be a powerful act of leadership on the world stage. News is under threat … … just when we need it the most. Millions of readers around the world are flocking to the Guardian in search of honest, authoritative, fact-based reporting that can help them understand the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetime. But at this crucial moment, news organisations are facing a cruel financial double blow: with fewer people able to leave their homes, and fewer news vendors in operation, we’re seeing a reduction in newspaper sales across the UK. Advertising revenue continues to fall steeply meanwhile as businesses feel the pinch. We need you to help fill the gap. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to vital public service journalism. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without financial contributions from those who can afford to pay, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world. Reader financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful. We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as £1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/14/invisible-hand-market-food-fields-agriculture-bill-farming
     
         
      Why we should be worried about methane Wed, 14th Oct 2020 10:57:00
     
      Cow burps, paddy fields and manure are some of the top sources of methane in our atmosphere. We already have some solutions to cut rising emissions, but how important is methane in terms of global warming? Stanford University Environmental Sciences professor Rob Jackson explains why we should pay more attention to the gas before it's too late. DW: How powerful is methane as a greenhouse gas? Rob Jackson: Well, since industrial activity began, methane has contributed about a quarter of all the warming that we've seen and it's far more potent, molecule for molecule or kilogram for kilogram than carbon dioxide is on a 20-year time frame. It's 80 or 90 times more potent. And even over a century, it's about 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So CO2 is still the dominant greenhouse gas we look at. But methane is second and provides a lot of opportunities to make a difference right now because it's so powerful. What are the main sources of methane emissions? Methane comes primarily from agricultural activities and fossil fuel use, and more than half of all methane emissions in the world now come from human activities. Agricultural activities - particularly cattle and other ruminants that release methane from their stomachs - and rice farming, are two of the biggest agricultural sources. We also emit methane from manures. That's about two-thirds of the methane that we release from our activities. And oil and gas and coal extraction and use contribute another third. Fossil fuel use continues to go up, particularly for natural gas. And that's releasing more methane into the atmosphere as well. Methane is the dominant gas in natural gas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dw.com/en/why-we-should-be-worried-about-methane/a-55241028
     
         
      Renewable Energy vs Fossil Fuels Fri, 9th Oct 2020 22:01:00
     
      If you’re like 77% of Americans [1], you may think that it’s more important to develop infrastructure for renewable energy, rather than continue to find and extract fossil fuels. However, just because you know we need to develop alternative energy sources, you may not understand fully why, or which types will be the most sustainable. Today, we’re going to look at the differences between renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, why most people believe in a future fueled by renewable energy, and what that will actually mean for the world we live in. Are renewable resources more expensive than fossil fuels? Although renewable resources are initially expensive to install, renewable energy is generally cheap to use. Sources like solar and wind can produce energy “for free” for the duration of the panel or turbine’s life. Fossil fuels build up constant costs because they have to be found, extracted, and transported to power plants to be used. In fact, after construction, many solar energy projects can generate power at about half the cost of fossil fuels, and this is projected to get cheaper in the future as solar power becomes more common.
       
      Full Article: https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/renewable-energy-vs-fossil-fuels
     
         
      How we’re ending deforestation in Mars’ palm oil supply chain Wed, 7th Oct 2020 16:38:00
     
      Palm oil. In our snacks, our shampoo, our household products. A ubiquitous raw material—used in half of the world’s packaged goods—that is driving deforestation and putting at risk the human rights of many. Can one of the most controversial ingredients on the planet be used sustainably? The answer to date has been no. While there’s been some progress by global businesses to stop deforestation in their palm oil supply chains, forest area has continued to decline globally in the last several years. According to Global Forest Watch data, the past four years have been the highest on record for tropical forest area loss. What’s more, recent scientific reports have made it clear that protecting and restoring natural ecosystems is an integral part of addressing climate change and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. These challenges have been further heightened by the coronavirus pandemic, which has exposed the systemic vulnerabilities of global communities and the fragile health of our planet. While at face value, the simple solution may be to stop using palm oil altogether, it’s important to recognize this would mean walking away from the farmers whose livelihoods depend on the ingredient and pivoting toward something else that may in fact drive even more deforestation. Like many global businesses, we at Mars have been working tirelessly to try to solve the complex issues of deforestation and human rights challenges in the palm oil supply chain over the past decade. We have tried—and witnessed from our peers across the industry—the different approaches to address deforestation, with varying degrees of success. Getting our hands around this issue is not only critical for the health of our planet, but also the health of our business. Consumers are now buying products not only because of the product and price, but also because they’re interested in the company behind the brand. Issues such as deforestation are a direct threat to our business—as well as a threat to society and the planet overall—which is why it’s crucial we take action now. It’s become increasingly clear that in order to effectively tackle societal and environmental issues—such as deforestation associated with palm oil—we need to entirely redesign and transform global business supply chains. This demands closer partnership with suppliers and other stakeholders to deploy sufficient monitoring and verification of their supply chains to ensure that no deforestation is occurring. That’s exactly what we are trying to do at Mars. A year ago, we were sourcing from over 1,500 palm mills around the world—a number disproportionately complex to the nature of our operations and ambition. I asked our team: If Mars is purchasing 0.1% of the world’s palm oil, shouldn’t we only be sourcing from a handful of mills? We went with a new approach: radical simplification. By drastically simplifying our entire palm oil supply chain, we’re reducing the number of mills we source from and bringing that number down to less than 100 by next year. As a result of the simplification, as well as a rigorous process of ongoing mapping, monitoring, and supply chain management, we now have a deforestation-free palm oil supply chain. And we’ve discovered that a pipeline redesigned for the planet and people can also be more efficient for business. For example, by partnering with UniFuji to supply our Asia-Pacific business, we have now reduced operations from 780 mills to just one, with palm being grown in one plantation, processed through just one mill and one refinery before reaching Mars. As a result, the palm that’s delivered is fresher, requires less processing, and reduces our processing costs. This shows that making radical changes throughout our supply chains can benefit the health of the planet, farmers and workers, and our business. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Beyond fixing our own supply chain, we believe it’s also critical to play a role in driving systemic change by requiring that our suppliers not only sell us clean palm oil, but also only sell clean material to all their customers. If enough companies follow this path and begin to pressure their suppliers for action, we can reach a tipping point to drive industrywide transformation that will protect the health of our planet. The world is demanding that global businesses take bold action to rebuild a better, more equitable society, and to put sustainability at the heart of their operations. It’s time for us all to step up to the challenge.
       
      Full Article: https://fortune.com/2020/10/07/mars-palm-oil-supply-chain-sustainability/
     
         
      5 Myths We’ve Heard About Renewable Energy, Debunked Mon, 5th Oct 2020 12:51:00
     
      For some reason, people have always been leery of new technology. Something new and novel will come along, and soon rumors and fear begin to swirl and spread like wildfire. Take our phones, for example. By now, everyone carries around a smartphone, yet both the original telephone and the wireless technology that accompanied it were feared for their effects on health and wellbeing. However, despite fears surrounding mobile devices, everyone uses them — even craves them! We all know that person who camped outside Apple for the latest iPhone. The renewable energy revolution is the same. While no one’s camping outside solar projects to open, renewable energy has had its fair share of myths and rumors surrounding its benefits — just like any other new technology would. But as history reveals, many of these myths have no merit, and people go ahead with it anyway — especially when benefits outweigh possible drawbacks. Once we push renewable energy myths aside, we can enjoy the benefits of it — just like we do every day with our phones!
       
      Full Article: https://chariotenergy.com/blog/renewable-energy-myths/
     
         
      Hydrogen, the most efficient solution to meet our zero-emissions goals Fri, 2nd Oct 2020 12:19:00
     
      As a Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace and Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California Irvine, Jack Brouwer is keenly aware of the challenge of informing the public and policymakers about the crucial role of hydrogen in achieving our zero-emissions goals. In his role as the Director of the Advanced Power Energy program and the National Fuel Cell Research Center, he spearheaded a groundbreaking power-to-gas-to-power initiative showing that renewable hydrogen can be safely injected into existing natural gas pipelines to ensure the ubiquitous delivery of hydrogen as a zero-emissions renewable fuel for a wide range of applications. We sat down with Professor Brouwer for an eye-opening lesson about the limitless potential of hydrogen and fuel cells as a complement to battery electric. What first sparked your passion for hydrogen-based energy solutions? When you start looking at the need for us to achieve zero emissions, you cannot do it with batteries and solar and wind alone. We need something else that enables long-distance, rapid fueling and heavy payload. I was interested in energy and the environment even as a kid growing up and driving vehicles on a farm near San Diego. Vehicles really sparked my interest in energy in general. In grad school, I wanted to do something to reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of energy conversion. I realized you could never get to zero emissions with combustion, so I started looking for alternatives. Battery and solar came immediately to mind, but I wondered how they could ever power long-distance travel. It’s not really possible. Fortunately, the concept of a fuel cell, with separate hydrogen storage and a zero-emissions energy conversion device, can enable this long-distance travel, and with totally zero emissions. When you start looking at the need for us to achieve zero emissions, you cannot do it with batteries and solar and wind alone. We need those and something else that enables long-distance, rapid fueling and heavy payload. Can you tell us about the current state of hydrogen technology in the United States? In the state of California where we have a progressive and legal requirement to achieve zero emissions by 2045, agencies are beginning to take a close interest in hydrogen. The United States has been slow to adopt a formal policy for climate change. As a matter of fact, it never joined the Paris Climate Accord. And yet, corporations and agencies have realized for quite a while that we must eventually do something to reduce our impact on the climate and air pollution. If we focus on the health and air quality impacts, I think we have a chance to convince most Americans that we should invest in these clean technologies. There have been some huge advancements lately, such as the US Department of Energy’s Hydrogen at Scale initiative. This project is evaluating and advancing hydrogen in a number of applications, notably to support the 100% renewable grid, as well as for ammonia, cement and steel production. In addition,in the state of California where we have a progressive and legal requirement to achieve zero emissions by 2045, agencies are beginning to take a close interest in hydrogen. They know that for heavy-duty transport and for decarbonizing shipping and aviation, we need something more than just batteries and solar. Even though we’ve taken a haphazard approach, companies and certain states have done a very good job and are at least considering hydrogen as part of the solution to get to zero emissions. How have you seen the climate for hydrogen solutions develop over the past decade? Let me emphasize that hydrogen is still not considered by most jurisdictions throughout the United States. That is primarily because they have been preoccupied with getting from 10% renewable to 50% renewable. If you only care about getting to 50% renewable, then hydrogen isn’t required, so they haven’t even thought about it as part of the solution. I don’t want to be too negative, but the fact is that when you just think about a 50% emissions reduction, you don’t need hydrogen. You can do a lot with solar and batteries. But if you want to get to zero emissions, you need solutions that only a zero-emissions renewable fuel can provide. And I think the best one is hydrogen. What infrastructure is needed to install and operate hydrogen solutions on a massive scale? We’ve been exploring at UC Irvine how to transform the current fossil natural gas infrastructure to become the renewable hydrogen infrastructure of the future Most of the infrastructure associated with moving hydrogen around in society doesn’t exist at all. This is part of why batteries are more popular today. We already have electric infrastructure to charge battery electric vehicles. It’s everywhere. Most people can charge their vehicles at their homes. But with hydrogen, because it’s difficult to transport and we haven’t done it previously, we have almost none of the infrastructure we need, which can include liquefaction and compression plants, as well as trucks for liquid and gaseous delivery. Ultimately, we will need a much more prevalent fuel delivery system than just truck delivery for this zero-emissions fuel. That’s when you start to think about a pipeline network that would also deliver this to individual industries, fueling stations and to homes for people to use in barbecues, stoves and other appliances. That is a difficult proposition, because we invested hundreds of years in our electric grid and natural gas grid, with zero investment so far in a network of hydrogen. Yet this is precisely what is required in the long run to expand the use of hydrogen. It will take some time to do that. One of the ideas we’ve been exploring at UC Irvine is how to transform the current fossil natural gas infrastructure to become the renewable hydrogen infrastructure of the future. I think that’s going to be one of the least costly means by which we can make hydrogen ubiquitous and enable a zero-emissions future. At UC Irvine, you have been operating a power-to-gas project to inject renewable hydrogen into existing natural gas lines. What has this project achieved and what is its status today? Our project was the first in the US to demonstrate the idea of taking renewable electricity and storing it in the form of hydrogen, and also injecting it into the natural gas system to partially decarbonize that gas. We operated from 2015-2019 a power-to-gas-to-power demonstration plant, where we showed that we can safely inject up to 4% hydrogen into natural gas pipelines without any modification, safety hazards or increase in emissions. Our project was the first in the US to demonstrate the idea of taking renewable electricity and storing it in the form of hydrogen, and also injecting it into the natural gas system to partially decarbonize that gas, while producing renewable electricity from it using an electricity producing asset. This is one of the least costly means by which we can install more and more solar and use that solar more continuously. If we alternatively tried to store all that solar energy in batteries, it would be much more expensive than storing it as renewable hydrogen, repurposing the natural gas system and using existing power assets to produce it. I think it was important for us to not only publish papers on the topic, but to actually demonstrate it with physical infrastructure on our campus, so that policymakers could see that it’s essential to include hydrogen as part of our zero-emission future. Why did you choose hydrogen to store renewable energies? The cost of a battery energy storage system is linearly related to its energy storage amount. Hydrogen is different. You can design the power to correspond to the electrolyzer and fuel cell size. When you have a small amount of energy to store, batteries are the preferred solution. Hydrogen becomes the preferred solution when you need either a large amount of energy or to store the energy for a long duration. Why? Because batteries have only a certain amount of energy they can store. If you need more energy, you need more batteries, the cost of a battery energy storage system is linearly related to its energy storage amount. You have to buy more batteries if you need more kilowatt hours. Hydrogen is different. You can design the power to correspond to the electrolyzer and fuel cell size, and then store the hydrogen separately in a tank. If you need more energy, you just make the tank bigger, which doesn’t cost much more. That’s why salt caverns, which are a massive energy storage solution, end up being a much cheaper zero-emissions solution than buying batteries to store the same amount of energy. How much of this existing infrastructure can we adapt or transform to use with hydrogen? More than 3,000 salt caverns in Texas can be used for massive energy storage that is much cheaper than the equivalent battery energy storage could ever achieve. In 2010, we started doing modeling work to consider a salt cavern for hydrogen energy storage. That is now a reality today: two salt caverns in Texas are currently being used to store and deliver hydrogen, mostly to refineries. But there are more than 3,000 salt caverns in Texas, and I am sure they can be used for massive energy storage that is much cheaper than the equivalent battery energy storage could ever achieve. I think we can transform underground storage facilities and gas pipeline networks for hydrogen, because it’s already been proven by several companies in Texas. How do you respond to those who are critical of hydrogen fuel cell efficiency? The roundtrip efficiency of the hydrogen energy storage system will become competitive with investments in fuel cells and electrolyzers. Current electrolyzer and fuel cell technology offers a roundtrip energy efficiency of 50-60%. But here at UC Irvine, we’re working on solid oxide electrolysis and solid oxide fuel cell technology, which can be made into a reversible solid oxide system. This kind of system can achieve a roundtrip efficiency above 80%. If we achieve this level, then we are competing directly with the efficiency of battery electric storage solutions. Even though today the roundtrip efficiency of the hydrogen energy storage system is lower than that of battery energy storage systems, it will be improved over time and I think it will become competitive with investments in solid oxide fuel cells and electrolyzers. Are you working on other similar projects? We are working on two projects involving power-to-gas-to-power at a larger scale, while demonstrating the concept with the utility infrastructure. Since our campus at UC Irvine had no standard for injecting hydrogen into the utility infrastructure, we were able to run this demonstration much earlier than they did. Now we are collaborating with Southern California Gas (SCG) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to establish larger projects to inject hydrogen into their infrastructure and develop a standard so this can be done on a widespread basis. For example, we are looking to produce renewable hydrogen from University of California owned and operated solar farms in the central valley. These solar farms are permanently curtailed because of grid constraints, and we want to introduce renewable hydrogen at those sites and inject it into either PG&E or SCG resources. In addition, we are working with Microsoft to consider renewable power for data centers that includes a hydrogen energy storage solution. If we can demonstrate this same concept not only on our campus but also across utility service territories and using utility infrastructure, then I think it will spur along policies for the transformation of our natural gas system into a renewable hydrogen system. How can we accelerate the transition towards a hydrogen society? What are the obstacles to be overcome? You cannot make ships zero emissions with batteries, but you can with hydrogen The main challenge for adopting hydrogen is, as I said earlier, the fact that we essentially have zero infrastructure today to enable its storage and transport. So how do we get hydrogen to spread? I think we need to see the first jurisdiction adopt hydrogen as a solution in a difficult to decarbonize sector, such as shipping. If we aim to decarbonize only the ships that go in and out of the LA-Long Beach Port, our investments in electrolyzers, pipelines, solar and wind resources required to produce renewable hydrogen, as well as a corresponding transformation of these ships, would make hydrogen cheaper than the diesel fuels currently used to send those ships across the Pacific Ocean. You cannot make ships zero emissions with batteries, but you can with hydrogen. If we make a big enough investment in hydrogen, I think it will displace fossil fuels, not because we are running out or because of policy, but because the infrastructure and production cost will be cheaper than diesel for example. How will widespread use of hydrogen technology transform our society? Because of the benefits it offers in terms of separate scaling of power and energy, hydrogen always figures into making the electric grid 100% zero emissions. In our paper,“Hydrogen is Essential for Sustainability”, there are 11 different reasons why hydrogen is important for us to include in our zero emissions policy goals. In the transportation sectors, anything that needs rapid fueling, long range or heavy payload will need a solution like hydrogen to make it zero emissions. Many industries will also need hydrogen to become sustainable, such as steel and fertilizer production. When the electric grid gets close to 100% renewables, in every analysis that has ever been done anywhere around the world, you realize that you need some seasonal storage, meaning long duration and massive amounts of storage. Because of the benefits it offers in terms of separate scaling of power and energy, hydrogen always figures into making the electric grid 100% zero emissions. Any last word on what keeps you passionate today? I’ve yet to find anything that can do everything that hydrogen can do. I’m sure it’s going to be the tool we need to enable zero emissions. Without hydrogen, I don’t think we can achieve this goal. Another thing that keeps me passionate are my graduate students. They are making huge contributions in the field by cementing hydrogen and fuel cell technology as part of the solution for getting to a more sustainable society.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ch2ange.com/hydrogen-most-efficient-solution-meet-our-zero-emissions-goals
     
         
      RO Membranes Help Produce Hydrogen Fuel from Seawater Wed, 30th Sep 2020 10:33:00
     
      According to a group of scientists from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), the power of the sun, sea, and wind may soon integrate to yield clean-burning hydrogen fuel. The researchers combined water purification technology into a new proof-of-concept design for a seawater electrolyzer, which employs an electric current to separate the oxygen and hydrogen present in water molecules. The new technique meant for “seawater splitting” could render it easier to convert solar and wind energy into a portable and storable fuel, according to Bruce Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, and Evan Pugh, University Professor.
       
      Full Article: https://www.azocleantech.com/news.aspx?newsID=28114
     
         
      Hydrogen for Net Zero Home Heating: A Solution Too Good to be True? Tue, 29th Sep 2020 14:35:00
     
      It has become increasingly apparent that a fundamental shift in how we source our energy is urgently needed. Fossil fuels are the most evident contributor to global warming and are progressively harder to source. Relatively inexpensive natural gas has helped stave off some of the challenges associated with our move away from fossil fuel sources of energy. However, the claims of natural gas as a "clean" fossil fuel are often exaggerated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that the carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from burning natural gas accounted for 79.9 percent of the direct fossil fuel emissions from the residential and commercial sectors in 2018.
       
      Full Article: https://www.buildwithrise.com/stories/hydrogen-net-zero-home-heating
     
         
      Climate change: Rising sea levels in Fiji create 'ghost towns' Mon, 14th Sep 2020 20:44:00
     
      There's no escaping the reality that the Earth's temperature is rising, however the effects of climate change are felt more keenly in some parts of the world. The Pacific island nation of Fiji produces less than 1% of the globe's carbon emissions, yet rising sea levels, coastal erosion and intense storm surges are having a dramatic effect on the country. Villages near the sea are becoming abandoned as creeping tides submerge homes and resources, forcing residents to move inland to higher, safer ground. This report uses material from Newsround's special programme 'Fiji: On the Climate Change Frontline'.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-54138677
     
         
      Solar Closing in on Tue, 1st Sep 2020 13:00:00
     
      Israeli and Italian scientists have developed a renewable energy technology that converts solar energy to hydrogen fuel — and it’s reportedly at the threshold of “practical” viability. The new solar tech would offer a sustainable way to turn water and sunlight into storable energy for fuel cells, whether that stored power feeds into the electrical grid or goes to fuel-cell powered trucks, trains, cars, ships, planes or industrial processes. Think of this research as a sort of artificial photosynthesis, said Lilac Amirav, associate professor of chemistry at the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. (If it could be scaled up, the technology could eventually be the basis of “solar factories” in which arrays of solar collectors split water into stores of hydrogen fuel——as well as, for reasons discussed below, one or more other industrial chemicals.)
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/solar-closing-in-on-practical-hydrogen-production
     
         
      Solar Closing in on Tue, 1st Sep 2020 13:00:00
     
      Israeli and Italian scientists have developed a renewable energy technology that converts solar energy to hydrogen fuel — and it’s reportedly at the threshold of “practical” viability. The new solar tech would offer a sustainable way to turn water and sunlight into storable energy for fuel cells, whether that stored power feeds into the electrical grid or goes to fuel-cell powered trucks, trains, cars, ships, planes or industrial processes. Think of this research as a sort of artificial photosynthesis, said Lilac Amirav, associate professor of chemistry at the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. (If it could be scaled up, the technology could eventually be the basis of “solar factories” in which arrays of solar collectors split water into stores of hydrogen fuel——as well as, for reasons discussed below, one or more other industrial chemicals.) “We [start with] a semiconductor that’s very similar to what we have in solar panels,” says Amirav. But rather than taking the photovoltaic route of using sunlight to liberate a current of electrons, the reaction they’re studying harnesses sunlight to efficiently and cost-effectively peel off hydrogen from water molecules.
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/solar-closing-in-on-practical-hydrogen-production
     
         
      Power to the people: why clean energy must give more Australians a slice of the pie Sat, 29th Aug 2020 21:00:00
     
      In August 2015, I spent a cold night at the old TAB Royal Hotel in Manildra (population: 765), near Orange in central New South Wales. It wasn’t familiar territory. A sign behind the bar yelled: “MEN: no shirt, no shoes, no service. WOMEN: no shirt, free drinks.” My colleague and I, as part of the communications team for the renewable energy company Infigen, were there for an open day talking to community members about the company’s proposed solar farm nearby. The day had been quiet. A few locals wandered in, curious about our work, but mostly wielding questions about how they might get solar on their own rooftops. Our Sydney office staff had booked a more upmarket hotel in a larger town nearby for us, but once we arrived my colleague insisted on cancelling to stay at the Royal, which was only a few hundred metres from the planned site.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/30/power-to-the-people-why-clean-energy-must-give-more-australians-a-slice-of-the-pie
     
         
      Solar-powered hydrogen under $2 per kg by 2030 Tue, 25th Aug 2020 14:21:00
     
      Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified sites where hydrogen could be produced via PV electrolysis at prices ranging from $1.90/kg to $4.20/kg in the United States by the end of the decade. They modeled an isolated PV-H2 system with no interactions with power infrastructure to sell excess power or buy electricity when the sun is not shining. “Of course, any real-world system may choose to be grid connected, but our analysis provides a limiting case,” they said. Off-grid PV powered electrolysis, however, is considered a viable option, as it would not be subject to exposure to intra-day and intra-year electricity price volatility. The envisaged scenario considers a drop in costs for electrolysis from around $800/kW at present to $500/kW by the end of the decade. It involves an increase in electrolyzer efficiency, which is expected to grow from current estimates of 58% to 70% on a lower heating value (LHV) basis. It also includes a 33% reduction in capital costs for pressure vessel hydrogen storage, compared with 2020 costs, as well as lower capital costs for geological hydrogen storage. The researchers said the availability of cheap geological storage makes it cost effective to use more of the PV electricity supply whenever it is available and use the produced hydrogen when it is more needed. “Consequently, system design with geological H2 storage leads to larger relative electrolyzer size, lower PV installed capacity, greater H2 storage capacity, and lower PV curtailment compared with design outcomes with more expensive pressure vessel H2 storage,” the scientists said. “Under a strong climate policy, our analysis suggests that electrolytic production of H2 integrated with large solar PV arrays could, in areas of good solar resources, be cost competitive as an industrial feedstock by 2030,” the academics said. According to a recent report by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the average price of green hydrogen in the United States would fall from $10.61/kg to $5.97/kg, while the minimum price would drop from $4.56/kg to $2.44/kg. The authors of the study claimed that more optimistic research on green hydrogen prices have only considered system costs associated with electrolyzer capex and the supply of power to operate electrolyzers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/25/solar-powered-hydrogen-under-2-kg-by-2030/
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: What she did during her year-long school break Tue, 25th Aug 2020 14:15:00
     
      Her break from the classroom started in August 2019 with a 3,000-mile (4,800km) voyage across the Atlantic. Then aged 16, she sailed from Plymouth to New York on a zero-emissions yacht, to speak at UN climate summits in New York City and Chile. and she wanted to make sure the carbon footprint of her travel was as small as possible. From the USA, to Canada - where Greta led a rally as part of the Global Climate Strike in Montreal. Hundreds of thousands of people joined marches across Canada, and almost a hundred other events took place in cities and towns across the world. It all started with school strikes, inspired by Greta's "Fridays for Future" movement. No changes to any government's policies on climate change have been directly attributed to Greta or her activism, but some believe her work in bringing the topic to public attention has been significant. At the end of 2019, science magazine The New Scientist said that 2019 was the year the public "finally woke up to climate change," largely thanks to the work of Greta and the Extinction Rebellion protest group.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-53902468
     
         
      Major step towards 'artificial photosynthesis' as device produces clean energy like plants, scientists claim Tue, 25th Aug 2020 12:12:00
     
      A new device that can produce carbon-neutral fuel marks a major breakthrough on the way to "artificial photosynthesis", according to the scientists who created it. The standalone device can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into clean energy, doing so wirelessly and without any outside electricity, the Cambridge researchers who built it say. They hope that it can be a step towards using artificial devices to mimic photosynthesis, converting sunlight into energy in the same way plants do. "It's been difficult to achieve artificial photosynthesis with a high degree of selectivity, so that you're converting as much of the sunlight as possible into the fuel you want, rather than be left with a lot of waste," said first author Dr Qian Wang from Cambridge's Department of Chemistry, in a statement. The new device does so using "photosheet" technology. Out of it comes oxygen and formic acid, which can either be stored as a fuel or converted into hydrogen to provide clean energy. "We want to get to the point where we can cleanly produce a liquid fuel that can also be easily stored and transported," said Erwin Reisner, the paper's senior author. The test device created as part of the research is only 20 square centimetres. But the researchers say it should be relatively easy to scale it up to many square metres, allowing them to potentially be used in farms similar to the large fields of solar panels that are used to produce clean energy. Previously, the same researchers had developed an "artificial leaf" that produced a fuel called syngas. But they ran into problems because the device required a range of different components, making it harder to scale up, and the fuel it produced was harder to work with.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/clean-energy-photosynthesis-artificial-carbon-neutral-cambridge-a9685886.html
     
         
      Fuel cells for hydrogen vehicles are becoming longer lasting Mon, 24th Aug 2020 14:46:00
     
      Hydrogen vehicles are a rare sight. This is partly because they rely on a large amount of platinum to serve as a catalyst in their fuel cells—about 50 grams. Typically, vehicles only need about five grams of this rare and precious material. Indeed, only 100 tons of platinum are mined annually, in South Africa. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Chemistry have developed a catalyst that doesn't require such a large quantity of platinum. "We have developed a catalyst which, in the laboratory, only needs a fraction of the amount of platinum that current hydrogen fuel cells for cars do. We are approaching the same amount of platinum as needed for a conventional vehicle. At the same time, the new catalyst is much more stable than the catalysts deployed in today's hydrogen powered vehicles," explains Professor Matthias Arenz from the Department of Chemistry. Sustainable technologies are often challenged by the limited availability of the rare materials that make them possible, which in turn, limits scalability. Due to this current limitation, it is impossible to simply replace the world's vehicles with hydrogen models overnight. As such, the new technology a game-changer. The new catalyst improves fuel cells significantly, by making it possible to produce more horsepower per gram of platinum. This in turn, makes the production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more sustainable.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fuel-cells-hydrogen-vehicles-longer.html
     
         
      Climate change: Removing CO2 could spark big rise in food prices Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:11:00
     
      Technologies that can remove carbon dioxide from the air could have huge implications for future food prices, according to new research. Scientists say that machines that remove CO2 from the air will be needed to keep the rise in global temperatures in check. But these devices will have major impacts on energy, water and land use. By 2050, according to this new report, food crop prices could rise more than five-fold in some parts of the world. In the wake of the Paris climate agreement signed in 2015, researchers have tried to understand what keeping the world under a 1.5C temperature threshold would mean in practice. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported on this question in 2018, and found that keeping below this temperature rise would require the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050 but would also need the removal and storage of large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. One of the ideas on how to achieve this is called BECCS - bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. It means growing crops that soak up CO2, then burning them for electricity while capturing and burying the carbon that's produced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53891414
     
         
      Road planners accused of rigging carbon emissions rules Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:09:00
     
      Road planners in England have been accused of rigging accounting rules to disguise the climate impact of new roads. Environmentalists say the Department for Transport has under-counted CO2 from its road improvement programme. That's because the DfT measures emissions against national CO2 targets, whilst measuring benefits of a new road against the local economy. A Treasury spokesperson said this was a reasonable approach. But critics say the resulting calculation exaggerates the benefits of new roads, whilst downgrading the negatives in terms of carbon emissions. Chris Todd, director of pressure group Transport Action Network, told the BBC it proved the government has one rule for its £27bn road-building programme, and another rule for everything else. He said: “This is like someone who's morbidly obese insisting they can gorge on another cream cake, because no single cake will have a 'material impact' on their well-being.” The Treasury strongly rejects the allegation. A spokesperson said it made sense to measure the carbon emissions from new roads against the UK’s entire carbon budget, because climate change is a global problem, whereas smaller road schemes offer local benefits.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53846338
     
         
      Democrats’ climate plan takes aim at the fossil fuel industry’s political power Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:05:00
     
      Senate Democrats are set to release a 200-page plan arguing that significant US climate action will require stripping the fossil fuel industry of its influence over the government and the public’s understanding of the crisis. Democrats to unveil bold new climate plan to phase out emissions by 2050 Read more “It’s important for the public to understand that this is not a failure of American democracy that’s causing this,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Senate Democrat from Rhode Island. “It is a very specific and successful attack on American democracy by an industry with truly massive financial motivation to corrupt democratic institutions.” A 16-page chapter of the report titled Dark Money lays out how “giant fossil fuel corporations have spent billions – much of it anonymized through scores of front groups – during a decades-long campaign to attack climate science and obstruct climate action”. The focus on limiting the industry’s political power could be the opening punch in what is likely to become a dirty fight over climate policy if Democrats take control of the Senate and the White House. The blueprint, from Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis, follows an extensive package of climate policy proposals from House Democrats. Its first two sections describe the depth of the climate problem and posit policy solutions. The third outlines how Democrats could carve a political pathway to substantive reductions in planet-heating pollution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/24/democrats-climate-plan-fossil-fuel-industry
     
         
      Advanced biofuels show real promise for replacing some fossil fuels Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:03:00
     
      Biofuel and bioenergy systems are integral to scenarios for displacing fossil fuel use and producing negative emissions through carbon capture and storage. But the net greenhouse gas mitigation benefit of these systems has been controversial, due to concerns around carbon losses from changes in land use and foregone sequestration benefits from alternative land uses. A new study led by Colorado State University—including an interdisciplinary team of plant scientists, ecologists and engineers—predicted significant climate benefits stemming from the use of advanced biofuel technologies. Accounting for all of the carbon flows in biofuel systems and comparing them to those in grasslands and forests, the team found that there are clear strategies for biofuels to have a net carbon benefit. This is one of the first studies to look at both current and future carbon-negative biofuels. "Robust paths to net greenhouse gas mitigation and negative emissions via advanced biofuels," was published August 24 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Biofuels deserve another look
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-advanced-biofuels-real-fossil-fuels.html
     
         
      German-led consortium aims for 33% efficient perovskite-silicon solar cell Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:02:00
     
      t is called ’27plus6?: A new research project bringing together the expertise of leading German and Swiss technology companies and research institutes, with the goal of developing a 33%-efficient perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell suitable for mass production. The project includes Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Institute for Materials and Components in Electronics at the University of Hannover, as well as PV equipment providers Centrotherm, Singulus, Meyer Burger and Von Ardenne. The consortium said that it aims to achieve the promised conversion efficiency under standard test conditions, and that is also seeking to reach a higher power yield, intended to accelerate industrial implementation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/24/german-led-consortium-aims-for-27-efficient-perovskite-silicon-solar-cell/
     
         
      More Gas Pipelines Scrapped Than Put In Service In H1 2020 Mon, 24th Aug 2020 13:00:00
     
      Some 5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of new pipeline capacity was placed into service in the United States in the first half this year, but an estimated 8.7 Bcf/d of pipeline projects have been canceled so far in 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday. The major cancellations included the 1.5 Bcf/d Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, which was designed to transport natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale gas plays to electric power consumers in the Southeast. Despite a major win on a right-of-way issue at the U.S. Supreme Court in June, the developers of the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline said in early July that they were definitely scrapping the project given the ongoing delays and significant cost overruns. Dominion Energy and Duke Energy said they were canceling the Atlantic Coast Pipeline “due to ongoing delays and increasing cost uncertainty which threaten the economic viability of the project.” In February, Williams and its partners Duke, Cabot and AltaGas said they had halted investment in the proposed 0.65 Bcf/d Constitution Pipeline project, which would have transported northeastern natural gas production into New England. “While Constitution did receive positive outcomes in recent court proceedings and permit applications, the underlying risk adjusted return for this greenfield pipeline project has diminished in such a way that further development is no longer supported,” Williams said. The South Central region in the U.S. saw the most potential added capacity canceled between January and early July—at 3.5 Bcf/d, with the cancellations of the Permian to Katy Pipeline and the Creole Trail Expansion Project 2, the EIA said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/More-Gas-Pipelines-Scrapped-Than-Put-In-Service-In-H1-2020.html
     
         
      Largest Wind Turbine Rotor Test Rig Under Construction in Netherlands Mon, 24th Aug 2020 12:56:00
     
      A consortium comprising GE Renewable Energy, LM Wind Power and TNO is building a test facility for wind turbine rotors, which will be largest of its kind once built at LM Wind Power’s WMC Technology Center in Wieringerwerf, the Netherlands. The test rig, being constructed under the three-year STRETCH project which is partially funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, will allow for verification of the strength and the dynamic behaviour of wind turbine rotors under enormous mechanical loads caused by large blades. The project will help improve existing design tools which, after verification through digital twin concepts, will contribute to the design of larger rotors, according to LM Wind Power. “Larger turbines are essential to shape the much-required energy transition. Without innovations, larger turbines would become too heavy and too expensive to be commercially viable. Fast-paced innovation in wind turbine blade and rotor design, materials, construction and manufacturing have made the up-scaling of offshore wind turbines feasible and attractive around the world”, said Peter Eecen, TNO Wind Energy R&D Manager. The test rig construction and commissioning are expected to be completed in November 2020. “With this innovative rotor rig, we will be able to verify in-house the pitch bearings and pitch system that fix the wind turbine blades to the hub and allows pitching blade maximizing captured energy while reducing loads on wind turbine. This capability will provide our customers with a better understanding of the dynamic behaviour of large onshore and offshore rotors and will help LM Wind Power design ultra-large rotor blades by stretching and improving the existing designs”, said Hanif Mashal, LM Wind Power Vice President of Engineering. In 2018, LM Wind Power revealed plans to acquire the WMC test facilities in Wieringerwerf and to use them for rotor hub testing for new GE turbines, as well as for blade and other testing, and for providing digital tools, research and similar services to the wider wind energy industry. The company, owned by GE Renewable Energy, produced the first 107-metre blade – the world’s largest – at its plant in Cherbourgh, France, in June 2019. The blade was installed on the prototype GE Haliade-X 12MW offshore wind turbine in Maasvlakte in October 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/08/24/largest-wind-turbine-rotor-test-rig-under-construction-in-netherlands/
     
         
      SMR-160 completes first phase of Canadian review Mon, 24th Aug 2020 12:55:00
     
      The Phase 1 VDR for SMR-160 was carried out at the request of the vendor, Holtec subsidiary SMR, LLC, and began in mid-2018. The CNSC has now concluded that Holtec has, overall, demonstrated an understanding of CNSC regulatory requirements and expectations. The review has identified issues Holtec will have to address in the second phase of the VDR process, but the regulator said these issues were "foreseen to be resolvable". "This milestone reinforces our expectation that the SMR-160 will meet Canada's regulatory requirements while also providing valuable feedback that will allow us to further improve the design throughout the ongoing regulatory process," said Holtec International President and CEO Kris Singh. Areas identified by the CNSC for follow-up include: an explanation of how US codes and standards selected in the Phase 1 assessment comply with or meet the intent of Canadian requirements; the implementation of fire protection considerations; methodologies for probabilistic safety analysis; R&D activities to substantiate the fuel qualification programme, including the role of a first-of-a-kind reactor; application of the single-failure criterion to the control systems under all operating conditions; adequacy of the shutdown means under all conditions, including scenarios where the main control room is lost; applicability of selected design standards for containment structures; application of research results in the development of the reactor design; and completeness of the R&D programme to inform long-term reactor operation, including ageing and maintenance of structures, systems and components. The SMR-160 is a pressurised light-water small modular reactor (SMR), generating 160 MWe (525 MWt) using low-enriched uranium fuel. Holtec envisages manufacturing much of the engineered equipment for the reactor at its Advanced Manufacturing Division in Camden, New Jersey, but also plans manufacturing plants in other SMR-160 host countries. Earlier this year Holtec and Framatome entered into an agreement to enable completion of all necessary engineering to fuel the reactor with Framatome's commercially available and proven 17x17 GAIA fuel assembly. The three-phase VDR offered by the CNSC is an optional service to verify the acceptability of a reactor vendor's design with respect to Canadian regulatory requirements and expectations. This can enable the identification and resolution early in the design process of potential regulatory or technical issues, particularly those that could result in significant changes to the design. The review does not certify a reactor design and is not a required part of the licensing process for a new nuclear power plant - the CNSC's licensing processes will require a more detailed review of the design and safety case for a specific licence application at a specific site. SMR-160 is the fourth SMR design to complete the first phase of the VDR process, following Terrestrial Energy Inc's Integral Molten Salt Reactor, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation's MMR-5 and MMR-10 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, and ARC Nuclear Canada Inc's ARC-100 liquid sodium reactor. The Phase 2 review, which goes into further details with a focus on identifying any potential fundamental barriers to licensing the design in Canada, takes about 24 months to complete.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/SMR-160-completes-first-phase-of-Canadian-review
     
         
      Species 'pushed out of the tropics' by climate change Mon, 24th Aug 2020 12:54:00
     
      The world's tropical regions are home to the widest range of plants and animals, but research from The University of Queensland reveals that climate change is pushing species away, and fast. UQ ARC Future Fellow Dr. Tatsuya Amano led an international team that reviewed more than 1.3 million records of waterbird species, and found temperature increase is drastically affecting species abundance in the tropics. Dr. Amano said the findings showed climate change continued to post a serious threat to biodiversity. "There's an urgent need to understand how species respond to changing climates on a global scale," Dr. Amano said. "Earlier global reviews have rarely included species and studies in the tropics—being largely conducted in Europe, North America, Australia and the Arctic. As a result, although tropical species have long been predicted to be more vulnerable to increasing temperature, there was little empirical evidence on how climate change really affects species abundance in the tropics." The team reviewed records collected by volunteer counters from the International Waterbird Census and Christmas Bird Count since 1990 and found that 69 percent of the tropical species show, on average, negative responses to temperature increases.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-species-tropics-climate.html
     
         
      PV ModuleTech Bankability analysis extended to show module suppliers’ strengths & weaknesses Mon, 24th Aug 2020 12:49:00
     
      The latest findings from PV-Tech’s unique bankability analysis – the PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings report – have now been completed, forming the basis of the Q3’20 rankings for leading global module suppliers. This article discusses the main findings of the new report. In addition, I will show for the first time, extended bankability analysis undertaken that allows detailed benchmarking of all A and B grade module suppliers, across a range of financial and manufacturing metrics, and how real-time ‘report-cards’ can be generated on module suppliers revealing their relative strengths and weaknesses. While reading the feature below, remember that links to all the articles I posted on PV-Tech last year explaining the full methodology of the PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings analysis can be accessed quickly via the hyperlinks here.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/editors-blog/pv-moduletech-bankability-analysis-extended-to-show-module-suppliers-streng
     
         
      Rio Tinto chiefs lose millions in bonuses over destruction of Juukan Gorge Mon, 24th Aug 2020 12:14:00
     
      Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques has lost almost $5m in bonuses and the head of Rio Tinto’s Australian iron ore group will lose more than $1m over the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site at Juukan Gorge, after an internal review found “systemic failures in the cultural heritage management system”. The mining company destroyed two rock shelters in Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia on 24 May, despite having received five separate reports on the significance of the sites, both archeologically and to the local Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people, since 2013. An internal report, released on Monday, found that Rio Tinto “failed to meet some of its own internal standards and procedures in relation to the responsible management and protection of cultural heritage”, and also failed its own aspirations in working with Indigenous groups. It said that as a result of the report’s findings, the board had voted to support a decision to withhold the bonuses of three senior executives, and that other managers, not at executive level, might also lose their bonuses. The board’s non-executive directors also agreed to donate 10% of their 2020 director fees to the Clontarf Foundation, a non-Aboriginal organisation that supports Aboriginal education and employment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/24/rio-tinto-chiefs-lose-millions-in-bonuses-over-destruction-of-juukan-gorge
     
         
      Up to Half of The World's Oceans Are Already Affected by Climate Change Sun, 23rd Aug 2020 13:41:00
     
      The world's oceans have turned into a veritable sponge for our emissions, and new climate models suggest we've soaked them right through. Since the 1950s, our planet's vast bodies of water have absorbed roughly 93 percent of the energy entering the climate system, and while most of that heating has been observed near the ocean surface, rising temperatures are now permeating even the deepest parts. R eal-world data on the deep ocean is hard to come by, but a new estimate, based on recent measurements and nearly a dozen climate models, suggests climate change has already impacted up to about half (20 to 55 percent) of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins. What's more, in just six decades, these human-induced changes in temperature and salinity could very well spread to 80 percent of the world's oceans. "We were interested in whether the levels of temperatures and salt were great enough to overcome natural variability in these deeper areas," explains climate scientist Yona Silvy from Sorbonne University in France. "That is, if they had risen or fallen higher than they ever would during the normal peaks and troughs." Using temperature and salinity measurements from the deep ocean and plugging these into 11 current climate models, the team simulated ocean and atmospheric circulation over the years, with and without the contribution of human emissions. During the second half of the 20th century, Silvy and her colleagues found human-induced warming was responsible for most observed ocean changes - "statistically" and "unambiguously" different from what would occur naturally. Because heat and salt impact ocean density and circulation, this could have widespread implications.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/more-than-half-of-the-world-s-oceans-are-already-affected-by-climate-change
     
         
      Israel moots plan to buy solar power from former enemy Jordan Sun, 23rd Aug 2020 13:25:00
     
      Israel is considering buying solar power from its neighbour and former enemy, Jordan, in a potentially historic deal that could help the country meet ambitious new renewable energy targets. In a letter seen by the Guardian, energy minister Yuval Steinitz told environmental activists the ministry supported a pilot initiative in which Jordan would transfer 25 megawatts to Israel’s national grid, enough to power several thousands of households. EcoPeace, an organisation of Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian environmentalists, has been pushing for the project, arguing that Jordan’s access to large amounts of land and sunshine means it could sell electricity to Israel cheaper than the country could produce it. “Electricity has never crossed the Israeli border from any neighbouring country,” said Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of EcoPeace. “We are calling for a Middle East green deal.” The advocacy group had shared the letter with the Jordanian government in the hopes of an agreement. The kingdom already buys natural gas from Israel despite domestic opposition against deals with a former foe. Jordanian renewable businesses had also expressed interest, EcoPeace said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/23/israel-moots-plan-to-buy-solar-power-from-former-enemy-jordan
     
         
      Earth has lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice in less than 30 years Sun, 23rd Aug 2020 13:20:00
     
      A total of 28 trillion tonnes of ice have disappeared from the surface of the Earth since 1994. That is stunning conclusion of UK scientists who have analysed satellite surveys of the planet’s poles, mountains and glaciers to measure how much ice coverage lost because of global heating triggered by rising greenhouse gas emissions. The scientists – based at Leeds and Edinburgh universities and University College London – describe the level of ice loss as “staggering” and warn that their analysis indicates that sea level rises, triggered by melting glaciers and ice sheets, could reach a metre by the end of the century. “To put that in context, every centimetre of sea level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands,” said Professor Andy Shepherd, director of Leeds University’s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling. The scientists also warn that the melting of ice in these quantities is now seriously reducing the planet’s ability to reflect solar radiation back into space. White ice is disappearing and the dark sea or soil exposed beneath it is absorbing more and more heat, further increasing the warming of the planet. In addition, cold fresh water pouring from melting glaciers and ice sheets is causing major disruptions to the biological health of Arctic and Antarctic waters, while loss of glaciers in mountain ranges threatens to wipe out sources of fresh water on which local communities depend.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/23/earth-lost-28-trillion-tonnes-ice-30-years-global-warming
     
         
      So Much For Saving Coal Jobs: More Offshore Wind Jobs Waiting In The Wings Sun, 23rd Aug 2020 13:15:00
     
      The US offshore wind industry has been soldiering on despite conflicting signals from federal policy makers, and it appears to be weathering the storm. After all, the November elections are less than three months away. Presidential administrations come and go, but key companies in the energy sector industries can stick around for generations, and a flurry of recent news indicates that the US offshore wind sector is gearing up for more clarity and confidence in the years to come. When the topic turns to the ups and downs of offshore wind development in the US, one factor to keep in mind is the global profile of the wind industry. The current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is known for his antipathy to wind turbines, especially offshore turbines. However, that’s barely a flea bite of concern to global firms that are plowing R&D dollars into more powerful turbine technology, with an eye on more supportive markets around the globe. Take Maryland, for example. The state is on track to receive a raft of new offshore wind turbines that are taller and more powerful than originally planned. The new turbines will go to Ørsted’s proposed Skipjack Wind Farm Project off the coast of Maryland. The project has been held up due to concerns over impacts on the state’s shoreline tourist economy, specifically regarding Ocean City. Nevertheless, last week the Maryland Public Service Commission greenlighted the new wind farm. They also give permission for Ørsted to use taller towers, in order to reach optimal higher-altitude winds. With the tourist trade in mind, the new turbines will be located farther out to sea, helping to reduce the impact on the viewscape.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/23/so-much-for-saving-coal-jobs-more-offshore-wind-jobs-waiting-in-the-wings/
     
         
      Iran nuclear: Fire at Natanz plant 'caused by sabotage' Sun, 23rd Aug 2020 13:13:00
     
      ran's nuclear body has said that a fire last month at a major nuclear facility was caused by sabotage. But the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) did not say who it believed was behind the incident at the Natanz uranium enrichment site. Some Iranian officials have previously said the fire might have been the result of cyber sabotage. There were several fires and explosions at power facilities and other sites in the weeks surrounding the incident. Behrouz Kamalvandi, a AEOI spokesperson, told state TV channel al-Alam on Sunday that "security authorities will reveal in due time the reason behind the [Natanz] blast". The fire hit a central centrifuge assembly workshop. Centrifuges are needed to produce enriched uranium, which can be used to make reactor fuel but also material for nuclear weapons
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-53884701
     
         
      Coronavirus: Trees 'offer peace in dark lockdown days' Sat, 22nd Aug 2020 14:43:00
     
      In March, as shutters clattered on shop windows, lights went off in restaurants and office doors were locked, there was peace to be found in the woods. If lockdown had a silver lining, for many people, it was a renewed love of nature. Ian McCurley, director of the Woodland Trust NI, has seen a huge increase in numbers across the countryside. "I'm seeing people walking in country lanes where I've never seen them before," he said. The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK. It has more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife. Carnmoney Wood is a site that is run by the trust. "It's a steep climb," Mr McCurley said, "but that has not stopped people walking there. "In lockdown, people seemed to value getting out, perhaps because we were told not to do it as much." "People baked a lot of bread, did DIY and gardens and took their daily exercise... so they became aware of just how important the outdoors is. "We have had more people inquiring and wanting to help us."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53806892
     
         
      Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems Power COVID-19 Field Hospital - FuelCellsWorks Sat, 22nd Aug 2020 13:46:00
     
      Government, in collaboration with the private sector, is putting plans in place to roll out hydrogen fuel cell technologies in various parts of South Africa. These will serve as alternative energy sources to the country’s electricity grid. Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) Director-General, Dr Phil Mjwara said that such partnerships will enable government to take alternative energy sources to rural areas while also contributing to the growth of the country’s green economy. Dr Mjwara was speaking at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday, where government has set up a field hospital to prepare for the potential increase in COVID-19 patients. The department unveiled seven hydrogen fuel cell systems as the primary power source for the field hospital, which has facilities for testing and screening, as well as life-saving equipment such as ventilators in the intensive care unit. The project is a partnership between the DSI, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Department of Defence and private companies including, Bambili Energy, which is committed to commercialising intellectual property developed through the DSI’s Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Programme.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hydrogen-fuel-cell-systems-power-covid-19-field-hospital/
     
         
      Europe’s Largest Hybrid Fuel Cell Bus Fleet and First Hydrogen Infrastructure for Public Transport Unveiled - FuelCellsWorks Sat, 22nd Aug 2020 13:37:00
     
      The German transport company Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK), representatives of the European Commission, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (known in German as BMVI) and the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (RSK) district, officially introduced this exciting project at Meckenheim. Meckenheim / Rhein-Sieg district–A bus fleet of 35 fuel cell hybrid buses and two hydrogen refuelling stations were presented to the public today. The launch at the Meckenheim site was a great milestone for the entire project. The industrial partners involved at the site were also present. The RVK has been running on hydrogen since 2011. Thanks to the support of RVK’s shareholders, the then still visionary project was developed in several stages deploying first two prototypes, then two pre-series buses from 2014 to the current state: the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in Europe! Bert Spilles, the Mayor of Meckenheim, together with Eugen Puderbach, the Managing Director of RVK, welcomed the numerous guests and expressed his thanks to the shareholders, sponsors, and partners. ‘I would like to thank my teammates as pioneers who recognised the value of this alternative fuel for effective climate action early on and dared to help shape the project together’, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/europes-largest-hybrid-fuel-cell-bus-fleet-and-first-hydrogen-infrastructure-for-public-transport-unveiled/
     
         
      The weekend read: Coming around Sat, 22nd Aug 2020 13:27:00
     
      Given the number of batteries (primarily lithium-ion) that are required to decarbonize the power and mobility sectors, the industry is now preparing for a mountain of battery waste. Recycling is technically feasible, but is also subject to sensitive economics. The framework in which recycling companies can achieve the best life-cycle costs for batteries needs to be carefully enabled through policy – and it will likely include a mixture of technologies and business models, in order to allow life-cycle emissions of batteries to be brought down.A few weeks ago, a Bloomberg interview with the chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology, Zeng Yugun, stirred up quite a bit of media attention, causing some onlookers to rub their eyes in disbelief. Tesla’s battery supplier claims to be ready to produce batteries with a warranty for 16 years and 2 million kilometers. Hitherto, the industry standard has been around eight years and 160,000 kilometers. But nobody expects one battery pack to spend its entire life in a single electric vehicle. Already with the current warranty standard, battery packs routinely outlive the cars they are built into. Yet the million-mile battery, as it is also dubbed, isn’t going to appease the range anxiety of skeptical motorists as much as it is going to change the economics of second-life applications and the recycling of batteries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/22/the-weekend-read-coming-around/
     
         
      Earth Overshoot Day: When consumption outstrips the planet's eco resources Sat, 22nd Aug 2020 13:08:00
     
      Today is Earth Overshoot Day, the point where scientists say we've used all the ecological resources the planet can produce in 12 months. As consumption grows, that day is getting earlier. However, because of Covid this year it's been pushed back by three weeks. But a global campaign to "move the date" has been launched virtually and supported by the Scottish government. Environmentalists say it's vital we stop eroding Earth's natural resources. Mathis Wackernagel is founder of the Global Footprint Network which carries out the calculation for Earth Overshoot Day. He explained: "Everything we use puts a demand on nature in terms of space; the potato that takes space, I want milk from the cow, it takes space, to absorb the extra CO2 from burning fossil fuels takes space. "All these things that take space we can add up and then we can compare how much is our demand compared to how much is available." This year, the calculation estimates that we've exceed demand by 56% - even with the pandemic. But lockdown has reduced our consumption, meaning Earth Overshoot Day has been delayed for the first time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-53861858
     
         
      Nuclear power facility in Scotland will not be safe for other uses until the year 2333, report finds Fri, 21st Aug 2020 15:23:00
     
      In 313 years’ time, 378 years after it first opened in 1955, and 339 years after it ceased operations in 1994, the 178-acre nuclear power facility site at Dounreay will be safe for other uses, a new report has stated. Though the site on the north coast of Scotland was only home to functioning nuclear reactors for 39 years, the clean-up will take roughly ten times as long, with efforts already underway to clean up hazardous radioactive material. The facility, near Thurso, was used by the government for research and testing of various types of nuclear reactors, including a "fast reactor" and those intended for use on nuclear submarines. The first reactor at the site to provide power to the National Grid was the Dounreay Fast Reactor, which provided power between 1962 and 1977. A second reactor also pumped power into the grid between 1975 and 1994.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nuclear-power-dounreay-scotland-thurso-decommissioning-radiation-a9680611.html
     
         
      Awel y Môr: Offshore wind farm step closer off north Wales coast Fri, 21st Aug 2020 15:17:00
     
      Plans to create one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world off the north Wales coast have got a step closer despite fears over the impact on scenery. About 100 turbines could be built as part of plans for Awel y Môr, between Colwyn Bay and Llanfairfechan. Campaigners who fought against the nearby Gwynt y Môr farm said the turbines were "an eyesore". RWE Renewables said the wind farm would create "green clean renewable energy". Back in 2015, the same developers opened one of the UK's largest offshore wind farms, Gwynt y Môr, which has 160 turbines, off the coast of Llandudno, Conwy. Now they have been granted rights by the Crown Estate for the sea bed between Colwyn Bay and Llanfairfechan. A "scoping report" has been submitted to councils in the region, outlining plans to build another 100 turbines, to the west of the current wind farm. This would mean that the two combined would create one of the biggest wind farms in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53851846
     
         
      Turkey's Erdogan hails huge natural gas find Fri, 21st Aug 2020 14:59:00
     
      A Turkish drilling ship has discovered a big natural gas reserve in the Black Sea. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that the drilling ship Fatih, which has been operating in the area since July, had found 320bn cu m (11.3 tr cu ft) of gas. He said it was Turkey's biggest natural gas find to date. If Turkey can extract the gas commercially, it will be able to reduce its reliance on imported energy. President Erdogan said all tests and engineering work had been completed. He added: "This reserve is actually part of a much bigger source. God willing, much more will come. "There will be no stopping until we become a net exporter in energy." President Erdogan said he hoped to start extracting the gas by 2023. But energy experts say it could take up to a decade and billions of dollars of investment to get the gas into commercial use. Turkey has also sent a ship to carry out a drilling survey in the Eastern Mediterranean.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53866217
     
         
      Scottish Labour unveils plan to 'transform' Scottish economy Fri, 21st Aug 2020 14:46:00
     
      About 130,000 jobs could be created by transforming Scotland's economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Scottish Labour's leader. Richard Leonard said a "Green new deal" was needed to tackle both the economic crisis and climate crisis. His proposals include building 12,000 council homes each year and investing £100m in new electric buses. He also wants to employ and train a new workforce to restore the natural environment and tackle climate change. In a speech broadcast online, Mr Leonard said the pandemic should mark a "turning point in the direction of Scotland's economy and its environmental impact". He added: "We cannot afford to return to business as usual - instead a green and just recovery must focus on tackling the economic crisis and the climate crisis at the same time. "In Scotland we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources. We also have the will to change and to make things better. "So we must bring together all sectors and sections of our society, harnessing all our natural resources, all our workforce skills, and all our ambition to create a greener better future for us all."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-53862673
     
         
      The climate crisis is hitting football – but the global game has time to take action Fri, 21st Aug 2020 13:56:00
     
      Like everything else in 2020, the football season in Europe has been unusual. The Champions League final this Sunday, its traditional climax, is three months late. All eight quarter-finalists have been quarantined in Lisbon. What normally are two-legged home-and-away ties have been reduced to one match played in an eerie, empty and neutral stadium. Even games of the calibre of Bayern Munich’s 8-2 evisceration of Barcelona were rendered hollow and bizarre.Yet, as with the wider impacts of the world’s lockdowns, this has been good news for football’s carbon emissions. Last year, the World Land Trust estimated that the Champions League final alone would generate nearly 10,000 tonnes of carbon. In the absence of a crowd, it is estimated that this year’s will be under 3,000 tonnes. Uefa promises that all will be back to normal for 2021, and who could not long for the return of crowds and their electric energies? But the climate crisis will still be with us.In any case, there is no going back to normal. Football is going to feel the impact of the climate emergency very soon. More very hot weather is going to be a problem for spectators and players alike. The physiology of overheating is complex, but once it starts hitting 35C, and you are playing football, it’s all bad news. Memory, hand-eye coordination and concentration all start to suffer, then there are heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. There are going to be a lot more days like that in the global football calendar in the next few decades. Pre-season training in the Mediterranean is becoming physiologically dangerous. Grassroots and informal play in great swaths of the global south will become intolerable.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/21/climate-crisis-football-global-game-carbon-neutral
     
         
      Environmental Sustainability And AI Fri, 21st Aug 2020 13:55:00
     
      As a senior executive, you’re likely aware of the many strategic opportunities and threats posed by AI. According to IDC, spending on AI hardware and software is increasing at a CAGR of 24%. AI-driven projects will rapidly become a substantial percentage of any company’s investment in technology. What you may not be aware of are the environmental impacts of AI. AI can contribute to your company's carbon footprint or if managed well, help reduce the impact your company has on the environment. The issue of environmental sustainability is becoming a more critical issue to CEOs and boards as the finance world drives this change. Recently, BlackRock's CEO announced that his firm now has a core goal of investing with environmental sustainability in mind. Goldman Sachs has now made "sustainable finance" core to its business.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/glenngow/2020/08/21/environmental-sustainability-and-ai/#448913c37db3
     
         
      Tesla gives up crown for world’s biggest battery Fri, 21st Aug 2020 13:52:00
     
      Tesla has officially relinquished its crown for having the world’s biggest battery. The Gateway Energy Storage project, operated by grid infrastructure developer LS Power, holds the title now with a storage capacity of just over 230 megawatts in commercial operation. Still, it is expected to rise to 250 MW by the end of August. This capacity supersedes the previous record holder, which was the Tesla-operated Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, that is capable of storing 150 MW/193.5 MWh. The Gateway Energy Project was launched and connected to the grid by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) in June, adding 62.5 MW of storage interconnection to the grid. With that capacity alone, the Gateway project was already the largest in the United States but was relatively small compared to the Hornsdale Power Reserve. According to an August 19 press release from LS Power, the project is located in the East Otay Mesa community in San Diego County, California.
       
      Full Article: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-biggest-battery-gateway-energy-storage-project/
     
         
      South Korea’s largest floating PV plant now online Fri, 21st Aug 2020 13:48:00
     
      South Korean floating PV specialist Scotra has finished building a 25 MW floating solar plant on a reservoir in Goheung county, in the South Korean province of Jeollanam. The company finished the first 9 MW phase of the project last October, but it did not connect the second 16 MW portion to the grid until now. It built the project with its plastic floaters and corrosion-resistant alloy steel frames. It did not reveal any other technical details. However, Scotra did say that it is currently building two more large-scale PV projects in Korea – a 40 MW plant at the Hapcheon hydro-electric power dam and 72 MW of capacity at the Saemangeum sea wall on the Yellow Sea. For the Saemangeum project, it has also built a new 300 MW factory to produce floaters and frames, it added. The 2.1 GW Saemangeum project will be 14 times larger than the current floating solar record holder, a 150 MW plant that is now being built in Huainan, in China’s Anhui province. The South Korean government unveiled the KRW4.6 trillion ($3.85 billion) project last July. It overcame its first hurdle four months later, when the South Korean Ministry of Defense confirmed that the huge plant would not affect flight operations at a nearby U.S. armed forces base.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/21/south-koreas-largest-floating-pv-plant-now-online/
     
         
      Sustainable cement: the simple switch that could massively cut global carbon emissions Fri, 21st Aug 2020 13:39:00
     
      August 22 is Earth Overshoot Day, which marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. This results from massive consumption of ecological resources and accumulation of waste. A large portion of this comes from heavy industry and the way we build our cities. Interestingly, Earth Overshoot Day in 2020 is almost exactly two years since Greta Thunberg initiated the first school strike for the climate. Over the past two years, she has inspired millions of people to fight for climate justice and a better future, and the European parliament declared a “climate and environmental emergency”. At the same time, over those two years humans have emitted more than 80 billion tonnes of CO?, and Earth has experienced the second hottest year on record. Despite the heightened awareness of the climate crisis, it is clear that much more needs to be done. At the dawn of the industrial revolution approximately 200 years ago, the carbon footprint of humanity was close to zero. Today, humanity’s carbon footprint is more than half of our overall ecological footprint, resulting in humans using far more resources than could be renewed each year – equivalent to the renewable resources of 1.6 Earths. Decarbonising industry and the economy is essential to improve the balance between our ecological footprint and the planet’s renewable resources. This would provide the best possible chance for humanity to mitigate the effects of climate change. Consequently, we need to rethink the way we build our cities. And to do this, we need to talk about cement. Cement, the “glue” in concrete, is the durable, waterproof and ubiquitous material upon which modern civilisation is built. Concrete is second only to water in terms of commodity use, and the world produces more than 10 billion tonnes of it each year. Recent reports have indicated that since the introduction of Portland cement around 200 years ago, our built environment is now outgrowing the natural environment that has existed for millions of years. This is driven primarily by rapid urbanisation. By 2050, 80% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/sustainable-cement-the-simple-switch-that-could-massively-cut-global-carbon-emissions-144837
     
         
      Revealed: how the gas industry is waging war against climate action Thu, 20th Aug 2020 16:19:00
     
      When progressive Seattle decided last year to wipe out its climate pollution within the decade, the city council vote in favor was unsurprisingly unanimous, and the easiest first step on that path was clear. About one-third of the city’s climate footprint comes from buildings, in large part from burning “natural” gas for heating and cooking. Gas is a fossil fuel that releases carbon dioxide and far more potent methane into the atmosphere and heats the planet. It is plentiful and cheap, and it’s also a huge and increasing part of America’s climate challenge. So, a city councilman drafted legislation to stop the problem from growing by banning gas hookups in new buildings. Suddenly, the first step didn’t look so easy. “From there, we just ran into a wall of opposition,” said Alec Connon, a campaigner with the climate group 350 Seattle. Local plumbers and pipe fitters warned of job losses. Realtors complained their clients would still want gas fireplaces. Building owners feared utility bills could soar.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/20/gas-industry-waging-war-against-climate-action
     
         
      Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: The animals at risk from Alaska oil drilling Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:29:00
     
      The US government is pushing forward with controversial plans to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, by laying out the terms of a leasing programme that would give oil companies access to the area. The wildlife refuge in north-eastern Alaska sits above billions of barrels of oil. However, it is also home to many animals, including reindeer, polar bears and different species of bird. The idea of drilling in the area did not originate with President Donald Trump and his administration. Rather, the leasing programme is just the latest step in a controversy that has been ongoing since the late 1970s. One side argues that drilling for oil could bring in significant amounts of money, while providing jobs for people in Alaska. Others, however, are fearful of the impact drilling would have on the many animals that live there - as well as the damage burning more fossil fuels would have on our rapidly warming planet. This push from the Trump administration comes just two months after the Arctic circle recorded its highest ever temperatures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53819727
     
         
      Beattock peat extraction plan prompts climate change fear Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:28:00
     
      Proposals to extract peat from a site in Dumfries and Galloway should be rejected because of fears about its impact on climate change. Council officials said plans by Everris to remove peat from Lochwood Moss were incompatible with government targets. The company, which provides peat to grow salad and fruit products, wants to extract from the site until 2030. Peatlands have been identified as key to climate targets because of their potential carbon storing properties. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said that such sites across Scotland could play a key role in meeting the government's target of net zero emissions by 2045. Lochwood Moss has been used for peat extraction since the late 1980s. Everris, who want to extend their current licence to extract peat from the site for another 10 years, said the impact on carbon levels of continuing to operate at the location would be negligible.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-53847258
     
         
      'Mummified' plants give glimpse of Earth's future Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:27:00
     
      Fossil leaves from the remains of a 23 million-year-old forest suggest some plants may adapt to grow more quickly as CO2 levels rise, a study says. Scientists recovered the very well-preserved leaves from an ancient lake on New Zealand's South Island. They have enabled the scientists to link for the first time the high temperatures of the period with high levels of atmospheric CO2. The results have been published in the journal Climate of the Past. In their scientific paper, the team shows that some plants were able to harvest carbon dioxide more efficiently for photosynthesis - the biological process that harnesses light from the Sun to produce food for the plant. They say their findings may hold clues for how the dynamics of plant life could shift as current CO2 levels rise to meet those of the distant past.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53842626
     
         
      Climate change: 'Unprecedented' ice loss as Greenland breaks record Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:25:00
     
      Scientists say the loss of ice in Greenland lurched forward again last year, breaking the previous record by 15%. A new analysis says that the scale of the melt was "unprecedented" in records dating back to 1948. High pressure systems that became blocked over Greenland last Summer were the immediate cause of the huge losses. But the authors say ongoing emissions of carbon are pushing Greenland into an era of more extreme melting. Over the past 30 years, Greenland's contribution to global sea levels has grown significantly as ice losses have increased. A major international report on Greenland released last December concluded that it was losing ice seven times faster than it was during the 1990s. Today's new study shows that trend is continuing. Using data from the Grace and Grace-FO satellites, as well as climate models, the authors conclude that across the full year Greenland lost 532 gigatonnes of ice - a significant increase on 2012. The researchers say the loss is the equivalent of adding 1.5mm to global mean sea levels, approximately 40% of the average rise in one year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53849695
     
         
      Vodorod Develops a Prototype of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Supply With a 50-100 Watt Chemical Hydrogen Source - FuelCellsWorks Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:22:00
     
      Mobile power generation solution is a trend in the modern innovation market. Demand for these systems exceeds existing supply. That is why Vodorod set the task to create a prototype. The power source prototype is a system consisting of fuel cells, a hydrogen generator, an electronics control unit, pressure sensors, an oxidizer tank, a pump, etc. The power that the system can provide has a range of 50 to 100 Watts. The prototype showed a quick system transition to operating mode. During the experiment, the electronic load was powered by energy for more than 6 hours. The project team was satisfied with the experiment results. The prototype trials revealed some patterns of heat transfer in the system, which led to a decrease in the weight of the final device. According to the commercial department, our prototype may occupy a significant part of the market for mobile energy sources. High energy intensity and ease of use make the concept commercially attractive. The technical department is also considering expanding the range of mobile power generators in order to meet the needs of the market. High-quality technology solutions in the hydrogen industry are great investment portfolios. Vodorod offers cooperation in the hydrogen technology business.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/vodorod-develops-a-prototype-of-hydrogen-fuel-cell-power-supply-with-a-50-100-watt-chemical-hydrogen-source/
     
         
      Japan’s struggle to drive down renewables costs Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:14:00
     
      U.S.-owned analyst Wood Mackenzie has predicted Japan is on track to overshoot its 2030 renewable energy target but will have to work harder to drive down the cost of solar and wind energy if it is also to achieve its clean hydrogen ambition. WoodMac estimates the dampening effect of Covid-19 suppression measures on energy demand and the related oil price crash have driven down power supply costs in the nation 15% this year and yesterday predicted lower electricity demand forecasts and ever-cheaper solar panels and wind turbines will combine to attract $100 billion of renewables investment to Japan this decade. That will mean the national target of generating 22-24% of electricity from renewables by 2030 will be surpassed as the country will hit 27% clean energy by that point. The analyst stated a renewables sector which already features 45 GW of solar generation capacity, supplied 8% of the total 19% clean energy share of the generation mix last year from its solar and wind facilities. The technologies will supply 18% of the Japanese generation profile in ten years’ time, according to WoodMac, thanks in part to a further 30% reduction in generation costs on the back of falling hardware prices. However, hitting clean hydrogen targets which include expanding the current 4,000 fuel-cell vehicle fleet on Japan’s roads to 200,000 by 2025 and 800,000 by 2030 will be tough, according to WoodMac research director Prakash Sharma. The analyst said generating green hydrogen is 2-4 times more expensive than creating the gas from fossil fuels, in a nation renowned for high electricity prices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/20/japans-struggle-to-drive-down-renewables-costs/
     
         
      The Solar Singularity: 2020 Update (Part 1) Thu, 20th Aug 2020 15:03:00
     
      How will the upheaval of 2020 affect the world’s long march to a green energy economy? This piece will look at the numbers for 2019 and the first half of 2020, and offer some thoughts about the next few years in light of the pandemic and its economic impacts. My “solar singularity” updates over the last few years have attempted to track on-the-ground progress on the transition. Here’s the summary of this annual update (my fifth): While I am still optimistic about the solar singularity and the green energy transition (as we’ll see below, there were many very promising developments in the past year), the double whammy of Trump’s election and the pandemic with its severe economic impacts may slow the transition by a few years. This annual update will focus on solar power, battery storage, EVs and self-driving technology. These are the intertwined revolutions of the new green energy economy. A caveat is in order: Many sources cited are forecasts published before the pandemic, and some of them will surely be downgraded in the coming year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/the-solar-singularity-2020-update-part-1
     
         
      The Guardian view on coronavirus and the climate crisis: seize this chance Wed, 19th Aug 2020 16:13:00
     
      In the early days of the pandemic, many people urged that societies could not and should not return to business as usual afterwards. Coronavirus not only confronted us with danger, but showed what was possible. By forcing massive overnight change, it demonstrated that dramatic action could be taken when a crisis was urgent enough; that many people could agree to make sacrifices when truly necessary; and that governments could invest trillions when the future of their countries demanded it. But as the great pause has turned into a gradual reopening, there is little sign that these lessons have been learned. Greta Thunberg’s call for climate action should be seen in this context. The campaigner, writing for the Guardian to mark the second anniversary of her first school strike, says the world has wasted that time. While millions have been inspired to follow her in protest, and the European parliament has declared a climate and environmental emergency, little action has resulted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/19/the-guardian-view-on-coronavirus-and-the-climate-crisis-seize-this-chance
     
         
      Coronavirus: What the world tourism crisis means for Welsh wool Wed, 19th Aug 2020 16:12:00
     
      The global coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a "disastrous" fall in demand for the fleeces of mountain sheep, according to British Wool. Thanks to a hill-dwelling lifestyle, Welsh sheep have a coarser fleece, which tends to be used in carpets. The closure of large hotels and cruise liners - which routinely invest in new carpets - has hit producers, said John Davies, a British Wool board member. "Everything came to a stop in February and it's caused real issues," he said. Farming union NFU Cymru warned the price paid for fleeces had collapsed and called for its use to be prioritised in public buildings and government-backed insulation schemes. The union has now written to the housing minister asking for support measures to be put in place. The situation has also sparked an online petition addressed to each of the UK nation's governments demanding the use of British Wool products in public projects. Mr Davies, who is the Welsh southern regional board member for British Wool - the body owned by UK sheep farmers to promote wool - said the situation was "disastrous". "We sell around 25% of what we produce to China and that market was obviously closed off, and then everywhere shut down here too."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53825985
     
         
      Climate change: Dams played key role in limiting sea level rise Wed, 19th Aug 2020 16:10:00
     
      The construction of large-scale dams has played a surprising role in limiting rising seas, say scientists. Over the past century, melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of sea water have driven up ocean levels. But this new study finds that dams almost stalled the rising seas in the 1970s because of the amount of water they prevented from entering the oceans. Without them, the annual rate of rise would have been around 12% higher. Measuring how much the seas have risen over the past 100 years or so is a difficult task for scientists. Researchers found that there was a gap between how much water they knew had gone into the oceans compared to how much those oceans had actually risen by over the past century. In this new work, the authors revisited information about sources and measurements to come up with a new, more accurate estimation. As well as the melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of the seas from heat energy entering the waters, the researchers found that water storage facilities such as dams and reservoirs had made a significant impact on sea levels throughout the period. There are around 58,000 large dams in the world right now with many of them constructed over the past 60 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53836018
     
         
      Hydrogen economy with mass production of high-purity hydrogen from ammonia Wed, 19th Aug 2020 16:09:00
     
      The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has made an announcement about the technology to extract high-purity hydrogen from ammonia and generate electric power in conjunction with a fuel cell developed by a team led by Young Suk Jo and Chang Won Yoon from the Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research. This confirms the possibility of using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier to transport large amounts of hydrogen over long distances. Although the need to build a global clean energy supply network has been noted worldwide, there are constraints when it comes to transporting renewable energy in the form of electricity over long distances. This has resulted in a growing demand for a technology that can convert surplus renewable energy into hydrogen and transport the hydrogen to the target destination for utilization. Hydrogen gas, however, cannot be transported in large amounts due to the limitations in the amount that can be stored per unit volume. A strategy suggested to overcome this issue is the use of chemicals in liquid form as hydrogen carriers, similar to the current method of transporting fossil fuels in a liquid form. Liquid ammonia (hydrogen storage density per volume: 108kg-H2/m3) is capable of storing around 1.5 times more hydrogen than liquefied hydrogen under the same volume. Unlike the conventional hydrogen production method of natural gas steam reforming in which large amounts of carbon dioxide is emitted in the production process, the hydrogen production method using ammonia only leads to the generation of hydrogen and nitrogen. Despite the many advantages presented by ammonia, there has been relatively little research on producing high-purity hydrogen from ammonia and generating electricity in conjunction with fuel cells.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-hydrogen-economy-mass-production-high-purity.html
     
         
      We need to transition from dirty to clean energy. Here's why. Wed, 19th Aug 2020 15:21:00
     
      What’s not to love about renewable energy? Wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal plants harness natural elements and transform them into clean energy. They emit virtually no air pollution or climate change emissions. And their supply is unlimited – all it takes to generate power is for the sun to shine and the wind to blow. But nobody’s perfect. Large renewable energy projects require a significant amount of space. And sometimes projects are proposed in wildlands that have other important uses – wildlife habitat, pristine landscapes and areas of cultural importance. It may seem like an impossible conundrum. We need renewable energy for a cleaner, more sustainable future. But we also need to protect rich wildlands and wildlife for future generations. The good news is that we can do both with careful planning, smart policies and mitigation that offsets environmental impacts. Here are frequently asked questions about where and how to build renewable energy:
       
      Full Article: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/we-need-transition-dirty-clean-energy-heres-why
     
         
      What Do We Do With Too Much Renewable Energy? Wed, 19th Aug 2020 13:16:00
     
      We know that green energy is good, but can there be too much of a good thing? For instance, with unusually low demand during the COVID-19 lockdown, the United Kingdom’s power consumption fell by nearly 20 percent this summer. That caused a surge in unused green energy. In May, the National Grid asked for emergency powers to switch off solar and wind farms and warned of blackouts and a “significant risk of disruption to security of supply.” Britain is certainly not alone. As the transition to renewable energy gathers pace, early adopter regions like Germany, Denmark, and California are finding that, counterintuitively, too much green power poses problems for their energy supply. Electricity, when generated, must be used instantaneously, and therefore the amount of generation and the amount of demand must be balanced perfectly at all times. This can cause surges in the grid unless there are means of storing or diverting this excess.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/what-do-we-do-too-much-renewable-energy
     
         
      Death Valley: What life is like in the 'hottest place on Earth' Wed, 19th Aug 2020 12:19:00
     
      "I think we all lose our patience with how hot it is," says Brandi Stewart, who works at Death Valley National Park in California. "When you walk outside it's like being hit in the face with a bunch of hairdryers." On Sunday, what could be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth, a toasty 130F (54.4C), was reported in the park - a vast, desert area filled with canyons and sand dunes that straddles the border with neighbouring Nevada. However, in Brandi's picture, the sign showing the temperature appears to have overheated. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says it is still verifying the record. But Brandi doesn't need experts to tell her just how hot it is. She's one of just a few hundred people for whom the location often referred to as "the hottest place in the world" is home. Ms Stewart has lived in Death Valley on and off for five years, working in the park's communication department. "It feels so hot that one thing it took me a while to get used to is that you can't actually feel the sweat on your skin because it evaporates so quickly," she told the BBC. "You might feel it on your clothes, but you don't actually feel sweat on your skin because it dries so quickly".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53825593
     
         
      Scientists turn plastic bottles into nanomaterials for battery storage Tue, 18th Aug 2020 14:48:00
     
      Engineering professors and students at the University of California – Riverside have demonstrated a method they hope could “solve two of Earth’s biggest problems in one stroke” – recycling plastic waste such as plastic bottles into a nanomaterial useable in batteries. As battery storage becomes an ever more present necessity – used in large-scale energy storage projects through to electric vehicles – sourcing materials traditionally necessary to make batteries are straining, and more sustainable alternatives are necessary. Two engineering professors at the University of California Riverside, Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan, have been working with their students to create improved energy storage materials from a range of sources, trying everything from glass bottles to beach sand, Silly Putty to portabello mushrooms. Their latest effort, however, has the ground-breaking potential to address not only the need for sustainable battery materials but also the need to recycle and eliminate tonnes of plastic waste.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/scientists-turn-plastic-bottles-into-nanomaterials-for-battery-storage-74808/
     
         
      We live in a time of climate breakdown with no moral leadership – but we can take action Tue, 18th Aug 2020 14:46:00
     
      Six years ago I found myself trying to find shade from the mid-morning sun while having a chat with a farmer, Rick Laird. We were chained together, six metres above the ground, on the deck of an enormous super digger in a clearing in what would become Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine. I had gone up to Maules Creek to show solidarity with the community protesting against the mine; to add my voice to the hundreds of others who joined the Leard blockade and had been arrested. From farmers to uni students, scientists and university professors, and the unforgettable 92-year-old second world war veteran, Bill Ryan. There I met Rick. A farmer, father and volunteer firefighter who had never taken part in any climate action before.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/18/we-live-in-a-time-of-climate-breakdown-with-no-moral-leadership-but-we-can-take-action
     
         
      Fuel Cells: Vehicles Tue, 18th Aug 2020 14:12:00
     
      Key Takeaways: The total number of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in the world today is small, roughly 25,000 — similar to the number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the road in 2010. Hydrogen refueling infrastructure is also still nearly non-existent. There were approximately 470 hydrogen fueling stations worldwide in 2019, compared to 25,000 EV charging stations and 120,000 gas stations in the US alone. While a nation-wide system for delivering electricity already existed to allow charging stations to be installed anywhere, the same is not true for hydrogen. Efforts to build out hydrogen fueling stations and distribution systems are increasing, particularly in Europe and Asia (China, Korea, and Japan). The number of hydrogen fueling stations could double in the next two years. The one area where fuel cell vehicles have gained significant traction is FORKLIFTS. You can’t have emissions in enclosed warehouses, and battery charging is time consuming and requires more space. The main barriers to FCEVs becoming more economical are the need for platinum in PEMFC fuel cells (the primary type of fuel cell used in vehicles), the lack of widespread hydrogen infrastructure, improving system designs (storing hydrogen on the vehicle more efficiently), and scaling into markets where large demand may not exist. Over the next ten years, FCEVs like Nikola’s semis may actually make inroads into long haul trucking and outcompete BEVs… but only if the cost and availability of distributed hydrogen improves, and there are incentives to decarbonize transportation.
       
      Full Article: https://medium.com/prime-movers-lab/fuel-cells-vehicles-e4213625f26f
     
         
      We mapped the world’s frozen peatlands. What we found was very worrying Tue, 18th Aug 2020 12:48:00
     
      Peatlands cover just a few percent of the global land area but they store almost one-quarter of all soil carbon and so play a crucial role in regulating the climate. My colleagues and I have just produced the most accurate map yet of the world’s peatlands — their depth, and how much greenhouse gas they have stored. We found that global warming will soon mean that these peatlands start emitting more carbon than they store. Peatlands form in areas where waterlogged conditions slow down the decomposition of plant material and peat accumulates. This accumulation of carbon-rich plant remains has been especially strong in northern tundra and taiga areas where they have helped cool the global climate for more than 10,000 years. Now, large areas of perennially frozen (permafrost) peatlands are thawing, causing them to rapidly release the freeze-locked carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and methane. Geoscientists have studied peatlands for a long time. They’ve looked at why some areas have peat but others don’t and they’ve looked at how peatlands work as natural archives through which we can reconstruct what the climate and vegetation was like in the past (or even what human life was life: many well-preserved ancient humans have been found in peat bogs). Scientists have also long recognized that peatlands are important parts of the global carbon cycle and the climate. When plants grow they absorb CO? from the atmosphere and as this material accumulates in the peat, there is less carbon in the atmosphere and therefore the climate will cool in the long-term.
       
      Full Article: https://www.arctictoday.com/we-mapped-the-worlds-frozen-peatlands-what-we-found-was-very-worrying/
     
         
      How developers are using mobile games to help save the planet Tue, 18th Aug 2020 12:22:00
     
      You slide your finger across the screen, the red bird sitting in a slingshot is ready to fly - you tweak the angle and let go. The bird soars across the sky and as you watch its progress on your phone you're probably not thinking about saving the planet. But that's about to change. The developers of Angry Birds 2 and 10 other major mobile-games makers have committed to introducing environmental messages into their titles. As well as the famous flying birds, popular games like Golf Clash, Subway Surfers and Transformers: Earth Wars are part of the project. "There's something like three billion people with mobile phones and half of them are gamers," says John Earner, boss of Space Ape who make Transformers: Earth Wars. "As an industry, we have a massive reach in comparison to other entertainment mediums. "We feel like there is an opportunity and increasingly an imperative for us to do something."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-53808488
     
         
      'Highest temperature on Earth' as Death Valley, US hits 54.4C Mon, 17th Aug 2020 15:18:00
     
      What could be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth - 130F (54.4C) - may have been reached in Death Valley National Park, California. The recording is being verified by the US National Weather Service. It comes amid a heatwave on the US's west coast, where temperatures are forecast to rise further this week. The scorching conditions have led to two days of blackouts in California, after a power plant malfunctioned on Saturday. "It's an oppressive heat and it's in your face," Brandi Stewart, who works at Death Valley National Park, told the BBC. Ms Stewart has lived and worked at the national park on and off for five years. She spends a lot of her time indoors in August because it's simply too uncomfortable to be outside. "When you walk outside it's like being hit in the face with a bunch of hairdryers," she said. "You feel the heat and it's like walking into an oven and the heat is just all around you."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53788018
     
         
      Making Green Hydrogen More Affordable - FuelCellsWorks Mon, 17th Aug 2020 15:17:00
     
      EU-funded experts have created a novel cost-effective technology for hydrogen production via electrolysis. Green hydrogen is seen as key to the energy transition, both as a carbon-free fuel and as a raw material for the steel or chemical industries. Produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis by using electricity generated from renewable resources, green hydrogen is becoming increasingly popular. However, its viability is questioned because of high production costs. Addressing this challenge, experts involved with the EU-funded CHANNEL project have created a novel technology for hydrogen production via electrolysis in a cost-effective way. According to a press release by CHANNEL project partner Evonik, the anion exchange membrane (AEM) developed by the specialty chemicals company “should contribute to the breakthrough of electrolytic production of hydrogen.” AEM refers to solid polymer electrolyte membranes that contain positive ionic groups and mobile negatively charged anions. In the same press release, Oliver Conradi from Evonik’s strategic innovation unit Creavis comments: “Our membrane could allow commercial realization of highly efficient and economically viable electrolysis technology.” He adds: “The polymer chemistry behind this membrane is the key to efficient electrolysis. And we now hold that key.”
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/making-green-hydrogen-more-affordable/
     
         
      What Would Happen if We Burned All the Fossil Fuels? Mon, 17th Aug 2020 15:14:00
     
      Picture bogs swarming with plant-life, oceans teeming with life, dinosaurs roaming the Earth. Picture those plants and animals dying, and over the course of 300 million years, becoming coal, oil, and gas through a complex series of processes beneath the soil. Fast forward to the present and now see the vast, Earth-wrecking machinery extracting those dead plants and animals to power our economy. How much longer can we keep this up for? Did enough plants and animals die in the ancient past to sustain our current levels of fossil fuel consumption forever? What happens if we blow through all the fossil fuels available this century, unleashing a glug of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the likes of which the planet has never seen? It would be somewhere between super bad and sublimely screwed if we did that. The world hasn’t exactly shown much appetite to curb fossil fuel use. That’s not say the world will keep going down that path, of course. But this is Giz Asks, and we’re here to ask the weird questions and get down to the nitty gritty. So we posed the question to a number of experts in engineering, physics, climate modeling, and paleoclimate of what would happen to the climate—and society—if we kept our fossil fuel bender going down to the last drop .
       
      Full Article: https://earther.gizmodo.com/what-would-happen-if-we-burned-all-the-fossil-fuels-1844632959
     
         
      Climate Change: Ocean Heat Content Mon, 17th Aug 2020 12:57:00
     
      Rising amounts of greenhouse gases are preventing heat radiated from Earth’s surface from escaping into space as freely as it used to. Most of the excess atmospheric heat is passed back to the ocean. As a result, upper ocean heat content has increased significantly over the past few decades.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-ocean-heat-content
     
         
      Villagers in Serbia tear out hydropower pipes in protest over river Sun, 16th Aug 2020 14:51:00
     
      Villagers in Rakita in southeastern Serbia have removed pipes installed to serve a new hydroelectric power plant on a nearby river. The local people, who were helped by environmental activists, fear the installation could devastate fish stocks in the Rakitska river, cause wells to dry up, and deprive livestock of water. "People are leaving the village. If there is no river, there is nothing left for them," explained resident Djordje Jovanov. "There are people living nearby, they have cattle, they have gardens, the river means a lot to them," added another man. "And then, some investor came and snatched the river from them. He had no right to do that." Around 100 small hydropower plants have been built in Serbia, according to the Environment Ministry. The state power company offers strong incentives and commits to buying electricity generated by the plants at a price 50 percent higher than the market rate. Supporters of the hydropower plants argue the environmental impact is well-known, but point to the far greater damage caused by coal-powered generation. They say Serbia has to make a choice.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/16/villagers-in-serbia-tear-out-hydropower-pipes-in-protest-over-river
     
         
      One of England's last coalmines to close near Durham Sun, 16th Aug 2020 14:48:00
     
      Thousands of years of English coalmining will near an end this week with the closure of one of the country’s last remaining coalmines in Bradley near Durham. The owner of the surface mine, the Banks Group, said Bradley will extract its last coal on Monday 17 August, two months after its sister site at Shotton in Northumberland ended its own coal production. Banks Group applied for permission to extend the life of its last mine in England until 2021 but the application was turned down earlier this summer. The closure leaves only the Hartington mine in Derbyshire, which had planned to shut at the start of the month, as the last surface mine in England still eking out its remaining coal reserves for longer than expected. A spokesman for the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy said there is no revised date for the Hartington shutdown “immediately available”. England’s remaining surface mines have reached the end of their lives less than five years after miners emerged from Britain’s last deep coalmine, the Kellingley colliery in North Yorkshire, for the final time in late 2015. In England, only small underground mines in Cumbria and the Forest of Dean continue to produce modest amounts of coal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/16/one-of-uk-last-coal-mines-to-close-near-durham-bradley
     
         
      Greenland's ice has melted beyond return, study suggests Sun, 16th Aug 2020 14:38:00
     
      Greenland's ice sheet may have melted beyond the point of return, with the ice likely to disappear no matter how quickly the world reduces climate-warming emissions, research suggests. Ohio State University scientists studied 234 glaciers in the Arctic territory for 34 years until 2018. They found that annual snowfall was no longer enough to replenish glaciers of the snow and ice being lost to summertime melting, which is already causing global seas to rise about a millimetre on average per year.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/greenlands-ice-has-melted-beyond-return-study-suggests-12049724
     
         
      Hanwha’s Groundbreaking Power Plant Shows How Hydrogen Can Fuel a ‘Circular Economy’ - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 16th Aug 2020 14:36:00
     
      What’s colorless, odorless, and so abundant that it can be extracted from water? It’s hydrogen — the most common element on Earth. It is now in increasing demand as a highly efficient and sustainable source of electricity, especially when used in hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen-fuel-cell energy differs greatly from fossil-fuel-electricity generation, which relies on combustion to produce steam and spin a turbine. Instead, hydrogen fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction to generate electricity. The only byproducts are heat and water vapor, making hydrogen fuel cells an appealing way to cut carbon emissions. In 2018, the market for hydrogen-fuel-cell power reached USD 865.1 million. The market is expected to rise sharply and reach USD 49.12 billion by 2026. With so much potential for growth in the hydrogen power market, Hanwha Energy – a comprehensive-energy-solutions company – is now diversifying its product portfolio by constructing and operating hydrogen-fuel-cell power plants.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hanwhas-groundbreaking-power-plant-shows-how-hydrogen-can-fuel-a-circular-economy/
     
         
      UK firm's solar power breakthrough could make world's most efficient panels by 2021 Sat, 15th Aug 2020 16:21:00
     
      British rooftops could be hosting a breakthrough in new solar power technology by next summer, using a crystal first discovered more than 200 years ago to help harness more of the sun’s power. An Oxford-based solar technology firm hopes by the end of the year to begin manufacturing the world’s most efficient solar panels, and become the first to sell them to the public within the next year. Oxford PV claims that the next-generation solar panels will be able to generate almost a third more electricity than traditional silicon-based solar panels by coating the panels with a thin layer of a crystal material called perovskite. The breakthrough would offer the first major step-change in solar power generation since the technology emerged in the 1950s, and could play a major role in helping to tackle the climate crisis by increasing clean energy. By coating a traditional solar power cell with perovskite a solar panel can increase its power generation, and lower the overall costs of the clean electricity, because the crystal is able to absorb different parts of the solar spectrum than traditional silicon. Typically a silicon solar cell is able to convert up to about 22% of the available solar energy into electricity. But in June 2018, Oxford PV’s perovskite-on-silicon solar cell surpassed the best performing silicon-only solar cell by reaching a new world record of 27.3%.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/15/uk-firms-solar-power-breakthrough-could-make-worlds-most-efficient-panels-by-2021
     
         
      UK infrastructure inadequate for climate emergency, experts warn Sat, 15th Aug 2020 15:00:00
     
      Government advisers and leading infrastructure experts have said ministers must do much more to protect the UK’s infrastructure from extreme weather, as the fiercest heatwave in decades gave way to thunderstorms and deluges over large parts of the country. Storm warnings are in place over the weekend for most of England, Wales and large parts of Scotland. The Met Office said the current weather was likely to stay in place at least until next Tuesday, bringing heat, lightning and downpours to many regions of the UK, though some of the far north was likely to avoid the worst of it. Temperatures reached above 34C (93.2F) for six days in a row last week for the first time since 1961. Advertisement Across Europe, countries have had localised heat records beaten and a long stretch of hot weather has given way to storms in many places, with France and Belgium beset by thunderstorms after more than a week of sweltering heat. Parts of the Arctic have experienced the highest temperatures ever recorded this summer, and fires have raged again in some areas of the far north.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/15/uk-infrastructure-inadequate-for-climate-emergency-experts-warn
     
         
      Perovskite Solar Cells Withstand Space Travel, Despite “Thinner Thickness” Sat, 15th Aug 2020 14:41:00
     
      The Intertubes have been lighting up like fire ever since word dropped that the results are in for the first ever space flight of perovskite solar cells. Despite their razor-thin profile and delicate solution-based construction, the new solar cells returned to Earth intact while sending back all the juicy details about their performance in the up-above. Spoiler alert: on a gram-per-gram basis, perovskite comes out miles ahead of the competition. For those of you new to the topic, solar cells have been used in space operations since 1959, and space applications paved the way for the affordable, down-to-Earth versions that millions of electricity users enjoy today, mainly in the form of low cost silicon technology. The perovskite version is a relatively new development, with research picking up mainly after 2006. Perovskite is much lighter than silicon, less expensive than other solar materials, and easier to convert into a functioning PV device, which means that the next generation of solar cells could be even more affordable than ever. Perovskite solar cells are also lightweight and flexible. That provides them with opportunities for application on clothing, buildings, cars, and, of course, rockets, among other things. All things being equal, the space-friendly performance of perovskite cells indicates that the new PV technology could find widespread application here on Earth, once all the kinks are worked out. One of those kinks is durability. Early iterations of perovskite PV cells dissolved under ambient conditions. The space flight demonstrates how far the R&D has progressed since then.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/15/perovskite-solar-cells-withstand-space-travel-despite-thinner-thickness/
     
         
      India Planning Duty On Chinese Wind Power Equipment Sat, 15th Aug 2020 14:40:00
     
      The Indian government may impose a solar-like safeguard duty on wind turbine components to curb Chinese imports. wind turbinesWith the recent border dispute with China along the Line of Actual Control, the Indian government is looking to reduce dependence on Chinese imports by discouraging developers to import Chinese equipment and encourage investors to develop domestic manufacturing facilities. According to government sources, the government is planning to levy higher taxes on wind turbine components and generators to encourage the use of domestic wind turbine equipment. China is the biggest supplier of wind equipment to Indian companies and therefore a higher duty will affect the imports of components from China. Unlike the solar sector, wherein India imports 80% of the equipment from China, the Indian wind manufacturing industry is better positioned and the majority of the wind turbines, i.e. around 80%, are manufactured in India, with only a few minor items imported from China. The current concessional duty on wind equipment imports stands at 5%. This duty is expected to increase to a level similar to solar equipment imports to boost local manufacturing. India imports equipment like special bearings, gear box, yaw components, wind turbine controllers, blades for rotors, sub-parts of blades, catalysts for use in the manufacture of cast, and resin for use in the manufacture of cast components of wind-operated electricity generator. The higher duty structure is expected to be implemented from the next fiscal year to provide ample time to domestic manufacturers and wind industry to look for suitable alternatives. This move will strengthen the Indian government initiative of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ which aims to make India self-reliant.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/15/india-planning-duty-on-chinese-wind-power-equipment/
     
         
      The Secret To Successfully Closing Down Coal Plants Sat, 15th Aug 2020 14:32:00
     
      Close down coal-fired power stations. Do not replace them with gas-fired electricity. That would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the USA by 15 percent. That’s a big number. Those plants are old and will close eventually. So why not sooner rather than later? The answer, of course, is money. We figure that investor-owned utilities and public power agencies have, between them, close to $70 billion worth of coal-fired generators still on their books (in rate base). Those utilities will not give up those money-earning assets without compensation. They stalled the Obama clean air program in order to keep those assets operating. They didn’t have to do anything during the Trump years to keep pumping out those greenhouse gases. If Biden wins, we can expect the plant owners to employ dogged delaying tactics in a federal court system stacked in favor of business interests to keep the plants running. And herein lies the problem. By delaying what appears inevitable - that coal in the U.S. is finished as a power generation boiler fuel - the utility industry continues to miss a step. So policy makers may have to decide whether they want endless delay or figure out how to buy out the utilities in the most cost effective manner. But first, how did the industry get into this unenviable position of having so much money tied up in facilities whose future is so uncertain?
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/The-Secret-To-Successfully-Closing-Down-Coal-Plants.html
     
         
      Last decade was Earth's hottest on record, exposing grim reality of climate change Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:24:00
     
      (CNN)A new report released Wednesday details how 2019 was another year of extremes for Earth's climate, adding to a litany of evidence exposing the grim reality of our warming world. Last year saw devastating wildfires burn through Australia; large regions including Europe, Japan, Pakistan, and India experienced deadly heat waves; almost 100 tropical cyclones created havoc; glaciers and sea ice continued to melt at worrying levels; and drought and floods destroyed vital crops and infrastructure. Among the key findings of the State of the Climate in 2019, published by the American Meteorological Society, was that 2019 was among the warmest years on record, that greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are at their highest recorded levels and this decade is the hottest since records began in the mid-1800s. "Each decade since 1980 has been successively warmer than the preceding decade, with the most recent (2010-1019) being around 0.2°C warmer than the previous (2000-2009)," the report said. "As a primary driver for our changing climate, the abundance of many long-lived greenhouse gases continues to increase."
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/13/world/state-of-climate-report-2019-intl-hnk-scn/index.html
     
         
      Red bricks can store energy just like batteries Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:24:00
     
      The researchers have developed a method to make or modify “smart bricks” that can store energy until required for powering devices. The method converts bricks into a type of energy storage device called a supercapacitor. “Our method works with regular brick or recycled bricks, and we can make our own bricks as well,” says Julio D’Arcy, assistant professor of chemistry. “As a matter of fact, the work that we have published in Nature Communications stems from bricks that we bought at Home Depot right here in Brentwood (Missouri); each brick was 65 cents.” The proof-of-concept study shows a brick directly powering a green LED light. Walls and buildings made of bricks already occupy large amounts of space, which could be better utilized if given an additional purpose for electrical storage. While some architects and designers have recognized the humble brick’s ability to absorb and store the sun’s heat, this is the first time anyone has tried using bricks as anything more than thermal mass for heating and cooling. “In this work, we have developed a coating of the conducting polymer PEDOT, which is comprised of nanofibers that penetrate the inner porous network of a brick; a polymer coating remains trapped in a brick and serves as an ion sponge that stores and conducts electricity,” D’Arcy says. The red pigment in bricks—iron oxide, or rust—is essential for triggering the polymerization reaction. The researchers’ calculations suggest that walls made of these energy-storing bricks could store a substantial amount of energy. “PEDOT-coated bricks are ideal building blocks that can provide power to emergency lighting,” D’Arcy says. “We envision that this could be a reality when you connect our bricks with solar cells—this could take 50 bricks in close proximity to the load. These 50 bricks would enable powering emergency lighting for five hours. “Advantageously, a brick wall serving as a supercapacitor can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times within an hour. If you connect a couple of bricks, microelectronics sensors would be easily powered.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.futurity.org/red-bricks-energy-storage-batteries-2422662-2/
     
         
      Storm Dennis: 'At least £500m to prevent more flooding in Wales' Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:21:00
     
      Work to ensure Wales avoids significant flooding in the future could "easily" cost more than £500m and is needed in the next decade, it has been claimed. That is the assessment of the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council six months on from floods that devastated the area and left it with an £80m clean-up bill. A worker in Pontypridd said things had gone "from bad to worse" with Covid-19. The Welsh Government said it had spent millions on flood repair and defence schemes and had increased its support. In February, flooding associated with Storm Dennis overwhelmed defences across Wales, some flood warning systems failed, homes and businesses were inundated and areas that had not seen flooding for many decades were left underwater.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53770031
     
         
      Are we doing enough to modernise infrastructure with a changing climate? Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:19:00
     
      Scotland's Transport Minister Michael Matheson has confirmed the conditions were a factor and Network Rail footage shows there were landslides in the area. The climate is changing and scientists agree it's very different to when the railways were built by our Victorian ancestors. Though landslips are not uncommon, particularly in that area around Stonehaven, climate change means they are happening much more frequently as the land struggles to cope with the volume of water. Just two years ago a passenger train hit a landslide on the West Highland line near Glenfinnan. Fortunately, in that crash no-one was hurt. There are questions over how we can modernise the railway and strengthen its resilience. So are we doing enough? Rail engineering consultant Gareth Dennis told BBC Scotland: "More could always be done. You're looking at investment in new technology to manage and monitor assets remotely which means a better use of resources. "Ultimately the pressures aren't really financial, they are about human resources; the number of skilled people we have to maintain this infrastructure." The main line of defence just now are yellow trains, nicknamed the Flying Bananas, which run over every stretch of the network about once every two weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-53779667
     
         
      Friday Fallback: NEOM Will be the Home to World’s Largest Renewable Hydrogen Project - FuelCellsWorks Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:18:00
     
      The new green hydrogen project in NEOM is the first step in creating a new industry in NEOM and the Kingdom, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth and diversity. This project positions NEOM as a key contributor to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to grow and diversify the Saudi economy.Green hydrogen is a form of renewable energy, it can be used as fuel for many different types of transportation and in power plants and can also be used as a green ingredient across a variety of manufacturing industries such as steel, cement and fertilizer production among many other things. It is seen by many as a DNA for green chemicals, green fuels and the circular carbon economy. These uses make green hydrogen important for many of Saudi Arabia’s blue-chip companies such as Saudi Aramco, Sabic and Maaden. Saudi Arabia is committed to leading the world in producing hydrogen to help reduce CO2 emissions and combat climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/friday-fallback-neom-will-be-the-home-to-worlds-largest-renewable-hydrogen-project/
     
         
      Natural Gas Prices Soar As Heat Wave Hits Large Parts Of U.S. Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:05:00
     
      Natural gas prices spiked on Friday by nearly 9%, even as the weekly storage report showed little movement. Natural gas prices hit $2.367 by 2:26 pm EDT, an increase of 8.48% or $0.185, even as the EIA’s weekly storage report a day earlier showed a small increase of 58 Bcf in working gas in storage. The market had anticipated a larger build. Also bullish for natural gas on Friday were forecasts for hot weather and reports of increased LNG exports. Front-month natural gas futures on Friday hit their highest since the end of last year on this data as air conditioning usage is expected to increase as people try to cope with the heat wave. This will increase the demand for natural gas. This will be particularly true in Texas, where demand for power in general—and consequently natural gas—is expected to hit a record high today as the heatwave sets in, according to Reuters. These record highs for power demand will come even as industrial activity has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. This unprecedented power demand has led to increases in power prices in the western part of the United States, which has, in turn, boosted natural gas prices. Front-month nat gas futures were up more than $0.15 to $2.335 on Friday afternoon. LNG exports have also increased, with improved demand outlook over the next couple of weeks, although the EIA stated that U.S. LNG exports will remain at low levels for the remainder of the summer, with planned cargoes of LNG still being canceled. According to EIA data cited by Kallinish, 46 LNG cargoes were canceled in June, 50 canceled in July, 45 were canceled in August, and so far 30 have been canceled for September. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Natural-Gas-Price-Soar-As-Heat-Wave-Hits-Large-Parts-Of-US.html
     
         
      'We're not here for doom and gloom': meet the hosts of climate change podcast How to Save a Planet Fri, 14th Aug 2020 15:02:00
     
      For a podcast about the climate crisis, there is a surprising amount of laughter in How to Save a Planet. Certainly, British listeners – maybe more accustomed to the sober, mournful tone Radio 4 brings to these issues – may feel startled by the sheer quantity of hilarity that the American presenters, Alex Blumberg and Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, find in the subject. The show’s chattiness, and its decision to refer to listeners as “earthlings”, may grate a little to begin with, but it is worth persisting. Beneath the gossipy drivetime tone, this is a podcast of enormous ambition and seriousness, and one which promises to be fascinating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/aug/14/were-not-here-for-doom-and-gloom-meet-the-hosts-of-climate-change-podcast-how-to-save-a-planet
     
         
      Friday Fallback Story: Doosan Fuel Cell Helps Complete World’s Largest By-product Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant - FuelCellsWorks Fri, 14th Aug 2020 14:58:00
     
      ‘Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant’ completion ceremony was held on 28 July. Doosan supplied its 114 hydrogen fuel cells to the plant. The Power Plant is fueled by by-product hydrogen and it is the world’s first and largest in its kind. Doosan Fuel Cell supplied the plant with 114 by-product hydrogen fuel cells (each of which is rated at 440 kilowatts, 50 megawatts combined). Doosan Fuel Cell will also provide maintenance services for 20 years down the road. (*A fuel cell size: 8.3m x 2.5m x 3.0m) These fuel cells consume by-product hydrogen left over from petrochemical facilities. Once waste hydrogen arrives at the power plant, the hydrogen will meet with oxygen, triggering an electrochemical reaction so as to generate electricity and heat. This is efficient and eco-friendly as greenhouse gas and other air pollutants are not emitted. Furthermore, it contributes to purifying air thanks to embedded HEPA filters. Compared to solar, wind, and other renewables, the fuel cell is more reliable and its energy yields per square meter are better. Founded in January 2018 as a joint venture by Doosan Fuel Cell, Hanwha Energy, and Korea East-west Power Co., Daesan Green Energy built 50MW Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant at the Daesan industrial complex in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The plant started commercial operation in last June, with 400,000 MWh annual energy yields, which can power approximately 160,000 households in this area.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/friday-fallback-story-doosan-fuel-cell-helps-complete-worlds-largest-by-product-hydrogen-fuel-cell-power-plant/
     
         
      Tesla Continues To Ramp Up Solar Roof Installations Across The Country Fri, 14th Aug 2020 14:49:00
     
      After two iterations of the solar roof tiles, Tesla finally ramped up production of version 3 of the Solar Roof tiles in late 2018 and through 2019 before expanding Solar Roof installations across the country. This week, a story out of New York confirms Tesla continues to rapidly expand its installation area across the state and into new areas of the country. According to the person who shared the news, their installation is the first Tesla Solar Roof to be installed in Ulster County, New York, though a few others in Orange and Westchester make it clear Tesla is well on its way with new installations across the state. Including the cost of the two Powerwalls, the sticker price of the new 14 kW Solar Ro0f system with two Powerwalls set the owner back $40,000, after $20,000 of incentives. The alternative was installing a metal roof, which would have been $30,000, making the total cost of adding solar + storage an incremental $10,000. Not bad.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/14/tesla-continues-to-ramp-up-solar-roof-installations-across-the-country/
     
         
      Global demand for oil to fall further than expected, says IEA Thu, 13th Aug 2020 16:26:00
     
      The world’s demand for oil will fall further than expected through this year and in 2021 following a surge in new coronavirus cases, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The oil watchdog wiped almost a quarter of a million barrels of oil a day (bpd) from its forecasts for next year after warning that the rising number of Covid-19 cases could mean a slower recovery for the global aviation industry and lower demand for transport fuels. In its latest monthly report, the IEA cut its global oil demand forecasts, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, by 140,000 barrels of oil to 91.9m bpd in 2020. The forecast is more than 8m bpd lower than the global demand for oil last year. The IEA also downgraded its expectations for 2021, cutting 240,000 bpd from its previous forecasts to an average of 97.1m bpd next year as the global aviation industry struggles to return to normal. The Paris-based agency said it remained cautious about a recovery in oil demand over the second half of the year and chose to downgrade its forecasts following an upsurge in Covid-19 cases. The deeper cuts to oil demand forecasts for 2021 are due to the gloomy outlook for the global aviation industry, the it said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/13/coronavirus-global-demand-for-oil-to-fall-further-than-expected-says-iea
     
         
      Climate change most likely cause of woolly rhino extinction – study Thu, 13th Aug 2020 16:23:00
     
      The woolly rhino may have been wiped out by climate change rather than human hunting, researchers have revealed. Enormous, hairy and with a huge hump, the woolly rhino roamed northern Eurasia until about 14,000 years ago. The cause of its demise has been much debated, with remains found near prehistoric human sites raising the question of whether they were hunted to extinction. Now researchers say analysis of ancient DNA from woolly rhinos found in north-east Siberia suggests climate change was the more likely culprit. “It hammers home the fact that rapid climate warming can have devastating impacts on species survival,” said Prof Love Dalén, a co-author of the research at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Sweden. “While perhaps we are let off the hook in terms of having killed them with spears back then, it highlights the risk that we are taking with biodiversity at present when we are affecting global climate on a rapid scale.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/aug/13/climate-change-most-likely-cause-of-woolly-rhino-extinction-study
     
         
      US proposes change to shower rules after Trump's hair-washing moan Thu, 13th Aug 2020 16:16:00
     
      Donald Trump’s hair has mesmerized many observers since he began his career in politics, but now the president’s own pride in his locks has prompted the US government to propose an easing of shower pressure standards. The Trump administration proposed rule changes that would allow shower heads to boost water pressure, after Trump repeatedly complained that bathroom fixtures do not work to his liking. The Department of Energy plan followed comments from Trump last month at a White House event on rolling back regulations. He said he believed water does not come out fast enough from fixtures. “So what do you do? You just stand there longer or you take a shower longer? Because my hair – I don’t know about you, but it has to be perfect. Perfect,” he said. Last December, Trump said environmental regulators were looking at sinks, faucets and toilets to revise rules meant to conserve water and fuel that heats it. “People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once,” Trump told a meeting of small business leaders at the White House.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/12/us-shower-pressure-trump-hair-water
     
         
      Exposure to air pollution may increase risk of Covid death, major study says Thu, 13th Aug 2020 16:15:00
     
      Long-term exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of death from Covid-19, according to a large study by the Office for National Statistics. It analysed more than 46,000 coronavirus deaths in England and showed that a small, single-unit increase in people’s exposure to small-particle pollution over the previous decade may increase the death rate by up to 6%. A single-unit increase in nitrogen dioxide, which is at illegal levels in most urban areas, was linked to a 2% increase in death rates. These increases are smaller than found in other research; a US study found an 8% increase and an analysis of the Netherlands found a 15% rise. This may be because those studies assessed earlier stages of the pandemic when the virus was mostly spreading in cities. Data is so far only available as averages for groups of people and the ONS said this meant no definitive conclusion on the link between dirty air and the worst impacts of Covid-19 could yet be made. Instead, individual-level data would have to be examined to rule out other possible factors. The ONS has begun this work for patients in London.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/13/study-of-covid-deaths-in-england-is-latest-to-find-air-pollution-link
     
         
      Exposure to air pollution may increase risk of Covid death, major study says Thu, 13th Aug 2020 16:15:00
     
      Long-term exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of death from Covid-19, according to a large study by the Office for National Statistics. It analysed more than 46,000 coronavirus deaths in England and showed that a small, single-unit increase in people’s exposure to small-particle pollution over the previous decade may increase the death rate by up to 6%. A single-unit increase in nitrogen dioxide, which is at illegal levels in most urban areas, was linked to a 2% increase in death rates. These increases are smaller than found in other research; a US study found an 8% increase and an analysis of the Netherlands found a 15% rise. This may be because those studies assessed earlier stages of the pandemic when the virus was mostly spreading in cities. Data is so far only available as averages for groups of people and the ONS said this meant no definitive conclusion on the link between dirty air and the worst impacts of Covid-19 could yet be made. Instead, individual-level data would have to be examined to rule out other possible factors. The ONS has begun this work for patients in London.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/13/study-of-covid-deaths-in-england-is-latest-to-find-air-pollution-link
     
         
      Moderate Tories join greens to call for fossil fuel car ban by 2030 Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:37:00
     
      A group of moderate Conservative MPs has joined green groups in calling for the government’s ban on new fossil fuel vehicles to be brought forward by five years to 2030 as part of a plan to ignite a green economic recovery. The recently reformed caucus of centrist Conservatives has called on ministers to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive green policy report aimed at bringing the UK in line with the official advice of the government’s climate tsars. The One Nation group of about 100 Conservative MPs, or a third of the parliamentary party, formed in opposition to a hardline no-deal Brexit under Theresa May and relaunched late last month in a bid to steer Boris Johnson away from the hard right of the party. Jerome Mayhew MP, the lead author of the report, said the caucus supports the prime minister’s ambition to “build back greener” in the wake of pandemic and rejects “the anti-capitalist assertion” that economic growth is incompatible with tackling the climate crisis. “Offshore wind, electric vehicles, carbon capture and other clean technologies have the potential to create millions of jobs, attract private investment and grow UK exports,” he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/13/moderate-tories-join-greens-to-call-for-fossil-fuel-car-ban-by-2030
     
         
      Trump exiting Paris accord will harm US economy – LSE research Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:32:00
     
      Withdrawing from the Paris agreement does not make economic sense for the US, a group of economists has argued, as the cost of clean energy has fallen since the agreement was signed in 2015, while the risks of climate catastrophe have increased. Economists from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at the London School of Economics examined the economic case for the US withdrawal, which President Donald Trump signalled in June 2017, and which will take effect on 4 November, the day after this year’s presidential election. They found that climate breakdown would cause growing losses to US infrastructure and property, and impede the rate of economic growth this century, and that an increasing proportion of the carbon emissions causing global heating would come from countries outside the US. That gives the US a vested interest in whether the Paris agreement succeeds or fails, regardless of whether the US fulfils its own voluntary obligations under the accord. Under the Paris accord, countries agreed to hold global temperature rises to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels, and put forward voluntary commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to achieve that goal. The US, under Barack Obama, pledged to reduce emissions by 26% to 28% by 2025 compared with 2005 levels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/13/trump-exiting-paris-accord-will-harm-us-economy-lse-research
     
         
      Innovative Byproduct-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant Completed Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:30:00
     
      The largest industrial hydrogen fuel cell power plant in the world and the first to use only hydrogen recycled from petrochemical manufacturing has been placed in service by Hanwha Energy at its Daesan Industrial Complex in Seosan, South Korea. The innovative plant uses “recycled hydrogen from petrochemical manufacturing” supplied by the Hanwha Total Petrochemical plant located within the same complex. The company said the 50-MW power plant has the ability to generate up to 400,000 MWh of electricity annually, which it claimed is enough to power 160,000 South Korean homes. “With the completion of this plant, we will help the government establish a roadmap to a hydrogen economy while boosting the local economy,” Hanwha Energy CEO In-Sub Jung said at an event celebrating the project’s completion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.powermag.com/innovative-byproduct-hydrogen-fuel-cell-power-plant-completed/
     
         
      Oil major Chevron invests in nuclear fusion startup Zap Energy Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:28:00
     
      (Reuters) - Oil major Chevron Corp (CVX.N) said on Wednesday it is investing in Zap Energy Inc, joining Italy’s ENI (ENI.MI) and Norwegian state oil company Equinor (EQNR.OL) who have also backed nuclear fusion startups to reduce their carbon footprint. Chevron’s decision comes as energy companies face increasing pressure from investors to reduce emissions, spend more on low-carbon energy and disclose the impact of their fossil fuel production on climate change. “Chevron Technology Ventures’ investment in fusion is an opportunity to enhance the company’s focus on a diverse portfolio of low-carbon energy resources,” Chevron said in a statement, without putting a number on the size of its investment. Nuclear fusion is a process that releases large amounts of energy with no greenhouse gas emissions and limited long-lived radioactive waste. Zap Energy raised $6.5 million from its Series A financing on July 12, according to data from Crunchbase. (bit.ly/30OBnx0)
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chevron-investment-nuclear/oil-major-chevron-invests-in-nuclear-fusion-startup-zap-energy-idUSKCN25831E
     
         
      Tellurian Scraps Two LNG Pipelines To Cut Costs Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:26:00
     
      Tellurian is deferring all but one pipelines associated with the first phase of its proposed Driftwood liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project, the LNG producer said in an investor presentation. Tellurian has been trying to cut costs for its Driftwood LNG production and export terminal on the west bank of the Calcasieu River, south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, in view of the depressed market conditions for natural gas amid the pandemic. Tellurian has achieved cost reductions of 30 percent in its phase 1 planning for the project, including deferring the proposed Permian Global Access Pipeline, the Haynesville Global Access Pipeline, and the Delhi Connector Pipeline, which leaves just one pipeline to feed natural gas to the facility during phase 1. The company will also focus on sourcing cheap natural gas for the project, which has secured all permits and is shovel ready, if Tellurian decides to move ahead with the final investment decision (FID). At the Q2 results release last week, Tellurian’s President and CEO Meg Gentle said: “Tellurian has used the last few months to streamline Driftwood LNG, which is one of the lowest cost projects available globally at approximately $1,000 per tonne.” “Tellurian continues working to secure equity partners from around the globe and looks forward to delivering reliable energy in 2024,” Gentle added.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Tellurian-Scraps-Two-LNG-Pipelines-To-Cut-Costs.html
     
         
      IEA Sees 2020 Oil Demand Down 8.1 Million Bpd Thu, 13th Aug 2020 15:17:00
     
      The International Energy Agency expects crude oil demand this year to be 8.1 million bpd lower than it was in 2019, a downward demand forecast revision of 140,000 bpd, the authority said in its latest Oil Market Report. “Global oil demand is expected to be 91.9 mb/d in 2020, down 8.1 mb/d y-o-y. In this Report, we reduce our 2020 forecast by 140 kb/d, the first downgrade in several months, reflecting the stalling of mobility as the number of Covid-19 cases remains high, and weakness in the aviation sector,” the IEA said. A day earlier, OPEC also had bad news for the oil industry, admitting that demand this year would be weaker than it expected previously. It was, in fact, even more pessimistic than the IEA, estimating demand loss for the year at 9.1 million bpd. In its closely watched Monthly Oil Market Report published on Wednesday, OPEC now forecasts that the global economy will shrink by 4.0 percent this year, more than the 3.7-percent economic drop expected in the July forecast, due to the additional negative impact of the pandemic. The IEA, for its part, has named slack jet fuel demand as one of the main factors for its lower oil demand forecast alongside the still-considerable uncertainty surrounding the rate at which Covid-19 is spreading, noting it remains unclear as of yet whether there will be a second global wave of infections or the recovery will continue. This uncertainty has also led the authority to downgrade its gasoline demand projections for the second half of the year. In diesel, the IEA has seen a steady recovery as industrial activity and freight transport recover after the end of widespread lockdowns. Supply, meanwhile, is on the rise, adding 2.5 million bpd in July after Saudi Arabia reversed its voluntary additional 1-million-bpd cuts and the UAE failed to stick to its OPEC+ production quota. Production in the United States also began recovering last month, pushing the world’s total higher, the IEA said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/IEA-Sees-2020-Oil-Demand-Down-81-Million-Bpd.html
     
         
      Cardiff and Bridgend heat network projects get £16m cash boost Thu, 13th Aug 2020 14:32:00
     
      Funding has been confirmed for two major projects to supply renewable heat to buildings in parts of south Wales. Heat network projects in Cardiff and Bridgend will take excess heat produced at industrial sites to public buildings in the area in the initial phase. The UK and Welsh governments will contribute a combined £15.2m in grants and loans towards the Cardiff project, which is led by the city council. The Bridgend project will benefit from a £1.2m grant from the UK government. Also known as district heating, the Cardiff heat network project will use underground pipes to transport waste heat from the Viridor Energy Recovery Facility to buildings in and around the Cardiff Bay area. The incinerator processes about 350,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste per year, producing enough electricity to power 68,448 homes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53756784
     
         
      Credit Suisse to Liquidate Natural Gas ETN That Went Parabolic Thu, 13th Aug 2020 14:29:00
     
      Credit Suisse Group AG plans to liquidate a leveraged inverse natural gas exchange-traded note that jumped in recent days and became disconnected from the value of its assets. The VelocityShares Daily 3x Inverse Natural Gas ETN, which had already seen securities issuance suspended on June 22 and been delisted from the NYSE Arca exchange on July 12, will be liquidated on Aug. 25, according to a statement from Credit Suisse. There are 305,400 securities outstanding, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Read More: Triple-Leveraged Gas ETN’s 3,900% Premium Signals Broken Pricing The ETN has gone parabolic in the past few days. In recent years the price hadn’t risen above $600, but it advanced in each of the past five sessions with percentage increases of 35%, 34%, 29%, 223% and 400%, and closed on Wednesday at $15,000. That compares with the note’s net asset value of $124.01. The market cap is $4.58 billion, versus total assets of $37.9 million.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-13/credit-suisse-to-liquidate-natural-gas-etn-that-went-parabolic
     
         
      EGEB: Wind and solar now generate 10% of global power Thu, 13th Aug 2020 14:21:00
     
      Wind and solar reached a record-high market share of 10% of global electricity in the first half of 2020, up by 14% compared to the same period in 2019, according to a new report from think tank Ember, which focuses on accelerating the global energy transition. This is despite a 3% drop in power demand globally due to the impact of COVID-19. Wind and solar have doubled their market share since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. Many key countries now generate around a tenth of their electricity from wind and solar: China (10%), the US (12%), India (10%), Japan (10%), Brazil (10%), and Turkey (13%). The EU and UK were substantially higher with 21% and 33%, respectively; Germany rose to 42%. (Russia is the largest country to so far shun wind and solar, with just 0.2% of its electricity coming from them.) This year, for the first time, the world’s coal fleet ran at less than half of its capacity. Coal dropped by 8.3% in the global electricity mix from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020. The drop was led by major falls in the US (-31%) and the Europe Union (-32%). For the first time ever, the existing global coal fleet ran at less than half capacity. In the US, existing coal plants ran at less than a third of their capacity (32%). In contrast, China’s coal fell only 2%, meaning its share of global coal generation rose to 54% so far this year, up from 50% in 2019 and 44% in 2015. But here’s the important part: The global electricity transition is off track for 1.5 degrees. Coal needs to fall by 13% every year this decade, and even in the face of a global pandemic, coal generation has only reduced 8% in the first half of 2020. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 1.5 degree scenarios shows coal needs to fall to just 6% of global generation by 2030, from 33% in the first half of 2020. The IPCC shows in all scenarios that most of coal’s replacement is with wind and solar.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/08/13/egeb-wind-solar-10-percent-global-power-epa-open-letter-siemens/
     
         
      Russia’s first floating PV plant comes online Thu, 13th Aug 2020 13:39:00
     
      Russian hydropower producer Rushydro and solar manufacturer Hevel have completed construction on a floating solar power plant at the site of the company’s 320 MW Nizhne-Bureyskaya hydropower plant in the Russian Far East’s Amur region. The facility was built with 140 heterojunction solar panels mounted on pontoon-type floats. Monocrystalline solar modules and eight transformerless 3-phase PV grid-connected inverters with an AC output power of 125000 VA were used in the project, a spokesperson from Hevel told pv magazine. “The PV plant covers an area of 474 square meters and consists of 10 rows of PV modules, 14 panels in each, mounted at 15 degree tilt angle.” According to the Russian module maker, the floating generator is ensured by a special connection scheme of floating modules and is designed to withstand several meters in water level differential and waves. “The 52.5 kW floating PV plant generates electricity for the hydro power plant’s demands,” the spokesperson added. “The plant has its own automatic inverter with an 115.2 kWh storage system that allows it to work in stand-alone mode.” Hevel also claims that the project’s special design of buoyant pontoons reduces construction time and increases its mobility. The PV plant can be dismantled quickly and transported to any part of the reservoir, it further explained.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/13/russias-first-floating-pv-plant-comes-online/
     
         
      IEA sees lower oil demand in 2020, 2021 on upsurge of coronavirus cases and stalling mobility Thu, 13th Aug 2020 13:28:00
     
      The International Energy Agency lowered its global oil demand forecasts for the first time in several months on Thursday, as the number of Covid-19 infections remains high and amid ongoing weakness in the aviation sector. In a closely-watched monthly report, the IEA said it now sees global oil demand for 2020 at 91.1 million barrels per day, reflecting a fall of 8.1 million barrels per day year-on-year. This revised forecast is 140,000 barrels per day lower than the IEA’s previous projection. The agency also revised down its 2021 global oil demand estimate by 240,000 barrels per day to 97.1 million barrels per day, with jet fuel demand identified as the “major source” of weakness. The report comes shortly after the world’s largest oil and gas firms reported historic losses in the second quarter as coronavirus lockdown measures led to an unparalleled demand shock in energy markets. Earlier this year, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told reporters that 2020 may well come to represent the worst year in the history of oil markets. “Recent mobility data suggest the recovery has plateaued in many regions, although Europe, for now, remains on an upward trend,” the IEA said in its release Thursday. “For road transport fuels, demand in the first half of 2020 was slightly stronger than anticipated, but for the second half we remain cautious and the upsurge in Covid-19 cases has seen us downgrade our estimates, mainly for gasoline.” International benchmark Brent crude futures traded at $45.29 on Thursday morning, more than 0.3% lower, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures stood at $42.52, down around 0.4%. Oil prices have slipped more than 25% year-to-date.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/13/oil-and-coronavirus-iea-sees-lower-demand-in-2020-2021-on-stalling-mobility.html
     
         
      In West Africa, climate change and extremism have created a climate change and extremism have created a crisis that will impact us all Wed, 12th Aug 2020 16:09:00
     
      There is nowhere in Africa where the waters are rising as fast as Saint-Louis. The colourful city on Senegal's northern border with Mauritania was once celebrated as the Venice of Africa, but the sea that surrounds it is now closing in so fast that ten metres are lost to the incoming tide each year. Along the crumbled seawall, houses teeter at impossible angles, completely uninhabitable. They will fall into the sea any day and then the frontline will move inland another few metres.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/the-devastating-consequences-of-climate-change-and-conflict-12044528
     
         
      Upcycling plastic waste toward sustainable energy storage Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:46:00
     
      What if you could solve two of Earth's biggest problems in one stroke? UC Riverside engineers have developed a way to recycle plastic waste, such as soda or water bottles, into a nanomaterial useful for energy storage. Mihri and Cengiz Ozkan and their students have been working for years on creating improved energy storage materials from sustainable sources, such as glass bottles, beach sand, Silly Putty, and portabella mushrooms. Their latest success could reduce plastic pollution and hasten the transition to 100% clean energy. "Thirty percent of the global car fleet is expected to be electric by 2040, and high cost of raw battery materials is a challenge," said Mihri Ozkan, a professor of electrical engineering in UCR's Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. "Using waste from landfill and upcycling plastic bottles could lower the total cost of batteries while making the battery production sustainable on top of eliminating plastic pollution worldwide." In an open-access article published in Energy Storage, the researchers describe a sustainable, straightforward process for upcycling polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste, or PET, found in soda bottles and many other consumer products, into a porous carbon nanostructure.
       
      Full Article: https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-upcycling-plastic-sustainable-energy-storage.html
     
         
      Boris Johnson poised to stop UK funding overseas fossil fuel projects Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:35:00
     
      Boris Johnson is poised to sign off new rules barring the UK government’s chief foreign lender from offering financial support to foreign fossil fuel projects. The new policy, which could come as soon as this week, will rule out future loans and financial guarantees for polluting projects overseas through the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance, just weeks after it agreed to a £1bn financial package to support work on a gas project in Mozambique. Under the new rules no support may be offered to fossil fuel extraction or oil refining projects from 2021, apart from limited funding for gas-fired power plants “in exceptional circumstances”. The policy paper was handed to the prime minister’s office earlier this week, and may receive the greenlight from No 10 within days, according to sources. The move to curtail financial support for foreign fossil fuel projects comes after UKEF continued to grant loan guarantees, and direct funding, to British companies bidding for work on fossil fuel projects worth more than £3.5bn since the UK signed up to the Paris climate agreement. UKEF added to the tally of fossil fuel support last month with one of its largest financial support deals by agreeing to offer support worth £1bn to help develop a major gas project in Mozambique. It will offer loans worth $300m (£230m) to British companies working on the gas project and will also guarantee loans from commercial banks worth up to $850m. The funding plan raised hackles within the prime minister’s office earlier this summer, according to sources, because aides were told that Africa’s biggest ever financing deal was too far advanced for UKEF to abandon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/12/boris-johnson-poised-to-stop-uk-funding-overseas-fossil-fuel-projects
     
         
      New PV cell architecture creates resistively bounded subcells Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:33:00
     
      While PV system costs are falling faster than anticipated, there is one module component that isn’t following this trend, and is actually rising in cost significantly: silver. The price of the material has risen by nearly 40% from a year ago, but one company claims it has created a solution that could reduce silver costs by 3%, while also increasing PV module output. Solar Inventions, the winners of the first American-Made Solar Prize and the creators of Configurable Current Cell (C3) subcell technology – a new PV cell architecture that creates resistively bounded subcells. The idea of creating subcells is nothing new, but Solar Inventions and its chief scientist, Dr. Benjamin Damiani, have been able to develop a way to create these subcells more efficiently, without specialized processing. According to the company’s first white paper, manufacturers are able to utilize C3 with just small changes in metallization print patterns and selective doping. This is achievable via minor print screen modifications and marginal changes to production lines, as C3 configures the subcells in parallel to a cell’s traditional busbars. The technology works with 95% of all silicon cell architectures, including monocrystalline, polycrystalline, PERC, HJT, and bifacial tech.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/12/new-pv-cell-architecture-creates-resistively-bounded-subcells/
     
         
      'This is a wake-up call': How will pro cycling address its own climate crisis? Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:33:00
     
      When it comes to climate change, professional cycling faces something of a paradox. The sport is, on one hand, the high-performance version of a climate-conscious form of transit and exercise; governments and activists have long promoted the climate benefits of bike riding. Yet at the same time, elite cycling has a hefty carbon footprint and has long been the brand-washing vehicle of choice for major polluters. This week, a group of climate-minded Australians gathered via Zoom to mark the launch of their response to how cycling will adapt as the climate crisis intensifies. An Adelaide-based collective, Fossil Free SA (FFSA), is commencing a new campaign, #BreakAwayFromGas. It hopes to pressure the organisers of the Tour Down Under, the first race on the World Tour calendar each January, to drop the naming-rights sponsor Santos, a major oil and gas producer. “This is a very prestigious event, and one that we support and cherish as South Australians,” says Jim Allen, a spokesperson for the movement. “But it has a cosy relationship with a fossil fuel company, which is seeking a social licence for climate destructive activities.” For Allen and his peers, concerns about Santos’s long-standing sponsorship heightened in recent years as extreme weather conditions took their toll on the TDU. “The irony of the race being vulnerable to global warming, having to make radical changes to adapt, and yet being sponsored by Santos, that really resonated for us,” he says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/12/this-is-a-wake-up-call-how-will-pro-cycling-address-its-own-climate-crisis
     
         
      The coronavirus pandemic is debunking some long-held myths of the energy industry Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:31:00
     
      The coronavirus pandemic has exposed some hard truths to the world’s largest oil and gas majors, energy analysts have told CNBC, with many reeling after historic second-quarter losses laid bare the financial frailty of the industry. “Big Oil” companies, referring to the world’s largest oil and gas firms, posted huge losses in the three-month period through to June as coronavirus lockdown measures coincided with an unprecedented demand shock. The results were expected to mark the low point of what has already been touted as potentially the worst year in the history of global oil markets. The devastating economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak has prompted energy majors to slash shareholder distributions, rack up increasing levels of debt, and sell or write-down the value of their assets. The chief executive of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, sought to reassure market participants about the outlook for the energy industry earlier this month. Speaking during an earnings call with investors shortly after the world’s largest oil company posted a 50% fall in profits for the first half of its financial year, Nasser said: “The worst is likely behind us.” Yet, as energy industry peers warn of significantly lower oil and gas prices through to 2050, others are not so sure.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/12/oil-how-the-coronavirus-is-debunking-myths-of-the-energy-industry.html
     
         
      Mauritius oil spill: Almost all fuel oil pumped out of MV Wakashio Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:19:00
     
      Almost all the fuel oil from the Japanese-owned ship that has caused a huge oil spill off the coast of Mauritius has been pumped out, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has said. The operation had been a race against time, he added, amid fears that the MV Wakashio would break up. The ship, believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef on 25 July. Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and popular with tourist The fuel has been transferred to shore by helicopter and to another ship owned by the same Japanese firm, Nagashiki Shipping. France has sent a military aircraft with pollution-control equipment from its nearby island of Réunion, while Japan has sent a six-member team to assist the French efforts. The Mauritius coast guard and several police units are also at the site in the south-east of the island.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53750151
     
         
      This hydrogen-powered supercar can drive 1,000 miles on a single tank Wed, 12th Aug 2020 15:01:00
     
      The Hyperion XP-1 will be able to drive for up to 1,000 miles on one tank of compressed hydrogen gas and its electric motors will generate more than 1,000 horsepower, according to the company. The all-wheel-drive car can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in a little over two seconds, the company said. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars that use hydrogen to generate power inside the car rather than using batteries to store energy. The XP-1 doesn't combust hydrogen but uses it in fuel cells that combine hydrogen with oxygen from the air in a process that creates water, the vehicle's only emission, and a stream of electricity to power the car. The XP-1 has much longer range than a battery-powered electric car because compressed hydrogen has much more power per liter than a battery, Hyperion CEO Angelo Kafantaris explained. Also, because hydrogen gas is very light, the overall vehicle weighs much less than one packed with heavy batteries. That, in turn, makes the car more energy efficient so that it can go farther and faster.
       
      Full Article: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/12/success/hyperion-xp1-hydrogen-powered-supercar/index.html
     
         
      Baghdad’s record heat offers glimpse of world’s climate change future Wed, 12th Aug 2020 14:27:00
     
      BAGHDAD — This city roars in the summertime. You hear the generators on every street, shaking and shuddering to keep electric fans whirring as the air seems to shimmer in the heat. Iraq isn’t just hot. It’s punishingly hot. Record-breakingly hot. When one of us returned here last week, the air outside felt like an oven. The suitcase crackled as it was unzipped. It turned out that the synthetic fibers of a headscarf had melted crispy and were now stuck to the top of the case. A cold bottle of water was suddenly warm to the lips. At our office, the door handle was so hot it left blisters at the touch. Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees on July 28, blowing past the previous record of 123.8 degrees — which was set here five years ago — and topping 120 degrees for four days in a row. Sitting in one of the fastest warming parts of the globe, the city offers a troubling snapshot of the future that climate change might one day bring other parts of the world. Experts say temperature records like the one seen in Baghdad will continue to be broken as climate change advances. “It’s getting hotter every year,” said Jos Lelieveld, an expert on the climate of the Middle East and Mediterranean at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. “And when you are starting to get above 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit] it becomes life threatening.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/08/12/baghdad-iraq-heat-climate-change/?arc404=true
     
         
      Baghdad’s record heat offers glimpse of world’s climate change future Wed, 12th Aug 2020 14:27:00
     
      BAGHDAD — This city roars in the summertime. You hear the generators on every street, shaking and shuddering to keep electric fans whirring as the air seems to shimmer in the heat. Iraq isn’t just hot. It’s punishingly hot. Record-breakingly hot. When one of us returned here last week, the air outside felt like an oven. The suitcase crackled as it was unzipped. It turned out that the synthetic fibers of a headscarf had melted crispy and were now stuck to the top of the case. A cold bottle of water was suddenly warm to the lips. At our office, the door handle was so hot it left blisters at the touch. Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees on July 28, blowing past the previous record of 123.8 degrees — which was set here five years ago — and topping 120 degrees for four days in a row. Sitting in one of the fastest warming parts of the globe, the city offers a troubling snapshot of the future that climate change might one day bring other parts of the world. Experts say temperature records like the one seen in Baghdad will continue to be broken as climate change advances. “It’s getting hotter every year,” said Jos Lelieveld, an expert on the climate of the Middle East and Mediterranean at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. “And when you are starting to get above 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit] it becomes life threatening.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/08/12/baghdad-iraq-heat-climate-change/?arc404=true
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Higher cell prices and plans for 36 GW of new cell capacity Wed, 12th Aug 2020 13:34:00
     
      China’s largest solar cell manufacturer, the Tongwei Group, announced on Monday that the price for both G1 and M6-based monocrystalline PERC solar cells will rise to CNY0.97 ($0.13) per watt, which represents a strong increase compared to the previous price of CNY0.89 set on July 24. For a 156.75mm mono PERC cell, the price was raised to CNY0.95 per watt from CNY0.87. Both cell types saw price increases of nearly 9%. This is the second time Tongwei has raised its prices in the past three weeks. Prices announced on July 24 were raised by about 10%. Tongwei said the price hike was due to increasing polysilicon prices, which are now above CNY90 per kilogram, while in early June they were at around CNY60 per kg. The manufacturer said the price had been rising across the entire PV industry supply chain since the middle of July after two separate incidents at factories owned by Daqo and GCL-Poly disrupted global supplies of polysilicon.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/12/chinese-pv-industry-brief-higher-cell-prices-and-plans-for-36-gw-of-new-cell-capacity/
     
         
      Hyperion Takes the Covers Off its XP-1 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Hypercar Wed, 12th Aug 2020 13:32:00
     
      From the imagination of true hydrogen fuel cell enthusiasts comes a hypercar that will definitely turn heads and put any doubts that this technology is not for real to bed, or should we say hyperspeed. Coming out of its “stealth mode” Orange California-based hydrogen startup Hyperion just uncovered its XP-1 hypercar. “Space Technology for the Road” Hyperion says that it will manufacture only 300 instances of the vehicle. The company says that the XP-1 can hit 60 mph in under 2.2 seconds, with a range of 1,000 miles With insane numbers and beautiful lines, the Hyperion XP-1 hypercar is a hydrogen fuel cell car that the company says is powered by “an advanced hydrogen-fueled propulsion system that aims to help usher in a new frontier of automotive technology.” The company’s plan for the unveiling has changed due to the Coronavirus but the wait was worth it. In its online reveal, the company has hit the mark.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hyperion-takes-the-covers-off-its-xp-1-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-hypercar/
     
         
      National Grid fires up coal power station for first time in 55 days Wed, 12th Aug 2020 13:24:00
     
      National Grid has fired up a coal-fired power station for the first time in 55 days after Britain’s record-breaking heatwave brought wind turbines to a near-standstill and caused gas-fired power stations to struggle. The electricity system operator brought Britain’s latest coal-free streak to an end by calling for the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire to begin generating electricity before a peak in electricity demand. Electricity supplies have become tighter than expected during the heatwave because gas-fired power stations have struggled to generate electricity at their maximum capacity owing to the unusually high temperatures. At the same time wind turbines have slowed because of low wind speeds. A string of power stations were unable to produce electricity on Wednesday because of planned maintenance work which often takes place during the summer, but even available gas plants produced less electricity than usual owing to the heat. Gas plants can struggle to produce electricity at normal levels during high temperatures, according to experts at the energy data company EnAppSys, and it is normal for their power output to fall during heatwaves. They rely on a steady flow of air through its compressor, according to the energy technology firm Wartsila. It takes more energy to compress hot, humid air to the same mass as air which is cooler and drier, so many power plants become less efficient as the outside temperature rises.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/12/national-grid-fires-up-coal-power-station-for-first-time-in-55-days
     
         
      Air pollution is much worse than we thought Wed, 12th Aug 2020 13:17:00
     
      In the late 1960s, the US saw regular, choking smog descend over New York City and Los Angeles, 100,000 barrels of oil spilled off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, and, perhaps most famously, fires burning on the surface of the Cuyahoga River in Ohio. These grim images sparked the modern environmental movement, the first Earth Day, and a decade of extraordinary environmental lawmaking and rulemaking (much of it under a Republican president, Richard Nixon). From the ’70s through the beginning of the 21st century, the fight against fossil fuels was a fight about pollution, especially air pollution. In the ensuing decades, the focus has shifted to global warming, and fossil fuels have largely been reframed as a climate problem. And that makes sense, given the enormous implications of climate change for long-term human well-being. But there’s an irony involved: The air pollution case against fossil fuels is still the best case! In fact, even as attention has shifted to climate change, the air pollution case has grown stronger and stronger, as the science on air pollution has advanced by leaps and bounds. Researchers are now much more able to pinpoint air pollution’s direct and indirect effects, and the news has been uniformly bad.
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/8/12/21361498/climate-change-air-pollution-us-india-china-deaths
     
         
      Hydrogen storage gets real Wed, 12th Aug 2020 12:26:00
     
      As production costs fall and demand is poised to rocket, James Mitchell Crow finds the hydrogen economy is finally ready for take-off – as long as we can find ways to store it Japan has an ambitious plan to transform its energy system. But to pull it off, it is going to need a lot of hydrogen. Japan wants to quit fossil fuels and import clean hydrogen to meet its energy needs instead. In December 2017, its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published a roadmap laying out how it intends to gradually drive up demand, and so drive down costs, until clean hydrogen becomes cost-competitive with natural gas. For the plan to succeed – and similar plans in hydrogen hotspots such as California – chemistry is going to be key. Hydrogen’s simple appeal as a fuel is that when burned, or consumed in a fuel cell to generate electricity, the only emission is water vapour. No NOx, SOx, CO2 or particulates. Electrochemist John Bockris coined the phrase ‘hydrogen economy’ in a 1970 speech to General Motors – but even then, the concept of using renewable electricity to electrolytically split water molecules and release hydrogen was nothing new. The idea has been examined regularly over the years, but the economics have never stacked up.Things are different this time, says Craig Buckley from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, who has been in hydrogen storage research since 1988 and has seen interest in hydrogen wax and wane several times. ‘This time, all the stars seem to be lining up,’ he says.One key factor is the steadily plummeting price of renewable electricity, the single biggest cost for electrolytic hydrogen production. Since 2010, the price of electricity from wind has fallen 50%, while solar electricity has fallen 80%. ‘Renewable energy has come so far down in price, [hydrogen production] can be competitive with fossil fuels. This has been a bit of a game changer,’ Buckley says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/hydrogen-storage-gets-real/3010794.article#/
     
         
      'As the tundra burns, we cannot afford climate silence': a letter from the Arctic Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:51:00
     
      When you stand facing an exposed edge of permafrost, you can feel it from a distance. It emanates a cold that tugs on every one of your senses. Permanently bound by ice year after year, the frozen soil is packed with carcasses of woolly mammoths and ancient ferns. They’re unable to decompose at such low temperatures, so they stay preserved in perpetuity – until warmer air thaws their remains and releases the cold that they’ve kept cradled for centuries. I first experienced that distinct cold in the summer of 2016. I was traveling across Arctic Europe with a team of researchers to study climate change impacts. We were a few hours past the Finnish border in Russia when we stopped to first set foot on the tundra. The ground was soft but solid beneath our feet, covered with mosses and wildflowers that stretched into the distance until abruptly interrupted by a slick, towering wall of thawing permafrost. As we stood facing the muddy patch of uncovered earth, the sensation of escaping cold felt terrifying. The northern hemisphere is covered by 9m sq miles of permafrost. This solid ground, and all the organic material it contains, is one of the largest greenhouse gas stores on the planet. Frozen, it poses little threat to the 4 million people that call the Arctic home, or to the 7.8 billion of us that call Earth home. But defrosted by rising temperatures, thawing permafrost poses a planetary risk.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/11/arctic-tundra-paris-climate-agreement
     
         
      Low-cost, durable catalyst for hydrogen production Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:50:00
     
      The future of hydrogen as a fuel lies in the design of efficient electrocatalysts for the electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen. The commercially used Platinum (Pt)/Carbon (C) catalysts are efficient but expensive and suffer from metal ion leaching or electrocatalyst corrosion when used for extended periods. Researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), under India’s Department of Science and Technology, have developed a novel palladium-based electrocatalyst for hydrogen production that exhibits high catalytic efficiency. The catalyst is basically a partially reduced composite of coordination polymer and reduced graphene oxide (COP-rGO composite).
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/11/low-cost-durable-catalyst-for-hydrogen-production/
     
         
      Milne Ice Shelf: Satellites capture Arctic ice split Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:45:00
     
      The Planet Earth-observation company has just released new imagery of the broken Milne Ice Shelf in the Arctic. Located on the northern margin of Canada's Ellesmere Island, the ice platform split on 30/31 July to form a free-floating bloc some 80 sq km (30 sq miles) in area. By 3 August, this berg, or "ice island", had itself ruptured in two, with both segments then seen to drift out into the Arctic Ocean. Ice shelves are the floating fronts of glaciers that have flowed off the land into the sea. Ellesmere Island was once bounded by extensive shelves that had melded into a single structure. Satellites record history of Antarctic melting Coronavirus severely restricts Antarctic science At the beginning of the 20th Century, this covered 8,600 sq km. But by the turn of the millennium, a rapidly warming climate had reduced and segmented the floating ice cover to just 1,050 sq km. Further break-up events in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2012, and now in 2020, mean the shelf area is currently under 500 sq km. Milne itself now measures only 106 sq km. The pictures from the Californian Planet company come from its Dove satellites. The imagery was acquired on 26 July ("before") and 31 July ("after"). Interesting to note are the numerous melt ponds that cover the surface of the shelf. The presence of such liquid water can be problematic for ice platforms. If it fills crevasses, it can help to open them up. The water will push down on the fissures, driving them through to the base of the shelf in a process known as hydrofracturing. This will weaken an ice shelf.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53737138
     
         
      Climate change projected to increase seasonal East African rainfall Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:44:00
     
      According to research led by The University of Texas at Austin, seasonal rainfall is expected to rise significantly in East Africa over the next few decades in response to increased greenhouse gases. The study, published in July in Climate Dynamics, used high-resolution simulations to find that the amount of precipitation during the rainy season known as the "short rains" could double by the end of the century, continuing a trend that has already been observed in recent years. The season known as the "long rains" on the other hand, is expected to remain stable according to the new projections. These results are in contrast to previous analyses that associated global warming with drier conditions that occurred earlier this century.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-climate-seasonal-east-african-rainfall.html
     
         
      Disease-bearing ticks thrive as climate change heats up US Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:43:00
     
      Growing up in north-eastern Ohio, Kimberly Byce spent much of her childhood running around in the woods, with the greatest threat being mosquito bites or sunburn. She can’t remember her parents ever uttering the word “tick”. And yet, in adulthood, disease-laden ticks now blight her family’s life. Byce’s husband Trent Beers has been struck down by Lyme disease twice in the past year, initially misdiagnosed after suffering back pain so bad he couldn’t emerge from bed, drenched from night sweats and his mind a fog of confusion. Their sons Arbor, four, and Abbott, seven, were struck down by raging fevers initially thought to be related to coronavirus, but subsequently confirmed to also be from Lyme disease. The family has been ravaged by the tiny black-legged, or deer, ticks, a creature the size of a pinhead that can carry Lyme disease and other maladies. Byce picked two of the ticks off her body last week, part of a regime that has become a constant worry in the family’s semi-rural household, located about 30 miles north-east of Columbus, Ohio’s capital. “It’s really wearing on the kids, when they are in the back yard I’m spraying them like a maniac which is kind of putting a lot of fear into them,” Byce said. “I feel like some of their carefree childhood is being taken away but there’s the threat of a lot of damage. What’s scary is that I am the most diligent person with spraying, keeping to trails, being careful, checking for ticks. If I can get them on me, anyone can.” That Byce could, in her lifetime, go from never even hearing about the warmth-loving ticks to fretting about them from as early as February each year is a possible symptom of a warming climate that, scientists say, is helping push ticks northward and westward from their traditional ranges in the US north-east.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/11/ticks-lyme-disease-climate-change-us
     
         
      Chinese fast reactor completes trial operating cycle Tue, 11th Aug 2020 15:41:00
     
      The China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) completed a manual emergency shutdown test from full power on 31 July, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced last week. The company said this marked the end of commissioning tests for the power test phase of the reactor and verified that its performance met the design requirements under stable conditions and expected transient operating conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chinese-fast-reactor-completes-trial-operating-cyc
     
         
      A Tesla Solar Roof system is deployed for under $30,000 Tue, 11th Aug 2020 13:36:00
     
      Tesla has deployed a rare solar roof system for under $30,000 (after incentives) as it accelerates deployment of the new solar product. I say “new,” but the Tesla solar roof has technically been around for a few years. However, deployment has been relatively slow until recently. Tesla limited deployment as it kept testing the product for longevity and to improve the speed of installation, which is a big bottleneck for the product to go mainstream. That’s where Tesla Solar Roof version 3 comes in. Tesla claims that it can install the new version faster, and it was able to slash the price of the solar system. While Tesla’s listed solar roof prices have indeed been slashed, many buyers have reported that the price ends up being quite a bit higher after Tesla surveys the site and everything is accounted for. We have yet to see an installation for less than $30,000, but now a new Tesla Solar Roof reveals an “almost finished” system that is going to end up costing less than $30,000. Robby Valles posted about his new installation on Twitter:
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/08/11/tesla-solar-roof-system-deployed-under-price/
     
         
      Leningrad II-2 passes WANO pre-start peer review Tue, 11th Aug 2020 13:26:00
     
      Announcing the successful completion of the review, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said today that, during the inspection, the team of international experts checked the operational, fire and emergency readiness of the unit, as well as the level of safety culture among the plant's personnel. Hossein Ghaffari, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran's office in Russia, said: "This is a pre-launch check, and our task has been to help the personnel of the Leningrad NPP to better prepare for this important event. As an industry advisor, I took part in a tour of the unit's control room and turbine hall, and before that my colleagues checked the equipment and facilities that are of prime importance for the start-up of the power unit. "The results of these checks confirm that the unit is ready to begin full-scale commissioning operations. The quality of the documentation and the level of personnel training here is rather high, and the Leningrad NPP project confirms that the increased safety requirements that are now imposed on the power units under construction have been fully implemented here." Physical start-up began at the VVER-1200 on 19 July when the first fuel assembly with fresh nuclear fuel was loaded into the reactor vessel. At the subsequent stages, during the power start-up, pilot operation and comprehensive testing of the power unit, all systems will undergo final checks. The unit is scheduled to be put into commercial operation in 2021. Rosatom said the new unit will replace its "older brother" as the second power unit of the Leningrad plant - an RBMK-1000 reactor was put into operation 45 years ago. The existing Leningrad plant site in Sosnovy Bor has four RBMK-1000 units, while Leningrad II will have four VVER-1200 units. Leningrad unit 1 was shut down for decommissioning on 21 December 2018. Leningrad II unit 1 was connected to the grid on 9 March 2018, becoming the second VVER-1200 reactor to start up, following the launch in 2016 of Novovoronezh unit 6.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Leningrad-II-2-passes-WANO-pre-start-peer-review
     
         
      Climate change: Warming world will be 'devastating' for frozen peatlands Mon, 10th Aug 2020 16:05:00
     
      The world's peatlands will become a large source of greenhouse gases as temperatures rise this century, say scientists. Right now, huge amounts of carbon are stored in boggy, often frozen regions stretching across northern parts of the world. But much of the permanently frozen land will thaw this century, say experts. This will release warming gases at a rate that could be 30-50% greater than previous estimates. Stretching across vast regions of the northern half of the world, peatlands play an important role in the global climate system. Over thousands of years, they have accumulated large amounts of carbon and nitrogen, which has helped keep the Earth cool
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53726487
     
         
      Mauritius oil spill: Fears vessel may 'break in two' as cracks appear Mon, 10th Aug 2020 16:03:00
     
      Large cracks have reportedly appeared in the hull of a cargo ship leaking oil in Mauritius, prompting the prime minister to warn it may "break in two". The MV Wakashio, believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July. Despite bad weather, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said 500 tonnes had been safely pumped out on Monday. But he warned the country was preparing for the "worst-case scenario". Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy. Fuel has been transferred to shore by helicopter and to another ship owned by the same Japanese firm, Nagashiki Shipping.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53722701
     
         
      New boss to lead Equinor in next phase of energy transition Mon, 10th Aug 2020 15:59:00
     
      The board of directors of Equinor has appointed Anders Opedal as the new president and CEO of Equinor from 2 November 2020. Equinor’s current CEO, Eldar Sætre, will retire after six years as CEO and more than 40 years in the company, the Norwegian energy giant said on Monday. Jon Erik Reinhardsen, Chair of the Board of Directors in Equinor, said: “Equinor is entering a phase of significant change as the world needs to take more forceful action to combat climate change. The board’s mandate is for Anders to accelerate our development as a broad energy company and to increase value creation for our shareholders through the energy transition”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/new-boss-to-lead-equinor-in-next-phase-of-energy-transition/
     
         
      Why Do Solar Farms Kill Birds? Call in the AI Bird Watcher Mon, 10th Aug 2020 15:57:00
     
      America’s solar farms have a bird problem. Utility companies have been finding bird carcasses littering the ground at their facilities for years, a strange and unexpected consequence of the national solar boom. No one was quite sure why this was happening, but it was clearly a problem for a type of energy that was billed as being environmentally friendly. So in 2013, a group of utilities, academics, and environmental organizations came together to form the Avian Solar Working Group to develop strategies to mitigate avian deaths at solar facilities around the US. “There was very little research about the impacts of solar on birds,” says Misti Sporer, the lead environmental scientist at Duke Energy, an electric utility in North Carolina, and member of the working group. “What does it mean when you find a dead bird? Nobody really knew.” But simply getting the data on avian deaths at solar facilities proved challenging. In 2016, a first-of-its-kind study estimated that the hundreds of utility-scale solar farms around the US may kill nearly 140,000 birds annually. That’s less than one-tenth of one percent of the estimated number of birds killed by fossil-fuel power plants (through collisions, electrocution, and poisoning), but the researchers expected that number to nearly triple as planned solar farms come online. The link between solar facilities and bird deaths is still unclear. One leading theory suggests birds mistake the glare from solar panels for the surface of a lake and swoop in for a landing, with deadly results. “But that hypothesis is from a human perspective,” says Sporer. “Do birds even see the same way people do? We need to collect more data to form a complete picture.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/why-do-solar-farms-kill-birds-call-in-the-ai-bird-watcher/
     
         
      EDPR announces €500m asset rotation deal for onshore wind assets in Spain Mon, 10th Aug 2020 15:56:00
     
      EDP Renewables, SA («EDPR»), a global leader in the renewable energy sector and one of the largest wind energy producers in the world, has signed a Sale and Purchase Agreement worth a total of 426 million euros with Finerge S.A., one of Portugal's largest renewable energy producers, for practically the entire stake owned by EDPR – as well as the outstanding shareholder loans - in a portfolio of operational onshore wind farms with installed capacity of 242 MW. Through the transaction, EDPR has completed the divestment of seven onshore wind farms located in Ávila and Catalonia. The assets in question have been operational for an average of nine years. Based on the transaction price and the value of the net outstanding debt, the value of these assets stands at around 507 million euros. The implied enterprise value therefore amounts to 2.1 million euros/MW. Through this agreement, EDPR has now completed the divestment of 40% of the 4 billion euros planned over the 2019-2022 period, as announced by the company in its updated Strategic Plan on 12 March 2019. Divesting majority stakes in projects which are operational or in the development phase allows EDPR to step up value creation, and the capital generated is reinvested in accretive growth. Rui Teixeira, Interim CEO of EDP Renewables, said: “This agreement is a major milestone for us. Not only does it show that we are able to generate value through project development and management, it also demonstrates that the market recognises the quality of our assets. This transaction allows us to continue to roll out our Business Plan thanks to an asset rotation strategy that allows us to monetise our assets before they reach the end of their useful lives, always with a view to stepping up investment, and by extension, growth." The transaction is subject to regulatory conditions and other conditions precedent and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://www.edpr.com/en/news/2020/08/10/edpr-announces-eu500m-asset-rotation-deal-onshore-wind-assets-spain
     
         
      New 6-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Can Power Your Off-Grid Home For 30 Years Safely Mon, 10th Aug 2020 15:42:00
     
      Icelandic renewable energy company IceWind is now launching its innovative six-bladed wind-powered turbines for home use in the U.S. Wind now accounts for 7.2% of power generated in the United States, and IceWind says that will be around 20% in less than a decade, by 2030. But most of that is the huge horizontal turbines you see in commercial wind farm applications with blades the length of a 747. All green energy is good — although there are concerns with bird loss — but it’s hardly something a homeowner can install. The new Freya model from IceWind, which starts at $3,200, is an entirely different design. “What we have designed over at IceWind is actually a vertical axis wind turbine,” Samuel Gerbus, one of IceWind’s mechanical engineers, told me recently on the TechFirst podcast. “The large difference is those big turbines, when wind comes from different directions you either need to use a gearbox to change those blades to face that wind direction, or stop them and change it. Vertical axis wind turbines are omni-directional. We can take wind from any direction.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/08/10/new-6-bladed-vertical-axis-wind-turbines-can-power-your-off-grid-home-for-30-years-safely/
     
         
      Agriculture replaces fossil fuels as largest human source of sulfur to the environment Mon, 10th Aug 2020 15:29:00
     
      Historically, coal-fired power plants were the largest source of reactive sulfur, a component of acid rain, to the biosphere. A new study recently publishing Aug. 10 in the journal Nature Geoscience shows that fertilizer and pesticide applications to croplands are now the most important source of sulfur to the environment. Acid rain gained attention in the 1960s and 1970s when scientists linked degradation of forest and aquatic ecosystems across the northeastern US and Europe to fossil fuel emissions from industrial centers often hundreds of kilometers away. This research prompted the Clean Air Act and its Amendments, which regulated air pollution, driving sulfur levels in atmospheric deposition down to low levels today. "It seemed like the sulfur story was over," said Eve-Lyn Hinckley, assistant professor of environmental studies at University of Colorado, Boulder, and lead author of the study. "But our analysis shows that sulfur applications to croplands in the US and elsewhere are often ten times higher than the peak sulfur load in acid rain. No one has looked comprehensively at the environmental and human health consequences of these additions." Sulfur is a naturally occurring element that exists primarily in stable, geologic forms and is an important plant nutrient. Through mining activities, including fossil fuel extraction as well as synthesis of fertilizers and pesticides, sulfur is brought into air, land, and water systems. It can react quickly, and, as decades of research on acid rain showed, affect ecosystem health and the cycling of toxic metals that pose a danger to wildlife and people.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-agriculture-fossil-fuels-largest-human.html
     
         
      The U.S. Needs to Address Its Climate Migration Problem Mon, 10th Aug 2020 13:03:00
     
      It's time for Congress to get serious about helping them find higher ground, federal auditors say in a blunt assessment of the government's scattershot approach to what could become the largest U.S. migration since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In a61-page reportissued yesterday, the Government Accountability Office said Congress should consider a pilot program "to identify and provide assistance to climate migration projects for communities that express affirmative interest in relocation as a resilience strategy." While retreat and relocation strategies have foundered at the federal level, Congress has continued to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in disaster assistance to rebuild communities where they are, even as they face growing climate risk. The federal government also needs to account for the disproportionate effect of climate disasters on poor and disadvantaged communities that have fewer resources. Weber of NRDC agreed but also cautioned that the government needs to support a variety of risk mitigation strategies, including home buyouts and restoration of natural floodplains. That's especially true for communities that are tightly bound to their locations for economic, cultural or religious reasons. Anna Weber, a policy analyst and expert on climate change adaptation and resilience with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the report offers an opportunity to rethink the government's role in climate adaptation. But, she added, "The federal government has a really horrific history of trying to move people from place to place. This may be one of the first times a federal report has come saying let's try to do it right."
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-u-s-needs-to-address-its-climate-migration-problem/
     
         
      New method to calculate solar irradiation on rear side of bifacial panels Mon, 10th Aug 2020 12:58:00
     
      Researchers have announced a new technique that is a modified version of the isotropic diffuse model. The scientists said that the technique can be applied to any kind of PV project or site conditions, without the need for high computational power. They started to modify the model by treating the rear side as the front side. They did this by taking the complementary angle of the tilt angle as the real tilt angle. The second modification involved altering the ratio of beam irradiation on the rear side of the bifacial panels. The researchers said the difference between irradiation on the bottom, middle, and top parts of the panel’s rear side was crucial in the modeling approach. The model was tested via two different statistical models – the mean bias error and the root mean square error.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/10/new-method-to-calculate-solar-irradiation-on-rear-side-of-bifacial-panels/
     
         
      Air pollution could be making honey bees sick – new study Mon, 10th Aug 2020 12:53:00
     
      Whether it’s exhaust fumes from cars or smoke from power plants, air pollution is an often invisible threat that is a leading cause of death worldwide. If air pollution can harm human health in so many different ways, it makes sense that other animals suffer from it too. Airborne pollutants affect all kinds of life, even insects. In highly polluted areas of Serbia, for instance, researchers found pollutants lingering on the bodies of European honeybees. If air pollution can harm human health in so many different ways, it makes sense that other animals suffer from it too. Airborne pollutants affect all kinds of life, even insects. In highly polluted areas of Serbia, for instance, researchers found pollutants lingering on the bodies of European honeybees. India is one of the world’s largest producers of fruit and vegetables. Essential to that success are pollinator species like the giant Asian honey bee.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/air-pollution-could-be-making-honey-bees-sick-new-study-144155
     
         
      Is this the end for ‘king coal’ in Britain? Sun, 9th Aug 2020 16:22:00
     
      Britain achieved an unlikely status as a power provider last year. Its annual consumption of coal plunged to the lowest level in 250 years. According to figures released last week, a mere 8 million tonnes were incinerated in UK factories and power plants. That is roughly the same amount that was burned nationally in 1769, when James Watt was patenting his modified steam engine. That invention helped to spark the Industrial Revolution and triggered a massive rise in annual coal use in Britain, which soared to well over 200 million tonnes by the mid-20th century. Now levels have plummeted back to their original pre-revolution state. King coal – once the undisputed ruler of British industry – has finally been dethroned. It has been an extraordinary transformation. Britain evolved into a world power thanks to its use of coal. It was the first western nation to mine it and burn it on a large scale, and it was the first to fill its cities with polluted smog, factories and power plants as a result. Coal runs along a deep, dark vein through British history. “For centuries, Britain led the world in coal production,” says Barbara Freese in her book about the dark stuff, Coal: A Human History. “It triggered the Industrial Revolution and created an industrial society the likes of which the world had never seen.” Or, as George Orwell put it in his 1937 essay, Down the Mine: “Civilisation … is founded on coal. The machines that keep us alive, and the machines that make machines, are all directly or indirectly dependent upon coal.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/09/is-this-the-end-for-king-coal-in-britain
     
         
      BP boss admits 'socially challenged' fossil fuel industry is seen as 'bad' as he vows to slash production by 40% in drive to become carbon neutral by 2050 Sun, 9th Aug 2020 16:19:00
     
      BP's chief executive admits he understands why fossil fuels are not socially accepted and reiterated his pledge to make his firm a net zero carbon company by 2050. Bernard Looney, 49, who took on the role at the oil and gas giant in February, said he knew that the industry is perceived as 'bad' and had 'a challenge... with trust.' Last year alone, BP was responsible for 415 million tons of carbon emissions, taking into consideration the emissions produced by customers burning its fuel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8608891/BP-boss-admits-fossil-fuel-industry-seen-bad-vows-slash-production-40.html
     
         
      Germany’s ‘very, very tough’ climate battle Sun, 9th Aug 2020 16:18:00
     
      BERLIN — EU leaders last week agreed to increase the bloc's 2030 climate target by the end of the year. Now it's up to German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze to make it happen. That's a big change for Berlin, which has traditionally been wary of higher EU climate targets. Germany holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, which means Schulze chairs meetings of environment ministers until the end of December. She'll have to oversee tricky negotiations on raising the bloc’s 2030 emissions reduction goal from 40 percent to as high as 55 percent — something that pits rich countries against poor and East against West. "We have to deliver an updated [EU climate commitment] in 2020. It's only six months [but] we have to deliver," Schulze told POLITICO from her Berlin office after hosting a first informal meeting with her peers in mid-July. "The pressure is huge ... We need very, very tough negotiations. There are no summer holidays for anyone."
       
      Full Article: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/09/germany-climate-change-goals-393035
     
         
      Are Oil Majors Giving Up On Guyana? Sun, 9th Aug 2020 16:15:00
     
      Guyana has become one of the main upstream stars of the past decade, rising from zero to hero in less than 5 years. Much of Guyana’s rise to prominence took place as its first and largest offshore discovery, the Liza field, was commissioned in late 2019. As attentive Oilprice readers already pointed out, with the passing of time Guyana is starting to look and act more Latin American as resource nationalism is holding sway over its politics. This is in and of itself not unreasonable, yet in COVID-impacted times when CAPEX cuts are omnipresent, it might be a bit inopportune. Hence, as Guyana learns to live under a new presidential administration, Guyana’s bright hydrocarbon future has started to run against its first structural challenges. The first warning bell came in the form of a Rystad Energy report which stated that Guyana risks losing a whopping 1.5 billion in revenues if ExxonMobil, the operator of the Stabroek Block, decides to postpone the Payara project by one year, from the initially assumed commissioning date of 2023 to 2024. Concerns about forthcoming projects being delayed did not emerge out of a clear sky, in May the US major warned that the elections helter-skelter had resulted in a significant slowing down of government approvals, jeopardizing the Payara development plan. Rystad currently estimates that Payara would come onstream in 2024, with the sanctioning date slipping half a year into H1 2021. This means that all projects assumed to be launched after Payara (Snoek, Talbot, Ranger, Jethro-Lobe etc.) in the mid-2020s might see further delays down the line.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Are-Oil-Majors-Giving-Up-On-Guyana.html
     
         
      What Trump got wrong by pushing coal Sun, 9th Aug 2020 16:08:00
     
      While campaigning in Columbus, Ohio, in March 2016, Hillary Clinton said something that she later cited as the comment she “regret[s] the most” from her presidential run. Clinton announced that she would put coal miners and companies out of business if she became president. Her comments likely cost her significant support across the coal-mining states of Ohio, Kentucky, Wyoming, Montana and Pennsylvania. In the end, it wasn’t Clinton who put the hurt on coal country but instead the rapidly declining costs of renewable energy, especially solar and wind, uber-cheap natural gas and an array of states and cities with ambitious climate change action plans requiring sharp reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Four years ago, the writing was on the wall: Saving coal would require disregarding the market and reversing the plans towards decarbonization. Over the course of Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. has remained the world’s premiere oil and gas producer. But coal has continued to struggle. Bringing back coal in the United States was not something that could be achieved by executive decree.
       
      Full Article: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/511198-what-trump-got-wrong-by-pushing-coal
     
         
      German North Sea Outpost Heligoland Hopes for Green Hydrogen Boom - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 9th Aug 2020 15:53:00
     
      Germany’s remote North Sea island Heligoland is hoping for a rapid increase in green hydrogen production with offshore wind power, news agency dpa reports in an article carried by RTL Online. The small island located about 60 kilometres off the German coast has already benefitted from the boom in offshore wind power production in recent years and now sees an even bigger opportunity with the production of the climate-neutral synthetic gas. “In ten years, green hydrogen from the North Sea will be a normality and a pillar of the national hydrogen strategy,” said Heligoland’s mayor, Jörg Singer, following a meeting with government representatives. Several companies bundled in the Aquaventus initiative plan to build H2 electrolysis installations with a capacity of up to 10 gigawatts in the North Sea in the future, which would then be distributed by a new grid network that also includes artificial hub islands, in which Heligoland also plays a key role. In a first step, the island could install capacity to produce up to 2,500 tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2025, the article says.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/german-north-sea-outpost-heligoland-hopes-for-green-hydrogen-boom/
     
         
      Global warming is having a costly, and dangerous, impact on key military bases in Alaska Sun, 9th Aug 2020 15:53:00
     
      EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska –– When warming temperatures melted the frozen ground under the munitions repair facility here years ago, the foundation shifted, causing deep cracks to spread across the thick concrete walls. Over time, the repair bay for missiles and other explosives began to separate from the floor, forcing the 12-foot blast-proof doors out of alignment so they could not be properly closed, according to Defense Department documents and interviews with base construction officials. Then the entire facility, built on a sloping hillside and hidden in a patch of dense trees, started slowly sliding toward the base of 10,000 people working and living below. In Alaska, it is not only wildlife and native communities that are deeply affected by warming temperatures, but also Cold War-era U.S. military bases. Once facing closure, some of these bases, like Eielson, have become strategically important again for their proximity to Russia, China and North Korea and the vast Arctic resources that global warming has made accessible to competing nations for the first time. “Alaska is the most strategic place in the world,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, said this spring in a statement announcing the arrival of the first two F-35 fighter jets among the two squadrons of planes to be based here, near the North Pole. The detrimental effect of global warming is pushing up the cost of ongoing operations at three of Alaska’s four major U.S. military bases: Eielson, Fort Wainwright and Clear Air Force Base. All are located in the warming south-central swath of Alaska where patchwork or “discontinuous” permafrost exists and is prone to melting.
       
      Full Article: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/impact-of-melting-permafrost-on-three-military-installations-in-alaska/
     
         
      Green roads revolution ‘adding to pollution and risk of childhood asthma’ Sun, 9th Aug 2020 13:42:00
     
      Claims scheme to promote 'new era for cycling and walking' has increased or merely shifted traffic congestion
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/08/green-roads-revolution-adding-pollution-risk-childhood-asthma/
     
         
      Mauritius oil spill: Locals scramble to contain environmental damage Sun, 9th Aug 2020 13:14:00
     
      Volunteers in Mauritius are scrambling to create cordons to keep leaking oil from a ship away from the island. The MV Wakashio, believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July. Locals are making absorbent barriers of straw stuffed into fabric sacks in an attempt to contain and absorb the oil. Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy. Images posted online by local media show volunteers collecting straw from fields and filling sacks to make barriers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53713391
     
         
      Don’t rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate Sun, 9th Aug 2020 12:25:00
     
      There is global interest in the potential for a hydrogen economy, in part driven by a concern over climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuels. A hydrogen economy could tap Australia’s abundant solar and wind energy resources, and provides a way to store and transport energy. We must know more about this risk before we dive headlong into the hydrogen transition. In the atmosphere, ozone and water vapour react with sunlight to produce what are known as hydroxyl radicals. These powerful oxidants react with and help remove other chemicals released into the atmosphere via natural and human processes. Hydrogen reacts with hydroxyl radicals and, in doing so, reduces their concentration. Any hydrogen leaked into the atmosphere – such as during production, transport or at the point of use – could cause this reaction. A hydrogen-based energy future may likely provide an attractive option in the quest for a zero-carbon economy. But all aspects of the hydrogen option should be considered in an holistic and evidence-based assessment.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/dont-rush-into-a-hydrogen-economy-until-we-know-all-the-risks-to-our-climate-140433
     
         
      Don’t rush into a hydrogen economy until we know all the risks to our climate Sun, 9th Aug 2020 12:25:00
     
      There is global interest in the potential for a hydrogen economy, in part driven by a concern over climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuels. A hydrogen economy could tap Australia’s abundant solar and wind energy resources, and provides a way to store and transport energy. We must know more about this risk before we dive headlong into the hydrogen transition. In the atmosphere, ozone and water vapour react with sunlight to produce what are known as hydroxyl radicals. These powerful oxidants react with and help remove other chemicals released into the atmosphere via natural and human processes. Hydrogen reacts with hydroxyl radicals and, in doing so, reduces their concentration. Any hydrogen leaked into the atmosphere – such as during production, transport or at the point of use – could cause this reaction. A hydrogen-based energy future may likely provide an attractive option in the quest for a zero-carbon economy. But all aspects of the hydrogen option should be considered in an holistic and evidence-based assessment.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/dont-rush-into-a-hydrogen-economy-until-we-know-all-the-risks-to-our-climate-140433
     
         
      Can Renewable Biomass Power a Coal Plant? Sat, 8th Aug 2020 15:50:00
     
      In the prevailing quest for low emission renewable energy sources, a classic is making its way back into the mix. Man has been burning wood to cook food and keep warm for thousands of years, but wood and other forms of biomass lost favor in generating energy as fossil fuels like coal and oil powered the industrial revolution forward. Now, energy companies are rethinking biomass as perhaps a more desirable alternative in terms of emissions and regenerative capacity to run coal fired power plants. United States utilities giant Dominion is actively planning to convert three of its aging Virginia coal plants to run on waste biomass sourced from local timber operations. The switch would boost the state of Virginia’s renewable capacity by 150 MW and increase the efficiency of two of the plants, allowing operation 90 percent of the day versus 25 percent while fueled with coal. "The converted units will provide low-cost, renewable, base load energy, while promoting economic development through the use of a locally produced fuel," says Dominion Generation CEO David Christian. In fact, Dominion’s transition to biomass from coal would create 250 direct and indirect jobs and cost ratepayers only 14 cents per month. There are several reasons to make the switch to biomass. Economically, waste biomass can be significantly cheaper than coal, especially if the source is relatively nearby the power plant, thus reducing transportation costs. Also, EPA mercury and air toxin regulations currently exclude biomass, and with coal power under the regulators’ microscope, an energy source with less regulation is an obvious attraction to businesses. However, if biomass were substituted for coal on a nationwide scale, it is safe to assume that the regulations would catch up quickly.
       
      Full Article: https://www.energydigital.com/renewable-energy/can-renewable-biomass-power-coal-plant
     
         
      A haunting meditation on climate change in Iceland Sat, 8th Aug 2020 14:45:00
     
      On Time and Water. By Andri Snaer Magnason. Translated by Lytton Smith. Serpent’s Tail; 352 pages; £16.99. To be published in America by Open Letter in March 2021; $26. IN AUGUST 2019 an extraordinary plaque was unveiled at Borgarfjordur, in western Iceland. It commemorates Okjökull, the first of the country’s glaciers to be completely lost to climate change. Okjökull was declared “dead” in 2014, when it was no longer thick enough to flow across the landscape, as it had done for centuries. Framed as “A letter to the future”, the plaque reads (in Icelandic and English):
       
      Full Article: https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/08/08/a-haunting-meditation-on-climate-change-in-iceland
     
         
      MV Wakashio: Mauritius declares emergency as stranded ship leaks oil Sat, 8th Aug 2020 12:28:00
     
      The island nation of Mauritius has declared a "state of environmental emergency" after a vessel offshore began leaking oil into the ocean. MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July and its crew was evacuated. But the large bulk carrier has since begun leaking tons of fuel into the surrounding waters. France has pledged support and the ship's owner said it was working to combat the spill. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared the state of emergency late on Friday. He said the nation did not have "the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships" as he appealed to France for help. The French island of Reunion lies near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of the nation's economy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53702877
     
         
      Solar tile with passive cooling Fri, 7th Aug 2020 16:55:00
     
      Researchers from Australia’s Western Sydney University have created a solar tile that includes phase-change materials (PCM) with a cooling function. They built the device by attaching 12.5 × 12.5 mm monocrystalline solar cells to a mortar roof tile that was doped with the PCM. To avoid leakage issues, they created a form-stable PCM by encapsulating methyl stearate (MeSA), which is often used as an antifoaming agent and fermentation nutrient, into diatomite, which is a very fine-grained siliceous sedimentary rock used as a filtration medium. “In making the roof tiles, the form-stable PCM was directly mixed into the mortar to enhance its thermal mass,” the scientists said. “After the roof tile was demoulded, PV cells were bonded to its top surface and then protected with a glass cover.” They then mixed the PCM with fine sand, cement and water to build an 11 mm tile. The 17%-efficient solar cells were bonded to the tile through epoxy adhesive and then covered with another adhesive layer before installing the protective glass. The thermal performance of the device was compared to that of a roof tile with no PV devices and a conventional solar tile with no passive cooling. Type-T thermocouples were used to measure the temperature of the three tiles at both the top and the bottom of their surface, while an Apogee pyranometer was used to measure solar irradiance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/07/solar-tile-with-passive-cooling/
     
         
      Weatherwatch: floating wind farms – the power source of the future Fri, 7th Aug 2020 13:46:00
     
      Offshore wind farm potential is enormous. They are no longer limited to shallow water but can operate from anchored rafts - and the size and output of the turbines keeps increasing. Less than a decade ago turbines of three megawatts (MW) were the new giants – now the industry is installing 10mMW machines, and designs for 15 to 20MW are ready. The newest turbines will be 150 metres high with a rotor diameter of 240 metres – that is the length of more than two football pitches. But it is the development of the floating platform that provides a potential new power source for any country in the world with a coastline. With the wind offshore blowing more strongly and consistently, particularly at the height of the new turbines, the electricity produced will be competitive in price to fossil fuels and well below nuclear. Once mainly a European development there are now bigger markets in Asia and soon the United States. Theoretically if enough of these turbines were built they could produce all the planet’s electricity needs. That will not happen but it is cheering that this is the world’s fastest growing industry. Despite Covid, massive investments continue in both the well-established technology of shallow sea wind farms and the new wonder of the age, the floating wind farm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/aug/07/weatherwatch-floating-wind-farms-the-power-source-of-the-future
     
         
      China poised to power huge growth in global offshore wind energy Fri, 7th Aug 2020 13:15:00
     
      The world’s offshore windfarm capacity could grow eightfold by the end of the decade powered by a clean energy surge led by China, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). As well as a green economic recovery, the report found that every 1GW of offshore wind helped to avoid 3.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and contributing to the climate crisis. The offshore market has grown on average by almost a quarter every year since 2013, led by a flurry of new projects in European waters, which hold 75% of the world’s offshore wind farms. “Over the coming decade we will see emerging offshore wind markets like Japan, Korea and Vietnam move to full deployment, and see the first offshore turbines installed in a number of new countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa,” Backwell added. The UK held the top spot for the largest market for offshore wind at the end of last year with 9.7GW in operation, followed by Germany with 7.5GW and China with 6.8GW. But by the end of the decade China is expected to host more than a fifth of the world’s offshore wind turbines, equating to 52GW, while the UK tally climbs to 40.3GW.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/05/china-poised-to-power-huge-growth-in-global-offshore-wind-energy
     
         
      Canada's last intact Arctic ice shelf has collapsed Fri, 7th Aug 2020 13:12:00
     
      The last fully intact ice shelf in Canada has collapsed into the Arctic Ocean. It took just a couple of days for the shelf to lose nearly half of its area, scientists said Friday, sending large ice islands out into the ocean. The 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf, located at the edge of Ellesmere Island in the northern territory of Nunavut, collapsed at the end of last month, researchers announced this week. It lost 43% of its area in just two days. "Above normal air temperatures, offshore winds and open water in front of the ice shelf are all part of the recipe for ice shelf break up," The Canadian Ice Service said. "This drastic decline in ice shelves is clearly related to climate change," Luke Copland, a glaciologist at the University of Ottawa, said in a statement. "This summer has been up to 5°C warmer than the average over the period from 1981 to 2010, and the region has been warming at two to three times the global rate. The Milne and other ice shelves in Canada are simply not viable any longer and will disappear in the coming decades."
       
      Full Article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-last-intact-arctic-milne-ice-shelf-collapse-climate-change/
     
         
      Researchers warn of climate repercussions if Brazilian highway through the Amazon is paved Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:58:00
     
      A pair of researchers with the National Institute for Research in Amazonia has posted an open letter in the journal Science warning of the negative repercussions of resuming paving of a road through a part of the Amazon. In their letter, Lucas Ferrante and Philip Martin Fearnside suggest that resumption of paving will lead to releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further contributing to global warming. Back in 1973, the Brazilian army built a road through part of the Amazon rainforest—called BR-319, it was subsequently abandoned in 1988. The army paved just a small portion of the highway, leaving the rest plain dirt—it runs from Porto Velho, a town in a part of the rainforest that has already been deforested, to Manaus, which lies very deep in pristine parts of the Amazon. The highway is currently used by farmers, ranchers, squatters and Indigenous people. This past June, officials with Brazil's government announced that it had initiated plans for paving the rest of the highway. In their letter, Ferrante and Fearnside suggest that doing so without conducting an environmental impact assessment would be a mistake. They note that paving the highway would involve cutting down more trees because a highway would be much wider than a simple dirt road—they estimate that 138,000 square acres would be deforested. They further note that such deforestation would lead to the release of massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making it more difficult for the world to head off global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-climate-repercussions-brazilian-highway-amazon.html
     
         
      Friday Fallback: GP JOULE Commissions Largest German Hydrogen Mobility Project the eFarm Project Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:54:00
     
      Reußenköge–North Frisian pioneers: Green hydrogen production by the largest German hydrogen mobility project eFarm, initiated by GP JOULE, Reußenköge, goes into operation. In keeping with this important event for the energy turnaround, none other than Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, inaugurated the groundbreaking showcase project. The ribbon was cut by Jan Philipp Albrecht, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister for Energy Turnaround, Agriculture, Environment, Nature and Digitalisation, and the two founders of the GP JOULE Group, Ove Petersen (CEO) and Heinrich Gärtner (CTO). Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer: “Here you can see how our hydrogen strategy put into practice perfectly – from green, wind-powered electricity generation to the development of comprehensive infrastructure. With the aim of achieving cleaner, climate-friendly mobility.” Astrid Damerow, MdB, Florian Lorenzen, District Administrator of the North Frisia District, the former District President Heinz Maurus and the representatives of the 19 eFarm shareholders were also enthusiastic about the innovative concept which has now been implemented. “We are now finally combining the generation of wind and solar power with regional energy consumption. This creates added value and jobs and also promotes acceptance of the energy turnaround,” says Ove Petersen, underlining the enormous potential for the future.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/friday-fallback-gp-joule-commissions-largest-german-hydrogen-mobility-project-the-efarm-project/
     
         
      BP To Sell Oil And Gas Assets Even If Prices Rebound Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:48:00
     
      BP will sell oil and gas assets to fund its ambitious low-carbon strategy even if prices improve, three unnamed sources told Reuters. A tenfold increase in investments in low carbon businesses to some $5 billion annually is among BP’s new strategic priorities for the next ten years as the supermajor shifts away from its core business and aims to become a net-zero company by 2050. In addition to the sizeable increase in low-carbon investments, BP will also suspend all future oil and gas exploration in new countries and shrink its production of hydrocarbons by 40 percent by 2030, chief executive Bernard Looney said in a LinkedIn post earlier this week. In June, the supermajor revised down its long-term projection for Brent crude to $55 a barrel for the period between 2021 and 2050 and said it would base its investment appraisal plans on that price level. The company also reported upstream exploration writeoffs of $6.5 billion for the second quarter, as it had warned in June, on the back of the oil price collapse and the coronavirus pandemic. Besides the writeoffs, BP’s price assumption revision meant that some $17.5 billion worth of assets became stranded, or unviable under current prices. But even if prices recover to $65 or $70 a barrel, BP will not be using them, the Reuters source said; it will sell them.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/BP-To-Sell-Oil-And-Gas-Assets-Even-If-Prices-Rebound.html
     
         
      Climate change: UK peat emissions could cancel forest benefits Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:44:00
     
      Emissions from UK peatland could cancel out all carbon reduction achieved through new and existing forests, warns the countryside charity CPRE. It says many degraded peatlands are actually increasing carbon emissions. Yet, it says, there has been much more focus from the government and media on forests than on peat bogs. The government’s advisory committee on climate change told BBC News that it agreed with the conclusions of the analysis. Both that committee and the CPRE are urging more ambitious action to protect and enhance peatlands. A peat bog is a Jekyll and Hyde thing. A wet, pristine peat bog soaks up CO2 and, unlike trees, has no limit to the amount of carbon it captures. Trees only capture CO2 until they are mature. But a dry, degraded bog – like many in England’s uplands – is a big source of CO2 as the carbon in the bog oxidises.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53684047
     
         
      Climate change: Lockdown has 'negligible' effect on temperatures Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:32:00
     
      The dramatic drop in greenhouse gases and air pollutants seen during the global lockdown will have little impact on our warming planet say scientists. Their new analysis suggests that by 2030, global temperatures will only be 0.01C lower than expected. But the authors stress that the nature of the recovery could significantly alter the longer term outlook. A strong green stimulus could keep the world from exceeding 1.5C of warming by the middle of this century. Previous studies have already established that there were significant changes to greenhouse gas emissions as transport systems shut down around the world in response to the pandemic. Global daily emissions of CO2 fell by 17% at the peak of the crisis. The new study builds on these findings by using global mobility data from Google and Apple. Prof Piers Forster from the University of Leeds, who led the study, worked with his daughter Harriet on the research, when her A-Level exams were cancelled. With other researchers, they calculated how 10 different greenhouse gases and air pollutants changed between February and June 2020 in 123 countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53681096
     
         
      Mont Blanc: Glacier collapse risk forces Italy Alps evacuation Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:31:00
     
      talian authorities have evacuated about 75 people, mostly tourists, from an Alpine valley as huge blocks of ice threaten to crash down from a glacier. Planpincieux glacier, in the Mont Blanc massif, has weakened because of intense summer heat alternating with night-time cold. It lies above Val Ferret valley, near Courmayeur ski resort. A local environmental risk expert said the fragile ice could fall at any time. The threatening glacier section is about the size of Milan cathedral. The risk manager, Valerio Segor, said "the water flowing underneath can, in fact, act as a slide" and they faced "the risk of immediate collapse". The fragile 500,000 cubic metres (18m cu ft) of glacier is being monitored with aerial photography and radar. Roads leading to Val Ferret, a popular area for hikers, have been closed off. A similar alert and evacuation took place last September, because of the unusually hot Alpine summer, attributed to global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53692476
     
         
      Coronavirus severely restricts Antarctic science Fri, 7th Aug 2020 12:30:00
     
      The British Antarctic Survey is scaling back its research in the polar south because of coronavirus. Only essential teams will head back to the continent as it emerges from winter and virtually all science in the deep field has been postponed for a year. This includes all work on the huge, and rapidly melting, Thwaites Glacier, which has been the focus of a major joint study with the Americans. BAS says it doesn't have the capacity to treat people if they get sick. And in consultation with international partners this past week, very strict procedures will now be put in place to keep the virus out of Antarctica. "No nation has the medical facilities to deal with people who are seriously ill," explained BAS director Prof Dame Jane Francis. "Everybody is taking very strong precautionary measures to make sure that any activity in Antarctica this year is as safe as possible," she told BBC News.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53699681
     
         
      South Africa tightens restrictions for new coal power in ‘landmark’ ruling Thu, 6th Aug 2020 16:48:00
     
      South Africa is tightening environmental demands for new coal-fired power plants, after what campaigners called a ‘landmark’ ruling that licences for water use should consider the risks of climate change. Global warming is projected to lead to increased droughts and stress on water supplies in South Africa, which generates about 90% of its electricity from coal, one of the highest rates in the world. The nation’s Water Tribunal in Pretoria upheld an appeal by environmental campaigners to scrap two water use licences granted in 2017 by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation to Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power for the development of the 600MW capacity Khanyisa coal-fired power station. groundWork, the environmental justice group which made the successful appeal, this week hailed the little-noticed 21 July ruling as a landmark in the fight against coal and global warming. “The landmark aspect is that for the first time climate change is specifically confirmed to be a ‘relevant factor’ to be taken into account when considering a water use licence application,” Michelle Koyama, attorney at the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), which acted on behalf of groundWork, told Climate Home News on Thursday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/08/06/south-africa-tightens-restrictions-new-coal-power-landmark-ruling/
     
         
      Nautical not nice: how fibreglass boats have become a global pollution problem Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:54:00
     
      Fibreglass fuelled a boating boom. But now dumped and ageing craft are breaking up, releasing toxins and microplastics across the world. As a marine biologist, I am increasingly aware that the casual disposal of boats made out of fibreglass is harming our coastal marine life. The problem of end-of-life boat management and disposal has gone global, and some island nations are even worried about their already overstretched landfill. The strength and durability of fibreglass transformed the boating industry and made it possible to mass produce small leisure craft.However, boats that were built in the fibreglass boom of the 1960s and 1970s are now dying. Most boats currently head to landfill. However, many are also disposed of at sea, usually by simply drilling a hole in the hull and leaving it to sink someplace offshore. Recently, scientists have investigated the damage to mangrove, seagrass and coral habitats and although the effects have only been recorded on a relatively localised basis for now, the cumulative effect of abandoned boats may increase exponentially in the coming years. Since no registration is needed for leisure vessels, the boats are often dumped once the cost of disposal exceeds the resale value, becoming the liability of the unlucky landowner. Human health hazards arise from chemicals or materials used in the boat: rubber, plastic, wood, metal, textiles and of course oil. Those microparticles are the resins holding the fibreglass together and contain phthalates, a massive group of chemicals associated with severe human health impacts from ADHD to breast cancer, obesity and male fertility issues. Abandoned boats are now a common sight on many estuaries and beaches, leaking heavy metals, microglass and phthalates: we really must start paying attention to the hazard they pose to human health and the threats to local ecology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/06/nautical-not-nice-how-fibreglass-boats-have-become-a-global-pollution-problem
     
         
      Trump Administration Pivots To Nuclear Energy, Finds Lever Against China, Russia Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:52:00
     
      Expanding U.S. commercial nuclear power abroad could become the Trump administration’s strongest lever against Chinese hegemony and Russian expansion in the global market. The U.S. Department of Energy, which is leading the national initiative, is on an aggressive timeline—five to seven years—to bring new advanced nuclear reactors for electric power to the international market. A senior Energy Department official told Forbes it’s a matter of national security. China and Russia’s aggressive plans to expand into the global nuclear energy sector pose a “significant risk” to “the U.S. economy, energy security, foreign policy, and national security, as well as that of allies,” said Dr. Rita Baranwal, DOE’s Assistant Secretary in its Office of Nuclear Energy. “The U.S. is losing its competitive global position as the world leader in nuclear energy to state-owned enterprises of Russia and China that underbid Western competitors.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dipkabhambhani/2020/08/07/trump-administration-pivots-to-nuclear-energy-finds-lever-against-china-russia/#9e98d3247b15
     
         
      Bristol Airport to appeal against rejected expansion plans Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:47:00
     
      Bristol Airport's operators have confirmed they will appeal a decision to refuse its expansion plan. Airport bosses want to build a new car park and transport hub to boost the number of travellers from 10 to 12m a year. North Somerset Council rejected the application in February saying it would be harmful to the environment. A spokesman for the Stop Bristol Airport Expansion campaign described the appeal as a “slap in the face”. The council said it will defend its position “vigorously”. Bristol Airport said opting to reject the planning application was contrary to the recommendation of its own planning officers. The decision will now move to a national level and will be made by an independent planning inspector, or, if the appeal is recovered, by the Government. Councillors at North Somerset had refused Bristol Airport’s expansion application by 18 votes to seven. The application had some 8,800 objections from members of the public and 2,400 messages of support.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-53682129
     
         
      Global Natural Gas Demand Set For Long-Term Growth After COVID Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:27:00
     
      The world’s consumption of natural gas is set to decline by 4 percent this year, but global demand will return to growth after the pandemic, thanks to low natural gas prices and stricter environmental policies, a new report showed on Thursday. The Global Gas Report 2020 – published by the International Gas Union (IGU), research company BloombergNEF (BNEF), and Italian gas infrastructure firm Snam – says that the trend of increased natural gas demand due to environmental concerns, which was already underway before the pandemic, will continue after COVID-19 is under control. The International Energy Agency (IEA) also sees global natural gas demand dropping by 4 percent in 2020, which would be the largest demand shock for gas markets in recorded history, with consumption of natural gas expected to drop by twice the amount it did after the 2008 financial crisis. The cost-competitiveness of natural gas and the increased access to gas in developing countries are set to be the key drivers of higher gas demand in the medium term, especially for liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Global Gas Report 2020 found. Global LNG imports could return to their 2019 level quickly, as soon as in 2021, depending on the persistence and longevity of the pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Global-Natural-Gas-Demand-Set-For-Long-Term-Growth-After-COVID.html
     
         
      Sembcorp Commissions 800 Megawatts Of Wind Power Projects In India Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:24:00
     
      Sembcorp Energy India Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries, has announced completion of its 800 MW wind energy projects in India. The wind projects were awarded to Sembcorp under the first, second, and third auctions conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The company was awarded 250 megawatts of wind capacity under the first SECI auction, whereas 250 megawatts and 300 megawatts, respectively, were awarded to the company under the second and third SECI auctions. With the commissioning of its 300 MW wind project, the company has become the first independent wind energy producer to commission the entire capacity awarded under all three auctions of SECI. It is also has the largest operational wind portfolio under the SECI auctions. Last year, Sembcorp Industries infused Rs 251 crore (US$33.5 million) in its Indian subsidiary Sembcorp Energy India to enable the latter to implement these projects. The 250 megawatt project under the first auction was installed in the Chandragiri district of Tamil Nadu. The other two projects of 250 megawatts and 300 megawatts under the second and third SECI auctions were commissioned in the Bhuj district of Gujarat.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/06/sembcorp-commissions-800-megawatts-of-wind-power-projects-in-india/
     
         
      In tackling the global climate crisis, doom and optimism are both dangerous traps Thu, 6th Aug 2020 12:20:00
     
      The environmental crisis is one of the most serious and pressing issues facing the world today. But a discourse sharply divided between doom and dismissal risks obstructing climate action, rather than motivating it. When we try to project how the climate might change in the future, we confront three big uncertainties: how much greenhouse gases humans will emit, how the accumulation of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere might change as a result, and how sensitive atmospheric temperatures are to this. Feedbacks may also be important. Today, about half of our CO2 emissions are absorbed by the oceans and land vegetation, but this could weaken as the oceans become warmer, and as drier soils, more frequent fires and thawing permafrost result in more CO2 being released. Many of these processes are included in our climate models, but it is still unclear how fast these changes will occur and what the overall effect on the build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere will be. Though most of the challenges we overcome as a species are not existential risks, they are nonetheless critically important. We see a real risk that dwelling on doom may serve to obstruct climate action rather than motivating it, promoting fatalism and further polarisation. There is also evidence that fear is not a very effective tool to engage people around the climate. But dismissing the severity of climate impacts and the real possibility of worst-case outcomes is also an extremely dangerous gamble. The risks are serious enough, and we need a common understanding of the urgent need to tackle them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/06/global-climate-crisis-doom-optimism-emergency
     
         
      EGEB: BP to cut fossil fuel production and invest billions in green energy Wed, 5th Aug 2020 16:56:00
     
      BP and renewables In February, Electrek reported that fossil-fuel giant BP announced that it will become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner. One objective it said it would pursue is to “increase the proportion of investment into non-oil and gas businesses over time.” BP also said it would restructure, and in June, CEO Bernard Looney announced it would cut 15% of its workforce, or 10,000 jobs. Electrek reported that the decision was due to the coronavirus impact on the economy, and Looney’s plan to shift the fossil-fuel company to green energy. After a huge second-quarter loss of $16.8 billion and dividend cut of 50% to 5.25 cents, BP announced that it will cut oil and gas production by at least 1 million barrels a day by 2030, a 40% reduction on 2019 levels, and invest up to $5 billion a year into green energy. CNN reports: BP’s plan to pivot away from oil after a century of exploration will involve major investments into bioenergy, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. It is also targeting 70,000 electric vehicle charging points, up from 7,500 at present. At the same time, BP will reduce its oil and gas refining portfolio and aims to raise $25 billion by selling assets over the next five years. Looney said the move toward green energy is in the long-term interest of its stakeholders. Mel Evans, senior climate campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: BP has woken up to the immediate need to cut carbon emissions this decade. Slashing oil and gas production and investing in renewable energy is what Shell and the rest of the oil industry needs to do for the world to stand a chance of meeting our global climate targets. BP must go further, and needs to account for or ditch its share in Russian oil company, Rosneft. But this is a necessary and encouraging start.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/08/05/egeb-bp-fossil-fuels-green-energy-uk-architects-buildings/
     
         
      Don't demolish old buildings, urge architects Wed, 5th Aug 2020 13:27:09
     
      Footage of buildings being flattened in a noisy demolition may be a popular feature of local TV news reports, but architects say such structures should be protected - to fight climate change. They say property owners should be incentivised to upgrade draughty buildings, not just knock them down. That is because so much carbon is emitted by creating the steel, cement and bricks for new buildings. The Architects' Journal has now given evidence to the Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) on the difference between operational emissions from heating and cooling a building and embodied emissions from creating construction materials. It wants the government to change the VAT rules which can make it cheaper to rebuild than to refurbish a standing building. Will Hurst said: “This staggering fact has only been properly grasped in the construction industry relatively recently. We’ve got to stop mindlessly pulling buildings down.” He continued: “It’s crazy that the government actually incentivises practices that create more carbon emissions. Also, if you avoid demolition you make carbon savings right now, which we really need.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53642581
     
         
      Climate change: Satellites find new colonies of Emperor penguins Wed, 5th Aug 2020 13:08:00
     
      The Emperors' whole life cycle is centred around the availability of sea-ice, and if this is diminished in the decades ahead - as the climate models project - then the animals' numbers will be hit hard. The satellites' infrared imagery threw up eight such breeding sites and confirmed the existence of three others that had been mooted in the era before high-resolution space pictures. "It's good news because there are now more penguins than we thought," said BAS remote-sensing specialist Dr Peter Fretwell. They are all in gaps between existing colonies. Emperor groups, it seems, like to keep at least 100km between themselves. The new sites maintain this distancing discipline. Breeding success for Emperors rests upon the presence of so-called "fast ice". This is the sea-ice that sticks to the edge of the continent or to icebergs. It's low and flat, and an ideal surface on which to lay an egg, incubate it and then raise the subsequent chick in its first year of life. But this seasonal ice needs to be long-lived, to stay intact for at least eight or nine months to be useful. At the moment, they are classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organisation that keeps the lists of Earth's endangered animals.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53549299
     
         
      Bird nests attract flying insects and parasites due to higher levels of carbon dioxide Wed, 5th Aug 2020 12:48:00
     
      In a recent study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers examined bird nests in order to understand how insects and parasites detect gases such as carbon dioxide and methane as a way to locate their hosts. The researchers focused on blue tit bird nest boxes located in a deciduous forest in central Spain. They found that the nests contained more biting midges when concentrations of carbon dioxide were higher inside the nest compared to the forest air. With the looming threat of climate change, rising carbon levels will affect every aspect of our ecosystem—from the largest to the smallest organism. "Predictions expect an increase of diseases in northern latitudes due to climate change," he says, "But factors like gas concentrations and temperature may affect the incidence of diseases," as well.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-08-bird-insects-parasites-due-higher.html
     
         
      Low-cost catalysts for hydrogen production Wed, 5th Aug 2020 12:35:00
     
      Researchers in Singapore have taken a deep dive into spinel oxides – a class of materials known to act as a catalyst in the production of hydrogen through water electrolysis. Better understanding of how the materials work enabled the scientists to develop a machine learning model to predict their efficiency. While many analysts believe hydrogen has a vital role to play in the clean energy transition – and commercial applications are already taking shape – the electrolyzers required to produce it from renewable power remain expensive to operate, thanks in part to a need for precious metals to catalyze the chemical reactions that split water into hydrogen and oxygen. With researchers on the hunt for cheaper alternatives, promise has been shown by spinel oxides – materials with a particular crystalline structure. However, understanding about how they work as an electrolysis catalyst is limited. the researchers were able to develop a machine learning model to predict the effectiveness of spinel oxide catalysts. The model highlighted one – based on manganese and aluminum – from a list of more than 300 materials and the group confirmed its superior performance in experiments. NTU said the paper sets mechanical principles for spinel oxides which could extend over a range of applications.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/05/low-cost-catalysts-for-hydrogen-production/
     
         
      Nuclear Fusion Will Not Save Us Wed, 5th Aug 2020 12:23:00
     
      Nuclear scientists are hoping that the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, the experimental power plant under construction in southern France, can play a role alongside already-established technologies like solar and wind. All the nuclear power plants that exist today rely on nuclear fission. ITER, however, will rely on nuclear fusion. The two are dramatically different, and scientists have struggled to recreate nuclear fusion—the process that makes stars shine—in a lab setting. ITER is the world’s first true attempt at this on a large scale. Around the world, 450 nuclear reactors were operating last year, all using nuclear fission, which involves splitting heavy atoms of elements such as uranium and plutonium. The process produces tons of highly radioactive waste, the ingredients to create nuclear weapons, potential instability that could lead to a destructive nuclear meltdown, and other concerning issues.This process also requires uranium. In the U.S., the mining of this resource has contaminated the waters of the Navajo Nation and left countless individuals sick. Advocates worry nuclear power is just another false promise that creates radioactive waste while taking time and money away from developing renewable energy technologies. Nuclear fusion doesn’t create the same level of long-lived radioactive waste as the more popular process of nuclear fission, but it isn’t waste-free, either. “The reason we’re investing in fusion is because the promise is big,” Schuster said. “We’re going to have the benefits of renewables in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, but at the same time, we’re going to reduce the area we need to produce the same amount of energy while eliminating the risk of nuclear accidents and the generation of long-lived radioactive waste.” The construction of ITER certainly does mark a new chapter in the world’s energy sector. It marks a moment of technological breakthrough and scientific accomplishment, but it won’t save us by itself. No new energy source can. At the heart of the climate crisis is human behavior. If we’re to survive it—and, more importantly, solve it—we need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Reducing emissions will require more than finding the perfect clean energy source; it will need a massive shift in human behavior, lowering our emissions through energy efficiency and less consumption.
       
      Full Article: https://earther.gizmodo.com/nuclear-fusion-will-not-save-us-1844605848
     
         
      Recom unveils tri-cut solar panel series Wed, 5th Aug 2020 11:54:00
     
      The Jaguar series, with 20.81% efficiency and 445 W of maximum output, may be a solution for installations with space constraints. The panels are based on a special cell design, which Recom describes as an evolution of the half-cut cell concept. Germany-based PV module manufacturer Recom has released a new panel series based on a tri-cut cell design. It said the new tri-cut design can contribute to a 75% reduction of power losses caused by electrical resistance in the ribbons that connect the panel strings.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/08/05/recom-unveils-tri-cut-solar-panel-series/
     
         
      Wind farms built on carbon-rich peat bogs lose their ability to fight climate change Wed, 5th Aug 2020 11:29:00
     
      Wind power in the UK now accounts for nearly 30% of all electricity production. Land-based wind turbines now produce the cheapest type of energy – and there is no doubt wind farms can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing the fossil fuels that have traditionally been used to generate electricity. In our recent study, we found that wind farms in Spain are being built on rare peat bogs that store vast quantities of planet-warming carbon. Because these habitats are so poorly mapped, there’s a good chance that this mistake is being replicated in many other places throughout Europe, including the UK. Peatlands are a natural carbon sink and, despite covering less than 3% of the Earth’s land surface, they contain 20% of all the carbon stored in soils worldwide. But the most serious risk to these habitats today is wind farms. Unprotected blanket bogs often cover mountain peaks, where there is also great potential for generating wind energy. During wind farm construction, vegetation that helps to trap the carbon is removed to create turbine bases and vehicle access tracks. These tracks create artificial streams that drain the peat and reshape the terrain. Recent research has shown that the drainage caused by building and maintaining wind turbines can affect the whole peatland, not just the area next to the farm and its tracks. In our research, we encountered a track that divided the largest unrecognised blanket bog we found in the Cantabrian Mountains into two separate peatlands. The rupture is draining the bog and likely releasing carbon as the peat dries and breaks down. Wind farms are a great way to generate clean energy, but where they are built needs careful consideration. It is perhaps ironic that one of our best man-made tools for fighting climate change can become one of our most unhelpful if it interferes with another natural solution to the problem.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/wind-farms-built-on-carbon-rich-peat-bogs-lose-their-ability-to-fight-climate-change-143551
     
         
      Kenya on Course for $5 Billion Nuclear Plant to Power Industry Tue, 4th Aug 2020 16:46:00
     
      Kenya’s nuclear agency submitted impact studies for a $5 billion power plant, and said it’s on course to build and start operating the facility in about seven years. The government looks to expand its nuclear-power capacity fourfold from a planned initial 1,000 megawatts by 2035, the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency said in a report on the National Environment Management Authority’s website. The document is set for public scrutiny before the environmental watchdog can approve it, and pave the way for the project to continue. President Uhuru Kenyatta wants to ramp up installed generation capacity from 2,712 megawatts as of April to boost manufacturing in East Africa’s largest economy. Kenya expects peak demand to top 22,000 megawatts by 2031, partly due to industrial expansion, a component in Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda. The other three are improving farming, health care and housing. The nuclear agency is assessing technologies “to identify the ideal reactor for the country,” it said in the report. A site in Tana River County, near the Kenyan coast was preferred after studies across three regions, according to the report. The plant will be developed with a concessionaire under a build, operate and transfer model.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-04/kenya-on-course-for-5-billion-nuclear-plant-to-power-industry
     
         
      Do carbon offsets work? Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:35:00
     
      Carbon offsets are designed to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere to help wind back the dial on warming temperatures. Carbon offsets are now widely used by companies, governments, and individuals around the world to fight climate change. Otherwise known as ‘carbon credits’, carbon offsets are designed to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere to help wind back the dial on warming temperatures. But do carbon offsets actually work? This article explains how you can identify quality carbon offsets that have the best environmental impact.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pathzero.com/blog/do-carbon-offsets-work
     
         
      CSIRO Report Five Year Runway to Hydrogen Power in Airports Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:29:00
     
      A new report from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO shows that clean hydrogen can significantly reduce aviation emissions with potential benefits seen within five years. Opportunities for hydrogen in commercial aviation’, which had technical input and funding from The Boeing Company, reports that growing hydrogen industry momentum could provide an opportunity to introduce hydrogen for niche airport applications (such as ground support equipment) as early as 2025. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said the disruption to air travel caused by COVID-19 had caused the industry to rethink their paradigm and recover to a different “normal”. “As we see travel resume, hydrogen presents a key solution to enable a sustainable recovery for the industry using liquid renewable fuel, and to grow future resilience from threats like oil shocks,” Dr Marshall said. “Science becomes real in the hands of visionary partners like Boeing who are willing to embrace science to support the development of a whole new sustainable and resilient industry that supports a green recovery.”
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/csiro-report-five-year-runway-to-hydrogen-power-in-airports/
     
         
      Energy Giants Race For 'Green Hydrogen' Market Share Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:18:00
     
      While hydrogen has long been touted as a virtually inexhaustible source of clean energy, with zero carbon emissions since this first element on the periodic table burns clean, leaving behind only water vapor. This makes hydrogen highly marketable as a promising fuel source option for a decarbonized economy of the future. Not all hydrogen is created equal, however. The standard hydrogen used in these production processes, however, is not as “green” as you may think. It’s created through the use of fossil fuels, primarily coal and natural gas. This form of hydrogen is known as “grey hydrogen,” and is essentially useless in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy, is also currently in production, but it is still extremely cost prohibitive compared to gray hydrogen. But plenty of renewable energy projects have been trying to make green hydrogen competitive for years, and the sector got a major bump earlier this year as oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell got involved in the initiative with an offshore wind farm. The green hydrogen revolution is upon us. And now it's found itself at the center of the raging debate about the future of energy. While supermajor oil companies like Shell, BP and Equinor have dominated the hydrogen sector in terms of gigawatt scale, utilities are giving them a run for their money, particularly in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Energy-Giants-Race-For-Green-Hydrogen-Market-Share.html
     
         
      Saudi Arabia, With China’s Help, Expands Its Nuclear Program Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:05:00
     
      Kingdom harbors hopes for a civilian nuclear power program, but U.S. critics worry about its ambitions for nuclear weapons. WASHINGTON—Saudi Arabia has constructed with Chinese help a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, an advance in the oil-rich kingdom’s drive to master nuclear technology, according to Western officials with knowledge of the site.
       
      Full Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-with-chinas-help-expands-its-nuclear-program-11596575671
     
         
      Tesla Prepares Massive Retail Expansion Worldwide Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:04:00
     
      Tesla, which has backtracked on its idea from last year to sell cars only online, is now looking to open retail locations in Tucson, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Smithtown, New York. Despite factory shutdowns due to the pandemic, Tesla reported last month a surprise net profit for the second quarter, beating analyst expectations and reporting its fourth consecutive quarter of net profits. “Model 3 has received a strong reception in China, not only becoming the bestselling EV, but also competing with mid-sized premium sedans, such as BMW 3- series and Mercedes C- (even before subsidies and vehicle tax), reduced operating costs and industry-leading standard equipment,” Tesla said about its Shanghai operations in the Q2 2020 update last month. Tesla’s revenues in China doubled to US$1.4 billion for the second quarter of 2020, from US$690 million for Q2 2019, the company said in an SEC filing last week.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Tesla-Prepares-Massive-Retail-Expansion-Worldwide.html
     
         
      Millions invested in new Derby sustainable food factory Tue, 4th Aug 2020 13:03:00
     
      Thousands of jobs have been announced for a new sustainable food factory in Derby which leaders have called "a massive boost" for the city. The move was confirmed with £12m of government funding announced on Monday evening. Derby City Council leader Chris Poulter said the news would help "diversify" the city's economy. Labelled as a "food campus", the factory is set to be built on 140 acres of the former Celanese site in Spondon. It will be operated by SmartParc, a low-carbon food manufacturer, who said it would be an "incubator", bringing food producers together to use their knowledge and investment to reduce food waste, lowering carbon outputs and increasing UK food security.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-53644388
     
         
      COVID-19 is awful. Climate change could be worse. Tue, 4th Aug 2020 12:47:00
     
      As awful as this pandemic is, climate change could be worse. You may have seen projections that, because economic activity has slowed down so much, the world will emit fewer greenhouse gases this year than last year. Although these projections are certainly true, their importance for the fight against climate change has been overstated. Analysts disagree about how much emissions will go down this year, but the International Energy Agency puts the reduction around 8 percent. In real terms, that means we will release the equivalent of around 47 billion tons of carbon, instead of 51 billion. Consider what it’s taking to achieve this 8 percent reduction. More than 600,000 people have died, and tens of millions are out of work. This April, car traffic was half what it was in April 2019. For months, air traffic virtually came to a halt. And yet we are still on track to emit 92 percent as much carbon as we did last year. What’s remarkable is not how much emissions will go down because of the pandemic, but how little. If you want to understand the kind of damage that climate change will inflict, look at COVID-19 and spread the pain out over a much longer period of time. The loss of life and economic misery caused by this pandemic are on par with what will happen regularly if we do not eliminate the world’s carbon emissions. “If we learn the lessons of COVID-19, we can approach climate change more informed about the consequences of inaction.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/Climate-and-COVID-19
     
         
      Microsoft Kept Servers Running on Nothing but Hydrogen for 2 Days Tue, 4th Aug 2020 12:30:00
     
      As part of its plan to go carbon-neutral by 2030, Microsoft is considering replacing its diesel backup generators with hydrogen battery storage. The company has successfully kept part of one of its datacenters online for 48 hours on hydrogen power alone. Backing up datacenters is a tiny portion of Microsoft’s emissions, but like most datacenters—and most things, period—diesel-fueled generators are just the industry standard for backup power. Microsoft rarely has to use its backup generators, and diesel accounts for just 1 percent of Microsoft’s emissions. But that makes the datacenter power a great test case for a new solution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33499249/microsoft-hydrogen-generator-test/
     
         
      The Future Lies In : EV? or FCEV? - FuelCellsWorks Tue, 4th Aug 2020 11:58:00
     
      Several car manufacturers made useable fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV) prototypes as long ago as the late 1990s. I remember driving some of them. Their engineers said we might see FCEVs in common use 10-15 years from that time. Well, here we are 20 years on and do we have widespread use of FCEVs? No, it still looks like being a decade into the future. The future of zero-emission vehicles is often talked of as a race between those two forms of electric vehicle, the BEVs where the power comes from a storage battery, and the FCEVs that generate it in fuel cells. Only a decade ago, few people really believed BEVs had a future for anything other than short-distance city driving. For mainstream use they would never have enough range, and they would be too slow to recharge. Those assumptions turned out to be wrong. BEVs are becoming commonplace. The issue is that – as with almost any technology – cost per vehicle can drop only when production numbers rise. This cost-parity milestone depends on making 100,000 of the FCEV per year. Unforuntaltely, there is no demand for 100,000 of any FCEV per year. That’s because nowhere in the world can you find a sufficient hydrogen fuelling infrastructure for consumers to bet on such a car. There are some enormous potential enablers in the path to a hydrogen economy. But we simply don’t know if or when they will happen, partly because they need Governments, energy companies and technologists all to work together. Imagine if huge quantities of green electricity were generated in remote sparsely populated parts of the world, via solar or wind or wave-power. It’s actually very expensive to install power lines to get that electricity to distant areas of demand. Turning that energy into hydrogen might actually make more sense. But it would need new hydrogen pipelines or even ships. Also, in many places fresh water is a precious and limited resource, so using it for electrolysis looks like a bad idea. The alternative is to develop technologies, still in their infancy, for electrolysing seawater.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/the-future-lies-in-ev-or-fcev/
     
         
      Renewable Energy is Now the EU's Main Source of Electricity Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 16:41:00
     
      Good news, everyone! Renewable energy is now the EU's main source of electricity, according to a report on energy use in the first half of 2020. That, of course, does not include the UK – only the 27 states who didn't throw their free movement benefits back in Europe's face. Despite this, the report was prepared by London-based think tank Ember. Fossil fuels, i.e. energy made from long-dead dinosaurs, made up 34 per cent of the EU's energy use in the first half of the year, while renewables accounted for 40 per cent. Also, use of renewable electricity across the EU went up 11 per cent in that time. "This was driven by new wind and solar installations and favourable conditions during a mild and windy start to the year," says the report. Ireland, which of course is still part of the EU, had almost half of its energy generated from wind and solar alone: 49 per cent in the January–June period. As you might expect, fossil fuel use was affected by the pandemic, dropping by 18 per cent in the period studied. That's partly because of wider availability of renewable alternatives, and partly because demand for electricity itself fell by 7 per cent in lockdown times. The EU's carbon dioxide emissions consequently fell by 23 per cent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/07/renewable-energy-is-now-the-eus-main-source-of-electricity/
     
         
      This ‘solution’ to the plastic crisis is really just another way to burn fossil fuels Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 15:47:00
     
      Amid an escalating plastic pollution crisis that threatens “near permanent contamination of the natural environment,” the fossil fuel and plastics industries say they have a not-so-surprising solution: recycling. To be more precise, they’re advocating for “chemical” or “advanced” recycling. The American Chemistry Council, an industry lobbying group whose members include ExxonMobil, Dow, and DuPont, has promoted state-level legislation to expand it nationwide. Policymakers have taken note, and bills easing regulations on chemical recycling facilities have already been passed in eight states and introduced in at least five more. But environmental activists say the word “recycling” is misleading. Rather than repurposing used plastic into new plastic products, most processes that the industry calls “chemical recycling” involve turning plastic into oil and gas to be burned. In a new report criticizing the practice, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, GAIA, didn’t pull any punches, calling chemical recycling an “industry shell game” that keeps single-use plastics in production, contributes to climate change, and produces toxic chemicals that disproportionately harm marginalized communities.
       
      Full Article: https://grist.org/climate/this-solution-to-the-plastic-crisis-is-really-just-another-way-to-burn-fossil-fuels/
     
         
      What Other Countries Can Learn From Australia’s Roaring Rooftop Solar Market Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 14:45:00
     
      Policymakers looking to speed up renewable energy deployment have a best-practice case study to look to: Australia is rolling out renewables 10 times faster than the global average, offering lessons as to what factors can improve the uptake of clean energy. In terms of overall capacity, Oceania still only accounts for a tiny share of global renewables. Its 40 gigawatts of renewables amounted to just 2 percent of clean energy worldwide in 2019, IRENA figures show. But it added 6.2 gigawatts of capacity last year, growing more than 18 percent. That compares to 6 percent growth in North America, 7 percent growth in Europe and 9 percent in Asia. Australia’s modest population of 25 million means per-capita growth rates are even more extreme. For the last five years or so, the rooftop PV market has been boosted by rising electricity costs, a trend that coincided almost perfectly with a sustained reduction in residential PV system prices. The country benefits from lots of sunshine and high levels of homeownership and single-dwelling buildings. It also has a high per-capita gross domestic product, Miller said, with wealth spread fairly evenly across the population, making a rooftop PV system a viable option for a significant fraction of the population. Another critical factor helping to boost solar uptake in Australia is the lack of red tape relating to installations, Miller said. “There’s very little in terms of council approvals, government approvals and the like [that are necessary]. It can be done by an electrician.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-the-us-can-learn-from-australias-roaring-rooftop-solar-market
     
         
      Green Light for Green Hydrogen – WESTKÜSTE100 Receives a Total of 89 Million Euros in Funding Approval from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs - FuelCellsWorks Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 14:37:00
     
      First real-world laboratory of the energy transition to focus on cross-sector coupling and hydrogen technologies gets underway. Today the consortium behind the WESTKÜSTE100 project received the go-ahead and funding approval from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy that will make it Germany’s first hydrogen project included in the “real-world laboratories fostering the energy transition” programme. What is special and innovative about the WESTKÜSTE100 project is the linking of different sectors within an existing regional infrastructure. This also includes the integration of green hydrogen in the existing process at Raffinerie Heide in a move intended to replace the use of grey hydrogen. In addition, part of the generated hydrogen will be transported via a newly built hydrogen pipeline to Heide’s municipal utility for transfer to the natural gas grid. In a future stage, there are plans to supply a hydrogen filling station. All the milestones that are devised during the WESTKÜSTE100 project form the basis for the next, scaling stages. The vision for all partners is to build a 700 MW electrolysis plant, with the future prospect of making use of the waste heat and oxygen arising during the electrolysis process. Further plans include the production of climate-friendly aviation fuels and large-scale supply to gas grids.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/green-light-for-green-hydrogen-westkuste100-receives-funding-approval-from-the-federal-ministry-of-economic-affairs/
     
         
      Airlines Need To Get Fully On Board If Renewable Jet Fuels Are To Take Off Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 13:59:00
     
      The aviation industry is starting to break ground when it comes to cutting its carbon footprint. Just two years ago, the first commercial flight took place using renewable fuels — jet fuel produced from recycled waste carbon. It was a Virgin Atlantic Airline Boeing 747 flight from Orlando to London. “I believe it is possible to get fuels with net-zero emissions because the technology is available,” says Patrick R. Gruber, chief executive of Gevo, a renewable fuels company based in Englewood, Colo., in an interview. “We know what the outcome has to be: it has to run planes and it has to displace carbon. You don’t have to change the engine and there is no need to change the infrastructure. The jet fuel needs to be certified and it needs to work on all engines and platforms.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2020/08/03/airlines-need-to-get-fully-on-board-if-renewable-jet-fuels-are-to-take-off/#2cb8bf967e8b
     
         
      Adverts for large polluting cars 'should be banned' Mon, 3rd Aug 2020 13:27:00
     
      A new campaign called "Badvertising" is demanding an immediate end to adverts for large polluting cars. It says the government should clamp down on sports utility vehicle (SUV) car adverts in the way it curbed smoking ads. In urban areas, big SUVs are a particular nuisance, they say. Their report found that 150,000 new cars on the road are too big for a standard UK street parking space. Andrew Simms, one author, said: "We ended tobacco advertising when we understood the threat from smoking to public health. "Now that we know the human health and climate damage done by car pollution, it’s time to stop adverts making the problem worse. "There’s adverts, and then there’s badverts, promoting the biggest, worst emitting SUVs is like up-selling pollution, and we need to stop."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53607147
     
         
      FLOATING solar panels connected to grid in a renewable energy first for Spain - Olive Press News Spain Sun, 2nd Aug 2020 15:30:00
     
      A RESERVOIR in the Spanish region of Extremadura is the site of Spain’s first grid-connected FLOATING photovoltaic solar power plant. Guillermo Fernández Vara, President of the Junta (Regional Government) of Extremadura, and Renewable energy group ACCIONA’s President José Manuel Entrecanales today officially opened the plant on the Sierra Brava reservoir.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/08/02/floating-solar-panels-connected-to-grid-in-a-renewable-energy-first-for-spain/
     
         
      Artificial Photosynthesis: Researchers Create Photo-Electrode for Hydrogen Production - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 2nd Aug 2020 15:22:00
     
      CEA researchers have made a step towards the preparation of a lasting photo-electrode for hydrogen production. It is based on a hybrid architecture, based on a semiconductor interfaced with a molecular catalyst. The electrode contains only elements found in abundant quantities in the earth’s crust. Hydrogen (H 2 ) is a promising fuel and a good means of storing renewable energies that it will subsequently restore by combustion with molecular oxygen (O 2 ) in fuel cells. Its carbon footprint will then be zero: this reaction only produces water! Green hydrogen can thus be produced from water and solar energy in a process mimicking photosynthesis. The sustainability of this future technology, however, rests on the development of new materials that are both active, stable and based on abundant and inexpensive elements.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/artificial-photosynthesis-researchers-create-photo-electrode-for-hydrogen-production/
     
         
      Climate change: 'Huge' implications to Irish climate case across Europe Sat, 1st Aug 2020 15:20:00
     
      A ruling by the Irish Supreme Court on climate change policy could have "huge ramifications" across Europe, the group which took the case has said. On Friday the Supreme Court quashed the government's 2017 National Mitigation Plan. Judges ruled that it did not give enough detail on the reduction of greenhouse gases. The case was brought by the environmental group Friends of the Irish Environment. The Irish government welcomed the ruling and said it would "carefully examine the decision". Friends of the Irish Environment spokeswoman Clodagh Daly told BBC News NI the verdict was "crystal clear" and would have implications across Europe. She said: "It shows governments have to do more to protect their citizens from the worst impact of the climate crisis. "We know that the transition to the low-carbon economy is technologically feasible - there is no legal basis for a lack of political will. "Governments around the EU have no excuse now." She said she hoped it would put pressure on the Northern Ireland Executive to follow a similar approach. Ms Daly added that while "climate change knows no borders" and emissions were counted on an all-island basis, she noted "how we respond to the climate crisis is separate". She said it meant the Republic of Ireland's government could "no longer make promises it will not fulfil" and had a legal obligation to protect citizens from the worst impact of climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53619848
     
         
      Climate crisis exerting increasing impact on UK, says Met Office Fri, 31st Jul 2020 15:45:00
     
      More extreme heat, less frost and snow, and trees coming into leaf earlier are among the signs seen in 2019 that the climate crisis is exerting an increasing impact on the UK, the Met Office’s annual climate report shows. The year was 1.1C above the 1961-1990 average and the all-time high temperature record was broken in July when Cambridge hit 38.7C. The record-high for winter was also broken, with 21.2C in February at Kew Gardens in London. Weather conditions are the result of the warming trend driven by global heating and natural variability. Last year was the 12th warmest year on records dating back to 1884 and one of the least snowy years on record. It was also the sixth consecutive year with fewer frosts than average. The last decade has seen 16% fewer days of air and ground frost compared with 1961–1990. “Our report shows climate change is exerting an increasing impact on the UK’s climate,” said Mike Kendon, lead author of the Met Office report. “Since 2002 we have seen the warmest 10 years in the series. By contrast, to find a year in the coldest 10 we have to go back to 1963 – over 50 years ago.” The Central England Temperature Series is the longest instrumental record in the world, stretching back to 1659. It shows the average temperature this century so far is 10.3C, which is 1.6C higher than the period 1659-1700.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/31/climate-crisis-exerting-increasing-impact-on-uk-says-met-office
     
         
      BBC News: European Sentinel satellites to map global CO2 emissions Fri, 31st Jul 2020 15:38:00
     
      German manufacturer OHB-System has signed a €445m (£400m) contract to begin construction of a satellite network to monitor carbon dioxide. The CO2M constellation will consist in the first instance of two spacecraft, but there is an option for a third. The platforms will track the greenhouse gas across the globe, helping nations assess the scale of their emissions. Under the Paris climate accord, countries must compile CO2 inventories. CO2M will provide supporting data. The aim is to launch the OHB spacecraft in 2025 so they can inform the international stocktake that will report in 2028. UK industry loses out in European satellite bids Europe's new space budget to enable CO2 mapping Antarctica's 'green snow' mapped from space CO2M falls under the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation programme. This flies a series of satellite sensors called Sentinels, which monitor everything from damage wrought by earthquakes to the health of staple food crops. When the CO2M spacecraft go into orbit, they too will assume the Sentinel moniker. No-one draws a distinction between the importance of the different Sentinels but given the urgency of the climate crisis, "CO2M will be the beacon of Copernicus, its most visible mission", Marco Fuchs, the CEO of OHB-System, told BBC News. His company's contract is with the European Space Agency (Esa), which acts as the technical and procurement agent for the EU on Copernicus.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53613336
     
         
      Climate change 'driving UK's extreme weather' Fri, 31st Jul 2020 15:36:00
     
      Climate change driven by industrial society is having an increasing impact on the UK’s weather, the Met Office says. Its annual UK report confirms that 2019 was the 12th warmest year in a series from 1884. Although it does not make the top 10, the report says 2019 was remarkable for high temperature records in the UK. There was also a severe swing in weather from the soaking winter to the sunny spring. The temperature extremes were: A new UK maximum record (38.7° C) on 25 July, in Cambridge A new winter maximum record (21.2° C) on 26 February, in Kew Gardens, London - the first time 20C has been reached in the UK in winter A new December maximum record (18.7° C) on 28 December, in Achfary, Sutherland A new February minimum record (13.9° C) on 23 February, in Achnagart, Highland No national low temperature records were set in the State of the UK Climate report, published by the Royal Meteorological Society.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53601257
     
         
      Can airplanes go green? Fri, 31st Jul 2020 13:31:00
     
      When Val Miftakhov touched down at Cranfield Airport in England last month, his Piper Malibu Mirage six-seater became the first commercial-grade, zero-emission airplane to fly in Europe. That test flight was just 21 miles. But Miftakhov, the chief executive of a Silicon Valley start-up called ZeroAvia, envisions a future of passenger planes that fly on hydrogen-powered electricity, not jet fuel. Air travel accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — much less than produced by cars. Despite a temporary dip due to the coronavirus, demand for air travel has been dramatically growing and planes are projected to produce as much as 25 percent of global carbon emissions by 2050. Miftakhov’s Piper was powered by batteries, but his company is working on integrating a hydrogen fuel cell for aviation. He conceived of ZeroAvia only a few years ago, but his aspirations for designing a hydrogen-powered plane date to childhood. A pilot with a doctorate in physics, he’s flown all of the company’s early prototypes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/07/31/electric-airplane/
     
         
      Can airplanes go green? Fri, 31st Jul 2020 13:31:00
     
      When Val Miftakhov touched down at Cranfield Airport in England last month, his Piper Malibu Mirage six-seater became the first commercial-grade, zero-emission airplane to fly in Europe. That test flight was just 21 miles. But Miftakhov, the chief executive of a Silicon Valley start-up called ZeroAvia, envisions a future of passenger planes that fly on hydrogen-powered electricity, not jet fuel. Air travel accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — much less than produced by cars. Despite a temporary dip due to the coronavirus, demand for air travel has been dramatically growing and planes are projected to produce as much as 25 percent of global carbon emissions by 2050. Miftakhov’s Piper was powered by batteries, but his company is working on integrating a hydrogen fuel cell for aviation. He conceived of ZeroAvia only a few years ago, but his aspirations for designing a hydrogen-powered plane date to childhood. A pilot with a doctorate in physics, he’s flown all of the company’s early prototypes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/07/31/electric-airplane/
     
         
      World’s first carbon-negative hydrogen project gets green light Fri, 31st Jul 2020 10:07:00
     
      A final investment decision has been taken to move forward with the world’s first carbon-negative hydrogen commercial pilot project — which uses an innovative process that could undercut conventional methods of producing green and blue H2. Australian technology company Hazer will convert biogas derived from sewage at a wastewater treatment plant in Western Australia into hydrogen and graphite using its proprietary Hazer process. By splitting the biogas (mainly CH4) into hydrogen (H2) and graphite (C) using an iron-ore catalyst, carbon that would otherwise be emitted as CO2 as the sewage decomposed is stored in the form of solid graphite, making it a carbon-negative process. The company previously told Recharge that the graphite can be sold to industry for a profit, effectively offsetting the cost of the hydrogen to the point where it becomes cheaper than other forms of clean H2. The Hazer process is also far more energy efficient than water electrolysis, requiring only 15-30kWh per kilogram of hydrogen, compared to the latter’s 65kWh — producing 2-4 times as much H2 for the same energy, further reducing the relative cost of the Hazer hydrogen compared to traditional green H2. The $17m pilot at the Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, known as Commercial Demonstration Project (CDP), will produce 100 tonnes of hydrogen and 380 tonnes of graphite per year. Some of the hydrogen produced will be converted to electricity via a fuel cell, allowing the project to produce its own renewable power. Woodman Point already produces biogas at its facility inside large tanks known as anaerobic digesters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/world-s-first-carbon-negative-hydrogen-project-gets-green-light/2-1-850916
     
         
      The Permian Could See Record Gas Production In 2021 Thu, 30th Jul 2020 17:55:00
     
      The pandemic has curtailed associated gas production in the Permian basin, temporarily relieving some gas flaring, but the basin could return to record gas production levels by the end of 2021. By 2023, the rate of gas flaring could increase substantially. Starting next year, drilling activity begins to resume in the Permian, assuming WTI stays above $45 per barrel, according to Rystad Energy. The increase in drilling leads to more associated gas output. The pandemic has knocked gas production down, but by late 2021, Permian gas production will be back to pre-pandemic levels – and it will continue to rise from there. Rystad expects gas output to continue to rise, reaching 16 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by 2023, which, to be sure, is 2 bcf/d below the firm’s prior forecast from earlier this year. But the market downturn has also delayed investments in new pipelines, Rystad says, such as the Pecos Trail and Permian to Katy pipelines. The firm also said it was unlikely that Tellurian’s Driftwood LNG and its accompanying gas pipeline will move forward in the short-term. Taken together, Rystad says that absent new pipelines, there could be another surge in gas flaring. “[W]e conclude that in a $45-$50 WTI world, there will be a need for new gas takeaway projects from the Permian as early as 2023-2024,” Rystad Energy’s Head of Shale Research, Artem Abramov, said in a statement. “If these projects are not approved early enough, the basin might end up with another period of degradation in local differentials and potentially increased gas flaring.” Rystad added that it is “highly possible” that new pipelines would be approved “too late.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/The-Permian-Could-See-Record-Gas-Production-In-2021.html
     
         
      HOELLER Electrolyzer: German engineering helps advancing the topic of hydrogen as a climate-neutral source of energy - FuelCellsWorks Thu, 30th Jul 2020 16:45:00
     
      WISMAR, Germany — Climate-neutral energy-generating it, storing it efficiently and making it available again. One of the central issues in the energy transition in order to achieve global climate targets. Hydrogen has long been regarded as the ideal solution here but has yet to make the final breakthrough, even though the principle of splitting water (electrolysis) to generate energy is nothing new. Various companies around the world are working to increase the cost-effectiveness, possible applications, and efficiency of the technology to such an extent that it can be used as a clean alternative source of energy in the everyday lives of individuals and companies. Especially in the industrial sector, there is a high energy demand, which must be covered in the future in a climate-neutral and cost-effective way. This is exactly where the German company HOELLER Electrolyzer and its Prometheus series come in: A range of extremely compact electrolysis stacks based on 25 years of expertise in PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) technology and eight patents pending. The first Prometheus will go into test operation in the third quarter of 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hoeller-electrolyzer-german-engineering-helps-advancing-the-topic-of-hydrogen-as-a-climate-neutral-source-of-energy/
     
         
      Coastal erosion: The 'forgotten' community left to fall off a cliff Thu, 30th Jul 2020 15:21:00
     
      Emma Tullett was sitting on the sofa scrolling through YouTube music videos when her home began to fall apart. A window blind came crashing down and as her partner tried to reattach the fitting, he saw a row of trees slowly sliding over the nearby cliff edge. "He said 'you need to get out' and I think that's when I just lost it a little bit," the 42-year-old said. She gathered up her four children, throwing coats over the youngest, aged six and eight. In the dash for safety, she didn't even have time to put on their shoes. Over the next four days, she watched from a distance as her home on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, went over the cliff in stages. The slow process was "like torture", she said, and left a strange sense of "relief" when the whole thing finally fell on 2 June. "I've got nothing," she said. "All we got out with was the pyjamas we were wearing." Across England in the next decade, it is estimated that up to 2,000 homes could face a similar fate due to coastal erosion, which is expected to accelerate with climate change. Thousands more properties have been protected by costly coastal defences. So, why are some areas saved and others left to fall into the sea? Like other small communities nationwide, Ms Tullett and her neighbours on the Isle of Sheppey have been told that, simply put, their homes are not worth saving. The island's relatively soft cliffs, made mainly of London Clay, have for centuries been slipping into the Thames Estuary, exposing internationally renowned fossil deposits.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-53367000
     
         
      The World Is Facing A Solar Panel Waste Problem Thu, 30th Jul 2020 15:00:00
     
      Solar panel installations hit a total 629 GW last year--an increase of 12 percent from 2018. It was also a lot—really a lot—of panels. And in a few years, these panels could become a major waste management headache. Solar panels vary in size and capacity, but here is an example of the relation between size—and number—and capacity. A solar power installation with a capacity of just 5 kW, for instance, could be made up of 20 panels, each with a capacity of 250 W or 16 panels, each with a capacity of 300 W. So, it takes 16 to 20 panels for a 5-kW installation. One gigawatt of power equals one million kilowatts. If we take the larger-size, smaller-number panel installation from above, it would need 3.2 panels per kW of capacity. Now multiply this by the global solar capacity added just last year, which was 114.9 GW. We are talking about tens of millions of panels added last year alone. And there are millions more in operation, some of them nearing the end of their useful life. In a recent study, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory warned that by the end of this decade, some 8 million tons of solar panel waste could find their way into landfills across the world. By 2025, this could rise to as much as 80 million tons. This is up from just 250,000 tons in 2016, so if anyone needed another proof of how fast solar has grown, they need look no further. Some say the solar panel waste is not particularly harmful. The author of this article in Australia’s Renew Economy, for instance, argues that “The typical panel working life is 30 years and so just 2 square metres of panel will retire each year per person, weighing 20 kg, almost all of which is suitable for recycling. This is 1% of annual solid waste generated per person and one part in a thousand of the weight of Australian annual carbon dioxide emissions per person. For comparison, a car typically weighs 1500 kg and lasts for 10 years, thus generating 150 kg of waste per year on average.” Andrew Blakers also notes that the majority of a solar panel is glass, a little silicon, which is non-toxic, and “small amounts of copper, silver, aluminium and very small amounts of solder.” The International Energy Agency also says that the most popular solar panels in the world carry little risk for human health. But not all agree.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/The-World-Is-Facing-A-Solar-Panel-Waste-Problem.html
     
         
      CNPC In Talks To Buy $1.5-Billion Stake In BP’s Oman Gas Field Thu, 30th Jul 2020 13:30:00
     
      Chinese state-held giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is in advanced talks to buy a 10-percent stake in a giant natural gas field in Oman from BP in a deal that could be worth US$1.5 billion, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the discussions. BP, which has had an upstream presence in Oman since 2007, holds 60 percent in the Khazzan natural gas field, one of the Middle East’s most abundant unconventional gas resources, according to the UK-based supermajor. Production at the field began in 2017, with phase one made up of 200 wells feeding into a two-train central processing facility, with production reaching 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcf/d). In April 2018, BP said it would invest in the development of the second phase of the Khazzan field, Ghazeer, which is expected to be fully up and running in 2021, with production from the entire Khazzan development rising to 1.5 bcf/d. Last month, Bloomberg reported, quoting sources familiar with the matter, that BP was in early talks to sell 10 percent in the Khazzan natural gas field in order to cut its debt that has been growing since the oil price crash earlier this year.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/CNPC-In-Talks-To-Buy-15-Billion-Stake-In-BPs-Oman-Gas-Field.html
     
         
      Hydrogen storage in salt caverns in France Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:35:00
     
      Hydrogène de France and gas grid company Teréga plan to launch a feasibility study for a 1.5 GWh pilot hydrogen storage project in caverns in the southwest of the country. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a pilot project near the municipality of Carresse-Cassaber, in the southwestern region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where the salt caverns are located. The €13.5 million HyGéo storage project will have a capacity of 1.5 GWh. Most of the continent’s salt caverns, on and offshore, are in northern Europe. Germany accounts for the largest share, followed by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark and Poland. There are other sites in Romania, France, Spain and Portugal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/30/hydrogen-storage-in-salt-caverns-in-france/
     
         
      Renewables met half Germany’s power demand in first half Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:33:00
     
      The Federal Environment Agency said clean energy provided 8% more electricity in the first six months of the year than in the same period of 2019. Solar accounted for 28 TWh. Germany’s Federal Environment Agency has revealed renewables generated around 138 TWh of electricity in the first six months of the year – roughly 10 TWh more than in the same period of 2019. Wind energy was the most important energy source in the German electricity mix in the first half, outpacing coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and other renewables and providing more than half the country’s clean electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/30/renewables-covered-50-of-germanys-power-demand-in-h1/
     
         
      Shell and Eneco’s offshore wind farm to include floating solar and hydrogen production Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:28:00
     
      A consortium made up of Shell and Eneco is to develop an offshore wind farm that will incorporate a range of “technology demonstrations” including floating solar and hydrogen produced by electrolysis. The CrossWind joint venture, as it’s known, is aiming for the project – which will be located in waters approximately 18.5 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands – to be up and running by the year 2023. In a statement on Wednesday, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy said CrossWind would “test a variety of innovations in the field of energy storage and flexibility, with the possibility of rolling them out on a larger scale at other wind farms in the future.” According to Eneco, the demonstration projects will include, among other things, “short-term battery storage”, floating solar technology and so-called “green hydrogen” generated by electrolysis. Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced using renewable sources such as wind power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/30/offshore-wind-farm-will-include-floating-solar-hydrogen-production.html
     
         
      Chevron to Build 500MW of Renewables to Power Oil and Gas Facilities and It’s Considering More Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:24:00
     
      American oil companies may not be leading the charge toward renewable power, but the price is right in places like the Permian Basin. Chevron announced it will build 500 megawatts of renewable energy plants to power some of its global facilities, in what amounts to a sizable clean energy expansion for an oil giant with comparatively few big investments in renewables to date. Chevron will work with Canada’s Algonquin Power & Utilities, a growing global renewables developer, to build the plants over the next four years at "priority operations sites" in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, as well as Argentina, Kazakhstan and Western Australia. The initial projects will be sited on Chevron-owned land, with construction to begin in 2021. U.S. oil producers lag their European rivals in making strategic investments into clean energy companies and technologies, but as voracious consumers of electricity — and often in remote areas — they have begun taking a greater interest in low-cost wind and solar power. Deals like Chevron’s are increasingly common in high-renewables states like Texas. "What has changed is the cost of wind and solar power, which is becoming more competitive, and the technology, which has also progressed substantially," Chevron spokesperson Veronica Flores-Paniagua said in an email. "This makes opportunities to increase renewable power in support of our operations a feasible option for reliability, scale and cost-effectiveness."
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/chevron-to-build-500mw-of-renewables-globally-to-power-oil-and-gas-facilities
     
         
      Hydrogen’s Future May Follow Path Blazed by Natural Gas Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:06:00
     
      For a glimpse into the future of a hydrogen-fueled world, look no further than natural gas and the technology that rapidly transformed it into a global commodity. Nations around the world are advocating cleaner energy, and hydrogen gained in popularity as the emissions associated with it are far less than with fossil fuels. The European Union wants to be a hub for the fuel, much as it is for LNG and natural gas, and adopted this month a roadmap for hydrogen that will involve an estimated investment of $500 billion by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-30/hydrogen-s-future-may-follow-path-blazed-by-natural-gas
     
         
      Portuguese consortium plans 1 GW green hydrogen cluster Thu, 30th Jul 2020 12:05:00
     
      A consortium will develop the huge project with Danish wind turbine maker Vestas by 2030. The project is expected to begin with a 10 MW pilot electrolysis installation and could be expanded to 1 GW this decade. Green hydrogen production would span the value chain to include renewable electricity generation, hydrogen production and distribution, transportation, storage, sale and export. The partners have signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of creating a value chain for the export of hydrogen from Sines to Northern Europe, with domestic consumption also on the table.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/30/portuguese-consortium-plans-1-gw-green-hydrogen-cluster/
     
         
      Perovskite structure also benefits batteries Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:54:00
     
      Scientists at Germany’s Karlsruher Institute of Technology are leading an investigation into a new lithium-ion battery anode. The innovation has a perovskite crystalline structure and, according to the researchers, could provide strong all-round performance from simpler, cheaper production methods than those used for other anode materials. The well-documented shortcomings of today’s lithium-ion batteries have prompted a plethora of new materials to be considered for use in such devices. When it comes to the anode, the aim is to integrate materials with better charge rate and energy density than commonly-used graphite and to find safe ways of using lithium without risking the formation of dendrites. In experiments, the anode achieved a working voltage below 1 V, reversible capacity of 225 milliamp-hours per gram and 79% capacity retention after 3,000 cycles. “Ultimately, cell voltage and storage capacity determine the energy density of a battery,” said Helmut Ehrenberg, head of the Institute for Applied Materials – Energy Storage Systems, at KIT. “In the future, LLTO anodes could enable particularly safe and durable high-performance cells.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/30/perovskite-structure-also-benefits-batteries/
     
         
      Climate change: Official apologises to Poots over briefing Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:46:00
     
      The permanent secretary of the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has apologised to Edwin Poots for a briefing he received on climate change. He was criticised by members of other parties and environmental groups. But speaking at the DAERA committee on Thursday, senior civil servant Mr McMahon said that in preparing for an assembly debate on climate change, officials had submitted a briefing to the minister which "included a line which stated that we should not be using language, such as emergency or crisis".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53590973
     
         
      Climate change: Official apologises to Poots over briefing Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:46:00
     
      The permanent secretary of the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has apologised to Edwin Poots for a briefing he received on climate change. He was criticised by members of other parties and environmental groups. But speaking at the DAERA committee on Thursday, senior civil servant Mr McMahon said that in preparing for an assembly debate on climate change, officials had submitted a briefing to the minister which "included a line which stated that we should not be using language, such as emergency or crisis".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53590973
     
         
      Climate change: Official apologises to Poots over briefing Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:46:00
     
      The permanent secretary of the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has apologised to Edwin Poots for a briefing he received on climate change. He was criticised by members of other parties and environmental groups. But speaking at the DAERA committee on Thursday, senior civil servant Mr McMahon said that in preparing for an assembly debate on climate change, officials had submitted a briefing to the minister which "included a line which stated that we should not be using language, such as emergency or crisis".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53590973
     
         
      EU’s hydrogen strategy a good start but key problems sidestepped Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:45:00
     
      Europe’s hydrogen strategy mostly points in the right direction by identifying renewable hydrogen as a key energy vector and necessary storage solution for delivering a zero-carbon EU, but it side-steps several key problems that go to the core of what will make green hydrogen a timely success, write Mike Parr and Simon Minett. The strategy proposed by the Commission is, for the most part, a good first step. It will accelerate the development of a pan-European hydrogen system, which, together with vastly more renewables, energy efficiency and circular economy measures will decarbonise the EU. However, for this to happen in a timely fashion, the major points raised in this article need to be both recognised and acted upon by the Commission and member states.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/opinion/eus-hydrogen-strategy-a-good-start-but-key-problems-sidestepped/
     
         
      The World Is Facing A Solar Panel Waste Problem Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:35:00
     
      In a recent study, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory warned that by the end of this decade, some 8 million tons of solar panel waste could find their way into landfills across the world. By 2025, this could rise to as much as 80 million tons. This is up from just 250,000 tons in 2016, so if anyone needed another proof of how fast solar has grown, they need look no further. Some say the solar panel waste is not particularly harmful. The author of this article in Australia’s Renew Economy, for instance, argues that “The typical panel working life is 30 years and so just 2 square metres of panel will retire each year per person, weighing 20 kg, almost all of which is suitable for recycling. This is 1% of annual solid waste generated per person and one part in a thousand of the weight of Australian annual carbon dioxide emissions per person. For comparison, a car typically weighs 1500 kg and lasts for 10 years, thus generating 150 kg of waste per year on average.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/The-World-Is-Facing-A-Solar-Panel-Waste-Problem.html
     
         
      Inside Clean Energy: How Soon Will An EV Cost the Same as a Gasoline Vehicle? Sooner Than You Think. Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:31:00
     
      Electric trucks and tractors are on the way, but the fishing industry is slowing development of the nation’s first giant offshore wind farm. At some point, probably sooner than you expect, the price of an all-electric vehicle will fall far enough to equal the cost of an equivalent gasoline vehicle. So here's an answer: Maybe by 2023, probably by 2024 and almost definitely by 2025. When we talk about the cost of EVs, we're mainly talking about the cost of batteries, which are the most expensive components in the vehicle, and also the ones for which the costs are changing most quickly. Analysts and researchers have said for years that a battery price of $100 per kilowatt-hour is the point at which EVs become cost-competitive with gasoline vehicles. Last year, the global average price was down to $156 per kilowatt-hour, according to BloombergNEF.
       
      Full Article: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29072020/inside-clean-energy-electric-vehicle-agriculture-truck-costs
     
         
      Hyundai Motors Delivers Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Bus to Jeonju City Thu, 30th Jul 2020 11:02:00
     
      Hyduais Motor pollution free, eco friendly, hydrogen electric bus runs through downtown Jeonju with NO emission of pollutants and even fine dust reducation.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hyundai-motors-delivers-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-bus-to-jeonju-city/
     
         
      Climate change: Coastal erosion 'to threaten more Australian homes' Wed, 29th Jul 2020 15:24:00
     
      Recent storms on Australia's coast have caused major erosion beneath beachfront homes in New South Wales. Dr Hannah Power tells the BBC that erosion will be a worsening issue for coastal communities as sea levels rise.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-53576526/climate-change-coastal-erosion-to-threaten-more-australian-homes
     
         
      To recharge America’s job market, build a green electric grid Wed, 29th Jul 2020 15:16:00
     
      Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have the highest unemployment we’ve seen since the Great Depression. Many of those jobs will disappear forever in the post-COVID world, and others will take years to return to normal. But with great crises come great opportunities. Today we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to solve our current economic crisis: by switching to clean energy. At Rewiring America, we estimate we can create some 25 million U.S. jobs if we move on from fossil fuels and electrify the economy by 2035, as we’ve detailed in a recent study . This estimate comes from an in-depth energy and engineering analysis from comprehensive datasets of energy, labor, and materials, conducted by the two of us and MIT engineer Sam Calisch. We know, with great precision, where our energy currently comes from, how much we use, what we will need to build to transform our system to one with zero carbon emissions–and how many people it will take to build those things. Simply put, clean energy technologies require more labor in manufacturing, installation and maintenance than fossil fuel technologies. It takes more people to install and keep a wind farm running than it does to drill a well and keep it pumping to produce the same amount of energy over time. All those jobs have a multiplying effect: The woman installing wind farms will get a handsome paycheck that she'll spread around her local economy, reviving restaurants, shops, and other hard-hit businesses. To power our lives without fossil fuels to the level of comfort we enjoy today (cars, heated homes, and other push-button conveniences), we’ll need to build capacity to generate approximately 1500 GW of electricity, which is more than three times the amount of energy that the U.S. currently generates. The scale of electrification will be more massive than any project America has seen in decades. We will need hundreds of thousands of wind turbines, six million zero-emission trucks, a million miles of transmission lines, hundreds of millions of electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric induction ranges, billions of solar cells and more than a trillion batteries. And we’ll need tens of millions of jobs to manufacture, build, install, and manage all those things.
       
      Full Article: https://fortune.com/2020/07/29/climate-change-clean-energy-electricity-green-jobs/
     
         
      To recharge America’s job market, build a green electric grid Wed, 29th Jul 2020 14:50:00
     
      Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have the highest unemployment we’ve seen since the Great Depression. Many of those jobs will disappear forever in the post-COVID world, and others will take years to return to normal. But with great crises come great opportunities. Today we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to solve our current economic crisis: by switching to clean energy. At Rewiring America, we estimate we can create some 25 million U.S. jobs if we move on from fossil fuels and electrify the economy by 2035, as we’ve detailed in a recent study. Simply put, clean energy technologies require more labor in manufacturing, installation and maintenance than fossil fuel technologies. It takes more people to install and keep a wind farm running than it does to drill a well and keep it pumping to produce the same amount of energy over time. All those jobs have a multiplying effect: The woman installing wind farms will get a handsome paycheck that she'll spread around her local economy, reviving restaurants, shops, and other hard-hit businesses. To power our lives without fossil fuels to the level of comfort we enjoy today (cars, heated homes, and other push-button conveniences), we’ll need to build capacity to generate approximately 1500 GW of electricity, which is more than three times the amount of energy that the U.S. currently generates. The scale of electrification will be more massive than any project America has seen in decades. We will need hundreds of thousands of wind turbines, six million zero-emission trucks, a million miles of transmission lines, hundreds of millions of electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric induction ranges, billions of solar cells and more than a trillion batteries. And we’ll need tens of millions of jobs to manufacture, build, install, and manage all those things.
       
      Full Article: https://fortune.com/2020/07/29/climate-change-clean-energy-electricity-green-jobs/
     
         
      Nornickel: Russia probes new pollution at Arctic mining firm Wed, 29th Jul 2020 13:59:00
     
      Russian officials are investigating a mining company in the Arctic over the pumping of waste water from one of its processing plants into nearby countryside. Norilsk Nickel said it had suspended staff involved in the violation. The pumping has now reportedly stopped. It is a new pollution incident involving the firm, known as Nornickel. Emergency workers are struggling to contain a huge diesel spill from a fuel depot owned by the company.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53218708
     
         
      Europe Looks To Become The Global Leader In Hydrogen Wed, 29th Jul 2020 13:36:00
     
      The energy system of the future took clearer form this month when the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch based in Brussels, adopted two closely related strategies. Its new Hydrogen Strategy is central to its Strategy for Energy System Integration, both adopted the same day. The new strategies presume that hydrogen will play an indispensable role in a future ultra-low carbon energy system. Hydrogen will function as an ‘integration’ technology with applications across sectors that raise the efficiency of the Continent’s entire energy system. It is a key component of the EC’s Green Deal, which aims for a strict 2030 emission-reduction target and the elimination of net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The new strategies, taken together, show how a ‘hydrogen economy’ will actually work in Europe and elsewhere. And, considering that hydrogen accounts for less than 1% of Europe’s energy consumption today, they show a remarkable commitment to it. Indeed, production of hydrogen, including low-carbon and 0-carbon hydrogen produced with renewable energy, will have to increase by multiples in just a few years. The EU’s new plans show a hydrogen economy that is continent-wide and international in scale. It moves massive amounts of the element by pipeline across international borders and even across continents, as Ukraine and North Africa emerge as significant suppliers. The Hydrogen Strategy sets out an ambitious timeline for this, which serves as a kind of roadmap for hydrogen’s future.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Europe-Looks-To-Become-The-Global-Leader-In-Hydrogen.html
     
         
      Population, climate change and inequality Wed, 29th Jul 2020 13:26:00
     
      Alistair Currie of Population Matters says we should not fear a fall in the number of people on the planet, while Joe Williams and Caitlin Robinson say population is now the least important driver of environmental degradation. Inequality is the key, says Martin Pask "It is very good to see you acknowledge the threats of a growing population, and offer a note of caution regarding the recent Lancet study, whose projections still show 2 billion more people on the planet by 2064 (Editorial, 23 July). The greatest risk attached to such projections is a belief that a reducing population will happen without further intervention, or that it is something to be feared. With more women today having an unmet need for contraception than 20 years ago, and reproductive health services, education and poverty alleviation all threatened by Covid-19, the changes that empower people to choose smaller families are vulnerable as never before. It is necessary to prepare for a world with different demographics than we have today, but we undoubtedly have the resources and ingenuity to meet the challenges of smaller populations. The challenges of increased population and consumption, however, are even more profound, and far more threatening. Those include crashing biodiversity, hunger, poverty and worsening climate change."
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/29/population-climate-change-and-inequality
     
         
      Air pollution targets breached at more than 1,300 sites in England, say campaigners Wed, 29th Jul 2020 12:52:00
     
      Friends of the Earth says "failing to fix air pollution costs lives" and urges even more investment in cycling and walking. More than 1,300 sites across England are breaching nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality targets, according to Friends of the Earth. NO2 has been linked with an increased risk of respiratory and lung problems and can also cause significant problems for people with asthma. It is mostly emitted by road vehicles. The worst place for NO2 is not in a city, but a section of the A35 that passes through the village of Chideock in West Dorset.
       
      Full Article: https://news.sky.com/story/air-pollution-targets-breached-at-more-than-1-300-sites-in-england-say-campaigners-12037973
     
         
      UK's biggest pension fund begins fossil fuels divestment Wed, 29th Jul 2020 11:59:00
     
      National Employment Savings Trust to shun firms involved in coal, tar sands or arctic drilling. The UK’s biggest pension fund, the government-backed National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) scheme with nine million members, is to begin divesting from fossil fuels in what climate campaigners have hailed as a landmark move for the industry. The fund will ban investments in any companies involved in coal mining, oil from tar sands and arctic drilling. The ban will mean that some of the world’s biggest mining companies, such as BHP, can never be part of Nest’s share holdings, as long they derive profits from digging coal. It said it will sell its final holdings in BHP by 3 August. Nest will also seek to reduce its carbon-intensive holdings, such as with the traditional oil giants, while investing more money in renewable energy infrastructure. The fund’s chief investment officer, Mark Fawcett, said Nest was sending a strong and clear message about the seriousness of climate change. Nest is hesitant about describing its new policy as a full divestment programme. It said it remained interested in oil companies that were transitioning from carbon-based fuels to green energy and renewable technology and that it would use its muscle to challenge them and push for stricter targets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/29/national-employment-savings-trust-uks-biggest-pension-fund-divests-from-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Super-Hybrid: Dutch Offshore Wind Farm to Include Floating Solar, Batteries and Hydrogen Wed, 29th Jul 2020 11:57:00
     
      Shell is chasing carbon-neutrality. A new project in the Netherlands offers a glimpse into how it may get there. Oil major Shell and Dutch utility Eneco will build a super-hybrid offshore wind farm, having won the latest Dutch tender. Shell is chasing carbon-neutrality by 2050 or sooner, and the project in the Netherlands offers a glimpse of how it hopes to get there. The pair’s CrossWind consortium was revealed on Wednesday as the winner of the subsidy-free auction for the Hollandse Kust (noord) project. CrossWind plans to have the 759-megawatt offshore wind farm up and running in 2023 with solar, storage and hydrogen elements thrown into the mix. Both companies confirmed that the final investment decision on the project has already been made.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/shell-jv-wins-dutch-offshore-wind-tender-with-continuous-power-hybrid-project
     
         
      Court strikes down Madrid Central low-emission zone over legal technicalities Tue, 28th Jul 2020 19:08:00
     
      A court has cancelled Madrid Central, a low-emissions area introduced in late 2018 to fight pollution in the Spanish capital, alleging legal technicalities. The Madrid regional high court said on Monday that the local law establishing the traffic restrictions in October 2018 was approved without a proper public disclosure process or an economic impact report. The ruling is the result of two appeals filed by the conservative Popular Party (PP) while it was in the opposition, as well as a third appeal by a company that helps people fight traffic fines, DVuelta Asistencia Legal. Environmental groups said they will challenge the court’s decision. If Madrid Central is finally struck down, 815,000 traffic tickets issued between March 2019 and February 2020 would be cancelled, depriving the city of an estimated €36.6 million. Until March 2019, violators were simply sent letters in a bid to raise awareness about the need to combat air pollution and bring Madrid in line with other European capitals.
       
      Full Article: https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-07-28/court-strikes-down-madrid-central-low-emission-zone-over-legal-technicalities.html
     
         
      Australia's fires 'killed or harmed three billion animals' Tue, 28th Jul 2020 15:56:00
     
      Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced during Australia's devastating bushfires of the past year, scientists say. The findings meant it was one of "worst wildlife disasters in modern history", said the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which commissioned the report. Mega blazes swept across every Australian state last summer, scorching bush and killing at least 33 people. Mammals, reptiles, birds and frogs died in the flames or from loss of habitat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53549936
     
         
      Renewables outpace nuclear and coal in the US Tue, 28th Jul 2020 15:47:00
     
      This year has been a benchmark for renewables generation, with the latest edition of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly report showing clean power facilities produced more electricity through May 31 than coal and nuclear. A breakout year for renewables was highlighted by the figures for May, when clean energy resources reached an all-time high share of the country’s electricity generation, at 25.3%. That figure, as with much of the renewables generation this year, was driven by hydroelectric, which accounted for almost 17% of the electricity generated that month. However, while hydro has had a consistent hold on the top spot for renewables generation, that grip is loosening by the month. The amount of solar energy generated from January to May, compared to the same period of last year and including distributed solar, is up roughly 21%, with PV now accounting for 3.3% of the nation’s total power generation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/28/renewables-outpace-nuclear-and-coal-in-the-us/
     
         
      Iter: World's largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly Tue, 28th Jul 2020 15:40:00
     
      The world's biggest nuclear fusion project has entered its five-year assembly phase. After this is finished, the facility will be able to start generating the super-hot "plasma" required for fusion power. The £18.2bn (€20bn; $23.5bn) facility has been under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, southern France. Advocates say fusion could be a source of clean, unlimited power that would help tackle the climate crisis. Iter is a collaboration between China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US. All members share in the cost of construction. Current nuclear energy relies on fission, where a heavy chemical element is split to produce lighter ones. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, works by combining two light elements to make a heavier one.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53573294
     
         
      Precious Shipping: Dry bulkers won’t be able to use wind power in a meaningful way Tue, 28th Jul 2020 15:38:00
     
      Wind-assisted ship propulsion has immense potential for achieving fuel savings and cutting emissions in line with the IMO’s decarbonization strategy for shipping. Numerous solutions are being commercialized with others undergoing final stages of testing to prove their efficiency. These types of solutions range from rotor sails, rigid or soft sails to ventilated foil systems, and kites. Wind-assisted propulsion can be implemented on a wide range of ships that have a clear deck area, such as ferries, car carriers, bulk carriers, and tankers, while containerships are more difficult to retrofit for the majority of these solutions. Khalid Moinuddin Hashim, Managing Director of Thai bulk carrier owner Precious Shipping, believes the potential of wind power cannot be fully harnessed it comes to the dry bulk market. “We think that dry bulk will not be able to use wind power in any meaningful way as dry bulk ships need their decks to be under a certain height, determined by the various loading installations, where they operate,” Hashim told Offshore Energy-Green Marine in an interview. ” If the wind installations are too high and occupy so much space that they become a hinderance for the safe operation of these ships at loading and discharging ports, then they will not be able to access cargoes easily and this option will not work.” Rotor sail manufacturer Norsepower is aware of the height concerns of shipowners when it comes to this type of solution, and to that end, it has made its sails tiltable to overcome height restrictions for ships on certain shipping routes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/precious-shipping-dry-bulkers-wont-be-able-to-use-wind-power-in-a-meaningful-way/
     
         
      Europe’s largest solar-storage-hydrogen project Tue, 28th Jul 2020 12:59:00
     
      Spanish energy company Iberdrola plans to build a 100 MW solar park, a storage facility, and a hydrogen production station in Puertollano, central Spain. The €150 million project is scheduled to be operational next year. The Spanish energy giant will oversee the production of green hydrogen from 100% renewable sources. The solution will consist of a 100 MW solar PV plant, a 20 MWh lithium-ion battery bank, and a 20 MW electrolysis hydrogen production system.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/28/europes-largest-solar-storage-hydrogen-project/
     
         
      Carbon Emissions Are Chilling The Atmosphere 90 Km Above Antarctica Tue, 28th Jul 2020 12:55:00
     
      The findings show Earth's upper atmosphere, in a region called the "mesosphere", is extremely sensitive to rising greenhouse gas concentrations. This provides a new opportunity to monitor how well government interventions to reduce emissions are working. Our project also monitors the spectacular natural phenomenon known as "noctilucent" or "night shining" clouds. While beautiful, the more frequent occurrence of these clouds is considered a bad sign for climate change. Rising greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the temperature changes we recorded, but a number of other influences are also at play. These include the seasonal cycle (warmer in winter, colder in summer) and the Sun's 11-year activity cycle (which involves quieter and more intense solar periods) in the mesosphere. One challenge of the research was untangling all these merged "signals" to work out the extent to which each was driving the changes we observed.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/carbon-emissions-are-chilling-the-atmosphere-90km-above-antarctica-at-the-edge-of-space
     
         
      World’s largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly in France Tue, 28th Jul 2020 12:39:00
     
      Project aims to show clean fusion power can be generated at commercial scale. The €20bn (£18.2bn) Iter project will replicate the reactions that power the sun and is intended to demonstrate fusion power can be generated on a commercial scale. Nuclear fusion promises clean, unlimited power but, despite 60 years of research, it has yet to overcome the technical challenges of harnessing such extreme amounts of energy. “Enabling the exclusive use of clean energy will be a miracle for our planet,” said Bernard Bigot, Iter director-general. He said fusion, alongside renewable energy, would allow transport, buildings and industry to run on electricity. Like conventional nuclear fission reactors, the process itself does not produce climate-warming carbon dioxide but fusion reactors cannot meltdown and produce much less radioactive waste.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/28/worlds-largest-nuclear-fusion-project-under-assembly-in-france
     
         
      For all its green talk, the IEA still gives comfort to oil and gas producers Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:44:00
     
      When oil major Total announced it had raised finance for a $20 billion project to exploit Mozambique’s gas reserves, it faced criticism for undermining international climate goals. The International Energy Agency (IEA) – perhaps the world’s most influential energy forecaster – gave the company an easy defence. In its climate strategy, Total cites the IEA’s most “sustainable development scenario”, which sees methane gas consumption soaring between now and 2040 to meet a quarter of global energy demand. Gas, Total insists, “is the best option currently available for combating global warming”. This is just one example of how oil and gas companies use IEA forecasts to justify investments in fossil fuels. Under the direction of Turkish economist Fatih Birol, the agency has become increasingly supportive of clean energy. Yet it continues to appeal to its oil-producing funders, ducking hard questions about the endgame for dirty energy. “The IEA is an organisation that was set up and designed for a different era and it needs a radical transformation if they are still to have relevance in the modern era,” Kingsmill Bond, an energy strategist at Carbon Tracker, told Climate Home News. With a reputation for having excellent analytical skills and a deep understanding of the energy system, the IEA could be repurposed to show the full cost of fossil fuels and drive the energy transition, Bond said. That would be “a game-changer”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/07/27/green-talk-iea-still-gives-comfort-oil-gas-producers/
     
         
      A Front-Row Seat for the Arctic’s Final Summers With Ice Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:42:00
     
      On a sparkling day in May, the nearly 300-meter-long tanker Christophe de Margerie set sail from the northern Russian port of Sabetta. Crossing the so-called Northern Sea Route in the Arctic waters, in just under three weeks it moored at the Chinese port of Yangkou, unloading its shipment of liquefied natural gas. That relatively routine journey has now entered the record books: the earliest date a cargo ship took what’s usually an ice-blocked route. It’s yet another sign of how climate change is shrinking the Arctic. Around the same time the gas reached port, a ship called the Polarstern was also sailing in Arctic waters. But it was loaded with about 100 climate scientists from some 20 countries engaged in an exhaustive, year-long examination of the warming environment. To put it another way, the crew of the scientific ship is trying to understand why the tanker was able to leave so early in the season and what it means for the future of the planet. The Arctic is rich in natural resources like fossil fuel and already under significant climate stress, warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet. The more the Arctic warms and melts, the more humans build industrial infrastructure, mine metals and produce oil and gas–emitting greenhouse gases that accelerate the warming and melting. The two vessels tell the tale of a tug of war now playing out in Earth’s last frontier. One is looking for clues to climate change, and the other is racing to exploit that change for financial profit. It’s another kind of feedback loop, with ships passing in melting waters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-arctic-sea-ice-crossing/
     
         
      Microsoft Eyes New Tool in Decarbonization Quest: Green Hydrogen Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:40:00
     
      Microsoft has a new weapon for killing off diesel at its expanding global fleet of data centers: green hydrogen. The tech giant announced Monday that it recently powered a row of data center servers for 48 hours using nothing but hydrogen fuel cells, which it believes to be the longest such test in the world for a data center operator at that scale. Microsoft is expanding its hydrogen testing and intends to leverage its vast size and energy consumption to help the green hydrogen industry scale up, Brian Janous, the company’s general manager for environmental sustainability, said in an interview. Green hydrogen could one day play a role similar to batteries for Microsoft, Janous said, keeping data centers online and running smoothly amid a rising tide of intermittent renewables or in parts of the world where the electric grid is unreliable. And there’s potential to go even further: Rather than simply consuming hydrogen to power its data centers, Microsoft could install electrolyzers and storage tanks on-site to produce and stockpile green hydrogen — integrating with the grid to provide load-balancing services, or even acting as a filling station for hydrogen-powered long-haul vehicles in the area. Microsoft is already experimenting with using its on-site batteries to sell services to the grid. “We see hydrogen creating the same sort of opportunity,” Janous said. Green hydrogen is produced using solar and wind power to electrolyze water; the resulting hydrogen can later be converted back into electricity by fuel cells.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/microsoft-eyes-new-tool-in-its-decarbonization-quest-green-hydrogen
     
         
      Europe vies with China for clean hydrogen superpower status Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:38:00
     
      The rivalry between Europe and China in emission-free hydrogen technologies could become one of the defining business stories in the global effort to stop climate change. Scarred by its painful experience in solar PV manufacturing, which was developed in Europe at high cost only to later move to China, Europe is not taking any chances with hydrogen. In a bid to outcompete China and fulfil its ambition to become climate-neutral, Europe has launched a massive green hydrogen push to decarbonise industry and aviation and secure promising export opportunities. Green hydrogen is viewed by many as key to reaching “net-zero” emission targets, but a global rollout of the technology won’t be possible without steep price decreases. This could make competition between the EU and China crucial to global decarbonisation efforts.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/europe-vies-with-china-for-clean-hydrogen-superpower-status-89077/
     
         
      These UK parents created a ‘wind farm’ at 10 Downing Street Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:36:00
     
      On Sunday, parents involved in Mothers Rise Up and Parents for Future UK gathered outside 10 Downing Street, the British prime minister’s residence (pictured above). They held wind turbines to symbolize the low-carbon pandemic recovery they want. Parents for green energy More than 100 high-profile parents, from actor Julie Walters to former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, also sent an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for the COVID-19 response to “create jobs for our children today and help ensure a safe climate tomorrow.” The letter asks Johnson not to “build our way out of one disaster by supercharging the next.” The letter states: Millions more decent jobs could be rapidly created across the UK through a nationwide program of insulating homes, installing electric vehicle charging points, re-establishing woodlands, and boosting the rollout of renewable energies. As economists, business leaders, scientists, actors, faith and belief leaders, charity leaders, trade unionists and educators and above all as parents, we are committed to playing our part. But we need your leadership to spearhead the changes that are needed. We need a commitment that public money will not be used to bail out high carbon industries, but invested in building a thriving, fair and low carbon economy that will put the UK at the forefront of a post COVID-19 recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/07/27/parents-wind-farm-10-downing-street-uk/
     
         
      Diesel buses to be phased out within 15 years to cut greenhouse gas emissions Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:33:00
     
      Diesel buses will be scrapped within 15 years to cut toxic emissions under plans drawn up by one of the country’s biggest transport operators. First Group will introduce a fully zero-emission fleet across the UK by 2035 to help improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company’s fleet — 5,000-strong at present — will be expected to run on battery power or hydrogen in the biggest wholesale shift to clean transport yet seen in Britain’s bus industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/diesel-buses-to-be-phased-out-within-15-years-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-t58ggmk5l
     
         
      Labor asks for inquiry into how Shine Energy secured $4m grant for Collinsville coal plant study Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:31:00
     
      Labor has requested an auditor general investigation into how Shine Energy secured $4m for a feasibility study into a coal-fired power station at Collinsville in north Queensland with an application two days after the grant was publicly announced. Labor’s climate spokesman, Mark Butler, has written to the auditor general requesting an inquiry into the supporting reliable energy infrastructure program, which Guardian Australia revealed resulted in “specific guidelines” drawn up for a one-off grant to the company. The stoush over the future of coal power comes as treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, signals that measures to reduce power prices will be among Covid-19 economic recovery plans and some of Australia’s biggest companies team up to help achieve zero emissions in supply chains for key industrial outputs The government set up the $10m supporting reliable energy infrastructure program in March 2019, campaigning at the election on the promise of a feasibility study for a new coal power station. On 8 February 2020 it announced that “up to $4m” from the fund would “support Shine Energy Pty Ltd’s feasibility study for a proposed 1GW high-efficiency, low-emissions coal plant at Collinsville in Queensland”. The company was invited to apply for the grant two days later on 10 February, despite the project’s initial business case failing to be shortlisted for the separate underwriting new generation investment program. The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has insisted the process of drawing up “specific grant guidelines” for a one-off grant is “normal practice” and the money, reduced to $3.3m, was not formally awarded until June.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/27/labor-asks-for-inquiry-into-how-shine-energy-secured-4m-grant-for-collinsville-coal-plant-study
     
         
      What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:15:00
     
      "Solar has changed everything for these farmers," says Dr David Mansfield as we watch the video. Dr Mansfield is the author of the report. He has been studying opium production in Afghanistan for more than 25 years and tells me the introduction of solar is by far the most significant technological change he has seen in that time. Buying diesel to power their ground water pumps used to be the farmers' biggest expense. "And it isn't just the cost," Dr Mansfield continues. "The diesel in these remote areas is heavily adulterated so pumps and generators keep breaking down. That's a huge problem for farmers." Now it is very different. For an upfront payment of $5,000 they can buy an array of solar panels and an electric pump. Once it is installed, there are virtually no running costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53450688
     
         
      The UK plans to build huge batteries to store renewable energy – but there’s a much cheaper solution Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:08:00
     
      The UK electricity system is undergoing significant and rapid change. It has the world’s largest installed capacity of offshore wind, has effectively stopped generating electricity from coal, and has recorded a 20% drop in demand since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this transition from traditional, reliable coal to weather-dependent wind and solar generation brings with it increasing challenges to match electrical supply and demand at every instant. This is where large grid-scale energy storage systems could help regulate and buffer supply and demand, and improve grid control. The UK government recently announced the removal of planning barriers to building energy storage projects over 50MW in England and 350MW in Wales. This, the government feels, will enable the creation of significant new energy storage capacity. The UK currently has 1GW of operational battery storage units and an additional 13.5GW of battery projects under development at the planning stage.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/the-uk-plans-to-build-huge-batteries-to-store-renewable-energy-but-theres-a-much-cheaper-solution-143053
     
         
      France to ban heated terraces in cafes and bars Mon, 27th Jul 2020 16:02:00
     
      France's government has announced new environmental measures, including a ban on heated terraces for cafes and bars. Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili said outside heating or air conditioning was an "ecological aberration". The ban would not come into force until after the winter as restaurants have been hard hit by Covid-19, she added. All heated or air-conditioned buildings open to the public will also have to keep their doors closed to avoid wasting energy. Ms Pompili told reporters it was wrong for shops to "air-condition the streets" in summer by keeping their doors open just to spare customers from having to open them. "Neither should terraces be heated in winter so people can feel warm as they drink coffee," she said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53552526
     
         
      Infrastructure: never mind the politicians Mon, 27th Jul 2020 15:58:00
     
      Thinking about what Scotland will look like in 30 years time is a tough gig and one, it seems, that should not be entirely trusted to politicians. The Infrastructure Commission for Scotland (ICS) was created to reach beyond the five-year plans of election cycles, to see what will be required over several decades if the country is to hit its net zero carbon emissions. This means thinking about energy efficient buildings as well as more and smarter public transport for example. Instead of using infrastructure to boost growth, its remit was to shift the focus on to cutting emissions and helping the economy become more inclusive of groups that tend to get left behind or not recruited for jobs. The ICS has issued its final report, saying that the idea of a Scottish National Construction Company would not meet any of its objectives. That was an idea gained some political traction because the public sector relies so heavily on private companies to build infrastructure. It does so through competitive bidding and for profit, and that makes for a relationship that does not always work out well. Building work done at minimum cost and maximum margin is not seen as being likely to result in energy-efficient buildings with long lifespans.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-53551102
     
         
      Federal funding for coal power station feasibility study referred to watchdog Mon, 27th Jul 2020 15:50:00
     
      The Morrison government’s decision to award a company with reportedly no energy industry experience up to $4 million in funding to undertake a feasibility study into a new coal-fired power station in North Queensland has been referred to the federal Auditor General by shadow energy minister Mark Butler. Butler has asked the Auditor General to investigate the Morrison government’s actions around the funding for the Collinsville coal plant study, including the government’s announcement that Shine Energy would receive the funding under the $10 million Supporting Reliable Energy Infrastructure program before it had even lodged an application.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/federal-funding-for-coal-power-station-feasibility-study-referred-to-watchdog-44917/
     
         
      What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power Mon, 27th Jul 2020 15:48:00
     
      Solar has changed everything for these farmers," says Dr David Mansfield as we watch the video. Dr Mansfield is the author of the report. He has been studying opium production in Afghanistan for more than 25 years and tells me the introduction of solar is by far the most significant technological change he has seen in that time. Buying diesel to power their ground water pumps used to be the farmers' biggest expense. "And it isn't just the cost," Dr Mansfield continues. "The diesel in these remote areas is heavily adulterated so pumps and generators keep breaking down. That's a huge problem for farmers." Now it is very different. For an upfront payment of $5,000 they can buy an array of solar panels and an electric pump. Once it is installed, there are virtually no running costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53450688
     
         
      UK wind power revolution will mean customers get pay out as costs keep falling Mon, 27th Jul 2020 15:39:00
     
      Development marks a new milestone in the success story of Britain’s offshore wind industry. The UK’s offshore wind power could soon be so cheap it will pay money back to consumers, in the world’s first negative subsidies for the industry, new analysis has shown. Record-breaking low prices of around £40 per megawatt hour (MWh) were agreed last year in contracts for several new wind farms off Britain’s coast. Offshore wind companies are paid the difference by the Government if wholesale electricity prices go lower than that, but have to pay back any money above it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/27/uk-offshore-wind-power-pay-worlds-first-negative-subsidies/
     
         
      Global Interest for Hydrogen Soars as Hydrogen Council Grows to 90+ Members Mon, 27th Jul 2020 14:40:00
     
      Brussels, 27 July 2020 – The Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led coalition working to enable the global energy transition through hydrogen, has today announced 11 new members. The news comes at a pivotal moment for the world’s sustainable economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and further bonds the industry’s commitment to leverage hydrogen solutions to build a cleaner, more resilient economy post-COVID. It also comes on the back of several major government announcements regarding investment and policy action to support hydrogen over the last two weeks. The Hydrogen Council has grown from 13 founding companies in 2017 to 92 members in just three years. The group of new joiners includes two steering members: CMA CGM and Microsoft; seven supporting members: Baker Hughes, Clariant, MAHLE, NYK Line, Port of Rotterdam, TechnipFMC and Umicore; and two investors: Mubadala Investment Company and Providence Asset Group. This group mirrors the wide range of geographical and sector interest in hydrogen – including companies headquartered in Europe, Asia, Australia, the United States and United Arab Emirates, as well as representing sectors such as chemicals (Clariant), automotive (MAHLE), energy and materials technology (Baker Hughes, TechnipFMC, Umicore), shipping (CMA CGM, NYK Line), industrial ports (Port of Rotterdam) and digital (Microsoft). The two investors – Mubadala Investment Company and Providence Asset Group – will be joining the Hydrogen Council’s Investor Group, established in January 2020 to bridge the gap between the investor community and the hydrogen industry and facilitate investment of large-scale projects.
       
      Full Article: https://hydrogencouncil.com/en/newmemberannouncement2020-2/
     
         
      BMW X5 SUV Will Have a Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Version in Production in 2022 - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 26th Jul 2020 16:04:00
     
      Munich–The development of alternative, CO 2 -free forms of drive have top priority for the BMW Group. Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier personally got an impression of the company’s competence in hydrogen fuel cell technology at the BMW Group Research and technology house. During the tour of the hydrogen competence center, the CEO of BMW AG, Oliver Zipse, together with the hydrogen experts, gave insights into the manufacturing process of the second generation of the BMW Group’s fuel cell drive. CEO of BMW AG, Oliver Zipse said, “Politicians have recognized the importance of green hydrogen for the energy system of the future. We expressly welcome the various initiatives. For road traffic, an expansion of the tank infrastructure is now required, which takes into account the needs of both commercial vehicles and cars. Depending on how the general conditions develop, hydrogen fuel cell technology has the potential to become another pillar in the BMW Group’s drive portfolio. ”
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/bmw-x5-suv-will-have-a-hydrogen-fuel-cell-version-in-production-in-2022/
     
         
      The Surprising Blue Chips Demanding A Green Energy Stimulus Sun, 26th Jul 2020 15:29:00
     
      As nations around the world design economic stimulus packages to lead their domestic economies on a road to recovery in a post-pandemic world, the United States is dragging its feet on including green energy in its recovery plan. Now, some very surprising blue chip corporations are calling on the U.S. government to change its tune and include green energy in its stimulus packages designed to help the nation recover from the economic devastation wrought by the novel coronavirus pandemic. As The Hill reported this week, “McDonald's and Pepsi are calling on Congress to include green energy in the next COVID-19 relief package, arguing the coronavirus recession poses long-term damage to the renewable energy industry.” The two massive corporations are not alone in their stance. In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Tuesday, more than 30 U.S. companies wrote that, "without support, our businesses will be less able to use our buying-power to drive job creation and economic growth in the renewable energy industry.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Surprising-Blue-Chips-Demanding-A-Green-Energy-Stimulus.html
     
         
      China takes a bigger role at Hinkley as nuclear reactor pressure rises Sat, 25th Jul 2020 21:30:00
     
      EDF executives suppressed horror as their Chinese partners made a risky suggestion. Senior engineers from China General Nuclear (CGN) proposed a way to lift a concrete dome on to the reactor at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. According to EDF sources, their plan would have entailed dangling the 270-tonne structure over more than 5,000 workers on site at the time. CGN staff pointed to how the move had been successfully executed at Taishan, a nuclear power plant built by the two companies in China. “That was in China, not the UK,” one executive recalls thinking, before the idea was rebuffed as far too dangerous. Yet CGN has played a far greater role in the planning and construction of Hinkley than previously disclosed, according to a Sunday Telegraph review of company documents and interviews with insiders. As security concerns over Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure are escalated by diplomatic tensions, a project meant to herald a new era of cooperation on nuclear energy faces renewed scrutiny....
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/07/25/china-takes-bigger-role-hinkley-nuclear-reactor-pressure-rises/
     
         
      Is selling tap water the solution to parched Poland’s drought problem? Sat, 25th Jul 2020 16:10:00
     
      This spring, the country faced one of its worst droughts in a century – a climate emergency which follows a succession of equally dry periods over the last few years. Temperatures have reached record highs; Polish rivers have reached record lows. And experts have been left worrying about the future. “We have a problem in understanding what climate change is, what a water shortage or a water management problem is,” says Professor Bogdan Chojnicki, from the Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection at the Pozna? University of Life Sciences. “We are really trying to convince people to think about the long-term.” Last month, the picturesque city of Che?m, in the east of the country, announced plans which it says could help address the problem. Che?m is famous for producing chalk with water extracted during the mining process used to supply local houses. At the moment, this process creates more water than residents need. It is estimated that around three million cubic metres have been wasted in recent years. Now, authorities say they want to put this resource to use by bottling the surplus and selling it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/07/25/is-selling-tap-water-the-solution-to-parched-poland-s-drought-problem
     
         
      The Possibilities Of Hydrogen Fuel Cells Sat, 25th Jul 2020 12:30:00
     
      One of the most promising uses of hydrogen fuel cells is in the automotive industry. A number of major industry players, including BMW and Toyota, have already revealed plans to develop fleets of hydrogen-powered cars as the fuel source offers an additional, sustainable solution to electric power. But there are many applications beyond cars that are open to this clean energy source. Here, Håkan Holmberg, Sales and Marketing Manager at Surface Technology at Sandvik, explains the other possibilities of hydrogen fuel cells. A fuel cell is a device that converts energy stored in molecules into electrical energy. Using hydrogen and oxygen as power, the fuel cell produces water, electricity and heat without creating any emissions other than water vapour. Only oxygen and hydrogen are required to power the fuel cell — the former is readily available in the atmosphere, and the latter can be generated through electrolysis. PORTABILITY ABILITY While smart devices are growing ever more advanced, they’re still limited by power. Technology and car companies are all too aware of the restrictions of lithium-ion batteries and while chips and operating systems are becoming more efficient at saving power, we’re still only looking at one or two days of battery life. Hydrogen fuel cells can power any portable device that uses batteries. Unlike a typical battery, the hydrogen fuel cell continues to produce energy with the continuous supply of fuel. This capability enables them to power a range of devices, including smartphones, laptops and hearing aids. In the defence sector, fuel cell technology has the potential to more than triple the flight time of drones or reduce the weight of the battery packs carried by soldiers in the field from around 15 kilograms to just one or two kilograms. In the middle of a disaster zone, these benefits could revolutionise the way emergency crews and military personnel respond to a situation. STATIONARY FUEL CELLS Aside from portable power, fuel cells can be used in stationary applications. The cells are typically connected to the power grid or installed as grid-independent heat and electricity generators that provide clean power to homes, businesses, telecommunications networks and utilities. As stationary fuel cells are quiet and produce fewer pollutants than conventional, combustion based power generation technologies, they can be installed almost anywhere. In Hwasung City, South Korea, the Gyeonggi Green Energy fuel cell park is currently the largest of its kind. With a 59 megawatt (MW) capacity, the facility delivers renewable energy to the South Korean power grid and high-quality heat to the district’s heating system. The United States is not far behind, with 56 large-scale fuel cell generating units with capacities greater than one MW. Recognising the vulnerabilities of grid dependency, a number of organisations are looking at fuel cells to help supply a reliable source of backup power. After Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and the US East Coast in 2012, fuel cells provided emergency backup power for telecommunications towers in both the Bahamas and the United States, allowing communication to remain open. Fuel cells can be monitored and controlled remotely, making them an ideal back up source for a range of power applications. LEADING THE WAY The average surface temperature of the planet has risen by almost one degree Celsius since the late 19th century, driven by an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Finding alternatives to carbon intensive fuel sources is critical to the future of our world, and engineers must demonstrate a commitment to problem solving to make the shift that will drive a more sustainable future. At Sandvik, our goal is to halve the CO2 impact of our business by 2030, including our production and transportation of people and products. Sandvik plays an important role in the future of hydrogen powered fuel. Our Sandvik Sanergy product platform consists of a coated strip for one of the most critical components in the fuel cell stack. The strip is ready to be pressed onto bipolar fuel cell plates, eliminating the costly need for individual plate coating. Today we have a unique, large-scale production facility in Sandviken, Sweden, and are ready for fuel cell technology to take off. If we are to make a significant impact on the warming of our planet, we must continue to engineer new ways of generating power. Hydrogen fuel cells are capable of delivering clean, yet highly effective, power for a number of applications — but it’s going to take dedicated innovators in order to bring the technology to the forefront. -The author, Håkan Holmberg, is Sales and Marketing Manager at Surface Technology at Sandvik.
       
      Full Article: https://industryeurope.com/sectors/energy-utilities/the-possibilities-of-hydrogen-fuel-cells/
     
         
      C&I rooftop solar set to surge in India Fri, 24th Jul 2020 16:28:00
     
      ndia’s new onsite rooftop solar installations across the commercial and industrial solar (C&I) segment are expected to range from 0.8 GW to 1.2 GW this year, according to a new report by JMK Research & Analytics and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa). The main reasons behind the expected surge in C&I installation are pandemic-hit businesses that are trying to adopt rooftop solar to cut costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/24/ci-rooftop-solar-set-to-surge-in-india/
     
         
      C&I rooftop solar set to surge in India Fri, 24th Jul 2020 16:11:00
     
      India’s new onsite rooftop solar installations across the commercial and industrial solar (C&I) segment are expected to range from 0.8 GW to 1.2 GW this year, according to a new report by JMK Research & Analytics and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa). The main reasons behind the expected surge in C&I installation are pandemic-hit businesses that are trying to adopt rooftop solar to cut costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/24/ci-rooftop-solar-set-to-surge-in-india/
     
         
      Portugal’s hydrogen call attracts €16bn of proposed investments Fri, 24th Jul 2020 15:57:00
     
      The Portuguese government said this week that it has received 74 expressions of interest in response to its call for hydrogen projects, which was launched in mid-June. “The proposed investments amount to approximately €16 billion, which is equivalent to 7.5% of Portuguese GDP,” the government said. Portuguese developers and other European companies across the entire value chain proposed projects, with participation from the public and private sectors. “The projects also cover different strategic areas, from the production of green hydrogen to transport,” the government explained, without revealing any additional details about the projects or the developers. The government will now determine whether the proposals are in line with the call’s requirements. It will provide another update on July 27.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/24/portugals-hydrogen-call-attracts-e16-billion-of-proposed-investments/
     
         
      Peat-cutting ban: Tynwald closes only Manx public turbary Fri, 24th Jul 2020 15:47:00
     
      Tynwald has approved the closure of the only Manx public turbary, effectively banning the cutting of peat from public land on the Isle of Man. The closure, coupled with the government's policy not to allow peat extraction from its lands, means no public turf can now be cut. Turbaries, areas where peat can be cut by rights owners, have been been used to supply heating fuel for many years. Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) said using peat as fuel was "no longer necessary". Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Geoffrey Boot said the ban would "play a small part in helping to prevent the further release of climate change gases" caused by the burning of the fuel. The banning of peat cutting was one of a raft of pledges made by the government to reduce carbon emissions on the island to net-zero by 2050. MWT's Sarah Hickey said peat was "the least carbon efficient fossil fuel" and its use was "no longer necessary". "The cutting of peat was one of the causes of degradation of peat habitats and the loss of much of the island's blanket bog," she said. "Restoration of peatlands is recognised as an important way to reduce carbon emissions, retain the large amount of carbon stored in the peat and improve peatland habitats." The conservation charity is currently carrying out a project to map the depth and extent of peat on more than 1,000 hectares of upland and lowland on the island.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-53531523
     
         
      The day the mercury soared Fri, 24th Jul 2020 15:26:00
     
      On July 25th 2019 the UK saw a new record maximum temperature of 38.7C at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Understandably this made big news. It was one of a number of high temperature records set in 2019 and if you think you hear more about hot weather records than cold ones, you'd be right. I remember July 25th 2019 very well. The day had been flagged in advance as a very hot one, the peak of a heatwave and one that could see the UK's highest temperature yet. I was on presenting duty that day and every hour we were following the latest temperatures as they came in to see just how high they went. At the end of the day itself it seemed as though the record hadn't been broken and a temperature of 38.5C at Brogdale in Kent in 2003 would stand as the UK's highest. But not all temperature data comes in instantly and the next day the Met Office announced it was verifying a higher temperature from Cambridge. A few days later the Met Office confirmed it was satisfied the temperature had reached 38.7C in Cambridge and the UK did indeed have a new maximum temperature record.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/53504757
     
         
      Fires in Pantanal, world's largest tropical wetlands, 'triple' in 2020 Fri, 24th Jul 2020 15:24:00
     
      The number of forest fires in the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetlands, has tripled in 2020 compared to last year, according to Brazil's national space agency Inpe. Inpe identified 3,682 fires from 1 January to 23 July in the region, an increase of 201% compared to 2019. Thousands of species including jaguars, anteaters and migratory birds live in the 140,000-160,000 sq km area. Last month was the worst June for fires in the neighbouring Amazon in 13 years. The wetlands are located across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia and are one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53500288
     
         
      The Great Climate Migration Has Begun Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:31:00
     
      Early in 2019, a year before the world shut its borders completely, Jorge A. knew he had to get out of Guatemala. The land was turning against him. For five years, it almost never rained. Then it did rain, and Jorge rushed his last seeds into the ground. The corn sprouted into healthy green stalks, and there was hope — until, without warning, the river flooded. Jorge waded chest-deep into his fields searching in vain for cobs he could still eat. Soon he made a last desperate bet, signing away the tin-roof hut where he lived with his wife and three children against a $1,500 advance in okra seed. But after the flood, the rain stopped again, and everything died. Jorge knew then that if he didn’t get out of Guatemala, his family might die, too. This article, the first in a series on global climate migration, is a partnership between ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, with support from the Pulitzer Center. Read more about the data project that underlies the reporting. Even as hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans fled north toward the United States in recent years, in Jorge’s region — a state called Alta Verapaz, where precipitous mountains covered in coffee plantations and dense, dry forest give way to broader gentle valleys — the residents have largely stayed. Now, though, under a relentless confluence of drought, flood, bankruptcy and starvation, they, too, have begun to leave. Almost everyone here experiences some degree of uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Half the children are chronically hungry, and many are short for their age, with weak bones and bloated bellies. Their families are all facing the same excruciating decision that confronted Jorge.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html
     
         
      'It is going to be brutal': What to expect as oil and gas majors unveil their second-quarter results Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:30:00
     
      Oil and gas majors are likely to report “horrendous” second-quarter results over the next two weeks, energy analysts have told CNBC, with the three-month period through to the end of June widely expected to mark the “low point” of 2020. “Big Oil” companies, referring to the world’s largest oil and gas majors, witnessed a historic fall in oil and gas prices during the second quarter as coronavirus lockdown restrictions coincided with an unprecedented demand shock. Norway’s Equinor will report second-quarter earnings on Friday, with Austria’s OMV, Italy’s Eni, France’s Total and Anglo-Dutch company Shell set to report next week. The U.K.’s BP will unveil their quarterly results on August 4. Stateside, ConocoPhillips will report earnings on July 30, with Exxon Mobil and Chevron expected to follow on July 31. “I think it is going to be brutal and ugly,” Kathy Hipple, an analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), told CNBC via telephone. Hipple pointed out that international benchmark Brent crude futures averaged just $29 a barrel in the three months through to June, down from an average of $51 a barrel in the first quarter. Brent crude futures tumbled to their lowest level since 1999 on April 21, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures plunged into negative territory for the first time on record. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol has since reportedly said he believes 2020 may well come to be regarded as the worst year in the history of global oil markets, with so-called “Black April” likely to be the worst month the industry has ever seen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/23/coronavirus-and-oil-energy-majors-to-report-second-quarter-earnings.html
     
         
      Heat waves, wildfire & permafrost thaw: The North’s climate change trifecta Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:29:00
     
      The Arctic Circle became unbelievably hot on June 20. In the Russian community of Verkhoyansk, temperatures topped 38C, marking what may be the highest air temperature ever recorded within the Arctic. The temperatures at Verkhoyansk are part of a larger trend across western Russia this summer, with small communities throughout the region reporting temperatures that are smashing local records that have stood for decades. During the latter half of June, surface temperatures throughout western Siberia were as much as 10C above historical norms, marking one of the hottest Junes on record despite relatively cool temperatures at the start of the month.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/heat-waves-wildfire-and-permafrost-thaw-the-norths-climate-change-trifecta-142220
     
         
      European Hydropower Lags as Hydrogen and Batteries Soar Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:29:00
     
      It’s the oldest and the biggest of all the clean energy technologies, but hydro has an uncertain role in Europe’s decarbonization plans. Over the past five years, Europe's base of conventional hydropower and pumped hydro capacity grew at about 1 percent a year, reaching 251 gigawatts in 2019, according to the International Hydropower Association (IHA). That feeble growth rate roughly tallies with scenarios developed by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, which indicate that Europe could reach 277 gigawatts of hydropower and pumped hydro capacity by 2030 and 280 gigawatts by 2040. And that's if everything goes smoothly. In the meantime, green hydrogen and batteries pose a rising threat to hydropower plants and their future profits. "Forecasting growth in hydropower is always challenging as this depends on a range of policy and commercial decisions and market conditions," David Samuel, senior analyst at the IHA, said in an email. "By 2030 total installed capacity could be somewhat higher or lower depending on the progress of major projects that are planned or under construction."
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/european-hydropower-dawdles-as-hydrogen-and-batteries-soar
     
         
      EU plans 'completely change outlook' for global hydrogen economy - BloombergNEF Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:27:00
     
      The EU's and Germany's plans to push the use of green hydrogen to decarbonise the economy are likely to trigger a competitive race with China that will be crucial for a global breakthrough of the technology, says Kobad Bhavnagri, Global Head of Industry and Building Decarbonization at research service BloombergNEF (BNEF). Europe's recent commitments "completely change the outlook" for a sharp reduction in costs that will allow scaling up production and use of renewable hydrogen, Bhavnagri told Clean Energy Wire. In turn, this could allow more countries to commit to a net-zero emissions target in the fight against climate change. "Europe's and Germany's leadership in hydrogen is exactly what was needed to kickstart the move," said Bhavnagri, lead author of BNEF's landmark 'Hydrogen Economy Outlook' report published earlier this year. "That really sends a strong signal to everybody else – to China, to Japan, to South Korea, perhaps to parts of the United States – to say: 'Ok, we can't be left behind here.'"
       
      Full Article: https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/eu-plans-completely-change-outlook-global-hydrogen-economy-bloombergnef
     
         
      Russia establishes RBMK decommissioning technology centre Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:26:00
     
      The Soviet-designed RBMK (reaktor bolshoy moshchnosty kanalny, high-power channel reactor) is a water-cooled reactor with individual fuel channels and using graphite as its moderator. It is also known as the light water graphite reactor (LWGR). It was designed over 1964-66 and is very different from most other power reactor designs as it derived from a design principally for plutonium production and was intended and used in Russia for both plutonium and power production. Its precursors were an experimental 30 MWt (5 MWe) LWGR at Obninsk which started up in 1954, and two small prototype LWGR (AMB-100 and 200) units - Beloyarsk 1 and 2 - which ran from 1964 and 1968 respectively. There are currently 10 RBMK units operating in Russia. "Recently, we have committed to constructing new power units, some of those in Leningrad," said Andrei Petrov, director general of Rosenergoatom. "They will replace the power units whose reactors are due to shut down in the next decade. All in all, by 2030, 18 units will be shut in Russia, most of those having RBMK facilities. The newly-established engineering centre will work on safe serial shutdown of the stopped channel-type reactor facility power units." This will be the second pilot and demonstration engineering centre established by Rosenergoatom. The first one was established in 2013 and started operating at the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant, units 1 and 2 of which are VVER reactors. The Leningrad plant was selected to host the main site of the new RBMK decommissioning centre at it features the first such units to be commissioned. Unit 1 began operating in 1973 and was shut down in December 2018. The three other RBMK units at the site are scheduled to shut down in the next five years. The centre will coordinate the shutdown of RBMK units at other Russian plants: at Kursk and Smolensk, followed by units at Beloyarsk and Bilibino. Units 1 and 2 at the Beloyarsk plant were shut down in 1981 and 1990, respectively and are being prepared for decommissioning. "Our AMB-100 and AMB-200 reactors are, technically, the ancestors for the RBMK reactors. This is why we are going to take advantage of the uranium-graphite channel-type reactors shutdown technology that is being developed by the engineering centre at the Leningrad plant," said Ivan Sidorov, director of the Beloyarsk plant. In order to facilitate the operation of the experimental and demonstration engineering centre, a roadmap of cooperation between the centre and the power plants has already been approved along with the schedule of actions. Shortly, recruitment of personnel on a competitive basis will begin, followed by training in new competencies to carry out decommissioning works.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Russia-establishes-RBMK-decommissioning-technology
     
         
      Japanese banks back world’s second cheapest solar project Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 16:24:00
     
      The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) utility has revealed Mizuho Bank and the state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have agreed to finance the construction of the 10km² Siraj-1 solar project in Al Kharsaah, west of Doha. Kahramaa said the Japanese lenders have provided senior loans for the QAR1.7 billion ($467 million) project. Siraj-1 was secured in a tender in January by a consortium led by French oil giant Total and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni. The partners initially submitted a bid of QAR0.0636/kWh but the final price reached QAR0.0571/kWh ($0.016), based on financial market indices. That bid was for a while the cheapest solar power price in the world, after it undercut the world record of €0.0147/kWh ($0.017) submitted by French developer Akuo Energy for 150 MW of solar capacity in Portugal’s first PV auction. In April, Chinese developer Jinko Power and French energy company EDF submitted the world’s lowest solar bid of AED0.0497/kWh ($0.0135330) for the power to be generated by the 1.5 GW Al Dhafra project in Abu Dabi.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/23/japanese-banks-back-worlds-cheapest-solar-project/
     
         
      Exclusive: Enercon fires-up first E-160 prototype Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 15:52:00
     
      The compact “lightweight” E-160 EP5 E1 flagship for IEC IIIA sites is fitted with custom-developed 78.3-metre LM blades for one of the wind industry’s largest onshore rotor diameters at 160 metres. These are also the longest blades ever to be fitted on an Enercon turbine. The prototype features a 120-metre bolted wide-base modular steel tower (MST), but there will be a 166-metre hub-height option too, plus various other tower solutions. Enhanced ‘Mark 2’ MSTs are being increasingly deployed for Enercon’s EP3 turbines, and now being extended to the EP5 platform, because the company considers these the most efficient in terms of transport logistics. Normal tubular steel towers offer an economical solution for lower hub heights and in international markets, but demand for classic concrete-steel hybrids is falling and the latest next generation hybrid towers are now being phased out.
       
      Full Article: https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1690157/exclusive-enercon-fires-up-first-e-160-prototype
     
         
      Is Warren Buffet Right About Natural Gas? Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 15:49:00
     
      I have established a reputation as a bit of a contrarian in certain areas of the energy market. I have been tough on pipeline companies in particular. Pipelines have attributes that simply can’t be mitigated. Among them the fact, that they must cross long distances to deliver their products, and pass native populations that are against their construction for reasons of their own. They are also hostage to the political whims of local, state, and federal leaders who typically rail against them being built. That adds up to a negative impact that has restrained shares of pipeline operators, even as the general energy market has rallied this quarter. For example, in my last OilPrice article, I called into question whether Energy Transfer, (NYSE: ET) was a colossus ready to cast off its chains and revert to its glory days? Or did it have farther to fall as a result of an adverse court decision, and more importantly to some, was its lofty ~20% distribution in jeopardy? ET is currently mired in travails over the aptly named, Dakota Access Pipeline. The market has largely discounted an adverse outcome for the company as ET’s stock remains under pressure while the continued operation of the DAPL is litigated.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-Warren-Buffet-Right-About-Natural-Gas.html
     
         
      Guterres confronts China over coal boom, urging a green recovery Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 15:48:00
     
      UN secretary general António Guterres has urged China to stop funding coal projects, warning the Paris climate agreement goals will slip out of reach if the world fails to deliver a green recovery to Covid-19. Speaking at Tsinghua University, in Beijing, on Thursday, Guterres said the economic recovery to the coronavirus pandemic was a “make-or-break moment” for the planet. China’s actions, he said, could determine whether the world limits warming to 1.5C – the tougher target of the Paris goal on which the survival of vulnerable nations depends. “As an economic superpower, the way in which China restores growth will have a major impact on whether we can keep 1.5C within reach,” he said during a lecture series titled “Climate governance in the post-pandemic world”. Guterres, who has championed a green recovery to the economic fallout from Covid-19, said the trillions of dollars being spent on the economic recovery to the coronavirus pandemic could “either serve as a slingshot to hurtle climate action forward, or it can set it back many years”. Governments have “a narrow window, but a vast opportunity” to rebuild a cleaner and fairer world, he said, urging them to end fossil fuel subsidies and the funding of coal. “There is no such thing as clean coal, and coal should have no place in any rational recovery plan. It is deeply concerning that new coal power plants are still being planned and financed, even though renewables offer three times more jobs, and are now cheaper than coal in most countries.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/07/23/guterres-confronts-china-coal-boom-urging-green-recovery/
     
         
      Europeans float idea of Scottish offshore wind farm development Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 15:26:00
     
      A group of international businesses is forming a consortium to bid for acreage to develop floating wind farms in Scottish waters. Baywa, of Germany, Elicio, from Belgium, and Ideol, a French company, are working on a joint bid to apply for sites in a leasing round launched recently by Crown Estate Scotland. Baywa already employs 75 people in Scotland and runs 890 megawatts of onshore wind in Britain. Elicio owns stakes in several Belgian offshore projects and is the operator of more than 30 wind farms across Europe. Ideol has developed a floating turbine foundation that has been deployed in French and Japan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/europeans-float-idea-of-scottish-offshore-wind-farm-development-9075b79p0
     
         
      Jinko bifacial panel order to expand 160 MW Chilean project Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 13:48:00
     
      The Chinese manufacturer will supply 126 MW of modules to a project in Antofagasta which was originally installed using its products in 2016. The report stated, the site in northern Chile already features 668,160 Jinko panels and is expected to produce 789 GWh per year once expansion of the project is complete. “Chile is the largest market for utility scale projects in the region and we are continuously working to promote our high-quality modules there in order to support the development of renewable energy,” said Alberto Cuter, Latin America general manager for JinkoSolar, who was quoted in yesterday’s report. “The expansion of the PV plant equipped with our bifacial modules has already generated [a] lower LCOE [levelized cost of energy] and is able to compete with traditional sources of energy. We are expecting to sell more bifacial modules in the coming few months across the region.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/07/jinko-bifacial-panel-order-to-expand-160-mw-chilean-project/
     
         
      Conservation: Reef sharks are in major decline worldwide Thu, 23rd Jul 2020 11:45:00
     
      The crash in shark numbers, caused largely by over-fishing, could have dire consequences for corals struggling to survive in a changing climate, researchers have said. Sharks are top predators, playing a key role in marine ecosystems. Dr Mike Heithaus of Florida International University, US, said: "At a time when corals are struggling to survive in a changing climate, losing reef sharks could have dire long-term consequences for entire reef systems."
       
      Full Article: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/7DD6/production/_111141223_92221d04-aaec-42a4-8c17-9ae8718d0eff.png
     
         
      Trump moves to regulate greenhouse emissions from planes, but critics skeptical Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 16:20:00
     
      Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today announced that the agency would limit greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes for the first time in U.S. history. The proposed rule represents a rare step to reduce planet-warming pollution by EPA, which has typically weakened or delayed climate rules under President Donald Trump. It’s also historic in nature. The United States has never regulated carbon dioxide from planes, in part because the international aviation sector was omitted from the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. But while industry groups cheered today’s announcement, environmentalists slammed the proposal as too weak to achieve meaningful emission reductions from aviation in the coming decades. “Earlier today, the U.S., for the first time, proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft,” Wheeler said on a call with reporters this morning. “This is the third time in the past two years that the Trump administration has taken major action to regulate greenhouse gases in a way that is legally defensible,” he said, referring to the agency’s rollbacks of Obama-era rules on power plants and automobiles. Wheeler said the proposed rule—which has not yet been published in the Federal Register—would mirror standards from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations body. He tacitly acknowledged that industry groups—including manufacturers of airplane engines—had lobbied the agency to adopt the ICAO standards.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/trump-moves-regulate-greenhouse-emissions-planes-critics-skeptical
     
         
      EGEB: Despite COVID, China’s solar panel output rises 15.7% in 1H of 2020 Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 16:20:00
     
      China’s solar panel production industry appears to have skirted the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. The country produced 59 gigawatts’ worth of solar panels in the first half of 2020, up 15.7% from 2019, said Wang Bohua, vice chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, today. Wang Bohua also said that shipments of completed solar modules reached 27.7 GW from January to May, which was down only 1.8% from 2019. Exports in that time period were expected to have reached 33-35 GW. China is the largest producer and buyer of solar panels in the world.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/07/22/egeb-covid-chinese-solar-panel-output-rises-first-half-2020-bp-indiana-wind-farm/
     
         
      How cities are using nature to keep heatwaves at bay Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 16:13:00
     
      The more the planet warms, the more cities are finding they need new ways to keep urban temperatures down and protect their residents. Heatwaves are already by far the deadliest weather-related disasters in Europe; 140,000 deaths associated with 83 heatwaves have been recorded since the beginning of this century. Today, only 8 per cent of the 2.8 billion people living in places with average daily temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius have an air conditioner. Cooling is particularly important in cities facing rising temperatures, worsened by the urban heat island effect—concrete and tarmac absorbing the sun’s power, radiating it out as heat and keeping the city warm long after the sun has gone down. Waste heat from engines and other energy-consuming equipment in transportation, industry and space cooling make cities even hotter. Often, poorer neighborhoods are more affected as residents have less access to air conditioners and breezy green spaces, putting vulnerable people at greater risk of heat-related health complications. The standard solution to cooling in cities is to add more air conditioning, but this brings its own set of problems. Energy-hungry cooling further drives global warming. The number of cooling appliances in use is expected to grow from 3.6 billion today to 9.5 billion by 2050. If air conditioners were provided to all those who need them, not just those who can afford them, there would 14 billion cooling appliances in use by 2050. Emissions would go through the roof. Many cities, however, are taking bold steps to show that they can keep cool in a sustainable manner, with the Indian city of Ahmedabad chief among them. The city implemented its Heat Action Plan after an extremely hot and deadly pre-monsoon season in 2010. The plan not only set up an early-warning system for the vulnerable. It included water supplies to the public, plants and trees and a “cool roof” initiative to reflect heat. Some 7,000 low-income households have had their roofs painted white, a simple measure that dramatically reduces inside temperatures by reflecting sunlight. The Heat Action Plan saves an estimated 1,100 lives each year. Its innovative multi-step approach won the 2020 Ashden Award for Cool Cities, which recognizes pioneers in the fight against climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/how-cities-are-using-nature-keep-heatwaves-bay
     
         
      Top Scientists Just Ruled Out Best-Case Global Warming Scenarios Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 16:00:00
     
      A major new study of the relationship between carbon dioxide and global warming lowers the odds on worst-case climate change scenarios while also ruling out the most optimistic estimates nations have been counting on as they attempt to implement the Paris Agreement. A group of 25 leading scientists now conclude that catastrophic warming is almost inevitable if emissions continue at their current rate, even if there’s less reason to anticipate a totally uninhabitable Earth in coming centuries. The research, published Wednesday in the journal Reviews of Geophysics, narrows the answer to a question that’s as old as climate science itself: How much would the planet warm if humanity doubled the amount of CO? in the atmosphere? That number, known as “equilibrium climate sensitivity,” is typically expressed as a range. The scientists behind this new study have narrowed the climate-sensitivity window to between 2.6° Celsius and 3.9°C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/top-scientists-just-ruled-out-best-case-global-warming-scenarios
     
         
      After 40 years, researchers finally see Earth’s climate destiny more clearly Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 15:32:00
     
      It seems like such a simple question: How hot is Earth going to get? Yet for 40 years, climate scientists have repeated the same unsatisfying answer: If humans double atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from preindustrial levels, the planet will eventually warm between 1.5°C and 4.5°C—a temperature range that encompasses everything from a merely troubling rise to a catastrophic one. Now, in a landmark effort, a team of 25 scientists has significantly narrowed the bounds on this critical factor, known as climate sensitivity. The assessment, conducted under the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and publishing this week in Reviews of Geophysics, relies on three strands of evidence: trends indicated by contemporary warming, the latest understanding of the feedback effects that can slow or accelerate climate change, and lessons from ancient climates. They support a likely warming range of between 2.6°C and 3.9°C, says Steven Sherwood, one of the study’s lead authors and a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales. “This is the number that really controls how bad global warming is going to be.” The new study is the payoff of decades of advances in climate science, says James Hansen, the famed retired NASA climate scientist who helped craft the first sensitivity range in 1979. “It is an impressive, comprehensive study, and I am not just saying that because I agree with the result. Whoever shepherded this deserves our gratitude.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/after-40-years-researchers-finally-see-earths-climate-destiny-more-clearly
     
         
      Breakingviews - Hydrogen investing is a lottery worth playing Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 15:22:00
     
      Hydrogen is earth’s most abundant element, but only occurs naturally in compounds. Producing pure hydrogen means breaking those chemical bonds. The most common way to do so is to apply steam to natural gas. This approach accounts for nearly all the 70 million tons of hydrogen produced annually, which is then used to make chemicals like ammonia. This energy intensive process also emits a lot of carbon. The excitement about hydrogen as an energy source is based on an alternative approach, which involves passing an electric current through a so-called electrolyser. This splits water into its components of hydrogen and oxygen and emits no nasty carbon. For a world that wants to minimise carbon emissions by 2050, clean hydrogen is seriously interesting. In a best-case scenario, electricity produced by cheap wind and solar power would fuel the electrolysis that creates hydrogen. The output would then be used in a fuel cell which can provide power for vehicles and industrial processes, or electricity when renewable energy sources are not available.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-hydrogen-breakingviews/breakingviews-hydrogen-investing-is-a-lottery-worth-playing-idUSKCN24N0X0
     
         
      Cheap Natural Gas To Remain Fuel Of Choice For Decades To Come Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 15:19:00
     
      While net-zero emissions goals started in England last year are spreading to governments, utilities, and private companies worldwide, natural gas doesn’t have to go the way of coal. Coal is facing its death knell for firing the power grid, but gas has huge potential for playing an important role by building on its already existing strengths and infrastructure. An executive from engineering firm Black & Veatch, recognized for its oil & gas expertise, believes that natural gas will play a key role approaching a set of strategies over the next 30-plus years before net-zero campaigns start being enacted. Utility operators and gas companies could be key stakeholders in this trend. New plant design, reliable energy grid generation, low gas prices, tapping into hydrogen, and using the right carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration procedures, are among the strategies stakeholders can deploy during this transition. Black & Veatch’s Jason Rowell sees it as a strategy for future-proofing the net-zero transition. Power plants are now tapping into new design and technology from the oil & gas sector. Advanced gas turbine generator plants hold the greatest promise. They’re now made to supply more than 400 MW to the grid in 10 minutes; they’re also being designed to reach full combined load cycles within 30 minutes to an hour. Gas-powered turbine generators are starting to see success in increased capacity and achieving efficiency scaling up to their full-load capacity. Gas-turbine plants also demonstrate the benefits of complementing and supporting solar and wind generation. It offers a more reliable, balanced portfolio of electrical generation that both reduces carbon emissions and maintains a consistent power supply. Going with solar and wind completely means sacrificing reliability through dependency on intermittent power sources. Maintaining grid reliability and resiliency through gas-turbine plants can help advocates push for net-zero goals.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Cheap-Natural-Gas-To-Remain-Fuel-Of-Choice-For-Decades-To-Come.html
     
         
      New all-iron redox flow battery for renewables storage Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 15:15:00
     
      Researchers at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences of the University of Southern California (USC) have demonstrated a new all-iron redox flow battery for renewable energy storage they claim is inexpensive, safe and eco-friendly as well as offering a long lifetime. Presented in the study Improvements to the Coulombic Efficiency of the Iron Electrode for an All-Iron Redox-Flow Battery, published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, the device is said to have demonstrated coulombic efficiency – the ratio of charge extracted against charge put in over a cycle – of 97.9%, thanks to functional electrolyte additives, pH and elevated temperature. The researchers say that level of efficiency is among the best recorded for charge and discharge of an iron electrode. “The coulombic efficiency during electrodeposition of iron was found to improve with increasing pH at all values of current density,” stated the USC group. “We have found that ascorbic acid has an important role in determining the coulombic efficiency.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/22/new-all-iron-redox-flox-battery-for-renewables-storage/
     
         
      Value of energy storage lies in increased renewables and capacity deferrals Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 14:39:00
     
      A new study has concluded that the economic value of energy storage increases as variable renewable energy generation increases its share of electricity supplied, however, the degree to which such variable renewable energy sources can be deployed hinges upon the future availability and cost of energy storage technologies. The new study recently published in the journal Applied Energy was authored by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment (ACEE), supported by General Electric (GE). The research analysed battery storage technology in an effort to determine the key drivers impacting its economic value, how that value changes with increasing deployment over time, and the implications for energy storage’s long-term cost-effectiveness. “Battery storage helps make better use of electricity system assets, including wind and solar farms, natural gas power plants, and transmission lines, and can defer or eliminate unnecessary investment in these capital-intensive assets,” said Dharik Mallapragada, research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the paper’s lead author. “Our paper demonstrates that this ‘capacity deferral,’ or substitution of batteries for generation or transmission capacity, is the primary source of storage value.” There are other sources of value for energy storage identified by the report, including its ability to provide operating reserves to electricity system operators, avoiding fuel cost and wear & tear incurred by cycling on and off gas-fired power plants, as well as shifting energy from low price periods to high value periods. However, the paper conclusively showed that these sources are of secondary importance compared to the value energy storage creates by helping to avoid capital-intensive capacity investments. The study, which was based on a capacity expansion model intended to find the least expensive ways of integrating battery storage in a hypothetical low-carbon power system, came to four key conclusions. First, and as already mentioned, the economic value of storage rises as variable renewable energy generation provides an increasing share of the electricity supply. Secondly, the economic value of energy storage beings to decline as storage penetration increases due to competition between various energy storage resources for the same set of grid services. Thirdly, as energy storage penetration begins to increase, the majority of its economic value is seen to be tied to its ability to displace the need for investing in both renewable and natural gas-based energy generation and capacity transmission. Finally, the study concluded that without further energy storage cost reductions, a relatively small magnitude of short-duration energy storage is cost-effective only in grids with variable renewable energy sources providing 50-60% of electricity supply. “As more and more storage is deployed, the value of additional storage steadily falls,” said Jesse Jenkins, former MITEI researcher. “That creates a race between the declining cost of batteries and their declining value, and our paper demonstrates that the cost of batteries must continue to fall if storage is to play a major role in electricity systems.” “The picture is more favourable to storage adoption if future cost projections ($150 per kilowatt-hour for 4-hour storage) are realized,” added Mallapragada. The authors highlighted how their results show the need for reforming electricity market structures or contracting practices so as to enable energy storage developers to monetise the potential value of substituting generation and transmission capacity – what the researchers describe as “a central component of their economic viability.” “In practice, there are few direct markets to monetise the capacity substitution value that is provided by storage,” says Mallapragada. “Depending on their administrative design and market rules, capacity markets may or may not adequately compensate storage for providing energy during peak load periods.” Mallapragada also highlighted the way in which developers and integrated utilities in regulated markets are able to capture capacity substitution value by integrating energy storage with the development of wind and solar. The research also shows, however, that in some cases the continued cost declines for wind and solar could in fact negatively impact storage value, which would in turn create pressure to drive down storage costs so as to remain cost-effective. “It is a common perception that battery storage and wind and solar power are complementary,” said Nestor Sepulveda, a postdoctoral associate at MIT, who was a MITEI researcher and nuclear science and engineering student at the time of the study. “Our results show that is true, and that all else equal, more solar and wind means greater storage value. “That said, as wind and solar get cheaper over time, that can reduce the value storage derives from lowering renewable energy curtailment and avoiding wind and solar capacity investments. Given the long-term cost declines projected for wind and solar, I think this is an important consideration for storage technology developers.” The research also shows just how complex is the relationship between wind and solar costs and energy storage value. “Since storage derives much of its value from capacity deferral, going into this research, my expectation was that the cheaper wind and solar gets, the lower the value of energy storage will become, but our paper shows that is not always the case,” said Mallapragada. “There are some scenarios where other factors that contribute to storage value, such as increases in transmission capacity deferral, outweigh the reduction in wind and solar deferral value, resulting in higher overall storage value.” Of course, battery energy storage is increasingly finding itself in a battle with natural gas-fired power plants to provide the necessary and reliable capacity for peak demand periods. However, the researchers found that replacing natural gas with battery storage is not as simple as it could be.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/value-of-energy-storage-lies-in-increased-renewables-and-capacity-deferrals-77736/
     
         
      Agrivoltaics proving a responsible way to blend solar fields and traditional ag Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 14:27:00
     
      As the world population climbs toward a projected 9.7 billion by 2050, the dual concerns of climate change and food production have the best and brightest of agricultural science looking for solutions. Enter, agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics, otherwise known as “solar sharing,” is a concept spreading around Earth like a wild sweet potato vine. The concept involves creating solar panel farms with food crops grown in between rows, or in some cases, livestock grazing. Perhaps the first benefit the might come to mind is the opportunity to generate multiple streams of revenue from the same location. But studies in the field suggest a mutually beneficial relationship between the plants and panels in terms of ground temperature, moisture, and reduction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even in driving by the growing number of large-scale solar parks, where large numbers of solar photovoltaic modules are mounted on frames, one wonders about the maintenance. Consider the value of integrating sheep grazing into the operation as a way to keep grass low. Meanwhile, the largest grid-connected solar installation on Earth remains under work in Abu Dhabi, with a planned capacity of 1,177 megawatts and bound to rival fossil fuel plants in terms of size. When combined with present experiments involving peppers and cherry tomato plants amid the panel rows, one quickly sees just a few of the potential benefits from what experts agree is a bright opportunity. Deep in the heart of the world’s wine country, French scientists are combining vineyards with solar panels. Given that vines are among the plants most easily damaged by the effects of climate change, French solar developer Sun’R and its subsidiary, Sun’Agri, have established a viticulture agrivoltaic system in southeastern France in partnership with the government’s Environment and Energy Management Agency. A 1,000-square meter vineyard growing the black Grenache grape used in red wines has incorporated into it a 600-square meter dynamic system featuring 280 panels capable of generating 84 kW. Panels are placed at a height of 4.2 meters and move in real time by way of an artificial intelligence algorithm which determines the tilt of the panel so as to maximize sunshine and water requirements. The program also uses the panels to help shield the crops from heavy rain, frost and hail. Initial results from the project show that the panel structure shelters the vines from stunting during heatwaves, and reduces water demand by 12 percent to 34 percent by way of a reduction in evapotranspiration, or water evaporation, through the soil. Tests show that the aromatic profile of the grape has been improved, with 13 percent more anthocyanins — red pigments — and 9 to percent 14 percent more acidity. Set to move from demonstration phase in 2020 to commercial in 2022, developers plan to expand the model to include greenhouses and other foods as well. Meanwhile, back in America, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) has partnered with universities Arizona and Maryland to produce peppers and cherry tomatoes. Researchers have noted that one of the challenges with large-scale solar panel operations is the “heat island” effect as the photovoltaic arrays cause a raising of temperatures. Pasts solutions involving the use of gravel groundcover have only worsened this, causing a multitude of problems for the temperature-sensitive panel’s performance. Changing out the gravel for vegetation, they found, has produced benefits all the way around. During the three-month growing season for the three chilitepin plants beneath the panels, scientists monitored light levels, air temperature, and relative humidity as well as moisture at a depth of 5 centimeters. Both the control and intervention fields — with and without photovoltaic panels — received identical irrigation in two testing scenarios, daily versus every two days. The researchers reported that the traditional ground-mounted panels were substantially cooler during the day with plants beneath them by approximately 9 degrees Celsius, allowing for better performance. Plant-wise, total fruit production was three times greater in the agrivoltaic system compared to the control one. Water efficiency for the jalapeno was 157 percent greater, and 65 percent greater for the cherry tomato. When irrigating every two days, soil moisture remained approximately 15 percent greater in the agrivoltaic system, and 5 percent when done daily Researchers explain that the crops emit water through a natural process of transpiration, much like misters at a restaurant, and the panels provide a needed shade to help keep moisture and nutrients in the ground, making for a profitable win-win. Scheduled for Oct. 14 to 16, the AgriVoltaics 2020 Conference and Exhibition in Perpignan, France, portends to feature experts from around the globe all interested in maximizing both solar and food energy simultaneously. Conference topics will range from plant growth models and shade tolerance to plant pathology and agrivoltaic mounting systems. Case studies and best practices will be shared from projects around the world, and proceedings will be published by way of the American Institute of Physics. Landowners and producers are certain to take notice, particularly those with marginal ground on which they might want to experiment. Even a small panel operation in the spirit of Do-It-Yourself could generate enough electricity for a property owner all the while tomato plants grow in the shade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.agdaily.com/crops/agrivoltaics-blend-solar-fields-and-traditional-ag/
     
         
      Hydrogen isn’t the key to Britain’s green recovery – here’s why Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 13:48:00
     
      The EU recently published its strategy for delivering net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Alongside reducing the amount of energy consumed by buildings and industry, the appliances that currently rely on fossil fuels, like cars and domestic and industrial boilers, are to be replaced with electrical alternatives, for example batteries and heat pumps. Where energy efficiency and electrification aren’t possible or cost effective, such as in heavy-duty transport (think trains and lorries), hydrogen fuel is expected to fill in these gaps. But in the UK, a large number of organisations are touting hydrogen as key to our own efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions. One recent headline blared: “The hydrogen revolution is a marvellous chance for Britain, if it does not throw away the prize”. Much of my 45-year career in industry and academia has been spent studying energy efficiency and power production and supply. I believe that hydrogen has a limited role in decarbonisation, and that businesses with a vested interest in promoting hydrogen are doing so at the expense of British consumers.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/hydrogen-isnt-the-key-to-britains-green-recovery-heres-why-143059
     
         
      Unlocking the Potential of Hydrogen Energy Storage Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 12:44:00
     
      Renewable energy sources are experiencing a period of rapid growth, with the U.S. Energy Information Agency forecasting that they will be the fastest growing source of electricity generation in the near future. However, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind suffer from supply and demand imbalances, because their most productive periods are when electricity demand is lowest, leading to a surplus of unused energy, and they are least productive when electricity demand peaks, leading to energy shortages that must be filled by other means. To address this issue, renewables must be supplemented with other dispatchable energy sources, which can instantaneously adjust output to match shifts in energy demand. One promising option to fulfill this dispatchable energy role is hydrogen energy storage. Hydrogen energy storage is a process wherein the surplus of energy created by renewables during low energy demand periods is used to power electrolysis, a process in which an electrical current is passed through a chemical solution in order to separate hydrogen. Once hydrogen is created through electrolysis it can be used in stationary fuel cells, for power generation, to provide fuel for fuel cell vehicles, injected into natural gas pipelines to reduce their carbon intensity, or even stored as a compressed gas, cryogenic liquid or wide variety of loosely-bonded hydride compounds for later use. Hydrogen created through electrolysis is showing great promise as an economic fuel choice, with data from the International Energy Agency predicting that hydrogen generated from wind will be cheaper than natural gas by 2030. While other forms of energy storage such as batteries and pumped water storage facilities can fulfill the same dispatchable energy needs, both have limitations that hydrogen energy storage can overcome. Batteries suffer from storage degradation, and can only store a limited amount of energy, whereas hydrogen fuel can be stored for long periods of time, and in quantities only limited by the size of storage facilities. According to Steve Szymanski, Director of Business Development at FCHEA member Nel Hydrogen, “batteries are best suited to discharge times that are 4 hours or less… [Hydrogen energy storage] can address longer duration needs (say days or even weeks).” Although pumped water storage does not suffer from the same duration and capacity limitations of chemical batteries, it can only be used in limited geographic areas where hills or mountains are present, requires vast areas of land, and can be prohibitively expensive to build. Hydrogen energy storage has proven its merit beyond the lab through real-world projects. For example, in 2018 Enbridge Gas Distribution and FCHEA member Hydrogenics opened North America's first multi-megawatt power-to-gas facility using renewably-sourced hydrogen, the 2.5 MW Markham Energy Storage Facility in Ontario, Canada. The facility is currently providing grid regulation services under contract to the Independent Electricity System Operator of Ontario. In Europe many hydrogen energy storage projects have been created, such as the Energiepark Mainz in Germany, a project involving FCHEA member Linde, in partnership with Siemens, the Rhein Main University of Applied Sciences and the Mainzer Stadtwerke. The Energiepark uses excess wind energy to create hydrogen fuel, which is later used to generate energy when wind power cannot match demand. Orsted, Denmark’s largest energy firm, is planning to use excess energy from its proposed North Sea wind farms to power electrolysis and create renewable hydrogen energy. The proposed wind farms would have a nameplate capacity of 700 MW and be linked directly to the grid. During periods of time where the wind farms oversupplied energy, this excess power would be used to generate hydrogen through electrolysis which would later be sold to large industrial customers. In the United States, hydrogen energy storage has begun to show promise through ongoing tests, and promising projects. For example, SoCalGas, a natural gas provider based in Southern California, has partnered in hydrogen energy storage projects. With the National Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California at Irvine, SoCalGas installed an electrolyzer powered by the on-campus solar electric system, which generates renewable hydrogen to be fed into the campus power plant. With the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, SoCalGas constructed a biomethanation reactor system, which uses a water electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from renewable power, through a bioreactor that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane and water.
       
      Full Article: http://www.fchea.org/in-transition/2019/7/22/unlocking-the-potential-of-hydrogen-energy-storage
     
         
      A car park PV folding roof to recharge electric vehicles Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 11:54:00
     
      The first Horizon solar folding roof product made by DHP Technology has been installed over a parking area in Switzerland. The 420 kW generation capacity, 4,000 square meter roof covers 152 parking bays at the Jakobsbad-Kronberg cable car in Appenzellerland, in DHP’s home market. The roof required 13 months to install, following 2.5 years in the planning system. The roof generates power for on-site consumption, including for electric vehicle (EV) charging points.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/22/a-car-park-pv-folding-roof-to-recharge-electric-vehicles/
     
         
      Student files climate change lawsuit against Australian government Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 11:42:00
     
      An Australian student has filed a lawsuit against her government for failing to make clear climate change-related risks to investors in government bonds. "Australia is materially exposed and susceptible" to climate change risks, according to the statement filed with the Federal Court of Australia in Victoria state. It alleges that the country's economy and the national reputation in international financial markets will be significantly affected by the Australian government's response to climate change. The risks are crucial to an investor's decision to trade in government bonds and an investor is entitled to be informed of those risks, it adds. The student is seeking a declaration that the government breached its duty of disclosure and an injunction pausing further promotion of such bonds until it complies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53497949
     
         
      First active leak of methane from Antarctica’s sea floor revealed Wed, 22nd Jul 2020 8:16:00
     
      The first active leak of methane from the sea floor in Antarctica has been revealed by scientists. The researchers also found microbes that normally consume the potent greenhouse gas before it reaches the atmosphere had only arrived in small numbers after five years, allowing the gas to escape. Vast quantities of methane are thought to be stored under the sea floor around Antarctica. The gas could start to leak as the climate crisis warms the oceans, a prospect the researchers said was “incredibly concerning”. The reason for the emergence of the new seep remains a mystery, but it is probably not global heating, as the Ross Sea where it was found has yet to warm significantly. The research also has significance for climate models, which currently do not account for a delay in the microbial consumption of escaping methane. The active seep was first spotted by chance by divers in 2011, but it took scientists until 2016 to return to the site and study it in detail, before beginning laboratory work. “The delay [in methane consumption] is the most important finding,” said Andrew Thurber, from Oregon State University in the US, who led the research. “It is not good news. It took more than five years for the microbes to begin to show up and even then there was still methane rapidly escaping from the sea floor.” The release of methane from frozen underwater stores or permafrost regions is one of the key tipping points that scientists are concerned about, which occur when a particular impact of global heating becomes unstoppable.
       
      Full Article: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/first-active-leak-of-methane-from-antarctica-s-sea-floor-revealed-1.4310660
     
         
      ATCO to Build Alberta's First Hydrogen Blending Project with ERA Support - FuelCellsWorks Tue, 21st Jul 2020 16:26:00
     
      Canadian Utilities, an ATCO company, today announced it has been awarded $2.8 million in funding from Emission Reductions Alberta’s (ERA) Natural Gas Challenge to advance a first-of-its-kind hydrogen blending project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. Once complete, the project will be Canada’s largest hydrogen blending project, injecting up to five per cent hydrogen by volume into a section of Fort Saskatchewan’s residential natural gas distribution network, lowering the carbon intensity of the natural gas stream for its customers. “Affordably decarbonizing the production of heat is vital to achieve our long-term emissions and energy goals, particularly in our cold Canadian climate, and hydrogen can play a powerful role,” said Siegfried Kiefer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Utilities. “This project is an important first step for Alberta, which has all the ingredients needed to be a leader in the hydrogen economy—including the ability to produce near zero-emissions hydrogen at a lower cost than virtually any other jurisdiction in the world.” Canadian Utilities’ project will use hydrogen derived from domestically-produced natural gas, with the intent to eventually leverage Alberta’s existing carbon capture and sequestration infrastructure to store emissions associated with the production process. Engaging with customers and the community of Fort Saskatchewan will be integral to the project. Canadian Utilities will work diligently to create awareness about the safety of hydrogen, environmental benefits and the considerable economic potential. “This project will not only create jobs, but a roadmap for hydrogen in Alberta, using low-cost, responsibly produced natural gas while leveraging the province’s existing investment in carbon capture technology,” said George Lidgett, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Utilities, Canadian Utilities. “Our vision is to enable Western Canada’s world-class natural gas industry to grow in tandem with Alberta’s hydrogen economy, including supplying eventual exports to global markets where demand is steadily growing.”
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/atco-to-build-albertas-first-hydrogen-blending-project-with-era-support/
     
         
      Greta Thunberg donates €1 million to groups fighting the climate crisis Tue, 21st Jul 2020 16:21:00
     
      Greta Thunberg has donated €1m to projects and organisations working to end the climate crisis. The 17-year-old was awarded the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, a Portuguese human rights award, which comes with a seven-figure cheque. Thunberg announced that the prize money would be shared between different groups, with a particular emphasis on projects supporting people in the Global South. “I am incredibly honoured and extremely grateful,” said Thunberg, “this means a lot to me and I hope that it will help me do more good in the world. “The price money [...] is more money than I can even begin to imagine - all the prize money will be donated through my foundation to different organisations and projects who are working to help people on the frontlines affected by the climate crisis and the ecological crisis, especially in the Global South.” She added that the money would also be shared among groups “fighting for a sustainable world and who are fighting to protect nature and the natural world.” The first organisation to receive funding from Thunberg will be SOS Amazonia. It is a campaign led by Fridays For Future Brazil which is helping to end the COVID-19 outbreak in the Amazon, particularly among Indigenous communities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/07/21/greta-thunberg-donates-1-million-to-groups-fighting-the-climate-crisis
     
         
      Bravo Net Zero? Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:48:00
     
      Net zero has become a hugely important term in discussions on climate action, from individual organisations, through cities and states, right up to the global scale. Inevitably though, it has its complications. In Scotland we have a net zero target of 2045, with the UK-wide target being 2050. Both refer to net zero greenhouse gas emissions (Net Zero GHG), so include methane, nitrous oxide and other powerful greenhouse gases, as well as carbon dioxide (CO2). Globally the push is also for ‘net zero’ by the middle of the century, but here the 2050 focus is on ‘Net Zero CO2’ rather than hitting the net zero balance for all greenhouse gases. Worldwide, net zero CO2 by the middle of the century gives us an evens chance of hitting the Paris Climate Goals and so avoiding more than a 1.5 degree increase in global average temperatures (we’re already at > 1 degree of heating compared to the pre-industrial baseline). As most developing countries have less ability to cut emissions as rapidly as developed nations, it follows that developed nations like Scotland and the UK should go beyond net zero CO2 by 2050 and either achieve this target much earlier and/or deliver net zero for all GHGs by this date. For the global emissions account such concerted early action by developed nations could then provide the development headspace needed in the rest of the world. All nations would still have to hit net zero GHGs in the second half of the century to keep that 50:50 chance of achieving the Paris Climate Goals alive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/blog/bravo-net-zero/
     
         
      Nuclear Gulf: Is Saudi Arabia pushing itself into a nuclear trap? Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:20:00
     
      When countries start dabbling in nuclear energy, eyebrows raise. It's understandable. Stopping the spread of nuclear weapons while allowing countries to pursue civilian nuclear programmes has proven a tough and sometimes unsuccessful balancing act for the global community. So when atom-splitting initiatives surface in a region with a history of nuclear secrecy and where whacking missiles into one's enemies is relatively common, it is not just eyebrows that are hoisted, but red flags. Right now, warning banners are waving above the Arabian Peninsula, where the United Arab Emirates has loaded fuel rods into the first of four reactors at Barakah - the Arab world's first nuclear power plant.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/nuclear-gulf-saudi-arabia-pushing-nuclear-trap-200718155513128.html
     
         
      Edwin Poots rejects timeframe to tackle climate change Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:13:00
     
      Introducing legislation at Stormont in the next three months to tackle climate change is an "impossible" timeframe, the environment minister has said. Edwin Poots was speaking during a debate on the issue in the assembly on Tuesday. A majority of MLAs backed the proposal, but it is not legally binding on the executive. Mr Poots said he was committed to "actions not words", and described the motion as "ridiculous". Pledges by the executive parties to address climate change were included in the power-sharing deal that restored Stormont in January of this year. The following month, the assembly declared a climate emergency and backed the creation of an independent body to protect the environment. The motion had been brought by Sinn Féin's Declan McAleer, who chairs the assembly's agriculture and environment committee. He argued that Stormont needed to put climate change at the top of its agenda as Northern Ireland moved out of the Covid-19 lockdown. It also called for "legally binding and ambitious sectoral emission-reduction targets", and a "just transition to protect jobs" through "upskilling" in carbon intensive sectors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-53485763
     
         
      Explosions at GCL polysilicon fab have reportedly taken down 10% of global production capacity Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:11:00
     
      Reports are emerging of a series of flash explosions at a GCL Silicon polysilicon plant which has reportedly taken more than 10% of the global supply of the solar power raw material out of production. California-based investment banking group Roth Capital Partners yesterday issued an advisory note about the explosions at the GCL facility in Xinjiang China and their potential effect on the global polysilicon price during a period when supplies of mono-grade material are already low. Roth cited reports of four flash explosions at the GCL facility on Sunday followed by a fifth yesterday and suggested overpressure in the rectification and boron removal filter may have led to leakage of trichlorosilane gas, which can react explosively with moisture in the air. The explosions are reported to have occurred during equipment maintenance at the facility and are said to have taken 50 MT of polysilicon production capacity offline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/21/explosions-at-gcl-polysilicon-fab-have-reportedly-taken-down-10-of-global-production-capacity/
     
         
      New material can generate hydrogen from salt and polluted water Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:07:00
     
      Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with teams from the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague and Jan Evangelista Purkyne University in Ústí nad Labem have developed a new 2-D material to produce hydrogen, which is the basis of alternative energy. The material efficiently generates hydrogen molecules from fresh, salt, and polluted water by exposure to sunlight. The results are published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. "Hydrogen is an alternative source of energy. Thus, the development of hydrogen technologies can become a solution to the global energy challenge. However, there are a number of issues to solve. In particular, scientists are still searching for efficient and green methods to produce hydrogen. One of the main methods is to decompose water by exposure to sunlight. There is a lot of water on our planet, but only a few methods suitable for salt or polluted water. In addition, few use the infrared spectrum, which is 43% of all sunlight," Olga Guselnikova, one of the authors and a researcher of the TPU Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, notes.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-material-hydrogen-salt-polluted.html
     
         
      Apple's 2030 carbon-neutral pledge covers itself and suppliers Tue, 21st Jul 2020 15:05:00
     
      Apple has announced a target of becoming carbon neutral across its entire business and manufacturing supply chain by 2030. The company says the commitment means its devices will have had "zero climate impact" at point of sale. It told BBC News any company hoping to become a supplier would have to commit to "be 100% renewable for their Apple production" within 10 years. It follows climate-focused pledges by other technology giants. Microsoft arguably has gone further, by promising: to be carbon negative by 2030 by 2050, to have removed the same amount of carbon as it has ever emitted from the environment It has also just announced the creation of a consortium involving Nike, Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz among others to share information on carbon-reducing technologies. Amazon has set a 2040 target to go carbon neutral, reflecting the challenges it faces in converting its home-delivery vehicles to more eco-friendly energy sources. And Google has said it also intends to extend the carbon-neutral status it claims for its own operations to encompass its supply chain but has yet to set a deadline. The companies often note their goals are years ahead of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's 2050 target for net-zero carbon-dioxide emissions, which the IPCC says is necessary to limit global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53485560
     
         
      Best Alternatives to Non-Renewable Energy Sources Tue, 21st Jul 2020 13:27:00
     
      What are non-renewable energy sources & their alternatives? We use a lot of energy. With 7.7 billion people on the planet, most using at least some kind of electricity to power their daily lives, or soon to do so, that need is only growing. Until very recently, all that energy came from non-renewable energy sources, but now things are changing. (Find out how we’re doing our part as a clean energy company.) Why? Let’s take a closer look at non-renewable energy sources and what alternatives we are providing here at Inspire. What is non-renewable energy? Until recently, society relied on non-renewable sources of energy. These are sources of energy that don’t replenish, so once you’ve used it, it’s gone forever. For example, when you burn a piece of coal, it’s gone forever, and you can’t use it again. What are non-renewable energy resources? There are a few different types of non-renewable energy, but the ones we use most are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are created when organic matter from plants and animals that died millions of years ago was transformed by the heat and pressure inside the earth’s crust into: Coal (formed 400 million years ago) crude oil (formed 252-66 million years ago) natural gas (formed 252-66 million years ago) As you can see by how long ago these deposits were formed, it takes billions of lifetimes for new fossil fuels to form. That’s why these sources are non-renewable, and at the rate we’re using them, may run out in as little as 70-100 years. Other non-renewable energy sources are: Nuclear Energy Biomass Both of these are sometimes debated, but once the main source of this energy is gone, we can’t reuse it. What are the main non-renewable energy sources and the alternatives? There are three main sources of non-renewable energy that we touched on above: 1. COAL Coal has been in use for thousands of years as a heat source, but with the advent of large scale industry, steam engines and electricity generation, its production and use increased at an unimaginable rate. Today, its primary use is in the production of electricity in coal power plants, supplying 30% of the US’s electric power generation in 2017, down from 50% just ten years before. The US is a major producer of coal, with 11% of the world’s total coming principally from Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming. China is the world leader producing over three billion tons each year. Coal is not a clean fuel, however. Coal combustion accounts for almost a third of the greenhouse gas emissions in the US and large amounts of airborne pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, mercury and the acid rain producer sulfur dioxide. Reserves are running out at an alarming rate though estimates of how long they will last vary enormously. Some say as little as 70 years [1], others as much as 114 years. Even the longest estimates are not really that long in global terms. That’s why we need to replace it. What Clean Energy Source Can Replace Coal? Hydropower is currently the most commonly used source of renewable energy in the world, with a global capacity of more than 1,308GW – 18% of the world’s electricity capacity and 54% of the power generation capacity of renewables. Most of this production comes from huge dams built in river valleys and using the power of the falling water to drive turbines. The US is a big player, but the biggest project of all is the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River in China at 7,660 feet long and 607 feet high at its maximum. It has a generating capacity of 22,500MW. Though the energy is clean and renewable, dams do have a big ecological and social impact and have their critics. A lot of effort is going into developing new ways of harnessing water to produce power. Waves and tides are receiving a lot of attention in this respect as are smaller, domestic hydroelectric installations. Hydropower is certain to play an important part in electricity generation going forward. 2. NATURAL GAS The use of natural gas in electricity production in the United States is rising, and the energy created is approaching a third of all energy used. Almost a fifth of the world’s natural gas is produced in the US, though some is still imported, mostly from Canada. The technique of converting it to liquified natural gas (LNG) means that transport by ship has become viable and is now used globally. It is undeniable that natural gas is a far cleaner non-renewable energy source than coal but still accounts for nearly a third of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Although natural gas produces far less CO2 than coal, it largely consists of methane, a greenhouse gas that is more potent than carbon dioxide. Our natural gas reserves are also dwindling, and we may have as little as 50 years left [2]. What Clean Energy Source Can Replace Gas? Wind energy has been harnessed since ancient times, but the massive wind turbines of today have little in common with the windmills of the Persians. Wind energy is now the second most widely used renewable with capacity increasing dramatically year on year and currently stands at more than 650GW, around a quarter of the world’s renewable energy generation capacity. While wind energy does not quite compete with hydropower just yet, it is less intrusive with its environmental footprint, so new farms are being constructed all the time. Both onshore and offshore wind farms are being built, and the interest in wind power is global. China, Germany, Spain, the UK, Italy, Brazil and Portugal and the US are all being proactive in wind power, and the investment in the technology is increasing all the time. (Find out more: How Wind Energy Works and Advantages of Wind Energy) Wind energy is the main type of clean energy we buy on behalf of our customers because it can generate the most energy reliably, is cost-effective, and has an extremely small environmental footprint. Making the switch to a clean energy source for your home is one of the best things you can do for your carbon footprint – find out how to switch to renewable energy here. 3. OIL Oil is obviously the main source of fuel for transportation around the world, and the US uses a lot of it – just under 20 million barrels every day in 2017, with net imports running at 3.8 million barrels daily, mostly from Canada, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Oil, however, releases combustion releasing particulates known to be damaging to respiratory health. On top of this, some 45% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions come from oil. If you add to this the ecological problems produced by oil spillage and the methods of extraction, you can understand why we must find alternatives – not to mention that our supplies are also running out. What Clean Energy Source Can Replace Oil? The third biggest contributor to renewable energy production is solar power. Like wind, solar power has advanced rapidly in the last 10 to 15 years and now has a capacity of over 580GW. Photovoltaic panels are the most common way of converting the sun’s radiation to electricity, but interest in other ways, such as concentrating solar power, has also increased exponentially. Clean, efficient, renewable. What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable? The two main differences between renewable and non-renewable energy are: Non-renewable fossil fuels are polluting both in their harvesting and in power production. Renewables are clean and might well save the planet by reducing greenhouse gasses and keeping the air pure. Non-renewables will run out. Whether that is 40 years or 140 years, it is the blink of an eye in human history. Renewables are infinite. What are the limitations of non-renewable energy sources? Non-renewables are harmful for the environment and a negative impact for the human race. They pollute, create greenhouse gasses, cause acid rain and damage the biosphere. They can even worsen and cause respiratory diseases for those who live in polluted areas, which is, unfortunately, often our poorer communities. If we fail to make the move to renewable energy sources, we doom huge numbers of the population to bad health. They also will not last. To have enough power in the future, the world needs to act now. Why are fossil fuels called non-renewable sources of energy? Fossil fuels were created millions of years ago and takes millions of years to replenish. Once the deposits are gone, they’re gone. No deposits, no fossil fuels. Why does it matter if we still use non-renewable energy sources? The longer we hang on to these old sources of energy, the faster they will diminish, and the more pollution they will create. Climate change is happening and could be catastrophic – the UN believes we have just a decade before irreversible damage is done [3]. We need to change now and embrace renewables, embrace the change that might save the planet. Why are non-renewable energy sources bad? Non-renewable energy sources have been very valuable in the past, but now we realize that they are environmentally dangerous. As the world’s population grows, so do our power requirements. We need to increase capacity and decrease greenhouse gasses, particulates and the other harmful emissions produced by non-renewables. We are at a critical stage in society’s development. If we cling to non-renewables and ignore the clean alternatives, we risk everything we have built. We need to make courageous decisions and change to renewable energy sources before it is too late. If you’re ready to do your part, join us in our fight for a better world – make the switch to clean energy in just 5 minutes (or less!) today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/clean-energy-101/non-renewable-energy-sources
     
         
      Edwin Poots rejects timeframe to tackle climate change Tue, 21st Jul 2020 11:20:00
     
      Introducing legislation at Stormont in the next three months to tackle climate change is an "impossible" timeframe, the environment minister has said. Mr Poots said he was committed to "actions not words", and described the motion as "ridiculous". Mr Poots said he could not support a motion seeking to "rush through legislation without it being properly considered".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53485763
     
         
      Climate change: Polar bears could be lost by 2100 Mon, 20th Jul 2020 16:14:00
     
      Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change, a study predicts. Scientists say some populations have already reached their survival limits as the Arctic sea ice shrinks. The carnivores rely on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean to hunt for seals. As the ice breaks up, the animals are forced to roam for long distances or on to shore, where they struggle to find food and feed their cubs. The bear has become the "poster child of climate change", said Dr Peter Molnar of the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. "Polar bears are already sitting at the top of the world; if the ice goes, they have no place to go," he said. Polar bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with climate change a key factor in their decline.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53474445
     
         
      Myrrha protons accelerated for first time Mon, 20th Jul 2020 15:01:00
     
      Myrrha is intended to replace Belgium's ageing BR2 research reactor, and will be used in a range of research functions including the demonstration of the concept of transmutation of long-lived radionuclides in nuclear waste, as well as producing radioisotopes for medicine. Myrrha will also be used for conducting fundamental scientific research in areas such as nuclear physics, atomic physics, fundamental interactions, solid-state physics and nuclear medicine. Myrrha - Multipurpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications - will be a sub-critical assembly relying on accelerated protons producing neutrons in the target to achieve periods of criticality in a low-enriched uranium core. It will be a 57 MWt accelerator-driven system in which a proton accelerator will deliver a 600 MeV proton beam to a liquid lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi) spallation target that is in turn coupled to a Pb-Bi cooled subcritical fast nuclear core. The Myrrha accelerator team connected the RFQ component with the already existing low-energy beam transmission line (LEBT). The next step consisted of fine-tuning the RFQ in order to accurately match it to the LEBT. Another major preparatory step consisted of upgrading the ion source amplifier. In addition, an RF power amplifier for the RFQ was developed and constructed. Last year, the first proton beam was generated in the ion source and sent through the LEBT. The accelerator team has now succeeded in sending the first proton beam ever from the ion source via the LEBT through the RFQ with an acceleration of up to 1.5 MeV. Preliminary results confirm the team's confidence that the accelerator's high reliability requirements will be met. The initial tests were performed with short (200 µs at 0.5 Hz) pulses at nominal (115 kW) RF peak power and 4 mA peak beam current. Dirk Vandeplassche, leader of the linear accelerator team, said: "The RFQ's geometry and built quality have proven themselves with this initial test. Our next step is now to obtain detailed proton beam measurements in order to further optimise the setup. Next, we will complete the installation by adding CH accelerating cavities to the system. That will enable us to increase the beam's energy to 2 MeV and eventually to 5.9 MeV. The beam will then undergo further optimisation to bring its reliability to the required level. Upon achieving that level, the linear accelerator will be transferred from our UCLouvain partner site to the Myrrha site at SCK-CEN in Mol." The French National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IN2P3), a division of the National Centre for Scientific Research, co-developed the LEBT and built the low-level RF control unit. In addition, matching the RFQ successfully with the LEBT was the result of beam dynamics simulations jointly accomplished by IN2P3 and SCK-CEN. The RFQ was made in close cooperation with two German partners. The Institute of Applied Physics within Goethe University in Frankfurt-am-Main developed the component, which was built by engineering company NTG. The RFQ's RF power amplifier was developed and built by accelerator and amplifier experts IBA of Belgium, who based their solution on solid state technology. The project forms part of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, and is one of three new research reactors forming the cornerstones of the European Research Area of Experimental Reactors, alongside the Jules Horowitz Reactor at Cadarache in France and the Pallas reactor at Petten in the Netherlands. Construction of the Myrrha reactor is expected to begin in 2026, with full-operation from 2034.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Myrrha-protons-accelerated-successfully
     
         
      Pillars of Progress: Mobility – Maritime hydrogen, the next big wave Mon, 20th Jul 2020 14:57:00
     
      The maritime sector includes activities as varied as cruise-boat tourism, freight shipping and ferry transport. It’s also a big contributor of CO2 emissions. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH2 JU) is promoting research to develop and integrate efficient hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuel cells on ships and boats. The results could help to slash CO2 emissions by a minimum of 50% by 2050 – which is the target defined by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). New fuel for an expanding market Cargo vessels, cruise ships and ferries are all important parts of the global economy. For example, about 90% of all freight goods are transported at sea, but most ships burn fossil fuels for power, emitting CO2 and other pollutants. Ocean freight shipping alone releases about 3% of global greenhouse gases, a figure which is predicted to grow as the maritime sector continues to expand. In April 2018, the shipping industry committed to a greenhouse gas (GHG) target of reducing emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Achieving this target will require new ships, new engines and – above all – a new fuel. Clean fuel in cool conditions Two FCH2 JU-funded projects are researching the use of hydrogen fuel cells to replace fossil fuels to power ships. The MARANDA project, which started in 2017, aims to develop a 165kW fuel cell powertrain able to provide power to a research vessel’s electrical equipment and its dynamic positioning while in research mode, in the extra cold of the Artic and Baltic seas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/pillars-of-progress-mobility-maritime-hydrogen-the-next-big-wave/
     
         
      Floating wind farms: how to make them the future of green electricity Mon, 20th Jul 2020 14:55:00
     
      Since 2010, wind energy has seen sustained growth worldwide, with the amount of energy generated by offshore wind increasing by nearly 30% each year. Countries around the world need to ramp up renewable energy supply quickly to meet growing demand and rapidly reduce emissions. Despite this urgency, offshore wind currently provides less than 1% of the world’s electricity supply. Many of the prime shallow-water locations for building wind farms are being developed. But the potential of offshore wind still remains largely untapped, per the graph of worldwide installed capacity below. The reason for this untapped potential is that 80% of the wind blows uninterrupted further offshore – in water deeper than 60 metres, where turbines embedded in the sea floor are tricky to construct. The solution could be floating offshore wind farms. So what’s holding them back?
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/floating-wind-farms-how-to-make-them-the-future-of-green-electricity-142847
     
         
      Africa can become a renewable energy superpower – if climate deniers are kept at bay Mon, 20th Jul 2020 14:53:00
     
      The power of climate science denial in the UK, thankfully, has been in retreat over the past decade. Nigel Lawson’s Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) may still boast a prime Westminster address, but its influence has waned. In fact, its decline aptly mirrors the fortunes of the coal industry, including US titans such as Peabody Energy, which saw its share price plunge 99% between 2008 and 2016 before filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. With countries rightly phasing coal out of their energy mix, the GWPF has turned its sights on Africa to peddle its misinformation about the merits of burning fossil fuels. It has published a new report, derisively titled Heart of Darkness: Why Electricity for Africa is a Security Issue, and launched a glossy website for “energy justice”, which uses the language of climate justice campaigners to try to undermine renewable energy. No continent suffers more from global heating than Africa, yet nowhere has done less to cause it As an African from a pastoralist community in northern Kenya, I have seen the suffering that coal-fuelled climate breakdown has wrought on my people. The anti-climate policies that the GWPF has pushed for years have contributed to the droughts, storms and surging temperatures that have killed people and destroyed livelihoods. Yet now they pretend to be Africa’s saviours, seeking out new markets for the ever more desperate coal industry. And coal barons are not alone: European-produced petrol, so dirty and polluting that it can’t be sold there, is being dumped on to the Nigerian market. The GWPF report was written by Geoff Hill, a Zimbabwean journalist who spent much of his early career working for Rupert Murdoch’s the Australian, a newspaper known to spread misinformation about the climate crisis. Hill does not seem to have an academic background in climate science or energy policy. The report cites three academics who appear to have a vested interest in the solutions proposed: Dr Rosemary Falcon, Dr Samson Bada and Dr Jacob Masiala are all connected to the Clean Coal Technology Research group at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/20/africa-can-become-a-renewable-energy-superpower-if-climate-deniers-are-kept-at-bay
     
         
      Covid-19 impact on ethnic minorities linked to housing and air pollution Sun, 19th Jul 2020 16:12:00
     
      The severe impact of Covid-19 on people from minority ethnic groups has been linked to air pollution and overcrowded and poor-standard homes by a study of 400 hospital patients. It found patients from ethnic minorities were twice as likely as white patients to live in areas of environmental and housing deprivation, and that people from these areas were twice as likely to arrive at hospital with more severe coronavirus symptoms and to be admitted to intensive care units (ITU). Minority ethnic groups were known to be disproportionately affected by Covid-19: they account for 34% of critically ill Covid-19 patients in the UK despite constituting 14% of the population. But the reasons for the disparity remain unclear. The research is the first to examine the role of environmental and housing deprivation. Doctors praised the study but cautioned it has yet to be formally reviewed by other scientists and that additional, detailed studies in other areas are urgently needed. The study also found patients from ethnic minorities were on average 10 years younger than the white patients, though the explanation for this is unknown. Age, frailty and underlying health conditions remain critical factors for all patients in determining the outcome of Covid-19.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/19/covid-19-impact-on-ethnic-minorities-linked-to-housing-and-air-pollution
     
         
      Can a hydrogen boom fuel a green recovery for Britain? Sun, 19th Jul 2020 14:48:00
     
      At the entrance to Saltend Chemicals Park, on the outskirts of Hull, there is a small blue heritage-style plaque, placed there four years ago by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It proudly commemorates: “100 years of innovation in supplying the UK with transportation fuels and important base chemicals.” A sense of pride in Saltend’s past is understandable: places like this helped drive Britain’s industrial age. But the biggest, most dramatic innovation of all may be yet to come. This month, the Norwegian energy company, Equinor, (formerly Statoil), unveiled proposals to install the biggest facility in the world for making hydrogen from natural gas, using capture and storage technology to extract and bury the resulting carbon under the North Sea.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/19/can-a-hydrogen-boom-fuel-a-green-recovery-for-britain
     
         
      Buckinghamshire Council rejects 2030 carbon-neutral target Thu, 16th Jul 2020 16:17:00
     
      A council has rejected a proposal to become carbon-neutral 20 years earlier than the government's target of 2050. Buckinghamshire councillors were asked to consider bringing forward the target to 2030 by the Green Party. But the amendment was dismissed after 109 councillors voted against and 29 voted for, with another seven choosing to abstain. Supporting the Greens, Lib Dem leader Steven Lambert said the 2050 target was "possibly woollier than a mammoth". He added: "That is extinct, as hundreds of other species will be in this decade alone because of climate change." According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's Conservative leader Martin Tett had originally laid down a motion calling for Buckinghamshire to become net carbon-zero by 2050, but possibly by 2030, subject to resources. But Green councillor David Lyons said: "Buckinghamshire should be taking the lead role, not lagging 20 years behind." Conservative Bill Chapple, cabinet member for environment and climate change, accused supporters of the amendment of coming up with the 2030 date as it "sounds the sexiest".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53432426
     
         
      US farmers' beef with Burger King over cow fart ad Thu, 16th Jul 2020 16:16:00
     
      Fast food chain Burger King has released an advertisement encouraging US farmers to change cow diets in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The controversial video ad features children in cowboy hats singing about the impact methane gas emitted due to cow flatulence has on global warming. Burger King claims adding lemongrass to cow diets could ease digestion and dramatically reduce methane emissions. But farm leaders say the ad is "condescending and hypocritical". The ad has been trending on YouTube. It has so far been watched by more than 2 million people and drawn thousands of comments - some mocking the firm's "yodelling boy" marketing gambit, with others swearing to cut ties with the chain. Some scientists also criticised Burger King's message and its focus on cow flatulence, instead of belching. Prof Frank Mitloehner of University of California Davis (UC Davis)'s Department of Animal Science wrote on Twitter that it was disappointing to see the company "drop the ball" by promoting a study that was still ongoing and focusing on farts, when belching is the bigger problem. "It's not the cow farts," he wrote. "Nearly all enteric methane from cattle is from belching. Suggesting otherwise turns this serious climate topic into a joke."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53435857
     
         
      Climate change: Summers could become 'too hot for humans' Thu, 16th Jul 2020 14:52:00
     
      Millions of people around the world could be exposed to dangerous levels of heat stress - a dangerous condition which can cause organs to shut down. Many live in developing countries, and do jobs that expose them to potentially life threatening conditions. These include being out in the open on farms and building sites or indoors in factories and hospitals. Global warming will increase the chances of summer conditions that may be "too hot for humans" to work in. When we caught up with Dr Jimmy Lee, his goggles were steamed up and there was sweat trickling off his neck. An emergency medic, he's labouring in the stifling heat of tropical Singapore to care for patients with Covid-19. There's no air conditioning - a deliberate choice, to prevent the virus being blown around - and he notices that he and his colleagues become "more irritable, more short with each other". Heatwaves and the human body More than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070 Siberian heatwave 'clear evidence' of climate change 2019 was Europe's warmest year on record And his personal protective equipment, essential for avoiding infection, makes things worse by creating a sweltering 'micro-climate' under the multiple layers of plastic. "It really hits you when you first go in there," Dr Lee says, "and it's really uncomfortable over a whole shift of eight hours - it affects morale."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53415298
     
         
      Net Zero as the New Standard Thu, 16th Jul 2020 11:33:00
     
      In early June, the World Green Building Council announced that the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment had gathered 96 signatories. The pledge, which aims to reach 100 percent uptake of net-zero carbon buildings by 2050, reflects a participation rate that has nearly doubled since last year. The net-zero concept requires a shared vision across countries and industries. Of the 96 participants in the World Green Building Council’s program, 62 are businesses and organizations. Joining them are 28 cities and six states and regions. In an exchange with CPE, WorldGBC CEO Cristina Gamboa, offered a detailed look at the initiative. Representatives of two recent signatories—Bianca Wong, global head of sustainability at building materials company Kingspan and Paul Stoller, LEED fellow & director at environmental design consulting company Atelier Ten—explain why they took the pledge.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cpexecutive.com/post/turning-the-net-zero-building-trend-into-a-mainstream-standard/
     
         
      Renewable energy transition makes dollars and sense Wed, 15th Jul 2020 15:56:00
     
      Making the transition to a renewable energy future will have environmental and long-term economic benefits and is possible in terms of energy return on energy invested (EROI), UNSW Sydney researchers have found. Their research, published in the international journal Ecological Economics recently, disproves the claim that a transition to large-scale renewable energy technologies and systems will damage the macro-economy by taking up too large a chunk of global energy generation. Honorary Associate Professor Mark Diesendorf, in collaboration with Prof Tommy Wiedmann of UNSW Engineering, analysed dozens of studies on renewable electricity systems in regions where wind and/or solar could provide most of the electricity generation in future, such as Australia and the United States. The Clean Energy Australia report states that renewable energy's contribution to Australia's total electricity generation is already at 24 per cent. Lead author A/Prof Diesendorf is a renewable energy researcher with expertise in electricity generation, while co-author Prof Tommy Wiedmann is a sustainability scientist.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200715095448.htm
     
         
      Work begins in Lincolnshire on world's longest subsea power cable Wed, 15th Jul 2020 13:58:00
     
      €2bn, 475-mile Viking Link cable will share renewable energy between UK and Denmark. Construction work has begun in Lincolnshire on the world’s longest subsea power cable, which will run between Britain and Denmark to share renewable energy between the two countries. The 475-mile (765km) cable is a joint-venture between National Grid in the UK and Denmark’s Energinet. By 2023, the high-voltage, direct-current link will transmit the equivalent of enough electricity to power 1.5m British homes between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire and the South Jutland region in Denmark. Viking Link is one of several new super-cable projects, which are each considered a significant step towards the UK’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions because National Grid will be able to tap more renewable energy resources to replace fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/13/work-begins-in-lincolnshire-on-worlds-longest-subsea-power-cable-viking-link
     
         
      Tunisia’s first floating PV project Wed, 15th Jul 2020 12:41:00
     
      The national utility has signed an agreement with the Total-owned Qair business formerly known as Quadran International for a 200 kW floating solar power plant and a study of Tunisian potential for the technology. Tunisian state-owned utility Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz (STEG) is planning a 200 kW floating PV plant at the Lake of Tunis in the capital.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/13/tunisias-first-floating-pv-project/
     
         
      Biden sets out $2tn plan for carbon-free electricity by 2035 Tue, 14th Jul 2020 16:19:00
     
      Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has set out an ambitious $2tn (£1.6tn) green energy plan to create carbon-free electricity by 2035. The proposal to reduce emissions in the US would see investment in clean energy infrastructure over a four-year period. "Let's not waste any more time," Mr Biden said at a campaign event in his home state of Delaware on Tuesday, adding: "Let's get to work, now." His focus on climate issues is in contrast with President Donald Trump. Mr Trump has previously called climate change "mythical" and "an expensive hoax", but also subsequently described it as a "serious subject". "When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, the only word he can muster is hoax," Mr Biden said at the Build Back Better campaign event in Wilmington. "When I think about climate change, the word I think of is jobs." The former vice-president added: "We're not just going to tinker around the edges."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53411506
     
         
      Natural solutions boosted to help prevent floods Tue, 14th Jul 2020 14:39:00
     
      It includes funding for schemes such as creating sustainable drainage systems - and building hollows in the ground to catch flood water in heavy rain, before storing it to tackle summer droughts. Insurers have also been asked to pay to improve flood-hit homes so they are more resilient. The policy allowing building on plains liable to flood will be reviewed. And £200 million of the floods budget will be earmarked for measures including natural flood prevention to capture water on farmers' fields during heavy rainfall.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53396977
     
         
      Burger King is selling a burger made from cows on low-methane diet Tue, 14th Jul 2020 6:00:00
     
      Burger King on Tuesday announced a hot new diet tip: 100 grams of lemongrass a day to keep the methane away. The Restaurant Brands International chain is rolling out a Whopper patty made from cows on the low-methane diet. The limited-time offer burger will only be available at select locations in Miami, New York, Austin, Portland and Los Angeles. Burger King worked with scientists from the Autonomous University at the State of Mexico and the University of California, Davis to tackle the environmental impact of beef. Livestock was responsible for 3.9% of U.S. global greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Worldwide, that number is roughly 14.5%, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/burger-king-is-selling-a-burger-made-from-cows-on-low-methane-diet.html
     
         
      Biden to Call for 2 Trillion in Spending on Clean Energy Tue, 14th Jul 2020 3:06:00
     
      Joe Biden on Tuesday will call for setting a 100% clean-electricity standard by 2035 and investing $2 trillion over four years on clean energy. The Democratic nominee’s new commitments mark a clear shift toward progressives’ environmental priorities and cutting the use of fossil fuels. The $2 trillion in spending across four years is in place of the more modest $1.7 trillion over 10 years plan that Biden proposed last year while fighting for the nomination. Most of that investments in the new proposal would be one-time costs with the goal of spending the money to the maximum extent possible during those four years. Biden foreshadowed his proposals at a Monday fundraiser, telling donors that “2050 is a million years from now in the minds of most people. My plan is focused on taking action now, this decade, in the 2020s.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-14/biden-to-call-for-2-trillion-in-clean-energy-spending
     
         
      BRYSON Project: Aim is to Develop New Types of Hydrogen Pressure Storage Systems - FuelCellsWorks Mon, 13th Jul 2020 17:13:00
     
      At the start of the “Decade of Hydrogen” proclaimed by the Hydrogen Council at the beginning of 2020, the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at the TU Dresden is making a significant input into making road traffic emission-free in the long term through its participation in the BRYSON project (BauRaumeffiziente HYdrogenSpeicher Optimierter Nutzbarkeit) funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. The aims of the project consortium, consisting of BMW AG, ILK, Leichtbauzentrum Sachsen GmbH, WELA Handelsgesellschaft mbH and Munich University of Applied Sciences, is to develop new types of hydrogen pressure storage systems. These should be designed in such a way that they can be easily integrated into universal vehicle architectures. The project therefore focuses on the development of tank container systems in flat design.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/bryson-project-aim-is-to-develop-new-types-of-hydrogen-pressure-storage-systems/
     
         
      Saudi Arabia outlines new provisions for rooftop PV Mon, 13th Jul 2020 16:46:00
     
      Saudi Arabia’s Electricity & Cogeneration Regulatory Authority has published new rules for distributed-generation solar installations which it is anticipated will encourage electricity consumers to install PV systems under the country’s net billing regime. The new provisions, which should apply to PV systems ranging in size from 1 kW to 2 MW and to all kinds of energy consumer, will come into effect when the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) will release additional rules on the scheme’s procedures. The framework establishes Saudi power distributors will have to provide assistance to consumers willing to install solar, by providing the information needed for feasibility studies and to apply for grid connection. Power companies will also have to raise awareness of the benefits of rooftop solar and report annually on progress in the market segment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/13/saudi-arabia-introduces-new-provisions-for-rooftop-pv/
     
         
      Cold comfort: climate may take decades to respond to carbon cuts Mon, 13th Jul 2020 16:34:00
     
      It seems logical that if we dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions the global temperature will go down, but sadly this is not the case – at least for decades. The climate takes up to 25 years to react to changes in the composition of the atmosphere, up or down. Scientists looking to see if they might detect something cheerful as a result of the drop in carbon dioxide or other emissions because of Covid-19, found that the temperature reductions were so small they would not be measurable. Theoretically, it might have been possible to see the opposite, an increase in temperature because less sulphur dioxide was being pumped into the atmosphere from coal-fired power stations. This polluting gas reflects sunlight back into space and so cools the atmosphere, but the effect of a reduction was so slight in both cases any effects would have been lost in the natural variability of weather. The message seems to be that if we continue business as usual atmospheric heating will soon reach dangerous levels. However, if we ever did manage to cut greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently, the temperature would become stable but we would not see reductions for a long time. We could perhaps take comfort from the fact that the next generation would benefit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jul/13/cold-comfort-climate-may-take-decades-to-respond-to-carbon-cuts
     
         
      Midsummer unveils 500 W rooftop panel Mon, 13th Jul 2020 14:18:00
     
      The Swedish PV equipment supplier has launched Midsummer Magnum, a solar module for large rooftops. The manufacturer says the panel offers 14.54% efficiency and an output of 128.3 W per square meter. The company also unveiled a manufacturing process it claims can increase module output 10%. “The improved coverage ratio means our best power-per-square-meter yet and the natural application will be on buildings with [a] large roof area,” said Midsummer CEO Sven Lindström.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/13/midsummer-unveils-500-w-rooftop-panel/
     
         
      Octopus swoops for UK wind double Mon, 13th Jul 2020 14:14:00
     
      Investor Octopus Renewables has acquired two operational wind farms in the UK from a consortium of developers. The company has bought the Muirhall South project in South Lanarkshire and Burton Wold South site in Northamptonshire totalling 16.8MW Octopus Renewables investment director Peter Dias said: “This acquisition adds to our ever-expanding onshore wind portfolio that has seen us become a market leader in the technology. “REIP III is also a great example of our ability to unblock further institutional investment in renewables by creating bespoke portfolios of assets for investors. This is important as increased institutional investment in renewables will be vital if the UK is to reach its target of net zero by 2050.”
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/61623/octopus-acquires-two-uk-wind-farms/
     
         
      ‘Compelling’ evidence air pollution worsens coronavirus – study Mon, 13th Jul 2020 13:52:00
     
      There is growing evidence from Europe, the US and China that dirty air makes the impact of Covid-19 worse. But the study of the outbreak in the Netherlands is unique because the worst air pollution there is not in cities but in some rural areas, due to intensive livestock farming. This allows the “big city effect” to be ruled out, which is the idea that high air pollution simply coincides with urban populations whose density and deprivation may make them more susceptible to the virus. The research indicates that a small, single-unit increase in people’s long-term exposure to pollution particles raises infections and admissions by about 10% and deaths by 15%. The study took into account more than 20 other factors, including average population density, age, household size, occupation and obesity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/13/compelling-evidence-air-pollution-worsens-coronavirus-study
     
         
      Germany launches 650 MW tender for ‘innovative’ renewables Mon, 13th Jul 2020 13:45:00
     
      The long-awaited procurement exercise includes 250 MW of generation capacity originally intended to be tendered last year. German federal network agency the Bundesnetzagentur has launched the country’s first tender for renewable energy projects featuring innovative technology. The agency website states the procurement exercise will see the allocation of 650 MW of generation capacity, including 250 MW of already-installed projects that were set to be allocated through a tender abandoned last year due to a missing regulation. In the new exercise, bids can be submitted – for single projects or clusters – from September 1. The maximum value of the fixed market premium payment available for standalone projects is €0.03/kWh. For aggregated project capacity – which must include some solar or wind facilities – €0.0750/kWh is available. The Bundesnetzagentur added, wind and biomass plants among the bids must have received approval by August 11 and the upper size limit for projects related to grid expansion is 141 MW. The tender design has met with some criticism, including from the solar industry, because it offers a fixed market premium rather than the flexible feed-in payment available in technology-specific procurement rounds. That means plant operators will not receive payment for electricity generation in the event of negative power prices. “This means that more risk is transferred to plant operators,” said the Federal Ministry of Economics in January.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/13/germany-launches-650-mw-tender-for-innovative-renewables/
     
         
      Le Mans’ First Hydrogen Fuelling Station Unveiled Mon, 13th Jul 2020 13:19:00
     
      The first hydrogen refuelling station based at Le Mans was unveiled on Wednesday. Pierre Fillon told local daily paper Le Maine Libre that the refuelling station was built to encourage people to buy hydrogen-powered cars. A second one is scheduled next year, with a bigger capacity but will need an investment of one million euros. Currently, the hydrogen distributed by this refuelling station is made from hydrocarbon and provided by the german group Linde. But later, the hydrogen will be made from excess energy provided by solar panels and wind turbines, and of course water.
       
      Full Article: http://www.dailysportscar.com/2020/07/13/le-mans-first-hydrogen-fuelling-station-unveiled.html
     
         
      Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from national climate legislation Mon, 13th Jul 2020 12:51:00
     
      The international response to climate change has been inadequate, but not zero. There are 1,800 climate change laws worldwide. We use panel data on legislative activity in 133 countries over the period 1999–2016 to identify statistically the short-term and long-term impact of climate legislation. Each new law reduces annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 0.78% nationally in the short term (during the first three years) and by 1.79% in the long term (beyond three years). The results are driven by parliamentary acts and by countries with a strong rule of law. In 2016, current climate laws were associated with an annual reduction in global CO2 emissions of 5.9?GtCO2, more than the US CO2 output that year. Cumulative CO2 emissions savings from 1999 to 2016 amount to 38?GtCO2, or one year’s worth of global CO2 output. The impact on other greenhouse gases is much lower.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0831-z
     
         
      New models show how species will be relocated by climate change Mon, 13th Jul 2020 12:38:00
     
      Scientists at Duke University are harnessing the power of big data and geospatial analysis to create new ways to track the effects of climate change on species and food webs. Their work, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, began in 2018 and has already yielded two powerful new tools. One of the tools is an interactive web portal that projects how a species could impact other species as it relocates and competes for suitable habitats in a warming world. The other is a probabilistic framework that can be used to overcome gaps in data and identify direct and indirect impacts of environmental change on a community of species. Understanding these interactions and anticipating their effects is essential for developing effective conservation policies and practices, said Jennifer Swenson, associate professor of the practice of geospatial analysis, who is also a co-principal investigator of the project. The new Predicting Biodiversity with a Generalized Joint Attribution Model (PBGJAM) web portal is being developed to help scientists, landowners and decision makers see those larger impacts. It synthesizes decades of satellite, airborne and ground-based data on multiple species, along with climate predictions and ecological forecasts, to track how species' ranges are shifting in response to rising temperatures, more frequent droughts and other environmental changes.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-species-relocated-climate.html
     
         
      South Korea’s KEPCO backs Indonesian coal project Mon, 13th Jul 2020 12:25:00
     
      South Korea’s state-owned utility Korea Electric Power (Kepco) has announced that will move ahead with investments in the construction of two coal-fired power plants on the Indonesian island of Java. The plant has however caused a great deal of controversy. A petition was filed by Korean and Indonesian litigants in August 2019, requesting Korean banks to stop funding the project. The litigators have objected to the development of the project in the region citing environmental reasons. The Suralaya power plant is located approximately 122km north-west of Jakarta, a region already populated with 22 coal-fired power plants. The Banten region is also populated with 52 coal power projects. It appears as if the opposition is causing delays for the project. South Korea is the third biggest public financier of coal and this project investment indicates that the government may not be ready for 100% commitment to its green climate pledge.
       
      Full Article: https://www.powerengineeringint.com/coal-fired/south-koreas-kepco-backs-indonesian-coal-project/
     
         
      China urges coal miners to boost output ahead of summer power use Mon, 13th Jul 2020 12:12:00
     
      China’s central state planner urged miners to boost domestic coal output and storage to ensure sufficient energy supplies during the peak summer season, while asking local authorities to maintain coal import restrictions. China’s peak power use comes during summer, when air-conditioning use rises to cool homes and offices. “Top coal mining regions, especially Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia, should ramp up production and increase market supplies,” said the NDRC, according to the State Grid.
       
      Full Article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-coal/china-urges-coal-miners-to-boost-output-ahead-of-summer-power-use-idUSKCN24E0RA
     
         
      UK renewables generation soars as solar, storage pipelines grow rapidly Mon, 13th Jul 2020 11:33:00
     
      Official stats from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), published late last week, show that in the first three months of the year output from renewables sources reached 40.8TWh – a leap of nearly 30% on the 31.5TWh renewables generated in Q1 2019. Offshore wind was a significant driver in producing that figure. Generation from offshore wind sources grew by nearly 20% year-on-year, while the UK’s solar fleet actually produced less energy in Q1 2020 than it did in the first three months of 2019 owing to fewer sunlight hours, BEIS said. PV Tech publisher Solar Media’s in-house market research team places the UK’s utility-scale solar pipeline slightly higher, at 9GW, with head of market research Finlay Colville indicating there to have been a particular rush of projects entering the planning stage in recent months. More than 600MW of new planning applications for solar farms were submitted in the UK last month alone.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/uk-renewables-generation-soars-as-solar-storage-pipelines-grow-rapidly
     
         
      Air pollution exposure linked to higher COVID-19 cases and deaths – new study Mon, 13th Jul 2020 11:27:00
     
      Research has shown that long term exposure to pollutants such as fine particulate matter (often called PM2.5, as these are particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres), nitrogen dioxide (NO?) and sulphur dioxide (SO?) can reduce lung function and cause respiratory illness. These pollutants have also been shown to cause a persistent inflammatory response even in the relatively young and to increase the risk of infection by viruses that target the respiratory tract. The pathogen that causes COVID-19 – SARS-CoV-2 – is one such virus. Several studies have already suggested that poor air quality can leave people at greater risk of contracting the virus, and at greater risk of serious illness and death The first confirmed COVID-19 case in the Netherlands occurred in late February and by late June over 50,000 cases had been identified. The national spread of COVID-19 cases shows a greater number in the south-eastern regions. The south-eastern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg house over 63% of the country’s 12 million pigs and 42% of its 101 million chickens. Intensive livestock production produces large amounts of ammonia. These particles often form a significant proportion of fine particulate matter in air pollution. Concentrations of this are at their highest in air samples from the south-east of the Netherlands.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/air-pollution-exposure-linked-to-higher-covid-19-cases-and-deaths-new-study-141620
     
         
      Why The Hydrogen Boom Is Good News For Natural Gas Mon, 13th Jul 2020 6:00:00
     
      The European Union has set out its new hydrogen strategy as part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all its industries by 2050. The European Union has set out its new hydrogen strategy as part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all its industries by 2050. In a big win for the hydrogen sector, the EU has outlined an extremely ambitious target to build out at least 40 gigawatts of electrolyzers within its borders by 2030, or 160x the current global capacity of 250MW. The EU also plans to support the development of another 40 gigawatts of green hydrogen in nearby countries that can export to the region by the same date. The EU has said that hydrogen will play a key role in helping decarbonize manufacturing industries and the transport sector. The organization says it will support blue hydrogen during a "transition phase," although it has not mentioned it in its topline targets. Although a colorless gas, hydrogen gets referred to in colorful terms including blue, brown, green, and grey depending on how it's produced. Although Brussels clearly favors "green" hydrogen produced by renewable energy, it has signaled that it will also encourage the development of "blue" hydrogen that is produced from natural gas paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Why-The-Hydrogen-Boom-Is-Good-News-For-Natural-Gas.html
     
         
      U.S. Natural Gas Prices Hit Record Lows In H1 2020 Mon, 13th Jul 2020 3:30:00
     
      The spot price of the U.S. natural gas benchmark Henry Hub hit record lows in the first half of 2020 due to mild winter early in the year and depressed demand later on with the pandemic, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday. The average monthly Henry Hub spot price in the first six months of 2020 was $1.81 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). Monthly prices reached as low as $1.63 per MMBtu in June, the lowest monthly inflation-adjusted price since at least 1989, according to EIA estimates. The monthly average Henry Hub price was less than $2/MMBtu in each month from February through June. Before 2020, the real Henry Hub price had averaged less than $2/MMBtu in just one month—March 2016, the EIA noted. Natural gas prices plunged to a 25-year-low at the end of last month, due to continued weakness in demand.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Natural-Gas-Prices-Hit-Record-Lows-In-H1-2020.html
     
         
      Tesla’s Million-Mile Battery Will Fuel A New Green Energy Boom Mon, 13th Jul 2020 3:00:00
     
      The million-mile battery for electric vehicles (EVs) could hit the market very soon, giving a boost not only to zero-emission vehicle ownership but also to renewable energy generation. The long-life battery could also assuage consumers' fears of degrading batteries in their vehicles and boost confidence in the technology, thus increasing global EV sales and market share. A million-mile battery could increase vehicle ownership and the resale value of EVs, giving impetus to the secondhand EV market and making EVs more popular. Moreover, a 1,000,000-mile battery with longer life and usage would reduce the greenhouse emissions involved in the production of a vehicle, Tesla says. The million-mile EV battery could be a boon to clean energy solutions in both the transportation and energy storage sectors and help reduce emissions thanks to its multi-purpose and extended use.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Teslas-Million-Mile-Battery-Will-Fuel-A-New-Green-Energy-Boom.html
     
         
      Hydrogen May Be The Crucial ‘Jigsaw’ Piece For Green Microgrids Sun, 12th Jul 2020 18:00:00
     
      Microgrids are set up for several reasons that include increasing a region’s resiliency — or its ability to maintain power as well as incorporating more renewable energy to cut down on CO2 releases. And they can be set up in remote locations that have no access to the centralized grid, thus creating more economic opportunities. “In the last decade, renewable energy sources have been transforming the microgrid landscape, consequently reducing or even eliminating the need for costly fossil fuels. This has been made possible through the use of hydrogen,” says Thomas Chrometzka, a strategist with Enapter, which makes electrolyzers — a device used to split apart the hydrogen and oxygen from water. “Introducing hydrogen to microgrids solves the problem of seasonal or long-term storage that batteries cannot provide. It is the crucial jigsaw piece for 100% green microgrids.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2020/07/12/hydrogen-may-be-the-crucial-jigsaw-piece-for-green-microgrids/#39a605a75a74
     
         
      Wind Is Emerging As A Leader In The Renewable Race Sun, 12th Jul 2020 14:00:00
     
      Good news is in short supply during any crisis, and this one has been no exception. The energy industry is being pummeled to the ground by low oil and gas prices, crippled demand for hydrocarbons, and unfriendly banks. But there is one part of this space generating good news: renewables. And, more specifically, wind power. Often in the shadow of cheap solar, which can be slapped up on a rooftop to generate electricity, wind power is now coming to the fore. Costs, as for solar, have fallen substantially over the years, and businesses who want to polish their social and environmental responsibility reputation are inking long-term electricity supply contracts with wind power producers. Wind is on its way to becoming the new darling of corporate America. A big part of this increasing popularity of wind among businesses is the fact that wind turbines produce energy cheaply, writes Sarah Golden, senior energy analyst at GreenBiz Group in a recent analysis on the topic. She notes that the cost of producing energy from wind has fallen by as much as 70 percent since 2009. And last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, wind, along with solar, beat the cheapest coal on cost. Renewable power is getting increasingly cheaper than any new power generation capacity running on fossil fuels, IRENA said in a new report recently. As a result, it said, “more than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower power costs than the cheapest new coal plants.”
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Is-Emerging-As-A-Leader-In-The-Renewable-Race.html
     
         
      The U.S. Is Determined To Dominate Global Natural Gas Markets Sat, 11th Jul 2020 16:00:00
     
      Natural gas is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. It is also fastest-growing fossil fuel, with a global 2.6 percent average annual growth rate over the past decade. In comparison, oil grew at a rate of 1.3 percent over the past decade, and coal grew globally at 0.8 percent. Looking ahead, natural gas is projected to be the only fossil fuel that will see substantial demand growth over the next two decades. Over the past decade, the U.S. shale gas boom propelled the U.S. into the global lead among natural producers. In 2019, the U.S. held a commanding 23.1 percent share of global natural gas production, well ahead of Russia (17.0 percent) and even the entire Middle East (17.4 percent).
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-US-Is-Determined-To-Dominate-Global-Natural-Gas-Markets.html
     
         
      Climate activists slam Norman Foster over Saudi airport Sat, 11th Jul 2020 13:33:00
     
      One of Britain’s most famous architects is under fire for agreeing to design an airport and terminal in Saudi Arabia despite signing a climate emergency manifesto that called for an “urgent need for action” on climate change. Norman Foster’s design firm, Foster and Partners, was one of the founding signatories of the profession’s Architects Declare manifesto last year. However, The Architects’ Journal last week revealed that several new Foster and Partners projects in Saudi Arabia have caused controversy in the profession over their links to the aviation industry. Last year the practice won the design contract for an airport for a luxury resort, known as the Red Sea Project, in Saudi Arabia. And last month it was also revealed that it had put forward a proposal to build a terminal and control tower to serve a similar project: the Amaala luxury resort.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jul/11/architect-takes-on-airport-projects-despite-signing-climate-manifesto
     
         
      Hottest New Fuel Proves Hard to Handle Sat, 11th Jul 2020 7:00:00
     
      The universe’s lightest and most plentiful element turns out to be a fickle fuel to manage. Hydrogen has a tendency to pass through valves and gaskets on equipment designed to harness the energy of larger methane molecules in natural gas, said Robert Koubek as he moved among a labyrinth of pipes at the power plant he operates outside of Graz, Austria’s second-biggest city. That means utilities like Verbund AG need to begin testing for safety now in order to have machines up and running by the end of this decade. “It’s a tricky gas and its flame burns differently,” Koubek, 54, said during a June tour of Verbund’s Mellach facility. “But we’re making the transition from fossil fuel to renewables, so we have to determine whether it’s suitable for scaling up.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-11/green-news-austria-emerges-as-hub-for-hydrogen-technology
     
         
      Hellenic Cables to Deliver Seagreen Inter-Array Lines Fri, 10th Jul 2020 21:30:00
     
      Seaway 7 has selected Hellenic Cables to deliver inter-array cables for the Seagreen offshore wind farm in Scotland. Under the contract with Seaway 7, the EPCI contractor for the project’s foundations and inter-array cables, the Greece-based subsea cable supplier will design, manufacture, test and supply around 320 kilometres of 66 kV XLPE-insulated inter-array cables and associated accessories. The cables for Seagreen’s 114-strong wind turbine array are planned to be delivered by early 2022. The project, owned by Total and SSE Renewables, will comprise 114 MHI Vestas 10 MW turbines with different load optimised modes to adapt to grid requirements of the 1,075 MW offshore wind farm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/07/10/hellenic-cables-to-deliver-seagreen-inter-array-lines/
     
         
      British Steel made with Russian coal leaves North East miners jobless Fri, 10th Jul 2020 18:53:00
     
      “As it stands, that will be the last coal coming out of England on a surface mine,” says Gavin Styles, MD of Banks Mining, owner of the Bradley site. That may be good news for the government’s zero carbon emissions target but not for the 250 miners who face losing their jobs. UK industry still needs coal to make steel and cement and even power heritage steam engines, but Russia is now the main source for all our coal needs. “Every tonne we don’t produce in the UK is going to be brought in from Russia,” says 42-year-old Styles. “That means that a British job producing a tonne of coal in a greener way is now going to be done by a Russian.” Last year, 86 percent of our coal was imported from abroad, with Russia producing a third of that, followed by the USA and Australia. With Bradley closing that means the UK will be wholly dependent on foreign coal, with Russia being the big winner. For Styles, this makes no environmental sense at all.
       
      Full Article: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1307594/british-steel-coal-mines-closures-north-east-miners
     
         
      Gazprom’s Hold On European Gas Market Slips Fri, 10th Jul 2020 14:23:00
     
      Gazprom’s falling natural gas exports to the region have caused Gazprom’s share of the natural gas market to fall by 4 percentage points in the first half of 2020, according to data compiled by Reuters and Refinitiv—from 38% a year ago to 34% now. Gazprom’s revenues from gas exports in the first five months of this year fell a whopping 52.6% to $9.7 billion, according to Russia’s Federal Customs Service data cited by Kallanish Energy. Shipments of its natural gas fell 23% to 73 billion cubic meters. The average price of Gazprom’s exported gas fell in May to $94 per thousand cubic meters, down from $109 per thousand cubic meters in the month prior. Gazprom’s total May export revenues came in at $1.1 billion—a drop of 15% from April. The high inventories have pushed the price of natural gas to record lows, and it’s affecting producers everywhere, including the United States. Production in the US is expected to drop 3.2 percent this year as drilling activity drops off as natural gas consumption falls due to coronavirus pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Gazproms-Hold-On-European-Gas-Market-Slips.html
     
         
      Printed protection for perovskite cells Fri, 10th Jul 2020 14:21:00
     
      Scientists led by the University of Cambridge have developed a new method to print a protective layer of copper directly onto a perovskite solar cell, providing protection to the active layer from damage often caused in later production stages. Cells using this layer were tested in various tandem combinations with silicon cells and achieved a maximum efficiency of 24.4%. The recent progress in perovskite solar cell efficiencies has been well documented, and the technology seems to have been on the verge of major commercial production for a few years now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/10/printed-protection-for-perovskite-cells/
     
         
      Renewable hydrogen: a strategic opportunity for global green recovery Fri, 10th Jul 2020 13:42:00
     
      This week, the European Commission presented its hydrogen strategy. It sets out how to make clean hydrogen a viable solution for a climate-neutral economy and build a dynamic hydrogen value chain in Europe in the next five years, write Kadri Simson and Francesco La Camera. Kadri Simson is the EU Commissioner for Energy. Francesco La Camera is the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency. This opinion piece was written exclusively for EURACTIV. Europe’s investment in renewable hydrogen is anchored in its Green Deal strategy and commitment to zero emissions by 2050. The EU is accelerating the build-up of its renewable power capacity, particularly from off-shore wind. It has proposed a climate law that provides policy certainty to governments and the private sector. It has similarly placed green investment, including in hydrogen electrolysers, fuel cells and storage technologies, at the centre of its 750 billion euro recovery plan “Next Generation EU”.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/opinion/renewable-hydrogen-a-strategic-opportunity-for-global-green-recovery/
     
         
      Candu unit sets North American operating record Fri, 10th Jul 2020 13:36:00
     
      Darlington unit 1 has set a new Canadian and North American nuclear record with 895 consecutive days of unbroken operation. Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) Candu reactor has now been online since 26 January 2018 without needing to be taken out of service for maintenance or repair. "Unit 1's remarkable run is a reflection of the strong dedication and commitment of our employees to drive efficient and robust performance from our generating units for the benefit of all Ontarians," OPG Chief Nuclear Officer Sean Granville said. "This success story is a testament to the reliability of the Darlington station, which produces clean electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week." The previous record of 894 days was held by unit 7 at OPG's Pickering plant. Candus are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). Both PHWRs and advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) are designed to be refuelled without being shut down. The world record for continuous operation of a nuclear plant is currently held by Kaiga unit 1 in India - also a PHWR - which was taken offline on 31 December 2019 after 962 days of operation, breaking the previous record of 940 days set by the UK's Heysham II AGR plant in September 2016. Darlington's four reactors are soon to produce the medical isotopes cobalt-60, which is used to sterilise single-use medical devices, and molybdenum-99, used in medical diagnostics and imaging.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Candu-unit-sets-North-American-operating-record
     
         
      Free home insulation: Too good to be true? Fri, 10th Jul 2020 13:30:00
     
      It sounds too good to be true: free money to make your home cosy and cut your fuel bills. But this is exactly what is planned for England's homeowners from September. That's when the government aims for a triple whammy - creating thousands of jobs in home insulation while reducing carbon emissions from boilers and shaving energy bills. Campaigners call this £2bn scheme a "no brainer" policy. So what will it mean for you?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53365827
     
         
      Climate change: Road plans will scupper CO2 targets, report says Fri, 10th Jul 2020 13:23:00
     
      The vast majority of emissions cuts from electric cars will be wiped out by new road-building, a report says. The government says vehicle emissions per mile will fall as zero-emissions cars take over Britain’s roads. But the report says the 80% of the CO2 savings from clean cars will be negated by the £27bn planned roads programme. It adds that if ministers want a “green recovery” the cash would be better spent on public transport, walking, cycling, and remote-working hubs. And they point out that the electric cars will continue to increase local air pollution through particles eroding from brakes and tyres. The calculations have been made by an environmental consultancy, Transport for Quality of Life, using data collected by Highways England.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53353258
     
         
      UK air pollution still down despite return to normal traffic – study Fri, 10th Jul 2020 12:30:00
     
      Air pollution has remained at lower levels in UK towns and cities despite a return to near-normal traffic levels after the easing of coronavirus restrictions, according to research. Analysis of data from more than 100 urban roadside locations shows nitrogen dioxide pollution levels were 30% below normal at the end of June, despite HGV traffic being back at 95% of normal levels, vans at 90% and cars at 75%. David Carslaw from the University of York, who led the analysis, said the finding could help cities improve the way they cut pollution and that this is particularly important during the pandemic, given the growing evidence that dirty air could make Covid-19 more deadly.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/10/uk-air-pollution-still-down-despite-return-normal-traffic-study
     
         
      Farmers' climate change conundrum: Low yields or revenue instability Fri, 10th Jul 2020 12:26:00
     
      Climate change will leave some farmers with a difficult conundrum, according to a new study by researchers from Cornell University and Washington State University: Either risk more revenue volatility, or live with a more predictable decrease in crop yields. As water shortages and higher temperatures drive down crop yields in regions that depend heavily on seasonal snow, the choice to use more drought-tolerant crop varieties comes at a cost, according to model projections detailed in the paper "Water Rights Shape Crop Yield and Revenue Volatility Tradeoff for Adaptation in Snow Dependent Systems," published June 10 in Nature Communications. The study examined the Yakima River Basin in Washington, where a complex combination of snow, reservoirs and water rights controls the availability of irrigation water. That water dictates the success of some of the U.S.' largest producers of wheat, corn, potatoes, pears, cherries, grapes, apples and hops. The research team sought to quantify climate change's direct and indirect effects on irrigated agriculture in the basin and if if drought-resistant crop varieties could help recover productivity during times of drought. The team found that higher water stress and temperatures led to lower crop yield, as anticipated, said Keyvan Malek, a postdoctoral researcher in Reed's group and lead author of the study. "However, the models show that year-to-year variability in expected crop yields goes down because the difference between the best and worst case yields is reduced," said Malek. "While this is not a positive result, year-to-year fluctuations in crop yield revenue are strongly important in how crop insurance programs balance revenue fluctuations." The researchers argue that the best outcomes for crop yield and revenue volatility must be through a simultaneous improvement in crop varieties—for example, by preserving agrobiodiversity—and in water systems, such as through improvements in water-governing institutions and infrastructure.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-farmers-climate-conundrum-yields-revenue.html
     
         
      A Pink Glacier In Italy Is Not Good News Fri, 10th Jul 2020 11:51:00
     
      In Italy, the Presena glacier is turning pink due to algae, and this will make the ice melt even faster. Blagio di Mauro from the Institute of Polar Sciences at Italy’s National Research Council told CNN that pink snow has appeared on the glacier. It’s sometimes known as watermelon snow and is fairly common in the Alps during the spring and summer. However, it’s been more present this year. Di Mauro believes that the alga named Chlamydomonas nivalis is the culprit that changed the color of the snow. He also told Science Alert, “Everything that darkens the snow causes it to melt because it accelerates the absorption of radiation. We are trying to quantify the effect of other phenomena besides the human one on the overheating of the Earth.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/10/a-pink-glacier-in-italy-is-not-good-news/
     
         
      U.S. Natural Gas Production, Consumption And Exports Hit Record In 2019 Fri, 10th Jul 2020 11:00:00
     
      The United States produced, consumed, and exported record volumes of natural gas last year, following years of rising output due to fracking and horizontal drilling, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Friday. According to EIA’s estimates, domestic production of dry natural gas rose to nearly 34 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) while consumption increased to 31 Tcf in 2019, setting records. In 2019, the United States exported a record level of nearly 5 Tcf of natural gas, predominantly by pipeline to Mexico and Canada or shipped overseas as LNG, the EIA said. Natural gas imports, on the other hand, dropped to their lowest levels since 2015. U.S. natural gas exports surpassed imports in 2017 for the first time since 1957. This year, however, higher stocks, the demand collapse from the pandemic, and the low natural gas prices are set to result in declines in American natural gas production. The supply of natural gas in the U.S. has been dropping this year as gas producers lower production amid low prices while oil producers scale back oil output and with it – associated natural gas production from oil-directed wells.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/US-Natural-Gas-Production-Consumption-And-Exports-Hit-Record-In-2019.html
     
         
      Orsted inks huge renewable energy deal with semiconductor giant TSMC Fri, 10th Jul 2020 7:56:00
     
      ck | Getty Images Danish energy firm Orsted and TSMC, a Taiwan-headquartered semiconductor company which supplies businesses such as Apple, have signed a deal described as “the world’s largest renewables corporate power purchase agreement.” Announced Wednesday, the 20-year deal will see TSMC – also known as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – purchase all the energy produced by Orsted’s yet-to-be-built 920-megawatt offshore wind farm off Taiwan. Located in the Taiwan Strait, the wind farm, known as “Greater Changhua 2b & 4,” will be Orsted’s third offshore facility in Taiwan. It is currently building the “Greater Changhua 1 & 2a” offshore wind farm, which will have a capacity of 900 MW, and co-owns the 128 MW Formosa 1 project. In simple terms, a renewable corporate power purchase agreement, or PPA, refers to a deal where an energy producer sells power to a business at a fixed price over a set period of time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/10/orsted-inks-huge-renewable-energy-deal-with-semiconductor-giant-tsmc.html
     
         
      Climate change: 'Rising chance' of exceeding 1.5C global target Thu, 9th Jul 2020 18:36:00
     
      The World Meteorological Organisation says there's a growing chance that global temperatures will break the 1.5C threshold over the next five years, compared to pre-industrial levels. It says there's a 20% possibility the critical mark will be broken in any one year before 2024. But the assessment says there's a 70% chance it will be broken in one or more months in those five years. Scientists say that keeping below 1.5C will avoid the worst climate impacts. The target was agreed by world leaders in the 2015 Paris climate accord accord. They committed to pursue efforts to try to keep the world from warming by more than 1.5C this century. If the 1.5C threshold is broken in one of the coming years, the experts stress it won't mean the targets are invalid. However it will, once again, underline the urgency of significant emissions cuts to prevent a long-term move to this more dangerous, warmer world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53342806
     
         
      A 'regime shift' is happening in the Arctic Ocean, scientists say Thu, 9th Jul 2020 14:01:00
     
      Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a surprising shift in the Arctic Ocean. Exploding blooms of phytoplankton, the tiny algae at the base of a food web topped by whales and polar bears, have drastically altered the Arctic's ability to transform atmospheric carbon into living matter. Over the past decade, the surge has replaced sea ice loss as the biggest driver of changes in uptake of carbon dioxide by phytoplankton. The study centers on net primary production (NPP), a measure of how quickly plants and algae convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars that other creatures can eat. "The rates are really important in terms of how much food there is for the rest of the ecosystem," Arrigo said. "It's also important because this is one of the main ways that CO2 is pulled out of the atmosphere and into the ocean." Arrigo and colleagues found that NPP in the Arctic increased 57 percent between 1998 and 2018. That's an unprecedented jump in productivity for an entire ocean basin. More surprising is the discovery that while NPP increases were initially linked to retreating sea ice, productivity continued to climb even after melting slowed down around 2009. "The increase in NPP over the past decade is due almost exclusively to a recent increase in phytoplankton biomass," Arrigo said. Put another way, these microscopic algae were once metabolizing more carbon across the Arctic simply because they were gaining more open water over longer growing seasons, thanks to climate-driven changes in ice cover. Now, they are growing more concentrated, like a thickening algae soup.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-regime-shift-arctic-ocean-scientists.html
     
         
      CO2 in Earth's atmosphere nearing levels of 15m years ago Thu, 9th Jul 2020 13:55:00
     
      The amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is approaching a level not seen in 15m years and perhaps never previously experienced by a hominoid, according to the authors of a study. At pre-lockdown rates of increase, within five years atmospheric CO2 will pass 427 parts per million, which was the probable peak of the mid-Pliocene warming period 3.3m years ago, when temperatures were 3C to 4C hotter and sea levels were 20 metres higher than today. But it seems we must now go much further back to see what’s ahead. Some time around 2025, the Earth is likely to have CO2 conditions not experienced since the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum 15m years ago, around the time our ancestors are thought to have diverged from orangutans and become recognisably hominoid.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/09/co2-in-earths-atmosphere-nearing-levels-of-15m-years-ago
     
         
      Clean energy future 'is vital' - UN chief Thu, 9th Jul 2020 13:26:00
     
      The UN Secretary-General has told a meeting of ministers it is "vital" the world moves towards clean energy. Antonio Guterres said decisions on recovery strategies must account for the need to transition to a more sustainable future. He was speaking at the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Clean Energy Transitions Summit. The virtual meeting is being billed as the year's largest global gathering on energy and climate. "Stop wasting money on fossil fuel subsidies and place a price on carbon", Mr Guterres urged. Representatives from the US, China, the EU, Japan and the UK were all in attendance. The UN chief told the meeting that new analysis of G20 recovery packages shows that twice as much recovery money has been spent on fossil fuels as clean energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53349974
     
         
      Liquid water is more than just hydrogen-oxygen molecules Thu, 9th Jul 2020 12:57:00
     
      Skoltech scientists in collaboration with researchers from the University of Stuttgart showed that the concentration of short-lived ions (H3O+ and OH-) in pure liquid water is much higher than that assumed to evaluate the pH, hence significantly changing our understanding of the dynamical structure of water. Skoltech scientists in collaboration with German researchers measured the ion-molecular composition of liquid water on the sub-picosecond time scale. The result surprised scientists as they observed that up to several percent of H2O molecules were temporarily ionized. "While previous studies of water structure were based on crystallographic experiments, and did not reflect the dynamics of water, our research brings new insights into the intricate water structure at ultra-short time scale. The finding anticipates new effects of electric field interaction with water, as well as other anomalous properties of water," concluded the lead author, Dr. Vasily Artemov, Senior Research Scientist at CEST.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-liquid-hydrogen-oxygen-molecules.html
     
         
      First-half solar funding fell by a quarter as Covid-19 bit Thu, 9th Jul 2020 12:46:00
     
      The latest PV finance report released by Mercom Capital had solar investment falling almost entirely across the board with the number of new solar funds launched in the last three months offering a rare piece of good news. With solar investment down across the board in the first half of the year, the $1.6 billion provided by lenders Bank of America and HSBC to French utility Engie to establish a 2 GW clean energy portfolio in the U.S. dwarfed the other big solar deals announced in the last quarter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/09/first-half-solar-funding-fell-by-a-quarter-as-covid-19-bit/
     
         
      Offshore Installation Begins at TPC Changhua Wind Farm Thu, 9th Jul 2020 12:27:00
     
      Jan De Nul has begun the offshore installation activities at Taiwan Power Company’s Changhua Phase 1 offshore wind project in Taiwan. The company installed the first 12 pin piles out of 44 in the first phase of the work using Heerema Marine Contractors’ vessel Ae “The COVID-19 outbreak has a severe impact on our activities,” said Peter De Pooter, Manager Renewables at Jan De Nul Group. “However, we have been able to take the first hurdles caused by this pandemic. It is a relief that we now have been able to start the actual installation works. We are fully determined to continue our engagement in the expansion of the offshore wind energy in Taiwan.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/07/09/offshore-installation-begins-at-tpc-changhua-wind-farm/
     
         
      Siemens Energy to set out plan to exit coal-generated electricity: CEO Thu, 9th Jul 2020 8:00:00
     
      Siemens’ Chief Executive said on Thursday he wanted the future managing board of Siemens Energy to quickly set out plans to exit coal-generated electricity. “The fight against climate change requires a decisive change in power generation, as it is responsible for about 40 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions,” Joe Kaeser told an online general meeting on spinning out the power business.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/09/siemens-energy-to-set-out-plan-to-exit-coal-generated-electricity-ceo.html
     
         
      Petrol and diesel owners will pay an £8 daily charge from 2021 with new driving law Wed, 8th Jul 2020 19:05:00
     
      PETROL and diesel cars which do not meet certain regulations will soon be charged a daily £8 fine for driving in this area. The new fines will be introduced across Birmingham once their Clean Air Zone is launched in 2021. The new scheme will charge owners of non-compliant carts, taxis, LGV’s and minibuses £8 per day to use roads within the city. However drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles, coaches and buses will be charged a higher £50 per day fee to use some streets. The daily charge will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning some may need to pay up to £56 per week to use roads around the city.
       
      Full Article: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1306176/petrol-diesel-new-driving-law-owners-fine-daily-charge
     
         
      Q&A: A hydrogen strategy for a climate neutral Europe Wed, 8th Jul 2020 18:32:00
     
      The European Commission today unveiled its hydrogen strategy aimed at decarbonising hydrogen production and expanding its use in sectors where it can replace fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be used as a feedstock, a fuel or an energy carrier and storage, and it has many possible applications across industry, transport, power and buildings sectors. Most importantly, it does not emit CO2 and does not pollute the air when used. It is therefore an important part of the solution to meet the 2050 climate neutrality goal of the European Green Deal. Renewable hydrogen is the focus of the strategy, as it has the biggest decarbonisation potential and is therefore the most compatible option with the EU’s climate neutrality goal. The strategy also recognises the role of other low-carbon hydrogen production processes in a transition phase, for example through the use of carbon capture and storage or other forms of low-carbon electricity, to clean existing hydrogen production, reduce emissions in the short term and scale up the market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/qa-a-hydrogen-strategy-for-a-climate-neutral-europe/
     
         
      China power firms suspend publication of coal data, frustrating analysis of industrial production Wed, 8th Jul 2020 18:21:00
     
      Five of China’s largest power companies have halted the release of data on daily coal consumption, without providing a reason. The decision has frustrated economists and analysts who have been using the information to monitor factory production and China’s economic recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3092363/china-power-firms-suspend-publication-coal-data-frustrating
     
         
      Capital Dynamics and Tenaska Partner on 4.8 Gigawatts of Solar Development Wed, 8th Jul 2020 17:35:00
     
      Capital Dynamics, the Swiss asset manager that is now a heavyweight solar investor, will partner with energy developer Tenaska on a 4.8-gigawatt solar portfolio in the Midwest and the Southeast, the companies announced Wednesday. The two will work together on developing 24 solar projects expected to come online by 2023, building on a 2018 partnership to cooperatively develop another 14 projects in six Midwestern states. Capital Dynamics told Greentech Media earlier this year that solar is likely to become increasingly significant for the company due to its stability and economic competitiveness. "We have historically developed our own projects, but more and more we are seeing demand for our development expertise in the renewable space," said Steve Johnson, senior vice president of Tenaska's Strategic Development and Acquisition Group. Solar accounts for a growing portion of new generation in the Midwest, where wind turbines have long been the dominant form of renewable power. Solar will make up half or more of new capacity additions through 2025, according to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. “Solar is expected to see 58 percent compound annual growth rate in [Midcontinent Independent System Operator territory] from 2020 to 2025,” said Colin Smith, a senior solar analyst at WoodMac. “Capital Dynamics is moving into a market [where] they think they can be successful and see a lot of growth.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/capital-dynamics-and-tenaska-partner-on-4.8-gigawatts-of-solar-development
     
         
      Q Cells commits to three-year, €125m German R&D spend Wed, 8th Jul 2020 17:16:00
     
      The Korean company has committed to invest in solar innovation in Germany at a time when the EU and member states are desperately trying to kick-start the Covid-19 recovery. The company – which has its roots in former German cell maker Q-Cells AG – today announced it will spend €35 million per year for the next three years on research and development at its base in Thalheim, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. A further €20 million will be spent at the site for R&D equipment and machinery during that time – €10 million of it within 12 months. The Thalheim site is where the German forerunner company established its first cell production line in 2001 and Hanwha Q Cells said the investment proved its commitment to European solar innovation amid the Covid-19 pandemic – as well as its faith in the global patent system. The company said the R&D effort would be geared towards its next-generation Q.Antum solar cells and modules. Thalheim-based Q Cells chief technology officer Daniel Jeong said: “Q Cells is proud of its rich history of formative innovations in solar technology. With the investments that the company has now decided upon, we are laying the foundations for the next groundbreaking innovation that Q Cells will develop in Germany and commercialize for the global solar markets.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/08/q-cells-commits-to-three-year-e125m-german-rd-spend/
     
         
      Indonesian regulator confirms Shell Abadi LNG exit talks Wed, 8th Jul 2020 17:01:00
     
      Indonesian upstream regulator SKK Migas has confirmed Shell is in talks to withdraw from Indonesia’s proposed Abadi LNG export project. It is not known how much would the Abadi LNG stake sale bring in this market to Shell but some reports suggest a sum of about $1-$2 billion. It is not known how much would the Abadi LNG stake sale bring in this market to Shell but some reports suggest a sum of about $1-$2 billion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/indonesian-regulator-confirms-shell-abadi-lng-exit-talks/
     
         
      US and Canada Bolster Offshore Wind Ties Wed, 8th Jul 2020 16:18:00
     
      The Business Network for Offshore Wind and Marine Renewables Canada have entered into an affiliation agreement to share knowledge and support the development of offshore wind. The aim of the agreement is to demonstrate the commitment to ensuring Canadian and U.S. industry and suppliers receive increased support to engage in offshore wind development. According to Marine Renewables Canada, although Canada does not yet have active offshore wind development, many suppliers have experience from working in related marine and offshore industries that could contribute to helping the U.S. meet its offshore wind goals. “By working together, we can help industry collaborate on key issues, build partnerships, and share information that will support advancement of the industry.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/07/08/us-and-canada-bolster-offshore-wind-ties/
     
         
      Italian solar company changes hands Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:46:00
     
      The operations and maintenance and the engineering, procurement and construction arms of PV company Enerray have been sold off by troubled industrial conglomerate Gruppo Industriale Maccaferri for cash, transferring 240 MWp of Italian generation capacity to the management of rival LT Renewables. The Green Deal for Europe and backing from the Italian government will see the nation add 1.1 GWp of new clean energy capacity annually for the next decade, according to the PV plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services provider which has taken ownership of the rival business of Enerray.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/08/italian-solar-company-changes-hands/
     
         
      One key solution to the world’s climate woes? Canada’s natural landscapes Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:39:00
     
      Scientists have found protecting nature can provide more than one-third of the emissions reductions required to meet the world’s 2030 climate targets, thrusting Canada — home to 25 per cent of the planet’s wetlands and boreal forests — into the hot seat. Canada’s seaweed, dirt and trees have managed to do something that’s seemed impossible for the world’s most advanced technocratic nations: provide a legitimate, ongoing and cost-effective climate solution. Perhaps the biggest boost to the idea of these so-called ‘nature-based climate solutions’ came in late 2017 when a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the simple act of preserving wetlands, forests and grasslands could provide more than one-third of the emissions reductions needed to stabilize global temperature increases below 2 C by 2030 under the Paris Accord. For countries looking to make quick climate gains, the idea of these nature-based climate fixes created quite the buzz. In early 2020, before the pandemic hit, hundreds of people from across the country gathered in Ottawa to discuss what a pivot to nature-based climate solutions in Canada might entail. “Nature-based solutions give us the opportunity to tackle the challenges of climate change and biodiversity at the same time,” Wilkinson said to the more than 400 attendees. But at the conference another voice emerged to urge Canadians to think beyond the terms of “land-use” when it comes to nature’s role in the battle against climate change. “Land relationship planning,” Steven Nitah, Dene leader and former Northwest Territories MLA, pitched to the crowd. “Think of the phrase ‘land-use planning,’ ” he challenged the audience. “Land use — how we use the land. That doesn’t talk about land relationship planning.” Nitah argued the concept of “land relationship planning” should enter the collective vocabularies of Canadians as the country imagines pathways forward for nature-based climate solutions. Earth has regulated its own carbon cycle for eons, and it has only taken humanity 150 years to throw that cycle out of whack. Fortunately, the systems that balanced carbon in the atmosphere, in soil and the oceans, in living beings and inert rocks, still exist and still have the potential to recover. But doing that requires space. “The capacity for nature to bounce back is incredible,” said Lara Ellis said of ALUS Canada, a national charity that works with farmers on projects that restore and benefit the natural landscapes, such as wetlands or good habitat for pollinators.
       
      Full Article: https://thenarwhal.ca/climate-canadas-natural-landscapes/
     
         
      Spreading rock dust on fields could remove vast amounts of CO2 from air Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:37:00
     
      It may be best near-term way to remove CO2, say scientists, but cutting fossil fuel use remains critical. Spreading rock dust on farmland could suck billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air every year, according to the first detailed global analysis of the technique. The chemical reactions that degrade the rock particles lock the greenhouse gas into carbonates within months, and some scientists say this approach may be the best near-term way of removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/08/spreading-rock-dust-on-fields-could-remove-vast-amounts-of-co2-from-air
     
         
      Huawei’s latest intelligence: Smart PV for future Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:30:00
     
      The new president of Huawei’s Smart PV Business Unit, Chen Guoguang, talks to pv magazine about his new role in the company and the future of his division. Increased investment in smart PV R&D and technological innovation are at the top of the agenda. The intelligentization of energy products is also a priority, with much to be gained from the integration of information and communications technologies (ICT) and energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/08/huaweis-latest-intelligence-smart-pv-for-future/
     
         
      One key solution to the world’s climate woes? Canada’s natural landscapes Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:21:00
     
      Scientists have found protecting nature can provide more than one-third of the emissions reductions required to meet the world’s 2030 climate targets, thrusting Canada — home to 25 per cent of the planet’s wetlands and boreal forests — into the hot seat
       
      Full Article: https://thenarwhal.ca/climate-canadas-natural-landscapes/
     
         
      'Playing the hand of God': scientists' experiment aims to help trees survive climate change Wed, 8th Jul 2020 13:19:00
     
      There is an impressive array of pine species at the Nature Conservancy’s Plum Creek preserve in Maryland – loblolly, Virginia, shortleaf – creating a landscape that emits the smell of Christmas well into the summer. But a newcomer to the preserve has fueled an ethical debate about the role of conservationists in the age of climate change. Since 2013, TNC has planted more than 2,000 longleaf pine seedlings in fields not far from the Delaware state line. Today, clumps of longleaf stand together like gangly kids at recess, their eponymous green needles shooting out like pompoms in every direction. But longleaf is not native to Maryland, and many scientists believe they should not be planted at Plum Creek, or anywhere outside of their natural range. These relatively young trees are part of an experiment to determine if human intervention could help the pines migrate north as climate change alters its natural range. When left unattended, trees migrate toward more favorable conditions through a process known as seed dispersal, in which seeds are carried by the wind or birds to new places, taking root where the weather and water are right. But it’s an exceedingly slow process, much slower than many trees will need to move in order to avoid major harm from warming temperatures. Scientists are turning to a strategy called assisted migration – planting seedlings in areas they have never grown – in an attempt to rescue tree species from the inhospitable conditions brought on by climate change. Not everyone’s onboard. Assisted migration has been accused of being expensive and risky, a case of humans playing God. But “I do not believe longleaf pine could move quickly enough at the rate the climate is changing,” explains Dr Deborah Landau, a TNC restoration ecologist.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/08/planting-trees-assisted-migration-climate-change
     
         
      Easy-to-clean solar panel coating developed in India Wed, 8th Jul 2020 12:52:00
     
      Indian scientists have developed a nanoparticle-based solar panel coating that minimizes dust deposition and enables easy cleaning with water. The coating was developed by the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) unit of India’s Department of Science and Technology. The low-cost coating is highly transparent – ensuring no loss in transmittance or power conversion efficiency; super-hydrophobic, with a water contact angle of more than 110 degrees; and offers high weather and mechanical stability.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/08/arci-develops-easy-to-clean-solar-panel-coating/
     
         
      No business need at all now for a Chinese nuclear plant in the UK Tue, 7th Jul 2020 19:37:00
     
      Halting Huawei hurts 5G rollout and Sino-British ties, but stopping a Chinese nuclear power plant in Essex has virtually no fallout
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2020/jul/07/no-business-need-at-all-now-for-a-chinese-nuclear-plant-in-the-uk
     
         
      Indian firm completes ITER cryostat manufacture Tue, 7th Jul 2020 19:01:00
     
      Indian company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Heavy Engineering Ltd has completed the final segment of the ITER cryostat, bringing to an end an eight-year work programme. Work on the cryostat will now continue at the ITER site in southern France where the sections will be assembled, sited and welded over the next four years. "The making of the ITER cryostat is a shining illustration of what the ITER international collaboration is about: committed men and women working to the best of their ability in different parts of the world as a 'One-ITER' team, to meet an ambitious and unprecedented challenge," ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot said yesterday. ITER will be a 500 MW tokamak fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. The European Union is contributing almost half of the cost of its construction, while the other six members (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the USA) are contributing equally to the rest. The target for first plasma is 2025.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/India-completes-ITER-cryostat-manufacture
     
         
      GWEC Launches Floating Offshore Wind Task Force Tue, 7th Jul 2020 18:41:00
     
      The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has launched the Floating Offshore Wind Task Force with the aim to accelerate the growth of the sector. The first actions will be to define the priority markets for offshore wind, and engage with relevant local associations, policymakers and NGOs in the fishing, marine mammals and ports sectors through conferences, seminars and workshops to promote and educate stakeholders about the floating offshore sector and to share best practices. Members include Equinor, GE Renewable Energy, Iberdrola, Ideol, the Japanese Wind Power Association, MHI Vestas, Ørsted, Principle Power, RenewableUK, Siemens Gamesa, Shell, Stiesdal, wpd, and The World Bank Group.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/07/07/gwec-launches-floating-offshore-wind-task-force/
     
         
      Even if we start to fix climate change, the proof may not show up for 30 years Tue, 7th Jul 2020 17:41:00
     
      The young climate activists clamoring today for rapid cuts to the world’s fossil fuel emissions could be well into their 30s or 40s before the impact of those changes becomes apparent, scientists said in a study published Tuesday. The new research finds that even if humans sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions now — cutting carbon dioxide, methane and other pollutants by at least 5 percent or more a year — it could still take decades before it’s clear those actions are beginning to slow the rate of the Earth’s warming. The coronavirus pandemic, with its notable but fleeting dent in global greenhouse gas emissions, has demonstrated how hard it will be to repair the impacts humans are having on the planet, particularly on the ambitious time frame scientists say is necessary to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. An empty street in San Francisco during California's sheltering-in-place order in April 2020. Emissions declined by as much as 17 percent in early April, compared with the previous year, but then bounced back rapidly as shuttered economies around the world began to reopen. Overall, the globe’s 2020 emissions are likely to show only a single-digit drop from 2019 levels, experts project. A comparable reduction would need to happen year after year for rising global temperatures to level off. A United Nations report in the fall found that the world’s emissions would need to shrink by 7.6 percent each year to meet the most ambitious aims of the Paris climate agreement, which has the support of nearly every nation except the United States under President Trump. So far, any impact of the pandemic on the globe’s temperature is unclear. This year could very well be the hottest on record. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise relatively rapidly. Some regions saw a noticeable decline in air pollution, but that could prove temporary. Samset said, “Luckily, we are moving to an era where we will see cuts in emissions. But we also realize that people are expecting to see some return on these efforts. This will impact people’s livelihoods. What do we get in return? We get reduced global warming at some point, but that may not be visible for 15, 20 years — longer if we are unlucky.” Ken Caldeira, a longtime researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science who has served as a lead author on key U.N. climate reports, was not involved with Tuesday’s paper but said he was not surprised by its findings.“The idea that we would not be able to statistically detect the influence of policy on global mean temperatures for many decades is the sort of thing that I believe is well understood by most working climate scientists,” he said, “but not well understood by many members of the general public.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/07/07/climate-change-expectations/
     
         
      Climate change may cause extreme waves in Arctic Tue, 7th Jul 2020 14:46:00
     
      Extreme ocean surface waves with a devastating impact on coastal communities and infrastructure in the Arctic may become larger due to climate change, according to a new study. The new research projects the annual maximum wave height will get up to two to three times higher than it is now along coastlines in areas of the Arctic such as along the Beaufort Sea. The new study in AGU's Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans suggests waves could get up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) higher than current wave heights by the end of the century. In addition, extreme wave events that used to occur once every 20 years might increase to occur once every two to five years on average, according to the study. In other words, the frequency of such extreme coastal flooding might increase by a factor of 4 to 10 by the end of this century. "It increases the risk of flooding and erosion. It increases drastically almost everywhere," said Mercè Casas-Prat, a research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Climate Research Division and the lead author of the new study. "This can have a direct impact to the communities that live close to the shoreline."
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-climate-extreme-arctic.html
     
         
      Europe wants to use hydrogen to slow climate change - will it work? Tue, 7th Jul 2020 14:42:00
     
      Hydrogen is back. On 8 July, the European Commission will announce a new strategy to turn the universe’s most abundant element into a way “for the EU to achieve a higher climate ambition”. Past grand visions of a “hydrogen economy” have failed to be realised, so the European Union is now taking a more targeted approach, pitching hydrogen as a crucial way to clean up industries that are hard to decarbonise, such as steel-making. Hydrogen trucks, trains and even ships could drive demand too, according to a recent draft of the commission’s hydrogen strategy seen by New Scientist. There is just one big problem. While the plan notes that using hydrogen doesn’t emit carbon dioxide, it also acknowledges that most of its production today is filthy. Globally, around 96 per cent of hydrogen is made from fossil fuels via a process known as steam methane reforming. Even much of the the remaining 4 per cent produced using water and electrolysers is powered by coal and gas power stations. The figures are similar in Europe, which makes about 10 million tonnes of hydrogen a year. That is why the strategy demands targets on what it calls “renewable hydrogen”, produced using electrolysers powered by renewable sources of electricity. It wants 4 gigawatts of electrolyser capacity by 2024, rising to 40 gigawatts by 2030, up from less than 1 gigawatt today. Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2248140-europe-wants-to-use-hydrogen-to-slow-climate-change-will-it-work/#ixzz6UoUHQkVD
       
      Full Article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2248140-europe-wants-to-use-hydrogen-to-slow-climate-change-will-it-work/
     
         
      Saudi Arabia plans $5bn 'world's largest' green hydrogen plant to fuel global bus and truck fleets Tue, 7th Jul 2020 14:24:00
     
      Saudi Arabia will host what’s billed as the world’s biggest green hydrogen project yet planned, with 4GW of renewables powering massive H2 production destined for the world’s future clean bus and truck fleets. The $5bn project is a three-way joint venture between gases group Air Products, Saudi renewables developer ACWA Power and NEOM, a high-tech regional development initiative under construction near the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia that will host the giant facility.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/saudi-arabia-plans-5bn-worlds-largest-green-hydrogen-plant-to-fuel-global-bus-and-truck-fleets/2-1-839532
     
         
      Germany moves forward with $45billion plan to close all its coal-burning power plants by 2038 and eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 Tue, 7th Jul 2020 13:40:00
     
      The German government has approved a new set of bills that will transition the country's energy infrastructure toward renewable sources and close its last coal power plant in 2038. The bills passed both houses in the German parliament and will also include $45billion to fund transition to other forms of energy production. The plan is part of Chancellor Angela Merkel's goal of making Germany the first country in Europe to stop emitting greenhouse gases, currently targeted for 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8499321/Germany-approves-plan-close-coal-burning-power-plants-2038-shift-renewable-energy.html
     
         
      Russian solar manufacturer goes green Tue, 7th Jul 2020 13:32:00
     
      Hevel Group has announced it will source all the 65 GWh required annually to run its Novocheboksarsk factory from renewables sources via the wholesale market. Russian solar manufacturer Hevel today announced its module manufacturing operation will run entirely on renewable energy from this month onwards. “We are able to cover our electricity demand by renewable energy due to the growing volumes of solar generation in Russia,” said factory director Alexander Dubrovskiy. “The transition also guarantees our foreign partners the compliance of production processes with environmental standards, including those for exported products.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/07/russian-solar-manufacturer-goes-green/
     
         
      Esa and Nasa line up satellites to measure Antarctic sea-ice Tue, 7th Jul 2020 13:16:00
     
      US and European scientists are about to get a unique view of polar ice as their respective space agencies line up two satellites in the sky. Authorisation was given on Tuesday for Europe's Cryosat-2 spacecraft to raise its orbit by just under one kilometre. This will hugely increase the number of coincident observations it can make with the Americans' Icesat-2 mission. One outcome from this new strategy will be the first ever reliable maps of Antarctic sea-ice thickness. Currently, the floes in the far south befuddle efforts to measure their vertical dimension. Heavy snow can pile on top of the floating ice, hiding its true thickness. Indeed, significant loading can even push Antarctic sea-ice under the water. But researchers believe the different instruments on the two satellites working in tandem can help them tease apart this complexity. Nasa's Icesat-2, which orbits the globe at about 500km in altitude, uses a laser to measure the distance to the Earth's surface - and hence the height of objects. This light beam reflects directly off the top of the snow. Esa's Cryosat-2, on the other hand, at around 720km in altitude, uses radar as its height tool, and this penetrates much more deeply into the snow cover before bouncing back.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53326490
     
         
      Siberian Arctic 'up to 10 degrees warmer' in June Tue, 7th Jul 2020 13:09:00
     
      Temperatures in the Siberian Arctic reached record averages in June, with some areas seeing rises of as much as 10C (18F), according to EU data. Scientists say the heat has helped fan wildfires in the region, resulting in the unprecedented estimated release of 59m tonnes of carbon dioxide. Hot summer weather is not uncommon in the Arctic Circle, but recent months have seen abnormally high temperatures. The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average. Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union's earth observation programme, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said the trend was "worrisome".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53317861
     
         
      Sunak to unveil £2bn home insulation scheme Tue, 7th Jul 2020 12:39:00
     
      Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, with the poorest getting up to £10,000.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53313640
     
         
      Coronavirus: Climate change 'bigger threat' than Covid-19 Tue, 7th Jul 2020 12:35:00
     
      Poor air quality and climate change pose a bigger threat to people's health and the economy than coronavirus, NHS staff have warned. BBC Wales has seen a letter sent on behalf of hundreds of healthcare workers to the Welsh Government. It calls for environmental issues to be prioritised as part of a "healthy recovery" following the pandemic. The Welsh Government said it was "committed" to a green recovery. The letter calls for scientific advisors to be involved in developing economic policy in the aftermath of the pandemic. Efforts to pedestrianise cities, encourage walking and cycling, and increasing how much energy is supplied by renewable sources should be sped up, it says, as well as businesses getting money to help cut energy consumption and waste.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-53308828
     
         
      Dakota Access Pipeline: Judge suspends use of key oil link Tue, 7th Jul 2020 12:27:00
     
      Judges have sided with environmental groups, requiring the Keystone XL Pipeline - which would stretch from the Canadian province of Alberta to Texas in the southern US - to undergo an arduous review before construction can resume. Dakota Access owners, Transfer Energy, now face the horrendously expensive prospect of shutting down their oil pipeline for over a year while the Army Corp of Engineers undertake a far more comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53317852
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Longi to grow by 10 GW, China opens world’s largest floating PV project Tue, 7th Jul 2020 12:17:00
     
      Plus, equipment manufacturer Shangji Automation is set to enter the silicon ingot making game with plans for an 8 GW fab, while state-owned developer Panda Green says it plans to add 500 MW of annual project capacity over the next three years. Longi said this week that it has cleared all regulatory obstacles and plans to finalize the purchase of manufacturer Zhejiang Yize later this month. The group’s Longi Green Energy Technology unit will pay RMB1.78 billion (US$253 million) plus a variable sum to be determined by the business’ three-year future performance for the Zhejiang-based company. Zhejiang Yize currently produces 7 GW of modules per year and operates 3 GW of annual cell capacity in Vietnam.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/07/chinese-pv-industry-brief-longi-to-grow-by-10-gw-china-opens-worlds-largest-floating-pv-project/
     
         
      Rare night clouds may be warning sign of climate crisis Mon, 6th Jul 2020 21:30:00
     
      Something magical appeared at night over London and other parts of Britain on 21 June: ripples of electric blue clouds shimmered in the twilight sky after sunset. These were noctilucent clouds, the highest clouds in the world, more than 80km (50 miles) up on the edge of space, and looked like something from another planet. Noctilucent clouds form in the mesosphere, the rarefied upper atmosphere with little moisture and intensely low temperatures. The scant water vapour there can freeze on to specks of smoke from meteors burning up in the atmosphere, creating the crystals that form noctilucent clouds. The mesosphere is coldest in summer, allowing the crystals to form. These clouds may also be a warning sign of the climate crisis. They were first recorded in 1885 and were rarely seen for years afterwards, largely in polar regions. But in recent times the clouds have appeared much further afield and are growing much brighter. Much of the moisture needed to form the clouds comes from methane, a potent greenhouse gas that produces water vapour when it breaks down in the upper atmosphere. And as methane pollution has increased, so noctilucent clouds have grown more common and more widespread.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jul/06/rare-night-clouds-may-be-warning-sign-of-climate-crisis
     
         
      Hydrogen to become gamechanger as large-scale source of cleaner power, reveals GlobalData Mon, 6th Jul 2020 16:08:00
     
      Hydrogen is likely to play a crucial role in clean energy transition in sectors such as transportation, buildings and power generation. Interest in the use of hydrogen technology is increasing in a range of niche transport market segments, besides other applications. In the short to medium term, hydrogen technology could be used to replace compressed natural gas (CNG) in some areas with minor changes to the existing infrastructure, says data and analytics company GlobalData. GlobalData’s latest report, Thematic Research: Hydrogen, highlights that countries worldwide are striving to accelerate the development and use of hydrogen technology to tackle environmental concerns and enhance energy security. The technology has the capability to serve as a long-term, large-scale clean energy storage medium that aids power generation from renewable sources, however, formulating a cost-effective and well-regulated transition is a complex issue and the cost of producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources is currently expensive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/business/hydrogen-fuel-climate-change.html
     
         
      New Catalyst Clears ‘Bottleneck’ in Production of Hydrogen - FuelCellsWorks Mon, 6th Jul 2020 14:44:00
     
      It is now possible to produce ’hydrogen’, a future energy source, more efficiently. This is because a catalyst has been developed to accelerate the reaction of water ’electrolysis’, a hydrogen production process. A research team led by Professor Kwang S. Kim (National Scientist) in the Department of Chemistry at UNIST (President Lee Yong-Hoon) has developed a “metal organic compound” catalyst that will improve water electrolysis efficiency through theoretical calculations. This catalyst, which can be used in basic electrolytes, promotes the’oxygen-generating reaction’, which is referred to as a’bottleneck’ in’water electrolysis technology’, thereby increasing the overall reaction efficiency. ‘Water electrolysis’ is a method of decomposing water (H2O) by electricity to produce hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Here, two reactions of hydrogen and oxygen production occur simultaneously, and the problem is that the entire reaction proceeds in response to the slow “oxygen-generating reaction”. Therefore, the slower the oxygen generating reaction, the slower the hydrogen production rate and the hydrogen production rate directly connected to it. The research team proposed a new solution with a catalyst developed using a metal organic framework (MOF) containing nickel and iron. The metal organic skeleton is a material in which a metal and an organic material form a framework like a’reinforcing bar’ of a building. There are many fine-sized pores (channels), so the surface area is large, and the metal atom where the catalytic reaction occurs is exposed to the surface. Moreover, compared to iridium (Ir) used in commercial catalysts, nickel and iron have more reserves and are cheaper.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/new-catalyst-clears-bottleneck-in-production-of-hydrogen/
     
         
      E10 fuel changes: These cars ‘will be hit worse’ by new petrol introduced next year Mon, 6th Jul 2020 14:36:00
     
      E10 fuel changes may not be compatible with up to 600,000 classic cars after fears the new bioethanol petrol could damage key parts. Incompatible cars can continue using existing E5 fuel for the time being being the government has said it can only guarantee its sale for five years after E10 is introduced. This could mean E5 fuel is removed from petrol stations from 2026 while some may ditch the petrol earlier to make way for the new compound. The RAC has previously raised fears that a decrease in availability could spark a rise in costs for the fuel. Milton Keynes Classic Car Club says price rises may “deter a few” motorists but warned the limited mileage of models would not make a difference. However, the club issued a stark warning to owners of large engined vehicles who would be most affected by any price increases.
       
      Full Article: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1305692/e10-fuel-changes-classic-car-petrol-diesel-damage-road-safety
     
         
      New UN report outlines ways to curb growing spread of animal-to-human diseases Mon, 6th Jul 2020 14:35:00
     
      Preventing the Next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission identifies seven trends driving the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases, including a growing demand for animal protein, unsustainable farming practices and the global climate crisis. It also sets out 10 practical steps that nations can take right now, including expanded research into zoonotic diseases, improved monitoring and regulation of food systems, and incentivizing sustainable land management practices. In particular, the report recommends that governments adopt a “One Health” approach that brings together public health, veterinary and environmental expertise to prevent and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks. Preventing the Next Pandemic is a joint effort by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), both based in Nairobi.
       
      Full Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1067711
     
         
      China's mega-dams are giving way to cheaper renewable energy Mon, 6th Jul 2020 14:31:00
     
      It's the beginning of the end for the era of mega-dam building in China. China Three Gorges Corp. last week turned on the first set of generators at the massive Wudongde hydropower plant, deep in the mountains of Yunnan province. About 170 kilometers (106 miles) downstream on the Jinsha River sits Baihetan, the last of its kind, scheduled to go into operation next year. At full run, the two sites will produce more electricity than every power plant in the Philippines combined. They're the final two mega-dams in a Chinese construction boom that goes back more than half a century, one that became increasingly mired in controversy over the trade-off between the benefits of the renewable energy and flood prevention and the social and environmental costs. Now, China's hydro industry is down-shifting toward smaller projects and pumped storage. Engineers have run out of the easiest locations to power massive sets of turbines and the falling cost of rival energy sources such as solar mean it isn't worth moving on to more challenging locations. "It's so cheap developing renewables and coal-fired power, why bother injecting huge sums of money to develop hydro 2,000 kilometers deep in the Tibetan plateau," said Frank Yu, an analyst with Wood Mackenzie Ltd. "The future of hydro is going to be pumped storage and is also going to be smaller and smaller." China's dam-building era began in the 1950s, soon after the Communist Party gained power, but it reached a crescendo in the past two decades. After Baihetan gears up to full capacity in late 2022, China will have completed five of the world's 10-biggest hydropower plants in just 10 years. China's dams generated more electricity in 2017 than the total supply of every other country in the world besides the U.S. and India.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/china-mega-dams-giving-cheaper-renewable-energy-200706024235308.html
     
         
      ‘Renewable’ natural gas may sound green, but it’s not an antidote for climate change Mon, 6th Jul 2020 14:11:00
     
      Natural gas is a versatile fossil fuel that accounts for about a third of U.S. energy use. Although it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants than coal or oil, natural gas is a major contributor to climate change, an urgent global problem. Reducing emissions from the natural gas system is especially challenging because natural gas is used roughly equally for electricity, heating, and industrial applications. There’s an emerging argument that maybe there could be a direct substitute for fossil natural gas in the form of renewable natural gas (RNG) – a renewable fuel designed to be nearly indistinguishable from fossil natural gas. RNG could be made from biomass or from captured carbon dioxide and electricity. Based on what’s known about these systems, however, I believe climate benefits might not be as large as advocates claim. This matters because RNG isn’t widely used yet, and decisions about whether to invest in it are being made now, in places like California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Georgia and New York. As someone who studies sustainability, I research how decisions made now might influence the environment and society in the future. I’m particularly interested in how energy systems contribute to climate change. Right now, energy is responsible for most of the pollution worldwide that causes climate change. Since energy infrastructure, like power plants and pipelines, lasts a long time, it’s important to consider the climate change emissions that society is committing to with new investments in these systems. At the moment, renewable natural gas is more a proposal than reality, which makes this a great time to ask: What would investing in RNG mean for climate change? WHAT RNG IS AND WHY IT MATTERS Most equipment that uses energy can only use a single kind of fuel, but the fuel might come from different resources. For example, you can’t charge your computer with gasoline, but it can run on electricity generated from coal, natural gas or solar power. Natural gas is almost pure methane, currently sourced from raw, fossil natural gas produced from deposits deep underground. But methane could come from renewable resources, too. Two main methane sources could be used to make RNG. First is biogenic methane, produced by bacteria that digest organic materials in manure, landfills and wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants, landfills and dairy farms have captured and used biogenic methane as an energy resource for decades, in a form usually called biogas. Some biogenic methane is generated naturally when organic materials break down without oxygen. Burning it for energy can be beneficial for the climate if doing so prevents methane from escaping to the atmosphere. In theory, there’s enough of this climate-friendly methane available to replace about 1% of the energy that the current natural gas system provides. The largest share is found at landfills. The other source for RNG doesn’t exist in practice yet, but could theoretically be a much larger resource than biogenic methane. Often called power-to-gas, this methane would be intentionally manufactured from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using electricity. If all the inputs are climate-neutral – meaning, for example, that the electricity used to create the RNG is generated from resources without greenhouse gas emissions – then the combusted RNG would also be climate-neutral. So far, RNG of either type isn’t widely available. Much of the current conversation focuses on whether and how to make it available. For example, SoCalGas in California, CenterPoint Energy in Minnesota and Vermont Gas Systems in Vermont either offer or have proposed offering RNG to consumers, in the same way that many utilities allow customers to opt in to renewable electricity. RENEWABLE ISN´T ALWAYS SUSTAINABLE If RNG could be a renewable replacement for fossil natural gas, why not move ahead? Consumers have shown that they are willing to buy renewable electricity, so we might expect similar enthusiasm for RNG. The key issue is that methane isn’t just a fuel – it’s also a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Any methane that is manufactured intentionally, whether from biogenic or other sources, will contribute to climate change if it enters the atmosphere. And releases will happen, from newly built production systems and existing, leaky transportation and user infrastructure. For example, the moment you smell gas before the pilot light on a stove lights the ring? That’s methane leakage, and it contributes to climate change. To be clear, RNG is almost certainly better for the climate than fossil natural gas because byproducts of burning RNG won’t contribute to climate change. But doing somewhat better than existing systems is no longer enough to respond to the urgency of climate change. The world’s primary international body on climate change suggests we need to decarbonize by 2030 to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. SCANT CLIMATE BENEFITS My recent research suggests that for a system large enough to displace a lot of fossil natural gas, RNG is probably not as good for the climate as is publicly claimed. Although RNG has lower climate impact than its fossil counterpart, likely high demand and methane leakage mean that it probably will contribute to climate change. In contrast, renewable sources such as wind and solar energy do not emit climate pollution directly. What’s more, creating a large RNG system would require building mostly new production infrastructure, since RNG comes from different sources than fossil natural gas. Such investments are both long-term commitments and opportunity costs. They would devote money, political will and infrastructure investments to RNG instead of alternatives that could achieve a zero greenhouse gas emission goal. When climate change first broke into the political conversation in the late 1980s, investing in long-lived systems with low but non-zero greenhouse gas emissions was still compatible with aggressive climate goals. Now, zero greenhouse gas emissions is the target, and my research suggests that large deployments of RNG likely won’t meet that goal.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/renewable-natural-gas-may-sound-green-but-its-not-an-antidote-for-climate-change-138791
     
         
      Kazatomprom extends reduced operations Mon, 6th Jul 2020 12:57:00
     
      Kazatomprom announced in April that it was reducing the number of employees at its sites to the minimum levels possible for a period of three months, in order to protect its workforce, their families and the often remote communities in which it operates. "Throughout that time, we have followed government restrictions and health advice, however, we believe that the pandemic-related risks still remain too high for a full return of production employees to our sites," Kazatomprom CEO Galymzhan Pirmatov said. "We are therefore extending the period of reduced operational activity for an additional month, with the intention of gradually increasing mine site staff levels at the beginning of August, if it is deemed safe to do so." Nearly all staff at the company's offices, including its corporate headquarters in Nur-Sultan, have been working from home, the company said. Production employees who have remained at mine sites have been working safely with social distancing and strict hygiene protocols in place.
       
      Full Article: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Kazatomprom-extends-reduced-operations
     
         
      Huawei Signs New Partnership with JJ-LAPP to Harness the Power of Solar Mon, 6th Jul 2020 12:39:00
     
      The demand for solar, especially in ASEAN’s emerging markets, has been driven by the urgent need for energy. Solar Energy has been a key pillar of the global energy transition and has become the preferred energy source due to rapid advancements of high-tech solutions that have drastically improved its accessibility, adaptability, competitive pricing, sustainability, and productivity output. Continuing its efforts to meet the growing market needs and for a green Asia, JJ-LAPP, the cable technology joint venture of diversified industrial conglomerate, Jebsen & Jessen Group, has inked a new partnership with Huawei for the distribution of its Smart PV solutions in 6 ASEAN countries; Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/press-releases/huawei-signs-new-partnership-with-jj-lapp-to-harness-the-power-of-solar/
     
         
      Germany’s Coal Power Could Shut Down a Decade Early Mon, 6th Jul 2020 7:29:00
     
      For a country that prides itself on its clean, green image, Germany’s power sector is remarkably dirty. Despite having the third-largest installed base of wind and solar power after China and the U.S., Germany still relied on coal for 45% of its needs as recently as 2015. While the U.K. has been going without the fuel for months at a time, Germany’s legislation on retiring its coal fleets, which passed Friday, will keep plants switched on as late as 2038. That “as late as” is key, though. Switching off the 40 gigawatts of coal power currently in operation is structured as a series of deadlines, rather than appointments — and there are strong incentives for generators to quit the market early. With benchmark prices for coal-fired power already in negative territory right now, don’t be surprised to see the entire industry shuttered by the middle of the decade. To understand why, it’s worth considering that Germany’s main coal-fired utilities RWE AG, Uniper SE and Lausitz Energie Kraftwerk AG aren’t so much operators of industrial plants as commodity brokers trading the spread between processed and unprocessed products. Just as agricultural traders hope to make money on the crush spread between soybeans, soymeal and soya oil and refiners profit from the crack spread between crude, gasoline and diesel, coal-fired utilities trade the dark spread
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-07-06/germany-s-coal-power-could-shut-down-a-decade-early
     
         
      Climate crisis: Thawing Arctic permafrost could release deadly waves of ancient diseases, scientists suggest Sat, 4th Jul 2020 14:12:00
     
      Disturbing things are happening in the Arctic. In the last fortnight a devastating heatwave has seen temperatures in Siberia reach a record 38C (100.4F), meanwhile, vast fires are burning, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and dramatically illustrating the vicious circle of climate breakdown. As climate scientists ponder whether these extremes portend the dawn of a terrifying new era of supercharged heat in the Arctic, the planet also remains gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. It is at this pivotal moment a startling new risk could also be unleashed upon the world – one which binds together both the implications of an overheating planet and the tragedy of a highly contagious disease. Scientists have said the rapidly warming climate in the far north risks exposing long-dormant viruses, which may be tens or even hundreds of thousands of years old, and have been frozen in the permafrost in the Arctic. Due to the rapid heating – the Arctic is warming up at least twice as fast as the rest of the world – the permafrost is now thawing for the first time since before the last ice age, potentially freeing pathogens the like of which modern humans have never before grappled with. Jean Michel Claverie, a virologist at Aix-Marseille University, told Greenpeace’s investigative journalism outfit Unearthed: “The idea that bacteria can survive for very long I think is definitely accepted. The remaining debate is for how long? Is it a million years? 500,000 years? Is it 50,000 years?”
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/permafrost-release-diseases-virus-bacteria-arctic-climate-crisis-a9601431.html
     
         
      Greta Thunberg, the climate campaigner who doesn't like campaigning Sat, 4th Jul 2020 12:24:00
     
      The world's most famous climate campaigner just doesn't actually like campaigning very much. "I am in this because I want to be," she tells me. "And that's not because I think it's fun. That's not because I enjoy the attention. It's because I want to make a difference."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-53255535
     
         
      'Steamy showers': Australian Instagram influencers post on behalf of natural gas Sat, 4th Jul 2020 12:14:00
     
      The natural gas giant Jemena has defended paying Instagram influencers, including former contestants of The Block, Married at First Sight and other reality TV shows, to promote the fossil fuel in social media posts. The #GoNaturalGas campaign from the Chinese and Singaporean-owned Jemena, which manages key natural gas pipelines around and out of Australia, appears to have been running for two years online, and comes amid concern liquified natural gas could be as bad for the environment as coal. Among the posts, first reported by the industry news site Renew Economy, influencers spruik natural gas as a good source of energy for staying warm, for kitchen use and for better health. Shannon and Simon Vos, the brothers who won season nine of The Block in 2014, are among several former reality TV stars to have taken part, advertising the #GoNaturalCampaign campaign to their 40,000 Instagram followers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/04/steamy-showers-australian-instagram-influencers-post-natural-gas
     
         
      Green electricity tariffs, 1 GW solar tender ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for Turkish PV Fri, 3rd Jul 2020 14:10:00
     
      Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has officially published the details of its 1 GW solar auction. The smallest project allowed under the tender is 10 MW in size, while the largest is 20 MW. According to the announcement published in today’s issue (03/07/2020) of the Official Gazette, the auction will be held over a four-day period between October 19-23, 2020, for projects located in 36 cities, and across 74 grid connection points. The starting ceiling price in the auctions will be TRY0.3/kWh ($0.044/kWh), and the winners will receive a 15-year power purchase guarantee. All projects must use locally produced modules. The following cities have been allocated projects under the tender: Ad?yaman, A?r?, Aksaray, Ankara, Antalya, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingöl, Bitlis, Burdur, Bursa, Çank?r?, Çorum, Diyarbak?r, Elaz??, Erzurum, Eski?ehir, Gaziantep, Hakkari, I?d?r, Kahramanmara?, Kars, K?r?ehir, Kilis, Malatya, Mardin, Mersin, Mu?, Nev?ehir, Osmaniye, Siirt, ??rnak, U?ak, Van and Yozgat. This 1 GW auction is like the light at the end of the tunnel for the Turkish solar industry, which had been in decline even before the effects of Covid-19 were felt. In the first five months of 2020, total installed PV capacity for the year stood at just 157 MW compared to last year’s almost 1 GW for the full year. This was a decline from 1.6 GW in 2018. Turkey’s solar industry has been desperately looking for planning security in the times of Covid-19. Such auctions are more than welcome, since roof top self-consumption models are apparently not moving forward fast enough. While the auctions are a positive step, financing projects will still remain challenging. As mentioned, the auction will be held in Turkish lira and ceiling price is already as low at $0.044/kWh. Considering that locally-manufactured modules must be used, and that they are around 30% more expensive than those produced elsewhere, project developers and participating parties will have difficulties in defining the right pricing. On the other hand, since the auction is in Turkish lira, fundraising will be in Turkish lira. Due to the high inflation rate – currently running at 10-12%/a – financing costs will be higher than if the auction was in euros or U.S. dollars.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/03/green-electricity-tariffs-1-gw-solar-tender-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-for-turkish-pv/
     
         
      Harvesting hydrogen from nanogardens Fri, 3rd Jul 2020 14:08:00
     
      Easily produced, nature-like nanostructures of cobalt phosphide are highly effective catalysts for the electrolysis of water, according to research performed by chemist Ning Yan and his team at the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences together with co-workers from the School of Physics and Technology at Wuhan University, China. In a paper featured on the front cover of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, they describe how relatively straightforward electrochemical deposition methods yield grass-, leaf-, and flower-like nanostructures that carry the promise of efficient hydrogen generation. For preparing nanostructures, top-down approaches such as lithography have since long been common. This has proven to be quite useful in semiconductor fabrication, but for more dedicated applications, it is time-consuming and not particularly cost-effective. As an alternative, many researchers explore the bottom-up synthesis of nanostructures, for instance, based on the self-assembly of molecules or nanoscale building blocks. However, achieving geometry control often requires costly additives and surfactants, rendering large-scale material preparation quite challenging.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-07-harvesting-hydrogen-nanogardens.html
     
         
      NEA study sets scene for reducing nuclear costs Fri, 3rd Jul 2020 12:28:00
     
      Nuclear energy can play a very important role in the near term - as part of the recovery from the COVID crisis - and in the longer term to meet environmental and energy security targets, but the cost of building large new plants has presented a major barrier, NEA Director General William Magwood said yesterday at the webinar launch of Unlocking Reductions in the Construction Costs of Nuclear: A Practical Guide for Stakeholders. In some cases, costs and overruns have even led to project failures, he said. The NEA's analysis has shown that high costs and project schedules are not an inherent characteristic of nuclear technology but a reflection of weak supply chains and a lack of recent construction in western OECD countries, he said. The new report provides "compelling evidence for highly achievable pathways to dramatic cost reduction in nuclear new build," said Magwood at the report's online launch. "Cost reductions are already taking place in some parts of the world, and higher levels of industrial and regulatory harmonisation could bring additional long?term benefits. Industry still has much to do, but the leadership and timely action by governments is essential."
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NEA-study-sets-scene-for-reducing-nuclear-costs
     
         
      Greenpeace fined £80,000 over 12-day North Sea protest Fri, 3rd Jul 2020 12:20:00
     
      Greenpeace UK has been fined £80,000 for breaching a court interdict during a 12-day protest on a drilling rig. Campaigners boarded the Transocean rig in the Cromarty Firth on 9 June. It had been bound for the Vorlich oil field east of Aberdeen. BP, which contracted the rig, said at the time the climate change campaigners had acted in a "reckless" manner. After the court ruling, Greenpeace said it had simply been "trying to protect the planet". Judge Lady Wolffe said she considered handing the organisation's executive director John Sauven a suspended jail sentence, but had decided to exercise "leniency". She said: "Without Greenpeace's active support and resources, none of those who attempted to board the rig would have been able to do so."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-53279377
     
         
      IEA report appears to acknowledge 2050 net zero may be beyond us Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 14:06:00
     
      Perhaps the most sobering aspect of the technology innovation report published today by the International Energy Agency (IEA) is how the advent of Covid-19 appears to have quietly pushed back the deadline for combating global heating. Under the ‘sustainable development scenario’ outlined in today’s Special Report on Clean Energy Innovation, the IEA considers the technological advancement required to reach a net-zero-carbon world by 2070, rather than the 2050 s**t-or-bust deadline outlined in so many previous publications. Reaching net zero in 50 years’ time would give us a 66% chance of limiting the global average temperature rise to 1.8 degrees Celsius, is the chastening conclusion reached. Enabling less-than-zero-carbon technology at scale beyond that point, however, could give us a chance of the dreamed-of 1.5 degrees Celsius ambition this century. And that is the point of the 185-page study, to consider the rate of clean energy technological innovation required to hit such goals. For example, under the sustainable development track, the IEA estimates almost 35% of the emissions savings required would have to come from technologies currently at the large prototype and demonstration stages. Around 40% would have to come from tech which has already been developed but is not yet commercially available.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/02/iea-report-appears-to-acknowledge-2050-net-zero-may-be-beyond-us/
     
         
      60% of fish species could be unable to survive in current areas by 2100 – study Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 14:04:00
     
      Sixty per cent of studied fish species will be unable to survive in their current ranges by 2100 if climate warming reaches a worst-case scenario of 4-5C (7.2-9F) above pre-industrial temperatures, researchers have found. In a study of nearly 700 fresh and saltwater fish species, researchers examined how warming water temperatures lower water oxygen levels, putting embryos and pregnant fish at risk. “A 1.5C increase is already a challenge to some, and if we let global warming persist, it can get much worse,” said Hans-Otto Pörtner, a climatologist who co-authored the study published in the journal Science. The world is already more than 1C hotter than before industrialization, and it is on track to be about 3C hotter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/02/fish-species-survival-climate-warming-study
     
         
      Beware of zombies: PV thriving after chaos Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 14:00:00
     
      One could think that, once the pandemic subsides, rationality and science will again thrive in the energy debate and open the door for full-scale PV development to fight climate change. Others might think that the time has come to relaunch the economy at the lowest cost and abandon support for emerging energy sources. And of course, reality will merge both. The old world is collapsing in front of us, oil prices went negative, and energy demand bottomed out everywhere. Incumbents look more and more like zombies, but how is PV affected? New reality Covid-19 spread to the entire world, stopping international exchanges, plunging the global economy into depression, and freezing or destroying a significant percentage of economic activity. Previously, producing massively in a limited number of countries looked like a must to many – a must that then vanished in a matter of weeks. The question of whether fully globalized production can be politically sustainable after the shortages seen in the medical sector is a no-brainer: Local production will be incentivized, demanded, and implemented. This is no backtracking from globalization – it is just a logical rebalancing. What has changed over the last three months in the PV sector? Demand has obviously shrunk, with utility-scale plants experiencing delays with often postponed deadlines. Distributed PV installations declined due to a lack of manpower, and demand became unpredictable (with some unexpected local booms). To date there is no global pattern; countries are experiencing the drama of the pandemic with different timelines and intensities. While China has passed the first peak and reopened most cities, Europe is reopening at different speeds and the Americas are still suffering. Such rolling impacts will most likely move installations by a quarter or more. From a manufacturing point of view, production in China was reduced for several weeks, which led to some disruption all over the world for components and modules, but there was little impact on prices at the time of writing. The decline in demand, along with a decrease in production, kept prices at a reasonable level, rather than triggering a massive price plunge.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/02/beware-of-zombies-pv-thriving-after-chaos/
     
         
      Ikea invests more in solar by the day Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:56:00
     
      In 2019, IKEA invested $2.8 billion in green energy, which contributed to the 1 million solar panels it was able to install on 370 store and warehouse locations worldwide, as well as to the power contracts the company was able to negotiate for shares of two American solar plants, which total 403 MW in capacity. Now, in 2020, Ikea is furthering its commitment to renewable energy, announcing plans to install solar on every available square inch of one of the company’s 10 superstores in Australia. This project will include the installation of solar carports, as well as a co-located battery storage system. The installation will allow the location to be entirely self-sufficient, from an energy perspective, with excess generation being fed back to the grid. These investments are being made in order to achieve two company goals over the next decade. By 2025 the home decor giant is looking to achieve zero-emission home deliveries, with a later goal of using only renewable and recyclable materials, while also becoming ‘climate positive’ coming down the line in 2030. By Ikea’s definition, ‘climate positive’ means not only the elimination of carbon emissions, but also generating more renewable electricity than the company uses annually. The goal is one the company could very well hit before that 2030 deadline, as by the end of this year, the company will be generating as much renewable energy as it consumes. Ikea has also made significant headway in the United States, having solar installed on 90% of company locations in the country, in addition to the aforementioned 400 MW of power contracts.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/02/ikea-invests-more-in-solar-by-the-day/
     
         
      Canadian Solar joins the 500 W-plus panel club Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:54:00
     
      Sino-Canadian manufacturer Canadian Solar has joined the lengthening list of companies to launch a 500 W-plus panel range. The Nasdaq-listed company has unveiled five high-power devices to swell its HiKu, bifacial BiHiKu and HiDM product lines, with mass production to start by early next year. The series 5 products – including the HiKu 5 and BiHiKu 5 – are based on M6 wafers with the aforementioned two models featuring Canadian Solar’s LeTID (light and elevated-temperature-induced degradation) mitigation technology, which the manufacturer claims reduces the incidence of degradation by half compared to the industry standard. With mono and polycrystalline versions available, the bifacial offering of the series 5 products offers up to 500 W, according to Canadian, with the series 6 BiHiKu 6 said to generate up to 590 W, with a conversion efficiency of 21.3% in a module based on a 182mm wafer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/02/canadian-solar-joins-the-500-w-plus-panel-club/
     
         
      Nuclear's role recognised in US decarbonisation plan Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:51:00
     
      In January 2019, House Resolution 6 created the bipartisan Select Committee on the Climate Crisis to "develop recommendations on policies, strategies, and innovations to achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis." The resolution directed the Select Committee to deliver science-based policy recommendations to the standing legislative committees of jurisdiction for their consideration and action. The Select Committee on 30 June published its Climate Crisis Action Plan, which sets out "a framework for comprehensive congressional action to satisfy the scientific imperative to reduce carbon pollution as quickly and aggressively as possible, make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and build a durable and equitable clean energy economy." The report notes that nuclear power is a zero-carbon source of electricity that made up 20% of the USA's electricity generation in 2019 and more than half of all zero-carbon electricity. It offers recommendations to ensure the safety and continued operation of the existing nuclear fleet and investment in the next generation of nuclear energy technologies. The majority staff for the Select Committee recommends that Congress establish a federal clean energy standard that would allow electricity generated from existing nuclear power plants to qualify for credits. The report recommends Congress direct the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to increase inspections at aging plants and maintain a strong reactor oversight process, the Select Committee recommends. In addition, it says Congress should direct the NRC to use its existing authority under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to conduct a rigorous climate assessment of any nuclear reactors seeking licence renewals, including thorough review of vulnerabilities to potential climate impacts. It also calls for Congress to strengthen the Department of Energy's (DOE's) sustainability programme for existing light water reactors to improve their reliability and safety. Next-generation nuclear technologies could be a promising source of zero-carbon electricity, but many challenges remain, including safety, proliferation risks and cost, the committee says. It recommends Congress direct DOE to provide support for first-of-a-kind or early deployment nuclear power technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs). It also says Congress should direct the NRC to maintain stringent safety and emergency planning requirements for SMRs and other emerging nuclear technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclears-role-recognised-in-US-decarbonisaton-plan
     
         
      Nuclear's role recognised in US decarbonisation plan Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:51:00
     
      In January 2019, House Resolution 6 created the bipartisan Select Committee on the Climate Crisis to "develop recommendations on policies, strategies, and innovations to achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis." The resolution directed the Select Committee to deliver science-based policy recommendations to the standing legislative committees of jurisdiction for their consideration and action. The Select Committee on 30 June published its Climate Crisis Action Plan, which sets out "a framework for comprehensive congressional action to satisfy the scientific imperative to reduce carbon pollution as quickly and aggressively as possible, make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and build a durable and equitable clean energy economy." The report notes that nuclear power is a zero-carbon source of electricity that made up 20% of the USA's electricity generation in 2019 and more than half of all zero-carbon electricity. It offers recommendations to ensure the safety and continued operation of the existing nuclear fleet and investment in the next generation of nuclear energy technologies. The majority staff for the Select Committee recommends that Congress establish a federal clean energy standard that would allow electricity generated from existing nuclear power plants to qualify for credits. The report recommends Congress direct the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to increase inspections at aging plants and maintain a strong reactor oversight process, the Select Committee recommends. In addition, it says Congress should direct the NRC to use its existing authority under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to conduct a rigorous climate assessment of any nuclear reactors seeking licence renewals, including thorough review of vulnerabilities to potential climate impacts. It also calls for Congress to strengthen the Department of Energy's (DOE's) sustainability programme for existing light water reactors to improve their reliability and safety. Next-generation nuclear technologies could be a promising source of zero-carbon electricity, but many challenges remain, including safety, proliferation risks and cost, the committee says. It recommends Congress direct DOE to provide support for first-of-a-kind or early deployment nuclear power technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs). It also says Congress should direct the NRC to maintain stringent safety and emergency planning requirements for SMRs and other emerging nuclear technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclears-role-recognised-in-US-decarbonisaton-plan
     
         
      Britain should cut loose from Chinese fuel and lead a hydrogen revolution Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:47:00
     
      A leaked draft of the EU’s forthcoming Hydrogen Strategy shows where the next energy competition is coming from. After Germany’s announcement last week of €9 billion investment in hydrogen technology, eyes are turning to the UK. This isn’t just a new technology, it’s a chance for the UK to achieve energy independence, or remain reliant for another generation. As Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, looks for investment ready projects to boost growth in coming months and transform our future, he should be looking north east. Along the North Sea coast UK cities are transforming our energy options and our ability to lead.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-should-cut-loose-from-chinese-fuel-and-lead-a-hydrogen-revolution-zgrmfphlf
     
         
      Ukraine floods: Why climate change and logging are blamed Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:39:00
     
      When flooding hit almost 300 towns and villages in western Ukraine last week, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said they were the biggest since the 1990s. Climate change is part of the story, but illegal logging and deforestation are also being blamed for the scale and speed of the floods. "This stream was so small you could walk across it. I couldn't imagine it turning into the devastating flood," said Pavlo Gutsulyak, a villager in the Carpathian mountains who has lost his home. An estimated 500km (310 miles) of roads were damaged and some routes destroyed. The damage is still being counted and the government has pledged millions towards the cost of rebuilding. But that will only add to the economic burden for a country already expecting a decline of up to 8% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year. Rivers rose to 3m (10ft) and the high water devastated roads, bridges, dams and property.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53233387
     
         
      Global heating will make it much harder for tropical plants to germinate, study finds Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 13:37:00
     
      Global heating will make it much harder for tropical plants around the world to germinate, with temperatures becoming too hot for the seeds of one in five plants by the year 2070, according to a new study. Global heating will impact the ability of more than half of all tropical plants to germinate if emissions of greenhouse gases remain high. The tropics are home to many of the world’s richest areas for biodiversity and scientists have long held concerns they could be especially susceptible to climate change. Published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, the University of New South Wales researcher Alexander Sentinella examined germination data for 1,312 plant species held at the Millennium Seed Bank at Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens. The seed bank is the largest and most diverse collection of seeds in the world. Sentinella said it was assumed tropical plants had a narrower temperature range they could tolerate than species at higher latitudes. But his study found the risk to tropical plants from global heating exists because they are already sitting towards the higher end of their temperature limits, not because they had a narrower range to begin with. The study also suggests that global heating could benefit the germination of most plant species above 45 degrees latitude, but this benefit might be offset by other issues. The study comes after research earlier this year found tropical areas that conservationists had thought would be safe havens may not escape global heating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/02/global-heating-will-make-it-much-harder-for-tropical-plants-to-germinate-study-finds
     
         
      Trina signs 970 MW, 35-plant, multi-nation project contract Thu, 2nd Jul 2020 12:06:00
     
      Chinese solar manufacturer Trina Solar has signed its biggest engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) deal to date, with a $700 million contract to work on 35 solar projects with a total generation capacity of 970 MW. Module giant Trina will supply project development and design, procurement and EPC management services for solar plants in Europe and Latin America for the Spanish Ocena Invest S.L. subsidiary of impact investor The Rise Fund, which is itself owned by San Francisco-based private equity, leveraged-buyout investor TPG Capital. The contract, which will include solar facilities in Spain, Chile, Mexico and Colombia, will run for two-and-a-half years, with the PV plants all set to be operational during 2022. Trina, which yesterday described the contract as a “breakthrough in [the] sales of [a] mass projects package,” expects to achieve 20% of the contract value this year. TPG claims to manage assets worth more than $79 billion and is establishing its Matrix Renewables clean energy portfolio under Ocena Invest.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/02/trina-signs-970-mw-35-plant-multi-nation-project-contract/
     
         
      Spain closes nearly half of its coal-fired power stations Wed, 1st Jul 2020 14:02:00
     
      The demise of coal in Spain The seven plants that have shut generated 4,630 megawatts (MW) of power and provided jobs for around 1,100 people. The four that have filed for permission to shut down create 3,092MW of power and employ around 800 workers. Some of the coal plants are the only industry for the towns in which they are located. Dismantling the plants will provide work, and the Ministry for Ecological Transition has been pressuring electricity companies to create job plans for affected areas, many of which involve green energy. El Pais asserts that Spain’s decision to move away from coal was not policy-driven, but rather market- and EU-driven: These closures appear to have little to do with the Spanish government’s policies. As a matter of fact, the Ministry for Ecological Transition has refused to join an alliance of countries pledging to set a fixed date for phasing out this type of facility. Instead it was the market itself, together with the measures coming out of Brussels, that sounded the death knell for coal. In short, coal is just no longer profitable or sustainable. The four companies that own the coal-fired plants – Naturgy, Endesa, Viesgo, and Iberdrola – ceased operations to avoid violating a European environmental directive to adopt technology to clean up their emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/07/01/spain-closes-nearly-half-of-its-coal-fired-power-stations/
     
         
      Is the hydrogen tech 'revolution' hope or hype? Wed, 1st Jul 2020 13:42:00
     
      In his speech on the planned economic recovery, the prime minister said hydrogen technology is an area where the UK leads the world. He hopes it’ll create clean jobs in the future. But is the hydrogen revolution hope or hype? The digger with the long-toothed bucket bites into a pile of stones, tilts up and flexes its sturdy mechanical arm. It swivels, extends the arm and dumps its load on the harsh ground of a Staffordshire quarry. It’s a beast of a machine and from the front it looks like a normal excavator. But from the back you can see its tank full of dirty diesel has been replaced with a hydrogen fuel cell. The excavator is the latest in a generation of vehicles powered by the lightest element on Earth. The compendium of vehicles powered by hydrogen now stretches from diggers to micro-taxis, trucks, boats, vans, single-deck and now double-decker buses – and even small planes. It works by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell to generate electricity. The only direct emission is water.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53238512
     
         
      New nuclear will ensure France's energy security, SFEN says Wed, 1st Jul 2020 13:34:00
     
      In a technical note published on 16 June, SFEN said France's energy security by 2050 is at risk if the country's electricity system relies only on the large-scale deployment of renewable energies as well as on technologies still under development, whose industrial maturity cannot yet be guaranteed. The French electrical system will be faced with three "exceptional challenges" in the next 30 years, SFEN said. Firstly, the country will have to replace most of its existing power reactors as they will reach 60 years of operation in the first half of the 2040s. It says this could risk a "cliff-edge effect". Secondly, France must meet the target of being carbon neutral by 2050. Thirdly, under its energy transition law, the country must reduce its reliance on nuclear energy, which is key for the grid stability, in favour of intermittent renewables. France also faces other major uncertainties that could affect its energy supply and demand, SFEN said. The country's security of supply could, for example, be influenced by the energy strategies of neighbouring countries and on interconnections. France's National Low Carbon Strategy forecasts a 30% increase in electricity consumption by 2050, largely linked to electrification of transport and housing. SFEN said there are also technological and industrial uncertainties about the pace of deployment and the potential of renewable energies in France, as well as about energy storage, developing flexible demand and the development of electricity interconnection capacities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/New-nuclear-will-ensure-Frances-energy-security-SF
     
         
      Plan for world-leading clean hydrogen plant in the UK Wed, 1st Jul 2020 13:30:00
     
      Equinor is leading a project to develop one of the UK’s – and the world’s – first at-scale facilities to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The project, called Hydrogen to Humber Saltend (H2H Saltend), provides the beginnings of a decarbonised industrial cluster in the Humber region, the UK’s largest by emissions. H2H Saltend supports the UK government’s aim to establish at least one low carbon industrial cluster by 2030 and the world’s first net zero cluster by 2040. It also paves the way for the vision set out by the Zero Carbon Humber alliance, which Equinor and its partners launched in 2019. The project will be located at Saltend Chemicals Park near the city of Hull and its initial phase comprises a 600 megawatt auto thermal reformer (ATR) with carbon capture, the largest plant of its kind in the world, to convert natural gas to hydrogen. It will enable industrial customers in the Park to fully switch over to hydrogen, and the power plant in the Park to move to a 30% hydrogen to natural gas blend. As a result, emissions from Saltend Chemicals Park will reduce by nearly 900,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.equinor.com/en/news/plan-for-world-leading-clean-hydrogen-plant-in-the-uk.html
     
         
      Beaver invasion risks releasing greenhouse gas from Arctic ice Wed, 1st Jul 2020 0:01:00
     
      A booming beaver population is reshaping vast tracts of the Arctic landscape, a study has shown. Satellite images have revealed that they are moving into new territories as warmer temperatures allow vegetation to colonise previously barren low Arctic tundra, providing them with food and building materials. In turn, their dam-building threatens to accelerate the thawing of permafrost, according to research published yesterday in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/beaver-invasion-risks-releasing-greenhouse-gas-from-arctic-ice-369tq2zfv
     
         
      Climate change: UK could hit 40C 'regularly' by end of this century Tue, 30th Jun 2020 15:08:00
     
      Sweltering temperatures of up to 40C could be a regular occurrence in the UK by 2100 if carbon emissions stay very high says the Met Office. The current record stands at 38.7C, set in Cambridge last July. This new study says there is an "increasing likelihood" of going beyond this figure, because of the human influence on the climate. Under the worst emissions scenario, the 40C mark could occur every three and a half years by the end of this century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53231875
     
         
      Belgium Breezes Past Denmark in Offshore Wind Capacity Rankings Tue, 30th Jun 2020 15:03:00
     
      Belgium has surpassed Denmark in terms of the installed offshore wind capacity and is now ranked fourth in the world, Belgian Offshore Platform (BOP) said. Following the commissioning of the 219 MW Northwester 2 wind farm in May, Belgium now has 1,775 MW of installed offshore wind capacity, compared to Denmark’s 1,703 MW. The United Kingdom is at the top of the list with 10,428 MW of installed capacity, Germany is second with 7,659 MW, and China third with 7,000 MW. With its 1,775 MW production capacity, wind power in the Belgian North Sea provides the equivalent of the electricity consumption of 1.8 million homes, BOP said. If you compare the national installed capacity to the number of inhabitants, Belgium comes third, after Denmark and the UK. Belgium has 0.156 kW offshore wind capacity per inhabitant, whereas the United Kingdom, the number one worldwide in absolute numbers, has 0.158 kW offshore wind capacity per inhabitant. With this ranking, Belgium is in the top three worldwide and in Europe in terms of installed capacity per inhabitant, BOP said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/06/30/belgium-breezes-past-denmark-in-offshore-wind-capacity-rankings/
     
         
      Climate change: UK could hit 40C 'regularly' by end of this century Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:46:00
     
      Sweltering temperatures of up to 40C could be a regular occurrence in the UK by 2100 if carbon emissions stay very high says the Met Office. The current record stands at 38.7C, set in Cambridge last July. This new study says there is an "increasing likelihood" of going beyond this figure, because of the human influence on the climate. Under the worst emissions scenario, the 40C mark could occur every three and a half years by the end of this century. Record-breaking heatwave temperature confirmed Extra £14bn needed a year for climate, report says Increase car taxes to help climate, advisers say Sport heading for a fall as temperatures rise The past two summers have seen periods of significant and uncomfortable heat across much of the UK and Europe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53231875
     
         
      Major new paleoclimatology study shows global warming has upended 6,500 years of cooling Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:45:00
     
      Over the past 150 years, global warming has more than undone the global cooling that occurred over the past six millennia, according to a major study published June 30 in Nature Research's Scientific Data, "Holocene global mean surface temperature, a multi-method reconstruction approach." The findings show that the millennial-scale global cooling began approximately 6,500 years ago when the long-term average global temperature topped out at around 0.7°C warmer than the mid-19th century. Since then, accelerating greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to global average temperatures that are now surpassing 1°C above the mid-19th century.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-major-paleoclimatology-global-upended-years.html
     
         
      How Have Expectations For Useful Life Of Utility-Scale PV Plants In The US Changed Over Time? Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:32:00
     
      There is good news for utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) projects: useful life expectations have increased and lifetime operating expenses (OpEx) estimates have declined. Those conclusions emerge in a new report from Berkeley Lab. Its survey of US solar industry professionals determined that, overall, the assumed useful life of PV projects now exceeds 30 years, with OpEx dropping by 50% over the last decade. The declines in levelized cost of energy (LCOE) were predominantly caused by: reductions in up-front expenditures some changes in capacity factors, financing costs, and tax rates improvements in project life OpEx Project life extensions and OpEx reductions have had similarly sized impacts on LCOE over this period. The authors suggest that the results may provide useful benchmarks to the solar industry, helping developers and assets owners compare their expectations for project life and OpEx with those of their peers. The report, titled, “Benchmarking Utility-Scale PV Operational Expenses and Project Lifetimes: Results from a Survey of U.S. Solar Industry Professionals,” draws on a survey of US solar industry professionals and other sources to clarify trends in the PV industry.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/30/how-have-expectations-for-useful-life-of-utility-scale-pv-plants-in-the-us-changed-over-time/
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Tongwei freezes cell prices, state body opens procurement round Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:30:00
     
      Tongwei has frozen prices for next month at RMB0.50 (US$0.07)/W for multicrystalline devices, RMB0.78 for mono PERC cells for use in a 156.75mm format, and RMB0.8/W for 158.75mm and 166mm products. State Power Investment Corp., one of the largest state-owned energy investment groups in China, is trying to procure 3,485 MW of solar module capacity through 12 bids. One bid will be devoted to n-type panels, while seven will focus on bifacial products. The group also opened nine procurement exercises to source 3,020 MW of inverter capacity, with four rounds to be devoted to string devices and five seeking central products.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/30/chinese-pv-industry-brief-tongwei-freezes-cell-prices-state-body-opens-procurement-round/
     
         
      Easing of Covid lockdown helped German big solar in May Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:23:00
     
      The nation added a year-high of almost 450 MW of new capacity during the month to take the five-month total for 2020 to 1,926 MW. The solar subsidy will fall another 1.4% from tomorrow. The easing of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in Germany helped the addition of almost 121.4 MW of new large scale solar generation capacity in May, with 33 ground-mounted projects coming online, according to the latest monthly figures published by federal network agency the Bundesnetzagentur. Those big solar facilities were part of a year high of more than 446 MW of new solar added in Germany during the month, for almost 1,926 MW this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/30/easing-of-covid-lockdown-helped-german-big-solar-in-may/
     
         
      Nuclear at heart of proposed Moorside clean energy hub Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:19:00
     
      A group of major companies, trade unions and individuals have launched an initiative to develop a Clean Energy Hub centred on a package of nuclear projects at Moorside in Cumbria, north-west England. The proposal is based on projects including a new 3.2 GW UK EPR plant, as well as small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs), with links to technologies including renewables and hydrogen production. The Moorside Clean Energy Hub plans to capitalise on the design, replication and project experience from the Hinkley Point C UK EPR and the follow-on Sizewell C project to develop Moorside, as well as offering to host SMRs and AMRs. Co-locating future technologies alongside UK EPR technology will bring together a range of skills, experience and industry knowledge at one site, the group said, helping to bring forward the development of SMRs and AMRs. The hub will link the nuclear plants with other energy technologies such as renewable energy generation, hydrogen production and energy storage. It will explore ways of providing clean heat to industry and could also produce hydrogen to be used as a "green" fuel for local transport and industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-at-heart-of-proposed-Moorside-clean-energy
     
         
      Major new paleoclimatology study shows global warming has upended 6,500 years of cooling Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:17:00
     
      Over the past 150 years, global warming has more than undone the global cooling that occurred over the past six millennia, according to a major study published June 30 in Nature Research's Scientific Data, "Holocene global mean surface temperature, a multi-method reconstruction approach." The findings show that the millennial-scale global cooling began approximately 6,500 years ago when the long-term average global temperature topped out at around 0.7°C warmer than the mid-19th century. Since then, accelerating greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to global average temperatures that are now surpassing 1°C above the mid-19th century. Four researchers of Northern Arizona University's School of Earth and Sustainability (SES) led the study, with Regents' professor Darrell Kaufman as lead author and associate professor Nicholas McKay as co-author, along with assistant research professors Cody Routson and Michael Erb. The team worked in collaboration with scientists from research institutions all over the world to reconstruct the global average temperature over the Holocene Epoch—the period following the Ice Age and beginning about 12,000 years ago.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-major-paleoclimatology-global-upended-years.html
     
         
      Shell takes $22bn hit over low oil prices Tue, 30th Jun 2020 13:15:00
     
      Shell, one of the world's largest oil companies, has warned that the low price of oil could reduce the value of its assets by up to $22bn (£17.9bn). It said it expects oil to change hands at $60 per barrel in the long term and to be priced at $35 this year and $40 next year. Shell follows rival BP in telling investors that oil assets are not worth as much as they used to be. BP told investors this month its assets could be worth $17.5bn less. Countries across the globe have ordered people to stay indoors and not travel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a slump in demand for oil. As a result, the cost of oil fell to less than $20 a barrel at the peak of the crisis, less than a third of the $66 it cost at the start of the year. For a brief period buyers were actually paid to take delivery of crude oil amid a shortage of storage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53233702
     
         
      Natural Gas Price Forecast – Natural Gas Markets Gap Higher Tue, 30th Jun 2020 12:18:00
     
      Natural gas rallied a bit on Thursday at the open but then pulled back to fill the gap a bit. This is a market that is trying to find some directionality. Natural gas markets continue to be very volatile, gapping higher at the open on Thursday before rolling over and filling the gap. Ultimately, I think we are still going to the top of the huge pink box that I have drawn on the chart, meaning the $2.00 area. Longer-term, I do not know if we can break above there because I see a significant amount of resistance extending to the $2.10 level, but right now this is a market that we have going. We are simply bouncing around between the $2.00 level on the top and the $1.50 level on the bottom.
       
      Full Article: https://www.fxempire.com/forecasts/article/natural-gas-price-forecast-natural-gas-markets-gap-higher-5-664088
     
         
      Global warming will cause ecosystems to produce more methane than first predicted Mon, 29th Jun 2020 14:52:00
     
      New research suggests that as the Earth warms natural ecosystems such as freshwaters will release more methane than expected from predictions based on temperature increases alone. The study, published today in Nature Climate Change, attributes this difference to changes in the balance of microbial communities within ecosystems that regulate methane emissions. The production and removal of methane from ecosystems is regulated by two types of microorganisms, methanogens—which naturally produce methane—and methanotrophs that remove methane by converting it into carbon dioxide. Previous research has suggested that these two natural processes show different sensitivities to temperature and could therefore be affected differently by global warming.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-global-ecosystems-methane.html
     
         
      Extra £14bn needed a year for climate, report says Mon, 29th Jun 2020 14:18:00
     
      An extra £14bn is needed each year to help the UK meet its climate commitments, a new think tank report suggests. Green Alliance says the cash is needed for clean transport, nature restoration, and low-carbon buildings. Over the past three years, it says that £9bn has been spent on projects that actually increase CO2, like roads. It comes as large UK firms make a promise to "kick-start a new approach" and "put the environment first". The Green Alliance think tank insists though that the funding issue must be solved in the prime minister’s economic recovery speech expected on Tuesday. Its calculations are based on the government’s own assessment of major projects in the pipeline released on 16 June. The government said it is determined to meet carbon targets, but the report draws attention to ministers' plans to spend £28bn on roads. The authors cast doubt on whether the government should spend any more money at all on projects that increase CO2 emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53214997
     
         
      Spain to close half its coal-fired power stations Mon, 29th Jun 2020 11:42:00
     
      Spain is on track to become a coal-free country in record time. All of its remaining coal-fired thermal power plants will start shutting down on Tuesday, a year-and-a-half after the closure of the coal mines, which could not survive without the state aid that the European Union has banned. Seven out of the 15 coal-fired power stations that are still working in Spain will cease being operational on June 30, after their owners – the electricity companies – decided that it does not make financial sense to adapt them to European regulations. And four more are getting ready to shut down soon.
       
      Full Article: https://english.elpais.com/economy_and_business/2020-06-29/spain-to-close-half-its-coal-fired-power-stations.html
     
         
      EDF launches major UK solar-plus-storage hybrid hunt Mon, 29th Jun 2020 11:29:00
     
      French utility EDF is launching a major solar-plus-battery storage hybrid initiative in England and Wales as part of plans to double its installed renewable base. However EDF will not be alone, with an ex-state owned green investment fund having also unveiled plans to bring forward at least 1GW of subsidy-free solar farms in the UK, the majority of which are to be developed using trackers and bifacial panels. EDF Renewables’ UK division announced today that it has enlisted the help of Welsh developer Octo Energy to identify and deliver 200MW worth of co-located solar-plus-storage projects throughout England and Wales.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/edf-launches-major-uk-solar-plus-storage-hybrid-hunt
     
         
      The world’s climate catastrophe worsens amid the pandemic Mon, 29th Jun 2020 6:00:00
     
      We may be living inside the biggest annual carbon crash in recorded history. The quarantines, shutdowns and trade and travel stoppages prompted by the spread of the coronavirus led to a historic plunge in greenhouse gas emissions. In some places, the environmental change was palpable — smog lifted from cities free of traffic congestion, rivers ran clear of the murk that long clogged their banks. But the romantic vision of nature “healing” itself was always an illusion. As my colleagues reported earlier this month, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in human history, and possibly higher than in the past 3 million years. The specter of man-made climate change looms all the more ominously over a planet in the grips of a viral pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/06/29/worlds-climate-catastrophe-worsens-amid-pandemic/
     
         
      Natural Gas Price Plunge Could Soon Lead To Shut-Ins Sun, 28th Jun 2020 18:00:00
     
      Natural gas prices plunged to new lows this week, falling below $1.50/MMBtu, a catastrophically low price for U.S. gas drillers. The factors afflicting the gas market are multiple. Prices had already fallen below $2/MMBtu at the start of 2020, weighed down by oversupply. But it wasn’t a problem confined to the U.S. There was also a global glut of LNG due to a wave of capacity additions in 2019. That was the situation heading into 2020. But just as the Covid-19 pandemic tore apart the oil market, natural gas also went into a tailspin. Global gas demand is expected to fall by 4 percent this year, “largest recorded demand shock” in history, according to the International Energy Agency.
       
      Full Article: https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2019/07/15/inenglish/1563172093_306820.html?rel=mas
     
         
      Wind power capacity increasing fast: Association Sun, 28th Jun 2020 17:00:00
     
      Some 15,000 workers are employed in the Turkish wind power ecosystem, and Turkey is using only 10 percent of its wind energy potential, according to the head of a business association. “Currently, our total installed wind power capacity is 8,000 megawatts [MW], but we do have a potential of up to 90,000 MW,” said Hakan Y?ld?r?m, chair of Turkey Wind Energy Association (TÜREB). “The wind power technology is developing. The average amount of energy generated from a single turbine is increasing rapidly. Thus, our wind power potential is also rising,” he told daily Hürriyet. “At this point, some 15,000 people are employed in the wind energy sector,” he added, referring to the newly opened factories in which wind turbine parts are manufactured. These factories export nearly 70 percent of their products, according to Y?ld?r?m’s remarks. According to TÜREB’s data, wind energy provided about 8 million Turkish homes with electricity last year. More than 75 percent of wind farms are located in the Aegean and Marmara regions of Turkey, while some 12 percent of wind farms are located in the Mediterranean region. ?zmir province in the Aegean region saw the most installed wind capacity with 1,549 MW. The northwestern province of Bal?kesir ranked second with 1,363 MW and western Manisa followed in third place with 689.9 MW. Turkey currently operates a total of 198 wind energy power plants, the country has 25 wind farms under construction with a total of 1,309 MW.
       
      Full Article: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/wind-power-capacity-increasing-fast-association-156095
     
         
      Thessaly attracts huge interest for photovoltaics Sun, 28th Jun 2020 15:28:00
     
      The region of Thessaly, central Greece, has filled up with consultants, agents, so-called "pirates" and even "sheikhs," aiming to serve or utilize the requirements of domestic and foreign groups in terms of large, flat areas of land to install photovoltaic systems. Some appear as representatives of sheikhs and ask for land of 6-8 square kilometers (with the aim of negotiating with interested companies at a later date), while the pirates submit an application to the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) without even having signed an agreement with the land owner in order to then sell the license to the interested company.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ekathimerini.com/254164/article/ekathimerini/business/thessaly-attracts-huge-interest-for-photovoltaics
     
         
      Russia denies its nuclear plants are source of radiation leak Sun, 28th Jun 2020 15:08:00
     
      Russia has said a leak of nuclear material detected over Scandinavia did not come from one of its power plants. Nuclear safety watchdogs in Finland, Norway and Sweden said last week they had found higher-than-usual amounts of radioactive isotopes in the atmosphere. A Dutch public health body said that, after analysing the data, it believed the material came "from the direction of western Russia". It said the material could indicate "damage to a fuel element". But in a statement, Russia's nuclear energy body said its two power stations in the north-west - the Leningrad NPP and the Kola NPP - were working normally and that no leaks had been reported.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53214259
     
         
      Researchers Develop Photocatalyst that can Split Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen at a Quantum Efficiency Close to 100% - FuelCellsWorks Sun, 28th Jun 2020 12:50:00
     
      A research team led by Shinshu University’s Tsuyoshi Takata, Takashi Hisatomi, and Kazunari Domen succeeded in developing a photocatalyst that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen at a quantum efficiency close to 100%. The team consisted of their colleagues from Yamaguchi University, The University of Tokyo, and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). The team produced an ideal photocatalyst structure composed of semiconductor particles and cocatalysts. H2 and O2 evolution cocatalysts were selectively photo deposited on different facets of crystalline SrTiO3(Al-doped) particles due to anisotropic charge transport. This photocatalyst structure effectively prevented charge recombination losses, reaching the upper limit of quantum efficiency.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/researchers-develop-photocatalyst-that-can-split-water-into-hydrogen-and-oxygen-at-a-quantum-efficiency-close-to-100/
     
         
      Eco-Friendly Fuel Cells Powered by Instant Hydrogen Production Sun, 28th Jun 2020 10:45:00
     
      Researchers develop a method for on-demand hydrogen production, which has potential for use in portable hydrogen fuel cells. Since the Industrial Revolution, the environmental impacts of energy have posed a concern. Recently, this has driven researchers to search for viable options for clean and renewable energy sources. Due to its affordability and environmental friendliness, hydrogen is a feasible alternative to fossil fuels for energy applications. However, due to its low density, hydrogen is difficult to transport efficiently, and many on-board hydrogen generation methods are slow and energy intensive. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing and Tsinghua University, Beijing investigate real-time, on-demand hydrogen generation for use in fuel cells, which are a quiet and clean form of energy. They describe their results in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, from AIP Publishing. The researchers used an alloy — a combination of metals — of gallium, indium, tin and bismuth to generate hydrogen. When the alloy meets an aluminum plate immersed in water, hydrogen is produced. This hydrogen is connected to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a type of fuel cell where chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. “Compared with traditional power generation methods, PEMFC inherits a higher conversion efficiency,” said author Jing Liu, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University. “It could start rapidly and run quietly. Moreover, a key benefit to this process is that the only product it generates is water, making it environmentally friendly.” They found the addition of bismuth to the alloy has a large effect on hydrogen generation. Compared to an alloy of gallium, indium and tin, the alloy including bismuth leads to a more stable and durable hydrogen generation reaction. However, it is important to be able to recycle the alloy in order to further reduce cost and environmental impact. “There are various problems in existing methods for post-reaction mixture separation,” Liu said. “An acid or alkaline solution can dissolve aluminum hydroxide but also causes corrosion and pollution problems.” Other byproduct removal methods are difficult and inefficient, and the problem of heat dissipation in the hydrogen reaction process also needs to be optimized. Once these difficulties are resolved, this technology can be used for applications from transportation to portable devices. “The merit of this method is that it could realize real-time and on-demand hydrogen production,” said Liu. “It may offer a possibility for a green and sustainable energy era.”
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/eco-friendly-fuel-cells-powered-by-instant-hydrogen-production/
     
         
      2020 Will Be A Brutal Year For Coal Sat, 27th Jun 2020 17:00:00
     
      As if the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic weren’t enough, a series of trade battles have redoubled the United States’ economic woes in recent weeks. Like everywhere else around the globe, the U.S. has seen a severe downturn in nearly every economic sector and soaring rates of unemployment as the country shut down in the face of COVID-19. But just when the nation has been reopening and it looked like the country’s economy was slowly beginning its long road to recovery, new politically driven troubles have arisen. This week the New York Post reported that “The European Union wants to slap tariffs on American industries that are politically near and dear to President Trump and congressional Republicans this election year,” citing an earlier report by Bloomberg News released on Tuesday. “The EU has asked the World Trade Organization for permission to impose tariffs on $11.2 billion worth of US goods that would hammer farmers, coal producers and fisheries,” the Post report continued.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Coal/2020-Will-Be-A-Brutal-Year-For-Coal.html
     
         
      Pollinator Week: How climate change disrupts flower growth, puts bees at risk Sat, 27th Jun 2020 15:51:00
     
      Climate change has played a major disruptor in several ecological processes, including pollination. The synergy between flowering plants and pollinators plays a key role in the pollination process, but has been adversely impacted by climate change, according to a report by Endangered Species Coalition. Habitat loss, nutritional deficiencies and lack of varied diet of pollinators are tied directly to climate change — and all of this is impacting the growth of plants and flowers. Climate change is making flowers bloom half a day earlier each year, which means that plants are now blooming a month earlier than 45 years ago. This means that they do not get pollinated and bees are left without food, the report stated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/pollinator-week-how-climate-change-disrupts-flower-growth-puts-bees-at-risk-72006
     
         
      Why is UK recycling being dumped by Turkish roadsides? Fri, 26th Jun 2020 15:14:00
     
      An investigation by BBC News has found that some plastic waste from Britain sent to Turkey for recycling is instead being dumped and burned on the side of roads. The UK sends more plastic waste to Turkey than to any other country, but critics say the country doesn't have the capacity to recycle its own waste, let alone the tens of thousands of tonnes being sent from overseas.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-53181948/why-is-uk-recycling-being-dumped-by-turkish-roadsides
     
         
      Vattenfall launches plans for SW Scotland wind hub Fri, 26th Jun 2020 14:46:00
     
      Vattenfall is to seek planning consent for two new major onshore wind farms in South West Scotland which could feature up to 56 wind turbines 250 metres in height. The Swedish energy major has submitted scoping reports for a 35-machine project at Whiteneuk and a 21-machine project at Quantans Hill and is exploring the potential for both projects to feature battery storage. The Whiteneuk wind farm project would be situated around 5km south of Moniaive while the Quantans Hill wind farm site is around 2km to the north-east of Carsphairn village. Vattenfall said it was taking the two projects further and added that it was keen to start researching and prioritising views from the local community to help shape their proposals.
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/61248/vattenfall-unveils-proposed-scottish-wind-double/
     
         
      Tesla Solar Roof review from owner after 3 months shows incredible results Fri, 26th Jun 2020 14:43:00
     
      A family who has had a Tesla Solar Roof for the last 3 months has released a fun video review that shows some impressive results. The Neumann family from Northern California are early adopters of the Tesla Solar Roof. We reported when Tesla first started their installation back in January. Their Tesla Solar Roof with Powerwalls cost $83,000 before incentives. They calculate that the solar installation saved them over $400 during the first 3 months of operation.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/06/26/tesla-solar-roof-review-owner-3-months/
     
         
      A flexible approach to offshore solar Fri, 26th Jun 2020 14:40:00
     
      Scientists in the Netherlands are trialing a floating solar installation based on flexible thin-film PV modules. The idea behind their concept is that such modules, in combination with a newly designed flexible racking system, will create a system able to roll with the movement of the water, rather than attempting to defy it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/26/a-flexible-approach-to-offshore-solar/
     
         
      Government climate advisers running scared of change, says leading scientist Fri, 26th Jun 2020 13:49:00
     
      Kevin Anderson, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, had a familiar reaction to the latest report from the government’s climate advisers, which was published this week. The 196-page document by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) delivered a stinging rebuke of the government’s record and said ministers must urgently up their game if the UK is to avoid a significant rebound in carbon emissions after the coronavirus crisis and meet its 2050 net zero carbon target. Anderson is a professor of energy and climate change, working across the universities of Manchester, Uppsala in Sweden and Bergen in Norway. He said: “The constructive, meticulous criticism of the government, which is failing abysmally by any measure, is fine. The problem is the framing the CCC has for net zero is already far removed from what is needed to meet our Paris commitments.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/26/leading-scientist-criticises-uk-over-its-climate-record
     
         
      Climate change: Ireland on the verge of its 'greenest government ever' Fri, 26th Jun 2020 12:57:00
     
      Ireland stands on the brink of putting climate change at the heart of its government if Green Party members vote in favour of a new coalition. The new administration plans to ban fracked gas imports from the US, make steep cuts in emissions and end new drilling for oil and gas. Agreed in talks with two larger parties, the plan now needs the support of two thirds of Green members. But there is opposition, with some saying it is not progressive enough. The results of voting are expected on Friday evening. This idea, which would see Ireland's emissions cut by 51% by 2030, is similar to existing legislation in the UK, and has been welcomed by scientists.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53147271
     
         
      A flexible mounting system for rooftop PV systems Thu, 25th Jun 2020 15:00:00
     
      German mounting systems provider Altec Metalltechnik has developed a mounting system for rooftop PV installations which it says can be adapted to different mounting angles, making it suitable for any type of rooftop installation According to the manufacturer, once the desired angle has been chosen and the horizontal or vertical module orientation has been defined, the system can be combined with all kinds of rooftop, regardless of the photovoltaic module type. “With other mounting systems, there is often only one special clamp for each rail, and this is not very practical, ”said the company’s managing director Markus Stehle. “With our system, it doesn’t matter which photovoltaic modules you want to install.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/25/a-flexible-mounting-system-for-photovoltaic-modules/
     
         
      Hydrogen to play a key role in Iceland’s energy transition Thu, 25th Jun 2020 14:25:00
     
      Icelandic New Energy has now established a vision describing the role of hydrogen in Iceland’s energy transition – a vision until 2030. It is viewed as a living document where new technological developments can be incorporated. It is also the first building block towards a full-scale Roadmap of hydrogen in Iceland until 2050. For over two decades, Iceland has been viewing the role of hydrogen in its strategy to decarbonise its fuel consumption. The transport sector is currently responsible for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland, which has resulted to the Government implementing various incentives to stimulate the adoption of zero emission vehicles across the country. Today, the Country stands second for the deployment of zero emission vehicles globally, second to Norway, but even with such great results, it’s unlikely that the country will meet its goals for a 29% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This gap is even larger when looking at the national goal of 40% reduction by 2030. Projects such as H2ME-2 are currently in operation across Iceland to help the country meet its climate goals, however, in order to achieve those goals, larger projects must be implemented. With power generation almost entirely from renewable energy sources at one of the most competitive prices in the world, Iceland should be the ideal platform for a complete sustainable transport system.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/hydrogen-to-play-a-key-role-in-icelands-energy-transition/
     
         
      Predicting the future for smart PV Thu, 25th Jun 2020 14:21:00
     
      As renewable energy penetration increases to account for a greater proportion of total energy production, efforts to ensure safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness across power generation assets will become a bigger priority for the solar PV industry. And with the quickly evolving world of digitalization and intelligence, Huawei is leveraging its telecom expertise to predict the future of the industry. The world’s top-ranked inverter manufacturer has engaged with experts in the field and expects 10 technical trends to emerge for a smarter PV industry by 2025. Huawei says that future industry trends span four dimensions: a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), grid friendliness, intelligent convergence, and security and trustworthiness. These trends will start to drive the industry toward intelligent, green solutions, and they provide insight into innovation and soaring growth in the new energy industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/25/predicting-the-future-for-smart-pv/
     
         
      Industry alliance rebels against ‘all-renewable’ hydrogen Thu, 25th Jun 2020 13:30:00
     
      The EU’s draft hydrogen strategy focuses too heavily on hydrogen produced from renewable electricity, says an industry alliance bringing together major oil and gas companies, as well as the steel and ceramics sector. A group of industries have rebelled against EU plans to prioritise renewables-based hydrogen, saying the fossil-based sort should also be promoted in order to ramp up production volumes in the early stages of development. The EU’s current definition of “clean hydrogen” is too narrow and should be broadened, taking a technology-neutral approach, the group argues in a letter sent to the European Commission on Wednesday (24 June).
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/industry-alliance-rebels-against-all-renewable-hydrogen/
     
         
      Renewable energy breaks UK record in first quarter of 2020 Thu, 25th Jun 2020 13:19:00
     
      Renewable energy made up almost half of Britain’s electricity generation in the first three months of the year, with a surge in wind power helping to set a new record for clean energy. The government’s official data has revealed that renewable energy made up 47% of the UK’s electricity generation in the first three months of the year, smashing the previous quarterly record of 39% set last year. The government’s renewable energy data includes electricity from the UK’s windfarms, solar panels and hydro power plants as well as bioenergy generated by burning wood chips instead of coal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/25/renewable-energy-breaks-uk-record-in-first-quarter-of-2020
     
         
      Increase car taxes to help climate, advisers say Thu, 25th Jun 2020 13:12:00
     
      Car taxes should be increased to help fund the battle against climate change, government advisers say. They say ministers should bring forward the date for ending sales of new conventional cars from 2035 to 2032. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says the chancellor should also consider increasing the tax on gas for home heating. It says the changes should be made as the UK looks to recover from the Covid-19 crisis by creating jobs. The CCC also recommends the country aim to cut carbon emissions as part of a “green recovery“. It says the government has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change society for the better. A government spokesperson said that tackling climate change should be at the heart of the UK's economic recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53169600
     
         
      Suffolk pig farm 'feeds a million bumblebees' Thu, 25th Jun 2020 13:07:00
     
      A pig farm is feeding one million bumblebees a day after it planted 33 hectares (81 acres) of nectar-rich wildflowers, a study has revealed. Grace Hayward, 18, led the bee count on her family's farm, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, as part of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. The Haywards began planting the wildflower mix four years ago. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's chief executive Gill Perkins said their efforts were "truly exceptional". She said nobody had done anything on this scale before. The trust said habitat loss contributed to a 70% decline in some species.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-53179509
     
         
      How to look after yourself in hot weather Thu, 25th Jun 2020 13:01:00
     
      Experts are warning that a summer heatwave across Europe could lead to a surge in coronavirus infections. In England, a hot spell has seen beaches on the south coast inundated with visitors. Some say they are desperate to see the sea after months of lockdown and restrictions on travelling abroad. But even if you can enjoy the weather and manage social distancing, you could be vulnerable to heat exhaustion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-44937692
     
         
      Natural Gas Drops To 25-Year Low As Demand Disintegrates Thu, 25th Jun 2020 10:00:00
     
      Natural gas prices near a 25-year low on Thursday morning as the summer heat has yet to materialize, and oversupplied conditions persist. August NatGas futures slid 2% to 1.612 MMBtu on Thursday morning, weighed down by the lack of heat-driven demand and continued LNG weakness. The summer heat has taken hold across most of the Lower 48, leading to stronger power burns. But futures markets have looked for indications of extreme temperatures to drive lofty cooling demand and offset the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the global recession it induced.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Gas-Prices/Natural-Gas-Drops-To-25-Year-Low-As-Demand-Disintegrates.html
     
         
      Nuclear left behind on price by wind power Thu, 25th Jun 2020 0:01:00
     
      The next generation of nuclear power stations will not produce electricity as cheaply as offshore wind farms, the industry has admitted. The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) said yesterday that the government still needed new nuclear plants to help achieve its aim of Britain’s carbon emissions being net zero by 2050. It said that proposed plants at Sizewell in Suffolk, Wylfa on Anglesey and Bradwell in Essex were all likely to cost in the region of £60 per megawatt-hour (MWh) generated.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nuclear-left-behind-on-price-by-wind-power-h9qlnwsb8
     
         
      The scientific basics of climate change Wed, 24th Jun 2020 18:24:00
     
      Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by human activity (also referred to as ‘anthropogenic emissions’) have increased substantially since the industrial revolution, particularly in recent decades. Although the Earth’s climate has been evolving for millions of years, research shows it’s extremely likely that these emissions have led to global warming in a short space of time. This in turn is causing climate change. This Insight gives an overview of the basic concepts underlying GHG emissions, global warming and climate change, with references to further information and underlying research. The Insight UK and global emissions and temperature trends provides information on the data discussed here. WHAT IS A GREENHOUSE GAS? The Earth’s atmosphere is made up mainly of nitrogen, oxygen and argon (78.1%, 20.9% and 0.934% in dry air, respectively), as well as a mixture of other gases at much lower concentration. When energy from sunlight reaches the Earth, much of it is absorbed by land or the oceans, heating the surface. Over time, the heated surface releases this energy. Some of it is absorbed by greenhouse gases, preventing it from leaving the atmosphere. GHGs are released during many day-to-day activities, such as driving petrol cars or heating homes, as well as industrial production. GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most dominant GHG as it is emitted in greatest quantity by human activity – primarily through fossil fuel burning. CO2 tends to remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Other GHGs emitted by human activity have a stronger greenhouse effect than CO2. However, these either naturally break down in the atmosphere more quickly (such as methane, which takes a few decades) or are emitted in small quantities (such as nitrous oxide, and some of the man-made chemicals known as F-gases). While water vapour is the most abundant GHG, it only lasts for a few days before returning to the surface as precipitation. HUMAN EMISSIONS TIP THE NATURAL BALANCE Greenhouse gases have always been an integral part of the atmosphere. Although GHGs currently only make up a small fraction (less than 1%, excluding water vapour) they play an important role in retaining heat from the sun and ensuring we have a liveable planet. Many natural processes absorb or emit CO2. For example, photosynthesis absorbs CO2 and decomposing organic matter releases it. In total, roughly the same amount of CO2 is emitted and removed by natural processes. This ‘carbon cycle’, in which emissions are balanced by removals, has kept the atmospheric concentration of CO2 stable for many thousands of years. However, emissions of CO2 resulting from human activity (and other GHGs, particularly methane), have risen sharply since the industrial revolution. This tips the carbon cycle out of balance and increases the atmospheric concentration. This is despite the fact that human emissions of CO2 are approximately 20 times smaller than natural emissions. WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING? The atmospheric concentration of CO2 is now at its highest in several million years, and research shows that the heat trapped by this and other GHGs is increasing the average global temperature. This increasing temperature trend is known as global warming. Other factors such as changes in the Earth’s orbit and volcanic eruptions also affect the global climate, but research has shown it is extremely likely these factors alone cannot account for the warming that has taken place, without also considering human effects. There has been 1.0°C of global warming since pre-industrial times. This is a clear warming trend shown in measurements averaged over decades and geographic areas. Since records began in 1884, all ten of the UK’s ten warmest years have occurred since 2002. Globally, the past five years have been the warmest of the last 140 years. WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Climate change refers to the changes in global weather patterns driven by global warming. Increasing global temperature has widespread effects on natural systems over land and oceans. While weather varies locally from day to day, when looking at long-term trends over large geographical areas, there are statistically noticeable shifts in weather patterns. Climate change has been observed in patterns of temperature, humidity and rainfall, as well as in the frequency or intensity of extreme weather events. These are complex effects that are influenced by many natural and human factors, making it difficult to precisely predict how they will develop in future. Warmer air holds more moisture, so rainfall is increasing on average across the planet, but there is a lot of regional variation. Generally, over the course of the 21st century wet areas are projected to become wetter, and dry areas to become drier. This also means that the intensity of droughts and heavy rainfall is likely to increase, along with the impacts on food security and other human systems that this entails. TEMPERATURE LIMITS AND GLOBAL EMISSIONS Under the Paris Agreement, nearly all governments worldwide agreed to limit global warming to between 1.5 and 2.0°C by the end of the century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that to limit global warming to 1.5°C, global emissions need to be roughly halved by around 2030 (compared to 2018) and reach net zero around 2050. Net zero refers to a situation in which emissions reduce to almost zero, and any remaining emissions are removed from the atmosphere. The UK Government has a goal of net zero GHG emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/scientific-basics-of-climate-change/
     
         
      'Hydrogen can meet 50% of UK energy demand by 2050' Wed, 24th Jun 2020 17:22:00
     
      Hydrogen can meet up to half of the UK's final energy demand by 2050 and play a significant role in meeting the country's net-zero emissions targets, according to research by Aurora Energy Research. The report concluded that both blue hydrogen – produced from natural gas after reforming to remove carbon content – and green hydrogen made by renewable energy could supply 480 terrawatt-hours of hydrogen by 2050. Large-scale hydrogen adoption could also help to integrate renewables into the power system by reducing the requirement for flexibility during peak winter months, and boosting revenues for renewables generators by about £3bn a year by mid-century. The report said that the roll out of hydrogen could accelerate green growth and enable the development of globally competitive low-carbon industrial clusters, while utilising UK's competitive advantage on carbon capture and storage (CCS). Low-regret options for government include the stimulation of hydrogen demand in key sectors, the deployment of CCS in strategic locations and the standardisation of networks. "These initiatives could form an important part of the UK Government's post-COVID stimulus plan," Aurora Energy said. It added that falling technology costs and gas prices will drive steady reduction in the market hydrogen price, which is expected to go below £50 megawatt-hour in 2050. Hydrogen storage in salt caverns can provide security of hydrogen supply in most years, but additional strategic reserve capacity of up to 7GW will be required to ensure system adequacy during extended scarcity periods, the report said.
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/61172/hydrogen-can-meet-50-of-uk-energy-demand-by-2050/
     
         
      Nuclear developers press for ‘prompt’ decision on new UK plants Wed, 24th Jun 2020 16:37:00
     
      Britain's nuclear energy industry has said it could cut the price of power from new large power stations by more than half as it presses ministers for a "prompt" decision on government financing to support construction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/e69b62cd-4cd4-49e2-81e6-50fba4d093e1
     
         
      Japan Opens First Floating Wind Farm Auction Wed, 24th Jun 2020 16:35:00
     
      Japan has issued a call for developers interested in building and operating a floating offshore wind farm off Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture. The invitation for developers to participate in the auction opened on 24 June and will close on 24 December, 2020. Two of Japan's ministries, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, plan to select the winner of the auction around June 2021. The floating wind farm must have the capacity of no less than 16.8 MW, and the Feed-in-Tariff for the project is set at JPY 36 (EUR 0.3) per kWh. This is Japan's first offshore wind auction since the new Renewable Sea Area Utilization Law came into power in April 2019. The area off Goto was one of the eleven zones identified by the two ministries and the Port Authority of Japan as potentially suitable for the development of offshore wind farms.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/06/24/breaking-japan-opens-first-floating-wind-farm-auction/
     
         
      The super-corals of the Red Sea Wed, 24th Jun 2020 14:33:00
     
      As seas warm and acidify with climate change, corals worldwide are bleaching – but in the north of the Red Sea there is a ray, or rather reef, of hope. Images of white, skeletal coral reefs are becoming an increasingly bleak, if familiar sight. Massive coral bleaching events are becoming more common around the world, as a result of the rapid pace of climate change. In the period from 2014 to 2017, about 75% of the planet's tropical coral reefs suffered heat-induced bleaching during a global ocean heatwave. A "bleached" coral is a stressed-out coral that, when triggered by environmental changes such as pollution and warming waters, has evicted its beneficial, energy-producing algae. Without these symbiotic algae, the coral loses its colour and appears white. Recovery from bleaching can be possible, but it's not guaranteed. More frequent bleaching events mean less time for the corals to bounce back. Those that don't recover, die – and their ecosystem can collapse with them. "As we see the frequency and intensity of mass bleaching events increasing, the situation is becoming more dire," says Andréa Grottoli, a professor in the School of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University. Grottoli's research is focused primarily on the effects of climate change on coral reefs and what it is that makes some corals more resilient than others. "The models are projecting catastrophic losses in reefs by the end of this century." Indeed, the majority of the world's coral reefs are predicted to die by the end of this century, if not sooner. Despite sea temperatures rising faster than the global average rate, no mass bleaching events have occurred in the northern Red Sea – Jessica Bellworthy Yet, at the northern end of the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aqaba there is a ray – or, rather, reef – of hope.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200408-the-middle-eastern-corals-that-could-survive-climate-change
     
         
      Poland preps remote solar investment Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 16:40:00
     
      The government is said to be working on amending its renewable energy legislation to enable people without their own roofspace to benefit from the solar boom. The Polish government is reportedly preparing to usher in legislation which will enable people unable to install solar panels at their home or business to invest in solar projects elsewhere. Industry body PV Poland on Friday announced the virtual solar investment rules are set to be part of an amendment to the nation's RES [Renewable Energy Sources] Act of February 2015 that is set to be enacted this year. The planned amendment was confirmed by Przemys?aw Hofman, deputy director of the low-emissions economy department at the Ministry of Development, who was speaking at the virtually-staged PVCON 2020 Photovoltaic Congress event held on June 9 and 10, according to PV Poland. The trade body said Hofman stated work on the amendment was at the preliminary stage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/23/poland-preps-remote-solar-investment/
     
         
      UAE Oil Major Signs A $20 Billion Gas Deal Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 16:22:00
     
      UAE's ADNOC today announced a $20.7-billion deal with six international companies for the acquisition of a minority stake in Adnoc Gas Pipeline Assets. Under the terms of the deal, Global Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Asset Management, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, Snam, and NH Investment and Securities will acquire a 49-percent interest in ADNOC Gas Pipeline Assets, a new subsidiary of the UAE's national oil and gas company. The acquisition will give the buyers lease rights to 38 pipelines, but ADNOC will retain ownership of the assets and responsibility for capital expenditure plans. The lease rights will be in effect for 20 years. "The innovative transaction structure allows ADNOC to tap new pools of global institutional investment capital, whilst at the same time maintaining full operating control over the assets included as part of the investment," the Emirati company said in its press release. Reports about ADNOC's plans to sell a minority stake in its gas pipeline infrastructure emerged last year, with unnamed sources saying the company was eyeing proceeds of up to $5 billion. The sale process, which could be structured as a long-term lease rather than a direct stake sale, is expected to attract private equity firms and infrastructure funds, the sources told Bloomberg.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/UAE-Oil-Major-Signs-A-20-Billion-Gas-Deal.html
     
         
      Climate-neutral EU before 2050 Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 16:17:00
     
      The European Commission has positioned the Green Deal at the center of its policy priorities. The goals have been set: climate-neutrality, zero greenhouse gas emissions, and the complete decarbonization of the energy sector by 2050. The stakes are high, writes SolarPower Europe CEO Walburga Hemetsberger, but thus far Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made good on her promises The announcement of the European Green Deal Investment Plan in January revealed the European Commission's priorities in mobilizing at least €1 trillion in sustainable investment over the next decade, with the aim of creating a framework to facilitate public and private investments in the service of a climate-neutral, competitive, and inclusive European economy. This package includes a Just Transition Mechanism, which will ensure that no European is left behind during the energy transition. It will provide support – through financing as well as upskilling and reskilling – to workers in former coal regions most affected by the changes. The commission has also presented the EU Climate Law, which aims to implement the goal of climate-neutrality by 2050 into law that is legally binding for all member states. These are all very promising developments. However, in order to achieve climate-neutrality and comply with the ambitious Paris Agreement target, we must go a step further in our commitment to a clean society and economy: pursuing a European energy system that is entirely based on renewable energy. A 100% renewables-based energy system is the cleanest and most cost-effective scenario for reaching the twin goals of the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, and does so without any potentially environmentally harmful tricks, such as carbon sinks and sequestration.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/23/climate-neutral-eu-before-2050/
     
         
      Why the World's Most Advanced Solar Plants Are Failing Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 16:12:00
     
      The government's leading laboratory for renewable energy has released a new report detailing the strengths and flaws of concentrated solar energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published the report with the stated goal of using very mixed feedback on existing concentrated solar projects to create a list of suggested best practices going forward. The NREL report "is titled CSP Best Practices, but it can be more appropriately viewed as a mix of problematic issues that have been identified, along with potential solutions or approaches to address those issues," it begins. What's inside includes problems shared across concentrating solar power (CSP) projects as well as general issues of large-scale construction. There are also issues with specific kinds of CSP plants based on their designs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32945164/concentrating-solar-power-plants/
     
         
      Coal 101: The 4 Coal Types and Their Uses Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 14:41:00
     
      Found in the Earth’s crust, coal is a fossil fuel that is, essentially, “the altered remains of prehistoric vegetation,” according to the World Coal Association (WCA). However, there are a number of different coal types to be aware of. Coal, which has been a primary energy source for more than a century, began to form during the Carboniferous period, which took place between 360 million and 290 million years ago. Plant matter accumulated in swamps and peat bogs, and after being buried and exposed to high heat and pressure — largely due to the shifting of tectonic plates — it was transformed into the coal that powered the industrial revolution and that the mining industry uses today. The WCA explains that the quality of coal is largely determined by: - The type of vegetation the coal originated from. - The coal’s depth of burial. - Temperatures and pressures at that depth. - How long it took the coal deposit to form. All of these factors contribute to how much of the plant transforms into carbon, and it is carbon content that determines a coal’s rank. Higher carbon content is associated with coal that has spent a longer time forming, while lower carbon content is a characteristic of “younger” coal. Here’s a look at the four main coal types, arranged from lowest to highest carbon content, as well as explanations of what they are used for. Coal types: Low-rank coals Lignite is the youngest type of coal deposit. It is soft and ranges in color from black to shades of brown. As a result, lignite coal is sometimes called brown coal. Lignite is mainly used for electricity generation and accounts for 17 percent of the world’s coal reserves. Subbituminous coal is the result of millions of years of continued pressure and high temperatures on lignite. It burns cleaner than other types of coal, producing less greenhouse gas emissions due to its low sulfur content. Subbituminous coal is used in electricity generation and also in industrial processes. This coal type makes up 30 percent of the world’s coal reserves. Coal types: Hard coals Bituminous coal is harder and blacker than lignite and subbituminous coal, and can be divided into two types: thermal and metallurgical. Together, they make up 52 percent of the world’s coal reserves and account for a majority of the coal industry. Thermal coal, as the name implies, is used in energy generation for heating, but it is also used for cement manufacturing and other industrial purposes. Metallurgical coal is primarily mixed with iron ore to produce iron and steel. Anthracite is the most mature form of coal deposit and thus has the highest carbon content of any coal type. Nicknamed hard coal by the locomotive engineers that used it to provide energy to power trains, coal mines that produce anthracite or hard coal account for roughly 1 percent of the world’s total coal reserves; in other words, they make up a very small portion of the overall coal industry. Anthracite is also used in some older homes’ heating stove systems, and can be used as a smokeless fuel in hand-fired furnaces. Coal types: Energy shift Ironically, despite being the fuel that powered the industrial revolution, industrialized countries around the world are moving away from burning coal as an energy source due to its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Moving away from coal to generate electricity is one of the ways countries like Canada and the UK are addressing climate change. Combating its contribution to air pollution is only one of the challenges facing the coal industry. As one of the oldest commodities attributed to the mining sector, coal mines and the mining methods used at them have long been controversial. Miners breathing in coal dust produced during the mining process often came down with a medical condition known as “black lung,” common in areas where coal mining employs a large workforce, specifically the Appalachian region of the US. As can be seen, while coal types are often painted with the same brush, there’s more than one variety out there. Getting to know the differences is key for energy investors evaluating companies and projects. For a closer look at the different coal types and their uses, check out our other articles on the subject: - Coal 101: A Look at Lignite - Coal 101: Subbituminous Coal Explained - Coal 101: An Overview of Bituminous Coal - Coal 101: What is Anthracite? And if you want to start investing in coal, read our Introduction to Coal Investing. Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates. This is an updated version of an article published by the Investing News Network in 2013. Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
       
      Full Article: https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/industrial-metals-investing/coal-investing/types-of-coal/
     
         
      Self-cleaning PV system with active cooling tech Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 12:37:00
     
      An international research group has developed a self-cooling PV system featuring a 250 W 60-cell polycrystalline module and a thermal collector attached to the back side of the panel. The cleaning tech is based on a microcontroller programmable integrated circuit, which controls a rotating DC motor. Researchers from Malaysia's Sunway University, the University of Malaya, China's Peking University, and India's Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University have developed a PV system equipped with an active cooling system and cleaning technology. The two systems were designed and attached to the solar panel separately. The PV system consists of a 250 W 60-cell polycrystalline module and a thermal collector attached to the back side of the panel, with the collector ensuring maximum coverage of the PV module’s heated surface. The collector was made with copper pipes placed on the back of the panel in a double-serpentine configuration, by utilizing copper retainers and thermally conductive paste. The researchers tested five different phase-change materials (PCM) to cool the panel. They found that lauric acid offered the best results, partly due to its high melting point. The cleaning technology is based on a microcontroller programmable integrated circuit (IC), which controls a DC motor that rotates in a forward or reverse position. There are two different motors – one to power a small water pump and a 24V-2A DC motor that moves a cleaner on the surface of the PV panel.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/23/self-cleaning-pv-system-with-active-cooling-tech/
     
         
      Renewable Generators Are the UK’s Latest Tool to Smooth Out Renewable Generation Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 12:34:00
     
      British wind farms are now solving the same problems they create for the grid operator — and lowering consumer bills in the process. With fewer and fewer fossil generators left in the U.K. generation mix, and more and more renewables, the network is under strain. But more than 100 large wind farms are now providing grid services to balance out the variable nature of renewables. A new "power-available" signal gives National Grid ESO visibility into all participating wind farms, allowing the grid operator to see how much they can contribute to providing grid stability. This was the final piece of the puzzle required to enable wind farms to participate in those flexibility markets. All this is part of National Grid ESO's plans to be able to support a fossil-fuel-free network by 2025. The latest solution comes just in time. The grid operator has been forced to curtail wind power in huge volumes this summer due to a lack of fossil-fuel generators to provide essential flexibility. The cost of balancing the grid over the summer has more than doubled this year to an anticipated £826 million ($1.03 billion).
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/renewable-generators-are-uks-latest-tool-to-smooth-out-renewable-generation
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: State entity set to gain controlling vote in Jolywood as Yunnan plans 620 MW of solar Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 12:32:00
     
      The controlling shareholders of Shenzhen-listed solar manufacturer Jolywood have agreed to sell their stakes to state-owned WJ Energy, as two more power companies revealed big plans for new capacity. NYSE-listed Daqo, meanwhile, is mulling an IPO in its homeland. WJ Energy is set to gain 30% voting rights and a controlling stake in Shenzhen-listed PV manufacturer Jolywood after Lin Jianwei and his wife Zhang Yuzheng signed an agreement to transfer around 147 million shares – almost 19% of the stock – for RMB1.16 billion (US$164 million), subject to board approval. Jolywood has told pv magazine: "The core management team and current business model will not change." China Huadian said on Monday that it has reached an agreement with the municipal government in Baoshan, Yunnan province, to invest RMB1.42 billion in 380 MW of PV capacity across three sites, spanning a total area of 6.1 square kilometers. The news came just three days after the Yunnan provincial branch of state-owned China Huaneng announced that it had signed an investment deal with a representative of the government of Yongping County to build a 240 MW, RMB960 million solar plant. Xinte Energy, the Hong Kong-listed solar development unit of TBEA, has filed a legal claim in response to a RMB600 million claim against it for allegedly failing to perform its duties related to the construction of a 99 MW wind farm. The dispute began when Huaxia Financial Leasing filed a claim against Xinte's TBEA Xinjiang New Energy unit in the Second Intermediate People's Court of Beijing. TBEA Xinjiang blamed the conflict on project developer Xuyi High Drive Wind Power and has now filed a suit to that effect, in addition to naming other third parties, in the Intermediate People's Court of Huaian in Jiangsu province. The claimant wants the defendant to pay RMB130 million it says it is owed for the failed project, plus compensation for any losses associated with the Beijing lawsuit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/23/chinese-pv-industry-brief-jolywood-comes-under-state-control-as-yunnan-plans-620-mw-of-solar/
     
         
      Nuclear waste shipment leaves Germany for Russia Tue, 23rd Jun 2020 12:21:00
     
      A shipment of 600 tonnes of depleted uranium has left a nuclear fuel plant in Germany bound for Russia, a Russian environmentalist group says. Twelve rail cars left the Urenco plant in the town of Gronau, close to the Dutch border, on Monday 22 June, according to the Ecodefense group. The waste will reportedly be moved by sea and rail to a plant in the Urals. Urenco told the BBC its uranium would be further enriched in Russia and the process met environmental standards. But environmental activists have long been concerned that Russia may become a "dumping ground" for radioactive waste from power plants. Greenpeace protested last year after German media reports that Urenco had resumed shipping depleted uranium from Germany to Russia after a gap of 10 years. Russia had halted the practice in 2009 under pressure from environmentalists. On Monday activists in Germany posted video on social media of what appeared to be the train en route from Gronau, as well as photos of anti-nuclear protesters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53156266
     
         
      Smoke and high-temperature cut-outs hit solar and wind output in summer from hell Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 16:10:00
     
      The task of keeping the lights on in Australia's main grid this past summer – in the midst of record temperatures and demand levels, and unprecedented bush-fires and losses from network and fossil fuel generator failures – was further complicated by two unexpected new problems, the loss of solar output due to smoke and dust, and the sudden loss of wind power in extreme temperatures. The problems are identified in the Summer Operations Review, prepared by the Australian Energy Market Operator, which says that despite the extraordinary summer – ranging from extreme heat, mega-fires, and then flash flooding in some regions – the power system remained secure. Two interesting new issues arose, however, that – unlike problems with fossil fuel generators and storm damage to networks – were not anticipated before the summer, and these related to the growing amounts of wind and solar output. The biggest surprise came from what AEMO describes as "extreme temperature cut-outs" from wind energy – which it says were experienced, for the first time, at a large scale across both South Australia and Victoria on a number of occasions. The most notable of these was December 20, at the tail-end of an unprecedented heatwave, and on a day when temperatures reached 45°C in Adelaide and 43.5°C in Melbourne. AEMO says the high temperatures of more than 40°C at the height of the turbine hubs (some of them more than 100m high) led to "high temperature cut out" of the equipment on top of the turbines.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/smoke-and-high-temperature-cut-outs-hit-solar-and-wind-output-in-summer-from-hell-73522/
     
         
      European consortium bid to bring 25.4%-efficient heterojunction-IBC solar cell into mass production Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 16:07:00
     
      The EU-funded Nextbase project aims to manufacture heterojunction, interdigitated back-contact solar modules for less than €0.275/W. Solar panels featuring the Nextbase cell tech are expected to have a conversion efficiency of 23.2%, according to the European Commission. The Nextbase project backed by the European Commission with €3.8 million, unites European companies and research institutes aiming to manufacture solar panels with heterojunction (HTJ) and interdigitated back-contact (IBC) technology. A statement issued by the commission said production equipment supplied by Swiss HJT company Meyer Burger would be used to produce 25.4%-efficient HTJ-IBC solar cells on a commercial scale. That efficiency figure would constitute "a European record for an industrially-feasible version of IBC-SHJ [silicon heterojunction] technology," said project coordinator Kaining Ding, of German research center Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, which is a partner in the initiative. Ding added: "The current laboratory world record for a silicon solar cell is 26.7%, which was also based on the IBC-SHJ concept but was very expensive to make. Our approach is close to the optimum level."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/22/european-consortium-bid-to-bring-25-4-efficient-heterojunction-ibc-solar-cell-into-mass-production/
     
         
      Climate change: Planting new forests 'can do more harm than good' Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 16:05:00
     
      Rather than benefiting the environment, large-scale tree planting may do the opposite, two new studies have found. One paper says that financial incentives to plant trees can backfire and reduce biodiversity with little impact on carbon emissions. A separate project found that the amount of carbon that new forests can absorb may be overestimated. The key message from both papers is that planting trees is not a simple climate solution. Over the past few years, the idea of planting trees as a low cost, high impact solution to climate change has really taken hold. Previous studies have indicated that trees have enormous potential to soak up and store carbon, and many countries have established tree planting campaigns as a key element of their plans to tackle climate change. In the UK, promises by the political parties to plant ever larger numbers of trees were a feature of last year's general election. In the US, even President Donald Trump has rowed in behind the Trillion Trees Campaign. Legislation to support the idea has been introduced into the US Congress. Another major tree planting initiative is called the Bonn Challenge. Countries are being urged to restore 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53138178
     
         
      India Launches Its First Natural Gas Exchange Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 15:58:00
     
      India launched its first natural gas exchange earlier this week. The Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) is a nationwide, online delivery-based gas trading platform for delivery of natural gas, Zee News reported. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the IEX — India's energy market platform — IGX will allow participants to trade in standardized gas contracts. The exchange comes with a web interface and is fully automated to provide a seamless trading experience. The new exchange will allow buyers and sellers of natural gas to trade both in the spot market and in the forward market for imported natural gas across three hubs —Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat province, and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh province in the south of India, the Indian Express reported. Imported liquified natural gas (LNG) will be regasified and sold to buyers through the exchange, thus removing the need for buyers and sellers to find each other. What's more, the exchange will also permit shorter contracts for delivery on the next day and up to 30 days. Ordinarily, contracts for natural gas supply are as long as six months to a year. This, experts say, will allow buyers and sellers greater flexibility. Inaugurating the exchange, Dharmendra Pradhan, India's minister of petroleum and natural gas and steel, said the new trading platform was one of the biggest indicators of the Indian government's "progressive policy" as it completed the entire energy value chain from gas production from multiple sources and imports of LNG from different parts of the globe to having a transparent price mechanism. With IGX, Pradhan indicated, India will move closer to realizing its vision with respect to mega investments in LNG terminals, gas pipelines, CGD infrastructure and permission for a market-driven price mechanism, ET Now reports. India's gas production has been dropping over the last two fiscal years as current sources of natural gas have become less productive. Domestically produced natural gas currently accounts for less than half of India's natural gas consumption (imported LNG accounts for the other half). Experts say LNG imports are set to become a larger proportion of domestic gas consumption as India moves to increase the proportion of natural gas in the energy basket from 6.2% in 2018 to 15% by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/India-Launches-Its-First-Natural-Gas-Exchange.html
     
         
      Arctic Circle sees 'highest-ever' recorded temperatures Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 15:55:00
     
      Temperatures in the Arctic Circle are likely to have hit an all-time record on Saturday, reaching a scorching 38C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, a Siberian town. The record still needs to be verified, but it appears to have been 18C higher than the average maximum daily temperature in June. Hot summer weather is not uncommon in the Arctic Circle, but recent months have seen abnormally high temperatures. The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average. Verkhoyansk, home to about 1,300 people, sits just inside the Arctic Circle, in remote Siberia. It has an extreme climate with temperatures plunging in January to an average maximum of -42C and then surging in June to 20C. But a persistent heatwave this year in the Arctic Circle has worried meteorologists. In March, April and May, the Copernicus Climate Change service reported that the average temperature was around 10C above normal. Earlier in June, parts of Siberia recorded 30C, while in May, Khatanga in Russia - situated in the Arctic Circle at 72 degrees north - set a new May temperature record of 25.4C. "Year-on-year temperature records are being broken around the world, but the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth," said Dr Dann Mitchell, associate professor in atmospheric science at the University of Bristol. "So it is unsurprising to see records being broken in this region. We will see more of this in the near future."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53140069
     
         
      Europe’s Thinking Shifts on Supporting Renewables as Part of Green Recovery Package Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 15:53:00
     
      The EU's trillion-euro coronavirus recovery package may not support big renewable energy projects in the same way as initially expected. The EU is currently working through the details of a €1.85 trillion ($2.08 trillion) recovery package. Before the stimulus was signed, a leaked document by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy (DG Energy) ran through a serious of policy plans to marry the European Green Deal and the COVID-19 recovery effort. Those plans included a possible 15-gigawatt EU-wide renewable tender designed to help make up for a shortfall in national tenders. Support for green hydrogen was also advanced as a potential item for inclusion. But the plans have not survived a barrage of lobbying by vested interests and pushback from member states still married to a more traditional energy mix, according to multiple sources following the green recovery's development. As things stand, Europe's stimulus package "has no green strings attached — none," said Patrick Graichen, executive director of the Agora Energiewende think tank, speaking last week about the green recovery. At the same time, an alternative plan is emerging for renewables — more complex and harder to quantify in scale or duration, but with the potential to be up and running much sooner. It could be a tradeoff worth making.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/how-europes-solar-rebound-is-facing-a-fossil-fuel-pushback
     
         
      Low-cost direct solar-to-hydrogen ambitions see the light Mon, 22nd Jun 2020 12:39:00
     
      The road to cheap hydrogen production is riddled with potholes and energy losses. Researchers in Australia have demonstrated rethinking solar technology and skipping electrolysers could hold great promise for reaching the hydrogen holy grail. Australian National University (ANU) researchers have more than nudged the dial on the efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen production processes which bypass electrolysers and avoid AC/DC power conversion and transmission losses. An ANU-based group say their world record 17.6% efficiency – achieved with perovskite-silicon tandem absorbers – is open to further refinement which could see clean hydrogen production become cost competitive with fuels including brown hydrogen and gas more quickly than expected. In a paper published in Advanced Energy Materials, lead authors Siva Krishna Karuturi and Heping Shen write that although PV modules have become a commercially viable method for large scale renewable energy generation, "achieving [a] global renewable energy transition further relies on addressing the intermittency of solar electricity through the development of transportable energy storage means." With funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Australian Research Council (ARC), the ANU team has been exploring the potential of a process that Karuturi likens to photosynthesis – it converts the sun's energy directly into hydrogen in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. The introduction to the paper – which bears the catchy title Over 17% Efficiency Stand-Alone Solar Water Splitting Enabled by Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Absorbers – explains the PEC cell "comprises a semiconductor photoelectrode immersed in an aqueous electrolyte that absorbs light, generating electron-hole pairs that participate in the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/22/low-cost-direct-solar-to-hydrogen-ambitions-see-the-light/
     
         
      Italian team covers glacier with giant white sheets to slow melting Sun, 21st Jun 2020 15:49:00
     
      A vast tarpaulin unravels, gathering speed as it bounces down the glacier over glinting snow. Summer is here and the alpine ice is being protected from global warming. In northern Italy, the Presena glacier has lost more than one third of its volume since 1993.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/21/italian-team-covers-glacier-with-giant-white-sheets-to-slow-melting
     
         
      Britain still failing on climate crisis, warn advisers Sun, 21st Jun 2020 15:47:00
     
      Ministers are bracing themselves for a powerful new rebuke from the government's own advisers over the nation's inadequate response to the climate crisis. In its annual progress report, to be published on Thursday, the Committee on Climate Change will lambast continuing failures by the government to tackle the issues of overheating homes, flash floods, loss of biodiversity and the other threats posed as our planet continues to overheat dangerously. Last year, the committee complained that no areas of the UK’s response to the climate crisis were being tackled properly. "The whole thing is run by the government like a Dad's Army," said the committee's chairman, Lord Deben. And this year's report will bring no happier news for ministers. Instead, the committee will highlight the fact that virtually no progress has been made over the past year to tackle the misery that will be brought by climate change. And although global carbon emissions have decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, many scientists warn that any benefits for the climate are likely to be temporary. As a result, the committee is expected to make a number of key proposals to try to get Britain back on track and moving towards its commitment to bring all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK to net zero by 2050. It will recommend: Enforcing strict environmental conditions to any corporate bailouts made during the pandemic crisis, in line with standards imposed in France, Germany and Canada Making major improvements in broadband provision and cycling routes to ensure the nation avoids a surge in car use as people return to work while trying to avoid using buses and trains Consideration of a new tax on fossil fuels Introducing new policies on energy efficiency in buildings, planting more trees, and protecting peatland
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/21/britain-still-failing-on-climate-crisis-warn-advisers
     
         
      Green giants exit, US offshore tradewinds and hydrogen steps on the gas Sun, 21st Jun 2020 15:25:00
     
      The CEOs of two of the biggest names in global renewable energy headed for the door this week. First to announce his departure was Henrik Poulsen of Orsted, who will leave the offshore wind giant by February next year at the latest. The resignation of the fossil-to-wind trailblazer prompted an outpouring of tributes from normally hard-bitten financial analysts, who hailed his transformational role at the Danish group. Poulsen was non-committal over his future plans, but confirmed they don't include leading the energy transition of another oil and & gas group. The second high-profile exit was Markus Tacke at Siemens Gamesa "by mutual agreement". Unlike Poulsen, Tacke won't be hanging around until a successor is found – the turbine OEM immediately named offshore chief Andreas Nauen as his replacement. Recharge spent the latter part of last week providing comprehensive coverage of US Offshore Wind 2020 Virtual, as official news provider to the high-profile industry event. You can read all the great news, analysis and interviews from the conference at our special virtual newsletter page here. But Recharge kicked-off the proceedings in style with two exclusive in-depth articles – a long-read interview with Thomas Brostrøm, the North America chief of Orsted, and a feature on the transmission challenges facing US offshore. Hydrogen is never far from the energy transition headlines, with global players descending on the emerging sector from all directions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/green-giants-exit-us-offshore-tradewinds-and-hydrogen-steps-on-the-gas/2-1-829989
     
         
      For Green Hydrogen, Artificial Leaf Breathes Down Neck Of Electrolysis Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:41:00
     
      Hey, whatever happened to the artificial leaf? It was all the rage a few years ago, when scientists figured out that you could dunk a solar device in water, and out would come hydrogen gas — aka green hydrogen. But then, electrolysis kind of took over and the artificial leaf concept seemed to wither on the vine. And now all of a sudden it's back. What is going on?? Electrolysis Vs. Photoelectrochemical Reaction For Green Hydrogen For those of you new to the topic, hydrogen is a zero emission fuel, but right now the primary source of H2 is fossil gas, but also right now there is a lot of activity going on in the field of electrolysis, in which hydrogen gas pops out of plain water when you apply an electrical current. So much the better if you get that electricity from solar panels or wind turbines. Et voilà, green hydrogen. That sounds simple enough. The main hurdle is the cost of the electrolysis equipment, which used to be sky high but now those costs have been sinking rapidly, and electrolyzers are already coming into play commercially. Meanwhile, the artificial leaf concept has been swirling around in the laboratory, along with its "solar fuel" cousins the supersonic leaf and the bionic leaf. The basic idea is to skip the electricity middleperson and spark a reaction in water directly, through solar energy. If you're thinking of a photoelectrochemical reaction, run right out and buy yourself a cigar. The beauty of this direct solar-to-hydrogen is simplicity. A photoelectrochemical device requires no other inputs aside from solar energy, which means the technology could be dirt cheap, eventually.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/20/for-green-hydrogen-artificial-leaf-breathes-down-neck-of-electrolysis/
     
         
      Renewable Energy Is Electrifying COVID-19 Isolation Centers In Nigeria Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:37:00
     
      The COVID-19 pandemic has upturned our 21st century existence, wreaking havoc on both social and cultural norms and our way of life. It has also crippled the global economy and continues to impact diverse business sectors and industries — travel, transportation, education, and manufacturing. While large-scale industries have been greatly impacted, many micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) and smaller businesses have been completely decimated, with many such businesses gone for good whilst others continue to struggle to survive with the earliest projected recovery times spanning from 3 to 5 years following the COVID pandemic. The electricity sector has not been left out of this ongoing negative impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it continues to struggle with increased epileptic power supply and increased losses stemming from unpaid electricity debts due to lack of cost-reflective tariffs and decreased consumer spending. In Nigeria, the crisis from the pandemic has coincided with declining oil revenue and stalled economic growth which has trickled down to the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). As a result, Nigeria faces an increasing electricity deficit due to an epileptic power supply that is unable to support the nation's economic, health care, or other essential sectors — such as food supply chains — during this crucial time. Across the entire Nigerian electricity value chain, we see a reduction in energy access due to disruptions in power system operations and bottlenecks occasioned by measures put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These include the ban on international and interstate travels, as well as the need for local and physical distancing which have greatly limited the supply chain networks.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/20/renewable-energy-is-electrifying-covid-19-isolation-centers-in-nigeria/
     
         
      OPEC’s No.2 Is Planning To Develop Huge Gas Reserves Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:28:00
     
      Iraq is finally moving ahead with plans to develop its associated and non-associated gas resources in the next two to three years, according to a statement last week from its Deputy Oil Minister, Hamed Younis. In total, he said, the Oil Ministry is looking at projects to develop 1.2 billion standard cubic feet per day (scf/d) of associated gas out of the 2.7 billion scf/d produced as an adjunct to oil excavation. It is also looking to develop a number of standalone gas fields, beginning with the combined estimated 700 million scf/d production of Akkas and Mansouriyah. There are three very good reasons why it should do so but, given its history on achieving objectives in this area, whether it will accomplish anything at all is a moot point. The first reason is political, in so far as it needs to have some evidence to show the U.S. that it is intending to reduce its dependence on Iran for electricity and gas imports at some point in the future. As highlighted by OilPrice.com, this long-running arrangement between the two countries has been an equally long-running source of intense irritation to the U.S. To reprise briefly, Washington made it very clear in April that unless Iraq showed the U.S. some compelling evidence that it was intending to reduce its imports of Iranian electricity and gas then there would be no more waivers for Iraq after the 30-day one made in April expired.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/OPECs-No2-Is-Planning-To-Develop-Huge-Gas-Reserves.html
     
         
      Coronavirus: £15m fund to help towns meet social distancing rules Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:22:00
     
      A £15.5m fund is to help create more space for people to move about in towns and cities in Wales under social-distancing restrictions. With retailers set to reopen on Monday, many popular public spaces such as town centres, community areas and green spaces are to be redesigned. Among the measures are widening pavements, creating more cycle space and improving public transport routes. The Welsh Government fund will also put £2m to making school journeys safer. Projects in Anglesey, Blaenau Gwent, Carmarthenshire, Cardiff, Conwy, Rhyl and Swansea have already been ear-marked to be completed within the next four months. The Welsh Government said the Transforming Towns fund aimed to build on the rise in people walking and cycling during lockdown and make "a real difference" to how people get around their local area. "During this lockdown we have seen a real change in people's behaviours, with more and more of us choosing to walk and cycle for necessary journeys," said Deputy Economy and Transport Minister Lee Waters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53111326
     
         
      The weekend read: A green road to recovery Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:17:00
     
      In 2019, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, under which it aims to become climate-neutral by 2050. In May of this year, the commission also unveiled a new instrument to fund the bloc's recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, in line with the Green Deal principles. This reinforced the drive for renewables investment. pv magazine examines what the latest developments mean for solar. Europe's Green Deal, first presented on Dec. 11, 2019, remains in its infancy. However, as the bloc now faces two major crises – climate change and Covid-19 – its green package might finally start to reach early adulthood. A key tool behind the EU Green Deal is the so-called Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), which aims to finance the continent's transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The mechanism will provide "targeted support to help mobilize at least €100 billion over the 2021-27 period in the most affected regions, to alleviate the socioeconomic impact of the transition," says the European Commission (EC). To access the funds, the bloc's 27 member states need to draw up territorial transition funds that identify regions that would be impacted the most by the green transition effort, while also outlining pathways for the green recovery until 2030. Upon approval by the commission, member states will be able to first draw money from the Just Transition Fund (JTF), which provides about €30-50 billion in grants to support social and economic transformation in Just Transition regions. Secondly, a separate dedicated scheme will crowd-in up to €45 billion in private investment. And thirdly, funds will come from a public-sector loan facility, which will mobilize €25-30 billion in public-sector investment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/20/the-weekend-read-a-green-road-to-recovery/
     
         
      The Huawei of green energy: How China's Goldwind is taking over the turbine world Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:07:00
     
      Backed by the towering hammer and sickle and the plush gold and red drapes of the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping stood at the podium and laid out his vision. "We have devoted serious energy to ecological conservation," he said, sternly. "As a result, the entire party and the whole country have become more purposeful and active in pursuing green development." As the most powerful man in China addressed his comrades in Beijing, all around the country engineers toiled to build what has become the largest army of wind turbines found anywhere in the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in Xinjiang, a remote northeastern province located near the borders with Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The vast expanse of arid land is...
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/06/20/huawei-green-energy-chinas-goldwind-taking-turbine-world/
     
         
      The weekend read: Pirates of the PV industry Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:04:00
     
      Product piracy is a well-known threat in many industries, and in solar the risk posed by poor quality products from disreputable manufacturers making their way onto rooftops and other PV installations should not be underestimated. With manufacturers investing in solutions to protect against inferior products bearing their logo, pv magazine looks at the size of the problem. Estimating the impact of product piracy in the solar industry is not easy to do. Since the price of a PV module is typically based on its measured output, it may appear that there is no immediate advantage for a 'pirate' producer in fraudulently slapping the logo of a more reputable manufacturer onto its own inferior products. German company Viamon, which provides security services to the PV industry, says that it sees on average one to two cases per year involving counterfeit modules. China-based Quality Assurance provider Sinovoltaics, meanwhile, states that its experience related to counterfeiting is more along the lines of falsified power ratings or quality certifications, and even electroluminescence images being edited to hide cell cracking and other defects. Several PV module manufacturers, however, have confirmed to pv magazine that they do see fake versions of their products available for purchase in various locations, and that they see solutions to prevent this as a worthwhile investment – even in times where profit margins in module production are stretched thin. "Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to determine an exact number of copycats, but year by year this problem is increasing, and we think that the dark figure is even higher," explains Waldemar Hartmann, sales director at German module producer AE Solar. "We see it quite frequently by ourselves, and our partners see it around the world." When counterfeit modules are detected, AE Solar says it works both with the customer who purchased them and with legal advisers to track down the producer and prevent further counterfeiting. But it notes that with the network of intermediaries between production lines and end customers, it can be difficult to establish who makes such modules.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/20/the-weekend-read-pirates-of-the-pv-industry/
     
         
      Scientists unlock ‘massive diversity’ of Ethiopia’s superfood in bid to save it from global warming Sat, 20th Jun 2020 15:02:00
     
      Scientists have mapped the "massive diversity" of an ancient grain for the first time in a race to save the staple crop of Ethiopia from dwindling production caused by increasing global temperatures. Teff is the world's smallest food grain and has long been part of Ethiopia's diet, with many eating it at least once a day. Gluten-free and rich in fibre and nutrients, the grain has been cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea for at least 2,000 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/world/ethiopia-superfood-grain-teff-agriculture-global-warming-climate-a9575896.html
     
         
      Climate change: Sport heading for a fall as temperatures rise Sat, 20th Jun 2020 14:53:00
     
      Global sport faces major disruption from climate change in coming decades, according to a new analysis. By 2050, it's estimated that almost one in four English football league grounds can expect flooding every year. But tennis, rugby, athletics and winter sports will also face serious challenges from the impacts of rising temperatures, the author says. The study finds that sports leaders are, in the main, failing to address the issue seriously. While the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted sports as much as any other aspect of social life, many experts believe that this is just a dress rehearsal for the long-term impacts on sport of a world that's way too hot. Extreme weather events, related to rising temperatures, have already disrupted some of the world's most high-profile sports in recent years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53111881
     
         
      Greta Thunberg: Climate change 'as urgent' as coronavirus Sat, 20th Jun 2020 14:50:00
     
      Greta Thunberg says the world needs to learn the lessons of coronavirus and treat climate change with similar urgency. That means the world acting "with necessary force", the Swedish climate activist says in an exclusive interview with BBC News. She doesn't think any "green recovery plan" will solve the crisis alone. And she says the world is now passing a "social tipping point" on climate and issues such as Black Lives Matter. "People are starting to realise that we cannot keep looking away from these things", says Ms Thunberg, "we cannot keep sweeping these injustices under the carpet". She says lockdown has given her time to relax and reflect away from the public gaze. Ms Thunberg has shared with the BBC the text of a deeply personal programme she has made for Swedish Radio. In the radio programme, which goes online this morning, Greta looks back on the year in which she became one of the world's most high-profile celebrities. The then 16-year-old took a sabbatical from school to spend a tumultuous year campaigning on the climate.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53100800
     
         
      Evonik wants to make green hydrogen more affordable Fri, 19th Jun 2020 15:13:00
     
      As well as sufficient low-cost electricity generated from renewables, investment in the electrolyzer is a key factor in cost-efficient production of green hydrogen. ... Evonik has now developed a novel anion exchange membrane (AEM), which should contribute to the breakthrough of electrolytic production of hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/evonik-wants-to-make-green-hydrogen-more-affordable/
     
         
      New production equipment for large-area perovskite solar cells Fri, 19th Jun 2020 15:10:00
     
      National Taiwan University and Taiwanese PV production equipment provider E-Sun Precision Industrial Co. have developed equipment to produce different kinds of perovskite cells with varying chemical compositions. The first trials achieved 14.3% conversion efficiency rates. The New Energy Center at National Taiwan University and Taiwanese PV production equipment provider E-Sun Precision Industrial Co. have developed new production equipment to manufacture p-i-n type perovskite solar cells with large area. Researchers from both entities said the machine can facilitate the production of "low-cost" perovskite cells through the MK-20 once-through process. The manufacturing process, which is based on slot-die coater and fast thermal processor (FTP) tech, is fully automatic and can currently handle small-quantity sample production. "This machine can continuously carry out four layers thin-film coating and fast heat treatment in sintering and crystallization," said Bin-Juine Huang, a professor at the New Energy Center. The largest area that can be produced with the equipment is 80 cm × 80 cm. "For a typical p-i-n type perovskite cell, the trial run on this machine achieves 14.3% power conversion efficiency which is about 77% of small cell produced by spin coating and hot plate annealing," the research group explained. The new machine is ready for commercialization. It was developed under a research project supported by the Taiwanese government to produce large perovskite solar PV modules with dimensions of 1.6m x 1m, using perovskite solar cells made from MK-20. "MK-20 can only makes thin films of perovskite solar cells," Huang stated. "It still needs the back electrode manufacture and cell modularization in order to make a solar PV module for practical power generation." The research team is also currently developing a low-cost lamination packaging process for large PV module production. "Combining the low-cost perovskite cell production and the low-cost module packaging technologies, perovskite solar cell will be moved closer to the market side in the near future," Huang added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/19/new-production-equipment-for-large-area-perovskite-solar-cells/
     
         
      Tesla Model 3 gets a solar roof thanks to Lightyear Fri, 19th Jun 2020 14:58:00
     
      A Tesla Model 3 has been modified with a solar roof as part of Lightyear's solar car development program. We have been reporting on Lightyear for a few years now. The startup first caught our attention because it spun out of Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of engineering students from the Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands) who have been competing in the World Solar Challenge with their Stella and Stella Lux, energy positive solar cars — meaning that they can produce more energy than they consume. After being quite successful in the competition, they decided to turn their experience building solar cars for the race into a startup building solar cars for consumers. Last year, they unveiled their first car: The Lightyear One. At the unveiling, we noted that the electric vehicle's specs were impressive, but the price had us a little concerned. Nonetheless, the development of such a vehicle could result in advances in solar integration on cars, which has so far been limited. Lightyear is launching today its first two research vehicles to test their solar technology. They integrated Sunpower's Maxeon solar cells on the roof of a Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen Crafter LCV: Hitting the roads this week, Lightyear released two Research Vehicles with its signature solar technology. The company has equipped its solar technology onto a Volkswagen Crafter LCV and seamlessly integrated a solar roof onto a Tesla Model 3. Numbered 005 and 006, respectively, these two research vehicles are the latest developments in a series of platforms, serving to validate Lightyear's technology and design choices. The vehicles can be seen driving around in the surroundings of Lightyear's Headquarters, located in the city of Helmond, the Netherlands.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/06/19/tesla-model-3-solar-roof-lightyear/
     
         
      EU aims to make green hydrogen cost-competitive within two years: leaked strategy document Fri, 19th Jun 2020 14:55:00
     
      The EU aims to make green hydrogen cost-competitive with highly polluting grey hydrogen within two years, according to a leaked draft of the European Commission's forthcoming hydrogen strategy. "To facilitate the taking-off of green hydrogen in the next two years, we need strong policy steer at EU level to complement market and private investment," says the document seen by Recharge, entitled Towards a hydrogen economy in Europe: a strategic outlook. "Policy actions would aim at enabling green hydrogen to arrive at close to competitive price levels already in a couple of years. This will be possible as soon as integrated green hydrogen factories at gigawatt scale go into production." It adds: "The main booster has to be a significant increase in volumes to bring down the price/kg to a range of €1-2/kg [$1.12-2.24] as quickly as possible." This is roughly the price of grey hydrogen produced from unabated natural gas and coal today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/eu-aims-to-make-green-hydrogen-cost-competitive-within-two-years-leaked-strategy-document/2-1-829768
     
         
      Trina Solar launches TrinaPro Mega ultra-high-power PV solution Fri, 19th Jun 2020 14:44:00
     
      As the solar industry starts to embrace ultra-high-efficiency modules, the Chinese PV heavyweight has unveiled TrinaPro Mega, the first integrated solar system in the world that incorporates 500 W+ modules. Chinese module maker Trina Solar has announced the global launch of TrinaPro Mega, an optimized solution for the application of ultra-high power modules in downstream systems, following the February debut of its Vertex bifacial 500W-plus modules. The all-in-one solution reportedly addresses several application-related challenges in utility-scale solar deployment. TrinaPro Mega, the world's first integrated solution to incorporate 500 W+ modules, is based on the TrinaPro solution launched in 2018. It's an integrated solution combining high-output modules with smart PV controllers and trackers, smart inverters, and digital cloud-based operations and maintenance software. For the sake of comparison, the upgraded version provides an 8& to 15% lower balance-of-systems cost and 3% to 8% increase in power generation compared to the first version of TrinaPro.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/19/trina-solar-launches-trinapro-mega-ultra-high-power-pv-solution/
     
         
      Who is really to blame for climate change? Fri, 19th Jun 2020 14:36:00
     
      We know that climate change is caused by human activity, but pinning down exactly who is responsible is trickier than it might seem. One of the most frustrating things about the climate crisis is that the fact that earlier action could have prevented it. With every passing year of inaction, the emissions cuts needed to limit global warming to relatively safe levels grow steeper and steeper. Many groups have been accused of being at blame for this ongoing lack of action, from fossil fuel companies and wealthy countries, to politicians, rich people and sometimes even all of us. Others may feel it's not useful to blame anyone. "If you want to engage with the non-converted and get them to want stronger climate action, blaming them is not going to be a very fruitful pathway," says Glen Peters, research director of the Center for International Climate and Environment Research in Oslo. Whether we label it blame or not, the question of who is responsible for the climate crisis is a necessary one. It will inevitably impact the solutions we propose to fix things. But it's also important to acknowledge that allocating emissions to someone – the extractors of fossil fuels, the manufacturers who make products using them, the governments who regulate these products, the consumers who buy them – does not necessarily mean saying they are responsible for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200618-climate-change-who-is-to-blame-and-why-does-it-matter
     
         
      Spherical monocrystalline solar cells with 18.93% efficiency Fri, 19th Jun 2020 14:29:00
     
      The spherical 3D cells can reportedly generate around 101% more power than conventional flat solar cells. Measurements have also shown that the spherical cells provide a 10% lower maximum temperature compared to flat cells, while accumulating less dust. A group of scientists from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the University of Jeddah, and the University of California, Berkeley, have demonstrated an interdigitated back contacts (IBC) spherical solar cell with stronger heat-dissipation and reduced dust accumulation compared to conventional flat solar cells. The monocrystalline 3D device, which has a reported efficiency rate of 18.93%, is also said to have a 101% higher power yield compared to flat cells.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/19/spherical-monocrystalline-solar-cells-with-18-93-efficiency/
     
         
      LEAKED: Europe’s draft hydrogen strategy Thu, 18th Jun 2020 14:41:00
     
      The European Commission aims to promote so-called "green" hydrogen produced from renewable electricity over the "grey" sort obtained from natural gas steam reforming, according to a leaked policy document obtained by EURACTIV. Editor's note: Since publication of this article, EURACTIV obtained a more recent version of the EU's draft hydrogen strategy. Read our related article with a link to the full document here. The Commission has made hydrogen "a central element" of plans to decarbonise industry, announcing it will launch a "Clean Hydrogen Alliance" after the summer break in a bid to build a full supply chain in Europe. Germany, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency in July, has taken the lead on the issue, outlining a €7 billion plan earlier this month to promote "green" hydrogen at gigawatt scale. "Hydrogen is one of the enablers in the context of the Green Deal for decarbonising sectors like chemical industry, steel industry and transport," the Commission document states, listing the industrial sectors where future demand for hydrogen is expected to be highest. Now, the EU executive intends to spell out what is meant by "clean hydrogen" and put together a "strategic outlook" for the development of "a hydrogen economy in Europe," according to the title of the draft strategy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/leaked-europes-draft-hydrogen-strategy/
     
         
      Siemens Gamesa CEO Out After Struggles at Onshore Wind Division Thu, 18th Jun 2020 14:33:00
     
      Siemens Gamesa CEO Markus Tacke's contract was terminated by mutual consent Wednesday night, amid mounting challenges for the company's onshore wind business. Siemens Gamesa — formed several years ago by the merger of rival turbine makers Siemens Wind and Gamesa — was the world's fourth-largest supplier of wind turbines last year and remains the dominant supplier of offshore turbines outside China. Tacke was named CEO shortly after the merger was finalized. Andreas Nauen, currently head of the offshore division, was promoted to CEO effective immediately. Meanwhile, Siemens Gamesa is also recruiting for a new permanent CFO after David Mesonero left in March. A replacement for Nauen as head of offshore will be appointed in "due course," the company said. "Andreas Nauen has successfully demonstrated his ability to handle complex projects in the past. He has extensive experience with listed companies in the renewables sector," said Miguel Angel López, chairman of the board of directors at Siemens Gamesa. "We expect the new CEO to now stabilize the onshore area quickly." Nauen was previously CEO of Siemens Wind Power and also previously served as CEO of German wind turbine maker Senvion at one time. In announcing Tacke's departure, Siemens Gamesa confirmed it expects to post negative earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the third quarter of its fiscal year and for the whole of 2020. It swallowed losses in Q1 after being hit by project delays in Norway, and Q2 was impacted by higher costs due to the effects of COVID-19. The third quarter will be hit by additional project costs, the company said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/siemens-gamesa-ceo-leaves-offshore-boss-takes-over-hotseat
     
         
      World has six months to avert climate crisis, says energy expert Thu, 18th Jun 2020 14:32:00
     
      The world has only six months in which to change the course of the climate crisis and prevent a post-lockdown rebound in greenhouse gas emissions that would overwhelm efforts to stave off climate catastrophe, one of the world’s foremost energy experts has warned. "This year is the last time we have, if we are not to see a carbon rebound," said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/18/world-has-six-months-to-avert-climate-crisis-says-energy-expert
     
         
      Wind alone too risky – UK needs nuclear hydrogen to hit 2050 net-zero goal: study Thu, 18th Jun 2020 13:53:00
     
      The UK can't rely on wind power alone and needs large-scale next-generation nuclear capacity linked to hydrogen production to be sure of hitting its 2050 net-zero emissions target, claimed a government-backed research group. Achieving net-zero without nuclear is "possible but risky", according to a new study from the UK's Energy Systems Catapult (ESC). Britain could need up to 50GW of additional nuclear capacity by mid-century to be certain of decarbonising sectors such as transport and heating, reckons the report Nuclear for Net Zero, which examines the technology's potential role in meeting the nation's legally-binding 2050 target, against the background of a doubling of power consumption by then. "While wind, in particular offshore wind, now looks the key technology for decarbonising power in the coming decades, trying to meet net zero without any new nuclear would put the target at risk unnecessarily and potentially make the shift to a low carbon economy more expensive," claimed the ESC, which is part-funded by state agency Innovate UK but operates as an independent entity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/wind-alone-too-risky-uk-needs-nuclear-hydrogen-to-hit-2050-net-zero-goal-study/2-1-828038
     
         
      New Jersey could soon be home to a major offshore wind port, with construction due to begin next year Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:48:00
     
      The governor of New Jersey has unveiled plans to develop what is being described as the United States' "first purpose-built offshore wind port", with construction work on the $300 million to $400 million project scheduled to begin next year. It's expected that building work will involve two phases. The first will focus on the development of a 30-acre area for marshalling activities as well as a manufacturing site for components that will span 25 acres. The second will extend the scheme's footprint by more than 150 acres. The project is to be based on an artificial island in Lower Alloways Creek Township, authorities said Tuesday. "Offshore wind is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only protect our environment but also greatly expand our state economy in a way that has immediate impacts and paves the way for long-term growth," Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement on Tuesday. "The New Jersey Wind Port will create thousands of high-quality jobs, bring millions of investment dollars to our state, and establish New Jersey as the national capital of offshore wind," Murphy added. "This is a vital step forward in achieving our goal of reaching 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2035 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050." The plans for New Jersey represent another step forward for America's fledgling offshore wind sector and were welcomed by industry groups.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/17/new-jersey-will-soon-be-home-to-a-major-offshore-wind-port.html
     
         
      PV-electrochemical water-splitting for hydrogen production Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:19:00
     
      A German research team has developed a new photovoltaic-electrochemical device for alkaline water electrolysis. The prototype has an initial solar?to?hydrogen efficiency of approximately 7.7%. Researchers at Germany's Jülich Institute for Energy and Climate Research (IEK-5) have created a photovoltaic–electrochemical (PV-EC) water-splitting device powered by solar energy. The integrated PV-EC device with an active area of 0.5 cm2 was developed with solar panels based on triple?junction thin?film silicon solar cells with an efficiency rating of 10.8% and an electro-deposited bifunctional nickel iron molybdenum water?splitting catalyst. "The introduction of a triple?junction Si solar cell offers the possibility of manufacturing a self?contained base unit without the need for additional series interconnection, which is normally required when using single? or double?junction solar cells," the research team said, adding that a similar approach may also result in more efficient and cheaper devices, as dead areas created by interconnections are avoided. Their efficiency increases by reducing the dead area and increasing their active area. With an aperture area of 64 cm2 and an active area of 56 cm2, the wireless solar panel is able to provide an open?circuit voltage of approximately 2.16 V and a voltage at the maximum power point of about 1.72 V, which the scientists claim is enough to enable bias?free water splitting. As for the water-splitting catalyst, the scientist developed a bifunctional NiFeMo device prepared by electrodeposition.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/17/pv-electrochemical-water-splitting-for-hydrogen-production/
     
         
      U.S. Is The Surprising Winner In China’s LNG Market Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:14:00
     
      The natural gas market is reeling from the triple whammy of a stubborn supply overhang, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region--which accounts for nearly two-thirds of global demand--a mild winter, and a hobbled global economy. China has emerged as a rare bright spot as energy demand in the country remains relatively high. However, Beijing is taking advantage of the health and economic crisis to do a dramatic overhaul of its natural gas supply chains. China has shifted its attention from its traditional Central Asia supply hub further west where another natural gas and LNG powerhouse is emerging. The United States is emerging as the surprising winner as China, the world's second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), continues to ramp up its LNG imports despite a buildup of tensions between the two nations.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/US-Is-The-Surprising-Winner-In-Chinas-LNG-Market.html
     
         
      Why the Mediterranean is a climate change hotspot Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:10:00
     
      Although global climate models vary in many ways, they agree on this: The Mediterranean region will be significantly drier in coming decades, potentially seeing 40 percent less precipitation during the winter rainy season. An analysis by researchers at MIT has now found the underlying mechanisms that explain the anomalous effects in this region, especially in the Middle East and in northwest Africa. The analysis could help refine the models and add certainty to their projections, which have significant implications for the management of water resources and agriculture in the region. The study, published last week in the Journal of Climate, was carried out by MIT graduate student Alexandre Tuel and professor of civil and environmental engineering Elfatih Eltahir.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-mediterranean-climate-hotspot.html
     
         
      Goldman Sachs Sees $16 Trillion Investment In Renewables By 2030 Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:07:00
     
      Goldman Sachs analyst Michele Della Vigna and her colleagues have issued a research note for investors that claims investments in renewable energy are set to overtake those in oil and gas for the first time next year. They think the clean energy field, including biofuels, will be a $16 trillion investment opportunity between now and 2030, according to a report by Bloomberg. The research note says renewables will represent about 25% of all energy spending in 2021 — up from 15% in 2014. Goldman Sachs is all about making money. Social justice and saving the planet so people can continue to live on this Earth are all just window dressing — nice to have, but hardly necessary in the view of gimlet-eyed Wall Street traders. So what is driving this expansion in renewable energy? Financial considerations, of course.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/17/goldman-sachs-sees-16-trillion-investment-in-renewables-by-2030/
     
         
      India Takes Big Leap In Solar Development With $6 Billion Deal Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:04:00
     
      India's onward march to boost its renewable energy capacity and build domestic capacity for making solar equipment got fresh impetus when Adani Green Energy Ltd won a bid to make 8 GW of photovoltaic solar power projects over the next five years. India imports about 90% of its solar equipment today, so this development could serve to lessen that import dependence. Adani Green Energy Ltd, a part of the diversified Adani Group, is expected to invest about U.S. $6 billion in the project, and create 400,000 direct and indirect jobs, it said in a stock market filing, according to India Climate Dialogue. The company is also committed to see group company Adani Solar establish 2 GW of additional solar cell and module manufacturing capacity, according to the report. Over its lifetime, the projects will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 900 million tons, the company said. The first 2 GW of solar generation capacity will be commissioned by 2022. The project will be in various locations, including a 2 GW single-site generation project, the company said. Incidentally, Adani Solar, Waaree Energies and Risen Energy were the top three suppliers of solar modules in India in terms of shipments in the 2019 calendar year, according to Mercom India. The three firms accounted for approximately 25% of the total market share, according to findings released in Mercom India Research's latest report, India Solar Market Leaderboard 2020. Along with its existing 1.3 GW of manufacturing capacity, the new contract, according to reports, will further consolidate the group's position as India's largest solar manufacturing facility. It will, in fact, take Adani Green Energy closer to its target of achieving an installed generation capacity of 25 GW of renewable power by 2025, which will see it committing a total investment of U.S. $15 billion in the renewable energy space over the next five years.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/India-Takes-Big-Leap-In-Solar-Development-With-6-Billion-Deal.html
     
         
      China entering post-FIT era with solid prospects Wed, 17th Jun 2020 17:02:00
     
      The Chinese government is planning to phase out FITs and subsidies for all kinds of PV installation by the end of this year, according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association. The trade body, however, expects strong recovery for domestic solar demand over the next five years, beginning in the second half of 2020. The Chinese government is planning to eliminate all feed-in tariffs and subsidies for solar PV, even in the distributed generation segment, starting from 2021. The announcement was given by Ru Jialin, Senior Researcher at the Public Affairs Department, of China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), during an online presentation held as part of the launch of SolarPower Europe's Global Market Outlook 2020-2024 report. "The business models of solar-plus-storage applications continue to mature", the CPIA representative said. "The new subsidy-free era of solar energy will start in January 2021 and this year will be the last one with state subsidies." According to him, the market will prioritize grid-parity projects in the years to come. According to a CPIA representative, China for this year has allocated RMB 1.5 billion ($211.8 million) for solar incentives, of which RMB 500 million is allocated for residential rooftop PV and RMB 1 billion is for bidding projects, including distributed PV and utility PV projects. Compared with 2019, the subsidy budget was slashed by 50% from RMB 3 billion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/17/china-entering-post-fit-era-with-solid-prospects/
     
         
      China: Zhengzhou Replaces all its Buses with Hydrogen Fuel Cells Buses Wed, 17th Jun 2020 16:58:00
     
      Recently, Zhengzhou Public Transport added new energy public transport vehicles. On June 11th, dozens of hydrogen fuel cell buses were neatly parked at the Zhengcun Bus Station of Zhengzhou Bus No. 2 Company.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/china-zhengzhou-replaces-all-its-buses-with-hydrogen-fuel-cell-buses/
     
         
      Saudi Arabia Idles Offshore Rigs Amid Demand Slump Wed, 17th Jun 2020 16:54:00
     
      Following the demand and oil price crashes, Saudi Arabia has idled offshore rigs and postponed the start of a US$18-billion expansion project, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the plans. In early May, offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation plc said that its jackup rig Noble Scott Marks, located offshore Saudi Arabia, will be suspended at the request of its client for up to one year, beginning in the first half of May. The contract suspension was expected to enter into force after the jackup rig completes the well it was drilling at the time. Noble Corporation has the right to market the rig in pursuit of other work opportunities in the region, it said. Then earlier this week, Shelf Drilling said that it had received a notification from its customer on the suspension of operations for the High Island IV jack-up rig for up to 12 months. The offshore rig is contracted to Saudi oil giant Aramco, which declined to comment for Bloomberg the status of the rigs and projects. According to Bloomberg sources, Saudi Aramco is also suspending the project for expansion of the offshore Marjan and Berri oilfields for a period of between six and twelve months. Last year in July, Saudi Aramco awarded 34 contracts worth a total of US$18 billion to boost the oil production capacity of the two fields by 550,000 bpd in order to sustain its 12-million-bpd production capacity by the early 2020s. Saudi Arabia's oil giant plans to increase the production capacity of the offshore Marjan and Berri fields by 550,000 bpd and by 2.5 billion standard cubic feet a day (bscfd) of gas. Under the plans to raise production capacity at the two fields, Saudi Arabia aims to have production at the offshore Marjan field increase by 300,000 bpd of Arabian Medium Crude Oil, while output at the offshore Berri field will rise by 250,000 bpd of Arabian Light Crude—for a total of 550,000 bpd increase in oil production capacity that is set to replace production capacity lost from aging oilfields.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Saudi-Arabia-Idles-Offshore-Rigs-Amid-Demand-Slump.html
     
         
      Climate crisis: alarm at record-breaking heatwave in Siberia Wed, 17th Jun 2020 16:52:00
     
      A prolonged heatwave in Siberia is "undoubtedly alarming", climate scientists have said. The freak temperatures have been linked to wildfires, a huge oil spill and a plague of tree-eating moths. On a global scale, the Siberian heat is helping push the world towards its hottest year on record in 2020, despite a temporary dip in carbon emissions owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/17/climate-crisis-alarm-at-record-breaking-heatwave-in-siberia
     
         
      Emissions Are Surging Back as Countries and States Reopen Wed, 17th Jun 2020 16:16:00
     
      After a drastic decline this spring, global greenhouse gas emissions are now rebounding sharply, scientists reported, as countries relax their coronavirus lockdowns and traffic surges back onto roads. It's a stark reminder that even as the pandemic rages, the world is still far from getting global warming under control.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/17/climate/virus-emissions-reopening.html
     
         
      EU set to slightly surpass 2030 renewable energy goal Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:53:00
     
      The European Union looks set to slightly beat its goal to get a third of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, but public support will be needed to offset a drop in clean power investment due to COVID-19, the bloc's top energy official said. EU countries' latest energy policy plans would see the bloc reach a 33% share of renewable energy by 2030, surpassing its target by one percentage point, EU energy chief Kadri Simson told an online news conference on Monday (15 June). Renewable sources including wind, solar, hydropower and bioenergy made up just under 19% of final EU energy consumption in 2018. Previous versions of countries' energy policy plans had suggested the bloc would miss its 2030 renewables target by up to three percentage points.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/eu-set-to-slightly-surpass-2030-renewable-energy-goal/
     
         
      Tesla Powerwall Saves The Day In SCE Power Outage Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:30:00
     
      Our local utility notified us that a power outage with an 8-hour outage window spanning from 9am to 5pm was scheduled for June 3rd. For most people, in a non-pandemic world, that would not be a problem. People are normally at work during the day, so the outage passes by unnoticed. We are not most people. In the pre-coronavirus world, that honestly still feels a bit like a fiction right now. I work from home, writing articles, doing consulting work, and other random bits of helpfulness. The kids normally go to school for most of the day, and my partner goes to work, but that world is no more. I still work from home, but the landscape we live in has changed completely. Now, we have two kids thrown into the mix attempting to acquire an education from their Chromebooks and iPads. In just a few short days, they were more fluent than I in Zoom and Google Docs. We live, eat, breathe, sleep, and recreate in and around the house. We learn, work, and play from home nearly 24/7. These changes have made our home and the electricity that powers it essential for our day-to-day functions. Thankfully, Tesla installed 2 Powerwalls in our garage along with a Tesla Solarglass system. These two systems work together to effectively create a minigrid for our home. In normal operations, the systems operate in tandem with the electric grid, pushing power to the Powerwalls until they are full, with any excess spilling over onto the grid. When the grid goes down, the dynamic shifts.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/16/the-tesla-powerwall-saves-the-day-in-sce-power-outage/
     
         
      Power sector problems see greenhouse gas target missed Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:28:00
     
      Problems in the power sector have seen Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions rise and the 2018 target being missed. Scottish government figures show source emissions increased by 1.5% largely because of the long-term shutdown at Hunterston nuclear power station. It led to more electricity being generated at the gas-fired Peterhead power station, where emissions doubled. A Scottish Government spokesman said it was "disappointing" that the 2018 target was missed. But he said the figures showed good, long-term progress and Scotland continued to outperform the UK as a whole. The spokesman said the figures pre-dated substantial action taken by the Scottish government including the declaration of the global climate emergency in 2019 and the passing of Scotland's new Climate Change Act. However, pressure group Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) said the overall increase was "worrying".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53063990
     
         
      Climate change: Wales lags behind on planting new trees Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:26:00
     
      Wales is falling behind the rest of the UK in planting trees to tackle climate change, official statistics show. About 80 hectares of new woodland were planted in 2019-20, the lowest number for a decade. Forestry experts said the figure - which amounts to just 4% of the Welsh Government's target of 2,000 hectares a year - was "clearly disappointing". The government said it was taking "significant steps" to increase tree cover. Across the UK, 13,460 hectares of new woodland were created in 2019-20, according to provisional figures compiled by government-backed forestry organisations. This breaks down to 10,860 in Scotland, 2,330 in England, 200 in Northern Ireland and 80 in Wales. More than 80% of the new planting occurred in Scotland, heralded as "outstanding" by the Scottish Government though it too missed its annual target.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53060474
     
         
      Climate change: Oil and gas sector 'to halve emissions by 2030' Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:24:00
     
      The oil and gas sector aims to halve emissions from production and exploration by 2030 in its bid to reach net-zero by the middle of the century. The industry is responsible for about 4% of UK emissions, but that does not include the consumption of oil and gas. Platforms will be electrified either through connections to the land or locally-generated renewables. Green groups say companies also need to take responsibility for what happens to the oil they produce. Production platforms, exploration, shipping and helicopter movements will be counted, along with emissions from onshore terminals. The 2018 figure will be used as the starting point when the equivalent of 18.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide was emitted. About half a million tonnes will still be allowed by 2050 for "emergency flaring", but these will be offset by other sectors such as forestry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-53051850
     
         
      California utility PG&E pleads guilty to 84 wildfire deaths Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:21:00
     
      A California utility has pleaded guilty to the deaths of 84 people in a wildfire, the deadliest US corporate crime ever successfully prosecuted. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) admitted the 2018 Camp Fire, the state's deadliest and most destructive, was caused by its faulty equipment. In the court hearing, a judge read the name of each victim aloud to the company chief executive. The company will be fined millions of dollars, but no-one will go to jail. Many of the Camp Fire's victims were elderly or disabled. A number of them were found in burnt-out cars, killed as they attempted to flee the blaze with their family and neighbours. Others were discovered in and around their homes, as some elderly residents decided against leaving early, not understanding the gravity of the threat. In Butte County Superior Court on Tuesday, an image of each victim was displayed on a screen as PG&E's chief executive Bill Johnson pleaded to every single count of involuntary manslaughter, responding 84 times: "Guilty, your honour." In a highly unusual US corporate acknowledgment of criminal wrongdoing, Mr Johnson apologised to the families, saying: "I've heard the pain and anguish. "No words from me can ever reduce the magnitude of that devastation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53072946
     
         
      New Battery Performance Standard proposed for Australia, and possibly the world Tue, 16th Jun 2020 17:12:00
     
      A new Battery Performance Standard for residential and small-scale commercial applications has finally been submitted to Standards Australia. If adopted, the standard could clarify consumer confusion around which energy storage system is right for them. For many of us, the last two months have felt like two years. In reality, two years ago, none of us was watching Tiger King in lockdown, although some of us, those at DNV GL, the world's largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, were commencing a project called the Australian Battery Performance Standard (ABPS). The lack of standardised performance data in what is one of the world's leading markets for energy storage spurred both the DNV GL ABPS project, and the ARENA funded ITP Renewables Battery Trial, to better supply the consumer pressured by rising electricity prices and encouraged by state government subsidies with accurate performance data. After all, according to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Australia has the highest uptake of solar globally, with 2.37 million of 21% of all homes boasting rooftop solar. And, of course, rooftop solar without energy storage is like art without memory. However, energy storage uptake is not yet a given like solar, and part of the reason for this hold up is customer confusion and diffidence about choosing the right battery system for them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2020/06/16/new-battery-performance-standard-proposed-for-australia-and-possibly-the-world/
     
         
      Estimating The Carbon Footprint Of Hydrogen Production Mon, 15th Jun 2020 17:39:00
     
      Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe. It can be used as a source of power, and it is an important feed stock for many petrochemical processes. When hydrogen is combusted, it forms water. Therefore, hydrogen can be used as a low-carbon fuel source. Hydrogen can be combusted directly, or it can be used in a fuel cell to produce electricity. Since hydrogen produces minimal pollutants when combusted, it is envisioned by many as a core component of a cleaner energy future. President George W. Bush touted the potential for a "hydrogen economy" in his 2003 State of the Union address. Billions of dollars have been invested in the attempt to realize this vision.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Estimating-The-Carbon-Footprint-Of-Hydrogen-Production.html
     
         
      EVs & PV — A Match Made In Heaven Mon, 15th Jun 2020 17:33:00
     
      We recently looked at how distributed solar systems are enabling electromobility in rural Zimbabwe. Electric motorcycles and three-wheelers will transform rural communities and improve the lives of women and children in these communities. Several other energy storage as a service (SaaS) platforms are being planned to catalyze that industry, from startups such as betteries and Liquidstar. Onsite solar PV generation is also valuable in places that have access to the utility grid but that grid is predominantly powered by coal, like in Australia and South Africa. The learning curve of photovoltaics, also sometimes known as Swanson's Law after Richard Swanson of SunPower, has shown that the prices of solar panels have come down by about 80% over the last 10 years. At current prices, it is usually cheaper to generate your own electricity using solar. If you go solar, then you could essentially have your own fuel station at home!
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/15/evs-pv-a-match-made-in-heaven/
     
         
      Repsol unveils Spanish green hydrogen plan Mon, 15th Jun 2020 17:16:00
     
      Spanish energy giant Repsol is planning to build a net zero emissions synthetic fuel plant in Spain based on green hydrogen powered by renewable energy. Repsol said €60m will initially be invested in the project and will include partners Petronor, one of Spain's principal industrial centres, and the Energy Agency of the Basque Government. The facility is planned to be fully operational within four years, with conceptual engineering starting this year. It will combine CO2 captured at a nearby Petronor refinery and green hydrogen as the raw materials in the process, Repsol said. The company added that the first phase, which will be scalable in a later commercial stage depending on the results obtained, will produce 50 barrels of synthetic fuel a day, with net zero emissions of CO2 in the entire production cycle. Repsol chief executive Josu Jon Imaz said: "Spain must base its decarbonisation strategy on its technological and industrial capabilities. "The production of green hydrogen in combination with the capture and use of CO2 to produce net zero emission fuels is part of the industrial decarbonisation strategy of Repsol. "With this project, the Spanish industry is positioning itself to become a leading European player in reducing emissions." Petronor chairman Emiliano Lopez Atxurra said: "The project unifies three important characteristics in the current situation: a commitment to reduce the carbon footprint and the technological neutrality as a lever; the challenges that the industry and technology are facing in relation to the energy transition; and public-private partnerships as a smart tool to realise an industrial development that will help us consolidate a sustainable welfare society."
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/60962/repsol-unveils-spanish-green-hydrogen-plan/
     
         
      Consultancy Services Wanted for North Sea Wind Power Hub Mon, 15th Jun 2020 16:42:00
     
      Dutch energy infrastructure company Gasunie has issued a tender seeking consultancy services for the North Sea Wind Power Hub (NSWPH) program. Under the 18-month contract, the selected company will be in charge of providing consultancy services with regards to offshore hub design, connection configurations, roll-out pathways, as well as system integration challenges. The first study needs to be completed by 1 July 2021. The deadline for submitting applications for the tender is 16 July by 11:00 local time. The contract can be extended three times for one year. Consortium partners behind the NSWPH program Gasunie, TenneT Netherlands, TenneT Germany and Energinet have joined together to develop a large-scale European energy system for offshore wind in the North Sea over the next few decades. The project is based on a "hub and spoke" concept, where wind farms will connect to one or several hub islands via alternating current cables. The power is then converted into direct current electricity by converters on the hub islands before being exported by a series of interconnectors (the spokes) to connecting North Sea countries. Through this system, the consortium aims to optimize the spatial efficiency of both offshore wind farms and interconnectors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/06/15/consultancy-services-wanted-for-north-sea-wind-power-hub/
     
         
      A War Against Climate Science, Waged by Washington’s Rank and File Mon, 15th Jun 2020 16:21:00
     
      Efforts to block research on climate change don't just come from the Trump political appointees on top. Lower managers in government are taking their cues, and running with them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/climate/climate-science-trump.html
     
         
      Solar cell efficiency improved as Wollongong startup replaces silver with copper in its new venture Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:45:00
     
      A small startup technology company in Wollongong has created what it believes is the most efficient commercial-sized solar cell ever made in Australia without relying on expensive, precious metals, but the next step is more ambitious. The global solar industry is on a collision course because the growing demand and environmental benefit of solar come with the caveat about its significant use of precious metals. Today, about 15 per cent of the world's industrial consumption of silver goes into making solar cells. "If the industry is to grow by an order of magnitude — which is predicted to happen — that presents a significant challenge," Sundrive CEO Vince Allen said. He co-founded the small company in New South Wales that is quietly working to replace silver with copper in solar cell manufacturing. "Copper is 1,000 times more abundant and 100 times cheaper per kilogram than silver," he said. "It presents its own challenges, and those challenges are the core of what we're addressing. "There's a lot of consensus in the scientific community that copper is most likely to be the most suitable alternative [to silver]."
       
      Full Article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-15/solar-cell-technology-to-revolutionise-industry/12349214
     
         
      New approach to energy management in microgrids Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:29:00
     
      Researchers from Australia's Monash University have developed an energy exchange framework to manage distributed energy resources and help consumers lower their power costs. Energy consumers are effectively lowering their power costs as electricity grids continue to evolve amid rising adoption of renewable distributed energy resources (DERs), including rooftop PV, battery storage, and electric vehicles. But in order to maximize the individual value of these assets, DER owners should be enabled to participate in different markets for grid support services, backed by energy management software for load flexibility. In a new paper recently published in Energies, Monash University researchers argue that the implementation of a transactive energy market (TEM) framework could help consumers to lower their power costs by reducing peak demand. A TEM could also help consumers access revenues from the provision of network services for the main grid, such as frequency and voltage management. TEM, a novel approach for energy management and trading, provides a market-based solution to allow demand and supply to actively negotiate the exchange of energy. The proper implementation of TEM for microgrid energy management needs a framework that embraces a range of different design requirements. For instance, in preparation for the deployment of a smart microgrid platform, an enabling Internet of Things (IoT) hardware installation has to be performed on all DERs in the microgrid. To demonstrate this, the researchers have used the Monash Microgrid as a real-world implementation of TEM. The university's microgrid – including 20 buildings, 1 MW of solar, 1 MWh of storage, and two EV chargers – is designed to be a fully functioning local electricity network and trading market, with dynamic resource optimization interacting with an external energy market. The project, which is backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), was delivered in partnership with tech company Indra.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/15/new-approach-to-energy-management-in-microgrids/
     
         
      Analyst expects ‘unprecedented’ consolidation of Chinese solar industry Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:27:00
     
      Private PV manufacturers and project developers alike are set to be squeezed out by the state in the world's biggest solar market, according to Frank Haugwitz, who has compiled a market update as preparations for the next five-year plan gather pace. With work intensifying on the preparation of China's 14th five-year plan, one in-country analyst has predicted the renewable energy aspect of the national policy package could transform the Chinese solar sector. Frank Haugwitz, director of the Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA), has predicted changes being drawn up by the authorities may drive "unprecedented industry consolidation" as state-owned entities squeeze out private businesses in the downstream solar project segment of the industry. The analyst also expects Beijing to halt overly-ambitious production capacity expansion and said big solar players could head west. Ever more ambitious production capacity plans have been outlined by the world's biggest solar manufacturers since last year, even as energy consumption has slumped around the world because of Covid-19-related industrial shutdowns, prompting oversupply fears. The AECEA has predicted further solar component price falls in the next quarter, on top of an estimated 20% reduction in the cost of making solar wafers and cells during the January-to-May period, and a 10% retreat in module costs during the same window.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/15/analyst-expects-unprecedented-consolidation-of-chinese-solar-industry/
     
         
      Sweden closes rebate scheme for rooftop PV Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:25:00
     
      The government said developers have one more month to apply for the subsidy. It also delayed the project-completion deadline from Dec. 31, 2020, to June 30, 2021. From next year, rooftop PV will likely be supported by unspecified tax breaks. The Swedish government has revealed that the deadline to submit applications for its rebate scheme for rooftop PV projects will close on July 7. This means that interested homeowners now have less than 30 days to submit their subsidy applications. Svensk Solenergi, the Swedish solar industry body, said that the closure of the scheme could bring the domestic PV market to a halt. The rebates have been the main driver for solar energy in Sweden in recent years. The government has also decided to postpone its deadline to complete projects under the rebate scheme from Dec. 31, 2020, to Jun. 30, 2021, as the pandemic has delayed the construction of many installations. The Swedish authorities said they will still support solar and that the rebate scheme will be replaced by unspecified tax breaks from January. "But the proposed tax deduction will apply only to private individuals, not enterprises," Svensk Solenergi said. The government had allocated a budget of SEK1.2 billion ($128 million) for the solar rebate scheme. The program is open to homeowners, businesses and public entities. It covers 20% of the cost of buying and installing a PV system. The Swedish Energy Agency has thus far devoted SEK3.2 billion to the 10-year initiative. The agency said that Sweden's operational PV capacity increased from 411 MW at the end of 2018 to 698 MW at the end of 2019. In March, it revealed that it expects solar generation to surge in the 2018-22 period, alongside a predicted rise in wind power output. This week, the agency predicted that solar generation of 400 GWh in 2018 would soar to 1.7 TWh within the next two years, with output from wind rising from 16.6 TWh to 38 TWh. However, it noted that its outlook did not consider the effects of the pandemic on the global economy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/15/sweden-closes-rebate-scheme-for-rooftop-pv/
     
         
      Renewables Could Be The Big Winner In The Post-Pandemic World Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:23:00
     
      Although the coronavirus crisis has slowed down clean energy investments and installations, renewable energy and green technologies have the chance to emerge as the winners in the post-COVID-19 world. Undoubtedly, the global health crisis has impacted every corner of the energy industry, including renewables. Yet, renewable energy has so far been the energy source most resilient to lockdown measures. Demand for renewables is set to grow this year—and this will be the only energy source to grow in 2020 compared to 2019, in contrast to all fossil fuels and nuclear, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). While the agency predicts that renewable power capacity installations globally will return to pre-virus levels as early as in 2021, the jury is still out on when (and if) global oil demand will return to its ‘normal’ consumption level of around 100 million barrels per day (bpd). Some analysts argue that we may have already hit peak oil demand, considering that the pandemic might result in lasting changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles, such as the opportunity to work from home indefinitely. Even the bosses of BP and Shell do not rule out the notion that the world may have already seen peak oil demand. Throw in the growing investor pressure on the oil industry to start addressing climate change and Big Oil's pledges for net-zero emissions, and here we have another driver of clean energy technology development and installation. In 2019, renewables dwarfed conventional generation sources in terms of both capacity additions and investment, a new report from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, UN Environment Program (UNEP), and BNEF showed. As much as 78 percent of net gigawatts of generating capacity added globally in 2019 was renewable energy, with investment in renewables – excluding large hydropower – more than three times the investment in new fossil fuel-powered plants.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Renewables-Could-Be-The-Big-Winner-In-The-Post-Pandemic-World.html
     
         
      BP Could Book Massive $20 Billion Writeoff On Oil Assets Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:20:00
     
      BP has warned it will book pre-tax writeoffs on assets and exploration to the tune of $16-21 billion in its second-quarter results as it revised down its long-term oil price assumption and launched a review into its exploration plans. The review and the revision that will lead to the writeoffs follow the company's aggressive pursuit of net zero goals for 2050. BP now expects the long-term average price for Brent crude to be $55 per barrel over the period between 2021 and 2050, and it will base its investment appraisal plans on this price, the company said in a press release today. "However, bp currently estimates that non-cash, pre-tax impairment charges against property, plant & equipment (PP&E) in the range of $8 billion to $11 billion, and write-offs of exploration intangibles in the range of $8 billion to $10 billion, will be reported in its second-quarter 2020 results," the supermajor said. Post-tax impairments and writeoffs will be in the range of $13 to $17.5 billion. For context, BP said that at the end of the first quarter, its total properties, plants, and equipment—the basis for the writeoffs—totalled $130.2 billion in value, of which $88.6 billion in oil and gas properties. Exploration intangibles totalled $14.2 billion. BP, like its European peers, has been cutting spending on its core business and increasing investments in alternative energy, driven by the new clean energy goals but also by the coronavirus pandemic, which will have a lasting effect on the industry. "In February we set out to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner," BP chief executive Bernard Looney said in a LinkedIn post. "Since then we have been in action, developing our strategy to become a more diversified, resilient and lower carbon company. As part of that process, we have been reviewing our price assumptions over a longer horizon. That work has been informed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which increasingly looks as if it will have an enduring economic impact."
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/BP-Could-Book-Massive-20-Billion-Writeoff-On-Oil-Assets.html
     
         
      Germany Capitalizes On Crisis With Big Bet On Hydrogen Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:18:00
     
      Decarbonization and the energy transition used to be a topic for environmentalists and leftist politicians. Not so long ago photovoltaic cells and wind turbines were produced on a limited scale. In recent years, however, a remarkable shift has occurred where renewables have become increasingly competitive, and in regions with favorable conditions, even cheaper than conventional power plants. German politicians have become aware of the economic potential and are about to unleash the country's formidable industrial resources towards the development of hydrogen-related technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Germany-Capitalizes-On-Crisis-With-Big-Bet-On-Hydrogen.html
     
         
      Another billion-dollar quarter for JinkoSolar Mon, 15th Jun 2020 15:03:00
     
      Despite the challenges to both the manufacturing and shipment of its products during the period, JinkoSolar today reported that it shipped 3.4 GW of modules in the first quarter of 2020, bringing its revenue for the quarter just over the billion dollar mark. JinkoSolar reported little slowdown in its business during the first quarter of 2020, shipping 3.4 GW of modules during the period and bringing in $1.2 billion in total revenue. Accordingly, the company is leaving its full-year 2020 shipments guidance untouched at 18-20 GW. Net income for the first quarter came in at $39.9 million, and Jinko's posted $103.5 million income from operations, excluding the impacts resulting from its disposal of two solar power plants in Mexico. These figures represent a 24.8% decrease in shipments compared to the previous quarter, but still 12.3% ahead of Q1 2019. Further, the company says that while it predicts the overall market will shrink by around 25% in 2020 compared to last year, it does not expect its own business to be affected. "…we see a number of growth opportunities in the near-term as the market consolidates," said JinkoSolar CEO Kangping Chen. "Smaller, less-competitive manufacturers will gradually exit the market, leaving more opportunities for a few key players to expand their market share worldwide." Chen's comments are broadly in line with analyst's expectations of consolidation across the PV manufacturing industry following the shock caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/15/another-billion-dollar-quarter-for-jinkosolar/
     
         
      Israeli Scientists Produce Hydrogen from Plants Sun, 14th Jun 2020 17:21:00
     
      In a study by the Director of the Renewable Energy Laboratory at the Faculty of Science at Tel Aviv University, Professor Iftach Yacoby says they have produced hydrogen from plants. "To link a device to electricity, you just have to connect to a power point.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/israeli-scientists-produce-hydrogen-from-plants/
     
         
      Carbon Pricing & The Energy Transition Sun, 14th Jun 2020 16:09:00
     
      I love reading about all the advances in clean energy in CleanTechnica. But are these advances getting us where we need to go fast enough? Short answer: NO. We are making great progress, with costs of solar, wind, and batteries continuing their decline. But we are not moving fast enough to turn the tide on human-caused climate change. One study I saw recently said we need to be installing wind and solar at triple the current rate to get to 90% renewable just for electricity by 2035. What are we missing to make the energy transition — a transition to renewables for close to 100% of our energy needs by 2050 or so? How do we do that? My reading of many books and reports on the subject lead to a consensus that we must do three main things: Encourage conservation and energy efficiency throughout the economy Green the grid Electrify everything According to most economists, we can best achieve all these goals and make the energy transition more quickly by putting a price on carbon so that fossil fuel burning bears the price for the damage to society it causes.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/14/carbon-pricing-the-energy-transition/
     
         
      Astronergy Is The Top “Top Performer” In PVEL’s “2020 PV Module Reliability Scorecard” Sun, 14th Jun 2020 15:42:00
     
      The 2020 PV Module Reliability Scorecard from PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) and DNV GL is out, and the "top performers" have been pumping out press releases highlighting their commendable scores. But who is best of the best? The scorecard follows in-depth analysis of PV technology, measuring field reliability per PV manufacturer in particular. It is a comprehensive look into top solar module manufacturers. The awards consider aspects such as the failure modes of PV modules, aging mechanisms, PV module failure rates, and warranty case studies. "Scorecard rankings are based on results from PVEL's PQP for PV modules. PVEL established the rigorous, comprehensive program in 2012 with two goals: To provide solar project developers, investors and asset owners with independent, consistent reliability and performance data for effective supplier management. To independently recognize manufacturers who outpace their competitors in product quality and durability."
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/14/astronergy-is-the-top-top-performer-in-pvels-2020-pv-module-reliability-scorecard/
     
         
      A 2,500 megawatt nuclear power plant is being proposed Sun, 14th Jun 2020 15:37:00
     
      It seems nuclear is NOT off the table as far as South Africa's energy mix is concerned. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has published a request for information to develop plans for a nuclear energy build programme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izeswpi6t2k
     
         
      Gas exports plummet at US ports Sun, 14th Jun 2020 15:35:00
     
      Gas exports plummet at US ports. Higher natural gas prices on the Gulf of Mexico coast are putting American producers out of the market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/6a3872a0-fa38-4a1c-90fa-2db35cbfff58
     
         
      Hydrogen Fuel Economy Is Finally Going Mainstream Sun, 14th Jun 2020 15:30:00
     
      Hydrogen power has been on the market for decades but has never really been able to break the glass ceiling of mass-market appeal, mainly due to a host of technical and cost issues. Indeed, battery power appears to be winning the race to replace the internal combustion engine (ICE) more than any other alternative fuel type. EV companies like Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) have already hit the fast lane while hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) appear to have stalled on the start line. Case in point is California, one of the greenest states in the United States. The golden state boasts a grand total of 20,992 EV charging stations compared to just 40 public hydrogen fueling stations. But now some experts believe that the hydrogen fuel economy has finally reached a tipping point, and hydrogen could soon develop into a globally-traded energy source, just like oil and gas. The revelation comes as dozens of countries have started committing billions of dollars, especially to green hydrogen, in a bid to combat climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Hydrogen-Fuel-Economy-Is-Finally-Going-Mainstream.html
     
         
      Apex Energy Inaugurates Europe's Largest Hydrogen Power Plant Sat, 13th Jun 2020 17:16:00
     
      In Laage near Rostock Apex Energy built Europe's largest hydrogen power plant. The plant intends to supply the commercial area with CO2-free hydrogen energy. On Friday, June 12th, 2020, Europe's largest hydrogen-based supply network was inaugurated in Laage near Rostock.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/apex-energy-inaugurates-europes-largest-hydrogen-power-plant/
     
         
      Dalai Lama: Seven billion people 'need a sense of oneness' Sat, 13th Jun 2020 16:21:00
     
      The leader of Tibetan Buddhism sees reasons for optimism even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. People are helping one another, he tells the BBC's Justin Rowlatt, and if seven billion people on Earth develop "a sense of oneness" they may yet unite to solve the problem of climate change. The first time I met the Dalai Lama he tweaked my cheek. It is pretty unusual to have your cheek tweaked by anyone, let alone by a man regarded as a living god by many of his followers. But the Dalai Lama is a playful man who likes to tease his interviewers. Now, of course, such a gesture would be unthinkable - our latest encounter comes via the sterile interface of a video conferencing app. The Dalai Lama appears promptly and sits in front of the camera, smiling and adjusting his burgundy robes. "Half-five," he says with a grin. His eyes sparkle: "Too early!" We both laugh. He is teasing me again.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-53028343
     
         
      Fast-growing mini-forests spring up in Europe to aid climate Sat, 13th Jun 2020 16:13:00
     
      Tiny, dense forests are springing up around Europe as part of a movement aimed at restoring biodiversity and fighting the climate crisis. Often sited in schoolyards or alongside roads, the forests can be as small as a tennis court. They are based on the work of the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who has planted more than 1,000 such forests in Japan, Malaysia and elsewhere. Advocates for the method say the miniature forests grow 10 times faster and become 30 times denser and 100 times more biodiverse than those planted by conventional methods. This result is achieved by planting saplings close together, three per square metre, using native varieties adapted to local conditions. A wide variety of species – ideally 30 or more – are planted to recreate the layers of a natural forest. Scientists say such ecosystems are key to meeting climate goals, estimating that natural forests can store 40 times more carbon than single-species plantations. The Miyawaki forests are designed to regenerate land in far less time than the 70-plus years it takes a forest to recover on its own. "This is a great thing to do," said Eric Dinerstein, a wildlife scientist who co-authored a recent paper calling for half of the Earth's surface to be protected or managed for nature conservation to avoid catastrophic climate change. "So this could be another aspect for suburban and urban areas, to create wildlife corridors through contiguous ribbons of mini-forest."
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/13/fast-growing-mini-forests-spring-up-in-europe-to-aid-climate
     
         
      Climate Crisis Weekly: What’s your country’s environment score? Sat, 13th Jun 2020 16:02:00
     
      The EPI "provides a quantitative basis for comparing, analyzing, and understanding environmental performance for 180 countries." The interactive page has pull-down menus for both countries and categories, and you can crunch the data in many different ways. So let's just take a quick look at two of the most environmentally impactful countries on the planet. The US ranks 24th in the world on environmental performance overall. (Denmark was first, and Liberia was last, at 180th, if you're curious.) China, in comparison, ranks 120th, and while that sounds dire, it's actually improved in the last decade. (India, another major player, is 168th.) On climate change, the US ranked 15th. China ranks 103rd. The Guardian asserts: [The US] is currently the second-biggest contributor to the climate crisis, after China. Over time, it has put more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere than any other nation. Zach Wendling, lead researcher on the research, explains why that's so: If you look at Denmark, they're doing great but they're a tiny fraction of overall carbon emissions or greenhouse gas emissions broadly. The US is one of the top five players in every greenhouse gas, so we need to do better than just OK if we're going to generate the best practices.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/06/13/climate-crisis-weekly-country-environmental-index-germany-climate-plan/
     
         
      Climate worst-case scenarios may not go far enough, cloud data shows Sat, 13th Jun 2020 16:00:00
     
      Worst-case global heating scenarios may need to be revised upwards in light of a better understanding of the role of clouds, scientists have said. Recent modelling data suggests the climate is considerably more sensitive to carbon emissions than previously believed, and experts said the projections had the potential to be "incredibly alarming", though they stressed further research would be needed to validate the new numbers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/13/climate-worst-case-scenarios-clouds-scientists-global-heating
     
         
      Earth Project: Plans for Snowdonia visitor centre unveiled Sat, 13th Jun 2020 15:57:00
     
      An "exciting and much-needed" project, which aims to promote sustainability across the world, has unveiled plans for a visitor centre in Wales. The Earth Project said a "world-class" hub at Glyn Rhonwy, near Llanberis, in Gwynedd, would be a focus for its work on "innovative, low-carbon solutions". The project is collaborative and will involve citizens, experts, artists and scientists from across the world. Observations are being sought on the environmental effects of lockdown. The Glyn Rhonwy site features a 6,000 sq m platform with a series of World War Two munitions tunnels, opening on to a large rectangular forecourt, which is linked by a tunnel to Llyn Padarn. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, site investigation work for the visitor centre has been put on hold. But project chiefs are finding ways to progress, including developing a virtual reality centre. And through its Earth Project-Live scheme, people will be asked for their observations on how the environment has changed since restrictions were imposed in response to the pandemic. Ultimately, the aim is to have "satellite hubs" around the world, director Ashley Rogers said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52994405
     
         
      The Cowboy State Is Hurting As Low Oil Prices Persist Sat, 13th Jun 2020 15:33:00
     
      The Cowboy State is struggling. Low demand for oil, gas, and coal is crippling the local economy, and lawmakers are scrambling for solutions. Production has been limited and exploration for new wells has come to a grinding halt. But is there some relief on the horizon? COVID-19 has taken a major toll on the oil and gas industry as a whole, but Wyoming, a state highly dependent on its abundance of natural resources, is really feeling the sting. And the dominoes are already starting to fall. The rig count in Wyoming fell from 30 rigs in March to just two rigs in early June. Experts estimate that for every rig lost, around 100 oil and gas jobs cease to exist. And though oil prices have rebounded in recent weeks, a full recovery of Wyoming's oil and gas industry appears unlikely in the short or even medium term. Even one of the Cowboy State's top producers is throwing in the towel. At least for now. One of Wyoming's top oil producers, Ultra Petroleum Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday evening. This is the result of months of financial problems sparked by the COVID-19 fueled downturn in energy markets. Brad Johnson, Ultra Petroleum's CEO explained, "After several months of liability management efforts and careful consideration of how best to navigate a challenging low commodity price environment and our debt levels, Ultra's Board of Directors determined that a voluntarily filing for Chapter 11 reorganization provides the best outcome for the entity," adding "This financial restructuring will result in an enterprise with very little debt, good liquidity and significant free cash flow that is underpinned by a large-scale, low-cost base of natural gas and condensate production."
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Cowboy-State-Is-Hurting-As-Low-Oil-Prices-Persist.html
     
         
      Molecular Twist Makes One Catalyst Useful for Three Hydrogen Applications Fri, 12th Jun 2020 17:18:00
     
      Hydrogen also has many applications in the chemical industry, often being attached to molecules through the process of hydrogenation to ...
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/molecular-twist-makes-one-catalyst-useful-for-three-hydrogen-applications/
     
         
      Climate crisis to blame for $67bn of Hurricane Harvey damage – study Fri, 12th Jun 2020 16:49:00
     
      At least $67bn of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 can be attributed directly to climate breakdown, according to research that could lead to a radical reassessment of the costs of damage from extreme weather. Harvey ripped through the Caribbean and the US states of Texas and Louisiana, causing at least $90bn of damage to property and livelihoods, and killing scores of people.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/climate-crisis-to-blame-for-67bn-of-hurricane-harvey-damage-study
     
         
      Low-carbon and renewable economy could create 700,000 jobs by 2030, report says Fri, 12th Jun 2020 16:28:00
     
      A low-carbon and renewable energy economy could create nearly 700,000 jobs in England by 2030, with the potential of more than 1.18 million jobs created by 2050, according to a report by the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA's "Local green jobs" report showed demand for environmentally friendly jobs would rapidly increase as the UK transitions to a net zero emissions economy. It also suggested that focussing on a low-carbon economy could help to counter job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which are likely to increase further when the government's furlough scheme ends later this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/business/low-carbon-renewable-energy-economy-jobs-local-government-climate-change-a9559666.html
     
         
      Onshore and offshore wind at war, future is floating and Shell's big energy transition bet Fri, 12th Jun 2020 16:18:00
     
      Onshore and offshore wind: best of 'frenemies'? As head of Enel Green Power, Antonio Cammisecra leads one of the world's biggest buyers of onshore wind turbines, and the Italian utility's global head of power generation has some strong views on the relationship between the land-based and offshore arms within the big-three OEM giants. Cammisecra reckons the two are like "enemies in the same company" and should bury their internal rivalries and learn from each other. The Enel executive offered his opinions during a briefing in which he also revealed that the Italy-based global renewables giant expects to begin green hydrogen production from one of its plants within a year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/onshore-and-offshore-wind-at-war-future-is-floating-and-shells-big-energy-transition-bet/2-1-825451
     
         
      Semi-transparent mini BIPV panels for solar windows Fri, 12th Jun 2020 16:15:00
     
      European scientists have developed mini modules with an active area of 14 cm² and a 3.68% efficiency rating. The panels also have a self-adjusting feature that can help to mitigate the amount of light when they are exposed to full sunlight, or to the temperatures of buildings with large windows and/or glass facades. Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble (IRIG), a branch of France's Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA) – in collaboration with the University Pablo de Olavide in Spain and Swiss start-up Solaronix – have designed 3.68%-efficient solar panels in variable colors. They claim the panels can dynamically self-adjust their optical transmittance according to sunlight intensity. The mini panels offer power output 32.5 milliwatts after coloration and are based on five 4.17%-efficient rectangular-shaped solar cells, interconnected in series using a W-type design, covering 61% of the total module area. In the W-type architecture, the inter-distance between cells can be smaller due to the absence of vertical interconnects. "We choose W-type design because it is easier to fabricate," research author, Renaud Demadrille, told pv magazine. Despite a relatively small active area of just 14 cm², the panels' power output is considered sufficient to operate low-consumption electronic devices and sensors. In the cells, the scientists replaced the commonly used organic dyes with photochromic dyes based on diphenyl-naphthopyran. These dyes are uncolored in the dark and can become colorful when exposed to light.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/12/semi-transparent-mini-bipv-panels-for-solar-windows/
     
         
      Natural Gas Demand Crashes Fri, 12th Jun 2020 16:06:00
     
      1. Clean Energy out-performing the market - Clean energy has outperformed the broader market since the downturn, despite the fact that renewable energy has been hit hard. Investors increasingly eye oil and gas firms with skepticism, and the 2020 collapse brought fears of peak demand into sharp relief. - "There are ludicrous extremes such as Tesla Inc., but more down-to-earth stocks such as Danish wind pioneers Ørsted A/S and Vestas Wind Systems A/S or Florida's NextEra Energy Partners LP also command multiples oil majors should envy," Liam Denning at Bloomberg Opinion wrote. - Ørsted A/S (CPH: ORSTED) and Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH: VWS) trade at 18.4 times Ebitda and 9.9 times, respectively. - A new study from London's Imperial College Business School found that renewable energy firms generated higher and less volatile returns to shareholders over 5 and 10-year timeframes. 2. Occidental cuts dividend and faces debt wall
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Natural-Gas-Demand-Crashes.html
     
         
      Tesla starts canceling Solar Roof orders after years of taking deposits Thu, 11th Jun 2020 17:11:00
     
      Tesla has started reaching out to some Solar Roof reservation holders to let them know that they are canceling their orders because they don't cover their area. Some owners are understandably upset after having placed deposits years ago. The automaker unveiled its solar roof tile in 2017 and started taking pre-orders with $1,000 deposits. Originally, they said installations would begin soon after, and they said international installations could even start in 2018. Tesla ended up running into many issues testing the longevity of the roof, and they made several changes leading to the launch of Solar Roof V3 late in 2019. At that time, they started ramping up production and went on a massive hiring spree for roofers to be able to install the solar roof tiles in more markets around the US. Following those moves, we have seen an increase in solar roof installations, but Tesla is also now canceling many solar roof orders. We received reports from several people who ordered a solar roof, and they are now being told that Tesla doesn't cover their region. Tesla is sending out automated emails that state: Upon further review, your home is not located within our currently planned service territory. The driving distance from our closest warehouse would make it difficult for us to provide you the high-quality service that our customers deserve. For this reason, we will not be able to proceed with your project. Electrek was contacted by people in Oregon and Michigan who received the email. Tesla wrote that they would get a refund within seven to 10 days: If you agree with our assessment, a response is not required. You will be receiving a refund of your deposit within 7-10 business days to the card used when placing your order. If you have additional questions or want more clarification, please reply to this email or call us at 877-701-7652. When they replied to the email, they did not get a response.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/06/11/tesla-cancelling-solar-roof-orders-after-years-deposits/
     
         
      'Surprisingly rapid' rebound in carbon emissions post-lockdown Thu, 11th Jun 2020 17:10:00
     
      Carbon dioxide emissions have rebounded around the world as lockdown conditions have eased, raising fears that annual emissions of greenhouse gases could surge to higher than ever levels after the coronavirus pandemic, unless governments take swift action. Emissions fell by a quarter when the lockdowns were at their peak, and in early April global daily carbon dioxide emissions were still down by 17% compared with the average figure for 2019, research published last month in the journal Nature Climate Change found.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/11/carbon-emissions-in-surprisingly-rapid-surge-post-lockdown
     
         
      Intuit Hits 100% Renewable Electricity Goal 10 Years Early Thu, 11th Jun 2020 17:06:00
     
      The 419 MW Mesquite Star wind farm was just completed in Fisher County, Texas, and is now providing electricity for Ecolab, Lowe's, Intuit, and Brown University. In the case of Intuit (which you may have used to do your taxes this year), the company has now reached its 100% renewable electricity goal. As the headline notes, it has reached that goal 10 years earlier than it had committed. The project is also providing Ecolab with 100% of its US electricity needs. The company has a goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2030 — presumably, based on 2019 levels, but I can't find details confirming the base year. "The 100 MW agreement will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of all 143 Lowe's stores in Texas," said Chris Cassell, Lowe's director of corporate sustainability. Lowe's intends to cut carbon emissions to 40% below 2016 levels by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/11/intuit-hits-100-renewable-electricity-goal-10-years-early/
     
         
      Kenyan floating solar crowdfunding bid could again end up smelling of roses Thu, 11th Jun 2020 17:03:00
     
      German company Ecoligo is offering micro investment in the construction of a 69 kW floating solar plant on the reservoir of a flower farm. German energy start-up Ecoligo last year successfully raised enough investment through its crowdfunding platform to finance a 75 kW solar system for the Rift Valley Roses flower farm in Naivasha, Kenya. Now the Rift Valley business is aiming to install what Ecoligo claims would be the nation's first floating solar project – a 69 kW system on one of the company's two reservoirs. Ecoligo is aiming to generate €126,000 from small scale investors willing to commit €100-25,000 using its crowdfunding platform and opened the appeal yesterday. The investment term for the project is four years with an estimated 6% annual return on offer and a 0.5% premium for "early bird" commitments made before July 19. The floating project planned would feature German equipment in the form of 216 solar modules supplied by Solarwatt and four Kaco inverters. A Kenyan contractor has been awarded the construction contract. Ecoligo said it expected 1,628 kWh to be generated annually from each kilowatt installed with all the power produced used by the flower farm.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/11/kenyan-floating-solar-crowdfunding-bid-could-again-end-up-smelling-of-roses/
     
         
      New Solar Breakthrough Turns Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel Thu, 11th Jun 2020 17:01:00
     
      Plants and their ingenious way of turning light and air into fuel have been an inspiration for many scientists. Now, photosynthesis has made the basis for a possible solution to our carbon dioxide problem. Researchers from the Swedish Linköping University have found a way to use solar power to convert carbon dioxide into other chemicals for use as a fuel. They did this by devising what they called a photoelectrode covered in a layer of graphene—the much-hyped material that is basically a single layer of carbon atoms—which captures solar energy and creates charge carriers. Next, they convert carbon dioxide and water into methane, carbon monoxide, and formic acid. This is the latest sign that a drive is underway to find ways to utilize the carbon dioxide that is the target of so many environmental initiatives and even the Paris Agreement itself. And this drive is gathering pace, with breakthroughs likely to keep coming. Earlier this year, for example, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the University of Southern California announced they had made a new sort of catalyst that could make hydrogenation—a process than can turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons—cheaper. Their catalyst utilized nanotechnology to add nanoparticles of molybdenum carbide—a compound featuring a metal and carbon that has an extensive range of applications, among them the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide to be used in chemicals production, and into hydrocarbons. Cost is an essential consideration in all projects seeking to make use of the carbon dioxide that we release in the atmosphere instead of just leaving it there and worrying about it. Carbon capture technology is notoriously expensive, for example, and many believe it would never become affordable enough to make sense as a large-scale solution to the world's emissions problem. But some technologies are that expensive, it seems.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/New-Solar-Breakthrough-Turns-Carbon-Dioxide-Into-Fuel.html
     
         
      Earth’s magnetic field affecting PV panel performance Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:59:00
     
      Researchers in Kenya say the geomagnetic field could reduce solar panel conversion efficiency 0.21% between the equator and a 50-degree latitude. Their analysis showed the complex magnetic field can determine increases in module fill factor and falls in maximum power. Researchers at the Multimedia University of Kenya have claimed the Earth's magnetic field affects solar panel performance in the same manner fields from power lines, transformers and other electrical equipment can. The Kenyan group analyzed the performance of a multicrystalline solar panel influenced by a static magnetic field they calculated was the equivalent of the 'geomagnetic field' which protects Earth from the solar wind of cosmic particles from the sun. The scientists observed their static magnetic field prompted considerable variation in the panel's voltage and current parameters, fill factor, maximum power and conversion efficiency. The changes were produced by the 'Hall effect', which determines voltage differences across an electrical conductor. Hall voltage, said the scientists, affects carrier mobility through magnetoresistance, which in turn leads to an increase in cell resistance in the presence of a magnetic field.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/11/earths-magnetic-field-affecting-pv-panel-performance/
     
         
      Adani mine: three major insurers to have no further involvement in coal project Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:58:00
     
      Three major insurance groups that provided cover for parts of the Adani coal project in Queensland have said they will not provide future policies to the project. AXA XL, Liberty Mutual and HDI have told Guardian Australia they will not have any further involvement in the project after previously providing insurance cover that has now expired.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/12/adani-mine-three-major-insurers-to-have-no-further-involvement-in-coal-project
     
         
      Energy Storage: Episode 3 - Renewable Energy Sources Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:54:00
     
      The C4EE in partnership with Halifax Community College presents Episode Three on Energy Storage. In this lesson, Professor Jason Bone, Industrial Systems Technology Department Head at Halifax Community College, teaches on Renewable Energy Sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcyDafTqlYM
     
         
      Australia cannot expect China to import and burn coal it no longer needs Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:47:00
     
      The prevailing narrative is that the diplomatic and trade dispute between China and Australia is threatening coal exports and we should expect a return to business as usual once the spat ends. Nothing could be further from the truth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/11/australia-cannot-expect-china-to-import-and-burn-coal-it-no-longer-needs
     
         
      Fossil Fuel’s Answer to Climate Change Just Got Less Expensive Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:44:00
     
      Carbon capture, the fossil-fuel industry's favorite weapon against climate change, has never really caught on because of the cost. That may be about to change. The Internal Revenue Service recently issued crucial guidance to help developers take advantage of tax credits for the systems, and supporters say it could usher in a new era for the controversial technology. "It's the make-or-break financial element," said Peter Mandelstam, chief operating officer for Enchant Energy Corp., which is preparing to install a carbon-capture system at a coal-fired power plant near Farmington, New Mexico. "The Enchant project only works if the tax credit is in place." Thirteen commercial systems are operating in the U.S., with 30 more in development, according to the Carbon Capture Coalition. Nine have been announced since October. The growing list boasts projects proposed by deep-pocketed developers including Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Starwood Energy Group Global. A similar tax credit jump-started the U.S. wind-power industry more than a decade ago, and supporters say the new IRS guidance may prove to be the missing piece of the financial puzzle that will make capturing carbon economical.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-06-11/carbon-capture-tool-against-climate-change-just-got-cheaper
     
         
      Renewable Power Will Soon Come Out on Top Thu, 11th Jun 2020 16:25:00
     
      More than $2.7 trillion has been invested in building up renewable energy capacity over the past decade. In those same 10 years, renewables more than doubled their share of the global power mix, from 5.9% in 2009 to 13.4% last year. Those are two of the key findings of the latest Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report, published by the Frankfurt School-United Nations Environment Program Center and BloombergNEF. More investment is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, and governments and industry groups are touting clean-energy investment as an essential part of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. But what this report helps us see—with the clarity only a decade's worth of data can provide—is just how much the world's electricity sector has changed. That's not just in terms of what's being built, but also where capital is being applied. An extraordinary amount of capital for clean energy has been deployed to the developing world—the vast majority to China, with a lesser chunk going to India. At the peak year, in 2017, developing economies as a group saw almost $200 billion in new investment in renewable energy capacity. While investment in China and India has tapered off since then, investment in rest of the developing world has been growing, and hit a record of almost $60 billion last year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-11/solar-and-wind-power-top-growth-in-renewable-energy-worldwide
     
         
      Nant Helen opencast mine to close after licence rejected over climate Thu, 11th Jun 2020 12:55:00
     
      A licence for the extraction of fossil fuels in Wales has been refused by the Welsh Government for the first time. Coal mining at an opencast site in the Dulais Valley is to end after ministers refused to allow the site to continue to operate because of climate change. The 850-acre Nant Helen site employs 110 people, with 50 working at the adjacent washery. Celtic Energy, the mine's operator, said it was "shocked" by the decision. Continuing to extract coal from the site would have "environmental and climate change impacts", a Welsh Government spokeswoman said. The site in Coelbren, on the border of Neath Port Talbot and Powys, includes the adjacent Onllwyn washery and distribution centre which now only serves the Nant Helen operation. The company said a significant number of employees will be required for the restoration of the area, which is due to be the location for a train testing facility announced by the Welsh Government. Officials at the Coal Authority had issued a licence to 31 December 2021, and Powys council had granted planning permission. But Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths' decision means Celtic Energy does not have the necessary licence for mining operations at Nant Helen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-52992868
     
         
      German Cabinet Passes National Hydrogen (H2) Strategy Wed, 10th Jun 2020 17:13:00
     
      In the National Hydrogen Strategy, the government proposes that Germany build an electrolysis capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 and 10,000 MW by 2040 to produce the new fuel. Below Follows the highlights of the Strategy.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/german-cabinet-passes/
     
         
      A journey into Antarctica: the unavoidable signs of global heating Wed, 10th Jun 2020 17:08:00
     
      When you stand on the wild terrain of St George's Island in Antarctica, many of the world's problems can feel very far away. For example, Antarctica is the only continent not to have a single case of coronavirus. But it is vulnerable to the other great global crisis: the climate emergency. Earlier this year the Guardian's global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, joined a scientific voyage to Antarctica, a journey taking in research on penguin colonies, glaciers and sealife. He tells Anushka Asthana that what he witnessed was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. The speed at which the climate crisis is moving is all too evident, and avoiding its worst consequences will need global cooperation on a larger scale than that working to good effect currently on the continent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2020/jun/11/a-journey-into-antarctica-the-unavoidable-signs-of-global-heating
     
         
      China’s threat to boycott Britain's insane nuclear plan is wonderful news Wed, 10th Jun 2020 16:56:00
     
      It no longer makes any commercial sense to build large nuclear plants ever again in Britain. They are prohibitively expensive. Reactors are being shut down across the US despite Herculean efforts by the Trump administration to save the industry. One reactor at Indian Point in New York closed in April. Its sister unit will go next year. Construction of the V.C. Summer project in South Carolina has been abandoned after $7bn of sunk investment. The state governor says the misadventure will cost the average household in Horry County some $6,200. Reactors have been zero-carbon workhorses since the 1950s but trying to meet post-Chernobyl and post-Fukushima safety demands has priced new models out of the market....
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/06/10/chinas-threat-boycott-britains-insane-nuclear-plan-wonderful/
     
         
      Wind Energy Wed, 10th Jun 2020 16:51:00
     
      Learn about wind energy, inverters, vertical axis and horizontal axis windmills, microgrids and energy storage. Aryana Nakhai and Santino Graziani explain how Eaton can help you with renewable applications at our Power Systems Experience Center.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6wRAVfMfrw
     
         
      €9 billion competition in Scotland will redefine wind power Wed, 10th Jun 2020 16:33:00
     
      Scotland is encouraging applications from companies to build the country's new generation of offshore wind farms. There's potentially over €9bn up for grabs, as organisations compete to play a major role in Scotland's transition to entirely green energy. The investment opportunity, called ScotWind, is part of the country's plans for a green recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen a 33 per cent drop in Scottish GDP. Other countries in Europe are placing green initiatives at the heart of their economic recovery plans too, and the European Commission launched its own European Green Deal last month. The Scottish government aims to be net zero by 2045, meaning the anticipated ScotWind project will be instrumental in reaching this goal.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/06/10/9-billion-competition-in-scotland-will-redefine-wind-power
     
         
      Earth's Changing Climate Wed, 10th Jun 2020 15:07:00
     
      Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Weather can change from hour to hour, day to day, month to month or even from year to year. For periods of 30 years or more, however, distinct weather patterns occur. A desert might experience a rainy week, but over the long term, the region receives very little rainfall. It has a dry climate. Because climates are mostly constant, living things can adapt to them. Polar bears have adapted to stay warm in polar climates, while cacti have evolved to hold onto water in dry climates. The enormous variety of life on Earth results in large part from the variety of climates that exist. Climates do change, however—they just change very slowly, over hundreds or even thousands of years. As climates change, organisms that live in the area must adapt, relocate, or risk going extinct. Earth’s climate has changed many times. For example, fossils from the Cretaceous period (144 to 65 million years ago) show that Earth was much warmer than it is today. Fossilized plants and animals that normally live in warm environments have been found at much higher latitudes than they could survive at today. For instance, breadfruit trees, now found on tropical islands, grew as far north as Greenland. Earth has also experienced several major ice ages—at least four in the past 500,000 years. During these periods, Earth’s temperature decreased, causing an expansion of ice sheets and glaciers. The most recent Ice Age began about 2 million years ago and peaked about 20,000 years ago. The ice caps began retreating 18,000 years ago. They have not disappeared completely, however. Their presence in Antarctica and Greenland suggests the Earth is still in a sort of ice age. Many scientists believe we are in an interglacial period, when warmer temperatures have caused the ice caps to recede. Many centuries from now, the glaciers may advance again. Climatologists look for evidence of past climate change in many different places. Like clumsy criminals, glaciers leave many clues behind them. They scratch and scour rocks as they move. They deposit sediment known as glacial till. This sediment sometimes forms mounds or ridges called moraines. Glaciers also form elongated oval hills known as drumlins. All of these geographic features on land that currently has no glaciers suggest that glaciers were once there. Scientists also have chemical evidence of ice ages from sediments and sedimentary rocks. Some rocks only form from glacial material. Their presence under the ocean or on land also tells scientists that glaciers were once present in these areas. Scientists also have paleontological evidence—fossils. Fossils show what kinds of animals and plants lived in certain areas. During ice ages, organisms that are adapted to cold weather can increase their range, moving closer to the Equator. Organisms that are adapted to warm weather may lose part of their habitat, or even go extinct. Climate changes occur over shorter periods, as well. For example, the so-called Little Ice Age lasted only a few hundred years, peaking during the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time, average global temperatures were 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2-3 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than they are today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/earths-changing-climate/
     
         
      Seabed opened for first new wind farm projects in a decade Wed, 10th Jun 2020 13:21:00
     
      Scotland's seabed is being opened up for new wind farm projects for the first time in a decade. Crown Estate Scotland, which manages the seabed, says it could lead to billions being invested as part of a green recovery. It says ScotWind could deliver more than enough green electricity to power every Scottish household. A Scottish government spokeswoman said the move would help create new green jobs. The investment value from the leasing round has been put at about £8bn. More than six million tonnes of CO2 saving could be made annually once the wind farms are operational. John Robertson, Crown Estate Scotland's head of energy and infrastructure, said: "Today is a huge step forward in kick-starting Scotland's green recovery, meeting net zero targets and bringing multi-billion pound investments to benefit communities across the nation. "Offshore wind is currently one of the cheapest forms of new electricity generation and Scotland is perfectly poised to host major new projects, with a well-established energy skills sector as well as some of the best natural marine resources in Europe." The bidding process begins on Wednesday and is expected to be completed by March 2021.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52983766
     
         
      Britain goes coal free as renewables edge out fossil fuels Wed, 10th Jun 2020 13:06:00
     
      Britain is about to pass a significant landmark - at midnight on Wednesday it will have gone two full months without burning coal to generate power. A decade ago about 40% of the country's electricity came from coal; coronavirus is part of the story, but far from all. When Britain went into lockdown, electricity demand plummeted; the National Grid responded by taking power plants off the network. The four remaining coal-fired plants were among the first to be shut down. The last coal generator came off the system at midnight on 9 April. No coal has been burnt for electricity since. The current coal-free period smashes the previous record of 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes which was set in June last year. The figures apply to Britain only, as Northern Ireland is not on the National Grid. But it reveals just how dramatic the transformation of our energy system has been in the last decade. That the country does not need to use the fuel that used to be the backbone of the grid is thanks to a massive investment in renewable energy over the last decade. Two examples illustrate just how much the UK's energy networks have changed. A decade ago just 3% of the country's electricity came from wind and solar, which many people saw as a costly distraction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52973089
     
         
      U.S. Lawmakers Propose A Major Clean Energy Stimulus Wed, 10th Jun 2020 13:01:00
     
      As tens of millions of Americans remain jobless following the COVID-19 shock that took the world by storm, some United States lawmakers are calling for a new stimulus package that will include funding for the renewable energy sector. COVID-19 has inflicted a devastating toll on the United States, leaving over 100,000 dead, 2 million infected, and more than 40 million jobless. Now, nearly 60 Democrats are calling for a new strategy with the goal of both supporting the people that need it and investing in the future of the country's energy infrastructure. A move that could both create jobs and help America's energy sector in the long run. "As Congress works to help the American economy recover, we must ensure robust investments are made to spur growth in renewable energy, energy storage, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, clean and efficient infrastructure, clean fuels, and workforce development.," the lawmakers wrote, adding "'These investments should both spur national growth and include funding opportunities for community-level adoption. Smart investments in these areas can help America decarbonize, put people back to work, and help our national, state, and local economies recover." Though details are still being hammered out, some of the proposals being drafted include extensions of investment tax credits for solar energy and other renewable energy projects. Additionally, they are pushing for an extension of the production tax credit for wind power, which could translate into a direct tax refund.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Lawmakers-Propose-A-Major-Clean-Energy-Stimulus.html
     
         
      In the right direction but lacking ambition: The Spanish Climate Change and Energy Transition Bill Tue, 9th Jun 2020 17:57:00
     
      If the European Green Deal is going to be EU’s recovery strategy from the coronavirus crisis, the Spanish climate and energy bill is not ambitious enough, writes Ana Barreira. Ana Barreira is the director of the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA). The Climate Change and Energy Transition Bill was adopted by the Spanish Government on 19 May and submitted to the Parliament. At the UNFCCC 21 COP held in Paris, the former President of Spain committed to prepare such a bill, but it never happened. Three bills have been drafted since the Socialist Party took power after a motion of no-confidence in May 2018. On 21 January 2020, the Spanish Government declared the climate emergency. Among the measures to fight the emergency it included the commitment to prepare and submit the Bill to the Parliament within its first 100 days in office but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/opinion/in-the-right-direction-but-lacking-ambition-the-spanish-climate-change-and-energy-transition-bill/
     
         
      Could the coronavirus crisis finally finish off coal? Tue, 9th Jun 2020 14:15:00
     
      The coronavirus crisis has changed the way we use energy, at least for now. But could the global pandemic finally finish off coal, the most polluting of all fossil fuels? The Covid-19 crisis has been an extraordinary and terrifying time for us all, but it has been a fascinating period to cover environmental issues. We've all enjoyed the unusually clean air and clear skies. They are the most obvious evidence that we have been living through a unique experiment in energy use. Locking hundreds of millions of us down in our homes around the world has led to an unprecedented fall in energy demand, including for electricity. And that has, in turn, revealed something very striking about the economics of the energy industry: the underlying vulnerability of coal, the fuel that powered the creation of the modern world. Like a tide withdrawing, the Covid-19 crisis has exposed just how fragile the financial foundations of this dirtiest of all fossil fuels have become. Some industry observers are even saying that coal may never recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Let's look at the evidence stacking up around the world. Britain's electricity grid will not have burnt any coal for 60 days - as of midnight on Wednesday 10 June. That is by far the longest period since the Industrial Revolution began more than 200 years ago. When I spoke to the National Grid, they said they weren't expecting a coal generator to be turned back on anytime soon. In the US, more energy was consumed from renewables than from coal for the first time ever this year, despite President Donald Trump's efforts to support the industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52968716
     
         
      Climate Basics: CO2 explained Tue, 9th Jun 2020 14:14:00
     
      CO2 - or carbon dioxide - is at the heart of the world's changing climate. Reality Check's Chris Morris explains why.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52926683
     
         
      Britain goes coal free as renewables edge out fossil fuels Tue, 9th Jun 2020 14:11:00
     
      Britain is about to pass a significant landmark - at midnight on Wednesday it will have gone two full months without burning coal to generate power. A decade ago about 40% of the country's electricity came from coal; coronavirus is part of the story, but far from all. When Britain went into lockdown, electricity demand plummeted; the National Grid responded by taking power plants off the network. The four remaining coal-fired plants were among the first to be shut down. The last coal generator came off the system at midnight on 9 April. No coal has been burnt for electricity since. The current coal-free period smashes the previous record of 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes which was set in June last year. The figures apply to Britain only, as Northern Ireland is not on the National Grid. But it reveals just how dramatic the transformation of our energy system has been in the last decade. That the country does not need to use the fuel that used to be the backbone of the grid is thanks to a massive investment in renewable energy over the last decade. Two examples illustrate just how much the UK's energy networks have changed. A decade ago just 3% of the country's electricity came from wind and solar, which many people saw as a costly distraction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52973089
     
         
      Historic-low interest rates will power ahead astonishing solar cost reductions Tue, 9th Jun 2020 13:19:00
     
      An Ieefa report has suggested the cost of generating electricity from solar will be near zero in the world's sunniest regions by 2030-40 – despite what the naysayers at the International Energy Agency might think. U.S.-based energy transition thinktank the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa) has taken a swipe at intergovernmental peer the International Energy Agency (IEA) over the latter's prediction the Covid-19 crisis will slow the dramatic cost reductions achieved by the solar industry. Positing the argument that the final cost of solar energy depends on solar resource, the capital cost of generation facilities and the rate of return on finance, Ieefa's Tim Buckley pointed out PV projects have continued to be deployed at scale during the global health crisis as finance interest rates have plunged to historic lows because central banks are attempting to propel all types of economic investment during the current shock. Buckley, Ieefa's director of energy finance research for Australasia, pointed to the U.S. Treasury's ten-year bond interest rate as an example, with bonds with a 2.7% interest rate at the start of last year now offering a 0.7% cost which can be fixed in for the longer term.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/09/historic-low-interest-rates-will-power-ahead-astonishing-solar-cost-reductions/
     
         
      A spray coating process for perovskite PV Tue, 9th Jun 2020 13:17:00
     
      Scientists at Thailand's Mahidol University have developed a new spray coating process which they say could be used in the production of stable multi-layered perovskite solar cells in a variety of colors and transparencies. As perovskite solar cells edge closer to commercial, a wealth of different ways to produce them is being suggested, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. One advantage common to most is that the active layers can be applied directly to glass or a flexible substrate at a relatively low temperature, meaning production processes can be kept fairly simple, particularly in comparison to silicon PV's requirements for ingot growth, wafer cutting and other complex, energy intensive processes. And when it comes to applying perovskite materials to a substrate, various types of process are suggested, from simple inkjet printing to more complex solution based processing. And now, Thailand's Mahidol University is bringing to the table another process, this time based on precision spray coating. The process, according to Pongsakorn Kanjanaboos of Mahidol's School of Materials Science and Innovation, allows for the sequential deposition of stacked cell layers, including additional perovskite layers. This could allow for production of highly stable devices, and for the customization of other properties, including the color of the modules.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/09/a-spray-coating-process-for-perovskite-pv/
     
         
      Bangladesh looks to Beijing to speed its solar ambition Tue, 9th Jun 2020 13:12:00
     
      The two governments will form a JV which will see China invest around $500 million in setting up 450 MW of solar generation capacity and a 50 MW wind farm on land supplied by the host nation's North-West Power Generation Company. Bangladeshi power minister Nasrul Hamid has said the government has invited China to accelerate the renewable energy ambitions of the South Asian nation because private sector investors were not driving forward solar deployment fast enough. Welcoming the decision to form a joint venture (JV) between state-owned entities from each nation which will drive 450 MW of new solar capacity and a 50 MW wind farm, Hamid said lack of local investment meant solar power projects still cost $0.10-0.13/kWh in Bangladesh despite marked falls elsewhere in the world. Bangladesh's highest decision-making body, the cabinet committee, on Monday approved a joint venture which will see the host nation's North-West Power Generation Company Limited supply land for clean energy generation. Chinese engineering contractor the National Machinery Import and Export Corporation will invest an estimated $500 million in developing the planned solar and wind facilities, via the new Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Ltd Renewables entity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/09/bangladesh-looks-to-beijing-to-speed-its-solar-ambition/
     
         
      Implementing standards in floating PV Tue, 9th Jun 2020 13:09:00
     
      Norwegian consultancy DNV GL has gathered together big energy players, floating PV specialists and project developers into a consortium that will aim to define recommended practices for the floating solar business. Among the 14 participants are some big players in the field including EDP, EDF and Equinor, as well as French floating technology provider Ciel & Terre. Norway-based consultancy DNV GL has created a new consortium aimed at defining standards and recommended practices for the floating PV business. The Floating Solar joint industry project (JIP) consortium comprises big European energy companies such as Portugal's EDP, France's EDF and Norway's Equinor, as well as German project developer BayWa r.e, Engie unit Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, UK-based independent power producer Mainstream Renewable Power and Norwegian solar developer Scatec Solar, among others. It also includes French floating PV specialist Ciel & Terre and Sweden's mooring and anchoring system provider Seaflex. The project will be related to floating solar projects both inland and on coastal waters and will mainly focus on site conditions assessment, energy yield forecasting, mooring and anchoring systems, floating structures, permitting and environmental impacts. "By not limiting itself to any specific floating solar technology, the consortium aims to define requirements and guidelines that can be applied in a practical manner to all floating solar projects," DNV GL explained.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/09/implementing-standards-in-floating-pv/
     
         
      Norway Unveils its Hydrogen Strategy Mon, 8th Jun 2020 17:35:00
     
      This article discusses their newest strategy, and first of its kind, which will help lay the foundation for the government's further work on hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/norway-unveils-its-hydrogen-strategy/
     
         
      Atmospheric CO2 levels rise sharply despite Covid-19 lockdowns Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:55:00
     
      Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have risen strongly to a new peak this year, despite the impact of the global effects of the coronavirus crisis. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reached 417.2 parts per million in May, 2.4ppm higher than the peak of 414.8ppm in 2019, according to readings from the Mauna Loa observatory in the US. Without worldwide lockdowns intended to slow the spread of Covid-19, the rise might have reached 2.8ppm, according to Ralph Keeling, a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He said it was likely they had played a small role, but that the difference was too small to show up against other factors causing year-to-year fluctuations. "People may be surprised to hear that the response to the coronavirus outbreak hasn't done more to influence CO2 levels," he said. "But the buildup of CO2 is a bit like trash in a landfill. As we keep emitting, it keeps piling up. The crisis has slowed emissions, but not enough to show up perceptibly at Mauna Loa. What will matter much more is the trajectory we take coming out of this situation." Daily emissions of carbon dioxide fell by an average of about 17% around the world in early April, according to the a comprehensive study last month. As lockdowns are eased, however, the fall in emissions for the year as a whole is only likely to be only between 4% and 7% compared with 2019. That will make no appreciable difference to the world's ability to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, and keep global heating below the threshold of 2C that scientists say is necessary to stave off catastrophic effects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/04/atmospheric-co2-levels-rise-sharply-despite-covid-19-lockdowns
     
         
      OREAC: 1.4 TW of Offshore Wind by 2050 Achievable Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:46:00
     
      1,400 GW of offshore wind globally by 2050 is entirely achievable considering the resource potential, technology innovation, and government appetite to position offshore wind at the centre of the global energy transition, the Ocean Renewable Energy Action Coalition (OREAC) said. OREAC estimates that offshore wind could provide around 24 million years of employment, defined as full-time work for one person per calendar year with 260 working days, by 2050, if the 1,400 GW vision is achieved. This job creation potential is calculated using IRENA data, and covers the full value chain of offshore wind, from procurement to construction to decommissioning. The coalition is spearheaded by Ørsted and Equinor, and includes other major players in the global offshore wind industry such as CWind, Global Marine Group, JERA, MHI Vestas, MingYang Smart Energy, Mainstream Renewable Power, Shell, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, TenneT, and GE Renewable Energy. Additional partner organisations include Global Wind Energy Council, World Resources Institute, UN Global Compact, the Chinese Wind Energy Association and Ocean Energy Systems. The coalition was formed in response to the 2019 call for ocean-based climate action by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), and represents ocean energy in the global dialogue on a sustainable ocean economy. A report commissioned by the Ocean Panel shows that ocean-based renewable energy, such as offshore wind, floating solar, tidal and wave power, could meet nearly 10 per cent of the global annual greenhouse gas emissions reductions needed to remain on a Paris-compliant 1.5°C pathway in 2050. It estimates that up to 85 per cent of this decarbonisation potential will come from offshore wind. 1,400 GW of offshore wind would power one-tenth of global electricity demand while saving over 3 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, equal to taking 800 million cars off the road.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/06/08/oreac-1-4-tw-of-offshore-wind-by-2050-achievable/
     
         
      Earth’s carbon dioxide levels hit record high, despite coronavirus-related emissions drop Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:31:00
     
      The coronavirus pandemic's economic downturn may have set off a sudden plunge in global greenhouse gas emissions, but another crucial metric for determining the severity of global warming — the amount of greenhouse gases actually in the air — just hit a record high. According to readings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of CO2 in the air in May 2020 hit an average of slightly greater than 417 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest monthly average value ever recorded, and is up from 414.7 ppm in May of last year. Carbon dioxide levels are the highest they've been in human history, and probably are the highest in 3 million years. The last time there was this much CO2 in the atmosphere, global average surface temperatures were significantly warmer than they are today, and sea levels were 50 to 80 feet higher. The continuing rise in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere may sound surprising in light of recent findings that the pandemic, and the associated lockdowns, had led to a steep drop in global greenhouse gas emissions, peaking at a 17 percent decline in early April.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/06/04/carbon-dioxide-record-2020/
     
         
      US trade commission dismisses Hanwha patent infringement claim Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:20:00
     
      The Chinese manufacturer this morning said the International Trade Commission had agreed with the initial determination issued by an administrative law judge in April, that Jinko and peers Longi Solar and REC Group had not infringed Hanwha's solar cell passivation technology. Chinese solar manufacturer JinkoSolar has announced the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) yesterday confirmed its technology does not infringe a patent asserted by Korean rival Hanwha Q Cells. The company said the ITC had issued a final determination which confirmed the initial decision made by administrative law judge (ALJ) MaryJoan McNamara in the case in April. In a statement issued by Jinko, CEO Kangping Chen said: "We welcome this final decision from the ITC, confirming what we have known all along: our products do not infringe Hanwha's patent. From the start, we have believed that the case brought by Hanwha was legally and technically meritless and a transparent attempt to disrupt innovation and slow our momentum. The ALJ's decision confirms that Hanwha should never have brought this case in the first place. JinkoSolar is a true innovator, and this outcome validates our technology." A Hanwha spokesperson told pv magazine in response: "Hanwha Q Cells respects the decision rendered by the United States International Trade Commission on June 3, 2020. However, it is regrettable that the commission has not taken our claim into proper consideration. As an industry-leading solar company, Hanwha Q Cells has been strongly supporting fair competition and promoting intellectual property rights in the industry." Referring to the final three digits of U.S. patent number 9,893,215, the Hanwha representative added: "It is our maintained position that Hanwha Q Cells' '215' patent has been infringed. To that effect, we will seek all possible legal avenues to protect the company's valuable intellectual property rights."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/04/jinko-claims-us-trade-commission-has-dismissed-hanwha-patent-infringement-claim/
     
         
      Solar, Wind, Storage Link Arms in Push for ‘Majority Renewables’ by 2030 Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:07:00
     
      The U.S. solar, wind, energy storage and hydropower industries announced a new era of cooperation between their sectors, with the goal of bringing renewables to constitute a majority of electricity generation sources by 2030. While the American solar and wind industries have long fought for many of the same policies on the national stage, the two markets are largely supported by different mechanisms at the federal level, and a policy victory for one industry has not always meant a victory for the other. But the two industries have grown increasingly blended, particularly among development companies. Utility-scale solar now competes strongly in many of the wind industry's strongest markets, from Texas to the Midwest. Last year the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced it would transform its flagship annual Windpower conference and exhibition to a "Cleanpower" event designed to incorporate solar and storage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-wind-storage-plot-path-to-majority-renewables-in-the-u.s-by-2030
     
         
      Research to unveil truth about climate change in the Arctic delayed due to coronavirus Mon, 8th Jun 2020 16:02:00
     
      The COVID-19 pandemic has halted progress on a major research project in the Arctic. The study is the largest ever undertaken in the area, with scientists hoping their findings will reveal vital information about global warming. Hundreds of researchers from over 20 countries set sail last September from Norway on the icebreaker Polarstern, but the coronavirus crisis has left the team without supplies or crew relief for over two months.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/06/07/research-to-unveil-truth-about-climate-change-in-the-arctic-delayed-due-to-coronavirus
     
         
      Economic Recovery Funds For Renewables Would Create 3 Times As Many Jobs For Australia Mon, 8th Jun 2020 15:41:00
     
      Every country in the world is struggling to reignite its economy after being devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Many of them are proposing massive stimulus packages for fossil fuel companies, but a study by Ernst & Young, a global consulting company, finds that investing in renewable energy in Australia would create three times as many jobs as investing in oil and gas while lowering carbon emissions. It should be an easy choice. More jobs with less pollution or fewer jobs with more pollution? Any ten-year-old could tell you which is the better way to spend taxpayer dollars, but sadly, many national leaders don't have the same acumen as the average pre-teen. Australia in particular is in thrall to mining and other extractive industries and its government is making a push for a major expansion of the country's natural gas industry. The Guardian reports that Ernst & Young was retained by the World Wide Fund for Nature to recommend how best to spend economic stimulus funds. In its report, it finds that fast-tracking wind and solar farms that have already been approved, increasing electricity transmission capacity, and backing new industries in battery manufacturing, electric buses, renewable hydrogen, and manufacturing powered by renewable energy would generate three times as many jobs as the proposed natural gas boondoogle favored by the ScoMo government.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/08/economic-recovery-funds-for-renewables-would-create-3-times-as-many-jobs-for-australia/
     
         
      Fractal flaming hydrogen wiggles through tiny gaps Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:54:00
     
      Hydrogen is not your friend. This was the first lesson I learned when I sent a PhD student off to study hydrogen reactions on a surface. Hydrogen is explosive over a huge range of concentrations, making even the tiniest leak an invitation to study the joys of high-velocity stainless steel, with an added bonus of third-degree burns. I've now learned that the situation is actually worse than I thought, because hydrogen is also able to burn in very confined spaces as well. Fire needs three things: fuel, oxygen, and heat. If you have a well-mixed fuel-oxygen combination, the first two aren't going to be a problem, so you just need to add heat. When ignition is sparked off, the fuel and oxygen are quickly exhausted locally, so a front of combustion will expand outward from the ignition point, consuming the fuel and oxygen as it goes. For that expansion to take place, the heat generated from combustion must be transferred outward with the flame front, otherwise the gas will not be hot enough to ignite. In a large space, this is not a problem, because gases don't take much energy to heat up. In a confined space, though, the walls start to play a role. Energy will go into heating the walls, but the wall temperature may never get above the ignition temperature of the gas. So, if the walls are close enough, a spark will not result in a propagating flame front; instead, the flame dies locally. For hydrogen, though, the story turns out to be a bit more complicated.
       
      Full Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/fractal-flaming-hydrogen-wiggles-through-tiny-gaps/
     
         
      Environmentalists on back foot as Germany’s newest coal plant opens Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:36:00
     
      Environmentalists on back foot as Germany's newest coal plant opens
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/9c3228f3-d22c-4da6-9417-8fb29dcbfda4
     
         
      Hanwha Considering Entering U.S. Hydrogen Ecosystem After Nikola's Successful Debut on Nasdaq Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:32:00
     
      Hanwha Considering Entering U.S. Hydrogen Ecosystem After Nikola's Successful Debut on Nasdaq
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hanwha-mulling-entering-u-s-hydrogen-ecosystem/
     
         
      US states weigh exit from power market in clean-energy dispute Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:29:00
     
      US states weigh exit from power market in clean-energy dispute
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/8d8ec682-b67f-48f0-a32a-7cc693cc89c0
     
         
      Tesla battery supplier Catl says new design has one million-mile lifespan Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:17:00
     
      A Chinese car battery-maker says it is ready to manufacture a product capable of powering a vehicle for 1.2 million miles (two million kilometres) across the course of a 16-year lifespan. By contrast, most automakers only offer warranties ranging from 60,000 to 150,000 miles over a three to eight-year period on their cars' batteries. Contemporary Amperex Technology has not revealed who it intends to supply. But it was previously reported that the battery was co-developed with Tesla. The latest news was revealed in an interview Catl's chairman gave to the Bloomberg news agency. "If someone places an order, we are ready to produce," it quoted Zeng Yuqun as saying. He added that it was set, however, to cost a 10% premium over the batteries it already supplies. The company signed a two-year deal to supply batteries for Tesla's Model 3 cars in February. Its other clients include BMW, Daimler, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52966178
     
         
      Agrivoltaics works better with leafy greens, root crops Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:09:00
     
      U.S. researchers have created a new model to assess the overlap between solar potential and underlying land use. The areas with the largest potential are the western United States, southern Africa, and the Middle East. The researchers concluded that croplands, grasslands, and wetlands are the top three land classes for PV projects linked to agricultural activities, while barren terrain, traditionally prioritized for solar PV system installation, ranked fifth. PV projects linked to agriculture have thus far shown the highest potential when combined with leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach, as well as with root crops such as potatoes, radishes, beets, and carrots. This is one of the conclusions of a recent research developed on agrivoltaics by U.S. scientist Chad Higgins from the Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering at Oregon State University. "Pasture grasses and barley has performed very well for us here in Oregon," Higgins told pv magazine. "Many other vegetables have also shown promising such as tomatoes and peppers, but these are more climate dependent and need hotter conditions." He believes that a combination such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and lingonberries could also provide for strong power and crop yields. "But we haven't checked this yet," Higgins said. "On the 'likely not a good idea' side are tall crops that may interfere more with the panels like corn or orchard crops." According to the researcher, agrivoltaic projects can increase the sustainability of food, water, energy, and climate at the same time. "It is scalable, meaning that we could deploy at large levels and see massive positive impacts," Higgings explained, adding that agrivoltaics has a positive impact on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. "The technology exists and is profitable in the right circumstances and has many societal ancillary benefits … It is truly a win-win-win."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/08/agrivoltaics-works-better-with-leafy-greens-root-crops/
     
         
      Coal mine workers make up a tenth of Poland's COVID-19 cases Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:06:00
     
      More than a tenth of Poland's confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded since the beginning of the outbreak have occurred at coal mines with a rapid acceleration reported this past weekend. Coal mining company JSW said on Monday that 2,771 COVID-19 infections had been detected at its Polish mines. The most heavily impacted are Pniowek and Zofiowka, both located in the southern Silesia province, also known as Upper Silesia. Together, the two mines account for over 98% of JSW's cases. Poland has so far recorded 26,561 cases of the coronavirus as well as 1,157 fatalities due to COVID-19. A spike of cases was detected over the weekend with 1,151 new infections reported between June 5 and June 7, the Health Ministry said on Twitter. Of these new cases, 558 were observed at the Zofiowka mine alone, the ministry noted. JSW announced in a statement last week that it was collaborating with local health authorities to drive so-called swab buses to employees' houses in order to test them. "We have decided to take matters into our own hands," the company said in a statement. "We are currently collecting second swab samples, which will decide whether employees will be allowed to come back to work. This is what us the most important here, because time is of the essence now. We want employees to come back to work as soon as possible," Artur Dyczko, head of JSW Crisis Management Team added. The mining sector in the country was hit hard by the pandemic with output falling. PGG, a state-run mining company, was forced to temporarily shut down some sites in May as the number of infections grew. Operations resumed last week. Some 1,400 employees of one of PGG's mine, as well as companies that closely work with the plant, tested positive for COVID-19 and a further 2,100 were quarantined, PGG said on May 28. PGG is now testing 4,000 people at another mine. More than 400,000 people are now known to have died from the pandemic, according to a tally kept by the Johns Hopkins University, and over seven million infections have been recorded. Europe accounts for nearly half of global deaths, with over 168,000 fatalities reported in the EU/EEA and the UK, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/08/coal-mine-workers-make-up-a-tenth-of-poland-s-covid-19-cases
     
         
      China Oil Imports Jumped To Record Levels In May Mon, 8th Jun 2020 14:00:00
     
      China's crude oil imports in May jumped to the highest in history ever, at 11.34 million bpd, customs data showed, confirming an earlier report by analytics firm OilX, which had calculated China's May imports at 11.11 million bpd. The data also confirms that China's economy is on the fast track to recovery from the coronavirus crisis, with the May daily average of oil imports up by 15 percent from April and 150,000 bpd more than the previous import record that Chinese buyers set last November. Among the reasons for the substantial jump in oil imports are bargain-hunting while oil is still cheap, but also developments on the futures market: since April, Chinese hedge funds have been betting big on an oil price recovery on the Shanghai crude futures, which has led to major Chinese state oil firms, including PetroChina and Sinopec, delivering oil into the crude oil futures contract. But there is also the simple fact of recovering demand for fuel, with data from TomTom showing that traffic has been on a strong rebound in the past couple of weeks as people feel safer in their personal cars than in public transport. Refinery demand has been particularly strong from the so-called teapots, or independent refiners, who have been running their refineries at near-record rates since last month. The world's top oil importer is set to increase its crude oil imports by 2 percent in 2020 thanks to the low oil prices, according to a research think-tank affiliated with state oil giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Apparent crude oil consumption is expected to increase by between 1 percent and 2 percent year on year, CNPC Research says. However, demand for oil products is set for a decline of 5 percent this year from last, the think tank also said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Oil-Imports-Jumped-To-Record-Levels-In-May.html
     
         
      Green Recovery, Offshore Wind Edition: 1.14 GW Love Letter From Scotland To Maine Mon, 8th Jun 2020 13:57:00
     
      The US state of Maine has been eyeballing Scotland for inspiration in the offshore wind energy department, and it looks like they have some major catching up to do. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Scotland just took a giant step forward on its largest wind farm yet, the 1.14 gigawatt Seagreen 1 project. Meanwhile, Maine has yet to plant its first steel in the water. Nevertheless, the Pine Tree State may have a secret weapon up its sleeve. The 1.1 GW Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm Offshore wind farms are a dime a dozen these days, but the Seagreen project is quite the headline-grabber. Size is one thing, and we'll get to that other thing in a minute. Engineered by a subsidiary of SSE Renewables under the moniker Seagreen Wind Energy, the plans call for a massive cluster of offshore wind turbines in UK's Firth of Forth Zone. Phase One alone will generate enough power for the equivalent of 1 million homes through two wind farms, dubbed Seagreen Alpha and Seagreen Bravo. That's about 40% of all the homes in Scotland, according to SSE. That's just for starters. Fully built out, Phase 1 could add up to 1.5 gigawatts. So, did the COVID-19 outbreak disrupt those plans? Evidently not. In a flurry of announcements last week, SSE doubled down on its decision to move forward on investing in the offshore project. SSE also announced a deal with the firm Seaway 7 to do the heavy lifting (literally, the heavy lifting), and it put the final touches on a turbine contract. For those of you keeping score at home, Vestas drew the winning ticket.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/08/green-recovery-offshore-wind-edition-1-14-gw-love-letter-from-scotland-to-maine/
     
         
      Announcement of solar grid caps in China could mark fightback by network operators Mon, 8th Jun 2020 13:45:00
     
      After managing to bear down on costs enough to compete with coal-fired generation, it appears solar developers in China now face a new hurdle to overcome – resistance from grid companies. With the China Photovoltaic Industry Association predicting 30-40 GW of solar capacity will be added in the nation this year, the 48.5 GW cap announced by grid operators for 2020 is unlikely to affect project deployment in real terms. However the official announcement of 'adoption capacity' limits by the country's three main grid operators this year appears to mark a determination by the networks to resist unrestricted expansion of solar power generation. The caps on new PV capacity, also known as 'connection limitations', have been confirmed by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) after lengthy internal discussions. The State Grid Corporation of China, which caters to more than 80% of the nation's power consumption, announced it would be able to make no more than 39.05 GW of network capacity available for solar facilities on its grid this year. The state grid's smaller state-owned cousin, the China Southern Power Grid – one of the two national networks to cover wealthy Guangdong province – has made 7.4 GW of capacity available. China's only provincial grid operator, the Inner Mongolia Power Corp, has offered 2 GW for solar.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/08/announcement-of-clean-energy-grid-caps-in-china-could-mark-fightback-by-network-operators/
     
         
      Weatherwatch: how forests protect species from global heating Mon, 8th Jun 2020 13:15:00
     
      Temperature records are compiled from selected sites, in the open, up to 2 metres off the ground. The equipment, in a ventilated box out of the sun, records the ambient air temperature. It is from thousands of these sites that we calculate how fast the climate is heating. But everyone who goes outside on a hot day knows how the temperature can be several degrees lower under trees, and much cooler in a dense wood. This matters enormously to a vast quantity of creatures and plants that live close to the ground in the world's woodland and forests, the most biodiverse places on Earth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jun/08/weatherwatch-how-forests-protect-species-from-global-heating
     
         
      Bifacial Solar Panels That Follow The Sun Now Most Cost Effective Sun, 7th Jun 2020 15:45:00
     
      A bifacial solar panel is a solar panel that can collect energy from the front side and the rear side (a normal monofacial panel only collects energy from one side). Bifacial solar technology was created in the latter 1960s. It was dormant while the broader PV market exploded. It was too costly for the incremental energy production improvements. A CleanTechnica field trip and series of articles a couple of years ago mentioned, though, that bifacial solar cells and panels are moving more seriously into play thanks to cost drops and efficiency improvements. A recent scientific article published in the journal Joule confirms our earlier belief, based on time with Array Technologies engineers and founder Ron Corio at their factories and offices, that this technology has promise. Technology that tilts panels so that they can follow the sun boosts the electricity production of normal solar panels. This solar tracking is used in some solar projects, especially large ones in certain regions, but hasn't been used in most. Bifacial solar PV technology, however, can get an especially useful boost from solar tracking technology, capturing much more sunlight than a normal solar array ever could. The new report, "Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems," confirms that tilting toward the light, for optimal sunlight collection from both sides, can be the most cost-effective solar option to date. The report determined that this combination of technologies produces almost 35% more energy, on average, than immobile single-panel photovoltaic systems. This reduces the cost of electricity by an average of 16%.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/07/bifacial-solar-panels-most-cost-effective-research/
     
         
      China threatens to pull plug on new British nuclear plants Sun, 7th Jun 2020 15:38:00
     
      Britain is on a collision course with China after Boris Johnson approved plans last week to build up alternatives to Huawei in the 5G network, a move that caused a heated cabinet split in the government's most secret committee. China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, has privately fired a warning shot at the government, telling business leaders that abandoning Huawei could undermine plans for Chinese companies to build nuclear power plants and the HS2 high-speed rail network. Government officials dismissed the comments as "sabre-rattling".
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-threatens-to-pull-plug-on-new-british-nuclear-plants-727zlvbzg
     
         
      Wind Energy can Turn Hydrogen Green as Early as 2020 Sun, 7th Jun 2020 14:38:00
     
      Wind energy can turn hydrogen green as early as 2020. The Bundesverband WindEnergie welcomes the statements on the 'National Hydrogen Strategy' in the economic program decided by the grand coalition. ... For a quick start, the onshore wind energy capacities falling from the EEG system from 2021 can be used here.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/wind-energy-can-turn-hydrogen-green-as-early-as-2020/
     
         
      Boris Johnson considers giving drivers up to £6,000 in diesel and petrol car scrappage scheme Sun, 7th Jun 2020 14:20:00
     
      Drivers will be given up to £6,000 to swap their petrol or diesel cars for electric ones under plans being considered by Boris Johnson ahead of a major speech to relaunch the economy. The move is designed to provide a shot in the arm for UK electric car manufacturing and for the car industry as a whole after it was devastated by the coronavirus lockdown. Mr Johnson is understood to have pencilled in Monday, July 6 for the speech, in which he will set out his plans to get Britain back on its feet. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, is expected to make a statement on the economy shortly afterwards.
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/07/boris-johnson-considers-giving-drivers-6000-diesel-petrol-car/
     
         
      Huge Subsidy-Free Partnership On 500 MW+ Expansion Of Solar PV In Denmark Sat, 6th Jun 2020 14:22:00
     
      I have been watching Danish solar photovoltaic capacity and output closely since 2015, because I had a feeling something was looming after seeing the explosion of installed capacity in Germany in years prior. When realtime solar PV output became available on energinet.dk, it was clear to see that this section of energy generation was growing. But was it growing exponentially? The famous "doubling every two years" statement from Ray Kurzweil in 2016 seemed far fetched, but as I have speculated in earlier posts, solar will dominate in the not so far future. In 2015, Denmark had a nameplate solar PV capacity of around 300 MW, and today we are closing in on 900 MW.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/06/huge-subsidy-free-partnership-on-500-mw-expansion-of-solar-pv-in-denmark/
     
         
      Coronavirus outbreak The world must seize this opportunity to meet the climate challenge Fri, 5th Jun 2020 16:18:00
     
      We are currently in the midst of the most severe macroeconomic shock since the second world war. The disruption to our daily lives and subsequent impact on our economies has been enormous. We are seeing first-hand that a collective response is needed to defeat a common enemy, as authorities across the world courageously mobilise all available resources to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/05/world-climate-breakdown-pandemic
     
         
      Single-axis bifacial PV offers lowest LCOE in 93.1% of world’s land area Fri, 5th Jun 2020 16:05:00
     
      Researchers from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore have concluded that utility-scale PV projects relying on bifacial panels and single-axis trackers deliver the lowest levelized cost of energy in most of the world. They found that the combination of bifacial products with dual-axis trackers is still too expensive, despite the higher yield. The second-lowest LCOE is offered by monofacial single-axis tracker plants. A group of scientists from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore has showed that combining bifacial panels and single-axis trackers is the best way to achieve the lowest levelized cost of energy in solar power projects based on crystalline silicon technology. In the study Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems, published in Joule, the academics said that their tests have showed that the aforementioned combination can ensure a yield that is up to 35% higher than conventional systems.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/05/single-axis-bifacial-pv-offers-lowest-lcoe-in-93-1-of-worlds-land-area/
     
         
      UN launches push for net-zero emissions by 2050 Fri, 5th Jun 2020 15:59:00
     
      Business leaders, cities and investors are being urged to back a UN campaign aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Race to Zero is part of the diplomatic push to increase ambition in the lead up to the COP26 international climate change summit in Glasgow next November. It is the first major event since it was confirmed the summit was being postponed due to coronavirus. Nestlé and Rolls-Royce are among the first to endorse the campaign. Around a third of the world's GDP is already committed to the principles of Race to Zero, the UN estimates. UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa warned that the coronavirus pandemic must not lead to delays in committing to emissions cuts. She said: "While we had little warning about Covid-19, we had years of warning about climate change. "We must act now to avoid the tragedy that runaway climate change would cause. It is entirely within our power to do this. "If Covid-19 has taught us anything it is that society can, where necessary, pull together to address a global challenge."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52939325
     
         
      Ed Miliband: Virgin bailout 'could help green economy' Fri, 5th Jun 2020 15:56:00
     
      The government should consider a stake in Virgin Atlantic as part of a drive to make the post-Covid economy greener, Ed Miliband has said. Labour's shadow business secretary said ministers should consider buying shares in Virgin if the airline agreed to "go green". He is urging bolder action to kick-start a "green recovery" after the coronavirus crisis. The PM also says he wants a "greener, cleaner, and more resilient" economy. Labour is seeking views from businesses, unions, and campaign groups on how climate-friendly industries can help repair the economy. The request for green jobs to feature heavily in economic recovery plans follows similar calls this week from more than 200 top UK firms and investors. Mr Miliband said "action on green jobs" could help prevent mass unemployment in the wake of the virus. He accused the government of being "too slow to help the aviation sector," adding it should be "more strategic, and in a sense bolder" in promoting green growth. "You should be willing to intervene, but to do so in a way that ties people to climate change commitments," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "Take Richard Branson for example - what would I be saying to Richard Branson? I would be saying 'come back onshore, take your company out of the tax haven." "'We'll look at, for example an equity stake in Virgin if it makes financial sense - but only on the condition that you go green, that you drive towards the green agenda'".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52933053
     
         
      Weird weather: Can computers solve UK puzzle? Fri, 5th Jun 2020 15:50:00
     
      A top climate scientist has called for more investment in climate computing to explain the UK's recent topsy turvy weather. Prof Tim Palmer from Oxford University said there were still too many unknowns in climate forecasting. And in the month the SpaceX launch grabbed headlines, he said just one of the firm's billions could transform climate modelling. Short-term weather forecasting is generally very accurate. And long-term trends in rising temperatures aren't in doubt. But Prof Palmer says many puzzles remain unsolved: take the recent weird weather in the UK, with the wettest February on record followed by the sunniest Spring.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52921479
     
         
      Sunny coverage of UK heatwaves forgets risks, say climate experts Thu, 4th Jun 2020 17:25:00
     
      The public is being lulled into a false sense of security about the UK's increasingly extreme weather patterns by news and weather reports that present long, hot, dry spells as good news, according to scientists and campaigners. Experts say unusually dry and sunny conditions like those experienced in the UK over the past two months are too often framed as something to celebrate, with newspaper and TV reports featuring pictures of people sunbathing, playing in fountains or eating ice creams.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/04/sunny-coverage-of-uk-heatwaves-forgets-risks-say-climate-experts
     
         
      Enercon secures long-term financing Thu, 4th Jun 2020 17:19:00
     
      German turbine maker Enercon has agreed long-term financing with its banks and shareholder Aloys Wobben to support its turnaround plan. The company said it will complete its turnaround within three years, when the financing agreement concludes in 2023. The agreement covers a new guarantee facility as well as existing credit, which will enable Enercon to provide guarantees necessary in other countries for large-scale onshore wind projects. Enercon chief financial officer Thomas Cobet said: "The arrangement gives us the planning security we need to continue successfully implementing the turnaround operations. "I am, therefore, very glad we were able to close talks with a good result." Enercon's management said it expects the long-term financing agreement to "normalise" the company's relationships with its suppliers as well as "safeguard" international business and "stabilise" project financing. Enercon is focusing on international onshore wind markets, following the "collapse" of the German onshore market, which has been the focus of the company's activities in the past. Enercon chief executive Hans-Dieter Kettwig said: 'This is connected with a stronger focus on Enercon's core business, namely the development, sales and service of onshore wind energy converters, and areas directly associated with this. "As part of this strategic reorientation, the business segment of wind energy converter operation, energy generation and energy marketing will be transferred to a new company. "A declaration of intent to establish a joint venture has been signed with the EWE. "We are convinced that by outsourcing we will create a solid basis for sustainable further development, both of Enercon's business model and the area of energy generation and marketing from onshore WECs, which will become increasingly significant in the next stage of the energy transition." Enercon's turnaround includes structural changes to the company organisation, a focus on developing "competitive and cost-optimised" turbines and "optimising the global supply chain against the backdrop of tougher international competitive conditions".
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/60733/enercon-secures-long-term-financing/
     
         
      Renewable Energy Boost Projected To Create 19,000 More Jobs In Australia By 2025 Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:47:00
     
      This is the kind of boom we want to read about. A boom in jobs, but not only jobs, careers, and not only careers, but careers that mean preservation of resources and societal sustainability. Everywhere, the lookout for sustainable careers is merging with sustainability ecologically. Australia has done quite well in the renewable energy transition, but it could do much more. The Clean Energy Council just released the largest study of current and projected employment in the renewable energy industry in Australia, Clean Energy At Work (PDF). The opportunity is large. The study found that employment in the sector could increase from over 25,000 people today to 44,000 people by 2025. That is a boom. The majority of those jobs would be outside of cities, places needing jobs the most. The Clean Energy At Work report projects 70% of renewable energy jobs in rural and regional areas in 2035. "Clean Energy At Work shows the enormous job creation opportunity from "It's clear that these renewable energy jobs can have an enormous positive impact on regional communities and should be a clear priority for government as part of the COVID-19 economic response." "It's been recognized for some time now that Australia has developed a two-speed economy that has been detrimental to those living in regional and rural areas," said Mr Thornton. "It's vital that there is a focus on creating job opportunities outside our metropolitan centres and clean energy can deliver, allowing all Australians to benefit." However, you can't just expect the people of a neglected region to be ready to install big renewable energy projects. Clean Energy Council agrees. "It is, therefore, a crucial time to take stock of industry and workforce needs and undertake critical skills forecasting to understand whether training systems can address potential skills shortages."
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/04/renewable-energy-boost-projected-to-create-19000-more-jobs-in-australia-by-2025/
     
         
      Etching the road to a hydrogen economy using plasma jets Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:29:00
     
      Hydrogen is a clean energy source that can be produced by splitting water molecules with light. However, it is currently impossible to achieve this on a large scale. In a recent breakthrough, scientists at Tokyo University of Science, Japan, have developed a novel method that uses plasma discharge in solution to improve the performance of the photocatalyst in the water-splitting reaction. This opens doors to exploring a number of photocatalysts that can help scale-up this reaction. The ever-worsening global environmental crisis, coupled with the depletion of fossil fuels, has motivated scientists to look for clean energy sources. Hydrogen (H2) can serve as an eco-friendly fuel, and hydrogen generation has become a hot research topic. While no one has yet found an energy-efficient and affordable way to produce hydrogen on a large scale, progress in this field is steady and various techniques have been proposed. One such technique involves using light and catalysts (materials that speed up reactions) to split water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen. The catalysts have crystalline structures and the ability to separate charges at the interfaces between some of their sides. When light hits the crystal at certain angles, the energy from the light is absorbed into the crystal, causing certain electrons to become free from their original orbits around atoms in the material. As an electron leaves its original place in the crystal, a positively charged vacancy, known as a hole, is created in the structure. Generally, these "excited" states do not last long, and free electrons and holes eventually recombine.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-etching-road-hydrogen-economy-plasma.html
     
         
      Silver demand for PV manufacturing may have peaked in 2019 Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:26:00
     
      A Silver Institute study says demand for the precious metal for solar manufacturing accounted for 11% of global consumption last year but reduced solar generation capacity up to 2023 will eat into that figure and 'thrifting' technological advances will kick in after that point. The 100 million ounces of silver used by the solar manufacturing industry last year could mark a high water mark, according to industry body The Silver Institute. The Washington DC-based organization made the prediction in its Silver's Important Role in Solar Power report, which predicted a retreat in the amount of solar generation capacity to be rolled out worldwide up to 2023. Demand from the solar sector amounted to 11% of the overall silver market last year but the PV industry is expected to require an average of 70-80 million ounces per year out to 2030, according to the institute. The report, written by U.S.-based commodities advisor CRU Consulting, forecasts solar-related silver demand will decrease up to 2023 because of lower volumes of solar generation capacity being deployed and will subsequently be affected by technological advances aimed at reducing the amount of the material used in silver pastes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/04/silver-demand-for-pv-manufacturing-peaked-in-2019/
     
         
      ‘Like Trash in a Landfill’: Carbon Dioxide Keeps Piling Up in the Atmosphere Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:25:00
     
      Levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide reached another record in May, the month when they normally peak. Keeling, has been taking readings since 1958 at a NOAA observatory on Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. "But the buildup of CO2 is a bit like trash in a landfill," he said. "As we keep emitting, it keeps piling up. ... The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere currently varies by about 10 parts per million during the year."
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/climate/carbon-dioxide-record-climate-change.html
     
         
      Choosing representative strings for measuring power loss Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:23:00
     
      Analyzing monitoring data does not always accurately identify under-performing assets; and when investigating supposed power loss with IV-curve measurements, a representative sample via thermography should be selected. These are two conclusions drawn from a case study, which will be discussed during the upcoming asset management session at the pv magazine virtual roundtable Europe 2020. The first time Lucie Garreau-Iles visited the location where the solar plant she was to investigate was installed, framed with willowy grasses 1.5 meters high, it probably had the romantic impact that many tourists love so much when traveling in the Mediterranean region. As enchanting as it probably was, it was also one of the reasons why the analysis of the monitoring data originating from the 3.5 MW solar plant wasn't leading anywhere. Garreau-Iles works as Technical Regional Manager at DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions in a team which investigates the health of solar plants. For this mission, she needed to investigate whether the yield of the eight-year-old installation could be improved. From the monitoring data, it was even difficult to judge whether the plant had a yield problem, because the weather sensors were also intermittently failing; meanwhile, there was no data for the first two years of operation, and missing or invalid data thereafter. This may not have been relevant to the investor, however, since high feed-in-tariffs secured enough revenue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/04/choosing-representative-strings-for-measuring-power-loss/
     
         
      Huge Spill Stains Arctic and Climate Change Could Be the Cause Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:15:00
     
      A massive fuel spill in Siberia prompted Russia to declare a state of emergency in the region as the mining company involved said the catastrophe may have been caused by climate change. Scientists have warned for years that thawing of once permanently frozen ground covering more than half of Russia is threatening the stability of buildings and pipelines. Greenpeace said last week's accident was the largest ever in the Arctic region, and likened it to the Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska in 1989. The cause of the spill, in which 20,000 tons of diesel (or about 150,000 barrels) leaked from a reservoir owned by MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC, hasn't been determined but the company has suggested it could be the result of damage from melting permafrost. The rate of warming in the Arctic is twice as fast as the rest of the world. "The cause is yet to be determined and is likely a combination of both climate change and infrastructure-related factors," said Dmitry Streletskiy, a professor at George Washington University. The fuel spill in Norilsk is polluting land and rivers that drain into a lake linked to the Kara Sea. The lake that links to the Kara Sea has already been affected, Kommersant newspaper reported, citing a spokesman at the Federal Agency for Fishing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-04/russia-declares-state-of-emergency-over-arctic-city-fuel-spill
     
         
      Energy transition 'to wipe $25trn off the value of fossil-fuel reserves': report Thu, 4th Jun 2020 16:12:00
     
      Two thirds of the value of the world's oil and gas reserves — totalling $25trn — could be wiped out as the energy transition disrupts the entire fossil-fuel system, with profound ramifications for financial markets and geopolitics, according to a report. Cheaper renewable technologies, more aggressive government climate policies and reduced demand due to the coronavirus pandemic are leading to lower prices, reduced profit and rising investment risk, said London-based financial think-tank Carbon Tracker. These forces are "likely to slash the value of oil, gas and coal reserves by nearly two-thirds, increasing the risk and likelihood of stranded assets". Carbon Tracker argues that a 2% decline in demand for fossil fuels every year — which is needed for the world to meet the Paris Agreement goals — could cause the future profits from oil, gas and coal reserves to fall from an estimated $39tn to just $14tn, a loss of $25trn. "The size of the gap in expected wealth between the desires of the petrostates and the aspirations of the Paris Agreement is in the order of $100trn," the think-tank stated. "The gap is a threat to the stability of some petrostates. The petrostates hope for growth in demand and for a return to the high level of rents [the difference between the value of crude oil production at world prices and total costs of production] of the period before 2014. The Paris Agreement requires an annual decline in demand of 2%," it said. The report's author, Kingsmill Bond, said: "We are witnessing the decline and fall of the fossil fuel economy. Technological innovation and policy support is driving peak fossil fuel demand in sector after sector and country after country, and the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this. We may now have seen peak fossil fuel demand as a whole. "This is a huge opportunity for countries that import fossil fuels which can save trillions of dollars by switching to a clean energy economy in line with the Paris Agreement. Now is the time to plan an orderly wind-down of fossil-fuel assets and manage the impact on the global economy rather than try to sustain the unsustainable. "Investors need to increase discount rates, reduce expected prices, curtail terminal values and account for the clean-up costs." He added that there needs to be a change in mindset among the fossil-fuel industry. "The bizarre thing is that the fossil fuel incumbents have been so resistant to the idea of change for so long, and put out so much bogus PR, that they risk falling victim to their own rhetoric," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/energy-transition-to-wipe-25trn-off-the-value-of-fossil-fuel-reserves-report/2-1-820125
     
         
      Arctic Circle oil spill prompts Putin to declare state of emergency Thu, 4th Jun 2020 15:47:00
     
      Russia's President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle. The spill happened when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk collapsed last Friday. The power plant's director Vyacheslav Starostin has been taken into custody until 31 July, but not yet charged. The plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, which is the world's leading nickel and palladium producer. The Russian Investigative Committee (SK) has launched a criminal case over the pollution and alleged negligence, as there was reportedly a two-day delay in informing the Moscow authorities about the spill. Ground subsidence beneath the fuel storage tanks is believed to have caused the spill. Arctic permafrost has been melting in exceptionally warm weather for this time of year. President Putin expressed anger after discovering officials only learnt about the incident on Sunday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52915807
     
         
      Uruguay Targets Heavy Trucks for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pilot Thu, 4th Jun 2020 14:44:00
     
      Uruguay Targets Heavy Trucks for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Pilot. Uruguay is eyeing a pilot project to put 10 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks into service in capital Montevideo, the latest in the country's bid to eliminate fossil fuel usage
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/uruguay-targets-heavy-trucks-for-hydrogen-fuel-cell-pilot/
     
         
      New Report States that UK Can Lead the World in Hydrogen Thu, 4th Jun 2020 14:41:00
     
      New Report States that UK Can Lead the World in Hydrogen. The UK Government is committed to reaching Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Transport is now the biggest contributor to emissions – and the main driver of dangerously high levels of air pollution in many towns and cities
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/new-report-states-that-uk-can-lead-the-world-in-hydrogen/
     
         
      Nikola Orders Enough Electrolysis Equipment from Nel to Produce 40,000 kgs of Hydrogen Per Day Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:39:00
     
      Nikola Orders Enough Electrolysis Equipment from Nel to Produce 40,000 kgs of Hydrogen Per Day
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/nikola-orders-enough-electrolysis-equipment-from-nel-to-produce-40000-kgs-of-hydrogen-per-day/
     
         
      First Oil Workers Evacuate Ahead Of Tropical Storm Cristobal Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:10:00
     
      Occidental Petroleum is evacuating some of its Gulf of Mexico oil facilities ahead of the anticipated storm Cristobal, Occidental said on Wednesday. The evacuated workers so far will be limited to non-essential workers, and interruptions are not expected, Reuters said, according to Oxy. Occidental is the fourth largest producer in the deep waters of Gulf of Mexico with 10 facilities there, according to the company's website. Other oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico, including BP, Chevron, Exxon, Hess, Murphy, and Shell, are monitoring the situation but have not decided to remove staff from deepwater platforms. Cristobal will likely reach landfall around the Gulf of Mexico coast, probably around Louisiana, but not before picking up steam in the waters of the Gulf. Gusts of 65 mph are expected. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for some 17 percent of U.S. oil production. In 2018, hurricane Michael shut in production of more than 700,000 bpd for a few days. In 2017, total oil industry—production and refining—hit US$200 billion, the highest storm bill in history. This year there will be fewer evacuations than in years past, even if most operators evacuate staff. The rig count in the Gulf has fallen from over 22 in March, to 20 in April, and then to just 12 in the last week of May. It is the lowest rig count there in a decade. Some analysts are predicting that after shutting in oil production in the Gulf—whether due to coronavirus outbreaks on platforms or due to slack demand and low prices, it may take years for it all to come back online. Any additional shutdowns caused by the tropical storm will likely exacerbate the issue.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/First-Oil-Workers-Evacuate-Ahead-Of-Tropical-Storm-Cristobal.html
     
         
      Solar costs have fallen 82% since 2010 Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:08:00
     
      The levelized cost of energy generated by large scale solar plants is around $0.068/kWh, compared to $0.378 ten years ago and the price fell 13.1% between 2018 and last year alone, according to figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency. "Since 2010, the cost of energy has dropped by 82% for photovoltaic solar, by 47% for concentrated solar energy (CSP), by 39% for onshore wind and by 29% for wind offshore." Those remarkable price falls are quoted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) in its Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019 report. The figures were compiled from the costs and tariffs reported for 17,000 renewable energy project tenders last year which should eventually add up to 1.7 GW of clean power generation capacity. The cost reductions witnessed in the last decade were due to improved technology, economies of scale, supply chain competitiveness and the growing experience of developers, said Irena. "The same amount of money invested in renewable energy is producing far more new capacity today than it was ten years ago," stated the multilateral organization. In 2010, the 88 GW of renewables capacity installed worldwide required the equivalent of $210 billion. Last year, twice that capacity volume was put into service for $253 billion – around 20% more investment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/03/solar-costs-have-fallen-82-since-2010/
     
         
      Renewables surpass coal in US energy generation for first time in 130 years Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:06:00
     
      Solar, wind and other renewable sources have toppled coal in energy generation in the United States for the first time in over 130 years, with the coronavirus pandemic accelerating a decline in coal that has profound implications for the climate crisis. Not since wood was the main source of American energy in the 19th century has a renewable resource been used more heavily than coal, but 2019 saw a historic reversal, according to US government figures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/03/renewables-surpass-coal-us-energy-generation-130-years
     
         
      Covid-19 weekly round-up: It is still unclear how the crisis will play out on various solar segments, although one US installer says business has never been better… Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:04:00
     
      Module price falls driven by the energy demand slump and Chinese oversupply may reverse at the end of the year, Germany appears immune to the Covid rooftop curse and emergency funding has been offered up to EU businesses affected by the crisis. Although analyst Wood Mackenzie and industry body the U.S. Energy Storage Association have reported positive first-quarter figures – and expect year-on-year growth from 2020 – industry insiders have warned the Covid-19 crisis, which started to affect the industry at the end of March, will "more seriously affect Q2." In an opinion piece for pv magazine India, Amplus Solar's Naveen Arora said the demand slump driven by Covid-19 shutdowns, combined with Chinese oversupply, has caused solar module prices to fall 6-8% since February with a further 3-3.5% reduction possible into the next quarter. However, she cautioned, Chinese end-of-year demand and the project extensions permitted Indian developers affected by the public health crisis could again change the supply and demand equilibrium in the final three months of the year, possibly leading module prices to recover. It is unclear what effect the Covid-19 crisis in having on the Australian rooftop PV market. Data gathered from the small scale technology certificates (STCs) issued as part of incentives programs indicated a healthy 222 MW of rooftop PV was added last month, a figure 23% higher than that seen in May last year. However, it also marked a second consecutive monthly fall and, with industry surveys indicating installers are seeing new business leads dry up, there are fears the big time lag between signing up for household solar and having STCs issued could mean the true effects of the crisis will not become obvious until further down the line. No such concerns were voiced by Germany's Bundesnetzagentur, which has reported 380 MW of new solar was added in the country in April. That figure included 318 MW of feed-in-tariff-backed small scale systems as Covid-19 continued to fail to dent the nation's rooftop market.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/03/covid-19-weekly-round-up-it-is-still-unclear-how-the-crisis-will-play-out-on-various-solar-segments-although-one-us-installer-says-business-has-never-been-better/
     
         
      Chevron could be forced to pay $100m for failure to capture carbon emissions Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 17:02:00
     
      Oil and gas company Chevron could be required to pay for offsets worth more than $100m for carbon dioxide emissions released at a delayed carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in northern Western Australia, an analysis suggests. The state government last week ruled against Chevron over an emissions condition that applies to the company's large Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) development on Barrow Island in the Pilbara.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/04/chevron-could-be-forced-to-pay-100m-for-failure-to-capture-carbon-emissions
     
         
      EGEB: The UK has its very first coal-free month ever in May Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 16:57:00
     
      Coal-free UK power As of April 28, as Electrek reported, the UK had not used coal-fired plants for 18 days and 13 hours, according to National Grid data. That was the longest uninterrupted period of not using coal-fired power generation since 1882, during the Industrial Revolution. That record has been broken in a big way, as the National Grid reports that the country's electricity system continued without coal-fired electricity for the entire month of May. It's now run without coal-fired power for about 55 consecutive days. Wind and solar power supplied around 28% of the UK's electricity last month. Since April, the carbon intensity of the electricity grid has fallen to the lowest average carbon intensity on record, at 143 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour. This all happened because of the coronavirus lockdown, an extremely sunny spell, and two bank holiday weekends.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/06/03/egeb-uk-first-coal-free-month-irena/
     
         
      China Leads The Global Oil Demand Recovery Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 16:41:00
     
      Global oil demand has improved over the past few weeks, led by China's demand which has rebounded to 90 percent of its pre-coronavirus levels, while tentative signs of improvement emerge in other major economies, including the United States and India, as lockdowns are eased. In China, oil demand was at 90 percent of the pre-COVID-19 levels in April, and was expected at 92 percent of 'normal' demand in May, according to data from IHS Markit. "The brisk resumption of Chinese oil demand, 90 percent of pre-COVID levels by the end of April and moving higher, is a welcome signpost for the global economy. When you consider that oil demand in China—the first country impacted by the virus—had fallen by more than 40% in February—the degree to which it is snapping back offers reason for some optimism about economic and demand recovery trends in other markets such as Europe and North America," said Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of oil markets, IHS Markit. According to Wood Mackenzie, China's oil demand is set to recover to 13 million barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of 2020, up by 16.3 percent from Q1. "China's demand for gasoline and diesel are expected to increase YoY from Q3 2020 onwards," the consultancy said at the end of May, adding that eased lockdowns and preference for commuting in personal vehicles will push gasoline demand to a quick recovery and it is likely to return to last year's levels by June 2020. India's fuel demand, which had crashed by 60 percent during the early days of its two-month lockdown, is set to reach pre-coronavirus levels in June, Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said last week. In the United States, average national gasoline prices rose last week, and part of the increase can be attributed to higher gasoline demand, which saw a 7-percent week-over-week increase, AAA said earlier this week. "Americans are slowly but steadily returning to driving, causing gas prices to increase across the country," AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/China-Leads-The-Global-Oil-Demand-Recovery.html
     
         
      The Big Boy Fusion Reactor Takes a Big Boy Step Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 16:37:00
     
      Engineers have installed the first and largest piece of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) fusion project in France. The gigantic assembly begins with this piece, the steel base, which weighs more than 1,200 tons. ITER has been in the works for 30 years. The experimental tokamak fusion reactor—a nuclear fusion plasma reactor where extremely hot, charged plasma spins and generates virtually limitless energy—is one of a handful of extremely costly "miniature suns" around the world. The tokamak is on track to switch on in 2025, and then the reactor will begin to heat up to temperatures hot enough to induce nuclear fusion. That will take years. So ... baby steps. Making this single part, which is 30 meters high and 30 meters wide, has taken 10 full years by itself. It's the base of the cryostat, which is the supercooling chamber that enables the rest of the reactor to function. The life of the cryostat began in India, where massive tech conglomerate Larsen & Toubro Ltd began fabricating and welding portions of it under ITER's Indian Domestic Agency's supervision. In 2015, the partial assemblage was brought to France, where more assembly and work began in 2016 and lasted until late 2019. At that point, the ITER home team took over. Now, the chamber is ready to begin assembly, starting with the base. The whole thing will be 3,850 tons, with mostly hollow—but absolutely gigantic—steel cylinder sections that form the outside of the cryostat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a32733163/nuclear-fusion-iter-reactor-tokamak-cryostat/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Reductions in air pollution during lockdown could lead to warmer weather, experts say Wed, 3rd Jun 2020 16:12:00
     
      Reductions in air pollution caused by the UK's coronavirus lockdown could lead to warmer weather across the country, experts have said. The UK has seen significant decreases in air pollution in recent weeks due to transport use plummeting as the public has followed government guidance to stay at home to slow the spread of Covid-19. According to analysis by experts at the University of York, air pollution levels have dropped by more than 40 per cent in a number of UK cities during the lockdown. Professor Francis Pope, an expert of atmospheric science at the University of Birmingham, told The Independent that reductions in the level of some pollutants could lead to warmer temperatures in the short term. Pollutants such as carbon dioxide which have a warming effect tend to reside in the atmosphere for a long time so the UK would need to see a long-term reduction in such pollutants for there to be an effect on the country's weather. Meanwhile, other "shorter-lived pollutants", which can make the atmosphere cooler, stay in the atmosphere for a much shorter period and could have a much quicker effect. "Shorter-lived pollutants, such as particulate matter (for example sulphate particles), can have a cooling effect on our atmosphere," Professor Pope said. "Since these pollutants only stay airborne for days to weeks, their removal will cause a much more rapid response to the amount of sunlight that gets to the surface of Earth and hence can lead to localised warming."
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coronavirus-lockdown-air-pollution-warmer-weather-heatwave-nitrogen-dioxide-a9482996.html
     
         
      Helping China cut carbon emissions isn’t a financial game every business can play Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:52:00
     
      BEIJING — China has a lot more to worry about at home than its foreign policy. Some energy-related companies in the country have found themselves caught in a business cycle that shows how difficult it can be for stimulus to help the economy in the form of bank loans. The world's second-largest economy contracted 6.8% in the first quarter at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Among many measures to support growth, authorities have repeatedly emphasized how banks need to lend more to smaller, privately run businesses versus state-owned giants. At the same time, Beijing has increased efforts to develop renewable energy, which can ultimately give China an edge in globally sought-after technology. But the coronavirus has made banks and investors more cautious about putting money into such unproven technologies, and history indicates the challenges run deep for any privately run company that might want to participate in this growth opportunity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/03/helping-china-cut-carbon-emissions-isnt-a-financial-game-for-everyone.html
     
         
      Three pioneers who predicted climate change Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:34:00
     
      Here are three key figures in the history of climate change - not all of whom got the recognition they deserved for their work at the time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/three-pioneers-who-predicted-climate-change/p08ftt06
     
         
      Midsomer Norton gas plant approval prompts council planning review Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:32:00
     
      A council has promised a review into planning policy after a gas power plant was approved unchallenged, despite more than 50 objections. Delegated powers were used by Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes) to allow the scheme in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. It meant councillors did not have a say and a vote on the decision. Council leader Dine Romero said there was "little comfort" in saying officers were only following policy. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the Liberal Democrat said it was the responsibility of all councillors to flag up applications that cause concern. She was responding to a written question to a cabinet meeting relating to the approval of the three fossil fuel-burning gas generators, in which delegated powers were used leaving councillors unable to have their say on it. When the plans were approved last month critics said it "flew in the face" of the council declaring a climate emergency, and the decision was described as "ridiculous" by Labour councillor Grant Johnson. Bath Conservatives criticised the Liberal Democrat administration on Twitter, saying the application had been "waved through without scrutiny". The Lib Dems said the council's hands were tied, blaming policies introduced by the previous Conservative administration. Ms Romero told the cabinet meeting the council had started an "immediate review" of its planning policies. "We've declared a climate emergency," she said. "There's little comfort to be drawn in saying we're merely following policy. " "New applications will receive guidance from the council which will give increased weight to our climate emergency objectives. She said the council's sustainability team would also now be consulted on planning applications and that certain planning applications will "as a matter of course be decided by a committee".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-52891201
     
         
      Climate change: older trees loss continue around the world Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:29:00
     
      Older, carbon-rich tropical forests continue to be lost at a frightening rate, according to satellite data. In 2019, an area of primary forest the size of a football pitch was lost every six seconds, the University of Maryland study of trees more than 5 metres says. Brazil accounted for a third of it, its worst loss in 13 years apart from huge spikes in 2016 and 2017 from fires. However, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo both managed to reduce tree loss. Meanwhile, Australia saw a sixfold rise in total tree loss, following dramatic wildfires late in 2019, . As well as storing massive amounts of carbon, primary, tropical rainforests, where trees can be hundreds or even thousands of years old, are home to species such as orangutans and tigers. The tropics lost 11.9 million hectares (46,000 square miles) of tree cover, the study found, 3.8 million in older, primary forest areas - the third highest loss of primary trees since 2000 and a slight increase on 2018. "The level of forest loss that we saw in 2019 is unacceptable," Frances Seymour, from the World Resources Institute, said. "And one of the reasons that it's unacceptable is that we actually already know how to turn it around. "If governments put into place good policies and enforce the law, forest loss goes down. "But if governments relax restrictions on burning, or [are] signalling that they intend to open up indigenous territories for commercial exploration, forest loss goes up."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52881721
     
         
      Mitigating shading in PV modules with new reconfiguration technique Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:26:00
     
      Scientists in India are seeking to mitigate partial shading with a technique based on the Lo Shu nine-square grid of ancient Chinese mathematical tradition. Their approach features the 'magic grid' also used in popular sudoku puzzles, as a guide for reconfiguring arrays. Researchers at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), in India, have proposed a technique for mitigating partial shading in PV systems. The method is based on the Lo Shu nine-square grid of ancient Chinese mathematical tradition which was also used as a divination tool for ancient Chinese feng shui masters and is today the basis of popular sudoku puzzles. Scientists from VIT's Solar Energy Research Cell and School of Electrical Engineering claim their sudoku method can completely remove shading by reconfiguring installations – physically or electrically. The academics claim approaches such as maximum power point tracking (MPPT) or using appropriate converters and inverters only partially alleviate the problem. "The use of any array reconfiguration method alters the row current in such a way that every single row carries the same current and disperses the shade occurring on the PV panel," said the VIT group. That would mean fewer bypasses and mismatch power losses, as well as raised power output.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/mitigating-shading-in-pv-modules-with-new-reconfiguration-technique/
     
         
      Bill Gates And Big Oil Are Chasing The Nuclear Fusion Dream Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:14:00
     
      The decades-old debate over nuclear fusion vs. fission is on the edge of a breakthrough as startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems wins over Bill Gates and other backers. Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor is one of them. Commonwealth Fuel Systems has a system powered by high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets that are key to a push to get a commercial fusion energy system operating by the early 2030s — years earlier than several major fusion projects around the world. CFS, a US-based startup that came from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is developing its HTS technology to deliver what it claims will commercialize nuclear fusion power. That comes with unlimited zero-carbon energy, and a much more reliable renewable energy source for power plants than intermittent wind and solar. CFS' efforts come from a joint project with MIT that by 2025 aims to become the first fusion reactor to show "net energy gain" by producing more energy than it consumes. It will be able to generate 50 to 100 megawatts thermal that could be harnessed to produce power in a conventional steam cycle. Nuclear fusion has been seen as the answer to diminishing support for nuclear power overall since Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. That crisis was followed in 2013 when the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California was shut down after replacement steam generators failed; and has so far remained out of commission. Fusion has been championed as the solution as it creates less radioactive material than fission, and has a nearly unlimited fuel supply. Equinor sees CFS as a good fit for its zero-carbon investment portfolio that already includes offshore wind and solar. The Norwegian company was part of an $84 million funding round for the startup that joined an existing group of investors including oil and gas company Eni and Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Nuclear fusion has always faced the same challenge that hydrogen has endured as an alternative energy. The standing joke is that "fusion is always 40 years away." Nuclear power advocates may be seeing a sign of hope in hydrogen — with the potential of "green hydrogen" coming to be, fueling stations becoming competitive to gas pumps, and applications of the fuel coming to energy storage and commercial vehicles of all types. Nuclear has the edge of being taken quite seriously in markets around the world such as France, where the county gets about 75 percent of its electric power from nuclear energy. Fusion does offer a consistent, steady energy source — versus wind and solar facing intermittent weather conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Bill-Gates-And-Big-Oil-Are-Chasing-The-Nuclear-Fusion-Dream.html
     
         
      MHI Vestas Inks Conditional Agreement for Seagreen Offshore Wind Project Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 17:01:00
     
      MHI Vestas has signed a conditional agreement for the delivery of turbines for the Seagreen offshore wind project in the UK. In October last year, the company entered into a preferred supplier agreement with Seagreen Wind Energy Limited to supply and service up to 114 turbines for the project. Situated over 27km off the Angus coast, Seagreen comprises the Seagreen Alpha and Bravo offshore wind farms. It is one of the projects that won Contracts for Difference (CfD) in the UK's third allocation round in September 2019. The plan is to have the project commissioned in 2024.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/06/02/mhi-vestas-inks-conditional-agreement-for-seagreen-offshore-wind-project/
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Jinko’s new capacity and a 200 MW solar park Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 16:59:00
     
      JinkoSolar has begun construction of a new 16 GW module production base in Yiwu city, Zhejiang province and Eging PV has resumed a 200 MW solar project in Qitai county in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, after securing approval from local authorities. The China National Energy Administration has confirmed the nation can add no more than 48.45 GW of solar to the grid this year. Chinese PV manufacturer Jinko Solar commissioned the first phase of its new production base in Yiwu city, Zhejiang province on Saturday. The two-stage, RMB11 billion (US$1.55 billion), 600,000m² facility, which Jinko signed off with the local government in September, will eventually boast a 16 GW annual production capacity. Shanghai-listed module manufacturer Eging PV has said it will resume a 200 MW solar plant in Qitai county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the plant was awarded to the Jiangxi Electric Power Construction Co Ltd unit of the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China. The project was signed off in 2015 but suspended due to issues arising from local government approval. Eging said on Saturday it has now secured permission from the Development and Reform Commission of Xinjiang and construction of the RMB795 million (US$112 million) project is set to start on July 1, with completion expected this year. The National Energy Administration has confirmed the country can add no more than 48.45 GW of grid-connected solar this year. The authority said that grid capacity had been made available by China's three largest electricity network operators – the State Grid, the China Southern Power Grid and the Inner Mongolia Power Corporation. The State Grid can host a maximum of 39.05 GW of solar this year with the southern grid and Inner Mongolia Power Corp earmarking 7.4 GW and 2 GW, respectively. Inverter maker Sungrow has signed up for The Climate Group's RE100 commitment to reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide emissions in its manufacturing activity and operations and to source 100% renewable electricity no later than 2028.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/chinese-pv-industry-brief-jinkos-new-capacity-and-a-200-mw-solar-park/
     
         
      PPA signed for solar-wind-storage microgrid on Saint Helena Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 16:51:00
     
      Pash Global, a subsidiary of multinational commodities trader Trafigura Group, has signed a renewables power purchase agreement for a project on the British overseas territory of Saint Helena. The microgrid will help the South Atlantic island's aim of investing in renewables, reducing diesel dependence and increasing fuel security and price stabilization. U.K.-based impact investment company and renewables developer Pash Global has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the island of Saint Helena's utility for the development of a 3.2 MW solar-wind-storage microgrid. The agreement with Connect Saint Helena Ltd includes a microgrid for the South Atlantic island that combines a 568 kWp/500 kW solar farm; a three-turbine, 2.7 MW wind farm; and a 3.2 MWh/3.5 MW battery. Switching to renewables for the majority of its electricity needs will make Saint Helena one of the greenest British overseas territory islands, said Pash in a statement. The developer, which is owned by Singapore-based commodities trader Trafigura, noted the project was in line with the island's 10-year plan to invest in renewables to become self-sufficient, reduce reliance on imported fuels such as diesel and increase fuel security and price stabilization. Pash co-founder Kofi Owusu Bempah said the project would "deliver the lowest cost of power to Saint Helena and enable the transition towards its net zero emissions target." The facility will not only save more than 150,000 metric tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime, but will also provide the island "with security of electricity supply, from a unique hybrid of renewable sources," added Owusu Bempah. Pash's project partners include U.K. merchant banking group Close Brothers and Indian engineering company Sterling and Wilson.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/a-25-year-ppa-deal-for-hybrid-tech-microgrid-on-british-isle-of-saint-helena/
     
         
      Australian rooftop PV market continues to thrive Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 16:44:00
     
      Australia's rooftop PV fleet continues to grow in the face of uncertainty surrounding the outbreak of the pandemic, posting another big month above 200 MW. Mega-household solar systems are growing in popularity, but retailers and installers can see the storm clouds gathering. The Australian rooftop PV market continues to thrive with no clear sign yet of a Covid-19-induced slowdown. According to the small-scale technology certificate (STC) data, rooftop PV posted its eighth consecutive month above 200 MW, with 222MW registered in May. The STC data compiled by Green Energy Markets (GEM) show that while kilowatts are down relative to March and April, they are 23% up on May last year. GEM's Director, Analysis and Advisory, Tristan Edis says he has delved down into the data on system sizes to see if bigger commercial systems are dropping off but found they also show a pattern of strong growth. There was 43 MW of commercial solar capacity registered in May, which is up 26% year-on-year. "What's really interesting is the increasing popularity of the mega-household solar system greater than 10kW," Edis tells pv magazine Australia. "These now represent the second largest segment of the Australian solar market after the 6-7kW system size category. They represent 15% of all residential capacity registered so far this year." Unperturbed by the Covid-19 outbreak, the Australian rooftop PV market was forecast to smash all previous records in 2020, approaching 3 GW of sub-100kW systems. Despite two consecutive monthly falls, the STC market has not revealed any significant slowdown as yet. However, an industry survey has found that the spread of rooftop PV is likely to slow down with confidence and many household incomes taking a hit. The survey carried out in early April revealed that around 50% of respondents have seen customer inquiries decline by between 25-50%, with a further 20% reporting that new leads have dried up completely. Such a level of activity would represent a 50% contraction in the installation rate to around 100 MW per month.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/australian-rooftop-pv-market-continues-to-thrive/
     
         
      Energy firms urged to mothball coal plants as cost of solar tumbles Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 12:51:00
     
      Building new solar power projects would generate cheaper electricity than running most of the world's existing coal power plants, according to a global renewable energy report. New figures have revealed that more than half of the world's coal plants could be undercut by the falling cost of new large-scale solar projects, which are now more than 80% cheaper to build than in 2010.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/02/energy-firms-urged-to-mothball-coal-plants-as-cost-of-solar-tumbles
     
         
      Agricultural PV emerges as Japan’s next opportunity Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 12:49:00
     
      Self-consumption, the ability to isolate from the grid and provide power in the event of outages, and agricultural solar are key components in the 2020 revisions to Japan's feed-in tariff program, reports RTS Corp.'s Izumi Kaizuka. From April 2020, the first month of the fiscal year in Japan, new rules went into effect for the feed-in tariff (FIT) program. The key changes are new tariffs as well as self-consumption requirements for PV systems ranging in size from 10 kW to 50 kW, as well as a capacity reduction for projects that must participate in tenders, from 500 kW or more down to 250 kW at present. These changes reflect a new direction for Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and represent a drastic revision of the country’s FIT program. METI intends to implement a renewable energy support scheme on the basis of the characterization of the power source. PV installations will be promoted by categorizing renewable energy into two types of power sources: competitive power sources and locally consumed power. Large-scale PV power plants are now positioned as a competitive power source to be integrated into the electricity market under the feed-in premium (FIP) program. The new program is expected to start in fiscal 2021. Meanwhile, systems under 50 kW – essentially small-scale commercial PV systems and residential arrays connected to the low-voltage network – are classified as locally consumed power sources. This means that they are intended for self-consumption and community consumption. Systems between 10 kW and 50 kW must comply with two requirements under the new scheme. First, systems must achieve at least a 30% self-consumption ratio. When project owners apply for FIT approvals, they need to submit plans for self-consumption, as exported power amounts will be monitored during operation. The second requirement relates to operation during grid-blackout events, which means the ability to isolate or island in response to such events and provide at least one external power socket for supply.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/agricultural-pv-emerges-as-japans-next-opportunity/
     
         
      Siemens and Engie plan 12 MW green hydrogen and gas project in France Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 12:47:00
     
      A €15.2 million power-to-X-to-power hydrogen storage facility is being planned in Saillat-sur-Vienne, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The project partners want to use renewable energy from the grid and water to produce and store electrolyzed hydrogen. It would then be mixed with natural gas to power an upgraded, 12 MW Siemens SGT-400 industrial gas turbine which previously generated steam for local manufacturing and would be able to return power to the grid to meet demand. A European consortium is developing a €15.2 million 'power-to-X-to-power', hydrogen facility in Saillat-sur-Vienne, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. French power company Engie and compatriot consultancy Arttic will join forces with the German Aerospace Center and the Gas and Power business of industrial manufacturing giant Siemens, as well as U.K.-based gas turbine generator maker Centrax, on the scheme. The 'Hyflexpower' project, funded by the European Commission with €10.5 million under its Horizon 2020 Framework Program for Research and Innovation, will be deployed at a paper recycling site. "The purpose of this project is to prove that hydrogen can be produced and stored from renewable electricity and then [mixed] … up to 100%, [with] the natural gas currently used with combined heat and power plants," said Siemens, in a statement. The plan The project partners plan to use renewable energy from the grid and water to produce hydrogen with an electrolyser. The hydrogen, which would be stored when electricity demand was low, would be used – alongside gas – to power an upgraded, 12 MW Siemens SGT-400 industrial gas turbine which previously produced steam for local manufacturing and would now generate power to be fed back into the grid on demand. "The conversion of … existing infrastructure has the advantage of significantly lower costs and minimized lead time, compared to a greenfield site," Siemans stated. Installation of the hydrogen production and storage unit is scheduled next year. Deployment of the gas turbine and a demonstration of the pilot facility is planned for 2022, with final commissioning set for 2023. Engie Solutions will be responsible for establishing hydrogen production and Siemens Gas and Power will provide the electrolyser and develop the hydrogen gas turbine. Centrax will upgrade the system for hydrogen operation and install the new turbine. The consortium believes the project could save up to 65,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/siemens-and-engie-plan-12-mw-green-hydrogen-and-gas-project-in-france/
     
         
      Germany installed 380 MW of solar in April Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 12:31:00
     
      The rooftop segment maintained strong growth but utility scale PV saw a slowdown on previous months. In the first four months of 2020, newly deployed PV systems added up to 1,479.5 MW of generation capacity, compared with around 1.6 GW in the same period of last year. The nation's cumulative PV capacity hit 50.46 GW at the end of April. The German PV market kept growing at an accelerated pace in April, despite the Covid-19 crisis. Figures from federal network agency the Bundesnetzagentur indicate the month brought 379.9 MW of new solar capacity, the slight rise on recent monthly totals nevertheless marking the highest monthly return this year. That took the new solar figure to 1,479.5 MW in the first four months of the year, compared with around 1.6 GW in the same period of last year, and Germany's total to around 50.46 GW at the end of April. Federal minister of economics, Peter Altmaier, has said the 52 GW cap on solar which would automatically halt subsidy payments will be removed before the milestone is reached. Rooftop PV financed by a national feed-in tariff (FIT) program continued to be the driver of growth, with 318 MW of new capacity in April, indicating little impact from the public health crisis on demand for residential and commercial rooftop solar thus far. By contrast, only 23 MW of utility scale solar was added in April. The volumes of solar plugged in were again due to trigger a 1.4% reduction in FIT payment levels this month, as occurred in February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/02/germany-installed-380-mw-of-solar-in-april/
     
         
      Three pioneers who predicted climate change Tue, 2nd Jun 2020 12:28:00
     
      Here are three key figures in the history of climate change - not all of whom got the recognition they deserved for their work at the time.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/three-pioneers-who-predicted-climate-change/p08ftt06
     
         
      Germany: MEPs Call for Faster Pace in Hydrogen Strategy Mon, 1st Jun 2020 14:39:00
     
      A group of Union members has called on the federal government to be more dynamic and faster in the planned hydrogen strategy.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/germany-meps-call-for-faster-pace-in-hydrogen-strategy/
     
         
      Hydrogen to power Spanish construction site Mon, 1st Jun 2020 13:44:00
     
      Spanish construction company ACCIONA has announced plans to install a zero emission H-Power generator at one of its Spanish construction sites. The H-Power System will be provided by UK-based AFC Energy initially as a containerised 160kW system with potential scale up in the future. Deployment of the system comes as part of a wider strategy by both companies to bring clean, renewable energy, such as hydrogen, to the construction sector across Europe. "The construction industry is one of the largest sources of pollution in our cities, and as we emerge from lockdown, needs to take action to speed up its transition to a zero emissions future," said Adam Bond, CEO of AFC Energy. "Innovation in the off-grid power sector will be crucial in cleaning up the construction industry and helping cities meet net-zero objectives." "Our collaboration with ACCIONA is yet another vote of confidence in the important role hydrogen will play in the fight for better air quality on and around construction sites as we move toward a cleaner economy post-COVID." In addition to the system deployment, ACCONIA will be supplied with a battery energy storage system and an ammonia cracker from which hydrogen fuel will be derived. The systems will be operated alongside the H-Power generator to validate the technical and economic viability of the system as a basis upon which future collaborations with ACCIONA will be premised.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/hydrogen-to-power-spanish-construction-site/
     
         
      Israel Is Betting Big On Solar Power Mon, 1st Jun 2020 13:38:00
     
      Israel, which hopes to become energy-independent with its huge natural gas fields, is aiming to significantly boost its solar power generation over the next decade under a new US$22.8 billion (80 billion Israeli shekel) plan, the country's energy ministry said, as carried by Reuters. The huge Leviathan natural gas field - discovered in 2010 - together with other fields discovered offshore Israel in the past decade such as Tamar, Karish, and Tanin, is expected to help Israel become energy independent. Natural gas currently accounts for around 64 percent of Israel's electricity generation, while solar power generation represents just 5 percent of its electricity output, despite the favorable geographical position to capture solar energy. Under the new plan, Israel expects to have 30 percent of its electricity generated by solar power by 2030, Reuters quoted Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz as saying. While Israel aims to have solar energy at the heart of its electricity generation strategy over the next decade, the country will look to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2026 - a target generally in line with some Western European economies such as the UK and Italy. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, another country has recently pledged increased solar generation capacity to meet domestic demand. OPEC member Algeria said last month that it plans to install up to US$3.6 billion worth of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to produce renewable electricity for export and for meeting increasing domestic power demand. The solar power facilities are expected to have a combined installed capacity of 4,000 megawatts (MW), the office of Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad said. The OPEC member, which generates most of its electricity from natural gas, plans to have those solar PV plants installed between 2020 and 2024, the prime minister's office said. Apart from meeting growing domestic demand and positioning Algeria to export electricity, the new solar projects will help it preserve its oil and gas resources, the Algerian government said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Israel-Is-Betting-Big-On-Solar-Power.html
     
         
      ‘For climate protesters, we are like filth’: the German village where coal is still king Mon, 1st Jun 2020 13:34:00
     
      The landscape makes you think of the surface of the moon. As far as the eye can see, deep gashes scar the earth. At the spot where the giant machines stand, ancient layers of bared coal are visible all the way to the base of the pit. Georg Ortmann walks along a bridge 40 metres above the mine to check that sand and gravel taken from the earth’s top layers are not sticking to the conveyor belt removing them from the precious lignite beneath. "My job is to make sure the dirt is moved from one side of the pit to the other," he jokes. This is Reichwalde, one of two open-cast lignite mines that supply Boxberg coal-fired power plant. Boxberg was East Germany's biggest power station and climate campaigners now rank it high among the "dirty 30" of Europe's most polluting. Reichwalde operates 365 days of the year, in all weathers. It is a physically demanding job and Ortmann has spent his entire working life in these craters. The 62-year-old is one of about 6,000 coal miners left in eastern Germany's Lusatia region, once the German Democratic Republic's mining and industrial heartland. "In East Germany, people who went through the school system had a chance at the nicer indoor jobs. I quit school early," he says. Before the collapse of East Germany and reunification, the brown coal industry in this region directly employed 100,000 people. Coal was not just the main employer in Lusatia. Miners enjoyed a special status as proud contributors to energy independence in the socialist state. Ich bin Bergmann, wer ist mehr? (I'm a miner, who is more?) was a phrase commonly heard during the cold war. Germany pledged last year to end all coal mining by 2038 in line with its EU and global climate obligations. This has deepened existing political tensions in its coal-dependent regions. In Lusatia, it has placed climate activists on a collision course with local politicians, the coal companies and the communities whose incomes depend on coal. "Coal is a very emotive topic here," says Adrian Rinnert from the local NGO Strukturwandel Jetzt, which has opposed the expansion of these mines for nearly a decade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/jun/01/climate-protesters-german-village-coal-still-king
     
         
      World’s Top Solar Panel Producer Opens New Mega Factory Mon, 1st Jun 2020 13:31:00
     
      Renewables stocks have outperformed the broader energy markets in the last couple of months and, while Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains and caused a temporary dip in solar installations, the mid-and-long-term outlook for the sector as a whole remains bright. This is especially true in China, where Jinko Solar, the world's largest solar panel manufacturer has just started operations at the first phase of a $1.6 billion factory in the Zhejiang province. The total capacity of this new factory is estimated at 16GW of panels per year, effectively doubling the total production capacity of the solar giant. With the completion of phase 1 today, the company adds some 4.8 gigawatts of capacity, which is about 4 times the amount of power that was needed to make Marty McFly and Doc Brown's DeLorean travel through time. Despite investments in new capacity, profit margins are under pressure in the Solar PV market as manufacturers have had to slash prices of wafers, cells and panels time after time to stay competitive as both domestic and overseas demand has dropped as a direct result of the coronavirus. Bloomberg research shows that costs for the abovementioned components such as wafers, cells and complete panels have fallen by as much as 20 percent, mentioning that prices of these manufactured products could be set to fall further in recent months as new mega-factories such as Jinko Solar’s latest venture are set to add to supply.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Worlds-Top-Solar-Panel-Producer-Opens-New-Mega-Factory.html
     
         
      Climate change: May was sunniest calendar month on record in UK Mon, 1st Jun 2020 13:00:00
     
      May was the sunniest calendar month on record, and spring was the sunniest spring, the Met Office has said. The UK enjoyed 266 hours of sunshine in May - surpassing the previous record of 265 hours in June 1957. And it is even more extraordinary following a drenching winter, with record rain in February. Meteorologists say they are amazed at the sudden switch from extreme wet to extreme dry – it is not "British" weather. On average the UK gets 436 hours of sunshine between March and the end of May. Since 1929, only 10 years have had more than 500 hours. And none has got more than 555 hours. Scientists say the recent weather in the UK has been unprecedented and astounding. This year we've bathed in an extraordinary 626 hours - smashing the previous record by a "staggering" amount, one Met Office worker said. It is because the jet stream has locked the fine weather in place, just as it locked the previous winter rainfall in place. Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, told BBC News: "We've swung from a really unsettled spell with weather systems coming in off the Atlantic to a very, very settled spell. "It's unprecedented to see such a swing from one extreme to the other in such a short space of time. That's what concerns me. We don't see these things normally happening with our seasons. "It's part of a pattern where we're experiencing increasingly extreme weather as the climate changes." Mark McCarthy, from the Met Office, said: "f we look at the difference in rainfall that's fallen over the winter compared to spring it is the largest difference in rainfall amount in our national series from 1862. "The sunshine statistics are really astounding. "The stand out is by how much sunshine has broken the previous record - set in 1948. There's been more sunshine than most of our past summer seasons. It's quite remarkable." One of his colleagues described the figures as "absolutely staggering".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52877912
     
         
      France has breached the 10 GW solar barrier Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:57:00
     
      The 182 MW of new solar capacity installed in the first quarter of the year took the nation to a total 10,072 MW, according to the Ministry of Energy's Department of Data and Statistical Studies. France surpassed 10 GW of grid-connected solar generation capacity in the first three months of the year, after installing almost 7,000 new solar parks, most of them in the sunny south of the country, according to the French Ministry of Energy's Department of Data and Statistical Studies (SDES). The nation's grid-connected PV capacity reached 10.1 GW at the end of March after 182 MW of solar was connected in the first quarter. PV power generation in the period amounted to 2.3 TWh, an increase of 3% compared to the same window in 2019, according to the SDES figures, as solar power accounted for 1.7% of French electricity consumption in the first three months. France added 6,933 new installations in the first quarter, with the 182 MW added an annual rise of 7%, the SDES reported. The additional solar plants pushed total capacity in the country to 10,072 MW, up from 9,892 MW at the end of last year. The first quarter of last year brought 6,994 new installations with a combined capacity of 170 MW. The new connections this year were mainly concentrated in the southern regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, which between them supplied 122 MW of the new generation capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/01/france-has-breached-the-10-gw-solar-barrier/
     
         
      Australia’s Water Is Vanishing Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:54:00
     
      The early afternoon sun was pounding the parched soil, and Gus Whyte was pulling on his dust-caked cowboy boots to take me for a drive. We'd just finished lunch—cured ham, a loaf of bread I'd bought on the trip up, chutney pickled by Whyte's wife, Kelly—at his house in Anabranch South, which isn't a town but rather a fuzzy cartographic notion in the far west of New South Wales, a seven-hour drive from Melbourne and half as far again from Sydney. I'd been grateful, as I pulled off the blacktop of the Silver City Highway to cover the last 10 miles or so, that I'd rented the biggest 4x4 Hertz could give me. I was on a dirt road, technically, but the dirt was mostly sand, punctuated with rocks the size of small livestock and marked only by the faintest of tire tracks. We climbed into Whyte's pickup, and I reached instinctively over my shoulder. "Don't worry about seat belts," he said, amiably but firmly. "I know it's a habit." His Jack Russell terrier, Molly, balanced herself on his lap as he drove.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-australia-drought-water-crisis/
     
         
      Suncor: Energy Transition Will Destroy Oil Demand Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:42:00
     
      Low-carbon technologies could disrupt global oil demand in the not-too-distant future the way COVID-19 crushed demand during the lockdowns worldwide, Mark Little, chief executive of one of Canada's largest oil producers, Suncor Energy, wrote in an opinion piece published on Monday. "The temporary economic lockdown triggered by the 2020 pandemic is giving us a glimpse into a not-too-distant future where the transformation of our energy system could disrupt demand on a similar scale. Disruption breeds opportunity and forward-looking companies and countries will need to step up and lead," Little and Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates, wrote in an article in the Corporate Knights magazine. According to Suncor's chief executive, Canada's oil sands industry is positioned to lead in some innovative low-carbon solutions, such as carbon fiber – a material increasingly important for producing lighter vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs). Asphaltene makes up 15-20 percent of bitumen and is the feedstock for making carbon fibers, Suncor's Little said. "If we can figure out how to do this affordably at scale, it has the potential to quadruple the revenue from Alberta's current bitumen output," according to the executive. Suncor's manager also called for federal government support for disruptive technology that could unlock more value from Canada's energy industry. The warning from a top oil executive that the energy transition is set to disrupt oil demand comes amid one of the worst crises in the oil industry in the recent decades. Some analysts argue that we may have already hit peak oil demand, considering that the pandemic might result in lasting changes in consumer behavior and lifestyles—and even the bosses of BP and Shell are not ruling out this notion. Last month, Suncor Energy slashed its quarterly dividend by 55 percent to reduce its cash breakeven to a WTI Crude price of US$35 a barrel, as it reported a huge Q1 loss due to impairments stemming from the low oil prices.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Suncor-Energy-Transition-Will-Destroy-Oil-Demand.html
     
         
      Offshore rides the updraft, Vestas CEO's view and why US wind is coming up trumps Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:40:00
     
      It didn't take long for the newly-unveiled biggest beast in the offshore wind jungle to make a big mark in the market. Within a week of its launch, Siemens Gamesa's 15MW machine was being lined up for deployment at the up-to 1.1GW Hai Long 2 project off Taiwan for developers Northland Power and Yushan Energy. The new 14MW giant is also in the frame for the 2.6GW Coastal Virginia project in the US, bringing the world's biggest turbine to what's set to be America's most ambitious offshore wind project to date. The relentless scaling-up of offshore wind was central to another Recharge exclusive this week as we reported how Germany's Aerodyn is taking blades to a new level with a 111-metre design, a full three-metres longer than those on the new Siemens Gamesa SG14-222DD. As the world recovers from a historic economic shock, green energy pacesetters like Vestas can lead the rebound and make sure the world is ready to face the next crisis – climate change. That was the message from the Danish wind giant's CEO Henrik Andersen in an exclusive opinion column for Recharge this week setting out what's at stake as the EU and other policymakers lay their plans for economic stimulus packages. Vestas itself was yet again confirmed as the wind sector's market leader by another industry study, while the OEM's global reach was underlined by its latest success in Vietnam. The US wind market has reason to celebrate this week as the federal government confirmed projects will get more time under tax credit incentive programmes to take account of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That's a relief to a industry that was facing big pressures on its supply chains and people – although, as a Recharge analysis explained – coping better than many sectors of the US economy. US offshore wind wasn't part of the relief measures but marked its own milestone when construction work began at the first project in US federal waters, with first foundations now installed at Dominion Energy and Orsted's 12MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot site. On the downside, another US offshore wind plan – the Icebreaker project on Lake Erie, Ohio – declared itself "stunned" at a consent decision it claimed could make the long-percolating development unviable.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/offshore-wind-rides-updraft-vestas-ceos-view-and-why-us-is-coming-up-trumps/2-1-817404
     
         
      Don’t Ignore the Nuclear Option Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:37:00
     
      It may be controversial. It's also a reliable source of clean power that can replace fossil fuels. With billions of workers at home and factories idle, early April saw daily carbon emissions fall 17% compared to 2019 averages, according to a study by a team of international scientists published this month. That's great. Unfortunately, it only takes us back to 2006 levels, and it's temporary. For an even more painful reminder of the scale of the climate task, consider that for 2020 overall the same researchers from the University of East Anglia and Stanford estimate coronavirus lockdowns will amount to an emission reduction of about 4% to 7% — the sort of decline we need every year to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the boldest global target. The challenge is clear. So why are we leaving a major existing source of low-carbon power out of green stimulus discussions, as the European Union appeared to do last week? Nuclear energy is hugely polarizing, geopolitically sensitive and not without risk. It's also a reliable source of clean power that can displace fossil fuels and effectively work in tandem with renewable energy. True, new plants have proven slow and costly. By managing projects (a lot) better and tinkering with the models less, that can change. We can certainly keep existing reactors alive reasonably cheaply. Small, modular plants, already in the pipeline, may make a difference, too. Leaving nuclear off the agenda in the debate on a post-pandemic, carbon-light recovery is a mistake we will rue. Simply, it's about emissions. We have to make electricity production greener, so it can in turn become a low-carbon energy source for transport, heating and more. Atomic energy does generate emissions during parts of its lifecycle, like uranium mining. Still, globally, it avoided 63 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide from 1971 to 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. Without it, emissions from electricity generation would have been 20% higher. Yet rather than increasing when we want cleaner power, it's fading fast in the West as aging plants close, and is often replaced with cheap gas. Nuclear generation did rise by 2.4% in 2018, its fastest growth since 2010 — but only thanks to China.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-31/nuclear-power-needs-to-be-part-of-green-stimulus-debate
     
         
      The days of coal powered energy aren't as numbered as they seem Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:35:00
     
      The belching coal power plant in North Yorkshire was powered down as demand for heating and electricity dropped to near-record lows, prompted by unseasonably high temperatures. Then exactly a month passed and a record was broken. Britain had gone its longest stretch since the Industrial Revolution without coal power. As climate campaigners rejoiced, energy veterans pointed to an uncomfortable truth: the UK has relied on coal power for most of this past winter. On some days, coal contributed as much as 9pc to electricity and heating demand. The system is "still very much reliant on coal", says Kathryn Porter, an energy consultant at Watt-Logic. Fossil fuel is, of course, in decline, according to Porter. "The economics of coal-fired generation are dire," she says, pointing to the number of plants that have closed, or announced they plan to close, ahead of the October 2024 deadline for the end of all coal power in Britain....
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/05/31/days-coal-powered-energy-arent-numbered-seem/
     
         
      Northvolt and aluminum company plot Norwegian EV recycling plant Mon, 1st Jun 2020 12:34:00
     
      The sustainable lithium-ion battery manufacturer wants to secure raw materials to recycle into its products and will tap one of the world's most advanced electric vehicle markets for its end-of-life batteries. With Swedish sustainable battery manufacturer Northvolt having committed to draw at least half its components from recycled materials by 2030, the business has formed a joint venture (JV) with its investor Hydro to secure a stream of dead electric vehicle batteries. Norway is a global pioneer for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) take-up and its fast maturing EV market can supply battery materials and aluminum until Northvolt's own lithium-ion products start reaching the end of their shelf life and being returned to the manufacturer. A press release issued by Northvolt and Norwegian aluminum company Hydro today announced the Hydro Volt JV formed by the partners will start recycling end-of-life EV batteries in Fredrikstad, Norway next year. The highly-automated facility will crush and sort more than 8,000 tons of EV batteries initially, said the project partners, with plans to then expand capacity. Northvolt, set up to establish a sustainable lithium-ion battery manufacturing industry in Europe, already has plans for a pilot materials recycling facility which is set to enter operation this year, as part of its Revolt project. The company plans to establish a full-scale recycling site at its lithium-ion gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden, in 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/01/northvolt-and-aluminum-company-plot-norwegian-ev-recycling-plant/
     
         
      Electrifying West Africa with a renewable grid Sun, 31st May 2020 14:52:00
     
      There has been a lot of discussion about how areas that are seeing explosive renewable growth can manage the large amount of intermittent electricity sources. But these mostly focus on regions with mature electric grids and a relatively static growth in demand. What would happen if you tried to grow renewables at the same time you're trying to grow a grid? A EU-US team of researchers decided to find out what a good renewable policy might look like in West Africa, an area similar in size to the 48 contiguous US states but composed of 16 different countries. Some of these nations already get a sizable chunk of their power from renewables in the form of hydropower, but they are expected to see demand roughly double in the next decade. Although renewables like solar and wind are likely to play a role purely based on their price, the researchers' analysis suggests that a smart international grid can balance hydro, wind, and solar to produce a far greener grid.
       
      Full Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/managing-hydro-and-other-renewables-as-a-unit-to-cut-fossil-fuel-use/
     
         
      Thanks To Renewables And Machine Learning, Google Now Forecasts The Wind Sun, 31st May 2020 13:04:00
     
      Wind farms have traditionally made less money for the electricity they produce because they have been unable to predict how windy it will be tomorrow. "The way a lot of power markets work is you have to schedule your assets a day ahead," said Michael Terrell, the head of energy market strategy at Google. "And you tend to get compensated higher when you do that than if you sell into the market real-time. "Well, how do variable assets like wind schedule a day ahead when you don't know the wind is going to blow?" Terrell asked, "and how can you actually reserve your place in line?" "We're not getting the full benefit and the full value of that power." Here's how: Google and the Google-owned Artificial Intelligence firm DeepMind combined weather data with power data from 700 megawatts of wind energy that Google sources in the Central United States. Using machine learning, they have been able to better predict wind production, better predict electricity supply and demand, and as a result, reduce operating costs. "What we've been doing is working in partnership with the DeepMind team to use machine learning to take the weather data that's available publicly, actually forecast what we think the wind production will be the next day, and bid that wind into the day-ahead markets," Terrell said in a recent seminar hosted by the Stanford Precourt Institute of Energy. Stanford University posted video of the seminar last week. The result has been a 20 percent increase in revenue for wind farms, Terrell said. The Department of Energy listed improved wind forecasting as a first priority in its 2015 Wind Vision report, largely to improve reliability: "Improve Wind Resource Characterization," the report said at the top of its list of goals. "Collect data and develop models to improve wind forecasting at multiple temporal scales—e.g., minutes, hours, days, months, years."
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2020/05/31/thanks-to-renewables-and-machine-learning-google-now-forecasts-the-wind/
     
         
      Climate change: How a green new deal really could go global Sun, 31st May 2020 12:31:00
     
      Good news is in short supply at the moment, so brace yourself for a rare burst of optimism about climate change. World leaders know their countries face one of the most severe recessions in history thanks to the coronavirus restrictions. That presents a unique challenge, but also a massive opportunity. Politicians know they are going to need to spend huge amounts of money to kick-start economic activity as the threat of coronavirus finally recedes. It is a one-off, never-to-be-repeated chance to transform their economies. So the question is, what will they spend it on? 'Europe's moment' This week the European Union put its cards on the table. On Wednesday it unveiled what it is billing as the biggest "green" stimulus package in history. "This is about all of us and it is way bigger than any one of us," announced Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, when she told European Parliament members what was planned. "This is Europe's moment," she said. As well as being a big step towards federalism, the recovery package puts fighting climate change at the heart of the bloc's recovery from the pandemic. The scale of what is being proposed is mind-boggling. The headline figure is €750bn, but add in spending from future budgets and the total financial firepower the European Commission says it will be wielding is almost €2tn ($2.2tn). There will be tens of billions of euros to make homes more energy efficient, to decarbonise electricity and phase out petrol and diesel vehicles. The idea is to turbo-charge the European effort to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. "If we do not do it we will be taking much more risk," Teresa Ribera, the deputy Prime Minister of Spain told me. "The recovery should be green or it will not be a recovery, it will just be a short-cut into the kind of problems we are facing right now."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52848184
     
         
      HYFLEX POWER: The World's First Integrated Power-to-X-to-Power Hydrogen Gas Turbine Demonstrator Sat, 30th May 2020 14:43:00
     
      HYFLEXPOWER: The World's First Integrated Power-to-X-to-Power Hydrogen Gas Turbine Demonstrator
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/hyflexpower-the-worlds-first-integrated-power-to-x-to-power-hydrogen-gas-turbine-demonstrator/
     
         
      Only One Oil Major Is Betting Big On Renewable Energy Sat, 30th May 2020 13:05:00
     
      Investments in solar and wind energy projects by the world's oil majors over the next five years are expected to reach $17.5 billion, a Rystad Energy analysis finds. But a closer look at the numbers reveals that some $10 billion, or 57% of the amount, is expected to be invested by a single company, Equinor, the only investor whose majority of greenfield capex will be towards renewable energy. Equinor, the Norwegian state-controlled energy giant, will drive renewable investment among majors, spending $6.5 billion in the next three years to build its capital-intensive offshore wind portfolio. We do not expect this forecast to be heavily affected by the fluctuating oil price or capex cuts, as much of the company's renewable portfolio is already committed, such as the massive Dogger Bank offshore wind project in the UK. If Equinor is removed from the outlook, however, renewable investments from major oil and gas companies can be seen in a very different light, declining over the next three years. This fall does not even factor in any of the recent capex cuts announced by the majors. "Recent suggestions of 'resilient green strategies' or 'business as usual' simply do not carry much weight, with the exception of Equinor. Not until later in the decade do we see an increase in renewable spending from other companies," says Rystad Energy's Product Manager for Renewables Gero Farruggio. After Equinor, the runner-up is Portuguese operator GALP, directing just under a quarter of its greenfield expenditure to green initiatives. Rystad Energy's analysis finds that almost all of the renewable investments by oil and gas players will come from just 10 oil majors, which are collectively poised to spend about $17.5 billion on renewable energy projects over the next five years. This tally, however, pales in comparison to the $166 billion they are forecast to spend on greenfield oil and gas projects during the same period. With the notable exceptions of Equinor and GALP, the investments in renewables by the other oil giants will not even match the typical capex requirements of a single oil and gas field in their respective portfolios.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Only-One-Oil-Major-Is-Betting-Big-On-Renewable-Energy.html
     
         
      A breakthrough approaches for solar power Sat, 30th May 2020 13:00:00
     
      One of the few parts of the UK economy to have a good April was solar power. The Met Office says it has probably been the sunniest April on record and the solar power industry reported its highest ever production of electricity (9.68GW) in the UK at 12:30 on Monday 20 April. With 16 solar panels on his roof Brian McCallion, from Northern Ireland, has been one of those benefitting from the good weather. "We have had them for about five years, and we save about £1,000 per year," says Mr McCallion, who lives in Strabane, just by the border. "If they were more efficient we could save more," he says, "and maybe invest in batteries to store it." That efficiency might be coming. There is a worldwide race, from San Francisco to Shenzhen, to make a more efficient solar cell. Today's average commercial solar panel converts 17-19% of the light energy hitting it to electricity. This is up from 12% just 10 years ago. But what if we could boost this to 30%? More efficient solar cells mean we could get much more than today's 2.4% of global electricity supply from the sun. Solar is already the world's fastest growing energy technology. Ten years ago, there were only 20 gigawatts of installed solar capacity globally - one gigawatt being roughly the output of a single large power station. By the end of last year, the world's installed solar power had jumped to about 600 gigawatts. Even with the disruption caused by Covid-19, we will probably add 105 gigawatts of solar capacity worldwide this year, forecasts London-based research company, IHS Markit. Most solar cells are made from wafer-thin slices of silicon crystals, 70% of which are made in China and Taiwan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-51799503
     
         
      Old EV Batteries Could Hold The Key To Solving The Energy Industry's Biggest Pro Sat, 30th May 2020 12:57:00
     
      Here's a fact you don't often hear: electric cars are a tiny portion of the global market. "Tiny" here means 0.5 percent of all cars on the world's roads. In absolute numbers, however, this "tiny" portion translates into millions of EVs, and this number is growing. But what do we do with all those batteries when they're done with them? The idea of giving EV batteries a second life rather than recycling them has been around for a while. The most obvious direction for this second life is energy storage. After all, this is what rechargeable batteries do: they store energy for when it is needed. And they need to be replaced in an EV long before they are completely exhausted. In fact, EV batteries are considered to be at the end of their productive life for a car when it falls to 80 percent of their original capacity, which is still plenty of capacity that could be repurposed. Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind here would be behind-the-meter storage—the kind of storage system you can put in your house to reduce your reliance on the grid. But there is also another option: using EV batteries for utility-scale energy storage. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently published a study of the feasibility of a utility-scale solar farm combined with a storage system made from used EV batteries. What they found was that this could be a better choice than building a new energy storage system. The study involved looking into three scenarios: building a 2.5-MW solar farm with no storage system, the same farm but with new storage, and the same farm with a storage system from reused EV batteries. Their findings showed that the energy storage system using EV batteries (at 80 percent of capacity) was the more cost-effective choice, assuming a solar farm with no energy storage is the least desirable option in general. All this sounds great in a world that will soon generate a lot of "waste" EV batteries. But, as usual, there are caveats. First, the solar farm plus reused battery storage system scenario is economically viable only if the batteries cost less than 60 percent of their original price. Then there is the issue of battery consistency, the researchers note.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Old-EV-Batteries-Could-Hold-The-Key-To-Solving-The-Energy-Industrys-Biggest-Pro.html
     
         
      Coronavirus: The environment’s big moment? Sat, 30th May 2020 12:28:00
     
      The coronavirus crisis has seen many changes to life as we know it. The number of cars on our roads has reduced dramatically, planes are grounded and many of us are working from home for the first time. It has resulted in cleaner rivers and better air quality, and global CO2 emissions are predicted to be their lowest in a decade. Could changes we have been forced to make during the pandemic become long-term environmental solutions?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52854219
     
         
      Swansea council still 'confident' over city centre revamp despite pandemic Fri, 29th May 2020 13:31:00
     
      Swansea council remains "confident and optimistic" over its £135m redevelopment despite coronavirus. Locations around Wales have been left deserted by the pandemic as people follow lockdown guidelines. However the local authority is pressing ahead with its Swansea Central project, which aims to attract thousands of people to the heart of the city. The project aims to "reinvent" the city by creating a hub of 11,000 people working and living in the area. A 3,500-seat arena is also to be built alongside a hotel, shops, bridge and apartments. However, densely-populated centres could prove unattractive to some, with scientists warning we will need to practise social distancing for at least the next 12-18 months. Swansea council is close to completing the Kingsway redevelopment - one of the main roads in the city - while work has continued during lockdown on student accommodation and the arena, which is due to be completed in the summer of 2021. "Hopefully it will be completed in time for when we're coming out of the lockdown restrictions and people can resume some sort of normality with their lives," said council leader Rob Stewart. "Cities are still going to be the beating heart of the economy across the UK. "I don't agree that restrictions have been lifted so quickly [in England] but as soon as restrictions are, people flocked back to beaches and cities. "I remain optimistic. We're building for the future success of the economy of Swansea and the region, so there's no reason to depart from that." Cities are already adapting to the coronavirus crisis. In Paris, 650km of cycleways are being built, Milan has announced plans for a car-free future while in the US, 75 miles of streets in New York City will be allocated to pedestrians and cyclists.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52838688
     
         
      UK weather: Sunniest spring since records began Fri, 29th May 2020 13:28:00
     
      The UK has experienced its sunniest spring since records began in 1929, the Met Office has said. It is also set to be the driest May on record for some parts of UK, including the driest in England for 124 years. Some areas are already warning of drought conditions despite exceptionally wet weather and flooding earlier in the year. But there are no plans for hosepipe bans yet, according to the water industry trade body Water UK. The UK spent much of spring in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, but thousands flocked to beaches last week to enjoy the sun following a slight easing of restrictions in England. Only nine springs on record have topped 500 hours of sunshine but, by Wednesday, the UK had clocked up 573 hours. While the Met Office's full figures will not be available until Monday, the village of Benson in Oxfordshire is likely to have been the driest place, with "no measurable rain" falling in their rain bucket, BBC Weather meteorologist Matt Taylor said. Explaining the prolonged sunny weather, he said the jet stream - strong winds driving much of the UK's variable weather - was largely anchored to the north of the UK during spring. That allowed high pressure to build, whilst the rainy low pressure systems stayed out in the Atlantic. "Some scientists say these 'stalled' weather patterns are a result of climate change and the warming that is taking place in the Arctic region could lead to more extreme weather events in future," he said. Prof Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said the swing from record-breaking wet weather to the months of sunshine was "unprecedented" and "concerning" because it showed how much the UK's climate was changing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52849367
     
         
      EU's greenhouse gas emissions continue to fall as coal ditched Fri, 29th May 2020 13:23:00
     
      Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU continued their fall in 2018, the latest year for which comprehensive data is available, according to a new report from Europe's environment watchdog. Emissions fell by 2.1% compared with 2017, to a level 23% lower than in 1990, the baseline for the bloc's emission cuts under the UN's climate agreements. If the UK is excluded, the decline since 1990 was smaller, standing at 20.7%. The continuing fall, revealed in a report by the European Environment Agency, came as the result of EU-wide and country-specific policies, with energy generation showing the biggest decline in emissions as coal was phased out further and renewable power increased. Carbon dioxide emissions from transport flattened off in 2018, after rising for the previous four years, giving hope that this major source of emissions may be brought under control. However, emissions must be brought down much further and faster to satisfy the EU's obligations under the Paris agreement, campaigners said. Annual falls of about 7% are estimated to be needed to keep global heating within the Paris upper limit of 2C above pre-industrial levels. The economic turmoil and disruption caused by the coronavirus is likely to result in a short-term drop in emissions, as it has so far this year across the world, but the longer-term impact is unknown. As people return to work, and governments try to stimulate the economy, emissions are likely to rise again, and some behavioural changes – such as avoiding public transport and the resumption of air travel on emptier planes – may increase emissions beyond the level of recent years if measures are not taken to rein them in. This week, the UN decided to postpone vital talks on the climate crisis by a year, from this November to November 2021. The hiatus is longer than many countries had wished, but was deemed necessary given the disruption caused by lockdowns. Green groups urged governments to link the recovery from the coronavirus with the need to reduce carbon, ahead of the Cop26 talks, and said the year's delay must not be allowed to slow down action on the climate crisis. "A 2.1% emissions drop isn't nearly enough to avert massive climate breakdown, and we absolutely cannot lose sight of the urgency of this task," said Aaron Kiely, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth. "Postponement of the climate talks cannot come at the cost of international climate action – it doesn't give governments a get-out clause from their international responsibilities. There is a way out of both [the climate and coronavirus] crises if we collaborate, listen to the science, and stop losing time." Although the European commission set out its initial plans for a green recovery this week, there is still no guarantee that member states will also take the actions needed to ensure long-term emissions reduction as the lockdowns ease.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/29/eus-greenhouse-gas-emissions-continue-to-fall-as-coal-ditched
     
         
      Markets not paying attention to climate crisis, IMF says Fri, 29th May 2020 13:18:00
     
      Equity markets have generally ignored the increasing number of natural disasters over the past 50 years and tougher rules are needed to make investors aware of the dangers posed by the climate crisis, the International Monetary Fund has said. Companies should be forced to disclose their exposure to climate risk because a voluntary approach does not go far enough, the IMF said in a chapter from its latest global financial stability report (GFSR). The Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures, an initiative led by Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor, outlines how companies should calculate and disclose their exposure to climate risk to investors. The IMF, however, said in a GFSR published on Friday that climate risk should ultimately be made part of international reporting standards. "An increasing number of firms have begun to voluntarily disclose climate change risk information, in line with the recommendations set out by the taskforce on climate-related financial disclosures" it said. "However, going further by developing global mandatory disclosures on material climate change risks would be an important step to sustain financial stability. In the short term, mandatory climate change risk disclosure could be based on globally agreed principles. In the longer term, climate change risk disclosure standards could be incorporated into financial statements compliant with international financial reporting standards." The IMF functions as the global lender of last resort, bailing out countries in financial difficulty and issuing policy advice alongside its interventions. Its latest statement on the climate crisis expressed concerns that stock markets were ignoring the rise in global temperatures and its consequences. Although stock markets fell sharply in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, this followed their best year since 2009 and the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis. A global index of share prices rose by 24%, and the FTSE 100 climbed by 12% despite uncertainty over Brexit. Last year was also marked by a series of severe weather-related events, including flooding in the US and bushfires in Australia, but the IMF said this was part of a trend for the number of disasters to increase "considerably" in the past few decades, from slightly more than 50 in the early 1980s to about 200 since 2000. It noted that Hurricane Kartrin devastated New Orleans in 2005, and Dominica suffered damage amounting to more than twice its GDP when Hurricane Maria struck in 2017. The IMF said global temperatures were currently 1.1C above their pre-industrial level and were on course to rise by a total of 3C unless stronger action was taken. "Climate change induced by this level of warming is, in turn, expected to adversely impact the world's stock of natural assets, lead to a significant rise in sea level, and increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather event," the IMF said. "As the frequency and severity of climatic hazards rise, the resultant socioeconomic losses could be significantly higher than in recent history."
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/29/markets-not-paying-attention-to-climate-crisis-imf-warns
     
         
      A 17.5%-efficient dark grey solar tile Fri, 29th May 2020 13:14:00
     
      U.K. business Roof Tiles Technology Ltd has developed a solar tile with a claimed efficiency of 17.5% and power output of 175 W per square meter. The company's founder, Antonio Lanzoni, said a PV system featuring the product would cost 25-30% more than a standard solar rooftop. U.K.-based Roof Tiles Technology Ltd has developed a solar tile featuring monocrystalline Perc solar cells which it says resembles a standard concrete roof tile and is suitable for new and renovated roofs. The flat, dark grey, BiSolar tile has a power output of 18 W and efficiency of 17.5%, according to the manufacturer. "For each square meter, 9.7 tiles are needed, with total output reaching 175 W," company founder and co-director Antonio Lanzoni told pv magazine. "The solutions we came up with are patented and offer strong protection for the product." The device is made of a PV-etched glass panel attached to a concrete roof tile and features 22%-efficient solar cells from a Chinese producer which is "well established in Europe," said Lanzoni. Each tile includes a dozen 139 by 52.92mm cells. The product carries a 25-year performance guarantee, measures 445 x 330mm and weighs 6kg, with the PV device contributing 1.2kg and including 3mm of satin tempered glass. Price According to Lanzoni, a BiSolar tile installation is 25-30% more expensive than a standard rooftop PV array. "But it looks a lot better," said the company founder, who added, installation costs for BiSolar are cheaper than for rooftop panels. "The BiSolar tile can be installed by a standard roof installer like a normal roof tile, as they can be easily connected via simple MC4 connectors located under the solar panel," said Lanzoni. The company began marketing the product late last year but the Covid-19 crisis slowed operations in recent months. "However, we are now supplying to a selected number of potential partners the first pilot roofs in a few countries," said Lanzoni. Roof Tiles Technology wants to enter new markets and is said to be in talks with construction and roofing industry businesses about establishing production facilities outside the U.K. "Potential partners will benefit [from] the exclusive right to use our patent, an established supply chain and technical assistance, from the assembly process to roof installation," Lanzoni added. The founder of the business said BiSolar installations outperform roofs fitted with conventional tiles in the Wind Driven Rain test – which assesses the impact of rainfall on devices – and he said the product could in future become cheaper and offer better performance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/29/a-17-5-efficient-dark-grey-solar-tile/
     
         
      World's largest all-electric plane takes flight Fri, 29th May 2020 13:09:00
     
      Aviation history was made this week when the world's largest all-electric plane took its maiden flight. The all-electric eCaravan is a retrofitted Cessna and can carry nine people. It made its first flight on Thursday in Washington State.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-52856887/world-s-largest-all-electric-plane-takes-flight
     
         
      Japanese golf course becomes 100 MW solar park Fri, 29th May 2020 13:01:00
     
      A new 100 MWp solar power plant supplied with Kyocera solar modules has begun operation in Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture. Operated by the Kyocera-backed Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC joint venture, the plant is one of the largest PV facilities on the island of Kyushu. Venture partner Tokyo Century arranged financing for the project with 17 regional banks. Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC, a joint venture that counts Japanese electronics and solar cell and module manufacturer Kyocera among its main shareholders, has begun operation of its 100 MW Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills Solar Power Plant, one of the largest power plant on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Employing 356,928 high-efficiency Kyocera solar modules, the site, located in the town of Osaki and the city of Kanoya, is expected to generate some 117,000 MWh per year. Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills' backers also include GF Corporation and Kyudenko Corporation, which established a consortium to oversee the plant's design, construction and maintenance. Also on board is financial services group Tokyo Century, which worked with the Bank of Fukuoka in arranging a syndicated loan with 17 regional banks for the project. Kanoya Osaki Solar Hills LLC, which will manage operations of the facility, worked on the construction of the site with the cooperation of Kagoshima Prefecture, the city of Kanoya, the town of Osaki and other members of the community. Planning of the project began in January 2014 after the local community expressed interest in repurposing land designated for a golf course more than 30 years ago that was subsequently abandoned. "We believe that this installation will contribute greatly to the local community through the creation of jobs and increased tax revenues in both Kanoya and Osaki," Kyocera said in a statement. Akihito Kubota, executive officer and general manager of Kyocera's Corporate Smart Energy Group, added: "GF, Kyocera, Kyudenko and Tokyo Century started this project with a commitment to contribute to the community in cooperation with local governments by assisting with a long-term land redevelopment vision."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/29/japanese-golf-course-becomes-100-mw-solar-park/
     
         
      UK’s Largest Solar Project Approved, Will Snub Government Subsidies Fri, 29th May 2020 12:54:00
     
      Cleve Hill, the U.K.'s largest-ever solar project, received its government planning approvals this week. The question is how the 350-megawatt development proceeds from here in a large-scale solar market that has all but died out. Located in southeastern England, along the North Kent coast, Cleve Hill is under development by Hive Energy and Wirsol. The developers say they will not seek any government subsidy and will not participate in the contracts for difference (CFD) auction next year. The project, which may include a substantial amount of battery storage, will be built near the existing grid infrastructure used by the London Array offshore wind farm, once the largest in the world. Cleve Hill is targeting completion in 2022, Giles Redpath, CEO of Hive Energy, said in a statement. A spokesperson told GTM that a final investment decision would be made ahead of construction work beginning in spring 2021. Despite a reputation for gray skies, the U.K. enjoyed a boom period for large-scale solar between 2013 and 2017, rivaling Germany as the hottest market in Europe. But the policy program underpinning that success closed to new solar projects in March 2017, and just 385 megawatts of solar projects larger than 5 megawatts have been connected since. Britain's largest installed solar project today is around 70 megawatts. The market's promise has never gone dark. With the economics of solar improving all the time, developers have been busy readying a project pipeline that now stands at 8 gigawatts, waiting for a clear route to market to emerge. Cleve Hill could be the project to beat that path, but many questions remain unanswered. "It's good news that it's been approved, but it's still a long way from being realized," said Tom Heggarty, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie's energy transition practice. "There are still many challenges in terms of closing finance for large PV projects in the U.K. The economics are still pretty marginal in the vast majority of cases."
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/uks-largest-solar-plus-storage-project-gets-greenlight-now-the-hard-work-starts
     
         
      A rising tide of marine disease? How parasites respond to a warming world Fri, 29th May 2020 12:52:00
     
      Warming events are increasing in magnitude and severity, threatening many ecosystems worldwide. As the global temperatures continue to climb, it also raises uncertainties as to the relationship, prevalence, and spread of parasites and disease. A recent study from the University of Washington explores the ways parasitism will respond to climate change, providing researchers new insights into disease transmission. The paper was published May 18 in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. The review builds upon previous research by adding nearly two decades of new evidence to build a framework showing the parasite-host relationship under climate oscillations. Traditionally, climate-related research is done over long timescales, however this unique approach examines how increasingly frequent "pulse warming" events alter parasite transmission. "Much of what is known about how organisms and ecosystems can respond to climate change has focused on gradual warming," said lead author Danielle Claar, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. "Climate change causes not only gradual warming over time, but also increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme events, like heat waves." Claar explained that both gradual warming and pulse warming can and have influenced ecosystems, but do so in different ways. Organisms may be able to adapt and keep pace with the gradual warming, but an acute pulse event can have sudden and profound impacts.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-tide-marine-disease-parasites-world.html
     
         
      Climate change top of NI public's environmental concerns Thu, 28th May 2020 14:17:00
     
      Climate change is the number one environmental issue of concern for households in Northern Ireland, according to a government report. It follows huge focus on the issue in recent years in the media and through the action of climate activists. Its overtaken illegal dumping which had been the principal concern for almost a decade. The finding report is compiled annually by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs. It covers a wide range of topics from biodiversity to waste management and pollution and gives an indication of the state of the local environment. There are improvements in some areas like overall air quality and recycling rates. But problems remain, with no improvement in things like the state of the rivers and our levels of greenhouse gas emissions when measured against targets for chosen baseline years. For the first time, a new indicator was added to the survey, asking people about recyclable waste not being recycled. Almost one in four households said they were concerned that material that could be reused was ending up in landfill.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52834902
     
         
      COP 26: New date agreed for UN climate summit in Glasgow Thu, 28th May 2020 14:04:00
     
      A new date has been agreed for an international climate change summit in Glasgow. The COP26 UN summit will now take place between 1 and 12 November next year. It was originally supposed to take place in November 2020. However, it had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Dozens of world leaders will attend the gathering, the most important round of talks since the global Paris Agreement to tackle climate change was secured in 2015. This year's event was due to take place at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow, which has been turned into a temporary hospital in response to coronavirus. 'Clean, resilient recovery' from Covid-19 COP26 President Alok Sharma said: "While we rightly focus on fighting the immediate crisis of the coronavirus, we must not lose sight of the huge challenges of climate change." Mr Sharma, who is also the UK government's business secretary, added: "With the new dates for COP26 now agreed we are working with our international partners on an ambitious roadmap for global climate action between now and November 2021. "The steps we take to rebuild our economies will have a profound impact on our societies' future sustainability, resilience and wellbeing and COP26 can be a moment where the world unites behind a clean resilient recovery. The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said: "If done right, the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis can steer us to a more inclusive and sustainable climate path."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52839057
     
         
      Just How Good An Investment Is Renewable Energy? New Study Reveals All Thu, 28th May 2020 14:02:00
     
      Renewable energy investments are delivering massively better returns than fossil fuels in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe, but despite this the total volume of investment is still nowhere near that required to mitigate climate change. Those are some of the findings of new research released today by Imperial College London and the International Energy Agency, which analyzed stock market data to determine the rate of return on energy investments over a five- and 10-year period. The study found renewables investments in Germany and France yielded returns of 178.2% over a five year period, compared with -20.7% for fossil fuel investments. In the U.K., also over five years, investments in green energy generated returns of 75.4% compared to just 8.8% for fossil fuels. In the U.S., renewables yielded 200.3% returns versus 97.2% for fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2020/05/28/just-how-good-an-investment-is-renewable-energy-new-study-reveals-all/
     
         
      £900m net zero infrastructure plan proposed by Britain’s gas networks Thu, 28th May 2020 13:55:00
     
      Plans to invest more than £900m in switching Britain's gas grid from using methane natural gas to hydrogen and biomethane have been unveiled today by the country's five gas network operators. Cadent, National Grid, NGN, SGN, and Wales & West Utilities want to use a proposed £904m investment to develop green gas network infrastructure over the next five years as part of plans for the UK's economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and the country's long-term decarbonisation policy. The Zero Carbon Commitment package, part of Energy Networks Association's (ENA) Gas Goes Green programme, includes plans to invest: £446m in new network infrastructure for projects that roll out the industrial use of hydrogen, as well as domestic trials. This includes £391m of investment in engineering and design work for carbon, capture, utilisation and storage projects in the north-west of England, Aberdeenshire and the Isle of Grain. £264m in 'cross-cutting' projects that will expand the capacity of local gas networks to connect more hydrogen and bio-methane generation projects, transport refuelling stations, and ensure network operators have the right systems in place to manage the gas used by those connections. £150m for running new, large scale trials of domestic appliances providing hydrogen heating, cooking and transportation appliances connected to the gas grid, starting in controlled environments, before moving on to unoccupied and finally occupied premises. £44m in projects to understand how to blend an increasing amount of zero carbon hydrogen with the natural gas currently used in our gas networks, to gradually replace it. The five gas network operators are seeking approval from the government and energy regulator Ofgem. A decision on gas network investment is expected in July.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/900m-net-zero-infrastructure-plan-proposed-by-britains-gas-networks/
     
         
      Canadian Solar sees turnover and profits surge Thu, 28th May 2020 13:36:00
     
      The Chinese-Canadian solar manufacturer reported a 41% year-over-year increase in total module shipments to 2.2 GW in the first quarter. Revenue grew by 70% to $826 million, while net profit improved significantly from $17.2 million to $110.6 million. Chinese-Canadian PV manufacturer Canadian Solar on Thursday posted a first-quarter net profit of $110.6 million, up from a $17.2 million loss in the same period a year ago, as net revenue soared 70% to $826 million, exceeding guidance for the first three months of 2020. The company attributed the revenue growth to higher module shipments and project sales, which was partially offset by a decline in average module selling price (ASP). Total module shipments increased 41% year-over-year to 2.2 GW, in line with expectations. "While COVID-19's impact on the demand for our products and services was limited in the first quarter, we remain cautious given the market uncertainty and expected softness in the second half of 2020," said Canadian Solar Chairman and CEO Shawn Qu. The chief executive said that, as with past periods of volatility, the company was restricting discretionary spending and investing in long-term growth opportunities. "The industry's long-term fundamentals remain strong, with numerous catalysts for revenue and profitability growth," Qu added. "We are particularly excited by the market outlook for our Energy business, as lower equipment ASPs help to improve the profitability of our contracted projects." The low interest rate environment is making the company's solar projects "even more sought-after as countercyclical investment assets," Qu noted. Canadian Solar will continue to sell and recycle capital to grow its project pipeline while also growing stable, recurring revenues by retaining partial ownership of selected projects, he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/28/canadian-solar-sees-turnover-and-profits-surge/
     
         
      Albania’s 140 MW PV tender concludes with final price of €0.02489/kWh Thu, 28th May 2020 13:34:00
     
      The project was awarded to French developer Voltalia. The plant will be located in the Karavasta area, in the centre of the country. Albania's Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy has announced the winner of the tender for the construction of a 140 MW solar power plant in the Karavasta area, in the centre of the country. According to the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction, which assisted the Albanian government in preparing and holding the tender, French solar company Voltalia secured the project thanks to a bid of €0.02489/kWh. "This price – less than half the ceiling of €55 – confirmed the value of preparing a tender in line with international best practice," the international lender said. The solar park will be built on 122ha in the Divjaka municipality, in Remas, and on a further 76ha in the Fier municipality of Libofsha. The government said construction will not affect the protected Karavasta Lagoon. Under the terms of the tender, half the energy generated by the plant will earn the awarded tariff with the remainder sold on the wholesale energy market. The procurement exercise is the second tender for large scale solar in Albania. A previous auction, for a 100 MW solar park, was won by India Power in November 2018. Half of that project was awarded a 15-year tariff of €0.0599/kWh with the balance sold on the retail electricity market. Albania supports rooftop PV through a net metering scheme codified in June.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/28/albanias-140-mw-pv-tender-concludes-with-final-price-of-e0-02489-kwh/
     
         
      America's Oil & Gas Capital Is Turning To Renewables Thu, 28th May 2020 13:12:00
     
      When we think of Texas, we think of Big Oil. Even more so in its largest city, Houston. Home to some of the world's largest private energy companies, Houston lives and dies on oil. But it is also the biggest buyer of….renewable energy. The city of Houston has committed to purchasing 100% renewable energy as a part of a renewed collaboration with NRG Energy. Throughout the seven-year agreement, the city predicts seeing the cost of electricity for the community falling, resulting in $9.3 million saved every year. Mayor Sylvester Turner noted, "All they see in the city of Houston is Chevron and Shell and Exxon. They kind of look past the city of Houston, but there are some incredible things that are happening in the city of Houston when we start talking about renewables." This new deal is just the most recent in a string of initiatives helping to push the city in a more eco-friendly direction. In addition to the renewables pledge, the city is also building new bike lanes and encouraging the use of electric cars. It's even proactively courting Elon Musk to move Tesla Inc. and SpaceX to the "Space City" in hopes the offer will help other businesses see Houston for what it really is, rather than simply the global capital of the oil & gas business. The strategy also looks to expand Houston's investments in its own renewable resources, with the goal of powering the city with 100% renewable energy by 2025, rather than purchasing it. Houston is currently the biggest customer of renewable energy in the country, according to the United States EPA. Houston's chief sustainability officer Lara Cottingham explained, "As a city, we have a really long and strong history of sustainability. From a sustainability perspective, we've been the largest municipal user of renewable energy for some time now."
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Americas-Oil-Gas-Capital-Is-Turning-To-Renewables.html
     
         
      Coronavirus: Climate change 'could have greater impact' Thu, 28th May 2020 11:48:00
     
      The boss of energy giant SSE has warned that a failure to deal with climate change could eventually have a greater economic impact than coronavirus. Alistair Phillips-Davies wants the UK government to encourage private investment in renewables by giving the green light to big new projects. They include hydrogen and carbon capture plants and boosting electric vehicles. SSE has outlined its "greenprint" in a letter to the prime minister. Mr Phillips-Davies said: "While it is still too early to predict with confidence the full human, social and economic impact of coronavirus, we can say with certainty that significant investment will be needed to rebuild the UK economy in its wake. "Although not as immediately felt as those from coronavirus, the impacts from a failure to deal with climate change could be even greater. "That's why delivering on the UK's net zero emissions target by 2050, and 2045 in Scotland, is as important as ever." The "greenprint" sets out five areas and 15 "practical, deliverable steps government could take now to rebuild a cleaner and more resilient economy for the future". The steps include deploying the world's most "extensive and efficient" electric vehicle charging infrastructure by 2025, committing to a net zero power sector by 2040, delivering 40GW offshore wind by 2030 and targeting at least 75GW by 2050. 'Wall of money' Mr Phillips-Davies told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme there was a global "wall of money" to be invested in new projects, adding: "Green has been and will continue to be very popular." "As we emerge from lockdown, I think it's really important that we see policy from government that points us in the long term. "I think many of these things that we've already signalled around reaching net zero, around banning diesel and petrol cars and I think what we can do now is accelerate that." He added: "I think there's a real win-win to be had from increasing the amount of investments and that's around providing certainty to companies like us who can deploy this technology."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-52778666
     
         
      Hydrogen as Fuel? An Italian Pasta Factory Shows How It Could Work Wed, 27th May 2020 14:46:00
     
      An Italian Pasta Factory Shows How It Could Work. CONTURSI TERME, Italy — In the hills near Naples, something unusual was taking place at a pasta factory one day in February. In a nearby olive grove, engineers in safety gear had hooked up tanks of a hydrogen and natural gas mixture to an existing gas line.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/business/hydrogen-fuel-climate-change.html
     
         
      Record drop in energy investment, warns International Energy Agency Wed, 27th May 2020 14:12:00
     
      The coronavirus crisis is causing the biggest fall in global energy investment in history. Before the pandemic, funding was set to rise 2%, but now it's predicted to plunge 20%, says the International Energy Agency (IEA). Fossil fuels are hit hardest, with a 30% funding drop expected for oil and a 15% fall for coal. Renewables investment is down 10% - and it's only about half what's needed to combat climate change. Due to coronavirus lockdown measures imposed by many countries, for the time being, the fall in investment is leading to a drop in planet-heating carbon emissions. But the IEA warns that that use of fossil fuels is likely to rebound when the crisis is over, leading to a spike in CO2. One reason is because China and other Asian nations are putting in orders now for a new generation of coal-fired power plants to supply energy in the future. "We see a historical decline in emissions, but unless we have the right economic recovery packages, we might see emissions again skyrocket and the decline of this year would be completely wasted," the IEA's executive director Fatih Birol told the BBC. "Remember the 2008-2009 crashes. We immediately saw a decline in emissions, but afterwards it rebounded. We must learn from history." Approvals of new coal plants in the first quarter of 2020, mainly in China, were running at twice the rate observed over the whole of 2019, he added. Overall energy investment has fallen almost $400bn (£324.3bn) short of what was expected in 2020, and the IEA says there are now serious doubts about secure energy supplies when the global economy picks up, because energy projects take so long to deliver. The report says the decline in investment is "staggering" in its scale and swiftness, mostly due to low demand and low prices for energy, especially oil. Dr Birol said: "The historic plunge in investment is deeply troubling. It means lost jobs and economic opportunities today, as well as lost energy supply that we might well need tomorrow, once the economy recovers. "The slowdown in spending also risks undermining the much-needed transition to more sustainable energy systems."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52812709
     
         
      Coronavirus: Plan to boost environment post-virus urged Wed, 27th May 2020 14:07:00
     
      A wildlife charity has suggested ways Wales can recover from the coronavirus outbreak and protect the environment at the same time. The RSPB wants politicians to commit to its "green recovery" plan, which it says can benefit people, the economy and the environment. Its plan includes less priority for building new roads in favour of improving public transport. The Welsh Government said it was committed to a "green-led" recovery. Katie-Jo Luxton, director of RSPB Cymru, said: "This is the time to put in place a green recovery that will restore nature, tackle climate change and secure the wellbeing of this and future generations. "Responding to Covid-19 and Brexit presents Wales with a unique opportunity to do things differently. "We must put aside our reliance on fossil fuels and destructive, polluting industries and instead opt for a plan that stimulates sustainable economic recovery that is good for nature and people." Lockdown rules have offered a glimpse where wildlife has been allowed to flourish. With council services on hold, roadside wildflowers have been left to bloom, becoming habitats for species of flowers and bees. Even wild goats have been attracted off the higher grounds to roam town centres, due to the quiet streets. Helen Jowett is manager of the RSPB's reserve in Conwy and one of the few staff left on the site. The reserve is closed to the public and most of her colleagues have been furloughed. "There's a real sense that nature has been able to take over during the lockdown in ways that wouldn't have been possible previously. I think people have appreciated that," she said. "I hope that we'll be able to see nature continue to play a bigger part in our lives as the lockdown is lifted."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52799589
     
         
      Nuclear Fusion Startup Gets $84 Million to Enter Next Phase Tue, 26th May 2020 14:32:00
     
      U.S. clean-energy startup, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, raised an additional $84 million from major investors in Europe and Asia, underscoring that the appetite remains to back new technologies which could mitigate climate change. As the world looks to ramp up the use of intermittent renewable energy, it needs to add forms of flexible clean power that can be turned on whenever needed. That's why investments in previously-fringe technologies like long-duration energy storage, hydrogen and nuclear fusion are taking off. Singapore's Temasek Holding Pte and Norway's Equinor ASA were among equity investors in Commonwealth Fusion Systems' latest round, according to Chief Executive Officer Bob Mumgaard, who said the cash will be used to build a headquarters and manufacturing facility. The company, called CFS, was founded by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018 and has now raised more than $200 million. "We're entering the next phase," Mumgaard said. "It's time to put down some roots, get us all under one roof, and build some hardware for the future fusion business line."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-26/nuclear-fusion-project-backed-by-investors-to-enter-next-phase
     
         
      Australia's megafauna roamed the tropics with first humans but then disappeared Tue, 26th May 2020 14:06:00
     
      Giant wombats, six-metre-long goannas and the world's largest kangaroos are among the enormous megafauna that inhabited Queensland between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago, but where did they go? Some scientists have argued that hunting by humans was a possible cause of their extinction, but new evidence suggests it was most likely major climatic and environmental change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52804163
     
         
      Portuguese Government Approves Hydrogen Strategy Tue, 26th May 2020 12:13:00
     
      The Portuguese government have recently approved a national strategy for hydrogen which will see an investment of 7 billion euros by 2030 which will lead to a reduction in natural gas imports of 300 to 600 million euros.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/portuguese-government-approves-hydrogen-strategy-e7b-investments/
     
         
      Solar arrays on wave energy generators, along with wind turbines Tue, 26th May 2020 12:03:00
     
      German startup Sinn Power has combined wave, wind and solar power to create what it claims is the world's "first floating ocean hybrid platform." Germany's Sinn Power has developed what it calls the world's "first floating ocean hybrid platform" by combining wave, wind and solar power. The Gauting-based startup has secured $6.2 million from Schweizer Kapital and a German government ministry since its founding in 2014. According to a recent article in Forbes, the company hopes to offer solar panel manufacturers the chance to test PV solar arrays on a floating platform at Heraklion, off the Greek coast, as part of an off-grid energy platform. "The floating platform can supply renewable energy to islands across the world … and contribute to the worldwide implementation of offshore wind farms," CEO Philipp Sinn told Forbes. The modular unit can be equipped with a 20 kW solar array and up to four small 6 kWp wind turbines. Sinn Power says it wants to provide "people living near coasts all over the world with access to clean electricity" and "turn the unlimited power of ocean waves into clean and cost-efficient energy." It claims to operate fully functional prototypes at its research location in Heraklion and says it is "on the verge" of commercializing its technology. Despite the potential energy held within waves and tides, the wave and tidal energy industry has been stuck in the demonstration phase for decades, as companies have been unable to overcome immense technical and financial hurdles. A renewable energy investment bubble sent capital to wave companies in the aughts, but recent funding has largely been restricted to government programs for demonstrations and tests.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/26/solar-arrays-on-wave-energy-generators-along-with-wind-turbines/
     
         
      New Sizewell C nuclear power station poses threat to rare birds, says National Trust Tue, 26th May 2020 11:56:00
     
      A new nuclear power station planned for the Suffolk coast would threaten rare wildlife on protected heathland, according to the National Trust. It has condemned EDF's application, expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate tomorrow, to build twin reactors at Sizewell in a project that the French state-controlled company says would supply enough low carbon electricity for six million homes, or 7 per cent of UK power. The trust owns Dunwich Heath, 140 acres of lowland heathland that is one of Britain's rarest habitats and is home to a breeding population of endangered stone curlews.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-sizewell-c-nuclear-power-station-poses-threat-to-rare-birds-says-national-trust-97vpn059f
     
         
      Australia bushfires: Hundreds of deaths linked to smoke, inquiry hears Tue, 26th May 2020 11:52:00
     
      Smoke from the massive bushfires that hit Australia in the 2019-20 summer was linked to more than 445 deaths, a government inquiry has heard. More than 4,000 people were admitted to hospital due to the smoke, Associate Prof Fay Johnston from the University of Tasmania told the Royal Commission. The fires burned for weeks, killed more than 30 people and caused air pollution which can be harmful to health. The inquiry is due to suggest ways to improve the natural disasters response. The fires, fuelled by record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought, devastated communities and destroyed more than 11 million hectares (110,000 sq km or 27.2 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia. Residents of Sydney - Australia's largest city - endured smoke for weeks and the air quality exceeded "hazardous" levels on several occasions. Other major cities, including the capital Canberra and Adelaide, were also shrouded by smoke. Prof Johnston, an environmental health specialist at the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research, said 80% of Australians, or about 20 million people, were affected by smoke from the fires. Some 3,340 hospital admissions and 1,373 emergency room visits were linked to the smoke, she added. The estimates were based on modelling of the impact of ultrafine particles - referred to as PM2.5 - that are a ninth of the size of a grain of sand. The health cost associated with premature loss of life and admissions to hospitals was estimated at AUD2bn (£1.1bn; $1.3bn), "about 10 times higher" than in previous years, Prof Johnston said. This did not include costs associated with ambulance callouts, lost productivity or some diseases where impacts would be difficult to model, including diabetes. The commission also heard that insurance claims related to the fires totalled AUD2.2bn. The commission is expected to release its findings by 31 August. Bushfires are a regular feature in the Australian calendar, but recommendations by dozens of inquiries held in previous decades have still not been implemented.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52804348
     
         
      COP26: UK proposes new date for delayed climate change summit Tue, 26th May 2020 11:44:00
     
      The UK Government has proposed delaying the UN climate change conference COP26 by a year. It is understood ministers have put forward new dates for the talks to begin on 1 - 12 November 2021. The event, at Glasgow's SEC, has been postponed from this November because of the coronavirus pandemic. A meeting of the UN's climate body, the UNFCCC, is being held later this week where the proposal for the rescheduled conference will be discussed. In a letter to UN member states, seen by the PA news agency, the UK cabinet office has proposed the new date. Although the letter does not specifically mention Glasgow as the venue, a commitment was made to the city to retain the location. Dozens of world leaders were due to attend the gathering - the most important round of talks since the global Paris Agreement to tackle climate change was secured in 2015. Analysis By Kevin Keane, BBC Scotland environment correspondent This has come as no surprise to those who understand how UN climate conferences work. Since the Paris agreement, the annual gathering has been seeking to further the international commitment to limit global temperature rises. But that work doesn't just happen in the scheduled two weeks where delegates gather at cities around the world, in this case Glasgow. International diplomacy by the next host nation - the UK for COP26 - begins the moment the gavel comes down on the previous COP. Without it, there would be very little progress and with minds so heavily focused on tackling Covid-19 this other crisis - the climate one - has taken a bit of a back seat. Plus, countries will need to understand what their starting position is with economies being crushed by the pandemic. Many world leaders are talking of a "green recovery" and so allowing this breathing space might be beneficial to the long term climate cause. This year marks the date by which countries are expected to come forward with stronger emissions cuts to meet the goals of the deal. Plans submitted so far put the world on a pathway towards more than 3C of warming, though the Paris Agreement commits countries to curb temperatures to 1.5C or 2C above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But with countries around the world grappling with coronavirus, and many putting citizens in lockdown, governments have prioritised the immediate global health crisis. Since the pandemic took hold, greenhouse gas emissions have dropped sharply as industry and transport have been curtailed, but experts have warned that pollution will soon bounce back without climate action.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52814996
     
         
      Coronavirus: Nature bounces back in Turkey under lockdown Tue, 26th May 2020 11:41:00
     
      The air quality in Turkish cities has improved since Covid-19 restrictions were imposed. Footage from across the country showing clearer skies, cleaner water and animals roaming in urban areas deserted by people has been widely shared, with many linking "environmental healing" to Covid-19 restrictions. However, the sustainability of the improvements remains doubtful. Other reports suggest industrial development and environmental destruction may accelerate when restrictions on economic activity are lifted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52811128
     
         
      Indonesia: Alone in a sinking village Tue, 26th May 2020 11:33:00
     
      The village of Bedono, Central Java was once home to more than 200 families. But now, it's under water as the island is taken over by rising sea levels, and only one family still lives there. Researchers say Java, in Indonesia, is sinking because of intense groundwater extraction, the destruction of mangroves and rising sea levels due to climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-52746336/indonesia-alone-in-a-sinking-village
     
         
      Flow-through electrodes make hydrogen 50 times faster Tue, 26th May 2020 11:33:00
     
      Electrolysis, passing a current through water to break it into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen, could be a handy way to store excess energy from wind or solar power. The hydrogen can be stored and used as fuel later, when the sun is down or the winds are calm. Unfortunately, without some kind of affordable energy storage like this, billions of watts of renewable energy are wasted each year. For hydrogen to be the solution to the storage problem, water-splitting electrolysis would have to be much more affordable and efficient, said Ben Wiley, a professor of chemistry at Duke University. And he and his team have some ideas about how to accomplish that. Wiley and his lab recently tested three new materials that might be used as a porous, flow-through electrode to improve the efficiency of electrolysis. Their goal was to increase the surface area of the electrode for reactions, while avoiding trapping the gas bubbles that are produced. "The maximum rate at which hydrogen is produced is limited by the bubbles blocking the electrode—literally blocking the water from getting to the surface and splitting," Wiley said. In a paper appearing May 25 in Advanced Energy Materials, they compared three different configurations of a porous electrode through which the alkaline water can flow as the reaction occurs. They fabricated three kinds of flow-through electrodes, each a 4 millimeter square of sponge-like material, just a millimeter thick. One was made of a nickel foam, one was a 'felt' made of nickel microfibers, and the third was a felt made of nickel-copper nanowires. Pulsing current through the electrodes for five minutes on, five minutes off, they found that the felt made of nickel-copper nanowires initially produced hydrogen more efficiently because it had a greater surface area than the other two materials. But within 30 seconds, its efficiency plunged because the material got clogged with bubbles. The nickel foam electrode was best at letting the bubbles escape, but it had a significantly lower surface area than the other two electrodes, making it less productive.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-flow-through-electrodes-hydrogen-faster.html
     
         
      Warming climate is changing where birds breed: study Tue, 26th May 2020 11:30:00
     
      Spring is in full swing. Trees are leafing out, flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and birds are singing. But a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that those birds in your backyard may be changing right along with the climate. Clark Rushing, Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Quinney College of Natural Resources at Utah State University, and colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey wanted to know how climate change has already affected where birds breed. They used data from the Breeding Bird Survey—one of the oldest and longest citizen-science programs in the world—to conduct their research. "Thousands of devoted volunteers, cooperators, and a joint U.S.-Canadian wildlife management team have contributed to the success of the surveys for the last 54 years," said Andy Royle, a USGS senior scientists and co-author of the study. "The Breeding Bird Survey is fundamental to our understanding and management of wild bird populations in North America." The research team combined Breeding Bird Survey data with powerful computer models to discover changes in breeding range for 32 species of birds found in eastern North America. What they found is surprising: Some birds' ranges are expanding. Birds that both breed and winter in North America are extending their ranges north to take advantage of new, warm places to breed. These birds are also maintaining their southern ranges. These results bring hope that some bird populations, such as Carolina wrens and red-bellied woodpeckers, may be resilient to future climate change. Some birds' ranges are shrinking. Neotropical migratory birds breed in North America during the summer and migrate to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America for the winter. Neotropical migrants include many species that people love and look forward to seeing each spring such as buntings, warblers, orioles, and flycatchers. The team's research shows that these birds are not expanding north and their southern ranges are shrinking.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-climate-birds.html
     
         
      New method to measure cell voltages in operational PV modules Tue, 26th May 2020 11:27:00
     
      Scientists in Japan have proposed a new model to estimate cell voltages in solar modules by irradiating the cells with a weak modulated laser light. The method could be used to detect hot spots and other panel-degradation issues, such as potential induced degradation (PID) peeling, cracking, and poor contacts. Scientists at Japan's Teikyo University have proposed a new method to quantitatively estimate voltage cells in operational PV modules. The new model – which the researchers describe in A proposal of a procedure to estimate a standard line for contactless estimation of a solar cell voltage in a module using modulated light, recently published in Electrical Engineering in Japan – is designed to estimate cell voltages in solar modules by irradiating the cells with a weak modulated laser light. The researchers said that they estimated a standard line model beforehand with partially shaded modules, and then applied that to the cell voltages in the panels under normal conditions without shading. The proposed model is based on the assumption that module-output response to a given cell irradiated with modulated light depends on a cell's operating voltage. "Utilizing the fact that cell voltage in a partially shaded module can be easily estimated, we proposed a quantitative model using a standard line to estimate cell voltage in a module under normal (nonshaded) conditions," the research group stated. When cells are irradiated with modulated light, their I?V curve shifts toward positive current, and the current in other cells in a module remains unchanged, but the operating point changes only in the irradiated cell, they said. They tested the model on a PV module with five series?connected identical polycrystalline cells through a solar simulator. The panel was irradiated with simulated sunlight from a height of about 36 cm, with the sunlight pulsing at 100 Hz around 120 W/m2. Measuring the operating voltage of a solar cell in a PV module is key to detecting hot spots and other panel-degradation issues such as potential induced degradation (PID) peeling, cracking, and poor contacts. The research group said its proposed method can complement other technologies that measure cell voltages such as thermographic cameras, the measurement of I?V curves, and electroluminescence (EL) imaging. They also claimed that the new model has the advantage of saving inspection time and effort, as the panels can be analyzed while they are actually operating, and not separated from the system. The researchers said they could further improve the new method through the computational verification of modules that contain cells with varying performance levels. They could also rely on experimental verification using modules that operate under diverse conditions, and they could extend the standard line model to modules that contain cells with a low fill factor, among other things.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/26/new-method-to-measure-cell-voltages-in-operational-pv-modules/
     
         
      Vattenfall slams UK over consenting delay for giant offshore wind farm Mon, 25th May 2020 14:39:00
     
      Utility group says five-month extension to examination period for 1.8GW Norfolk Boreas 'regrettable'
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/vattenfall-slams-uk-over-consenting-delay-for-giant-offshore-wind-farm/2-1-812993
     
         
      This $500,000 electric yacht can cross oceans on just battery and solar power Mon, 25th May 2020 12:19:00
     
      Singapore-based Azura Marine unveiled a new $500,000 electric yacht that they claim can complete "non-stop ocean voyages powered only by sunlight." The electrification of transport is slowly spreading into maritime transport. While the focus has been commercial vehicles like ferries, it is also reaching leisure and personal vessels. Azura Marine is the latest to enter the space with its first solar-powered catamaran yacht, the Aquanima 40 series, unveiled earlier this month in Bali, Indonesia. The company describes the electric vessel: "She is a unique 4 cabin, 8 guest yacht designed for extended cruising without any need for fossil fuels or refuelling stops of any nature. The Aquanima 40 solar-powered catamarans are also equipped with a 56 m2 rain catchment system, water maker and air conditioning water recovery – rendering water supply stops unnecessary too." Azura Marine claims that the vessel can continuously cruise thanks to its large 10 kW solar power system and 60 kWh battery pack.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/05/25/aquanima-40-series-electric-yacht-battery-solar-power/
     
         
      Climate change in deep oceans could be seven times faster by middle of century, report says Mon, 25th May 2020 12:07:00
     
      Rates of climate change in the world's ocean depths could be seven times higher than current levels by the second half of this century even if emissions of greenhouse gases were cut dramatically, according to new research. Different global heating at different depths could have major impacts on ocean wildlife, causing disconnects as species that rely on each other for survival are forced to move. In the new research, scientists looked at a measure called climate velocity – the speed at which species would need to move to stay within their preferred temperature range as different ocean layers warm. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found different parts of the ocean would change at different rates as the extra heat from increasing levels of greenhouse gases moved through the vast ocean depths. By the second half of the century, the study found "a rapid acceleration of climate change exposure throughout the water column". The study used climate models to first estimate the current rates of climate velocity at different ocean depths, and then future rates under three scenarios – one where emissions started to fall from now; another where they began to fall by the middle of this century; and a third where emissions continued to rise up to 2100. Prof Jorge García Molinos, a climate ecologist at Hokkaido University and a co-author of the study, said: "Our results suggest that deep sea biodiversity is likely to be at greater risk because they are adapted to much more stable thermal environments." At present, the world's heating was already causing species to shift in all layers of the ocean from the surface to more than 4km down, but at different speeds. But even under a highly optimistic scenario, where emissions fell sharply from now, the ocean's mesopelagic layer – from 200m to 1km down – climate velocity would change from about 6km per decade to 50km by the second half of the century. But over the same period, climate velocity would halve at the surface. Even at depths of between 1,000 and 4,000 metres, climate velocity would triple current rates, even if emissions dropped sharply. Prof Anthony Richardson, of the University of Queensland and the CSIRO and one of the study's 10 authors, told Guardian Australia: "What really concerns us is that as you move down through the ocean, climate velocity moves at different speeds." This could create a disconnect for species that rely on organisms in different layers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/26/climate-change-in-deep-oceans-could-be-seven-times-faster-by-middle-of-century-report-says
     
         
      Cleveland and Lake Erie. The project is die to showcase Great Lakes wind power. Mon, 25th May 2020 11:59:00
     
      The "stunned" developer of the pioneering Icebreaker Wind project on the US Great Lakes said a consent condition added by local power officials could prove fatal to the project's viability. A condition added to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB)'s approval of the project that turbines should be shut down overnight for most of the year "renders the project economically not viable", said LEEDCo, which has spent years planning the six-turbine Icebreaker offshore wind farm in Lake Erie, Ohio. LEEDCo said it had made the consequences of adding the condition "abundantly clear" and thought that the matter had been settled under a prior agreement with OPSB staff. "We have been fully transparent with the OPSB Staff that this requirement makes the project economically unworkable and unrealistic," said LEEDCo after the decision was published late last week. "Today's order is not an approval. A condition added by the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) may well be fatal to the entire project. We are extremely disappointed the Board took this unfortunate step backward for clean energy in Ohio. LEEDco president David Karpinski said: "The project had been thoroughly reviewed for many years under the strictest of environmental regulations and reviews by 13 local, state and federal agencies. In light of today's decision, LEEDCo will need to reconvene in the coming days and examine our options on how and whether we can move forward." LEEDCo, a non-profit, public-private partnership, is co-developing Icebreaker Wind with Norwegian equity investor Fred Olsen Renewables. Icebreaker plans to use MHI Vestas 3.45MW turbines, specially adapted offshore versions of Vestas' V126-3.45 onshore machines. It is targeting start of construction in 2021 and operation in 2022. The project is designed to act as a showcase for potential wider developer of Great Lakes wind power. "This development is unsettling and unnecessary," said Liz Burdock, CEO of US industry business development body Business Network for Offshore Wind. "We hope both parties can work past this in order to bring clean, renewable, and affordable energy to the region."
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/stunned-us-offshore-wind-pioneer-says-turbine-switch-off-rule-may-be-fatal/2-1-813945
     
         
      Used EV batteries for large scale solar energy storage Mon, 25th May 2020 11:54:00
     
      MIT scientists have suggested used electric vehicle batteries could offer a more viable business case than purpose-built systems for the storage of grid scale solar power in California. Such 'second life' EV batteries, may cost only 60% of their original purchase price to deploy and can be effectively aggregated for industrial scale storage even if they have declined to 80% of their original capacity. Used electric vehicle (EV) batteries can be repurposed to store electricity generated by large scale solar plants, according to an MIT study. The U.S.-based researchers claimed even devices which have declined to 80% of their original capacity could offer a better investment prospect for solar-plus-storage projects in California than purpose-built, utility scale batteries, not least because such 'second life' EV batteries could cost as little as 60% of their purchase price. MIT research co-author Ian Mathews conceded technical hurdles remained to the deployment of used EV batteries on a large scale, such as aggregating batteries from different manufacturers and screening which devices could be reused. However, Mathews insisted used EV batteries still offered a persuasive enough business case to justify the cost of recovering them, screening performance and redeploying them. Optimal operation The researchers used a semi-empirical model – including some 'pre-cooked' calculations – to estimate battery degradation, and concluded operating such aggregated storage devices at 15-65% of full charge would extend their second life. "This finding challenges some earlier assumptions that running the batteries at maximum capacity initially would provide the most value," the scientists stated. Mathews said the feasibility of second-life EV battery storage would depend on the regulatory and rate-setting regimes under which they would operate. "For example, some local rules allow the cost of storage systems to be included in the overall cost of a new renewable energy supply, for rate-setting purposes, and others do not," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/25/used-ev-batteries-for-large-scale-solar-energy-storage/
     
         
      Saudi group Alfanar tipped as buyer of Senvion India wind power business Mon, 25th May 2020 11:52:00
     
      Engineering and construction group said to be closing in on deal for Indian assets of insolvent German OEM
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/saudi-group-alfanar-tipped-as-buyer-of-senvion-india-wind-power-business/2-1-813899
     
         
      Sir David Attenborough warns climate change has been ‘swept off front pages’ by coronavirus Mon, 25th May 2020 11:47:00
     
      Sir David Attenborough has warned that climate change has been "swept off the front pages" by the coronavirus pandemic. The 94-year-old broadcaster called for a renewed focus on the issue and suggested the outbreak could result in increased co-operation between the nations of the world. "The trouble is that right now the climate issue is also seen as being rather in the distant future because we've got the virus to think about," he said during an appearance on the So Hot Right Now podcast. "And so what are the papers full of? The virus. Quite right, that's what I want to know about, too. "But we have to make sure that this issue, which was coming to the boil with the next COP meeting in Glasgow, has suddenly been swept off the front pages. And we've got to get it back there." Asked whether he saw a solution to the decreased awareness of climate change, he said: "No, if I knew that I would be a dictator but I'm not. I don't know – we, you and me and lots of others like us have got to keep on going on about it but the clock is ticking. "The danger of the Arctic and the Antarctic warming is becoming greater day by day." Sir David added: "What the result of coronavirus is going to be I don’t know. But I'm beginning to get a feeling that for the first time the nations of the world are beginning to see that survival depends on co-operation. If that happens, that's going to be a first in human history."
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/david-attenborough-coronavirus-climate-change-a9530886.html
     
         
      JA Solar opens up on new 525 W+ module Mon, 25th May 2020 11:42:00
     
      The Chinese manufacturer has not revealed the price of its new 'ultra-high power' products, nor whether the power output claims associated with them have been independently verified, but claimed the 78-piece module in the series could generate 'very close to 600 W.' Chinese solar module manufacturer JA Solar has hosted an online event to reveal technical details of the new 525 W+ panel which it says will enter production in the next quarter. The product is based on the company's DeepBlue 3.0 technology and features a specially-designed 180mm wafer which differs from the 166mm, 'M6' product used by rival Longi Solar and the 210mm, M12 supported by Trina Solar, Zhonghuan and other Chinese manufacturers. JA Solar product technology director Tang Kun explained at the online event, the latest DeepBlue 3.0 offering features high-efficiency Percium+ cell technology, enabling the 6×12, 72-piece system to generate power of more than 525 W "under standard test conditions." The manufacturer claims the 6×13, 78-piece model in the series can generate "very close to 600 W."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/25/ja-solar-opens-up-on-new-525-w-module/
     
         
      Will the World's Biggest Carbon Capture Facility Work? Mon, 25th May 2020 11:36:00
     
      A coal power plant in North Dakota wants to build the largest ever carbon recapture facility as a way to try to keep its plant viable. Could the plan really work? Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks, North Dakota owns both the plant, the Milton R. Young Station, and the new facility, Project Tundra. Minnkota says its efforts to sequester and recapture waste carbon are motivated both by keeping its plant running and the amount of carbon it can save from reentering the environment. "To sequester CO? from the Young station, Project Tundra will make use of technology similar to that employed at the only two other existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities operating at power plants in the world—Petra Nova in Texas and Boundary Dam in Saskatchewan, Canada," IEEE Spectrum explains. How does it work? First, waste CO? goes through a "scrubber," in this case a cooling scrubber that leads into an absorber for amine gas treating. Special chemicals called amines readily bond with CO? so it can be filtered out of the rest of the through-flowing gases. Then, the carrying amines are separated from the CO?. The amines can be reused, and the CO? is compressed into a liquid that can be pumped underground for inert storage. What's left is mostly nitrogen, which already makes up more than three-quarters of our atmosphere. Reporting on the predecessor Petra Nova plant, the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) says this process can recover up to 90 percent of CO?. There are two similar technologies that can work better in different scenarios, and a working version installed in a coal plant can combine elements from each. Oxy-combustion is when fossil fuels are burned in almost completely pure oxygen instead of regular air or other gas mixes, which produces purer CO? that's simpler to recapture. Pre-combustion is a system of fossil fuel burning that produces a controlled, pure hydrogen and CO? gas. Without reinventing the wheel, Project Tundra will save a lot of time and money, and Minnkota plans to begin construction in 2022 if it can raise $1 billion in funding by then. Sometimes, especially in the world of renewable energy, the compromise solution is the only one people will accept. World Resources Institute's James Mulligan says he believes even this costly compromise is a politically smart idea that will still do some good. "Are we looking for perfect or are we looking for good?" Mulligan told IEEE Spectrum. At Petra Nova, the recovered CO? is even repurposed to improve efficiency of a nearby oil well. For now, Project Tundra and the Petra Nova plant represent a way to mitigate coal’s damage to the atmosphere. The cost is high, but proponents say it's worth it.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32389517/worlds-biggest-carbon-capture-facility-power-plant/
     
         
      Grenfell fears prevent timber building boom Mon, 25th May 2020 11:29:00
     
      Fears of another Grenfell-type fire are stunting the spread of wood-based buildings in England. The government is planning to reduce the maximum height of wood-framed buildings from six storeys to four. The move's been recommended by the emergency services in order to reduce fire risk. But it contradicts other advice to increase timber construction because trees lock up climate-heating carbon emissions. In France, President Macron has ruled all new publicly-funded buildings should be at least 50% timber or other natural materials by 2022. And in Norway a new "ply-scraper" stretches fully 18 storeys – that's the height recently deemed safe by standards authorities in North America. 18-storey "ply-scraper" Members of the timber trade say the Government in England has misunderstood the science behind timber construction. They say timber walls can be made safe by methods including flame-retardant treatments and fire-resistant claddings. They point out that it is futile planting millions of trees if they are left to rot and release the CO2 they previously captured.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52771270
     
         
      UK’s largest solar farm ‘will destroy north Kent landscape’ Sun, 24th May 2020 13:15:00
     
      Kent is known as "the Garden of England", but a swathe of its farmland could be covered with 900,000 panels if the UK’s largest solar farm is approved this week. Cleve Hill Solar Park, covering 958 acres on Kent's north coast near the ancient town of Faversham, would have such an impact on the landscape that it has caused a schism among green groups that normally support low-carbon energy schemes. Friends of the Earth supports it while Greenpeace has joined the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the local Green Party to oppose the "industrialising of the countryside".
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uks-largest-solar-farm-will-destroy-north-kent-landscape-w95fxwjj5
     
         
      Because of Rising CO2, Trees Might Be Warming the Arctic Sun, 24th May 2020 12:10:00
     
      The Arctic is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet —and scientists still aren't completely sure why. Melting snow and ice may be speeding up the warming. Changes in atmospheric circulation could be playing a role. Many factors could be influencing the region's temperatures, which are rising at least twice as fast as the rest of the world. Now, scientists think they may have discovered an additional piece of the puzzle. Plants, it turns out, may have an unexpected influence on global warming. As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, plants become more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis and other basic life functions. And they're often able to save more water in the process. Water that plants exchange with the air helps cool local temperatures. When they lose less water, their surroundings start to warm up. A study published last month in Nature Communications suggests that this process is helping to warm the Arctic. "The influence of plants has been overlooked before," said study co-author Jin-Soo Kim, a scientist at the University of Edinburgh, in an email to E&E News. "This study highlights the vegetation impacts on Arctic warming under [an] elevated CO2 world." The study used a suite of earth system models to arrive at its findings. The models suggest that rising CO2—the result of human greenhouse gas emissions—is causing plants to lose less water throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including densely vegetated regions in the tropics and the midlatitudes. This process causes temperatures in these places to warm even more than they would from climate change alone. At the same time, large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns help transport heat between the tropics and the Arctic. The study suggests that this extra heat is warming the Arctic at an even faster rate. In fact, the extra warming may actually contribute to other processes also speeding up Arctic climate change.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/because-of-rising-co2-trees-might-be-warming-the-arctic/
     
         
      Britain's largest solar farm poised to begin development in Kent Sun, 24th May 2020 11:58:00
     
      Britain's largest solar farm, capable of generating enough clean electricity to power 91,000 homes, is poised to receive the greenlight from ministers this week. The subsidy-free renewables park is expected to reach a capacity of 350MW by installing 880,000 solar panels – some as tall as buses – across 364 hectares (900 acres) of farmland in the Kent countryside. The project is expected to be constructed one mile north-east of Faversham close to the village of Graveney and may also include one of the largest energy storage installations in the world. The developers expect to receive a development consent order for the £450m project from the business secretary, Alok Sharma, on Thursday almost three years after talks began with local stakeholders over plans for the park. Once it has the final g0-ahead from the government the developers hope to begin building the Cleve Hill solar farm from early next year, and begin generating clean electricity by 2023. Renewable energy is considered a crucial element in the UK's plans to end its contribution to the climate crisis by building a carbon neutral economy by 2050, and it could also help spur economic growth in the wake of the coronavirus. The UK's growing fleet of solar panels has produced record levels of clean electricity in recent weeks, reaching fresh highs of 9.68GW last month and helping the UK energy system to its longest stretch without coal-fired power since the Industrial Revolution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/24/britains-largest-solar-farm-poised-to-begin-development-in-kent
     
         
      EDF submits £18bn nuclear plan Sun, 24th May 2020 11:37:00
     
      Energy giant EDF is poised to submit plans for an £18bn nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast, stoking tensions over China's role in Britain's critical infrastructure. EDF is expected to submit a development consent order (DCO) to the planning inspectorate on Wednesday — a crucial stage in building Sizewell C, which will supply 7% of the country's electricity. China General Nuclear (CGN) is funding 20% of the Sizewell development, with the French state power company shouldering the rest of the cost, although sources said CGN may opt not to fund its construction.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/edf-submits-18bn-nuclear-plan-lsc3q8378
     
         
      How to lose a stone and tone up during lockdown Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:52:00
     
      While lots of us have put on weight in recent weeks, Alan Titchmarsh has done the opposite. The 71-year-old TV presenter says he has lost a stone since the pandemic started, thanks to hours spent working on his four acres of land without the help of his usual hired gardeners. So could anyone do it? Roy Taylor, a professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University, says it is "entirely possible" to lose a stone within four to six weeks if your BMI is higher than the typically healthy range. And, what's more, there is a "sure-fire, scientific route" to doing so. Here's what the experts say.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to-lose-a-stone-and-tone-up-during-lockdown-3hl0msvx9
     
         
      The climate crisis looms as the Coalition fiddles with fossil fuels Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:41:00
     
      We may be dealing with a health crisis, but the climate change crisis has not gone away, nor become any less urgent. In fact, the opposite. A few conservative commentators have suggested Covid-19 shows what a real crisis looks like compared with, in their opinion, the hyperventilating over climate change. What bollocks. Nasa estimates that last month was the hottest April on record and the first four months of this year are the second hottest start to a year. The past seven months have all been 1C or higher than the 1951-1980 average (roughly around 1.3C above the pre-industrial average) – tied with the longest streak set from October 2015 to April 2016. But unlike in 2015 and 2016 the Bureau of Meteorology records we are currently not in El Niño. That very much suggests the pace of warming is speeding up. The linear trend of temperatures over the past 60 years suggests we will hit 2C above pre-industrial levels in 50 years; the trend of the past 20 years has it happening in around 30 years, but the trend of the past decade would see us hit that level in 2038 –just 18 years' time. In 2018, the IPCC warned we had little time to keep temperatures below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. If the trend of the past decade continues, we'll hit that temperature in 2025. And no, the virus has not bought us more time. A study published this week in Nature Climate Change estimates the annual global drop in emissions due to virus shutdowns will be "comparable to the rates of decrease needed year-on-year over the next decades to limit climate change to a 1.5°C warming". That it took forcing people to stop their lives to achieve such cuts highlights just how big the job ahead of us is and how it cannot be done through individual action alone. Cutting emissions without crippling the economy requires not everyone self-isolating, but changing industries and the very foundations of our economy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/24/the-climate-crisis-looms-as-the-coalition-fiddles-with-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Could a green new deal turn South Korea from climate villain to model? Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:31:00
     
      A year ago, Soyoung Lee was one of a crowd of climate activists demonstrating on the streets of Seoul in a campaign inspired by the global school strike founder Greta Thunberg. Today, the 35-year-old lawyer is the youngest member of the South Korean parliament and a driving force in the government's green new deal, which aims to create millions of jobs in renewable energy and help the economy recover from the coronavirus lockdown. Lee's transformation highlights how much progress the global wave of youth climate activism has made in a remarkably short space of time. It also raises hopes that South Korea – a country long considered one of the world's worst climate villains – will set a global example by accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels. Lee was invited to stand as a candidate for the president Moon Jae-in's Democracy party in last month's legislative elections. She proposed a green new deal in the campaign manifesto as a way to appeal to young voters. "I was the first to suggest that," she said. "I want to decarbonise Korean society. This is my personal mission. That is why I went into politics." Winning her seat in a landslide, she is now part of a ruling coalition with a huge majority to push through any measures it chooses. The government's priority is to boost the economy after the Covid-19 crisis. South Korea has won praise around the world for its handling of the health pandemic, but its powerful industrial conglomerates have taken a big hit from the downturn in global trade. Many business leaders and veteran ministers want recovery to focus purely on digital technology. But civil society and lawmakers like Lee have persuaded the president that it is possible to create jobs and raise climate ambitions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/23/could-a-green-new-deal-turn-south-korea-from-climate-villain-to-model
     
         
      Wind farms paid record £.9.3m to switch off their turbines Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:26:00
     
      Wind farms in Britain were paid a record £.9.3m to switch off their turbines on Friday, The Telegraph can disclose. More than 80 plants across England and Scotland were handed the so-called 'constraint payments', when supply outstrips demand, by National Grid, as thousands of buildings lying empty following the coronavirus lockdown contributed to a nosedive in demand for energy. In what has been declared a "national embarrassment" and a power management "disgrace" by campaigners, consumers will ultimately foot the bill of £6.9m to 66 Scottish plants and £1.9m to 14 offshore plants in England. This is almost double the previous single day record payout to wind farm operators, which was £4.8m on Oct 8, 2018, when turbines were switched off because it became too windy....
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/23/wind-farms-paid-record-93m-switch-turbines/
     
         
      Italians Can Now Install Rooftop Solar PV Systems For Free Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:18:00
     
      The Italian government had one of the early invasive experiences of the covid-19 pandemic. Scientists in Italy responded to the global crisis with serious research into the concern. Perhaps results of these inquiries and related information have affected policy makers. Italian homeowners now have new opportunities to put clean energy on the top of their roofs. "The Italian government has allocated €55 billion ($60 billion) in stimulus perks through the Relaunch Decree on Economic Stimulus Measures to help revive the country's economy as it slowly exits its Covid-19 lockdown," pv magazine reports. The new policy builds off of what was already called an "eco-bonus," which is a tax rebate for certain green projects. Sustainably focused building-renovation projects can now get a 110% tax rebate instead of a 65% rebate, and PV installations and storage systems associated with such projects also get 110%, instead of the previous 50%. If not linked to qualifying renovation projects, the tax rebate will remain at 50%. This is part of a larger stimulus package the Italian government launched to stimulate the economy after the covid-19 linked economic collapse. The program currently runs from July 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021. "The authorities will apply the 110% tax break to three types of renovation projects, including building insulation, the replacement of cooling and heating systems in multi-unit apartment buildings, and the replacement of cooling and heating systems in single-family homes," pv magazine continues. "All PV projects linked to building renovations that will not be included in these categories will not be granted the super eco-bonus, but will still be awarded the 50% tax break. "Homeowners will have three ways in which to secure the eco-bonus: through the tax deduction over a period of five years, via the transfer of the tax-deductible allowance for installers and product suppliers, and through invoiced discounts. With the first option only, homeowners will have to accept the initial investment costs, while with the other two options, no initial spending will be required."
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/23/italians-can-now-install-rooftop-solar-pv-systems-for-free/
     
         
      General Motors Signs PPA For Renewable Energy At Spring Hill Factory Sat, 23rd May 2020 13:07:00
     
      General Motors has signed a power purchase agreement with the TVA for 100 MW of electricity as part of its plan to power its manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee with 100% renewable energy by 2022. The PPA will use one half of the total output from a 200 MW solar power plant being built in Columbus, Mississippi as part of the TVA Green Invest program. The utility has been late getting out of the starting blocks when it comes to the renewable energy revolution, but better late than never, as the saying goes. The agreement with the TVA is expected to help boost GM's use of renewable energy to more than 50% of its sourced electricity by 2023, moving GM closer to its goal of getting all of its electricity from renewables in the United States by 2030 at GM-owned sites, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Our commitment to renewable energy is part of our vision of a world with zero emissions," said Dane Parker, GM chief sustainability officer. "We're committed to using our scale and relationships to increase renewable energy demand and availability." The Spring Hill factory, originally constructed for the company's ill-fated Saturn division, is the largest GM site in North America. It covers 2,100 acres and currently builds the GMC Acadia and the Cadillac XT5 and XT6 automobiles. Seven hundred acres are dedicated to farming with an additional 100 acres dedicated to a wildlife habitat composed of wetlands and native grasses. "We're excited that GM chose Green Invest because TVA's ability to meet the renewable energy needs of our customers will drive vital investment and jobs across our seven state region," TVA President Jeff Lyash said in a statement. "Moving forward, large scale solar installations provide the best value for our customers to help meet their sustainability goals which makes Green Invest a win for everyone." GM is the third major Green Invest project announcement this year. In January, Vanderbilt University announced an agreement with TVA and Nashville Electric Service to get power from a new 35 megawatt solar farm planned in Bedford County to help meet its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. In March, the Knoxville Utilities Board announced plans to build its own 212 MW solar farm in conjunction with TVA's Green Invest program to help meet the goals of private companies wanting to buy only renewable power. The Green Invest program is modeled on similar agreements made in 2018 with Facebook and Google, which are buying power from new solar power plants already completed in Alabama and Tennessee. TVA is bolstering its solar energy capacity by adding 484 MW this year. "We are moving to contract large volumes of solar for our customers, whether it's for large business customers or smaller businesses or residential customers who use our Renewable Energy Certificate to help offset their carbon footprint," says TVA vice president Doug Perry.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/23/general-motors-signs-ppa-for-renewable-energy-at-spring-hill-factory/
     
         
      Morocco’s Renewable Energy Sector Maintains Momentum Amid Crisis Sat, 23rd May 2020 12:46:00
     
      Rabat – The renewable energy sector, just like many other industries, has suffered under the COVID-19 global pandemic. Unlike some other industries, it did not lose its momentum. The Moroccan government's introduction of a state of emergency on March 20 made traveling and importing difficult. Subsequently, the installers of solar equipment, such as pumps, heaters, and roof panels, saw their activities drop dramatically. Technological fairs, crucial for networking between renewable startups and investors, were canceled as well. Innovation and agility are key in a new reality Although physical activities came to a halt, the sector's employees were quick to use the lockdown period for the industry's benefit. The motivation of the cleantech workers is as high as ever, according to Fatima Zahra El Khalifa, CEO of "Cluster Solaire" (Solar Cluster). The Moroccan nonprofit association aims to strengthen clean energy and green technology by offering support for startups and project leaders. During the lockdown, Solar Cluster has been providing distance training to help entrepreneurs develop their skills. The nonprofit emphasizes that innovation and agility are crucial for success. Solar Cluster, in an unusual move for a non-profit organization, donated MAD 200,000 ($20,000) to the Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19, designed to mitigate the economic and social impact of the global pandemic on Morocco. The employees of the fund also donated one month's salary. The CEO praised the support the Moroccan government offers to struggling enterprises and highlighted the opportunity for a mentality change that arose with the global pandemic, both for the general public and innovators. Some startups spent their time under lockdown improving prototypes to advance their position on the market. Others developed new solutions. "[The pandemic] showed the importance of energy independence for our country as well as the relevance of persevering on the path of promoting green energies, with all its proven advantages," El Khalifa told Finance News Hebdo (FNH). The nonprofit launched a survey for 700 renewable energy enterprises to assess how COVID-19 impacted the companies' operations in terms of new commissions, business turnover, job losses, and the vision for the industry's recovery.
       
      Full Article: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/05/303645/moroccos-renewable-energy-sector-maintains-momentum-amid-crisis/
     
         
      Climate Change Turning Antarctica's Snow Green, May Increase Snowmelt: Scientists Sat, 23rd May 2020 12:36:00
     
      The snow in the Antarctic peninsula is turning green due to the blooming algae which are likely to spread as temperatures increase due to climate change, researchers have said. In some parts, the microscopic organisms have grown so dense that they turn the snow bright green and can even be seen from space, a study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications said. Scientists have also created the first large-scale map of the microscopic algae using data collected over two years by the European Space Agency's Sentinel 2 satellite, along with on-the-ground observations, a research team from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey. This new mapping found 1,679 separate algal blooms, a key component in Antarctica's ability to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The large scale map will be used to assess the speed at which the continent is turning green due to climate change. Researchers believe the microorganisms will expand as global temperatures increase due to climate change. They can also create a potential source of nutrition for other species. "We now have a baseline of where the algal blooms are and we can see whether the blooms will start increasing as the models suggest in the future," Matt Davey of the University of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences told Reuters. "The algal blooms in Antarctica are equivalent to about the amount of carbon that's being omitted by 875,000 average UK petrol car journeys. That seems a lot but in terms of the global carbon budget, it's insignificant," Davey added. Davey added that while the algal blooms take up carbon from the atmosphere, it won't make any "serious dent" in the amount of carbon dioxide put in the atmosphere at present. Dr Andrew Gray, lead author of the paper, and a researcher at the University of Cambridge said that the blooms could also lead to further snowmelt. "It's very dark -- a green snow algal bloom will reflect about 45 per cent of light hitting it whereas fresh snow will reflect about 80% of the light hitting it, so it will increase the rate of snowmelt in a localized area," he told CNN.
       
      Full Article: https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/climate-change-antarcticas-snow-green-21250
     
         
      Deputy PM 'very concerned' over reports China's power plants warned not to buy Australian coal Fri, 22nd May 2020 14:27:00
     
      Deputy prime minister Michael McCormack is concerned coal exporters could face a tougher time selling the commodity into China. There are reports the Chinese government is warning state-owned power plants not to buy new shipments of Australian thermal coal and instead favour domestic products. McCormack said the trade minister, Simon Birmingham, and diplomats were attempting to fix the issue. "Of course we're very concerned by it," he told the ABC on Friday. "But we have a two-way relationship with China. China needs Australia as much as Australia needs China and we want to make sure that whatever we do is in a careful and considered way." China cooling on Australian coal could signal the latest escalation in trade tensions between the two nations. Coal exports faced delays at Chinese ports last year. Beijing has slapped a prohibitive 80% tariff on Australian barley, while four major abattoirs have been banned from sending red meat to China. McCormack said Chinese steel mills and power plants would need high-quality Australian coal to operate. "We want to make sure that our coal exports have a destination. "China has long been a customer of ours. They know the quality of our coal, they know the quality of our iron ore and other resources." Birmingham is being ignored by his Chinese counterpart. The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, said the stonewalling was part of China's tactics. "We don't think they've got a legal basis for imposing these tariffs and we want them to change their position," he told the Nine Network. He said Australia would stand firm in its values after the push for a global coronavirus inquiry stung China. Thermal coal, which is used to generate power, is Australia's second largest export to China after iron ore. China has also announced new supervising rules for iron ore, with opinion divided on its impact for Australian exporters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/22/deputy-pm-very-concerned-over-reports-chinas-power-plants-warned-not-to-buy-australian-coal
     
         
      South America at centre of pandemic, says WHO – as it happened Fri, 22nd May 2020 14:15:00
     
      South America has become a new centre of the pandemic, with Brazil hardest-hit, while cases are rising in some African countries that so far have a relatively low death toll, the World Health Organization has said. "In a sense South America has become a new epicentre for the disease," Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, told a news conference, adding Brazil is "clearly the most affected". Ryan noted Brazilian authorities have approved broad use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine. He reiterated that current clinical evidence does not support the unproven drug’s widespread use against the new disease, given its risks. Some nine African countries had 50% rises in cases in the past week, while others have seen a decline or have stable rates, Ryan said. The low mortality rate may be due to half of the continent's population being 18 years old or younger, he said, adding he still is worried the disease will spread on a continent with "significant gaps" in intensive care services, medical oxygen and ventilation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/may/22/coronavirus-live-news-trump-pushes-to-open-churches-as-brazil-death-toll-passes-20000-covid-19-latest-updates
     
         
      Renewable energy may be switched off as demand plummets Fri, 22nd May 2020 13:58:00
     
      Hundreds of renewable energy projects may be asked to turn off this weekend to avoid overloading the grid as the UK's electricity demand plummets to record lows. Britain's demand for electricity is forecast to tumble to a fifth below normal levels due to the spring bank holiday and the shutdown of shops, bars and restaurants mandated by the coronavirus lockdown. National Grid is braced for electricity demand to fall to 15.6GW on Saturday afternoon – a level usually associated with the middle of the night – and continue to drop even lower in the early hours of Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the sunny weather is expected to generate more renewable electricity than the UK needs. "Bank holidays see reduced demand for electricity, and even more so with the current lockdown measures in place," said Amy Weltevreden, a manager at the energy system operator. The National Grid control room plans to use a new scheme this weekend that will pay small wind turbines and solar installations to stop generating electricity if the UK's renewable energy sources threaten to overwhelm the energy system. About 170 small-scale renewable energy generators have signed up to the scheme, with a total capacity of 2.4GW. This includes 1.5GW of wind power and 700MW of solar energy. Other companies have also signed up to boost their electricity use when demand falls too low. "If we're anticipating the wind blowing at a given time when we're also expecting low demand, we're now able to instruct these smaller-scale distributed generators to reduce output to help balance the system," Weltevreden said. "Much of the renewable electricity generated in Great Britain comes from these smaller units – what we call distributed or embedded generation. Because they're not connected directly to our transmission system, in the past we haven't had as much ability to control the power they're producing to balance the grid." National Grid warned last month that the low demand for electricity could mean that renewable energy is turned off to avoid overloading the grid with more electricity than the UK can use. Roisin Quinn, head of National Grid's control room, said: "The assumption will be that lower demand makes it easier for us to do our job, with less power needed overall and therefore less stress on the system. In fact, as system operator, it's just as important for us to manage lower demand for electricity as it is to manage the peaks." Advertisement Electricity demand fell to record lows of 15.2GW over the Easter weekend, well below National Grid’s forecast lows of 17.6GW for this summer.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/22/renewable-energy-may-be-switched-off-as-demand-plummets
     
         
      Italian homeowners can now install PV systems for free Fri, 22nd May 2020 13:55:00
     
      The Italian government has raised the tax breaks it offers for building renovations and energy-requalification projects – potentially including storage-backed rooftop PV systems – to 110%. The new measure is part of the Relaunch Decree, which is a package of guidelines aimed at reviving the Italian economy in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The Italian government has allocated €55 billion ($60 billion) in stimulus perks through the Relaunch Decree on Economic Stimulus Measures to help revive the country's economy as it slowly exits its Covid-19 lockdown. The measures include an increase in the so-called "eco-bonus" for building-renovation projects from 65% to 110% and a jump in support for PV installations and storage systems associated with such renovation projects, from 50% of costs to 110%. The decree was published in the Italian government's official journal on Wednesday and is already in force. The Italian parliament will have 60 days after the initial publication of the measures to introduce amendments to the law. According to these new provisions, the eco-bonus – which is an income tax (IRPEF) rebate – will be applied to all expenses incurred between July 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021. Three categories The authorities will apply the 110% tax break to three types of renovation projects, including building insulation, the replacement of cooling and heating systems in multi-unit apartment buildings, and the replacement of cooling and heating systems in single-family homes. All PV projects linked to building renovations that will not be included in these categories will not be granted the super eco-bonus, but will still be awarded the 50% tax break. Homeowners will have three ways in which to secure the eco-bonus: through the tax deduction over a period of five years, via the transfer of the tax-deductible allowance for installers and product suppliers, and through invoiced discounts. With the first option only, homeowners will have to accept the initial investment costs, while with the other two options, no initial spending will be required. The Italian government has established a maximum price of €2,400 per kilowatt installed for PV systems and €1,000/kWh for the storage systems. This means that homeowners who are willing to build projects with high-quality components may have to face additional expenses – especially for storage. All PV systems or solar-plus-storage generators installed with the super 110% tax break will be allowed to inject surplus power into the grid, but not under the Italian net-metering regime, known as "Scambio sul posto." This means that the surpluses will be given to Italian energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) for free. It also means that sizing systems with high self-consumption rates, or the installation of storage systems, may be more profitable options.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/22/italian-homeowners-can-now-install-pv-systems-for-free/
     
         
      Borehole thermal energy storage for solar Fri, 22nd May 2020 13:23:00
     
      The municipality of Drammen, Norway, has started testing a seasonal PV storage project that uses boreholes in the ground. The operators of the project are using electricity from PV modules to produce heat via a CO2 heat pump and outdoor air. The heat is produced by the CO2 pump during the spring, summer and fall, in addition to heat produced by solar thermal collectors. Drammen Eiendom KF – a company owned by the municipality of Drammen, Norway – has developed a project to store solar energy as heat. The system can store energy provided by 150 m2 of solar thermal collectors and 1,000 m2 of PV panels in 100 boreholes in granitic gneiss rock, each with a depth of approximately 50 meters. "GeoTermos is expected to return around 350,000 kWh/year in the form of heat at various temperature levels during the heating season," said Randi Kalskin Ramstad, a shallow geothermal energy and hydrogeology specialist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and engineering services provider Asplan Viak. The electricity provided by the PV installation produces heat by using air as a heat source for the CO2 heat pump. The heat is then stored in the boreholes during the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, it is used for low-temperature heating in a number of nearby school buildings. "The system performance of the energy system is quite high," Kalskin Ramstad told pv magazine. "The operation of the plant has now just started, with heat charging of the boreholes." Water is used as a collector fluid in the boreholes, which provides several advantages compared to glycol-based collector liquid, including lower viscosity, better thermal properties, and lower costs. It is also environmentally friendly. The GeoTermos system – with energy storage, a heat pump, and an accumulation tank – is able to provide approximately 300 kW of heat power for short periods during peak load, and is regulated by the temperature levels and heat power demands.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/22/borehole-thermal-energy-storage-for-solar/
     
         
      Midsomer Norton generators to go ahead 'without scrutiny' Fri, 22nd May 2020 12:58:00
     
      Three gas-powered generators have been approved in Somerset that critics say "flies in the face" of the county council declaring a climate emergency. Delegated powers were used by Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes) to approve the plans, leaving councillors unable to have their say on it. Labour councillor Grant Johnson said the decision was "ridiculous" after the declaration in March 2019. Banes said it took into account "all comments received in... its decision". The application for the "standby gas generator plant" to be built on "vacant industrial land" in Midsomer Norton was approved by officers despite over 50 objections from local residents. The decision was taken while some of the authority's scrutiny and committee meetings are suspended "until further notice" because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Mr Johnson said the approval "totally flies in the face" of the authority's climate emergency declaration and councillors have "been denied" the ability to hold the council to account. "We can't abandon fossil fuels over night but what we shouldn't be doing is committing ourselves to developments which have a life span of 25 years," he said. "It's absolutely ridiculous, all it will do is increase our reliance on dirty fossil fuels when other options are available." 'Many alternatives' Pete Capener, from Bath and West Community Energy which aims to deliver renewable energy to local communities, said there was a need to "balance demand and supply". "We've got increasing amounts of renewable energy on the grid but it doesn't always follow the demand," he said. "So we do need ways of doing that but there are many alternatives to gas generators." But the authority has defended the decision and insists it is committed to being "zero carbon by 2030". "Neighbouring properties and the town council were notified of this planning application in September 2019," it said. "The council took into account all comments received in reaching its decision in accordance with its published procedures." With an 8 MW (megawatt) capacity, the "standby generators" will operate for a maximum of 2,500 hours a year feeding electricity into the National Grid via a nearby substation, "during periods of high demand".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-52764095
     
         
      Nature: Bumblebees' 'clever trick' fools plants into flowering Thu, 21st May 2020 14:43:00
     
      Scientists have discovered a new behaviour among bumblebees that tricks plants into flowering early. Researchers found that when deprived of pollen, bumblebees will nibble on the leaves of flowerless plants. The damage done seems to fool the plant into flowering, sometimes up to 30 days earlier than normal. Writing in the journal Science, the scientists say they have struggled to replicate the bees' trick in the laboratory. With their fuzzy appearance and distinctive drone, bumblebees are hard to miss in gardens all over the world. Their dense, hairy bodies make them excellent pollinators for crops like tomatoes and blueberries. They are among the first bees to emerge each year and work a long season. Some colonies remain active through the winter in southern and urban areas of the UK. But despite their key role, bumblebees, like many other pollinators have seen their numbers tumble in recent decades. One recent study pointed to climate change, reporting that an increasing number of hot days in Europe and North America was boosting local extinction rates. But researchers have now made a discovery about bumblebees that could have relevance to their long-term survival. Scientists in Switzerland found that when the bees were deprived of pollen, they started to nibble on the leaves of plants that hadn't yet flowered. The bees used their proboscises and mandibles (mouthparts) to cut distinctively-shaped holes in the leaves. But the creatures didn't eat the material or use it in their nests. The damaged plants responded by blooming earlier than normal - in some cases up to 30 days ahead of schedule. "I think everything that we've found is consistent with the idea that the bees are damaging the plants and that that's an adaptation that brings flowers online earlier and that benefits the bees," said Dr Mark Mescher, one of the authors from ETH Zurich, told BBC News. When the researchers tried to emulate the damage done to the plants by the bumblebees they weren't able to achieve the same results. The bee-damaged plants flowered 30 days earlier than undamaged plants and 25 days earlier than ones damaged by the scientists. The research team believes there may be something else going on here apart from nibbles.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52759804
     
         
      Three signs that battery energy storage is mainstream today Thu, 21st May 2020 14:35:00
     
      Electrochemical batteries have been around for more than 100 years and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been in use for half a century. During the early days of solar, users deployed PV panels to charge batteries in places far from a power line or gas station. Those batteries powered things like satellites, weather stations and remote homes. Around the turn of the century, people began connecting PV systems directly to the electrical grid. At first, the grid connection was for purely scientific or ideological reasons, and, as regions and businesses offered incentives and PV sped down the cost curve, people used PV to save money on electricity. In 2004, PV systems installed without batteries outnumbered battery-based systems for the first time – by 2010, solar-plus-storage systems were relegated to a small niche of the booming solar industry. But now the industry is coming full circle. In October of 2015, Hawaii's public utilities commission became the first in the U.S. to start limiting grid-direct PV installations due to impacts on local grids from midday power exports. New systems would not be allowed to send surplus power back to the grid indiscriminately. Thanks to a small but thriving number of businesses that still installed off-grid and backup systems, many Hawaiian solar customers deployed batteries to ensure their PV output was stored for nighttime use rather than pushed back to the grid. The writing was on the wall: PV and batteries were not as separable as we thought. Since then, utility rates in several more states have been made more sophisticated, in part to discourage the export of solar PV power onto the grid at inopportune times. The industry is responding by making batteries available to most new solar customers. While the added cost of the batteries can make the financial payback of these PV systems less lucrative than the direct grid models, batteries provide additional resilience and control for the system owner – which is increasingly important to consumers and businesses alike. All of the industry signs are clear: storage is going to be part of most solar PV systems going forward.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/21/three-signs-that-battery-energy-storage-is-mainstream-today/
     
         
      Europe Set To Unveil Its $500 Billion 'Green Deal' Thu, 21st May 2020 14:31:00
     
      The European Union is set to launch a down payment on a Green New Deal. As the world slips into a deep economic recession – and some indicators are as bad as the Great Depression – trillions of dollars are flowing in the form of government stimulus. To date, much of that has been aimed at re-inflating the pre-pandemic economy, particularly in the United States. In fact, the Trump administration has been going further, dealing out benefits to oil and gas while slapping fees retroactively on renewable energy. There has been quite a bit of talk about green stimulus in recent months, and not just from environmental groups. The IMF and the IEA have both said that macroeconomic recovery should be done with the climate change in mind, and green stimulus checks multiple boxes at once. Even top global corporations have said the same. A coalition of 150 companies worth a combined $2.4 trillion recently signed a statement calling on governments to ensure their pandemic response is "grounded in bold climate action." On May 27, the European Commission will unveil details on its "Green Deal" strategy, which will offer a green economic recovery package while at the same time put some meat on the bones of the EU's aim to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Specifically, the plan will propose a "recovery instrument" worth a half-a-trillion euros, according to Bloomberg, which obtained a copy of the draft document. Of that, between 60 and 80 billion euros would be aimed at boosting EV sales and building out EV recharging networks. EVs would be exempted from the VAT. Another 91 billion euros would go to retrofitting existing buildings. 10 billion euros would go to renewable energy projects. Around 30 billion euros would be funneled into technologies to cut emissions in sectors where it has been exceptionally difficult to do so, such as steel and cement.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/22/deputy-pm-very-concerned-over-reports-chinas-power-plants-warned-not-to-buy-australian-coal
     
         
      'I don't want to be seen as a zealot': what MPs really think about the climate crisis Thu, 21st May 2020 14:21:00
     
      One day in the summer of 2017, I was sitting at a cafe table in the atrium of Portcullis House, across the road from the Palace of Westminster. With indoor trees and a good coffee bar, it's a pleasant place for politicians and their staff to meet, outside their cramped offices. I was there to interview an MP for a research project, hoping to learn more about how MPs understood climate change, and how that shaped their work in parliament. The MP arrived. She was young and, at least on the surface, full of confidence. I explained that my interviews would be anonymised, so that she and others could talk freely about how they came to their public positions on climate. She told me she regularly speaks for her party on climate change, telling people about the need for action to tackle emissions. And yet, she said, there was a catch: lots of people in the constituency she represents have jobs in an industry responsible for huge amounts of carbon pollution. She had two, conflicting, demands: she wanted urgent action on climate; and she also wanted government support to allow her local industry to continue polluting. She was simultaneously backing and opposing climate action. She was worried that someone – maybe a constituent or the local paper – would point out this glaring contradiction. But so far, no one had. "I thought I might get a bit of pushback," she told me. "I've had absolutely zero." This contradiction sums up the state of climate politics in the UK today. There is strong cross-party support for far-reaching carbon targets. In June last year, the government passed a law to strengthen these targets, committing the UK to end virtually all emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases within the next 30 years. There was next to no opposition – in fact, Labour and the Liberal Democrats argued for an earlier phase-out date. And yet politicians are oddly reluctant to talk about how we might actually meet these targets. There is very little honest debate about the major changes to our economy and society that will be needed if we are to meet this challenge. Like my interviewee, we're all in favour of climate action, but we haven't yet had an honest conversation about the power and the vested interests involved, or the choices that will have to be made if we are to achieve significant reductions in emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/21/i-dont-want-to-be-seen-as-a-zealot-what-mps-really-think-about-the-climate-crisis
     
         
      Australian researchers claim world first in global race to develop better solar panels Thu, 21st May 2020 14:06:00
     
      A team of Australian researchers are claiming a world first in a global race to develop cheaper, more flexible and more efficient solar panels after their experimental cell passed a series of heat and humidity tests. Using a type of crystal material known as perovskite, the group found that a simple glass and synthetic rubber coating around the cell was enough to stop it from degrading too quickly. Mostly based at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, the 14 scientists have published their work in the leading journal Science. Research teams around the world are working with different formulations of the perovskite crystals – seen as a potential game-changer for the solar industry. Solar cells that use the crystals to convert sunlight to an electrical current are about 500 times thinner than those that use silicon – the material that's been the basis for solar cells since the 1950s. As well as being thinner, perovskite crystals are also flexible, meaning they could potentially have much wider applications than the brittle silicon-based cells. Prof Anita Ho-Baillie, of the University of Sydney, and a lead researcher, told Guardian Australia: "We just used a high-performance material called polyisobutylene – it's also used in double-glazed windows." Scientists have been working on perovskite solar cells for only about a decade, but have already raised their levels of efficiency at converting sunlight to about 25% – a level that has taken about 40 years to achieve with silicon-based cells. But the perovskite crystals degrade much faster than silicon – holding them back from commercialisation. When heated, the perovskite outgasses – degrading the material. "Perovskite cells will need to stack up against the current commercial standards. That's what is so exciting about our research. We have shown that we can drastically improve their thermal stability." Solar cells that are used commercially need to be able to withstand years of exposure to weather. Ho-Baillie said the early perovskite solar cells only lasted a few days before degrading. The perovskite crystals are cheaper, Ho-Baillie said, than the glass they used to help cover the cells. The team devised the glass and synthetic rubber surround and then put the cells through three sets of international standard tests, which include repeatedly cycling the cells through temperatures of -40C to 85C, as well as exposing them to high humidity levels. "It's a world first to pass these three tests in a low-cost way," said Ho-Baillie. "Not only did the cells pass the thermal cycling tests, they exceeded the demanding requirements of damp-heat and humidity-freeze tests as well." "Perovskite opens the market in ways that we hadn't thought of. It's lightweight, it's flexible, and you could fold it up and roll it out. For us, the sky is the limit." She said her team was also testing a form of the solar cells for use in space, and were currently "torturing it" with space plasma.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/22/australian-researchers-claim-world-first-in-global-race-to-develop-better-solar-panels
     
         
      Platinum-free catalysts could make cheaper hydrogen fuel cells Thu, 21st May 2020 13:51:00
     
      Scientists at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed platinum-free fuel cell catalysts that can be used for cheaper hydrogen fuel cell production. Commercially available hydrogen fuel cells currently rely on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which splits oxygen molecules into oxygen ions and combines then with protons to form water. The reaction is part of the overall fuel cell process that coverts hydrogen and oxygen in air into water and electricity. The ORR is a relatively slow reaction, limiting fuel cell efficiency and requiring a large amount of platinum catalyst. "Currently, the oxygen reduction reaction is facilitated by platinum alloy catalysts, which are the most expensive component of the fuel cell electrodes," said Deborah Myers, Senior Chemist and Leader of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Materials group. "Widespread, sustainable commercialisation of fuel cell electric vehicles requires either a dramatic reduction in the amount of platinum required or the replacement of platinum catalysts with those made of earth-abundant, inexpensive materials like iron." The most promising platinum-free catalyst for use in the ORR is based on iron, nitrogen and carbon. To produce the catalyst, scientists mix precursors containing the tree elements and heat them between 900-1100°C in a process call pyrolysis. After pyrolysis, the iron atom in the material are bonded with four nitrogen atoms and imbedded in a plane of graphene, a one-atom thick layer of carbon. Each of the iron atoms constitutes an active site, or a site at with the ORR can occur. "The mechanisms by which the active sites are formed during pyrolysis are still very mysterious. We observed the process in real time at the atomic scale to gain understanding and to inform the design of better-performing catalysts," explains Myers. The researchers conducted in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Materials Research Collaborative Access Team at Argonne's Advanced Photon Source (APS), a DOE of Science User Facility, to uncover the behaviour of the material at the atomic scale during pyrolysis. Whilst conducting the experiment, the scientists found that during the pyrolysis of the iron, nitrogen and carbon precursor mixture, the nitrogen-graphene sites are formed first, and then gaseous iron atoms insert themselves into these sites. They also found that they can produce a higher density of active sites in the catalyst by inserting nitrogen into the carbon first, using a technique called doping, and then introducing iron to the system during pyrolysis, as opposed to heating all three components together. During this process, the scientists place the nitrogen-doped carbon in the furnace, and gaseous iron atoms insert themselves in vacancies at the centre of groups of four nitrogen atoms, forming active sites. This approach avoids clustering and burial of iron atoms in the bulk of the carbon, increasing the number of active sites on the graphene surface. The study was a part of a larger project funded by the DOE Fuel Cell Technologies Office, called the Electrocatalysis Consortium (ElectroCat), aimed specifically at driving development of platinum-free catalysts for fuel cells.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/platinum-free-catalysts-could-make-cheaper-hydrogen-fuel-cells/
     
         
      Amazon under threat: fires, loggers and now virus Thu, 21st May 2020 13:46:00
     
      The Amazon rainforest - which plays a vital role in balancing the world's climate and helping fight global warming - is also suffering as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Deforestation jumped 55% in the first four months of 2020 compared with the same period last year, as people have taken advantage of the crisis to carry out illegal clearances. Deforestation, illegal mining, land clearances and wildfires were already at an 11-year high and scientists say we're fast approaching a point of no return - after which the Amazon will no longer function as it should. Here, we look at the pressures pushing the Amazon to the brink and ask what the nine countries that share this unique natural resource are doing to protect it. The largest and most diverse tropical rainforest in the world is home to 33 million people and thousands of species of plants and animals. Since coronavirus spread to Brazil, in March, Amazonas has been the state to register Brazil's highest infection rates - it also has one of the most underfunded health systems in the country. As elsewhere, social distancing and travel restrictions have been imposed to limit the spread of the virus. But many of the field agents working to protect reserves have pulled out, Jonathan Mazower, of Survival International, says, allowing loggers and miners to target these areas. In April, as the number of cases rose and states started adopting isolation measures, deforestation actually increased 64% compared with the same month in 2019, according to preliminary satellite data from space research agency INPE. Last year, an unprecedented number of fires devastated huge swathes of forest in the Amazon. Peak fire season is from July which some experts worry could coincide with the peak of the coronavirus crisis. The Brazilian authorities are deploying troops in the Amazon region to help protect the rainforest, tackle illegal deforestation and forest fires. But critics say that the government’s rhetoric and policies could actually be encouraging loggers and illegal miners.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51300515
     
         
      Climate change: Top 10 tips to reduce carbon footprint revealed Wed, 20th May 2020 14:51:00
     
      Climate change can still be tackled – but only if people are willing to embrace major shifts in the way we live, a report says. The authors have put together a list of the best ways for people to reduce their carbon footprints. The response to the Covid-19 crisis has shown that the public is willing to accept radical change if they consider it necessary, they explain. And the report adds that government priorities must be re-ordered. Protecting the planet must become the first duty of all decision-makers, the researchers argue. The authors urge the public to contribute by adopting the carbon-cutting measures in the report, which is based on an analysis of 7,000 other studies. Top of the list is living car-free, which saves an average of 2.04 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually. This is followed by driving a battery electric car - 1.95 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually - and taking one less long-haul flight each year - 1.68 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person. Switching to a vegan diet will help - but less than tackling transport, the research shows. It says popular activities such as recycling are worthwhile, but don't cut emissions by as much. Change of mindset The lead author, Dr Diana Ivanova from Leeds University, told BBC News: "We need a complete change of mindset. "We have to agree how much carbon we can each emit within the limits of what the planet can bear – then make good lives within those boundaries. "The top 10 options are available to us now, without the need for controversial and expensive new technologies."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52719662
     
         
      Antarctic algal blooms: 'Green snow' mapped from space Wed, 20th May 2020 14:47:00
     
      UK scientists have created the first wide-area maps of microscopic algae growing in coastal Antarctica. Satellite observations were used to count nearly 1,700 patches where large blooms had turned snow cover green. The team says the photosynthesising organisms are an important "sink" for pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. They are also key actors in the cycling of nutrients in what is one the most remote regions on Earth. "These are primary producers at the bottom of a food chain. If there are changes in the algae, it obviously has knock-on effects further up the food chain," explained study leader Dr Matt Davey from Cambridge University. "And even though the numbers we're talking about are small on a global scale, on an Antarctic scale they're substantially important," the ecologist, who has since joined the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban, told BBC News. Detecting the green algae from space was a tricky task. While it's easy to spot the organisms' discolouration when walking in the snow on the ground, from orbit it becomes much harder to tease out the blooms' signal against what is a highly reflective surface. Fortunately for the team, the European Union's Sentinel-2 spacecraft have high-fidelity detectors that are sensitive in just the right part of the light spectrum to make the observation. The study mapped the Antarctic Peninsula, the finger of land which points up from the White Continent towards South America. The blooms are seen predominantly to be on the western side of this feature. Two-thirds were on the many islands that dot the coastline. Totalled, the microscopic algae covered an area of almost 2 sq km. It means they're tying up roughly 500 tonnes of carbon a year. This is equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be emitted by about 875,000 average petrol car journeys in the UK, the team calculates.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52737603
     
         
      New 400 MW solar module factory for Germany Wed, 20th May 2020 14:11:00
     
      Production is set to start in the first quarter of next year at the planned fab in Greiz, Thuringia. The facility will manufacture 370 W panels featuring half cells, large wafers and nine busbars. German solar module manufacturer Solarwelt GmbH is opening a 400 MW panel factory in Langenwetzendorf, in the eastern German region of Thuringia. Production will begin in early 2021, according to a statement released by German panel maker Heckert Solar, which is also owned by the Trinkerl family. "We can hardly wait to start up production in Langenwetzendorf and fill Solarwelt GmbH with life," said Heckert Solar managing director Xaver Trinkerl. Heckert confirmed German and European-sourced solar production lines for the fab have been ordered and the factory will make monocrystalline, half-cell modules featuring nine busbars and 166mm wafers, for power output of 370 Wp. Heckert Solar will sell the products, which will be manufactured under a four-shift production schedule which will create new jobs. "The positive response from our long standing partners and customers confirmed our decision to start production by Solarwelt GmbH," added Xaver Trinkerl. Heckert Solar produces PV modules in Chemnitz, eastern Germany, where it has an annual production capacity of around 400 MW.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/20/new-400-mw-solar-module-factory-for-germany/
     
         
      $3.5bn plans unveiled to transition New South Wales to green hydrogen Wed, 20th May 2020 13:53:00
     
      New South Wales in Australia could be transitioned from fossil fuel-based electricity to green hydrogen by 2027 under bold billion-dollar plans unveiled today by Infinite Blue Energy. Dubbed project NEO, the $3.5bn initiative will target one gigawatt (GW) of 100% green hydrogen reliable baseload power using a combination of solar PV, wind turbines and hydrogen fuel cell technology. The project will commence with a feasibility study and detailed design over the next 18 months, focusing on transitioning away from reliance on coal fired and/or gas fuelled electricity to green hydrogen generated baseload electricity. "The vision at Infinite Blue Energy (IBE) is to show the world, first and foremost, that Australia has the technology, skills and entrepreneurial mindset to be a true leader in the development of green hydrogen plants," IBE CEO Stephen Gauld said. "We are currently in robust negotiations with major electricity users in the New South Wales Hunter Region that have confirmed their intentions to transition to green hydrogen baseload electricity this decade." "IBE is negotiating over 1,000MW of electricity currently generated by coal and natural gas to a source of green hydrogen baseload electricity." Gauld said another really exciting aspect of Project NEO is the capacity of the renewable generation which will be around 3.5GW of energy delivered from the plan. "The scale and sheer potential of it is immense. To put things into perspective, that is 2.5 times greater in energy production than the recently-announced project in Western Australia by one of Australia's largest oil and gas companies – one that's seeking to have 1.5 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity in Geraldton. And we are only just at the beginning," Gauld said. IBE's base design of Project NEO is to link sites with high generation efficiencies together into an IBE distributed generation model. This allows the generation sites to blend in with existing land users with minimal impact. How will it be used The introduction of additional baseload electricity generation could be used to stabilise the national electricity network and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic collapse. The green hydrogen can then be used to generate electricity or used as input to other industries. The production of steel is one identified industry that can use green hydrogen to reduce carbon debt, and green hydrogen can also be used in electronics, glass and fertiliser manufacturing. This will support existing Australian companies in their efforts to decarbonise and potentially allow new industries and manufacturing to be established across New South Wales.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/2-7bn-plans-unveiled-to-transition-new-south-wales-to-green-hydrogen/
     
         
      Concerns over plan to switch off household solar panels when grid is unstable Wed, 20th May 2020 13:44:00
     
      Thanasis Avramis has been an advocate of solar panels since he had them installed in 2008. He is not happy with a new proposal from authorities to switch off or constrain output from household solar systems as an emergency measure to stabilise the nation's electricity grid. "In the last 12 years we've probably earned about $9,000 worth of feed-in tariff. That's been a very substantial reduction in the cost of our electricity," Mr Avramis told 7.30. "The default position has often been to force a solution on Australian families for problems that are the fault of the network as a whole — and the regulator, and the many particular governments at one time or another that have not been able to plan properly." Australia is leading the world in per capita growth of rooftop solar, with new panels installed about every six and a half minutes. Since 2010, the number of panels across the nation has grown from 100,000 to 2.2 million. But the proliferation is at times leading to grid instability, prompting the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to call for the switch-off measure. AEMO CEO Audrey Zibelman said it would only be used in emergencies if the grid became overwhelmed. "This is very temporary, very limited and really, what we would say, a last resort control we need if we were worried the system would otherwise go black," Ms Zibelman told 7.30. "When we have way too much solar there's so little load we can't even manage to keep the balance with the generators, and in that context there's always a risk that the system could fail and will go black."
       
      Full Article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-20/concerns-over-plan-to-switch-off-household-solar-panels/12267162
     
         
      Norway: New Hydrogen Facility at Mongstad Wed, 20th May 2020 13:24:00
     
      A new hydrogen facility is planned on being built by a group of companies in Greater Bergen, in order to produce clean fuel to Norway's shipping industry.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/norway-new-hydrogen-facility-at-mongstad/
     
         
      Climate change is turning parts of Antarctica green, say scientists Wed, 20th May 2020 13:20:00
     
      Scientists have created the first large-scale map of microscopic algae on the Antarctic peninsula as they bloom across the surface of the melting snow, tinting the surface green and potentially creating a source of nutrition for other species. The British team behind the research believe these blooms will expand their range in the future because global heating is creating more of the slushy conditions they need to thrive. In some areas, the single-cell life-forms are so dense they turn the snow bright green and can be seen from space, according to the study, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications. Biologists from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey spent six years detecting and measuring the green snow algae using a combination of satellite data and ground observation. The result is the first large-scale algae map of the peninsular, which will be used as a baseline to assess the speed at which the white continent is turning green due to the climate crisis and potentially offering sustenance to other species. They have already found the algae have formed close bonds with tiny fungal spores and bacteria. "It's a community. This could potentially form new habitats. In some place, it would be the beginning of a new ecosystem," said Matt Davey of Cambridge University, one of the scientists who led the study. He described the algae map as a missing piece of the carbon cycle jigsaw in the Antarctic. It identifies 1,679 separate blooms of green snow algae, which together covered an area of 1.9 sq km, equating to a carbon sink of about 479 tonnes a year. This is equivalent to the emissions of about 875,000 car journeys in the UK, though in global terms it is too small to make much of a difference to the planet's carbon budget. Almost two-thirds of the green algal blooms were found on small, low-lying islands around the peninsula, which has experienced some of the most intense heating in the world, with new temperature records being set this summer. The snow algae were less conspicuous in colder, southern regions. Scientists have previously observed a change in green lichen and moss, but these grow extremely slowly compared with algae. In future, they will also measure red and orange algae and calculate how the presence of such colourful forms might be affecting the heat-reflecting albedo quality of the snow. "I think we will get more large blooms in the future. Before we know whether this has a significant impact on carbon budgets or bio albedo, we need to run the numbers," said Andrew Gray, the lead author of the paper.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/climate-change-turning-parts-antarctica-green-say-scientists-algae
     
         
      Chinese 202 MW/MWh solar-plus-storage project Wed, 20th May 2020 11:15:00
     
      Inverter maker Sungrow is supplying the inverters and storage system for China's largest, 202.8 MW/MWh solar-plus-storage facility. The plant will be connected to a new, 800 kV ultra-high voltage power line. State-owned electric utility Huanghe Hydropower Development is building a 202.8 MW/MWh solar-plus-storage plant in a desert in China’s northwestern province of Qinghai. The facility will be connected to an ultra-high voltage power line the State Grid Corp of China is building to connect the far northwest of the country to more densely populated eastern provinces. The RMB22.6 billion ($3.18 billion) power line will include construction of two converter stations with 8 GW of transmission capacity and the line will extend 1,587km across Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi and Henan provinces. The solar-plus-storage project is part of the 3,182 MW solar scheme Huanghe Hydropower announced in December, according to Chinese inverter maker Sungrow, which is providing its 1500 V, SG250HX string inverters as well as storage solutions for the facility. The solar-plus-storage plant will be the first phase of a 16 GW renewable energy hub which is set to include 10 GW of solar generation capacity. Sungrow told pv magazine the solar-plus-storage facility is being equipped with a sub-array energy management function able to ensure smooth power output while improving prediction accuracy for solar power generation. "The customized, AC-coupled, low-voltage design can guarantee cost-savings for the customer," Sungrow said in a statement. "Furthermore, the flexibly-built microgrid system with Sungrow PV and energy storage system is able to supply electricity in the early construction period and slash the construction time."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/20/chinese-202-mw-mwh-solar-plus-storage-project/
     
         
      Germany eliminates 52 GW cap for solar incentives Tue, 19th May 2020 14:19:00
     
      The country's coalition government reached an agreement on Monday to remove the limit from the national renewable energy law. However, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has not said when the measure will be implemented. The German federal government has finally agreed on a regulation regarding the minimum distances between residential areas and onshore wind turbines, as confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur by the Christian Democratic Union's Carsten Linnemann and the Social Democratic Party's Matthias Miersch. This also clears the way for the removal of the 52 GW cap for solar incentives in the residential and commercial segments. The limit was introduced through an amendment to the country's renewable energy law (EEG) in 2011. It outlines an end to the country’s feed-in tariff program for all PV systems not exceeding 750 kW in size. Given current levels of solar development, the 52 GW threshold would have been reached by the fall at the latest. But the possibility that the cap might remain in place had weighed on the mood of the German solar industry. According to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), the business expectations index halved between January and April of this year. In a statement following the conclusion of the agreement, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier did not provide a concrete timetable for the abolition of the 52 GW cap. "We have found a balanced solution with the agreement on a country opening clause for the wind clearance areas," he said. "And we keep our word on the abolition of the photovoltaic cap." Altmaier said that he sees the agreement as "an excellent result for the energy transition and climate protection." He claimed it provides "strong stimulus for the economy and employment, especially in these difficult times." Regarding an agreement to accelerate planning for approval procedures, Altmaier stated that digital options should be used more in the future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/19/germany-eliminates-52-gw-cap-for-solar-incentives/
     
         
      Climate change 'undermining progress in fight against cancer' Tue, 19th May 2020 14:09:00
     
      Climate change is putting people at greater risk from deadly carcinogens while threatening their access to cancer treatment, according to a new study by public health experts. Extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change and in turn, release carcinogens into the atmosphere. Hurricane Harvey battered Louisiana and Texas in 2017 with devastating impacts felt along the Gulf Coast and in the city of Houston. The category-4 storm inundated chemical plants, oil refineries, and Superfund sites that contained vast amounts of carcinogens that were released into the Houston community, the researchers found. n 2018, an investigation by the Associated Press and Houston Chronicle found more than 100 toxic releases into surrounding communities related to Hurricane Harvey, on land, in water and in the air. The increase of patients' exposure to carcinogens was compounded by the fact that the hurricane conditions made it difficult for patients to seek preventative care and treatment while also threatening the lab and clinical infrastructure that supports cancer care. The study was published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians by researchers from the American Cancer Society and Harvard University. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death for Americans. Wildfires are another risk. Global warming has led to longer wildfire seasons in the US that have spread over greater areas. Widespread burning releases vast amounts of air pollutants that are known to cause cancer, the study notes. Lung cancer is associated with long-term exposure to particle pollution and wood-fire smoke but few studies have been conducted. It's unclear how short-term exposure to such smoke will affect people, AP reported.? Tackling climate change will have both environmental and health benefits. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not only be good for the planet but will reduce air pollutants emitted from combustion processes that are harmful to health, the study noted.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-cancer-greenhouse-gas-oil-wildfires-a9520256.html
     
         
      Climate crisis: Arctic temperatures ‘break records’, as ice melting season starts early Tue, 19th May 2020 13:57:00
     
      A heatwave is underway in the Arctic unusually early in the year, with temperatures reaching record highs for spring and kickstarting an earlier annual melting season, scientists have found. An anomalous high pressure weather system over the North Pole has seen temperatures soar, with some parts of Siberia recording highs of over 20C. This warm air over Russia has created a "highway" to the pole, transporting unseasonable warmth north into the Arctic. Meanwhile, colder air is moving south into Scandinavia and North America. The current temperature spike follows a considerably warmer April than normal for the Arctic. In mid-April average temperatures reached highs of more than 0C, meaning overall some recordings were up to 20C above the long-term normal values for the area, according to data collected by Nasa and other agencies. Speaking to The Independent about the record-breaking data, climate scientist Martin Stendel of the Danish Meteorological Institute said "the temperature anomalies in the high Arctic and large parts of Siberia are indeed quite extreme". "I could not find anything comparable for the high Arctic in a data set which goes back to 1958." "There is no similar event so early in the season" on record, he said. Temperature anomaly analysis carried out by Severe Weather Europe, which provides centralised information gathering and sharing of climate and weather data from Europe, said over the weekend warm spots inside the Arctic circle were 12C above normal. The average April global air temperature was +1.16C above the 1951-1980 climate baseline. The disparity between the rest of the world and what is occurring over the North Pole reflects how the Arctic is warming much more rapidly than anywhere else. The warm spring is among the factors which have led to the beginning of an early melt season in Greenland. The onset of the melt season at the beginning of the summer is defined as the first of three days in a row with a melt extent exceeding 5 per cent over the ice sheet. The onset in 2016 was the earliest on record and happened on 11 April with an even larger anomaly. This year the melt season officially began on May 16. Dr Stendel said: "The median is 26 May, so we are almost two weeks early, which puts 2020 on rank 10 of the 40 years 1981-2020 we have data for." The historic rise in spring temperatures comes as wildfires in Siberia and the Russian Far East have become as much as ten times worse compared to this time last year, according to the Siberian Times this month. Emergencies Minister Evgeny Zinichev warned in a video conference with Vladimir Putin various factors had contributed to the problem which now poses a threat to people across many areas of Russia. "A critical situation with fires has developed in Siberia and the Far East," Mr Zinichev warned. He said the main cause is "unauthorised and uncontrolled agricultural fires", but he also blamed "a less snowy winter, an abnormal winter, and insufficient soil moisture [as] factors that create the conditions for the transition of landscape fires to settlements." He added that hot weather and strong winds had also complicated the threat. In total 3,339 fire outbreaks were recorded by the end of April, compared with 1,960 over the same period last year. Scientists have also said there is "strong evidence" last summer's unprecedented Arctic wildfires may have survived in some areas, smouldering during winter and have reignited as "zombie fires" this month, the New Scientist reports.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/arctic-sea-ice-temperature-spring-record-high-melt-climate-change-environment-a9519931.html
     
         
      America Just Made a Huge Investment in Next-Gen Nuclear Power Tue, 19th May 2020 13:49:00
     
      The Department of Energy (DoE) has started a new Office of Nuclear Energy project called the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). The $230 million program will give $160 million to scientists working on two reactor designs that "can be operational" in the very near future. The "Advanced" part of ARDP is an industry term for the generation of reactors we have today. The World Nuclear Association explains: "Generation I reactors were developed in 1950-60s. Generation II reactors are typified by the present US and French fleets and most in operation elsewhere. So-called Generation III (and III+) are the advanced reactors, though the distinction from Generation II is arbitrary. The first ones are in operation in Japan and others are under construction in several countries." Generation IV—the super advanced reactors?—are in the research phase, but the ARDP statements mention development into the mid 2030s and likely includes generation IV. So the technical difference may be arbitrary, but the advanced reactors are often safer, smaller in overall form factor, and more standardized in order to be easier to install and scale. Most existing power plants are idiosyncratic, built on a case-by-case basis to suit individual communities or use cases. A more uniform process means plants that are easier to secure, support, and regulate. "Advanced nuclear energy systems hold enormous potential to lower emissions, create new jobs, and build a strong economy," Rita Baranwal, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, said in a DoE statement. One of the first projects may sound familiar: "NuScale Power LLC is expected to receive the first small modular reactor design certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission later this year," the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) reports. NuScale's tiny modular reactor is designed to be deployed for small communities with lower power needs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32598099/advanced-nuclear-power-tiny-reactors/
     
         
      Temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 forced confinement Tue, 19th May 2020 13:28:00
     
      Abstract Government policies during the COVID-19 pandemic have drastically altered patterns of energy demand around the world. Many international borders were closed and populations were confined to their homes, which reduced transport and changed consumption patterns. Here we compile government policies and activity data to estimate the decrease in CO2 emissions during forced confinements. Daily global CO2 emissions decreased by –17% (–11 to –25% for ±1?) by early April 2020 compared with the mean 2019 levels, just under half from changes in surface transport. At their peak, emissions in individual countries decreased by –26% on average. The impact on 2020 annual emissions depends on the duration of the confinement, with a low estimate of –4% (–2 to –7%) if prepandemic conditions return by mid-June, and a high estimate of –7% (–3 to –13%) if some restrictions remain worldwide until the end of 2020. Government actions and economic incentives postcrisis will likely influence the global CO2 emissions path for decades. Main Before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, emissions of carbon dioxide were rising by about 1% per year over the previous decade1,2,3, with no growth in 20193,4 (see Methods). Renewable energy production was expanding rapidly amid plummeting prices5, but much of the renewable energy was being deployed alongside fossil energy and did not replace it6, while emissions from surface transport continued to rise3,7. The emergence of COVID-19 was first identified on 30 December 20198 and declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Cases rapidly spread, initially mainly in China during January, but quickly expanding to South Korea, Japan, Europe (mainly Italy, France and Spain) and the United States between late January and mid-February, before reaching global proportions by the time the pandemic was declared9. Increasingly stringent measures were put in place by world governments in an effort, initially, to isolate cases and stop the transmission of the virus, and later to slow down its rate of spread. The measures imposed were ramped up from the isolation of symptomatic individuals to the ban of mass gatherings, mandatory closure of schools and even mandatory home confinement (Table 1 and Fig. 1). The population confinement is leading to drastic changes in energy use, with expected impacts on CO2 emissions. Despite the critical importance of CO2 emissions for understanding global climate change, systems are not in place to monitor global emissions in real time. CO2 emissions are reported as annual values1, often released months or even years after the end of the calendar year. Despite this, some proxy data are available in near-real time or at monthly intervals. High-frequency electricity data are available for some regions (for example, Europe10 and the United States11), but rarely the associated CO2 emissions data. Fossil fuel use is estimated for some countries at the monthly level, with data usually released a few months later1,12. Observations of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere are available in near-real time13,14, but the influence of the natural variability of the carbon cycle and meteorology is large and masks the variability in anthropogenic signal over a short period15,16. Satellite measurements for the column CO2 inventory17 have large uncertainties and also reflect the variability of the natural CO2 fluxes18, and thus cannot yet be used in near-real time to determine anthropogenic emissions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0797-x
     
         
      Lockdowns trigger dramatic fall in global carbon emissions Tue, 19th May 2020 13:28:00
     
      Carbon dioxide emissions have fallen dramatically since lockdowns were imposed around the world due to the coronavirus crisis, research has shown. Daily emissions of the greenhouse gas plunged 17% by early April compared with 2019 levels, according to the first definitive study of global carbon output this year. The findings show the world has experienced the sharpest drop in carbon output since records began, with large sections of the global economy brought to a near standstill. When the lockdown was at its most stringent, in some countries emissions fell by just over a quarter (26%) on average. In the UK, the decline was about 31%, while in Australia emissions fell 28.3% for a period during April. "This is a really big fall, but at the same time, 83% of global emissions are left, which shows how difficult it is to reduce emissions with changes in behaviour," said Corinne Le Quéré, a professor of climate change at the University of East Anglia, and lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. "And it is not desirable – this is not the way to tackle climate change." The unprecedented fall is likely to be only temporary. As countries slowly get back to normal activity, over the course of the year the annual decline is likely to be only about 7%, if some restrictions to halt the virus remain in place. However, if they are lifted in mid-June the fall for the year is likely to be only 4%. That would still represent the biggest annual drop in emissions since the second world war, and a stark difference compared with recent trends, as emissions have been rising by about 1% annually. But it would make "a negligible impact on the Paris agreement" goals, Le Quéré said. Emissions must fall to net zero by mid-century or soon after to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and keep global heating from reaching catastrophic levels, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The fall in carbon resulting from the Covid-19 crisis reveals how far the world still has to go, said Le Quéré.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/lockdowns-trigger-dramatic-fall-global-carbon-emissions
     
         
      How renewable energy could power Britain's economic recovery Tue, 19th May 2020 13:13:00
     
      In the first months of 2020 Britain relied on renewable energy like never before. The power generated by clean energy projects eclipsed fossil fuels for the first time ever, making up almost half the electricity used to keep the lights on. As the UK emerges from the financial maelstrom of the coronavirus pandemic, analysts, economists and environmentalists argue that the renewable energy industry could – and should – play a greater role, powering a green economic recovery too. The companies harnessing energy from the sun, wind and sea hold the potential to spur the UK's economy by attracting billions in investment and creating thousands of green jobs across the UK's regions while accelerating Britain’s climate ambitions. Britain's clean energy sector proved this point in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis and the Confederation of British Industry calculated that the green economy contributed a third of the UK's economic growth in 2010-11. Britain's traditional economic engines – the banks and financial services firms – had continued to flounder, leaving GDP growth struggling below 1% while the economic value of offshore wind climbed by almost 17% and the solar industry’s growth was almost 7%. The CBI report concluded that the so-called "choice" between going green or going for growth was a false one because green business was already on track to become a major pillar of Britain’s future growth. Advertisement "After the last financial crisis, the UK's green economy contributed substantially to new fiscal growth, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and finding new export markets around the world," says Nathan Bennett of RenewableUK. "Once again, our industry will play a proactive role in getting the economy back on track, as we move out of lockdown. Renewables are a UK-wide opportunity to have a sustainable, forward-looking recovery and to boost productivity across the economy." Today, much of the risk shouldered by renewable energy investors a decade ago has fallen away alongside plummeting technology costs. The UK's commitment to pursuing a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 alongside its established financial support frameworks offer far more certainty to willing investors than in the past. The investment case for renewables is flattered further by the relative gloom shrouding investment opportunities elsewhere: fossil fuels have fallen from favour among a growing number of investors due to climate concerns and the collapse of global market prices for oil, gas and coal in recent weeks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/how-renewable-energy-could-power-britains-economic-recovery
     
         
      New method for life cycle assessment of PV technologies Tue, 19th May 2020 13:11:00
     
      Researchers in Australia have conducted a 'cradle to grave' life cycle assessment (LCA) of the four most widely used PV technologies. The academics say that cadmium telluride solar modules have the lowest life cycle impact, followed by amorphous, multi and monocrystalline silicon products. Scientists at Australia's Charles Darwin University have conducted a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of the four most widely used PV technologies; monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si), multi-crystalline silicon (multi-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si) and cadmium telluride (CdTe). The LCA was based on the 'ReCiPe' life cycle impact assessment method first developed by academics in 2008. This method utilizes a total of 21 indicators to evaluate the environmental impacts of a technology or product on three higher levels: human health, biodiversity and resource scarcity. The indicators focus on single environmental problems, such as climate change. The 18 midpoint indicators used for the research are climate change, ozone depletion, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, human toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, ionizing radiation, agricultural land occupation, urban land occupation, natural land transformation, water depletion, metal depletion and fossil depletion. Manufacturing of the three silicon-based technologies were found to have larger impacts, with processes including quartz reduction, silicon purification, wafer and panel production, inverter, mounting, other electrical installation production. And after this, 30 years in operation, energy consumption, pollutant emission, transportation, waste treatment process, end-of-life dismantling, landfilling and recycling. The lifecycle for CdTe technology entails extraction of cadmium and tellurium as by-products of other mining activities, total production chain covering vapor transport deposition process, film deposition and all that comes after panel production. Results The scientists found that the CdTe technology has the lowest life cycle impact, followed by amorphous, multicrystalline and monocrystalline silicon. The lower impact of the CdTe thin-film technology is attributable to the lower consumption of materials and chemicals in its overall life cycle processes. "In addition, the only significant emission that exists in the whole inventory of CdTe technology is the discharge of cadmium ions into water. The amount of this emission is relatively low compared with the life cycle emissions of other PV plants," they further explained. Manufacturing processes for multi and mono solar products, instead, include high emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide. "Mono-Si PV technology issues the most significant impacts by 13 out of 18 mid-point impact categories; comparatively, multi-Si technology issues the highest mid-point impact by 3 categories; the rest are shared by a-Si and CdTe technologies," the authors of the research said. The group stated that it intends to include other PV technologies such as CIGS, perovskite and organic PV in future LCA studies, and to compare all solar technologies with various renewable, non-renewable power generation technologies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/19/evaluating-solars-environmental-impact/
     
         
      Experts Think The Coal Industry May Never Recover From The Pandemic, And We're Not Sad Tue, 19th May 2020 13:05:00
     
      For the first time ever, official energy statistics from the US government show renewables are on track to generate more electricity than coal for the entire year of 2020, according to projections. In April last year, when some coal plants were under maintenance, the US achieved this major environmental milestone for a brief and uneventful month that you probably didn't even notice. But in 2020, amid a global pandemic, almost everything has been turned on its head, including the way we produce and consume energy. A new report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts the country will generate 5 percent less total electric power in 2020, leading to a historic 11 percent drop in carbon emissions. In fact, in the coming months EIA expects US coal generation will fall by nearly 25 percent, and this time, it might not recover to the same extent. Come next year, as the economy gets its footing and stay-at-home orders are gradually lifted, the EIA is pretty sure the nation's carbon emissions will once again increase, but only about 5 percent and not because of the return of coal. In 2021, the report expects coal consumption to recover by only 10 percent or so, while natural gas and renewables will pick up the rest of the slack, with the latter really stepping up to the task. These are just predictions of course, but as wind and solar become more affordable than ever, the EIA thinks there will be an 11 percent increase in electricity generation from renewable energy. "Although EIA expects renewable energy to be the fastest-growing source of electricity generation in 2020, the effects [of] the economic slowdown related to COVID-19 are likely to affect new generating capacity builds during the next few months," the report reads. "EIA expects the electric power sector will add 20.4 gigawatts of new wind capacity and 12.7 gigawatts of utility-scale solar capacity in 2020. However, these forecasts are subject to a high degree of uncertainty, and EIA will continue to monitor reported planned capacity builds."
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-coronavirus-pandemic-might-be-enough-to-seal-coal-s-fate-for-good
     
         
      5 Wind Energy Giants Embracing Solar Power Tue, 19th May 2020 12:48:00
     
      Onshore wind is now the leading renewable energy technology in the U.S., and it's still knocking competitors out of the way. Last year wind overtook hydropower in total generation, and 2020 is on track to be a record year for new wind farm construction. But all other energy sources are losing ground to solar these days, wind included. Solar accounted for 40 percent of new U.S. generation capacity in 2019, its largest share in history. After 2020, solar's lead over wind will widen rapidly in the U.S. market, Wood Mackenzie forecasts. Large-scale solar is already cost-competitive with wind in many states, and analysts believe solar has an easier path toward further cost reductions. In Texas, home to nearly one-third of the country's 100 gigawatts of wind capacity, there's now more solar than wind in the interconnection queue. Falling costs, steady efficiency gains and federal incentives have thrust solar to the center of the strategic plans of many American energy companies. Unsurprisingly, a significant number of the country's wind energy giants are turning their attention to solar. Top Articles There are key differences between wind and solar development, but much of the necessary expertise is translatable. Solar projects can often be sited closer to population centers and rely less frequently on tough-to-build transmission lines. The U.S. is on track to install nearly 15 gigawatts of wind farms this year, a new record, according to Wood Mackenzie data. But the market is expected to decline considerably through the mid-2020s; by 2025 the annual solar market could be several times as large as its wind counterpart. There will still be some wind-only developers, but others will need to move toward solar "if they want to survive," said Colin Smith, senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie. "There are absolutely going to be losers" as the market pivots, he said. As the renewables market gets ready for this reshuffle, GTM has highlighted five major wind developers that are betting a big chunk of their future on solar.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/five-large-scale-wind-developers-pivoting-to-solar
     
         
      Storms growing stronger due to global warming, study confirms Tue, 19th May 2020 12:43:00
     
      Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are growing stronger in every region of the world because of climate change, new research suggests. Using climate models created on supercomputers, scientists had predicted that most storm systems would become more intense. A study published yesterday drew on 40 years of satellite observations of real weather systems to confirm the trend. "The study agrees with what we would expect to see in a warming climate like ours," James Kossin, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States, who led the research, said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/storms-growing-stronger-due-to-global-warming-study-confirms-0tc39b069
     
         
      Climate change: Scientists fear car surge will see CO2 rebound Tue, 19th May 2020 11:47:00
     
      Daily global emissions of CO2 fell by 17% at the peak of the shutdown because of measures taken by governments in response to Covid-19, say scientists. The most comprehensive account yet published says that almost half the record decrease was due to fewer car journeys. But the authors are worried that, as people return to work, car use will soar again. They fear CO2 emissions could soon be higher than before the crisis. They are urging politicians to grasp the moment and make real, durable changes on transport and personal mobility. In the UK, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has pledged £250m for improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure. Other countries are also looking at similar plans. The lockdowns that most governments have implemented in response to Covid-19 have had a significant impact on the carbon-producing activities that are embedded in almost everything we do. Road transport has declined hugely, as has aviation. However, now that the UK is beginning to return to work, Mr Shapps said people should drive to work rather than use public transport, should walking or cycling not be an option. "If you can't walk or cycle but you do have access to a car, please use it rather than travelling by bus, train or tram," he said. Industry has temporarily closed down and demand for energy all over the world has crashed. Now in detailed analysis, researchers have shown how those changes have impacted our emissions of CO2. They've calculated the fall off in carbon based on the lockdown policies implemented in 69 countries that between them account for 97% of global emissions. During the peak of the crisis in early April, daily emissions dropped by 17% compared to the previous year, meaning around 17 million tonnes less CO2 were emitted every day. The key to the fall has been cars. Surface transport emissions have declined by 43%, the same amount as the drop from industry and power generation combined.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52724821
     
         
      Gas industry urged to ‘accelerate’ transition to hydrogen Mon, 18th May 2020 18:03:00
     
      Hydrogen has become a central element of EU plans to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. The key question now is how to accelerate the transition and upgrade the gas infrastructure, policymakers say. "We need to accelerate" the gas industry's conversion to hydrogen and other low-carbon gases in order to reach the EU's climate objectives, said Tudor Constantinescu, a senior advisor at the European Commission’s energy directorate. Investing now in low-carbon gas infrastructure will help avoid a lock-in effect into fossil assets that otherwise risk becoming stranded as Europe moves towards net-zero emissions, he told a EURACTIV online event on Wednesday (13 May). "If we want to reach 50-55% decarbonisation by 2030, it means putting more investments upfront – more CAPEX now – in order to lower the overall cost during the lifetime of this investment," Constantinescu argued. The European Commission has made hydrogen "a central element" of plans to decarbonise Europe's industry – especially sectors such as steelmaking, chemicals, and heavy-duty transport, which cannot easily switch to electricity. Earlier this year, the EU executive said it would launch a "Clean Hydrogen Alliance" after the summer break, bringing together companies, governments and research organisations around the development of a hydrogen supply chain in Europe.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/gas-industry-urged-to-accelerate-transition-to-hydrogen/
     
         
      Innogy probes Triton Knoll accident Mon, 18th May 2020 17:39:00
     
      Innogy is investigating after five people aboard a foundation installation vessel were injured at its 860MW Triton Knoll wind farm off east England. One person remains in hospital following the accident involving the Seaway 7 ship Seaway Strashnov on 8 May, the German developer said. "At the time, all five were airlifted to hospital for assessment and treatment. Three were discharged the next day and a fourth a few days later, while one person remains recovering in hospital," an Innogy spokesman said. The vessel returned to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands where it remains. "Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of all those involved, and to support the investigation team and the implementation of their findings," added the spokesman. No details on the nature of the accident have been released. Seaway 7 said it mobilised an emergency response team to deal with the incident. "We are working with the relevant authorities and all other involved parties to enable a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the incident. We would like to thank the emergency services for their support throughout the incident," said a company statement. "Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all individuals involved."
       
      Full Article: https://renews.biz/60342/innogy-probes-triton-knoll-accident/
     
         
      Jinko launches PV module with record output of 580 W Mon, 18th May 2020 15:41:00
     
      The panel is part of the company's new Tiger Pro series, which includes two 530 W modules and a 430 W product for distributed-generation applications. It will begin production of the series in the fourth quarter, although it will start accepting first orders immediately. JinkoSolar launched a new module series on Friday, led by its 78TW panel, which offers a record-setting 580 W of power output. The Tiger Pro series also includes two 530 W panels – dubbed the 72TR and 72HC – and the 60TR panel, which provides 430 W of output, for specific use in the distributed-generation PV segment. Equipped with Jinko's tiling ribbon technology, the products are based on monocrystalline PERC cells, with an efficiency of 21.4%. They are all available in mono and bifacial versions. "We developed these products based on our long experience in both big power plants and the residential market," Alberto Cuter, Jinko's general manager for LatAm and Italy, told pv magazine. "The products have been designed to respond to the high-quality demand of the industry and to reduce the LCOE of a solar power plant." The Chinese PV module manufacturer plans to begin production of the new series in the fourth quarter of this year. "But will begin accepting the first orders from now," Cuter said. He added that the module was designed with the support of inverter manufacturers such as Huawei, Sungrow, SMA, Fimer and SolarEdge. Solar trackers providers such as Soltec, Arctech Solar, Nextracker, and Array Technologies also provided input. "There is a broad range of adaptive inverters and mounting solutions that enable Tiger Pro panel to realize its full potential to the best," Cuter explained. "We are able in this way to reduce the LCOE at a very competitive level, making solar power plants much more competitive than in the past. We also reduced the logistics cost for modules transport, which represents about 5% to 7% of its total cost." Jinko has upgraded the performance warranty for the series by offering 2% degradation in the first year and a 0.45% linear warranty for the remaining 24 years, Cuter said. Thus far, the modules have only been tested internally, but the company will soon move forward with third-party performance certifications. The company did not disclose any additional technical details about the new product line.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/15/jinko-launches-pv-module-with-record-output-of-580-w/
     
         
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52710224 Mon, 18th May 2020 14:22:00
     
      Future increases in rainfall in England could significantly impact emergency responses, according to a new study. Researchers say that flood conditions could see just 9% of some rural populations reached by an ambulance within the 7-15 minute mandatory timeframe. Older people living in rural areas would be worst affected, the authors say. They say there should be a rethink on ambulance locations in flooding events. Flooding is one of the most devastating impacts of climate change. According to studies, it is likely to increase in the future. The Met Office has indicated that an extended period of extreme rainfall in winter, similar to what was seen in parts of England between 2013 and 2014 is now about seven times more likely because of human-induced climate change. o find out how this changing rainfall might impact on ambulance and fire and rescue services, researchers projected the impacts of floods that might occur once in 30 years, once in 100 years and once in 1,000 years. In England, emergency responders must reach urgent cases within mandatory timeframes, regardless of the weather conditions. In normal conditions, around 84% of England's population can be reached by ambulance in around seven minutes. The researchers found that when a once in 30-year flood event struck, this dropped to 67%. With a once in a 100-year flood, just over half the population would be reachable in seven minutes, while in a once in a 1,000-year flood, only 27% of the total population would see an ambulance inside that time limit.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52710224
     
         
      New PV system for facades, windows in Japan Mon, 18th May 2020 14:05:00
     
      Japan's Kaneka and Taisei have designed their T-Green Multi Solar system to be integrated into walls and window surfaces. The system is available in two different versions – a solid type in which PV laminates are turned into vertical exterior panels or walls, and a variant that achieves transparency through striped solar cells that are integrated into window glass. Kaneka, a Japanese chemical producer and solar panel manufacturer, has developed a building-integrated PV (BIPV) system in cooperation with Tokyo-based construction contractor Taisei that can be used for vertical installations in walls and window surfaces. They claim that their T-Green Multi Solar system is multifunctional, as it can also provide heat shielding and thermal insulation. The system, which Taisei is selling under its registered trademark, is based on PV laminates relying on solar cells provided by Kaneka. The company did not provide additional details on the cell technology and it is unclear if the laminates are based on the record-setting solar cell that Kaneka announced in August 2017. The 180cm² crystalline silicon device, which featured heterojunction and back-contact technology, achieved 26.63% efficiency. Two versions The system is available in two different versions – a solid type in which PV laminates are turned into vertical exterior panels or walls, and a semi-transparent type that achieves some level of transparency through striped solar cells that are integrated into window glass. "With these two types combined, the system can be applied to a variety of building exteriors," the companies said. The PV system can also be combined with storage and is able to serve as an emergency electric power source in case of natural disasters and blackouts, thy added. Business expansion Kaneka began supplying bifacial heterojunction solar modules based on its cell technology in November. According to its website, it sells three types of thin-film solar modules for building-integrated PV projects, as well as modules for electricity-generating windows and walls. In its latest financial earnings report, published on Friday, the group said that it will ramp up its supply of high-efficiency solar products in a timely fashion. "Concurrently, the group will address growth in demand by pursuing the development of a net zero energy management system for houses and buildings with a major construction firm," it added. "It will also jointly develop see-through photovoltaic module products for automotive use with a major automaker."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/18/new-pv-system-for-facades-windows-in-japan/
     
         
      Present-day greenhouse gases could cause more frequent and longer Dust Bowl heatwaves Mon, 18th May 2020 13:34:00
     
      Abstract Substantial warming occurred across North America, Europe and the Arctic over the early twentieth century1, including an increase in global drought2, that was partially forced by rising greenhouse gases (GHGs)3. The period included the 1930s Dust Bowl drought4,5,6,7 across North America's Great Plains that caused widespread crop failures4,8, large dust storms9 and considerable out-migration10. This coincided with the central United States experiencing its hottest summers of the twentieth century11,12 in 1934 and 1936, with over 40 heatwave days and maximum temperatures surpassing 44?°C at some locations13,14. Here we use a large-ensemble regional modelling framework to show that GHG increases caused slightly enhanced heatwave activity over the eastern United States during 1934 and 1936. Instead of asking how a present-day heatwave would behave in a world without climate warming, we ask how these 1930s heatwaves would behave with present-day GHGs. Heatwave activity in similarly rare events would be much larger under today's atmospheric GHG forcing and the return period of a 1-in-100-year heatwave summer (as observed in 1936) would be reduced to about 1-in-40?years. A key driver of the increasing heatwave activity and intensity is reduced evaporative cooling and increased sensible heating during dry springs and summers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0771-7
     
         
      German pipeline operators present plan for world’s largest hydrogen grid Mon, 18th May 2020 12:50:00
     
      German gas pipeline operators have presented a plan to create a 1,200-kilometre grid by 2030 to transport hydrogen across the country, which would be the world's largest being planned so far. The €660m ($715.8m) grid dubbed 'H2 Startnetz' would link consumption centres in North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony states to 31 so-called 'green gas projects for hydrogen production' in Northern Germany, and also have links to Southern Germany, the grid operators' association FNB Gas said. "The H2 Startnetz 2030 with a length of more than 1,200 kilometres is the first step to turn the vision to of a national hydrogen grid into a reality," FNB Gas managing director Inga Posch said. "A completely new energy grid would emerge in Germany on the basis of the existing gas grid, which gives industry sectors such as steel or chemicals the possibility to become climate neutral." The 31 green gas projects are slated to produce hydrogen from renewable energy via electrolysis (so-called 'green hydrogen'), Barbara Fischer, director for policy and strategy at FNB Gas told Recharge. But in general, the association considers as green gases both green hydrogen, and blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas and linked to carbon capture and storage (CCS). "As regulated grid operator, we provide our infrastructure without discrimination for the transport of hydrogen independent of its production method (thus technology neutral)," Fischer said. About 1,100 out of the 1,200 kilometres of the grid planned would be converted former gas pipelines, while some 100 kms wold need to be built anew, FNB Gas said. The association of Germany's gas grid operators earlier this year had already presented a map of a theoretical 5,900km hydrogen grid that would be based to 90% on the existing natural gas pipeline network, with links to the neighbouring Netherlands, which already has a national hydrogen strategy and several projects in its early days to produce green hydrogen from offshore wind. The highly industrialised state of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), and the Netherlands, also have started off a joint research initiative into the creation of transnational value chains for green hydrogen that would range from the Dutch North Sea to NRW. FNB Gas said its planning for H2 Startnetz was done in parallel to the latest update to Germany's official 2020-2030 network development plan (NEP) for gas. Germany's government is slated to present a national hydrogen strategy in coming weeks that was delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/german-pipeline-operators-present-plan-for-world-s-largest-hydrogen-grid/2-1-810731
     
         
      SunPower sells off its O&M business, gets regulatory approval for Maxeon spinoff Mon, 18th May 2020 12:45:00
     
      SunPower has had to make fundamental changes to continue to be relevant in a solar industry very different from that of its roots. The company aims to become an energy service provider and is leaving low-cost manufacturing to its Chinese partner. If you're of a certain age, the US solar pioneer SunPower evokes images of Stanford University innovation, record-setting efficiency and utility-scale deployments, as well as audacious venture investing by T.J. Rodgers. But SunPower has had to make fundamental changes to continue to be relevant in a solar industry very different from that of its roots. The company aims to become an energy services provider, is leaving low-cost manufacturing to its Chinese partner, and is splitting into two independent, pure-play solar companies. We spoke with SunPower CEO Tom Werner a few months ago about spinning off its solar module production into Maxeon Solar Technologies — with the help of a $298 million investment from Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor (TZS). That was to happen before the end of this quarter and appears to be on schedule — as TZS just received approval from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation to go ahead with the deal. Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower, said "Our planned transaction will allow for each company to focus on their core strengths in their respective markets around the world." Additionally, SunPower is selling its solar operations and maintenance (O&M) business to Canadian mid-market private equity firm Clairvest Group for an undisclosed sum. The SunPower business will fall under NovaSource Power Services. NovaSource is already an O&M provider in commercial, industrial and utility-scale solar markets. The transaction is part of Clairvest's campaign to build a solar O&M business through a "buy and build" strategy. According to a release, "Clairvest is supporting the current leadership team of SunPower's O&M division in a management buy-out, with the management team becoming material shareholders going forward." NovaSource operates in nine countries and is Clairvest's third investment in the solar energy sector. SunPower had "solid first quarter execution," according to Werner in an earnings call, who sees hope for May and June — after a harrowing April. SunPower has more than 8,000 full-time employees worldwide, of which about 2,000 are in the U.S.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/18/sunpower-sells-off-its-om-business-gets-regulatory-approval-for-maxeon-spinoff/
     
         
      BP Smacks Exxon Upside Head With New Green Hydrogen Scheme Mon, 18th May 2020 12:39:00
     
      Why, it seems like only yesterday that ExxonMobil was forecasting a rosy scenario for fossil gas in the sparkling green economy of the future. Now along comes rival BP with a deep dive into green hydrogen. Renewable energy is already threatening gas in the power generation market, and if all goes according to plan renewable H2 will push gas out of the coveted industrial energy marketplace, too. The Fossil Gas & Hydrogen Connection For those of you new to the topic, the huge global market for hydrogen overlaps with fossil gas, aka natural gas. Hydrogen doesn't just pop up out of nowhere. It has to be produced, and right now the main source of hydrogen is fossil gas. All sorts of hydrogen-reliant industrial activities, from fertilizer and food to fuel and pharmaceuticals, have been pushing the market for gas. Gas is also being touted as a cleaner alternative to coal, for steel-making, and for other industrial processes that require heat. This is all on top of the electricity generation sector, in which low cost fossil gas has successfully squeezed coal to second-rate status while laying dubious claim to the "cleaner" title. No wonder ExxonMobil has continued to envision a strong position for fossil gas. In a report dated August 28, 2019, the company's energy demand forecast for 2040 leaned on growth in both the industrial and electricity sectors to conclude that "natural gas grows the most of any energy type, reaching a quarter of all demand" by 2040. From Fossil Gas to Green Hydrogen Dream on, Klingon. Even before the COVID-19 crisis upended the global economy, the threat of green hydrogen was already looming on the horizon Green hydrogen, also referred to as renewable hydrogen, can be produced from water by applying an electrical current. Source the electricity from renewable energy, and there you have sustainable hydrogen from renewable resources. Green hydrogen has yet to plant its feet in the commercial market, but the technology has been improving and costs have been coming, partly because the cost of renewable energy has been dropping. Back in 2017, BP revived its once-dormant interest in solar power by forming a 50/50 partnership with the solar company Lightsource to form Lightsource BP, and it seems that the partners are already looking beyond clean power to dip into the renewable hydrogen field. Last week BP Australia announced that it has been greenlighted to explore the idea of producing ammonia with renewable hydrogen at a facility in Geraldton. Ammonia is currently made from fossil gas and other gassified fossils. It is mainly used as a fertilizer but it has many other applications in manufacturing as well as refrigeration and water purification. Cutting fossils out of that market would be a big deal — and the Geraldton project is aimed at the global market as well as sales in Australia. The water-splitting part of the equation would be handled by a new 1.5 gigawatt renewable energy project, which is where Lightsource BP comes in. In addition to solar, the feasibility study may also include wind.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/18/bp-smacks-exxon-upside-head-with-new-green-hydrogen-scheme/
     
         
      The end of plastic? New plant-based bottles will degrade in a year Sat, 16th May 2020 13:31:00
     
      Beer and soft drinks could soon be sipped from "all-plant" bottles under new plans to turn sustainably grown crops into plastic in partnership with major beverage makers. A biochemicals company in the Netherlands hopes to kickstart investment in a pioneering project that hopes to make plastics from plant sugars rather than fossil fuels. The plans, devised by renewable chemicals company Avantium, have already won the support of beer-maker Carlsberg, which hopes to sell its pilsner in a cardboard bottle lined with an inner layer of plant plastic. Avantium's chief executive, Tom van Aken, says he hopes to greenlight a major investment in the world-leading bioplastics plant in the Netherlands by the end of the year. The project, which remains on track despite the coronavirus lockdown, is set to reveal partnerships with other food and drink companies later in the summer. The project has the backing of Coca-Cola and Danone, which hope to secure the future of their bottled products by tackling the environmental damage caused by plastic pollution and a reliance on fossil fuels. Globally around 300 million tonnes of plastic is made from fossil fuels every year, which is a major contributor to the climate crisis. Most of this is not recycled and contributes to the scourge of microplastics in the world's oceans. Microplastics can take hundreds of years to decompose completely. "This plastic has very attractive sustainability credentials because it uses no fossil fuels, and can be recycled – but would also degrade in nature much faster than normal plastics do," says Van Aken. Avantium's plant plastic is designed to be resilient enough to contain carbonate drinks. Trials have shown that the plant plastic would decompose in one year using a composter, and a few years longer if left in normal outdoor conditions. But ideally, it should be recycled, said Van Aken. The bio-refinery plans to break down sustainable plant sugars into simple chemical structures that can then be rearranged to form a new plant-based plastic – which could appear on supermarket shelves by 2023. The path-finder project will initially make a modest 5,000 tonnes of plastic every year using sugars from corn, wheat or beets. However, Avantium expects its production to grow as demand for renewable plastics climbs. In time, Avantium plans to use plant sugars from sustainable sourced biowaste so that the rise of plant plastic does not affect the global food supply chain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/16/the-end-of-plastic-new-plant-based-bottles-will-degrade-in-a-year
     
         
      Renewable energy 'a potential danger' to the electricity network Fri, 15th May 2020 17:39:00
     
      Energy Minister Angus Taylor says "if you think you can have lots of solar and wind" generated power in the electricity grid "and not have complementary baseload power, then you are kidding yourself". A new report into the electricity network revealed household solar panels are responsible for uncontrolled surges in the electricity grid and recommended new installations must be fitted with appropriate technology to minimise risk to the network. Mr Taylor said the report indicates "Surges and lapses" in the grid occur when the sun moves behind a cloud and then comes back out again. This "can cause the system to trip" resulting in a blackout, he told Sky News host Peta Credlin. Australia has one of the highest rates of investment in renewables in the world, driven by solar feed-in tariffs from state governments. Mr Taylor said dispatchable power derived from gas, coal and hydro was needed to "complement" renewable energy going into the system.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmJxl9Cmvbw
     
         
      Renewable energy overtakes coal in the US Fri, 15th May 2020 17:16:00
     
      For the first time on record the United States is on course to generate more electricity this year from renewable power than from coal, new government forecasts show. The shift stems partly from the unique circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic but also reflects longer-term changes that are reshaping American energy consumption, with profound consequences for the fight against climate change. Projections suggest that even taking into account a potential modest rebound for coal production next year and President Trump's three-year effort to resuscitate the ailing coal industry by weakening pollution regulations, the transition away from the dirtiest of all fossil fuels is likely to continue. A decade ago coal's supremacy in the US was such that it provided nearly half of the nation’s electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/renewable-energy-overtakes-coal-in-the-us-8fwbp0r6h
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: 3.95 GW of new PV in Q1, new 500 W-plus modules, and a panel with 23.2% efficiency Fri, 15th May 2020 16:12:00
     
      China's cumulative installed PV capacity topped 208 GW at the end of March, thanks to 3.95 GW of new projects completed in the first quarter. JinkoSolar and Longi both joined the 500 W-plus module race, with their new panels offering 580 W and 530 W of output, respectively. Ginlong, meanwhile, has revealed plans to raise funds to increase its annual inverter production capacity to 20 GW, and Xi'An Solar has claimed a 23.2% efficiency rate for its N-type TOPCon modules in mass production. China's National Energy Administration (NEA) said this week that the country deployed 3.95 GW of new PV capacity in the January-March period, including 2.23 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.72 GW of distributed-generation PV. Overall, China's cumulative installed PV capacity hit 208 GW at the end of March. Thirteen of 32 provinces installed more than 100 MW throughout the first quarter. Guangdong province took the lead with 600 MW, followed by the Inner Mongolia region and Zhejiang province with 470 MW and 360 MW, respectively. JinkoSolar launched a new module series on Friday, led by its record-setting 580 W solar panels. The Tiger Pro series also includes two 530 W panels – dubbed the 72TR and 72HC – and the 60TR panel, which provides 430 W of output, for specific use in the distributed-generation PV segment. Equipped with Jinko's tiling ribbon technology, the products are based on monocrystalline PERC cells, with an efficiency rating of 21.4%. They are all available in mono and bifacial versions. Longi also joined the 500 W-plus module race this week with the announcement of its new Hi-Mo5 modules. The 530 W panels will be officially launched at the end of May. The monocrystalline PV manufacturer has revealed that the new product will utilize bigger wafers than the M6 format. Xi'An Solar Power, a unit of China's State Power Investment Corp. (SPIC), said this week that it has achieved a conversion efficiency of 23.2% for its N-type TOPCon modules in mass production. It achieved the results through an advanced high-efficiency chemical cleaning method, polysilicon precision doping, and hydrogen passivation, among other improvements. It claimed that the product will be ideal for large-scale ultra-high voltage (UHV) projects in Qinghai Province. Ginlong Technologies announced plans this week to raise more than $100 million through a non-public offering to finance the expansion of its manufacturing capacity. The inverter manufacturer said it will use the funds to double its annual inverter production capacity to 20 GW. "Demand for our ultra-reliable Solis inverters has driven this push to double our capacity," said Ginlong President Yiming Wang. "We are seeing a boost in demand for string inverters over other technologies due to its cost-competitiveness and reliability. This doubling of our production represents an exciting milestone for Solis." Jolywood said that it has shipped its first batch high-efficiency N-type bifacial modules to the Ibri II project in Oman. It won a 458 MW order for the 575 MW project last year. The installation, which is being developed near the southern city of Amin, will use Jolywood's N-type modules on single-axis trackers supplied by Arctech. The array is part of the Omani government's plan to add 4 GW of renewables by 2030. China Shuifa Singyes Energy said on Thursday that it will hold its annual general meeting on June 19 in Hong Kong. Shareholders will be asked to approve the issuance of 600 million new shares in the company, which used to be known as Singyes Solar. If approved, the move could generate $6 million for of fresh funds. Panda Green – which plans to change its name to that of its latest state-owned, white-knight investor – appears set to breach two of the rules of the Hong Kong exchange where it is listed. The company said on Wednesday that its auditor would not sign off on its 2019 earnings due to a lack of information about RMB1.02 billion the company wants to include as an impairment charge for deposits paid in 2017 to secure development rights for solar projects which never took shape. The news came a day after Panda Green said that the proportion of its stock held by non-state investors had dipped below the required 25%. Snow Hill Developments, acting in concert with 16.67% state-owned Panda Green shareholder China Merchants New Energy Group, said on Tuesday that it bought 268 million shares, or 1.2% of the listed stock, to leave 24.15% of the company's shares in public ownership.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/15/chinese-pv-industry-brief-3-95-gw-of-new-pv-in-q1-new-500-w-plus-modules-and-a-panel-with-23-2-efficiency/
     
         
      Meet the people who could change the way we live Fri, 15th May 2020 16:09:00
     
      Involving more than 100 members of the public, representing all parts of the UK, the assembly members have been asked to look at how the UK can cut greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero by 2050. The first meetings took place in Birmingham - but were then moved online after the coronavirus lockdown. Our science correspondent Rebecca Morelle has been following four of the assembly members throughout the process.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/52685718/meet-the-people-who-could-change-the-way-we-live
     
         
      Big data and synthetic chemistry could fight climate change and pollution Fri, 15th May 2020 16:05:00
     
      Scientists at the University of South Carolina and Columbia University have developed a faster way to design and make gas-filtering membranes that could cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce pollution. Their new method, published today in Science Advances, mixes machine learning with synthetic chemistry to design and develop new gas-separation membranes more quickly. Recent experiments applying this approach resulted in new materials that separate gases better than any other known filtering membranes. The discovery could revolutionize the way new materials are designed and created, Brian Benicewicz, the University of South Carolina SmartState chemistry professor, said. "It removes the guesswork and the old trial-and-error work, which is very ineffective," Benicewicz said. "You don't have to make hundreds of different materials and test them. Now you're letting the machine learn. It can narrow your search." Plastic films or membranes are often used to filter gases. Benicewicz explained that these membranes suffer from a tradeoff between selectivity and permeability—a material that lets one gas through is unlikely to stop a molecule of another gas. "We're talking about some really small molecules," Benicewicz said. "The size difference is almost imperceptible. If you want a lot of permeability, you're not going to get a lot of selectivity." Benicewicz and his collaborators at Columbia University wanted to see if big data could design a more effective membrane. The team at Columbia University created a machine learning algorithm that analyzed the chemical structure and effectiveness of existing membranes used for separating carbon dioxide from methane. Once the algorithm could accurately predict the effectiveness of a given membrane, they turned the question around: What chemical structure would make the ideal gas separation membrane?
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-big-synthetic-chemistry-climate-pollution.html
     
         
      How has the price and efficiency of solar panels changed over time? Fri, 15th May 2020 15:39:00
     
      Solar power technology has been around for a lot longer than many realize. Throughout its development, the technology has seen countless transformations with increased increments of efficiency and eventually a drop in prices that made it available for residential and commercial use. Most of the major developments that led to residential applications came about in the past few decades, but the story starts with how the first steps towards harnessing solar power go all the way back to the 1800s.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/how-has-the-price-and-efficiency-of-solar-panels-changed-over-time
     
         
      Cheap renewables put old coal to test Fri, 15th May 2020 15:02:00
     
      Australia's largest coal plant is facing its biggest test yet: cheap renewable energy. ... But the relentless surge of cheap and plentiful renewables — solar, wind and hydro and battery storage — is sparking a shift among the big baseload coal producers that supply 70 per cent of the grid's needs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/cheap-renewables-put-old-coal-plants-to-test/news-story/112b4ebe22b8598e9ef5d7b168e7346d
     
         
      Eating our way to a healthier planet Fri, 15th May 2020 13:29:00
     
      Yeast, vegetable seeds and local farm boxes are new hot-ticket items. Windowsill scallions are having their moment in the sun. People are exchanging tips on how to use every bit of food in the fridge, how to pickle and preserve. While these new habits and hobbies make for engaging Instagram stories and a motivation to call your grandmother, they're important for a much bigger reason: these new interests are exactly what Mother Nature needs from us. Amid the chaos and fear of the coronavirus pandemic are signs of a global community ready and willing to take action on the other emergency looming: the climate crisis. Changing how and what we eat is a powerful — yet often overlooked — tool for climate action. Reducing food waste is the No. 1 solution for reversing global warming. Eating plant-rich diets ranks No. 3. Those are the conclusions of Project Drawdown, a nonprofit group of scientists, activists and others that has compiled the most promising ways to address the climate crisis. Food-related changes can make a greater impact than the approaches most widely touted by environmentalists, such as solar panels and electric vehicles. This means that those yearning to make a difference need to look no further than the kitchen. The conveniently great news is that what's good for people often happens to be good for the planet. "Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth," concludes the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of 37 leading transdisciplinary scientists from 16 countries. We tell you this not just as superfans of science, but as two new mothers. The moment you bring a human life into the world, once-vague notions of "sustainability" and "natural resources" take on real meaning. Will my children and their children live in a world with enough fresh water, rich topsoil and wildlife habitat, one with peppy pollinators to keep our food supply thriving? And, as parents, we're shaping little people's habits, so our choices have a multiplier effect. Before covid-19, millennials and members of Generation Z — who together make up over half of the global population — were already sounding the alarm on climate breakdown and collectively driving the rise of "foodie" culture. As experts who have spent more than a decade interviewing youth around the world about the role food plays in their lives, we know that all of the raw ingredients are here at this moment to empower young people to use their market muscle to push for food that's better for both human and planetary health. Yet, the concept of climate-friendly eating has yet to break through into the zeitgeist. So, what has prevented climate-beneficial eating from becoming the norm in American food culture precrisis? We've gotten the messaging all wrong.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/05/15/eating-our-way-healthier-planet/?arc404=true
     
         
      https://www.wired.com/story/coming-soon-a-nuclear-reactor-with-a-3d-printed-core/ Fri, 15th May 2020 13:16:00
     
      Kurt Terrani wants to accelerate the future of nuclear energy—so he's turned to its past. Over the last year and a half, Terrani and a team of physicists, engineers, and computer scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee have designed and built the components for a gas-cooled nuclear reactor. It's a type of reactor that’s almost as old as the nuclear age itself, but Oak Ridge's newest atom splitter has a distinctive 21st Century twist. When it comes online in 2023, it will be the first nuclear reactor in the world with a 3D-printed core. "What we're doing is trying to figure out a faster way to build a nuclear system that has superior performance," says Terrani, who is the technical director for the Oak Ridge Transformational Challenge Reactor program. "The goal is to fundamentally change the way we do nuclear." The nuclear industry has a reputation for being incredibly conservative and resistant to change, and Terrani laments that all of America's nuclear reactors are still using technology that was dreamed up a half-century ago. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset is a way to manage the inherent risk and exorbitant cost of building new nuclear plants, but it's also stifled innovation in an industry that supplies the vast majority of America's carbon-free energy. Terrani's worry is that if the nuclear industry doesn't embrace new technology, it will soon be obsolete. This isn't to say we should start building experimental nuclear plants without due diligence. The reason the nuclear industry moves so slowly is that the price of a miscalculation is huge—the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima were generation-defining disasters that no one wants to repeat. But risk aversion hasn't stopped other notoriously stuffy industries from embracing new technologies. Just look at aerospace, where companies now 3D-print entire rockets, fly self-landing planes, and catch boosters on drone ships. And anyway, most of the advanced reactors under development today aren't entirely new; they're modified designs of reactors that were successfully built decades ago. "We know all these concepts work," says Terrani. "The problem is we can't build them fast and cheap enough."
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/coming-soon-a-nuclear-reactor-with-a-3d-printed-core/
     
         
      Forest microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming Fri, 15th May 2020 13:10:00
     
      Local factors restrain forest warming Microclimates are key to understanding how organisms and ecosystems respond to macroclimate change, yet they are frequently neglected when studying biotic responses to global change. Zellweger et al. provide a long-term, continental-scale assessment of the effects of micro- and macroclimate on the community composition of European forests (see the Perspective by Lembrechts and Nijs). They show that changes in forest canopy cover are fundamentally important for driving community responses to climate change. Closed canopies buffer against the effects of macroclimatic change through their cooling effect, slowing shifts in community composition, whereas open canopies tend to accelerate community change through local heating effects. Abstract Climate warming is causing a shift in biological communities in favor of warm-affinity species (i.e., thermophilization). Species responses often lag behind climate warming, but the reasons for such lags remain largely unknown. Here, we analyzed multidecadal understory microclimate dynamics in European forests and show that thermophilization and the climatic lag in forest plant communities are primarily controlled by microclimate. Increasing tree canopy cover reduces warming rates inside forests, but loss of canopy cover leads to increased local heat that exacerbates the disequilibrium between community responses and climate change. Reciprocal effects between plants and microclimates are key to understanding the response of forest biodiversity and functioning to climate and land-use changes.
       
      Full Article: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6492/772
     
         
      Why Russia Will Struggle To Meet Its Production Cut Quota Thu, 14th May 2020 17:03:00
     
      The effect of oil well shut-ins on future production has become one of the main topics of discussion in the energy media lately, what with OPEC+ cutting millions of barrels of daily output to try and prop up oil prices. Russia, one of the world's top three producers, has to shut in the most oil output in decades, and this could cast a shadow over the future of production. The problem is the length of well shut-ins, according to energy experts who spoke to Bloomberg. It is one thing to shut in a well for a few months, which is what producers do anyway for field maintenance. It is, however, completely different to shut in a well for two years, which is what many Russian producers would need to do as the latest OPEC+ agreement runs until 2022. "Mass sealing of oil wells is a much more serious thing than short-term idling," an energy industry executive told Bloomberg, noting the harsh weather conditions in much of Russia’s top producing regions, all in Siberia. "It's by far not a given that after a well has remained shut-in for so long it will pump at the same levels as before," Evgeny Kolesnik added. Not everyone agrees on the challenges caused by the weather, however. The New York Times' Andrew E. Kramer, for example, earlier this month wrote Russia was bluffing when it said shutting in wells in Siberia could take longer and be trickier than shutting in production in warmer climates. Kramer cited energy experts as saying there was no marked difference between shutting in a well in Texas and one in Western Siberia. Agreement on the effects of a lengthy shutdown, on the other hand, seems wider. The longer a well does not produce, the more things can go wrong. Among these is a change of pressure in the reservoir rock, which could be beneficial—if the pressure rises—or detrimental, if it declines during the shut-in period. The mix of hydrocarbons in the reservoir is another thing that can change, changing the quality of the crude produced from the well. There are also problems specific to horizontal wells that can affect future production negatively, according to experts. So, Russian companies need to cut deep and cut it fast. According to Bloomberg, the country has to reduce its total output by some 2.5 million bpd over this month and next. Two months is not such a long time, but from July on, reduction quotas will remain, they will just be relaxed from a total OPEC+-wide 9.7 million bpd to 7.7 million bpd. A lot of wells will need to remain shut in. Russian producers may need to get used to the thought that some wells will be lost permanently.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-Russia-Will-Struggle-To-Meet-Its-Production-Cut-Quota.html
     
         
      Lithuania Opens with 700 MW Offshore Wind Pitch Thu, 14th May 2020 16:58:00
     
      Lithuania's Ministry of Energy has submitted a draft Government Resolution to stakeholders for coordination on locations in the Baltic Sea suitable for offshore wind farms. Proposals were also submitted regarding the capacities of the wind farms which could potentially meet a quarter of Lithuania’s electricity demand. The draft Government Resolution proposes the construction of a wind farm with a capacity of up to 700 MW. A wind farm of this capacity in the Baltic Sea would produce approximately 2.5-3 TWh of electricity per year, which is 25 per cent of the country’s current electricity demand, the ministry said. The resolution also provides the exact area in the Baltic Sea where the development of wind turbines would be the most efficient. The territory planned in the Baltic Sea covers an area of 137.5 km2, with a distance from shore of approximately 29 kilometres, an average water depth of 35 metres, and an average wind speed of approximately 9 m/s. Lithuania plans to announce the first auctions for offshore wind in 2023. The power plants should be built and start generating electricity by 2030. "Conditions for the development of onshore wind energy have already been created, and this is now another step forward – creating a favourable environment for wind energy in the Baltic Sea," said Estonia's Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vai?i?nas. "Offshore wind will be a new and significant turning point in Lithuanian energy, as electricity generation from offshore wind is more efficient and has greater potential than onshore. Fierce competition will begin for investment in this area, and we need to be as well prepared as possible for this."
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/05/14/lithuania-opens-with-700-mw-offshore-wind-pitch/
     
         
      COVID-19 Could Spark A Renewable Energy Boom Thu, 14th May 2020 16:42:00
     
      There is a growing acceptance that the prospect of a V-shaped recovery is unrealistic. "A couple months ago I was optimistic, I was hopeful, that maybe we would have a 'V'-shaped recovery - shut things down, clamp down on the virus, and then have a quick recovery," Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari said in an interview on the PBS Newshour. But Kashkari now says that "we are in for unfortunately a slow, long recovery," characterized by "devastating" job losses. The world finds itself at a crossroads. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the global economy, leading to massive (and growing) unemployment. At the same time, the climate problem is not going away. Last month was tied for the warmest April on record globally, and 2020 is on track to be the warmest year ever. Larger and more frequent natural disasters are increasingly likely to happen. In the face of multiple crises, governments can kill two birds with one stone by going big on green stimulus, rescuing the economy while also making big cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. But failure to seize the opportunity may mean that we "leap from the COVID frying pan into the climate fire," according to a group of leading economists. A new report from the University of Oxford examined over 700 fiscal stimulus policies under 25 umbrella categories. The options were gauged by four factors: speed of implementation, economic multiplier, climate impact potential and overall desirability. The crisis has "demonstrated that governments can intervene decisively once the scale of an emergency is clear and public support is present," wrote the report’s authors, which included renowned economists Joseph Stiglitz and Nicholas Stern. Facing the worst downturn since the Great Depression, governments are passing once unthinkable pieces of legislation, with price tags that boggle the mind. Still, they are still falling short, and more trillion-dollar fiscal packages are likely.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/COVID-19-Could-Spark-A-Renewable-Energy-Boom.html
     
         
      A new device to detect PV panel failure Thu, 14th May 2020 16:29:00
     
      A Spanish start-up has developed a system which offers automated fault detection in solar panels at any scale. A new, real-time solar panel fault detection system has been touted by Spanish start-up Clever Solar Devices. The company was established this year and focuses on the optimization of power management in utility scale PV plants. Bhishma Hernández, CEO of the Soria-based business, told pv magazine the company's Smart Module device is predicated on digitization of the solar industry and automation of fault finding during operations and maintenance procedures. The Smart Module is an internet of things platform which connects "the heart of photovoltaic energy to the internet and [uploads] data to the cloud," according to its developer. "Real-time detection and intelligent diagnosis of efficiency problems are done without interrupting production," said Hernández. The Smart Module system ensures each solar panel in an array or large scale project is monitored remotely and the product can diagnose whether faults are down to under-performance, breakages or dirty surfaces. Manual intervention can in some cases be eliminated and when it is necessary, staff will know the nature of any problem in advance of a site visit. Clever Solar Devices says its system is scalable and can be easily integrated with other digital platforms. The monitoring solution involves an electronic board being attached to the junction box of each panel and works alongside a web application. The hardware measures IV curves, production capacity, efficiency, the electrical power of panels and meteorological conditions affecting output.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/14/a-new-device-to-detect-pv-panel-failure/
     
         
      The 18-year-old activist changing the climate conversation in the UK Thu, 14th May 2020 16:28:00
     
      To protest is to believe in a cause, to demand action, to march. But what happens when you can no longer take to the streets, when you’re cooped up at home without the placards or the chanting? How do you unite, how do you carry on? Once upon a time, in a life before lockdown, kids and teens all over the world walked out of school and took part in a global climate strike, inspired by teenage environmental campaigner, Greta Thunberg. Thunberg kicked off the movement, soon to be called Fridays for Future, in August 2018 when she stood outside the Swedish parliament and demanded that the government listen to her plea. While the youth strike has since evolved to take on many forms, the end game is simple, to demand action from political leaders, to prevent climate change and transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. By March 2019, 2,200 strikes were organised to take part across 125 countries. Over one million strikers took over city centres, blockading roads and standing together in peaceful protest. This is where the story of Noga Levy-Rapoport begins, the 18-year-old who would change the climate conversation irreversibly in the UK, by bringing young people together. The North London teen captivated the masses after borrowing a megaphone from a nearby protestor and yelling, "FOLLOW ME."
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/05/14/the-18-year-old-activist-changing-the-climate-conversation-in-the-uk
     
         
      Heat-tolerant algae could save coral reefs from warming seas Thu, 14th May 2020 16:23:00
     
      Coral reefs under threat from rising ocean temperatures could be saved by training algae to become more tolerant of warmer waters, a study has found. Corals turn white in a process known as bleaching when a rise in water temperature causes them to expel the colourful algae that live in their tissue and supply most of their nutrition. The Great Barrier Reef off Australia lost about half its corals after heatwaves in 2016 and 2017 caused mass bleaching. Scientists reported last month that...
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/heat-tolerant-algae-could-save-coral-reefs-from-warming-seas-87tndbz9b
     
         
      LNG Price War Could Send Natural Gas Into Negative Territory Thu, 14th May 2020 16:19:00
     
      Jousting for market share at a time of massive supply/demand imbalances was the key reason why oil markets recently entered uncharted waters after dipping into negative territory. Unfortunately, leading natural gas players could be contemplating the same folly as the oil protagonists. Oil prices have staged an impressive recovery thanks to demand starting to bounce back as well as ongoing production cuts both by OPEC+ and IOCs in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, the industry is far from being out of the woods. Whereas many oil punters now feel that negative prices are unlikely to happen again any time soon due to the developing tailwinds, CFTC recently fired a warning to brokers, exchanges, and clearinghouses that it actually remains a distinct possibility. Natural gas markets risk treading the same path as oil. Hard hit by a double whammy of weak demand and storage nearing tank tops, Qatar, the world’s biggest LNG producer, may very soon have to bite the bullet and curb output or risk cutting prices and finding itself in a battle for market share with the likes of Australia, U.S., Russia, and Norway. Lose-Lose Proposition Either way, it's a lose-lose proposition for Qatar, though the second option would be far more perilous for the LNG market, especially for U.S. exporters. Qatar began sending its LNG exports to northwestern Europe in February after the coronavirus pandemic engulfed its main Asian markets and crippled demand. However, it was not long before Europe itself started feeling the heat of the health crisis with demand sharply plummeting in April. The Persian Gulf state has now been forced to borrow a leaf from its oil brethren by storing its excess LNG cargoes--which the country's NOC, Qatar Petroleum, does at Belgium's Zeebrugge import terminal where it has booked all the import capacity till 2044.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/LNG-Price-War-Could-Send-Natural-Gas-Into-Negative-Territory.html
     
         
      Chemicals giant that runs 'world's most polluting plant' wants to buy wind and solar Thu, 14th May 2020 15:55:00
     
      A day after it was excluded by the world's largest investment fund over its reliance on coal, South African mining and chemicals giant Sasol – operator of what's labelled the most polluting industrial plant on the planet – said it's seeking 600MW of wind and solar power to help green its business. Sasol published a request for information (RFI) to potential bidders to supply renewable energy to its South African operations, with independent power producers operating wind and solar plants the most likely candidates. Sasol's huge South African business includes the vast Secunda plant producing synthetic fuels through coal liquefaction that was in 2018 labelled by Greenpeace Africa as "the world's biggest single-point source of emissions". The company said the RFI will play a key part in an emissions reduction strategy. "We intend procuring, in total, approximately 600MW of renewable electricity capacity with the aim of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.6 million tons per annum. "This will favourably position Sasol to deliver on our commitment of reducing our South African GHG emissions by at least 10% by 2030," said Sasol. The RFI was issued a day after Sasol was excluded from the portfolio of the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, Norway's $1 trillion Government Pension Fund Global, which also blacklisted Germany's RWE for breaching stricter rules on coal-related investments. South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) – unveiled in late 2019 , which sets the policy framework for the next 10 years – envisages 14.4GW of additional wind and 6GW of PV as renewables account for the bulk of the country's new capacity. However, despite being by far the most active on the continent, South Africa's renewable energy sector has suffered stop-start tendering as a result of legal challenges and disputes with state utility Eskom.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/chemicals-giant-that-runs-worlds-most-polluting-plant-wants-to-buy-wind-and-solar/2-1-809308
     
         
      Coral bleaching: Scientists 'find way to make coral more heat-resistant' Thu, 14th May 2020 15:37:00
     
      Scientists in Australia say they have found a way to help coral reefs fight the devastating effects of bleaching by making them more heat-resistant. Rising sea temperatures make corals expel tiny algae which live inside them. This turns the corals white and effectively starves them. In response, researchers have developed a lab-grown strain of microalgae which is more tolerant to heat. When injected back into the coral, the algae can handle warmer water better. The researchers believe their findings may help in the effort to restore coral reefs, which they say are "suffering mass mortalities from marine heatwaves". The team made the coral - which is a type of animal, a marine invertebrate - more tolerant to temperature-induced bleaching by bolstering the heat tolerance of its microalgal symbionts - tiny cells of algae that live inside the coral tissue. They then exposed the cultured microalgae to increasingly warmer temperatures over a period of four years. This assisted them to adapt and survive hotter conditions. "Once the microalgae were reintroduced into coral larvae, the newly established coral-algal symbiosis was more heat-tolerant compared to the original one," lead author Dr Patrick Buerger, of Csiro, Australia's national science agency, said in a statement. "We found that the heat-tolerant microalgae are better at photosynthesis and improve the heat response of the coral animal," Prof Madeleine van Oppen, of the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Melbourne, said. "These exciting findings show that the microalgae and the coral are in direct communication with each other." The next step is to further test the algal strains across a range of coral species. How bad is coral bleaching? "Coral reefs are in decline worldwide," Dr Buerger says. "Climate change has reduced coral cover, and surviving corals are under increasing pressure as water temperatures rise and the frequency and severity of coral bleaching events increase." Earlier this year, Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffered a mass bleaching event - the third in just five years. Warmer sea temperatures - particularly in February - are feared to have caused huge coral loss across it. Scientists say they have detected widespread bleaching, including extensive patches of severe damage. But they have also found healthy pockets. Two-thirds of the reef - the world's largest such system - were damaged by similar events in 2016 and 2017.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52661860
     
         
      Coronavirus puts spotlight on landmark year for nature Thu, 14th May 2020 15:32:00
     
      The pandemic has disrupted conservation work and funding, with potential repercussions for years to come, according to conservation groups. But we can seize the opportunity to push for stronger action to protect the natural world, say Dr Diogo Veríssimo and Dr Nisha Owen from campaign group On The Edge Conservation. The pandemic struck in what was meant to be a landmark year for biodiversity. New goals for protecting the natural world are due to be agreed in October. While lockdown has been linked to a number of positive environmental changes, including wildlife reclaiming urban spaces, we know very little about how large areas of the world that host vast quantities of biodiversity have been faring, said Dr Owen. "There's reports coming in of illegal activities happening on the ground that are not being patrolled for or monitored or counted because of the effects of coronavirus lockdown or reduced staff or reduced funds," she said. "We're not going to know the scale of what that impact may have been on wildlife and biodiversity until we're able to systematically assess that, and that's probably not going to be until we come out of lockdown." Loss of funding for conservation work is a growing concern, particularly for lesser-known endangered species, such as pangolins, which already receive a "smaller slice of the cake". "It is not just the case that organisations in far flung places are feeling difficulties," said Dr Veríssimo, who is also a scientist at the University of Oxford. "It is also right here in the UK where environmental charities are being gravely affected by all the changes that Covid-19 is producing." The Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of more than 50 environment and wildlife groups in England, recently warned in a report that UK environment charities are facing a dramatic loss of income, which will have an impact on their ability to care for our land, protect wildlife and tackle climate change and nature's decline for years to come.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52648577
     
         
      Throwback Thursday Spotlight: Everfuel and Shell Enter into Strategic Collaboration on a Large Scale Hydrogen Plant Thu, 14th May 2020 14:05:00
     
      Talks about both companies, Shell and Everfuel, and their quest to move on to green energy and specifically hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/throwback-thursday-spotlight-everfuel-and-shell-enter-into-strategic-collaboration-on-a-large-scale-hydrogen-plant/
     
         
      Commission launches online public consultation on new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change Thu, 14th May 2020 13:48:00
     
      The Commission invites all stakeholders and citizens to submit views on the EU's new adaptation strategy in view of increasingly frequent and intense climate change impacts. As part of the European Green Deal, the Commission aims to put forward a new Adaptation Strategy in early 2021, building on the current one, which was adopted in 2013 and positively evaluated in 2018. Climate change impacts are here and now. Global and European temperatures have repeatedly broken long-term records in recent years. The last five years were the hottest on record, with heatwaves, droughts and wildfires across Europe. The impacts on people, planet and prosperity are already pervasive but unevenly distributed. Climate change will continue to create significant difficulties in Europe in spite of mitigation efforts. Moreover, Europe is affected by indirect climate impacts occurring in other parts of the world in multiple ways, such as through trade and supply chains, spread of infections, threats to international security, or migration. When it comes to the economic effects of the current health crisis, we must "build back better". The recovery will be an opportunity to make our society more resilient. This includes climate-proofing our economy, integrating climate aspects in risk management practices, and stepping up prevention and preparedness. The online public consultation on the Adaptation Strategy invites contributions from stakeholders and citizens to inform the design of the new strategy. A blueprint for the strategySearch for available translations of the preceding link••• accompanies the consultation in order to provide context, indicate possible directions of development and stimulate the debate. The online consultation will be open for 14 weeks from 14 May until 20 August 2020. The Commission is also today launching the results of the new PESETA project, which refines the projected impacts of climate change on the EU and beyond, as well as some of the benefits of adaptation measures. This analysis highlights the need for more ambitious action on adaptation. A related initiative under the European Green Deal, the European Climate Pact, is also running an open public consultation.
       
      Full Article: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/commission-launches-online-public-consultation-new-eu-strategy-adaptation-climate-change_en
     
         
      A Secret Space Plane is Carrying a Solar Experiment to Orbit Thu, 14th May 2020 13:44:00
     
      A Secret Space Plane is Carrying a Solar Experiment to Orbit. On Saturday, the US Air Force is expected to launch its secret space plane, X-37B, for a long-duration mission in low Earth orbit. The robotic orbiter looks like a smaller version of the space shuttle and has spent nearly eight of the past 10 years in space conducting classified experiments for the military. Almost nothing is known about what X-37B does up there, but ahead of its sixth launch the Air Force gave some rare details about its cargo. In addition to its usual suite of secret military tech, the X-37B will also host a few unclassified experiments during its upcoming sojourn in space. NASA is sending up two experiments to study the effects of radiation on seeds, and the US Air Force Academy is using the space plane to deploy a small research satellite. But the real star of the show is a small solar panel developed by the physicists at the Naval Research Lab that will be used to conduct the first orbital experiment with space-based solar power. "This is a major step forward," says Paul Jaffe, an electronics engineer at the Naval Research Lab and lead researcher on the project. "This is the first time that any component geared towards a solar-powered satellite system has ever been tested in orbit." Space-based solar power is all about getting solar power to Earth no matter the weather or the time of day. The basic idea is to convert the sun's energy into microwaves and beam it down. Unlike terrestrial solar panels, satellites in a sufficiently high orbit might only experience darkness for a few minutes per day. If this energy could be captured, it could provide an inexhaustible source of power no matter where you are on the planet. It's an idea that was cooked up by the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in the 1940s; since then, beamed power experiments have been successfully tested several times on Earth. But the experiment on X-37B will be the first time the core technologies behind microwave solar power will be tested in orbit. "The science of microwave power beaming is fully understood; it is the engineering challenges of scaling known technology to a size never before seen on orbit that we need to progress," says Ian Cash, the director of the International Electric Company Limited, which is developing a space solar platform called CASSIOPeiA. "But every endeavour must start with a first step." The experiment built by Jaffe and his colleagues at NRL is what he calls a "sandwich" module. It's a three-tiered system for converting sunlight into electricity and then converting the electricity into microwaves. Usually, the conversion system is sandwiched between a high-performance solar panel and the antenna that is used to transmit the energy. But for this mission, Jaffe and his colleagues won't be radiating the energy from space to Earth, because the radio signal would interfere with other experiments on the space plane. Instead, the sandwich module will send the radio signals through a cable so researchers at NRL can study the power output from the system. The entire NRL experiment could fit in a pizza box and won't produce enough energy to power a light bulb. But Jaffe says the experiment is a critical step toward a free-flying space-based power satellite. "There's been a lot of work doing studies and analyses, and a lot less work on actual prototyping," Jaffe says. "This isn't necessarily the most refined version of what could be accomplished, but the main goal was to get up to space with a proof of concept."
       
      Full Article: https://www.wired.com/story/a-secret-space-plane-is-carrying-a-solar-experiment-to-orbit/
     
         
      Meyer Burger mulls gigawatt-scale German solar fab Thu, 14th May 2020 13:42:00
     
      Chief executive Gunter Erfurt told a German radio station a solar factory in North Rhine-Westphalia could supply high-efficiency panels for a 10 GW floating solar project on the vast Hambach open-cast coal mine. Swiss solar production equipment maker Meyer Burger is considering establishing a manufacturing facility for its high-efficiency PV cells and modules in Germany, chief executive Gunter Erfurt told German broadcaster Radio Ruhr at the weekend. The solar equipment maker, which has been hammered by low margins on its products in the Far East, last year formed strategic partnerships with Norwegian solar module maker REC Group and the Oxford PV tech company spun out of Oxford University. The aim of the collaborations was to bring Meyer Burger's heterojunction-based solar technology to market. Although Meyer Burger boss Erfurt told the radio station the location of any German production line was yet to be determined, he appeared to have a clear idea of where the products made there might initially be deployed: at the sprawling Hambach open-cast coal mine in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia. Coal-to-solar A floating solar project at the huge site could, with Meyer Berger's high-efficiency solar tech, have a generation capacity of 10 GW, according to Erfurt. The CEO explained that was equivalent to the capacity of the Weisweiler, Neurath, Niederaußem and Frimmersdorf coal-fired power plants in the region, ensuring the area could remain an important generation center after the energy transition. Erfurt offered a hint of where the proposed Meyer Burger factory would be located by stating panels installed at Hambach could be "made in North Rhine-Westphalia." Erfurt said a floating project at the former mine could replace some of the 10,000 jobs expected to be lost in the local coal industry and would reduce evaporation from what is the largest lake in North Rhine-Westphalia. The regional government has voiced interest in such a scheme, Erfurt added. The German government has agreed to phase out coal by 2038, although it still has to finalize the details of how that will be achieved. At the end of 2018, Hamburg-based green electricity provider Greenpeace Energy offered to buy electric utility RWE's lignite division in a bid to close down coal-fired power plants in the 'Rheinische Revier' area by 2025 and replace them with 8.2 GW of solar and wind project capacity. The bid was rejected by the power company.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/04/meyer-burger-mulls-gigawatt-scale-german-solar-fab/
     
         
      Hydrogen central to oil & gas industry decarbonization as expectations for market growth surge Thu, 14th May 2020 13:39:00
     
      A new report reveals that hydrogen has surged up the priority list of many oil and gas organizations, taking a primary position in the sector's decarbonization efforts. A fifth (21%) of senior oil and gas industry professionals say their organization is already actively entering the hydrogen market, according to a new report published by DNV GL, the technical advisor to the sector. The proportion intending to invest in the hydrogen economy doubled from 20% to 42% in the year leading up to the Coronavirus-induced oil price crash. Heading for Hydrogen draws on a survey of more than 1,000 senior oil and gas professionals and in-depth interviews with industry executives. The report suggests that recent shifts in the industry's investment priorities are unlikely to affect the sector's long-term efforts to reduce carbon emissions. DNV GL found a significant rise in those reporting that their organization is actively adapting to a less carbon-intensive energy mix – up from 44% for 2018 to 60% for 2020. Carbon-free hydrogen production, transmission and distribution is now widely recognized as a central component to the oil and gas industry's decarbonization efforts. "Hydrogen is in the spotlight as the energy transition moves at pace – and rightly so. But to realize its potential, both governments and industry will need to make bold decisions," said Liv A. Hovem, CEO, DNV GL – Oil & Gas. "The challenge now is not in the ambition, but in changing the timeline: from hydrogen on the horizon, to hydrogen in our homes, businesses, and transport systems." More than half of respondents to DNV GL's research in Asia-Pacific (56%), the Middle East & North Africa (54%) and Europe (53%) agree that hydrogen will be a significant part of the energy mix within 10 years. North America (40%) and Latin America (37%) are only a little behind. The success of a hydrogen energy economy is closely aligned with the future of natural gas, renewable energy, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, according to Heading for Hydrogen. While hydrogen gas produced from renewable energy (green hydrogen) is the industry's ultimate destination, analysis shows that the sector can only realistically scale up to large volumes and infrastructure with carbon-free hydrogen produced from fossil fuels combined with CCS technology (blue hydrogen). DNV GL's 2019 Energy Transition Outlook, a forecast of world energy demand and supply, predicts that natural gas will become the world's largest energy source in the mid-2020s, accounting for nearly 30% of the global energy supply in 2050. Natural gas and hydrogen can play similar roles within the global energy system, and the synergies between them – in application and infrastructure – will drive the hydrogen economy. However, Heading for Hydrogen points to political, economic, and technical complexity in scaling the hydrogen economy. "To progress to the stage where societies and industry can enjoy the benefits of hydrogen at scale, all stakeholders will need immediate focus on proving safety, enabling infrastructure, scaling carbon capture and storage technology and incentivizing value chains through policy," said Hovem.
       
      Full Article: https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2020/05/hydrogen-central-to-oil-gas-industry-decarbonization-as-expectations-for-market-growth-surge
     
         
      EGEB: Here are the top 10 countries leading the move to green energy Thu, 14th May 2020 12:26:00
     
      Top 10 renewable transition leaders The World Economic Forum has released the Energy Transition Index 2020, a "a fact-based ranking intended to enable policy-makers and businesses to plot the course for a successful energy transition." The index analyzes the energy sectors of 115 countries. Europe is clearly leading the world in the transition to renewables. The 10 countries most prepared for the energy transition are, with 1 being the best: Sweden Switzerland Finland Denmark Norway Austria United Kingdom France Netherlands Iceland The UK and France are the only two G20 economies in the top 10. The progress of the US, ranked 32nd, has been impeded by policy decisions. China is ranked 78th, and "currently has the world's largest solar PV and onshore wind capacity." However, China is also the largest producer and consumer of coal in the world. Argentina, India, and Italy have shown consistent strong improvements annually. This year's report is unusual, as the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up some new factors: The erosion of almost a third of global energy demand Unprecedented oil price volatilities and subsequent geopolitical implications Delayed or stalled investments and projects Uncertainties over the employment prospects of millions of energy?sector workers But the need for sustainable energy has never been greater as climate change continues to loom.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/05/14/egeb-top-10-countries-green-energy-wef-emissions/
     
         
      Cheap And Easy Hydrogen (Brown's Gas) Generator Wed, 13th May 2020 17:36:00
     
      The main focus of the channel is on energy, graphene, batteries and super capacitors. The channel is quite old now and some of the earlier videos can be a bit ropey - occasionally i think about re-doing them - but to be honest i spend a lot of time looking after the comments section - so - there is a lot of good information in the comments so i tend to leave them. The comments are always worth a look through. People can be very generous with their ideas and there are a lot of good ones contributed by some very very smart people. Though the main focus is grphene, it's applications and how to make it - there is quite a mix of stuff and i tend to post whatever takes my fancy - so often there are just out there ideas posted on the simplest of things - Anyway - I hope you enjoy and thanks for taking the time to drop by
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNTMWhMWQAA
     
         
      Offshore vs land-based solar Wed, 13th May 2020 17:18:00
     
      A simulation by Utrecht University researchers indicated North Sea PV projects may perform better than a ground-mounted solar generator in the Netherlands. Offshore installations could generate 12.96% more power per year, according to the findings of the study, with the sea acting as a cooling system. Scientists from the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have claimed offshore PV plants could be more productive than ground-mounted arrays after running a simulation comparing a North Sea project to a conventional system at the Utrecht Photovoltaic Outdoor Test field. Simulation measurements accounted for average ambient and water surface temperatures and the effect of waves over a year. The model included seawater functioning as a natural cooling system as well as wind speed and relative humidity and the researchers observed big swings in ambient air temperatures during the year that was simulated contrasted with gradual changes in water temperature. "[The] minimum air temperature at [the] land-based PV installation is ?1.1 degrees Celsius, which is roughly 4 degrees Celsius higher than the minimum temperature at the floating PV location," stated the Utrecht team. "Similarly, the maximum air temperature is higher at the land-based PV location. The minimum and maximum sea surface temperature are 1.8 degrees Celsius and 16.7 degrees Celsius, respectively." Temperatures The temperature at sea was much lower at the floating installation due to higher relative humidity and wind speeds, the researchers observed. Sea surface temperature, the scientists noted, was close to the PV system equilibrium level. Both simulated projects comprised 12 solar panels for generation capacities of 3.72 kW. The floating project modeled was placed on a steel pontoon fixed by four wire ropes to four buoys. "The wire ropes limit the degree of freedom for the pontoon, in this way dealing with impact from sea waves," said the Utrecht group. For the floating system model, the estimate of the total amount of solar irradiation to hit panels with a defined tilt angle – the global tilted irradiance (GTI) figure – was based on a tilt angle affected by sea waves. Both simulated installations were based on use of a SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 solar charge controller manufactured by Victron Energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/offshore-vs-land-based-solar/
     
         
      Green energy firms on track to deliver multibillion-pound windfarms Wed, 13th May 2020 16:37:00
     
      Britain's biggest green energy companies are on track to deliver multibillion-pound windfarm investments across the north-east of England and Scotland to help power a cleaner economic recovery. Scottish Power plans to "repower" Scotland’s oldest commercial windfarm as part of a £150m scheme to develop a clean energy cluster in central Scotland capable of supplying 100,000 homes with green electricity. Green energy could drive Covid-19 recovery with $100tn boost Read more The windfarm cluster is expected to create 600 jobs at its peak, and 280 long-term jobs, to help the UK emerge from the worst economic downturn in 300 years while taking steps to meet its climate goals. Separately SSE and Equinor have revealed plans to use the Port of Tyne to host the operations base for the world's largest offshore wind development, which will create 200 permanent jobs and support a local supply chain industry based on clean energy. Alok Sharma, the secretary of state for business, said projects like the Dogger Bank offshore windfarm will be "a key part of ensuring a green and resilient economic recovery as well as reaching our target of net-zero emissions by 2050". "Renewable energy is one of the UK’s great success stories, providing over a third of our electricity and thousands of jobs," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/13/green-energy-firms-on-track-to-deliver-multi-billion-pound-wind-farms
     
         
      The World's First 3D Printed Nuclear Reactor Wed, 13th May 2020 16:32:00
     
      3D printing has been getting a lot of hype as an innovative way of manufacturing everything from keychains, aircraft engine parts, and ventilators. Now, 3D printing is creating a nuclear reactor core in a development that could change nuclear energy technology forever. Researchers in the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are 3D printing the nuclear reactor core, with plans to have the first one up and running by 2023. "The nuclear industry is still constrained in thinking about the way we design, build and deploy nuclear energy technology," the director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory said in a news release. "DOE launched this program to seek a new approach to rapidly and economically develop transformational energy solutions that deliver reliable, clean energy." The anti-nuclear lobby would argue that nuclear reactors are neither reliable nor clean. Indeed, nuclear power has got a lot of bad rap, and most of it is deserved. However, the historical body of evidence against it is arguably as strong as the evidence for nuclear energy. In terms of emissions, it is a much cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. It is more costly than renewables, but it lacks the intermittency problem of renewable installations. In short, there are as many arguments for nuclear as there re against it. Amid the push/pull surrounding nuclear technology, one fact remains: we need nuclear energy. The International Energy Agency last year issued a dire warning: the retirement of old nuclear power plants in the coming years could compromise the international effort to arrest the rise in global temperatures and result in an increase in carbon emissions instead. That's despite the growth in solar and wind capacity additions, making the warning all the more dramatic. "Without policy changes, advanced economies could lose 25% of their nuclear capacity by 2025 and as much as two-thirds of it by 2040," the IEA said in May 2019. This loss of nuclear power capacity comes at a time when coal capacity is also being reduced fast because of emission concerns while wind and solar additions are stalling. Now, they are likely to stall further over the short term because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy. If the share of nuclear power generation capacity drops as much as the IEA estimated based on the situation in 2019, before the pandemic, the planet could suffer as much as 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide in additional emissions. Estimates now will be different because of the drop in energy demand resulting from the pandemic. Still, there are already warnings governments should make an effort to prevent a return to pre-pandemic emissions by enabling a "green recovery."
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/The-Worlds-First-3D-Printed-Nuclear-Reactor.html
     
         
      Oil Crash Puts Texas Solar Boom At Risk Wed, 13th May 2020 16:26:00
     
      The oil price crash struck right in the heart of the U.S. oil industry, Texas, where firms are curtailing production to ride out the lowest oil prices in years. If we were in normal times, the new oil crisis would have been just another bust in the boom-and-bust oil price cycle. But these are not normal circumstances, not by a long shot. The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions have upended the plans and prospects for every industry and service sector in the top oil-producing U.S. state. And renewables are no exception. Solar developers have canceled 2.5 gigawatts (GW) worth of projects across Texas since the oil price crash in early March, according to Bloomberg's estimates. The thriving solar industry in the state has hit a snag in recent months. The Oil Bust Three months ago, the prospects for the Texas oil industry were still bright, even though analysts had started to forecast slowing production growth going forward. The Texas economy was okay, and its economic growth and expanding oil activity warranted the construction of more power plants to meet growing electricity demand. Solar power in a state endowed with so much land and sunshine was a perfect option. Even oil companies started to sign deals to power their drilling operations with electricity from solar and wind sources. Then came the oil price crash as oil demand collapsed in the pandemic. Suddenly, the shale patch slashed spending and operations in response to the price rout. Layoffs began. This would have been just another oil-bust cycle had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic that brought the U.S. and Texas economies to their knees, threatening the financing and demand for solar power projects. The Black Swan and the Economic Fallout in Texas Stay-at-home orders and the temporary shutdown of restaurants, entertainment and art venues, and retailers crashed economic activity in Texas and dampened consumer and business confidence as nearly 2 million Texans applied for unemployment benefits in March and April alone. "Activity in the service sector has been more severely affected than in manufacturing, precipitating downward pressures on wages and prices. The state's oil and gas sector has been decimated," Laila Assanie and Chloe Smith with the Dallas Fed wrote in a report last week.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Solar-Energy/Oil-Crash-Puts-Texas-Solar-Boom-At-Risk.html
     
         
      REC Group mulls French module gigafactory Wed, 13th May 2020 16:25:00
     
      The Norwegian solar manufacturer is considering a 2 GW heterojunction solar module factory in Sarreguemines, in the northeast of the country. Norwegian solar manufacturer REC Group has told pv magazine it is considering establishing a 2 GW heterojunction module factory in France. "After the successful launch of the revolutionary REC Alpha solar panel at Intersolar Europe in May 2019, the REC Group announced in August 2019 that the pioneering international solar company intends to increase its production capacity by 600 MW, in heterojunction technology for Alpha, with several gigawatts [of production capacity], in cooperation with a potential strategic partner," an REC Group spokesperson told pv magazine France. The Norwegian manufacturer said it was considering partners and sites worldwide, including in Europe, since "Europe is traditionally an important market for REC." The manufacturer said a 2 GW plant in Sarreguemines, in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, was among the options on the table.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/rec-group-mulls-french-module-gigafactory/
     
         
      Mammoth Solar Power Plant Drives Another Nail Into US Coal Coffin: Guess Who’s Holding The Hammer Wed, 13th May 2020 16:22:00
     
      Every day is opposite day with the Trump administration, and so it is with energy policy. The Leader of the Free World sailed into office promising to save the US fossil fuel industry in general and coal jobs in particular, only to drop coal like a hot potato in favor of oil and gas. Now it looks like the whole kit and caboodle is going under the bus as the nation’s renewable energy sector cranks up. In the latest development, the Trump administration has just green-lighted the biggest solar power plant in US history. The 690-megawatt behemoth, dubbed Gemini, is also expected to make it into the top 10 biggest PV arrays worldwide. US To Get Its Biggest Solar Power Plant Ever Before we get into the biggest solar power plant ever built in the US, let's pause and consider the location. The Gemini Solar Project will take up 11 square miles in the Mojave desert about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The parcel is located on federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management under the US Department of the Interior. Leasing out federal land (and water) for energy development is a cornerstone of US energy policy, and in that regard there is nothing unusual about peppering public land with thousands of solar panels. Still, conservation advocates have raised serious concerns about impacts on local habitat and wildlife. The US Army Corps of Engineers also took note of potential impacts in a public notice last year. Another red flag is the efforts of the Trump* administration to limit environmental reviews. The conservationists raise a good point: there are plenty of opportunities to build smaller-scale solar arrays where something else is already built including rooftop solar systems and solar canopies for parking lots, landfills and other brownfields, and constructed ponds (for floating solar arrays). Be that as it may, this particular project is moving forward, at least for now. As described in a DOI press release, the Record of Decision approving the new PV plant specifies a "hybrid alternative" that will reduce habitat impacts. If you want to know more about that, so do we. CleanTechnica is reaching out to the developer, Solar Partners XI, LLC (or whoever), to see what distinguishes the Gemini array from conventional ground-mounted solar panels.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/12/mammoth-solar-power-plant-drives-another-nail-into-us-coal-coffin-guess-whos-holding-the-hammer/
     
         
      Iberdrola Buys 900MW Wind Portfolio as Coronavirus Investment Drive Ramps Up Wed, 13th May 2020 13:48:00
     
      Iberdrola closed on two deals in the space of a week for wind projects in France and the U.K., including nearly 300 megawatts of operating capacity. The Spanish utility has promised to accelerate its investment plans in 2020, bringing forward procurement commitments and hiring 5,000 additional staff as part of its own coronavirus stimulus plan. That plan appears well underway. At the end of last week, Iberdrola closed on an acquisition of French developer Aalto Power for €100 million ($109 million). In the process, it gained 118 megawatts of operational onshore wind and a 636-megawatt pipeline in France. On Wednesday Iberdrola subsidiary ScottishPower announced the acquisition of 165 megawatts courtesy of two onshore projects in Scotland for €195 million. The deal includes a 100-megawatt greenfield site and a repowering project of Hagshaw Hill, the first commercial-scale wind farm in Scotland, which opened in 1996. Those two projects will join a third under Iberdrola's control to create a 220-megawatt energy cluster south of Scotland's largest city, Glasgow. Planning documents for the repowering of Hagshaw Hill include an increase in capacity from 42 to 65 megawatts and the addition of a 20-megawatt battery system. It will be the company's third repowering project in the U.K. "As we begin to emerge from the coronavirus crisis, investment in green infrastructure can quickly be delivered, creating jobs and offering immediate economic and environmental benefits. This will help to support the U.K.'s overall recovery at this critical time," Ignacio Galán, Iberdrola CEO and ScottishPower chairman, said in a statement. "Globally it is essential that the financial recovery is aligned with climate goals. As today's announcement demonstrates, companies like ours remain committed to major clean energy investments, fostering quality employment and driving the energy transition forward," Galán said. Iberdrola investing its way out of a crisis At its annual general meeting in early April, Galán said Iberdrola would look to "turbocharge" the Spanish economy and increase its global investments to €10 billion in 2020, compared to €8.15 billion in 2019. In its home market, Iberdrola is building Europe's largest solar plants with a view to its Spanish PV portfolio reaching 3 gigawatts by 2022. The Núñez de Balboa project, 500 megawatts in total, was completed in January this year. Iberdrola's Spanish wind and solar pipeline now stands at more than 4 gigawatts, with hard-to-come-by grid access secured for more beyond that. The company is also ramping up its offshore wind ambitions. It has a 12-gigawatt pipeline internationally, 60 percent of which is in the U.S. via its controlling stake in Avangrid. In March, Iberdrola doubled down on its foray into the nascent French offshore wind sector, buying the remaining 30 percent stake in the 496-megawatt Saint-Brieuc project. Work is also underway on Iberdrola's first floating offshore wind pilots in Norwegian and Spanish waters.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/iberdrola-bags-more-than-900mw-of-wind-in-europe
     
         
      Poland: PGNiG Launches New Hydrogen Program Wed, 13th May 2020 13:18:00
     
      Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) has started work on projects looking to use hydrogen for power generation and automotive applications.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/poland-pgnig-launches-new-hydrogen-program/
     
         
      PV module recyclers aiming for high-purity material recovery Wed, 13th May 2020 13:01:00
     
      France's National Institute for Solar Energy takes a look at the state of play in the European solar panel recycling industry. Solar energy has experienced massive growth in the last decade and the pattern is expected to continue and possibly reach a global generation capacity of 4-5 TW in 2050. Impressive growth in installed capacity naturally raises the question of the future of PV panels after their use, and of their recycling. What is the future of the photovoltaic industry? What problems have been identified and what initiatives are being taken to solve them? Various models have been proposed and calculations made regarding useful panel life and the replacement of modules before the end of their planned lifecycles. The models indicate the world stock of end-of-life PV modules awaiting processing could reach 1.7-8 million tons in 2030 and 60-78 million tons in 2050. On a European scale, the quantity is estimated at 10 million tons. The European Union has been a pioneer in module recycling since applying regulations through its directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment, which includes PV panels (Weee directive 2002/19/EC). The legislation requires 85% panel collection and 80% recycling of PV module materials. In France, the collection and processing of used panels has been entrusted by the public authorities to the PV Cycle organization. The aluminum frame and front glass represent 80% of the weight of a PV panel. On the other hand, 80% of a panel’s value is bound up in the materials used for the manufacturing of solar cells, in particular silicon, copper and silver. That paves the way for the development of technological solutions offering recovery of the highest-value materials at the highest possible purity. Disassembling a panel, by removing its aluminum frame and junction box, is easy. The difficulty lies in delamination of the 'sandwich' of material which makes up the main body and from which precious materials can be recovered. The main obstacle to delamination is posed by degradation of the encapsulating polymer, generally ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA).
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/13/pv-module-recyclers-aiming-for-high-purity-material-recovery/
     
         
      EGEB: The largest solar farm in the US has been approved Wed, 13th May 2020 12:35:00
     
      The US' largest solar farm is a go The Gemini project, a $1 billion solar farm 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been approved by the Interior Department (it will be on federal land). As Electrek reported on January 2, the farm will be 7,100 acres in size and provide 690 megawatts. It will also feature energy storage of at least 380 megawatts of four-hour lithium-ion batteries. It will be the largest solar farm in the US and the eighth largest solar farm in the world. Gemini will be completed as soon as 2022 and provide enough energy to power all 225,000 of the homes in Las Vegas, and then some. Nevada utility NV Energy, a subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, is providing financial backing for the project. It's expected that it will create 1,600 to 1,800 temporary construction positions, and provide 19 permanent jobs. Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said: The solar industry is resilient and a project like this one will bring jobs and private investment to the state when we need it most. In 2019, Governor Steve Sisolak (D-NV) signed a bill that requires Nevada utilities to get half of their electricity from green energy sources by 2030, and set a goal of 100% net zero by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/05/13/egeb-gemini-largest-solar-farm-in-the-us-has-been-approved/
     
         
      How a melting glacier could redefine a border Tue, 12th May 2020 17:32:00
     
      Surrounded by towering giants, the Haig glacier is a sight that can take your breath away. But it's melting, and that will not only alter the landscape but potentially the Alberta-B.C. border.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmU8csSIWyo
     
         
      The Secret Behind China’s Battery Dominance Tue, 12th May 2020 17:31:00
     
      The back story on how China came to dominate the lithium-ion battery to electric vehicle (EV) supply chain by building capacity in metal refining, battery-grade chemicals production and cathode and anode making is being told via new data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The data demonstrate China's share of global total production in 2019 for each stage of the battery supply chain. The chart combines Upstream: key battery raw materials of lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese and where they are extracted through traditional mining or brine operations, based on location and does not include the origin country of the operator. Midstream refers to refining or battery-grade chemical production from these raw materials, cathode and anode production from these chemicals while Downstream breaks down lithium-ion battery cell production. The research firm says while there is a misconception that China is a major producer of battery metals, only 23% of global supply of all battery raw materials is coming from China. But its dominance in chemical production of battery-grade raw materials stands at 80% of total global production as China has invested significantly in its lithium carbonate and hydroxide, cobalt sulphate, manganese and uncoated spherical graphite refining. Capacity ownership of this crucial chemical conversion refining step ensures the global raw material flows point towards China for value-added production, Benchmark says. Meanwhile, the core building blocks of the lithium-ion battery – cathodes and anodes – are similarly dominant at a combined 66% of global production in 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Secret-Behind-Chinas-Battery-Dominance.html
     
         
      Harvesting atmospheric water to cool down PV panels Tue, 12th May 2020 16:55:00
     
      Scientists from Saudi Arabia have proposed a new PV panel cooling technique which employs an atmospheric water harvester. The device uses waste heat from the PV panel to collect atmospheric water at night and then releases it during the day to cool down the module. The researchers claim the device may also be improved to produce liquid water, which could be used for the cleaning of the modules. Scientists from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a cooling solution for photovoltaic panels that uses a sorption-based atmospheric water harvester (AWH). The device, which can be placed on the back of commercials PV panels, collects atmospheric water during the evening and at night. The collected water is then vaporized and released during the day using waste heat from the PV panel as energy source. The evaporation of the water in turn takes away a significant portion of heat from the panel itself and lower its temperature.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/12/harvesting-atmospheric-water-to-cool-down-pv-panels/
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Lower wafer prices, new modules, and a factory under construction Tue, 12th May 2020 16:45:00
     
      Longi has announced more cuts to wafer prices, while cell manufacturer Tongwei has started building the first phase of its 30 GW Jintang PV manufacturing base. Risen Energy has also released solid financials, while JA Solar has unveiled plans to start selling its 500 W-plus solar modules. Longi announced additional reductions in wafer prices last week. The Chinese monocrystalline solar module manufacturer said on Friday that prices for monocrystalline wafers were lowered by RMB0.15 (US$0.02) for both the M6 and G1 sizes. M6 wafers are 166 mm long and have a maximum diagonal length of 223 mm — with cut corners. G1 wafers are 158.75 mm long, with a maximum diagonal length of 158 mm. The latest 175 mm, p-type M6 mono wafers are RMB2.77 per piece and RMB2.68 for the p-type G1 size, with the same thickness. This is the third time the manufacturer has cut wafer prices over the last 30 days. Since early April, prices of mono wafers have fallen by RMB0.49 per piece, for both the M6 and G1 size. Tongwei started building the first phase of its Jintang PV manufacturing base. The solar cell manufacturer and its local partners obtained permission to reopen the site following the Chinese government’s decision to ease the country’s Covid-19 lockdown measures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/12/chinese-pv-industry-brief-lower-wafer-prices-new-modules-and-a-factory-under-construction/
     
         
      Latest Estimates on Sea Level Rise by 2100 Are Worse Than We Thought Tue, 12th May 2020 16:31:00
     
      Oceans are likely to rise as much as 1.3 metres by 2100 if Earth's surface warms another 3.5 degrees Celsius, scientists warned Friday. By 2300, when ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland will have shed trillions of tonnes in mass, sea levels could go up by more than five metres under that temperature scenario, redrawing the planet's coastlines, they reported in a peer-reviewed survey of more than 100 leading experts. About ten percent of the world's population, or 770 million people, today live on land less than five metres above the high tide line. Even if the Paris climate treaty goal of capping global warming below 2 °C is met - a very big "if" - the ocean watermark could go up two metres by 2300, according to a study in the journal Climate Atmospheric Science. Earth's average surface temperature has risen just over 1 °C since the pre-industrial era, a widely used benchmark for measuring global warming. "It is clear now that previous sea-level rise estimates have been too low," co-author Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth system analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), told AFP.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/oceans-are-on-their-way-to-rising-over-a-meter-as-soon-as-2100
     
         
      Climate change: Study pours cold water on oil company net zero claims Tue, 12th May 2020 16:28:00
     
      Claims by oil and gas companies that they are curbing their carbon emissions in line with net zero targets are overstated, according to a new review. The independent analysis of six large European corporations acknowledges they have taken big steps on CO2 recently. In April, Shell became the latest to announce ambitious plans to be at net zero for operational emissions by 2050. But the authors say none of the companies are yet aligned with the 1.5C temperature goal. Scientists argue that the global temperature must not rise by more than 1.5C by the end of the century if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The research has been carried out by the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), an investor-led group which investigates how companies are preparing for the move to a low-carbon economy. Going?net zero?means removing as many emissions as are produced. TPI found that the relationship between the oil and gas industry and climate change has evolved rapidly over the last three years. In Europe, in 2017, no European company had set targets to reduce the carbon intensity of the energy it supplied.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52624695
     
         
      Lithium-ion storage is here to stay with no ‘post Li-ion’ era in sight Mon, 11th May 2020 16:48:00
     
      A German-Israeli research group has gathered to discuss which storage technologies may outperform lithium-ion batteries in the future. They concluded that there is no such a thing as a "post Li?ion" era in sight. They recommended a "side?by?side" approach for multiple technologies in different applications, as well as the hybridization of technologies. Researchers from Germany's Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology recently convened for a three-day discussion on the future of energy storage with a basic assumption: "The quest for post Li?ion and lithium battery technologies is incorrect in its essence." The groups discussed the kind of storage technologies that might be considered solid alternatives to Li?ion storage, and their conclusion was unequivocal: There is no end in sight for the "post Li?ion" era. "After extensive deliberations, the group concluded that the current vibed about the need of future technologies after the lithium era and, thus, the quest for which new technologies can replace lithium?based battery technology, are somewhat inappropriate and misleading (partially incorrect), respectively," the researchers tried to say. Instead, they have recommended a "side?by?side" approach for all storage technologies. They also identified the technologies that they see as more promising for the future.
       
      Full Article: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/05/11/lithium-ion-storage-is-here-to-stay-with-no-post-li-ion-era-in-sight/
     
         
      Hydrogen Fuel Cells Are Losing The Battery Electric Car Race, But It’s Only Lap 1 Mon, 11th May 2020 16:35:00
     
      Battery-electric cars have won the short-term race for green ascendancy, but the case for hydrogen fuel cells refuses to go away, even though its start date is receding into the distance, according to a report. Meanwhile, defying conventional wisdom and the protestations of politicians and environmentalists, the hated internal combustion engine (ICE) is still going to be an important contender on global roads, even by mid-century. The report, "There's still hope for the fuel cell", from consultancy LMC Automotive, concedes short-term victory for battery electric vehicles (BEV) but points out some big built-in negatives that might undermine its long-term dominance. LMC Automotive said range might be getting close to ICE cars, but long refuelling times represent a big negative to potential purchases of BEVs. Battery production sustainability is another hurdle that looks like lingering. For fuel cells, the magic bullet could well be the ability to use excess renewable energy from wind farms, solar, and hydro to produce hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2020/05/11/hydrogen-fuel-cells-are-losing-the-battery-electric-car-race-but-its-only-lap-1/
     
         
      Solar canopies can put PV panels in some new and interesting places Mon, 11th May 2020 16:34:00
     
      A major advantage of this design is the ability to string cables over a longer distance without the support needed in traditional racking approaches. With the cost of solar panels falling through the floor (2020 solar module pricing is now below $0.25/watt) and projected to continue falling steadily, where are we going to put all those beautiful panels? Rooftops are a great place. Open land can be good in some areas, but not when it competes with natural habitat or agriculture. What about parking lots, canals, train lines, highways, and other areas already being used for some other activity? That seems like a great idea to a lot of people and a number of companies are working on this growing area for solar deployment. I'll focus on just one company in this piece, P4P Energy, a small company founded by Stephen Conger and based in Boulder, Colorado. P4P has designed and installed a number of solar canopies in India over canals, one of the more promising use cases for this new technology. Their technology relies on an innovative design that significantly reduces the amount of racking required to support the panels. Basically, the designs rely on cables to support the panels, rather than fixed racking. And that reduces the costs substantially. A major advantage of this design is the ability to string cables over a longer distance without the support needed in traditional racking approaches. They're also kind of pretty because of the natural catenary curve the cabling system provides.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/11/solar-canopies-can-put-pv-panels-in-some-new-and-interesting-places/
     
         
      Why Young Professionals Are Steering Clear Of Oil & Gas Mon, 11th May 2020 16:31:00
     
      A career in oil used to be an attractive option for college students and high school grads alike. Oil and gas was one of the few industries where one could make six figures a year without a college diploma. And those with a diploma? They made high six figures with all sorts of perks and benefits. Those days are gone. During the last oil crisis, between 2014 and 2016, a few hundred thousand jobs were lost in the industry globally as oil companies were forced to shrink their exploration and production activities. Now we are seeing a repeat of that same scenario: frac crews in the U.S. shale patch are being dismissed because companies are suspending all new drilling and shutting in operating wells. Industry majors are revoking internship proposals. Oil and gas is once again viewed as a poor career choice. Notably, this dramatic change is taking place just months after a new trend emerged in oil and gas hiring: the digital shift, one might call it. Focused on a digital transformation aimed to streamline and improve their operations while maintaining cost control, oil and gas companies began hiring more information technology professionals. It was time to go digital, and oil was going digital all the way. But there was a second reason for this change in hiring trends: many market researchers were warning the oil industry was facing a talent crisis as fewer young people picked engineering majors at university. That, in turn, was a result of both the 2014-2016 crisis and the bad rap the industry has drawn over the past few years concerning its carbon footprint and climate change contribution.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-Young-Professionals-Are-Steering-Clear-Of-Oil-Gas.html
     
         
      CERC Issues Guidelines for Inter-State Transmission Charges for Solar and Wind Projects Mon, 11th May 2020 16:27:00
     
      The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has issued new guidelines for inter-state transmission charges and losses. The guidelines shed light on the responsibilities of the nodal agencies and the calculation of inter-state transmission charges and losses for solar and wind projects. These regulations will apply to all designated ISTS customers (DICs), interstate transmission licensees, national regional, and state load dispatch centers, along with regional power committees (RPCs). The ISTS customers include the generating stations, state transmission utilities (STU), distribution licensees, including state electricity boards, electricity departments, and any other entity directly connected to the ISTS. As per the regulations, the yearly transmission charges will be shared monthly by the DICs per these regulations. The sharing and transmission charges will be based on the commercial information provided by the customers to the implementing agency.
       
      Full Article: https://mercomindia.com/cerc-guidelines-transmission-solar-wind/
     
         
      Trump dismantles environmental protections under cover of coronavirus Mon, 11th May 2020 14:24:00
     
      The Trump administration is diligently weakening US environment protections even amid a global pandemic, continuing its rollback as the November election approaches. During the Covid-19 lockdown, US federal agencies have eased fuel-efficiency standards for new cars; frozen rules for soot air pollution; proposed to drop review requirements for liquefied natural gas terminals; continued to lease public property to oil and gas companies; sought to speed up permitting for offshore fish farms; and advanced a proposal on mercury pollution from power plants that could make it easier for the government to conclude regulations are too costly to justify their benefits. The government has also relaxed reporting rules for polluters during the pandemic. Trump's ambitions reach even to the moon, which he has announced he wants the US to mine. Gina McCarthy, formerly Barack Obama's environment chief, now runs the Natural Resources Defense Council. She said the Trump administration was acting to cut public health protections while the American public is distracted by a public health crisis. "People right now are hunkered down trying to put food on the table, take care of people who are sick, worry about educating their children at home," McCarthy said. "How many people are going to really be able to sit down and scrutinize these things in any way?" McCarthy said the government was "literally not interested in the law or science", and that "is going to become strikingly clear as people look at how the administration is handling Covid-19". The Trump administration is playing both offense and defense, rescinding and rewriting some rules and crafting others that would be time-consuming for a Democratic president to reverse. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has written what critics say will be a weak proposal for climate pollution from airplanes, a placeholder that will hinder stricter regulation. Trump officials have been attempting to create a coronavirus relief program for oil and gas corporations, a new move in his campaign to back the industry and stymie global climate action. The president has sown distrust of climate science and vowed to exit the Paris climate agreement, which the US can do after the election. Historians say Trump's presidency has forced a pendulum swing back from the environmental awakening of the 1960s and 70s, when there was bipartisan support for conservation. Protecting the environment – and particularly the climate – is an issue that has become embroiled in political ideology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/10/trump-environmental-blitzkrieg-coronavirus
     
         
      Lightsource BP Explores Green Hydrogen Site Powered by 1.5GW of Australian Renewables Mon, 11th May 2020 14:01:00
     
      BP and its solar joint venture Lightsource BP are exploring a potential green hydrogen plant in Australia powered by 1.5 gigawatts of wind and solar. The oil major announced on Friday that a feasibility study was underway for a huge green hydrogen operation. The green hydrogen would be converted into "green ammonia" and exported internationally. A pilot phase would produce 20 kilotons annually (ktpa), with the full-scale commercial operation producing 1,000 ktpa of green ammonia. BP estimates the commercial venture would require 1.5 gigawatts of power. BP says it will invest AUD $2.7 million (USD $1.75 million) into the study, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency chipping in another AUD $1.7 million. Ammonia is cheaper to store than hydrogen, and given its widespread use in fertilizers, it already has a large supply chain in place. "We believe that green hydrogen will play an increasingly important role, not only as a new...clean energy vector but also in enabling the further growth of renewable power," Dev Sanyal, executive VP of BP's gas and low-carbon energy business, said in a statement. "This aligns with BP's ambition to support the world’s decarbonization agenda." In February BP announced a target of net-zero by 2050 and said it would release more details in September. CEO Bernard Looney has repeatedly stressed the company's intention to stick to that agenda in the face of a price collapse and the coronavirus pandemic's impact on demand for energy. Co-location's green hydrogen boost Australia was chosen as the home for the trial by accident. In addition to its excellent solar irradiation resources, Western Australia also has good wind speeds. In an interview earlier this year, Chris Buckland, technical director at Lightsource BP, told GTM that having both wind and solar creates an interesting opportunity for green hydrogen/ammonia. While solar offers a predictable resource during the day, capacity factors are still only around 22 percent. "Co-location of solar and wind would enable a capacity factor of over 70 percent. The remaining 30 percent could either be self-generated [from other sources] or use low-carbon electricity from the grid," he said. Co-location has never gained much traction, although some developers in mature renewables markets are taking another look at the economics. Green hydrogen clusters are beginning to bubble up around North Sea ports, with activity in the Netherlands, Germany and the U.K. Power can be drawn from offshore wind, which has a capacity factor in excess of 50 percent. By comparison, solar capacity factors in that part of the world are just shy of 15 percent. Shell and Ørsted both included green hydrogen in their bids for the latest Dutch offshore wind tender. At the scale being talked about in Australia, Buckland expects the generation to be connected directly to the offtaker, alongside a grid connection to fill in any remaining gaps in generation from the wind and solar. The plan is not without its problems, however. Buckland points out the ongoing challenge around electrolyzers. Manufacturing capacity remains relatively nascent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/lightsource-bp-exploring-1.5gw-of-power-for-green-hydrogen-site
     
         
      Even If Climate Change Wasn't Happening, Phasing Out Coal Is A 'No-Regret' Solution Sun, 10th May 2020 18:10:00
     
      The benefits of phasing out coal far outweigh the real-world costs, scientists say, and that's the case even when climate change is left out of the equation entirely. Of all the fossil fuels in the world, coal is the biggest source of carbon dioxide, and its impacts on air pollution and public health are profound. Since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, large-scale coal burning has cost lives, yet we've been struggling to kick it. Our global reliance on coal runs deep, so deep that even though we know it's bad for us, we continue to burn it at unprecedented levels. Now, new computer simulations on the regional effects of phasing out coal suggest that continuing on this trajectory is a big mistake, with negative impacts not only on the environment and human health, but also the economy. "We're well into the 21st century now and still heavily rely on burning coal, making it one of the biggest threats to our climate, our health and the environment," says Sebastian Rauner who researches climate impacts at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). "That's why we decided to comprehensively test the case for a global coal exit: Does it add up, economically speaking? The short answer is: Yes, by far." The simulation the team has created incorporates information on the full extent of a 'coal exit' scenario, accounting for air pollution as well as the impact on the energy sector as a whole.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/phasing-out-coal-is-a-no-regret-strategy-for-most-places-in-the-world
     
         
      The Major Problem With Shutting Down Oil Wells Sun, 10th May 2020 17:51:00
     
      Oil well shut-ins are the new black. Everyone, especially in the U.S. shale patch, seems to be shutting in wells in response to what is shaping up to be the Great Glut of 2020. Now, many are asking how all these wells will be restarted once prices improve. The answer? Nobody knows. Shutting in oil wells is markedly different from flipping a switch. It is a job that has to be done with extreme care based on the characteristics of the formation into which the well is drilled, its rate of production, and the specificities of the oil that flows from it. But even with careful planning, there is a risk of permanent damage if the well remains shut-in for more than a couple of weeks. Here are some of the problems shutting-in could cause in oil wells.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Major-Problem-With-Shutting-Down-Oil-Wells.html
     
         
      Finland aims to boost wind power by leasing more state land for construction Sun, 10th May 2020 14:27:00
     
      The Marin cabinet has a new policy for state lands, in line with its climate target of a carbon-neutral Finland by 2035. Prime Minister Sanna Marin's government aims to expand wind power production by offering more state lands for construction. They are overseen by Metsähallitus, a state-owned company that administers more than 12 million hectares of state land and water areas. Juha Niemelä, Director General of Metsähallitus, says fostering more wind power is part of the company's climate strategy. In the next few years Metsähallitus will make enough land available to build wind farm capacity equivalent to a medium-sized nuclear power plant, he says. However ownership of the land will remain in state hands. "About 80 new turbines will be under construction within the next few years," says Niemelä, who took over as director in January. By the end of this year, there will be about 100 wind turbines on state-owned property. The government parties agreed recently on new ownership guidelines for Metsähallitus in line with the cabinet's climate target of a carbon-neutral Finland by 2035.
       
      Full Article: https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_aims_to_boost_wind_power_by_leasing_more_state_land_for_construction/11344455
     
         
      World's largest solar farm could cause explosion on scale of small nuclear bomb, residents complain Sun, 10th May 2020 14:19:00
     
      Developers want to erect up to one million solar panels the height of a double-decker bus on farmland in a picturesque Kent village. Building the world's largest solar farm in a picturesque Kent village could cause an explosion on the scale of a small nuclear bomb, residents have complained. Developers want to erect up to one million solar panels the height of a double-decker bus on 900 acres of farmland, the equivalent of 600 football pitches, at Cleve Hill near Faversham at a cost of £450m. They would have the capacity to power more than 90,000 homes using energy from what would be the biggest battery storage facility in the world - and three times bigger than the lithium-ion battery built by Elon Musk, the Tesla tycoon, in South Australia. But thousands of campaigners say the battery facility, which would cover 25 acres, is unsafe and their idyllic village would be decimated if there was a battery fire which could not be controlled...
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/10/worlds-largest-solar-farm-could-cause-explosion-scale-small/
     
         
      Qatar Uses Market Mayhem To Secure Top Spot In Global LNG Market Sun, 10th May 2020 14:12:00
     
      Despite – or perhaps because of - the global overhang in liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, a weak demand profile, and ongoing uncertainty in the hydrocarbons market overall, Qatar believes that the long experience and supportive infrastructure that it has accrued in the sector since first becoming an LNG exporter in 1997 will allow it to regain its former position as the world’s number one LNG exporter. To this effect, it has announced big and bold plans for its flagship supergiant non-associated gas reservoir, the North Dome, together with corollary deals to secure massive new LNG capacity in its chief target export market, China. After many years as the world’s top LNG exporter, Qatar had reportedly narrowly lost the spot in January to relative newcomer Australia, which shipped an estimated 77.514 million tonnes of LNG on an annualised basis from the country’s 10 LNG projects during 2019. Although there were various figures bandied around, the figure from Australia nonetheless marked an 11.4 percent increase on the 2018 number, driven mainly by production increases at the giant Darwin-based Ichthys LNG Project, and came as a sobering reminder to Qatar that its global competition in the LNG sector had moved up a gear.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Qatar-Uses-Market-Mayhem-To-Secure-Top-Spot-In-Global-LNG-Market.html
     
         
      Even If Climate Change Wasn't Happening, Phasing Out Coal Is A 'No-Regret' Solution Sun, 10th May 2020 13:46:00
     
      The benefits of phasing out coal far outweigh the real-world costs, scientists say, and that's the case even when climate change is left out of the equation entirely. Of all the fossil fuels in the world, coal is the biggest source of carbon dioxide, and its impacts on air pollution and public health are profound. Since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, large-scale coal burning has cost lives, yet we've been struggling to kick it. Our global reliance on coal runs deep, so deep that even though we know it's bad for us, we continue to burn it at unprecedented levels. Now, new computer simulations on the regional effects of phasing out coal suggest that continuing on this trajectory is a big mistake, with negative impacts not only on the environment and human health, but also the economy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/phasing-out-coal-is-a-no-regret-strategy-for-most-places-in-the-world
     
         
      Rotterdam Boosts Hydrogen Economy with New Infrastructure Sun, 10th May 2020 13:33:00
     
      The hydrogen economy is quickly gathering momentum after Shell announced its plans to take a green hydrogen plant into operation as early as 2023.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/rotterdam-boosts-hydrogen-economy-with-new-infrastructure/
     
         
      New Solution For Cooling Solar Panels Sat, 9th May 2020 18:05:00
     
      A new technique for cooling solar panels has been under development in Egypt. A mixture of water, aluminum oxide, and calcium chloride hexahydrate cools the PV modules from underneath. This research, conducted in Cairo, builds on earlier research this spring that France's Sunbooster was exploring. The technology found success and was able to cool down solar modules when their ambient temperature exceeded 25°C. Pipes spread a thin film of water onto the glass surface of the panels. The solution was implemented in rooftop solar PV systems and ground-mounted solar power plants. The technology enables an annual increase in power generation of between 8% and 12%. Regarding the innovation in Egypt, researchers at Benha University applied various mixtures of their passive coolants to a 50 W polycrystalline PV panel. A cooling unit, DC pump, valves, water flow meter and connecting pipes provided a system with aluminum channels underneath the panels for the water and the Al2O3/PCM mixture. The panels were south adjusted and oriented 30 degrees from horizontal. How It Works The PCM mixture was heated to melting point to form a liquid and Al2O3 nanoparticles were added to it in the aluminum channels. "The dispersion of particles in the PCM liquid is done using an agitator bath with four different mass concentrations," the group stated. "Applying the cooling system, whether using water and/or [the] Al2O3/PCM mixture provides a noticeable drop in cell temperature compared with the uncooled [panel]," said the Egyptian team. The researchers said a mixture of water and the Al2O3/PCM liquid outperformed the use of water alone and the best performance recorded used 75% water and 25% Al2O3/PCM.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/09/recent-observations-research-for-cooling-solar-panels-tested-in-summer-in-cairo/
     
         
      3D Printing Has Entered The Nuclear Realm Sat, 9th May 2020 18:01:00
     
      3D printing has been making parts for nuclear plants for a few years now. In 2017, Siemens achieved the industry breakthrough with the first successful commercial installation and continuing safe operation of a 3D printed part in a nuclear power plant. Because of the stringent safety and reliability requirements in the nuclear sector, this was an amazing achievement because the components used by nuclear power plants must be robust, reliable, resistant to high temperatures and go through more regulatory and QA hoops than any other industry. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is an innovative technique that simplifies the manufacturing process by going directly from 3D models to actual parts. Additive manufacturing reduces cost, improves quality and design flexibility, and eliminates conventional manufacturing limitations. 3D design and printing offers quality and money-saving options, especially for manufacturing spare parts, as well as creating prototypes which usually require a huge cost to set up new manufacturing lines. Changes in 3D-printing are just a minor programming changes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2020/05/09/3d-printing-has-entered-the-nuclear-realm/
     
         
      Clever New Device Can Produce Hydrogen Fuel Using Water And Sunlight Sat, 9th May 2020 17:57:00
     
      Scientists are very keen to find effective ways of getting hydrogen from water, thus unlocking hydrogen's potential as a clean fuel. A newly developed device manages the feat, using only sunlight as a power source. Using catalytic electrodes and perovskite solar cells fused together in a single unit, the clever contraption can hit sunlight-to-hydrogen efficiency rates as high as 6.7 percent. It just drops into water, and away it goes (when the Sun is out). It might be a bit too early to start converting all our cars to take zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells, but the researchers behind the new invention say that it should be relatively easy to scale up the technology for wider use.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/new-device-splits-water-into-hydrogen-fuel-to-create-perpetual-energy-source
     
         
      Cleaner air is boosting solar power generation Sat, 9th May 2020 17:38:00
     
      There is one bright spot in the global lockdown — solar power generation is booming in sparkling clear skies free of large amounts of air pollution. With the drastic cut in road traffic, industry and aircraft the air is so much cleaner that it has helped to boost solar power generation and set records in the UK, Germany and Spain. On April 20 the UK's solar output record was broken when generation peaked at 9.68 gigawatts, according to the University of Sheffield.
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cleaner-air-is-boosting-solar-power-generation-cm3glmppj
     
         
      Debunking Attacks On Clean Energy Manufacturing Emissions Sat, 9th May 2020 17:28:00
     
      Opposition to clean energy technologies that attack viable solutions on the grounds of the environmental impacts associated with the processes that manufacture them lacks a historical understanding of energy transitions. These arguments often cry erroneous claims like highlighting the dirty electricity that sometimes powers electric vehicles, the manufacturing of steel tubes that support wind turbines, and the mining operations of lithium for batteries. These claims force all walks of environmentalists and climate deniers to question the impacts of upstream manufacturing processes when such processes are in fact necessary to transition to a clean energy ecosystem. History shows, however, that energy transitions are achievable only with the aid of the preceding energy ecosystem. The truth of the matter is currently that, yes, electricity for EVs will often have some mix of non-renewable electricity*, the creation of steel for wind turbines is an emissions-heavy process, and the mining of lithium strips the earth of valuable minerals and pollutes the air in the process. Whether the environmental pros of clean technologies currently outweigh the cons of their upstream manufacturing processes is not the discussion to be had (although, evidence significantly favors the pros). The real understanding that must be appreciated is that history shows one energy ecosystem must be leveraged in order to create another. Human and animal power was a major catalyst during the transition from a foodstuff-based energy ecosystem to one based on the steam engine and the water turbine. Humans (often women and children) and horses would dig coal 24 hours a day to produce the new world's fuel. Trees were cut and transported in mass throughout Europe by human and animal power to construct superior water turbines, roads, and factories. This continued for decades until new technologies enabled steam power to take over many of these processes.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/09/debunking-attacks-on-clean-energy-manufacturing-emissions/
     
         
      Government to urge us all to walk and cycle more Sat, 9th May 2020 16:56:00
     
      We need to protect the public transport network as lockdown is lifted, the UK's transport secretary is expected to say at a press conference on Saturday. The BBC understands Grant Shapps will encourage the public to continue to work from home if they can. Those who need to travel to work will be urged to consider more active ways to travel like walking and cycling. Extra funding is likely to be announced for English local authorities to help alter road networks to facilitate this. The intention is to take pressure off roads and public transport networks. This is a devolved issue and in Wales the assembly is suggesting a number of new policies including road and lane closures with filters for cyclists. Scotland announced funding for "active travel infrastructure" in April. No specific measures have been announced yet in Northern Ireland although the infrastructure minister is expected to appoint a cycling and walking champion. It is believed that Mr Shapps will talk about using the unique "opportunity" of the lockdown restrictions to change the way we get to work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52592421
     
         
      Government to urge us all to walk and cycle more Sat, 9th May 2020 16:37:00
     
      We need to protect the public transport network as lockdown is lifted, the UK's transport secretary is expected to say at a press conference on Saturday. The BBC understands Grant Shapps will encourage the public to continue to work from home if they can. Those who need to travel to work will be urged to consider more active ways to travel like walking and cycling. Extra funding is likely to be announced for English local authorities to help alter road networks to facilitate this. The intention is to take pressure off roads and public transport networks. This is a devolved issue and in Wales the assembly is suggesting a number of new policies including road and lane closures with filters for cyclists. Scotland announced funding for "active travel infrastructure" in April. No specific measures have been announced yet in Northern Ireland although the infrastructure minister is expected to appoint a cycling and walking champion. It is believed that Mr Shapps will talk about using the unique "opportunity" of the lockdown restrictions to change the way we get to work.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52592421
     
         
      Is The Tesla Bubble About To Burst? Sat, 9th May 2020 13:56:00
     
      I started trading stocks in the late 90s, it was an exciting time; the internet was coming of age, and investors, or rather day traders, were extremely excited about the riches of this new digital era. I was in my early 20s, and I had very limited investing knowledge at the time, nonetheless, I opened an online trading account and used half my college tuition money to speculate on internet stocks. A year later, my capital had multiplied by twenty folds! And notions of being a financial genius floated within my head. My remarkable success attracted the attention of many friends, even family friends, and at the ripe old age of 21, I was dispensing financial advice (mostly stock tips) to people double and triple my age. To those older than me, I became a sort of Sherpa to a new world where finance and technology intertwined into a new and exciting reality. Trading tech stocks during the technology boom was an intoxicating experience. Popular names such as Netscape, AOL, Yahoo, JDS Uniphase, Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Ebay, Qualcomm and Amazon among others skyrocketed day after day to unbelievable highs. It seemed as if all one had to do to become rich was to open a brokerage account, and buy whatever tech stock was in vogue. Investment legends such as Warren Buffett were written off as out of touch for they did not comprehend the peculiarities of this new paradigm, where valuations, profitability, or even revenues were of little interest. Traditional valuation metrics were replaced by new measures such as eye balls and available bandwidth. In July 2000, Vinod Khosla at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, explained it so: A lot of people look at the traditional measures for the economy and start scratching their heads about this long period of growth we're enjoying. That’s because the traditional measures are industrial measures; they miss what’s really going on. The old econometric models take into account the cost of oil, but they totally ignore the cost of bandwidth. The old yardsticks don't make sense any-more because what’s going on today is a fundamental change in the structure of our economy.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-The-Tesla-Bubble-About-To-Burst.html
     
         
      UK 'must prioritise green economic recovery' Fri, 8th May 2020 18:37:00
     
      Boris Johnson needs to prioritise a green UK economic recovery following the coronavirus crisis, say bosses from leading firms. They called for polluting industries "without a proper climate plan" to be excluded from government help. Government advisors recently warned that the UK must not fall into a deeper climate crisis. Mr Johnson is expected to make a speech on Sunday which may lead to a limited relaxation of lockdown rules. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the government "remains committed to being a world leader in tackling the great global challenges we face in climate change and biodiversity loss." As the UK eases restrictions and tries to repair damage to the economy from the crisis, the chief executives of more than 60 British organisations called on the government to: Invest in infrastructure, technology and skills to create jobs that help sustainability Exclude companies in "polluting industries" that do not have a proper climate plan Restore ecosystems on land and in our oceans by incentivising walking and cycling Support sustainable food, farming and fishing Swiftly pass environmental laws and bring in targets in law to restore ecosystems Bring global leaders together to plan for a sustainable economic recovery
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52580291
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: New capacity expansion plans and 100 MW of PV for a poverty-alleviation project Fri, 8th May 2020 18:30:00
     
      Three major Chinese PV manufacturers have announced capacity expansion plans over the past week. Chint also released its 2019 financial results, while Kstar unveiled a new inverter supply deal. FIRST to raise funds for new manufacturing base First Applied Material announced plans on Thursday to raise up to RMB1.7 billion (US$240.3 million) by publicly issuing convertible bonds. The six-year bonds can be converted into shares upon maturity, it said. While some of the anticipated proceeds will be used to shore up working capital, the Hangzhou-based EVA film and PV module backsheet manufacturer said that it will allocate about RMB1.4 billion toward the construction of a new encapsulation plant for PV modules in Chuzhou, Zhejiang province.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/08/chinese-pv-industry-brief-new-inverter-and-module-capacities-financials-and-100-mw-to-alleviate-poverty/
     
         
      Potentially fatal bouts of heat and humidity on the rise, study finds Fri, 8th May 2020 18:26:00
     
      Intolerable bouts of extreme humidity and heat which could threaten human survival are on the rise across the world, suggesting that worst-case scenario warnings about the consequences of global heating are already occurring, a new study has revealed. Scientists have identified thousands of previously undetected outbreaks of the deadly weather combination in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and North America, including several hotspots along the US Gulf coast. Humidity is more dangerous than dry heat alone because it impairs sweating – the body's life-saving natural cooling system. The number of potentially fatal humidity and heat events doubled between 1979 and 2017, and are increasing in both frequency and intensity, according to the study published in Science Advances. In the US, the south-eastern coastal corner from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle experienced such extreme conditions dozens of times, with New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi the hardest hit. The most extreme incidents occurred along the Persian Gulf, where the heat and humidity combination surpassed the theoretical human survivability limit on 14 occasions. Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the World Cup will be held in 2022, was among the places to suffer – albeit briefly – these potentially fatal weather events.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/08/climate-change-global-heating-extreme-heat-humidity
     
         
      Sea levels could rise more than a metre by 2100, experts say Fri, 8th May 2020 18:15:00
     
      Sea-level rise is faster than previously believed and could exceed 1 metre by the end of the century unless global emissions are reduced, according to a survey of more than 100 specialists. Based on new knowledge of climate sensitivity and polar ice melt, the experts say coastal cities should prepare for an impact that will hit sooner than predicted by the United Nations and could reach as high as 5 metres by 2300. "A global sea-level rise by several metres would be detrimental for many coastal cities such as Miami, New York, Alexandria, Venice, Bangkok, just to name a few well-known examples. Some may have to be abandoned altogether as they cannot be defended," said co-author Stefan Rahmstorf, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. In the worst-case scenario – with rising emissions and global heating of 4.5C above pre-industrial levels – the study estimates the surface of the world's oceans in 2100 will be between 0.6 and 1.3 metres higher than today, which would potentially engulf areas home to hundreds of millions of people. By contrast, if humanity succeeds in cutting carbon dioxide and holding the increase in temperature to 2C, the rise would be a more manageable 0.5 metre.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/08/sea-levels-could-rise-more-than-a-metre-by-2100-experts-say
     
         
      It’s already getting too hot and humid in some places for humans to survive Fri, 8th May 2020 14:00:00
     
      A combination of heat and humidity so extreme that it’s unendurable isn’t just a problem for the future — those conditions are already here, a new study finds. Off-the-chart readings that were previously thought to be nearly nonexistent on the planet today have popped up around the globe, and unyielding temperatures are becoming more common. Extreme conditions reaching roughly 115 degrees Fahrenheit on the heat-index scale — a measurement of both heat and humidity that’s often referred to as what the temperature “feels like” — doubled between 1979 and 2017, the study found. Humidity and heat are a particularly deadly combination, since humidity messes with the body’s ability to cool itself off by sweating. The findings imply that harsh conditions that scientists foresaw as an impending result of climate change are becoming reality sooner than expected. “We may be closer to a real tipping point on this than we think,” Radley Horton, co-author of the new study published today in the journal Science Advances, said in a statement. His previous research had projected that the world wouldn’t experience heat and humidity beyond human tolerance for decades. More intense and frequent heat events are one of the symptoms of climate change, a lot of research has shown. But most of those studies were based on readings that looked at averages over a wide area over a long period of time. Instead, Horton and his co-authors looked closely at hourly data from 7,877 weather stations around the world. They used the “wet bulb” centigrade scale, which measures other factors such as wind speed and solar radiation on top of heat and humidity. That’s how they found more than a thousand readings of severe heat and humidity, reaching wet bulb readings of 31 degrees Celsius, that were previously thought to be very rare. Along the Persian Gulf, they saw more than a dozen readings above what’s thought to be the human tolerance limit of 35 degrees Celsius on the wet bulb scale. That’s the highest wet bulb reading that scientific literature has ever documented. In 2015, the city of Bandar Mahshahr in Iran experienced a wet bulb reading just under 35 degrees Celsius. At more than 160 degrees Fahrenheit on the heat-index scale, that’s about 30 degrees higher than where the National Weather Service’s heat-index range ends — and it’s a scenario that climate models hadn’t forecast to happen until the middle of the century. Spells of extreme humid heat were also witnessed across Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and North America and were generally clustered along the coasts. The US Gulf Coast was particularly hard-hit. The region saw dozens of instances of conditions reaching levels not expected to take place for decades. Severe conditions only lasted hours and were often only in small areas, but these bouts are becoming more frequent and more intense, the researchers say. They make the case that future studies ought to take a similarly localized look to get a better understanding of how climate change is playing out in communities that will feel the crunch ahead of the rest of the world. A Pulitzer prize-winning series by The Washington Post took this sort of approach in a series about places where average temperatures have already risen 2 degrees Celsius, the threshold at which the Paris climate accord aims to keep the globe from surpassing. “If you zoom in you see things that you don’t see at a larger scale,” says Colin Raymond, lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “At the smallest scale, it’s more intense.” One of the limitations to their study, according to Raymond, is that there are places across the globe that simply lack weather stations. So what they were able to document could be happening at an even wider scale, there just aren’t tools in place yet to make those measurements everywhere. Extreme heat already kills more people in the US than any other weather-related event. In 50 years, between 1 to 3 billion people could find themselves living in temperatures so hot that they’re outside the range in which humans have been able to thrive, found another study published this week. Just how many billions will face that future depends on what action is taken now to stop the planet from dangerously overheating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theverge.com/21252174/heat-humidity-human-survival-climate-change-science-advances
     
         
      Meijin Energy Signs $85 Million Agreement to Develop Hydrogen Project for Northern China Fri, 8th May 2020 13:39:00
     
      Investment in the Meijin Hydrogen Automotive Industrial Park in Xiuzhou District of Jiaxing City.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/meijin-energy-signs-85-million-agreement-to-develop-hydrogen-project-for-northern-china/
     
         
      Tesla partners with US’ biggest solar installer to deploy Powerwalls Fri, 8th May 2020 12:32:00
     
      Tesla is partnering with Sunrun, the biggest residential solar installer in the US, to deploy Powerwalls with their solar systems. It wasn't that long ago that Tesla, through SolarCity, was the US' biggest residential solar installer. However, Tesla restructured SolarCity and slowed down installation greatly, focusing on cost and more profitable installations. Lately, the company has been trying to ramp back up its solar installations with a new solar subscription service and its new solar roof tiles, but it is still way behind Sunrun, who became the US' biggest installer in 2018. For comparison, Sunrun deployed 97MW of solar installations during the last quarter, and Tesla deployed 35MW during the same period. Like Tesla, Sunrun has been offering home battery packs under its Brightbox offerings with its solar systems. When first venturing into storage solutions in 2016, the solar installer briefly offered Tesla Powerwalls before partnering with LG Chem to offer batteries to its customers. Now Sunrun is going back to Tesla and announced that it partnered with the automaker to deploy Powerwalls with its solar systems. The company wrote about the partnership on its website: With Sunrun and Tesla Powerwall, a brighter future starts today. Regain control of your energy and get your free quote to receive a fully virtual consultation. You'll be connected with one of our expert Solar Advisors who can help you create a custom solar storage solution to meet your energy needs. Tesla's Powerwall is both cheaper than LG Chem's home battery pack and offers more energy storage capacity per unit (13.5kWh to 9.3kWh). Last month, Tesla announced that it installed its 100,000th Powerwall home battery pack. Powerwall deployments accelerated with large-scale projects, like a virtual power plant in Australia and with an electric utility in Vermont. Earlier this year, we also reported on Tesla Powerwall becoming extremely hard to get as demand increases due to home battery pack incentives make the system extremely cheap in many markets. In the US, home battery packs are eligible for a 26% tax rebate if combined with a solar system, which is something that Sunrun is planning to take advantage of with this new Powerwall deal with Tesla.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/05/08/tesla-partners-sunrun-solar-installer-deploy-powerwalls/
     
         
      Dormant coal mine in northeast England to become geothermal heating system Fri, 8th May 2020 12:29:00
     
      A coal mine in South Tyneside that has been abandoned since 1932 will be transformed into a green energy heating system as part of a new £7 million renewable energy plan. The heating scheme will tap geothermal energy from the flooded underground mines of the former Hebburn Colliery east of Newcastle to heat South Tyneside Council buildings. The project is being developed with the Coal Authority and Durham University. It has preliminary approval for £3.5 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund. Water will be extracted from the coal mines through drilled vertical boreholes that are 300-400 meters deep. A water-source heat pump installed at the project's energy center will extract the heat from the mine water and compress it to a much higher temperature and then distribute it across the district heat network. Cooled water will then be returned to the mines. The minewater heating system will be powered by solar panels. Joan Atkinson, South Tyneside councillor, said: It is expected to deliver a reduction of 319 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, which will make it a key component in our drive to make the council carbon neutral by 2030. It will also help us meet our obligations to upgrade the energy performance of fuel-poor homes as it will be used to heat one of the town's residential high-rise blocks. Electrek's Take Oh, how I love adaptive reuse. Especially when you take something like a dirty, old coal mine and turn it into a green source of energy. England's northeast was dependent on coal for a long time, and the region was hit hard by the loss of jobs as mines closed. So to take old mines and turn them into sources of clean energy will only benefit the region both economically and environmentally. Perhaps the US regions that have historically been dependent on coal could follow Tyneside's lead and adapt, rather than clinging to a dead fossil fuel. Clean energy and new jobs: Everybody wins.
       
      Full Article: https://electrek.co/2020/05/08/coal-mine-south-tyneside-england-geothermal-heating-system/
     
         
      Rethinking Renewable Energy with Professor Susan Krumdieck - HF Podcast #4 Thu, 7th May 2020 17:47:00
     
      In Episode 4 of the Happen Films Podcast, we speak with Dr Susan Krumdieck. Susan is an American-born, New Zealand-based Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Canterbury University. Her research has developed novel methodologies and tools needed to rapidly downshift fossil fuel use while recovering real value for people and environment. Over the course of her research she has worked on development of every type of renewable and alternative energy technology, culminating in founding the emerging field of Transition Engineering. Transition Engineering actions social responsibility and sound science to deliver change projects that down-shift the exposure to fossil fuel supply and climate change risks. Transition Engineers work in the gap between fossil fuelled expectations and constraints of flourishing. This is a topic that fascinates us both. The first time we met Susan was in 2016 when we interviewed her for our film Living the Change (https://happenfilms.com/living-the-ch...). It was a game-changing conversation for us, as while we weren't exactly 'techno-optimists', we soon realised how little we new about the realities of the mainstream renewable energy story. Susan might break your bubble about that story, but she does it with great passion and always with a tone of what we called 'hopefulness' and she calls 'purpose'. Susan's approach to renewables, and that of Transition Engineering, is to begin with our vision for the future. These days, rather than simply researching new technologies to make renewables more efficient, she is rethinking how we use our technology, how much of it we even need, and what alternatives exist to technology itself that could improve our lives while reducing our exploitation of the earth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mzRbEJfjPA
     
         
      Shell wants to create a green hydrogen hub in the port of Rotterdam Thu, 7th May 2020 13:48:00
     
      Hot on the heels of last month's announcement to become a net zero energy business by 2050, Shell has today revealed its intention to create a green hydrogen hub in the port of Rotterdam, using green electricity generated by wind power. Expected to go into operation by 2023, the green hydrogen plant will produce about 50,000-60,000kg of hydrogen per day and have a capacity of around 200MW. It will be constructed at a dedicated industrial site realised by the Port of Rotterdam Authority at Maasvlakte for electrolysers operated by various companies. The green hydrogen produced initially will be transported via a new pipeline, which will be realised as part of a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Gasunie, to Shell’s refinery in Pernis. Here, the green hydrogen will be used to decarbonise the production of fuels, saving at least 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. The hydrogen will also be used as fuel for trucks. "The energy transition calls for guts, boldness, and action," said Marjan van Loon, President-Director of Shell Nederland. "We are proud that together with our partner Eneco we are participating in the tender to build Hollandse Kust (noord) offshore wind firm." "Through the connection of this wind farm to our possible future green hydrogen plant in the Port of Rotterdam, we want to develop a new value chain together with our partners and governments – from wind to hydrogen – to create a green hydrogen hub." "We regard this as a stepping stone for the recently announced NortH2-project. These projects fit well with our aspirations to provide more and cleaner energy to our customers, at home, on the go and at work." The new plant and pipeline are part of a series of projects associated with the production, import, use and transfer of hydrogen in which the Port Authority is working together with a variety of partners. These concrete projects seamlessly tie in with the hydrogen outlook recently published by the Dutch government. "We are currently expediting our plans to construct a public hydrogen network in the port area. The work on this backbone for Rotterdam's industrial sector will be rounded off concurrently with Shell's electrolyser," said Allard Castelein, CEO of Rotterdam Authority. "A main transport network like this can be used to connect producers and users. This in turn helps to create a market and boosts the production and consumption of hydrogen." "Besides accommodating production, in the longer term Rotterdam will also play a crucial part in the import of hydrogen thanks to the realisation of multiple hydrogen terminals." "Hydrogen promises to become the energy carrier of the 21st century. In Northwest Europe, we will not be able to produce sufficient hydrogen locally, meaning that a large volume will need to be imported." "Rotterdam will play a central role in this process – similar to its current role in the oil sector. This allows us to reinforce the port of Rotterdam's position as an important pillar of the Dutch economy."
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/shell-wants-to-create-a-green-hydrogen-hub-in-the-port-of-rotterdam/
     
         
      Mexico’s President Is Betting Big Against Renewables Thu, 7th May 2020 13:34:00
     
      It sounds like a news report out of yet another dystopian novel: Mexico is halting grid connection for new solar and wind power projects. In a world rushing to produce clean energy, Mexico has suddenly stood out like a sore thumb. But, as usual, there's more to the story. The country's National Energy Control Center, or Cenace, announced it would suspend grid connections of new solar and wind farms until further notice earlier this week. The motivation behind the decision was the intermittency of solar and wind power generation, which, according to the state-owned power market operator, could compromise Mexico's energy security in difficult times. "The intermittent generation from wind and PV plants affects the reliability of the national electricity system, [impacting] the sufficiency, quality and continuity of power supply," Cenace wrote in a document setting out the rules of the country's electricity market during the Covid-19 lockdown. Naturally, the move was immediately attacked by the business community as an attempt by the government to interfere with private businesses. "Without solid technical motivation or fully justified legal basis … Cenace has neglected its legal mandate to safeguard the efficiency of the national electric system and competition in the electricity market, which negatively impacts thousands of consumers in the commercial and industrial sector," business group Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, or CCE, said in a statement. "Like before, the private sector will take the necessary legal measures to preserve the level field and Mexicans' right to a healthy environment," the body added.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Mexicos-President-Is-Betting-Big-Against-Renewables.html
     
         
      Solar Powered Box Truck Will Tour America To Promote Renewable Energy Thu, 7th May 2020 13:20:00
     
      Joshua Hill lives in Boise, Idaho. A strong believer in the benefits of solar energy, he started Awaken Solar to educate others to the wonders of deriving electricity from sunlight. That involves taking away the fear that people have about the unknown, helping them get together with reputable solar contractors in their area, and explaining their financing and warranty options. Then one day, Hill found himself with a unique opportunity — a lightly used Smith electric box truck. The company was ahead of its time when it started manufacturing electric trucks in Kansas City in 2011. Production ceased in 2015, however. What if the truck he found could be covered in solar panels so it never had to be plugged in? Hill decided to find out and Project Griff was born. Griff is an allusion to the winged griffins of mythology (Game of Thrones fans are experts on this subject). With custom designed solar panels covering the roof and sides and with more panels sprouting out over the cab and from the rear, the truck does indeed look a little like a flying dragon. Hill is about to embark on a tour of America that will take him from Idaho down the West Coast to California then across the country to Florida before heading up the East Coast and turning toward home. "That feeling you get of fulfillment and satisfaction, of when I make it across the country…..It's not very often that you get to do something that has never been done before," he tells KIVI Channel 6 News in Boise. "Griff can charge people’s electric vehicles, cell phones, and computers," said Hill. "It can actually charge a house. I have more solar on this truck than the average house uses." Instead of having to charge Griff's battery every day, it completely recharges itself by just sitting there. It's like your gas tank refilling itself every day," Hill says. He was planning on talking to people in small groups during his journey but the pandemic has forced him to put everything online instead. Still, he hopes Griff will get people interested in learning more about solar power for their homes and the benefits of driving electric cars. "Imagine if your car filled itself up with fuel every day. Not only would that be cool, it would mean ENERGY INDEPENDENCE! Not a penny of your weekly paycheck would need to go to buy transportation fuel…and this can be true for your home as well," he says. "I imagine a world where there are no lives or dollars taken from Americans for fuel. No more relying on foreign supplies of energy. We declared our independence in 1776, let us declare energy independence in 2020! If you would like to learn more, please follow me on social @AWAKENSOLAR and keep track of all my the stories and travels of my fully solar powered truck using the hashtag #PROJECTGRIFF!" Perhaps we can convince Hill to stop by CleanTechnica intergalactic headquarters while he is touring the US so we can share stories about the clean energy revolution during one of our weekly Impossible Burger and mocktail parties.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/07/solar-powered-box-truck-will-tour-america-to-promote-renewable-energy/
     
         
      Power-to-heat-to-power storage for rooftop PV Thu, 7th May 2020 13:02:00
     
      Scientists in Spain have assessed the viability of 'power-to-heat-to-power storage' in a residential solar installation in Madrid. The technology could reduce electricity bills by more than 70% and would have a 12 to 15-year payback period, according to the researchers. Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Madrid have examined the feasibility of storing power generated by rooftop solar as heat which can then be used to generate power when the sun isn't shining – 'power-to-heat-to-power storage,' or PHPS technology. The household system in Madrid studied by the scientists included a highly efficient, thermally-driven heat pump and solar thermal collectors. The 'trigeneration' system, or combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) technology includes two types of heat store: a low or medium-grade one for domestic hot water and space heating and a high-grade heat store for combined heat and power generation. The heat generated in the former can be used for cooling as well as heating demand. A reference case was based on grid power consumption plus an electrically-driven heat pump for cooling.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/07/power-to-heat-to-power-storage-for-rooftop-pv/
     
         
      How did Michael Moore become a hero to climate deniers and the far right? Thu, 7th May 2020 12:47:00
     
      The filmmaker's latest venture is an excruciating mishmash of environment falsehoods and plays into the hands of those he once opposed. Denial never dies; it just goes quiet and waits. Today, after years of irrelevance, the climate science deniers are triumphant. Long after their last, desperate claims had collapsed, when they had traction only on "alt-right" conspiracy sites, a hero of the left turns up and gives them more than they could have dreamed of. Planet of the Humans, whose executive producer and chief promoter is Michael Moore, now has more than 6 million views on YouTube. The film does not deny climate science. But it promotes the discredited myths that deniers have used for years to justify their position. It claims that environmentalism is a self-seeking scam, doing immense harm to the living world while enriching a group of con artists. This has long been the most effective means by which denial – most of which has been funded by the fossil fuel industry – has been spread. Everyone hates a scammer. And yes, there are scammers. There are real issues and real conflicts to be explored in seeking to prevent the collapse of our life support systems. But they are handled so clumsily and incoherently by this film that watching it is like seeing someone start a drunken brawl over a spilled pint, then lamping his friends when they try to restrain him. It stumbles so blindly into toxic issues that Moore, former champion of the underdog, unwittingly aligns himself with white supremacists and the extreme right.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/07/michael-moore-far-right-climate-crisis-deniers-film-environment-falsehoods
     
         
      Mark Carney: 'We can't self-isolate from climate change' Thu, 7th May 2020 12:42:00
     
      The former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has added his voice to calls for industrialised nations to invest in a greener economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. He shared his comments in an online discussion about climate change with the former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull. Both called on nations to accelerate a transition to cleaner energy. The event was organised by the Policy Exchange think tank. Mr Carney said that the pandemic was "a terrible situation, but there was also a big opportunity" at the end of it. "We have a situation with climate change which will involve every country in the world and from which we can't self-isolate," he added. Science confronts politics As has rapidly become the socially distant norm, both participants joined the discussion via video conference from their respective homes - setting out how they saw ways in which countries could emerge from the crisis with cleaner, more sustainable economies. Mr Turnbull, who was Australia's prime minister from 2015-2018, issued blunt, broad criticisms of many governments for failing to take the science of climate change seriously. Drawing bleak parallels with the pandemic, Mr Turnbull said Covid-19 was a case of "biology confronting and shaking the complacency of day-to-day politics with a physical reality of sickness and death". "The question is, when will the physics of climate change mug the complacency and denialism - just as biology has with respect to the virus."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52582243
     
         
      Are your net zero targets credible or just greenwash? Thu, 7th May 2020 12:20:00
     
      In the last few months we have seen a number of companies announce net zero carbon targets. The race is on to see who can be the most ambitious. In this race for leadership, there’s a risk that commitments get labelled as greenwash, damaging corporate reputations. So, which of these targets have the potential to have a real impact on the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for the climate crisis, and which of these targets are set by those who are simply jumping on the net zero bandwagon in an attempt to make their business look good? Recent net zero announcements include ambitious targets from the like off National Trust, Microsoft and IKEA, click here to see the full list.
       
      Full Article: https://carbon.ci/insights/are-your-net-zero-targets-credible-or-just-greenwash/
     
         
      Huawei to ramp up artificial intelligence to improve solar inverters Thu, 7th May 2020 12:04:00
     
      The Chinese conglomerate has revealed how it will further integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in its string devices this year. The approach includes the transformation of inverters into smart PV controllers, the development of AI inference modules and the creation of an AI training and inference platform. Machine learning will also be incorporated into operations and maintenance, grid management and PV plant design. After developing its first artificial intelligence (AI) -based solar inverter last year, Chinese conglomerate Huawei has revealed how it intends to integrate AI further into its solar business. This year, according to Huawei, "will witness the comprehensive integration of cloud, AI and 5G technologies." An AI roadmap document produced by the company said it would extend AI integration into its string inverters by transforming them into smart PV controllers, developing AI inference modules and creating an AI training and inference platform. The manufacturer said its string inverters will be improved for high-precision, real-time data collection with real-time control of string-level energy yield optimization, DC arc detection and response to grid-tied control – including real-time inference, execution and self-closed-loop control capabilities.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/07/huawei-to-ramp-up-artificial-intelligence-to-improve-solar-inverters/
     
         
      Atlas of 100% Renewable Energy | Wärtsilä Wed, 6th May 2020 17:49:00
     
      Can countries actually reach 100% renewable energy? Wärtsilä has modelled 145 countries and regions to show their cost-optimal energy mix for producing electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. Explore your own country on http://wartsila.com/atlas _________ Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3tQDdc9Zh4
     
         
      China Is Virtually Alone in Backing Africa’s Coal Projects Wed, 6th May 2020 14:46:00
     
      For more than two decades, Zimbabwe has been trying to break ground on a giant coal-power complex by the world's biggest man-made reservoir. China just agreed to get the $4.2 billion project underway. The development near the southern shore of Lake Kariba is good news for Zimbabwe, where a collapsing economy and erratic policies have deterred foreign investment for the past 20 years. But it flies in the face of a growing global consensus that has seen financial institutions from Japan to the U.S. and Europe shun investments in coal projects. That retreat leaves the way open for Chinese companies—many with state backing—even at the risk of undermining the spirit of China's international commitments to fight climate change. "We are very pleased that the project is going ahead, especially as major banks in the world are forced to stop financing coal-fired power stations," Caleb Dengu, chairman of RioZim Energy, the company that owns the project, said in a response to questions. "This is testimony of Chinese commitment to development projects in Africa. The Chinese are interested in joining hands." coronavirus outbreak first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan—evidence of a deficit of trust that was compounded by incidents of racism toward Africans in the southern city of Guangzhou last month. Yet pumping money into coal just underlines China’s creeping isolation in backing plants that generate large quantities of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-06/belt-and-road-china-stands-alone-in-backing-africa-coal-projects
     
         
      China: The Potential of Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Fuel Cells is Huge Wed, 6th May 2020 13:51:00
     
      China: The Potential of Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Fuel Cells is Huge
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/china-the-potential-of-renewable-energy-hydrogen-fuel-cells-is-huge/
     
         
      A new technique for cooling solar panels Wed, 6th May 2020 13:30:00
     
      Scientists in Egypt have investigated the effectiveness of using water and a mixture of aluminum oxide and calcium chloride hexahydrate to cool PV modules. Optimal performance was observed with a solution of 75% water, according to the research findings. Scientists from Egypt's Benha University have proposed an active cooling technique for PV panels based on the use of water and a mixture of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and phase change material calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl2H12O6). Phase change materials (PCMs) – compounds which can store thermal energy and help stabilize temperature – can absorb or release large amounts of 'latent' heat when they go through a change in their physical state, such as during melting and freezing. The Benha research team applied various mixtures of their active coolants to a 50 W polycrystalline PV panel and compared performance during summer months in Cairo with that of an untreated panel. The system involved the use of cooling unit, DC pump, valves, water flow meter and connecting pipes. Aluminum channels were fabricated for the water and the Al2O3/PCM mixture. The channels were placed under the two panels, which were south adjusted and oriented 30 degrees from horizontal. Technique The PCM mixture was heated to melting point to form a liquid and Al2O3 nanoparticles were added to it in the aluminum channels. "The dispersion of particles in the PCM liquid is done using an agitator bath with four different mass concentrations," the group stated. The researchers recorded PV current and voltage, front and rear panel surface temperatures, water inlet and outlet temperatures, solar irradiation, ambient air-dry bulb temperature and wind speed. "Applying the cooling system, whether using water and/or [the] Al2O3/PCM mixture provides a noticeable drop in cell temperature compared with the uncooled [panel]," said the Egyptian team. The researchers said a mixture of water and the Al2O3/PCM liquid outperformed the use of water alone and the best performance was recorded from 75% water and 25% Al2O3/PCM.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/06/a-new-passive-technique-for-cooling-solar-panels/
     
         
      Climate change could reawaken Indian Ocean El Nino Wed, 6th May 2020 13:27:00
     
      Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niño in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin has found. If it comes to pass, floods, storms and drought are likely to worsen and become more regular, disproportionately affecting populations most vulnerable to climate change. Computer simulations of climate change during the second half of the century show that global warming could disturb the Indian Ocean's surface temperatures, causing them to rise and fall year to year much more steeply than they do today. The seesaw pattern is strikingly similar to El Niño, a climate phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean and affects weather globally. "Our research shows that raising or lowering the average global temperature just a few degrees triggers the Indian Ocean to operate exactly the same as the other tropical oceans, with less uniform surface temperatures across the equator, more variable climate, and with its own El Niño," said lead author Pedro DiNezio, a climate scientist at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, a research unit of the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. According to the research, if current warming trends continue, an Indian Ocean El Niño could emerge as early as 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-climate-reawaken-indian-ocean-el.html
     
         
      Seraphim launches 440 W shingled module Wed, 6th May 2020 13:25:00
     
      The half-cell module has a 20.81% efficiency and is composed of 158.75 mm mono PERC cells. Chinese solar manufacturer Seraphim has launched a new shingled photovoltaic module with power output of up to 440 W. The half-cell module is manufactured by cutting 158.75mm cells into six pieces and replacing the traditional ribbon with electrical conductive adhesive, the company explained. The manufacturer added the panel has an efficiency of 20.81% and attenuation rate that is 1.7% lower than conventional modules. "If innovation is our internal strength, then this new 158 shingled module is our weapon to win the market. Seraphim is one of the first companies in the industry to start mass production of shingled modules," the company said in a press release. According to the product datasheet, the 2110 x 1002 x 40 mm panel relies on PERC monocrystalline cells and has a weight of 23.0 kg. Seraphim and Chinese manufacturer Lu'An Solar unveiled last week a plan open a 5 GW PV panel manufacturing facility in the Jiangsu Yixing Economic Development Zone, in China's Jiangsu province. The two manufacturers said that they will produce the high-efficiency modules at the new facility, but they did not disclose any additional details. High-power, high-density shingled solar panels have strong rooftop PV potential. They usually feature a busbar-free structure in which only a small proportion of cells are not exposed to sunlight. The cells are bonded to form a shingled high-density string and the resulting strips are connected through a conductive adhesive. The reduced number of busbars reduces shadowing losses. Shingled modules also require no ribbon soldering – a major cause of mechanical stress and micro-cracks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/06/seraphim-launches-440-w-shingled-module/
     
         
      Climate change and coronavirus: Five charts about the biggest carbon crash Wed, 6th May 2020 13:16:00
     
      We're living through the biggest carbon crash ever recorded. No war, no recession, no previous pandemic has had such a dramatic impact on emissions of CO2 over the past century as Covid-19 has in a few short months. Multiple sources indicate we are now living through an unrivalled drop in carbon output. But even though we will see a massive fall this year, the concentrations of CO2 that are in the atmosphere and warming our planet won't stabilise until the world reaches net-zero. As our chart shows, since the Spanish flu killed millions over 100 years ago, the global expansion of emissions of CO2, from the use of oil, gas and coal has risen massively. While these energy sources have transformed the world, the carbon seeping into our atmosphere has driven up global temperatures by just over 1C since the mid-1850s. They could rise by 3-4C by the end of this century if CO2 levels aren't savagely reduced. Over the past 100 years, as indicated on the graphic, a number of events have shown that dramatic falls in carbon are possible. Much is made of the financial crash in 2008-2009, but in reality, carbon emissions only fell by around 450 million tonnes between 2008 and 2009. This is much smaller than the fall in CO2 in the aftermath of World War II, which saw a drop of around 800 million tonnes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52485712
     
         
      Scotland's economic recovery should 'prioritise broadband over roads' Wed, 6th May 2020 13:14:00
     
      The Scottish government's economic recovery plan should prioritise broadband investment over roads, the Committee on Climate Change has said. The committee has written to ministers after Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham requested advice on a "green recovery" for Scotland. It suggested six areas the government should focus on, including embedding fairness as a core principle. The advice has been shared with the UK prime minister. It has also been shared with the first ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish government has delayed publication of its updated Climate Change Plan from April to the end of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The plan will detail measures to reach a new target of reducing Scotland's net greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030. The long-term target is to reach net-zero by 2045.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52548510
     
         
      Climate change: Could the coronavirus crisis spur a green recovery? Wed, 6th May 2020 13:10:00
     
      The Covid-19 lockdown has cut climate change emissions - for now. But some governments want to go further by harnessing their economic recovery plans to boost low-carbon industries. Their slogan is "Build Back Better", but can they succeed? I've just had a light bulb moment. The feisty little wren chirping loudly in the matted ivy outside my back door is telling us something important about global climate change. That's because, intertwined with the melodious notes of a robin, I can actually hear its song clearly. Normally, both birds are muffled by the insistent rumble of traffic, but the din has been all but extinguished in the peace of lockdown. The drop in traffic is a major contributor to the fall in planet-warming CO2 emissions we've witnessed globally. Before the Covid-19 crisis, we accepted the dominance of traffic noise as an inevitable consequence of city living. Now, we have sampled an alternative urban ambience. Governments currently face a stark choice: bail out polluting businesses, using that as leverage to impose environmentally-minded reforms, or let them return to their carbon-intensive activities as an economic quick fix. But many members of the public have little desire to return to the state of affairs before lockdown. In a poll, a fifth of members of the motoring group the AA, said they would work more from home in future. This has implications for the UK government's £28bn road-building programme which assumes that traffic will rise by 1% per year - a conjecture that now looks unlikely. The stay-at-home trend will be offset somewhat by nervous public transport users shunning trains for fear of infection, and by long-distance commuters who might decide that if they only need to visit the office three days a week, they'll buy a home even further away.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52488134
     
         
      Solar driving efficient electrochemical water treatment Wed, 6th May 2020 12:56:00
     
      Researchers from the United States have investigated how solar could help electrochemical methods for water treatment become more competitive. The scientists analyzed how electrochemical technologies such as electrocoagulation, capacitive deionization, electrodialysis, and electrodeionization may be combined with solar power generation. A study from the University of California, Berkeley has illustrated the potential advantages and challenges of using PV to power electrochemical water treatment. Researchers analyzed how the use of solar power could increase the competitiveness of electrochemical approaches such as electrocoagulation (EC), capacitive deionization (CDI), electrodialysis (ED) and electrodeionization (EDI). The four methods examined, according to the scientists, are not as capital-intensive as traditional large-scale water treatment centers, while also being modular, portable and energy efficient. The use of solar could also make smaller electrochemical facilities suitable for desalination of brackish water in remote regions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/06/solar-driving-efficient-water-treatment/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Lockdown adviser quits, climate change warning and 'new normal' Wed, 6th May 2020 12:53:00
     
      Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this Wednesday morning. 1. Prominent adviser quits Back in March, it was Prof Neil Ferguson's modelling of the virus's transmission that persuaded the UK government it should impose the lockdown. Now, though, he's been forced to quit as an adviser after admitting undermining those very social distancing rules. 2. UK warned over coronavirus climate trap Funds earmarked for the post-pandemic recovery should go to firms that will reduce carbon emissions. That's the message from government advisers today. We know that we're living through an unrivalled drop in carbon output due to the economic slowdown - as these five charts explain - but how could a "Build Back Better" strategy work?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52552299
     
         
      Climate change: Could the coronavirus crisis spur a green recovery? Wed, 6th May 2020 12:37:00
     
      The Covid-19 lockdown has cut climate change emissions - for now. But some governments want to go further by harnessing their economic recovery plans to boost low-carbon industries. Their slogan is "Build Back Better", but can they succeed? I've just had a light bulb moment. The feisty little wren chirping loudly in the matted ivy outside my back door is telling us something important about global climate change. That's because, intertwined with the melodious notes of a robin, I can actually hear its song clearly. Normally, both birds are muffled by the insistent rumble of traffic, but the din has been all but extinguished in the peace of lockdown. The drop in traffic is a major contributor to the fall in planet-warming CO2 emissions we've witnessed globally. Before the Covid-19 crisis, we accepted the dominance of traffic noise as an inevitable consequence of city living. Now, we have sampled an alternative urban ambience. Governments currently face a stark choice: bail out polluting businesses, using that as leverage to impose environmentally-minded reforms, or let them return to their carbon-intensive activities as an economic quick fix. But many members of the public have little desire to return to the state of affairs before lockdown.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52488134
     
         
      Climate change and coronavirus: Five charts about the biggest carbon crash Wed, 6th May 2020 12:32:00
     
      We're living through the biggest carbon crash ever recorded. No war, no recession, no previous pandemic has had such a dramatic impact on emissions of CO2 over the past century as Covid-19 has in a few short months. Multiple sources indicate we are now living through an unrivalled drop in carbon output. But even though we will see a massive fall this year, the concentrations of CO2 that are in the atmosphere and warming our planet won't stabilise until the world reaches net-zero. As our chart shows, since the Spanish flu killed millions over 100 years ago, the global expansion of emissions of CO2, from the use of oil, gas and coal has risen massively. While these energy sources have transformed the world, the carbon seeping into our atmosphere has driven up global temperatures by just over 1C since the mid-1850s. They could rise by 3-4C by the end of this century if CO2 levels aren't savagely reduced. Over the past 100 years, as indicated on the graphic, a number of events have shown that dramatic falls in carbon are possible. Much is made of the financial crash in 2008-2009, but in reality, carbon emissions only fell by around 450 million tonnes between 2008 and 2009. This is much smaller than the fall in CO2 in the aftermath of World War II, which saw a drop of around 800 million tonnes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52485712
     
         
      Coronavirus: UK warned to avoid climate change crisis Wed, 6th May 2020 10:48:00
     
      The UK must avoid lurching from the coronavirus crisis into a deeper climate crisis, the government's advisers have warned. They recommend that ministers ensure funds earmarked for a post-Covid-19 economic recovery go to firms that will reduce carbon emissions. They say the public should work from home if possible; and to walk or cycle. And investment should prioritise broadband over road-building, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says. People should also be encouraged to save emissions by continuing to consult GPs online. The government will reply later, although the Energy Secretary Alok Sharma has already spoken in favour of a green recovery to the recession.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52547885
     
         
      Coronavirus and climate change a ‘double crisis’ Wed, 6th May 2020 10:43:00
     
      Activists are warning that the world is now facing a "double crisis" because of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. Many campaigners have had to cancel or postpone their work because of lockdowns worldwide. However, some say now is a big opportunity to spread their message in a different way.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52508829
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Financials, a new GW-scale factory, and big hydrogen Tue, 5th May 2020 13:04:00
     
      Longi and Sungrow both announced solid financial results last week. Module maker China Solar delayed the resumption of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and polysilicon producer GCL-Poly unveiled plans to raise up to US$16.8 million by issuing shares. Coal miner Baofeng Energy, meanwhile, announced the construction of what it claims will be the world's largest PV-powered hydrogen plant, and Seraphim and Lu’An Solar revealed that they will open a 5 GW PV panel factory in China’s Jiangsu province.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/05/chinese-pv-industry-brief-financials-a-new-gw-scale-factory-and-big-hydrogen/
     
         
      Rail solar project seen as stepping stone for renewables Tue, 5th May 2020 13:00:00
     
      Riding Sunbeams is the company behind a project of the same name that is already delivering power to trains on Network Rail’s Wessex route from a site near Aldershot. That project is supported by the Department for Transport’s ‘First Of A Kind’ (FOAK) scheme to boost innovation in rail. The firm is now talking to the Welsh government about a possible role in electrifying the South Wales Metro.
       
      Full Article: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/05/rail-solar-project-seen-as-stepping-stone-for-renewables/
     
         
      America's Renewable Energy Sources Have Produced More Electricity Than Coal Every Day for 40 Days Straight Tue, 5th May 2020 12:39:00
     
      Renewable sources including solar, wind and hydropower generated more electricity than coal-based plants every single day in April, a new report says. Analysis shared by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEFA), based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), said the finding marks a major "milestone" in an energy transition that is now underway. The move away from coal for electricity generation in the U.S. accelerated in 2020 due to lower gas prices, warmer weather and a "significant amount" of new renewable capacity being connected to the grid late last year, the report suggested. It acknowledged that lower power demands resulting from economic slowdown sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role in coal's decline. Preliminary data from the EIA's Hourly Electric Grid Monitor found that utility-scale solar, wind and hydro had collectively produced more electricity than coal-based plants for roughly 40 days straight, based on statistics between March 25 and May 3. As reported by Reuters, it shows how the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak could speed up a shift from coal power despite attempts by the Trump administration and the U.S. energy department to boost the fossil fuel industry in recent years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newsweek.com/america-renewable-energy-electricity-generation-tops-coal-plants-april-2020-40-days-1501967
     
         
      Simulations forecast nationwide increase in human exposure to extreme climate events Tue, 5th May 2020 12:26:00
     
      By 2050, the United States will likely be exposed to a larger number of extreme climate events, including more frequent heat waves, longer droughts and more intense floods, which can lead to greater risks for human health, ecosystem stability and regional economies. This potential future was the conclusion that a team of researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Istanbul Technical University, Stanford University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research reached by using ORNL's now-decommissioned Titan supercomputer to calculate the trajectories of nine types of extreme climate events. The team based these calculations on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information Climate Extremes Index, or CEI. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact that a single type of extreme, such as temperature or precipitation, could have on broad climate zones across the U.S. However, this team estimated the combined consequences of many different types of extremes simultaneously and conducted their analysis at the county level, a unique approach that provided unprecedented regional and national climate projections that identified the areas and population groups that are most likely to face such hardships. Results from this research are published in Earth's Future.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-simulations-nationwide-human-exposure-extreme.html
     
         
      The best trees to reduce air pollution Tue, 5th May 2020 12:26:00
     
      Trees have a remarkable range of traits that can help reduce urban air pollution, and cities around the world are looking to harness them. While trees are generally effective at reducing air pollution, it isn't as simple as the more trees you have in an urban space, the better the air will be. Some trees are markedly more effective at filtering pollutants from the air than others. To make the most difference in air quality in a street or city, it has to be the right tree for the job.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200504-which-trees-reduce-air-pollution-best
     
         
      PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings expanded to top-50 module suppliers Tue, 5th May 2020 12:07:00
     
      PV-Tech has just released the Q2’20 PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings report, compiled by our in-house market research team, based on our proprietary methodology developed during 2019. The report now includes bankability rankings for more than 50 PV module suppliers, qualifying across the AAA (highest) to CC (second from lowest) bands. This article discusses the key findings of the new report release.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/editors-blog/pv-moduletech-bankability-ratings-expanded-to-top-50-module-suppliers
     
         
      Chinese PV Industry Brief: Financials, a new GW-scale factory, and big hydrogen Tue, 5th May 2020 11:26:00
     
      Longi and Sungrow both announced solid financial results last week. Module maker China Solar delayed the resumption of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and polysilicon producer GCL-Poly unveiled plans to raise up to US$16.8 million by issuing shares. Coal miner Baofeng Energy, meanwhile, announced the construction of what it claims will be the world's largest PV-powered hydrogen plant, and Seraphim and Lu'An Solar revealed that they will open a 5 GW PV panel factory in China's Jiangsu province. Today's Chinese PV Industry Brief will be the first in a series of updates on China's solar manufacturing sector and downstream PV market. It will be published every Tuesday and Friday and will include new developments from solar companies listed on the Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges, as well as PV-related news from non-listed players, the Chinese government, and regional authorities throughout the country. Longi Green Energy Technology announced solid financial results last week, as the monocrystalline module manufacturer published its earnings for fiscal 2019 and the first quarter of this year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/05/chinese-pv-industry-brief-financials-a-new-gw-scale-factory-and-big-hydrogen/
     
         
      Climate change: More than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070 Tue, 5th May 2020 11:19:00
     
      More than three billion people will be living in places with "near un-liveable" temperatures by 2070, according to a new study. Unless greenhouse gas emissions fall, large numbers of people will experience average temperatures hotter than 29C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52543589
     
         
      Mourne wildfire 'as bad as emissions of 150 cars' Tue, 5th May 2020 11:15:00
     
      A 24-hour fire in a protected part of the Mourne Mountains gave off carbon equivalent to the annual emissions of 150 cars, experts have said. It caused significant damage to about a square kilometre of blanket bog habitat, which is an important carbon sink. It is estimated that up to 300 tonnes of carbon was released, contributing to climate change. The fire service believes the incident was started deliberately.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52528450
     
         
      What is climate change? A really simple guide Tue, 5th May 2020 11:00:00
     
      While Covid-19 has shaken much of human society, the threat posed by global warming has not gone away. Human activities have increased carbon dioxide emissions, driving up temperatures. Extreme weather and melting polar ice are among the possible effects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24021772
     
         
      A massive renewable energy scheme in Australia has been recommended for environmental approval Mon, 4th May 2020 18:08:00
     
      A vast renewable energy scheme has been recommended for environmental approval by Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). The Asian Renewable Energy Hub is a planned development in the East Pilbara area of Western Australia. Set to cover 6,500 square kilometers of land, it's envisaged that the project will produce as much as 15 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power, with as many as 1,743 wind turbines being used. The project's consortium is made up of CWP Energy Asia, InterContinental Energy, Vestas and the Macquarie Group. The scheme's website states that up to 3 GW of power will be set aside for energy users in the Pilbara area, while the "bulk of the power will enable large scale production of green hydrogen products for domestic and export markets." According to the EPA, a subsea power cable will be used to send energy to both Indonesia and Singapore. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen is a "versatile energy carrier". Generating it does have an environmental impact, however. The IEA has said that hydrogen production is responsible for around 830 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. It's within this context that the idea of green hydrogen, produced using renewable sources such as wind and solar, is so attractive.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/04/massive-renewables-scheme-recommended-for-environmental-approval.html
     
         
      Another 11 solar mini-grids for Mozambique Mon, 4th May 2020 15:36:00
     
      The public body responsible for expanding access to electricity is seeking consultants to prepare a tender for rural PV mini-grids. Mozambican electricity access body the Fundo de Energia (Funae) has issued a request for expressions of interest to seek consultants to draft feasibility studies and project outlines for 11 solar mini grids. The agency said the studies will be backed by the World Bank's Energy for All program, which is being administered in Mozambique by Funae and state-owned utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM). Consultants have until May 19 to submit expressions of interest. "The off-grid component will focus on supporting the electrification of areas where electricity supply through mini-grids represents the least-cost option from a country perspective," said Funae in the tender document. Public-private Mini-grids will be developed as public-private partnerships by independent power producers. "Once the mini-grid is commissioned, all electricity consumers supplied through mini-grids will be EDM customers," the agency added. The projects will be installed in 11 villages in the provinces of Niassa, Nampula, Tete, Sofala and Manica. In March, Funae launched a tender for five solar solar mini-grids to be developed, under the second phase of the Renewable Energy for Rural Development program introduced by the government in 2018 and part financed by Belgium. Mozambique had 55 MW of solar generation capacity at the end of the year, according to International Renewable Energy Agency statistics, with a 40 MW solar park built by Norwegian developer Scatec Solar last year providing most of that volume. Two more large scale projects are under development with the French Development Agency in October agreeing to help local authorities develop 80 MW of solar capacity across two sites in Nampula and Niassa.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/04/another-11-solar-mini-grids-for-mozambique/
     
         
      How climate change could make infectious diseases even more difficult to combat in the future Mon, 4th May 2020 15:32:00
     
      Today's novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the globe. The pandemic has rapidly uprooted life as we know it and left countries across the world scrambling to contain the outbreaks. In just a few short months, billions of people have become jobless, ill, or had their lives significantly disrupted. But this might not be the only infectious disease we'll have to battle in our lifetimes. According to research from the World Health Organization, and other institutions, the threat of climate change could make outbreaks even worse in the coming decades. Researchers fear that as temperatures continue to rise, infectious-disease carrying animals could adapt to more widespread climates, pathogens could become stronger at surviving in hotter temperatures, and the human immune system could face greater difficulty in battling illness. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has not been linked to climate change, here's how rising global temperatures could lead to an increase in future infectious diseases.
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-climate-change-could-impact-the-future-of-infectious-diseases-2020-5
     
         
      Hydrogen house is ‘greenest in Europe Mon, 4th May 2020 15:26:00
     
      A hydrogen-powered house that is off-grid and said to be the first of its kind in Europe is being built by a family in Devon. The house near Exeter is called Autarkic, which means self-sufficient, and will generate power from solar panels, store it in hydrogen tanks and treat all water and sewage on site. Nick Moffat, 38, and his wife, Kyrenia, 37, are constructing the four-bedroom house in a woodland clearing in the grounds of a Grade II listed manor house...
       
      Full Article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hydrogen-house-is-greenest-in-europe-tng7cpvgn
     
         
      Meyer Burger mulls gigawatt-scale German solar fab Mon, 4th May 2020 15:23:00
     
      Chief executive Gunter Erfurt told a German radio station a solar factory in North Rhine-Westphalia could supply high-efficiency panels for a 10 GW floating solar project on the vast Hambach open-cast coal mine. Swiss solar production equipment maker Meyer Burger is considering establishing a manufacturing facility for its high-efficiency PV cells and modules in Germany, chief executive Gunter Erfurt told German broadcaster Radio Ruhr at the weekend. The solar equipment maker, which has been hammered by low margins on its products in the Far East, last year formed strategic partnerships with Norwegian solar module maker REC Group and the Oxford PV tech company spun out of Oxford University. The aim of the collaborations was to bring Meyer Burger's heterojunction-based solar technology to market. Although Meyer Burger boss Erfurt told the radio station the location of any German production line was yet to be determined, he appeared to have a clear idea of where the products made there might initially be deployed: at the sprawling Hambach open-cast coal mine in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia. Coal-to-solar A floating solar project at the huge site could, with Meyer Berger's high-efficiency solar tech, have a generation capacity of 10 GW, according to Erfurt. The CEO explained that was equivalent to the capacity of the Weisweiler, Neurath, Niederaußem and Frimmersdorf coal-fired power plants in the region, ensuring the area could remain an important generation center after the energy transition. Erfurt offered a hint of where the proposed Meyer Burger factory would be located by stating panels installed at Hambach could be "made in North Rhine-Westphalia."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/04/meyer-burger-mulls-gigawatt-scale-german-solar-fab/
     
         
      World's First International Transport of Hydrogen from Brunei to Japan Mon, 4th May 2020 13:42:00
     
      World's First International Transport of Hydrogen from Brunei to Japan.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/worlds-first-international-transport-of-hydrogen-from-brunei-to-japan/
     
         
      Australian businesses call for climate crisis and virus economic recovery to be tackled together Mon, 4th May 2020 13:38:00
     
      A leading Australian business group is calling for the two biggest economic challenges in memory – recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and cutting greenhouse gas emissions – to be addressed together, saying it would boost growth and put the country on a firm long-term footing. Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, representing more than 60,000 businesses, says economic recovery from the virus and the transition required to meet net-zero emissions by 2050 are overlapping issues that should be taken on together. "There's a lot that we can do to rebuild stronger and cleaner," Willox planned to say on Tuesday, according to a speech released in advance. "The need is urgent. Covid-19 and climate are bigger than any economic challenge we've faced in the last century." Willox is among a band of community leaders and industry groups urging governments to back climate solutions in the pandemic recovery rather than projects that entrench or increase emissions. They include the Investor Agenda, a global group of institutional investors and managers with members responsible for more than $55tn worth of assets. In a statement released on Monday, it said governments should avoid prioritising "risky, short-term emissions intensive projects", and that accelerating the shift to net-zero emissions could create significant employment and economic growth while improving energy security and clean air. "The path we choose in the coming months will have significant ramifications for our global economy and generations to come," the group, which includes Australia’s Investor Group on Climate Change, said. In Australia, visions for a "clean recovery" or "renewables stimulus" will be the focus of two online industry summits this week. Speakers include the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and energy ministers from four states.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/05/australian-businesses-call-for-climate-crisis-and-virus-economic-recovery-to-be-tackled-together
     
         
      Oil Majors Take On More Debt To Fund Dividends Mon, 4th May 2020 12:45:00
     
      Exxon posted its first quarterly loss in more than 30 years. But even as debt mounts and questions arise about peak oil demand, the oil supermajor nevertheless vowed to protect its dividend while also aiming to grow indefinitely into the future. Exxon lost $610 million in the first quarter, down from a profit of $2.4 billion a year earlier. Worse, the period only included a few weeks of oil prices at catastrophically low levels. As a result, the second quarter is bound to lead dramatically worse numbers. On an earnings call with investors and analysts, Exxon's CEO noted the extreme uncertainty in the oil market, but aside from spending cuts and a slowdown on operations, the company's long-term plans remain mostly unaltered. An excellent profile of ExxonMobil in Bloomberg Businessweek pointed out all the missteps that the company has made over the past decade, such as vastly overpaying for XTO Energy to get into shale gas late; a costly bet on Canadian oil sands that didn't pan out; gambling big on Arctic Russia, only to be forced out by sanctions; and again, getting into the Permian relatively late.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Oil-Majors-Take-On-More-Debt-To-Fund-Dividends.html
     
         
      Shell Has A Dire Warning For Oil Markets Mon, 4th May 2020 12:40:00
     
      After months of a deep and harrowing slide, fuel demand across the world is finally starting to sputter back to life. Traffic data, pipeline flows, and sales at gas stations in the Texas City of San Antonio, Beijing, and Barcelona all suggest that the oil demand slump may have already bottomed out. But don't rush to pop the champagne corks just yet. Indications so far are that the road to full recovery is going to be harder than climbing out of a subterranean pit, with many oil traders predicting that it might be a year or more before demand returns to pre-crisis levels.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Shell-Has-A-Dire-Warning-For-Oil-Markets.html
     
         
      New Material Finally Makes It Into the Almighty Nuclear Code Mon, 4th May 2020 12:38:00
     
      Scientists working at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have announced the approval of a new high-temperature metal after 12 years and a $15 million Department of Energy investment. Alloy 617, a "combination of nickel, chromium, cobalt and molybdenum," is tolerant and strong at temperatures of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientists say this means it could be used in existing high temperature nuclear facilities as well as cutting-edge applications like molten salt reactors.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30260390/new-material-high-temperature-nuclear-code/
     
         
      Future of the human climate niche Mon, 4th May 2020 12:23:00
     
      We show that for thousands of years, humans have concentrated in a surprisingly narrow subset of Earth's available climates, characterized by mean annual temperatures around ?13 °C. This distribution likely reflects a human temperature niche related to fundamental constraints. We demonstrate that depending on scenarios of population growth and warming, over the coming 50 y, 1 to 3 billion people are projected to be left outside the climate conditions that have served humanity well over the past 6,000 y. Absent climate mitigation or migration, a substantial part of humanity will be exposed to mean annual temperatures warmer than nearly anywhere today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/04/28/1910114117
     
         
      Emissions trading: greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 8.7% in 2019 Mon, 4th May 2020 11:48:00
     
      Emissions of greenhouse gases from all operators covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) in 2019 reduced overall by 8.7%[1] compared to 2018 levels, as a result of 9% decrease of emissions from stationary installations and a 1% increase of emissions from aviation. Despite the difficult economic situation due to COVID crisis, industry, power sector and aviation have fulfilled their climate obligations. The reduction of greenhouse gases emissions in 2019 took place in the context of a growing EU economy (EU 28 GDP growth of 1.5% in 2019[2]). The biggest reduction was achieved in the power sector with a decrease of 15% reflecting decarbonisation from coal being replaced by electricity from renewables and gas-fired power production. Emissions from industry decreased by 2%. Emission reductions have been observed in most industrial sectors, including production of iron and steel, cement, chemicals and refineries.
       
      Full Article: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/emissions-trading-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduced-87-2019_en
     
         
      Satellites reveal clearest picture of ice-melting in Antarctica Sun, 3rd May 2020 18:25:00
     
      NASA satellites have provided more data than ever before on what has been happening to Antarctica and Greenland's ice over the past 16 years with dire, if not entirely unexpected, findings. Both polar ice sheets are losing billions of tonnes of ice every year and adding to sea-level rise. The results revealed that although there are small gains of ice in East Antarctica, they have been dwarfed by massive losses in West Antarctica, NASA reported. The net ice mass loss has led to almost half an inch of sea-level rise between 2003 and 2019 - just under a third of the total sea-level rise around the world in that time. The findings were based on information from the space agency's ICESat and ICESat-2 satellite laser altimeters - devices that use laser pulses to measure the elevation and thickness of ice sheets and help better understand global climate change. The researchers concluded that ice masses from both Greenland and Antarctica will continue to contribute to sea level rise increasing over the next few decades. Greenland's ice sheet lost an average of 200 gigatons of ice per year, and Antarctica’s ice sheet lost an average of 118 gigatons of ice per year, NASA reported. One gigaton of ice would cover New York's Central Park in ice more than 1,000 feet thick, to a height taller than the Chrysler Building, NASA said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/antarctica-ice-sea-level-rise-global-warming-nasa-a9495171.html
     
         
      Govt pumps $300m into hydrogen projects Sun, 3rd May 2020 17:43:00
     
      The Morrison Government has established a $300 million fund to help finance Australian hydrogen energy projects. The Advancing Hydrogen Fund is set to focus on growing a clean, innovative and competitive hydrogen industry in Australia. The fund will back projects that align with the priorities under the National Hydrogen Strategy such as developing export and domestic supply chains, establishing hydrogen hubs and projects that build domestic demand for the energy source.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK9zwbJMdCY
     
         
      Canada’s Oil Patch Struggles To Survive The Worst Recession Ever Sat, 2nd May 2020 20:20:00
     
      Canada is likely going through its worst-ever recession, with more pain to come in May when the statistics authorities and analysts will have a fuller picture of the economic disaster brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and the measures to curb its spreading. The oil price collapse with the demand crash in the Covid-19 outbreak, and the month-long oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia are pressuring Canada's economic activity, more than 5 percent of which comes from the oil and gas sector. Canada's oil industry – which contributed US$77.4 billion (C$108 billion) in direct real GDP to the economy in 2019, or 5.6 percent of Canadian GDP – was hit hard by the double supply-demand shock over the past two months, becoming one of the first collateral victims of the Saudi-Russian spat. The recovery of Canada's oil industry after this shock will be slow, considering the fact that the global glut threatens to fill up all available storage by as early as mid-May. Many firms may not survive this price crash. Because of the importance of the oil industry in Canada's economy and trade in goods, overall economic recovery in the country could be slower than analysts had initially predicted and slower than in other advanced economies that are not big oil producers. A Reuters poll of 25 economists at the end of April showed that Canada's economy likely shrank by 9.8 percent annually in Q1 and is set for a 37.5-percent plunge in Q2. In a flash GDP estimate in mid-April, Statistics Canada said the economy contracted by 9 percent in March, the steepest one-month GDP drop ever since the series started in 1961. More than 1 million people lost their jobs in March, with employment rate down by 3.3 percentage points to 58.5 percent—the lowest rate since April 1997.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Canadas-Oil-Patch-Struggles-To-Survive-The-Worst-Recession-Ever.html
     
         
      Modvion Completes First Wind Turbine Tower In Sweden Sat, 2nd May 2020 18:21:00
     
      Modvion is a Swedish company that specializes in structures made with cross laminated timber. Recently, it has turned its attention to building towers for wind turbines. "As wind towers rise above 100 meters in height, transportation poses considerable problems given that base diameters for 100+ meter towers exceed 4.3 meters, the limit for transport width in most parts of the USA and the EU," the company says on its website. CLT construction is lighter and stronger than steel, which permits a narrower base for tall towers. The company's modular construction also means the towers can be shipped in sections that are assembled onsite, eliminating many transportation issues associated with tall steel pylons. "Additionally, conventional steel tower constructions get dramatically more expensive with height due to the increasing need for thicker walls. In order to make significant returns on wind technology investments, organizations will need to drastically improve both costs and efficiency. "Our current area of focus is in wind tower technology. '[Our] patented module technology enables significantly decreased cost, efficient transportation and streamlined installation of towers exceeding 120 m. Ultimately, this results in increased cost efficiency in the harvesting of wind resources." Not only that, CLT structures sequester the carbon contained in the wood for generations. Recently, Modvion completed a 30-meter high CLT tower on the island of Björkö near Gothenburg, which will be used for research purposes. According to Renewable Energy Magazine, the company has signed declarations of intent with Varberg Energi for a 110-meter high tower and with Rabbalshede Kraft for 10 towers, at least 150 meters high. Both are expected to be completed by 2022.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/02/modvion-completes-first-wind-turbine-tower-in-sweden/
     
         
      Does Nuclear Power Have A Future? Sat, 2nd May 2020 17:05:00
     
      The discussion today about nuclear energy is nothing short of tribal, two warring camps shouting slogans at each other. This so-called debate reminds us of a popular beer commercial from years ago where two men couldn't decide what their preferred characteristic of Millers Light was, whether it "tastes great!" or was instead "less filling". Applying this beer ad approach to the construction of new nuclear power stations would involve two opposing teams. The pro-nuke squad, attempting to take the environmental high ground (a bold move), would shout out "zero-carbon". In a previous iteration no longer appropriate, the rallying cry was - compelling from an economic perspective - "too cheap to meter". The anti-nuclear forces have broken into two opposing squads. The European team, very effective in shutting down nuclear capacity, going with the ever-popular "No more Chernobyls," while cheeky, cost-conscious Americans (present company included) have been shouting "too expensive to matter". Like cowards in a bar fight, our views on this are distinctly conciliatory. We believe both sides make solid points. If we wanted 1,000 to 2,000 megawatts of zero-carbon, baseload electricity located in suitably remote locales, then nuclear energy still is one answer. A large nuclear power station performs similarly to one powered by coal or natural gas but with zero CO2 or other smokestack emissions. (We are ignoring the anti-nuclear CO2 life cycle arguments here which emphasize the high CO2 profile of uranium mining). At present, our electricity is produced in large factories far removed from load centers and connected to end users by a transmission network. In this sense, conventional nuclear power stations would slot nicely into the present spoke and hub configuration of our power grids.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Nuclear-Power-Have-A-Future.html
     
         
      Satellites reveal clearest picture of ice-melting in Antarctica Sat, 2nd May 2020 15:28:00
     
      NASA satellites have provided more data than ever before on what has been happening to Antarctica and Greenland's ice over the past 16 years with dire, if not entirely unexpected, findings. Both polar ice sheets are losing billions of tonnes of ice every year and adding to sea-level rise. The results revealed that although there are small gains of ice in East Antarctica, they have been dwarfed by massive losses in West Antarctica, NASA reported. The net ice mass loss has led to almost half an inch of sea-level rise between 2003 and 2019 - just under a third of the total sea-level rise around the world in that time. The findings were based on information from the space agency's ICESat and ICESat-2 satellite laser altimeters - devices that use laser pulses to measure the elevation and thickness of ice sheets and help better understand global climate change. The researchers concluded that ice masses from both Greenland and Antarctica will continue to contribute to sea level rise increasing over the next few decades. Greenland's ice sheet lost an average of 200 gigatons of ice per year, and Antarctica's ice sheet lost an average of 118 gigatons of ice per year, NASA reported. One gigaton of ice would cover New York's Central Park in ice more than 1,000 feet thick, to a height taller than the Chrysler Building, NASA said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/antarctica-ice-sea-level-rise-global-warming-nasa-a9495171.html
     
         
      Planned Aberdeen Development to Trial Hydrogen Fuels Cells for Homes Approved by Council Sat, 2nd May 2020 13:48:00
     
      Planned Aberdeen Development to Trial Hydrogen Fuels Cells for Homes Approved by Council
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/planned-aberdeen-development-to-trial-hydrogen-fuel-cells-for-homes-approved-by-council/
     
         
      Does Nuclear Power Have A Future? Sat, 2nd May 2020 13:08:00
     
      The discussion today about nuclear energy is nothing short of tribal, two warring camps shouting slogans at each other. This so-called debate reminds us of a popular beer commercial from years ago where two men couldn't decide what their preferred characteristic of Millers Light was, whether it "tastes great!" or was instead "less filling". Applying this beer ad approach to the construction of new nuclear power stations would involve two opposing teams. The pro-nuke squad, attempting to take the environmental high ground (a bold move), would shout out "zero-carbon". In a previous iteration no longer appropriate, the rallying cry was - compelling from an economic perspective - "too cheap to meter". The anti-nuclear forces have broken into two opposing squads. The European team, very effective in shutting down nuclear capacity, going with the ever-popular "No more Chernobyls," while cheeky, cost-conscious Americans (present company included) have been shouting "too expensive to matter". Like cowards in a bar fight, our views on this are distinctly conciliatory. We believe both sides make solid points. If we wanted 1,000 to 2,000 megawatts of zero-carbon, baseload electricity located in suitably remote locales, then nuclear energy still is one answer. A large nuclear power station performs similarly to one powered by coal or natural gas but with zero CO2 or other smokestack emissions. (We are ignoring the anti-nuclear CO2 life cycle arguments here which emphasize the high CO2 profile of uranium mining). At present, our electricity is produced in large factories far removed from load centers and connected to end users by a transmission network. In this sense, conventional nuclear power stations would slot nicely into the present spoke and hub configuration of our power grids. The relentless pursuit of economies of scale is one defining characteristic of the contemporary electric utility business. Yet the present effort to build the latest generation of very large nuclear power plants has been a commercial failure on several continents simultaneously. No utility executive we can imagine would risk their career to propose new nukes on this scale at this time regardless of energy demand outlook. Still, new nuclear has its " low carbon" adherents. Considering costs, though, this can only mean advocating relatively smaller nuclear power stations. (As an aside, tiny nuclear power plants have long enjoyed success in powering satellites, submarines and other military vessels where refueling or access to oxygen is simply not an option.) If nuclear-sourced electricity is to have a rebirth then so-called small modular reactors (SMRs) will probably lead the way. It is obviously premature to discuss the economics of SMR operation. But small modular reactors could eliminate the considerable construction expense and associated interminable delays inherent in the conventional nuclear project by building reactor components in a factory and then assembling the modular units on site. There is no shortage of respected advocates here including, among others, legendary Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Nuclear-Power-Have-A-Future.html
     
         
      The weekend read: New technologies mean new approaches Sat, 2nd May 2020 12:37:00
     
      Measuring the performance of a solar cell is a tricky affair, and even more so for new technologies such as perovskites and tandem cells. In the laboratory, these are measured over a period of several minutes to ensure accurate characterization. But as technology continues its journey toward commercial production, ensuring an accurate power rating without slowing down the manufacturing process presents a new challenge both for suppliers of flash testing equipment and those working on bringing perovskite solar cells and tandem devices featuring them to market. There is no shortage of challenges to scaling up perovskite technologies from the laboratory to commercial production. Among these is flash testing and cell characterization: A new technology will require new techniques to measure, and new standards to base these measurements on. "In some ways everyone who is working on perovskites is ahead of the compliance side of testing and certification. Standards and protocols have not really caught up with what will be a new technology," says Chris Case, CTO of Oxford PV, which is currently installing equipment for a 250 MW perovskite/silicon tandem cell manufacturing line in northern Germany. And for perovskites and tandem cells that incorporate them, it seems a new approach to inline testing may be required. "There are some fundamental differences in our perovskite material's characteristics, including how it responds to testing and how it will respond to some of the certifications," says Case. Maximum power point In the research and development setting, cells are measured over a period of minutes. Researchers track a cell's maximum power point (MPP) and ensure that it has stabilized before taking a measurement, rather than the standard IV sweep that is performed for silicon PV measurements. "Typically, perovskites might show some hysteresis, which means that the efficiency is slightly different whether you scan from low to high or high to low voltage," explains Jan Goldschmidt, head of the Novel Solar Cell Concepts Group at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. "So then you estimate from the IV curve where your MPP will be, then you set the voltage at the MPP and you vary it a little bit to track the MPP. Then you record the output of your solar cell in the time. This is what we call a stabilized measurement." This method has become an unofficial standard among universities and research institutes for measuring perovskite and tandem cell efficiencies and is a lot more time consuming than the required measurements for a silicon solar cell. "We characterize perovskite cells and tandems by JV scans with different scan speeds and scan directions followed by MPP tracks over several minutes," says Steve Albrecht, whose group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin currently holds the efficiency record for a perovskite/silicon tandem cell. "For typical silicon cells, no hysteresis is measured, and thus quick scans will usually provide the correct information of the parameters."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/02/the-weekend-read-new-technologies-mean-new-approaches/
     
         
      Chevron Doesn’t Plan To Exit Venezuela Fri, 1st May 2020 18:29:00
     
      Chevron is complying with the U.S. Administration's requirements, but it is not winding down all activities in Venezuela preparing to leave the country, the U.S. supermajor's chief executive officer Michael Wirth told CNBC on Friday. "We intend to comply, obviously, with the requirements of the government, but we're not actually winding down or leaving the country," Wirth said in an interview with CNBC today. "We're winding down certain activities," he added. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered Chevron to start "winding down" activities in Venezuela in the latest increase in pressure against the Nicolas Maduro government in Caracas. The U.S. government has granted Chevron a series of three-month sanction waivers to continue operating in Venezuela since it started to increase pressure on Maduro's regime at the beginning of 2019. Chevron's last extension for its Venezuela operations expired on April 22. On that date, the Trump Administration told Chevron it had to start winding down operations in Venezuela by the beginning of December 2020. Commenting on the license to operate in Venezuela, Chevron's Wirth told CNBC: "We don't actually operate any assets in Venezuela, we are partner in two operations that are operated by another company." The 90-day licenses to operate in Venezuela have gradually limited what Chevron can do in Venezuela, the company's top executive said. The current license until December doesn't require Chevron to leave Venezuela—it just restricts activity to a smaller set of allowed operations, Wirth said.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chevron-Doesnt-Plan-To-Exit-Venezuela.html
     
         
      Climate check: What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for our climate and weather? Fri, 1st May 2020 18:09:00
     
      The coronavirus pandemic is having a comprehensive effect on life and work across the globe – but what does it mean for our climate and weather? BBC Weather's Ben Rich looks at some of the latest data in our monthly series – Climate Check
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/52503882
     
         
      A breakthrough approaches for solar power Fri, 1st May 2020 15:01:00
     
      One of the few parts of the UK economy to have a good April was solar power. The Met Office says it has probably been the sunniest April on record and the solar power industry reported its highest ever production of electricity (9.68GW) in the UK at 12:30 on Monday 20 April. With 16 solar panels on his roof Brian McCallion, from Northern Ireland, has been one of those benefitting from the good weather. "We have had them for about five years, and we save about £1,000 per year," says Mr McCallion, who lives in Strabane, just by the border. "If they were more efficient we could save more," he says, "and maybe invest in batteries to store it." That efficiency might be coming. There is a worldwide race, from San Francisco to Shenzhen, to make a more efficient solar cell. Today's average commercial solar panel converts 17-19% of the light energy hitting it to electricity. This is up from 12% just 10 years ago. But what if we could boost this to 30%? More efficient solar cells mean we could get much more than today's 2.4% of global electricity supply from the sun. Solar is already the world's fastest growing energy technology. Ten years ago, there were only 20 gigawatts of installed solar capacity globally - one gigawatt being roughly the output of a single large power station. By the end of last year, the world's installed solar power had jumped to about 600 gigawatts. Even with the disruption caused by Covid-19, we will probably add 105 gigawatts of solar capacity worldwide this year, forecasts London-based research company, IHS Markit. Most solar cells are made from wafer-thin slices of silicon crystals, 70% of which are made in China and Taiwan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51799503
     
         
      Mobile Power Plants Are Taking to the High Seas Fri, 1st May 2020 14:51:00
     
      As economic lockdowns complicate efforts to bring electricity to every corner of the planet, one company is putting generation units on ships that can sit offshore and plug into local grids at short notice. Karpowership is busy marketing floating power plants across the developing world, where governments are seeking extra voltage to power hospitals and other facilities to keep the lights on during the coronavirus pandemic. Vessels can hook into an onshore grid quickly, sidestepping the red-tape and construction issues involved with building a traditional power plant. And these ships come with their own fuel -- liquefied natural gas and fuel oil -- tapping into markets that are currently oversupplied. "We can deploy them in less than 30 days," Zeynep Harezi, chief commercial officer of Kapowership, said by phone from her office in Istanbul where the ships are designed. The generators on the ships can produce between 36 megawatts to 470 megawatts of electricity and are already fully financed. While the ships use fossil fuels and present a challenge to the global drive for cleaner energy, they remain among the few solutions for feeding power to remote areas. Such ships can work well in places with high barriers for onshore power stations or that lack access to gas pipelines, the International Gas Union said in its annual LNG report. There's also risks: high cost and up-front capital requirements. Also, floating power plants concepts compete with more traditional units that run on liquid fuels, renewables and nuclear power, which may receive governmental support over LNG, the report said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-01/mobile-power-stations-are-taking-to-the-high-seas
     
         
      High microplastic concentration found on ocean floor Fri, 1st May 2020 14:51:00
     
      Scientists have identified the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded on the seafloor. The contamination was found in sediments pulled from the bottom of the Mediterranean, near Italy. The analysis, led by the University of Manchester, found up to 1.9 million plastic pieces per square metre. These items likely included fibres from clothing and other synthetic textiles, and tiny fragments from larger objects that had broken down over time. The researchers' investigations lead them to believe that microplastics (smaller than 1mm) are being concentrated in specific locations on the ocean floor by powerful bottom currents. "These currents build what are called drift deposits; think of underwater sand dunes," explained Dr Ian Kane, who fronted the international team. "They can be tens of kilometres long and hundreds of metres high. They are among the largest sediment accumulations on Earth. They're made predominantly of very fine silt, so it's intuitive to expect microplastics will be found within them," he told BBC News. It's been calculated that something in the order of four to 12 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, mostly through rivers. Media headlines have focussed on the great aggregations of debris that float in gyres or wash up with the tides on coastlines. But this visible trash is thought to represent just 1% of the marine plastic budget. The exact whereabouts of the other 99% is unknown. Some of it has almost certainly been consumed by sea creatures, but perhaps the much larger proportion has fragmented and simply sunk.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52489126
     
         
      Largest Solar Project in Eastern US Progresses Despite Market Uncertainty Fri, 1st May 2020 14:07:00
     
      Mega-solar projects topping 500 megawatts have cropped up in many regions of the U.S., but land constraints have mostly kept such behemoths out of the Southeast — until now. Two weeks ago, sPower secured tax equity financing for a 620-megawatt project it first proposed in 2018. The Utah-based developer says the Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center, which will be built in phases and finished in 2021, will be the largest solar plant east of the Rockies. It's sPower's first project in Virginia, but the developer has 1.2 gigawatts planned for the state.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/spower-is-building-the-largest-solar-project-in-virginia
     
         
      The Oil Nations On The Brink Of Collapse Fri, 1st May 2020 13:56:00
     
      Global upheaval is likely to result from the oil price crash, upending the current fragile balance of power because key oil-producing countries, including Iraq and Nigeria, can't buy their way out of this crisis with near-zero-interest loans like the Saudis and Americans can. Even with Brent at $25 (indeed, even when it fell below $20), the Saudis were throwing around cash at all kinds of investments, including COVID-sinking cruise lines. The American shale patch can bail itself out if it wishes to, even amid desperate talk of looming bankruptcies. But in Nigeria, where oil comprises about 9% of GDP and 90% of exports, and with a break-even price of around $57 a barrel (with a fiscal breakeven of around $100), the economy is in serious trouble. If the economy is in trouble, the government is in even bigger trouble. Roughly 20 million people are unemployed, and that is now expected to climb another 25%. It’s enough to bring down a government, with the only lifeline now a $3.4-billion IMF emergency loan just approved.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Oil-Nations-On-The-Brink-Of-Collapse.html
     
         
      India installed 1.53 GW of rooftop solar in 2019 Fri, 1st May 2020 13:53:00
     
      India's cumulative installed rooftop solar capacity reached 5.4 GW by the end of December, with 1.53 GW added throughout all of 2019. About 3.96 GW of the 5.4 GW total is commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop PV. The residential rooftop PV segment accounted for 748 MW of the total, according to the latest rooftop solar map published by Bridge To India. The capital expenditure (capex) payment model, under which systems are bought and owned by consumers, accounted for about 72% of all rooftop PV installations, or 3.9 GW of solar capacity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/01/india-installed-1-53-gw-of-rooftop-solar-in-2019/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Lack of co-ordination let virus spread - UN's Guterres Fri, 1st May 2020 13:20:00
     
      The UN secretary general says he has been "shocked but not surprised" by the global response to the pandemic. Speaking to the BBC's Nick Bryant, António Guterres also responded to criticism of the WHO and explained how countries might come together for a greener future.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/must_see/52496983/coronavirus-lack-of-co-ordination-let-virus-spread-un-s-guterres
     
         
      Australian grid could derive 75% of electricity from renewables by 2025 Fri, 1st May 2020 13:15:00
     
      The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) claims that the country already has the technical ability to safely operate a system in which three-quarters of the electricity comes from wind and solar. However, it needs to get the regulations right in order to do so. Australia's main electricity grid could safely derive up to 75% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by as soon as 2025, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said in a new study this week. However, this will only be possible if market conditions and the regulatory environment are modified. On Thursday, AEMO released its much-anticipated Renewable Integration Study (RIS), which is the first stage of a multi-year plan to ensure system security in a future National Electricity Market (NEM) characterized by a high share of renewable resources. The report take projections from AEMO's 20-year grid transition blueprint, the Integrated System Plan, and confirms that the grid is already capable of handling a very high penetration of intermittent renewables. "Australia has the technical capability to operate a power system where three-quarters of our energy at times comes from renewable energy resources," said Audrey Zibelman, AEMO's managing director and CEO. "However, to do so requires changes in our markets and regulatory requirements. Otherwise, AEMO will be required to limit the contribution of these wind and solar resources to 50% or 60% of electricity supply at any point in time, even though they are the lowest-cost way of providing electricity." The share of renewable energy in the NEM has stood at roughly 25% in recent months; for brief periods, it has occasionally exceeded 50%. In total, the NEM has 17 GW of wind and solar generation capacity, according to AEMO data, with several regions hosting the world's highest levels of wind and solar, including one of the highest levels of residential PV capacity. By 2025, AEMO's Draft 2020 ISP forecasts in its 'central' scenario that this could increase to 27 GW of wind and solar, including both utility-scale and distributed-generation solar PV. But as the NEM continues its transformation, the latest study makes clear that "today's operating approaches and market frameworks are becoming less effective," Zibelman claimed. "Given the pace and complexity of change in the NEM, the study highlights the need for flexible market and regulatory frameworks that can adapt swiftly and effectively as our understanding of the changing power system evolves," she added. "This is going to be particularly important in the areas of technical standards and frameworks for sourcing essential system services."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/05/01/australian-grid-could-derive-75-of-electricity-from-renewables-by-2025/
     
         
      Green method could enable hospitals to produce hydrogen peroxide in house Fri, 1st May 2020 13:12:00
     
      A team of researchers has developed a portable, more environmentally friendly method to produce hydrogen peroxide. It could enable hospitals to make their own supply of the disinfectant on demand and at lower cost. The work, a collaboration between the University of California San Diego, Columbia University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Calgary, and the University of California, Irvine, is detailed in a paper published in Nature Communications. Hydrogen peroxide has recently made headlines as researchers and medical centers around the country have been testing its viability in decontaminating N95 masks to deal with shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While results so far are promising, some researchers worry that the chemical's poor shelf life could make such decontamination efforts costly. The main problem is that hydrogen peroxide is not stable; it starts breaking down into water and oxygen even before the bottle has been opened. It breaks down even more rapidly once it is exposed to air or light. "You maybe only have just a couple of months to use it before it expires, so you would have to order batches more frequently to keep a fresh supply," said UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Zheng Chen. "And because it decomposes so quickly, shipping and storing it become very expensive." Chen and colleagues developed a quick, simple and inexpensive method to generate hydrogen peroxide in house using just a small flask, air, an off-the-shelf electrolyte, a catalyst and electricity. "Our goal is to create a portable setup that can be simply plugged in so that hospitals, and even households, have a way to generate hydrogen peroxide on demand," Chen said. "No need to ship it, no need to store it, and no rush to use it all before it expires. This could save up to 50 to 70% in costs." Another advantage is that the method is less toxic than industrial processes. The method is based on a chemical reaction in which one molecule of oxygen combines with two electrons and two protons in an acidic electrolyte solution to produce hydrogen peroxide. This type of reaction is known as the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction, and it is user-friendly because it can produce dilute hydrogen peroxide with the desired concentration on demand. "In the next step, we will develop electrocatalysts suitable for other electrolyte solutions to further increase the range of its applications," said UC San Diego chemical engineering graduate student Qiaowan Chang.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-green-method-enable-hospitals-hydrogen.html
     
         
      The Case For Solar Endowments Fri, 1st May 2020 13:04:00
     
      University and college endowments in the U.S. looking for strong, sustainable revenue streams would do well to embrace on-site solar generation, and the solar industry would thrive if it could forge the partnership. Solar installations would deliver stronger and more reliable returns than current investments, and create many opportunities, including enhanced fundraising, positive press, and community appeal to current and prospective students. If even 1% of educational endowments were shifted into solar power, this would be one of the largest sources of growth in the industry's history. Higher education in the U.S. is partly funded by huge investments. These are called endowments, and they are mostly invested in a mixture of stocks and bonds. Most years, the stocks and bonds deliver a payoff. Each year, money is taken out of endowments to fund the operations of the school. Endowments vary in size, with the largest belonging to Ivy League schools like Harvard (a mind-boggling 36 billion dollars) and Yale ($25 billion). While not every university or college is covered in the study, recent research found 774 of the main schools in the country have endowments totaling $630 billion. For comparison, the value of investment in the U.S. solar industry was $18 billion last year (and, yes, Harvard's endowment is indeed twice as large as that). Endowments are somewhat conservatively invested, because schools seek stable performance to balance revenues. Universities want to avoid seeing their investments vanish when, for example, a major virus destabilizes markets. Endowments delivered a return on investment of 5.3% last year, and 5.2% over the last five years. This is propelled upward by the tiny number of endowments that are worth over $1 billion, as these grow faster. Most institutions see substantially lower payoffs. Universities and colleges would do well to consider solar power to increase returns and diversify. The price of solar varies, but even in the cloudiest parts of the contiguous U.S., a solar installation generates about 10% of its value each year in electricity savings, and perhaps as much as 20%. This hugely exceeds the roughly 5% from endowments on average. Because electricity prices have grown substantially and panels are slow to atrophy, savings from solar installations have grown year to year. If schools prefer preserving endowments, they could use electricity savings to fully replenish endowment reserves over, say, a decade, and still save hugely in the long run. Solar would also reduce risk. Panels don't go anywhere in a recession, and fixed costs like electricity grow as a portion of budgets during cuts. Institutions that explore major solar investment may discover a host of other potential benefits. In addition to investing endowment funds, schools might invite sustainability-minded donors to make large pledges or matching gifts or seek grants, and/or launch crowdfunding campaigns, attracting young and new donors. Local and regional media are glad to cover stories about solar installations and such stories already abound. Overwhelming majorities of Americans support deploying solar power, and according to a survey [download] of 11,900 people conducted by the Princeton Review, 64% of prospective students consider the sustainability of prospective schools to some extent in making attendance decisions. Solar power is attractive and exciting. So far, solar deployment in higher education has been minor, and so much more is possible. A few years ago, about a quarter of U.S. colleges and universities and 5% of U.S. K-12 schools had solar, but almost all institutions could deploy more. With budgets under strain all over the country, it is critical to emphasize that endowment funds, fundraising, and loans are the tools schools should use to fund solar, and that limited general budgets need not be affected at all.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/01/the-case-for-the-solar-endowment/
     
         
      How will coronavirus change the way we live? Thu, 30th Apr 2020 18:00:00
     
      A return to how life was at the start of 2020 is some way off. Even when lockdown restrictions are eased, coronavirus will affect our lives in many ways. What will struggle to get back to how it was before, and what might change for ever? Twelve BBC correspondents offer their thoughts. 6. Fossil fuel frenzy or green recovery? By David Shukman Science editor Sweet air and tranquil roads - in the grimmest of circumstances, the coronavirus lockdown offers a sense of how a greener world might feel. Levels of the gas nitrogen dioxide, linked to a wide range of health conditions, fell across parts of China and Europe as traffic flows diminished. And the rise of online meetings has shown what can be achieved without travel and has saved lots of carbon in the process. What happens next though is open to question. One scenario is that the world repeats the fossil fuel frenzy that followed the banking crisis, unleashing pent-up demand for oil and coal. Governments know this response well as a method to revive flagging economies. Another option is for a more sustainable recovery, with policies to encourage a low-carbon future. This would see determined pushes for renewable energy, public transport and home energy efficiency. It was meant to be a big year to try to halt the damage we're doing to the natural world and to cut the gases driving up temperatures to dangerous levels. That agenda, and the tough choices needed, might not be getting much attention - but they have not gone away. In fact, the pandemic has shown us how governments can act when they need to - and how willingly people can respond. The issue is whether a similar drive can be directed to what the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls the "deeper emergency" of the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-52356136
     
         
      Nasa space lasers track melting of Earth's ice sheets Thu, 30th Apr 2020 17:53:00
     
      Scientists have released a new analysis of how the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have changed, from 2003 to 2019. The study shows that ice losses from melting have outpaced increases in snowfall, resulting in a 14mm rise in global sea-levels over the period. We've had a number of very similar reports to this recently. What makes this one of interest is that it uses data from the highest-resolution satellite system dedicated to studying the poles - IceSat. This system flies space lasers over glaciers and other ice fields to track their constantly shifting shape. The US space agency (Nasa) has now launched two of these altimeter instruments. The first, IceSat, operated between 2003 and 2009; the second, IceSat-2, was put up in 2018. Thursday's report is a first attempt to tie both satellites' observations together. "We've essentially put the two separate missions into one giant mission to tell the story of what's happened over the 16 years," said Dr Ben Smith, a glaciologist at the University of Washington. "Working with this long time span, we can be a lot less worried about seeing short-term behaviours that aren't so relevant to the long-term evolution of the ice sheets, such as whether it snowed a bit more this year than last. The 16 years gives us a clear picture," he told BBC News. The headline findings from the analysis underline the impacts of a warming climate. Greenland is losing an average of about 200 gigatonnes (billion tonnes) of ice a year. Antarctica is shedding an average of roughly 118 gigatonnes per annum. One gigatonne of ice is enough water to fill 400,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Put another way, the sum of ice loss from both polar regions (5,088 gigatonnes) over the study period could fill Lake Michigan in the US.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52479316
     
         
      Greenland ice loss captured by space laser Thu, 30th Apr 2020 17:50:00
     
      The US space agency Nasa has flown two high-resolution laser altimeters over the poles to track the changing shape of their ice sheets. The data from these two satellite, IceSat and IceSat-2, has now been tied together to show the trend - of predominantly mass loss - from 2003 to 2019, a period of 16 years. This video shows where most change has occurred in Greenland.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-52479322/greenland-ice-loss-captured-by-space-laser
     
         
      Antarctic ice loss captured by space laser Thu, 30th Apr 2020 17:40:00
     
      The US space agency Nasa has flown two high-resolution laser altimeters over the poles to track the changing shape of their ice sheets. The data from these two satellite, IceSat and IceSat-2, has now been tied together to show the trend - of predominantly mass loss - from 2003 to 2019, a period of 16 years. This video shows where most change has occurred in Antarctica.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-52479320/antarctic-ice-loss-captured-by-space-laser
     
         
      World-Beating Transition Sees Australia Plan for Life After Coal Thu, 30th Apr 2020 16:46:00
     
      Five years ago Australia got just a 10th of its power from the wind and the sun. Now it must rush to prepare its creaking grid for 2025 -- when renewable generation is set to hit 75%. The country is tackling a challenge faced by energy planners across the globe: how to manage the transition to clean energy while keeping the lights on and costs down. The sun-kissed nation is already one of the world's strongest adopters of solar and wind power, and the market operator expects capacity to grow by a further 60% by 2025. The problem is how to incorporate generation that fluctuates depending on weather conditions into a system built on the steadier flow provided by coal-fired plants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-30/world-beating-transition-sees-australia-plan-for-life-after-coal
     
         
      Is a coffee shortage inevitable as climate change gets worse? Thu, 30th Apr 2020 16:36:00
     
      A cup of coffee to start the day is non-negotiable for millions of people around the world. We've been drinking it for hundreds of years, with the earliest references to our favourite pick-me-up dating back to the 15th century. Europeans are avid coffee enthusiasts. Some of the world's most prolific coffee-drinking countries include Finland, Norway and Sweden, where they go through over 8 kg of the stuff, per person, every year. According to the International Coffee Organization globally this adds up to nine million tonnes being produced around the world every year. But what if one day soon our ability to grow this much-loved bean disappeared?
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/04/30/is-a-coffee-shortage-inevitable-as-climate-change-gets-worse
     
         
      Covid-19 crisis will wipe out demand for fossil fuels, says IEA Thu, 30th Apr 2020 15:10:00
     
      Renewable electricity will be the only source resilient to the biggest global energy shock in 70 years triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the world's energy watchdog. The International Energy Agency said the outbreak of Covid-19 would wipe out demand for fossil fuels by prompting a collapse in energy demand seven times greater than the slump caused by the global financial crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/30/covid-19-crisis-demand-fossil-fuels-iea-renewable-electricity
     
         
      Sea level rise ‘could threaten nuclear power station’ planned for UK, report claims Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:55:00
     
      Rising sea levels and coastal erosion could pose a threat to two nuclear reactors planned to be built on the low-lying Suffolk coast, according to local councils and analysis by an independent environmental group. East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council have already lodged various concerns about French company EDF Energy's plans for the new facilities at Sizewell C, and a new analysis by experts at the Nuclear Consulting Group suggests planned sea defences may be inadequate in future climate change scenarios.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/nuclear-power-sea-rise-sizewell-c-edf-suffolk-a9492901.html
     
         
      US Launches “Game Changer” Perovskite Solar Cells At Natural Gas Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:49:00
     
      The global energy landscape after the COVID-19 crisis is still an open question, but it looks like the US Department of Energy is coming down firmly on the side of solar energy. Among the latest developments, the agency's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has just revved up a new public-private consortium aimed at propelling low-cost perovskite solar cells into the marketplace. How Low Can Solar Go? Perovskite Solar Cells Go Low, Low, Low For those of you new to the topic, perovskite is a naturally occurring crystalline material that can be synthesized, tweaked, and tailored to tease out some mighty fine solar conversion capabilities at a relatively low cost. Perovskite solar cells are also thin and flexible, which means they can be produced through high efficiency, high volume manufacturing solutions-based methods like printing and spraying. Aside from being impressive at solar conversion for generating electricity, perovskite solar cells could also be deployed in other interesting applications. "Perovskites have shown tremendous promise in a range of other technologies, including solid-state lighting, advanced radiation detection, dynamic sensing and actuation, photo-catalysis, and quantum information science," enthuses NREL.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/30/us-launches-game-changer-perovskite-solar-cells-at-natural-gas/
     
         
      The Wave Of Shale Well Closures Has Finally Begun Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:47:00
     
      U.S. shale oil producers have so far held up admirably, hanging on for dear life amidst the biggest oil demand collapse in history. American producers continued to pump at record highs in March, even after dozens of drillers laid out blueprints to limit production. But with U.S. storage about to hit tank tops in a matter of weeks and the world deep in the throes of the biggest pandemic in modern history, the inevitable has begun to unfold: The arduous and costly process of well shut-ins. Oil production in the country tumbled sharply to 12.2 million bpd in the third week of April, a good 900,000 bpd less than the record peak of 13.1 million bpd recorded just a month prior. That's a 7% production cut in the space of only a few weeks and the lowest level since July. A lot more could be on the way.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-Wave-Of-Shale-Well-Closures-Has-Finally-Begun.html
     
         
      LCOE from large scale PV fell 4% to $50 per megawatt-hour in six months Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:45:00
     
      Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance say the lowest-cost projects financed in Australia, China, Chile and the UAE in the last six months hit a levelized cost of energy of just $23-29/MWh and the best solar and wind projects will produce electricity for less than $20/MWh by 2030. The cost of generating solar power has plunged low enough to threaten thermal power fleets in the world coal capital of China and fossil fuel facilities in the petrostate of the UAE, according to new figures published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. With the crucial falls in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from large scale solar and onshore wind having occurred in the last six months, the analyst also claims energy storage projects are now cheaper in Europe, China and Japan than building new fossil fuel facilities for handling peak electricity loads – with the switch having taken place over the same period. The average levelized cost of energy (LCOE) generated by large scale solar plants has fallen to $50/MWh since October, according to the BloombergNEF study. That marked a 4%, six-month fall in costs for solar, according to the analysts, during a period when onshore wind costs tumbled 9% to $44/MWh. The roll-out of monocrystalline solar modules in China drove down the solar power cost 9% to $38/MWh in the global solar capital during the same period, said BloombergNEF, with the study adding: "New-build solar in the country is now almost on par with the running cost of coal-fired power plants."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/30/lcoe-from-large-scale-pv-fell-4-to-50-per-megawatt-hour-in-six-months/
     
         
      'It's much cheaper to produce green hydrogen from waste than renewables' Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:41:00
     
      While the renewables and fossil-fuel industries have been battling to win the argument over how the clean hydrogen required for the energy transition should be produced, a third option is now competing for the limelight — and offering a carbon-negative solution: hydrogen from waste. California start-up Ways2H can take municipal solid waste (MSW) — the rubbish thrown away by homes and businesses — as well as plastics and hazardous medical waste, and convert them into hydrogen — at a far cheaper cost than green H2 produced from renewables via electrolysis. "[The cost] is very much dependent on what kind of feedstock we have, but typically we are now comfortable at $5 per kilogram," chief executive Jean-Louis Kindler tells Recharge. "And we can go down to about half that, let's say $3 a kilogram… [within] five years." By comparison, the cost of green hydrogen from wind or solar costs about $11-16 per kg today, according to Hydrogen Europe, although it adds that this cost could halve by 2023-25. "We can supply renewable hydrogen, just like solar and wind-powered electrolysed hydrogen, but without using the vast space that solar panels require," says Kindler. "Plus, our technology solves another issue, which is the waste crisis." Part of the reason why the cost of Ways 2H's hydrogen is relatively low is that the raw materials are cost-negative — municipalities pay companies so-called "tipping fees" to take away their waste. "We expect tipping fees of about $70 per tonne," Kindler tells Recharge. "We see situations in California where municipalities have to pay well over $100 per tonne of their waste to have it processed. "I saw a French company that had been fined because they were sending plastic waste from France all the way to Malaysia. If they want to get rid of this waste, they have to pay." Ways2H's plants can also operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — unlike electrolysers powered purely by wind and solar — an efficiency that contributes to lower production costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/its-much-cheaper-to-produce-green-hydrogen-from-waste-than-renewables/2-1-801160
     
         
      Investors call on Australia's largest oil and gas company to set greenhouse targets Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:36:00
     
      Activists have heralded a "breakthrough moment" in the push for the Australian gas industry to do more on the climate crisis after more than 50% of shareholders called on Woodside Petroleum to set science-based greenhouse gas targets. Slightly more than half of the company's investors who gave a view supported a motion that it set targets in line with the goals of the Paris climate agreement to cut both its own emissions and the "scope 3" emissions released by consumers of its products, many of them in Asia.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/01/investors-call-on-australias-largest-oil-and-gas-company-to-set-greenhouse-targets
     
         
      Is The $110 Trillion Renewable Revolution Feasible? Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:33:00
     
      A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that, to save the planet, a massive transformation of the world's energy system will need to occur, in which a large-scale shift to renewables and new carbon-free fuels is accompanied by a precipitous decline of hydrocarbons. The report gives solid numbers on what the world will look like in 2050 if the goals of the Paris Climate Accord are achieved. In Global Renewables Outlook 2050, the Abu Dhabi-based agency builds on its earlier Global Energy Transformation: A Roadmap to 2050 reports, which were published during the past two years. These keystone reports, which provide an overall vision for IRENA's efforts, give global and large regional views of a new energy landscape in which nations successfully tackle the climate challenge. The data rich report, almost 300 pages, may be downloaded from IRENA's website.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-The-110-Trillion-Renewable-Revolution-Feasible.html
     
         
      A breakthrough approaches for solar power Thu, 30th Apr 2020 14:13:00
     
      One of the few parts of the UK economy to have a good April was solar power. The Met Office says it has probably been the sunniest April on record and the solar power industry reported its highest ever production of electricity (9.68GW) in the UK at 12:30 on Monday 20 April. With 16 solar panels on his roof Brian McCallion, from Northern Ireland, has been one of those benefitting from the good weather. "We have had them for about five years, and we save about £1,000 per year," says Mr McCallion, who lives in Strabane, just by the border. "If they were more efficient we could save more," he says, "and maybe invest in batteries to store it." That efficiency might be coming. There is a worldwide race, from San Francisco to Shenzhen, to make a more efficient solar cell. Today's average commercial solar panel converts 17-19% of the light energy hitting it to electricity. This is up from 12% just 10 years ago. But what if we could boost this to 30%? More efficient solar cells mean we could get much more than today's 2.4% of global electricity supply from the sun. Solar is already the world's fastest growing energy technology. Ten years ago, there were only 20 gigawatts of installed solar capacity globally - one gigawatt being roughly the output of a single large power station. By the end of last year, the world's installed solar power had jumped to about 600 gigawatts. Even with the disruption caused by Covid-19, we will probably add 105 gigawatts of solar capacity worldwide this year, forecasts London-based research company, IHS Markit. Most solar cells are made from wafer-thin slices of silicon crystals, 70% of which are made in China and Taiwan.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-51799503
     
         
      Cost-effectiveness of PV module cooling techniques Thu, 30th Apr 2020 13:57:00
     
      Researchers in Malaysia have proposed a new method to determine the best way to design PV cooling systems. They will rank cooling technologies by manufacturing costs and expected panel output. Researchers at the Multimedia University in Malaysia have formulated a new way to rank PV module cooling techniques, based on manufacturing costs and expected panel output. The ranking also factors in panel efficiency gains from the addition of cooling systems and the wattage cost of PV electricity, corresponding author Sakhr Sultan told pv magazine. Sultan said the manufacturing cost of cooling techniques – compared to output power – has attracted little attention to date. In A new production cost effectiveness factor for assessing photovoltaic module cooling techniques – a study that was recently published in the International Journal of Energy Research – the factor is a ratio that determines whether a proposed cooling system is cost-effective or whether it is rated neutral. "This means that low-cost cooling techniques may also be considered feasible solutions," Sultan said. "This occurs when the output power of a PV system with a cooler is equal to the maximum output power of a PV system under PV's standard testing conditions and the manufacturing cost of the cooling technique is zero." Solar radiation, ambient temperature and air mass must also be considered to apply the factor proposed by the researchers to evaluate cost-effectiveness when comparing the performance of PV systems, both with and without cooling technologies. Standard test conditions dictate solar radiation of 1,000 W/m², cell temperature of 25 C and air mass of 1.5 spectra. In another recent study, the same research group provided an overview of performance assessments and comparisons among different ways to keep solar panels cool when they are in operation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/30/cost-effectiveness-of-pv-module-cooling-techniques/
     
         
      The Oil Wells That Will Never Recover Thu, 30th Apr 2020 13:24:00
     
      It is very common today to read about shutting-in of producing oil and gas wells to reflect the reality there are fewer and fewer places to store oil right now. An old oilfield maxim-the cheapest storage is in the ground. It wasn't coined to meet the criteria that are extant today as regards surface storage limitations, but rather to reflect costs of production versus sales prices. As we are all learning though, these two scenarios are very much related. I get a lot of questions from readers of my articles, and students in my Reservoir Drill-In Fluids design classes about what happens with oil and gas wells that are shut-in. As discussed, there is a lot of this going on right now due to the oil glut we are experiencing. That answer is generally, that there are definite problems associated with doing this, but it's not guaranteed they will occur in every instance. Sometimes you just get lucky. More often than not though, the sub-surface gremlins that reside in oil and gas reservoirs are going to get you. There is a reason that service companies earn billions of dollars annually pumping stuff down wells to fix perceived problems with production. So the question before us now is what are some of the mechanisms that cause problems restoring production to oil and gas wells after they have been shut-in? One thing that can happen to oil and gas wells when they are shut in after being on production is a change in wettability. We will discuss 'wettability' in some detail in this article, but essentially amount to the surface wetting condition of the discrete particles of sand and other constituents that comprise the rock in oil and gas reservoirs. Water coning is one frequent contributor to this problem. Note- the discussion that follows is not comprised of absolutes. I am in no way saying that the phenomena I'm putting forth here happen automatically, every time. They can and do happen on a large scale, but each individual well is subject to its own unique circumstances. That's why we need engineers!
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-Oil-Wells-That-Will-Never-Recover.html
     
         
      Morocco’s Renewable Energies Boost Its Resilience Amid Oil Shocks Wed, 29th Apr 2020 15:03:00
     
      Ifrane – In usual times, the prices of crude oil fluctuate. In extraordinary times, like those the international community is encountering due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the oil industry undergoes a severe shock. Supply is far exceeding demand because economic activity worldwide has slowed down. Experts argue the pandemic can disrupt the progress of many countries in the renewable energy sector, depending on the length of confinement and lockdowns. However, policy-makers can still turn this challenge into an opportunity by providing enough stimulus. In the Maghreb, Morocco's renewable energy sector is resilient and will positively shape the post-pandemic region, especially because other Maghrebi countries like Algeria and Tunisia have also set strategies to uphold a smooth transition towards renewables.
       
      Full Article: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/04/300945/moroccos-renewable-energies-boost-its-resilience-amid-oil-shocks/
     
         
      The First International Hydrogen Supply Chain Is a Big Deal Wed, 29th Apr 2020 15:00:00
     
      The energy industry could have a new way to get hydrogen around the globe. A consortium of energy industry players in Japan and Brunei have safely moved hydrogen that's bonded with another chemical for transport before being dehydrogenated at the destination. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) take an important place in this kind of hydrogen shipping. That's because turning hydrogen directly to liquid—best known as "the signature fuel of the American space program"—requires near-absolute-zero temperatures and extraordinary care. NASA explains: "Because liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are both cryogenic—gases that can be liquefied only at extremely low temperatures—they pose enormous technical challenges. Liquid hydrogen must be stored at minus 423°F and handled with extreme care. To keep it from evaporating or boiling off, rockets fuelled with liquid hydrogen must be carefully insulated from all sources of heat, such as rocket engine exhaust and air friction during flight through the atmosphere." Rocket engine exhaust isn't part of the average oversea cargo ship, but "all sources of heat" including friction is a dangerous blanket statement. By taking hydrogen gas and dissolving it into another chemical, LOHC advocates say, they can carry hydrogen in normal surface conditions and without that level of care. But look again: liquid organic hydrogen carriers. These carbon-carrying members of the organic compounds family are also flammable. The fact that hydrogen is both the most flammable (and the star of the Hindenburg disaster) doesn't mean these mixers and products aren't also flammable. In this case, hydrogen is blended with methylbenzene (toluene) to make methylcyclohexane. Both are still hazardous materials that must be handled with great care.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30338137/first-international-hydrogen-supply-chain/
     
         
      Why Is So Much Oil Still Being Produced If No One Wants It? Wed, 29th Apr 2020 14:58:00
     
      The spread of the novel coronavirus has ravaged the global energy industry. Even before the spectacular oil price crash that sent the West Texas Intermediate benchmark to nearly $40 below zero, the global demand for oil had plummeted as COVID-19 pressed the pause button on economies around the world. Despite the desperate plunge in oil demand, however, a spat between Russia and Saudi Arabia pushed both countries to produce more oil in an oil-price war that has caused a historic global crude glut that has maxed out a vast amount of storage capacity and has oil sitting in tankers around the world as the glut continues to grow. If no one is buying oil and global storage is already edging toward maximum capacity with the potential to push the Brent international crude benchmark into negative pricing territory, why is oil still being produced at an alarming rate? "The short answer is that production is decreasing — just not fast enough," reported National Public Radio on April 22. "The crude markets move in slow motion," said vice president of market intelligence for Enverus Bernadette Johnson in an interview with the public broadcasting company last week. "So what we're seeing is almost a slow-motion train wreck." Part of the problem is that the infrastructure of the crude oil trade itself moves at a snail's pace. "Crude in a pipeline can take weeks to reach its destination, which means oil purchased in mid-March could still be in transit in mid-April. This spring, the world completely transformed faster than some oil could finish that trip."
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Why-Is-So-Much-Oil-Still-Being-Produced-If-No-One-Wants-It.html
     
         
      Huawei, Sungrow and SMA dominate global inverter market Wed, 29th Apr 2020 14:58:00
     
      The global solar inverter market grew 18% in 2019, according to new data from U.S.-owned analyst Wood Mackenzie. The WoodMac analysts said two trends were critical: U.S. demand ahead of the reduction in the solar Investment Tax Credit at the end of last year and a rise in demand for the retrofitting of products in operational solar plants. Asia-Pacific is still the center of global demand although the market declined slightly last year, according to WoodMac. Chinese manufacturer Huawei led the field with the top three manufacturers unchanged for five years. Chinese rival Sungrow had the second biggest slice of the market again, ahead of German outfit SMA. Spanish company Power Electronics claimed fourth position thanks to dominance in its domestic market, even if it lost U.S. market share to Sungrow during the year, according to the WoodMac analysts. Italian inverter maker Fimer enjoyed the biggest growth, climbing to fifth after it took over the solar inverter business of Swiss company ABB. The big five surrendered only 1% of their stranglehold on the global market to claim 56% of business. WoodMac said the 10 biggest inverter makers accounted for 76% of global trade.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/29/huawei-sungrow-and-sma-dominate-global-inverter-market/
     
         
      A redox flow battery for MW-sized solar-plus-storage Wed, 29th Apr 2020 14:38:00
     
      Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of newly-merged British-Canadian vanadium redox flow battery business Invinity Energy Systems has spoken to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit it is marketing for grid scale solar-plus-storage projects and why it may be a better bet than lithium-ion. With London-based private company redT energy and transatlantic peer Avalon Battery Corp last month announcing a £57.7 million merger ($71.6 million) to form vanadium redox flow battery manufacturer Invinity Energy Systems, Matt Harper, chief commercial officer of the new entity, has spoken to pv magazine about the VS3-022 Battery Unit Invinity is offering for grid scale solar-plus-storage projects. The Invinity representative said the company, which was formed via a reverse takeover and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has more than 40 operating flow battery storage projects. "The majority of our fleet is in service alongside megawatt-scale PV projects," said Harper. "This includes a 1 MWh project in Iowa, USA, which is supporting a 1 MW behind-the-meter PV array, and a 2 MWh energy storage system in Qinghai province, China, that is installed as part of a 1.6 GW solar park." With Invinity targeting the solar-plus-storage market, its typical customer wants at least 1 MW of solar-plus-storage capacity, according to Harper. The VS3-022 battery has a reported storage capacity of 220 kWh and continuous maximum DC power of 76 kW. Annual degradation of storage capacity is indicated at less than 0.5% and energy efficiency annual degradation is less than 0.1%, according to the manufacturer. The 6.058 x 2.438 x 2.4m battery has an ambient operating temperature range of –5 to 45 degrees Celsius and a lifetime of 25 years and 20,000 cycles, according to Invinity, although Harper claimed the product does not degrade at all with use.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/29/a-redox-flow-battery-for-grid-scale-solar-plus-storage/
     
         
      Fuel cells and hydrogen Tue, 28th Apr 2020 17:44:00
     
      At VTT, we research and develop fuel cell concepts, power production and technologies that utilise hydrogen. We manage a fully automated research infrastructure available for 24/7 operation. In addition to modeling, testing and characterisation possibilities, our laboratories offer testing and characterisation services for fuel cells, fuel cell stacks as well as electrolyser testing services.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKxj5eCK08
     
         
      China to Help Build $3 Billion Coal Plant in Zimbabwe Tue, 28th Apr 2020 16:38:00
     
      Zimbabwe's Rio Energy Ltd., a unit of RioZim Ltd., will build a 2,100 megawatt thermal power plant with China Gezhouba Group Corp in northern Zimbabwe at a projected cost of $3 billion, Rio Energy said Monday. "CGGC will develop the project and assist with the fund raising," Caleb Dengu, chairman of Rio Energy Ltd said last week. The power plant at Sengwa will be constructed in four phases of about 700 megawatts each, bringing total capacity to 2,800 megawatts. "We have coal reserves to support a 10,000 megawatt plant at Sengwa," Dengu said. A 250 kilometer (155-mile) pipeline will carry water from Lake Kariba to Sengwa. The pipeline, and a 420 kilovolt-ampere power line, will be built by PowerChina, said Dengu. The first phase of the project will cost about $1.2 billion, he added. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has given a formal expression of interest in the project and is negotiating with Sinosure, also known as the China Export and Credit Insurance Corp, to cover country risk insurance costs, Dengu told Bloomberg. Zimbabwe generates and imports about 1,300 megawatts of electricity, short of its 2,200 megawatt demand. Daily power outages have hampered industrial capacity for almost two decades. A two-year drought blighted the country's Kariba thermal power plant by draining the reservoir, while aging equipment at its main Hwange thermal plant causes incessant breakdowns and outages that see many consumers receiving only eight hours of power a day.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/cheap-renewables-put-old-coal-plants-to-test/news-story/112b4ebe22b8598e9ef5d7b168e7346d
     
         
      UK blown away as huge new wind farm will soon power 170,000 homes Tue, 28th Apr 2020 16:32:00
     
      A 50-turbine wind farm in southern Scotland will be up and running by 2023, sustainable energy firm Vattenfall confirmed this week. South Kyle Windfarm, near Dalmellington, is set to be the firm's largest onshore wind farm in the United Kingdom. Once construction is complete, the turbines will be able to power approximately 170,000 UK homes, saving nearly 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. That's the equivalent of 65,000 cars being taken off the road. The deal agreed by Vattenfall and Greencoat UK Wind will cost £320 million. While this is a substantial amount, according to renewable UK, investments such as these pay off as "onshore wind offers the most cost-effective choice for new electricity in the UK, bar none - it is cheaper than gas, nuclear, coal and other renewables." The Scottish wind farm aims to boost the socio-economic climate in the region, providing £38 million in community investment to benefit surrounding areas over its lifetime. "We are delighted that [] we can fulfill our commitments to the local community and contribute to major investment in the area," says Frank Elsworth, Head of Market Development for UK Onshore. "Onshore wind in Scotland has the potential to make a significant contribution to reaching net zero and is the cheapest form of renewable energy generation that brings us closer to that goal."
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/04/28/uk-blown-away-as-huge-new-wind-farm-will-soon-power-170-000-homes
     
         
      30 Years Later, This Big Boy Fusion Reactor Is Almost Ready to Turn On Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:33:00
     
      Could nuclear fusion finally be right around the corner ... in 2035? The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, is a 30-year-old project started by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. With tens of billions of dollars on the line, this experimental tokamak fusion reactor—a nuclear fusion plasma reactor where extremely hot, charged plasma spins and generates virtually limitless energy—is one of a handful of extremely costly "miniature suns" around the world. These reactors take years to get up to temperatures hot enough to induce nuclear fusion. Will they ever get there? In July 2019, Scientific American covered the unveiling of the base of the reactor setup: "The section recently installed—the cryostat base and lower cylinder—paves the way for the installation of the tokamak, the technology design chosen to house the powerful magnetic field that will encase the ultra-hot plasma fusion core."
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30705490/nuclear-fusion-iter-reactor-tokamak/
     
         
      New 5G string-inverter for commercial applications from Ginlong Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:30:00
     
      The Chinese manufacturer has integrated the Solis 110 kW string inverter into its 5G tech platform. The company claims the upgraded device can offer stronger system returns and a lower levelized cost of energy. The price of the Solis-110K-5G inverter is €0.035/W. Chinese inverter manufacturer Ningbo Ginlong Technologies has included its Solis 110 kW string inverter for commercial PV systems into its 5G technology platform, which hit the market in August. "This is our seventh device joining the platform," Ginlong Marketing Director Hefeng Lu told pv magazine. The 5G tech upgrade will help the company to offer the highest efficiency levels on the market. "At 98.7%, this maximum efficiency rating is at the top of its class," the company said. The 5G technology also provides onboard diagnostic tools that can be used on-site or remotely, it added. The European efficiency of the device is 98.3%. Additionally, Ginlong added a new thin inverter configuration to increase power generation in commercial PV systems by 3.5% across a project’s total lifecycle. The inverters feature insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), adaptive parallel technology, and wave-by-wave current-limiting protection. The Solis 110kW also combines 90 MPPTs/MW and a 150% DC/AC ratio. In addition, it has multiple MPPTs that are 100% fully independent, while offering a wide DC operating voltage range, according to the company. The 1099.5x567x344.5 mm transformer-less inverter weighs 84 kilograms and operates at ambient temperatures ranging between -25 and 60°C. It can run at a maximum altitude of 4,000 m and has a cooling system based on intelligent redundant fan-cooling. Lu added that the price of the Solis-110K-5G is €0.035/W. The new version of the three-phase 110kW string inverter is now available in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, the manufacturer said. Its new 5G inverters utilize a new bipolar PWM control algorithm that can reduce the change rate of the common-mode voltage, while also suppressing leakage current, the company said when it launched the 5G platform. "This new process can effectively reduce leakage current fault rates 50% to 60%," it explained.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/28/new-5g-string-inverter-for-commercial-applications-from-ginlong/
     
         
      Abu Dhabi’s 1.5 GW tender draws world record low solar bid of $0.0135/kWh Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:23:00
     
      With that tweet, the media office of the UAE government announced the world's lowest price for solar electricity was today agreed in the 1.5 GW solar tender the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) launched in July. The bidder was a consortium formed by French energy group EDF and Chinese solar company JinkoPower. Industry sources have told pv magazine the consortium offered AED0.0497/kWh ($0.013533) for the power generated at Al Dhafra. Emirati newspaper The National, meanwhile, reported the other offers were submitted by four consortia: One formed by Saudi energy giant ACWA Power – and including Chinese utility Shanghai Electric according to an earlier report by the Energy and Utilities website; another comprised of French oil giant Total and Japanese trading company Marubeni; another including French group Engie and International Power; and a fourth including Japan's Softbank and Italian oil and gas provider Eni. The Energy and Utilities website had reported the Engie bid was lodged alongside Al Fanar, rather than International Power.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/28/abu-dhabis-2-gw-tender-draws-world-record-solar-bid-of-0-0135-kwh/
     
         
      World’s Largest Solar Project Will Also Be Its Cheapest Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:13:00
     
      Abu Dhabi has set a global record-low solar price as authorities confirmed the winning bid in a 2-gigawatt tender. Upon its expected completion in mid-2022, it is slated to be the largest single-site solar energy project in the world. The Al Dhafra project had five bidders, with the lowest offer coming in at 1.35 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. The state-run Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (ADPower) confirmed to GTM that the leading consortium consists of French energy giant EDF and the projects division of Chinese solar manufacturer Jinko Solar. ADPower will now negotiate a 30-year power-purchase agreement with EDF/Jinko. If an agreement cannot be reached, ADPower, part of the Emirates Water and Electricity Company, can negotiate with the second-best bidder.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/worlds-largest-solar-project-will-also-be-worlds-cheapest
     
         
      Michael Moore’s green energy takedown—worse than Netflix’s Goop series? Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:08:00
     
      Let's say you want to make a documentary about a complex and important topic. You could spend a lot of time on research—developing a complete picture of things, identifying scientists to interview, and figuring out how to give viewers the context necessary to understand the most nuanced issues. Or, you could just go point your camera at stuff until you have an hour and 40 minutes of footage, lay down a voiceover, upload that baby to YouTube, and call it a day. Planet of the Humans, a documentary made by Jeff Gibbs and Michael Moore, falls into the latter category. The topic of the film—released on YouTube just before Earth Day to throw shade on what it views as a corporate takeover of the day—is green energy. But if you're thinking you might learn something about green energy from a film-length treatment of the topic, think again. The basic formula is this: Gibbs reveals that he once thought renewable sources of energy were fairy-dust perfect, with no environmental impact of any kind, but he learns that there is some impact and so declares that they are as bad as or worse than fossil fuels.
       
      Full Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/michael-moores-green-energy-takedown-worse-than-netflixs-goop-series/
     
         
      Solar costs set to continue falling according to ITRPV roadmap Tue, 28th Apr 2020 15:07:00
     
      The 11th edition of the German document which tracks solar price falls and efficiency improvements has considered the role bigger wafers are playing in cost reduction. Germany's International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), which aims to track solar power price falls and rising conversion efficiencies, has undergone its 11th update. The report, produced by engineering association the Verbandes Deutsches Maschinenbau Anlage (VDMA), states more than 650 GW of solar module generation capacity was delivered last year. The learning rate of photovoltaics – the speed at which price declines accelerate with wider deployment of the technology – reached 23.5% in 2019, according to the VDMA. The authors of the latest ITRPV document predict the learning rate for PV will continue at a similar speed in the years ahead, leading to further price declines, thanks to measures such as the use of better, larger solar wafers; optimization of front and rear cells; better module lay-outs; bifacial cell deployment; new cell types; and improved module technology. The latest ITRPV estimates there is more than 200 GW of solar module production capacity worldwide and the report's authors expect the figure to continue rising. The roadmap update estimates module costs fell 10% last year – for both mono and multicrystalline products – and cell costs retreated 20%. The average monocrystalline solar module price fell from $0.39 per Watt-peak in 2018 to $0.24 this year, according to the ITRPV update. Multicrystalline products fell from $0.31 to $0.21 over the same period, according to the VDMA.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/28/solar-costs-set-to-continue-falling-according-to-itrpv-roadmap/
     
         
      ‘World first’ as hydrogen used to power commercial steel production Tue, 28th Apr 2020 14:54:00
     
      Hydrogen has been used to power commercial steel production for the first time, replacing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the source of high-temperature heat at a pilot project in Sweden. Swedish steel maker Ovako's trial at its Hofors steel mill, in conjunction with hydrogen producer Linde Gas, showed that H2 had no affect on the quality of steel.4 "This is a major development for the steel industry," said Göran Nyström, executive vice-president of group marketing & technology at Ovako. "It is the first time that hydrogen has been used to heat steel in an existing production environment. Thanks to the trial, we know that hydrogen can be used simply and flexibly, with no impact on steel quality, which would mean a very large reduction in the carbon footprint." The company said that "this historic development for the steel industry proves that carbon dioxide emissions from rolling can be eliminated provided the right financial support and infrastructure are in place". "Given the right conditions, Ovako could therefore introduce hydrogen heating for furnaces at all its rolling mills and thereby drastically reduce its already world-leading low carbon footprint from cradle to gate." An Ovako spokesperson tells Recharge that to begin such a roll-out, the company would "need to get funding and collaborate with the right industrial partners". Ovako already uses electric-arc furnaces powered by renewable energy to melt scrap steel and produce its base product, but LNG to provide the heat at its rolling mills — where pre-produced steel is passed through pairs of rollers that reduce its thickness and makes the thickness uniform.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/-world-first-as-hydrogen-used-to-power-commercial-steel-production/2-1-799308
     
         
      Fuel cells and hydrogen Tue, 28th Apr 2020 12:55:00
     
      At VTT, we research and develop fuel cell concepts, power production and technologies that utilise hydrogen. We manage a fully automated research infrastructure available for 24/7 operation. In addition to modeling, testing and characterisation possibilities, our laboratories offer testing and characterisation services for fuel cells, fuel cell stacks as well as electrolyser testing services.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKxj5eCK08
     
         
      Green hydrogen can be cost competitive Tue, 28th Apr 2020 12:16:00
     
      Since policymakers are demanding a drop in overall carbon emissions, the growth of hydrogen depends on its production becoming ‘clean’. Though other processes do exist or are emerging, near-future production of clean hydrogen will depend on two methods. Blue hydrogen takes conventional production, largely reforming of natural gas, and adds another step—capture and storage of co-produced CO2 (CCS). Green hydrogen dispenses with hydrocarbon feedstocks and splits hydrogen from water, utilising the process of electrolysis. For the hydrogen to be green, the electricity must be from renewable sources. The cost of green hydrogen depends mainly on the cost of the electrolyser, the price of electricity used to power it and how often it operates (which impacts fixed cost recovery per unit of production). Since renewable electricity is also becoming ever cheaper, most analysts forecast green hydrogen production will become cost-competitive with its blue cousin. Some predict that cost parity will happen in the sunniest and windiest countries within five years, and potentially everywhere from 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.petroleum-economist.com/articles/low-carbon-energy/renewables/2020/green-hydrogen-can-be-cost-competitive
     
         
      What is the Cheapest Form of Energy? Tue, 28th Apr 2020 5:04:00
     
      Not long ago, coal was the cheapest form of energy. Now, solar and wind plants are half the cost of new coal plants. Cheap renewable energy and low-priced batteries are anticipated to lead to wind and solar producing 50 percent of the world’s electricity generation by 2050. Renewable energy sources are beginning to take over the power sector with low-carbon alternatives producing environmental benefits at a low cost. Advances in technology are driving the price of renewable energy sources down. The dangers of climate change are setting in motion the move to renewable energy. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published a report, which announced that the cost of renewable energy is falling at such a rapid rate that it will be a dependably cheaper energy source than traditional fuels in only a few years’ time. The IRENA report found that solar and onshore wind are the cheapest energy sources. It states that in 2017 wind turbine prices had an average cost of $0.06 per kWh, and at times dropped to $0.04 per kWh. At the same time, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) had fallen to $0.10 per kWh. In comparison, electricity produced by fossil fuels typically ran from $0.05 to $0.17 per kWh. This same report predicts that within the next few years, solar and wind will be able to furnish electricity for as little as $0.03 per kWh.
       
      Full Article: https://www.altenergymag.com/article/2020/04/what-is-the-cheapest-form-of-energy/33009
     
         
      Enercon toasts 564MW Turkish double Mon, 27th Apr 2020 17:37:00
     
      German turbine manufacturer Enercon has completed installation of over 564MW of hardware at the Soma and Karaburun wind farms in Turkey. The 312.1MW Soma project comprises 181 machines in total made up of 89 E-44, 80 E-70 and 12 E-126 EP3 units. Soma was built in phases with the final fourth stage featuring the E-126 EP3 turbines on tubular steel towers with hub heights of 116 metres. It is owned by Polat Enerji and is located in the provinces of Manisa and Bal?kesir in western Turkey. Blades, towers and baskets were manufactured in Turkey, with the remaining system components delivered from Germany. Completion of Soma 4 brings the annual energy yield at the wind farm to around 873 million kilowatt-hours. The 252MW Karaburun features 83 turbines comprising 30 E-82 E2, 20 E-82 E4 and 33 E-126 EP3 models. Enercon said 11 of the E-126 EP3 machines are on 86-metre tubular steel towers and 22 on 116-metre tubular steel towers. The first E-126 EP3 units were commissioned at Karaburun in the province of Izmir in the west of the country in May 2019. System components were mainly manufactured in Germany and Portugal. Enercon Turkey regional head PLM Mustafa Sunbul said: "We are proud that despite the corona pandemic, we were able to complete the construction of both major projects in April." The official commissioning of the last two plants is scheduled for May. Enercon also plans to complete the 100MW Kocatepe and 120.4MW Ulu wind farms in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/59904/enercon-toasts-564mw-turkish-double/
     
         
      TÜV Rheinland confirms 515.8 W output for Trina’s new modules Mon, 27th Apr 2020 15:40:00
     
      Trina Solar has been producing its 500 W modules in series for a month now and plans to increase their output to more than 600 W in the future. An independent test by Germany's TÜV Rheinland has confirmed a power output of 515.8 W for Trina's new Vertex PV module series. "It passed the IEC test for photovoltaic modules from TÜV Rheinland and received both certification according to the performance standard IEC 61215 for PV modules and the safety standard IEC 61730 for PV modules," said the Chinese module maker on Monday. Trina Solar launched the 500 W module at the end of February. In mid-March, following the start of commercial production, the company announced its first order, with the first high-performance modules going to Sri Lanka. The PERC monocrystalline bifacial solar module series consists of Duomax V panels with glass-glass structures, while the Tallmax V features a glass-backsheet frame. The modules are based on large-format 210-millimeter silicon wafers, third-party solar cells, multi-bus bars and monocrystalline PERC cell technology. Trina claims to have created an innovative cell design combining advanced third-party devices, a non-destructive cutting process and high packing density. "Trina Solar's Vertex module has passed the comprehensive and rigorous test by TÜV Rheinland with industry-leading output reaching 515.8W," said Chris Zou, vice president of solar services, TÜV Rheinland Greater China. "This fully demonstrates Trina Solar's prowess in R&D and industrial chain support accumulated over the years."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/27/tuv-rheinland-confirms-515-8-w-output-for-trinas-new-modules/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Airlines urge chancellor to extend job support scheme Mon, 27th Apr 2020 15:38:00
     
      Airline industry bosses have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend his job retention scheme beyond June. Aviation industry body Airlines UK said airlines hit by coronavirus would face "a renewed cash crisis" if the scheme were withdrawn prematurely. The Treasury is currently paying most of the wages of nearly four million staff, working across the economy, who have been put on temporary leave. Separately, an all-party group of MPs has called for a bailout of aviation. However, the group of 20 MPs said in a letter to Mr Sunak that any support package offered to airlines and travel companies should come with stringent environmental conditions. The letter said: "If public money is used to save them, they must be required by law to do more to tackle climate change. "They must be obliged to follow in the footsteps of many in the industry that have implemented ambitious carbon offsetting schemes." On Sunday, Virgin Atlantic said it was still in talks with the UK government about a coronavirus-related bailout. Many airlines have been struggling as revenues have dropped amid travel bans.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52439405
     
         
      Coronavirus and climate: Australia's chance to shift to green energy Mon, 27th Apr 2020 15:35:00
     
      The Covid-19 pandemic is a "huge opportunity" to fast-track Australia's shift towards more renewable energy, climate scientists have told the BBC. Australia's recent bushfires made climate change the country's most pressing issue. But scientists say that momentum risks being lost because of the virus. Instead, as Australia looks for ways to revive its economy, innovations around solar, wind and hydroelectric projects should be central, they say. The devastating summer of blazes - driven by drought and rising temperatures - killed 33 people and destroyed about 3,000 homes. Millions of hectares of bush, forest and parks burned. Prof Mark Howden of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University said memories of "the droughts and the fires and the smoke haze across major cities have dissipated with the arrival of Covid-19". "And clearly the momentum for change in relation to climate here in Australia has dissipated quite considerably too."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-52395319
     
         
      OPEC Sees Oil Rising To $40 In Second Half Of 2020 Mon, 27th Apr 2020 15:27:00
     
      Oil prices are set to recover with the OPEC+ production cuts and gradual lifting of lockdowns around the world in the second half of 2020, when oil prices "will be $40 starting from the third quarter," Mohamed Arkab, Energy Minister of OPEC's rotating president Algeria, said on Sunday. The global economy will not stay paralyzed for too long, and together with the 9.7 million bpd cuts that OPEC and its allies pledged for May and June, these factors are set to lift the price of oil in H2 2020, Arkab told Algeria's national radio, as quoted by Turkey's Anadolu Agency. In China, which was hit first by the coronavirus, and which exited the lockdown first, the return to normalization in the transportation sector "is driving up global demand," according to Algeria's energy minister. Just a few days before the OPEC+ deal enters into force, oil prices crashed again early on Monday, as the market continues to see the imminent storage shortage problem as a bigger factor for prices than the potential effect of the OPEC+ cuts and the potential easing of the lockdown measures. At 8.30 a.m. EDT on Monday, Brent Crude was down by nearly 5 percent at $20 a barrel, and WTI Crude was crashing by more than 20 percent to below $14 per barrel. Last week, OPEC's fourth-largest producer, Kuwait, said it had already started to reduce crude oil supply to international markets ahead of May 1, "sensing a responsibility responding to market conditions." Saudi Arabia, OPEC's top producer and the world's top oil exporter, has also begun to reduce production earlier, a Saudi industry official with knowledge of the issue told Bloomberg over the weekend. Others, however, including Nigeria and the leader of the non-OPEC producers, Russia, haven't rushed to cut production ahead of schedule. Despite solemn commitments from OPEC+ producers and tentative schedules for reopening economies and easing the lockdowns, including in Italy, oil market participants continue to focus on the imminent threat of global storage overflowing rather than on the effect of the cuts and eased lockdowns two to three months down the road.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/OPEC-Sees-Oil-Rising-To-40-In-Second-Half-Of-2020.html
     
         
      Report: Green hydrogen pipeline doubles in five months Mon, 27th Apr 2020 13:47:00
     
      A new report published by energy research and consultancy company Wood Mackenzie shows that in the last five months, the green hydrogen pipeline has more than doubled. According to the report, as of March 2020, almost 8.2GW of electrolyser capacity is now in the proposed pipeline for new projects and the outlook for hydrogen is getting more and more attractive. In the report, Wood Mackenzie highlights that today, larger integrated energy, industrial and financial players are advancing innovative new projects, with the tailwind of net-zero carbon policies at their back.
       
      Full Article: https://www.h2-view.com/story/report-green-hydrogen-pipeline-doubles-in-five-months/
     
         
      Op-ed: For Big Oil, this crisis will be different, and it may be irreversible Sun, 26th Apr 2020 18:06:00
     
      The price of oil has gone negative after weeks of oil sands output selling for less than a pint of beer per barrel. Banks are preparing for a wave of oil bankruptcies by setting up their own oil companies to operate seized assets. Regulators in Texas are considering setting limits on the state's production, an approach more reminiscent of Soviet-style central planning than a Republican-controlled regulatory body. An oil company executive just admitted, "No one wants to give us capital because we have all destroyed capital and created economic waste." And the energy sector's valuation is shrinking to such a degree that it has become the second smallest segment in the entire S&P index, with its weighting down 80% from a decade ago. All of these developments would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, and yet all are headlines from just the past week in the oil patch. This remarkable shift has implications that go well beyond any near-term damage to the industry's finances. The change in narrative — from a focus on the industry's resilience to its fragility — threatens to reframe how the financial community thinks about the future of the oil and gas industry, and even its very investability in a world beset by geopolitical infighting and looming demand destruction from the low-carbon transition. Long after some semblance of stability is restored to the world economy, the industry's downgrade in investability threatens to be the longest-lasting and most consequential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the oil and gas sector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/26/big-oil-crisis-caused-by-coronavirus-may-be-irreversible.html
     
         
      Floating nuclear power stations and their prospects Sun, 26th Apr 2020 15:56:00
     
      Academician Lomonosov is a floating nuclear power plant developed by the Russian Rosatom corporation. The large non-self-propelled power barge is equipped with two nuclear reactors. The concept of use of such power plants lies in the possibility of mooring a barge on the shore near a city or industrial facility and providing the consumers with electric and thermal energy. At the same time, power plants can be built in series at a factory, and the place of use needs only minimal infrastructure, which gives such a solution flexibility and good prospects. The project, of course, has critics, who point out both the excessive cost of energy and the potential environmental hazard. In this video, we will try to study Lomonosov and find out what its prospects are. Thanks you for watching!
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XM6IC0kI7c
     
         
      India Extends Relief To Renewable Energy Projects Affected By COVID-19 Lockdown Sun, 26th Apr 2020 15:53:00
     
      Barely days after announcing that renewable energy project developers would be allowed to exercise force the majeure clause to seek extension of commissioning deadlines, India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has expanded the scope of this relief. The MNRE has announced that commissioning deadlines of all renewable energy projects has been extended by 30 days beyond the period of lockdown related to COVID-19 outbreak. India announced a nation-wide lockdown between 24 March to 3 May 2020. Some states may extend the lockdown further. While the government has allowed construction of power projects during lockdown, with this order commissioning deadlines will be extended by 30 days in addition to the number of lockdown days. The ministry further clarified that developers will not be required to submit any documentation to seek this extension, as was the case as per the previous order. While the blanket extension of commissioning deadline will bring much-needed relief to developers, there are still demands for more flexible extensions. Some companies proposed an extension of up to 180 days citing delays in logistics and labor mobilization. The MNRE has made an effort to minimize the strain on the renewable energy sector as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In an earlier order, the ministry had also clarified that must-run status enjoyed by renewable energy projects shall continue during the lockdown period and payments to renewable energy companies must not be delayed. In February, we had covered a story about concerns over delays in commissioning of solar power projects in India due to its high dependency on Chinese modules. Now, Wood Mackenzie reports that around 3 gigawatts of solar and wind energy projects could be delayed in India this year. It has also reduced projected solar power capacity addition from 11.8 gigawatts to 8.9 gigawatts this year.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/26/india-extends-relief-to-renewable-energy-projects-affected-by-covid-19-lockdown/
     
         
      Sweden Shutters Last Coal-Fired Generating Plant 2 Years Early Sun, 26th Apr 2020 15:48:00
     
      It's good news when a nation makes plans to rid itself of electricity generated from burning coal. It's even better news when it does so ahead of schedule. Swedish utility Stockholm Exergi announced some time ago it would shut down its KVV6 coal generating station in Hjorthagen in 2022. It actually took one of the facilities two boilers offline last fall. But a milder than expected winter led to lower demand for electricity and so the decision was made to close the entire facility now instead of waiting another two years, according to PV Magazine. The issue is money. Carbon Tracker, a renewable energy advocacy group based in London, claims that 84% of coal generators in the EU that rely on lignite, or brown coal, are now operating at a loss, with 76% of those which burn hard coal also losing money. In 2017, Carbon Tracker reported "only" 46% of European coal plants were unprofitable. The difference is what it calls the "relentless" competition from solar and wind power. Combined, coal generators are on track to lose more than €6.5 billion in 2020. Stockholm Exergi says from now on it will focus on carbon negative approaches. "We continue to work on the transition to climate neutral solutions and also solutions to create negative emissions," says chief executive Anders Egelrud. "Here, the researchers agree: We don't only need to reduce our emissions to zero but also … to develop techniques to specifically reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere." Europe Beyond Coal, based in the UK, also praised the moves, saying it indicates the fate awaiting coal in Europe. "With Sweden going coal-free in the same week as Austria, the downward trajectory of coal in Europe is clear. Against the backdrop of the serious health challenges we are currently facing, leaving coal behind in exchange for renewables is the right decision and will repay us in kind with improved health, climate protection and more resilient economies." Other European nations plan to exit coal in the next few years. France expects to shut its last coal-fired facility by 2022, Slovakia and Portugal in 2023, the U.K. in 2024, and Ireland and Italy a year later. Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, and Denmark also plan to eliminate coal-fired power generation this decade as a way of complying with the commitments they made in Paris in 2015. Germany is lagging behind the others as its current plans do not call for a complete phase out of coal until 2038, but economic pain in the coal sector may do before then what politicians cannot do today.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/26/sweden-shutters-last-coal-fired-generating-plant-2-years-early/
     
         
      Climate crisis: Releasing bison, reindeer and horses into the Arctic would slow warming, say scientists Sun, 26th Apr 2020 15:43:00
     
      Releasing herds of animals into the Arctic could help tackle the climate crisis, researchers say. A computerised simulation of conditions at the polar region found that with enough wildlife, 80 per cent of the world's permafrost soils could be saved, preventing a vicious circle of environmental catastrophe. Half of all permafrost areas – ground that is permanently frozen – are on course to thaw by the year 2100 at current rates of climate change, scientists say. This is caused by rising emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which are predicted to push up frozen land temperatures by 7F. But experts in Germany calculated that if herds of horses, bison and reindeer repopulated the tundra, ground temperatures would rise by only 4F, protecting most of it from melting. In exceptionally cold areas such as the Arctic, the air is even colder than the earth, and thick blankets of snow act as insulation on land, protecting it from the air and keeping it milder. But grazing animals can keep the ground cool by dispersing snow and compressing the land, according to the study, published in the nature journal Scientific Reports. When permafrost melts, it releases heat-trapping gases that have been buried for tens of thousands of years back into the atmosphere, so accelerating the climate crisis. Last month scientists discovered the polar ice caps are melting six times faster than they were in the 1990s.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-global-warming-arctic-permafrost-tundra-bison-reindeer-horses-a9484901.html
     
         
      The Next Chapter of the Oil Crisis: The Industry Shuts Down Sun, 26th Apr 2020 14:36:00
     
      Negative oil prices, ships dawdling at sea with unwanted cargoes, and traders getting creative about where to stash oil. The next chapter in the oil crisis is now inevitable: great swathes of the petroleum industry are about to start shutting down. The economic impact of the coronavirus has ripped through the oil industry in dramatic phases. First it destroyed demand as lockdowns shut factories and kept drivers at home. Then storage started filling up and traders resorted to ocean-going tankers to store crude in the hope of better prices ahead. Now shipping prices are surging to stratospheric levels as the industry runs out of tankers, a sign of just how distorted the market has become. The specter of production shut-downs - and the impact they will have on jobs, companies, their banks, and local economies - was one of the reasons that spurred world leaders to join forces to cut production in an orderly way. But as the scale of the crisis dwarfed their efforts, failing to stop prices diving below zero last week, shut-downs are now a reality. It's the worst-case scenario for producers and refiners. "We are moving into the end-game," Torbjorn Tornqvist, head of commodity trading giant Gunvor Group Ltd., said in an interview. "Early-to-mid May could be the peak. We are weeks, not months, away from it.”
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-26/the-next-chapter-of-the-oil-crisis-the-industry-shuts-down
     
         
      Coronavirus recovery plan 'must tackle climate change' Sat, 25th Apr 2020 17:28:00
     
      Tackling climate change must be woven into the solution to the Covid-19 economic crisis, the UK will tell governments next week. Environment ministers from 30 countries are meeting in a two-day online conference in a bid to make progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The gathering is called the "Petersberg Climate Dialogue". It will focus on how to organise a "green" economic recovery after the acute phase of the pandemic is over. The other aim is to forge international agreement on ambitious carbon cuts despite the postponement of the key conference COP26 - previously scheduled for Glasgow in November (now without a date). Alok Sharma, the UK Climate Secretary and president of COP26, said: "I am committed to increasing global climate ambition so that we deliver on the Paris Agreement (to stabilise temperature rise well below 2C). "The world must work together, as it has to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, to support a green and resilient recovery, which leaves no one behind. "At the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, we will come together to discuss how we can turn ambition into real action."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52418624
     
         
      The weekend read: Mobilizing Europe for perovskite PV Sat, 25th Apr 2020 17:25:00
     
      As electricity generation from PV has become one of the cheapest energy sources available, its market opportunities have expanded. Meanwhile, the European PV industry has been losing ground. The number of European PV cell and module manufacturers now stands in the low double-digit range. And the number of bankruptcies has continued to climb. Despite this history, today there is a viable space for "made in Europe PV". The members of the European Perovskite Initiative (EPKI) are convinced of this and of the role of perovskite technology. Underpinning EPKI's efforts is the belief that the energy transition we are all eager to achieve should also deliver environmental, social and technological benefits. Specifically, EPKI believes Europe should not give up on PV manufacturing in order to maintain a minimum level of strategic independence.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/25/the-weekend-read-mobilizing-europe-for-perovskite-pv/
     
         
      Climate crisis: Norway accused of ‘acting like Trump’ over refusal to set protected Arctic zone in areas where oil firms want to drill Sat, 25th Apr 2020 17:19:00
     
      Norway has come under fire from environmental groups who accuse it of caving to oil companies over a decision to shift an Arctic no-go zone. The Norwegian government on Friday proposed a minor extension of the so-called ice edge boundary, which marks the edge of the Arctic beyond which firms are barred from drilling for oil. But the planned boundary re-drawing excludes any areas for which licenses have already been granted — going against the advice issued by the government's own scientists, who urged a far larger extension southwards. Research has shown sea ice has a more widespread impact on Arctic life than previously thought. When spring comes, the area covered by drifting ice becomes abundant with life, with algae bloom supporting zooplankton growth, which in turn attracts fish, birds and sea mammals. Greenpeace said the government had set a "completely arbitrary and unscientific border" in order to put the interests of the oil industry ahead of the science.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/oil-norway-trump-arctic-ice-edge-zone-drilling-climate-change-a9484016.html
     
         
      EDFpoised Sat, 25th Apr 2020 17:10:00
     
      EDF is poised to submit a planning application for a large nuclear power station on England's east coast despite opponents' complaints that Britain's coronavirus lockdown will hamper proper scrutiny of the project. Suffolk residents have raised concerns about how they can examine and contest the application for the Sizewell C plant after government scientific advisers warned that disruptive social distancing measures would probably be in place all year. The French utility has been working with Chinese state-owned nuclear company CGN on the plans for Sizewell, which could provide 7 per cent of the UK's electricity. The two companies are already constructing Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the UK's first new nuclear plant in three decades, but the project has been hit by cost overruns and delays. EDF warned last year that Hinkley's completion could cost an extra £2.9bn, taking the total to £22.5bn. Alison Downes, a Suffolk resident who represents campaign group Stop Sizewell C, said submitting the application during the Covid-19 pandemic would "escalate anxiety at a time when people have got a huge amount of others things to be anxious about".
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/613a9ba7-f720-4224-9c24-cd63a8d26643
     
         
      INL Advancing High Temperature Electrolysis: Splitting Water to Store Energy as Hydrogen Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:54:00
     
      INL Advancing High Temperature Electrolysis: Splitting Water to Store Energy as Hydrogen
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/inl-advancing-high-temperature-electrolysis-splitting-water-to-store-energy-as-hydrogen/
     
         
      Oil Slump May No Longer Be a Curse for Renewable Energy Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:50:00
     
      Low oil prices are usually a curse for green energy, but this time might be different. The collapse of the crude market has seen prices fall below zero for the first time in history. Yet Royal Dutch Shell Plc this month outlined a bold program to slash carbon emissions and invest in clean energy, while Eni SpA said Friday it'll consider accelerating its ambitious climate plan. There's always been tension between calls for Big Oil to tackle climate change and their investors’ doubts about the profitability of spending on renewables. Historically, a plunge in crude prices has tended to undercut costlier clean energy, prompting companies to divert dwindling financial resources into their core business of fossil fuels. What's different this time is that the cost of renewables and natural gas has broken away from oil, weakening crude's influence on the price of electricity. While the coronavirus has destroyed demand for oil and transport fuels, power use has dropped less sharply. And importantly, energy companies are now painfully aware of the mounting pressure from consumers -- and investors -- to clean up their output, rein in emissions and prepare for a future beyond oil. "The situation is totally different since the last time oil prices were this low," said Nick Boyle, chief executive officer of solar company Lightsource BP. The cost of solar is a 10th of what it was during the recession of 2008 to 2009. Even as crude has slumped, "in the last few weeks we have announced new deals on nearly 400 megawatts of new capacity in the U.S. alone," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-24/oil-slump-may-no-longer-be-a-curse-for-renewable-energy
     
         
      $110 Trillion Renewables Stimulus Package Could Create 50 Million Jobs Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:10:00
     
      As the world continues to grapple with the worst global pandemic in living memory, economists everywhere are warning that we are witnessing the unraveling of something far grimmer than the 2008 financial crisis: the Great Depression 2.0. The signs are legion: Unprecedented levels of job and capital destruction, decimated consumer spending, underperformance by nearly all major financial markets, and a breakdown in the world fiscal order. Even giant economic powerhouses have not been spared, with California--one of the wealthiest states in the United States thanks to its booming tech sector--having obliterated all its job growth over the last decade in just two months. But now a renewable energy think-tank says directing those stimulus dollars to renewable energy investments could not only help tackle global climate emergency but spur massive economic gains post-Covid-19 for decades to come. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)--an organization dedicated to promoting global adoption of renewable energy and facilitating sustainable use--says that it will cost the global economy $95 trillion to help return things to normal. Investing $110 trillion in renewables could, on the other hand, potentially spur an even more robust economic recovery from COVID-19 by creating massive socioeconomic gains as well as generate savings of $50 trillion-$142 trillion by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/110-Trillion-Renewables-Stimulus-Package-Could-Create-50-Million-Jobs.html
     
         
      Climate Change Made 2019 The Warmest Year On Record Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:07:00
     
      The annual temperature in 2019 was the highest on record for Europe, the new European State of the Climate 2019 shows. The continent is heating at a faster rate than the global average. The data, compiled by Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) as well as other Copernicus services and external partners, focuses on some gauges of long-term regional and global climate change including surface temperature, sea level and ice sheets. A clear warming trend emerged over the last four decades and 11 of the 12 warmest years have occurred since 2000. The annual mean temperature shows that 2019 was over 1.2 2 degrees Celsius above average, followed by 2014, 2015 and 2018. "The number of record-breaking years keeps growing," the director of C3S Carlo Buontempo tells Forbes.com. "This is not a statistical variation because it would be a very rare one, on the contrary it is compatible with our observation of global warming." But the European temperature is almost 2 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 level, while globally it is about 1.1 degree Celsius above.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emanuelabarbiroglio/2020/04/25/climate-change-made-2019-the-warmest-year-on-record/#2a01645129cb
     
         
      The Shale Suffering Has Only Just Begun Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:03:00
     
      A few weeks before the summer driving season begins, U.S. gasoline consumption has plummeted to levels last seen in the late 1960s, due to the lockdowns to contain the spreading of the coronavirus. With demand for motor fuel plunging, refiners are cutting crude processing, and crude oil storage capacity in America is filling fast. The glut is set to worsen in the coming weeks, and storage capacity at Cushing, Oklahoma, could be full by the middle of May, analysts say. The fast demand destruction in the pandemic threatens to fill up storage across America soon, forcing oil prices lower and forcing oil producers to idle more rigs and curtail more production than initially thought. Total U.S. petroleum consumption stabilized in the latest reporting week to April 17 at 14.1 million barrels per day (bpd), up slightly from the 13.8 million bpd estimated consumption in the previous week, which was the lowest weekly consumption level in EIA's statistics dating back to the early 1990s. But crude oil and gasoline inventories continued to jump while crude refinery inputs continued to drop, according to EIA's latest inventory report from this week. U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 12.5 million bpd during the week ending April 17, which was 209,000 bpd less than the previous week’s average. Refineries continued to cut run rates and operated at 67.6 percent of their capacity. To compare, refiners would typically operate at more than 90 percent capacity just ahead of the summer driving season. But this year, the summer driving season is postponed and is expected to be very weak.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Shale-Suffering-Has-Only-Just-Begun.html
     
         
      Saving Eden in Colombia Sat, 25th Apr 2020 16:02:00
     
      Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are on a mission to save rare plant species before they vanish forever.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-52420197
     
         
      Coronavirus recovery plan 'must tackle climate change' Sat, 25th Apr 2020 15:59:00
     
      Tackling climate change must be woven into the solution to the Covid-19 economic crisis, the UK will tell governments next week. Environment ministers from 30 countries are meeting in a two-day online conference in a bid to make progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The gathering is called the "Petersberg Climate Dialogue". It will focus on how to organise a "green" economic recovery after the acute phase of the pandemic is over. The other aim is to forge international agreement on ambitious carbon cuts despite the postponement of the key conference COP26 - previously scheduled for Glasgow in November (now without a date). Alok Sharma, the UK Climate Secretary and president of COP26, said: "I am committed to increasing global climate ambition so that we deliver on the Paris Agreement (to stabilise temperature rise well below 2C). "The world must work together, as it has to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, to support a green and resilient recovery, which leaves no one behind. "At the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, we will come together to discuss how we can turn ambition into real action."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52418624
     
         
      Geothermal Energy: How it Works and Stacks Up Against Coal Sat, 25th Apr 2020 15:20:00
     
      To maintain the goals of the Paris Agreement and save the Earth from ecological breakdown, one of the most important things experts agree we need to do is transition to a renewable energy economy. While most of us may associate renewable energy with wind energy and solar energy, there are several other sources of clean energy that are growing in popularity. One such source is geothermal energy. You may not have personal experience with geothermal energy, but in some areas, it’s the norm. For example, Reykjavik, Iceland, uses geothermal energy to heat 95 percent of its buildings — and some people consider Reykjavik to be one of the world’s cleanest cities, according to HowStuffWorks. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly geothermal energy is, how it works, and if it’s a viable option to power your home, read on for everything you need to know about geothermal energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greenmatters.com/p/geothermal-energy
     
         
      Colombia: Saving rare species in jungles once protected by war Sat, 25th Apr 2020 13:23:00
     
      Deforestation has skyrocketed in Colombia since the peace deal of 2016. BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner joins a team of scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on a mission into virgin tropical rainforest. They hope to discover and save rare plant species before they are destroyed and vanish forever.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-52405350/colombia-saving-rare-species-in-jungles-once-protected-by-war
     
         
      Dream your way out of lockdown at this floating, solar-powered villa Fri, 24th Apr 2020 16:24:00
     
      Wherever you are in the world, chances are you're stuck inside adhering to social distancing measures and wondering when you'll be free to roam the streets and do normal things once again. At times like these, the idea of travelling abroad has never seemed so alluring. We know that flying leaves a hefty carbon footprint on the earth, especially when you're travelling long distance, but it's human nature to want what we can't have. Lilypad luxury floating villa off the coast of Sydney, Australia, is one of those dreamy getaways you had in mind. Located in Palm Beach, it's a boutique hotel you can rent for a romantic, overnight stay in the middle of the ocean. For an additional cost, a private chef awaits you and you can even have spa treatments outside on the decking. The interior is luxurious, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics to create a serene, intimate setting. Not only is Lilypad a beautiful place to stay, it was also designed with sustainability in mind. Designer Chuck Anderson created the venue to run completely off solar power. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy that is totally inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels that are finite and produce greenhouse gases. "Growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches and spending much of my life around boats, I always had a vision to create something truly special that people can now enjoy as their own," he says. "Lilypad Palm Beach certainly brings new meaning to the phrase self sufficient." The villa has an array of then solar panels strategically placed across the roof, which is then turned into 240 Volt power, allowing guests to run all the modern appliances and luxuries that they would want. So, the coffee machine, dishwasher, Netflix and Wi-Fi all run completely from the sun's energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/04/23/dream-your-way-out-of-lockdown-at-this-floating-solar-powered-airbnb
     
         
      Are Hong Kong’s pink dolphins about to disappear? Fri, 24th Apr 2020 14:01:00
     
      It wasn't until the 1990s that anyone actually counted the number of pink dolphins living off the coast of Hong Kong. Construction of the city’s new international airport, Chek Lap Kok, was almost complete but in the process important dolphin habitat had been reclaimed for runways and terminal buildings. Hong Kong officials decided to check how the dolphin population was doing. They counted 250 individuals. Today only 32 remain Hong Kong's pink dolphins are actually Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins, or Chinese White Dolphins. And their skin isn't pink; the animals live in murky waters with little sun penetration so it simply lacks pigmentation. It is warm blood pumping through vessels close to the skin's surface that gives the dolphins their bubblegum pink appearance. The first recorded mention of these unusual creatures was by a British man called Peter Mundy in 1637. Mundy, a merchant who helped introduce tea to the UK, described the dolphins as "sword fish", not realising they were mammals. He wrote in his journal: "The porpoises here are as white as milk, some of them ruddy withal." Hong Kong's fishermen have known about the creatures for centuries. They call the dolphins Hak Kei (the Black Taboo) or Pak Kei (the White Taboo). "Once they are here, all the fishes will be gone!" says Uncle Wai, a fisherman in Tai O, a major fishing village in the western edge of the territory. Catching a glimpse is not easy but dolphin-watching tours have become popular with tourists. When people see the dolphins for the first time, their joy is obvious. "I've had some striking moments," says Janet Walker, a senior guide with the DolphinWatch tour. "You know, amazing aerial displays and things… or like the dolphins that come and swim under your feet! Or, you know, look you in the eye." But Janet is worried. She's noticed the dolphins are disappearing. "You know we are still seeing a few calves, but not that many, and the number's still plummeting."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/BMWw2fMKVW/hong-kong-dolphins
     
         
      Ørsted’s Skipjack Delayed Due to Permitting Issues Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 16:55:00
     
      Ørsted is postponing the Skipjack Wind Farm project offshore Maryland, US by a year due to delays in the permitting procedure. The delays will push the project's anticipated completion date from late 2022 to the end of 2023, the world's leading offshore wind developer said. "As the federal permitting timeline evolves, Ørsted is now receiving its federal Notice of Intent for the Skipjack Wind Farm later than originally anticipated," Ørsted said. "As a result, Ørsted has determined that moving Skipjack Wind Farm's anticipated completion date from late 2022 to the new target of the end of 2023 puts us in the strongest position possible to deliver a successful project. Ørsted remains firmly committed to working with our federal partners to complete Skipjack and provide clean, reliable offshore wind energy to 35,000 homes in the Delmarva region." Located 17-26 miles off the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula, the Skipjack Wind Farm will feature GE Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbines, subject to final agreed and signed contract, and all required project approvals. Once commissioned, the wind turbines will provide enough electricity to meet the demand of nearly 35,000 average US households. The project will create around 1,400 jobs in Maryland, Ørsted said. This includes 913 jobs, measured in full-time equivalents, during the development/construction phase, and 484 jobs during the operating period. Ørsted will develop the project at Maryland's first offshore wind energy staging center at Tradepoint Atlantic, Baltimore County. The wind farm will connect to the PJM grid in Delaware via a newly constructed interconnection facility in Fenwick Island State Park.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/04/23/orsteds-skipjack-delayed-due-to-permitting-issues/
     
         
      Eskom launches tender to ‘repurpose’ coal plants with low-carbon growth tech Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 16:10:00
     
      The debt-saddled South African utility has issued an expression of interest to seek proposals on how to refurbish three fossil fuel power plants to be decommissioned in the current decade. Eskom said that all of the proposed solutions should be at the tech-readiness level. South African utility Eskom has issued an expression of interest for "Decomissioned Power Station Repurposing." The state-owned company said that some of its coal-fired power plants are approaching the end of their 50-year design lifecycles. It added that a number of units have already been scheduled for decommissioning over the next decade. "Furthermore, national legislation requires decommissioned power plants, together with their surrounding brownfield sites, to be rehabilitated and for rigorous post-decommissioning environmental impact monitoring regimes be implemented," it said. Eskom is seeking proposals on how to "repurpose" old, dirty power plants with technologies that support low-carbon growth, enterprise development, and sustainable job growth. "It is vital that innovative solutions with a win-win value proposition be sought and explored to mitigate the potential negative impacts of Eskom's decommissioning programme on all stakeholders," the utility added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/23/eskom-launches-tender-to-repurpose-coal-plants-with-low-carbon-growth-tech/
     
         
      Could Microsoft’s climate crisis ‘moonshot’ plan really work? Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 16:08:00
     
      Microsoft drew widespread praise in January this year after Brad Smith, the company's president, announced their climate "moonshot". While other corporate giants, such as Amazon and Walmart, were pledging to go carbon neutral, Microsoft vowed to go carbon negative by 2030, meaning they would be removing more carbon from the atmosphere than they produced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/23/microsoft-climate-crisis-moonshot-plan
     
         
      US announces millions in aid for resource-rich Greenland Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:57:00
     
      The US has announced a $12.1m (£10m) aid package for mineral-rich Greenland - a move welcomed by the Danish territory's government. This year the US will also open a consulate in the vast Arctic territory, whose population is just 56,000. Last August President Donald Trump expressed an interest in buying Greenland - an idea dismissed by Denmark as "absurd". The US is competing with Russia and China for Arctic resources. Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory heavily reliant on fishing and Danish government subsidies. Most of its people are ethnic Inuit. But Greenland is gaining strategic importance due to thawing Arctic ice opening up new sea routes and mineral deposits. The US has an important military base there, at Thule, crucial for missile early warning and space surveillance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52396715
     
         
      ‘Demand more’: Obama calls for people to stand against climate change as Trump lies about air and water quality Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:51:00
     
      Barack Obama has warned that the climate crisis "will force far harsher changes" on future generations than the coronavirus pandemic and urged people to "demand more" from leadership to protect the planet. In a message on Twitter on Earth Day, the former president shared an Associated Press report about the young climate activists that have galvanised a global movement 50 years after Earth day was recognised, and how the youth-led movement has adapted to the current health crisis. He said: "All of us should follow the young people who've led the efforts to protect our planet for generations, and demand more of our leaders at every level." His successor Donald Trump meanwhile marked Earth Day's 50th anniversary by planting a tree outside the White House and declaring the US to have "the cleanest air and cleanest water than anywhere else on Earth" — it does not. The nation's air quality has been in decline for several years, scientists and researchers have reported, including the American Lung Association's recent State of the Air report that found nearly half of the US, roughly 150 million people, is breathing polluted air.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/obama-trump-climate-change-earth-day-2020-air-quality-policies-a9479156.html
     
         
      Devastating Simulations Say Sea Ice Will Be Completely Gone in Arctic Summers by 2050 Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:48:00
     
      For millions of years, the Arctic has observed an unbroken ritual. In winter, Arctic sea ice expands, as sub-zero polar temperatures freeze waters in their place. In summer, the ice pack retreats, as warmer temperatures thaw the winter-made gains, surrendering them back to the ocean. In the era of anthropogenic climate change, the ebb and flow of this timeless cycle has become disturbed. For decades, the overall coverage of Arctic sea ice has been in decline, expanding less and retreating more with each year. Nonetheless, the Arctic has, as always, remained frozen, covered in sea ice, even in the summer. It may not for much longer. A new analysis of numerous climate models predicts the Arctic Ocean will become ice-free in the summer in only decades, and even before the mid-point of this century – a startling forecast that persists even in the best case scenarios, in which we manage to significantly cut down atmospheric CO2 emissions. "If we reduce global emissions rapidly and substantially, and thus keep global warming below 2 °C relative to pre-industrial levels, Arctic sea ice will nevertheless likely disappear occasionally in summer even before 2050," says polar geophysicist Dirk Notz from the University of Hamburg in Germany. "This really surprised us."
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/arctic-sea-ice-could-vanish-in-the-summer-even-before-2050-new-simulations-predict
     
         
      Nature crisis: 'Insect apocalypse' more complicated than thought Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:46:00
     
      The global health of insect populations is far more complicated than previously thought, new data suggests. Previous research indicated an alarming decline in numbers in all parts of world, with losses of up to 25% per decade. This new study, the largest carried out to date, says the picture is more complex and varied. Land-dwelling insects are definitely declining the authors say, while bugs living in freshwater are increasing. Reports of the rapid and widespread decline of insects globally have caused great worry to scientists.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52399373
     
         
      Coronavirus: Smog pollution in Delhi vanishes Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:44:00
     
      The Coronavirus lockdown has brought clear skies to the Indian city.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-52396659
     
         
      Shale's Decline Will Make Way For The Next Big Thing in Oil Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:42:00
     
      This week the near term price for crude oil fell to -$37.68 per barrel. This was driven by the expiration of the May futures contract on the 21st of April and holders not wanting to take physical delivery of a 1,000 barrels of the commodity.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Shales-Decline-Will-Make-Way-For-The-Next-Big-Thing-in-Oil.html
     
         
      N-type expansions to benefit from 2020 downturn-driven PV Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:40:00
     
      The slowdown of the global economy in 2020 is ultimately going to impact the guidance and forecasting offered by all PV manufacturers during the first couple of months of the year, prior to the effects of COVID-19. COVID-19 is not simply a short-term blip in Chinese manufacturing plant utilizations, but something that affects all aspects of commerce globally. The impact on annual PV growth turning negative in 2020 has far reaching implications, not just for supply through the value-chain, but on how the PV technology roadmap could be altered quickly. This article looks at the upside for a technology-buy cycle in the PV industry during 2020, as many of the previously-announced p-mono PERC cell/module expansions are put on hold and ultimately cancelled within China going into 2021. The themes and data discussed in the article come just a few days after our in-house market research team released the April 2020 edition of the PV Manufacturing & Technology Quarterly report. The release of the April 2020 report retains the 2020 aspirations of the manufacturing supply-chain but tempers this optimism with the reality of a sector that will likely see about one-third of expected 2020 supply simply not happening now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/n-type-expansions-to-benefit-from-2020-downturn-driven-pv
     
         
      The raw materials needed for the European Green Deal Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 15:38:00
     
      A team tasked by the European Commission with estimating the raw material requirements of the European energy transition found if global PV roll-out is high, and the component requirements of certain solar technologies don’t improve by a greater margin, some elements could end up in short supply. Researchers have warned the roll-out of solar power across the EU could be derailed by a shortage of raw materials such as germanium, tellurium, gallium, indium, selenium, silicon and glass. The EU's attempt to wean itself off fossil fuels by 2050 will require mountains of raw materials for the construction of solar and wind projects and the trading bloc has published a report which attempts to assess material requirements and demand scenarios. The authors of the report – which considers supply chain threats, as the majority of raw materials must be imported to Europe – consulted the EU's 2030 and 2050 climate change targets as the basis for modeling the volume of renewable generation capacity required. The researchers then factored in demand from elsewhere around the world for the same raw materials, based on various renewable energy deployment scenarios, and added in the market share of different PV technologies, which require different raw materials. Finally, the effect of R&D reducing the need for raw material volume was also considered.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/23/the-raw-materials-needed-for-the-european-green-deal/
     
         
      Antarctica's A-68: Is the world's biggest iceberg about to break up? Thu, 23rd Apr 2020 13:40:00
     
      The world's biggest iceberg, A-68, just got a little smaller. At around 5,100 sq km, the behemoth has been the largest free-floating block of ice in Antarctica since it broke away from the continent in July 2017. But on Thursday, it dropped a sizeable chunk measuring about 175 sq km. The iceberg is currently moving north from the Antarctic Peninsula. Having entered rougher, warmer waters - it is now riding currents that should take it towards the South Atlantic. Prof Adrian Luckman, who's been following A-68's progress, said the new fracture could mark the beginning of the end of this icy giant. "I am continually amazed that something so thin and fragile has lasted so long on the open sea," the Swansea University researcher told BBC News.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52395008
     
         
      The hunt for oil storage space is on — here’s how it works and why it matters Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 18:04:00
     
      An unprecedented collapse in U.S. oil prices has prompted energy market participants to reflect on the difficulty and costs of storing crude. At a time when the coronavirus crisis continues to crush global demand, the world is awash with oil and quickly running out of places to put it. It resulted in the May contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures tumbling into negative territory for the first time ever on Monday. Remarkably, this meant traders were effectively having to pay to get oil taken off their hands. The May WTI contract, which expired on Tuesday, settled at $10.01 a barrel. It had closed at a discount of $37.63 in the previous session. Wild swings in the May contract for WTI this week were thought to have been exaggerated by its imminent expiration, leaving many concerned the situation could repeat itself when the June contract expires next month. The contract for June delivery of WTI traded at $10.85 on Wednesday morning, down over 6%. It had plummeted more than 40% in the previous session. Meanwhile, international benchmark Brent crude stood at $17.01, nearly 12% lower.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/oil-prices-heres-how-oil-storage-works-and-why-capacity-matters.html
     
         
      Repsol breaks ground at first solar farm Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 17:34:00
     
      Iberian energy company Repsol has begun constructing its first solar farm, a 126MW project in Ciudad Real, Spain. The €100m installation, located in the municipality of Manzanares, consists of three plants with installed capacities of 45MW, 45MW and 36MW. The plant will start commercial operation in early 2021. Repsol said construction works at its €200m 264MW Valdesolar solar project in Badajoz will start in the coming weeks. Repsol's first renewables project to break ground in Spain was the Delta wind installation, located in the provinces of Zaragoza and Teruel, where construction began last December and is still ongoing. The 335MW wind farm, featuring 89 turbines, is expected to begin operations at the end of this year. Overall Repsol said it is investing €600m across the three projects, Kappa, Delta, and Valdesolar. Repsol said measures have been taken to maximise safety including in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Kappa site, including construction teams of a maximum of four people, with a safety distance of two metres at all times. Repsol is installing seven renewables projects in the Iberian peninsula, including a floating offshore wind farm, being developed with EDPR, Engie, and Principal Power. The renewable assets under development have a combined capacity of over 2GW. Earlier this year, Repsol launched a community solar service in Spain, based on 100% sustainable energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/59814/repsol-launches-solar-spree/
     
         
      Don't Forget About Biomass Gasification For Hydrogen Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 16:06:00
     
      Since 2019, one of the hottest topics in the energy realm has been hydrogen, and for good reason. Due to a variety of factors, the element has been recognized as a key piece of decarbonization initiatives. Namely, the hydrogen sector's coupling ability allows usage across various energy sectors, such as electricity, transportation, industry, and buildings. There are various production pathways for the molecule, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Electrolytic hydrogen from renewables has received a lot of media coverage recently, but another production method exists that seems left out of the common discourse surrounding hydrogen: biomass gasification. Biomass gasification, typically used to produce syngas, is a hydrogen pathway with carbon-negative potential that uses a controlled process involving heat, steam, and oxygen to convert biomass to hydrogen and carbon dioxide without combustion. Feedstocks for the method include municipal solid waste, energy crops, agricultural waste, and industrial waste.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2020/04/22/dont-forget-about-biomass-gasification-for-hydrogen/
     
         
      5 de los 10 mayores proveedores mundiales de seguidores solares son españoles Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 15:59:00
     
      Según las últimas clasificaciones de proveedores de seguidores de WoodMac para 2019, las españolas PV Hardware, Soltec, STI Norland, NClave (que actualmente pertenece a Trina Solar) y Solar Steel by Gonvarri ocupan, respectivamente, los puestos 3, 4, 6, 7 y 10 del ranking. Entre los 10 primeros fabricantes suman una cuota de mercado del 88%. Según un reciente informe de Wood Mackenzie, Estados Unidos y América Latina son, un año más, los primeros mercados de seguidores solares en 2019, que en todo el mundo ha experimentado un crecimiento del 20%. El fabricante estadounidense Nextracker siguió siendo el principal proveedor mundial en 2019, según las últimas clasificaciones, seguido de Array Technologies, PV Hardware, Soltec, Arctech Solar, STI Norland, NClave (Nclave , filial de origen español del fabricante chino Trina Solar), Ideematec, GameChange Solar y Solar Steel by Gonvarri. A nivel mundial, el mercado de proveedores se concentró ligeramente menos en 2019 que en 2018, aunque los 10 principales proveedores siguen ocupando el 88% del mercado. Hay cinco fabricantes españoles (o de origen español, pues NClave forma parte de Trina Solar) entre estos 10 primeros puestos del ranking: PV Hardware, Soltec, STI Norland, NClave y Solar Steel by Gonvarri ocupan, respectivamente, los puestos 3, 4, 6, 7 y 10.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.es/2020/04/22/5-de-los-10-mayores-proveedores-mundiales-de-seguidores-solares-son-espanoles/
     
         
      Earth Day: Meet the original eco warriors protecting the planet Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 13:57:00
     
      Indigenous people account for less than 5% of the world's population - but they support or protect 80% of the planet's biodiversity. They are often the most vulnerable to climate change, but have developed systems built on thousands of years of land management, sustainability, and climate adaption. Dr Koko Warner from the United Nations climate change secretariat says their participation in fighting global warming is vital. "I am really hoping for a future scenario where by combining and blending and growing our value systems together, human beings will develop new practices that can be a positive force in nature," she said. But where did this ancient knowledge come from and do these practices really work? As the world marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, here are five stories about climate pioneers who are digging deep into their history.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51806291
     
         
      Climate change: World mustn't forget 'deeper emergency' Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 13:37:00
     
      Despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the world mustn't forget the "deeper environmental emergency" facing the planet. That's the view of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in remarks released to celebrate Earth Day. The toll taken by the virus is both "immediate and dreadful", Mr Guterres says. But the crisis is also a wake-up call, "to do things right for the future," said the Secretary General. Mr Guterres re-iterated his view that the coronavirus is the biggest challenge the world has faced since the Second World War. But as the world commemorates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the planet's "unfolding environmental crisis" is an "even deeper emergency", he says. "Biodiversity is in steep decline," Mr Guterres stated. "Climate disruption is approaching a point of no return. "We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption." A long-term advocate of strong action to tackle global heating, Mr Guterres is now proposing six climate-related actions that should shape the recovery after the virus.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52370221
     
         
      Climate change: 2019 was Europe's warmest year on record Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 13:08:00
     
      Europe is heating faster than the global average as new data indicates that last year was the warmest on record. While globally the year was the second warmest, a series of heatwaves helped push the region to a new high mark. Over the past five years, global temperatures were, on average, just over 1C warmer than at the end of the 19th century. In Europe, in the same period, temperatures were almost 2C warmer. July was 'marginally' world's warmest month ever Hundreds of temperature records broken over summer Last decade 'on course' to be warmest The data has been published as Earth Day marks its 50th anniversary. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the physical signs of climate change and impacts on our planet have gathered pace in the past five years, which were the hottest on record. The European data, which comes from the EU's Copernicus Climate Service, 11 of the 12 warmest years on record on the continent have occurred since 2000.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52380157
     
         
      Virtual protest held over Drax power station biomass Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 12:39:00
     
      An online protest against the burning of biomass by one of the UK's largest power stations has been held. Biofuelwatch claims Drax, near Selby, North Yorkshire, is the UK's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. The group asked supporters to put images and videos of trees online as restrictions due to coronavirus mean they can not demonstrate in person. Drax says the biomass it uses is sustainably sourced and it aims to become carbon negative by 2030. Frances Howe, from Biofuelwatch, said: "Today's action aims to expose and denounce Drax's destructive wood burning, and to call for the public money received by Drax to be redirected to genuinely lower carbon cleaner energy." The group claim many of the wood pellets Drax burns come from the southern United States, where forests are being destroyed and replaced with tree plantations. "Taking action online is the next best thing we can do in the absence of being able to come together to protest against Drax and fight for environmental justice in real life," Frances Howe added. Drax confirmed in February it intended to end commercial coal generation in March 2021. "The climate crisis is one of the most important challenges of our time and Drax is committed to supporting the UK's net zero target," a company spokesperson said. "Drax was the first company in the world to announce an ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage to deliver millions of tonnes of negative emissions each year. "Drax's biomass complies with, and in many cases goes beyond, the stringent standards set by the EU and British regulator Ofgem," the company added.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-52380803
     
         
      17 tips to reduce your carbon footprint Wed, 22nd Apr 2020 12:22:00
     
      Humans have a lot to be proud about—the invention of the wheel, the ability to create fire at will, cat videos, poutine. We’re full of ideas and a zest for life. We always want more. But, our vigor for progress has also created a massive cloud of smoke in our wake. The largeness of our ambition came with a carbon footprint too enormous to ignore. Our carbon footprint is an issue that we must take on as a collective and there are things that each of us can do to reduce our own footprint. We’ve got tips to get you on your way.
       
      Full Article: https://blog.sendle.com/reduce-carbon-footprint
     
         
      US oil prices turn negative as demand dries up Tue, 21st Apr 2020 18:42:00
     
      The price of US oil has turned negative for the first time in history. That means oil producers are paying buyers to take the commodity off their hands over fears that storage capacity could run out in May. Demand for oil has all but dried up as lockdowns across the world have kept people inside. As a result, oil firms have resorted to renting tankers to store the surplus supply and that has forced the price of US oil into negative territory. The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, fell as low as minus $37.63 a barrel. "This is off-the-charts wacky," said Stewart Glickman, an energy equity analyst at CFRA Research. "The demand shock was so massive that it's overwhelmed anything that people could have expected." The severe drop on Monday was driven in part by a technicality of the global oil market. Oil is traded on its future price and May futures contracts are due to expire on Tuesday. Traders were keen to offload those holdings to avoid having to take delivery of the oil and incur storage costs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52350082
     
         
      Overlooked No More: Eunice Foote, Climate Scientist Lost to History Tue, 21st Apr 2020 18:24:00
     
      Foote's ingenious experiment more than 150 years ago yielded a remarkable discovery that could have helped shape modern climate science had she not been overshadowed. Overlooked is a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. In the 1850s, Eunice Foote, an amateur scientist and activist for women's rights, made a remarkable discovery about greenhouse gases that could have helped form the foundation of modern climate science. But the scientific paper she published that might have added her name to the pantheon of early climate scientists was quickly forgotten, and she faded into obscurity. There isn't even a known photograph of her today. The idea that greenhouse gases warm the planet is anything but new, and anything but unsettled. Foote's ingenious and elegant experiment involved two glass cylinders filled with various substances, including moist air and carbon dioxide. She placed a thermometer in each container, then left them in sunlight.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/obituaries/eunice-foote-overlooked.html
     
         
      Green energy could drive COVID-19 recovery with $100tn boost Tue, 21st Apr 2020 18:00:00
     
      Renewable energy could power an economic recovery from COVID-19 by spurring global GDP gains of almost $100tn (€92tn) between now and 2050, according to a report. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports. The International Renewable Energy Agency found that accelerating investment in renewable energy could generate huge economic benefits while helping to tackle the global climate emergency. The agency's director general, Francesco La Camera, said the global crisis ignited by the coronavirus outbreak exposed "the deep vulnerabilities of the current system" and urged governments to invest in renewable energy to kickstart economic growth and help meet climate targets. The agency's landmark report found that accelerating investment in renewable energy would help tackle the climate crisis and would in effect pay for itself. Investing in renewable energy would deliver global GDP gains of $98tn above a business-as-usual scenario by 2050 by returning between $3 and $8 on every dollar invested. It would also quadruple the number of jobs in the sector to 42m over the next 30 years, and measurably improve global health and welfare scores, according to the report. "Governments are facing a difficult task of bringing the health emergency under control while introducing major stimulus and recovery measures," La Camera said. "By accelerating renewables and making the energy transition an integral part of the wider recovery, governments can achieve multiple economic and social objectives in the pursuit of a resilient future that leaves nobody behind."
       
      Full Article: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/green-energy-could-drive-covid-19-recovery-with-100tn-boost/
     
         
      We Could Release Herds of Animals in The Arctic to Fight Climate Change, Says Study Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:39:00
     
      Herds of horses, bison and reindeer could play a significant part in saving the world from an acceleration in global heating. That is the conclusion of a recent study showing how grazing herbivores can slow down the pace of thawing permafrost in the Arctic. The study - a computerized simulation based on real-life, on-the ground data - finds that with enough animals, 80 percent of all permafrost soils around the globe could be preserved through 2100. The research was inspired by an experiment in the town of Chersky, Siberia featured on CBS News' 60 Minutes. The episode introduces viewers to an eccentric scientist named Sergey Zimov who resettled grazing animals to a piece of the Arctic tundra more than 20 years ago. Zimov is unconventional, to say the least, even urging geneticists to work on resurrecting a version of the now-extinct woolly mammoth to aid in his quest. But through the years he and his son Nikita have observed positive impacts from adding grazing animals to the permafrost area he named Pleistocene Park, in a nod to the last ice age. Permafrost is a thick layer of soil that remains frozen year-round. Because of the rapidly warming climate in Arctic regions, much of the permafrost is not permanently frozen anymore. Thawing permafrost releases heat-trapping greenhouse gases that have been buried in the frozen soil for tens of thousands of years, back into the atmosphere.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/releasing-herds-of-animals-in-the-arctic-could-help-fight-climate-change-says-study
     
         
      Coronavirus: World risks 'biblical' famines due to pandemic - UN Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:28:00
     
      The world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the UN has warned. David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said urgent action was needed to avoid a catastrophe. A report estimates that the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million. Those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change, the WFP says. The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises highlights Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti. In South Sudan, 61% of the population was affected by food crisis last year, the report says. Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages caused by drought and the worst locust infestations for decades.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-52373888
     
         
      Climate change: Switch road cash to broadband, adviser says Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:26:00
     
      The UK government's climate change adviser is urging ministers to reconsider plans for road-building and switch the investment into broadband. The government plans £28bn worth of new roads to relieve congestion. But the head of the Climate Change Committee, says it could be cheaper, better for the economy, and climate-friendly to expand fibre optics. That's because the government's plans for road-building assume 1% growth a year in demand for travel. But Chris Stark says Covid-19 has taught many people they can work from home thanks to the miracle of video conferencing. The head of the AA recently told BBC News he thought people would never fully return to their previous travel habits, and forecast that transport demand would shrink, not grow. Mr Stark agrees. He believes productivity and the economy would benefit if the roads fund was re-directed from tarmac to fibre optics.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52371140
     
         
      Milan announces ambitious scheme to reduce car use after lockdown Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:19:00
     
      Milan is to introduce one of Europe's most ambitious schemes reallocating street space from cars to cycling and walking, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The northern Italian city and surrounding Lombardy region are among Europe's most polluted, and have also been especially hard hit by the Covid-19 outbreak.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/milan-seeks-to-prevent-post-crisis-return-of-traffic-pollution
     
         
      Renewables PPA signed in Spain despite Covid-19 disruption Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:18:00
     
      Portuguese electric utility EDP will supply power to Dutch nutrition, health and sustainable lifestyle multinational Royal DSM. The agreement relates to 59 MW of solar and wind generation capacity. The EDPR renewable energy division of Portuguese electric utility EDP has secured a deal to sell electricity generated by 59 MW of solar and wind power capacity to Dutch multinational Royal DSM. The energy offtaker, which specializes nutrition, health and sustainable lifestyles, will use the clean energy generated in Spain by two solar plants and a wind farm to power its European operations. Neither party specified the term of the contract. The solar plants concerned – Acampo Arpal in Zaragoza and Señora de la Oliva, in Cádiz – will have a combined generation capacity of 43 MW. The wind farm will supply the balance with the three facilities set to be operational between 2022 and 2023. The latest power purchase agreement (PPA) means EDPR has secured supply deals related to 148 MW of Spanish renewables projects due to come online up to 2023.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/21/renewables-ppa-signed-in-spain-despite-covid-19-disruption/
     
         
      A new path opens to perovskite development Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:16:00
     
      Scientists in the United States claim to have proven the existence of an atomic-scale phenomenon in a perovskite material. Using powerful, ultra-fast bursts of light, the group was able to capture images of the 'Rashba effects' within the material. The researchers say the phenomenon could be harnessed to create new opportunities for PV and other perovskite-based devices. Perovskites have attracted plenty of attention in recent years, with a string of discoveries and achievements demonstrating the apparent potential for the material to be used in low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells as well as LEDs and other devices. Even as researchers demonstrate ever more efficient and reliable perovskite devices, however, debate has continued about the molecular properties of perovskites and the chemical explanation of why the structure lends itself so well to solar cell application. Understanding the chemical building blocks and the mechanisms at work deep within the material could guide optimization for various purposes. Scientists at Ames Laboratory in Iowa studied methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) and devised a new method of delving into the material's quantum behavior. That enabled them to prove the existence of a mechanism known as the Rashba effect, a phenomenon concerning momentum and the spin of electrons as they orbit the nucleus of an atom.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/21/a-new-path-opens-to-perovskite-development/
     
         
      Advancing high temperature electrolysis: Splitting water to store energy as hydrogen Tue, 21st Apr 2020 16:14:00
     
      While energy sources such as wind and solar are great at producing emissions-free electricity, they depend on the sun and the wind, so supply doesn't always meet the demand. Likewise, nuclear power plants operate more efficiently at maximum capacity so that electricity generation can't be easily ramped up or down to match demand. For decades, energy researchers have tried to solve one big challenge: How do you store excess electricity so it can be released back onto the grid when it's needed? Recently, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory helped answer that challenge by developing a new electrode material for an electrochemical cell that can efficiently convert excess electricity and water into hydrogen. When demand for electricity increases, the electrochemical cell is reversible, converting hydrogen back into electricity for the grid. The hydrogen could also be used as fuel for heat, vehicles or other applications.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-04-advancing-high-temperature-electrolysis-energy.html
     
         
      Coronavirus: Sir John Houghton dies of suspected Covid-19 Mon, 20th Apr 2020 19:19:00
     
      A physicist from north Wales who was recognised for his work on climate change has died with suspected coronavirus, his granddaughter said. Sir John Houghton, from Denbighshire, died on Wednesday aged 88. He accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the honour with Al Gore. Sir John spent his final years living by the sea in Wales, his granddaughter Hannah Malcolm said on Twitter. She said it was her grandfather's "favourite place". "He slowly lost a lot of memories and faculties to dementia, but the sea remained with him. A good life," she said. The Denbighshire-born climate change scientist, who described global warming as "a weapon of mass destruction", was co-chair of the IPCC when it shared the Nobel Peace Prize. Sir John went to Rhyl Grammar School, where his dad taught. He was so capable at physics he got the highest marks in Wales and won a scholarship for Oxford University aged just 16 years old, where he studied maths and physics. In 1958 he became an Oxford professor, later becoming chair of the World Climate Research Programme.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52325374
     
         
      Fruit labourers: 'If you don't want to work like a slave, you're out' Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:56:00
     
      Spain is one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world. The southern region of Almeria is known for what the Spanish call the sea of plastic. Cheap plastic greenhouses cover tens of thousands of hectares and migrant workers pick the fruits and vegetables that are sold in European supermarkets. The BBC has spent several months investigating allegations of exploitation there.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52319537
     
         
      SunPower idles all solar cell and module assembly plants Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:39:00
     
      High-performance PV manufacturer SunPower has idled all of its manufacturing plants located in the US, Mexico, France, Malaysia and the Philippines to restrict the financial and operational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. SunPower did not say when the manufacturing facilities had been idled, only stating that its expected manufacturing operations would "come back online in the coming weeks". Update: A spokesperson for SunPower has told PV Tech that its manufacturing facilities were idled in a staggered approach from around a month ago to the last couple of weeks and would also restart with the same approach. The company did not say whether manufacturing staff would receive pay or whether the company would secure, where possible, government support for the furloughed workers. However, SunPower later clarified to PV Tech that in respect to workers workers receiving pay, situations varied from country to country based on labor regulations. Some workers were able to utilize leave time, while others were able to receive support from local governments. SunPower had approximately 5,300 employees allocated to its global manufacturing operations, according to its 2019 annual financial report. With a major reduction in demand in many residential markets due to lockdowns and other restrictions, SunPower said that its existing inventory levels were enough to meet customer needs, without being specific. The company also said that an unspecified number of employees would be reduced to a four-day work week, yet customer support and asset services segment workers would not be affected. SunPower's executive team have also agreed further reductions in salaries for the time being. As of December 29, 2019, SunPower had approximately 8,400 full-time employees worldwide, of which about 2,000 each were located in the United States and in the Philippines, around 1,700 were also located in Malaysia, and about 2,500 were located in other countries.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/sunpower-idles-all-solar-cell-and-module-assembly-plants
     
         
      Coronavirus: Banning cars made easier to aid social distancing Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:36:00
     
      Barriers to imposing car-free streets are being lifted following a government decision to enable key workers to walk or cycle more safely. Normally, councils in England that want to close streets to cars must follow procedures that can take weeks to implement. But ministers say councils can now cut red tape governing temporary road closures. This could help people walk and cycle whilst social distancing. Health and environment groups say the measures will also promote healthy walking and cycling - and tackle climate change and air pollution. A letter from the Department of Transport to councils in England says: "This is temporary guidance and will be withdrawn once conditions allow."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52353942
     
         
      Greta Thunberg's Bristol climate rally cost council £10,000 Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:34:00
     
      A rally led by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg cost a council more than £10,000, new figures have revealed. Thousands of people attended the event which started on College Green and was followed by a march through Bristol. The bill included costs for closing roads, for toilets and for 10 crowd control barriers. Mayor Marvin Rees was asked why a "less sensitive" location was not used but he said organisers were "insistent" on using College Green. "Alternative hard-surface sites were suggested to the organisers but they were insistent on the event taking place on College Green," he said. "We know these demonstrations cause a lot of disruption and we're grateful for people's patience and understanding as we balance and protect the rights of people to protest."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-52349151
     
         
      A photovoltaic thermal panel for heat-pump houses Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:29:00
     
      Dutch company Triple Solar has launched a photovoltaic thermal solar panel for residential buildings which can be connected to a brine or water heat pump. The manufacturer says the heating system based on the panel is an ideal alternative to less efficient air and water heat pumps and more expensive geothermal systems. The grid-connected PV system can export excess power under net metering programs. Netherlands-based Triple Solar BV has launched a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) module for use in rooftop projects on houses equipped with brine and water heat pumps. "Electricity and heat provided by the PVT system will be used for powering the house and the heat pump," said Mark Hoff, market manager for Triple Solar. He told pv magazine any excess power generated could be exported to the grid – in return for payments in territories with net metering regimes. The PVT heat pump device costs €1,000 per installed panel and a 16m² installation can drive savings of around €2,000 per year, said Hoff, who added it was an alternative to less efficient air and water heat pumps and more costly geothermal systems. The panels can be used in individual or communal residential installations in combination with brine and water heat pumps with a low permissible source temperature of at least -12 degrees Celsius and pumps equipped with active cooling.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/20/a-photovoltaic-thermal-panel-for-heat-pump-houses/
     
         
      Austria’s last coal-fired power station closes as the country pushes renewables Mon, 20th Apr 2020 18:02:00
     
      In a move welcomed by environmental organizations, Austria's last operational coal-fired power station has shut down. The Mellach facility, in the province of Styria, had generated electricity and heat for 34 years, according to Austrian utility Verbund. Its closure, announced Friday, comes as the Austrian government attempts to meet its target of producing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. "Austria is ending coal burning, while supporting the uptake of renewable energy and the European Green New Deal," Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director at Europe Beyond Coal, said in a statement reacting to the news. "This is a great example of the path to healthier, cleaner, and more resilient societies," Gutmann added. The EU released details of its "European Green Deal" last December, describing it as a "roadmap" to make the bloc's economy sustainable. One of the plan's key aims is for the EU to be climate neutral by the year 2050. According to Europe Beyond Coal, 15 countries in Europe have unveiled plans for the phase out of coal used for electricity production since 2016. The last few months have seen a number of coal-fired plants close. In the U.K. for instance, two coal-fired facilities operated by SSE and RWE shut down on the same day at the end of March. In February, energy firm Drax said coal-fired electricity production at the U.K.'s largest power plant was expected to end in March 2021. The U.K. government is aiming to remove coal from Britain's energy system by 2025. It recently announced it would consult on moving that deadline to October 1, 2024. According to the government, Britain's reliance on coal for electricity has fallen from 70% in 1990 to under 3% today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/20/austrias-last-coal-fired-power-station-has-closed-down.html
     
         
      Climate crisis: North pole 'soon to be ice free in summer', scientists say Mon, 20th Apr 2020 16:42:00
     
      The Arctic Ocean will likely be ice-free during summers before 2050, researchers say. Amid rapid global warming – with average Arctic temperatures already 2C above what they were in the pre-industrial era – the extent of the sea ice is diminishing ever faster. As the climate crisis worsens, scientists say it is now only the efficacy of protection measures which will determine for how many more years our planet will continue to have a northern ice cap year round. A major new piece of research involving 21 leading institutes and using 40 different climate models has found that whatever action is taken, we are on course to see ice-free summers in the coming decades. The research is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The scientists considered the future of Arctic sea-ice cover in scenarios with high future CO2 emissions and little climate protection – as expected, Arctic sea ice disappeared quickly in summer in these simulations. But the study also found the Arctic summer sea ice also disappears "occasionally" if CO2 emissions are rapidly reduced.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-north-pole-ice-free-summer-arctic-global-warming-a9474881.html
     
         
      Coronavirus: ‘Buying a round’ to thank NHS workers Sun, 19th Apr 2020 19:13:00
     
      Want to say thank you to NHS workers on the coronavirus front line by buying them some beers? Glasgow-based social enterprise and beer producer Brewgooder, which says it donates all of its profits to clean water projects, is helping people to do just that.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52332929
     
         
      Tiny New “Artificial Jellyfish” Taps Wave Energy For Carbon Capture Sun, 19th Apr 2020 19:08:00
     
      Fossil fuel stakeholders still have this dream that carbon capture can breath new life into coal and gas power plants. However, new technology is throwing cold water on the idea. After all, why burn fossil fuels to pump additional carbon out from underground, when there is already plenty of extra CO2 swimming around up top, ripe for the picking? Good question! That leads to another challenge: how to pick your carbon fruit and sell it, too.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/19/tiny-new-artificial-jellyfish-taps-wave-energy-for-carbon-capture/
     
         
      The Guardian joins forces with hundreds of newsrooms to promote climate solutions Sun, 19th Apr 2020 19:01:00
     
      As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches, we're partnering with newsrooms around the world to report on solutions to the climate crisis – and drive hope Even as the coronavirus pandemic terrorizes the world, there's another global emergency the media can't afford to stop covering. Fifty years ago this week, the environmental movement staged the first Earth Day demonstration to call attention to environmental degradation and demand reform. In the half century since, climate change has emerged as an existential global threat.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/19/the-guardian-joins-forces-with-hundreds-of-newsrooms-to-promote-climate-solutions
     
         
      Toyota KreditBank Becomes Member of HyCologen-The Newtwork for Hydrogen, FuelCells and Electromobilitiy Sun, 19th Apr 2020 16:31:00
     
      Toyota KreditBank Becomes Member of HyCologen-The Network for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Electromobility. Cologne–The Toyota Kreditbank GmbH (TKW) is a member of the HyCologne – Hydrogen Region Rheinland eV – the network for hydrogen, fuel cells, and electric vehicles.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/toyota-kreditbank-becomes-member-of-hycologen-the-network-for-hydrogen-fuel-cells-and-electromobility/
     
         
      The Allure Of A Hydrogen Economy Continues To Dazzle Some Researchers Sun, 19th Apr 2020 16:30:00
     
      The idea that the world could run on clean hydrogen fuel is alluring. And why not? A hydrogen fuel cell has no waste products other than heat and water vapor. Why, a person could hold a cup under the tailpipe of a fuel cell powered vehicle and drink what comes out. No carbon or particulate emissions, no oxides of nitrogen — what’s not to love? Actually, most CleanTechnica readers are well aware of the downside. There are two principal ways of making pure hydrogen. You can start with natural gas — which in America comes primarily from fracking — or you can pass an electric current through water to break it into its component parts. The first involves massive pollution of the environment. The other involves massive amounts of electricity. Hydrogen is the most reactive element in the periodic table. It bonds like crazy with just about every other element and can only be tamed by storing it under very high pressure — up to 900 psi. Unlike battery packs which are mostly flat and rectangular, hydrogen tanks have to be cylindrical in order to withstand such ultra-high pressures. Regardless of what they are made of, cylindrical tanks do not fit conveniently with the footprint of a typical automobile chassis.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/19/the-allure-of-a-hydrogen-economy-continues-to-dazzle-some-visionaries/
     
         
      120 Megawatt Floating Solar Project Completed In China Sat, 18th Apr 2020 19:11:00
     
      Phase 2 of a 320 megawatt floating solar project in China's Zhejiang province has been completed, according to a report by PV Magazine. The 120 megawatts of new capacity complements the 200 megawatt (MW) portion of the installation that was completed in 2017. The panels float on the surface of the Changhe and Zhouxiang reservoirs in Cixi. The developer of the project is Hangzhou Fengling Electricity Science Technology. Inverters are a critical part of any solar power plant, but providing inverters for floating solar installations presents unique challenges. Chinese inverter maker Shenzhen Kstar Science and Technology supplied its GSL2500C-MV and GSL1250 central inverters for this second phase. In an interview with PV Magazine, Tammy Tang, Kstar marketing manager, said, "The 320 MW plant has now an expected annual generation of 352 million KWH. The annual revenue from the generated electricity for the owner of the plant is about $45 million, while the annual fishery income can reach nearly $5 million." Phase 2 cost a total of $1o0 million. She added that the inverters supplied are designed specifically to withstand a wet environment with particular attention paid go sealing out moisture and dust. Electricity from the second phase will sell for 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. With respect to the aquaculture part of the installation, Tang said, "The photovoltaic panels are set up above the water surface of the reservoir and the water area below the photovoltaic panel can be used for fish cultivation. Fishermen can fish and row boats there."
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/18/120-megawatt-floating-solar-project-completed-in-china/
     
         
      The Next Big Thing For The Petrochemical Industry Sat, 18th Apr 2020 19:02:00
     
      Petrochemicals is a lucrative market sector for countries and oil companies which have been hit hard by falling oil prices. A new Lux Research study points to synthetic biology (synbio) as a breakthrough in speeding up the development of petrochemicals into new and profitable channels. Synbio could be getting a lot of interest as investors look to alternatives — but there are other non-oil and gas energy sources to follow as well, including hydrogen. One of these new solutions is creating a profit center out of offering the oil and gas industry a new way to dispose of its hydrogen sulfide. Lux Research, an intelligence firm tracking emerging technologies, recommends using synbio for the creation of specialty chemicals, where numerous value propositions like cost savings for producers make it even more appealing. The petrochemical sector has seen numerous failures when trying to use fermentation capabilities to produce new products for commodities, Lux cautions. Major petrochemical manufacturers like BASF, BP, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Sinopec, DuPont, ExxonMobil, and Dow, have done well in mainstream segments such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, and benzene. New specialty products are gaining backing. Synbio can cut off years and billions in investments to bring new and viable chemicals to market, according to the study.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Next-Big-Thing-For-The-Petrochemical-Industry.html
     
         
      Warmest Oceans on Record Adds to Hurricanes, Wildfires Risks Sat, 18th Apr 2020 18:58:00
     
      The world's seas are simmering, with record high temperatures spurring worry among forecasters that the global warming effect may generate a chaotic year of extreme weather ahead. Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans all hit the record books for warmth last month, according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information. The high temperatures could offer clues on the ferocity of the Atlantic hurricane season, the eruption of wildfires from the Amazon region to Australia, and whether the record heat and severe thunderstorms raking the southern U.S. will continue. In the Gulf of Mexico, where offshore drilling accounts for about 17% of U.S. oil output, water temperatures were 76.3 degrees Fahrenheit (24.6 Celsius), 1.7 degrees above the long-term average, said Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University. If Gulf waters stay warm, it could be the fuel that intensifies any storm that comes that way, Klotzbach said. "The entire tropical ocean is above average," said Michelle L'Heureux, a forecaster at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center. "And there is a global warming component to that. It is really amazing when you look at all the tropical oceans and see how warm they are."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-18/warmest-oceans-on-record-could-set-off-a-year-of-extreme-weather
     
         
      Climate change: 'Bath sponge' breakthrough could boost cleaner cars Sat, 18th Apr 2020 17:03:00
     
      A new material developed by scientists could give a significant boost to a new generation of hydrogen-powered cars. Like a bath sponge, the product is able to hold and release large quantities of the gas at lower pressure and cost. Containing billions of tiny pores, a single gram of the new aluminium-based material has a surface area the size of a football pitch. The authors say it can store the large volume of gas needed for practical travel without needing expensive tanks. Car sales, especially larger SUVs, have boomed in the US over the past number of years. In 2017, CO2 emissions from cars, trucks, airplanes and trains, overtook power plants as the largest source of US greenhouse gas emissions. As well as developing electric vehicles, much focus has been on hydrogen as a zero emissions source of power for cars. The gas is used to power a fuel cell in cars and trucks, and if it is produced using renewable energy it is a much greener fuel. However, hydrogen vehicles suffer from some drawbacks. The gas is extremely light: in normal atmospheric pressure, to carry 1kg of hydrogen which might power your car for over 100km, you'd need a tank capable of holding around 11,000 litres.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52328786
     
         
      Marco Alvera, Chief Exectuvie of Snam: On the Cusp of a Hydrogen Revolution Sat, 18th Apr 2020 16:40:00
     
      Marco Alvera, Chief Executive of Snam: On the Cusp of a Hydrogen Revolution. We are on the cusp of a hydrogen revolution. Europe can and should lead the way. CO2 emissions continue to rise worldwide and evidence of global warming is all around us.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/on-the-cusp-of-a-hydrogen-revolution/
     
         
      Why does cinema ignore climate change? Fri, 17th Apr 2020 19:17:00
     
      Apocalyptic films feature disease, war or alien invasions – but there's one thing they almost always avoid. Nicholas Barber asks why Hollywood is still so squeamish about the real environmental crisis. Whether you believe that art imitates life or life imitates art, it often seems as if the 21st Century is imitating a Hollywood blockbuster. At the moment, as many of us have observed, the current situation seems to be echoing Contagion and 28 Days Later. Before that, the climate crisis – with its news reports about hurricanes, tidal waves and wildfires – felt like every mega-budget movie about a world-shaking apocalypse. The strange thing is, though, that despite the uneasy connection between environmental news reports and apocalyptic films, climate change is mentioned in hardly any of them. On the big screen, the threats to civilisation as we know it are war (The Book of Eli; Mad Max: Fury Road; Alita: Battle Angel), disease (Zombieland; World War Z; Contagion; Inferno), drugs that were intended to counteract disease (I Am Legend; Rise of the Planet of the Apes), alien invasions (Oblivion; Edge of Tomorrow; A Quiet Place), and demons (This Is The End). Clearly, this glut of doom-laden entertainment was responding to our anxieties about the state of the planet. But the idea that our carbon footprints might have something to do with it doesn't get a look-in.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200416-why-does-cinema-ignore-climate-change
     
         
      New discovery settles long-standing debate about photovoltaic materials Fri, 17th Apr 2020 19:15:00
     
      Scientists have theorized that organometallic halide perovskites— a class of light harvesting "wonder" materials for applications in solar cells and quantum electronics— are so promising due to an unseen yet highly controversial mechanism called the Rashba effect. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have now experimentally proven the existence of the effect in bulk perovskites, using short microwave bursts of light to both produce and then record a rhythm, much like music, of the quantum coupled motion of atoms and electrons in these materials. Organometallic halide perovskites were first introduced in solar cells about a decade ago. Since then, they have been studied intensely for use in light-harvesting, photonics, and electronic transport devices, because they deliver highly sought-after optical and dielectric properties. They combine the high energy conversion performance of traditional inorganic photovoltaic devices, with the inexpensive material costs and fabrication methods of organic versions. Research thus far hypothesized that the materials' extraordinary electronic, magnetic and optical properties are related to the Rashba effect, a mechanism that controls the magnetic and electronic structure and charge carrier lifetimes. But despite recent intense study and debate, conclusive evidence of Rashba effects in bulk organometallic halide perovskites, used in the most efficient perovskite solar cells, remained highly elusive.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-04-discovery-long-standing-debate-photovoltaic-materials.html
     
         
      Another 120 MW of solar aquaculture in China Fri, 17th Apr 2020 17:12:00
     
      A 120 MW solar plant located in a fishery near Cixi, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, was recently completed. The plant, which has secured a tariff of RMB0.95 ($0.12)/kWh, is the second phase of a 320 MW project owned by Chinese developer Hangzhou Fengling. China-based developer Hangzhou Fengling Electricity Science Technology recently finished building a 120 MW solar plant on the surface of the Changhe and Zhouxiang reservoirs in Cixi, Zhejiang province. The array is the second phase of a 320 MW PV project, following the finalization of the first 200 MW phase in 2017. Chinese inverter maker Shenzhen Kstar Science and Technology, which supplied its GSL2500C-MV and GSL1250 central inverters for the second phase, recently revealed several details about the plant in a short conversation with pv magazine. "The 320 MW plant has now an expected annual generation of 352 million KWH," said Tammy Tang, Kstar marketing manager. "The annual revenue from the generated electricity for the owner of the plant is about $45 million, while the annual fishery income can reach nearly $5 million." The plant's second phase, which is selling power at a rate of RMB0.95 ($0.12)/kWh, required an overall investment of around $100 million. Kstar said the provided inverters were specifically customized for power plants built on water and are able to work safely in wet environments. "The inverters have protections against dirt and moisture," Tang added. The developer is combining solar power generation with an aquaculture operation. "The photovoltaic panels are set up above the water surface of the reservoir and the water area below the photovoltaic panel can be used for fish cultivation," Tang added. "Fishermen can fish and row boats there." She said the presence of the panels also helps to reduce water surface evaporation and save water resources, while also creating a better hatching environment for fish and increasing aquatic production. "The PV power plant has a high-power generation efficiency and low operations and maintenance costs, as well as a minimal impact on the maritime life," Tang said. A similar project 260 MW solar project was recently finalized by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). The plant is unsubsidized and sells power at RMB0.3844/kWh. The facility is located at a fishery in Dangtu county, Anhui province.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/17/another-120-mw-of-solar-aquaculture-in-china/
     
         
      Game on: Tesla squares up against Trump in Age of Renewables Fri, 17th Apr 2020 17:07:00
     
      Looking to fill the idle hours in Covid-19 lock-down – not least with teens 14+? A renewable energy card game inspired by memories of an oil exploration and production industry game that a wind power engineer played as a child might be worth a flutter. The game, Age of Renewables, pits opposing players against one another in a race to build renewable energy projects, backed by either a hero, 'Mr Pioneer' and father of modern electricity Nikola Tesla, or villain, 'Mr Nimby', coal-digging US President Donald Trump. In the game, which uses 108 hand-drawn cards, players assemble their the ECO (engineer, contractor, operator) team, and find a location to build their project, a source to provide clean energy and a technology to transform the energy to electricity. The winner is the player that builds the most projects harvesting as widest range of renewable energy resources. "In 2017 after giving a lecture in renewables at the university of Lisbon, [Portugual] I took a picture at the port of the city," the game's inventor, Marios Papalexandrou, who heads UK-based renewables consultancy Aeolus. told Recharge. "The picture reminded me of a board game I used to play with my brothers as a kid called Searching for Oil and there I had a pause and a thought. What would I like my children to play with? This is how Age of Renewables was born. Design, building and operating renewable energy projects is the game's "goal", Papalexandrou added, "but it is also a card game for youngsters and adults explaining what renewables is all about in an entertaining way". "I hope this game will allow more children and adults to understand the importance of renewables and for some kids to pursue their dreams becoming renewable energy professionals and changing the world for a better place for future generations."
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/game-on-tesla-squares-up-against-trump-in-age-of-renewables/2-1-793628
     
         
      Wildfires blanket Kyiv in thick smog Fri, 17th Apr 2020 17:00:00
     
      Acrid smoke from wildfires, including blazes near the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, has blanketed Ukraine's capital Kyiv, making its air pollution among the worst in the world. Kyiv's pollution now ranks alongside that of several Chinese cities, Swiss monitoring group IQAir reports. The coronavirus lockdown is keeping most Kyiv residents at home anyway. Ukraine's health ministry says radiation levels remain normal and Chernobyl faces no immediate threat. At one point on Thursday, according to the IQAir index, Kyiv's air pollution was the worst in the world. But the dramatic global slump in economic activity, caused by the coronavirus pandemic, has made the air in many cities cleaner. That partly explains why Kyiv's smog looks especially bad now. The Chernobyl plant was the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, when an accident blew the roof off a reactor, sending a radioactive plume across Europe. Firefighters have been tackling wildfires in the Chernobyl zone and in areas nearer to Kyiv, and there was a new flare-up fanned by strong winds on Thursday. But the emergency services say fire has not spread to the Chernobyl power station area. The plant is surrounded by a 30km (19 mile)-radius exclusion zone, created in 1986 because of radioactive hotspots. It includes the abandoned settlement of Pripyat. The health ministry has urged Kyiv's roughly 3.7m people to stay indoors and close windows, Reuters news agency reports. The ministry warns that the smog can cause headaches, coughs, difficulty breathing and inflammation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52329498
     
         
      Austria’s last coal power plant shuts down Fri, 17th Apr 2020 16:57:00
     
      Austrian power provider Verbund has shut down its coal-fired district heating plant in the state of Styria as planned. This means that coal power generation in Austria is now history, paving the way for a switch to a 100% renewable power supply by 2030. However, Photovoltaic Austria emphasizes that Austria needs a well-considered plan for clean energy, as a quarter of the nation's electricity is still generated from fossil fuels. Austrian largest power provider, Verbund, shut down the Mellach district heating plant in the Austrian state of Styria on Friday. The shutdown marked the end coal-fired power generation in Austria, because the district heating plant was the last operational coal-fired unit in the country. For 34 years, the power plant produced more than 30 billion kWh of electricity and 20 billion kWh of district heating. In the future, it will be kept ready for back-up, according to Verbund. "The closure of the last coal-fired power plant is a historic step: Austria is finally getting out of coal power supply and is taking another step towards phasing out fossil fuels," said Austrian Minister for Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler, noting that the government wants to switch a 100% power supply based on renewable energies by 2030. "This also gives us economic independence: We are currently spending €10 billion on imports of coal, oil and gas." Statements from the Ministry of the Environment are similar. "Austria is moving a little further towards climate neutrality," said State Secretary Magnus Brunner. With this step, the country may become a model for other European countries. "The conversion of the location into an innovation site is a good example of how the path from the fossil energy world to an innovative and renewable future can be taken," added Brunner. "On the way from old to new economy, Mellach remains an important location for us, which offers ideal conditions for the development of future technologies," said Verbund CEO Wolfgang Anzengruber. Verbund will now develop Mellach into an innovation hub. A pilot plant for high-temperature electrolysis and fuel cell operation for hydrogen production has already been set up. Large-scale battery storage systems are also being tested for use as buffer storage, for example in ultrafast charging stations for electro-mobility at the site, Verbund emphasized. According to Austrian PV association Photovoltaic Austria, the country still has "a very intensive road" to travel. "Because Austria still produces a quarter of the electricity from fossil fuels. For a sustainable power supply, natural resources have to be used much more," Managing Director Vera Immitzer told pv magazine. The country's installed PV capacity must be increased tenfold over the next 10 years in order to achieve 100% green electricity target by 2030. According to "Europe Beyond Coal" surveys, 15 European countries have already decided to phase out coal-based electricity generation, and 14 of them want to exit coal by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/17/austrias-last-coal-power-plant-shuts-down/
     
         
      Now is the time for the solar industry to capitalize on the benefits of sophisticated software platforms Fri, 17th Apr 2020 16:54:00
     
      Amid the current disruption impacting renewable energy markets worldwide, solar power is proving to be a robust energy source. In China earlier this year, solar was the only form of energy generation that saw an increase in production from the previous year – rising by 12%. In this context, it's becoming more important now than ever before for solar asset owners to recognize and take advantage of specialized solar software which can help mitigate business disruption in unexpected events and optimize long-term returns. The advent of digital technologies has opened up an unprecedented number of opportunities for the renewable energy industry, with asset owners now able to take advantage of sophisticated platforms that can integrate asset management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) functionalities, automate business processes and provide advanced performance monitoring. Despite this, the solar sector is still in its infancy when it comes to digitalization and has yet to capitalize on specialized software's ability to both minimize business disruption during uncertain events, and tackle the perpetual challenges of data quality, data centralization and increasing project complexity. As a result, many solar portfolios are still installed with legacy operations and maintenance (O&M) platforms, which offer relatively limited functionality. Asset owners who integrate software solutions capable of combining ERP and asset management software on the other hand can aggregate multiple functionalities into one platform. In this way, businesses can reduce complexity across monitoring, financial and operational data sets, as projects scale both technologically and geographically.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/17/now-is-the-time-for-the-solar-industry-to-capitalize-on-the-benefits-of-sophisticated-software-platforms/
     
         
      Trump Administration Removes Tariff Exemption for Bifacial Solar Panels — Again Fri, 17th Apr 2020 16:51:00
     
      The Trump administration will once again withdraw an exclusion it had previously granted to two-sided solar panels, after determining "the bifacial solar panel exclusion is undermining the objectives" of the Section 201 tariffs placed on solar cells and modules in January 2018. The U.S. Trade Representative published the withdrawal notice in the Federal Register on Friday. The move would eliminate the uncertainty surrounding the exemption — which had been instituted, withdrawn and reestablished over the course of several months last year — but it's sure to be met with opposition from some segments of the solar industry. The exclusion for bifacial panels, one of two the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) granted to the solar tariffs, set off a tussle within the solar industry when it was established in June 2019. Companies that had invested in U.S. manufacturing plants in the wake of the Section 201 tariffs, such as Hanwha Q Cells, and an original petitioner of the tariffs, Suniva, opposed the exclusion, arguing it helped internationally manufactured panels undercut domestically produced product. The vast majority of bifacial panels are made outside the U.S. But the industry's largest U.S. trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association, has contended the exclusion provides vital support to a budding technology. Just before the administration withdrew the bifacial exemption in October, developer Invenergy Renewables filed a legal challenge arguing that the USTR hadn't allowed for proper comment or notice prior to the withdrawal. In December, the U.S. Court of International Trade sided with Invenergy, allowing the exclusion to stand. In January, the administration restarted the process by requesting comment on the future of the exclusion. The court must lift its injunction for the withdrawal to apply. Though two-sided solar panels represent a small proportion of those used in U.S. solar installations to date, they are quickly becoming the norm for some developers. BP-backed solar developer Lightsource, for instance, has used the technology in all its projects since mid-2019. By 2022, IHS Markit forecasts bifacial modules will make up one-third of worldwide production. In the shorter term, SEIA told Greentech Media, the industry viewed the exclusion as a means to cope with an "acute shortage" of domestic panels available to U.S. utility-scale projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/trump-admin-removes-tariff-exemption-for-bifacial-solar-panels-again
     
         
      Asahi Kasei's Electrolysis System Starts World's Largest-Scale Hydrogen Supply Operation at the Fukishima Hydrogen Energy Research Field in Namie Fri, 17th Apr 2020 16:43:00
     
      Asahi Kasei and its subsidiary Asahi Kasei Engineering Corp. started operation of hydrogen supply at the alkaline water electrolysis system having the world-leading scale of 10 MW in Namie, Futaba, Fukushima, Japan
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/gas-storage-method-could-help-next-generation-clean-energy-vehicles/
     
         
      'Huge environmental waste' as US airlines fly near-empty planes Fri, 17th Apr 2020 12:51:00
     
      The coronavirus outbreak has provoked a string of unsettling sights, such as the sudden widespread use of masks, shuttered businesses and deserted streets. Another unusual phenomenon is also playing out in the skies – near-empty airplanes flying through the air. Widespread travel restrictions around the world have slashed demand for air travel, with more than eight in 10 flights canceled. But there is a disparity in the US – while the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has reported a 96% slump in passenger volume, to a level not seen since 1954, this hasn't been matched by the number of flights being scrapped.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/17/us-airlines-empty-planes-coronavirus-environment
     
         
      'Hybrid renewables are Thu, 16th Apr 2020 19:21:00
     
      First, a note on the Coronavirus pandemic. These are uncertain times for all industries. As cities, counties and states take extra and necessary precautions to prevent the spread of illness, we are all impacted. My hope is that this time allows the industry to reflect on the role of energy in today's crisis and the crises of tomorrow. Energy is what keeps the lights on at homes, businesses and government offices in difficult times. And wind is now an integral part of the reliable delivery of electricity. In 2019, American wind farms produced enough energy to power 30 million US homes and six states now serve 20% or more of their load with wind energy. All to say, the workers in the field maintaining our turbines are providing critical services to many Americans. So, how we think about wind matters. It is not a clean-energy fad, but an integral and reliable part of supporting the US in difficult times. That is why designing solutions today for tomorrow's energy customer positions us to address crises head-on with a reliable and resilient product. Growing up in Denmark, I was surrounded by technology solutions in action. I did not recognize the novelty in the fact my childhood home is now within five miles of a 150MW wind farm, a 20MW solar system and 10MW of various energy storage projects. Looking back over my 13 years at Vestas, I see how this proximity to diverse energy technologies informed my understanding of what a company can offer customers. Like the electrons now passing through the backyard of my childhood home, we are capable of bridging technologies to meet the specific load needs of our customers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/hybrid-renewables-are-hospital-standard-and-can-give-energy-transition-a-shot-in-the-arm/2-1-792469
     
         
      THREE WORKABLE STRATEGIES FOR PUTTING A BIG DENT IN METHANE, THE “OTHER” GREENHOUSE GAS Thu, 16th Apr 2020 19:18:00
     
      Over the course of 20 years, a molecule of methane heats the planet by 84 times as much as a molecule of carbon dioxide. It’s one cause of the climate crisis — and more methane now hangs in Earth’s atmosphere than at any time since monitoring began, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). A preliminary tally, with final numbers slated for release by November, it’s no surprise given expert projections: More and more methane pours into the air each year, with the trend line set to keep climbing in coming decades as societies generate more garbage and companies produce more unconventional natural gas. But a new study in the journal Environmental Research Communications finds that the world could defy that forecast and cut methane emissions using existing tools. By bringing already available technologies and techniques into wider use, the researchers say, we could avoid nearly 40% of the methane the world is projected to emit by 2050. The researchers, a team from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, estimate that without new action, methane emissions will grow by about 3 million metric tons (3.3 million tons) annually. Add that up year after year, and we’re staring down global methane emissions in 2050 that are 30% higher than in 2015. “Mitigating methane will partly require different strategies and policies than those used to eliminate carbon dioxide from our energy systems,” paper co-author Lena Höglund Isaksson, an environmental economist at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, wrote in an email to Ensia. While energy from fossil fuels is one source of methane, people also put the gas into Earth’s atmosphere when disposing of trash, growing rice, raising farm animals and doing other activities. IMPROVE WASTE MANAGEMENT Yard waste and uneaten food decomposing in landfills vent methane into the air, so the study finds lots of potential in improved garbage management. The researchers estimate that separating waste by source, with better recycling and schemes to capture energy from some trash — plus a ban on organic waste in landfills — could help the world avoid emitting 778 million metric tons (858 million tons) of methane that would otherwise make its way into the air between now and 2050. REPAIR LEAKS Ultimately, fossil fuels will also need to be phased out, Höglund Isaksson writes. But in the meantime, the study finds that we could slow the growth of methane emissions by taking steps such as implementing programs to detect and repair leaks in oil production and the extraction and transportation of natural gas. Coal mines could consistently implement degasification and improve ventilation, and oil drillers could try to recover associated gas. Such steps — with leakage detection and repair being the biggest — could prevent 2.35 billion metric tons (2.57 billion tons) of methane emissions by 2050. MODIFY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES Methane emissions from agriculture, the study finds, will be the hardest area for technical improvements. Rice cultivation’s footprint could decrease if farmers used alternative hybrids, improved water management and added materials to improve soil properties. These steps could avoid 335 million metric tons (370 million tons) of emitted methane by 2050. Livestock breeders could continue efforts to raise more productive animals: If farmers could use fewer cows to produce the same amount of milk, for example, that would cut back on emissions. This approach could yield different emissions results in cows, pigs, sheep and other livestock. To sketch a picture of global methane emissions, the researchers used a model that sums up the estimated emissions from different sources, including landfills, beef cattle, dairy cows and oil refineries. The researchers had to make some assumptions where data were incomplete, and there’s always uncertainty about projections of the future, although the model aligns pretty well with other estimates of future “business as usual” methane emissions. “Getting methane emissions anywhere close to zero will be hard, especially in agriculture. The paper highlights many priorities and places to start,” writes Rob Jackson, a Stanford University Earth systems scientist who was not involved in the study, in an email to Ensia. Technical fixes identified in the paper as providing relatively large impact with relatively low cost include modifications of waste and wastewater management and fossil fuel production practices. The new study concludes that technical solutions to cutting back on methane won’t be enough to solve the problem. People might have to change their diets, for example, and governments may need to improve health care and boost farmers’ access to credit. To keep methane in line with international goals — and keep global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) above preindustrial conditions — we’ll need social and political change to reduce the amount of methane we generate. While we work toward that, technical solutions can start to make a difference.
       
      Full Article: https://ensia.com/notable/methane-greenhouse-gas-climate-change/
     
         
      Renewables and geopolitics: Who will ‘win’ the energy transition? Thu, 16th Apr 2020 17:09:00
     
      The losers in a world which no longer runs on fossil fuels are obvious but the dividend from shrugging off hydrocarbon dependency will be spread around most of the world so it is the nations which are winning the cleantech manufacturing and intellectual property race which appear best positioned for the future. It is easy enough to pinpoint the geopolitical losers from a successful energy transition to renewables, with heavily hydrocarbon-dependent nations such as Brazil, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela at risk of crippling economic blows. Picking winners in a clean energy world, however, is more tricky, according to the authors of a review of how the energy transition could shape global geopolitics. Indra Overland and Roman Vakulchuk, from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and Daniel Scholten, from Delft University in the Netherlands, have produced the paper Renewable energy and geopolitics: A review, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews and on the ScienceDirect website. The academics posit the idea multiple nations will enjoy a geopolitical windfall by freeing themselves from dependency on fossil fuel imports produced by an exclusive group of hydrocarbon-exporting nations. That alone, however, will not be enough to come out on top in a clean energy world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/16/renewables-and-geopolitics-who-will-win-the-energy-transition/
     
         
      The western U.S. is locked in the grips of the first human-caused megadrought, study finds Thu, 16th Apr 2020 16:48:00
     
      A vast region of the western United States, extending from California, Arizona and New Mexico north to Oregon and Idaho, is in the grips of the first climate change-induced megadrought observed in the past 1,200 years, a study shows. The finding means the phenomenon is no longer a threat for millions to worry about in the future, but is already here. The megadrought has emerged while thirsty, expanding cities are on a collision course with the water demands of farmers and with environmental interests, posing nightmare scenarios for water managers in fast-growing states. A megadrought is broadly defined as a severe drought that occurs across a broad region for a long duration, typically multiple decades. Unlike historical megadroughts triggered by natural climate cycles, emissions of heat-trapping gases from human activities have contributed to the current one, the study finds. Warming temperatures and increasing evaporation, along with earlier spring snowmelt, have pushed the Southwest into its second-worst drought in more than a millennium of observations.
       
      Full Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/04/16/southwest-megadrought-climate-change/
     
         
      Gas Storage Method Could Help Next-Generation Clean Energy Vehicles Thu, 16th Apr 2020 16:37:00
     
      "We've developed a better onboard storage method for hydrogen and methane gas for next-generation clean energy vehicles," said Omar K. Farha, who led the research. "To do this, we used chemical principles to design porous materials with precise atomic arrangement, thereby achieving ultrahigh porosity."
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/gas-storage-method-could-help-next-generation-clean-energy-vehicles/
     
         
      Half UK's true carbon footprint created abroad, research finds Thu, 16th Apr 2020 13:08:00
     
      The UK's efforts to cut greenhouse gases are being undermined by a failure to put in place climate policies that cover imported goods, research has found. The government is committed to cutting the UK's carbon output to net zero by 2050, and emissions have been falling for the past three decades. But that does not take into account the "invisible" side of Britain's carbon footprint, which comes from international travel and the carbon produced overseas to make goods that are used here.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/16/britain-climate-efforts-undermined-failure-imports-carbon
     
         
      Climate change: US megadrought 'already under way' Thu, 16th Apr 2020 12:53:00
     
      A drought, equal to the worst to have hit the western US in recorded history, is already under way, say scientists. Researchers say the megadrought is a naturally occurring event that started in the year 2000 and is still ongoing. Climate change, though, is having a major impact with rising temperatures making the drought more severe. Some researchers are more cautious, saying that it is too early to say if the region really is seeing a true megadrought. So what exactly is a megadrought? According to the authors of this new paper, a megadrought in North America refers to a multi-decade event, that contains periods of very high severity that last longer than anything observed during the 19th or 20th centuries. The authors say there have been around 40 drought events over the period from 800-2018 in the western US. Of these, only four meet the criteria for a megadrought. These were in the late 800s, the mid-1100s, the 1200s and the late 1500s.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52312260
     
         
      Shell unveils plans to become net-zero carbon company by 2050 Thu, 16th Apr 2020 12:48:00
     
      Royal Dutch Shell plans to become a net zero-carbon company by 2050 or sooner by selling more green energy to help reduce the carbon intensity of its business. Ben van Beurden, Shell's chief executive, said the company must focus on the long-term "even at this time of immediate challenge" caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. "Society's expectations have shifted quickly in the debate around climate change. Shell now needs to go further with our own ambitions, which is why we aim to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner. Society, and our customers, expect nothing less," he said. Van Beurden told investors on Thursday that Shell would toughen its existing target to shrink the carbon intensity of its products by 50% within 30 years, to reach 65% by 2050. The plan includes an interim target to cut the so-called “scope 3” emissions by more than a third by 2030, up from 20% previously. Shell's target relies on the oil and gas company shifting its business towards selling clean energy products such as renewable energy and biofuels, and working alongside its "net-zero" customers to also help offset the carbon impact too. The oil giant said it plans to work with its customers, such as major airlines, to share the burden of offsetting the carbon from fossil fuel products which may still be in use by 2050, such as jet fuels. Adam Matthews, a director on the Church of England Pensions Board, welcomed Shell's focus on helping to develop "net-zero pathways" for key sectors such as aviation which shape the demand for energy. "Ultimately, it will be by developing and supporting net-zero pathways in these sectors that we will achieve the goals of the Paris agreement," he said. Shell plans to offset its own emissions by trapping as much carbon as its business operations cause through new carbon capture technologies or through natural solutions such as planting trees.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/16/shell-unveils-plans-to-become-net-zero-carbon-company-by-2050
     
         
      Europe can be 60% powered by solar before 2050 Thu, 16th Apr 2020 12:46:00
     
      Perhaps it is not surprising a report co-produced by Europe's solar industry places PV at the heart of a zero-carbon, mid-century energy system on the continent. However, the study does flesh out two out of three scenarios in which becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, or even 2040, could be possible. The 100% Renewable Europe: How to make Europe's energy system climate neutral before 2050 report, by trade body SolarPower Europe and Finland's Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, claims to be the first study to model a fully renewable path to climate neutrality for the European energy system by mid century. Three transformation paths featuring different rates of renewables adoption are compared to arrive at the conclusion the least ambitious path would be more expensive for European society and its economy. The "leadership" scenario envisages 100% renewable energy as early as 2040. The cheapest 100% renewables path – based on cumulative costs – is the "moderate scenario," which would hit the 100% goal by 2050. In the "laggard" scenario, the authors assume 62% renewable energy by 2050. A central component of the study, and the first two scenarios, is that solar's share of electrical generation would grow to 60% in Europe by 2050 and that from 2030, solar power would become the pillar of the energy system. Wind power, however, would be an important contributor under the two pathways and would remain the leading renewable energy source until 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/16/europe-can-be-60-powered-by-solar-before-2050/
     
         
      US to have major floods on daily basis unless sea-level rise is curbed – study Thu, 16th Apr 2020 12:43:00
     
      Flooding events that now occur in America once in a lifetime could become a daily occurrence along the vast majority of the US coastline if sea level rise is not curbed, according to a new study that warns the advancing tides will "radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century". The research finds major cities such as Honolulu, New Orleans and Miami will become increasingly vulnerable to elevated high tides and stronger storms fueled by the global heating caused by human activity. Beach and cliff erosion will exacerbate this situation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/16/us-climate-change-floods-sea-level-rise
     
         
      Siemens Gamesa wins 86MW Sweden order Wed, 15th Apr 2020 17:32:00
     
      Siemens Gamesa has secured an order to supply its biggest model onshore wind turbine for an 86MW project in Sweden. The company will provide 13 SG 5.8-155 machines for the Rodene project, near Alingsas and will service the turbines for 15 years. Rodene is being developed in a forested area with medium speed winds and wind turbulences. The turbines will be installed in 2021 and will be hosted at two different tower heights to maximise energy yield. They will have capacities of up to 6.6MW. RES is constructing the wind project, which has been acquired by European renewables investor Mirova. The agreement takes the order intake for Siemens Gamesa's 5.X platform in Sweden to 363MW. Siemens Gamesa onshore business unit chief executive Alfonso Faubel said: "I am particularly pleased to see how we are broadening the customer base of our Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform. "RES is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable developers in the renewable industry and it is rewarding to strengthen a partnership that dates back 20 years. "Investors, utilities and developers have already placed orders for the Siemens Gamesa 5.X, demonstrating the trust of our customers in the technology.” Turbines from the same platform will be also installed in the 231MW Skaftaasen and 46MW Knostad wind projects, both in Sweden.
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/59701/siemens-gamesa-wins-86mw-sweden-order/
     
         
      'Black Saturday' fires: 'Absolute freak of nature' Wed, 15th Apr 2020 13:24:00
     
      In 2009 a series of bushfires swept across the state of Victoria in Australia. At the time it was the worst bushfire emergency the country had ever seen. "Black Saturday" saw 173 people die and over a million acres of land destroyed. Nicki Lund was one of the firefighters in rural Victoria who tried to tackle the enormous blaze.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-52279771
     
         
      Climate change: Blue skies pushed Greenland 'into the red' Wed, 15th Apr 2020 13:16:00
     
      While high temperatures were critical to the melting seen in Greenland last year, scientists say that clear blue skies also played a key role. In a study, they found that a record number of cloud free days saw more sunlight hit the surface while snowfall was also reduced. These conditions were due to wobbles in the fast moving jet stream air current that also trapped heat over Europe. As a result, Greenland's ice sheet lost an estimated 600 billion tonnes. Current climate models don't include the impact of the wandering jet stream say the authors, and may be underestimating the impact of warming. Greenland's ice sheet is seven times the area of the UK and up to 2-3km thick in places. It stores so much frozen water that if the whole thing melted, it would raise sea levels worldwide by up to 7m. Last December, researchers reported that the Greenland ice sheet was melting seven times faster than it had been during the 1990s.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52286165
     
         
      Another vertical PV plant in the Alps Wed, 15th Apr 2020 13:14:00
     
      More than 1,200 solar modules will be installed on the south side of a dam 2,100 meters above sea level. The facility planned by utility EWZ is set to be ready this year. The race is on to install Switzerland's first high-alpine PV plant. With Swiss electric utility and nuclear power generator Axpo recently announcing it had secured approval for a 2 MW solar plant on the Muttsee dam, fellow publicly-owned utility EWZ has revealed similar plans. Zurich-based EWZ this month received approval for a 410 kW array on the Albigna dam in Bergell, 2,100m above sea level. The project, planned at an altitude almost 400m lower than the Muttsee facility, will involve the installation of more than 1,200 solar modules from July onwards and is expected to generate around 500 MWh of clean power per year. EWZ started a pilot project at the site in May 2018 with "a few" panels. More will now follow on the south-facing aspect of the dam with the utility expecting to complete the facility, which has secured a grid connection, this year. The Axpo project is set to be completed in summer next year. The pilot project on the Albigna dam generated more power than had been expected and Axpo also noted the significantly higher yield from high-alpine photovoltaic systems – compared to projects at lower altitudes. It is anticipated around half the annual yield from high-alpine systems will come during winter months thanks to intense sunshine in the mountains and glare from snow cover. Swiss researchers have suggested steeper-than-usual solar panel tilt angles will harness more of the solar resources available at high altitudes with snow cover and estimated such sites could help the nation hit its Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 ambition of shuttering five nuclear plants at the end of their planned lifetimes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/15/another-vertical-pv-plant-in-the-alps/
     
         
      Clear Skies Drove the Biggest-Ever Drop in Greenland’s Ice Sheet Wed, 15th Apr 2020 13:10:00
     
      Clear skies and more sunlight over Greenland last summer resulted in the biggest drop in the ice sheet's mass ever recorded, new research shows. The phenomenon was linked to an exceptional high-pressure system that prevented the formation of clouds, according to a study led by Marco Tedesco from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. That suggests climate models that don't incorporate atmospheric data could be underestimating future melting by about half, Tedesco said in commentary accompanying the research. "These atmospheric conditions are becoming more and more frequent over the past few decades," he said. "Simulations of future impacts are very likely underestimating the mass loss due to climate change."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-15/clear-skies-drove-the-biggest-ever-drop-in-greenland-s-ice-sheet
     
         
      Scientists confirm dramatic melting of Greenland ice sheet Wed, 15th Apr 2020 13:02:00
     
      There was a dramatic melting of Greenland's ice sheet in the summer of 2019, researchers have confirmed, in a study that reveals the loss was largely down to a persistent zone of high pressure over the region. The ice sheet melted at a near record rate in 2019, and much faster than the average of previous decades. Figures have suggested that in July alone surface ice declined by 197 gigatonnes – equivalent to about 80 million Olympic swimming pools.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/apr/15/scientists-confirm-dramatic-melting-greenland-ice-sheet
     
         
      Colombia’s 9.48 GW solar project pipeline Wed, 15th Apr 2020 12:56:00
     
      The technology makes up almost 70% of planned clean energy generation capacity in a nation which added just 4 MW of solar last year. Some 341 solar projects have been approved or are under review in Colombia, according to a registry compiled by the Mining and Energy Planning Unit. The authority revealed the figures in a new report published via its Twitter social media account. The figures show solar makes up 68.47% of the nation's planned renewable energy assets, ahead of hydroelectric facilities, which supply 24.7%. Colombia is planning an 18.38 GW clean energy generation portfolio, of which solar will contribute 9.48 GW, hydro 4.45 GW, wind 2.55 GW and biomass 2 MW. Some 1.9 GW of capacity will also be secured from planned thermoelectric assets, which generate current from differences in temperature. Breakdown Among the PV projects, 159 have a generation capacity of less than 1 MW, 59 range in scale from 1-10 MW and 27 are bigger than 100 MW. The clean energy report shows the southwestern department of Valle del Cauca has the largest share of the country's PV projects, with 46 facilities. The solar project pipeline in the clean energy registry had reached 3.55 GW of generation capacity by the end of May and included 700 MW and 300 MW facilities. At the time, the list also included five PV projects with a 200 MW capacity and separate facilities with 181.2 MW, 120 MW and 102 MW as well as three 100 MW and three 99 MW assets. Colombia had just 90 MW of installed solar capacity at the end of the year, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) figures, having added just 4 MW during 2019.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/15/colombias-9-48-gw-solar-project-pipeline/
     
         
      COVID-19: Vestas resumes full production in Spain Tue, 14th Apr 2020 17:28:00
     
      Vestas has reopened its generator factory in Viviero and returned its blade factory in Daimiel to full capacity as Spain partially eased its coronavirus lockdown. The Danish turbine manufacturer and service company said it is also in process of restarting construction activity in the country after a two week "pause" in all non-essential work announced by the Spanish government ended Monday. The company said it would continue to implement the "extraordinary safety measures" it had introduced since the COVID-19 outbreak took hold "and will continue to uphold our commitment to these safety measures at the very least until the State of Alarm is lifted". A Vestas spokesperson told reNEWS: "We are pleased to announce that our factory in Viveiro restarted full production on April 13th, with our factory in Daimiel at near full capacity. "This is in alignment with the resumption of activities in the industrial and construction sectors in Spain. Our construction activity has also restarted or is in the process of restarting projects." Vestas halted almost all production at the Spanish factories on 31 March when the country's lockdown was tightened to help reduce pressure on health services. Minimal work continued at Daimiel that the company said "either cannot stop or need to run to prepare the factories for a fast ramp up".
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/59658/covid-19-vestas-resumes-full-production-in-spain/
     
         
      Water in estuaries along NSW coast has warmed by more than 2C, study finds Tue, 14th Apr 2020 13:39:00
     
      Water in estuaries along 1,100km of Australia's south-east coast warmed by more than 2C between 2007 and 2019, a new study finds. The rapid change could have negative effects on fisheries and aquaculture, as well as impact coastal vegetation such as mangroves, scientists behind the study said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/14/water-in-estuaries-along-nsw-coast-has-warmed-by-more-than-2c-study-finds
     
         
      Coronavirus: 'World faces worst recession since Great Depression' Tue, 14th Apr 2020 13:25:00
     
      The global economy will contract by 3% this year as countries around the world shrink at the fastest pace in decades, the International Monetary Fund says. The IMF described the global decline as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It said the pandemic had plunged the world into a "crisis like no other". The Fund added that a prolonged outbreak would test the ability of governments and central banks to control the crisis. Gita Gopinath, the IMF's chief economist, said the crisis could knock $9 trillion (£7.2 trillion) off global GDP over the next two years. 'Great Lockdown' While the Fund's latest World Economic Outlook praised the "swift and sizeable" response in countries like the UK, Germany, Japan and the US, it said no country would escape the downturn. It expects global growth to rebound to 5.8% next year if the pandemic fades in the second half of 2020. Ms Gopinath said today's "Great Lockdown" presented a "grim reality" for policymakers, who faced "severe uncertainty about the duration and intensity of the shock". "A partial recovery is projected for 2021," said Ms Gopinath. "But the level of GDP will remain below the pre-virus trend, with considerable uncertainty about the strength of the rebound. "Much worse growth outcomes are possible and maybe even likely."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52273988
     
         
      Strengthen worldwide climate commitments to improve economy, study finds Tue, 14th Apr 2020 13:04:00
     
      Every country in the world would be economically better off if all could agree to strengthen their commitments on the climate crisis through international cooperation, new research has found. But if countries go no further than their current CO2 pledges – which are too weak to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, and would lead to dangerous levels of global heating – then they face steep economic losses.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/14/worldwide-climate-commitments-economy-emissions
     
         
      Deadly olive tree disease across Europe 'could cost billions' Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:48:00
     
      Researchers say the economic costs of a deadly pathogen affecting olive trees in Europe could run to over €20 billion. They've modelled the future worst impacts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen which has killed swathes of trees in Italy. Spread by insects, the bacterium now poses a potential threat to olive plantations in Spain and Greece. The disease could increase the costs of olive oil for consumers. Xylella is considered to be one of the most dangerous pathogens for plants anywhere in the world. At present there is no cure for the infection. It can infect cherry, almond and plum trees as well as olives. It has become closely associated with olives after a strain was discovered in trees in Puglia in Italy in 2013. The organism is transmitted by sap-sucking insects such as spittlebugs. The infection limits the tree's ability to move water and nutrients and over time it withers and dies. In Italy, the consequences of the spread of the disease have been devastating, with an estimated 60% decline in crop yields since the first discovery in 2013. "The damage to the olives also causes a depreciation of the value of the land, and to the touristic attractiveness of this region," said Dr Maria Saponari, from the CNR Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Italy. "It's had a severe impact on the local economy and jobs connected with agriculture." As well as in Italy, the Xylella bacterium has now been found in Spain, France and Portugal. Tackling it at present involves removing infected trees and trying to clamp down on the movement of plant material and the insects that spread the disease. But if these measures fail, what will be the financial impact of the infection? In this new study, researchers modelled different scenarios including what would happen if all growing ceased due to tree death. They also compared this worst case with a scenario where replanting with resistant varieties occurred. The team made projections for Italy, Spain and Greece, which between them account for 95% of European olive oil production.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52234561
     
         
      The Oil Price Crash Could Trigger A Geothermal Energy Boom Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:45:00
     
      'Geothermal is America's untapped energy giant,' the U.S. Department of Energy said in a report last year, highlighting in its analysis that this kind of "always-on" flexible renewable energy resource could grow 26-fold to generate 8.5 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050. Unlike wind and solar, geothermal energy is a 24/7 energy resource, but the technologies to explore and drill for resources and build facilities make geothermal energy more expensive than other renewables. Technology improvements and cost cuts in geothermal energy could come from what some would think is a most unexpected source—the oil industry, analysts and geothermal specialists say. The oil price crash is already hurting the oil industry, and it is set to hurt oilfield services providers even more, as U.S. exploration and production companies jammed on the brakes and announced 20-30 percent cuts in capital spending. It could be those services companies specialized in oil and gas drilling that could help geothermal development with their expertise in drilling in the ground, according to Tim Latimer, co-founder of geothermal assets developer and operator Fervo Energy. The geothermal supply chain significantly overlaps with oil and gas, because geothermal development initially consists of drilling wells into hot areas to produce steam, Latimer said in a Twitter thread after oil prices crashed and oil industry players began announcing cost and capex cuts en masse. "As much as 50% of the cost of geothermal comes from drilling, so a plunge in oil prices can drop costs dramatically," Latimer said. According to the executive, rig count could be a proxy for the cost impact. The U.S. rig count has been collapsing in recent weeks as producers idle rigs at an unprecedented pace.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Geothermal-Energy/The-Oil-Price-Crash-Could-Trigger-A-Geothermal-Energy-Boom.html
     
         
      This Trend Will Reshape Power Generation In The Coming Decades Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:43:00
     
      The decarbonization of electricity production around the world today may be seen as part of a technological shift. Everyone wants electricity or its immediate benefits like cell phone charging. And until relatively recently, most consumers didn't care how it was produced as long as it was affordable and accessible. But environmental or political movements aside, we are also witnessing a technological shift. The production of electricity on a commercial or wholesale scale is moving away from big-and-complicated machines and systems to small-and-less complicated forms of production. This implies no more gigantic projects that take 10 years to complete with costs that tally into the tens of billions. What's interesting is that we seem to be witnessing a reversal of the idea of economies of scale with respect to both production of electricity as well as the optimal size of the distribution grid itself. This seems like a fairly radical departure that may shape the industry for decades. Years ago, we had a discussion with one of the last centuries most fabled engineers. We asked, "If economies of scale really prevail was that a good reason to upsize electric power plants?" He replied that economies of scale did in fact prevail and utilities should go forward with big projects as long as they were certain about four key aspects relating to the project: 1) the ultimate completion costs; 2) duration of construction; 3) total capital costs (equity plus debt); and 4) expected market or demand for electricity at time of completion. What this asks, to borrow a phrase is, if you build it will they come—at the prices you ultimately have to charge? Our readers know that recent nuclear new build has pretty much failed thoroughly on points one through three. And bringing it up in this context feels like piling on at this point. But this past week also saw the cancellation of a proposed gas fired base load project by a wholly reputable builder. Somehow this feels different in that perhaps we can no longer assume base load natural gas will be the bridge fuel as we transition away from fossil fuel based electricity production. With these facts in mind, we believe the concept of economies of scale for utilities might be ripe for revision. A recent study by a sextet of European and Canadian academics supported this view (Science, 3 April 2020) by examining the trade-offs of costs versus complexity concluding that in their terms granularity has advantages over lumpiness.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/This-Trend-Will-Reshape-Power-Generation-In-The-Coming-Decades.html
     
         
      The Fossil Fuel/Renewable Energy Inflection Point: 3 Perspectives Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:34:00
     
      The world is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic right now, but even the darkest of clouds can have a silver lining. For many, it is seeing the world around them with fresh eyes. People are driving less and industry is producing less, so there is less pollution in the air. That means we can see things like buildings and mountains that have been obscured for years, if not decades. Those clearer skies are convincing many people the time is ripe to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. Here are three perspectives on how that transition could unfold. The headline of an editorial in The Los Angeles Times on April 7 puts things succinctly. "Renewable energy must be the future, if we are to have one at all." Author Scott Martelle leads off with the recent good news from the International Renewable Energy Agency that renewables were responsible for 72% of all new electrical generation in 2019. He adds, The current coronavirus pandemic has, at least temporarily, made a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. But that reflects a stalled economy rather than smart energy consumption choices. The pandemic is a naturally occurring threat to humans, as were SARS and MERS before it. Global warming, by contrast, is being driven by human behavior; it is a self-inflicted crisis. We can best address the climate crisis by changing practices, by converting our global economy from fossil fuels to renewable sources, by using the force of our collective will to change our collective behavior and reduce the damage our actions inflict on the environment, which we rely on for our very survival. The stats that show we are moving in the right direction, albeit it too slowly, are a positive sign during these trying days. But they are also a further spur to action. We can see where decisions, policies and actions lead to positive effects, but also where continued self-destructive actions — beginning with burning coal — imperil us all.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/13/the-fossil-fuel-renewable-energy-inflection-point-3-perspectives/
     
         
      Offshore Oil Could Soon Be Powered By Wind Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:32:00
     
      Longer blades, taller towers, more powerful turbines: wind energy seems to be past the peak of innovation now, improving incrementally rather than with breakthrough. And yet none other than an oil company has ventured into a new field with massive potential: floating offshore wind. The Norwegian petroleum ministry earlier this month approved a plan by Equinor to build and operate a floating offshore wind farm in the North Sea that will supply power to as many as five oil and gas platforms. The project is the first of its kind, but it would have significant implications both for offshore oil and gas and for offshore wind. The facts: the Hywind Tampen wind farm, 140 km off the Norwegian coast, will have a total capacity of 88 MW with 11 turbines that will meet around 35 percent of the electricity needs of the two Snorre platforms and the three Gullfaks platforms. However, Equinor says that "In periods of higher wind speed this percentage will be significantly higher." The $490-million (5 billion kroner) project will reduce the use of gas turbines for power generation, consequently lowering the emissions of carbon dioxide from the five platforms by some 200,000 tons annually and emissions of nitrous oxides by 1,000 tons. That's certainly a sizable undertaking. It is unlikely to score Equinor many green points since the power generated by the wind farm will be used for extracting oil and gas from the bottom of the sea, but this is not the only purpose of the project. According to Equinor, the Hywind Tampen wind farm will also be a test site for future offshore wind installations.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Offshore-Oil-Could-Soon-Be-Powered-By-Wind.html
     
         
      How coronavirus stalled climate change momentum Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:28:00
     
      Near the top of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, 3,400m above sea level, a gleaming observatory surrounded by dark lava rocks measures carbon dioxide levels every second of every day. It was here, using this data, that chemist Charles Keeling first demonstrated that the impact of fossil fuel use on atmospheric CO2 levels was measurable. The result of his research, known as the "Keeling curve", shows how concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been ticking up ever since records began in 1958. Today scientists analysing the Mauna Loa data are looking for something else: a change in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, due to the global economic slowdown caused by coronavirus. "We have not had a sudden change in fossil fuel emissions ever before in the history of the curve," says Ralph Keeling, a professor at the Scripps Institute who leads the atmospheric analysis programme founded by his father. If his team is able to detect a change in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, he adds, it would be the first time that an economic crisis has ever showed up in the data. For now the CO2 concentrations measured at Mauna Loa are still rising, and are on track to reach a new global record in May, typically the peak month. But Prof Keeling says a 10 per cent drop in fossil fuel emissions over a period of one year — a scenario that is not impossible during the coronavirus shutdown — would show up in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and be measurable at Mauna Loa. All over the world, pollution levels are dropping fast. The lockdowns triggered by the pandemic, with about 2.6bn people living under restrictions, are starting to have an impact not only on the virus but also on the planet — even if the effect is only temporary and comes at a huge social and human cost. As airlines ground their fleets, car travel grinds to a halt and industries shut down, emissions from transportation and power have plummeted. In the US, emissions of carbon dioxide are forecast to drop 7.5 per cent this year, according to a recent government estimate. In the EU, daily emissions have fallen 58 per cent compared to pre-crisis levels, according to the French consultancy Sia Partners. Global levels of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to cars, have hit a record low, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Less coal burning in China in February alone has already avoided the equivalent of the annual emissions of a small European country. And the air quality in major cities from New Delhi to Beijing and Los Angeles is cleaner than at any time in recent memory.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/052923d2-78c2-11ea-af44-daa3def9ae03
     
         
      Methane levels at all-time high after near-record increase in gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide Mon, 13th Apr 2020 13:18:00
     
      Global methane levels have hit an all-time high after what appears to be a near-record yearly atmospheric increase in the potent greenhouse gas. The concentration of methane in the Earth's atmosphere reached nearly 1,875 parts per billion in 2019, up from the previous year's 1,866 parts per billion, according to preliminary data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If confirmed later this year, it would be the second highest increase in methane levels in more than two decades. The NOAA began collecting global methane data in 1983. Though methane remains in the atmosphere for only a few years, it is 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping the sun's heat, and it poses an increasingly grave threat to efforts to tackle escalating global heating. "Here we are. It's 2020, and it's not only not dropping. It's not level. In fact, it's one of the fastest growth rates we've seen in the last 20 years," Drew Shindell, a climate scientist at Duke University, told Scientific American.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-methane-levels-record-noaa-global-warming-a9462741.html
     
         
      US backs Opec deal with cuts to boost oil price Sun, 12th Apr 2020 14:54:00
     
      A global deal to cut oil production by more than 10% appears to be on track after the US promised to reduce supply. Mexico, which initially baulked at the scale of the cuts, said President Donald Trump had suggested the US might make cuts on behalf of its neighbour on Friday 10 April. Oil prices have been plunging due to coronavirus lockdowns. However the prospect of unprecedented cuts to supply failed to boost the oil price on Thursday. G20 oil ministers held talks on Friday to finalise the draft agreement, which would see cuts of 10 million barrels per day. "This is a time for all nations to seriously examine what each can do to correct the supply/demand imbalance," said US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. America would "take surplus off the market" by storing "as much oil as possible", he added. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the US would make 250,000 barrels per day in additional cuts to oil output, to help Mexico contribute to global reductions. Mr Lopez Obrador, who has made increasing oil output one of the priorities of his administration, said US President Donald Trump had spoken to him on Thursday and offered to help before Mexico announced it would cut output by 100,000 barrels per day. "President Trump said the United States committed to reducing by 250,000 (barrels), on top of what it was going to do, for Mexico, in order to compensate," he said. Opec+, which includes Russia, had said it would cut production in May and June by 10 million barrels a day to help prop up prices. The cuts will then be eased gradually until April 2022. However,a final agreement was dependent on Mexico signing up, after it questioned the level of production cuts it was asked to make, Reuters had reported.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52226236
     
         
      Resources can be mined for renewable energy - BBC News: Why does President Trump want to mine on the Moon? Sun, 12th Apr 2020 14:42:00
     
      Professor Benjamin Sovacool says the world is moving towards renewable energy sources because of climate change and needs those resources. "We are currently depleting the resources we have," Benjamin tells Newsbeat. Benjamin is professor of energy policy at University of Sussex and says mining more materials in space can help build items such as electric cars - which will be good for the environment in the long-term. "Metals such as lithium or cobalt - which you need - are mainly in places like China, Russia or Congo. And it's difficult to get them."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-52228423
     
         
      Sleeping early reduces carbon emissions: Experts Sun, 12th Apr 2020 14:13:00
     
      ANKARA If we were to get to sleep two hours earlier, it would keep more than 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions out of the atmosphere as it would cut electricity consumption for lighting, according to energy experts. Scientists conducted a case study on how sleeping affects electricity consumption and a carbon footprint in Turkey due the expansion of sleep hours because of the coronavirus. Ercan Izgi, an expert in electrical and electronic engineering at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, studied a sample of electricity consumption at homes. Huseyin Toros, an expert in atmospheric science and air quality at Istanbul Technical University, evaluated changes in CO2 emissions. They found there would be approximately 4,130 tons of less CO2 emission daily if 38 million homes, where 100-watt electricity is used for lighting per hour in Turkey, slept two hours earlier. The 100 watts was a hypothetical figure and do not reflect average consumption because of several variables, but Izgi said their study "came to the conclusion that by sleeping early and so consuming less electricity will relieve households economically and environment in terms of CO2 emission." "If we try to perform our daily activities during natural daylight as much as possible, that is, if the lighting is used less during the night in the households, electricity usage will decrease," said Toros. Touching the urgency of slowing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, he highlighted high emissions-related global warming and climate change put the future of sustainability and security at risk. "The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere started to increase rapidly in the 20th century, while it was below 300 ppm [parts per million] until 1900 in the last 800,000 years. While the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was 291 ppm in 1880, it increased by 42% in 2019 and reached 412 ppm. This increase led to the rapid change of the Earth," he said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/sleeping-early-reduces-carbon-emissions-experts/1801539
     
         
      Carbon emissions from fossil fuels could fall by 2.5bn tonnes in 2020 Sun, 12th Apr 2020 13:34:00
     
      Global carbon emissions from the fossil fuel industry could fall by a record 2.5bn tonnes this year, a reduction of 5%, as the coronavirus pandemic triggers the biggest drop in demand for fossil fuels on record. The unprecedented restrictions on travel, work and industry due to the coronavirus is expected to cut billions of barrels of oil, trillions of cubic metres of gas and millions of tonnes of coal from the global energy system in 2020 alone, according to data commissioned by the Guardian.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/12/global-carbon-emisions-could-fall-by-record-25bn-tonnes-in-2020
     
         
      Are Flow Batteries The Future Of Energy Storage Sun, 12th Apr 2020 10:00:00
     
      Rows of huge tanks full of chemical solutions storing energy generated from massive solar and wind farms and powering whole cities: It’s a landscape that millennials might very well equate with the new normal. Batteries will power this new paradigm, and they won't necessarily all be lithium-ion batteries. The flow battery is staking a claim in the renewable energy world of the future. What are flow batteries? They are systems of two connected tanks, both containing electrolyte liquids: one with a positively charged cathode and the other with the negatively charged anode, just like a lithium-ion battery. Electricity passes from one electrolyte liquid to the other via a membrane between the tanks.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Are-Flow-Batteries-The-Future-Of-Energy-Storage.html
     
         
      Wind Turbine Maker Senvion Sells India Business Sat, 11th Apr 2020 14:19:00
     
      Months after German wind turbine maker Senvion announced the sale of some assets to competitor Siemens Gamesa, it has found a strategic investor for one of its subsidiaries as well. Indian business dailies have reported that Senvion India Private Limited will be sold off to a strategic investor. The investor, however, has not been named. It is also unknown if the investor is Indian or foreign. The announcement marks yet another milestone in Senvion's journey that has seen the company change hands several times. Senvion filed for bankruptcy in Germany last year and entered an agreement with its lenders to sell off several assets. Before it initiated the asset sale, however, it separated out the Indian business, making it a standalone business. India’s low cost manufacturing and significant onshore as well as offshore untapped potential promoted this decision by Senvion management.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/11/wind-turbine-maker-senvion-sells-india-business/
     
         
      India’s Adani Green Energy Achieves 2.5 Gigawatts Of Renewable Energy Capacity Sat, 11th Apr 2020 14:12:00
     
      One of India's leading renewable energy companies, Adani Green Energy, has reported an impressive 30% increase in installed capacity between April 2019 and March 2020. In a statement, the company announced that it added 587 megawatts of solar and wind energy capacity in 2019-20, taking the total installed capacity to 2,545 megawatts. The commissioned assets include 2,148 megawatts of solar power projects and 397 megawatts of solar power projects. The company also reported that generation from these commissioned projects increased by 14.5% to 4,310 gigawatt-hour during 2019-20. The company has under construction 475 megawatts of solar power and 1,280 megawatts of wind energy capacity. It is also working to commission 1,690 megawatts of solar-wind hybrid projects that it had recently secured in competitive auctions. Adani Green Energy's total portfolio stands at just under 6 gigawatts spread across 11 states and 64 locations in India. The company has aggressive expansion plans over the next few years with a target to achieve 10 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2022 and 15 gigawatts by 2025. The company recently placed its entire operational solar power capacity of 2.1 gigawatts in a joint venture with French energy major Total. The joint venture recently received funding worth US$490 million from Total. Adani Green Energy's competitors include ReNew Power and Hero Future Energies. ReNew Power has a portfolio of around 8 gigawatts, including 4.9 gigawatts of operational solar and wind energy projects. The company is backed by several marquee investors like Goldman Sachs, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Hero Future Energies has a portfolio of 2.8 gigawatts, including 1.3 gigawatts of operational solar and wind energy projects. Last year, it secured an equity stake worth US$150 million to Abu Dhabi's Masdar Group.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/11/indias-adani-green-energy-achieves-2-5-gigawatts-of-renewable-energy-capacity/
     
         
      Fraunhofer ISE Testing Vehicle-Integrated Solar Systems Sat, 11th Apr 2020 14:04:00
     
      Fraunhofer ISE is partnering with the Fraunhofer Institute for Transport and Infrastructure Systems and four trucking companies to develop vehicle-integrated solar systems that can help reduce carbon emissions from the transport industry. As part of the research, Fraunhofer ISE has equipped several trucks with sensors that record how much solar energy they are exposed to in real world use. That research suggests for each square meter of surface area, 150 kWh of electricity can be generated each year. Translate that to the surface area of a typical cargo trailer — about 32 square meters — and the result is enough electricity to power an electric vehicle a distance of 5,000 kilometers or more a year. Integrated solar for vehicles presents some challenges, particularly keeping the weight of such systems low to avoid reducing payload significantly. The target weight for commercial vehicles is no more than 2.2 kilograms per square meter. In addition, the systems must be robust enough to withstand the constant pounding trucks experience during normal use. The benefits of integrated solar include powering refrigeration units that normally use diesel generators and a potential auxiliary power source for electric delivery vans. Over the next three years, the research teams and their commercial partners will design and test vehicle integrated solar modules for electric cars and heavy duty vehicles, with an emphasis on solar modules and power electronics, as well as manufacturing techniques for PV applications. Using an existing production line from German manufacturer Sunset Energietechnik, they will develop the manufacturing techniques needed to produce lightweight solar modules. "We want to develop the technology, while also demonstrating that trucks can use onboard PV to meet over 5% of their energy demand," Christoph Kutter, project manager at Fraunhofer ISE, tells PV Magazine. "Calculations show that 4,000 to 6,000 kilometers of additional driving range per year are possible." And so, step by step, the renewable energy and electric vehicle revolutions are moving forward, each one supporting the other in replacing fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/11/fraunhofer-ise-testing-vehicle-integrated-solar-systems/
     
         
      Australian forest study may challenge climate change optimism Sat, 11th Apr 2020 13:51:00
     
      As Australia's forests burned earlier this year, people around the world worried about the impact of all that smoke on our climate. At the same time, researchers in New South Wales were finalising a study looking at the capacity for forests to consume and store carbon from the atmosphere. The results were not comforting. In fact, they cast doubt over many of the climate models being used to predict carbon levels into the future. A forest of cranes In a unique experiment, Professor Belinda Medlyn and her team from Western Sydney University pumped carbon from a commercial supplier into a forest of 90-year-old trees. They laid pipelines and built tubular structures in the forest to deliver the carbon into the air above the canopy. For four years they kept the carbon levels 38 per cent higher than normal while they tracked the movement of carbon through the forest ecosystem and they built cranes to take them high enough to measure the results. They looked at how the trees and the plants in the understory take up the CO2 and found that it passes through the ecosystem in a number of different ways, according to Professor Medlyn.
       
      Full Article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-04-11/forest-carbon-study-climate-change-optimism-sequestration-uws/12136118
     
         
      Kiwis probe offshore wind potential Kiwis probe offshore wind potential Fri, 10th Apr 2020 17:26:00
     
      A new report has highlighted the development potential for wind farms off the western coast of New Zealand's North Island. Researchers focused on the region of Taranaki, which boasts a long coastline, ample waters less than 50 metres deep and strong wind speeds of between 8.5 and 10.1 metres per second at hub height. The paper was produced by the Taranaki region's development agency, Venture Taraniki, and consultancy firm Elemental Group. Researchers identified two sites as particularly suitable for fixed-bottom offshore wind. The largest is a 1,800 square-kilometre area located in the North Taranaki Bight, which is estimated to be able to accommodate up to 12GW of capacity. A smaller 370 square-kilometre area in the south Taranaki Bight could play host to 2.4GW, the study said. "If floating wind turbines are to be considered then another 14,000 km² of suitable area developed could deliver an additional 90GW into the New Zealand grid," its authors wrote. Elemental Group and Venture Taranaki said they hope the study can kick-start a discussion about offshore wind development in the country.
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/59634/kiwi-s-probe-offshore-wind-potential/
     
         
      Cities struggling to boost urban tree cover Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:51:00
     
      Many cities around the globe are struggling to reconcile ambitious environmental targets with development pressures, a study has suggested. Scientists in Melbourne recorded a net gain in street tree cover but a net loss in parks and private land. The Australian team says measures to protect mature trees are "critical" if the urban forest's cover is to be enhanced in the future. The findings appear in the Sustainable Cities and Society journal. Globally, the role of trees in towns and cities are well recognised, such as providing shade during hot summer months, and helping to absorb noise pollution and floodwater. The team of researchers in Australia examined the plight of trees in the city of Melbourne in the decade between 2008 and 2017. They observed a complex pattern: "Our analyses showed a net gain in tree canopy cover in public streets and a net loss of canopy cover in public parks and private properties," they say in their study.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52231899
     
         
      How durable are hydrogen fuel-cell cars? Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:28:00
     
      If you've ever been moved to test a car's reliability, you could do worse than giving it to a cab driver – high mileages and intensive duty cycles tell you an awful lot about a vehicle. So where better to test a fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell cars than in that unforgiving environment? Since 2015 a fleet of Toyota Mirai cars has been through just such a wringer with Green Tomato Cars (GTC), an ethical car company based in west London. Its 50 Mirais, which comprise 15 per cent of its total fleet, have covered well over a million miles between them. "Certainly we broke a million miles last year," says GTC founder Jonny Goldstone. "We must be well on the way to two million now." How can car hire be ethical? GTC was founded in 2006 to provide taxi and driver services, while managing a tricky balancing act of being decent to customers,...
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/durable-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars/
     
         
      Tropical Oceans Headed For Collapse Within The Next 10 Years, Major Study Reveals Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:19:00
     
      Global warming will cause "catastrophic" biodiversity loss across the world if greenhouse gas emissions aren't curbed, with some ecosystems liable to collapse as soon as 2030, according to new research into where and when die-offs may occur. Earth has never in human history warmed so quickly or uniformly as it is currently, but a variety of factors affect temperatures in individual regions, with significant seasonal and geographic variation. Scientists predict that at the current level of human-made carbon emissions, Earth is on course to heat up to four degrees Celsius by 2100. Instead of looking at global trends, researchers in Britain, the United States and South Africa looked at more than 150 years of climate data and cross-referenced that with the spread of more than 30,000 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. They then divided the globe into 100 square kilometre (39 square mile) segments, and modelled the temperature trends and effects this would have on wildlife in a given area. Writing in the journal Nature, they concluded that under emissions as usual - known as the RCP8.5 scenario - up to 73 percent of species will experience unprecedented warming with potentially disastrous effects for populations. Alex Pigot, from University College London's Centre for Biodiversity and Environment, said that the models showed that animal populations were liable to collapse once they cross a temperature "horizon" - being exposed to heat they're not evolved to handle.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/study-predicts-tropical-oceans-have-less-than-ten-years-before-ecological-collapse
     
         
      Air pollution drops drastically across UK - as annual global carbon emissions set for historic fall Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:16:00
     
      Air pollution has fallen by up to 60 per cent in some cities in the UK since the start of the lockdown. Meanwhile global carbon dioxide emissions were predicted to fall 4 per cent this year, a historical drop, because of the slowing of air and road traffic and heavy industry. Levels of nitrogen dioxide, caused by road traffic, dropped significantly across the country after the government introduced a nationwide stay-at-home policy on March 24 and road traffic dropped by more than 70 per cent. Monitoring points in London, York, Bristol, Glasgow and Nottingham were among those which saw their levels of air pollution halved. The A472, in Hafodyrynys, Caerphilly, which regularly tops the list of most polluted spots in the country, saw its levels of NO2 drop 48 per cent according to the data from Defra, which was released by the BBC....
       
      Full Article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/10/air-pollution-drops-drastically-across-uk-annual-global-carbon/
     
         
      Development of new photovoltaic commercialization technology Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:11:00
     
      A technology to further accelerate the commercialization of Colloidal Quantum Dot (CQD) Photovoltaic (PV) devices, which are expected to be next-generation photovoltaic devices, has been developed. DGIST recently announced that a research team with Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy Science & Engineering and Professor Edward H. Sargent from the University of Toronto has identified the cause of the performance degradation in CQD PV devices and developed a material processing method capable of stabilizing the performance of the devices. Quantum dots have excellent light absorbance and are capable of absorbing light over a wide range of wavelengths. Hence, they have attracted attention as a key material for next generation photovoltaic devices. In particular, quantum dots are light, flexible, and involve low processing costs; therefore, they can be replaced by supplementing the drawbacks of silicon solar cells currently in use In this regard, several studies on photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) have been conducted with the aim of improving the performance of CQD PV devices. However, very few studies have focused on improving the stability of these devices, which is necessary for the commercialization process. In particular, few studies have used the CQD PV device at the Maximum Power Point, which is the actual operating environment of PV devices.
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2020-04-photovoltaic-commercialization-technology.html
     
         
      Tesla's Virtual Power Plant Is Already a Success Fri, 10th Apr 2020 14:08:00
     
      Tesla's extreme Australian makeover continues with a new "virtual power plant," part of the continent's overall program to encourage these collections of renewable resources. Tesla is just the first to make and report on a virtual power plant for the program. Like the large energy storage facility Tesla operates in South Australia, the goal of the virtual power plant is to both collect energy and store it to be fed back into the grid. The pilot virtual plant is distributed across the rooftops of 1,000 low-income homes in South Australia, and Tesla says its goal is to eventually have 50,000 solar rooftops there. That number might sound small, but South Australia only has about 1.6 million residents. Each home has photovoltaic panels on the roof and a Tesla Powerwall system—a home solution that stores solar power from panels and releases it as needed—to store the energy. The Powerwalls are then networked to secure and share collected solar energy. Like distributed computing and cloud storage, the network is what makes a collection of individual pieces into, in this case, a "power plant." By hosting panels that feed into the virtual plant, low-income South Australians are seeing up to 20 percent drops in their energy bills, according to a new report from the Australia Energy Market Operator.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a31977069/tesla-virtual-power-plant/
     
         
      Life After Covid-19, Part II: Secret Renewable Energy Weapon Lurks Beneath Waters of the US Fri, 10th Apr 2020 13:54:00
     
      For all the nice (and not-so-nice) things people say about hydropower, the chances of building a new fleet of hydropower dams in the US are slim to none. However, there is still plenty of untapped renewable energy to be scoured from running water — and the US Department of Energy is determined to pry it loose with $38 million for a newly announced research program. The new announcement lends additional support to the prospects for deploying renewables as an economic recovery strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. More & Better Renewable Energy From Water As for where this mysterious new source of water-based renewable energy lies, that's the easy part — and the hard part. It takes the form of ambient water flowing in rivers and tidal currents, aka hydrokinetic energy. Estimates of hydrokinetic potential in the US vary considerably, but according to one analysis it is technically feasible to harvest up to 334 terawatt-hours annually (yes, that's terawatts) from tidal streams in US waters, and another 120 terawatt-hours annually from river currents. The problem is that hydrokinetic technology as it exists today is not quite ready for the mass market. Falling costs for wind and solar power have ramped up the competition in the renewable energy field, making it difficult for other alternatives to grab a toehold. Nevertheless, the Energy Department is convinced that the nation's future energy profile would be strengthened by a robust hydrokinetic sector. For starters, hydrokinetic sites would dovetail with the nation's population distribution, with large numbers of people and economic activity concentrated near riverbanks and coasts. Hydrokinetic devices could also help support microgrids in remote areas. Riverine and tidal flows are also reliable and forecastable over long periods of time, which is a plus for grid planning. Even better, they have their own unique seasonal and daily variations, so they would complement rather than duplicate the output of wind and solar facilities. The Energy Department is also eyeballing the technology export market. Aside from grid usage, they cite opportunities in the Blue Economy described by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The list of potential off-grid applications includes climatological observation, aquaculture, desalination, ocean floor and seawater mining, disaster recovery, powering isolated communities, and autonomous underwater vehicle support.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/10/life-after-covid-19-part-ii-secret-renewable-energy-weapon-lurks-beneath-waters-of-the-us/
     
         
      Nearly half of global coal plants will be unprofitable this year, study shows Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:48:00
     
      Nearly half of all global coal plants will run at a loss this year, new research suggests. This comes despite proposals in China to build more plants to stimulate its economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Carbon Tracker, a London-based environmental think tank. The organisation analysed the profitability of 95 per cent of coal plants in operation or planned around the world. Looking at 6,696 existing plants and 1,046 in the pipeline, it found that 46 per cent will be unprofitable this year, up from 41 per cent in 2019. This is based on estimated revenues from wholesale power markets, ancillary and balancing services and capital markets, as well as running costs, carbon pricing and pollution policies. As renewable energy and cheaper gas outcompete coal, 52 per cent of coal plants are expected to be unprofitable by 2030, the think tank added. China, which produces and consumes about half the world's coal, might be considering building more coal plants to re-energise its economy once the Covid-19 pandemic has passed, after the National Energy Administration announced it was ready to relax rules on coal power investment, the report said. Nearly 60 per cent of China's existing coal plant fleet is running at an underlying loss, it added. "China and other governments may be tempted to invest in coal power to help their economies recover after the Covid-19 pandemic, but this risks locking in high-cost coal power that will undermine global climate targets," said Matt Gray, co-head of power and utilities at Carbon Tracker.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/coal-plants-profits-china-carbon-tracker-revenue-a9457921.html
     
         
      Low Oil Prices Are Putting Canadian Drillers Out Of Business Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:46:00
     
      The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated global oil demand while producing countries fail to agree on output cuts, and as onlookers have predicted, it was a matter of time until shut-ins would start. A Rystad Energy analysis shows that Canada is the oil producer most affected so far, with the damage estimated to reach above 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in shut-in production in the second quarter of 2020. Thus far, Canada is estimated to have shut-in oil production of at least 325,000 bpd, followed by Iraq (300,000 bpd), Venezuela (235,000 bpd) and Brazil (200,000 bpd). Although the US is also likely to be shutting-in hundreds of thousands of barrels of production as well, numbers are not yet official and are not included in our estimates. "Due to the severity of demand destruction in North America in April and May, we estimate that shuttered oil sands and heavy oil curtailments in Western Canada could exceed 1.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2020, with additional near-term downside risk," says Rystad Energy's senior analyst Thomas Liles. Our curtailment forecasts for the rest of the year have increased to 513,000 bpd for the third quarter and 293,000 bpd for the fourth quarter.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Low-Oil-Prices-Are-Putting-Canadian-Drillers-Out-Of-Business.html
     
         
      H2-Share's First Hydrogen-Powered Truck Hits the Road in the Netherlands Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:41:00
     
      H2-Share's first hydrogen-powered rigid truck hits the road in the Netherlands. On Wednesday, 1 April, a 27-tonne hydrogen fuel cell rigid truck built by VDL started its first demonstration with BREYTNER as part of the EU-funded H2-Share project in Schelluinen, the Netherlands.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/h2-shares-first-hydrogen-powered-truck-hits-the-road-in-the-netherlands/
     
         
      After COVID-19, Here Comes More & Better Farming With Solar Panels Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:39:00
     
      Solar panels are sprouting on farmland like mushrooms after the rain, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. If too many solar panels replace too much cropland, there goes the food supply. However, farmers are beginning to learn how to do their farming within solar arrays, and in a new green twofer, solar arrays could actually help push the regenerative agriculture movement into the mainstream. Solar Panels + Farming, Good The first twist in the field of solar + farming was a relatively simple one. Raise the solar panels just a few extra feet off the ground, and you can graze sheep and other animals on the same land. You can also use the land for pollinator habitat. Et voilà, there you have something new called agrivoltaics. Of course, raised solar panels can involve some extra cost, but that could be counterbalanced by an increase in efficiency. Researchers are beginning to amass evidence that allowing plants to flourish under a raised solar array can improve solar cell efficiency by creating a cooling microclimate. As for growing human-edible crops, that's a tougher row to hoe. For starters, the solar panel racks would limit the width and height of motorized farm equipment. That's not necessarily a deal breaker, but then another challenge is to identify crops that can grow efficiently in the shade. Either way, the solar + farming movement has already caught the attention of the US Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is looking for ways to protect farmland against overpopulation by utility-scale solar arrays. The agency's Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency has also published a handy "Farmer's Guide to Going Solar."
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/09/after-covid-19-here-comes-more-better-farming-with-solar-panels/
     
         
      Climate crisis: in coronavirus lockdown, nature bounces back – but for how long? Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:37:00
     
      While carbon emissions fall as human activity decreases, in the end it will be about the politics After decades of relentlessly increasing pressure, the human footprint on the earth has suddenly lightened. The environmental changes wrought by the coronavirus were first visible from space. Then, as the disease and the lockdown spread, they could be sensed in the sky above our heads, the air in our lungs and even the ground beneath our feet. While the human toll mounted horrendously from a single case in Wuhan to a global pandemic that has so far killed more than 88,000 people, nature, it seemed, was increasingly able to breathe more easily.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/climate-crisis-amid-coronavirus-lockdown-nature-bounces-back-but-for-how-long
     
         
      Lightsource BP Wins Solar Project That Would Double Large-Scale Capacity in Arkansas Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:31:00
     
      Lightsource BP, the U.K.-based solar developer backed by BP, secured a power-purchase agreement for a 132-megawatt solar project in Arkansas that would nearly double that state's utility-scale capacity, currently at 147 megawatts. Municipal utility Conway Corporation will use power from the project, called Happy Solar, which is slated for commercial operation in 2022. The project — finalized from the living rooms and home offices of company executives as a result of the coronavirus pandemic — shows that deals are still getting done in the U.S. solar market, even as the economy takes a significant downturn. For Lightsource, the project suggests a growing interest in engaging with smaller, more local utilities. Those types of deals often involve more collaboration, Kevin Smith, Lightsource's CEO for the Americas, told GTM. "The bigger utilities have done dozens and dozens of renewable energy contracts, so it's a little bit more business-as-usual. They have their procedures and policies and contract structures," he said. "In reality, it's a little bit more fun working with some of the co-ops and municipals that are new to the renewable energy sector." Lightsource is looking toward new geographies — everywhere east of Colorado — and new power offtakers as solar prices drop. Last year, the developer signed a deal for a 130-megawatt project with the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, a cooperative utility with 11 municipal members in the state. "The midsize groups, like Conway, like AMEA — there's a lot more interface because the projects are groundbreaking for them," said Smith.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/lightsource-project-to-double-large-scale-solar-in-arkansas
     
         
      Floating wind power will be 'gigawatts and billions of dollars' play for Iberdrola Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:25:00
     
      Global renewables giant's launch into emerging sector targeting technology-agnostic plan to add first 2GW by 2030, says offshore wind chief. Global renewable energy giant Iberdrola is in advanced-stage planning of a strategy to expand its current 10GW...
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/floating-wind-power-will-be-gigawatts-and-billions-of-dollars-play-for-iberdrola/2-1-790561
     
         
      Software for virtual power plants powered by residential solar-plus-storage Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:21:00
     
      With its sonnenVPP, German battery company Sonnen wants to improve the efficiency of virtual power plants which it says can offer primary balancing energy from houses with solar and storage and can operate up to 90% more cost-effectively. With a virtual power plant (VPP) aggregated from household solar-plus-storage installations operating in Germany's primary balancing energy market since November 2018, German energy storage specialist Sonnen has developed software it says can operate the system up to 90% more cost-effectively. The SonnenVPP package connects residential batteries and appliances to the VPP via an internet connection for only a fractional additional cost, according to the company. Recent changes to IT requirements for Germany's four electricity transmission system operators mean even small, 25 kW systems – such as household batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging stations – can be connected to the Sonnen VPP via a VPN internet connection and without any additional devices. The system, said Sonnen, means the energy provided by the VPP "can be provided in a permanently stable and significantly more economical way."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/09/software-for-virtual-power-plants-powered-by-residential-solar-plus-storage/
     
         
      7 Transmission Projects That Could Unlock a Renewable Energy Bounty Thu, 9th Apr 2020 14:17:00
     
      It's been a tough few years — a tough decade, really — for big U.S. transmission projects seeking to carry wind and solar power from where it's most cost-effectively generated to where it's needed the most. Major infrastructure projects are notoriously tough to build in 21st-century America, and that seems especially true for transmission lines, however critical they are in transforming the energy system. The case for new multistate transmission lines has never been clearer. A growing number of states and utilities have set 100-percent-clean-energy goals, albeit with no obvious path to generating all that power close to home. The gap is growing between the transmission network's capacity and the need to link wind farms in the Great Plains and Intermountain West, solar farms in the Southwest and hydropower resources in eastern Canada to other regions hungry for carbon-free energy. Even within individual states, such as Texas, congestion costs, instances of negative grid pricing and other effects of the lack of sufficient transmission are rising, underscoring the need for new projects.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/9-transmission-projects-laying-the-paths-for-cross-country-clean-energy
     
         
      Europe 'can become climate-neutral before 2050 with 100% renewables': report Thu, 9th Apr 2020 12:59:00
     
      Europe could become climate neutral even before 2050, a new report by industry advocacy body SolarPower Europe and Finland's LUT University has found. The study, 100% Renewable Europe – How to make Europe's energy system climate-neutral before 2050, presents three transition roadmaps with varying degrees of ambition, stressing a 'low ambition pathway' in Europe will be a burden for society, both from a climate change and economic perspective. "SolarPower Europe and LUT University's study comes at an important point in time, outlining the benefits of a 100% renewable energy pathway to achieve climate neutrality in a cost-effective way in Europe, even before 2050 and to make the European energy system less dependent and more resilient," said Claude Turmes, Luxembourg's energy minister. SolarPower Europe president Aristotelis Chantavas added a 100% renewable energy system would make it possible for the EU to become climate neutral and comply with the 1.5°C Paris agreement target without resorting to carbon sinks. "This leadership scenario will also trigger the sharpest decline in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions, down to zero in 2040," Chantavas said. "It also highlights the pivotal role of electrification to achieve a 100% renewable-based energy system, which will generate significant system efficiency gains and facilitate sectoral integration. "With this report, we aim to contribute a new perspective to the discussion on how to enable a true European Green Deal." The EU so far has the ambition to push CO2 emissions to net-zero by 2050 through its ambitious €1trn ($1.1bn) Green Deal plan, which EU leaders recently said should be part of a coordinated approach for a recovery after the economic downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. SolarPower Europe's report suggests solar could generate more than 60% of the continent's electricity by 2050, and stressed the role of green hydrogen in this.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/europe-can-become-climate-neutral-before-2050-with-100-renewables-report/2-1-792011
     
         
      WoodMac expects 106 GW of newly deployed solar this year Wed, 8th Apr 2020 15:01:00
     
      As Chinese PV manufacturers are now on the way to fully utilizing their production capacities, it is becoming increasingly clear how much coronavirus containment measures will affect global demand. Wood Mackenzie expects a decline in residential PV demand and a shift in investment to commercial projects, which is why it now only expects 106 GW of capacity additions this year. Around half of the world's population is now affected by measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, demand for electricity is falling and the risk of a global recession is increasing, Wood Mackenzie says in a newly released market report. This situation will have a range of different impacts on the future deployment of renewable energy. WoodMac analysts expect to see a disproportionate impact on demand for solar PV projects and storage systems, as well as electric vehicles. As a result, the research firm has lowered its full-year forecast for new PV capacity additions by 18% from 129.5 GW to 106.4 GW in 2020. And the consequences of the coronavirus crisis will be felt throughout the coming year and beyond, which is why the company has also cut its 2021 outlook for solar demand by 3% compared to previous forecasts. Containment measures for the coronavirus pandemic are having different impacts on different segments. These issues will primarily show up in delays in installations of utility-scale solar plants, as well as declining demand for residential and commercial PV systems, as customers are now under considerable economic pressure as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. WoodMac also expects to see falling module prices in Europe and the United States. Over the past few weeks, a number of PV manufacturers in China have been able to start resuming production, and some of them have already returned to full production capacity. The research firm said that this has contributed to price declines in Europe and the United States since the beginning of this month.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/08/woodmax-expects-106-gw-of-newly-deployed-solar-this-year/
     
         
      Crops were cultivated in regions of the Amazon '10,000 years ago' Wed, 8th Apr 2020 14:56:00
     
      Far from being a pristine wilderness, some regions of the Amazon have been profoundly altered by humans dating back 10,000 years, say researchers. An international team found that during this period, crops were being cultivated in a remote location in what is now northern Bolivia. The scientists believe that the humans who lived here were planting squash, cassava and maize. The inhabitants also created thousands of artificial islands in the forest. The end of the last ice age, around 12,000 years ago, saw a sustained rise in global temperatures that initiated many changes around the world. Perhaps the most important of these was that early civilisations began to move away from living as hunter-gatherers and started to cultivate crops for food. Researchers have previously unearthed evidence that crops were domesticated at four important locations around the world. So China saw the cultivation of rice, while in the Middle East it was grains, in Central America and Mexico it was maize, while potatoes and quinoa emerged in the Andes. Now scientists say that the Llanos de Moxos region of southwestern Amazonia should be seen as a fifth key region. The area is a savannah but is dotted with raised areas of land now covered with trees.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52217636
     
         
      World's first floating wind powered offshore oil project gets government go-ahead Wed, 8th Apr 2020 14:44:00
     
      Norway greenlights $490m Hywind Tampen project that will supply 35% of energy demand for giant Snorre-Gullfaks complex in the North Sea. The world's first floating wind power-supported offshore oil & gas project has been given the go-ahead by the...
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/worlds-first-floating-wind-powered-offshore-oil-project-gets-government-go-ahead/2-1-790171
     
         
      'It's positively alpine!': Disbelief in big cities as air pollution falls Wed, 8th Apr 2020 14:23:00
     
      The screenshots began to circulate on Delhi WhatsApp groups last week, captioned with varying expressions of disbelief. Having checked the air quality index, something of a sadistic morning ritual among residents of India's capital, most could not believe their eyes. Gone was the familiar menacing red banner, indicating how each intake of breath is really just a toxic blast on the lungs, replaced instead by a healthy, cheerful green. Could it really be that Delhi's pollution levels now fell into the category of … "good"? "It's positively alpine!" exclaimed one message. A nationwide lockdown imposed across India on 24 March to stop the spread of the coronavirus – the largest lockdown of its kind attempted anywhere – has led to widespread chaos and suffering, especially among the country's 300 million poor. Yet in Delhi, the world's most polluted city, it has also resulted in some of the freshest air the capital has seen in decades.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/11/positively-alpine-disbelief-air-pollution-falls-lockdown-coronavirus
     
         
      Supermajor Slashes Spending As Oil Prices Collapse Tue, 7th Apr 2020 15:03:00
     
      "We haven't seen anything like what we're experiencing today." ExxonMobil's CEO Darren Woods said his company is expecting oil demand to decline by 20 to 30 percent because of the global pandemic and economic downturn. In response, Woods announced that the oil major could cut spending by 30 percent this year, with much of the pullback concentrated on its Permian operations. Exxon had held out longer than its rivals, waiting a month after the collapse in prices to revise down its spending program. Woods did not reveal how much Exxon would spend in the Permian this year, but RBC Capital Markets analyst Biraj Borkhataria estimates that the company is likely spending around $6 billion, "and we see no reason why capex and the rig count cannot be reduced by 50% at a minimum in 2020," according to Reuters. The spending reductions could translate into Exxon's Permian production coming in 15,000 bpd below its target of 360,000 bpd in 2020. Next year, the impact will be more pronounced, with cuts translating into 150,000 bpd lower than the 600,000-bpd target. "The reductions we are making in the Permian will not compromise the scale or functional excellence" of Exxon's operations, Woods said. Exxon now plans on spending $23 billion in 2020, down from a previously expected $33 billion. The move comes after the oil major suffered credit downgrades and scrutiny over its dividend program.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Supermajor-Slashes-Spending-As-Oil-Prices-Collapse.html
     
         
      Oil Companies Are Collapsing, but Wind and Solar Energy Keep Growing Tue, 7th Apr 2020 14:58:00
     
      The renewable-energy business is expected to keep growing, though more slowly, in contrast to fossil fuel companies, which have been hammered by low oil and gas prices.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/business/energy-environment/coronavirus-oil-wind-solar-energy.html
     
         
      Using ultrasonic irradiation to separate backsheets in PV waste Tue, 7th Apr 2020 11:30:00
     
      Chinese researchers have used an industrial-grade, 720 W ultrasonic cleaner – with a frequency rating of 28 Khz and 1,000 W of heating power – to separate backsheets from end-of-life PV modules. They’ve concluded that an ultrasonic power of 720 W is ideal for the separation process.

    Scientists from East China University of Science and Technology claim to have developed a new process to separate backsheets from end-of-life PV modules for recycling purposes.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/07/using-ultrasonic-irradiation-to-separate-backsheets-in-pv-waste/
     
         
      UK forests 'could do more harm than good' Tue, 7th Apr 2020 10:30:00
     
      Mass tree planting in the UK could harm the environment if not planned properly, a report warns.

    Badly-planned trees would increase greenhouse gas emissions, say the government’s advisers on the economic value of the natural environment.

    The report comes from the Natural Capital Committee (NCC), which says planting trees into peat bogs would prove a serious mistake.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52200045
     
         
      Neoen, Mondo plan massive 600MW Victoria big battery near Geelong Tue, 7th Apr 2020 10:30:00
     
      French renewable energy developer Neoen is planning a massive new big battery near Geelong – dubbed the “Victoria big battery” – that will be up to four times the size of the original “Tesla big battery” at Hornsdale in South Australia. Plans for the $300 million battery, proposed to be sized at around 600MW, have been unveiled by the City of Geelong and form part of the group’s response to an urgent call by the Victoria state government to “go it alone” and fast track a much needed upgrade of its main transmission link to Victoria.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/neoen-mondo-plan-massive-600mw-victoria-big-battery-near-geelong-16169/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Don't bail out airlines, say climate campaigners Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:31:00
     
      More than 250 trades unions and environment groups have signed an open letter opposing plans for bailing out the aviation industry. The letter to governments demands that any bailouts lead to better labour conditions and a cut in emissions. They say aviation should make changes already evident in other sectors amid the coronavirus lockdown. Thanks to a long-standing treaty, international aviation has largely been able to make its own rules. The campaigners say this must change now that firms are asking for new favours from governments Their informal group is called "Stay Grounded". Its spokesperson Magdalena Heuwieser said: "For decades the aviation industry has avoided contributing meaningfully to global climate goals and resisted the merest suggestion of taxes on fuel or tickets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52190502
     
         
      New renewable energy capacity hit record levels in 2019 Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:28:00
     
      Almost three-quarters of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 uses renewable energy, representing an all-time record. New data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) shows solar, wind and other green technologies now provide more than one-third of the world’s power, marking another record. Fossil fuel power plants are in decline in Europe and the US, with more decommissioned than built in 2019. But the number of coal and gas plants grew in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In the Middle East, which owns half the world's oil reserves, just 26% of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 was renewable.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/06/new-renewable-energy-capacity-hit-record-levels-in-2019
     
         
      This Emerging Economy Bets Big On Solar Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:19:00
     
      Egypt's total of 1173 recorded Covid-19 cases and 78 deaths, as of April 5, places Africa's third-most populous country significantly below the global per capita averages for both counts as the pandemic continues to disrupt the global economy. However, as a result of the sharp growth in international cases and the gradual closing of national borders, in mid-March the government decided to implement travel restrictions. Egyptian airports were closed to international flights on March 19 for an initial period of two weeks. This shutdown has since been extended to internal flights and will last until at least April 15. Additionally, on March 25 the government announced a two-week curfew from 7pm to 6am, while pharmacies and food shops will be the only retail establishments allowed to open on weekends and past 5pm on weekdays. Restaurants may only open for deliveries. Pre-emptive economic stimulus As the potential economic fallout of the pandemic began to become clear, on March 22 President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced a comprehensive LE100bn ($6.4bn) package of measures. This included a LE22bn ($1.4bn) stimulus to support the Egyptian Exchange, which should also benefit from a 50% reduction in taxes on the dividends of listed companies. In addition, the Central Bank of Egypt announced a 3% interest rate cut in what it described as a "pre-emptive move" to support the wider economy. The outbreak will have a considerable negative impact on one Egypt's most important industries, tourism. The sector accounted for around 12% of GDP in 2019, with tourism receipts standing at $16.4bn and arrival numbers registering a record 57.5% increase.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/This-Emerging-Economy-Bets-Big-On-Solar.html
     
         
      Hyzon Aims for Tesla-Style Rush to Market for Hydrogen Trucks Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:17:00
     
      Hyzon Aims for Tesla-Style Rush to Market for Hydrogen Trucks. Singapore's Horizon Fuel Cell group has officially launched Hyzon Motors, a hydrogen vehicle company, which will initially focus on the development of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
       
      Full Article: https://fuelcellsworks.com/asia/hyzon-aims-for-tesla-style-rush-to-market-for-hydrogen-trucks/
     
         
      Texas: how the home of US oil and gas fell in love with solar power Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:10:00
     
      Texas: how the home of US oil and gas fell in love with solar power. A boom in projects across the Permian Basin comes amid coronavirus ...
       
      Full Article: https://www.ft.com/content/21fd91f2-7271-11ea-ad98-044200cb277f
     
         
      New Zealand may reach 6 GW of solar by 2050 Mon, 6th Apr 2020 15:06:00
     
      National utility Transpower said that solar could take a 9.3% share of the country's generation mix by the middle of the century. However, real growth is only forecast to occur from 2035, with distributed generation expected to account for more than 80% of total installed PV. New Zealand could cover its electricity demand with a generation mix based exclusively on wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower by 2050, according to Transpower New Zealand, a state-owned enterprise responsible for electric power transmission. The power provider said it may see the share of renewables grow from around 80% at present to 95% in 2035 and 100% by 2050. Under their most likely scenario – the Accelerated Electrification base case – electricity demand is expected to raise from 42 TWh in 2020 to 70 TWh by 2050, due to population growth and the rising electrification of heat and transport. "It is important to note that while electricity demand is estimated to increase by 68%, peak demand only increases by 40%, reflecting the increasingly important role of demand response solutions," the company said. This scenario, according to Transpower, envisions a generally positive global context, with growing political and social pressure to decarbonize. It also assumes that electrification will continue to be supported by the New Zealand government as a high priority way to decarbonize the economy, they said. Under these conditions, the share of solar will grow from just 0.2% in 2020 to 0.5% in 2025 and 1.7% in 2030. After another five years, this percentage is predicted to reach 4.3% and in 2040 is expected to come in at 5.7%. In 2045 it should reach 7.6% and finally 9.3% in 2050. By the middle of the century, remaining electricity demand will likely be 24.8% met by hydropower, 19.6% by wind, 12.5% by geothermal power, and 3.8% by other minor renewable energy sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/04/06/new-zealand-may-reach-6-gw-of-solar-by-2050/
     
         
      Solar manufacturing expansion plans for Q1 2020 top 500GW in unprecedented record Sun, 5th Apr 2020 15:25:00
     
      The solar industry announced unprecedented levels of capacity expansion plans in the first quarter of the year - some 500GW - easily surpassing any total annual plans in the history of the industry, preliminary data compiled by PV Tech shows. PV Tech's preliminary analysis of upstream manufacturing capacity expansion announcements in the first quarter of 2020, across ingot/wafer, solar cell and module assembly segments combined, exceeded a staggering 500GW. To put this in perspective, PV Tech's preliminary analysis of capacity expansion plans announced in 2019 reached a combined total of over 228GW, less than half the combined figures announced in Q1 2020. The vast majority of announcements in Q1 2020 were driven by China-based PV manufacturers. In 2019, China accounted for around 94% of capacity expansion announcements, according to PV Tech's analysis. It should also be noted that the combined total of over 228GW announced in 2019 was a new annual record for the PV industry surpassing the previous record set in 2017.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/solar-manufacturing-capacity-expansion-plans-in-q1-2020-set-unprecedented-r
     
         
      As Himalayas Warm, Nepal’s Climate Migrants Struggle to Survive Sun, 5th Apr 2020 15:22:00
     
      Pushed out of their village by a drought and lack of food, a group of Nepalis are fighting to amplify the voices of those forced to relocate by the planet's warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/world/asia/nepal-himalayas-glacier-climate.html
     
         
      North Sea Oil Faces Crisis Sun, 5th Apr 2020 15:14:00
     
      Oil and gas production in the North Sea became viable due to the 1973 oil crisis. The Arab-Israeli conflict caused a serious disruption that led to skyrocketing prices. Energy security became an important issue, which supported the development of the North Sea's energy resources. However, the industry has been in decline due to sustained lower prices in the past decade. The current crisis could be the final blow to an industry that was already struggling to survive. The North Sea enjoys several advantages that have made it an interesting investment destination. First, oil and gas fields are relatively close to consumers. The development of the region has created one of the most elaborate pipeline infrastructures in the world. Second, the industry enjoys exposure to highly developed economies in northwestern Europe that supply human capital and other necessary resources such as harbors. However, production costs in the North Sea are relatively high compared to, for example, the Middle East. According to Kevin Swann, research analyst at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, energy companies need prices above $40 to maintain profitability. A window of $60-$70 would be "comfortable", while $40-$50 puts many projects in the "risk zone". On average globally projects are sanctioned at a breakeven oil price of $35 per barrel. Currently, Brent Crude is traded for approximately $25 and it could slide even further. The current crisis comes at a time when the industry is recovering from the oil price plunge of 2014-2016. According to Oil and Gas UK (OGUK), 2020 will be remembered as a "perfect storm". Due to COVID-19 most of the global air fleet is grounded, transportation vehicles are safely parked, and a significant portion of the world's economy has ground to a halt. The crisis has decreased demand by approximately 16 million barrels, which is unparalleled. The disagreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia over production cuts, and consequentially the war for market share has decimated the industry even further. The crisis has significantly affected the North Sea's energy industry. The number of workers that operate oil and gas platforms under normal circumstances stands at about 11,500. But that has already fallen to 7,000 within just a couple of weeks, which is a decrease of 35 percent. Companies have aborted all non-essential work. Also, the continued risk of infections is another threat that could derail certain operations. Rystad Energy has predicted that more than one million workers in the oil and gas industry could lose their jobs in 2020.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/North-Sea-Oil-Faces-Crisis.html
     
         
      Households to be paid for daytime green electricity use during lockdown Sun, 5th Apr 2020 15:12:00
     
      Thousands of British homes will be paid to use electricity during the day for the first time, as wind and solar projects produce a surge in clean energy during the coronavirus lockdown. On Sunday morning, windfarms contributed almost 40% of the UK's electricity, while solar power made up almost a fifth of the power system. Fossil fuels made up less than 15% of electricity, of which only 1.1% came from coal plants.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/05/thousands-to-be-paid-for-daytime-green-electricity-use-during-lockdown
     
         
      Ex-Coal Power Plant Site Starts Showing Offshore Wind Contours Fri, 3rd Apr 2020 16:52:00
     
      Demolition works at the site of the former Brayton Point coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts, U.S., are nearing completion, with grading activities scheduled to start soon. The works are part of an overhaul of the site that will turn it into an offshore wind hub. "Our crews have safely deconstructed and removed 1.5 million square feet of former power plant infrastructure. We now have a blank canvas to create a platform for new development as the site matures into Brayton Point Commerce Center," said Russ Becker, President of EnviroAnalytics Group, a North American environmental remediation company. The works at the site started some 18 months ago, following the acquisition of the former coal power plant site by Commercial Development Company (CDC), a real estate acquisition and development company, in early 2018. "Grading activities will commence this spring to prepare laydown and manufacturing areas for future tenants. The grading plan is designed in accordance with the offshore wind industry requirements for a marshalling port and manufacturing of offshore wind components," Becker said. CDC states that it has been engaged in extensive discussions with major offshore wind industry companies.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/04/03/ex-coal-power-plant-starts-showing-offshore-wind-contours/
     
         
      Carbon offsetting is controversial, but unfortunately we need it Thu, 2nd Apr 2020 11:11:00
     
      As an environmentalist, I’m not a big fan of offsetting. Not only does it probably lead to increased pollution, absolving us of responsibility for our emissions, but carbon credits have also been notoriously poor at actually delivering the carbon reductions they claim. I’ve not set foot on a plane since 2011 as I struggle to justify flying, even with a carbon offset. Nevertheless, I’ve just written Green Alliance’s latest policy insight exploring the role offsetting could play in getting aviation to net zero, and how it could boost funding to restore nature and biodiversity in the UK. And I am hopeful. Here’s why. We probably will need (good) offsets to reach net zero aviation. The current Covid-19 crisis has seen a large proportion of the global airline fleet grounded. As the news today attests, this is an enormously challenging time for the industry and its employees, as well as for those people for whom not flying threatens their livelihood or cuts them off from their family. But, in the longer term, aviation faces another monumental challenge: to reduce its carbon emissions enough to make it possible for the world to limit global heating to 1.5oC. As a sector whose emissions are projected to grow substantially over the decades up to 2050 to a point where it is the dominant contributor, this is an urgent challenge. It is possible that technologies will be developed for zero carbon or carbon neutral flight. Electric planes are talked about a lot, and it is possible to make synthetic aviation fuel, combining hydrogen with CO2 captured from the air. If produced using renewable energy, it would be carbon neutral. These are neat solutions which would probably tempt me back to the skies. But electric planes probably won’t have the range to do long haul flights, which account for the majority of emissions, and synthetic fuels are yet to be produced at commercial scale and could turn out to be prohibitively expensive. This is why we are likely to need offsetting. Flights are probably going to be producing emissions right up to 2050 and beyond, and these will need to be ‘offset’ by equivalent removal and storage of CO2 from the atmosphere. This can be done by increasing the natural sequestration of plants and soils, and by removal technologies like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), or direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS). It can’t be done if emissions keep rising. The ability of the UK, and the world, to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere is limited by the availability of land and energy, both of which are already under pressure. The Committee on Climate Change estimates there will be about 85 MtCO2e sequestration capacity in the UK by 2050, but this is considerably less than the amount emissions are predicted to be. Emissions need to come down to a level where it’s possible to offset them by removals to have any hope of meeting the net zero goal. For aviation, we estimate this means nearly halving current levels of emissions by 2050. Unless and until zero carbon or carbon neutral flight technologies are commercialised, this can only be achieved by reducing our insatiable appetite for flying. A new funding opportunity for nature restoration? It may not be happening right now but, beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines will keep pumping out CO2 for decades. Offsetting these emissions by removing and storing the equivalent CO2 from the atmosphere will help to prevent climate heating gasses from continually building up. While it is not a perfect answer, it is going to happen anyway under the sector’s international agreement to offset emissions growth between 2020 and 2035, known as CORSIA. In its current form, this plan is to play its part in limiting global heating to 1.5oC. But, as it is all we have to work with now, it will be important to improve and make the most of this scheme until a long term solution is developed. Globally, airlines were predicted to spend between £4 billion and £18 billion a year on offsets by 2035 under CORSIA, although the impacts of Covid-19 may well alter that prediction. However, even at the lower end of the scale, it is an opportunity for the UK. If just some of this money was spent on nature-based projects in the UK it could fund a new wave of projects to improve habitats and restore biodiversity, like woodland and peatland restoration. Given that offsetting is going to happen anyway, it makes sense to try to determine what a good quality carbon credit looks like in the UK, setting a standard for other countries to follow. The UK is a good place to do it, with relatively strong regulation and enforcement around land use and management, and two world leading offset standards in the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code. We propose that a new Farm and Soil Carbon Code should be added to these, to allow farmers access to this money as well, ‘farming carbon’ to generate credits for sale by growing hedges, agroforestry and sequestering carbon in the soil on their land. Let’s split the net zero target into two One of the very real concerns about offsetting is that it will lead to the continued growth of actual aviation emissions, allowing business as usual. But business as usual is just not an option if we’re going to solve the global climate crisis. To avoid this complacency, we believe there should be a separate target for reducing gross emissions and another for the level of carbon removals needed, rather than a single ‘net zero’ target. It is our suggestion that a new ‘office for carbon removal’ should be set up by government to manage this and ensure that, once emissions are cut as far as they can be, any left over are met by removals. This new body could be funded by high emitting sectors, and would need to be sufficiently resourced to oversee the development of a whole new carbon removal industry. It would set rules and standards for the creation and verification of carbon removal credits, and a framework for allocating and paying for credits. The clock is ticking. It would of course be far preferable to aim for zero emissions and there are scientists and engineers working hard on the problem. But right now there is no simple, single solution in sight and we don’t have time to wait for one. The clock is ticking. Gross aviation emissions need to be set on a reduction pathway by limiting the number of flights at the same time as scalable carbon removal and storage technologies and carbon neutral fuels are developed and deployed. Nature-based carbon offsetting isn’t the solution, but it can help to us buy time with the enormous side benefit of supporting some much needed nature restoration in the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://greenallianceblog.org.uk/2020/04/02/carbon-offsetting-is-controversial-but-unfortunately-we-need-it/
     
         
      End of an era? Two large coal-fired power stations in the U.K close down on same day Wed, 1st Apr 2020 18:00:00
     
      A coal-fired power station in the U.K., which had a capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) at its peak and could power roughly two million homes, officially closed on Tuesday. The shutdown of Fiddler's Ferry Power Station, which is located in Cheshire, came on the same day that another coal-fired facility, RWE's 1,560 MW Aberthaw Power Station in Wales, also closed down. Provisional statistics released by the U.K. government last week showed that electricity provided by coal-fired generators dropped by nearly 60% in 2019 compared to the previous year. According to the figures, the 6.9 terawatt hours of electricity supplied from coal-fired generators in 2019 represented a record low. The latest Energy Trends report on U.K. electricity put this down to plant closures and coal-generation becoming "less economically favourable" than gas-fired generation. On a larger scale, last December the International Energy Agency said that cheap natural gas had "shattered coal's competitiveness in the European Union in 2019." The U.K. government is aiming to remove coal from Britain's energy system by 2025. It recently announced it would consult on moving that deadline to October 1, 2024. According to the government, Britain's reliance on coal for electricity has fallen from 70% in 1990 to under 3% today.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/01/two-large-coal-fired-power-stations-in-the-uk-close-down-on-same-day.html
     
         
      YOU’VE HEARD OF OFFSETTING, BUT WHAT IN THE WORLD IS CARBON INSETTING? Wed, 1st Apr 2020 10:49:00
     
      These days, paying to plant trees or investing in green projects as a way to balance out your carbon emissions is a pretty standard method of easing your environmental conscience. Known as carbon offsetting, the process has spawned a thriving business making billions of euros every year as companies trade carbon credits to reach climate change goals. You can now even offset to undo your own personal environmental damage, with airlines and organisations offering to help you take full responsibility for your residual emissions. For a small fee, of course. Increasingly, however, this sustainability solution has come under fire from activists as being little more than greenwashing. Critics have compared it to the practice of selling indulgences in the ancient Catholic church; you can live how you want as long as you have the money to buy off your sins. What if, instead of making environmental protection a side issue, businesses made these kinds of carbon-absorbing projects a part of the new normal? Tilmann Silber, director of sustainable supply chains for environmental expert, South Pole, discusses how important a completely new approach could be in allowing brands to show they are serious about fighting climate change. “Insetting is derived from offsetting, as the name suggests,” Silber explains. Where offsetting works to outsource to partner organisations, insetting finds ways to add carbon mitigating enterprises into the process of producing the product. “They would be looking for projects in or close to their supply chain.” Conventional carbon neutralising usually involves investing in projects unrelated to products, but insetting instead addresses a company’s balance with the ecosystem directly. Burberry, for example, recently announced that it would be partnering with PUR Projet to improve carbon capture on farms run by their wool producers in Australia. Restoring the biodiversity of these habitats helps capture CO2 from the atmosphere but also ensures the future of the landscape. Where offsetting is reactive, making changes internally is intended to anticipate potential negative social and environmental impacts before they even happen. Ultimately the goal is to provide a net positive outcome.
       
      Full Article: https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/03/30/you-ve-heard-of-offsetting-but-what-in-the-world-is-carbon-insetting
     
         
      Renewable hydrogen to undercut gas on price, but not the answer for transport Tue, 31st Mar 2020 14:07:00
     
      Renewable hydrogen has the potential to slash the global greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel power generation and industry by more than one third, at a cost competitive with natural gas, new research has found – but it’s not the answer for low-carbon automotive transport. Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Hydrogen Economy Outlook, published Monday (US time) finds that with large-scale geological storage and the right policies in place, renewables-produced hydrogen could be used to replace natural gas in both dispatchable power generation and industrial applications.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewable-hydrogen-to-undercut-gas-on-price-but-not-the-answer-for-transport-99853/
     
         
      Using Electrolyzers to Produce Renewable Hydrogen Mon, 30th Mar 2020 13:09:00
     
      Hydrogen is gaining popularity across the world as a source of clean energy with applications in transportation, stationary power, aviation, shipping, and more. When used as a fuel for a fuel cell system, the only by-products of the reaction are electricity, heat, and water, demonstrating the dramatic potential for emissions reductions across market sectors. In addition to decarbonizing these end-use applications, there is also much work underway to reduce the carbon intensity of hydrogen production itself. These methods include producing hydrogen from biomass or biomethane, as well as using renewable electricity from wind or solar power to power an electrolyzer. Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into its component parts of hydrogen and oxygen. That hydrogen can then be stored for later use as fuel in a fuel cell vehicle, to power a stationary fuel cell system, or for power-to-gas applications. Using hydrogen to store excess power generated from renewables is showing great potential. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, renewable hydrogen produced from electrolysis is projected to grow rapidly, citing a current growth trend from megawatt to gigawatt scale in Europe.
       
      Full Article: http://www.fchea.org/in-transition/2020/3/30/using-electrolyzers-to-produce-renewable-hydrogen
     
         
      Solar Energy Pros & Cons: What You Need To Know Mon, 23rd Mar 2020 20:18:00
     
      Solar energy today is one of the biggest sources of renewable energy and is used globally as a major power source from the United States to China. As one of the most abundant and cleanest energy sources today, solar energy reached over 570 TWH globally in 2018 – an increase of over 30% in just over a year. By 2030, Singapore has set an ambitious solar energy target of 2 gigawatt-peak which will provide enough power over 350,000 homes. HOW SOLAR ENERGY WORKS & WHY IT IS HERE TO STAY Solar energy is mainly harnessed through the use of photovoltaics (PVs) that allow particles of light to knock away electrons from atoms – creating electricity in the process. Another method of how solar energy is harnessed is through solar thermal capture, where concentrated solar energy is used to boil water to produce steam which then turns an electricity turbine. In the United States, over 42 states are expected to reach grid parity for residential solar power – that means solar power is able to generate power at a cost and performance level that is equal to or even less than the electricity generated by fossil fuels. While solar energy currently only accounts for around 7% of worldwide energy generation currently, the cost of solar power has fallen an impressive 85% since 2010 and it will continue to get even cheaper. Many developed countries such as Japan and developing countries including India are reaching new heights with solar power with ambitious goals to ramp up their solar installed capacity. Coupled with the rise of smart cities that seek to be powered on renewable energy and businesses such as Walmart & Intel relying heavily on solar to power their operations, solar energy is here to stay and its growth will only accelerate. Even Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino is fully powered by its solar power installations! THE TOP 5 ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ENERGY As the world transitions more towards renewable energy sources, solar power stands out from the rest due to certain key advantages they have, making countries both modern and industrialising, choose it as a long-term energy solution. Advantage #1: A Great Choice For Land-Scarce Countries While there are many forms of alternative renewable energy like geothermal and hydropower, they all have various restrictions that prevent most countries, especially those with geographical challenges, from adopting them. Hydropower requires water bodies with the necessary elevation, geothermal power requires being strategically located at crust formations and wind power will require huge land (or ocean) space commitment coupled with above-average wind-speed. And that is putting aside huge amounts of capital cost that could very well exceed that of solar power installations. However, solar energy is simply harnessing the power of the sun which almost every country will have constant access to. Take Singapore for example, as a country of just 721.5 square kilometres with a territorial sea of only 12 nautical miles, solar power is one of the only viable solutions for the island nation to diversify their energy sources away from fossil fuels. As of the end Q2 2019, Singapore has a total of 262.4 MWp worth of solar power capacity spread across 3,173 installations – most of which are fitted onto buildings. Advantage #2: Technology Is Always Improving As we highlighted earlier, solar power has reached grid parity in many countries such as China, where the home-generated solar power is cheaper than the electricity generated from their national grid – spurring the national to hit 1,300 GW of solar power capacity by 2050 compared to just 174 GW in 2017. Based on pure economics, solar energy will only get cheaper and more efficient, allowing companies, governments and individuals to enjoy a greater return on investment on their solar installations. In fact, the cost of multi-solar module prices dropped 90% from 2010 to Q3 of 2019, from $2 per watt to just over $0.20 per watt. Coupled with advancements in energy storage such as Tesla’s Powerwall that delivers over 7 days of continuous power during an outage, the viability of solar power for both residential and commercial use is a reality today. Advantage #3: Environmentally Sustainable Energy Supply The process of harnessing and converting solar power into electricity does not generally cause pollution and is vastly minimal when compared to that of fossil fuels. Households and companies that diversify their electricity supply with solar power can help shrink their carbon footprint as well as reduce carbon emissions in place of fossil fuel-generated electricity they would have otherwise bought. In fact, according to the US Energy Information Administration, the average home in Connecticut with solar panels that switch from fossil fuel-powered electricity to solar energy has the same emissions reduction effect of planting around 150 new trees every year! Advantage #4: Marginal Generation Cost & Enhanced Energy Sufficiency While the installation costs of solar energy stations and panels will involve substantial upfront investments, you will be able to enjoy marginal generation cost as solar energy (energy from the sun) is essentially free. This means that apart from the minimal maintenance cost for the solar panels, individuals and companies will be able to easily calculate the payback period on their capital investment and if the returns make sense. Solar panels are also highly durable and crystalline panels are usually guaranteed for a lifespan of 20-25 years by manufacturers. This gives solar power users an assurance of energy sufficiency, allowing them to enjoy consistent savings off their electricity bill. Advantage #5: Energy Solution For Rural Areas & Developing Nations While cities have the benefit of being connected to the country’s national grid, many rural areas in developed countries such as the United States and Australia and developing nations such as India lack this. Take India for example, they have a goal of 40GW of energy from decentralized rooftop projects on rural homes. The electricity generated can help families and communities in a plethora of day to day activities including heating, drying and cooking. Together with energy storage solutions such as solar batteries, solar power is a fantastic sustainable energy solution for communities that are living disconnected from the electricity grid. THE 5 DISADVANTAGES OF SOLAR ENERGY While solar energy has a myriad of benefits, it is not the definitive solution for every single situation where renewable energy is required. From high capital costs to reliability issues, here are some of the cons of utilizing solar power. Disadvantage #1: High Initial Investment & Payback Period While the prospect of marginal generation cost is attractive without any cost to harness sunlight, there is a substantial investment required upfront to purchase and install the solar power system. While solar panel prices are dropping, depending on your requirements, you will have to still fork out a high initial investment before you can enjoy savings off your electric bill and real savings can only be attained after you hit the payback period. As solar panels are getting cheaper, many countries including the US and the UK are cutting away government subsidies for both residential and commercial solar power stations – this means the bulk of the investment will rest on the shoulders of the business owner or homeowner. While there are many other options (mainly for the commercial side) such as lease-to-buy options and power purchase agreements (PPA) with manufacturers of the solar panels, you might not have full ownership of the solar power station and the leases could last for 20 or even 30 years! Disadvantage #2: Highly Weather Dependent (Reliability Issues) Solar energy harnesses the power of sunlight and that itself, while it is an everlasting and free resource, poses problems. Solar power is highly weather-dependent no matter where you are in the world. The most obvious fact is that solar panels do not operate during the night – and that means either the power generated during the day when there is sunlight has to be stored in batteries that can be utilised later on or other conventional types of energy has to be produced. Like other forms of renewable energy such as wind or geothermal energy, the quantity of electricity generated is highly dependent on the quality of it’s source. Wind turbines generate more electricity when the wind speed is high and the same goes for solar power, when the day is sunny without rain or clouds, the energy harnessed from the sun is significantly more. Depending on the location, certain countries like the USA (Arizona) will enjoy the highest number of sunlight hours annually while cities such as Dublin, Hanoi and Auckland all receive some of the lowest sunshine hours globally – making them not ideally suited for solar power. But that’s not all, even when it is technically a sunny day, cities like London are often cloudy, lowering the efficiency of solar panels there. In fact, solar panels only produce 10-25% of their typical output on a cloudy day which isn’t optimal, especially to lower the payback period from the upfront capital cost. Disadvantage #3: It Is Not 100% Pollution-Free Sure, the generation of power from solar power is green and produces zero carbon emissions during its operation – however, the entire installation of solar panel stations isn’t exactly 100% pollution-free. Nitrogen trifluoride, a greenhouse gas, is linked to the production of solar panels itself. The gas itself is thousands of times (in fact, 17,200 times) more potent versus carbon dioxide when it comes to contributing to global warming. Solar panels also require certain types of rare and expensive materials such as Cadmium Telluride and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide which are toxic to human health as well as requiring substantial resources to produce. Disadvantage #4: There Are Space Limitations While solar energy can seem easy to be utilised, space can get limited and configurations have to be done in certain arrays in order for it to function. Residential homes will require access to your own roof to install an array or a wide-open backyard where solar panels can be installed. If you are living in an apartment or condominium, having your own solar installation will be rather unfeasible and the responsibility will most likely fall to the management of the whole property. For companies, solar installations will require a decent amount of real estate space for the installation of the arrays. This would mean only businesses with physical space, such as supermarkets or industrial warehouses or manufacturing plants, will be able to fully capitalise on solar energy where scale is needed. Disadvantage #5: Solar Stations Are Fixed & Not Highly Moveable Apart from the capital costs needed to install the solar power stations, it is important to note that they aren’t exactly easily moveable to another location without incurring expensive moving costs. These costs not only include the transportation of the station itself, but also the need for solar experts and engineers to be present to assist with the safe removal of the solar panels to its new location. While it is true that solar panels do add value to a home or a commercial building when it is sold to a third party, the additional value might not be enough to cover the initial capital cost of the solar station, especially if only a few years of electricity generation has been enjoyed. Additionally, if your solar panels were installed by a company through a power purchase agreement (PPA) where the panels were installed and financed fully by the company, you will need to have the new owner of your property take over the agreement – which could make the sale more complicated. SOLAR ENERGY IS THE FUTURE & WELL WORTH EMBRACING Overall, solar energy still has tremendous benefits compared to its disadvantages and is still the most accessible type of renewable energy that every country can utilise. From businesses to households, solar energy can be used to lower electricity bills and diversify your electricity supply in case of any potential emergencies that might happen. In fact, as technology continues to improve, solar energy will get more efficient and cheaper, making it easier for homeowners and business owners to adopt it. We also believe solar energy is the future and are helping customers with existing solar panels in Singapore switch to us as their electricity retailer. This allows eligible households to buy electricity at up to 30% lower than the regulated tariff, while enjoying solar energy generated from their solar panels!
       
      Full Article: https://iswitch.com.sg/solar-energy-pros-cons/
     
         
      Air pollution falls as coronavirus slows travel, but scientists warn of longer-term threat to climate change progress Sun, 22nd Mar 2020 17:58:00
     
      Canal water in Venice has cleared up without boat traffic. Air pollution in China has plunged amid unprecedented lockdowns. In Thailand and Japan, mobs of monkeys and deer are roaming streets now devoid of tourists. The coronavirus pandemic is shutting down countries across the world, causing a significant decline in air pollution in major cities as countries implement stricter quarantines and travel restrictions. The unintended air pollution declines from the virus outbreak are just temporary, experts say. But the pandemic's unintended climate impact offers a glimpse into how countries and corporations are equipped to handle the slower-moving but destructive climate change crisis. So far, researchers warn that the world is ill-prepared. For years, scientists have urged world leaders to combat planet-warming emissions, which have only continued to soar upward. "In the midst of this rapidly moving global pandemic, it's natural that we also think about that other massive threat facing us — global climate change — and what we might learn now to help us prepare for tomorrow," said Peter Gleick, a climate scientist and founder of the Pacific Institute in Berkeley, California. "The pandemic is fast, shining a spotlight on our ability or inability to respond to urgent threats. But like pandemics, climate change can be planned for in advance, if politicians pay attention to the warnings of scientists who are sounding the alarm," Gleick said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/21/air-pollution-falls-as-coronavirus-slows-travel-but-it-forms-a-new-threat.html
     
         
      Fossil fuel giants bet on offshore PV Fri, 20th Mar 2020 15:30:00
     
      Norwegian energy producer Equinor and Italian oil contractor Saipem have joined forces to build floating PV projects for near-coastal applications. The two companies plan to use a technology developed by Moss Maritime, a unit of Saipem. Norwegian oil group Equinor and Italian oil and gas contractor Saipem, which is 30%-owned by Italian energy giant Eni, said on Friday that they have signed an agreement to jointly develop a "floating solar panel park technological solution for near-coastal applications." Future projects will be based on a technology developed by Moss Maritime, a unit of Saipem that provides engineering services to the offshore oil and gas industry, as well as the renewable energy sector. The solution is a modularized system that has been designed for easy fabrication, transportation and onsite installation, the companies said, without providing any additional technical details.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/20/fossil-fuel-giants-bet-on-offshore-pv/
     
         
      The plan to turn half the world into a reserve for nature Thu, 19th Mar 2020 18:06:00
     
      Scientists and conservationists are proposing that up to half of Earth's land and oceans be protected for nature. Is it a necessary step or a pipe dream? As humans continue to rapidly expand the scope of their domination of nature – bulldozing and burning down forests and other natural areas, wiping out species, and breaking down ecosystem functions – a growing number of influential scientists and conservationists think that protecting half of the planet in some form is going to be key to keeping it habitable. The idea first received public attention in 2016 when E.O. Wilson, the legendary 90-year-old conservation biologist, published the idea in his book Half Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life. "We now have enough measurements of extinction rates and the likely rate in the future to know that it is approaching a thousand times the baseline of what existed before humanity came along," he told The New York Times in a 2016 interview. Once thought of as aspirational, many are now taking these ideas seriously, not only as a firewall to protect biodiversity, but also to mitigate continued climate warming.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200318-the-worlds-largest-nature-reserve
     
         
      A wake-up call on green hydrogen: the amount of wind and solar needed is immense Thu, 19th Mar 2020 12:23:00
     
      There is a consensus that green H2 is needed to help decarbonise a wide range of sectors, but little consideration has been given to the amount of renewable power that would be required, writes Leigh Collins. It's time to get serious about green hydrogen. And being serious requires a hard look at the facts. Green H2 — produced from renewable energy — is a clean-burning fuel that can be used for long-term energy storage and to help decarbonise transport, heating and industrial processes such as steel and cement making. It can even be combined with captured CO2 to produce carbon-neutral aviation fuel. A consensus has therefore emerged that the world cannot be fully decarbonised in the long term without green hydrogen. However, there is an elephant in the room that must be addressed — producing the vast quantities of green H2 that the world will need would require an absolutely massive amount of renewable energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the world will need 19 exajoules of green hydrogen in the energy system in 2050 — between 133.8 million and 158.3 million tonnes a year. Recharge calculations show that producing such a volume would require at least 6,690TWh of dedicated electricity every year — the equivalent of 1,775GW of offshore wind farms, 2,243GW of onshore wind, 4,240GW of solar PV or 957GW of nuclear power (see panel below for details) To put this in perspective, at the end of 2018, the world had installed 540.4GW of onshore wind, 23.4GW of offshore wind, 480.4GW of solar PV and 397GW of operating nuclear reactors, according to Irena and the World Nuclear Association. And virtually all of this capacity is being used to generate electricity, not green hydrogen.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/a-wake-up-call-on-green-hydrogen-the-amount-of-wind-and-solar-needed-is-immense/2-1-776481
     
         
      Study: global banks 'failing miserably' on climate crisis by funneling trillions into fossil fuels Wed, 18th Mar 2020 16:57:00
     
      The world's largest investment banks have funnelled more than £2.2tn ($2.66tn) into fossil fuels since the Paris agreement, new figures show, prompting warnings they are failing to respond to the climate crisis. The US bank JP Morgan Chase, whose economists warned that the climate crisis threatens the survival of humanity last month, has been the largest financier of fossil fuels in the four years since the agreement, providing over £220bn of financial services to extract oil, gas and coal. Analysis of the 35 leading global investment banks, by an alliance of US-based environmental groups, said that financing for the companies most aggressively expanding in new fossil fuel extraction since the Paris agreement has surged by nearly 40% in the last year. Using Bloomberg financial data and other sources to analyse loans, equity issuances and debt underwriting services from 2016 to 2019, the analysis is published on Wednesday in the Banking on Climate Change 2020 report. It has been compiled by Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance and Sierra Club. Although the last 12 months has seen many investment banks announce financing restrictions on coal, Arctic oil and gas, and tar sands extraction, the report warns that the business practices of financial institutions are not aligned with the Paris agreement. Alongside JP Morgan Chase, the US banks Wells Fargo, Citi and Bank of America dominate financing for fossil fuels, accounting for nearly a third of the £2.2tn of financial services since the Paris agreement, according to the report. The report said big banks overall have increased their funding in the four years since Paris to companies with significant Arctic oil and gas reserves.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/global-banks-climate-crisis-finance-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Danish fjord to host 400 MW of solar Wed, 18th Mar 2020 16:53:00
     
      The Danish Energy Agency says there will be large scale PV projects in the Nissum Fjord area. One of the projects, under development by Better Energy in the municipality of Holstebro, has a planned generation capacity of 206 MW. The Danish Energy Agency and national grid operator Energinet have announced land to the north of Nissum Fjord, in the west of the country, will host up to 400 MW of solar generation capacity. The development was revealed as the two public bodies announced the cables necessary to export power from the 1 GW Thor offshore wind farm, planned to the west in the North Sea, would make landfall at Tuskær. That location is north of the fjord and marks a new development as the cables were previously expected to land to the south. "This [landfall] decision is primarily based on considerable cost savings to be realized by grid connecting [the wind farm] north of Nissum Fjord, where the planned near-shore substation can serve both the Thor grid connection and up to 400 MW [of] PV-solar installations planned in the area," the Danish Energy Agency said. "Thus, the substation will serve 1,400 MW [of] installed renewable energy." The agency did not reveal any details of the solar projects referred to and said the decision to connect north of the fjord was based on environmental advantages identified by preliminary site investigations and the fact fewer residents and landowners would be affected. The Thor wind farm is currently being tendered.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/18/danish-fjord-to-host-400-mw-of-solar/
     
         
      Is Green Hydrogen The Future Of Energy Storage? Wed, 18th Mar 2020 16:46:00
     
      The United States and China are in a race to the top of the energy storage game. Last year, the energy storage industry exploded in China, with Wood Mackenzie projecting that the country was poised to completely take over the sector, as its "cumulative energy storage capacity is projected to skyrocket from 489 megawatts (MW) or 843 megawatt-hours (MWh) in 2017 to 12.5 gigawatts (GW) or 32.1GWh in 2024," a significant increase "in the installed base of 25 times." As Oilprice reported in July, "thanks to the country’s major push for storage deployments in the last year, deploying 580MW (1.14GWh) to reach a cumulative market size of 1.07GW (1.98GWh) in 2018, China has already secured its position as the second biggest energy storage market in the Asia Pacific region in terms of deployment, with South Korea coming in first place." Since then, a lot has changed. While the U.S. was never far behind China in energy storage deployment, it looks like they're catching up. Just last month the Financial Times proclaimed in a headline that: "U.S. solar industry powers ahead as investors back batteries." These batteries are being employed primarily as a complement to solar energy. While the renewable energy sector is gaining a lot of traction and holds a lot of promise for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the global economy in time to avoid the fast-approaching tipping point toward catastrophic climate change, wind and solar energy have a major drawback: they're variable. Being dependent on the weather means that sometimes you’ll get a lot of energy flow to the grid--even more than is needed--or none at all. This is where energy storage becomes essential to regulation and maintaining an even flow of energy to the grids that power our cities.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Fuel-Cells/Is-Green-Hydrogen-The-Future-Of-Energy-Storage.html
     
         
      Solar Accounted For 40% Of New US Electricity Generation Capacity In 2019 Wed, 18th Mar 2020 16:40:00
     
      A new report by the Solar Energy Industries Association says solar energy installations added 13.3 gigawatts to the supply of electricity in the US in 2019 — 40% of the total. "Even as tariffs have slowed our growth, we've always said that the solar industry is resilient, and this report demonstrates that," says Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of SEIA. The report was prepared in conjunction with Wood Mackenzie. Other key findings of the report include: In 2019, the US solar market installed 13.3 GW of solar PV, a 23% increase from 2018. Cumulative operating PV capacity in the US now exceeds 76 GW, up from just 1 GW at the end of 2009. The US saw record-setting residential solar capacity added in 2019 with more than 2.8 GW installed. The contracted utility PV pipeline grew to a record high of 48.1 GW in 2019. Community solar continues to expand its geographic diversification, with the sub-segment seeing its third consecutive year of more than 500 MW installed. Over the next 5 years, total installed US PV capacity is expected to more than double, with annual installations projected to reach 20.4 GW in 2021 prior to the expiration of the federal solar Investment Tax Credit for residential systems and a drop to 10% for commercial and utility-scale customers.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/18/solar-accounted-for-40-of-new-us-electricity-generation-in-2019/
     
         
      The 'climate doomers' preparing for society to fall apart Mon, 16th Mar 2020 17:19:00
     
      An article by a British professor that predicts the imminent collapse of society, as a result of climate change, has been downloaded over half a million times. Many mainstream climate scientists totally reject his claims, but his followers are already preparing for the worst. As the last light of the late-winter sunset illuminates her suburban back garden, Rachel Ingrams is looking at the sky and pondering how long we have left. Her hands shielded from the gusts of February air by a well-worn pair of gardening gloves, Rachel carefully places tree spinach and scarlet pimpernel seeds into brown plastic pots. Over the past year, Rachel, 45, has invested in a greenhouse and four bright blue water butts, and started building a raised vegetable patch out of planks of wood. It's all part of an effort to rewild her garden and become as close to self-sufficient as she can, while society continues to function. Within the next five to 10 years, she says, climate change is going to cause it to fall apart. "I don't see things lasting any longer than that." So every evening, after picking up her children from school and returning to their former council house, she spends about two hours working outside. "I find the more I do it, the less anxious I am," she says. "It's better than just sitting in the living room looking at the news and thinking, 'Oh God, climate change is happening, what do we do?'" Rachel is unsure about how much to tell her three daughters. "I don't say to them that in five years we won't be here," she tells me. "But they do accept that food will be difficult to find." Every six weeks, she takes her two youngest daughters on an 450-mile round trip from their home in Sheffield to an organic farm in South Wales, where they learn how to forage for food. It's vital for them to learn "skills we'll be able to use in the natural world when all our systems have broken down," she says.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-51857722
     
         
      Hydrogen is the first viable option for seasonal storage Mon, 16th Mar 2020 17:03:00
     
      Seasonal storage of hydrogen to balance renewable generation will be cost-competitive in 2050, says DNV GL, a Norway-based consulting firm that advises the energy and shipping industries. The firm models nonstop production of hydrogen every summer, using electrolysis units powered by market electricity. The hydrogen would be compressed and stored underground in salt caverns or depleted gas fields, and the following winter would be converted nonstop to electricity, using fuel cells. Daily balancing would be achieved using batteries and pumped hydro. To the extent the entire grid ran on renewables in the summer, the hydrogen would be "green," or renewably produced. A project along these lines is under development in Utah, and would use underground salt caverns to store hydrogen. The hydrogen would be renewably produced by 2045, to help Los Angeles achieve its renewables goal. The DNV GL study also considered hydrogen produced on another continent using solar power, stored either as is, or after conversion to ammonia or synthetic methane. These options have costs more than double that of locally produced hydrogen, as they involve more steps, each with its own costs. All options were compared to wintertime combustion of natural gas with a carbon tax, pegged at €54 per metric ton of carbon dioxide. DNV GL projects that a seasonal storage business will be preceded by a market for synthetic fuels. This is the case in the Utah hydrogen storage project, where plans for the early project years call for hydrogen to be mixed with natural gas for combustion in gas turbines. DNV GL also projects that in 2050, ample short-term storage capacity will be available, in the form of grid batteries, electric vehicle-to-grid applications, and pumped hydro, "to accommodate daily and weekly cycles" in both renewable generation and electricity demand.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/16/hydrogen-is-the-first-viable-option-for-seasonal-storage/
     
         
      Coronavirus: Trump's stumbles and testing failures pave way to disaster, experts say Sun, 15th Mar 2020 17:23:00
     
      The US is on course to be severely ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak due to a delayed and dysfunctional testing regime and misleading messaging from the Trump administration, public health experts have warned. As of Friday, there were more than 1,600 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus across the US, with 41 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, the actual number of infected Americans is certain to be far higher, with the true toll obscured by a calamitous lack of testing. A lack of planning and restrictions that barred testing people without symptoms, even though the virus can be asymptomatic for some time, or those not arriving from overseas virus hotspots has needlessly worsened the situation, critics said. Why has coronavirus testing in the US been such a disaster? Read more In the period from last Sunday until Wednesday morning, the CDC tested just 77 people in the US. By stark comparison the Utah Jazz basketball team alone managed to test 58 people as the NBA, along with scores of schools, Broadway shows and various other cultural and sporting events were shut down. Even in Washington state, where 31 people have died, health officials have had to ration test kits. On 31 January the Trump administration restricted travel from China, where Covid-19 originated, but then efforts to ramp up testing and ensure containment stalled. In a key setback, the administration rejected World Health Organization testing kits in favor of developing its own, which turned out to be faulty. "The response has been frustrating and disappointing," said Thomas Chen-chia Tsai, a surgeon in Boston and faculty member of the Harvard Global Health Institute. "The strict quarantine measures in China bought the rest of the world a few weeks of time but in the US we were on the sidelines rather than reacting. It was a missed opportunity. If there was a targeted response we'd be in a very different position now. "The US government didn't want to cause panic but Americans panic when there they sense there's no plan. That vacuum creates panic."
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/coronavirus-us-testing-donald-trump
     
         
      Climate change: Will planting millions of trees really save the planet? Sat, 14th Mar 2020 17:42:00
     
      From Greta Thunberg to Donald Trump and airlines to oil companies, everyone is suddenly going crazy for trees. The UK government has pledged to plant millions a year while other countries have schemes running into billions. But are these grand ambitions achievable? How much carbon dioxide do trees really pull in from the atmosphere? And what happens to a forest, planted amid a fanfare, over the following decades? How many will the UK plant? Last year's UK general election became a contest to look green. The Conservatives' pledge of planting 30 million trees a year, confirmed in the Budget this week, is a big step up on current rates. Critics wonder whether it's possible given that earlier targets were far easier and weren't met. If the new planting rate is achieved, it would lead to something like 17% of the UK becoming forested, as opposed to 13% now. Tree planting is a popular idea because forests are not only beautiful but also useful: they support wildlife, help with holding back floodwater and provide timber. And trees absorb carbon dioxide - the main gas heating the planet - so planting more of them is seen by many as a climate change solution. At the moment, the UK's forests pull in about 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year but the hope is to more than double that.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51633560
     
         
      Tree planting: 'I want to plant one million’ Sat, 14th Mar 2020 17:26:00
     
      The government has pledged to plant 30 million trees a year as part of the effort to tackle climate change. Trees absorb carbon dioxide - the main gas heating the planet - so planting more of them is seen by many as a good solution. At the moment, the UK's forests pull in about 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year but the hope is to more than double that. But planting trees is skilled and back-breaking work, not suited to everyone. At top speed, Canadian Shelby Barber can plant more than 4,000 per day. BBC News followed her for a hard day's planting.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51860048
     
         
      Here's Why We've Responded to Coronavirus So Wildly Differently to Climate Change Sat, 14th Mar 2020 17:17:00
     
      Coronavirus has disrupted everyday life throughout the world through travel bans, flight restrictions and the cancellation of sporting and cultural events. More than 60 million Italians have been banned from travelling, and all public events cancelled. In China, 30 million people are still under lockdown, allowed to leave their homes only every two days. The Japanese prime minister has requested that all schools close for the entire month of March, while the Italian and Iranian authorities have closed all schools and universities. Despite the costs and inconveniences these actions impose, the general public is generally quiescent, even approving. But coronavirus is not the only global crisis we face: the climate crisis, as others have noted, is expected to be more devastating. Some have observed that the response to the two crises is starkly different. As an expert in behavioural sciences, I have been giving some thought to what explains this difference. At first glance the difference is surprising, because the climate crisis is structurally very similar to the coronavirus crisis for a number of reasons: Both are characterised by an escalating probability of disaster. In the case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, this is due to the nature of contagion: each patient can pass the disease on to more than one person and so rates of infection tend to accelerate. In the case of climate change, the increased risk of initiating feedback loops (processes which amplify the warming trend) and crossing tipping points as global temperatures rise have the same effect. Tackling either problem will disrupt our lifestyles in a number of ways, some of which are quite similar – consider the drastic rise in staycations elicited by the coronavirus crisis. In both cases there is a coordination problem: the efforts of any one individual will achieve nothing to mitigate the risk unless accompanied by efforts from many others. And in both cases, authorities acknowledge the urgency of acting. Governing administrations in 28 countries have declared a climate emergency.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-coronavirus-response-shows-we-can-tackle-the-climate-crisis
     
         
      Now Would Be A Good Time To Appreciate Solar Power, Amirite? Sat, 14th Mar 2020 17:14:00
     
      If you blinked, you missed it. March 13 was Solar Appreciation Day, and even with all the coronavirus goings-on the Energy Department remembered to blast out an email reminding everyone (well, everyone on their email list) to appreciate solar power. As if we need reminding! Nevertheless, let's dig into that email because it offers up an interesting counterpoint to a major new energy report from The Atlantic Council. It's Solar Power Appreciation Day! For those of you new to the topic — as are we — Solar Appreciation Day has been celebrated every year on the second Friday of March each year since…well, if you can figure out who started Solar Appreciation Day and when they started it, drop us a note in the comment thread. Meanwhile, the Energy Department finds plenty to appreciate about solar power. Here's a condensed version of their list of things to celebrate: 1. The sun is nearly limitless and can be accessed anywhere on earth at one time or another. 2. The cost of solar panel installation is less than $3 a watt; a whopping 65% decrease from $8.50 per watt 10 years ago. 3. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has created six-junction solar cells that convert 47% of the captured sunlight into electricity. 4. In 1954, Bell Laboratories built the first silicon solar cell—the template for nearly all of the solar PV technologies in use today. 5. DOE research is supporting an advanced solar system that can restart the grid if no spinning turbine is available. 6. Solar provides 30% of the new electricity produced in the United States in 2019, up from just 4% in 2010. 7. About 250,000 people work in the U.S. solar industry these days and there are more than 10,000 solar businesses around the country. 8. The cost of an average-size residential solar energy system decreased 55% between 2010 and 2018, from $40,000 to $18,000. DOE is also focusing on reducing financing burdens and red tape for American families who choose to go solar. 9. Solar panels are a manufactured product that take significantly less energy to fabricate than they produce over their lifetime. Got all that? Good! Most of this is familiar territory, but one thing that does stick out is item #5, in which the Energy Department brings up the topic of what to do if no spinning turbine is available.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/14/now-would-be-a-good-time-to-appreciate-solar-power-amirite/
     
         
      Women shouldering the burden of climate crisis need action, not speeches Fri, 13th Mar 2020 17:54:00
     
      Milikini Failautusi, 30, lives on the Pacific island of Tuvalu. She has become virtually a nomad in her own country after rising tides forced her to leave her ancestral atoll and move to the main island, Funafuti. She is now a climate activist. She can no longer visit her home island, yet remains committed to her country with a burning desire to prevent her own children from inheriting an underwater ghost town. This is not just Milikini's story. While climate change threatens livelihoods and security around the world, it is women who are bearing the brunt. Women predominate in the workforces of many sectors that are most vulnerable to climate change such as agriculture, livestock and fishing. To make things worse, inequalities mean women are more likely to suffer dislocation to their lives as a result of flooding and drought. According to the UN, about 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. More than 70% of those displaced by the 2010 flooding in Pakistan were women and children. Among those who lost their lives in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka as a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, three times more women died than men. But why? Rigid gender roles in the region meant men in the region were more likely to be able to swim than women. Furthermore, women were more likely to be caring for children and family members during the critical evacuation time. Women who do survive such disasters often end up in unclean evacuation centres where they can be exposed to gender-based violence and cannot access health services. Research by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found climate change and environmental impacts are increasing violence against women and girls including domestic abuse, child marriage and sexual assault. In many societies, encouraging progress is being made towards gender equality, but climate change can stop or even reverse this progress.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/13/women-shouldering-the-burden-of-climate-crisis-need-action-not-speeches
     
         
      Climate check: The latest data behind our climate and weather Fri, 13th Mar 2020 17:32:00
     
      As we enter meteorological spring, Ben Rich looks back at the UK's wet winter and examines the latest climate data, in our monthly Climate Check.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/51879358
     
         
      The Great U.S. Shale Decline Has Already Begun Thu, 12th Mar 2020 17:50:00
     
      U.S. shale companies are moving quickly to ax their budgets, hoping to staunch the bleeding as the oil market continues to melt down. It has only been a few days after the OPEC+ debacle, but with oil trading at around $30 per barrel, and with good odds of falling even lower, the entire energy industry has little option but to make deep cuts to their operations. "Most companies will go into maintenance mode," Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield told Bloomberg. Companies will cut down to the bone, hoping to merely keep production from falling. Almost no shale well drilled today makes any money. According to Morgan Stanley, the industry needs $51 per barrel just to fund their capex budgets this year, let alone pay off debt or send money to shareholders. Needless to say, WTI is a long way from $51. That means spending will have to fall dramatically. On Thursday, Apache said it would cut its budget by 37 percent, and notably, would eliminate all of its rigs in the Permian basin. The company also said it would cut its dividend payout by 90 percent. Apache cannot chalk up all of its problems to OPEC and the global pandemic. It was only recently that the company shelved drilling activity in its high-profile Alpine High asset in the Permian because of disappointing results. But the market turmoil has already begun to ravage the shale sector. Devon Energy said it would cut spending by 30 percent, with reductions concentrated in Oklahoma and Wyoming. Devon says that it has 40 percent of its oil production hedged, somewhat reducing the pain of the downturn.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Great-US-Shale-Decline-Has-Already-Begun.html
     
         
      Greenland and Antarctica ice loss accelerating Thu, 12th Mar 2020 17:39:00
     
      Earth's great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions. A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends, say scientists. Between them, Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice in the period from 1992 to 2017. This was sufficient to push up global sea-levels by 17.8mm. "That's not a good news story," said Prof Andrew Shepherd from the University of Leeds in the UK. "Today, the ice sheets contribute about a third of all sea-level rise, whereas in the 1990s, their contribution was actually pretty small at about 5%. This has important implications for the future, for coastal flooding and erosion," he told BBC News. It's a team of experts who have reviewed polar measurements acquired by observational spacecraft over nearly three decades. These are satellites that have tracked the changing volume, flow and gravity of the ice sheets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51846468
     
         
      Coal power developers 'risk wasting billions' Thu, 12th Mar 2020 17:37:00
     
      Coal power developers risk wasting hundreds of billions of pounds as new renewable sources are now cheaper than new coal plants, a report has said. The shift is mainly due to cheaper wind and solar power, Carbon Tracker said. It added that in 10 years it will be cheaper to close down coal plants and build wind and solar plants instead. But the International Energy Agency says coal will remain the largest global power source for years unless governments radically change policies. The report's authors say they looked at the economics of 95% of the world's coal-fired power stations. In most countries, including the UK, it's already cheaper to build renewable energy generation than new coal-burning plants. At 60% of coal plants in the world, the generating costs are higher than they would be from new renewables, the report said. But the study goes a step further, forecasting that within 10 years the cheapest option in all countries would be to close down existing coal-fired power stations and build wind and solar power plants instead.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51852637
     
         
      Wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper than coal in all big markets around world, analysis finds Thu, 12th Mar 2020 12:54:00
     
      Building new wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper in every major market across the globe than running existing coal-fired power stations, according to a new report that raises fresh doubt about the medium-term viability of Australia's $26bn thermal coal export industry. While some countries are moving faster than others, the analysis by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a climate finance thinktank, found renewable power was a cheaper option than building new coal plants in all large markets including Australia, and was expected to cost less than electricity from existing coal plants by 2030 at the latest. Solar photovoltaics and wind energy were already cheaper than electricity from about 60% of coal stations, including about 70% of China's coal fleet and half of Australia's plants, it said. In Japan, where Australia sells nearly half its exported thermal coal, wind power was found to cost less than new coal plants and was expected to be cheaper than existing coal by 2028. Solar power in Japan was forecast to be a better option than new coal by 2023 and existing coal by 2026. The story was similar in China and South Korea, which each take about 15% of Australia's exported thermal coal. In China, wind was already cheaper than any coal power, and solar electricity was forecast to on average cost less than existing coal later this year. Renewable energy in South Korea was expected to be cheaper than existing coal within two years. The report acknowledged this trend did not necessarily mean coal power would be pushed from the market within a decade. It said some governments were effectively incentivising or underwriting new coal power through regulatory programs that either directly subsidised coal operators or passed the higher cost on to consumers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/12/wind-and-solar-plants-will-soon-be-cheaper-than-coal-in-all-big-markets-around-world-analysis-finds
     
         
      Greenland and Antarctica ice loss accelerating Thu, 12th Mar 2020 12:45:00
     
      Earth's great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions. A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends, say scientists. Between them, Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice in the period from 1992 to 2017. This was sufficient to push up global sea-levels by 17.8mm. "That's not a good news story," said Prof Andrew Shepherd from the University of Leeds in the UK. "Today, the ice sheets contribute about a third of all sea-level rise, whereas in the 1990s, their contribution was actually pretty small at about 5%. This has important implications for the future, for coastal flooding and erosion," he told BBC News. The researcher co-leads a project called the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise, or Imbie. It's a team of experts who have reviewed polar measurements acquired by observational spacecraft over nearly three decades. These are satellites that have tracked the changing volume, flow and gravity of the ice sheets.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51846468
     
         
      How cruise ships contribute to Southampton's air pollution Thu, 12th Mar 2020 12:35:00
     
      It's one of the most profitable leisure industries in the world, but campaigners say the cruise industry could be contributing more than it needs to the problem of air pollution. Cruise ships have huge power demands, and to power on-board facilities such as lights and water treatment plants, they run their engines 24/7 whilst moored up in ports like Southampton in Hampshire. Dr Christelle, a GP in the Woolston area of the city, says air pollution is causing health issues and PhD student Natasha Easton, who is looking at the effect tiny particles of soot and smoke from cruise ships, says the finest particles can get "very deep in the body... and potentially have the worst health effects." The Cruise Liner Industry Association that represents several companies says the cruise industry brings about 10 billion euros in to the UK economy a year, and takes the lead on developing greener and more sustainable technology for the whole shipping industry.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/51729602/how-cruise-ships-contribute-to-southampton-s-air-pollution
     
         
      Call to cancel new coal plants worldwide as renewables ‘out-compete’ on cost Wed, 11th Mar 2020 18:01:00
     
      Coal power developers risk wasting hundreds of billions of pounds as new renewables are now cheaper than new coal plants, a report has warned. In all major markets from the US to Europe, China, India and Australia, it already costs less to generate power from installing new wind or solar farms than new coal plants, the latest study from think tank Carbon Tracker found. By 2030, it could be cheaper to generate electricity by building new renewable facilities than to run existing coal-fired power stations – in all markets, the researchers predict. Already, four-fifths (82 per cent) of the UK's remaining 12 gigawatts of operating coal power costs more than new renewables, Carbon Tracker said. In the UK, a cost on carbon pollution called the carbon price floor, along with falling demand and subsidies for renewables, has helped push most coal off the system ahead of a phase-out date which was recently moved forward to October 2024. Across the world, some 60 per cent of coal plants are generating electricity at a higher cost than the cost of power produced from building and running new renewable schemes, the think tank report said. Carbon Tracker is urging governments and investors to cancel the vast amount of coal projects announced, permitted or under construction around the world – or waste $638bn (£495bn) in capital investment. Matt Gray, Carbon Tracker co-head of power and utilities and co-author of the report, said: "Renewables are out-competing coal around the world and proposed coal investments risk becoming stranded assets which could lock in high-cost coal power for decades."
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/coal-plant-investment-electricity-renewable-energy-cost-difference-a9394341.html
     
         
      Call to cancel new coal plants worldwide as renewables ‘out-compete’ on cost Wed, 11th Mar 2020 12:50:00
     
      Coal power developers risk wasting hundreds of billions of pounds as new renewables are now cheaper than new coal plants, a report has warned. In all major markets from the US to Europe, China, India and Australia, it already costs less to generate power from installing new wind or solar farms than new coal plants, the latest study from think tank Carbon Tracker found. By 2030, it could be cheaper to generate electricity by building new renewable facilities than to run existing coal-fired power stations – in all markets, the researchers predict. Already, four-fifths (82 per cent) of the UK's remaining 12 gigawatts of operating coal power costs more than new renewables, Carbon Tracker said. In the UK, a cost on carbon pollution called the carbon price floor, along with falling demand and subsidies for renewables, has helped push most coal off the system ahead of a phase-out date which was recently moved forward to October 2024. Across the world, some 60 per cent of coal plants are generating electricity at a higher cost than the cost of power produced from building and running new renewable schemes, the think tank report said. Carbon Tracker is urging governments and investors to cancel the vast amount of coal projects announced, permitted or under construction around the world – or waste $638bn (£495bn) in capital investment. Matt Gray, Carbon Tracker co-head of power and utilities and co-author of the report, said: "Renewables are out-competing coal around the world and proposed coal investments risk becoming stranded assets which could lock in high-cost coal power for decades."
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/coal-plant-investment-electricity-renewable-energy-cost-difference-a9394341.html
     
         
      Why methane is a far more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide Wed, 11th Mar 2020 10:55:00
     
      The biggest cause of global warming is all the carbon dioxide we’ve expelled into the atmosphere since the beginning of industrial times. The greenhouse gas traps heat in the atmosphere, raising temperatures on Earth. Even so, about one-quarter of the warming we’ve had so far is due to a less notorious greenhouse gas: methane, the major component of natural gas. Methane wasn’t much of a worry 20 years ago, but that’s changed since 2007, as methane emissions have accelerated, spiking in 2014 and again in 2018. Scientists still don’t know exactly what’s going on, and they face an urgent challenge to find out. Methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, even though it only lasts about a decade in the atmosphere, whereas CO2 persists for a couple of centuries. A continued rise in the amount of methane in the air could easily cancel out any near-term progress we make in reducing CO2 emissions. Methane is the low-hanging fruit in the effort to combat planetary warming. This gas has also been in the news for political reasons, as the Donald Trump administration has moved to rescind rules requiring fossil fuel companies to monitor and fix methane leaks, despite many companies’ opposition. Fossil fuel production also contributes to methane emissions, and some studies have pointed to hydraulic fracturing, especially in the U.S., as the likely cause behind the recent spike in emissions. It’s certainly suspicious that fracking got underway in a big way around 2007, just as the methane surge began. However, other recent studies dispute this conclusion, and they suggest that U.S. methane emissions have changed little over the past 15 years. More worrying are other methane sources over which humans have much less control. An international consortium of researchers has been tracking emissions with detailed measurements in the Arctic, Europe and the tropics, as well as with modeling studies. What they have found suggests that the methane surge since 2007 appears to be mostly the result of increased biogenic emissions, predominantly in the tropics. Among several factors, this activity has been accelerated by warming temperatures and increased rainfall causing the expansion of tropical wetlands. Further increases in emissions come from agricultural animals, including cows, sheep and goats. Reversing this trend in methane emissions is now probably the most urgent challenge in the fight against global warming, even more than the ongoing need to tackle CO2 emissions. An important assessment published recently offers mixed views on what can be done. The bad news is that reducing emissions from swamped wetlands and cows may be virtually impossible. Many other sources of methane shouldn’t be too hard to tackle, especially emissions from production of coal and gas, urban gas leaks, landfills and sewage plants. New technological devices such as vehicle-mounted leak detectors and drones are making it much easier to locate the biggest sources of emissions, which can then be eliminated. Landfills can be covered. Fuel industries must also recognize the need to reduce leaks of natural gas to preserve its reputation as a green energy source. Methane emissions can also be reduced by not burning crop waste, as is common in Africa and in South and East Asia. Our success in tackling CO2 emissions has been abysmal. After 40 years of debate, emissions last year were higher than ever before. But methane is another problem that is perhaps even more urgent. Sadly, if we can’t reduce methane emissions, any tentative progress we do make on carbon dioxide will be canceled out.
       
      Full Article: https://theprint.in/environment/why-methane-is-a-far-more-dangerous-greenhouse-gas-than-carbon-dioxide/378858/
     
         
      The carbon footprint of foods: are differences explained by the impacts of methane? Tue, 10th Mar 2020 20:07:00
     
      As I have shown before, there are large differences in the carbon footprint of different foods. Beef and lamb, in particular, have much higher greenhouse gas emissions than chicken,pork, or plant-based alternatives. This data suggests that the most effective way to reduce the climate impact of your diet is to eat less meat overall, especially red meat and dairy (see here). METRICS TO QUANTIFY GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS In this post I want to investigate whether these conclusions depend on the particular metric we rely on to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It could be argued that red meat and dairy have a much higher footprint because its emissions are dominated by methane – a greenhouse gas that is much more potent but has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Methane emissions have so far driven a significant amount of warming – with estimates ranging from around 23% to 40% of the total – to date.1 In the box at the end of this article I discuss the debate on emissions metrics and the treatment of methane in more detail. But, here, I’ll keep it short: Since there are many different greenhouse gases researchers often aggregate them into a common unit of measurement when they want to make comparisons.2 The most common way to do this is to rely on a metric called ‘carbon dioxide-equivalents’. This is the metric adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and is used as the official reporting and target-setting metric within the Paris Agreement.3 ‘Carbon dioxide-equivalents’ (CO2eq) aggregate the impacts of all greenhouse gases into a single metric using ‘global warming potential’. More specifically, global warming potential over a 100-year timescale (GWP100) – a timeframe which represents a mid-to-long term period for climate policy. To calculate CO2eq one needs to multiply the amount of each greenhouse gas emissions by its GWP100 value – a value which aims to represent the amount of warming that each specific gas generates relative to CO2. For example, the IPCC adopts a GWP100 value of 28 for methane based on the rationale that emitting one kilogram of methane will have 28 times the warming impact over 100 years as one kilogram of CO2.4 METHANE IS SHORT-LIVED, CO2 IS LONG LIVED: THIS MAKES AGGREGATION DIFFICULT To understand why the conversion factor of 28 is criticised one needs to know that different greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for different lengths of time. In contrast to CO2, methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas. It has a very strong impact on warming in the short-term but decays fast. This is in contrast to CO2 which can persist in the atmosphere for many centuries.5 Methane therefore has a high impact on warming in the short term, but a low impact in the long run. This means there is often confusion as to how we should quantify the climate impacts of methane. Researchers therefore develop new metrics and methods with the aim to provide a closer representation of the warming potential of different gases. Michelle Cain, Myles Allen and colleagues at the the University of Oxford’s Martin School lead a research programme on climate pollutants, which takes on this challenge. Dr Michelle Cain, one of the lead researchers in this area, discusses the challenges of GHG metrics and the role of a new way of using GWP which accounts for methane’s shorter lifetime (called GWP*), in an article in Carbon Brief here. Methane’s shorter lifetime means that the usual CO2-equivalence does not reflect how it affects global temperatures. So CO2eq footprints of foods which generate a high proportion of methane emissions – mainly beef and lamb – don’t by definition reflect their short-term or long-term impact on temperature. HOW BIG ARE THE DIFFERENCES WITH OR WHITOUT METHANE? The question then is: Do these measurement issues matter for the carbon footprint of different foods? Are the large differences only because of methane? In the visualization I compare the global average footprint of different food products, with and without including methane emissions.6 As in my original post, this data is sourced from the largest meta-analysis of global food systems to date, by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018), published in the journal Science.7 The study looks at the environmental impacts of foods across more than 38,000 commercially viable farms in 119 countries. This chart compares emissions in kilograms of CO2eq produced per kilogram of food product. The red bars show greenhouse emissions we would have if we removed methane completely; the grey bar shows the emissions from methane. The red and grey bar combined is therefore the total emissions including methane. As an example: the global mean emissions for one kilogram of beef from non-dairy beef herds is 100 kilograms of CO2eq. Methane accounts for 49% of its emissions. So, if we remove methane, the remaining footprint is 51 kgCO2eq (shown in red). As we see, methane emissions are large for beef and lamb. This is because cattle and lamb are what we call ‘ruminants’, in the process of digesting food they produce a lot of methane. If we removed methane their emissions would fall by around half. It also matters a lot for dairy production, and a reasonable amount for farmed shrimps and fish. This is not the case for plant-based foods, with the exception of rice. Paddy rice is typically grown in flooded fields: the microbes in these waterlogged soils produce methane. This means that beef, lamb and dairy products are particularly sensitive to how we treat methane in our metrics of greenhouse gas emissions. Few would argue that we should eliminate methane completely, but, as explained, there is an ongoing debate as to how to weigh the methane emissions – whether the grey bar should shrink or grow in these comparisons. So is it true that red meat and dairy only has a large carbon footprint because of methane? As the red bars show it is not. Although the magnitude of the differences change, the ranking of different food products does not. The differences are still large. The average footprint of beef, excluding methane, is 36 kilograms of CO2eq per kilogram. This is still nearly four times the mean footprint of chicken. Or 10 to 100 times the footprint of most plant-based foods. Where do the non-methane emissions from cattle and lamb come from? For most producers the key emissions sources are due land use changes; the conversion of peat soils to agriculture; the land required to grow animal feed; the pasture management (including liming, fertilizing, and irrigation); and the emissions from slaughter waste. What about the impact of producers who are not raising livestock on converted land? Do they have a low footprint? In our related article I look in detail at the distribution of GHG emissions for each product, from the lowest to highest emitters. When we exclude methane, the absolute lowest beef producer in this large global dataset of 38,000 farms in 119 countries had a footprint of 6 kilograms of CO2eq per kilogram. Emissions in this case were the result of nitrous oxide from manure; machinery and equipment; transport of cows to slaughter; emissions from slaughter; and food waste (which can be high for fresh meat). 6 kilograms of CO2eq (excluding methane) is of course much lower than the average for beef, but still several times higher than most plant-based foods. COMPARING THE FOOTPRINTS OF PROTEIN-RICH FOODS Is it perhaps misleading to compare foods on the basis of mass? After all one kilogram of beef does not have the same nutritional value as one kilogram of tofu. In the other visualization I therefore show these comparisons as the carbon footprint per 100 grams of protein. Again, emissions from methane are shown in grey; but this time, emissions excluding methane are shown in blue. The results are again similar: even if we excluded methane completely, the footprint of lamb or beef from dairy herds is five times higher than tofu; ten times higher than beans; and more than twenty times higher than peas for the same amount of protein. The weight we give to methane matters for the magnitude of the differences in carbon footprint we see between food products. However, it doesn’t change the general conclusion: meat and dairy products still top the list, and the differences between foods remain large.
       
      Full Article: https://ourworldindata.org/carbon-footprint-food-methane
     
         
      Climate change 'puts Welsh historic environments at risk' Mon, 9th Mar 2020 17:03:00
     
      Wildfires, drought, flooding and rising sea levels are putting historic monuments, buildings and environments in Wales at risk, experts have said. The warning has come from a group set up to examine the effect of climate change on historic locations in Wales. The Historic Environment Group said policy makers and landowners must develop new ways to tackle the threats. The Welsh Government said there needed to be a "re-think" on managing historic environments. "Many of those managing important historic sites and landscapes are already thinking deeply about climate change and its implications on their work," said Jill Bullen, from the environment group, which is being led by Welsh heritage body Cadw. "We have tried to learn from their expertise and share their experience and lessons learned more widely." Their report highlights several cases, where they say the action of climate change has had a profound impact on historic environments. At Dinas Dinlle near Caernarfon, in Gwynedd, a prehistoric hill fort dating to the Iron Age has witnessed the loss of 50m of cliff face - some 164ft - since 1900, due to coastal erosion.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51723863
     
         
      China pollution levels fall during coronavirus outbreak Mon, 9th Mar 2020 14:52:00
     
      Scientists have recorded a massive reduction in pollution over China during the last two months, which is believed to be a result of measures taken to stop the coronavirus outbreak. A pair of images captured by NASA and European Space Agency pollution monitoring satellites reveal a significant change in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in the air over the country between Jan. 1 and Feb. 25. The first image, depicting the period from Jan. 1-20, features large pockets of orange and red, which represent a high density of NO2 over metropolitan areas like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
       
      Full Article: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/china-pollution-levels-fall-during-coronavirus-outbreak/693879
     
         
      Offshore Wind To See $200 Billion Expansion By 2025 Sat, 7th Mar 2020 14:03:00
     
      Despite lower returns than offshore oil and gas, offshore wind will become an increasingly attractive investment destination in the energy transition. Global investments in offshore wind are expected to total US$211 billion between 2020 and 2025, and the offshore wind market will become more attractive to oil and gas companies, Wood Mackenzie said in a new report this month. Over the next five years, growing investments in offshore wind are set to narrow the gap with offshore oil and gas investments as capital expenditure in offshore upstream is set to stabilize until 2022 and then drop through 2025, said Søren Lassen, senior offshore wind analyst, and Mhairidh Evans, principal upstream supply chain analyst at WoodMac.
       
      Full Article: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Offshore-Wind-To-See-200-Billion-Expansion-By-2025.html
     
         
      Report Finds 76 Solutions Available Right Now to Slow Down Climate Change Sat, 7th Mar 2020 14:00:00
     
      Report Finds 76 Solutions Available Right Now to Slow Down Climate Change

    We have all the solutions we need to avoid catastrophic warming, right now, claims a new report by Project Drawdown. And, not only are they easy to implement, they're far cheaper than doing nothing.

    The Drawdown Review is a comprehensive analysis of the currently available solutions to the climate crisis, based on the work of scientists and researchers around the world, across many sectors, from finance to climate science. The aim of the nonprofit Project Drawdown is to guide us all towards a future where the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to decline - the moment they refer to as 'drawdown'. That means we must start extracting fossil fuel emissions, such as CO2 and methane, from the atmosphere as well as stop spewing them into it. "Drawdown is a critical turning point for life on Earth, and we must strive to reach it quickly, safely, and equitably," says the report. Having already lost an entire decade to inaction, and recently receiving a glimpse of some very frightening consequences - the devastating loss of wildlife from Australia's unprecedented summer of fires - the urgency of such solutions are surely clear.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/report-outlines-76-of-the-best-solutions-for-tackling-the-climate-crisis-right-now
     
         
      'Whole thing is unravelling': climate change reshaping Australia's forests Fri, 6th Mar 2020 16:57:00
     
      Australia's forests are being reshaped by climate change as droughts, heatwaves, rising temperatures and bushfires drive ecosystems towards collapse, ecologists have told Guardian Australia. Trees are dying, canopies are getting thinner and the rate that plants produce seeds is falling. Ecologists have long predicted that climate change would have major consequences for Australia's forests. Now they believe those impacts are unfolding. "The whole thing is unravelling," says Prof David Bowman, who studies the impacts of climate change and fire on trees at the University of Tasmania. "Most people have no idea that it's even happening. The system is trying to tell you that if you don't pay attention then the whole thing will implode. We have to get a grip on climate change." According to the 2018 State of the Climate Report, produced by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, large parts of the country are experiencing increases in weather patterns favourable to fires. The report found that rainfall has dropped in the south-east and south-west of the country, temperatures have warmed by an average of 1C, and a "shift to a warmer climate in Australia is accompanied by more extreme daily heat events". Dr Joe Fontaine, an ecologist at Murdoch University, says forests across Australia are changing. "Impacts are direct – trees dying from heat and drought – as well as indirect – more fire, fewer seeds and a raft of associated feedbacks." Fontaine says leaves are the "machinery that makes the plant work" and how those leaves cope with heat depends on moisture reserves. "The question then is, how much do you have in reserve? A lot of us are really concerned about that." Fontaine has studied one large shrub species – the south-western native Hooker's banksia – and found seed production has "halved in the last 30 years", which was "definitely a climate-driven problem with increased drought". Last spring, Fontaine and colleagues inspected an area 300km north of Perth where the banksias had been hit by fire several years earlier. He wanted to know if they could cope with fire on top of the area's long-term reduction in rainfall. "At this stage, years after fire, those plants should be recovering and really going for it," he says. "Except instead these banksias were dead and falling over left and right. The young plants were dying too – this area was losing all their young vigorous plants. With more bushfire, this species is at real risk of being wiped off the map."
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/07/whole-thing-is-unraveling-climate-change-reshaping-australias-forests
     
         
      How the new generation of 500 W panels will shape the solar industry Fri, 6th Mar 2020 13:20:00
     
      With three models of 500 W solar panels officially unveiled, here's a look at what it means for the future of project development and the solar industry at large. Two Chinese solar module manufacturers, Risen Energy and Trina Solar, have unveiled first-of-a kind 500 W, 50-cell PV modules. How will the advent of 500 W PV modules change the solar industry? "For applications where you have a lot of area, particularly commercial and especially utility scale, it's really significant," said Barry Cinnamon, CEO of solar and energy storage installer Cinnamon Energy Systems. "You could just use fewer modules – it reduces handling costs and overall balance-of-system costs go down." If fewer modules are needed to reach the capacity specifications of a project, costs will fall as such modules become economically viable. A significant project area that will see cost reductions is racking and trackers. Cost savings "It's going to drive down the cost of racks and trackers per module," said Matt Kesler, head of technology at OMCO Solar, an Arizona-based racking and fixed tilt tracking manufacturer. "It'll reduce the cost per watt of installation labor. It's also going to give a premium on racks and trackers that are designed for ergonomics. As these things get bigger they're going to get heavier and wider. if there are features in the trackers and racks that assist in the placement of the modules, that’s going to have more value." The consensus among the installers interviewed by pv magazine was that the average module installed checks in at 380 W. This means that Trina and Risen's panels deliver around 31% more power than the average installed panel. Cinnamon said that 10 years ago, the average module output was about 250 W. As neat as that calculation is, these panels have a long way to go until they are industry standards, let alone benchmarks for the average installation. "It takes about five years for the industry to change all of its assembly equipment to a new size," said Cinnamon. "It's a lot of work to buy new equipment because often it can't be reprogrammed … We're talking three to five years to change out all of that equipment."
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/06/how-the-new-generation-of-500-watt-panels-will-shape-the-solar-industry/
     
         
      International Women's Day 2020: Giant Greta Thunberg portrait unveiled Fri, 6th Mar 2020 13:16:00
     
      A giant portrait of Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg has been unveiled in West Yorkshire to mark International Women's Day. The 60m (196ft) long artwork, on a playing field at Hebden Royd Primary School, West Yorkshire, has taken four days to create. Pupils chose the 17-year-old as the woman who had most inspired them. They also helped the creators, art collective Sand In Your Eye, put the finishing touches to the portrait. Jamie Wardley, from the group, based in nearby Mytholmroyd, said: "Greta Thunberg has pioneered a global movement which is so relevant to the area. "The Upper Calder Valley is prone to flood events, which some would argue have increased in frequency due to climate change." The work, A Girl Inspiring the World, is made of line marker paint, more commonly used on football pitches. Commenting on the artwork, year six pupil Evie said: "We've chosen Greta because she stands up for what she believes. "She is a big inspiration to me and she is not afraid to take action even if people do not agree with her."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-51774063
     
         
      Internet: Can the web go green? Fri, 6th Mar 2020 13:11:00
     
      Politicians want to roll out faster internet access, but what about the environmental impact of the energy used to power internet use? Politics Live reporter Ellie Price spoke to academics and digital companies about the conflict between increasing web use and meeting environmental commitments. And she looked at some political websites to see how energy hungry they are.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51768934
     
         
      Edinburgh University researchers use drones to map retreating Andes glaciers Fri, 6th Mar 2020 13:03:00
     
      An Edinburgh university researcher has used drones to capture a bird's-eye view of some of the highest glaciers in South America. Rosie Bisset is part of a project to map the Andes glaciers which are retreating in the face of global heating, despite their high altitude. Experts say these glaciers are a vital resource which are under threat. The glaciers in Peru have shrunk by about 30% in the last couple of decades. Peter Nienow, professor of geology at the University of Edinburgh, said it could have a devastating effect on local people. "In the Andes in Peru, which have about 70% of the world's glacier area in the tropics, those glacial areas are retreating," he said. "As they retreat that impacts downstream communities because they rely on the water resources for agriculture, for industry, for hydroelectric power." 'Major obstacle' Doctoral student Rosie Bisset knew this before she trekked high into the Andes with her drones. She wanted to know more about both the extent of the retreat and exactly how glaciers melt. The altitude of 4,600m (15,000 ft) presented a major obstacle. "At that altitude the air is really thin, making it difficult to operate many drones," she said. "So we collaborated with a local company called Skytech Aerial to help us build a drone that would cope with the high altitude but also have the sensors we needed."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-51756592
     
         
      Nuclear industry warns UK climate goal at risk Thu, 5th Mar 2020 14:15:00
     
      The UK will miss its goal of net zero carbon by 2050 unless it finds a way to finance nuclear power stations, the nuclear industry has said. The industry sent a confidential letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak which has been seen by the BBC. The letter was prompted by fears that the government will use next week's Budget to ditch a plan to pay for new plants through a levy on energy bills. The scheme would have added an estimated £6 a year to energy bills. It was put forward by the Treasury last year as a way of paying for a planned new power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. All but one of the UK's existing nuclear power plants, which provide about 20% of the country's electricity, will be retired by the end of the decade. Severe criticism Only one new one, at Hinkley Point in Somerset, is under construction. It is being paid for by the French utility company EDF and its partner in the project, China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN). The construction is backed by the promise that the UK will pay £92.50 for every megawatt-hour it produces, more than double the current market price. The high price has attracted severe criticism, and prompted the search for a new way of financing nuclear plants. "There is an urgent need for a new, robust financing mechanism which ensures investor confidence, reduces the cost of capital, and provides very significant value to the consumer," states the Nuclear Industry Association's letter to the chancellor. "Without the right policy framework and investment model in legislation, then replacing this capacity and underpinning our future power needs becomes impossible to achieve."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51733117
     
         
      Dirty streaming: The internet's big secret Thu, 5th Mar 2020 14:07:00
     
      With the launch of streaming services from Disney and Apple, the rollout of 5G and the growth in cryptocurrencies, experts are warning about the impact this huge rise in data use could have on the environment. There are now hundreds of thousands of data centres around the world, storing everything from viral videos to doctors' notes and even bank account details. Many of them run on electricity generated by burning fossil fuels. Film and TV writer Beth Webb went in search of the internet and discovered that 'the cloud' is actually a vast network of energy-guzzling data centres and undersea cables.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-51742336
     
         
      When your capital is sinking... Start again? Thu, 5th Mar 2020 14:02:00
     
      Winda's house in the Indonesian city of Jakarta is sinking 20cm (8 inches) every year. She has paid for four truckloads of rocks, gravel and cement to build up the foundations. That keeps the rising sea levels from her door, but there is an unfortunate side effect. "The ceiling is getting closer and closer with each layer we put on," she exclaims. It is now within touching distance - just 50cm (20 inches) above her head. Jakarta's story is a cautionary tale for city planners. Vulnerable to climate change - the Java Sea is rising - but also sinking, literally, under the weight of bad governance and a host of poor decisions. For Winda this means continuing to raise her foundations. "Where else can we go? We don't have the option of moving," she says. But the Indonesian government does have that option - and is taking it. It has announced it is moving its administration about 2,000km (1242 miles) to a site in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The US$34bn design is for a compact coastal city with five satellite towns, built on restored oil palm plantations and surrounded by wetlands and tropical forests. The aim is to complete the initial phase of construction by 2025. The choice of location makes sense politically and economically - Borneo is much closer to the centre of Indonesia’s sprawling archipelago. But the island is also home to some of the world’s most important forests, and is teeming with wildlife. It is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. The Indonesian leadership promises it will be a sustainable city the like of which Indonesia, and arguably the world, has never seen. Environmentalists fear however that this ambitious plan could have disastrous implications. The architectural team which won the government-run competition to design the capital - Urban+ architects, based in Jakarta - say its aim is to work with nature, not against it. "We want to create a city in balance with nature." "We do have this incredible opportunity to start again – to build from nothing," says Sofian Sibarani, the head of Urban+. "We have a chance to design something much closer to an ideal city than anything we have now." He says the plan is that 70% of the 2500 sq km (965 sq mile) area allotted for the new city will be green space, and that the built areas will include an institute which will specialise in reforestation, and a botanical garden. He adds that the idea is to make it a compact walkable city, with areas that are pedestrian-only, and that the additional transport that is needed will be electric.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/xsyGF2fhsL/Indonesia_new_capital
     
         
      'Individual actions do add up': Christiana Figueres on the climate crisis Thu, 5th Mar 2020 13:42:00
     
      Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who was an architect of the worldwide Paris climate agreement, is enraged. She thinks you should be too. She was traveling in 2017 when Donald Trump made plans to announce the US withdrawal from the pact. Perched at the end of her hotel bed with pen and paper, she decided to write down each correct statement she heard. "The speech finished and my piece of paper was completely blank," Figueres told the Guardian in an interview. "There was not a sentence uttered in that whole speech that was correct, true or even informed." With tiny silver frogs dangling from her ears and strung around her neck, the small-framed Figueres is animated as she recalls the story, alternately pushing back in her chair and lowering her head toward her crossed arms. Trump gave his remarks in the White House Rose Garden, a venue typically reserved for major events. "My first thought was the poor roses, they had to listen to all this," Figueres said. Figueres, who was executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, could easily be swallowed up by her anger at the intensifying climate crisis. But instead she has become an advocate for positivity about climate action. Despite Trump's planned withdrawal, not a single nation has followed suit. Countries that agreed to the Paris deal, however, are not on track to fulfill their obligations. And, even if they were, their actions wouldn't be enough to stall significant global warming. Figueres and her former senior advisor Tom Rivett-Carnac, who was once a Buddhist monk, have written a book they pitch as “surprisingly optimistic”. It’s titled The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, and it offers two contrasting visions for how the world might look in 30 years. They also have a podcast, called Outrage and Optimism. Rivett-Carnac said people can be upset and positive at the same time. "We see this form of stubborn optimism as a way of changing the world," he said. It's not like we wake up every morning thinking, 'everything's ok, don't worry.'" Figueres argues that society is "paralyzed and obsessed about the consequences of climate change," and hasn't been able to separate that fear from the upsides of cutting the fossil fuel and other emissions heating the planet. She lists the possible benefits: stronger economies, energy independence, a livable environment, breathable air, less time wasted commuting, improved health, an increased connection to nature, and "on and on," she says. Trump believes the Paris deal would sink the US economy. In Figueres' mind, if there was any country aware of the growth opportunities from addressing the climate crisis, it was the US.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/05/christiana-figueres-climate-crisis
     
         
      Paper That Blames The Sun For Climate Change Was Just Retracted From Major Journal Thu, 5th Mar 2020 13:23:00
     
      A paper published last year that claimed global warming was all to do with the Sun has been retracted. Nature Publishing Group-owned Scientific Reports has found that the paper's conclusion was based on a flawed assumption. The decision comes after sharp criticism from the scientific community prompted the journal's editors to undertake a further review of the study. The paper, titled "Oscillations of the baseline of solar magnetic field and solar irradiance on a millennial timescale," led by mathematician Valentina Zharkova of Northumbria University in the UK, was published in June 2019. It claimed that human activity was not to blame for the roughly one degree rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, and therefore we can avoid culpability for the shockingly fast upward trend of global temperatures having devastating effects on communities and ecosystems around the world. Instead, the paper claimed that rising temperatures were due to the changing distance between Earth and the Sun, because of the way the Sun moves around. The Sun does actually move, a little bit. Although our home star is the most massive object in the Solar System, there are numerous objects orbiting the Sun, and collectively they have quite a lot of mass, too. Thus, the true centre of the Solar System is the centre of its entire mass, and it has a name: the barycentre. Furthermore, each planet has its own centre of mass between it and the Sun. As the other planets whirl around the Sun, they tug on it a little, so the Sun moves around the barycentre. Jupiter, naturally, has the biggest influence, so it makes the Sun move the most. These slight Sun movements are called "solar inertial motion," and they're generally pretty small. In the now-retracted paper, Zharkova et al. contended that the motion of the Sun around the barycentres created by the gas giants was enough to alter the distance between Earth and Sun by up to 3 million kilometres (1.85 million miles), over a timeframe of a few hundred years. But, as other scientists were quick to point out on PubPeer, Earth doesn't orbit those barycentres. It orbits the Sun. So its average distance from the Sun remains pretty constant on small timescales.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-paper-that-blames-the-sun-for-climate-change-has-been-retracted
     
         
      Europe experiences exceptionally warm winter Thu, 5th Mar 2020 13:00:00
     
      The 2019/2020 winter has been the warmest on record for Europe, with average temperatures 1.4C above the previous high of 2015/2016. Winter is defined as the months of December, January, and February. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) says the warmth was very evident in the north and east of the continent where a number of local temperature records were being broken. Last month was also the second hottest February on record globally. It was cooler by only 0.1C compared with the previous high of 2016. The C3S reports the numbers in its latest climate bulletins. It said the mild conditions this winter led to a number of impacts across Europe, including "difficulties for reindeer herding in northern Sweden, failure of the ice-wine harvest in Germany, and having to import snow for sporting events in Sweden and Russia". The December-February average was 3.4C above the 1981-2010 norm. This made 2019/20 by far the warmest European winter in the data records from 1979 on which the service's climate bulletins are based.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51758223
     
         
      Nuclear industry warns UK climate goal at risk Thu, 5th Mar 2020 12:58:00
     
      The UK will miss its goal of net zero carbon by 2050 unless it finds a way to finance nuclear power stations, the nuclear industry has said. The industry sent a confidential letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak which has been seen by the BBC. The letter was prompted by fears that the government will use next week's Budget to ditch a plan to pay for new plants through a levy on energy bills. The scheme would have added an estimated £6 a year to energy bills. It was put forward by the Treasury last year as a way of paying for a planned new power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. All but one of the UK's existing nuclear power plants, which provide about 20% of the country's electricity, will be retired by the end of the decade. Severe criticism Only one new one, at Hinkley Point in Somerset, is under construction. It is being paid for by the French utility company EDF and its partner in the project, China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN). The construction is backed by the promise that the UK will pay £92.50 for every megawatt-hour it produces, more than double the current market price. The high price has attracted severe criticism, and prompted the search for a new way of financing nuclear plants. "There is an urgent need for a new, robust financing mechanism which ensures investor confidence, reduces the cost of capital, and provides very significant value to the consumer," states the Nuclear Industry Association's letter to the chancellor. "Without the right policy framework and investment model in legislation, then replacing this capacity and underpinning our future power needs becomes impossible to achieve."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51733117
     
         
      The Promise of Hydrogen Thu, 5th Mar 2020 11:56:00
     
      Advances in technology, commercialisation driving down cost and strengthened political will to address climate change have brought renewed focus to the potential of hydrogen to contribute to de-carbonising the energy system, particularly in complex sectors like heat and transport. Firstly, hydrogen is plentiful, being the most basic and common element on earth.Secondly, it is also one of the most potent fuels we use today, having the highest energy per mass of any fuel4. Finally, it has significant environmental advantages over fossil fuels in its end-use application because the by-products of hydrogen use are heat and water. Hydrogen is predominantly (76% of production) produced by a process called steam reforming which involves separating hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in natural gas, while approximately 23% is produced from coal. This process is currently the most cost-effective production method and the hydrogen produced is referred to as “black H2”. Alternatively, hydrogen can be produced from water using electrolysis employing renewable energy sources such as electricity from wind and solar. Hydrogen produced through this method is referred to as “green H2”. This method generates zero carbon emissions and accordingly, avoids the embedded emissions of black H2. Less than 0.1% of global dedicated hydrogen production comes from water electrolysis9.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newenergysolar.com.au/renewable-insights/renewable-energy/the-promise-of-hydrogen
     
         
      Climate change: Workers and poor 'need protection' from policies Thu, 5th Mar 2020 9:07:00
     
      We know that climate change harms people but policies to tackle climate change can harm people too.

    And typically it's the poorest who're most likely to suffer from lost jobs in dirty industries and higher energy bills.

    In Scotland, for instance, they made thousands of workers jobless when the coal mines closed over the last 30 years. Now they're looking to wean themselves off oil and gas to protect the climate.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51733952
     
         
      Taking the plunge in world's coldest water Wed, 4th Mar 2020 14:25:00
     
      The BBC's Justin Rowlatt reports from Antarctica, where scientists fear rising temperatures could affect the unique marine life.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51728245
     
         
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51736134 Wed, 4th Mar 2020 14:21:00
     
      Greta Thunberg accused the EU of "pretending" to tackle climate change Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg has rebuked the EU's plan for tackling climate change, telling MEPs it amounts to "surrender". Ms Thunberg spoke in Brussels on Wednesday as the EU unveiled a proposed law for reducing carbon emissions. If passed, the law would make it a legal requirement for the EU to be carbon neutral by 2050. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the law as the "heart of the European Green Deal". But 17-year-old Ms Thunberg dismissed the law as "empty words", accusing the EU of "pretending" to be a leader on climate change. "When your house is on fire, you don't wait a few more years to start putting it out. And yet this is what the Commission is proposing today," Thunberg told the European Parliament's environment committee. The law, Ms Thunberg said, was an admission that the EU was "giving up" on the Paris agreement - a deal which committed 197 nations to greenhouse gas reductions. "This climate law is surrender. Nature doesn't bargain, and you cannot make deals with physics," the activist said. She said its Green Deal package of measures would give the world "much less than a 50% chance" to limit global warming to 1.5C. Countries signed up to the Paris climate deal have agreed to "endeavour to limit" global temperatures below 1.5C. She said the law, which would give the EU Commission more powers to set tougher carbon reduction goals, did not go far enough.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51736134
     
         
      Climate change boosted Australia bushfire risk by at least 30% Wed, 4th Mar 2020 14:18:00
     
      Scientists have published the first assessment quantifying the role of climate change in the recent Australian bushfires. Global warming boosted the risk of the hot, dry weather that's likely to cause bushfires by at least 30%, they say. But the study suggests the figure is likely to be much greater. It says that if global temperatures rise by 2C, as seems likely, such conditions would occur at least four times more often. The analysis has been carried out by the World Weather Attribution consortium. Co-author Geert Jan van Oldenborgh of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute in De Bilt, The Netherlands, told the BBC even the study's very conservative estimates were troubling. "Last year the fire prevention system in Australia, which is extremely well prepared for bushfires, was straining. It was at the limits of what it could handle, with volunteers working for weeks on end," said Prof van Oldenborgh. "As the world warms, these events will become more likely and more common. And it's not something that we are ready for." During the 2019-2020 fire season in Australia, record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought fuelled a series of massive bushfires across the country. At least 33 people were killed and more than 11 million hectares (110,000 sq km or 27.2 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia burned. Although it makes sense that human-induced global warming is likely to have led to more bushfires, assigning a figure to that increased risk is complex. That is because other factors not directly related to climate change may also play a significant role. These include increased water use making the land drier, urban heating effects or unknown local factors. Nevertheless, Prof Jan van Oldenborgh and 17 fellow climate scientists from six countries gave it their best shot. "It was by far the most complex study we have undertaken," he told the BBC.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51742646
     
         
      Greener petrol at UK pumps to target emissions Wed, 4th Mar 2020 14:11:00
     
      A more eco-friendly petrol could be introduced to garages in the UK from next year. The government is consulting on making E10 - which contains less carbon and more ethanol than fuels currently on sale - the new standard petrol grade. The move could cut CO2 emissions from transport by 750,000 tonnes per year, the Department for Transport said. However, the lower carbon fuel would not be compatible with some older vehicles. Current petrol grades in the UK - known as E5 - contain up to 5% bioethanol. E10 would see this percentage increased up to 10% - a proportion that would bring the UK in line with countries such as Belgium, Finland, France and Germany. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to chair his first cabinet committee on climate change on Wednesday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change in petrol could be equivalent to taking up to 350,000 cars off the road each year. "The next 15 years will be absolutely crucial for slashing emissions from our roads, as we all start to feel the benefits of the transition to a zero-emission future," he said. "But before electric cars become the norm, we want to take advantage of reduced CO2 emissions today. This small switch to petrol containing bioethanol at 10% will help drivers across country reduce the environmental impact of every journey." The announcement of the consultation comes after the government announced that a ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars would be brought forward from 2040 to 2035 - although Mr Shapps said it could happen as soon as 2032. The UK, which will host the United Nations climate change conference in November, aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Labour maintains the government is not on track to reach such a target. Meanwhile, the chancellor is expected to scrap a subsidy on diesel used by the farming and construction sector in an effort to encourage a switch to greener alternative fuel vehicles and help the UK meet its climate change targets. Rishi Sunak is set to announce in next week's budget that red diesel - so-called because it is marked with a dye - will no longer attract a lower fuel duty. It currently accounts for about 15% of total diesel sales in the UK and costs the Treasury about £2.4bn a year in revenue.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51731757
     
         
      Focus on coronavirus shows need for climate law, says EU official Wed, 4th Mar 2020 13:58:00
     
      Tensions at the Greek-Turkish border and the coronavirus show why the European Union needs a climate law that binds member states to net zero emissions by 2050, the EU's top official on climate action has said. Frans Timmermans, a European commission vice-president who leads on the climate emergency, said the different crises facing Europe underscored the need for a climate law in order not to lose track of reducing emissions. The long-awaited climate law unveiled on Wednesday is the centrepiece of the European Green Deal, a plan to transform Europe's economy, promised by the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, within her first 100 days. "It will be our compass for the next 30 years and it will guide us every step as we build a sustainable new growth model," Von der Leyen said announcing the law. Sign up to the Green Light email to get the planet's most important stories Read more Some political leaders have argued that the commission needs to focus on the protection of the EU's external border, rather than the climate crisis – arguments that Timmermans rejected. "The focus this week should be completely on the happening in Syria, in Turkey and what is happening in Greece, should be on containing the coronavirus and solving it. That's absolutely a priority," he said. The climate law was "so important", because "it allows you to focus on other things without losing track of what you need to do to reach climate neutrality". "Even if the Eye of Sauron is on something else for a bit, the trajectory to 2050 will be clear," he said, in a reference to the dark forces in the Lord of the Rings. "Because we discipline ourselves with the climate law." Speaking to the Guardian and six other European newspapers shortly before the law was published, Timmermans said the proposal was revolutionary because all EU legislation would have to be in line with net zero emissions by the mid-century.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/04/focus-coronavirus-shows-need-climate-law-says-eu-official-frans-timmermans
     
         
      Australian state sets 200% renewable energy target to power cheap green hydrogen Wed, 4th Mar 2020 13:54:00
     
      Tasmania said 2040 goal will help spur big wind and hydro development that can drive down renewable hydrogen production cost. Tasmania set a 200% renewables share target and big goals for lower-cost green hydrogen production as the island state ramped up its ambitions as a clean-power battery for the rest of Australia. Tasmania claimed its excellent wind and hydropower resource leave it well-placed to produce double its current demand from renewable sources by 2040, in what would be one of the highest share targets yet set by policymakers. The state – which said it will release detailed proposals for meeting the target next month – also outlined plans for "multi-gigawatt scale" green hydrogen production, spurred by A$50m of state support, with an initial plant powered by 2GW of new renewables up and running by 2024. Tasmania cites several key advantages in its plans to boost both renewable power supply and green hydrogen production, the latter increasingly seen as a key element of the energy transition thanks to its ability to reach hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as heating and transport. One is its resources, with the strong and steady 'Roaring Forties' winds that drive high capacity factors for its turbines, and abundant hydro capacity, including on-demand pumped storage that can firm-up wind output when needed. Those resources lead to the second edge claimed by the state, which said the consistent renewables output would mean high utilisation rates for the electrolysers needed for the green hydrogen production process. State planners reckon that could make Tasmanian green hydrogen production up to 30% more cost-competitive than electrolysers powered elsewhere in Australia – the more hours per day that an electrolyser is used, the lower the levelised cost of the hydrogen produced. State premier Peter Gutwein said: "Our vision is that Tasmania will be commercially exporting hydrogen by 2030." Tasmania – which has a population of just over 500,000 – currently has a 2.3GW hydropower and 560MW wind base that will see it reach a 100% renewables share by 2022. It has already released a strategy called 'Battery of the Nation' which flags the potential for 8.7GW more wind and another 3.4GW of pumped-hydro storage. Australia more widely has emerged as a hotbed of green hydrogen plans, with several states looking to establish themselves as global leaders in the fast-emerging sector.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/australian-state-sets-200-renewable-energy-target-to-power-cheap-green-hydrogen/2-1-766988
     
         
      A new manufacturing process for 19.5% efficient perovskite solar cells Wed, 4th Mar 2020 13:49:00
     
      Researchers in China have proposed manufacturing perovskite cells using a pre-nucleation technique. Compared to traditional solvent dripping methods, the approach enables the creation of smaller crystallites in the perovskite films as uncontrolled crystallite growth affects the efficiency and durability of cells. Scientists from China's Peking University have developed a new method for making perovskite films for PV applications in an ambient atmosphere. The technique, described in the paper A prenucleation strategy for ambient fabrication of perovskite solar cells with high device performance uniformity, published in Nature Communications, aims to avoid the efficiency loss caused by humidity linked to the interactions of ambient water and oxygen with the perovskite precursors and substrate used during cell production. Pre-nucleation consists of the controlled formation of a vast number of lead complexes – "pre-nucleation clusters" – during the wet sample spinning process of perovskite film manufacture. The approach suggested by the Peking team was conceived as a way to design chemical reaction routes, according to the researchers. "Although these chemical reaction routes showed potential to realize the ambient fabrication of PVSCs [PV solar cells], the inherent mechanisms are still unclear and the variations of device performance to environmental conditions need to be improved," stated the group. The researchers said the formation of lead complexes is facilitated by the presence of water in conventional manufacturing processes. To avoid the presence of excess water, the Peking group used a burst of lead complexes to facilitate, and prolong, nucleation of the intermediate crystallites. Uncontrolled growth of such crystallites can affect the efficiency and durability of solar cells. Controlled growth Unlike the conventional method of solvent dripping in ambient air, which leads to large intermediate crystals, the method proposed by the Peking group is said to deliver smaller crystals in the wet films which are easier to convert into perovskite. "As a result, the pre-nucleation method made the wet film transform more easily and more rapidly from the transparent intermediate to the [more efficient] black perovskite [form], even without annealing," the researchers said, referring to the process of heating and then slowly cooling to increase durability. The Peking group claims this process has enabled the production of a perovskite cell with a peak conversion efficiency of 21.5% and an average of 18.8%. In durability terms, the researchers said the cell lost around 10% of its efficiency after 100 days of storage.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/04/a-new-manufacturing-process-for-19-5-efficient-perovskite-solar-cells/
     
         
      Kronospan: Air monitors for factory after pollution fears Wed, 4th Mar 2020 13:26:00
     
      Air quality monitoring equipment will be installed near a wood panel factory following concerns about pollution. Kronospan in Chirk, near Wrexham, suffered a major fire in January which created large plumes of smoke. Children from a nearby primary school were kept indoors amid health fears. Monitoring equipment will be put in place as a condition of permission granted for a building to house two new gas engines in a £200m expansion programme. Wrexham councillors approved the application subject to Kronospan paying for the apparatus, which will provide real time data for members of the public. 'Street cred' Frank Hemmings, a member for Chirk, welcomed the agreement to provide independent monitoring. He told planning officers: "I know your colleagues in public protection are quite happy with the air quality, but I think we need the community of Chirk to follow that and understand that the air quality is what we say it is." Planning committee member Paul Pemberton added: "I'm pleased that Kronospan are actually going to be doing something. "It will do their street cred and the village and the whole of Wrexham a lot more good by doing so." A decision on the gas engines had been delayed from January amid claims the proposals posed a risk to the wellbeing of residents, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. A group consisting of representatives from Wrexham council, Kronospan, Chirk Town Council and Natural Resources Wales will be set up to assess the air quality, with residents able to view the data online. A spokeswoman for Kronospan said: "We are working with Wrexham council on independent air quality monitoring to reassure residents. "We are developing plans for a new access road from the north and we have already sought formal pre-application advice from Wrexham council."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51736575
     
         
      Climate concerns grow amid wettest February on record Tue, 3rd Mar 2020 17:06:00
     
      Last month was the wettest February in the UK since records began in 1862, according to the Met Office. The UK received an average of 209.1mm of rainfall, 237% above the average for the month between 1981 and 2010. Elsewhere, a survey suggested that almost a quarter of people felt that climate change was the "most pressing issue facing the UK". The representative sample of 1,401 people also suggested that "climate concern" had doubled since 2016. During February, storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge all delivered a vast volume of rainfall over parts of the UK.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51713172
     
         
      Outdoor air pollution cuts three years from human lifespan – study Tue, 3rd Mar 2020 13:37:00
     
      Humans are missing out on almost three years of life expectancy on average because of outdoor air pollution, researchers have found. However, the study reveals more than a year of life expectancy could be clawed back if fossil fuel emissions are cut to zero, while if all controllable air pollution is cut – a category that does not include particles from natural wildfires or wind-born dust – global life expectancy could rise by more than 20 months. "This corroborates that fossil fuel-generated air pollution qualifies as a major global health risk factor by itself," the authors write. The study builds on the team's previous research that confirmed about 8.8m early deaths a year worldwide, twice the figure from prior estimates, are caused by outdoor air pollution, with the new work examining the issue both for the world as a whole, and in detail for particular regions and countries. "The loss of life expectancy from air pollution is much higher than many other risk factors, and even higher than smoking," said co-author Prof Jos Lelieveld of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. "That was quite unexpected, I must say." As with the team's previous work, the new study draws on a recently developed model of the impact of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 on the body, as well as a model for the impact of ozone, levels of exposure to these pollutants, and population and mortality figures for 2015. From this data, the team calculated the proportion of early deaths that could be attributed to outdoor air pollution across six categories, including unspecified non-communicable diseases – a category that encompasses conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The results reveal that, globally, 2.9 years of life expectancy on average are lost because of outdoor air pollution – a bigger toll than tobacco smoking (2.2 years lost), violence (0.3 years lost), HIV/Aids (0.7 years lost) and diseases spread by parasites and other vectors (0.6 years lost). Should avoidable outdoor air pollution be cut, the team adds, more than 5.5m early deaths globally could be avoided every year. However, there are variations between regions and countries: such a measure would save 2.4m early deaths a year in east Asia and regain three out of the 3.9 years of life expectancy lost because of outdoor air pollution. However, in Africa only 230,000 early deaths a year, and just over eight months of the 3.1 years of life expectancy lost, would be saved. In Australia the gains would be even smaller.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/03/outdoor-air-pollution-cuts-three-years-from-human-lifespan-study
     
         
      Farmers in Scotland 'need millions more' to tackle climate change Tue, 3rd Mar 2020 11:04:00
     
      Millions more needs to be paid to farmers to help them tackle climate change, a farming union has urged. NFU Scotland called for £100m of additional Scottish government funding each year. The funds would be used to encourage farmers to plant woodlands, invest in green energy and develop schemes which cut emissions. The union said farmers will play a "key role" in achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. But it added using existing funding could be "highly destabilising" for the sector. The funding would be additional to existing subsidy payments. Last month ministers announced an initial £40m for an "Agricultural Transformation Programme" to help farmers develop low-carbon practices. NFU Scotland president, Andrew McCornick, said: "We believe the Scottish government's agricultural transformation programme offers huge potential to deliver on environment and climate goals but to turn the ambition into a reality, the support level needs to be substantially above the £40m announced. "Farmers and crofters must be incentivised to take up fundamental measures focusing on soils, input costs and emission reduction. "It is essential that such actions are taken up by a much wider swathe of Scottish agriculture and that all doing so are appropriately supported."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51720044
     
         
      Ukraine unveils plan for retroactive FIT cuts Mon, 2nd Mar 2020 14:35:00
     
      The government has suggested PV plant operators accept a 'voluntary' 12.5% reduction in feed-in tariffs. If developers refuse, policymakers could impose 15-25% cuts, albeit with payment contracts extended five years. The drastic measures are being considered to reduce the cost of the state-owned Guaranteed Buyer body, which purchases all electricity generated in Ukraine from renewable energy facilities. The Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine is considering slashing feed-in tariffs (FITs) for existing large scale PV plants 15-25%, trade body the Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy (UARE) has told pv magazine. An announcement to that effect was reportedly made by Konstantyn Chyzhyk, deputy minister of energy and environmental protection, during the Ukrainian Energy Forum event. The FIT cuts under consideration would see solar plants with a generation capacity of up to 10 MW shoulder a 15% reduction in payments with the figure rising to a 20% cut for 10-50 MW projects and 25% for larger facilities. Chyzhyk reportedly offered to soften the blow for developers by extending the term of affected ten-year contracts by five years. The FIT program which expired at the end of last year paid large scale, ground-mounted PV projects €0.1502/kWh over a period of 10 years. 'Voluntary' An alternative method of reducing the cost of subsidizing Ukrainian solar would see developers of PV projects of all sizes agreeing to take a "voluntary" 12.5% FIT reduction. Russian press agency Interfax reported Chyzhyk told the energy forum on Thursday: "The logic of this option is that such a reduction is much smaller than a decrease [combined with] extending the payment term. [Either] you pass restructuring, extending the payment term but at the same time you lower the feed-in tariff by a larger percentage, or you [do] not extend [the] payment term but at the same time take a slightly lower tariff reduction." With Ukraine currently sparing solar developers costs of imbalance – the obligation to financially compensate the grid for over or under-production from their generation assets – the National Investment Council head of office reportedly warned, project owners who do not agree to voluntary cuts will face the introduction of such payments this year. Developers who play ball, however, will not have to pay such costs until 2022, Chyzhyk reportedly suggested. The energy forum also reportedly heard the proposed retroactive FIT cut for wind power facilities would be 10% combined with five-year payment contract extensions.
       
      Full Article: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/03/02/ukraine-mulls-retroactive-fit-cuts/
     
         
      Germany hits record 61 per cent renewables for month of February Mon, 2nd Mar 2020 14:31:00
     
      Renewable energy sources provided a record 61.2% of Germany's net public electricity generation in February, according to figures provided by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), which also showed that wind energy provided nearly half of the country's electricity during the month. Fraunhofer ISE provides up to date tracking of Germany's power sector through its Energy Charts website, and keen-eyed Twitter users highlighted record renewable figures with February now in the bag. Of the total 45.12TWh generated by Germany's power sector, 27.63TWh, or 61.2%, was generated from renewable electricity sources. According to at least one expert, this was a new monthly record for renewable electricity generation, smashing the previous record of 54% set in March of 2019. And while Germany has experienced higher shares of renewable electricity generation, these have been on a daily or weekly basis – such as in March of 2019 when the share of renewables in the country's energy mix jumped to 72.4% – rather than this more impressive monthly record. Throughout the month, Germany's renewable energy sector regularly provided around 60% or above of the country's electricity production – including over a dozen days around or above 70%. Germany's fleet of wind turbines generated a record 20.80TWh, or 45.8%, of the country's electricity – similarly smashing the previous record of 34.7% set, again, in March of 2019. Unsurprisingly, then, wind electricity generation regularly provided around or above 60% of the country's electricity generation. Second in terms of contribution to Germany's renewables power sector was biomass, which provided 3.74TWh, or 8.3% of total electricity generation, followed by solar with 1.86TWh, or 4.2%. Natural gas provided 10.2% of February’s total, while nuclear provided 11.5%. Coal provided only 17% of the country's power in February.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/germany-hits-record-61-per-cent-renewables-for-month-of-february-99434/
     
         
      Onshore wind 'to make comeback in UK' Mon, 2nd Mar 2020 14:29:00
     
      The cheapest form of new power in the UK - onshore wind - is set to make a comeback, according to a government decision today. Ministers previously blocked projects after complaints from local campaigners that they were a blot on the landscape. The government responded by denying onshore wind the chance to bid for a price guarantee for the electricity they produce. They also gave local protestors a definitive say in the planning process. This meant it was virtually impossible for wind farms to gain permission. Environmentalists said the decision was irrational, and today the government has opened the way for onshore wind farm developers to bid for price support. In the long term, it should lead to cheaper electricity for consumers. Solar farms will be able to bid for price guarantees too. But the government still wants local people to have a strong say in the decision where they are built. That means relatively few are expected in congested England. In Scotland, though, Scottish Power is delighted. It has 1,000MW in the pipeline for wind and solar. The small pressure group known as Possible has been pushing for a resurgence of onshore wind. It says: "After years of campaigning we can finally celebrate the UK's cheapest new energy source being brought in from the cold." Onshore wind fell out of favour after Conservative activists complained about the visual impact and hum of wind farms in the countryside. In sections of the media, the word "hated" became attached to the term wind farm - and most MPs believed they were deeply unpopular with the public. In fact, the government's own surveys show over-whelming public support for onshore wind - albeit not always in the areas where it's been built. Scottish Power said in future they would build solar, wind farms and batteries on the same site to maximise the output and minimise the disturbance.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51708817
     
         
      Making solar panels is awful for the environment. This new design may be the cure. Mon, 2nd Mar 2020 13:36:00
     
      When it comes to combatting the planet's rising temperature and carbon emissions levels, renewable energy options like solar panels are a clear path of action. But despite the obvious environmental advantages of such an approach, authors of a new energy analysis write that current solar power technology has a larger carbon footprint than you might think. While it hovers around two percent today, as solar energy continues to scale in the coming decades, the authors write that emissions from solar technology could eclipse that of international aviation at about five percent the world's total energy budget. In a study published Monday in Joule, researchers analyze these trends and demonstrate how a new approach to solar cell design could lower solar emissions twenty-fold and bring the technology close to its lowest emissions yet. While the impact of solar energy on carbon emissions may seem counterintuitive, the authors write that its lurking carbon impact lies in both manufacturing energy expenses, differing efficiency standards across global sectors and the technology's anticipated scaling in the coming years. "First, the carbon footprint of PV [photovolatics] depends on the total CO2 emitted during production, which is determined by the industrial requirements of the specific PV technology used and the maturity and efficiency of the manufacturing industry," write the authors. "For example, the footprint of a Si-PV [silicon photovolatic] module produced in China is twice as high in comparison to a production in the EU or the US due to a different degree of industrialization and environmental restrictions." The authors considered three different future scenarios for the silicon-based solar cells we use today, ranging from optimistic to realistic emission levels, and found that in all scenarios the total level of carbon emissions created through these technologies was more than the international aviation industry as a whole.
       
      Full Article: https://www.inverse.com/innovation/solar-cell-design
     
         
      Two-thirds of UK homes 'fail on energy efficiency targets' Mon, 2nd Mar 2020 10:22:00
     
      Nearly two thirds of UK homes fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets, according to data analysed by the BBC.

    More than 12 million homes fall below the C grade on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) graded from A-G.

    It means householders spend more on energy bills and pump tonnes more CO2 into the atmosphere than necessary. The government has said it needs to go "much further and faster" to improve the energy performance of homes. Experts say retrofit measures are needed because so many homes were built before the year 1990. Dr Tim Forman, a research academic at the University of Cambridge's Centre for Sustainable Development, said now only a national project of a scale not seen since World War Two, would be enough to help Great Britain meet its 2050 net zero carbon target, which was signed into law in June 2019. EPCs measure the efficiency of a house by looking at how well a property is insulated, glazed, or uses alternative measures to reduce energy use. Homes are given a grade between A and G. The closer to A, the more efficient the home, meaning it should have lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint. A grade G is at the other end of the scale. C is just above average.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50573338
     
         
      The advent of cheap, renewable hydrogen is nigh Thu, 27th Feb 2020 15:39:00
     
      Hydrogen gas has been the pipe dream fuel of clean-energy advocates for decades. Splitting electrons from H2 molecules creates electricity and a waste product: pure H2O. It has the added benefit of being storable (albeit at high pressures or low temperatures), and it can refuel a car or a generator in minutes, as opposed to batteries, which can take hours to recharge. Further Reading First hydrogen-powered train hits the tracks in Germany Unfortunately, most of the hydrogen that is mass-produced today is made by synthesizing it from natural gas (more specifically, methane, or CH4). But it's also possible to make hydrogen using electricity and water, using an electrolyzer. If that electricity is renewable electricity, hydrogen can be nearly carbon neutral in its lifecycle. The problem is that the electrolyzers that can make hydrogen from renewable energy have historically been prohibitively expensive. But that's changing, according to a new paper in Nature Energy. Researchers from universities in Germany and at Stanford University created a financial model for a wind farm connected to a hydrogen electrolyzer. They modeled electricity and hydrogen prices as if this theoretical system were based in Germany and then in Texas. The researchers concluded that "renewable hydrogen is projected to become cost competitive with large-scale fossil hydrogen supply within the next decade."
       
      Full Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/renewable-hydrogen-could-be-competitive-in-a-decade-researchers-say/
     
         
      Outdoor cafe warmers spark heated debate in Paris Wed, 26th Feb 2020 11:02:00
     
      A campaign is under way in Paris to ban heaters due to concerns about their electricity use. Since the smoking ban, there has been a mass move to outdoor heating of these terraces with gas and electricity-fired radiators, which pollute the atmosphere and expend huge amounts of energy. Previous attempts to ban heaters in the French capital have failed. But after Rennes in Brittany banned the devices earlier in the year, could Paris be next?
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/51634203/outdoor-heaters-paris-campaigners-want-them-banned
     
         
      Food Footprint Explainer Series: Is Choosing Local Always The Most Eco-Friendly Option? Tue, 25th Feb 2020 16:23:00
     
      For a time, environmentalists have been touting eating locally produced food as one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint. On the surface, it makes sense – transportation generates one of the largest shares of global greenhouse gas emissions, which makes food that requires travel more carbon-intensive. Although there are a multitude of benefits attached to local agriculture, such as supporting biodiversity, providing jobs and a bulwark against food insecurity – especially in Hong Kong where we now produce a mere 2% of our vegetable supply compared to 50% in the 1960s – we ought to be cautious about sweeping statements about the sustainability of local foods. In reality, the impact of food extends far beyond transportation, which represents only a final fraction of the carbon budget in the entire supply chain. Recent research has shown that if we take into account everything from land use, deforestation, methane emissions, resources for animal livestock feed, processing, transport, retail and packaging, paying attention to the type of food you eat is far more effective for lowering your carbon footprint than where it has been produced. According to a new analysis by Our World In Data published earlier this year, for most foods, it is not the case that transport is responsible for a large share of the final carbon emissions. Using data collected from the most extensive meta-analysis of worldwide food systems to date, the study investigated the different sources of carbon emissions of 29 common food products, from eggs and fish to olive oil and nuts. It concluded that emissions from the distance our food travels is responsible for only a minuscule fraction of a food’s footprint, and that “what you eat is far more important than where your food travelled from.” In Our World In Data’s graph, you can see that on average, the travel part of food makes up of less than 10% of a product’s greenhouse gas emissions. The more carbon-intensive part is usually in the production process – agricultural farming methods, amount of land and water wastage, whether a food has contributed to deforestation due to land clearing and methane emissions, in the case of animal livestock rearing. As a rule of thumb, it becomes clear that plant-based food – even if it has been imported – is usually the lower carbon option if compared to locally grown or imported meat products. “Plant-based foods emit fewer greenhouse gases than meat and dairy, regardless of how they are produced,” the report writes. While it is always best to choose plant-based, those who do choose to consume meat, dairy or seafood products can opt for less carbon-hefty types, which is determined more so by the way it has been produced than where it comes from. For example, the graph shows that if you have a choice between local prawns or imported fish, then from a carbon perspective, the non-local farmed fish is better, even if it has travelled a certain distance. But remember – this only takes into account the emissions generated from food, and whether you are concerned about the plastic pollution associated with the seafood farming industry or the human rights problems that wild catch is laden with is a different story altogether. Out of all the types of meat, choosing pork and poultry will have the lowest carbon footprint, regardless of where they have been produced. This is because pigs and chicken do not produce methane when reared, as opposed to beef, lamb and mutton. Given this, if your dinner choice involves either a roasted chicken imported from France or a “low-impact” locally farmed piece of steak, then choosing the chicken is more carbon-friendly. Again, there are caveats – if animal welfare or health is a priority, then opting to ditch animal meat altogether for plant-based protein sources such as tofu, beans or vegan meat substitutes will be your best bet, both ethically and environmentally, and health-wise too. Some may be wary about air-freighted fruit and vegetables – and it is a genuine concern, given the enormous amount of emissions that airplanes produce (not too mention the radiation, which no one talks about and on which there is very little research). However, it is worth noting that only 0.16% of food globally is imported by air. These foods are usually those that have a short-shelf life or are produced in countries far away, so if you are concerned about some kinds of carbon intensive produce, then choose seasonal plant foods that are either grown locally or from neighbouring countries. So choosing bananas from the Philippines will likely leave less of a footprint than grabbing strawberries grown in Spain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/food-footprint-explainer-series-is-choosing-local-always-the-most-eco-friendly-option/
     
         
      Mike Bloomberg says he has the best record on climate change. Does he? Tue, 25th Feb 2020 11:50:00
     
      The billionaire former New York mayor funded a successful program to close coal power plants. But activists say his plans for the future lack ambition. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will soon be on the ballot in the Democratic presidential primary for the first time in 15 states and territories. Ahead of voting on Super Tuesday, March 3, he is flooding the airwaves with $124 million worth of ads. Bloomberg’s climate change record is a key part of his pitch: In a field where all the candidates have relatively ambitious climate plans, Bloomberg stands out for what he's already done: Through his work as the mayor of the country’s largest city and his charitable spending, he has fueled tangible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and abroad. This record, he says, is better than anything his rivals have accomplished on climate change. But some environmental groups disagree with how he's positioned himself and remain unimpressed with his plans to deal with rising average temperatures.
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/2020/2/25/21145525/bloomberg-2020-debate-climate-change-beyond-coal
     
         
      RWE and Saitec Offshore Technologies agreement Tue, 25th Feb 2020 11:43:00
     
      SATH technology is based on a twin hull made of modularly prefabricated and subsequently braced concrete elements. The float can align itself around a single point of mooring according to the wind and wave direction. The objective of the project is to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction, operation and maintenance of the unit. The pilot project will last 3.5 years: 18 months for the planning and construction of the plant, followed by a two-year operating phase.
       
      Full Article: https://saitec-offshore.com/rwe-renewables-and-saitec-offshore-technologies-agreement/
     
         
      Repsol's energy transition plan to major on renewables and green hydrogen Mon, 24th Feb 2020 16:16:00
     
      Spanish oil giant to spend $746m on low carbon projects this year and over $1.8bn on upstream oil. Repsol's strategy of becoming a net zero emissions company by 2050 will see it develop around 400 to 500MW of new renewables projects per year, the Spanish giant said. Under its plans to transition to a lower carbon business, the Madrid-headquartered company lowered the long-term value of its oil and gas projects and booked a nearly €4.85bn ($5.17bn) impairment on production assets, which it said was "consistent with the Paris Agreement's climate goals". Repsol posted a loss of €3.82bn for the full year compared to a profit of €2.34bn for 2018. After putting a price tag on its environmental ambitions, Repsol said that in order to reach its goal, using 2016 as the baseline, it is targeting a 10% reduction by 2025, 20% by 2030 and 40% by 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/repsol-s-energy-transition-plan-to-major-on-renewables-and-green-hydrogen/2-1-761577
     
         
      Former UN Climate Chief Calls For Civil Disobedience Mon, 24th Feb 2020 12:00:00
     
      In a book out tomorrow, the woman who led the negotiations for the Paris Agreement calls for civil disobedience to force institutions to respond to the climate crisis. "It's time to participate in non-violent political movements wherever possible," Christiana Figueres writes in "The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis," which will be released tomorrow by Knopf. Figueres served as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010-16. She co-authored the book with her strategic advisor, Tom Rivett-Carnac. The two also support voting: "Large numbers of people must vote on climate change as their number one priority," they write. "As we are in the midst of the most dire emergency, we must urgently demand that those who seek high office offer solutions commensurate with the scale of the problem." But they note that electoral politics have failed to meet the challenge, largely because of systemic roadblocks including corporate lobbying and partisan opposition.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2020/02/24/former-un-climate-chief-calls-for-civil-disobedience/#6a09ae503214
     
         
      Study finds quarter of climate change tweets from bots Sat, 22nd Feb 2020 15:31:00
     
      A study by researchers at Brown University has found a quarter of posts about climate change on Twitter were written by bots. Bots are computer programs that can masquerade as humans to post or send messages on social media. Researchers discovered tweets posted by bots created the impression there was a high level of climate change denial. The paper detailing the finds has not yet been published and was first reported by The Guardian newspaper. The research team analysed 6.5 million tweets from the period surrounding President Donald Trump's June 2017 announcement that he was removing the United States from the Paris climate accord. The finding showed 25% of tweets on climate change were likely posted by bots. Most of those tweets centred on denials of global warming or rejections of climate science. "These findings suggest a substantial impact of mechanized bots in amplifying denials messages about climate change," the authors of the reporter wrote, according to The Guardian. Bots are automated to post or send messages but they must be set up by a human. The Brown University team could not identify who was behind these climate change denying bots.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51595285
     
         
      With every flood, public anger over the climate crisis is surging Sat, 22nd Feb 2020 9:00:00
     
      The fossil-fuel companies know they'll face increased social stigma unless they change. Sometimes it has felt as if the rain might never stop. These storms have gone beyond the point of simply being storms now, each blurring into the next to create a strangely end-of-days feeling. Everything is freakishly sodden and swollen, and while the rural flood plain on which I live fortunately hasn't flooded anything like as badly as some, the rivers are rising alarmingly. Yet still the lashing winds and biblical downpours keep coming. Suddenly the 40 Days of Action campaign that Extinction Rebellion (XR) will launch on Ash Wednesday (26 February), encouraging people to reflect on the environmental consequences of their actions in a kind of green Lent, feels ominously well named. This week's stunt in Cambridge, where XR activists dug up Trinity College's lawn in symbolic protest at the college’s plans to build on land it owns in rural Suffolk, may be just the beginning. Some ask why these activists aren’t out stacking sandbags for the poor householders of the Wye valley, or canoeing through the streets of Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, highlighting the risks of a climate crisis that can only mean more freak flooding. Yet in some ways that was the point of targeting Trinity in the first place. Of all the Cambridge colleges, it's the one identified by student journalists – using freedom of information requests – as the biggest investor in fossil fuel companies blamed for aggravating the climate crisis. Activists blockaded a research building run by the oil exploration company Schlumberger as well as making holes in the lawn. The clear aim is to make it toxic for institutions to maintain ties to polluting industries; and what makes universities tempting targets is that they're already being hammered from inside by students raging against what they see as dirty money.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/22/flood-anger-climate-crisis-fossil-fuel
     
         
      Wood burners: Most polluting fuels to be banned in the home Fri, 21st Feb 2020 15:28:00
     
      Owners of wood burners, stoves and open fires will no longer be able to buy house coal or wet wood, under a ban to be rolled out from next year. Sales of the two most polluting fuels will be phased out in England to help cut air pollution, the government says. Bags of logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and petrol stations often contain wet wood - a type of wood which produces more pollution and smoke. The public should move to "cleaner alternatives", the government says. Plans for the ban were first announced 18 months ago, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has now confirmed it is going ahead. The government said wood burning stoves and coal fires are the largest source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), small particles of air pollution which find their way into the body's lungs and blood. Particulate matter is one of several pollutants caused by industrial, domestic and traffic sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51581817
     
         
      How Low Can Solar Cells Go? Perovskite Researchers Say Down, Down, Down Fri, 21st Feb 2020 14:31:00
     
      The cost of solar power is sinking practically by the day, and the next new "hot" solar cell material — perovskite — will push costs down even more. So far you can’t get perovskite solar cells in stores but this year will bring a trickle into the market, and a batch of new research suggests that the trickle will become a flood. When that happens, look out. The thermal coal market is already in the toaster and perovskite could fry it to a crisp while also dragging natural gas down along, too. Perovskite For More & Cheaper Solar Cells Perovskite is a naturally occurring mineral (aka calcium titanate) that has been known to science since its discovery in the Ural mountains in 1839. Science may have known perovskite, but researchers didn't fully cotton on to its photovoltaic properties until the 1950s. Synthetic perovskite is relatively inexpensive and easy to make, which brings up the prospect of using it as a substitute for silicon, the main ingredient in today's solar cells. Silicon is efficient but pricey, and the hunt has been on for substitutes. That brings us up to today, when researchers have figured out how to resolve the Achilles' heel of perovskite, which is its tendency to fall apart in humid conditions. One solution, for example, is to add a dose of graphene to the mix.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/21/how-low-can-solar-cells-go-perovskite-researchers-say-down-down-down/
     
         
      What's the deal with carbon offsets? Wed, 19th Feb 2020 16:56:00
     
      Over the summer of 2017, Swedish singer Staffan Lindberg started looking to do something about his carbon footprint. He pledged to stop flying, an easy way to slash his environmental impact by a large amount in a short period of time. Lindberg also coined the term “flygskam” to describe the feeling of climate-related guilt caused by traveling by air. Since it was popularized by Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist from the same country credited with launching mass climate walkouts across the world, the term has become common parlance. Thunberg has challenged Swedish citizens to find alternatives to flying, and many are following through: An estimated one in four Swedes opted not to fly at all last year, while the number of passengers who flew through Swedish airports dropped by 4 percent in the same period. But many are unwilling or unable to curb their flying habits. For those who fall into this camp, there are carbon offsets: a credit purchased to compensate for the volume of carbon that one seat on a plane releases into the atmosphere while in the air for a specific period of time. This money often goes to planting trees, developing clean energy to displace fossil fuels, or other activities that sequester or reduce carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon offsets are complicated… Seems simple enough, right? Well, in practice, purchasing carbon offsets isn’t quite the one-for-one exchange it’s made out to be. For starters, calculating emissions-for-offset is tricky, and it’s easy for offset providers to get it wrong. The offset industry is also riddled with logistical problems and is not well regulated. Following an offset payment from wallet to tree is hard, which means many consumers purchase offsets only for their money to seemingly disappear into the void. Some offsets also go to environmental endeavors that are already taking place – such as forests that are already being preserved – rendering the purchase virtually useless. Many environmentalists argue that purchasing offsets is simply not enough to curb climate change; the UN Environment Programme says offsets are not a “get-out-of-jail-free” card for flight shame, but must be coupled with other tangible forms of environmental action.
       
      Full Article: https://blog.arcadia.com/carbon-offsets/
     
         
      Salvation or Pipe Dream? A Movement Grows to Protect Up to Half the Planet Thu, 13th Feb 2020 16:30:00
     
      As humans continue to rapidly expand the scope of their domination of nature — bulldozing and burning down forests and other natural areas, wiping out species, and breaking down ecosystem functions — a growing number of influential scientists and conservationists think protecting half of the planet in some form is key to keeping it habitable. The idea first received public attention in 2016 when E.O. Wilson, the legendary 90-year-old conservation biologist, published the idea in his book Half Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. "We now have enough measurements of extinction rates and the likely rate in the future to know that it is approaching a thousand times the baseline of what existed before humanity came along," he told The New York Times in a 2016 interview. Once thought of as aspirational, many are now taking these ideas seriously, not only as a firewall to protect biodiversity, but also to mitigate continued climate warming. One of the major reasons for adoption of these extreme preservation goals is a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which found that more than 1 million species are at risk of extinction. Conducted by hundreds of researchers around the world, the study is considered the most comprehensive analysis of the state of the world's biodiversity ever. Some scientists are concerned that the planet has been so altered that ecosystems could be near a tipping point. That report concluded that it's not only species that are at risk, however. The myriad life-support functions that these species and ecosystems provide also are threatened — everything from clean water and air, flood control and climate regulation, food, and a host of other services. Moreover, some scientists are concerned that the face of the globe has been so altered that the global ecosystem could be near a tipping point that would disrupt the climate and biological systems that sustain life and cause widespread — and perhaps disastrous — environmental instability. The ambitious goal of protecting and restoring natural systems on a large scale is shared by a number of groups and people. Billionaire Swiss medical technology entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss, for example, has pledged $1 billion to support these goals, funding a non-profit, the Wyss Campaign for Nature, in partnership with the National Geographic Society. Wyss is supporting the goals of the so-called "30x30" movement, a highly ambitious initiative that aims to protect 30 percent of the planet, on land and at sea, by 2030. Another organization called Nature Needs Half has drawn in scientists and conservation groups — including the Sierra Club and the International Union for Conservation of Nature — that are pressing for the protection of 50 percent of the planet by 2030. The European Parliament has pledged to protect 30 percent of European Union territory, restore degraded ecosystems, add biodiversity objectives into all EU policies, and earmark 10 percent of the budget for improvement of biodiversity. United States' Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico and Michael Bennet of Colorado, working with conservation organizations, recently introduced a resolution to drum up support for protection of 30 percent of the U.S.'s land and marine areas. All eyes are now on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a multilateral treaty created by the United Nations, whose 187 member countries will meet this October in Kunming, China to write a 10-year biodiversity plan. A preparatory planning meeting is taking place this month in Rome. The 2010 CBD meeting called for 17 percent of the terrestrial planet to be protected in some form and 10 percent of the oceans by this year. That goal was not reached — currently about 16 percent of the terrestrial planet has been protected, and less than 8 percent of marine ecosystems. So reaching the 2030 goal would require a near doubling of land protections and a quadrupling of ocean protections — all in the next decade. It's a daunting challenge, even if the will is there, with some countries — notably Brazil and the U.S. — moving in the opposite direction. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has opened up the Amazon rainforest to an onslaught of land-clearing, logging, and agricultural development. And last year the Trump Administration eliminated the Landscape Conservation Cooperative Network, an Obama-era program that created 22 research centers to tackle landscape-level conservation problems across the U.S. The Trump administration also is either opening up, or proposing to open up, large areas of protected federal lands to oil and gas drilling and other resource exploitation, including the vast Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. It's estimated that the U.S. alone loses a football field of nature every 30 seconds. Far more natural lands are being lost in the Brazilian Amazon, with more than 10 square miles of rainforest being burned or cleared every day.
       
      Full Article: https://e360.yale.edu/features/salvation-or-pipe-dream-a-movement-grows-to-protect-up-to-half-the-planet
     
         
      Interview: Professor Richard Tuckett on the climate emergency Tue, 11th Feb 2020 19:02:00
     
      Richard Tuckett is a semi-retired professor of Chemical Physics from the University of Birmingham. He completed his undergraduate and PhD training at the University of Cambridge and in 2001 he discovered by accident, what is now known as a ‘super greenhouse gas’ CF3SF5. Professor Tuckett is one of 30 scientists who have been invited to write in the third edition of ‘Climate Change, Observed Impacts of Planet Earth,’ the book collects the latest information on climate change and related issues while also looking at new ways to solve the problems. Environment Journal got in touch with Professor Tuckett to talk more about his chapter in the book and to discuss various issues around the climate crisis. In your chapter, you write that with a lack of climate targets from countries like China and America, it can leave smaller European countries feeling like there is no point. On an individual level, do you think there is any point in personal action or should we be pushing for global change? I think both, I do think personal decisions lead onto other things if more people make them, but we must be realistic on what individuals can do in the face of this global problem, especially in a small country like the UK. I do think that one should, as an individual do as best they can, but one must also be realistic, there are limits as to how far this is going to get us. Eat less meat, ride your bike, drive less, fly less and if you’re lucky enough to have the choice then have fewer children. These are small scale actions that we can do, but we need both. We need national governments to step in and put in place policies to implement real change. You write about the things that have changed in the last decade, social media being one of them. You talk about the benefits of this, but do you worry about the dangers of social media in terms of the spread of fake news and climate scepticism? In a sense, yes I do, I don’t use social media myself but I still acknowledge the strengths of it, you can get petitions with millions of signatures very quickly, that was utterly impossible ten years ago. But the problem is, anyone can put something online, it’s unregulated, and this can lead to huge misinformation problems. As a scientist, you know the facts, why do you think that despite this, we have consistently seen a lack of action from governments? The CO2 issue is such a huge problem, and it’s a very personal issue in that to resolve it, it will require huge changes to life as we know it. You are asking people to make huge lifestyle changes. It will require a global mutual effort, and I worry that it will take a major disaster for politicians to act. Of course, we don’t want a huge disaster to happen, but I fear that it may come to that. In that sense, do you worry that we could be too late? The predictions are that if we end up with a 2.5 – 3 degree of warming, much more than the 1.5 degrees that we are aiming for, then something called the runaway greenhouse effect will come in. This is when we reach a point of no return. I fear for mass migration, mostly from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. I don’t know if we are too late, but I hope and pray not. You write about economic growth and climate action being incompatible. Do you think ending climate change requires ending capitalism? I certainly think that we are obsessed by the word growth, it’s all money and GDP and increasingly I am questioning why. Of course, we need growth to a certain extent, you can’t invest in the future if you don’t grow, but I do wonder if the extent of the growth that we have seen in China in the last 30 years will have unforeseen consequences for the next 30 years. The emerging middle class in Asia, Africa and India are trying to catch up with Europe and North America. And Europe and North America cannot get away from the fact that climate change is occurring not deliberately, but because of the industrial revolution that allowed us to grow, that is a fact we cannot ignore. You write about concerns with carbon offsetting, can you talk more about this? If you have a global problem, all that matters is reducing the total amount of CO2. So by reducing the amount of CO2 by giving it to another country, it doesn’t solve the problem at all, it just moves the pieces around the chessboard.
       
      Full Article: https://environmentjournal.online/articles/interview-professor-richard-tuckett-on-the-climate-emergency/
     
         
      Activist and Nanny McPhee actor Raphael Coleman dies Tue, 11th Feb 2020 18:43:00
     
      Nanny McPhee star and climate change activist Raphael Coleman has died at the age of 25. His mum Liz Jensen confirmed his death in a statement on Twitter on Friday 7 February. Raphael's mum said "he died doing what he loved" and added she wants to "celebrate all he achieved in his short life and cherish his legacy".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-51457456
     
         
      The 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water - like Cape Town Tue, 11th Feb 2020 16:12:00
     
      Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water. However, the plight of the drought-hit South African city is just one extreme example of a problem that experts have long been warning about - water scarcity. Despite covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, water, especially drinking water, is not as plentiful as one might think. Only 3% of it is fresh. Over one billion people lack access to water and another 2.7 billion find it scarce for at least one month of the year. A 2014 survey of the world's 500 largest cities estimates that one in four are in a situation of "water stress" According to UN-endorsed projections, global demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% in 2030, thanks to a combination of climate change, human action and population growth.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-42982959
     
         
      Sir David Attenborough to explore threat to 'perfect planet' Tue, 11th Feb 2020 14:15:00
     
      Sir David Attenborough is to present a new five-part series based on how natural forces - including oceans and volcanoes - allow the planet to thrive.

    A Perfect Planet will show how wild animals such as white wolves and bears adapt to whatever the environment throws at them.

    Sir David said that "to preserve our perfect planet we must ensure we become a force for good".
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51458337
     
         
      Deforested parts of Amazon emitting more CO2 than they absorb Tue, 11th Feb 2020 11:34:00
     
      Up to one fifth of the Amazon rainforest is emitting more CO2 than it absorbs, new research suggests. Results from a decade-long study of greenhouse gases over the Amazon basin appear to show around 20% of the total area has become a net source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One of the main causes is deforestation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51464694
     
         
      Why Hydrogen Is The Perfect Boat Fuel Mon, 10th Feb 2020 15:34:00
     
      There are issues inherent with hydrogen as a fuel for cars. It is incredibly expensive and energy intensive to create, it is difficult to pressurise and transport, and the infrastructure for hydrogen as fuel is far less developed than battery electric charging. A few automotive manufacturers, chiefly Honda and Toyota, have hung their zero emissions program hat on the hydrogen peg, but it’s still a very small sliver of the automotive market. As a car fuel, hydrogen straight up sucks. But boats are another story. Toyota and the Energy Observer are proving that hydrogen might be best served as a fuel for traversing the high seas, however. Toyota has adapted what it has learned from the Mirai hydrogen experiment to the Energy Observer, a former racing catamaran which now travels the world preaching the gospel of maritime ZEVs.
       
      Full Article: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/02/why-hydrogen-is-the-perfect-boat-fuel/
     
         
      Rise of renewables 'no silver bullet' in solving climate change: report Sun, 9th Feb 2020 21:47:00
     
      Clean-energy could make up 40% of world's power base by 2050 but global decarbonisation needs wind and solar build to outpace Chinese expansion Renewables will rise to dominate worldwide power production by mid-century, reaching as high as nearly 40%
       
      Full Article: https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/rise-of-renewables-no-silver-bullet-in-solving-climate-change-report/2-1-752846
     
         
      Correcting Anti-Renewable Energy Propaganda Sun, 9th Feb 2020 10:11:00
     
      In 1989, pro-nuclear lobbyists claimed that wind power couldn’t even provide 1% of Germany’s electricity. A few years later, pro-nuclear lobbyists ran ads in German newspapers, claiming that renewables wouldn’t be able to meet 4% of German electricity demand. After the renewable energy revolution took off, in 2015, the pro-nuclear power “Breakthrough Institute” published an article claiming solar would be limited to 10–20% and wind to 25–35% of a power system’s electricity. In 2017, German (pro-nuclear power) economist Hans-Werner Sinn tweeted that more than 50% wind and solar would hardly be possible.
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/02/09/correcting-anti-renewable-energy-propaganda/
     
         
      BP spends ‘low carbon’ money on finding and using fossil fuels Sat, 8th Feb 2020 14:32:00
     
      The oil giant BP has used money from a “low carbon transition” fund to buy shares in companies developing new ways to find and use fossil fuels, Unearthed can reveal. Because BP’s investments in these firms are private, full data is not available. But the available data shows that where it was the only investor, BP spent $95m on shares in companies which help find, extract or use fossil fuels. As a sole investor, the oil giant put just $31.3m into companies which seek to reduce the use of fossil fuels and $13.9m into firms with no impact on the climate either way. Unearthed found that BP has had some involvement in funding rounds worth $382.9m for companies which do seek to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, it had been a co-investor in companies contributing to climate change for funds worth $41.7m and for $42.8m in those with no impact either way.
       
      Full Article: https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2020/08/02/bp-low-carbon-venture-capital-spent-on-fossil-fuels/
     
         
      The Pros and Cons of Going Off the Grid Thu, 6th Feb 2020 19:30:00
     
      More than one out of every five Australian homes now have solar panels, and it’s increasing at a rate of six new solar panels every minute. It’s an incredible achievement, considering that almost all of this growth has occurred in just the last ten years. As a country, Australia is embracing solar power at a remarkable rate. And with the dropping costs of solar panels, combined with the release of new battery systems such as the Tesla Powerwall – many people are wondering if we still need the electricity grid at all. So, whether you’re building a new home, buying an existing one, or already living in a solar-powered house – should you consider going off the grid entirely? Well, let’s take a look into the pros and cons and come up with some answers. THE PROS OF OFF-GRID SOLAR * The declining prices of solar and batteries A huge driver in the uptake of solar in Australia has been a sharp decrease in equipment prices over the last ten years. With more brands entering the market, factories becoming more efficient, and growing demand for clean energy, the costs of solar panels (and now batteries) has dropped considerably. In fact, the cost of manufacturing a solar panel has dropped a staggering 300x over the last 40 years. If you’re considering an off-grid solar system, it’s more affordable than ever to install a powerful system capable of generating and storing enough energy to run an entire home. * The flexibility to live just about anywhere When you were building a new home in years gone by, one of the key considerations was choosing a location with mains power, or where it could be connected quickly and cheaply. But with the dropping prices of solar equipment, you can now build a home in virtually any location and generate your own clean energy on-site. With solar panels, batteries, and a generator for backup, many people already run completely self-sufficient homes. And where living off-grid once meant compromising on many of the creature comforts that mains-powered households enjoy, larger solar arrays and more powerful battery banks are allowing people to live sustainably without compromising their lifestyle. * You’ll save money long-term As well as the environmental benefits of solar power, there are also substantial savings to be made over the longer term. If you’re thinking about building a new home in a regional area, you must also consider the cost of connecting mains power to the property. This will depend on many factors – such as your proximity to the nearest power lines – and the total cost of connection can range anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 or more. And of course, once you have mains power connected, you’ll then receive ongoing – and rising – electricity bills combined with quarterly supply charges. Instead of paying to have mains power connected, you can put your money into a self-sustaining energy system in the form of solar and batteries. You’ll be making a capital investment either way – but with solar, your ongoing costs will be minimal, and you’ll never receive another bill from your energy retailer. If your cost of connection is relatively low – or you are already connected to the grid – it can make more financial sense to invest in a grid-connected solar system instead. Under this scenario, you can still install enough solar to reduce or eliminate your electricity bills and make your home energy-neutral – but the grid will ensure you never run out of power. * It’s Great for the environment Residential solar power is playing a significant role in Australia’s transition to clean energy. A mere 15 years ago, virtually all homes were completely mains-powered. But today in 2020, many people are installing solar and batteries to reduce their dependence on the grid – or live without it altogether. An off-grid solar system can run your entire home on clean energy while also making better use of your power. Many grid-connected households are wasteful with electricity, but a standalone system encourages you to place greater value on electricity – and make best use of your own generation. And being as solar panels produce clean energy for 25 years and beyond, every system makes a substantial contribution to the environment. In fact, recent data suggests that a 6.6kW solar array will offset almost 250 tonnes of CO2 during the panel warranty period alone. * You can live a self-sustaining lifestyle In the same sense as capturing rainwater or growing your own food, there is a satisfaction to be found from living in a self-powered home with control of your own energy cycle. With significant advancements in the efficiency of heating and cooling systems, white goods, and lighting – combined with standalone power generation – anyone can now create a truly sustainable home. Living in an off-grid home is great for the environment and cheaper in the long run – but it also makes for a satisfying lifestyle. THE CONS OF OFF-GRID SOLAR * The capital costs It’s no surprise that a solar and battery system powerful enough to run your entire property requires a significant investment. However, the price of a fully-installed system can still be lower than connecting the property to the grid – not to mention the costs of ongoing power bills. Off-grid solar systems take many different forms which can vary dramatically in their size, quality, and complexity. And just like no two homes are the same, standalone power systems are tailored specifically to your property and energy requirements. In your initial consultations with a solar expert, a detailed ‘load profile’ is drawn up, taking into account the number of people, the appliances, the living habits, and how these may grow in the future. The cost of a complete system can range anywhere from $15,000 to $90,000 and beyond. The scale and price of the system will depend on your energy needs, how much power is generated by renewables, and the quality of the equipment. * The Initial setup and maintenance Another consideration you should make is that an off-grid solar system will require careful design, planning, and installation before it powers your home. While the electricity grid connects to your house at a single point, you’ll now be installing all of your own infrastructure within a closed system. Throughout the initial planning stage, discussions with your off-grid energy consultant will include: - the size, weight, and location of the solar array - the placement of inverters, batteries, generators, and other associated hardware - Any cabling or trenching requirements - The maintenance required by the system - The energy demands of additional buildings, sheds, or equipment such as water pumps - Your plans to add any extra appliances or extend the property Once the system is operational, it will also require ongoing maintenance of one form or another. To put your mind at ease, this is covered in the design process so you’ll know exactly what’s required long before the system is installed. Maintenance can include monitoring your solar inverters and battery state-of-charge, maintaining and re-filling your batteries, keeping your generator in working order, and generally keeping an eye on the system as a whole. While it may seem like a lot of work, the requirements are typically quite minimal. Many newer types of batteries such as VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) or Lithium-Ion require virtually no maintenance and come with wireless monitoring for a quick overview of your system at any time. * A (potentially) limited supply of power When you’re running a property entirely from your own solar power, you’ll need to be smarter with your choice of appliances and overall energy use. For many people, this is a small price to pay for a self-sufficient home – but for some, it can result in lifestyle limitation if the proper considerations aren’t made in advance. As you may gather, it’s a case of weighing up how much power you consume versus how much power you can generate and store. In addition to solar and batteries, most off-grid systems include a generator as backup during high power use or in poor weather when solar generation is low. As a simple exercise, let’s take a look at how much energy the most popular solar systems can generate. As a guide, the typical Australian home consumes around 6,500 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity per year – or an average of 18 kWh per day. For farms and larger properties, these numbers can be much higher. And of course, the consumption of any given property can (and does) vary dramatically by day, month, and season. [table id=12 /] The above figures are a guide only, and factors such as your location, solar panel pitch and orientation, and shading all play a role in your energy production. Also bear in mind that cables, batteries, and inverters also consume some of your solar generation before it’s delivered as usable power. As part of your system quote, you’ll receive a detailed breakdown of your projected energy production, battery storage capacity, and availability of usable power throughout the year. In conclusion – should you go off-grid? With solar panels and batteries prices at all-time lows, setting up a home with an off-grid system is within the financial reach of more people than ever before. If your property already has mains power – or it’s cheap to connect – it’s generally best to install an on-grid solar system. This way, you can still source some or all of your energy from solar and batteries, sell excess power back to your retailer – and have the grid there when you need it. If you’re building or buying a property without mains power, you have a few more options. You can connect the property to mains power and install a grid-connected solar system, or stay off-grid an invest money into your own standalone power system. Do you Want to know more about off-grid solar? If you’re weighing up the options of your solar-powered future, our expert advice can make the decision much more straightforward. Off Grid Energy Australia has an award-winning team of renewable energy consultants, specialising in both on-grid and off-grid solar energy systems. We’ll help you to understand the options, compare the latest technologies, and make your journey into renewable energy a wise long-term investment. If you’d like more information or need a quote for a new or existing property, contact the Off Grid Energy team and speak with one of our friendly staff. Whether you’re mains-powered or completely self-sufficient, the team at Off Grid Energy will help you to save money – and the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offgridenergy.com.au/the-pros-and-cons-of-going-off-the-grid/
     
         
      Hydrogen cars: How the fuel cell works, where the UK's filling stations are and how expensive they are to run Wed, 5th Feb 2020 17:32:00
     
      It now wants to outlaw the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2035 and has extended its plans to cover hybrid vehicles as well. As a result, a lot of attention has turned to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which the Government is expecting to fill the gap left by internal combustion cars.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/cars/hydrogen-cars-how-fuel-cell-works-where-uks-filling-stations-are-and-how-expensive-they-are-run-1395065
     
         
      The year we talked about climate change Wed, 5th Feb 2020 14:46:00
     
      Nell Azuri, Climate for Change's Team Leader and Mentor, discussing why we don't talk about climate change at Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland. I’ve done a talk about Climate for Change for the last two years at Woodford Folk Festival. This year the title of the talk was “Why we don’t talk about climate change”. I was expecting a scattered audience of climate nerds, like the year before, because as the title suggested, people don’t like to talk about climate change, right? Apparently not this year. This year, the tent was packed. This year, with the taste of smoke and fear still bitter in their mouths, people are turning to face climate change in unprecedented numbers. Which is why we need Climate for Change, to help them step into action, rather than suppressing their fears when the flames near them are extinguished. The talk I gave introduced the work we do and outlined some of the initial findings of our review. Here it is: Why we don’t talk about climate change, and how we can I’m here today talking about something we would all prefer not to talk about… Climate change. Specifically, some reasons we don’t talk about climate change, and crucially, how we can. I’m going to introduce you to an organisation that’s all about talking about climate change, that I love and volunteer for, but first, I’m going to tell you how I got there. In fact, I’m a really good illustration of the way things often go with climate awareness. I knew about climate change since I was a kid, I knew that it was something that someone would have to do something about someday. But I certainly didn’t think it would be me. Then in 2007, I read a book by George Monbiot, and it really broke me open to the urgency and seriousness of the problem. But I didn’t know what to do, and when the Copenhagen climate talks ended so badly, and I turned away, feeling entirely hopeless and helpless. I ignored climate change for the next 7 years. I actively suppressed my concern about it. I avoided it. I didn’t act. I was passive at the same time as being increasingly concerned, increasingly despairing. In retrospect I can see that this took a lot of energy. And then three years ago Donald trump was elected, and I read a report that catastrophic fire danger was going to come north, to QLD, where I live. These two things triggered an urgency and immediacy that overrode my suppression and turned me to face this thing I’d been running from. And the energy I’d been using to supress my concern was now available for me to use to act. I went from zero to a hundred. Within months I was leading online groups and going to Canberra to meet with MPs. I’d stepped into a leadership space. And it felt great. I wanted to share it with people, I was sure that they would be as relieved as I was to begin doing something and I would build this great network of people who wanted to act... But when I spoke to people it seemed like they didn’t want to hear. I found myself grappling with my sense of extreme urgency about climate change, while trying to operate in a world that seemed largely oblivious to the danger we were facing. It was strange, a kind of double vision – I’m sure many of you have had this experience too. I would have people at school drop off talking to me about normal things, their holidays, school lunches, soccer training… and it was a real struggle for me at first - because at what point is it appropriate to interject, and how would one actually say, “um… I hate to interrupt, but unless we all start insisting on systems change, climate change will drive us to an apocalyptic future in which soccer training may well be cancelled”? Unless the other person is already aware of the climate emergency, it’s a tricky message to deliver in that context without sounding a bit crazy. But when it’s the truth, and you don’t say it, you’re not helping, are you? You’re just feeding the denial in society. Because even though at the last poll, taken just before this terrifying summer, over three quarters of Australians agree climate change is occurring, and even more than that are worried about its effects, life pretty much goes on as usual. And how can it possibly be true that the world is ending if nobody is acting like it is, if soccer practice continues. We are social creatures and we watch our communities to see how we should act. And while society is in denial, the major parties don’t really have to act, do they, in fact with the pressures they face from vested interests, it’s very hard for them to. The fact that we cannot bear to look at the possibility of this disaster makes that very disaster more likely with every day that passes. There’s a theory that explains part of this. It’s called Terror Management theory. We, like most animals, have a strong instinct for self-preservation. It’s built into us by evolution, because those that didn’t have it so strongly weren’t as likely to survive and didn’t pass on their genes. That means the idea of our own death disturbs us so greatly that we avoid thinking about it, avoid believing it. And yet, as humans, we are smart enough to understand that our death is inevitable. How do we hold these two things? Adroitly. With a little sleight of hand, we manage to hide what we know about our own death from ourselves. And yet there are costs to this. We have a tendency live dulled lives, fretting over things that seem to be, when we actually consider how briefly we will be alive, very small beer indeed. Near misses with cancer or accidents often change us profoundly because they strip this lie back and leave us facing a truth that has the potential to transform us. We go forward willing to engage with life more fully, to be more present, to love as if one day we and all we loved would no longer exist. Because it’s true. And similar to my fear of climate change, Terror Management theory argues that our fear of death is not merely hidden, but actively repressed. We think we get it, we say ‘yeah, of course I’m going to die’, ‘yeah, of course climate change is happening’. But we actively repress the fear that naturally arises when we consider this, which means we do not act as if it is true. It takes energy to keep a lid on it. Tell the truth, Extinction Rebellion says, and then act as if the truth is real. We aren’t just fighting the fossil fuel interests here, but our very own brain. It’s tricky. But surely there’s a way we can use our brains other natural inclinations to help us – our sociability, our willingness to listen to our friends. And so I want to introduce you to a group called Climate for Change. I trained as a volunteer facilitator for Climate for Change in early 2018. We run conversations in people’s homes about climate change. The aim is for them to be both frank and empowering. But the interesting thing is that we find our next conversation by utilising people’s social networks, and the fact that people are inviting their friends to share their concern ramps up their effectiveness. The process is generally that I find someone who’s willing to host one, and I support them to invite their friends along. At the end we ask the guests if they’d like to host their own gathering – our founder, Katerina Gaita, was inspired by the Tupperware party model. We aim for two new hosts from every conversation. And in this way we move through people’s social networks. Climate for change is a small not for profit out of Melbourne. It was launched about three years ago, so just a new kid on the block. We operate in Melbourne, South East QLD, and now Darwin. At this point we’ve had over 8500 guests, in nearly a thousand conversations. More than half of these people were not on any environmental mailing list. More than half! Each year we do a crowdfunder, this years’ crowdfunder we raised over $200,000, mostly small donations from individuals – so you can see we’ve reached a lot of people already, and they like what we do enough to support us. Think for a moment about these people we’re reaching who’re outside the bubble of acute climate concern. They’re parents, they’re young professionals, they’re retirees, they think climate change is a problem, but they’re too busy to really engage with it. They have their own problems, and who wants to think about something that seems so scary and so far out of their control? I imagine, like I did, many of them scroll past that article about climate change on the news site. But when their dear friend or family member asks them to come along to have a meal and a talk about climate change, it’s not quite so easy to say no. They’re still not always super keen. And yet often enough it works – guests come, they listen and talk about climate change and what we can do about it. They hear how worried their friends or family members are. If they have been worried, they feel less alone. If they haven’t, they start to see it as something that matters to them personally, because their friends care about it. The conversation itself is mostly very guided. I share why and how I got involved, which allows people to connect with me, and models the kind of action we’d love to see them take. We watch a video about climate change, and while we’ve included plenty of hopeful solution bits, we don’t pull any punches. The reality of climate change is confronting. As I see it, the video brings up all this energy for people – grief and anger and fear, like a big explosion. We encourage them to talk about it. They hear themselves saying how scared they are, how much they want to see action. And this is important, because research has found that 1. most people don’t talk about climate change, and that 2. the way that we process things like this and figure out what to do is through conversation, particularly with people they trust, AND 3. we are far more likely to believe what we hear ourselves say, rather than what we hear other people say. So we spend the rest of the conversation funnelling that energy down, moving it towards action, we look at the scale of action that’s required, I outline our theory of change, we talk about actions they can take. At the end, I ask people what their next steps are, and, all going well, they hear themselves say: “my MP’s got a mobile office this weekend, so I’m going along”, or “I’m going to talk to my sister on Tuesday about hosting a conversation”. And how to they find the conversations? We gather data at the end of the conversations, and the results we get are impressive: An overwhelming majority, 89%, of attendees say they have an improved understanding of the actions they could take after the conversation – and we focus on the scale of action that’s actually required, on how they can contribute to systemic change. I remember one woman saying to me, “I’m just so relieved you didn’t suggesting getting a keep cup. I’ve already got a freaking keep cup” It’s not that we’re against keep cups, or beeswax wraps, it’s just that we know that those things aren’t going to get us where we need at the speed we need. Another overwhelming majority, 86%, leave feeling more empowered to take action on climate change. And of course empowerment is the difference between action and despair – as I spent seven years finding out, something like climate change can feel so big that we don’t act, even after we know the truth. What does that look like? It looks like the young woman at the end of one of my most recent conversations who thanked me: “I was feeling so hopeless”, she said. “I just needed someone to tell me what to do. I’m going to get in touch with my MP, and I’m going to get my whole family to do it too.” And there were tears in her eyes as she said this, but there was steel in her voice. So is our approach any more powerful than conventional techniques? We partnered with the Australian Conservation Foundation last year in the run up to the federal election. ACF are the largest environmental organisation in Australia. Based on their extensive experience conducting conversations through doorknocking, ACF said they would consider the partnership a success if we managed to get between 10-25% of our attendees to sign up to their election campaign, and if 70% made a pledge to vote climate. In fact, during that partnership, 40% of our attendees signed up to their campaign, and 80% of them pledged to vote climate. When you think about the difference of a stranger turning up on your doorstep unannounced to talk about climate change for 15 minutes, maybe half an hour, or your friend inviting you over to a special dinner for a two and a half hour conversation… it makes sense that our model has impressive results. But the measurable results we’ve had up until now have only been based on the data we gather at the end of the conversations. How does it play out longer term? Do people change the way they’re acting? We’ve actually taken time off expanding the conversation program to conduct a review, including an impact study, following up on whether people have changed since the conversation they attended. It’s early days on this yet, so we don’t have the full results, but I can give you a sneak peak, and what we’re finding so far is hopeful. Based on publicly available polls, we have classified Australians into 6 potential audiences. The three under the blue bar are our target audience. Not those guys on the end who don’t believe climate change is a problem and are against taking action. We actively discourage our hosts from inviting people in this category. If they hold this view strongly already, it’s unlikely the conversation would change their mind, and they disrupt the conversation for the other attendees. The audience next to them are cautious about climate change. They might say “climate change should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual so we can deal with the problem gradually. Australia is doing enough to address it.” The next group are the first of our target audience. They’re wavering. They largely agree that climate change is a serious, pressing problem and we need to take action now, but they can’t support policies that significantly impact people’s jobs, electricity costs or the economy. The next three groups, passive, active and leaders, are all really worried about climate change. They believe must do all we can to stop it. They believe that whatever the economic impacts of the action, the costs of not taking the action will be far worse. The difference between these three groups is in how much they’re actually acting on their beliefs in the political sphere. We categorise people as passive if they are taking civic or political action very occasionally or never. It’s likely they would vote climate, maybe sign the odd petition. People who are active engage at least occasionally in civic actions such as volunteering, donating to climate organisations or attending rallies and in political advocacy actions such as contacting their MP. And people who are leaders engage regularly in both civic actions and in political advocacy. People who are already leading are not really our target audience, as they’re already fully engaged and don’t have space for much more, though they can be useful to spread the model as hosts. The first thing we found was that we’re reaching our target audience. The chart on the left shows the audiences we've been reaching. The vast majority are in our target audience, wavering, passive and active. You can see passive is the largest and nearly three quarters of the attendees are in the lower two groups, wavering and passive. The two highest groups, active and leaders make up around a quarter. The next chart is when we followed up with them: Passive is still the largest group, but this is a different picture altogether – we’ve moved from active and leaders making up a quarter, to making up around half! That’s a lot of people we’ve shifted. In fact, when we dug deeper, we found that almost half of attendees changed categories since the conversation, and many of those that didn’t became more active within their existing categories. One of the things I hear regularly in my conversations is “why didn’t anyone tell us is was this bad?” That’s the sound of someone who was wavering stepping into that space of realistic concern. It doesn’t always stick. For some it’s too much. They close back up and stay where they are, probably now with an added awareness, but many move up into the concerned categories… and occasionally they’ll leap straight into leadership roles, like the young woman who stepped up to become an organiser for Australian Parents for Climate Action Organiser after attending two conversations with different friends. The other thing I hear all the time is “of course it’s awful, I’m so afraid, but what on earth can we do”. These are the folk paralysed by fear, by overwhelm. They’re usually passive – so our aim is to empower them so they can become more active. And remember, the vast majority of our attendees say they leave our conversation feeling more empowered. These are the folk moving from passive into active, or moving back into a leadership space after a break from engagement. Some of them find, like I did, that turning to face the reality of climate change releases a burst of energy and purpose. Of course we can’t attribute every action people take to attending a conversation, however when we followed up with them, 77% of people said that the conversation at least partially influenced a change in their behaviour, and nearly 40% said that it influenced their change in behaviour a lot. Again, when we think of what the model looks like, friends sharing their deep concerns, and then potentially taking action together, it makes sense that it would trigger lasting changes for people. And this model has the potential to move quickly, and to be even more powerful with the right support. Part of it is the quality of the people involved, their dedication, creativity and care. We have amazing staff, we have amazing volunteers. One of them is Jenny, a scientist and remarkable volunteer that I met at the start of this year. Now we ask that facilitators try to do about one conversation a fortnight – we all have busy lives. Jenny facilitated her first three conversations in one weekend, and then continued on like this for months, right up until the election, booking multiple conversations every weekend and recruiting new facilitators left right and centre. I don’t want to give you the idea that this is all plain sailing. This model makes a real impact and we’ve got wonderful people involved, but there are many challenges. Our volunteers are incredible, but without enough paid staff we can’t move forward with anywhere like the speed we need. It’s been a struggle growing our reach in Queensland without any paid staff here. Part of the importance of this review is so we are able to show funders the difference we’re making. This is the space we’re all watching with bated breath. And there are exciting ideas that are coming out of the review. What if, when we found facilitators as strong as Jenny, we could fund them to focus on this work, generating leads for other volunteers and providing support for a local team? What if we were able to package this model up in a smart and easy way so that any climate organisation who wanted it could pick it up and use it? What if we created a special version of the conversation tailored for groups with particular influence? We’re going to be gearing up to have a lot of conversations before the QLD elections next year. What if we had the resources to focus some of our work in the regions? It would be amazing, too, to have the resources to support the conversations in the places and at the times when the climate itself is overriding everyone’s suppression mechanisms with the urgency of its message. The unprecedented fires mean that recent attendees here in QLD are feeling super passionate about climate change. This would be a perfect time to launch in Sydney too! So watch this space. We’re poised on the brink of new directions. If you want to get involved, do so through the website. As I mentioned, Facilitator training is paused at the moment while we do our review, but should start up again in around May. I did a talk here, at this stage, a year ago, about Climate for Change. Listening to me was a woman who I didn’t know then, Jodie Minton. She got in touch on the website afterwards and registered her interest to train to be a facilitator. I was her mentor. She hosted her first conversation here, at Woodfordia, at a Treehugger weekend. She subsequently went back to Darwin, and took the model with her, proceeding to take Darwin by storm. She’s now started mentoring new facilitators up there. Like Jenny, she’s given the rest of us so much inspiration. Her last conversation was the one that tipped us over the 8500 mark. She’s also now a very dear friend of mine, and she’s back here today, just over there, partly because she and I are going to be running climate conversations on Sunday the 29th at the WorkShop. They are booked out, but if you’re really interested, come along and see if we have any no-shows. So, I look out at you, and I wonder where you live, what your local community is like, and if you think that when it comes to climate change the people in your community need to move from passive to active, from active to leaders. And I wonder if one of you is going to be the next Jodie, or the next Jenny. I hope so. We need every good person we can get. Staring into this blazing summer, with our country burning around us, it’s obvious there is no guarantee of any kind of success, but it’s important to remember that in some fundamental ways, there never was. Every one of us was always going to die. And impermanence is the rule, not the exception, when it comes to species as well. More than 99% of species that have ever lived on this earth have died out. You might think it’s depressing. Strangely, I think it’s freeing. Because the question is, what are you going to do with your short time here, in your fragile and precious body on your fragile and precious planet? In my experience, engaging with groups like Climate for Change provides a powerful, meaningful and fun way to spend a part of that time, and the work that we’re doing, attempting to awaken our society to act on behalf of the life on our wondrous planet, is something that’s difficult and satisfying and important. So I look forward very much to meeting you, whoever you are, and doing things that matter together. Thank you.
       
      Full Article: https://www.climateforchange.org.au/the_year_we_talked_about_climate_change
     
         
      Beyond Net Zero Tue, 4th Feb 2020 14:39:00
     
      The United Nations’ Integrated Panel and Climate Change (IPCC)’s Summary for Policy Makers released in October 2018 outlines the immediate measures required to limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2100. To achieve this target, global action would require “rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities,” to cut the net emissions of CO2 by half of current levels by 2030, and reaching “net zero” by 2050. This announcement is a call to collective action unlike any in human history. It inherently requires global cooperation for an issue that has no borders, and whose constituency is absolute. The complexity of this challenge is immense—an overwhelming problem too large and interconnected for any one entity to grapple with. For us in the construction industry—whose work cuts across these six sectors: land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities—this complexity is further compounded by a systemic illiteracy of the direct and indirect impacts our decisions and specifications have from cradle to gate. Our focus on “sustainability” and operational energy has exacerbated this issue via the unintended consequence of both delaying our investments into reducing embodied energy and, arguably worse, building a globalized supply chain to enable energy efficiency. While we now have a firm grasp on the U-Value of a casement window, we know little to nothing about how that window was made, by whom, from what, and from where.
       
      Full Article: http://www.rocagallery.com/beyond-net-zero-2
     
         
      'Invisible killer': UK government urged to tackle air pollution Tue, 4th Feb 2020 13:34:00
     
      Almost a quarter of people in the UK are being exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution with potentially devastating health consequences, according to analysis. The study by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) found that about 15 million people in the UK live in areas where average levels of PM2.5 – a tiny toxic particle that predominantly comes from vehicle emissions, wood burning and construction – exceeds guidelines set by the World Health Foundation. Jacob West of the BHF said the scale of the problem meant the government, with its environment bill having returned to parliament last week, should make tackling air pollution in towns and cities across the country a priority. "Tackling a public health emergency on this scale requires serious and sustained commitment," he said. "The uncomfortable truth is that UK heart and circulatory deaths attributed to air pollution could exceed 160,000 over the next decade unless we take radical steps now." He said previous governments had taken bold steps such as introducing a Clean Air Act or, more recently, banning smoking to improve air quality, and called on Boris Johnson's administration to do something similar. "This government has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take brave political action in cleaning up our toxic air," he said. Exposure to PM2.5 has serious health implications, especially for children, increasing the likelihood of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Health experts say young people exposed to these toxic pollutants are more likely to grow up with reduced lung function and develop asthma. Other scientific studies have highlighted the long-term damage air pollution is doing to people's health, from being linked to dementia to harming unborn babies and increasing the risk of cancer. While PM2.5 particles come predominantly from traffic fumes, wood-burning stoves and construction, they can also come from other industrial and agricultural sources.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/04/invisible-killer-uk-government-urged-to-tackle-air-pollution
     
         
      The Pros and Cons of Biomass Renewable Energy Thu, 30th Jan 2020 18:31:00
     
      When we talk about renewable energies, most of us probably think about the sun, the wind, or the steady and energy that can be harnessed by the movement of water. Biomass renewable fuels, however, are another type of potentially carbon-neutral renewable energy for homeowners and our society in general. Through photosynthesis, plants capture energy from the sun and turn that energy into biomass before producing seeds, dying, and allowing future generations of plants to grow back. This cyclical process offers a renewable strategy for energy and electricity production that we will explore below. What is Biomass Energy? Biomass energy is the oldest form of renewable energy used on earth. Think of our prehistoric ancestors cooking their recently killed wooly mammoth over a fire made from the fallen branches of a pine tree. This example, in essence, was taking organic material to generate energy for human uses. The word "biomass" might sound fancy, but it only refers to organic matter. Biomass relies on any natural material derived from plants or animals such as wood, grass clippings, crop residues, and even cow dung. On a worldwide scale, at least three billion people cook the majority of their meals with firewood. Many more people use dried cow dung and other sources of biomass harvested from local farms for their cooking and heating needs. In more developed countries, the use of biomass is more industrial in scale. Wood pellet stoves, for example, rely on compressed sawdust and other leftover material from the timber and lumber industries. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) explains how plants absorb and transform energy from the sun to stored biomass energy through a process called photosynthesis. Biomass produces heat through the discharge of chemical energy when it is burned. It can be burned directly or after being converted into biogas or liquid biofuels. Some common examples of biomass for energy use include: - Wood burning stoves to heat homes and buildings - Crops and waste residues that are either burned directly or converted into biofuels like ethanol - Yard waste such as leaves and wood chips generate electricity for power plants - Animal manure or human sewage converted into biogas, which can subsequently burn as fuel Potential Benefits of Biomass Energy: As mentioned above, biomass energy is a renewable source of energy. Plants will regrow. As long as the sun keeps shining, the process of photosynthesis will continue to deliver more organic material that can be burned or converted into fuel for human use. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are widely considered to be sources of "ancient sunlight." Oil, natural gas, and coal were initially formed from organic matter suppressed deep within the earth. This organic material transformed over millions of years from exposure to extreme heat and pressure. Fossil fuels will eventually replenish, though the million-year timeline isn't of much use to our human societies. Plant matter for biomass energy, however, can grow and be harvested annually. Furthermore, renewable biomass fuels are mostly carbon neutral. Plants, as they grow, capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it in their biomass. When burned, the carbon dioxide is again released, though efficient burning techniques are beneficial as they can lead to less carbon returning to the atmosphere. Another benefit of renewable biomass fuels is that sources of organic waste material abound in our society. Millions of homeowners across the country, unfortunately, continue to rake up their autumn leaves and place them in plastic bags. When this organic material ends up in a landfill, it contributes to an enormous amount of methane emissions, which is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses. These leaves, along with tree branches and other sources of yard waste, could be sent to a biomass electricity plant. Furthermore, crop residues from grains, legumes, and tree crops represent an enormous source of potential biomass fuels. One recent study found that agricultural residue produces an estimated 1 billion barrels of diesel equivalent or eight quads in the US electricity sector. To give you a better idea of how much energy could be produced from burning or transforming crop residues, the EIA estimates the total amount of energy produced in the United States was equal to 95.7 quads in 2018. In theory, then, crop residues from around the world could produce enough electricity for millions of households. In many places around the world, small farmers burn their crop residues in the fields. This practice wastes a potential source of renewable energy. Furthermore, it also leads to urban air pollution through contaminating air quality with soot particles, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Burning that residue in carefully controlled biomass electricity plants can turn that plant matter into renewable energy while also regulating how emissions affect regional air quality. When is Biomass Energy Not Sustainable or Renewable? Biomass energy, however, also has its drawbacks. When forests are clear cut to produce material for electricity production at biomass energy plants, the overall environmental impact is negative. The total biomass in old-growth forests stores an enormous amount of carbon. While trees will grow again, it would take hundreds of years for an old-growth forest to reach a state of maturity once again. The loss of topsoil, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and the adverse effects on groundwater aquifers are other negative aspects associated with using forests for biomass energy. Also, there are ethical considerations associated with using plants for biomass. Corn and sugar cane are two of the most commonly used plants for biomass energy and biodiesel production. A 2011 study found that "land area for corn ethanol was 13.9 million acres, 17% of the total 83.98 million total corn acres." Growing food crops for energy production can come under scrutiny when 9.3 percent of the world's population is "severely food insecure," including 2.7 million households in the United States. As stated by Project Drawdown, using high energy input and groundwater depleting crops like corn and sorghum, or, worse, depleting native forests, is not a solution. Rather, biomass can be sustainable using appropriate feedstock from waste in mills and agriculture or responsibly grown perennial crops.
       
      Full Article: https://www.buildwithrise.com/stories/biomass-renewable-energy
     
         
      Meat footprint calculator Wed, 29th Jan 2020 13:57:00
     
      Have you ever wondered about the resources needed to produce a steak or the meat for a BBQ party, or how many miles should be walked instead of driving to offset carnivorous habits? The Meat Footprint Calculator is the tool for people concerned about the environmental impact of meat. Aleksandra Zaj?c and I created the tool for the Omni Calculator Project to show the true cost of meat. While carbon dioxide production and water consumption come to our minds first, there are other things that we don't really think about - the amount of land needed, or the pollution of the air, water, and land. There is also the feed the animals need, which could be used more productively. We made this tool to show the impact of meat and how hugely our individual dietary choices impact the environment. We don't want to convince everybody to become vegan immediately, but to reduce the amount of meat in our diets as much as possible. Meat consumption has recently soared, as societies around the world get richer. In the last 50 years, the amount of meat eaten globally quadrupled, exceeding 320 million tonnes per year. Unfortunately, meat is a very inefficient food if you take into account the resources needed for production and the amount of protein obtained. Needless to say, meat production creates pressure on crop and water resources, not to mention the huge demand for land leading to biodiversity loss. That’s where the Omni Calculator Project comes in. You can choose between five popular meat types: chicken/poultry, beef, pork, lamb, and fish and check their impact. A Science study from 2018 provided data for the four environmental factors: carbon dioxide equivalent, land use, water pollution, and air pollution. To make the tool more user-friendly, we’ve implemented the equivalents of those values whenever possible. Thousands of gallons of water or pounds of CO? equivalents are not very helpful and imaginable units for most, but water intake per year or trees needed to absorb such CO? emissions definitely are. We believe that converting scientific units to something down-to-earth can work wonders - people actually start using the tools and are more aware of environmental problems. Animal agriculture is the second biggest source of anthropomorphic greenhouse gas emissions, and responsible for about 13-18 percent of emissions worldwide. The most significant greenhouse gas associated with meat production is methane. Meat production is the single most important source of this greenhouse gas - livestock produces around 35–40 percent of the global methane emissions. Vast amounts of other greenhouse gases are emitted during meat production, mainly carbon dioxide, CO?, and nitrous oxide, N?O. Even though we hear a lot about CO?, nitrous oxide has a much greater potential for global warming than carbon dioxide, as well as depleting the ozone layer. In addition, many researchers are warning that water shortages may lead to the next global conflict and great migration of people. There are estimates that over two thirds of freshwater withdrawals go to irrigation for agriculture, and around 90 percent of global water is used to grow food. Meat production is a great contributor, making up a significant amount of water from these percentages. Beef production needs the most water - it requires over 4,000 gallons (15,000 liters) of water to produce 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of meat, making it the most water-intensive protein! Lamb is a bit less greedy (over 2,700 gallons/10,400 liters), and poultry production takes 1100 gal (4,300 l) per kilo of meat. That's a lot, especially when compared to what we drink on a daily basis. In today's world, agriculture takes up around 50 percent of the global habitable land (taking all of the Earth's land into account, but excluding deserts and ice-covered regions). From that, approximately 80 percent is associated with animal agriculture, mostly meat production. To give you some numbers, on average, beef production requires around 22 times more land than pea production. If the cattle are instead a dairy herd, then "only" 6 times more farmland is used for the same amount of protein from peas. Differences in dietary habits are immense - if every person in the world had the UK's meat consumption and average diet, 95 percent of the global habitable area would be needed for agriculture. Even more terrifying results appear if the whole world chooses an average American diet - 138 percent of the global habitable area would be required. Unfortunately, we can't do it - we don't have a spare planet. On the other hand, if everybody changed to a vegan diet, land use could be reduced by more than 75 percent. Meat production not only produces greenhouse gases but also a lot of different byproducts. They can be dangerous to our health and may lead to respiratory problems, as well as leading to the deterioration of water, air, and land. Food production is responsible for around 78 percent of global eutrophication - over-enrichment of nutrients, which may be very harmful to the aquatic ecosystem. Meat production contributes to a significant part of agricultural eutrophication - for example, red meat production has an environmental impact 10 to 100 times larger than a plant source food. When it comes to air and land pollution, the ammonia coming from manure is the dominant source of acidifying emissions during livestock production. Overall, the livestock industry is responsible for around 64 percent of the total ammonia emissions, contributing significantly to acid rain and ecosystem acidification. According to the latest research, the health benefits of diet change go hand-in-hand with a reduced environmental footprint - that means the products associated with health improvement (such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains) usually have a low impact on the environment. As a take-home message, let us paraphrase the slogan from a zero-waste chef Anne-Marie Bonneau: “We don't need a handful of people performing meat reduction perfectly by changing to a vegan or vegetarian diet. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly, reducing meat consumption as much as possible.”
       
      Full Article: https://theecologist.org/2020/jan/29/meat-footprint-calculator
     
         
      A tidal project in Scottish waters just generated enough electricity to power nearly 4,000 homes Mon, 27th Jan 2020 17:56:00
     
      A tidal power project in waters off the north coast of Scotland sent more than 13.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity to the grid last year, according to an operational update issued Monday. This figure – a record – almost doubled the previous high of 7.4 GWh in 2018. In total, the MeyGen tidal stream array has now exported more than 25.5 GWh of electricity to the grid since the start of 2017, according to owners Simec Atlantis Energy. Phase 1A of the project is made up of four 1.5 megawatt (MW) turbines. The 13.8 GWh of electricity exported in 2019 equates to the average yearly electricity consumption of roughly 3,800 "typical" homes in the U.K., according to the company, with revenue generation amounting to £3.9 million ($5.09 million). Onshore maintenance is now set to be carried out on the AR1500 turbine used by the scheme, with Atlantis aiming to redeploy the technology in spring. In addition to the production of electricity, Atlantis is also planning to develop an "ocean-powered data centre" near the MeyGen project. The European Commission has described "ocean energy" as being both abundant and renewable. It's estimated that ocean energy could potentially contribute roughly 10% of the European Union's power demand by the year 2050, according to the Commission. While tidal power has been around for decades — EDF's 240 MW La Rance Tidal Power Plant in France was built as far back as 1966 — recent years have seen a number of new projects take shape
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/01/27/tidal-project-generates-electricity-to-power-nearly-4000-homes.html
     
         
      An offshore wind farm using huge turbines has started to send electricity to the Belgian grid Tue, 14th Jan 2020 17:54:00
     
      The first turbine at the Northwester 2 offshore wind farm in the North Sea has started sending electricity to the Belgian grid. Construction on the 219 megawatt (MW) project is still ongoing, although it is slated to be fully up and running before summer. Belgian wind energy firm Parkwind has a 70% share of the project, while Japan's Sumitomo Corporation holds 30%. The scheme is using 23 MHI Vestas 164-9.5 MW turbines, which Parkwind described as "the most powerful turbines to enter commercial operation to date." Located in waters off the coast of Belgium, Northwester 2 is the first offshore project to deploy the turbine, according to manufacturer MHI Vestas. One turbine can produce enough power to "meet the demand" of 9,500 homes in Belgium, the firm says. "Starting up production of energy is a key milestone for the Northwester 2 project and is the result of thorough preparation and collaboration between our team, contractors, shareholders, authorities and the Belgian transmission grid operator Elia," Peter Caluwaerts, who is Parkwind's project director for Northwester 2, said in a statement issued Monday.
       
      Full Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/14/offshore-wind-farm-with-big-turbines-sends-electricity-to-belgian-grid.html
     
         
      Solar Energy vs Fossil Fuels: Why It's Time to Make the Switch Mon, 13th Jan 2020 8:00:00
     
      Energy is generated in a few different ways. For about the last 200 years, since the days of the Industrial Revolution, people have been producing energy with fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this option is not ideal for the environment, and it's becoming increasingly expensive. Solar power is highly versatile and can be used in many applications. You can even heat and cool your home with solar energy. Now, many home and business owners are making the shift from fossil fuels to solar energy. Are you wondering if it’s time you got your energy from solar power? Here are the benefits of solar energy and why it's time to make the switch. Nonrenewable vs. Renewable Energy Solar power is a renewable form of energy. If solar panels spend all day soaking up the sun's rays to create energy, they can do it again the next day, the day after that. Although the equipment may need to be replaced at some point, the sun comes back out every day, and by extension, this type of renewable energy. Although some challenges exist, as photovoltaic solar technology improves, collecting and generating solar energy continues to get easier. In contrast, fossil fuels are a non-renewable energy source. The earth has a finite supply of fossil fuels, meaning that at some point, the world will run out. Based on current consumption rates, estimates claim the earth will run out of oil and natural gas in 50 years, and coal in 100 years. To avoid getting to this point, businesses and consumers should make the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources now. Environmentally Harmful Carbon Emissions Burning fossil fuels to produce energy creates carbon dioxide. This byproduct gets trapped in the atmosphere, causing the earth to retain heat. Ultimately, this contributes to global warming and climate change. Solar energy, on the other hand, does not produce harmful carbon emissions. When you use solar energy, you don't pollute the air or produce carbon dioxide. The process has a minimal impact on the environment and opting for solar power helps to protect the planet from the harmful effects of climate change. Cost Savings Benefits of Solar Energy As of 2018, energy generated by solar power costs an average of $0.10 per KwH, while fossil fuels cost an average of $0.05 to 0.17 per KwH. Coupled with the addition of the cost of equipment, the expense of switching to solar was out of many homeowners’ budgets. However, the cost of solar photovoltaic technology decreased by 73% between 2010 and 2018. As a result of this downward trend in the cost, analysts expect solar energy to be consistently cheaper than fossil fuels by the year 2020. Massachusetts’ Switch to Solar Energy Massachusetts is quickly moving away from fossil fuel consumption and toward renewable energy options, including making the switch to solar energy. In 2018, the state had the seventh-highest amount of solar photovoltaic power generating capacity. If you include small-scale electrical generation from residential solar panels, nearly 20% of the state's energy currently comes from renewable energy sources. Just ten years ago, a fourth of Massachusetts’ power came from coal, and now, no large power plants in the state are relying on this fossil fuel. Similarly, while petroleum provided a fifth of the state's electricity in 2000, it now accounts for less than 2% of the total power generated. Saving Energy on Heating and Cooling At N.E.T.R., Inc, we support the shift to renewable energy, and we also like to find ways to help our clients boost energy-efficiency and reduce energy consumption. As Mitsubishi Elite Diamond contractors, we help homes and businesses enjoy the benefits of heating and cooling with air source heat pumps. Pairing this HVAC option with solar energy gives you countless benefits and savings, while increasing your comfort levels and decreasing your carbon footprint. Contact us today to learn more about ductless heating and cooling with solar energy.
       
      Full Article: https://www.netrinc.com/blog/solar-energy-vs-fossil-fuels
     
         
      5 PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO OUR LIVES Fri, 10th Jan 2020 13:59:00
     
      Last October we hosted Circle Permaculture’s, permaculture design course(PDC). I was lucky enough to be a participant in the course. The course was two weeks long and gave a thorough introduction to permaculture. Throughout the two weeks we learnt the twelve Holmgren principles of permaculture. These are twelve guiding principles to creating a strong permaculture design. As we were learning these principles, I couldn’t help think about how I could apply them to situations outside of permaculture. So, I have picked my top 5 of the Holmgren principles and will explain how they can be applied to life in general. 1. Observe & Interact In permaculture it is important to first observe the area you will be working on. This step can last from a few days to a few years. We observe an area to understand the natural patterns and flow. It is imperative we take this time before making any big changes to ensure we are working in the most effective way. We must also interact to learn how an area/environment reacts. The majority of us live such fast paced lives that we barely have time for this observation and interaction phase. A lot of us will jump straight into action without taking the time to step back and observe how a system works. We are bombarded with information and stimulus so we are compelled to act quickly without taking time to understand our actions. Let’s slow down and observe and appreciate our surroundings. Let’s slow down and interact with others, in real life, not through technology. 2. Obtain a yield To obtain a yield in permaculture this means designing a system that produces something that can be used. This is most commonly thought of as food but can also be many other things such as shade, protection, balance etc. Effective permaculture will produce the most yeild from an area using resources in the most efficient way. It is up to us the designers to understand the needs of an environment. We can then use this knowledge to optimise the rewards. In life, we can work to obtain these rewards. The rewards can be either intrinsic or extrinsic, these rewards need not be strictly financial. Perhaps the reward is making a customers day a bit better or making your coworker’s day a little bit easier. Whatever the reward, we should strive to obtain a yield from as many situations as possible. Rewards are not solely positive, sometimes we get the greatest yield from a negative outcome. 3. Self regulate & accept feedback In any situation it is important to accept feedback and especially in permaculture. We must adapt to this feedback by self regulation. This may be as simple as not planting a bush because we have seen the affect it has on other areas, or it might be complex like removing a tree that further down the line will become invasive and take over the area. Self-regulation or self-control allows us to be accountable and it empowers us. It is a life long skill to practice and is aplicable to almost all areas of life. Feedback should be seen as a gift, it helps us see things we may not have seen before. This new vision helps us improve our ability to perform. We need to practice the skill of self regulation and accepting feedback. This will help us become life long learners and improve exponentially over time. 4. Integrate rather than segregate Modern agriculture is built on segregation. Just take a drive in the countryside and you will see monocrop fields as far as the eye can see. We have isolated certain crops and need to artificially add what nature provides in an integrated environment. By integrating and creating diverse environments we can become more sustainable and resilient , as well as more productive and efficient. This principle translates perfectly in how we should all live in harmony with each other by integrating everyone into our communities and valuing diversity. 5. Use small and slow solutions It is very easy to speed through decisions, sometimes we need to slow down and think about what we have to do. It is also very tempting to jump right into a big challenge, sometimes it is best to start off small and build to that big challenge. Permaculture uses small and slow solutions because they are easier to manage than bigger solutions and they allow for the use of local resources leading to more sustainable outcomes. While this may not always be feasible, sometimes we need big and fast solutions to solve some of society’s greatest problems. I hope you enjoyed my top 5 principles. I also hope you have learnt something about permaculture and how you can apply Holmgrens principles to your own life.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sunseed.org.uk/five-permaculture-principles/
     
         
      6 steps you can take to protect yourself from London's air pollution Thu, 2nd Jan 2020 10:47:00
     
      You get to your desk after an hour breathing the dust-filled air of our 150-year-old Tube system or a ‘healthy’ stroll along a main street choked with idling vans and buses. Even before the day has begun, your hair feels filthy, your clothes smirched and your chest tight. And if you blow your nose — eugh, let’s not even think about what comes out. London has suffered from illegal levels of air pollution since 2010 and unseasonal weather like last year’s scorching summer sunshine makes it worse. Although the nitrogen oxide spewed out by diesel engines and the deadly PM2.5 particles that lodge in our lungs are invisible, we are becoming more aware of them. A Friends of the Earth study from 2017 found Londoners to be more clued up on the topic of air quality than people anywhere else in the UK, with nine out of 10 in the capital believing their air quality to be at ‘crisis levels’. Acknowledging the problem is an important first step: the second is the construction of a post-pollution London, starting with City Hall’s introduction of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone, or ULEZ, in central London on 8 April.
       
      Full Article: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/london-air-pollution-stop-a4076956.html
     
         
      From solar energy to biomass: countries where renewable energy has overtaken fossil fuels Sat, 28th Dec 2019 17:35:00
     
      Countries shifting away from fossil fuels: It’s fair to say that fossil fuels have got a pretty bad rep, and for good reason. Not only are these finite resources fast running out, they’re also incredibly polluting as they release harmful gases which contribute to global warming. Thankfully, use of renewable energy sources including solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power is on the rise. Here are the countries which have already succeeded in providing more electricity from renewables than from fossil fuels, along with a few that are coming close. Australia: In early November this year, renewables overtook fossil fuels to make up half of electricity supplied to the national grid – although only briefly. According to data provided by the National Electricity Market, at 11.50am on 6 November, renewables made up 50.2% of the power supply in the five states served by the market. Although the figure fell back down to around 30% for the rest of the day, recent analysis has found that the country could reach 50% renewables by 2030. The country has many ideal features for harnessing renewable energy. For starters, there’s plenty of open space – in fact, the Sydney Morning Herald calculated that a solar farm that could power the entire country would only need to take up 0.1% of the land mass. There’s also a sunny climate, which helps with solar power generation. A rise in the number of rooftop solar panels installed is expected to bring down their price in the next three years, combined with state schemes, which will make solar power more affordable. New Zealand: But Australia is being beaten by its Kiwi neighbours in the renewables race. Since 2015, an estimated 40% of the country’s total energy supply has been coming from renewables according to latest government figures, and in 2017 the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment reported that 82% of the nation's electricity came from renewable soures. However, fossil fuels are still powering the other 60% of the energy supply, so there’s still a way to go. Yet the country has set an extremely ambitious target to provide 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035, meaning that we could expect to see fossil fuels phased out quickly. The majority of renewable power currently comes from hydroelectricity. Dams like Manapouri, Benmore, and Clyde work by using gravity to push water through turbines, which is then converted into electricity. However, providing a reliable power supply means having to store water, and the country has limited capacity for doing so, meaning hydroelectric power can be inconsistent. The country is trying to increase its wind power generation to balance this out. UK: In the UK renewable electricity overtook fossil fuels in providing energy to homes and businesses for the first time in third quarter of 2019. According to analysis by Carbon Brief, during this period renewables made up 40% of electricity supplied to the national grid while fossil fuels made up 39% and the remaining supply came from nuclear power plants. The country has also hit headlines this year for phasing out coal plants, as well as a proposed ban – and subsequent U-turn – on controversial fracking for natural gas. In terms of renewables, wind power is the UK’s greatest asset, contributing to one-fifth of the overall energy supply. In fact, the country is home to the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the Hornsea One project, which is located off the coast of Yorkshire. However, the government has come under fire after giving a new £165 million ($212.5m) coalmine in Cumbria, northern England the go-ahead. The local MP Tim Farron described the announcement as "a kick in the teeth in the fight to tackle climate change". Germany: In Germany, renewables overtook coal as the country's main energy source, making up 40% of energy, according to research by the Fraunhofer organisation. However, renewables haven’t quite overtaken fossil fuels – even though they make up a greater proportion of the energy mix than in the UK – because the country has been moving away from nuclear power too. In the first half of 2019, renewable energy sources made up a record 44% of the total electricity supply, according to German utility association BDEW. The main reason for this high percentage was stormy weather, which had helped boost wind power production. During the first half of 2019, electrical output from solar panels also rose, by about 4%. The remaining renewable energy supply is made up of hydroelectric power and biomass. Pictured is an innovative biogas facility in Bandelow, which collects methane gas from cows at a neighbouring dairy farm, using it to turn a turbine which produces electricity. Scotland: Streets ahead of the rest of the UK, last year Scotland met 74.6% of its electricity requirements with renewables, according to statistics from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The outlook is so good that the organisation Scottish Renewables predicts the country will soon be able to meet 100% of its electricity needs from clean energy sources. However, in terms of total energy supply, including heat and transport, only 20% was met by renewables, with the government targeting 50% renewable energy by 2050. The country has a long history of using renewables, with the first hydroelectric dam being installed at Loch Laggan back in 1934. Currently, onshore wind power makes up the lion’s share of Scotland’s renewable energy, making up 71% of total installed renewables capacity, followed by hydroelectric, offshore wind, solar and biomass. Green energy also provides an estimated 17,700 jobs in Scotland, a figure that will increase as the sector grows. Sweden: A green leader in the European Union, Sweden currently gets 54% of its total energy supply from renewable sources, according to the Swedish Energy Agency, and has been doing so since 2016. In fact, the country passed its target of reaching 50% renewables in 2012, eight years ahead of schedule. That’s thanks to policies which have incentivised green energy, including making electricity companies buy a certain amount of green energy and giving power producers a certification for generating it. Reflecting global trends, Sweden is turning to wind power to increase its renewable capacity. Wind energy is set to double its share of the total power supply, from 12% to 25%, in the next four years, with several large wind farms being opened. The largest, Markbygden, is expected to provide 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) or 6.6% of Sweden’s total energy needs, by the time it is completed at the end of this year. Nicaragua: A country blessed with abundant natural resources like strong winds, intense sun and volcanoes, Nicaragua is in the process of a green energy revolution. Pledging to run on 90% renewables by next year and move away from reliance on foreign oil, renewables currently make up 54% of the country's total energy supply according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, although 1 in 10 people still do not have access to the energy supply. The Central American nation has come on in leaps and bounds since just 10 years ago, when only 64% of its population had electricity supply and there were frequent 12-hour blackouts. Geothermal energy has been particularly integral to the green energy revolution, which has the potential to provide more than 2,000 megawatts (MW). Portugal: In April last year Portugal hit the headlines when it generated more renewable energy than it actually needed for the month of March – making up 104% of the electricity supply according to power grid operator REN. This spike has been attributed to wet and windy weather during that period, which increased output from hydroelectric dams and wind turbines. Considering last year as a whole, renewables met 55.1% of Portugal’s electricity needs, although it’s expecting to get that figure to 80% by 2030. Hydropower makes up the largest share of renewables in Portugal, followed by wind and biomass. In October this year the country opened a floating wind farm off the coast of Viana do Castelo, which is expected to produce enough electricity to power 60,000 homes. The Portuguese government is currently making a big push to increase solar power generation, and this July it held a ‘solar auction’ to encourage investment in solar projects. Kenya: Kenya has ambitious plans to produce 100% of its energy supply from renewables by next year. With renewables currently making up 70% of the electricity on the national grid, it may seem there’s still a long way to go, but the government has rolled out several ambitious projects which may shift the balance. In July, a $690 million (£535m) wind farm opened in the northern region of Turkana, which produces 310 megawatts of energy and has reduced energy costs by 7-10%. Geothermal also plays a big part in the nation’s green energy supply. Kenya ranks ninth in the world for its geothermal energy capacity, and geothermal accounts for around 28% of the country’s grid capacity according to National Geographic. While one in four people in the country doesn't currently have access to electricity yet, this is rapidly improving. In 2013, just 32% of the population had electricity access, a figure which had increased to 73% by April 2018, according to ESI Africa. Denmark: Making use of one of its biggest industries, more than two thirds of Denmark’s renewable energy comes from bioenergy, which is produced by burning wood pellets, animal fats, manure and straw that are by-products from farming. The country met 74% of its total electricity needs from renewables in 2017, and it has set targets to reach 100% clean energy by 2050. The other main source of renewable energy is wind power. The country is a pioneer of the technology, currently building an offshore wind farm off the island of Møn in the Baltic Sea, which will produce enough power for 600,000 homes when it’s completed in 2022. Solar power is also a small but important energy source, with this biofuel power plant in Samsø doubling up to produce solar power through panels on the roof. Uruguay: A world leader in renewable energy, Uruguay supplied an impressive 98% of its electricity from clean energy sources in 2017. Meanwhile last year, the country was recognised by UN-backed coalition REN21 as one of the top countries worldwide for wind and solar power. Yet just 15 years ago, oil was one of the biggest imports. So what factors have fuelled the switch? Uruguay currently invests 3% of its annual GDP in renewable energy. There are three key government principles driving investment: auctions of electricity that’s produced; tax credits and VAT exemptions on renewables; and ‘net metering’, where people can sell excess electricity to the national grid for a profit. As a result, the country is now one of the world’s biggest wind power producers, with solar and hydropower making up the rest of the renewables mix. Costa Rica: So far this year, Costa Rica has met nearly 99% of its electricity needs from renewable resources. The lion’s share of this comes from hydropower, which makes up 67.5% of the total energy supply, followed by wind (17%), geothermal power (13.5%), biomass and solar (0.84%) and backup power plants (1.16%). Not only that, but the government says it’s saved $500 million (£388m) over the past two decades by opting for renewables over fossil fuels. The country, like many other leaders in renewables, has an abundance of natural resources. Heavy rainfall helps with the generation of hydroelectric power, while volcanoes boost the potential of geothermal power. These factors have led the government to set an ambitious target for carbon neutrality by 2021. Pictured is the control room of a geothermal plant in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Norway: Historically speaking, Norway has a complex relationship with fossil fuels. On one hand, it’s been able to meet around 98% of its electricity needs from renewable sources, according to the Norwegian government. On the other hand, it exports huge quantities of oil and gas, which are linked to around half of its total exports. However, in April this year it was reported that the country’s giant $1 trillion (£773bn) Oil Fund, also known as the Government Pension Fund Global, was to invest billions of dollars into wind and solar projects, marking a breakthrough for the country. Hydropower first started to develop in Norway in the late 1800s, with the first hydropower plant coming into production in 1891. Initially, it was controlled by energy company Norsk Hydro, before the government set up its electricity sector in 1921 to manage power plants. Today, hydropower makes up almost all of Norway’s electricity needs. Albania: This small Balkan country's electricity supply is 100% fuelled by hydroelectric power. In fact, it’s the biggest hydropower-producing nation in the world, with total installed capacity reaching 2,204 megawatts in 2018. The three largest dams, Koman, Fierzë and Vau i Dejës are located along the Drin river in northern Albania. While it might seem like a big win for the environment, there is mounting opposition to hydropower, both locally and at a global level. That’s because rivers and other bodies of water often have to be flooded to create dams, displacing communities and wildlife, as well as changing natural river formations. In August, the country’s Energy and Infrastructure Minister, Belinda Balluku, announced she would be freezing works on new hydroelectric power plants in order to protect the natural environment. Paraguay: Meeting 99% of its electricity needs through hydroelectric power and 1% through biomass, Paraguay is far ahead of the rest of the world. In fact, it produces more renewable energy per capita than any other country – meaning it has plenty left over to export elsewhere. With the world’s largest dam, the Itaipú Dam, located on its border with Brazil, hydroelectric provides a big boost to Paraguay’s income, provides jobs and reduces energy costs. However, hydroelectric power has its drawbacks. On top of social and environmental concerns, it can be unreliable: in June this year, a huge blackout across Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Paraguay left some 50 million people without electricity, some for as long as a full day. The issue was linked to a failure of the Yacyretá hydroelectric dam to transmit electricity. Iceland: This small northern European nation, with a population of just over 360,000, is a world leader in green energy. It uses 100% renewable energy for its electricity and heat supply, which is split between hydropower (87%) and geothermal (13%). With a northern location and immense reserves of heat energy underground, it’s no wonder it’s been nicknamed the “land of fire and ice”. The country’s glaciers and mountains provide perfect resources for hydroelectric power, with around 37 large and 200 small hydroelectric power plants in the country. Iceland has ideal geology for geothermal energy to be harnessed. There is a large volcanic zone stretching across the country from southwest to northeast, where underground temperatures can be as high as 250°C (482°F). There are also a number of hot springs, including Blue Lagoon (pictured), which attracts 700,000 tourists each year.
       
      Full Article: https://www.lovemoney.com/gallerylist/90505/solar-energy-biomass-countries-renewable-energy-overtaken-fossil-fuels
     
         
      Enel unleashes 450MW Texas giant Tue, 24th Dec 2019 17:24:00
     
      Enel Green Power North America has started operations at its 450MW High Lonesome wind farm in Texas. The $720m project is expected to generate about 1.9 terrawatt-hours of electricity a year. A 12-year power purchase agreement has also been signed for 20.6MW to supply Danone North America, meaning that the project, located in Upton and Crockett Counties, will be expanded by 50MW to 500MW. Construction of the additional capacity is currently underway and is due online in the first quarter of 2020. The agreement between Enel and Danone North America will provide enough electricity to produce the equivalent of almost 800 million cups of yogurt and over 80 million gallons of milk each year. It will support the food and beverage company's commitment to securing 100% of its purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Enel Green Power chief executive Antonio Cammisecra said: "The start of operations of Enel's largest wind farm in the world marks a significant achievement for our company and reinforces our global commitment to accelerated renewable energy growth "This milestone is matched with a new partnership with Danone North America to support their renewable goals, a reinforcement of our continued commitment to provide customers with tailored solutions to meet their sustainability goals."
       
      Full Article: https://www.renews.biz/57152/enel-unleashes-450mw-texas-giant/
     
         
      Industrial air pollution – What’s there to hide Fri, 6th Dec 2019 19:48:00
     
      Winter 2019-20 saw many protests and campaigns in and around Delhi as air pollution was much worse than the previous year. Much of the focus was on the farm fires which on some days accounted for almost half of Delhi’s air pollution. However, a significant part of emissions, industrial pollution, are not just throughout the year beyond winter but are often overlooked in mass campaigns. There are two parts to this – emissions from industries and, what the government has designated, Critically Polluted Areas. How are these sources of air pollution being brought under control and is there enough accountability? INDUSTRIAL AIR POLLUTION - WHAT´S THERE TO HIDE Perhaps never before has so much time been devoted in the Supreme Court and Parliament to air pollution as there has been since the start of the great smog of Delhi in October-November, 2019. Outside the two institutions, there have been headlines, protests, and campaigns. News reporting, which shows the daily percentage share of farm fires in Delhi’s pollution, has focused a lot of the attention to Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh north of the capital. This percentage has fluctuated daily[i] from 2-3% to a peak of almost 50%. But this in-your-face pollution obscures a larger problem, that it’s not only farm fires, it’s not only Delhi, and it’s not only in winter. Satellite pictures repeatedly show smog hanging over the sub-continent, coast-to-coast, north to south. The haze over the landmass is similar to the haze over India’s pollution policies. There are two main aspects to be covered in this paper. The first concerns the Critically Polluted Areas or CPA[3]. The second is a vast network of emission monitors in polluting industries whose data the public cannot access. Both these are spread across India. INDIA´S CRITICALLY POOR AREAS Way back in 2009, before air pollution became a ‘thing’ in public discourse, the government identified 43 Critically Polluted Areas. These were rated on a new index, the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI)[4] to cut pollution on priority. Apart from air pollution it factored in water and land pollutants and the effect on humans and eco-geological features. In almost ten years since then there’s been little improvement, in fact as far as air pollution is concerned there’s been a sharp deterioration. The CEPI scorecard has been put out in public only four times since 2009. The most recent one was out as part of an order[5] of the National Green Tribunal. This was the 2018 data released after a gap of five years[6]. A comparison of the last two pollution scorecards with an emphasis on air pollution has perhaps one upside. The number of Critically Polluted Areas, those with a score of above 70, have come down from 43 to 38 in these nine years. The rest of the pollution index data paints a dismal picture of deteriorating air quality. - The overall number of Polluted Industrial Areas, of which CPAs are one part, has gone up from 88 to 100. - All the top 15 CPAs in 2018, barring Manali in Tamil Nadu and Panipat in Haryana, were not in the top 15 in 2013. - As many as seven in the 2018 list, including Mathura, Vadodara and Gurgaon, were not even listed as critically polluted five years earlier. The scorecards label the status of pollution in the air, water and land as critical, severe and normal. This is calculated on the factors such as whether the number of people potentially affected within a 2 km boundary of the pollution source is above 100,000 or less. - The number of the total Polluted Industrial Areas which had the status of ‘critical’ air pollution jumped fourfold from 8 to 32 in these five years, and those with ‘severe’ air pollution went from 17 to 28. - Of the top 15 in 2013, only five places had ‘critical’ air, but this increased to thirteen places by 2018. Hidden in plain view: Nothing transparent about air pollution data? In 2016, CEPI was revised[7] essentially to ease the moratorium on environmental clearances to allow for changes to capacity, manufacturing processes and so on as long as there was no increase in the pollution load or any adverse impact on the environment. It also called for polluting sources to be identified in the public domain and published by state governments periodically. Trawling through pages and pages of websites, there is clearly a need for clear, simple reporting of how pollution is being monitored and controlled and if polluters are indeed paying up. Take for example the case of thermal power plants in Haryana. As per Haryana’s rules till very recently mandated inspections once every three years[8]. But the Bahadurgarh one was last inspected in July, 2013, the Ballabhgarh one in November 2014, and the Panipat one in December 2015[9]. This pace of inspections of these thermal power plants is obviously not enough, a fact recognized by the NGT and given these are ‘red’ category industries, that is, highly polluting. A letter by the chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board from 10th Oct, 2019, says the NGT found that the board’s inspection policy hardly matched the mandate of precautionary sustainable development principles of environmental law. Also, its auto-renewal policy results in pollution remaining unchecked. On being ordered to revise its inspection schedule, the board has now announced inspection once a year for power plants. But on its website, there’s been no update of whether these have been inspected. This, when all these power plants are in the pollution air shed of Delhi and its neighbours and contribute in making it the region with the world’s worst levels of air pollution. But contribute exactly how much? This is data that is kept out of the public domain. All polluting industries are required to have, since 2016, Online Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (OCEMS). As of 2019, there are over 2700 OCEMS installed in a little over 3500 “highly polluting” industries[10]; the remaining faced closure-directions according to the National Clean Air Programme. The OCEMS data goes directly to CPCB. But the CPCB does not release this publicly. Its officials have the power to take immediate corrective action against industries in order to control pollution[11]. India’s environment minister told the Rajya Sabha that they are “controlling every minute[12]” of the OCEMS. But there appears to be a contradiction between what officials say. This system of minute-to-minute monitoring of pollution on which officials can take immediate action against businesses cannot be used for regulatory purposes. As the CPCB chairman, SPS Parihar, said at a press conference on the 18th of November, 2019, the online data is yet to be recognized under the law and that’s work in progress. While there is an online and continuous monitoring system, the law mandates only manual data, which is slow to process, be used for regulatory purposes and field visits are made on this basis. There is a case study worth looking at briefly about Panipat’s Indian Oil refinery. It’s about how a polluter, as recognized by the NGT, put up a fight despite the work of HSPCB and CPCB officials which was praised by the tribunal. The Panipat refinery is in the ‘red’ category of the 17 most polluting types of industry (the others being cement, thermal power plants and so on), and it was inspected by Haryana pollution control officials in June, 2018. It found the level of PM 10 pollutant far higher than the permissible limit of 100 micrograms per cubic meter. The officials reported irritation to eyes and an odour in the vicinity of the unit[13]. IOC in its defence before the NGT submitted that ambient air quality is an issue all over northern India and cannot be attributable to its refinery, something it claimed that the pollution control officials could also not prove. Nevertheless, IOC promised the Haryana State Pollution Control Board that it would reduce its carbon footprint by 18% by 2020. However, the tribunal ruled[14] that the refinery must pay an interim compensation of Rs 17.31 crores. The NGT’s reasoning was that there was a violation of environmental norms for air and water pollution, that liability was unavoidable and as a public sector unit the refinery should be a model for compliance with environmental laws. Much of this points to a need for a clearer, more transparent data and regulatory regime. And perhaps also an overhaul in mindset – to recognize a problem and address it openly with no half-measures, which is what India’s air pollution crisis demands. ‘HOW MANY CHILDREN DIE OF AIR POLLUTION , MINISTER?’ Consider, for instance, environment minister Prakash Javadekar’s speech on the 21st of November, 2019 where he spoke of the need to try out air purifiers in open spaces, something that some air quality experts have shown is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Referring to one such pilot project in Delhi, he said it was a “mix result.[15][16]” However, the answer tabled in the Rajya Sabha says there was “minimal improvement” in ambient air quality. ‘Mixed’ could mean 50-50, ‘minimal’ categorically doesn’t. There is also a lack of clarity, or even confusion, in the ruling establishment whether or not to accept data from outside itself. Is the Government aware that around one lakh children are dying every year because of air pollution in the country? This was asked in the Lok Sabha soon after NDA 2.0 took office. Minister of state for environment, Babul Supriyo responded, “These estimates are based on models, simulations and extrapolations. Though air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases, there are no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution. Health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of the individuals.” Yet the minister’s fellow BJP MP, Gautam Gambhir, stated in the middle of the great smog of Delhi, on the 19th of November, that in India a child dies every three minutes because of air pollution, a figure which works out to 175,000 deaths a year. The father of two young children added that we need to think of long-term solutions otherwise our children will be paying the price. The CPCB says the pollution index, CEPI should be a warning tool for governments and others concerned to understand the severity of pollution. But data, rules, policies need to be more easily accessible to public scrutiny and accountability so that every voter can be aware of what exactly is causing pollution in her or his area. Should not the millions of people living within a radius of 300 km of Delhi know exactly how much air pollution is emitted every day from the dozen or so coal-fired power plants in area? How many apart from those deeply into air pollution analysis would, for instance, know that Najafgarh drain basin in Delhi is the second-highest Critically Polluted Area in the country? That doesn’t sound terribly exciting until a look at a map shows that this drain basin covers most of India’s Capital.
       
      Full Article: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/industrial-air-pollution-whats-there-to-hide-58409/
     
         
      Can We Make Steel Without CO2 Emissions Using Renewable Hydrogen? Mon, 2nd Dec 2019 13:47:00
     
      Yes, in theory. Doing it in practice is a whole other story. This is another example of how the hydrogen economy is a fantasy. Readers often complain that I am too negative about new technologies, and people keep saying that we can fix how we make things like concrete and steel, the making of which together produce 12 percent of the world's CO2. Perhaps I am too skeptical. After all, everyone is excited about the latest news about steel. Bloomberg titles its story 'How Hydrogen Could Solve Steel’s Climate Test and Hobble Coal; Renew Economy writes Another nail in coal’s coffin? German steel furnace runs on renewable hydrogen in world first. They are talking about ThyssenKrupp Steel's recent world's first: "The Duisburg-based steel producer has launched a series of tests into the use of hydrogen in a working blast furnace. They are the first tests of their kind and are aimed at reducing significantly the CO2 emissions arising during steelmaking." ThyssenKrupp explains: In the classic blast furnace process around 300 kilograms of coke and 200 kilograms of pulverized coal are needed to produce a ton of pig iron. The coal is injected as an additional reducing agent into the bottom of the blast furnace shaft through 28 so-called tuyeres. At the start of the tests today hydrogen was injected through one of these tuyeres into blast furnace 9. The advantage is that whereas injecting coal produces CO2 emissions, using hydrogen generates water vapor. CO2 savings of up to 20 percent are therefore already possible at this point in the production process. Here we have to do some basic chemistry. The blast furnace reduced the iron oxide content of the ore by blasting air and pulverized coal into the melted ore. The carbon monoxide from the burning coal reacts with the iron oxide, producing iron and carbon dioxide. Fe2O3 + 3 CO becomes 2 Fe + 3 CO2 I am assuming that the hydrogen is reacting with the oxygen in the iron ore to produce water vapour instead of CO2. This is important. But the whole furnace and the air being blasted in is the bulk of the energy needed, and that is still running on coal. You would need a LOT of hydrogen to replace that. Where does the hydrogen come from? This is, in fact, the bigger problem. That Renew Economy title says German steel furnace runs on renewable hydrogen in world first. But it did not; it ran from standard Air Liquide hydrogen, which is made from steam reformation of natural gas (methane). This is how 95 percent of the world's hydrogen is made: you burn methane to make steam, 815 to 925 °C, which reacts with methane to make carbon monoxide and hydrogen. CH4 + H20 becomes CO + 3H2 I tried to figure out how much energy it actually takes to turn methane into hydrogen, but according to Wikipedia, the process is only 65 to 75 percent efficient, so a lot is being wasted. So really, the hydrogen being used is nothing but laundered natural gas, a cleaned-up fossil fuel. A hydrogen based economy only works if the hydrogen is "green" or made through electrolysis. Air Liquide has actually just announced plans to build a plant to produce 10,440 tons of hydrogen through electrolysis using 1300GWh of solar electricity by 2027. This is where it all breaks down. ThyssenKrupp produces 12 million tons of steel per year. Making that currently burns through about 12 million tons of coal per year. Hydrogen has about five times the energy content per ton as coal does, so all that hydrogen that Air Liquide is producing through solar power is comparable to 52,000 tons of coal. If one hundred percent of that year's supply of hydrogen was sent to ThyssenKrupp, they would burn through it in a day and a half. The hydrogen fantasy This is the fantasy of green hydrogen and carbon-free steel; yes, it can work, but we don't have time. We would need to transform the entire industry, and produce billions and billions of tons of hydrogen, and build all the infrastructure to make it. It's why I always return to the same place. We have to substitute materials that we grow instead of those we dig out of the ground. We have to use less steel, half of which is going into construction and 16 percent of which is going into cars, which are 70 percent steel by weight. So build our buildings out of wood instead of steel; make cars smaller and lighter and get a bike. ThyssenKrupp recently won a Best of the Best Red Dot design award for building a steel racing bike. I wonder if pushing this wouldn't have a bigger impact than pushing their new hydrogen process. Carbon-free steel isn't a fantasy, but it will take decades. Using less steel can happen a lot faster.
       
      Full Article: https://www.treehugger.com/can-we-make-carbon-free-steel-renewable-hydrogen-4856925
     
         
      The Downside of Solar Energy Sun, 1st Dec 2019 11:18:00
     
      The solar economy continues its dramatic growth, with over a half-terawatt already installed around the world generating clean electricity. But what happens to photovoltaic (PV) modules at the end of their useful life? With lifespans measured in decades, PV-waste disposal may seem to be an issue for the distant future. Yet, the industry ships millions of tons every year, and that number will continue to rise as the industry grows. Total e-waste—including computers, televisions, and mobile phones—is around 45 million metric tons annually. By comparison, PV-waste in 2050 will be twice that figure. Motivated by concerns about exposure to toxic materials, increased disposal costs and overcapacity at landfills managed by underfunded local governments, researchers are exploring global solar waste management solutions based on concepts like the circular economy. At the same time, demand for everything from sand to rare and precious metals continues to rise. While supplying only about 1 percent of global electricity, photovoltaics already relies on 40 percent of the global tellurium supply, 15 percent of the silver supply, a large portion of semiconductor quality quartz supply, and smaller but important segments of the indium, zinc, tin, and gallium supplies. Closing the loop on these metals and embracing circular economy concepts will be critical to the industry’s future.
       
      Full Article: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-downside-of-solar-energy/
     
         
      Net zero: an ambition in need of a definition Wed, 13th Nov 2019 12:36:00
     
      This year has seen a surge in the popularity of net zero emissions targets. Companies and governments have been lining up to declare their net zero aspirations. For example, in June of this year, the UN Global Compact, the We Mean Business Coalition and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) issued a call to action for private companies to align their GHG emission reduction targets with 1.5°C emissions scenarios or set a public goal to reach net zero emissions by no later than 2050. To date, 104 businesses have signed this Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge. Then in September, the UN Climate Action Summit in New York saw the launch of the Climate Ambition Alliance, bringing together 59 nations ramping up action by submitting their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020, 11 States that have already started an internal process to increase ambition, as well as 65 countries and the EU, ten regions, 102 cities, 93 businesses and 12 investors – all working towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbontrust.com/news-and-events/insights/net-zero-an-ambition-in-need-of-a-definition
     
         
      Mountain Gravity Energy Storage – Environmental Long-Term Energy Storage Mon, 11th Nov 2019 12:39:00
     
      The storage of energy for long periods of time is subject to special challenges. An IIASA researcher proposes using a combination of Mountain Gravity Energy Storage (MGES) and hydropower as a solution for this issue. Batteries are rapidly becoming less expensive and might soon offer a cheap short-term solution to store energy for daily energy needs. However, the long-term storage capabilities of batteries, for example, in a yearly cycle, will not be economically viable. Although pumped-hydro storage (PHS) technologies are an economically feasible choice for long-term energy storage with large capacities – higher than 50 megawatts (MW) – it becomes expensive for locations where the demand for energy storage is often smaller than 20 MW with monthly or seasonal requirements, such as small islands and remote locations. In a study published in the journal Energy on November 6, 2019, IIASA researcher Julian Hunt and his colleagues propose MGES to close the gap between existing short- and long-term storage technologies. MGES constitutes of building cranes on the edge of a steep mountain with enough reach to transport sand (or gravel) from a storage site located at the bottom to a storage site at the top. A motor/generator moves storage vessels filled with sand from the bottom to the top, similar to a ski lift. During this process, potential energy is stored. Electricity is generated by lowering sand from the upper storage site back to the bottom. If there are river streams on the mountain, the MGES system can be combined with hydropower, where the water would be used to fill the storage vessels in periods of high availability instead of the sand or gravel, thus generating energy. MGES systems have the benefit that the water could be added at any height of the system, thereby increasing the possibility of catching water from different heights in the mountain, which is not possible in conventional hydropower.
       
      Full Article: https://scitechdaily.com/mountain-gravity-energy-storage-environmental-long-term-energy-storage/
     
         
      Intergovernmental organisations and climate risks Thu, 31st Oct 2019 13:45:00
     
      Climate change, through both its gradual impacts on ecosystems and extreme weather events, poses an entirely new class of risks for humans, communities and states. Many societal threats, such as hunger, vector-borne diseases and loss of housing and shelter, are “multiplied” by climate change and variability. Since the notion of climate-related security risk emerged in 2007, our emphasis has changed from a narrow focus on state security to a broader perspective including human security (Mobjörk et al. 2016). Climate change threatens human security by undermining the capacities of individuals and their communities to manage, reduce or prevent hazards related to sudden or chronic climate events. Regarding state security, effective climate management is vital to safeguard national sovereignty, military strength and power in the international system. Climate risks are transboundary in nature, and therefore not amenable to resolution by national governments acting on their own. To address climate risks, states have increasingly relied on IGOs, such as the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Through instruments such as project funding, idea diffusion, social shaming and information provision, IGOs can take actions independently of member states and fundamentally influence climate change adaptation at the global, national, subnational and local levels. These IGOs operate in an increasingly complex and polycentric landscape of environmental governance. In it, various forms of transnational hybrid institutions have become active: the Red Cross, transnational private arrangements such as the Marine Stewardship Council, and non-state actors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Like IGOs, they have assumed more prominent roles in the governing of global climate concerns. Of the approximately 200 existing IGOs, more than 50 engage in climate risk governance. Many of these IGOs are increasingly integrating climate issues into their mandates, even though most were not established with climate issues in mind. For example, the UN Security Council has acknowledged that climate change may exacerbate conflict. WHO has initiated a number of prominent climate-health projects, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has sought to address climate-induced displacement of people by participating in talks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This trend raises important questions about the usefulness of integrated governance. Should climate issues be integrated into global conflict-prevention programmes, despite mixed scientific evidence on climate impacts on conflict? Should the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and global development programmes more broadly, integrate climate issues, or would this crowd out other important development topics such as violence against girls, women and LGBT+ persons? Should the UN Security Council deal with climate change, as it has expertise in coordinating policies among a large number of national governments and can reach fast decisions? Or might this inappropriately shift the focus on state security away from human security? To what degree should IGOs with mandates in policy areas as varied as environment, health and security work together to address climate change? These questions are fiercely debated among researchers and practitioners. Policymakers depend on scientific evidence and interactions at the science–policy interface for good policy solutions. But scientists seldom have clear answers. Recommendations about how IGOs should integrate climate issues into their mandates are often case-specific and rarely based on generic predictions about the impact of policies on climate-change adaptation (Dellmuth et al. 2018). TWO CHALLENGES FOR ADAPTATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE In view of existing knowledge gaps, I want to highlight two specific challenges for climate change adaptation research and practice. First, climate change adaptation efforts span different levels of government. While it is analytically useful to distinguish between the local, subnational, national and global governance levels, these levels are in practice interrelated and overlapping. Thus, integrated climate governance has “multilevel” impacts. A UN Environment project on food security can impact global, national, subnational and local efforts to adapt to climate change. Conversely, climate change adaptation efforts of local communities can lead to the “upload” of ideas to the subnational, national and global levels. We need to better understand such multilevel impacts of IGO climate policies. Second, the legitimacy of IGOs has consequences for their effectiveness in promoting climate security. Legitimacy refers to beliefs among the subjects of a political institution that the institution’s authority is appropriately exercised. Different audiences, such as civil society organisations, politicians, public officials and ordinary citizens, will varyingly believe in the legitimacy of IGOs. A legitimate institution enjoys public confidence, which can increase compliance with the rules it proposes and reduce the need to invest scarce resources in coercion and enforcement. For example, greater institutional legitimacy can diminish the need for imposing and enforcing fines and sanctions. This calls for more social science research on the legitimacy of IGOs’ addressing climate risks, to better understand their varying effectiveness. Taken together, IGOs’ climate policies are consequential for climate change adaptation efforts across all levels of governance. To understand how IGOs can better address climate risks in just, legitimate and effective ways, we need to know more about the causes and consequences of multilevel and (il-)legitimate climate policies. Social scientists can make a fundamental contribution in enhancing our knowledge on these issues, to assist policymakers in crafting more effective policy solutions to climate risks.
       
      Full Article: https://ecdpm.org/great-insights/complex-link-climate-change-conflict/intergovernmental-organisations-climate-risks/
     
         
      How Environmentally Friendly is Solar Power? Wed, 30th Oct 2019 13:30:00
     
      Solar is a renowned clean energy source, but some claim it’s not eco-friendly. Let’s dispel the myths and discuss the environmental impact of solar energy. Most people want to protect the planet, which means more of us want to use renewable sources of energy like solar power. With an average annual growth rate of 50%, solar energy is experiencing a major surge in popularity in green circles.1 Why? The answer is threefold: The price of solar panels has fallen over the past decade The solar industry’s sheer economic power Solar’s squeaky-clean reputation as a reliable renewable energy source That said, it’s not uncommon to hear people claim solar energy isn’t as environmentally friendly as it is presented to be. While we admit that solar energy isn’t perfect, we do believe the green energy source has the power to transform the energy industry. Chariot Energy regularly conducts and shares research about solar energy technology and then implements that knowledge in our plans and services. Despite what detractors might think, we want to ensure solar becomes even cleaner over time – and we’ll show you how that works.
       
      Full Article: https://chariotenergy.com/blog/how-environmentally-friendly-is-solar-power/
     
         
      Switching to renewable energy is actually cost effective Wed, 30th Oct 2019 12:08:00
     
      The price tag for addressing climate change is huge, and the debates over whether we can afford it can be distracting. But according to a new study, those discussions are also missing a big chunk of the puzzle: all the health benefits of switching to renewable energy. Cutting back on air pollution improves the local population's health, which reduces the cost of healthcare. At the same time, energy companies are free to pollute the atmosphere with carbon with no penalty—an unaccounted-for cost. If we included those missing benefits and costs, investing in renewables suddenly looks a lot more appealing, according to a new analysis published Tuesday in Environmental Research Letters. And where you build those renewables can substantially affect the magnitude of the benefits. Per unit of energy, coal power releases more pollutants and CO2 into the atmosphere than any other source. Coal plants release significant amounts of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter—all of which are known to cause health problems. Natural gas plants burn cleaner than coal, but they still emit plenty of CO2 and nitrogen oxides. In the study, Buonocore and his team analyzed 10 major electrical grid regions across the United States. Using computer models, they estimated how reducing CO2 using wind, solar, or carbon capture could increase health benefits and reduce climate change impacts by region. To do this, they used estimates of the social cost of carbon, which is a way of putting a price tag on the climate impacts (such as droughts, sea level rise, and heat waves) that result from CO2 emissions. Their values ranged between $12 and $112 a ton. In running those calculations, clear differences surfaced in regional benefits. According to the models, the greatest potential for health and climate benefits from renewables lies in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes/Mid-Atlantic regions (the study combined the two) of America.
       
      Full Article: https://www.popsci.com/renewable-energy-cost-effective/
     
         
      Make Hydrogen Cheap Again Thu, 24th Oct 2019 13:05:00
     
      Scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have, for the first time, proven that an inexpensive catalyst can generate hydrogen gas in a commercial environment. Known as an electrolyzer, the team hopes the catalyst has potential for large-scale hydrogen production powered by renewable energy. While scientists have proven such technology in the past, the price point has always been a sticking point. Precious metals like platinum and iridium were needed to boost efficiency, making a cheaper catalyst crucial. And while more inexpensive catalysts have been shown to work in a lab setting, these researchers found it can work in the rough and tumble of the public sphere as well. "Hydrogen gas is a massively important industrial chemical for making fuel and fertilizer, among other things," says lead researcher Thomas Jaramillo, director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, in a press statement. "It's also a clean, high-energy-content molecule that can be used in fuel cells or to store energy generated by variable power sources like solar and wind. But most of the hydrogen produced today is made with fossil fuels, adding to the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. We need a cost-effective way to produce it with clean energy."
       
      Full Article: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a29479105/hydrogen-costs-new-catalyst/
     
         
      Q&A: Climate scientist and activist Peter Kalmus Thu, 17th Oct 2019 18:36:00
     
      “The climate crisis has moved into everyday life and it can feel overwhelming,” atmospheric scientist Peter Kalmus writes in a September op-ed for the Los Angeles Times. But now is not the time for “we’re doomed” nihilism, he adds. “No matter how bad it gets, we must keep doing everything we can to keep it from getting worse.” Kalmus, who works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (he speaks here on his own behalf), is the author of the 2017 book Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution. The book chronicles his efforts to cut his personal fossil fuel usage; he now generates roughly two metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, in contrast to the average American’s 20. He writes about modifying a 1980s Mercedes to run on waste vegetable oil and about practicing “freeganism”—dumpster diving at grocery stores to rescue produce that would otherwise be wasted. But he warns that individual reductions are not enough. “We also need collective action on a large scale if we hope to quickly reduce global carbon emissions and avoid increasingly catastrophic warming.” PT: How did you get started in climate science? KALMUS: I got my undergraduate degree in physics, with a goal of doing cosmology. But I didn’t feel ready to go straight to grad school. I taught high school for two years and met the person I ended up marrying, and we moved to New York City. I got a job programming on Wall Street. I didn’t find it meaningful writing trading platforms that help superrich people get richer. So I moonlighted as a volunteer at a cosmology lab at Columbia for about a year, took the GRE, and applied to grad school. As a grad student I worked for LIGO [the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory], contributing to detector calibration and gravitational-wave burst searches. But in the middle of my PhD, in about 2006, I went to a colloquium by [climate scientist] Jim Hansen. It really woke me up. I just couldn’t—I still can’t—wrap my head around how the facts about climate change can be out there and people, even scientists, can still go about their day without really being concerned about it. I got an offer to do an atmospheric science postdoc at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. But my career at LIGO was going really well, and I was excited to move to California, so I took a postdoc at Caltech instead. But the floodgate was already open. I kept reading the peer-reviewed literature and learned more about climate breakdown and got increasingly concerned. Once you realize this is happening, you can’t unsee it. After a couple of years I realized I just couldn’t concentrate on astrophysics anymore. And so I finally made the field switch to atmospheric science and started working at JPL. PT: What are you currently working on? KALMUS: I started in atmospheric science thinking about clouds, especially low clouds, and how we might be able to observe them and model them better. I work with data from AIRS—that’s the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, an instrument in space. I’ve been frustrated by dealing with data from individual satellites, so I’m working on a data fusion pilot project to combine multiple sets of complementary data from AIRS and similar satellite instruments into one product. A second project uses AIRS and other satellite infrared sounders to observe severe storms, such as tornadoes and hailstorms from supercells, from space. We finished an initial phase where we showed that space-based remote sensing carries useful information. We’re now converting our research methods into a forecast product. My main undertaking is leading a team that’s developing advanced statistical methods to do ecological forecasting, starting with the world’s coral reefs. We’re taking multiple observational data sets and an ensemble of global climate models that can predict things like sea temperatures over the rest of the century. We feed them into a Bayesian model to create high-resolution—and hopefully more accurate—projections of coral bleaching and mortality, with the goal of identifying those reefs that might hold out a bit longer from global stressors. This could help guide local conservation efforts. If we’re successful, we’ll see if we can apply our methods to other ecosystems and species, including humans. PT: What has it been like to see climate change front and center in the news with the worldwide climate strikes? KALMUS: It feels absolutely wonderful. We’re finally starting to see it get attention from the public, and that’s what’s needed to get meaningful attention from policymakers. For all these years, Earth scientists have held this knowledge and we’ve been kind of freaking out in our own peer-reviewed way. To have the whole thing largely ignored by the public and by policymakers was really hard. I think the 2018 IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] special report about 1.5 degrees Celsius of global heating was a game changer. It showed the kind of damage we’ll likely see at 1.5 degrees of global heating versus the far worse damage at 2 degrees. It laid out a very clear path: To have even a fighting chance to keep things at 1.5 degrees, we need to get halfway down to zero [emissions] by 2030 and all the way down by 2050 or sooner. For decades the public had been getting the lukewarm message “We’d better start doing something in the next five years.” The report made it really clear that, holy crap, we have to turn the ship around on a dime now. At the same time, we’ve seen hurricanes and wildfires and floods and other climate-related catastrophes becoming more frequent and/or more intense. And then we have a new generation of activists like Greta Thunberg who are genuinely terrified and have been remarkably effective at communicating how serious this is. We’ve got presidential candidates writing climate plans that climate activists would have only dreamed about just a year ago, plans that could actually take us where we need to go in time to save global civilization as we know it. So it’s just been a remarkable 12 months. I’m excited to see what happens over the next year as we head into the 2020 election. I feel like the grassroots climate movement is just getting started. PT: You changed not only your research field as a result of your climate revelation, but also the way you were living your day-to-day life. When you talk about how you cut back on your personal fossil fuel usage, what do you think is the change that surprises the most people or makes people feel the most resistant? KALMUS: Burning fossil fuels and generating CO2 started to feel less and less okay to me on a personal level. So around 2010 I started thinking, “If I wanted to burn less, how would I do that?” I sat down and figured out how much of my fossil fuel use was coming from driving and what I’m eating and so forth. My biggest surprise was that most of my emissions were from flying. I had been thinking about putting up solar panels, but it turned out that electricity was pretty low down on my list of emissions sources. Flying was very, very clearly at the top. So I decided I had to start flying less. When I give talks to the public about the science and about my response to the science, I always talk about flying. That’s a controversial topic even among climate activists and environmentalists. People can be pretty attached to their flying habits. For example, I talked to a woman who was a nurse; she would fly to Africa and help deliver kids there. It was a very worthy thing that she was doing, and it was a big part of her identity to go and help underserved women in Africa. But she was also concerned about climate breakdown and felt this deep conflict at the core of her identity. That’s not that uncommon. But unfortunately, physics is brutally honest about greenhouse-gas emissions. And academics love flying to conferences—it’s a key part of our careers and how we think about academic productivity. So how can we collaborate without flying? Maybe through virtual reality conferences, maybe online conferences, maybe conferences with regional hubs connected together by remote technology? That’s the kind of thing that could also increase participation from Earth scientists in the Global South because it would cost a lot less to attend. Those scientists are especially important because there’s a lot of rapid change occurring in the tropics. PT: You’ve talked about the importance of engaging politically and joining climate action groups. What groups do you think are doing really good work? KALMUS: The groups I am active with are sort of on a scale from lowest to highest personal risk—because activism can carry social, career, legal, or even safety risks. Starting with the lowest risk, Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a group I’ve been in for almost a decade now. They push for a particular policy called Carbon Fee and Dividend, which would make all fossil fuels get progressively more expensive year after year. This would help drive change at all scales and across all economic sectors, and it would do so in an equitable way by returning revenues back to the people, so you don’t get backlash like the Yellow Vest protests in France. In the US we have the Sunrise Movement—they kind of discourage people over 35 from joining, which I find a little problematic, but they’ve still been doing incredible work at directly pressuring politicians to support a massive climate mobilization in the form of a Green New Deal, which I feel is the scale of response that we need. This could include a carbon fee, but it goes much further and requires, for example, a moratorium on new fossil-fuel infrastructure and an end to fossil-fuel subsidies. Then Fridays for Future is a global movement of strikers, many of them schoolkids. Both of my kids have been active in this, and I’ve been a sort of scientific adviser. The idea is simple: Every Friday, take some time out to strike for climate. The highest level of risk is Extinction Rebellion. Not all climate activists are willing to risk arrest, but more and more of them are. The thinking there is that working within the system for the last 30 years and trying to change it from within hasn’t worked, so it’s time to actually start disrupting that system with nonviolent civil disobedience. I think they’re right. PT: What are you working on right now outside of your scientific research? KALMUS: My main project is my second book, which is aimed at young people. I also have a project called No Fly Climate Sci, which is about advancing the flying-less movement, and I’m working on an app that will help people reduce their emissions and encourage them to beat the IPCC recommendation. Everything I do is geared toward shifting the culture.
       
      Full Article: https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.4.20191017a/full/
     
         
      Why the shift toward renewable energy is not enough Sat, 12th Oct 2019 15:41:00
     
      The climate and biodiversity crises reflect the stories that we have allowed to infiltrate the collective psyche of industrial civilization. It is high time to let go of these stories. Unclutter ourselves. Regain clarity. Make room for other stories that can help us reshape our ways of being in the world. For starters, I’d love to let go of what has been our most venerated and ingrained story since the mid-1700s: that burning more fossil fuels is synonymous with prosperity. Letting go of that story shouldn’t be too hard these days. Financial investment over the past decade has been shifting very quickly away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energies. Even Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP — one of the largest fossil fuel corporations in the world — acknowledged the trend, writing in the "BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2017": "The relentless drive to improve energy efficiency is causing global energy consumption overall to decelerate. And, of course, the energy mix is shifting towards cleaner, lower carbon fuels, driven by environmental needs and technological advances." Dudley went on: Coal consumption fell sharply for the second consecutive year, with its share within primary energy falling to its lowest level since 2004. Indeed, coal production and consumption in the U.K. completed an entire cycle, falling back to levels last seen almost 200 years ago around the time of the Industrial Revolution, with the U.K. power sector recording its first-ever coal-free day in April of this year. In contrast, renewable energy globally led by wind and solar power grew strongly, helped by continuing technological advances. According to Dudley’s team, global production of oil and natural gas also slowed down in 2016. Meanwhile, that same year, the combined power provided by wind and solar energy increased by 14.6 percent: the biggest jump on record. All in all, since 2005, the installed capacity for renewable energy has grown exponentially, doubling every 5.5 years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/why-shift-toward-renewable-energy-not-enough
     
         
      FIELDS OF POLLUTION: AGRICULTURE’S SURPRISING IMPACT ON URBAN AIR QUALITY Thu, 10th Oct 2019 14:43:00
     
      If you live in a European city, you probably feel the air gets too thick at times – and not without reason: 9 out of 10 Europeans living in cities breathe air which is harmful for their health. Urban air pollution can be suffocating, and as city dwellers we often find ourselves dreaming of a countryside escape, to take a breath of fresh air away from traffic fumes. What we don’t know is that a big share of the pollution that makes our air hard to breathe originates right there, in the fields. Air pollution in cities has many sources. Road traffic, domestic heating and industrial emissions are among the first ones that come to our mind, but there is another one which is too often forgotten: agriculture. Emissions from farming are responsible for a surprising amount of urban air contamination. In cities like Paris, they can sometimes account for more than half of background air pollution. The French National Centre for Scientific Research even determined that 62% of the fine particles in a severe air pollution episode in Paris during spring 2014 were caused by ammonia. In Europe, agriculture is responsible for 94% of the emissions of ammonia, a highly polluting gas originating from farm activities, and notably from manure management and storage and fertiliser use. Once it enters the air, it threatens ecosystems by causing eutrophication of soil and water, and acidification of soil, lakes and rivers. Ammonia also causes irritation when inhaled.
       
      Full Article: https://meta.eeb.org/2019/10/10/fields-of-pollution-agricultures-surprising-impact-on-urban-air-quality/
     
         
      How green is green gas? Wed, 9th Oct 2019 15:58:00
     
      Green gas is being talked up of late as one new way forward for decarbonisation. So what exactly is green gas? It could, in fact, be a lot of different things, some of which are far from green. In general, that depends on the sources and the counterfactuals of using/not using them. Biomass use can be near carbon-neutral, if the replanting rate keeps up with its use, but destroying natural carbon sinks (e.g. by aggressive use of forest products for fuel) means there can be net carbon dioxide rises, while greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from using fossil gas may be reduced if carbon capture and storage (CCS) is included. In between these extremes there are all sorts of options, including synthetic gas made using surplus renewable power-to-gas electrolysis (P2G). A helpful new report for the European Commission (EC) from The International Council on Clean Transportation offers a three-part classification system:
       
      Full Article: https://physicsworld.com/a/how-green-is-green-gas/
     
         
      Vulnerability to climate change of islands worldwide and its impact on the tree of life Wed, 9th Oct 2019 13:08:00
     
      Island systems are among the most vulnerable to climate change, which is predicted to induce shifts in temperature, rainfall and/or sea levels. Islands that were vulnerable to climate change were found at all latitudes, e.g. in Australia, Indonesia, the Caribbean, Pacific countries, the United States, although they were more common near the equator. The loss of highly vulnerable islands would lead to relatively low absolute loss of plant phylogenetic diversity. However, these losses tended to be higher than expected by chance alone even in some highly vulnerable insular systems. This suggests the possible collapse of deep and long branches in vulnerable islands. Island biodiversity requires specific attention for several reasons. Insular communities, because they are spatially segregated and have evolved in isolation, are characterized by extremely high rates of endemism14,15. Although they occur on less than 5% of the Earth’s terrestrial area, island plants and vertebrates have an endemic richness that may exceed that of mainland species by a factor of 9.515. Island biota are also very prone to extinction: around 80% of past extinctions and a third of threatened terrestrial species are found on islands16.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51107-x
     
         
      Breathing new life into renewable energy Wed, 9th Oct 2019 10:40:00
     
      The clean energy sector faces a major stumbling block. The power it produces may be renewable, but the infrastructure it uses is far from it. Over the past decade, advances in composite materials have allowed the construction of enormous turbine blades. Some are now longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747. As blades have increased, so have the costs to transport them. When wind farms need to replace aging blades, it is now often cheaper to leave them lying on the ground. Such waste is vexing to advocates of green technology, and it is not restricted to wind power. Distributed power and microgrids rely on batteries that are difficult to dispose of. Solar farms use panels that are difficult, if not impossible to recycle. For Martin Keller, the head of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, this contradiction cannot continue if green technology is to live up to its claims. To address these issues, he’s reshaping the influential federal research laboratory. “The reuse of energy materials needs to be part of their design,” he says. That would be an important step towards a circular economy, a world where waste is eliminated and materials are used again and again. Since its founding in the 1970s, NREL has spearheaded work on the adoption of solar power, micro-grids, perovskites, biomass and other green technologies worldwide. Indeed, it was NREL’s composite materials research that helped drive the growth of the giant turbine blades now discarded in fields. Keller has broadened NREL’s mandate beyond the development of cutting-edge materials, to also minimize the waste that they create. His grand plan is to instill an ethos in which materials used in products, not only in the energy sector but in consumer goods, are recaptured for use in the next (usually better) iteration. Take the wind turbine blades. Their composite materials are light and strong, allowing for efficient energy capture. But they are also impossible to recycle. To fix this, NREL is currently researching alternative materials. One promising idea is to fashion blades from thermoplastics, which can be molded when heated but harden when cooled. Thermoplastic blades could be created on-site and could be melted down and repurposed at the end of their usable lives. “Why not use new materials so that you could bring old wind blades back and recycle them?” Keller asks.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/pictet/breathing-new-life-into-renewable-energy/
     
         
      Can We Overcome The Last Few Hurdles For Renewable Energy? Fri, 4th Oct 2019 12:38:00
     
      The challenges facing the renewable energy industry today are complex and deeply seated in society, including political pressures, corporate influence, and antiquated infrastructure. Despite these barriers, however, renewable technology is quickly becoming a viable alternative to fossil fuels, and significant global adoption could help to mitigate the more drastic and immediate effects of climate change. Storing renewable energy at a large scale is one of the most pressing tasks for the renewable energy industry. While recent advances in battery capacity and longevity (as well as battery chemistry itself) are encouraging, cost is always the most significant factor that limits the adoption of new technology—despite the drastic consequences of the lack of change in this particular case. The fossil fuel industry receives around $370 billion in subsidies, compared to $100 billion for renewable energy. In fact, there are signs that renewable energy may not need subsidizing for much longer, which would remove this government expenditure and put more emphasis on the need to end fossil fuel subsidies. But even in a scenario whereby neither industry is subsidized—and neither engages in lobbying to squash unfavorable policies—fossil fuels are sewn into the fabric of the economy. While many governments around the world have committed to reducing their negative impact on the environment to some extent, there remain many obstacles to achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement (which no industrialized country is currently on track to meet). Countries like Australia, the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation are all hindering global climate action—Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are the largest exporters of oil, and Russia is the largest exporter of natural gas and oil combined. While there remain challenges and growing pains for the renewable energy industry, it is abundantly clear that certain countries are dragging their feet where others are facing these challenges head-on. Moving away from fossil fuels will mean rejuvenating huge tracts of energy infrastructure, and there will undoubtedly be tough times ahead for fossil fuel employment as the job market shifts to new jobs. But these costs and hardships are nothing compared to the costs of doing nothing.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlestowersclark/2019/10/04/can-we-overcome-the-last-few-hurdles-for-renewable-energy/#2b199705559b
     
         
      Guest post: The problem with net-zero emissions targets Mon, 30th Sep 2019 14:59:00
     
      The UK and several other countries now aim to deliver “net-zero” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, broadly in line with advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Both the IPCC and the UK’s Climate Change Committee have also highlighted the likely need for negative emissions, in addition to increased efforts to cut greenhouse gas outputs, if emissions are to fall to ‘net-zero’. However, our newly published research – based on findings from expert interviews and stakeholder deliberations – suggests that combining emissions reductions and negative emissions into a single target of reaching “net-zero” may create problems. These could include delayed emissions cuts, but also insufficient focus on developing negative emissions technologies. Here, we explain how these problems arise and suggest one possible solution.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-the-problem-with-net-zero-emissions-targets
     
         
      What Does “Net-Zero Emissions” Mean? 6 Common Questions, Answered Fri, 27th Sep 2019 15:57:00
     
      he latest research is clear: To avoid the worst climate impacts, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will not only need to drop by half in the next 10 years, they will then have to reach net-zero around mid-century. Recognizing this urgency, the UN Secretary General recently asked national leaders to come to the UN Climate Action Summit this September 2019 with announcements of targets for net-zero emissions by 2050. Several countries have already committed to do so, along with some states, cities and companies. Here we explore what a net-zero target means, explain the science behind net-zero, and discuss which countries have already made such commitments.
       
      Full Article: https://thecityfix.com/blog/net-zero-emissions-mean-6-common-questions-answered-kelly-levin-chantal-davis/
     
         
      Solar Technology Will Just Keep Getting Better: Here’s Why Thu, 26th Sep 2019 14:55:00
     
      With the federal Investment Tax Credit phasing out, it’s a good time to take stock of the solar industry - both taking a look at where it has come from and where it is headed, especially in terms of innovation and evolving technology. There are few individuals more qualified to discuss this topic than Jenya Meydbray, Founder and CEO of PVEL (PV Evolution Labs). His company – founded in 2010 - performs independent qualification of photovoltaic solar equipment on behalf of large buyers and investors (PVEL tests both thin film and crystal silicon panels, but the vast majority of technology in the market is crystal silicon – which is where investors and developers are seeking the data). A solar power plant is a capital-intensive venture, with an expected lifespan of as many as several decades. Operations and maintenance costs are relatively marginal, and the fuel is free, so the quality of the panels is perhaps the most critical element to consider in the overall equation.
       
      Full Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2019/09/26/solar-technology-will-just-keep-getting-better-heres-why/#a0e337b7c6bf
     
         
      Agrivoltaics : a win-win system to combine food and energy production? Sat, 21st Sep 2019 17:44:00
     
      Agrivoltaics are innovative production systems combining energy production and food production. Below an elevated solar array, crops can be grown in the partial and fluctuating shade. This audacious idea first emerged in 1982, and was published by a duo of researchers in physical sciences (Goetzber and Zaztrow, 1982). Unfortunately, the topic did not retain much interest at that time and the actual possibility of growing crops under solar panels was not explored further before another couple of decades. It’s only in the early 2010 that new global and local challenges brought agrivoltaics back to the scientific stage. With the XXIst century, global awareness about climate change arose and progressively became a crucial challenge together with food security. To bend down carbon emission, first generation biofuel brought quickly an easy alternative to fossil fuels. But deeper assessment soon revealed the carbon cost of biofuel production and the growing competition between biomass crop and food crop. Less than decade later, solar energy was estimated to be “cleaner” but soon triggered a new crisis. In different countries, especially in Southern Europe, farmers started protesting against land recuperation by solar investors while solar plants flourished in the landscape. In late 2009, a partial ban on solar arrays construction on agricultural land was enforced in France. The tense and competing context called for a new paradigm, to overcome land sharing and splitting between different productions. The idea of sharing landwas proposed by a private French company, Sun’R SAS www.sunr.fr). The National Institute of Agronomic Research in France (INRA) accepted to explore these systems, considering agrivoltaism as a mixed system similar to agroforestry. INRA and Sun’R built jointly a 860 m² and 4 m high prototype of agrivoltaic system, in Southern France. The idea was to produce the first references about growing crops under the fluctuating shade of solar panels, so we choose a range of crop production, including cereals (wheat and barley) and vegetables (lettuce, common bean, and cucumber). This first three-year study provided detailed analysis of microclimate under the solar panels, a major result that was consolidated by further studies from other groups around the world. Although air temperature measured at 2m was homogenous under the agrivoltaic set up and similar to that in the full sun, crop temperature showed a different pattern during day-time (24h). This finding resulted from complex modifications of the energy balance under the solar panels, including fluxes of latent energy. Although we suspected these changes in microclimate did affect stomata aperture and photosynthesis, we were not able to evidence changes in radiation use efficiency of the crops. Yet, yields were only slightly reduced, or even maintained despite reduced incident light. In the case of lettuce, our results showed that yield was maintained through an improved Radiation Interception Efficiency in the shade. Lettuce plants achieved this adaptation through (i) an increase in the total leaf area per plant, (ii) a different distribution of leaf area among the pool of leaves. Regarding the role of agrivoltaics in water saving, our finding were less encouraging: although climatic demand for water was lower in the partial shade, water use efficiency was not clearly increased. After this first “brush cutting” seminal study, different groups in France and in the USA went on, deciphering the soil-plant atmosphere interactions in agrivoltaics. Barron-Gafford and co-authors in their recent publication provided more insight on the effect of fluctuating shade and reduced air vapor pressure deficit under solar panel on stomatal gaz exchanges. They also demonstrated that elevating solar panels and growing crops underneath could also improve energy production compared to traditional photovoltaic systems. Solar panels in their agrivoltaic setting were on average 8.9+0.2 °C cooler in the daylight hours than solar panels in a classical ground mounted solar plant in Arizona which could lead to 1% increase in power generation annually. Therefore, agrivoltaics start now to stand now as win-win systems in which both crops and solar panels have beneficial effects on each other. Agrivoltaic studies all converge towards a very encouraging diagnosis of the capacity of agricoltaic systems to achieve satisfactory crop production and electricity production on the same land. Recent advances in photovoltaic technologies, including solar trackers and translucid photovoltaic cells may even contribute to improve the total efficiency of such systems. However, initial hopes, i.e. that photovoltaic shelters could substantially improve crop production underneath have been found to happen only in very high radiation and temperature environments. In temperate and northern countries, agrivoltaics systems implementation should still be strictly ruled and controlled to avoid agricultural land hijack. It should be ensured that the geometry of agrivoltaic device allow sufficient light for crop and good cropping conditions are guaranteed. It’s in sub-Saharan Africa, and in tropical islands that agrivoltaic would make most sense: they would provide a shelter and improved microclimatic conditions for the crops and field laborers and provide a readily usable and locally produced electricity source to communities that are often off the grid. Technical solutions for maintenance or elevated solar panels and resistance to climatic event should be a priority asset for the development of agrivoltaics in tropical developing countries. Finally, although photovoltaic panels price has dramatically decreased over the past decade, it is still illusory for most farmers to own, build, and maintain their own agrivoltaic system. Serious economic studies are needed to design ethical contracts between farmholders and photovoltaic investors.
       
      Full Article: https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/posts/53868-agrivoltaics-a-win-win-system-to-combine-food-and-energy-production
     
         
      How clean is hydrogen really? Tue, 17th Sep 2019 14:00:00
     
      A flashy pink racing car drew lots of attention on the racing circuits this summer. Not only for its unusual colour, but also for the sound that was somewhere between humming and screeching, and the cloud of steam at the back. On the circuits in Zandvoort and the TT Assen the pink racer kept up with the loud roaring Porsches. That hydrogen technology has become a serious challenge for combustion engines was very apparent when the Forze VIII combustion engine built by students came second in the Supercar Challenge in Assen. “Never before has a hydrogen driven vehicle left other racing cars behind in an official race, let alone in a race against these type of petrol cars,” said team manager Zhi Whei Cai. Hydrogen cars are not only found on circuits, you can see them on the motorway too. But you need a bit of luck to see them. These quiet cars are just as rare as Rolls Royces – on 31 May 2019 there were 114 hydrogen cars in the Netherlands compared to 111 RRs sold since 1983. There are 11,000 hydrogen cars in the world now, but according to collated government goals, there should be 2.5 million by 2030. This figure was calculated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for The Future of Hydrogen report that was handed out to world leaders at the last G20 conference in Tokyo by IEA top man Dr Fatih Birol. ‘Hydrogen is receiving much interest in the world and it could help us make headway on the long held promise of clean energy solutions,’ says Birol in the foreword.
       
      Full Article: https://www.delta.tudelft.nl/article/how-clean-hydrogen-really
     
         
      How Inexpensive Must Energy Storage Be for Utilities to Switch to 100 Percent Renewables? Mon, 16th Sep 2019 14:45:00
     
      Last week, the city of Los Angeles inked a deal for a solar-plus-storage system at a record-low price. The 400-MW Eland solar power project will be capable of storing 1,200 megawatt-hours of energy in lithium-ion batteries to meet demand at night. The project is a part of the city's climate commitment to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Electricity and heat production are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Carbon-free electricity will be critical for keeping the average global temperature rise to within the United Nations’ target of 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst effects of climate change. As world leaders meet at the United Nations Climate Action Summit next week, boosting renewable energy and energy storage will be major priorities. Wind and solar skeptics are quick to point out that such systems are expensive and can’t keep the lights on 24/7. The first argument is wilting as renewables become cost-competitive with fossil fuels. The second one also boils down to cost: that of energy storage, which will be essential for sending large amounts of renewable energy to the grid when needed.
       
      Full Article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/what-energy-storage-would-have-to-cost-for-a-renewable-grid
     
         
      Should We Be More Optimistic About Fighting Climate Change? Mon, 16th Sep 2019 13:28:00
     
      There are two stories about climate change. The first is the one you hear the most; that if we don’t dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade, there will be dire consequences to our health and way of life. The second story is about optimism. It’s about how innovations large and small are helping us to mitigate these dangers and transform our economy and our lives. Both stories are true. But the second one is rarely told. It’s also the reason why we believe that reining in climate change is possible. As doctors and entrepreneurs, we have witnessed the extraordinary capacity that people have to surmount challenges and maintain hope in the most difficult circumstances. Alice is the former Executive Director of Doctors for America, and has practiced medicine in California and Washington, DC. Vivek, before serving as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States, co-founded a clinical trial optimization company and two organizations focused on improving health in India. From health care’s frontlines we’ve witnessed the catastrophic costs of climate change, and have seen the public and private sectors– to varying degrees– respond. It is why we are both increasingly worried, and increasingly optimistic. And why we want you to be, too. Diagnosis: Climate Change When we think about the major health challenges facing the world, we tend to think about mental illness, violence, malnutrition, and chronic illnesses like heart and lung diseases. It surprises many to learn that climate change is the greatest public health challenge facing communities around the world. But where there is risk, there is also opportunity; Nielsen estimates that by 2021, one quarter of total store sales in the U.S. ($150 billion) will be sustainable products. What’s more, those products are expected to outperform traditional products. We are heartened by this, but not altogether surprised. As physicians, we know that patients we have cared for throughout the years stand to be increasingly affected by climate change. We also know that these people are not just our patients, but they are also your employees, colleagues, and customers, maybe even yourself and your family. The choices you make today– big ones about carbon neutrality and small ones like the kind of lightbulb in your desk lamp– are going to influence their lives tomorrow.
       
      Full Article: https://hbr.org/2019/09/should-we-be-more-optimistic-about-fighting-climate-change
     
         
      How to live with the climate crisis without becoming a nihilist Sun, 15th Sep 2019 8:00:00
     
      The climate crisis has moved into everyday life and it can feel overwhelming. Hurricane Dorian, which left more than 70,000 people homeless, was an instance of this climate breakdown. A hotter ocean means stronger storms, a higher sea means worse flooding, a hotter atmosphere means more rain. Worsening wildfires in California and elsewhere, devastating flooding in our agricultural heartland, swaths of dead forest in the Rockies, the global collapse of coral reefs — these are just a few examples of the long and lengthening list of the catastrophic impacts of climate breakdown. The evidence that human-caused global heating is dangerously disrupting Earth systems is unequivocal, and it no longer takes a scientist to see this. Denying this reality puts billions of lives at risk, and will surely come to be condemned by history. Faced with this reality, it may be tempting to say, “We’re doomed,” as Jonathan Franzen recently suggested. This view comes from a deep misconception about how the crisis is likely to unfold. We will not suddenly pass a tipping point to doom at 2° Celsius of global heating above preindustrial levels, as Franzen incorrectly claims. Instead, climate breakdown exists on a continuum where every 10th of a degree of additional heating means more death and suffering. No matter how bad it gets, we must keep doing everything we can to keep it from getting worse. My own climate wakeup call came about 13 years ago when, as a physics graduate student at Columbia, I heard a lecture by the climatologist James Hansen. His talk terrified me even through its scientific jargon, and led me to begin reading the peer-reviewed climate literature. Around the same time, my first child was born. My love for my son made his future mine. This love expanded to include all the life on this planet, this marvelous spaceship. I felt a sense of responsibility to do something, but I didn’t know what. I felt confused and panicked. As my awareness grew, I went through stages of grief. I’ve cried over ecosystems disintegrating, over the looming possibility of social breakdown, over the scale of suffering and death this will unleash. Letting in the grief allowed me to reach acceptance and get to work. I switched careers from astrophysics to climate science — and I changed my life. I realized that bringing my actions into alignment with my principles could reduce my panic and cognitive dissonance. Reducing my carbon emissions was something concrete I could do, and it turned out to be interesting and fun. In 2010, I examined my carbon footprint and realized that most of my emissions came from flying and food, so I became vegetarian, found ways to cut food waste, and started flying less. I also began to bike and discovered a love for gardening and growing fruit. These and other changes turned out to be so satisfying and joyful to me that I started going out into the community to let others know. Over three years, I reduced my emissions to about a 10th of an average American’s. It wasn’t always convenient, and if there were carbon-free planes, I’d probably fly once a year or so. But overall, I prefer my lower carbon life. It’s slower and less hectic, and more connected to the Earth and to my community. But while I like it much better, I have no illusions that it represents a solution. Instead, after years of activism, it’s extremely clear to me that the most important thing any one of us can do is to raise our voices to shift the culture as much as possible. We need mass global climate mobilization — the faster we transition to a carbon-free civilization, the better. To unlock collective action, we need people to view climate breakdown with the urgency it merits, and to view burning fossil fuels and clearing forests as socially unacceptable. We need a billion climate activists. Burning less fossil fuel in our own lives is one way to empower our voices. I’ve found that taking this step makes my voice more authentic and allows me to speak out more freely. Actions do speak more loudly than words, and the fact that I feel this is urgent enough to change my lifestyle isn’t lost on my audience. While I think using less fossil fuel will benefit anyone who is concerned about climate breakdown (and this should be everyone!), I realize it isn’t easy. But there are many other ways to empower your voice. I’ve started to talk about climate breakdown every chance I get — with friends, family, colleagues, supermarket cashiers and other activists. Anyone can do this, and it will naturally connect you with communities of climate activists, such as FridaysForFuture, Sunrise, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, 350.org and Extinction Rebellion. On Friday, Sept. 20, young people around the world will be holding a global climate strike to demand action. Joining a community of activists adds your voice powerfully to a chorus of other voices, helps you become quickly informed, and helps you stay sane as you deal with some very challenging knowledge. As you get more experience, use your creativity. I’ve been working to move people in academia toward flying less. We can all use our unique skills and interests to move the needle. At this point, it also makes sense to bring lawsuits against industry and government. It’s rational to practice nonviolent civil disobedience. These are all forms of speech that can make a difference. For me, it has been a long road and I often felt like a lone voice in the wilderness. But my journey isn’t all that remarkable. What it requires is a willingness to stare this monster straight in the eye and then rise up to protect what we love about this wondrous place. Today, despite all the grim climate news, I actually feel more optimistic than ever. People are waking up! Maybe there’s a bit of panic, but that’s a sensible response and a good place to start. I’m hopeful we’ll see broad climate mobilization and systems transformation at a pace and scale I wouldn’t have dared dream of even a year ago. Together, we’re on our way to becoming those billion climate activists.
       
      Full Article: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-09-13/global-warming-climate-change-science-activism-jonathan-franzen
     
         
      What Drove Solar PV Price Reductions? Mon, 9th Sep 2019 11:35:00
     
      One of the most remarkable trends in energy economics over the last 50 years is the tremendous reduction in solar photovoltaic (PV) prices. The figure below charts prices on a log scale. In words, it shows that prices in 1970 were about 1,000 times higher than they are currently.
       
      Full Article: https://energyathaas.wordpress.com/2019/09/09/what-drove-solar-pv-price-reductions/
     
         
      The Limits of Clean Energy Fri, 6th Sep 2019 13:44:00
     
      If the world isn’t careful, renewable energy could become as destructive as fossil fuels. new problem is beginning to emerge that warrants our attention. Some proponents of the Green New Deal seem to believe that it will pave the way to a utopia of “green growth.” Once we trade dirty fossil fuels for clean energy, there’s no reason we can’t keep expanding the economy forever. This narrative may seem reasonable enough at first glance, but there are good reasons to think twice about it. One of them has to do with clean energy itself. The transition to renewables is going to require a dramatic increase in the extraction of metals and rare-earth minerals, with real ecological and social costs. In some cases, the transition to renewables will require a massive increase over existing levels of extraction. For neodymium—an essential element in wind turbines—extraction will need to rise by nearly 35 percent over current levels. Higher-end estimates reported by the World Bank suggest it could double. The same is true of silver, which is critical to solar panels. Silver extraction will go up 38 percent and perhaps as much as 105 percent. Demand for indium, also essential to solar technology, will more than triple and could end up skyrocketing by 920 percent. If we don’t take precautions, clean energy firms could become as destructive as fossil fuel companies—buying off politicians, trashing ecosystems, lobbying against environmental regulations, even assassinating community leaders who stand in their way. None of this is to say that we shouldn’t pursue a rapid transition to renewable energy. We absolutely must and urgently. But if we’re after a greener, more sustainable economy, we need to disabuse ourselves of the fantasy that we can carry on growing energy demand at existing rates. We need a rapid transition to renewables, yes—but scientists warn that we can’t keep growing energy use at existing rates. No energy is innocent. The only truly clean energy is less energy.
       
      Full Article: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/09/06/the-path-to-clean-energy-will-be-very-dirty-climate-change-renewables/
     
         
      The Limits of Clean Energy Fri, 6th Sep 2019 8:51:00
     
      The conversation about climate change has been blazing ahead in recent months. Propelled by the school climate strikes and social movements like Extinction Rebellion, a number of governments have declared a climate emergency, and progressive political parties are making plans—at last—for a rapid transition to clean energy under the banner of the Green New Deal. This is a welcome shift, and we need more of it. But a new problem is beginning to emerge that warrants our attention. Some proponents of the Green New Deal seem to believe that it will pave the way to a utopia of “green growth.” Once we trade dirty fossil fuels for clean energy, there’s no reason we can’t keep expanding the economy forever. This narrative may seem reasonable enough at first glance, but there are good reasons to think twice about it. One of them has to do with clean energy itself.
       
      Full Article: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/09/06/the-path-to-clean-energy-will-be-very-dirty-climate-change-renewables/
     
         
      Why are the Costs of Renewable Energy Lower than Fossil Fuels? Wed, 28th Aug 2019 13:23:00
     
      The data shows us that since 2010, prices of onshore wind have reduced by roughly 23%, and solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity prices have dropped by 73%. Other renewables have followed this pattern, which is expected to continue. Without doubt, renewable energy is disrupting the entire energy sector, and with the expectation for them to finally be more cost-effective than fossil fuels, the adoption of these energy sources will continue to grow. But why have prices fallen, making them cheaper than traditional non-renewables? The reason for this tipping of scales is quite simple. Gaining power from fossil fuels is a technology that has been around for a long time. As far as further advances in technology are concerned, the sector is pretty much exhausted. There is little chance of innovations being made to significantly impact the cost of this type of energy production. What we are seeing instead is that as the limited fossil fuel resources become depleted, their costs increase. In addition to this, the cost of running power plants is rising due to the ever-increasing cost of living, coupled with increasing pressure to improve safety and reduce pollution. Conversely, renewables are still in the youth of their development, with innovations created each year to help drive down the cost of harnessing their energy. As we learn how to efficiently produce, store and distribute this power, we develop methods to do this at the most minimal cost. It’s this multitude of developments which is contributing to the rapidly falling cost of renewables.
       
      Full Article: https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=948
     
         
      How to save a sinking island nation Thu, 15th Aug 2019 12:34:00
     
      Weather-related events are estimated to displace 143 million people by 2050 – but rising seas are already threatening tiny tropical nations. The idea of drowning or sinking islands has long existed as a way to describe future risks that small island states must confront. But the reality is that these threats affect life in such places today. Many small islands states have chosen to reintroduce previously unpopular resettlement and migration policies in the face of climate change. This is the story of Kiritimati (pronounced Ki-ri-si-mas) in the mid-Pacific – the largest coral atoll in the world. Raised no more than two metres above sea level at its highest point, Kiritimati is one of the most climate vulnerable inhabited islands on the planet. One in seven of all relocations in Kiribati – whether between islands or internationally – are attributed to environmental change. And a 2016 UN report has shown that half of households have already been affected by sea level rise on Kiritimati. Rising sea levels also pose challenges to the storage of nuclear waste on small island states – a hangover from their colonial past. Those who have moved become climate change refugees: people who have been forced to leave their home due to the effects of severe climate events and to rebuild their lives in other places, having lost their culture, community, and decision-making power. This problem will only intensify. Intensifying storms and weather-related events have displaced an average of 24.1 million people every year around the world since 2008, and the World Bank estimates that another 143 million people will be displaced by 2050 in just three regions: sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. New Zealand has also created an annual opportunity lottery called the Pacific Access Ballot. This lottery is presented as a way for 75 Kiribati citizens per year to resettle in New Zealand. But quotas are reportedly not being filled. Understandably, people do not want to leave their homes, families and lives. While well-intentioned international policy is predominantly focused simply on relocation, rather than providing adaptive capacity and long-term support, these options still do not offer true self-determination for the people of Kiritimati. They tend to commodify people, reducing their relocation to reemployment plans. International aid could resolve many future problems and preserve this astonishing and beautiful place for humans, nonhuman animals and plants, but the lack of support from wealthy nations makes options like this difficult for residents of small island states to consider. Artificial islands have been created in Dubai – why not here? Many other hard engineering options exist, such as coastal fortification and land reclamation technologies. Such options could protect the homeland of the Kiritimati people while also enhancing the resilience of these places – if international aid were more readily and consistently available from the nations that have driven this climate crisis.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190813-how-to-save-a-sinking-island-nation
     
         
      Mexico installs ‘robotic trees’ to tackle air pollution Thu, 15th Aug 2019 10:44:00
     
      In the central-southern Mexican city of Puebla, a start-up has installed "robotic trees" who suck up as much air pollution as 368 real trees, using microalgae in their towering metal structure. Trees are one of the best things we have to clean the Earth's air, but they have certain drawbacks: they need time and space to grow. Enter the BioUrban, an artificial tree that sucks up as much air pollution as 368 real trees. Designed by a Mexican start-up, the towering metal structure uses microalgae to clean carbon dioxide and other contaminants from the air, returning pure oxygen to the environment.
       
      Full Article: https://www.france24.com/en/20190815-environment-science-mexico-robotic-trees-air-pollution-biourban-biomitech-puebla
     
         
      Hydrogen storage gets real Mon, 12th Aug 2019 11:32:00
     
      As production costs fall and demand is poised to rocket, James Mitchell Crow finds the hydrogen economy is finally ready for take-off – as long as we can find ways to store it Japan has an ambitious plan to transform its energy system. But to pull it off, it is going to need a lot of hydrogen. Japan wants to quit fossil fuels and import clean hydrogen to meet its energy needs instead. In December 2017, its Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published a roadmap laying out how it intends to gradually drive up demand, and so drive down costs, until clean hydrogen becomes cost-competitive with natural gas. For the plan to succeed – and similar plans in hydrogen hotspots such as California – chemistry is going to be key.
       
      Full Article: https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/hydrogen-storage-gets-real/3010794.article
     
         
      Offsetting carbon emissions: ‘It has proved a minefield’ Fri, 2nd Aug 2019 12:30:00
     
      Here’s the problem: in two months’ time I must travel to Malawi in southern Africa to help Gumbi Education, a small, Guardian-led kids’ education charity that I chair. There’s no Skype option, no railways or boats, and travelling 3,000 miles across Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania by bus is not recommended. I’ve cut my annual holiday flights, I’ve reduced my work travel, and my carbon footprint is nothing to what it was. But realistically, I must fly the 10,200 miles to and from Lilongwe – and I want to offset my emissions in some way. If done correctly, this should mean that I do less harm overall. But what I thought would be easy to arrange has proved a minefield. There is no agreement on how much carbon dioxide a journey may emit, confusion about what actions best reduce emissions, a huge choice of where to direct your money, and growing cynicism as airlines, airports and giant carbon-greedy corporations use offsetting to sell more flights or get permission to grow even further. A decade ago, the voluntary carbon offset market was tiny, unsophisticated and largely unregulated. The little money raised was aimed at worthwhile projects, but few schemes to cut emissions or promote development were verified or certified. Exposés, the financial crash and painfully slow progress in the UN climate talks all helped discourage individuals and companies from offsetting. But as awareness of the climate crisis has grown, corporates in particular have turned to voluntary offsetting and sent the market mainstream. Small companies have been weeded out, highly regulated global carbon and renewable energy markets have been set up, and thousands of participating companies and charities are now theoretically held to international standards by independent verifiers.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/aug/02/offsetting-carbon-emissions-how-to-travel-options
     
         
      Unlocking the Potential of Hydrogen Energy Storage Mon, 22nd Jul 2019 13:32:00
     
      Renewable energy sources are experiencing a period of rapid growth, with the U.S. Energy Information Agency forecasting that they will be the fastest growing source of electricity generation in the near future. However, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind suffer from supply and demand imbalances, because their most productive periods are when electricity demand is lowest, leading to a surplus of unused energy, and they are least productive when electricity demand peaks, leading to energy shortages that must be filled by other means. To address this issue, renewables must be supplemented with other dispatchable energy sources, which can instantaneously adjust output to match shifts in energy demand. One promising option to fulfill this dispatchable energy role is hydrogen energy storage. Hydrogen energy storage is a process wherein the surplus of energy created by renewables during low energy demand periods is used to power electrolysis, a process in which an electrical current is passed through a chemical solution in order to separate hydrogen. Once hydrogen is created through electrolysis it can be used in stationary fuel cells, for power generation, to provide fuel for fuel cell vehicles, injected into natural gas pipelines to reduce their carbon intensity, or even stored as a compressed gas, cryogenic liquid or wide variety of loosely-bonded hydride compounds for later use. Hydrogen created through electrolysis is showing great promise as an economic fuel choice, with data from the International Energy Agency predicting that hydrogen generated from wind will be cheaper than natural gas by 2030.
       
      Full Article: https://www.fchea.org/in-transition/2019/7/22/unlocking-the-potential-of-hydrogen-energy-storage
     
         
      Climate Solution: Use Carbon Dioxide to Generate Electricity Wed, 17th Jul 2019 14:08:00
     
      The world is quickly realizing it may need to actively pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to stave off the ill effects of climate change. Scientists and engineers have proposed various techniques, but most would be extremely expensive—without generating any revenue. No one wants to foot the bill.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-solution-use-carbon-dioxide-to-generate-electricity/
     
         
      Persecuting, protecting or ignoring biodiversity under climate change Mon, 8th Jul 2019 15:10:00
     
      A climate-driven global redistribution of species is currently underway. As species alter their geographical distributions under climate change, many will not only cross into new habitats but also new geopolitical areas. In this Perspective, we discuss the historical archetypes of managing species redistribution—persecution, protection or ignorance—which points to diverse decisions and outcomes based on a balance of societal and ecological valuation. We build the case for increasing transboundary monitoring and management of species, and for shared governance agreements that are global in scope, consisting of legally binding and biologically defensible contracts among partner countries, in what would be a critical step for the future conservation of all species.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0526-5
     
         
      IBM Emphasizes The Benefits Of Data Analytics For Renewable Energy Tue, 2nd Jul 2019 15:43:00
     
      Global Experts Weigh in On Renewable Energy Dependence on Big Data We have heard experts all over the world talk about the benefits of big data in renewable energy. Here are some of their findings. One expert from Spain that is working on new data analytics solutions for renewable energy is named Aristotle. What better name than that of one of the world’s greatest philosophers? One of the greatest challenges facing modern society is turning the page on current energy models. Better distribution, cost savings, technical improvements and, above all, the optimization of resources are some of the spaces that are opened up thanks to new technologies. Green Tech Media also shows that big data is playing a key role in renewable energy. This is especially true with wind energy. Natural Solar has also made massive advances in Australia. They have recently announced the country’s first solar battery initiative within NDIS housing. This wouldn’t have been possible without big data technology.
       
      Full Article: https://www.smartdatacollective.com/ibm-emphasizes-benefits-of-data-analytics-for-renewable-energy/
     
         
      LIQUID HYDROGEN POWERED AIRCRAFT – THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME? Tue, 2nd Jul 2019 12:46:00
     
      Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) has the potential to completely decarbonise civil aviation, writes Cranfield University’s Dr Bobby Sethi. At the moment this is a minority view within the industry, mainly due to the much higher cost associated with the infrastructure required. But as soon as conventional fuel prices, emission taxation scenarios, and the sheer necessity of transformation are taken into account, the cost of transition is going to look remarkably modest for such a fundamental, long-term solution. Flightpath 2050 very ambitiously targets 75% CO2 and 90% NOx emissions reductions, relative to year 2000. It is unlikely that these targets will be met with carbon containing fuels, despite large research efforts on advanced, disruptive, airframe and propulsion technologies (including turbo/hybrid electric propulsion), even when coupled with improved asset and lifecycle management procedures. Even if we were able to meet these targets, this would not be sufficient in the longer term for a fully sustainable future for civil aviation. ENABLEH2 (ENABLing CryogEnic Hydrogen-Based CO2-free Air Transport) is a recently launched €4 million European H2020 project which aims to revitalise enthusiasm for LH2 research for civil aviation, demonstrate the feasibility of switching to hydrogen, and the need for more R&D into advanced airframes, propulsion systems and air transport operations as part of an LH2 future. Combined, these technologies can more than meet the ambitious long-term environmental and sustainability targets for civil aviation. ENABLEH2 is being led by Cranfield University and other partners include Chalmers University (Chalmers), London South Bank University (LSBU), Heathrow Airport, GKN Aerospace Safran, the European Hydrogen Association (EHA) and Arttic. The civil aviation industry is beginning to seriously consider the LH2 model – demonstrated by the involvement in the project’s advisory board from Abengoa, Airbus, Air Liquide, Dassault, Gexcon, GKN Aerospace Services Limited, IATA, ICAO, International Airlines Group, Mitsubishi Power Systems, MTU Aero, Reaction Engines, Rolls-Royce, Safran, Siemens and Total. Any sustainable alternatives face some serious technical challenges. Currently the weight of batteries and other electrical components make it unlikely that purely electric aircraft will be usable for anything other than short-haul flights with a limited payload. By contrast, LH2 is a formidable means of absorbing excess heat, and so able to reduce the weight of electrical systems and heat exchangers needed – making it possible to enable advanced propulsion technologies. The research on fuel system heat management in ENABLEH2 is being led by Chalmers and GKN. Relative to the standard Jet-A1 kerosene fuel, hydrogen is more flammable. This means there can be ‘lean’ combustion producing ultra-low NOx emissions. As part of ENABLEH2, Cranfield and Safran are developing this approach through hydrogen micromix combustion technologies using the University’s unique pebble bed heater and altitude relight facilities to replicate cruise and high altitude conditions. ENABLEH2 technologies will be evaluated and analysed for different forms of modern aircraft type making use of turbo-electric propulsion systems, looking at energy efficiency and life cycle CO2 and what this means in cost terms for airlines, taking in to account the range of likely scenarios for fuel prices and the potential for emissions taxation. This task is being led by Safran with input from all the partners, including up to date information on large scale sustainable production of hydrogen from EHA. ENABLEH2 is also tackling key challenges and skepticism associated with the introduction of LH2 for civil aviation – i.e. safety, infrastructure development, economic sustainability and community acceptance. It’s been over 80 years since the Hindenburg disaster, but that tragic event is still intrinsically linked to the public perception and understanding of hydrogen safety. Fatally, the Hindenburg airship used cotton balloons to store the gas; now, and for many years, hydrogen has been used safely via stainless steel storage vessels (including hydrogen-powered London buses). Unlike kerosene, if there was ever a spill, LH2 quickly vaporises and disperses, without the same kind of contamination and threat to health of airport staff. LSBU is working with Heathrow to test the possible risks and scenarios and will deliver a comprehensive safety audit characterising and mitigating hazards to support integration and acceptance of LH2 at aircraft, operational and airport level. The ENABLEH2 (www.enableh2.eu) project is receiving funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
       
      Full Article: https://airport-world.com/liquid-hydrogen-powered-aircraft-the-shape-of-things-to-come/
     
         
      Blockchain and carbon offsetting can help cities reduce emissions – but sometimes simpler is better Tue, 25th Jun 2019 15:20:00
     
      The UK parliament recently declared a climate emergency, with prime minister Theresa May stating that the country will have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The government has chosen its wording carefully: the term “net zero” opens the door to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsetting. In theory, this means you can simply calculate your total greenhouse gas emissions and pay into a scheme that offsets those emissions by the same amount – that way, on balance, your emissions are net zero. One example is the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), which sells carbon credits and puts the proceeds towards developing hydro electric power plants in Sri Lanka, forest planting projects in China or wind power in Costa Rica. The VCS database contains thousands of options for offsetting. Some say carbon offsetting is an easy way out that sidesteps the more expensive and effective option of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at their source. Others argue that global warming is a worldwide issue, so achieving net zero emissions through any means is acceptable. The question is whether it’s a viable means for governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately keep global warming under control. A big bill Carbon offsetting initiatives have been offered by private companies – including British Airways and Shell – for many years. These voluntary schemes give customers the choice to pay a premium, on the understanding that the company will offset some greenhouse gas emissions. Since carbon offsetting became an option, projects around the world have resulted in a saving of approximately 994m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO?) equivalent. But given that global CO? levels in 2018 were 33.1Gt, it’s fair to say that a lot more could be done. The UK could become net zero emissions tomorrow if the government wished, but it would cost the tax payer dearly. In 2017, the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions were 460m tonnes. If, for example, the government used the Gold Standard offsetting scheme, at an average cost of £10/tonne, that would amount to an astonishing £4.6 billion bill. Most would agree this would be an excessive cost for the government to bear, and anyway the public, private and third sectors should share responsibility for tackling emissions. Local authorities have an important role to play in meeting this target, given their ability to work with residents, charities and businesses to make meaningful changes at a local level. Some local authorities are leading the way by setting ambitious targets: Liverpool City Council aims to become the UK’s first “climate positive” city by the end of 2020. The council has formed a partnership with a private sector organisation – the Poseidon Foundation – to achieve this through carbon offsetting. To ensure complete transparency, a new blockchain platform is being introduced, which can track individual transactions from the source of greenhouse gas emissions along the pathway to carbon offsetting. Put simply, blockchain is a chain of blocks: in this context, we’re actually talking about digital information (the “block”) stored in a public database (the “chain”). The project is due for completion in the coming months. The Poseidon Foundation has already run a similar system at a branch of Ben & Jerry’s in London, where the ice cream company purchases carbon credits for products sold and uses them to support a forestry conservation project in Peru. BETTER ALTERNATIVES Carbon offsetting is a short-term measure that can buy all sectors time to find ways to reduce their actual greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s not a long-term solution for the public sector, which is already under financial strain. Rapid urbanisation and population growth also demand more focused and immediate alternatives. And there are a large variety of measures that can directly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. My own research and book on Financing Sustainable Buildings is concerned with how to develop zero carbon projects at zero cost. The process starts with accurately calculating the site’s carbon footprint, then reviewing future plans for the site and assessing all possible cost-effective methods to reduce that footprint. Accurately measuring and reducing the energy used in buildings – for example, by simply turning off lights and electrical equipment – costs nothing, and can offer similar savings in the long term as investing in a solar power scheme. It’s estimated that the UK wastes £9.5bn a year on energy, so clearly there are plenty of opportunities to reduce emissions before even starting to consider more technical options. Funding can also be sourced from energy service companies, which are commercial services created specifically to fund renewable energy projects and maintain zero carbon status over time. Carbon offsetting is a last resort, when all other more cost-effective methods have been exhausted. Following this process, local councils can support residents and businesses to rapidly reduce emissions. To tackle this climate emergency, the UK is going to need to do a lot more than offset its emissions. Private, public and third sector organisations all need to understand their impact and act to reduce it, using cost effective solutions that work in practice. The initiative by Liverpool City Council is only the beginning, if the UK is to become a truly net zero society. Local authorities need to act now to embrace offsetting, alongside the vast number of other options available to each and every one of us.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/blockchain-and-carbon-offsetting-can-help-cities-reduce-emissions-but-sometimes-simpler-is-better-119340
     
         
      Solar electricity vs. fossil fuels: how do they compare? Fri, 14th Jun 2019 15:47:00
     
      If you’ve been following the ongoing battle between solar energy vs. fossil fuels, it might seem like the predominant resources on which the global economy depends – oil, coal and natural gas – will be completely phased out of existence in the near future. In reality, these resources still power most of the planet, while renewable resources like solar and wind only contribute some two to three percent of global energy capacity. This reality check begs the following question: how does solar really stack up against fossil fuels, and why is there so much excitement about the growth of solar? Solar energy vs. fossil fuels In terms of environmental impact, solar power is a much more optimal resource than fossil fuels. In terms of reliable application, coal and natural gas have the edge. The ultimate way to compare solar energy to fossil fuels is by cost, where solar has quickly caught up with its non-renewable counterparts. Is solar power cheaper than coal and other fossil fuels? Comparing the cost of various energy sources is far from simple. Government subsidies play a major role in shaping the growth potential for a new power source, which means that making an “apples to apples” comparison of the costs of solar energy vs. fossil fuels side-by-side is a complicated task. G20 vs the U.S.: the fossil fuel paradox The nations of the Group of Twenty (G20) may have agreed to begin phasing out fossil fuels in 2009 due to its inefficient and polluting qualities, but not every G20 member is following through on its word. According to Oil Change International’s report, while the G20 makes up more than 85% of global GDP, these top economies are spending $452 billion every year to subsidize fossil fuels. Curious to know who is the largest contributor of fossil fuel subsidies in the world? The answer is right here at home. The United States has continued to subsidize fossil fuels at a higher rate than any other nation in the world, even under the environmentally progressive Obama Administration. With fossil fuel advocates already lined up for the incoming Trump Administration, the next era of American energy will likely continue on its same course of heavy fossil fuel subsidization. How energy subsidies play the biggest role When we compare the cost of solar energy vs. fossil fuels, we have to factor in the relative subsidies that are keeping costs low. In the case of solar power, the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) currently covers 26 percent of any U.S. solar installation and will do so until 2021 for the residential sector, at which point the credit steps down to 22 percent for a year before phasing out completely. The commercial sector will retain a permanent 10 percent tax credit for solar. While renewable energy skeptics have criticized the ITC for being a costly taxpayer-funded stimulus, the reality is that this short-lived subsidy represents only a small fraction of the money that U.S. taxpayers are spending each year to subsidize fossil fuels. Without any subsidies, solar is likely the cheapest energy source in the world, as demonstrated by record low power purchase agreements in countries like the United Arab Emirates and Chile. And solar’s low cost trajectory is likely to continue: unlike oil, gas and coal, solar PV is a technology not a fuel – meaning that its costs will continue to fall every year as research continues and technology improves. The best way to compare solar energy and fossil fuels without subsidies is to examine global energy prices. Consider this: global coal prices have historically averaged $0.06 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Until the past decade, no alternative energy resource came close to rivaling that price. Fossil fuel steam averages around $0.05 cents/kWh and small scale natural gas can go as low as $0.03 cents/kWh. It’s no wonder that the world was shocked in 2016 when a major commercial solar installation bid an extremely low price for PV at $0.029 per kWh – effectively leveling the playing field between solar and fossil fuels’ cheapest offerings. As a result, the discussion of whether solar is cheaper than coal has already become an outdated debate. Today, energy companies are developing solar PV projects that can deliver energy at half the cost of coal, and that’s without factoring in the costly negative impacts of coal – such as heavy carbon pollution, strip mining, and mountaintop removal. The cost of solar is dropping across the nation. See prices in your area and get free solar quotes on the EnergySage Marketplace. The advantages and disadvantages of solar electricity vs. fossil fuel electricity The pro/con list of solar energy vs. fossil fuels is likely no surprise to you. Fossil fuels offer the benefit of being a reliable resource that offers near-constant availability. Whether you want to go for a drive at 3 a.m. or 3 p.m., there is nothing you have to consider as a consumer other than if your gas tank is full. However, many people are already aware of the detriments of gas, oil and coal, including significant pollution and the reality that it is a scarce resource that will eventually run out.
       
      Full Article: https://news.energysage.com/solar-energy-vs-fossil-fuels/
     
         
      Minorities in the US breathe in more air pollution caused by white people Sun, 9th Jun 2019 13:29:00
     
      Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately exposed to air pollution caused mainly by the consumer behaviours of white people in the US, according to a new study. Researchers call this "pollution inequity" (inequity is about unfair, avoidable differences and so it's different to inequality which can simply describe uneven results). Air pollution exposure matters; it is the largest environmental health risk factor in the US, adding up to about 100,00 deaths each year. In March, Christopher W Tessum and his colleagues of engineers and economists tried to quantify these differences in a study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Many analyses of environmental impact will concentrate on who inhales pollution (poorer communities, often located near coal-fired power plants) or else emitters (the power plants or factories themselves) rather than looking at the individual consumers who demand the products that result in the emissions. This study took a different approach by studying personal consumption – everything from agriculture consumption to the use of diesel vehicles. The team found that white people and those of other races experience about 17% less air pollution exposure than is caused by their consumption. But black and Hispanic people inhale 56% and 63% excess exposure, respectively, relative to their consumption. The researchers measured fine particulate matter (described as PM2.5), which are tiny particles narrower than a human hair that can be easily inhaled and get lodged deep into the lungs. The particles can cause cardiovascular problems, aggravate pre-existing conditions like asthma and increase mortality from things such as cancer, strokes and heart disease. In recent years, these emissions in the US have fallen thanks in part to clean air rules, but the inequities remain.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2019/jun/09/black-hispanic-people-air-pollution-inequity-study
     
         
      Solar panels all over the Sahara desert? Fri, 7th Jun 2019 14:33:00
     
      You may have seen a variant of this meme before. A map of North Africa is shown, with a surprisingly small box somewhere in Libya or Algeria shaded in. An area of the Sahara this size, the caption will say, could power the entire world through solar energy: Over the years various different schemes have been proposed for making this idea a reality. Though a company called Desertec caused a splash with some bold ideas a decade ago, it collapsed in 2014 and none of the other proposals to export serious amounts of electricity from the Sahara to Europe and beyond are anywhere close to being realised. It’s still hard to store and transport that much electricity from such a remote place, for one thing, while those people who do live in the Sahara may object to their homeland being transformed into a solar superpower. In any case, turning one particular region into a global energy hub risks all sorts of geopolitical problems. The Imagine newsletter aims to tackle these big “what if” questions, so we asked a number of academics to weigh in on the challenges of exploiting the cheapest form of electricity from perhaps the cheapest and best spot on Earth. He points to the sheer size and amount of sunshine the Sahara desert receives: - It’s larger than Brazil, and slightly smaller than the US. - If every drop of sunshine that hits the Sahara was converted into energy, the desert would produce enough electricity over any given period to power Europe 7,000 times over. So even a small chunk of the desert could indeed power much of the world, in theory. But how would this be achieved? Al-Habaibeh points to two main technologies. Both have their pros and cons. - Concentrated solar power uses lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s energy in one spot, which becomes incredibly hot. This heat then generates electricity through a steam turbine. - In this image the tower in the middle is the “receiver” which then feeds heat to a generator. - Some systems store the heat in the form of molten salt. This means they can release energy overnight, when the sun isn’t shining, providing a 24h supply of electricity. - Concentrated solar power is very efficient in hot, dry environments, but the steam generators use lots of water. - Then there are regular photovoltaic solar panels. These are much more flexible and easier to set up, but less efficient in the very hottest weather. Overall, Al-Habaibeh is positive: "Just a small portion of the Sahara could produce as much energy as the entire continent of Africa does at present. As solar technology improves, things will only get cheaper and more efficient. The Sahara may be inhospitable for most plants and animals, but it could bring sustainable energy to life across North Africa – and beyond." Installing mass amounts of solar panels in the Sahara could also have a remarkable impact on the desert itself. The Sahara hasn’t always been dry and sandy. Indeed, archaeologists have found traces of human societies in the middle of the desert, along with prehistoric cave paintings of Savannah animals. Along with climate records, this suggests that just a few thousand years ago the “desert” was far greener than today. Alona Armstrong, an environmental science lecturer at Lancaster University, wrote about a fascinating study in 2018 that suggested massive renewable energy farms could make the Sahara green again. A team of scientists imagined building truly vast solar and wind farms, far larger than most countries, and simulated the impact they would have on the desert around them. They found that: - Solar panels reflect less heat back into space compared to sand. - This means the surface would warm, causing air to rise and form clouds. - This would mean more rainfall, especially in the Sahel region at the southern edge of the desert. - And more vegetation would grow, which would absorb more heat, drive more precipitation, and so on - It’s an example of a climate feedback. This may be a nice side effect of a huge Saharan solar plant, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it should happen. As Armstrong points out: These areas may be sparsely populated but people do live there, their livelihoods are there, and the landscapes are of cultural value to them. Can the land really be “grabbed” to supply energy to Europe and the Middle East? Solar panels all over the Sahara desert? Will de Freitas 7 June 2019 10 Share Tweet 0Share You may have seen a variant of this meme before. A map of North Africa is shown, with a surprisingly small box somewhere in Libya or Algeria shaded in. An area of the Sahara this size, the caption will say, could power the entire world through solar energy: Over the years various different schemes have been proposed for making this idea a reality. Though a company called Desertec caused a splash with some bold ideas a decade ago, it collapsed in 2014 and none of the other proposals to export serious amounts of electricity from the Sahara to Europe and beyond are anywhere close to being realised. It’s still hard to store and transport that much electricity from such a remote place, for one thing, while those people who do live in the Sahara may object to their homeland being transformed into a solar superpower. In any case, turning one particular region into a global energy hub risks all sorts of geopolitical problems. The Imagine newsletter aims to tackle these big “what if” questions, so we asked a number of academics to weigh in on the challenges of exploiting the cheapest form of electricity from perhaps the cheapest and best spot on Earth. He points to the sheer size and amount of sunshine the Sahara desert receives: It’s larger than Brazil, and slightly smaller than the US. If every drop of sunshine that hits the Sahara was converted into energy, the desert would produce enough electricity over any given period to power Europe 7,000 times over. Global horizontal irradiation, a measure of how much solar power is received per year. Global Solar Atlas/World Bank So even a small chunk of the desert could indeed power much of the world, in theory. But how would this be achieved? Al-Habaibeh points to two main technologies. Both have their pros and cons. Concentrated solar power uses lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s energy in one spot, which becomes incredibly hot. This heat then generates electricity through a steam turbine. In this image the tower in the middle is the “receiver” which then feeds heat to a generator: Aerial view of a large concentrated solar power plant. Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock Some systems store the heat in the form of molten salt. This means they can release energy overnight, when the sun isn’t shining, providing a 24h supply of electricity. Concentrated solar power is very efficient in hot, dry environments, but the steam generators use lots of water. Then there are regular photovoltaic solar panels. These are much more flexible and easier to set up, but less efficient in the very hottest weather. Overall, Al-Habaibeh is positive: Just a small portion of the Sahara could produce as much energy as the entire continent of Africa does at present. As solar technology improves, things will only get cheaper and more efficient. The Sahara may be inhospitable for most plants and animals, but it could bring sustainable energy to life across North Africa – and beyond. Solar panels could have remarkable impact on the desert though Installing mass amounts of solar panels in the Sahara could also have a remarkable impact on the desert itself. The Sahara hasn’t always been dry and sandy. Indeed, archaeologists have found traces of human societies in the middle of the desert, along with prehistoric cave paintings of Savannah animals. Along with climate records, this suggests that just a few thousand years ago the “desert” was far greener than today. Long-extinct elephants still remain carved into rocks in southern Algeria. Dmitry Pichugin / shutterstock Alona Armstrong, an environmental science lecturer at Lancaster University, wrote about a fascinating study in 2018 that suggested massive renewable energy farms could make the Sahara green again. A team of scientists imagined building truly vast solar and wind farms, far larger than most countries, and simulated the impact they would have on the desert around them. They found that: Solar panels reflect less heat back into space compared to sand. This means the surface would warm, causing air to rise and form clouds. This would mean more rainfall, especially in the Sahel region at the southern edge of the desert. And more vegetation would grow, which would absorb more heat, drive more precipitation, and so on It’s an example of a climate feedback. Large-scale wind and solar would mean more new rain in some areas than others. Eviatar Bach, CC BY-SA This may be a nice side effect of a huge Saharan solar plant, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it should happen. As Armstrong points out: These areas may be sparsely populated but people do live there, their livelihoods are there, and the landscapes are of cultural value to them. Can the land really be “grabbed” to supply energy to Europe and the Middle East? Is this climate colonialism? If we want to deploy millions of solar panels in the Sahara, then who is “we”? Who pays for it, who runs it and, crucially, who gets the cheap electricity? This is what worries Olúf??mi Táíwò, a philosopher who researches climate justice at Georgetown University. He mentions Saharan solar power as one of the possible policies involved in a Green New Deal, a wide-ranging plan to enact a “green transition” over the next decade. He points out that exports of solar power could: “Exacerbate what scholars like sociologist Doreen Martinez call climate colonialism – the domination of less powerful countries and peoples through initiatives meant to slow the pace of global warming.” - While Africa may have abundant energy resources, the continent is also home to the people who are the least connected to the grid. - Solar exports risk “bolstering European energy security … while millions of sub-Saharan Africans have no energy of their own.” What if we’re looking at the wrong desert? All of this will be moot if Saharan solar never actually happens. And Denes Csala, a lecturer in energy systems at Lancaster University, is sceptical. It’s true that much of the world’s best solar resources are found in the desert. Here’s a graph from his PhD research which shows how Saharan nations dominate. Solar panels all over the Sahara desert? Will de Freitas 7 June 2019 10 Share Tweet 0Share You may have seen a variant of this meme before. A map of North Africa is shown, with a surprisingly small box somewhere in Libya or Algeria shaded in. An area of the Sahara this size, the caption will say, could power the entire world through solar energy: Over the years various different schemes have been proposed for making this idea a reality. Though a company called Desertec caused a splash with some bold ideas a decade ago, it collapsed in 2014 and none of the other proposals to export serious amounts of electricity from the Sahara to Europe and beyond are anywhere close to being realised. It’s still hard to store and transport that much electricity from such a remote place, for one thing, while those people who do live in the Sahara may object to their homeland being transformed into a solar superpower. In any case, turning one particular region into a global energy hub risks all sorts of geopolitical problems. The Imagine newsletter aims to tackle these big “what if” questions, so we asked a number of academics to weigh in on the challenges of exploiting the cheapest form of electricity from perhaps the cheapest and best spot on Earth. He points to the sheer size and amount of sunshine the Sahara desert receives: It’s larger than Brazil, and slightly smaller than the US. If every drop of sunshine that hits the Sahara was converted into energy, the desert would produce enough electricity over any given period to power Europe 7,000 times over. Global horizontal irradiation, a measure of how much solar power is received per year. Global Solar Atlas/World Bank So even a small chunk of the desert could indeed power much of the world, in theory. But how would this be achieved? Al-Habaibeh points to two main technologies. Both have their pros and cons. Concentrated solar power uses lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s energy in one spot, which becomes incredibly hot. This heat then generates electricity through a steam turbine. In this image the tower in the middle is the “receiver” which then feeds heat to a generator: Aerial view of a large concentrated solar power plant. Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock Some systems store the heat in the form of molten salt. This means they can release energy overnight, when the sun isn’t shining, providing a 24h supply of electricity. Concentrated solar power is very efficient in hot, dry environments, but the steam generators use lots of water. Then there are regular photovoltaic solar panels. These are much more flexible and easier to set up, but less efficient in the very hottest weather. Overall, Al-Habaibeh is positive: Just a small portion of the Sahara could produce as much energy as the entire continent of Africa does at present. As solar technology improves, things will only get cheaper and more efficient. The Sahara may be inhospitable for most plants and animals, but it could bring sustainable energy to life across North Africa – and beyond. Solar panels could have remarkable impact on the desert though Installing mass amounts of solar panels in the Sahara could also have a remarkable impact on the desert itself. The Sahara hasn’t always been dry and sandy. Indeed, archaeologists have found traces of human societies in the middle of the desert, along with prehistoric cave paintings of Savannah animals. Along with climate records, this suggests that just a few thousand years ago the “desert” was far greener than today. Long-extinct elephants still remain carved into rocks in southern Algeria. Dmitry Pichugin / shutterstock Alona Armstrong, an environmental science lecturer at Lancaster University, wrote about a fascinating study in 2018 that suggested massive renewable energy farms could make the Sahara green again. A team of scientists imagined building truly vast solar and wind farms, far larger than most countries, and simulated the impact they would have on the desert around them. They found that: Solar panels reflect less heat back into space compared to sand. This means the surface would warm, causing air to rise and form clouds. This would mean more rainfall, especially in the Sahel region at the southern edge of the desert. And more vegetation would grow, which would absorb more heat, drive more precipitation, and so on It’s an example of a climate feedback. Large-scale wind and solar would mean more new rain in some areas than others. Eviatar Bach, CC BY-SA This may be a nice side effect of a huge Saharan solar plant, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it should happen. As Armstrong points out: These areas may be sparsely populated but people do live there, their livelihoods are there, and the landscapes are of cultural value to them. Can the land really be “grabbed” to supply energy to Europe and the Middle East? Ghardaia, Algeria. Even in the middle of the Sahara, there are settlements. Sergey-73/Shutterstock Is this climate colonialism? If we want to deploy millions of solar panels in the Sahara, then who is “we”? Who pays for it, who runs it and, crucially, who gets the cheap electricity? This is what worries Olúf??mi Táíwò, a philosopher who researches climate justice at Georgetown University. He mentions Saharan solar power as one of the possible policies involved in a Green New Deal, a wide-ranging plan to enact a “green transition” over the next decade. He points out that exports of solar power could: “Exacerbate what scholars like sociologist Doreen Martinez call climate colonialism – the domination of less powerful countries and peoples through initiatives meant to slow the pace of global warming.” While Africa may have abundant energy resources, the continent is also home to the people who are the least connected to the grid. Solar exports risk “bolstering European energy security … while millions of sub-Saharan Africans have no energy of their own.” What if we’re looking at the wrong desert? All of this will be moot if Saharan solar never actually happens. And Denes Csala, a lecturer in energy systems at Lancaster University, is sceptical. It’s true that much of the world’s best solar resources are found in the desert. Here’s a graph from his PhD research which shows how Saharan nations dominate: The sunniest tenth of the world is mostly Saharan countries … and Saudi Arabia. Denes Csala / NREL, Author provided But Denes says that we’re looking at the wrong desert. In fact, the countries of the Arabian peninsula are better placed to exploit the sun. He argues several factors work in favour of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and co: - They have a history of exporting oil. - In the energy market, worries over security of supply means countries tend to do business with the same partners over time. - Ports, pipes and other infrastructure that have been built to ship oil and gas could be repurposed to ship solar energy as hydrogen. It would be fair to say academics have mixed views about the idea of mass Saharan solar. While the energy potential is obvious, and most of the necessary technology already exists, in the long run it may prove too complicated politically. Still think this is all fantasy? Maybe Europeans should look closer to home. The UK Planning Inspectorate is currently examining the Cleve Hill solar farm proposal in Kent, which would involve installing nearly a million solar panels across a marshland site the size of 600 football pitches. To protect against flooding, the panels would be mounted several metres in the air. If built, despite opposition from locals and conservationists, Cleve Hill would be by far the country’s largest solar farm and about the same size as Europe’s largest, near Bordeaux. Alastair Buckley from the University of Sheffield points out the project would be groundbreaking as, unlike other ventures of this kind, it doesn’t rely on subsidies. With solar power getting ever cheaper, Cleve Hill – if it happens – seems to mark the moment when solar may start paying for itself – even far from the world’s deserts.
       
      Full Article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-panels-all-over-the-sahara-desert-18011/
     
         
      Everything You Need to Know About Carbon Offsets Tue, 4th Jun 2019 12:58:00
     
      It’s no secret that flying is terrible for the environment. In fact, the aviation industry makes up 2 percent of global carbon emissions, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and findings in one study concluded that a single round-trip transatlantic flight is responsible for melting 30 square feet of Arctic sea ice. With all that, air travel is only getting more popular: Some 20,000 planes are currently in service, and that number is expected to rise to 50,000 by 2040, according to some estimates. But short of stopping flying altogether, what can eco-minded travelers do? One common option is to attempt to offset your impact by figuring out how much carbon you generate on a trip and then paying to “take it out” of the atmosphere through various social programs that reduce emissions or produce clean energy. If it sounds simple, it is . . . sort of. Critics of carbon offsetting say it plays into the capitalist idea that you can fix any problem by throwing money at it. Others say that by “allowing people to buy their way out of eco-guilt,” they’ll feel even more at liberty to fly, and fly again, knowing they can pay their way to making the emissions “disappear.” Putting a number on your emissions, and figuring out how much they cost the environment, is also sticky business. It’s worth keeping these criticisms in mind. And while carbon offsetting isn’t the only thing you can do (we present more tips here), every little bit helps, say those on the other side of the aisle. “By investing in credible, verified offsets, everyone can help compensate for the pollution associated with their travel and contribute to solutions to the climate crisis,” says Peter Miller, a carbon offsets expert at the NRDC. “Well-designed and implemented offset projects can cut emissions and provide important benefits to local communities.” Here, we dive into everything you need to know about carbon offsetting. How to Find out How Much Carbon You Produce There are a number of websites where you can crunch your carbon numbers, but we’re partial to San Francisco–based company TerraPass for its ease of use. Users can calculate their carbon production by putting in specific flight details, or estimates for the numbers of miles traveled, gallons of fuel use, or average trip length. The site also lets travelers add multiple flights and will then email them an emissions profile once it has done the math, which usually takes around a minute. Article continues below advertisement Best for those who really love details, German company atmosfair has one of the most specific carbon calculators we’ve seen, with entry fields for plane type, flight type (charter or scheduled), and flight class. This fine print matters: According to a 2013 study from the World Bank, emissions from a business-class seat are about three times as much as one in economy (finally, a reason to feel better about those shrinking seats). If you’d rather take care of your carbon offsetting through your chosen carrier, you’re in luck: Some airlines will even let you determine your carbon emissions from their flights before or after booking (more on that below). How to Donate to Carbon Offsetting When you’ve got the commensurate dollar amount and are ready to donate, there are plenty of companies with programs that pledge to offset your carbon. But not all actually make an immediate impact, like most tree-planting initiatives: Young trees are too small to take any meaningful amounts of carbon out of the air and take decades to reach maturity. There’s also the issue of permanence: How is the company vowing to protect trees from dying or from being chopped down? To find a program that will put your reductions to work right now, seek out certified and vetted options from reputable environmental organizations like Gold Standard, Green-e, and Climate Action Reserve. All have projects listed by location and offset type (like a renewable wind power generation project in India, for instance), which means you’ll be able to choose a cause close to your interests. (Note: Different projects charge different amounts for offsetting.) Look, too, for transparency: Any reputable purveyor of offsets will also be specific about what it is funding and how it calculates donation amounts. What Airlines Are Doing About It As AFAR’s Michelle Baran previously reported, U.S. airlines are finally making serious moves when it comes to offsetting carbon. It’s no wonder: In 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced an agreement for all international flight growth after 2020 to be carbon neutral, which means airlines will soon be fully responsible for offsetting their emissions. Miller notes, “We need all airlines to offer them [carbon offsets] and make them easily accessible for fliers so travel offsets become as common as airport security.” Article continues below advertisement Many airlines are already making significant strides. After launching its first carbon offset program in 2007, Delta has pledged to keep its carbon emissions to 2012 levels via the purchase of offsets. (This is commendable, but the airline will still pump millions of metric tons of emissions into the atmosphere simply because it continues to fly.) The airline has a carbon calculator on its website, and it allows travelers to see the emissions they’re generating and then donate miles or money to the Nature Conservancy. The carbon offsetting–related projects of the Nature Conservancy include preservation of a 15,558-acre conservation area in northwest Belize and 22,000 acres in southwestern Virginia’s Clinch Valley. Last September, United became the first U.S. airline to commit to cutting its emissions by half come 2050. Via a partnership with Sustainable Travel International, the airline’s Eco-Skies CarbonChoice Program lets travelers determine their carbon emissions and donate money or miles to independently verified carbon offset projects. Through its partnership with carbonfund.org, JetBlue also allows travelers to calculate their footprint and donate to offset their flights; Alaska Airlines—the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline—also partners with carbonfund.org. In addition, many leading international carriers, including Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Austrian, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Air New Zealand, support carbon offsetting and have a variety of different partners and initiatives. Cathay Pacific’s “Fly Greener” program, for example, lets travelers donate money or miles to the airline’s two current offset projects: converting animal waste into clean energy in Vietnam and supporting efficient cookstoves in India. Still, no matter what airlines do, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. What Else You Can Do If you’re intent on flying, book a nonstop: according to a 2010 report from NASA, 25 percent of a flight’s emissions are produced during takeoff and landing, which means the more legs you fly, the worse it is. Also aim to pack light, which lightens a plane’s overall weight and means less fuel burned and therefore fewer carbon emissions. In a previous AFAR story about ethical travel, Justin Francis, cofounder of Responsible Travel, also suggested cutting down on air travel, traveling by train, or taking fewer, longer holidays. “They’re all worthwhile efforts, but they’re tough asks, with some impractical compromises,” said Francis. “What I can say is that if we all stopped traveling, there would be consequences, too. One in 10 jobs around the world is in travel and tourism. It’s an important part of the economy, particularly in developing countries.” But it’s more than that: Beyond aiding the economy, travel also provides important cultural, educational, and emotional connections. With a little more effort and intent, then, it’s worth following these steps to make sure your next trip is not only good for you, but better for the environment, too.
       
      Full Article: https://www.afar.com/magazine/everything-you-need-to-know-about-carbon-offsets
     
         
      How hydrogen could change the face of steel production as we know it Wed, 29th May 2019 11:55:00
     
      In order to reduce its emissions, the steel industry needs technical innovation. Sweden has one possible solution. The EU is taking climate protection very seriously. Both increasingly stricter environment and climate protection regulations and rising costs through emissions trading are turning up the heat for the industry. By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union are to be reduced by at least 40 percent compared the corresponding levels from 1990. By 2050, they are to be cut by as much as 80 to 95 percent.
       
      Full Article: https://www.en-former.com/en/hydrogen-revolution-steel-production/
     
         
      Why carbon credits for forest preservation may be worse than nothing Wed, 22nd May 2019 19:02:00
     
      The state of Acre, on the western edge of Brazil, is so remote, there's a national joke that it doesn't exist. But for geochemist Foster Brown, it's the center of the universe, a place that could help save the world. "This is an example of hope," he said, as we stood behind his office at the Federal University of Acre, a tropical campus carved into the Amazon rainforest. Brown placed his hand on a spindly trunk, ordering me to follow his lead. "There is a flow of water going up that stem, and there is a flow of sap coming down, and when it comes down it has carbon compounds," he said. "Do you feel that?" I couldn't feel a thing. But that invisible process holds the key to a massive flow of cash into Brazil and an equally pivotal opportunity for countries trying to head off climate change without throwing their economies into turmoil. If the carbon in these trees could be quantified, then Acre could sell credits to polluters emitting clouds of CO2. Whatever they release theoretically would be offset, or canceled out, by the rainforest.
       
      Full Article: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/05/22/propublica-why-carbon-credits-for-forest-preservation-may-be-worse-than-nothing
     
         
      Fuel Cells – Powering The World, Pollution-Free Tue, 21st May 2019 13:59:00
     
      How do you consume energy in a way that’s more environmentally-friendly? If you were to ask the average man (or woman!) on the street, they’d probably bring up renewable energy, such as wind, solar, or geothermal energy. Now, these DO produce less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional sources of energy, but unfortunately, they still cause pollution and environmental damage. Fuel cells, on the other hand, are totally clean – making them a vastly superior way of powering the world. In this blog post, we discuss how fuel cells work, and how countries such as China are championing the race to make hydrogen fuel cells a reality. Read on to find out more! WHAT ARE FUEL CELLS? Simply put, fuel cells are cells that use the chemical energy of a certain reactant to produce electricity in a clean and efficient manner. You may think of these as batteries that don’t require any charging. The most common type of fuel cells are hydrogen cells. These are highly versatile and can produce electricity for systems that are as large as a utility power station or as small as a personal computer. Today, fuel cells are most commonly used to power cars. From an environmental standpoint, fuel cells are definitely advantageous over other sources of energy. Hydrogen fuel cells emit only water, and they don’t generate any carbon dioxide or air pollutants that harm our environment. Wondering how fuel cells work? To break it down, these cells consist of two electrodes that are in contact with an electrolyte layer. When a gaseous fuel (such as hydrogen) is fed to the negative electrode and oxygen is ged to the positive electrode, this results in electrochemical reactions taking place. These reactions, in turn, create an electric current. Fun fact: NASA has been using liquid hydrogen to propel their space shuttles and rockets into orbit ever since the 1970s! They also use hydrogen cells to power the electrical systems in their shuttles, and the crew drinks the water that’s produced as a byproduct. CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH USING FUEL CELLS While fuel cells bring a ton of benefits to the table, there are obstacles that prevent the global market from using fuel cells on a widespread basis. COST One of the biggest challenges of utilizing fuel cells revolves around the fact that fuel cells are expensive to create. That said, researchers and manufacturers are exploring a number of solutions that may help bring down the cost of these cells, including streamlining manufacturing processes and minimizing temperature constraints. According to the University of California’s National Fuel Cell Research Centre, fuel cells will be able to better compete with traditional power generation technology when they hit an installed cost of $1,500 or less per kilowatt. SAFETY Next, there’s also the issue of safety. When it comes to using hydrogen cells to power cars, for instance, a key concern is that hydrogen in highly flammable and hard to contain. Bearing this in mind, if a car that’s fitted with hydrogen fuel cells breaks down or overheats, it may have an increased likelihood to blow up or catch fire. What’s the fix? As of now, cars with fuel cells are outfitted with larger radiators to help with cooling. Meanwhile, scientists are researching and developing “high-temperature” fuel cells, and other special systems to enhance the endurance of fuel cells. THE RACE TO MAKE HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS A REALITY Several countries have put into place policies and guidelines that encourage the usage of hydrogen fuel cells, including China, Korea, and Japan. For instance, China’s 2019 Government Work Report contained a proposal to promote the development and construction of fueling stations for hydrogen fuel cell cars, and China’s government is targeting to have 1 million fuel cell vehicles on its roads by 2030. China aside, Korea is equally invested in popularizing hydrogen fuel cells. At the start of 2019, the Korean government announced a plan to foster the hydrogen economy by supporting industries such as hydrogen-powered cars and fuel cells. All in all, Korea intends to produce 6.2 million hydrogen-powered vehicles and build 1,200 hydrogen-charging stations. Last but not least, Japan is aiming to get 40,000 fuel-cell vehicles on the road by 2020. The country is currently working on deregulating the rules that it currently imposes on hydrogen filling stations, in the hopes that it can increase the number of refuelling stations to boost sales of hydrogen cars. WANT TO DO YOUR PART TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT? Unfortunately, cars powered by fuel cells aren’t available commercially in Singapore as of yet. Still, want to make an effort to go green? There are plenty of ways in which you can adopt an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, such as purchasing your electricity from a retailer that offers green electricity plans.
       
      Full Article: https://iswitch.com.sg/fuel-cells-powering-the-world-pollution-free/
     
         
      Germany plans to convert coal plants into renewable energy storage sites Wed, 15th May 2019 13:19:00
     
      With Germany's coal plants scheduled to close by 2038, operators now face some major decisions about how to restructure energy systems. One idea is to convert polluting power stations into batteries. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look. Since German lignite fuels seven of the EU’s top ten pollutors, if the country is going to seriously reduce its emissions, it has to shut these polluters down—and fast. But given that coal fired plants provide roughly one third of Germany's power, immediately closing them is not feasible. In addition, these coal plant complexes are a crucial part of regional economies in the lignite fields west of Cologne in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia and the Lusatian coal areas southeast of Berlin in Brandenburg and Saxony. With their operating days now numbered, finding ways to keep workers employed while still generating power is a primary goal of Germany's envisioned "Coal Exit."
       
      Full Article: https://energytransition.org/2019/05/coal-plants-into-renewable-energy-storage-sites/
     
         
      Is renewable energy unreliable? and other questions about RE answered Wed, 8th May 2019 14:07:00
     
      Just this March, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old Swedish kid, sparked a climate revolution led by children like herself around the globe. It’s dubbed as the “school strike for climate.” Her message to political leaders: “We are facing an existential threat and there is no time to continue down this road of madness.” She’s urging countries, especially rich ones like Sweden, to start reducing emissions now.
       
      Full Article: https://www.rappler.com/brandrap/finance-and-industries/questions-renewable-energy-answered
     
         
      A solar-powered mini-device churns out hydrogen fuel Thu, 2nd May 2019 12:43:00
     
      A compact solar-powered device can make hydrogen fuel at a record-setting rate. Power generation fuelled by hydrogen emits only pure water, but producing hydrogen cleanly and quickly has posed a challenge. In the photo-electrochemical (PEC) approach, materials similar to those used in solar panels are immersed in a water-based electrolyte. Sunlight striking the materials drives a reaction that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. However, current PEC approaches cannot be used on an industrial scale. Sophia Haussener and her team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne designed a PEC system that, in lab tests, can harness an amount of energy equivalent to more than 400 times the solar energy that typically falls on a given area of Earth. The researchers used high-powered lamps to provide their ‘solar’ input, but existing solar facilities concentrate the Sun’s energy to a similar degree using mirrors or lenses. Waste heat is used to enhance the reaction rate. The team predicts that their test device — which has a footprint roughly 5 centimetres square — could produce an estimated 47 litres of hydrogen gas over six sunlit hours. That’s the highest rate per unit of area for any solar-powered PEC device.
       
      Full Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01387-0
     
         
      The renewables transition: do we have the energy? Thu, 18th Apr 2019 16:00:00
     
      In a recent trip through rural Colombia, I stood at the waterside of the Embalse Peñol-Guatapé, one of the country’s largest hydroelectric dams. Built in the 1970s, the dam holds upwards of 100 million cubic metres of water – providing a source of clean, green, easy-to-manage power, plus a scenic spot for pleasure boating. But it has its downsides, too. The construction of the dam was highly controversial and required the complete demolition of the former town of El Peñol and a good chunk of its neighbour Guatapé, while leaving many local farmers homeless. The world has woken up to the need for a transition away from fossil fuels, replacing them with renewable energy sources. However, as the dam at Guatapé shows, introducing new energy sources brings its own problems. Is the world ready and willing to overcome them?
       
      Full Article: https://the-european.eu/story-16172/the-renewables-transition-do-we-have-the-energy.html
     
         
      Setting climate targets: when is net zero really net zero? Mon, 15th Apr 2019 13:12:00
     
      ‘Net zero’ and ‘carbon neutral’ have quickly become the go-to phrases for ambitious declarations on climate change action. But what do ‘net zero’, ‘zero carbon’ or ‘carbon neutral’ actually mean in practice? As climate action targets are increasingly announced both locally and nationally, it’s even more important that the assumptions involved are properly understood to deliver on the aspirations set out in the Paris Agreement. So what does ‘net zero’ actually mean? Which gases are included (or not)? How are boundaries set? And what are the different time scales? Here, researchers at The University of Manchester and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research set out a consistent and operational approach for policymakers to help avoid falling into the ‘net zero’ carbon jargon trap. Defining terms such as net zero and carbon neutrality is not straightforward. Carbon neutral, climate neutral, net zero, zero emissions and decarbonisation have all been used interchangeably.
       
      Full Article: http://blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/energy_environment/2019/04/setting-climate-targets-when-is-net-zero-really-net-zero/
     
         
      Combatting climate change: veganism or a Green New Deal? Wed, 3rd Apr 2019 13:29:00
     
      Humanity is standing on the brink of catastrophic climate change. The 2018 Special Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that ‘without societal transformation and rapid implementation of ambitious greenhouse gas reduction measures, pathways to limiting warming to 1.5°C and achieving sustainable development will be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve’. How can we begin to think about the societal transformations necessary to achieve these targets? Over the last year, two very different but increasingly popular and seemingly realistic solutions have emerged to address this question. The first is what can be labelled mainstream veganism; the second is the Green New Deal (GND). Both approaches are based on a systemic understanding of the causes of climate change and argue for mass social participation in order to meet their objectives. But despite the seemingly complementary appeal of the two approaches, they lead in fundamentally different political directions. In fact, mainstream veganism’s consumer-based strategy for change promises to squander the potential political energy generated by rising public disquiet about contemporary capitalism’s environmental death-spiral. A socialist Green New Deal, on the other hand, could mobilise and channel this energy towards a successful challenge to carbon capitalism, whilst also delivering many of the stated objectives of mainstream veganism. Here’s why. The appeal of mainstream veganism is the claim that by excluding animal products from our diets we could reduce food’s land use by 76%, and food’s GHG emissions by 49%. Such a transformation could feed the projected 10 billion people that will populate this planet in 2050. It could help conserve the world’s wild animal, bird and insect species. And it could enable large-scale reforestation. A major problem of veganism's customer-driven model of change is that the industrialisation of agriculture is not an outcome of consumer choice Veganism also highlights the appalling treatment of factory farmed animals, and sometimes brings to the fore the highly exploitative conditions of workers in the meat sector. A recent article in the Guardian summarised the arguments as ‘Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth’. The rise in the popularity of veganism, reflecting a desire by increasing numbers of people in rich countries to make a real difference to the fate of the planet and of humanity is, without doubt, a positive force. But there is a big mismatch between what mainstream veganism sees as the systemic problems of the global food economy and its individualist solutions to overcoming them. What we need, to avert climate catastrophe, is a systemic approach to comprehending and transforming the current global food economy. The global food system is characterised by a mega contradiction. On one hand, agricultural productivity has increased worldwide: per capita food availability rose from about 2,716 calories per person per day at the turn of the millennium to 2,904 calories in 2015-2017. On the other hand, the food system, in particular meat production, is very wasteful. Huge amounts of land, water and grains are dedicated to animals to grow meat. The industrial food system, based on ever-greater expanses of monocropped land, generates around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and contributes to deforestation and groundwater pollution. Workers in much of the industry suffer from dangerous conditions and low pay. On top of that, around 800 million people globally suffer from malnutrition. Mainstream veganism’s claim, that changing our diets can save the planet, assumes that the spending power of consumers in richer nations will dictate what is produced. But what about those people with very low levels of purchasing power? Currently around half of humanity live on less than $5.50 a day. The purchasing strategies of the world’s poor are driven primarily by imperatives of survival. For rich-world campaigners to preach the environmental benefits of dietary change to the world’s poor contains some element of a neocolonial mindset. Moreover, even if global food supply did shift towards plant-based production, widespread global poverty means that without more fundamental change, the world’s poor would still be unable to afford adequate food. And it is not just meat production that is so damaging to the world’s environment. Since the Green Revolution, agriculture has become increasingly industrialised and dependent on fossil fuels — in the form of fertilisers, pesticides, and their application through tractors and other energy intensive machinery. A major problem of veganism’s customer-driven model of change is that the industrialisation of agriculture is not an outcome of consumer choice. It emerged from, and is sustained by, large-scale planning, subsidies and investments by states and corporations. This means that even if millions of people did change their diets, the economic price signals of such decisions would have little effect on the overall food system. Understanding how these investments, subsidies and planning regimes underpin the global food system provides us with a road map of what needs to be challenged and transformed if we are to meet the carbon reduction targets required for a sustainable planet. Starting in the 1930s, and expanding following the second world war, the United States instituted a massive system of subsidised agriculture, focussing particularly on feed grains: corn, grain sorghum, oats, rye, and barley.´ The US was responding to agricultural overproduction, falling prices and widespread farmer impoverishment, as captured by John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Its agricultural support programme guaranteed farmers a price for their produce, to protect against market fluctuations and price collapses. It ensured long-term overproduction of feed crops. Following the second world war, excess supply was exported to emerging economies, and was often sold below cost price. The European Union followed suit with its Common Agricultural Policy in 1962. These exports underpinned third world industrialisation by keeping wage down, and provided super cheap feed crops to expand livestock production. The industrialisation of agriculture is also brought into sharp perspective when we consider the recent history of the chicken — now the most consumed animal across the globe. In 1960 less than 400 million chickens were slaughtered for human consumption every year. Today the number has risen to over 60 billion. Until the early 20th century, chickens were relatively expensive and usually consumed for special occasions. As Wilson Warren documents, in some parts of the US chicken was more expensive than lobster and venison. The rarity, and attraction, of chicken consumption was captured by the Republican party’s promise to put a ‘chicken in every pot’. How did this come about? A combination of public research, business enterprise and private sector science during the first half of the 20th century gave us the ‘industrial chicken’. Compared to its pre-industrial predecessor, the modern industrial chicken is fatter, grows faster, converts grain into flesh more efficiently, and has stronger legs (to withstand its greater weight). Similar dynamics, although less extreme, have characterised the pork and beef sectors. Changing our diets, even en masse, will do little to challenge this state-backed global food system. Only large scale, well-funded and sustained state interventions will realistically challenge and transform the global food system. Rising public interest in the global food system and concerns about its ecological footprint represent a potentially powerful political force A socialist Green New Deal sees states as generating well-paying green jobs and investments in industrial and urban sectors. It also aims to work with farmers ‘to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector’. A socialist GND would entail a major shift in power, away from capital and towards labour. It would entail the democratisation and socialisation of major energy systems and resources by placing working class communities at the heart of the transition. The Green New Deal’s objectives of decarbonising agriculture could be met by redirecting subsidies away from meat-based factory farming towards vegetarian-based family farmers deploying varied cropping systems. This would generate well-paid jobs and contribute to agricultural diversification. Green New Deal policies could also redirect fossil fuel subsidies to finance community restaurants making and selling affordable, nourishing and tasty food, sourced locally from family farms. It could use the state’s mega purchasing power in schools and public health services to generate rising demand for organic food and alternatives to meat. Rising public interest in the global food system and concerns about its ecological footprint represent a potentially powerful political force. But we will lose the opportunity to achieve such transformation if that energy is focussed only upon changes to individual diets. Rather, it requires a major political movement, and the radical reorganisation of society. The Green New Deal could represent the first steps in this direction.
       
      Full Article: https://mondediplo.com/outsidein/veganism-or-a-green-new-deal
     
         
      The Hidden Air Pollution in Our Homes Mon, 1st Apr 2019 12:23:00
     
      Food magazines typically celebrate Thanksgiving in mid-July, bronzing turkeys and crimping piecrust four months in advance. By that time last year, Marina Vance, an environmental engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder, had already prepared two full Thanksgiving dinners for more than a dozen people. Vance studies air quality, and, last June, she was one of two scientists in charge of homechem, a four-week orgy of cooking, cleaning, and emissions measurement, which brought sixty scientists and four and a half million dollars’ worth of high-tech instrumentation to a ranch house on the engineering campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The two Thanksgiving dinners were the climax of the project and represented what Vance called a “worst-case scenario.” She suspected that the Pilgrims’ harvest celebration, as it is observed in twenty-first-century America, qualified as an airborne toxic event.
       
      Full Article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-hidden-air-pollution-in-our-homes
     
         
      Viewpoint: Why we need nuclear power Mon, 4th Mar 2019 16:01:00
     
      Only one conclusion Turning away from nuclear power is counterproductive. If we really want to address the issue of rising CO2 emissions, then we need to consider nuclear energy. If we want the future energy mix to be sustainable, then nuclear energy is a necessity. It's clear that nuclear power is going to play a major role in energy-hungry regions like Asia. Nuclear power projects have their challenges, of course, and cost overruns and delays in Europe and the USA have had a negative impact on the industry’s reputation. And yet progress has been made in Asian countries, especially in China, which is the fastest growing nuclear nation in the world. Nuclear is also a viable option for Western countries, but Europe and the USA are different to China and India. In order to succeed in the Western world, new nuclear power projects must be more carefully planned since much of the financial risk there comes from political uncertainty and unnecessary regulatory obstacles. If these issues can be resolved, then nuclear will be able to reach its full potential and make a comeback on a larger scale.
       
      Full Article: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Viewpoint-Why-we-need-nuclear-power
     
         
      Pros and Cons of Renewable Energy Wed, 27th Feb 2019 13:15:00
     
      The pros and cons of renewable energy vary greatly from one form to the next. To help you get a better understanding of the advantages and drawbacks, we’ve laid it all out for you in this article. What is Renewable Energy? Before we dive right into the pros and cons of the different forms of renewable energy, here’s a quick rundown of some renewable energy basics. Renewable energy is a form of power derived from an energy source that we are not likely to run out of. Such sources include sunlight, wind, ocean waves, moving water, steam, and even organic waste. How the energy is pulled from each different source varies quite a bit, and we’ll cover that soon. The pursuit of renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular as people all over the world attempt to find better, faster, and more cost-effective ways to power anything from a small mobile phone to a large factory. In addition to cost and convenience, most major forms of renewable energy are also far more environment-friendly. While some methods require a bit of pollution and emissions during production and transportation, these methods don’t continue to negatively impact the environment once they’re set up—unlike traditional and more conventional forms of energy, such as burning fossil fuels. As you’re about to learn, there are a variety of different pros and cons of renewable energy, but it’s easy to see that these sustainable and eco-friendly power sources provide a list of benefits that outweigh the temporary drawbacks.
       
      Full Article: https://springpowerandgas.us/pros-and-cons-of-renewable-energy/
     
         
      Making hydrogen from renewables is as cheap as making it from natural gas Tue, 26th Feb 2019 14:33:00
     
      A new academic paper shows that hydrogen made with renewable electricity is cost-competitive with smaller-scale production of hydrogen sourced from natural gas. Within a few years, the researchers say, water electrolysis will have become cheaper than manufacture from fossil fuels across all sizes of hydrogen manufacturing plant, including the very largest.
       
      Full Article: https://www.carboncommentary.com/blog/2019/2/26/making-hydrogen-from-renewables-is-as-cheap-as-making-from-natural-gas
     
         
      Why peat is good for the climate and nature: a guide Thu, 21st Feb 2019 14:48:00
     
      You might know peat as a dark, earthy substance sold in plastic bags as garden compost. But there’s more to peat than that. It’s an incredibly important natural ally in the fight against climate change; it’s a rich haven for wildlife; it improves water quality and it helps reduce flood risk. Peat – sometimes called peat moss – is a life saver worth its weight in bags of gold. But peatlands across the world are disappearing fast. Governments allow peat to be dug up for garden compost or burned as fuel. And the UK allows the scandalous practice of burning of grouse moorlands to manage these landscapes. If we continue to devastate and degrade peatlands in Britain, Ireland and beyond, peat’s varied role in maintaining a healthy environment could be lost. It’s time to stop digging if we want to safeguard nature and climate. You can also ask the government to take urgent action by adopting our Climate Action Plan. What peat is and how it is produced? Peat is partly decomposed plant matter that builds up slowly over thousands of years to form peat bogs, moors and fens in areas waterlogged with rainwater. Some peatlands are as deep as 10 metres and have taken thousands of years to form. It can take a year or so for peat to build up by just 1 millimetre. It takes far less time to deplete and destroy these rich natural habitats and carbon stores. Where peat comes from? Most peat sold to UK gardeners and growers comes from what are called raised peat bogs in low-lying areas, especially in the Republic of Ireland. Here peat is harvested on an industrial scale to sell to the horticulture trade and as a fuel. Some peat (about 700,000 tonnes a year) is still produced in the UK. But, thanks to campaigning, the use of home-grown peat has declined. Peat use is still too high, though, and most demand is now being met by imports from Ireland. Around 7% comes from Baltic nations. So the peat problem hasn’t gone away; it’s just been passed to other countries where peat should also be protected. Why peat is a valuable natural habitat? We don't have lush rainforests in the UK and Ireland. Peatlands are our rainforests. They are internationally significant nature hotspots and vast carbon cupboards. And, like rainforests, we are busy destroying them. Not all peatlands are the same. Peat forms in blanket bogs, lowland raised bogs, lowland fens and upland flushes, mosses, swamps and fens – very different landscapes and locations but all requiring damp conditions.
       
      Full Article: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/why-peat-good-climate-and-nature-guide
     
         
      Intermittency, Storage, & Politics — The Case For & Against Super Grids Fri, 15th Feb 2019 13:03:00
     
      Intermittency is the new buzzword in the clean energy revolution. For opponents of renewables, it is the reason why we should stop building all those solar power plants and wind turbine farms. Better to just use good old fashioned coal the way our great grandfathers did. “The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow!” they cry, and of course, on a very superficial level, they are right. In order to supply the electrical needs of the world, we need wind and solar, and something else — something that can keep the lights on when the winds turn calm and the sun goes behind a cloud. AES Battery Storage System In a recent interview with PV Magazine, Indra Overland, a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency’s research panel for the global commission on the geopolitics of the energy transition, says “In any given place, the sun will not shine or the wind will not blow sometimes. But the greater the number of locations that are connected into one grid, the more likely it is that the sun will be shining and the wind blowing on some part of the grid, which can then supply the other parts.”
       
      Full Article: https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/15/intermittency-storage-politics-the-case-for-against-super-grids/
     
         
      Indoor air quality study: Cooking can cause pollution three times worse than London roads Sat, 2nd Feb 2019 14:50:00
     
      Alongside more obvious causes of poor IAQ such as smoking and vaping indoors, these factors all have a significant impact on the levels of pollutants we breathe inside our homes. Volunteers with different home environments and lifestyle habits were chosen as in-depth subjects for the study. An indoor air quality monitor? was placed in each subject’s house for a total of five days, recording dust particles, chemicals and humidity.
       
      Full Article: https://workinmind.org/2019/07/05/indoor-air-quality-study/
     
         
      The case for “conditional optimism” on climate change Tue, 29th Jan 2019 10:39:00
     
      Limiting the damage requires rapid, radical change — but such changes have happened before. Is there any hope on climate change, or are we just screwed? I hear this question all the time. When people find out what I do for a living, it is generally the first thing they ask. I never have a straightforward or satisfying answer, so I usually dodge it, but in recent years it has come up more and more often. So let’s tackle it head on. In this post, I will lay out the case for pessimism and the case for (cautious) optimism, pivoting off a new series of papers from leading climate economists. First, though, let’s talk about the question itself, which contains a number of dubious assumptions, and see if we can hone it into something more concrete and answerable. “Is there hope?” is the wrong question When people ask about hope, I don’t think they are after an objective assessment of the odds. Hope is not a prediction that things will go well. It’s not a forecast or an expectation. But then, what is it exactly? It’s less intellectual than emotional; it’s a feeling. As I wrote at length in this old post, the feeling people are groping for is fellowship. People can face even overwhelming odds with good spirits if they feel part of a community dedicated to a common purpose. What’s terrible is not facing great threat and long odds — what’s terrible is facing them alone. Happily, those working to address climate change are not alone. There are more people involved and more avenues for engagement every day. There’s plenty of fellowship to be found. More importantly, though, when it comes to climate change, “Is there hope?” is just a malformed question. It mistakes the nature of the problem. The atmosphere is steadily warming. Things are going to get worse for humanity the more it warms. (To be technical about it, there are a few high-latitude regions that may see improved agricultural production or more temperate weather in the short- to mid-term, but in the long haul, the net negative global changes will swamp those temporary effects.) The international community has agreed, most recently in the Paris climate accord, to try to limit the rise in global average temperature to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, with efforts to keep it to 1.5 degrees. But there’s nothing magic about 2 degrees. It doesn’t mark a line between not-screwed and screwed. In a sense, we’re already screwed, at least to some extent. The climate is already changing and it’s already taking a measurable toll. Lots more change is “baked in” by recent and current emissions. One way or another, when it comes to the effects of climate change, we’re in for worse. But we have some choice in how screwed we are, and that choice will remain open to us no matter how hot it gets. Even if temperature rise exceeds 2 degrees, the basic structure of the challenge will remain the same. It will still be warming. It will still get worse for humanity the more it warms. Two degrees will be bad, but three would be worse, four worse than that, and five worse still. Indeed, if we cross 2 degrees, the need for sustainability becomes more urgent, not less. At that point, we will be flirting with non-trivial tail risks of species-threatening — or at least civilization-threatening — effects. In sum: humanity faces the urgent imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then eliminate them, and then go “net carbon negative,” i.e., absorb and sequester more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits. It will face that imperative for several generations to come, no matter what the temperature is. Yes, it’s going to get worse, but nobody gets to give up hope or stop fighting. Sorry. Rather than just rejecting the question, though, let’s give it a little more specificity, so we can discuss some real answers. Let’s ask: What are the reasonable odds that the current international regime, the one that will likely be in charge for the next dozen crucial years, will reduce global carbon emissions enough to hit the 2 degree target? Remember, the answer to that question will not tell us whether there is hope, or whether we’re screwed. But it will tell us a great deal about what we’re capable of, whether we can restrain and channel our collective development in a sustainable direction. With all that said, let’s get to the papers. The case for pessimism on the 2 degrees target The argument for why we’re unlikely to hit the 2 degree target is not difficult to construct. As the latest IPCC report shows, for any hope of hitting 2 degrees, global emissions must peak and begin rapidly falling within the next dozen years. And they must continue rapidly falling until humanity goes net carbon negative sometime around mid-century or shortly thereafter. That means developed countries must go negative earlier, to allow for a slower and more difficult shift in developing countries. Accomplishing that would require immediate, bold, sustained, coordinated action. And, well ... look around. Look at how things are going. Look at who is running things. Look at the established economic regimes of the last half-century. As Enno Schröder and Servaas Storm of Delft University write in their blunt and unsettling recent paper, “the required degree and speed with which we have to decarbonize our economies and improve energy efficiency are quite difficult to imagine within the context of our present socioeconomic system.” The paper is called “The Road to ‘Hothouse Earth’ is Paved with Good Intentions” and it is an unsparing reality check. Understanding the argument requires a brief bit of background. The dominant climate-economic models used to generate scenarios showing how to hit the 2 degree target produce a few key common outcomes. One is that they require an extraordinary amount of energy efficiency. The bulk of the reduction in demand for fossil fuels through 2040 or so, in most successful 2 degree scenarios, is accomplished by reduction in overall energy demand. It is only around 2040 that displacement of fossil fuel energy by zero-carbon energy takes over as the dominant driver of fossil fuel reductions. How can energy demand fall while economies grow? The great hope (and lately, great hype) is for “decoupling.” For centuries now, the growth of economies has been tightly coupled with rising energy demand and rising greenhouse gas emissions — a one-to-one correlation, more or less. In recent years, however, several countries have seen their economies grow faster than their emissions. From this somewhat scant evidence, many analysts have concluded that modern economies are “decoupling” GDP and emissions and will eventually sever the connection completely. (Schröder and Storm run through numerous examples of this kind of optimism in their paper.) The premise of many 2 degree scenarios is that global economies will continue growing but, thanks to the magic of decoupling, carbon intensity — the ratio of carbon emitted per unit of economic output — will rapidly fall and thus so will emissions. In fact, it’s worth noting that the vast majority of scenarios used by climate policymakers take continued economic growth as an unquestioned premise. And they also accept that historical technology improvement rates will hold in the future. The question they basically answer: “How much can we reduce emissions while continuing to grow our economies at historical rates, with technology developing at historical rates?” Schröder and Storm critique that question, and its answers. Their analysis has two parts. The first looks at historical data from 1971-2015, trying to isolate the primary drivers of emission rates; it then uses the results to project how those drivers will evolve from 2015-2050. The analysis uses the Kaya identity, an equation that is used to calculate how much greenhouse gas emissions an economy will produce. It looks like this: Greenhouse gas emissions are the result of how many people there are, how wealthy they are (gross domestic product, or GDP), how much energy they consume per unit of GDP, and how much greenhouse gas emissions they produce per unit of energy. Schröder and Storm took those historical trends and projected them through 2050, using official numbers from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Long story short, they conclude that the level of action required to hit Paris targets “does compromise economic growth.” The reality, they say, is that “‘green’ growth predicated on carbon decoupling is impossible if we rule out (as is done by the IEA and OECD) truly game-changing technological progress and revolutionary social change.” The second part analyzes the period 1995-2011 using a Carbon-Kuznets-Curve (CKC) framework. Briefly, the Kuznets Curve shows that countries tend to get dirtier and more polluted in their early development, but hit an inflection point at a certain level of wealth and start getting cleaner. (The empowered middle class demands more from government; the economy shifts from heavy industry to services.) The CKC just applies the same analysis to carbon emissions. Schröder and Storm use a CKC analysis to look for evidence of decoupling from 1995 to 2011. They specifically distinguish two different ways of classifying emissions: territorial, i.e., carbon emissions that take place within a country, and consumption-based, i.e., the carbon emissions represented by the production and transport of the (often imported) goods and services consumed by citizens of a country. (By way of example, consider a television that is manufactured in China and shipped to America. Which country is responsible for the emissions involved? Territorially, China. In consumption-based terms, America.) In a nutshell, they found that “over this period there is some evidence of decoupling between economic growth and territorial emissions, but no evidence of decoupling for consumption-based emissions.” As economies get wealthier, they tend to offshore carbon-intensive industries, shift to more service-based economies, and clean up their energy sectors; emissions generated within their borders decline. They (at least partially) decouple their growth from territorial emissions. But as they get wealthier, they consume more, and every bit they consume represents carbon emissions generated somewhere else. A country with a growing, developed economy may produce fewer emissions directly, but is still responsible for more greenhouse gases with every bit it grows. Again, consumption-based emissions are not decoupling from growth. This is all a bit technical, so let’s pull the lens back a bit, to Schröder and Storm’s larger conclusion. Basically, it is this: The world’s current economies are not capable of the emission reductions required to limit temperature rise to 2 degrees. If world leaders insist on maintaining historical rates of economic growth, and there are no step-change advances in technology, hitting that target requires a rate of reduction in carbon intensity for which there is simply no precedent. Despite all the recent hype about decoupling, there’s no historical evidence that current economies are decoupling at anything close to the rate required. “The key insight,” they write, “is that marginal, incremental improvements in energy and carbon efficiency cannot do the job and that what is needed is a structural transformation.” In other words, 2 degrees requires radicalism. “Without a concerted (global) policy shift to deep decarbonization, a rapid transition to renewable energy sources, structural change in production, consumption, and transportation, and a transformation of finance,” they write, “the decoupling will not even come close to what is needed.” The Schröder and Storm paper is part of a debate forum hosted by the Institute for New Economic Thinking. That forum also includes a paper by Gregor Semieniuk, Lance Taylor, and Armon Rezai that reaches similar conclusions. Using macroeconomic modeling, they show that the necessary reductions in energy demand are unprecedented and implausible. An alternate strategy focused on supply rather than demand — where fossil fuel energy is displaced by low-carbon energy fast enough to do the job, even if energy intensity remains the same — is “possible macroeconomically,” but it would “require considerable modifications of countries’ macroeconomic arrangements,” which is a polite academic way of saying “it would require radicalism.” Put simply, if we are determined to maintain the economic status quo, we cannot possibly mitigate climate change, so we must turn to adapting to it. And if we opt for adaptation, they write, “we have to come to terms with the impossibility of material, social, and political progress as a universal promise: life is going to be worse for most people in the 21st century in all these dimensions. The political consequences of this are hard to predict.” The choice is radicalism today or disaster tomorrow, and from all signs, humanity is choosing the latter. The case for optimism on 2 degrees The forum also includes a response from economist Michael Grubb, a professor at University College London and editor-in-chief of the journal Climate Policy. He makes the case for what he calls “conditional optimism” on 2 degrees. He references economist Paul Romer’s well-known metaphor: Blind optimism is a child expecting his parents to build him a treehouse; conditional optimism is a child confident he can build a treehouse if given the tools. Grubb accepts that politicians are unlikely to question economic growth any time soon. He also accepts, for the purposes of his analysis, that population and GDP growth (two of the four Kaya elements) are “predetermined as projected.” Within those constraints, he focuses mainly on the carbon intensity of energy supply, and there he finds reasons for optimism. He hails both the other papers for doing what he calls “historical futures” analysis — projections of future trends that take into account real-world history and inertia — which he says is an improvement on the sort of dreamy, unanchored, blue-sky modeling that used to dominate the field. However, he writes, “the conclusions we draw from historical data depend entirely upon what kind of process we think we are trying to measure.” The core of his analysis is that the other papers are using “the wrong mental model” — measuring the wrong process — and by doing so “they bring to the table the wrong form of maths and thereby an apparently mathematically objective pessimism.” In economist-speak, the other papers are looking at “economic factor substitution driven by externality costs with relatively constant technologies,” i.e., the incremental substitution of one set of products for another, driven primarily by rising prices. What they ought to be looking at, he says, is “logistic substitution,” which is “a dynamic substitution process driven by innovation and scale economies displacing incumbent industries.” Unlike substitution between factors of production, logistic technology substitution is “intrinsically dynamic and largely irreversible,” driven mainly by “endogenous cost reductions and market growth of new technological systems as they displace older, incumbent industries.” Despite the wonky terminology, logistic substitution is quite familiar to most modern-day consumers. It is represented by the famous “S curve” of technological development, whereby a technology cruises along at a low level of market penetration, reducing prices and scaling up production, and then hits some sort of magical price/value threshold after which adoption skyrockets. The tech then expands rapidly until it dominates almost the entire market, and then levels off. Here are some examples from the last century (note that the process seems to be accelerating) Here are the graphs Grubb uses to illustrate a “logistic penetration curve.” This is just an idealized example; the thing to note about it is that the rate of change for the incumbent industry can start quite slowly before accelerating quickly. Eventually, “the percentage growth rate of the new entrant declines,” Grubb writes, “but only once its share has become significant.” If decarbonization of energy supply followed something like the logistics substitution curve above, it would take 12 years for the rate of decline in fossil fuel supply to reach even 5 percent annually. That is considered aggressive in today’s modeling. However, Grubb writes, “by the end of the 35 year time period, the incumbent industry is driven out by the newcomer, declining at rates exceeding 20 percent a year in the latter stages.” If the decline in fossil fuel supply were linear and steady, averaged out over those 35 years, it would have to be 10 percent a year. At least at the outset, that seems almost impossible. And that’s roughly where we are with climate change: facing changes that, if averaged out over the next three or four decades, require a pace of change that seems impossible based on historical trends. However, Grubb writes, those seemingly impossible rates of change are “entirely feasible and easily observed in the latter stages of sunset industries.” In logistic substitution, rates of change accelerate quickly; what looked impossible eventually becomes a fait accompli. “The future indeed needs to be different from the past,” he writes, but “past data does not say it cannot be so, indeed it already holds the evidence to suggest that it will be. “ As he says, “there are examples” of energy supply changing in something like a logistic way. He cites his own home country, the UK, where coal generation has gone from 80 percent of electricity to less than 10 percent in 25 years. Then there’s the global rise of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. “Ever since Germany launched its Energiewende in 2001,” he writes, “solar PV has seen sustained market growth at 30 to 40 percent a year, and costs have fallen by a factor of 10 in less than a decade.” Similarly, electric vehicles (EVs) show every sign of being poised at the bottom of their own S curve. They were an obscure, expensive product just a few years ago; today, companies like Volkswagen are pledging to go all-electric. There is no guarantee that these trends will continue, or that they will spread to other sectors of the economy as quickly as they need to, but they do show that large, rapid changes in energy technology can grow out of modest beginnings. “The world of the future grows from the niche markets of the present,” Grubb writes. Such changes are not impossible; they are familiar. “Optimism would be rooted in the potential for new industrial processes and niche examples to be so attractive as to rapidly grow and spread,” he writes. “Pessimism is rooted in the evidence to date that policy—renewable incentives aside—is more timid and more resistant to change than technology itself. But in neither case, I would argue, do the statistics of past aggregate trends really indicate the constraints on what is possible.” In other words, our future is not yet fated. There is room for conditional optimism. Opti-pessimistic hopeful realism, or something As I said at the outset, when it comes to climate change, there is no such thing as “game over” or “too late” or “screwed” or “no hope.” It is certainly not the case that, as the latest slogan has it, “we only have 12 years to act.” That is nonsense, even if, in some cases, it’s motivational nonsense. The fight to decarbonize and eventually go carbon negative will last beyond the lifetime of anyone reading this post. That is true no matter how high the temperature rises. The stakes will always be enormous; time will always be short; there will never be an excuse to stop fighting. That said, if there is reason to hope that we can limit warming to non-catastrophic levels, that we can hit the target we’ve set for ourselves, it lies in the possibility of non-linear change — change that begins slowly and then radically accelerates. It lies in the possibility that we are on the lower slope of not just one but several S curves, that change will fuel more change and the lines will soon start rapidly rising. To some degree it is true, as Schröder and Storm write in a reply to Grubb, that his conditional optimism represents “a triumph of hope over experience.” By definition, unprecedented carbon reductions are unprecedented. There is no easy assurance to be found in history that they are possible. And I’m with Schröder and Storm that, contra Grubb, market developments will never be enough. “Radical change within a limited time span is what we need,” they write, “and this needs collective action and a strong directional thrust which ‘markets’ or ‘private agents’ alone are unable to provide.” But rapid change is not just possible in technology. It is also possible in politics. In both domains, there are “tipping points” after which change accelerates, rendering the once implausible inevitable. We are rarely able to predict those tipping points. Relying on them can seem like hoping for miracles. But our history is replete with miraculously rapid changes. They have happened; they can happen again. And the more we envision them, and work toward them, the more likely they become. What other choice is there?
       
      Full Article: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/28/18156094/conditional-optimism-climate-change
     
         
      How Monitoring Air Quality Data Has Become an Absolute Necessity Wed, 23rd Jan 2019 13:37:00
     
      Every year the numbers of hospital visits are increasing due to the rise in the level of pollution in the country. For several years, people have been complaining about various health issues that have been caused due to breathing poor air quality. Unlike a few years ago where only older people were prone to respiratory issues, Pollution has engulfed every age group – With regular complaints about respiratory issues such as a regular cough and cold, asthma, and sinusitis. Also, people who have chronic heart illness are now suffering from further health issues fighting for their life, often making a visit to the emergency room during bad AQI (Air Quality Index) days.
       
      Full Article: https://www.aqi.in/blog/how-monitoring-air-quality-data-has-become-an-absolute-necessity/
     
         
      The Catch No One’s Talking About: Renewable Energy Relies on Non-Renewable Resources Fri, 18th Jan 2019 14:13:00
     
      Renewable energy is generally viewed as a long-term solution to climate change. It’s no surprise, then, that a great deal of effort is going into to powering the world by using only renewables, and researchers are even looking seriously at the prospect of Europe switching to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. However, there is a downside: renewable energy depends on natural resources that exist on planet Earth in fixed amounts and are very much non-renewable. The issue of rare earth elements, used in many technologies including solar panels and batteries, is well known. Although these elements are not always as rare as their name suggests, they are finite and not renewable. Also, just one country, China, presently has a monopoly on the production of most of these elements, which raises the question of energy security. But apart from rare earths, there are other non-renewable materials used for renewable energy. The metal lithium is a good example. As it’s highly reactive and relatively light, lithium is ideal for use in batteries. And the ability to store large amounts of energy is crucial to renewable energy, because sunshine and wind don’t simply appear at convenient times when humans need electricity. Another major application of lithium is in the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles. These vehicles certainly have lots of potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but in the long term, their feasibility will be challenged by the use of lithium in their batteries. Replacing Conventional Cars With Electric Cars A quick calculation shows that if all conventional cars (those using petrol/gas or diesel) were replaced by electric cars, the world would run out of lithium in around five decades. I took the total amount of lithium from the US Geological Survey, which estimates there are currently 14m tons of proven reserves worldwide. I used industry figures for the total amount of passenger cars sold worldwide, about 69 million in 2016. That same year, less than a million electric vehicles were sold, even including plug-in hybrids. If we imagine a future where all passenger cars were electric and the number of cars sold per year remains constant at 2016 levels, almost 69 million (technically: 69.46m minus 0.75m) electric cars will have to be produced each year even at a very cautious estimate. Our assumption here that the demand of cars will remain constant is actually very conservative, as demand typically increases with time. Today, a compact electric vehicle battery (Nissan Leaf) uses about 4kg (9lb) of lithium. This means around 250,000 tonnes of lithium would be required annually to produce enough electric cars to replace their petrol equivalents. At this rate, the 14 million tons of proven reserves would be exhausted within 51 years. The recycling of lithium from used batteries is not taken into account here. But it is important to note that electric cars are not the only product that use lithium. Currently, batteries use around 39 percent of total production, while the rest goes into ceramics and glass, lubricating greases, and other applications. So even if we imagine 100 percent of lithium in used batteries was recovered (not technically possible), much of that would still be used for other purposes, and supplies would still eventually be exhausted.
       
      Full Article: https://singularityhub.com/2019/01/18/the-catch-no-ones-talking-about-renewable-energy-relies-on-non-renewable-resources/
     
         
      Explainer: Why sea levels aren’t rising at the same rate globally Thu, 10th Jan 2019 6:35:00
     
      The sea is coming for the land. In the 20th century, ocean levels rose by a global average of about 14 centimeters (some 5.5 inches). Most of that came from warming water and melting ice. But the water didn’t rise the same amount everywhere. Some coastal areas saw more sea level rise than others. Here’s why: Swelling seawater As water heats up, its molecules spread out. That means warmer water takes up slightly more space. It’s just a tiny bit per water molecule. But over an ocean, it’s enough to bump up global sea levels. Local weather systems, such as monsoons, can add to that ocean expansion. Monsoons are seasonal winds in southern Asia. They blow in from the southwest in summer, usually bringing a lot of rain. Monsoon winds also make the ocean waters circulate. This brings cool water from the bottom up to the surface. That keeps the surface ocean cool. But weaker winds can limit that ocean circulation. Weaker monsoons in the Indian Ocean, for instance, are making the ocean surface warmer, scientists now find. Surface waters in the Arabian Sea warmed more than usual and expanded. That raised sea levels near the island nation of the Maldives at a slightly faster rate than the global average. Scientists reported these findings in 2017 in Geophysical Research Letters. Land a-rising Heavy ice sheets — glaciers — covered much of the Northern Hemisphere about 20,000 years ago. The weight of all that ice compressed the land beneath it in areas such as the northeastern United States. Now that this ice is gone, the land has been slowly rebounding to its former height. So in those areas, because the land is rising, sea levels appear to be rising more slowly. But regions that once lay at the edges of the ice sheets are sinking. These areas include the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the United States. That’s also part of a postglacial shift. The weight of the ice had squeezed some underlying rock in the mantle — the semisolid rock layer below the Earth’s crust. That caused the surface of the land around the Chesapeake Bay to bulge. It’s a bit like the bulging of a water bed when a person sits on it. Now, with the ice gone, the bulge is going away. That’s speeding up the impacts of sea level rise for the communities that sit atop it. Land a-falling Earthquakes can make land levels rise and fall. In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake made land in the Gulf of Thailand sink. That has worsened the rate of sea level rise in this area. Adding to the problem are some human activities, such as pumping up groundwater or drilling for fossil fuels. Each process can cause the local land to sink. The spin of the Earth Earth spins at about 1,670 kilometers (1,037 miles) per hour. That’s fast enough to make the oceans move. Ocean water swirls clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. (This is due to a process known as the Coriolis effect.) As water moves around coastlines, the Coriolis effect can make water bulge in some places, and sink in others. The flow of water from rivers can exaggerate this effect. As their waters flow into the ocean, that water gets pushed to one side by the swirling currents. That makes water levels in that area rise more than on the side behind the current. Scientists reported that finding in the July 24 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Glaciers begone Melting glaciers also can add water to the oceans. But these huge ice slabs affect sea levels in other ways, too. Huge glaciers can exert a gravitational tug on nearby coastal waters. That pull piles up water near the glaciers, making it higher than it otherwise would be. But when those glaciers melt, they lose mass. Their gravitational pull is now weaker than it had been. So the sea level near the melting glaciers drops. But all that melted water has to go somewhere. And that can lead to some surprising effects, according to a 2017 report in Science Advances. Melting ice in Antarctica, for instance, could actually make sea levels rise faster near distant New York City than in nearby Sydney, Australia. Editor’s Note: This story was updated on January 15, 2019, to correct that ocean water swirls clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the south, rather than the other way around.
       
      Full Article: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-why-sea-level-rise-rate-varies-globally
     
         
      Climate change: CO2 emissions rising for first time in four years Tue, 27th Nov 2018 11:49:00
     
      Global efforts to tackle climate change are way off track says the UN, as it details the first rise in CO2 emissions in four years. The emissions gap report says that economic growth is responsible for a rise in 2017 while national efforts to cut carbon have faltered. To meet the goals of the Paris climate pact, the study says it's crucial that global emissions peak by 2020. But the analysis says that this is now not likely even by 2030.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46347453
     
         
      Trump on climate change report: 'I don't believe it' Mon, 26th Nov 2018 10:13:00
     
      US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on a report by his own government warning of devastating effects from climate change. Asked outside the White House about the findings that unchecked global warming would wreak havoc on the US economy, he said: "I don't believe it." The report found that climate change will cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars annually and damage health. The Trump administration has pursued a pro-fossil fuels agenda. The world's leading scientists agree that climate change is human-induced and warn that natural fluctuations in temperature are being exacerbated by human activity.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46351940
     
         
      Climate change: Report warns of growing impact on US life Sat, 24th Nov 2018 16:00:00
     
      Unchecked climate change will cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars and damage human health and quality of life, a US government report warns. "Future risks from climate change depend... on decisions made today," the 4th National Climate Assessment says. The report says climate change is "presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth". The warning is at odds with the Trump administration's fossil fuels agenda.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46325168
     
         
      Amazon rainforest deforestation worst in 10 years, says Brazil Sat, 24th Nov 2018 9:33:00
     
      Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has hit its highest rate in a decade, according to official data. About 7,900 sq km (3,050 sq miles) of the world's largest rainforest was destroyed between August 2017 and July 2018 - an area roughly five times the size of London. Environment Minister Edson Duarte said illegal logging was to blame. The figures come amid concerns about the policies of Brazil's newly elected president, Jair Bolsonaro. During the 2018 election campaign, Mr Bolsonaro pledged to limit fines for damaging forestry and to weaken the influence of the environmental agency. An aide for the president-elect has also announced the administration will merge the agriculture and environment ministries, which critics say could endanger the rainforest.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-46327634
     
         
      China-backed coal projects prompt climate change fears Wed, 21st Nov 2018 19:40:00
     
      As levels of greenhouse gases reach a new record, concerns are growing about the role of China in global warming. For years, the increase in the number of Chinese coal-fired power stations has been criticised. Now environmental groups say China is also backing dozens of coal projects far beyond its borders. Coal is the most damaging of the fossil fuels because of the quantity of carbon dioxide it releases when it's burned. Last year, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached its highest level for the past 3-5 million years, according to the latest research by the UN's weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). And last month the UN's climate science panel said that coal must be phased out by 2050 if the world is to have any chance of limiting the rise in temperatures. The Chinese-supported coal projects are under way or planned as far afield as South America, Africa, southeast Asia and the Balkans. Contracts and financing for these facilities are often not fully transparent but campaign groups including Bankwatch have tried to keep track. "You cannot be a world leader in curbing air pollution and at the same time the world's biggest financier of overseas coal power plants," the group's energy coordinator Ioana Ciuta told the BBC. According to Ms Ciuta, efforts to tackle the dirty air of Chinese cities have led many power companies to limit their ambitions for coal-fired power stations in China itself and to target their technology and labour overseas instead. "By having China invest in over 60 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, it's perpetuating a source of pollution that has been demonstrated to be harmful not just to the climate but also to economies," she said. In Serbia, one of the country's largest coal-fired power stations is being expanded with the help of a loan from a Chinese bank and with the work being led by one of China's largest construction companies. An hour's drive east of the capital Belgrade, in the coal-rich Danube valley, construction has already started at the site, known as Kostolac B3. An existing power station towers over the rolling landscape, a steady stream of pollution twisting from a massive smokestack, and conveyor belts ferry coal from a nearby open-cast mine at Drmno.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46310807
     
         
      Spain plans switch to 100% renewable electricity by 2050 Tue, 13th Nov 2018 15:13:00
     
      Spain has launched an ambitious plan to switch its electricity system entirely to renewable sources by 2050 and completely decarbonise its economy soon after. By mid-century greenhouse gas emissions would be slashed by 90% from 1990 levels under Spain's draft climate change and energy transition law. To do this, the country's social democratic government is committing to installing at least 3,000MW of wind and solar power capacity every year in the next 10 years ahead. New licences for fossil fuel drills, hydrocarbon exploitation and fracking wells, will be banned, and a fifth of the state budget will be reserved for measures that can mitigate climate change. This money will ratchet upwards from 2025. Christiana Figueres, a former executive secretary of the UN’s framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC), hailed the draft Spanish law as “an excellent example of the Paris agreement”. She added: “It sets a long-term goal, provides incentives on scaling up emissions technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce.” Under the plan, “just transition” contracts will be drawn up, similar to the £220m package announced in October, that will shut most Spanish coalmines in return for a suite of early retirement schemes, re-skilling in clean energy jobs, and environmental restoration. These deals will be partly financed by auction returns from the sale of emissions rights. The government has already scrapped a controversial “sun tax” that halted Spain’s booming renewables sector earlier this decade, and the new law will also mandate a 35% electricity share for green energy by 2030. James Watson, chief executive of the SolarPower Europe trade association, said the law was “a wake-up call to the rest of the world”. Energy efficiency will also be improved by 35% within 11 years, and government and public sector authorities will be able to lease only buildings that have almost zero energy consumption. Laurence Tubiana, chief executive of the European Climate Foundation, and former French climate envoy who helped draft the Paris accord, described the agreement as groundbreaking and inspirational. “By planning on going carbon neutral, Spain shows that the battle against climate change is deadly serious, that they are ready to step up and plan to reap the rewards of decarbonisation,” she said. However, the government’s hold on power is fragile. With just a quarter of parliamentary seats it will depend on the more leftwing Podemos and liberal Ciudadanos parties to pass the climate plan. No dates were included in the legislation for phaseouts of coal or nuclear energy, and a ban on new cars with petrol or diesel engines was delayed until 2040.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/13/spain-plans-switch-100-renewable-electricity-2050?fbclid=IwAR1xD5P1nZmLLqYSfYo5y15t2z20dwahwaTWYUPlS8aCUG_nTUh5Itv8Bb4
     
         
      Interview: Hydrogen Is the Ideal Zero-Emissions Fuel Mon, 8th Oct 2018 16:31:00
     
      The maritime industry is at a crossroads. It has reached a point in its history where it has to pick the right path to meet its decarbonization targets. Specifically, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) climate strategy has set out to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Nevertheless, the shipping world is yet to carve out the strategy on how to achieve that. To propel the industry into the future, a large burden has fallen on the engineers and the role of technology in coming up with ingenious solutions to cut emissions, redesign ships and help the industry reinvent itself. However, the key factor in making the giant leap toward a less polluted future are zero-emission fuels. World Maritime News spoke with Traver Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of Joi Scientific, on the potential of hydrogen to be the fuel of the future. Joi Scientific, headquartered at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is leading the development in efficient extraction technology to produce hydrogen energy from water. “The commitment of the IMO to cut the shipping sector’s overall CO2 output by 50 percent by 2050 is a vital step to bring the maritime industry in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. For these commitments to be met, it is imperative that the maritime industry look at alternatives to fossil fuels for both propulsion and auxiliary power. While batteries may make sense in some very small craft and nuclear has a role in the very largest, neither is practical for the vast majority of maritime vessels,” Kennedy said.
       
      Full Article: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/interview-hydrogen-is-the-ideal-zero-emissions-fuel/
     
         
      NASA –Faster-than-Speed-of-Light Space Travel? “Will ‘Warp Bubbles’ Enable Dreams of Interstellar Voyages?” Fri, 21st Sep 2018 13:44:00
     
      A number of NASA scientists are currently researching the feasibility of warp drive (and EMdrive and a number of other modes of faster than light travel); however, most scientists think that such forms of space travel simply aren’t viable, thanks to the fundamental physics of our universe. “Routine travel among the stars is impossible without new discoveries regarding the fabric of space and time, or capability to manipulate it for our needs,” says Neil deGrasse Tyson, the “Cosmos famous” astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History, said “By my read, the idea of a functioning warp drive remains far-fetched, but the real take-away is that people are thinking about it — reminding us all that the urge to explore continues to run deep in our species.” There have been hints the past few years that NASA may be on the path to discovering warp bubbles that could make the local universe accessible for human exploration. NASA scientists may be close announcing they may have broken the speed of light. According to state-of-the art theory, a warp drive could cut the travel time between stars from tens of thousands of years to weeks or months. The catalyst for the warp-drive excitement is the Electromagnetic Drive or EM Drive, a thruster that was engineered to steer rockets which eliminates the use of a propellant originally intended for moon missions, Mars missions and low-Earth orbit (LEO) operations. The experiment that led to the possibility of faster than light interstellar travel took place in the vacuum of space. According to posts on NASASpaceFlight.com, a website devoted to the engineering side of space news, when lasers were fired through the EmDrive’s resonance chamber, some of the beams appeared to travel faster than the speed of light. If that’s true, it would mean that the EmDrive is producing a warp field or bubble. But “How?” If the laser beams are moving faster than the speed of light, then it would indicate that they are creating some sort of warp field, or bubble in the space-time foam, which in turn produces the thrust that could, in theory, power a spaceship bound for the center of the Milky Way or one of its dwarf galaxy satellites. The bubble would contract space-time in front of the ship, flow over the ship, then expand back to normality behind it. It’s inaccurate to describe the spaceship as moving faster than the speed of light, but rather space-time is moving around the ship faster than the speed of light.
       
      Full Article: https://dailygalaxy.com/2018/09/nasa-faster-than-speed-of-light-space-travel-will-warp-bubbles-enable-dreams-of-interstellar-voyages/
     
         
      Legal & General targets climate change laggards Mon, 11th Jun 2018 12:55:00
     
      Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) has said it will take action against companies that are not addressing the risks of climate change. LGIM, one of the biggest investment funds in Europe, said it would exclude offending firms from its Future World index fund. Where those firms featured in its other equity funds, it would vote against re-electing the chairs of their boards. China Construction Bank and Russia's Rosneft were among the worst, it said. "China Construction Bank remains the world's largest funder of coal mining and plants," LGIM said. "While the company has increased its lending to green projects, it does not disclose the total [greenhouse gas] emissions associated with its business." Rosneft, the Russian oil giant, was branded a laggard for producing a 144-page sustainability report that did not mention "climate change" once. "This provides little reassurance that the company is planning for a world that must use less of its main product," LGIM said. LGIM's Future World range of investments also includes the first fund aimed at encouraging gender diversity among UK firms, the Gender in Leadership UK Index Fund (GIRL), which was launched last month. Among the firms that LGIM considers leaders on climate change is Nestle, which has set targets to reduce greenhouse gases by 2020 in line with the Paris Agreement. The food giant discloses those targets and how it is performing against them.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44430882
     
         
      China leads as the largest investor in renewable solar energy, investing $126.6 billion in 2017 Tue, 5th Jun 2018 18:30:00
     
      China is on a mission to become the next green superpower. Currently the largest investor in renewable energy, China invested a total of $126.6 billion into clean energy in 2017 - a 30% increase from the previous year.

    Solar is a big part of those investments. In a plan to curb its carbon emissions, by 2020, China plans to generate 110 gigawatts of solar power - enough to power more than 30 million homes. Additionally, China commits to increase the amount of all clean energy to 20% of the current total (about 13%).

    China has developed several massive solar farms in the past few years, and it seems they are just getting started.
       
      Full Article: https://www.businessinsider.es/china-solar-renewable-energy-panda-farm-2018-6?r=US&IR=T
     
         
      The unprecedented decline of coral in the Great Barrier Reef continues Tue, 5th Jun 2018 7:08:00
     
      As reported by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), a steep decline in coral cover (the proportion of reef surface covered by live stony coral instead of sponges, algae, or other organisms) across the Great Barrier Reef is a phenomenon that “has not been observed in the historical record.

    AIMS´ long-term reef monitoring program visits each reef along the Queensland coast every two years to examine its conditions.

    Released Tuesday, major bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 have impacted various sections of the reef, unprecedented bleaching events reported by AIMS in successive years.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/05/coral-decline-in-great-barrier-reef-unprecedented
     
         
      The Welsh government failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Fri, 25th May 2018 9:25:00
     
      The Welsh Government ministers set a 10-year target in 2010 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below levels of 1990. Still shy of its commitment, in 2015, only a 19% drop has been reached. Additionally, an added target of an 80% reduction by 2050 was added in 2016 with a set commitment by ministers of 10-yearly interim targets by the end of 2018.

    Though the assembly's climate change committee suggests Wales' industrial profile and cold winters should have been been better considered when setting its target, Chairman Mike Hedges recognizes its ambitious goal as attainable while another Welsh government spokesman assures its commitment is "long standing."
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-44237368?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt/climate-change&link_location=live-reporting-story
     
         
      Disappointment over climate change target in Scotland Thu, 24th May 2018 16:10:00
     
      The Scottish government stops short to reach its expected target carbon-neutrality by 2050. Its drafted Climate Change Bill, recently published, only reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by the middle of the century. The bill has set no date for its target to reach a 100% cut and environmental groups say ministers are missing a huge opportunity as global leaders.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-44237777?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt/climate-change&link_location=live-reporting-story
     
         
      The challenges and rewards of transitioning to CSP to desalinate seawater Mon, 21st May 2018 15:56:00
     
      Freshwater shortages are projected to increase in our hotter and more crowded future. Already, 150 countries desalinate seawater, using fossil fuels. But supplying an ever-increasing basic need with non-renewable fuels creates a growing threat, according to Dr. Diego-César Alarcón-Padilla, who heads up SolarPACES Task VI at the Solar Desalination Unit at Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA).
       
      Full Article: https://phys.org/news/2018-05-potential-rewards-transitioning-solar-power.html#jCp
     
         
      Egypt's new solar power plant to train African scientists Fri, 18th May 2018 13:24:00
     
      [ALEXANDRIA] The first training programme in the field of solar power for researchers from Africa and the Middle East is set to launch next September.

    The programme, offered by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt, will take place at the Multipurpose Applications by Thermodynamic Solar (MATS) plant. The plant, which produces electricity and desalinates water, has been built over an area of 12 acres in the city of Borg El-Arab near Alexandria, and opened in February.
       
      Full Article: https://www.scidev.net/global/energy/news/egypt-s-new-solar-power-plant-to-train-african-scientists-1x.html
     
         
      Trump White House axes Nasa research into greenhouse gas cuts Thu, 10th May 2018 21:30:00
     
      President Donald Trump's administration has ended US space agency Nasa's monitoring system into greenhouse gases, a US journal has revealed. The Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), a $10m (£7m)-a-year project which remotely tracks the world's flow of carbon dioxide, is to lose funding. Science magazine reports that its loss jeopardises the ability to measure national emission cuts - as agreed to by nations in the Paris climate deal.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44067797
     
         
      UN climate stalemate sees extra week of talks added Thu, 10th May 2018 9:15:00
     
      UN negotiations in Bonn are set to end in stalemate today as delegates have become bogged down in technical arguments about the Paris climate pact.

    Poorer nations say they are fed up with foot dragging by richer countries on finance and carbon cutting commitments.

    Some countries, led by China are now seeking to renegotiate key aspects of the Paris agreement.

    An extra week of talks in September has been scheduled to try and get the process back on track.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44060910
     
         
      Rising levels of 'frustration' at UN climate stalemate Tue, 1st May 2018 13:02:00
     
      Old divisions between rich and poor over money and ambition are again threatening to limit progress in UN climate negotiations.

    Discussions between negotiators from nearly 200 countries have resumed in Germany, aiming to flesh out the rules on the Paris climate pact.

    But developing countries say they are "frustrated" with the lack of leadership from the developed world.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43949423
     
         
      Macron hits at US saying one day will re-join Paris Agreement, denouncing nationalism and isolationism Wed, 25th Apr 2018 11:42:00
     
      French President Emmanuel Macron has used his speech to the joint houses of the US Congress to denounce nationalism and isolationism.

    Mr Macron said such policies were a threat to global prosperity.

    The speech was widely interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on President Donald Trump's America First agenda.

    Mr Macron also raised differences on global trade, Iran and the environment, seemingly in contrast to the warm bonhomie of his visit so far.

    The French president was given a three-minute standing ovation as he took his place in the chamber for his speech.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43897212
     
         
      Solar farm means 'I can breathe more easily', says ex-miner Tue, 24th Apr 2018 16:55:00
     
      Wenhui giggles as he shares some banter with his friend Xiaosi. They've got used to walking on water. It's a fresh, misty morning. They move between the gently rocking solar panels fixing them to pontoon floats.

    "It's about the air. I can breathe more easily," says Wenhui

    A few years ago, his life was quite different - he worked 800 metres beneath this lake as a coal miner. Now one firm, Sungrow, has turned it into the world's biggest floating solar farm.

    "I am so much happier," says Wenhui.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43864665
     
         
      Thwaites Glacier: Biggest ever Antarctic field campaign Fri, 30th Mar 2018 12:22:00
     
      It is going to be one of the biggest projects ever undertaken in Antarctica.

    UK and US scientists will lead a five-year effort to examine the stability of the mighty Thwaites Glacier.

    This ice stream in the west of the continent is comparable in size to Britain. It is melting and is currently in rapid retreat, accounting for around 4% of global sea-level rise - an amount that has doubled since the mid-1990s.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43936372
     
         
      Spanish government freezes Clean Energy funds Tue, 13th Mar 2018 8:38:00
     
      The biggest R&D (Research & Development) center for renewable energy in Spain is currently in dire circumstances. Although Spain is holding millions of euros in EU grants to spend on its solar thermal energy initiatives, it is impeded by spending restrictions imposed by the Spanish Treasury in 2016...
       
      Full Article: https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/03/09/inenglish/1520595153_946564.html
     
         
      The 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water - like Cape Town Sat, 27th Jan 2018 10:10:00
     
      Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water.

    However, the plight of the drought-hit South African city is just one extreme example of a problem that experts have long been warning about - water scarcity.

    Despite covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, water, especially drinking water, is not as plentiful as one might think. Only 3% of it is fresh.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-42982959
     
         
      Will Cape Town be the first city to run out of water? Tue, 23rd Jan 2018 22:16:00
     
      Cape Town, home to Table Mountain, African penguins, sunshine and sea, is a world-renowned tourist destination. But it could also become famous for being the first major city in the world to run out of water.

    Most recent projections suggest that its water could run out as early as March. The crisis has been caused by three years of very low rainfall, coupled with increasing consumption by a growing population.

    The local government is racing to address the situation, with desalination plants to make sea water drinkable, groundwater collection projects, and water recycling programmes.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42626790
     
         
      UN releases warning about 'catastrophic' lack of action on climate change Tue, 31st Oct 2017 11:53:00
     
      Donald Trump might be about to make a decision that would make the situation 'even bleaker', the report warns

    There is a "catastrophic" gap between what needs to be done on climate change and what governments and companies are actually doing, the UN has warned.

    Despite pledges to work to mitigate and deal with climate change, current plans still lead to a 3-degree Celsius rise in temperatures by the end of the decade, a major new report warns. If that happens, it will not only break through the 2-degrees target set in the Paris agreement, but also lead to deadly changes in the climate across the world.
       
      Full Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/un-climate-change-global-warming-paris-agreement-warning-heat-rising-melting-a8028961.html
     
         
      CSP Doesn’t Compete With PV – it Competes with Gas Wed, 11th Oct 2017 16:39:00
     
      CSP (concentrated solar power) used in a solar thermal power plant to generate electricity is often portrayed as competing with solar PV, but in fact, CSP really competes with the other thermal power plants like natural gas that supply dispatchable electricity. PV is not dispatchable. PV only runs when the sun shines. CSP can be dispatched on demand, more like turning on a switch to get solar. So CSP doesn’t compete with PV. Here’s how that works: Although CSP makes solar electricity by harvesting sunlight like PV, it operates more like a conventional power plant. Once the sunlight is collected as heat, (see How the various solar thermal technologies do that) the “back end” – the power block – works the same as any other thermal energy power station. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants all operate on thermal energy, but must burn a fuel to make electricity.
       
      Full Article: https://www.solarpaces.org/csp-competes-with-natural-gas-not-pv/
     
         
      Planet has just 5% chance of reaching Paris climate goal, study says Mon, 31st Jul 2017 16:00:00
     
      There is only a 5% chance that the Earth will avoid warming by at least 2C come the end of the century, according to new research that paints a sobering picture of the international effort to stem dangerous climate change. Global trends in the economy, emissions and population growth make it extremely unlikely that the planet will remain below the 2C threshold set out in the Paris climate agreement in 2015, the study states. The Paris accord, signed by 195 countries, commits to holding the average global temperature to "well below 2C" above pre-industrial levels and sets a more aspirational goal to limit warming to 1.5C. This latter target is barely plausible, the new research finds, with just a 1% chance that temperatures will rise by less than 1.5C.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/31/paris-climate-deal-2c-warming-study
     
         
      Diesel and petrol car ban: Clean air strategy not enough Wed, 26th Jul 2017 16:00:00
     
      The government's £3bn clean air strategy does not go "far enough or fast enough", campaigners have said.

    Moves including banning the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2040 and £255m for councils to tackle air pollution locally have been welcomed.

    Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government was determined to deliver a "green revolution".

    But environmental groups criticised the decision not to include a scrappage scheme or immediate clean air zones.
       
      Full Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40731164
     
         
      Climate Change and Conspiracy Theories at the Great Barrier Reef - Uncensored Tue, 18th Jul 2017 17:41:00
     
      As bleaching ravages the Great Barrier Reef, Jim sets out to separate fact from fiction regarding climate change's effect on the ocean.
       
      Full Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi8I3reckfQ&list=RDQMl5LofjZseQI&index=9
     
         
      We are destroying rainforests so quickly they may be gone in 100 years Mon, 23rd Jan 2017 1:11:00
     
      If you want to see the world’s climate changing, fly over a tropical country. Thirty years ago, a wide belt of rainforest circled the earth, covering much of Latin America, south-east Asia and Africa. Today, it is being rapidly replaced by great swathes of palm oil trees and rubber plantations, land cleared for cattle grazing, soya farming, expanding cities, dams and logging. People have been deforesting the tropics for thousands of years for timber and farming, but now, nothing less than the physical transformation of the Earth is taking place. Every year about 18m hectares of forest – an area the size of England and Wales – is felled. In just 40 years, possibly 1bn hectares, the equivalent of Europe, has gone. Half the world’s rainforests have been razed in a century, and the latest satellite analysis shows that in the last 15 years new hotspots have emerged from Cambodia to Liberia. At current rates, they will vanish altogether in 100 years. As fast as the trees go, the chance of slowing or reversing climate change becomes slimmer. Tropical deforestation causes carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, to linger in the atmosphere and trap solar radiation. This raises temperatures and leads to climate change: deforestation in Latin America, Asia and Africa can affect rainfall and weather everywhere from the US Midwest, to Europe and China. The consensus of the world’s atmospheric scientists is that about 12% of all man-made climate emissions – nearly as much as the world’s 1.2bn cars and lorries – now comes from deforestation, mostly in tropical areas. Conserving forests is critical; the carbon locked up in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s 150m hectares of forests are nearly three times the world’s global annual emissions. And as the forests come down, the people who live in or around them and depend on them become impoverished. Without the forests, people migrate to cities, or move to richer countries in search of work. The world’s rainforests not only provide food, energy security, incomes and medicinal plants for 300 million people, but are home to the richest wildlife in the world. So, what to do? The positive news is that all countries formally pledged at the Paris climate summit in December 2015 to reduce emissions and keep global temperature rises to well below 2C; and in so doing they recognised that this would not be possible without stopping or at least reducing tropical deforestation. The 50 or more developing countries who share the world’s tropical forests all recognised their contribution and promised to crack down on illegal forestry, replant trees and restore degraded forest lands. Some countries were highly ambitious. China, Brazil, Bolivia and Congo DRC together put forward targets that could protect over 50 million hectares of forest over the next 15 years, an area the size of Spain. Indonesia, the world’s sixth largest carbon emitter, promised to cut its emissions by 29% by ending illegal deforestation and restoring 12m hectares of forested land. Ecuador said that it planned to restore 500,000 hectares of forest land by 2017 and then increase that amount by 100,000 hectares a year. Honduras committed to plant or restore 1m hectares of forest by 2030. If countries stick to their pledges and let damaged forests recover, annual global greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by as much as 24 to 30% – an enormous step. The science and economics needed to stem deforestation are in place, but there is one huge caveat: countries with tropical forests are some of the poorest in the world, desperate to develop and use their natural resources to grow their economies. Their pledges to stop or reduce deforestation are mostly conditional on rich countries financially and technically helping them achieve this – and the onus on reducing emissions is on these rich countries which have historically caused most climate change. Rich countries pledged at Paris to raise $100bn a year to help poor countries reduce their emissions. Some of that money should go to tropical forest protection. In addition, a new UN-backed mechanism called Redd (reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) has been initiated that involves rich countries paying countries to protect forests and the carbon stored within them. Tropical and sub-tropical countries could receive both public and private funding if they succeed in reducing their emissions from deforestation. But this is deeply controversial as global schemes are prone to corruption, difficult to implement and hard to measure. If there is money to protect forests, will it go to big companies as subsidy, or lead to evictions of people and human rights abuses? There must be safeguards, but Germany, Norway and the UK have together promised up to $1bn a year for Redd schemes until 2020. The World Bank plans to contribute a similar amount to work with African countries. A further fund is intended to benefit indigenous and other forest communities which have been the traditional protectors of the forest. Until Paris, stopping tropical deforestation was at best unlikely and probably impossible. It remains very difficult, but a political and financial mechanism has now been created to incentivise countries, companies and communities to do so at a fraction of the cost of reducing comparable emissions in the US or Europe. Protecting the forests now depends on rich governments not ducking their responsibilities and playing their part.
       
      Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/23/destroying-rainforests-quickly-gone-100-years-deforestation
     
         
      Spanish government attempts to reclassify Clean Energy Mon, 30th Dec 2013 16:22:00
     
      Two large clean energy investment funds, RREEF an investment vehicle by Deutsche Bank and Antin a French investment firm, have taken the Spanish government to the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

    The dispute is over plans to reduce the guaranteed purchase price for electricity generated from their Spanish base concentrated solar farms over the next 25 years. The Spanish government has announced a series of changes with a new system to determine the electricity price. Plus a reduction in the amount of energy deemed at renewable energy at these specific solar plants as they use natural gas to allow quick start up and reduce the effect of transient clouds.
       
     
         
      Car-free Sunday for smog-struck Milan Sun, 9th Oct 2011 16:25:00
     
      The northern Italian city of Milan banned all traffic from its streets for 10 hours on Sunday in an attempt to reduce smog. The measure, first imposed on a trial basis in 2007, is triggered whenever pollution exceeds the statutory limit for 12 consecutive days. Satellite imagery shows Milan to be one of the most polluted cities in Europe. An estimated 120,000 vehicles will be affected by the move, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper. The most polluting vehicles have been banned from driving through the city centre since Thursday. But on Sunday, there was no traffic between 0800 and 1800 local time (06:00-16:00 GMT). The ban is imposed when pollution exceeds 50 micrograms of particulates per cubic metre of air over 12 days. The last time the full ban was in force was in February. The move is not popular with all environmentalists, who argue that the city's public transport system should be improved to discourage people from using their cars. Local Green Party councillor Enrico Fedrighini said cars with three or four people inside should be offered free parking, for example. "One or two car-free Sundays each month won't do anything to tackle the smog crisis," he told Corriere della Sera. Public transport was to be bolstered during the day, with an extra metro trains and buses operating.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-15230753
     
         
      Short-term exposure to air pollution can increase risk of cardiac arrest: study Tue, 30th Nov 2010 0:00:00
     
      Short-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a higher risk of sudden heart problems, especially among older people, according to a study published Monday. The study, published in the journal The Lancet, indicates that even low levels of air pollution can increase the likelihood of cardiac arrest. Study researchers at The University of Sydney say there is an "urgent need to reassess" international guidelines on air quality. The research is believed to be the largest of its kind to date, according to the study's authors. They looked at data from emergency medical responses in Japan over a two-year period, as well as the country's records on air pollution involving particulate matter.
       
      Full Article: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/short-term-exposure-to-air-pollution-can-increase-risk-of-cardiac-arrest-study-1.4787956?cache=yesclipId104062
     
         
      Carbon farming: how agriculture can both feed people and fight climate change Tue, 30th Nov 2010 0:00:00
     
      Imagine “carbon emissions”, and what springs to mind? Most people tend to think of power stations belching out clouds of carbon dioxide or queues of vehicles burning up fossil fuels as they crawl, bumper-to-bumper, along congested urban roads. But in Britain and many other countries, carbon emissions have another source, one that is almost completely invisible. In the UK, these overlooked emissions come from our most extensive semi-natural habitat, yet it is a habitat which is almost invisible within the national consciousness. The source of these emissions can be seen in the rich black peat soils of the East Anglian Fens, the Lancashire lowland plain, the Somerset Levels, the Forth Valley and indeed many lowland river flood plains, as well as in the hugely damaged peat soils of the UK’s uplands. The common thread here is “peat”, a soil derived almost entirely from semi-decomposed plant remains which have accumulated over thousands of years because the ground is waterlogged. Such peat soils are immensely carbon-rich because they largely consist of organic matter. Globally, peatlands contain more carbon than all the world’s vegetation combined.
       
      Full Article: https://theconversation.com/carbon-farming-how-agriculture-can-both-feed-people-and-fight-climate-change-111593
     
         
      Tech Tent: Iron Man’s climate change mission Tue, 30th Nov 2010 0:00:00
     
      He's one of Hollywood's biggest stars and, as Iron Man, is many moviegoers' idea of what a tech tycoon should look like. But Robert Downey Jr has ambitions to play another role - that of an investor in technology to combat climate change. He tells Tech Tent he wants to step out of the make-believe world of his Avengers character and confront the real threat to the planet. "I'm not a kid any more. And I really want to find things that I think are dynamic and interesting and - tell me if I'm wrong - but isn't this the space to be catching the buzz right now?"
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55853565
     
         
      Cyprus on alert as Syrian oil slick spreads across Mediterranean Tue, 30th Nov 2010 0:00:00
     
      Authorities in Cyprus are monitoring an oil slick that originated from a power plant on Syria's Mediterranean coast and could soon affect the island. Syrian state media said last week there had been a spill from the plant, which is inside the Baniyas oil refinery. Satellite imagery showed that the slick spread north along the Syrian coast before moving westwards towards Cyprus. Modelling suggests that it will reach the Karpas Peninsula in the Turkish-controlled north on Tuesday. The prime minister of Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus said it was taking all necessary measures to prevent the slick causing damage and was receiving assistance from Turkey. The Cypriot government said it was ready to provide help if requested. Syria's government said last Tuesday that there had been an accidental leak from a fuel tank at the Baniyas thermal power station, which is in a part of the war-torn country under its control. The following day, Syria's state-run Sana news agency reported that the slick had reached the town of Jableh, about 20km (12 miles) to the north. Teams had begun cleaning up the oil from rocky areas of the coast, applying sand to soak up the fuel as well as machines using suction, it said. Imagery from Europe's Sentinel-1 satellite meanwhile showed the slick had spread further along the coast, almost reaching the city of Latakia, and covered almost 150 sq km (58 sq miles) of sea. Syrian officials downplayed the scale of the spill as the clean-up continued over the weekend, with the head of the General Directorate of Syrian Ports telling state TV that the quantity of fuel that leaked "was not large". The Cypriot government issued a warning about the slick on Monday in response to new satellite imagery showing that it had grown in size and was close to Cape Apostolos Andreas. The cape is the north-eastern most point of the Karpas Peninsula, which is in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and is about 130km (80 miles) from Baniyas. The Cypriot fisheries and marine research department said the slick appeared to be "oil sheen" rather than crude oil, and that computer modelling and meteorological data suggested it would affect the cape within 24 hours. Steps had been taken to inform authorities in the north and the government was "ready to respond and provide assistance if requested", it added. The TRNC's Prime Minister, Ersan Saner, said the spill's progress was being followed closely by his office and all relevant ministries and organisations in co-operation with Turkey, which is the only country to recognise the north as an independent state. "No-one should doubt that whatever is necessary will be done to prevent our country from being harmed by this spill," Mr Saner added. Turkey's Vice-President, Fuat Oktay, told the Anadolu news agency it was "mobilising every means available that we have without giving any chance to the spill to turn into an environmental disaster", and that it hoped to control the slick in the open sea before it reached the coast of Cyprus.
       
      Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58394430
     
         
         

       
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